Encounter
The outskirts of the village. A cluster of men huddled together before a colossal mass of pure darkness, clutching crude, makeshift weapons. Facing that thing with numbers like these—wasn't this less a fight and more a suicide attempt?
—!?
Gwooooooo—!!!
“Next volley! Bring out every last arrow!!”
“Don’t stop yet! Make sure those crossbows are properly lit!!”
Scarlet arcs painted the sky. Arrows and thrown projectiles, all wreathed in blazing crimson flames.
~~!?
—!!
The moment the objects struck the ground, they spread with terrifying speed, as if oil had caught fire. Flames. Yes, Wiblaim was weak to fire. To be more precise, if you fed it something it could actually swallow—like projectiles soaked in flame—it would practically die of joy.
“Noriel! You were right, but couldn’t we have just set the entire field in front of us on fire?!”
“If we did that, it would simply flow around the burned area! The creature has a habit of devouring everything in its path, so the only real option is to shove the flames straight down its throat!!”
“Tch…! Load the next volley immediately!!”
With practiced hands, the men soaked their projectiles in oil and ignited them into fierce red flames. Right after, a rain of fire tore through the air all at once, fiercely melting the black sea before them.
This tactic could easily be compared to a game gimmick. Charging Wiblaim head-on and slashing or striking it was completely useless. It would be like trying to empty a massive lake with a single spoon. The difference in scale was simply too vast; there was no other way to deal with it.
“How much longer until the rear is ready!!”
“Still not yet! Keep drawing its attention a little longer!!!”
The plan was dangerous but simple. If they force-fed its main body as much heat as possible, the creature would writhe in agony. Its massive form encircling the village would then contract toward them. That would open an escape route to the rear, allowing everyone to evacuate at once. Given the current lack of a large military force, this was likely the only viable option.
From the beginning, no one had even dreamed of actually subjugating the beast. Even so, the biggest problem remained—
“—Wait! There’s someone over there!! There shouldn’t be any villagers that close to it!?”
“…Aren’t those the knights the guild requested last time…!”
Knights? Just as they said, two figures shimmered near the creature’s torso. They appeared to be fully armed.
“If it’s them, the story changes! I’ll go check right away!!”
The white-haired old soldier beside them immediately dashed toward the knights. It seemed the information was accurate. The elder exchanged a few urgent words before quickly returning.
“The heavens are helping us! They really are the knights sent by the guild! They’ve already identified the creature’s weakness and are engaging it with flames!”
“There’s always a way out. Did you hear that?! Slowly keep it in check while we join up with those knight gentlemen!!”
“…What?”
Despite the good news, a sense of unease flickered through me.
—They knew the Gluttony’s weakness?
This creature had been born at an abnormally early stage. Proper information about it wouldn’t have spread across the allied nations—much less the entire continent. The world itself was still too immature to properly face such a being. Therefore, knowing how to deal with Gluttony at this point in time simply didn’t make sense.
Had the premature awakening of this calamity twisted even the original chain of causality?
Gwooooooo!!!
At that moment, the creature rapidly regenerated its melting outer layer and let out a thunderous roar, spewing black tentacles in every direction. They were like horrific chains.
“Ugh, it’s starting to go berserk!!”
Thud!Kwaaaang!
The beast began hurling uprooted trees wildly as it thrashed about. The situation grew urgent in an instant, but something even more dangerous was coming.
“—?! It’s coming this way!!”
“Damn it, retreat!!!”
Finally, black lumps began pouring down from the sky. The creature had collapsed its towering body all at once. After all, to Gluttony, whether it was devouring beasts or humans made no difference.
The group I had been keeping formation with hurriedly fled toward the rear.
“Haaaaah!! M-my leg!!!”
“Damn it, pull him up!!!”
Screams erupted one after another from the back of the retreating group. Their legs had been swallowed by the black tidal wave.
The sturdy old soldier running at the front turned back, dragged the fallen man away from the creature, and began running again.
“Aaaagh!! My ankle—ugh, uuuugh!!”
“A man your age throwing a tantrum like this…!”
