by Kasugamaru
Look at us: our battle lines are already formed. We’re ready for an attack at any time. The sun’s still high in the sky, too. We could finish this before nightfall, if we wished. Without using fire magic, to boot. That’s how fragile their “formation” is—they’d crumble at the first touch.
Oh, here we go. Lady Kuroi’s started to ride. Her horse’s hooves clopping against the ground, she moves slowly toward the palace. She’s unarmed. There’re no red-black summoned warriors around her, either. Her raven hair waves in tandem with her horse’s tail.
“Hold your positions!” Agias shouts.
He’s right; we shouldn’t move. This isn’t a battle yet. Sure, we could rush over and crush them, but that would just be friendly fire. Our enemy is the vampires. Where are they? Where? An Apostle should be here—the one who brought down a mountain, like his name suggests. Surely he isn’t watching from some high perch in the palace, is he? I could see that being the case. Is he content to just watch humans killing each other? I bet he is. I can almost see his smug fanged face now. After all, they do enjoy a bit of brutality.
“Mage Company, bombs at the ready!”
Huh? Agias, what are you planning? Lady Kuroi isn’t stopping, either. How far is she going to go? Is this one of those “the lone rider gallops ahead” scenarios? I mean, if Lady Kuroi got serious she could cut through an army of thousands—no, tens of thousands—like a hot knife through butter... No. No, that’s not what this is. These two wouldn’t misuse their strength. Lady Kuroi is the symbol of humanity’s hope, and Agias is her top man. They wouldn’t trample over their fellow humans, even if it were to avenge their family and country.
Hope is wonderful. It mustn’t come at the cost of someone else’s despair. For us humans, hope mustn’t become despair for the weak and defeated. Noble, soldier, or commoner, in the end, we were all pathetic. We were crushed by the weight of the world, had our spines stripped from us, and fell into despair. Even the ability to cherish others was taken from us. We closed our eyes to the world, sacrificed, and desperately sought something good out of it. In doing so, lots of people died. Lots of people were killed. And they will continue to die, I’m sure.
I’m tired of it. So tired. We need to unite our strengths, not to kill each other, but to fight and break free from this enclosing absurdity. We need to work towards a future of hope. Isn’t that right, Agias? Lady Kuroi? ...God?
Lady Kuroi raises her hand straight up. Her fingers seem to reach towards heaven. Everyone’s watching, perhaps even God Himself. If she swings her arm forward, that’s the signal to attack. But she wouldn’t do that; that’s not why we came here.
Huh? Her arm’s starting to droop... Oh, she raised it again. This time, her salute reaches even higher. She stretches it upward earnestly, with all her might. What is this?
“Mage Company, aim for the sky.”
A thousand Fire Shots rise into the sky, illuminating and warming us, and then scatter on the wind as cinders. It’s beautiful—as bright as the sun, the pillar of flame is so tall it might even reach the heavens.
That’s right. I knew you were different, Lady Kuroi! Agias! And Odysson, too. You see this, traitors? Can you feel God’s presence? This is our spirit. This is what we wanted you to know!
-DDR Stream/VOD Part 11-
Wh-Whoa, that was a surprise. I made a slight control error and suddenly my allies shot up fireworks. Lemme just pull my right hand out of this glove controller real quick... Hey guys, it’s PotatoStarch.
I couldn’t help myself, okay? If you found an expensive VR machine at your front door, you’d want to try it out too, wouldn’t you? We’re all human. We’re all gamers. I was so bored from all the marching, so I was reading the manual, which made me really excited to try it. Maybe not the headgear, but the glove controllers? I’ve always secretly wanted to try them. All of that led to this... Sigh. At least it happened before the battle began. When you get new equipment, you gotta practice first; I didn’t become a controller and keyboard dual-wielding master overnight.
So, back to the game: the human armies are squaring off. What do I do now? I guess this is a fairly common scenario in strategy games. I could ignore it all and charge in alone, but that would ruin the spirit of things, wouldn’t it?
