IDEAL END
Clatter, sploosh.
Within the Great Bath of the Shrine resounded the echoes of wooden buckets clattering to the ground, among other heavenly noises. Like a reverie, the Peach Blossom Spring filled the space… Well, presumably. Unable to view this paradise with his own eyes, Sora put his faith in the power of science (i.e., cameras).
“O thou! Thou, thou, thou! O so-called Sora!”
“Don’t make me sound like some cheap knockoff! I am the one and only, universally recognized Sora— Hey!!”
On the other side of the screen, Sora was angling his camera, painting the paradise in his mind’s eye—when paradise came before his body’s eyes, transcending space as if it were only natural. This particular paradise apparently constituted some crazy shit of an even higher order than Jibril, despite her having lost most of her powers.
“Holou?! For a fair maiden to let it all hang out—! Learn some modesty, please!!” Sora quickly averted his eyes.
“…Thy logic is utterly inconsistent. Were thou not quite of late visually recording Holou’s nether regions?”
Verily so. She was probably at least hundreds of millions years old. She wasn’t even human, and on top of that, this wasn’t even her proper self, but an illusion. Who’d have thought this world had such a perfect, unblemished legal Loli? —However!
“Damn it! This is the problem with gods! Lust without shame can scarcely be considered lust… Wait a second… Maybe that’s how a Loli should be? …Mmm, uhhh, but I’m not thaaat—”
Sora muttered in deliberation of this quite critical global issue, only to be interrupted by the stark-naked deity advancing on him.
“Holou will hear thy troubles at a later date! But now a more vital question is upon us: Answer, thou so-called Sora! Hast thou defined Holou as Holou?”
“…Are you still going on about that? And d00d, I’m not ‘so-called’!”
“…? But are not the cells that define the individual named Sora variable? It followeth that the Sora observed by Holou from her dimensional point and the Sora presumed to exist at the current dimensional point are separate entities, and thou art a so-called Sora! Thus, the question is from what dimensional point the monogenetic intellect Sora which defineth Holou as Holou defineth the polygenetic intellect Holou—”
“Eeyaaah, I didn’t know you’d be this much of a pain in the ass!!”
“Art thou, after all, a so-called Sora? Sora hath promised to answer Holou’s questions!”
As Sora snapped and shrieked at her indecipherable words, the butt-naked Loli goddess advanced on Sora, causing him to frantically cry out. Holou jumped back, her eyes slightly uneasy.
“……Sheesh, just where the hell do you get all that energy…?”
The exasperated query echoed through the dreamlike Peach Blossom Spring…
It was a sight far beyond anyone’s wildest dreams: Soaking in the steam-filled bath were Fiel, despondent, and Chlammy, leaning on her; Plum, immobile and under a feminine guise, still on the verge of evaporating if he stopped sucking blood, and Laila, on whom he chomped; Shiro, taking advantage of the exhausted Shrine Maiden and Izuna’s defenselessness to fluff and wash them to her heart’s content; Steph, soaking in the bath, her mind drifting to a better place; and the last two participants, who never seemed to grow tired—Azril, in good spirits for having lent out the Flügel Piece, who washed Jibril, herself in not-so-good spirits.
…And lastly—Holou, moving restlessly about.
Immanity, Elf, Werebeast, Dhampir, Siren, Flügel—and Old Deus. Seven of the sixteen seeds that had hated and slaughtered one another and fractured the very planet were here. Who could have dreamed of or even imagined this? Very few. One of that number, Sora, was currently bursting with boundless vigor at the thought of all those beauties his camera was capturing.
“All right, then!” he shouted, checking that his camera was in working order before raising a glass. “So! To the Commonwealth of Elkia and its new Elven Gard domain!”
“…And… Let’s not forget… To…Holou…”
The two who had overcome the vast game raised their juice glasses.
““Cheeeeers!””
Jibril, Azril, Holou, the Shrine Maiden, Laila, and Steph followed suit.
““““““Cheeers…””””””
Their cheer was somewhat lacking, but to the victor go the cheers.
Note: Mr. Ino Hatsuse is absent today for critical medical treatment. We appreciate your understanding.
“O thou, the presumed Sora.”
Holou poked her head right through the dividing screen. Sora scolded her with a quick No! Bad!
“Holou, you have to address people properly. It’s called manners.”
“…Holou is a god. Very well, then. Hypothesis: ‘Sora.’”
At Sora’s overly serious admonishment, Holou puffed out her cheeks slightly, rewording things, having decided to provisionally assume the so-called Sora to be a “confirmed Sora,” and asked:
“Holou considers herself to have understood her host’s objective—to instigate Holou’s independence…” Holou must have felt guilty for failing to grasp this much. She was probably unaware, but her voice was glum. “But ye two. For what purpose did ye engage Holou in that game…?” Nervously, she was inquiring as to their motives.
Yes. A fundamental question. What had they sought so earnestly as to engage in a game of that scale?
A game with the Race Piece on the line had only one precedent: their showdown with the Eastern Union.
