by Unknown
“——You surely didn’t think that [Blood Devastation](power) was an exclusivity of yours—— not to mention,”
What lied ahead——of bringing down the Werebeasts, ruling and making them obey with just this much(power).
“I will not overlook it as the entire race gets destroyed by “an even stronger being”, right——!!”
——It wasn’t something that someone had aimed for, it was just a disgusting “hindsight”……but.
Although it was hard to admit, the race had divided itself in tribes and did nothing but internal strife all day—— that too is a [standard].
If the Werebeasts were to be unified through power—— and someone carelessly became the [Sole Representative],
——In the moment they face an even greater power, the Werebeast race itself will be crushed in the very first move.
This miserable [standard](theory).
The [disaster](theory) where the other races rule over one part of the Werebeasts through games and enslaves them.
The [vulgarity](theory) of even being pleased with it: Because it’s another tribe. It’s someone else’s problem.
In order to unify the race and overturn the [standard](theory), power isn’t enough—— it’s necessary more than that.
He wanted to tell that to the “storm” which he had expected, hoped and longed for, but then got disappointed at, and yet——
“Kuhahaha, how funny of you to say that when you’re but a lower body that parted with your tribe since you got irritated for not being able to be surrounded by beauties!!”
……The storm laughed.
“————Dear me, what could you be talking about?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine……you say that “you can’t do the woman you want to do” and oppose the tribe, then make a harem with the beauties you had gathered while saying that you desire to abolish the discrimination between the tribes—— isn’t your motivation so refreshing, or better yet, pure?”
——Hmm, so everything has already been seen though.
“Then I’ll speak frankly——If you dare lay your hands on my women then I’ll tear off your throat, you shitty brat.”
She laughed out loudly at Ino, who stopped minding the appearances.
The beautiful storm laughed bewitchingly and brushed it off.
“Then win against me. If you do so, then never again shall I lay my hands on your women, along with the island.”
But in exchange,—— the storm(girl) said,
“If you lose then become my subordinate. Of course, you have no right to decline so do bear with it, alright♪”
——And then, Ino felt ashamed of his own shallowness.
With just this much power—— the violent five senses and thought speed brought forth by Blood Devastation(power),
There’s no way that a [conspiracy](storm) that did swallow up this many islands would ever happen.
In a game between fellow Blood Devastation individuals, the storm(girl) beat him up like one playing with a child——
“The [standard] known as it’s better for the Werebeasts to quarrel between themselves——I’ll firstly destroy that.”
The red who had released the Blood Devastation and then named herself as [Miko] to Ino, who became her subordinate——
“Everything that I had subdued temporarily——will now be refunded using autonomy as a bait, and so I’ll build the “Tribal Union”.”
——Was a golden fox girl that surely overshadowed any treasure.
She spoke about the future that Ino had expected, hoped and longed for.
“The unified government of the Werebeasts—— the establishment of the [Eastern Union]……this will be the first [standard breaker].”
While he gasped at the foresight of the storm that had swallowed up everything——
“……But that will invite the [standard breaker breaker][39], you know.”
Declaring the merging of the Werebeasts, the unification and even the resistance of the other races as “firstly”,
“The [standard] I seek should exist beyond the eternity of breaking it repeatedly for countless times.”
With eyes that looked over the far, far away distant horizon——
“——The [stardard] where no one is a piece to be controlled by someone else, where no one needs to be sacrificed.”
Towards the one who challenged the endless dream—— and even the new end beyond it,
Towards the one who challenged even what lied beyond the end—— of the unending dream,
Ino knelled down, and solemnly declared that he would offer up his remaining life for her.
“If you promise to allow polygamy when developing the laws, then I shall help you with my entire being on the line.”
“Kuhahaha! As expected of the man who seduces beautiful girls without bearing in mind their tribe or position!”
Miko laughed loudly, and jokingly spoke towards Ino, who was kneeling with a serious face.
“I’m relieved. If you were an indiscriminate that attacked even those who aren’t beautiful, then I would have to worry about my chastity too.”
“Although I may be being rude—— may I ask of you to withdraw this statement just now?”
“……Hou?”
“A beauty must not undervalue herself.”
“……………………It really seems like you’d be popular.”
“I’m bragging, but yes. Additionally, I’ll correct this too, but I also pride myself in that I certainly do bear in mind their positions.”
Towards the precious girl—— that looked up so high that the moon too would be shamed by it,
Ino, who had resolved himself to offer his body for the end which she looked over for, spoke with a smile.
“I shall refrain myself from seducing you, until I become a man befitting of Miko-sama.”
——From that day on, a turbulent half-century that seemed like many centuries started.
