How much time had passed since the Reaper's gale swept through the city?
"Akumo...!"
"What is it, Riveria?"
"That's enough. Please, just rest..."
"There are still people who need help."
'I'm the only one who can...'
A heavy lurch—
In the days following the massacre, Akumo had moved through the streets without a single moment of respite, rescuing adventurers and civilians alike. His body had long since surpassed the point of total exhaustion, yet he forced himself onward. He wrung every drop of Mana for spells and strained his very soul to squeeze out the power of his skills just to save one more life.
"Please, you must rest, Akumo!"
"Ryu..."
"Get yourself to the Dian Cecht Familia. You need proper treatment and stabilization!"
"Ardee..."
"Leave the rest to us..."
"Finn..."
Seeing the desperate worry in his comrades' eyes, Akumo finally succumbed. He could no longer fight the weight of his eyelids and collapsed into the dark.
For two consecutive days after the initial battle, Akumo had traversed every corner of the city. He rescued adventurers who had lost their Falna, purged remnants of the Evils, and provided emergency relief to the citizens. Through his sheer, unyielding will, he had miraculously succeeded in minimizing the overall casualties.
To those he saved, he was a true Pioneer. The winds of hope he stirred up had spread across Orario, helping the city weather the reaper's storm.
"Let's move Akumo to the Dian Cecht Familia for now."
"...Riveria."
"What is it, Ais?"
"Does Akumo... have a reason?"
Watching Akumo's unconscious form, Ais had mistaken him for a 'ghost' like herself—someone driven solely by the fires of resentment and vengeance. She wondered what deep-seated hatred fueled his self-destruction.
"...Ais."
"Yes?"
"You are an adventurer."
"Yes, but why that?"
"Did you need a reason for that?"
Ais merely tilted her head at Riveria's question. Her desire to become stronger was born from the need to reclaim what was lost—from the agonizing realization that her hero would never appear to save her.
"In a way, you and Akumo are alike."
"Huh?"
"Power is nothing more than a tool, Ais. What is it you want to do once you have obtained that power?"
"..."
Ais couldn't provide an immediate answer. She began to search her mind for the image of the person she truly wished to be.
"Mmm..."
"There is no need to rush. Power isn't just about raw martial force."
Riveria began to relay the words Akumo had once shared with her, imparting them to the troubled girl.
"In this world, power manifests as martial strength, intellect, wealth, authority, or even the bonds between people. It is a force both invisible and blindingly obvious."
"Those with power are strong. The wretches who attacked the city days ago were no exception."
"But does that mean they hold the truth?"
"Absolutely not."
"Power is fundamentally a means. It is no different from the weapons we wield or the tools we use."
"What you choose to do with it, and what path you choose to pioneer, is entirely up to you."
"If you use that power to pioneer and pursue your own truth, then that is enough."
Ais's eyes widened as she absorbed Riveria's explanation. She looked back at the fallen Akumo, wondering what truth he pursued—what path he was pioneering—that allowed him to squeeze out his power until his very limits were shredded.
Riveria knew this spark of contemplation was exactly the result Akumo had intended. Seeing Ais begin to shed the cold mask of a 'Sword Orpheus' and actually ponder the philosophy of power, the High Elf smiled gently and stroked the girl's hair.
When Akumo finally opened his eyes, he was in a medical ward.
"...How long have I been out?"
"An entire day."
Akumo turned his gaze to the woman sitting beside his bed. Amid considered whether to withhold the truth for a moment, but eventually told him exactly how long he had been unconscious.
"And if you're thinking about heading back out, forget it."
"...They're still short-handed."
"It's fine. Thanks to you, the casualties were significantly lower than projected."
"Why me? Everyone did their best."
"Yes, yes... fine, it wasn't you. So you can just stay in bed, right?"
Amid looked at him with a mix of gratitude and bitterness. She, too, had been saved by his efforts, as had countless others who survived because of his relentless struggle. When he had been brought before her, collapsed from overexertion, her heart had nearly stopped.
What he needed was rest, and Amid had no intention of letting him return to a battlefield so easily.
"Just for a moment... can I go somewhere?"
"...You promise not to go looking for a fight?"
"I understand."
As if reading her thoughts, Akumo sat up quietly and requested a single excursion.