And this matchup bet five Race Pieces. Multiple agents plenipotentiary had put up their Race Pieces to take on an Old Deus. Immanity, Werebeast, Dhampir, Siren, Flügel—one wrong step and five races would have perished. And they’d managed to survive this unheard-of game, coming out on top. And in the end, what Sora and Shiro and all those races had to show for it was the rescue of one lonely Old Deus—one helpless girl.
That was all.
It had yet to be determined whether Holou had such value—or any value to speak of. Putting her query to Sora and Shiro, her voice shook uncertainly as to what could justify going to such lengths on her behalf, but—
“Huh? To have fun together, right, up-and-coming babe gamer?”
“…Mm. To game…and game…and, like, game…and stuff?”
The immediacy of Sora and Shiro’s response left Holou suspicious—rather, speechless. They’d said as much when they’d extended their hands to her…but could that seriously be all? Though Holou was baffled, Sora and Shiro’s next words were the coup de grâce.
“Well, I guess you’re gonna be pretty busy gaming for a while as part of your idol career.”
.
“…Holou suspects Sora hast used a word in a sense yet unknown to her. What was thy meaning just now?”
The few seconds of contemplation it took to frame her question, from a divine perspective, would have been comparable to a few years to a human.
“I said, idol career. A god is an idol, right?! Gotta spread the word! ?”
Even so, Sora’s answer, with Shiro chiming in, continued to baffle the girl.
“Prepare yourself, Holou! You’re gonna be busy! We’ve even got candidates ready for your costume design!”
“…We’ve got…your concert venue…and even…a good composer!”
“We’re sorting out all the merch manufacturers and cross-marketing ventures, so relax! ?”
Sora’s and Shiro’s motor mouths brought even Holou, an Old Deus straddling dimensions capable of communicating without language, to tears.
“…Why?! Holou is a being of manifold intelligence! Why can she not comprehend a single term?!”
Rather than a response from Sora and Shiro, though—
“It is no surprise that a god (lol) would be unable to understand the grand designs of my masters. ?”
—Jibril likewise poked her face through the screen, apparently having shaken off Azril.
…Sora felt sorry for the poor, unheeded laws of physics, but no one cared.
“Allow me, their humble servant Jibril, to explain in a manner that even a dumb god such as yourself can understand. ? ”
Jibril beamed before elaborating.
“First of all, my masters are in the process of deposing that fuck—pardon me ? —the One True God.”
…She could have said aiming to depose or planning. But no, she stated it as a fait accompli. Holou looked cynical, but Jibril’s assertion hardly surprised her. She’d heard about it when she was in the Shrine Maiden, and anyway—
“…Holou is aware, though currently dubious of their sanity.”
—while it may largely have been a flight of desperation, Holou herself had had the same plan. But Jibril seemed to mock such thoughts:
“Then surely you must know—you can’t take any of the Race Pieces. ? ”
“?Hwa?”
Holou, who had known no such thing, made a funny noise and froze. Hell, had she known, why would she have demanded their Race Pieces? Jibril knew this all too well. She smiled giddily with the elation of looking down on a god.
“It is the opinion of my masters that, rather than take the Race Pieces, we must unite the Ixseeds under a common will and together challenge Tet, each race of its own will, its own Piece in hand. ?”
“……”
Holou’s expression asked why. Sora answered:
“—You want us to take their Pieces and be like, ‘Look, just shut up and do as I say’?”
He chuckled. “Wouldn’t you say that kind of domination and coercion falls under the conventional definition of war?”
.
If they were just going to dominate, enslave, and trample everything, it’d be no different from the Great War. The words of the one who asserted that the world had changed—who had proven it—silenced Holou.
“However, having avowed we shall not take it, we do require an agent plenipotentiary to assume possession of the Old Deus Piece,” continued Jibril.
Hmm, muttered Holou. Aware that it might sound hypocritical, she laid out her hypothesis skeptically.
“—Hypothesis: Those fools will never select an agent plenipotentiary.”
An agent plenipotentiary was supposed to represent a group in a conflict. Old Dei didn’t form factions; they didn’t even congregate. There was no reason they would designate an agent plenipotentiary.
“What? Who says they need to select one?”
Sora regarded Holou blankly, tilting his head and adding:
“You’re Old Deus’s agent plenipotentiary.”
.
.
“S-Sora… Holou is a fool. Such is her hypothesis. B-but could she truly be such a thickheaded babe…?!”
Holou, utterly unable to follow, seemed to have begun doubting her own intelligence. Her face, peeking through the screen, slid down toward the floor.
“All of the Commonwealth of Elkia’s victories so far—and those to come—are thanks to you, Holou!”
“?Indeed, Holou must be…a thickheaded babe…”
Holou sank even further as Sora cheered, but he went on regardless.
“No one would believe that shit, right? But who cares!”
Sora pointed meaningfully beyond the dividing screen. Holou looked. It was the Great Bath, where key personnel of various races bathed.
“What if Old Deus joined this multiracial commonwealth?”
At Sora’s knowing smirk, even Holou could guess. The whole world, the breadth of nations, regardless of race—would spiral into paranoia.
“That’s where I, your humble servant Sora, come in! Master of Idolm*ster, L*ve Live!, 7*h Sisters, Aik*tsu! and more!”
