On the fifth day of the Six Kings Festival, Kaito and Alice concluded their date and returned to the Central Tower. After sharing dinner with the waiting Kuromueina and Isis, Kaito headed to the hot springs to wash away the day's fatigue.
Since Kuromueina was scheduled to go on a date with Kaito tomorrow, on the sixth day, they bathed together in private, following the rules they had previously agreed upon.
After seeing the two of them off toward the bathhouse, Alice informed Ein that she would be stepping out for a while and left.
Leaving the Central Tower behind, Alice accelerated to a speed that was nothing short of staggering, reaching her destination in the blink of an eye.
The location was a spot above the ocean, roughly a thousand kilometers away from the island where the festival was being held. There, Eden stood, quietly contemplating the sea.
"So, you've come."
"...I have to say, I was surprised when your telepathy reached me."
"I thought you might want to compare notes. Or could it be that, even after several days, your investigation remains unfinished? If that were the case, I would have to lower my estimation of you."
"You really love to provoke people, don't you? I finished a long time ago."
Ignoring Eden's mocking expression, Alice replied with a look of mounting irritation. While she didn't have the highest opinion of the God of Earth, Alice understood that Eden held the most vital information regarding this matter. She suppressed her annoyance.
"...Based on the magic formula of the summoning circle, the analysis of residual magic power, the materials used, and several other factors, that circle was created about nineteen thousand years ago. In that era, no formula capable of summoning living beings from another world existed in either the Human Realm or the Demon Realm. That leaves only two beings from that time who could have produced it."
"Go on."
"It was either Kuro-san or Shallow Vernal-sama. However, at that point in time, Kuro-san had no connection to the Human Realm. It’s hard to believe I wouldn't have noticed her movements given the timeframe. Therefore... the one who created that summoning circle was Shallow Vernal-sama, wasn't it?"
"...Very well. You are correct up to that point."
The Hero Summoning magic circle had first been put to use when the First Hero was summoned, but the circle itself had existed long before that—created by the hand of none other than Shallow Vernal.
Eden affirmed Alice's conclusion with a faint smile.
"...There are two things I want to ask."
"I imagine so. Or perhaps I should say it's fewer than I expected? Fine. I will answer within the scope of what I am permitted to reveal."
"Before I start, let me confirm one thing. The only things you cannot answer are those concerning the upcoming match between Kaito-san and Shallow Vernal-sama... Is that correct?"
"Yes."
"...Then, I'll ask. Who exactly is Shallow Vernal-sama? You previously compared her essence to the end of a story. I don't quite understand what that's supposed to mean."
"...I see. Yes, if you are to eventually challenge her, perhaps you truly do need to know."
After nodding at Alice's serious inquiry, Eden shifted her gaze to the moon hanging in the night sky and began to speak slowly.
"First, I must correct your perception. If you believe my power and Shallow Vernal's are equal, discard that thought immediately."
"...What do you mean?"
"Compared to the Shallow Vernal of the past, I am less than a gnat. In truth, no existence can ever hope to rival her."
"What? W-Wait a minute! You are undeniably the God who created a world... your power is virtually almighty—"
"Omniscience and omnipotence hold no meaning before Shallow Vernal."
"Wha..."
Alice could not mask her shock. Eden, the pinnacle of her own world, had just casually admitted she was no match for Shallow Vernal.
"She appears suddenly within a world to bring the curtain down on its story. Yes, this is the most fitting description... Shallow Vernal is a phenomenon."
"...A phenomenon?"
"Allow me to explain simply."
With those words, Eden manifested a book in her hand and opened it casually for Alice to see. The page depicted something akin to a universe.
"Suppose the existence depicted on this page possesses infinite identical versions across an infinite multiverse, and holds power far surpassing omniscience and omnipotence. An entity that can erase multiple galaxies in a single breath and wipe away a world with a wave of its hand. How would you defeat such a being?"
"...An infinite, omnipotent existence? Honestly, I have no idea. I might be able to strip the authority from one and kill it, but they would just be instantly replenished. Since it's infinite, it’s impossible to defeat them all at once. Is such a thing even possible to defeat?"
"At the very least, I cannot win. But how would Shallow Vernal handle it? It is quite simple. She would do this."
As she spoke, Eden closed the book.
"That is Shallow Vernal’s power. She ends the story. She ends an omniscient and omnipotent being while they are still omniscient and omnipotent. She ends a transcendent existence across an infinite multiverse while they are still that transcendent existence."
"..."
