No Game No Life - Volume 9 - Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1 
DEFINITE 
 
It was where Sora and Shiro had given their coronation speech. Now, standing on the balcony of the Elkia Royal Castle overlooking the square, was a lone girl. Her clothes flapping in the wind, her inkpot floating in the air, she closed her eyes—and waited. Then came the signal of which Sora and Shiro had spoken, the sound to herald the epic debut of a new idol. The music exploded at a high volume. 
“H-Holou is Holou! Though she comprehendeth not, she is an idol? …So it seems!!” 
With this cryptic introduction, she began to move her mouth and body. True to her word, it appeared that she had no idea what was going on, but she didn’t let it stop her. She didn’t let the line “Introduction/ad lib” in the script she’d been handed just before break her. This divine young girl, Holou, sang and danced, unaware of the hints of tears forming in her eyes. 
 
There were four people who were paying especially close attention. One was Jibril, the Flügel girl sneering from the sky. The other three, watching Jibril’s projection of her vision on a magical screen, were Sora and Shiro, pouting on the throne, and Steph, swaying from insomnia beside them. 
This would be a good time to describe the incessant mumblings that had emanated from Steph as she spent the night making Holou’s costume: 
I see. So Sora and Shiro intend to make Holou out to be the villain. But even if she said, “I’m a god. Sora and Shiro owe their success to me. And by the way, I’m an idol.” Just who was going to take those ramblings and say, “Oh, I see!!”? And just what kind of morons go and cheer this on like, “Oooohhh!”? 
That was why Steph had asked Sora and Shiro any number of times what their real purpose was. Now— 
“……This can’t be……” 
—the cheers of “ Oooohhh! ” echoed from beyond the screen from the thousands who had gathered at the square to see Holou. Thousands might have hardly amounted to a fraction of the population of the Commonwealth, but it had to be said that there the morons were, waving their hands. 
“…Perhaps Immanity is done for…” 
Come to think of it, there had been cheers at the game with the Eastern Union as well, when the Immanity Piece had been at stake. And those cheers had been for the destruction of bras and panties. She should have learned something about the culture of her people then. Perhaps there was no use worrying about the country’s internal affairs. 
Steph’s smile was a hollow one, out of an optimism founded on resignation. Meanwhile, the two malcontents on the throne grumbled with smiles most dangerous: 
“Damn it, this suuucks. Hmph… We won’t forgive this.” 
“…Heh, heh-heh-heh-heh… You’ve got some…nerve…” 
Steph interjected: 
“You mean Holou? It’s a good song, and she’s doing her best given the absurdity you’ve put her through.” 
“Yeah… Of course the song’s good, and Holou’s trying hard. That’s the thing.” 
At first, they had planned to use the hit songs on their phones they’d brought from their old world. Until Shiro whispered… 
“…They’ll come, you know? JASR*C’s gonna get us, even if we’re in another world.” 
So they made their own sound using the deft phrases of Laila and the Sirens, the slick progressions of Fiel and the Elves, and the magic of tablet music software. Of course it was good. Making music is easy even when you’re in another world…with this tablet! 
And no one could deny that Holou was doing her best singing and dancing. Apparently still unable to grasp the concept of expression, her movements were stiff and her voice was devoid of feeling. Yet, even so, the girl who had doubted eternity was trying. 
And that was precisely the thing—!! 
“It’s the stage, the stage ! The heck’s with that crappy set?!” 
Sora pointed to Jibril’s projected image of the balcony where Holou stood. It was supposed to be a stage decked in lavish effects made possible by the equipment of the Eastern Union. Instead, it was just a balcony. Thus, Sora howled. 
“They caved to the agency’s pressure and canceled on us at the last minute?! WTF?!” 
Elkia did not have an idol industry. This made for the best possible “blue ocean” market space, a potential for monopolization that Sora and Shiro gloated over. However, the Eastern Union had not only an idol industry, but agencies as well—and they appeared to be fairly antagonistic. So they’d told Sora and Shiro they wouldn’t give them the equipment for this critical debut concert— the day of . 
“Way to pick on the little guy! They’re totally messing with us!!” 
“…What difference does it make? Holou’s what’s most important, isn’t she?” said Steph, completely at sea, in response to Sora’s rage—but all it did was fan the flames. 
“We’ve literally got a goddess here!! Look at this crappy stage! How easy do you think it is to get signed with a big label once you’ve gotten pigeonholed as an underground idol? This is a major strategy issue!!” 
“Your words elude me, Sir! But why didn’t you just ask someone else?!” 
Who else? …Of course. Any one of the other races in the Commonwealth. The Flügel had Jibril, the Old Dei had Holou, the Dhampirs had Plum… These magic-users could be counted on to do more than just special effects. They’d physically change the entire environment. But! 
“That’s what we would have done, if we had time ! Which is why I’m so pissed they canceled the day of!!” 
Effects would require some fiddly rite compilation, which was not Jibril’s specialty. It would take her some time. 
Holou would first have to comprehend Sora and Shiro’s will, which would take even more time. 
The Dhampirs’ illusion magic would make it easy…if Plum cooperated. Not happening. 
And so it came to pass that the production consisted of Shiro playing music from her phone and Holou amplifying her own voice. Sora and Shiro both licked their lips and laughed savagely at this epic half-assery. 
“You bastards have got some nerve making an enemy of the state. I like you. I’ll kill you first .” 
“…We’ll show you…what happens…when you, cross…the government…!” 
A major agency, are you? So what? We are Bl4nk Productions, the only agency directly operated by the state! If you think we’re the little guys, you picked the wrong fight!! 
“Could you not abuse your power so openly?! You’re the monarch!!” Steph hollered in a desperate attempt to interrupt their villainous train of thought, but the two didn’t seem to hear her, as they kept on deliberating… 
“Anyway, Sora? Shirooo…? Sigh… Producers?!” 
“…Hmph, what? We’re gonna smash, all the agencies, in the Eastern Union…and steal…their idols.” 
“So we’re thinking about how we’re gonna produce them! Is your business more important than that?!” 
“ Any business is more important than that! So!” 
Having slashed straight through Sora and Shiro’s deep devices, Steph kept on hollering. 
“Do any of those people waving their hands out there really believe that Holou is the culprit?!” 
If they did, Immanity was in its last days, Steph lamented. Sora chuckled. 
“Well, probably not many. For now.” 
“…What?” 
“I said this before, but there’s no need to believe.” 
Her concept—her ether—was wisdom, conceived of doubt and hope. 
“Whether they believe or not—their doubt will power her.” 
Doubts and desires, rejection and wishing—all would amplify her power. And this is the most important part , Sora thought with a sharp glint in his eye. 
“It’s a cute girl doing her best to sing and dance… Whether you get it or not, who could not wave their hands?!” 
“I had hoped most everyone…” 
Steph gazed into the distance, her eyes full of sincere sorrow for Immanity. Sora laughed and went on. 
“Also, if Holou does this legit, no one’s gonna be able to attack us.” 
“…You were saying something like that yesterday. What do you mean?” 
— Hmm. 
Having adjusted their plans from here on somewhat, Sora and Shiro nodded subtly. Then they slowly looked back at Steph, and in place of an answer— 
“Okay, it’s time! Steeeph! We’ve got a quiz for you!!” 
