The King—a man who was once a king—spoke.
"…Life is finite. Existence is a pilgrimage of accumulating suffering. But it is never a tale of death and severance."
Now, he understands. He recognizes the meaning of endings, the value born from suffering. Yet, he cannot accept it. He never could.
Life may have value. Death may have meaning.
But what of reality?
There are worthless lives. Meaningless deaths. Lives that end unwitnessed. Corpses that merely exist. Unrewarded love. Unsaved hearts. Nothing left behind. Nothing remains. Only sadness. Only loneliness. Forgotten quickly. Erased easily. Only pain. Only lamentation. Only hardship. Only fear. Only despair. Only resignation. Solitude. Powerlessness. Tragedy. Only endings.
It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Only suffering. Only suffering. Only suffering. Only suffering. Only suffering. Only suffering.
There are lives not even worthy of sacrifice. Lives that don't even serve as foundations. Deaths consumed for nothing still hold some meaning. But what story lies in deaths processed as mere numbers?
Such a reality cannot be accepted.
That man was indeed an incompetent king. A merciless king. His words are divorced from reality. Some things remain unsaved. Some are never saved. This world overflows with deaths that are only endings. Lives that can only pile up suffering. Existences that end in nothing but agony.
—Thus, such a world must be denied.
Worthless lives are unacceptable. Meaningless deaths cannot be acknowledged. Every life should begin with celebration. Every death should end with mourning.
You are utterly detestable, Solomon. Your words forced us to start this plan. The world we create will surely brim with the hope you entrusted to that one. We'll accomplish what you couldn't.
We'll prove your nonsense was right.
Let the abominations that only multiply this world's tragedies become sacrifices for this grand endeavor. That is the final value you're granted. Your ugliness will fuel a beautiful world.
Your deaths should have meaning, shouldn't they?
"The Hero Faction is going to fight that goddess, Rhongomyniad, right, Rint?"
"Looks like it, Valerie-senpai."
Valerie Tepes, the half-vampire wielder of the Sephiroth Graal, and Rint Sellzen, chosen by the Incinerate Anthem, sipped tea while conversing.
"Killing a god in modern times? Kinda scary, huh. Glad I'm not part of the Hero Faction!"
"But it's worrying. I hope everyone's okay."
In the Demon God Pillars' plan, their roles are crucial. Thus, they're excluded from the battle against the Goddess Rhongomyniad. Rint's brother, Freed, however, is counted as a combatant.
"No need to worry, Valerie Tepes. We'll win, no matter what."
Valerie, Rint, and Cao Cao hold near-equal value. But due to his "incomplete" state, Cao Cao is permitted to fight, a role he also desires.
The old Cao Cao would have challenged a goddess to become a hero. Now, his reasons differ. He has a purpose for fighting, a reason to win.
"Well, well, if it isn't Cao Cao-sensei. What's up?"
"Seen the Professor?"
The Professor—an elderly gentleman in appearance, insisting on being called "Napoleon" despite no connection to the emperor. He serves as the brains of the Hero Faction, lacking experience, and introduced them to the Demon God Pillars.
The Hero Faction is no longer strictly part of the Khaos Brigade. They align more with the Demon God Pillars. Ophis, the Khaos Brigade's figurehead, is gone, though Cao Cao, Valerie, and Rint are unaware of her ties to Goetia.
"No, he's not here."
"Haven't seen him either."
"Got it. I learned about some of the goddess' forces and wanted his input. If you see him, tell him to head to the usual room."
Rint interjected, "I've been wondering, Cao Cao-sensei. You've figured out the Professor's true identity, haven't you?"
Caught off guard, Cao Cao quickly recovered, chuckling and shrugging—a silent affirmation.
"Guess so. Sounds like you heard it from him directly?"
"Nope, from Freed-aniki via Amon-sama."
"…I see."
"So, aren't we just being used up by the Hero Faction like this?"
Cao Cao remained unfazed by Rint's jab. "Maybe. I don't know his motives or what fate he's trying to force on me. I abandoned a mundane long life for a hero's turmoil, but I lacked resolve and foresight. Following his words might lead to a grim end. Still, I'm grateful for meeting him."
His words were sincere. And so were these: "Besides, surpassing my mentor's expectations is the best way to repay him. We're going to defeat a goddess. But that's not the end, right? I want to do what someone, somewhere, once did."
Cao Cao's eyes gleamed reddish-black. "I'll save the world—"
"Don't get too full of yourself." A voice interrupted—one that came from Cao Cao's own mouth.
But neither Valerie, Rint, nor Cao Cao himself seemed surprised. A faint but clear irritation laced the voice.
