kscans

Chapter 108 - The Feelings of Toshio Imada, Developer of Legend of Brave Regalia

Upon entering the core of the tower, Ark-Lore-Crest, we were guided to its inner layers, riding on an escalator-like track of light.

Giant monitors floating in the void to our left and right quietly began to display images.

It was the memory of a single man.

Toshio Imada, in his youth. The day he first touched a video game. On the screen, the sight of a hero gaining allies and defeating a demon lord filled him with a hope so strong it made him tremble.

In reality, he was bullied, and at home, he faced his parents' angry shouts and indifference. But the party in the game accepted him as a "comrade."

"...For the first time... I felt like it was okay for me to be here..."

The boy shed tears as he ran through the 8-bit adventure. And he made a decision.

"I want to be on the side that creates a world like this too."

Eventually, he worked hard, his talent for game development blossomed, and he won numerous awards at a young age. He was assigned to a star team at the major development company, Mirage Code.

Up to this point, it was a history of glory.

But what was shown on the monitor next was reality.

The humiliation in the conference room.

"Imada-san, it's too dark. We don't need that kind of philosophy in an RPG."

"The hero beats the demon lord. That makes the players feel good. That's fine, isn't it?"

"Besides, it sells. In the first place, you're a salaryman, not a game creator, right?"

The conference room, past two in the morning. The sound of laughter and the smell of coffee in paper cups. There was no place there for the "dream" of that day.

Imada left the conference room in silence. Clutching his documents. Clutching his soul.

"...This is just a god's dictatorship."

"Users should have 'choices.' The freedom to change the world..."

Eventually, he designed his own masterpiece.

That was.

Legend of Brave Regalia.

On the surface, it was a classic RPG where the hero defeats the demon lord.

But the meaning embedded in the game's name was different. "Brave" would shatter the "Regalia" (royal authority). A prayer that courage would destroy god, destroy fate.

"I dared to create this 'classic path.'"

"But in the end, I planted a 'bug' that would rewrite the world."

"Believing that someday, someone... would break this structure."

And then, Imada discarded his physical body. He converted his soul into code, sealed all his memories and feelings in this tower, and became the Creator God Sephillos Code.

And with that, the escalator of light brought us to our destination. The top floor of Ark-Lore-Crest, the Throne of Divine Decree.

There was no ceiling. Space itself twisted, and countless tiers of light extended into the sky.

At its center, floated a single chair.

A throne made of heavy gold and obsidian. Amidst a rain of code, it was like a throne of "memory" that ruled the world.

And sitting there was the very soul of Toshio Imada.

His face, with the mask removed, was surprisingly young, and deeply weary.

"Mamoru. You are... the final variable I have been waiting for."

Imada spoke quietly.

"Show me the courage to destroy the classic path."

I was finally pressed to make my final decision as a reincarnator.