No Game No Life-Volume 8 Chapter 2 Part1

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Chapter two──Unfair victory(Handover)

──Eastern Federation’s capital ・Kannagiri Island.

On c.h.i.n.ka Tandaifu’s office reception…

──Difficult to describe, there’s a s.h.i.+ning ominous apparition. It’s hard to tell if it has the shape of a person.

With uncultured s.h.i.+ning muscles, Hatsuse Ino was standing imposingly on the veranda. Since he dropped out of the game, he became a spiritual body, his soul, and now his fundos.h.i.+, made of light, fluttered to the wind─

If you refused to look directly at that bizarre phenomenon and saw through the thinly transparent light, you’d see the land spiraling into the heaven. And, if you looked behind him─

“... Seriously! Jtst what the heck is happening…!”

“Uehe～Kurami～, it’s because you have such a short temper～ that you don’t grow～”

Clicking her tongue, annoyed, there was the black haired Immanity, Kurami Zell. Bickering with her, and drunk for some reason, there was the Elf, Fiel Nirvalen. They pressed for a game in Miko’s absence, and came to demand it from the “Eastern Federation”. Those two were making a racket.

“... more precisely, how long is this going to continue? We are just sitting here doing nothing～”

The one who muttered that was a Dhampir girl ─ rather, a boy easily confused with a girl, Plum Stalker. Thanks to his intrusion, even if the Eastern Federation won, they’d still have to turn in sacrifices. Both those who plotted, and those who were plotted against were in a situation where that regardless of who wins or who loses, it couldn’t end without sacrifices.

But, looking up at the same sky, they unanimously grumble, their discontent and dissatisfaction was also the same─

‘────────’

They didn’t know how to look at that “Impact”. A sound outside the audible range, and at the same time, the movements of the spirits shake heaven and earth.

──With a poof.

“... Again?...”

All lights disappear from Chika Tandaifu’s office, and darkness falls.

No, not just here in Tandaifu, Ino takes a breath, and looks down towards the whole town─

The lights had disappeared from all of Kannagiri Island. There was a blackout, and it was wrapped in the darkness of the night.

──Tracing a spiral on the skies, was the Old Deus’ “Sugoroku board”. Since two days ago, those aberrant impacts were repeatedly shaking the Eastern Federation.

Originally, the “Videogames” were powered by the Shrine ─ by the Old Deus’ power, of course. Thanks to a disturbance in an enormous amount of spirits, the street lights, and even the candlelights, disappeared.

Fiel was extremely─

“E～he～I’m in a good mood～, ah, I’ll take a snack～♪”

“... hee… Fii. I don’t know what you’re trying to do.”

Kurami’s chest gets hugged and fondled by Fiel, but she continues in a chilly voice:

“If you say they are pinch sized, I’ll snap ok?”

“.... waah, Kurami was cold to me～sniff sniff”

“Wait, fake tears!? F-Fii! Whatever the circ.u.mstances may be, you’re too drunk─”

─An Elf, and what’s more a Hexcaster, her magical ability was so excellent it hurt her. Thanks to the muddy stream of the excess spirits, she was “Spirit Drunk” ─ no, that was more than─

“Kura, Kuramiii, Hic… Do you ～, hate me? Hic”

“Th-that’s not it! I’m so ─ wait! Why am I the one apologizing!?”

As Kurami considered that, Fiel suddenly smiled so radiantly it s.h.i.+ned even inside that darkness.

“Geez Kuramiii ～ I already knew that ～ you love me ～♥”

“No! Can’t you do anything about this!? Can’t you sober up!?”

It looks like now a certain someone had started to rub cheeks together with Kurami. That certain someone was just an evil lesbian drunkard.

“.................”

As to what was going on, they were not certain. But, for Hatsuse Ino, it was “salvation”. He looks up at the things that existed thanks to the Old Deus’ power, and the “Sugoroku Board”, and thinks.

──Each time the heavens roared, there was a blackout, then it got fixed. This kept repeating on Kannagiri Island. In the meantime, they couldn’t play the immersion video games that the swindlers wanted. What’s more, it would probably be impossible with that enormous amount of spirits pa.s.sing through the spell.

