Duke Yuma was feeling quite angry after overhearing an odd conversation between Princess Brigitte and Incrinew.
It was really just his anger directed towards Incrinew, who had delivered a prophecy through the Holy Maiden, just for his own amusement, as he watched humanity lose its humanity.
The three people that Incrinew had placed on his scale for the first time were:
Brigitte, Cloney, and Bell.
Yuma had taken a liking to all three of them.
When he first fell into this world, he had received a notification.
It was to “[Clear]” this world.
They were just the perfect companions for that [Clear] journey.
A genius of magic.
A genius of the sword.
And the Emperor’s princess.
Setting aside the prophecy, they were three individuals who fit perfectly with Yuma’s goals.
And he liked them all on a human level too.
Because they hadn’t given up.
Born as the witch’s daughter, she hadn’t lost hope.
Not crushed by the burden of her clan’s sins.
Not frustrated by being pushed down the line of succession.
But now, an audacious god had appeared, attempting to crush such companions solely for their own amusement.
A god trying to smash the journey they had walked together so far.
That was something that couldn’t be condoned, even for a god.
And Yuma saw a possibility to kill that god.
He had successfully turned that possibility into reality.
Clatter—
Yuma picked up a golden pocket that was lying on the ground. It was from the very spot where Incrinew had just been.
He quickly checked the pocket using [Search Eye].
[God’s Pocket]
A spatial pocket carried by a god.
It meant that it was a spatial pocket used by Incrinew.
Whoosh—
Without hesitation, Yuma stuffed the god’s pocket into his own spatial pocket.
He also put the weeping and destruction sword, [Balmung], lying on the ground into his spatial pocket.
Ding—!
After collecting the items of the dead god, a notification rang in his head.
[Evil God – ‘The Suffering Mercy – Incrinew’ has been defeated!]
Tip!
[Increasing your physical rank can help you transcend from a mere mortal.]
Tip!
[You have defeated one of the Eight Evil Gods! Defeating all Eight Evil Gods will bring you closer to [Clear]!]
The first tip was something he already instinctively knew.
What mattered was the second tip.
The Eight Evil Gods.
Something new had popped up again.
However, it was clear and necessary information for [Clear].
Although the thought of having to kill seven more gods felt daunting, it was better than knowing nothing.
‘What exactly are you?’
A system.
Are you an individual or a group?
If your purpose is to kill evil gods, were you created by an opposing force? An adversary?
Or is killing evil gods just a secondary goal?
There wasn’t even enough data to make any valid deductions yet.
There wasn’t even a sample worth mentioning.
As for whether the achievement has been reached or if there will be a reward, that remains a mystery for now.
As always, after a quick nap, maybe things will refresh themselves.
Thud…
Yuma let the sweat drip down his chin, staring at the stains it left on the ground.
“I’m tired.”
Mental strength.
Focus.
All of it had been poured out more fiercely than ever since he was summoned to this world.
It was only natural for extreme fatigue to weigh down his body.
Yuma turned around.
And only then did he realize that everyone’s eyes were on him.
*
First Prince Schwarze was watching everything.
And he gave up.
When Incrinew’s power, [Finality], engulfed the entire vicinity of the temple.
At that moment, he surrendered all hope for life.
But that man, Yuma, did not give up until the very end.
“He… killed a god.”
If he were to step out of this temple and claim that to someone, they’d surely tell him to stop with the insane talk.
Yet, it was reality.
The God of War, Yuma, had killed a god.
He looked at Princess Brigitte, who was standing beside the man who killed the god.
He thought of her as an unreasonable being, basking in the divine favor.
However, she was receiving the aura of someone even greater than a god.
The aura of a Godslayer.
“…Ha.”
He couldn’t help but exhale a sigh, feeling drained.
Under the pressure of Incrinew’s divine powers, he opened his tightly sealed mouth, emanating a strong stench.
The Emperor.
Schwarze pondered on that grand title.
Brigitte had responded to him during their conversation.
She said she wouldn’t want to let Cloney and Bell die, not choosing between the two. If it came to it, she would rather die herself.
“I…”
There was absolutely no way he could make such a choice.
Schwarze knew the limits of his own integrity.
“If I were in that position, I likely would have let one of them die.”
He knew that he wasn’t suddenly enlightened or repentant.
He was struck by deep disappointment in himself.
This led to an utter loss of motivation.
Ambitions that hit rock bottom were not so easily restored.
The blonde prince, Schwarze, slowly lifted himself up. He finally calmed down his trembling legs and walked towards Brigitte.
The Seat of Prophecy.
And in front of it, he knelt down.
“I concede.”
He continued speaking.
“I think the one worthy of being the emperor of Astes is not me, but you, Brigitte.”
“…Brother.”
Brigitte felt the sincerity in Schwarze’s words.
