It was decided that I would train for the battle with the false god's sentinel, but Zenovis-san did not start the training immediately.
"You must have exhausted your strength during the attack earlier. Therefore, we will begin the training after a short rest."
"T-that's…"
Just as I was about to reject the offer, my nerves began to fail, and fatigue began to take its toll on my body.
"H…huh…?"
"You should take a rest. You will continue your training anyway, even if you don't want to."
Whoops! This is the same as Master Usagi's, or even more spartan than that.
As my bad premonition continued, Zenovis-san lightly waved his arm, and a magic circle unfolded at my and Zenovis-san's feet.
"Eh?"
"We're going back to my house for now to rest."
When Zenovis-san said that, the scenery changed in the blink of an eye and… there was a somewhat familiar view of the forest.
"This is…"
"My home."
Yes, the place we were teleported to was ─── the very house of Sage-san in the [Great Devil's Nest].
This place was much the same as the house of the future Sage-san where I lived, and in the garden, very rare goods such as the "Complete Recovery Grass" were growing.
I was surprised to see the house with no major changes, but I suddenly remembered the magic that was used when we moved to this place.
…Huh? I casually went along with it, but can Sage-san use the teleportation magic?
Moreover, while I could not teleport to another place without manifesting the magic in the form of a door, Sage-san was able to teleport to the place he specified in an instant.
Surprised by this fact, I entered the house as Zenovis-san urged me and found that the house's structure was no different from that of the future Sage-san's house.
However, there were some differences. First of all, in addition to the weapons that I had already inherited, such as the [Omni-Sword] and the [Absolute Spear], there were many unfamiliar weapons and armor lying around haphazardly.
Then, Zenovis-san asked me.
"What do you think? Have you seen everything here?"
"Eh? N-no, I've never seen some of them before, like… those over there…"
"Oh… the ones lying over there are failures. I'll get rid of them soon."
"Failures?"
Those look like excellent weapons to my eyes, but according to Zenovis-san, those were failures.
"For example… the gauntlet lying there. Once you put it on, you'll never be able to take it off again."
"Eh?"
"Also, that sword requires a lot of the user's blood. The more you use it, the more it consumes your life force… Well, I don't have to explain it to you."
"It's very dangerous!"
They're all so dangerous, it's no wonder they were called failures.
"Well, I'm going to get rid of it one of these days, but don't touch it."
"Um… if it's that dangerous, I think you'd better do something about it as soon as possible… It's dangerous for Zenovis-san, too, isn't it?"
Probably because it was disposed of properly, this weapon was not found in the future Sage-san's house, but even then, Zenovis-san would be in trouble if he accidentally touched it.
But…
"Mhm? I don't have a problem with it. It doesn't work on me."
"It doesn't work?"
That's absurd…
I looked at Zenovis-san with my eyes wide open, and he didn't care about that; he was preparing tea at his own pace.
…Not only in terms of combat power, but after all, Sage-san is an extraordinary person.
I strongly felt it.
＊＊＊
After a certain amount of rest, I would begin my training with Zenovis-san once again.
That's why we were once again teleported to the [World's Disposal Ground].
"Now, before the training, since you apparently don't know about the Genesis Dragon that became the sentinel of the false god, let me give you an explanation of it."
"P-please…"
Since I could no longer escape from my training, I made up my mind and once again listened to Zenovis-san talk about a different Genesis Dragon from Ouma-san.
By the way, Lanael-san, in case you were wondering, returned to the upper dimension to confirm with the observers whether she could use her power to return me to my original time.
"I don't know how much you know about this world, but in this world… Argena, there are two concepts: 'Holy' and 'Evil.' Simply put, the two Genesis Dragons also govern them.
"I-I see!"
The two Genesis Dragons are also in charge of these two concepts.
I was thinking, "Is Ouma-san a Holy?"
I had such a thought, but that was quickly denied by Zenovis-san.
"The one I beat to a pulp and is now sleeping in the canyon is in charge of Evil."
"Really?"
"Yes. The Evil I fought before you came here and the Evil that the Genesis Dragon governs have slightly different meanings. The actual Evil that gathers in this [World's Disposal Ground] is the very essence of Evil. However, the Evil controlled by the Genesis Dragon is something more fundamental and is necessary for Argena to manage the world. The world cannot revolve around the Holy alone. It is only when there is also an aspect of Evil that the world can exist. Therefore, although the two Genesis Dragons have different attributes, they actually contain both of them.
