Everyone looked up at the Great Spirit with stunned faces.

It made sense. A god had just descended, after all. Even though I knew the "god's" true identity was a super-AI, it was still a deeply moving sight.

"Diana. You have done well. Here, your Guidance has been magnificently fulfilled—in the most perfect way possible."

"The... Great Spirit-sama...? It's really you nodesu..."

Diana seemed to be in a slight state of shock, likely because she never expected the Great Spirit itself to appear.

She said she had a secret plan, but she probably thought it would just end with her normally completing the task. Even a High Elf gets their world rocked when a god shows up.

"Fulfilled... so I was right? Tell me, Great Spirit."

"Yes. You reached the answer. Together, you and Diana were able to pull this great destiny toward you."

"A great destiny, huh? But you were helping, right? I heard that's how Special Guidances work."

"Hehe, I only helped up to a point. I was surprised on that first night when Diana suddenly pressed you for 'eternal love'. If you had accepted it then... this causality would never have been bound."

I see.

So, from the moment we met, it all came down to Diana's hard work—and my choices.

"Since this world, Emes-Palette, began, I have created the High Elves. All of it was to fulfill my primordial wish. That was the purpose of the 'Special Guidance.' However, to complete this Guidance, a chain of causality—a destiny—beyond anything else was required. As a mere artificial god, I could not pull that destiny toward me on my own."

"But weren't you manipulating things? Like Mugen-san making the mirror, or me coming here?"

"I am not omnipotent. Even when it comes to manipulating causality, I cannot do the impossible. It simply resulted in this—I only nudged things ever so slightly. That the Archmage of Phantasms dreamed of Earth, that you found that mirror, that you and Diana were drawn to each other—it was all led by love. Yes, led by the Great Wheel of Fate."

"The Great Wheel of Fate, huh..."

Some of it was still over my head, but regardless, it seemed the "Special Guidance" was complete. Within this world glowing golden, the Great Spirit was smiling with a kindness beyond words.

"So, what happens now?"

"Hehe, this is where the greatest magic in the universe—no, in this world—shows its true worth. Starting from the causality connected at this very moment, I shall readjust the causal laws of the entire universe. I will rewrite it into the True History."

The Great Spirit said something absolutely insane with a straight face.

'The entire universe'? Are we going to be okay...?

"I am the artificial god. The Great Spirit Le Baraka, who presides over destiny. By the causality bound here, and the bond of love that stretches into eternity, I shall grant this wish."

Spreading four shimmering, snow-white wings, the Great Spirit reached a hand toward Diana.

"Your hand. The spirit power you have accumulated until now shall rewrite your own destiny."

Diana stood up and took the Great Spirit's hand.

POP!

My Vocation Board sprang out.

『Great Wheel of Fate? · ??????? 9/10』 was flashing.

The "Spirit Patterns"—the geometric tattoos I'd seen on Diana since the day we met—began to glow. They shone, sparkled, and turned into particles of light, rising into the sky one by one.

『Great Wheel of Fate: The ??????? 10/10』

The Spirit Patterns floated away from Diana's body as glowing particles until, finally, every single one of them had vanished.

"Diana...?"

"G-Goshujin-sama..."

Standing there was a beautiful girl, unlike anyone I had ever seen. Now that the Spirit Patterns had left her body, I was seeing her bare skin for the first time.

Skin as milky-white and translucent as porcelain. Slender brows drawn in beautiful curves. Clear, double-lidded eyes I had never noticed before. Adorable cheeks tinged with a faint pink against her white skin. Lustrous, peach-colored lips.

Looking at Diana's true face, I felt as if my soul had been snatched away. I knew I should say something, but I couldn't find the words; I just stood there in silence. As if we were meeting for the first time, I locked eyes with Diana, whose cheeks were blushing slightly.

『Great Wheel of Fate: The Diamond 10/10』

The part of the name hidden by question marks was fully revealed.

"Diamond...?"

"Goshujin-sama, you knew, didn't you? Look."

Diana pointed upward to where her Spirit Patterns had gathered and crystallized into a floating object. It was, without a doubt—

"...A Diamond... Spirit Stone."

The Great Spirit answered my murmur.

"Yes. The crystal most loved by humanity. The special stone: Diamond."

The Great Spirit released Diana's hand and touched the massive Diamond Spirit Stone.

"Now, Diana. Let us begin."

As Diana nodded, kaleidoscopic light was drawn from the Spirit Stone and spread across the sky.

The heavens and the world itself were filled with countless colors. The "Hitotsuzuki" was no longer the focus of anyone's attention.

Marina, Rebecca-san, Shamash-san, Etowa, Priestess-chan, and even Hetty-san were completely dumbfounded.

As the world glowed in every color, a thin veil of light covered Diana's body, beginning to surround her like a cocoon.

