The Catholic University of Leuven vehemently denies the existence of Arachnea parapluviosis megaviralis, commonly known in English as the “great viral.” However, photos that they continue to claim are obviously photoshopped fabrications suggest the presence of this species. If this were true, it would be disastrous for KUL’s reputation, as it would reveal that his doctorship von Leverkühn had conducted unethical experiments at their former bacteriological institute. The contested photos, if authentic, irrefutably show the presence of this species within that building. In that case, Arachnea parapluviosis may have originated from an experiment gone awry, with unforeseeable and catastrophic consequences.
Imagine his doctorship von Leverkühn surrounded by erlenmeyer flasks, alembics, and retorts, mixing test tubes filled with umbrella-shaped bacteriophages, suddenly confronted by a rapidly expanding specimen of colossal size by viral standards. If events played out in this way, it would certainly explain the undeniably viral lifestyle of Arachnea parapluviosis. Of course, many questions remain. For instance, it remains deeply puzzling why the grand viral is composed of wood and cardboard rather than metal, which it normally consumes.
