Published at 26th of December 2025 7:43 am

Chapter 528: If It's Something I Have To Do Anyway, There's No Point In Unnecessarily Worrying About It

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What do you mean!? Not that its about to end, but its already ended!?

Tia reacted sharply to Sheenas words, while I simply ground my teeth and frowned, knowing my worst fears had come true.

Yes, its already over. To be more precise, this sealed world is well, as for the outside of the box, Gods light still fills it, so its precariously holding on, for now.

That cant be

Calm down, Tia. Its going to be okay.

I placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder as she slumped, her voice on the verge of tears. Tia, her jade-green eyes glistening with unshed tears, turned and glared at me as if biting back at my words.

What are you talking about, Ed!? The world everyone is dead! How can you stay so calm!?

Well, isnt this sort of thing always happening? Every time this world repeats, it completely ends, only to start again, right?

Ah

Tias angry expression softened into one of realization as her gaze wandered over her surroundings. Stretching out before us were towering bookshelves, their tops disappearing into the void, and an uncountable number of booksmore than the grains of sand in a desert.

So this place

Yeah. As long as this place is safe, the world can be revivedno, reborn. Right, Sheena?

Thats correct. The Agastia Archive is one of the most securely isolated locations within the seal, so it will remain safe for a while yet.

For a while, huh

Yes. Since this is a completely isolated space, Gods light cannot dissipate. However, unless the sourceGodawakens, the stored light will eventually run out.

Got it. Then let me ask three questions. First, why did things end up like this in the first place?

Mysteries were best unraveled one by one. Otherwise, they get tangled up, and nothing makes sense. However, at this first question, Sheena calmly shook her head.

I dont know. All of a sudden, the connection to God was severed.

The connection was severed but that doesnt mean God is dead, right?

No. God still existsI can feel His presence. However, it seems that God has enclosed Himself in something akin to a cocoon or shell, cutting off His existence from the outside world.

So, basically, God locked Himself in His room and wont come out?

Well, yes. To put it bluntly, thats exactly the situation.

Seriously?

Tia supplemented the explanation, and Sheena nodded in agreement, leaving me scowling at the absurdity of it all.

So, what youre saying is God threw a cosmic tantrum, retreated into a literal shell, and as a result, the world ended? Thats kind of ridiculous, dont you think?

Im merely reporting the current situation as I understand it. As for why God chose to do this, I cannot say.

Ah, yeah, I guess that makes sense. Still, its incredibly inconvenient for the rest of us

Knowing that God had a personality brought an overwhelming sense of unfairness to the situation. But if this were a natural phenomenonlike the sun suddenly burning outit wouldnt make much sense to complain to the sun about it.

And if there were no God, the world itself wouldnt exist. Instead of blaming the creator for being irresponsible, perhaps we should lament humanitys continuing inability to sustain itself without Him.

Alright, understood. Then, my second question why me? Shouldnt this be the job of a hero?

Though I was still processing the absurdity of it all, I moved on to the next question. Sheenas response came with a slightly troubled expression.

Indeed, that would normally be the case but the world has already ended.

Ah well, I guess that tracks.

Heroes were born from the world. But if the world itself has ended, theres no place for a hero to be born. That makes sense.

Wait, hold on. Arent heroes usually born before the world reaches the point of no return? Why wasnt a hero born earlier to stop this?

That, of course, is due to the Demon King.

Huh? Me?

Not you well, not directly. To be precise, its because fragments of the Demon King still exist as Demon Kings in most worlds. Heroes generally do not arise in multiples. So in worlds where a hero is already fighting one of those Demon King fragments, no new hero will be born to combat greater threats elsewhere. While this doesnt apply to the world outside the seal, where heroes might yet emerge waiting for that to happen would leave this side far too late to recover.

Ah, I see makes sense, then. Unfortunate.

Considering God created and scattered my fragments, I wasnt about to take the blame for this mess.

