"Just a bit more… just a little further! A little more until the emotional ending… Lord Yoshinaka, grant me strength… Give me the radiance of the Rising Sun!!"
She declares her cursed prayer while playing Bloodborne, thoroughly powering through right up to the final boss.
"I won! Bloodborne, complete—"
She gets effortlessly slaughtered and hits a Game Over.
"GZAAAAAAAH!!!"
Hurl with demonic strength, the controller is smashed into complete oblivion…
[Nn, whatever became of the Black Rope Hell?]
"Hah, operating independently. Their current whereabouts are utterly unknown."
[Are they being dragged around by their vessel? Nn, well, no matter. So long as that remains what it is, the worst Master in human history has no choice but to break. Now then, let us make our preparations on this end, Danzo. Place this talisman into the leyline.]
"Understood."
[Monsters and spirits, the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. Allow me to recreate it for you… Ufu, ufufu, ufufu-FUFU-fuu!!]
Those who harm, those who curse, those who pacify.
"Wheee! So fast! It's so faaast!"
Shimousa, the Hinomoto of days long past. The eastern land where the sky expands, the earth stretches wide, clouds float, rivers flow, and the clear, crisp air drifts comfortably by. A young girl dashes and charges across this vast, tranquil landscape…
[How is it? Pretty fast for a horse, right? Onui-chan, Tasuke-kun, one day you'll both get to ride a splendid horse like this too!]
To be precise, she is not quite a normal girl. She is Fujimaru Rikka—an illusory traveler lost in Hinomoto. Using the mud that serves as proof of the Evil of Humanity, she has shaped it into a mud-steed, the [Dragon Knight], and is currently galloping across the land while holding Onui and Tasuke tightly in her arms. A sprint and a speed beyond anything a normal footman could match, giving the two toddlers a sensation they have never experienced before.
The sound of the wind whipping past, the transmitted vibrations. The warmth of the horse (though it is composed of magical energy). And the scenery flowing backward as if flying away. In this new world, the two are wildly excited. Seeing them like this, Rikka chuckles, as does the Ruler currently in spiritual form.
[It's a bit of a shame it isn't a white horse, though…]
"Onui likes this! Ryujin-sama and the horse are both super cool!"
"Giggle, giggle! Awoo!"
『Daring soul. Those children shall surely accomplish great things in the future.』
(I think so too! Ah, but maybe it's for the best if my sense of aesthetics doesn't rub off on them…)
The Dragon Knight gallops at a speed several times faster than an express horse. Because Mother's sword was left in Muramasa's care, mounted archery and horseback spearmanship are off the table, but thanks to the rigorous horsemanship drilled into her by the King of Knights and her Mother, she handles the reins without issue. Well, since the horse is essentially an extension of her own body, no mistakes are bound to happen anyway.
"Swinging swords, riding horses… Ryujin-sama and the Samurai-sama are both so amazing…"
[I'm not really that amazing at all. The ones who are amazing are the people who supported me.]
"Waah, are there lots of other people with you, Ryujin-sama?"
[There are more precious people than I can even count. Onui-chan, remember this okay? Whenever you want to accomplish something big, never forget to rely on others.]
"Okay! I won't forget to rely on someone!"
"Awoo! Awoo!"
Softening her face beneath her armor at that response, Rikka and the Dragon Knight ride hard. Carrying Onui and Tasuke, they charge forward, aiming for the village.
『Though it be but a fleeting dream, it remains an exchange between the living. Do not miss the opportunity to exchange words. Push forward, and enjoy the dialogue.』
(Even inside a dream, don't forget to communicate, right? Got it!)
Saying so was well and good, but a certain curiosity has begun to sprout within Rikka. This Ruler… the one referred to as the Ruler of Kanto.
She understands intuitively that this personage is terrifyingly formidable—enough to evoke an instinctual sense of awe and dread. However, his True Name has yet to be revealed. That can wait until later, but… what catches her attention are his other class aptitudes.
(Ruler-sama, Ruler-sama, what other classes do you hold qualifications for?)
Having her doubts, she decides to ask. His answer comes as casually as if it were the most mundane topic in the world.
