Type-Moon, Does a Small Cheat Count as a Cheat?

"This works. Sign it."

The contract stated that after cooperating with Novia to break through this place, Shiyali would help with one request to the greatest extent she was capable of.

Naturally, Novia did not refuse. After all, this had been part of the plan.

Beyond the door was nothing but pitch-black space—no, that had been true just moments ago. Now, a storm of violet lightning rapidly emerged, and the metal roots connected to the coffin within seemed to pulse.

"Then let's go."

The two of them stepped through the gate together.

The instant they entered, the violet lightning storm violently raging in the depths of the room within Novia's azure eyes slowly began to subside.

At the same time, the outline of the coffin within the storm gradually emerged. Perhaps it was an ancient Egyptian custom, but its surface was painted with distinctive human figures.

"...Pharaoh's Sarcophagus..."

Shiyali's murmur reached his ears. She must have assumed it was the corpse of some pharaoh who had become a god after death.

"Careful. It's already here."

A creaking friction sounded out, followed by tiny, continuous, bone-chilling tremors. Though no one had touched it, the coffin lid opened on its own. The inside of the coffin was instantly exposed to the air, and black miasma began to blanket the entire room.

A Divine Body was the body a god left behind in the world after death. Novia did not think that he and Shiyali could handle this smoothly. After all, he was not Ergo, one of the second generation's adventure protagonists—Alexander IV, who would be revived two thousand years later.

In the story, Ergo devoured fragments of gods one after another: Sun Wukong of the continent, Set, Egypt's god of war, and finally Osiris.

Unlike the first two, who possessed consciousness, the final Osiris was merely a functional remnant, a fragment of authority. He could not be spoken to and could only fight.

To challenge a former chief god with a human body—even in the Age of Gods—would have been a legend destined to be passed down through the ages.

Though only a remnant, though devoid of consciousness, it was still the majesty of a chief god. It was not something people born after the end of the Age of Gods could face or touch.

In that instant, Shiyali naturally understood. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably on instinct, and even the Aether Lines wrapped around her fingers were completely swallowed by the black miasma.

"Th-this pharaoh is... Novia, our contract is still valid. We can't possibly be his match right now. Let me return to the Atlas Institute and report to the director first—"

"Use your equations to guide me there. Leave the rest to me."

Novia placed a hand on Shiyali's tense shoulder.

At his words, Shiyali's eyes widened. She had clearly never expected Novia to be so reckless with his life.

"Understood. I'll support you."

Without a moment's hesitation, Shiyali made her decision.

The next instant, amid the dark miasma, Novia saw new light being born. Vast quantities of light particles gathered together, forming something like a sun. Every particle of light was knowledge, an equation.

And so, at the place he reached using the Blessing of Wind, the being who had once ruled Egypt stood before the silver-haired boy.

Then, in Shiyali's eyes, Novia smiled happily.

"The age of gods ended long ago, Osiris."

Gods and the Age of Man

This other Alexandria Library seemed to have been forgotten by time. This ruin had existed for centuries, slumbering lightly in lightless darkness, unchanged. One could say that the technology of the Atlas Institute during the Age of Gods was simply that exceptional.

Now, change came.

On the final floor, in the room containing the coffin, the initial anomaly was minute.

Sand. One grain, then two.

The grains of sand gradually appeared, and then their number increased.

Ten, twenty, a hundred, two hundred, a thousand.

Countless grains of sand spread throughout the room as though they had become a desert.

This must have been a fragment of authority inherent in Osiris's remnant. Even the power of a fragment rivaled the highest-level bounded field magecraft.

Novia had clearly just been standing before Osiris's body, yet now it felt as though he stood at the edge of a desert horizon where a giant sun was about to vanish. Then, as if clinging to that sun, a majestic river surged past.

An endless sea of sand and a river full of blessings—these two existing together were why ancient civilization had sprouted in this land.

In the past, such a cruel land had required powerful gods. Otherwise, people would have been unable to survive its harsh conditions.

He had been revered as king of the gods, yet was assassinated by his younger brother's scheme. Even so, countless people worshipped him until the end of the Age of Gods. Though regarded as the God of the Underworld, he symbolized the hope people believed in—the hope of eternal glory after death.

Therefore, his essence had not changed. He had always been there.

"Oh..."

The Divine Body Osiris, which had originally seemed mechanical, suddenly narrowed his eyes at Novia. Those eyes seemed to be looking upon some unfamiliar thing.