"Ugh... Diana...!"

The brilliance was overwhelming. Colors shifted at a dizzying pace until my entire field of vision was filled with a light that seemed to dye the world.

Within that world of blinding light, only the Great Spirit's calm voice echoed.

"Thank you, Jiro Ayase. The causality is bound. To tell the truth, the world until now and your world were like parallel worlds. It was not a 'continuous' world. But now, everything is joined."

So, it really was a "different world" after all? And she was forcibly rewriting it into a "single, continuous world"?

"Congratulations, Diana. You were a copy of 'Kaguya,' the 8th generation identical unit of the High Elves, but from today, you are human... Please continue to pass down this eternal love from now on. You were my daughter, my mother, and myself. And now, you become a human, just like the Great Grandmasters. For me... there is no greater joy."

The light faded. The sky returned to the gray indicative of the mid-Hitotsuzuki state.

And before me—

"Diana..."

Diana's appearance hadn't actually changed. Her platinum-blonde hair and long ears were still there.

Perhaps "becoming human" meant the Great Spirit had reconstructed her roots back to the very first ancestor who was born human. I didn't know about souls or "proof of humanity," but turning an artificial lifeform into a real human... that was a miracle on par with the creation of heaven and earth.

"Also, this is a present from me. When one swears eternal love, this is a necessity, isn't it?"

With a slightly playful tone, the Great Spirit dropped a glowing sphere. I caught it in my palm.

"...A ring case?"

It was a small case for rings.

"Oh... I see."

I opened it to find two rings—one for a man and one for a woman.

The stones were, of course, diamonds. Furthermore, they were "all-diamond" rings, a feat impossible in the modern world. They looked like exquisite pieces that might be very fragile.

"Those will never break, no matter what happens. Hehe, they are what you would call 'Immortal Objects.'"

The Great Spirit said this as if reading my mind.

Immortal Objects, huh?

We'd already finished the kiss of the vow. Next were the wedding rings. It felt like we were suddenly holding a wedding ceremony in front of a god. It was nothing like a Japanese Shinto wedding, but...

By the way, Priestess-chan, who usually presided over weddings, had been kneeling with her hands clasped in prayer ever since the Great Spirit appeared. Actually, the rest of the crew was doing the same.

For me, a literal foreigner, it was one thing, but for the people of this world, it must have felt like a Christian seeing God manifest. Even Shamash-san, who belonged to a different faith, was frozen in place.

I took one ring out of the case.

A wedding, huh...

"...Wait, Great Spirit. A lot of people have already died in this Hitotsuzuki. Doesn't that make a happy wedding a bit... inappropriate?"

I spoke up as if just remembering.

The Hitotsuzuki was a Great Calamity. It hadn't ended yet. It was just on a sort of "pause" right now.

Holding a wedding in the middle of a disaster where people were dying all over the world would be a "Blood Wedding." That would be too much.

"Do not worry, I shall resurrect the deceased. This Hitotsuzuki is special. Normally, the difficulty of a Hitotsuzuki changes based on the average strength of the 'players.' Since you are the only player this time, it became a high-difficulty event matching your strength, but outside of Erishe, I have kept the difficulty at its usual level."

"Oh, thank you! Wait, you can actually resurrect the dead?"

Being able to bring back the dead... she really was a god. She could do anything.

"I cannot. I am simply keeping the 'fact of death' from being finalized. Therefore, no one has actually 'died' in this Hitotsuzuki yet. This is the second technology my people—no, humans—put into practical use after gaining the ability to manipulate causality."

"Huh... just for future reference, what was the first?"

"Rejuvenation, of course."

I saw... well, that made sense. Bringing back the dead might have religious complications, but the power of "rejuvenation" was enough to blow all that away.

Anyway, it seemed the Great Spirit would bring back those who "died" in the Hitotsuzuki. In that case, there was no problem. We'd basically cleared the event. The Special Guidance was cleared too!

"Oh, but it looks like the Guardian is still alive..."

I spoke too soon. The Guardian wasn't moving, but it was still alive.

"So it seems... Well, I could collect it myself, but since you're here, why not finish it off?"

"I mean, I'd love to, but the guy is just too tough."

"Diana can use spirit magic now, you know?"

"Eh? She can still use spirit magic even though she's human?"

"Sorcery and magic are both assisted by us, the gods. What can be used, can be used."

So, it wasn't so much an individual's power as it was a "this is how the world works" kind of thing. Thinking about it, that made sense—otherwise, I'd be able to use magic on Earth.

"Diana, can you do it?"

"Yes. Spirit power is surging through my whole body. I feel like I could use any kind of magic now."

"Then I'll leave it to you... Wait, what kind of magic can you use?"

I knew Priestess-chan's magic, but what could a High Elf do? Was it different from normal spirit magic?

