Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai kara Kuru Sou Desu yo? - Volume 11 - Chapter 3.3

Part 3

───Airborne Citadel - Precipice.

The members of the main force including Izayoi were standing on the edge of the Airborne Citadel and looked down on the battle progress from the sky. Although taking the initiative was a success, it was still far from a conclusion.

It was necessary for the main force to save their strength for the final battle. Although they had impatient thoughts, right now they could do nothing but watch. So long as they are on standby, there are no dangers of being attacked according to the game rules.

Looking at the town full of heat and explosion sounds, Izayoi clicked his tongue.

"…………It's a slow battle. If things go on like this, the battle might actually continue till night."

“Even if it's like that, there are no other effective ways to battle. A drawn out fight is essential. Even Izayoi-kun should understand this right?"

"I know. …………But, Is this method really effective?"

Izayoi asked Leticia while turning his head.

She quietly nodded.

If the legend Canaria told is correct, then to take down Azi Dakaha, it's necessary to pierce three vitals. First one is the skull, second are the shoulders, and the third is….the heart."

Izayoi recalled the shape of the three headed dragon.

3 stake-like things were pierced through his skulls, on his shoulders were bolt-like things that were sewing the banner on him.

"I don't know about the sown thing on his shoulders, but the stakes in the skull is one seal that we placed on him 200 years ago. If we force him to release all his offsprings, then the place where his heart is should emerge.”

"But the battle won't end with just that"

Interjected, Baron la Croix while finishing Leticia's sentence.

“The offsprings are only one among the numerous Gifts of Azi Dakaha………..If we compare it to the armor, it's just one portion. Even if we destroy it, his superiority won't be shaken. There is one more weapon necessary to take down that demon lord"

"…….That is?"

All eyes gathered at Baron la Croix. He held his bowler and grinned widely.

“It's the same as it has always been. All it took to defeat the Demon Lords, no matter the age was…………………. a single, decisive blow from the most courageous person."

Without the bright swords that heroes used, defeating the Demon Lords is impossible.

Izayoi shook shrugged and shook his head as if amazed.

"If that's the case, the one who can defeat that lizard Demon Lord isn't me, right? I have no recollection of ever showing something like courage in my whole life"

"So it seems. If we consider your power, something like a courageous spirit would be your total opposite. If there is one thing that Izayoi-kun is inferior at to the 「Candidate of Origin」 from 「Ouroboros」, it's exactly that."

Izayoi bent his brows. It's not like there were no objections, but it's unreasonable to be judged with such abstract qualities.

"「Candidate of Origin」…………you say? I didn't get the joke, but with that talk, I finally made sense of one thing"

"Hou? Does that mean that, Izayoi-kun already understands who are the [Candidates of Origin]?"

"Well, roughly. In short, It's that right? The representatives in order to inquire "which is the true origin" in the birth circle of Humans and Gods. That's the destiny of the people like that Hakuhatsuki[1] and me, right?"

Which came first: the chicken or the egg?

Sakamaki Izayoi concluded that they - the "Candidates of Origin" were candidates tasked to reveal the final conclusion to the paradox game that hasn’t been solved up to this point.

"Those guys, calling themselves 「Ouroboros」[2] demonstrated the current relationship between the gods and humans. This is just a hunch, but that Hakuhatsuki called “His Highness” is probably the origin candidate of the gods. That means that I'm the candidate of the humans right?"

"………….Yes. It's roughly correct"

"Then, the reason that the candidates must defeat the Last Trials also lies there. Even if the starting point is determined, if won't be inconsistent even if the ending is not decided. It could be said that, we both are the prepared pawns to fight on the board known as Little Garden. …………….Really, the games of gods and demons, didn't even consider the trouble they cause other people."

Izayoi sniffed at the selfishness of the story.

Holding a bowler while avoiding his gaze, Croix was covered in cold sweat.

As Canaria once said while she was still alive, Izayoi Sakamaki is infinitely close to his roots.

But if he finds out too much, then there is a problem that he will surely encounter. But if he asks a question regarding that problem, then Croix will be compelled to answer. Because, this was his final contract with Canaria. Izayoi asked with his usual nonchalant tone while Croix moved his gaze away looking uneasy.

"Thinking to this point……….There is just one thing that I don't understand. No matter how much I pondered, I still did not find the reason. But if it's you……..You can answer it, can't you, 「Tuxedo Shinigami」?"

"…………Let's hear it"

Croix resolved himself.

As if taking him into consideration, Izayoi asked the question with a tone akin to gossiping. Not making a use of that consideration lowers the status of a god.