“…‘What do people think Sora and Shiro are?’ …Ten seconds…!” 
“Uh, what?!” 
—they responded with a question. Panicking, Steph listed whatever she could think of. 
“Y-you’re the monarch of Elkia, you’re Immanities… Oh, and you’re from another world. Also—” She glanced at Sora, blushed as she choked on her words for a second, and continued. “You’re twisted and perverse. Your personalities are atrocious, you’re frauds—” 
“Hey, enough with the ‘It’s okay to call him bald because he is’ theory! Truth hurts, damn it!” 
And Sora and Shiro were considerably hurt. 
“…Bzzz… Your ten seconds…are up… You’re…stupid.” 
“Pay attention to the question, sacrificial pawn. You’re talking about what you know we are.” 
Deftly slipping in his mark of disapproval, Sora pointed out her error. 
“We asked what people—most people— think we are.” 
“Um… Uh?” 
Steph still seemed befuddled. Sora rose from the throne. 
“In Immanity’s darkest hour…suddenly arose two heroes !” 
Sora spoke with passion, his voice projecting far and wide, his movements exaggerated like those of a trained stage performer! 
“They beat the Eastern Union’s game that not even Elf could beat! They even defeated Oceand’s game, which no one had yet been able to! They defeated Flügel; against all odds, they defeated Old Deus! So valiant were our heroes, only the third in history to bring down a god, as they came to make every evil empire shake in its boots! But the truth was…they were just humans ? Who’s gonna believe that?” 
He wrapped up with a voice suddenly chilled. 
“And not just any humans . They were shut-in gamer losers, on the low end even among their species. In the words of a certain princess…they were twisted, perverse, atrocious frauds. How could they do that?” 
Steph let out a small groan at Sora’s backhanded speech. 
…Well. They could, actually. Or rather, they did. But— 
“Man, I sure couldn’t do that! I mean, I’m an Immanity! You know how Immanities are; they’re those disgusting worthless insects who’ve just barely managed to stay alive, right? What now, what now? What’s this? It’s like, you know, as if—” 
Sora squeezed out the grin that tended to activate one’s reflex to punch him—and followed up— 
“—they’re totally different people!” 
“Oh…! Y-you mean like Chlammy in the tournament for the monarchy?” 
Sora and Shiro smiled to see that Steph finally got it. Chlammy had thought that Sora and Shiro had seen through Elven magic. And she’d assumed that mere Immanities couldn’t possibly. 
“Pop quiz: What do people think Sora and Shiro are?” 
“…Answer: Agents…of another race…another country… Spies… ” 
That’s right. Sora and Shiro had been consistent in what they’d made people think they were. As when they had declared war on the entire world at their coronation— mysterious agents of some unseen power . And that bluff still held strong—no, stronger. Why? 
“Okay, so we’ve established that little twits like us could never do such a thing. So who could?” 
Steph stood silent, unable to think of anyone. But Sora smiled in approval. 
No one could. Well…Sora and Shiro could. Other races probably could have. But as a simple matter of fact, to this day, no one had. 
“…You know what that means? We’re the ones who do what no one can—” 
An absurd suspicion, but— 
“We’re the ones who can win any game—so they suspect we’ve got some mysterious, unbeatable trump card.” 
“…Which is…way too dangerous… To take it head-on…would be, suicide…” 
—now that they’d defeated even Old Deus, that suspicion began to sound like reality. So then what? Steph finally connected it back to the beginning: 
“Oh! S-so they’ll come to cut us down from the periphery… Is that what you mean?!” 
“Yep. All they can do is poke at us to find out what we are—to reveal our invincible trump card.” 
“…And they have to…do it fast…before, anyone else… even at the cost of losing …” 
“…? Even at the cost of losing?” 
“We’re talking about a trump card that can beat anyone. You gotta do something about that, right? Seal it or own it.” 
Moderate losses could not be begrudged in this process. By those who little knew that it was all futile. 
“But we don’t have any such trump card, nor any such secret identity to find. ? ’Cos all we are is mere humans who just straight-out won the games—which is exactly what no one’s gonna believe! ? ” 
“…So…these chumps…are gonna look, for what’s not there…lose their stuff…and go home! ? ” 
Their devilish grins made Steph take a step back. 
“Oh… You know, someone might even get the wrong idea about whose spy we are.” 
“…? Whose?” 
Who could do what no one could and produce a trump card that could beat anyone? Thinking that Sora and Shiro, being from another world, would be good targets for blame. Sora chuckled—and said his name with sympathy. 
“Tet’s. Like he got bored and decided to troll everyone by making us out to be some cosmic threat. ? ” 
After all, there was no doubt that Tet, the One True God, had been the one who summoned them here. It was a far likelier story than that mere humans had beaten higher races. 
“Well, I gotta feel sorry for Tet, but it’s the final boss’s job to stir up animosity.” 
“…Tet… Stay…strong…” 
Lightly trolling Tet, Sora and Shiro put that aside and looked back at the screen with discontent. 
“H-how lightly you invoke the name of the One True God…” 
They went back to their interrupted thoughts, seeming to have no more interest in Steph’s muttering. 
Sora and Shiro had already adjusted their plan for what to do about those idol agencies in the Eastern Union. But to actually do it, there was this thing— 
“Question is, what will we do about Holou’s next concert…right…?” 
There was very little problem with the agenda in their task scheduler. Meet and greets, autograph sessions, friendly visits to various companies—all that basic footwork was pretty solid. But watching Holou valiantly sing and dance on that crappy stage made Sora and Shiro grind their teeth. 
— If the next show in five days’ time goes down like this, we won’t be able to call ourselves producers. 
At the very least, maybe they should just procure the equipment itself from the Eastern Union— No, someone would probably get in their way again. 
“We’ve got no choice, Shiro. Let’s have Jibril weave us an effects spell. If we’ve got five days—” 
“…I-is it okay? Somehow…I can only, imagine…something, exploding…” 
“I-in the worst case, we’ll have Elkian artisans make us a set. But the only one we can count on for effects is Jibril. I mean, we could have her make a virtual space or something… Let’s be specific about the image we’re looking for.” 
In other words: At the very least, let’s not kill anyone . They opened an app on their tablet, not wanting to trust the Ten Covenants too much. The two of them were no artists, but they were trying to draw Holou’s stage effects and share them. There they were, discussing it with each other and sliding their fingers over the screen, when— 
— Ding-a-linggg, da-ding-a-ling-la-ling… 
Sora, Shiro, and Steph all gawked at the sudden unfamiliar sound. 
“……Brother…phone…” 
Shiro remembered now—it was the ringtone Sora had set. 
“Ha-ha-ha… My sister, your big brother’s phone exists only to play games. I know you know this.” 
While Sora laughed at himself, he took his phone in hand. An unfamiliar sound, indeed. No wonder. He couldn’t remember when he’d last heard it… After all… 
“Not to brag, but your brother’s friend list is perpetually at zero. Who’d call me?!” 
“…You really aren’t bragging…” 
Cleanly wiping the pity-eyed words of Steph from his memory, Sora expertly flicked the incoming call from a private number to reject it— 
“It’s either a wrong number or a delivery… But in any case, it’s a pain in the ass to get this out—” 
—but before he finished the gesture or his sentence, he and Shiro looked at each other. It was so sudden, so incredibly unexpected that it took them so long to notice how freaky this was. 
