No Game No Life - Volume 6 - Chapter Ep

ENDING TALK 
 . 
Before you knew it, the sun had slid low and was casting scarlet light through the alley in Elkia. As Tet finished his tale, his vision somehow distant, Izuna’s immediate reaction was: 
“…How much of that story is true, and how much of it is bullshit, please?” 
Her eyes half-closed, she smelled some bullshit. Tet laughed at Izuna’s tearful glare which warned, depending on which part’s a lie, I might not forgive you . 
“Whaaat? What makes you think it’s not all true?” 
“Riku and Shibi…sound kind of like those assholes Sora and Shiro, please. Don’t screw with me, please.” 
Izuna snorted up some snot, served as an assertion that she didn’t need her Werebeast super-senses to figure out that much. And her eyes imparted that she knew she was being played with, too. 
“Ah-ha-ha! ? You sure are sharp, yep, yep! ? Of course I dramatized it a little. I mean—” 
Tet, who’d related his story while he played with her until the sun set— never once letting her win —looked up with childlike innocence. 
“If I actually told you everything, then it wouldn’t be an untold myth anymore, now would it? ? ” 
The entity farthest from maturity smirked like a kid . 
“Damn it. You are a little bitch, please.” 
Izuna glared hard at Tet, but… 
“…But you’re good at petting, so I’ll forgive you, please.” 
Being all fluffy-fluffed, there’s a good girl , she purred and dropped it. Stroking her, Tet, his eyes now assuming the manner of a kind and loving god, thought, This child, Izuna Hatsuse, is young—and foolish. 
And that was also why…she was bright, clever, and perceptive. Tet took her words—“kind of like those assholes”—very much to heart. Sure, he’d embellished what facts he knew. But those two who’d inspired him to create this world were indeed like “  ”—but somewhat. For they, compared to Sora and Shiro—the ones whose names spelled Blank— 
—were far stronger . 
After all, “  ” had turned their backs on that challenge, whereas those two had played the game with no rules—reality—and pulled off a stalemate. 
Even if it ended in a mess, a brawl through the mud in throes of anguish… Well, after all—that’s what a stalemate was. Stalemate or perpetual check. Either meant coming from a position of certain defeat—but refusing to surrender, landing back a blow along the way. But even so… 
“To me, it was just so dazzling. Enough to make me want to believe in them, you know? ? ” 
“…? The hell are you talking about, please?” 
Izuna purred and looked up, but Tet returned only a smile. Sora and Shiro—“  ”—were just what they’d aspired to be… two in one . Would they ultimately reach the place their precursors never could? Would they make good on their declaration and defeat him? Or perhaps…to the contrary…? Ha-ha! ? While Tet was lost in thought, Izuna suddenly insisted— 
“…I ain’t gonna let you quit while you’re ahead, please.” 
When the god came back to himself, Izuna had stopped purring and was sizing him up with the eyes of a gamer. 
“Sora and Shiro are gonna get together with everyone else—and kick your ass, please.” 
Goodness me. He laughed giddily. 
“Tee-hee! ? You figured it out?” 
The jig being up, Tet—the One True God—brandished the Suniaster and smiled merrily. Izuna watched him coolly and replied: 
“I’m a kid—but I’m not a dumbass, please.” 
“—Yeah, you’re absolutely right. I know. ? ” 
Youth was folly, yet unrestrained by the illusions of half-assed understanding—wise. Because even when the world looked complicated and outlandish, more often than one might expect, its essence—was precisely as it seemed to the sensibilities of a child. Exactly how those two saw it… 
 …… 
“Heyyyyy, Izunaaa, where are youuu?” 
“…Iz-zyy…where’d you go…?” 
Tet was quicker to react to the approaching voices than Izuna, hopping to his feet. 
“Whoopsie. Guess it’s time for me to go. It was fun talking to you! ? ” 
“Wait. The hell did you even come for, please?” 
Izuna’d finally gotten to the most important question—what was the One True God doing there?—but Tet simply responded with a rather bemused expression. 
“Mmm, actually, I was gonna go give ‘ ’ a cheer—but it’s okay. ? ” 
With that, he allowed light to pour out of the Suniaster. 
“’Cos I ended up picking up something even better . Izuna Hatsuse, I’ll be waiting for you! ? ” 
Noting Izuna’s blank reaction to hearing her name (which she didn’t remember giving) and beaming with wily content at surprising her in the end— foop —Tet vanished into thin air. But… 
“……Damn frickin’ bastard! He whipped me and ran, please…!” 
Realizing she’d been punked, Izuna puffed up her tail, her solitary growl echoing through the alleyway… 
 
