On a Godless Planet:Volume3B Chapter 44
Chapter 44: Mega Mind[edit]
–Someone placed that feeling there.
●
Shifu saw it.
…There it is.
Trouble was here. Major trouble.
To the east, a sliver of blue sky was visible past the sea of clouds. And the sunlight coming through there shined down on a city far to the east.
“That must be Makuhari, Chiba.”
That wasn’t all. The sunlight shined on countless bluish-black silhouettes.
Like a sea to the east, they were there below the gaps in the sea of clouds and above that as well. They were walking, flowing, and a massive number had to fill the space below the clouds, forming…
“A sea of pilgrims headed to Makuhari!”
●
Kido knew them. She recognized them.
Yes. She had seen them last night.
“TJ-san? Does this mean…?”
“Yes. It must have been Souko-san.”
A breath.
“Her manga is being realized using the divine world as a medium.”
●
TJ could only sigh.
…I underestimated her.
She had known Souko was powerful, but not this powerful.
“I will apologize later, so for now please listen.”
“Um, uh, this is from Souko-san’s manga?”
“Yes. Yesterday’s flooding and everything else – including this – came from Souko-san’s authority. This is her true ability as a creator god.”
●
“Wait a second.”
Shifu partially understood what TJ-chan was saying.
“We did see Souko-chan’s manga last night. That’s true. And it was a lot like this. But a lot of us saw it: me, Senpai-chan, Kido-chan, and more. There was a two-page spread where you could see Makuhari Messe when you shouldn’t be able to and there were a ton of these pilgrim silhouettes. So I get why you’re saying this was Souko-chan’s authority.”
But…
“Isn’t it a stretch to say she did yesterday’s flooding too?”
“Take a look at this.”
TJ-chan held out two sheets of copy paper.
“These are the roughs for the extra pages Souko-san decided to add to her new manga.”
What it showed was obvious enough. It was raining and everyone was trapped in the club building.
“It’s the same as what happened with yesterday’s flooding.”
“Wait. Don’t you have that backwards? If that draft caused the flooding, then it should have already been drawn yesterday. You’re contradicting yourself.”
“That’s the thing. When I asked the other club members about the extra pages, they said they were pages she cut from her previous manga.”
TJ-chan sighed.
“Last night, I heard she was nearly done and I went to the clubroom to find her asleep. She had apparently said she would do the last finishing touches after waking up in the morning. But she was holding the new manga in her arms. I wondered what the roughs I had heard about were about and this was them. …That’s when I realized this might be bad and thought I would ask for advice with all of you in the morning.”
“So we ended up with the maximum damage after a delay.”
“It does seem that way, yes.”
This illustrated the relationship between TJ-chan and Souko-chan.
“That was the only way Souko-chan could complete her new manga and it was also the result of your kindness, TJ-chan.”
“There might have been another way, but I did want Souko-san to have her power as a creator god.”
“In that sense, we ended up with the maximum result after a delay.”
“It does seem that way, yes.”
“But,” said Shifu.
“Like Bil-chan said, the flooding part is only a rough draft, isn’t it? If that could cause a flood, then why didn’t it happen when she initially drew the rough draft for her previous manga?”
“And why didn’t the rest of it happen when she was drawing that previous manga?”
The answer to this question didn’t come from TJ-chan. Instead…
“This is a story, isn’t it?”
●
“It is,” confirmed TJ.
“This includes Kunugi-san too, but a lot of us Egyptian creator gods invented writing or art. That means the myths and stories that define the gods only exist because a creator god allowed the story to be spread. But…”
“Souko… Sokar doesn’t have that, does she?”
“Right. Because she was original a falcon ornament. But through the joining of myths, she gained the abilities of Ptah, the oldest of the creator gods. Ptah was also a blacksmith god, but he created language and protected art, so I thought maybe this power would show itself eventually.”
And what had happened?
“Missing Comiket must have forced that power out of her.”
“What do you mean?
“The continuation of that story. …It was left as a draft and never included in her previous manga, but while it wasn’t part of her ‘manga’, that draft was necessary for the creation of her ‘story’.”
So…
“The first story she ever made wasn’t completed in time for Comiket, but while she worked to complete it last night, it happened to be ‘read’.”
●
“Yes,” said Kuwajiri, nodding.
“Just like overall meaning can be conveyed even if some of the words are different, the rough drafts that were a necessary part of the ‘story’ as a whole were included in the process of ‘creation’ as the whole was completed.”
What did that mean?
“She has awoken as a creator god. This is the creation of a new world.”
●
“I thought this kind of trouble could happen once it was done. I thought it would happen when the manga was complete and Sumeragi-shi read it. So once she finished this morning, I was going to tell Sumeragi-shi about the possibility and let him decide if he would read it or not.”
