Vol 11 Epilogue

"The activity limit has been reached. From now on, the summons will be canceled."

After watching the false god disappear, it seemed that the golem had just reached its activity limit, and the summoning of the giant soldier was canceled.

Then…

"W-we won… We won!"

"Woaaaahhhh!"

The entire [Heavenly Realm] cheered in unison.

＊＊＊

After that, it was confirmed that the false god had completely disappeared, and once again, cheers echoed through the city of the observers.

However, that base of Dea-san and the others were also destroyed, and on top of that, it was a jet-black void with no evidence of restoring after defeating the false god, so it could not be said that complete peace had come to the [Heavenly Realm].

According to Dea-san and others, the broken cityscape could be quickly restored by divine authority, but even divine authority could not do anything about that jet-black space.

That is because that space is nothingness. The only thing that matters is whether or not the space can be restored to its original state, just as there is no point in giving anything to a state of nothingness.

But… after defeating the false god in such a way, there is nothing more for us to do in the [Heavenly Realm].

"I-it's over…"

"Good work. I was wondering what was going to happen, but… it turned out to be a lot more manageable than I thought."

(That's right. We've got a new power, too.)

"Umu. I'm very happy to have more things to study."

"A-ahahaha…"

After such a spectacular fight, Iris-san and the others were so relaxed that I couldn't help but chuckle.

At any rate, this is how the battle with the false god ended. In other words, I have also fulfilled my soul contract with Zenovis-san.

"W-with this, there should be no more big trouble!"

"Conviction. When Yuuya says so, something probably happens."

Yuti-san. Don't say that… I believe that nothing will happen anymore…!

"Well, anyway, I'm sure the fight is over here, so let's go back to our world."

"I wonder if we should ask Lanael-san to help us again?"

"──Can you wait a minute?"

"Oh, Dea-san!"

As we were all talking about going home, Dea-san, who had been giving instructions to the observers and apostles, came in.

Behind her, there were other observers as well, including Gwen-san.

"What's wrong?"

"We apologize for involving you in the problems of our world. And thanks to all of you, we were able to defeat the false god without this world being destroyed. On behalf of this world, I would like to thank you all."

"Thank you very much."

At the same time as Dea-san bowed her head, the other observers also bowed their heads.

"P-please raise your heads. I'm glad we could be of help to you, too."

"…Thank you so much."

When Dea-san and the others raised their heads, I asked them about something that was suddenly bothering me.

"Come to think of it, is the false god going to come back?"

"…As for that, to be honest, we don't know either. It is the false god who brings everything back to emptiness. Even if we think it has disappeared, it is quite possible that it has gone to some other world."

"I-is that so?"

"In this world, no matter what it is, it cannot be truly and completely erased. It would not be surprising if an extinguished false god resurrected somewhere."

"I-I see…"

So that means that that guy might come back to life again? That's indeed a problem…

"However, it is unlikely that the false god will be resurrected. But rather than that, I have a proposal for all of you."

"A proposal?"

"Yes. Why don't you all become observers?"

"Wha-!?"

It was a proposal that I had not expected at all, and everyone, including me, was absolutely astonished.

"No wonder you are surprised. It is impossible for us, the inhabitants of the higher worlds, to offer such to the beings of the lower worlds. That is unless you are a special case like the sage…"

"B-but we are not as powerful as Sage-san…"

"It is hard to say about that since we don't know how powerful the sage is. However, you all overcame the ordeal and obtained divine authority. This means that you are already qualified as observers. This brings me to this suggestion. If you are willing, I would like you to become observers."

"U-um, I don't know if this is too sudden, but what exactly will happen if I become an observer?"

"As you may have heard from Gwen, you will be freed from many of the desires that exist in the lower worlds, and even the concept of life span will disappear, and you will have eternal life."

This was exactly the invitation that Zenovis-san, the sage, had received before his death.

We all looked at each other in surprise at the sheer scale of the story, but we all seemed to be in agreement.

"Well, I'm very grateful for the offer… but I'd like to refrain from that."

I said this on behalf of the others, and I could sense the turmoil among the observers.

"R-ridiculous."

"You're refusing this offer?"

"As was the case with the sage, don't you understand the appeal of this offer?"

I had no intention of changing my answer to this question.

"Um… it may indeed be appealing to live forever. But I, too, just want to live a normal life. We don't need eternal life."

