A summit between the monarchs of the Nohitant Kingdom and the Saubel Empire took place today in Noyuld, the Empire’s second-largest city, located near the border of the two nations.
The proceedings were shattered when the Great Hero, Felix Roots Kreuzer, suddenly appeared. Without a word of explanation, he launched into a brutal slaughter, cuttting down the Kingdom’s representatives one after another.
"Ha… ha… ha… Hahaha… Is the gap between us really this vast? I held my own against Orun, the man who beat you… I thought that, even in the worst-case scenario, I could at least buy enough time for His Majesty and the ministers to escape…"
The building that had hosted the summit was now a mountain of debris. Warren sat slumped against a fragment of a wall, muttering in a weak, hollow voice.
Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, and his armor was so badly mangled that it looked more like scrap metal. He was battered beyond recognition.
"……"
Felix, the man who had reduced Warren to this state, looked down at him with frigid eyes, devoid of any emotional spark.
The Imperial delegation had fled the moment Felix appeared. Aside from Warren, every soul from the Kingdom’s side was now a corpse.
The city had descended into total pandemonium. Yet, it was a small mercy that Warren had managed to use the initial chaos to dispatch his closest confidant toward the Royal Capital before the perimeter was sealed.
"…I never dreamed you would resort to such a blunt, short-sighted play. Are you satisfied now? Having butchered us all?"
Warren spoke with a provocative edge, testing the Hero.
Felix didn't even twitch. He merely raised his sword with agonizing slowness.
Ah, well. A pathetic end. Though, if I’m being honest, I should have died ten years ago. Dying itself doesn't bother me. But failing to protect His Majesty… I’ll regret that into the next life. To let the benefactor who gave my life meaning die like this… I’ve failed as a guardian.
Watching Felix’s blade descend, Warren closed his eyes and braced for the inevitable.
"—Wait."
Just as he accepted his fate, a different man’s voice echoed through the ruins.
As if bound by the command, Felix froze his blade mid-swing.
Warren opened his eyes and glanced at the steel inches from his face before turning his gaze toward the source of the voice. His eyes widened in shock.
"It’s been a long time, Warren."
The speaker was a man dressed in vibrant crimson clothes. A derisive smirk played on his lips as he sauntered toward the two.
As the newcomer approached, Felix withdrew his sword and stepped behind him, moving as if to stay out of the man’s direct line of sight.
"Gary…" Warren rasped, his expression still frozen in disbelief.
"Heh, you look pathetic. To think you were the one leading us ten years ago. 'A shadow of his former self'—you’re the living definition of the phrase!"
The man Warren called Gary spoke with a voice dripping with condescension.
Gary Orail.
He was an explorer who had once been a member of Golden Echo. Like Warren, he was one of those who had been hailed as a Hero in that era.
"Why are you… here?"
"Oh, come now. You know I’m with the Cyclamen Cult, don't you? I’ve been given total command over this operation. Me—an executive of the Cult!"
The direct cause of Golden Echo’s dissolution had been an ambush by Amunzaas.
Outnumbered four to one by over twenty enemies, two of their comrades had been slaughtered in the initial assault. Warren, Albert, and Gary should have died right then and there.
However, they had survived, saved by the intervention of a single man. Gary had become so infatuated with their savior that he had chosen to follow him into the shadows.
"This operation…?"
"…That’s right. Did you never stop to wonder why the King came to the Empire so easily? He came because we willed it. He came so that his death would ignite the fires of a global war!"
It’s true that His Majesty’s recent decisions were uncharacteristically reckless. But coming here knowing he would die? That’s impossible. He wanted to avoid war with the Empire more than anyone.
"You have a look on your face that says 'impossible.' Narrow. Your worldview is far too narrow, Warren! The world revolves around Lord Beria now. If that person desires it, reality itself bends to accommodate him!"
Gary began to rant with manic eyes, his voice rising as he extolled the divine virtues of the man he worshipped, Beria Sans.
"…Your personality has changed too much," Warren muttered.
Gary had always been introverted, but his current persona was so far removed from Warren’s memories that it felt as if his very soul had been replaced.
"Ah, yes! I have changed! Every day I feel it—choosing to follow Lord Beria that day was the best decision of my life! Because you’re about to die, Warren. Which means I’m the one who will survive until the very end. I am the true legacy of Golden Echo!"
Listening to Gary’s deluded rambling, Warren felt a sudden, weary sense of absurdity.
"…And? Did you show up just to gloat before I die? What do you actually want?"
"I’m a magnanimous man. If you swear your absolute submission to me, I’ll spare you. I have the power to command even the Great Hero as I please. If you want to back the winning horse, I’ll show you mercy."
"—I’ll pass. The old you might have been worth considering, but bowing to the man you’ve become? I’d rather rot."
Warren offered a defiant, fearless grin, flatly rejecting the offer.
Besides, he thought privately, I have no reason to keep living anyway.
"Foolish, Warren. Truly foolish. But don't worry. Once I’ve achieved a feat great enough to carve my name into the annals of history, I’ll make sure to mention that Golden Echo were my loyal pawns. That way, you’ll be remembered, too."
…Which of us is the fool, I wonder? Golden Echo is already in the history books as the first party to ever reach the 93rd Floor. Nothing you do from here on will change that. —Right, the Great Labyrinth. I promised Orun I’d listen to his report once he conquered it. I guess I won't be able to keep that promise. Well, if there’s an afterlife, maybe I’ll get a front-row seat to watch him finish the job.
As these thoughts drifted through Warren’s mind, the white-hot flash of an Explode spell engulfed him. He slipped into a slumber from which he would never wake.
"Hahaha! He’s dead! All of them—every member of Golden Echo who looked down on me! I’m the winner! They’re the losers! Ahahahaha!"
Standing amidst the rubble and the corpses of the Nohitant delegation, Gary laughed like a madman.
He didn't even seem to realize that tears were streaming down his face.
"……Are you still here? Return to the Imperial Capital and await Master Ozwell’s instructions."
Once his laughter subsided into a cold, eerie calm, Gary issued his orders to the waiting Felix.
"Now then, I have work to do. A direct command from Lord Beria. The total eradication of the Nohitant Royal Family… I will not fail!"
Ignoring Felix as the Hero departed, Gary began his long walk toward the Royal Capital of the Nohitant Kingdom.