The End of the Failure
* * *
That shouting voice resounding from unknown origins reverberated across the area, leaving lingering echoes!
Wh-What is this voice!?
Of course, Nare heard it too.
For the first time, Nare showed signs of being rattled by the sudden, mysterious shouting voice.
This seemed to be an unprecedented phenomenon even for Nare, who had repeated the loops countless times.
<<<Lower that fist, cursed child. It is insolent.>>>
Yet again, that strange voice resounded.
The sound was muffled, distorted.
The low pitch made it clear this was a male voice.
Who are you!! Identify yourself!!
I raised my voice questioning the unidentified entity, without lowering my guard.
I did not lower my fist either.
Circulating magic power through my entire body, not just the right fist, I enhanced my Body Strengthening.
Instantly shifting to a combat stance.
If an enemy, I would kill.
Kill.
<<<Rein in your murderous intent. It is insolent. You foolish perceiver blind to the unseen.>>>
The very moment that muffled voice spoke those words, a change occurred in the scene before my eyes.
The Luclees family manor I intended to shatter with my punch began creaking and twisting, distorting like a swirling vortex!
The red roof, yellow walls despite being a wooden building, they stretched like taffy, forming marble patterns!
<<<I am originally unseen by the eye. Yet I am always with you all.>>>
Before Nare and my stunned gazes, the manors transformation completed.
What had been the manor mere dozens of seconds ago now floated as a single large facial visage in the sky.
Due to the red and yellow marble patterns, it was somewhat unclear, but it was the solemn face of a bearded man.
<<<I am Time. I am the Time God Totaireregist. In the presence of a god, your ambition soars high. Lower your gaze.>>>
The next instant!
Immense pressure assailed Nare and me from that giant face!
This was Intimidation!
Unleashing its divine power, its magic power, that face tried to subdue us with sheer pressure!
Kuh!
Shielding the staggering Nare, I moved to stand before her.
Spreading my arms wide, I withstood the Intimidation emanating from the face!
<<<Insolent! Insolent!! Insolent!!! Why do you not kneel! In the presence of a god, it is insolent! Kneel!! Lower your head!!!>>>
The faces Intimidation intensified further!
But I did not yield.
Straightening my back, I returned the Intimidation!
Glaring defiantly at the face!!
What god!! Acting so arrogant with just this level of Intimidation!! That Black Lizard from before was far stronger!!!
<<<What did you say!? You mock me!? Filthy cursed child! Fool! Fool!!>>>
The face bellowed as it continued unleashing Intimidation.
Howeverit did nothing further than that.
It only denounced me as insolent and foolish.
This god waslikely the very god who had kept this manor looping repeatedly.
Surely its power had been depleted from the excessive looping abuse.
It probablycould no longer do anything beyond using Intimidation.
<Ah, I remember now. The Time God Totaireregist. Ive heard that name before.>
While brushing off the unendurable torrent of denunciations, Extra-sama muttered.
<A former god said to have mysteriously vanished 300 years ago. It became a topic among the gods back then I see, so he was trapped in this looping world himself. I wonder who the real fool is.>
Extra-sama continued with an almost mocking tone:
<His divine authority has since been inherited by his younger brother, the former Space God Phybaleghiro. In other words, he is no longer a god. Merely something that was once a god a gods residue. Just a pitiful existence appearing solely to beg for a bit more longevity. Though the pride from when he was a god seems to be preventing him from even begging properly. The height of foolishness, really.>
Oohyoure being quite scathing, Extra-sama, unusually so.
<Ufufu, you think so?>
You saida god!?
Then, a voice came from behind me.
It was Nare.
Despite me shielding her from most of the assailing divine Intimidation, Nare firmly stood on the snowy plain, gritting her teeth to face Totaireregist without yielding.
She trembled.
But it was not a tremble born of fear.
Was it you? Were you the one who cast me into hell!? Were you the one repeating my time!?
Gone was her somewhat carefree demeanor from before.
Nare channeled her entire inner passion into her shouted voice!
<<<Ah! Nare Luclees! What foolish prattle is this!>>>
In turn, Totaireregist did not hide his own anger, conveying it in his tone as he retorted:
<<<The foolish protagonist, Nare Luclees! Cast into hell, you say!? Dont be ridiculous! I gave you an opportunity! Over and over and over and over and over again!! It was you who squandered every chance, you failure of a protagonist!!!>>>
Silence!!
