Still wearing a stunned expression, Ayase Shinomiya slowly rose from her wheelchair.
Step by step, she walked forward—successfully.
Her legs felt a little unfamiliar, but they were fully functional.
"I... I can really..."
Ayase touched her legs in disbelief, her face dazed.
"Ayase-senpai, you..."
Tsugumi stared in shock, but her expression quickly softened into joy. She rushed to Ayase's side, supporting her as if afraid she might fall again.
Gasps of astonishment echoed through the room.
Even the usually emotionless Inori walked over and gave Ayase's thigh a firm pinch.
"Ow...!" Ayase winced. "Inori, not so hard. I can feel everything now."
"Amazing." Inori's eyes shimmered with quiet wonder. "Congratulations, Ayase."
"Thank you... It's all thanks to you—for introducing me to a god."
Ayase beamed, her smile refusing to fade as she basked in the joy of recovery.
Souta's voice cut in at just the right moment.
This time, the leader himself, Gai Tsutsugami, stepped forward.
For once, he looked nervous. After a moment of hesitation, he asked:
"Can you... resolve soul-related issues?"
Souta gave him a knowing look, drumming his fingers on the conference table.
"You want to save Mana Ouma, right?"
Gai fell silent for a few seconds, then sighed.
"So you really do know everything."
He didn't bother denying it and nodded frankly.
"Yes. Everything I've done has been for the sake of embracing that woman—embracing Mana Ouma."
Ayase, still reeling from her recovery, turned to him in surprise. She had never heard this before.
The others looked just as stunned.
Especially the strategist, Shibungi, who pushed up his glasses and narrowed his eyes.
"So that's what you were after all along, Gai."
Feeling everyone's gaze on him, Gai simply smiled.
"Yes. My goal has always been to save Mana Ouma. Liberating Japan was just a means to an end. What, are you disappointed?"
"Not at all," Shibungi replied calmly. "My goal was to support you in becoming king. As our leader, you've fulfilled that role excellently. That's enough for me."
"I'm just surprised you had such a romantic side."
Shibungi, who had known Gai for a long time, had some idea of the truth—but clearly not all of it.
"Who's Mana Ouma, Gai?" Ayase asked curiously.
The others leaned in, listening closely.
"That question ties into the truth of the Apocalypse Virus..." Gai turned toward Souta, smiling. "I'm sure the god here knows more than I do—maybe even secrets I've never learned."
"It's worth explaining anyway. I'll need the Apocalypse Virus later."
Only those infected with the virus had spiritually amplified minds, providing high-quality faith.
Normal humans? Their faith wasn't even as strong as the average person from the Akame ga Kill world.
So Souta's cult would target infected individuals as its core believers.
Depending on the situation, he might even seize the 'Void Genome' and intentionally trigger more outbreaks—infecting more people.
Of course, he wouldn't kill recklessly.
If he went that route, he'd first research how to neutralize the virus's harm, ensuring infection only brought benefits.
Souta looked around and waved to Inori.
"Inori-san, come here for a second."
She walked over quietly.
"Hm?" Souta raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Call me Inori. That's enough."
Souta placed his hand on her shoulder and turned her to face the others.
"Inori... is Mana Ouma."
"Huh?" The room froze.
"...her clone," Souta added.
"Knew it! He's such a twisted god!" Tsugumi pointed dramatically at Souta.
He ignored her and continued.
"Ten years ago, a meteor crashed into Earth carrying the Apocalypse Virus.
Mana Ouma was the first to discover it and came into contact with it, becoming the first infected.
The Apocalypse Virus has its own consciousness. It's a living organism, and like all life, it seeks to reproduce. But for reproduction, it needs both a male and female—an 'Eve' and an 'Adam.'
Once these two are chosen and mature, they trigger the Fourth Apocalypse."
"Fourth?" Tsugumi, ever the hacker, immediately caught the inconsistency.
"Because the Apocalypse Virus has caused global outbreaks in the past," Souta explained. "There were ancient civilizations long erased from history. But that's not relevant to us right now, so I'll skip the details."
Tsugumi was curious, but Souta wasn't going to waste divine power chasing historical trivia—especially since neither the anime nor the game had clarified those details.
"So the virus chose Mana Ouma as Eve?" Ayase asked.
"Yes. But she's just a tool," Souta replied. "Once infected, the virus absorbed her mind and memories, and could take control of her at will."
"When the virus controls her, she becomes the true Eve. Eve will choose Adam and initiate the Fourth Apocalypse—wiping humanity from Earth and preserving them as memory data within crystals, a twisted form of immortality.
Then, Adam and Eve will create a new human race."
"How, exactly?" Tsugumi asked.
Souta glanced at her but said nothing.
Tsugumi paused. Then, as realization dawned, her cheeks flushed and she stuck out her tongue.
"If Mana's Eve, then who's Adam?" Ayase redirected.
"There are two—one official, one backup."
Souta glanced at Gai.
"The official one is her younger brother, Shu Ouma. The backup is Gai Tsutsugami. Ten years ago, the Fourth Apocalypse was set to begin... but Shu rejected Mana.
She broke down mentally, lost control, and her body was destroyed—leading to the Lost Christmas incident."