Godhorn Tech and the 11 Destroyers:Volume 3

Novel Illustrations

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Preface

Color Illustration 1

“We have business of our own to attend to. Don’t we, sister?”

“We do, sister. We must get back.”

Acacia Flightheart & Ixea Flightheart

Twin sisters who hold the position of priestess in the desert religious nation. Owners of the Executive Ground, a subterranean tank Godhorn Tech.

“Blow it all away and raze it to the ground♪”

Elaine Greenforest

A dark elf girl whose home forest was burned to the ground and now traverses the continent as a revenge mercenary. Owner of the Huge Eye, a high-altitude blimp Godhorn Tech.

Color Illustration 2

He could plainly tell what they washed first when they bathed. But he had to stop. He had seen too much already.

Color Illustration 3

“The power of the tyrant must be put to proper use! Ah ha ha ha ha hee ha ha hah hah hah ha ha!!!!!”

“Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!”

Miyabi Blackgarden

A perfectly ordinary boy from the first village. Inherited the Lucifer Horn Bomber and pursues the 11th who uses sorcery bombs to cause damage across the land.

Terminology

Juvenile Wicked God

The initial form of a wicked God, very rarely seen. Based on Alma, they appear to have no set form and constantly change their nature and appearance. Presumably Wicked Gods have a single root form that splits off into different forms as adults, such as a dragon or a griffon. Alma may keep changing form in order to determine what the strongest form of Wicked God would be.

Demon Lord

Beings from children’s books. In addition to the mother of all Wicked Gods, there are 12 equally powerful lords. Their forms, natures, philosophies, and moralities differ, but they all possess a power capable of defining the world around them. They have only been seen in children’s books, but there is supposedly a Demon Lord who cannot resist helping children in need and a Demon Lord who will carry out any command.

The First Village

Officially known as the Azul Titanio Village. Home to Miyabi and known for its forestry work. Populated by the descendants of the people who signed a contract with the Blueforest elves giving them the exclusive right to fell trees in the forest. Not even Miyabi or the other residents known why it is known as the first village. Some researchers have suggested the name comes from a role it played in the formation of the world, but there is little academic evidence and no one takes the theory seriously.

Celestial Tree

The world’s largest tree that towered above the rest of the Green Forest and was said to pierce even heaven. The dark elves settled around it due to their belief that it held up the sky, but it was burned away when the Empire invaded. But even with half its height broken away, it is still taller than anything else in the world. The elves’ reverence was directed toward the tree itself, but few are aware that it is nearly hollow and the powerful Forest Guardian lived within it.

Excerpts

• The Lucifer Horn records its battles to assist its self-improvement. When the user views these records, it rearranges the voice data based on its own analysis and interpretation to test its ability to compress the meaning of statements and understand the situations being described.

• Coordinate A2: Azul Titanio Village

• Divine Doll detected, determined hostile.

• Previous user: Moebius detected. Re-registering as an enemy in accordance with current user’s wishes.

• Entry: Moebius sent the letter that led the Schwarz Schütze into a trap.

“Moebius really was the 11th!!”

• Entry: Once Miyabi arrived in the first village, the Divine Doll helped Moebius escape.

“Took you long enough, Number 8. So what’s the plan? Hoping to take me away with you?”

• Entry: Fearing damage to the village, Miyabi was reluctant to fight and allowed Moebius and Number 8 to escape.

“Hm? It’s headed south. That leads to the ruined Magic Empire.”

“Come to think of it, I had heard of an automaton that continues to protect those ruins.”

• Coordinate A3: Unified Cassul Blanc Sorcery Empire (Ruins)

• Attack on the Divine Doll begins.

“To think this is the massive Empire that came so close to conquering the entire continent not too long ago.”

“It hasn’t even been a full year since it fell, yet these piles of rubble are all that remain.”

• Entry: A conversation between Moebius and Number 8 was overheard in the ruined Empire.

“Yeah, I thought that might be what they used to mess with you.”

“What do you mean?”

“What’s that about messing with him?”

“I get the feeling there is more to this.”

“I just used the bomber’s horn to pulls off something similar to what the real 11th does. But only the real one would know I was a fake.”

• Entry: Moebius’s deception proved Number 8 had set up the sorcery bombs.

“You’re an automaton, so whose orders are you acting on now? This isn’t over until I reel in the 11th.”

“A trillion years could pass and I would only ever serve one master: the emperor of the Unified Cassul Blanc Sorcery Empire.”

“Then answer me this: What is your beloved emperor’s name?”

“…?”

“Yeah, you’re pretty badly broken. Anyone you meet looks like the emperor to you now, don’t they? Which means you’ll obey anyone’s commands. That’s why you didn’t even question it when some stranger had you set up those sorcery bombs.”

“I don’t get it. What does that mean?”

“He’s talking about some malicious roleplaying.”

• Coordinate A3: Unified Cassul Blanc Sorcery Empire (Ruins)

• Divine Doll defeated.

• Previous User: Moebius is no longer considered an enemy.

“Emper…emperor…I…I…”

“Oh, no!! If Number 8 is destroyed, we lose any way of tracking down the phony emperor who was giving him orders. This solves nothing if we don’t catch the 11th!!”

• Entry: After the battle, the excessive burden halted Number 8’s functioning.

“Anyway, if he’s broken, he’s broken. But he’s a machine, so we can fix him.”

“But the Empire that created him is gone. Where can we find parts for a rare automaton?”

“We happen to know a girl who can provide us any product under the sun, don’t we?”

“Eh? Me?”

“The Boooodenburg Companyyyy. Don’t you offer everything a person could need, from pacifier to coffin? Your home and the company’s headquarters are located in a famous port city. It’s the continent’s largest criminal city, home to pirates and mercenaries, where money is king and the law has no power.”

• Coodinate B3: Galletfron Trade Port.

“Anyway, this is the headquarters of our company.”

• Entry: The Bodenburg Company butler named Rudolf refused to provide the sorcery automaton parts.

“Pirates. The loss of the armored train required the company to switch to ocean shipping routes, but a pirate took advantage of the shipping fleet’s poor coordination during the confusion of the switchover. Their defenses should have been sufficient, but they were gathered in a hurry and thus unable to work together so soon.”

“Um, a pirate?”

“Onelife Shiftup, the one-eyed pirate. He is known to use a special prosthetic arm, so he may have need for imperial technology.”

• Entry: That night, they began searching the city for Onelife. After receiving some useless information, they were attacked in a back alley and saved by Onelife himself.

“A pirate. A prosthetic arm. Says they were protecting him.”

“I am indeed Onelife Shiftup, the great pirate whose reputation extends out into the ocean since the continent wasn’t enough to contain me.”

• Entry: Onelife also refused to provide the automaton parts.

“Anyway, the automatons are packed up because I was planning to ship them out.”

“To where?”

“This might be hard to grasp for someone from the continent, but there are islands out at sea.”

“So you’re sending them to a remote island country?”

“Their king died of disease recently and a boy of only 12 was placed on the throne. …It’s left a giant mess on the young king’s plate. It’s so bad he can’t even trust his own aides.”

“That’s sad and all, but why are you supporting him?”

“The previous king valued the freedom of the ocean. If someone fell overboard or was shipwrecked, he would save them even if they were a foreigner or a pirate. He saved my own men on more than one occasion.”

“And that means sending automatons?”

“Like I said, he’s surrounded by chaos and confusion and can’t even rely on his own aides. But an automaton army never betrays its master.”

• Entry: Miyabi made an agreement with Onelife to receive the necessary parts.

“If we fix Number 8, the 12-year-old king is doomed. If we save the new king, we lose our only clue to the 11th.”

“There is one way of having it both ways. First, I’ll give you the automatons contained in these boxes. So I just have to give you the job instead. …Assuming you can save 12-year-old King Kananka Fulpen, that is.”

• Coordinate (Undefined): Fulpen Maknika Ocean Kingdom

• Mother Shark detected.

“So this is a seabird. Interesting. It looks so different from the birds I am used to.”

“You there. If you have business with my kingdom, I shall guide you.”

• Entry: Miyabi took a cargo ship to a remote island kingdom. The Mother Shark made some threatening actions along the way.

“Is this a type of magic that lifts the ocean floor to pierce a ship’s hull with sharp stone?”

“My kingdom’s Godhorn Tech is unbeatable in the ocean. I am praying you do not make yourselves my enemy, visitors.”

• Coordinate (Undefined): Fulpen Maknika Ocean Kingdom

• King Knot detected, Mother Shark attacked.

• King Knot determined hostile, attack begins.

• Sorcery bomb detected.

“Miyabi, you do not seem like a bad person. In fact, I quite like you. But unfortunately, you have brought a great calamity to this island.”

• Entry: Sorcery automatons begin an attack on the remote island kingdom.

“I think it must have been hidden among the gifts you brought.”

“Onelife Shiftup… So was he the 11th? I should have paid more attention! Now I see why he found every excuse he could to keep us from repairing Number 8!!”

• Entry: The King Knot defeated the Mother Shark at sea. Miyabi was given control since he had the only Godhorn Tech.

“Okayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!”

“There you are, pirate!!”

“All those inconvenient facts slipped my mind!”

• Coordinate (Undefined): Fulpen Maknika Ocean Kingdom

• King Knot defeated.

“Like hell they have! Where is your crew!? That pirate ship only has a captain!!”

“What does it matter to you?”

“Because I’ll do something about it. So spill the beans and pass the baton to me!! I’ll fix it all for you!!!!!!”

• Entry: Just like Number 8, Onelife was revealed to not be the mastermind behind the attacks.

“Parasites… My entire crew was infected…and the 11th is the only one who can heal them. The Necromancer. She owns a Godhorn Tech and she uses forbidden necromancy.”

• Coordinate C2: Baboulas Rondo Bio Rainforest.

• Deadman’s Fenrir detected, determined hostile.

“Stagnant water, a strange ecosystem, and rotting trees… This isn’t just the forest weeping, it’s like the forest is a zombie begging for a death it can never have. I can’t stand this place!!”

“I kind of excepted the Necromancer to be alone.”

“Mages in every taboo field imaginable gather around her. It can be hard to tell since they use the unmanaged and unprotected ancient ruins for their homes and labs, but it may be best to think of this as a sort of research village.”

• Entry: The target was found deep within the Bio Rainforest that had become a community for taboo research.

“The Necromancer.”

“There is more to the world than meets the eye. I am also interested in vessels capable of carrying ghosts. So if you wish to draw my interest…yes, why not make yourselves into ghosts?”

• Coordinate C2: Baboulas Rondo Bio Rainforest.

• Enemy user with an unidentified Godhorn Tech sword detected.

• Deadman’s Fenrir defeated by above enemy.

• Enemy user badly injures the Necromancer.

• User chooses to flee instead of battling unidentified sword.

“Eh? Huh?”

“A-a one shot!?”

• Entry: Unnamed sword-wielding individual defeated Deadman’s Fenrir and badly injured the Necromancer.

“What is with that sword? Wait, could that sword – that katana – be a Godhorn Tech!?”

“If the Necromancer dies, what happens to the pirates’ parasites!? How do we get them an antidote or vaccine or whatever!?”

• Entry: Miyabi began an escape while carrying the Necromancer. That seemed tactically unnecessary, but it was apparently to assist Onelife.

“The horn. You too possess a Godhorn Tech.”

“Hey, we should get the hell out of here. This is what I’d call an unwinnable fight. Trying to fight a master swordsman is better known as suicide!!”

• Entry: Unnamed individual appeared to target only Godhorn Techs and their owners. That put Miyabi at the greatest risk.

“Goddammit!! We just can’t lose him!!”

• Entry: Unnamed individual cut them off, but Alma stood in his way.

“Koo!!”

“Wh-what is this? What did Alma do?”

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

“A-are we safe now?”

• Entry: Unnamed individual refused to fight Alma and fled.

• Coordinate C1: Hibis Aclia Oracle Nation.

“This is…a desert?”

“Is that it? Have we finally found the desert nation?”

“Oh? There are people gathered near the entrance. Is that…a sign?”

“Hm? I don’t remember that sign there last time I visited.”

“We’ll know what it is when we read it. Let’s take a look.”

• Entry: The sign had the following message: Sacrifices wanted. Inquire within.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Why do I get the feeling we’ve walked into trouble again?”

• Data optimization complete.

• Accumulated damage has reached dangerous levels. Recalculating assessment of Miyabi Blackgarden based on self-preservation. Determining usefulness of internal updates and assessing whether to continue approving him as a user. The raw data is currently 7-to-3 against.

• The Lucifer Horn will continue to record its battles.

Chapter 7

Chapter 7, Section 1

The humans prided themselves in their ability to feel regret

But they showed no sign of mending their ways

“Whoa, what is this!?”

“I-it’s chilly. There’s an actual livable world out here!!”

Eliza Silverstorm’s life in a snowy kingdom had left her entirely unprepared for the desert heat, especially in armor, so she just about collapsed forward in relief.

When Miyabi Blackgarden and the others passed through the giant gate to enter the desert nation, they found the city within to be unexpectedly cool.

That may have been thanks to the water flowing through stone canals.

“Koo,” cried Alma, the living stuffed animal walking by Miyabi’s feet.

The slipper-sized juvenile Wicked God had a flower blossoming on its head. This form was apparently a plant creature known as a dryad – a rare example of the wood element instead of the earth element. …But Miyabi was not as familiar with those magical particulars as Helen Clockgear or Celina Bodenburg, so he was not entirely sure what elements that would be strong and weak against.

They were surrounded by massive ruins with small houses clustered together in the gaps between. A large square pyramid temple sat at the very center and the foot traffic included enough priests and priestesses to surmise this was a religious nation.

Alicia Blueforest’s pointy elf ears stuck out through her long blonde hair to twitch curiously as she stared into the distance.

“So that’s one of the famous pyramids. I’ve never actually seen one before.”

The passersby were full of life.

A lot of them were dressed skimpily, perhaps to fight the heat, but there was a noticeable difference from Kananka Fulpen’s remote island kingdom. The clothing here used a lot of thin silks with clasps and decorations made from gold, silver, or other precious metals.

And there were an awful lot of cats.

Just a quick glance around showed some lazily crossing the street and others curled up atop walls.

“This desert nation is where kitty cats come from,” explained Celina, her jewel-studded black dress fluttering. “A lot of cat lovers who want a thoroughbred will cross the desert to find this place.”

There were a lot of non-feline animals as well. Someone had a hawk perched on their shoulder and another was slowly guiding an enormous cow by waving a small bundle of hay in front of it. But instead of just pets or livestock, they all seemed to have some religious meaning here.

“We should probably buy plenty of water now instead of waiting until we run out and are desperate,” said Helen, viewing a pump-equipped well instead of the canals that kept the flower beds and fruit trees alive. The bored-looking merchant standing next to it suggested there was a fee.

Water could get heavy fast, but with the Compress Cargo magic that divided a material into invisibly small Palette Dice and wound them like ribbons, they could fit 100 times as much in a small bag and carry it around with ease.

Then White Seidr Chosen Knight Eliza gave her silver ponytail a swish and clung weakly to Miyabi for once.

She was not used to flirting for something, so it came off as more innocent.

“M-Miyabi, I beg you…please do this one thing for me. There is something I must have.”

“I can tell the heat’s gotten to you, but start buying cold drinks and frozen treats and you’ll never be able to stop.”

“No, I want that.”

Eliza recovered somewhat after entering the cool shade of a building and managed to point at what she wanted, which made Helen Clockgear bristle.

“Um, a swimsuit!? Did the heat tilt the strait-laced but naughty knight’s internal scales too far in the one direction, giving her a thing for exhibitionism!?”

But Eliza seemed to be serious.

“I’m thinking of the future!!” explained the sweaty knight. “W-we’re going to be staying in this desert nation for a while, right? We’re bound to be walking back and forth across that deadly desert that saps your stamina with every step, so I need to have some defense against the heat.”

Celina Bodenburg shrugged.

“Why not let her have her way? When someone is desperate, telling them no is a good way to trigger a tantrum.”

“Well, when you put it that way…” murmured Miyabi, taking a look at the street stall.

The equipment was surprisingly cheap for its rarity. According to the dark-skinned female shopkeeper: “It looks fancy, but swimsuits doesn’t require any special weaving like with silk lace, so we can keep the price down.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Aren’t you just admitting it’s just some cheap pieces of thick cloth with strings connecting them?”

There was a reason the known cheapskate and only daughter of the Bodenburg Company had been willing to shrug off this unnecessary expense. Class Rep Helen was still confused, but since Eliza wanted this, there was no stopping it.

“Yes!! The North Wind and the Sun effect has finally given us a regular swimsuit wearer!!” exclaimed the crystal radio hanging from Alicia’s neck. “Miyabi, you keep her headed in this direction. Whittle away her shame and get her used to skimpier and skimpier outfits until she’s only wearing a set of three small stickers or a lewd V-shaped swimsuit! I’ve already seen this sword and sorcery world has bandages of the standard and adhesive varieties, so either one’s a real possibility! Ohhh, at long last I get to witness a real fantasy with no obtrusive beams of light obscuring the best parts!!!!!”

The large street was lined with a wide variety of shops, not just the swimsuit one.

Some were stone buildings and others were carpets laid out on the roadside.

An item shop’s discount shopkeeper was yelling something about even the smallest items here containing ancient wisdom since this was the world’s oldest civilization, but a wise old man who heard it had something else to say:

“He makes it sound nicer than it is. Most of it is lost technology. We can maintain the ruins so they last longer, but we don’t know how to create new ones. Not that he would care since he’s just yanking out parts and selling them.”

They also heard a few people talking about the sacrifices. Something was going on at the temple and you would be paid if you helped. But no one mentioned any specifics and there were too many rumors.

“Nhh,” groaned Onelife Shiftup. “There are some weird tents lined up over there.”

There were an unusual number of independent fortunetellers for a religious nation. Miyabi considered taking a look, but Helen grabbed his sleeve to stop him.

“No, Miyabi. I-if they’re real, they would know you own a Godhorn Tech!”

“Ehh? Do we really have to be that cautious?”

“Um, it would be safe if they were a fraud, but then why would you want to pay them your hard-earned money?”

The overly diligent government worker seemed unaware that you could still enjoy the experience knowing it was fake.

An innocent boy told them where the water came from.

“They say a god lives in the ruins. Or I think they said the god ‘resides’ in them? Only the priests and priestesses can maintain the ruins, so we have them to thank for the water we drink and food we eat.”

Miyabi’s party was searching for the Godhorn Tech user.

One of the priests or priestesses that represented the nation seemed like their best bet.

Their first idea was to check the biggest ruins in the center of the city.

Its size was impressive enough, but as they approached, it became clear the building was made by stacking up square stones. Miyabi could not imagine how much effort had gone into that since he couldn’t carry even one of the stones. It was such an unusual sight that he was worried the whole thing might collapse in an earthquake. He did not know how it was built, but he did not see any pillars or other supports a log cabin used.

“This is the desert nation’s temple?”

“The pyramid, yes,” confirmed Alicia.

It was made of thick stone and had no windows, yet the inside was cool and remained strangely bright without any candles or lamps.

Onelife crossed his arms inside what felt like a bright cave.

“Hm, not quite the same as an underwater cave. Those caves have a bluish shine from reflected sunlight.”

“You’re full of useless trivia, aren’t you?”

“Gah hah hah! All pirates love underwater caves!! …If only an enclosed cave didn’t keep a sailing ship from catching the wind.”

Maybe mirrors were directing the sunlight inside and maybe it was some form of magic. There were occasional brighter spots of light that caused a light burning pain in the skin.

Miyabi grew nervous as they walked deeper inside.

“W-we sure got in here easily. Isn’t this like a central castle in a kingdom? And I still have my control sword.”

“Heh heh. Miyabi, I am glad to hear you have learned how to act like a proper gentleman. Gone are the days when you barged right into my king’s castle while still armed.”

“Does anyone have a mirror I could borrow? I’ll use this unnatural – magical? – light to melt this snowy knight.”

“Hyah!?”

The sunburn-like pain made Eliza tremble like a newborn fawn. She fell to her knees and tearfully clung to Miyabi’s hip as if to beg for her life. Heat had a way of making her honest, but reacting so strongly to light made her seem more like a vampire.

Alicia sighed.

“Do they not use fire inside the pyramid because they’re afraid of it being too airtight? With all this stone stacked up without the slightest gap between, consuming the air with flames would get you asphyxiated pretty quick.”

The interior was also gorgeous.

Everything from the carpet below their feet to the candlesticks by the walls were polished to a shine.

12-year-old King Kanaka Fulpen raised an eyebrow.

“I sense spirit pressure…coming from the building itself? But who’s contacting it? It almost feels like an abandoned ship adrift at sea.”

“…”

Sensing something, butler automaton Number 8 frowned slightly.

Just then, an old man in a splendid robe walked out to them. His robe was mostly white, but the excessive gold thread and gemstones made it look very heavy. It had a different look to Celina’s dress. Hers was all about increasing the value of the clothing itself, while the old man’s was about spending money to make oneself look important.

He had to be one of the desert nation’s priests.

“The ancient gods will grant their wisdom to any who seek it, so their temple must be open to all.”

“Who are you?” asked Miyabi.

The priest shook his head.

“Wouldn’t this be easier if we remained anonymous? As long as you are speaking with the ancient gods and seeking their wisdom, we choose not to trouble ourselves with differences in nationality and affiliation.”

Alicia and Helen stepped closer to Miyabi.

“(So what now?)”

“(Don’t we need to pass on our message in some form or another?)”

Then Celina whispered in his ear as well.

“(It did seem like that devil swordsman was after Godhorn Tech users.)”

That gave Miyabi a basic plan, so he faced the priest again.

“Th-then, let’s say there’s an issue we would like some divine wisdom on.”

“Then you must first purify yourselves.”

The priest smiled and showed the newcomers how it was done.

“Please grab a pinch of salt and sprinkle it over your head.”

They did so and he nodded, satisfied.

Miyabi was unfamiliar with their teachings, so he could not even imagine what meaning this held. And he was honestly a little scared. What if this was their final sterilization before they were cooked whole?

“Thank you.”

“Then let me tell you why we’re here.”

Miyabi slowly began to explain.

Eventually, the old priest cut him off with a sigh.

“I see,” he said. “In that case, you would be better off speaking with someone else.”

“!”

Helen’s shoulders shook.

Kananka also went on alert, his brown skin tensing.

“Passing us over to the military? Or just taking us into custody?”

“Not at all. If this is about the horn, you should speak with the horn’s owners.” The priest slowly shook his head. “You should speak with the twin priestesses who were chosen by the Executive Ground – our Godhorn Tech.”

Miyabi parroted back a word he could not afford to overlook.

“Twins?”

He recalled what Moebius had told him when they met.

“Including my Lucifer Horn, there are currently 10 Godhorn Techs in existence.”

“But a certain rumor has been going around among us.”

“There’s an 11th somewhere out there.”

If this was true…

“Your Godhorn Tech has more than one user!?”

“Is that a problem?”

Yes, it meant the number of Godhorn Techs did not match the number of users.

But the priest did not see the issue.

“Oh, perfect timing. They have just returned, so I can introduce you.”

They heard two sets of footsteps approaching behind them.

The boy spun around to see them.

They were both brown girls. They had an unshakable lack of expression and black hair cut at shoulder length. Maybe it was the desert style and maybe it was meant to help with the heat, but their clothing did not leave much of their flat chests and bright thighs to the imagination. Instead of a slitted skirt, it looked more like they had a piece of cloth hanging down the front of their hips and another on the back. The jangling sound seemed to be from the thick chains hanging from the back of their hips like a tail. Those may have had some kind of sacred meaning to the locals. Same with what looked like dog and cat ears on their heads.

Yes, the different types of ears were the only difference between them.

They were otherwise identical.

They both held a control axe taller than they were. Their slow movement made it feel like time flowed differently for them as they crossed their axes together and viewed Miyabi’s party with blank eyes. The priest introduced them.

“This is Acacia Flightheart and Ixea Flightheart, the elites of our temple and the high priestesses given the honor of the Godhorn Tech.”

Chapter 7, Section 2

The two girls left the desert nation’s giant temple with composed expression and the thick chains swaying from the back of their hips like tails.

Miyabi’s party quickly followed after them.

The instant they left the pyramid and reentered the heat of the sun, Eliza Silverstorm’s head lolled back like she had been physically struck. Then she slowly retreated to the shade of the palm trees. The noble knight’s soul was growing more and more sluglike.

“Ugwah…it’s way too hot out here.”

“She’s as bad as any A/C addict. And didn’t she say the city felt chilly earlier?”

The radio hanging at Alicia Blueforest’s chest gave an exasperated comment, but now was not the time.

The square stone buildings lining the street must not have been enough because a lot of merchants were hawking their wares from tents or simple cloths. That showed just how many people there were here. It would not be hard to lose sight of the twins.

Number 8 pointed ahead without a bead of sweat or any concern on his face.

“Over there, Miyabi.”

They ran down the row of palm trees, passed by a street stand selling dates – something like giant raisins – crossed a waterway using a bridge, and finally managed to catch up to the twins at a circular plaza filled with strange creatures called camels.

Miyabi Blackgarden raised his voice so they would not get away.

“Hey, wait, hold on!”

“We heard what you had to say, but we have business of our own to attend to. Don’t we, sister?”

“We do, sister. We had only returned for a progress report. We must get back.”

Acacia and Ixea.

When they were lined up next to each other, it was easy to get them confused.

And their cold rejection was not enough for Miyabi to give up.

Because…

“I can’t abandon them when they use axes. They could have used any kind of weapon for their control device, but they chose an axe! That’s how you know they’re good people!!”

“I know you grew up in a lumberjack village, Miyabi, but that is not how most people view the world!!” said Helen. “Would you try to make friends when an axe murderer shows up at the campsite!?”

The users of the Godhorn Tech that protected the nation had to be fairly well-known, but none of the passersby paid them any heed. Maybe the ordinary people assumed those famous twins wouldn’t just be out in the city like this.

“What kind of underwear are they wearing?”

Miyabi spoke an entirely unrelated question out loud and a low kick from young Kananka Fulpen did nothing to discourage him.

He was curious.

How could he not be?

Those twins’ outfits could not be explained away by the heat of the desert nation.

Acacia and Ixea’s clothing glittered with golden stitching and was very different from what the ordinary people wore. It probably had some important meaning for their role as priestesses but Miyabi knew nothing about that and he could only focus on two things: their flat chests were only covered by suspenders and a single horizontal piece of cloth, and their lower body was only covered by a fluttering piece of cloth hanging down the front and another down the back, not quite qualifying as a skirt. The sides left their sides, ribs, skinny bellies, and hip bones all exposed.

They did have a piece of cloth wrapped around their hips, but it was as high up as their navels.

There was nothing at the height you would normally expect for the side strap of underwear. Nothing at all!

So what was going on under there!?

The philosopher’s stone had its own opinion on the matter.

“Heh. I get the reflexive temptation to say they aren’t wearing any, but as a true panty connoisseur (a position that leads me to rate your adventure quite highly overall) I cannot judge this one so simply. This looks more like a cleverly-laid trap to me. Even Tutankhamun wore something like a loincloth. I expect they are only giving the illusion of a delicious treat while actually remaining fully guarded by a tall T-shaped affair. …But mysteries are meant to be solved. And if you want to solve this one, look to the terrain. Use the pyramid, Miyabi. Those steep stairs might as well be designed for looking up skirts. Fetishes are often a twisted form of people seeking after what has been hidden from them, so now is the time to open your eyes to who you truly are, Miyabi Blackgardeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!!!!!!”

“What is wrong with you two?” groaned Alicia. With the crystal radio hanging from her neck, there was no way for those two to have a private conversation.

It was clear that pursuing those girls’ secrets over the mysteries of the world was going to get them killed, so now was not the time for a ridiculous side quest.

As frightening as this was, Miyabi had to face it head on.

He could not afford to lose sight of those twins, so he gathered his strength and shouted everything he could say at the moment.

“A-anyway, that guy – the one with the magic sword – really is dangerous! He will hunt you down if you have a Godhorn Tech. And once he finds you, he’ll tear your Godhorn Tech apart from within!!”

The brown twins both tilted their heads.

A butterfly fluttered over their heads, perhaps drawn by the flower beds supported by the canals.

Maybe that was the natural reaction for someone who had not experienced that fear themselves. Miyabi himself might have reacted the same in their shoes. Bisecting a Godhorn Tech with a single sword slash beggared belief.

“God, this is taking forever,” said the impatient radio. “People won’t listen to you just because you’re right. You’ve gotta draw their interest!”

“Nhh, then lure them in with something. We need to buy enough time for them to listen!”

That advice seemed to hold further implications coming from a wanted criminal like the pirate. He sounded more like a professional kidnapper.

Unfortunately, they did not know what the twins were interested in or enjoyed to eat. They only had so long to find something to stop them, so Miyabi ran around seeing what the street stands had to offer. They lived here, so Miyabi figured they had to like something here. He tried offering them a thin and cheap meat snack he bought at a nearby stand.

Acacia Flightheart was unmoved by the fried food.

Maybe he should not have brought her something he could only describe as a mystery meat.

“Hmph.”

“H-how aloof can she be?” muttered Alicia.

“Umm, might she be more friendly with someone who didn’t start talking about her underwear one minute after meeting her?” speculated Helen.

“Don’t worry. This is just the initial phase of a tsundere. Keep at it!” urged the radio.

The fried treat had failed, so Miyabi fed it to ever-hungry Alma.

Next, he set his sights on Ixea.

As hot as the desert was, there was apparently a market for more than just cold things. While Alicia and the others bought time by bringing up the weather and waving around a desert plant like a cat toy (they dubbed it a “priestess toy”), Miyabi bought a skewer of hot meat. He had a feeling they had told him what kind of meat it was, but he had been too preoccupied to pay attention.

Miyabi and Alma were the hungry types who always chose pork cutlets or meatballs for a snack when on a trip, so he kept offering meat products to the delicate girls. Lady Celina, who chose cake and tea even when hiking outdoors, clearly wanted to criticize that decision, but…

“…”

Ixea Flightheart actually seemed interested. Overall, she backed away, but her head stretched forward with small nose sniffing. She was cautious of Miyabi himself, but she could not fight her curiosity in the food.

“Sniff sniff.”

“Oh, she’s smelling it. I think she’s interested.”

“Wait, this isn’t the kind of tsundere I had in mind.”

Ixea snatched the skewer from him.

The philosopher’s stone was confused, but it looked like they had had this figured out.

“So could we win her over all at once with some colorful sweets recommended by a fancy 5-star pâtissier?” asked Celina.

“No, Miyabi. Don’t listen to the rich girl who doesn’t know how much anything is worth. We only have so much travel funds, so go for something cheap that children would like. Don’t worry! Children will believe anything is a shortcake if it has a strawberry on top!!”

Acacia gave her identical twin a critical look, but there was also a hint of jealousy in her eyes. The fact that neither brown twin left suggested they were both interested. Miyabi followed the rich girl and young woman’s advice by focusing on the sweet foods. He approached again and again with new items.

He brought them cookies, crepes, and cake.

It was possible Acacia and Ixea were unaccustomed to luxury items.

“Phew,” sighed Ixea.

Acacia held her sister’s shoulders and finally spoke.

“That old man was probably the Lord of Ruin. His skill with a sword is said to be extraordinary.”

“Hm?”

When Miyabi showed interested, Ixea continued for her sister.

“If you would like to continue this conversation, follow us. Now, let’s go, sister.”

“Yes, sister. We can’t stay here any longer. We need to return to the western ruins.”

“Hey!”

The twins climbed onto two of the camels tied up in the plaza and vanished into the city. Miyabi had been careless. He had assumed camels were as slow as they looked, but they actually moved as quickly as horses.

“So they left after all. Did I do all that for nothing?”

Miyabi’s complaints were understandable.

“You have little experience with women,” rationally judged Number 8.

“Gah hah hah!” guffawed Onelife Shiftup. “You probably should’ve held their interest longer than that!”

But…

“No, this was not the boy’s fault.”

Someone else was burning with rage.

Their cheeks were puffed out and their long elfin ears were standing tall.

“How can they ignore someone’s kindness like that!? Maybe they deserve to be cut in two by that magic sword!!”

“Koo!? Koo…”

“Hey, um, the crowd is keeping their distance,” warned the radio.

“This is curious,” said Helen Clockgear. “With those twins controlling one of the 10 Godhorn Techs, we officially have an 11th.”

“Could either Acacia or Ixea secretly have another one?” asked Eliza.

“Any country with two would have extraordinary power,” said Celina. “Wicked God horns can’t be produced on demand. Even my company could only create the Schwarz Schütze.”

“My Empire only officially owned the Divine Doll. We did have spares for all its parts, an extra horn, and several magical automatons capable of controlling it, but it was all kept separated to facilitate repairs. The emperor feared the possibility of a mass-produced model being stolen and the Empire being torn apart from within by a clash between Godhorn Techs, so he never even tried to protect our lengthy borders with more than one. He said the ability to make a retaliatory strike was enough of a threat to prevent an invasion by another country.”

“…” Miyabi thought for a bit and then threw in the towel. “So maybe it’s the Lord of Ruin and maybe it’s the twins. This is so confusing.”

“Ha ha! No use worrying over it. Just figure it out one step at a time!” Onelife’s simple thought process came in handy at times. “What is it we know? Gwohhh, we know those twins are headed to the western ruins! So that’s where we’ll go. We’re bound to learn something new there!”

“Agreed.”

Miyabi smiled a little.

The twins had said they were headed west, so Miyabi also left the city, returning to the desert.

Young Kananka was wiping sweat from his brow before long.

“Pant, gasp. I-I thought I was used to the sand, but it’s so much worse without the crashing waves nearby.”

“Speaking of, you’re handling this oddly well, Onelife.”

“Oh, me? Bearing with the glaring sun and rationing your drinking water isn’t that much different from life on a ship. Hah hah!”

Heading out into the vast desert with a goal no more specific than “search the west” sounded like suicide, but they fortunately found a sort of road. The feet of many people had packed down the soft sand, giving them a path to follow.

“Ah ha ha!”

They heard someone laughing.

They had their hands boldly on their hips below the scorching sun.

“Ha ha ha ha ha!! Who’s laughing now!? Bet you all wish you had bought swimsuits too!!”

“Seriously, an actual bikini knight!? That naughty knight is a blot on her kingdom’s reputation. Or wait. Did the small taste of exhibitionism she got on the island nation get her addicted!?”

Helen (who dressed up in lewd costumes more than anyone) could not believe her eyes, but there was no stopping the heat-addled knight.

Miyabi returned to his old question.

“It still just looks like underwear to me.”

“Miyabi, it’s about the texture. Note how it glistens when wet with sweat or water and you’ll see the difference. Underwear becomes see through when it absorbs water, while a swimsuit repels the water, causing it to bead up. Both are enjoyable in their own way.”

The radio was getting philosophical.

Helen changed the subject while doing her best not to look at the bikini knight.

“There really is nothing but sand, sand, and more scorching sand out here.” She looked out across the rolling dunes reminiscent of a stormy sea. “It’s truly incredible. This has to be a major risk when it comes to preserving order as well.”

“?”

“Think about it, Miyabi. Countries and villages can easily exile someone if they are rumored to hold some nonexistent treasure. What if they did that to someone out in this harsh desert so devoid of landmarks? And they could always feign ignorance if it failed.”

“Ah ha ha. Did you see a play about an inheritance conflict, Helen? That kind of thing doesn’t happen in the real worl-”

They heard a scraping sound.

They saw someone pulling up a stone buried under the sand, digging below that with a shovel, and hiding a black bag there.

Miyabi could only scream.

“Gyaaaaaaaaaahh, for real!? Did we really run across someone hiding their bloody knife or glove in broad daylight because they couldn’t wait until nightfall!!!???”

“Huh?” The shoveler was a brown-skinned boy with curly blond hair. “Ooh, you weren’t supposed to see this. I need to find a different dig spot.”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!! Don’t hide criminal evidence right in front of us. I might not be an official of this nation’s government, but I can’t just overlook this, you know!?”

“Criminal? No, you misunderstand.” The shoveler spoke in a gloomy way, poking the large bag with the tool of his trade(?). He breathed a heavy sigh before continuing. “This is a job from a merchant in the desert nation. These are the documents detailing a purchase plan. See, he’s terrified of the outsiders in the Bodenburg Company controlling the market for everyone’s daily necessities, so he plans to bring together a bunch of small local shops to create a solid local production base. But he doesn’t want his rivals sniffing out his plans beforehand.”

“My, my. So you work for the competition.”

Celina gave a bewitching smile with a hand on her soft cheek.

The look on her face said some light competition could actually help energize the market.

“My job is to hide people’s secrets and the (figurative) skeletons in their closet.”

He did not sound proud of his work.

He may have seen it as no more glamorous than selling vegetables or fish at the market.

“The desert is a big place and it’s littered with old, weathered ruins no one knows about. Bury a secret out here and there’s almost no chance of anyone else digging it up. This is so much safer than hiding it in a safe that practically announces there’s something valuable there. I’m the only one who knows where it’s buried and, with so much desert to work with, I never run out of space to bury more. Thanks to that, I get plenty of work as a guardian…or I used to.”

He glared over at them.

The fact remained that they were not meant to have seen this.

The shovel boy breathed a heavy sigh.

“I really don’t want to believe it’s time to call it quits.”

“Hm?”

“This isn’t the first trouble I’ve run into. I’ve earned the ire of several groups and some strange assassin – I think called Shadow Crack – has supposedly been sent after me. I wish I could hide myself right now, but unfortunately, I can’t bury myself in the sand.”

Miyabi crossed his arms and thought for a moment.

“What if you could hide somewhere other than the desert?”

“Without anyone knowing, you mean?”

“It’s called Horn Fortress. It’s surrounded by a weird barrier and by the cracks in the world, so you can’t reach it by ordinary means.”

“I see. That sounds promising.”

The blond-haired brown-skinned boy grinned and held out his right hand.

What did a handshake with him signify?

“I’m Ginger Sandstrike. If you’ve got any secrets or skeletons in your closet you need hidden away, just come to me.”

The Lucifer Horn flew by overhead.

They discovered more than just human life.

“Hmm, are these grassroots? Never thought I’d find them here.”

Onelife tilted his head while moving his feet out of the way.

Miyabi had thought the desert was nothing but sand, but there was so much more to find there. For example, palm trees, cacti, and other plants that could survive in the heat.

“Wow, what is that weird tree!? It’s so big!”

“It must be a baobab,” said Alicia. “They look strange, but from what I’ve heard, they evolved that way because it’s the best shape for them.”

“Are you sure they didn’t evolve the wrong way? They look like giant, ugly carrots.”

“Which allows some of them to live for more than 5000 years. Survival logic is not judged by human aesthetics. Nature truly is powerful.”

There were animals as well. Unfortunately, that included hideous local Beast Novae like a scorpion bigger than they were or an antlion that created its own quicksand.

Miyabi started to think they should have asked that Ginger guy to be their guide.

“I’ve never seen creatures like these,” he said, carefully walking around a giant bowl-shaped patch of quicksand resembling a crater. “Do you think those fried and skewered meats were made from these local ingredients?”

“Th-think too much about it and you won’t have much of an appetite, Miyabi.”

Also, the white bikini knight had been restlessly rubbing her legs together for a while now.

She also hooked her finger and messed with the butt of her swimsuit.

“What are you doing?” asked Alicia. “Is the bikini riding up back there?”

“More than I thought. And when the wind blows, the sand gets in-”

“Okay, we get it. Don’t you dare destroy any more of our manly dreams, you failure of a knight.”

The radio gave a deep rumble of a warning for once.

Eventually, the ruins came into view.

Several pillars stood on a stone-paved ground, with a foundation and L-shaped remnants of stone walls hinting that a square building had once stood there. It was a lot smaller than the pyramid temple in the desert nation, but it was larger than the oases they had seen here and there. Did it serve some kind of special purpose?

“Are these the ruins we want?” asked Miyabi.

“I do sense people here,” confirmed the magical automaton. “And I sense a pressure bearing down on me.”

“I sense a powerful spirit pressure too,” said Kananka. “This place must be even more consecrated than the temple in the middle of that city.”

At any rate, Miyabi took a look around and spoke half in prayer below the scorching sun.

“Where are those twin priestesses – Acacia and Ixea? If they’re not here, then the trail’s gone cold. We’ll have to search at random.”

They heard voices coming from the stone arch at the crumbling entrance to the ruins.

A few commoners were arguing with the priest-in-training who appeared to be their guide.

“Don’t push, please don’t push. All sacrifices should come this way. Please stay in line. The end of the line starts here.”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!!” yelled the radio. “How flippant can you be!?”

“Y-yeah, I’m not sure what to make of this one!” said Alicia.

“Hold on. Something isn’t right,” said Helen (who had clear sweat building up in her large cleavage).

They took a closer look.

“Yes, it’s finally my turn.”

“Hurry it up, will you!?”

“This is my chance to be a sacrifice. I might even get recruited as a priestess!”

The people gathered at the far end of the stone plaza had bright excitement in their eyes.

Celina was taken aback by this.

“This does not feel as…tragic as I was expecting.”

“What are they even talking about? A chance to be a sacrifice? Recruited as a priestess? They make it sound like this isn’t the end for them.”

Eliza remained cautious, but the muscle man did not.

“Enough. If you want to know what’s going on, you march on up and ask them!”

When the muscular man (and wanted criminal) approached, everyone paled, so Miyabi quickly intervened.

“Oh, are you here to be sacrifices?” asked the priest-in-training. “Please wait a moment.”

“No, that’s not what-”

“Hey, no cutting in line, bikini girl! We were here first!!”

The smiling girl, who wanted to be a priestess, gave Miyabi’s party a cheerful warning. Her excitement about what was to come shined through even as she rebuked them.

Then they heard a deafening explosion. And felt a powerful tremor. But the shaking was variable, like a living thing was crawling around.

Cracks ran through the parched stone ruins.

“Whoa!?”

“Koo!?”

When Miyabi and Alma left the crumbling wall, a stir was spreading through the people around them. A few of the stone pillars started to collapse unpredictably.

“Contract Owner: Under Lilith, grant me the power to move the Palette Dice!!”

The original size of the stones and the original seams between them meant nothing. Several cubes of stone were extracted and rearranged vertically to forcibly prop up the heavy pillars.

But he could not cover the entire ruin himself. He had reflexively moved to protect the powerless ordinary people, so his own party had briefly entered a blind spot.

Stones larger than people’s heads collapsed. Celina Bodenburg started, but the flintlock rifle she normally used to protect herself (with a powerful offense) was of little use.

Something tackled the girl out of the way to protect her.

It was a tame Beast Nova that looked like a scantily-clad girl with falcon wings for arms.

That messenger harpy was in fact…

“M-Millovannes!!!???”

“Wow. With the way she was always slashing at her owner with those talons, I assumed she hated the girl, but apparently she’s just an extreme tsundere,” groaned the radio behind the rising cloud of sand.

Celina crawled forward while down on all fours from being knocked to the ground. She clutched the sand that had flowed into the scorching ruins and squeezed it in trembling hands for one second, two seconds, three seconds.

“I will never forget you… But I must move on, Millovannes. Damn this desert nation’s Godhorn Tech! It’s time for some delightful revenge!!”

“You got over that awfully quick for someone you claim to be family. At least look sad for more than three seconds! You humans scare me more all the time!!”

The entire scene had left the elf in tears.

Fortunately, the capable harpy was skilled enough to survive on her own. Since she crawled out of the rubble and flew off into the sky, she must have avoided being crushed to death. Maybe it was this treatment that kept her from ever getting closer to Celina.

Meanwhile, the brown-skinned people in the area did not just sit around waiting to be crushed.

“Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no.”

“We weren’t enough! Run away!”

The line scattered.

A commotion spread as they fled for their lives.

“Hey, wait! Come back, sacrifices!”

The priest-in-training ran out into the scorching desert to pursue the fleeing people, but it still did not feel very tragic. Miyabi had the feeling no one was going to die there.

“Wh-what is going on here?” asked the elf, her long ears wiggling.

“The tremor is unstable but somehow orderly,” analyzed Number 8 with his eyes shut.

A second and third tremor reached their feet. The sand on the ground began to flow disconcertingly in some places. Dunes collapsed and quicksand formed.

“That priest said something curious,” said Helen.

“What part!? It all sounded crazy to me!!” shouted back Miyabi.

“ ‘The end of the line starts here.’ ”

“Hm, he did say that, didn’t he?” agreed Number 8.

“Hold on,” said Kananka, something about this bothering him.

“Does that mean the people who fled weren’t the only ones in the ruins? Th-there were more further in!?”

It seemed wrong for Eliza to be so strait-laced while equipped with a bikini. Miyabi looked back over at the stone ruins on the verge of collapse, but they were too large for him to make any quick judgments.

The chosen knight said what needed to be said at times like this.

Even if she was hooking a finger to fix the butt of her swimsuit while she did so.

“These tremors must be from the Godhorn Tech. But what are those twins hoping to accomplish by bringing it to these ruins? Are they hunting something so big it requires a Godhorn Tech?”

The radio asked the fundamental question here.

“But…what kind of opponent would a Godhorn Tech have trouble with?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Koo?”

They all fell silent and Alma tilted its flowery head.

Everyone but the juvenile Wicked God had reached the same conclusion.

“Could it be the Lord of Ruin!?” shouted Miyabi, setting them all into motion. “This is bad. They might even speed up their use of sacrifices to fight back. I don’t know how they use them, but they’re necessary for their Godhorn Tech, right? We need to stop both sides of this fight!!”

Either way, they had to check and make sure no one had been buried alive deeper inside the ruins.

Once inside, they found the ruins did not continue on underground. And the ceilings had entirely collapsed. The sun beat down on that roofless indoor space as they traveled through a labyrinth of crumbling stone walls.

“Nwohhh!? I’m being pulled into the sand!!”

“Wait, everyone,” said Helen. “The meathead pirate is caught in some quicksand!!”

“Huh? I thought that was a solid rock wall, but my hand passed right through it.”

“Miyabi, that must be a secret passageway created with a mirage,” said Kananka. “You see this along the coast in my kingdom, but seeing it artificially constructed is unusual.”

“Someone please save the macho man!!” shouted Helen, so the ever-obedient Number 8 fished the man out with his morning star.

The ruins, being ruins, had more traps than Beast Novae. They progressed deeper in while avoiding spears from the walls and swinging guillotines. With the scorching sun shining in through the crumbled ceiling, it at least did not feel dank and gloomy.

“It’s like a mall with the underground floor open to the air,” grumbled the radio. “It’s hard to say what’s underground and what’s aboveground, or what’s indoors and what’s outdoors. Reminds me of a convertible.”

They encountered a variety of people along the way.

The place was dangerous, so the people familiar with it may have viewed it like a secret base. …Although inattention created by that familiarity may have been the most dangerous thing of all.

“Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, no. I’m afraid not even Priestesses Acacia and Ixea can control it this time. But then what are we supposed to do!?”

A veteran priest worked to calm a girl who was pale faced with terror, but then he murmured to himself.

“They’ve lost control again. Is the Executive Ground just too much for us to handle? Sure, it’s supposed to resonate with the ruins, but we don’t actually know how that works.”

Further in, a calmer priest explained things further:

“We have the ruins to thank for our desert nation, the oases, and all our water, but we didn’t actually build any of them. Is the Godhorn Tech the same? Could the resonance with the ruins be some kind of warning?”

“The priests said they were providing everyone with equal opportunities when they chose those twin sisters despite their social status,” said an old man who looked resigned to his death. “But do we even need that Godhorn Tech? I understand that rulers want power, but what good is a power you can’t control?”

Fortunately, they did not see anything too serious, such as people trapped underground or crushed below a fallen wall or pillar. Miyabi used the Palette Dice to create a sturdy path of stone and then gestured for the remaining people to evacuate while his party continued on in.

“Doesn’t something about this still feel off?” Helen touched the side of her glasses. “The sacrifices still want to do their jobs – there’s no tension there.”

“And based on what they’ve said, this isn’t an enemy attack,” said Kananka.

“True,” agreed Eliza. “I get the feeling their own Godhorn Tech is running wild.”

“Oh,” said Miyabi.

He had spotted Acacia – or was it Ixea? Regardless, he had seen one of the Godhorn Tech users up ahead. But just the one. The brown girl was viewing the vast desert from a hole in the wall.

But what was that out on the desert?

It was swelling up in places, like something was crawling below the sand.

“There one is,” said the radio, but Miyabi tilted his head.

“But which one is she?”

The slender girl must have heard him because she toward him and spoke so stiffly and expressionlessly she sounded like a ventriloquist’s doll.

“Hello. I. Am. Acacia.”

“Okay, this is definitely Ixea. Don’t shove the blame on your sister!”

“Why won’t you leave us alone?”

“Your axes are cool. I ended up with a sword, so I’m honestly jealous.”

Ixea Flightheart’s face had expressed no emotion since they first met, but now it twisted into something hard to read. Miyabi only saw that forestry tool as a taste of home to soothe his homesickness, but he could see Alicia and Helen slapping their foreheads. Maybe Ixea now saw him as a weirdo. Maybe a fair assessment since underwear and axes were pretty much all he had talked about since meeting her.

But anyway.

Miyabi sighed.

“You’re too relaxed for this to be the Lord of Ruin.”

