“That human?”
“He looks like a human, but inside, he’s quite inhuman.”
The strategy for fighting the gods.
I haven’t heard anything about the details of that plan.
If there were some sort of preamble, I might have been able to react to it to some extent, but unfortunately, I haven’t heard such a story, so I’m barely able to maintain my poker face.
I don’t flinch at the piercing gaze of the Empire’s king, who sits cross-legged and looks at me, but I can’t say it’s comfortable.
“Can you kill gods?”
“…It’s possible to cut them.”
Even if asked directly if I can perform a god-killing, I can’t say for sure since I’ve never actually done it.
However, based on my experience, I can say that it’s probably not impossible to cut them.
“Hoh.”
To cut a god.
Whether the god would die or not is another matter, but the Empire’s king, upon hearing the powerful words “to cut a god,” didn’t laugh but rather twisted his mouth as if impressed.
“Did I declare war on a country that harbors individuals who speak such boasts?”
“I think it’s quite brave? Well, given history, it’s unavoidable. Rather, it’s historically rare for a country that doesn’t worship gods, like yours, to become a great power. Most countries would be crushed first.”
I’m curious about what sense he implied by impressed, but I can’t interrupt the conversation between the kings.
However, I can’t overlook the unreasonable demand about god countermeasures that was suddenly made.
When I looked at the president as if to ask for an explanation, he smiled at me.
“It’s precisely because such a country exists that we have a chance.”
“A chance. We too have no intention of being easily annihilated by those arrogant gods. However, we understand that it is not an event that can be easily overturned. Demon King, are you speaking with a chance of victory?”
“Yes, otherwise I wouldn’t expend my dwindling time to come all the way here.”
Therefore, I was asked to explain my usefulness.
“Ten days from now, Tris will summon a god. That day will be the decisive battle.”
“Ten days? We don’t have much time to mobilize and move my entire army.”
“That’s not an issue elsewhere. Against a god, ordinary soldiers are of no use. We will also have everyone other than our strongest forces provide support.”
“In other words, a small, elite force. And you intend to strike down a god with that?”
The president continued the conversation with King Hannibal without providing that explanation.
I felt a sense of unease.
“Even if we strike, a phased approach is necessary. A divinity descent will summon a god to this world, but the god that descends to this world is not the main body. The main body remains in the celestial realm.”
“…Even if we defeat the summoned god, it will only be a temporary measure.”
The two kings discussed concrete measures to defeat the god, ignoring my unease.
It sounds like the president is unilaterally providing information, but King Hannibal seems to be believing every word of the president.
I don’t know where that trust comes from, but it’s better than being doubted.
“That’s correct, but we can definitely inflict damage. Even if it’s not the main body, its consciousness will inhabit that body.”
“What’s the reliability of that information?”
“It’s information I received from my god, the Moon God.”
“Kukuku, do you expect me, who doesn’t believe in gods, to believe that information?”
No, he’s not necessarily doubting it.
Is he just going along with it to avoid conflict and disagreement?
“If you don’t believe me, we can’t proceed.”
“No, if it’s the word of a god who has parted ways with the Sun God, it’s worth believing.”
They speak as if they are joking, but because a misstep could lead to the downfall of their nations, a strange tension hangs in the air.
It’s not about doubting whether the god exists or not, but about the reliability of the words themselves.
However, that tension doesn’t exist around the two kings; it spreads out from them in a donut shape.
“Isikay, then, returning to the topic, we can’t defeat the main body, but we can inflict damage on the main body from the summoned body. However, that damage won’t be fatal. If the opponent retreats to the celestial realm, they will recover and do the same thing again. It’s a vicious cycle.”
“For us, who have limited lives, it will result in leaving behind a grudge. It’s meaningless if the god rages when the value of shedding blood has diminished.”
To kill a god, fatal damage must be inflicted.
However, there is a way to inflict damage, but it doesn’t reach a fatal blow.
“So, Demon King, isn’t it about time you touched upon your chances of victory?”
“Yes, now that we’ve understood the prerequisite conditions, let’s talk about the plan to defeat the god. What we need to do is cut off the relationship between the celestial realm and Isal, severing the connection to the world, while the god is trying to destroy our world.”
“What?”
Then, as if to say, “Why don’t you just inflict a fatal wound?”, the president declared with a smile.
Everyone here thought, “What is he talking about?”
“Are you sane? This world is managed by gods. You want to sever this world from the gods, who are its managers?”
The prerequisite condition itself is contradictory, causing King Hannibal, who seemed to be in a good mood until just now, to furrow his brow.
“I’m sane. And it’s him who can make it possible.”
And this time, I was embroiled.
From the nature of being embroiled, I understood what I needed to do.
“…”
The moment I understood, I wondered if I could do it, and landed on the point that it was theoretically possible.
“You seem to be troubled… Can’t you do it? Demon King. Surely you are more capable than that human.”
“That’s true. However, unfortunately, my power is not as honed as his. While I have overwhelming overall strength, when it comes to cutting, I believe he is the greatest being in this world.”
