Volume 16

by Reki Kawahara

  However, the ogre continued with surprisingly words.

  “Saw, you. That, light art… launched by, you. That power, that figure…. you, «radiant medium». Grr… you, bring… war, end. Ogre, return, grasslands…”

  What—was it saying?

  Radiant medium? The war would end…?

  Alice gleaned no meaning from it at all; still, her intuition told her the information she received was important. She had to question more. Just who was this radiant medium? And where was he to bring it?

  However, the ogre halted there.

  “Damn you… you have no right to speak, you beast!!”

  Eldrie was the one who screamed. Raising the bloody sword in his right hand up high, he tried to cut straight down at the ogre chief.

  That blade never did swing down, however.

  Alice who practically teleported forward had Eldrie’s sword grasped between the fingers on her right hand and stopped the slash with all her strength.

  “Ma… Master, why!?”

  Though her disciple let those words escape, going limp onto his knees, she had no time to reply. Alice let go of the sword before slowly approaching the standing, still ogre.

  A closer look showed that the demi-human’s wounds were not just heavy but fatal. He was charred black from his left arm to his chest and his left eyeball had turned a muddled white. Though she judged him to be in a befuddled state, she still took caution as she continued her questioning.

  “—Indeed, I am the radiant medium. Now, where will you take me? Who is the one asking for me?”

  “…rrrr…”

  The ogre’s intact eye shone with a dull light. His saliva, mixed with blood, trickled down his long tongue.

  “…Emperor… Vector said. Want only, radiant medium. Any wish, granted for, one who caught medium. Ogres… return grasslands… Raise horses… birds… live……”

  —«Emperor Vector».

  The name of the god of darkness passed down even in the Human Empire’s legends. Had such a being descended onto the Dark Territory? Had that god started the war in order to obtain this «radiant medium»?

  Alice made a note of the information received in her mind as she turned a look of pity on the demi-human before her eyes.

  The raw stench of craving the goblins emitted was nearly absent from this warrior with the head of a wolf. He was simply made to participate in the war and to draw his bow as ordered—only to have most of his race perish without firing a single shot.

  “…Do you bear no grudge towards me? I am the one who had massacred your people.”

  Alice could not help but ask despite lacking any reason to do so.

  The ogre’s reply was plain.

  “The strong need to… shoulder that strength. I, too… shoulder the chief’s role. So… catch, you, bring… to……!”

  Grrrooohhh!!

  A brutal roar suddenly bellowed from the ogre’s mouth.

  His muscular right arm reached out for Alice faster than the eyes could follow.

  Clink.

  That brief ring came from the Fragrant Olive Sword’s scabbard. Having drawn her sword several times quicker than the ogre, Alice cut once before returning it to its scabbard.

  The demi-human’s huge frame came to an immediate stop.

  And that body slowly sank onto the earth as Alice took a step back. A straight scar showed on its brawny chest from which the last of its Life streamed away as fleeting light.

  Alice held her right hand towards the proud wolf-headed warrior’s corpse. From the flitting sacred energy released, she generated numerous aerial elements.

  “May your soul, at least, reach the grasslands…”

  Alice waved her right hand and the green light soared towards the eastern skies as a whirlwind.

  4

  The gaze from Emperor Vector, down towards her, frightened D. to the depths of her heart while she prostrated herself on the dragon military vehicle, her forehead against its floor.

  There was no anger in the emperor’s ice-colored eyes. He seemed to measure D.’s worth without any input from his personal emotions. How would the emperor treat one he judged incompetent and useless—she shook to her core, merely imagining it.

  A brief question eventually came in a deep, fluent voice.

  “Hmm. That is to say, your plan failed and a thousand dark arts users died due to the enemy taking the initiative to absorb and consume the space darkness energy… is that correct?”

  “Ye… yes!”

  D. lifted her face by the slightest and answered.

  “That is precisely the case, Your Majesty. I have not received any intelligence that the enemy army still retains an arts user of such caliber despite the highest minister’s absence, so…”

  “Is there no means of replenishing darkness energy?”

  Interrupting D.’s desperate excuses, the emperor pursued a countermeasure. However, D. could only shake her head at that as well.

  “Un… unfortunately… replenishing the amount of space darkness energy necessary to annihilate the enemy integrity knights would require plentiful power from the earth and sun, but both are lacking from the battlefield. The treasury in Obsidia Palace does have minerals saved which could be converted to darkness energy, but we would need several days in order to retrieve…”

  “I see.”

  The emperor casually nodded and turned his sharp features towards the distant gorge.

  “…From what I can see, however, there is no vegetation on this land and the sun has already set. Where is this energy source you planned to utilize for that large-scale art ceremony?”

  Despite how the god, Vector, the supposed originator of the darkness arts, had enquired about the basic theory behind them, the fear occupied too much of her mind for her to pay attention to it. Desperately seeking for nothing more than means to secure self-preservation, the female arts user earnestly spoke.

  “Yes, it is a battlefield, after all… the blood and lives lost by the demi-humans and enemy soldiers change to darkness energy and permeates the atmosphere.”

