A lone man stood by a hospital bed, his gaze fixed on the sleeping Yugo.
Zenon, a reincarnator, stood there with an expression that shifted between the verge of tears and the frustration of not knowing what to do. He shook his head repeatedly, opening his mouth to speak only to fall silent again. Finally, he squeezed his true feelings from the depths of his heart.
"You knew this would happen... so why? Why did you go that far?"
In the previous battle, while the other Hero Candidates had been caught in the blast and knocked unconscious, Zenon—who had been hiding—escaped with relatively minor injuries. Because he had never lost consciousness, he had witnessed the clash between Yugo and Zaraki with his own eyes.
Zenon had once given up on that fight, believing there was no way to win and that it was better to simply abandon Ryuga. Now, he was left dazed by the sheer, staggering strength Yugo had displayed. Seeing Yugo repel Zaraki had stirred emotions in Zenon that went far beyond mere astonishment.
Watching Yugo lie there in critical condition, Zenon felt a strange, gnawing sensation.
"Why? Why can't I just think 'serves you right'?"
In his mind, Yugo was supposed to be scum—a villain who hurt Claire, Zenon’s favorite character, and who would eventually sacrifice his own brother to achieve his revenge. If Cyan and the others saw him now, they would surely mock him, laughing that he got exactly what he deserved.
Zenon had expected to feel the same. He had assumed he would share that spiteful joy. But as he looked at Yugo’s fallen form, his chest tightened with a painful ache. Though he kept asking why, he already knew the answer deep down.
"It doesn't make any sense... How are you so strong? You’re supposed to be scum, a weakling—a villain destined to be crushed by the Protagonist. So why are you like this?"
Ever since Zenon had ignored the scenario and defeated him, Yugo had changed. Whether it was due to a bug or divine intervention, the Yugo lying here was a completely different person from the one Zenon knew from the game Luminous History.
Even accounting for the fact that Zenon had slacked on his own leveling, Yugo was far stronger than him. Having witnessed Yugo defeat Zaraki, Zenon was appalled by the gap between them—yet, in the moment Yugo collapsed, Zenon had felt a spark of sympathy.
"Why do I understand exactly how you feel?"
Yugo had wanted to save his precious friend, Ryuga. That was why he had challenged Zaraki, knowing full well it was reckless. To people like Cyan, such an act was likely pointless—a joke to be laughed at. Why would a game character risk their life for another?
But Zenon understood. He recognized the sentiment that had driven Yugo to risk everything.
On the day the Magic Armor Beasts attacked the Insect Museum, Zenon had seen Claire in danger and found himself unable to stand by. He had known his opponent was stronger, known he stood no chance, but he had stood his ground anyway for the sake of someone he cherished. He hadn't wanted to lose Claire, the only one who hadn't abandoned him even after he lost everything else.
Driven by a tangle of complex emotions, he had faced his fears that day. And he realized now that Yugo—and everyone else in this world—was the same.
Protagonists and villains, reincarnators and game characters—there was no real difference. Everyone lived in this world as human beings, wishing to protect those they loved and feeling gratitude when they were saved.
Finally, Zenon understood.
"It was the same all along! Being a Protagonist or a Hero Candidate doesn't matter... The people around us aren't game characters. They’re human beings!"
The people he had dismissed as 'mobs' and treated as disposable each had their own lives. In the village attacked by the Toadstinger, the people he had fought while thinking it didn't matter if they died must have had people they loved, and people who loved them in return.
He had stolen those lives. He hadn't just incited his comrades; he had created the catalyst for those deaths and turned his friends into murderers.
Because he was a 'Protagonist,' because he was 'different' from the other characters, he had believed everything was permitted. As Zenon realized the magnitude of his arrogance, he clutched his head and groaned.
"What... what am I supposed to do now?"
His past actions couldn't be erased. His sins wouldn't vanish, and the lives lost would never return. As he fell into a deep despair, facing the weight of the lives he had disregarded, the hospital room door opened quietly. A voice called out to him.
"Well, well... who do we have here? If it isn't Seto-kun. What a coincidence!"
"You... Egos!?"
Zenon spun around and gasped. Standing there was Egos Cutman, the man who had been expelled from the academy.
Egos smirked and placed a finger to his lips, signaling Zenon to be quiet.
"Keep your voice down. I slipped away while the Security Force was in a panic, you see."
"Escaped? What are you doing here?"
Zenon’s shock deepened. In response to the question, Egos flashed a predatory smile.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to finish Yugo off."
"...!?"
Zenon’s eyes widened. Egos continued, unfazed by his reaction.
"I heard the news while I was locked up. This scum is in critical condition and unconscious, right? In that case, it wouldn't be strange at all if he just... died while no one was looking."
"Are you serious? You’re going to kill Yugo?"
"Why not? Who cares if a single game character dies? Especially one that’s the absolute worst kind of trash. I can finally pay him back for all the humiliation he put me through. It’ll feel fantastic."
Because Zenon had come to understand his own darkness, he could see the same evil mirrored in Egos. He stood frozen, realizing that he had once been just like this—joyfully willing to steal lives without a second thought.
"Move aside," Egos said. "This will be over in a second. I need to kill Scum Yugo so I can start figuring out how to reclaim my spot as the Protagonist."
Zenon knew what Egos was doing was wrong. Even without weapons, he knew there was a gap in power between them that he couldn't bridge. He didn't have the strength to defeat Egos, nor did he have a plan.
And yet, to his own surprise, Zenon found he didn't want to abandon Yugo.
I don't want to make the same mistake again. I... I won't!
Without even realizing it, Zenon had learned something from watching Yugo fight. Changing the world didn't require immense power or a perfect plan. It required the courage to take a single step forward—the will to face fear and stand your ground.
Zenon—or rather, Seto Haino—drew upon that borrowed courage. His voice was strained but firm as he faced the evil before him.
"Stop... Just stop it!"
"Huh? What are you talking about? You hate this guy too—"
"I said stop! This world isn't a toy for us to play with!"
Zenon shouted, putting everything he had into intimidating the man. Fortunately, the setting worked in his favor. Egos still hoped to reclaim his status as a Protagonist; he had planned to assassinate Yugo quietly and vanish. While he could easily use magic to erase both Zenon and Yugo, doing so would almost certainly leave a trail and cement his status as a common criminal.
Faced with the unexpected resistance from a fellow reincarnator, Egos glared at Zenon with pure venom. As they locked eyes, both of them sensed someone else approaching the room.
"Tch!"
"Whoa! W-Wait!"
Egos, realizing he couldn't afford to be caught, shoved Zenon aside, vaulted through the hospital window, and vanished into the night.
Zenon scrambled to his feet, intent on giving chase. Reporting this to the authorities was the logical choice, but the guilt of his past and the feeling that reincarnators should handle their own messes drove him to handle it himself.
Just as he was about to leap out after Egos, he stopped. He looked at the sleeping Yugo and the pen and paper on the bedside table. He felt a sudden, inexplicable conviction.
Driven by that feeling, Zenon hurriedly scribbled a message, pressed the paper into Yugo’s unconscious hand, and leaped out the window.
"Wait, Egos! Get back here!"
He didn't know if this would benefit him. He didn't even know if it was the right thing to do. But for the first time, Zenon felt certain he had made a decision he wouldn't regret.
As he chased Egos through the dark, Zenon felt a strange sense of clarity. He had finally used his knowledge of the game in the most meaningful way possible.