Nothing Has Changed, But It Must Change
Something was wrong. Yes, this was definitely wrong. The appearance of a Fragment of the Demon God was, in the end, inevitable. But it couldn’t simply manifest without any warning signs whatsoever. The world operated in strict accordance with the game’s rules. This wasn’t mere speculation—it was a conclusion drawn from the lessons I’d received from Master, from raising my disciples, and from observing the world. Evidence had piled up until the truth became undeniable.
A Fragment of the Demon God could never appear unless causality had been properly established.
My disciples had not yet dealt any meaningful blow to the Enemy’s Will that threatened the world. They were working hard, certainly—slaughtering monsters, eradicating Demon God Worshippers—but it still fell far short of the threshold required to summon a Fragment. To reach that point, they would need to eliminate beings who stood in direct opposition to the Heroes, people like the twins I had just encountered. Only then would causality align and allow a Fragment to emerge.
These Fragments were entities that directly participated in the world’s destruction. Even the developers had understood the danger; they had been extremely cautious about introducing them into the story. Releasing one too early could shatter the balance entirely. In the original game, its true nature had only been revealed after Season One had completely ended.
But this… this was real fucking bullshit.
I had no idea where things had gone wrong or what had caused it, but one fact was painfully clear: the moment that Fragment appeared, everything had been thrown into chaos. Nowhere felt safe anymore. No time felt safe.
“…Master?”
Iris approached from behind, calling out to me cautiously. She had been standing there for some time already, yet only now spoke. My expression must have been truly grim—so much so that she hadn’t dared say anything until now.
“You don’t look well. Did something happen…?”
“Iris.”
“Yes, Master.”
“There have been times—rare times—when I lost confidence in everything I was doing.”
“What do you mean?”
“…It looks like this is one of those times.”
Even if I said it, Iris wouldn’t understand. The thought of explaining something she could never grasp made me feel ridiculous. In truth, it wouldn’t matter who I told—not the other disciples, not even Master. None of them would comprehend the weight behind these words.
“Cough! Hack!”
“Please calm yourself and look at me. You’ll feel better soon.”
Lily Hyacinth was tending to those injured when the chapel collapsed. More than ten people had already lost their lives. Every one of them had been a priest or holy knight of the Church—individuals capable of fighting low-grade monsters and Demon God Worshippers alike. The loss of so many Church personnel was a devastating blow.
But the real problem was that it had happened in the middle of the city. The chapel, essentially the Church’s own territory, had been completely destroyed. The Saint’s own party had been attacked, resulting in over ten deaths. Although I had driven the attackers away, I hadn’t eliminated them. On top of that, the sky had split open, revealing the Enemy’s Will itself.
That alone would be enough to embolden the Demon God Worshippers I had barely managed to suppress.
“…Goddamn it.”
Emotions I had never once felt before rose up inside me. Fear, anxiety, worry, regret, tension—everything like that. They blended together into a thick, dark sludge that tightened around my chest.
Why had the Fragment of the Demon God appeared now, of all times? The twins made sense; with the Heroes actively moving, their appearance could be explained. According to my disciples, they still hadn’t taken out many of the cult’s key figures, let alone high-grade monsters. Those were the kinds of kills needed to create proper causality for a Fragment to appear.
Yet it had shown itself openly, almost as if taunting me, baring its fangs in my direction. That cursed thing had noticed my existence.
What now?
Would every plan I had carefully built simply collapse into nothing?
My disciples—the Heroes—were not yet ready to face a Fragment of the Demon God. If I had to put a number on it, they were perhaps seventy percent complete. I had planned to have them gain more experience and growth by eliminating the cult’s leadership and high-grade monsters first. I wanted them to be strong enough that only three or four would be needed to handle a Fragment, not every single one of them at once.
At this rate, I had no idea when or where my disciples might be ambushed. In a situation where losing even one person would be catastrophic, it was now possible to lose them all at once.
“Master!!”
A sharp cry suddenly rang out from behind me. It snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts, and I slowly turned my head. Iris was still standing right beside me, gripping my hand tightly as she stared up at me.
“This isn’t like you at all. Snap out of it. You’re acting really strange right now.”
“…I’m acting strange because the situation is strange, Iris.”
“You’ve done everything so well until now. You prepared the Heroes, and now those Heroes are out there across the world, fighting against the malice that threatens it. So it’s going to be okay.”
“…”
Listening to Iris, I suddenly found myself laughing without meaning to. Here I was, being comforted by someone who knew nothing. By the most frustrating disciple whose growth had been painfully slower than all the others. By this damn girl who was a Hero in name only and couldn’t actually fulfill a Hero’s role. The fact that Iris of all people was saying these things was so absurd it was hilarious.
And yet, strangely, being comforted by her gave me strength.