  “Hmm… mm.”

  D. stiffened up entirely with the emperor rising from the provisional throne.

  Tap, tap; the black leather boots drew closer. Fear squeezed her innards.

  Coming to a stop on the direct left of D., frozen, the emperor’s fur mantle danced in the night wind as he muttered softly.

  “Blood… and lives?”

  * * *

  “Radiant medium…?”

  Taking big bites from flatbread mixed with diced dried fruits and berries, Knight Commander Bercouli’s sinewy chin moved as he spoke in a muffled tone.

  Making use of the temporary ceasefire, rations were distributed to the Defense Army soldiers by the supply unit with great haste.

  The healing of the wounded was almost complete and thanks to the integrity knights, and their status as high ranking arts users, even those on their deathbed were up and sipping at their soups.

  However, the deceased naturally had no path of return. Among the first unit of over two thousand people, close to a hundred-fifty guards and a single lower ranking knight had lost their lives.

  Alice nodded towards the knight commander sitting on the other side of a folding table.

  “Yes. Though I do not recall such a name from any of the history books, it appears to be certain that the enemy commander is persistently searching for that person.”

  “Commander… the god of darkness, Vector, huh?”

  Pouring siral water into the cup left in front of the groaning Bercouli, Deputy Commander Fanatio spoke.

  “It’s hard to believe… the revival of a god…?”

  “There’s that. But well, it’s convincing. You felt that foreign incarnation covering the enemy’s main force, too, didn’t you?”

  “Yes… certainly, I did feel as though I was being pulled into some chill…”

  “It’s the first time the Great East Gate collapsed since the creation of the world. Anyt
hing can happen now, maybe we should be preparing ourselves for that. But still… lil’ miss.”

  His forceful eyes caught tightly onto Alice.

  “Let’s say Dark God Vector had descended onto the Dark Territory and he’s looking for the «radiant medium» who happens to be you, lil’ miss. That question here is, how will that affect this war… huh?”

  Indeed.

  That was what it boiled down to in the end.

  Even if Vector would be satisfied with the medium in his hands, the other dark races would not stop until they had devoured the Human Empire. They still had to defend this gorge to the very end.

  However, one other phrase remained stuck on Alice’s mind.

  «World End Altar».

  The words spoken by the «god from the outside world» who Kirito conversed with via the crystal pane on the Central Cathedral’s top floor after that fierce battle.

  —Head for the World End Altar.

  —Straight south after you exit the eastern large gate.

  It might be possible to resurrect Kirito’s heart if she went there. Still, even if she wished to go, she could not abandon the defense at the Great Gate.

  But what if they chased after her?

  What if Vector and his army chased after Alice alone, leaving through the Great Gate, in pursuit of the radiant medium?

  Would it not buy time for strengthening the Defense Army by having the enemy army depart from the Human Empire?

  Concealing the matter about the «Altar» which was far too uncertain, Alice declared to the supreme commander of the Defense Army in a firm tone.

  “Esteemed Uncle… no, Your Excellency, Bercouli. I will break through the enemy camp alone and head for the remote regions of the Dark Territory. If the enemy leader seeks this «radiant medium», he should pursue me with a sizable number of troops. After there is a reasonable amount of distance between their divided armies, please launch a counterattack on what remains of the enemy army and eliminate them.”

  * * *

  Emperor Vector spoke with a dry voice devoid of all emotion.

  “D.I.L. Would three thousand suffice?”

  “Yes…?”

  Not understanding the meaning behind those words, D. once again raised her face. The emperor’s side profile was glazed over to the extent of even appearing gentle, but his pale blue eyes looked down upon the troops with a frigid look.

  Vector’s mouth moved again.

  “What I asked, is that to gain sufficient darkness energy for that large-scale arts ceremony to eliminate the integrity knights—”

  The following words made even the ruthless D. open her two eyes widely in astonishment.

  “Would expending three thousands of those orc soldier lives we have in reserve suffice?”

  A chill crept up her two legs. With an intense sensation of dread.

  Those warped into sweet intoxication as they seeped into D.’s mind.

  “…They would suffice.”

  D. whispered with her forehead unconsciously against the emperor’s boots.

  “Yes, they would certainly suffice, Your Majesty. I shall raise our collective strength and put on a display with the two thousand arts users remaining… my Dark Arts Users’ Guild shall showcase the greatest, strongest art in history, a terrifying art no one had ever witnessed before…”

  * * *

  Whether in the Human Empire or the Dark Empire, the names of its inhabitants held no literal meaning in the languages they use.

  This originated from how the four Rath researchers raising the initial artificial fluct lights decided to give their children and grandchildren names in katakana typical of fantasy settings without much thought.

  With those four dead (logged out), the fluct lights could only give birth to and raise children on their own volition. What perplexed them then was the inconsistent system of naming.

  Reluctantly, the first parents gave their children names similar to their own, formed from combinations of sounds. However, as time or the generations passed, rules emerged for naming and they evolved into a sort of «naming convention» unique to the Underworld.

  In short—they placed wishes for their children’s futures into the combinations of those characters, from a (ア) to n (ン) and their variations, which were given meaning.

