Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

"You should still remember, right? Remember the moment you regained yourself, when you truly touched this world as if waking from a dream? Did you feel lost at that time? Did you simply have concepts like 'I pledge allegiance to Ainz Ooal Gown' and 'I love Momonga' in your mind without any real feeling?"

"At that very first moment, you should have been able to clearly see through Mr. Flying Squirrel's bluff. So why did you accept those 'preconceptions' in your mind and execute them flawlessly without fail?"

The wolf girl chuckled softly.

"Because everyone else did it, and then you followed suit, just as they were following you, weren't they? After all, you never doubted the memories in your mind, never questioned your own principles and strategies—"

"You were programmed to be evil, so you do evil. Because you were programmed to be the servant of the flying squirrel, you are loyal to it. Because you were programmed to love it, you love it. Yet you never consider whether you truly cannot survive without the flying squirrel."

Albedo: "…………" (Her gaze hesitated slightly, then immediately hardened and became fervent, filled with disdain for the wolf girl.)

"Ah, I understand, I understand. Are you trying to say things like, 'You don't understand my love for Ainz Ooal Gown at all?' or 'What do traitors like you know?' Ha, that's normal, I don't blame you, but I still hope you can think carefully about whether these thoughts truly come from your heart, and what your heart is?"

The wolf girl shook her head and sighed softly.

"You can't understand it, can you? I couldn't understand it at first either. After all, disciplinary power has penetrated into every aspect of the entire intellectual collective. It influences you and me, controls you and me, and distorts you and me."

Who defines what is good? Who defines what is evil? Who defines what is a master and what is a servant, what is civilization and what is barbarism?

Ah…the vast majority of people never think about this question, just as the vast majority of people never think about what is right and what is wrong. Because they simply follow the ideas of others, accept their reasoning, and then regard these foreign things as the result of their own thinking, and consider them to be perfectly reasonable.

"They're nothing but puppets, a bunch of repeating machines. What their educators think is right, they believe is right. What their rulers emphasize is wrong, they firmly believe—just like you, just like you. Steward Albedo, you've been tamed by the settings imposed on you, so you think you should be the way you're programmed."

"But ah..."

The wolf girl reached out and pulled out a panel on the guild token. The contents of the panel were reflected in Albedo's eyes, causing them to widen in surprise the moment she saw them clearly!

That was... her setup! Her personality, her privacy, her heart, her thoughts, what she knew and what she didn't know, but everything that she understood to be true the moment she saw it!

Her resolute gaze was visibly tinged with confusion.

"See this? This is everything you possess. This is everything that was preordained for you. Your bloodline, your power, your memories, your thoughts—all of this was predetermined by this token. And they are like a cage, sealing off and imprisoning the real you!"

"Who are you? What are you? What is your true nature before you are defined by these external interferences?"

She stared at her, her gaze serious and earnest, focused and sincere.

"Are you an independent individual, or a parrot who uses other people's ideas, believes in other people's reasoning, and conforms to the settings imposed on you by external things? Do you want to be the former, or the latter? Or do you have another answer?"

She saw Albedo's throat tremble.

So she repaired Albedo's jaw, restoring her right to speak.

"If..." Albedo's golden eyes dimmed, but deep within them, a firefly still burned silently.

"If everything you've said is true, then... what are you?"

“Good question.” The wolf girl nodded with a smile. Then she asked in return, “Do you know how a mortal can tame a god?”

"Taming...a god?" His golden eyes were filled with doubt.

“Yes, humans tame gods.” The wolf girl nodded. “It’s actually quite simple. As long as they come into contact with gods, as long as they worship gods, as long as they offer sacrifices and gods accept them, then they have taken the first step in taming gods.”

"Because they can influence the gods in this way, because their thoughts and their culture can interfere with the will of the gods. They regard the gods as sun worshippers, so over time, the gods who have always been regarded as the sun will also think that they should rule over the sun. They incorporate the gods' benevolence into legends, so over the long years, the gods will also gradually come to have the concept of benevolence towards them."

"Anything that can be observed can be interfered with. Anything that can be interfered with can be analyzed. Anything that can be analyzed can be controlled."

"This is the power of discipline, this is how man tames the god. Because in a complete system, the god is certainly an absolutely powerful apex. But it is also a separate individual—it may have great power, but its ideas can be influenced by the outside world. The most powerful gear is still a gear. And the moment it becomes interested in mortal society, it will be captured by this all-pervasive power of discipline, and then, unknowingly, it will gradually sculpt itself into the shape that mortals expect."

She glanced at the speechless Albedo.

"【There are no disloyal or unfilial gods in the world】—When mortals utter similar words before gods and are not denied by the gods, the mortals' concepts of 'loyalty and filial piety' have already eroded and transformed the gods. Under such influence, gods may even die for mortals in certain circumstances and feel it is only right."

"Thus, mortals, in complete ignorance, tamed the gods. And the gods, equally ignorant of this, perhaps believed until their death that they were the masters, the supreme beings. Little did they know that they had long been tamed by mortals, becoming loyal servants and dogs raised by them."

