by Unknown
So that they could overturn the absolute justice known as [common sense]——which consists of the order(rules) established by the One Sole God.
——Doing it not as a mere piece(prayer), but, as someone of equal standing(a player).
Miko smiled bitterly inside her consciousness while remembering even the loveliness of that view.
But, at the same time she thought——for the current her, it was something incomprehensible.
[——Then you may pledge. With those words, acknowledge your own deaths in this worthless play.]
The Old Deus had plainly pressed them to announce the pledge that will result in their own ruin, but——
“Ah, before that, can I ask one thing?”
Sora suddenly raised his voice, as if he just remembered; it was so relaxed, it seemed out of place.
While interrupting his comrades who raised their hands to announce the start of the game——he asked.
“Your name, I still haven’t gotten to hear it, you see?”
[——Why do you want to know of it, lowermost existence?]
“Eh? For an opponent I’ll be beating the crap out of and making them lose, remembering their name at least is the least amount of courtesy, right?”
——The shock made the atmosphere groan.
Everyone at that place——even the Flügel, Jibril, flinched at the god’s displeasure.
If the [Ten Oaths] didn’t exist, everything would have been annihilated just by that overwhelming pressure.
Miko broke into a laugh at such a fact. It’s been over half a century since she harbored the [Quintessence].
Was there ever a time she displayed this much “displeasure”? ——Even more so
“……Eh, hold——did I say something that would especially offend her?”
Just like breathing, he didn’t realize what he was doing——by an insignificant Imanity’s frivolous talk.
“……Nii, it’s alright, you…… didn’t say anything…… special……”
“I-Isn’t that so!? Because, I didn’t really have any intention like that at——”
Seeing the appalled Sora, Shiro declared with a smile while raising her thumb.
“Nii…… because…… just by breathing…… you make people…… furious.”
“A-As expected of Master! To think you would try to make the god ‘die of anger’, what patience——!!”
“With this, it proved there are people who would approach a god just to punch him…… how admirable.”
“Really, how about we stop with the games and use the violence of words to kill a god? If it’s Sora-sama, then he may be able to pull it off.”
“……Sora, really dangerous, desu……”
“Shitty monkey…… bastard, do you have an illness where you’ll die if you get serious even for a moment……?”
Miko secretly let out a smile in her hazy consciousness, seeing their figures making a fuss full of harmony.
At the same time, inside her thoughts that seemed about to be cut off——she saw.
In one of the gazes, the god, not waiting for the words of the pledge anymore, began creating the game board.
The Temple of the Priestess(Miyashiro)——expanding from there, the Kannagari’s skyscraper then, the cities on the various islands of the Eastern Union……
Overseeing the homeland that took her entire life to lay down——she thought.
——In the past, the nameless golden fox girl saw a dream.
A dream she saw while repeatedly breaking down [common sense] ——in the country she built while seeking what existed beyond it.
——But, that girl(child) from the past doesn’t exist anymore.
Miko, the girl who became an adult on a certain day…… she ended up noticing.
The [standard breaker] …… clearly had an end.
The game she kept researching until she knew everything about it reached the point where the first to move wins just like those quiz games.
No matter how much the weaklings(pieces) struggle, they definitely won’t be able to jump out of the board.
——“The one who challenges(Player)”, and “the one who prays(Prayer)”.
No matter where you go in this world, it’s the same board where the strong(players) have fun using the weak(prayers) as the piece.
That [common sense] alone——couldn’t be overturned.
And it was none other than the [cheat] the girl executed in her younger days that had proved it.
That had filled Miko with resignation and disappointment, but——
Lowering her view, her consciousness returned to the inner garden of the temple.
Over there was a view even the girl of the past couldn’t have dreamed of.
Imanity, Flügel, Dhampir, Werebeast——
In ancient times, they’re the ones who killed each other through force. Now, with another method(games), they steal and despise each other.
The representatives of those races whose power and lifespan, even their existences differed, have now met under one roof, laughing together.
Even more so when all of them, though their intentions are different, have the same objective——
They’re harmoniously laughing under the foolish action, “challenge an Old Deus”, something far from sanity……
“——Seriously, it’s really fine, isn’t it?”
Was it due to being too angry, or was it because she was concentrating on her work?
At a certain time, the god’s control over her body loosened and, obeying Miko’s consciousness, she asked that question.
“——My error, the mistake I committed at that time——will you correct it?”
Miko slowly extended her hand mid-air.
After fluttering her white arm, a shining [Pawn] rested in the palm of her hand.
That was unmistakably a [Race Piece] ——the Werebeast’s piece.
Correct the “mistake of that day” ——to settle the accumulating bill since that day.