Hm? What’s this? Part of the enemy’s army is running away. Wow! It’s growing more chaotic by the second! Some are even running at us. They don’t seem to be attacking, though. They’ve abandoned their weapons and are shouting surrender. That’s a pleasant surprise. Okay, but you can stop trying to rush down Kuroi. Seriously, that’s just scary. Oh, nice job blocking them, Sir Knight. No one’s allowed to touch Kuroi.
So now both sides are in panic mode... Actually, the enemy’s more in hysteria mode. A slightly noble-looking group has started attacking their fleeing allies. That’s just not right. Now there’s a fancy palanquin coming out and flying a big banner. Is this their general? Then I should meet them with Kuroi... no, the hot knight. Off you go! Sorry, it just seemed like that sort of event. Let’s watch quietly. DDR doesn’t have Japanese voices, anyway. Plus, the text is all summaries.
Well, the ordering might have been reversed, but I assume this is where both sides start arguing that justice is on their side. Talking could probably solve this without fighting, but considering the situation...
Huh? What’s this on the side of my screen? A chat window? What? Isn’t this a special field reserved only for the online arena?
(I’m guess the package arrived?)
Huh? Uh... Excuse me?
(Why aren’t you using all equipment properly?)
Is... Is this...?
(Are you stupid?)
This unmistakable feeling of machine translation...! Could it be... them?
(Please answer. Are you stupid?)
Is it you, the person who sent me that weird email and message card, and the ridiculously expensive gift—yet still manages to be infuriating? Is it you, Romanian?!
66 DDR Chat / The Officer Witnesses the Symbol of Destruction
Separate from our war, in a realm beyond our ability to see, the gods are also at war. I know this.
-DDR Stream/VOD Part 12-
A chat request! From whom I assume is the mysterious Romanian! ...I shouldn’t do this. It would be insincere to DDR to use voice chat, let alone text chat during an important battle. I only have ten fingers; multitasking leads to a drop in quality.
(Nice to meet you. I’m PotatoStarch.)
But I greeted them anyways! This is common sense! This is Japanese manners!
(Who are you? Did you by chance send me an email and package?)
This might be machine translation, but I can still attempt to be polite, even to this mysterious and possibly criminal person. This is my secret to preventing trouble and embarrassment at work. See? Even the hot knight is greeting the enemy general in-game.
“As you have seen, we are the revolutionary army blessed by the Devil God Himself! His Apostle, Kuroi, Hare of Flame, who appeared in the northernmost reaches of the Frontier, is divine proof of humanity’s guardian deity!”
He’s probably blabbering about how we’re in the right or something. Medieval-style battles have that sort of image to them. For instance, the Hundred Years’ War or the Genpei War. Although the most successful people in both wars completely ignored the rules, like Jeanne d’Arc and Minamoto no Yoritomo.
“What utter nonsense you speak, cur!”
Well, well. The enemy’s general seems to be an older lady in heavy makeup. I’m guessing she’s the type to speak her mind with the sharpest tongue possible. Oh, and she has a parasol atop her palanquin.
“Wh-What of your little display of sparks? What of this seedy little girl? The only gods in this world are the Demon and the Dragon Gods! This is the natural order of things! Do you not even understand that? And here you are, daring to point your blades at the palace! You... You traitors!”
This type of person can be really annoying as your enemy. They n
ever bend their own rules and can’t be reasoned with... However, if you manage to make them your ally, they’ll bring you sweets and stuff for lunch. As a general rule of thumb, anyway.
Hm... Either way, I’m glad she’s engaging with us. It’d be... lonely if she just ignored us. It’s the same way I feel about the number of comments and viewers I receive!
(Are you stupid?)
What the hell is this person’s problem, though? What language is this even being translated from? Fine, I’ll answer.
(I’m often called a fool for being a workaholic. Who are you?)
(You must really be stupid. Idiots often do shocking things, after all.)
This isn’t even a conversation, damn it! What is this? Why do you keep calling me stupid? Sure, I might not be the brightest bulb, but I try to live right and not make trouble for anyone! All the while being crushed by the unfairness of society!