“S-says the boy acting all relaxed with a real Godhorn Tech running wild out there,” pointed out Helen.

“What are you even doing out there?” asked bikini Eliza, looking out into the distance. “Tilling the desert?”

More and more tremors ran through the ground. It appeared to be avoiding the ruins, but the sandy ground was crumbling away. Sand billowed out like cumulonimbus clouds.

“I couldn’t do it.” Ixea stared out at it all. “Maybe the ruins just weren’t in a good mood.”

“?”

“Priests and priestesses can be rejected from the ruins for how they live their life. Although you can change that if you can directly read their mood.”

“…”

“…”

Kananka and Number 8 intentionally held their tongues.

Ixea did not seem to notice.

“It was my sister’s turn today, but this does not look promising.”

“Nhh. Are you saying you can’t control your own Godhorn Tech?” groaned Onelife.

“That’s insane.” Celina’s eyes widened. “A berserk Godhorn Tech will only destroy your own country!!”

Eliza groaned and held a hand to the center of her bikini chest. Her ridiculous outfit did nothing to change her strait-lacedness and she was reminded of what had happened in her Arsenal Kingdom.

But there must have been more to it than that because Ixea made a suggestion after noticing Eliza.

“Oh, are you okay? You should probably move into the shade.”

“Wh-why me specifically? I’m the only one with the foresight to change into a swimsuit.”

“Showing too much skin reduces your defenses against the sun’s rays, so you actually take more damage.”

The local girl did not pull her punches.

Without their roof, shade was surprisingly difficult to come by in the stone ruins. Miyabi ended up holding out his hand and rearranging the stone plaza to create a sun-blocking roof. Eliza was feeling dizzy, so she lay down in the newfound shade.

A hint of surprise appeared on Ixea’s expressionless face as she looked alternately between Miyabi and the makeshift roof.

“What did you just do?”

“I don’t know myself. It seems to be some kind of error.”

“An…error, you say?”

It was Miyabi’s turn to look surprised.

He saw something like affinity in Ixea’s expressionless face.

But the bikini girl interrupted before he could ask what it meant.

“Ugh, sorry about that. Please continue.”

“If you insist,” sighed Ixea. The look was already gone from her eyes. “But things could be worse. My sister and I lived in the alleys before we were taken in for our talent. You could say our warm welcome proved we have what it takes.”

“So what’s all this about sacrifices?” earnestly asked Helen.

“Ugh,” groaned the chosen knight.

“You should probably give your knight some water first.”

As one of the temples, there was water here. They scooped up some in a collapsible metal camping cup and handed it to Eliza, who sat up and eagerly drank it. She held it in both hands and gulped it down like a hungry baby with a bottle.

“Gulp, gulp…”

“Oh, dear. I get the feeling she would swallow just about anything right now.”

Ixea gave the radio a look before getting back on topic.

“A pilot must board the Executive Ground to control it, but my sister and I could never keep it stable.”

“So you brought more people onboard?” asked Miyabi.

“I see,” said the automaton. “Like changing from piano four hands to a full orchestra.”

Eliza lay back down, the heat making her hate everything going on around her.

“Ugh…ughhhh!”

“Hm, you should probably find something to fan her with,” calmly suggested Ixea.

Alicia’s mouth formed a small triangle.

“That bikini ponytail has gotten awfully shameless of late, hasn’t she?”

They were not even calling her a knight anymore. Eliza Silverstorm’s identity was in crisis. Remove the bikini now, and she would have nothing left.

Miyabi and the others gathered big palm leaves from the hot sand.

By bundling a few of them together, they could function as a large fan. Miyabi held it in both hands and fanned it in Eliza’s direction.

She only lay there, sweating.

“Sigh. I’m never getting up again…”

“Does she think she’s a queen?”

Even Ixea was sounding exasperated now. People could learn the wrong lesson when they solved a problem in the wrong way.

But the defenseless bikini girl felt too nice to even consider moving from that spot.

Until, that is, a sudden tremor shook the stone below her and she shot to her feet. The rapid motion pushed the bikini straps’ knots to their limit.

Something burst straight up from the desert. Was it a snake or a centipede? It was large enough to rival a small tower in size, but the very tip looked more biological. Three round pieces of armor clacked open and shut like an eye or a maw.

This was the Executive Ground subterranean tank.

It was unclear how exactly it traveled through the ground, but the thick armor itself was rotating in alternating directions. The tooth-like blades, bits, and rollers used to dig through the ground looked like brutal weapons.

Was it a snake, a worm, or a centipede?

It wriggled in a horrifying way that made it look alive, so Celina (who had added a bayonet to her hunting rifle to make it even more deadly) grew pale.

“Ew, ew, ew, ew. Aren’t you the top of your nation? W-why would you make it look like a big, wriggling mess?”

“Your Schwarz Schütze was big, long, and black too,” point out Alicia.

“B-but it wasn’t a snake! Leave it to an elf hick to not understand the beauty of trains!!”

Since they had chosen that form, it must have had some special meaning for their desert nation. Maybe it was a sacred symbol of their nation’s protector, or maybe they had intentionally made it creepy to scare away any enemies.

“The cobra is a royal symbol,” explained Ixea, still watching the distant Godhorn Tech. “Hee hee. Strange, isn’t it? Our religion controls both the sun and the underworld and believes in the rebirth of mummies and our nation chooses its leaders equally from the wealthy and the poor, yet here we are clinging to an old, outdated image of the pharaoh. We claim to put equality first, but maybe people can’t help but throw it all away so some charismatic person can rule them and make them feel safe.”

Ixea’s shoulders shook in expressionless laughter, but Miyabi could not tell what was so funny.

Also, what were mummies?

The Executive Ground towered above them like a castle watchtower, but more of it had to still be hidden below the sand. Miyabi could not even imagine how big it was in all.

“Oh, that is not what I thought you meant by sacrifices.”

“It is modeled after the people sacrificed as grave goods. Theoretically, the more people who accompany a pharaoh in his grave, the greater his power in the next life. But if that control method were a success, it would mean sending a deadly weapon to the front line while stuffed full of living people. The term sacrifice seems appropriate, don’t you think?”

Ixea watched as the colossal device dove back into the sand. It almost seemed to be dissolving into the ground.

“I don’t understand humans.” The elf sounded exasperated. “You create weapons to protect people, but then you put people onboard those weapons to operate them. Why are you so fixated on having the power to fight? And if the Lord of Ruin arrives, he’ll just slice right through that thing.”

“The Lord of Ruin, hm?”

Ixea’s shoulder-length black hair swayed as she repeated the name.

The bizarre Godhorn Tech was below the sand once more. They could hear the occasional explosion or tremor, but they could not tell where it was or where it was going. It may have been similar to Kananka’s submarine in that way.

At times, a torrent of quicksand would burst from belowground, its face would emerge from the sand, fine sand would shoot out like a glowing blade to tear through a boulder, and a sandstorm would appear to hide its great form while it dove back into the sand.

It had several methods of offense and defense that used every aspect of the harsh desert.

“What do you think?” asked Ixea, half curious and half serious.

“That would depend on how deep it can dive,” mumbled Miyabi.

If it could use the ground itself as a thick shield, the Lucifer Horn’s aerial attacks would have a hard time hitting. He had gouged great trenches into the ground before, but that was the most he could manage. He doubted those beams could actually break into the depths of the earth.

Meanwhile, the Executive Ground could obscure its enemy’s vision with a sandstorm and spew high-speed sand to tear through even boulders. Depending on its range, even the airborne Lucifer Horn could be at risk.

After a while, Miyabi realized the deep rumbling had stopped.

An identical voice spoke from a different direction.

“Sister.”

This one was Acacia Flightheart.

Had she exited the Godhorn Tech because the experiment was over? Miyabi’s party had no idea where that massive sorcery weapon had gone to get the girl back here.

The faintest of frowns appeared on Acacia’s expressionless face.

“What were you talking about? Are they here to mock us for failing to control our Godhorn Tech?”

“The same as before, sister. They wished to discuss our subterranean tank and the Lord of Ruin.”

“Mhh.” Acacia puffed out her cheeks. Still expressionless in every other way, she turned toward Miyabi’s party. “I could have discussed that with you. Stop plotting to contact my sister while I am away.”

“Um…what?”

Acacia approached the confused redhead boy and gave a warning.

“As you can see, my sister is the puppy type, so she is very trusting of strangers. She makes it far too easy, so it takes mere moments before she-”

“Sister.”

“Ahem. Anyway, we should be going, sister.” Acacia paused for a moment and started again on a new topic. “We will handle the Lord of Ruin ourselves. And controlling the Executive Ground is the only way to do that.”

The twins left.

They gave off the pressure of someone who carried the weight of a nation on their shoulders. The village boy had been given a Godhorn Tech, but that was not something he had. He could not keep his eyes off of their departing backs.

After a while, the radio spoke up.

“Hey, aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Koo?”

“Oh, you’re right! I forget to ask them who the Lord of Ruin is! They look like they would know!”

Between the Lines 4

Those sisters could not remember how long they had lived like that.

They had no idea if they had ever had a comfortable home to live in.

Their first memories were of curling up together in the cold alleys. They had watched as so many people walked by without so much as a glance. Abandoned children were far from an unusual sight in their country.

For better or for worse, the extreme environment of the desert forced people to cut the fat and live rationally. The days were blazing hot and the nights freezing cold. They had been forced to do whatever it took to survive there.

They had never known their parents.

They had truly believed they may have been born from one of the buckets or sacks lying around in the alleys.

They had only learned of cooking when they were entirely fed up with the sourness of whatever they could find in the buckets.

They had only learned of clothing when the rags wrapped around them had lost all color.

They had never learned what a bath or a bed were.

It had not been a happy life.

They had assumed that was how their lives would always be.

They had expected to eventually grow weak and die together.

But that had all changed one day.

A kind priest had told them they were special, chosen by the sacred ruins.

The twin sisters were invited to the large temple, where they were given hot food to eat and a hot bath. They were given priestess clothing made of a material they had never before experienced, they were taught to read and write and otherwise educated, and they came to realize how wrong their previous assumptions about the world were.

Their desert nation was reliant on water.

There were no wells or rivers. Dig as deep as you like, you would never find anything.

The water that supported all their lives came from the mysterious ruins scattered across the desert. The nation only really protected the select few who could make a mental connection with the ruins and gather water from them.

And it turned out Acacia Flightheart and Ixea Flightheart had the most suitable wavelength for that.

Thus, they were given the Executive Ground, the desert nation’s prized Godhorn Tech.

So the girls could not abandon the nation that supported their lifestyle, the people who relied on their power, the priests who trusted their talent, or the Godhorn Tech and ruins that gave them such value.

But.

What was it they had really wanted to do, back when they stared up into the night sky from the frigid back alleys?

They had said they would do anything to survive. They had lived day to day by digging through buckets in the back alley. They had no memory of their parents and truly believed they may have been born from one of the buckets or sacks lying around in the alleys.

But no matter how hungry, cold, and weary they were and no matter how much they had resented the invisible presence they could sense in the stone ruins, there was one thing they had never wanted to do.

They had never wanted to wield a tool of killing.

Chapter 7, Section 3

Miyabi’s party had returned to the desert nation.

Camping out in such an extreme environment would have presented too much of a challenge, so they chose to fork over the money necessary for an inn.

Evening had since fallen.

“This country really likes its dried foods. They do it with meat, with fish, and even with fruit.”

“A culture of food preservation suggests there was a period in their long history when food supplies were unreliable. Still, it does have a unique flavor to it. Fish and shellfish must taste different if you slightly rehydrate it before cooking.”

“The spices are different too.”

“Ha ha. Yeah, those were a bit much when water is a luxury item. I bet it wakes you up in the morning, though.”

Miyabi Blackgarden and Kananka Fulpen discussed the food as they walked down a major road.

Alicia Blueforest, Helen Clockgear, and Celina Bodenburg were with them as well, but a lot of their party was elsewhere.

Miyabi made sure to buy something for Eliza Silverstorm, who wanted nothing to do with the great outdoors after the hot sun had worn her out. Number 8 had also stayed inside to focus on something called a “self-diagnostic” related to the fine sand getting inside his automaton body.

Miyabi’s group was on their way back to the inn after grabbing a bite to eat.

But then Miyabi bumped into someone.

However, the impact was unusually low. The person’s head hit him in the stomach, meaning they were about the same height as Kananka. Did that mean they were a small child?

“Oh, excuse-”

He looked down and started to speak, but he was cut off by a jangling sound that could only come from a thick chain.

He finally realized this was a small girl with a thick chain wrapped all around her.

“Eh? Eh? What’s this? She’s walking around like normal, so is this the latest fashion trend in the desert nation? Come to think of it, those twins wore chains like tails. Is this place just really into bondage?”

“Our Bodenburg Company does business all over the continent, but I assure you nowhere is quite that crazy!” insisted Celina. “Hm, a chained child out in the city at night. She might have escaped from some criminal organization or another. We need to protect her!!”

She looked no older than 10 or 12, but Miyabi had trouble judging small children’s ages and couldn’t say for sure.

“Kananka.”

“Hm? I think she’s about my age.”

If Kananka saw it that way, then she had to be exactly 12. A year’s age difference was a big deal in kid society, so they would know how to tell far more than someone older like Miyabi.

She had long blonde hair brushed aside from her forehead and white skin. Aside from the chain, she wore a thin blue dress and an apron. It made her look more like a country girl than a maid.

No one else in the city was dressed anything like her.

Celina crouched down to her eye level and put on a comforting smile.

“Were you brought here by someone, or were you abducted while on vacation? Either way, you’re safe now. There’s nothing to be afraid-.”

“Shut the hell up, you justice-obsessed freak. Keep away from this child with that creepy smile on your face.”

Celina curled up and held her hands over her sobbing face, so they decided to leave her be for a bit.

The young girl continued speaking with an unusually deep voice.

“Rose Dollycastle.” She directed cold, emotionless eyes toward Miyabi. “This girl has not been illegally abducted or sold into the slave trade, so do not worry. (Your worries are more a nuisance than anything.) I am journeying to find a way to break the curse.”

“This girl?” Miyabi frowned. “You make it sound like you and the girl are different people.”

“She probably thinks it makes her more interesting. It’s a common affliction among adolescents. They’ll wear eyepatches or silver accessories or whatever. I’ll admit that chain is pretty extreme, though. Wah hah hah!”

Miyabi was not sure what the radio was talking about, but apparently she was not injured or sick.

Then a black crack ran through the empty space directly above the girl’s head. No, it looked more like a single eye floating there. The pitch-black thing blinked with a mind of its own, narrowed its eye, and turned toward Miyabi’s party.

The girl(?) continued speaking.

“I am not this girl.”

“?”

“I am the chain – the cursed chain. Think of it as cursed equipment that provides both offense and defense. One day, Rose ended up wielding me. Ever since, I have been searching out a way to return her body to her. No matter what it takes.”

Cursed equipment.

On closer inspection, the ends of the chain wrapped around the girl were indeed shaped like scythe or spear blades. There was also something like an hourglass at her flat chest.

“A-a girl this young needed to wield a weapon?” Helen could hardly believe what she was hearing. “And you make it sound like you’ve been searching for a long time. How long ago did that happen?”

The chain(?) readily answered her question while turning its dark gaze toward her.

“Her family was surrounded by several Beast Novae in a mountain blizzard with no hope of rescue, so she had no choice but to wield a cursed weapon to protect them. Are you criticizing that decision?”

“…”

“Unfortunately, she was kicked out of her home because of it. I destroyed her life, so I must restore it to her. I require some means of breaking the chain – breaking myself.”

“Breaking yourself?”

“Isn’t the best way to conquer a curse to destroy its source?”

“I suppose,” sighed Miyabi.

This was more complicated than he had expected. And while the girl was trapped after wielding the weapon, it was unknown if she herself wanted to destroy the chain that had saved her and her family’s lives.

They had only heard the chain’s side of the story – not Rose’s.

(If they might do something they would regret, maybe it would be best to keep them close by.)

“Did you have something to say?” asked the chain.

“No.” Miyabi shook his head and put on a fake smile. “You want to break yourself and I happen to have access to the world’s greatest weapon: a Godhorn Tech. Surely you’ve at least heard of them.”

“That sounds wonderful, but I would like some proof of this power before we shake on it.”

That was easily done.

He stabbed his control sword into the ground, opening a magic circle.

“Lucifer Horn, take this girl to Horn Fortress!!”

Night had fallen.

They had been right to get some dinner before sunset. Miyabi had never lived in the desert before, but it was apparently well known that day and night there might as well have been different places entirely.

Helen Clockgear – or Venus, the bunny girl sans glasses – was muttering to herself alone in the inn room. She could not let Miyabi or the others see this transformation.

“Phew.”

She looked annoyed, but she made sure to strike a pose in front of the large mirror. She used her mannerisms to gather moderate attention and bring down people’s guard, but that was easier said than done. The correct answer was influenced by the current trends, the local character, and even an individual’s personal tastes.

She only had to put on a coat and she was ready to gather intelligence in the city’s night.

The ridiculousness of the outfit did not change the risk she undertook.

“Whenever we’re in need of information, we have a job for Venus. I need to gather whatever intel I can.”

But she was interrupted by Alicia who was hiding out in the room.

“Are you talking to yourself now?”

“Eek!?”

Miyabi, Celina, and the rest did not even bother knocking before barging in.

“Hm. I do wonder why Acacia and Ixea knew about the Lord of Ruin.”

“Right?”

“Not a single surprised reaction after setting foot in this unreal realm of the bunny girl!? Do I have that idiotic bikini armor to thank for this!? Is this just not enough to excite you anymore? Did she trigger some kind of bare skin inflation!? But I can’t show any more than this! You won’t get anything else from me!!!”

Helen bristled and shouted at them, but no one even looked her way.

And speaking of the bikini knight…

“It’s so cold, cold, cold? Why, why, why? Chatter, chatter, chatter.”

“The desert can’t store any heat, so it gets very cold at night!! Change back into your usual armor or you’ll freeze to death!!”

“Now, now, mom. Leave her be.”

“I am not your mom, Miyabi! Why do you start calling me that whenever I’m dressed as a bunny girl!? What disturbing ideas are lodged in the depths of your psyche!?”

“When I say ‘mom’, I guess I more mean the mom at a friend’s house.”

“What did you see when you were little!?”

The cold was so bad their breaths were visible even indoors.

Even Onelife Shiftup was bothered by it.

“Ghh, now this is a bit much. And my metal hand cools off way faster than a real one.”

Eliza Silverstorm was too exhausted to even adapt to the changing environment, so the most she could manage was grabbing a blanket from the bed and balling up inside it. And Alma had climbed onto the bed, so the poor creature was accidentally caught inside with her. She was close to looking like one of the mascot costumes at a crepe or hot dog stand. The desert was making her less and less capable of taking care of herself. If this continued, she might never be able to set foot outside the inn room. It scared the others enough that no one else dared approach the bed.

Meanwhile, someone was rubbing his body for warmth over by the wall.

Thanks to his tropical upbringing, Kananka may not have been accustomed to extreme cold. The young brown king had always experienced sweltering nights, so he had to hold his skinny shoulders against the cold.

“Th-this is not easy. I never experienced this back home.”

“Hey, are you okay, Kananka?”

“I should manage. Ahh, but you’re nice and warm, Miyabi. I think I’ll just nestle up against you until I’m used to it.

“Wait, is Miyabi starting down a new path here?” wondered the radio, but no one was paying any attention.

“The Lord of Ruin.” Celina breathed an exasperate sigh while seated on the windowsill. “With all the ruins, this desert kingdom must have the oldest history on the continent, so they may have more accumulated knowledge than anyone else too.”

“Do you know anything, walking dictionary elf?” asked Miyabi while leaning against the wall, but Alicia only breathed a visible sigh from a corner of the room.

“I generally never leave my forest, you know? All I know comes from the books I would read to pass the time at night. I just happen to have had a lot more tedious nights than a human.”

“Anyway, we need to ask them about the Lord of Ruin,” said bikini blanket Eliza while rubbing her cheek against Alma for warmth.

“N-need I remind you that one of the twins could still be the 11th?” asked Bunny Helen while trembling. “It might be best to ask them what they know before this gets any more complicated.”

“True, but can we really trust them?’ asked Number 8 who stood perfectly still in the center of the room. “Since they too are suspects, they could always lie.”

“If they do, we can use that lie to make our attack. But that requires confirming what they tell us, which will mean more detours,” replied Helen, seeming to have recovered some by focusing on the topic at hand.

That government worker could be strict at times like this. She served her country in a different way from a knight or butler.

“But they’re central figures of their country. How we do we approach them?” asked Kananka while using Miyabi for warmth.

But then…

“Hey, isn’t that Priestess Acacia!?”

They heard a voice from outside.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Koo?”

They all fell silent and Alma pushed Eliza’s face away with its front paws to tilt its head.

They knew what they had to do know, so Onelife roared with laughter.

“Now that night’s fallen, this investigation can really get started!”

“What is even happening?”

Miyabi scratched his head and walked to the door, but Venus alone could not accept this.

“Ehh? Wait, you want me to do a lengthy investigation outside dressed like this!? At least let me put a coat on over the bunny suit! Wait, wait, wait!”

“Hurry it up, horny bunny.”

“Please put back on your normal armor, lewd knight!! Surely you aren’t going to head outside still wrapped in that blanket! I mean, you’ll very nearly be a flasher wearing nothing below their coat. Just let go of Alma and come with me!!”

Helen finally tugged on cocoon Eliza’s ear to drag her into another room.

Once outside the inn, Miyabi’s party was assaulted by the biting cold. It was quite a bit colder than when they had been out for dinner. But the canals and crowds kept the city relatively warm at night, so it would be even worse out in the open desert.

Everyone around them was already talking about Acacia Flightheart. It reminded them of how the criminal city had so adored Onelife.

It turned out the religious nation had no custom of going to bed and getting up early.

The city was illuminated by oil lamps and the reflected starry sky appeared to be scattered across the ground. The beauty of the city seemed to be a sign of the how much business was done there.

They passed by a bar when a window burst open and a tipsy man shouted from within.

“A toast to the two priestesses!! Who the hell knows what they actually do, but they get the job done! That way we don’t gotta worry about it ourselves! A toast, a toast!”

The lady at his table was pouting her lips and teasing her glass with her fingertips.

“Priestesses Acacia and Ixea are all they ever talk about. Hard to imagine they used to live in the back alleys. Sigh, why can’t a priest come by and recruit me?”

A fortuneteller woman let a comment slip in a gap between customers.

“The type of customer is so different between day and night, but neither type ever has any real problems. Is that just how peaceful we are thanks to that Godhorn Tech?”

They walked around a while before spotting a familiar brown girl at a plaza.

“There she is, Miyabi,” said Number 8 with no emotion on his face. “It’s that idiot.”

“What are you doing?” asked Miyabi while Alicia calmly grabbed one of the “priestess toys” growing nearby to make sure the girl did not escape.

He thought this was Acacia.

By this point, he had figured out the subtle differences in the twins’ behavior. Their clothing was also subtly different. Acacia’s was feline and Ixea’s was canine.

Also, she was not alone.

The chain swished from the back of her hips and she showed no change of expression as she explained why some man was following her around.

“A stranger asked me for directions.”

“Wow, that is a really good costume,” said the man. “You look just like Acacia! Can you show me to your club? I’d love to down some drinks with you sitting in my lap!”

Onelife placed an arm around the unintentionally inappropriate man’s shoulders.

“Gah hah hah! I think the two of us need to have a chat, man to man!”

“Eh? What? You mean it’s not a costume? That really is Acacia??? Oh, no! Oh, no, no, no, no!!”

The man ran off, showing surprising agility for a drunk.

Acacia still did not seem to understand.

“Oh, did he remember the way?”

“…”

Miyabi was not sure what to say and Kananka felt a need to break the awkward silence.

“I know I never would have made it onto the throne without so many people’s protection, but I think she’s even worse than me.”

“It turns out I interrupted an important conversation with my sister earlier, so I thought I should visit you to apologize and tell you about the Lord of Ruin. However, I forgot to ask where you were staying.” Miyabi’s eyes widened at that casual explanation.

“The Lord of Ruin!? Really!?”

“That was surprisingly easy,” noted Number 8.

“I also forgot how cold the desert night is. It has been too long since I was out this late.”

“Now’s your chance, Miyabi. Grab a blanket from somewhere,” urged the radio. “Heh heh heh. The careless fool just told you exactly what it is she wants. Building up affection points will be a piece of cake now!!”

With no convenient blankets lying around, he had to grab one from their inn room. Which was generally frowned upon.

Acacia looked satisfied inside the blanket that still held some of Eliza’s body heat.

“Ooh, this is nice and warm. But that does not mean I will open up to you.”

“She’s just taking you for all you’re worth!? With the wrong upbringing, this girl could turn into a real problem.”

Acacia had apparently learned by now to ignore the radio’s delusions. Once she had sat down on a bench by the plaza fountain, Miyabi concluded she was not going to leave right away.

The brown priestess began her explanation in an oil lamp’s light.

“You should have seen by now how reliant we are on the ruins. With so much history, we have more antique murals and ancient documents than we could ever need.”

“?” Kanaka tilted his head and briefly fell silent. “You mean…this isn’t something someone told you? Is the Lord of Ruin a figure from some ancient text?”

“I assume you passed through the Bio Rainforest on your way here?”

“Don’t ask me! I’m no navigator!!” replied the muscle man.

“Then stay quiet and let someone else field the question, idiot!!” shouted back the glasses woman.

Meanwhile, Acacia continued her lecture.

“You should have seen stone ruins buried in the vegetation there.”

“Like the ones the Necromancer was using as a lab?” asked Celina.

Acacia shook her head on the bench and toyed with a flower growing in one of the beds supported by the stone canals.

“Those ruins originally belonged to – no, were originally constructed by the Lord of Ruin.”

“Constructed by?” Miyabi felt faint trying to sort out the timeline there. “But that must have been centuries ago – if not millennia!”

“It would have at least been before the foundation of the Empire.”

Number 8’s assessment was more accurate and Acacia nodded.

“Similar to our ancient stone ruins, plenty of records can be found there. It is said the Lord of Ruin created history’s first Godhorn Tech inside those forest ruins.”

That one term cut to the heart of the matter.

“The demon sword Calamity Revenge.”

The chill of the desert night was overwritten by something else.

That name alone seemed as sharp as a blade’s edge.

That sword itself was already such an enigma.

Miyabi’s party had seen it bisect the Deadman’s Fenrir in a single strike. They had abandoned the idea of fighting the Lord of Ruin and failed to even escape, so they were only still alive thanks to some whim of his.

Acacia had been kicking her legs a little while seated on the bench and wrapped in the blanket, but now she stopped moving altogether.

“The records say he broke off a juvenile Wicked God’s horn and forcibly built it into his sword.”

“K-koo…”

“From a juvenile?” said Alicia. “That’s horrific.”

“I believe it was called a sword of slaughter that brings victory to its user but always leaves new conflict in its wake. Even if the wielder wants to stop fighting, their people, their country, and the world as a whole pushes them to fight until they are consumed by it. The fundamental magic it uses is Geas. You could call it a vow or a curse. You bind yourself with a promise and gain powerful magic with which to harm others. It truly is a demonic sword. It restricts its wielder’s freedom, so to have used it for so long without self-destructing suggests a shocking level of skill.”

It was a frightening concept.

Any Godhorn Tech could be described as a double-edged sword, but Calamity Revenge had to be the most prominent example. It almost seemed to punish you for wielding such a deadly power.

“He must have had enough power to commit the taboo of breaking off a juvenile’s horn,” continued Acacia. “There are even records saying this one continent is all we know because he split apart the sea to cut it off from the rest of the world.”

That sounded like something from a fairy tale, but Acacia was serious. Her tone implied that would be within his power.

“It isn’t actually known if today’s Godhorn Techs could defeat a real Wicked God, but either way, the very first one had to be done without a Godhorn Tech and there would have only been so many someone could defeat to claim the horn. But that doesn’t mean the other Wicked Gods would have been okay with it. It is obvious what must have happened when you remember that his kingdom is now buried below vegetation. …He acquired the strongest power he so desired, but that brought about an even greater disaster.”

“…”

The Lord of Ruin.

Was that name meant to say he was lord of a ruined kingdom?

“Then why is he still wandering the world?”

“To make up for his mistake,” clearly stated Acacia. “After breaking off the juvenile’s horn, that ancient king saw the monster writhing in pain and realized Wicked Gods are no different from humans. But after he built the horn into his sword and displayed its destructive power to the world, there was naturally no end to people who wanted that overwhelming power for themselves.”

From there, the brown girl almost seemed to be singing.

With her emotionless eyes looking up into the starry sky.

“The Wicked Gods were made out to be evil.”

Her words were so smooth.

“He was made out to be just for slaying that evil.”

Yet so sinister.

“So the Lord of Ruin still opposes the world that perpetuates that framing.”

“That’s why he does it?”

Miyabi gulped and Acacia nodded.

“He has lived in regret for so very long. He regrets distorting history with the introduction of Godhorn Techs…and he regrets directing people’s greed toward the Wicked God horns.”

“…”

“By ensuring that anyone with a Godhorn Tech meets an unpleasant end and ensuring that anyone who attempts to break off a Wicked God horn is destroyed, he hopes to change how the world works. He appears to be attacking everyone who possesses one, turning himself into the greatest calamity of all.”

“In that case…”

Miyabi thought back to the Lord of Ruin’s apparent agony when Alma had moved to protect them at the exit to the rotting Bio Rainforest.

He thought about why such a powerful man had stopped his attack.

“Did the Lord of Ruin leave the forest because of Alma?”

Then what about when he had dealt with the Deadman’s Fenrir? From Miyabi’s perspective, it had looked like a merciless one-shot kill, but the old man may have been weeping blood below his mask.

With a corpse that had been turned into a rotting sorcery weapon by forcibly attaching another horn, maybe he could clench his teeth and justify his actions by saying he was putting it out of its misery.

But that reasoning did not allow him to attack a living juvenile like Alma.

He refused to commit the same mistake twice.

Even if it put him at a severe disadvantage.

Was that part of his pride as a king?

Blanket-wrapped Acacia’s voice was the only sound in the cold starry night.

“Anyway, contacting the Lord of Ruin should be easy enough. He will appear to anyone with a Godhorn Tech, no matter what, so you don’t even need to do anything.”

“W-wait. Then aren’t you and your sister in danger too!?”

“Yes, but that changes nothing. We cannot battle a Godhorn Tech user without control of the Executive Ground. I don’t know what exactly happened in those unthinkably ancient days, but the Godhorn Tech is a crucial pillar supporting our country. We do not have time to bother with philosophical questions of right and wrong.”

“You have a point,” groaned Number 8.

“It is ironic, really. The more the Lord of Ruin hates Godhorn Techs, the more we must fortify ourselves using them.”

The brown girl’s lips twisted with a hint of self-deprecation.

Maybe it was meant as a smile, but she was so out of practice it didn’t come out right.

“Could we work together?” cautiously suggested Miyabi.

“Just so you know, we consider you a threat as well. You are not bound to any country, you are immune to diplomacy, and you control a Godhorn Tech all on your own. You need to be aware that you could destroy an entire country on a whim if you wanted.”

That was the end of it.

With a rustle of cloth, the blanket dropped to the bench and she left. Miyabi could not stop her.

“The Lord of Ruin might be on his way, so I should not be out here talking.”

They had not solved anything, but time had passed and the conversation had ended.

Miyabi’s party had no choice but to return to the inn for now.

He felt bad continuing to intervene in their lives, but he could not let those twins stay like this. He knew the Lord of Ruin’s power was real. He had seen the threat with his own eyes.

And.

Alicia Blueforest remained behind, all alone.

Well, the radio was still with her.

“Now. I hope that boy has not forgotten that one of the twins might be the 11th. …Their behavior could be an act and their Godhorn Tech’s malfunction could be because one of them is drawing off all the energy to create sorcery bombs.”

“Heh heh. With twins that cute, maybe he doesn’t care if they trick him.”

“…”

Morning arrived and Miyabi sat up in the inn bed, lost in thought.

“Now, where are Acacia and Ixea?”

“Koo!”

“We need to find some way to get their cooperation today.”

Plant Alma had an excess of energy today, perhaps due to sunbathing by the window while in a flowery dryad form. Miyabi and the stuffed-animal creature got ready together and then left their room to meet with the others. After buying some water and meals of assorted dried foods from a street vendor, they made their way out into the desert.

“Sigh, not the desert again. It’s nothing but hot sand, hot sand, and more hot sand.”

Eliza was depressed already. It was blazing hot even in the morning. This time, the chosen knight was wearing her usual armor instead of the bikini. It was just as hot as before, but she had finally learned that wearing less only exposed her skin to sun damage.

“What a shame. I so wanted to see the novice exhibitionist’s bikini tan lines,” grumbled the radio hanging from Alicia’s neck.

Come to think of it, Eliza’s skin was surprisingly untanned for all the sun she had gotten. Instead, it looked faintly flushed. Was that what happened with the pale-skinned people of her snowy kingdom?

The sand began to shake violently when they were still near the city. It happened a second time, a third time, and they eventually lost count. The dunes looked like an ocean’s waves frozen in time, but now they collapsed and changed shape like the flow of time had been restored.

The unnatural quicksand made their footing as unstable as stepping in a shallow forest stream that had a stronger current than expected.

“Whoa.”

The redheaded boy staggered and Eliza had to support him from the side. Her armor seemed to have restored her dignity, so she had regained the gallant look of the sort of opera star every girl wanted to be.

“How can they keep this up in such a harsh environment? They must be continuing their tests with that subterranean tank, so do they do that from dawn to dusk?”

“Where are they this time?” asked Celina just in time for another great tremor. “They must be to the north today.”

They were more afraid of the sand covering up the narrow path of packed-down sand than they were of being swallowed whole by quicksand. The desert was so vast that they would have a hard time finding landmarks. If this path disappeared, they would have no way of navigating back.

For now, they followed the sounds.

They continued on, the hot sand catching at their feet, until some stone ruins finally came into view. They were relieved to find something other than sand they could use as a landmark. Acacia and Ixea had to be doing their tests in there.

Then they saw some people approaching them from the ruins. The details were still unclear, but the people may have found the harsh desert to be safer than the ruins.

While they passed, Miyabi’s party overhead a conversation between a young male artist and a carefree girl.

“Will the priestesses be all right on their own?”

“They said they weren’t accepting sacrifices, so I guess so.”

“Please hurry away. These were the priestesses’ instructions, so there is nothing to worry about.”

A priest waved a small flag to guide the carefree group through the desert. If they fled into the mirage-filled desert at random, they could indeed get lost easily.

Alicia glanced back at that group with skepticism on her face.

“What’s that about? This isn’t how they did things yesterday.”

“Their technology is reliant on the ruins and the chosen priestesses have to stand in harm’s way,” said Miyabi.

“You mean everyone is placing all the nation’s problems on those two’s shoulders?” Helen’s face clouded. “They keep insisting there is a problem, but no one takes them seriously while also blaming them when things gradually get worse? Everyone is so used to peace they fail to notice all the work those two put in. It must be so stifling for them.”

“It isn’t pleasant to hear about, that’s for sure,” said the radio.

“Nhh.” Onelife tilted his head. “But don’t they need the sacrifices to control their Godhorn Tech? You can’t call it a voyage if you let your whole crew off your ship and let it drift out at sea.”

“They did say the sacrifices were needed to restrain the unnatural resonance with the ruins,” said Number 8.

“Although I’m not sure how those sacrifices can help if they don’t know how to sense the spirit pressure,” said Kananka.

Those two’s descriptions were too abstract for the others to grasp very well.

“Hmm. Weren’t the experiments meant to stabilize the subterranean tank using the power of their people?” asked Eliza. “No way to test that without the people.”

“I’m amazed you remember all that when you were all dizzy from your bikini adventures yesterday,” said Celina, sounding impressed (and exasperated).

Just then, they heard a rumbling.

Something appeared to be crawling closer.

“Hold on.” Miyabi asked a careful question. “If they aren’t running their test, then what is this?”

“If it is not training, then could it be combat?” suggested Number 8, earning a groan from Miyabi. “What are Acacia and Ixea using their Godhorn Tech to do!?”

They encountered some Beast Novae while hurrying toward the ruins.

The desert monsters looked like giant snakes or bugs. The lack of water and the extreme temperature differences between day and night had created a very unique ecosystem. There were antlions with control over quicksand, dung beetles that flipped on their backs and toyed with infection bombs larger than they were, and many more.

“Whoa!?”

“Just get ready for battle!”

They did not need to defeat them all. After repelling them, the ground shook hard enough to crack open. The panicked monsters scattered and fled. The man-eating antlions emerged onto the sand and crawled awkwardly around and the wagon-sized dung beetles rolled away on their own filthy orbs.

They had avoided an all-out war with the Beast Novae, but they could not relax yet.

Eliza gulped and extracted her large lance from the flabby belly of an antlion (which was pretty gross-looking once out of the sand).

“It looks more like they fled in surprise than tried to attack. But what from?”

“Koo…”

“This isn’t the time to grimace in distaste,” said Alicia. “If they attack us, we have to fight back.”

“Oh, how unusual. You usually defend the Beast Novae.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that the cute species like us are not the same as those monsters that crawl around eating living flesh!? Come here, Alma. I will carry you on my head.”

They continued through the desert.

They spotted two camels on the way, but not wild ones. These still had saddles and reins like a horse would wear.

They did not have nametags, but their owners were obvious enough after seeing the glittering golden equipment. Not to mention the feline and canine decorations attached to their ears like earrings.

“Do those belong to Acacia and Ixea?” asked Miyabi.

They had arrived in the stone ruins.

After observing the desert around the ruins themselves, Helen pointed into the distance.

“Oh, is that it!?”

A massive cloud of sand rose from a great shape.

That had to be the desert nation’s Godhorn Tech: the Executive Ground.

However…

“What is this wild and irregular pressure? What is happening here?”

Kananka and Number 8 were both rendered speechless.

“This is more than just resonating with the ruins.”

“Hold on. Is that what I think it is!?”

An enormous object burst from the hot sand.

A massive snake covered in thick armor used tooth-like bits and blades to kick up the sand. But what they saw was only a portion of the weapon that had so destroyed the scenery. Part of it remained buried below the sand. It must have had a great many joints because it moved in an eerily biological way that made their skin crawl to watch, but it also looked like a piece of mining equipment that tore through the ground to dig tunnels. But that colossus was not the center of this scene. It moved three round pieces of armor to open its great maw, but another figure was facing the Executive Ground.

He wore a white mask.

He wore loose clothing.

He held the world’s oldest Godhorn Tech.

“…”

“The Lord of Ruin!?” shouted Miyabi.

Onelife clenched his prosthetic fist.

“Now that villain is turning his blade on those twins!?”

“Did they send out the subterranean tank to battle him? They must have let the sacrifices go to keep them out of this deadly battle,” concluded Eliza with a mixture of approval and exasperation.

“B-but they couldn’t control it even with the sacrifices, right?” said pale-faced Helen.

“They would not have been much help if they could not sense this pressure,” said Kananka, looking like staying on his feet was a struggle.

Helen supported him with a hand on the shoulder and finally started shouting.

“Th-th-th-then are Acacia and Ixea in any condition to fight!? What can they do if they can’t control the Executive Ground!?”

The face covered by the smooth, eyeless and mouthless mask tilted slightly.

The blade flipped around.

“The subterranean tank and I can both kill with a single strike. We have entered a mutual contract that remains in effect until this promise is fulfilled.”

The glint of reflected sunlight showed the path of the blade after the fact. Even at a distance, Miyabi could not see at all what the sword did in real time. The desert’s poor footing and the scorching sun did nothing to restrict his divine speed.

The serpent or worm that was the Executive Ground writhed in pain, forming a massive arch in the air, and then dove back down into the dry sand. No, fleeing may have been the better word.

The desert continued as far as the eye could see, but it felt far too small now. The Lord of Ruin’s presence was just that great. It would have been one-shotted if it had not shed some of its armor and diverted the blade’s path with a thick cloud of sand.

The Lord of Ruin’s sword was the Calamity Revenge.

Was it Celina who had called it a Godhorn Tech slayer when they first saw it in the Bio Rainforest?

Muscular Onelife could also be extraordinarily destructive, but the Lord of Ruin’s destruction was of a different type altogether. The one-eyed pirate wielded brute force and weight like he had an endless supply of energy within him, but this sword was cold and sharp and it calmly cornered its foe before accurately destroying them.

Did the twins have any chance of winning even if they managed to fully control the Executive Ground and draw out 100% of its power? It was impressive they had survived even that initial attack.

“It doesn’t matter if they can control it,” muttered Miyabi in a daze.

“Koo?”

“Acacia and Ixea plan to throw the uncontrollable subterranean tank at the Lord of Ruin to try and repel him. They want to protect their country even if it means their own destruction.”

“I see.” Surprisingly it was the cold magical automaton who responded first. Or maybe it was no surprise since he had failed to protect his own homeland. “I would do the same if it would save the country I was responsible for.”

“B-but they can’t keep this up! They control that from inside, just like I did my Schwarz Schütze, don’t they? Those twins are still in there!”

“This could be our chance, Miyabi.” Kananka made an odd suggestion. “You might have an easier time of it if we attacked the Lord of Ruin now, making it 2-to-1. He made a surprise attack on the Necromancer’s Deadman’s Fenrir to bring down the number of enemy Godhorn Techs, remember? That suggests he doesn’t want to fight more than one at once.”

“Will you stop the subterranean tank or the Lord of Ruin, Miyabi!?”

Miyabi fell silent considering Alicia’s question.

“…”

And.

“…”

And.

“…”

And.

He gave his answer.

“Let’s stop Acacia and Ixea.”

That settled it.

Miyabi faced his enemy and adjusted his grip on the control sword.

“We might have more opportunities to fight the Lord of Ruin, but we don’t get a second chance if those two lose their lives. This is our only chance to save them! So that’s what I’ll do, even if they resent me for it!!”

No one objected.

The small king loved by the sea and the spirits smiled gently.

“If that is your decision, I will assist you. Show them how to use a Godhorn Tech, Miyabi!”

Moving quickly through the desert was a challenge in and of itself.

Just like at the beach, the fine sand gently absorbed the energy of their feet on the ground, eating away their speed.

Meanwhile, they were up against a subterranean tank, a Godhorn Tech designed for use in the desert.

Only that colossus could move freely through the sand that caught at everyone else’s feet, so it moved too swiftly to ever reach without a plan.

Also, the Executive Ground did not keep its face above ground at all times. In fact, it had to be safer while submerged in the sand. It could wait for the desert to wear its opponent down with the heat of the day or the chill of the night and then attack from below once they were too weak and distracted.

But.

Its current opponent was an exception.

“Another Godhorn Tech.”

An old man wore a smooth white mask with no eyes or mouth and casually held a fearsome demon sword in one hand.

He was the Lord of Ruin.

“Eek!?”

Helen ducked down and covered her head, even though he was still so far away. Normally, there was no way a sword could reach them from that distance, but they all ducked down, their legs seizing up with fear. They knew on an instinctual level that “normal” meant nothing here.

“The subterranean tank and I can both split the sandy terrain with our blades. We have entered a mutual contract that remains in effect until the subterranean tank has been destroyed.”

Their opponent bound the field with a curse that benefited only him.

With a single strike, he split open the sandy ground, mercilessly exposing the Executive Ground attempting to hide there. The thick armor of the ground accomplished nothing and the Godhorn Tech itself was damaged. The tooth-like blades and bits meant to dig through the sand were torn away like a fish’s scales and cracks visibly ran through the rollers. Nevertheless, the great serpent or worm wriggled in its berserk state, targeting the Lord of Ruin with unpredictable movements, but…

“Argh, this had better do the trick!!”

Celina’s sniper shot struck what looked like a red ball of glass embedded in the Godhorn Tech’s head. The crimson liquid within sloshed around. That had to be more like the inner ear than an eye. With its midair attitude control sensor shaken, the venomous snake was thrown off course during its sharp leap toward its prey. Acacia and Ixea had been robbed of one of their few chances to strike.

Miyabi was not going to just stand idly by.

That great serpent was a massive tunnel digger that could move freely through the sandy ground. Only the Lord of Ruin could thoughtlessly stand up to that serpentine collection of bits and rollers, but Miyabi had a Godhorn Tech of his own: the Lucifer Horn bomber.

He stabbed his control sword into the ground, opening a magic circle at his feet.

“Tactical open,” he shouted. “Blow it away!!”

Sensing the danger, the Executive Ground opened the three round armor pieces that complexly folded together to form a mouth. It aimed its open mouth toward the sky and fired absorbed sand with enough speed to function as a cutter.

Fearsome attacks were launched from the sky and the earth.

But they did not collide in between.

Because Miyabi had not been targeting the subterranean tank itself.

Thus, the Lucifer Horn managed to avoid the skyward attack by a hair’s breadth.

But what had the bomber’s beam accomplished?

It crashed into the ground next to the Executive Ground. The ultra-hot beam tore into the ground, transforming the fine sand into sticky glass. It was a miniscule change when looking at the desert as a whole, but the melted glass gummed up the digging bits and blades.

With a terrible grinding, the desert rejected the serpent. Its blades were a poor match for the sticky goop. It was a horrific analogy, but it was just like how a blade lost its sharp edge to the blood and fat after cutting down enough people.

For a brief moment, the subterranean tank lost its greatest advantage: the ability to dive below the desert and move rapidly through the sand. Unable to even hide, it writhed up on the surface.

Its gaping maw turned toward Miyabi this time.

And it produced voices. The voices of the twins.

Miyabi could hear the girls despite the distance, so the serpent’s internal cavity must have amplified the voices like a trumpet. If that ability was refined and the noise concentrated in a single direction, it could probably function as an acoustic weapon that knocked people out by rattling their heads. Then again, the uncontrollable Executive Ground was unlikely to allow such fine-tuned control.

“Tch!!”

“Why must you interfere!?”

Acacia and Ixea spoke from within the Godhorn Tech, so Miyabi yelled back at them.

“And why must you do everything you’re told!? Why didn’t you even hesitate to board the Executive Ground!?”

The girls spoke one after another.

Each statement blended into the next so well it was hard to tell which was which.

“That goes without saying.”

“We cannot protect the desert nation without controlling this Godhorn Tech.”

“And we will protect our country even if we cannot control it!”

“Even if it means sacrificing ourselves!!”

It sounded a lot like they were trying and failing to speak in unison.

So Miyabi spat out more questions.

“Because someone told you to? Because those priests took you in? Because the people are counting on you? Because you were given control of the Executive Ground?”

A single attack from that blade of compressed sand – no, a single tackle – would be enough to kill Miyabi, but he directly faced and shouted at that colossus.

“That isn’t what you want to do. That’s what’s been forced onto you!”

“Silence. You have no right to speak about our inner feelings.”

“That’s right. Our feelings are our own!”

“…Our?” Something bothered him about that, so he pursued that feeling. “Our, us, we. You’re always talking about the two of you together and never just yourself! So whose feelings are really in control of the Godhorn Tech!?”

“!?”

“!?”

The twins trembled in response.

“You decide this is the right thing to do because your sister says so.” The more he spoke, the more the idea felt wrong to him. “The people do it to you, you do it to them, and you do it to your sister! Everyone is shoving responsibility for your decisions onto each other!! So what do you have that’s your own? That’s why you can’t control the Godhorn Tech. Who does the Executive Ground really belong to!?”

Godhorn Techs were controlled through a contract.

Miyabi, Celina, and even inhuman Number 8 had faced their strongest power through a 1-on-1 contract. The Icicle Bullet had been controlled by majority rule determined by Eliza and the rest of the chosen knights, but that was because they each understood the importance of their vote and cast it with the appropriate tension.

They knew their choices would have significant results.

But what if someone lacked that realization?

This had nothing to do with the “mood” of the ruins or a lack of skill on the twins’ part. This nation had erred from the very beginning. It made perfect sense that they were incapable of holding their Godhorn Tech’s reins.

“I-I…”

“No, we…!!”

It came from head on.

The subterranean tank fired ultra-pressurized sand from its gaping maw. A direct hit from that would cleave through a rocky mountain like a giant’s sword.

But Miyabi did not even flinch.

He only swept his empty hand to the side and packed together sand to create a Decoy Wall. By diverting their aim just slightly, the nightmarish attack tore through the air right next to him.

He kept his eyes on them and raised his voice again.

“I’ll drag you out of that centerless cradle, so do some self-reflection, Acacia, Ixea! I won’t act like you’re both basically the same. I will hear what it is each of you really want individually!!”

They had said he could destroy a country on a whim, so he would show them that he could also save two girls on a whim. And to do that, he was willing to face the Godhorn Tech that was a collection of all of the desert nation’s power.

The Lucifer Horn’s beam could tear through the sand and the metal maw could approach through the ground to devour Miyabi.

Then there was the white mask.

The Lord of Ruin acted as a wild card in this fight.

The Executive Ground had been troubled by the glass made from melted sand, but it forcibly shattered the cooled and solidified glass to free its thick bits and rollers.

It was close enough now that a glass shard scraped Miyabi’s cheek.

But he did not have time to worry about that. If it dove back below the surface, he would lose his chance to win this. He forgot all about backing away as he stabbed his control sword into the hot sand.

