Starting with No Game No Life: Infinite Chests

"What's this...?" The Dwarf Chief looked over the blueprint Riku handed him and instantly understood. "A design for a mechanical weapon."

"Mm." Riku nodded calmly. This kind of IS-type mecha would probably only be useful for bullying regular demonia and such in this world, frankly, not very useful.

However, this was a system-improved version, powered by spirit energy, with the ability to absorb solar energy for storage. It could also evolve based on the pilot's will. Its potential wasn't bad. While it might not match the upper races, it would definitely be a match for the lower ones. Even just making these would bolster humanity's foundations, or Riku could keep them as collectables.

"This...this is amazing!" The Dwarf Chief's eyes were blazing as he stared at the blueprint. Before, their military forces had relied mainly on warships; while they had some personal weaponry, it was relatively weak.

Now, this blueprint broadened their horizons. With this as a reference, they'd be able to build even stronger weapons in the future.

Just imagining their soldiers piloting these mecha excited the Dwarf Chief.

Of course, Riku had already anticipated the dwarves' thinking, but he wasn't worried. With his current strength, if the dwarves tried anything, it'd be suicide. Besides, once he became the One True God, the whole world would be in his grasp, and no one would dare defy him.

The reason he gave the blueprints so easily was because he wanted immanity to come and learn technology from the dwarves, to elevate their own science and technology.

"Please rest assured, Lord Riku. We'll develop these mecha as quickly as possible!" the Dwarf Chief promised, burning with scientific passion. Every dwarf was crazy about research, and getting something this mind-opening was the greatest of gifts.

As for rebelling against Riku with their new weapons? The dwarves weren't foolish enough to think a single mecha could overturn the world.

"Mm." Riku just nodded slightly at the Dwarf Chief's promise.

After discussing a few other matters, Riku was about to look for the platinum chest.

With dwarven technology, communication between races would become trivially easy.

Why not rely on the Ex-Machina? Because their race was far too special and besides, that problem hadn't been resolved yet.

"I wonder how Schwi is doing now," Riku murmured, gazing at the sky. Schwi had always held a special place in his heart, no matter what, she was irreplaceable.

"I hope she doesn't do anything reckless," Riku sighed. He wanted the Ex-Machina's power, but if it came at the cost of Schwi being hurt, he'd rather do without.

Before long, Riku found the platinum chest in a secret room.

Looking at the chest, Riku shook his head slightly and placed his hand on it, opening it.

As the chest opened, dazzling light spilled out, and a glowing orb appeared.

"Ding! Congratulations, Master, you have opened a Platinum Chest and obtained: Source of Machinery."

Source of Machinery: An item for the Ex-Machina race. Once absorbed, it grants them data consciousness equivalent to a human. At the same time, it triggers evolution and greatly improves their functions.

"Talk about a timely gift…" Riku muttered, the corners of his mouth lifting.

Platinum chests and above should, in theory, always contain what he needed. Still, he hadn't expected this.

With this, Schwi's abilities would be greatly enhanced. She could probably take command of the entire Ex-Machina network with ease.

"Now, where to next?" Riku stored the Source of Machinery in his system inventory, then opened the system map to check the locations of the remaining chests.

There were two platinum chests left: one on the moon and another in the ocean, the main nest of the Siren.

As for diamond chests, there were still two: one in the demon king's lair, which, judging from the huge red marker, had to be extremely dangerous; the other in the giant tribe's settlement.

As for the Ex-Machina, there were no chests in their territory, since their movements were unpredictable.

"The moon will have to wait. Siren and giants, huh? Forget it, I'll head for the giants first," Riku decided. He was drooling over the diamond chest, after all.

With his decision made, Riku bade farewell to the dwarves, who saw him off with great respect.

"Lord Riku, did everything go smoothly with the dwarves?" As Riku appeared on her back, Zhuralis asked.

"Yeah, I just put them to work a bit," Riku said calmly. "They know their place, didn't make any demands and agreed to everything right away."

"I see." Zhuralis sounded a little disappointed. "Those guys are never this obedient; I was hoping for a chance to teach them a lesson. Looks like I'll have to wait."

"All right, stop fussing. Next stop the giants," Riku said with a roll of his eyes.

With that, Zhuralis changed direction and sped off toward the high mountains.

---------

Meanwhile, on Schwi's side...

"Why…why won't you believe me? If it's Riku, I'm sure he can…" Schwi stared helplessly at the male Ex-Machina in front of her, the current Overconnect Command Unit of the Ex-Machina.