Izayoi floated a devilish grin as if asking about the answer to a game-

"───Why, am I a candidate?"

He casually voiced a natural question.

"………………"

It's only natural if you think about it.

Izayoi Sakamaki doesn't have a single thing, that would let him be invited to this Little Garden of Gods.

If it's Kasukabe Yo and Kudou Asuka, then there are countless reasons for it. If you follow their lineages, it could possibly lead to the organization inside Little Garden that dragged them in to recover the Gifts "Genome Tree" and "Authority" or many other reasons like that could surface. Because the roots of those two are from inside Little Garden.

But, Sakamaki Izayoi's lineage───

"When I was a kid, I searched my home out of curiosity. And there I found, an ordinary father, mother and a younger brother living in leisure. Well, the little brother was somewhat unsociable but had a charming side to him………..And the parents - a relatively ordinary family of a university professor and a housewife."

"That's modesty. The parents you had became excellent humans. I and Canaria grieved when we heard about their death in an accident."

Good parents that could have become even greater. Perhaps you could even say exemplary.

But……….that's it. Because they were just that.

But there is not a single legend that would bind him to the tremendous Gift that dwelled inside Izayoi Sakamaki.

"Last night, you told me this: "Why was Sakamaki Izayoi chosen by Canaria?" ……….But, the truth is different right? Canaria didn't choose me. The real objective was something else, but in the end, you had no choice but to choose Sakamaki Izayoi. ………that was really the case, right?"

There can be no other adequate explanation for it.

Then, this is the correct answer.

Izayoi was not aware of this, but───It was decided when Canaria was hospitalized from falling to an illness.

Croix and Lapko were also told that, there's truly no connection between Canaria and Sakamaki Izayoi.

It was told in a roundabout way, but in short………it was something like this.

"───You say you were chosen by chance…. Is what you are trying to say?"

"Yeah. I can't think of anything else. Or possibly something like a will of the world, but to be chosen through something incomprehensible like that……………..If it has to be given a name, it must be Fate."

Izayoi talked as if it was someone else's problem.

It was a calm answer that didn't curse the fate that probably controlled his whole life.

Holding the bowler and hiding his facial expression, Baron La Croix bowed somewhat apologetically.

"………Sorry. I can not say anything as an excuse, but it's exactly what you said. If there is something that chose you, it's something that even we, the divine spirits are not aware of. But, there’s one thing that I can guarantee. You───just a human known as Sakamaki Izayoi, no matter what form, will always have the potential to save the world. This is not about the existence of your Gift. Even without that tremendous power, your, your own soul took that kind of form, and Sakamaki Izayoi was summoned for that reason."

The boy bound to be born to fight against the destroyer of the world, 「Absolute Evil」.

Among the various timelines, only Izayoi Sakamaki will become the trigger for saving the world. It might be a boy with another name, or perhaps even a girl.

Not a hero chosen by the gods, but a hero chosen by the human history to rescue the future of humanity.

All that is connected to his Gift.

"……….Haa, I see. In short, my Gift reverses cause and effect? Not a Gift that was gained by saving the past but a blessing from a promise to save the future"

"That's right. Truthfully, you should have been born a bit later. Because the formed [No Names] interfered with the human history, your date of birth undergone a big change. We created new Gods and tried to support the candidate, but………..Somehow with that interference, we hit upon the possibility called Sakamaki Izayoi."

Hmm - came an indifferent reply. Since the very beginning, Izayoi was never really interested in his personal history. In the first place, the circumstances around him were trivial to him. No matter the circumstances, the time Sakamaki Izayoi and Canaria spent together was by no means fake.

Canaria loved Izayoi like a real son.

Izayoi admired Canaria like a real mother, or like a teacher.

In front of that truth, no matter what kind of other truths pile up, they won't become a hindrance. Even if this was a strategy, Izayoi will reveal the conspirators with a smile.

But if he talked about it……….This kind of bothersome situation might had been avoided.

"Well, let's set aside the background check for now. It's good that I came to Little Garden right?"

"…………? What do you mean?"

"If we sum up this conversation, then I have the job of saving humanity."

Abstract expressions like 「Absolute Evil」 gave away hints .

If you sum it up, you will arrive at this conclusion.

"───"Humanity is approaching ruin that they themselves created". This is the common point, connected to the final trials. Destruction from the radicalization of technology similar to Kali Yuga and destruction from the rampage of a single existence have the same ending. In the 20th century, many NCBR[3] were created starting from nuclear weapons. The evil of humanity running wild had enough power to pull the trigger to the eschatology."

