Codex Null: Simulation Through Madness

[Serah expressed how, let alone one favor, she didn't mind doing countless more.]

[And you didn't hold back after her generous words and told her directly that you needed Elysia to help you in some matters for a long time, or a witch other than her who was well connected, for the period of around five years.]

[Serah contemplated your request seriously, before finally explaining that lending you Elysia for some time while possible, it's actually impossible to let her accompany you for such an extended duration, especially given her current authority, so it would be better to help you find another trustworthy witch, and if necessary, Elysia could supervise her work later.]

[Her offer was not bad at all, and so you naturally agreed to it, thinking that it was finally time to move forward with your ambitious plans.]

Not bad at all?

Noel thought with a pleased smile, feeling more and more satisfied with Serah's reliability.

He had been pretty on guard against her at first, but at this point?

She was the most stress-free among all those troublemakers around him.

[22 years old. You have already consummated your relationship with Serah, and unlike how you expected, neither Selena nor Lilith have a strong negative reaction to that development.]

[Serah had also finally introduced you to a strong Witch working independently from the Witch faction, Lirien, and you were more than satisfied with her capabilities, as unlike Elysia who was more battle-oriented, Lirien was a typical witch who was specialized in utility and versatility.]

Lirien... with a thoughtful gaze, Noel carefully memorized this important name.

He still had a serious grudge to settle with the witch faction, but he knew the absolute necessity of having one of his subordinates as a witch, so maybe she could be a potential candidate?

Not simply for the short-term contract like in the simulation, but the long-term one, where she would be his own.

Noel decided to see how this simulation continued before he made his final decision.

[Your request to her was simple: to gather information, starting from those talented individuals that are still unaffiliated by any factions, moving to every small organization or family on earth, then about events or dimensions that opened, were opened, closed, or whatever that happened starting from the sixth of February of this year.]

That's the date of today… Noel smiled knowingly as the thought crossed his mind.

[Against the broad amount of information you asked for, Lirien, while surprised slightly at first, still didn't ask about the reason and simply did as she was told without question.]

[One month passed. Your relationships have at some point started improving on their own with both Selena and Lilith, and so with them along with Hilda, Elysia, and Serah, you were in Italy, Florence.]

[Your gaze moved between the Inheritance Dimension in the distance and Elsa in front of you for some time, before you finally settled your attention on Elsa, who seemed to have forgotten Selena at one point, the one she came to see, and instead was simply staring at you with obvious amazement and admiration.]

[You hesitated only for a moment, before you asked her directly if she wanted to come out of her Ravelli house and work under you, or if she wanted, she could be your woman.]

[Against your shocking offer, Elsa was taken aback and stayed silent for a long moment, but those around you were not the same — all of them had their auras flare dangerously.]

[In the end, none of them made a move, and Elsa politely refused you.]

[Time passed quickly after that, and in no time, the inheritance dimension stabilized, and entry to it became possible.]

[The Ravelli house had come nearly with all their forces though, and it seemed a battle was due to happen, where you were clearly at a disadvantage, but then you already prepared, asked Serah to call the elder she had already contacted and who was nearby.]

[His imposing presence immediately changed everything, and you once again asked Elsa if she has changed her mind and wanted to give a different reply.]

[This time, Elsa didn't give a reply instantly and hesitated visibly, but in the end, she still refused you, and seeing that, you crossed her name from your mind, having no intention to ask the same woman three times.]

So I have some misunderstandings?

Noel was thoughtful as he saw the outcome with Elsa.

She was someone who had killed him once in the simulation, and he was entangled with her frequently due to the inheritance dimension.

But did they have some deadly grudge against each other? No.

And so, with the outcome of the simulation from yesterday morning, he still felt that maybe he could recruit her. But had he read it wrong? Or did he not have enough charisma?

… Or had he come too early?

Noel couldn't be completely sure.

[You moved on with your business and entered the inheritance dimension with seeming familiarity, where before long, you obtained two precious drops of blood and the complete Blood Scripture.]

[You didn't dwell much in Italy after that. Instead, you left the dimension in the hands of the Hollow Sun Sect members to handle, then departed for the United States.]

[There you first absorbed the knowledge of the Blood Scripture, and took one of the two blood drops. Then you moved on to the second drop with growing anticipation.]

[You asked Lirien to prepare the ritual to receive this mysterious bloodline, and it didn't take long before it was finished, and you finally consumed it.]

[You, who already had a high affinity with blood, seemed to have acquired wings after that, as your affinity increased just that much. And it didn't stop there, as even your physical strength seemed to have some enhancement.]

[Three months later, you had finished refining your lungs, even when you didn't try that much, and now had already moved to your liver with steady progress.]

[23 years old, you had finally reached initial mastery in the Blood Scripture. While in the process of refining your kidney, you had already gone more than halfway through, but your attention was not there. Instead, it was on the flood of information that you got from Lirien, and you needed to sort and memorize every detail of.]

[There was useless information and interesting ones in regard to events, but you went through them all the same, while taking a note on what might prove valuable later.]

[One month passed. Through Hilda, you finally gathered those from the Cross house who were still loyal to you, not to Lilith, and finally declared the establishment of Zero Division.]

[You, who had already received lists upon lists from Lirien in regard to supposedly talented people, left only Hilda and Nadine with you. You sent all the other initial members of Zero Division on their missions, where they were to either bring these targets to your organization, and if they refused, to kill them without hesitation.]

[If there was someone who you could consider to be talented enough to catch even your attention, you had plans to go and see them yourself. But someone like that didn't appear among the prospects.]

Why did he go to this extreme?

Noel was not someone against killing in general. But he still felt that his action in the simulation, to kill if they refused to join him, was still bound to incur many dissatisfactions while making an organization.

So it really wasn't necessary to be this ruthless.

So, why did he do that?

While tapping the desk, Noel quietly wondered.

[Three months later, after you went through the first batch of the names and recruited what could be recruited, you finally turned your attention to something else you had been delaying for some time now... the Merrow family.]

[You gathered Selena, Lilith, and Serah, and laid out your goal without the slightest hesitation: the complete destruction of the Merrow house... and enslaving Liora and Maelis.]

[No one seemed to appreciate your goal, their dissatisfaction naturally being on the enslaving part. But in the end, they still agreed.]

[And once the decision was made, the plan moved forward with the utmost efficiency.]

[Serah's forces formed the main spearhead, and with Zero Division, your own people by your side, you launched a coordinated strike on the Merrow house's primary dimension.]

[Meanwhile, auxiliary teams formed from those Cross members, and the Everen House, hunted down any members who happened to be outside, ensuring no avenue of escape remained open.]

[The battle was pretty one-sided, especially with the strong forces of the Hollow Sun cult and the second in command of the Everen house actually coming to support the operation. And so, taking Coren's life and catching Liora didn't take much effort at all.]

[In the end though, Maelis was still able to escape through methods you hadn't anticipated. And you were forced to eradicate every last member of the Merrow family, whether of the main line or the farthest branch, before moving on to catch the mother with renewed determination.]