Separate from our war, in a realm beyond our ability to see, the gods are also at war. I know this.
✦ ✦ ✦
A chat request! From whom I assume is the mysterious Romanian! ...I shouldn’t do this. It would be insincere to DDR to use voice chat, let alone text chat during an important battle. I only have ten fingers; multitasking leads to a drop in quality.
(Nice to meet you. I’m PotatoStarch.)
But I greeted them anyways! This is common sense! This is Japanese manners!
(Who are you? Did you by chance send me an email and package?)
This might be machine translation, but I can still attempt to be polite, even to this mysterious and possibly criminal person. This is my secret to preventing trouble and embarrassment at work. See? Even the hot knight is greeting the enemy general in-game.
“As you have seen, we are the revolutionary army blessed by the Devil God Himself! His Apostle, Kuroi, Hare of Flame, who appeared in the northernmost reaches of the Frontier, is divine proof of humanity’s guardian deity!”
He’s probably blabbering about how we’re in the right or something. Medieval-style battles have that sort of image to them. For instance, the Hundred Years’ War or the Genpei War. Although the most successful people in both wars completely ignored the rules, like Jeanne d’Arc and Minamoto no Yoritomo.
“What utter nonsense you speak, cur!”
Well, well. The enemy’s general seems to be an older lady in heavy makeup. I’m guessing she’s the type to speak her mind with the sharpest tongue possible. Oh, and she has a parasol atop her palanquin.
“Wh-What of your little display of sparks? What of this seedy little girl? The only gods in this world are the Demon and the Dragon Gods! This is the natural order of things! Do you not even understand that? And here you are, daring to point your blades at the palace! You... You traitors!”
This type of person can be really annoying as your enemy. They never bend their own rules and can’t be reasoned with... However, if you manage to make them your ally, they’ll bring you sweets and stuff for lunch. As a general rule of thumb, anyway.
Hm... Either way, I’m glad she’s engaging with us. It’d be... lonely if she just ignored us. It’s the same way I feel about the number of comments and viewers I receive!
(Are you stupid?)
What the hell is this person’s problem, though? What language is this even being translated from? Fine, I’ll answer.
(I’m often called a fool for being a workaholic. Who are you?)
(You must really be stupid. Idiots often do shocking things, after all.)
This isn’t even a conversation, damn it! What is this? Why do you keep calling me stupid? Sure, I might not be the brightest bulb, but I try to live right and not make trouble for anyone! All the while being crushed by the unfairness of society!
“It is not the royal family we wish to unseat! What we fight against is the unfairness of this world!” Shouts the handsome knight.
“Morons and fools, the lot of you! I-I am queen now! I stand at the apex of humanity! How dare you speak to me without even dismounting from your horse! Insolent dog!”
“We respect humanity, and thus we will not serve a tyrant!”
“Do you know who I am? Valkie blood flows through my veins! I have the right to rule! All of humanity bows to me! You should all be kissing the ground I stand on! This is as it should be!”
“Humans with the will to live as humans is ‘as it should be’! The sin of welcoming in the man-eating vampires, however... That is unpardonable!”
“Silence! Silence! How dare you speak to me like that, you mere elven pawns!”
This dialog event sure is long, but that’s just how it goes when talking to people who think they’re better than everyone else. I’ll let you in on a bit of wisdom: as long as you don’t know much about who you’re talking to, it’s best to treat them like they’re important.
(Did I do something to offend?)
(That stance is totally inappropriate for a Japanese.)
Now see here, Romanian. What am I supposed to say to that?
(Can you, a spectator with no merit, take responsibility?)
(You’re using a machine translator, right? I think that’s making you hard to understand.)
(Or, more likely, you have no brain.)
Hey. Hey, now! That was rude. Sure, I’m a small streamer and hardly an important employee at my company. I could quit without leaving behind a successor and they’d have no problem. ...Ugh, I made myself cry.
But at the very least, I’m sure I haven’t caused any trouble to the Romanian-speaking world.
(What method are you using to meddle in the parallel world?)