Neither Fiel nor Plum were hurrying on the game to start, in that case,

(... I pray that this continues…)

‘If only Miko-sama returned in the meantime’ That’s what Ino wished in private.

“S-secretary of Foreign Affairs Hatsuse! I-I’m terribly sorry about the current situation!!”

A woman’s voice called out as she came flying through the door to this noisy reception. It was a Warbeast woman with squirrel ears and tail. It seemed that she hurried a lot, she was out of breath, and her shoulders were going up and down.

“First official Kanae Chitose… I thought told you that I’m currently unavailable?”

… Admiring the drooping fruits that were moving up and down, was Ino’s sorry gaze. She was also under Kurami’s lethal gaze, but Chitose remained firm─

“I-I’m well aware! But since before the game started there is a guest that insists on seeing you!”

“... Hm”

After hearing Chitose’s report, Ino takes a small breath, and,

“Who the f.u.c.k is it this timeeeee!? Which sc.u.m betrayed us!!!”

──The glowing macho howled so fiercely that the 50 floor building shook. Chitose and Kurami screamed at the apparition that had finally reached poltergeist level.

──Is it Oceando? Or perhaps Avant Heim!? Ino doesn’t care who did it, he’s even thinking about letting go and killing everything, no,

“────…………Hey……”

It wasn’t just Ino. Kurami, the drunk Fiel… even Plum too.

They opened their eyes wide in wonder, their thoughts stopped because of the figure that set down a heavy looking backpack. From the backpack, water overflowed, and the one who noisily jumped out was─

“Tada! Where are you Darling～!? The lovely Leilchan came all the way from the bottom of the sea to love you ～☆ Ah of course I don’t mean just the feeling, what I meant was ‘I came to make love to you’ ♥”

The queen of the Seirens ─ Leila Lorelei.

While the others were dumbfounded by something else, she looks around restlessly and says:

“Rather, what happened to the Eastern Federation! I was inside the bag for two days… was that S&M?”

──Surely, because of the blackout the infrastructure was stopped.

What Leila was saying was that they came while both the transportation facilities, and the elevator were repeatedly turning off and on. The others were dumbfoundedly asking themselves why the queen of the Seirens was there.

No──More Importantly──!!

As he yells that inside his head, Ino looks up towards the skies above ─ towards the Old Deus’ Sugoroku Board.

“──Impossible… then, who the heck is that──────!?”

They began with an “Oath” that it would take less than 15 in-game minutes. But in reality, that ended in just “1/32 of a second”

──The Phantasma, Avant Heim.

They were squaring off against the biggest, strongest faction that possesses both the Old Deus Artosh and the Flugel.

As they rained fire down onto the alliance, a voice suddenly resounded:

“Once, I asked my fellow countrymen this question”

That voice reverberated far and wide across the world, neither in elven or dwarven, nay. Not in any language. But, inexplicably, all who heard that voice, understood its meaning on the spot.

“Why were we able to survive this Great War?”

That was something the Phantasma emitted: Omnilingualism.

“Even though we don’t have great physical prowess. Even though we can’t use magic either. Even though we don’t have a long lifespan either. ──Even though we are like this, we still survived this Great War ─ then, why?”

But the one saying that was certainly not Avant Heim, but someone else. Then, just who could borrow a Phantasma’s words─

“I answered my countrymen: We survived because we were weak.”

──The battlefield quieted down.

“It’s because we are powerless weaklings that we cowardly think of techniques to run away!! It is because we are fools without wisdom that we subserviently learn the techniques to stay alive!! We survived by piling on our thoughts and studies continuously and attaining ‘Wisdom’... That was my answer”

On the battlefield, weapons grounded heaven and earth into powder, and magic was flying about─

At that time, the battlefield chilled completely, as if the flame in a furnace was put out. Inside that silence, only that voice reverberated.

“... Now, I am terribly ashamed of those words.”

Everyone had a hunch. A premonition. An insight. That something was going to happen… that he was going to make something happen ─ or perhaps.

