After I received the offer from the Mythical Alliance, I contacted all my connections and their reactions were all different.
[Seisaisa: Mythical Alliance? I;ve never heard of such a thing. But such an alliance doesn't seem like a bad strategy. Are you suggesting we join together?]
[Mihun: They haven't contacted me at all. I don't care about anything other than winning alone, so I don't think I can join you there!]
[Wahwando: I received the offer from the Mythical Alliance much earlier. I haven't joined, but I'm actively trading with them. Would you like to join?]
These kids are just impolite jerks if I met them in real life, but it's annoying to see them acting strangely polite in chat…
[Vein: No, I just received that offer and I don't think much of it either haha. Then, everyone, see you after the eighth clash!]
I thought it was over, but a little while later, Wahwando invited all four of us to the chat room.
I didn't mind this invitation since I can just send a clone, but the other two aren't like that, so I think they came in person.
After Wahwando entered the room and sat down, the next thing he saw was a giant elephant, Seisaisa, and then a Tyrannosaurus, Mihun, who was just as huge.
Their large eyes looked back and forth between me and Wahwando.
"Shock! I never really introduced you, but somehow you two seem to know each other?"
"Oh. What a coincidence. To meet someone you haven't even introduced yourself to. So. Vein, did you call this great one because you had something to say about the Mythical Alliance?"
Since I was summoned, I simply looked at Wahwando. Wahwando assumed everyone knew the situation and omitted any explanation.
"As I thought, you bastard Vein introduced the Mythical Alliance to these guys."
"Rather than introducing, I just informed them. I was curious to know what they thought."
Wahwando boldly said what he thought.
"Really? Then I have a very good offer. You three are the most powerful players I've ever met, and like me, you three are ruthless people who came all the way up the ranks without any allies or subordinates, killing everyone."
Well, yeah. These four people in this game are really nasty people. So what?
"I've known of this Mythical Alliance for a long time, but I've always disliked their attitude of giving up on victory and surrendering the fight. However, it was impossible to stand against this mighty alliance alone."
A twelve-game battle against a formidable enemy would utterly pulverize any world. It doesn't seem like the Wahwando have any allies as powerful as ours.
"But now that I've gained a powerful force by chance, I'd like to propose this. Why don't the four of us form a new alliance and destroy this Mythical Alliance?"
I opened my eyes wide from inside the dark hood. The elephant and the Tyrannosaurus were grinning evilly.
"That's a killer offer."
"Oh. Is that how they would go out?"
"That's interesting."
"We'll have to face a formidable opponent in the final battle anyway. Wouldn't it be better to nip them in the bud before then? A strong alliance is enough just for us.
General Wahwando, who will provide consulting on industry and military affairs.
Mihun, a wise man who will consult with heroes and terrain.
The Marquis Seisaisa, who will provide consulting services to the spirit world.
And a person who will consult on the ecosystem."
"Why don't I have a title? They call me Demon King Vein."
"I understand. The Demon King. It's complete with these four. If the four of us consult with each other and strengthen each other, it's perfect enough that no further assistance is needed."
Wahwando preached the validity of his strategy, but it wasn't particularly compelling, because all four of us agreed with it to begin with.
"I'm happy you agreed. Fighting the Alliance alone would be impossible, but if there were four similar mass extinction meteors, hitting them just three times, with only twelve people, the group would be annihilated."
"Meteorite? That's an interesting metaphor. I, Marquis Seisaisa also practices in the meteoric flow. It's unlikely we would lose anywhere, and the fewer competitors the better."
"How could I avoid such an exciting challenge? I must be willing to defeat all my opponents and rise to the top of the ranks as I embark on this ceremonial journey."
"We all knew it. The meteor of mass extinction. What a good metaphor. It will only be temporary, but let's take the name of the alliance from there."
Everyone laughed. The word 'temporary' hinted at the possibility of us fighting amongst ourselves later.
Still, we should at least give the union a proper name.
"Then shall we go with [Meteor Cartel]?"
"[With the four noble yet cruel destruction stars]."
"[The Hall of Fortune] would be good."
"I will decide on [Absolute Annihilation, Invincible, Violent, Suppressive Four Heavenly Forces]."
Why are all the union names these fucking kids propose like this...
"Are you guys really completely crazy?"
"I think 'Hyungseongmyeongunjeon' is a great name, right?"
"It's too short. It should be at least 10 characters."
"No, even if it's 10 letters, you should at least write it like '세사사'. What kind of childish name is that?"
"I don't want to hear it from someone who uses puns like Meteor Cartel. It makes it sound like we're part of your Dessert Army!"
I don't understand why they are fighting about the name of a union before they are even properly united.
It would be a waste to fight over a useless alliance names when we should be discussing strategy. Since I had the highest score, and excluding the puns, we decided on [Meteor Cartel].
Look, life is great.
"I can't stand that such a trashy name is truly a union name."
"I will make sure that the name of this great one is preserved forever at the next meeting."
"Don't you think you should at least include the four characters of 'Absolute Invincible'? Seven characters won't give you any dignity at all."
Oh, shut up. We're just the meteor cartel.
Anyway, let's do this for four.
Demon of Mass Extinction.
Tyrant of hell.
The Ferocious Dragon Immortal.
Overlord of the Asura Way.
These four will destroy the so-called Mythical Alliance.
"Then we just have to decide how to attack the Mythical Alliance."
"Are you going to attack right now?"
"It would be better to take down the first ones before the enemies get their second mythical trait."