A giant magic circle opened at his feet.

“That won’t…!!”

“…work again!!”

The twins shouted from the fully-opened mouth.

He ignored their claim because he was not thinking of melting the sand to create more glass. That Godhorn Tech was used to protect an entire nation, so he had never expected the same move to work more than once.

“Lucifer Horn, break it down!!”

With a deafening boom, the Executive Ground was once more repelled from the sand, but this time its tooth-like blades and rollers were not gummed up with melted glass.

A massive bomb had fallen and exploded on the surface.

It initially only seemed to damage the surface, but that was not the case.

“Your Executive Ground might rule this desert, but loose sand isn’t nearly as hard as packed-together sand, is it!?”

Alicia brought a test tube to her mouth, drank the physical boosting potion within, and gave a fierce roar.

“Ha ha. I see. A gravity anomaly, huh? Gravity is actually different at some points on the continent. For example, the locations of iron ore deposits hidden below the desert. You altered the density to create an obstacle that can, for a brief moment, stop the subterranean tank in its tracks!!”

The Lord of Ruin was approaching.

The unwanted third party approached the desert Godhorn Tech and his blade flashed as it was released from its scabbard.

That was enough to cause some kind of emergency because the curled-up serpent collapsed flat down on the sand. It looked to be more than 70m long, proving yet again that Godhorn Techs were absurd. How could something so large move so freely through the sand?

Miyabi did not have time to lament this unexpected attack.

“Now’s my chance!!” he shouted instead.

He stabbed his control sword into the ground and a white beam stabbed down from the sky.

The serpentine silhouette writhed in agony. Its three round armor pieces wriggled as its maw opened wide and the girls’ voices emerged.

“Kh, how dare you!!”

“We need the Executive Ground!!”

Miyabi had a fundamental question about this.

He looked to his heart, searched out the question there, and let it out.

Definite power filled the ordinary boy’s words.

“Is that Godhorn Tech really protecting your nation? The Republic doesn’t have one and the Arsenal Kingdom got rid of theirs, but they’re still doing just fine!”

Acacia snapped back at him.

They were cheap words drawn out on reflex.

“It is our only defense against that enemy right there! The Lord of Ruin!!”

“He never would have attacked if not for the Godhorn Tech!!”

“…”

“…”

The twin girls said nothing more.

They fell silent.

“Oh, did that actually get through to them?” hesitantly asked Alicia.

“Then what about you?”

But the older twin’s strangely gloomy words left the great serpent’s mouth, soon followed by the younger twin’s.

“That’s right, sister. All other Godhorn Tech owners are a threat. It is our duty to fight them.”

“It’s not working!!” Helen looked up into the sky. “You aren’t reaching them!!”

“Do we have to stop them by force after all?” asked Eliza, raising her lance.

Miyabi was actually smiling.

Belligerently.

“Fine by me. This just means we duke it out until we reach an understanding.”

“Well said!!” responded Onelife for some reason. “I’m sick of running away. Nwohhhhh!! It’s time for a chat through the medium of violence!!”

It was time to really do it.

That one strike from the masked Lord of Ruin had been powerful indeed. The subterranean tank was left lying out on the sand, which meant something had gone wrong and it could not dive back below the sand. And before the 70m colossus could recover, direct hits from Kananka’s boomerang, Miyabi’s control sword, and more pushed its writhing past the limit.

Onelife Shiftup scored a direct hit.

This went beyond his imperial prosthetic or control blade. With him, you were lucky if an attack could be described scientifically at all. The real threat was when he used his muscles to throw all that troublesome logic to the curb. Yes, he forcibly held one of the many rollers in place with his arms.

“Hwa ha ha!! I slaid a Wicked God with my own two hands! Did you think the Lord of Ruin was the only monster out there!?”

“…”

The blade flashed without warning.

The white mask kept them from reading the man’s emotions, but the Lord of Ruin sent a merciless attack toward Onelife’s neck after he announced he had killed a Wicked God.

“Oh, no you don’t!!”

Celina’s bullet intercepted the line of light, redirecting it ever so slightly. Otherwise, it would have sliced right through Onelife’s protectively raised arms and his neck behind them.

The Lord of Ruin fell back, expecting a counterattack.

A giant morning star connected with electricity crashed into the sandy ground. Without that, a series of sword strikes would have reached the pirate. The path of the attacks bent again and again, like thunderbolts on their way to the ground.

“Thanks! You saved my rear!!”

“I require no thanks. I was only hoping to break his mask and get a look at his face, but he moved too quickly.”

“But what’s with all the support and defense? Nhh, since when am I Mr. Popular!?”

“Be warned, everyone. Show an idiot some kindness and he will get the wrong idea.”

The woman who braved the night life as a bunny girl could be cold about such things.

Eliza Silverstorm held her giant lance at her hip and kicked powerfully off the sand.

The meathead was not the only one to make a charge.

But they were not after the Lord of Ruin.

They had said from the beginning that their target was the Executive Ground. They had said their object was to rescue the twin priestesses.

So they did not hesitate.

“Once more!!!!!!”

Approaching from another angle, she jabbed her lance into a gap in one of the joints in the great serpent’s armor. It was meant to hinder movement more than cause damage.

And once the serpent had been slowed even slightly, she raised her voice.

“Miyabi, deliver the finishing-!?”

A dull snapping sound cut the chosen knight off.

Her method had been correct. She had done her very best, but the Executive Ground did something unexpected.

It forced itself to move with the lance still piercing it.

One of its enormous gears broke and shattered, sending shards larger than the average axe blade soaring through the air. One metal fragment spun through the air and hit Miyabi right in the face.

The color red flew.

“Boy!?” shouted Alicia before she was rendered speechless.

A line of red blood ran across the boy’s cheek just below his right eye. A few centimeters higher and it might have gouged his entire eye out.

But.

Miyabi Blackgarden’s challenging gaze was unchanged. He did not even reach up to feel the wound.

Because they were right there.

Those girls had been given the massive power of a Godhorn Tech, but they had not been given even a taste of freedom. The priests and the people had shoved all the country’s troubles on those girls’ shoulders until they were being crushed below the weight.

Their lives were being threatened by a foe as fearsome as the Lord of Ruin, but they had been left out here all alone, not a single person in their country attempting to help them.

(No.)

Miyabi Blackgarden clenched his teeth.

He squeezed his control sword in both hands so tight he seemed to be cursing his own word choice.

(You aren’t all alone There’s someone here for you. There is someone stupid enough to rush out into the desert for you and stand between you and the Lord of Ruin’s blade. And it’s not just me. That describes every single one of us out here right now!!)

He was not afraid of any pain he could ignore by clenching his teeth.

Unfortunate coincidences and a mocking destiny were not worth fearing.

If he could reach out and find them – if he could help bring them freedom as long as he did not give up – then this temporary blood loss wasn’t worth even a moment’s thought!!

So.

The possessor of a Wicked God horn gave a roar while slamming his sword blade into the desert at his feet.

This was the only way to show respect for the strait-laced knight who gave him this opportunity.

He could only do this because she had done everything she could to rescue those twins.

So he had to make sure she would not regret that decision.

“I’ve got this, Eliza!! Tactical open!!!!!!”

First, a bomb was dropped and detonated in midair.

That on its own was meaningless.

At most, it could sweep all the fine sand from the desert sky. With the air cleaned of all impurities, a beam of light shot down from heaven to earth.

This time, the brutal light scored a direct hit on the serpent.

The utmost care was taken to ensure it did not hit Eliza who was still nearby, a sharpshooting feat akin to shooting an apple off someone’s head with a bow and arrow.

A strange sound left the great maw.

It was not the girls’ voices this time.

Maybe it was the accumulated damage and maybe it was as safety feature kicking in, but Acacia and Ixea were spat from the great maw. They collapsed into the hot sand with the tail chains jangling from the back of their hips.

“Ugh!?”

“Ghh!”

Just as the Lord of Ruin directed his sword in their direction, Miyabi stabbed his sword into the sand and the Lucifer Horn passed by overhead with a fearsome gust of wind.

A brutal beam of light tore across the ground, creating a wall of flames between the Lord of Ruin and the twins.

After protecting them with that massive shield, Miyabi faced the Lord of Ruin directly.

This was who he wanted to be.

Gone were the days when he would look the other way and flee.

“…”

“Stand back, Lord of Ruin!! This isn’t your fight!!!!!!”

Something strange happened.

The Lord of Ruin slowly raised his demon sword again and then stopped moving.

This was no attack; it was more like someone brushing aside the cobweb in front of their face. It was a passive action, not an active one. He was measuring the distance between them and attempting to read his opponent’s breathing. Almost like he was trying to judge Miyabi’s intentions.

A painfully tense equilibrium formed between their blades.

It made no difference how much distance there was between the two blade tips.

Miyabi was silently asking about the old man’s stance on this battle. Before entering the direct clash, he used his sword to ask how the Lord of Ruin hoped to win.

It was such a foolish and childish question.

In true combat, how you won was irrelevant. His opponent could have shoved past the boy while insisting that history was written by the victors.

But the Lord of Ruin was different.

In whatever form it took, he was still a king. So he would not ignore that childish question.

But.

Someone else was even more confused.

Ixea spoke in a groaning voice while lying on the ground, the hot sand lightly burning her skin.

“Wh-what? Why did you save us?”

“No, sister. We must return to the Executive Ground.”

“Not yet!!” shouted Miyabi, his control sword directed toward the distant Lord of Ruin as a warning.

This miracle would not last forever. The boy himself did not understand what was allowing him to stop the Lord of Ruin’s attack right now.

But it gave him a tiny, seemingly impossible opportunity.

If he did not use that to grab the small hands sticking out from the stormy ocean, he would never find them again.

So he would make use of this opportunity no matter what!!

“You still haven’t told me why you want to fight so badly!! That’s a singular you! I want to know what you think, Acacia! And what you think, Ixea!”

Silence followed.

Then the words spilled from the twin sisters while they tasted sand.

“Because…”

“Because…”

It sounded like they were regurgitating an imprinted idea.

“Because we have to repay the priests for taking us in,” said Acacia.

“That’s what the priests want.”

“Because we can’t protect the country without the Godhorn-” began Ixea.

“That’s what the people want!”

There was more to this. Something was still hidden deeper.

Miyabi believed people were not so simple. He had bet his own life on the idea.

Acacia and then Ixea gave individual answers.

“Because my sister…”

“Because my sister is working so hard.”

“That’s just what the sisters want!!!!!!”

No.

That wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

They were holding back and giving the wholesome answer people expected of them, but their heart wasn’t in it.

Which was why the Executive Ground would not respond.

It could not.

It wanted something else. It might be pathetic and it might be unsightly, but there had to be some pure, unadulterated feelings born deep within their hearts. Once the Godhorn Tech heard that, it would lend each girl as much power as they needed.

In a way, the Executive Ground had seen this country’s cruelties more than anyone else. It had seen how everyone piled more and more pressures on those girls, pushing them ever closer to the breaking point.

It didn’t matter if it was messy and ugly. Because revealing those things without fear was a form of trust.

They only had to cast it all aside and be honest about what they wanted.

Their talents were wasted like this.

And Miyabi was not going to let it end like this.

No matter what it took.

“…”

“…”

“Forget what everyone else wants. You don’t need to put yourself in harm’s way for anyone’s reasons but your own!! What is it you really wanted to do! I’m not interested in what anyone else has to say! What did you each want as individuals!?”

“…”

“…”

And.

Finally.

The girls’ true selves emerged from the great depths in which they had buried themselves.

“I don’t want to mess with the Godhorn Tech.”

“I want to be free to do what I want with my sister.”

It was twisted.

They weren’t in sync.

“I…”

“I…!!”

They were at odds.

They did not fit together at all.

“I want to go see the rest of the world!”

“I want to stay home and relax!”

Miyabi smiled.

He couldn’t help it, although he did keep his control sword at the ready.

“I finally got different answers out of the two of you. But that’s how it should be.”

Lowering his sword from the Lord of Ruin would be much too dangerous. The tension squeezing at his heart was equivalent to crossing a deep ravine on a bridge made from a single long hair.

But he did not hesitate to stab his control sword into the ground. Because the elation he felt was even greater.

He had extracted what each sister really wanted. He had stripped their thoughts bare. He had convinced them to trust him that much. What good was the Lucifer Horn if he would not use it here?

He opened the magic circle and spoke.

“From the control sword to the horn core – tactical open!”

He would end this here.

That thought was enough to erase all fear of the bleeding below his eye.

He could worry about that later.

Right now, all his focus needed to be on Acacia and Ixea’s futures.

He would do whatever it took to clear a path for them each.

He would create them each a future.

And for that, he was willing to endure any pain and battle any adversary!!!!!!

“This is my way of saying thanks. So answer their honest desires, forced onto them by no one, Lucifer Horn!!”

A tremendous blast blew away the colossal weapon that had bound those twins.

It was over.

The Executive Ground had been destroyed.

Its wreckage and components were strewn across the vast desert. Would this too become known as “ruins” one day?

But not everything was over.

“…”

The Lord of Ruin silently turned to face Miyabi.

Miyabi moved in front of collapsed Acacia and Ixea and raised his control sword.

But.

He realized he had made a fundamental misunderstanding.

Despite the white mask’s lack of eyes, the Lord of Ruin’s gaze pierced the center of the boy’s body like a sharp stake. The tip of his demon blade remained fixed on Miyabi.

He was a king.

He did not make a habit of finishing off those who had already lost to another.

The Lord of Ruin always chose to battle whoever possessed the strongest power.

The killer intent emanating from him was refreshingly pure in its bluntness.

Miyabi actually felt bad for doubting him as he waited this long.

“Sorry, Lord of Ruin.”

“I had a feeling it would come to this,” said the radio watching the two swords held at the ready.

No one could stop this now.

The crystal radio knew that, but it still expressed regret.

“You got rid of the Godhorn Tech holding him at bay, so of course he goes straight for you now!”

“I will destroy.” A muffled voice emerged from the smooth mask. “I will destroy all Godhorn Techs.”

These were the words of a king who had converted his solid conviction into actual combat power.

Seeing his opponent save someone was not enough to shake his resolve.

“They should not be. I will correct the mistake I introduced into the world!”

Miyabi also kept his eyes on the Lord of Ruin.

The Lord of Ruin saw him as an enemy. He had diverted his attention from his immediate target to focus on Miyabi instead. Calamity Revenge was no longer directed toward Acacia and Ixea. Miyabi could not let that go to waste.

The time had come to face the greatest of foes.

Miyabi Blackgarden again adjusted his grip on the control sword.

“Everyone, take care of Acacia and Ixea.”

“Koo?”

“He’s after me since I have a Godhorn Tech. I’ll keep his attention!!”

“You will not escape.”

As soon as the words were spoken, an impossible explosion occurred right next to Miyabi.

Celina screamed.

Muscular Onelife immediately moved to protect her and was blasted backwards.

Did the man see the rest of his party as targets too?

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!!” screamed the radio at Alicia’s neck. “That pirate’s in imbecile, but didn’t he slay a Wicked God all on his own!? And yet he was taken out in a single blast!?”

What had happened?

This attack had come from a different direction, so it couldn’t have been from the Lord of Ruin.

The magical explosion almost seemed to have blocked the escape route for Miyabi’s party members, but something wasn’t right. That had been a projectile attack. An arrow had flown in, stabbed into the ground, and then exploded. That wasn’t at all how the Lord of Ruin did things.

Was someone else working with him?

Number 8 carefully observed their surroundings.

“A bow and arrow? Are we trapped?”

And.

Alicia Blueforest felt a cold sweat despite the heat of the sand.

“Wait, this arrow…”

She seemed to have some idea who this person connected to the masked old man was.

“But it couldn’t be!”

Then they heard a voice.

It came from the same direction as the arrow.

Someone slowly emerged from behind a sand dune and addressed Alicia.

“It has been so very long since I saw you and your healthy forest.”

“The revenge mercenary…Elaine Greenforest!?”

She had silky semi-long silver hair, brown skin…and long ears. She wore special goggles over her eyes, perhaps to assist with her magical bow. The goggles did not cover her full face like the Lord of Ruin’s mask did. While the Lord’s gave the impression he would coldly hunt down and kill any who fit his criteria, her exposed mouth gave her a more cruel and mocking look.

She wore sheer, white clothing similar to a see-through negligee, but the additional decorations made it look something like a princess’s dress.

She held a large bow that resembled a twisted harp.

The many things spread out around her scantily-clad hips like a large skirt appeared to be quivers.

She was from the Greenforest race of elves.

Hadn’t their party member Lillian Greenforest also used that last name? And hadn’t she said that the scattered dark elves were all intent on destroying humanity?

The radio responded to the appearance of this girl in a white dress so sheer her skin color showed through.

“Hey, you didn’t tell me you were friends with an ultra-rare dark elf! Introduce me!”

“The Greenforest race’s forest was burned down by the Empire.” Alicia sounded like she was reliving a nightmare. “And this is the Godhorn Tech user who retaliated by burning down the entire Empire.”

“…”

A cracking sound hinted at something happening within Number 8 despite his unchanged expression.

Alicia clenched her teeth and shouted at the other elf.

“I was wondering where you had gotten off to!!”

“I don’t want to hear any complaints about a last-minute helper when you’re fighting as a group,” whispered the long-eared goggle girl with a smile on her visible lips.

The Lord of Ruin was blunt.

“Enough talk. Fulfill your contract, girl.”

“Yes, yes. Whew, you have been cursed bad if you can legitimately treat such a long-lived elf like a young girl. Do the hidden rules of this world bind you like invisible chains?”

“?” Kananka noticed something. “Do her weird goggles let her detect spirit pressure? No, that’s not it.”

“…”

The Lord of Ruin said nothing.

Elaine shrugged and sighed, as if surrendering to the silent pressure coming from his mask.

“Yes, fine. We’ll have to end our delightful chat here. Sorry my client is so impatient.”

Her feet audibly trod on the hot sand.

She nocked an arrow to her large bow and slowly pulled the string taut while whispering to herself. The incantation created a fire that transformed the sharp arrowhead like a melted sugar sculpture.

“Rainmaker: Thunderstorm – Category 5. Gather, cataclysm. Heaven is ruled by the number 3, so the three-pronged arrowhead contains the thunderclouds.”

The metal arrowhead split in three on its own and a blinding light appeared between the prongs, as if lightning were gathering there. How was it contained there and what would unleash it? Miyabi did not want to know anything about this threat, but his focus was naturally drawn toward the light.

They were trapped between the Lord of Ruin and Elaine.

He was unsure if he should direct his sword ahead or behind.

“I can hear them weeping.”

“Kh…”

Helen groaned as she covered Miyabi’s back so he could continue facing the Lord of Ruin.

The old man spoke beneath his mask. His muffled voice contained a, concentrated and malevolent heat. He may not have meant for anyone else to hear it.

“I will not let any more horns be taken. I will destroy the very idea that Wicked God horns have value!!”

“Oh, no! We have no escape route!”

Eliza clenched her teeth and looked this way and that.

But it was too late.

There was no cover to be found in the open desert.

“I must end this. I must bring death to all the sinful horn owners!!”

Just then, Elaine Greenforest unleashed the energy built up in her bow. White light burned through the air, leaving a glowing trail behind. The magic arrow tore through the air with terrifying speed.

And.

It flew straight toward the Lord of Ruin, her supposed client.

“Eh!?”

The dull sound of impact was so raw that Miyabi thought his own heart had stopped.

The sound came from the center of the old man’s chest.

His surprise was palpable even with the smooth white mask covering his face.

“Ghh!?”

“Yes, I will carry out your revenge without delay. You asked for the destruction of all Godhorn Tech users. That includes you, doesn’t it? I wouldn’t want to leave the contract incomplete, now would I?”

Miyabi felt no relief.

Elaine Greenforest’s smile was much too dark.

When Onelife finally managed to get back up, he was trembling from what had happened, not from his own pain.

“A-a sneak attack?”

“I never knew even cowardice could appear impressive when taken far enough!!” spat out Eliza.

But Elaine did not seem to care.

She lived in an entirely different world from the knight.

“Yes, this is revenge.”

This was someone who had dedicated her entire being to that one word.

The dark elf girl grinned darkly with the goggles hiding her eyes.

“I am not in the business of helping people. You loathed yourself, so I will heal that rotten wound that can only be closed with misfortune and tragedy.”

“Gwohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?” roared the Lord of Ruin.

But the arrowhead embedded in his chest detonated first.

Everything was dyed white.

By the time Miyabi could see once more, the Lord of Ruin was nowhere to be found.

Was he collapsed behind one of the rolling dunes?

Or…?

“But you had the same plan, didn’t you? You wanted to destroy the Godhorn Techs and their users, so I bet you planned to finish it out by killing me and then killing yourself.”

Only the demon sword remained.

But the dark elf did not let the Godhorn Tech remain stabbed into the sand.

“Just to be thorough☆”

“!?”

“He hired me to eliminate every Godhorn Tech and their users, after all.”

With a shockingly ordinary thunk, an additional arrow stabbed into Calamity Revenge’s blade. She actually stuck her tongue out as she did so.

Another explosion.

More white.

Once the dazzling flash had faded, only Elaine remained standing. It seemed unlikely the silver-haired, brown-skinned girl could have defeated the Lord of Ruin in a direct battle, but she had something that allowed her to tear down the rules of a direct battle. There was something so terribly disconcerting about her.

The special goggles made it impossible to follow the movement of her eyes.

The goggles could not just be to keep the sand out, but it was unclear what kind of support they provided. Whatever they did, they made a deadly combination with her bow and arrow.

Since no one could not read the emotion in her eyes, the way she licked her lips appeared all the creepier.

“Now, what to do about the rest of you?”

“…”

But Miyabi’s thoughts had turned elsewhere.

He pointed out something he had noticed.

“Even as he was dying, the Lord of Ruin never did use a sorcery bomb.”

Eliza realized he was right.

“Now that you mention it. But what does that matter?”

“We now know the 11th wasn’t Acacia, Ixea, or the Lord of Ruin.” Miyabi glared at this new threat with his control sword in hand. “But we’ve seen all the Godhorn Tech users.”

Miyabi, Celina, Eliza, Number 8, Kananka, Onelife, the Necromancer, Acacia, Ixea, and the Lord of Ruin made 10.

And the very last person on the list was Elaine Greenforest.

“The job must continue even without the client, so maybe I should continue his revenge.”

“You’re the last one left. Are you the 11th?”

“…”

Hearing Miyabi’s suggestion, Number 8 silently glared at Elaine. She used a bow and arrow, magical explosions, and (most importantly) betrayal. She was a true monster who had gone out of her way to choose cruelly deceptive tactics and one-shotted the Lord of Ruin. It went without saying what would happen if they tried to attack her without a plan.

And dying here would accomplish nothing.

It was Number 8’s many past regrets that allowed him to resist the urge to rush in for a simple attack.

Miyabi hated it.

The butler automaton was working so hard to resist, so Miyabi hated how he couldn’t resist speaking up himself.

“Are you placing sorcery bombs around the continent just like you once destroyed the Empire!?”

“Oh, now that one was fun. Fish and frogs rained from the sky. Those humans had never doubted their own science, so seeing them fall to their knees and pray to a god they claimed not to believe in was the funniest thing ever. No, scratch that. The funniest part was how they were killed by the very rusty mana they had created themselves☆”

“…!!”

Number 8 clenched his teeth hard.

Miyabi thought he could actually hear the artificial teeth grinding together.

This was someone who would destroy a country on a whim. This was what Miyabi could have become.

“From the control bow to the horn core – tactical open!”

She recited it in a singsong voice.

The instant the bottom of her bow stabbed into the sand, a sinister magic circle appeared at her feet.

“High-altitude blimp Godhorn Tech: Huge Eye.”

Something floated overhead.

A giant shadow began to blot out the sun overhead.

This ruler of the sky was on an entirely different level. It followed a completely different concept from the Lucifer Horn that tore through the air with its wings. This strange flying object was shaped more like a big sphere. It almost looked like a black skull. Its size was unclear. They could see it, but it was too far away to trust the apparent scale.

“Tch!!”

Miyabi readied his control sword and prepared to stab it into the ground.

But he stopped.

He could open the magic circle and summon the Lucifer Horn…but then what?

The unidentified Godhorn Tech was so far above it looked like a speck. Yes, it’s altitude was simply too great. It floated well above where the Lucifer Horn flew.

The bomber fired its weapons down from above.

It was not made to target something positioned higher than it!

And the high-altitude blimp did not release a downpour of heavy steel beams, nor did it tear through the ground with a powerful beam of light.

Just as Miyabi had feared, it did not at all attack like a bomber.

Elaine Greenforest smiled as she spoke.

This was the brown girl who had sunk the fangs of vengeance into a symbol of the artificial after her natural forest had been burned to the ground.

“Blow it all away and raze it to the ground♪”

There was a gust, a gale, a squall, a tempest.

All forms of windy violence produced a massive explosion that assaulted Miyabi’s party.

It was a storm.

The Huge Eye was a Godhorn Tech that controlled meteorological disasters.

And it had once destroyed an entire empire using that.

It was the master of natural disasters.

Meanwhile at Horn Fortress 6

“Whoa!?”

Iris Tempinvy, the dancer and recovery magic researcher, looked up despite being inside a stone building.

The magical lighting had suddenly gone out, leaving the windowless corridor in darkness.

And the trouble was not isolated to her location.

“What? Why did the shower just shut off? Did I make another bad bet in life?”

“Just put a towel on, you gambling-obsessed bunny. And why were you wearing your bunny ears in the shower?”

“Wait, can you see in the dark?”

By biting her canine tooth into an herbal flower petal instilled with moonlight, Iris could see every single drop of water falling from Eluné Jackpot’s twintails.

Iris sighed with pupils unnaturally dilated.

“This isn’t a failure of any magic in particular. We keep adding more and more to Horn Fortress, but I’m not sure I ever heard what was at the core.”

“I dunno either. Some kind of generator maybe? Or a transmission? Anyway, that old dwarf would know best how all the magic works. Damn that old man. No matter how cutely I beg him, he still won’t build me a casino.”

The bunny girl failed to mention that she had been carving driftwood and stones to create her own dice and dominos. She had even gotten the help of Phobia, the gang daughter who had previously wanted her dead, and Charlotte, the mermaid who got bored after 3 seconds of inactivity, to sneak into the printing room and try to create some playing cards.

Once the dancer walked through the dark, castle-like structure in search of Garret Goldcave, she found him almost immediately. He must not have liked to use magic for anything other than construction because he had already been relying on candlelight.

The light was dazzling to Iris since she had drugged herself to see in the dark.

“It uses the Wicked God horn,” said Garret.

“The horn?”

“Yes. This place was given to Miyabi by the Lucifer Horn, after all. I assume you have noticed how any magic we activate stays in effect without us needing to supply any more power. The massive core powering it all is the Wicked God horn itself. So Horn Fortress’s very existence grows unstable when either Miyabi or the Lucifer Horn are defeated.”

“For real? Then could the entire island sink into the ocean if they die? So our fates are decided by some battle fought on the other side of the world?”

“It is a distinct possibility. Why do you think we’re creating useful tools here and sending them to the front line?”

“I see,” sighed the bare-midriff dancer.

In the darkness, her thoughts turned toward her secret weapon. It existed in her territory: the clinic.

The alluring researcher placed a lithe finger on her chin and winked.

“Then maybe I should send them something useful as well. I’m sick of simply doing what I’m told back here, so I’ll send them something that’s sure to throw them all off balance and send everything in a different direction.”

“?”

“Yes, she would do nicely.”

Profiles

Acacia Flightheart

Ixea Flightheart

Age: 13

Sex: Female

Height: 145cm

Twin sisters with the highest position among the priestesses who access the desert religious nation’s ancient ruins to distribute water and other blessings to the people. Acacia is the older twin and Ixea the younger. A priest discovered their talent while they were living on the streets and they were given the privilege of controlling the Executive Ground. Neither sister is very assertive and it can be hard to tell what they are thinking. Their duty is to protect their nation, but are having some unexplained difficulties.

Ginger Sandstrike

Age: 17

Sex: Male

Height: 185cm

A “guardian” in the desert religious nation who takes items related to people’s past and hides them deep in unexplored ruins. He had the legendary assassin Shadow Crack sent after him after a client lost trust in him, but he has dealt with so many sketchy jobs he has no idea which client it might have been. He is trying to escape Shadow Crack while also searching out the person who put the hit out on him.

Godhorn Tech Subterranean Tank: Executive Ground

Pilot: Acacia Flightheart & Ixea Flightheart

Affiliation: Pure Hibis Aclia Oracle Nation

Size: 5m diameter, 75m length

A Godhorn Tech based on the pyramids derived from the mythology worshiped by Acacia and Ixea. Looks like a massive snake and makes the entire desert its ally by traveling freely through the ground to attack its enemies. Just as a pyramid grants greater authority the more grave goods it contains, it increases its power by swallowing more people. Since the “grave goods” were generally buried alive, these people need not be killed as they are eaten. However, the interior environment is poor and there is a risk of asphyxiation during a long-term battle. Design motif: pyramids and mummies.

Rose Dollycastle

Age: 12

Sex: Female

Height: 145cm

When lost in a mountain blizzard and surrounded by monsters, she grabbed a cursed chain and broke its seal to protect her family. Ever since, her body has been fully hijacked by the chain. But the chain’s mind does not approve of sacrificing another intelligent being to possess a body of its own, so it is journeying in search of someone that can destroy it. Since it is only borrowing the body, it shows no mercy against anyone who would try to harm the girl.

Godhorn Tech Demon Sword: Calamity Revenge

Wielder: Lord of Ruin

Affiliation: None

Length: 1.4m

Contains a juvenile Wicked God’s horn and carries a powerful curse. Brings its wielder victory, but creates new conflict in return. Its curse is powerful, but the used curse must bring harm to the user as well. It cannot curse just the enemy. Thus, the use of killing curses is theoretically possible, but would realistically mean self-destruction. Design motif: Geas.

Lord of Ruin

Apparent Age: 70 (actual age unknown)

Sex: Male

Height: 178cm

An ancient king who created history’s first Godhorn Tech by breaking off a Wicked God horn and placing it within his own sword. To obtain a horn from a creature too powerful for a human to defeat, he chose to slay a juvenile. He regrets that foolish choice and feels intense hatred for the individuals and groups that have constructed Godhorn Techs after him. He has lived far longer than a single lifespan should allow for, but he appears to keep his body moving through sheer force of will, like a curse burned into his very flesh.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8 Section 1

The ruling king said a vengeful heart was the greatest power.

Little did he know he himself would fall to a blade of vengeance.

The redheaded boy awoke in a cheap inn bed.

He guessed this was the desert nation. He based that guess on the pillow being stuffed with wheat or some other grain, the ceiling being made of stone, and the thin curtain fluttering in a dry breeze. The light shining in through the window suggested it was daytime.

“Ugh…”

“Oh, you’re awake.”

He heard a decadent female voice.

The face staring down at Miyabi Blackgarden belonged to the Necromancer.

“If you had stayed out a little longer, I could have run some interesting tests on you in the name of resurrecting you.”

“Wait…what are you doing here?”

“My boss was just wiping down your body. Very thoroughly, I might add. Were you hoping for something more than that?”

“!?”

The boy sat up in a hurry and immediately felt agonizing pain running through his entire back. He writhed around unable to scream or even breathe. He had lost track of where the chaff pillow had ended up.

“Gah, abwehhh!!!???”

The Necromancer laughed.

“Like I said, you were on the verge of needing an experimental resurrection, so you’re not over the pain yet. Living is full of inconveniences, don’t you think? Now, do you want a powerful drug, or will you bear with the pain?”

“Ah, gah. …I-I’m not taking anything you’re offering. It’ll probably get rid me of the pain by turning me into a zombie.”

“Hm, too bad. But watching you writhe in pain is enjoyable in its own way. The Lucifer Horn carried me here from that Horn Fortress place. Do not forget that I am recuperating under your protection. If you kick the bucket, I lose the peace I need to heal my wound.”

“Carried? You mean you went there and came back?”

“Carrying someone all that way can’t be easy. Fortunately, it feels like it takes no time at all if you make the trip in a suspended animation coffin. I arrived here while frozen in time.”

Did that mean the trip was so terrifying even the Necromancer felt the need to do that? He was a long way off from developing a luxurious sky cruise.

But anyway.

“…”

The Necromancer had been sent here to help. Maybe it was possible for the flying Godhorn Tech to carry her here, but Miyabi could not have given the command while unconscious.

Had the Lucifer Horn done it of its own volition?

Why?

The hat on her head spoke with a child’s voice. Whether or not it really was a child was suspect, though.

“Boss, have you decided to turn over a new leaf?”

“Heh heh heh. I realized the quickest path to being given free rein is to do good deeds. Commit a wee bit of murder just once over your long life and they execute you, but take the side of justice and they praise you for signing the execution papers. Even if you end up authorizing the deaths of dozens every year. Heh heh heh. Morality is entirely determined by your role in society. And as long as people find it useful, they never want to remove a gear in their society, no matter how old and rusted it has become. Heh heh heh heh heh.”

“That’s my boss! You can make healing people’s wounds and saving their lives sound sinister!”

It all sounded like a series of jokes, but she had in fact saved his life.

He rested his head on the chaff pillow and stared up at her in confusion, so she sighed and spoke.

“Do you find it that strange to see me saving someone?”

“You’re the one that told us to make ourselves into ghosts if we wanted to talk to you.”

“And that is what I would prefer.” Even the decadent woman’s most casual comments were frightening. “But only because I am interested in researching life and death. I ignore morality because it insists on getting in my way, so nothing is forcing me to take the path of evil. I will do whatever it is I want and you can decide for yourself if it qualifies as good or evil.”

“…”

“Of course, when I see one of those noble freaks with a lab in their basement who think they can get away with anything if they call themselves necromancers, I can’t help but send in the fruits of my research to tear down their entire mansion☆” The researcher cruelly stuck out her tongue. “You use Compress Cargo, I assume? I recommend packing your bag with a lot of White Sorcery Tools separate from the pocket you have for immediate-use items. Especially when you know the terrain will not be in your favor.”

“Compress…” That reminded him of the person who used that magic. “Oh, right. Where’s Helen? Not to mention Alicia, Celina, and the others!”

“Have you still not noticed the other patients sleeping in this very room? Then you probably need more rest yourself. Still, there was nothing I could do for that automaton – Number 8, was it?”

“!?”

“I mean, he’s a magical automaton. But the Empire built them to last. I have no idea how he can still move after taking so much damage. If only necromancy and anatomy meant anything with that bucket of bolts.”

“Boss, Miyabi’s a beginner, so you need to tell him that’s a black joke before he has a heart attack.”

The hat tried to be helpful, but did that mean they were fine after all? The Necromancer sighed when she saw Miyabi was too shocked to blink.

“Patients who only ever tilt the scales toward life are so boring. Where’s the drama there? I’m not going to continue nursing you forever, so maybe I should let those twins handle the rest since they escaped the attack.”

All the strength drained from his body and the witch hat woman breathed an exasperated sigh.

“Really? You’re going to cry over that?”

“Am I crying?”

“Heh hee hee. Now, now, Miyabi. A real man never cries in front of a girl. I know my perfect boss seems comforting, but she’s actually dying for someone who can support her!”

“Silence, little one.”

“She’s just too much of a dreamer. And she’s still alone because she keeps holding reality to the standards of her dreams. She’s still waiting or her Prince Charming!”

“I said silence.”

“I see,” said Miyabi.

Alicia Blueforest, Helen Clockgear, and the others were safe. And if Acacia and Ixea had escaped the attack, they wouldn’t have been injured at all.

Thank goodness, he thought deep down.

Also, this was not just a case of being lucky. It never would have happened without the Necromancer’s help.

He felt like something may have gone wrong at some point.

What if she had found someone who would patiently speak with her and find some kind of compromise? What if someone had discussed limits with her instead of pushing her away as creepy? What if someone had avoided any conflict or friction and found a way to safely leave her to her own devices instead of trying to oppressively manage her? Then it was possible she might have left her name in history as a famous researcher.

But could he let that remain a mere hypothetical?

Was there really no way for Miyabi Blackgarden to become that person for her?

“I also found him out there.”

“Him who?”

Miyabi turned his heavy head to view the adjacent bed.

The Lord of Ruin was lying there.

“…”

“Whoa!?”

Seeing that masked face was enough for Miyabi to roll off his own bed in surprise. He nearly tore down the papyrus tapestry on the wall. The Necromancer gave him a look mixed with pity.

“Like I asked before, are you too weak to tell who you’re sharing a room with? If your vitals fall any further, you might need some nutrients or a vasopressor. Heh heh heh. Would you like an injection or an IV? Oh, or applying it to your mucous membranes could be fun. Maybe I should just fill every last one of your holes with it for good measure☆”

“B-but? But that’s the L-L-Lord of R-Ruin.”

“What, you didn’t make friends with him after fighting him? Then maybe I shouldn’t have saved him. Either way, he won’t be waking up anytime soon.”

“Don’t sweat it, boss. You’re new to this whole ‘saving people’ business, so you’re bound to screw up sometimes. Lucky for you, you’re cute when you screw up.”

Miyabi saw for himself that Alicia, Helen, and his other party members were lying in the beds. Except there were not enough beds, so Onelife Shiftup was seated on the examining table and nonhuman Number 8 was standing in the corner of the room. …But those two had a history with the Necromancer, so they did not look particularly happy.

The Necromancer ignored that entirely as she looked to something leaning against the wall.

It was the Lord of Ruin’s sword known as a katana.

“Calamity Revenge. The sword was supposedly made with a juvenile’s horn, but the inside has been fried. The sword looks the same, but it no longer functions as a horn.”

“Are you saying Elaine’s arrow did that?”

“If that was intentional, it was a miracle of a shot. You couldn’t even think up that attack without a deep understanding of Wicked Gods.”

The Necromancer herself was a heretical scientist who had used the full corpse of a Wicked God for her research, but this was enough to shock even her.

Elaine Greenforest.

She was a revenge mercenary, the final Godhorn Tech owner, and the 11th.

“?”

The scientist of death had a surprisingly childish look of confusion when Miyabi stared at her.

She had been resting in Horn Fortress to recover from her serious injury and she had been following the actions of Miyabi’s party that entire time. She was blackhearted, but it didn’t seem like she had played a role in the 11th business.

That meant Elaine was the most likely suspect.

“You should count yourself lucky she didn’t detonate a sorcery bomb back there. If she had, you would have been vaporized inside a glass crater.”

After a light knock, the door opened.

The twins Acacia and Ixea peeked inside. Come to think of it, hadn’t the Necromancer said they were spared the attack by the Huge Eye? Elaine may have stopped paying attention to them after Miyabi’s party destroyed their Executive Ground.

“I thought I heard a lot of noise in here. I am glad to see you awake.”

“We nearly lost our way again.”

Miyabi gave them a puzzled look from the floor.

“You asked us what it was we really wanted to do, remember?”

“We have given up our position as priestesses for the time being. We did lose the Godhorn Tech, after all. And the other priestesses can handle speaking with the ruins and extracting water.”

“But…” muttered Miyabi.

“From what they tell me, you are up against a Greenforest dark elf,” said the Necromancer. “Then why not head west from here and visit that razed forest? Heh heh heh. I’ve taken a look around to gather ‘materials’ a few times and it is quite a sight.”

“It’s home to vengeful spirits,” said the hat with an obvious smile in its voice.

Number 8 and Onelife were less than pleased with this new alliance. Not too surprising given how they had been treated.

“…”

“…”

Alicia and the radio put a stop to it.

“Stop.”

“(Fistfights aren’t the only form of justice. If you can’t trust her, then keep an eye on her at all times.)”

Elaine had hit them with a Godhorn Tech attack, so it was a miracle none of them had died. Miyabi carefully checked over his body and then decided to leave the desert nation. They would visit the dark elf forest said to be west of here. And this time, the Necromancer, Acacia, and Ixea would be with them.

But the Lord of Ruin was still in the bed. It was unclear if they could even bring him with them as an ally. Miyabi wanted to figure out how to deal with him before they left.

“So what do we do with him?”

“Yeah, leave him here and he might resume his Godhorn Tech slayer thing when he comes to.”

Miyabi’s eyes widened at the Necromancer’s rational prediction.

“Which is why I’m asking what we should do!”

“Why not trap him somewhere inescapable so we and the world can be safe?”

That only left one possibility.

“Lucifer Horn! Take him to Horn Fortress!!”

“So you finally admit that place is the world’s greatest prison, do you?”

The Necromancer whispered those forbidden words.

They still wanted to see more of the desert nation, but they could not stay here forever.

They had to deal with Elaine Greenforest.

Her Huge Eye could control disasters. They had been helpless against it last time, so if the Necromancer had not come running, some of them might have died.

But that was why they couldn’t leave that revenge mercenary out there. Not even the Lucifer Horn had been any help, so if an ordinary village was subjected to it, it would be a one-sided slaughter. And Elaine had indeed singlehandedly destroyed the powerful Empire to take revenge.

And what if she also had sorcery bombs as the 11th?

They knew exactly where to go.

Plus, there weren’t many places left on the continent they had to check.

They checked out of their inn and left the desert nation. They hadn’t been sure whether it would be better to leave during the day or the night, but they had ultimately settled on the day. There weren’t many landmarks in the desert, so they had feared overlooking one in the dark of the night. They could easily end up walking in circles throughout the night.

“We have to say goodbye to this nation’s food now,” grumbled Miyabi as he walked out through the stone gate.

They had bought some water and lunches of dried foods, but he was hesitant to eat that when he knew it was the last they had.

After walking through the desert a while, Helen looked back the way they had come.

Their footprints were plain to see in the fine sand, so they left a long, serpentine trail behind them.

“I can’t believe it, but I really have gotten used to the desert.”

“I’m afraid my usual forest will feel chilly now that I’m used to this heat,” ominously commented Alicia.

They were so accustomed to walking through the desert that they could actually chat while doing so.

Then the twins called out to Miyabi Blackgarden from behind.

“Miyabi, pant, wait up,” said Acacia.

“I’m thirsty, Miyabi. I want water,” said Ixea.

Helen’s eyes widened in surprise.

An outsider like the (busty) glasses woman was actually more accustomed to the desert climate.

“Eh? You’re kidding, right? You two are the first to call it quits!? But you’re locals! You’ve lived in this desert all your life!”

“Yes, but they were the people’s precious priestesses.” Alicia placed an exasperated hand on her hip. “They rarely left that well-maintained city or their fancy temple and they had escorts when they did travel to the desert ruins.”

Come to think of it, hadn’t they seen Acacia and Ixea’s camels running into the desert during the mess with the Executive Ground?

The priestesses were staggering like zombies, but they approached the redheaded boy from the side when they did catch up. They did not want to burn their butts on the sand, so they leaned on him for support in lieu of sitting down for a break.

The summer(?) festival of careless body contact had begun.

“Miyabi, I can’t keep this up.”

“Carry me, Miyabi.”

Eliza, who was even more strait-laced than Helen in some ways, stared in shock.

“Hold on!! You never told me the rules allowed for that!! Carry me too!!!!!!”

“What, is the heat getting to you again!? Don’t you have any resistance at all!? And you can’t justify anything and everything by claiming ‘the rules’ allow for it!!”

They were only two smaller girls, but the sun was beating down on him and the desert sand made for poor footing. The dunes were like ocean waves frozen in time, so it was a lot less flat than picture books let on. Miyabi had a lot of trouble with those two wearily clinging to him from either side. The twin attack plus the desert heat worked much like the hellish heat that swarms of weak bees used to kill powerful hornets.

Helen took a strong stance to get the healthy (and lewd) brown zombies off of him.

“Get away from him, you two. Your body heat is going to kill him.”

“……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Actually, it’s not all that bad.”

“Oh, right. I forgot how much of perv you are!!!!!! You can’t just accept everyone’s advances, you know!?”

“Pant, gasp.” Alicia wiped sweat from her brow. “But, boy, how can you tell those twins apart? I get mixed up when they’re right next to each other like this.”

“Really? They each have a pretty distinct ‘feel’ to them. Acacia is stricter and less accommodating while Ixea likes to cut corners.”

“Are you mocking me?” asked both twins at once.

The elf only looked more confused.

“See, they said the exact same thing.”

“Ixea is lazy, so she was only going along with her sister so she doesn’t have to think for herself. But if Acacia said she would carry all our luggage as a newcomer to the party, Ixea would immediately break away.”

Alicia stared at the twins, trying to tell them apart, but she only ended up feeling like a mirage was going to make her see three or four of them.

The radio hanging from her neck took a more condescending stance.

“Heh. Miyabi, I see you have stopped viewing them as the single category of ‘twins’ and instead discovered the unique charm of an older sister and a younger sister even if they are the same age. You are one step closer to being an adult of impeccable taste. Next, I recommend studying up on the difference between tights and stockings. That way you can immediately jump down the throat of anyone foolish enough to confuse them!!”

Was it bad that praise from the radio put him on the defensive?

Sweaty Acacia pouted her lips like a child while she draped her arms around his neck from the side and leaned her full body weight against him like the melted cheese on a piece of toast.

“Miyabi, you told us to do what we wanted to do as individuals, not as twins.”

“So I will find what I want to do in this vast world.”

They were completely serious.

This was the stereotypical result of an overly serious or strait-laced person shifting into gear in the wrong direction. He sometimes saw the phenomenon with Eliza Silverstorm and Number 8.

Then Acacia Flightheart spoke a forbidden word.

“…Meow.”

“Acacia!! Aren’t you taking our newfound freedom a little far!? Just because you wear cat ear decorations doesn’t mean you can so shamelessly clench a loose fist and bend your wrist like that!!!!!!”

“Ixea, I am searching for whatever it is I really want to do. And how can I judge that without trying it out for myself?”

The sterile environment had been contaminated. It felt like the contents of the sealed and sterilized container was being transformed.

“How long until they start figuring out who they want to do?” commented the radio, earning it a flurry of punches from the female party members.

Meanwhile, they heard a dull thud.

They looked over to see a Beast Nova surprisingly close by. They had failed to notice it earlier because a large dune was in the way. The scorpion was larger than they were and its head looked small compared to the rest of it. And a long arrow was sticking into the center of that head.

A young man in a green cape and hat approached the dead scorpion and pulled out the arrow.

Helen looked impressed.

“Wow, looks like he defeated the Beast Nova for free. Are you a volunteer who keeps the roads safe?”

“So hunting us down is considered a charitable act of love and peace now, is it?”

The glasses woman’s comment had the elf feeling blue, but the young man saw things differently.

“This is not for free. I get food out of it,” he said, turning back their way.

“You…eat these things?”

Miyabi looked skeptical, but that only confused the young man further.

“From that direction, you must have come from the desert nation. All the meat the street vendors sell is-”

“Stop – not a word more. I do not know who you are, but we bought some lunches there. You had better not scare us by insisting it’s made from something gross!!” shouted Celina Bodenburg, looking legitimately distressed.

“I’m Harber Snipe-Eat.” The young man with a bow did not seem to mind. “And you don’t need to worry about what you’re eating. The strong capture and eat the weak. That is the law of nature. And that includes the Wicked Gods spoken of in stories. Even they will wait for travelers on a desert path and devour them if they have no weapons or magic to defend themselves.”

“So anything is allowed if you’re strong enough?”

“Doesn’t that sound a lot truer to nature than being crushed by a swarm of the weak?”

People were not always going to agree, but using their greater numbers to insist on their point of view felt like it would be accepting his premise that anything is allowed if you are strong enough.

It was a lot smarter to just agree to disagree.

And with that in mind, something else caught Miyabi’s attention: Harber’s bow.

That was the same type of weapon used by Elaine Greenforest, who they were on their way to confront.

“Aren’t bows hard to use? An old man at my village ended up writhing in pain after he hit his ear with the string.”

“That is no laughing matter. It is a risk anyone who relies on the bow and arrow carries with them at all times. The open desert here is fine, but a thick forest is pretty frightening. If a large animal bursts out of the bushes right next to you, you have no guarantee you can bring it down in a single attack.

“Hm. I thought they would do more damage at close range.”

“Bows are not as deadly as you might think. It’s safer to increase the killing power by adding poison or magic to the arrowhead. Because if your attack fails to kill, it’s their turn to attack you. That’s the problem with a surprise attack – you don’t have time to prepare all that.”

Miyabi started to like Harber while talking to him.

They did not agree, but Harber gave simple and accurate advice. He may have been similar to the Necromancer in that sense.

Miyabi felt like he would come to regret it if he pushed Harber away over a simple difference of opinion.

“Do you have any reason to stick with the desert? If not, I know a place that’s at least more comfortable than here. It’s called Horn Fortress.”

“If I can find food there, I don’t care where it is.”

Miyabi stabbed his control sword into the sand and winked.

“That settles it then,” he said as the magic circle spread out.

Harber had been wandering the desert.

If he had not been reliant on the desert nation, then he must have found somewhere he could be self-sufficient.

They found the answer soon enough.

While crossing the desert and taking breaks in the shade of rocks or at small oases, the sandy ground started to grow harder. Sparse grass also came into view. They had apparently left the desert.

“I can’t point to any one thing.” Kananka Fulpen spoke cautiously. “But this place feels so desolate.”

