Director Edward

Chapter 229: The End of the Paradox Spiral Screening! (3)

"According to the content of the film, Taiji is depicted as a circle of opposites that interconnect and blend. The black and white within the circle represent yin and yang, light and darkness, positive and negative, male and female."

"The small dots within the two halves symbolize the spiral of contradiction and opposition. In a sense, this is akin to the theory of elemental interaction, where elements that are polar opposites often produce unexpected results when they react together."

Dean Hohenheim began speaking.

In response, the other archmages did not have much to add.

After all, Dean Hohenheim was the only one present with full elemental adaptability. The others had no authority to speak on this subject.

After discussing the topics related to Taiji, the archmages also explored the possibility of creating an artificial otherworld like the Ogawa Apartment.

"If, from the very beginning of construction, the entire apartment building were inscribed with magic formations and infused with an immense amount of magical energy sufficient to support it, it might be possible to create such a construct."

"However, I think it's unlikely to replicate something like Souren Araya's feat. After all, that would mean linking one's physical body directly to the otherworld. To achieve such a state, I believe the average person's mind simply couldn't endure it."

"Souren Araya's mental strength is already astonishing, but I think the reason he was able to connect his body to the otherworld lies elsewhere."

"Yes, I agree. After all, Aozaki Touko seemed to mention that, in a certain sense, Souren Araya no longer exists as an individual. He has transformed into a concept akin to a universal law. This may also explain why he is able to return even after a century. In a way, Souren Araya has likely become something as pure and inevitable as natural phenomena—like wind, thunder, rain, and snow. Even in death, it's only a matter of time before he reappears."

"Now that you put it that way, I can't help but think that Souren Araya shares certain traits with deities. Although humanity's exploration of gods is still in its infancy—and in this era of decline, no signs of gods have been seen—the fundamental characteristics of deities are fairly clear. Among them is this embodiment of a concept, which seems almost identical to Souren Araya."

"But ultimately, Souren Araya shows no traces of divinity. His personality still contains distinctly human traits, such as obsession and emotional fluctuations. His case might be even stranger than that of a deity."

"Souren Araya's origin is 'stillness.' If he were to transform into a concept, it would, in a sense, be a return to his origin. But precisely because his origin is stillness, he is, in some ways, no different from Enjou Tomoe. No matter what he attempts, the end result is always meaningless emptiness—much like the title 'The Garden of Sinners' (Kara no Kyoukai)."

"..."

As for Souren Araya, the main antagonist of The Garden of Sinners (Kara no Kyoukai), the archmages could only analyze to this extent. After all, given the vast differences in worldviews, the mages of this world could only rely on general logic to speculate on possible outcomes.

When it came to the remaining topics—origins, counter forces, and the scene at the end of the film featuring Ryougi Shiki and Enjou Tomoe in a café reminiscent of the River Styx—the archmages were undoubtedly intrigued but ultimately unable to draw any definitive conclusions.

After all, even as archmages, their extensive knowledge was still largely confined to the realm of magic.

When it came to knowledge beyond this domain, even they often had only a vague understanding.

Thus, after briefly discussing the contents of the film, Hohenheim shifted the conversation to the main topic.

"Has everything for the reform of the Mage's Tower been prepared?"

"The new academy for ordinary people has already begun operations, and Scar is assisting with the preparation of courses on magical alchemy. We should be able to complete the necessary arrangements before the summer admissions period next year," replied Morius, the archmage in charge of these logistics.

Hearing this, Dean Hohenheim nodded and said, "The changes in the world are likely to unfold faster than we imagine. We must prepare many things as quickly as possible, or we mages risk being left behind in the tide of transformation."

At these words, the other archmages frowned, contemplating the implications.

Gradually, they all fell into deep thought.

...

The ending theme of The Garden of Sinners played on the screen, marking the conclusion of Episode 5: Paradox Spiral.

Meanwhile, in the Duke of the Southern Realm's estate, most of the nobles present were still immersed in the story depicted in The Garden of Sinners, taking a long time to snap out of their reverie.

It was clear that even the old nobles, who had stubbornly and instinctively rejected such new forms of entertainment and had never watched a film or television series before, now had to grudgingly admit that this was a groundbreaking medium.

Of course, while they had internally acknowledged and even grown to admire the incredible appeal of the film, they still couldn't bring themselves to say anything positive about it.

Their words remained reserved and guarded.

However, compared to their earlier behavior of outright disparaging film and television as worthless, their current actions carried an air of tsundere—reminiscent of Rie Kugimiya's classic heitai performances, betraying a clear mismatch between their words and feelings.

Noticing this, Durin paid no mind to the nobles' opinions and turned to the blonde True Ancestor sitting beside him, only to find that she had vanished without a trace.

"This is..."

Seeing Durin's confusion, Duke Constantine immediately explained:

"The True Ancestor's time for activities outside is limited. Aside from moonless nights, when they can move freely, they must expend considerable energy to suppress their presence during other times. As such, whenever they venture out, they need to return to the other dimension to rest for an extended period."

"I see."

Realizing the peculiar schedule of the first Duke of the Southern Realm, Durin suddenly thought of Laetitia, who lived at the film studio.

Her situation seemed similar to Arcueid's—spending most of her time confined to her room, rarely stepping outside except for limited periods.

However, the key issue was that both Arcueid and Laetitia were beings of power far surpassing any individual in the Human Empire.

Despite their immense power, even ordinary life seemed to elude them. This inevitably made Durin wonder if some unseen force was restricting these extraordinary beings.

Recalling the mention of the Counter Force in The Garden of Sinners and the cautious reaction it elicited from Arcueid, Durin couldn't help but draw further connections.

As Durin was lost in thought, the Duke of the Southern Region suddenly spoke up:

"Durin, do you have any plans for your next film project?"

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