Akumo's destination was a desolate wasteland—the makeshift burial grounds for the adventurers and citizens sacrificed during the Great Feud. A goddess was already there, her expression etched with a bitterness she couldn't hide.
"..."
"Lady Astraea."
"Akumo...? I heard you were hospitalized."
"I woke up not long ago."
Astraea felt a crushing sense of guilt toward the man standing before her. Despite holding the title of a God, she and her kin had been forced to rely on him. Had he not been there, the number of graves in this field would have increased ten or twenty-fold.
"Thank you... Akumo."
"For what?"
"For saving the children... for being a hero..."
"...My actions weren't driven by a desire to be a hero. I simply did what I was capable of doing."
"...I see."
'I don't sense a single drop of falsehood. This child truly believes that...'
Astraea sank deeper into her thoughts. If he hadn't existed, would 'Justice' ever have stood a chance of being rekindled in Orario? Even if it had, would it have been a flame strong enough to oppose such absolute Evil? The complexity of it all clouded her mind.
"Lady Astraea."
"Yes...? What is it, Akumo?"
"Please, do not reproach yourself so harshly."
"...How could I not?"
Astraea couldn't find it in herself to validate her own existence. Was it the burden of being the Goddess of Justice, or was it the lamentation of a deity who had found herself relying on a mortal hero? Regardless, Akumo's answer remained the same.
"You said you were grateful to me, didn't you?"
"If that's true, then please, do not wear such a dark expression."
"That was my only reason for saving everyone."
Akumo did not want to see the despair of comrades he couldn't protect repeat itself, a ghost of the nightmares from his past lives. To prevent that, he had put his life on the line against the ultimate powers of this era and worked himself to the bone for days.
He simply hated seeing people's spirits break under the irrational, shocking violence of the Great Feud.
"I'll be going now."
"...If it's alright, could I ask you to escort me back home?"
Hearing the sincerity in Akumo's voice, a warm smile finally bloomed on Astraea's face. Together, they walked back toward the city.
"Rejoice, comrades!!!"
"Wooooooo!!!"
"In two days, we shall bring about the destruction of Orario!!!!!!"
The stronghold of the Evils was thick with exhilaration. They were drunk on their victory over the city's strongest, and it fueled their fanaticism to even greater depths.
"Erebus."
"What is it, Alfia?"
"What was the reason for your sudden change of heart?"
"...I have received my answer regarding justice."
Erebus responded calmly, even amidst the deafening roars of the Evils, his mind revisiting his conversation with Akumo.
"From the beginning, there was no meaning in these actions labeled as 'Evil.' I was simply waiting for the outcome to manifest."
"Is that why you've abandoned the riots outside the city and your obsession with that elf?"
"I wanted an answer for 'Absolute Justice.' But now, it doesn't particularly matter."
'After all, there's no way an 'Absolute Justice' could ever emerge against the 'Absolute Evil' I've labeled myself as, right?'
"...I see."
"Are you relieved? You're already an accomplice who incited this Great Feud with me."
"Not particularly. I was just wondering if that boy would hesitate when the time comes to kill us."
Alfia replied with a clinical detachment, hiding her true feelings. However, Erebus knew those feelings weren't something she could truly hide.
The desire to live, the desire to escape this meaningless sin—those feelings likely resided not just in Zard and Alfia, but in all the people of Orario. The urge to flee the battlefield and preserve one's own safety was universal.
"And yet, the reason we fight..."
"It isn't for something as clumsy as 'Evil' or 'Justice.'"
"We simply use our power to pioneer the future we desire."
"Prepare yourself, Erebus. It's almost time."
"Understood, Zard."
Zard, who had been listening to the conversation, began to prepare for the day of the final battle. As Erebus said, this feud held no inherent meaning. Its only purpose was the brutal catalyst needed to force the adventurers to grow.
From the beginning, there was no good or evil. The Evils were merely those who fought to manifest their own desires freely. Their leader, Erebus, used them to fulfill his own wish.
Alfia and Zard also moved only at Erebus's request. There was no more or less to it.
Meaning was something one bestowed upon oneself.
Because of a single Pioneer, the apex predators of the previous era had seen hope in the nightmare, and a Dark God had looked back upon his own desires.
Time marched on, and the day of the decisive battle arrived.