My Measurement: The Villain Desires a Satisfying Payback

Within an instant of me voicing the command, innumerable Nightmares rushed forth.

Howling out their signature cries in unison, even I had to admit that it was a truly bone-chilling sight.

Of course, such an army was seemingly undefeatable at a glance, but I couldn't have a premature ending that was so anticlimactic, and thus I hoped all the important ones would be able to survive according to the plot.

More accurately, I knew they would be fine even against this much; I knew they would survive because it is what He and the plot requires, but because I know they will survive and am stating as much like this, that action in itself is enough to make it a reality.

Then, witnessing numerous rifts of empty void opening up and swallowing the Nightmares, torrents of ice being summoned to freeze them in their tracks, and a substantial bubble barrier forming around the 'hero group' as protection, I quickly found my belief to be firmly proven.

At the same time, black tar continued to rain down in a shower, spawning unending waves of these imaginary monsters that only knew how to advance with feral hyper aggression.

The Nightmares' individual forms all seemed to take the shape of unbelievable and terrifying creatures. Just like all the previous ones I had encountered, their semi-intangible state made it ever clearer that they weren't real, authentic beings.

But, although it should have been normal for them to be like that.

Because I knew they were only a prelude to The End.

And because they exist as no more than a tool to drive the story forward.

I couldn't help but consider.

The difference between a Nightmare and Nightmare King.

Pushing aside obvious differences such as 'power' and 'position', as they are things that can be altered at a mere mention by me.

Rather, the 'true' purpose.

If the Nightmare King is to act as The End to all, then what is a Nightmare?

They are both made up of the same substance that is the black tar―and to be honest, I don't think a detail like that would matter anyway.

Because well, in a situation like this, if I state that paper is stronger than steel, then it is.

And if I claim that a diamond melts at room temperature, it will do so.

So, if material substance is irrelevant, and so is the matter of immaterial measures like power and status, really, what is the difference between the two?

The Nightmare King was called a Devourer of Worlds, but is that only due to its size?

If, for example, an ordinary Nightmare were to consume a person, what would happen?

Would they die? Probably.

But, would they meet their end?

That is the more important question; a question I have seemed to overlook, and one I don't know the answer to.

"Urgh... I'm using too much..."

"Saburou...! What's wrong?!"

"Tearing apart and twisting so much space―It's getting harder... This is a first..."

"Don't worry, there can't be an unlimited number of these things! You need to hang in there!"

"Tch-! It's not possible. They're heading for the city, we can't stop them all."

"Then...! You guys stay here, I'll go take care of it!"

Crack...!

"No, wait! The barrier...!"

Shatter-!

In front of me, Araceli cried out as her Measurement of Protection exploded into fragments of light, quickly fading into nothingness.

The next few seconds passed like a slideshow as time seemed to slow down.

Everyone previously shielded by the barrier was now at risk of being directly attacked by the incoming Nightmare onslaught, and that previous question lingered on my mind.

If, right here, right now, one of them were to be killed by a Nightmare.

What would happen?

Death is not the same as meeting your end; that much has been made very clear to me.

But just what was the alternative?

And could that fate be applied by something other than The End itself?

Could a Nightmare, existing as no more than just a small piece of a larger entity, execute the same level as authority to terminate and end another existence?

"Kyaahh...!!"

Someone reflexively screamed as the maw of a lunging Nightmare loomed inches away.

And then...

"..."

Unbeknownst to myself, a voice suddenly exited my mouth.

"Stop."

At that moment, everything paused.

Seconds of silence passed as I tried to think. Contemplating what just occurred, I instinctively realised that I did it subconsciously.

I wasn't confident about any of my thoughts or actions being my own before, and the only excuse I could come up with was that it was His interference.

Because otherwise, I truly don't know why I would have stopped it.

"..."

Glancing at Araceli, who couldn't bear to raise her head from that crouched position after coming this close to meeting her end just now, I only felt a sense of confusion.

But then, I began to feel that maybe it wasn't a totally negative outcome.

Because, despite not finding out the answer to my question, I realised something else.

That things were developing in a way I did not have control over.

Originally, I might have considered that a bad thing, but in this rare case, I can reason the opposite.

Primarily, a satisfying ending isn't one that will necessarily arise as a result of my own plan coming to fruition.

Conflict, twists, emotion, and logical unpredictability.

If He intervenes and turns my plan upside down, would it make for a better ending?

In that case, do I--

"C-Cipher..."

Hm?

My thoughts were interrupted by a frightened Araceli's call, and it was in such an abrupt way that I knew my plan couldn't have made it onto the page.

What I was about to say was--

"You... You saved me..."

...Ah.

I see what is going on here.

Well then. If that's how you want to do things, I suppose I have no choice but to play along.

After all, even after coming to possess this much authority, my position hasn't changed.

In the end, it may be for the best that I--

"Cipher, you..."

"..."

Araceli, despite being under the intense pressure she was, seemed to have picked up my voice at the last moment.

As a result of that, she knew what I had done.

The consequences could be easily seen just by taking a quick glance around.

The monster dogs were no more, melted into the ground as if they never were, and the endless tar falling from the black sky ceased, leaving only ordinary rain to pour on our heads.

Like that, it didn't take a minute for everyone to confirm that the brief attack of the Nightmares was already over.

That is, if you were to only account for the ones in this singular garden.

The rest of the city wouldn't have time to relax just yet, but I'm sure things would be fine for the most part.

Even if the World Tree decided to stand by and observe, there were still many people among the Wardens with enough power to fend off the Nightmare threat.

Regardless, none of that mattered.

