Author: 猫夜叉 (Nekoyasha)
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“Rei Astario. That is my name,” my sister said, staring straight at me as she stood in front of Gramus as if protecting him.
“What is your name?”
…The absolute rule that bound all gods. They couldn’t lie about their name.
However, that was only the case for gods.
And I wasn’t a god. I was a human. So that rule didn’t apply to me.
Still, I needed a name for this false identity. And she had already asked for it. Not answering would be unnatural.
I fell deep in thought.
Why not go with a cool-sounding one.
…Alright, I’ve got one.
I had consulted the fairy tales sleeping within my memories, and wishing it to go well, decided on this one.
“My name is……………”
………
–Eh?
What the? I can’t speak.
‘Noah’. That was what I had decided on. And yet my mouth, my throat, didn’t move, as if denying the name.
“…Gah!”
Right when I began to wonder, a violent pain assaulted me.
It hurt so much I fell to my knees, my breathing rough.
––What the hell is this?
My head was being filled.
Zeus, Zeus, Zeus, Zeus…
My head was being filled with that name…!
What is this? Zeus was that old man I first made a contract with.
Was that a lie…!?
“? What happened?”
Perhaps thinking I was acting strange, my sister looked at me puzzled.
––––Gah…!
I wanted to just give her the name there and then. My intuition told me. If I called myself ‘Zeus’, the pain would stop.
However, that–
What point would there be in using the name of some other god when my whole reason for acting was the truth…!
“Played around with by fate. You’re a clown and a fool. You decide nothing. You are merely a game piece on a board walking down the paths laid out for it.”
I remembered Lucifer looking down at me with a bored face as he said that.
I didn’t know why my mind chose that moment to remind me of what he had said, but–
–it was still very unpleasant.
“…No-… -ah…!” I desperately spat out, trying to shake away the feeling of my body being eroded.
“My name… is Noah!” I shouted, kicking the ground and accelerating.
That one step, that moment. The feeling that I could begin making a story myself became even more real.
There was no turning back now. The moment I had decided to come here, I had been ready to fight against her.
I was the evil god Noah who had caused the stampede.
–Gods needed stories. And in front of me was the sword saint, Rei Astario.
I had no complaints about my opponent.
I sprang into her reach in an instant, the palm of my hand flying towards her.
She moved at the same time as I did. She unsheathed her sword and pointed it at me.
My right fist. Her sword.
They collided – and an explosive wind burst forth.
Her black hair became dishevelled. Mine was probably the same.
Right in the midst of that, our gazes met. For a split second, I saw a gently smile flash across her face.
“…I see. You’re Noah, eh.”
She whispered as if making sure, then jumped backwards, outside the range of any potential attacks from me.
I suppose I could say… we were back to square one.
I didn’t respond, instead opting to watch her in silence.
‘……She’s strong.’ was the false thought that came to my mind.
I had always known she was strong. She wasn’t called the sword saint for nothing, after all.
But it might have been natural of me to think so.
After all, it was my first time fighting against her when she was the sword saint.
“Fufu…” I couldn’t help but chuckle again. She answered with a smile of her own.
“Is that all your strength is? If so, that’s a disappointment. I haven’t even used half my power yet.”
She was probably telling the truth. She wasn’t someone to be underestimated.
So, I replied in turn.
“My thoughts exactly. And I haven’t even used one-tenth of my full power yet.”
The moment I said that, she sprang into action again, a sulky look on her face.
She was heading straight towards me. The moment she reached me, she disappeared, leaving behind only an afterimage.
“Ultimate Secret technique – YUNO CRISIS”
That instant – the place I had been standing was assaulted by slashes from all directions.
I reflected them all back with a single spinning kick.
“…What the-?” came my sister’s surprised voice.
That’s what I wanted to say.
“It’s a horrible name,” I couldn’t help but mutter.
My sister once again appeared outside my reach, leaving behind afterimages.
“Ah… phew…” she gasped for air.
From what I could tell from that sight, that ultimate secret technique had been the real deal.
On the other hand, we had me. I had repelled a Yuno Crisis secret technique with a single kick.
And I wasn’t out of breath either.
“Fuhahahahaha! What now, sword saint? Is that all you have?” I laughed at her. I had to play the evil god. I had to bring out the personality of someone who could easily overpower the sword saint.
“…As expected.”
My sister’s murmur dissolved into the night sky alongside the dust cloud blown away by the wind.
“……”
––A strong wind blew.
The fight had left the human realm. Looking around at the knights who could but watch on in silence, I thought about how the scenario would go next.
The one who had caused the stampede was the evil god Noah, not Fenrir.
