And then there was the plot where they stayed behind to cover the rear and died in battle?
But unfortunately, Chen Ran apparently wouldn't get to see that plot—oh, no, not unfortunately.
Just like those people from before, Amiya and Talulah, standing in the middle of the battlefield, were both completely motionless.
"I don't remember there being a Worldline involving Time Stop, though?"
Chen Ran waited quietly for a while. Seeing that the group still hadn't moved, like they were playing Red Light, Green Light,
he turned his head and looked at Demon King Amiya, who was sitting on his shoulder.
"Little Rabbit." Chen Ran said, "Have you ever traveled through this Worldline?"
"I don't know." Demon King Amiya shook her head. "The Worldlines I traveled through were all dying, or already nearing their end. This Worldline... I don't know its plot, so I don't know whether I've been here before."
"Oh, then are you interested in going down there and having some fun?"
Demon King Amiya didn't find Chen Ran's words abrupt.
Because that was what she, the Demon King Rabbit, used to do: find a Worldline, enter it to observe or interfere, and grant that Worldline a silent ending through destruction.
So, to Demon King Amiya, Chen Ran's words were basically—
"Little Rabbit, go take a look. See what Terra is like in this Worldline, and whether it's worth staying in. If it's still a complete mess, then help me blow this Worldline away."
It wasn't that Demon King Amiya was especially bloodthirsty... well, all right, she was.
So upon hearing that, Demon King Amiya nodded her little head. "As your Divine Messenger, Lord God, it is naturally my duty to ease your worries."
"Oh, great. I'll give Little Rabbit some cake when you get back."
"Mm... th-that won't be necessary..."
Demon King Amiya instinctively shook her head, wanting to say there was no need for such trouble, but when the words reached her lips, they became, "Um, th-though that little cake last time was pretty tasty..."
"Then I'll have another one made for you."
"Okay, then... Lord God, I'm going."
Demon King Amiya's little face flushed slightly, as though she was embarrassed that she had somehow become so greedy.
But just as Demon King Amiya lightly floated up from Chen Ran's shoulder and prepared to dive headfirst into that planetary model—
"Ah, wait, wait."
Chen Ran called out first, stopping her.
After Demon King Amiya hurriedly hit the brakes and turned to look at Chen Ran, she saw him reach out and grab her in his palm.
"Lord God...?" Demon King Amiya seemed somewhat confused.
"Oh, don't mind it." Chen Ran gently held Demon King Amiya in his palm. "I just want to give Kal'tsit from this Normal Line a little rabbit shock."
Demon King Rabbit: Don't be so hasty. Soon, I shall pass judgment on whether you live or die.
"Doctor..."
"...Hand!"
"Hold... tight!"
"Hold my hand!!"
After being dragged out of that stone coffin by the little rabbit who called herself Amiya...
What exactly had Doctor gone through up until now?
Doctor tried hard to recall, but all Doctor got was the answer of amnesia.
Doctor knew nothing and understood nothing. After being shoved into commanding several battles like a duck forced onto a perch, Doctor had somehow gained the trust of a whole lot of people.
Why...
With that confusion in mind, Doctor had been dragged around by Amiya and encountered enemies such as Royal Guard, Mephisto, and W.
Though they had ultimately made it through each crisis without disaster, still—
"—Quiet."
The enemy named Talulah had shattered the entire team's defenses with just one encounter.
This was no longer an enemy on the same level.
Could they win?
Absolutely not.
Doctor didn't understand why they had to fight, nor why they had to face something like this.
But Doctor knew only one thing: if this continued, Amiya, that little rabbit, would definitely die.
So Doctor had to find a way—every possible way—to turn the current situation around.
But Talulah's flames had already come roaring in, and a ring on Amiya's hand released a glow.
Scarlet fire filled Doctor's vision, while Amiya's voice howled beside Doctor's ears.
Could there be a situation more desperate than this?
There could.
Because the world went silent in that moment.
At the very instant Amiya's and Talulah's Originium Arts collided.
No one knew what had happened during that time, until the dark clouds in the sky were torn apart in an instant.
Then, like a Catastrophe passing through, a howling gale swept in. Those with no time to prepare were blown sprawling in every direction. Some were even hurled hundreds of meters away, never to be seen again.
Under the crushing pressure, the buzzing that seemed ready to puncture their eardrums robbed everyone of their ability to fight.
Only after sound returned did those hiding behind cover, who had not been blown away directly, cautiously poke out their heads and look around, trying to figure out what had just happened.
But the high-rise buildings had already become debris, the vegetation had been uprooted, and houses had collapsed like toppled Lego bricks.
Yet strangely, although their hearing had long since returned, no one could hear any sound at all.
