Inside the barrier before the church, Zex watched Kaito disappear into the building. Confirming his passage, the lich ceased his combat stance and clapped his hands together several times.
"My, my, it is our loss. Everyone, I thank you for indulging my selfishness. To those among you who can cast healing magic, please attend to the injured."
"……"
The demons gathered there followed Zex's instructions, ending the battle as he readily admitted defeat. Lilia and her companions wore bewildered expressions, but Shia showed no surprise as she withdrew her great scythe.
"The 'villain' role is a lot of work, isn't it, Great Sage of the Undead?"
"Ho-ho-ho. Well, now. To say that it is an elder's duty to provide a push to the youth... perhaps that is a bit too self-aggrandizing?"
"Who knows? Regardless, your acting was clumsy."
"Oh dear, how harsh."
As Zex spoke in his leisurely manner, Shia watched him with a faint, knowing smile. It was as if she were acknowledging that all of Zex's resistance up until this point had been a choreographed performance.
"For better or worse, the bonds of family are often too close... which is exactly why things can become so complicated. I shall have to thank Miyama-dono properly at a later date."
"You're jumping the gun. The real work is only just beginning, isn't it?"
"No, Miyama-dono should be fine. In fact, Noin-dono seems to have finally cleared her mind as well. My clumsy show was worth the effort. My, my... Goddess of Calamity-sama, I must also thank you for your 'cooperation.'"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Now, you're joking again. Had you fought with any modicum of seriousness, you could have neutralized us all in an instant, couldn't you?"
"……Tch."
When Zex bowed his head in gratitude, Shia clicked her tongue with a look of genuine annoyance. However, her lack of denial suggested that she had indeed been holding back. The moment Shia joined the fray, the power balance had shifted overwhelmingly in Kaito's favor.
"I can only offer my deepest gratitude for your mercy."
"Don't misunderstand. I am certainly a merciful goddess. I respond when help is requested... but I am not so soft-hearted that I would go out of my way to save a total idiot who refuses to ask for aid. I only cooperated because that human asked me to lend him my strength. I did it for that meddling man who intended to save 'three people' from the start."
"I see."
"Still... in the end, it irritates me to realize that even this followed her script."
"Ah, so you realized it as well..."
After clarifying that she wouldn't have lifted a finger if Kaito hadn't asked, Shia revealed that there was a mastermind behind the entire incident. Zex nodded, showing no surprise; he had clearly reached the same conclusion.
"The preconditions were far too convenient. Information 'happened' to leak into the God Realm about a new work I enjoy being released today, and the location just 'happened' to be nearby. Then, Kaito—dejected after facing a friend's hostility for the first time—just 'happened' to pass by at that exact moment."
"Indeed. It would be a simple matter for that person to leak information to me as well. Then there was the perfect timing of the reinforcements... including the King of another nation."
"That's exactly it. This is a script she wrote. A story meant to save four people, including Kaito."
"That's a misunderstanding."
"Hm?"
Shia and Zex were discussing the one pulling the strings when the subject of their conversation materialized beside them. She wore a special hood that obscured her features and a robe draped in heavy chains.
"Phantasm King No Face... I knew it was you."
"If it isn't Phantasm King-sama. Pray tell, what is this misunderstanding?"
"Well, you see, the major premise is off. Noin-san and Fia-san are both 'whatever' to me. Oh, don't get me wrong. I do have some feelings for them... but at most, I’d just accept a request from them on slightly better terms if they asked. That’s the extent of it."
As the chains on her robe rattled, No Face spoke with complete nonchalance.
"The only person I side with unconditionally, without any regard for profit or loss, is Kaito-san. Therefore, I didn't prepare a stage to save four people. I obviously designed a stage that would yield the best possible result for Kaito-san. It was all for his sake."
"That sounds like you. If that weren't the case, you would have solved this issue thousands of years ago."
"Exactly. If I had wanted to fix the relationship between those three, I could have. I simply didn't care enough to try. Still, I owe Kuro-san a debt, so I suppose it's a good thing it turned out like this."
"The Great Sage was the same, but you're also getting ahead of yourself, Phantasm King. The outcome hasn't been decided yet, has it?"
Shia spoke quietly, but No Face flatly rejected her skepticism.
"No, it's already decided. At the very least, it is a certainty that Fia-san will meet Kuro-san."
"Ho? And why is that? If you'll pardon my intrusion, may I ask for your reasoning?"
"The reason is simple. Once Kaito-san plays his trump card, victory is guaranteed from that moment on."
