A blast of light rained down from the sky, a merciless purge. J-Star’s consciousness flickered out for a moment, struck by the light. He had engaged in plenty of fierce battles before, but this was the first time his memory of what happened before and after had completely vanished.
When he came to, he was lying face down within the armor of a Magikara. The armor, crafted by the rare genius Davine, had protected him even from the terrifying light of purification.
“Gah…!”
“Don’t fall…!”
“H-hold on…!”
The armor, suspended in mid-air, plummeted amidst smoke and damage. The remaining fragments supported many warriors, including J-Star and his companions.
Beside him were Sua and Gronzon, shielding her.
“Gronzon!”
“Get back…!”
Sua cried out in urgency. He saw fragments of Magikara armor piercing Gronzon’s body, his flesh scorched. His prosthetic arm was shattered. It seemed he had absorbed the full force of the destruction that the previous attack couldn’t deflect.
“You get back! Gronzon!”
“Nngh…”
But in the end, he was critically injured. J-Star lunged forward, calling out to the functional Magikara. With a jarring dissonance, the intact armor began to move.
However, it was far from reassuring. It was doubtful if it could withstand even the aftermath of the previous attack, let alone the attack itself.
“AAAAAAAAAAAHAHahahahaHAAAHAAAHAAAAAAA!!!”
“What…!”
As if mocking J-Star’s thoughts, an angel descended. J-Star was speechless at the sight. A one-eyed angel was strange enough, but this one had further mutated. Half of its body had transformed into a dragon-like beast, and its limbs were of disparate lengths.
It was unstable. While J-Star was unconscious, some kind of trouble must have befallen its creator. But he couldn’t tell if it was good or bad. After all, they were about to be killed by these distorted angels.
“To ashes, flame!”
Sua unleashed her power in response, but it was precarious. She had likely used her power to the limit to protect the warriors and themselves. The flames that could resist God were about to burn out.
J-Star gritted his teeth. He was the only one who could move. He had to protect them. He might die, but he still had to protect his family in Uuga, and her keepsake.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA–OOOGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!????”
“What!?”
But just as J-Star was about to leap, a giant fist of light slammed into the side of an angel that was about to brandish a “Heavenly Sword” imitation. J-Star couldn’t comprehend it. But he recognized the glowing fist.
“Heavenly Sage…!? Why…!”
The power of the Sun God’s fragment, the giant of light, which he had controlled, entrusted to his child, passed to the hero, and retrieved by the creator, was somehow punching and destroying the angel. If the angel was a scout manipulated by the creator, it made no sense for the Sun God’s fragment to destroy it. The phenomenon before him was unexplainable.
The giant of light, standing protectively before Sua, said nothing. But the way it shielded everyone behind it, the gesture of protecting Sua, looked like…
“Father?”
It looked like the figure of a friend who had departed.
As if affirming this, Sua whispered softly.
◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆
Uuga, being the furthest away and thus able to observe the situation most accurately, was also in chaos.
“What’s happening!?”
“We don’t know!!”
The observing magician screamed. All the instruments used to observe the situation indicated abnormal values. They had no choice but to confirm visually, but the scene projected by the long-distance crystal was even more incomprehensible. Countless lights were spilling from the colossal body of the creator, who had sought to erase the entire world, overflowing and radiating everywhere. This was a phenomenon caused by the creator losing control of its power due to the “incident” of that Demon God.
Up to that point, it was fine. The problem was after that.
The situation had drastically changed due to the magic unleashed by Rino, who had been engrossed in her research without responding to any calls until just before, here.
“The power that spilled from the creator… it’s like it has a will of its own…?”
The moment Rino’s newly created magic circle expanded, the movement of the light overflowing from the Giant God’s body changed further. Parts of the light began to move freely as if alive, and initiated independent actions.
There was no uniformity. However, their actions—attacking the angels filling the sky, defending Uuga from the angels’ attacks, shielding the warriors fighting on the front lines—were clearly acting as their allies, which was completely unexplainable.
They had benefited from Rino’s magic many times. Therefore, the people of Uuga were familiar with her magic. It was the magic that created complex and mysterious phenomena through intricate magic circles. It was a tremendous technique that allowed her to single-handedly create magical phenomena similar to those caused by spirits. However, that power was not an uncertain miracle, but a reproducible phenomenon based on knowledge. The situation unfolding before them was far too chaotic and unexplainable.