Thus, I felt no obligation to act for the sake of the world. And yet

Personally, I dont intend to blame the Demon King, nor am I saying you should take responsibility. Its just that at present, youre the only one capable of saving this world. And, I imagine it would be inconvenient for you as well if the world were to come to an end right here. Thats the sole reason for my suggestion.

Well, youre not wrong about that.

I couldnt help but feel a little annoyed, as if I were being conveniently used. But that doesnt mean I would stand idly by and watch the world end just because I didnt like it. After all, I had already resolved to dance in the palm of the gods hands as much as I needed to. If it meant continuing my journey with Tia and enjoying our time together, Id let myself be used however much it took.

Haah, fine. Whatever. Then let me ask you one last question What exactly do you want me to do? What can I possibly accomplish here and now?

Of course, Id like you to awaken the god from within their shell.

Awaken the god? How? If you want me to end that shell from here, I doubt its even possible.

Now that I could perceive the target, I might be capable of using my power. But whether it would work or not was a whole different story.

If the God is holed up inside at full force, then the durability of that shell should rival the strength of the box that sealed me, enveloping this entire world. And right now, I dont have the ability to end that box. Since ascending to the next level, Ive become keenly aware of the scale of power being used, to the point that I was not even inclined to test my limits.

No need to worryIve prepared the necessary means. Here, take this.

Whoa! Whats this a key?

Sheena tossed something at me as I puzzled over her words. I caught it, and glinting gold rested in my hand. Something about it felt familiar No way!

Sheena! This key!

Fufufu, its the Demon Kings little forgotten item. You left it behind, didnt you, since it only worked as a one-way tool?

It was the key I used to return to the very first world during my first loop. Back then, I had essentially died in order to loop back, so I never used the key to return.

Use it on that ship. It should open a path. Then, when Luka leaves to return to gods side, use it again to access the gap that opens. Thats how youll reach gods location. There, Demon King, you can use your powers of The End directly on the shell surrounding god. That should allow you to face them. What happens nextwhether you persuade god or end them to steal their poweris entirely up to you.

Are you really okay with saying something like that?

Of course not. But theres no other way. Everything has been entrusted to you Demon King. Please handle it.

Sheena bowed deeply. As she did, a glowing magical circle appeared beneath my feet. Taken aback, I quickly pulled Tia close to me and threw one more question at Sheena.

Hey. Was it really God pulling all the strings to make me dance like this? Or was t you, Sheena?

I had been summoned here by some incomprehensible means, offered a request with no real choice but to accept, and all the tools I needed were conveniently prepared in advance. This whole process was far too smooth for me to brush off with a casual how efficient. My head wasnt so naive as to overlook that.

But in response, Sheena tilted her head slightly with a calm expression.

Well, who knows? Thats entirely up to how you perceive it.

Figures. In that case for someone like you, my response is this!

Eh?

Acting on my will, Sheenas form began to shift. Her deep violet hair transformed into long, straight locks that reached her waist. Her sharp blue eyes and finely defined facial features gave her a cool, composed appearance. Her stature, just a bit shorter than mine, was rather tall for a woman. Her slender physique was understated, almost lacking in self-assertion.

Her outfit, however, was a white shirt paired with a black jacket and trousers, with a small red bow tie at her neck as a distinctive charm. Yup, spot ona sharp and stylish woman. Thats what Id envisioned, and thats what she became. Not bad, huh? I wanted to check with Tia for confirmation, but asking wouldve felt like losing, so I refrained.

Um, this is?

With all that individuality, itd be a waste for you to take on somebody elses appearance, wouldnt it? This is how I imagine you. Thats the Sheena I know! Later!

Ah

Sheena reached out, as if wanting to say something, but it seemed the teleportation process couldnt be stopped. And so, we were swallowed by the light and disappeared from her sight.

Ow! Oi, Tia, what was that for!?

Its nothing.

For some reason, Tia pinched me on the rear, leaving me yelping as Sheenas lips curved into a faint, amused smile before she vanished from view.

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