Epilogue. Order of Hierarchy

“Do you understand? This isn’t a fight to the death, but a light sparring match. We’re competing to see each other’s strength, not to kill each other.”

Sirin, who had erected multiple layers of barriers around me and ‘me,’ looked at us alternately with a dubious expression.

“That’s right, Noah. This is sparring. Please think twice before swinging your Greatsword.”

Serr, who had erected another barrier on top of that, also looked at me with a suspicious expression.

After them, Primavera, Kartia, and everyone else who had followed them, spoke with one voice.

They said that it was okay to break the house several times, but please leave this place intact.

I readily nodded.

‘I’ also readily nodded.

“You, are you confident?”

“…I’ve already won once… so I’m confident…?”

“You really… think I’ll be the same as I was back then?”

What is this.

Has something changed?

No, but, uh… wasn’t the world too peaceful to train or increase my strength after that…?

Of course, we left Demon Beasts behind due to the material and awareness, but I wouldn’t be able to increase my strength by catching those weak Demon Beasts, would I?

Did ‘Rubia’ do some secret training with her?

Or did I get stronger, so ‘I’ got stronger too?

That can’t be it.

Uh…

“Think what you want.”

In the end, ‘I,’ who had been looking at me with a dumbfounded expression, sighed and planted the Greatsword on the ground.

I, too, placed my hand on my chest with a feeling of unease.

Thud―

A huge tremor. An earth-shattering roar.

Feeling it completely, I clenched my fist.

I drew it.

Crack, crack, crack― The crimson [Aura] that was drawn out with the Greatsword left a huge scar on the area, dyeing the world crimson. ―Swish. The sound of gentle waves washing in. The Black Sun floating in the sky.

‘I,’ facing it, muttered softly.

At the same time, the world was dyed blood-red, starting from ‘my’ Greatsword. A gruesome mountain of corpses and a sea of blood unfolded. Another Black Sun rose.

Soon after, a boundary was drawn in the sky.

A crimson sky and a blood-red sky.

Black Suns facing each other.

Looking at it like this… it looks like we’re the villains.

‘I’ seemed to think so too, looking up at the sky with a sulky expression.

“The count―”

“Ah, I shall do that.”

Step- Step- Sirin, who was standing outside the barrier, raised her arm with a still suspicious expression. A small sphere floated from the palm of her hand facing the sky.

A golden sphere.

It flows down.

She didn’t say when to start, but I think I roughly know. I guess we should start when that touches the ground.

Hoo, I took a short breath and trailed the Greatsword behind me. Likewise, ‘I’ standing opposite me also took a short breath and trailed the Greatsword behind me.

There’s no need to cross swords now, exchange attacks and defenses, and check each other’s skills. There’s no need to engage in unnecessary psychological warfare.

The skills that can be confirmed in that way are not enough, and each other’s physical abilities have transcended humanity to engage in psychological warfare.

So.

Once.

We’ll end it with just one swing.

3 seconds.

Woo woo woo woo―

A gruesome wail. The Divinity that obeyed my will intertwined and went awry, creating a ghostly cry.

Without having to say separately what I was trying to do, what I wanted.

Creak- Creak―

‘I’ also unleashed all the Divinity within her body.

The Ancient Dragon’s armor was wrapped around her. A red cloak fluttered on her shoulders. Under the blazing Black Sun, a sea made of blood surged. It drenched the mountain of corpses stickily.

2 seconds.

A fishy wind blows.

I.

I took a step. I loosened my waist. I clenched my fist tightly. The crimson waves stopped. A fierce light stretched out from the calm Black Sun.

‘I’ too.

I took a step. I loosened my waist. I clenched my fist tightly. Drip- Drip- Blood droplets falling from the mountain of corpses echoed in the blood-red sea. An ominous light stretched out from the blazing Black Sun.

1 second.

Sound disappeared from the world.

My foot fell.

‘My’ foot fell.

Past the foot that went ahead, Thud. It fell strongly.

Past the foot that went ahead, Thud. It fell strongly.

Gathering that recoil, I twisted my waist.

Gathering that recoil, I twisted my waist.

A firmly supported leg. A waist that adds strength.

The power that climbed up from the lower body, which had settled firmly like the roots of the World Tree, gathered in the Greatsword along the arm.

Finally, the golden sphere touched the ground.

At the same time.

Each other’s Greatswords were swung.

In fact.

I felt something was wrong from the moment ‘my’ [Aura] rushed in.

That’s because I felt the purity and ferocity of the [Aura] that was different from when I faced her before.

I didn’t think about the reason for it. If I put such distracting thoughts in my head, if I hesitated even for a moment, I would be immediately defeated by the sword that ‘I’ swung.

So, I just… focused on what I had to do.

Sure enough. ‘I’ had definitely become stronger.

There was no need to think about the reason.

The limit had disappeared.

In a world where [rules], [foundations], [Concepts], and [Laws] had all disappeared, ‘I,’ like everyone else, had lost her limits.

That’s why she got stronger.

Time to get stronger? There was no need for that in the first place.

‘My’ power must have been suppressed for a long time. It was a natural thought and action, like eating jellies that she couldn’t eat before.

Yes.

‘I’ got stronger.

To an extent that couldn’t even be compared to when we competed before.

That means.

I. ‘I.’

We… caused an accident.

The mansion disappeared without a trace.

The lawns, flowers, and trees that were widely spread throughout the area had all evaporated, and the sky and earth were crookedly misaligned.