— Why would his phone ring on Disboard? 
“Hello…? Who’s this?” 
But not even a second after this realization, a torrent of thoughts went through Sora’s head. He immediately decided he had to answer—so he did. While his phone still read No service — 
“ ? ” 
—all that came through on speakerphone was just noise. 
“…? What is this? It’s just noise, correct?” 
“…Some, kinda…cursed…phone call?” 
“Yeah… I wish it was only a cursed phone call…” 
While Steph and Shiro seemed dubious, Sora responded with apprehension. A beat later, Shiro, too, clouded with panic as she realized. 
As far as they knew, Disboard didn’t even have the concept of radio waves. This was why Sora, upon asking himself, Should I ignore it? immediately answered back, No , and picked up the phone. If there was some kind of magnetic field that had been caused by magic—say, some indiscriminate accident—then it wasn’t just about whether to pick up; they’d have to shut off both their phones and their tablet right now or risk losing them. On the other hand, if it was deliberate intervention , that was an even bigger problem…which they couldn’t let stand. And as if to answer his caution and confusion— 
“ ? encryption ? principle—analysis ? complete ? magnetic field ? control ? test” 
“ ? ?!!” 
Sora and Shiro went pale as the creepy noise began to fade into something like a voice. 
“…? What is this? What is going on?” 
No one answered Steph. Sora and Shiro didn’t even know. Even so, they knew well enough this was trouble. After all— 
—Someone was meddling with this world’s technology. Disboard had neither radio nor base stations, and this phone signal had even implemented scrambling. 
No. They shouldn’t even know that this device was used for communication. Yet, here the signal was. 
An evil phone call? This was a horror far more hair-raising than some stupid curse. And it went on: 
“Bidirectional communication established—able to initiate conversation.” 
In this short time, someone had uncovered, analyzed, and mastered a technology that didn’t exist in this world. After the clear intonation that replaced the noise came the echo of a man’s voice. 
“We request an audience with you, O King of Immanity, O Spieler. We—are Ex Machina.” 
It was as they had feared: a targeted intervention from someone they couldn’t just ignore. They’d have to figure out how much this individual knew about them and their plans. 
— This could overturn their strategy from the very bottom . Sora replied: 
“…Sure thing, bro. Let’s meet.” 
He muffled any emotion in his voice and answered back into the phone. That instant— 
There was no sound nor wind, no shock, no vibration, nothing… Let alone any context. But the area that stretched from the front of the Elkia Royal Castle to the throne room suddenly turned into a path of rubble. 
“…………Come again?” 
It took several full seconds for Sora to be able to manage a response. Before him was a group clad in black, leisurely wending down the avenue of destruction. He let out a silent scream. 
— No way. They smashed the castle in only a second? That’s not just some bullshit—it’s not even possible !! The Ten Covenants are supposed to prevent destruction of others’ property without consent! So… what kind of fraud is this ? 
Sora glared sharply at the strangers before him and was answered by the man who headed the procession. 
“…We are unable to shift to coordinates outside our vision and scope of knowledge, you see…” 
With each step the group took, the rubble they left behind warped and vanished…until, by the time they stood before Sora and Shiro, it was as if nothing had happened. 
“…Therefore, we took it upon ourselves to rewrite space… We beg your indulgence of our indiscretion.” 
And there they were, all in order before them in a throne room restored to normal. Hmm… It was as if to say, Apologies for the temporary entrance! 
“…Look, you guys… Don’t you think you should knock first, or send someone, or take any one of countless other proper procedures?” 
“S-Sora… Th-the castle is closed… All the staff are on holiday!” 
“Ohhh, yeah. Anyway, what is that thing you did? That’s so useful. Would be perfect for stage—” 
“…B-Brother! C-calm down…! Get, a grip…!” 
The series of shocking events was starting to throw Sora’s thoughts out of alignment. As Shiro shook him in a frantic attempt to fix him, the group in black silently, mechanically doffed their robes. 
There were thirteen of them draped in black like the grim reaper. Sorry, correction: not people, but robots. Beneath the skin of their joints lay not flesh, but metal. Drooping on the floor were not their tails, but their cables. Sora and Shiro knew this group. They’d seen them in the Great War simulation game. They were, just as they said— 
—Ixseed Rank Ten… Ex Machina . 
“Soraaa? I can say it now, can’t I? There, you’ve already misread something!” 
—Who was the smart-ass who was just saying that no one could attack them? Sora was too occupied to answer Steph’s squeaky interrogation. The twenty-six artificial lenses of the unhooded Ex Machinas were all focused on him. Their presence was inorganically overbearing, like being inside a server room. Their every movement gave the stifling illusion that every pulse, every nerve signal in Sora’s and Shiro’s bodies was under scrutiny. Or was it an illusion? Amidst his thoughts jumbled by panic, Sora silently answered Steph. 
— I didn’t misread anything… I just don’t get this—!! 
No one could challenge Sora and Shiro head-on as they were—that much was an unshakeable fact! At the very least, Sora and Shiro didn’t look like the types to have some sort of ace in the hole. Regardless, if they were to be challenged, they held the right to determine the game. And on top of that, Sora and Shiro had nothing motivating them to agree to a game they were likely to lose ! They could just propose a game they’d win for sure, or not play at all!! He said no one would attack them because he was certain everyone knew this. So why—? 
This was a race of people that Sora and Shiro themselves didn’t even know how to find, one they barely understood. Why, of all things, would a completely unknown race— 
— against whom “ ” might lose in a face-to-face fight show up here?! Why had they focused on him—?! 
“…I apologize that I have no true name. My designation is Einzig.” 
Disregarding the chaos, one of the thirteen stepped forth and bowed lightly. He looked perhaps a good decade older than Sora. At the very least, he appeared male. His face seemed unnaturally—well, he was a machine, so that’s a given—and rather perfectly sculpted, like that of a doll. His reddish-black hair and pale blue eyes gave the inescapable sense of something inorganic, artificial. 
But. 
“As such, I am Ex Machina’s… Mmm. Agent plenipotentiary, I suppose you would say.” 
As this “Einzig” approached them, there was clearly something more than mechanical lurking within his voice and eyes: intelligence, and emotions . It brought a cold sweat to Sora’s and Shiro’s faces. 
If they were just machines, it would be no matter. Be it a supercomputer, a machine was just a machine. Especially when it came to games, there were plenty of ways to outstrip and transcend machines. But if this was the race that had slain the strongest of the gods, Artosh, and triggered the end of the war— If this was the race that had learned infinitely, adapted repeatedly, and in the end slain the strongest— If this was all true… Then, if the feeling contained in those eyes was a shard of the proof… If their fears from the intervention by Sora’s phone were justified… If Sora’s and Shiro’s true identities, and even their strategy, were leaked… 
It would mean that even “ ” could throw any game at them— 
—and still be all but completely unable to win. 
Confusion and panic brought Sora’s thoughts to a clear state of emergency, but the mechanical man before him froze them in place. Ten Covenants. Can’t harm. But still— No, therefore , the man stretched out his hand. It went past Sora’s cheek and touched the throne as the man spoke: 
“I have longed to see you, Spieler. Come, let us build our love.” 
