Danmachi: Is It Wrong to Be the Main Character in Orario?

Chapter 946: Speaking of Causality and Fate

"You may have been born because of me, but I’ve never interfered with your lives. You simply blame me for all your failures.""Surely you don’t claim that the destruction of your world was caused by my interference?"

Bell’s words—"Surely not"—struck a nerve deep within the evil dragon’s heart.

Seeing the Black Dragon’s reaction, Bell’s lips curled into a faint smile.

"No way, no way. The Black Dragon you could never defeat on your own destroyed your world. So you pin the blame on me, then get duped by Mother into standing against me?"

"If that’s the case, then all I can say is—you’re adorably foolish."

This statement completely enraged the Evil Dragon, its foul maw erupting in a terrifying roar.

"What did you say!?"

Bell, however, showed no sign of concern, merely watching the Evil Dragon before him with a smile.

"Don’t you understand? What price must you pay for the opportunity my Mother has granted you?"

"You can’t possibly be naive enough to think my Mother would treat anyone other than me so kindly, can you?"

"Allowing you to appear before me is merely Mother’s way of helping me gather my own power."

Gazing at this creature, formed from the flesh and souls of countless people, Bell couldn’t help but chuckle. Did they truly believe the ’world’ existed to do charity? Did they really think gifts came without a price?

"Children? Still trusting strangers who offer candy on the street?"

"A lesson you should’ve learned the moment you were born into this dog-eat-dog world. Nothing good ever falls into your lap for free. Every gift comes with a price tag. Take it, and you pay the cost."

"So my dear Mother dragged all of you—the failures from countless parallel worlds—into this one. She fused your flesh and souls into this hideous dragon. You didn’t think that was the price you’d have to pay, did you?"

A flicker of surprise passed across the dragon’s hideous face—clearly, that was exactly what it believed.

Bell sighed softly at this, feeling even more pity for these fools deceived by Mother.

"The tale of the brave dragon slayer becoming the dragon itself—that’s not a price, but a Refrain."

"You all carry the karmic weight of world destruction. You are the last survivors of countless parallel universes. But you didn’t survive because you possessed the qualifications to endure—it was because you share a special connection with me."

"If you could defeat the evil dragon ruling your own world, perhaps everything could have unfolded for the better. Unfortunately, you haven’t accumulated enough strength to defeat the dragon. Therefore, you must accept the choice of fate."

Bell knew this dim-witted dragon likely still didn’t grasp the meaning behind his words.

"Bell Cranel, all the Falna you’ve received in the past were bestowed by the ’World’ precisely to alter your fate. Your magic, your skills, your circumstances, and your growth—these aren’t your own talents, but the ’World’s’ favor upon you."

"If you can bear this favor and ultimately defeat the Black Dragon, it will be the greatest life experience for you."

"Only then can you—and indeed all people in your world—be completely liberated from the fate of destruction."

If everything truly went smoothly, perhaps one or two Lostbelts might exist among the countless parallel worlds.

Alas, whether by fate’s design or guidance toward a singular conclusion, every parallel world individual bearing the destiny of "Bell Cranel" has marched down the path of despair and ruin.

"But you failed."

The icy words directly negated the dragon’s entire past.

"Having failed to ’save the world,’ you naturally pay the price of bearing the world’s ’favor.’ Thus, you and your kind appear before me, burdened by the cause and effect of the world’s destruction."

"The former dragon slayer has become the dragon, standing before the dragon slayer... Just like the fate you once faced."

"Only my trial is far more arduous than yours."

For Bell, this journey had been paved with countless struggles and hardships. Yet, clinging to the belief that "I might be different," he forged a path entirely distinct from others.

Perhaps it was precisely this difference that allowed Bell to progress smoothly thus far.

Had he not seized that one chance, Bell was certain he would have reached a dead end.

"Your path to ruin wasn’t caused by me, but by your own failure to overcome the final challenge."

"It was precisely because you couldn’t take that crucial final step that you now stand before me. This is the price the ’world’ demands for granting you another chance."

"..."

This declaration utterly stunned the Evil Dragon.

It had never imagined this was the price they must bear, this was the fate they must accept.

"No, impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"Everything can start anew! As long as I take everything from you!"

Clearly, years of waiting and torment hadn’t prepared the Evil Dragon to accept this reality.

Just as in the beginning, it still believed that killing its counterpart in this world and seizing everything belonging to that self would allow everything to start anew.

It could only be said that the Evil Dragon, clinging to this notion, remained far too naive.

On this matter, Bell had nothing more to say.

The necessary truths had already been spoken.

Of course, Bell had revealed these truths solely to ensure the dragon fully grasped the nature of so-called destiny before becoming fuel for his own advancement.

Only madness and desperate hope remained in the dragon’s enormous beastly eyes.

Yet this hope was utterly futile, for destiny had already sealed its course.

Bell remained silent, his resolve to end everything now complete.

"That concludes what needed to be said."

The sympathy in Bell’s eyes vanished, replaced by the resolve to settle everything.

"When facing Gogalan, Behemoth, and Leviathan, I always held back one final trump card."

"I dislike standing in the spotlight. I prefer to remain in Stealth."

"But today, I’ll show you my trump card. Then, complete my ritual. Become the stepping stone for me to cross the three-digit threshold."

The dragon halted abruptly, its colossal form instantly transforming into a beam of light that surged toward Bell.

"Don’t even think about it!"

Bell seemed to neither hear nor see anything, merely murmuring softly.

"Unfold, Simulated Star Chart: Dualism of Good and Evil."