Kuung
I felt a force pulling me towards the sky.
I was drawn up into the heavens by Deus’s power.
The ground was gradually receding.
“Uh? Lily! Did you do this?!”
Lilith looked flustered.
Even through her eyes, this scene must not have looked normal.
But this time, is the guy going along too?
On the ground, the Disciples were looking up at me.
…Are they thinking that I’m ascending?
What should I say when I come back after talking with Deus?
That’s what I thought at that moment.
I believed I would return to them soon.
Little did I know, it would be the last time I saw them.
*
When I regained my senses, I found myself standing in the middle of Deus’s domain.
And there stood Deus before me.
“Didn’t you say you would return later? Didn’t you need time to think?”
Surely, that’s what I heard, and Deus seemed to understand that.
So why did you call me?
“Ah, my beloved Luke!”
Deus… is acting a little strange.
“Yes! The contents of the scripture must be fulfilled! That is My, Deus’s ‘Word’!”
You say the scripture must be fulfilled?
“Luke, my cherished son. You and I—The Saint and The Mother—are to become one.”
She smiled at me creepily.
Her beauty surpassed any woman, but all I felt was fear.
“Didn’t you say that we would give up becoming one?”
I’m sure she said it like she would give it up.
Did she change her mind?
“Luu…ke… mustn’t do something he hates…”
She suddenly lifted her face and spoke.
“No! The scripture must be fulfilled! Everything must be according to the will of Deus!”
Then she looked back down at me.
It felt as if two different personas were fighting within her.
“Luke… All prophecies in the scripture have come to pass. From the descent of the Messiah to the fall of the tyrant. The last one is our union. Thus, the all-powerful Deus’s eternal kingdom descends.”
Before I knew it, I found myself stepping backward.
Was she going to devour me?
Just moments ago, she said I shouldn’t do what I hate.
And then suddenly, she was saying the scripture must be fulfilled.
Is it because she was created based on the contents of faith that she has to act accordingly?
…If she is trying to devour me against her own will, that’s a huge problem.
Even if I obtained powers comparable to hers, it was only temporary, and I couldn’t handle this strength properly.
There was no way I could escape from her.
“Ah, Luke! Let’s become one with mommy!”
Woong
Countless chains flew toward me from the air, just like when she had pounced on me before.
Chaeng
This time, I was accustomed to the power, and I grabbed the chains in the air with dozens of hands made from my divine power.
“Hmmm. I’ve ascended to a proper deity while achieving ascension?”
But the chains continued to come at me.
“Don’t resist too much, my Luke. I won’t let it hurt at all.”
I tried to counter by continuously creating chains, but I couldn’t keep up with the speed at which hers flew at me.
“Ugh!”
Then one of her chains broke through my defense and touched my body.
As one chain penetrated, a multitude of chains followed in, binding me up and lifting me into the air.
I was suspended in the air, arms spread wide like I was nailed to a cross.
Deus slowly approached me, floating in the air.
“Ah, Luke. Finally, the day has come. The day we become one!”
She gazed at me with eyes filled with madness.
Is this how it ends?
Will I become a part of her…?
Suddenly, a figure crossed my mind.
She remains benevolent even after the gods of “Chaos” have been destroyed.
I recalled her, and I felt she wouldn’t turn hostile against me even if I released her seal.
I whispered, unable to move my arms and legs.
“Release the seal.”
“Huh? What did you say, Luke?”
Kuaooo
At that moment, smoke poured fiercely from my waist.
“What’s this… divine power?”
Deus looked bewildered.
The smoke took on the form of a person in the air.
The most threatening demon of desire throughout [Deus Ex Machina], Lilith appeared.
“Finally… I gained Lily’s faith.”
I never imagined my actions to reduce the power of “Chaos” would lead to this.
“Don’t worry, Lily. I’ll save you.”
“Ah, the child of ‘Chaos.’ The one who got caught by our son.”
“Hmm… I’m not sure, but didn’t our Lily say she was Deus’s son? Then… should I call you mother-in-law? No, should I call you a stepmother?”
“Do you seriously think I’d let my Luke go to a woman like you?”
“Well, well. You’re just a typical villainous stepmother who appears in cheap novels adored by old women; a villain the protagonist must battle to win love.”
The two goddesses glared at each other.
Kuaaaang
As they looked at each other, the two goddesses clashed in the air.
The monstrous divine energies erupted with a mad roar.
…How did I capture her again?
Oh, I used the time stop bug to get her.
Without the bug, I doubted I could even defeat her with my current strength.
Kuaang Kuaang
Initially, the two looked equal.
However, as time passed, Lilith began to falter.
No matter how powerful the deity, could she stand against the power of the one true god, Deus?
“You don’t have our son to hand over! You hussy!”
“Are you really so devoid of conscience, mother-in-law? Are you jealous because you’re with your son?”
Lilith continued to provoke Deus, but I sensed she was losing her composure.
No, it was more accurate to say she was overwhelmed.
Kuaang
Deus’s chains pierced Lilith’s right shoulder.
“Ugh!”
“I am the living El Shaddai Deus. The one and only ‘God.’”
By Deus’s gesture, chains lunged at Lilith again.
Lilith grabbed her shoulder and recoiled.
The chains attacked where she had been standing.
This time, she avoided the attack, but it was evident what would happen if this battle continued.
Lilith was gradually getting wounded by Deus’s onslaught.
Now, she found it hard to even evade, let alone counterattack.
On the other hand, Deus remained unharmed, leisurely attacking with just a flick of his fingers.
He wasn’t even serious yet, I bet.
This battle could only end in Deus’s victory.
I wanted to help Lilith and stop Deus, but no matter how much divine power I used, these chains refused to budge.
If this goes on… if it keeps going, Lilith might be obliterated.
She was originally my enemy.
To reduce the forces of “Chaos” and to gain useful power, I had manipulated her memories to the point of thinking of her as a mere tool.
Yet even after sealing her, she was throwing herself into danger for me like this.
Even if it’s all a manipulated truth about me… I felt a guilty conscience towards her who sacrificed so much.
If only… if only I could do something!
Flare
Then I felt a warm flame enveloping my whole being.
Flame?
“Luke, I’m here.”
When I turned at the familiar voice, I saw Ignis’s face.
“Ignis!”
“Lately, mother’s been acting really strange. She said she’d give up uniting with you, but suddenly she insists we must become one.”
Ignis’s flames burned away the chains and the cross that had bound me by Deus.
Thanks to her, my body regained its freedom.
“Thank you, Ignis.”
“I’m your Ignis, after all!”
“Ugh!”
I saw Lilith being pushed back by Deus.
Kuaang
I jumped right between Lilith and Deus.
“I guess I can’t just willingly become one, mom.”
“Luke?”
“Lily?”
Now Ignis, as a spirit, had gained the divine power through faith and became a spirit deity.
With Ignis, the spirit deity, and Lilith, the demon goddess, along with me possessing the power of Deus…
With this strength…
Maybe, just maybe, we could stand a chance against Deus!
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