I grasped the key in my hand.

If I use this key, I’ll be saved.

Since there are two keys, two of us will be saved.

Another person and I will be saved.

No, I can survive without anyone knowing what happened here if I use the key and take it outside with me.

By killing Tanaka and the others, I can survive.

“I… “

The situation was different from before, and black emotions welled up inside me.

I clenched the key and looked at the chain around my neck.

The countdown was already at less than a minute.

“Haa…Haa…I… I…”

With trembling hands, I approached the key to the keyhole.

I was laughing, I must have been making a terrible expression.

But is that a bad thing? Is it wrong to put one’s own life first?

My face twisted, and I felt happiness at the thought that I might survive.

When I get back, I’ll take a relaxing bath, spend some of my savings on my favorite gyudon, and eat lots of snacks and juice.

There are still things I want to do, lots of fun things I want to do.

There will surely be a future ahead, so…

That’s why, that’s why!!

“I… will survive! I will survive!”

As soon as I inserted the key into the keyhole and shouted, I remembered.

*

“I… will survive! I will survive! I’m different from this trash!”

*

The same words, with the same terrible expression, spoken by someone I despised.

During the Trial of Knowledge, I remembered the face of Sato pushing me. I didn’t want to become like him, someone I hate.

And…

*

『Nagi, I’ll definitely save you. Definitely.』

*

I wanted to become a brother that my little sister could be proud of.

I remembered the words of determination I had said to Nagi at the hospital.

As soon as I did, as if waking up, I felt all my strength leave my body.

I sighed and closed my eyes.

And then…

“Kai-kun…”

I threw the key toward Tanaka and the others.

Passing through the golden bars, the key flew to their feet.

“Tanaka-san!!”

I said with a smile.

This time with genuine, sincere feelings, not a forced smile.

“Please… Take care of my sister, Nagi.”

“……Definitely.”

Tanaka-san nodded, and he and the others opened their collars and ran towards the gate and disappeared.

I was the only one left in the room.

Strangely, the fear had disappeared, leaving only the thought that I didn’t want to be in pain.

“Haha… How’s that, huh? Don’t think everything will go your way!!”

I shouted towards the sky, directed to the artificial voice, not knowing if it was able to hear me or not.

Surely, this ending was not the one that the creator of this trial imagined.

I feel a little better now. It must have been created by some kind of God, starting from the selection ceremony of the Knight of God.

The organizer of the death game must always want to see us to fight and betray each other.

But today, regarding this trial alone, they shouldn’t have done it that way.

“What a shame! It didn’t go as you wanted!! I’ll die. With my own will, with my own feelings!! So, this match is…”

『3, 2, 1…』

I’m going to die anyway, there’s no need to flatter this guy.

I won’t flatter anyone anymore, I’ll live freely.

Even if it’s『God』.

So.

I point my middle finger up to the sky.

And I pick a fight with God.

“…I win, you bastard.”

『0… Time’s up. Release.』

Then the countdown reaches 0 and the golden bars disappear.

The monsters’ screams are directed at me, surpassing ten thousand.

I close my eyes and wait for death.

But what I hear is an emotion filled, artificial voice.

『I found you… a knight to which this can entrusted…』

“Huh?”

Suddenly, a feeling of floating attacks me.

I thought I was eaten by the monsters, but I feel no pain.

I open my eyes fearfully, afraid that the surroundings might be full of monsters, but I manage to overcome my fear and open my eyes.

“…Huh?”

However, when I opened my eyes, I found myself in a strange room.

◇Meanwhile, Colonel Alfred…

“I’m sorry, Lieutenant Gillian. This is for the sake of our country, for our survival.”

“N-No, Colonel! Please help me! I don’t want to die!! I have a family!”

“Quiet!! This is an order!! You’ll get promoted two ranks and receive a pension for your family. Don’t worry.”

“N-No, I don’t want to…gufu!?”

Alfred beats up one of his subordinates and forcibly puts a collar on him.

He did it reluctantly because the subordinate resisted.

Alfred, an S-Rank, is no match for Gillian, an A-Rank.

He then walks to the gate with his other subordinate.

The other subordinate is relieved that he wasn’t the one chosen.

That’s when it happened.

Just like Kai-kun, after passing through the center, the collar bound Colonel Alfred.

“Hey!?”

The key was right in front of Jillian, his subordinate.

