by Okina Baba
Most likely, this was for the best at the time.
If the buried weapons had been used, they would have plunged the world into even greater chaos.
But the fact that this peril has come to pass in our current day instead is truly grave.
At the time, there were other gods such as myself who could have dealt with the weapons.
But now I am the only one left.
Which is why I had no choice but to accept Potimas’s proposal that I go into space to deal with the G-Meteo.
I know this was the only choice. Nobody else could possibly fight in outer space.
Knowing Potimas, it is possible that he was concealing a weapon that could have done the job, but of course he would never admit it.
I have no doubt that he deliberately sent me away so that he could attempt something while I am gone.
He has always been this way.
Whenever something unexpected happens, that man attempts to use it to manipulate things in his favor.
Even if he himself was not expecting it, he is cunning enough to find a way to profit from it in the end.
I am sure that this situation, too, was not something he anticipated.
But it was all too clear that he is trying to use it to his advantage, nonetheless.
Since I had no choice but to go along with his wishes, I must curse my own inadequacy.
But it irritates me that he thinks he holds everything in the palm of his hand.
Up ahead, I can see my target.
The frightening weapon with the ability to capture meteors and intentionally drop them onto the planet.
The results would likely depend on the size of the meteor, but in the worst-case scenario, this weapon has the potential to destroy the entire planet.
Yet, despite how alarming its power may be, the weapon’s appearance is rather foolish.
Its main body is spherical with propulsion devices attached, and it is equipped with eight arms for the purpose of latching onto meteors.
From some perspectives it may look like a strange sea creature, but as the sphere emits flames to propel it along, its appearance is more humorous than anything.
Though I suppose that makes sense, considering its designer.
Potimas is concerned only with mechanical efficiency and pays no attention to appearances.
This foolish-looking shape must be the result of another efficiency-focused design.
And since its emphasis is on such efficiency, no doubt there is far more to this weapon than meets the eye.
The G-Meteo, perhaps noticing my approach, begins shooting light bullets.
Outer space does not decrease the power of these optic weapons.
If anything, the vacuum only makes them stronger.
However, a weapon made by man cannot affect a god.
I proceed forward, not bothering to dodge the bullets.
My barrier neutralizes them instantly, so, far from injuring me, they cannot even slow me down.
As a true dragon, I have a barrier far more potent than any created by a system-based skill.
A true dragon’s barrier is limitless, blocking both physical and magical attacks.
Not Potimas or even D could completely reproduce this unique ability of dragons.
D created an inferior version using skills, and Potimas developed a barrier that wards off magic, but neither of them comes close to the original.
It is the existence of this barrier that makes it so difficult to defeat dragons.
Even if one did instigate a disaster that destroyed the planet, it’s still not certain whether the true dragons would be harmed.
All of that effort for only the possibility of putting a scratch on a dragon.
Even that would not be enough to break through a dragon’s barrier.
That is the real difference between man and the godly dragons.
The humans of the past knew this, but they did not understand it.
Which is exactly why they created these weapons, believing they were their last hope.
And now, I crush that hope of the past.
The G-Meteo is destroyed in no time.
The now-meaningless hope from a bygone era, reduced to so much garbage in space.
I cannot help but feel the slightest twinge of sadness at the sight.
Perhaps it is because I, too, am a thing of the past, clinging to a purpose that may no longer have meaning in the present.
For I am just like man.
I continue to struggle for the sake of accomplishing my personal desires.
It is unlike a dragon, which is exactly why I am here.
Of all the dragons who once abandoned this planet, I alone remain.
This is the only place I can be.
As the remnants of the G-Meteo drift around me, I put aside my emotions and turn back.
If I hurry, I can still go to the aid of Ariel and the others.
The GMA bomb has not yet been dropped.
If a dragon such as myself appears in front of the G-Fleet, it may drop the GMA bomb, but even then, I would be able to handle such an event.
I am far more certain to be able to resolve this situation than Ariel and the others.
No matter what Potimas might try to do.
Whatever he is planning, I shall crush his attempts without mercy.
“Splendidly done.”
The voice instantly takes the wind out of my sails.
Even in space, this voice reaches my ear effortlessly.
It’s coming from a thin device floating directly in front of my face.
Even I did not notice the appearance of this object.
That alone shows the difference in power between myself and the being who sent this device to me.
And there is only one being who would contact me at a time like this.
“What do you want, D?”
I open my mouth so that my voice will reach my opponent.
For a god, it is a simple task to produce sound in space.
D: the evil god, the final god, the god of death.
The being who reigns as the most powerful of all gods has many names.
Normally, such a being would not bother speaking to a lesser god like myself.