What the president is trying to do is essentially an enlarged version of cutting the range of the Gate of Light.
The target has simply changed from the Gate of Light to the god.
Even though I describe it as “simply changed,” the mere thought of how difficult that is makes me feel sick.
At this point, I could raise an issue by stating that the possibility is low.
However, it is also a fact that, setting aside that point, it is theoretically possible.
“I think we’ll have a much more constructive discussion if we move beyond whether it’s possible or not.”
“…I see. That’s true.”
Realistically, the only entity that can provide certainty regarding a plan to counter the gods is to bring the Moon God to the battlefield.
If there’s any other way to achieve victory, it’s all the better.
“Well then, let me hear about the effects of that plan.”
I’m curious about that as well.
Frankly, I have no idea what will happen if I, of all people, can separate the world from the gods.
“Yes, I mentioned earlier that we need to take steps to defeat the god. The first step of the plan to have him separate the god from the world is to steal the god’s faith.”
“Steal faith?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The president said that he had a power that could influence something as difficult to destroy as faith, even though I had no prior prediction.
The president’s smile was not a simple grin, but a sly, demon king-like smile.
He exuded a wicked pleasure, like a mischievous child, as if he were looking forward to it.
“The energy a god needs to sustain itself is recognition. Recognition from all sorts of beings. In any way, whether it’s awe, respect, admiration, fear, dread, aversion, positive emotions to negative emotions, recognition encompasses a wide range and is the root of a god’s power. Conversely, a god’s power gradually wanes if it is not recognized.”
The president, who seemed to be enjoying the act of killing gods, became talkative and couldn’t stop once he started speaking.
“For an original god, if its name is known throughout a world, it will not lose that energy. Why is that? Because it’s impossible not to be recognized. Gods fundamentally have a convenient energy acquisition method called faith. If a god remains famous throughout long history, it can accumulate thousands of years of reserves. That’s why it can possess power that is mistaken for being bottomless.”
If this is the case, if this can be done.
The president, who began explaining the logic, couldn’t stop.
He was getting more and more enthusiastic.
“However, that’s just how it appears, it’s not truly bottomless. Currently, the Sun God’s faith is showing signs of decline. The population of the country that worshipped it the most is less than one-hundredth of its peak. It has also caused damage to believers in neighboring countries, and the god’s trust is at an all-time low. By drawing on its reserves and using its power, the balance remains in the red. And this will continue indefinitely. Even if it gains recognition from the Empire’s people through fear, the balance will be negative.”
It was clear what kind of emotions were involved, and the president, who understood how to corner a god, happily presented the god-killing plan to the king of a great power.
“At this timing, we will sever the summoned god from the world. Specifically, what we need to do is look at this map.”
“…It’s a map of the vicinity of Tris’s capital.”
As if prepared as reference material, the president took out a map from his pocket and spread it out in front of him.
The content was a map of the vicinity of Tris’s capital.
“Magic circles are formed using the capital. You can see at a glance that it was specifically made to summon a god from the outset. And that spell extends outside the castle walls.”
The president’s finger traced across the map, explaining the role of each part. Despite the use of various technical terms, the Empire’s king followed along, occasionally nodding and remembering the content.
“In other words, this capital itself is the formation for summoning a god. Therefore, it’s safe to say that the capital also bears the role of connecting the god to the world.”
“If this capital is separated, the god will be affected as well, is that correct?”
“Yes, in our estimation, that alone will shave off twenty percent of its power.”
“Only that much… Does that mean there are other things to do?”
Meticulously, he remembered our plan and, while also asking questions about it, considered cooperating positively.
“Yes, of course.”
And from my perspective, it’s clearly visible, but the Empire’s king seems to love playing mischievous tricks just like our president.
Matching the president’s enthusiasm to do something interesting, he showed a sly smile, like a villainous official.
“Do you know, King of the Empire?”
“What is it, Demon King?”
With each other playing along with dramatic responses, the president was itching to speak, and the King of the Empire was looking forward to what would come next.
“Gods can be cursed.”
And then, chuckling to himself, the president began to explain what he would do to the gods.
Is this something only the president knows, or is it something that a very small part of the Demon Lord’s Army would naturally know?
Everyone present listened to the president’s words in stunned silence.
“…I see. If that’s the case, it seems we can do something incredible.”
“Yes, undoubtedly, the current Sun God is in the process of digging its grave with unimaginable speed.”
And so, the president’s presentation, in which he stated that gods can be cursed, concluded.
The King of the Empire, having heard the content, turned from his initial expressionless face to a satisfied smile, as if he had heard something interesting.
“If that’s the case, the conversation will be swift. We have someone skilled in such matters. I will send them over to assist you.”
“That would be helpful. We also have many subordinates skilled in that area, but the opponent is a god. Even so, it’s frankly not enough.”
And then, the King of the Empire smoothly extended his right hand.
The president grasped it in return.
“Retribution to the gods.”
“Yes, retribution to the gods.”
Thus, an alliance between the Empire and the Demon Lord’s Army was formed.
Today’s word
Being relied upon is not a bad thing.
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