"...Don't you have anything better to do as the One True God?" Even Jibril was rendered speechless by Tet. She stopped abruptly over the sea, her broad white wings spreading wide. "Get lost."
Tet felt as though he could hear Artosh laughing somewhere far away at Jibril blunt dismissal of the One True God.
"I can't do that," Tet said, rubbing his forehead with a wry smile. "You know it too, don't you? On a special day like this, if I just turned and left and something happened, that fellow wouldn't let me off when he gets back~."
"...Hmph," Jibril snorted but said nothing more.
The sharp whistle of rising fireworks drifted up from below. Intermingled with the explosions were the faint howls of wolves, making Jibril and Tet look down.
On the mainland, it might only count as a small mountain range, but on an island, it was magnificent. On the snow-capped peak, several tiny figures were standing. With the vision of a Flügel and a Old Zeus, they could clearly see who they were.
Silver fur, slightly pointed short ears that weren't flat against the skull but stood alert, twitching occasionally. They looked more cute than intimidating. Possessing a human-like appearance but with animal ears and tails—these were the Warbeasts.
The man and woman at the highest point were likely of the White Wolf variety. Not far from them stood other Warbeasts with different traits; cats and wolves mingling together was a rare sight.
The fireworks had been launched by them. The rhythmic wolf howls were also theirs. When Jibril and Tet looked down, they waved their hands excitedly, as if greeting them.
Warbeasts have excellent eyesight.
Even for the Warbeasts, this festival was worth celebrating. These young ones had climbed the mountain to enjoy the view and launch their fireworks higher.
The fireworks and howls acted like a signal. Seconds later, fireworks of different colors rose from the surrounding islands. When they exploded, they weren't simple spheres, but unscientific, unmagical portraits of various characters.
Though blurry in the daylight, Jibril and Tet could make out distinct features: cat ears, bear ears... And since the white wolves' fireworks had been wolf ears, it felt like a friendly competition of sorts.
"Not bad, right? The energy of youth," Tet said softly amidst the fireworks. "The past doesn't cling to them. No matter how much pain was once endured, only their current mood affects them... They even waved to you just now~."
"That only highlights the tragedy of short-lived races. They can't learn from the past, and even the lessons themselves vanish with time... What are you trying to evoke? Pity? Guilt?" she spoke calmly, her voice cold and indifferent even amidst the festive cheer.
"Sorry, but I don't have any of those~."
Jibril knew why Tet said those things. Three thousand years ago, it was she and those two who had annihilated the migrating Warbeasts in this very sea—just as they were about to reach the islands they had scouted for a safe life in that dangerous era.
If one went down to the Seiren cities in the deep sea now, they might find the bones of the Warbeasts who were taken by the Seirens after falling into the water. Only a few lucky individuals survived the attack and swam to the islands.
Those survivors and the scouts who had already been on the islands struggled to survive. Over time, they multiplied, establishing themselves on these islands, divided into tribes based on their animal traits, competing for this small piece of land—in the name of games.
The grief that had once crushed the survivors had long since been forgotten. Three thousand years later, the young Warbeasts only knew of love, hate, and territorial disputes among themselves. They were confined to this small piece of land.
"Tell me, what would happen if I appeared now at their grand tribal meeting and told them I was the one who killed nearly 90% of their ancestors... what would they do?" Jibril asked curiously, watching the happy Warbeasts on the peak.
"...That's a bit twisted," Tet grimaced with a dry laugh. "But I don't peek into the future voluntarily~. Asking me is useless."
Believing that knowing the future took the fun out of everything, the One True God had given up that part of his power.
"I was just asking for a guess. Aren't you the God of Games who claims to understand every game and the psychology of every player?" Jibril arched an eyebrow. "Go on then, treat them as your opponents."
"Ahaha, do you want to make a pledge and bet... never mind," Tet changed his tune. "I guess they'd do nothing. They might even try to win you over, wanting your Flügel power to help them win their games—or even become the first king to unite the Warbeasts in three thousand years."
"How boring."
"Yeah, truly boring."
Tet agreed.
Everything had changed, yet some things never would. Like her, yet unlike her.
The Warbeasts on the islands claimed this territory as their own. The Ex-Machina, who held great goodwill toward humans, were scattered in almost every human city—well, "scattered" was just a description, since they hadn't produced many units after the war.