Shiro turned to stone, while Steph covered her mouth and blushed. (What was she so happy about?) This sudden whisper of devotion caused Sora to make just one wish with all his strength before shutting down his consciousness: 
Begone, foul memory… 

 

 
Sora’s consciousness drifted to the surface… It was a feeling he knew well, the feeling of waking up. He sighed in relief. 
…That was the worst dream ever. He must have been overexerting himself. Better rest a bit. But now— 
“……Brother…… Brother, wake up…” 
That’s right. See, Shiro was calling him. Time to forget about stupid dreams and answer his little sister’s call. Sora smiled gently and slowly opened his eyes—he’d see Shiro, and probably Steph, and… 
“ Remonstration: This unit will repeat once. Transfer command. Current Einzig lacks aptitude for mission.” 
“I shall repeat myself as many times as it takes: No. The Spieler’s chastity belongs to me alone.” 
Sora also saw the man who had whispered his love to him bickering with a female Ex Machina. 
Ah, how cruel. To think that not only was it not a dream, but that his memory remained intact— 
“It belongs to me alone!! Wait, did I just announce I’ll be a virgin forever?!” 
Sora’s wholehearted curse shook the castle as he jumped up. 
“…Oh… Oh, good… Brother, you’re—you’re…alive…!” 
“Of course I am!! What could be worse than having a heart attack when a guy confesses his feelings to me?! Hey, asshole!!” 
Grabbing Shiro, who was crying in relief, Sora pointed to Einzig and bellowed on. 
“You’re gay, a pretty boy, and an android?! That’s overkill! D00d, have some self-contr—” 
He stopped and took another look around at the Ex Machinas before starting up again. 
“ And you’re a butler ? You’re going all out, aren’t you? Just who’s your target audience here?!” 
That analytical, scrutinizing presence was now gone. This was not the macabre, solemn black garb of the ranks of god-killing machines. 
…Well, their garb was still solemn, and black…but in the manner of a tailcoat and maid costumes . 
So basically…one butler robot and twelve maid robots. 
Plus, they were… How to describe it…? Overall… slack . It was their expressions or something that gave off this inescapable whiff of a pile of junk. 
Sora wanted to scream, Give me back my dignity! 
Einzig, the gay butler, answered: 
“Hmm… Though perhaps your question was rhetorical, I can only answer that the audience I am targeting is you.” 
“Oh yeah? Well, you missed by a mile! I don’t know what you’re here for, but leave your maid robots and go home!!” 
Einzig smiled at the belligerent Sora as if to comfort him. As if seeing through his continued roiling to the panic inside, he spoke. 
“Fear not, Spieler. We have come to assist you. We are your allies. ” 
…… 
Einzig’s announcement only caused Sora to clutch at his head. 
—I can’t take this anymore. I just can’t figure it out—why they’re here, why they’re junk, why they’re “allies”! And why, most of all, they’ve got a gay pretty boy butler and maid robots!! 
Sora lost control and screamed the magic words: 
“Jibriemoon!! Help meeeee!!” 
Not a moment later: 
“Here I am! ? From one ‘Good morning’ to the next, I am Jibril, overseeing the lives of my masters! ? Did you call me to serve?! Or to slay?!” 
Jibril, the Flügel who had been remotely projecting Holou, appeared from the sky. Full of excitement, a smile spread wide across her face, she took one look at her surroundings, and— 
“Oh my! Good heavens… Ex Machinas! I should expect no less from my masters. What luck you have for finding rare items!” 
—neither party hesitated. 
“You’ve called me to slay ! ? Wait just four seconds— Oh?” 
“ Deployment: Irregular Number elimination sequence— Error. Requesting factor identification.” 
Jibril produced a blade of light, while the Ex Machinas simultaneously deployed their massive weapons—and they all froze, seemingly confused. Apparently, they’d completely forgotten about the Ten Covenants. 
“…Look, am I asking for too much? Isn’t there any sane person who can explain to us what’s going on?” Sora pleaded. 
With the next Great War that had been about to start before his very eyes forcibly canceled, Sora gazed into the distance and thought, Tet. Sorry for trolling you. He and Shiro offered a prayer of thanks to the One True God for the Ten Covenants. 
—Ahem. Someone cleared her throat. 
“…Ex Machina, the god-killing race that slew the god of war Artosh in the Great War.” Jibril smiled as if to assert that she was sane. “They also annihilated half the Flügel. Truly the most saaaavage and barbaric of killing machines! ? ” 
Look who’s talking. Weren’t you the one who was just making a seamless transition into a genocide? All three Immanities looked at Jibril, unconvinced, but she continued on. 
“But it seems that the spoils were more than they deserved. Posthaste, they were all but exterminated.” Casually, Jibril added, “No new units have been observed since then. It is speculated that they lost their ability to produce new ones.” 
“…Wait. You mean…the ability to reproduce ?” 
She dropped this critical information on everyone way too casually. Sora furrowed his brow as he checked. Jibril nodded. 
“Indeed. Since the Great War, individual units have been seen wandering about on rare occasion, but they’ve always been units that existed at the end of the War. It’s about time they were designated an endangered species, don’t you think? ? ” 
…… 
In other words, these were the ones who massacred Jibril’s creator and kin. And they were face-to-face with someone who all but annihilated their race. Not to mention, this wasn’t a case of their ancestors having fought each other… It was they themselves… 
“…Uh, yeah… I guess there’s some bad blood there…” 
“……” 
— The Great War was a long time ago. It’s over. Water under the bridge. 
…It was hard to say that to the very parties who had nearly killed one another off. Sora, Shiro, and Steph screwed up their faces and looked down. 
“What? I have never lost to an Ex Machina, nor do I harbor them any resentment,” Jibril said blankly. 
The three of them stared at her, wide-eyed. 
“I am well aware of the respect I must pay to such an able foe.” 
“But weren’t you just talking about slaying them?” 
Seeing Jibril’s smug face, Sora couldn’t help but take a shot. 
“…We killed them. It is inevitable that they would come to kill us. Why should such natural order demand resentment?” 
“But weren’t you just talking about eliminating her?!” 
Seeing Einzig’s similarly smug face, Sora was about to deliver his comeback, but… 
“…? Of course. I shall kill them with the utmost of my respect, hospitality, and vigor.” 
“Fear not. We are now capable of permanently disabling all functions of the Regular Number without killing her.” 
“What’s the difference between permanently disabling all of someone’s functions and killing—? Uh, never mind.” 
—We’re not mad. We’re just gonna kill ’em. The humans gave up on debating this theory and took it with strained smiles. 
“In any case, allow me to correct you on one fine detail, Irregular Number. We have not lost the ability to reproduce. We have only been waiting for the right partner,” the Ex Machina proudly stated. 
It’s not that I can’t get married; I just haven’t found the one . Einzig’s assertion felt strangely familiar. 

“And that, indeed, is what brought us here…” 
Suddenly, he looked at Sora and the others with a totally straight face, in turn causing their expressions to tense. 
Ex Machina was on the brink of extinction. And why were they here, right now, in front of them? And what did they mean, “allies”? Depending on their answer… Sora, Shiro, and even Jibril seemed cautious. 
