Multiverse Cross Ex

Ataraxia's Research Lab.

Having witnessed Mitsuya's unparalleled win against one of their strongest forces.

At this point, no other student held any doubt for him.

He was no doubt the new strongest.

"How does he even fight like that!?"

"No, armour, no thrusters. And if you look closely at the last moment, slowing it down by times ten, look—"

A female pointed at the screen as several others sat in a dimly lit room, observing.

In the footage, they saw Mistuya attacking Aine, pressing her up against her before appearing behind her.

Even as they slowed down the footage, there was only so much they could see.

"In the first place, reacting to a speed on the level of Ms. Aine requires, at the bare minimum, those on the same level."

"After all, the principles of Ms. Aine's Hybrid Gear thrusters are not that different from jet thrusters, and he's able to keep up with the speed."

"Wait a minute, officially, doesn't his document say he possesses the power to bend physics in a certain area around him?"

"He's breaking physics."

"No, he's rewriting physics. That's worse."

"Still, his document says he only bends physics in a small area—"

"You FOOL, tell me if it's possible for you to do what he did even if oh: "IT'S IN A SMALL AREA"?"

These people were scientists, not just the official ones that worked for Ataraxia, but in addition, student scientists.

Student scientist who were also dedicated for advanced analysis.

After all, if not, Ataraxia wouldn't have come this far while being low on manpower.

Among them, a bespectacled petite woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, the Director of Nayuta Lab, particularly fixed her eyes on the screen.

"..."

Even if his abilities were the result of acquiring a Hybrid Gear—

Such power defied all logic.

And to be honest, she didn't believe his strength came from something as simple as a Hybrid Gear.

No. It was much like that machine that had appeared just a few days ago—

A machine that surpassed common sense.

Something like that would require a bizarre Hybrid Core just to function, not to mention pull off all those moves it did.

Even Dr. Nayuta—the genius scientist herself—might not have been capable of creating something like that back then.

Perhaps now, maybe, she could, or maybe not, considering the power consumption and output of such a machine unless they could get their hands on a core capable of powering such a monstrosity.

But there was no way to know for sure.

However, one thing was certain—

Even with Ataraxia's current level of technology, they could not create a machine that functioned as flawlessly as that one.

She knew this.

Because she had watched the footage over and over again.

"…What do you think, Kei?"

Beside her, all along, was Reiri—who had sneaked into the research lab just to listen in on their discussion.

"I want to meet him."

"Huh?"

Reiri's eyebrows shot up. It was uncharacteristic of the researcher to be that interested in, well… someone.

Naturally, Reiri had already relayed everything about him to Kei, so in the end, she figured this reaction was only natural.

"Alright then, I can call for him."

If anything, having someone like Mitsuya was a godsend for them.

Though—he had yet to reveal himself as the pilot of that machine.

Yet. Reiri was willing to wait.

Until he was ready—on his own terms—to tell her.

And by then… Ataraxia might just become the greatest force in existence.

'No need to waste time waiting around. That should be implemented immediately.'

Reiri thought, pulling her terminal from her skirt and quickly glancing at a few things.

Since Aine and Yurishia had used their Hybrid Gears recently, their Hybrid Counts were likely running low.

Which meant that, at the moment—

The only ones capable of heading out on missions were Himekawa and Mitsuya.

Perfect.

This was the ideal opportunity to gauge Mitsuya's mysterious abilities further.

However, the moment she checked Aine's interface, to be precise, Aine's Hybrid Count, her eyes widened.

Her mouth hung open in disbelief.

"This—no way, this is…."

On the Other Hand.

Back at the college.

[Master, analysis has been concluded. It is indeed possible to create conventional weapons capable of dealing damage to the armies of the Alternate World Armour.]

It was lunch break, and the classroom was mostly empty—save for the occasional chatter and footsteps echoing from the hallway.

Mitsuya sat at his desk, in the empty classroom, one foot propped up, rocking his chair slightly as he scribbled on a small notepad.

'Of course. But let me guess—it would require the cores for functionality.'

[Yes, Master. A weapon of such caliber would be too convenient for this world.]

'Then, if its material were made from «Cross»'s extra armor, wouldn't that be just as convenient?'

[...]

[I suggest studying the Alternate World's Machines instead.]

That was also a feasible option.

Doing so would contribute valuable data to the Supercomputer's Archives.

However—

The attacks from the Alternate World weren't so frequent that they could simply gather data whenever they pleased.

After all, there is a saying, "Not every day is Christmas."

In fact, it would be nothing but a loss for the Alternate World Armies if they decided to invade every day.

"Hehe. Not to mention their motherships. Hehehehe~"

Mistuya had let out a perverted chuckle as he said that, letting his imagination run wild as he scribbled on the book he held.

He wasn't just scribbling any random things. He was scribbling blueprints.

Blueprints that Navi would process and analyse, and if possible, improve.

[Does Master plan on also stealing their mothership technology for «Cross»'s use?]

[...]

[Navi can process a master using a mothership as a surfboard.]

"You get it, don't you, Navi? As expected of my partner."

[Unfortunately, Master, «Cross» does not possess a huge enough workstations to process Master's request.]

Hearing that, Mitsuya then paused, and then he let out a lengthy sigh.

"Well, I guess I can't have everything I want, huh?"

[That's how it is, Master.]

Still, Mitsuya sat there considering other things, such as Aine's sealed memory.

Naturally, he had no business unlocking Aine's memories this early.

And thanks to his own selfish curiosity, well—what little he did know of this world had already gone to 💩. Down the drain.

It wouldn't take long for Reiri to notice that Zero's power had suddenly spiked.

But—

He refused to become some human power bank just to charge up girls.

Now that he had a clear goal—one that aligned with Navi's—capturing a Machine God—he wasn't in such a rush to leap into another world.

'Hm… in a month's time, I reckon we'll come across a resident of that world. Perhaps we can start there.'

He mulled over the thought, glancing out the window—

Until the sound of wooden slats sliding open drew his attention.

A girl entered.

She was of Japanese descent, her long black hair styled in a traditional hime-cut, tied with red ribbons.

Mitsuya spared her only a brief glance before looking away.

"…What is it?"

"Kimitsuki Mitsuya," she said, with a formal tone. "Commander Reiri calls for you."