“…….”
The eyes of the Demons turned toward Rina.
But before the Demons moved, Jian was already in action.
Jian rushed at the Demons and immediately swung his sword. Right after the whoosh sound,
flash, a bright light radiated from the sword.
It wasn’t as intense as the Holy Bomb, but it was easy to predict that anything touched by that fierce light would melt away.
sss, a sizzling sound was heard.
The hem of the Demon’s clothing was burnt black.
“…….”
The Demon silently stared at the burnt spot before lifting its gaze again. Its eyes were still fixed on Rina.
“A traitor has come.”
The Demon said, but Rina showed no signs of fear.
With her arms crossed, she stood defiantly, looking straight at the Demon.
“Isn’t it the same for you? Have you forgotten everything from 500 years ago?”
“We only fought to gain our own freedom.”
“And the Demon God allowed you to live freely.”
“Can we really call it freedom if it is granted?”
The Demon looked at me. It wasn’t the empty gaze from when it first saw us. Its eyes were now filled with a burning fury as if it were mad at something.
“If one accepts freedom that is granted, what should one do if God later decides to take that freedom back? Should we obediently give up our freedom and return to a life like slaves?”
“So what you’re looking for is to stand above others and rise to a place like God?”
Honestly, I thought I understood what they were trying to say. It was a very simple argument: if a master grants a slave freedom, wouldn’t there come a time the master could take that ‘granted’ freedom back?
However, the Demon God Baal didn’t have the ability to reclaim it. That wasn’t something he even considered.
While telling them to help others, Baal never mistreated them. He willingly let the Demons who asked him for freedom go.
That relationship was much closer to that of parent and child than master and slave, I thought.
“Tell me. Was your desire to become a God and enjoy eternal life for some grand reason? It sounds somewhat different from what I’ve heard.”
There were countless Demons who bowed their heads to us and said:
“Please, just spare our lives.”
Yes, the Demons were terrified of death. In a world where souls are immortal and dying means returning to the gods, what reason could there be for such fear of death? Was it because they might part from their loved ones? Because they might not enjoy the fresh green fields or the scent of flowers? Because they might never look up at the night sky and find constellations again?
No, that’s not it.
The Demon standing there alone had killed all those around it and absorbed their power. Even if it had someone it cherished, it would have killed them long ago to survive.
If it intended to enjoy the fresh greenery and flowers, it wouldn’t have corrupted the world with its magic.
If it wanted to look up at the stars, it wouldn’t have blocked the sky with that Magic Point.
The reason they wanted to live was ultimately that they were afraid of ascending to Godhood.
Because they knew exactly what they had done. And they were well aware their actions were not noble.
…Even if it began with the desire to gain freedom, they eventually became intoxicated with their own power and fell deeper into arrogance. In the end, they concluded:
As long as they lived eternally without dying, it was enough that they wouldn’t ascend to the side of the gods.
“Tell me, why did you invade this world? What was the reason for wanting to take over a world that had nothing to do with you, while trampling through countless lives?”
I took a step closer to the Demon. The people surrounding me flinched, but I raised my hand to hold them back.
I genuinely wanted to know.
I might have created this world. Perhaps this world was built upon the jumbled notes I wrote.
But my part was just a tiny fraction compared to this world.
The reason the Demons, cast as the villains, wanted to invade this world despite already possessing one world entirely.
The simple reason why they went through the trouble of using colossal and unusable magic for the next 500 years to invade this world.
I had only scratched the surface of that reason. After possessing an entire world, they had become even greedier and sought to conquer another.
However, that was merely a simplistic idea I had written. Just as the ‘reasons’ documented in histories appear clear-cut yet are deeply intertwined with complex social and cultural factors, I didn’t truly understand the legitimate reasons the Demons would go through such troublesome endeavors.
So, when I crossed into this world and briefly pondered the Demons, that reason intrigued me.
It intrigued me.
