Tentacles burst through the ceiling, writhing in every direction throughout the church as if each possessed its own consciousness, carving unique trajectories as they lunged forward.
The first to notice them was Atou of the Filth.
She understood instantly that the swarms of deadly spines unfolding before her were identical to her own, and she took up a defensive stance against the earth itself.
"Dodge them! Tch— HAaaaaaahh!"
Countless tentacles erupted from behind Atou, deployed to shield her comrades.
The tentacles they unleashed collided with one another, producing eerie, clashing sounds more metallic than organic, their shockwaves tearing apart what little remained of the church ruins.
Those Atou protected also immediately responded to the crisis.
Fenne batted aside—no, severed—dozens of tentacles with invisible blades of force, while Soarina incinerated the writhing remnants that fell to the ground, sizzling and popping.
Then Erakino and the Game Master swiftly moved to assess the abnormal situation.
"Master! Your abilities! ...Tch! That bastard!"
"What do you mean, Erakino!? Why are the Game Master's abilities—!?"
From her tone, it was clear the GM’s powers had been frozen through some means.
Likely, Takuto Ira’s earlier declaration had served as some kind of key.
Of course, Soarina had already heard from Erakino and the others about the GM’s abilities, and that their powers stemmed from a game called TRPG.
But the concept was so outlandish, so foreign to her culture, that she didn’t understand the details.
So she’d asked for clarification as a starting point, but—
"I’m declaring a session suspension! That damn bastard—he’s trying to overturn everything from the ground up! TRPG is a game driven by conversation and dice! So a player has the right to halt progression!"
Takuto Ira’s counterattack was precisely this suspension of the game.
As Erakino had explained, in a TRPG, the participants’ conversation is the vital key.
Therefore, if one declares a suspension, the other participants must listen and temporarily halt the session.
Naturally, the system faithfully reproduces its nature. This means it is possible to temporarily restrict the absolute authority, equivalent to the lawlessness wielded by the Game Master. However, that was... a double-edged sword.
"But—ahahaha! You Idiot! Seriously, using that means it's over for you! I, Erakino, the Dipping Witch, ask in place of the Game Master: state your legitimate reason for interrupting the game!"
The Game Master and Erakino succeeded in immediately identifying and pointing out the flaw in the strategy Takuto had employed.
Indeed, interrupting the game is possible. But it requires a reason. Actions without reason incur a penalty. Of course, in this case, the target would be Takuto Ira.
Even if he was faking his existence with the authority of the "Nameless Evil God," this request was made from the player's dimension, not the board. The system would never mistake the recipient of its severe punishment.
"Oh my, for someone acting so composed, I wondered what you'd do, and it turns out to be this~♪ True, this freezes the Game Master's authority. But as stated in the rulebook, interrupting a session without legitimate reason is forbidden! Anything that hinders smooth operations will not be tolerated! You're finished!"
Probably, the penalty would be in the form of forced expulsion from the game.
The defeat not of Takuto Ira, the Ruinous King who led beings of magic to found a nation in this world, but of the human Ira Takuto, who died once and received a second life. He didn't understand what meaning that held, but he clearly grasped that everything would be lost and never return to how it was.
"Come on! Answer us! Well, I think it's just nonsense and luck, but too bad for you, Takuto~!"
Erakino cried out in voice filled with triumphant ecstasy.
Is this where it ends? Behind Atou, who had sensed the change in situation from the attacks that had suddenly ceased without him noticing—
"A greeting."
Suddenly, words were spun.
Atou and the others hurriedly turned toward the back and leaped back to put distance between themselves. But...
Halfway through, they caught sight of their opponent's appearance, and their faces twisted as if they were chewing on a crushed bitter worm.
Standing quietly in that spot as if drifting, was indeed Atou of the filth. A mimicry created by Takuto Ira, whose face was smeared thickly with black. At the same time, Erakino felt a disturbance. The sensation of her abilities being restricted, which had begun earlier, was continuing. In other words, that meant—the interruption of the session was ongoing.
"Erakino. Regarding the Elemental Word Fourth Edition that you brought into this world together with the Game Master, this system has a certain characteristic."
"Wha—!?"
Takuto Ira spoke in the familiar voice of Atou. Judging by her words, it was clear that she—the 'Something'—had, from the very beginning, prepared a valid reason to enforce a session interruption. But what truly stunned Erakino was that she had spoken the name of the tabletop RPG system, a secret known only to Erakino and her Master, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"The characteristic of this system is that it dedicates a relatively large portion of its pages to the morality of the players. For instance, tips on playing enjoyably with others, actions you must not take against others... like greetings."
