Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

An Elf man and a Beastwoman arrived. For a moment, I thought I might as well cut them down, but they seemed different from the ones I’d encountered so far. So, I decided to watch for a while. As I waited to see how they would act, the Elf spoke up.

“Are you the one who will bring this world to its end?”
“No. The world will simply collapse on its own. The ones who ended it are you people, those who belong to this world.”
“…Ah. That may be so. Then, what are you?”

So, these were people who knew that the world was collapsing. Zygos stirred uneasily within me, but personally, I was curious about what they had to say. I decided to entertain them a little. And so, they asked me who I was. Hero, Demon Lord, Zygos… There were many answers I could give, but here, I chose to name myself this.

“I am an existence born from the collapsing world. Something like that.”
“As I thought. If you hadn’t appeared then…”
“Farana, you’re wrong.”

So, the Beastwoman was named Farana. I could tell from the start that she’d been glaring at me with a sour expression ever since I arrived. Apparently, she was the emotional type. Still, she trusted the Elf enough to back down when he rebuked her. I suppose they wanted someone to blame for the world’s end. Perhaps they wanted to believe it wasn’t the fault of anyone tied to themselves. But they’ve got it backwards. The world wasn’t collapsing because I existed. I existed because the world was collapsing.

“And what do you intend to do now that you know who I am?”
“Nothing. We, no, all of us here, intend to quietly accept the end. It seems the end came sooner than expected, but this settlement was made by those who wished only to live in peace until the world’s close. A refuge for those tired of strife.”
“Strife… ah, you mean those people who were fighting.”
“Yes. They despised one another, and they would not have stopped until one side was utterly annihilated. Had they learned of this settlement, they would surely have come to destroy it afterward. It is the result of my weakness, my own pathetic failure.”

So, those they couldn’t reconcile were abandoned, while the ones here fled and built their own settlement. The Elf before me was lamenting his lack of strength, his inability to stop those who fought.

I didn’t know the details, but most likely the elves and the Beastmen had been at war, and the people in this settlement managed to reconcile. Why had they been able to do so, though? That I wanted to hear for myself. And perhaps it would explain why Zygos was so furious. No, truthfully, I already had a guess. But it was better to confirm it with them.

“So, here live those who realized that conflict is meaningless in the face of the world’s collapse?”
“Yes.”
“… I see.”
“Wh—what are you…”

As I casually drew my sword, Farana let out a startled cry. Before she could say another word, I cut down the Elf before me. His expression froze in shock as blood spurted from him. He tried to speak, coughed blood several times, and then fell still.

“What are you doing!?”
“Well, it made me angry. He convinced himself, accepted his death, and thought he understood something. That’s all.”

That anger belonged not to me, but to Zygos, to the world itself. They had run wild until this very moment, never once reflecting on what they’d done to the world. And now, suddenly, they repented, convincing themselves that they were atoning, pretending to accept punishment. They weren’t even worthy of venting my anger out on. That’s what infuriated Zygos.

That was why I hadn’t used the greatsword. With it, there was no guarantee he would feel even the slightest pain.

“You b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲…!”

Yes. At least Farana was acting in a normal manner. It was better when others raged at me like this. It gave me someone to take my frustrations out on. As she lunged at me with her sharp claws, I grabbed her head and hurled her far away. Beastmen were tough, so something like that wouldn’t kill her. That was good.

While she rose to her feet, fire in her eyes, I struck down some of the stunned onlookers nearby. One elf. One Beastman.

With that, the settlement finally began to stir. About two-thirds screamed and ran. The other third stayed put. Most of those who remained were elves, though that hardly mattered.

As for whether they intended to fight me, the answer to that was no. Only Farana showed such intent. The rest simply stared at me with eyes that seemed… almost pitying. Since those who stayed didn’t look likely to run, I decided to start killing those who fled first. But before that, I threw Farana away again when she came charging back.

◇◇◇

“Why us first?”

I’d cornered the last of the runaways when they asked me that.

“Because you ran.”

I could understand their feelings, but in the end, I intended to erase everyone. Of course, I’d start with the ones who fled. I had no interest in further conversation, so I cut them down and returned to the settlement.

Honestly, I half-expected that some of those who had stayed behind might run once I left. But no, they had waited, almost politely. Well, almost all. One of them clearly couldn’t stay still. She glared at me and demanded, “What have you done with everyone!?”

“I erased them. That’s why I came.”

When I provoked her, she lost her senses, shouting in rage as she rushed at me. So I beheaded her. I could have thrown her aside again, but people like her didn’t give up until they were dead. So I’d decided that this was more than enough for her. I could have broken her spirit, but if it didn’t work, it would’ve only bored me. And besides, there were still others to deal with.

Even when they saw Farana’s head roll, the onlookers didn’t flee.

“Are none of you going to run?”

I supposed it was just as the leader I’d first killed had said. Still, I asked. If secretly they wanted to escape but stayed only because they knew they’d be chased if they tried, that would’ve satisfied Zygos. But that hope seemed slim.

In answer, an elderly Elf stepped forward.

“You said you are not the one who will bring an end to this world, did you not?”
“That’s right. The ones who brought an end to this world are its people. Not me.”
“But you also said you were born because the world is collapsing. Then, are you not the embodiment of this world’s fury, sent to wander and kill?”
“…Then why don’t you run?”

He still hadn’t answered me, so I pressed again. The old elf looked into the distance, murmuring to himself as though in thought. “Why, indeed…” Then his gaze met mine.

“If you are truly the anger of this world, then surely you are but a victim, caught up in it. And yet… why is your wrath so lacking?”

By the time he finished speaking, I had already cleaved him apart with the greatsword. Not with Zygos’ will, but with my own. Then, in a single stroke, I annihilated the rest who remained.