[So… even after such a long time, this world still isn’t free. My reappearance in this world surely means the Goddess’s power has vanished.]
The image of the first Emperor glimmered slightly behind.
[That’s… everyone, that’s an illusion!]
Mia, who was well-versed in magic, shouted.
[An illusion.]
The Emperor slowly reached out into the air, pulling out a sword from the void.
The black greatsword emitted a sinister light. It wasn’t the clean blue light of order, but a foreboding mix of red and black.
As he swung the sword, several walls beside him crumbled.
[I suppose that could be said. I am the very manifestation of the power I kept hidden. But to merely treat me as a phantasm is quite unpleasant. I certainly have a ‘form’ and ‘power.’ Power that can truly liberate this world.]
The Emperor, who loved chaos, spoke like that.
[Look there!]
Claire shouted.
A blue light glimmered from his chest. There was a gear.
[That’s the Jibo!]
[…Do you want this?]
The Emperor said.
His lips curled upwards.
[Then fine. I am one who does not shy away from battle. Can you, beings from a distant future, truly defeat me?]
Towards the Emperor, Leo stepped forward.
[I don’t know how this happened, but we must… retrieve one person.]
[Oh, a person.]
[Yeah. I don’t know who that is. I don’t even understand how this world was created in such a way. But at the very least, I know that person was incredibly important to us…!]
[He must not be a very welcoming figure to me.]
Heh heh heh, the Emperor laughed as if he had heard a funny joke.
[Very well, I shall entertain you. Jumping into battle right after waking up; reminds me of the era of struggle I lived in.]
[…Fine.]
Leo pointed his sword at the form.
[Then, here I go!]
With that, the intense sound of electric guitar resonated, and the theme of the game began to play.
Yeah, a theme should come out during the final battle; that’s the style!
I smiled and pressed the button.
*
“That’s kinda weak for a final boss.”
“Just like with the Goddess, it started off with a fight for the world.”
“That’s a mercy from the system,” I replied to Claire and Alice.
“We’ve already fought the boss several times before. If they made the last boss even harder, it would feel too exhausting. Rather, it’s closer to a device to show how much the protagonists have grown.”
“Now that you mention it, that does make sense.”
“Y-yeah, but it doesn’t feel too easy either.”
Exactly.
No matter how you slice it, if the final boss is too weak, that would be boring, right? It feels too patronizing.
Moreover, it might have felt easier because cutscenes played each time HP dropped.
Once a cutscene plays and the game resumes, it feels like facing a boss who has lost max HP again.
Maybe that’s why the difficulty was set relatively easy.
If you had to watch a cutscene three times while defeating a boss that gets skipped, it wouldn’t just be stressful after the second playthrough.
Especially if you aim to clear all challenges.
[…I’m starting to remember a bit!]
As the boss’s HP dropped, a crack appeared on the boss’s chest, playing a cutscene, and Claire shouted in sync.
A bright smile spread across her face.
[Yeah, me too.]
Leo muttered along and opened his eyes.
[In front of me, there’s the answer!]
The Emperor straightened his wobbly body again.
The battle continued. The Emperor pushed the protagonist party hard, even using ultimate moves, but they were already equipped with top-tier gear and had leveled up enough not to be fazed.
[At this point, it’s a bit sad, haha!]
[Emperor-chan waking up after hundreds of years,]
[Getting beaten like a dog, seriously, lol!]
Speaking of which.
It is a bit sad.
Well, that’s just how the system works, and in terms of setting, he’s undoubtedly a strong enemy, just like the Goddess.
[I see. She surely…….]
[It didn’t start well, but in the end, she fought for us.]
The characters said such lines during the second cutscene.
Check, the Emperor’s chest cracked again, and blue light poured out from within.
A bit more fighting continued—
[Foolish mortals… What’s so good about becoming slaves to order? Isn’t a truly free world, where all can converse with strength, a far superior place?]
The Emperor, who initially seemed cool, gradually became pathetic.
Well, that was common in this game series.
[That sort of thing doesn’t matter to us!]
Leo declared while clashing swords with the Emperor.
[What do we care about your wars? We just want to bring our companion back!]
Leo collided with the Emperor and was knocked back.
[Leo!]
Charlotte shouted.
But soon, she stood facing the Emperor.
[I won’t back down. Not ever.]
And, thus the battle against the bloodied Emperor resumed.
*
Well, they fought back in various ways, but enemies in such games are made to be defeated.
Guh…!
Haa, haa, haa…
The Emperor staggered back, and Leo gasped for breath.
Check.
The crack in the Emperor’s chest was nearly breaking apart.
Heh heh…
The Emperor laughed again, but this laughter felt like he’d reached some form of enlightenment.
[So, this is the choice of the people of this age.]
[Yes. We shall walk neither the path of the Goddess nor yours.]
[Indeed. But that is also another kind of freedom… Very well. You have ultimately triumphed over my delusion. Magnificent.]
The Emperor’s chest shattered completely.
His semi-transparent body, which had been smiling as if he had let go of everything, broke into pieces.
And what covered the screen was a dazzling blue light.
The remaining power of the Goddess, the final strength needed to turn back time, was now being unleashed.
And.
[Sylvia!]
Leo yelled out—
Gah!
He shouted and quickly turned around.
Not just Leo, but the other male characters who followed suit did the same.
“……”
I silently turned around.
I could see the kids about to burst into laughter. Even Mia pretended to cover her eyes, shaking as she watched the screen.
I looked back at the screen.
[Big sis!]
[Sylvia!]
The kids were running towards the returning Sylvia. It was an emotional scene but I couldn’t fully feel that emotion.
[Hahaha!]
[Gah gah gah!]
The chat was filled mostly with laughter, and some seemed to be holding back numerous things they wanted to say.
Sylvia appeared without a single thread covering her.
Of course, due to the nature of the game, complete nudity wouldn’t show.
It was just that the angle cleverly twisted here and there, hinting that Sylvia lying on the floor was naked.
Well, it makes sense.
If you’re reborn in empty air, there’s no way clothes would be conjured with you.
While it’s not there, it felt a bit unfair too.
[Ugh…!]
Sylvia slowly opened her eyes.
[…Everyone…?]
[Big sis, big sis!]
Claire was now crying. Even though her hairstyle wasn’t the Claire I knew, that voice acting made it feel so much like ‘Claire.’ Truly, a veteran actress is different.
Claire hugged Sylvia tightly, and Sylvia looked around in confusion.
[Sylvia, don’t make such choices anymore.]
At Alice’s words, Sylvia simply looked up at her and murmured,
[…Is that so?]
Then she slowly closed her eyes again and smiled gently.
[You all came to find me, didn’t you? Even I had given up on myself… ]
With those words, that scene ended.
*
There was still a little more epilogue left.
A few weeks passed, and things finally normalized.
The world remained a hodgepodge. It was challenging to wrap up what happened during that time, as it slipped into one of the realities so subtly.
So, they just decided to leave it be.
[Honestly, what were you planning to do if the Goddess’s power hadn’t remained…?]
[I’m really sorry. At that time, I genuinely thought that was the only option… ]
Sylvia slightly bowed her head to Alice.
[Don’t say anything to my sister.]
Upon seeing Claire say that with a frown, Alice forced a smile.
[Well, what matters is that she’s back.]
Leo said that,
[Let’s get through until graduation at the academy, please.]
Charlotte said that.
[Happy ending is the best!]
Ding, and the notifications came in.
I strongly agreed with that statement.
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