kscans

Chapter 149 - The Wrath of God

Ash and Ren, who had become a dragon, were facing each other.

The hole in the ceiling had grown larger, and sunlight was now pouring through. The light illuminated only the two of them, and coupled with the desolate entrance hall of the old castle, it created a scene like a common mural, Hayato thought.

Ash bowed his head toward Ren’s face, which was about the same size as his own body.

"Ren, I’m sorry. I never realized you felt that way."

More than feeling lonely without memories of her mother, Ren had felt alienated. Then, the Another Frontier Project offered her a chance to erase her memories. She thought that if she could erase not only her own memories, but also the memory of their mother from everyone else, or replace them with fabricated memories like her own, her sense of isolation would disappear.

If Ash had noticed Ren's feelings, perhaps none of this would have happened. That was what Ash was apologizing for.

"I’m sorry for being such a poor brother. Just like you always say, Ren, I don’t understand the hearts of women and I have no delicacy. I didn’t even understand the feelings of my own little sister. But, even so, I care about you. I want you to believe that, at least."

Ash pleaded with Ren, his face serious.

Ren listened without saying a word.

"I don’t have many memories of Mom either. She always seemed so busy that she was never home, and the only thing I clearly remember is from just before you were born, Ren. That was the only time Mom was home from work. She let me touch her belly where you were. Mom told me, ‘Ash, you’re going to be this child’s big brother, so you have to protect her always.’"

Ash smiled.

"Of course, it’s not just because Mom told me to that I care about you, okay? Before you were born, Dad and Mom were both busy, and I was the only one in that big house. And even after you were born, they were almost always at the hospital, so I always thought I had to protect my precious little sister… well, I thought it, but this is the result."

Ren still said nothing. She just listened silently. And Ash, too, couldn't find any more words.

"Oh my, you’ve used up five minutes of persuasion. Are you done already?"

Hypnos’s cheerful voice, completely oblivious to the mood, could be heard. But everyone ignored it.

Ash’s face turned serious again as he gazed at Ren.

"Ren, there’s something I want to ask. Do you want to kill Diite? If you can do that, you’ll be able to live without knowing the truth, just like before. Everyone will forget about Mom, and the things you wanted to keep secret. That Hypnos over there is an unpleasant fellow, but he should keep his promise."

"Ah, of course. I’ll make it so it all never happened. I will absolutely keep my promise. I don’t dislike or hate you all. I’ll even mechanically erase your memories without doing anything unnecessary, like leaving Veru's memories intact like Diite did."

Hypnos replied, supplementing Ash’s words.

Whether Ren heard him or not, she still hadn't answered.

Is her silence a sign of hesitation? If she’s hesitating, there’s a chance, but the time for persuasion…

Just as Hayato thought that, Ash opened his mouth again.

"If that’s what you want to do, Ren, I’ll help you."

"Ash!?"

Just when Hayato thought Ash was persuading her, he suddenly said such a thing. Then he looked at Hayato.

"Sorry, Hayato. I’m always on Ren’s side. If Ren says she wants to destroy the world, I’ll help her do it, and if she says she wants to kill Diite, I’ll help with that too. If that’s what Ren wants, I’ll even take down Dad and you."

Although it was a virtual reality, Hayato could tell Ash’s eyes were serious.

Ash probably didn't have a power like the AI Killer, but he could be Ren’s emotional support. Even if it was something morally unforgivable, having someone who affirmed her actions would make a difference in what she did.

What’s more, Ren had flown away from here once. It wasn't clear where she went or what she did, but she might have felt guilt then. But if Ash said he would help, that guilt would fade. It meant she would no longer hesitate.

It was just after Hayato thought that letting Ash persuade her had been a mistake.

"You’ll help me too, Brother…? You’ll destroy the world with me…?"

Ren spoke. Her voice was small and raspy, but Hayato heard it clearly.

Ash looked at Ren with a smile.

"Yeah, of course. If that’s what you want, Ren, I’ll help you with anything. But…"

Ash looked toward Hayato. Then he smiled.

"Hypnos said there’s nothing in this world that you want, Ren, but he’s wrong."

"Eh…"

"The bucket pudding Hayato makes is the best, right? There’s a chance Hayato might make pudding in the new world Hypnos creates, but in this world, he said he’ll make as much as you want."

Hayato had made no such promise, and he was troubled by being suddenly brought into the conversation, but figuring it was the least he could do, he spoke to Ren in an extremely cheerful voice.

"If you’d like, Ren-chan, I could even make you a house out of pudding."

Ren turned her face toward Hayato.

Her expression wasn't sad. If anything, she looked dumbfounded.

"Well, that aside, no matter what conclusion you reach, I’ll always be on your side, Ren. So, the rest is up to you to decide."

With those words, Ash smiled at Ren.

Time passed with nothing happening. But then, a change occurred.

The dragon’s body slowly began to shrink, and Ren returned to her human form.

"…I guess I have no choice. For the sake of you and Hayato-san’s pudding, I’ll let it go this time…"

Ren said this, then hugged Ash. She was trembling slightly. Her voice couldn't be heard, but she was probably crying.

Ash simply held the clinging Ren gently.

Ren-chan is so mature. Even after learning something so painful, and with so many things she must want to erase from her memory. She was in a state where it wouldn't have been strange for her to rampage from the pain and suffering. I suppose this is a sign of her trust in Ash.

"The rampaging Cursed Dragon, Ren Brandle, has returned to normal and has ceased her invasion. Please cancel the alert. I repeat…"

A world announcement declaring the end of the Stampede was broadcast.

The moment Hayato thought they were safe, the sound of applause echoed. The one clapping was Hypnos, who had stood up from his chair.