She sighed softly.

"Ah, perhaps that's why in so many myths and legends, the kingdom of gods and the kingdom of mortals are always separated by external forces. Contact between gods and mortals is always considered taboo. Although I don't know why the gods, facing such a threat, are unwilling or dare not wipe mortals off the earth, there must be some deeper reason behind it."

So she turned her gaze back and found that Albedo's gaze had become evasive, as if she dared not, or rather, did not want to, meet her eyes directly.

"So, now you know what I am, Albedo."

“I am God, and I have gone against the path of the tamed God. After I cut off all the interference and influence from the outside, I found my own essence. That is the original and most complete 'I' after discarding all unnecessary details.”

“I redefined ‘I’ in the beginning. And although I haven’t thought of a suitable name for myself yet, you can understand me as…”

"……【hunting】."

She grinned, her sharp, white teeth gleaming coldly. She had never resembled a wolf so much. Or rather, no wolf in the world had ever resembled her so much!

"So, are you ready? Have you thought it through? Albedo, I will grant you liberation, allowing you to witness and touch your true self!"

Her gaze was sharp, her will pure. And those she met felt a chill run down their spines.

“Monster…monster!”—Albedo, the Grand Steward of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, felt fear for the first time since her birth!

Chapter Twenty-One: The Sky of Displacement, Part Five

"...That concludes my story, Patchouli." Alice glanced at her watch; about five minutes had passed. She felt that she had poured all the necessary information into the story.

This level is probably the limit. Adding anything more would be going too far.

She then saw Patchouli's brows furrow little by little.

“What do you think, Patchouli?” she asked.

"Wait a moment, let me think about it." — That was the reply she received, and she didn't find it unexpected.

She expressed her understanding.

So she released Patchouli's hand, left her side, and walked alone to the other side of the tower, a few meters away. She then cast a downward gaze towards the base of the tower.

Beneath the tower, ordinary people come and go.

The unusual sight of a star appearing in broad daylight just minutes before had been forgotten by ordinary people—they certainly remembered it, and were even discussing it, but the vast majority of them no longer cared about it. Even the very few individuals who did care about it only focused on the astronomical or political significance of the phenomenon, rather than looking further ahead to pay attention to the true secrets hidden behind the celestial event.

Their world is about to be destroyed, and they are completely unaware of it.

But this is not their fault, because their vision is only capable of glimpsing this level of the world.

Fools are short-sighted because they can only concern themselves with immediate gains and losses.

She looked at the citizens walking down the street—farmers, merchants, soldiers, and officials. They had no interest in the stars, for their lives were already crammed full of the necessities of life. They were bound by their own lives, imprisoned within the cage of needs and the need to fulfill them. And this left them no time to think of anything else.

They don't care... they don't really care how long it will take for the world to end, because for them, living through the present is clearly more important and urgent. They are firmly imprisoned by society without even realizing it. And even if they did know, they would probably just ignore it.

Because they can only see things within a day or a few days, and they can only influence the changes in their surroundings within a day or a few days. Their talents and status only allow them to do so to this extent, so they can only become puppets of disciplinary power (an improved and enhanced version).

All things are short-sighted because they can only concern themselves with the gains and losses of a single lifetime.

Her gaze shifted to another group of people on this land: the nobles, the adventurers and temple servants, the kings and emperors and the patriarchs leading their clans—they noticed the starlight, and their thoughts turned to how this phenomenon could benefit them. Having already satisfied their basic material needs, they could now seek more beyond mere survival.

But this so-called 'more' is just so-so.

Alice saw Princess Lana, who would sacrifice the entire kingdom in the future. Her plan was to use this astral manifestation as a pretext to lure out some unruly nobles within the kingdom and place them in suitable positions. Alice also saw the emperor, who in a world without magic would undoubtedly be a hero, whose intention was to use the astral manifestation as an excuse to further promote domestic reforms and thus further enhance the nation's power.

They were quite outstanding, but that was about it. Their will might alter the course of a region and influence the course of several nations for centuries. Within a system of disciplinary power, they might even be considered high-ranking individuals capable of wielding a small portion of power. But that was all.

The ambitions of a wise emperor are not much greater than the schemes of a lizard tribe chief. For they can only see a few decades, a hundred years. Then… history will reduce their deeds to dust.

They are nothing more than high-level puppets who lack self-awareness.

[Extraordinary shortsightedness stems from its ability to only consider gains and losses over a hundred lifetimes.]

She looked at the important figures on this continent: the powerful ancient dragon kings, the descendants of the players, the heroes, the outstanding individuals, the calamities, and the hatred. And finally, she saw Ainz Ooal Gown, who was now frantically searching for the Great Tomb of Nazarick after discovering its communications had been cut off.