“But it turned out her ability was powerful enough to activate her creation authority while the manga remained incomplete?”
“Yes,” confirmed TJ. And she opened a Revelation Board.
“We still haven’t appeared in Souko-san’s manga. But if we leave school and head to Makuhari, we will appear and…”
“And the waves of pilgrims will attack us like in the manga?”
Exactly. TJ showed everyone the Revelation Board message saying they could not interfere because they were not part of the story.
“Goodbye then.”
She leaped out into the sea of clouds.
●
I’m going, thought TJ as she landed below the clouds.
A voice called down from above.
“Hey! TJ! You’re not a combat god, are you!?”
“I’m a creator god, so I can fight well enough.
“And,” she added as she started to run.
“I need to get to Makuhari, convince Souko-san, and end this. That should make taking responsibility and apologizing later at least a little easier. Even if that isn’t really playing fair.”
She ran. She knew the way.
Creator God Thoth had the head of an ibis. So…
“––––”
She used her fingers to draw wings on her back. The lines of the drawing glowed and took form.
<A new being appears!!>
With that exciting stage direction, the world turned toward her.
The waves of pilgrims all turned toward her as she took flight.
“I’d appreciate it if you made this easy for me!”
The position of club head wasn’t easy.
●
TJ sprouted wings and soared into the distance, the sea of clouds around her vanishing in waves and mist.
I could see all of the bluish-black pilgrim silhouettes moving at once.
Like surging waves.
The stormy sea of clouds acted as white waves while the bluish-black pilgrims seemed to rise up from the ocean floor to block the way from Tokyo to Makuhari.
I raised my hand while we all watched.
“Okay! Who wants to go save Sumeragi-kun!?”
My question received an immediate response.
“I’d rather not give that idiot any help.”
“D-do you have to be so quick to say that!?
●
“It makes sense,” laughed Raidou.
“Kuwajiri needs to be here in case Sumeragi rolls back, so she and Kunugi will be staying.”
“Eh? I have to mess with all this too?”
“Kunugi-senpai…”
“Eh? Oh, s-sorry, sorry. I’ll be here in case of emergency, sure.”
“What kind of power balance do we have there?”
I’m not sure either, thought Raidou.
Anyway, he thought he knew where most of their posts would be.
“Shinsei, you stay here too and watch on from the rooftop. If things get bad, feel free to hit us with some absurdity. Don’t even bother asking.”
“Are you surrrre you want thaaaat?”
“Yeah. This authority takes people into the story, so I think losing will mean being made a part of the story. If that happens, we won’t be able to send a request for help. Or it won’t reach you, anyway.”
“Then what do we do?”
“I’d like for you to stay here too, Demeter. Because of your rule.”
“Fair enough,” agreed Demeter.
“My rule should be fine, but it did happen last night during the flooding, which means it was part of ‘the story’. So if I did appear in the story, it’s possible the creator would take control of my rule. And if that happened, well…”
“I will participate in Athena Ek Mekhanes. You have an overall plan, I take it? Tell us what it is.”
●
Bilgamesh raised his hand.
“Yes,” he said, nodding at Athena’s request.
“The thunder god’s group said they do not have a plan. They said they will come up with one once they know how many people they will have.”
“Then don’t say yes and nod!!”
“Yes. Sorry.”
He apologized. That canceled out his error.
“Bil, why do you look so happy?”
“Because of how wonderful Shinto’s apology culture is. Apologies are so much more useful here than they were in our time, so I can tell ethics and morals have won a victory in the intervening millennia. Ki, you gained your form after abandoning your wild man ways and gaining morals.”
“Right. Prostrations are unbeatable. Truly wonderful.”
“You aren’t lying to the rest of the world with that stuff, are you?”
“Calm down,” said the thunder god, holding out a hand to stop them and then turning toward Athena.
“I know more or less how many it will be now.”
“Then do you have a plan?”
“I do. Athena, we’ll have two main teams and you’re on one of them.”
“Huh? That was fast…”
“You wanted an answer in a hurry, so you got one. Bilgamesh, you’re thinking about the same thing, aren’t you? Let’s hear your plan.”
●
“Very well,” replied Bilgamesh. He pointed far to the east, where some kind of holy ground appeared to be located.
“We have two tasks here.”
- Secure and preserve the human’s safety.
- Pacify the god who created this situation.
“Can you explain each of those things for us?”
“Yes. For the first, we must ascertain the human’s situation and bring him to a position where we can protect him.”
“Where we can protect him? We can’t just protect him from the start?”
“The human is a character in the story. If this follows the plot of the manga we read last night, the human has likely already arrived at the holy ground and gotten in line. Most likely, we only woke up and began to act after the human woke up and the story began to be told.”
“Right? It’s hard to imagine we would all oversleep at the same time.”