Just like Miko had declared, she had taken the many islands that reached up to four-digits as her opponent, with almost the same number of tribes, along with the enormous challenges that came under the pretext of discussion and negotiations—— and kept playing games without rest for things like the division of the law, economy and administrative rights.
Concurrently, she gathered experts and raised a National Research Plan while keeping a interim government.
She sought a method(game) with no room for interference with magic, and through the elements—— a method to oppose the other races.
She sought a method to oppose the other races——a method(game) without room for the interference with magic, and elementals.
Miko set her eyes into the “power” that flowed through Kannagari’s Temple, the current [Shrine of the Priestess](Miyashiro).
At the time, Ino—— no, there was no one who knew the true identity of that power.
Thinking about it now……that must’ve been what the “power of the Old Deus” really was.
But Miko used that as “just a power”, and sought a device to operate it on encryption.
Regardless of the identity of the power, it’s meaningless if it’s something which the other races can easily interfere with.
Like that, they made a program—— the first video game, that worked by turning that “power” on and off.
The representation of image and voice only became possible through the conversion of algorithm, twenty years later.
And so, when almost sixty years had passed since that day——……
“……It has been over half a century until here……isn’t that so, Hatsuse Ino——”
——Until half a century ago, who could have imagined that the city would develop this brilliantly and dazzlingly.
The completed Werebeast’s Unified Country [Eastern Union]——in the capital, Kannagari.
The golden fox laying in the handrail in the Shrine of the Priestess’s garden—— she sipped a sake, then suddenly
spoke out.
“……I wonder—— just where did I make a mistake……”
——Ino did not understand the meaning of those words.
The [standard](theory) where the Werebeasts quarreled was completely broken.
The method(game) to oppose the other races had reached the Full-Dive model, and it had even managed to repel the Elves.
“Excuse my words, but Miko-sama accomplished the [standard breaker], something that no Werebeast could——”
“And like that, for over half a century——I’m still at this standard(place)……”
Interrupting Ino and laughing self-deprecatingly, Miko spoke with her eyes.
Seeking what lies in the end of the standard that kept being broken eternally, she kept running without even looking aside.
……The government won’t move on lip service.
In order to ease the tribal discrimination, she took on the policy of looking down upon the other races.
The number of times she had discarded the minority for the sake of the majority were limitless, and the number of lives she stole indirectly was also immeasurable.
——These were accomplished by shaving away her lifespan of two hundred years down to the remaining few dozen years, and yet——although too lately,
“……The standard of [no sacrifices] that I sought, do not exist ahead of this……”
She noticed that she was simply changing the sacrifices, and nothing else.
“I was mistaken……that cheat——the very first move was a mistake.”
——Ino really couldn’t understand the meaning of those words.
“Right, but……I don’t know……what I should have done……”
While playing with the Werebeast’s piece—— a pawn made of light, Miko laughed as if in self-derision.
“That’s why—— this is [the end] of my dream.”
I no longer have the right to see the dream of that day, Miko flipped the piece.
But, the man who settled besides her for more than half a century——
“……You’re saying things you don’t really mean. It lacks persuasiveness when you speak with a face like that, you know.”
“……Right, then——then let’s choose the words, just like a sore loser.”
——Her expression, biting the corner of her mouth and trying to smile forcefully,
That expression of not having accepted it at all, definitely, and not in the slightest,
It was the face of a gamer saying—— there’s no way I can completely give up on it.
“What should I have done—— how about postponing the match, until I find the answer for that?”
——That smile, which he saw for the first time, wasn’t crying..
She wasn’t trembling. She stood firmly and aloof, like always.
——That’s right, Ino…….
——Left it at that…………
■ ■ ■ ■ ■
“……So you came……”
At their presence, Ino closed his eyes that saw the past.
He slowly—— opened his eyes that saw the present.
——204th square.
The place where Ino had nestled indulging in reverie—— was fifty-two squares away from the square where he had soaked in a bath with Sora and the others.
Sora had let slip out in the bath “where the next stopping square was”, so Ino received the people he awaited quietly.
“——Oh? I guess this is…… I have made you wait, right, Gramps?”
“……Uuh……I didn’t, want……to see, you ever again……geezer……”
“I’ve had enough, isn’t there an [abstention] in this game?! Will the suffering end if you die!?”
Ino let out a small smile at the three that had appeared loudly, unwillingly and aloofly.
“Yes, you sure made me wait……you really took you time, didn’t you?”
“Don’t ask for the impossible……it’s 520km you know. The Harley also runs out of fuel, thinking about it normally……”
Since it would happen, I wish I had put a [Fuel Trailer] too, he let out.