And yet, this voice speaks to me quite freely.
A human who worships D might see this as the greatest joy imaginable, but for me, it brings nothing but a bad premonition.
“Hello to you, too. Your role in this particular incident is now over. So please watch the rest from here, if you will.”
And my premonition is correct.
D is telling me to stay here and do nothing.
But I don’t understand why.
Surely D would not want the GMA bomb to put an end to this little performance.
“Why?”
“Because it will be more entertaining this way,” D responds unabashedly.
D wants to let the world remain in danger, simply because it will be more amusing.
The nerve of this god is unbelievable.
But she’s being completely serious.
People’s actions are based entirely on their personal whims.
And this god thinks and acts in a very similar way.
D acts purely on whether something will be amusing or not.
Everything she does is for the simple purpose of her own entertainment.
If it amuses her, she’ll do anything—no matter who might be hurt or what might be broken.
That is the true nature of D, the being often called an evil god.
And since she’s making this demand of me now, she must have decided that things will be more amusing if I don’t return.
She wants the people down there to resolve this situation of their own accord, without my help.
No doubt D considers that highly entertaining.
But for me, it’s not entertaining in the slightest.
“But…”
“Just stay where you are for now, please.”
I
attempt to protest, but D cuts me off with an order.
Her tone is polite but carries a firm undertone that suggests she will not allow me to act against her wishes.
Such a prideful, selfish will.
She really is just like her.
Their inclinations may be different, but the girl in white displays that same shameless drive to follow her own base desires.
She puts herself first and will gladly wreak destruction if it means getting what she wants.
That’s precisely what concerns me so much about that girl.
I fear that drive of hers will someday bring about a serious situation.
However, I’m currently conversing with someone far more dangerous than that girl.
If D wished it, she could easily end even me.
“All right.”
That’s the only response I am permitted to give.
Because if I spoil D’s mood, I will not be the only one to suffer the consequences.
As long as D’s beloved girl in white is around, I doubt she will cause any serious harm to this world, but she certainly has the power to do so if she wishes.
And it is not within my power to stop her.
“Good answer.”
The device that was producing D’s voice is already gone.
Once she’s said her piece, she simply goes on her way.
Now I have no choice but to stay here and watch the battle unfold.
Even if Ariel’s life is in danger or if Potimas is on the verge of a pompous sneer.
No matter what the end result might be, D will most likely not intervene.
Because that simply would not be entertaining to her.
D has such overwhelming power that she could do just about anything if the mood strikes her.
Which is why she simply watches and rarely does anything at all.
Regardless of the outcome.
In the darkness of space, I clench my fists tightly at my own helplessness.
Please find a way to survive this.
THE BOMB SQUAD’S EXPLOSIVE PROGRESS
Following Potimas’s guidance, we proceed through the gigantic UFO.
Now that the Demon Lord is going all in, we’re moving along pretty quickly.
When she’s serious, no number of robots or tanks can even pose a challenge.
A wild robot appeared!
Oh wait, it’s dead already!
It’s sorta like that.
She finishes them off so fast, my eyes can barely even follow her.
At this rate, even Potimas can’t find a chance to attack her.
She’s just destroying the enemies way too fast.
On top of that, thanks to Gluttony, the Demon Lord can fight for as long as she has to.
Exhaustion? You wish. She just has to munch up some metal with Gluttony and she’s fully recovered.
I dunno if it actually tastes good, but she’s going to town.
Seriously, this skill is so overpowered that I can’t help but laugh.
It’s like, why didn’t you just get serious in the first place instead of worrying about Potimas?
But we’re moving along just fine now, so I guess that doesn’t matter.
The UFO’s robot stockpile must be starting to run low, too, because the attacks have been getting less frequent.
That means we can move that much faster, so we’re getting closer and closer to our goal.
Namely, the compartment containing the bomb.
As you might expect, the bomb is in the center of the UFO.
When it drops the bomb, it just ejects it right from there.
What’s the problem with that? Well, this UFO is stupidly large, so it’s kinda far from here to the center.
It doesn’t help that the main gun was right on the edge of the circle, so we basically started from the farthest point possible.
And since the UFO’s original purpose is to transport weapons, the robots and tanks inside keep coming after us, which obviously slows us down.
Considering the circumstances, we had no choice but to destroy the main gun and enter that way, but it’s definitely eaten a lot of extra time.
The longer we take, the harder things get for our allies fighting outside.
Hyuvan and the other dragons won’t go down easily, but some of the puppet spiders could easily kick it if they’re not careful.
Like Sael, or Sael, or Sael!
I wouldn’t put it past Riel to make a careless mistake and die, either.