“Oh gods, did it splash him with acid?!”
When I glanced at the ankle of the man being carried on the elder’s back, I saw a horribly melted foot.
“Its body is basically a mass of oil! Since it swallowed the flames, it must be insanely hot right now!!”
“Stay as far away as possible! We need time—”
The shout never finished. The fiercely pursuing black tidal wave had slammed into the hillside and surged violently into the air.
The instant I instinctively looked back, a thick shadow was already pouring down over my head.
—Shwaaaaack!
Crack. Chwaaaaaah!
A deafening sonic boom tore at my eardrums. A silver-white slash flew in from the side, splitting the black wave in midair. The force caused the oil-like mass to lose momentum and rain down like a shower.
“That’s…! The knight gentlemen, right!?”
“Looks like they’ve finished regrouping. Good. Let’s leave this to them for now!”
Beyond the relieved shouts, the two knights were signaling toward us from a distance. It probably meant they would take over from here.
Knights. Beings of martial prowess born on a completely different level from civilians. Even though they had nearly died just moments ago, it was perfectly natural for the people to feel relief at the sight of those backs.
“……Huh?”
But in this place, I alone perceived the scene differently.
The villagers’ cheers, the battlefield flickering with flames, the sky raining black. For a single moment, the pace of time slowed.
Or perhaps I simply couldn’t swallow the situation properly.
Silver-white hair fluttering in the wind. Silver-blue armor gleaming in the firelight. A greatsword of pure white silver radiating light.
I had seen it thousands—tens of thousands—of times. Even after more than a decade, I had never forgotten it.
And that silhouette was now shimmering right before my eyes, completely unchanged.
—Asera.
“That’s my character.”
* * *
A blank sheet of paper lies before us. On that paper, I drew a picture called ‘Asera.’ I gave her the eyes and clothes I preferred, even filling in the colors of her personality. The completed painting began to tell its own story from within.
Fine. Up to that point, it was acceptable.
But what if, before I could even finish drawing, ‘Asera’ walked out of the paper on her own two feet and stared straight at me?
…???
It made no sense. The more I thought about it, the deeper I sank into a labyrinth. My brain couldn’t keep up with this insane situation.
Arcana Saga. The protagonist of that work wasn’t someone who followed a pre-existing character’s narrative. It was a being the player personally created and breathed life into. Since I had reincarnated into the past—before the game even began—the protagonist I had yet to create should have been an existence that could never be born in the first place.
‘Because this world has no protagonist.’
‘Yes, she cannot possibly exist.’
It was an extremely logical conclusion. The most rational answer I had reached while clutching my head after observing this world. I had believed it without question.
—And now, it had been completely overturned.
All the hypotheses and predictions I had built until this moment had just been shattered. The character I had created was standing right there, motionless.
The knight standing in that spot matched the image in my memory exactly. The appearance I had carved and refined countless times was now moving with a dignified presence.
In an instant, countless memories overlapped in my mind.
“Asera—!”
I forcibly swallowed the cry that nearly escaped me unconsciously.
“Hm? Noriel, are you injured? That cold sweat looks serious.”
“N-no. I’m… fine.”
I didn’t even know what I was saying. The reflexive words barely managed to mask my expression.
How on earth was this situation supposed to be explained—
Gwooooo—!!!
“Ugh! It’s rampaging again! Retreat immediately!!!”
The situation didn’t allow for my monologue. Wiblaim had once again lifted a massive tree toward our fleeing group, ready to slam it down.
Shwaaaack—!
As if answering the threat, Asera’s sword energy shot forth again, slicing the black stem cleanly in two. The heavy chunk of severed Gluttony flesh fell powerlessly to the ground.
It probably wouldn’t inflict a fatal wound, but it should buy enough time for the villagers to evacuate.
“….”
I simply stared at the scene in a daze.
“…She’s already grown quite a bit at this point.”
That’s right. She was already proudly acting in the role of a knight. The way the people here felt relieved the moment they saw her was proof enough.
…Wait.
“Hold on. If it’s like this… the story changes completely.”
