Depression (3)
When Sing of the Law Department made a loaded remark, the gazes of the Ivory Tower's residents shifted at once.
The Law Department numbered five people, yet it held seventeen stars—the most of any department. Some departments didn't even have a single four-star, while this one had two.
"Truly a powerful law." Shirone narrowed his eyes and raised the power of his avatar; Sing's presence began to ebb.
Fried, Amanta, and Minerva resisted Sing's law, and the four- and three-star residents followed suit.
"Ugh! This won't do!"
But residents below the two-star rank were still crushed by Sing's presence and could not use their power.
Fried asked Sing, "You planning to attach yourself to the Unified Cosmic Administration?"
"It's none of your concern what decision I make. Although, saying that is pointless," Sing replied. "I haven't changed my mind. I only said that the illusion called Shirone is unique."
She turned to Shirone. "Why do you want to save humanity? Are you a program meant to protect other illusions?"
I wanted to answer I'm human too, but Shirone couldn't bring himself to speak.
There was no way to change Sing's logic. But it wasn't delusion either. A human who had reached the highest state within the Law.
And yet they were all illusions.
Flipped around, it occurred to Shirone that Sing herself might be an illusion to him.
Everyone except me is an illusion... humans are such lonely creatures.
That's why I hate it.
Today, Shirone felt a fresh sting of envy for the Gaia who had built an integrated mental system.
"Fake or real, it doesn't matter. If we leave things as they are, the world will be destroyed by the army of Hell. And the Ivory Tower will be in that world. That must be stopped."
"Do you really think so?" Shirone flinched.
"I don't understand. I thought everyone here had been designed to a level that understands the world—how do you draw that conclusion?" Fried said.
Fried agreed. "You're lying."
Shirone's eyes hardened. "At the Great Assembly any opinion can carry, but you mustn't lie. Where do you think the army of Hell came from? Murderers? Rapists? Sure, there's some of that, but no. They came from us."
Fried spread his arms. "You probably worked terribly hard to reach Yahweh's state. But everyone did. So what's left? Love for humanity? No—we know better than anyone. The reason all of humanity tried to climb to the top of that competitive pyramid was only one thing."
He turned his head slowly. "Because there was no one at the top."
"Dreams? A sense of achievement? Call it what you like. You don't want to get entangled with humans, to be trampled. The top of the pyramid looked brightest to you simply because no one lived there."
That was why the Ivory Tower had been built.
"How many petty debates did you have? How often was your thinking denied and mocked? Up there, there's no one. That single merit of the summit is enough: you can live without feeling the raw nature of humans."
Shirone bit his lip. "You know that too, right? If I hadn't grown disillusioned with the world, I wouldn't have come this far. Save humanity? We're just carrying out our responsibilities. To borrow Nane's words, it's also the Great Purification."
Taeseong opened his mouth. "Fried, Nane's philosophy has already—"
"Taeseong." Shirone cut him off. Feeling a chill, Taeseong fell silent and Minerva swallowed.
This was serious.
Shirone fixed his gaze on Fried. "You're right. I can't say I never felt that way. But I've already forgiven them. Because I am the same kind of human as they are."
"That's your business. I am not Yahweh."
Shirone nodded. "Even so... I was angry." Only then did Fried turn back to him.
"Why must I be the one to suffer this? Why can't I be happy? I was so angry and frustrated that—"
Shirone touched his chest with his thumb. "I made a terrible monster here."
Even without opening his chest, the dangerous aura around Shirone told how immense that anger was.
"The reason I could keep bearing it was because I love this world. If you're not happy here, you'll be no different anywhere else."
"So that's your business—"
"I'm not asking you to understand."
Shirone's expression changed. "I don't know why I was given the chance to save everyone, but this really is the last chance." The moment he himself released Yahweh's state, a tiny, seething pinch of rage that had been hiding in Shirone's interior became something else.
"No one can be happy."
The five great stars of each department frowned.
What is this?
Suddenly a pitch-black thing tore through Shirone's clothes and leaped out, screaming toward the stars.
Kyaaaaaaa!
"Hup!"
The two-star residents flinched and leaned back.
No—this isn't a monster.
As they came to their senses, the countless thorns that had overwhelmed them dissolved into a single trembling 〈법살〉—〈Lawslay〉—sword.
Minerva ground her teeth. The 〈Lawslay〉 triggered purely from temperament. That was something she hadn't even seen in her prime.
The murderous intent aimed at the whole world made Fried ask, displeased, "Are you threatening us?"
"Yes. But it's not my will." To prevent humanity's annihilation, Yahweh had made one final choice.
A horrific inner monster.
