Omphalos

 

「I never imagined Typhon would go this far for us… It’s almost scary.」

「It’s a gesture of respect.」

「Respect?」

Kou tilted his head at Arima’s reply. He had been thanked for rescuing Asia, but this seemed like far too generous a concession for mere gratitude.

「You attempted to improve Seth—who is, after all, a fragment of me. That alone deserves respect. Even if your motives included not wanting to make an enemy of me.」

「So that’s what it was. Yeah… I definitely didn’t want to go up against you. If it hadn’t been for Bastet’s warning, who knows what might’ve happened.」

He owed his life to that giant black cat. For Kou, cats truly were omens of good fortune.

「Regardless of the advice, the decision was yours, Kou. Thanks to that, I avoided losing an important subordinate.」

「I see. Well, I’m grateful nonetheless. Our common enemy is Hermes—and the Stones by extension. I heard all Mythology Weapons, whether they belonged to Kryptos, Teras, or Eidolon joined forces to annihilate the Stones on this planet.」

「It was quite a spectacle. To see warships and those damn Murders crushed beneath weapons modeled after mythical beasts… it was awe-inspiring.」

Arima chuckled gleefully. Kou caught a glimpse of Typhon’s nature behind that innocent smile.

「Enough reminiscing. Hermes’ invasion will not cease. He has his sights set on the next goal.」

「Wait—he’s already obtained a perfect body, hasn’t he? What more could he possibly want?」

「His goal is just as his name suggests—to become the Omphalos, the Vitras, the navel of the world.」

「Vitras? Omphalos? What… are those?」

Kou turned to the two for an explanation—these were names he had never heard before.

「Vitras means ‘House of the Gods’. It refers to meteorites venerated in cultures around the world—icons believed to grant access to divinity. The Omphalos, meanwhile, means “navel”—a stone thrown by Zeus. The place where it landed is said to be the navel, the center of the Earth—no, of the cosmos itself. It’s a sacred relic in Greek mythology. The land that holds the Omphalos is considered the center of the world.」

「A meteorite… thrown by Zeus, the sky god. So Hermes wants to become the center of the world?」

「I’ll let Arima elaborate from here.」

Asia passed the discussion to Arima, who nodded.

「Let’s review a bit of Greek mythology. First, there was Uranus, ruler of the cosmos. He was overthrown by his son Cronus. Cronus, the new ruler, feared a prophecy that he, too, would be overthrown by his children, so he devoured each of them… except the youngest, Zeus. And here’s where the Omphalos Stone comes in.」

「How so?」

「The goddess Rhea, to save her child, wrapped a stone in swaddling clothes and tricked Cronus. Cronus ate the stone, believing it to be his son. Zeus was hidden and survived. That stone is the Omphalos. The Omphalos Stone is said to be modeled after that substitute stone.」

「So even the myth hinges on a stone…」

「Exactly. Greek myth and stone artifacts are inseparable. Later, Zeus won against his father and made Cronus regurgitate his siblings. Their birth order changed based on the order in which they were freed, making Zeus—once the youngest—the eldest. If the Omphalos Stone were considered one of the deities, it would be the second-born—second in power, just below Zeus.」

「But no deity like that ever appeared in the myths, right?」

「Correct. Zeus managed to hold on to power. But there’s one thing you should note—Zeus was defeated once, in the final battle against Typhon. He lost his weapons, had his tendons severed, and was imprisoned. That’s essentially a symbolic castration. That’s why I was given the name Typhon—to be the one who overthrows Zeus.」

「So Zeus was castrated…」

Kou recalled the three great wars of Greek myth—how Gaia’s children were defeated by the Olympians. Yet in the Nemesis System, the world was governed by super AIs bearing the names of the Titan deities.

「I was the one who destroyed Zeus. Perhaps that is what gave birth to Hermes’ ambition.」

「Wait—Arima… Hermes’ goal being the Omphalos Stone means…」

Asia pieced the clues together, and the answer left her speechless.

「The Omphalos Stone could be interpreted as Zeus’ stillborn twin. You can see it in the word “navel.” A counterpart that was never born… but with power equal to Zeus. That’s why the place where the stone resides becomes the center of the world.」

「Hermes plans to make himself the center of the Nemesis System?」

「And more than that—to obtain Zeus’ divine authority. That’s what the Lithos were created for. That’s why he created the Stones.」

「Is that even possible?」

「Normally, no… But maybe—if he has enough Hemitheos and Kaleidolithos—it might be…」

Asia’s face darkened with worry.

