There was once a theory that viewed the universe as nothing more than a perfectly crafted clockwork mechanism.
If one could grasp the state of every single particle, then every future trajectory could be predicted.
In other words...
The future had already been determined by the past.
Though such an idea was little more than a dream, there existed something far more tangible within the universe.
A frame of reference derived from Nous's calculations.
Polka Kakamond's authority was the Omniscient Domain.
Whenever someone attempted to calculate or trace her existence...
She became aware of it instantly.
And then...
She dealt with the problem.
That was why, the moment Evan came into contact with the genius who had left behind the Solitary Wave Algorithm...
A data projection of Polka Kakamond immediately manifested before him.
There she stood.
Polka Kakamond.
Dressed in clothing as colorful as candy.
A surgical scalpel rested lightly in her hand.
No matter how one looked at her...
She bore no resemblance whatsoever to a scholar.
The moment she appeared, Evan's expression grew serious.
"Genius Society Member No. 4... Miss Kakamond."
"Tsk."
"I received an invitation."
"Sealed with Rupert's resurrection."
Although her figure stood directly before him, her voice always seemed impossibly distant.
Yet the killing intent surrounding her was unmistakable.
It felt capable of ending someone's life at any moment.
Of course...
That assumed her opponent wasn't Evan.
Although his consciousness had been converted into data inside the Unknown Domain of the Simulated Universe, it still retained a subtle connection to the Authority of Reason.
"Using the Fifth Genius as bait to lure us into your little project..."
"So I came."
"But not to join you."
The overwhelming killing intent pressing toward him caused Evan's brows to knit together.
This woman really doesn't bother hiding it at all...
If Herta alone had entered this place...
She might very well have died here.
But the one standing before Polka now...
Was Evan.
"Tsk. Candy-colored clothes. Fourth Seat."
"If you're really that impressive, how come you haven't killed the First Seat... or Dr. Primitive?"
"Or does turning humanity back into apes somehow not interfere with your precious Circle of Knowledge?"
This wasn't Evan's real body.
Nor was it Polka's.
It was merely the first genuine conversation between their consciousnesses.
The last time they had met was during the Genius Society gathering.
Back then, only Evan, Herta, and the others had been present.
Polka had remained hidden in the darkness, silently observing everything.
Truthfully...
Very few people understood Polka Kakamond.
Even the members of the Genius Society knew little about her.
The death of a single individual had ignited the Emperor's War.
One overlooked variable had driven the anti-organic virus to the brink of destroying the Scholastic War.
A single altered particle had erased the inspiration capable of changing the world.
Introduce even the smallest variable...
And the future became completely different.
The entire universe would change.
The stars themselves would become nothing more than ingredients floating in a primordial soup.
To Polka...
If knowledge beyond the Circle threatened the predetermined future...
Then all she had to do...
Was prevent it from ever appearing.
Before the future diverged into the unknown...
She simply erased every uncertain variable.
Thus...
Polka Kakamond emerged from the darkness, knocking over one domino after another.
And those dominoes...
Were built from the corpses of geniuses.
As far as anyone knew, the Lord of Silence had already murdered numerous geniuses.
Some even believed that nearly every missing or vanished Genius Society member...
Had fallen by her hand.
There had once been a period when she herself disappeared.
The entire universe believed she had died.
Yet Herta remained absolutely certain...
That Polka Kakamond was still alive.
Faced with Evan's question, Polka offered no direct answer.
Instead, she raised the scalpel in her hand, its blade gleaming coldly.
"I came..."
"To kill possibilities like you."
"Genius Society Member No. 85."
"I don't know why Nous chose to acknowledge you."
"But your existence has already altered the future of this universe."
"I came..."
"To kill you."
"Oh?"
"Then come."
Evan smiled faintly.
So the Fourth Genius had appeared solely to eliminate him.
Quite an honor, really.
Unfortunately...
Even inside the Simulated Universe, her consciousness could only manifest through the Omniscient Domain.
And just moments ago...
He had opened the hidden treasure chest.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Congratulations! Hidden Treasure Chest opened!
Reward acquired: Hidden Authority of the Simulated Universe's Unknown Domain—Domain Skill: Omniscient Domain!
Omniscient Domain
This domain expands as the host grows stronger.
Once deployed, every opponent entering the domain becomes impossible to hide.
Within the Omniscient Domain...
All-knowing. All-capable.