<<<You are the one who should be silent, failure! Your life was shaped by your own choices! Yet you shift the blame for your failures onto a god! Foolish! Insolent, and utterly foolish!!!>>>
Silence! Silence!!
<<<Why could you not achieve happiness! I wove a story for you to become happy! Why do you not walk the path of life as I envisioned! Why did you not borrow the power of Kotakka Keyrestone!!!>>>
..Hm?
Kotakka Keyrestone?
..Who?
Confused by the sudden new name, I turned toward Nare behind me.
Eh, Kotakka? Keyrestone?Who?
Nare also seemed perplexed.
She didnt know who that person was either.
<<<.Eh? No, Who?Eh?>>>
Seeing Nares reaction, Totaireregist also became bewildered.
<<<..>>>
An indescribably strange silence dominated the scene.
<<<No, not Who? Kotakka! Kotakka is the wise and brave traveler! Nare, during that time you were secluded in the heads study room, he was supposed to be staying at an inn nearby! If you had just sought Kotakkas aid, Kotakka would have lent you his power, and the two of you together would have overcome any difficulties, advancing time forward! That was the plan!!!>>>
Regaining his composure, Totaireregist bellowed while unleashing Intimidation tinged with anger at Nare!
Wait, wait, O God! To begin with, I dont know any Kotakka! Moreover, a traveler, you say!? Why would I ever seek aid from some traveler I dont know! That makes no sense, doesnt it!?
However, Nares confusion persisted.
And her argument was valid.
I nodded in agreement.
<<<It is not nonsensical! The truth is, you played secretly with that very Kotakka in your childhood! In the time you spent together with Kotakka, you were meant to regain those memories, deepening your bond!!!>>>
If I was meant to regain memories from after meeting him, theres no way I would remember that now! In which case, I would have no reason to seek that mans aid, nor any opportunity to regain those supposed memories in the first place!
<<<..Ah.>>>
<<<>>>
Another indescribably strange silence dominated the scene.
<It seems Totaireregist became so fixated on the individual character settings that he lost sight of maintaining narrative coherence Truly an amateur broadcaster, it would appear.>
Extra-sama sighed mentally.
.Well then, shall we?
My voice resounded across the quiet snowy plain in front of the manor, the strange atmosphere lingering.
I stepped forward once, twice, taking my stance again.
Body Strengthening, Body Strengthening, Body Strengthening
Enhancing my attack power higher and higher as I prepared to unleash a single strike.
MishiBakibakiBakibakinaki
Space began creaking again!
<<<Hih!?N-NoStop, cursed child! You would still raise your fist against me knowing I am a god!?>>>
The giant face faltered, arrogantly beginning what Extra-sama called begging according to him, but I ignored it.
I turned to face Nare.
Shall I do it?
Nare let out a sigh, mustering a tired smile as she said:
.HahahaHah, go ahead Emi. Ive just lost my nerve, you see. Hahaha.
<<<Stop! Stop! Stop! I am a god! You would raise your fist against me, a god! What insolence! Stop! Stop!>>>
You may be a god, but I cannot bring myself to revere you. Just a giant face.
Ton ton, I stomped my feet.
Using Solidification to reinforce my footing for striking with full force.
Stop! Dont do this!
!?
At that moment, a voice other than Totaireregists resounded a womans voice.
Looking closely at the giant face before me, a womans face had surfaced on its cheek area.
It was Kerankos face.
No, not just Kerankos.
One after another, the faces of those trapped in the manor loop emerged Karashia, Fateu, Doj, Sarelka, the servantscalling out in unison!
Stop it! Why are you listening to that failure!?
If you destroy this world, well disappear too! Stop such a cruel thing! Stop! Stop!
To begin with, wasnt it that failure who caused time to repeat unjustly!? We were just caught up in it!
Thats right! Do you intend to kill us who were just bystanders!?
Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!
Ah, a desperate desperate plea.
How insolent!!!
Those were the words I used to cast it aside!
Just calling Nare a failure meant those words were being put in their mouths by Totaireregist.
Moreover.
Face!! Youre the one who is mistaken!!
<<<What did you say!?>>>
Im not following Nares lead!!