At the end of the day, if it is written that the city of Weinstell had collapsed due to the Nightmares' attack, then that is how the story will conclude.

So.

"You lot."

Against such a power like that, what will you do?

"Convince me."

Stop fooling around and fulfil the responsibilities of your role.

"Huh...?"

If you cannot defeat the Villain directly, find another way.

The only way.

"Surely you realise it by now."

"You cannot win against me with brute force."

"You won't know it, but I can win at any time if I so please."

"I can end everything before you even realise what is going on."

"So, convince me."

"Use your words to make the outcome you desire a reality."

"Because that's the only thing that will be known or remembered."

The only things that can make a difference are proactive words and actions.

Convince me why I should not destroy the world.

In that, the goal is actually not to persuade me, but Him.

Persuade Him with your words that the ending you desire is the optimal outcome.

Persuade Him that you should triumph, not me.

And persuade everyone else to accept that as the most satisfying ending.

Rather than using your physical powers or your mystical abilities.

It is the words, the emotions that matter.

Feelings and persuasive power.

That is the only way to win.

"Cipher... I don't really understand it, but what you're saying... In short, you want us to win against you, right?"

Azaki Kiryuuin spoke.

But he was wrong.

"I never said that."

It's not like I want to lose.

It would be stupid if I did.

...But.

I have realised His intentions.

And for me to end up winning at this point.

I don't think it would be satisfying enough to be accepted.

"All I need is for you to try to win."

However, it is not necessary for me to win.

Only to be remembered.

Accomplishing that can be done with or without a grand victory.

Rather, achieving the most satisfactory ending is most likely to keep me in their memories, so it works out just fine.

"This is the last chance. Anything you want to say or do, now is the time to let it out."

"If you want to apologise, get on your knees and scream sorry."

"If you want to cry, rip out your heart and weep."

"Anything necessary to let the bottled-up emotions out, don't hold yourself back and go for it."

"Don't worry about others and do only what you feel you must."

"And, most importantly of all..."

"Act as if this day will be your last."

I could tell from glancing at their eyes and the expressions on their faces that they were more than just a little taken aback by what I was saying, and for separate reasons from each other.

Still, that much was enough to convince them to act, and the results soon showed.

"Osc-- No. Cipher..."

The first to step forward was Sophie Asanami, bold as always.

Staring at her awkward face, I wondered what she would possibly say to me, when she suddenly shot a glare.

"You come back after all this time and this is what you do?"

"..."

"Honestly, I should've expected it since we met, but you really are a son of a bitch, huh? Acting like a psycho and trying to destroy everything―the fuck is wrong with you?"

Her words were so sharp that I was awaiting a swift slap to the face, but it never came.

As if knowing what I was thinking, her frustration seemed to melt into a look of sympathy.

"You bastard... I really want to slap you right now, but that's... Not what you need."

More than anything, I found it amusing that this girl thought she knew what I needed.

She would never know.

But, something like that doesn't matter.

Because I'll get it either way.

"Is that so? Are you sure you won't do it? It may be the last chance you ever get."

"I said I won't do it! Don't make me change my mind, asshole."

Snapping back at me as she always used to, Sophie then stepped back, passing the stage to the next person.

"...C-Cipher..."

Selina stood in front of me, stuttering away. Even with Emir by her side, silently holding her hands to calm her down, she still seemed to be having a hard time.

"I... I'm sorry... I-If it's my fault... I-I-I-I didn't help back then..."

"..."

"Hey...! What did I say about blaming yourself all the time? Come on, Selina, you can't keep doing this... You didn't even do anything, so why--"

"That's the problem... I should have done something..."

"Selina..."

I could tell just by looking at their interactions that they had grown a lot closer in the time I was gone.

Judging by their words, it seemed that she had been blaming herself for me being betrayed and incarcerated in the Otherworld.

Frankly, I don't know why she would think to bear the entirety of the responsibility herself, especially as she was the last person I would specifically pick out to blame.

In any case, she seemed to have been going through a hard time because of that. As for Emir, who was taking care of her, I didn't think he had anything to say for a moment until he finally turned to me.

"Listen. I don't really have anything to say to you, but I don't think you're an entirely bad person. Still, you used and killed people, and you got what you deserved for it. The fate readings we did back then, even I didn't truly understand what it all meant. But now, I think I do."

"Do you?"

"I believe so. You must also know it―that's why you're acting the way you are. It was always going to end this way from the beginning, but it's only after everything has happened that we can realise that."

"Of course, hindsight is a thing. What point are you trying to make?"

"...Just this. You know that not all of fate is accurate. So, to achieve the future you want to happen, you still have to pave the way for it to occur. Like you said, there probably isn't a whole lot of time left, but still. Remember that."

After letting go of everything he had, the two quickly left.

Pave the way for the future you want.

It sounded obvious, but when I thought about it in the context of the current situation, it wasn't so much.

Emir was right.

Even in this case, where the whole world is contained within a single story and where the words on His page determine the progression and outcome of everything.

Even within a world like that, I can prove my influence on the future.

But, why bring it up now?

Now, at this moment, when everything is so close to the end... Ah.

"..."

Seeing the two girls walking slowly up to me, their expressionless faces sparking an unknown emotion within me, I instinctively felt it.

Was this what Emir meant?

The possible futures I had glimpsed.

More than one of them contained the twins.

A scene of myself living, but Sona dying by my hands.

A scene of both twins alive, but grieving over my dead body.

Only one such scene could be made reality in a single timeline.

Which one do I want?

Which one does He want?

I have to make an imminent decision.

"...Ciphy."

A choice that determines the end of our story.

"Can we talk...?"

With Sana and Sona standing right before me, I weighed my options.