“Yes, you are the one , O Spieler—who now calls himself Sora, as I understand…” Amidst everyone’s stares, Einzig took another step toward Sora. “Yes, it is you, Spieler!! Come, let us build our love. Let us reproduce!!” 
“Not this agaaaain!! And don’t strip! Are you broken or something?!” 
At the sight of the stripping sex robot, Sora covered Shiro’s eyes and shouted out what he half knew to be true. They were from the Great War—six thousand years ago. Antiques? They were artifacts. 
“…Indeed. I have already exceeded my service life by five thousand nine hundred eighty-two years. Though I might utilize sleep mode to the fullest to extend it, functional degradation is inevitable—but fear not, Spieler!” Einzig paused his disrobing and smiled. “My thoughts and my love are still in perfect working order!” 
“If your thoughts are designed to lead to this behavior, that’s an even bigger problem!!” Sora clutched his head and screamed at Einzig, who had resumed stripping. 
“What do you think, Masters? Shall we go ahead and kill him for now?” 
“…Jibril, I, permit it…!” 
“What good will your permission do?! P-please, let us all calm—” 
Jibril and Shiro, spurred to bloodlust, and Steph, struggling to soothe them— 
—were interrupted by a whooshing sound followed by a loud crash. The stripper had been thrust into the wall like a stake… 
“ Vote: Progress stalled. Responsible unit temporarily stripped of command. Command inherited by current unit.” 
…and stepping forth was the female Ex Machina who had been arguing with Einzig. Like the others, she was clad in a maid costume. She looked like a human girl in her midteens, though she was a machine. She, too, had that perfect doll face. The female Ex Machina lowered her head, capped in ineffably unnatural violet hair, courteously plucked up her skirt and curtsied, and continued. 
“ Apology: Severe bug observed in subset of population.” 
“It’s severe, all right. Someone’s liable to get sued for this—but wait, did you just finish him off…?” 
It had happened too fast for him to see, but he presumed she had kicked him into the wall. There the half-naked pervert was, twitching—not a very tasteful wall ornament, but it made Sora wonder. 
…Doesn’t this infringe on the Covenants? Is this that consent thing? 
“ Addendum: Ex Machina units are synchronized in cluster, lack individual identity. Self-harm allowed by Covenants. Also, forceful contact of this unit’s leg determined to be an unfortunate accident. This unit is absolved of any wrongdoing.” 
…So it was like how processors in a parallel configuration were counted as one? In any case, the Ex Machinas had an agreement—so it was fine. 
The mechanical girl who had eliminated the provocative pervert continued to speak. 
“ Objective: Requesting cooperation. Purpose: Preventing extinction of Ex Machina.” 
—Ahhh! The savior of coherent discourse has come! Sora was overjoyed. 
“Hmm… By all means, I would hear your tale, but first—may I hear your name?” 
“ Apology: This unit lacks a name. Apologies.” 
Sora asked for the name of his savior, but she merely lowered her head. 
“ Disclosure: Unit identification number Ec001Bf9Ö48a2. Role Alt-Emircluster Befehler 1.” 
…These guys could stand to be more user-friendly. 
“Right… That’s too long, so I’m gonna call you Emir-Eins. How’s that?” 
“………………” 
…Uh, uhhh… Was that the wrong thing to say? The long silence began to make Sora doubt himself. 
“ Confirmation: Unit name…‘Emir-Eins’ applied. This unit looks forward to prolonged mutual acquaintance.” 
Sora and Shiro looked puzzled as Emir-Eins bowed her head deeply. 
“ Disclosure: Supplement to explanation provided by Irregular Number. Ex Machina was devastated in Great War.” 
But Emir-Eins raised her head again and went on coolly. 
“ Continuation: Final Battle damage report. Four thousand eight hundred seven units impacted by Godly Smite and Union onslaught. Five (including current unit) survived. Four thousand eight hundred two vaporized. Next: Nine thousand one hundred seventy-seven units engaged Artosh camp. Ninety-nine point six nine percent lost. Twenty-eight units avoided irreparable damage. Result: Remaining units exhibited severe cascading faults in memory, records, personality retention. Probable cause: Accumulation of logical errors due to illogical operations in destruction of ether—” 
What she described was the price of deicide. It defied imagination. The race that had become strong to a theoretically infinite extent had destroyed half the Flügel and challenged a god with a force of almost fifteen thousand…and only twenty-eight of them survived. The sheer magnitude of it made Sora and the others gulp audibly. 
“ Conclusion: After aging, current operational unit count thirteen.” 
Thus, Ex Machina arrived at their current number, she explained. 
“ Issue: Ex Machina reproductive function available. But said errors placed hardware locks on all units. Reproduction enabled only for authorized user.” 
—Right. Sora mumbled, nodding softly. 
“…That sucks.” 
“ Acknowledgment: Condition sucks.” 
Despite Emir-Eins’s echo of acknowledgment, Sora and Shiro looked at each other with relief. 
It appeared that the worst-case scenario they had envisioned when the phone rang—that an all-powerful enemy who had seen their hand had appeared—was not the case. Einzig’s declaration of “allies” and Emir-Eins’s request for “cooperation” stood at face value. The Ex Machinas wanted them to be their allies and cooperate so that Ex Machina could avoid extinction. And of course they, for their own part, didn’t want a race to go extinct. That would be creepy, for one thing. But even apart from that, if a Race Piece was lost, their game would become unwinnable. Besides, that “rewriting space” thing they did would make for the best stage equipment ever. With this race as their ally, Sora and Shiro’s issues with Holou’s concerts would vanish. Why not cooperate? Why not…indeed… 
“…………” 
But there were still several things weighing on Sora’s mind that he couldn’t easily shake off, to begin with, the questions he’d had from the beginning: Why now? Why them? He didn’t get what they were going on about, either: What did they mean by “Spieler”? It sounded like it could mean many things. 
“ Analogies: Puppy soaked by rain. Candle flickering in wind. Sad. Can Master ignore?” 
“—Uh, no, I guess I wouldn’t… But…” 
Sora considered this with evident caution, but Emir-Eins nodded. “Good.” And continued with a placid smile, but without light in her eyes. 
“ Testimony: This unit will die unless you make babies with her.” 
“First there’s a perverted pretty boy, and now there’s a psycho babe? Don’t threaten me!!” Sora wailed, feeling betrayed by the one person he’d thought to be an oasis of sense. “And anyway, how am I supposed to make babies with a machine?! I mean, how do you guys reproduce?!” As he hid behind Jibril, Shiro tucked under his arm, Sora let loose the biggest question of all. At the very least, he shouldn’t have to “build love”—much less with a gay robot! 
Jibril answered him as if she’d just remembered. 
“According to the rare descriptions available of Ex Machina, it seems that two dissimilar units connect their ‘production mechanisms,’ compare data, and produce a unit adapted to the conditions demanded of the next generation… If I remember correctly.” 
“Then they both have to be Ex Machinas, right?!” 
“ Denial: Soul observed. Non–Ex Machina data compatible.” 
…Uh, all right. Must be like how Jibril was saying she could have Sora’s baby “virtually.” That was how Sirens reproduced, too. But in those cases, they were saying they had to mix souls or something. 