"Huh…"
In other words, although Ouma-san is labeled as Evil, he also possesses the power of Holy…
It's true that the power of the [Holy Evil Creation] that Argena-san gave me also contained Evil, but unlike the Evil Kuro and Avis', it's a purer power that overflowed from my body, right? So, you mean it's the same as that one…?
"B-but then, how did the Genesis Dragon that governs the Holy become the sentinel of the false god?"
"It's simple. The Holy that goes too far is also a poison to the world. Justice is not always right. The end of too much justice is… nothingness."
"….."
Zenovis-san was right. If we really wanted to pass justice in this world, it would be to destroy everything in the extreme. If everything were gone, there would be no Evil.
"Speaking of which, I heard that the observers are unable to deal with these sentinels because they are dealing with the main body of the false god, but even though he is a god, he is inconvenient in that aspect, isn't he?"
"We call him God for the sake of convenience, but the truth is, for this world, it is a little different."
"Eh?"
"Of course, the observers are beings of the upper dimension, and they can create and destroy other worlds in the lower dimension, like the world we live in. However, this Argena was not created by observers, but it was born out of nothing – it gave birth to life, and developed. In other words, it is a world that has not borrowed any power from the observers. No matter how strong the existence is from the upper dimension, it is impossible to unilaterally extinguish an existence that is created out of one's power."
"I-I see…"
As I recall, Merl also said that Argena-san was talking about the primordial universe…
"We're a little off-topic, but that doesn't change the fact that observers have god-like powers. And the opponent that opposes such observers is the false god. Since the false god is of the same rank as the observer, it is not an easy opponent to deal with."
I had gone into space to fight the Dragonias for Merl's homeland, but I never thought I would be in a story on an even larger scale.
When I found myself stumped by the sheer scale of the situation, Zenovis-san continued.
"Now that I've given you a brief explanation of the kind of beings you'll be dealing with, it's time to move on to the training."
"Y-yes!"
"So, here."
"Eh?"
What he handed me was a seemingly ordinary wooden sword.
"In the training you are about to begin, you are forbidden to use any other weapons."
"H-huh?"
To be honest, in my training with Master Usagi and Iris-san, I have always used the weapon I inherited from Sage-san so that I could fight as if I were in a real battle.
That's why I was a little disappointed when Zenovis-san handed me a wooden sword… but then I realized how naive my thinking was.
"The goal this time, I'm going to have you do the same thing with that sword as you did with [Omni-Sword]."
"…..Yes?"
I didn't understand what Zenovis-san was saying.
To do the same thing with this wooden sword as with that [Omni-Sword]…?
"What, it is not so difficult. I'm just saying that you should be able to cut anything with that wooden sword."
"Eeeehhhhhh!"
With this plain wooden sword!
No, no, no, how can you do such a thing?"
"You can do it."
"───"
Zenovis-san calmly tells me, and I am absolutely stunned.
"First of all, I'd like to see your swordsmanship once before we start the training, okay?"
"Ah… Y-yes!"
I hurriedly replied and held up the wooden sword in my hand, and for the time being, I showed him everything I could do at the moment.
"──[Heavenly Sacred Slash]!"
After applying all the physical enhancements available to me at the moment, such as the [Holy King's Authority], [Holy Evil Creation], and [Magic Armor], I unleashed the Sword Saint's technique.
Fortunately, this place was called the [World's Disposal Ground], and there was nothing around, so I was able to release the technique with maximum power.
When I held the wooden sword in the upper position, the aura of Holy and Evil erupted from the sword with tremendous force, and I swung down with all my might.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
The [Heavenly Sacred Slash], which was my most powerful technique so far, created a huge crack in the ground, and the slash flew far away.
Haa… hah… t-this is how it feels…"
I told him so as I sighed with all my might… but Zenovis-san had a grim expression on his face.
"U-um… how was it?"
I asked fearfully, and Zenovis-san said something outrageous.
"Is the Holy of the future that weak…?"
"W-weak?"
"Weak."
Zenovis-san declared so mercilessly.
When he said it so clearly, I couldn't say anything anymore.
"That technique you just showed me, was it a Sword Saint technique?"
"T-that's right."
"Why is there such a thing as a technique?"
What is this question? Was it a Zen dialogue?
I can only say that the technique exists because I was taught it as a technique…
I could no longer understand the meaning of what Zenovis-san was saying at all, and when I was simply baffled, he explained to me that it was nothing.
"If the technique exists, what else do you do when you are in a cutting contest? Do you just swing your sword around?"