“…Together, with Shiro… Collectively dominating, the global leaderboards, for all these idol-raising games…as Blank…!”
“To produce a sensation! To debut Holou, a literal idol! We’ll have her singing, dancing, doing meet-and-greets—and reaping the profits!!”
With that, Sora peered delightedly into Holou’s eyes.
“…The god of doubt and yearning… The god of wisdom.” If the power of an Old Deus was determined by the strength of a concept—if that was her ether… “Doubt, longing, rejection, hope… All these things, Holou—will be your bread.”
“?!”
“Yes—!! All the emotions that congregate around an idol will be your power!”
“…H-Holou did not comprehend the latter statement…but dost thou mean…?”
At last, Holou arrived at understanding, though she doubted her interpretation. Sure, her Immanity hosts and the like had succeeded in bringing down an Old Deus—Holou—together. Everything and nothing was possible… But this was just too… Holou considered, wide-eyed, but Sora proceeded to affirm her inference.
“All you gotta do—is declare you’re Old Deus’s agent plenipotentiary.” His smile brimmed with unfathomable joy…“Then, if any other Old Deus has a problem, they’ve just gotta bring it on.”…but was also full of something far deeper than hell itself. “Then all these prayers who think they’re players—will fall on the board.”
He then extended his hand to Holou once more: “Does that sound awesome or what? If you’d like that, then let’s play together.”
Staring, Holou took his hand again, but it made her wonder: Does this man…truly understand what he’s accomplished? It had certainly been a grand game. There had never been one like it, on which five Race Pieces had been wagered. But with this game, promising no reward but Holou’s independence, this man—no, his sister must have plotted with him as well—Sora and Shiro…these two…
With one move.
With one game.
Had defeated just Holou.
And in accomplishing that alone…
…they had placed all of Old Deus in checkmate.
Holou, though, was the only one surprised by this fact. From the very beginning, all the participants had entered the game with some degree of prior knowledge. That was why, though his scheme hadn’t worked out, Plum had bet the Dhampir Piece. It was why Azril had entrusted the Flügel Piece to Jibril.
To take those smug Old Dei and yank them down by their roots… For the gamers gathered here, that was motivation enough to risk their doom.
“…Saaay, Chlammy? Why, it’s just as predicted.” A trace of light returned to Fiel’s hollow eyes. “This day—today—the world has quietly…turned on its head!”
Yes, it seemed everything had gone just as they’d imagined before leaving Elven Gard. But Chlammy continued Fiel’s train of thought by inquiring beyond the dividing screen:
“Yes, but we’ve fractured Elven Gard, and now there’s even an Old Deus… We can’t go back now.” Quite so. The world would surely be plunged into a crucible of fear. Few would have the gumption to declare war on Elkia—but some would. Elven Gard, for example, couldn’t possibly take it lying down, nor indeed— “…It wouldn’t surprise me if your ‘grumbling Old Deus’ came busting in right now. Can you manage? After you cut us off, I won’t take no for an answer here.”
The siblings answered Chlammy’s piercing question blankly.
“…Manage? …With pleasure… If they, bring it… We’ll bring it, harder…”
“Not to mention, on top of Immanity, we’ve got Werebeast, Flügel, Dhampir, Siren, Old Deus—even Elf. If anyone thinks they can beat this crew, I’ll say a prayer for them. ?”
Fiel furrowed her brow at Sora’s giddiness.
“…Why, is it my imagination, or did you casually include me?”
The response she received, though, sounded surprised.
“Huh? I mean, you two have nowhere to go back to now, right?”
Sora shattered the brief silence himself.
“We sent Elven Gard a royal notice of your renunciation—or should I say, we went and narced on your treason. Oh, we’ve got a great place for you to live, so relax. You’d better be grateful to Steph for her skills! Oh, you little…”
Chlammy’s and Fiel’s gazes turned so sharply in Steph’s direction that one could practically hear their eyes make an audible creak. Steph turned her head away with similar effect.
“…U-ummm… S-Sora ordered me to, you know? O-oh-ho-ho-ho…”
There was a splash as Chlammy emerged from the water furiously, screaming in Sora’s direction.
“Y-y—you! Just what have you done to us?!”
“Huuuh? I mean, it was obvious you were gonna lose… Think about it, it was the most considerate thing to do.”
“I’m gonna tear you a new one!! But anyway, how are we supposed to undermine Elven—?”
“No, I mean—that’s not necessary anymore, y’know?”
““…………Huh?””
As Chlammy and Fiel froze, Sora, in high spirits, enlightened them.
“Y’see, not only did I tell them what you did, I told ’em all kinds of shit—everything I could think up. ? ”
“……”
Chlammy’s fists quivered as she grasped Sora’s meaning. Apart from whatever lies he might have mixed in, Chlammy and Fiel had, indeed, contrived to bet an entire state. Considering the scope of their actions (which included manipulating memories and the fact that the territory had been swiped in the end), the paranoia that could result would be—
“Leave ’em to their own devices, and pretty soon—Elven Gard’s gonna split!”
……
“Man, a civil war in such a big country… It’s gonna be brutal…”
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