Chapter 475: Epilogue: We Once Again Step Upon That Land

Author's Preface

Let me explain! When the gacha results are bad, the update frequency drops!

The loser of the era known as the final day 100-roll.

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『Ugh............』

Akitsu Akane's body, drained of all strength, blurred.
The next moment, enveloped in a poof of smoke, she separated into a young girl hastily putting on a fox mask and a black dragon the size of a large dog.

"Is... Is it over...?"

『I suppose so. Hmph... "Be proud of your name," what a joke. Even without you telling me, I am myself, I am Noirlind.』

"Yes, I suppose so..."

The long, far too long battle had ended, and while some collapsed on the spot, others laid down on the ground without a care in the world.

Amidst all of that.

"Where is Sunraku-kuuuuun!"

"Just what the hell did that guy summon!?"

"Aah! A magical girl with a massive smile is sprinting full-speed!!"

"Oh my, my husband is getting so carried away..."

As one would expect, the massive steel whale that suddenly appeared in the midst of the Siegwurm battle inevitably drew all the attention.
After all, it was far, far too enormous. Would saying that it made Skull Azuchi look small properly convey just how colossal it was?

The New Continent pioneer ships were also quite massive in their own right, but compared to that steel whale, one couldn't help but say the difference was like that of a luxury cruise liner and a rowboat.
If such an immense mass surfaced from the seabed, it wouldn't have been strange for a massive tsunami to occur, but the unnaturally flowing seawater didn't form a tsunami, merely pushing a few waves towards the land... and perhaps because it was slowly approaching them, its non-standard, gigantic frame continued to fill their field of vision more and more.

"Amazing........."

Was that an exclamation of awe at its non-standard mass, or was it praise for Sunraku who was capable of summoning such a thing?
Muttering quietly, Akitsu Akane also began to walk... and there, she noticed a single woman marching briskly toward her—no, toward Noirlind, her gaze locked dead on him.

"Ah... um............ Emi-Lia-san?"

"Yes, that's right. I have a little something to discuss with... Noirlind over there."

This is bad, Akitsu Akane realized instinctively.
This was, so to speak, the contractor coming to collect the pig for slaughter, the chef about to place the fish on the chopping board, the executioner dragging the sinner to the guillotine...!!

She flailed about in a panic trying to buy time, but because some part of her heart recognized the legitimacy of Emi-Lia's anger, she couldn't properly string her words together.

"Um, well, you see, um..."

『...What is your business here?』

"This is the turning point......... Please, an apology."

『............』

With her silent pressure screaming "no interruptions," Emi-Lia simply stared at Noirlind, leaving Akitsu Akane completely speechless.
Amidst the players excitedly celebrating the defeat of Siegwurm and the appearance of a new unknown, only this specific spot was filled with a tension that made it feel as if it were completely isolated.

And then, Noirlind's mouth opened.........

『───How trivial,』

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『Hello! Hello! Allow me to introduce myself once more! I am "Isana"! Although I am an Irregular Type AI, I am the Uncontrolled Artificial Intelligence appointed as the cyber-coordinator in charge of this Leviathan! For a long time, under the orders of the former Leviathan Acting Commander, Julius Shangri-La-sama, I have been conducting recovery operations and periodic observations of mana particle fluctuations at a depth of 20,000 miles straight down in the deep sea, but this time, by receiving the Bahamut Call, I have fulfilled the conditions of the Second Order, and have surfaced above the sea for the first time in 3,125 years, 5,329 hours, 35 minutes, and 23 seconds! When I was free, I spent all my time observing the surface using drones, but it has truly been a long time since I've seen the morning sun on the main monitor! Thank you, truly, thank you! Oh, and also, since this surfacing is happening while the civilization level of the next-generation primitive humanity is at Level 7, it will be opened in a Legacy Mode with intentionally restricted disclosure of information; I am so sorry. However, when you conquer this Leviathan which has been transformed into a pseudo-labyrinth, you will gain new... no, you will gain wisdom from the distant past! Oh? Oh my? Please wait, do you possess the Storage Key Inventoria? Oh no, what should I do, if you are able to fully utilize that, then your civilization level should be 4 or 3.........』

"Wait, stop, seriously wait a second."

『Eh? Ah, I am so sorry! Goodness me...』

A torrent of words deals heavy damage to an overworked brain; not in the sense of a high, but in the sense of a highly effective strike.

"More importantly, I was just teleported without any room for argument... could it be, am I inside it right now?"

『YES! YES! This is the Legacy Mode: Labyrinth-Modified Leviathan's First Shell Layer "Greeting Gate"! From here, you will head towards the Central Shell Layer "Wisdom"......』

"What about a save point? A place to rest?"

『Huh? Ah right, humanity is incapable of continuous operation without sleep or rest, aren't they? Please wait just a moment! Let's see... yes! Since you are the very first visitors, this is a special service! I have projected the locator onto your retinas, so if the two of you just follow it......』

"Sorry Araba, I'm going on ahead so just catch up with me later!"

