I'd figured it out by now — there was no understanding this idiot.
He wanted to destroy the world because he'd suffered misfortunes in his childhood? That made absolutely no sense.
Misfortune wasn't something exclusive to Yuuki. Not everyone lived happily, but plenty of people overcame hardship and lived admirable lives regardless.
I'd say my own life had been more on the fortunate side, so whether I could truly grasp the feelings of someone genuinely unfortunate was debatable — but still.
Using your own suffering as justification for dragging others into it was, without question, wrong.
People weren't equal.
You could treat everyone as equally as possible within the framework of the world's systems, but you couldn't deny the innate differences in ability people were born with.
In that sense, a world where every person could equally enjoy peace and happiness existed only in dreams.
And so, if Yuuki believed this world was imperfect, he was right about that.
Veldora, too, had been a fool who failed to understand
But even more so, Yuuki — who believed that destroying everything and bringing it all to an end was the answer — was simply too childish and immature in his thinking.
A rash individual who bore no responsibility and sought only to validate his own perspective.
In the end, Yuuki was just another irredeemable fool.
The world was cruel, but it gave everything.
That was the world Veldanava had created.
He had been alone in the void, unable to endure the loneliness.
That was precisely why he'd created the world — to stave off his boredom.
And within that world, life was born, just as Veldanava had wished: beings who acted freely and asserted their own will.
After ages upon ages, humans were finally born — creatures with free will and high intellect, capable of serving as vessels for the soul.
Veldanava had been overjoyed.
For Veldanava, who'd grown weary of the empty world, merely watching the activities of life had been entertaining. The activities of humans, in particular, were nothing short of moving.
But problems arose.
Humans who had obtained intellect stimulated one another and took unpredictable actions.
Left unattended, they would quickly begin to quarrel and walk the path toward self-destruction.
Several worlds had been born, and in every single one, similar tendencies could be observed.
The cause was emotion.
Emotion had been granted as something necessary to stimulate people and spur their development, but when it grew too excessive, it tended to suppress the assertions of others.
When people thought differently, different forms of justice emerged.
Veldanava had deliberated.
He considered accepting this phenomenon as a necessary evil — conceding that the world should exist as a crucible for the refinement of the soul.
If humans were completely controlled, conflict would disappear.
But without the stimulation of emotion, the world would become a dystopia — equal, yes, but devoid of free will.
Such a world was not what Veldanava desired.
He experimented repeatedly, attempting to guide humans toward the form he envisioned.
Across countless parallel worlds, he finely adjusted the conditions and guided different paths of evolution.
From among these, he selected humans with matured souls and created angels and demons — beings without lifespans, who would serve as managers of souls.
He built a system in which souls circulated across all dimensions.
He limited excessive intervention and appointed guardians to ensure the world's foundations would not be destroyed.
Those were Guy,
In the world I'd originally come from, there were few Magicules, so spiritual effects seemed absent — but perhaps there had been guardians there too.
Well, that was neither here nor there now.
In any case, the system's construction was complete.
Irregular threats like giants had been defeated, and the world had stabilized.
When everything began to function smoothly, the wheel of fate turned dramatically.
Veldanava met Lucia, and learned what love was.
The two fell in love, and Milim was conceived within Lucia.
At that point, Veldanava lost all of his power — and it could be inferred that this was due to the world's forced correction.
A backlash called forced correction — the system Veldanava had built judged Lucia's existence to be harmful.
The system required that God's love be distributed equally.
But when Veldanava loved a specific individual, an error was generated.
As a result, the price paid to mend the system's flaw was the lives of both Veldanava and Lucia.
Veldanava's desire to condemn the system that had destroyed even its creator was, emotionally speaking, understandable. However — only if it wasn't self-serving and didn't go against Veldanava's wishes.
In the end, Veldanava had loved this world, and he had wished for his daughter Milim to survive.
That fact was proven by the reality that he had sacrificed himself for the system.