I know. I know it better than anyone, more than anything.
Through that system, Erakino was born. How many trial runs would there have been?
She had finally come into being as a complete product, and together with her Master, she had thrown herself into the battles of this world, overcoming all hardships.
Where did it leak? How could it leak?
Even as she cast these unanswerable questions at herself, Takuto Ira's monologue continued.
"It's quite divisive, the reason being it sounds preachy. But I don't actually dislike it that much."
Yes, that is the reason.
"After all, the very beginning of the rulebook states, 'The session must not begin until all participants have introduced themselves and greetings are concluded.'"
The only way to halt a session, to stop the invincible authority held by the Game Master.
"Polite greetings are very important. Even a kindergartener understands that."
At the same time, the content was ludicrously trivial.
Erakino gritted her teeth at that detestable manner of speech while considering countermeasures. That her system name was known was beyond any reasonable expectation.
The abilities they wielded as TRPG players adhered to the rules of the original game.
TRPGs were especially strict in the application of their rules, and each possessed a unique and specialized system.
That very uniqueness was one of their weapons, and thus a fact they had desperately hidden.
Having their hand revealed was, for Erakino and the others, equivalent to catastrophic damage.
The proof was that they had been plunged into a desperate situation in an instant over something as trivial as a greeting.
"Oh my? Why such a surprised look on your face... Ah, I see. You're wondering how I, this person, know the name of your game?"
A bullseye.
While the opponent was in high spirits and chattering away, it was necessary to gather as much information as possible.
She didn't know how much they understood, but regrettably, she had to admit the opponent held an overwhelmingly superior position in terms of intelligence.
Erakino and her companions were being perpetually tossed about.
"In fact, I gave so many hints that anyone could figure it out. Besides... I've played that game before, albeit online. So it's only natural to deduce it, isn't it? Hmm... Atou of the Mire?"
Chuckling, something resembling Atou of the Mire sought agreement from the genuine article.
Those words were more than sufficient to provoke Atou into an outburst.
"You dare to mimic me next! How impudent!"
"The one here with the greatest prowess in direct combat is me. Therefore, taking such a method is only natural. ...Ah, perhaps I should have obtained permission first?"
It was provocation.
Even though they had become enemies, Atou could hardly believe that Takuto Ira would resort to such measures against her, and she felt a growing sense of anxiety as the concern inside her swelled.
This was clearly a different Takuto from the one she knew.
"No! I'll make a special exception for you, Takuto! For you, Takuto!!"
"Oh my, what suggestive words. Do you have some concern about me?"
Yes, there had been a concern—ever since she learned that Takuto possessed the authority of the Nameless Evil God.
Ever since she understood that this ability had been with him from the moment he arrived in this world, and that she had simply forgotten that fact.
In other words, the fear she harbored was...
"Could it be that Ira Takuto never existed in the first place, and the Nameless Evil God has just been playing a doll game under that name? Is that what you believe?"
Those were words she never wanted to hear, and Takuto Ira—or rather, that thing—struck them home with perfect precision.
"—Ah."
A sharp, cracking sound echoed through her heart, as something inside her snapped.
She nearly collapsed to her knees.
Fenne and Soarina hurried over with concern, but—
"—!! Damn it!!"
Takuto Ira had no trace of the mercy that would let such an opening slip by.
"AHAHA, AHAHAHAHAHA! I can see the shadow on your blade!"
"Damn it! Damn it!!"
Countless tentacles surged toward her once more.
Atou scrambled to intercept, but already shaken by impacts she could not fully absorb, she had lost her edge—unlike before, she could no longer negate his attacks.
Fenne and Soarina also participated in the interception using their abilities, but even so, parrying the all-out attack of Ira Takuto—the one who mimicked Atou, the strongest combatant present in this place—was extraordinarily difficult.
If this continued, defeat was certain.
Before long, they would be exposing their corpses to the countless tentacles that heralded death.
On the other hand, there was someone staking everything on the scant time they had bought.
"Master! State your name! Quickly, state your name and kill this arrogant, shut-in imposter!!"
Erakino screamed.
If introductions were deemed important, then he should make one.
Of course, if the other party refused the introduction afterward, a penalty for session interference could be imposed.
There were a few methods, albeit few, to deliver the Game Master's voice directly to the world.
The quickest way was to borrow Erakino's mouth, or to use the GM's authority to project his voice directly into this space.
The rest was simply for the GM—who had seemed bewildered for some reason since a moment ago—to resolve to declare his own name and perform the introduction.
He should have made that resolution. He should have been able to.