Yes, it did intrigue me.
But just now, while mumbling to the Demons, something dawned on me.
The Demons had betrayed their creator, Baal.
And using the abilities that Baal granted them to serve the world, they became the masters of that world.
And they vowed not to ascend to the gods while living forever.
But here’s the thing.
“Eternal life is easy to say. Ultimately, it’s impossible in a single universe, isn’t it?”
Eternity, in its essence, is truly eternal. Though not infinitely existent in reality, it is a concept everyone can somehow imagine.
Even if countless atoms spread throughout the universe, that doesn’t mean it is infinite.
Even if time stretches out incredibly long, that is not eternal.
The matter of the universe gradually cools over time.
As time passes, the universe dies, along with the beings inhabiting it.
Eventually, even time itself reaches an end, rendering existence itself impossible.
Yet, can a Demon that could be neutered by a mere nuclear bomb withstand such a calamity?
“You were afraid of running away. You feared the day the world’s lifespan would end and take you with it, and the day your planet would die billions of years from now. Just for such reasons, you wanted to avoid the punishment and ascend!”
I stepped forward once again toward the Demon.
“……Can we escape from this world to another? Can we survive there? If there’s a ruler there…”
I took a long breath.
“Can we kill them all and claim that world as our own?”
“…….”
I looked straight at the Demon and answered.
“No?”
“…….”
“Answer me.”
The Demon glared at me, yet there was still no response.
“It’s useless, Clara.”
Lineas said quietly. She held a sword that radiated a white light.
“The truth is, if they were a conversation partner capable of understanding such things, it would never have gotten this far.”
That’s probably true. That must be the case.
If they had the ability to communicate and empathize, we wouldn’t be in this position.
Had the Demons became this way because Demon God Baal shaped them to wield such influence over the world, was it really just because of the writing I made? Had that prophetic writing caused the world to drift into this direction?
…Regardless of the reason, there was only one thing I had to do.
If the Demons think I created them, then I should take responsibility.
If they are beings unrelated to my influence, then even so, I must take responsibility now that I have come this far.
I had enjoyed my abilities to such an extent.
For the sake of those who believe in me.
“…….”
The Demon glaring at me reached its hand towards the sky. Jian immediately reacted and charged at the Demon, but the Demon had already used some ability.
The cloud tower above began to slowly rotate in one direction. It resembled a massive vortex swirling in the air.
However, the vortex wasn’t sucking anything in. Instead, it was spewing something out.
From between the layers that were rotating at different speeds, dark and sinister things peeked out like they were being born, curling up like fetuses in their mother’s womb. Those entities that were nestled in around it plummeted downward.
thud, thud, an ominously loud sound echoed.
“……Now it seems like the real beginning.”
Andrea raised the Holy Sword. The knights around her started to draw their swords one by one.
“What on earth has happened?”
Jian asked. The golden light of the Holy Sword pressed against the Demon,
crackle, as flesh burned away, but the Demon was still gripping the sword with its hands and maintaining its ground.
“What I’m meant to do.”
The trembling sword was pushed back slightly.
“What I want to do.”
Though the Demon’s face was obscured by a mask, I was sure it was smirking.
Jian twisted and pulled the sword that the Demon was gripping. Then he swung the sword down at the Demon—
But I couldn’t see what followed.
“It’s coming.”
I heard Andrea say that to me.
*
The Demons summoned by the Demon were enormous.
It seemed as if they had learned to endure at least one attack, as if they had been reinforced to withstand my attempt to obliterate them with Ariel’s power.
The beasts falling from the sky were easily twice the size of a fully grown man.
Occasionally, a flash of white light erupted from the massive vortex of magic. It seemed that a Holy Bomb had been fired from the direction of the barrier. Some of the beasts were captured, but not all of them could be contained.
“Still, it’s not enough to retreat.”
Rina said, assessing the situation. Even while firing Baal’s Holy Power in all directions with both hands, Rina calmly continued her words.