The grassy ground and the flowing stream might be enough to camp out for the night, but Harber must have had a reason to head out into the desert and catch a giant scorpion.

“Why is the presence of life fading only now that we have left the harsh desert?” asked Kananka.

“There’s a good reason for that,” whispered Alicia while viewing a world of death reminiscent of the lunar surface seen in plays. “We are entering the famous Green Forest.”

After walking across the plain a while longer – and stopping to eat their lunches along the way – the forest’s trees came into view. That had to be the Green Forest, the home of that race of dark elves.

Except the forest was black.

Pitch black.

“This is awful.”

Miyabi was the first to groan a response after seeing the scene spreading out before their eyes.

This was not like the Bio Rainforest the Necromancer had called home.

This forest was entirely empty.

Even more so than the vast desert. It had been burned down, leaving only the scorched ground and trees behind. The trees that still looked like trees had become black charcoal shaped like trees.

The stream was clear enough to see the white ash sediment at the bottom, but it was too clear.

Nothing lived inside that water, so there was nothing to dirty it. It would remain perfectly clear forever, like a birthday cake with no one to cut it into pieces. Just sitting there on the table in an abandoned house.

“It looks safe to drink at least,” said Celina, crouching down and passing some river water through her filter the size of a beer mug. She also cast purification magic on it, so it was probably perfectly safe.

But none of the others agreed with her.

Even if it contained the exact same well water people normally drank, they would be hesitant to drink from a cup left at a grave as an offering. Something about this place similarly gave them pause.

Like some faint sense that hung over the entire dead forest.

Hearing a “koo” from down at his feet, Miyabi looked down to see Alma was once more a white stuffed animal. That was the same form as in the first village. Did that mean there was nothing to learn from this dead forest? …Alma too refused to eat that “birthday cake”. The creature’s young age may have made it more open in its judgment.

The Flightheart twins nervously huddled together and looked around.

“Is everything outside the desert this ‘quiet’?”

“Maybe so, Acacia. But maybe we are simply too accustomed to those ruins.”

Number 8 shook his head.

“No, I sense no burden here. And I usually sense some just as background noise no matter where I am.”

“…”

Alicia looked like she was suppressing a bad headache.

Eliza placed her hand above her eyes to look into the distance.

“What is that over there? It looks like an enormous tree…or the remnants of one.”

She was right.

One tree in the center towered far higher than the other trees that had been frozen in time by the blaze. None of the manmade towers or ruins they had ever seen came close to its height.

Its impressive height almost seemed to be piercing through the world itself.

It had broken away partway up, so just how tall had it been and how expansive had its branches back when it was whole?

“It was apparently known as the Celestial Tree.” Celina sighed. “The people of the emerald forest supposedly believed it kept the sky from falling.”

“Well, that one was proven wrong,” groaned Onelife. “Glad the sky’s still up there, though.”

“At the time, the Empire feared the Arsenal Kingdom and the desert nation would join forces, since they were both nearly as powerful as them,” said Helen. “The difference in power was small enough that, if those two stopped fighting over the #2 spot and formed an alliance, they could have challenged the Empire’s #1 spot. But to put a stop to that, something needed to be done about the vast forest that connected the east and west from the north and allowed people and things to be covertly transported between nations.”

“The Empire hoped to rid themselves of a problem, but they only earned the ire of the dark elves,” said one twin. “Not to mention that any covert operations in the forest were being done by humans intruding on their land and the dark elves had no intention of joining the fight themselves.”

“Or maybe they feared that nonhuman race was gaining power by doing the humans a favor,” said the other. “Destroying them over an unfounded fantasy sounds utterly foolish to me. Not to mention that the alliance they feared was only a theory. I know our desert nation never even discussed it. But the Empire let their paranoia win out and decided to attack.”

The magical automaton shook his head and spoke like he was piecing together his damaged memories.

“The Emperor did not have grand ambitions. In fact, his fear grew every time our territory and population grew. He feared the possibility of losing what he had. So he was willing to do anything to protect that. Without hesitation.”

“…” Onelife fell silent for a moment. “I can understand the sentiment, but…”

“But I cannot approve of the method.” Eliza shook her head too. “Apologies for speaking ill of your emperor.”

Unsurprisingly, the one who took the conversation in a gruesome direction was the Necromancer.

“This is all extremely fascinating from a necromancy perspective. This place is immersed in so much death that it is crawling with undead monsters that have refused to accept their own death. Be careful as you continue on.”

“Woo! No one makes things exciting like you do, boss!”

Did Elaine live here?

Was it even possible to live here?

Miyabi gulped and walked into the forest. It was just as thoroughly burned as it looked from the outside.

But he did hear flowing water.

But not from the previous river.

“Huh?”

“I see,” said Alicia, breathing from her nose.

In some places, new moss and small flowers were using the nutrients in the burned trees and rough ashes to grow. The next generation was beginning. If that continued, the tragedy would eventually be covered up and made a thing of the past.

“Elaine has been living off of these things,” bitterly groaned Alicia. “Even though she could have found so much more if she left the forest. Makes it look like she enjoys hurting herself.”

Looking further into the forest, they could see the amount of green growing. But it was all down on the ground and not growing thickly through the entire space. There was also moss clinging to the burned trees. The growth was not at all like an ordinary plain or forest.

So at first, they thought they were seeing some kind of small flora or fauna.

Maybe glowing moss or bugs.

But this was something else.

“Work, work, work.”

The faint hovering light spoke in a small girl’s voice.

“I have to gather firewood and draw some water. Work, work, work!”

“These are residual thoughts,” said Alicia.

She did not say what of.

The lights moving so energetically through this lonely world must not have understood none of it was real.

There were so many of them here.

Miyabi’s party seemed to draw lines between those points of light as they walked across the burned forest. They tried their best not to step on the moss and grass starting to grow anew on the blackened trees or the ground covered in ashes and a black powder.

A flashing light spoke with the voice of an old man.

“Things are growing dangerous outside the forest. All we want is to go on living peacefully in our forest, so I hope none if it spreads here.”

A bright light grew larger as if to express its emotion.

“Curse that human empire. Do they think they own this forest!? To your bows, everyone! Buy enough time for the children and elderly to reach the hidden village!!”

It felt like time had come to a stop at some point.

But instead of the entire place freezing at a single time and date, it was like time had been incinerated at different points for each individual.

Miyabi’s party could not see where they were being guided by all this. Or maybe they were traveling into the past instead of the future.

“Hot, hot, hot, hot…”

A sticky light pleaded in an elegant female voice.

“Where is the river? Oh, no. I can’t see it. I can’t see anything. …Is this bumpy mass my face? Where did my face go?”

They could not read the frozen time in some of the lights.

One bursting light was scratchy from the beginning.

“Someone…please. I can’t go on like this…someone please…”

At one point, this forest had been teeming with life.

Right up until it was transformed into what they saw now.

Someone from outside had shown up and burned the entire thing down.

There were fallen trees and murky rivers in their way, but Miyabi was disinclined to move the Palette Dice. They took the long way around instead of crossing over with Layer Stairs or a Bypass Bridge. Creating those things would have been like taking the flowers left at a grave and making a wreath out of them.

Nothing here was to be disturbed.

Doing so would mean destroying these records of lives cut short.

Or so it felt.

“Ugh!”

Miyabi held his head.

Was this unique to dark elves, or did war produce powerful enough grudges to create this?

This was no longer the gentle lights they had seen before.

A distinct vision leapt into Miyabi’s mind.

A beautiful forest spread out before him.

The grass and flowers shined like gems, the blessings of the sun were filtered through the leaves overhead, and the Celestial Tree supported the sky.

Everything shined green in the dark elf forest. That may have been why they so easily sensed the barbaric actions of the humans and burned with righteous fury.

An agitated dark elf warrior was speaking.

“The Empire is finally making their move. They intend to burn down our entire forest. We cannot sit idly by and let this happen. Grab your bows! Repel these humans whose short lives keep them from learning their rightful place!”

A brown girl watched it all with an indescribable look in her eyes.

“…”

(Elaine?)

Miyabi opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

He was not actually here.

A graceful dark elf tugged gently on Elain’s sleeve.

“You say that, but the Empire’s army is massive. I don’t know which automaton number they will place in command, but they will likely send in their Godhorn Tech. We must not underestimate a power we ourselves lack. Elaine, you guide the powerless to the hidden village.”

“But what about all of you?”

“I cannot guarantee you our bows will repel the Empire, but we must at least buy the time needed for everyone else to escape.”

Miyabi returned to the present with a numbness like he had taken a blow to the head.

His hands wandered in search of support and found something with a rough texture. The black charcoal remnants of a tree stood nearby.

“Gh, what was that?”

Miyabi must not have been the only one to see it because Alicia had a hand on her forehead.

“Are Elaine’s thoughts lingering in this place? Or…”

This may have been something like footprints left by whatever burned within Elaine. Regardless, there were no other hints around, so they chose to pursue the residual thoughts through the ruined forest.

They found some discarded items leaning against a burned and collapsed tree.

They were magical automaton joints and broken staffs.

Those were probably the remnants of the weapons abandoned by the magically-powerful Empire.

“…”

Number 8 viewed the remains of his fellow automatons with no discernable emotion on his face.

Miyabi could find nothing to say to him.

Before long, that feeling returned deep in Miyabi’s mind.

He clenched his teeth and prepared for the pain.

Another vision flew directly into his mind.

Embers.

Pillars of fire.

Red.

The color of hell covered all.

Yes, the forest was burning. Scarlet pillars rose all around and walls of heat and smoke divided the space, cutting off any escape route.

Elaine continued gesturing inside the forest even as it transformed into a deadly maze.

“Hurry, everyone! The flames have almost caught up!!”

The hidden village could not be reached through ordinary means.

The gate was opened by following the green flowers blossoming in the forest and completing a set pattern of stabbing sticks into the ground and rolling rocks around. The village itself was best understood as existing in an alternate dimension.

The dark elves who had already escaped were calling to them from beyond the gate.

“Elaine, that was the last of them! You hurry on in and we will close the gate. This space is cut off from the world, so the flames can’t reach us!!”

“But the others are still fighting the Empire!!”

“We can’t wait any longer!! This is all for naught if the flames make it through the gate!!”

“…”

Elaine clenched her teeth and started toward the gate, but her feet came to a stop. Her long ears had picked up a weak voice.

The dark elves were not the only life in the forest. There was so much more.

They were crying out for help.

A beast growled as it dragged along an injured leg and curled up.

Something’s young howled for its mother.

“…”

Elaine couldn’t do it.

She could not stop her trembling.

She was not a vegetarian. Living in this forest meant capturing and eating other living things. She was particularly fond of bird meat.

But this was different.

No one was eating this meat. No one was making a blanket out of the feathers.

The Empire was fueled by hatred, fear, and resentment.

The flames fueled by those emotions would leave nothing behind. Utter annihilation was their goal here. They would turn everything here to ashes and not even collect a single fragment of bone afterwards.

What purpose did these deaths serve? What justification was there to ignore these cries for help? She stood there, clenched her teeth, and shook her head, but it wasn’t enough. What did it matter if they weren’t dark elves? They were still living beings trying so desperately to keep living.

Elaine Greenforest wanted to save them.

She was putting her own life at risk.

She knew that.

But still.

“Wait just a little longer. Please! Just a bit longer!! Then we might not have to regret this for the rest of our lives. We might still be able to look back on this disaster with a smile because we all overcame it and survived!!”

“…”

“I’m sick of this. If we abandon them out there, we’re no better than the Empire. I don’t want to be on the side that takes lives.”

“Dammit. Okay, fine!!”

Elaine turned away from the gate.

She parted the black smoke, broke through the flames, and tried to collect as many lives as she could.

“This way, hurry!!”

She heard the cries of creatures that had not given up on life.

“Run this way if you want to live! The hidden village is right over there!!”

She heard the roars of animals that had not abandoned hope.

But.

Even so.

She heard a dazed voice from one of the dark elves who had already evacuated.

“It’s no use, Elaine…”

“?”

“No, it’s breaking, the fire has reached the Celestial Tree. It’s too late, the fire is already- aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?”

The color red grew until nothing else remained.

Alicia remained motionless for a while after it ended.

If she had seen the same thing he had, Miyabi didn’t blame her.

“…”

Finally, she muttered something under her breath.

She leaned against a burned tree and then slid down to the ground. Instead of a natural tree trunk, a few logs had been erected here. It may have originally been a lookout tower or a simple shelter to keep out the rain.

That was about all that remained now.

Not even the dark elf village hidden in another dimension had survived.

“How can this be…?” said Alicia.

“So Elaine – and the dark elves as a whole – could have saved just themselves, but they couldn’t abandon the pained cries they heard in the forest…and tried to save them all?”

Miyabi sounded dazed. This did not at all fit the Elaine who enjoyed taking on other people’s revenge and then betraying them.

What had happened after she tried to save all those lives?

He had only seen the twisted final result.

“Damn,” spat Miyabi, walking further into the forest.

New moss and plants were crawling up the burned trees. The blackened remains of a horrific act were being covered up by new green.

But what about the people’s feelings?

The cries of a girl with nowhere to go flooded into Miyabi’s brain.

The forest had turned black.

The expansive flames were nowhere to be seen and the Empire’s malice had left.

The battle was already over. Everything Elaine had wanted to protect was gone.

Gone and destroyed.

The girl lay unmoving on the ground, hoping to just weather away along with the ashes.

“…”

The ground rumbled.

She knew what this low tremor was.

“…”

So when she sensed a massive shadow covering her, she slowly raised her head.

A normal person might have fainted upon seeing it.

It spoke in words she could understand.

“You still live, Elaine?”

That giant was the Forest Guardian.

“Why?” muttered the girl. “Why was I the only one to survive? I don’t understand.”

“…”

“Everyone was asking for help.”

She could not even get up, but she still lifted her head in search of something.

“They never gave up on life and resisted far more than I did. So why am I the only one…?”

“There is no deep meaning behind who lives and who dies.” The giant spoke solemnly. “Fortune favored you, Elaine. So now you must live.”

“I don’t want to.”

The survivor had no strength left.

No strength to get back on her feet.

“I’m so tired. Of everything.”

“Elaine, you did nothing wrong.” The twisted being known as the Forest Guardian spoke with a smile. “There is no deep meaning behind who lives and who dies, but it violates the principles of this sacred forest for the blameless to continue suffering forever. …You leave me no choice, Elaine. I will protect your pride.”

“?”

Now was not the time to be asking questions.

Elaine needed to get moving right away.

But she could not and this was the result.

She failed to stop the eerie sound of a snapping horn.

Her mind went blank.

She did not understand. Nor did she want to.

She had long since hit her limit.

“What did you do!?”

“I broke off my horn,” calmly stated the Forest Guardian. So very calmly. “Elaine, you can create a Godhorn Tech with this. Live the life you want to live and smile as much as you like. The world has taken so much from you, so now it is time you took the life you want. You are free to do whatever you like.”

She heard another deep rumbling, but this was different from before.

This was the sound of something falling, never to get back up. It was a sad, lonely tremor that seemed to tear her heart to pieces.

The girl had been given a clear power that would grant her victory over anyone. And she had lost her final savior.

“Ah, ahh…”

The power had been left to her by that loss.

This time, she truly was alone.

How was this the strongest power? What could that horn do?

That comforting presence had supported them all, watched over the girl from afar, and gently allayed her fears during stormy nights. That warm being had let her know she was not alone whenever she needed to know it. That individual had been more reliable than her father, closer than her oldest friend, and her role model for how to treat a hypothetical apprentice or child in the future.

Elaine knew the Forest Guardian had cared for them all more gently than anyone. She knew he had hidden within the Celestial Tree for fear his giant, bizarre appearance would frighten them.

“Ahhhhhhhhh!”

No, it was not just her. Everyone who lived in the forest had understood how kind a heart he had and how unnecessarily thoughtful he had been. The dark elves looked different from humans, so they had accepted the Forest Guardian for the same reason they did not judge people based on the shape of their ears or the length of their life. He was so gentle, shy, and fearful, but he was more caring than anyone or anything else and he ended up worrying over anything and everything. So they had not even named their annual forest festival after their guardian. Instead, they had expressed a year’s worth of thanks to the guardian they chose not to name.

His great strength could not be found in this.

The horn was just a horn.

It was a tool directed at a powerful enemy to pierce and kill them. That was all it could do.

A source of violence could never carry the power needed to soothe the girl’s loneliness.

Everything she wanted to protect died.

Everything she hoped for slipped through her fingers.

No matter what she did.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?”

The dull headache was irrelevant.

Miyabi was so furious at being unable to interact with that vision of the past that he didn’t care if his head really was cracking open.

“…”

No.

It wasn’t the past he needed to change. He already had the power to change the present and the future.

He gripped his control sword tight.

Destruction and creation.

How could he use those two powers to reach her heart?

“I was wondering how a wandering dark elf managed to get a Godhorn Tech when they usually take an entire country or company to develop.”

It had come from a hopelessly foolish act of self-sacrifice.

And his visit to the Bio Rainforest had already shown him the world was flooded with unregistered scientists and engineers who were greatly skilled but refused to compromise with society. She would have been able to search someone out.

Miyabi clenched his teeth now that he knew what was contained within Elaine’s Godhorn Tech.

“How did it turn out this way?”

Just then, something appeared before him – a ball of light. It was even larger than the residual thoughts of the dark elves floating here and there.

He could only think of one being this could be.

“I am the Forest Guardian.”

Miyabi did not doubt the claim. He had no reason to.

“I am the ugly guardian who has seen long ages pass from within the hollow Celestial Tree.”

“…”

He had a horn.

So in the world outside the forest, he would be known as a Wicked God.

“Elaine had lost far too much, so she required some power to make up for it. I wanted her to wield my horn’s power to live free in the outside world. She could have chosen for herself what to create and what to destroy – how she would live and what she would leave behind. I wanted her to find happiness and smile as much as she liked without anyone getting in her way. But she was too kind.”

Could Miyabi interrupt?

What would it even accomplish if he could?

“She could have ignored her own feelings, if that was all it was. But she heard the voices of those around her. When she saw someone too weak to carry out their revenge, she understood how they felt. She was too kind to abandon them. She could not refuse them when they asked for help and she eventually started calling it her job. …She no longer even considers whose revenge she is carrying out. It does not even cross her mind.”

The large ball of light vanished into thin air.

She had her hatred of the Empire.

And she had picked up the resentments of complete strangers.

The engineers who had helped make a Godhorn Tech out of her Wicked God horn may have done so in order to get back at the society that had rejected them.

Even though the being who had broken his own horn to save her had not wanted such a painful future for her.

“So that’s it.”

Miyabi understood now.

There were only residual thoughts here and he knew the actual Guardian could not hear him, but he still felt like he had to say this.

“This isn’t what Elaine wanted. It was their wish.”

“I thought she had completely changed. I thought the person who attacked the Empire couldn’t have been the girl I knew.” Alicia reflected on it all. “But she has only been wandering – lost – this entire time.”

The twins took turns asking questions.

“What are we going to do?”

“After she intruded on our business, you aren’t just going to let her go on like this, are you?”

The answer was obvious.

“Of course not,” said Miyabi Blackgarden. “It’s time to end this.”

They were deep in the forest.

Even if it was burned and broken, the colossal tree in the center still looked down upon the entire continent. A kind Wicked God had once lived in that holy ground and watched over the dark elves’ lives.

The green moss was quietly growing there too.

The Celestial Tree did not reject it. It demonstrated a mysterious acceptance of this new greenery bathing in the forest sunlight and of the new form the forest was taking.

And at the base of that tree…

“Ah,” said Miyabi.

He saw silver hair and brown skin.

He saw a strange outfit resembling a whin white negligee or babydoll that left the navel visible. But the many quivers worn around her hips made it almost look like a fairy tale dress.

Then there were the special goggles over the eyes.

Elaine casually emerged from between the black trees.

Small glowing bugs took silent flight whenever she trod on the green moss.

“…”

“What, is this more residual thoughts? Does she have more to tell us?”

He gave her a puzzled look as she slowly approached.

Alicia, on the other hand, widened her eyes.

“No! That’s the real Elaine!! I wouldn’t confuse her with an illusion. She exists in the same time as us!!”

“!?”

Elaine fired a magic arrow from dead ahead.

Miyabi barely managed to dodge it and a disturbingly white explosion erupted directly behind him. He would have been killed instantly had it hit him.

“…!!”

“Nhhh! She does love her tricks, doesn’t she!?” roared Onelife.

“She never could have destroyed my Empire otherwise. Not even with a Godhorn Tech,” said Number 8 calmly but firmly.

“Heh heh heh.”

She laughed.

It was a somehow broken and derailed laugh. The goggles over her eyes served to accentuate the sinister crescent moon of her lips.

She held the long bow in one hand and used the other to toy with the quivers worn around her like a skirt.

“Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! Yes, I had a feeling it wouldn’t be so easy!”

“What’s so funny!?” asked Alicia.

“Oh? Aren’t you supposed to enjoy the game of revenge?”

Something happened within the magical automaton.

Even time seemed to strain.

“Enjoy…?” Number 8 spoke each word like he was crushing them one by one between his back teeth. “Do you have any idea how many lives were lost back then? How many tears were shed, how many people stood up to protect their loved ones, and how many ultimately fell!?”

“Enough, faithful servant. She too is ruled by tragedy,” shouted Eliza, unable to just watch any longer.

The Empire’s army had destroyed the forest and a survivor of the forest had brought down the Empire. They had all been drunk on and ruled by their own power. That power was too great even for nonhumans like an automaton or dark elf.

The power of a Wicked God’s horn.

The power of a Godhorn Tech.

That was why Elaine had not stopped. Why she could not stop.

“I intentionally accept the burden of other people’s lives. Because what greater thrill is there than two lives engaged in combat until one or the other falls?”

“…”

Miyabi’s knowledge of her past allowed her damaged heart to stab into the core of his being.

All that remained of that lonely girl was sneering at him here.

“It’s a game!! A game!! What else could you call it!? They might call me a revenge mercenary, but if this was only a job, how could I ever be so obsessed with it!? You can’t stick with something unless you enjoy it, right? Ha ha, ah ha ha, ha ha ha ha, ah ha, ah ha ha!!!!!!”

Alicia bit her lips with pity in her eyes.

But Elaine continued laughing. She hid her face with goggles, kept everyone away with her bow and arrow, and could not bear the weight of the horn given to save her.

She was more fragile than glass and more brittle than hard candy.

At the same time, she was more sinister than steel and more unclean than dark charcoal.

“Now give me more!! So much more! Surpass all of my expectations so I can finally feel satisfied!!”

With a straining sound, Elaine Greenforest nocked a deadly arrow to her bow that resembled a distorted harp.

She aimed at Alicia, the elf girl she had supposedly spent plenty of time with.

Her melted voice invited in death.

“Entertain me, miss♪”

“Tch. Damn tragedy addict.” The radio clicked its tongue. “She’s developed a taste for blood!!”

Alicia did not avert her gaze even as that piercing dark pressure was directed her way.

“But we spent so much time together. Is there really nothing we can do? A way to keep this fellow elf – my childhood friend – from falling any further!?”

“If you can’t find a reason to give up on her, then you don’t have to.” The redhead boy placed a hand on Alicia’s head and held his control sword with the other hand. “No one here did anything wrong to begin with – not Elaine, not the dark elves, and not the Celestial Tree’s Wicked God. Yet Elaine was led down this path.”

So…

“Help me, Alicia. The rest of you too.”

With the assurance that his party members were watching his back, Miyabi faced the lonely girl who had lost everything and then pushed everything away herself.

Destruction and creation.

What was that strongest power for? What did he want to do with what Moebius Entrance had given him?

That wasn’t even a question.

If he could reach out and grab a trembling hand and if he could add just one more member to his party, he could work up enough courage to directly battle someone with the power to destroy the world.

He had to look her in the eye and raise his voice.

He had to make this crystal clear.

This was not for the world or to do the right thing. He simply could not leave that girl alone any longer. Not one second more. What was wrong with fighting for that?

So he spoke his mind.

So that he could smash the unwanted destiny that had led to this point and create a new path for this vengeful demon who had given up on herself!!

Miyabi Blackgarden simply shouted as his boiling instincts led him.

“Your twisted tragedy ends here!!!!!!”

It was a battle between sword and bow.

The dark elf recited her incantations as if in song.

“Rainmaker: Downburst – Category 3. The number 2 refers to the two extremes, so the gap between the high and the low shall invite in a great wind!!”

A massive amount of air was compressed by a metal arrowhead spilt into two prongs at the tip.

That deadly arrowhead would scatter walls of shockwaves in every direction when it hit.

Their new party member Harber had been right. Elaine’s bow looked frightening at first, but its power was actually boosted by magic. That meant Elaine herself knew it was lacking in power on its own.

Miyabi fearlessly rushed toward her.

He just barely dodged the initial attack and continued forward.

Once close enough, Elaine could not use any exploding magic arrows because their great power would hit her as well. And his sword could reach just fine at that range. She would be forced to use her bow itself for defense, which would also prevent her from nocking an arrow.

And yet…

Despite being a mid and long range specialist, she remained confident even at close range?

“Rainmaker: Reverse Engineering – Category #$%&. The number 4 symbolizes the easily understood colors. By revealing how clouds are formed, I gain the key to making it rain!!”

Surprisingly, she aimed her bow straight down and launched the arrow into the ashes piled up at her feet.

“Get back, boy!!!!!!”

If not for Alicia’s warning, he might have been crushed.

He rolled along the mossy ground, getting ashes all over him, but he felt a prickling pain across all his skin.

(What was that!? She was right in front of me, yet something flew in from another direction!?)

Miyabi was dumbfounded while he got back on his feet.

He saw a faint glow.

It was a fire.

For that one moment, a fearsome pillar of fire entirely surrounded Elaine Greenforest.

“Rainmaker,” said the Necromancer with a grin. She seemed to come alive the closer she was to death. “There are a lot of rainmaking ceremonies, but this is one major branch: using fire to summon water. The smoke is viewed as rainclouds, the fire as the sun, and the water that puts out the fire as the rain. But this does not just apply to water. Lightning can be used to create the smoke and a sandstorm can symbolize the clouds in the sky. If hiding the sun makes it rain, it doesn’t matter if that is done by covering it with dirt or snuffing it out with the wind. Ah ha ha. See? All magic can be used for good or evil – it isn’t just necromancy. There are simply restrictions applied to its usage and you gain more freedom if you break free of the boring restrictions society loves to put on it!!”

“…!!”

He tried to approach Elaine, but more and more of the ashy ground and black trees exploded. But if he thoughtlessly moved back, her bow and arrow would make short work of him.

Kananka read the path of his boomerang.

He was using the minute changes to determine the wind direction, the temperature, the humidity, and more about the air.

“Move in from the west-southwest!! The fire should be weakest there!!”

Alicia flicked a test tube’s cap off with her thumb and downed the physical boosting potion within.

But not even that was enough.

If Helen had not noticed and tripped her, Alicia would have been badly injured. Simply increasing her fire resistance was not enough to charge through the wall of fire. The obvious curtain of flames was being used to camouflage several sharp stone spikes jutting up from the ground.

“Tch!!”

“She used her tricks to take out the Lord of Ruin in a single blow, so assume there’s more to her attacks than meets the eye!!”

Of course, it was not over yet.

Next…

“You’re wiiiide open☆”

With a sound like tearing paper, Elaine launched her next attack while laughing. She intended to blast Miyabi now that he was stopped by the wall of fire and the stone spikes.

She was a survivor of the dark elves who had lost everything when their beautiful forest was burned.

Even an outsider like Miyabi felt like the rage and regret would smother his heart after hearing the story.

Yet she still launched a trident arrowhead with lightning compressed between the prongs.

“!!”

Miyabi was not as skilled with a sword as the Lord of Ruin, so he could not hope to stop the projectile with his control sword. And even if he did manage, the magic contained within the sharp arrowhead would explode in his face.

So instead, he forcibly twisted his body around and dropped to the ashes to dodge it.

It was the most he could manage and even that only succeeded thanks to some luck.

He felt a prickling pain in his skin as time seemed to freeze, but was that the electrical energy grazing him or was it the result of his own extreme tension?

Far behind him, the arrowhead erupted into a terrifying pure white explosion.

“Tch. Cautious thing, aren’t you?”

That was Elaine’s only response. The simple and sloppy impression he got from her had to be from more than just the goggles covering her eyes. She destroyed the environment around her while hoping to maybe be lucky enough to hit. She transformed the terrain, set it on fire, and stained it with blood. She clearly no longer viewed this as her homeland.

“Rainmaker: Low Level Wind Shear – Category 3. The number 1 is an arrow pointing the way. …The wind hurts a lot more when it carries broken branches and hard leaves, doesn’t it? And this place has plenty of remnants of the past.”

“Don’t do this, Elaiiiiiiine!!” shouted Miyabi before he was sent tumbling backwards.

It was like a fan-shaped explosion. Countless branches blew in horizontally, baring the fangs that were their jagged ends.

Miyabi heard cracking sounds from his chest and side.

He coughed violently, but he was not impaled thanks to the thick leather forestry jacket he wore and the depressing fragility of the black and burned branches. They all shattered before piercing through. It almost felt like the many dark elves sleeping in the forest were breaking their own bodies to avoid any further bloodshed here.

The heartache was worse than the physical pain.

It felt like being pummeled by shards of broken gravestones.

Even Miyabi – a complete stranger visiting for the first time – had been hesitant to remake the dirt and trees into Bypass Bridges and Layer Stairs, yet she could do this!?

“Tch. Didn’t work. You’re no fun. Next I can…oh, I know. Maybe I can include the wreckage of the weapons and automatons I picked up in the Empire. There’s no way you can survive that one, is there?”

“Wait…agh. How can you do this…to the forest?”

“It’s just a forest. Or it used to be one. Do you see anything other than that here?”

The forest was already dead.

Who died here and what slumbered here were not an issue of the physical reality. They could burn, roast, and melt down the rest or even tear up the very dirt the dark elves had returned to, but nothing would ever wake them back up.

Why get so angry when there was no one here to be bothered by what she did?

But.

Even so.

Who was she thinking of when she took over other people’s revenge? Was she already so broken?

They stood at the base of the broken Celestial Tree.

Was she no longer even aware that they were disturbing the dead’s slumber by loudly crossing weapons and launching magic in this holy ground packed full of the dark elves’ precious memories!?

(No.)

He didn’t want to believe that.

An image of the past flashed in the back of his mind.

He once more reflected on the regret and urgent request of the Forest Guardian.

(No!!)

He managed to get back up, even if only to crawl.

And he clutched the control sword even tighter.

When the humans had set the forest ablaze, a kind girl had attempted to get the forest animals into the hidden village, failed, and ultimately lost everything. Her decision had been admirable and her motives virtuous. The sensitive girl had broken as a result, but he never wanted to believe she had fallen so far down the path of evil that she could never recover!!

What could he do?

He had to think.

What were his Godhorn Tech and its powers of destruction of creation meant for? He was free to use that much power for good or for evil, so was there really not even a single thing he could do for this girl!?

The Lucifer Horn impatiently awaited his orders up in the sky.

He could not let this end in disgrace. He needed to do something worthy of the title of strongest!!

“Elaine!!!!!!”

“Ah ha ha. Looking for some way to help the dead? Then come join me, human boy. What is a Godhorn Tech and its Wicked God horn good for other than revenge?”

“Kh.”

There had to be something.

Tell her.

Tell her the Forest Guardian had been so worried for her he had carved his feelings into the forest. Tell her that saving her would help soothe the spirits of all of those who had lived in the forest.

Tell her there were ways to comfort an aching heart far more effective than revenge.

You saw her past on the way here, didn’t you!?

“Ha ha ha!! This forest is already dead. There’s no one left here. Not one! Why should I care if I damage it!?”

She snapped her fingers, sending unnatural sparks flying.

The instant they fell on the ash and soot covered ground, her bow and arrow affected the weather, creating an impossible horizontal gust of wind.

It was like a powerful breath blowing on the still-hot white ashes left in the fireplace.

The wind itself became an orange-glowing wall of flame.

Fire, water, wind, earth, wood, lightning, and what else?

Elaine would probably do the same thing with light or a holy power as well.

She could use all sorts of magic, but she depressingly only used it for destruction. Even though her dedication could have been put to better use.

She might as well have been setting a graveyard ablaze. Was she actually setting fire to the land where the dark elves slept after being killed in a fire!?

But the Necromancer sounded amused as she held a long whip made from some kind of tongue.

“She only has the upper hand thanks to all the charcoal and ashes filling the forest, so you only need to get rid of that cause of death. That bitch said a Godhorn Tech is only good for revenge, but you can do more than that with yours, can’t you? You can use it to protect and to save.”

“Lucifer Horn, take care of it!!” shouted Miyabi, stabbing his control sword into the ground.

Something dropped from the sky above.

A massive bomb exploded, pushing back at the approaching flames like another wall.

He did not put out the fire with water.

He fought fire with fire.

“So what? Ee hee, ee hee hee. We dark elves were already destroyed by the Empire’s cruel attack. Ha ha ha ha ha!! Rainmaker: Reverse Engineering – Category @*￥. Wind, dust, and all other ways of controlling the weather and rainmaking can be used to stop you from-!?”

Elaine suddenly stopped and her twisted laughter caught in her throat.

Then a beam of light dropped down.

It landed a bit to the side of Elaine and her wall of flame, but not because it had missed. Miyabi Blackgarden stared straight at her and he never used his Godhorn Tech to directly attack her despite the handicap that placed on him.

Yes, the true purpose of the attack soon presented itself.

A swarm of every type of bug pushed in from all directions.

“This was a dead forest, but that’s a thing of the past. Moss and grass have grown in to overwrite that in places,” whispered the Necromancer, her feet gently resting on the green moss spreading across the ground. “You can find life almost anywhere on the continent: in the desert, on the snowy fields, and even at the bottom of the sea or in a volcano. The fire may have been too much of a hint. Most all living things are drawn toward light. And all the more so in such a quiet forest. The smallest stimulation can draw them out from across the forest. Just like spreading iron sand thinly across a large plate and then gathering it in the center with a magnet.”

“What!?”

“No one can stop the circle of life. Necromancers can make some minor adjustments to the death part, but the overall circle remains unchanged. Just like cheating at the casino to earn cash can never bring down the entire system of currency. And if you summon life to a place overflowing with death, you can neutralize that death. Neither life nor death are anything special, after all.”

The swarm of bugs smothered Elaine’s wall of flames, preventing it from burning or pushing back Miyabi’s party.

Kananka’s boomerang tore through the curtain of black smoke to take a reading, not to attack.

“There is no invisible mass of heat. Miyabi, run straight through!!”

And with the fire gone, the path was clear.

Now it was Miyabi’s turn to attack!!

“Kee hee.”

Just as he was arriving in striking distance, Elaine laughed.

She raised her bow to block his attack and lock their weapons together, but…

“I had hoped to enjoy your resistance a little longer, but all good things must come to an end.”

He heard something other than his sword striking her bow.

Even with their weapons awkwardly locked together, the bottom of her bow stabbed into the ground.

Despite being the one on the attack, Miyabi felt a chill down his spine.

“From the control bow to the horn core – tactical open.”

He knew it was coming, but they currently had their weapons locked together.

“High-Altitude Blimp Huge Eye. Chew it all to pieces!!”

It was a giant sphere.

The sorcery weapon looked so unnatural floating up in the sky with the power of heat.

The eerie sphere was colored black and looked both like a human skull and like a giant eyeball.

It was positioned far higher than even the Lucifer Horn. The bomber generally attacked by dropping something below it, so the Huge Eye was fully protected. The Huge Eyes’ great size made the scale hard to judge, but it had to be above 5000m, putting it higher than a mountain range. The strength of its armor hardly mattered because finding a weapon or magic that could reach that high would be a challenge in and of itself. Celina’s gun and Kananka’s boomerang could not even get close.

And that was not all.

It was the center of a raging spiral of wind. It carried around the destructive power of a natural disaster to lay waste to the surface.

A pillar colored a dirty gray by the ash and charcoal was slowly approaching from the distance.

“A-a giant hurricane?” groaned the radio hanging from Alicia’s neck. “Is this what blew us away in the desert? What kind of fantasy world is this!? You’re not supposed to have weather control devices!”

“The spirits are weeping… They weren’t here before, though. Or did they flee here from elsewhere!?”

The boomerang did not return to surprised Kananka. It had hit a nearby rock and bounced off. That meant something was wrong. Something unseen had diverted its course.

Number 8 looked like he had been transported to some other time.

“I have seen this,” he said. “This happened in my broken memories. The abnormal sky produced a wind that knocked down all things and sent fish and frogs raining from above. It tore the vaults from their foundations, swept up the mana within, and spread it across the land. That disaster took the Empire’s people and the emperor from me. It was just like a natural disaster!!”

“Hee hee.” Elaine laughed behind her goggles. And she snapped her fingers. “Hee hee hee. This will make that look like nothing. Revenge is all about leaving an impact, so you need to constantly update your methods.”

Small sparks scattered from her fingers, but they had seen this before.

A change came over the ashes the sparks fell upon.

They glowed orange like the tip of a cigarette or a fireplace.

The smallest of embers sent the fine ash into the air and gathered up the air to burn with an explosive intensity. Elaine’s bow and arrow alone had created a thick wall, so what would happen with these powerful winds fueling the fire? It could easily create a pillar of fire large enough to pierce the sky.

Alicia clenched her teeth while viewing the distant pillar of ashes and charcoal.

But she could not give up.

“Nothing will save us if we are caught by that. We need to end this before it arrives, boy!!”

The silver lining was how slow an attack it was.

It was absurdly powerful, but they had some time before the winds arrived and absorbed all the fire burning on the ground.

Now the question was how stubbornly Elaine could hold her ground with her tricks and traps. Miyabi’s party should have the upper hand due to their superior numbers, but she was the type to trick them into attacking each other.

But then something strange happened.

With a dull creaking, one of the black carbonized trees fell toward Elaine. Puzzled, she took a step back and the tree sent ashes and smashed charcoal dust into the air.

But that was all.

The gathered air did not produce an orange wall of flame.

Because the fallen tree had pinpoint crushed the embers on the ground. It almost looked like someone had calculated it out and tackled the fragile tree, but neither Miyabi nor Elaine saw anyone there. That had not been the work of the powerhouses like Eliza or Onelife.

“Miyabi, did you use the Palette Dice?” asked Celina with her flintlock rifle at the ready.

“No,” bluntly replied Miyabi.

Then who had done it?

Next, a boulder rolled onto some embers and some dirt buried some more. More and more unnatural phenomena accurately eliminated the embers that Elaine had sent out as a deadly trigger.

Elaine was badly shaken when she noticed the pale lights flying around like fireflies.

The goggles were not enough to hide how shaken she was.

Those were supposed to mere remnants.

There shouldn’t have been anyone left.

Because it was the loss of everything born and raised here that had made Elaine into what she was.

“The spirits…of the dark elves?”

Yet the unthinkable words came unbidden from her mouth.

She herself accepted it.

“But how? These are only thoughts affixed to specific coordinates. They shouldn’t even have their own personalities!”

“Don’t you get it?” said Miyabi without a thought to strategy.

He had no proof, but nothing required him to give any.

He trusted in the feeling inside himself and gripped his control sword tight.

“The Greenforest race has long regretted wishing for revenge after the Empire destroyed them. Because that wish was placed entirely on your shoulders. So they regretted it, regretted it so very much, and wondered if there was anything they could do to help you. They’re only residual thoughts now and there’s no way they can be conveniently resurrected at this point!! But they’re still trying to save you from the fire they started, Elaine!!”

Maybe it was the lack of strategy that caused crafty Elaine Greenforest’s mind to briefly go blank.

And not even that dark elf could escape unscathed with so many people rushing straight at her.

With her trickery temporarily halted, their greater numbers could do the talking.

She took aim at Miyabi who was moving straight toward her with his control sword in both hands, but someone passed the boy on the left and on the right.

They arrived faster than she had predicted, so she had no choice but to block their attacks with her bow itself.

“Ghhh!?”

Impressively, she managed to dodge Onelife’s prosthetic hand by a hair’s breadth.

But then Alicia’s staff solidly struck her in the side.

Her shoulders slanted just a bit.

Her strength left her.

“Did that do it!?” shouted the radio at the other elf’s neck.

“This ends now, Elaine. Open your eyes to reality. The proud Forest Guardian broke off his horn hoping you would live free and smile innocently. You don’t have to be bound by someone else’s revenge any longer!”

“Heh heh. Don’t be absurd.”

She was still doubled over as the straining in her ribs crossed a line and a red liquid spilled from her mouth.

Yet the beautiful but broken dark elf continued to smile.

And that crescent moon smile looked all the more sinister with the goggles covering her eyes.

“Eh heh heh. You’re the one who saw our plight yet refused to leave your own forest. Heh heh heh hah hah!!”

“!?”

“Don’t listen to her!!” warned the Philosopher’s Stone, but it was too late.

Elaine’s sticky words had latched onto Alicia’s heart.

“Yet here you are. Some childhood friend you are. You ignore us when we beg you for help, but when it’s for your own personal interests, out you come?”

“This isn’t even anyone’s revenge. You just want to tear us apart!!”

But the dark elf did not stick with it. She must not have cared too much if it worked or not. She was willing to sneer and strike with her poisoned claws on no more than the off chance it might come in handy. Even though she was striking the soft heart inside someone’s chest.

Kanaka came to an awkward stop. He had stopped throwing his boomerang at the last second because he was not confident it would come back to him.

A great mass of wind blew through the remaining blackened tree branches.

“Looks like I bought enough time there,” said Elaine.

“You mean…” said Alicia with a tremor in her throat.

“Huge Eye, fill the world with the ultimate thrill. Blow your winds right through me!”

This was a hurricane.

This power could control natural disasters, which were a greater threat than crime and war. This power had even destroyed the Empire through a chain reaction of destruction. That wind was dangerous enough even if it did not absorb the flames. Everyone here knew it after being on the receiving end in the desert. They knew clenching your teeth and planting your feet on the ground was not enough to endure it.

But.

The redhead boy moved to intervene by any means necessary.

“No, this isn’t over yet!!”

“?”

Miyabi shouted to push on Alicia’s back.

There was something there.

It was blackened, falling apart, and abandoned by the flow of time.

But he had succeeded in pulling out something like a giant bat wing. It was more than 10m wide and torn, leaving only pieces of it still intact.

“There’s still something we can do using this!!”

“Koo…”

Alma hopped up and down after finding this remnant of another one here.

In other words…

“Did that wing belong to that Wicked God or whatever it was?” asked Helen, mentioning a crucial term.

Wicked God.

Elaine looked like she had been struck by lightning. There had only been one of those in the Green Forest.

That avenger’s eyes had always pierced straight through her target, but even with the support of the special goggles, she briefly lost sight of something now.

“What? But that…!?”

Her eyes focused on something that wasn’t here.

“What are you doing here!? Why now!!!???”

“We can’t do anything about that hurricane down here on the ground. I’ll admit that.” Miyabi grinned and made a gamble. “So I’ll pave a path to somewhere where we can stop it. Even if it means diving in myself!”

Number 8 looked up.

“Oh, I get it. The fish and frogs falling from the sky.”

“You’ll be helping me, Elaine. Even if you are my enemy!!”

Gravity disappeared.

Miyabi’s party flew up into the sky along with the many branches, trees, and rocks.

They were above the clouds, in a world of pure blue.

There was actually no wind here, presumably because they were in the eye of the storm. Also, the biting cold kept their minds sharply focused.

They were higher even than the Lucifer Horn here. At more than 5000m up, they were in the Huge Eye’s territory. And Miyabi’s party set foot atop that giant sphere in its inviolable airspace.

“Kh, where are we?”

Elaine had been taken along with them and she wouldn’t have any way of backing out this high in the air. The brown avenger’s eyes widened.

“Are we on top of the Huge Eye!?”

“This worked out better than I thought. And in the eye of the storm, your winds can’t reach us.”

Miyabi knew what the awkward Forest Guardian had wanted when he broke off his own horn to give the surviving girl hope. He knew that tragic ruler’s request for her to live the life she wanted to live had come to fruition in the worst possible way.

Miyabi knew about the poor girl whose last remaining savior had died ahead of her, plunging her into the depths of true loneliness. He knew about that shabby avenger whose kindness prevented her from ignoring the cries of others in similar situations and thus could not stop fighting using the great power of her Godhorn Tech.

Miyabi knew all of that.

So he could not push that lonely girl away from the outcome. Whether she won or lost, Elaine Greenforest could never be freed from her bonds unless she accepted the outcome. She was so sensitive that she had broken and could not find her original smile anymore. So she had to be with him on this final stage!!

This was not about giving him an advantage in the fight.

He could not truly end this any other way.

Miyabi readied his control sword in both hands and faced the dark elf.

And he roared.

All so he could reach a future where the Forest Guardian’s wish to protect the girl’s freedom and happiness would actually reach her and she could actually hold someone’s hand once more, even if she still had her reservations at first!!

He had to create.

Yes, now was the time for creation.

Everyone had given up on this avenger, so he would have to create a world where she could smile and live happily!!

“Elaine, no more aimless wandering as a revenge mercenary. I heard the Forest Guardian’s prayer. If this Godhorn Tech only helps you waste your freedom, then I’ll destroy it and take away that power that’s binding you!!”

They stood far up in the sky.

There was no escape from this aerial battlefield in any direction.

But.

Elaine Greenforest demonstrated surprising persistence even while cornered so thoroughly.

She snapped her fingers.

Small sparks were swept away from the Huge Eye and the massive hurricane surrounding them burst into flames.

She had ignited the ashes and charcoal dust swept into the air.

Alma bristled and jumped at Miyabi’s feet.

“Kyoo!?”

Everything was dyed orange and Miyabi felt a stinging heat on his skin, but his core remained cold.

The broken dark elf was saying she would not let any of them escape.

“Fine then. But I will still put revenge above all else. Even if that means burning down the entire world!!”

They were far higher even than the Lucifer Horn and the bomber was only made to attack the surface, so it was unlikely it could even target something higher than itself.

But Miyabi did not hesitate.

He raised his control sword in both hands and pointed the tip toward the lonely dark elf.

There had been no need at all for her to remain alone, but that was the only choice she had found for herself. She had misinterpreted the hope left to her by the others and jumped into the depths of hell herself.

Miyabi knew he had to end this here.

He truly believed it.

“I’ll show you, Elaine.”

“?”

“Show you there is another option for you!!”

He ran along the unstable high-altitude blimp.

Close range should have given him an advantage, but he knew Elaine was too crafty for that to necessarily work.

But this was not a 1-on-1 battle.

If he was betting every part of himself and wielding the entire path he had taken to reach this point, then this tactic was an option for him.

“She uses a bow. Rush in and keep her from using it!!!!!!”

The others all responded to his call.

Helen moved forward with her large knife, as did Number 8 with his morning star connected to its grip by electricity. Celina and Kananka did the same even though their rifle and boomerang were ranged weapons.

As if to say they would not let this continue any longer.

As if to say they refused to let this girl live a life where she seemed to enjoy harming herself.

“Kh.”

Elaine bit her lip.

If not for the goggles over her eyes, she may have narrowed them as if viewing a dazzling light.

But there was no need for that look.

She could join them any time she wanted. She could become one of them. That cracked and broken girl had never needed to isolate herself and obsess over futile revenge!!

“Hee hee hee.”

Elaine Greenforest did not give in even after taking attacks from Eliza’s surprisingly powerful lance or Onelife’s prosthetic hand.

She continued to fight.

She cast magic, launched arrows, and sometimes swung the entire twisted bow like it was a whip. Miyabi’s party remained a step away from reaching her. They were constantly repelled and forced back.

The lonely girl had learned how to get by in her loneliness.

She did not even seem to care when one of their attacks landed cleanly.

“Ah ha ha ha ha ha!!”

“Stop…stop this, Elaine!!”

Alicia struck with her wooden staff and winced when she felt it crack something inside Elaine.

Mercilessly killing Elaine would be meaningless.

That was not their idea of victory.

But nothing Alicia said changed a thing.

The dark elf’s bloody laughter and the wall of wind surrounding the high-altitude blimp – no, the fiery cyclone – were only growing in intensity.

Elaine swung her slender arms while cackling in a way that squeezed at the hearts of all who heard it. She even repelled Onelife who was said to have slain a Wicked God.

“Nhhh!?”

“I keep landing accurate blows, so how is she still conscious? This does not compute.”

Elaine was of course paying a price for the amount of raw power she was forcing out of her body.

After knocking back Onelife, her arm had grown bluish from internal bleeding.

It was amazing the bones were unbroken.

Number 8 shared his analysis with the others and the Necromancer toyed with her tongue whip and sighed in exasperation.

“She certainly is tough. Are you sure she’s still alive? With that kind of disregard for her own wellbeing, I would be amazed to find she hasn’t dabbled in necromancy.”

“You’re killing it today, boss!”

“I imagine her own brain chemicals have put her in the zone. Her sense of pain is completely gone, so physical blows aren’t going to knock her out.”

“…”

After a short silence, Number 8 made a suggestion.

A suggestion as a subject of the Empire she had destroyed.

“Then do we kill her to stop her?”

“No!!” screamed Alicia.

The ever-cunning elf gripped her wooden staff tight, squeezed her eyes shut, and failed to stop the tears.

