Chapter 78

"Then, Demon God, Demon God...!!" So, this... This wasn't supposed to happen...!

It was a complete trap.

I pretended to surrender, deceived the succubus, and made her my slave.

Then, I used the succubus's monsters to launch a surprise attack on the Demon God.

This was the optimal solution I came up with to defeat the Demon God.

For the Demon God, who was at the center of the horde of monsters, this should have been unbearable.

It was an extremely underhanded and dishonorable way to fight, but the enemy was the Demon God.

I would use any means necessary and give it my all.

"Succubus! Don't let up on the monsters' attacks! Make sure the monsters kill the Demon God for sure!!"

"Ugh... Ugh...! How... How did this happen...! When did you develop a magic tool that can enslave apostles...!"

The key to the success of this plan was, of course, this collar.

This magic tool did not exist in the scriptures.

It was a completely new magic tool recently developed by the archbishop.

Neither the Demon God nor the succubus could have imagined that such a method would be used to control the succubus.

...But the Demon God was surprisingly resilient.

I thought it would be crushed instantly, but it stubbornly held on, using large-scale magic to blast the surrounding monsters.

The fact that it was still alive after being attacked at close range by so many monsters proved that it was indeed a master swordsman.

"Area Heal! Area Heal! Area Heal!!!"

...But, perhaps to avoid involving itself, it couldn't blow away the monsters all at once.

When you get this close, the advantages of large-scale magic are significantly reduced.

Moreover, many monsters are much tougher than humans.

My healing magic, which wouldn't be fast enough for humans, could instantly heal large monsters that wouldn't die from a single hit.

Even if I tried to reduce the number of monsters on the outskirts, as long as I had my healing magic, the pressure on the Demon God wouldn't lessen.

With this, even a Demon God skilled in swordsmanship would eventually fall.

"We can do it... We can do it...!"

...But I had to stay within range of my healing magic, so I couldn't go too far.

I really wanted to use the succubus to observe the battle from the air, but if the Demon God saw my current location, it might target me.

All I could do was provide rear support while using the monsters to block its view.

Honestly, I was worried about being caught in an explosion at any moment.

--- For a few minutes, explosions and healing magic clashed.

"The explosions have stopped...? No, no, Demon God...!"

Finally, the explosions stopped.

The explosions were proof that the Demon God was still alive and resisting the monsters.

The fact that they stopped meant...

"Did we do it...?"

For a moment, I was certain of victory.

--- But that certainty quickly faded.

A single beam of red light.

I saw it leaking from the center of the horde of monsters.

That beam of light quickly multiplied into a vast number.

And in the next instant,

The horde of monsters disappeared into the light with a deafening roar.

A massive explosion engulfed the hundreds or thousands of monsters surrounding the Demon God.

"Ugh, oh, ohh!!"

"Kyaa!!"

At the same time, the shockwave hit me and the succubus.

Unable to brace myself, I was thrown and slammed into the ground multiple times.

The heat burned my throat.

My vision blurred.

The ringing in my ears made it impossible to hear anything.

I rolled along the ground, tumbling and tumbling.

"It hurts... It hurts..."

I used healing magic on myself reflexively, which is why I managed to survive.

I checked on the succubus... but she was in bad shape.

She lay on the ground, not moving at all.

She didn't seem to be dead, but she had fainted.

"Well, even if the succubus were usable, it wouldn't make any difference now."

Looking in the direction of the explosion, I saw a large crater through the dust.

The power was so immense, it felt like a giant meteor had fallen.

The horde of monsters... they were probably all wiped out by this power.

"But even so..."

The Demon God itself couldn't have come out unscathed.

In fact, it should have been killed.

...Could it have self-destructed?

Did it choose to die rather than be killed?

Maybe it didn't want to be sealed away again.

No, there's no point in speculating.

I walked toward the epicenter of the explosion, where the dust was still swirling, to confirm the Demon God's death.

But from that epicenter,

"What...!? Why...!?"

A man walked out, moving slowly.

The man who had been riding on the troll's shoulder.

And he didn't seem to have been injured by that massive explosion.

He was completely unharmed.

"I didn't expect to have to go all out here. I had to dispel the barrier magic around the capital... Now I'll be attacked from both sides."

The man muttered.

Right... the barrier magic.

I had completely forgotten about it.

The magic that had enclosed the capital might have been used on me.

...But the scriptures said that activating it required preparation.

There shouldn't have been any time for that.

"No way...!?"

But it wasn't impossible.