“The knights are coming from behind. Even if the beasts are sturdy, they aren’t at a level that multiple knights can’t handle. It seems that only a limited number of beasts can withstand a miracle even once.”
“R-really?”
“Yep.”
As I asked, staring only at the beasts approaching our direction, Linea who was cutting through the beasts beside me nodded. Linea had a long cut across her cheek, so I quickly healed her with Holy Power. Linea gave a short smile of thanks and then slashed through the beast charging at her with her Holy Sword.
Indeed, while that beast was larger, it didn’t seem as sturdy as the ones I had seen.
“The majority are beasts we can manage somehow. I’ll leave the big ones to you.”
“Understood!”
I answered loudly.
Aurora was healing the injured knights. She was carefully using Holy Water to maximize the effectiveness of my Holy Power. Before I knew it, that place had become a makeshift medical station, with knights surrounding it for protection.
Yes, just as Rina said, knights were still running in from the back. Our dwindling number was now being protected by the knights forming a defensive line.
“Clara, over there!”
Rina pointed to a beast that was even larger than the ones I had seen before. It had several cracks and wounds from being struck by knights.
The beast suddenly grabbed a smaller beast passing by and opened its mouth wide to swallow it whole.
…In an instant, the wounds healed. The beast, which had soon regained its vitality, seemed as if it was about to swing its arm at the knights.
That won’t do.
I shot the power of the miracle at the beast. The raised right hand of the beast staggered backward. However, it quickly regained its stance. The arm that was raised, although its exterior was scorched, still seemed not entirely nonfunctional.
I shot the power of the miracle once more. This time, I didn’t just unleash Ariel’s power. I channeled my own energy into the other hand and unleashed them together. Just like Aurora mixed my Holy Power with Holy Water for maximum efficiency, I too combined Ariel’s power with my own.
A drop of blood trickled from the back of my hand. A single drop of blood that seeped through the glove fell toward the ground.
As my blood stained the ground, the blackened earth regained its light in an instant. Though it was just bare soil.
“……!”
Seeing that, I called out to Aurora while simultaneously obliterating that massive beast.
“Aurora!”
“Yes, huh!?”
Aurora, who was tending to the patients, flinched and looked up at my shout.
I removed the gauntlet. Blood began to flow out from within, so I quickly threw it at Aurora with the finger openings facing down. As it flew through the air, blood dripped onto the ground.
Despite having received the incoming gauntlet, Aurora turned stiff upon examining its insides. Though her expression was hidden behind armor, her face must have gone pale.
I removed my helmet.
“Spread that blood around! It should purify the contaminated area!”
“Y-yes, yes!”
Only after hearing my command did Aurora hastily rise, carefully tilting the gauntlet to spill the blood onto the ground.
There wasn’t enough time to watch that scene until the end.
I turned my gaze again. I unleashed another miracle at the beast charging toward us.
“Where’s Jian!?”
“I don’t see him here.”
Rina responded calmly to my cry. But while doing so, her gaze was fixed on my bleeding hand.
bang!
In the distance, several beasts leaped up.
There!
I quickly moved my body, but someone grabbed my shoulder. My body whirled as I tried to charge forward.
“Leave that place to Jian.”
It was Andrea who was holding my shoulder.
“It won’t help you go.”
“No,”
I shook my head.
The Demon that had absorbed the nearby Demons to gain such immense power, the same one that could unleash beasts from the skies, was only engaging in swordplay with Jian.
It felt too unnatural, even if they had invested a lot of effort into preparing for this battlefield.
Didn’t the Demon just mutter ‘What I want to do’ a while ago?
If that was simply unleashing beasts, it felt a bit strange.
“I need to see for myself.”
After all, the state we were in was all due to my actions, wasn’t it? The story that had taken several years to unfold in the original was now resolved in only a few months, leading to this situation.
Besides, I had once looked down upon the Demons and nearly lost everything.