"[Reply] uc207pr4f57t9, you are thoroughly broken and are no longer qualified to return to the network. [Reminder] Reintegrating would only introduce numerous errors and viruses. [Suggestion] uc207pr4f57t9, self-termination is optimal," the Command Unit replied in an utterly emotionless tone.

"..." Schwi stared blankly at her former comrades, her former leader, her mouth opening and closing, then collapsed to the ground, eyes lifeless.

What should she do? She couldn't accept this result. Her memories with Riku were the most important things to her. She couldn't bear to share them with the entire network… She didn't want to share Riku with the rest.

"What should I do, Riku…" Schwi murmured, clutching her stuffed animal and staring up at the dark, blood-red sky, dejected.

…

"Lord Riku, we've arrived. Up ahead is the land of the gigants. Looks like those big guys have already noticed us," Zhuralis announced, having flown into a towering mountain forest.

Endless mountain ranges, under normal circumstances, anyone would marvel at their magnificence. Yet these peaks, awe-inspiring to any human, were now overshadowed by towering, colossal figures. Their mere presence shook the hearts of any race.

Fifth in the racial hierarchy: the Gigant. Their bodies themselves were their greatest weapons. Even a Dragonia, if struck directly by a Gigant, would be in for a world of hurt.

"Looks like it," Riku said, standing atop Zhuralis's head, his white hair fluttering in the wind, expression calm.

"Lord Riku, the Gigant have quite the temper. If you're trying to get them to join the alliance, it's going to be tough," Zhuralis said, continuing to fly steadily forward despite the Gigant's furious, sharp gazes.

"Hmm? Did I ever say I wanted to bring the Gigant into the alliance?" Riku tilted his head, sounding casual.

"Eh? Didn't you? Then why are we here?" Zhuralis asked, confused.

"If I told you I was just here for sightseeing, would you believe me?" Riku replied with a grin.

"Yeah, right. Lord Riku, don't tell me you're here treasure hunting again," Zhuralis rolled her eyes, curiosity piqued.

"Correct! But no reward for now," Riku answered with a faint smile.

"Dragonia, are you here to start a fight? Coming here alone, you sure look down on us," a massive Gigant stepped forward, exuding a fierce presence, and roared.

His voice was like thunder, shaking the air and scattering the black ash. It whipped around in a storm.

"Hmph, and what if I do look down on you?" Zhuralis shot back, displeased. She'd intended to start off friendly, but since they were being rude, she wouldn't hold back.

"If you know what's good for you, get out of our way. Otherwise, Lord Riku will beat all you big lugs to a pulp," Zhuralis said coldly.

Riku could only laugh wryly at this. When did Zhuralis start acting like this?

"Lord Riku...?" At this, the Gigant finally noticed the figure standing on Zhuralis's head.

"A monkey? Since when did Dragonia become so pathetic, letting a monkey ride on your head and calling him 'Lord' to boot?" the Gigant King sneered, instantly turning the mood sour.

The Gigant and Dragonia had always had a bad relationship every meeting turned into a brawl. Now, being called out like this, the Gigant's rage boiled over.

"Lord Riku, told you these guys have a terrible temper," Zhuralis said to Riku.

"Guess I've seen it for myself. Want to handle them? I can let you have a turn," Riku said nonchalantly.

"Uh, maybe not..." Zhuralis quickly backed out. She might be annoyed, but facing off against a whole tribe of Gigants was a surefire way to get pounded to death.

"Damn Dragonia, don't get cocky!" The Gigant, seeing themselves ignored, exploded in fury. Yet, even then, they barely acknowledged the presence of Riku, the human.

The Gigant, for all their immense bodies and freakish constitution, didn't have the keen senses of the Werebeast, the speed of the Flugel, the perception of the Elves, or the technological detection of the Dwarves, so they had no way to gauge Riku's power.

What the Gigant possessed was pure, overwhelming power!

At that moment, one of the Gigants, unable to hold back his rage, stepped forward and threw a punch at Zhuralis.

The air was squeezed into a vacuum, the pressure beneath the fist enough to crush a person instantly. The gusting wind howled in agony, as if being torn apart.

"So reckless. That's not good," Riku commented coolly.

"Boosted Gear!" In an instant, Riku's right arm was covered by the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet. His entire body was enveloped in crimson light, and a magnificent red armour wrapped around him as his aura erupted.

This surge of power was something even the Gigant could sense instantly. They all stared at Riku in disbelief.