<<<Hah!?>>>
Im killing you for my own sake! Killing you to get out! For myself, you! Karashia, Keranko, Fateu, Doj, Sarelka, the servantsand Nare too!! ILL SLAUGHTER YOU ALL!!!
I screamed.
Ah, Im really fed up with this.
Im irritated.
Why must I do such a thing?
Why must I bear this burden?
<<<I-I see! Then I understand! I shall let you escape to the outside world! I am a god! At least that much>>>
If you can do it, then try! Youve grown so feeble you cant even do that much! Thats why Im here now!!
<<<Gu-Gu-Guuuu! D-Damn, damn, damn, damn! How dare you, how dare you! Ah, ah! How dare you! Phybaleghiro! How dare you how dare you how dare youuuuuuuu!!!>>>
Take this, YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!
I crouched slightly, firmly planting my feet on the ground, before leaping upward with all my might!
Using that momentum, I swung the right fist imbued with layer upon layer of enhancements, smashing it squarely into the giant faces forehead!!
<<<GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!>>>
With a scream that shook the world, cracks began spreading outward from the point of impact with my fist on the face.
No, not just the face.
The cracks extending from the edges of the face left inky, root-like scars even in the supposedly empty space around it.
And then, the world
This small world endlessly repeating the inescapable loop
Shattered into pieces with a resounding noise, and then
* * *
When I realized it, I was in utter darkness.
This was the void.
I immediately understood.
The pitch-black darkness I had passed through once before reincarnating.
However, nearby, I sensed a warmth I couldnt perceive before.
This warmth was a world.
Ardyst.
Naturally drawn to its immense mass, I drifted towards it gently.
Along the way, I saw the remains of the Luclees family manor floating in the darkness.
Gradually disintegrating and vanishing from its edges.
It seemed lingering in this darkness for too long was inadvisable.
..
But the manor wasnt the only thing appearing in my vision.
Floating around the manors remains were varicolored spheres of light.
They flickered a few times before being blotted out by the eternal darkness, vanishing from sight.
..?
However, one remained.
A pale purple sphere of light alone did not become blotted out by the darkness, instead drawing closer to me.
The sphere of light twinkled repeatedly, then
My apologies.
It spoke those words.
I wont forgive you. Ill never forget.
Hahaha, thank you
The pale purple sphere of light smiled gently, then
!?
Suddenly lunged straight toward my chest!
Without bouncing off, it was absorbed into my body into my pitch-black soul, the pale purple.
<This is my final apology. Hahaha, managed to graze it in at the last moment. I had sensed it, so I thought maybe Seems you can do it if you try!>
A cheerful laughter resounded in my mind.
<Hmm, it seems that wasnt quite enough to sate your ravenous soul, but it was still divine power, however depleted. It should provide some sustenance, at least.>
However, that cheerful voice grew progressively fainter.
<Well, I suppose its about time for me to melt away too. Emi, thank you. Truly, thank you..>
Leaving those parting words, the pale purple condensed into mere magic power and merged into me, along with the parting divine power a great quantity of magic power.
* * *
When I realized it, I was standing alone on the snowy plain.
Not a trace of the bizarre manor remained anywhere.
As far as the eye could see, an endless expanse of snow.
And the white haze that had enveloped the surroundings was gone, a cloudless blue sky stretching overhead.
Byuoooh!!!
As if chasing me away, powerful gusts of wind occasionally blasted me, shaking my body.
However, I remained unmoving.
For a while, I closed my eyes and clasped my hands, remaining still.
My ravenous inner beast did not let out a single growl.
Authors note: Well, there are actually around 2 more chapters (essentially about 1 chapters worth of content) for the epilogue, but those are more like bonus content.
With this, Arc 10 is mostly concluded, so Id like to give my usual end-of-arc greetings.
This arc was quite difficult for me to write. There were likely more flaws than usual.
But I did my best writing it!
I hope you were able to enjoy it.
Ah, come to think of it, it has been a year since I started posting this work The Reincarnated Extra.
Being able to continue this far is entirely thanks to your support.
Thank you always for bookmarking, leaving star ratings, writing reviews, and more.
I still have many more stories I want to tell, so I hope youll continue joining me on this journey.
I humbly ask for your continued support going forward.