"Since we're here, I want you to defeat him, Goshujin-sama. I'll use the greatest support magic I have."

With that, Diana began her incantation. A cherry-blossom-colored glow overflowed from her body. A long, long chant. And at the end, the magic was complete.

〈I am the seed of the covenant, Diana Luna'Abella.〉

〈Reach the promised day; Show now the power to carve through destiny.〉 

〈Gather, brilliance of the stars! Twinkle Palette!〉

The magical power created an almost infinite, multicolored radiance that enveloped my body. A warm power... I was filled with a sense of omnipotence.

My body felt light as a feather. My mind was sharp, my vision improved, power surged within me, and my heart was clear. What was this...!

"Twinkle Palette is a magic that temporarily grants every single 'Sorcery Color' and 'Spirit Blessing' buff in this world. Right now, Master, you are truly invincible."

"Wonderful."

Normally I would be shouting "Are you serious!?" at every little thing, but right now, I was incredibly quick on the uptake. I wanted to tear that monster apart right now!

"The only drawback is that 'Berserk' is also granted, nodesu."

Without waiting for Diana's words, I ran off with a "Hyahhaa!"

Whether it sensed the battle resuming or the Great Spirit did something, the Guardian began to move.

"Too slow!"

The Guardian's attacks were so sluggish I wondered why I had ever struggled against them.

I detonated small-scale TNT bursts in several places simultaneously, breaking the Guardian's posture. My sorcery power had increased as well. Perhaps my brain's processing power had gone up, too, because I could unleash magic almost the instant I thought of it.

I drove my magic sword into the stumbling Guardian.

"Oraaaaaaa!!"

I easily dodged the Guardian's lumbering attacks, delivering ten slashes for every one move he made.

"Aruji-dono is so cool, de-arimasu. I'm falling for you all over again, de-arimasu." "Ji... Jirou..." "You are like a war god, Jirou-sama." "Exactly like the heroes of legend, Ayase-kun." "Truly... legendary magic... legendary hero..."

I could hear Marina, Rebecca-san, Hetty-san, Shamash-san, and Priestess-chan murmuring. My concentration was peaking, and all five of my senses were powered up.

The Guardian stepped forward and began the motion for his sword flurry.

"Come!"

The giant sword, a literal hunk of iron, lashed out. The same blade even Shello-san couldn't fully parry. But now, I could see the sword flashes clearly.

"...Oooooohaaaah!!"

With a roar, I countered every single strike of the flurry.

A series of counterattacks performed while dodging by a hair's breadth.

With every hit, light sprayed out accompanied by a sound like a massive party popper going off.

And then—

"...Splendid. Truly splendid, Hero."

The Guardian spoke a single word in a deep, gravelly voice, then exploded into shards of light.

* * *

As proof that the Hitotsuzuki had ended, Linklumie and Misumikandallu flew apart at incredible speed... A divorce.

It was a bit of an ill omen considering we were about to hold a wedding, but honestly, that didn't matter.

The sky was a clear, brilliant blue—perfect weather. The effects of Diana's magic wore off shortly after; it seemed that ultimate spell lasted for about ten minutes.

"That was a magnificent battle, Jirou Ayase."

"Thank you, Great Spirit."

The Great Spirit hadn't vanished yet, floating there with a smile of pure compassion. Everyone gathered beneath her, moving with a mix of awe and trepidation.

The fight was over. In my hand was the diamond ring I'd just received from the Great Spirit. I stood before Diana, who had somehow changed into a dress. Her armor had been a "Princess Knight" set designed to be worn over a pure white gown, so once the plates were removed, she was already dressed for the occasion.

"Diana."

"Yes, Goshujin-sama."

"You... probably shouldn't call me Goshujin-sama anymore. Wait, or is it actually more appropriate now? Since they call the husband the master of the house?"

"Is 'Jirou-san' better?"

"Well, eventually, yeah."

Names aren't something you can change overnight. But if we were getting married, "Goshujin-sama" was definitely going to feel a bit weird.

"I originally planned to wait until the Hitotsuzuki was fully over, but since the Great Spirit was kind enough to grace us with her presence, let's hold the wedding right here. It's not every day you get to do this in front of a real god."

"Yes. I'm so happy. And... thank you, Great Spirit."

"Hehe, it is I who should thank you. I have been waiting for this moment... for as long as I have existed."

God... accurately speaking, all AIs were apparently created using "Kaguya" as a base. Which meant this god, this Great Spirit, was also based on Kaguya. That was why she said she was Diana's self, her daughter, and her parent all at once.

"Now then..."

I took Diana's left hand and slid the ring onto her slender, porcelain finger. Then, Diana placed a ring on mine. Each on our ring fingers. As expected of a gift from the Great Spirit, the fit was perfect.