“They were the delusions of a fool, after all! There was a lack of imagination! But, in that case! How could we have imagined this!? Don’t tell me ─ Ah! there is no way! It was simply─”

Perhaps. It was like a nod at those who were able to think that.

“Completely unimaginable that you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds were this incompetent”

────It was already happening.

As if to prove that, a sublime light surged, erasing the boundary between heaven and earth. An enormous, outrageously absurd power was released ─ or perhaps liberated. All those who had their nerves connected to spirit circuits were forced to understand:

──There is no room for doubts.

The G.o.d of War. The strongest G.o.d. Old Deus Artosh ─ it was clear that his “Quintessence” had been destroyed. What happened? ─ No, What was happening? No one could grasp it. But, the voice of the one who seemingly destroyed the G.o.d of War continues:

“You b.a.s.t.a.r.ds are not fools! You are imprudent. You b.a.s.t.a.r.ds are not weaklings! You don’t learn. In that case, what should we call you? I have been thinking… Even beasts with only instincts, don’t howl thoughtless, painful to hear words saying they are wise. Therefore I thought… And, so. I decided to call you this:”

──That is,

“Pathetically easy to tame ──── ‘Pigs’”

And again, at the sign of that voice, the light flashes,

“Thanks for your trouble. That’s right, I forgot to introduce myself.”

Seeing Avant Heim’s falling figure, in the end, everyone understood. The one who slaughtered the strongest: the Old Deus Artosh, the Flugel, and even the Phantasma, Avant Heim─

The one who used them, their enemy, provided their name together with a death sentence.

“We are the ones who ‘Pledge’ to your destruction: Immanity”

And, the last words that came from the falling Avant Heim.

──Before the echo died down──

“Come now pigs ─ dance. Dream on that you can escape the palm of my hand”

The light that grounded heavens and earth into powder had begun to respond, and─

In game time, that incident took less than two hours. But, for the ones looking at it─

“...........hey………..”

The one who mailed the “Commands”, Sora, and everyone else, were looking at the “Map” projected in midair. That incident happened in less than ¼ of a second.

From the “Alliance” facing Avant Heim, not a single one remained. Only two persons saw the total annihilation with understanding.

The Elve’s “Aka Si Anse”, the Dragoina’s “WarCry”, the Fairies’ “Sprite Town”.

The Dwarves’ “E-Bomb”, the Phantasmas’ “Alma Qualia”, the Demonia’s “Bloodborne”, etc…

Those were the “Trump cards” of all the units, of all the races facing them, respectively. Concentrating all those ─ everything, simply became dust.

With the collision of such exceedingly mighty powers, they took half of the Ariella continent with them. Thus, a “Storm of death” made of “elemental bones” was raging around Avant Heim’s corpse. In other words, Sora’s group’s, and Jibril’s “Capital” became a natural impregnable fortress.

──Just as planned. Only Sora and s.h.i.+ro made a thin smile when they saw that.

“M-master… Just ─ what did you do!?”

──Mutual destruction. She understood that much.

So what Jibril is asking with a voice of admiration is ─ how they did it.

The alliance ─ the common front of the Elf Alliance and the Dwarf Alliance. Originally, they certainly were opposing powers.

But, they each had their use: their catastrophic war potential ─ under the principle of mutually a.s.sured destruction. If they were dragged into mutual destruction, then at a minimum “One had to have striked first”. What Jibril is asking is: Then, which one, and how did they make them fire?

“... We haven’t done anything. The one who did it… was Jibril, right?”

But Sora answered with a bitter tasting smile.

“The war the “Ero Elves” were waging because of their desire for orcs was interrupted by you”

So, that became an opportunity to divide the world into two: the dispute between the Demonia and the Elves. From there, a large scale battle started, an inescapable war of attrition,

“... In the first place, wasn’t Jibril ─ weren’t the Flugel those guys’ objective?”