"Eh, ah? Oh? No, right now I'm..."

"Sorry! I am violently sleepy right now!!"

Perhaps recognized as my "companion" because we were together, I left Araba—who had presumably been teleported into the interior of that ridiculously massive spaceship along with me—completely in the dust as I sprinted at full speed down the line guided by the locator...

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『───How trivial, is what I would like to say... but dispensing mercy is also the duty of the strong, so if it satisfies you, then I shall say it. I am sorry.』

Emi-Lia's eyes went wide at the completely anti-climactic, and not to mention entirely tension-free, apology. And Akitsu Akane was suddenly reminded of the words she herself had said to Noirlind some time ago...

───Apologizing is what's important! Even if you don't put any feeling into it at all, the fact that you said you're sorry is what matters!

In the first place, the original source of that wasn't Akitsu Akane but Pencilgon, and having never expected him to actually put it into practice, Akitsu Akane couldn't hold it in as she watched a large dog-sized dragon looking up at Emi-Lia with a look of absolute disgust on his face while delivering a stilted apology...

"...Pfft."

"Ah."

The one who burst out laughing first was Emi-Lia.

"Pfft, fufukukukuku......... Understood, fufufu... I accept your apology."

"I-Is that really okay?"

"Yes, it just somehow reminded me of the dog we keep at my parents' house... fufufu, it somehow made continuing to stay angry feel completely ridiculous."

"You have a dog?"

"Yes, a Labrador Retriever... fufufufufu, when that boy broke a vase it was exactly like this... ah, this is bad, that really cracked me up... cracked, vase... fufufufufu!!"

Seeing her laugh as if she were somehow broken looked like the manifestation of mental vulnerability brought on by pulling an all-nighter, so to speak. However, while reminiscent of a certain someone somewhere, Emi-Lia looked somewhat radiant, and after finishing her laughing fit, she naturally moved to stroke Noirlind's head...

『What do you think you are doing, you bastard!』

"Ah, it was just a habit..."

It was right at that moment, as Akitsu Akane was about to relax her shoulders at the somewhat softened atmosphere.

"Arrived on-site (We're here!): Liriel=217, visual confirmation of Leviathan at the next-generation primitive humanity settlement!"

"Arrived on-site (What a drag): Mion=031, same as above."

"Arrived on-site: From Reconnaissance Squad (Unit) 'Strawberry' Command Unit (Leader) Cynthia=014 to the following battalion (Group), Leviathan's observed Genesis Contamination levels are within the standard error margin of 5 to 15, there is no need to use Class X Armaments."

Zugooon! With a thunderous impact completely unimaginable from their delicate figures, three young girls touched down.
Were these girls dressed in such outrageously out-of-place outfits actually unimaginably heavy despite their appearances? No, the cause of that was likely the massive boxes they were carrying.

"Perception (Huh?): I'm observing Elma=317's signal, you know? Wasn't she MIA?"

"Partial Affirmation (Hold up a second): Liriel=217, I am sensing biased data in your unit's speculative hypothesis that desires this unit's KIA."

"Whoa, she's Operational (alive)."

Three girls—units—facing off against the Dragon Mech-Armor. By some mechanism, having stored the head and torso armor away by folding it up, the girl... Elma=317 crossed her arms and opened her mouth.

"Cynthia=014, this unit (I) has been able to confirm the following Battalion (Group) via the shared network. Are the other Elma models also carrying their 'Closets'? I am requesting the provision of replacement parts for my damaged components."

"...Approved, but Elma=317. Your unit (You) has an obligation to return to the Office (Doll Base) and submit the records leading up to your current situation───"

"Whoops."

Elma=317 intentionally thrust her palm toward those mechanical eyes that exhibited an inhuman, twitching movement... If Akitsu Akane's memory served her right, the Conquista Doll who called herself "Saina" declared with such an incredibly smug expression that even Akitsu Akane reflexively muttered "Ugh," under her breath.

"Rejection (Too bad): This unit (I) must rendezvous with the Contractor (Master) currently operating inside the Leviathan as promptly as possible......... Yes, unlike your units (you all) who are continuing in an Uncontracted State (wallowing in your single status), this unit (I) is Intellectually (Intelligence) busy, you see."

"Wha───"

"Liriel=217......... Could it be that your Intelligence is lacking?"

As several silhouettes became visible against the blue sky, Akitsu Akane sat down on the ground, thinking to herself that Saina was somehow starting to resemble a certain someone...

Author's Afterword
Andrew Jitterdoll
× The genius who developed the Conquista Dolls as the person in charge of the Reconquista Project.
○ An absolute pervert whose idol otaku obsession got so out of hand that he created a mass-production line of dolls perfectly resembling his favorite idol group.

Translator's Notes

• [1] Cracked, vase: In Japanese, Emi-Lia says "tsubo ni haitte," which translates to "hitting the sweet spot" or "falling into a laughing fit." However, "tsubo" also literally means "vase" or "pot," creating a pun that makes her laugh even harder about the broken vase.