“…….”
Andrea looked at me silently. The light shining from Andrea’s helmet was brilliant.
The light radiating from behind my head reflected back.
“……Is that so.”
Andrea briefly lowered her head before lifting it again. Then she slowly lowered the hand that held my shoulder.
“If that is the will of the Goddess, I will follow.”
A calm voice came from beyond Andrea’s helmet.
I nodded to Andrea and turned my body again.
In the distance, more beasts were continuing to leap into the sky, as if swept up by a storm.
I began to dash toward that place.
“Clear the way!”
Andrea shouted.
The knights who had been fighting in front of me made way at Andrea’s command. They flinched in surprise as I rushed past them.
Before they could stop me, I ran with all my might.
Gradually, the number of knights I could see dwindled. Black beasts filled my sight instead of the platinum armor.
The beasts’ claws reached for me.
“That won’t do.”
Countless people had held back the beasts to send me this far. I couldn’t be held back just because of those things.
I unleashed my Holy Power.
Flames engulfed the bodies of the beasts. The screams pierced my ears. Over and over again, I swung my right hand, scattering Holy Power and miracles as I dashed forward.
*
The Holy Blood easily purified the lands tainted with the Demons’ magic.
As Aurora carefully tilted Clara’s gauntlet, spilling blood into the ground, the areas touched by the Holy Blood gradually regained their original color from the dark stains. Though the dead grass would not regain its color, at least it secured a space to lay down the injured without worry.
“Oooh…”
The knights watching from the moment Clara threw the gauntlet gasped.
It was unlike any ordinary Holy Water. It was indeed the Holy Blood itself, so sacred one could say just hearing the name. Furthermore, it was not mere blood from a cut; it was blood resulting from the miracle bestowed by the Goddess. This meant it was substance that could even be considered a divine relic.
“At least, let’s place those with the most urgent injuries here…”
“I-I cannot do such a disrespectful thing!”
“…….”
Aurora momentarily lost her words but quickly regained her composure. It was true that many knights had deeper faith than others. To them, the ground stained with the Goddess’s blood would have significance beyond simply a sanctified place designated by the church. They would likely think it to be a sacred land not to be treated lightly.
“This land was prepared for you by Lady Clara, who sacrificed herself. If you refuse such kindness recklessly, wouldn’t that defy the Goddess’s intention as well?”
“…….”
The knights offered no response, but those without injuries, the ones still standing, nodded in agreement.
“Indeed. If the Goddess said to use it in such a way, then we should do it.”
“We should move the injured quickly.”
Truly, the position of a Saintess was one that even stoic knights could easily obey.
Aurora let out a sigh as she watched the knights dutifully follow her orders.
Just as she was about to gently set the gauntlet on the ground to treat the wounded,
“Beasts are retreating!”
A sudden shout made her look up.
“Retreating…?”
“It seems they are following Clara.”
“What do you mean?”
Aurora’s face turned pale at Andrea’s words.
“What does that mean? Does it mean Clara dashed right into the fray?”
“Right. Though I can’t exactly say she is ‘alone’ either.”
After rising and scanning the surroundings, Aurora realized that Rina and Linea were also missing from the company.
“It’s not too late. The beasts are only focusing on the Goddess, so if we chase after her, we can catch up.”
“W-what? But….”
“We’ll be alright.”
“We can manage somehow.”
The knights lying on the ground waved their hands towards Aurora, responding.
“Saintess, fulfill your duty as the Saintess.”
The duty of the Saintess.
To follow the teachings of the deity and put them into action.
And perhaps the knights deemed following the Goddess to be natural.
However,
“Well then, I’ll count on you!”
If Aurora were to chase after Clara, it wouldn’t be solely out of faith.
“Right. The knights will provide cover.”
Andrea said so, turned her head.
“Clear a path! Protect Saintess Aurora!”
“Yes!”
“Thank you.”