“Oh, there you are! Man, where’d you go, Izuna? We were so worrieeed!” 
“…Izzy…did you…get lost?” 
Their reactions were immediate when the black-haired young man and contrastingly stark-white girl—Sora and Shiro—spotted Izuna. 
“Izunaaa, you can’t go off wandering by yourself like that! There are some creepy people in this world!” 
“…Yeah. Like, Brother…or, like, me…” 
And making noises anyone (including those two themselves) would consider creepy, they proceeded to hug and stroke her. Apparently, they’d been genuinely worried, though the notion of something “happening” to a Werebeast was absurd. 
“…I, uh… Sorry, please…” 
Izuna remembered Tet’s story and apologized with conflicted feelings, her face downcast. 
“—Oh! You found Miss Izuna?! Hff …that’s a relief!” 
The red-haired girl covered in sweat who showed up a bit late—Steph—similarly ran up to her. 
“Miss Izuna, you mustn’t go off by yourself! Look at these creepy people!” 
Raising her eyes to apologize to Steph (who was pointing at Sora and Shiro), Izuna’s gaze paused on the girl’s chest—which was pinned with a brooch set with a blue stone. 
“Hey, hey, Stuch.” 
“ ? Ehh, yes, I’m used to it by now… What is it?” 
“Where the hell’d you snatch that stone on your chest, please?” 
“Can you not phrase it as if I stole it?!” 
Having vented her initial offense, Steph presented the brooch carefully. 
“I received this from my grandfather. It is a treasure that has been passed down through the Dola family for generations.” 
“Let me see that shit, please.” 
“Uh, all right… I don’t mind, but please don’t break—” 
Izuna nodded solemnly at the admonition as Steph reluctantly surrendered the broach. 
— Snap. 
“Eeeghyaa—aaaahhhh, my family’s treasure! My family’s treasuuuure!” 
Propping up Steph as she shrieked, frothed, and collapsed, Sora muttered with a squint: 
“Look closer. She just took it out of the setting…but what’s your deal, huh, Izuna?” 
Izuna turned over the stone, which had been covered by the decoration, and smiled faintly. Noticing this, Sora and Shiro peered into her hands, but— 
“…? What’s this, writing?” 
“…It’s not, Immanity…Jibril… Can you, read it?” 
Shiro called the name of someone who wasn’t there as if it was quite natural. 
“Ohhh, yes, yes, yes. ? It is I, Jibril, who fly at your beck and call. My masters, what need might you have of me, who can interpret over seven hundred languages in forms both modern and ancient with ease? ? ” 
“…As if, you don’t know……? Izzy, what’s up…?” 
Jibril’s sudden appearance had set off Izuna, who was glaring and growling fiercely. 

 

 
“ …… When I think about it, it’s all this bitch’s fault , isn’t it, please…?!” 
Izuna’s hackles rose as she stared daggers, but no one understood what she meant. 
“I—I don’t know what all that’s about…but, Jibril, can you read this?” 
“—Goodness, but these are some ancient glyphs. From before the Immanity tongue was standardized… Hmmm…” 
Even Jibril prefaced her translation with If I’m not mistaken … before she read: 
— Couronne Dola 
— Riku Dola 

— Schwi Dola 
“…? Who are they? Your relatives or something, Steph?” 
Steph bristled with pride and honor. 
“Couronne Dola…the founding queen of Elkia. No one saw her cry in her life. She brimmed with smiles and wisdom—the great lady who led Immanity after the Great War concluded…the pride of the Dola family.” 
“—Shyeet! You’re the direct descendant of the founder of the country?! The Great War was over six thousand years ago, wasn’t it?!” 
“…Steph…you were a princess…?” 
“Can you not use the past tense?!” 
But —Steph said, cocking her head as she looked at the brooch. 
“It’s strange… I do not recognize the names of the other two at all…” 
“…Hmm, I do, but then, she wasn’t an Immanity… A coincidence, then! ? ” 
Though Izuna growled at Jibril’s comment, Sora thought, No, the real question is — 
“Izuna, how’d you figure out something was hidden behind the decoration when even Steph didn’t know?” 
Gleaning Sora’s point, Shiro, Steph, and Jibril all fixed their eyes intently on Izuna—but she just gave a little smile and kindly replaced the stone in its setting. There must have been a reason he’d only told her. So her Werebeast—no, her own sense—advised her to keep quiet. 
 …… 
Well, then. Sora formally surveyed everyone’s faces. 
“So, you’ve all got your luggage, right? Shiro?” 
“…I’m good…” 
“Jibril—well, I don’t see anything on you…” 
“Not to worry, Master. I have compressed space and placed it in my bosom. ? ” 
“What, you have a fourth-dimensional pocket…? Uh, Izuna?” 
“Mm, I got my shit, please.” 
“And over here we’ve got way too much… Steph?” 
“Yes, yes, I’ve got it. The heavy luggage…” 
“—It’s our secret weapon, so handle it carefully, okay? Wait… Hey, where the hell’s Plum?” 
“H-heeere…albeit not exactly of my wiiill… I’ll leave as soon as the sun goes doooown.” 
“Great. Looks like everyone’s ready.” 
“What? Sora—aren’t you going to wait for those two?” 
“We’ll meet up with ’em there. In the worst case, y’know, they can always join in late. So, with that—” 
With bold grins, Sora and Shiro looked around, asking: 
“Right— shall we go ?” 
 