—Wouldn’t the world continue along its predetermined path?
I had simply wanted to witness with my own eyes the future trajectory that would be twisted by the absence of the protagonist. But if she existed, the situation reversed entirely. Without me needing to do anything, Asera would walk her destined path and reach the predetermined ending.
“….”
If that was the case, then what I needed to do now was—
—To return the derailed original storyline back to its proper track.
I knew it was absurd and presumptuous. But I couldn’t just leave this twisted situation alone.
Safely evacuating the villagers and ensuring that Asera, who had stepped into the line of fire in our place, survived intact. That was the only correct answer left for me.
I turned my gaze toward the group that had retreated behind us. Even though I already knew, their ragtag assortment of weapons looked pitiful. Against that massive body, they were no better than twigs. No matter what they did, they wouldn’t be able to push it back.
If one person sacrificed themselves, the outcome might be slightly different.
“Those who have regrouped, listen up! We will immediately go support those knight gentlemen—”
“No. That’s enough now. Everyone, please retreat.”
I cut off the shout and stepped forward, blocking their path.
“From the beginning, our real objective wasn’t to subjugate it but to secure an escape route. Since its body has been drawn toward us, the path behind the village should be completely open by now.”
Then, leaving them behind, I lifted with all my strength the object the people had kept as their final bastion. It was a large detonator called a Dragon Lantern.
“…Noriel, what exactly are you planning to do with that?”
“I have something in mind. I’ll finish my part and follow right after.”
The sturdy old soldier reached out to stop me.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking… but handling that thing alone is madness. It would be safer for all of us to form a proper formation and move together.”
“No, it’s the complete opposite. Given its nature, clustering together would be even more dangerous. Since I know its weakness best, it’s better for me to go in and deal with it.”
“…Even so—”
“Look, we have more injured than expected. For a group that isn’t even a regular army, we’ve already reached our limit.”
An elderly man with deep wrinkles pushed his way in from behind.
“Above all, evacuating the villagers still inside is our priority. For now, following Noriel’s suggestion and withdrawing first should be the most urgent matter, shouldn’t it?”
At those words, the old soldier closed his eyes for a moment and pondered. His hesitation didn’t last long.
“……We’ll retreat for now. Move the injured and the people in the shelter. Noriel, are you really sure you’ll be alright on your own?”
“Of course. I’m the youngest one here. Still full of energy, aren’t I?”
I flexed my arm in a show of vigor.
“…Once the evacuation is complete, we’ll come back. Until then, stay close to those knight gentlemen and just buy time… Please don’t overdo it.”
The old soldier gave my shoulder one last firm squeeze, then hurriedly led the people toward the village.
I murmured quietly toward their receding backs.
“Overdo it… Well, it won’t be overdoing it. It will be the end, though.”
I gripped the dark red stone chunks in both hands more firmly. Dragon Lantern. The moment it received an external impact, it would engulf the entire surrounding area in flames. Of course, even if I hit that thing with one of these, the destroyed body would recover with a few wet squelches in mere seconds.
After all, to even have a chance at a frontal battle against Gluttony, you’d need to throw tens of thousands of lives from across the continent into the meat grinder.
There was only one method.
To charge deep into its throat and destroy the single hidden core. The only person who knew the exact location of that tiny core was me, who knew the original story.
Continuing the fight here together would be no different from crawling in as a group offering of human sacrifice.
“….”
Steel myself, I gripped the Dragon Lantern tightly.
“One last tantrum should be enough.”
I turned my head and looked at Asera, who was fighting desperately against the Gluttony’s body in the distance.
Yeah. She looks reliable.
A smile slipped out, completely inappropriate for the situation. If my memory was correct, the person fighting alongside her was someone named Lien. She would surely remain a steadfast pillar for Asera until the very end of that journey.
“Hoo. Looks like things will flow nicely even if I don’t watch.”
My resolve quickly turned into trust. I steadied my slightly trembling hands and, without hesitation, turned my body toward the creature.
The target was that pitch-black maw. And, most likely, the place that would become my grave.