I had achieved my first goal, which was to have them all think that.
Perhaps knowing my thoughts, perhaps not, my sister spoke.
“Why did you, cause the stampede?”
It was a natural question. Therefore, I answered immediately, making sure everyone would be able to hear.
“Do I need a reason? However, if you really want one – to let the world know of my existence.”
My voice rang out over the clearing enveloped in silence.
It was a self-centered, tyrannical reason. However, it was also something a god would do.
“Y-you caused a s-stampede out of such a reason…!? H-how evil…!”
Would you look at that. Just as I planned.
News of the god Noah’s abnormality propagated outwards, carried by Gramus’ voice.
“…Evil god… Noah,” one of the knights murmured.
The silence that followed gave me the answer.
––The story had been rewritten. That very moment, I had become the mastermind behind the stampede… probably. Hopefully.
“Do you have any proof?” my sister asked, making me stop and think for a moment. My headache had completely disappeared by then.
Proof that I had caused the stampede…
There was none. Even the true culprit behind the stampede, Astaroth, had none.
But, now that I think of it… I can probably cause one too.
“Do you want me to cause another one right now? It won’t take long. A single moment, no more.”
…I hope I’m doing the tone of voice right.
On a different note, everyone present began to tremble.
“K-k-kill him! Letting him live will mean the end of this country!” Gramus stood up, still shaking, and glared at me with bloodshot eyes.
I glared back at him.
I didn’t like those eyes of his. If the country was so important, then there were better choices he could have taken. Moving to confirm the truth would have been one. He could have then carefully scrutinized the resulting information.
––He neglected to do so.
On the contrary, he had led the army to subjugate the divine beast that protected the forest no matter what.
It was a failure so large it couldn’t be explained away through claiming ignorance. Even if his reason for doing so had been the words of a god.
My sister’s eyes always had this optimistic light about them.
Gramus didn’t have even an atom of that.
He had dedicated his body to the god he believed in, abandoning his own thoughts.
…What the hell. He’s literally just a puppet.
I’ll give him one, final warning.
I gathered magical power in my right hand and shot it at the ground beneath his feet.
That instant –– there came the roar of a loud explosion as a deep hole was dug into the earth.
“Ha…ha…”
He staggered back, then fell to his knees as if looking down into the hole in the ground in front of him.
That should be enough for you to see. You cannot win against me. And if you still decide to face me, I will not be merciful.
I mean, aren’t I right?
Who has ever heard of an evil god who holds back enough not to kill people.
Someone like that wouldn’t be called an evil god.
In other words, the moment I had stepped onto this battleground, I had long since been prepared for this.
However, I won’t be the one who decides whether you live or die. That will be you.
––So then, what will you do?
The knights’ gazes were fixed on the hole in front of Gramus.
Some shook. Some were stunned. Some cried. There were all sorts, really.
And then––
“…I-…it’s no use… we can’t win against that,” someone muttered, and the delicate balance broke.
“Uwaaaaa!!”
“N-no way!!”
“You cowards!! What are you doing!!”
One after another, the knights ran from the battlefield, their swords clattering to the ground. I felt a slight amount of pity for what awaited them.
But that was all I felt.
“You won’t run?” I asked Gramus as he silently watched the knights running away.
“……Hold your tongue, devil. If you go against our country’s guardian deity–”
All I got in response was insults. I took that as confirmation that he wouldn’t be running away.
“…then, die.”
I felt my heart dying as I said that. I wondered whether I would be able to stand it.
The sin of killing someone––
I held out my hand, palm open. A small lump of blackness appeared in front of it.
It wasn’t anything special. I was just compressing magical power, which I would then release.
What was more, sis was there. And – it could still always miss.
“Are you sure? This isn’t just a threat.”
“…Hmpf, do as you please. As long as I have the protection of my lord, I cannot be killed by a devil like you…!”
…I see. I see. I see.
I guess that’s it then.
“…”
…What happened, me? Didn’t you say you were prepared for this?
Is the evil god you play one that would stay silent after saying that much?
“……!”
Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot…!
“–Dieeee!” I shouted, and – released the magical power.
My mind felt clear. Colour faded away out of everything I could see.
…It’ll be… okay––
“––Fool”
“…!?”
That moment, I saw something unbelievable.
Someone had stood in front of Gramus, shielding him.
––I, Yuno Astario, was standing there.
And that wasn’t all.
“Yuno-san!”
As if to protect that Yuno Astario, the goddess Athena stood in front of him, arms spread out wide as the magical power flew at her.
“What the! What are–”
I panicked. I had probably never panicked that much before my whole life.
–Time began to flow past slowly.