"N-no, it's not like that…"
"That's what I call weak. You know what? If you are a true Sword Saint, every casual blow you deliver must be as powerful as the technique that you, or the Sword Saint who taught you, would deliver."
"Y-yes…"
Actually, I still didn't quite understand the concept, I just gave a curt reply, and Zenovis-san picked up the wooden sword just like I did.
"It would be hard to comprehend with just talking. Let me show you just once."
"Eh?"
Then, Zenovis-san just casually swung the sword in his hand toward me.
"?"
But I didn't understand what had happened or what he had done in the first place. There was nothing strange about it, after all.
But──.
"Now that I pointed my sword at you and swung it down… why didn't you avoid it?"
"!?"
After being told that much, I finally understood.
Zenovis-san accepted the series of actions of picking up the sword, swinging it down, and slashing it as a very natural and natural thing, just like a human being breathes.
That was why, even though a weapon was pointed at me, and even though a threat was directed at me, I could not react.
If the person in front of me had been an enemy, I would have accepted the fact that I had been killed as a matter of course.
As I felt a cold sweat break out all over my body at the horrifying fact, Zenovis-san continued as if nothing had happened.
"You seem to have understood. I pointed my sword at you and swung it down. Of course, I didn't really cut you down because I didn't mean to hurt you, but if I had cut you down like that, you would be dead. This is the state of the sword that I am talking about. That is why I say it is weak. Every time you fight an enemy, do you put all your strength into the technique you just performed and get stuck?"
"T-that's…"
The next moment, Zenovis-san swung his sword carelessly again.
Then, a slash came out far more powerful than the [Heavenly Sacred Slash] that I had just unleashed, and a deep slash mark was etched into the ground.
"First of all, you need to change your way of thinking. Then, make each casual swing the same as the techniques you've acquired up to now."
"Y-yes."
I could only nod in agreement with Zenovis-san's words.
＊＊＊
Unaware that Yuuya had been teleported to the past, Merl, who had come to Earth on a mission, was communicating with her home planet, Planet Amel.
(──Merl. How are things going over there?)
"…There's no particular problem."
The person on the other side of the line was Merl's father, Marl.
(Merl, do you understand? The future of the planet Amel depends on your actions.)
"….."
Marl was planning to somehow attract Yuuya, who controlled the Great Giant which was the legacy of the Sage, to the planet Amel.
The power of the Great Giant was so powerful that he could not be more reliable if he were on their side.
(If all we had to do was to create a clone of him, even a single hair on Yuuya-dono's body would do the trick… but then we would not get our hands on the Great Giant. That machine can only be controlled by Yuuya-dono himself. Do you understand that?)
"…Yes."
(Then, in order to obtain that power, you must directly commune with Yuuya-dono and give birth to a child. Then not only the Great Giant but all of Yuuya-dono's legacy will be passed on to his children, resulting in the prosperity of the planet Amel.)
Originally, the planet Amel had been oppressed by the Dragonias, and perhaps as a result of that, they began to seek greater military power so that they would never be oppressed again.
Most of the Amelians, including Marl, were unaware that they were following the same path as the Dragonias.
(Besides, if you and Yuuya-dono become a couple, Yuuya-dono might move to our planet, too. Remember, you have such an important mission.)
"Yes."
(Well then, that's all for today's communication. I'm counting on you.)
Marl announced unilaterally and disconnected the communication.
Merl remained in front of the communication device for a while and muttered quietly.
"…Is this really the best solution…?"
The murmur faded into nothingness.
＊＊＊
And the time returns back to the past when Yuuya was sent away.
──At the [Dragon Valley].
This was the place where a Genesis Dragon different from Ouma resided, and the surrounding area was filled with ferocious monsters, perhaps under the influence of the dragon's magical power.
The Genesis Dragon, the ruler of the valley, was lying quietly on the ground.
"….."
The Genesis Dragon quietly lurked in the valley.
However, the atmosphere overflowing from its body was not only its own magic power but also the power it had borrowed from the false god.
Then, as if realizing something, the dragon quietly opened its eyes and stared at the sky.
"…More… just a little more, the power to completely annihilate mankind…"
There was a reason why the Genesis Dragon was hiding in the valley like this.
The Genesis Dragon had become the sentinel of the false god, but it seemed that the power of the too mighty false god needed time to finally be stabilized in its body.
"…The sage has started to make some kind of move… but it doesn't matter to me right now. I will destroy the sage and all the others…"
The Genesis Dragon muttered quietly and closed its eyes to gather its strength again.