EX05 Classified Document: Extracts from Yumika's Notebook

A memoir written within the same world as this work, presented as a journal entry by a character from "The End of the World Engine Victim."

Those who haven’t read it yet—just consider it a note on someone who existed.

If you're curious, please do read it.

It's sunny today. Risa's doing well.

The stars are clearly visible.

And the Queen’s Mother Unit as well.

From the nearly undamaged captured Mother Unit of the Queen, we’ve gained much.

Thanks to Risa and Chii, controlling it became possible—truly fortunate.

I know Makochi would get angry if I said this, but it was fortunate amidst misfortune.

I hope she wakes up soon.

Development of the Maternity System based on that Mother Unit, and the design of the recovered immigrant ship capable of sustaining a floating city, are progressing smoothly.

The problem lies in what comes after venturing into space.

Honestly, this was unforeseen.

The Queen-type entities eradicated at such cost are not merely numerous in this cosmos—they are countless beyond measure.

Worse, tracing the ASID lineage leads directly to their origin. The original Queens themselves have been identified.

Honestly, it’s giving me a headache.

What we know at this stage: nine original Queens.

Nine distinct lineages.

None can be defeated with current combat capabilities.

No—whether these Queens can even be destroyed at all remains uncertain.

Even with Darling present, it’s unclear if victory would be possible.

Each possesses output levels beyond conventional reactivity and immense physical form. All are accompanied by vast swarms.

Among them, the relatively less severe specimen—the original Queen without a swarm, acting alone.

Information salvaged from the Mother Unit is recorded here.

Frankly, showing something like this could easily induce despair and halt all movement.

It might be possible to halt the plan for colonization of space.

That must not happen. Not now.

If we do not journey to the stars within our generation, we will share this planet’s fate.

This world, ravaged by ASID, has reached its limit.

Speculation—other planets will not suffer this fate.

On most worlds, resistance is negligible. Ecosystems are overrun. ASID moves on to the next.

Ironically, it is our six hundred years of struggle that have left this planet in ruin.

The thought drifts.

Honestly, there is nowhere else to record this.

Leaving it in data risks exposure to others… yet storing it without record carries its own danger.

I hope one day this diary is published. No—better not. That would cause complications.

If so, please delete the personal entries.

Estimated length: three hundred kilometers.

Reactor output is approximately ten thousand times that of standard models. Some unit should be established for this.

No colony exists. The mother unit is present, but not exposed externally.

An ASID that, as a queen, possesses no colony—heretical in its kind.

Thus, strictly speaking, this entity is not an original queen.

A species without lineage—more accurately, an outlier.

ASIDs have existed since the species' inception, as confirmed in data records. Yet this one appears entirely separate from all others.

The original traits have faded across multiple generations of ASIDs.

Therefore, to us, the distinction is likely imperceptible.

Perhaps only offspring or grandchildren, closest to the original, might be discernible.

That said, this assessment includes my own speculation.

Returning to the original queen.

I have named this original queen 'Stalt.'

No—more precisely, that might be how it's referred to within the ASID.

At the very least, the captured mother unit perceived it that way.

Each of the other eight original queens also has a distinct name.

It's hard to imagine a culture that assigned names to them… yet.

If such a culture existed, it would imply a certain level of intelligence and sophistication within the ASID.

The queen we encountered did indeed use human language.

But that was solely the result of observing our species for six hundred years.

No such thing as an "ASID language" has been observed.

In fact, I once attempted to analyze the ASID command structure with Darren's assistance, but it failed.

Given that Darren, a specialist in machine language translation, could not succeed, I initially concluded it was impossible—though perhaps that judgment was premature.

The conversation has strayed again.

Performance specifications of Stalt: Ether Cannons arranged across the entire body like quills on a hedgehog.

And a super-large Ether Cannon positioned at the head.

Technically an Ether Himegacannon, though the distinction essentially comes down to output scale.

One would be hard-pressed to accept a name like Ether Himega Hyper Ultra Miracle Exa Powerful Hyper Cannon.

In any case, the entire body is a mass of artillery—destined to crush hostile organisms utterly.

Additionally, mechanisms capable of compressing space and discharging it have been confirmed.

Spatial interference weaponry. Likely impervious even to Ether coating. On the field, it might as well be ignored.

Multiple core units exist.

If the core unit is considered the essence of an ASID, then having multiple cores is an anomaly.

Perhaps one of those is the true core... if each core exists in a relationship of mutual complementarity.

Then the original Queen is dividing her essence.

In other words, she is splitting not only her etheric source but even her soul... or mimicking it.

Self-distribution.

To accept such a state is, as a living being, a fundamental collapse.

If self-preservation is instinct, then the original ASID disregards it entirely. Why choose such a way of existence?

Still, this is merely human reasoning—perhaps contemplating it deeply serves no purpose.

It can be dismissed with a single statement: such is the nature of this kind of being.

Regardless, the structure is exceptionally robust.

Theoretically, defeating this Stalt requires destroying the Reactor in the standard manner, as with any ASID.

Or destroying all cores simultaneously.

Both options would be immensely difficult.

The Reactor operating at particularly high output cannot be penetrated without an even greater etheric force.

In other words, there is no theoretical method for humanity to breach it. The current maximum output is two thousand times that of Darling.

Even with the uncontrollable limiter disabled, it may have barely reached ten thousand—beyond observational range, so it cannot be confirmed.

Thus, humanity's future priorities are the further increase of Reactor output, expansion of observational equipment limits, and improvement of etheric efficiency in weaponry.

Likely, an output of ten thousand times remains unattainable for humanity.

Reactor mechanism analysis has only just begun. Even at best, a reach of three thousand would be exceptional.

We can only hope that future humans will surpass this prediction.

If output cannot be matched, the only alternative is to compensate through operational techniques such as etheric compression.

Higher yields from minimal ether usage would elevate the combat effectiveness of the entire colony vessel.

The thought of eight more of these still existing makes my head ache.

Perhaps it would be better to abandon the original colonization plan and prioritize species preservation through multiple colony vessels—or a fleet of them.

I’m a little fatigued.

I’ll continue writing tomorrow.

Thank you always for your feedback, bookmarks, and ratings.

I was surprised, yet pleased, when the rating system changed and my points suddenly increased.

I’d be even happier if you could drop a quick vote whenever the mood strikes.