Everything is Within the Scope of His Assumptions

The scenery did a total 180.

Suddenly, we were in this infinite white void. The sky, the ground, the horizon—it was just one big, flat expanse of nothingness.

ALPHA and DELTA were already squaring off against NELSON. The old man’s figure flickered and blurred, and then, surprise, surprise—there were two of him.

DELTA stayed low to the ground, closing the gap with a slow, predatory crawl.

ALPHA, on the other hand, just stood there with her arms crossed. She didn’t even bother drawing a weapon. She just watched the two Nelsons like she was a scientist observing some particularly boring mold.

"…Shi!"

DELTA lunged. She stayed low, tearing across the ground like a wild beast. She didn’t lose an ounce of momentum as she swung that massive JET-BLACK BLADE. The thing was way longer than a person is tall. It wasn’t about "technique" or "spirit" or any of that fancy stuff; it was just pure, unadulterated violence.

A massive shockwave rattled the air.

That wave of violence sent NELSON flying. He managed to block it, barely, but the shock on his face was priceless.

"What are you, some kind of ABOMINATION?!"

DELTA just sneered. She moved in for the kill, but the second NELSON cut her off, swinging a greatsword at her flank.

ALPHA "That’s one."

"Wait, wha—?"

A JET-BLACK BLADE suddenly sprouted from the second NELSON'S face. I don’t even know when she got behind him, but ALPHA had already shoved her sword through his skull. Then, with a casual flick, she took his head right off. No sound, no bloodlust—she just matter-of-factly deleted him.

Blood sprayed everywhere, staining the pristine white ground. But a second later, the "corpse" shattered like a dropped mirror and vanished into thin air.

"The sensation was human. The movement and scent, too. I take it this is part of the SANCTUARY'S DEFENSE FUNCTION?" ALPHA mused, glancing at her blade. The blood had already vanished from the steel.

"Precisely."

NELSON tried to play it cool, though he was clearly rattled. His figure blurred again. Two became four.

"I suppose I was being a bit careless. Let's see how you handle four of me."

One stayed back while the other three charged. DELTA didn't care about being outnumbered or flanked. She just went full-send at her prey.

"A beast to the end..." NELSON mocked.

DELTA mocked him right back with a grin. She slammed her blade down, cleaving the NELSON in front of her—and his greatsword—clean in half.

The other two closed in like a pair of scissors, swinging their greatswords from the front and back. With her path of retreat cut off, DELTA parried the front blade and snapped her head toward the one behind her.

And then she bit it.

I'm serious. Her canines sank into the steel, and with a sickening crunch, she chewed through the greatsword.

"Huh...?" NELSON actually let out a stupid little noise.

While he was busy rubbing his eyes in disbelief, ALPHA cleaned up the other two.

"Impossible..."

The SANCTUARY was supposed to be suppressing most of their MAGIC POWER. Their control should have been a mess. There was no way they should have been able to fight like this. And yet, here they were, treating his clones like target practice.

"Did you girls achieve AWAKENING on your own? That method was supposed to be lost to time..."

ALPHA just gave him a little smile.

Meanwhile, DELTA was having a bit of a wardrobe malfunction with her SLIME BODYSUIT. She was busy grabbing handfuls of the stuff and sticking it to her chest and hips, cobbling together a makeshift set of BIKINI ARMOR. Once she’d covered the bare essentials, she gave a satisfied nod.

"W-well, fine. This is all within the scope of my assumptions..." NELSON said, his voice definitely shaking. "Allow me to show you my full power!"

Suddenly, the place was crawling with Nelsons. He wasn’t just doubling anymore; there were easily over a hundred of them.

"So much prey...!"

DELTA looked like she’d just been told it was all-you-can-eat night. She charged straight into the mob.

"You really don't understand math, do you, you animal!"

But the moment they collided, NELSON'S face twisted. A bunch of his clones went flying into the air like it was a gag manga.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!!"

DELTA'S roar sounded more like a demented laugh. The massacre had officially begun.