That’s right, Jibril ─ the Flugel, interrupted by force. Until they destroyed the Flugel, the temporarily became a united front─

“Once they dealt with that obstacle, they’d resume what they were doing ─ They are originally mutual enemies, after all”

As he said that, Sora puts his finger on the map, and projects the scenery around Avant Heim’s corpse ─ their “Capital”, in midair.

──”A storm of death”. It seems that due to the interaction with the black ashes, the “Elemental bones” s.h.i.+ned blue and spiraled around. But the powerful collisions produced an “Elemental bones Fusion reaction” that roared like thunderclouds.

Each time the lightning-like light shone, it was as if a piece of earth’s crust was gouged out.

… With a face that said that he couldn’t be dumbfounded anymore, he asks:

“... They still had the crazy fire power to create this scenery lifted straight from the lowest layer of h.e.l.l, in reserve. If they weren’t stingy, and used it freely ─ I’ll ask just in case, but do the Flugel get any crazier than this?”

‘There is no way they get any more nor less crazy than this’ Sora adds in his mind. He can’t decide whether it’s more or less, it’s already meaningless. Jibril answers:

“... The full power of Artosh and the Flugel ─ “G.o.d Strike” can barely rival it… I think this is the limit.”

──It can rival even that huh?

How this planet keept its original form keeps becoming more and more mysterious, but…

In any case, that means that even the Flugel forces didn’t have enough firepower to destroy it in an instant. Then, if they used a plan that didn’t do that to corner the Flugel and crush them─

“That means they were thinking about what happens after the Flugel were defeated, as they were watching out for each other”

──That was something that usually happened in the wars Sora and s.h.i.+ro knew from their previous world. The ones who were waging war did not think about the method to win the current war. After winning the current war ─ How would they win the next war? That is what they thought about.

That’s right, after defeating the strongest, it’s time to choose “who to defeat next”.

“It was then that, suddenly, they saw Artosh and Avant Heim being defeated.”

While both factions still had their reserves, the enemy tentatively disappeared. Both would surely realize:

“There is a “traitor” who jumped the gun on them and destroyed the Flugel forces”

“... Then… that is… of course… not themselves, right...♪”

──Which one attacked first?

Either one is fine. Actually, it doesn’t matter. Whoever it was is fine. Since the beginning, they both, believed they’d be betrayed, that is because they were only a common front. Then, since they believed they’d be betrayed, they just needed to provide a small basis for those doubts.

──For example. Yes, just like Sora did.

With Jibril’s “Map”, with Jibril’s “Commands”, with Jibril’s “Post Box”.

To two of Jibril’s units: “Avant Heim” and “Artosh”.

He just needed to write two small messages ordering the units to self-destroy.

So, in the end─

“─Ready Fight!! … like that♪”

‘Hurry and get back to slaughtering, idiots’ That’s what those words meant.

“... Going back to the beginning, this war started because you wanted to do “Ku, just kill me” play, right?”

Did she suddenly collect herself? … Thatb was the outrageous motive that invited this disastrous situation.

Did she remember who the main culprit was? Steph turns towards Sora and s.h.i.+ro with cold eyes, but─

“Sigh, those are the elves we know of. Even though this world’s Elves are way too elegant. The name elf, is better suited for someone who says “Nohooo” with a juicy ahegao─”

“... Nii… you have seen… too many thin books… furthermore, you’re in pretty deep…”

Steph looked at them with icy eyes, but the main culprits, Sora and s.h.i.+ro kept carelessly writing commands. Besides,

“That, was just an ‘opportunistic excuse’. Look, the real thing is about to start.”

“... With the largest force… the Flugel force, absent… the two big forces… are already wounded…”

And, as if antic.i.p.ating that something would happen, Sora’s group’s map was being projected.

“──well, come on. Will you be the last one standing? Keep going until no one else remains.”

So,when it looked like all the races would start clas.h.i.+ng, Sora laughed with great disdain.

...and.

“...M-master, but if it’s like this, when the ‘Capital’ gets attacked, we will instantly─”

Having finally recovered from her stupefaction because of Jibril’s voice, Steph’s shoulders also perked up.

“Wait, that’s right!? Even though it’s checkmate if they perceive us, why did you introduce yourself!?”

