The southern connecting region between the two continents, located south of the third city, Selduchi.
A plain lying precisely on the border between Mynoghra and the El-Nar Spirit Contract Union.
Standing at the place where the deciding battle would begin, Takuto was accompanied by Atou.
"Finally... is it?"
Behind him stood the army of ruin. Primarily the subordinates of Mynoghra that Takuto had created, and an elite strike force spearheaded by a Dark Elf unit armed with firearms.
"War Chief Gia. And the firearms unit. Present."
"Mortar and the magic unit's deployment is also complete."
The Dark Elf combat units announced themselves with high spirits.
All were elite troops equipped with firearms and other weaponry, their resilient spirits honed by relentless training unshaken even before the imminent great war.
"What about Vittorio?"
As he spoke these words into the void, Vittorio appeared from somewhere unseen. It was a question asked with the assumption he would follow, but this stalker-like manner of appearance was somewhat unsettling.
In fact, Atou wore an expression where aversion was clearly visible. It was fortunate they both possessed enough discretion to avoid a quarrel, however...
"Hmm. I am interested in this front as well, but also in others. So I shall wander about as I please!"
"I see. Do as you please. That's always been your way, and that is how you fight."
"Hoh hoh hoh. It makes my blood boil and my body leap with excitement once more!"
Vittorio's voice sounded more cheerful than usual.
Like Takuto, he too was likely looking forward to the war. The Hero of Verbal Mistakes loved chaos, destruction, madness, and insanity...
"It seems the Elful sisters and Kree's group have also taken their positions. That front seems ready as well."
"It was fortunate that Lord Kree had experience in war command. It is truly good he can handle the reins of Ira's unruly knights."
Takuto turned to face Mortar for a final confirmation.
Since he possessed the ability to monitor all information through the "Eternal Nations" system, he had no need for this, making it a performance more than anything else.
But if everything were to proceed solely by his own hand, an organization could not truly form. Even with this understanding, Takuto was well aware of the importance of confirming matters with his subordinates.
His subordinates, too, understood the significance of verbal confirmation, even if it was mutually understood.
"She was a good find, wasn't she? The matter of the Saint... I must ensure it proceeds properly..."
(Achieving a dimensional ascendancy victory means she'll get what she desires, but if we can finish it quickly, that would be better. The Saint from the journal was supposed to encounter a ritual suicide, but will he manage?)
Takuto conducted a final review of their forces with Elder Mortar and Gia, while simultaneously re-verifying the disposition of each faction in his mind.
There could be no oversights or gaps, and if problems arose with any unit, support would be needed.
War was fundamentally altered by its preparatory stages. As everything hinged on this final arrangement, he could not afford to let his guard down.
(Each faction has been assigned in their optimal configuration. There is likely no better deployment possible. However, I am concerned that the Succubus faction's player and the Hack-and-Slash faction remain unidentified. The movements of the Saint on the Orthodox Continent side are also a worry. Well, I suppose I'll just have to respond to those matters as they arise...)
The other allied nations—Yuuyu and Kurippan—were scheduled to head to other fronts. Additionally, the Elful sisters, Kree, and Ira's knights, among other units, were assigned to handle the Quolia sector.
Fonkavun and Sutherland, whose primary roles were reinforcement and maintaining occupied territory, were positioned behind the forces led by Takuto.
The battle about to unfold would be a clash of supernatural powers wielded by extraordinary beings.
Even with the firearms and other equipment Takuto had provided, soldiers measured by this world's standards would only end up throwing their lives away in vain.
It was the Dark Elves, who stubbornly refused to be deterred and demanded to join the battle lines, who were the abnormal ones.
Wrapped in a thin yet dark veil, Takuto's gaze turned toward the unknown territory of El-Naar beyond.
A soft, warm wind, ill-suited for the coming battle, brushed his cheek.
"Takuto."
"Atou..."