I watched from a distance as DELTA'S JET-BLACK BLADE spun around like a high-speed ceiling fan. Her style was nothing like mine. It wasn't like ALPHA'S or EPSILON'S, either. No forms, no techniques—just raw, concentrated violence. It was a kind of "strength" that went in the exact opposite direction of everything I stood for.

Are you really okay with that? I wanted to ask.

But hey, you can’t argue with results. She was strong. Like, absurdly strong. ALPHA joined the fray, and the Nelsons were being wiped out in record time.

"Why? How can it be this easy...?"

"You were a researcher, weren't you?" ALPHA asked, sounding almost sorry for him. "It doesn't matter how many copies you make if they all share one brain. The human mind isn't built to control multiple bodies at once. Once you hit a hundred, they're nothing more than scarecrows."

DELTA finished off the last copy and trotted over, wagging her tail.

"Just one more left..."

She had this vicious sneer on her face. She looked like a beast that hadn't eaten in a week.

"Eek...!" NELSON actually scurried backward.

"It seems your ability to churn out clones isn't infinite," ALPHA noted dryly.

She was right. NELSON was tapped out. So, he did what any cornered villain would do: he called for backup. He summoned the LAST GUARDIAN.

"Come! Get here, now!"

Space itself tore open in response to his pathetic wailing. Light spilled out, coalescing into the shape of a woman. She looked exactly like ALPHA, but...

"HERO OLIVIER..." ALEXIA whispered.

Yeah, it was her. But her eyes were totally dead. Just empty glass beads. It was honestly a bit depressing. She stepped in front of DELTA, acting as NELSON'S shield.

DELTA grinned, but for once, she didn't just rush in. She stayed put, licking her lips and wiping away drool, her bloodshot eyes scanning her prey from head to toe.

"HERO OLIVIER... so it really is you..." ALPHA bit her lip.

Just then, a BLACK-CLAD WOMAN with a very... generous figure appeared. Though, for some reason, she was standing way off in the distance.

EPSILON "Alpha-sama, the investigation is complete!"

"Good work, EPSILON. Then I suppose our little field trip is over." ALPHA turned to leave.

"Y-you're running away?!" NELSON sounded way too relieved.

"I’m not interested in the lives of small fry. Our goal is to sever the source of this power. Now that we’ve seen what the SANCTUARY'S defenses look like, we’ll be back to pry this place open by force."

"Y-you think I'll let you escape?"

"Oh? Are you going to try and stop us?"

"Eek!" NELSON immediately ducked behind OLIVIER.

"DELTA, we’re leaving... DELTA!"

ALPHA grabbed DELTA by the scruff of her neck. DELTA actually tried to snap at her, baring her fangs with a loud "Gaa!"

"Excuse me?" ALPHA said.

DELTA froze, snapping back to reality with a visible shudder.

"Gau... sorry, ma'am..."

"Let's move."

With her ears pinned back and her tail between her legs, DELTA followed ALPHA out.

EPSILON "Alpha-sama, over here! This is the exit! Hurry, hurry!"

EPSILON was waving frantically, her two "slimes" bouncing boing-boing with every movement. Everyone hopped into the rift of light she was pointing at, and peace finally returned to the SANCTUARY.

NELSON slumped to the ground, letting out a massive sigh of relief.

"W-well, fine. I’ve got that Alpha woman’s face memorized now. Once I get her blood, I’ll be one step closer to perfection. This is all within the scope of my assumptions."

He just kept mumbling to himself.

"I’ll report to the higher-ups first. I’ll tell them I lured them in, trapped them, and unmasked their leader. Yeah, that’ll make me look great."

Spoken like a true middle-manager. But then, he paused. Something felt off.

"Wait... is there a rat in the CENTER OF THE SANCTUARY?"

NELSON scanned the area, a nasty smirk creeping onto his face.

"Hmph. I could use some stress relief. OLIVIER, with me."

And just like that, they vanished too.