Was this really a monkey?

No matter how shocked they were, facts were facts. The attacking Gigant, in particular, realised the instant Riku's power surged that he was up against something else entirely. Veins bulged on his body as he pumped his strength to the max.

Riku snorted and leapt into the air, throwing a punch of his own.

BOOM—!

In a flash, Riku crossed the short distance and met the Gigant's fist in midair. The two fists, one tiny, one titanic, collided, shaking the sky with a deafening explosion and stirring up violent winds that cleared everything around them. The air, blasted apart, rushed outward as a shockwave, emptying the field.

This was a clash of pure strength!

BOOM—!

Another thud. In the eyes of the astonished Gigant, their comrade was sent flying, unable to stop himself from crashing into a mountain, causing the whole peak to collapse. His body was half-buried in the rubble.

His massive arm was drenched in blood, and bone fragments stuck out—it was a bloody, brutal sight.

The Gigant King and his tribe stared in shock, faces dark with disbelief.

How could this be? A "monkey" so much smaller than them had just bested one of their own in a direct contest of raw power!

Was this guy really a human...?!

The Gigant King was the first to snap out of it, his expression grave. He no longer called Riku "monkey," because the man's power demanded respect.

"Hmph, that's what you get for underestimating Lord Riku. Just wait to be crushed!" Zhuralis sneered at the stunned Gigant.

Weren't you so proud of your strength? Let's beat you at your own game. This must be a new kind of humiliation.

"Human, my name is Bach, I am King of the Gigant. State your name," the king rumbled, his powerful voice shaking the heavens and earth.

"Riku Dola." Riku stood suspended in midair, meeting Bach, the king of the Gigant race, with a calm gaze.

"Riku Dola. I'll remember you." Bach glanced at Riku with indifference, nodded in acknowledgement, and then spoke with killing intent. "So, die here."

As he finished speaking, Bach flexed his massive muscles and punched straight at Riku.

Riku, for his part, simply grinned and exploded with power of his own, meeting the blow head-on.

"BOOM——!"

A deafening thunderclap shook the sky as the air was blasted apart. The shockwave was even more terrifying than before, the earth collapsed, mountain peaks shattered, and everything nearby was devastated beyond recognition.

This time, it wasn't a one-sided overpowering scene like before; instead, the two clashed in midair, locked in a terrifying stalemate, an aura of pure violence surrounding them.

"Riku, is this your power? No wonder you were able to injure my kin," Bach said, amazed at how Riku, so much smaller, could match his strength.

"Big guy, you're not bad yourself. Not many can take me head-on in this state," Riku replied, his fighting spirit blazing.

"So you're a warrior too? Someone who craves and loves battle," Bach remarked.

"But this is a battlefield, not a place to show off individual prowess." Bach's eyes suddenly sharpened. "So, human warrior, I can only say this, sorry."

As soon as the words left Bach's mouth, three more Gigants charged in from the side, all attacking Riku at once.

At the same time, Bach put even more force behind his attacks, actually managing to push Riku, who was using his forbidden power, onto the defensive, clearly having held back earlier.

"So, ganging up on me, huh? Too bad that won't work," Riku said, feeling the attacks coming from the sides. He grinned and instantly activated Spatial Shift, vanishing from his original spot.

"That's Flügel's Spatial Shift!" Bach felt the sudden emptiness as the force he'd been clashing with disappeared, causing him to stumble, his heart filled with shock.

How could a human not only possess strength rivalling the Dragonia but also use Spatial Shift like a Flügel?

"Not good!" At that moment, Bach suddenly saw Riku reappear right in front of the neck of one of his kin, his pupils contracting sharply.

But it was already too late.

Instantly shifting to the right side of Gigant's neck, Riku unleashed the full force of his body, swinging a sweeping kick at the giant's throat.

CRACK——!

BOOM——!

Even with the massive difference in size, the neck was still an incredibly vulnerable spot. The terrifying force of Riku's kick caused the Gigant's throat to cave in at a speed visible to the naked eye. There was a sharp snap, then blood spurted as the giant was sent flying, smashing through several mountain peaks before finally landing in the plains far away like a ragdoll.

The huge power carried by his body even left a massive crater in the ground, the earth shaking and dust billowing into the sky.

The scene was so shocking that even Zhuralis, who'd seen many of Riku's unbelievable feats, couldn't help but stare in awe.

BOOM——!