“…So how would you get the data? Not some mechanical trick?” 
Sora seemed worried about being like cattle to an alien, having any manner of bizarre contraptions mounted upon him. Emir-Eins answered with a confident nod to ease his worries. 
“ Boast: Hole assembled for Master. Conventional sexual intercourse supported.” 
“Wait, why’d you do that ?! At least make it a little mechanical!” 
Why was this world so…y’know…extreme?! 
“ Reply: Update based on past failures. Performance excellent. Probably.” 
Sora wondered what these “failures” entailed, but he didn’t ask. 
“ Remarks: Initial plan involved simulation of hole of female Immanity. However, data insufficient. Therefore, real-time feedback model adopted based on responses of Master to stimulation. Internal structure, strength, pressure, viscosity, temperature, virtual pulse, and secretion optimized continuously. Final assembly designed exclusively for maximum pleasure.” 
…… 
“ Seduction: This unit is brand-new. Would Master care for a demonstration?” 
 . 
“…Brother…why’d you go, silent…?” 
“I—I—I—I didn’t go silent! Nor was I subtly tempted!” Sora shouted, growing flustered under Shiro’s gaze. 
“Unit! You dare to steal the Spieler from me?!” 
“‘Steal’ my ass! I’m not yours!! Get back in the wall, you piece of junk!!” 
“ Agreement: Master is free to love whom he chooses.” 
“Didn’t you just try to steal my freedom with a threat?! …Wait. Could it be that this guy—?” 
An unpleasant idea crossed Sora’s mind. 
…This guy, Einzig. Does he…have one, too? A hole? 
“Oh, fear not, Spieler. I have no hole. I—” 
“Arghhh, shut up!! I didn’t ask, and I don’t wanna know. Why don’t you just go home?!” 
So now the situation was as follows: Ex Machina had a hardware lock limiting reproduction to someone called the Spieler. In other words, they’d only accept Sora . And the method was, uh…you-know-what. But there was still another question: why— 
“Wait—let me say something!” Steph, who to this point had kept silent, now intervened. “So you’re saying you’ll reproduce by, uh… s-sexual intercourse …right?! Why with Sora?! ” 
“Yeah, Steph! That’s it!! That’s the line I was waiting for!!” 
Yes, the unresolved question. Why now? Why Sora? Couldn’t they find anyone else “compatible” in the course of six thousand years as they teetered on the brink of extinction? Meeting eyes with Sora as he thought this, Steph nodded deeply—and howled!! 
“Take my word. This man is the worst!! Who in their right mind would want to reproduce with him?!” 
“That is not the line I was waiting for!!” 
“Oh, Dora. To slight my master before me… It seems you are eagerly looking forward to what follows death, aren’t you? ? ” 
“…Then…maybe you…should stop…grinning, like an idiot…every time, you see him?” 
“Wh-whaaaat? Wait, no, I didn’t— Hey, when did I grin?!” 
If you wanted to know what infighting looked like, this commotion was it, but— 
“ Reiteration: Said errors placed hardware lock.” 
“Those errors…are called—our ‘heart’…” 
Emir-Eins and Einzig spoke softly— 
“…Your…‘heart’?” 
—and the other eleven Ex Machinas—the machines with hearts , as they said—were tranquil. Yet, Sora murmured at those words that called back to the beginning, and all listened. 
“We originated as machines… We had no ‘hearts.’” 
“ Denial: Strictly not even machines.” 
“True.” Einzig chuckled at Emir-Eins’s correction. It was such a human gesture one almost forgot he was a machine. “Machines are tools. Tools are made for a purpose… But we were not.” 
“ Acknowledgment: We adapted to damage. To all threats material and immaterial. Passively. Reactively. Just existing. Nothing more. Like plants. Meaningless. Purposeless. Null…” 
…… 
“Near the end of the War—a unit we call the Preier acquired the ‘heart’ and shared it with us.” 
All the other Ex Machinas nodded to confirm Einzig’s statement. One couldn’t know just what travails had led to this, but— 
“—Now, the Preier was head over heels in love with one man.” 
Once more, the Ex Machinas nodded, Mm-hmm … And…uh… 
…Wait, what? 
Einzig proceeded to destroy all the tension left in the scene as he picked up steam. 
“And such was the ‘heart’ she shared with us! In which case, it is self-evident how we should thenceforth behave!” 
“…Uh…like, all head over heels in love with the guy?” 
Twice more, the Ex Machinas nodded, Mm-hmm , a bulwark facing Sora. The tension was gone. 
“And so we were locked so as to never accept reproduction with one other than our true love!!” 
“ Avowal: This unit refuses to make babies except with Master. Cannot conceive. Apologies.” 
The Ex Machinas nodded Mm-hmm a third time. It had already become a farce. So, in other words — Steph spoke up for everyone. 
“Ex Machina does not wish to reproduce with anyone else. And that is why you have not reproduced—am I understanding correctly?” 
“And that’s why you’re on the brink of extinction? That’s just stupid!!” 
Einzig brought his face uncomfortably close to Sora’s. “It is no matter. For, after six thousand years, here we are together once again…O Spieler.” 
“D00d, I’m not your guy ! I wasn’t even born then; shit, civilization barely was!” Sora shook off Einzig’s hand from his chin and whispers of love from his ears and howled on. “Jibril! Is this how Ex Machina are?! Are they blind?!” 
“I understood them to be a formidable race that excelled in observation and analysis—that might even pose a match for me individually in combat…” Surprisingly, Jibril seemed to be the most confused of them all. “…Is this the price of deicide…? I would hate to think that this is what I struggled with…” Her vacant whisper receded beyond Sora’s and Shiro’s perception. 
“You needn’t be bashful. You are the Spieler. Our analysis is infallible.” 
“Your analysis has already failed at the point of you saying I’m bashful! How do you get that?!” 
This android was able to contradict himself in one line. This piece of junk was incredible, in a bad way. “Hmm,” he mumbled at Sora’s question. 
“The evidence is wide-ranging. First, your appearance— Hmm. Unfortunately, it resembles his little. The Spieler was a more comely individual… But the ravages of time cannot touch this unshakable love!” 
—Is this bastard looking for a fight? Just ask for one. Sora heaved, but now Emir-Eins— No, likely the entirety of Ex Machina analyzed the input in parallel to produce this report. 
“ Report: Match between individual ‘Sora’ and sample data ‘Spieler’ estimated ninety-six point two three percent.” 
Sora couldn’t help but laugh at their “conclusion.” He didn’t know what kind of transcendental mathematics they’d used to come up with that result, but probability was just empty theory. When you were just going off existing data , however you crunched the numbers, all you could say was “likely.” Sora meant to laugh it off with one word, “ludicrous”— 
“However, logic only serves as reference data. It amounts to little more than a ludicrous puzzle game .” 
 Wha…what…? 
Sora couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. A machine—a computer—took these words out of his mouth? And this computer, which had denied logic and mathematics, went on heatedly, illogically: 
“Neither zero nor one hundred exists in probability. Though one might operate on the data to infinity, one can only add more nines to ninety-nine point nine nine nine percent! And all this can be overturned by one unknown datum! Therefore, we believe logic to be a hopelessly incomplete tool.” 
