A Certain Multiverse's Holy Right

(A/N: This chapter roughly explains the protagonist's current abilities and the structure of his power system. If you've watched A Certain Magical Index, you should find it easy to understand. If not, don't worry. The details will be fleshed out progressively in the story.)

Roy's Holy Right comes with significant limitations. First, activating The Light of the Right Hand can only occur once every seven days—a clear time-based restriction.

However, the conditional restrictions are far more stringent.

The true principle behind why the Holy Right guarantees victory lies in the fact that The Light of the Right Hand always outputs just enough power to exceed the opponent's. It is a power that grows stronger in response to stronger foes and weaker against weaker ones.

To simplify:

If the enemy's combat strength is 50, then The Light of the Right Hand will have a power of 51.

If the enemy's combat strength is 100, then The Light of the Right Hand will generate a power of 101.

No matter how strong the enemy, the Holy Right will always exceed it, allowing Roy to achieve victory with a single motion.

The power of The Light of the Right Hand is entirely determined by the opponent's output. This is why Roy declared that when Marquis Voban used the power of Black Dragon of the Underworld, his defeat was inevitable.

Although Marquis Voban has numerous authorities, only a handful can inflict significant damage on Campion's and Heretic Gods. Among them, Black Dragon of the Underworld was his ultimate trump card—unused for the past eighty years. While this ability might not have the greatest raw destructive power, it stands as the pinnacle of his arsenal.

Destructive power, however, is not the sole determinant of strength. For instance, Holy Right doesn't appear particularly destructive, but it is designed to secure victory.

When Marquis Voban unleashed Black Dragon of the Underworld, Roy stated that all the puzzle pieces had fallen into place. This was Voban's maximum output. The Holy Right automatically calculated his strength and responded with a slightly greater force through The Light of the Right Hand, instantly defeating him.

The greatest flaw of Holy Right in its current form lies in Roy's inability to control its output. Furthermore, he remains unaware of the upper limits of the right hand's strength. The activation of this ability is entirely automatic, triggered only under specific conditions. This means that Roy's ability to utilize it depends heavily on his judgment of the situation and his grasp of timing during battle.

In game-like terms, consider an enemy with a maximum strength value of 50:

If the opponent is exerting 40 strength and Roy prematurely uses The Light of the Right Hand, its output will be 41, failing to secure victory.

Roy must wait until the opponent reaches their full 50 strength before activating The Light of the Right Hand, ensuring an output of 51 and guaranteeing an instant kill.

This reliance on perfect timing makes Holy Right immensely powerful but highly situational, requiring precise tactical insight from Roy to use effectively.

The 『Holy Right』 is an ability that ensures Roy is stronger than his opponent when they use their trump card. To some extent, it is reminiscent of the 『Fragarach』 but vastly superior in every aspect.

This ability is nearly invincible when facing enemies of the same level or slightly stronger. However, against an overwhelmingly powerful adversary, it would prove useless. Such an opponent wouldn't need to exert maximum strength to eliminate Roy; a mere fraction of their power would suffice to end him in an instant.

"If only I could fully control the power of this hand..."

Roy sighed inwardly. While he couldn't yet ascertain the upper limits of his right hand's ability, he had an intuitive feeling that if he could gain complete control, his right hand could achieve feats akin to those described in the Book of the Law—crushing the universe without effort.

Thanks to the Book of 777, this hand also possesses "all the miracles of Christianity". In theory, Roy should be capable of resurrecting the dead, reversing the laws of nature, distorting mathematical truths, annihilating the world, or even creating an entirely new one. If he could manifest all of Christianity's miracles, Roy's stature would rise to match—or even surpass—that of the Magic Gods, ascending to the fabled realm of "God above Gods."

In Aleister Crowley's mystical framework, power is broadly divided into two realms: 'human' and 'divine.' Aleister himself reached the apex of humanity and had the potential to ascend to the rank of a Magic God but deliberately chose not to.

Within the 'divine realm,' Aleister further delineated three stages:

Stage 1: Ordinary Magic God (8=3):

This represents the pinnacle of magical mastery. Such entities approach omnipotence, able to distort and alter reality at will. However, while Magic Gods can change everything, they cannot necessarily restore what they've altered, meaning they fall short of being truly omnipotent.

Stage 2: God Above Gods (9=2):

This is a level where one's theories and ideas influence the multiverse itself. Entities at this stage can distort and restore everything, making them truly worthy of the title "God above Gods."

In Roy's understanding, only Othinus, the one-eyed Magic God, has approached this realm. If Roy's right hand were to fully manifest all the miracles of Christianity, he too could reach this stage.

(Note: In Aleister's actual theories, the figures he identified as having achieved 9=2 include Christ, Buddha, Laozi, Odin, etc. This interpretation closely aligns with Aleister's mysticism, which views Othinus as Odin.)

Stage 3: The Ultimate Godhead (10=1):

This stage is purely Aleister's imagination—an unknowable realm he himself could not comprehend. He referred to it as the domain of the "self-existing being," entirely beyond mortal understanding.

"But if I want to accomplish 'all the miracles of Christianity,' I'll need a vast amount of knowledge. The knowledge I currently possess is far from enough to achieve such miracles."

Roy muttered to himself. To achieve the status of "the ultimate being of all mysteries" was an almost insurmountable challenge. In the endless multiverse, how many beings could truly ascend to such heights?

For now, Roy had two major goals:

First, to fully control his right hand and wield it with the true power to "shatter the universe."

Second, to master all knowledge and complete "all the miracles of Christianity," thereby reaching the realm of God above Gods and becoming a true Son of God.

But before these lofty aspirations, Roy had a smaller, more immediate goal—to strengthen his current powers further.

Compared to the monumental task of fulfilling his grand ambitions, taking incremental steps toward becoming stronger seemed the wisest course. No one becomes omnipotent overnight. Trying to leap too far ahead only risks disaster.

…

Roy snapped back to reality. His gaze fell upon Marquis Voban, who had transformed into a black dragon and was now sprawled on the ground. Without hesitation, he raised his right hand.

A blood-red cross sword materialized in his grasp!

********

(T/N: I hope you like the chapter, and when we reach 90 PS as promised I will publish a bonus chapter, probably tomorrow. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.)