“It is not the royal family we wish to unseat! What we fight against is the unfairness of this world!” Shouts the handsome knight.
“Morons and fools, the lot of you! I-I am queen now! I stand at the apex of humanity! How dare you speak to me without even dismounting from your horse! Insolent dog!”
“We respect humanity, and thus we will not serve a tyrant!”
“Do you know who I am? Valkie blood flows through my veins! I have the right to rule! All of humanity bows to me! You should all be kissing the ground I stand on! This is as it should be!”
“Humans with the will to live as humans is ‘as it should be’! The sin of welcoming in the man-eating vampires, however... That is unpardonable!”
“Silence! Silence! How dare you speak to me like that, you mere elven pawns!”
This dialog event sure is long, but that’s just how it goes when talking to people who think they’re better than everyone else. I’ll let you in on a bit of wisdom: as long as you don’t know much about who you’re talking to, it’s best to treat them like they’re important.
(Did I do something to offend?)
(That stance is totally inappropriate for a Japanese.)
Now see here, Romanian. What am I supposed to say to that?
(Can you, a spectator with no merit, take responsibility?)
(You’re using a machine translator, right? I think that’s making you hard to understand.)
(Or, more likely, you have no brain.)
Hey. Hey, now! That was rude. Sure, I’m a small streamer and hardly an important employee at my company. I could quit without leaving behind a successor and they’d have no problem. ...Ugh, I made myself cry.
But at the very least, I’m sure I haven’t caused any trouble to the Romanian-speaking world.
(What method are you using to meddle in the parallel world?)
Uh, parallel world? I don’t even know where Romania is. West of Russia and east of France, maybe? And is this person ever going to name themself?
(Are you from Romania?)
(America knows, but you don’t. You are strange.)
(Are you from America?)
(“If you are fated to feast upon me and my flesh, then no matter what I do, it cannot be avoided.”)
Wow, now this Romanian is seriously speaking nonsense. What is this mixture of uncertainty and nervousness? If I didn’t think this person might have sent me a ridiculously expensive VR machine, would I just be irritated?
(Proverbs and quotes are interesting, aren’t they?)
(Are you stupid?)
Argh! This chat’s a distraction! Gotta focus on the game, so let’s just close the window... I can’t! FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU!
(This is why you continue to think of it as a game.)
Just ignore it. La-la-la! Can’t see a part of my monitor!
(This is your awakening, KartofStarch.)
Who the heck is that? I’m PotatoStarch!
-Captain Jashan son Peine IV-
I’d assumed either I or Felipo would have gone to negotiate.
“The elves are common allies in these hard times! In the name of the Ewlogond Republic, they’ve agreed to a Wartime Military Alliance! Our goal is to fight back against the threat of the Demon God and the vampires!”
But Agias is doing pretty well. He’s got real fire in his belly. This gruff soldier doesn’t even need the help of an earl’s son or the seventh prince to out-argue this old lady. How symbolic. Change can, at times, be militaristic. This, too, is a step on our stairway to revolution.
“Together, we have slain hundreds—no, thousands of vampires with their assistance! We have fought alongside their Apostle, Ten Thousand Bells! And in that battle, our Apostle slew Golden!”
Wow! He speaks like a charging knight, with no room for negotiations.
“Y-Y-You speak nothing but l-lies!”
“Open your eyes to reality! And then consider the future! There is no human dignity in a world where our enemies can declare we’re having our final battle!”
This passion. This straight-forwardness... His majesty is palpable. Compared to him... Yep, she’s done. Her complexion’s gone from red to black; she’s going to start foaming at the mouth soon. But that’s fine. This should be finished soon.
All eyes are on them, enemy and ally alike. This tug of war over whose campaign is more righteous is pathetically one-sided. Before my eyes, our enemies have lessened and our allies have increased. Such victories are growing in number. Soon, this squabble amongst humans will be over.
Then, the real battle can begin, just as the headliner follows the opening act. We’ve already got an omen of this: something odd seems to have overtaken Lady Kuroi. She hasn’t moved, but I wonder how many have noticed the swords that appeared in her hands. And she’s glaring at the palace.