“Yes. To prepare for the story, the human must have been moved to a position where he could be reset without us interfering. And then the human chose to begin the story. If he hadn’t, we wouldn’t be able to act or provide any help. But…”
But…
“This story began because the human took action and told it. If we secure him and take him from the holy ground, the story will end.”
“What’s wrong with that? Some green god is causing this trouble, right? Why do we have to go along with it?”
“Sumeragi-kun will not make that choice. Isn’t that right, Kido-san?”
“Right. Izumi will respect that god’s wishes and he will understand whatever result this leads to.”
The Scythian representative smiled a little.
“I am pleased to find the Mesopotamian king understands Izumi.”
●
“Demeko-chan, you put on a good act.”
“Make no mistake. When I say these things, I mean them.”
●
Bilgamesh continued speaking.
“What we need to do for the human is to ensure his safety and to advance the ‘story’. Thus, we need a force capable of reaching that holy ground and either securing or evacuating the human if necessary.”
“That would be me and Douhai-san.”
He had no choice but to agree with that immediate response. They were the most powerful of this group and they were the human’s guardians.
“Then you two will be one team. But do not use your Oktobasilia Drakon right away.”
“Why not? We could reach Makuhari in no time with that giant thing.”
“Because, as a ‘story’, your opponent’s strength is unlimited. We are not fighting in the divine world – we are fighting within the palm of our opponent’s hand.”
“In a way, we’re restricted by ‘reality’. But in a story, anything goes. Is that the right way of looking at it?”
“Since ancient times, those of us who are based on ‘reality’ do not stand a chance when we wander into a story.”
“That’s right,” replied Athena.
Bilgamesh looked her way to see her speaking to the Scythian representative.
“Oktobasilia Drakon is the combined form of the Echidna’s children plus Typhon and it also has Keravnos Melan. In mythological terms, it’s like a final boss. Whenever it appears, you need to be ready for the world to be destroyed.”
So…
“One attack from that can affect the holy ground, so the story will be forced to change in response. Change so it can defeat us.”
Exactly.
“That was in the manga too, wasn’t it? The waves of pilgrims continued to grow until they stopped the protagonist. The same will happen to us. …The waves of pilgrims will grow until they match the power we are wielding. And they can grow in number endlessly.”
“If I used Oktobasilia Drakon right away and the story reacted, then we wouldn’t be able to make any progress at all?”
“Correct. If you do use it, do it when our opponent can no longer react. So either at the final moment or in an emergency when it is absolutely necessary to either protect or evacuate the human.”
●
Kuwajiri saw Kido nod in agreement with that.
“Then my Oktobasilia Drakon will be a last resort.”
“Yeah. But the first attack will get through, so don’t worry about that. And the story probably won’t expect anything like Oktobasilia Drakon.”
“Hm? How can you be so sure?”
“The deadline.”
Kuwajiri raised her hand and explained.
“When this story’s first half was drawn, it was clearly structured with a second half in mind. So the two combine into a single whole. But the first part was likely drawn before summer break began.”
“I have only summoned Oktobasilia Drakon that one time, so it wouldn’t be a part of the story structure, would it?”
“Right. So the story won’t expect it. …Which means the first attack will get through. But afterwards, it’s possible the story will produce its own Oktobasilia Drakon. Because anything goes there.”
“Yikes,” said the others.
●
Bilgamesh considered what the knowledge god had said.
“Do you think a copy of me will appear?”
“The pilgrim silhouettes are likely copies of humans. But at that resolution, I doubt a ‘Bilgamesh’ will appear. Meanwhile, a giant one would be enough of a threat even at that resolution, which is why Oktobasilia Drakon would be so dangerous.”
“Then my god of war would probably be dangerous too.”
“And my armor.”
“We could end up with a kaiju battle if we aren’t careful. I kind of want to see that, though.”
“I am confident I could win even if it does come to that.”
Kido nodded.
“But if that did happen, I wouldn’t be able to ensure Izumi’s safety. …Listen. I am a god of an equestrian people. I have ways of dealing with large numbers using a charge.”
So…
“I will do so if I deem it necessary. …In that sense, we are the main force for ensuring Izumi’s safety, aren’t we?”
“Yes. We must use our greatest force at the right time. In this case, that will not be in the fight to reach the site. It will be at the central site itself. Keeping the human safe is your top priority.
“Now,” said Bilgamesh.
“Thunder god. Please explain the rest.”
●
Huh, he actually said please… thought Raidou.
…I thought he would be more strict when discussing a battle.
Next to Bilgamesh, Kidou was raising a hand in greeting. She must have understood the nuance Bilgamesh was going for there.
So Raidou decided to watch his assumptions about the demigod king. So…
“Leave it to me.”
So he got started.
