by Unknown
They were but a matter of choosing who, when, and how many will be sacrificed, aren’t they——!!
——Ahh……Miko-sama.
The game of the Old Deus was supposed to be one where no one would need to die, as long as someone reached the goal.
But due to my own foolishness, it happened inside the game, and due to Chlammy, Fiel and Plum’s cleverness, it’s happening on the outside.
This situation that, in the end, they’re just killing each other.
Did Miko-sama——did those siblings saw this coming, I wonder…….
Then, what’s that scenario.
Just where did that scenario where no one had to be sacrificed went————
Epilogue — Practical End
Almost at the same time.
Sora thought half-amazed with his head that had almost frozen up.
——Just whose scenario is this?
——A few minutes ago.
With their fifth move, Sora, Shiro and Steph were on the 296th square with three dice each.
And what greeted those three, who had arrived there with the leg length of a child seeming about to die, was——
“I have been waiting for you. My Master, my Lord[57], my owners……”
It was Jibril——who, with her five dice, held her sash and bowed politely.
“You stole the dice, stalked us and waited? You should say that you moved around and anticipated us!”
But, Sora’s expression as he replied——no, both Shiro and Steph too, their expressions were hard.
They turned their eyes to the billboard——towards the sentence carved on the [Task].
It was the [Task] they saw countless times on the way——the sentence hadn’t differed in a single word or phrase.
It was then read and echoed through the square that, as far as possible, they didn’t want to stop upon——
——[With more than two people, pledge immediately to the Oaths and, in accordance to it, be victorious in a game instructed by someone other than the targets of the task.]
It was this game’s most difficult [Task]——and the one they were the most cautious of.
Those [traveling together] and with more than two people will absolutely become subject to the task——it’s a [Task] that’s invalid for anyone but Sora and Shiro.
On top of that——aside from the targets, the conditions also won’t get established if the third person(Jibril) isn’t present, so it’s really an invalid [Task].
Then, Jibril must have abandoned all opportunities of stealing the other dice and pursued them, betting on the one single possibility of Sora and Shiro stopping at her own [Task], something that maybe wouldn’t happen even once.
The contents of the [Task] echoed——and together with Jibril’s instructions, the scenery started being overwritten.
The space expanded, the terrain wriggled, the sky flowed, and the world on top of the square changed drastically.
“——Well then, Shiro, you’ve made up your resolution, didn’t you……?”
“……Hn……I made it……a long time, ago……”
“This is for real, isn’t it……playing a game with Jibril-san……this is a nightmare……”
Sora smiled bitterly while being aware that there was sweat in his forehead, Shiro licked her lips, and Steph was simply looking up to the heavens.
There’s no way that something Jibril would go so far to make, would turn up to be just something like a quiz.
——In a place advantageous for herself(Jibril), without any hint, nor support.
————She told Sora and Shiro(her Masters): “I’ll challenge you with everything I have, so show me that you can win.”.
“……Master, did you know?……”
——It was sudden.
“Aside from the gods themselves——there are only two races that, in the past, managed to bring down a Old Deus and perform [Godslaying].
Jibril, who looked like she had made her resolution spoke, little by little.
“Only us, the Flügels——and the ones who slew the Flugels(our) Lord, the Ex-Machinas.”
She spilled so indifferently, with her amber eyes gazing emptily at the distance.
Sora and Shiro put more force into their hands as they held each other’s——it was blurred with cold sweat.
As they looked without emotion at the appearance of the landscape as it kept getting overwritten, they felt an indescribable——discomfort(anxiety).
“……It has been over six thousand and two hundred years since then——the world has changed.”
As Jibril’s words continued still emptily, Sora frowned his eyebrows and measured its meaning.
——The [Great War], the [End of the War], [Ten Oaths]——and then on until the [Boardtop World(Disboard)].
Instead of force and violence(war), the world changed so that everything would be decided by power and intelligence(games).
“And now, the masters are trying to perform the third godslaying[58] of history.”
“…………”
“If the world changes every time the gods get surpassed, then——surely, it’ll change once more.”
——Wh, at……is this.
I have an incredibly bad feeling about this, Sora and Shiro’s hands started trembling.
“……However, for me, seeing it thoroughly is——”
Stopping what she was about to say halfway, Jibril shook her head,
“……The prelude became too long. Master, I’ll now tell you——“my instructions(the game)”.
In accordance to all of it, be victorious, it contained such coercive power(task).
A game where they had no right to refuse, and where they had no choice but to agree with all of it.
The overwriting of the scenery finished——and, in the middle of a scene that was just like the collapsing of the heavens and earth——Jibril spoke.
