The rematch between the man called the Lord of Ruin and the man once called a Game Master began with a single snap of the fingers.
The sound made when rubbing one's fingers together and then flicking them apart—a snap, or finger click, as it were.
The source of the sound was Keiji Kuribara. The gesture held some deliberate intent, and his expression was serious. From this, Takuto understood that his opponent had already taken the initiative and set something in motion.
*(A routine? Is he rolling dice in his mind, using the motion as a trigger?)*
Ceding the initiative carried a certain amount of risk. Takuto understood that point well, of course. But Kuribara had made such a grand declaration to demand this showdown. He must have some secret strategy, and Takuto intended to verify that point, starting with caution.
Pa-chin. Pa-chin. Several more times, Kuribara snapped his fingers.
Takuto showed a momentary look of suspicion, then let out a soft click of his tongue.
"So that's how it is..." No message appeared.
It seemed he was rolling dice secretly, hidden from the other players.
In TRPGs, when the participants' interests conflict, this kind of method is sometimes employed. Each participant rolls their own dice in secret, revealing the result only to the GM. The GM then makes adjustments as they see fit, in line with the story and setting.
This is commonly known as "secret dice." While GMs sometimes use it to heighten the story's tension, Kuribara appeared to be using this system to his considerable advantage.
"Ah, this is bad," Takuto murmured, drawing a sword from inside the robe he wore outside. It was the Regalia treasure sword he had once received from Yuu, the former RPG hero.
This sacred sword, one of the conditions for achieving Dimension Ascension Victory, can itself become a powerful item that strengthens combat units.
Furthermore, Takuto possessed the "Blessing of the Ira God." Both were powers without parallel in this world.
Kuripana's snapping continues.
The crackle repeats over and over, each time accompanied by the roll of dice.
Takuto shakes his head, then raises his sword high.
"I guess I have no choice..."
"—!"
In a split second, Takuto appears directly before Kuripana.
Teleportation—no. It only appears that way due to his overwhelmingly swift dash.
A pure, closing sprint. With a thunderous sound that splits the air, a single flash aims with unerring precision for Kuripana's neck.
No one, no one present could react.
Not the Holy Maiden, not the Witch, not the evil monstrosities...
Truly a divine act. The "Blessing of the Ira God" had granted Takuto such power.
—But.
"I figured you'd try that!"
There was one who had been aiming for this exact moment.
A unfamiliar, somewhat playful sound rings sharply—*twang*.
In the brief moment that sound vibrates his eardrums, Takuto sees his own slash become a kind of sharp force field that hurtles back at him.
"Guh!"
Blood sprays.
A torrent of blood surged high into the air, then spattered across the ground with a wet, splashing sound.
Takuto’s right hand was torn away from the shoulder, and from the clearly mortal wound, blood pulsed ceaselessly with his heartbeat.
"Takuto!!"
Atou, who had been watching the fight from a short distance away, finally let out a scream like a wail at the sound of a sacred sword clattering to the ground nearby.
Kuribara, as if to deliver a finishing blow, snapped his fingers, positioning his hand at his hip for the final strike.
"Hah! Serves you right!—Guwah!"
With a powerful cracking sound, it was Kuribara—the one who should have held the advantage—who went rolling across the ground.
Before his strike could even reach Takuto, he had been punched full force in the face.
—By the right hand that should have been destroyed.
"Keiji!!"
Searina cried out. But before her voice could even reach, all eyes were already fixed on Takuto.
Indeed, in that instant, Takuto Ira’s right hand should have been pulverized.
That was the sight everyone had witnessed; it seemed the confrontation had been decided in a single instant.
The sound of flowing blood, the scent of fresh gore drifting in the air. And the thick, palpable aura of death.
All of it had been real.
But Takuto Ira was utterly calm.
As if nothing had happened at all. The destroyed right arm, the blood that had spilled, even his attire—all were exactly as they were before…
A tremor of shock ran through the two saints.
There was no illusion. That much was certain. The sacred sword that had been knocked away during Kuribara’s attack was still lying on the ground some distance away.
