If automata are beings created in imitation of humans, then Machine Dolls are beings created in imitation of gods.
However, while the former has already been successfully achieved, the latter is still being desperately pursued by humankind.
In this world where puppet technology is seen as a manifestation of national power, and magic puppetry is treated as military strength, the birth of a Machine Doll that possesses divine might would be a groundbreaking invention capable of drastically altering the world's balance of power.
After all, humanity has already managed to create humans; if it can create gods as well, the entire world might instantly shift into a new civilization and order.
Just like in the world of Tokyo Ravens, where the act of divine descent would be one of the greatest miracles in the history of onmyoudou and lead practitioners into a brand new field, once Machine Dolls are completed, the puppetry civilization will likely experience an explosive leap forward, pushing the world into a new domain.
By then, the first nation to obtain a Machine Doll will undoubtedly be the first to gain a foothold in the new world—surpassing all others in both national power and military strength in one fell swoop.
As a result, that country will inevitably become the leader of this new world, and even world domination wouldn't be out of the question.
Because of this, Machine Dolls are an enormous temptation for any faction—especially for world powers and those forces that rival entire nations. The ambitions they hope to realize through Machine Dolls are countless.
Thus, everyone desires to obtain Machine Dolls, which is why this iteration of the Night Party has become the most hellish and chaotic ever, dragging in all the major global forces.
However, Machine Dolls are still automatons.
And since they are automatons, no matter how powerful, tempting, or difficult to complete they may be, the path to their realization inevitably lies in tackling both hardware and software.
For instance, on the software side:
First, the Machine Doll must be equipped with the magic circuit known as the Eve's Heart, granting it life, a soul, and a will. Otherwise, it's merely a lifeless object.
But the standard Eve's Heart can only give birth to regular automatons, at most forbidden automatons. While it can grant life akin to a human's, it cannot grant life akin to a god's.
In other words, to create a Machine Doll, a completely unprecedented software system must be prepared.
"And the Eve's Heart is merely a partial reproduction of the principles behind the Keystone. Since Edward Rutherford seeks to create a Machine Doll, he can't possibly be relying on just the Heart of Eve."
Rozen voiced his findings.
"From a magical standpoint, the so-called Eve's Heart essentially grants automatons a soul, giving rise to a sense of self. However, that self is far too weak compared to that of humans and cannot generate mana."
Such a flaw is unacceptable in a Machine Doll.
A god's sense of self is always extremely pronounced—hence the term "divine." Some perform their duties, some act on whims, some are arrogant, others are kind and gentle.
They may not necessarily possess overwhelming power, but they always have an exceptionally strong sense of self and will.
Moreover, gods are inherently supreme and flawless beings. Machine Dolls must surpass the flaws of current automatons.
For example:
- The inability to generate mana independently.
- The inability to overcome the Principle of Incompatible Magic Activity to allow two kinds of magic to coexist within a single body.
These are problems that must be solved.
Thus...
"Edward Rutherford used the Keystone as the core and constructed an entire facility, treating the entire facility as a giant Eve's Heart to function. This allowed the Machine Doll born from the Keystone to develop an incredibly strong sense of self. That is the true nature of the Sanctuary of Fools."
The moment Rozen saw the Sanctuary of Fools, he used his Heaven's Eye to immediately see through the entire internal structure and workings of the facility—analyzing the magical arrays and formulas engraved within, understanding their functions.
From that moment, Rozen understood exactly how Edward Rutherford intended to create a Machine Doll.
"With the Keystone as the prototype for the Eve's Heart, combined with such a massive magical ritual, the resulting self would be stronger than that of ordinary automatons or even forbidden ones—fulfilling the conditions needed to form true 'divinity.'"
Rozen spoke calmly.
Androgyne was born from this—an artificial magical creature formed from a condensed accumulation of artificial selves, essentially a mass of manmade souls.
Since a single automaton's self is too weak, just stack them.
One isn't enough? Then ten. Ten isn't enough? Then a hundred, a thousand, even ten thousand.
By doing this, the Sanctuary of Fools, with the Keystone as its core, continuously produced selves—manmade souls—then compressed them together to raise their strength, culminating in the birth of Androgyne.
During this process, the residual "impurities" and failed products that were extracted, compressed, or discarded from Androgyne became the monsters that now wander the underground space.
In short, those monsters are products of manmade souls.
And so is Androgyne.
"That giant possesses the magical energy of a million people—it truly has the power of a god."
Rozen shrugged as he spoke.
"Of course, it's only an incomplete product—just the software portion. Without being merged with a hardware body to contain this artificial divine soul and give it flesh, it's merely a magically condensed entity akin to a natural disaster. It still cannot be called a Machine Doll."
The current Androgyne is more like a Beast Vassal, a willful condensation of mana. Incredibly powerful, yet far from a god.
Otherwise, Rozen's own Beast Vassals would all be gods—they're by no means inferior to Androgyne.
"To give birth to a Machine Doll, one must have a body capable of containing the mana of a million people and still withstand it without self-destruction."
Rozen stated this clearly.
"That's why the Machine Doll might be born during the Night Party."
Because the Night Party is a grand event for puppetry—a sacred battle to determine the strongest puppeteer and the strongest automaton.
Among the outstanding automatons that have risen to the top from all over the world, each one is an elite with outstanding performance.
If any of them can contain the mana of the cataclysmic Androgyne, then the Machine Doll will truly be born.
This might be the real reason Edward Rutherford places so much importance on the Night Party.
Not only because of Father Time's prophecy—but also because it's genuinely a great opportunity to select a suitable automaton for Androgyne.
"As flawless jewel—that's how the Machine Doll is described in the prophecy. It likely refers to a perfect, flawless body capable of fully wielding godlike power without breaking."
Rozen concluded.
"A Machine Doll cannot be broken. That should be its first characteristic."
As he said this, Rozen couldn't help but turn his gaze toward Yaya.
Irori and Komurasaki likewise covered their mouths and looked at Yaya with deep concern in their eyes.
As for Yaya, her pretty face had already turned pale.
The reason was simple.
"Yaya,"
Rozen sighed and spoke softly.
"You're probably the first candidate for the Machine Doll."