This eschatology is different from those that are accompanied by external causes like a natural disasters or a meteorite falls. In those cases, the destruction can be avoided with the help of divine spirits' powers. But if humanity is drifting towards the end where they destroy themselves, then it's necessary for them to appoint a leader and reach the next step in evolution.

Croix who loosened his necktie a bit on his tailcoat, had a slight distant look in his eyes.

"Evolution where the leader would win against evil. It's not as easy as it sounds. The sacrifices necessary to defeat the Demon Lord 「Dystopia」 were beyond imagination. Even to the extent of the extinction of humanity…"

Izayoi remembered something he saw in a dream and made a sour face.

"………..Rapid decrease of serfs from the widespread of Pest[4]. Decrease of productivity. 80 million casualties. Due to that, the social standing of serfs quickly rose, huh? ………What an ironic story. The plague that was capable of destroying humanity, in the end, changed its future."

"Right. Truthfully speaking, the release of serfs should've been stretched till around the beginning of the 20th century. In the end, all this obstructed the development of enlightenment and liberalism, while becoming a reason for the ideology of Dystopia to grow stronger."

The Black Death infection lasted no less than 100 years from the 14th century.

The outspread of Black Death that became the greatest trial of humanity was an essential event necessary to urge humanity to evolve and deny the future connected to Dystopia[5].

(But if that's the case, then spotted loli's wish………..Her true enemy is……..)

His eyes contained a bit of sorrow.

It was hard to believe in the absolute legitimacy of a trial giving birth to 80 million resentments.

But if the reality of the widespread was erased from the period, then it will certainly be connected to the revival of the Demon Lord 「Dystopia」.

"…………Well, there’s no helping it. Or rather, It's very likely that the same thing will happen with the defeat of Azi Dakaha right?"

"Well, I wonder about that. You won't know unless you defeat him. But I can say one thing for sure - if you directly save the world, it would be the same as defeating Azi Dakaha. You or your relatives will save the world. On the contrary, If Azi Dakaha is not defeated, that world of yours will meet the worst ending, but…………It's no use thinking about it. Because that's already talking about the world you have no relations with anymore."

Said Baron La Croix with an implicating tone. What he wanted to say was easy to understand.

Izayoi as well did not question it further and let his consciousness focus on the battle ahead.

"I will understand if I defeat him? Simple is best. After all, the main problem is solved"

"That's wonderful. Since you can now concentrate on the battle, it seems that his talk was effective"

The battle on the ground is currently going smoothly. But there's no room for carelessness, It's impossible to keep attacking like this.

The battle is a living thing. The winner is not always the strongest.

If the battle continues without a problem like this───

"───No, It's not as simple as that right?"

"Ah? Is that so? I think Ojousama and the others are handling it well."

"The problem's not there. ……….It's that foolish guy. We weren't able to confine that worthless demon and it might become a problem."

Tch - while clicking his tongue, the shadow moved.

Immediately followed by the crack in the sky above the airborne citadel, the main force became alert and directed their attention towards the crack that appeared in the sky and reverberated a high-pitched sound.

Croix who was glaring while holding his bowler, immediately shouted towards all the members of the main force.

"All members, prepare for battle! That guy, Maxwell has arrived!!!"

The sky ruptured. Particles of feathers fluttered down. The figure of a person clad in blue, red and pure white ornaments appeared. It's obvious who it was.

Together with the appearance of Maxwell, arched bodies returned───

「───ＧＥＥＥＹＡＡＡＡＡＡＡａａａａａ!!!」

Baring their fangs and raising strange voices as if they had lost the ability to speak, they started falling inside the citadel.

The main force including Izayoi wanted to quickly assault the enemy, but at that time, someone screamed.

"L-Look!!! From the Sky….. 「Geass Rolls」 are falling from the sky───!!!"

Everyone held their breath. There are only 2 reasons for that.

Fist was the start of a new game. It made sense since a new Demon Lord appeared.

But the other one. It was the emblem of a seal that was applied at the end of the parchment which was well known to anyone in Little Garden.

The emblem of 「Draco Greif」. Anyone would shiver from the contents that were written there.

Gift Game〝GREEK MYTHS of GRIFFIN〟

Notification about the clearing of the above-mentioned game.

Winner: Azi Dakaha.

Winning condition: Usurpation of the treasure.

 Representative of the hosts side, Sala Doltrake, please promptly hand over the Gift given as the award.