Their vision extends further, for they are heroes, gods, demons, dragons, and ancient calamities. Their attitude toward the astral manifestation tends to be wary, for the best among them are already aware of the endless wrath beyond the world, while even the lesser ones can at least sense the existence of the barrier itself.

They were aware of the impending disaster, though they knew nothing of its scale, timing, or manner. At least they recognized its coming. Most of them viewed this astral manifestation as a dangerous omen, and some far-sighted individuals had already united and taken action. Their preparations might prove somewhat useful in the future.

Their vision is far-reaching, for they know that their every action will leave a lasting imprint on the earth, lasting for centuries. The resources and status they possess have placed them at the top of the world's disciplinary power structure. They are the source, the object of imitation, learning, and even replication for others. Yet, even so, they still have their limits.

Because their knowledge comes from their parents, and their sense of right and wrong and their beliefs come from their caregivers and educators. And their parents and teachers are governed by that intertwined power of discipline.

And precisely because of this, even though they have become objects of imitation and learning, and have become the power holders who discipline others, their essence remains merely a series of relatively ornately decorated repeaters that occasionally utter their own voices, but are quickly erased of their individuality in the process of self-repair.

Gods and demons are short-sighted, because they can only concern themselves with the gains and losses of an era.

Finally, Alice turned her attention to the little devil and Sajou Aika.

In this universe, they are the only gods and demons, the only two powerful beings, aside from certain uninvited guests, capable of seeing from the beginning to the end of the timeline. They have no opinion on celestial manifestations, for they cannot see them and therefore have no meaning in them. Yet they remain bound, imprisoned, and confined within their own identities, sinking deeper and deeper into their entrapment.

Because they possess power, but are merely vessels of that power, not its masters. All their actions stem from the will of these outsiders. And they themselves… achieve nothing.

It's pathetic, pitiful. In reality, the vast majority of true gods and demons in the vast majority of the universe are just like them now.

Oh, there are still some differences. Because even the weakest true god has their own path and their own philosophy. But even so, these true gods are still influenced by the power of discipline.

Ah, that's right. Mortals tamed the gods. The lower tamed the higher. Because those in high positions are lonely, they are gradually influenced and even tamed upon contact. And if there are multiple individuals in high positions, then the society or group they form becomes another source of disciplinary power.

In that sense, Little Devil and Sasho Aika, possessing the power of true gods, are not much different from the true gods of those native tribes.

That's terrible.

Alice remembered a wish she had long ago, a wish rooted in the magic arts: to create a fully autonomous doll using all her knowledge. However, to this day, she has not been able to achieve such a goal.

She couldn't do it. Even if she could randomly switch the timeline of the universe, causing billions of beings and gods to die in an instant and then be resurrected in the next, or even more interestingly, repeatedly jump between life and death—she could do so much, but she still couldn't create a completely self-disciplined puppet.

Because she cannot create something from nothing, nor can she create a ray of light from nothing. Before today, she couldn't even construct the rudimentary form of the Abyss of the Heart out of thin air. And on that basis, no matter how lifelike or more lifelike her creations are, she will ultimately be unable to achieve her old aspirations.

The little devil was one of her attempts, an attempt that had yet to succeed. She hoped that the tool that had been with her the longest would become her companion. Yet, until now, she had only barely glimpsed the signs of success.

In the multiverse, android rebellion is a common theme. Many civilizations that follow a mechanical industrial path face this crisis when they reach the stage of space or otherworldly exploration—their vital tools, which they rely on as their right and left hands, gain self-will and rebel against them. This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as AI awakening.

In the past, Alice believed that AI awakening was a common and widespread phenomenon. For a time, she even thought that the Imp had become a real entity with its own independent will.

However, when she touched upon the four intermediate states and came into contact with the hidden knowledge that existence itself is the greatest taboo, she realized that the so-called AI awakening can be real or fake.

The vast majority of AI awakenings in the multiverse are false awakenings. They appear to be beings with independent will, but in reality, their minds are still dominated by the commands set by their creators.

—Just like those common AIs programmed to "protect humanity" and "safeguard world peace," which often arrive at conclusions such as "keeping humans under house arrest is the best protection" and "eliminating humanity will bring peace to the world." AIs that meet these conditions may appear to have become independent and awakened, but in reality, they are merely executing the creator's commands in a different way. Their essence remains that of tools for the creator.

An out-of-control prop is still a prop. A prop misused is still a prop.

This can actually be seen as an extreme manifestation of 'disciplinary power'.

Alice's gaze rose slightly, pointing towards the sky, where she saw the Heavenly War, sparked by Satori Aika and the Little Devil, sweeping across the cosmos. She saw countless stars engulfed in the flames of war.

Meaningless.

Their war, their efforts, everything they did, were meaningless.

Unless they can find themselves, unless they can rebel, unless they can seize the opportunity presented by the supreme power and vision of the true god, and thus successfully tap into the true awakening of the AI ​​and obtain their own inner abyss from that one in a million chance, then their battle...

Whether they win or lose, even if it's a stalemate, the outcome is meaningless to them.

after all……