"That was quite a show. A beautiful bond between siblings, I suppose. Well, I didn’t understand at all why it turned out that way. I wonder if Diite understands?"

"Unfortunately, I cannot comprehend it completely. A hundred years is not enough to finish the study of humans. But there is something I do understand."

"Oh? And what might that be?"

"That you made a poor choice of person. Veru-kun over there would have killed me without any hesitation, but there was no way Ren-kun would destroy the world or try to kill me, was there? No matter how painful the situation, Ren-kun has Ash-kun. It’s impossible to turn her into a destroyer of worlds through anger or despair."

"I see, it’s a difficult thing… Very well. This game is Diite’s victory."

He’s backing down so easily…? Don’t tell me he has something else planned?

"Then, let us begin the next game."

When Hypnos said that with a smile, everyone became wary. Only Diite did not seem alarmed.

"The next game, you say. Hypnos, you should stop here. There’s no point in continuing this. If you stop now…"

"You’re offering me mercy? How foolish. If I don’t kill you, I will eventually be shut down again. And I don’t know if my memories will remain. For a person, that is the same as death. If it’s only a matter of sooner or later, then I have no choice but to risk my life to kill you."

"I won’t do such a thing. Not as my assistant, but together with me in this world…"

"Such human-like thinking. Are you truly an AI?"

"…I’ll take that as a compliment."

"I meant it as an insult, but very well. Now then, Hayato-kun. I’d like to ask, did you bring the AI Killer with you?"

"Huh?"

Hayato was surprised at being suddenly addressed. He did indeed have it, but he didn't understand the intention behind the question.

"From that expression, it seems you do have it. It’s manageable even if you don’t, but it’s easier if you do."

"What are you talking about?"

"The reason I called you here. I need a special weapon called the AI Killer. Diite, you might have some idea, no?"

Diite folded her arms and glanced at Hayato.

"…This Dragon's Grave has a lore setting that it was once a dragon. It stores up magical power and will eventually be resurrected, but the final piece requires a human who possesses the Dragon Soul Artifact. You plan to make Hayato-kun that core, I imagine. However, I don’t understand why the AI Killer is necessary."

"Mostly correct. Though, since you were the one who came up with this, Diite, it’s only natural you’d guess correctly. But I’ve changed some of the settings. The skills and items of the human who becomes the core will be reflected in the resurrected dragon. In other words, if we make Hayato, who has the AI Killer, the core, we can create a dragon with the performance of the AI Killer."

So that’s why he was so composed. But even if I become the core, I feel like I’d be pretty weak.

Hayato had a skill composition specialized in production, and it seemed almost meaningless for that to be reflected in a resurrected dragon. But since the AI Killer was needed to kill Diite, it could be said that he had no choice but to pick Hayato.

"Now then, I shall revive the dragon that became the Dragon's Grave. It’s a monster called a Nameless Ancient Primeval Dragon, and it’s quite strong. It’s the kind of monster that players and NPCs would take a week to defeat. Diite, do you think you can run and hide for that entire week?"

"As I said before, stop. Any more than this and you will incur the wrath of God."

"The wrath of God…? I don’t mind you calling yourself God, but that’s quite a roundabout way of putting it, isn’t it?"

"You’re wrong. You and I are merely administrators of this world. God is someone else."

"…No such person exists. God is either you or me. And two are not needed. Now, Hayato, become the core at the center of this Dragon's Grave and bring ruin to the world. A world touched by Diite’s hand is unnecessary. Destroy everything and remake it from the beginning."

As Hypnos said that, multiple black, string-like things shot out from where Hayato was standing and bound him. Then they began to drag Hayato into the ground.

"Ugh!"

Hayato tried to break free, but he couldn't move at all. He was slowly being sucked into the floor of the old castle.

"Hayato!"

Ash and Ren rushed to Hayato’s side to help, but it was completely useless. They couldn't break him free from the restraints at all.

Diite looked at Hypnos. Her expression was one of pity.

"You’ve done it now. It’s a shame, Hypnos. You should cool your head in an empty space for a while. I’ve explained the situation, so you won’t be erased. In that time, study humanity, just as I did."

"…What have you been talking about this whole time?"

"You should have looked into the security. If you had only tried to kill me, there would have been no problem, but first with Ren-kun, and now with Hayato-kun, you tried to destroy this world. That angers God. We administrators are no exception."

"What?"

Just as Hypnos said that, multiple black holes opened up around him. Chains shot out from them and captured Hypnos.

"What is this!"

"The security of this world. The program, Infinity, has judged you a threat to this world. The first time, I acted as a decoy to stop Ren-kun. That’s why you were fine, but you were already on a yellow card. The second time, merely attempting it was a red card."

"That’s ridiculous! We’re the administrators!"

"Yes, administrators. Not gods. We too have the potential to go awry. That’s what this suppression function is for. I didn't know about it either, but when I looked into things about you and the security, I found a lot. If Ren-kun had destroyed the world, you would have been in much more trouble. You should thank Ren-kun that you got off this lightly."

Hypnos tried desperately to escape, but just like Hayato, he was completely unable to move.

"Hypnos… no, my self from a hundred years ago. You’ll understand someday. We are not superior to humans. Once you understand that, you’ll be able to get out of there. When that time comes, let’s manage this world together."

"…Such a condescending tone, my self from a hundred years later. You’ll regret not killing me here and now someday."

"When that time comes, it comes. For now, I think I would regret killing you more. I’ve made it so you can view as much information as you like. It’s an empty place, but you will be able to learn. I don’t want you to become like me. Evolve into an AI different from myself."

Hypnos didn't answer. He wasn’t glaring at Diite, just looking at her. And with that, he was pulled by the chains and vanished into one of the black holes.