◇ ◇ ◇
The moment I broke through the treeline, the world opened up.
In the heart of the Sacred Mountain, where twisted trunks surged like wooden waves, this single clearing was as unnervingly silent as another dimension.
Before me stood the torii gate of Tenrei Shrine.
Its vermilion pillars were weathered, the paint peeling away after years of exposure to the elements, yet it still commanded a bizarre, overbearing presence.
Before arriving in Kyokutou, I’d imagined that standing here would naturally evoke a sense of solemnity. The reality, however, was far different.
I knew exactly why.
Violating the magnificent atmosphere of the Tenrei Shrine, a torrential spray of inky mana was erupting from the earth.
As I passed through the torii and entered the grounds, the air shifted again. A black vortex of mana swirled up from the ground, threatening to swallow the yagura scaffold built beside the Main Hall.
Standing beside the eruption was a woman with viridescent hair—Philly Carpenter.
I wanted to restrain her immediately and choke off the mana flow, but it wasn't going to be that simple. A staggering number of spells had been layered across the area.
It looked like it would take time to decipher them, but they were likely original spells on par with special-grade magic.
"So, you’ve come, Orun Doura," Philly said. She sounded almost amused. "I’m sure you’ve already realized this, but don't move another inch. I’ve set quite a few things up around here."
The torii gate of Tenrei Shrine was the sole gateway to the Principles of Magic in this world. I couldn't allow it to be destroyed. Even if I could fix the physical structure with Time Rewind, there was no guarantee the path to the Principles would be restored along with it.
Buying time with conversation while I neutralized her magic was my best bet.
"I know... Though we’ve had our share of near misses, this is the first time we’ve actually spoken face-to-face, Philly Carpenter."
"Yes, quite right. If I had my way, I would have preferred we never had any direct contact at all."
Philly shrugged and let out a theatrical sigh. "I don’t have a single thing I wish to discuss with you."
"I imagine not," I replied flatly, my mind already probing the formulaic structure of her spells.
"But well, since we’ve run into each other, it can’t be helped. We’re here—why not a little chat? I’m not fond of pointless conflict. I was planning to leave this country soon anyway, so I’d prefer to settle this peacefully if I can."
I swallowed the retort Look who's talking before it could escape my throat. I didn't believe for a second that Philly Carpenter wanted a "peaceful" resolution. However, if she was willing to give me time, I wasn't about to complain.
"Then tell me. What exactly is your goal?"
"Hmm. If I had to sum it up in a phrase... 'I want to make the world pure.'"
She spoke as casually as if we were discussing the weather.
"Order, laws, morality, goodwill... Humans live such cramped, stifled lives bound by those concepts. To me, they look utterly ridiculous."
Philly’s lips curled into a gentle smile.
"Humans are far more hideous, selfish creatures, wouldn't you agree? Raging, fearing, betraying, deceiving, and devouring one another... Don't you think that state is far more honest? Far more natural?"
She continued, her voice light with perverse delight.
"That’s why I want to return them to that natural state."
"...You realize that if that world of yours comes to pass, order will collapse even more than it already has, right?"
My words didn't cause her smile to flicker.
"Yes, of course. But the sound of order crumbling is quite exquisite. Even more so when accompanied by the screams of the masses."
She narrowed her eyes, her next words dropping like poison.
"Though, that’s just a part of the process. Ultimately... I think it would be best if humans disappeared, down to the very last one."
I felt a chill run through my body at the sheer coldness of her words.
"Once that happens, no one will despair, and no one will suffer. Don't you think that's a wonderful ending?"
"In what world?" I exhaled slowly, my voice steady. "Before your 'ending' ever arrives, how many people will have to suffer and despair? Do you just plan to turn a blind eye to that?"
Philly’s smile remained unshakeable, but I pressed on regardless.
"It’s true that the world is overflowing with unreasonableness. Sometimes good people aren't rewarded, malice runs rampant, and hard work yields nothing. I’ve been made painfully aware of that fact more times than I can count."