Uh, parallel world? I don’t even know where Romania is. West of Russia and east of France, maybe? And is this person ever going to name themself?
(Are you from Romania?)
(America knows, but you don’t. You are strange.)
(Are you from America?)
(“If you are fated to feast upon me and my flesh, then no matter what I do, it cannot be avoided.”)
Wow, now this Romanian is seriously speaking nonsense. What is this mixture of uncertainty and nervousness? If I didn’t think this person might have sent me a ridiculously expensive VR machine, would I just be irritated?
(Proverbs and quotes are interesting, aren’t they?)
(Are you stupid?)
Argh! This chat’s a distraction! Gotta focus on the game, so let’s just close the window... I can’t! FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU!
(This is why you continue to think of it as a game.)
Just ignore it. La-la-la! Can’t see a part of my monitor!
(This is your awakening, KartofStarch.)
Who the heck is that? I’m PotatoStarch!
✦ ✦ ✦
I’d assumed either I or Felipo would have gone to negotiate.
“The elves are common allies in these hard times! In the name of the Ewlogond Republic, they’ve agreed to a Wartime Military Alliance! Our goal is to fight back against the threat of the Demon God and the vampires!”
But Agias is doing pretty well. He’s got real fire in his belly. This gruff soldier doesn’t even need the help of an earl’s son or the seventh prince to out-argue this old lady. How symbolic. Change can, at times, be militaristic. This, too, is a step on our stairway to revolution.
“Together, we have slain hundreds—no, thousands of vampires with their assistance! We have fought alongside their Apostle, Ten Thousand Bells! And in that battle, our Apostle slew Golden!”
Wow! He speaks like a charging knight, with no room for negotiations.
“Y-Y-You speak nothing but l-lies!”
“Open your eyes to reality! And then consider the future! There is no human dignity in a world where our enemies can declare we’re having our final battle!”
This passion. This straight-forwardness... His majesty is palpable. Compared to him... Yep, she’s done. Her complexion’s gone from red to black; she’s going to start foaming at the mouth soon. But that’s fine. This should be finished soon.
All eyes are on them, enemy and ally alike. This tug of war over whose campaign is more righteous is pathetically one-sided. Before my eyes, our enemies have lessened and our allies have increased. Such victories are growing in number. Soon, this squabble amongst humans will be over.
Then, the real battle can begin, just as the headliner follows the opening act. We’ve already got an omen of this: something odd seems to have overtaken Lady Kuroi. She hasn’t moved, but I wonder how many have noticed the swords that appeared in her hands. And she’s glaring at the palace.
But most of all, this aura. What is it? What is this sense of tension that makes one wish to tuck tail and run? Both armies have lost the will to fight and are watching the argument unfold with great interest... However, it’s just a one-sided display. So why can I practically hear the air creaking, as if some great battle is happening? It’s giving me goosebumps.
Felipo has taken notice. Odysson... Ah, yes, he’s quite disturbed by it. I suppose it would be imprudent to assume Agias hasn’t noticed it. Is that why he’s getting more aggressive?
This isn’t Lady Kuroi’s mana we are sensing. This is, quite frankly, beyond the realm of human understanding.
Ugh, this ringing in my ears! Now the crowd’s started to talk among themselves. It is only natural—for this situation is unnatural. I haven’t experienced an overbearing, violent, and crushing aura such as this one since the battle against Golden...
Could... Could this be divine spirit? Is it, Felipo? Lady Kuroi is here, and thus, so is humanity’s Guardian God: the Devil God. But then, what of the other side? What can fight against a god and release such pressure? Is it there? Is it coming from the palace?
Ah! What is that?! A giant shadow rises from the palace! Hold on a second, now. How much bigger can it get? It’s orders of magnitude larger than a cyclops. On bat’s wings, it takes to the skies, crushing the residences surrounding the palace, and flies toward us. Even through the palace gates, I can see its face: a horrific construct, like pure brutality.
A demon. A demon! The holy book speaks of this: the Demon God’s closest servant... the avatar of destruction that leveled even the great dwarven fortress!