  To state an example, the vowels represented sincerity. Zeal for the k sounds. Wit for the s’s. Vitality for the t’s. Benevolence for the n’s. Beauty for the r’s… and so on1. For instance, «Eugeo» contains the traits of being gentle, working fast, and honesty. «Tiezé» was named as a wish for her to be energetic, helpful, and talented at military arts. «Ronye» was a name praying for her to be lovely, rich of heart, and earnest.

  The naming convention was mostly shared by the demi-humans of the Dark Territory too. For example, «Sigrosig» was a greedy name, hoping for alacrity, bravery, fearless, and alacrity with bravery once again. The goblin races with their speed of reproducing were an exception, often using conjunctive forms of verbs such as «Kosogi» and «Shibori»2. Meanwhile, the distinguished families among the dark arts users consider the conventions as a practice of the inferior castes and have a tradition of using the initials alone of ancient Darkness Script.

  Now then—

  The final one still living among the five generals leading the demi-human races was the orc chief.

  His name was «Rirupirin».

  Rirupirin was, according to Dark General Shasta, known to hold an intense grudge against humans which made him as much of an obstacle to hindering peace with the Human Empire as the dark arts users’ leader and the goblins’ chiefs.

  However, that nature was certainly nothing he had from birth.

  He came into his world as the child of an influential and powerful orc family and was praised to be the most beautiful baby in the history of the race. The name gave to him contained the r sound for beauty thrice, rarely seen among the orcs.

  Rirupirin was raised beautiful both outside and inside by his parents’ wishes. He was blessed with talent at the art of war as well and all had expectations of him as the next chief; and one day, he accompanied the current chief then out, from the southeastern lakes and marshes of the orcs for the first time, to Obsidia Palace.

  Adorned with a set of gorgeous armor and a sword, he bent his back with pride as he entered the town near the palace—only to witness humans with their slender bodies, glossy hair, and lovely facial features.

  Rirupirin went through a realization that broke down his entire cognizance. His beauty had to be quantified by affixing it with, “as an orc”. And that the orcs were belittled as the most unsightly race in the Dark Empire.

  Stout, round bellies; stumpy limbs; a large, flat nose; beady, sunken eyes; and droopy ears.

  Among the orcs given such features, Rirupirin was said to be beautiful as he possessed a face somewhat similar to the humans.

  Rirupirin’s soul was driven to the verge of collapse upon that realization. He could only cling on to a certain strong emotion in order to maintain his mental state.

  That was, animosity. Someday, he would definitely overthrow the human race, making them all slaves and crushing every last one of their eyes to prevent them from turning their sneers on the orcs; Rirupirin became the orc chief while veiling that gruesome determination.

  Hence, he certainly did not have some innate inclination towards cruelty like Kosogi. His hostility towards the humans could be viewed as a major inferiority complex and he ruled over his people with unchanging benevolence.

  “Dat… dat is going too far!!”

  Rirupirin unconsciously shouted when the orders from the emperor arrived.

  The orcs had already pitched in a thousand soldiers to serve as a reserve force for the first unit and they were all lost. Thinking about how they were ordered, outside of his command, by those goblins and giants to fight and die was enough to make his chest tighten, let alone this new, cold-blooded order handed down.

  He was to contribute three tho
usand sacrifices as a foundation for the dark arts uses’ offensive arts.

  It was to be a death devoid of honor as a warrior or even dignity as an intelligent being. They were to be just meat—no different from those yaks brought by the transport unit as edibles.

  “We game here to bight! Ngot to pay for your mistakes wib ow lives!”

  Rirupirin protested in a strained, shrill voice.

  However, the leader of the dark arts users, D., who stood with her arms crossed looked down on the orc chief with cold eyes as she arrogantly declared.

  “This is an edict from the emperor!!”

  The orc chief felt something get stuck in his throat.

  He had witnessed Emperor Vector’s strength during the dark general’s insurgency more than he had cared to. His overwhelming strength far exceeded that of the Ten Lords.

  The strong must be obeyed. That was the absolute law of the Dark Empire.

  Still— still.

  Rirupirin stood still as his two firmly balled up fists trembled.

  It was then when a voice, harmonious for an orc, came from behind.

  “Chief. We must obey the emperor’s orders.”

  He turned back in surprise and the one standing there, with a slender body and dainty, long ears, was a female of his race. She was born in a distinguished family related to Rirupirin’s and they had often played together in their childhood.

  Revealing a placid smile on her lips, she continued.

  “I and three thousand other soldiers will gladly offer ow lives. For the emperor… and ow race.”

  “……”

  Rendered speechless, Rirupirin could do no more than grinding down on his long fangs as though to crush them. The female orc took a step forward and whispered in a hushed tone.

  “Riru. I believe. The celestial world invites ngot only the humans but the souls of us orcs too. We bill… meet again, someday, there.”

  You would not need to sacrifice your life too, he wanted to say. However, he knew it would take far too much time for the three thousand soldiers to accept that unreasonable command without the noble lady knight, who they exalted more in a sense, sharing their fate.