At the deepest point of the labyrinth was the throne where Kishirika had sat. It was currently occupied by a suit of armor. It was beautiful. The design was simple, with curving breastplate, pauldrons, and tasset. There was nothing special about it, but you could see it was miles apart from some mass-produced product thrown on the heap at your local armorer.
If it had been on display at an armorer, it couldn’t have failed to draw attention with its perfectly efficient design. Whatever metal it was truly made from, it shone gold, and in the dark it emitted a faint glow. The efficiency and the shining gold produced an awe-inspiring effect that fascinated anyone who saw it.
It was a bit smaller than the last time I’d seen it. No—there was no way the size had changed. When I first saw it, the awe it had inspired in me must have made it appear larger. Now, however, it appeared far more sinister.
“Th-this is the Fighting God Armor… W-wow… You can tell it’s crazy powerful just by looking at it.”
“Take care you do not touch it. It will suck you in.”
“R-right…” Geese then gingerly drew back his outstretched fingers.
“Fwahahaha! I jest! Nothing will happen simply by touching it!”
“C-c’mon, don’t scare me like that… Honestly, though, it feels like something would happen if ya touched it…”
The Fighting God Armor, built by Laplace as the ultimate armor. Nothing would happen if you touched it, but it cursed those who wore it, spurring them into battle. Remembering the old days was enough to give me goosebumps.
“Geese.”
“Yeah?”
“I know not what I will become after I put on the armor.”
Geese was silent.
“I will do my best to protect my sense of self, but it will only be a matter of time before I am lost. Worst case…”
“Worst case? Yikes, what the hell am I supposed to do then?”
“Oh, no, you need only to get me to where our enemies are. I’ll handle things after that.”
“All right, sounds doable.”
“Fwahahahahaha! I am counting on it!”
“Cool. It took a minute, but now we’ve got all the force we need to win. The Abyssal King’ll disrupt them, then the Sword God, North God and Ogre God’ll go in first…and then, in the end, if the Fighting God takes out the Dragon God, then victory’s as good as sealed.”
Geese sounded pleased.
Very well then!
“Well, then, for the first time in four thousand and two hundred years, I’ll show our enemies what it looks like when I get serious!”
“Yeeyah! You got this, big guy!”
“Fwahahahaha!”
“Hahahaha!” Geese’s laugh of relief echoed off the walls of Kishirika’s former throne room.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Much as I hate to do this when you’re in such high spirits, your time’s up.”
I was on my high-spirited way home when the Man-God came into my dreams to provoke me. What fun.
Ah, but what a peculiar place it was—white and empty. Where it could possibly be located had always been a mystery to me. You couldn’t wave it off with the excuse of it being a dream. The place was always the same, and from what I’d heard, that was true for the others the Man-God spoke to as well.
“Tch. What do you care about that for? So annoying.”
Now, now, Man-God, settle down. You come out of nowhere saying ‘time’s up,’ but I haven’t any idea what that means. I might be the Wise Demon King, but I still need knowledge in order to understand.
“Abyssal King Vita got taken out right at the start. The Sword God and the North God found out and went charging in too soon. The Ogre God joined the fight, but then Atofe came to back up Rudeus and took the ogres hostage.”
Ahh… You got thrashed, then.
“This is your fault, yours and Geese’s, for dawdling down in the labyrinth that long. Useless! You should have wiped the floor with a labyrinth like that! What were you even doing? And Geese! All that big talk from him only for it to end up like this? What a moron I was to count on you!”
Bwahahaha. I see how it is. The forces you assembled got taken out, and you’re sulking. You might get called a god, but in the end, you’re just a man.
“What did you say to me?”
The thing about plans is they rarely go how you’d like. One look at the Sword God and the North God should have been all it took to guess they’d run in too soon. Especially Alec. The boy never knew how to heel, not since he was a runt! Perhaps things didn’t go how you wanted, but you ought to have anticipated that. But wait…your overreliance on seeing the future means you’ve never been one to expect any other potential outcome. This sort of thing happens all the time.
“…What’s your problem?”
Bwahahaha! You’re only gonna get more wound up if you get that tetchy over every little thing! I must say, though, it’s unexpectedly refreshing to see you making that face! I like it! Once, a glimpse of that face might have shaken me—but now that I am lending you my help out of the goodness of my heart, I have nothing to fear! Bwahahaha!
“Give me a break. Sure, I can’t see your future, but I can still take away the things you hold dear…and I’ll manage it in places your eyes don’t reach.”
There’s that shortcoming of yours. You fail to get specific about those things I hold dear.
“Demon Emperor Kishirika Kishirisu.”
Oho… To be sure, the thought of you laying hands on her is not a pleasant one. But you mustn’t take all this so seriously! This is the kind of friendly banter that comes with being allies. Indeed, you and I are comrades now—brothers in arms. Taking out your irritation on your allies will only hurt their morale. You shouldn’t let on to your allies when you’re panicking—not when defeat is by no means certain.
“Uncertain? You do know more than half the allies I brought on board are down and it’s only you left now, right?”
It is not certain. It isn’t over yet. After all, Geese and I are still here.
“What, there’s still something you can do?”
Oh, yes! That’s the thing about plans—you always want to think two or three moves ahead. Geese and I were able to anticipate that the Sword God and Alec would act like fools and charge in ahead. We have another plan.
“And are you sure we’ll win with this plan?”
Bwahahaha! Haven’t you been listening? There’s no such thing as a plan that’s guaranteed to win! On that note, our first plan aimed for a total victory, but this next one…doesn’t. The next-best plan is what comes after the best plan, you know!
“Don’t piss me off. Answer the question. Will it win or won’t it?”
We ought to be able to satisfy the conditions for victory, even if the victory is not total.
“You’d better.”
Well, even if I didn’t have another plan, I’d simply fight with everything I have.
“That would be pointless.”
Bwahahaha! That sort of thinking is why you’re in this mess!
“…And what’s that supposed to mean?”
Geese will give everything he has for you, and I mean to do the same. I don’t know about the Abyssal King, but let us assume he, too, gave everything he had. But what of the Sword God and the North God? What of the Ogre God? The Sword God and North God rushed in too soon. But if they had given all they have for you, if they had trusted you and us, whom you trust, what do you think would have happened then? Mightn’t they not have panicked and rushed in when they heard the Abyssal King had been killed?
The Ogre God said that the ogres were taken hostage. His job is to protect the ogres. As their leader, it is his duty. So when they were taken hostage, he had no choice but to prioritize them. But what if he had decided to give everything for you? Say he had cast aside his title of Ogre God and fought for you as just another warrior from the start. Wouldn’t he have continued to fight in your name, even after the ogres were taken hostage?
“…I don’t…there’s no point in ‘what-if’s.”
Bwahahaha! Life is one ‘what-if’ after another! People do things for one another and help others without hope of reward in order to turn those ‘what-if’s into reality! Indeed, just like Rudeus Greyrat does!
“You’re telling me to copy him?”
Your interpretations of what I said are no concern of mine. However, I shall give you a word of advice before I go. It’s not fair for me to always be the one taking your advice, now, is it? I am the Wise Demon King! I should return the favor every once in a while!
“Like I want your—”
Geese and I will likely die in this battle. But the fight will continue. And even if we win, it will not mean a total end to the fighting. You can see the future, so you think if you see yourself smiling in the end, that means you will have won. But others will come to threaten that shining future of yours. So hear me: if you want to have the last laugh, pay heed to the hearts of men.
“‘The hearts of men’? That’s the stupidest thing—”
And now, I bid thee farewell! Bwahahaha! Bwa, bwa, bwaaahahahahahahaha!