But it wasn't over yet. Riku used Spatial Shift again, landing another devastating kick that sent a second Gigant flying this one collapsed on the ground, barely alive and unable to rise.

Flügel could also use Spatial Shift, but compared to Riku, most Flügel didn't possess this kind of overwhelming power. Especially that terrifying strength enough to shatter their formidable defences with ease, guaranteeing a kill. His incredible speed and much smaller size compared to the Gigants made it impossible for the giants to react in time.

Now, all Bach felt was his rage threatening to pierce the heavens, yet at the same time, he was overcome by a sense of powerlessness. Because Riku was like a natural enemy to the Gigant race.

In the end, it became an apocalypse for the Gigants. Facing someone like Riku, an absolute nemesis they simply couldn't attack or defend effectively, only get beaten down. Even when they tried to protect their vital spots, it was useless.

And Riku was slippery as an eel, untouchable, impossible to hit.

So, the Gigants kept getting slaughtered, not even touching a single hair on Riku's head.

Seeing this, Zhuralis silently mourned for the Gigants. Of all the people to provoke, they just had to pick Riku.

Originally, Lord Riku was probably just here, treasure hunting. Maybe if the Gigants had been more diplomatic, they could have built an alliance. Instead, they chose to try and kill Riku and her.

That left nothing to discuss. Once they showed killing intent, their fate was sealed.

"RIKU!!!!!!"

Watching his kin fall one after another before his eyes, Bach, the king of the Gigants, let out a furious roar, his murderous aura almost becoming tangible.

"So much anger… but too bad, you're not a 'protagonist' yelling won't give you a power-up and let you defeat your enemy," Riku said coldly, pausing midair to look down at Bach and the remaining injured Gigants.

Since they'd tried to kill him, they had to bear his counterattack, and this one would be fatal. Against enemies, Riku never held back.

"But honestly, I'm getting bored, so I'll send you all on your way," Riku said icily.

"Shit!" Zhuralis, watching from the sidelines, suddenly realised what Riku was about to do and immediately ran off to the distance. She'd sensed his intent.

"—!" Bach, too, noticed something, but he couldn't retreat.

"Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain, open!" Riku roared. Instantly, a green aura burst from his body, rocketing skyward and stirring up the clouds.

"So you were the source of that power!" Bach's massive eyes went wide as he felt Riku's pressure, some of his anger replaced by clarity and fear.

He suddenly recalled the green-blue pillar of light that had once destroyed stars.

"That's right. So be destroyed," Riku replied coldly.

At the same time, he gathered intertwined green and blue energy in his palm, aiming it at the Gigants below.

The immense force distorted the surrounding space, everything rippling and becoming unstable.

"Don't underestimate us, human!" Bach, king of the Gigants, suddenly surged with a red-black aura, roaring to the heavens.

The other Gigants, faces twisted in fury, got up and joined Bach at his side.

"I never underestimated you. But erasing you all is my decision, and that won't change." Riku's face was expressionless as he looked at the Gigants, then unleashed his power at its peak.

In an instant, the same green-blue pillar of light that had once destroyed stars descended from above, tearing through space, and crashed down toward the Gigants!

The green-blue pillar of light, powerful enough to annihilate stars, descended from the heavens, engulfing the entire area. It was as if time and space had been pierced through, the air was blasted away, and nothing could withstand this radiance.

"Raaahhh——!"

In that instant, Bach, king of the Gigant race, suddenly let out a furious roar, spreading his giant arms wide as he faced the green-blue beam head-on.

His entire body turned a crimson-black, a strange power erupting forth his hidden trump card.

With this unleashed power, Bach's strength was no less than Reginleif's.

BOOM——!

CRACK——!

In a split second, Bach met the green-blue pillar head-on. With a muffled boom, everything around them was shattered by the overwhelming force the earth split open and collapsed, the valley beneath Bach's feet caving in at a terrifying rate.

Bach's veins bulged and even burst, blood spurting everywhere, but he still couldn't hold back the pillar of light, his body sinking rapidly into the fractured earth.

"King, let us help you!"

At that moment, all the remaining Gigants finally reacted, roaring as they raised their hands to support the sky-falling green-blue light. Even as their hands were scorched black by the immense energy, they didn't retreat a single step.

Over a hundred Gigants joined forces to resist Riku's attack, and with Bach's added strength, they actually managed to stop the attack's advance.

"These big oafs are really something," Zhuralis said, gazing in awe at the scene in the distance. It was her first time seeing one of Riku's attacks actually blocked, maybe even pushed back.