"If a single world were represented as a book, Shallow Vernal is the one who can close it. No, she is the phenomenon of the closing itself. There is no story that does not end. Whether it is a tragedy, a comedy, or even a period of stagnation... an end exists for every tale. Therefore, nothing and no one can rival her. No matter how much it is drawn out, it will eventually end."
"...That is... why she's the Epilogue (The End of the Story)."
"Suppose an omnipotent being possessed an ability that nullified Shallow Vernal's powers. What happens then? That existence meets their end while remaining a being that nullifies her powers."
Eden continued to speak with a light, almost melodic tone, as if addressing the heavens themselves. She spoke of the system that brought stories to a close—the phenomenon known as Shallow Vernal.
"What would happen if an existence completely annihilated Shallow Vernal upon encounter, without giving her a single moment to use her abilities?"
"...They would meet their end as the being who completely annihilated Shallow Vernal-sama?"
"Yes, exactly. It may sound contradictory, but it is the absolute truth. The moment Shallow Vernal appears, the Epilogue has begun. No matter how long it is delayed, it must end. She is the phenomenon of the end itself. When the book is closed, the story is over. When the curtain falls, the stage is finished. One can begin again, but the decision rests with the reader. If we are characters in a story, she is the reader. That is the nature of her existence."
"..."
"Power, omniscience, omnipotence, or anything beyond—none of it matters to her. None of it has any value."
"...How can... No, if that's true, why did Shallow Vernal-sama create this world?"
Alice murmured, her mind still struggling to process the scale of what Eden had shared. Eden vanished the book, turned her gaze toward Alice, and spoke again.
"Back when I had just created my world and it was finally stabilizing, Shallow Vernal appeared before me. I was utterly distraught. And for good reason—at the time, my world was little more than an infant. Even if an end had to come eventually, this was far too soon."
"...So, what did you do?"
"I abandoned my pride and everything else. I prostrated myself, rubbing my face in the dirt as I begged. I told her, 'You may end me if you must, but please, at least spare this young world and my children.' I didn't know if I could reach her, or if she even possessed a will, but I desperately wove my words. I knew I couldn't resist her."
"But you're still here now."
"Yes, I had two strokes of luck. The first was that, after ending countless worlds, a spark of something like a heart had begun to sprout within the phenomenon called Shallow Vernal."
Eden's words were serious and resolute. Alice could tell she wasn't lying. She waited for the rest of the story, shivering at the true nature of Shallow Vernal—the entity that even this immensely powerful god had no choice but to beg for mercy.
"That is likely why. Before ending me, Shallow Vernal asked, 'Is creating worlds interesting?' It was a small, idle curiosity. If I had given the wrong answer, she would have ended me and my world without a second thought."
"...But you didn't give the wrong answer."
"No, that was my second stroke of luck. I instinctively replied, 'If you're interested, why don't you try it yourself?' She murmured, 'Interest... I see, so this is what it means to feel interest,' and nodded. My world was spared. Later, I advised her on various matters as her predecessor, and we eventually formed a somewhat friendly relationship."
"I see. And then Shallow Vernal-sama created this world. That's how it happened."
"Precisely. However, even after our long association, I still do not know what she is thinking. I cannot understand her. After all, once she finished creating the world, she simply discarded that ultimate power."
"...What? W-Wait, what do you mean? She discarded it?"
The power that made the word 'strongest' feel insufficient—the power to end stories—was something Shallow Vernal had let go of.
Eden continued, unbothered by Alice's stunned silence.
"When she created the world, she split her soul in half along with that power and placed it within her creation. As a result, the current Shallow Vernal has been weakened to a state that is merely near-omnipotent."
"...Does that mean, by any chance..."
"It seems you've already guessed. Yes, that is correct."
"...Right now, that power to end the story... Kuro-san has it..."
Yes, the Shallow Vernal of today no longer possessed her former strength. She had simply handed her supreme power to her other half.
"Of course, that power ultimately belongs to Shallow Vernal. The Half of God likely cannot use it to its full potential. She is probably limited to ending only the specific targets she set at the beginning."
"..."
"Now, much of what follows is my own speculation. Why Shallow Vernal did such a thing, and what it was she sought... Let us speak of the tale that leads to the present."
Everything had begun with Shallow Vernal, and the story of the one she loved was likewise converging toward her.
On the ocean shrouded in the night's darkness, Alice was finally touching the deepest parts of this world.
???: "Finally, Alice-chan the self-proclaimed main heroine has laid hands on the depths of the story! The anticipation is mounting!"
Serious-senpai: "Isn't she more of a hero... or a protagonist, given her position?"
???: "If you say one more unnecessary thing, I'll sew your mouth shut."
Serious-senpai: "I-I'm sorry."