“Our other main team will guard TJ who went on ahead.”
●
Raidou recalled Souka’s manga they had read last night.
“The main character was running late, but he was on his way to deliver that forgotten item. And like a time limit, an androgynous child is in the line for the creator.”
“Was my changing the idiot’s sex with a banana foreshadowing this?”
“I think you’re overthinking it.”
“Okay, I’ll stop then.”
An obedient underclassman was a wonderful thing.
And everyone must have realized something now.
“This story is progressing in two different ways. First, the time limit until Sumeragi reaches Souka’s space, picks up her manga, and reads it. Second, if TJ can reach Souka before that happens.”
“Then who will be on the second team?”
“We’ll need people who can move. First, Athena for her ability to charge.”
“Understood. Our gods of war can be summoned instantly, so they will not break the overall balance before we need them and they should be fine in the story.”
“Right,” replied Raidou. And…
“The Beisu Couple. You’re the perfect choice for chasing after TJ.”
●
Seito nodded at the thunder god’s suggestion.
Refusing a recommendation by a super major war god would be crass. But…
“Eh!? Wait, I can’t do that…”
That’s true, thought Seito. Her partner had lost his power.
So she looked to the thunder god.
“Sorry. How about I go and Funto stays here as a guard?”
“No.”
Seito heard a voice and turned to see another of the most powerful gods here.
And that god continued.
“Should you go or not? Do you want to go or not? Those are the important questions. Ability does not come into it.”
“Is that…because the protagonist of TJ’s underclassman’s manga was delivering ‘emotion’?”
“This isn’t about that.”
“Right,” said someone else. As expected, it was the human’s main god. She smiled and nodded.
“If not having enough power or the danger were the most important factors. Sumeragi-kun wouldn’t have gone there. He did it because it was what he should do and what he wanted to do. Do you know why he could make that choice even though he is powerless?”
“Because he’s stupid? …Oh, ignore that! Sorry! My thoughts slipped out.”
“Trying to purify your negative with another negative?”
“No that was only a sum. You have to multiply the two negatives to make hem positive.”
Was that how it worked? But Seito understood why she was being corrected.
●
“Let’s go, Funto.”
“Huh? Didn’t you just say I should stay here?”
“I forgot about that. If you’re not going, then I’ll stay here too.”
“You can’t do that. Raidou-senpai recommended you.”
“Then let’s go, Funto.”
“…I don’t want to.”
“Why not?”
Her partner answered her question.
“They said I could go even if I’d be useless…but I don’t like being useless.”
Yes, she thought. He really does take this all seriously. And maybe I don’t take it seriously enough since I don’t worry about any of that power stuff.
But there was something she had to say here.
“This isn’t about ‘being useful’. Minor gods like us have to go and ‘make ourselves useful’. We have to do it ourselves.”
Let’s go.
“You can at least act as my shield, can’t you?”
“That’s an awful thing to say!”
But someone did laugh quietly.
“A woman does need a shield. …Fine. I will clear the way, so you two tell me which way to go. Since I never did manage to visit TDL, I do not know the route to Makuhari.”
●
They had somehow reached an agreement.
Beisu-kun’s head was drooping in resignation and Seito-san was tugging on his hand.
“Izumi’s classmates are a complicated bunch.”
I mentally recorded that opinion along with the smile it was said with.
And as everyone worked out the details, I asked Kido-san a question.
“Um, how will we travel? Catch a train at Tachikawa Station?”
“That would take over an hour and a half, you know?”
“Oh, we will not be doing that.”
“Then…?” I asked before noticing Kido-san rotate her right arm in the air.
With a burst of ether light, something was ejected from the air.
The piece of metal was taller than her and resembled a large staff. It was…
“That’s one of Oktobasilia Drakon’s legs, isn’t it?”
“Yes. The size is adjustable. And…”
She held her hand out and the familiar metal dragon began to transform.
It took one form and then resumed changing. A lot like folding origami, it rapidly changed from one complete form to another until it was finally done. It ended up as…
“A motorcycle!”
“Yes,” said Kido-san. The two-wheeled vehicle next to her had a white body.
“Izumi recently said he wanted to see me ride one. So I looked into it and worked out a Drakon transformation pattern. It is fully functional. …Just like a mounted Scythian warrior.”
The mount of the equestrian people’s god had the shape of a weapon itself.
Kido-san stroked her hand along the motorcycle that stood on its own and that’s engine rumbled.
“This is the Suzuki GSX110SM Katana. Perfect for me, don’t you think?”
Interlude[edit]
“Um, Kido-san? Do you have a license?”
“This is part of Oktobasilia Drakon, so I do not need one.”
“Um, a license isn’t just about learning how to operate the vehicle. It’s also about learning the traffic rules, so…you know what? Never mind.”
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