“The magic created by my master is soul reinforcement magic. It’s the culmination of Shintani’s long years of research, a reinforcement technique to strengthen the soul without sacrifice, and simultaneously enhance the power within.”
As if answering everyone’s doubts, Rukideus, who had studied under Rino, began to speak. However, confusion flickered across his face as well.
“It’s a reinforcement of both the body and the soul. Therefore, the power contained within the soul is also affected. That is a fact.”
“But even if it’s reinforced, why would the power spilled from God move on its own?”
Karkara voiced his question while gazing at the long-distance crystal. If the light had been enhanced by Rino, then so be it. But she hadn’t been able to freely control these powers. According to Rukideus’s explanation, it didn’t possess such properties. So what was this phenomenon? The power spilled from God was just power. It wasn’t even a soul without a body. It wasn’t even a living creature, so why was it moving like a living thing, and moreover, why was it protecting them instead of the creator?
“I see.”
However, amidst this, Shintani, a researcher from the Demon Realm, murmured softly. His eyes were fixed on the countless powers reflected in the long-distance crystal.
“Shintani?”
“Malicious emotions can alter magic power and turn it into poison… but…”
He didn’t respond to Karkara’s call. While stunned, he scratched his head with a look like a child who had realized a simple oversight.
“It can’t just be malicious emotions.”
◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆
Gronzon had no time to be surprised by the sudden appearance of the giant of light.
“Hmm!?”
A portion of the light spilled from the Giant God, the Creator’s body, began to gather around Gronzon. Light converged and coalesced on his wounded and damaged body, as well as his broken arm.
“Th-this…!”
The power, emanating a starlit radiance, formed a fist in place of his shattered prosthetic arm. Gronzon raised his arm with shock. Of course, he didn’t understand any of what was happening. But the emotions and feelings conveyed by the fist led his intuition to a clear conclusion.
“The successive Heavenly Fists…!!”
Gronzon understood that it was the condensed crystallization of the prayers of the successive Heavenly Fists who repelled evil, protected people, served the king, and passed on their legacy to those who followed, the successive Seven Heavens. The overflowing power clearly spoke of this.
“Then!!”
The strength returned to his body, which had been on the verge of death. Pushed by the wishes and prayers of the past Seven Heavens, Gronzon struck with all his might.
“Haja Tsuman: Gōha Seishō!!!”
A pure bell sound, dispelling all evil and protecting humanity, rang out, instantly obliterating the angels flying around them.
◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆
“Wha—!?”
J-Star’s eyes widened in astonishment at the power suddenly unleashed by the dying Gronzon. He had no idea what had happened, but it was undoubtedly the power of the Heavenly Fist. For some reason, the power of the Seven Heavens, stolen by the creator, was gathering around Gronzon.
“Rayline’s enhancement… and this is…”
Lights also gathered in the sky. They seemed to cooperate, forming circles, spinning, and tearing holes in the sky with their radiance. In the center of the crimson sky, an endless darkness and the twinkling of stars reappeared.
“Heaven Prayer…?”
“Star Sea…”
Sua looked up at the sky in surprise, as if realizing something. J-Star followed her gaze, and countless lights descended from the starry sky, gathering around Sua. Amidst the light spilling from the creator, they appeared, emitting various colors and happily converging around Sua.
“Everyone.”
J-Star understood they were spirits. The prayers of the successive Heaven Prayers and the spirits who followed and admired them gathered around Sua as light. They mingled with the gray flames Sua now harbored, merging into a great power.
“Lady Sua!”
“—I’m going.”
Sua nodded at J-Star’s call and unleashed her power.
“Six Radiant Manifestation: Gray Flame Dragon.”
It resembled the form that the strongest dragon had manifested in the Labyrinth of Greed. The young king, combining a halo and the gray flames protecting it, took flight, leading countless spirits. No longer fearing the immense Vortex of Destruction filling space, nor the maddened angels.
“This is insane…! Huh!?”
And J-Star realized that Sua and Gronzon weren’t the only ones experiencing this. Power was beginning to gather around him as well.
“Successive Heavenly Robes…! Honestly, why me of all people!”