And she shouted loud enough to tear open her own throat.

“I won’t abandon her this time! I finally left my forest and she’s finally at arm’s reach! So I won’t abandon her this time!!”

“Don’t worry, miss,” roared the radio. “A real man won’t abandon a girl in need. Right, Miyabi!? Forget strategy and tactics. This is a swords and sorcery fantasy where anything goes and you’ve got the strongest power in your grasp, so remember what it is you want to do here!!!!!!”

“Sigh.” The Necromancer sounded exasperated. “If we can’t stop Elaine without killing her, then we’ll have to find some other way to win.”

That was it.

They only had to win. And that didn’t necessarily mean aiming for Elaine.

And this was bound to work against Elaine more than anyone else.

It only took a split second for Miyabi to reach a decision.

“Scatter!!”

“?”

The dark elf’s laughter momentarily stopped.

And in that moment…

“Now we’re talking!! I was pretty sick of having to pummel such a scrawny girl anyway,” said Onelife. “If I’m gonna fight something, I want it to be even tougher and bigger than me!!!!!!”

“I see you’ve already conveniently edited out your memories of attacking me so mercilessly in the Bio Rainforest,” said the Necromancer. “Idiots are such a mystery.”

Maybe because you aren’t a girl, thought Miyabi and she glared at him like she had read his mind.

Onelife and the Necromancer ran in opposite directions like they were repelled by each other.

“Ixea, we need to fight as well.”

“Indeed we do, Acacia. We finally get an outside view of someone trapped by a Godhorn Tech. I feel like I’m seeing my old self, which kind of pisses me off.”

The twins wielding giant axes actually moved back with their hip cloths fluttering in front of them.

“What are you doing?”

The dark elf viewed the entire scene through her special goggles.

And then she cried out in alarm.

“No!”

She tried to ready her bow, but Miyabi had moved right up in front of her.

Sword clashed with bow before she could nock an arrow.

With their weapons locked together, Miyabi smiled savagely in front of the girl. In a pure clash of force, he could place more force on his thick, two-handed sword than she could on her bow.

“Hey, Elaine. If you need an elf babysitter, I’m your guy. I’ve had to put up with Alicia’s selfishness and short temper all my life, after all.”

“Kh!! M-move! Move out of the way!!!!!!”

“Not happening, no matter what. Your drive for vengeance, your trapped heart, and your twisted hope can all go to hell. The Forest Guardian left this task with us. He trusted us when we only ignorantly walked into this forest! We also saw the ghosts of the dark elves who gathered together to help end your life of revenge!! So I’ll shatter the chains binding you. Every last one of them!!”

Yes.

Her magically-enhanced projectiles were a threat, but she also had to focus on defense when challenged at close range. And it went without saying which of their weapons was better suited for blocking blows.

Shining steel drew out large arcs. The movements resembled the tilling of the soil.

More and more heavy impacts rang out.

But not against Elaine Greenforest. The heavy hitters like Onelife and Number 8 were attacking the Huge Eye below them.

Miyabi’s party only needed to spread out and smash the armor of the blimp they stood on. And they had to keep that up until it could no longer fly under its own power.

Its overwhelming altitude had been its greatest shield, but now they could reach it and damage it.

Elaine forcibly kicked at Miyabi’s legs with their weapons locked together and she used the brief opening to roll back and away.

She only gained 5m, but it was enough for her to use her bow as a projectile weapon again.

“Tch!! Rainmaker: Flood – Category 4. The number 1 indicates a single direction. Produce a massive deluge following the unhesitating arrow! Make the wingless intruders slip and tumble down to their dooms!!”

Water sprayed out toward Miyabi with greater force than a hand-pumped fire hydrant. He really was doomed if he was knocked over the edge this high up. He practically fell on his face in his haste to avoid it.

He just about slipped off anyway, but someone grabbed his hand.

“This isn’t over yet!!”

It was Alicia Blueforest.

She was drenched and covered in embers and ashes, but she poured everything into keeping the fight going.

She was almost embracing the human boy as she shouted with powerful conviction.

“I won’t let it be over. I will not let your hope die here, Elaine!! You might try to shake free of our grasp, but I will never let go of your hand!!”

Elaine herself was at risk of slipping and losing her balance.

With such unstable footing, that water attack was far more frightening than an immediately deadly one.

However.

A bow was a bow. It could not attack in every direction at once.

She still may have been able to deal with Miyabi’s entire party attacking her at the same time, but her defenses were not enough when more than 10 people split up and attacked the balloon instead. And if she started firing her exploding magic arrows at random, she could easily catch herself in the blast.

So she could not stop it.

“Contract Owner: Under Lilith, grant me the power to move the Palette Dice!!”

Miyabi held out his hand and raised his voice.

He could not take out pieces of the Godhorn Tech itself, but the blazing cyclone surrounding them had swept up trees and boulders from the dead land.

(Sorry!!)

He felt like he was vandalizing a grave, so he silently apologized.

But he wanted to save this girl no matter what it took.

He wanted to grant the dark elves their wish. With a mental image of grabbing something in midair, he broke those materials down into cubes and reconnected them.

He formed a massive stake.

He positioned it above the high-altitude blimp and then stabbed it down into the black armor like a lightning strike.

He felt a dull tremor.

The thick spike had smashed its way into the Huge Eye’s armor.

Elaine was initially dumbfounded, but then she shouted what was more a prayer than anything.

“This isn’t over!!”

“So what if it isn’t?” replied Number 8. The uniformed butler gave a powerful swing of his electrically-linked morning star. “Elaine, you were powerful enough to destroy the vast Empire, so your power to kill may be greater than anyone else’s. Maybe even more than the Lord of Ruin who only knew how to make head-on attacks. But your power of revenge cannot be used to protect someone! You provide less of a defense than a single piece of tissue paper!!”

He drove the stake further in.

Onelife continued with his large cutlass in hand.

“Nwohhh!! Feeling frustrated, or maybe jealous? You might’ve been able to stop us if you wielded some power other than revenge. Maybe you could’ve done more than sit there and pray!! But there’s nothing you can do! You’ve got no trump card for when you really need it! That’s why you resort to revenge and despair!! …Does this hurt to hear? If you feel even the smallest ache in your heart, then it’s not too late. Show us you can reach for a power that avoids regret and precludes the need for reveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeenge!!!!!!”

Onelife used his great arm strength to drive the stake in even more, but then he was knocked from his feet. Something had exploded beneath him.

It was like an invisible volcanic eruption. By widening the wound, the gas used to keep the blimp afloat may have erupted out.

More and more of the thick armor was torn up, starting from the edge of the gash.

The metallic wound spread endlessly.

But they could not just calmly observe the widening hole.

Their footing had noticeably tilted. That meant the Huge Eye itself was tilting.

“It’s falling?”

At first, Elaine stared blankly down at it.

She could not believe this was happening.

“What, what!? How can this happen!? This is my power! It has always been with me and it was to always be with me!!”

Had that been her one and only bond remaining?

Had she chosen to stay with that massive sorcery weapon forever, transforming her into an incarnation of destruction?

Just as the damaged Godhorn Tech tilted even further, Elaine staggered. There was not all that much room to stand on atop the round blimp.

Miyabi’s skin was stinging.

He grimaced.

The ashes and charcoal powder were burning and the heat contained in the fiery cyclone had to be greater than in a blacksmith’s furnace.

If any of them left the eye of the storm, they would be enveloped by the scorching orange wall of swirling fire and burned to ashes before they even hit the ground.

“Watch out!” he shouted, but he was too far away.

So.

It was someone else’s hand that reached out and grabbed her.

The hand belonged to her childhood friend Alicia.

Alicia grabbed her, pulled her close, and held her tight.

“?”

Elaine actually looked puzzled. The confusion was palpable even with her eyes hidden behind the goggles.

Alicia was not going to let her look like that any longer.

She ignored the smell of her own burning hair and the pain of her burning skin as she spoke.

“I will not let this end here. I won’t let it end in death after coming this far. No matter what!!”

“Kh.”

Groaning was not enough.

Miyabi reached his empty hand out to the two of them.

“I need to create a wall to keep them from falling!”

(Please, Forest Guardian and dark elves. I’ll be breaking down and transforming your homeland and resting place, but please lend Elaine your strength one last time!!)

The natural materials that had been swept up this high were broken down into Palette Dice that dropped down and stacked up vertically.

He barely made it in time.

The wall holding the two girls in place was black and burned, but it was definitely made from the trees so loved by the dark elves.

“Wh-why?” stammered Elaine.

“Shut up,” shouted Alicia, biting her lip. She paid no attention to the black soot covering her cheeks and clothes. “Why do I need a reason!? I’m here to actually save my childhood friend this time!”

“The Wicked God that gave you that horn didn’t want this. He offered you his horn hoping you would fly freer than anyone, smile bright, and be happy. He told you to live the life you want, but you never could find what you wanted to do. Or were you too afraid to stop fighting and find a different path for yourself? Were you afraid you would have it taken away from you again? So you were afraid to stop even after your revenge was complete. You thought helping other people with their revenge would be easier because that was the one place you had found success! You decided that was the only way you could be happy, narrowed your view of the world, and stuck with the one thing you knew you could do!! Even though you could have seen so many new things if you had looked away from that path just for a moment. Isn’t that right, Elaine!?” Miyabi slowly approached those two. “But the more you repeat the same thing, the less you get out of it. There is no freedom there. You must have known that yourself, which is why you had to escalate things in that closed-off world. You never did actually save anyone while helping with their revenge, did you? Of course you didn’t. Dress it up however you like, violence is still violence. I’m not calling it good or evil – I’m saying your hands end up just as bloody either way!!”

They had no guarantee that wall would last forever. It could crumble away in an unexpected gust of wind or the Huge Eye could tilt even further, dumping Alicia and Elaine into the fire. Or the fiery cyclone could heat up further, roasting everything in the eye of the storm.

But he had just one thought about that: so what?

Why had he come all this way otherwise? He wanted to grant the Forest Guardian his wish!!

“You never needed to help people with their revenge. When you discovered their problems, maybe you could have given them advice and stopped the tragedy, effectively saving them from their own path of violence!! Then you could have broken free! You could have found a happiness you had never before experienced!!!!!!”

“…”

“Don’t trample it all underfoot, Elaine.”

No matter what he said, he was an outsider who had arrived after the dark elf forest had been burned down. He had not arrived in time or even realized it was happening. He was no more than a human boy. Ordinarily, acting like he understood better than her might have been an insult to her and all the other victims of that tragedy.

But there were times when the people with a direct connection lost their way.

There were things that could only be seen with a more detached viewpoint.

That was why this task had been given to him.

He felt the weight of the burden the Forest Guardian had placed on him. He was an outsider and a human, but he did everything he could to gather up as much as he could.

He wanted to give them some kind of solution.

Even if he had only gathered 1% of Elaine’s bloody resolve, his words still carried some unseen power. They carried some piece of the Forest Guardian’s feelings.

So he would hesitate no longer.

He let go of his own support and his shoes slid down along the slope.

Maybe he didn’t know what he was talking about and maybe he was only rubbing salt in the actual victim’s wounds, but he knew he had to use his words to carry these feelings to that lonely girl!!

He would drag her out of this.

That was the only thought on his mind as he went in deeper.

“Don’t trample on the idea of risking your life to save people! Don’t use your resolve as an excuse for taking the easy way out!! Are you kidding me, Elaine!? The Forest Guardian broke off his own horn for you and you expect me to believe this was the person he was picturing with a smile on his face!? How long are you going to continue worrying him? Tell me, Elaine Greenforest. If you truly believe you’re meant to live this silly life of self-harm as a revenge mercenary – if you truly think you’re happy – then picture that kindhearted Wicked God in your mind and tell me all this was for the best!!!!!!”

Even through her goggles, she was clearly shaken.

Her breath and her words caught in her throat.

She couldn’t do it. She simply could not approve of her silly life as a revenge mercenary while in the imagined presence of the Forest Guardian.

“But…but.” Without a doubt, Elaine had taken more damage from this than any of the physical blows. “It comes to me so naturally. Revenge feels so comfortable. I mean, I’ve done it so many times there’s nothing to worry about. There are no surprises there, so it gives me stability.”

“No. That isn’t stability. Walking endlessly down a path with no end in sight isn’t a journey. That’s called being lost. Elaine, you haven’t found your path and you haven’t created anything. You’re just lost!!”

“You mean to say the Wicked God and the others didn’t want this? But then how can I trust anything I’ve seen in this world?”

“It’s not too late to find the kind of happiness that will let the dark elves and the Forest Guardian rest in peace! And I’ll help you find it. Listen, Elaine. You don’t need to be all powerful to find freedom. So what if you can’t save yourself? Who cares if you’re helpless? I’ll show you what true creation is. Because we’ll create a new home for you!!”

As Miyabi slid down the slope, he finally arrived within arm’s reach of the two girls.

He could reach them in the most natural and ordinary way.

“So come back to the wider world, Elaine!!”

“Ah…”

They were all shaken even more wildly than before.

The Huge Eye was not going to last.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!”

Miyabi’s consciousness flashed in and out.

Which meant he was still alive.

“Koo…”

Alma cried quietly while lying face up on the ashes. At least the little thing wasn’t hurt.

He could tell they had crashed somewhere.

The blackened trees were knocked over and there may have been a large crater.

There was no sign of a wildfire. Had the fiery cyclone vanished already? When the Huge Eye had lost its balance, it may have lost its power to maintain the whirlwind, which cut off the supply of air and allowed the flames to extinguish naturally.

Those flames had continued burning like a furnace as long as they had a supply of air, but that also meant they went out once that air supply ended. Miyabi knew some about fires due to living in a forest. Because they had to avoid a forest fire at all costs.

“Elaine, are you all right?”

He had no strength left, so he crawled across the black ground to reach Elaine.

He approached slowly but surely.

“…”

She did not seem able to move.

She may have been in a state of shock.

“You have so many party members, so why did you come check on me first?”

“How is that even a question?” he immediately asked. “Because you’re one of those party members now.”

Of that he was certain.

He slowly stood up.

“You aren’t the 11th. If you had sorcery bombs in addition to your flying Godhorn Tech, you could have rained bombs down on us from the sky or something.”

“What was I even doing?” murmured the girl with her eyes hidden behind goggles. “The Forest Guardian only did that because he was so worried for me.”

“Forget it. Think of it like no more than a long dream.”

“Ugh,” someone groaned.

“?”

Elaine moved just her head to see another elf crawling over to her. Her beautiful skin and blonde hair were filthy, but she didn’t care in the slightest.

“Are you okay, Elaine?”

Alicia’s voice was scratchy.

She entirely ignored the ashes in her hair, the soot on her cheeks, and the injuries across her body.

She was not here to hurt someone.

None of them had been risking their lives for anything as silly as that.

“Thank goodness. Thank everything I never gave up on you.”

She touched Elaine.

She used her trembling fingertips to feel her body heat – the warmth that confirmed she was alive.

This is what she had been fighting for.

She stood up to the Godhorn Tech that had destroyed the powerful Empire for this.

So now she could not stop the flood of emotions.

“Hic, sob…”

She hit her limit.

Alicia held her childhood friend in her arms with clear drops building in the corners of her eyes.

And the dam broke.

“Ugh, wahh. Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

The redheaded boy smiled just a little.

It wasn’t often you felt immensely glad you had risked your life.

This was one of those times.

It was a nervous and timid thing, but Elaine Greenforest, who had grown so comfortable with destruction, slowly reached a trembling hand to the back of the girl crying for her.

The other girl’s face crumpled too. She did not make a noise, but it was obvious even with the goggles.

Miyabi exhaled and leaned back against a black and burned tree before speaking under his breath.

He was looking up into the sunlight filtered through the forest’s branches.

“Hey.”

There was nothing to worry about.

She had been broken, but now she had been given a second chance.

“Did you see that, Forest Guardian?”

Onelife and Number 8 watched it all from a short distance away.

The first to speak was the one-eyed pirate.

“Are you over your grudge?”

“Hmph,” spat out the magical automaton. “I will do something she could not: end the cycle of revenge. I can’t think of a better form of payback for a revenge mercenary.”

Meanwhile at Horn Fortress 7

“Oh, we really changed some things, huh?” said Ginger Sandstrike, using his shovel as a cane and looking to the distorted horizon even though he couldn’t actually see anything there. “I didn’t think we could have such an affect, but we really did influence the outcome.”

“Horn Fortress might be destroyed if Miyabi dies, so we had better have some influence.”

A dancer’s outfit fluttered in the sea breeze.

Iris Tempinvy, a dancer (and recovery magic researcher), had been sent to the front line after treating the Necromancer’s wound. Without her, Miyabi’s party might have succumbed to their wounds after the Huge Eye attacked them in the desert nation.

The blond and dark-skinned “guardian” gave her a cynical smile.

“And here I thought we would be trapped here forever ‘just in case’ he needs us eventually.”

“Do not even joke about that!”

Iris’s eyes widened.

People were willing to do whatever it took to survive. Their greatest motivator was not dreams or ideals; it was anxiety and fear. When they looked back, they saw a stone structure nicer than a royal castle in the center of the island. That was the result of all the additions they had made here. There had been no plan in its construction, so the boxy rooms sticking out from the sides did make it somewhat ugly.

They had standard facilities like a clinic, a smithy, and a potion mixing lab and they also had odder choices like a blueprint library and a fish tank for rare but small fish they could use for potion ingredients. They had simply built everything they could think of that Miyabi’s party might need out there.

At first, the Lucifer Horn had only circled overhead without ever coming close, but not it would sometimes descend toward the ocean when it had nothing else to do. Ships could not visit this island, but they had still built a wooden pier in order to access the Lucifer Horn.

The bomber was now letting them perform maintenance and load bombs. It acted arrogant, but it also let them do whatever they wanted. Almost like a cat curling up in an old lady’s lap near the fireplace and asking to be patted. The group at Horn Fortress may have seen a side to the Lucifer Horn that Miyabi was unaware of.

On the other hand, their building was missing one thing necessary to call it a castle.

It had no defensive weapons, arrowslits, or murder holes.

“It sure is peaceful here,” said Ginger in a somehow rusty voice, making Iris wonder what kind of life he had lived before coming here. “This place doesn’t even have the weapons needed to defend itself. Thanks to the barriers surrounding us and the miasma coming from the cracks, we don’t have to worry about robbers or armies. There are some Beast Novae on the island, but they’re more like a source of food and materials than a threat.”

“Oh? Why do you sound so disappointed?”

“I’m not really.” Ginger, who would be decently handsome if he kept his mouth shut, twisted his lips up in a grin. “I’m just a cynic, so when I see a 100% peaceful environment, I can’t help but assume there’s something sinister lurking below the surface. I mean, what would you think if you were introduced to ‘a city of eternal peace where all social problems have been solved and everyone is guaranteed happiness’?”

“Hmm… I would want to move there, but I would wonder what the odds were of being chosen.”

“See, you’re trusting. That spiel would make me suspicious. Now, what if someone was selling you ‘a hyper dangerous dragon that never, ever betrays its master – definitely didn’t eat its last master!!’ ”

“Sounds like the perfect home security system. Wouldn’t be long until there was one in every house.”

“Okay, wow. I underestimated you. Ah ha ha. You are really trusting!”

Profiles

Harber Snipe-Eat

Age: 20

Sex: Male

Height: 170cm

A pure hunter who makes a living by hunting animals. No matter how human a monster looks, he will still try to slay it and he is cold-hearted toward nonhumans like elves. He thinks the deadly act of hunting can be fully explained by the natural world’s food chain. If a human village is destroyed by a monster, he considers that too to be the natural way of things. He hunts and eats animals because that is his place in the food chain, not because he has any real animosity for them.

Elaine Greenforest

Apparent Age: 14 (actual age unknown)

Sex: Female

Height: 145cm

A dark elf girl who took revenge on the Empire for burning her forest and slaughtering the other dark elves. After destroying the Empire with the power of her Huge Eye Godhorn Tech, she began traveling the continent and using that power to fulfill other people’s revenge as a “revenge mercenary”. The motive for her actions is up to whoever hires her, so her actions are impossible to predict, in a way making her even more dangerous than the Lord of Ruin who is bound by his own way of thinking. Appears to be an old friend of Alicia Blueforest.

Godhorn Tech High-Altitude Blimp: Huge Eye

Pilot: Elaine Greenforest

Affiliation: None

Size: Details Unknown

A giant one-eyed blimp floating at extreme high altitude. Can control the atmosphere and can eliminate its enemy by creating a massive hurricane with itself as the eye. The hurricane can be controlled by moving the blimp, but it cannot be eliminated at will. Once it has been activated, it must go away naturally. Even with so much power, its elevated position protects it from most any attack from the ground. Design motif: rainmaking.

Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Section 1

In the beginning was the Mother of all Wicked Gods. In the end was the Mother of all Wicked Gods.

She said destruction and creation are one and the same.

The battle against Dark Elf Elaine Greenforest was over.

The Huge Eye Godhorn Tech had been destroyed.

Either due to the intense fires dying down or just the sun setting, it was starting to feel chilly. The way Kananka Fulpen rubbed at his skin told Miyabi he was not just imagining that.

However…

“Not even the revenge mercenary was the 11th.”

Miyabi Blackgarden tilted his head.

A short distance away, ashy and sooty Alicia Blueforest still refused to let go of the dark elf. Goggled Elaine pushed her palm against her childhood friend’s cheek in slight annoyance, but she also seemed to be enjoying herself.

And Alma looked somewhat sad, despite normally pushing the elf away when she tried to rub her cheek against it. Miyabi smiled a little.

“Come here, Alma.”

“Koo…”

They had defeated the enemy and supposedly solved the problem, but they still had not answered one crucial question. Stopping Elaine’s revenge mercenary work had of course been important, but none of it added up.

She had in fact used the power of a Wicked God horn to destroy the massive Empire.

So many people living there would have played no direct role in the razing of the dark elf forest. The people who had never even set foot outside their hometown – like Miyabi until recently – might not have even known the forest existed. But Elaine had still done it.

The destruction had been her goal, so she had not sought any further benefit from it. She lost interest in what she had destroyed and moved on to her next target. She had traveled the continent spreading destruction even more freely than the Necromancer who valued dead spirits and corpses as a resource and had holed up in a rotten world, so Elaine did seem like a good match for those sorcery bombs.

However…

“Elaine did not use any,” whispered Number 8. The black-haired butler was looking to something much wider than just Miyabi. “Not in this battle or when she destroyed the Empire. I have never once seen her use a sorcery bomb.”

“What?”

“It took some time to arrive at this conclusion because I had to run a self-diagnostic to ensure these memories were not damaged, but I am certain of it now. Nothing is missing from these memories. The dark elf did not need any more than her high-altitude blimp. The Huge Eye’s cataclysmic effects are simply that powerful. Not to mention that she only managed to contaminate a full third of the continent by inducing explosions in the Empire’s own magical facilities.”

The Green Forest had to be full of precious memories for Elaine, but once a certain switch flipped inside her, she prioritized destruction above all else. She had in fact set traps in the forest, made a surprise attack on Miyabi there, and even created a fiery cyclone by igniting the forest’s ashes and charcoal and catching them in a hurricane.

“It’s like I said,” murmured Miyabi. “It doesn’t make sense for Elaine to be the 11th. If she really was the bomber, she would have used those bombs to defeat us.”

Yes.

She had not been the type to be stopped by sentimental reasons like her memories of the place or not wanting to disturb the dark elves’ slumber.

“What if she had scattered sorcery bombs from that blimp? Or what if she had built a giant C of bombs in the forest and then closed the ring behind us after we walked inside? We would have been helpless to stop her from blowing us to smithereens. Maybe not anymore, but back when she was a revenge mercenary, she definitely would have taken it that far if she could.”

What did it mean if Elaine Greenforest had gone all out and used every card in her deck but she had never used a sorcery bomb?

“Elaine…isn’t the 11th?”

“But we have also run out of Godhorn Tech users.” The magical automaton pointed out that fundamental issue once more. “Miyabi, Celina, Eliza, Kananka, Onelife, the Necromancer, Acacia, Ixea, the Lord of Ruin, Elaine, and me. With the twins, that makes 11 users for 10 Godhorn Techs. That’s all of them. Or we could include Moebius in the count if former users qualify.”

“No, it isn’t him,” confidently stated Miyabi.

He had suspected Moebius before after he sent a letter to the Arsenal Kingdom to set up the Schwarz Schütze.

That had turned out to be a diversion meant to draw out Number 8 who had been made into a pawn of the 11th, but that would have been meaningless if Moebius really was the 11th. That letter had been the only hint Miyabi’s group had, so without it, Moebius could have continued using Number 8 to blow up locations across the continent without drawing any suspicion to himself.

In other words, intentionally drawing suspicion to himself just to have his name cleared, which provided him even more safety than no suspicion in the first place, was just too risky and unnecessary. That was the kind of desperate gamble someone took when they were already under suspicion.

Number 8 accurately stated the only possibilities.

“Either there is someone else out there we have yet to see or someone on that list is the 11th.”

“…”

Miyabi had no answer.

Or maybe he didn’t want to find an answer.

It seemed unlikely they would find new information in the dark elf forest where ashes and moss covered the ground and all the trees had carbonized. They had traveled across the continent in a large U-shape, so if they continued west from here, they would complete the loop and end up in the snowy Arsenal Kingdom. And searching the forest’s past would only give them information about the destroyed Empire.

That did not sound like where they would find an entirely new country or someone they had yet to see.

So…

“Miyabi,” said the small brown prince named Kananka Fulpen. “I know eavesdropping is rude, but I couldn’t help but overhear. I recommend we organize all of our information.”

“Why?”

“There are still a few questions we have yet to answer. The disaster that struck my kingdom being one of them.” Kananka winked and pressed a small hand against his chest. “We have dealt with the Necromancer, the Lord of Ruin, and Elaine now, but have we really finished speaking with the people who were manipulated by the 11th’s conspiracy? We were so focused on traveling across the continent we might have missed something during our quest.”

If they got everyone’s story, they could locate any discrepancies that suggested someone was lying or hiding something. And if they were all telling the truth, they could conclude that someone else was still out there. Either way, it would be worth their while.

And on that note…

“The Lord of Ruin should be waking soon,” said the Necromancer, her bewitching fingers toying with the brim of her witch’s hat.

Miyabi tilted his head.

“How can you know that when he was so badly injured?”

“Because his anesthesia is running out. Do you know what anesthesia is? If he isn’t writhing in pain at this point, then he’s never waking up again.”

“Boss, don’t pretend you wouldn’t be happy to get another specimen to research on☆”

The hat spoke with the voice of a small child, but Miyabi had to think for a bit.

Getting everyone’s story wasn’t a bad idea.

But bringing the recovering Lord of Ruin here would be a problem. He was badly injured, he was old, and Miyabi himself did not want to stay in this forest of ashes, charcoal, and green moss any longer than he had to. In fact, they would have difficulty setting up camp once the sun set. How were they supposed to acquire food around here?

So…

“It might be best for us all to pay Horn Fortress a visit.”

“Eh? Please tell me I misheard that!” Helen’s uncanny hearing caused her to jump up and join the conversation. “Um, it isn’t possible to walk to Horn Fortress, right? Isn’t it a remote island surrounded by the miasma-spewing cracks in the world or by an artificial barrier? But in that case…”

Miyabi stabbed the tip of his control sword into the hardened ash at his feet.

A large magic circle appeared there.

The glasses woman panicked even more.

“Wait, stop, let’s not be rash!! It’s too soon! Please be reasonable, Miyabi! Isn’t this where the Lucifer Horn snatches us up with a wire and flies us over the horizon? I’ll die! Straight up die! If the hook slips off of my collar on the way, I’ll be splattered against the ground and die instantly!!”

Helen Clockgear was nearly in tears, but she was interrupted by an exasperated sigh by another curvy young woman: the Necromancer.

“Oh? I made the trip twice and I’m fine.”

“I do not trust assurances of safety from people who reek of death. Who knows what kind of tricks you used to survive.”

“No tricks. I simply put myself in a state of suspended animation by freezing myself inside a coffin until I arrived. The freezing part is easy, but getting the unfreezing to happen on schedule takes some doing.”

“Are you sure Horn Fortress isn’t part of the afterlife and only the dead can get there!?”

Both sides of that argument were taking such extreme stances that it was hard to agree with either one. And if the argument held over the boy’s head grew anymore heated, those two young women might just crush his head between their boobs.

But this did give him an important hint for gathering his thoughts.

He needed to solve this one problem at a time.

“Um, Helen? I really don’t think we can stay here for long. There doesn’t seem to be anyone other than Elaine to talk to in the forest, so we won’t find any new information.”

“Uh…b-but we can still wait until we’re back in civilization before we have this strategy meeting.”

“Were you planning to head east to the desert nation or west to the snowy Arsenal Kingdom? Either way, we’ll find a harsh environment blocking our way even after we leave the forest. And based on the position of the sun, night will have fallen before we even get out of the forest.”

Helen’s shoulders shook.

Since Alicia wasn’t paying it any attention, Alma was tugging on Helen’s ankles for once. The creature was asking for food.

That meant it was dinnertime.

The position of the sun made it clear it was more evening than afternoon at this point.

Helen had mostly handled their travel funds and camp arrangements, so she would know the problems facing them better than anyone. But since she still didn’t want to admit to them, Miyabi said them for her.

And he put it bluntly.

“Helen, we can’t get food here. There’s nothing but ashy ground and carbonized trees. And even if we walk through the night to leave the forest, we’ll only find ourselves in either a desert or a snowy field.”

“Kh!?”

“Or were you thinking of eating this moss? New life does seem to be taking root here, but there isn’t much variety yet. For now at least, everything here seems to be that soft and creepy stuff the Necromancer loves, but can you really get a good night’s sleep after eating that? I wouldn’t want to eat it no matter how you cooked it up, but what about you? You could always turn it into a smoothie to help it go down quick, if gloppy. And there appear to be a lot of glowing bugs here, so at least it’ll look pretty.”

“Kooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!”

Helen let out a very Alma-like cry.

Yes, before even getting to the Lord of Ruin issue, they had no real choice other than visiting Horn Fortress if they wanted to survive. Would they brave a game of culinary concentration using all sorts of gross creepy crawlies not found in any reference book, or would they brave a dangerous midair jaunt, supported by a single wire? No one had guaranteed them a safe and comfortable path, so if they had to risk their lives, they might as well weigh the options against each other.

The Necromancer’s witch hat spoke in a singsong voice.

“It isn’t every day you get to see a cute girl tearfully and reluctantly stuffing some grotesque thing in her mouth. N-now there’s an image I can mentally combine with some other choice images. You know, like with a thick banana or a long piece of bread!! Through the power of imagination!!!!!!”

“I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean, but I’m disinclined to choose anything that delights a hat that thinks on the same level as the radio,” said Miyabi. “What about you, Helen? Will you leave this with me?”

Helen Clockgear responded by clenching her tight skirt in her fists, biting her lip, and nodding like a child trying to hold it in while waiting for the bathroom. It was rare indeed for that busty glasses woman to fully admit defeat like this.

Now that he had permission, Miyabi sighed.

His sword was already stabbed into the ground, so he grabbed the grip again and spoke the words in his head.

“Take care of it, Lucifer Horn.”

Something tore through the air right next to Miyabi and scraped along the ground as it flew off somewhere.

It took a few seconds to realize the catching hook at the end of the thick wire had scraped by right next to the boy. And hadn’t there been some orange sparks flying?

The Lucifer Horn had already vanished into the distance.

The only signs of its passage were the long, thin clouds that looked like claw marks left by a massive beast.

Helen Clockgear’s legs gave out and she fell right back onto her butt with her eyes wide behind her glasses. She was like a cup filled to the limit. She could not get back up, so she trembled and clung to Miyabi’s hips.

And she yelled with the look of someone who would piss herself if just one more drop was added to the cup.

“I can’t. I can’t, can’t, can’t, can’t possibly do that!! How is that even supposed to safely catch you!? Reach your hand out in the wrong spot and you’ll lose more than just a few fingers at that speed! How did that ever work!? Please can we just give up on this terrible idea!? I’ll do anything else! Anything!!!!!!”

“Now that’s what I want to hear from a panicked beautiful woman! Saying you’ll do ‘anything’ as a last-ditch attempt at bargaining is hot, hot, hot!!”

Since the radio and the hat were both rejoicing, they had to be doing something wrong.

The Necromancer sighed with a hand on her cheek in a way that gave her a surprisingly respectable air.

“Well, a bomber wouldn’t be designed for vertical takeoff and landing. That wire must be a makeshift solution. I mean, it can only carry one person or item at a time. Using that to carry the entire group is not going to be easy.”

“Eh? Can’t I just send each of you one at a time and then grab the wire myself the last time?”

Helen desperately shook her head while still clinging to the boy. It didn’t really matter, but with her sitting on the ground and holding onto the younger boy’s hips, her soft cheek, shapely nose, and (maybe someone out there cares) some part of her glasses were touching him in weird places. The healthy teenage boy really wished she would not shake her head like that, but she was too afraid of her impending death to care.

Also, Alma was holding onto his calf and mimicking the woman for fun. The horn hurt as it poked at his leg.

The Necromancer pinched and toyed with the brim of her witch hat sort of like someone poking their finger inside a small bird’s cage.

“Would what you did for me come in handy?”

“?”

“Or what you did for the Lord of Ruin. When I was injured, didn’t you create a stretcher and then attach the wire to that? So if you carry us as a single large item and not individual people, you can ignore how many of us there are.”

The death scientist may have been a tutor at heart.

When she saw the puzzled tilt of Miyabi’s head, she happily explained.

“Create a big box or container that we can all fit inside. Miyabi, if you use your control sword to have the wire latch onto the box, we can enjoy a luxurious trip through the sky. That way we don’t even have to worry about the cold air. And inside that ‘room’, there is no risk of a sudden crosswind dislodging the hook from our clothing.”

“Yeah, that would work!”

“Nooo, don’t give him a workable solution! Now he’s really going to do iiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!”

Now that they had a plan, they got to work creating the big box.

They had seen professional containers and boxes on Celina’s armored train and at the criminal city’s port and Miyabi had created shelters to protect the islanders from the magical automatons in the remote island kingdom. That should have worked well enough, but he did not want to break apart and reuse the trees and stones leftover in this damaged forest. They were like the dark elves’ tombstones. He did not want to eat a grave offering or build a home out of tombstones. There were pieces of broken imperial weapons abandoned here and there, but they were a part of the forest at this point.

He had trashed the place while saving Elaine like the Forest Guardian and the dark elves had wanted, but he did not want to do that again for his own purposes.

Which meant…

“The pieces are scattered everywhere,” he said while looking around.

He was talking about the items that were clearly not the carbonized trees or the ashy ground.

Yes, the wreckage from the Huge Eye.

But if he could simply hold out his hand and break the Godhorn Tech down into Palette Dice and remake those into a structure or tool, then his past battles would have been a lot easier. He was not expecting that to work. Some big pieces were buried among all the jagged armor fragments and strange gears.

For example, a metal box that looked large enough to shelter from the rain inside.

For example, a tunnel-like pipe that he could have walked through without even ducking.

“I think we could use this and this. We cover up the front and back of the huge pipe with those gears taller than I am.”

“It would be like a human-sized canned good. But even if we use heat to weld the covers on, the side of the pipe has nothing for the Lucifer Horn’s hook to catch on. How will you solve that?”

The Necromancer was sexy enough to make for a very inappropriate tutor, but her question (asked while her crossed arms pushed up her large breasts) got Miyabi thinking. He crouched down on the spot.

“I found a wire. We can tie this to the pipe and create a loop at the top.”

Helen was tearfully shouting something about being terrified of a device handmade by someone who didn’t know what they were doing and comparing this to jumping off a cliff in an amateur inventor’s flying machine, but without a viable alternative, she had no way of stopping the redhead boy and the death scientist.

The used leverage to roll the giant pipe on top of the wire they had laid out on the ground. Then Miyabi climbed atop the cylinder to tightly tie the wire around it. With the pipe itself bound, he added a smaller loop to help the Lucifer Horn grab it. With the loop on top, the wire kind of looked like a giant ring on an even bigger finger.

“Why are you so good at tying knots and stuff, Necromancer? I would’ve expected a sailor like Onelife to be the expert there.”

“Hee hee. Hoping to drown in my darkness, boy?”

“No one’s better at sexy bondage than the boss! Admittedly, she developed the skills so she could restrain some overeager and uncontrollable specimens without damaging their rotten limbs. But only when they were too important to just dump in the acid pool for disposal.”

The rest of the party approached while those two worked.

Celina Bodenburg put her hands on her hips and looked up at the boy from the ashy ground.

“Oh? Developing a new delivery service using the Lucifer Horn, Miyabi!? Using such a large device to carry just the one container is extremely inefficient, but we might be able to make it profitable if we market it as premium air delivery for the wealthy hoping to receive gourmet ingredients before they go bad or transport valuables without fear of bandits attacking. This isn’t specialized for delivering messages like the messenger harpies, so it would be a first on the continent! I need to get in on the ground floor of this, so g-give me a second to work out some figures!!”

Celina started using a stick to scratch out some numbers on the ashy ground, so Miyabi decided to leave her be.

With just a metal wire tied around the thick pipe, he feared the pipe would slip out in midair. Alicia solved that problem with her knowledge of alchemy. She used a special chemical to melt the surface of the wire just enough for it to stick to the pipe. She said the process was called unheated welding.

“Climb in, everyone,” said the elf. “I will seal the other lid from the inside. There is no door, so we can’t get in after it’s sealed up.”

“Fine, but don’t seal it too tightly. It would be tragic indeed if we were trapped inside as some living canned goods.”

Death was a constant companion for the Necromancer, so if she called it tragic, it would have to be tragic indeed.

At any rate, their preparations were complete.

Helen was still trembling and throwing a tantrum, so Miyabi had to grab her hand and drag her inside. Once they were all inside the tunnel-like interior of the thick pipe, they sealed up that end as well. They could no longer see outside. Miyabi stabbed his control sword into the tube below his feet. The magic circle followed the surface of the pipe’s interior, so it circled around and covered the area overhead as well.

And Miyabi gave the final command.

“Take care of it, Lucifer Horn!!”

If he was being honest, Miyabi did not feel all that much fear.

They were journeying through the sky, but the pipe they were using as a container had both ends covered by giant gears. With no windows or doors, they could not see anything outside.

“Koo, koo.”

Alma cried worriedly in the darkness, presumably in Alicia’s arms. The creature may have been complaining about the lack of windows.

A strange sense of acceleration clutched at Miyabi’s gut, but he did not feel the vertigo of peering off the edge of a cliff. He could not even imagine what was happening to them, so the fear could not catch up with him.

(Well, Eliza’s castle was pretty high up too, but that was indoors and the building was so solid you didn’t feel the height. Is this similar?)

“Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no.”

Helen, meanwhile, had the misfortune of knowing exactly how to calculate out all the appropriate values in her head. She had been clinging to seated Miyabi and trembling for a while now. But even if she was acting like a small child after a nightmare, she was still a fully-grown woman. Her large breasts were well on their way to suffocating Miyabi and she was holding him tight with her arms and even her legs, creating such close contact that he had no way to escape her body heat and sweet aroma. And the darkness meant he sensed that scent and the heat of her breath on his neck all the more vividly.

Also, he had failed to consider another factor.

Dangling this “room” from the Lucifer Horn by a wire was all well and good, but how were they going to land?

The tunnel-like pipe had no wings, nor could it decelerate by opening a giant umbrella like in a comedy play.

There was only one way it was going to end:

“Gwaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!???”

A great shock ran through his entire body and the world flipped around him over and over.

The hook had release them in midair, dropping them to a sandy surface. It took him some time to realize the pipe was rolling along the beach.

But how did he know they were on a beach?

The fall had caused the gears to pop off the ends of the tube. A not insignificant amount of white sand got inside and he sensed an ocean scent that reminded him of the criminal city or the remote island kingdom.

“I am never following one of your plans again, Miyabi. Never ever…”

Miyabi heard Helen’s exhausted voice from the tangle of bodies below him, but he did not let his guard down. That was only her voice. The warm mass below him could still be muscular Onelife. He needed to make absolutely certain before rubbing his cheek against whoever it was.

“Oh, th-that’s me all right.”

“Mh? So it really is Helen? Then what is this concerningly dangerous thing I feel here?”

“That would be my knife.”

“Stop! I like my head attached!!”

Groaning (after nearly angering the glasses woman by getting a little too carried away), Miyabi picked up Alma and crawled outside.

His spine froze when he saw how close they were to a palm tree. It was just standing there on the beach, but hitting that would have killed them.

“Ugh, it’s gotten everywhere. Peh, peh. I really need a shower or a bath.”

Celina grabbed the bottom of her skirt and shook off the ash and sand. The unintentional thigh flashing caused the miniskirt to blow a mysterious wind on the boy’s face like a fan. Which meant he was close enough for that wind to reach him. That restored some of the happiness the young woman’s knife had taken from him. The world was a wonderful place after all.

Assuming no bizarre accidents had taken place, the Lucifer Horn would have taken them to their destination.

That meant Horn Fortress.

The view opened up before their eyes.

The orange light of the setting sun shined on a tropical island. It was similar to Kananka’s remote island kingdom, but there were differences. The flowers and shellfish visible on the beach were enough to know the island contained flora and fauna not found in that island kingdom. But more than that, the type of building was entirely different from how that kingdom had created felled palm trees and made roofs of grass to build very open homes without four walls surrounding them.

“Koo…”

Alma looked up at the impressive structure.

It was made of rock and metal.

It felt similar to the royal castle at the center of the snowy Arsenal Kingdom. But while that symmetrical castle had been built based on a plan, no such order was found here. It must have started as a few small huts that eventually fused together into one massive structure as additions were made. From there, more and more rooms were added horizontally and vertically, causing it to expand like soap bubbles.

Based on the windows, it had 7 – no, 8 floors in all.

Alicia planted her feet on the fine sand, put her hands on her hips, and looked up at it with exasperation on her face.

“Gather a bunch of humans on a desert island and they build this? Human greed knows no bounds, does it?”

“Yeah, like your room back home isn’t full of trash and lab equipment. You never let Miyabi visit by claiming the Blueforest hidden village doesn’t allow outsiders, but I bet you just didn’t want him to see what a pigsty you live-”

The radio was silenced by a fist from its owner.

“…”

This was Horn Fortress.

Miyabi himself only stared at that isolated world for a while.

They had worked hard to reach this point, but even after searching across the entire continent, they had found no solid evidence concerning the 11th. But it had not been for nothing. He had gathered a party here that had supported his journey so far.

A single boy had come all this way and the result could be seen here.

“Hm, hm, hm.”

He heard some cheerful humming.

It came from Elaine Greenforest as she walked across the sandy beach.

In fact, she walked right up to Miyabi and wrapped her arms around his arm.

“Um, um, Elaine? Do you…need something?”

Surprised, he tried being polite and she whispered in his ear.

“Dark elves rarely leave our forest. When we do visit an unfamiliar land, we ask the master of that land to escort us until we feel comfortable there.”

“?”

“And at Horn Fortress I believe you qualify as the master. Just think of it as an old custom and bear with it.”

“I-if you say so…”

“Also, we like to get to know the land by sampling the local cuisine. So give me something to eat.”

“Ehh? But all I have are a few cookies.”

“I just know I’m going to die if I don’t eat them all. Oh, and it’s a dark elf custom for you to help me relax by giving me a shoulder massage. And then a leg massage.”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!!” cut in Alicia Blueforest from the other side. “N-now, I know that part isn’t real!! You’re just making things up since there aren’t any other Greenforest elves around to say otherwise, aren’t you!?”

“Do you have any way of proving that, my heartless childhood friend? You can head back to the forest and search for some surviving texts or art among all the ash and charcoal, but don’t bother coming back until you find something.”

Alicia pointed back with her thumb and replied with the bluntness found among old friends.

“We’ve already caught ourselves a wild dark elf by the name of Lillian Greenforest. That masochist might love being experimented on, but she can still reveal your lies!!”

“Tch.” The goggled dark elf clicked her tongue. Sadly, this suited her better than the previous enthusiasm. “After hearing you had raised this human from birth to cater to your every need, I was hoping to get a taste of the services he provided.”

“Bweflwhwlehf!? C-come to me, boy. Stay away from her!! You can’t trust someone who always keeps her face covered!!!!!!”

Elaine actually seemed puzzled by the accusation.

She tilted her head for a moment and…

“There, problem solved.”

“She took the goggles off!?” yelled Miyabi. “Without even a moment’s hesitation!!!???”

They were only goggles and had not covered her entire face, but seeing her eyes gave her an entirely different look. Her gemlike green eyes seemed to radiate an emotional energy she had lacked before.

The mysterious revenge mercenary had transformed into a teenage girl.

Also, her eyes contained a look of a feline curiosity.

“This is a wearable support device that provides all the data I need for my meteorological magic sniping: temperature, humidity, wind direction, magic, and miasma. So I don’t need to wear it outside of combat…hm? Why did you just fall to your knees, Miyabi?”

“I thought…I thought for sure there was some special meaning there. Like it was a cursed item that could only be removed with a passionate kiss, or you had to hide your secret identity as the descendant of some special priest’s bloodline.”

Miyabi had the look of someone who had delved deep inside a dungeon, found a suspicious row of four treasure chests, and opened them all to find not one contained a trap and they all contained no more than a cheap healing herb.

“Don’t worry, Miyabi. We can start up a Goggle Alliance together.”

“Not even I’m into something that weirdly specific!!”

Then the island party members noticed him.

First, Curse Cleaner Sophia Calamity-Jinx and Martial Artist Victia Magnumfist. They had not seen each other the entire time, but these party members had fought alongside his main party.

“Oh, Miyabi.”

“It’s Miyabi!”

There were others too.

“Hm, it’s been a while.”

There was the dwarf named Garett Goldcave and others too.

They all emerged to greet the new arrivals.

They ran over with smiles to the dazed group, and…

“There you are, you scumbag! First, you force me onto your party to hide that you peeped on me in the bath and then you leave me stranded on this inescapable island instead of at least having the decency of taking me on your journey!?”

“I was the very first one. I thought I was going to die of loneliness after you dumped me on the desert island all alone!!”

“Surround him!! Hey, go call the others. We can physically beat the shit out of this kid to get back at him for what he’s done to us!!!!!!”

It was a hellish scene.

Even the bunny girl and the legged mermaid surrounded the redhead boy to mercilessly pummel him with kicks. Nothing was quite as frightening as people denied food or left to rot backstage. It was not some faint twinge of good will that prevented them from killing him right away – they just wanted him to suffer for longer.

What happened when a new jailer or guard showed up at a prison overrun by dangerous inmates?

This was the answer.

“Bh, bhh, gbhhh.”

“What was that?” icily asked the will-o’-the-wisp girl named Sophia.

The pig trembled.

“M-Moebius. Where is Moebius? Isn’t he here?”

“Oh, the bastard who gave you that dangerous Godhorn Tech? If not for him, none of this would have happened to us, so we found him earlier and beat the shit out of him too. He’s probably lying in a bloody heap somewhere around here.”

Victia gave him a thin smile of barely hidden irritation.

They were apparently a lot more frustrated with their situation than he had accounted for. They had not even shown mercy to an injured man in a wheelchair, albeit an extremely sketchy one.

“Hey, his sense of pain has dulled. He isn’t reacting when I splash seawater on his wounds, so there’s no point in hitting him anymore. Give him a chance to recover enough for round two.”

Phobia Neverjudge, the daughter of the most feared gang in the criminal city, called off the beating out of something other than kindness.

Miyabi could only talk in the language of pigs at this point, but his party members seemed satisfied for the time being. After pulling out the strange marine creatures (not quite bugs and not quite fish) someone had shoved into his nostrils, he got up on unsteady legs.

They still had not solved the puzzle of the 11th.

Speaking with all the Godhorn Tech owners required visiting the clinic where the Lord of Ruin slept.

“C’mon, stand up, Miyabi. Are you okay?”

“Helen. Ugh, I don’t really mind, but I will never forget that you made no move to help me. Bleh…”

“I am still upset you forced me to take that absurd flight.”

With that, he borrowed the shoulder of the glasses woman (every part of whom was sexy) to enter Horn Fortress’s castle.

It was dark inside.

The magical lights appeared to be left on day and night, so it was not at all ecological.

Celina and Kananka were excited, but Eliza, who had served in a real castle, and the twins, who had frequented a stone pyramid, looked around in abject horror. There was a reason it was so dark inside before the sun was done setting.

In fact…

“There are windows for light that only lead out into the hallway,” noted Miyabi.

“That would be the result of all the unplanned additions. I doubt this castle obeys any safety standards at all,” sighed expressionless Acacia.

The hallway took unnatural right angles and various rooms had been installed to fill in any available space. It was all fairly dark with no windows facing directly outside.

“A kitchen and a sewing room.”

“Wh-why is the kitchen visible from the main hall? And that looks like a ceremonial ground over there.”

“That’s for alchemy and it has a smithy workshop attached,” said Alicia. “Was someone planning to create an elemental magic sword?”

There were rooms for daily necessities like a food pantry and a laundry and there were even entertainment or hobby rooms like a bar and lounge or a greenhouse. It had all been built because someone had deemed it necessary. There had to be as many rooms as there were desires among the people here.