In other words, this meant a powerful regenerative ability…
No, regeneration is too mild a word for it. Physical restoration wouldn't bring clothes back to their original state.
That was something closer to reconstruction or miracles.
"Damn it! That hurts!!"
Kuribara screams from where he was knocked flying.
If Takuto Ira could lightly escape a life-threatening situation using an unknown ability, then Keiji Kuribara could likewise achieve the same with his own unknown power.
The slash Takuto unleashed first, followed by the counter-punch to the face, both carried enough force to turn an ordinary person into a lump of flesh.
Takuto held nothing back.
He put the full weight of the"Divine Authority of Ira"into the attacks, with the resolve that killing would be acceptable.
But the reality was that Kuribara was alive.
Clutching his face and shouting in pain, he shouldn't have been able to get off that lightly.
The two players had just demonstrated the vast gulf in their capabilities through that brief exchange of blows.
The subordinates and allies on both sides understood, at this point, that they were witnessing a clash in a realm they could not enter.
"Wow, that was a bit surprising, but I'm glad you're alive. If you went down from something like that, it'd be a real letdown."
"You damn... Ha! Look at you talking big with your right arm blown off! Want me to send you flying again!?"
But those astonished weren't only the onlookers witnessing this struggle.
The very participants themselves were filled with the same shock and disbelief.
(Did he stack multiple defensive actions with counter actions? He judges fast and has sensory skills too. Damn! He's quick on the uptake! Not knowing what he used is such a cheat, seriously! This is exactly why I didn't want to fight Kuribara!)
Takuto screamed internally.
Losing his right arm in the opening exchange was painfully obvious. He understood the trap was set, but he deliberately stepped into the provocation to crush it, only to end up like this.
They were more vicious and powerful than he had imagined.
If you're not careful, not being able to see the opponent's actions or abilities might be even more troublesome than GM privileges.
Takuto considers his next move while conducting a rapid combat analysis.
But on the other end, Kurifuku is mentally hurling insults at Takuto as they battle.
(That was way too close! If my opening Combat Analysis check hadn't crit, I'd already be dead! And seriously, I should've stacked a ton of Defense buffs before coming here! Wait, Reflect is supposed to be working, right? So why is he acting like nothing happened and just growing hands out of nowhere?! How does that even work?! This is exactly why I hate this guy!)
Kurifuku puts strength into trembling legs to stand up, then performs several more snaps.
They can't afford to stack fewer judgment rolls now, or it'll be the end.
But do they even have that luxury?
Takuto spreads both hands wide, making a gesture as if summoning something.
Black clouds appear from nowhere overhead, and thunder booms.
Lightning, powerful enough to be mistaken for a massive tree, rains down upon Kurifuku as if locked on, never missing.
"Aaaaahhhhh! So damn cold!!!"
Kurifuku lets out a pathetic scream, using stacked Evasion checks to dodge.
Without missing a beat, Takuto waves his hand, and sharp, pointed chunks of ice rise all around. They fly forward with lethal speed and power, like bolts fired from a ballista.
Kurifuku avoids them all, stepping lightly as if dancing.
The onslaught of lightning and freezing magic is deadly, promising certain death with a single misstep.
Yet, guided as if by fate, he continues to dodge, and no future of death is visible for him.
"I have a question for the system. Is excessive dice judgment and overlapping results inappropriate in TRPG play?"
Receiving no answer, Takuto clicks his tongue softly.
He tried it as a long shot, but of course, there was no response.
When he proposed the punitive motion against the GM, it was an exceptional circumstance, so the system reacted. But normally, rulings like that are made by the GM. The lack of response is, in a way, what he expected.
"Game Master authority? If that's the case, he'd be on vacation in Hawaii by now! You're the one who fired him!"
"So without an arbiter, we can do whatever we want? This is awkward—!"
Kuribara dodged the attack while drawing a throwing knife from his belt and using Thrown.
Taking a trajectory that was utterly improbable—almost alive—it flew toward Takuto’s brow at terrifying speed.
