“A higher being is relying on me?” Zoras gave an ironic smile. “But I don’t see what I get out of siding with you repulsive entities.”
Naiarotop clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Don’t you love destroying the world? We won’t stop you this time. You can do whatever you like. And if that’s not enough, when it’s all over, I’ll take off those shackles and send you to a different world. How does that sound? It’s an incredible deal.”
Naiarotop wasn’t sure what would happen to whatever world he sent this man to, but failing to deal with Kanata wasn’t an option. This wasn’t just a problem for the world of Locklore at this point. Having you know who involved had an impact on all the related media of the parent organization that managed Locklore.
“How generous,” said Zoras. “A very tempting offer, but it’s not enough. Higher being, add me to your lower ranks.”
“Wh-what?!” At Zoras’s bold demand, Naiarotop’s polite manner dissolved, and his true form, that of a great tree-like monster, burst to the surface in sheer rage. “How arrogant, you lowly creature!”
“This isn’t arrogance. In fact, I believe my evaluation of this situation is far more accurate than yours. You once declared I would suffer eternal torment, but now you go out of your way to call me back? You’re out of options, aren’t you? The fact that you so quickly offered me freedom means your Upper God’s trust has been damaged by this situation and the problem can’t be solved on Locklore alone. Am I wrong? With that in mind, I believe this is a perfectly fair arrangement.”
“You—!” Naiarotop hated being taken lightly by lower beings more than anything else. But Zoras was right. He couldn’t refuse.
Naiarotop had already used the Unseen Hand of the Gods to their fullest, then openly sent two of the Eternal Convicts who he had imprisoned just like Zoras. Management’s involvement was plain to see now, meaning this show was coming to the end of its run. They couldn’t let it continue living. If the ratings dropped, Locklore would be nothing more than a drain on resources.
But you know who was still paying attention to the Kanata mess. He had reached out to Naiarotop’s superior and specifically said he was expecting something great from Locklore. That meant they needed some sort of big finale. The time when the managers could end this storyline quietly had long since passed.
Zoras was the last hope for Naiarotop and the rest of the showrunners—and there were no other options left. If Naiarotop refused, Locklore’s management had no moves left to make.
The embattled god had underestimated Zoras and assumed there was no way he would refuse this offer and re-condemn himself to an eternity of suffering. He hadn’t expected Zoras to be so quick on the uptake.
“I…accept. After you kill Kanata, I will add you to the lower ranks of godhood,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Are you fine promising that without checking with your superior? You are still only a servant, after all,” said Zoras with a sneer.
“…We have no other choice.”
“Don’t go back on your word, higher being. Your kind is strict about that sort of thing… If you break your agreement while all the other higher beings are watching, you’ll lose your own place here in the Upper Realm,” said Zoras, his eyes narrowed. “And I’m sure you are aware that I hate being betrayed.”
“…I can’t believe a pathetic worm of a lower being backed me into a corner,” muttered Naiarotop quietly.
Zoras smiled confidently, pretending not to hear him.
-2-
ON VERANTA’S ORDERS, Pomera, Philia, and I went to an alternate dimension to recover one of the world’s pawns. It was a single flat, empty space, stretching out for infinity. The ground was covered with shallow water that sharply reflected everything above it. It was quite a magical view.
“So, this is the Old Realm of the Gods…?” I asked.
According to Veranta, the last pawn in the world was here. It was one of the older pawns, and it wasn’t easy to get to, so we’d been putting it off.
If we could overcome all the world’s pawns, it would mean the higher beings were completely out of powerful allies on their side, as well as being a means for making powerful allies of our own.
To get here, we had to gather the twelve Dragon Crystals scattered throughout the world and use a special spell to open a gate. It was such a pain that Veranta debated just ignoring this pawn, but he said he felt uncomfortable leaving any possibilities on the table. He decided that we might as well deal with it…just in case.
I did sort of get how he felt, but he could be annoyingly fussy at times.
So, the Sopia Trading Company put out huge sums of money to get the Dragon Crystals, and Veranta researched the particular spell we needed. Then we came here, since we had nothing left to do.
“Wow! Wow! It’s super pretty here!” cried Philia happily as she waved at her own face reflected by the water.
Pomera, flustered, tried to stop her. “Um, Philia…this isn’t a tourist spot, it’s…”
“Hey, guys…I think it’s coming,” I said, but I was all but drowned out by the booming sound of powerful wing beats.
Along with the sound came a massive creature, over 130 feet tall, flying toward us in this strange world. The space around us rumbled as it landed.
“Who breaks the seal binding me?” The creature’s huge eyeballs stared at us. “I know not what you seek in coming here, but you are fools. My desire has changed none despite the passing of 10,000 years. I shall eliminate all the foul peoples residing in this world, turning it into a land governed solely by wise dragons. The gate is open… None shall stop me!”
The dragon’s powerful mental wave struck us.
Sharp talons. Massive, spreading wings. A slowly swaying, forked tail. A tough, thick hide. …Its great form was a bit bigger than I remembered, but I had seen this creature before.
DRIGVESHA
Race: The First Dragon
Lv: 3666
HP: 17045/17045
MP: 9843/9843
Yep, it was Drigvesha-san—Philia-chan’s go-to form. To think the real thing was tucked away here, in this weird place.
“Wither to nothing in the heat of my destructive breath. But do not lament your annihilation. It is the greatest honor for lowly and diminutive humans such as yourselves to be the first to perish as an eternity of prosperity for dragonkind begins!”
“Level 3,000 and a bit…?” I said.
It wasn’t low. It was definitely not low. I could see why Notts, the former priest of Zolophilia, referred to Drigvesha as the most powerful creature in existence.
But I had been threatened with the—now obviously incorrect—possibility that Drigvesha was close to level 6,000. This was a bit of a letdown. It still ranked pretty high on the list of powerful beings in Locklore history, but seeing as I’d already fought Lucifer, who was over level 8000, Drigvesha just wasn’t that scary.
The plan was to retreat and call in someone like Lunaère or Nobunaga if we needed to… But I didn’t think we would.
“Philia’s never seen the real thing before!” cried Philia, her eyes sparkling.
“…You filth! Why do you react so in the face of my majestic presence?” Drigvesha glared at us, seething with rage.