"Ah, right, right."
With a speed bordering on divine, Tentacles lashed out as Ira Takuto—who mimicked Atou—spoke in a tone as casual as if engaging in idle chatter, and then added, almost as an afterthought.
"In Brave Questus, there exists a special magic that uses one's true name to curse and kill the opponent."
The chain named "fear of death" that the GM had been concerned about.
"—!!"
Erakino gasped, his face contorted with loathing as he glared at Ira Takuto, who simply snickered, amused by something throughout.
Yet another delay. They had fallen behind in terms of information.
It was a fatal delay—one that truly concerned their lives.
"It's a bluff!"
Erakino shouts.
The fact that the opponent had used an event from Brave Questus to interfere was already common knowledge.
This meant that Takuto Ira could emulate some character capable of wielding events that appear in an RPG.
He could... wield an unknown curse existing within Brave Questus.
But at the same time, it was true that this declaration was extremely suspicious.
He had been deceived by the bluffs of the monstrosity before him many times.
Unable to do anything himself, he borrows someone else's power, and then toys with them through bare-faced lies.
The trick was already exposed. Surely this was just another pathetic ploy to rattle them and seal away the Game Master's authority.
That was what she had decided... but.
"Wait, wait a moment!"
"Fenne! Why!? It's obviously a lie!"
"If by some chance the Game Master is defeated, it would be fatal... Reviving even the dead is a priority ability that must be protected!"
Few can face fear that is unseen. Even a saintess can, at times, make a backward decision.
Erakino gritted her teeth inwardly at Fenne's words.
While she thought it timid, she also felt a definite validity in those words.
Even if they rallied, the risk of revealing his true name was still looming heavily over them, something Erakino understood.
"Atou!"
"I don't know! I, I am only a character from 'Eternal Nations'. When it comes to other games, that knowledge is beyond my scope. We have clashed once, so I know him to some extent, but the specifics, well..."
She clicked her tongue.
Just as Atou had no knowledge of it, Erakino likewise knew nothing about the game called Brave Questus.
She had heard the name through Atou, but the intricate settings and systems were entirely outside her own knowledge base.
She had no way of knowing whether a curse that could kill someone upon learning a game's name actually existed or not.
"Master!!"
And what was truly disastrous...
"Brave Questus. You know about it? Of course you don't, your Master isn't particularly well-versed in games—just an unremarkable human chosen by the roll of the dice. I've heard that story too... directly, from the source."
The Game Master herself was also completely ignorant of its contents.
"Back then! You already—"
Fenne screamed.
What exactly was "back then"? When had Takuto Ira participated in that particular conversation?
Only the principals themselves knew now, and all was buried in darkness.
The only certainty was that the being known as "Sore" had been satisfied enough to keep smiling thinly, precisely because they had revealed so much information.
And the balance broke.
"That's right, Veiled Saint Fenne. A foolish woman who allied with a witch simply because she wanted her own happiness."
"What—! —Guh!"
"Fenne!"
Perhaps her shout, born of sheer rage, momentarily broke her concentration, or perhaps her nerves had worn thin from the prolonged struggle.
Fenne fell first.
Struck in the side by a tentacle's blow, she was flung backward into the remnants of the wall.
The way it staggered about suggested the wound wasn't fatal, but the fresh blood seeping through the saintly white attire made a return to the front lines seem impossible.
"That wretched, cloth-wrapped body could never keep up with this battle. So, kindly take your time observing from here."
Without another word, Takuto Ira turned his gaze back to Erakino and the others, as if losing interest.
"Oh! I almost completely forgot. How rude of me."
As if suddenly remembering something, he clapped his hands together once, then using Atou's superhuman speed, he distanced himself from the scene and moved to the raised platform.
"Aa... ghh. Ahh..."
"«——!»"
It happened without warning.
The silhouette of Atou, wearing Takuto Ira's form, wavered for an instant, and from that spot, an inky blackness was born.
A void that seemed cut out from the world, as if rejected by existence itself.
From beyond that pitch, a formidable blackness seeped forth, darker than any shadow.
An entity that could in no way be called a living being, yet it made its presence known to the world with the slightest movement.
"Aa... *cough*... *cough*... ghh!"
It made an unbearable sound while clutching at its throat.
A gesture, as if the very act of speaking was unfamiliar.
The voice, strained with coughing and yet eerily tuned, was that of a terrifying evil god.
After a while, having perhaps confirmed its condition...
"My name is Takuto Ira. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
With a voice that chilled the blood, the King of Ruin, whose entire body was drenched in glistening black, offered his greeting.