"It's all thanks to you, really! Reflect! And just for good measure, let’s add homing!" Kuribara shouted at the top of his lungs and launched himself into Takuto’s attack.
With a crisp sound, every attack was reversed, their points turned back against Takuto.
They were now only a few steps apart. Amid the dizzying shift of offense and defense, the homing attribute struck through the gap in the situation and pierced Takuto.
"Invalidating lightning, ice, and thrown attacks. No mortal hand may wound a god."
But the one receiving the blow was the king of ruin who led an army of darkness.
"Then it’s invalidation of invalidation!" Takuto bellowed.
Yet the one facing him was the arbiter chosen by God.
Their wisdom and strength clashed violently, burning with the flames of will and conviction.
The fire Takuto released for defense caused a massive explosion with a bang, blowing everything away.
What the spectators witnessed were two figures standing atop a colossal crater.
Both were still intact.
What kind of exchange of power and processing had occurred was unclear, but it was obvious neither had delivered a decisive blow.
(Heeey! Don’t screw with me, Takuto Ira! How did that miss? You negated the negation! What the hell is with that god nonsense? Stop with that bullshit invincibility! Give me a damn chance to win!)
(What the hell is negating a negation?! Depending on the situation, that could turn into an infinite negation war! And just because the Game Master arbiter is absent, you interpret and act however you please? I stripped you of your authority, so why are you still pulling this conceptual crap?)
In their minds, both hurled as many insults as they could muster.
Both sides thought the other was being absurd, and both believed they were somehow keeping up with the other's absurdity.
Had someone like Yu, an RPG hero, been present, they would have been clutching their head at the lawlessness that made rules seem nonexistent.
But this was a battle occurring in reality.
The clash of their insane ability interpretations was being sublimated into a transcendent struggle that excluded all bystanders.
The true threat possessed by the existence known as "players" was manifesting right here...
And both sides still had plenty of spirit. This battle would continue for a long time yet.
That was what every onlooker thought. The combatants themselves probably believed so too.
But the ending came suddenly.
"Huh? Why—"
Kuribara, who had been about to snap his fingers for the next maneuver, suddenly dropped to his knees as if his strings had been cut.
Kuribara frantically tried to force himself upright, but a dull pain and trembling spread throughout his body.
Could it be Takuto Ira's attack?
He hurriedly snapped his fingers to activate [Analysis]. At the same time, his expression was painted with shock and anguish.
"No way... Fatigue accumulation, that's actually a thing?!"
Takuto had also heard the words announcing the end.
Everything has a weakness—that was something Takuto understood, and throughout the battle he had been searching for the weakness of Kuribara's judgment-based ability. It apparently existed in an unexpected place.
"So that's how it is. No matter how much you can enhance abilities through judgment, if you're carrying a demerit you're unaware of, you can't counter it..."
Takuto was also somewhat surprised by this outcome. The repeated layering of judgments seemed invincible at first glance, but if you don't know about a demerit, there's no way to address it.
That said, the exchanges leading up to this point were impressive enough that anyone other than Takuto would likely have been defeated without issue.
"Damn it! [Investigation]! [Force Analysis]! [Rest]!"
His fighting spirit had not vanished from the ordeal. If anything, it seemed to have intensified.
He kept snapping his fingers and rolling the dice over and over.
He was likely making judgment calls to overturn this situation. But such an adjustment in this short time was impossible.
If it were possible, he wouldn't still be on one knee.
"As fatigue goes, you can't recover from it with a simple judgment roll, right? At least, you need time to accumulate it slowly."
Having the fact pointed out to him, Kuribara's heart still refused to concede. This unshakeable strength of will was something the former him had never possessed.
He would never lose again. He would never lose anything again.
In his silent scream, Takuto somehow felt a resonance.
"Don't underestimate me, Takuto Ira! I can still fight!"
"No, it ends here. And let us call the match a draw."
It was in the very moment the confrontation was about to conclude.
Just seconds before, Soarina had almost broken the rules to leap to Kuribara's aid in that deathtrap.
