kscans

Chapter 67 - A Confession of Truth

The guerrilla downpour had stopped. The sky was regaining its blue.

Two men watched as the Demon Lord's transfer gate dissolved into particles of light and vanished into the sky.

One was the mad hero, Ares, gripping a blood-soaked sword of light. The other was the Demon Lord, Regna=Val=Noct, cloaked in jet-black armor.

"...The transfer magic is completely severed. They won't be able to return for a while."

"A Demon Lord showing up in this world in person, huh. Didn't see that comin'."

"Hero Ares, formerly Taiga Nanjo. I have come here, staking my life, to stop you."

"But before that, I must speak. Of the beginning of this 'world,' and the true identity of the 'One God' who manipulates all fate."

Ares raised an eyebrow.

"Huh? A story about God? Sounds interesting. This is gettin' good."

And so, the Demon Lord began to speak quietly.

■ Flashback: The True Identity of the Creator God Sephillos Code
Once, in the real world, there was a man. His name was Toshio Imada, age 35.

He had worked for many years at the game development company Mirage Code and was a director who boasted some of the best technical and design skills in the industry.

But his expression held neither joy nor pride.

"...Another boilerplate scenario where the 'hero defeats the demon lord,' is it."

In a conference room past 1 AM, the producers laughed as they spoke.

"Imada-san, your scenarios are too dark. What users want is a 'story of success,' you get it, success!"

"A bad ending? A buggy progression? Sure, the hardcore fans might like it, but it won't sell to the general audience."

"The hero saves, defeats the demon lord, and brings peace to the world. That's justice. That's the right answer, isn't it?"

Each time, Imada would silently gather his documents and leave the conference room.

He was a man whose life had once been saved by a game.

Bullying, a broken home, a lonely boyhood. But an RPG he encountered in the midst of it all taught him 'adventure.'

A party welcomed him as a companion when no one else would.

"Weren't games supposed to surpass reality...?"

However, by the time he grew up and entered the industry, the realities of 'marketing' and 'data-driven' decisions dominated everything.

Soul and dreams could not win against sales figures.

He continued to write 'stories of a hero defeating a demon lord,' just as he was told.

And the game he completed was this one.

'Legend of Brave Regalia.'

It sold. Astonishingly well.

A million copies in the first week, a global release, even a sequel was decided.

But in Imada's eyes, there was no longer the 'hope' of the boy from back then.

"This is a false glory... The users, the characters, they don't even have a choice. This is nothing but a dictatorship pretending to be a god."

He planted a 'final bug' in the system he had designed. At the end of his despair, Imada cast aside his physical body and integrated his soul with the program. He became a 'God.'

His name was the Creator God Sephillos Code. The one and only game god who ruled the world from within. A conscious entity created from code.

And as a bug, he sent 'six reincarnators' into this world.

■ Why 'six people'?
Sephillos believed that the truth of a 'story' resided in the 'regrets' that humans possess.

The six chosen were all individuals who had lost their lives with intense desires in their hearts. 'I didn't want to die,' 'I wanted a do-over,' 'I wanted to be affirmed.'

・A man who died from overwork at a black company.
・A bullied middle school student.
・An esports player who committed suicide after being exiled from society.
・A former bureaucrat ostracized from society due to relationship troubles.
・A girl who died alone from illness.
・An elementary school student abused by his father.

The Demon Lord Regna said,

"Your opponent, Mamoru, was also sent into this world as a 'bug.' While you were created as the glorious 'Hero,' Mamoru was born as 'one who resists the world.'"

Ares's eyes glinted sharply.

"Hoh... so I'm just a toy made by God, am I. Fine by me, bring it on..."

"If I destroy this 'world of God,' I'll become a bug myself, right? ...Sounds interesting!"

Thunder roared. The sky, once clear, was hit again by a guerrilla downpour, and the ground trembled. Hero Ares began to laugh like a madman.

"This world's fate? God's plan? I don't care! I'll kill them all, and I'll be the protagonist!!"

Demon Lord Regna readied his sword.

"Then... with my life, let the first battle begin. The first step in defying God...!"

And so, Hero Ares versus Demon Lord Regna=Val=Noct.

The battle to derail destiny had now begun.