The only way to confine that rage had been—
If everyone couldn't be happy, then no one should be happy. An extreme universal love.
One more time—
Shirone's voice trembled. "Can you give us one more chance? Saying you hated humanity enough to come this far means you loved them that much. The truth is you wanted to live together, right?"
Sing, her lips pressed tight, looked at Shirone.
"Live together?" Her wound would never heal. Where would that come from? Humans were just illusions who tormented her by acting out emotions.
There was one exception. If Shirone wasn't an illusion—for example, if an Absolute appeared and guaranteed he was human—
Maybe she would change her mind...
Time stretched on helplessly as every star's gaze fixed on Fried.
A normal human couldn't have lasted a minute in that atmosphere, yet the stars remained for over an hour.
"May I speak?" At that moment Rampa, a three-star resident of the System Audit Department, raised his hand.
He was over a hundred years old; the deep wrinkles on his hands were occupied by a small yellow bird.
Rampa—the world's greatest information mage. His information-delivery magic, Telebird, could credibly be said to reach across the planet.
Fried, still thinking under the watch of the 〈Lawslay〉, asked curtly, "What is it? At a time like this."
"I thought I should inform you before you make a decision. A moment ago, the emperor of the Kashan Empire changed."
Shirone's head snapped around. "The emperor changed?"
Rampa waited for Fried's instruction. "Continue."
"The succession ceremony has finished. The new emperor is Gando, the biological son of Teraje Mistra. Also, Kashan has withdrawn from the holy war and appears poised to side with Gustav."
Uorin... abandoned Kashan. In other words, Gustav's forces would become significantly stronger.
What's going on? As Shirone turned his head, Taeseong used Gaia's power to illuminate Kashan's territory.
"Hyaa! Run! Run!"
Havitz led the army of Hell and raced across Kashan's vast lands.
On the distant horizon, Kashan's defensive forces guarding the capital surged forward like a tidal wave.
They're enjoying themselves, as always. Tormenting prisoners, riding in high carriages all day—how dull.
"I'm going!" Havitz's sudden move startled Smodo, who hurriedly mounted his horse to chase.
"Damn it! What are you thinking?"
Even if they were outside the Law, they were still human; stab a human with a sword and they die.
Smodo shouted at Balkan, who rode alongside him. "Can you just let him go? He'll get himself killed!"
"No." Balkan smiled. "He won't die."
Thirty thousand Kashan defenders and the army of Hell collided along a clear frontline.
Havitz plunged into the mass. "Let me get killed too!"
He ran across the battlefield like a child swinging a sword; his technique was only average. Yet no one could kill him, and once he tasted blood he pushed further in.
"What? That's the emperor?"
The Thousand-Man Commander of the archer unit swung his formation and ordered his soldiers. "Fire! If we take that one, the war's over!"
A thousand soldiers loosed their arrows in unison.
As the arrows arced through the sky, a top-grade magical charge detonated.
The area was scorched. Massive demons burst with their flesh rending and tumbled on the ground.
"Is it over?" Hope gleamed in the Thousand-Man Commander's eyes.
But through the smoke, unharmed, Havitz sprang out.
"Damn! Everyone reload—no, I'll finish him myself!"
The Thousand-Man Commander drew his sword and charged; Havitz ran at him without hesitation.
What an idiot. He's set on dying. There were countless demons fighting nearby, but none came forward to help Satan.
I can catch him! I'll be the one to catch him! I'll be a hero!
A single clash made it clear Havitz's swordsmanship was only mid-level at best.
This is real! I can be the emperor... his heart pounded.
"Yahaaaaa!"
He swung with everything he had.
"What—?"
The blade passed through empty air, barely grazing Havitz's collar as he leaned back; the strike cut nothing.
Lucky strike? No way. He swung again and again but only nicked Havitz's cloak by a hair.
Damn! No armor! Is he secretly a master swordsman? But that absurd movement... it didn't feel like a dodge after seeing it; it was something else.
Huh?
The Thousand-Man Commander froze, a chill running through him when he saw Havitz's face.
His eyes... closed?
Balkan smiled. "It's not a miracle."
When all of humanity in history had rolled the dice, it just so happened that Havitz was the one left.
Probability. Someone had to remain.
It becomes something taken for granted—like being born into this world after billions of competitions.
"Your Majesty! Are you enjoying this?" Balkan laughed loudly as he cut the Thousand-Man Commander's neck in a single stroke.
"So-so. But I'm looking forward to seeing Uorin soon."
"It should be in our hands shortly," Smodo replied, belatedly arriving. Balkan peered past the army of Hell marching toward Aganos.
Far off, a white flag fluttered.