Chapter 397-398 - The time for a decision

The talk ended.

As if telling us there was nothing to say anymore, the consciousness world disappeared, and I -Kourin Karen- as well as Mirack-chan, Celestis-chan, Sasae-chan, and Hyue-chan had returned to our original world.

To the fallen Underworld Country; at the throne room that serves as the center of it.

“Oh, we are back!” (Mirack)

“We have a body!” (Celestis)

Everyone still couldn’t escape from the agitation of what happened.

“Weren’t we…told something incredible just now-de gozaru mai ka?!” (Hyue)

Yeah, the truth that we were told of. The secret of the Gods, the secret of the world.

The scale is way too big to entrust to us humans.

“In the end, the turmoil happening in this world was brought by the blind love of the Light Goddess-sama huh.” (Celestis)

“You…choose your words a bit more!” (Mirack)

But there was conflict in the heart of the Light Goddess.

Love and hatred to the point of separating herself in two.

This event raised the world in a crooked way.

“But the plan of the evil Light Goddess is closing to its completion.” (Celestis)

Celestis-chan said with a stern face.

“She turned her back on this world that had things she didn’t want and is trying to create a new world. The personification of those feelings is Lucifer itself.” (Celestis)

“Meaning that that giant snake will become a world in itself? I think I have heard a story about the world being inside a giant coiled snake.” (Mirack)

“In order to create a world, there’s the need to gather all six elements. It has already assimilated  the Demon Lords and obtained four elements. If we think about the light elements that was already present, then there’s only one left…!” (Karen)

“The dark element-dasu!!” (Sasae)

If it can assimilate that one, Lucifer will be completed as a new world.

“Was there worth in us coming here?” (Celestis)

“By coming here, we were able to see the memories of the Light Goddess and we were able to learn about the enemy’s objective and identity. Well, it wasn’t pointless.” (Mirack)

“But that be all it was-dasu?” (Sasae)

It couldn’t be helped that we would question it.

“The enemy is massive-de gozaru. A weakness to defeat the opponent, a useful new power; wasn’t there something else-de gozaru ka?” (Hyue)

“Right. Let’s explore the Underworld Country a bit more and search for something that can serve as a hint—” (Celestis)

“There’s no need for that.” (Karen)

I said.

The gazes of the four gather on me.

“There’s nothing else we can gain here. This is plenty enough. Let’s go back.” (Karen)

“But…” (Celestis)

“We learned about the meaning behind this battle. What we have to win with this battle. What else would be needed aside from that?” (Karen)

A reason we must not lose.

As long as we know that, we definitely won’t lose!

“…True.” (Mirack)

“…If we take too much time, Haine-chi won’t last after all.” (Celestis)

“We be returning with a sharpened knife-dasu! Our batteries be charged to the max-dasu!” (Sasae)

“We will fulfill our duties as heroes now!!” (Hyue)

The reason why the Goddess showed us her memories here was because she entrusted us with the battle.

Because she believed that we would be able to protect this world ourselves.

We will answer that trust and fight to protect this world.

That is our duty as the ones living in this world!

******

“Those girls are coming back…”

With resolve in hand, I -Yorishiro, the Light Goddess- could be said to be the very culprit behind this time’s calamity.

Being divided in two because of a variety of conflicts, I became the good Inflation.

And the evil Inflation incarnated as Sunnysol Ates.

And now, Ates herself is the worst calamity attacking this world.

Since the genesis of the world, I have been protecting the humans in place of the Dark God, and watched over the progress of the humans. That’s what I intended.

But even I might have been a harmful existence for the humans.

“You are pretty discouraged there, Yorishiro-sama.”

In the Light Founder’s room where I should be the only one in, a new stream-like voice reverberated.

After that, mist gathered, and a fishman dressed like a pierrot appeared.

“Coacervate. Even when distilled, you still have the hobby of trespassing?” (Yorishiro)

In the past, this Water God that couldn’t be described as anything but trash, had completely sanctified after his battle with the humans.

Right now, he is using the water demon—no, the water saint Mephistopheles to move around in the surface world.

He is apparently moving around here and there doing good deeds.

“You have done quite the big move there. Showing the humans a memory of the genesis era.” (Coacervate)

“It is something necessary for those girls.” (Yorishiro)

Why this calamity has occurred, why they have to fight against it; by knowing that, the resolve they will hold will be different.