Wahwando reportedly signed a "peace as long as trade is maintained" treaty with the Mythical Alliance. In other words, they can break it if they decide to attack. It's a bit lower-level than the 'absolute non-aggression treaty' he signed with us.
This guy, Wahwando, who has a lot of information, stands to lose a lot once his contract expires, and, above all, he's the one who devises all the strategies and tactics, so we had to give him some points. That's acceptable, but I couldn't help but feel a bit flustered by the subsequent discussion.
"So, if we win, the enemies will be destroyed, but what happens if we lose?"
"Seisaisa, do you consider losing before you even fight?"
"Shock! Shouldn't we consider this? This worldly being doesn't want to just quietly disappear."
"Of course I'll have to surrender. If they accept, that's fine, but if they don't, I'll have to take the risk."
I was surprised that three people decided on their own.
"Huh? Are you going to surrender?"
When I asked that, Seisaisa and Wahwando looked at me like I was crazy.
"So you're not going to do it?"
"Sigh! Then you will commit suicide along with the world?"
Mihun, however, gave a slightly different answer.
"For your information, surrender is not allowed for this great one. In exchange for not losing my soul in the main battle, this one has the disadvantage of not being able to lose."
Even if Mihun were an exception, Seisaisa and Wahwando mentioned surrender as if it were a given. I was about to say something, but then I just kept my mouth shut.
Yeah. Why did you think I couldn't surrender? Because I killed everyone I met?
Well.... But if it's an opponent I seriously want to beat, then regardless of my personality, if they value my abilities highly, they'll eventually accept my surrender. After all, subordinate gods are a system where I absolutely have to obeys orders.
Then why did I think I couldn't surrender?
No, come to think of it, I'm more curious about this.
"Why haven't you guys accepted the surrender yet?"
"Because the organizers require me to successfully complete the ascension ceremony using only my own strength."
This guy is always an exception, and so is Seisaisa and Wahwando.
Wahwando's reply was a bit quicker.
"It's not that I don't plan on taking on any subordinates, but none of the ones I've met so far have been worth taking on as subordinates."
"Then, I guess you can take this opponent as a subordinate? He is a top-tier player."
"I'll have to see. If they're not the right fit, I have no intention of taking them on as a subordinate."
Wow, I have a suspicion that this kid thinks that any opponent he loses to in a fight is inferior.
Looking at the Seisaisa, the answer was surprisingly late.
"Hmm. Why did this Seisaisa annihilate all his opponents? That's the question."
"Yes. It's much more advantageous to bring in subordinates, after all. For the record, I just couldn't make my ecosystem any healthier by recruiting anyone, so there is no point to it."
I simply don't like the intellectual entity called a player.
The sage remained silent for a long time at our gaze.
After thinking about it for a while, Seisaisa shouted loudly after a while.
"It's a secret!"
"What is that…"
"There's a definite reason, but I can't say. Still, I don't think I made a meaningless choice."
I see.
Well, there must be a secret or two. We've finally started formulating a strategy.
But, even so, I couldn't say anything.
Why didn't I consider surrender?
In short, why didn't I even consider any option other than just dying when I lose the game?
While the clones talking to them were having serious strategic discussions, I, the main presonality who was scouring the communities in my world for clues about the Mythical Alliance, was so distraught that I couldn't gather any proper information.
Even though I knew about the existence of surrender, I never even considered the possibility that I would surrender.
If you win, you become a true god, if you lose, only one human disappears.
"Anyway, I want to make this clear. Would it be beneficial for us to fight the formidable enemy, the Mythical Alliance, early on?"
"I think it will work. It would be better to destroy it with a surprise attack before they get any bigger. Thankfully, all four of us are specialized in such destructive attacks."
"To increase your chances of winning even a little, you have to take risks. After all, for me, a loss along the way is the same as winning."
I see. It seems like everyone wants to win. Of course... If they didn't want to win, they wouldn't participate in the game at all.
But, well, is that really all there is to it?
The organizers told us that if we were eliminated from the game, our souls would be lost. In other words, there are souls in the world.
If there really is such a thing as a soul in this world, then there would be something like the afterlife, and then there might be things like reincarnation and the final judgment.
Then, even if you die, it doesn't mean you're truly in eternal sleep, right? There is an afterlife afterall.
Then, wouldn't it be possible to participate in the game because you really want to completely end the life that is called yourself?
"But, since we're talking about it, why didn't you even consider surrendering?"
"Vein"
Suddenly, as the story was coming to an end, Seisaisa asked me.
They didn't let it just be brushed aside.
What should I answer?
"It's not polite."
"Manners...?"
"Yes. Everyone is desperate to win. Everyone has their own goals. But I thought it was cowardly to beg for my own life when I had no intention of letting the other person live."
"Wow! That's truly a knightly attitude!"
"That must be your way of life too. Excellent."
"In what battlefield are you looking for fairness?"
I'm not finished talking yet.
"And I don't want to ruin the game. I don't take myself seriously in the game, so losing is a loss for me, of course, but it's also a nuisance to the other players who came to have fun, and to all the other players competing with them."
"So you're getting rid of that guy anyway because he won't be a nuisance? That's shocking."
"It doesn't seem like a way of thinking that I can't understand."
"Well, I don't understand it at all from a general sense."
That's all.
As a gamer, I never want to ruin the game itself under any circumstances.
So, I would rather become a demon king who risks his life for victory.
— — — — —