“The game is an “strategic simulation game”——reproducing the [Great War].”
With her back turned to the end of the world created by the power of the Old Deus——she continued.
“The Masters, you three shall play as the Immanity……and I as the Flügel——it shall now commence.”
…………Hey. Hey, wait.
“Hey, I was prepared for something of the highest difficult, but isn’t this a bit too much like a devilishly impossible game of all things?”
“…………Jibril……learn, to……hold back……”
You telling us to win using a certain civ [59]bound to [ancient] units against a [modern] unit?
Although I once did it with such a binding——against a Flügel, even a [futuristic(Beyond Earth)[60]] unit would get evaporated, you know.
This is quite the impossible task you threw at us, Sora gave a wry smile in amazement.
“The victory condition for both of us is the same——it’s having the opponent’s [capital’s collapse]. And, when that happens——”
But, Sora’s smile disappeared from his face at the single sentence that followed.
“The life shall be resigned at the same time as the capital’s collapse, and——one will commit suicide(die) on the spot.”
——.
“……………………Hey, Jib,ril……you, just what are you say——”
“Each side is free to [resign]. But——[resign] shall be considered as [defeat].”
Sora and the others panted as if they wanted air, but Jibril ignored it and went on indifferently.
“The defeated side shall [transfer] all their dice to the other side, also, in addition for the Master——”
And then, with a gaze sharp like a blade, she continued.
“The method to win this game of the Old Deus——I’ll have you tell me everything about it, without hiding or adding anything.”
——.
“Incidentally, upon start, my number of dice shall return to ten……I demand the transfer of five dice.”
—�
�………….
And then, the dice were transferred, and in the scenery where the heaven burned and the land was dyed in death,
Before the appearance of the star dying that they once saw during the battle at Avant Heim,
Sora thought half-amazed with his head that had almost frozen up.
——Just whose scenario is this?
That Jibril would make use of the [Task] and challenge them——that was within the expectations.
But——just what is this.
Being outside the expectations don’t even begin covering it——!
“……Well then Master, it doesn’t even need to be said but this is the [Great War]——it’s undoubtedly my unrivaled field[61].”
With the broken world at her back, Jibril spread her wings and spoke.
Ah, this is truly——an unprecedented impossible game, Sora growled in his mind.
The victory condition is the collapse of the opponent’s capital——and once it collapses one [commits suicide], you say?
On top of that [resign] is treated as [defeat]……?
Jibril is trying to force defeat on [ ](us)?
——If you win I’ll die, like that?
————Going as far as [threatening] and using herself as a shield——!?!?!?
“……Jibril, are you screwing up with me——just what the hell do you think you’re doing——huh!?”
Sora, who shouted out so——had a expression that even Shiro, who hadn’t left his side for eight years, didn’t know of.
I don’t get it, Sora yet again roared inside his mind.
She made the preparations this carefully, and it all goes down to [If you want to win then kill me]——!?
“With all due respect, Master, but I did say that this time alone I would be having you let me win.”
But contrary to the enraged Sora, Jibril, with her amber eyes that hoarded a cross——
“——I also said no matter the methods I have to use.……this time alone, I’ll have you let me win……”
Being told so with cold, emotionless eyes——Sora lost his words.
And then, letting out a breath……she closed her eyes.
“If that isn’t possible, then”……Jibril murmured so in a low voice——
“The second Godslaying. In this game called [Great War]——”
——I don’t understand.
“Just how would Master move around, survive, and if it’s exactly as my guesses, then——just how did you take down a god.”
——I don’t understand. I don’t understand, I don’t get it, Jibril!!
“Before the world changes once more, I humbly ask of you to let me see that……now then, the pledge……”
Just what————Was I wrong about————!?
He shouted so in his mind, but the [task]’s coercive power that didn’t allow refusal moved his hand and mouth.
Sora, Shiro, and Steph. Along with Jibril, the four of them raised their hands, and opened their mouths.
——This is no good, Jibril.
With those rules, you can’t even [resign].
With those conditions, with those rules, even if you resign——
————Even so at the very least one person will still die————!!
But Sora’s mouth didn’t allow him that scream——and together, the mouths of the four of them simply formed a single word.
————【Aschente】————……
■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Similarly——almost at the same time.
In the end of the world, at the summit of the giant chess piece——in the throne of the Sole God.
The creator of the world that could see through everything in the world——the Eastern Union, and the game board in the middle of the air too, everything.
With a book with blank pages and a feathered pen in his hands, he gazed at each one of the opposing parties, and thought.