His most reliable subordinate was at his side. That alone brought a slight lift to the gloomy mood he had felt until now.
That said, Takuto's feelings were complex. Having thought his life had ended in a sickbed, he had arrived in this world, expected to resume his usual reclusive life, only to now be thrust onto the front lines of a looming great war.
"Ah, who would have thought things would turn out like this. I just wanted to live in peace, and before I knew it, it's a full-scale war."
"I could accept the part about making Dark Elves our citizens, but once the holy knights came to investigate, it was obviously heading in an unpleasant direction from there..."
Atou sighs along with him.
Would his past self be surprised if he said things were still better back then? If he had only looked at his own country, at Mynoghra alone, that would have been enough, but countless battles and partings had pushed Takuto to where he stood now.
He had long questioned why he was beset by so many troubles, but recently he had come to understand that those very battles had been orchestrated, which brought a measure of clarity to his feelings.
That said, he was far from convinced...
Takuto let his thoughts drift to those beings who had summoned them to this world, who entertained themselves with grand things like game systems.
"All of this is because of those hobbyists playing board games behind the scenes, but... well, it seems like we need to focus on the problems right in front of us now. Ugh, I really don't want to fight a war."
"And yet, we have emerged victorious in every great battle thus far. This humble Atou believes with all his heart that you will triumph, Lord Takuto."
"Of course."
Takuto's will was unshakeable.
Having already experienced defeat once, there was no longer any room for complacency in him. The many perilous battles that followed had also contributed to his growth.
The current Takuto surely stood at heights far above the Takuto Ira of his prime.
Having experienced not just the detached, god's-eye view of a game but actual battlefields and the exchange of lives—and having understood their true meaning—there was little that could stand in his way.
For this battle too, Takuto set his sights on victory and determined every strategy and operation accordingly.
He was Takuto Ira—the legendary player who had once held the number-one world ranking in Eternal Nations as an unassailable fact.
Defeat was a word that did not suit him. Victory alone was fitting.
Takuto desired victory. An overwhelming, thorough victory.
"In order to achieve an Ascension Victory as well, of course..."
To lead every citizen to true happiness.
Without being dragged into some pointless war, simply spending each day in peace, thinking only of the kingdom and its people—that was the world he sought to obtain.
To reclaim the happiness that had been lost.
No matter what obstacles stood in his way...
(The intentions of the gods lurking behind him remained shrouded in fog. No... they were beginning to clear.)
The problems Takuto faced were many. Chief among them was this one.
The gods' existence felt like something beyond even Takuto's ability to contend with—overwhelmingly, absurdly colossal. A direct confrontation was out of the question.
And yet, he could not afford to give up, nor did he have any intention of doing so.
(There's no telling what kind of impact beings of such immense will might have on our objectives. But I can't stop in my tracks... besides.)
Takuto surfaced from the depths of his brooding thoughts and focused his attention on what lay before him.
"I don't like being on the receiving end of things."
The power of the deep darkness dwelling within him proclaimed that the time had come.
He raised his hand sharply. Upon the signal, a unit hastily fired an illumination flare, and upon confirming it, troops moved into position.
Takuto, too, turned on his heel alongside Atou, heading for the trump card he had held in reserve to the rear.
"Come, let's begin, Atou. It's war. Nothing more, nothing less—just another war. Same as always—"
Like a single vast organism, the army stirred and moved, reflecting Takuto's will without the slightest deviation. They were truly an army of ruin.
Gestating to scorch everything clean, they eagerly awaited the moment they would hear their prey's screams.
Feeling the wind brush against his cheek, Takuto allowed a smile to cross his face.
It was, oddly enough, the same cruel expression he sometimes wore while playing Eternal Nations.
"Let us begin the war of Mynoghra—of Takuto Ira."
The army of ruin moved out.
To annihilate all enemies, to trample every obstacle.
=Message===
The effect of the Grand Rite has ended.
The Twilit Realm: Mynoghra
―――