Chapter 20 – Struggle
The Seer’s loud laughter rang in the air.
The spectators stared blankly at what had just unfolded before their eyes. Aside from them, the Dragon God remained silent as he watched with a grim expression.
“What is the matter? Are you so upset to have your victory snatched away?”
The anxiety from earlier was completely gone from Furukamuto’s face. It had likely been nothing more than an act to begin with. A bluff to prevent the others from noticing what was to come.
Salia was speechless as she looked into the water mirror.
Unable to keep up with the sudden change, Sheto leaned against Berganda as if stunned. It seemed that only those imbued with divine authority understood that time had been wound backwards.
“A reset play, huh?”
The Dragon God muttered wearily.
“Well, that would make sense. A divine rule created by converting your divine authority. It is in the realm of possibility. I suppose shutting himself up in that tent was part of some saving ritual.”
“Your keen insight is most impressive. Since we’re at it, would you care to explain it properly, for the benefit of the audience who still don’t grasp the situation, and that foolish goddess over there as well?”
“…Very well. I will do it to thank you for the fine drink.”
Dragon God said dutifully, as irritated as he was.
“The RTS game that served as the basis for the Seer’s divine rule is one that calculates and recreates a wide variety of situations and progresses as the player responds to them. Because of this, a single game can take a very long time to reach its conclusion.”
At the Dragon God’s feet, the monster horde finally began its advance. Sheto looked weak, strapped to Berganda’s back. Still, he kept a watchful eye on his surroundings.
“For that reason, a system is implemented that records the progress one has made so far, which allows the player to resume at their own convenience. That system is the save function.”
“…Dragon God. Are there no restrictions with this ‘save’?”
Salia asked bitterly.
“While it depends on the game, most RTS games allow you to save freely. You can record your progress before any undesirable change occurs. And you can even redo things again and again until you get a favorable result.”
The onlookers groaned, their expressions conflicted as they stared down at the scene below. Unlike before, the Hero’s army had barely moved from the positions it had taken.
“You can save before the war begins, scout the enemy formation, and then fight again under conditions more favorable to you. Like that, you can have an invincible army that wins battle after battle.”
“But…how could one possibly win against something like that!?”
“You seem to be mistaken. Defeating my army wouldn’t be particularly difficult.”
The Seer said with a tormenting smile.
“The Dragon God’s strategies truly got the better of me. After all, they were against humans. Perfection is impossible.”
“And yet those mistakes will all be erased. You are obsessed with resetting.”
But Furukamuto was unphased by the insult as he looked cheerfully down at the mortal world.
“Hero. The enemy’s limits have been laid bare. Now go and trample them to your heart’s content.”
‘Yes. I will change the formation. Is that fine?’
“Do as you wish. Casualties are acceptable up to five percent.”
The Hero casually tapped the tablet screen.
Then the army shouted their praises to the god and Hero. And then they started to advance.
However, their movement was utterly unlike what had been seen before.