That’s right, if they sense Immanity’s existence, and investigate it, then pinpointed the “Capital”, and attacked it ─ It would end in that instant.

──Sora’s group’s and Jibril’s “Common capital”, Avant Heim, self-destructed. The “Flugel Units” are already gone, and with their master’s death, more can’t be born, and, of course, they can’t move their capital either.

And that, as a matter of fact, was the same for Sora’s group. The area around the “Capital” was reduced to a world of death, the “Immanity Units” couldn’t get close either. Even if they manipulated their units remotely to try and move the capital, they couldn’t just leave Jibril alone.

In other words, this “Common Capital”, was practically empty. It was totally defenseless.

If someone just entered, they’d gain control of it, the capital would fall, and they’d die, however,

“No one is going to come to attack us” Sora concludes, as he interrupts Steph and Jibril.

“That’s because, we understand all of it: what they’ll do, how they’ll move, where they’ll pa.s.s through.”

──That’s right, Sora and s.h.i.+ro understand.

Where someone will pa.s.s through, where they’ll fight, where they’ll lie in wait, where they’ll attack ─ all of it.

In order to mail the “Commands” she keeps receiving in rapid succession, Steph keeps making full-speed round trips. She tilts her head to the side in doubt ─ But, did Jibril notice that? She opens her eyes wide, and gasps.

“Master… it… can’t be─!?”

Even though Sora and s.h.i.+ro are manipulating it, the “Map” is still unnaturally detailed.

“That’s right. First, it’s that ─ Plum’s ancestors are really reliable, huh ♪”

“Plum’s ancestors you say!? Did you win over the Dhampir!?”

Jibril and Steph screamed doubting his sanity, but Sora just laughs and slides his pen.

── There are few races that can do “Diplomacy”, what’s more they shouldn’t want any cooperation clauses. But, they were few only until they stated losing. Now there certainly are races that can be made to cooperate. Races that, even if they notice Immanity, since it has absolutely no value, they completely ignore it.

But, if they had Sora’s group’s information, and utilized it to the fullest, they would be able to avoid the ravages of war, and profit while the others fought.

──Elves, Dwarves, that dependable race can have their choice of either blood and suck as much as they want.

“With the information we sent them, it seems the Dhampir can already read the state of this war. Furthermore─”

The enemy’s information was stripped bare ─ that is already the same as having everything on the palm of their hand.

On top of that, they could predict perfectly how the Dhampir would move.

It’s simple. Why─

Because, it would be fine if we just teach them how to move.

As Steph and Jibril are speechless, Sora and s.h.i.+ro laugh daringly.

──For Immanity, things like modern day warfare tactics… are completely useless. If they aren’t accompanied by weapon technology, they are useless, and cramming in the theory wouldn’t be reliable. Not to mention that, against this monstrous bunch, even if humanity gathered all the weapons in the planet, they still wouldn’t be able to fight them.

“In the first place, every war tactic is made under the a.s.sumption that it would be used against an opponent of the same cla.s.s, between humans”

None of the war tactics from their previous world a.s.sumed they’d go against crazy opponents. In that case.

“─ It is because we are making someone of the same cla.s.s use them that they are valuable.”

To the Elves, who excel at individual abilities, they gave the tactics of flexible defense in depth through mixed squad composition.

To the Dwarves, who excel at armored weapons, they gave the tactics for penetration through air and land, the blitzkrieg doctrine.

Sword and s.h.i.+eld, if each faction held one in advance ─ this happens.

“... Yes, it inevitably becomes a mess, right?”

One advancing, one retreating. The “Map” would inevitably be plunged into a war of attrition.

“Wait, Sora!? The Warbeast city, it’s being attacked!?”

Since the city that they made the Warbeasts build was being attacked by a large amount of Elf troops, Steph unintentionally stopped her mailing round trips, and screamed with irritation.

──It is self-evident that in a war of attrition, after waging total war continuously, they’d start to lack food. That’s why there is now a march plundering the world’s largest grain-producing region.

“Eh?. Ah yes. We knew, but so what?”