“And if it is those girls that have learned the meaning of the fight, they will definitely be able to defeat the other me.” (Yorishiro)

“For the sake of that, you even showed them a recreation of the information you managed to obtain from your other self.” (Coacervate)

So he noticed huh.

“It is not as if you were crossing your arms doing nothing. Since the moment you learned of Ates’ identity, you spend a lot of time sending your consciousness to the spirit world and investigating your past half, right?” (Coacervate)

“Yeah…” (Yorishiro)

The latter part that I told Karen-san and the others was information that I managed to draw out from the memories of Ates-san.

But it is not as if it all went smoothly.

Especially her final objective. I only learned of it when she had already been caught whole into the Black Hole together with Haine-san.

If I had learned of it sooner, I would have stopped the Demon Lords that were heading to battle…

“Ates is already an enemy of this whole world. The job of stopping that is fitting for the heroes.” (Yorishiro)

That’s why, it might have been a bit roundabout, but I had them go through the trouble of going all the way to the Underworld Country in order to, not only hear, but see and feel it themselves the path the world had taken.

They are shouldering the world as they fight, so they have the right to know everything about the world.

“Then, are you saying you will be putting this battle in the hands of the humans?” (Coacervate)

The tone of Coacervate sounded cautious.

“Actually, I came here as the representative of the four Base Elements. Nova-san can’t move freely in Muspelheim, Mantle-san is scared of speaking face to face with you, and Quasar-san has his duties as the Wind Founder.” (Coacervate)

“And so, since you are a free spirit, you are representing them?” (Yorishiro)

“We Gods also bear responsibility in this fight.” (Coacervate)

The already clean Water God speaks clearly.

“Shouldn’t we not limit ourselves to support and actually move to fight personally? If protecting the humans is the duty of us Gods…” (Coacervate)

“I didn’t expect a day would come where I would hear those words coming out from you four Base Elements.” (Yorishiro)

Those words that I wouldn’t ever hear 1,600 years ago.

Who was it that changed you people?

There’s no need to even think of it.

“Of course, we will provide our full support by having Karen-san and the others transform in their God Hero form to fight against Lucifer. We will pour all our strength, and we will take over all the burden. But…” (Yorishiro)

The ones who will be acting will be them.

“This world is already the world of humans. Protecting this world is the duty of the ones that live in it.” (Yorishiro)

Just like how he believed in the humans, I will also believe in them.

The strong and kind humans.

“They will definitely manage to do it. And when they actually manage to do it…” (Yorishiro)

The humans will finally not need Gods anymore.

• 398: Armageddon

We have returned.

To this place that will become a battlefield.

At this place that’s dozens of kilometers away from Apollon City, this level ground that hasn’t been developed and has no villages, there’s the Great Demon Lord Lucifer restraint inside the Black Hole.

“That’s Lucifer?!” (Mirack)

The five heroes returned from the Underworld Country.

They have finished their preparations for battle, and were lined up in front of the half-snake giant that will be their opponent.

Just that…that half-snake giant is…!

“It be so strange that it enters the level of disgusting-dasu!” (Sasae)

Not even the Black Hole was able to swallow it whole, and the long snake body was sticking out from the black hole.

Honestly speaking, it is disgusting.

“Ueh… My stomach is turning just from looking at it.” (Celestis)

“Hmm… Maybe it can make a good meal-de gozaru.” (Hyue)

“Stop…” (Celestis)

That will be our opponent this time huh…

*Crack*

The sound of something breaking reverberated.

It was like the sound of a chick trying to break out from its shell.

And then, soon after, a bigger shockwave was created as the Black Hole broke.

“Uwaaaaa?!”

“Kyaaaaaaa!!”

A tremendous gale raged, and it took our all just to stand ground.

And then, the true repulsiveness appeared in front of us.

“This is…Lucifer?!” (Karen)

A giant half-snake monster with five pair of wings.

The upper half is that of a robust man, its lower half is that of a snake. Its face is also snake-like, and has reptilian eyes as well as a mouth split all the way to its ears.

“Can’t feel a single shred of intelligence from it-de gozaru na!” (Hyue)

“It would be an insult to put that thing in the same category as Gabriel and the other Demon Lords!” (Celestis)

Before coming here, we heard about it from the explanation of someone.

Lucifer is the perfected tool of a monster created by the wicked Light Goddess.

