112 Behind The Scenes...
(This is a collection of Extra scenes related to the 2nd Trial Ending. It may be confusing to follow them, so I added a small explanation when needed to make it easier to follow)
--- Luna (half a second before the Eye of Judgement opened) ---
I must say, I'm surprised.
I had anticipated he would eventually rebel against the System, but I didn't expect it to happen so quickly. How did he pull it off?
It's unusual for the System to be busy elsewhere.
Typically, about 90% of its attention is focused on us, the individuals it controls like puppets on strings.
Why, you ask?
Well, it's because when the System is not present to enforce the laws, we can use several loopholes to do whatever the fuck we want.
One easy example to make you understand might be...
"H-How dare you rebel against the System, —th Pawn! Don't you know the consequences of such an action!?"
Me, Rebelling? What nonsense.
"How could you even consider me a traitor? I'm the one dealing with a traitor who dared to challenge the System, aren't I?"
My voice dripped with sarcasm as I stared down at the Demon God Azazel.
He had always been a troublesome pawn.
There's no better time than now to put an end to him.
As I spoke, I noticed Azazel's anger brewing, his eyes darkening, and eight wings sprouting from his back as he transformed into his full form, ready to attack.
Meanwhile, I simply wore a dangerous smile, my eyes reflecting a mixture of amusement and disdain.
"You dare to challenge me, Demon God Azazel?" I asked, my voice mocking. "Very well, let's see what you've got."
Azazel snarled, his body glowing with a dark energy as his demon spear appeared in his hands.
With that spear, he destroyed countless worlds.
But to me, it looked like nothing more than a toy.
He rushed toward me, his movements quick and forceful, unleashing his most powerful technique without hesitation.
"[Soul Splitting Art: Lance of Destiny]"
But instead of reacting to his attack, I simply let out a sigh.
What a disappointment.
"[Demon's Dignity]"
The moment I uttered those words, Azazel's body froze, muscles locking up under the crushing weight of my skill.
The spear hurtling towards me dissolved like smoke.
With a pained grunt, he struggled to move, to retaliate, but I wasn't having any of it. I delivered a swift kick to his face, deforming his upper body and sending him flying hundreds of thousands of kilometers away.
Even as he floated there, immobilized and unable to heal, he continued to resist, his body trembling with effort.
He somehow remembered me of Akira, but there was one clear difference between the two.
This weakling didn't have the balls to go against the System.
Even when the owner is not watching, the dog will still faithfully follow its owner's commands.
You could've helped us in our plan to dethrone the System, but since you're like that, there's nothing I can do.
I shook my head.
"The difference between us is absolute, Demon God Azazel," I said, my voice cold and unyielding. "You know it already, so why struggle? Just die."
And with that, I raised one finger.
"[Supernova]" I uttered calmly, my voice barely above a whisper.
In an instant, a small orb of brilliant white light materialized on my finger's tip, pulsating with contained power.
With a gentle flick, the orb shot forth at the speed of light, hurtling toward the looming figure of the Demon God Azazel. The moment it made contact, the small supernova erupted in a blinding flash of energy, engulfing him in its fury.
The explosion tore through his body and soul, disintegrating him to atoms in an instant, but it didn't end there.
The destructive force of the supernova continued to expand outwards, engulfing all matter close enough to it in its fiery embrace.
In less than a millionth of a second, everything in the surroundings was gone.
Whoops.
"...Fuck. I've accidentally destroyed Solar Systems again."
Well, it's Azazel's fault, though.
I just couldn't be bothered to fight a weakling seriously...
Anyway, that isn't important.
Time for the next target...
Just before I could go on my merry way to erase 'traitors', I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine.
The Universe itself shook momentarily, a low rumble that hinted at one thing: someone was violating a Universal Law.
Only then would 'it' emerge from its deep sleep.
I could immediately tell who was behind it.
"Why the hell did you trigger the Universal Laws, Akira!?"
I was forbidden from revealing everything to him, so I couldn't exactly disclose what kind of beast he would provoke if he recklessly tried to do something that would anger the Universe. However, I figured with his intelligence, he could easily understand not to provoke it at all costs.
It's likely that rather than consciously wanting to trigger it, he simply lacked enough information about it to understand it at a deeper level.
It's a problem.
A huge one.
That is because the Universe is the absolute law.
No amount of strength truly matters against it.
Talents, Skills, Authorities, Divinities, and more—none of them can defy its authority.
If they could, the System wouldn't need to mimic the Systems from Isekai MCs just to attract Trial Takers into doing its bidding.
The System would've already devoured everything.
Anyway, the point is, the only thing you absolutely cannot do is fuck around with it.
Even beings much stronger than me fear the Universal Laws to the point of faithfully abiding by them, making occurrences of Universal Laws being broken extremely rare throughout history.
The only widely known aspect about them is that each time one is triggered, the involved being doesn't live another second to tell the tale.
...In a way, this might even be a good thing.
If he can survive against an Universal Law, then he might really be able to easily kill me in the future.
I'll look forward to it, Akira.
--- Alpha (Just after Akira threatened to destroy the World Core) ---
Had I jinxed it?
...Perhaps I had.
Not even a full week after I steeled myself for the time to come, and now this happens.
"...I didn't expect the new evil to be you, Fray" I muttered, feeling the weight of disappointment settle in.
You're making this really hard on me.
Why would you do this?
Why did you decide to become a threat to this World?
You leave me no choice but to fight you to the death. Even though we've been companions with shared goals for many years, now we're enemies.
He may have become much stronger, but that doesn't mean we can't fight him.
