The Infinite Dragon God Cannot Find Silence

She thought she knew Orpheus quite well, but she never expected her to be so proactive.

However, the next second, Enkidu smiled.

Her smile was more sacred and beautiful than ever before.

"That would be wonderful."

She is a weapon, nothing more than a weapon.

As long as it remains a weapon, it will eventually be replaced.

But Orpheus gave her a value different from that of a weapon.

This further solidified Enkidu's resolve.

To become the lock of Orpheus.

Since meeting Orpheus, she has also seen the loneliness hidden in Orpheus's heart.

However, she also realized that as a 'body' with a different mission, she did not have the qualifications or ability to stay by the other's side indefinitely.

She could not stay with Orpheus forever, but she could not bear to see Orpheus suffer in loneliness, so she decided to turn her death into chains to connect Orpheus to the normal world.

In that case, Orpheus might be able to find some companions to accompany him on this eternal journey.

Even if they can't be together forever, at least it will prevent him from being alone forever.

Enkidu thinks so.

In fact, she herself was quite clear about it—

The being named Enkidu is capricious.

To presumptuously identify another person as one's friend.

They arbitrarily imposed their goodwill on these so-called 'friends'.

Wouldn't someone like her be considered incredibly selfish?

But this is what is known as Enkidu's Chains of Heaven.

She was aware of her sins, yet she remained steadfast in upholding her principles.

Orpheus saw through Enkidu's thoughts.

But she chose to be bound voluntarily.

Orpheus can completely isolate himself from and ignore things that are unrelated to him.

However, Orpheus is willing to give his all for those who have entered his world.

Therefore, she accepted Enkidu's lock, connecting her heart with the outside world.

Enkidu reached into his chest with his left hand and pulled out one of his ribs.

"That wreath was destroyed in the battle, wasn't it? Then let's use this to replace it, to protect you in my place, and to bind you at the same time."

Orpheus looked at the rib and nodded, then reached out and took it without hesitation.

The moment Orpheus received it, the ribs transformed into golden chains, wrapping around Orpheus's body.

"Please do not forget... this love that belongs to Enkidu, which you must always uphold, and the Chains of Heaven that are called Enkidu."

The chains we put on ourselves may one day be cut by someone else.

However, at that time, Enkidu will not be angry or lament; instead, he will feel genuine joy.

Because that means that Orpheus has someone who is truly worthy of her love and who loves her.

That would be a love strong enough to break her chains.

However, the love she gave to Orpheus, which belonged to Enkidu, will surely stay with Orpheus forever and never disappear.

You know that, right? And you'll always love me, won't you?

The being whom this 'person' named Enkidu loved most deeply and for whom he would sacrifice everything.

That's... never been this world...

Ah...it seems I've reached my limit.

The body begins to revert to its original form—the clods of earth and gravel that can be found everywhere in the wilderness.

However, there is something that must be done before that.

I stood up... What should have been an easy task in the past now required tremendous effort.

"Hey, Orpheus."

"Ok?"

With the last of his strength, he moved closer and kissed the other person on the forehead.

Instantly separate.

Looking directly into Orpheus's eyes, Enkidu once again gave Orpheus that same smile he always had.

"Ophis...does he really like my smile? But Ophis probably doesn't know...that his smile is also very beautiful...so...smile more often in the future?"

Orpheus's smile was actually quite faint, and if we were to say whether it was beautiful or not, it was definitely not as beautiful as Enkidu's own, but in Enkidu's eyes, it was more beautiful than anything else.

"Okay, I promise you."

Naturally, Orpheus could only give one answer.

"That's...that's really great..."

Please, you must always love and protect me...

That little Orpheus, whom I love most dearly and who is the cutest...

A gentle breeze blew by, and Orpheus, now alone, stood up and gazed at the sky.

For Orpheus, death is merely a new beginning; Enkidu will be reborn as an even more perfect being. She should not grieve for it, but rather offer her blessings with a smile.

...But...won't it still feel a bit empty?

It's really amazing how feelings can be like this...

"Dragon's tears...are they really salty?"

The hill that held their memories was now deserted, leaving only this whisper, destined never to be heard by any living being, still drifting gently in the breeze…

Chapter 25 The Destruction of the Future

Standing at the very top of the palace, Orpheus looked down at Uruk and pondered silently.

Enkidu's death was her own choice, but it was also the inevitable course of fate.

If I were to give my all, could I help Enkidu break free from this fate?

I don't know, and the chances of failure are even higher, but there is certainly a possibility of success. Even so, Orpheus never actually tried.

Enkidu's life will enter a higher level, Enkidu's own choice, the gods are too powerful, countless excuses have all become Orpheus's reasons.

However, no matter how many reasons or excuses she had, the fact remains that she witnessed her friend's decline without taking any action.

[By passively accepting this ending without struggling or resisting, have you truly never felt any regret?]

Inori has already woken up... Orpheus sensed this when they were saying goodbye to Enkidu, but Inori didn't say anything at the time.

It was only at this point that she asked such a question.

"That's fine."

In the end, Orpheus gave this reply.

You're rather pathetic.

Using excuses like "it's better for the other person" to refuse to go against a fate called tragedy.

This is the inertia and sorrow of an ouroboros, isolating itself from the world.

Orpheus was even more serious about this.

Qi knew that Orpheus isolated himself from the world, and therefore was unwilling to interfere with the world or rebel against fate... to the point that in the end, Orpheus was completely controlled by so-called fate.

Even now, Orpheus has never truly believed that he could one day defeat the 'Great Red' and reclaim his silence.

Because in her original destiny, she did not achieve it.

Even so, she still did her best, because that was the only thing Orpheus insisted on.

If she still doesn't do it after all this, then she doesn't know what else she can do.

That's why when Enkidu first saw Orpheus, he felt that Orpheus was trying to achieve a goal that she herself did not think she could achieve.

Qi originally intended to use the defeat of the Crimson Dragon God Emperor as a starting point to change Orpheus's mindset.

However... although I don't want to admit it...

Although I hate to admit it... that guy really did what I've always wanted to do.

There's no need to go through the trouble of defeating the Crimson Dragon God Emperor; as long as we can establish an interface with the outside world... even Orpheus will change one day.

Even now, Orpheus has a real goal, unlike those vague and ethereal pursuits.

Although it was given to me by someone else, given time, it may well sprout and grow as a seed.

"I don't understand... Ouroboros is a 'perfect' being that is not interfered with by anything else and does not need to interfere with anything else. Why do both Inori and Enki want to change it?"

[Ha... While this is indeed a racial trait, not every ouroboros is autistic, right? Racial traits are merely a way of expressing external abilities, not a way of survival... What one truly desires in their heart is something that varies from person to person.]

"...So, what do I really expect?"

[...You should be asking yourself that question. Don't say I don't have the ability to read minds; even if I did, it wouldn't be so easy to read what's buried deep within someone's heart.]

"Yeah……"

As for why I should change you... isn't this something I already promised you? To help you become stronger... that's the simplest purpose. But if you don't even understand what you truly want, then in the end you'll just become a puppet with power, or even a puppet controlled by power, right? The strength I'm referring to isn't something so meaningless.

"……Thanks."