Mash-up Anime World: Creating the SCP Foundation to Contain Anomalies-Chapter 298 - 292: Confronting Aleister, the Artificial Heaven

Accelerator left.

Misaka No. 1 didn't return to the research facility.

Instead, she was dragged off to a hotel by Megumi and Misaki.

For the time being, Haruto separated from the three of them, silently waiting in the dark streets of Academy City.

After nightfall, Academy City was quieter than any other city.

After all, over eighty percent of Academy City's population consisted of students. These students generally lived in dormitories, which had curfews at night. Once the curfew time passed for most schools, the streets naturally became desolate and silent.

Occasionally, a few delinquents would loiter around the alleys.

But none of them came up to provoke Haruto.

Even though Haruto had completely restrained his aura, just standing there was enough to make people feel he wasn't someone to mess with.

You'd have to be out of your mind to pick a fight with someone like that for no reason.

Haruto didn't have to wait long.

Suddenly, a crimson figure appeared at his side.

Fiery red hair fluttered in the air, and a girl instantly appeared beside him.

Her red hair was tied into two ponytails at the back of her head, and her upper body was bare save for a cloth wrapped around her chest. She had a winter school uniform draped over her shoulders, and on her lower half, she wore a miniskirt that revealed a lot. Her fair, long legs were exposed to the air.

Her outfit was, to put it mildly, unconventional.

And, considering the current weather, it definitely wasn't the season to be showing bare legs—it was the season for black tights.

The two locked eyes, and after a moment, the girl pulled out her phone, seemingly to confirm Haruto's identity.

Once she was certain, she gave a small wave with the military flashlight in her hand.

The next second, both Haruto and the girl vanished from their original spot.

A space-manipulation ability.

Haruto watched the girl curiously as she kept activating her power, not asking where they were headed.

This red-haired girl's appearance was already an invitation in itself.

An invitation from the controller of Academy City.

Her name was Awaki Musujime, the strongest space ability user in Academy City—bar none.

Besides her identity as a student, Awaki also played a secret role within Academy City.

She was the "Guide."

At the center of Academy City stood a building with no windows and no doors—impossible to enter through normal means.

This building was exclusively used by the Board of Directors and the true ruler of Academy City.

And the only way to enter it was through Awaki's space-transfer ability.

That was the true meaning of her title—"Guide."

"What are you staring at?"

Feeling chilled under Haruto's inexplicable gaze, Awaki finally spoke up.

Normally, if anyone else had stared at her so bluntly,

Awaki would've instantly flipped out, transferring chunks of concrete onto their head and burying them alive.

But Haruto was someone invited by that person. So all she dared to do was ask a single question.

In short—she bullied the weak and feared the strong.

"Your ability is pretty interesting, but the way you're using it is kind of sloppy. Looks awkward."

Haruto spoke his honest thoughts.

Upon hearing that, Awaki's expression instantly darkened.

Very few people had ever judged her ability so harshly. More importantly—Haruto was right. After all, lies don't hurt. The truth cuts like a knife.

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Without further conversation, Awaki's expression turned sullen as she mechanically continued to use her ability.

Soon, the two arrived in front of a black building.

After one more teleportation, they entered the building.

After repeated space transfers, Awaki's complexion looked rather pale, as if she was about to vomit.

But she still forced herself to make one last transfer with Haruto.

This time, they arrived in a certain room within the building.

There were hardly any furnishings inside—just a large tank in the center.

It was a transparent glass container filled with some kind of liquid, with countless tubes extending from it.

Suspended upside down within the liquid was a naked man.

After bringing Haruto here, Awaki said nothing. She bowed with visible fear and awe, then teleported away.

Only Haruto and the man in the container were left in the room.

After a brief silence, Haruto looked at the container and spoke with some disdain,

"Everyone has the right to choose how they live, but seriously—does living like this actually bring you any joy?"

The man inside the container opened his eyes.

A voice echoed in the room, though the man didn't open his mouth.

"Well, some prices have to be paid."

His tone was flat, devoid of any emotion.

Haruto neither confirmed nor denied what the man said.

Right now, this guy was more like a component of a machine.

He had completely submerged himself, even outsourcing his thinking to machines. His life was sustained by machinery, his thoughts processed by computers, even his vision composed through floating circuits.

Turning himself into a tool had its upsides, though.

Haruto estimated that this thing could probably keep functioning for over 1,700 years.

Still, living like this seemed worse than death.

"How about we start with introductions? My name is Aleister Crowley. I'm the architect of Academy City."

The voice echoed through the room.

Haruto thought for a moment, then replied,

"I'm from the SCP Foundation. Designation: O5-1. Member of the O5 Council."

In truth, names didn't matter much to the two of them.

What mattered was what they were, and what their purpose was.

"May I ask the purpose of the Foundation's presence in Academy City?" Aleister asked.

"Secure. Contain. Protect," Haruto replied.

"...You truly are the most noble person I've ever met," Aleister said.

Haruto waved him off.

"Spare me the flattery. I'm not really in the mood to chat. I'm here to give conditions. Accept containment—or be terminated. Unfortunately, you're a pain to contain."

Don't be fooled by Aleister's current near-death appearance.

This guy had long since surpassed a certain threshold. The level of power Aleister could wield was on the level of divinity.

That's why containing him was such a pain.

"I'm listening," Aleister said.

He didn't object or try to bargain, merely waited for Haruto's terms.

"One: Terminate all unconventional research in Academy City, regardless of whether it's under your control or developed independently."

"Two: Control all information in Academy City. Prevent any 'anomalous' data from leaking. Keep everything contained within the city."

"Three: Hand over all anomalous items in your possession."

"Four: After completing the Artificial Heaven, transfer control to the SCP Foundation."

After laying out these four conditions, silence fell over the room.

Haruto waited quietly.

If Aleister tried to haggle—

He'd be executed on the spot.

As the creator of Academy City and the most brilliant magician of the original world, Aleister was a certified silver-tongued manipulator.

Just one example is enough to illustrate how cunning this guy really was:

The Level 6 Shift Project.

On the surface, this project seemed to be Academy City's attempt to create an absolute power.

But in truth, it was orchestrated by Aleister himself.

From the moment the 20,000 Misakas were created, it was never about evolving Accelerator.

The real purpose was to naturally transport those "Misaka Sisters" out of Academy City.

Even without Haruto's appearance, the Level 6 Shift Project would have been stopped eventually.

Afterward, these mass-produced espers would have been dispatched across the world.

In reality, all espers emitted a kind of invisible AIM field.

When the "Misaka Sisters" spread across the globe, the diffusion of their AIM fields would create an Artificial Heaven encompassing the entire planet.

Within this "Artificial Heaven," all magic would be suppressed. Anyone who used magic would spontaneously combust.

Through this system, Aleister could not only destroy all magic, but also manipulate the world's AIM fields on a global scale.

That was the true purpose of the Level 6 Shift Project.

Which goes to show just how deep Aleister's schemes ran.