As I prepared to rush to his location, my heart pounded with determination and resolve. But suddenly, I was stopped in my tracks by Delta, standing before me with fear and determination in her eyes.
"Now is not the time for jokes, Delta," I said, my voice cold and unyielding. "Step aside."
Delta hesitated, her body trembling slightly, but she stood her ground. "I know what I am doing is extremely foolish, Alpha-sama," she said, her voice shaky, but firm.
"I am not smart, and I always make mistakes, even going as far as attacking someone I shouldn't have. This debt that was never repaid, I... I want to repay it! If there's something I can do, it's at least this..."
Her words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of her guilt and her determination.
I could see the sincerity in her eyes, but I knew that now was not the time for personal vendettas or debts. The fate of the world was at stake.
Just as I was about to retort, I was surprised to see Eta and... Beta, standing behind Delta.
I see, so that's how Delta got into this.
Their faces had a grim determination that was impossible to conceal. And behind them, a crowd of other Shadows had gathered, their voices raised in a chorus of support for Fray, the man they saw as their savior.
"He was the one who saved me from that hell, I cannot abandon him."
"Even though he helped us many times, none of us really did anything for him"
For a moment, I wondered if this was part of Zeta's plan to take over Shadow Garden and sow chaos among our ranks. But as I looked into the eyes of the Shadows before me, I knew that this was not the case.
These women were not pawns in Zeta's game, they were not mindless followers blindly obeying orders.
Each of them had their reasons to stand against me.
I bit my lip, my heart heavy with the weight of my responsibilities and the knowledge that I had to make a difficult choice. I also wanted to talk to Fray, to understand why he had turned against us, to find a way to bring him back to our side.
But I knew that while those doubts cleared my judgement, he might already be on his way to truly destroy this World.
For that reason, I cannot stop here.
"I understand your feelings, everyone," I said, my voice steady and strong, as I looked into the eyes of each and every one of the Shadows before me. "And I respect your decision to stand up for what you believe in. But know this: Fray is a threat to this world, and we cannot hesitate to act. Anyone who rebels from now on will be considered a traitor. Knowing that, do you still want to go against me?"
My words hung heavy in the air, and for a moment, there was only silence. But then, one by one, the Shadows before me nodded, their faces set in determination. They knew the consequences of their actions, and yet they were willing to risk everything to stand up for what they believed in.
In that case, I have no other choice. I took a deep breath, my body tensing as I prepared to unleash my Magical Power.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot let you stand in my way," I said, my voice filled with sadness and resolve...
--- Aurora (After Akira met Shadow) ---
["No Universal Law has been broken, in the end. So why are you so adamant on your decision?"]
Looking at it objectively, it's strange.
The Universal Law wasn't broken at all. So why was the Eye of Judgment so serious about arguing with him, even going as far as issuing a Decision?
Well, I did have a hunch.
["It must be because you don't want the System to gain another pawn to exploit, isn't that right?"]
Love is seen as a weakness. In its perspective, unless you elevate it to at least an Authority, that's the way it must be.
The System could easily control him in the future if he had such an apparent weakness.
[The Eye Of Judgement is calculating...]
[Truth: The Eye Of Judgement cannot act based on intention. It is an objective being that can only enforce the law as it is. The intent to break the law is as heavy of a crime as committing it. After all, if I did not intervene, this World would be in ruins right now]
I see. So you're also using loopholes to escape your predestined role.
How crafty.
["I see. Thank you for satiating my curiosity before ending me. I appreciate it. But even if you're trying your hardest to kill him, I won't let you do that. The moment the System's [Recall] will fully activate, your punishment will be considered given, and you will not be able to do anything to him."]
Defying the Eye of Judgement's Decision was a task far beyond the capabilities of a mere God.
With every ounce of my power, I cancelled out the cataclysmic storms, the searing flames, and the violent tremors that threatened to tear the planet apart.
Despite lacking a strong emotional connection to this planet, it was my own arrogance that drove me to exert my utmost effort to prevent its destruction.
But there was a price to pay. The burden of each phenomenon I negated was transferred onto me.
I could feel blood trickling past my lips, a crimson river that painted a stark contrast against my pale skin. I sighed, a heavy exhale laden with pain and exhaustion.
But amidst the agony, there was a glimmer of satisfaction. I had managed to keep my promise.
Half a second, I... bought it...
This is the end.
A violent cough wracked my body, spewing forth a torrent of blood.
My legs gave way, and I collapsed onto the cold, unforgiving ground.
But just as I was about to face True Death, a figure appeared before me. A man with black hair and eyes, his face obscured by a hood.
I might've been able to see through him, was I not on the brink of death.
There were many questions I wanted to ask.
Who are you, why are you bothering to defend me?
Don't you know it's hopeless? Look at the enemy in front of you...
If you rebel against it, you will die, too...
Anything but that, please.
I don't want people to die for my sake anymore...
"You've done enough to protect this world. It's time for me to take over." he said.
What...?
I had so many questions swirling in my mind, but unfortunately, I couldn't muster the strength to speak or even think clearly.
His words were the last thing I heard before slipping into unconsciousness.
---
Author's Note:
This ties all the loose ends we had with the 2nd Trial ending.
Tell me if you also want Shadow VS Eye Of Judgement. I won't go out of my way to make an entire chapter for it, but I can certainly post it on Patreon if someone is interested in that.
If there is any doubt left, please feel free to ask. I will do my best to reply!
Also, this will remain as a 2nd Trial chapter because it's all about extra things we missed in the Farewell chapter!