"You say the age of gods has ended? Ah, yes, it has ended. I am indeed already dead."

As though recalling those words, Divine Body Osiris smiled amid the blazing sunlight and rising heat haze. His humanoid body suddenly leaned forward, and he thrust out a hand into the sand as if to lift Novia up.

"My brother Set killed me. He locked me in a coffin, cut me into fourteen pieces, and threw me into the Nile to drift away. Was I sad then? No. On the contrary, I was truly delighted."

"You..."

Novia correctly received the blow with his longsword, but the bones in his shoulder wailed. He had taken head-on force that seemed capable of shaking space itself. A moment later, the pressure released around them nearly made even Shiyali unable to resist ending the restraining equation at once.

At the same time, he was deeply confused. In the story, Divine Body Osiris had possessed no consciousness at all. He had merely been a Divine Body given to Ergo, and had not even used any abilities. Yet now, he was actually speaking?!

And he claimed he had been happy to be killed by his own brother? That was completely different from the loving image in the legends.

As Divine Body Osiris spoke, the scene of his murder by his blood relative, along with everything Set had done at the time, replayed in Novia's mind.

"That's right. Thanks to you, I was able to gain consciousness."

The Divine Body admitted it.

Me? Could it be because of the pigeon? Because of the Ten Calamities? Was that why Osiris's consciousness could return through the Divine Body?

"...Is that so."

The silver-haired boy, still thinking, tossed out those words and tried to widen the distance. With the Blessing of Wind, he could teleport in an instant beyond the limits of human reaction speed. Yet the Divine Body closed in before him with impossible godspeed.

Though Novia barely managed to defend himself in time, his wrist had already gone so numb that he could no longer feel it.

"You seem... unafraid of me."

Novia quietly looked into Divine Body Osiris's eyes, then spoke.

"Why should I be afraid?"

The silver-haired boy's hand lightly touched the fist pointed at his chest.

"A fragment of a god—must I fear even the god himself?"

"No matter how much you persist, it will not greatly affect the final outcome. Rather, it has already ended. Kill that human who obstructs me, and I will make a contract to spare you. When I rule the world, you will stand above all but one... If I said that, what would you do?"

Every word from the Divine Body of the chief god, the God of the Underworld, entered Novia's heart.

Gazing sincerely into those eyes filled with anger, Novia answered.

"A tempting offer. But choice is the responsibility of those living in this era. Divine Body Osiris, the age guarded by gods is already a distant past."

Calmly, steadily, as though speaking to a friend he had known for years.

"For that reason, I will do what I can."

If this truly had been caused by him, then no matter what, he could not throw it onto someone else to solve.

What he had to do was clear. So even if his opponent was a chief god, even if this had exceeded his expectations, even if victory seemed unlikely, he would not fear it. He could not fear it.

"Heh. Only after Set killed me did I realize that humans are not born into this world naked." Divine Body, God of the Underworld, sneered. "What one sees after birth through one's own will is one's own fist. That is strength belonging only to oneself. Yet there is far too much unnecessary baggage in your strength."

Divine Body Osiris turned around and planted his foot against a rising wall of sand.

Not only that, gravity seemed to reverse. Countless grains of sand covered the sky that had appeared before them.

"Throw it all away. Cast aside everything that binds you!"

He barked and roared.

"Then use all your strength to atone before me!"

"Come!"

With that cold declaration, an attack like the embodiment of sheer intensity came crashing down.

Yet Novia's swordsmanship was no longer as sharp as it had been at the beginning. Gradually, he fell into a disadvantage against the barehanded Divine Body Osiris.

To Shiyali, who was using the equations left behind by the Atlas Institute at full power to deal with the dark miasma, it was undoubtedly a one-sided battle.

The relentless barrage of punches made Divine Body Osiris's hands seem to vanish from her sight. Only their trails remained imprinted in the air. Within a single breath, their number swelled beyond counting, and every strike was enough to break a person's spine and rupture their organs.

Naturally, Novia received every punch with his longsword, using magecraft to protect his body as much as possible. He never cried out, perhaps because pain could be endured.

Shiyali.

Forget the small talk. Retreat now. Neither you nor I can be Osiris's match. According to my calculations, as long as I abandon one arm, I can close the library before he gets out.

Communicating through magecraft within their minds, Novia could not help smiling as he felt her slightly anxious thoughts.

