The created paradise, the sky of the Ark, fills with light.
No, not just the sky of the Ark. Outside the Ark, the planet itself, where humanity once flourished, was ravaged, and then declined, is enveloped in light. The magic formula that painted the sky was exquisite and beautiful, yet it felt merciless.
When that light filled and completed, the light of judgment would descend.
Everyone who witnessed the spreading light foresaw and was certain of it. Even those who didn’t know the circumstances were convinced. Those without the power to resist it clasped their hands, knelt, and simply prayed for mercy. In this world without sun or moon, they desperately begged for mercy.
However, those with the power to resist had not yet knelt.
At the very center of the Ark, before the Giant God born from devouring Babel, the god who filled the sky with light to punish everything, they charged. The Ash King, leading the way, raised twin spears and shouted.
“When the attack comes, dive into the teleportation array! Don’t try to block it!!”
Everyone nodded at his voice and ran on the path formed by Machine Screw floating in the sky, approaching the Giant God. However, the Giant God, which had already recognized them as enemies, no longer held the complacency to allow enemies to approach.
“Scatter!!!”
The Giant God unleashed magic. As expected, the power and scale exceeded what humanity could handle, and its ferocity became even more intense than before. However, the Ash King and the others had already seen, known, and experienced this. They all dove into the dark mirror and teleportation array deployed by the Queen of Twilight and Heaven Prayer, instantly vanishing from the spot and evading the attack.
“Cheiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
The moment the attack vanished, the first to leap out was the noble fist fighter who, even in this situation, remained unbroken and stood on the front lines.
“Shatter Evil Heaven Fist!!!”
The bell of Heaven Fist resounded. It shattered the magic power barrier covering the Giant God’s entire body, layer by layer. The moment it broke, a noise like immense splintering glass echoed. While shattering layer after layer, they gradually approached the Giant God.
However, naturally, the Giant God did not leave the approaching enemies unchecked.
A part of the Giant God’s wings, stretching towards the sky, began to stir.
Even though it was a part, that part alone was immense. Each of its countless feather-like blades, which stretched out like branches from a great tree, was a sword of light composed of tens or hundreds stacked upon each other. Blades possessing absolute cleaving power shot out all at once.
“Heavenly Robe Without Flaw!!”
To intercept it, Heavenly Robe unleashed its power. Its ever-changing power continuously struck down the endlessly showering blades. The adaptable robe batted away an unmanageable number of swords. However, the light swords that were repelled regenerated as soon as they broke and once again rushed towards the external enemies.
“Oooooh…!”
Even with the power of ever-changing adaptability, it couldn’t repel everything. Yet, even as Heavenly Robe was cut and pierced by the blades, it did not cease to wield its power. It repelled only the fatal blades, continuing to exert its power with only its limbs for movement. And trusting in Heavenly Robe, Heaven Fist continued to deliver its blows.
“Gaaaah, Aaaaaah!!!”
The final barrier protecting the Giant God shattered. At the same time, Heavenly Robe’s garment hooked onto the cracked hole as if prying open a door, forcibly widening it. However, the Giant God was waiting.
The shape of its wings changed. The two wings overlapped, changing into an eye-like shape, and an immense power overflowed. Two gods, a cursed prayer, and malicious faith that would destroy the world became power. Though unstable, it was more than sufficient to be released externally as pure Destructive Energy.
“Twilight!!”
In response, a darkness that swallowed everything expanded, consuming the roar unleashed by the god’s jaw.
The Queen of Usurpation protected everyone with the boundless darkness. At the same time, on the opposite side of the Giant God, she created new darkness. There appeared Heaven Prayer.
“Six Radiance: Heaven Prayer Spirit King!”
Heaven Prayer appeared and empowered its strength. The Vortex of Destruction of discarded malignant feelings was amplified and returned to the Giant God. The target was the twin wings, which continued to carve and spread magic formulas in the sky. Moving to shatter the wings that sought to lead everything to ruin.
Naturally, the Giant God understood what its opponents intended. The two wings, carving the sky as if to show off, were not only wings of judgment but also bait for the rebels who rejected them.
The deployed magic formula captured the enemy’s maximum firepower. And—
It repeated, and returned.
The attack, which layered all manner of protection to destroy the wings, turned its fangs towards them once more. And what’s more—
“They’re multiplying…!”
—Dozen upon dozen, their numbers increased.
It was an absurd spectacle. It glared at all the external enemies surrounding the Giant God, about to be unleashed. Echel’s face contorted, but she expanded the darkness again, yet it was not enough to capture everything.
“I will return it.”
At that moment, the sound of a bell echoed, and Silver Thread surged forth.
As if anticipating the enemy’s attacks, she formed a cage, like a prison. The multi-layered Silver Threads intercepted all the attacks launched by the Giant God and reflected them.
“Moon Mirror Rebellion!”
A fierce exchange began.
Silver Thread intercepted all attacks, returning them to the Giant God. Before they could reach the Giant God’s wings, the destructive heat light was cut off, amplified, and returned. With each bounce, their numbers increased extraordinarily, scattering and reflecting within the barrier.
Naturally, the limit was reached faster by the Moon Heroine.
The total amount of power as a god was possessed by the Giant God. Her power was merely trying to catch and reproduce what had fallen from it. As the total amount bouncing back increased, the Silver Thread began to tear. There was no way to win.
“……!!”
However, the Moon Heroine continued to maintain the barrier. She redirected any attacks that could be escaped to the outside, discerning the limit that the barrier could maintain, and continued to manipulate the Silver Thread with exquisite skill. On top of that—
“I will create an opening.”
“Understood.”