“... that’s why… we made them… build it?”

Sora and s.h.i.+ro write “Commands” without sparing a single glance, and, as if they were reading a prophecy out loud:

“August 5th year -2 B.T., food troubles become severe, the Elves move to secure agricultural land.”

──Nay. Their matter-of-fact mutterings were as if they were reading “History” out loud.

“They are planning on taking control of an agricultural city from the northern mountains, using 4 Dragonias and 7 mixed divisions.”

“... with the same objective, the Dwarves…. Are going to intercept this, in those mountains… In 9 days, there will be a battle.”

Without stopping his “Command” writing hand, Sora thinks.

──’This world’. No, the guys from the time of the Great War, huh.

They are certainly dreadful ─ They have technologies and weapons that can easily defeat even modern day Earth. But, the way they use them… Good grief, they are surprisingly naive.

… Well the ones who own the crazy technologies, have crazy enemies.

Establis.h.i.+ng effective war tactics is difficult. Personnel, material resources, firepower. It is perfectly natural to be biased towards one of those.

──But, that would be troublesome. Sora chuckles a little.

The moves of an amateur that doesn’t use logic and solves everything with strength, are the hardest to read. That’s why we will teach them deliberately.

“... The Dwarves, in the mountains, couldn’t capitalize on their mobility… they lost 42.7% of their invested war power.”

“And, on the Elves’ side, with 5 divisions remaining they redeployed, and achieved a “Tactical Victory─”

That was when the amateurs obtained incomplete knowledge. It was time to use what was for them “stopgap knowledge”.

──Everything is on the palm of their hands.

“But it ended on a “Strategic loss” ─ That’s because.”

Thus, when Sora and s.h.i.+ro gathered together and the corners of their mouth began to rise ominously─

──There was a flash on top of the “Map”.

From the display where the northern mountains were projected, the Elf army, suddenly disappeared together with the surrounding landscape, including the whole mountains. Sora laughs wickedly:

“... ‘Aka Si Anse’ was detonated. Because the five remaining divisions were also annihilated”

Incidentally, the invasion land route from the Elves’ territory was also cut off with this. Steph, and even Jibril are dumbfounded at Sora’s words,

“M-master… why would the Elves’ own weapon be used against the Elves!?”

She screamed at the mystery of the Elves’ own weapon being used against them, but,

“Well, that would be because we used it.”

Sora said such absurd words without hesitation. Steph, and even Jibril froze.

“The plan to transform the Elves into “Ero Elves” to bring them over to our side failed… but.”

But, as he keeps writing commands, even more detachedly, Sora continues:

“The Warbeasts succeeded in kidnaping and bringing the Elves, right?”

“... e-eeeh wait! Now that I think about it you never told me the method you used to do that!?”

──Not letting them use magic. The method to create a situation where they can’t even resist.

Extremely trivial. Very easily. Even easier than taking a breath. That was:

“It’s easy. In front of an Elf that has children, you just have to take that child and say this!”

Sora, filled with a childish purity, and with a smile like the sun, reveals it:

“‘If you resist we will kill your child♪’ ─ That’s all! We get one more puppet!”

“You are a sc.u.m!!”

“Unexpectedly frank!?”

When Sora revealed that he had so much cruelty in him, Steph immediately disparaged him with an instant response.

“When you offered the Warbeasts food, wasn’t it just for this!?”

“N-no no no!? There is no way s.h.i.+ro and I would use such an evil move, look!!”

As Steph grabs him by the collar, Sora point at the “map” with consternation.

──The situation was that since the land route for the invasion was cut off, the elves were now approaching by air.

“I-if we released the Elf who fired ‘Aka Si Anse’! What do you think they’d do to the Warbeasts? Once they reported everything, they’d surely come to take revenge, right!?”

“Ah～so that was it♥ Let me correct myself: You are a son of a b.i.t.c.h!!”

But, ignoring the enraged Steph,

“... But, this time… the Dwarves… win”

Just as s.h.i.+ro was muttering that, the approaching Elf army disappeared.

