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“Demon Lord, why do you torment the people?”
“How many times have I been asked that question now? I’ve repeated this answer countless times, but… I do it because I was created to do so.”
“You mean, there’s someone who made the Demon Lord who threatens the world?”
“Don’t misunderstand. I am not the one threatening this world. If anything, the ones who have threatened it are you humans.”

A handsome man with horns and a hot-blooded young hero exchange such lines, their theatrical back-and-forth echoing like a scene from a play. We’re in the adjoining room, quietly sipping coffee brewed from a machine-like device on the table. Even after becoming what they call a god, I didn’t need food anymore, but my sense of taste and smell remained, so there was nothing wrong with enjoying a drink. In fact, I’d heard some gods lived for such pleasures.

In my case, the greatest pleasure was drowsing and sleeping, so I felt a kind of kinship with those gods who lingered for small, mortal joys. Still, merely indulging in such remnants of human habits wasn’t enough to fill the endless span of a god’s existence. No, that was misleading. Saying it this way could cause a bit of misunderstanding, but oh well. Either way, I might as well enjoy this little farce next door for now.

“What do you think will happen this time, Fini?”
“As always, talking won’t solve anything, will it? They’ll fight, obviously. Though humans aren’t as strong as they were at their peak, they’ve developed greatly over the past two thousand years. This might be Zygos’ final duty.”
“How many days are left until the world collapses completely?”
“Hard to say exactly. But the edges have already started crumbling.”

Unlike the usual kind of collapse, this time it was closer to disappearance itself, so subtle that people hadn’t even noticed. This world is nearing the end of its lifespan, and nothing could change that now. If anything, stirring up trouble now would only hasten the end. But the methods to do even that had been lost, wiped out by Zygos and his kind long before anyone could rediscover them.

It had been about two thousand years since then. I’d spent most of it asleep, but Zygos had carried out his role without fail.

◆◆◆◆◆

When I first descended to this world, things were complicated. Different races supported and clashed with one another, advancing until humans reached a point where androids and AI handled nearly all labor, allowing them to live comfortably without lifting a finger. They even achieved a delicate harmony with nature, an exquisite balance that kept the world peaceful.

That balance began to crumble when the world started preparing for its own death. Humans, unwilling to accept gradual decline, began forcing the world to sustain their way of life. Their desperation began to affect the world’s lifespan. That’s when I was sent here, together with Lullus and Fumitsuki.

Well, technically, I brought them along myself.

There wasn’t any specific order or mission this time. I was simply told, “Do as you please.” So I said, “Then I’d like to just sleep,” but that was rejected, and instead I was given the order to cause some kind of trouble in the world. Why they wanted that, I still don’t know. But to gods, two thousand years was barely a blink; perhaps they just wanted to see what a god of endings might do for amusement.

So, I contacted the Demon Lord, who already existed in this world, and decided to cooperate with him in prolonging the world’s life. Zygos’ power could absorb the world’s Mana and use it to sustain it, so I left most of it to him. Lullus and Fumitsuki handled the support, and I… slept.

The only real thing I did was destroy anything that might have triggered the world’s collapse when I first arrived. Civilization was wiped out as a result, but people could think of it as divine punishment. Since then, Zygos’ power continued drawing in Mana to prolong the world’s life, weakening the human species that relied on magic.

In the distant past, there were Elves, Dwarves, and Demons, but now, only humans and Beastmen remain. You could call it a new world. The old knowledge based on magic became useless, and they had to start again from scratch. Magic still existed in part, but few could wield it on a large scale anymore.

To those remaining humans, Zygos appeared as a Demon Lord who brought ruin to the world. They had attacked him countless times. And indeed, if they could defeat him, the flow of Mana available to humans would increase, allowing them to live more conveniently again. But weakened humans stood no chance against Zygos, and every attempt failed.

Even so, having a common enemy united humanity. They made remarkable progress, at least on the surface. Zygos blocked anything truly world-threatening, but their steady development was still impressive. I almost admired them for it.

Perhaps that was why some gods create worlds, to watch this kind of progress unfold.

And so, two thousand years passed. The world protected by Zygos was now gently fading away. Nothing humans did could change it anymore. You could say it was Zygos’ victory. Technically, the world wouldn’t live out its full lifespan, but expecting more from a single Demon Lord would be too much.

Now, to the current situation. Believing that the world’s decline was Zygos’ fault, humanity’s elite attacked once again. Every few decades or centuries, someone was born with immense Mana, almost as if being a reincarnation of their ancestors. These heroes were sent to face Zygos. With each generation, they grew stronger, pushing Zygos harder and harder. By the last cycle, his victory rate had fallen to about fifty percent. So I thought he’d lose this time.

Zygos seemed to understand that, too. Before going out to fight, he said a few brief words of farewell. After knowing each other for two thousand years, it was surprisingly curt, but our relationship had always been more businesslike than personal. It felt appropriate. He seemed content, having fulfilled his duty.

“This is my true power… Now, the world shall know peace.”
“Wait, there’s still another door over there! The Demon Lord’s followers might be there!”

About thirty minutes after the battle began, the world’s Mana began to flow back. That meant only one thing: the hero had won. Zygos had fallen. If they’d just left it at that, it would’ve been fine. But the hero and his companions apparently discovered the door that led to this room. Not that I was trying to hide it, so “found” might not have been the right word. Still, it was impressive that the castle I made just to pass the time didn’t even tremble during their battle.

I remembered playing a few RPGs back in my Toriyama days when the final battle took place in the Demon Lord’s castle, and now I understood. Those castles must have been built by gods.

As I was musing about that while enjoying my coffee break, the door opened. The three of us didn’t even flinch. We just stayed around the table as if nothing had happened. I wonder what it must have felt like for the hero’s party, after slaying their hated Demon Lord, stepping into a mysterious room only to find three girls chatting casually over coffee. Their wide eyes could only tell me so much.

It seemed only the hero himself fought Zygos, but now five people had entered the room. A scout-looking one who had opened the door, a saintly girl with a staff, a magician in a pointy hat, and a silent man carrying a huge shield.