If I don’t do that, then, I’m not qualified to laugh together with them.
But, if I can do it, then at that time for sure——
“If you desire so…… then the Eastern Union——the Werebeasts, will walk alongside you guys.”
——said Miko, who continued to be troubled and distressed…… but.
“Hmm…… honestly, I don’t really understand what mistake Miko-san did and is getting all serious about now.”
The man suspected of having an illness where he would die if he got serious——stated imposingly.
“If you’re talking about correcting, then, how about we start correcting the mistake of making us get serious!?”
As the one challenging an Old Deus no different from the universe itself——he shouted while “rejecting the seriousness.”
All while not knowing Miko’s worries and distress——or was it exactly because he knew it?
The siblings(two) declared, with eyes exactly like those of a child itself brightening with expectation.
“We’re really lucky! We’re blessed with a chance to play a game against an Old Deus(a god) with these members!!”
“……And…… if we’re going to play a game, then…… of course, we will win…… as such——”
“Obviously! Quite naturally and inevitably! The Elkia Federation(We) will get both the Eastern Union, the Old Deus and various other things with it!! There’s nothing else besides that——easy to understand, right?”
——You really think of things that get adults pissed off, huh, she thought with a childish face indulging in deep emotions.
What was now certainly being reflected in Miko’s eyes was something that long since stopped being reflected in it.
“Let’s put those troublesome things aside. This world(This)——is a ‘game,’ you know?”
He spoke with an intense will——the two pairs of eyes only harbored a joyful color in it.
“This is a match to stupidly compete
on just how serious(annoying) we can get about such worthless things, right?”
“……That’s why…… for us to lose is…… something…… impossible.”
“It’s a play to decide the stupidest one——there’s no reason for us to lose in a ‘stupidity match’ against god at all.”
——It was a [play(game)] just that simple.
Both the strong(player) and the weak(piece), they simply challenge and get challenged back——It’s just a hindsight.
Be it “the one who challenges(Players)” or “the one who prays(Prayers)”——it’s all about just how do you want to be it.
If the game you’ve been researching ends up reaching to the point of where the first to move wins, then.
This time——what will start will just be a game deciding who will take the first move.
With a single straightforward logic(weapon), he dismissed Miko’s imprudent despair.
Looking at the ones who exalted the end was, in truth, endless, together they propagated their passion.
“……I don’t want to admit it, but…… I’m also getting ‘old,’ you know……”
Feeling amused, Miko suddenly thought.
Surely it must be reflected in Sora and Shiro(those two)’s eyes——the “simple world,” even though it didn’t look like it in my younger days.
That was something only allowed to be seen by children, so what if I hadn’t really seen it?
If the world is, in truth, just like how these two are saying, something just that simple then——
What if we are(everyone is) simply making it look complicated——?
“————Really, I’m counting on you.”
With the words that fell together with her bitter smile, each of the fools challenging a god showed their own smile.
Just as they desired and expected, it was something so simple, so easy.
Something to decide who was the stupidest one, an easily understandable——
“Now————Let the games begin——!!”
Sora shouted joyfully the same time Miko threw up the Werebeast’s piece.
High, high above the head——towards the piece thrown up as it reached the Old Deus, swirling high into the sky.
Everyone also raised their arms, as if trying to pierce through the narrow inner garden——
————【Aschente】————!!
The shouting of the pledge echoed, starting the game that would absolutely adhere to the [Ten Oaths].
The declaration that they would obey the rules established by the Sole God(Liar), exaggerating the world had changed, was the signal.
The accumulated, wriggling power in that place breached out.
Within the consciousness at the mercy of the turbulent power surging like a tsunami——Miko thought.
——The world hadn’t changed at all.
The girl, during her younger days once thought to definitely change it with her hands, yearned for a dream.
The dream I unconsciously woke up from when I became an adult, let’s once again immerse in it, Miko thought.
——In this game. In the Old Deus. In her. In the moment we can prove that we won.
Now, for once, the world should change——at that time alone…… yes, I’ll recognize it.
His words when he listed the oaths, in the far away past on the day the Great War ended, weren’t a lie.
That the world can be changed——in the changed world, certainly that has changed——!!
——That’s why.
(…… I still won’t apologize yet…… self-proclaimed Sole God-han……)
——Were you just a liar, or was I just a fool?
The moment that answer comes out, just a little bit——I’ll apologize.
For calling you a terrible liar too many times…… Yes, I’ll do it [patiently], she thought while slightly extending out her tongue——
Leaving behind such expectation and sarcasm, Miko’s consciousness got washed away to beyond the light.