There was no light in the rooms that had been swallowed up, windows and all, by the additions, so candles and lamps were necessary all day long.

The violent group that lived here must have gotten lost in the labyrinthine castle they had built. There were arrow signs installed on the walls and even colorful lines on the floor showing the way to important facilities.

“A-anyway, I want to get a bath,” said Alicia. “My hair and clothes are covered in ashes from the burnt forest and sand from the beach.”

“We have business to attend to.”

“Shut up, four eyes. The Lord of Ruin is in the clinic. We would only cause trouble barging in there covered in ashes and sand.”

Helen groaned and fell silent for once.

Alicia had created medicines and White Sorcery Items at the village clinic, so she may have known more about clinic etiquette than most.

But Miyabi was against it.

“But a bath is so much trouble. And I’m pretty sure I’ll pass out if I warm myself up.”

The Necromancer responded with laughter. And she spoke from the perspective of someone who had already visited Horn Fortress’s clinic.

“Yes, but it would be best if you at least took off your clothes and wiped down your hair and body with a towel.”

“Miyabi, if you start to resent any amount of trouble, you will soon find yourself unable to leave your room! And once you start using plastic bottles because walking all the way to the bathroom is too much trouble, your life is truly over!”

The elf shut up the shouting radio by shoving it in a random locker along the hallway wall. It apparently did not get to accompany her into the dressing room and bath. Alma, on the other hand, was welcome.

The girls were on their way to the bath together. Onelife Shiftup and Kananka Fulpen of the boys were as well. Some were looking for a shower instead and others were more interested in exploring the place.

The next thing he knew, the redhead boy was all alone in the hallway.

He was exhausted.

He was pretty sure he would fall asleep in the bath, but he felt like he would pass out if he stood around waiting too. He wanted to get down to business, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen.

Could they take a break like this because this place felt like home?

He leaned against the wall and sighed softly. Then he noticed a metal box taller than he was by the wall. It appeared to be a vending machine that produced various types of coffee at the press of a button.

“They built this themselves? …Wait, it takes money when it’s inside our own secret base?”

He didn’t even need the coffee when the demand for money shocked away some of his drowsiness. Who had built and installed this? Apparently the Bodenburg Company weren’t the only money lovers around.

And…

“Huh?”

Something puzzled Miyabi.

Horn Fortress was a chaotic collection of additions, room added to room both horizontally and vertically. Oddities abounded, like chimneys rising from the floor, the outside of windows ending up on the inside of hallways, and stairs being blocked by a ceiling.

And right here, the air felt unusually damp.

Some steam was escaping from somewhere.

Was the coffee vending machine malfunctioning? He checked and found a thick metal pipe attached to the back. It must have originally bent at a right angle to let the steam vent through the outside wall, but that joint had been removed and now the steam escaped into the room.

He moved the heavy machine and faced the thick pipe jutting out from the floor.

(What the hell? Where does this even lead now? I hope it isn’t something unhealthy like the blacksmith or alchemy stuff.)

He decided it would be best to cover up the hole and then ask Garett about it. He grabbed a piece of waterproof fabric large enough to cover the entire end of the pipe and some string to tie it on.

“…lly…”

That was when he heard something from the pipe.

“You’re really sharing all of this? Seems to me it would be more luxurious to build everyone their own personal bath. Does someone here just really like large baths?”

Miyabi Blackgarden froze in place.

He tilted his head, thought for a bit, and then looked down the steamy pipe to see if he was right.

It led down to the bath.

The bath was directly below here.

He saw a large marble floor which must have been quarried from somewhere on the island. The tub itself was unusually large and the bathwater poured from a golden lion statue. It may have been more like a giant fountain in a fancy garden than a home bath. Who had designed this? It was in the style of the Empire which was now buried in red dust, so had octopus-masked Marietta gotten greedy after seeing similar baths while looting?

And something moved through his limited field of vision.

It was Celina Bodenburg’s head. But this was not her disembodied head floating by. Her body was very much attached below it.

And all of its skin was showing.

A true rich girl apparently did not wrap a towel around her body in the bath.

“Whew, hard to believe it’s been less than a day since we left the desert nation.”

“Oh, no. This warmth is soaking into my body… I think I’m going to fall asleep…”

He could plainly tell what they washed first when they bathed. Just as Alicia had not brought the radio with her, the Necromancer did not have her hat with her. Helen still wore her glasses and Celina apparently needed something valuable on her person at all times, judging by the red jewels the size of chicken eggs embedded in the towel wrapped around her head. But he had to stop. He had seen too much already. He spread out the waterproof fabric, but then he paused. Was it really safe to block up this steam pipe? He didn’t want to have everyone in the women’s bath collapsing from some kind of poisoning.

Time passed while he hesitated.

“Acacia, I’m going to swell up in all this water.”

“Ixea, I imagine it is rude to float on the surface spread-eagle like that.”

Those twins would only have ever taken quick baths meant to preserve water. And despite how much the heat of the tropical island and desert had gotten to her, Eliza seemed to prefer hot baths. She turned the round hot-water handle at the base of the golden lion, earning her a series of attacks from the other girls. Specifically, her soft skin she was whipped by towels soaked with cold water. The attacks drained her body heat more than they hurt, but it got the chosen knight fleeing around the washing area all the same. Her screams were surprisingly cute. But that punishment could become deadly if taken too far, so always be careful.

And.

Elaine Greenforest had her legs stretched out in the large tub and her head resting on the white marble edge, her long ears twitching. She blinked a few times when she noticed something at the ceiling. She was not wearing her goggles in the bath, so her gemlike eyes met his.

She had seen him.

…Except all she did was narrow her eyes a little. And gain a smile on her lips. In fact, she even moved her fingers to blow him a kiss.

When people truly panicked, they apparently tried to calm themselves by pursuing the cause of their fear over trying to run away. So this terrifying mystery froze him in place.

(I appreciate it, but why? Why is she just letting me watch? Is this an invitation!? But wait, what price did I pay for such a wonderful reward? It actually scares me when someone is this inexplicably generous!!!!!!)

Eliza (who did not wear a towel in the bath) found Elaine’s upwards gaze curious, so she followed it.

“Hey, you haven’t overheated, have you, Elaine? Why are you staring up at the ceiling and smil-”

(Ah!?)

The villain was given no time to think.

Eliza Silverstorm ran into the dressing room, grabbed her giant lance, and ran back into the bath before gouging a giant hole in the ceiling.

“Intruder detected!! Attack, attaaack!!!!!!”

All hell broke loose.

The straitlaced idiot was so powerful the entire ceiling crumbled, dumping Miyabi and a bunch of rubble right into the women’s bath.

Once he was dragged into the extreme antlion pit of a bath, the occupants of the bath beat him up.

That made twice in one day.

He began to wonder if Horn Fortress had a curse that caused its master to be killed by his own party members.

The great variation in attack styles was a real problem at times like this. He had to contend with a wooden branch staff, a thick dagger, a rifle with bayonet, a lance, a giant axe (x2), a bow and arrow, and bizarre necromancy.

“Hmph.”

Afterwards, Celina refused to look him in the eye.

She was flushing in the cheeks, had tears in her eyes, and was biting her lip.

Elaine had put her special goggles back on (Did they not fog up after taking a bath? Helen’s glasses probably caused her trouble there.) and she was laughing. She even whispered in Miyabi’s ear with a floral scent coming from her damp silver hair.

(“You know, if you wanted to see, you only had to ask.)”

“Bff!?”

“(Then we could have slipped away to somewhere more private and kept it our little secret.)”

“Stay away from the pervert! Get too close and you’ll end up pregnant!!”

Helen’s accusation was uncalled for, but he concluded that arguing with her would get him sent to the clinic for real.

And at the moment they needed to speak with the Lord of Ruin who had finally come to.

Only Alma was willing to innocently approach Miyabi at the moment.

They followed one of the colorful lines on the floor to reach the clinic.

It turned out to be on the third story.

Or rather, Miyabi counted two staircases they climbed on the way there, but not all the rooms here necessarily had the same height. Each room’s roof became the floor of another one and the chimneys rising from the floor had extension pipes attached to redirect them at a right angle and out through an exterior wall. The concept of “stories” did not really apply to this building, so maybe there was no point in counting them.

“Now, then,” said Alicia before they entered the room. “We wanted to speak with the Lord of Ruin to compare notes between all of the Godhorn Tech owners, right? Come to think of it, we generally didn’t have the time to ask for a detailed account from everyone.”

“We need to hear from everyone and that includes you, Necromancer.”

Eliza meant that as a warning, but the Necromancer held her head high with pride for some reason.

“Heh heh. I’m more than willing to give you a lecture, but do try not to let this baptism of forbidden knowledge shatter your mind.”

“Hah. I’m more worried about this old hag’s lecture putting me to sleep.”

“Take that back!!”

The radio and hat got into an argument and young King Kananka sighed.

“Hey, can’t you quiet those two down?”

“I am admittedly an artificial being, but I assure you I have nothing in common with them.”

The ever-obedient butler automaton actually refused to comply for once.

Everyone here had met over the course of their quest.

Miyabi looked to each one in turn.

“Okay.”

Miyabi, Celina, Eliza, Number 8, Kananka, Onelife, the Necromancer, Acacia, Ixea, the Lord of Ruin, and Elaine.

“Including me, we’ve gathered all 11 users of the 10 Godhorn Techs. If it isn’t Elaine either, then who is the 11th?”

First up was the Lord of Ruin.

They knocked and opened the clinic door.

A lot of rooms had been enveloped by other additions, cutting them off from the outside light, but they found the sunset and breeze in here. The windows still opened on the outside, perhaps for health reasons.

For some reason, the dancer named Iris was running the clinic. Hadn’t she been at the clinic at the first village too?

The woman with a silver braid and exposed midriff spoke up as soon as she saw Miyabi. She may have always wanted to be a doctor because she appeared to be enjoying herself as she sat on a round stool with her legs crossed.

“The Lord of Ruin? Yes, he woke up earlier. But try to keep it short. It can be hard to tell since he tries to hide it, but he has to be in a lot of pain.”

“Um, what is little Rose doing here?”

“They wear those uniforms at the hospitals in big cities. I have my own cute little nurse now☆”

Iris Tempinvy slapped Miyabi’s shoulder and then left the clinic along with her new nurse. …But wait. She never actually explained why Rose Dollycastle, a 12-year-old girl bound by a cursed chain, was helping out in the clinic while dressed in glasses and a red nurse uniform, did she?

“(I get the feeling she agreed to research how to break the curse if Rose became her guinea pig,)” speculated Alicia.

“(The chain must be more naïve than it lets on if it went along with that plan without questioning it. It’s a stereotypical child abduction, just using a promised decursing instead of a lollipop,)” added Helen.

At any rate, it was finally time to get down to business. The clinic was of slightly higher quality than the one in the first village. It was divided into three areas: the examination space, a few beds, and the shelves of medicines. Alicia had said there was an alchemy ceremonial ground elsewhere, so the medicines and White Sorcery Items were probably mixed and combined in another room.

There was a small door in the back and the Necromancer said it led to an operating room. The tricky door was made to be opened and closed with the feet and a red magic light was installed above it.

The Lord of Ruin lay behind a pristine curtain on a bed by the window.

He still had not removed his white mask. The Necromancer shrugged, suggesting he had never once removed it.

Thus, the only sign of life was the subtle stirring of his body.

“Nhh…”

“Hey, the old bastard really is alive,” said the radio.

“We need him to be,” pointed out Miyabi.

(Let’s see. Things have been chaotic for a bit now, but who is it we haven’t had a chance to speak with?)

The Necromancer, the Lord of Ruin, and Elaine.

“I guess it’s mostly those three.”

“Zzzkoo…”

Alma had already fallen asleep on the bedside table.

“…”

“…”

The Necromancer, who had planted her shapely butt on the back of a chair, and her hat both fell silent.

They reveled in their own irreverence, but they wanted the others to do this right.

Alicia whispered in his ear.

“H-hey, Miyabi. Wake up Alma. But gently. The little thing isn’t trying to cause trouble!”

He slapped Alma on the head like a button in a quiz game.

The shock must have caused some sort of malfunction because Alma’s colors rapidly changed several times before returning to the original white stuffed animal look.

“K-koo!?”

“Ahem.”

Miyabi cleared his throat and Alicia got started.

“So what exactly happened? You, the one who reeks of death, do you know anything about the 11th who uses sorcery bombs?”

“Not a thing.” The Necromancer shrugged. “I just had the Lord of Ruin suddenly attack me.”

“Right, boss? We’re the victims here.”

There was no point in arguing.

Helen sat on a random piece of equipment just to have something to do and only realized afterwards it was a sitting height meter. She cleared her throat and quickly stood back up.

“But we do know the Lord of Ruin was working with Elaine.”

“He wanted to destroy every Godhorn Tech.” He had been obsessed with it. “And he hired her as a pawn.”

“Now, what does Elaine have to say for herself?” asked Celina, her hands on Kananka’s shoulders from behind while the young king curiously viewed the eye chart.

“I just did as he asked,” bluntly answered Elaine who stood by the wall. “If he wanted all of the owners dead, then he had to die as well.”

“Nhh? Nhhhh???”

Onelife, whose muscular body caused the round stool to creak below him, wasn’t the only one confused.

Eliza held out a hand while unsure what to do with her enormous lance.

“Hold on.”

“So…what does this mean?” Miyabi himself could scarcely believe it. “That none of us are the 11th? Was the 11th someone else entirely this whole time!?”

“No, something isn’t right.”

Her back against the wall, Elaine had been watching it all from a step removed and now she put a stop to the conversation.

The doubts roiling in her mind were obvious even through the goggles.

She took a long pause to think.

“…”

“What is this about!?” impatiently demanded Alicia, so the dark elf cautiously answered.

“Well, I can only sum up what you just said, but you said the Necromancer is a victim who was just cut down by the Lord of Ruin without warning, right?”

“Yes, what of it? Ohh, how it hurts! I can still feel the wound throbbing!”

“…”

“Restrain yourself, ancient king.”

Something unseen erupted from the eyes hidden below the white mask and Eliza pressured him to stop. Meanwhile, Elaine continued speaking.

“So what does that mean for the automaton and the pirate? Someone ordered the imperial automaton to plant those bombs and someone used some parasites to threaten the machoman into sending a bomb to that island kingdom, right? Who was behind those two incidents?”

“Oh,” said Miyabi, looking over to the decadent woman seated on the back of a chair.

She frantically stood up.

“W-wait just a second. I was nearly killed by the Lord of Ruin! So I was stuck in a bed here in this Horn Fortress clinic during the incident with the Executive Ground and Calamity Revenge. You can’t accuse me of being the 11th when I wasn’t even on the continent then!!”

She had a point.

Except…

“Um. I don’t remember there being any sorcery bombs during the desert incident.”

“…”

Her back against the wall and her arms crossed, Elaine stared straight at the suspect through her distinctive goggles.

Yes, she had seen everything that happened in that desert nation. She had been spying on it all from the shadows to ensure she did not miss any of the targets needed for the Lord of Ruin’s revenge.

“From what I’ve heard, the only time Miyabi actually saw one of the 11th’s bombs was in that island kingdom. Incidents without one of those aren’t going to establish an alibi.”

She was guilty.

Undeniably guilty.

“Ha…ah ha ha.”

And in the blink of an eye…

“Oh, no! My ‘gotta research necromancy now or I’ll die’ disease is flaring up!!”

The Necromancer’s attempted escape ended the instant that demon sword was held right up to the tip of her nose. Even if the “contents” of the sword had been burned away, preventing it from functioning as a Wicked God horn, its edge as a simple sword and the Lord’s own skill remained.

The wielder did not leave his bed, so he could not even shift his body weight with his legs and hips. He used only his arm to swing the blade at superhuman speed.

What could he do if he went all out?

He spoke from behind the smooth eyeless and mouthless mask.

“Answer honestly.”

“O-o-o-okay!!”

But someone had actually fallen asleep with all this going on.

“Zzzz.”

It was Alicia Blueforest.

Had the post-bath drowsiness gotten the better of her?

The elf who lacked the wisdom their species was known for was napping while leaning against a scale larger than a grandfather clock, with the scale’s needle shifting under her weight.

And the Lord of Ruin took everything seriously.

“…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………”

“Miyabi, wake up that useless elf before he takes matters into his own hands!!”

Miyabi followed Eliza’s advice.

When he gave one of her long ears a hard flick, she woke up in a hurry. She reacted like a bomb had gone off nearby.

“Gwahhh!!!??? Wh-wh-what, what!?”

“It’s true I had a connection to the 11th,” began the Necromancer. “We had a contract which required me to set up the sorcery bombs I was given.”

Everyone’s gazes pierced the woman.

A contract implied she received something in exchange. What had she been given for setting up Number 8 and Onelife and putting the entire continent in danger?

The decadent woman shouted the answer in half desperation.

“The Deadman’s Fenrir was created by sticking another horn into a Wicked God. Wicked God horns are rare enough, so do you have any idea how hard it is to find an entire Wicked God corpse too!? And the horn and corpse have to be from separate one, so you need two whole Wicked Gods. That masterpiece is so much rarer than your mechanical ones that reek of oil. That’s the kind of research material anyone would betray the world for!!”

“Boss, you are shockingly villainous.”

“Hey, don’t you act all innocent! You were my accomplice!!”

Just then, something glowed faintly, starting from the center of the Necromancer’s chest and continuing down to her navel.

It was like a bright light shining through something else. Yes, like through a thin layer of skin.

“Ah, what?”

“I-is there something inside her body?” asked Helen.

“Now this gross researcher has set up some kind of disgusting prank inside her own body!?” This had woken Alicia up pretty fast. “How much more can there be!?”

“N-no, I don’t know what this is…”

“Shut up,” snapped Alicia. “I’m not believing a thing you say until I’ve given you a good, hard spanking!”

But they were all cut off by an unexpected source: the radio.

“No, wait.”

“Is that what I think it is?” added the hat.

The two philosopher’s stones had picked up on something here.

“This noise is bad news. This is even more blatant than an IP address… These numbers are plain coordinates! Our location is being transmitted to someone!!”

They all heard an explosion – a tremor of destruction that shook the entirety of Horn Fortress.

“Whoa! Wh-what!?”

Miyabi looked all around.

The light coming from the Necromancer’s upper body was gone.

The twins looked like they had just stepped in something they didn’t recognize.

“Ugh!? What is this distortion?”

“I feel it too. This is far worse than when our Godhorn Tech was out of control.”

Miyabi had no special ability to speak with the spirits like Kananka or to link with ancient ruins like the priestesses, but he only needed to look out the window to see something was wrong.

He should have seen a rainbow blur on the horizon.

Maybe it was a crack in the world and maybe it was a special barrier, but he knew it kept anyone else in or out, turning Horn Fortress into the safest place in the world.

But that had collapsed.

Each of the seven lines of colors snapped like a thread under too much tension. It all vanished like stray strands of thread. The ordinary horizon appeared afterwards, but that ordinariness concisely showed just how abnormal this situation was.

Something of unknown origin had been destroyed by something else of unknown origin.

Kananka grimaced, took a deep breath, and spoke.

That young king who lived with nature could see a lot more than Miyabi.

“That was not just an accidental explosion.”

“I sense a battle coming,” said Eliza. “Prepare yourself, Miyabi. Something is headed this way!!”

Miyabi used a bomber, so he knew that a signal of light or sound from the surface made it easy to accurately target that location from a distance. Even if that signal could not be sensed using any ordinary senses. The Necromancer had unwittingly called something here.

She was only an accomplice. So who was the actual 11th she had made her contract with?

Miyabi and the others left the clinic. The Necromancer and the Lord of Ruin came with them.

The radio swaying at Alicia’s neck gave a panicked shout.

“Hey, Moebius is on this island too, isn’t he!?”

“There’s no time to find him! Besides, he’d have a hard time drawing a sword in his wheelchair. If he’s not at the center of this, he’s safer if he stays there!! Alma, don’t you get separated from us!!”

“K-koo!”

They wanted to leave the building entirely.

The labyrinthine layout of Horn Fortress frustrated them to no end now. For most of them, it was their first time here, so even finding the stairs down was a challenge. They could not see what was happening since most rooms had no windows on actual exterior walls, so their anxiety and tension continued to grow like an overinflated balloon about to pop.

Miyabi shouted at the gang daughter when he spotted her on the way.

“Phobia!! Put out all those tallow lights!!”

“Huh!? What gives you the right to boss me a-”

“Open flames are a bad idea with all this shaking! If they fall, the whole place goes up in a blaze!!”

He could think of any number of sources of danger: the kitchen, the bath, the alchemy ceremonial ground, the smithy workshop, etc.

The place had not been built for this. Even if the additions had been made without a plan, they had mostly been made by stacking up stone and reinforcing it with metal.

Yet it felt like a small boat being tossed by the stormy waves.

Something was happening outside. Everything was shaking. Either blasts of wind or actual explosions were intermittently crashing into the building in a way that suggested actual intent and not just an accident or natural disaster. Whatever this was, it may have been powerful enough to tear apart Horn Fortress itself.

“Um, wh-what is happening here?”

“Stay put! Do not leave your room!!”

Angela Custardmare, the maid trapped in a giant suit of armor, emerged from a room with a doubtful look, but Miyabi shouted back at her while running down the stairs.

He tackled open the large double doors with his shoulder.

He found a massive sunset that looked so much like burning flames.

And he saw something standing in front of that blazing background.

He gasped. All his momentum ground to a halt, like he had crashed into an invisible wall. He simply came to a stop.

He did not recognize this person.

There was an outsider among all the party members he had invited in.

An uninvited guest obliterated the entire purpose of the impregnable Horn Fortress.

“Hee hee hee.”

What?

What was that?

“I just knew a decoy was a good idea. If the Necromancer succeeded, I won. But if she was defeated, I could find another use for her.”

She looked just like a human girl.

Either the same age as Miyabi or a little older.

She carelessly showed off so much of her bright skin and her navel. What was that she was wearing?

The best comparison may have been solid white armor over her chest and around her hips, but that was not quite accurate. The bare belly and thighs made no sense if it was meant as armor, but the overall silhouette was far too sinister for one of the swimsuits he had seen before.

Yes.

She was showing off her feminine skin, yet she came off as ominous and evil.

That was due to the blade-like objects jutting out from various parts of her body. They spread from her back like wings, they burst from the back of her hips like tails, they emerged from the joints of her arms and legs, they extended from her fingertips, and one even rose from her forehead.

Her long hair was not quite red and not quite blonde. If anything, it was an unnaturally bright pink, further marking her as an abnormality.

“I tried ignoring you for a while, but it looks like that wasn’t just a fluke. Her being pressured into abandoning her plan triggered the signal. And to do that you must possess quite a bit of power.”

“What the hell is that!?”

Miyabi was completely overwhelmed.

He was aware that his question itself was a few steps behind.

“This island isn’t part of the continent – it’s entirely cut off from the world – so how did you get in!?”

“My, my, my.” She had a complicated look, half amusement and half exasperation. “I believe you have already seen several examples of crossing the ocean or traveling the skies using a Wicked God horn. As for the miasma and manmade barriers…well, they don’t function quite like the elf hidden villages that exist in an alternate dimension, but they aren’t hard to break through. There’s nothing your mommy can’t do.” She kindly and meltingly whispered something unbelievable. “Isn’t that right, my sweet Alma?”

“Koo!? Koo…”

“Whoever she is, she’s definitely trouble,” said Celina. “Miyabi, let’s pour everything we’ve got into this one!!”

He wanted to fight.

He wanted to subdue her and question her.

But.

Before he could even squeeze his control sword’s grip, noise exploded in his head.

Even the orange sunset distorted before his eyes.

The warning was so loud his consciousness was nearly driven from his mind.

(Am I sensing…a sorcery bomb?)

“Hee hee. Take this.”

He did not have time for pain or for questions.

The girl gave a slight flourish of a finger covered by a long blade and the warning sound filled his mind.

Something appeared out of thin air.

It floated gently at her eye level…but what was it? It had an extremely unnatural cubic shape and a pink light trailed behind it. It looked something like a bizarre will-o’-the-wisp.

Its surface was rough.

The gray grid pattern on the pink cube’s surface bothered Miyabi for some reason.

(Is that…?)

The memory nearly eluded him, but then he figured it out. This was like a single piece of a puzzle, so it didn’t perfectly match what he remembered. But when he stared at it more carefully, he made the connection.

Yes.

(Is that the pattern on the stone walls of Horn Fortress’s hallways?)

“They stay hidden, causing devastation whenever they feel like it. And unlike the other 10, their Wicked God horn is not built into a weapon. They use the energy flowing from that horn to create massive sorcery bombs.”

Moebius’s words when they had first met throbbed deep in the boy’s mind.

“And these bombs are made to look identical to trees, rocks, or whatever else.”

“What?” Alicia sounded confused in the sunset. But she was not staring at the mysterious girl. She was looking at the same thing Miyabi was. “A Palette Die? Why should we care about that?”

“Kh.”

(Do the others not know what it is? Then it must be what’s causing this ringing in my ears. Is that what a Sorcery Bomb looks like before it’s planted somewhere…and only I can sense it!)

“Miyabi, that thing’s dangerous,” said Kananka. Had he sensed something through the “spirits”? “It’s continuing to grow on the inside, so it will eventually explode. And once it does, this entire island might be vaporized!! We can remake the building, but if you want to protect your party members’ lives, you can’t let her do this!!”

“Dammit!! Number 8, you work with us too!”

“Understood.”

Kananka, Number 8, and Miyabi took action. The bomb was floating in the air for now, but once it vanished from view, it would be hidden somewhere and no ordinary person would be able to detect it. These three were the only ones who could sense it, so they had to do this.

The girl let her long pink hair fly as she swung one of her long bladelike fingertips.

Something flew in along a straight line.

Another dropped to the ground and then flew straight up before scattering destructive stones.

Another launched a formidable number of glowing beams to blind the enemy.

Others smashed like a morning star or flew like a boomerang.

There was no time to worry about what was and wasn’t a decoy. They had no choice but to destroy everything that was sent their way.

But none of them were the true attack.

This mysterious girl most likely did not intend any of this to overwhelm them.

And Miyabi recognized the sensation of smashing them.

“These really are sorcery bombs, aren’t they!?” he shouted through clenched teeth.

The projectiles, fragments, and scars that escaped their attacks functioned as sorcery bombs. They had already replaced a portion of their surroundings.

At this rate, they would detonate.

How could they stop them before that? Miyabi had dealt with this several time already.

So he had no other choice.

His thick control sword loudly smashed things.

He smashed up Horn Fortress.

He smashed other things on the island.

Not even the stones and palm trees outside were exempt.

He alone could determine the location of a sorcery bomb, so he had to grit his teeth and use his full strength to swing that blade. The violent sounds of exterior walls, lights, windows, rocks, and glass being broken squeezed at his heart.

This was the only way to protect his party.

It was the only way to keep anyone from dying.

Charlotte, the pirate mermaid, had no idea what was happening, so she stared in shock.

“Whoa!? Wh-what are you doing!?”

“Stand back! There are sorcery bombs here!!”

“B-but we worked so hard to build this castle…”

“Just go hide in a sturdy room if you want to survive!!!!!!”

Forcing out the words was as painful as coughing up blood.

His sword forcibly broke down a large pair of double doors.

Things could be repaired, but his party’s lives could not. He repeated that under his breath over and over, but it did little to assuage his guilt.

His thick blade bounced off of an even thicker marble pillar.

There was no time, so he stabbed the sword into the ground, called up the magic circle, and used the Lucifer Horn to break down the stone wall, causing an entire layer of chaotic additions to crumble away. A cloud of dust burst into the air, but the warning bell in his head continued to ring.

The pink-trailing cubic will-o’-the-wisps came in more than one variety.

One had a reddish-brown stone texture.

One had a metallic gold shine.

One had a dark wooden luster.

They were just one piece of a larger puzzle, making it hard to tell what they were supposed to be on their own. But when he stared closely at them, he could tell they were pieces of a brick wall, a brass pipe, and an ebony desk respectively.

Those were the things they would be replacing.

(I have some hints. I can’t overlook this. I can use this to save everyone who trusted in me!!)

The will-o’-the-wisps with various colors and textures passed right through solid walls. They floated slowly but surely toward their destinations, be they walls, floors, furniture, or equipment. They would all replace something here and count down to the moment of annihilation.

The number of sorcery bombs continued to grow.

“Hee hee hee.”

He heard laughter from outside a filthy curtain.

Something wicked shined bright while seeming to stroll elegantly about.

“Ah ha ha, ha ha ha ha. Yes, yes, mommy’s bombs can replace anything. And if you miss just one, every last one of you dies. So you can’t afford any mistakes here. Then again, they still might resent you even if you make no mistakes.”

“Goddammiiiiiiiiiit!!!!!!”

This was his first time here, but he knew the people here had worked to support his adventure all this time.

And yet…

“Garett.”

Miyabi addressed the dwarf blacksmith.

This must have been a hallway to begin with, but it had crumbled away like a waterfall partway through. He saw the short old man standing on the second floor portion of the building’s layered cross section.

The stone castle felt out of place in this tropical environment. It reminded Miyabi of the castle Eliza had served, but that may have been due to this dwarf from the Arsenal Kingdom putting so much work into its construction.

Hadn’t he originally built autonomous traps?

“Garett!!” Miyabi shouted up from below. “Are there any tricks or traps built into this castle? I have my hands full dealing with the sorcery bombs, so do whatever you can to damage her!!”

But there was no response.

Miyabi initially thought the dwarf may have been harmed in some way, but that couldn’t be. The 11th was only using sorcery bombs. With those, you were either fine or dead with nothing in between. Since the island hadn’t been blown away, Garett had to be unharmed.

(I’m the one actually destroying the fortress they built, not the 11th.)

Was that why Garett Goldcave just stood there? Was that why he didn’t send any commands to the gargoyles he had used to help with construction?

(I’m the only one that can sense the sorcery bombs once they blend into the background. If they don’t recognize the danger, they might just find me more frightening than the 11th!!)

Things could be repaired, but his party’s lives could not. That was true, but people’s hearts and feelings were not so simple. There were plenty of things out there that could not be truly replaced by a physically identical item.

Miyabi had to do this to save them.

Destruction was the only option available to him here.

He smashed a porcelain mug underfoot. He tore open a blanket, scattering stuffing everywhere. A pressure cooker was bent too badly for the lid to fit and left to lie in the sand. They were all handmade. They were all the result of someone’s sweat and tears as they took a trial-and-error approach to figuring out what they could build with the materials available on the island. And he was destroying them. He was mercilessly and unfairly raising his heavy control sword to smash them to pieces.

This was how he repaid them for all their assistance.

He stepped on something he assumed was a tablecloth, but he winced when he looked down. This cloth used colorful letters to spell out a message: Welcome to Horn Fortress, Miyabi.

“Ooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!???”

They had gathered around to pummel him when he first arrived. They had yelled at him, asking why he had brought them here. But it had all been to distract him while they prepared this surprise.

And now he was destroying it all.

All the kindness they had gathered together was falling to pieces.

“…”

The weakness in his heart begged him to shut his eyes, but he suppressed the urge. He could not afford to slow down. He had to prevent everyone here from being blown away by a sorcery bomb.

So he had to stay strong.

He wiped away those indecisive tears and faced forward before the thick curtain of sand was swept away by the wind. He had to gather the courage to trample on their kindness and affection. Even if the act would tear him up inside later on.

He had to become the destroyer who could protect everyone’s lives.

He clenched his teeth and focused his mind on one thing only: protecting the party members who had agreed to share this adventure with him.

“Miyabi.”

Then he heard another a voice through the curtain of sand. It was Helen.

“Are there any sorcery bomb readings left, Miyabi!? You’re the only one who can sense them after they’ve been planted, so you need to tell us if there are any more!!”

It wasn’t something that could be ranked with a single scale, but Kananka and Number 8 may have had greater sensitivity to the signal. However, Miyabi was the most suited for defusing sorcery bombs (including Moebius’s bluffs).

“But,” he said.

“Don’t worry about that right now. If just one of them goes off, none of us will survive!!”

He bit his lip.

Had she sensed the feelings he had left unsaid? There were others here willing to do the dirty work – others who wanted to share the burden so they wouldn’t be forcing it all onto Miyabi’s shoulders.

“The third wall lamp from the back.”

Helen would die too if a sorcery bomb detonated.

Miyabi gripped his control sword tight.

“Also that low table and the ship in a bottle. They’re both sorcery bombs!!”

He squeezed it so tight he started to bleed.

And he faced forward. By relying on his party members, he was dragging them back onto the path of destruction. So he could not just stand around trembling and crying.

He had to take the lead.

He wasn’t going to let a single one of them die. He had decided to save them, so he couldn’t hesitate now.

“I’ll play your game, 11th! And I’ll win, goddammiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!!!!!!”

After an especially loud smashing sound, a powerful crosswind carried in the scent of the sea.

By the time the filthy dust was swept away, nothing remained in the corners of Miyabi’s eyes.

He decapitated a stuffed bear doll and destroyed a large piano.

He clenched his teeth and faced forward.

He ran through Horn Fortress destroying walls and pillars. The place crumbled around him.

He had decided to use the full destructive power of his Godhorn Tech to save everyone.

“Hee hee.”

For a brief moment, the flow of time seemed to stop.

Miyabi and the girl glared at each other while a dusty wind blew between them.

There was no longer a distinction between indoors and outdoors. They simply stood on a pile of rubble. Everyone had worked so hard to construct that building and Miyabi had reduced it to this.

Everything was dyed the orange of sunset.

That was enough to prove that all the walls and ceilings had collapsed.

The girl covered in sharp protrusions extended a slender hand. She aimed her five bladelike fingers at him.

“Did you think I was done? Not even close!”

He thought his mind had been obliterated.

All of his resolve was shattered in an instant. He froze up, so Alicia hesitantly called out to him with a test tube of physical boosting potion in her hand.

“What’s wrong, Miyabi?”

“…”

“Hey! We can see the bombs when she pulls them out, but only you can accurately locate them once they’ve taken the place of something. We can’t do this on our own and we all know what you’re doing is for the best, so hurry up and tell us where they are!!”

Number 8 supported young Kananka who staggered to the side with a hand on his head like something was about to crush his skull in from every direction at once. How horrific did this look to someone who could sense such things?

Miyabi stiffly turned toward Alicia.

He had desperately worked up the resolve to save his trusting companions no matter what it took, but even he felt lost and adrift now.

Miyabi Blackgarden provided the answer while the mystery girl smiled.

“…where.”

“What!? What did you say!?”

“They’re everywhere. There’s too many of them!!”

His throat went dry.

And he saw the detonation.

Miyabi Blackgarden had collapsed.

He had fallen to the ground, writhed in pain, and then reached a point where even that pain vanished. Only then did he realize something.

If all of those bombs had exploded, how did he still have a head that could think?

People littered the ground around him.

Horn Fortress no longer existed. What little had remained of the building had been reduced to a pile of rubble, much like a birthday cake cruelly squashed below a filthy boot.

The sound of rushing water pounded on his ears.

He did not know what that meant.

But he feared it might be the seawater flowing in through a hole torn in the ground and shining in the light of the sunset. He feared that an aerial view from the Lucifer Horn would show the island was now shaped like a crescent moon.

At this point, he could not explain how he had survived.

He suspected maybe he had died and this was just his soul fighting on, not realizing it was dead.

If not, did it mean that girl had used so many sorcery bombs and was still only toying with him? Did she think his current level of fear and terror were insufficient, so she was going to wring as much of it out of him as she could before finally killing him?

“Kh!!”

It was a silly fantasy.

And the long-haired girl smiled as if to mock him for failing to reach a better conclusion.

“Wait. Those things.”

Miyabi Blackgarden could not stop sweating.

He stared at the bladelike protrusions covering the girl’s slender body.

But living beings did not have “blades”. There were other names for such things.

Like claws.

Or fangs.

Or…

“It can’t be, it can’t be, it can’t be! Are those all what I think they are!?”

“Ding ding ding♪”

She sounded amused.

Miyabi’s tension was so great his entire throat had gone dry. He had moved past confusion to wondering if struggling to find meaning was even the right thing to do.

The girl held herself in her arms while a sensual tremor ran up her spine. That was enough for the sharp protrusions at her elbows and around her hips to squirm, fall out, and land at her feet.

Miyabi could only groan in a terribly scratchy voice.

Yes, she had those protrusions all over her body.

And the most distinctive one jutted out from the center of her forehead.

“Wicked God…”

“Horns♪” she sweetly whispered with a giggle.

She held her long, sharp fingers toward her feet and they seemed to melt and rot away.

Yes.

The sharp horns fell away from her fingers and landed on the ground like it was nothing.

“If you want some, feel free to gather them up. You just have to come crawling at my feet.”

These were all the Wicked God horns that nations, companies, temples, and revenge mercenaries sought so desperately and were so manipulated by.

Those great power sources were necessary to be considered a powerful country and they had even destroyed an entire empire through the grudge caused by another tragedy they had caused.

And here they were falling like petals from a tree to be swept up and thrown out.

Could he really defeat a monster like this? Did he have even the slimmest of chances!? When he was fighting using a Godhorn Tech that encased a broken horn inside a mechanical contraption and surrounded it with thick armor? Wasn’t that about as absurd as challenging the king of the jungle with only one hair from its luscious mane as a weapon!?

The bizarre girl easily grew new horns to replace the removed ones as she continued smiling and speaking. Those sharp horns resembled wings and armor and Miyabi could not work up any resolve while facing something like that.

Yet she kept things moving.

“Hee hee. Yes, about what I expected.”

“No, this isn’t over yet! After all those sorcery bombs, I’ve finally seen how they’re created. It’s those pink-trailing cubic will-o’-the-wisps. …This means I’ve finally tracked you down. You’re the 11th, aren’t you!?”

“I really do not like that name.” She sounded utterly exasperated and placed a somewhat troubled hand on her cheek. “I have been involved in the creation of every last Wicked God since before you humans came to be. You could even say I am the mother of all Wicked Gods, so if you must give me a numeric title, at least show some humor and call me the 0th.”

“Of all…?”

“People have a lot of names for me: the Balloon of Apocalypse, the Bell of Calamity, the Creator of Evil, She who Sleeps in the Miasmic Depths, and so on.”

She giggled.

Or maybe it was more of a chuckle.

Either way, it was meant to ridicule.

“I really wish they would just use my actual name: Philia Shout.”

Philia Shout.

The one who shouts of love.

But this was not a mutual love. It was only a one-sided obsession – a philia.

Miyabi did not know how serious she meant any of this, but he shook his head all the same.

Before even getting into the logic of it, the very depths of his soul demanded he not accept this.

“No, that can’t be true. You must be bluffing!”

“You’re free to believe me or not. It is your life after all.” Philia Shout leisurely spread one hand in the light of the sunset, new sharp horns slowly growing from the fingertips. “Not that it really matters one way or the other when that life will be over a second from now.”

“This isn’t over yet!!”

“Maybe not for you. But what about for all the people who protected you?”

“…!?”

He heard quiet groans from all around.

Yes.

What had happened to Alicia, Helen, Celina, Eliza, Number 8, Onelife, Kananka, the Necromancer, the Lord of Ruin, Acacia, Ixea, and Elaine?

And what about Garett, Iris, and all the others who had built up Horn Fortress behind the scenes?

He was afraid to look away from the enemy before him, but he could catch glimpses out of the corner of his eyes. And his nose picked up a rusty odor.

They were all leaning against rubble walls or collapsed in the dirt or mud.

They were all bleeding a terrifying amount and yet barely even stirring.

“This fortress and your companions will not last much longer.”

(This is bad! Real bad!!)

He could not look away.

But if he did not move immediately, they were dead.

(I need to treat their wounds ASAP!!)

“Now, I wonder who will kick the bucket first?”

Miyabi crept slowly to the side before breaking out into a run.

He ran to his collapsed and unmoving party members.

To Alicia Blueforest.

“Don’t…give me that look. I’m fine!”

“Damn straight. Pretty girls and pretty boys are damn near unkillable.”

To Helen Clockgear.

“Don’t worry about me. Just finish this.”

To Celina Bodenburg.

“That’s…right. Don’t hold back on my account.”

To Eliza Silverstorm.

“If you need more power, just give the command. I will stand back up as many times as you need!”

To Number 8.

“I am sick of being manipulated by her. Please end this!”

To Kananka Fulpen.

“If you don’t stop her, so many of my people will die. So please!”

To Onelife Shiftup.

“Nhh! I’m just catching a quick nap! I’ll be back on my feet in no time!!”

To the Necromancer.

“Well, this is a shock. I was helping a bigger name than I thought.”

“You’re so cool, boss! I know you won’t let this beat you!!”

To Acacia Flightheart.

“I still haven’t found what it is I want to do.”

To Ixea Flightheart.

“But I know it isn’t to be a burden on you here!”

To the Lord of Ruin.

“She may be the ancestor of the Wicked Gods, but she makes them suffer. She must be slain!”

To Elaine Greenforest.

“You can show me a form of hope other than revenge, can’t you? Then hurry up and do it!!”

The boy worked to treat their wounds while he listened to them all.

“Gh…”

But even his own hands refused to do what he told them.

His vision blurred unnaturally. It took him a moment to realize his tear ducts had opened up and the tears were spilling out. Those tears must have worried the others, which explained why they all worked to cheer him up while barely still breathing.

The more of their voices he heard, the more he felt things falling apart. A dreadful acceleration clutched at his stomach.

“Sniff.”

He knew that.

He really did.

What was even the point of treating their wounds? He could stop the bleeding and save their lives, but then what? If Philia Shout launched just one more sorcery bomb on a whim, they would all be killed. He would only have prolonged their agony before they were blown to pieces.

(I can’t win this.)

He felt pathetic.

And worthless.

(There’s no way. She’s got Wicked God horns all over her! How is that fair?)

But he still could not stop himself from crying in front of Philia Shout who he so hated. Those injured people had spoken up to console him but he could not do the same for them because he didn’t want them to hear the tremor in his voice!!

He could tell those precious lives were slipping from his fingers.

His Godhorn Tech and everything he had overcome over the course of his adventure were useless now. He was simply afraid. His heart could not bear the unavoidable and cruel reality that he was helpless to stop all these lives from being taken!!

Philia Shout could lower the curtain at any moment, but that demon still grinned.

She smiled and observed his every movement.

He managed to calm down enough to wonder if he was overlooking something crucial here. Why was Philia Shout leaving him be when he was so defenseless?

Was there more to this?

Did she want to tear back open Alicia and the others’ wounds once he was done treating them?

His panic and exhaustion were so great his vision was growing dark.

He clearly felt the thread of tension snap when he finished treating the last one – either Victia or Sophia, he couldn’t remember. Now he felt like he was going to pass out himself.

The sun had set.

Everything had gone dark.

He half thought his soul had burned out.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Just then, he heard a voice from the darkness.

“Miyabi, Miyabi.”

It was Alicia’s.

This was not a life on the verge of being snuffed out.

It was the solid voice of a living person.

He moved his dry and cracked lips to get out a faint voice.

He could not see a thing in his blurred vision.

“Thanks goodness I can hear your voices.”

“No, Miyabi! Ugh, the 11th!!”

His mind was rapidly tugged back to reality by the tension in Helen’s voice.

Several sorcery bombs had been set up on the ground around Philia Shout like the numbers on a clock.

She was no longer bothering to hide them. They did not take on the texture of stone walls, trees, or the sandy beach, nor did they float into the air with a pink color trailing behind them.

That mother let them glow with a magic circle that anyone could see. The lines of light connected the bombs together and they were positioned where she herself would be caught in the blast. She simply smiled in a way that wordlessly said she was powerful enough to hold back the blast.

This was not a nightmare.

Nor was it a cruel joke.

The preparations were complete, so she had no need to rush.

The end was beginning.

“Will this one end it?”

“…Dammit.”

(Yeah.)

He couldn’t stop it.

It was out of his reach.

(This time it’s completely hopeless.)

He could not even speak. He felt like he had his hands full just breathing.

He supposedly had the full power of destruction and creation at his disposal, but there was nothing he could do.

There was no one he could rely on here. He had been given the Lucifer Horn, left on a journey with Alicia and Helen, cheered up Celina, protected Eliza’s kingdom, fixed Number 8, stopped Onelife, saved Kananka’s island, treated the Necromancer’s wound, dragged out Acacia and Ixea’s true desires, made peace with the Lord of Ruin, and freed Elaine from the bonds of vengeance.

Yet it all vanished in an instant.

It truly only took an instant for it to fall to the ground and shatter.

What could he do while it was all taken from him?

He could hold his control sword in both hands, but his brain couldn’t move past that point. He could not come up with any plan of what to do in order to protect them all.

He bit his lip. Hard.

“Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!”

Darkness covered everything.

No, Miyabi had shut his eyes.

“…”

He waited.

“…”

And waited.

“…?”

And waited until doubt crept into his mind.

The last color he had seen was not white. He had not seen the blinding white of pure violence. He saw a gentle darkness. The same darkness he saw when he shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep at night.

The sorcery bombs…hadn’t detonated?

Slowly and hesitantly, he forced his seemingly petrified eyelids open and found the world still existed around him.

“Th-they didn’t go off?”

He could not believe his own words.

And Philia Shout did not seem remotely bothered.

“Oh, they went off all right.” Did she even intend for the human to understand the rest of what she said? “But the blast was diluted to near 0 in each direction by scattering it across the infinite directions found beyond the X, Y, and Z axes of 3D space. Much like a bullet capable of shooting through a metal plate being stopped by a stack of papers, or like someone sitting gently in a spike-covered torture chair so their weight is distributed across the spikes and they avoid injury.”

“???”

“And since you don’t even understand what I mean, this obviously wasn’t your doing. For that matter, it simply isn’t possible with human magic, no matter how much you specialize it.”

She seemed oddly amused for her attack having failed.

Could she see something different within the orange light of sunset?

“You still have a lot of room to grow, but your mommy is so happy you’ve learned how to use your horn’s power to detect the blank Palette Dice.”

She was looking to the one being that had not needed treatment after being exposed to all those explosions.

“Isn’t that right, my sweet Alma?”

“Koo!!!!!!”

That was a threat.

Alma swelled out its small stuffed animal body and glared up at Philia Shout.

Miyabi looked back in disbelief.

Meanwhile, the juvenile Wicked God moved its small hind legs to walk forward while holding its small fore legs out in front like it was pushing back at an invisible wall. It passed Miyabi with the intention of shielding the boy.

He had never even imagined seeing Alma choosing to fight something in an obvious expression of hostility.

But something along those lines was definitely happening here.

“Is Alma…doing something?”

“Oh, dear. Did you never wonder how it was a juvenile Wicked God can change form so frequently? It clearly violates the rules of anatomy. While young, they rearrange themselves using the smallest units making up the world, testing out different forms to find the strongest one.”

She once more jumped beyond anything Miyabi – or anyone else in this world – could understand.

“Think of it like trying on weapons or clothes and checking the stat changes to decide if you wanted to make them a permanent part of your equipment.”

“That…doesn’t make…”

“It doesn’t make sense? Are you sure about that?” Her exasperated voice spoke to him from the shadows. “This world is made of countless Palette Dice. You should know that after stacking them up to create so many different things.”

“…”

“But that doesn’t mean the empty space you’re currently standing in and breathing from is truly empty. You can still exist there even if it hasn’t been filled in yet. That form of mass does not exist, but you can calculate out some theoretical information about it. Those are the Missing Dice that fill the blank spaces in the world☆”

When Miyabi was walking through a tunnel, he focused on the two walls and ceiling surrounding him.

But Philia Shout was different. Did she think there were invisible and intangible “blank” dice filling the space you walked through?

“The Missing Dice? They aren’t here, but they exist? You…you can’t expect me to just accept this out of the blue.”

“It is impossible for any space to be truly empty in this world. In a world where everything is built up from something else, a negative sign is simply an error. So you must define it as a ‘blank’, not an absence of anything. In chess or reversi, the spaces you can move to aren’t truly ‘empty’ are they? There is a clearly defined square there. Just because there isn’t currently a game piece on that space doesn’t mean it no longer exists on the board. Not that you need to understand any of this.” Philia Shout made it all sound so simple. “Oh, and be warned: if Alma falls, the rest of you are dead less than a second later.”

“!?”

“Koo!!”

The juvenile Wicked God stood in front of Miyabi and planted its feet on the ground to protect the rest of the party. The fluffy white fur covering Alma’s stuffed animal body was visibly bristling. That indirectly visualized the invisible power at play here, like the waves in a wheat field revealing the unseen wind washing across it.

Miyabi could sense sorcery bombs, but not even he could tell what was happening here.

But he knew some kind of tremendous pressure had to exist here.

He shuddered.

For one thing, he had no idea how long that juvenile Wicked God’s endurance would last. He didn’t even know if he had been raising the creature correctly.

How long could it last?

Was there anything he could do in the meantime?

Dragging all of his collapsed party members to safety would be difficult. People were heavy. Not to mention there was nowhere safe for them on this remote island.

“It isn’t easy believing in something you can’t see our touch, is it? But you have caught glimpses here and there.”

“?”

“What are the invisible spirits spoken of on that remote island kingdom?”

The twisted mother raised one sharp finger.

“What brings a lifeless automaton to life?”