With a slightly weary expression, Takuto looked up at the sky and quietly addressed Kuribara.
"...Huh? Why? By any measure, this was your win, right? What is this? Pity?"
Kuribara's expression twisted with disgust as he questioned. He must have felt his battle was being insulted.
But for Takuto as well, declaring victory under these circumstances felt hesitant.
"Well, who knows? Anyway, the fight is over. I'm tired."
Spitting out the words bluntly, Takuto seemed a bit annoyed, perhaps even sulking, and this reaction only confused Kuribara further.
It was Holy Maiden Fenne, who had at some point arrived by his side, who threw a lifeline to the bewildered man.
"Perhaps her ability has reached its limit? Complete healing of injuries in an instant is something that normally requires some kind of sacrifice."
Kuribara only half understood.
However, he grasped the point that the opponent was also at her limit, which was mostly fine. As if to supplement those words, Zangai, who had arrived at some point, spoke up.
"Not exactly, but yeah, continuing like this would definitely get messy. A draw isn't a lie. I guarantee that. You did great! You managed to protect this one's life!"
"O-oh..."
While being tended to by Soarina, who wore a worried yet somehow pleased expression, Kuribara Keiji let out a rather unconvincing voice. Even if he didn't understand, those around him understood perfectly. The ranking was settled. It meant both were tied.
And here, Kuribara's revenge was fulfilled.
Meanwhile, Takuto watched Zangai ruffle Kuribara's hair and mess him up, while sensing the presence of others arriving around them.
"Ta-Takuto..."
"Ah, sorry, Atou. I showed a pathetic side, didn't I? But going any further would be too risky for the return. Since there is that, after all..."
"Y-you're okay, right? You're still okay?!"
"Barely, but a little risky."
"Ta-Takuto—!!"
Takuto thought Atou might be disappointed in him, but it seemed her concern ran deeper than that. In truth, he still had some leeway. His earlier words were purely a bluff. And also a little service for Kuribara.
Takuto's goal was ultimately to build a cooperative relationship with the TRPG faction. Defeating Kuribara again here would just be a pointless, exhausting endeavor.
(That said, I did hope for a slightly easier development...)
Takuto muttered to himself internally.
Losing his right arm in the initial exchange had been problematic.
He had expended considerable energy resisting that regeneration—no, rather, rejecting the very occurrence of being wounded.
The *Authority of the God Ira* was an ability for believers to become the God they prayed to themselves. God did not get injured. God did not bleed. If such a thing were to happen, it must be some mistake…
(With the God Ira from the scriptures having settings as loaded as a cheat protagonist from an anime, I thought my future lives might be easier, but what a fleeting dream…)
Tearing his gaze away from his own inexplicable desire to see Vittorio, Takuto ultimately accepted this as an excellent outcome.
This was never a life-or-death struggle to begin with.
True, he had fought with the intent to kill. He had fought intending to eliminate Zangai and the others, but with an ending like this, he found himself thinking it was perhaps unavoidable.
As for both sides demonstrating their standing, this was probably the appropriate place to settle things.
(A happy ending makes all well, huh? Although, just when I thought one problem was resolved, a new one cropped up.)
That was his concern. The unknowable nature of Zangai’s existence remained a threat.
However, as far as Kuruhachi of the TRPG faction went, his straightforwardness had served him well.
With a sense that they had clashed enough to remove any grudges between them, and now that Erakino’s revival had been promised, he felt the talks would proceed smoothly. In fact, the atmosphere from the other side was much the same.
Regarding Zangai as well, he was putting that on hold for now. At the very least, keeping Kuruhachi in check would serve as a deterrent.
That was his internal plan.
"So, it's a draw... I, am, in a draw."
On the other side, Kuruhachi, as Takuto expected, was enveloped in satisfaction.
His pursuit of defeating Takuto Ira had been more about settling a score with his own past.
Kuruhachi’s objectives had already shifted toward Erakino’s revival and fulfilling the wishes of his comrades.
Insisting on clinging to Takuto Ira here and meeting another tragic end would be pointless now.
He would gain nothing from it.