“Pfft, it’s only natural. We’ll follow right after anyway.”
Aurora began to run.
Just as Andrea had said, Clara didn’t seem to have gone too far. In the distance, brilliant golden lights exploded, lighting the surroundings. As I reached out toward that light, the sight of the beasts lumbering after Clara was ironically reminiscent of those reaching out for salvation.
*
I saw it.
Although I couldn’t fully see everything yet, I caught a glimpse of Jian’s shining sword striking through the swarm of beasts. And impressively, it was the Demon that was blocking that blade with its bare hands.
“…….”
The mask worn by the Demon had broken at some point. The face visible for an instant resembled that of the Demon God.
The Demon’s body was riddled with cuts and grazes, as was Jian’s, but Jian was moving with more vigor.
Even Jian was swatting away several of the beasts blocking his path as he fought.
…….
A sense of discomfort emerged.
No matter how powerful Jian was declared to be in the ‘world’,
He was designed to confront the likes of gods in singular battle. Even if the Demon hadn’t absorbed all other Demons,
The Demon was too easily overpowered while engaged with ‘other beings.’
“Grrr!”
A beast that sounded as if it could never have made such noise charged toward me. I wielded my sword over and over again, yet more beasts kept pouring down from above.
Something was definitely up there.
I unleashed another miracle. The crack in my palm widened with a crack sound. It’s okay. I can still endure. I wouldn’t need that power again after this battle.
Now, the beasts jumping toward me were all at least three times taller than I. Yet, none could withstand my full power.
I cast the power of miracles one more time. The flames of the golden light consumed the flesh of the beasts. My blood poured into them as I rushed forward. Limbs were severed, and their innards burned away. Honestly, it was a gruesome sight for a combat using divine power.
I squeezed past the beasts that hadn’t yet fallen and heard Jian and the Demon exchanging strikes.
But my gaze remained fixed on the sky.
The vortex. A massive whirlpool that felt like peering into the eye of a hurricane.
The center of that whirlpool was empty.
“……Hah.”
And within that void lay something.
Something unidentified yet unborn.
Could it be a beast?
If it were a beast, it would certainly be an immensely massive one. If it had the same posture as the beasts falling from the vortex, those two protruding horns must belong to its head.
But it didn’t strike me as merely a beast.
There was a feeling that it was something much more dangerous.
“……Ah ha.”
Is that so.
This time too, I suppose.
I raised my right hand towards the vortex. The hole seen in my palm glimmered. Blood dripped down from that very spot, falling into the air as if it could spread through the threshold.
Whether it was due to the adrenaline of battle or not, I didn’t feel the pain that initially hurt so much. Just a dull, distant sensation.
The hole in my hand signified that the connection between Ariel and I was quite robust.
I aligned the mark of the miracle with the hole of the vortex. Through my palm, I could see the head of the beast perfectly.
While I ran, I raised my other hand to cover the hole and packed all the power I possessed into that spot.
I’m sorry, but I noticed it first this time.
I wouldn’t face the risk of losing something precious as before.
*
The pillar of light stretching toward the sky appeared just after I collided with the Demon again. For a moment, Jian’s gaze was distracted, and the hand of the Demon swung down over Jian’s head. Jian jerked back to dodge that attack.
He leaped backward to create distance, then struck down two beasts charging at him.
From the very beginning, he was puzzled by how the beasts that had initiated their charge suddenly changed course; Clara had dashed toward him, it seemed.
“…….”
As the surroundings shone with radiant golden light, the Demon turned its gaze away momentarily. The Demon looked toward where the light propagated and again glanced at the point of the vortex. Then it attempted to step in that direction.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
Jian surged toward the Demon, kicking off the ground. The Demon swiftly sidestepped, but Jian managed to graze its back with the tip of his blade.
“Seems there’s something significant over there?”
He said, taunting like he had learned from Clara earlier.
“…….”
