Meanwhile, in the spiritual world, Yuki faced his sword while four spiritual chains wrapped around his body, holding him tightly—his arms and legs restrained.
"What do you think you're doing, Est?"
"Protecting the master."
"Protecting, huh?"
Looking at Est with her ever-expressionless face, Yuki sighed.
This spirit must have made a difficult decision to encase him in her spiritual world, risking that Yuki might take serious countermeasures against her.
"Yes, master, I will protect you. I won't let anyone hurt you, including yourself."
Est's eyes gleamed as she uttered these words, and another spiritual chain materialized, tightly binding around Yuki's abdomen.
"Est, if you stop now, I promise not to get angry."
Despite being bound by chains, Yuki remained calm. After all, Est was his companion.
"..."
However, Est didn't flinch. For her, keeping Yuki safe was the top priority.
"I know you're scared."
Yuki knew deep down that this girl was terrified. After all, the sensation of being absorbed by the Sephira crystal was too horrifying.
"..."
"But the consequences will be great if we do nothing. You know, I don't want to disappear either, not yet. But at this rate, all our efforts will be in vain."
Indeed, Yuno and Tsubaki wouldn't be able to handle the enemy. Both lacked the strength to win. Although they possessed intelligence, sometimes that wasn't enough against sheer force, and Yuki knew it. Minene was not someone to take lightly, and with Yuno being unstable, Minene might exploit her weaknesses to the fullest.
"Fool... Master is a fool..."
Unfortunately, Est didn't share the same sentiment. Whether they win or lose, it has nothing to do with her problem.
"Master is an idiot! We still don't know if we can return to normal once we're absorbed. Don't you care about disappearing?! Master... don't you want to go back?!"
Certainly, this was still in doubt. There was no guarantee that when the Survival Game ended, they would return to normal. The Demon King might refuse to sleep and continue with total control. If that happened, the power of order would surpass chaos, the world would be saved, and even the growth problem might be resolved. But the price to pay...
"Of course, I want to go back... But if we give up now, our chance to return will be lost. Losers have no rights. That's why we must win."
If they lose, the only chance to counter the Demon King will disappear, worsening the situation. They must win to have hope.
"I don't want to disappear, but if we don't win, everything will end. Besides, if I'm with you, sleeping for some time isn't so bad. It's more like a blessing, don't you think?"
"...."
Smiling, Yuki felt the chains around him loosen. After all, if they sleep, at least he'll be with his cute sword spirit.
"It's not fair, Master."
Seeing Yuki's smile, Est thought it was a very dirty trick.
Her master didn't mind disappearing with her, and she, as his contracted spirit, couldn't stop him. She had decided to spend eternity with Yuki, so these sweet words were a deadly poison.
"The world is not fair. I don't want this either, but this 'Crown' is very heavy."
The power of Order and the creation of the Crown are absolute. Its shield is impenetrable and, at the same time, it's the Champion's greatest weakness.
After all, once the Crown is corrupted by chaos, only death awaits them.
Chaos is limitless, while Order is absolute.
*Creakkkkk
Unable to hold Yuki any longer, the chains that bound him broke into thousands of particles.
"Master?"
Seeing this, Yuki took Est into his arms. Surprised by this, Est raised her head.
Because, according to her, the punishment for imprisoning her master is not light, not to mention acting against his orders. The contract between them clearly stated that she was in service to her master, but she had now broken those rules.
So, it was natural if Yuki were to punish her, and of course, Est expected him to do so. She wouldn't resist. But Yuki didn't. On the contrary, he embraced her tenderly.
"I'm sorry for letting you bear this burden with me. The weight of the world is very severe, and because of you, I've been able to keep my sanity. Thank you, Est."
When a world is corroded by chaos, it's very difficult to bear such a weight without being influenced by the pain of the mother of all. Champions tend to fight, enduring this pain in their souls and, at the same time, healing the world. This is what it means to be the world's last defense.
But with Est by his side, this pain lessened, so Yuki was grateful to Est for sharing the burden.
"No, it's not something you should thank me for. I am yours, Master. This is natural for me."
"Although that's true, I'm very happy that you're with me. Thank you for existing and bringing me this happiness, Est."
Kissing her forehead, Yuki stroked her platinum white hair, while Est blushed and lowered her head.
"Now it's time to go out. We still have much to do... Est, my companion, are you willing to sleep with me?"
"Hm, I am willing, Master."
Agreeing, a rare smile formed on Est's face. After all, once they go back to fighting, they'll enter a deep sleep.
(I trust you, Yuno.)
Still embraced, Yuki suddenly opened his eyes, putting all his hopes on the girl who would wake him up.
---
"Hahahaha, the final battle. I'm so excited."
Unable to control her excitement, Muru Muru waved her legs and hands. The time to choose the new God is near, and the participants are becoming more tenacious.
With each fight, they've shown how cruel and determined they can be for the throne of God.
"Hee~ but the most interesting part is..."
Looking towards Yuno and Tsubaki, Muru Muru smiled. The God's throne is crucial, but these women were fighting for something more.
For the love of the Champion.
For that love, they were willing to give up the throne. This pleased Muru Muru because each time this game became more fun.
"Who will win? Will they get a chance to prove their love?"
With the challenge of these two women, Muru Muru made sure to monitor them closely because if her thoughts didn't fail her, the final battle would be a death match between these two.
"It's a shame you can't see this, Deus~, but rest assured, wherever you are, I will fulfill your last wish."
Remembering her former master, Muru Muru didn't know whether to be grateful or upset with him. After all, Gods are supposed to be immortal beings, spending eternity creating worlds and living between Order and Chaos.
But there are times when a God comes to die and gets destroyed.
Whether by chaos and order or by their own actions.
Deus belonged to the latter category—his own actions led to his destruction.
A long time ago, Deus did something taboo for any living being.
He attempted to wear the Crown that didn't belong to him.
And Muru Muru was present during this tragic decision. She also tried to prevent Deus from committing such a taboo, but being just an assistant, she couldn't fight against Deus and failed to stop him.
Deus created the world and was quite satisfied with his creation. At the same time, he loved his creation too much. After creating the world, he continued to watch and care for it like a father does for his children.
This went on for thousands of years. Just when his creation was about to grow in stature, a tragic event occurred.
Chaos beings invaded the world, and an Overlord drastically changed the fate of the world towards its destruction. Deus loved his creation so much that he fought for the salvation of his world. As a Time and Space God, he was far superior to other gods, and his energy was more than enough to protect his creation. With this in mind, Deus fiercely fought for his world, but unfortunately, protecting is more challenging than killing, especially when his power was insufficient, and the Overlord played with their destiny. He only delayed the inevitable. To kill these aberrations of chaos, having terrifying power is not enough—they must be annihilated with Order.
---