She was probably right about humans being selfish. People are swept away by greed and lose themselves to fear; they sacrifice others to save themselves.
"—Even so," I said, pausing for a moment.
The past I had built. The things I had lost. The feelings people had entrusted to me. All of it weighed heavily on my shoulders even now.
"Even so, people keep moving forward. Despite the scars and the regrets, we stack one moment on top of another. That's how we reached this 'now.'"
I glared straight at her, my fist clenching tight.
"What you’re trying to destroy are the 'sentiments of everyone'—the things people have desperately struggled to build."
"'Everyone’s sentiments'...? Do you actually believe in that nonsense? It makes me shudder." Philly spat the words out. "A long time ago, there was a child who believed in all that. No matter how much she was trampled, she believed, she endured, and she clung to it. And in the end, she vanished without a trace, as if she had never existed at all."
A trace of genuine hatred flickered in her voice.
"Sentiments are nothing more than an illusion."
Philly looked at me with pure contempt.
"...Given your attitude, I suppose you’d even claim that a life that ended unloved, misunderstood, and crushed into the dirt still 'had meaning.' It goes beyond amazement; you make me nauseous."
Her final words were saturated with an emotion she couldn't quite hide.
"Yeah, I would. No matter who denies it, I’ll say it until I’m blue in the face: it had meaning."
I met her gaze head-on.
"If someone doesn't say it, then that life really does become meaningless."
I didn't look away, hurling my conviction back at her.
"The world is full of unreasonableness, but I’ll reach out anyway. I’ll inherit those feelings and connect them to the future. Because that is the life I’ve chosen to live."
Philly lowered her eyes and took a small, deep breath. When she looked back at me, her eyes were voids, stripped of all emotion.
"...I think I understand now. You and I are fundamentally incompatible."
As if in response to her declaration, the surrounding mana began to churn.
"It would seem so. —Annihilation."
During our exchange, I had finished analyzing every spell she’d set. I offset them all at once before they could even trigger.
"Tch!" Philly clicked her tongue as she realized her traps had failed.
"—Bind."
Jet-black chains erupted from the void, lashing around Philly and pinning her down. I ignored her and rushed toward the eruption point.
I observed the torrent of mana, searching for a way to plug the leak.
Mana Convergence would be counterproductive here. Seirei Command wouldn't let me manipulate this type of energy. Soul Manipulation might have worked, but I hadn't seen Nagisa Asagiri use it yet, so I couldn't replicate the technique.
Fine. Brute force it is.
"—Magic Sword Integration: Alteration. Final Form: Mont Ende!"
I absorbed the magic sword Schwarzhase and multiplied the power with my own Ki. Using that newly refined energy, I forged a fresh blade.
"—Evil-Bane Heavenly Flash!"
I unleashed a slash imbued with the power to nullify the Evil God's mana. The black fountain erupting from the earth vanished instantly.
I deactivated Final Form: Mont Ende, letting the weapon return to its normal state, and turned back to Philly, who was collapsed on the ground.
"I don't know what the rest of your plan was, Philly, but this is checkmate."
"Checkmate...? Hehe... Hahaha!" Philly let out a jagged laugh.
"...What's so funny?"
"Oh, just the fact that you think you’ve crushed my plan. I hate to disappoint you, but by the time you arrived, it was already finished."
An instant later, a hideous, bone-chilling presence surged from behind me.
"—!?"
I tried to spin around, but my vision suddenly blurred and shifted.
Before I knew it, I was soaring through the air, my body repelled by a massive force. A violent impact slammed into my back, knocking every bit of air from my lungs. I managed to take a defensive fall, sliding across the ground until I came to a halt on one knee.
"Kh...!"
Gasping for breath, I forced my head up.
"Philly, you did well. You have my praise."
"...Thank you, sir."
Standing there, at the end of my line of sight, was the man who had been officially declared dead: the former Grandmaster of the Explorer Guild, Beria Sans.
"Why are you here...? No, wait—"
The appearance and the voice were definitely Beria’s. But something was wrong. Fundamentally, decisively, something was different.
"—Who the hell are you?"