It is different in a fundamental level from the four Demon Lords that obtained a heart after the culmination of several generations.

On top of that, the ten wings at its back.

They come in a set of two, and they have a different design respectively.

Light, wind, earth, water, and fire wings.

Aside from the light wings, all the others were stolen from the Demon Lords.

“Oh? And here I was wondering who it was.”

From high up, there was a condescending voice sounding out.

“The first ones to welcome me after coming out of the Black Hole are you people huh. Powerless humans on the same level as worms.”

A bewitching woman was standing at the top of Lucifer.

Sunnysol Ates; the incarnation of the wicked Light Goddess.

“With the Demon Lords defeated, the ones used as their remaining hope was you people huh. How pitiful. Being forced to face an opponent that you know you can’t hope to win against. There’s no torture as big as this.” (Ates)

Ates says whatever she wants.

She is not even seeing us as enemies.

“My time is way too important to waste on you worms. If you throw away your pride and prostrate, I will allow you to run away from here. If you do that, you will be able to prolong for a bit your life till the moment I destroy the world, you know?” (Ates)

“Don’t joke around!” (Mirack)

The first one to roar was Mirack-chan.

“Our jobs as heroes is to protect the world! We will never show our backs to someone like you who wants to destroy it all!” (Mirack)

“If you look too up, you will trip, you know?” (Celestis)

Celestis-chan joins in.

“The intelligent Gods acknowledged our strength, but you seem to be an idiotic God. You will definitely begin spewing words like ‘if only I hadn’t underestimated them, I wouldn’t have lost’ like a total loser.” (Celestis)

“Cut-dasu! I be cutting like crazy-dasu!!” (Sasae)

“We five will absolutely fulfill our duties as heroes!!” (Hyue)

Sasae-chan and Hyue-chan were also overflowing with fighting spirit.

But Ates still held her stance like a queen with Lucifer as her puppet.

“Idiots who can’t understand their own situation are truly comical. How unsightly.” (Ates)

She was thoroughly looking down on us.

“Lucifer is already on a plane that mere humans can’t do anything about. I obviously also know about God Heroes. But with just receiving a slight boost of God power, you have no way of doing anything against Lucifer who is about to become a new world.” (Ates)

“What?!”

“Look.” (Ates)

The half-snake giant pushed forward its clenched fist.

?!

That fist is holding something…

A person…

Could it be…!

“Haine-san?!” (Karen)

I am happy that Haine-san, who had fallen into the Black Hole together with Lucifer to restrain it, has safely come back, but…

“Uuh…” (Haine)

It looks like he has received damage from it.

He was only groaning in pain within the hand of Lucifer and can’t even move his body to try and escape from its grasp.

“As expected of Haine-san, even when he fell into the Black Hole with the body of a human, he was still able to come back with his whole body, but…but he has finally fallen into my hands.” (Ates)

Ates made an intoxicated face.

“Finally, he is within my hands. I won’t let you go ever again. You are mine and only mine.” (Ates)

“Ah!”

There wasn’t even time to raise a scream.

The hand holding Haine-san was quickly moved to the mouth of Lucifer, and he was swallowed with a gulp.

“Haine-san! Haine-saaan!!” (Karen)

There’s no way my scream would reach him.

And soon, a change occurred.

New wings appeared from the back of Lucifer.

Pitch black wings, darker than any black in this world.

With this, six pair of wings have been gathered.

“Hahahahahahahaha!! Finally! Finally Lucifer has been completed! Hahahahahahaha!!” (Ates)

Ates laughs as if she had gone mad.

“With this, all the pieces have fallen in place, and the puzzle has been completed! What’s left is to destroy this meddlesome world, and Lucifer will become the new world!!” (Ates)

We already weren’t even reflected in Ates’ eyes anymore.

She has already achieved her objective.

“Please wait for us, Haine-san!!” (Karen)

I shout words that can’t reach out to the ears of the person.

“I will definitely save you, Haine-san!! I will definitely save you from that monster along with the Demon Lords!!” (Karen)

Just endure for a bit more. Please wait for us!!

Ates’ objective has been achieved. But our fight has begun now.

“Let’s go, everyone!” (Karen)

“Yeah!” “Roger~!” “Yes-dasu!” “Understood!”

Everyone together…!!

“““““[God Hero mode, activate!]”””””