But most of all, this aura. What is it? What is this sense of tension that makes one wish to tuck tail and run? Both armies have lost the will to fight and are watching the argument unfold with great interest... However, it’s just a one-sided display. So why can I practically hear the air creaking, as if some great battle is happening? It’s giving me goosebumps.
Felipo has taken notice. Odysson... Ah, yes, he’s quite disturbed by it. I suppose it would be imprudent to assume Agias hasn’t noticed it. Is that why he’s getting more aggressive?
This isn’t Lady Kuroi’s mana we are sensing. This is, quite frankly, beyond the realm of human understanding.
Ugh, this ringing in my ears! Now the crowd’s started to talk among themselves. It is only natural—for this situation is unnatural. I haven’t experienced an overbearing, violent, and crushing aura such as this one since the battle against Golden...
Could... Could this be divine spirit? Is it, Felipo? Lady Kuroi is here, and thus, so is humanity’s Guardian God: the Devil God. But then, what of the other side? What can fight against a god and release such pressure? Is it there? Is it coming from the palace?
Ah! What is that?! A giant shadow rises from the palace! Hold on a second, now. How much bigger can it get? It’s orders of magnitude larger than a cyclops. On bat’s wings, it takes to the skies, crushing the residences surrounding the palace, and flies toward us. Even through the palace gates, I can see its face: a horrific construct, like pure brutality.
A demon. A demon! The holy book speaks of this: the Demon God’s closest servant... the avatar of destruction that leveled even the great dwarven fortress!
67 The Knight Witnesses and Challenges a Massive Evil
O Fire.
O Flame.
O Inferno.
O God.
Grant me strength. Strength enough to slay demons. Grant us fire to purge this evil.
-Knight Agias III-
My throat tightens; my heart pounds in my chest. With trembling hands, I grip the pommel of my sword. Fear overwhelms my heart. If it weren’t for all the watching eyes, I would have run away by now.
Is this all you are, Agias Willow? The burden of my house’s name means nothing. My desire to be the pillar of humanity doesn’t change the fact that I am merely h
uman. I’m weak. This thing forces me to face that fact.
So this... is a demon. Regenerative powers that trump even those of a troll; physical strength that makes a bugbear look like a child; savagery that scares even an ogre; massive size that looks down upon even a cyclops. Every rumor I’d heard was true.
This is a monster. Its mere presence is too much for anyone to bear.
“M-Majestic! Majestiiiic!”
Who is that? Who’s screeching like a mad man? There, in the center of the enemy army: a man dressed in black.
“Behold its might! Hee ha ha! Humans are trash! Nobles? Slaves? The palace? What of them? Every last one is meaningless! Worthless!”
A starred armband adorns the shouting man’s shoulder, as well as those that surround him. So that’s the Starlight Band, huh? The political organization that criticizes the throne and wishes for vampire dominance. I heard their leader might be a colleague of Felipo and Jashan son Peine.
“Everyone should die! Everything should be destroyed! It’s all insignificant! In this world, everything is decided for you from the moment you’re born! Children starve to death as adults grow fatter! Humans are sold as commodities! The strong eat the weak and call it destiny! There is no such thing as fairness in this absurd world of ours! It is hideous! Repulsive! There is no value in living!”
So you wail and smile as you denounce this world, crying tears of blood?
What atrocities must have happened in his life to make him say these things? What grief drove him to gather supporters and rise to action like this? This man in black is like a symbol of the stagnant despair that plagued the south.
“Now is the time for us humans to be annihilated by the great Demon God’s power! At least our worthless lives will be taken by a divine hand! A grand end to our fruitless beginnings—”
A boulder thrown by the demon crushes the man.
But that’s not the end of it. The sky rains down giant objects; roofs, walls, and pillars are tossed about like a child’s toys. Each impact shakes the earth, thunders in our ears, and covers the sky in dust clouds. Any who are unlucky enough to get caught are mercilessly splattered into bits. Countless lives are simply erased from existence.