“…If my words upset you, then…”
“No. No, Iris. I just can’t believe those words came from you. Have you finally grown up a little?”
“What are you talking about? I’ve always been a wonderful, mature disciple.”
“Put your hand on your heart and say that again. What kind of disciple?”
“A w-wonderful disciple…”
“What kind?”
When I narrowed my eyes at her, Iris glanced at me nervously. Finally she puffed her cheeks and shouted, “Ugh, fine! A stupid disciple! There, happy now?!”
“What are you talking about? You are a wonderful disciple.”
“…Huh?”
“I said you’re a wonderful disciple. I just wanted you to say it again. Did your conscience prick you or something?”
“…Ugh, uwaaaah!! That’s so mean! Master, you’re so mean!”
It was her guilty conscience’s fault, so why was she blaming me? Thanks to Iris, I had found a sliver of composure and even managed a small smile. I slowly organized the current situation in my mind.
Causality had not been established, yet the first Fragment of the Demon God had already appeared. The important question was whether this was the only one. I desperately hoped so, but if more existed, we were already on the brink of the world’s end. In game terms, it would be time to either uninstall the app or reset the data.
“Master.”
Once her grumbling seemed to be over, Iris spoke up again, a little hesitantly.
“Those people who attacked the Church chapel earlier.”
“They were Demon God Worshippers. They looked human, after all.”
“But the energy I felt from them was… no matter how I think about it…”
“They felt like monsters, right? The techniques they used, the aura coming from their bodies.”
“…Yes. No matter how you looked at them, they didn’t seem human.”
That was only natural. They weren’t ordinary Demon God Worshippers. They were core members—commonly known as Demonic Humans. Beings steeped in the power of monsters, abominable creatures that were neither fully human nor fully demon. Trash who had betrayed their own world after succumbing to the whispers of the Enemy’s Will.
“Now you understand why I was pushing you so hard?”
“…Do I have to fight things like that?”
“No. You’ll have to fight things even more dangerous and stronger than them. Those guys would actually be easier by comparison. At least they were once part of this world. But the ones above them are different.”
“Will I be able to do it?”
“You have to.”
“When that man and woman attacked the chapel, I couldn’t do anything.”
“That’s exactly why you need to work even harder. Before they burn away everything precious to you.”
Having said that, I decided to leave Iris alone for a while. She was probably incredibly confused and frightened, even if she didn’t show it. She had been able to slay mid-grade monsters without difficulty, yet she had been completely helpless, able only to collapse onto the ground. The shadow of death—one she had never faced before—had loomed right in front of her. She needed time to catch her breath and organize her thoughts.
“Master.”
While I was surveying the area a short distance away, Lily Hyacinth approached. Like Iris, she looked deeply depressed.
“How are things?”
“I’ve treated the injured up to the point where their conditions are no longer critical. However, those who have already left this world…”
“Not that. I’m not talking about the Church members. I’m asking about you.”
“…May I speak honestly?”
Of course. In fact, I would refuse any answer that wasn’t honest. I stared at her quietly, urging her to continue.
“Even when facing high-grade monsters, even when encountering Demonic Humans several times, I never trembled like this.”
“So you noticed it too.”
“If you’re referring to that pitch-black entity floating in the sky, then yes. The moment our eyes met, I was so terrified I just wanted to hide behind you, Master.”
Lily had experience subjugating high-grade monsters and even crossing paths with Demonic Humans. For her to react this strongly, there was no doubt—it was unmistakably a Fragment of the Demon God.
“So that was the true ‘Enemy’s Will’ you spoke of, Master.”
“It seems so. Still, even I didn’t expect it to appear this soon.”
“What happens now?”
“What happens? Nothing has changed. We fight. We protect. And they try to take everything away.”
Yes. Not a single thing about what we had to do had changed. The only difference was that too much had shifted, and now I could no longer be certain of anything. Even though nothing had changed, that very fact had become a source of dread.
The world no longer felt like a game. It had become indistinguishable from reality. All we could do was collide, break, and keep moving forward.
“Master.”
Lily called my name and pointed toward the distance. The city’s residents, guards, and knights were gathering. It had only been about ten minutes since the chapel was attacked by Demonic Humans. From their perspective, they had actually responded as quickly as possible.
“…I’ll handle this properly. I won’t cause any trouble for you, Master.”
Normally, I would have nodded without hesitation. But with events twisted this far out of shape, was there really any point in keeping secrets anymore? The restrictions I had placed on some of my disciples should be lifted as well.
“Lily Hyacinth.”
“Yes, Master.”
“As of this moment, I permit you to unseal your mace.”
“…Are you serious?”
“Yes. Given the situation, if you feel the time has come to swing it, then swing it.”
“If that is your command… then I shall do so, Master.”
As she answered, a cold golden light flickered in Lily’s eyes before vanishing.