Paradium

As soon as Saint Night knelt, it came down from the sky.

Pose almost identical to Saint Night’s—but the aura of menace was incomparably greater.

A medieval, strikingly beautiful face. Crimson-black lightning swirling around its body.

Uncannily grotesque, yet somehow divine.

Never seen before. Never known.

And yet… everything was clear.

“An evil god?”

“Yes.”

A voice neither male nor female, neither adult nor child—a strange, unsettling sound.

But cold to the bone. Chilling.

“So you’re an evil god… stupid—aww!”

The evil god raised a hand—then Saint Night’s body split straight down the middle.

Eyes wide. Face frozen in disbelief. Collapse.

One strike.

One strike and that Saint Night was gone.

White light spilled from the shattered body of the sacred night, particle by particle—then the demon god raised a hand, eager to swallow it all in.

"Like hell I will!"

A hundred blades surge into existence, emergency-produced around the body of the demon god, brandished like a weapon!

Scene.

Nothing happened.

"Brother!?"

“What’s going on? Why isn’t it producing anything!”

Just a moment, okay?

The demon god said that, then tried to absorb more light.

"Ah, ah..."

The Goddess, still sitting on her backside, trembling and clutching her head, had lost her memory.

Her reaction confirmed what I’d imagined all along.

“Gah, no good! Damn it, if direct input’s out of the question—”

Open Doreca's menu—emergency produce a stone house on the ground!

She’d meant to pick it up and hurl it—

"Why? Why won't it work?"

That's what I said, wait for me, didn't I?

I can't wait any longer!

"An enemy of Father-sama!"

Mother and daughter slaves drew out the Gradiick.

Nocked an arrow, fired it at the demon god.

The arrow split mid-flight, multiplying into countless beams of light.

The scatterbow Gradiick. The Eternal Slave weapon made by DORECA had activated.

“Fufu.”

The demon god didn’t dodge. Took the arrows with its body.

The moment they struck, it vanished—sucked into nothing, as if nothing had happened.

“…no…”

“Still not good enough!”

Rirya froze, stunned. Arisa kept firing.

But it didn’t work. The arrows did nothing to the demon god.

“…then!”

She tucked the DORECA away, snatched an arrow from Rirya’s hand, kicked off the ground, and charged straight at the demon god.

“Oh, so fast.”

“Aaah!”

Holding the shaft just above the break point, gripping it like it might snap, she drove the arrowhead into the demon god like a dagger.

Impact. But no resistance.

“Those won’t work, you know.”

“Then—!”

She let go of the arrow and went in with her bare hands.

Hitting with full force, she drove her elbow in.

"Didn't I say not to interfere?"

"——ugh!"

Her elbow was seized and pinned. Then pressure built, fingers clamping down hard.

Crack. Crack. The joint screamed.

"Brother!"

Rirya flew in. Close-range shot with Gradiak drawn.

"Don't come here, Rirya!"

"Damn it!"

"Such a naughty girl. Playing with toys like that?"

The Demon God raised a hand. Crimson lightning coiled tighter around her body.

Her target: Rirya.

"Time to punish you!"

"——not a chance!"

She shook off the Demon God’s hand. With a full-force punch, she drove it straight into the arm aiming at Rirya.

This time—there was resistance. The Demon God’s arm was pushed back.

Immediately after, a black orb shot out from that hand.

A bullet the size of a marble—dark, ominous, crackling with lightning.

It struck the ground—creating a crater three meters wide!

“Eeep!”

“Step back, Rirya!”

“But my brother!”

“Just do it! I said, *command*!”

Hearing the word “command,” Rirya finally pulled away from the Demon God. She met up with Arisa along the way, and they both retreated together.

Once that was confirmed, she faced the Demon God.

“Not coming anymore?”

“You… stole the Goddess’s power.”

“Answering a question with a question? Such a naughty girl.”

“Whether you’re actually alive or just revived—I don’t know. But you used the Saint Night. You couldn’t reach the Goddess on your own, so you used the Saint Night—something tied to her—and got there that way.”

“Smart girl. I like that.”

“And then you killed the Saint Night who’d taken the Goddess’s power, stole it yourself. All part of your plan, huh?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The light rising from Saint Night’s body cut out.

The demon, having absorbed all the light, lowered its hands and turned its whole form toward me.

Seemed… satisfied, somehow.

“Good job, kid. Your obsession with her kept me on edge for a while. But it was good entertainment.”

“So you’re saying our fight was just entertainment?”

“Your nation-building was fun too. Watching humans rebuild at that pace? Normally impossible. A miracle, really. Perfect show for the amusement of a goddess.”

“You didn’t do it to amuse yourself.”

“Then why? What’s the point?”

“Huh?”

“Strange girl. Why are you working so hard? Why rebuild the world?”