“I did it, I did it!! I can survive!!”

But as expected, Jillian used the key on himself.

There was no way he would help Alfred after what he had done to him.

He inserted the key into the lock and opened the collar.

At that moment,

“Huh? The cube…”

The cube that had become the exit to the outside world vanished in an instant, like a mirage.

At the same time, the countdown reached zero, and the golden bars disappeared.

In other words, countless monsters were unleashed.

“Uwaaaahh!!”

Afterwards, they never made it out of the cube.

The United States was later informed by Tanaka that Colonel Alfred and the other nine members were all wiped out.

◇At the same time Outside the cube Tanaka and Midori

“We managed to make it out…”

The next scene Tanaka and Midori saw was Shibuya Scramble Crossing, a familiar sight of modern Japan.

“Kai-kun, waahhh!! I’m sorry. I’m sorry!!”

Midori wept, feeling guilty for allowing his death.

“You’re amazing. How many people can do the same thing in that situation? The final Trial of the Heart… if it wasn’t him…”

Tanaka turned around and looked at the cube.

Then the cube turned into particles of light and slowly disappeared.

It disappeared without a trace, not even entering standby mode.

“Is this the end? It’s scary to think what would happen if those monsters got out and caused the dungeon to collapse. But thanks to you, this country has been saved. Thank you, sincerely.”

Tanaka continued to bow deeply to the cube.

On that day, the golden cube incident in Shibuya became the biggest damage-causing dungeon conquest in the past few years and was featured in the news daily.

The number of Japanese casualties was 48, including 5 A-Rank, 8 B-Rank, 14 C-Rank, 20 D-Rank, and 1 unranked.

The number of US military casualties was 10, including 1 S-Rank and 9 A-Rank.

However, nothing was gained.

This situation weighed heavily on both the top Japanese guild, Avalon, and the US. The press held them accountable every day.

At one point, there were calls for Tanaka’s dismissal, but he declared that he would never resign.

“I have a promise that I must keep, so I cannot abandon this position.”

No one could pursue the matter any further after hearing Tanaka’s resolute words.

And after that, there was no more information about the golden cube, leaving a deep scar on Japan, and gradually fading from the public eye.

◇ On one side, Kai

“… Huh? Where am I? Did I teleport?”

As if responding to my words, that voice echoes.

“Challenger: Kai Amachi. Clearer of the Trial of the Heart. Therefore, you have become an achiever who has cleared all trials. You have been transferred to the realm of the God and will be given the Eye of God and the Emblem of the Knight.”

“Clear?! With that? And what’s the Eye of God? The Emblem of the Knight? What are those?”

I’m surprised to the point of not being able to believe it, but if the word “clear” is true, then I must have cleared the Trial of the Heart earlier.

If the trial is to not betray my comrades even in the face of death, then it’s the lowest kind of trial.

The personality of the one who came up with that idea is twisted.

“I see. But is that really the correct answer… And where is this? Normally you should be teleported outside.”

I look around.

It was a dimly lit room illuminated by blue torches.

According to surroundings it feels like the throne room that appears in games.

In front of me was a magnificent throne and a skeleton sitting on it, it’s head hanging.

“It’s creepy… And… are those wings? “

The skeleton was just like a human.

The only difference was that it had wings, though they were just bones.

It was like the skeleton of an angel, or maybe a demon.

The skeleton just sat on the throne, hanging its head.

Beside it were two pedestals.

One was an empty pedestal with nothing on it.

There must have been something on it, but now it stands quietly with nothing.

The other was enveloped in a column of golden light.

In that light were two things.

One was a tag engraved with a name like a golden pendant. It looked like something a soldier would wear around their neck.

And the other was…

“Is this… the Eye of God from that mural? It looks expensive. Is it made of pure gold…?”

A fist-sized, golden triangle that shone brightly.

On its side was an eye mark.

It was the Eye of Providence that was drawn in that mural, God’s omnipotent eye itself.

Maybe that painting was representing this.

And in front of that pedestal was a stone monument.

“Is this a monument? I wonder what it is… I can’t read it well… It’s broken, and it’s not in Japanese… Huh? I can read it, I can read it!”

The moment I touched the stone monument, I could sense the characters written in some language that I couldn’t understand.

I then tried reading the first line.

“We… were defeated?”

Although I could read the beginning, the words were completely incomprehensible.