The magic path God had cast led us out of the palace.
It snaked through the entirety of the Celestial Realm, piercing thick barriers and navigating a labyrinth of bizarre complexity.
"He’s routing this path through an absurd number of points. Just how paranoid can one person be?" Grimo grumbled.
"It is said that although God’s name is known to all, not even the Sixty-four Gods of the Celestial Realm have ever laid eyes upon his form," Jiriel added.
"Hmph. A coward, then," Beal remarked. "But it seems we shall finally have the pleasure."
The end was finally in sight. The transfer came to a halt.
"...So this is where God lives."
We emerged into a vast, featureless space of pure, blinding white.
The horizon stretched out in every direction, an endless void where the boundary of the world seemed to vanish. It felt different from the rest of the Celestial Realm—if anything, it reminded me of the Singular Barrier Beal used.
"This place is creepy. I don't like it. It’s making my skin crawl," Grimo said.
"Is this truly the divine residence? It feels... unsettling," Jiriel murmured.
While they were busy being suspicious, I was focused on a different discrepancy.
I had the distinct sensation that something was being hidden. Because I had performed so many consecutive instances of Spatial Transfer, it was easy to lose one's bearings, but we weren't at the top of the palace at all. In fact, it was the exact opposite. We were at the very bottom of the Celestial Realm, far beneath the Sea of Clouds.
Why would he tell such a lie? Would someone like God go to such lengths to keep us from finding him? Or was it just a whim? Perhaps he thought he was setting up some kind of trial... Well, I didn't know.
There was no point in overthinking it. It would be faster to ask the man himself.
"...Hey, 'God,' or whatever you call yourself?"
I called out to the silhouette visible behind a veil floating in the center of the void.
The figure standing there was the source of all the mana—the Sole God himself.
"You have done well to reach this place. I am truly impressed. To trace a path through such barriers and mazes, then bridge the distance in an instant with Spatial Transfer... I suppose I should expect no less from the Demon King."
The response to my query was the same hoarse voice from before.
A wind that shouldn't have existed swept the veil away, revealing an old man.
He was draped in white, robe-like garments and wore a crown of gold and black. He held a staff, and beneath his sleeves, I could see several gold bracelets that hummed with intense mana.
However, far more impressive than his ornaments was the overwhelming power radiating from his withered, tree-like body.
"T-This is insane... Just looking at him makes me want to bolt! That torrent of mana... he certainly lives up to the title of God!" Grimo stammered.
"Yes... it is a flow as silent and as vast as a great river. This is the Sole God who rules the Celestial Realm!" Jiriel cried.
Grimo and Jiriel were trembling in the face of that staggering power. Inside me, Beal was also growing tense before his sworn enemy.
"I might be merged with the Demon King right now, but I’m just an ordinary Seventh Prince," I said.
"...Hmph. I am well aware. You are Lloyd di Saloom, the Seventh Prince of the Kingdom of Saloom—the individual at the center of every anomaly occurring on the surface of late. 'Ordinary'? Don't make me laugh."
Oh. It turned out he actually knew who I was. That was a surprise.
As I stood there, stunned, God continued.
"Lloyd. I have watched everything you have done. Not merely your abnormal mana, but your initiative to meddle in things out of half-baked curiosity, and the immense influence you exert on your surroundings... What else would one call such a being if not a 'Demon King'?"
Grimo and Jiriel both shot me judgmental looks.
I had intended to keep a low profile, but I suppose that was too much to ask when dealing with a god.
"Since you already know, this makes things simple. You know why we’re here, right? Could you undo this fusion for us?"
"...Heh. Heh heh heh..."
God began to laugh, as if my request were the most amusing thing he’d ever heard.
"Unfortunately, I cannot. But then, I imagine you intended to make me comply by force anyway, didn't you?"
"I wouldn't go that far, but—"
I couldn't deny that Beal was practically boiling over inside me.
And, to be fair, it wasn't as if I was entirely opposed to the idea myself.
"Fine. Let's do this."
In response to my words, God slowly lifted his hand.