『Save for Assassin, I have mastered the rest. My strongest aspects manifest as Berserker, Avenger, and Ruler.』
Everything except Assassin—holding aptitudes for Berserker, Avenger, and Ruler… A versatility on par with Heracles. Rikka gapes in shock at the sheer absurdity of the answer.
(Can't you do literally everything then?!)
『The protector, the curser. Assassin is a role entrusted to another.』
According to Ruler-sama, the role of Assassin has been left to someone else. Thus, he simply does not assume it… or so it seems.
『I have yet to answer a summons under normal circumstances. The inclination to be called forth exists solely as Berserker or Avenger… and should I be summoned, disaster immediately befell the summoner.』
(D-Disaster?)
『As Berserker… I, once summoned, heed no counsel or petition, immediately baring my fangs against the governance of that era—an Aramitama, a wild spirit. Regarding the Master as an insolent fool who dares bind my presence, I would instantly demand their head in atonement. My action serves but a single cherished wish: the overthrow of the Imperial Court of that age.』
To put it briefly… as a Berserker, he would slaughter his Master for their impudence, challenge the very framework of the world he was summoned into, and attempt to bring down the government.
(Umm, how would you even maintain your manifest form…?)
『Through Skills. A single body affords me roughly a week of activity on its own… As for Avenger, that is the very incarnation of a vengeful spirit that curses the era.』
Ruler speaks of it as the most terrifying thing of all.
『What it desires is my torso, my remaking, my life. It is an entity that scatters malice to curse all living things. Controlling plagues, disasters, and cataclysms, it is a great monster that despises the era itself. Others do not even enter its field of vision. Baring the fangs of my rage upon Hinomoto, it is a cauldron of hatred that never runs dry.』
A vengeful spirit, a great monster that grudges, haunts, and curses to death anyone and everyone without discrimination—that is his aspect as an Avenger. Haunting the world is merely one facet of his existence.
『Therefore, I answer no summons. I heed no calling at the hands of men, for the anguish and suffering of the world serve as nourishment for my life. In such a world, my aid is unnecessary.』
He does not involve himself in human conflicts; he merely watches over them. If so…
(Do you have no wish? A wish upon the Holy Grail…)
Ruler acknowledges Rikka's words. He states that his wish is not something to be entrusted to another.
『My wish is solely the peace and prosperity of Hinomoto. That prayer is no mere paltry invocation to be offered to a humble cup. It is the guiding beacon woven by the continuous soul of Hinomoto, the noble banner raised high. Thus, a wish-granting machine is unnecessary for my person. Far from it—it is a foolish vessel that corrupts my descendants, a container to be destroyed by these very hands.』
Peace and history are things raised by the people of Japan, and that very tranquility and safety is his wish. It is not a wish to be scooped up by something like a Holy Grail, but something built by those who live in the future. That is why he has no wish he desires to fulfill for himself; rather, he considers the Grail an incarnation of corruption and temptation that he ought to shatter with his own hands… or so it appears.
(So that's why you're a "Ruler"… Having no wish for the Grail, out of the pride and desire to watch over everything equally…)
Between her Mother and him, Rikka wonders why people of ancient Japan could be so strong, feeling a strange mixture of awe and pride. The people of ancient Japan really carried gods in their hearts. She is made to deeply realize this once more.
『Thus… this present summoning is quite agreeable to my person.』
That said, he does not seem to harbor any resentment about being summoned this time. He speaks of it as fun and interesting.
『Galloping across Hinomoto with future descendants. Guiding future samurai, guiding life itself. What a delightful, fresh experience this is. As a Ruler, my Nimitama—my harmonious soul—places value upon harmony, development, and prosperity. The relationship between Servant and Master, riding side-by-side in service, is a matter I find quite fascinating.』
Catching a glimpse of Hinomoto's future children and fighting alongside them. Those are things he desires, and he chuckles as he says it is a pleasure. Even without a wish, there is joy, he tells her, gazing up at the sky.
(Ruler-sama, you're actually deeply compassionate, aren't you!)
『Hinomoto is the land of the sun. A thing that sinks and rises… to that conclusion, I say aye.』
At Ruler's solemn words, she nods with a smile. She is utterly convinced that as a Ruler, he is without a doubt the guardian of Hinomoto, a grand hero.
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