I moved to stop the ball of magical power I had shot.
However, that was also why I knew.
–It’s no use. I won’t make it.
Tears began welling up in my eyes. What the hell was I doing…!
“––Don’t you underestimate me, evil god Noah.”
My sister’s voice reached my ears. Then, I noticed her dignified figure.
“Haaa…!”
One instant, one flash. My sister’s sword cleaved through the ball of magical power.
Simultaneously, Kraim pulled the goddess Athena down to the ground to protect her.
…Silence reigned.
All the remaining knights stared on in silent amazement.
I was the same. I was so tense I couldn’t grasp what had happened.
Why was Athena there? And Kraim too.
I had landed in a different place to where they had been.
Then, a voice rang out inside my head.
‘Is this what you wanted to do?’
Recognizing the owner of that voice, I looked at the other me that had appeared all of a sudden.
‘I told them a believable story. That after making a contract with me, you had gone into the forest to let me escape, and then returned.’
Bit by bit, I began to understand the situation. That was Fenrir, pretending to be me.
Which was why I understood it even less.
‘Why did you come here? And you got them involved too!’ I shouted at Fenrir inside my mind.
‘Do not pretend, human. Killing someone with such a crying face won’t make you look like an evil god.’
“……!”
‘Also, they followed me on their own. I didn’t know about that,’ the Yuno said in an annoyed tone of voice when the goddess Athena suddenly hugged him.
“Why…! Please don’t just decide to die like that!”
“Worry not. I-I am absolutely uninjured.”
“““…Worry not?”””
I felt ashamed of myself as I looked at the crying Athena.
Was I even qualified to be anywhere near someone as kind as her?
‘So? Don’t tell me you want to let it end like this?’ Fenrir’s voice echoed inside my mind.
I wonder what that means.
‘Are you going to leave this act of yours unfinished?’
…!
Right… I’ve got to do something.
Is there anything… something…!
I thought and thought, but nothing came to mind.
“––The situation has reversed itself, one could say,” said my sister as she pointed her sword at me.
“Do you still think you can win? Alone, I cannot, but there is now another god here.”
––A shock ran through my brain.
I wasn’t sure what she was thinking when she said that. However––
I had decided to make the most of this situation.
“Fufufu… bwahahahaha… muhahahahahahaha!”
First, laugh. Evilly. And full of confidence.
“Well aren’t you something…! Humans! To think you called a goddess here to oppose me!” I said, turning towards Athena, making the knights’ gazes also turn towards her.
“…Eh? Eh?”
Noticing all the gazes on her, her cheeks turned redder and redder as she panicked, not knowing what to do.
“I might indeed be at a disadvantage… fighting not just the sword saint, but also the strongest goddess, Athena, might be a smidgen too hard, even for me,” I said, and Athena began waving her hands about in confusion, trying to repudiate what I had said.
“Wha-wha-wha-what are you talking about!”
Her hands were waving about even more chaotically.
––Now.
I shot a huge amount of magical power behind me, and dived to the side like my friend Kraim had done to protect Athena earlier.
The next moment, a huge explosion occurred where I had been standing.
Athena’s silvery hair swayed in the violent wind.
I crashed into the ground, and turned towards Athena while groaning.
“Well aren’t you something…! Goddess Athena!”
“…Fue?”
It was a total farce. However, wasn’t this how ‘an eye for an eye’ worked?
I stood up in the middle of a small cloud of dust and leapt into the air with a flap of my wings.
“I have no choice. I shall have to look forward to massacring you next time. You should be grateful to the goddess,” and so on I taunted them, as I slowly rose up into the sky.
“Evil god Noah. Beware. The world will not accept your existence,” I glanced over my shoulder at my sister as she said so.
She has a point. Today, the evil god Noah became the enemy of the whole world.
Many powerful people will come looking for him to erase him off the face of the earth.
Even though I could change my appearance, a skill that could see through that might exist.
In other words, I couldn’t let my guard down even in my original form. I understood that.
I was going to have to hide my true strength as much as I could at the academy, let alone throughout everyday life. At least until Athena or Luna came to be in danger–
“Y-you’re wrong! That wasn’t m–”
I glanced down at Athena as she tried to make her voice heard among the crowd.
Sorry, Athena. I know you won’t be happy with me doing things this way.
But, this is what I decided on.
Even if right now was a lie, I will reveal the truth. Making you the supreme god is my goal, my reason for living.
––First comes the academy. I will raise her standing there.
Won’t that be hard to do, what with hiding my strength? No, I know just how strong I am.
Right. Back then at the mock fight, that was the perfect amount.
Simple, right?
––I just have to get a little bit serious.
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