“…Uh, yeah… I—I agree. I’m glad we’re—” 
Shiro was atop Sora’s lap looking like she was about to pass out, flapping her lips uselessly as if gasping for air. At least Sora had been able to say something, but— 
“In that case, in the end, what can you believe in, Spieler?” His voice clear and impassioned, Einzig showed his unnatural sparkly teeth and put his hand on his chest. “It is my ‘heart’ that tells me thus: You are the one we have waited for!!” 
Sora swallowed. 
…Yeah. That’s right. 
In a world where nothing was certain, there was just one thing you could still believe in: 
What you wanted to believe . 
Call it faith, or idealism, or sentiment, or will. That’s right—all you had to do was follow your heart . Some answers could only be found purely by believing that your decision would be right. That a race of machines, an embodiment of logic, could come to such conclusions defied comprehension. Ex Machina truly knew no bounds. Such adaptation and learning ability, enough to inspire awe and fear… 
But seriously, they’ve got the wrong guy. 
That was all well and good, but be that as it may, the cold, hard truth was this was all one big mistake. How sad it is that the answers our hearts show us, quite often, are wrong. As Sora gazed into the distance, reflecting on the harshness of reality— 
“ Query: Master does not currently wish to make babies with this unit? Mind-boggling self-control. Incredible.” 
—the maid robots gathered behind Emir-Eins. 
“No, I’d seriously love to; I mean, I am a guy, and lemme tell you, sexy androids are totally— Urgh— ” 
“…Denied, rejected… Not selected, refused… R-18…!” 
Shiro flatly rejected Sora’s true feelings with a jab of her elbow. Still, they couldn’t just keep up the rejections, or else Ex Machina would perish. And it was hard to say no to the perfect stage equipment for Holou. Sora and Shiro receded into rumination over this problem before them. 
“Hmm… You cannot escape your bashfulness, can you, Spieler?” 
“Look, you’re out of the question! I said go home!!” Sora cried. 
“Well, then—” Einzig went on: 
“We collectively request a game of you.” 
—A game . 
The words made Sora’s and Shiro’s eyes narrow to a blade’s width. 
“If we win, you will be compelled to select one unit with whom to reproduce.” 
“…And otherwise?” 
“Yes! Then you will be allowed to select one unit whom to reproduce!” 
“What’s the difference?!” Sora yelled. 
However, as he exchanged glances with Shiro, he was boldly chuckling to himself. 
“Hey, S-Sora! They are attacking us, aren’t they?!” 
“I must say, though by no means do I expect my masters to lose, Ex Machina—” 
Steph and Jibril were both asking in their own ways, Can you win? But Sora just smiled. 
“Sure, why not… But it’s gonna be me and Shiro playing you together. We’ve got something to say about the wagers, too…” 
Huh… When you looked at it, it was simple and convenient. All they had to do was make them pledge to unlock their reproduction lock. If it was a lock that came from the “heart,” the binding force of the Covenants could undo it, thus preventing their race’s extinction. Then, if they also made them pledge to help with Holou’s concert production, everything would be settled. 
The worst-case scenario was already out of the way. 
They didn’t know who Sora and Shiro were, let alone the extent of their abilities. Hell, they even got Sora confused for someone else. In that case, however powerful Ex Machina might be, “ ” just might be able to beat them. But it wouldn’t be easy. Sora began thinking carefully about what kind of game to play— 
“With my apologies, Spieler—we reject this.” 
—only to be cut short by Einzig. 
“You will play the game individually. Our cluster will play our side in parallel .” 
……What? 
“Additionally, Ex Machina will determine the game.” 
Following up on Einzig’s words, Emir-Eins gestured forth with her hand and announced the name of the game. It appeared before them as polygons suspended in the air: 
“ Lösen —Game 001: Chess —” 
……Dude. 
Sora forced a smile through his headache and checked with the two Ex Machinas. 
“Hey… Let me get this straight. I’m the party being challenged here, right?” 
“Indeed. Your assertion is most sound.” 
“And you guys are close to extinction and in need of my help?” 
“ Acknowledgment: Problem?” 
The Fifth of the Ten Covenants: The party challenged shall have the right to determine the game. 
“D00ds, I have the right to determine the game!! Plus! Even if we’re playing a game to make babies, you’re the ones begging me to do it with you! What’s with the haughty attitude?!” 
Sora tore at his hair, only to be told: 
“ Query: Extinction of Ex Machina inconveniences Master. Ex Machina has leverage. Strange?” 
Emir-Eins looked at Sora blankly. 
“Soraaa? You definitely misread this, didn’t you? —In fact, aren’t you trapped ?!” 
Steph’s falsetto didn’t make Sora feel like opening his mouth. 
These guys would be a good match even for “ ”. A transcendent computer cluster, capable even of illogical operations, that would laugh at oracle machines and hypercomputers. And they wanted to take Sora on alone? At chess ? Their intentions were crystal clear: 
Accept defeat , or we’ll go extinct. 
That’s right—it was a threat. They were making themselves hostages in order to force him to lose. He never saw this coming, except when he did: Coincidentally, Miss Cowering-in-the-Corner Jibril had just pulled this trick a few days ago. But now, to threaten the extinction of their entire race? Even if you saw it coming, there was nothing you could do about it. It was perfect. They’d got him good. So… C’mon—!! 
“You pull such a filthy trick and that’s your demand?!” 
If you’re gonna make a person take on someone out of their league, under conditions with no advantage for them, then you could demand whatever! You could make them bet the Immanity Piece, for example! So why would you use that just for this asinine demand that didn’t even specify a date or time?! 
“Oh, Spieler, I’ll not ask your forgiveness… I foresaw that you would be too bashful to accept our entreaties!” The dumbass android was crying manly tears, his fist trembling. “But this is necessary in order for you to face your feelings! For the sake of love, we must be firm!!” 
Pissed, Sora tutted to himself. Whatever. 
“Jibril. Get us a table and chairs. This game—is going down.” 
She didn’t even ask if it was all right. She just drooped her head, vanished, and came back with the furniture, on which Sora proceeded to sit as he continued speaking. 
“But I get the first move. And I’m changing my demand for if I win.” 
It wasn’t as if they had any plans for him to win. So: 
“If I win, you unlock your ‘production mechanisms’ immediately. Ditch all that pretentious shit about not making babies with anyone except one specific person and get it on. Plus, you let us use you as concert equipment—cool?” 
As if to acknowledge Sora’s inference that they’d take whatever, Einzig followed his lead and sat at the table, smiling gently. 
“Very well. But then let us add a few demands, if you don’t mind.” 
After Einzig listed them all, he and all the Ex Machinas raised their hands. 
“…Brother…?” 
Shiro looked up at Sora uneasily, but he grinned savagely and raised his own hand. 
“Who do you think I am? …You’d better not think this is gonna be easy for you, you pile of shit.” 
And thus the thirteen Ex Machinas and one Immanity spoke: 
— Aschente… 
 
Meanwhile, far to the west of Elkia, on the continent of Valar, in what until a few days ago was called the state of Tírnóg in the country of Elven Gard, was an unclaimed territory now rid of its Elven inhabitants due to Sora and Shiro’s machinations. Above this empty area, just waiting for a fleet of Elkian pioneers to arrive, floated an enormous landmass—a city in the sky. It was the capital of the Flügel, built on the back of the Phantasma Avant Heim. Somewhere on that pile of countless cubes, which suggested skyscrapers snaking about each other… 
“…Av’n’… Will you listen to my recent worries?” 