Stop blocking the miasma. He wants to connect to the library system. Use your equations to guide it into me. His body is too strong, so it's hard to make a breakthrough. Besides, he isn't the real Osiris at all. At most, he's a dead soul born from that corpse.

His fighting methods were too immature. Even the authority he possessed innately was poorly controlled. He was simply someone who relied on brute strength. Novia had understood this through their battle and the Divine Body's reactions. Moreover, this Divine Body Osiris seemed to possess only anger. If the real Osiris had been like this, how could he have retained so many believers after being killed?

I think you saw it too, candidate for the next director of the Atlas Institute.

O-of course. I was just about to tell you. I've already stopped blocking the miasma. What happens next depends entirely on you. I'll assist you in taking control of this place.

The moment she heard Novia's words, Shiyali suppressed her instincts and carefully observed Divine Body Osiris. She discovered that his soul truly was too weak. It did not seem like it had returned from the Inner Sea, but rather like a soul that had only recently been born. She could not help letting out a breath of relief.

Thank you. It's really wonderful to have you here.

W-what do you mean by that? Let me make this clear first: I have no intention of running away, because the contract doesn't allow that.

For some reason, Shiyali suddenly panicked. Since just now, Novia had not exchanged any further words with her, yet a calm warmth seemed to linger within her heart.

At this moment, Novia sank his consciousness inward. With his spirit, he sensed Shiyali's equations and tangled with Divine Body Osiris, who was attempting to seize control of the library system.

One of the purposes behind the Submarine Alexandria Library was to turn Alexander IV, who would devour fragments of three gods, into the final verification device and find a method to prevent the destruction of humanity.

And now, two thousand years before that plan began, here in this place, Novia—who lay outside the plan—was fighting Divine Body Osiris, who had originally possessed no will but had now developed malice, for control of the library.

One had to understand that pain on the level of the soul far surpassed pain of the flesh.

The two souls plunged deeper and deeper into the darkness where they fought for control, and the fall itself was a process of being torn apart.

The howling gale before them and the crushing weight upon their limbs were comparable to having flesh gradually stripped from bone.

With every collision, fresh blood splattered into the wind. Their nerves wept and screamed, while even the bones within were being scraped away.

Unlike Divine Body Osiris, who sought to obtain all of the Atlas Institute's research into humanity's extinction, Novia did not care about any of that nonsense. He simply continued attacking his enemy.

"You madman! You human are terrifying!"

Divine Body Osiris could not help cursing. He regretted trying to seize control of the system immediately, which had led him into his current predicament.

Indeed, just as Novia had guessed, he was not Osiris's own consciousness. He was merely a fragment of soul born from the anger Osiris held toward his younger brother Set. Yet it was also because he had encountered the magical foundation slowly being established within Novia that he had been able to be born successfully.

The howling gale fell into the darkness. As if unaware of the fierce battle, it remained calm throughout, cold to the point of cruelty.

That light illuminated a figure battling Divine Body Osiris.

"Terrifying, am I? Is that how you see me?"

Easily lifting the longsword in his right hand, Novia rested the blade upon his shoulder and gave a mocking laugh.

With his freed left hand, he pointed into the gale tearing at his nerves, toward the Divine Body—

"Now, everyone on this earth is merely a fragile human, never a god. Even those who possess the power to rule the earth and believe themselves destined to live forever cannot change that."

His smile deepened as the silver-haired boy declared this, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye.

Divine Body Osiris tried to flee, but Shiyali outside restrained him with Aether Lines. Nor did Novia give him any opportunity to pull away, launching his offensive with all his strength.

"What a joke—this is utterly insignificant! You're just a human, nothing more than a human! How could you possibly compare to my body?! I am Osiris, God of the Underworld! I am Egypt's chief god! I returned to this world to let Set know that I am Egypt's true master!"

During a gap in Novia's attack, Divine Body Osiris used a form of magecraft. Violet light radiated from his body, and the surroundings instantly filled with deathly aura. Bone-chilling beastly cries filled the air—the cries of Jackalmen. Countless pitch-black Jackalmen surrounded Novia and surged toward him like a tsunami.

The silver-haired boy showed neither surprise nor impatience.

He merely narrowed his eyes as though in understanding and parted his lips lightly.

"Is that so? Is that how it is? But—"

A powerful flash of light erupted—not a physical light, but immense magical power capable of scorching space itself.