… In mountainous terrain, in “Extreme terrain warfare”, the Dwarves’ mobile army wouldn’t display it’s true ability.

But, in an “aerial battle” the Dwarves, who have flying wars.h.i.+ps, are unrivaled.

That’s because using the flying wars.h.i.+ps, they applied the maritime war doctrines to aerial war, and spreaded out all their s.h.i.+ps.

“The world’s most prominent food producing area, and what’s more it took a century. As if we would let it fall so easily.”

The dumbfounded Steph releases Sora, and as he was returning to the desk, he continues:

“I told you, right? That I’ll have them fight each other for food for a while.”

“... the one who controls the food… controls the world…”

And, the two of them fiercely, but also having a lot of fun, continue:

“M～any more will die～... both persons, and things that aren’t persons, a large quant.i.ty is going to die”

“... kill each other...♪”

“Well then, who is going to win even though there is no room to care about Immanity～?”

“... I can’t even say anything to such a brutish deed…”

Steph didn’t have the willpower to retort anymore, she gave up,and returned to her mailing work.

────……………

By using the Dhampir, they obtained a large and precise amount of information.

In 184 years, after observing the movements of all races, s.h.i.+ro was able to mathematically “predict” how the war would flow.

In 184 years, after scheming to exhaustion, Sora used tricks to change it into a “Done deal”.

And, as anything and everything rolled on the palm of their tiny hands, Sora and s.h.i.+ro ─

Her Masters.

But, as she sees their sweat rolling down their brows to their cheeks, Jibril thinks privately:

Even if it’s Sora and s.h.i.+ro… reading through everything in the “Great War” is impossible.

How the Gigants or the Lunamana would act, how the indefinite races would intervene, is impossible to predict. What’s more, no matter how many strategies they compiled, or how they based them on calculations, an unpredictable situation would surely arise.

Surely, they even factored in those. Surely, they even predicted the unpredictable ─ but.

──If there was only a single fatal misread.

──If there was only a single error in the instructions.

Just with that, the capital would be immediately pinpointed, and, unarguably, “death” would be waiting. More than anyone else, the two of them were aware of that fact, but, they just laughed with ferocity.

“Hahaha!! If we are able to beat this, the endorphins would be amazing!?”

“... s.h.i.+ro… is already… amazing … now…”

Has there ever been such a sublimely impossible game? There is no doubt, this is the game with the highest difficulty ever, and those two cheerfully laugh at it─

But Jibril turns her face with uneasiness, the hand holding her diary, trembling.

────…………

“... aah… the world is being destroyed”

Steph said with a sigh, and continued her mailing round trips without hurry. Projected in the air, was a planet headed towards death. Wasting pieces, the world headed towards destruction, but,

“Aah it’s being destroyed. It’s better to let this stale “Established Tactic” be destroyed”

Sora says that over his shoulder, stops composing “Commands”, and looks at the “Map”.

…. The dying planet. There was an era where that was reality.

…. The wasting pieces. There was an era where they were human lives.

Threatening, kidnapping, killing, cutting down, using, deceiving, betraying, tormenting─.

Sora used all those moves. Dirty moves, tricks, even unfair moves as long as they weren’t found out, but,

“... a method that doesn’t care about any sacrifices. Anyone is capable of doing that.”

Yes, that’s easy. The proof is that even the world has not cared about anyone since forever.

And, after piling on sacrifices, just what would you want?

Yourself, or someone other than yourself, someone will be destroyed ─ is that the conclusion you want?

Sora doesn’t understand that. Surely, he doesn’t want to understand it for all eternity…

“This world is a game. It became a game.”

In the past, there was someone who laughed scornfully at the idiot’s method that anyone could do.

The one who refused to make even a single sacrifice, Sora, looks at Jibril, and laughs.

“─No one is going to die, we won’t let them. Not Jibril, not me, and not anyone else─”

How did the world change─?

“A world where such selfishness is accepted. It changed into a world where it could be accepted.”

In that case, I’m at least thankful to the one who performed the last rites of this stale “Established tactic”.

──Isn’t that right… that certain someone...