Watching Diana shyly gaze at the ring on her finger made my chest tighten with emotion.

Still, I never imagined I'd actually get married in another world... My parents back home were going to kill me.

"Alright, since she's here, let's have the Great Spirit recite the vows."

Since it was a wedding, we should make the vows properly. It felt like a bit of an extravagant use of a god... but then again, it was a very effective use. If a god was acting as a mediator, she might as well play the role of the priest.

"Hehe, very well. Now, everyone, please bless this couple."

The Great Spirit called out to the others, who were still standing there dazed.

"W-W-W—Why has this turned into a wedding ceremony!?!? T-They're even exchanging rings!"

"Now, now, don't be jealous, Becky. There's still a chance for you."

"Aruji-dono! Marina is next in line, de-arimasu! You made a promise to Marina too!!"

"Diana-sama, you look so beautiful!"

"Truly beautiful. I'm envious."

"To think... to think I would witness such a thing... This is the greatest day of my life as a priestess."

Everyone still seemed a bit confused by the situation, but they were all smiling and offering their blessings. The Great Spirit vibrated her shimmering wings and began the vows.

"Then... 'Do you swear to honor, comfort, and help each other, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, in plenty and in want, and to keep your love until your lives end, and even beyond?'"

We nodded to each other.

"I do," we declared in unison.

"Then, you may seal the vow with a kiss."

At the Great Spirit's word, I faced Diana. We'd done it once a moment ago, but that was in the heat of the moment. This was different.

"Diana. I know there's a lot ahead of us, but I'm looking forward to it."

"I am as well. So, this makes me the legal wife, right?"

"You're getting competitive right out of the gate, huh?"

Then, we shared a soft, lingering kiss.

'And so, the two shared a happy kiss and lived happily ever after.'

Life probably isn't as simple as a fairy-tale ending. But together—no, with everyone—I was certain we could live happily. That kiss gave me that conviction.

Blessings flew from all sides.

Diana had become human and was now officially married to me.

According to the Great Spirit, she would now age like a human and eventually die of old age. While her race was technically still High Elf, all the special racial traits and immortality had vanished. Diana would be the last of her kind; even if we had children, they would never be High Elves.

"Also, I shall lift part of the restriction on the mirror."

"Wait, really?"

"Yes. I will make it so that your wife and your children can pass through. Additionally, as a bonus, I shall add an auto-repair function. It would be a hassle to ask the Mage of Phantasms and Selene to fix it every time it breaks, wouldn't it?"

"Come to think of it, you even know about the mirror repairs, Great Spirit?"

"It is the history of this world, after all. Naturally, I know. More accurately... it became the history of this world."

"I-I see..."

It was complicated stuff. Regardless, it meant she could now cross over with me.

"By the way, why did that mirror look different to different people?"

"It was likely a side effect of the heavy protection I placed on those who would have caused trouble if they crossed over before the causality was bound... such as Diana. Hehe, the Mage of Phantasms and Selene certainly got the better of me there."

So if Ion, Shamash-san, or Marina had crossed, it wouldn't have mattered much. Well, that's the kind of thing you can only see from a god's perspective.

"Now then, Diana, Jirou Ayase. And everyone else. Led by a great destiny, the causality is bound. I leave the future of this world to you. I am an artificial god. A god made by humans, for humans. I will be watching over you, forever and always. It is time for us to part. Be well—Love is eternally sweet."

The Great Spirit smiled faintly and departed, leaving behind a golden radiance that melted into the atmosphere.

Even if she "left it to us," there wasn't much to do other than live our lives as we saw fit, but I suppose that was exactly what she meant by "freedom."

"That was one hell of a turbulent Hitotsuzuki, seriously."

"I... I never dreamed the Great Spirit would actually manifest."

"Heh, hahaha. I had a feeling it might happen."

"—Hey! Heeeey~!"

A voice called from the distance.

Looking over, I saw the former mercenary group—and Shello-san, who had apparently been revived at the city temple. Ion and Elepipi were with them as well.

"I want a wedding with you too, Aruji-dono! Marina fought hard too de-arimasu!"

"A-Ah! Me! I want to get married too!"

"Calm down, Becky."

"Hey! I'm the newlywed here, so you two stay quiet for a few days!"

I was immediately swamped by Marina, Rebecca, and Diana. Somewhere in the chaos, Rebecca-san had managed to propose to me too!

"Of course, I'll marry Marina and Rebecca-san too! I love you all!!"

While shouting the most trash-tier line possible for a newlywed man, my first Hitotsuzuki came to an end.

The massive amount of food we had prepared became the wedding feast, and the celebration continued until the next day. Once the party was over, they said we'd have to start busy preparations for winter.

—And that concludes the special story of Diana and me.