It wasn’t just something said out of fear or pressure from the atmosphere.
Schwarze slowly stood himself up.
“After witnessing your coronation, may I… Duke Balzac, spend some time in your territory? I want to feel the intensity of the North.”
“Can I stay here for a moment? I want to feel the intensity of the North.”
Just as Duke Balzac, who had barely recovered, leaned against the white pillars of the temple, he burst into a quiet chuckle.
“The North does not stop the coming heroes.”
Balzac shifted his gaze from Prince Schwarze to Duke Yuma.
‘The God of War… not just in title, but truly a God of War.’
Conclusion.
He was merely a speck of dust in that world, rendered powerless by ‘good.’
But that man shattered the thick world of conclusion.
‘The peak of nothingness…’
His will to say he wanted to fight just once before Incrinew descended completely died.
The gap.
At such a gap, it was obvious that just one exchange would determine the outcome. His defeat.
Balzac slowly stood up.
The pain continued. He had administered emergency treatment with potions, but he needed healing magic quickly.
“Kairos, go ahead. The next Emperor has been decided, hasn’t it?”
Sweat dripped down Kairos’s brown hair. It was not a situation suitable for a man nearing old age.
He was half-conscious.
Marquis Kairos stuttered as he spoke.
“…God of War… I will never speak of what I saw today.”
Ignoring the nobles, Kairos bowed deeply towards Yuma, who was walking towards Brigitte, Cloney, and Bell.
A deep bow.
It was a sign of respect for the one who killed a god.
Balzac smirked.
“Where could I go to speak of it? Who would believe me? Until next time, Your Highness.”
Duke Balzac, Marquis Kairos, and Prince Schwarze moved into the teleportation space together.
Yuma knelt down to meet Brigitte’s gaze.
“Are you okay?”
“…Yuma, you always surpass my expectations.”
Yuma silently agreed.
This incident had exceeded even his wildest expectations.
Suddenly, Brigitte raised her right hand and poked Yuma’s right cheek.
“What are you doing?”
Brigitte chuckled at Yuma’s words.
“I just wanted to check if you were human… what you did is something no human could possibly do.”
Then, she opened her right hand and gently caressed Yuma’s cheek.
“Thank you, Yuma.”
Brigitte seemed to lose all her strength and lay back on the divine seat.
“…The demon army said they would invade the continent in five months. That too, with millions.”
Brigitte recalled what Incrinew had said.
Yuma nodded slowly.
“We just have to stop them.”
Princess Brigitte giggled lightly at such an obvious statement.
Duke Yuma spoke like he could prevent it, but his mind was racing differently.
‘If it’s an invasion of the continent, they’ll come from the sea too. The mountains will be the same. Should I gather allies from other races?’
He was calculating very quickly about the battle with the demon army.
It was a calculation to survive.
Cloney walked up to Yuma, her eyes sparkling.
“I… I belong to you, right?”
Cloney’s golden eyes locked onto Yuma.
For a moment, Yuma thought, what nonsense was this kid babbling about?
In the last moment of killing God Incrinew, Yuma remembered his own words.
– Because they coveted what’s mine.
Despite the chaotic situation, Cloney had clearly remembered Yuma’s words and etched them into her mind.
Her bright, shining gaze.
It seemed like the truth of those words was the most important thing to the black-haired, golden-eyed girl right now.
“…Yeah.”
Yuma had no choice but to respond to that almost earnest plea. Her gaze was far too desperate.
“That’s enough for me.”
Cloney beamed and stepped back.
The swordswoman with blue hair and pink eyes, Bell, slowly approached Yuma.
Unlike her previous demeanor, there was now a hint of distance.
“Why did you bring me here? Really.”
That was a very fundamental question.
“With that power, you can draw a sword path like that.”
Again, only Bell vaguely saw it.
The movements of Yuma.
The single gap in the world of conclusion, the world of black and white.
And Bell saw Yuma breaking the divine authority searching for that tiny light.
She couldn’t even perceive that light herself.
With seeming ease, Yuma found that one glimmer.
“Even able to kill a god…”
And then, he killed the god.
“I was really just brought here because of divine intervention.”
Yuma placed his hand on the grip of the sword that Bell held tightly.
“You will surely become an even greater swordswoman than I am.”
“…What?”
“You’ll be far greater than a guy like me. Your talent speaks for that. Your efforts say it too. Just by enduring and walking on that path, you prove it.”
Bell was left speechless at those almost deceiving yet infinitely warm words.
“Let’s go.”
Yuma slowly rose to his feet.
“I’m quite tired.”
Hestia perked her cat ears and followed Yuma.
“Yes! Yuma, if you’re tired, you should rest!”
She couldn’t help but use honorifics.
Yuma abruptly halted his steps as he urged toward the temple.
The Holy Maiden, who had just lost her deity, was trembling.
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