"You can't save the world. You can't surpass us. You lack admiration, conviction, resolve, ideology, madness, and desire. Even with the Holy Spear, heroic lineage, natural talent, or divine upbringing, you'll never be Ritsuka Fujimaru."
Ritsuka Fujimaru. The Demon God Pillars occasionally mention that name, often with hatred. The Pillar fused with Cao Cao's cells harbors the deepest loathing.
"You're special. An exception. That's why you can't surpass that ordinary, average man. You're not worth my hatred. Just defeat the goddess, fully merge with my factor, and complete the spear."
Cao Cao's eyes returned to normal.
"…So, to them, defeating a goddess is a given. If I'm special, I should pull it off, huh?"
Tapping the True Longinus on his shoulder, he grinned deeply.
"Fine. I'll show them human potential."
I—Hyoudou Issei—am being chased daily by a giant dragon on a mountain in the Gremory territory of the Underworld.
It's not a monster attack—it's training. Training. I thought I'd die countless times, but it's training. Eating and sleeping like a castaway survivor—it's training.
My mentor is Tannin, a former Dragon King and Ultimate-Class Devil, the "Blaze Meteor Dragon." He's a literal dragon, a massive mythical beast. But he's not a savage, unapproachable monster. He's a dragon, but a good guy.
I'm training under him because Azazel-sensei arranged it. As advisor to Rias Gremory's peerage, he set our training regimen. My basic abilities are lacking, so brutal, survival-style training strengthens my body.
I can't beat Vali now. Azazel, alive since the Bible's dawn, calls him the strongest White Dragon Emperor ever—past, present, and future. Vali Lucifer, a prodigy born with talent I, an ordinary guy, can't match. "Genius" doesn't even cover it.
I heard about him from Azazel-sensei, who came to check on my training.
"So, you've got no idea where Vali is right now?"
Azazel nodded. "Yeah. The Old Satan faction, a major part of the Khaos Brigade—a mysterious terrorist group. As Lucifer's descendant, Vali's movements should stand out. Even vague info should leak, but… nothing. There's a rumor he leads a special team with unique authority, but it's odd."
"Huh."
"It's Vali. No need to worry."
From what I heard, Azazel practically raised him. I don't know the details, but even a battle maniac like Vali has his reasons.
"Focus on your training with Tannin. The game with Riser Phenex is soon. Your Balance Breaker is key to beating that immortal bird."
"Yes! I'll master Balance Breaker and crush that yakitori jerk!"
"That's the spirit."
The postponed game with Riser Phenex looms. With President Rias's future and the treaty's timing at stake, the big shots of each faction are watching. It was already a must-win fight, but now I really can't screw up.
President Rias's father said if this engagement-breaking game hadn't happened, we'd have faced President Sona's peerage. I might've fought Sona's pawn, Saji. Two "Pawns" in love with their masters—it could've been a chance to clash over our feelings.
"Oh, speaking of missing people, Azazel-sensei, any news on Irina?"
"Irina Shidou, the Protestant holy sword user? No, even Michael hasn't heard anything. No progress."
Irina Shidou, my childhood friend who moved abroad, turned out to be a Church holy sword wielder. She returned to Kuoh during Kokabiel's holy sword incident. Xenovia was there when Kokabiel revealed God's absence, but Irina wasn't. Spared that knowledge, she was supposed to return to Church headquarters with Excalibur's fragments—but she's still missing. Traces were found up to her entering Europe, but that's it. The fragments are gone too. The likeliest scenario is that someone attacked her for the sword. Kidnapped or killed—I hope she's alive.
Xenovia, who learned of God's absence, is also missing. She was expelled from the Church with Durandal as severance, but that's all we know. President Rias was bummed she couldn't recruit her.
"—Huh, even Michael doesn't know where I am."
Confused, I froze as Azazel and Tannin shifted to combat stances. From the trees emerged her—Irina Shidou. Not in her usual battle outfit, but in light knightly armor.
The first to react wasn't me, Azazel, or Tannin, but Ddraig in my Sacred Gear.
"I've been waiting. You're here on his behalf, aren't you?"
"…Ddraig?"
The cryptic words sparked endless questions. Why is Irina here? Why didn't Azazel or Tannin notice her approach? Why did Irina, a Church member, call Michael by name? And why are we surrounded by knights?
Knights in plain, full-body armor. Their eeriness wasn't just their lack of exposure. They lacked any hint of humanity or life. Yet their killing intent was overwhelming, nearly knocking me out.
The clank of their armor echoed with every move. I wanted to ignore it, but the silence made it deafening, grating on my nerves.
"Issei-kun, can I have that arm? Just the contents."
Irina drawing a sword and pointing it at me. It wasn't Excalibur.
"—All for His Majesty, the Lion King."
***
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