Rather, Kurifoto considered this situation to be the best possible outcome.
"Hahaha! So that's it, that's it! A draw, a draw, huh! Not bad at all! Me, drawing with that Takuto Ira! Heh! What's that about? I'm not as hopeless as I thought!"
Supported by Soarina as his fatigued body trembled, Kurifoto rose to his feet. Then, with a face full of triumphant pride and a satisfaction unlike any seen before, he declared to his companions, "Soarina. Fenne. You saw my true power, huh?... Ah, I get it, don't spell it out, don't get carried away. Right?... Yeah, that's right. I'm still a chick. A fledgling who's only just begun to walk. But someday! I'll become a great eagle that soars across the sky!"
"Yes—Keiji!"
"I've never seen anyone get so happy over a draw before."
Soarina beamed at Kurifoto with a delighted smile, while Fenne fixed him with a gaze of pure bafflement from beneath her veil. Zangai stood a short distance away, arms crossed, simply nodding with satisfaction.
There, a strangely light and refreshing space had formed, as if the fierce battle moments ago had never even happened.
"Are you watching, Erakino in heaven! I won't stop until I get you back!"
Kurifoto raised his fist high, and Soarina clapped lightly with a smile. Fenne shook her head in exasperation, and Zangai closed his eyes and gave a deep nod.
This was one page of their story. A scene symbolizing a break with the past and the dawn of a new future—when—
"So, shall we start the meeting as soon as we get back? Congratulations, Kurifoto. A mountain of paperwork awaits you."
Takuto Ira mercilessly revealed his true nature as the king of ruinous evil.
"Huh?"
A startled cry escaped Kurifoto.
The fact that his companions showed no reaction to this clearly indicated that he was the only one who hadn't realized it.
"Well, we were talking about cooperating to oppose the Mainland Alliance of Legitimate Succession, right? Since it's a draw, our positions are even. It's the only way forward, according to the original plan I proposed, isn't it?"
"Continental...union...huh? What?"
An exasperated silence fell between them.
It was something everyone had vaguely realized but no one had the heart to bring up.
Kurifoto Kiji was getting overly excited all by himself.
Could it be that he hadn't really thought much about the future?
"By the way, I've been wanting to say this for a while, but isn't reviving Erakino your main goal right now? If we don't deal with the alliance, your dreams get shattered too. Did you even grasp that?"
"N-No...well. I figured if I beat you up, the rest would just sort itself out. Besides, you're the strongest."
There was the fact that the duel had been forced upon them by Zangai's interference.
But he was the one who had worked himself up alone and delivered grand, empty rhetoric.
If this had just been about settling a score, things might have been more understandable.
But the man named Kurifoto Kiji was acting as if everything was solved and a rosy future awaited, simply because he'd managed to get a draw and strike back against the existence known as Takuto Ira.
It was no surprise others found him exasperating.
In fact, everyone present except him felt a twinge of anxiety about his attitude.
"W-What's wrong..."
Takuto sighed.
Finally noticing he was the center of attention, Kurifoto's voice squeaked as he looked around at everyone.
"They think you're an idiot."
"They think you're a fool."
"T-That's not true, Master Keiji! I mean, um... it's not true!"
Soarina's attempt to smooth things over did nothing for Kurifoto now.
He has grown enough to pick up on such subtle concern, at least.
That said, no words capable of smoothing over this situation would come to mind.
"What's wrong with that? Is it a crime?"
Kurfus shouted that much and decided to simply embrace the situation head-on.
It was his usual self, his usual methods, his usual way of handling things.
Watching him, Takuto let out another sigh.
He had identified Kurfus as such a significant threat, yet now that he was an ally, he felt a twinge of unease about whether that same reliability would hold.
"It’s reassuring to have you on our side, Kurfus. Let’s conquer the world together, okay?"
In any case, the objective was achieved.
Takuto had gained a new collaborator, and with this, the counterattack formation he had envisioned took its final shape.
=Message===
An alliance has been concluded with the following power.
[TRPG Faction: Keiji Kurfus]
―――