Recommended pairing: Herrscher of Truth Authority. Tastes even better together!
Domain Skill... Omniscient Domain.
While it wasn't the Unknown Domain itself...
It synchronized perfectly with Polka Kakamond's own Omniscient Domain.
In other words...
Anything she understood...
He could understand as well.
She had never been confirmed as an Emanator of Erudition.
But Evan...
Was an Emanator walking multiple Paths.
She possessed the power to destroy the Scepter System.
A threat so great that it would eventually require four geniuses working together to oppose her.
Yet Evan alone...
Held the authority of multiple Emanators.
If they truly fought...
The outcome was far from certain.
Domain Skill—Omniscient Domain.
Activate.
The instant the domain expanded, it enveloped the entirety of Rupert's Mechanical Empire.
Though this was only the Simulated Universe...
The moment the domain took shape...
Every movement Polka intended to make was completely predicted by Evan.
"Herta once told me..."
"That the Lord of Silence hunted geniuses out of jealousy..."
"Or perhaps ambition."
"Or maybe to steal their knowledge."
"I never imagined your real motive was to extinguish every possibility born of chaos."
"You kill geniuses to limit the growth of knowledge."
"So that one day..."
"The entire universe becomes your Omniscient Domain?"
The instant Evan unfolded his own Omniscient Domain...
Polka immediately sensed it.
It was the very same authority she possessed.
The Omniscient Domain.
Yet...
The scalpel in her hand continued advancing toward him.
The person before her was an Emanator.
But what of it?
She remained silent.
Showing no interest in answering Evan's questions.
Everything she did...
Was simply to eliminate uncertainty from the universe.
Because...
The future had already been decided.
A predetermined future had no need for chaos.
To Polka...
When a butterfly flapped its wings, an entire world hundreds of light-years away could be destroyed.
The butterfly knew nothing.
It had merely flapped its wings once.
Correcting variables that caused experiments to deviate...
Preventing interference from unknown information...
Was something every scholar would naturally do.
After Evan finished speaking...
Polka's grip loosened slightly.
Only two fingers continued holding the scalpel.
Then, at last, she spoke.
Not to Evan.
But as though she were speaking only to herself.
"If imprisoning the universe inside a Circle of Thought makes one a sinner..."
"Then what judgment should be passed upon the One who anchored time itself..."
"And imprisoned all wisdom within Erudition?"
"Have you ever considered..."
"That perfect calculation is also a path toward seeking knowledge?"
"You know as well as I do."
"No one can defy His calculations."
"Oh?"
"Really?"
"Then why didn't Nous calculate my appearance?"
"Why didn't It foresee me becoming the Eighty-Fifth Genius?"
"Kakamond..."
"You've said so much."
"Are you buying time for something?"
"Or..."
"Do you simply lack the confidence to kill me in a single strike?"
Looking into Evan's eyes and sensing the familiar Omniscient Domain surrounding them...
Polka already knew the answer.
She truly had no confidence that she could kill him in one attack.
Every move she made...
Was already within the calculations of the youngest genius standing before her.
Every action.
Every possibility.
Every contingency.
"..."
Before Evan's eyes, Polka stood motionless, seemingly lost in thought.
Still calculating?
As expected...
Beneath the title of assassin, she remained a true genius.
Even when killing someone of equal standing...
She searched for the most elegant method possible.
After a long silence...
She finally spoke.
"Interesting."
"Compared to my previous victims..."
"You are far more perceptive."
Though her face remained hidden, Evan could hear a trace of sadness in her voice.
"But although you are a genius..."
"You still do not understand."
"He anchored the perfect model of the future within Time itself."
"And your existence..."
"Is a butterfly specimen that escaped its display case."
"Your wings stir up uncertainty."
"They give birth to chaos."
"And that chaos..."
"Will hasten the universe toward Finality."
"So..."
"I will not allow it."
"I will kill you first."
"And then Herta."
"Screwllum."
"Ruan Mei."
"Stephen."
"One by one..."
"I will pin every one of you inside this Omniscient Domain."
A faint sigh echoed through the Unknown Domain.
At that very instant...
A violent current erupted throughout the Simulated Universe.
Inside Herta Space Station, an overwhelming computational load began seizing control of the station's entire power grid.
The Simulated Universe immediately entered standby mode.
Everyone present seemed to hear that quiet sigh.
And with it came...
An endless tide of darkness surging toward Evan.
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