Beyond the Radix Point

**Beyond the Radix Point** is the sixth episode of the Infinite Dendrogram anime.

## Plot

As Ray lays supine on the floor, bleeding after an unknown voice tells him to die, the assailant is revealed to be the very child he was trying to help, being controlled by Maise, the leader of the Gouz-Maise Gang, who was using his **Corpsification** skill to hide in the room. After insulting Ray for ignoring him, he ponders on how he has nearly cleared all the conditions for acquiring the Superior Job, King of Corpses, such as turning 5000 years of life into undead and creating the Crystal of Resentment. Stretching his hand out toward the child that stabbed Ray while remarking that he needs to clean up by killing the remaining children, Maise is shocked when his arm is suddenly cut off by Ray, who has transformed Nemesis into the Flag Halberd and is using **Like a Flag Flying the Reversal** and **Purifying Silverlight**. A furious Ray tells Maise that if he is responsible for the scene from before and plans to do it again, then he will kill him.

Maise uses **Abyssal Delusion** and **Dead Man's Bind** on Ray, but the debuffs are turned into buffs due to the effect of **Like a Flag Flying the Reversal**. While Maise is stupefied by his curses not working, Ray attacks again, drawing blood. Maise, acutely aware that he cannot regenerate wounds caused by **Purifying Silverlight**, uses **Awaken Undead** to activate the undead he has stored in barrels in the room. Making his escape while Ray deals with his undead, Maise is shocked at the idea that a Master is actually furious. Hearing a sound behind him, he turns to see Ray chasing after him while being dragged by Silver. Letting out a scream, Maise rushes outside, calling for Gouz. However, he is greeted by the frozen body parts of his partner, and Hugo Lesseps, who tells him he can choose between hell and divine punishment. As Maise hesitates, unable to believe that this could be happening when he is so close to becoming King of Corpses, Hugo tells him that he will get the divine punishment he desires, pointing behind Maise to reveal that Ray has caught up. Caught between the two Masters, Maise decides to use the Crystal of Resentment to fuel his ultimate attack magic: **Deadly Mixer**, reasoning that his life takes precedent to becoming King of Corpses. The spell is blocked by **Counter Absorption**, shocking Maise, who tries to run before being stabbed in the stomach by Ray, who declares that he has nowhere left to run. Maise then resorts to begging for his life, offering Ray his entire fortune of 70, 000, 000 lir to spare his life. When Ray hesitates, Maise relaxes, thinking that money was all Ray wanted, only to be surprised again, when Ray's gauntlet glows with light and he declares that Maise's life is payment enough, punching the lich's head clean off his shoulders. Ray drops to the floor while noting that since the status effects on his status are no longer reversed, the lich is truly dead. A concerned Nemesis rushes to his side, asking him if he has any potions that work on these debuffs, with Ray replying he never thought he would be hit by anything like them. While Nemesis curses Maise, Hugo uses an **Elixir** and **High Spirit Water** to cure Ray. Ray stands up, while his HP recovers and status effects disappear. Thanking Hugo, he notices a reb box poking from Maise's empty robes, wondering if it is the lich's inventory. While Hugo notes that it is technically Ray's property now, he refuses to touch the lich's things, the very prospect disgusting him. With Nemesis agreeing, Ray starts talking about the need to bring the children out of there, before breaking off and asking for Cyco. Hugo asks Cyco to come over, and when she asks if it is OK, states that it is. Cyco then transforms back from her armour form and greets Ray and Nemesis. Nemesis is amazed, realizing that Cyco is just like her and Ray enquires about the crest she had before, with Hugo replying that it was the work of the Maiden skill, **Crest Conceal**. He then tells Ray that the children are waiting on them, and the four go back inside the hideout.

After the four leave the scene, a group of bandits emerges, remarking on their good luck in running away earlier. They decide to hurry and sell the children remaining in their possession. A thug sees the inventory and recognizing it as his boss's, breaks it open, with a veritable shower of gold coins falling out. While the thugs celebrate their good luck, one of them notices a purple egg amongst the coins and picks it up. The egg, reveals itself to be a spell of Maise's, **Undead Grudge Creation**, which he has set to activate in the event of his death. The egg absorbs the thugs and even Gouz's frozen remains, growing larger and larger before hatching open to reveal a huge four-legged zombie. In an unknown area, the control A.I in charge of UBMs watches as the system notifies him and silently recognizes the undead as an Epic UBM, with the name **Revenant Ox-Horse, Gouz-Maise**.

