"You really... don't have to follow me, you know?"
While sprinting across a wasteland where jagged rocks came into view, Atou called back with clear irritation to Old Mortar and the soldiers of Mynoghra who were struggling to keep up behind her.
Atou's physical prowess was not human. The strength unleashed from those slender legs was enough to split the earth, and with each footfall, she covered an immense distance.
Though the Dark Elves had become evil entities blessed by Mynoghra, their base was still fundamentally human. Yet they were able to march alongside Atou, even if barely, because she was slaughtering every monster from the Brave Questus as she went.
The tentacles she wielded had an attack range far exceeding their appearance. On top of that, the number of targets she could simultaneously grasp was... significant.
With a single swipe, countless monsters were cleaved in two horizontally. With a single thrust, countless others were pierced straight through from the crown of the head.
Old Mortar, watching the monsters being torn apart as if she were venting her frustration, felt a sliver of pity for them despite being her enemy.
"You're... still here?"
Her irritation turned towards him. As she whirled around, her eyes held a look that could kill. The pressure was such that if he misspoke even slightly, the tentacles writhing behind her would surely impale him. It was the overwhelming presence of something not human—a being called a hero.
Inside, breaking into a cold sweat, Old Mortar answered her words quietly, careful not to earn her displeasure.
"We received orders from the King to advance with you. Even if we are of no help, we cannot disobey the King's command."
"Hmph. Then follow along without falling behind."
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
Soon after, whether she lost interest or spotted new prey, Atou gave a sharp "hmpf," turned her face away, and continued walking as instructed. In the direction she headed, faint screams of monsters drifted through the air. It seemed she had no shortage of targets to vent her anger upon.
"M-Mortar, sir..."
"Do not speak. I know."
The apprentice magician under Mortar called out his name in a low voice.
It was perfectly clear what he intended to say, but Mortar cut him off as if the words that might follow must never be uttered. No matter how quietly one spoke, the other could hear it.
He had no interest in losing his life over some unnecessary display of anger.
(Still... such fury. Just being near her feels like being incinerated...)
Mortar the Old muttered to himself inwardly.
Her change in attitude had come after the previous battle, after defeating the enemy's Four Heavenly King, Ice Rock.
To be precise, it began after she reported that victory to their own lord, Takuto Ira.
A sudden enemy assault upon the Mynoghra capital.
It was an event that was startling enough to shock everyone present, and it simultaneously instilled a profound sense of crisis. Mynoghra's military strength was already far from sufficient. Compounding this, the dispatch of troops to Dragontan had further strained their forces.
It was true that Isla, herself a hero, was in charge of the capital's defense, but there was absolutely no guarantee against some unforeseen mishap. Moreover, that location held many non-combatants.
If the defense were to be overrun by sheer numbers, the harm would extend not only to the powerless citizens but, in the worst case, even the Demon Lord, Takuto Ira, himself would be in jeopardy.
It was this event, which seemed to mock their complacency, that had twisted Atou's devotion to Takuto—devotion that could be called fanatical—and her worry, into pure rage.
"I have to get to Takuto's side quickly... You useless scum!"
Realizing escape was futile, a Hill Giant approached with an expression of grim resolve. She cleaved it down without a shred of hesitation.
Her combat power had already grown to a point where creatures of merely Hill Giant caliber were utterly beneath her notice, and the monsters currently being dispatched in the ongoing battle were surrendering their essence to her in the form of experience points.
The reason she was raging so violently was the monsters being processed right before her eyes.
This was when Atou made contact with Takuto, growing shaken upon hearing news of an enemy attack on Mynoghra's main base.
She immediately offered to return to Mynoghra and, joining Isla, proposed a defense of the city and the annihilation of the enemy. But Takuto's decision was negative.
Instead, she was given orders to continue the pursuit, press south past Dragontan, and advance toward the area believed to be the Demon Lord Army's origin, crushing the retreating enemy forces along the way, with the goal of defeating the Demon Lord.
This was because Takuto, who had played Brave Questus, believed a complete annihilation of the Demon Lord Army was possible given the disparity in strength between the Four Heavenly Kings and Atou.
In short, rather than wasting time and risking unforeseen problems, he sought an early resolution.
The defense of Mynoghra City and herself was to be left to Isla.
What were her thoughts when she was told that...?
Naturally, there was no right for Atou to dissent.
After receiving the explanation, both her hero's intuition and the military assessment judged it sound.
But while she understood the intention, acceptance was another matter entirely.
Fundamentally, the hero Atou was deeply subordinate not just to the nation, but to the very existence of Takuto Ira.
Because Takuto was the most important person to her, she felt a strong rejection at being permitted to act separately while her lord was in crisis.
Even if it was something Takuto had decided and ordered...
She wanted to return immediately to the side of her beloved king, protect his person with her own hands, and crush the wretched enemy forces.
She wanted to fulfill her role as a hero alongside her comrade, Isla.
That conflict and frustration manifested as pure rage, and the poor monsters became its outlet, their lives mercilessly scattered.
But reality was different. The chosen operation was different.
—There are no "what-ifs" in history.
In a game, you can start over, but reality has no such function.
So perhaps saying this would be meaningless after all.
That moment. If Takuto had decided to send Atou back to Mynoghra, then to assert this outcome could not have happened was...
"No, no way..."
Suddenly, truly in an instant.
Just moments ago, the raging Atou came to an abrupt halt, and began trembling violently.
"...Hmm? Lady Atou. What is the matter?"
The first to sense this shift was, naturally, the elder Mortar.
He had been keeping a certain distance to avoid incurring Atou's wrath, so he didn't know what had happened, but he clearly sensed that something had changed.
The sun had already begun to set, the time having reached late evening.