But this was already their limit. Unfortunately, Lord Riku's limit was far beyond this.

Zhuralis shook her head slightly. When it came to fighting Lord Riku, doom for the Gigants was inevitable.

"Human, take it back!" Bach roared, as if squeezing out every last ounce of strength. He actually managed to push the green-blue pillar upwards, almost reflecting it back.

"Interesting. Even though not all Gigants are here, nearly half the race's strength really is impressive. But it's a pity for you, your opponent is me." Riku looked down on the desperate Gigants, shaking his head.

"Fifth Gate: Gate of Limit—Open!"

With a low growl, Riku directly opened the Gate of Limit. Instantly, wild blue-green energy surged around his body, merging with his crimson spiritual power.

Not only that, but the explosive surge was so intense that even Riku's body could barely withstand it, and fine cracks spread across his skin as if he would collapse. However, his super-accelerated regeneration kicked in, healing the damage and keeping his body in a stable state.

"How is this possible?!" The Gigants were all horrified at Riku's transformation, even Bach could no longer keep his composure, a look of despair appearing in his eyes.

He could actually get even stronger! And not just a little by a huge margin!

"Lord Riku's power has now completely surpassed Lord Reginleif." On the sidelines, Zhuralis, though she'd expected it, still couldn't hide her shock.

If Riku's strength before had only matched the Dragonia, now he had fully surpassed it enough to crush a Dragonia outright.

"This feels pretty good. As a reward for breaking through my limits again, you all can have this." Riku looked down on the Gigants, unleashing a terrifying power.

In an instant, a heavy pressure rippled through space, and the energy of the green-blue pillar more than doubled.

"Is this defeat a true defeat for us, Gigants? What a joke." Bach's body, without a doubt, was swallowed up by the pillar of light, unable to resist any longer. At the very end, he let out a self-mocking laugh.

Who could have imagined that those who once stood high above would be annihilated, driven to extinction by humans they had always considered no better than monkeys?

Although the Gigants weren't limited to just this tribe, the annihilation of their tribe was now unavoidable.

BOOM——!

A tremendous explosion swept out, tearing through space, the earth, and even shaking the entire planet.

At that moment, it was as if energy, time, and space itself all came to a halt the world turned brilliantly colourful. The cracks in space rapidly healed, dense spirit energy filling the area.

And in the depths of that multicoloured world, Riku saw a shining polyhedron, a star-shaped regular dodecahedron in the form of a pentagram.

 That was the most important thing in this world: [Suniaster](also known as Star Grail). The gods waged war to obtain the Suniaster; that was the true origin of the War of the Gods!

Just as Riku was about to act, the Suniaster vanished along with the rainbow world, and space returned to normal.

The attack, which should have been enough to destroy the planet, was simply erased, leaving only the nearby valley obliterated.

At the same time, the bodies of many Gigants lay scattered across the ground. They should have been reduced to dust, but with the [Suniaster] erasing Riku's energy, they were left intact.

"Heh, I knew this would happen, but seeing it with my own eyes is still pretty shocking," Riku said, suddenly laughing to himself.

. ... ...

The [Suniaster] is the victor's prize. To reveal the Grail requires enough power to shatter the [Spirits' Corridor], but that only allows it to appear for a short time.

On the surface, one needs to kill all the God races. But the God races are incarnations of concepts, born from the [Spirits' Corridor], endless and inexhaustible. That's a misunderstanding.

To truly become the victor, one must break open the [Spirits' Corridor] and force the Star Grail to appear only then is there a chance to become the true winner.

In the original story, it took luring the God of War into using a world-ending attack, combining the trump cards of the other races, and the Ex-Machina guiding the energy to finally shatter the [Spirits' Corridor], forcing the Grail to appear and erasing the power that could destroy the planet, making the Grail manifest for a longer time. In the end, it was only because the Ex-Machina sacrificed nearly all their units to extract the God of War's divine core that the Grail could be claimed.

Unfortunately, in the end, their efforts failed, and the newly manifested God of Games snatched victory at the last moment. Still, compared to total defeat, that was already the best outcome.

"This time, I will be the absolute victor. I'll defeat the God of War, and take the throne of the One True God as the real winner," Riku muttered. "That day isn't far off."

[Ding! 105 broken Gigant corpses detected. Recyclable. Value: 1,000,000 exchange points. Recycle?]

Just then, the system's prompt echoed in Riku's mind, making him freeze in place, his eyes widening slightly.

One million exchange points?!