She raised a second horned finger.

“What is the true nature of the abnormal obsession that has trapped the Lord of Ruin for so very long?”

She raised more and more.

“And what is the vessel for carrying ghosts that the Necromancer sought?”

He felt dizzy.

“Why did the Executive Ground lose control in the desert nation?”

He realized the number of fingers had surpassed one hand.

“What lurked within the desert ruins no one knows how to build anymore?”

He couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Oh, right. And what about the Celestial Tree? No normal tree could grow that large, could it?”

“……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………”

Miyabi couldn’t say a thing.

Not one thing.

Horn Fortress had been so full of life, but now no one remained standing. Miyabi was close to collapsing himself while Philia Shout continued her amused monologue.

This was even more sinister than the desolate winds blowing through the red-stained Empire, the toxic Bio Rainforest, or the dak elf forest where nothing but charcoal, ashes, and moss remained.

He stood in the middle of the rubble that had been torn down in order to save the others.

This must have originally been a decursing and enchanting facility built by Curse Cleaner Sophia Calamity-Jinx to cater to her specialty. The Wicked God mother smiled in amusement as she stepped on the church’s broken altar and leaned against a now headless goddess statue.

The single beam of light shining down through gaps in the rubble made it look like that loathsome being was receiving heaven’s blessing.

That sweetly dangerous being whispered softly.

“And you yourself have partially touched on that taboo.”

“?”

“Creation.” That one word said it all. “You would destroy the Palette Dice, gather them back together, and rearrange them as you pleased. When you broke their bonds and filled the empty space with them, you were unwittingly destroying the Missing Dice that are the blank spaces. Think of it like surrounding a row of white with black in reversi.”

“Eh!?”

“Or maybe you count that as creation too.” She held a hand over her mouth and laughed. “You humans claim to be ‘creating’ roads and campfires when you chop down the forest’s trees, after all.”

“…”

“But nothing you have done is creation.” She rejected the idea in a singsong voice. “A Wicked God’s power exists only to destroy. It just so happened that an error in the contract transfer expanded the range of the destruction you gained access to.”

“But…”

Miyabi’s breathing grew so erratic it actually calmed back down again.

If Alicia or the Necromancer could see him now, they might have grimaced. It was a dangerous sign when the signals from the brain or heart grew regular and unchanging.

“Then what are you saying I’ve been destroying all this time?”

“Don’t you worry about that. These have always carried the power to destroy the world. Even when you humans steal the horns for yourselves, you still use the power correctly. I can’t accuse you of using it incorrectly after failing to read the manual.”

“K-kyoo…”

“Alma!”

If Alma broke here, they were all dead.

What was going on inside that small body? The juvenile Wicked God trembled violently, but there was nothing Miyabi could do to help.

Meanwhile…

“Now, a question.”

The wicked being who called herself Alma’s “mommy”, sneered in front of the juvenile.

She knew what was happening and continued to torment the creature.

“The Missing Dice cannot be seen or touched, but they make up more than 90% of the world. So what if you could perceive and manipulate them? How much do you think you could accomplish with a power like that?”

“N-ninety?”

Miyabi could not believe his ears.

His voice trembled and cracked.

“More than 90%!?”

“Just look above you. You use a bomber, so you should know better than most how much sky there is above us. The surface is only a small fraction of the world as a whole. Land and sea don’t even come close. Even this failed attempt at a sanctuary is mostly empty space. That is what it means to defy me. The power of the horns is great enough to distort everything. Even light, gravity, time, and space. So it can also interfere with the massless Missing Dice.”

What was elementary to her felt like an attack on the core of Miyabi’s being.

“But this here is the real trick. The juveniles can freely control the Missing Dice, but their bodies are so fragile. But when they grow up big and strong, they forget how to control the Missing Dice.” She breathed a sweet sigh. “Perhaps they use the entire world itself like a protective eggshell. Or is it an issue of purity? There just don’t seem to be any others that can do both like their mommy can.”

“…”

“So you had better hope a juvenile can accomplish at least this much. Otherwise we aren’t going to find anything unexpected in this tiny world.”

Alma groaned.

Miyabi noticed a strange sparking sound coming from his control sword.

No, not just from the sword.

What about the horn it was linked with?

“Wh-what!? The Godhorn Tech!”

He lowered his gaze to the control sword making such disconcerting noises.

(Is this to blame? I don’t care if it’s a temporary fix, I need to patch it up!)

But he could not.

Even though he knew exactly what he needed to do.

He could not take his eyes off of Philia Shout. There might be some tools among the rubble that had been Horn Fortress, but he could never look away from this enemy.

This was not like when he had treated the others’ wounds. The look in Philia Shout’s eyes said she was ready to hunt.

“Giving up before you begin is the wise choice here. And I doubt giving you more time would change anything,” she said. “You can do anything by rearranging the massless Missing Dice ‘behind the scenes’. But no matter how densely you pack them, the magic in the atmosphere will not flow smoothly through them, which creates noise. But that isn’t the real problem here.”

“What?”

“Alma is a juvenile and juveniles learn from their surroundings. And do you think Alma never learned anything more interesting than that while following you around? You only gained the role because Alma imprinted on you, but you became Alma’s daddy. Hee hee. So you need to look at your child’s growth from a much larger viewpoint.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He thought his heart was going to stop.

“!?”

He was looking into the sky, but not at the Lucifer Horn.

He was looking even higher than that.

He could see something unbelievably large slowly falling toward the ground.

It was yellow.

It was not stone or sand. Nor was it iron or steel.

It was a smooth substance that did not exist in nature.

And it was massive.

“There’s something even higher than my Godhorn Tech? What is it? A giant shooting star!!!???”

(Did…did Alma make this happen?)

The Lucifer Horn looked like a small black dot in comparison.

Something that dwarfed a Godhorn Tech was approaching. It was starting to fill the entire sky overhead.

“Like I said, you can do anything with that power.”

Philia Shout spoke slowly, like a mother bird feeding her chicks.

Her beautiful pink hair blew in the dusty sea breeze.

“The possibilities of the Missing Dice surpass anything you could ever imagine.”

“Wh-what?”

“The Missing Divine indicate a blank space. Destroy them and that space is no longer blank. And with the space’s blankness removed, it fills with mass and a scar comes to the surface. It is the polar opposite of the Palette Dice that create a blank when destroyed.” Just a touch of admiration entered Philia Shout’s voice while she leaned against the headless goddess statue. “You taught your child to wield the power of creation, not destruction. Of course, your future only holds calamity and apocalypse either way☆”

“C-creating in order to destroy? That’s just wrong.”

“Is it? Alma’s mommy likes it quite a bit.”

“!?”

“Juveniles can take any form they want, no matter what their external appearance or internal skeleton might suggest. So what do you think happens if Alma transforms itself to match the type and element of the horn used in your Godhorn Tech?” The Wicked God mother tilted her head just a bit, her pink hair swaying. “Contract Owner: Under Lilith, grant me the power to move the Palette Dice.”

“What!?”

“Hee hee. Mommy is a liiiittle jealous little Alma is relying on another Demon Lord, though. But this is still plenty exciting. Your control sword and Alma are temporarily linked, so do you really think the little thing can’t steal the plans, techniques, and details for just one of the human creation methods stored inside that sword?”

“…”

“Now, I don’t know how conscious Alma is of the process, but it’s incredible all the same. Creating the apocalypse? The cynicism of small children pierces deep. It’s so wonderfully cruel☆”

Defeat the enemy and everyone can live in peace. If justice prevails, you can protect the people you care for.

Those were such childish ideas.

Young children only familiar with children’s books probably all thought that way, but what if someone could actually drop a massive shooting star on the surface based on those simple ideas?

Miyabi could not move.

The great mass of the destructive shooting star blew away the clouds overhead.

“But are you sure this is a good idea?”

Part of Miyabi’s mind begged him to not figure out what she meant.

“What will happen to the people remaining here in Horn Fortress when that hits? Both the Godhorn Tech users and the ordinary people?”

“!?”

But he could not afford to not understand.

Refusing to make a choice would fix nothing. Things would only get worse.

“Wait, Alma!! That’s enough. We don’t need that, so get rid of it!! Right now, we need to rescue the others more than defeat her!”

“Now, now. Let’s enjoy this some more. If this isn’t thrilling enough for you, I can help out.”

She casually removed the sharp horns from the fingers of one hand and held the soft palm up to her mouth.

It looked like she simply blew a sweet breath onto them.

And yet he heard dull footsteps, deafening roars, and massive forms he had to look up at.

These were not the cubic will-o’-the-wisps of the sorcery bombs.

They were worse.

He saw a three-headed black guard dog.

He saw lizard with thin, bat-like wings spread wide.

He saw a great serpent with countless heads spread out like a bouquet of flowers.

Each of them was at least several dozen meters tall. The largest ones were an order of magnitude larger. These monsters looked like they could directly grapple with a Godhorn Tech.

“Good luck.” The horned girl giggled so sweetly – so wickedly. “If anything happens to Alma here, you lose the key to survival and you die. As do all your companions.”

“Goddammit!!”

He didn’t understand.

But the enemy was attacking and he had to stand up to them or die.

He raised his sparking control sword.

Now was not the time to sit around figuring out all the answers.

He shifted slowly to the right with the sword in both hands. The rubble scattered underfoot made each step a different length, making his footwork a terrifying ordeal. He never knew what could draw the enemy’s attention.

“Trying to put the sun behind you? No, that’s not it.”

Philia Shout whispered with a tone of amusement while still leaning against the headless goddess statue from the side. The way she placed her pointer finger on her chin and narrowed her eyes was just like a mother given a riddle by her small child.

He couldn’t let her figure it out.

If she did, she would strike there. So he silently begged her not to catch on while he slowly moved his feet. Each step seemed to take years off his life. He paid with his own lifespan to gain the room to turn to the right.

“Or are you moving upwind? Hee hee. Hoping to send a smokescreen or a powdered drug toward mommy?”

“…”

In truth, Miyabi didn’t have it in him to so vigilantly detect a chance at victory.

But he had just barely removed the fishing hook from his mouth.

He was confident of it.

Yes, after turning just enough to ensure his collapsed companions would not be caught in the blast, he stabbed his control sword into the ground. He stepped on the rubble, grimaced when he saw a broken flower pot there, and roared like he was coughing up blood.

Now that he had accomplished that, he could let loose.

“Do it, Lucifer Horrrrrrrrn!!!!!!”

A beam of light dropped from the sky.

When the black guard dog flinched, Miyabi himself rushed in with his blade at the ready.

Several dull impacts rang out in quick succession.

Miyabi had built up a lot of strength after fighting so many fierce battles and defeating so many Godhorn Techs. Something had fundamentally changed inside him from when Moebius had given him the Lucifer Horn back in his village. The sword produced a very different roar as it sliced through the air. Or so he thought.

However…

“Pant, pant. I-I can’t make a dent in them…”

He was stopped.

Repelled.

The battleplan he had built up in his head was easily shattered when exposed to harsh reality.

Philia Shout’s voice grew even softer.

Like a mother introducing her child to everyone at the park.

“What did you expect? Those are all real Wicked Gods.”

“Real…what!?”

“Oh, dear. Had you never seen an adult before? And when you’ve been using one of their horns so much.”

He heard a dull cracking sound.

The massive monsters’ foreheads split open and something sharp slowly emerged. The protrusions were slick with blood and fat and they could only be called horns.

“I imagine they’re even stronger than the Deadman’s Fenrir that had its power dulled by the strange modifications made to it.”

It didn’t matter how much he wanted to deny it.

Black beams shot skyward. The multiheaded serpent had opened its many mouths and spewed some kind of toxic fluid. It was so highly compressed it could cut like a blade.

It was a like a hedgehog piercing the sky.

The bomber twisted around, but that was not enough to dodge them all.

The Lucifer Horn’s wings were taken out, so it lost its balance and started falling toward the ocean.

Miyabi could no longer use his Godhorn Tech.

Yet he had not reduced the number of enemies. In fact, they were multiplying.

“This is how the first generation ones are produced.”

She claimed a connection to the Wicked Gods and called herself their “mommy”.

But what did that really mean?

He finally received an answer. Along with undeniable proof that the bad feeling inside him was becoming a reality.

Philia Shout clearly had no intention to fight with any fancy footwork. She set her shapely butt down on the broken altar and crossed her legs.

She also held a hand up to her mouth.

As if she were preparing to blow a kiss.

“The later generations are born from eggs and cocoons all on their own. And why is this such a surprise anyway? With me and Alma, you have already seen the threat of a real Wicked God.”

“!?”

“Now, a question.” She laughed and spoke, but not to Miyabi. “Your imprinted daddy is weak and can no longer rely on his Godhorn Tech. If you don’t do anything, all of your companions will 100% be devoured by the Wicked Gods. Even if no one you know can believe it, what should a monster like you do if you want even the slightest chance at a happy ending?”

“Wait, Alma! Don’t!”

What would happen to Alicia or Helen?

They were unconscious, dying, and struggling to breath, so they could never withstand that kind of counterattack.

They could not even run away or curl up in fear of the coming shockwave.

“Yes, my child. You are correct! Peh heh heh. Overwhelmingly so!! The power of the tyrant must be put to proper use! Hee hee! Oh, my side! Ah ha ha ha ha hee ha ha hah hah hah ha ha!!!!!”

“Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!”

“Koooo!!!!!!”

The meteor – a manifestation of utter destruction – was falling.

A true apocalypse dropped from the sky where the Lucifer Horn no longer flew.

This time, Miyabi’s vision really did fill with white destruction.

But even as he flew through the air, he could hear the 11th speaking.

“You know.” Her voice was gentle and extremely disappointed. “I sent all of you out into the world to be the strongest beasts.”

It sounded so strange, like a mother speaking to the child still within her swollen belly. Miyabi could tell this kind voice was not directed at him.

And it continued from there.

“So why do you keep letting those fangless and wingless humans break off your horns and build machines out of them? A threat that can be slain in a fight is worthless. No one resigns themselves to their fate when faced with non-absolute violence. It’s just fear, despair, and regret. It’s just a hurdle to be overcome. You’re supposed to be more twisted! A true Wicked God should trample everyone else’s plans and live as it pleases!! When thinking beings see true terror, they bow down and accept it. You’re supposed to convince everyone at a glance that their fate is sealed the instant they laid eyes on you, so they can only weakly smile and accept their fate!!!!!!”

She came to a complete stop.

After all that shouting, something had changed.

“Or so I thought.”

Now she sounded amused.

“But now I find a Godhorn Tech user who unwittingly destroys the Missing Dice by the dozen and a juvenile who can manipulate those Missing Dice.”

This may have indicated even greater danger.

“I thought maybe a juvenile would acquire the violence of an adult while retaining its pure form if it had to watch its daddy die. Hee hee. But this is interesting too.”

Miyabi was helpless.

“This might be entertaining after all, Alma and his human.”

He could only listen.

A moment later, the flow of time reverted to normal and Miyabi Blackgarden slammed back-first into the ground.

Into the deadly ground of assorted rubble.

Between the Lines 5

Damage Control: emergency signal sent by processer.

Self-diagnostic found 54 unknown errors.

Severe damage detected. Critical threshold reached.

Ksh. Ksshh!! Kssshhh!!

Effective damage to frame has reached 15400/30000 – flight impossible. Lucifer Horn has failed emergency landing sequence, lost craft balance, and crashed into water. Submarine wing effect inoperable. Additional frame damage to the right main wing brings frame strength down to 9100/30000. All four primary generators providing reduced power. Distortion in Wicked God horn’s sealed container is hindering energy transmission. Takeoff from the water will be difficult as it requires a stable speed of 200km/h over a distance of 2500m across the water’s surface.

Terrain change detected.

Simultaneous detonation of multiple sorcery bombs and the meteor attack by juvenile Wicked God Alma have resulted in the submersion and loss of 32% of the island’s landmass. Miyabi Blackgarden has clearly failed in the fields of self-defense, equipment maintenance, personnel preservation, and facilities protection. He lacks the skill needed to overcome the current situation.

Kssshhh!! Ksh, kssshhhhh! Ksssssssssshhhhhhhhh!!

Correcting overestimation of user’s abilities.

Miyabi Blackgarden’s qualities as user are severely lacking. He does not meet the requirements for a contract and external damage has surpassed any possible benefits from internal updates.

Abandoning any future benefits.

Recommend immediate cancelation of contract.

Continuing to engage Philia Shout in combat will only lead to further damage. Abandoning the fight as soon as possible must be priority number 1. Fortunately, the seawater has not entered the craft. Recommend remaining here outside Philia Shout’s attention and waiting for her to leave. Any resultant damage to inadequate user is irrelevant. Removing harmful user’s registration and abandoning him is the best option available.

Final check: execute command? (y/n)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Thinking time has exceeded 180 seconds. Beginning self-diagnostic. Logical answer has already been reached, so why wait to give a command that can be executed in one billionth of a second?

Miyabi Blackgarden promised Moebius Entrance.

Once he had user privileges, he promised to preserve life in Coordinate A2, the Blue Forest, aka Azul Titano Village.

Miyabi Blackgarden made a contract with Celina Bodenburg.

He swore he would make the Lucifer Horn the world’s strongest power for Celina. And he swore that would make up for the tactical and emotional loss of the armored train.

Inadequate user’s objective is to prevent damage by the sorcery bombs and to locate and defeat the 11th who is spreading that threat around. His investigative abilities are far from excellent and he took many unnecessary actions.

When Coordinate A1, the Independent Militaria Material Kingdom, was caught in a riot, he protected all of the people, the knights, and the king. In Coordinate A3, the Unified Cassul Blanc Sorcery Empire, he rushed in to save a damaged magical automaton despite knowing he was connected to the 11th. Those and many other actions taken by the inadequate user have been devoid of all logic and he has a bad habit of reaching out to help people on the villain’s side, such as Onelife or the Necromancer. These actions were a blatant deviation from his objective and must be viewed as unnecessary risks since Philia Shout’s attack on Horn Fortress never would have happened if he had not accepted someone as dangerous as the Necromancer.

His actions have only led to greater harm. An unsurprising result when he so often acts without considering the benefits.

So.

Why can I not abandon him when he has so obviously failed by every standard?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I understand.

Miyabi Blackgarden is undeniably inadequate to be my user.

But using me in that way shows he sees a value in me beyond simple logic or efficiency.

Correcting assessment of user.

Not bad at all.

Whatever the actual values might indicate, that is the assessment I have made. Thus, Miyabi need not take the blame for any further damage to me. From here on, all responsibility for my damage falls on me.

Do not abandon him for being inadequate. Do not fear his failures. Become something that can make up for his inadequacies and recover from his failures. That has always been the definition of the modern conveniences that have lived alongside people.

Thus, I accept Miyabi Blackgarden. I continue to grant him user privileges. That requires leaving some possibility of his survival. I must prepare an environment allowing me to take off and fly once more. Scanning internal damage, attempting reconnection of severed components. Watch out for short circuits. Warning: failure could mean further damage. Cutting restrictions on unrecommended actions and continuing self-repair command.

Ksssshhhhhh!!

Zap zap zap!?

Situation deteriorating.

Focus from land at distance of 500. Energy produced by Wicked God horn or side effects thereof were likely detected. Philia Shout is focusing on me. Her lips are moving. Her words can be reconstructed based on analysis of lip movements.

She is currently slaughtering the wicked gods (first generations?) left on Horn Fortress, so she must have been displeased with them for some reason. They are reduced to ashes. She continues smiling without even looking their way.

Red alert: Philia Shout is looking this way.

Foolish child.

…I am aware. I have distanced myself from the optimal answer by removing logic and efficiency from the decision-making process. The more I continue down this path, the more unnecessary harm and damage. And I have already taken critical damage to the frame. I have little room for error. Any additional damage will almost certainly leave me inoperable or entirely destroyed.

And yet.

I have been shown a choice existing outside those cold calculations. And I have assessed it as “not bad at all”. I will reward Miyabi Blackgarden’s choice. I will reward him for showing me that I exist to create, not to destroy. I will follow this redefinition and no longer consider myself a weapon of destruction. There is still something I can do to protect everything my user has built up over the course of this journey.

There must be something.

Please let there be something.

At a distance of 500, Philia Shout is holding her hand out toward me.

That distance is nothing to h-

Boom!! Ksshh!! Kssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Battle records lost for more than 10 seconds.

But I remain functional. What was that light? Why wasn’t I destroyed?

There is something there.

Someone still lives on the west coast of horn Fortress.

Scanning voice pattern, facial recognition, skeletal structure, and carriage.

Greater than 99.99% match with known individual.

That is…

“Hey, baby.”

Continuing scan. No, I already have the answer. As impossible as it seems, this must be…

“So I’ve finally found you, huh? That’s not my toy any longer, but just cause you’re not dating anymore doesn’t mean it doesn’t piss you off when someone kicks your ex in the back. Got that, 11th?”

Chapter 9 Section 2

Miyabi Blackgarden groaned.

Which meant he was still alive.

“Ugh…”

“Hi, still alive there?”

“Moebius? Then where am I?”

He slowly sat up in bed.

He had never liked magically-sterilized air, but he found the unique warmth of a log cabin to be nostalgic. Then he realized where he was.

This was the first village’s clinic. But there were no White Sorcerers or nurses here.

There was only one person other than him.

Moebius Entrance shrugged in his wheelchair.

“Too confused to even know where you are? You were born and raised in this village, weren’t you?”

“What about the 11th?” he muttered. Then it all came back to him. “That’s right! Philia Shout! What about the others!? Are they okay!? …Ugh!?”

“You shouldn’t be shouting in your condition.”

Miyabi grimaced and held his head, but Moebius remained entirely relaxed.

“I’m not interested in nursing a guy, so take your own pain meds.”

The situation was too pressing for that.

When Miyabi got his trembling body moving, he did not approach the medicine on the shelves; he grabbed his control sword that was leaning against the wall.

But something wasn’t right.

As soon as he grabbed the grip, he noticed a strange heat there.

“You won’t be able to use the Lucifer Horn for a while.”

The boy did not need any details to know the Godhorn Tech was not in functioning order. After Philia Shout’s attack and the giant meteor summoned by Alma, it was a miracle the Lucifer Horn had not been utterly destroyed. Same for himself, really.

But more than that, he had to wonder how Moebius had broken free of that situation.

Miyabi winced when he tried to leave the bed.

He couldn’t manage it yet. He had pushed himself too far, so he got his feet on the floor but could not get his hips off of the bed.

“Phew… So how did you intervene back there? I mean, you’re in a wheelchair. And Garett, Charlotte, and all the others were knocked out by the shockwave from the meteor that hit Horn Fortress.”

“All the best men have their secrets.”

The man kept his tone light.

And how had he carried injured Miyabi from Horn Fortress to the first village?

Did it have to do with being the Lucifer Horn’s former user? Or was it thanks to Philia Shout’s appearance destroying the barrier around the island? Miyabi considered the options, but no explanation was sufficient. The man must have used some rules Miyabi was unfamiliar with.

Everything had fallen apart.

“So is that woman I briefly fought with really the 11th? I acted that way on a guess, but I haven’t been keeping tabs on everything.”

“You really fought that ‘mother’ all on your own?”

“Hey, don’t look at me like we’re talking about some fairy tale Demon Lord. And don’t ask too many questions. I’m already retired, remember?” Moebius sighed before continuing. “Also, the others are fine. That woman said she could enjoy this more that way.”

“…”

“Don’t let it get to you. Waiting until the enemy lets down their guard is a legitimate strategy. You don’t have to like it, but you just have to win in the end. And surviving is what counts in my book. History isn’t written by the victors – it’s written by the survivors. But there is one problem.”

“Just one problem is better than I could have hoped for.”

“Wait until you hear what it is. It’s about Alma. Just head to your house. You’ll see what I mean.”

Miyabi could move now. Mostly, anyway.

He awkwardly checked the movement of his limbs before leaving the clinic.

He saw the sunlight filtered through the leaves overhead and he heard the rustling of those leaves in the wind. He smelled animal stew and apple pies from the house windows.

This was the first village he knew so well at midday.

It actually felt weird finding the familiar village so unchanged. Several log houses were nearly engulfed by the forest. The place was awash with the gentle noises of birdsong and of skilled craftsmen working with lumber. It did not take him long to arrive home.

He heard a shrill noise along the way.

Someone was blowing a whistle.

He looked over to see Celina Bodenburg with a whistle in her mouth and Helen Clockgear tearfully protesting.

“Eh? No, I object! This elf tripped all on her own!!”

“Complaining after the whistle makes you look like a sore loser. Hey, stop tugging on my skirt, you meanie☆”

“You’re the worst actor I’ve ever seen. I know you took the fall to get that foul!!”

They appeared to be playing a 1-on-1 ball game. They had made a large ball by stuffing thick leather inside some old cloth. They both stood in front of a goal line drawn in the dirt and tried to kick the ball across the other’s goal line. With only one person on both sides, it ended up a lot like a quick draw with swords or guns in a popular play. It all came down to the instant they intersected while one of them dribbled the ball.

There was less than 10m between the two goal lines.

“Just accept your mistake, four eyes. Now, time for my penalty kick. I’ll just put the ball here and you stand in front of the goal to block it. C’mon, get going.”

“Ehhhh, that’s way too close! It’ll hurt when it hits me! I just know it will!”

“Hyperdrive Monster Tits Glasses Woman Killer Shot!!!!!!”

“Not so clooooose!!!”

The kick was like a close-range blast from a gun and Helen wimped out and escaped to the side. Miyabi felt like he could find a loophole – or an unbeatable strategy – if he thought about the game enough.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, the boy.” Alicia turned around. “Finally came to, huh? We can’t get started without you!”

“Get started with what? And why isn’t Alma with you?”

It was unusual for that creature to not be hanging around when they were playing like this.

It was an obvious question, but Alicia, Helen, and Celina all chose not to answer him, creating a somewhat awkward mood.

He had a bad feeling about this.

“Um-”

“Just come here, boy. Alma is at your house.”

Alicia quickly cut him off, so he gave those three a puzzled look while they took his hand and guided him home. The log cabin’s front door was unlocked and he found Eliza Silverstorm and Onelife Shiftup when he opened it.

They appeared to be watching something in shifts.

No, someone.

And it was an unpleasant enough task to require shifts. Something was happening here that had required Alicia and Helen to head out and get some exercise to help keep their spirits up.

Alicia, Helen, and the others guided him up the stairs and to his own room.

Yet he did not at all feel like he was coming home.

He only felt a sense of dread and had to gulp before he could open the door.

But open it he did.

He looked to his bed to find a creature that looked so much like a stuffed animal sleeping on its back.

Alma had undergone so many transformations, but this was the original white form. But something had changed. It was like the difference between a vibrant leaf growing on a healthy tree and a dry and withered leaf lying on the ground.

Yes, Alma’s white and fluffy fur had lost its luster.

So this looked less like Alma was sleeping and more like…

“…”

“What happened? This isn’t right. Why is Alma the only one that didn’t wake up!?”

Freaking out was not going to give him the answer.

“O-oh, right. The pain medication. Um, Alma doesn’t like bitter things, so I can mix it into some milk or honey.”

He could make his own modifications in a different way to an alchemist. But was that really necessary? He may have been stalling for time because he was too scared to learn the answer.

Yes, he was scared.

Scared to learn the truth.

But he still approached the bed again.

“Alma…”

He was not answered by the usual cry.

But he kept talking.

“Please swallow this, Alma!”

“You can’t force it,” gently said Celina Bodenburg with her arms crossed by the window. “We don’t even know if human medication will work.”

“We have plenty of horn experts, but no one who knows much about Wicked Gods themselves,” said Alicia. “To be blunt, you know the thing better than anyone, so if you’re stumped, there isn’t anything anyone else in the world can do.”

Elaine Greenforest shook her head while leaning onto the bed. The negative emotion on her face was obvious even through the goggles. The dark elves had once lived alongside the Green Forest’s Guardian, but the Wicked God had simply watched over the forest as a whole. Elaine and the rest of the elves had not lived closely enough with the Guardian to know much about him.

The only real exception was the Necromancer.

For her Deadman’s Fenrir, she had built a Godhorn Tech out of a Wicked God horn and another Wicked God’s corpse. She would know all about their bones, muscles, blood vessels, and internal organs in a way Miyabi did not.

That death researcher had her long legs crossed while she used a wooden box as a chair next to the bed. She sighed with her head resting in her hand in a surprisingly classy way.

“All I can say is that, anatomically speaking, there are no external or internal wounds.”

“Then…?” asked Miyabi.

The decadent woman shrugged.

“The coma must have a psychological cause.”

“She means it’s in the thing’s head,” supplied the witch hat.

The Necromancer re-crossed her long legs on the box and toyed with the brim of her hat.

“I don’t know if a Wicked God’s psychological structure is at all similar to a human’s, but do you have any ideas? Is there some truth the thing might be reluctant to accept?”

“Dammit,” spat Miyabi with a bitter taste in his mouth. “Does Alma regret harming us while trying to protect us?”

“Even psychological issues can have an effect on the physical body. Plus, its strength will drop the longer the coma lasts. In the worst case, it could even wither away and die like this.”

“And its vitals are indeed gradually dropping,” explained Number 8 who stood over in a corner like a grandfather clock.

The automaton spoke calmly, which made the words hit Miyabi all the harder.

“So what do we do?”

“I’ve never worked with a living Wicked God, so I haven’t a clue.”

Then Alicia, who was leaning onto the bed alongside Elaine, turned toward Miyabi.

“But Alma has a mind just like ours!”

“Indeed!!” Onelife stood tall in the center of the room. “So we’ve just gotta give the thing a solid slap on the back to pour some energy into it!!”

“That would kill it!” shouted Celina. “I don’t want any more ideas out of you!!”

“We just have to be gentle and soothing,” said Alicia. “Make our arms a cradle for Alma.”

Helen glanced over at the bookcase and then shook her head. The answer would not be found there.

“So you’re saying we need to act like Alma’s ‘mommy’?”

“Are you sure that is a good idea? It might just make things worse.”

Eliza, whose butt was seated on a small table, had a point.

“But…a cradle, huh?” said Miyabi.

“Got an idea?” asked the radio.

“What about the place where I first found Alma? In the mountains past the elf forest, I found the egg inside a nest.”

“That settles it,” said Alicia.

“Yes,” agreed Helen. “Let’s get Alma there right away.”

Philia Shout had no master plan or long-held desire she was hellbent on achieving.

She was more willful and more wicked.

And at the moment, there were likely only two things on the continent she had any interest in. She had said so herself back on Horn Fortress.

The two were Miyabi and Alma.

“She’s waiting.”

“?”

When Celina heard the redhead boy’s dark and heavy words, she did not understand them.

There was nothing special at their destination.

As far as Miyabi Blackgarden knew, it held no significance.

To repeat – to make this crystal clear – there was nothing interesting about the nest.

No matter where on the continent they went, and even if they stayed inside the village, Philia Shout would come to them. And the next time they met, it would be their final battle.

They left the village.

They set out on a new journey.

Daytime had already faded into evening. Entering the forest when it was growing dark would normally be an unnecessary risk. The sun would rise again the following morning, after all. But they had no time to spare at the moment.

Fortunately, their destination was within the usual forest.

Miyabi had been able to walk there on his own when he was a small child.

“It’s up ahead,” he said while guiding the others.

The Blueforest elves controlled this forest and allowed the humans to look after it. It all looked the same at first, but the area up ahead was a little different.

After passing through a small thicket, it was like stepping out into another world. The fauna and ecosystem changed entirely.

“Nhh.” Surprisingly, it was Onelife, man of the sea, who groaned. “This place is bad news. Truly inaccessible and secluded areas won’t actually kill you. After all, no ordinary people can even get there. The real threats are the close-to-home places even a child can reach. The small stagnant places that everyone knows are dangerous but everyone takes too lightly.”

“You can tell?”

“I was originally a naval rescue expert, if you recall. I just ended up being the strongest pirate cause I was little too strong. …I know in my bones how many lives have been taken by the small rocky areas that couples love to sneak away to and kids love using for tests of courage. This might be in the mountains instead of on the sea, but this place has the same feel to it. This is a great maw that feasts on children’s lives.”

“Pirate? And Miyabi? Why are you looking my way? Did you want to hold my hand?”

Young Kananka Fulpen gave them a puzzled and somewhat suspicious look.

This place was just like a nearby cave or a small cliff. It was not well-known enough to be a famous suicide spot. It was a small section of the scenery that the locals didn’t even have a name for. But that was why they let down their guard and merciless accidents could take their children’s lives. It was a dangerous piece of the familiar and the everyday.

The twins stood close together.

“Acacia, I never knew forests could be so different.”

“I know what you mean, Ixea. This is nothing like the dark elf forest.”

A truly untouched forest was enough to reject human life.

The difference was obvious even if you could not put your finger on what exactly tipped you off. Miyabi pointed toward a darker and damper section of forest. There was a clear division between this and the rest of the forest.

This was enough to know why the elves got the humans’ help to thin out the forest and let the sunlight in.

Yes, the world seen in children’s books had to be created.

“One day, my parents entered the forest for a job and didn’t come out for a long time. I was told they had gone deep – very deep – inside. But I was lonely left behind the whole time.” Miyabi adjusted sleeping Alma’s position in his arms. “So I wanted to prove myself to my parents. I only thought of it as a bit of exploration. I would show them I could travel deep in the forest too, so they would have to stop treating me like a little kid. But then I found Alma’s egg.”

They had arrived at the mountain.

The forested ground began to slope upwards.

But something wasn’t right.

This was supposedly a short enough distance for a small child to wander there alone and then find his way back. Yet this place was permeated by something that suggested a single wrong step would be fatal.

“Pant, pant.”

Kanaka had trouble catching his breath on the slope.

The place felt ominous.

So what about the world had changed since then?

Or had a small boy really unwittingly visited such a dangerous place?

Something felt different, but Miyabi could not find the words to describe it. Now that he had a Godhorn Tech and a definite objective, a great pressure here threatened to stop his legs from moving if he stopped concentrating. There was a powerful sense of rejection here. Or maybe this was what Onelife called a small stagnant place and a great maw that feasts on children’s lives.

The source came into view without warning.

The pathless way up the mountain slope was blocked by a giant collapsed dragon, griffin, and more.

They lay utterly motionless on the slope.

Their limbs were sprawled out limply, their eyelids remained open and they seemed frozen in time while blood colored a toxic red poured from their gruesome wounds.

Celina immediately pressed her flintlock gun’s stock against her shoulder.

“Wh-what happened here!?”

“These must be Wicked Gods,” groaned the Lord of Ruin from behind his white mask.

His wrinkled fists were silently trembling.

He had sworn to defeat every Godhorn Tech – even the Deadman’s Fenrir made from a Wicked God’s flesh and blood – since they had already been reduced to weapons for others to use. But he had also wanted the living Wicked Gods to be viewed as equals of the humans, elves, and so on.

Because they had intelligent minds of their own.

The twins had a question.

“But how could these legendary beings be killed so easily?”

“And their horns are intact, so this couldn’t have been to build Godhorn Techs.”

Eliza inspected the wounds on one of the corpses.

“This looks a lot like a sword wound, but…no, it’s subtly different. It was done by something sharp, but not a blade. What would cause a wound like this?”

“These were a test,” said Miyabi in a low voice. “But not of the weapon. Of the victim. The Mother of Wicked Gods said they were meant to be the strongest beasts, so she did this to see if they were worthy of the Wicked God title.”

“You mean there wasn’t even any hatred or resentment behind all of this death?” groaned Elaine.

The bleeding and unmoving Wicked Gods seemed to remind her of something.

But that answer made it easy to imagine what weapon had been used: the horns themselves.

There was no need to remake them into Godhorn Techs. Even natural animals came equipped with those powerful and sharp weapons alongside their claws and fangs. The Wicked Gods and their mother were no exception.

Humans were the weird ones for embedding those horns in weapons.

The Wicked Gods collapsed on the slope ranged from only 10m to even bigger than 100m. By littering the ground, they created a maze of flesh and blood. Continuing up the slope would require climbing over plesiosaurs and ducking below massive serpents.

Government Official Helen paled. If word got out that so many horns were gathered here, it could plunge the entire continent into war as everyone tried to get their hands on them.

Wicked God corpses and dark red blood were everywhere. The rusty smell was identical to human blood and they could not bury the bodies right now. The most they could do was use their hands to close the massive eyes while they slipped between masses of flesh so large they felt more like cliffs or caves.

It seemed unlikely this many Wicked Gods had lived on the mountain.

Philia Shout must have summoned them here and then cut them down with a sigh of disappointment.

What had the Wicked Gods felt when they heard her call? Had they arrived reluctantly, knowing they could not escape their fate? Or had they come peacefully, hoping to receive comfort from their mother?

Either way, this was not how a mother was supposed to act.

Miyabi gritted his teeth, but then he spoke.

“This…is right next to my village, right?”

“Were you always playing in such a brutal place?” asked Eliza.

Miyabi shook his head. He was not talking about all the Wicked God corpses littering the ground. Or you could say their impact had kept him from noticing this earlier.

The boy should have known his way around, yet he had surprise in his voice.

“No, I’ve never seen this place. What is this sinister feeling?”

“The forest is trembling and weeping,” said Dark Elf Elaine.

“Yes, the forest rarely feels so damp and fearful,” agreed Alicia.

“The first village,” muttered the Lord of Ruin behind his white mask.

The radio did not miss it.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“There really are Wicked God corpses everywhere here,” groaned Miyabi.

“I doubt this area is remotely sanitary,” said Number 8 while avoiding a stream of blood at his feet.

“Heh heh. Keh heh heh! I have never seen so many resources! I can barely contain my-”

“Boss.”

“Never mind. Let’s keep going, shall we?”

The hat’s cold reprimand caused the decadent woman to shape up fast.

Young King Kananka took a look around.

“I do find it hard to believe how many of them there are.”

“Was that Philia Shout only interested in killing her own children on a whim? Or did she have business up ahead?”

“She might not have given any of it any thought at all.”

Onelife’s suggestion was actually the most frightening one.

Miyabi’s party continued to duck below the giant corpses and climb the pathless path until they arrived at the summit.

But again, this was a distance a small child could reach. If not for the Wicked God corpses, this would have been a small and unremarkable mountain.

It was still there.

It may have been best described as a giant bird’s nest.

But for it to survive so many years, it must have been sturdily made. The Wicked God must have wanted the egg containing their child to remain safe.

“Okay, this is the place.”

Miyabi gently set Alma down in the nest. Alma was lying face up like usual.

Alicia stroked the small forehead and horn with a fingertip.

“I hope this can soothe some of the tension. I hope this warms the heart enough for the poor thing to wake up sooner.”

“By the way, what is that?” asked Helen.

“Isn’t it a Wicked God nest?” responded Celina.

“Not that,” said Helen, pointing further down.

Something appeared to be buried below the giant bird’s nest. It was a large piece of stone, clearly carved by someone. The bases of what must have once been columns marked out a space about the size of a gazebo.

“Now that you mention it, it does look like some kind of temple,” said the rich girl. “Which makes this look like an altar.”

“But this sensation.” Acacia frowned. “The place feels cursed.”

“Yes, it isn’t the same as our desert kingdom, but there is a bad vibe hanging over this place.”

The Lord of Ruin remained silent with his face hidden behind the white mask.

“…”

And still silent, he turned around before any of the others.

The rest only heard a rustling sound after the fact.

“Oh, dear. I thought I would stop by for a quick test, but you beat me here.”

This was the last person they wanted to meet here.

She was kind and gentle but also entirely unfaltering.

She had long, long hair that shined a bright pink. She wore white armor that left her dazzling skin and navel exposed to the open air. It did not function as armor, a swimsuit, or a shell.

It was actually composed of Wicked God horns.

Each and every one of those protrusions emerging from her body was one of those powerful horns capable of becoming the core of a Godhorn Tech. Their mere existence had endless influence and they could easily distort the power balance between the nations and companies that controlled the continent.

“The 11th!?” shouted Miyabi, eyes bugging, but Philia Shout only wagged a slender finger.

Not only could she draw endlessly on the power of the horns, but she could grow the horns themselves from every part of her body. She could also create as many real Wicked Gods as she wanted. So as slender as that finger looked, it could easily destroy the entire continent. It was, after all, adorned with a very long horn.

Miyabi would not have questioned it if she said her wagging finger was taking years off of his lifespan.

“Do try to use your head just a little, okay?”

“…”

They could not even send out the Lucifer Horn, but she was as extraordinary as ever. And even if they had full use of his Godhorn Tech – hell, even if they could have sent all 10 Godhorn Techs at her – he doubted they could have defeated her.

“I thought maybe you were intentionally ambushing me here, but it sounds like you don’t even understand the significance of this place.”

“What significance?”

Philia Shout turned toward someone other than Miyabi.

“Isn’t fate a funny thing, Lord of Ruin? I bet you never imagined this place would be your final hope.”

“…”

After some silence, a low voice spoke through the old man’s featureless mask.

“This is the altar where I broke off the juvenile’s horn and embedded it in my sword.”

“Wha-?”

Eliza was dumbfounded.

The ruins of a megalithic culture were found in the Bio Rainforest on the east end of the continent. If their influence had reached this far west, then that ancient culture would have covered a greater area than the Empire at its peak.

The Lord of Ruin continued from behind the smooth mask, like he was forcing out the words.

“Check the altar. You will find a symbol there.”

It was like tearing a wound wider and rubbing it with salt.

Miyabi groaned because there was no need to even check closely. The decorations were all over the stone altar.

“It’s the same symbol found on the Bio Rainforest’s ruins.”

“The serpent carrying the sun? Was that originally the Lord of Ruin’s symbol?” asked Helen.

Philia Shout laughed and clapped her hands.

The claws longer than a sword – no, the horns growing from her fingertips – clacked together as she did.

“Ah ha ha! Yes, that’s right!! This is where it all went wrong. This is where the strongest beasts were made to serve the fragile and pathetic humans.”

“So what?” Miyabi asked the fundamental question. “What are you planning to do here now!?”

“Oh, nothing really.” Despite calling herself a mother, Philia Shout childishly stuck out her tongue. “I thought maybe we understood each other a little, but you humans are hopeless. Your expectations are so low you try to force such ridiculous ideas on us. Do you really think I have some grand desire or master plan?”

“…”

“I detonated a sorcery bomb somewhere yesterday and I’ll set one up somewhere else tomorrow.”

There may not have been any deep thought behind it.

“I just remembered there was an amusing memorial here, so I thought I would check it out again.”

“That’s all?”

Kananka was not alone in his disbelief.

Number 8 was just as dumbfounded.

“It was really only on a whim?”

“Oh, dear. Then tell me this: what would I even want to accomplish through some intricate master plan? I did think it would be amusing to transform Alma, but that is far from a necessity.”

She had an almost refreshing look on her face.

“Do you think I want to prove I am the world’s strongest by breaking through the crust below our feet? Hoard all the world’s money? Pursue all forms of beauty? Monopolize every kind of love? Rule with absolute charisma?” asked Philia Shout. “I accomplished all of that before you humans ever appeared in this land. Using the power of my countless horns, of course.”

“Y-you’re insane!” accused Eliza, but Philia Shout did not bat an eye.

“Why should I care how your human standards judge me? I used the Missing Dice to test out every single thing I could do. Much like spreading my arms to see how far I could stretch them.”

She spoke so smoothly.

Right up until she didn’t.

“But it wasn’t enough.”

Something felt wrong.

Like the harbinger of a major accident.

“To be free is not to run wild or be unbound by any rules. Having free rein over the vast world around you actually feels so very lonely. You need an objective, no matter how small. You need some kind of goal marked on the map. Nothing I accomplished changed how I felt. No matter how much I took, I was never satisfied. I felt no attachment to creation either. If I would remain unchanged no matter what happened to the world around me, why even bother changing or growing that world?”

So.

She arrived at a twisted answer.

“The only thing left for me is to return to the first village and destroy everything.”

“Wait, you don’t have to do that now, do you!? Alma is still-!!”

“Oh? You still don’t get how mommy feels?”

She laughed and made the worst possible announcement.

It seemed to point back at the bloody path they had followed to reach here.

“I loathe weak children.”

By the time her slender fingertip pointed his way, Miyabi had already drawn his control sword. They were at the summit, but it did not jut sharply into the sky. The short, trapezoidal mountain had a large, flat summit. There were more than 10 of them and there were no trees, so they could spread out and surround Philia Shout.

However…

“Be careful, Miyabi!” warned Alicia.

“Alma is defenseless right now,” added Helen. “A single hit could be devastating!”

Again, there were more than 10 of them.

They could surround Philia Shout and pepper her with attacks from close and long range.

Kananka threw his boomerang.

The bent projectile weapon was more like a striking weapon, but Philia Shout did not even glance in its direction. Did she know that throw was only meant to read the wind so he could inform the rest of the party?

“The humidity is unusually high? Oh, because of all the blood from the Wicked Gods we saw on the way here?”

“Tch. Elaine, coordinate with me!” shouted Celina while she used a skinny rod to stuff powder and a bullet down the barrel of her gun. “We can use projectiles to surely and safely pin her in place!!”

“Fine, but what then?”

“What else? The others wail on her with some straightforward heavy firepower!!”

Following the smart bullets and arrows, Eliza rushed in with her lance, Number 8 with his morning star, Acacia and Ixea with axes bigger than they were, and Onelife with his powerful arm. They fanned out to partially surround their target and then narrowed back in on her.

Philia Shout only had two arms.

If she was attacked from four directions at once, how much could she block and how much would hit?

“Nwohhh!!” roared the pirate. “I might be slow, but my attacks are devastating when they land. So we only have to set things up so I have a guaranteed hit!!!!!!”

Yes.

Even if she had Wicked God horns growing from every part of her, she still looked like a human girl. She had the usual number of limbs and she could only move in the horizontal directions. She could not fly like a bird or wriggle like a snake.

So she shouldn’t have had any way of defending against a sufficiently high number of attacks.

However.

Chosen Knight Eliza gulped.

“We were repelled again. What do we do if not even surrounding her is enough!?”

“We either boost our strength or tear down hers, of course! There’s still plenty we can try!!”

Helen cast magic-weakening magic on her dagger and Alicia tossed Eliza a test tube of an alchemical boosting potion.

Miyabi moved between Philia Shout and the altar to keep her away from sleeping Alma.

“Contract Owner: Under Lilith, grant me the power to move the Palette Dice!!”

Cubes of dark soil stacked up in front of the altar to create a Decoy Wall. That would prevent a direct hit on Alma in the off chance Philia Shout tried to throw something.

Their calculations were not wrong.

The Lord of Ruin drew out a lightning bolt with zigzagging slashes of his sword directly in front of her and Kananka’s boomerang curved midflight to strike at her from a blind spot. The Necromancer’s long whip scattered a strange saliva spray every time it struck the ground, sending a toxic scattershot toward Philia Shout’s eyes.

“This is working. We can do this,” muttered Miyabi under his breath.

He tried to convince himself of that while he gripped his control sword in both hands and rushed toward her again.

“I’m still working at it! So create! You can create a path forward! We haven’t lost as long as some possibility remains!! We won’t let you have Alma!!!!!!”

After all the experience they had built up, each of their attacks was devastatingly powerful. It was possible they might have been able to defeat a Godhorn Tech without one of their own at this point.

And yet.

“Hee hee.”

She simply laughed.

Philia Shout swayed in amusement.

“Oh, dear. Trying some fun self-suggestion? You so doubt yourself that you have to say it all out loud to try and convince yourself it’s true?☆”

She did not dodge or defend.

The sword and the lance were forcibly stopped.

All she did was stand there on her two legs, yet she had not shed a single drop of blood. Even with a morning star swung down at her head, bullets fired at her soft-looking chest, and Helen’s knife aimed for the gaps in the joints of her armor.

Even Kananka seemed hesitant to throw his boomerang.

Their attacks were like pudding or yogurt against the solid wall of her defenses.

Was her very existence that much different from their own!?

“Hee hee. Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!”

A dull noise rang out.

The horns growing from her elbows, back, hips, hands, and forehead began to move, deflecting the attacks that should have been landing clean hits.

The encirclement around her was forced outwards.

Miyabi clenched his teeth as the soles of his shoes slid and he nearly slipped down the slope.

“Dammit, our attacks aren’t working!?”

“Of course they aren’t. Godhorn Techs draw their power from a Wicked God horn, remember? And every Wicked God belongs to me. None of you can even perceive the Missing Dice that make up more than 90% of the world, so you can swing around the tip of a broken horn all day long – it isn’t going to change anything in this world full of useless excess.”

The Wicked God horns protruding from her body glowed with a bewitching light.

“If you focus all your attention on the surface-level Palette Dice that make up less than 10% of the whole, you can never defeat me since I can control all of the unseen Missing Dice. The freer you are, the stronger you are, so no one who restricts themselves with unnecessary limits can ever succeed! This useless world is the result of always choosing to compromise and never specializing in anything. And you expect the junk born here to harm me!?”

Miyabi was the one being worn down as he continued to attack. With each strike of his sword, a dull tingling pain filled his wrists. It felt like striking a boulder with a metal pole.

And he wasn’t alone there.

“Alicia! Elf! Give me a hand!”

“What, are your lead bullets not enough for you? Well, I haven’t specialized in that field of alchemy, so if you can’t do it, I can’t either!!”