“Y- You… You foolish things. Didn’t I tell you? I told you it wasn’t a fight to the death? But, but! What is this mess?! Did you hate us that much? Huh? Did you have to destroy our home like this to feel better! Answer me!!”

“S- Sorry…”

“S- Sorry… Sob… I’m sorry…”

“But you had a good show. Why are you scolding them so much? It’s okay, it’s okay. Kids grow up fighting. Hey, Sirin. Let’s clean up from there. Come on.”

“Let go! You stupid things, I need to slap you each on the head to feel better! Let go! You bitch!!”

“Hey, shut up and come with me.”

Sirin, who was slowly fixing the distorted scenery, shouted at us in anger.

Kartia, who was helping her clean up the surroundings, chuckled and took Sirin away.

“You two are fools.”

Serr chuckled at us, who were kneeling with dirt all over us.

“Still, it’s a relief that this world hasn’t completely collapsed. Did you adjust your strength at the end?”

“…Yes.”

“…A little bit.”

“Hmm, it doesn’t seem like you matched words, but since you’re both Noah, you seem to get along well. If one of you had slipped up, it would have led to a big accident. Anyway, it’s a relief that you’re not hurt. Well, the rest… please reflect on it and then help.”

Serr, who created a wind to remove all the dust from our bodies, spread out a huge Magic circle to calm the dust around us and walked away, following Kartia and Sirin.

Now, all that’s left in this place is…

Rubia and ‘Rubia.’

“What if you had gotten hurt doing that?”

‘Rubia’ said.

“No… well, we… were sure that we wouldn’t get hurt―”

“Tsk. ‘Noah,’ is that what you have to say? Okay. Then say that Noah didn’t get hurt. What about after that? What would ‘Noah’ have done if we had gotten hurt?”

“…I’m sorry…”

“You just started liking each other, and you want to hate each other again? Huh? Do you want to be separated from Noah again, ‘Noah’?”

“N- No…! ‘Rubia’! Th- That means…”

“Tsk! Be quiet. ‘Noah’ has nothing to say even if she had ten mouths.”

‘I’ nodded weakly at ‘Rubia’s’ rapid-fire words.

“Put your mouth in.”

“…Okay.”

Her protruding mouth also went in.

Following that, I heard ‘Rubia’s’ sigh.

“Noah.”

…It was Rubia’s turn.

Not a voice that was angry like ‘Rubia.’

A voice that sounded very, very upset.

“Y- Yes…?”

“Noah… do you know that you’ve changed a little from before?”

“C- Changed… you say…?”

“Yes. Even before, Noah acted without caring about her body, but now it’s even worse. Why is that? Do you know how scared I am every time Noah does that? If you get hurt, if Noah hurts, how upset I get… Why doesn’t Noah understand that?”

“Ah, uh… that’s… I- I’m sorry…”

Haa… Rubia sighed deeply.

And after choosing her words for a while, she slowly opened her mouth.

“Why do you do things that you’re sorry for?”

“…Gasp.”

This is totally… isn’t this what couples say right before they fight…?

I didn’t know what to say, so I stared at Rubia with my mouth wide open.

Rubia had a really upset expression on her face.

It was hard to meet her eyes, so I slowly lowered my head. And I only rolled my eyes and stole a glance at ‘my’ face.

She also had the same expression as me, as if saying, ‘You’re in big trouble.’

‘I’ said with her eyes.

‘Apologize quickly. You loser. You’re screwed!’

I also answered with my eyes.

‘How…? What should I apologize for?’

‘I don’t know! You have to figure that out yourself!’

‘Please… please help me…! W- We caused the accident together!’

‘No? ‘Rubia’ has already forgiven―‘

“…’Noah,’ what are you thinking about?”

“Huh?! Ah, no. I was just… thinking about my mistakes…!”

“Is that so?”

Nod, nod- ‘I’ nodded diligently.

Seeing ‘me’ like that, ‘Rubia’ carefully turned her gaze to me.

…I shook my head very slightly.

‘Rubia’s’ mouth was tightly shut.

“Hoo… ‘Noah.’”

“Huh?”

“You said you were thinking about your mistakes, right?”

“Yeah!”

“Then, tell me.”

The atmosphere instantly turned cold.

I… chuckled inwardly and looked at ‘my’ face.

“What did you do wrong?”

“Ugh…?”

Her expression is quite a sight.

I should have helped me, that bad kid.

“What’s so funny about our Noah… in this situation?”

“Y- Yes…?”

“Did you think I wouldn’t know? I know what you’re thinking just by looking at Noah breathe, you know?”

…I- Is that true?

“U- Ugh… that’s… hehe, that… Ru… Rubia is pretty…”

I couldn’t say that I was laughing at ‘my’ flustered appearance, so I just smiled brightly.

Usually… well, if I smile like this, Rubia sighs and lets it go…

It’s not a lie that Rubia is pretty. She’s really pretty. She’s always pretty.

“…That’s it, Noah is always like that.”

“Eh…”

But, today was different.

…Why?

“Did you think that since I always smile and let it go when you say that, I would do that this time too?”

“Ah, no… that’s… no, that’s not it… I- I’m sorry…”

“Okay, then. Just tell me.”

Uh… something’s wrong here.

“Noah. What are you sorry for?”

“Hiccup…”

The hiccups that had barely stopped started again.

Next to me.

‘I’ was laughing as if she deserved it.

“Answer quickly before I get angrier. ‘Noah,’ what did you do wrong?”

“Ugh… th- that’s…”

Oh my… how satisfying.