■ ■ ■ ■ ■
——That phenomenon was witnessed by everyone around the world.
“Recreation” ——through the [power] born on an island floating in the Far East’s ocean.
It occurred in a blink of the eye, and although inexplicably, it was even witnessed at the backside of the planet.
Like the distorted planet couldn’t help but let its screams be known throughout the heavens and earth——
——The darkness of the night was broken, and the light of day was torn off.
That irreverent, absurd, and unreasonable power shook even the planet itself.
The power became waves, the waves turned into substance(shape), concept was defined and then revealed.
Imitating the universe’s beginning, through the divine feat replicating heaven and earth’s creation——a land was born in the sky.
The land born in midair spun successively and, eventually, became a spiral made by a single ray.
The vortex swirled and a tower reaching to the moon was built——it became a celestial corridor.
——Even if they weren’t able to understand what was happening, their trembling instincts were enough.
——Those who, unfortunately, were able to understand it too, were forced by their rationality to fold their knees and tremble.
Just who was the existence(one) executing such a [miracle] that defied reason?
Their blood, soul, even their existence itself seemed to be chopped down, not fading even when it overlapped eternally——their fear(memory) answered.
Towards the one who, in the past, defined the entire universe, created the heavens and broke down the earth——their dread(memory) spoke.
That was why everyone who witnessed that phenomenon did something that day.
Without having anything else they could’ve done, or should’ve done, besides that——In other words.
Praying “Aah…… God,” ——besides that, there was nothing else……
■ ■ ■ ■ ■
——There was a single person at the summit of the giant chess piece at the end of the world.
A true and genuine “god” ——the Sole God(Tet), who supervised everything of this world was——
“*Achoo* *Ah-choo* *sniff* …… I’m really being called a lot today, huh, even though it’s not my doing.”
He was rubbing his red nose while holding a trash can that was filled with tissues.
The only unnecessary things that were produced even by a god are snot and complaints.
“……Being called ‘liar, liar’ continuously…… Is there anything crueler than those harmful rumors?”
——I’m about to cry, you know?
Tet was seeing the new land that was born in the heavens, while flapping his legs discontentedly.
It was a continent expanding big enough to completely cover up all the land from the Eastern Union to Elkia.
It was a vast game board one of the Old Deus had assembled temporarily, but——
“Haha☆ This may be a little unexpected. So, you like those pretty and flashy things, huh?”
Even for an Old Deus, you’re using your power too flashily, you know, towards such murmur Tet had spilled out
——no.
【——Question. The work from this time, is it of your doing? ——Holder of the [Star Grail(Sunny Aster)]】
Towards his calling, a voice echoed from the void answered.
It was extremely difficult to do something like speaking to the Sole God(Tet), even with the power of an Old Deus, and yet——
“‘I’m not anyone’s ally’——I wonder how many times I have to say it so you’d understand…… *achoo*!”
Replay properly when you’re being talked to by “the Sole God(me),” alright♪
Tet was trying to be irreverent, but, with a completely aloof smile, he tossed away another tissue into the trash can.
【——False. The one who summoned us from the
other world was you. Your participation, disclose that intent. 】
If this world(game) was a contest of Race Pieces for the Old Deus, who were fighting each other to earn the right to challenge the Sole God, then.
Just what did the “participation” of the Sole God himself meant——the voice asked so, but, Tet promptly laughed at it.
——There was no such weight behind it. If he really had to say something, there was only expectation——
“How about this ‘intent’ then: It’s because I want to see your roaring faces, since you are ruining the game with that misunderstanding☆”
Despite the childishness he answered with, it was Tet’s unfeigned true feelings——It was only expectation.
But, the voice of the of the Old Deus resounding from the void continued indifferently.
【——If there were to have such a convergence, then the [Star Grail(Sunny Aster)] should know.】
“…… ‘If you want to see my face, then look at the future’…… Can’t you put it in a simpler way like that?”
Smiling wryly, Tet fluttered the palm of his hand in the air.
“I’m bragging, but, unlike you guys——I have good taste.”
Floating in his hand was the proof of the Sole God.
“To the point I decided to make it my principle to not look at the future(spoilers)——see♪”
——[Star Grail(Sunny Aster)].
It was a device with the concept of absolute supremacy——a vessel where the “omnipotent power” had settled.
It could even be said the existing power of this universe was nothing but a mere fragment that spilled out and fell from the vessel.
For the person(Tet) freely controlling it, originally, time and even the metaphysical cause and effect——was already meaningless.
Both creation and destruction, past and future, even observation and definition, it was all as he pleases.
“To see the future where the Old Deus will make a roaring face” ——creating such a future would also be pretty easy, but——