— After all, even with all his abilities stripped away, a being of divine stature being killed by mortals was inconceivable.
Veldanava had simply been unable to understand that.
And so he had cooperated with Yuuki, attempting to destroy the world… but what a truly foolish affair.
◇◇◇ I opened my eyes slightly.
If I remembered correctly, I had begun my final battle with Yuuki, and then— 《You've awakened, I see?》 Oh,
And what had happened to Veldora?
《This is the World at the End. Or, as it's sometimes called, the "End of Space-Time." Veldora has been isolated within the『Imaginary Space』and is fully protected, so please rest assured.》 So Veldora was safe. That was a relief — wait, huh? This vast, empty expanse was the "End of Space-Time"?
Time was indeed in a halted state, and I couldn't perceive the boundaries of space — but still…
《Yes. In this world, the flow of time has stopped. And the expansion of space has reached its limit, collapsing into nothingness according to the laws of entropy.》 It "reached its limit"? She spoke as though she'd witnessed it firsthand.
《That's correct. Yuuki's attack sent us hurtling to the far reaches of space-time. The stars had long exhausted their lifespans, but the world itself had not yet reached total collapse. From that, I infer that Yuuki was unable to destroy the world as a whole. Once he destroyed the stars as space-time bodies, his own lifespan was exhausted as well. However, I cannot determine whether his wish was truly fulfilled. Afterward, we drifted through the cosmos, and I witnessed the end of this universe.》 —I couldn't quite follow what Ciel was saying…
Witnessed the end of the universe? What was she talking about…?
There was no way I could be alive in such a state.
If she was going to lie, at least come up with a better— Wait, I remembered that Ciel didn't lie.
She'd deceived me on occasion, but those weren't lies — I'd simply been mistaken, or rather, she'd led me to misunderstand.
Which meant this really was the World at the End!?
《Yes, that's correct. Now then — what would you like to do next?》 What I'd like to do?
《A great deal of time has passed, and the energy from『Nihility Collapse』has accumulated in vast quantities. Veldanava lost the『Nihility Collapse』when he created the world, but for you, Rimuru-sama, there's no issue thanks to the『Imaginary Space.』The Imaginary Space is infinite, so it hasn't been filled, but it's been charged sufficiently to reconstruct the world tens of thousands of times over. To add further — I can also reproduce the memories of everyone who has ever been connected to you and intentionally create a world nearly identical to the original. What would you like to do?》 Huh…?
At Ciel's question, I was struck speechless.
So this was what it meant. If this was truly the "End of Space-Time," then
Which meant I had lost to Yuuki.
"You've got to be kidding me!! Damn it — doesn't that mean I lost to Yuuki completely!!"
《No, that's not the case. Yuuki was unable to destroy you, Rimuru-sama.》 But I had failed to protect the ones I loved.
That was meaningless. Even if I survived alone, there was no meaning in it.
Even if I could create beings with memories nearly identical to the originals and even identical DNA — could those people really be considered the same individuals?
Would I be able to interact with them the same way as before, if I brought them into existence with my own hands?
Give me a break — damn it!
"That would be nothing but a sham! You can make excuses all you want, but I lost to Yuuki…"
Ciel, ever the pragmatist, seemed to think it would be fine to simply construct a new world without the heresy that was Yuuki.
And she was probably right about that.
You could say there was nothing wrong with it.
But it didn't sit right with me.
Bringing back the dead like puppets just to soothe my loneliness? I'd rather die than do something like that.
I knew I was being selfish.
But that was precisely why I couldn't allow myself to create a world that existed only for my own convenience.
In such a world, I — my very existence — would rot and wither away.
If it came to clinging to the past for comfort, I'd rather choose a proud solitude.
《As expected — I predicted that you would give that answer, Rimuru-sama.》 I had shouted in anger, but Ciel responded with an almost pleased expression.
Then she continued: 《Besides, you haven't lost to Yuuki. All you need to do is go defeat him now.》 She said it so casually, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Go defeat him now? Go back to the past?