J-Star’s face twitched slightly as he felt the power—too strong, laden with sincere wishes and prayers—accumulating around him, a man who flitted between the Demon Realm, the Ark, and Dragon’s Maw like a bat.
Ah, but still, it was a blessing! Even if it was an excessive amount of power, he would use it now to protect his family, his loved ones.
“Imitation… No.”
He would imitate and reproduce the power. As he usually did, he intended to do so, but J-Star realized that the power that had gathered no longer required imitation.
“Heavenly Robe Without Flaw!!”
The formless power, ever-shifting, coursed freely, leaping like a whip, slashing like a blade, piercing like a spear, and moving as fast as an arrow, annihilating the angels.
◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆
The purification light unleashed by the creator. Its destructive power extended over a vast area. And it reached Zain and his companions, who had infiltrated the creator’s interior. Naturally, the creator had detected the presence of foreign bodies within itself. It was easy for it to direct its power only at the internal intruders, without harming itself.
The former companions, swallowed by the vortex of light, were beaten down by the power—
“—Honestly, I’m a tenacious one…”
But they had survived. From the dark fleshy walls, Greyre crawled out from beneath the wing of Garuda, who had shielded him, his head bleeding profusely.
《—》
“Honestly, you’re devoted, unlike your creator…?”
Garuda’s mechanical eyes flickered amidst severe damage. But it chirped weakly, as if concerned for its master, Greyre. Greyre smiled wryly at the sound. He stroked its head, and it seemed satisfied, its light momentarily intensifying before all its functions ceased.
“Well done.”
Saying uncharacteristic words of praise, Greyre extracted the control formula from Garuda’s head. If it wasn’t so severely damaged, it might have revived. Of course, that was if he survived what came next.
“Hey! I almost died!”
“You survived… thanks to Garuda?”
Clauran and Zain emerged from behind Greyre. They were all battered, but alive. It wasn’t just luck that they had all survived.
“I raised the defense to protect the Hero, but that doesn’t explain it.”
Greyre accurately assessed Garuda’s performance, without bias or underestimation. Garuda’s defensive capabilities were excellent, but he didn’t overestimate its durability to the point of completely protecting them from the creator’s chaotic power. Another factor was needed. But what had happened?
“This is…”
Then he noticed. Around Garuda, which had already ceased functioning, countless formations were deployed. Self-operating formations manipulated by Greyre were constructing a barrier.
“Did you control it?”
“No. I’m completely drained of magic power.”
Greyre shook his head at Zain’s question. After infiltrating Babel, he and Zain had been working for a long time. He had given up his “Sky Devil” ability and the “Divine Medicine” to the other combatants, leaving him almost entirely out of magic power. He should have been too depleted to activate the self-operating formations.
“Hmm, is this mana supply from the Starstone?”
“My control over the Starstone with the professor is balanced or slightly disadvantageous. Why was it able to be siphoned off…”
While questioning Clauran’s analysis, they arrived before the Starstone again. Facing the monitor made of bio-components, Greyre frowned. A struggle for the Starstone. There were traces of a control competition having taken place in Greyre’s absence. It was as if several incredibly skilled magicians had been present and had undertaken the task in Greyre’s stead. And it was still ongoing.
“Successive Sky Devils…? Even without souls in their blessings, their thoughts have been altered…?”
Witnessing this, Greyre finally understood what had happened. He reached the same conclusion as Shintani had outside, and Greyre, unusually, laughed with a sense of anticlimax.
“Can such things happen… Honestly, it pays to live long.”
“It really does.”
Wiping away the flowing blood, Zain nodded. He glanced at Greyre and offered a tiny smile.
“I’m grateful that you weren’t a long-serving Sky Devil, you good-for-nothing.”
“That’s what you’re focusing on!?”
Indeed, Greyre had existed since the Ark’s creation, but the actual period he served as the “Sky Devil” was not that long, contrary to his abilities. He had served as the “Sky Devil” sporadically, but it never lasted. He would often cause trouble and yield his position to someone else. He had never imagined it would have such an effect.
“If you were on the other side, you definitely wouldn’t help!”
“Indeed! I can state that with certainty!”
Clauran also laughed cheerfully. Greyre, who always chattered and mocked others, could not retort and resigned himself to focusing on the task.