If preparation was needed, he could have prepared.

...While fighting the horde of monsters in close combat, burning distant monsters with the shockwave, he must have set up the barrier magic.

--- And then, he deployed the barrier around himself, burning all the monsters.

That must be what happened.

...It's a terrifying level of skill.

No wonder he's called the Demon God.

"That troll had a good ride, but it's a shame."

The Demon God approached me, speaking with a rather relaxed expression.

...Now that the monsters were gone, I had no path to victory.

I was like a fish on a cutting board.

If I tried to run, I'd be attacked from behind with magic.

If I stood my ground, I'd be cut down in one stroke.

There was no chance of reinforcements.

If they did come, they'd be wiped out by the Demon God's magic.

...This is a checkmate.

"...It seems I've lost."

"You did well. ...But compared to the previous saint, your strategy was a bit lacking."

The Demon God drew his sword.

At this distance, a sword would be faster than magic.

He approached, brandishing the sword as if to show it off.

It seemed I was about to be killed.

...I gripped my staff in my right hand, tightly, tightly.

But the Demon God, after a moment of thought, lowered his sword.

What's going on?

Is he going to let me make a last statement?

"Before I kill you, I want to ask you something. How did you get here?"

"But you saw me ride the dragon, right?"

I came here on Luluka's dragon.

The Demon God should know that.

"No, not that. How did you get from Earth's Japan to this world?"

"Wh-What...!?"

From Earth's Japan...?

Why would the Demon God mention those words?

But thinking about it, there are similarities.

The massive magic required, and the black-haired human form.

"Could you be a saint...?"

The Demon God was a saint.

I thought it was unlikely, but the possibility seemed high upon further consideration.

"That's not it. 'Saint' is just a title the church gave. I'm not called that."

Not a saint, but from another world.

So, we have the same roots, then.

The Demon God smiled at my surprised reaction and continued.

"So, how about it?"

"I was stabbed by a pervert in Japan... I thought I died, but I found myself in the Labyrinth City. That's all. I don't know why."

The Demon God muttered, "Labyrinth City... I see," and looked down at me with a condescending gaze.

It was the look of someone mocking an ignorant human.

"...Do you know why the labyrinths exist in this world?"

"No, I don't."

Why the labyrinths exist in this world.

...I had discussed this with the saint before.

In the end, there was no way to verify it, so we didn't know.

"Out of hometown camaraderie, I'll tell you before I kill you. The labyrinths are tools for the gods to interfere in this world. At the deepest part, there's a device that allows the gods to interfere with the world. You were summoned from the labyrinth."

...I remember the saint saying something similar in the bath.

I had dismissed it at the time, but it seems to be true.

"I've traveled this world. I've been to the continents outside this one, which I once tried to conquer. There, I read the world's myths, not just the Medine religion."

"Outside this continent...!?"

"From what I saw, whenever a powerful dictator or a ruthless invader appears in this world, a saint suddenly appears from the Labyrinth City and destroys them. This was true in every religion. ...I was convinced. This world is subject to divine intervention through the labyrinths. ...That's why I decided to destroy all the labyrinths. To prevent any interference with what I'm about to do."

In every region, saints appeared from the labyrinths and destroyed evil?

That means there really is an entity observing the entire world.

...It's hard to believe, but...

However, the Demon God's goal was indeed to destroy the labyrinths.

...But what does he want to do after destroying them?

"What are you going to do next?"

"I've obtained a powerful attack magic. There's only one thing to do, right?"

With such overwhelming destructive power, there's nothing else to do but destroy something.

...It seems the Demon God has no intention of saying more.

He tapped the ground with his sword and looked at me.

"Hey, can you let me off? You know, for the sake of hometown camaraderie."

I don't want to die yet.

I have so much left to do.

But the Demon God smiled sarcastically and raised his sword without a word.

"...I guess not."

This guy is probably drunk on his own power.

He probably finds destruction enjoyable.

The scriptures describe how the Demon God obliterated entire cities along his invasion route, people and buildings alike.

There are also descriptions of him deliberately suppressing the power of his magic, toying with cities and enjoying the destruction.

I can't imagine what kind of experiences he had in this world after obtaining such powerful attack magic.

I can't understand why he thinks the way he does.

--- But there's only one thing I need to do.

If I fall here, the Demon God will surely head for the Labyrinth City where Yuell and the others are waiting.

So, I responded to the Demon God's smile with this:

"Then, I'll take you with me."

The next update will be in about three days.