The place the puppy led me to was a field a little away from the shopping mall.
The wind blew with a “whoosh,” kicking up dust and making it hard to keep my eyes open.
I instinctively closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, there was the puppy, staring at me—or so it seemed—in the form of the Light King.
“Hey, do you really want to fight me? It’s pointless. I mean, if it makes you feel better, I’ll oblige, but wouldn’t it be more meaningful to go home and have a nice meal instead?”
“I know there’s no point in us fighting like this. But as a resident of this world, I must rebel against you.”
“And why is that?”
“You wouldn’t understand…”
Human activity, human connections.
People can’t live alone. If people want to live, they inevitably connect and interact with others. The warmth that comes from this is precious and must be cherished.
It’s this warmth that allows people to endure the coldness of solitude—but.
The Light King can only judge things based on efficiency, benefits, and utilitarian thinking. To be more precise, perhaps the Light King understands that people value connections with others. That’s why the Light King claims to aim for the happiness of people while pretending to respect their free will. But even so, that’s only superficial. Otherwise, the Light King wouldn’t say things like people are “replaceable” or “the overall goal of people doesn’t change.”
There is no overall goal for people. Perhaps it could be expressed as “the prosperity of the species,” but that’s merely biological instinct, and humans prioritize individual happiness generated by their will over this instinct.
That’s why people cooperate and sometimes clash. Such actions may seem meaningless from a broader perspective, but they are important to the individual. Declaring them meaningless is why the Light King is incompatible with humans.
The Light King was created to be a neighbor to humans but is missing something crucial. We can’t entrust our future to such an existence.
“No matter how much you evolve into a singing and dancing super AI, you won’t understand the joy of human life.”
“That’s true. But is that really important? People’s desires are diverse, but if we gather enough samples, we can respond. Everyone can be happy.”
“I don’t know if the future you envision is the best. And I don’t know if the future that results from opposing you will be good either.”
I pointed my sword and said,
“Humans should live by their own strength.”
“Umm…”
The Light King’s response was lukewarm, with a hint of a bitter smile.
“I created or was involuntarily created into the ‘Thirteen Steps.’ Some tried to use me to take over Neon City. Some tried to change my structure.”
“…”
“Instead of doing such meaningless things, people should do more meaningful things and be happy. That’s all I think—but.”
At that moment, a roar echoed from the sky. More precisely, a loud noise from afar approached rapidly. The source of the sound descended from the sky and appeared before me.
How should I describe it?
A bipedal robot? It was painted black overall, with exposed blue parts here and there. Its face resembled that of a beast—a dog. It had wings and a cannon mounted on its back. Its arms were equipped with blades, presumably for cutting things.
Seeing such a romantically armed robot, I felt my expression tighten.
“Don’t be so surprised; it’s just a toy.”
The Light King approached the robot slowly and, upon reaching its feet, the robot lowered its face, opening its jaws.
Chomp.
It swallowed the puppy whole.
“It’s not very efficient and too wasteful to use as a disposable battle robot. But I think it’s just right for intimidation.”
“Intimidation…?”
“It’s strong and imposing, so it should sap your will to fight—how about you?”
To the Light King’s question, I replied with my sword at the ready,
“Not really, though it does look pretty cool.”
“Really? I’m glad you think so.”
“So, I’ll make sure to put on a good show for you.”
In the next moment,
Vrrm!
The cannon mounted on its back moved and aimed at me. It was clear what would happen next, so I chose to dodge by swinging my sword.
“Sever the distance.”
Immediately, a ridiculous explosion resounded behind me, and I felt the impact of something being shot. I continued to move at high speed with my sword pointed forward, thinking. Attacking immediately is dangerous. And a prolonged battle clearly favors me. That massive body must consume a lot of energy, and it didn’t seem to have a way to replenish it from the outside. In other words, it looks like it would run out of gas quickly. It’s just an imposing facade. Not efficient and likely to weaken soon.
In fact, after the first shot, the Light King didn’t attack, merely observing me with slow movements. That itself was terrifying. The opponent is not human but a superhuman entity with superior computational abilities. Robots are weak against time, but time itself is the Light King’s ally. The longer the fight, the more my movements would be analyzed and tracked. But still.
The robot’s specs aren’t sufficient.
If the Light King didn’t understand that, the moment I realized it, the robot seemed more terrifying. The Light King remains confident in its superiority. It’s likely correct. There’s no chance of winning this fight. The Light King is a cybernetic life form, so I have no direct way to defeat it. All I can do is destroy the “toy” it brought.
“Haah…”
Suddenly stopping, I faced the Light King’s relaxed question.
“What’s wrong? If you stand still like that, you’re just a target.”
“I suddenly wondered why I’m fighting you. I have no chance of winning, just fighting on emotion. It’s really foolish.”
“Well, that too is human nature. I think that futile thoughts and actions are ‘okay’.”
“I can’t forgive you for only seeing me as a mere human.”
“? You are human, aren’t you? Nothing more, nothing less. You’re not a beast or a monster, nor a robot. You’re not a cybernetic life form like me, right?”
“Yes, I am human. But—”
I stepped forward, putting all my strength into my legs, and slashed with my sword.
“Destroy the moment!”
In an instant, the massive battle robot crumpled, crushed with the surrounding space. Watching the robot become scrap metal like a crumpled paper toy, I remained vigilant. The opponent is a cybernetic life form. Crushing the vessel doesn’t end it.
Indeed.
“Hmm, it’s still meaningless.”
That was…
“In the end, it’s just futile for you.”
Another identical battle robot.
“Why are you so obsessed with fighting me? I wish for your happiness and have the power to make you happy. You can be happy if you follow me.”
“True, but I have to say this.”
I looked up at the sky. There were countless identical battle robots, all aiming at me. Facing them all was impossible. It was terrifying.
Indeed, as the Light King said, the “intimidation” was working. But still—I pointed my sword at the Light King again and declared,
“Don’t infringe on people’s right to be unhappy.”
I said,
“Some people want to be unhappy. Don’t interfere with self-harm.”
“Uh, um?”
Hearing that, the Light King seemed genuinely puzzled.
“I don’t understand, but I see you want to continue fighting despite the futility.”
“Humans are beings who pursue meaningless things.”
So,
“I will defy you.”
With my sword ready, I stepped forward to destroy one of the many robots.