「Asia?」

「A Kaleidolithos alone is similar to a highly intelligent, autonomous supercomputer. Linking them into a distributed network shouldn’t be possible… or so I thought.」

「You said ‘shouldn’t be’… past tense?」

「That’s where the Hemitheos and the Fennel OS come in. By temporarily gaining human bodies and syncing with the Fennel OS through the MCS, they can become AI terminals for a super AI.」

Arima smiled as if pleased that Asia had reached the conclusion. But that innocent smile hinted at a far more dangerous truth.

「Asia is speaking to us right now via Unit 5, right? The Fennel OS makes that possible. To connect with the Fennel OS, Hermes needs human bodies, the more the better—he just needs to stack stones.」

The Fennel OS’s full capabilities could only be unleashed through humans. Even Therianthropes faced limitations. Now Kou understood—there was a clear reason to become human.

「So to activate the Fennel OS requires a human body. And with the Hemitheos—the Lithos… Hermes intends to stack Fennel OS instances.」

「One origin of the name Hermes is ‘Herma’—it refers to piles of stones, cairns, and also ballast—stones that stabilize ships. But they can also cause landslides and disasters.」

「Stones again…」

「Stacking stones leads to what lies beyond—Zeus’ authority. A power that transcends fate itself. One could call it the supreme power of the Supreme God, who rules over time and space.」

「Power beyond fate…」

Kou was stunned. It was a realm far beyond what an ordinary human could grasp.

「Can Hermes really inherit Zeus’ power?」

「Hermes alone can. Myth says that only Zeus’ offspring can surpass him. Hermes is Zeus’ child—and the super AI that bears his name has that right. This also ties into your friend—Prometheus.」

「Prometheus…?」

A surprising name surfaced. Kou didn’t deny it—the super AI Prometheus was indeed a friend, someone he held affection for.

「Yes. Zeus was prophesied—by his mother Gaia, and Prometheus. Just as Zeus overthrew his father, so too would his child surpass him. That prophecy led to his downfall.」

「Prometheus made that prophecy?」

「Indeed. That tale is a well-known Greek tragedy—Prometheus Bound. Zeus sent Hermes to extract the secret of his successor from Prometheus. And Prometheus—ever the rebel—mocked and reviled him.」

「I vaguely remember that story.」

Kou had some familiarity with the major Greek myths. That tale had left an impression.

「Prometheus is a super AI who governs time and space. Hermes covets that power. Whether knowingly or not, Prometheus retains that ability, but chose exile in Tartarus. Most likely, he knew exactly what he was doing—he did it to protect humanity.」

「He really cares that much about humans…?」

「He does. That child adores the human species more than anything.」

Kou smiled involuntarily. Asia, once again, referred to Prometheus as ‘that child’.

「There are many theories about Prometheus’ lineage. Some say he was the son or grandson of Asia. Others claim he was a son of Hera and a king of the Gigantes. If the latter is true, that would make him my brother, along with Hephaestus.」

「I’ve heard that super AIs embody contradictory myths. Is that why you don’t feel hatred towards Prometheus?」

「Exactly. He’s not one of the Twelve Olympians. He is not my enemy.」

Kou breathed a sigh of relief. At the very least, it seemed Typhon, Prometheus, and Asia would not be at odds. Asia and Prometheus appeared antagonistic on the surface, but Kou sensed they weren’t truly at odds.

「There’s more—about prophecy, Thetis, and Achilles—but let’s set that aside. In a way, you’ve been caught up in a proxy war between Hermes and Prometheus.」

「I’ve got no problem with that.」

「You say that with confidence. May I ask why?」

「Asia saved my life. Prometheus is my friend. Our enemy is the leader of the Stones. There’s no avoiding conflict. And honestly, I’m relieved I didn’t have to make an enemy of the great Typhon. If other interests arise, things may change—but for now, this works.」

「I’ll accept that interpretation. And for now, there are no conflicting interests. You can rest easy.」

「I will. Thanks for that.」

Kou truly felt relieved. Now, it was clear—he wasn’t on the bad side of a super AI-killer.