They wanted to ask questions, but the moment they looked up, they saw a colossal figure in their line of sight, as though it held the entire planet in its palm like a toy. Even one of Its eyeballs was the size of a moon, and It was silently watching them.
Clang, clatter.
That was the only sound—weapon after weapon slipping from people's hands and striking the ground.
No matter who it was, the moment they saw that being, their minds went blank.
The skies were cloudless, the weather bright and clear, and sunlight poured down from above, yet no one could feel even the slightest warmth.
There was only bone-deep cold, and despair that shattered their mental defenses with nothing more than a single silhouette.
No one spoke. No one dared to speak.
They could not comprehend it, could not understand it. Simply looking at It was already the greatest courage they could muster.
Some appeared to still have their eyes wide open, but in truth, they had been gone for quite some time.
Even Talulah, known as the Tyrant, stared blankly at the sky. She had already forgotten the flames in her hand, which had been scattered away along with everything else.
"God..."
That was everyone's first reaction upon seeing that being.
Not the vague and intangible God of the Laterano Church, nor those things that called themselves gods but were merely Great Beasts.
This was a true god.
"Doctor..."
Amiya from the Normal Line was, after all, only thirteen or fourteen years old.
Amiya had even forgotten the pain brought by unleashing the Demon King's power. She tried her hardest to remain calm, but her hands trembled as she instinctively sought the person who could make her feel safe.
But Doctor merely stared blankly at the sky through the hood over Doctor's face.
"Lumberjack...?"
Doctor had clearly lost all memories, yet upon seeing that colossal figure, Doctor forcibly uttered that word.
Though Doctor quickly denied it afterward. "What kind of worthless trash is a lumberjack? Ha... hahaha... With a being like this, what have Pre-Civilization's ten thousand years of efforts amounted to—"
A joke?
Doctor wanted to laugh, suddenly wanting to burst into wild laughter.
Doctor's reaction was rather different from that Doctor in the Sea Creatures apocalypse Worldline, yet strangely similar.
Though Doctor soon became confused again.
Wait... no?
What was a lumberjack?
And what was Pre-Civilization?
As though Doctor had once again fallen into "amnesia," Doctor clutched Doctor's head in pain. Amiya's trembling little voice brought Doctor back to Doctor's senses.
So Doctor hurried forward. "I'm here! I'm here, I'm here! Amiya, don't be afraid—"
Doctor wanted to soothe her, wanted to comfort her,
but in the next second, that colossal being beyond the sky extended Its enormous palm into the planet.
It moved so quickly that, in practically the blink of an eye, there was only a thunderous boom—
that palm slammed down in the very center of the battlefield.
Its force was so immense that the ground beneath their feet began to tremble.
Some of those whose legs had already gone weak, but whose bodies were rigid with fear, all collapsed onto the ground because of it.
What did that being mean by bringing down this palm?
Though many people whose minds had already broken down screamed, "God is going to destroy humanity!!!"
more people still instinctively looked toward the dust filling the sky.
Until the wind pressure howled again and instantly scattered the dust.
When they focused their eyes, they saw that giant palm spread open on the ground, and upon that palm—
"Amiya...?"
Demon King Rabbit wore a little white dress, with white stockings nearly the same color as her skin on her legs.
Though her face was covered by a black veil, making her features hazy and indistinct, the wind pressure from earlier had lifted the black gauze from her face before letting it fall again.
That process might have lasted only a few seconds, but many people had still recognized her.
Whether they knew her or not, nearly everyone instinctively turned to look at Amiya, that little rabbit.
But Amiya herself was completely dumbfounded. "Eh...? I-is that me?"
Wh-what was going on?!
But the one who felt it most deeply was Doctor behind her.
Doctor had hurried over after hearing Amiya's trembling little voice, ready to comfort and reassure her.
Yet now Doctor looked at Demon King Rabbit, then at Amiya, then back at Demon King Rabbit.
The expression on Doctor's face became increasingly subtle.
You little rabbit looked so well-behaved, so cute, so harmless to humans and animals, and yet you were actually the final boss?!
"N-no! That isn't me..."
After coming back to her senses, Amiya desperately wanted to say that, but her voice grew quieter and quieter.
Because not only she, but many others had noticed it too.
Beneath Demon King Rabbit's black veil was a pair of eyes so cold, they seemed devoid of even the slightest emotion.
Demon King Rabbit lightly floated up from Chen Ran's palm, treating the crowd around her as though they didn't exist.
Though Demon King Rabbit also glanced at Amiya, it was only a single glance.
Until someone accidentally made a sound, and Demon King Rabbit lightly raised a fingertip.
Before you continue