——In all games, there was an [established tactic].
That was something existing above specifications and rules; it was the [best move] that was logically optimized.
Also——it’s something that’s destined to be broken, all of it, and in all cases.
——Then, what of its end? For those who desire the end of the unending, the answer is……this.
All the participants of the game and the situations they were facing got projected in the empty air.
Two people faced each other——no, one pillar showed to one person……
——308th square, with 43 squares left until the goal.
“……What’s going on……desu……?”
Izuna let out so while standing before the impossible mystery, with two dice in her hand.
From the moment she stepped upon the 301th square until now, she had been seeing endless billboards with the exactly same words.
It was a sequence of [tasks] with the exactly same words and sentence, which she hadn’t seen even once until now.
The mystery that was the supposed-to-be inconsistently positioned [tasks] going on continually so biased like this.
Not to mention that under normal circumstances, they were supposed to be clearly “invalid” [tasks].
Not to mention that supposedly there shouldn’t be anyone able to make it “effective” in that manner.
And finally Izuna, who had stepped into that [task](mystery), was simply being stuck by the countless mysteries.
——Just whose task is this?
——Just whose scenario is this?
There was something drifting in front of the gaze of Hatsuse Izuna.
Sitting in an ink bottle about the size of her body as she drifted in the air, while supporting her face with her hands as if she had no interest in all creation——the Old Deus(girl).
And countless different scenes that were being projected into empty air as if it was an screen.
It was a group of two and two, who right now faced a game that had no other outcome but the sacrifice of someone.
It was a group of one and three, who right now started a game that had no other outcome but the death of someone.
And then, it was a group of one person and one pillar, who stood before the billboards with the [task] carved.
But seemingly without any interest in Izuna, she declared with an obligatory tone in her voice.
【The illusion seen by the Vessel——this is what lies on its end.】
She didn’t speak much.
But only the omnipotent(Tet) who could see through everything could hear her silent voice, far beyond the horizon.
The [standard] without sacrifices that Miko dreamed of——was contradicted from the very start, she said.
【As long as somebody seek their self-profit and play the best move——such standard shan’t be born.】
It was originally an easy game, a game where no one needed to die.
But the end it reached was the images that were being projected——the scenes where they were killing each other, and it didn’t even had anything to do with the rules.
The prisoner’s dilemma isn’t as simple as he(Sora) spoke——it cannot be broken.
If anyone wishes to be the victor instead of the loser, then that symbolization shows the inevitability they’ll reach.
——Conduct a [match].
——From the moment the [victory] and [defeat] are separated, it’s clear that sacrifice is unavoidable——not to mention.
【It’s nonsensical for the Vessel to refuse sacrifices, for it cheated god and sold to thou its [Quintessence].】
Therefore, she hypothesized.
The world has not changed in the slightest, and surely it shan’t change for all eternity.
Stealing and killing; the names for the excuses and methods can be changed freely.
【Now, regarding this time’s child play attempted by the Vessel: victory is easy. Fulfill the tasks and gain everything.】
【However, I shall make the [qu
estion] stolen from thy memories, as pledged to the Oaths——】
But, without seemingly to care about Izuna who was standing still.
But, without seemingly to have any expectations about the answer even more so.
【The [question] joked by thou to be proven through this child play——I shall ask once more.】
——The world has not changed, there are people who think so.
The truth is: one half is correct, one half is mistaken.
No matter how many thousand times the heavens and earth are remade, the result will be the same as long as the will that weaves the world doesn’t change.
For example——in the past of the one who knew that.
In a past older than the Great War, during the age people calls The Creation.
In the cage of creation was all tangible and intangible, living and lifeless, organic and inorganic things, without any will or conscience——then, vaguely.
A concept(Someone) was born in order to question the absurdities, the injustices, and all the feelings contained in everything, in all creation’s instead.
In this world, in this planet——the girl had been the first one to ask [why].
With the flow of a endless time, she pilled up an infinite amount of questions, but there was no one who would answer them, so she simply drifted in loneliness.
The girl who was far too ephemeral, who had been betrayed by everything, and kept being deceived by Miko——
【What does believing mean?】
——[Why], did Miko betray me, she asked, with eyes that were far too hollow.
It was due to her [Quintessence].
The “God of Skepticism”. Because that god was the manifestation of such concept, it didn’t believe anything, not even in herself.
The god without a name——not even the [Star Grail] knows it, for even omniscience cannot know something that doesn’t exist.
——Just like how Miko chose herself as the sacrifice.
Just like how the [Quintessence] got used as a shield to be forced into a game where she would die if it lost.