307 Explosion

The reincarnated ones stare blankly at the image.

The first to recover was Mr. Kudo.

"Hey, assuming this is real footage, how long does this planet have left?"

The question causes the other reincarnated ones to freeze.

Logically, in this situation, one would accept that the planet collapses in a few days. Seeing the end so clearly makes it impossible not to wonder.

"Rest assured. The planet will not collapse during your lifetime."

If my calculations are correct, the planet will not collapse as long as conditions remain unchanged.

At minimum, it should last until the reincarnated ones complete their lifespans.

Though I cannot guarantee longevity like Master Elf.

Potimas, the primary source of wasted energy, has been eliminated. The planet should now recover gradually.

Yes. Given enough time, recovery will occur.

Only, such recovery inevitably requires sacrifice.

That sacrifice is currently the core of the system—the goddess Sarriel.

Sarriel is nearing the point of total system depletion.

She cannot endure such a duration.

Additionally, the degradation of souls among living beings in this world is now approaching critical levels.

The decline in birth rates among the demon race stems from souls becoming unable to reincarnate due to degradation.

Souls repeatedly reincarnated are worn down, damaged.

Forcing reincarnation under such conditions leads only to soul collapse.

Once collapsed, reincarnation becomes impossible permanently.

There were places where the black had isolated those showing signs of soul degradation—but Oni-kun destroyed those places.

Moreover, such symptomatic treatment does not resolve the root issue.

What the Black did—preventing people from acquiring skills—mirrors what Potimas did to the reincarnated.

By doing so, souls avoid carrying the burden of superfluous skills throughout their lives.

Skills themselves impose strain on the soul.

This is manageable for healthy souls, but degraded souls cannot sustain the load.

Yet even preventing skill acquisition does not lead to soul recovery.

It merely slows the progression of decay.

To restore degraded souls, reincarnation must be suspended, allowing the soul to rest.

As more souls enter rest, birth rates decline.

Consequently, the world's population diminishes steadily.

Humans outnumber demons in total population, so the effect is not yet apparent.

But as time passes, it will gradually become evident.

With fewer births, stellar recovery slows. And as time goes on, soul degradation progresses further.

Whether the star recovers first, or soul degradation reaches its peak first—

a situation resembling a chicken race emerges.

Still, such matters are beyond the concern of reincarnates.

Upon the end of this lifetime, reincarnates return not to this world’s cycle of rebirth, but to the standard cycle of reincarnation.

No need to worry about such a future.

"Are you saying our children are in danger?"

I was slightly taken aback by Mr. Kudō’s words.

Children?

I instinctively glanced at Mr. Kudō’s abdomen, but he quickly flustered and began to explain.

"I’m not pregnant. Just discussing the future."

Ah.

Ah, I see. I see.

A child, huh.

Never thought about it at all.

More a blind spot than a difference in perception—how to describe it.

From my perspective, having a child in this world isn’t rational. Not in any sense.

The idea of childbirth itself never occurred to me.

Babies?

No, that’s different. A separate category entirely.

Giving birth in this world means bringing into existence the reincarnation of someone else.

A soul reborn from within one’s own body.

True, it’s not unique to this world—but here, it might be someone we know.

Possibly even the reincarnation of someone we killed ourselves.

If one truly understood that… could anyone still consider having a child?

Besides, the Pope of the Divine Word Church likely erased that truth from people's minds for reasons of that nature.

Reincarnated endlessly for atonement, used as a device to accumulate energy.

What would a person do upon learning such a thing?

Suicide? Common occurrence.

Death leads only to rebirth.

Then, how does one escape from this purgatory?

Just offer it up.

The very existence of it.

I would never consider doing something like that, but a person driven to desperation might well wish for oblivion.

Even a single human offering yields only negligible energy in recovery.

Perhaps acceptable in short terms, but over time, it is more efficient to accumulate energy through continuous reincarnation.

People did not forget the truth. They had to forget it.

But saying that here... how appropriate is it?

A happy family could still be built, even if unaware.

"At least, the planet won't collapse immediately. We killed Potimas precisely to prevent collapse. With Potimas gone, the planet's collapse halts. Recovery will proceed gradually afterward."

No lies.

I do intend to cause complications before that, however.

I'm deliberately avoiding mention of children.

Touching on it would only bring misfortune.

There are many things better left unknown.

Besides, birth rates are declining. Whether one is blessed with offspring is uncertain.

Wait— is there even a partner at all?

"Potimas was the one who imprisoned us, right?"

Kudō places a hand to his forehead and asks.

The gaze was not directed at me, but at the teacher.

As for the teacher, he could not deny the word "imprisonment," and stood motionless, as if reduced to white ash.

Perhaps overwhelmed beyond thought.

Still, the teacher is strong. He will be fine.

Switch the recording.

From the current state of the planet to the record of the previous battle.

There, countless Unis and triangular pyramids floated above the forest.

And the shape of mechanical soldiers moving within the forest.

Items out of place in this fantasy world—clearly science fiction in nature.

"Potimas sought energy to power these weapons. That energy was the planet's Life itself. The planet now exists in this state because its Life was being drained."

An image unseen in this life, and likely only glimpsed through a screen in the previous one.

The reincarnated watch it, transfixed.

"Potimas gathered the reincarnated because of their unique abilities. He sought to use them for illicit purposes."

He had originally planned to turn the reincarnated into an immortal life-force blender, but revealing such a gory detail was impossible. And even if he had, would anyone believe it?

Immortality? Really?

Most would scoff.

Claiming someone seriously pursued immortality with such grand-scale measures would only make the story less credible.

"So what you're saying is... we were abducted and imprisoned just to be used?"

"Yes."

Kudō's blunt words are confirmed.

They were, after all, exactly that.

"Um, so, wait, then, me, me, why... for... what?"

Huh?

What?

Turning toward the sound of a voice that could not form words, there stood the teacher, convulsing and collapsing from the chair.