 …… 
Under the red moon, Sora chatted as he led the party. 
“Since we came to this world and heard about the Ten Covenants and the Ixseeds, I’ve always wondered—” 
Sixteen seeds—each assigned a Race Piece. Gathering them all gave one the right to challenge Tet, the One True God. That was this world. This game. But it raised a question. 
“…How do you, collect…the Race Pieces…of races, that don’t form groups…like Old Deus?” 
Walking alongside Sora, Shiro completed his thoughts, little by little. 
—The Seventh of the Ten Covenants: “For conflicts between groups , an agent plenipotentiary shall be established…” Plodding along behind them, Steph hadn’t realized something so obvious until it was pointed out. 
“Right, Old Deus hasn’t designated an agent plenipotentiary. The Old Deus Piece—can’t be taken.” 
Pattering along behind Sora as he summarized this implication, Izuna still wasn’t sure she fully understood. 
“At least, that’s whatcha think if you’re an Old Deus, right?” The corners of Sora’s mouth twisted sarcastically as he said it. 
“This world Tet’s created—it’s all a ‘game where we collect the pieces of the other races.’” 
Yes, the difference between a player and a prayer. The Old Dei assumed that they were the players and the rest were just prayers, so they’d just prop their feet up in heaven, Sora imagined. After all, these were guys who’d warred for an eternity. So—one could easily imagine some races would assume the same , give up, and surrender to them. 
“—Buuut…” 
Sora pursued this line of reasoning as if mocking the gods he imagined. 
“They’re waaay off the mark, you know.” 
Walking beside him in fine form in the moonlight, the Dhampir girl—pardon, boy—sneered. 
“Yeeess… Because to begin wiith…?” 
Yes, to begin with —walking with her hand in Sora’s, Shiro smirked. 
“…If you don’t… have to take, the Race Piece…that, changes things …” 
Jibril beamed at that as if awed by Sora and Shiro’s—her masters’—insight. 
“Too true! After all, if it is the agent plenipotentiary of Old Deus you seek—” 
They all stopped in their tracks with a zump . 
“ —why let the Old Dei decide who that is , right?” 
Sora’s eyes narrowed as if to verify the identity of the person before them and said: 
“—Shrine Maiden of something ?” 
Kannagari, capital of the Eastern Union—the Garden in the Central Division of the Shrine. On the red bridge over the pond illuminated by the divine light of the moon, sitting on the railing, gently ringing her little bells… 
—The Shrine Maiden, agent plenipotentiary of the Eastern Union, of Werebeast, swayed her two golden tails and smiled bewitchingly. 
 
Beyond the horizon. Having returned to the peak of the black king, Tet looked down upon the land and spoke—not for anyone to hear. He simply played with the cards in his hands, tossing words into the void. 
“The world really is very simple…just like he thought.” 
The way everyone must have seen it when they were children. What complicated and made things difficult wasn’t the world, but the terribly boring people who lived in it… Such were Tet’s thoughts on the matter. 
“I went to the trouble of creating such a simple game, and those guys are totally screwing it up—but I’m sure you guys can show them, right?” 
The guys screwing it up. Yes—those boring guys. Those condescending ones who thought they knew everything, like some kind of gods. 
Thus, with a sigh, Tet—the creator of the game—glared at the ones misinterpreting his rules and totally wrecking the game’s balance. With a malicious grin and eyes tinged with childish venom, he mused. 
“Guess you’re the one who’ll be dragged down first… That’s karma, huh?” 
To slay a god for the third time in history—to kill a god without killing them… Tet’s eyes suddenly sparkled, and he rocked his feet excitedly. 
“I know you guys. You can do it. I’m waiting for you. I believe in you, so hurry up—” 
“Drag down those wet blankets and come here!!” 
 
“—Ether manifest, deity revealed—divinity configured…base.” 
Wind and clouds swirled around the Shrine Maiden. In the center of the vortex (which took even Jibril’s breath away), the Shrine Maiden finally…deferred. 
“Mr. Sora, Miss Shiro, and all of you… I shall leave you my last move—” 
And with that— 
“The continuation of my dream…that I once dreamed of seeing to its end…” 
But Sora interrupted her line, picking it up. 
“Is never-ending—yeah, we’ll prove it. Don’t worry. Just leave it to us.” 
As if satisfied with his answer, the Shrine Maiden closed her eyes, at which point, the air, the clouds, the ground creaked. The manifestation of a concept blotted out the world—and formed words: 
“—How reckon ye the one ye call, O mortals?” 
Someone who was not the Shrine Maiden opened her eyes and posed this question. As the being’s authority and presence, its overwhelming pressure, overcame them— 
“We reckon you’re a bigheaded old parasite mooching off people and the planet.” 
“…You’re a worthless organism, worse than a shut-in, loser, friendless virgin…like me or Brother.” 
—Sora and Shiro just taunted the tempest, otherwise known as : 
““Ixseed Rank One—Old Deus, you ooold god.”” 
“Come on. Let’s start the game already. Frankly speaking—you’re in our goddamn way, bitches.”