“…That is…”

Why?

Come to think of it… why was I rebuilding the world in the first place?

The Goddess said I should remake the world and become a king—then I’d get to enjoy myself.

I became a king. My subjects number over ten thousand. I’ve got twelve slaves, too.

I should’ve been enjoying myself ages ago.

But I haven’t. Not really. Not much of it.

I don’t seek it out. I don’t push toward it.

So why am I remaking the world in the first place?

“Hey—what kind of talk is that?”

“You don’t get to insult Master Father like that!”

Rirya and Arisa’s voices came from behind. My mother-and-daughter slaves took offense at the suggestion I’d been insulted and shouted their protest.

…Hmph.

“Strange girls.”

“I like that line. You say it so well.”

“You’re the strangest one. Eternal Slave. Forever a slave. Yet you’re never treated like one. A slave who laughs every day? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

"Is that right? A slave’s job is to laugh, isn’t it? Giving your all to your master, putting them first—no matter what. How could you not find something like that adorable?"

"That’s what I can’t understand. Strange child. Outside the bounds of comprehension."

"Strange?"

"Things you can’t understand become objects of fear. Yes. I’m afraid of you."

The demon said it, but her voice didn’t sound afraid at all.

If anything, it sounded like she was saying “scared of a steamed bun.”

Still, somehow.

Just… vaguely.

I couldn’t help but think—maybe, just maybe—it was real.

"So that’s why you sealed my power."

Drawing out DORECA, waving it slightly. It worked.

"That’s right. I interfered. Made sure you couldn’t use that power."

"Even a demon like you being careful?"

"Because I’m afraid."

...Probably not quite the same as what humans would call "fear," but I get it now—demon or not, the Dark God sees me as special.

So I interfered. Jammed DORECA.

Made it completely useless.

"And now I've fully claimed the Goddess's power."

"This time, I can finally destroy the world. Heroes are gone. Humans haven’t recovered enough to resist. Your power is completely sealed."

...

"This time..."

That’s bad.

I’ve been trying to make something with DORECA since a moment ago—nothing’s responding.

Over ninety percent of my strength comes from DORECA. If it’s not working, I’m just a regular human.

This... this is really bad.

"Should I just die? No remnants left. Let’s erase you completely here."

...

"Then—"

The Dark God raises a hand.

In an instant, two figures appear before him.

Two slaves step forward, arms outstretched, standing before me.

Rirya and Arisa, mother and daughter slaves, stepped forward to shield me.

"Brother won't let you."

"Even if Arisa dies, I'll protect you."

"Such a brave pair."

The Dark God didn’t hesitate. He threw a black orb.

Same as before—a ball wrapped in lightning.

The ground cracked beneath it as it flew toward us. Rirya and Arisa didn’t run.

Just stood there—protecting me.

"...Hmph!"

I grabbed both of their dresses and hurled them back with all my strength.

"Brother?"

"Father-sama?"

"Who said you could protect me? Don’t die before me. That’s an order."

"Brother!"

"Father-sama!"

Their screams echoed as the black orb loomed before them.

Memories flashed before my eyes.

The summoning of the Goddess. The battle with the monsters. Building the nation.

And meeting the slaves.

Ah… this is it. The final reel.

So this is how it ends. Me.

That instant felt eternal—except it wasn’t. Eventually, the black orb struck my body.

A shock that pierced through me, like my entire frame was being torn apart.

“Sturdy little thing. No, it’s just me who’s not used to it yet. My power and the Goddess’s power—still not fully fused.”

The Demon Goddess mutters to herself. I don’t even know what she’s saying.

“Fine. I’ll digest the Goddess’s power later. Right now, my power alone is enough.”

She raises her hand again. The next one’s coming.

Instinctively, I raise DORECA. Just like every other time I’ve barely escaped a crisis, I clutch at the last hope—DORECA.

It stays silent.

“Useless. Something’s interfering.”

“……”

So that’s it. Useless.

Then, I guess there’s nothing left to do.

I accept it. If DORECA won’t work, then I can’t do anything about it.

Regret’s minimal. Maybe… just maybe… if I could have seen them all together. Slave and all.

Boom!

A jolt rips through my body.

A weak jolt, barely more than a mosquito bite compared to the black jewel.

What the—? I thought, when suddenly the Goddess was clinging to me.

“Why… are you—”

Shaking, trembling, clinging to me, the Goddess.

“Let’s die together.”

The Demon God raised a hand again, trying to shove her away.

Then, something changed.

The Goddess’s chest glowed. Then my DORECA flared.

What glowed in her chest… was the Saint Night’s Item—the card.

Two cards glowing.

The light grew, then merged into one.

When the glow faded, two cards had become one.

Paradigm.

The name surfaced in my mind.