Multiverse Cross Ex

Underground Ataraxia.

Beneath the surface, a vast web of power lines crisscrossed the underground sectors, sustaining Ataraxia's energy grid.

Integrating a new power source wasn't just a matter of plugging in another reactor.

It required recalibrating every existing conduit to accommodate the new reactor.

Since Project Hybrid-3 Fusion Reactor was still in its early phase, and despite its high success probability—

Mitsuya still needed to process the Fusion Core—the heart of the system, and Mitsuya had no intention of taking unnecessary risks.

He planned to leverage Cross Ability to force the atomic bonding into place.

The containment structure had already been built within a week.

Ataraxia's engineering force was no joke.

Descending to the lowest chamber, Mitsuya stepped in alongside Kei and a female engineer.

"Commander."

The engineer saluted.

Mitsuya gave a simple nod before continuing down the hallway.

The air had a sterilized humidity, and one could even camp here for a long time.

Not only that, there was also the scent of coolant and metallic alloys clinging to the underground corridors.

"The toroidal tokamak structure for containing the superheated plasma has been completed, along with the containment chamber."

"Good work."

With a silent nod, the three continued down the dimly lit hallway, the glow of overhead strips casting long shadows along the reinforced walls.

Mitsuya stopped in front of a reinforced wall, the only barrier separating them from the containment chamber.

Tapping on the door, Mitsuya muttered, "Seems sturdy enough."

'Navi, remind me later to alter its properties for extra protection.'

[Understood.]

With that, Mitsuya pulled out his identification card and scanned it against the sensor.

The system responded instantly.

For this newly established containment chamber, Mitsuya held the highest level of clearance. Supreme Administrator.

Of course, that hadn't happened without first convincing Reiri to support the project.

That woman had been difficult to persuade, but with Kei's help, he had eventually managed to win her over.

Then again, considering he had never hidden anything from them in the first place, she had little room to argue.

After all, ever since he started attending Ataraxia, from his abilities, to his power to recharge Hybrid Cores, to the fact that he was the pilot of the humanoid machine—

He had always told the truth.

That alone had been enough for her to finally accept.

Stepping into the chamber, they were immediately greeted by the cool, stabilized atmosphere—

A necessary measure to prevent the main systems from overheating.

Despite the project still being in progress, students and engineers were actively working on finalizing the environment.

Overall, the work was about 80% complete.

Thanks to this mission and Amaterasu's past contributions, they had been able to recycle waste metals from Alternate World constructs—

Providing them with durable and high-quality materials for the reactor's construction.

"Everything is coming together nicely," Mitsuya muttered, standing beside Kei with a small yet perceptible smile.

"Look, the commander is here."

"Commander!"

"Boss man."

"Captain!"

One by one, voices called out, saluting him in their own way.

But he simply waved his hand.

"You lot, get back to work."

With that, he turned his attention toward the center of the chamber—

Where the Core Containment Unit and the Tokamak Plasma Chamber had been placed.

{Mitsuya-sama, we've placed the device as you requested,} Kei said from behind him.

Although Hybrid Cores were priceless—each one being the equivalent of hundreds of soldiers—

At first, it might have seemed like a waste to use them for something like this.

However, the reactor wasn't just a power source.

It would also serve as the foundation for a new generation of weapons, linked directly through a special energy line.

Their old firearms would be replaced with laser-based cannons, currently under development by Amaterasu's workforce.

"Hn. Let's get to work."

At his words, the entire room fell silent.

Every engineer and student stopped what they were doing, their focus now entirely on Mitsuya.

The Core Device was now positioned atop the containment chamber, fully secured and regulated.

With everything in place, it was now up to Mitsuya to activate it.

Realizing the significance of this moment, everyone instinctively took a step back, gathering behind him in anticipation.

"Territory, activate. Further deploying Partial Quantum Territory."

[Understood.]

[«Dimension Cross» main systems online.]

[Deploying Quantum Territory.]

As Navi's voice resonated, the air above the chamber fractured.

It wasn't the massive rupture that appeared whenever Cross or its Main Cannon descended—

But a controlled crack, just large enough to encompass the room's ceiling.

"Usage of Quantum Tunneling for Fusion Initiation."

By using this method, the Hybrid Cores could be forced into fusion at lower energy thresholds, drastically reducing the need for extreme heat.

And since a Hybrid Core's energy source wasn't inherently harmful, Mitsuya didn't have to worry about radiation hazards.

That didn't mean there were no risks.

Stabilization.

Fusion was only half the battle—the real challenge was ensuring the resulting energy remained controlled. But Mitsuya had accounted for that.

The surrounding auxiliary cores, recomposited by his own hands, had been positioned precisely to reinforce the system.

And since they regenerate their own energy themselves, no accompanied by a binding force—

Safe to say Ataraxia now had a preliminary nigh-infinite power source.

"... This…"

The room fell into silent awe as they watched the fusion process unfold.

It was like witnessing a god of creation shaping the birth of a new world.

The deep blue glow of the cores shifted, giving birth to a radiant sky-blue energy.

The two small cores fused into one, radiating an intense blue shine that pulsed with visible energy waves.

{According to Mitsuya, the energy waves are harmless unless deliberately harnessed for combat.}

Something like this should have been impossible, nothing more than a dream.

But with Quantum Mechanics and Magic at play—

Dreams could be actualized.

"Haah… haah…"

The fractured airspace slowly sealed itself, leaving Mitsuya on one knee.

Seeing that, Kei knew it was her cue.

She tapped at her device that was connected to the computers to monitor its stability.

"It's… a success…"

She trembled, and spoke out, for the first time. Normally, she wouldn't speak to anyone except those close to her.

She'd only speak when alone with Reiri.

Since Dr. Nayuta's time. Every scientist has been headed in her direction. Putting the Hybrid Cores into humans to make them fight.

However, this was the first.

Things he'd spoken off like Life-Saver Forcefield could now be made.

That meant, Ataraxia would be protected by a 24/7 nigh-impenetrable force field.

"It's a success. Haah… haah… hahaha… it's a success."

Even exhausted, he still laughed.

Without caring about his image, he simply collapsed onto the cold metallic floor, laughter echoing through the chamber.