When Ray and the others emerge from the hideout, they are shocked to see Gouz-Maise rampaging outside. Hugo posits that the UBM must have been created from the corpses around the area. While Hugo and Ray discuss the feasibility of fighting the monster, deeming it a lost cause due to the state of their weapons and skill stocks, Nemesis starts feeling something strange from her damage counter. The feeling disappears just as quickly, with Nemesis wondering if she was imagining things. A distraught young girl comes out of the forest, and the undead turns its attention to her, only for Ray to attack with a full power **Purgatorial Flames**, following it up with attacks to its leg and eyes with **Purifying Silverlight**-enchanted attacks. Ray tells Hugo to take the children and run, and though he is reluctant, he is convinced when Ray reminds him that they must save the children. As Hugo takes off with the children in the carriage, Ray states they must simply hold the undead back, when it regenerates from its wounds. While Ray notes that this means normal attacks are useless, Nemesis opines that a fully charged **Vengeance is Mine** is their only hope, when she feels the same off feeling from her damage counter which quickly disappears again. This is concurrent with a marked change in Gouz-Maise's behaviour, leading her to theorize that the feeling is due to the lich's grudge controlling the undead. While Ray marks it as an annoyance, Nemesis is more hopeful, stating that the cause of the odd feeling is the huge amount of damage from Maise's **Deadly Mixer**, leading Ray to realize that Gouz-Maise is controlled by multiple grudges. Deciding to parlay this quirk into an advantage, they plan to use Vengeance when Maise's grudge is in control and declaring their intent to defeat the beast.

Ray continues to attack Gouz-Maise, worried that his stamina will run out before he finds the monsters core while Nemesis reminds him that a single attack will kill him. Suddenly Gouz-Maise loses interest in Ray, and Nemesis inform him that her damage counter has vanished, signalling that another grudge has taken over. As the undead lumbers off, Ray has an idea and grabs the Crystal of Resentment lying on the ground nearby. Gouz-Maise runs after the carriage driven by Hugo, and Ray, dragged by Silver tosses the Flag Halberd at the beasts' leg, wounding it, while Hugo entreates Ray to survive and makes his escape. As Ray picks up Nemesis and presses the attack only to be thrown off, he and Nemesis deduce that the core is located in the head. Deciding to finish the battle here, Ray tosses the Crystal of Resentment in front of Gouz-Maise, causing Maise's grudge to take control. Ray then charges towards the undead, taking out its legs in a series of attacks. As it reels, Ray runs at the head, only to be confused as the core is already revealed. His shock multiplies when Gouz-Maise uses **Deadly Mixer.** Though he withstands it with **Counter Absorption**, Ray cannot dodge the follow-up attack, which sends him flying off. Nemesis, refusing to let him die transforms back to human form and braces his fall with her body. Hurt, she observes Ray's status, seeing that he has fainted and has several broken bones. She takes out a potion and douses him, and when the effect proves lackluster, gives it to him orally via a kiss. Seeing that his life is out of danger, Nemesis transforms her arm into a blade, deciding to hold off Gouz-Maise until he awakens, with full faith that they will then emerge victorious.

In a white space, Ray observes an image of a younger version of himself attempting to pull a girl out of the way of a speeding truck. Confused, he remembers that this took place just before a martial arts tournament his brother took part in years ago. A hazy black figure beside him declares this a 'replay', and he asks if this is its doing. The image restarts, revealing that Ray's brother has saved the children.