The queens? Who would waste time worrying about them?
They’re monsters of the same species as Mother, remember?
If they’re in trouble, then everyone else is basically doomed.
Still, whatever I might say about the puppet spiders and Hyuvan and all them, they are decently strong monsters, so I’m sure they’ll be fine.
The most worrisome bunch are the humans the pontiff brought.
Honestly, I’m already wondering how many of them are gonna be left alive.
Seriously, they’re in waaay over their heads here.
It’s like if ordinary civilians participated in a war for the fate of the world.
I mean, I know they’re knights and all, but still… They’re inevitably way weaker than everyone else.
It’s a help to have them here, I’ll admit, but it’s almost like they’re just meat shields.
Yeah. They really drew the short end here.
I’m guessing the pontiff knew that when he brought them here, so I suppose they’re probably prepared.
But still, I feel bad for them, so I’d like as many of them to survive as possible.
I have no idea how the war outside is going right now.
Since the UFO’s exterior is covered by the mystery barrier, I have no way of checking on things out there.
And having no idea what’s going on outside is definitely making me uneasy.
It’s like we’re being forced to play a game with a time limit we can’t even see.
But it’s not like we’re holding back in here, so as long as we keep doing our best, there’s no real point worrying about it.
The best thing to do right now is forget about the outside and focus on our goal.
But that being said, I’m mostly just letting the Demon Lord do all the work.
My only real contribution right now is keeping an eye on Potimas.
And Potimas seems to be on his best behavior as our guide right now, so I guess you could say I’m not contributing at all.
Look, I don’t need to help with small fry like this, okay?
I’m just letting the Demon Lord handle this, since she’s the oldest, okay?
It’s not because I’m totally useless here, okay?
I’m not mad that she stole the spotlight, okay?
Okay? Okay? Okay.
Huh?
Whoa, déjà vu.
I feel like I had the same thoughts recently, like maybe even earlier today.
What’s up with that? Am I actually that useless?
Th-that’s not true!
I’m getting warmed up right now!
I swear! I’m totally amazing when I try!
I-I’m sure I’ll get a chance to shine.
I just know it!
I’m only saving my strength until that happens.
And making sure Potimas doesn’t try anything suspicious!
So far, he’s been leading us along without causing any trouble.
On top of being super-huge, this UFO is super-complicated on the inside, maybe because it’s basically a flying military base.
The corridors themselves are big enough for the tanks to pass through, but there are tons of twists, turns, and branching paths, so you’d definitely get lost without a map.
I don’t even know if we’re going the right way, but I guess a cyborg like Potimas probably has some kind of memory folder in his brain.
He’s mostly likely referring to the UFO’s plans stored there to figure out where we need t
o go.
He has the Memory skill, too, after all.
There’s no point doubting Potimas’s memory anyway.
Frankly, it’s not like I have any understanding of the inner workings of a UFO, so I wouldn’t be able to navigate it alone.
Even Wisdom’s mapping feature isn’t working right now, probably because of the mystery barrier.
When you can’t do something that you normally take for granted, you really realize how lost you are without it, in this case literally.
I guess that also means I should appreciate such handy features more.
But because I’m so accustomed to this particular feature, I don’t pay attention to remembering where I’m going.
Hrm.
Will I be able to find my way back?
I guess I’ll just have to hope the Demon Lord’s memory is better than mine.
Yeah, I have no intention of letting Potimas guide us back.
As soon as that guy takes care of the bomb, I’m going to wipe him off the face of the planet.
Or at least have him take a hasty exit.
I’m sure this is just a remote-control cyborg body, so even if I destroy it, the real Potimas will be just fine.
As much as I wish he wouldn’t be, for the sake of a peaceful future.
I’m sure the Demon Lord feels the same way I do, probably.
But I have no doubt Potimas knows what we’re thinking, too, so I’m guessing he’ll try something before he disposes of the bomb.
The Demon Lord and I want Potimas to destroy the bomb without a fuss so we can crush him afterward.
Potimas wants to destroy the bomb, too, but he’s hoping to kill me and/or the Demon Lord first.
Talk about an awkward situation.
Why do people have to fight one another anyway?
It sucks that we can’t just reach an understanding.
No, really, I’m being relatively serious.
The world is in danger, but the core members of this crew who have to save it are openly hostile toward one another.
We’re basically doomed.
I have to make sure this doesn’t actually turn into the end of the world.
With that in mind, I follow the Demon Lord, as she destroys more robots single-handedly, and Potimas as he takes the lead.
…When do I get to shine, huh?
We’ve arrived at our destination, and I still haven’t gotten a moment in the spotlight.