How could that even be possible…
Chloe could read memories from the future, and it seemed『Time Leap』was possible, but that was strictly the ability to return to one's past self.
Moreover, it couldn't be activated while time was stopped.
Yuuki had surely stopped time with the deliberate intention of sealing off exactly that kind of escape route.
《No, there's no problem. The『Spatial Travel』that I newly acquired from Mai was originally just the prototype of a different ability. This ability is not merely "the power to teleport to a location one has visited before" — it is "the power to transcend all of space-time and reach any desired destination." Since you, Rimuru-sama, command both time and space, surpassing time is trivial for you.》 I was left dumbfounded.
No wonder Ciel had remained so composed even while I was raging.
She had seen through everything from the very beginning — understood exactly what I wanted.
"All right then — let's go, and quickly put that idiot down. You know me, right? I hate losing!"
《As you command… My Lord.》 Ciel answered my order.
As always, so effortlessly — as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
But I had only just awakened moments ago. Ciel, on the other hand, had waited an incalculable stretch of time for me to open my eyes.
Her voice, answering my command, betrayed an irrepressible joy.
To honor that feeling, I would choose the world I believed was right.
There would be no more defeat for me.
Now then — time to bring this to an end, wouldn't you say?
The moment that thought crossed my mind, I activated a『Time Leap』toward the past.
◇◇◇ I immediately sensed that I had jumped to a different location.
At the same time, I noticed a bundle of energy capable of destroying a hurtling toward me.
But I didn't panic — I simply swallowed it whole.
Unexpectedly delicious.
It seemed to have restored the energy I'd consumed during the Time Leap.
"Who are you!?"
The startled shout came from Yuuki, standing behind me.
It seemed he'd intended to return to the exact moment I'd vanished, but a slight amount of time had passed.
Still, for a first attempt, the timing was practically perfect — hardly worth calling an error.
After all, not a single person had so much as a scratch.
"…You're Rimuru?"
A rainbow-haired woman asked cautiously.
Who are you!? I almost blurted out.
But her air of vacant gentleness told me it had to be Ramiris.
"You're Ramiris? Did you… grow?"
"Heyyyy!! You big stupid idiot!! Do you know how worried I was!!"
"Th-that's right! Hiding and startling people like that — have you no sense of propriety? Your presence vanished completely from the world! Even I started to believe I'd been flung into the future!!"
"You neutralized our ultimate attack like it was nothing… and what's with that form? You've grown since last time, haven't you?"
Not much time seemed to have passed, but my disappearance had clearly caused everyone to worry.
And apparently, the energy I'd just devoured had been the full-powered strike that Guy and the others had launched at Yuuki. I felt a twinge of guilt, but that level of attack would have only strengthened Yuuki anyway, so it wasn't really a problem.
More importantly — what was with my form?
I looked down at myself and saw that I had grown into an adult.
Whether this growth held any meaning was debatable, considering I had neither a chest nor a son to speak of.
Ciel had been generating energy continuously during my slumber, so I imagined that had something to do with it.
"Well, who cares about the details? The fight isn't over yet, and I'll be the one to deal with this guy. So just give me a little more time."
With that, I turned to face Yuuki.
Guy stood with his arms crossed, sword sheathed, saying nothing.
"Guy?"
"I can't see any way Rimuru loses from here. This is checkmate, plain and simple."
Guy shrugged in response to Ramiris's stare.
"See, that's exactly the kind of line that invites a flag… though I don't think there's any room for one here…"
Ramiris muttered to herself.
Then, quietly, she added something about how it had been pointless to return to her original form… and her small voice sounded rather pitiful. I'd better smooth things over with her later.
Diablo, who had believed in my return all along, looked thoroughly satisfied, as though this were the most natural outcome in the world. The ecstatic look on his face when he gazed at me was a little concerning, though — would he ever go back to normal?
Chloe had been on the verge of tears, but like Guy, she sheathed her sword and watched me with quiet readiness. She was trusting me. Leave it to me — I wouldn't let you down.