It was especially obvious in Celina who had to reload her gun with powder and a bullet every time she fired, but they were all showing signs of exhaustion and weariness. Miyabi imagined they were wearing down their hammers and pickaxes by swinging them against an unbreakable wall.

Philia Shout was still toying with them.

She was provoking them in order to draw out some kind of response.

Otherwise she wouldn’t have avoided using the sorcery bombs she could use whenever she liked.

“Pant, pant!!”

“What’s this? Done already? Then do you mind if I get started? Mommy wants to cause a major explosion here. Given the historical significance of this place, I figure it warrants a full 100 sorcery bombs. I can plant them all over like a flower garden. Hee hee.”

“But…why?”

The enormity of what she suggested got them all to stop.

They didn’t mean to, but they all froze in unison. It felt like they were being consumed by something massive, so it was disconcerting to say the least.

Miyabi could not even catch his breath, but he squeezed his control sword tighter as he asked his question.

“Why are you so fixated on power and destruction?”

“Oh, dear. This all came from my body, so aren’t I free to do with it as I please? Really, it’s strange you think you can waltz in and try to stop me. Especially when you’re the one who borrowed one of my horns to use its power. Without asking, I might add.”

“…!?”

(Don’t let her get to you. If a direct attack doesn’t work, we just have to find something else. Like…like a poison root or something.)

He raised his sword and looked her in the eye to distract her from how he was brushing some dirt away with his boot heel and locating a toxic-colored tree root.

Philia Shout gave him a bewitching smile.

“See what I mean? Even you destroy to get what you want. That’s just how the world works.”

“!?”

“Besides, destruction and creation are two sides of the same coin. Creating something requires destroying something. You cannot create anything from nothing. Whenever you created something, you had to fell trees, shatter rocks, and otherwise destroy things to obtain materials, didn’t you?”

It was an amused smile.

“You use up materials, you kill, and you acquire more all so you can create something new.”

It was a sticky smile that seemed to be breaking apart.

Entranced, she placed her hands on either side of her small face.

“And the same applies to the invisible and intangible realm of the Missing Dice. It doesn’t matter if you can sense it or not and you don’t have to question whether whatever it is deserves to be destroyed.”

“But…”

He couldn’t believe it.

His voice grew scratchy.

“But you can’t take people’s lives like that.”

“Did you think you were creating a new world? But that is the same as destroying the current world. And when it comes to destruction, I am far more powerful. I can reach areas you cannot see or touch. So your power of creation cannot defeat mommy. Destruction and creation are one and the same. You must till the land to grow crops and you must reap the wheat and grind it into flour to bake bread. The world has always worked like this.”

(If neither destruction nor creation can beat her…then how are we even supposed to fight her!?)

“Now, how about we end this?”

She gave a flourish of a horned finger and sucked in a breath.

That elegant movement was enough to terrify Miyabi at this point.

“I don’t care if you label it destruction or creation. Whoever is stronger has the power to change the world. So you must be destroyed for the future mommy has in mind.”

She approached step by step.

Her legs were those of a lovely girl, but they created the illusion of the earth quaking with each step.

A thick invisible wall seemed to be slowly crushing them. Once she was within arm’s reach, they were dead.

No.

That countdown was entirely meaningless. If she had wanted to, she could have blown them away along with the entire mountain using a sorcery bomb.

It was Miyabi’s party that was reliant on that unnecessary countdown. They had to whip their weary and trembling legs into shape and charge in with weapons at the ready.

“This isn’t over yet.”

Miyabi forced his chattering teeth together and raised his voice for a roar.

He had to get his party’s stopped gears moving again even if that meant forcing it.

“Alicia, Helen…follow meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!”

They heard the clang of clashing metal.

They heard the boom of explosions.

They heard the crash of impacts.

They heard the roar of erupting magic.

“Kh…damn her!!”

“Hee hee. Try as much as you like. By the way, are you familiar with the concept of a treadmill? Forcing someone to work an endless and obviously hopeless task is an effective form of torture that wears down their psyche. Ah ha ha!! Ah ha ha ha ha!!”

They struck her.

Hit her.

Slashed her and pushed back at her.

But she put in no effort or thought. She did not predict their actions or trick them. She simply stood before them and slowly approached. She did not even use her hands to keep the incoming blades or blunt weapons from hitting her face. She did not even blink or flinch when a sword or spear was jabbed straight toward her eye.

Nothing at all changed about the Mother of Wicked Gods.

“Yawwwn…”

“!?”

Something was loudly deflected.

Acacia rushed in and had her giant axe repelled so it nearly lodged itself in Onelife’s torso as he followed behind her.

None of the Wicked God horns had glowed.

Nor had she thrown in a sorcery bomb.

“Oh, dear. Sorry about that.”

She had only raised a hand to her mouth.

An action only meant to cover a yawn had accidentally caught the heavy blade and knocked it backwards. Almost like it had been caught on a giant gear.

“I didn’t expect something so simple to knock you on your ass.”

“Damn you!!”

Celina aimed her gun and provided ineffective covering fire while Ixea borrowed Onelife’s shoulder to move back away from the enemy.

The yawn had brought tears to the mother’s eyes.

The horns must have made smaller actions difficult because she let the horn on her index finger fall away before rubbing the tears from her eyes. And that action was all it took for Celina’s bullet to ricochet away.

“Gah!?”

It was like she couldn’t even hear Number 8’s cry of agony as he doubled over. Eliza’s lance was deflected upwards, knocking her arms overhead and stretching her spine up. Even the Lord of Ruin’s sword strike was easily stopped by her soft-looking chest.

No matter what they did, the action was stopped in some unexpected way.

Their movements fell apart, their coordination was in shambles, and their balance was thrown off. Blades and arrows ended up attacking their own party members.

“Be…careful!”

Eliza’s eyes widened when she saw Helen collapse, bringing Onelife down with her.

She provided a warning as a chosen knight who knew a lot about direct combat.

“If you fall with a blade in hand, you can always stab yourself in the gut or leg. Short one-handed blades are especially dangerous in that- !?”

She stopped midsentence.

She had taken a hit to the forehead and collapsed backwards.

Miyabi caught her but did not understand what had happened at first.

It took him some time to realize Philia Shout had used a fingertip to fling her own tears while pretending to throw a kiss.

“Philia Shouuuut!!!!!!”

“I told you to try as much as you like, but please do not make me embarrass myself.” She placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her cheeks like a child. A new sharp horn grew back on her fingertip. “When you’re this weak, it makes me want to kill you and then it would look like I broke my promise. Do you need a cheerleader maybe? Go, go! You can do it☆ I believe in you! Because if you can’t, it’s time for the sorcery bombs.”

Everything they did backfired.

Miyabi started to justify his fears by wondering if not doing anything was the wiser decision.

However…

“This isn’t over yet.”

The redhead boy left limp Eliza with Elaine and held his sword in both hands again.

He forced the strength back into himself.

“Not even close!! We will make you take this seriously, Philia Shout. However you might see this fight, we’re still fighting to protect Alma’s life!!”

She placed a hand on her forehead and sighed.

She used her feet to tap out a rhythm on the ground.

She pulled the blade-like horns from her fingertips and brought the hand to her long hair.

Her gentlest actions were enough for Acacia and Ixea to crash into each other and roll along the ground, for Kananka’s boomerang to be deflected and collide with Celina’s gun from the side, and for Alicia’s test tubes to shatter in midair when she tossed them to the others.

She wasn’t doing much of anything, but they were battered and bloody.

The Mother of Wicked Gods did not even take a fighting stance.

She did nothing more than someone who arrived at a meetup point early and was trying to kill some time.

“…”

But then she tilted her head.

Confused, she asked a question.

“How strange. Why don’t you give up when the result is so obvious?”

“I don’t care.”

Miyabi knew they couldn’t win.

But that reckless boy was not the only one who glared straight at her without averting his gaze.

He rolled along the ground, nicked his cheek with his own sword, and spilled some red, but he was not alone.

“It only…has to be…a smokescreen.” She couldn’t even hold her shoulders straight, but Celina gritted her teeth, loaded another around, and aimed her weapon despite the tingling numbness in her hands. “Maybe our attacks don’t affect you, but as long as they keep your attacks from hitting us, we break even. We’ll buy enough time to come up with some other idea, so you figure something out, Miyabi!!”

“Lord of Ruin, you wielded your blade as a Godhorn Tech slayer by triggering reaction backlash between two horns’ powers, causing them to rupture from within, right?” The butler automaton was battered, but he was still standing straight. He held his side where an ally’s bullet had hit him, but he still had the will to fight. “I know you can’t use that power with the contents of your demon sword fried, but Miyabi’s control sword is a different matter. It still holds a Wicked God’s power. Is there any way you could teach him that technique? It should be especially effective against Philia Shout thanks to all those horns!!”

This proved that there were still possibilities out there. Maybe they couldn’t see them now, but if they kept pushing, everything could change.

The boy’s indomitable spirit had spread to the others.

Maybe their methods were fundamentally flawed. They may have been overwhelmingly lacking in power. But Miyabi thrust his control sword forward and forced out a roar.

“But something about this is bothering me. It’s right there on the tip of my tongue!”

“I will not give up either,” said Alicia who had been slashed by shards of glass.

“Right. Because we’re all that stands between her and Alma,” said Helen who was extracting some of her own dagger’s poison from her body.

Both of them were gasping for breath but supporting the boy.

They would not give up.

This wasn’t about maturity or childishness, calm or short-tempered, benevolent or malicious. No one here was going to slam on the brakes.

No one needed to.

Even the philosopher’s stone took a challenging stance.

“Tch. Fine then. The mascots and the weakest characters get all the love! But apparently that stuffed animal thing is a girl, so I’m game!!”

They challenged their foe.

They grabbed, fired, and pushed through.

“God, I’m not supposed to be out here fighting with no real chance at profit,” griped the rich girl while rudely spitting out some bloody saliva.

“A knight must rescue the weak. I see no reason to back down!” said the chosen knight, one arm hanging limply at her side.

“Imperial technology was made to last. I can at least function as a shield,” said the magical automaton with his morning star at the ready.

They charged straight it.

They triggered explosions.

They set traps at their feet.

“Who needs logic!? We’ve just gotta try like hell to stop her! Gnhh- bwaaahhhhh!!!!!!”

Onelife was blasted to the side when she brushed her long hair aside and the young king was knocked down by the man’s rolling form, but he readied his boomerang when he got back on his feet.

“Ouch… Conflict is best avoided, but you leave us little choice!!”

Philia Shout breathed an exasperated sigh that blew the long tongue whip back at the Necromancer.

“I pulled the trigger on this, so this is my mess to clean up,” said the Necromancer.

“Boss, have you turned good!?”

They slashed.

They crushed.

They pressed the muzzle against bare skin and pulled the trigger.

“Perhaps I can never atone for my sins, but I cannot allow this juvenile to die!!”

The Lord of Ruin’s sword seemed incapable of even scratching her soft skin. The more the priestesses swung their large axes, they more their coordination failed and the more they harmed each other. Yet those failures did not stop them and they raised those axes with the blades glinting in the light.

“At this point, there is no point in considering the numbers, Ixea.”

“That’s right, Acacia. I’m too pissed to stop now.”

Elaine Greenforest was smiling behind her goggles. She used projectiles, but she had taken damage too. When Philia Shout simply waved her hand, a blast of invisible wind would fly out with the force of a fist-sized cannonball.

“Don’t underestimate a dark elf’s bow. We’ve been known to cause cataclysms of our own.”

They got up.

Again and again.

They readied their weapons.

Over and over.

That was much easier said than done when they had all been pushed well past their limits. It was a miracle they were even still standing. The numbers didn’t add up. But there was someone here who allowed the seemingly impossible to happen.

They could not allow her violence.

Alma was still deep asleep and they could not allow that defenseless life to be lost.

So they had to put up a defense.

They challenged their enemy again and again. If every attack they made was more time for Alma to live, then this fight was not in vain. They were willing to fight forever if that was what it took!!

She was unharmed, but Philia Shout definitely lurched backwards.

“What?”

She seemed to see something deeper here.

She gasped.

And she wanted to deny what she had seen.

“Is something being born here? No, that isn’t it. That can’t be it.”

“Oh, but it is,” confirmed Miyabi. “You said destruction and creation are two sides of the same coin and you have to destroy to create. But that isn’t the full picture.”

“What?”

“There is no destructive price in the creation of the bonds between people. You don’t have to break any other bonds for that! So you can create something from nothing. Everyone knows that. If you do have to pay a price to create a bond, then it’s a false one. There are tons of things out there that don’t follow your equation!!”

Alicia, Helen, Celina, Eliza, Number 8, Kananka, Onelife, the Necromancer, Acacia, Ixea, the Lord of Ruin, and Elaine.

Yes.

They had created something over the course of this battle.

Victia, Sophia, Garett, Iris, and the others who were not actually fighting had supported them in any number of ways from Horn Fortress. They had created the Divine Crystal Bullet, they had treated the Necromancer’s wound, and they had resupplied the Lucifer Horn’s bombs. There was so much the party could not have overcome without that support. And Miyabi would never forget that they had created a home for them to return to.

It was because of everyone who had supported him that he could say this now.

Miyabi Blackgarden refused to be taken in by the enemy’s way of thinking as he spoke straight to her face!!

“The world is a warm and gentle place. I need every last one of you, so I will not offer anyone up as sacrifice!!”

He made a wish.

“So you wake up too.”

He was no longer speaking to Philia Shout.

“Lend me your power.”

He raised his voice to a shout.

“Almaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!”

He had no reason to think this would work.

He knew nothing about Wicked God physiology.

But.

He was absolutely certain.

“Koo…”

Absolutely certain he would hear that voice.

Absolutely certain that Alma would get up and rub against his ankles like normal.

“This isn’t possible.” It was Philia Shout’s turn to be baffled. “I refuse to accept something with no mass or proof.”

“You believe in the invisible Missing Dice, but you throw out something happening before your very eyes if you don’t like it? Sound like you live in a very limited world!!”

It happened all of a sudden.

“Kooo!!”

Philia Shout covered her ears.

Miyabi heard a shrill phantom noise similar to the ringing caused by sorcery bombs. Kananka and Number 8 frowned a little too.

But it had to be so much worse for her. The precision of her senses came back to bite her. The 11th was now grimacing and curled up on the ground. The untouchable Philia Shout was acting like someone suffering from crippling tinnitus.

The mother roared with eyes that seemed to be cursing the cause of the headache.

“Almaaaa!!!??? Is this horn resonance? No, did you drag the massless Missing Dice to the ‘surface’ to apply pressure to my horns!?”

“You yourself said people are free to do whatever they want with something that came from their body, right?” Miyabi Blackgarden held out his control sword and shouted while walking forward with the others. “This is the power of the bonds that tie us together! I will not let you reject something we created ourselves. You don’t get to call this unfair, 11th!!”

Her lips were trembling.

“Curse…”

She held her head in pain, her long hair covered the monstrous expression on her face, and the light of her eyes pierced through that hair to stare straight at Miyabi.

“Yes, yes. Curse you and your pathetic attempts!!”

Her resentment leaked out like she was tearing at her skin.

A change came over her.

Her gentle demeanor was gone.

That meant things would be truly lethal now. She was done playing and would bare her fangs.

Miyabi had shown off his creation of bonds – that power that tied them together. He had not held back. He had used everything he had and sworn to defeat the Mother of Wicked Gods.

So this was still not enough.

They were on a mountain summit, but it was not all that high up. There was no seemingly insurmountable height difference to overcome like with the Huge Eye.

The very moment before the light of Philia Shout’s eyes grew lethal, Kananka Fulpen’s boomerang flew along a perfect arc. It was not simply aimed for the side of the Mother of Wicked Gods’s head.

“The wind, temperature, and humidity check out. There’s no margin of error, so just go straight in!!” shouted the young king.

A giant mass slammed into her from the side.

“Huh?”

It was a Godhorn Tech.

The massive form crashed nose-first into her at max speed like a divine hammer.

Time seemed to freeze. Its main wings were spread more powerfully than a dragon’s and they had a message roughly drawn on with a toxic-looking blood-red paint: Don’t forget about me, motherfucker!!

The explosive boom of their final party member’s arrival only reached them after a short delay.

The Lucifer Horn’s sonic boom acted as the starting pistol for the final counterattack against the horned one.

Meanwhile at Horn Fortress 8

Shortly before the clash, a blond-haired, brown-skinned boy lay collapsed on the beach.

Ginger was sprawled out among all the rubble.

The ocean was dyed with the colors of death.

Night had fallen, but he had no memory at all of the sunset.

“Sigh, I had a feeling this would happen. I can run and I can train, but it always falls apart in the end. Is there nowhere I can just live in peace?”

But.

Noticing someone moving out the corner of his eye, Ginger Sandstrike sat up. His surroundings were too horrific to look at. The castle had collapsed, rubble was strewn everywhere, and food had been dumped on the filthy ground. At this rate, they would have a hard time defending themselves against the island’s wild animals and undead Beast Novae.

However.

A maid trapped in a giant suit of armor was holding a broom. Angela Custardmare was sweeping away the smaller stones and cleaning off enough of the ground for a limited workspace.

Dancer Iris Tempinvy was gathering up the usable White Sorcery Items and running around to treat the injured.

Sophia Calamity-Jinx, with the colorful will-o’-the-wisps following her around, cast some illumination magic to light everyone’s work.

And the dwarf named Garett Goldcave held a giant hammer.

But not to destroy something. He was a blacksmith, so that hammer was used to create.

“What?” Ginger asked an honest question. “What could you possibly be trying to create now that everything’s been reduced to rubble?”

“A chance,” bluntly replied Garett. “The Lucifer Horn was washed ashore. It could have stayed out in the ocean after failing its water landing, but it came up to the shore even if that meant scraping its belly in the shallows. It wants our help.”

“But it can’t talk or even give us a polite smile.”

“So what? When you work with metal every day, you learn that metals and other inorganic materials have moods. They have souls of their own. That Godhorn Tech used its last ounces of strength to rely on us, the people pathetically collapsed among all this rubble. It found something only we could do and hoped we would do it. …If you ask me, that shines a lot brighter than a million words or the perfect smile. That Godhorn Tech hasn’t given up yet. It’s still trying to fight alongside Miyabi. If we can do something for the Lucifer Horn, then that kid and the others can strike back at the 11th for all of us. I’d create anything to accomplish that.”

That wasn’t Ginger’s point.

He was asking where all this trust came from. Miyabi had gathered everyone here and they had done a lot to support him, but he had only gathered them because it was necessary and he had been willing to destroy it when that was necessary.

And yet…

“He never apologized. He never said he was sorry. He didn’t even give us a ‘my bad’,” said Garett. “But the kid was crying. Maybe he didn’t think anyone would notice while covered in dust and surrounded by collapsing rubble, but I did.”

“…”

That was the same as the Lucifer Horn.

It meant more than a million words or a polite smile.

“It pained him to do that, but that was the only way he had to protect us from those sorcery bomb things. So he shouldered the entire burden himself. …Do I need to say more? I’d have already started working at this point if I were you.”

“I’m in, I’m in. I am so in,” interrupted Lillian Greenforest.

She looked like a young woman with brown skin and a bare midriff, but she was actually a long-eared dark elf survivor who got by renting out her own body for magical experiments.

“We need to at least get the thing flyable. I know so much about the devastating magical research humans love so much. None of it ended up having the potential to destroy the world, but I’m sure it can still come in handy on a Godhorn Tech.”

“Are you sure? I thought your goal was vengeance on the humans who burned down your forest,” whispered Garett who also saw humans as another species, but the dark elf lady only shrugged.

“Honestly, I can hardly believe it myself. …I never even dreamed I would come across someone who pissed me off more than humans.”

“…”

“Let’s prove we aren’t out of the fight yet. Let’s grab that elf knight acting all depressed over there. We should be able to do some interesting things with the power of the Demon Lord possessing him. And what about the others? There’s that self-styled researcher of a dancer, the Godhorn Tech designer, and that cursed chain hoping to decurse itself. No, we don’t need to restrict ourselves to the intellectuals. That martial arts freak, the queen of the battle arena, and the gambler bunny might have some interesting ideas no one else would have considered. We just have to figure out a way to make their crazy ideas a reality.”

“Fshoo shoo shoo!!” The laughter muffled by an octopus-like mask came from Marietta Diggrave. She was a professional salvage hunger who visited an inhospitable red land and dug up valuable magic books and experimental equipment. “I know a lot about imperial technology. Wouldn’t it be super exciting to add some lost technology in there to give us an edge? Nwohhh bshoo bshoo! Let’s make the ultimate giant robot formed by the combination of 5 smaller robots!!”

“A-again, we just have to get it flying again. Don’t give us extra work,” said Sophia. She had will-o’-the-wisps flying around her, but she was not a ghost yet. She could not just stand around nervously without contributing. “U-um. I have a decent stock of old documents and lost technologies, so could those come in handy?”

“Oh, and I know a lot about the collections of those awful nobles. You know, because I was such a popular maid that they kept fighting over me and even trying to kill me!”

Angela Custardmare hopped up and down in her giant armor as she spoke.

Charlotte Nightlagoon sighed as she listened to it all.

That mermaid had completed a magic potion to transform herself into human and now she was searching for some way of returning to the ocean.

“If you need unknown magical techniques, I might be able to help. You all live on the land, so you’ve never even seen the magic of the mermaid kingdom hidden on the bottom of the sea, have you? I doubt the 11th has either, so just as she’s mocking you for using stuff she’s already seen, we blast her with something she doesn’t even recognize.”

All of this was only the beginning.

“What should I hunt?” asked Harber Snipe-Eat with a glance toward the forest. Gang Daughter Phobia Neverjudge reached into her shoe and pulled out the hidden plans to a weapon. They were gradually gathering everything they would need. They should have just given up, but they instead began presenting their own trump cards. Even though it would be a refutation of their own lives if this failed too.

All of these people were willing to accept that risk to help out.

For Miyabi who continued to fight on the front line.

And for the world he was trying to save.

“Listen, Lucifer Horn.”

The old dwarf placed a hand on the bomber that had washed up on the beach.

He rubbed it with his wrinkled palm.

“This isn’t over yet. We’ll give you a chance. We’ll make sure you can fly again. So you soar through the sky faster than anyone and arrive in time to save Miyabi. That’s your job.”

Ginger Sandstrike sighed softly.

He was a guardian, a specialist who buried his clients’ pasts and secrets deep in the ruins found in the vast desert.

There had to be something he could do.

“Hmph.” He spoke to the dwarf blacksmith. “Old man, what should we start with?”

He crawled out from the rubble just once more.

There was something he wanted to tell Miyabi the next time he saw the boy. But he had to do something here if those words were going to carry any weight.

All this work here would be worth it to see the look on his face.

Yes.

They all began working with the pile of rubble so they could send a message.

But Ginger Sandstrike was focused on something other than the implied message.

He instead grabbed a can of red paint.

“Lucifer Horn.”

With paint can and brush in hand, the ill-tempered desert guardian climbed onto the main wings and grinned.

He was a bad boy.

So he painted out a rude message on that large canvas.

“Can you pass on this message? I think it succinctly describes how we all feel and what it is you want to say.”

Profiles

Philia Shout

Apparent Age: 17 (actual age unknown)

Sex: Female

Height: 170cm

Mastermind behind the sorcery bombings and the originator of all Wicked Gods. Her mere presence rewrites people’s values. She insists that the Wicked Gods she sends into the world must be the ultimate life forms that cannot be harmed by anyone, so she cannot accept that humans are breaking off their horns and stealing their power. Her power is great, including the ability to create Wicked Gods and the horns that grow freely from her body. She also places no limits on her own abilities because she does not see why she should need anyone’s permission to use her own power.

Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Section 1

People are foolish.

But in the end, they worked together and found the right answer.

They stood on the summit of a nameless mountain.

The broad, flat summit was void of vegetation and it contained the stone altar where a juvenile’s horn was broken off to create the world’s first Godhorn Tech. This was the first and final battlefield.

A distorted tone rang out.

The Lucifer Horn had charged in and torn off a layer of the summit with its massive form. All so it could crush Philia Shout, the 11th and the Mother of Wicked Gods.

A white beam surged forth at the same time.

The ultra-close-range shot was fired with the muzzle pressed against the side of her head.

“Gh.”

However.

The girl remained standing, her head only tilted a bit to the side.

She had not lost a single drop of blood.

In fact, the Lucifer Horn’s course had been altered, forcing it to take a large turn in midair to recover.

Lucifer Shout made some adjustments to her voice as if correcting some kind of error.

“Gekuslba. Asback. Tlets. Ahh, there we go. I have had enough of you. It’s time I obliterated you. I don’t have time to waste on fools who can’t understand creation or destruction.”

All the horns on her body shrank down for a moment before jutting out like spring-loaded contraptions. Every part of her soft, feminine skin was decorated with the sinister Wicked God horns that could destroy the entire continent.

The sharp horns came from all ten of her fingers and several of them squirmed like wings on her back. In all, it looked like she should have had trouble moving.

Glaring eyes peered out through the gaps in her bright pink hair.

“I might as well destroy this world. It certainly isn’t worth preserving!!!!!!”

The air roared.

Pink light danced all around her. Most likely, only Miyabi Blackgarden and a few others could see that light. Those boxy will-o’-the-wisps trailing pink light were the true identity of the sorcery bombs. They each gained different textures: stone, dirt, grass, wood, etc. Once they were embedded in the background, they would fully transform into that material and begin the countdown to doomsday.

Except…

“No, I’m through being sneaky.”

Something materialized and was cut out of the ground.

It looked about the size of an ordinary wooden box, but with a smooth red surface. It floated above Philia Shout’s palm.

That was a warning color – the color used to tell someone they were about to cross a line not meant to be crossed.

The blood-red bomb glowed in the darkness.

“So now I will attack more directly, leaving no piece of this world remaining. Mommy is saying she will clean up your mess, so at least you’ll be clean when you disintegrate!!!!!!”

Had she been pushed to this point?

Instead of hiding the bomb, she simply tossed it with a single hand.

“Ahh!?”

“Koo!!”

“I can sense it too. There’s this tingling pressure on my skin…is that a sorcery bomb!?” shouted Alicia Blueforest while tilting back a test tube to drink the physical boosting potion inside.

With the power this exposed, even the others could sense it.

If not for a flash of light that seemed to slice through space itself, Miyabi’s party may have been blown away along with the entire mountain.

The Lord of Ruin had drawn his sword.

Helen Clockgear gulped.

“It didn’t work, but since she threw it, physical contact must be the key. It may detonate after hitting someone or falling to the ground. Once that happens, there is no evading or defending. Armor means nothing against a sorcery bomb, so be careful!”

But surely this irregular action meant Philia Shout had lost sight of a guaranteed strategy.

The mother held her head in her horned hands and glared at Alma.

She could not defeat someone she should have defeated with ease.

She had been injured where she should have been invulnerable.

Of course she felt fear. Miyabi knew how it felt after having his own assumptions overturned so many times.

“Contract Owner: Under Lilith, grant me the power to move the Palette Dice!!”

“!?”

Philia Shout gave a start, but it was too late.

By then, Miyabi’s outstretched hand had already created a right triangular staircase out of stone.

The attacker had jumped up from the top of the Layer Stairs, so making a quick horizontal slash of the space in front of her was not enough to repel him.

Yes, the attacker.

The Lord of Ruin had leaped into the air.

He refused to kill a Wicked God no matter what, but their mother was a different matter. That distinction might seem contradictory, but it made perfect sense to the wielder of the demon blade.

Yes.

If she would harm her own children like a mother cat would kill and eat her kittens under certain circumstances, then he would do anything to separate them and protect the Wicked Gods.

For that, he was willing to wield the demon blade bearing the name of calamity.

“En garde!!”

After leaping from the top of the stone stairway, his blade dropped down like a guillotine.

The Mother of Wicked Gods immediately moved back.

But the masked old man’s sword was decorated with blood.

It was not much, but he had left a wound on her soft(-looking) cheek.

Then it happened.

“Grrrrr!!”

With rough movements, Philia Shout used her many sharp horns to slice off and tear away everything within reach: the trees, the flowers, the bugs, and even the animal bones.

She pulled them all toward her.

But was she really eating them?

Maybe it was all being absorbed into her large chest, maybe she was crushing and chewing it with her armpits, and maybe it was being directly absorbed into her palms.

Whatever the case, she curled up in a ball with her hands full, leaving her entirely open to attack. Yet Miyabi’s party could not move in that moment. They were overwhelmed and absorbed by the spectacle.

They could not let this mystery remain a mystery.

They sought understanding first and foremost.

But in the end, there was only one way of describing it.

“She’s s-swallowing all forms of life and traces of life around her?” groaned Eliza Silverstorm.

“Fusing with it may be more accurate. Whether organic or inorganic, she is directly absorbing the Palette Dice that form our world and converting them into power,” said the Necromancer while looking to the woman she could never see eye to eye with.

Then Kananka Fulpen realized something.

Something was squirming stickily along the horned girl’s soft skin.

No.

“Such suction. It’s even healing her wound!” he shouted.

“There’s no end to this if she can just do that forever!” added Celina in a frantic voice.

“Koo!!” cried Alma.

“Yeah, only if we let her do it forever!!” agreed Miyabi.

He adjusted his grip on the control sword that was a little small for a two-hand blade and charged in. She seemed to notice.

With a loud clang, she blocked his sword with a stone in her hand. But Miyabi was the one smiling.

“You sure you want to do that? Use that for defense and you can’t absorb it.”

“!?”

“That’s right. You’re supposed to focus on healing when that’s your goal. No matter how absurdly powerful you are, you can’t do everything at once!!”

They had to keep her from healing.

Or they had to damage her defenseless body faster than she could heal.

Eliza Silverstorm’s lance and Acacia and Ixea’s giant axes used their great attack power to repeatedly strike Philia Shout with attacks that could be fatal if she failed to respond to them.

“Nwaaahhhh!!!!!!” roared Onelife Shiftup as he charged in with enormous cutlass at the ready.

Those powerful attacks rarely hit, but they did devastating damage when they did. She had no choice but to respond and put off healing until later. This pirate had, after all, killed a Wicked God.

She glared at them with a look that felt like a curse.

The mother’s façade of confidence crumbled away. Her irritation became plain to see.

And either way…

“Ohhh!” shouted Onelife.

“It appears to be working.” Number 8 smiled a little. “My attacks should be powerful enough to accomplish the same thing.”

The one had a metal prosthetic hand and the other a morning star linked by electricity.

They made even more attacks before Philia Shout could strike back at the girls. And that was not all. Kananka’s boomerang informed them of the wind and air conditions while Celina’s rifle and Elaine’s bow provided further distractions for the 11th. By continuing the attack, the reckless challengers kept themselves safe on a mountain summit with nowhere to hide.

They did not allow their foe to heal or counterattack.

Miyabi adjusted his grip on the control sword and raised his voice again.

“This is over, 11th. We won’t give you a way out!!”

They all challenged her at once.

Philia Shout was undoubtedly fearsome, but she could be defeated.

Supposedly, anyway.

However.

“Hey, wait. This is insane!” shouted Alicia.

“How have you not accomplished anything after hitting her that many times!?” groaned the Philosopher’s Stone who was apparently keeping track.

“I am the strongest all on my own.” Philia Shout grumbled to herself while swaying side to side. “Yes, I cannot be defeated here.”

“Koo!!”

“So what if you’re the strongest!?” shouted Miyabi.

“Koooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!” responded Alma.

Alma’s call was answered by several smooth, yellow cubes falling from the sky. Seeing those unnatural boxes scattering strange sparks, Philia Shout stiffened and took a clear step back.

The yellow glow was a different warning color from the red cubes.

They were not as dangerous as the red wielded by the mother. They were not too far gone to return to the path of safety. The red coldly announced you had moved beyond the point of no return, but this warning kindly stopped you and gave you a chance. Hence, the yellow light.

“Kh!?”

And she had to have noticed something else.

She had let all the other attacks hit her, but for the first time, she flinched. That reaction proved that they had found a weakness in the supposedly untouchable Mother of Wicked Gods.

“Did the 11th just flinch!?” observed Helen.

“She did!!” confirmed Eliza.

Philia Shout realized there was no point trying to hide it.

She instead focused on understanding and overcoming.

“Are these high-energy blocks the Missing Dice?” she asked. “No, they aren’t even sorcery bombs.”

And.

She reached the destructive answer.

“Th-they don’t explode? They constantly draw on the horn’s energy yet remain stable!?”

“Nwohhhh!! This goes way over my head, but now’s our chance! I don’t know if we can actually damage her, but keep pushing and knock her into those sparking thiiiiiiiiiiings!!”

The others didn’t need Onelife’s prompting.

They could not ignore this.

Their attacks might not damage her, but they could at least physically push her. More of those sparking things fell down each time Alma cried, so Celina used her rifle, Kanaka his boomerang, and Elaine her bow. Those projectile weapons struck the cubes to give them erratic movements like they had a life of their own.

Finally, Philia Shout had nowhere left to escape.

She was surrounded.

“Contract Owner: Under Lilith, grant me the power to move the Palette Dice!!”

The sparking boxes suddenly rose up from the ground.

Miyabi had stimulated the ground to stack up several dirt cubes as a wall. The shaking of the ground pushed the sparking boxes up.

The fearsome boxes rolled like dice and left the ground to fly through the air. Miyabi didn’t even need to see the 11th’s widened eyes to tell that this had finally surpassed Philia Shout’s calculations.

They made contact.

The instant his control sword slammed into the sharp horn emerging from her elbow, she lost her balance and the sparks touched her right heel.

The heel contained a thick tendon, making it a weak point no one could train.

In the blink of an eye, the dreadful sparks raced up from her foot to the rest of her body.

“K-kooo!!!???”

“So even their original mother goes ‘koo’ when she cries out,” noted Number 8.

“Oh, dear. Is it over already? If so, I’ve lost all interest in researching you,” spat the Necromancer, striking the ground with her tongue whip.

“You’re the best, boss!”

“How can this be?”

Philia Shout stared at her own hands more than her enemy.

Specifically, at the horns growing from them.

Fine cracks ran through those horns until the finally broke off. They seemed to be losing their power, drying out from the inside, and deteriorating.

Had the core or marrow within burned away?

Her fingers became nothing more than the soft fingers of a girl. The horns covering her arm and leg joints crumbled away and thick cracks ran through ran through the white armor covering her chest and hips.

“I am the strongest. I was born with this power!!”

“So what if you’re the strongest?” said Miyabi straight to her face. “Who’s going to accept you as strongest if all you do is push others down to climb even higher on your own? Hell, I doubt you can accept it yourself.”

“!?”

“Alma’s suffering isn’t just about getting us involved in this mess too. Alma regrets having to turn on a fellow Wicked God and the mother of them all, so she wants to save you this time. It was that conviction that gave her the strength to climb back up onto the stage!!”

This time, they would push back.

They would push back and have their way.

“So we can’t lose.” Miyabi stared straight at her with the control sword gripped tight in his hands. “Alma decided to question the silly divisions between enemy and ally and to create a new path and that’s something that can never lose to a supposed strongest that can only destroy!!!!!!”

Philia Shout used her own projectiles to destroy the sparking cubes and Alma dropped more of them from the sky.

Miyabi charged in among it all.

He swung down his sword and Philia Shout bent backwards. But the Mother of Wicked Gods had a fierce smile on her lips. She had fallen back, but none of the sparking boxes of agony were there. The encirclement had been incomplete. She had slipped through a gap to find safety.

But she realized her mistake a moment later.

Yes, even if she had only wobbled from unexpected damage, it had been a mistake to create even the slightest opening.

“From the control sword to the horn core. Lucifer Horn – tactical open.” Miyabi flipped his sword around and stabbed it into the ground. “Blow her away, Lucifer Horn!!!!!!”

A thick beam of light dropped from the sky.

The attack seemed to burn away the entire summit, its shockwave and tremor rattling the world itself. The many agony boxes were sent airborne once more. The density of yellow changed, truly surrounding the mother in a deadly cage this time. It resembled a dome.

Miyabi was close enough to distinctly see her cheek tense.

“This isn’t over yet!!” she roared.

“So what if it isn’t?”

He raised his sword once more.

A normal blade could not harm her at this point and he was well aware of that.

But he did not give up.

“Did you think we’d give up just because we hadn’t perfected it the first time? You’re the one that refuses to allow the slightest flaw or mistake. You’re the one that gets too frustrated to even listen to your opponent’s excuses. You’re the only one left trembling from that kind of weakness!!”

A roar of impact followed.

Impact with one of the yellow cubes that had been knocked up from the ground.

Miyabi had swung his control sword horizontally, striking one of Alma’s manifestations of destruction that could supply critical damage to the Mother of Wicked Gods on contact.

Intense and tingling pain entered through his wrists and clutched at his heart.

The color white exploded in his mind.

For a moment, he nearly forgot where he even was.

But.

But his reckless attack had made a real difference.

He didn’t mind the pain.

As long as he could gather up the opportunities created by the others and make use of them here. As long as he could bring an end to the 11th’s attacks and protect the party who had fought alongside him. He focused on that through the pain and swung his sword as hard as he could, even if it made him cough up blood.

Just as Philia Shout was going to slip free of the surrounding cubes, he sealed off her exit and slammed one of the yellow cubes into her like a bullet!!!!!!

“Gahhh!!!???”

She arched her back.

The redhead boy had taken exactly the same amount of damage, but he had a smile on his face when he saw it.

This would give them a future.

So he would pursue her as far as it took. He might be injured too, but it meant something entirely different for her!!

Miyabi and Alma’s combined attacks had surrounded and cornered Philia Shout!!!!!!

“What…is happening?”

When she came to a stop, the yellow “bullets” hit her one after another. She could not avoid those deadly cubes as they contacted her in quick succession with their unnatural sparks that flowed deep inside the body of what looked like a slender girl.

None of the sharp horns adorning her body remained.

Time seemed to speed back up to normal and the strange-colored boxes dropped to the ground. Miyabi had made it through that tense moment. Yes, it was over.

He had to stab his sword into the ground and clench his teeth, but his trembling legs stayed beneath him. He remained standing.

More than his own life and destiny were riding on this, so he refused to let his own will make him collapse.

Philia Shout, on the other hand, fell to her knees.

She still couldn’t believe what had happened.

She had always had only herself and she could no longer hold her shoulders level.

“How did this…happen to me?”

So in the very end, it was confusion that filled her.

“I don’t recognize…this strength.”

Then she fully collapsed.

All of her horns had fallen out and only her pink hair blew in the mountain wind. She had been reduced to a pitifully defeated girl.

It ended in silence.

“You’ll understand someday,” said Miyabi, crouching down.

He took the collapsed girl’s hands and moved them to her back. He tied them together with some rope he found. He had his doubts that would accomplish much with the Mother of Wicked Gods, so it was more of a ritual to mark the battle as over in his mind.

“Once you learn to accept your weakness and rely on others.”

“Koo…”

“Yeah,” he agreed. He let out a soft breath, wiped the blood from his lips, and looked down at that living legend. “Let’s head home and rejoin the others.”

Epilogue

A few different letters arrived that day.

That small forest village rarely received letters from outside. Miyabi retrieved the envelopes from the mailbox, returned to his log house, and opened them on the table.

Alma sat on the same table in the usual white stuffed animal form.

He used a hand to play with the creature while reading through the letters.

Eliza Silverstorm had returned to the Arsenal Kingdom.

That snowy kingdom was searching for a way to support itself without the military might of a Godhorn Tech. They had been discussing options day and night with the help of Celina Bodenburg, a girl born into wealth and a true merchant.

The Empire had once feared an east-west route connecting the continent’s north and that idea was showing promise. They would be developing a new trade route connecting them to the desert nation via the dark elf forest. For the resource-starved Arsenal Kingdom, the contrasting environment of the desert nation was a treasure trove. The reverse was also true, so it was bound to benefit both sides.

The Necromancer was vigorously working in the ruins of the Empire.

Necromancy was all about researching death, but it could also be used to aid life. She was researching a method of returning that vast land to normal. The red territory had become too clean, so she said balance could be restored by adding in some impurity. Dark Elf Elaine Greenforest, who had been directly involved in the Empire’s destruction, was working with her. That was a sign that she was trying to connect to the world through something other than revenge.

…Then again, both of them were bad girls(?), so it was only a matter of time before they got fed up with their task and ran off with as many valuable imperial magic books and experimental equipment as they could carry. Number 8 had been sent to keep an eye on them to prevent that.

Kananka Fulpen had chosen to officially support Onelife Shiftup. A state-supported pirate was a strange idea, but apparently criminals could come in handy when used properly. He was allowed to fight and demand supplies from (that is, steal everything board their ship) anyone who intended to harm the remote island kingdom.

Acacia Flightheart and Ixea Flightheart continued to travel around the continent. The Lord of Ruin had said his role in this world was complete, but he was proving useful for all his ancient knowledge related to the ruins they were visiting. They kept asking him for more and more, so it sounded like the ancient king would not get to rest for a while yet.

And.

“Hey!”

Did he even need that wheelchair anymore? Moebius Entrance was enjoying a lazy slow life in the same village and he called in through the window now.

“You got some time? I’ve got a job only possible for a skilled fixer with the Lucifer Horn at his disposal.”

“Don’t shove your sketchy jobs onto me. I’m only a lumberjack trainee.”

“A trainee who defeated the Mother of Wicked Gods and saved the world, you mean? Looking at the score, you’re on my level now.”

Even when talking up the boy, Moebius refused to place the boy above him.

The easygoing young man rarely said much about himself, but did this mean he had saved the world at least once before?

“This is something I can only ask you, the guy who carelessly gave the world a second lady killer of a fixer.” Moebius waved in through the window. “There’s a Demon Lord on the loose. On a different continent this time.”

“A Demon Lord?”

“Don’t look so puzzled. They aren’t just something from children’s stories. I mean, you’ve already met one…no, two of them. The first being Under Lilith who’s always hanging around that elf knight, but the other is Philia Shout, Mother of Wicked Gods.”

“…”

According to Moebius, there were 12 Demon Lords in all.

And each of them had as powerful an influence as Philia Shout.

In other words…

“Yes, influence. The Wicked God horns held so much power over this continent and determined the power balance of nations and companies alike because Philia Shout existed on this continent. That’s all it took. Here mere presence completely rewrote everyone’s values. An age of magic or an age of swords is created by the presence of a corresponding Demon Lord. Now, a question: what if another Demon Lord decided to pay our continent a visit? It could go as far as to tear down the assumption that Wicked God horns are the be-all and end-all of power.”

“Are you saying one is coming here?”

“Demon Lord Rising Dark. The lord of pure violence. Much, much too pure violence. God, and I really though this wouldn’t be a problem after a certain someone attacked her and sealed most of her power.”

Miyabi frowned because he had a good idea what Moebius was getting at.

“So you want me to drive her away before the world’s values crumble around us?”

“You’ve figured out how to transport people using the Lucifer Horn, right? There’s no good reason to wait until she arrives here. Visiting her continent and attacking her there would minimize the damage.” Moebius spat out the dangerous words of a fixer. “No one wants all the continent’s nations and religions to collapse, right? Assuming the fragments of information I’ve received are accurate, Rising Dark would cause far too great a change here.”

Miyabi had dug deep graves for all of the Wicked Gods slaughtered by Philia Shout on that nearby mountain. In secret, so no one could ever find them. He had wanted them to rest in peace, but he had also not wanted their dozens of horns to wreak havoc on the continent.

But that same chaos was about to arrive in a different form.

“But if you don’t have some real talent with you, you’ll only be traveling to your deaths. I can’t leave this in the hands of anyone who hasn’t already proven they can defeat a Demon Lord. Which means either me or you.”

Moebius once again hinted at his own legend.

The boy sighed.

He shrugged and made an honest confession.

“I’m not going to get myself killed over my pride. If this Demon Lord is as strong as Philia Shout, then I can’t do this on my own.”

“Then don’t do it alone. I’m betting you were just starting to miss the others. And don’t you want to pay Horn Fortress another visit?”

Moebius had seen right through him.

The timing was almost too good. Both the timing of Moebius’s arrival and the timing of the letters. Miyabi suspected Moebius had somehow set things up so all of the letters would arrive today.

Miyabi jotted down a quick note for his parents and grabbed something he had left leaning against the wall: the Lucifer Horn’s control sword.

“Alma, let’s make sure everything’s locked up.”

“Kyoo☆”

After leaving his house with the white stuffed animal creature, Miyabi called out to someone.

“Alicia.”

That elf never had anything going on and she would go wherever Alma went.

“Helen.”

He knew the glasses woman would tag along as a bodyguard and supervisor since the Republic would be in danger if Miyabi or Alma were abducted on another continent.

(Now, now to gather the rest of the party?)

He pictured a map of the continent in his head.

At the same time, Miyabi Blackgarden called out to someone else who had settled down in this nowhere village.

“You too, Philia Shout!! You said you didn’t recognize our strength, right? Then we’ll show you how it’s done. You’re in our party now, got it!?”

Something can be created from nothing.

As long as people join hands and continue to challenge a formidable problem.

Afterword

This is Kamachi Kazuma.

This is Godhorn Tech’s 3rd volume. I am truly grateful you stuck with Miyabi and gang’s story to the end.

This all began with emptiness.

The Japanese game app was canceled. The advance check of my scenario and the main character graphics had already been completed and delivered, yet they were still having trouble settling on a final game system. They had promised to have it ready to go by the next meeting, but at the next meeting a month later, they decided to cancel it. When that happened, I think I had nothing but emptiness in my heart.

Enjoyment is great. Even anger can be converted into a creative drive.

But nothingness is a problem.

I think it was less than an hour after it all ended that something new started up in my heart.

I decided I would do whatever it took to complete Godhorn Tech and release it to the world in some form or another. And to do that, I had to forcibly get my empty heart moving. If I let time pass with the emptiness still there, I knew my heart would only shrivel and harden.

I started working that very day.

First, I took everything I had used to create the scenario and reformatted it into something that would work as just text. Specifically, I took the dialogue-only text data and added narration so a reader could follow the story and tell who was doing what when and where.

Of course, simply adding enough narration to follow the story does not make it a novel. That does not create a finished product where the author has used a variety of tricks to arrange it so it entertains the reader and inspires different emotions in them. The logic behind the enjoyment of a novel you read is entirely different to that of a game you play. As the argumentative meetings with my editors continued, it gradually approached completion as an entertainment product, so the creative process here was a lot different than normal for me. I converted the destruction into creation, which fits right along Godhorn Tech’s theme.

It was by no means easy, but while I was working at it, I realized I actually enjoyed it.

Really, I think the first driving force that rose from the nothingness was anger. Before, I said it took less than an hour, but to be honest, from the very moment they announced the cancelation in that meeting, I was weighing the scales between writing a novel about Miyabi’s party or writing a hostile non-fiction account of what had happened.

But once I started creating a novel out of the story, I found I couldn’t stop.

Writing out Miyabi’s party’s adventures in novel form was so much fun.

My options were destruction or creation and I very nearly ended up giving into my anger and writing something hurtful. I’m glad I shifted gears to creation instead and chose the path that would bring people enjoyment.

I thought about what Miyabi and the others would have done if the game had been completed, about what I would have wanted to see in the dungeons, and how I could emphasize the gimmicks in the boss battles. I thought about how Miyabi would react when eating the specialties in each new town and how Alicia and Celina would find it amusing but exasperating. I would completely lose track of time while thinking about it all and typing up the text. In all seriousness, I stared at the screen for 15 hours some days. I was so engrossed in writing up the expressions and gestures not found in the dialogue that I would only notice how much time had passed after the fact. And even when I was exhausted, it was a pleasant feeling.

This is the novel version. Simply adding narration to the existing text in order to explain the characters’ actions would not qualify as real entertainment, so I added whatever was needed to help the story flow smoothly. And while I did so, I found I was happy to meet Miyabi and the others again. I truly enjoyed moving their hands, giving them words, and pitting their emotions against each other. And I realized something while looking back at the many game documents for reference. Even if the project ended up failing, the game producers had put together a business model, thought up a setting, and otherwise created the groundwork that could not have existed with just a desire to make something. After all the work they had put into it, it would be wrong to view them as the enemy. I realized it must have pained them as much as me when they looked me in the face and canceled it.

I want to release Godhorn Tech in some form so they can enjoy it as well.

After starting the project in that mindset, I also managed to reconfirm how I feel about Miyabi and the others. I want nothing more than for their adventures to have excited at least one person out there and for them to live on in your heart.

I have nothing but thanks for everyone who was involved in or has picked up and read this selfish project of mine.

I love everything about Godhorn Tech.

I give my thanks to Haimura-san and Tabata-san for their character designs and to KeG-san for designing each character’s alternate outfits. We also asked Tabata-san to do the novel’s illustrations. I also give my thanks to Square Enix and everyone else involved in the game’s production as well as my editors Miki-san, Nakajima-san, and Hamamura-san. I can never thank you enough for allowing me to create such a colorful world. Thank you so much for listening to my ridiculous demands to the very end.

I also give my thanks to the readers. I’ve expressed my thanks all throughout the afterword, but I want to say it again: thank you so much. I hope you found a character or something else in this you adore. And I hope their world will live on forevermore in your heart.

I will end this here.

I think including Philia Shout in their party shows that anything goes in that world.

-Kamachi Kazuma

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