"A trump card? He possessed something like that?"
"Yes. You should be relieved, Zex-san. If you had pushed Kaito-san too far and he had used that card... none of you would have walked away in one piece."
"That much—!?"
"This is..."
Shia and Zex began to doubt No Face's claim, but their skepticism vanished in an instant. Even through the barrier, a staggering torrent of magic power on an entirely different dimension washed over them.
"Impossible! What is this magic power...?"
"T-This is... Miyama-dono's trump card? Guh! I feel as if I'm being crushed just by the stray fragments of this energy..."
"I can't believe it... This level of power is comparable to Shallow Vernal-sama. Other than the Underworld King... does such a monster actually exist!?"
"Oh? Even Shia-san didn't know? Then perhaps it’s even been hidden from the Supreme Gods. Well, either way, you understand now, don't you? As long as this being is on Kaito-san's side, there is no chance of failure."
Fia-sensei's reaction to Eden's descent was instantaneous. Realizing in a single heartbeat that she was no match for the goddess, she turned on her heel and fled at maximum speed.
However...
"Insolence."
"Gah... ah... I can't... move..."
With a single word from Eden, Fia-sensei froze mid-stride, her body locking into an unnatural position. She had correctly judged that she couldn't win a fight and tried to run, but even that premise was flawed. From the moment Eden appeared, Fia-sensei was no longer permitted to even attempt resistance.
"Eden-san. Can you forcibly teleport us and Fia-sensei to Kuro's side?"
"Easily."
The primary reason I had summoned Eden as my final card was because I remembered how she had forcibly teleported Alice to a distant location during their previous confrontation. I believed that Eden could bring Fia-sensei to Kuro without causing her any physical harm, regardless of her own will. Eden confirmed it was a trivial task.
"Fia-sensei, I'm sorry for using such force. I'll listen to all your grievances later. Eden-san, please!"
"Understood."
At my command, a flash of light radiated from Eden's wings, and the scenery shifted in an instant. The stone walls of the church were replaced by a small, grassy hill brushed by a gentle breeze.
We had arrived at our destination. A single blade was thrust into the ground before a massive stone monument. Standing there, gazing at the memorial, was Kuro.
"This is..."
"Noin-san?"
"This is the site where the Demon King's Castle once stood. It is the place where the Friendship Treaty was signed. For both Fia and me... it is the place where the war began and ended. It is now known as the Hero's Hill. But... why is Chrome-sama here?"
I see. This was the place Lilia-san had mentioned—the site where Noin-san had left her message and her sword. It was the perfect stage for this resolution, but I wondered why Kuro was waiting here so perfectly.
As the question crossed my mind, Kuro spoke without turning around.
"Kaito-kun, Noin, Zex... I knew everyone was moving. That's why I decided to wait here. Because I believe in Kaito-kun, I thought it was best to wait here without doing anything unnecessary."
After speaking in a quiet, calm tone, Kuro turned to face us.
Whether Eden's magic power binding remained in effect or not, Fia-sensei did not move. Or perhaps, she simply could not. Her face was pale, and I could see her trembling ever so slightly.
"It's been a long time, Fia."
"Chrome... sama..."
Everything I had done was for this single moment. I still didn't know how things would end, but right now, Kuro and Fia-sensei were finally reunited for the first time in a thousand years.
Bonus: Inside the Heart
"Insolence." (To even think of moving before obtaining my child's permission is the height of insolence. Normally, I would have erased you instantly, but you should be grateful for my child's heart, which is deeper than the ocean.)
"Easily." (Ah, my child is relying on his mother. What a magnificent expression; as expected, my child is a supreme existence. Yes, when this is over, I shall commission a statue of my child so that I may admire his noble visage at any time. Oh, but that is an impossible dream. Is it even possible to capture my child's splendor through something as crude as inorganic matter? No, of course not. My child is unique and absolute. Oh, why is he so precious? I want to embrace him and love every inch of his being right this second.)
"Understood." (But I must endure for now. Fulfilling my child's wish is the absolute priority; his desires take precedence over all else. Oh, it seems my child's hair has grown by two millimeters. It would be roughly zero point three millimeters shorter to best accentuate his loveliness. I shall trim it during the teleportation. Oh, this won't do. His nails have also grown by a millimeter. I must attend to those... and there is a speck of dust in his ear. To soil my child's body is unforgivable. I shall not merely remove it, but annihilate it. My child, already perfect, is being further polished by my hands. What absolute bliss.)