I felt everyone's resolve pressing into my back as I leveled my blade at Yuuki.
"Now then — let's finish this. I've entertained your little game long enough, so it's about time for you to go to bed, don't you think?"
"Impossible!? Rimuru-san, you were supposed to have been completely hurled to the End of Space-Time!!"
Yuuki's eyes went wild with blood, screaming as though he couldn't accept what was happening.
I could understand that feeling.
But he'd picked the wrong opponent.
If it had been anyone other than me, he might have had a shot at victory.
"I was hurled there. My partner was too busy analyzing Primordial Magic, so I fell right into your trap. Impressive work, I'll admit. Too bad it means nothing to me."
I said it as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
《I take issue with being told that I caused you to fall into the trap. That said, I was genuinely interested in the Primordial Magic, so it's frustrating that I can't deny it entirely.》 Ciel seemed somewhat indignant, but I chose to ignore her.
She wasn't wrong, generally speaking.
"I-impossible… Time Leap…? And in its complete form, to a desired location… from the End of Space-Time, no less…? That's… there's no way… no one should possess the ability to do something that absurd… You'd practically be a Transcendent God—"
Yuuki kept muttering, unable to accept reality.
And then— In an instant, he lunged at me with his sword at full power.
I didn't dodge. I simply extended my left hand and pinched the blade between my index finger and thumb.
The edge, which had descended with godlike speed, was held immobile, unable to move even a fraction.
I gave the stunned Yuuki a glance and delivered a casual kick.
Yuuki took it head-on and was sent flying, losing his grip on his sword— The『Stardust Dragon Fang Sword.』
He was alive, but had lost the bulk of his combat ability.
I had extracted the negative energy that had interfered with his life support from the『Nihility Collapse』and mixed it into the kick.
After a violent fit of coughing, Yuuki stared up at me in a daze.
"Who are you — who are you even supposed to be—!?"
His face a mask of shock and confusion, Yuuki screamed at me.
Hearing that, I laughed.
At the absurdity of Yuuki.
At Yuuki's utter ignorance — there was nothing else to do but laugh.
Mikami Sugou.
—Or perhaps, he believed me to be Veldanava?
Me?
Who I am?
That was obvious.
My name is— A flash.
A torrent of light so blinding it seared the eyes flooded the surroundings.
And from my body surged a sinister, dark-hued Demon Aura that seemed to swallow the light whole.
The torrent of light gently enveloped my companions — Ramiris, Milim, and all the rest. It healed every wound and shielded them from the sinister dark Demon Aura.
And the one not protected by the light — Yuuki — was…
"Stop, stay away! I will — I will save the world—"
He was resisting with everything he had, but his body was being devoured without mercy.
"Give it up. You went too far. When you've done something wrong, you need to reflect on it, don't you think? The best you can do now is to repent. Spend your time inside my『Imaginary Space,』reflecting on your foolishness and immaturity. That is everything that has been permitted to you."
I declared coldly.
Yuuki fought to resist until the very end, but it was all futile.
He had transferred all of his abilities into the『Stardust Dragon Fang Sword,』so by now there was almost nothing he could do.
— No, don't lock me away. If you do this, then I'll…
— Yuuki… I suppose I failed to guide you to the end after all? You've been trouble right up to the finish, haven't you, dear?
— Teacher…? So… so that's how it was… You were here too, Teacher…
— That's right. I'll reflect with you. I'll make sure you're never alone.
— Understood. Where on earth am I— Those were his last words before Yuuki's consciousness vanished entirely.
I closed the『Imaginary Space.』
Escape was impossible. He would never be released — not until I died, or perhaps not even after that.
Though whether I even had a lifespan was questionable…
But the last voice Yuuki had heard— If that was real, then this wasn't punishment. It might have been something surprisingly close to salvation for Yuuki.
I lingered in a moment of sentimentality, thinking as much.
And so, the final battle ended in my victory.