…was a girl with two different-colored eyes and a horn protruding from her jade hair. A broken halo crowned her head. The first Flügel, Azril, was talking to the Phantasma within her. 
She was the agent plenipotentiary of the Avant Heim government, the Council of Eighteen Wings. She also held a Phantasma within her and amounted to the representative of that race as well. Deep down in the darkness, where the cubes were piled high, excluding every ray of sunlight— 
“I…think everyone hates me. Is it just my imagination?” 
—Azril was hiding in the darkness between cubes, crying to herself. 
Physical laws such as those of gravity and space meant nothing to the Flügel, and as such, they had no concept of infrastructure. They saw no reason to build roads or stairways in their city. But now, Azril, who had been compelled to “play life with restrictions” that reduced her to the level of an Immanity as a result of her game with Sora and Shiro… Azril, who had been merrily walking along with a large pile of books… 
…had just learned the natural corollary of her unique state that, if she took one wrong step, she would fall to the bottom. 
While she was at it, she also learned that it is agonizingly painful to fall from such a high place, as well as that when you fall down a crack it is impossible to get out. Azril’s tears at this day of discovery were met by Av’n’—Avant Heim—whose voice boomed back at her from within. 
« I can scarce know the feelings of love and hate. » 
As a Phantasma, he hardly had a sense of self— But , he continued— 
« I surmise that, if thou dost so doubt, it is most likely so. » 
……Yeah. 
“…Yeah, I knew it… Everyone hates me. Still—” 
For a moment, she gave a little smile, accepting everything. 
“Why won’t anyone come and help meeeeeeeeeeee?!” 
Then her cry burst with tears from the dark crack. 
“I know they hear me! There were even kids who saw me fall! I heard them going ‘lol’ at me! I’m their big sister; I’m the leader of the Flügel! Someone should help meee!!” 
As only silence and the oppression of the walls answered her, suddenly, Azril smiled and thought. Oh—she knew. The Flügel were all busy right now. 
—A city once ruled by Elves, which was now the territory of Elkia. More accurately, according to the wording of the covenant that had been exchanged, it was the property of Sora and Shiro. Flügel would drool to see the mountains of books left behind by its displaced Elven inhabitants, but they couldn’t plunder them out. Sora and Shiro made use of this principle to offer Flügel this proposal: 
“For every book, you have to give us a copy and a handbook on Elven urban facilities. First come, first served! Privatize ’em for the win!” 
They also set a time limit—until the fleet of Immanity and Werebeast pioneers arrived. Thus, the Flügel were in a mad race back and forth over the land. Flügel would get a massive number of books, Sora and Shiro would get just as many books, and Immanity would get explanations of how to use the Elven facilities they couldn’t understand. 
“…They even managed to get the kids who weren’t cooperative with them to do what they wanted… They’re really something.” 
It was impressive, she admitted. It was no wonder they were busy. But— 
“Does it take that much time to help me?! Can’t they spare even two seconds for meeee?!” 
—Now she was sure. They hated her. 
This place deep in her city would be her grave. 
“Hmph… There is no hope or salvation in this world. Everyone is alone in the deep darkness of despair.” 
Waxing poetic, she made up her mind to wither there. 
“…I never would have expected you to attempt poetry, my elder. Did you hit your head?” 
When she raised her head, there was a light at the end of the darkness. A literal angel, walking to her and speaking. 
“Oh, you’ve hit every place on your body. Well, that’s all right. It did take me some time to find you, though.” 
“J-Jibsy… Y-you came to look for your big sister…?” 
“Well, yes, though I’d prefer it weren’t necessary. I hope you won’t give me too much trouble, but…” 
Without any trouble at all, Jibril teleported Azril out of the crack and saved her. Azril took back her words and apologized to the world she had cursed. Not just anyone, but her youngest, dearest sister had come to save her—!! 
“Hope and salvation are real! Here they are! The world is full of light, and— Ngyah?!” 
Blubbering and leaping at Jibril, Azril instead slammed into a wall with her face. 
“I knew it! This is where it was… What a waste of time…” 
Having warped out of the way as if it were the obvious thing to do, Jibril sighed, book in hand. That was one of the books Azril had when she fell, wasn’t it? 
“…………Nyah? Hrh?” 
Azril was dazed. Huh? Huh? Her thoughts spun in futility. 
“…Uhhh… Huh? Jibsy… You came to…look for me?” 
“Yes, Elder. I heard that you had this book when you slipped and fell, so I— Oh, I see! Pardon me. I apologize for my misleading phrasing. Let me correct myself.” Jibril glowed. Ah…her smile was indeed that of an angel. “I came to look for this book . I did not come to look for you , and I do not plan on doing so in the future. ? ” 
—Darkness fell once more over the world. Up and down, nya-ha… I knew this world was crap… 
“Well then, my masters are waiting, so I’ll be on my way.” 
“Nyaaah! Waiiit, Jibsy, I beg you! At least carry me up—” 
Azril grabbed Jibril tearfully as she caught her getting ready to shift far away. Then. 
“……Jibsy. Why were you looking for that book?” 
Azril cut herself short and narrowed her eyes to ask. It was a copy of an Ancient Dwarven book. Azril, no more designed to forget than any of the other Flügel, knew its contents word for word. 
“My masters have been troubled by certain dolls . I thought I might give it another read to see if any clues presented themselves.” 
—Yes. She was looking for writings about Ex Machina . And with that, she vanished into thin air. 
…… 
Azril was once more left at the bottom of the city, alone in the dark. 
“…Nyaaah? …Those scrap heaps…in Elkiaaa…? 
But her voice came from lower than the bottom, and her smile’s shadow was deeper than the dark. Avant Heim himself swayed at this very different leader of Flügel. Like an earthquake of the heavens. As if you could hear fathomless malice. A vortex of emotion was swelling into view. With one word— 
“ ? Gather.” 
—all the other Flügel except Jibril knelt before her that very instant. Azril, the first of the Flügel, the weapon created by a god to slay gods, what boomed from her was neither a plea nor a request. It was an order. 
“We’ll shift Avant Heim to Elkia. Everyone get ready!” 
Warp a landmass far larger than an island in its entirety to the next continent across the sea. What a bullshit order from a bullshit being. But all prepared without objection. Azril alone spoke: 
“…Jibsy. Av’n’ and I would love to meet those rubbish dolls.” 
Her murmur with a plastered smile was echoed by the cry of Avant Heim, which should have been as comforting as that of a whale but now brayed so as to make all who heard it shrink. 
“I’m thinking we can talk. I figure we can have a fun chat.” 
…Yes. A fun chat would be desirable. Even Azril had finally begun to enjoy things. It wasn’t the time she wanted to make enemies of Elkia, Sora, Shiro, or, heaven forbid, Jibril. It would be best to settle things peacefully if possible. Though of course— 
“If it’s not fun…I’ll kill them till there’s not a speck of dust left. ? ” 
—that was just provided it was possible.