“Hmph? That’s a moment for cheers and applause, you brats.”
Demon King Black, or rather, Demon God Black, laughed heartily as if he could hear every word spoken by everyone on the battlefield. His current form was clearly different from his original state, appearing as a child. A small, black dragon clung to him.
“Ugh, seriously? That’s all I can say, Black.”
Facing him, Ul sighed, using his Ash Flame, a greyish flame, to dismember the impaled blade and break free from his restraints. The mutated Heavenly Fool, Ash Flame, remained within Ul.
It was only the Demon King’s soul that had been dragged out by the Creator, and having seized the opportunity to slip inside the God.
“Don’t cry about that reaction, it’s like a disgusting bug just showed up. And yet, you don’t seem that surprised.”
“I just thought your death was suspiciously clean.”
“No way… After that cool old-and-new handover?”
“I just figured you’d show up shamelessly afterward. Most people wouldn’t. You’re just too thick-skinned.”
Putting aside shame and the like, it was something most people couldn’t do. Even if told they could, they wouldn’t believe it. But Ul, having faced him directly, had a sense of certainty.
There was something off from the moment this man, who anticipated every possible situation and layered plans upon plans, had pressed him with the words, “You must kill me,” when they fought.
This guy didn’t respect battles where lives were on the line.
“Rest assured, Ul.”
Then Black, who had used Ul as a bridge to regenerate his body with the God’s essence, smiled a seemingly refreshing smile and gave a thumbs-up.
“We are now!! Your allies!!!”
“Allies, huh…”
“Oh??? What’s with that face, like ‘Maybe the enemy would have been better…’?”
“That’s exactly right. Look back at your own actions again.”
“Ehh… Wow, crap, what kind of scoundrel is this? He might as well die, right?”
“It’s impressive you can do self-analysis…”
In a situation where the world was on the brink of destruction, their exchange, which sounded like a joke, made one’s guard drop. It also made one’s consciousness fade, almost to the point of death.
“What… are… you…”
Then, the convulsing Creator finally turned their attention to them.
◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆
The Creator’s state was bizarre.
At first glance, there seemed to be no damage. At least, the damage to its back had already been repaired. However, the God’s condition was clearly unstable. The Giant God, seated transcendently at the center of Plaudia, trembled. Its expression was one of apparent agony.
“Nice to meet you. Father. I’m your baby, a few dozen seconds old? Please acknowledge me.”
Taunting the Creator, Demon God Black greeted it with a serene smile. The Creator, who had previously paid them no mind, clearly focused on the black demon god before them and uttered a hateful word.
“A part of it.”
“Couldn’t hijack the whole thing, huh. Just a tiny graze was all I could manage. Tough, tough, I’ve never seen anyone more of a genius than me.”
Black laughed. Then, he glanced at the dragon clinging to him, and the dragon, with a look of annoyance, produced something from thin air.
“B-but, I managed to get this.”
It was a sword. The Star Sword. The sword that selected the Hero who would become the God’s vessel, and the control device that bound and maintained the powers of the gods. When the God appeared, both of these swords were absorbed and assimilated by the God. The Demon God now held it in its hand.
Upon seeing it, the Creator’s expression clearly contorted.
“I figured it out when I tried it myself. Resurrection is a lot of work. To make matters worse, to rampage after being reborn, using two gods as sustenance? That wouldn’t go smoothly, would it?”
Juggling the two swords, swords that in a sense decided the fate of the world, as if they were mere toys, Demon God Black spoke plainly.
“That’s why the Star Sword was necessary. Was it for a supplementary device?”
“Give it back—”
The Creator reached out. The moment Ul heard those words, he looked up at the sky. At the same time, Black broke into a smile so wide it seemed his face would split.
He knew. He understood. He knew exactly how this man would respond to being told to “give it back” in response to such a delightful request.
“I WON’T.”
Laughing boisterously, the Demon God shattered the two Star Swords before the Creator’s eyes.
◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆
The consequences of the Demon God’s barbarism were clear.
For a moment, the Giant God’s movements ceased abruptly. The hand reaching out towards the Demon God froze, and everything stopped as if time had stopped.
Then, the next moment, an explosion occurred.
“What the—!?”
It was an explosion on a scale far beyond anything seen during the Demon God’s birth. A large amount of light was emitted from the God, overflowing in all directions. But it wasn’t an attack. It seemed to have no target. The pillars of light pierced the Giant God itself. They also grazed Ul’s body. There was no control whatsoever.
“What did you do!!!”
Ul couldn’t help but demand of Demon God Black.
“Broke the Star Sword, the control device.”
“What happens after that!?”
“I DON’T KNOW!”
“This is the worst!!!”
It truly was the worst. He wanted him dead. But then he remembered he had killed this man once before. What a mess.
The change continued. The Creator, overflowing with light, writhed and convulsed before raising its body again. Far from the cold, detached words of before, it let out an inexpressible roar as the demon god appeared, and the shattered back shone even brighter.
“What…!?”
“KYAHАHАHАHАHАHАHАHА!!!!”
Angels poured out of the God’s body.
Although described as angels, their forms were different from the angelic scouts Diz had created. Rather, they were twisted. They had the bodies of angels and the limbs of dragons, a single eye for a head, and golden swords and spears clutched in both arms, all emitting constant peals of laughter.
Bizarre, abnormal, monstrous – these angels, embodying the Creator’s mutated state, flew about and poured out continuously, yet they eyed their prey and pounced.
“Huh, I see? Buying time until stabilization?”
“You’ve stopped caring about appearances, haven’t you? Desperate.”
“Damn it, huh!?”
Angels, Silver Dragons, or the “Eyes” of the purification device. Ul was familiar with these beings. Therefore, he did not hesitate to deal with them. Facing a single, leaping angel, Ul readied himself, superimposed Ash Flame onto Dragon Slayer, and swung.
“KYAAAААААА!!!?”
“Gah…!!”
Ash Flame burned the angels’ bodies halfway through, then shattered them further. But Ul winced at the resistance he felt.
Hard…!
Incredibly hard. It was comparable to, or even exceeded, the magical power of real dragons. Nevertheless, he put strength into the spear he held and swung with all his might.
“AAA…!!”
Scattered, the angel shattered and disappeared. Ul, enduring the pain throughout his body, felt a moment of relief in having dealt with it—but he couldn’t afford to relax at all. He couldn’t.
“KYAHАHАHАHАHАHАHАHА!!!”
While he dealt with a single angel, other angels of the same kind continued to be born endlessly. As if to cover the dark red sky, these radiant, grotesque angels continued to be generated from the Creator’s body.
“You’ve got to be kidding me…!”
“Ah, by the way, we took a bit of the God’s power, but we’re just level 1 babies, so don’t expect us to fight.”
“Sleepy.”
“I wish you’d just die already!!”
Ul yelled curses at the Demon God and the dragon, who had devolved into mere chatter.