In his dressing room, young Mukudori Shuichi sighs that his leg is definitely broken. Young Reiji sobs that it is all his fault and his brother comforts him that he shouldn't regret trying to save the girl. When Reiji retorts that Shuichi could have done it on his own, his brother counters that it was due to Ray's choice to save the girl that he saved them. He continues that Ray should not regret his choices and that making choices is the ultimate premise to getting the future he desires, and that once he makes a choice, it all depends on whether he can see and grab the possibility he wants, stating that the possibility always exists with his will and that no matter how far beyond the radix point it is, it is always there and will only disappear when he gives up on getting the future he wants, and that as long as he makes choices to reach his desired future and doesn't give up, the possibility will never truly disappear. Current Ray, looking on at this scene, thinks to himself that his brother's words remain in his heart to this day. Shuichi rubs Reiji's head, saying that Reiji's choice to save the girl wasn't a mistake and that he would show Ray how to give his all in grabbing hold of the possibility. The scene changes to Shuichi knocking out his opponent with a kick to the cheers of the audience. The scene whites out and the figure notes that Shu is quite the brother, to which Ray agrees. She advises him that desperate times call for desperate measures, and Ray restates his drive to beat Gouz-Maise, to which the figure tells him to wake up. Somewhat belatedly, he asks who it is. It giggles and tells him that he will never master it as long as he only uses the flames. Having realized its true identity, the space turns black and the figure reveals itself to be a female ogre, who tells him that she is merely a fragment of unused power reborn as his item and that understands him now and wants him to understand her. She implores him to use her and Nemesis to go and grab hold of the possibility he wants.

Back at the battle, a visibly damaged Nemesis remarks that she cannot hold out much longer, mocking Gouz-Maise at its irritation for not being able to kill her. The undead then switches to a wide range attack Nemesis cannot dodge. Stating that this is as far as she can go alone, she silently pleads for Ray to return already. With a flash of Gardranda's **Purgatorial Flames**, he complies, with Nemesis asking what took him so long and Ray replying that he just overslept. Saying that it is all fine as long as he came back, she asks what they'll do next, and Ray notes that he has a plan. Nemesis asks if the sucess rate is low and Ray says that as long as there is a possibility, they only need to bet on it. Restating their desire to win, Nemesis switches to the Flag Halberd and they charge Gouz-Maise with Ray using a full-powered **Hellish Miasma** to engulf the area in gas. Gouz-Maise retaliates with **Deadly Mixer**, and falling to its knees due to the debuffs, Ray jumps on its back and consumes its flesh, noting that **Like a Flag Flying the Reversal** counts debuffs received by eating an enemies flesh as being caused by an enemy. Eyes wide, Gouz-Maise thrashes about, trying to crush Ray, who dodges all its attacks, even a last-ditch **Deadly Mixer**. Jumping into the air, Ray defeats Gouz-Maise with **Vengeance is Mine**.

At the unknown location, the control A.I. finds Ray's defeat of two UBMs in as many days fascinating.

Riding Silver, Nemesis remarks that Ray's new special reward, Grudge Soaked Greaves, Gouz-Maise allow him to finally ride the Prism Steed. As Ray confirms the special rewards' other skills, she asks him if he will remain in this world. While Ray ponders if staying in this world, overflowing with death is a good idea or not, he reminds himself that it is not all bad. When Nemesis tells him he will face more hardship, he says that if something like this happens again, he'll do something about it, giving his all to grab that possibility. Nemesis, smiling, says that she will protect him then. Ray blushes and thanks her.

Back in Gideon, a voice tells Hugo and Cyco that they have been busy, surprised that they defeated the bandit group everyone in town was talking about. When Hugo asks how he was aware it was them, the voice, revealed to be Dr Flamingo tells him that he is surveilling Ray. Ignoring Hugo's query about how he did that by declaring it a secret, he answers Hugo's follow-up question by confirming Ray's victory over Gouz-Maise. While happy about this, Hugo thinks to himself that Ray would definitely interfere with their plan. Flamingo comforts Hugo saying that the plan will lead to the end of the war with minimal sacrifices. While Hugo asks again to confirm that it will truly be minimal, Flamingo, removing his costume remarks that His Excellency the General wants all-out war, but there is a cleverer and more exciting way to do things. Revealing himself to be a white-haired man in a lab coat, he declares that the Triangle of Wisdom will end the war between the Kingdom of Altar and the Dryfe Imperium.

## Characters

* Ray Starling
* Maise
* Hugo Lesseps
* Nemesis
* Cocytus
* Jabberwock
* Shu Starling(flashback)
* Gardranda
* Mr. Franklin