Mushoku Tensei: Reincarnated as a Beast Race Chapter 397: 396 - Détente

On the desolate coast of the Begaritt Continent, a figure with silver hair and golden reptilian eyes watched the horizon.

The Dragon God stood motionless before the destruction.

A large part of the continent had been devastated by the battles that had taken place there. The coastline, once completely dry and barren, had been split apart in several places, as if a colossal hand had torn chunks of land away and thrown them into the sea.

Now, the waters were advancing.

Tsunamis invaded the coast one after another, swallowing any remnant of the ecosystem that had once existed there. The ocean no longer seemed to meet any natural resistance. Deep fissures cut through the ground toward the interior, allowing the water to penetrate farther and farther inland.

The ecosystem had been almost completely redrawn. Mountains had disappeared, craters had emerged, and rivers had changed course.

The fissures opened by the battle still released steam, heat, and held an abnormal density of mana. In some places, there were still flames that continued to burn.

The world was trying to stabilize itself in every possible way.

But it would not be quick.

At least a third of the Begaritt Continent would probably become a territory of death for the next few decades.

Even while witnessing all of this, Orsted remained impassive.

He simply looked up at the stormy sky, where the last traces of the battle between Rygar and Saint Milis were still dissipating. A hot wind blew endlessly across the ruined coast, making his white cloak flutter.

The waves almost reached his feet.

Then receded.

Then returned even more violently.

There had been some loops in which Orsted had taken part in equally catastrophic battles.

Some even worse than this. They had been battles that devastated entire kingdoms. Wars in which he himself had buried civilizations with his own hands.

But that was a distant era.

An era when he believed he could solve everything with brute force, simply crushing any obstacle that entered his path.

Only after living through several defeats did he understand the immense disadvantage his mana regeneration brought him.

Even at the height of his strength, even possessing enough power to defeat any enemy Hitogami sent, and perhaps even kill the Human God himself, Orsted was incapable of taking the final step.

All because he lacked time.

For all these reasons, although he was impressed by the battle strength demonstrated by the Beast God, that level of destruction was not enough to truly surprise him.

Not really.

Instead of surprise, Orsted's eyes showed a rare monotony.

Despite his intimidating expression, he did an excellent job of hiding it. Even someone who knew him very well would hardly notice.

Not even Orsted fully understood that feeling. It was something he thought he had abandoned many loops ago.

But, of course, for someone capable of sensing emotions through pure intuition, that mask was useless.

"Well, well. Who would have thought I would live to see the mighty Dragon God show sorrow?"

Rygar's voice sounded closer than Orsted had expected.

"What could have happened?"

Orsted merely looked impassively at the Beast God.

Rygar floated a few meters above him, looking down at him from above, but he was not wielding his sword. Doomsday was sheathed at that moment, and its flames were completely contained.

The Black Armor, Sköllvindr, no longer shone with the luminous intensity of the recent battle either. It was simply dark and mysterious. Even so, the feeling emanating from it remained divine in a certain way, as if it were merely sleeping.

Rygar was without his helm.

His long silver hair fluttered lightly along with the armor's mantle. His golden eyes stared directly at Orsted, analyzing his sworn enemy with the same calm as someone assessing a dangerous beast.

He asked the question without truly expecting an answer. But the Dragon God answered.

"I would not call it sorrow."

His voice was low and serious.

"It is more a feeling of grief. One of my closest allies perished in this battle."

Rygar was surprised by the frankness, and observed Orsted for a few more moments.

"Is that so?"

He tilted his head slightly.

"Then he must have been the closest you ever came to calling someone a friend. I consider myself very good at reading people, you know."

Rygar was not the only one surprised.

Orsted had expected the Beast God to attack as soon as he saw him. He was already prepared to talk while fighting, if necessary.

But Rygar simply hovered in the air and spoke normally. And Orsted felt no immediate intent to fight.

A friend?

Orsted thought of the last few years he had spent beside the Greyrat family.

Strangely, he remembered many things he would not have considered important in the past.

He remembered Lucy, the eldest daughter of the Greyrat household, hiding in his room to escape her father. Arthur, Sara's first son, hitting him with a small stone using a slingshot when he was only three years old.

The children running through the corridors. Rudeus talking too much. The noisy meals of that strange family.

The small problems that, in other loops, Orsted would never have stopped to observe.

And, of course, Rudeus Greyrat's somewhat clumsy but unshakable determination to protect his family before any enemy.

It was something Orsted respected in him.

Unconsciously, the memories he would once have judged irrelevant were the first to surface when he was questioned.

An almost imperceptible smile appeared on his face.

Then he spoke:

"You could say that, indeed. Rudeus Greyrat was a friend."

Rygar raised an eyebrow.

He had already checked his communicator after the battle against Milis. Immediately afterward, he had decided that dealing with Orsted was the priority.

So he knew exactly what the casualties were.

"So it really was him..."

Rygar looked at the sea advancing over the ruined coast.

"Well, I cannot say I feel sorry for you."

Orsted understood what he meant.

How could he not? It was the death of one of Rygar's great friends that had drawn an impassable line between him and the Beast God.

He remained silent for a few seconds, and remembered one of the reasons he had come there.

Orsted took a purple stone from his pocket. It still shone intensely.

After the destruction of the Ever-White Labyrinth, the so-called Resurrection Stones had lost their glow and their power, becoming nothing more than ordinary rocks.