But the Demon ignored him, swinging its hands instead toward the beasts charging at Jian, redirecting them towards Clara.
But naturally, Clara wasn’t the only one there.
Golden and white lights raced across in a manner akin to laser beams, toppling the beasts behind them. The sounds of clashing blades echoed from afar. The voices of the knights could be heard too.
The Demon was slowly getting surrounded.
“Under such circumstances, it seems you won’t be thinking of stopping.”
“Indeed, I won’t.”
The Demon shifted its gaze toward Jian.
And then, it charged swiftly towards him.
“But Clara is by no means weak. She will crush such things in the blink of an eye.”
“…….”
The Demon offered no response. It focused solely on trying to take Jian’s head. Its long clawed hand was wildly swung toward him. Yet Jian dodged its fast approaches with ease. Now there were no more beasts charging this way. This side was more manageable, so Jian could fight freely.
The expressionless face of the Demon bore a form that closely resembled that of the Demon God.
Yet Jian caught hints of agitation from the claws racing toward his neck, as though the Demon desperately wished to land a hit before tiring out, much akin to a novice wielding a sword.
…Of course, others wouldn’t feel that way.
It is, in some sense, a talent to be able to reveal such agitation while maintaining the lavish demeanor of a god, Jian thought.
“…….”
After an exchange of several blows, the Demon suddenly stopped moving.
Then it looked up at the vortex.
“You endured.”
It twisted its mouth in a wicked grin.
“What?”
When Jian turned his head, from the center of the swirl, reminiscent of looking into the eye of a hurricane, something was crawling out.
Even while directly under Clara’s miracle, the flesh continued to bubble and dissolve as it clawed its way out of the void.
It was akin to witnessing a monster tearing its way out of its parent’s flesh.
That thing was, a beast—
No, it was no mere beast.
“What… another Demon?”
“While gnawing on the flesh of our kin, we thought.”
The voice of the Demon, engaged in battle with Jian, boomed. When Jian turned his gaze, the Demon stood too close for face-to-face contact. As it took two steps back, it seized Jian by the throat.
Jian swiftly swung his sword, but it embedded itself in the Demon’s neck. A sickening sound echoed, but the head didn’t detach.
“Is this truly the right move? Is surviving like this genuinely living?”
Jian girded his grip around the blade. The sword slowly prodded deeper into the Demon’s neck, yet it remained unfazed, continuing to speak.
“Even if I do this, could I truly survive?”
“Shut up!”
With all the force he could muster, Jian applied pressure downward until, ultimately, the Demon’s neck snapped through.
…But even after that, the force in Jian’s hand remained intact.
While attempting to slice through the Demon’s clothing, its fingers elongated, resembling growing trees.
…It was mimicry? It was indeed mimicry!
Though Jian sliced it through, an arm instantly sprouted from the Demon’s waist. The newly formed hand quickly ensnared Jian’s leg with rapid speed.
“You can’t kill me like this.”
Jian glared and gripped the sword tighter. The moonlit face of the Demon bore a wretched smile as it spoke.
“Right.”
And then said,
“We thought. If we are bound to perish anyway, what should we do last? What can we do to diminish this sense of futility even slightly.”
The neck, now severed and melted, seeped into the ground.
“Thus, we will kill the one who did this to us.”
The sound came from the section where Jian had cut the head. The neck that was regenerating resembled the face of a person that had melted down, grotesquely disturbing.
The faceless face pronounced, “We shall become Godslayers.”
“That meaningless act!”
“Is it meaningless? You may think so, but I consider it otherwise.”
The grinning visage of the melted face slowly took form, becoming ever more similar to the Demon God.
“To be precise, we’ve divided our roles. My role is to hold down the strongest here. You guys… yes. It seems you would say something like this while watching.”
The Demon, gazing skyward, announced,
“Sacrifice. Yes.”
And it grinned widely.
“I will sacrifice myself for the final goal of my kin.”
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