——Maybe something had happened in the middle of the way, because Sora was gasping for breath while armed with a straw hat and a bamboo spear,
Shiro, whose body was trembling as if in fear of a nightmare——also had bamboo spear, which was pointed at Ino,
And Steph, who was clad in rags, was lying flat in the ground whining——towards these three,
——The written text was read up.
——[Tear your cock[40] into pieces for the sake of the world.]
That’s right——letting out an smirk at Ino’s own task, Sora said.
“……Hmm, so this is how it is, if the three of us “randomly tear one thing[41] into pieces”, three dice will be stolen from you and you’ll clearly reach the number zero and the “Game Over”——did you wait just to see us off, Gramps?”
“——Wha……!?”
204th square——Ino, when passing through the square that Sora and the others would stop at, he saw the task, and so he intended on “ambushing” them there.
Putting Steph who was at a loss of words aside, Sora questioned him with an amazed expression.
But——it’s only natural for him to be amazed, the self-deprecating smile he displayed told so.
There’s no specified time. Rather, there wasn’t even an specific mention about [what] was it.
It was a dumb, foolish task, just like the other [tasks] Ino wrote.
——Even if he had lost himself after finding out that Miko died and Sora was the culprit, there was no room for excuse.
As such, he couldn’t make any excuse, so,
“It’s really shameful of me. I should have calmly contemplated for a certain and precise way to make Sora-dono die.”
“Don’t go reflecting about that part! I’m telling you to stop with the killing remarks, I’ll cry you know!?”
Even though he wanted to turn it into an intimidation, Sora barked with teary eyes.
——That’s right, it’s a [task] that doesn’t even specify who and what.
————But it’s a [task] that can be accomplished, therefore it’s not invalid.
——————It’s a complete meaningless [task], under normal circumstances.
“Sora-dono……no. Maybe it would be better if I asked Shiro-dono?”
Slow~ly lowering his center of gravity, he bared his fangs and claws.
“——Shiro-dono remembers every single word of the [Task]’s rules, don’t you——?”
Towards Ino——who said that in what anyone could clearly see it as a battle stance,
Shiro, who got questioned, flinched her eyebrows dubiously——but, that too lasted only an instant.
“——————!?”
Opening the rucksack, her eyes opened wide, and her white face turned even paler.
07: The Dice Holder who’s stopped on the square will be forced to follow any instructions the【Task】holds.
——The [Tasks] in this game have a coercive force.
But——that’s clearly violating the [Ten Oaths].
To force an action isn’t anything but the infringement of the free will(rights).
And yet——since the coercive power works, then it means that all members agreed on it.
That’s exactly why it was possible to steal each other’s lives——even if indirectly.
That’s exactly why, if it’s written [commit suicide immediately]——if the time got specified——they will die.
They asked if they could kill, and the answer was sure——there was such consent, therefore——
“It’s already over. These foolish tasks too……since I am here——”
——In a instant, the ground shattered and the air was repelled.
The dust that got blew up with the blast obstructed Sora’s view——
The next time he opened it, there was——
The appearance of slaughter itself ——a bright red beast clad in spray of blood, baring its fangs.
Ino laughed at Shiro, who had instantaneously noticed it and was rummaging through the rucksack——and spoke.
“——Let me give you a handicap.”
If they immediately cut into pieces a different [one thing(something)]——in other words, if they [accomplish the task],
Then Ino’s killing act will stop.
——But.
“Between Sora-dono, you all……tearing [one thing](something) into pieces, and——”
“Me counting up to five, and tearing [Sora-dono] into pieces——which one is faster?”
——Five.
“Eh~, excuse-me~……just what, does this means?”
“……Hurry, up……if we don’t tear, something into pieces……Nii will be killed……!”
With these words, maybe even the dumbfounded Steph understood at least the situation.
Just like Shiro, she started rummaging the rucksack——but then she shouted a question, as if screaming.
“——Wai-, why——why is Ino-san going to kill Sora!?”
“Why you ask, he has been writing [die] in the tasks from the very beginning, and he has so much motivation to really do it that I even want him to spare me from that……I don’t remember being liked, but I wonder if I did do anything to be hated this much?”
“You have been doing too much of it, haven’t you!? And it’s not that! Because——”
“——Because? Because what?”
————Four.
“For Gramps, he’ll be the one who will die if we accomplish the task, you know? It’s the same”
“Rather, why are you waving it off so calmly!!”
Putting aside those two, who had taken out the foodstuff they borrowed from the inn, and were desperately trying to tear it off.
Just a single one of them, only Sora remained indifferently as he looked at Ino while sighing, as if simply being tired.