The orange sunlight illuminated Atou's back in red, dyeing the body of the inhuman girl as if she were drenched in blood.
Mortar took one step closer to Atou.
As he moved to address her again...
"No! Everyone, down! Take cover behind the rocks!"
At the last moment, he noticed the anomaly.
"It's a lie! A lie, a lie, a lie! Impossible! This can't be happening!"
The ground exploded.
The tentacles Atou held lashed out in every direction, as if reflecting her fury.
They were swung around like a child playfully whipping a jump rope, shattering every solid object in their path and filling the air with a grating, whooshing sound as they sliced through it.
"He was the hero! The hero of Mynoghra! So why!? Why here!?"
Those who managed to hurriedly take shelter behind nearby rock formations were fortunate.
And fortunately, there existed a rocky area nearby where the Dark Elves stood, as if blessed by God, providing a place to hide. As stones swept aside rained down like bullets, old Mortar bit back his own good fortune while shouting aloud to restrain Atou's anger. This was because it was obvious that if he didn't, the very rock protecting them before his eyes would eventually be worn away, and that violence would turn upon them.
"Our hero Atou! Please, calm your fury! That power should not be wielded recklessly, but reserved for the sake of Mynoghra and King Takuto Ira!"
Atou's rage had swollen to the point where it seemed it would destroy everything present. If her words had been wrong, not only old Mortar but every Dark Elf there would have been obliterated on the spot.
What stopped the hero lost in anger was a single name. Takuto Ira. The absolute, singular name of the lord to whom she devoted everything—its utterance tethered her rampaging consciousness, pulling it back to the precipice of calm.
"I... I lost my composure."
She murmured softly, her fury moments ago seeming a lie as all tension drained from her. The tentacles that had been lashing about hung limply, devoid of strength, before retracting with a soft hiss behind her back.
Mortar, observing the dazed Atou with caution, finally confirmed the crisis had passed and let out a great, heavy sigh. He then signaled his subordinates to approach. The clarity had already returned to her eyes.
If that was the case, then surely Mynoghra's hero, Atou, would not unleash her power wildly upon her allies. Still, the scene moments ago was not something easily forgotten...
Amidst the strangely thick atmosphere and the gathered Dark Elves watching Atou with concern, old Mortar steeled himself and asked, "Just what... has happened?"
The air grew taut. It was the first time he had ever seen Atou so utterly shaken, and the first time he had ever seen her so utterly dejected.
It was obvious that a critical situation had arisen. From the words Atou had spoken first, it was possible to some extent to infer their content.
But even if his reason accepted it, his heart never would.
That was precisely why he had to hear those words from Atou.
"Isla..."
Slowly, the name of a hero known to everyone present slipped out.
And at the same time, he could guess the content of the words that would follow.
"Isla is dead."
With a pained expression, those words were finally wrung out.
The death of Isla, the hero of Mynoghra.
The fall of the nation's sword, the hero who was also the symbol of the power of Takuto Ira, the King of Ruin.
None present could accept that fact.
◇ ◇ ◇
"...Huh?"
In that moment, Takuto let out an incredibly stupid sound.
He was in a corner of an administrative building in the city of Mynoghra, a place with governmental functions. He had come here from his usual residence, the palace, reasoning that it would be easier to defend this building—located near the citizens' evacuation site—should the need arise. It was fortunate that no one else present heard those words.
"No way, impossible."
The sudden turn of events happened in an instant.
Takuto, who had been watching the situation unfold alongside his twin sisters.
Fully prepared to demonstrate his skills as an SRPG player, he had been meticulously checking the state of the battle, giving troops their assignments and orders, and conveying the enemy's characteristics and techniques to Isla, instructing him on strategies.
The progression of the battle unfolded in his mind exactly as predicted, with each action like a move in a game of chess, ultimately assembling the pieces into Isla's victory.
Soon, just as anticipated, a perfectly normal and entirely expected victory was brought to him and Isla, and as he was about to begin the post-mortem analysis he had planned...
Contact with Isla was severed, the twin sisters who had been at his side vanished, and...
When he realized that something entirely unforeseen had occurred, everything was already over.
"Isla. Answer me..."
The communication was dead.
Even the sharing of sight, which was normally effortless, was impossible.
In the final moments, the twins had been summoned to that location. He understood perfectly well the ominous conversation that had taken place.
As the leader of Mynoghra, Takuto Ira could share sight with all his people.
Of course, that included the twin sisters who served him...
Frantically, he extended the link to the elder twin.
No response.
He tried the younger twin.
There was no response.
"Th-the... I'll emergency-produce medics and send them right away, okay? Everyone, just hold on a sec. I-I didn't think something like this could happen."
His voice trembled. He desperately wanted it to be a mistake, praying for it to be untrue.
He attempted telepathic contact with Isla once more.
He attempted telepathic contact with the twin sisters.
He had to be sure they were alright. There was no way they could die so unjustly.
First, confirm their safety. Then, he had to apologize. He had to get them to forgive his carelessness and inadequacy for letting them be harmed.
I must form a rescue party at once to aid the wounded.
=Message===
〈!〉Communication Error
Unit does not exist.
―――
"Im... impossible..."
But the past would never return.
The consequences of his decisions had returned to him precisely as they should.
"Isla... Karia... Mearia..."
Pathetically, he could only mutter those names.
This world was not a game. It was not the world of the Eternal Nations.
There were no resets, no loads.
Once you died, you stayed dead.
Therefore, this was the reality Takuto had to face.
A reality that could not be changed.
― On this day, beings cherished by Takuto were lost from the world.
=Message===
"Queen of All Insects, Isla" has been destroyed.
~One threat has been removed from the world~
―――