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A Dragonkin. The figure before me wore a toga draped over his bare skin, revealing glimpses of azure scales covering his face and the rest of his exposed body—a telltale sign of his identity. Towering nearly two meters tall, with cascading hair that framed his regal demeanor, he exuded an air of undeniable arrogance. He wasn’t just any Dragonkin, but the pinnacle of their race—The True Dragon God Ancestor. A title rivaling my own… and a figure from my past.

“……Devta.” The name escaped my lips in a whisper, laden with disbelief at this unexpected encounter.

«Whaaa——!?!»

Devta ignored the commotion around him, a chilling grin spreading across his face—a far cry from the personality he had ever displayed in the game.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Hiyuki? I’ve been looking forward to this reunion. But let’s set the record straight—I’m no longer the person you once knew. Address me as Azure God from now on.” His voice was firm, commanding, and left no room for argument.

I couldn’t deny I was shaken. I’d heard whispers about his transformation and speculated about the possibility, but… was this truly him? Or could he be an imposter, exploiting Devta’s former identity? The changes were so drastic that I couldn’t help but question it.

“If you’re truly the Devta I once knew, then tell me—do you remember the name of the shop where we held that offline meeting I attended?”

Kagerou and Shima had once mentioned that these beings were mere data copies, reconstructed from the game’s logs and stored information. If that were true, any in-game details could be easily fabricated. Only real-world memories could prove his true identity.

Devta stared at me blankly for a moment before a wry smile crept across his lips, the kind an adult might wear when indulging a child’s whims.

“Normally, I wouldn’t entertain being tested like this, but I’ll make an exception for you. Ah, this takes me back… It was the bar, «Rose Garden», wasn’t it?”

He got it right. But the name could have been stored in the game logs, accessible to anyone seeking confirmation. To be certain, I pressed him with a series of follow-up questions, each tied to real-world memories. One by one, he answered them effortlessly.

“You were underage back then, so you ordered a soft drink instead of sake. But some rascals among the group spiked your glass without your knowledge, and you drank it. Before long, you were completely drunk. I was the one who carried you to the washroom. You were such a mess I had to lend you my handkerchiefs—one wasn’t enough. Later, you mailed them back to me, properly washed and ironed.”

“You were still out of it when you came back, slumped on the seat next to me, and that’s when a group of girls decided to swarm you. They teased you mercilessly, like you were some kind of toy. I tried to intervene, but the next thing I knew, they had you in a long-haired wig with makeup applied. You looked surprisingly good in it, by the way. Oh, and we all took a commemorative photo afterward. Do you remember that?”

The details he shared, the nostalgic tone in his voice, and the personal memories he recounted—none of which could be known to anyone else—were all spot on. To be honest, I was already convinced halfway through. There was no doubt—he was Devta.

“…And that’s everything. Do you believe me now? That I am Hideki Kitamura, the dull, ordinary man you once knew? Or would you rather I call you by your old name—Kanade Ayase?”

“——!?”

A tremor ran through me at the sound of my old name. I hadn’t expected my body to react so intensely. The shock left me frozen, unable to stop what came next.

“Well, there’s plenty of time to reminisce later,” Devta whispered with a cold smile, his voice dripping with disdain. “But first, let me take care of the defective trash.”

With deliberate movements, he raised his hand, revealing a crystal ball resting delicately in his palm. Within the sphere, a flickering red flame danced menacingly, its glow casting unsettling shadows across the room.

“!!!!” Momongai let out a silent scream as Devta casually crushed the crystal ball in his hand. His body spasmed violently before going completely limp, the light in his eyes extinguished in an instant.

“—Hmm, he’s dead,” Tengai confirmed dryly, though it was already clear to everyone. I acted quickly, casting Resurrection on Momongai’s lifeless body, but—

“Why isn’t it working?!” I exclaimed, disbelief tightening my chest. No matter how many times I chanted, the spell had no effect.

“It’s useless,” Azure God interjected coldly. “His existence was erased the moment I crushed the crystal ball. You can’t resurrect something that no longer exists.”

Azure God discarded the shattered remains of the «Crystal Ball» with a casual flick of his wrist, dusting his hands as though ridding himself of trivial dirt. His words unearthed the grim details Kagerou had once recounted to me, forcing them back into my consciousness.

“Traitors don’t merely die, do they?” I had once asked.
“They do,” Kagerou had explained. “But instead of death, they face the erasure of their very «Existence». No spell or elixir, no matter how powerful, can bring them back from that.”

As Momongai’s life was extinguished, the towering presence of his guild home, «Kaitei-Ou», began to fade, melting into oblivion.

“With the defective trash disposed of, I’ll take my leave now,” Azure God declared, his tone indifferent. Without a trace of urgency, Azure God turned away, his departure as casual as his words.

“Don’t let him escape!” I shouted. “Everyone, attack him with everything you’ve got!”

“As you command, Princess!”

At my command, the Demon Generals, including Kokuyou who melted into the shadows, unleashed their full power, launching a devastating assault on Azure God. The aftermath of their combined attacks obliterated the remains of Kaitei-Ou’s bridge, which had already begun dissolving into nothingness.

Trapped in a confined space under the onslaught of multiple raid-class entities, most players would have met a swift demise. But…

“Hmm, impressive force,” Azure God remarked, unfazed.

Azure God stood unscathed at the edge of the crumbling bridge, his expression unchanging from when he first appeared. The sight of his untouched form sent a grim shadow over everyone’s faces.

“Perhaps we just need to hit harder,” With those words, Tengai shed his dragonkin form, revealing his true form—Naga Raja.

The other Demon Generals quickly joined the fray, encircling Azure God in a formidable siege. Yet, he remained unmoved, his calm demeanor untouched by the chaos around him.

Unease clawed at me, compelling me to cast Appraisal to uncover the truth.

“What the—?! What is this «Indestructible»?!” I exclaimed in shock.

“It’s exactly as it says,” Azure God responded with a casual shrug. “Your attacks are as futile as spitting at the heavens.”

“Anyway, I was saying—”

“You’re not going anywhere!” I interrupted, cutting him off with a sharp shout.

Once again, Tengai and the other pets unleashed a torrent of devastating attacks. The air erupted with blinding flashes and deafening explosions, yet through it all, his voice remained unnervingly calm.

“Ah, yes. Since we’ve finally met face-to-face, here’s a little something for you.” He tossed something toward me with a faint smile. “I could take you with me right now, but where’s the fun in that? Your fiery welcome was quite entertaining, so how about you chase me this time? I’ll be waiting.”

As he spoke, a rectangular metallic plate clattered to the ground at my feet, catching the light as it landed.

“That’s your ticket into the Holy Capital,” he explained casually. “Even demons or outsiders can enter with it. Perhaps, if fortune smiles upon you, you might even discover a way to kill me.”

He chuckled softly, and in the blink of an eye, his presence disappeared entirely. Tengai and the other pets ceased their attacks, realizing their target had vanished.

“So, he fled…” Tengai muttered bitterly, his tone dripping with frustration. Yet, the truth was unmistakable to everyone present—Azure God had dismissed us as insignificant, mere ants beneath his notice. It was undeniably our defeat.

The oppressive silence that followed was suffocating.

The stillness hung heavily in the air as the last remnants of «Kaitei-Ou» faded into nothingness. Standing atop «Bahamut» Kuon, I bent down to pick up the permit glinting faintly at my feet and let out a weary sigh.

“The Holy Capital… huh,” I murmured, my gaze fixed on the metallic pass in my hand.

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