But Orsted had a method to keep them active.

He threw the stone to Rygar.

The stone stopped in the air before reaching him, floating around the Beast God under the effect of his magic.

Orsted had always needed to conserve every drop of mana, which was why he always chose the most economical option, although he could accomplish almost anything with magic.

Rygar did not have that concern.

"This stone should be enough to revive your friend, Eidar."

It was the first time Rygar had heard Orsted say his real name.

The Dragon God had the habit of calling him Reidar, because of what Eidar would become if he lived long enough.

Rygar smiled and observed the purple stone.

"You are late, Dragon God. Eidar is already alive."

Orsted was surprised once again, although his expression remained almost the same. And Rygar merely laughed.

"Haha. Did you really think you would be the only one to think of that?"

The purple stone slowly spun around his hand.

"But I appreciate the offer. I will keep it."

After all, the stones had indeed lost their effectiveness after the fall of the Ever-White Labyrinth. Eidar had only been revived because he had been revived before all that chaos ended.

Rygar had still not seen Eidar in person after his resurrection due to the unending battles. So he was looking forward to it.

But, after so long, a few more days would not make a difference. His smile faded.

"Of course, the fact that you killed him remains."

"Indeed."

Orsted did not avert his gaze.

"But I assure you that killing me for the time being would not be in your interest, Beast God."

Rygar raised an eyebrow, and Orsted became even more serious.

He had already decided, so he would not turn back now. He was going to reveal his greatest secret to someone who, officially, was his enemy.

"I am under the effect of a Time Loop Magic—"

"Yes, yes, of course you are. We can skip that whole explanation."

Rygar cut him off without ceremony, and Orsted fell silent.

Rygar already knew everything about his objectives. In fact, perhaps he knew even more than Orsted himself in some respects.

"Whether it is your goal of killing Hitogami, or your many loops trying to achieve it, I already know all of those things."

Rygar crossed his arms in the air.

"But I have to say, I am becoming more and more surprised. I already came with an open mind to talk, but I admit I did not expect you to be this cooperative."

This time, Orsted's expression finally changed.

Even though he had almost forgotten how to show surprise, his eyebrows lifted slightly, and he seemed somewhat lost.

Revealing everything to Rygar had been a very risky decision. A decision made after considering all the recent events.

Rudeus's death.

Rygar's absurd demonstration of power.

The importance Hitogami had been placing on eliminating him.

The almost desperate dedication behind that offensive.

And, in the end, Rygar already knew everything?

Rygar quickly realized that Orsted would not continue the conversation on his own. So he spoke himself:

"Whether I know your secrets or not, that is not the most important thing right now. From what I could analyze of your current situation, you probably want to suggest some kind of agreement, right?"

He looked at Orsted with a meaningful gaze.

"And you know very well what I want at this moment."

Orsted answered without hesitation:

"You want the Sacred Treasures in my possession."

The Dragon God returned his gaze.

"I should have expected something like this, but it is still somewhat surprising. If you discovered it, it must have been around the same time Hitogami decided to act against Rudeus."

He paused.

"Although I am interested in how that happened, it is as you said. It is no longer important now."

Rygar did not answer. He merely remembered Verdia's latest messages.

Orsted had apparently also invaded the Flying Fortress, and had not only decisively killed Perugius Dola, but had apparently taken the Sacred Treasure that had been with the Armored Dragon.

In addition, his far from subtle message about wanting to speak personally with Rygar made his intentions very obvious.

Meanwhile, pieces began to come together in the Dragon God's mind as he observed the situation from a new perspective.

Orsted spoke after a few seconds.

"This is good. Since you know my situation, I will get straight to the point... unless you know about this as well."

Rygar simply waited.

"Although I do not know what kind of method was used, according to Hitogami himself, you will be responsible for reaching the Void World and killing him within a few decades."

Orsted stared at him carefully.

"Were you aware of this?"

Rygar thought for a moment.

"It is kind of confusing. I mean, you could say I knew I would succeed, but I was using Hitogami's reactions as a benchmark. As in, since he keeps trying to kill me, that means I am getting closer."

Orsted slowly nodded.

"That said, you know it is in my interest to see Hitogami dead."

"Yes."

"Rudeus used to think the same way you do. But he also questioned what would happen to the world in the event of Hitogami's eventual death."

Orsted paused.

"And I answered him, of course, with the truth."

Rygar became more serious.

The hot wind passed between them, while the waves broke below, spreading foam over the newly shattered rocks.

Orsted concluded:

"When Hitogami is killed, the world will cease to exist. Just like the ones that came before it."

Rygar did not answer immediately, and the two stared at each other for a while. This time, the conversation had touched precisely on the point he could not ignore.

But just as he was about to respond, Rygar glanced briefly at his communicator, and his expression changed.

His eyes widened for an instant. It was a message from the Kingdom of Gaia, a direct notification.

His daughters had disappeared.

Without waiting another second, Rygar spoke, his voice suddenly colder and more urgent:

"Let us leave this discussion for a more appropriate moment. I have other concerns now. I will contact you through my agents in Sharia."

Orsted remained motionless, trying to understand the sudden change. But Rygar did not wait for an answer, and suddenly flew away at high speed.

In the next second, he teleported and vanished.

He left the Dragon God alone, somewhat confused, with a furrowed brow, amid the desolate scenery of a region that, in the future, would come to be known as the Sea of Purgatory.

----

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