What's more important is that I have people I care about right now and that I can just live a normal life with them.

"Well, yeah, I guess. It's not that I'm not interested in eternal life, but I've realized that in this world, I've actually lost my appetite and desire to sleep. I realized that those desires are important."

(Right. And it's interesting to think about what you can do with the limited amount of life you have.)

"Compared to Iris and the others, I have a long life span, but a long life span is not always a good thing. Besides, as long as the unknown exists, it will be difficult to take away my thirst for knowledge."

"Opinion. I am the same as Yuuya. I like my life as it is now. So I'm fine with the way things are."

"Woof!"

"Buhi."

"Pii!"

"…I see."

When Dea-san found out that our intention was firm, she accepted our willful response, though she looked disappointed.

"Just like the sage did… perhaps the lower worlds are more wonderful than this one. Anyway, I understand your intentions. Now, let's send you all back to your original world."

Saying this, Dea-san paused before snapping her fingers.

"Once again, everyone. Thank you very much. I look forward to seeing you again someday."

Then, Lanael-san rushed over.

"P-please wait! I-I want to say my farewell, too!"

"Lanael-san!"

Lanael-san took a deep breath in front of us and opened her mouth.

"I met Yuuya-san through an unexpected connection at first, but thank you so much for lending us your help like this! Please come visit us again sometime!"

"It's my pleasure! Please come visit us too, Lanael-san!"

At the moment we gave our final goodbyes, Dea-san snapped her fingers, and the scenery changed.

＊＊＊

"We're back, I guess?"

When my vision changed, I saw that it was the usual garden of Sage-san's house.

The location was the same as when Lanael-san first came to pick us up, but it didn't look as if much time had passed.

"Phew… it looks like we're really back."

(Even so, we've done some serious work this time. I'm going to take a break.)

"I think I'll take my leave now."

Master Usagi and Odis-san said so, and then they just left.

And, perhaps as an experiment in divine authority, they both disappeared in an instant.

"Geez, they are both so impatient…"

"A-ahahaha."

"Yuuya. There seems to be some kind of conflict between humans and a bunch of monsters in the Great Devil's Nest. Shouldn't you go and help them?"

"Eh?"

Iris-san's words made me laugh bitterly, and Ouma-san suddenly said so.

"It seems some of the women you know are being attacked?"

"Eehh?"

I rushed out of the garden and headed for the scene.

Then, I saw the soldiers of the Alceria Kingdom, including Owen-san, there.

And then I saw Lexia-san and Luna.

"Lexia-san!"

"Ah, Yuuya-sama!"

Despite being attacked by a group of goblin elites, Lexia-san turned to me and raised her hand smilingly.

Surprised by her, I quickly took out my [Omni-Sword] and defeated the goblin elites.

"Phew… nevertheless, what's the matter with you all?"

"I've actually come to ask a favor of Yuuya-sama."

"A favor?"

When I tilted my head and wondered what it was, Lexia-san's eyes lit up, and she said something surprising.

"I want Yuuya-sama to let me and Luna enroll in the school in Yuuya-sama's world!"

The content of the request was so abrupt that it made my eyes widen.

＊＊＊

──In the dark, cold depths of the ground.

The groaning voices of the dead resounded there, and the air was thick with the presence of death.

The name of this place was the [Underworld].

It was a place where the souls of all the dead reached.

The underworld existed for each planet and each world, and there existed a certain boundary line that was never crossed.

Because of these boundaries, the order of the Underworld was maintained, and the inhabitants of hell were unable to escape from their respective worlds.

In one such underworld, a soul flowed into the underworld.

It was the soul of the false god who was killed by Yuuya.

It was not strange for a soul to flow into the underworld, but the problem was that the power contained within this soul was extraordinary.

The soul, shimmering translucently, annihilated everything around the [Underworld], and furthermore, the nefarious deceased began to be activated by the power released from the soul.

And the most important effect was that──the boundaries of the underworld disappeared, and the underworlds of each world became interconnected.

"──Strange souls are pouring in."

While the surroundings are buzzing, a voice echoes through the underworld.

The voice belonged to an old man wearing a ragged robe.

"Hah… can't you find peace even after death?"

The owner of the voice, somewhat mournful, let out a sigh again and stared off into the distance.

And then──.

"But… I look forward to seeing him again."

The old man muttered and laughed.