She ordered her own kin, a subordinate of the Ash King, to act.
“Finality Imitation!”
After an exchange that was impossible to count, just as the opponent returned the attack, the Silver Thread that formed the barrier wriggled. The countless threads changed shape. They intertwined to form seven jaws.
“Seven Dragon Descent!”
Seven-headed dragons opened their jaws and roared. They collided with the bouncing attacks and scattered. The resulting explosion was extraordinary, destroying everything around, blowing away the warriors, and even shaking the body of the Giant God.
No one could move freely.
“Final!”
Except for one.
The Heavenly Sword cut through the explosion that swept everything away and soared through the sky. In an instant, it approached the Giant God’s wings, gripping the sword with all its might. Condensed with the thoughts of past Heavenly Swords, that single swing was undoubtedly the strongest blade in this world.
She was certain that the swing could cleave the god’s wings—but naturally—
The Creator would not overlook such a thing.
The two hands used in the exchange with the Moon Heroine were two. The remaining four had been meticulously prepared. Synthesis of the four elements. While this was a technique that humanity could barely replicate, when the Creator performed it, it was instantly elevated to something otherworldly.
The layered power created a blade of bizarre shape. Coincidentally, it resembled the “Dragon of Blades” that had tormented many warriors in the Greed Labyrinth. A blade far more refined than what that dragon produced floated in the air, circled, and silently, in a straight line, approached the divine sword.
Faster than when she once took one arm of the peerless sword, the blade aimed for her heart—
“Savior Execution—”
Just before that, the Sun Heroine leaped out.
Protecting a friend. Based on her most primitive behavioral principle, she imbued it with condensed power. In her fist resided the great palm that guided the Heavenly Sword and with which she had made a pact.
“—Heavenly Punishment Demolishes!”
Her fist struck the blade. The King’s fist, protecting the Heavenly Sword, did not waver or retreat from the blade that ruthlessly tore through all objects, and it shattered the blade. The blade cracked and soon shattered.
“Tch!?”
And the shattered blade dispersed and stirred once more. It still attempted to function as a blade of destruction. Having poured all her power into destruction, she was unable to respond to all the dispersed blades.
“Akane!!!”
“Alright!!!”
But as if to compensate for that Heroine, scarlet wings, possessing power comparable to God Killer, spread out. They enveloped and destroyed the countless dispersed blades with their power. Even so, she couldn’t destroy them all. The Heavenly Sword, running across the sky, was cut by infinitesimally small blades and bled, but the girl did not stop.
Her eyes, which saw all, solely fixed on the wings and struck.
“Final!”
Without a miss, the blade severed one of the wings that sought to end the world.
The Giant God’s body trembled. However, the remaining wing continued to draw magic formulas in the sky. Despite her broken posture and bleeding from the severed wing, she did not cease to depict the end. It was a monstrous obsession.
And soon, the light would be filled. The Heavenly Sword, which had exerted all its strength to sever one wing, no longer had the power to swing a counterattack—
“The rest is your job.”
“Leave it to me.”
Therefore, she entrusted it to her Master.
“Twilight.”
Darkness spread before the other wing. The Queen manifested darkness that allowed teleportation by shattering numerous barriers and enabling deployment within. Simultaneously—
“God Piercer!”
—The Ash King, leaping from the darkness, pierced and destroyed the other wing.
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
The twin wings were destroyed. Ul couldn’t help but feel a sliver of relief at having thwarted the move that would have reduced the planet to barren land. So would everyone present.
Light poured down from the sky. The shattered magic formulas scattered like motes of light. And beyond the shattered magic formulas—a sky dyed crimson and black—
“—…!?”
—It was not visible.
Beyond the shattered magic formulas, another layer of magic formula covering the world had been formed.
“Multiple deployment…!?”
Even with its wings torn off, the Giant God, seated at the center of the Ark, continued to maintain the deployment of the magic formula.
Its purpose was to erase the entire world and create anew.
Ul clenched his teeth at the Creator’s will, relentlessly pushing forward for that purpose.
But he could not retreat. No matter how formidable the opponent’s obsession, he could not yield. Ul readied himself for another strike.
“Lord Ul!!”
But before that, a warning came from Shizuku. At the same time, he noticed something was wrong.
The scattered, falling motes of light began to emit light again. They formed a barrier, encircling Ul and the others. It was a reproduction of the barrier of Silver Thread created by Shizuku. By the time he realized it, it was too late. All the warriors were trapped in the impossibly vast prison of light.
“First—!?”
Even escape by teleportation was too late. The light began to fill—and in the next moment, it all shattered.
“Wh-what!?”
He couldn’t comprehend it. It wasn’t a counterattack from anyone present. The Creator had not given them such a gap or time. Moreover, the destruction did not originate from within the prison.
The explosion erupted from outside the prison, like a volcanic eruption from the ground.
“Wh-what…!”
“The city’s rubble…!”
It was what was once the Great Sin Metropolitan Country of Plaudia, which the Creator had blown away, reducing it to a complete pile of rubble. The remnants of the cityscape that had supported people’s lives were crushing the prison of light as if possessed of will.
He thought it might be Uuga’s gravity magic, but Uuga was currently concentrating all his power on preparing his roar. He couldn’t do such a thing.
And then he realized. The rubble had not moved on its own.
“No…!”
The one entwined in it had emerged from the bottom of the earth.
“Slime Demon King…!?”
“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”
The core of the abominable Mechanical God that invaded Plaudia, the city of Great Sin, to crush it.
The Slime Demon King, which had fought the Ark all along and lost its human form.
The cultist Haruz roared at the Creator.
