Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“Fi, you should try going all out just once.”
“…What does that even mean?”

That was what my boss said to me before sending me to this half-collapsing world. Well, to be precise, there was a bit more explanation than that. Apparently, the other gods wanted to see what the full power of the god of endings looked like, and, supposedly, it’d be good for me to know too. I understood the logic, sure. Still… it sounded like a pain. A big, cosmic pain.

They told me, “The faster you destroy the world, the faster you can go home.” So I didn’t really have a choice but to go all out. I figured, “Alright, I’ll just destroy it physically. That’ll take less than a day.” But then they said, “That defeats the purpose.”

Since what they wanted to test was my power as the god of endings, not brute force. They also told me not to bring my attendants, Fumitsuki and Lullus. Apparently, no one was sure what kind of side effects my full power might cause.

So, I was tossed into this world all on my own. It looked like the kind of world that had just barely reached the conditions for me to descend. To be specific, it probably still had about two to three thousand years left before natural collapse. While the world’s lifespan might’ve lasted tens of thousands, even millions, of years if it hadn’t been shortened, two or three thousand years was still long, you know?

I could kind of understand why the people here wouldn’t care even if someone told them, “This world is ending.” Not that I cared either. And before you wonder why a godlike being like me would think two or three thousand years was long, well, my usual assignments lasted about a hundred years at most, to give some perspective. Not that I needed someone to care about that.

Anyway, here I was, trying my best to destroy the world with my full divine force. In an instant, everything around me withered away. Everything within human visual range vanished in a blink. If Lullus or Fumitsuki had been here, they probably would’ve been caught up in it too. Honestly, I just wanted to get it over with. Six months passed like that. By then, people had started to notice something. Another six months later, they realized that someone was trying to destroy their world.

A year after that, the Demon Lord appeared to try and help the humans. But that was all fine. I’d just finish breaking the world before the humans could die out. It looked like even the world itself had taken the humans’ side now. By that point, people had started calling me the Demon Lord, Glisria. Apparently, past Demon Lords had always been manifestations of Zygos, beings created to reduce humanity’s numbers until they themselves decayed away. But now, faced with a common enemy, humanity and Zygos seemed ready to join forces. How dramatic.

So, if that was the role they were giving me, I might as well play the part properly. This world had monsters, known as Gugan, so I started sending them toward human settlements as both practice and theater. I even built a fake castle far from any towns.

Five years passed like that. A total of seven since I’d first arrived. The war between humans and monsters grew fierce. Nations fell one by one. Only the country where Zygos remained was humanity’s final hope. Survivors from the fallen nations gathered there, and their combined strength steadily reduced the number of monsters. During that time, I captured a single servant. By then, I had good control over my power, so being near me wasn’t dangerous anymore.

Her name was… Viatrix.

“In this world, no, just call me Viatrix.”
“You don’t have to be so formal.”
“I’m your servant, after all.”

She answered with a childish lisp. She was only six years old. Apparently, my unleashing full power on this world had fulfilled the conditions for her reincarnation here. We made a contract, and she became my servant. And no, I wasn’t making a six-year-old work for free. Despite her age, she was quite capable, and the tea she brewed was excellent. She must’ve had plenty of experience in her previous lives.

“But are you sure that’s enough as payment?”
“Is there anything else I could get? Like a weapon or magic accessory I can carry into the next world?”
“That’s not possible.”

She knew the world was doomed, so she only wanted things that could survive beyond it. I understood her reasoning, and if she was fine with it, then so was I.

“There aren’t many monsters left.”
“Well, I’m not trying to make more. They’re basically consumables.”
“That’s awful.”

Awful for who, I thought. It certainly wasn’t awful for me.

◇◇◇

And so, Zygos’ chosen appeared. People called him the Hero, Paziraiser. He and about ten companions came all the way to the gates of my fake castle. From the top of the fortress, I could see him glance seriously at his comrades. Sadly, I couldn’t hear what he was saying from this distance.

“Via, you couldn’t beat them yourself, could you?”
“Sure… But give me five more years, and I think I could.”
“Considering he was chosen by Zygos six years ago, that’s… moving.”

I tilted my head back dramatically and pressed a hand to my eye, pretending to wipe away a tear.

“Are you really about to cry?” Via asked coolly.
“Not even close,” I said, turning forward again.

She sighed, long and hard. Then she said, “Despite how I look, I do have a lot more experience than others, you know.”
“And is that enough?”
“Do I need to explain it to you?”
“Nope, not at all.”

We were chatting in the throne room, partly to set the right atmosphere, when I heard noise from outside the doors. Not loud, actually, quite cautious, considering their numbers. Then, slowly, the great double doors creaked open. And a young man, maybe around twenty, peeked inside. Then, with a dramatic flourish, the doors swung wide, and eleven people burst in, striking heroic poses, like some kind of sentai team.

“They’re not even going to introduce themselves?” I muttered.

Via burst out laughing. It was nice having someone who understood the joke.

“So, you’re the Demon Lord Glisria, huh?”