“Oh, the flames are finally dying down.”
After dousing the area with water for a while, the pillar of fire began to subside.
Even so, the spot where the Fireball had struck was charred pitch-black, and the space around it was heavily distorted.
“Good grief, that was some extraordinary power. Even God wouldn't have been able to withstand that.”
“As an angel, my feelings on the matter are a bit complicated, but Master Lloyd matters more to me than God or anything else now.”
“Hmm, but you went a bit overboard, Lloyd. The whole area is burnt to a crisp. Hahaha!”
Amidst the rising white smoke, God lay there, charred black.
Grimo and the others seemed convinced of their victory as they looked at him, but—
“No, it wasn't as effective as I thought.”
It looked gruesome enough on the surface, but inside, his mana was pulsating powerfully.
He was even repairing and maintaining the slightly collapsed space; it didn't look like he had taken any fatal damage.
“Kuku, fuhahahaha...”
With a laugh, God rose leisurely.
The charred layers peeled away, and God emerged from within, completely uninjured.
“Impossible... To think he’s unscathed after a blast like that!”
“This is God... He truly is the Sole God who rules the Celestial Realm.”
“They say celestial techniques excel in defense and recovery, but this is on another level...”
While Grimo and the others gasped, God’s shoulders trembled with laughter.
“Heh... The only reason I am alive, Lloyd, is because you held back. Had you struck with your full power, it might have been dangerous. Truly, you are far too strong. I did not think you would be this much. I intended only to observe, but I nearly died right then and there. It is far too dangerous to fight you any further.”
“Judging by what you’re saying, are you planning to declare your surrender? Well, I only want you to undo the fusion, so while it’s a bit of a letdown, I wouldn't mind stopping the fight.”
At my words, God began to chuckle.
“...Surrender? Surrender, you say? Heh, fuhahahaha!”
Eventually, he burst into a great laugh, as if unable to contain himself.
God’s eerie laughter echoed through the empty space.
“There is no way I would surrender. You are certainly strong, but I, too, have a true power held in reserve.”
“True power, you say...!”
To be able to say such a thing even after witnessing and taking my Fireball—just what kind of power did he have left? I was getting a little excited.
“Why are your eyes sparkling, Master Lloyd...?”
“It’s the usual. However, could it not just be a bluff?”
“Indeed, I find it hard to believe he has any strength remaining...”
As Grimo and the others said, God looked to be at his limit when he was holding back that Fireball earlier. —That was exactly why I was looking forward to it.
In combat, the one with higher basic abilities had an overwhelming advantage.
The weaker side had no chance of victory unless they used ingenuity and layered various underhanded tactics.
In my battles with High-ranking Demons and Beal, I, being inferior in basic abilities, had been forced to use a wide variety of means.
That was fun in its own way... Hey, you there, don't look at me with such judgmental eyes.
—Anyway, even against an opponent with inferior pure combat power, there was always a chance of victory depending on how they fought.
I was looking forward to seeing what kind of tricks God planned to use.
“Kuku, to have your eyes sparkle at my words, you truly are insane. —Normally, this is a power I would hesitate to use against a mere human, but I have no such hesitation against you. I feel lucky from the bottom of my heart that I can kill you before you grow any further.”
“Enough talk. Show it to me quickly.”
“Do not be in such a hurry, it will happen soon—”
As if cutting off God’s words, space began to crack with a sharp snap.
Appearing from beyond the shattered space was—the Holy King.
“Ah! There you are, Lloyd-kun!”
Raising his usual easygoing voice, the Holy King stepped into the broken barrier.
“There... we go. Man, that was a real pain, seriously.”
He cracked his neck and rubbed his stiff shoulders.
The Holy King’s clothes were soiled, torn in places, and frayed; he looked like he had just emerged from a series of fierce battles.
“It took a fair amount of effort... but I’ve persuaded all Sixty-four Gods of the Celestial Realm into submission and successfully climbed to the top floor! You’re next!”
The Holy King pointed a finger sharply at God.
Come to think of it, God had said he was at the top of the palace and told us to climb up after defeating the Sixty-four Gods of the Celestial Realm.
He actually followed that order faithfully and climbed all the way up? And "persuaded them into submission"... just how did he manage that?
“It was a real struggle, you know? There are three guardians on every single floor. I had to talk to them while nullifying the attacks of those bloodthirsty guys and keep it up until they ran out of strength. I did that for twenty floors straight, and on top of that, the last floor had four of them at once... Even I’m tired, but this is my duty as a pacifist!”
Is this guy for real? Persuasion... or rather, he’s saying he made them exhaust themselves without lifting a finger? To put it bluntly, I didn't think he was sane.
“I’m speechless. The Sixty-four Gods of the Celestial Realm are supposed to be quite powerful. To think he defeated them without attacking...”
“They’re more than just ‘quite’! Master Lloyd finished them instantly, but they are among the strongest in the Celestial Realm! For a human, it should be difficult even to defeat one of them one-on-one!”
“Well, for a human, he’s got some spine, not going back on his word about hating fighting.”
Grimo and the others were surprised, but honestly, I was just exasperated.
I also do things like taking attacks on purpose, but usually, things don't go as the opponent intends, and I end up making a move.
Yet he did that sixty-four times in a row... just how patient was he? ...Well, I suppose you can't be the Holy King unless you're that dedicated.
“Besides, the stairs were ridiculously long, and just when I thought I’d finally reached the top, the next group attacked immediately; there was no time to rest. It’s not a game, you know, there’s a better way to do things. I would’ve been dead if it weren’t for me. ...But it’s over now, Mr. God! Prepare yourself, because I’m going to persuade you into submission too!”
The Holy King pointed sharply at God, but I noticed a sudden sense of incongruity.
The reason God had him aim for the top floor was likely to keep him away from here, at the Lowest Level of the Celestial Realm.
He was surprised when I forced my way here with Spatial Transfer, so there was no mistake.
But then, why was the Holy King, who had been at the top floor, here now?
“...Hey, Holy King, how did you get here?”
“Hmm? Well, I reached the top floor but there was nothing there, so I was just resting my body for a bit. Then suddenly a hole opened up in space, and when I stepped inside, I was here—”
The Holy King stopped talking. Before I knew it, the white portions of the space were gradually peeling away, and from deep within, pitch-black darkness appeared.
“Whoa! W-What is this!?”
With a splash, the Holy King was pulled into the darkness. It reached my feet as well, and I began to be swallowed up, sinking down.
The space that had been pure white became completely jet black, turning into something like mud.
“Wha-wha-what is happening, Shitty Angel!? The Celestial Realm is your jurisdiction!”
“How should I know, you Stupid Majin! ...But a sinister aura is being emitted from this mud... Please be careful, Master Lloyd!”
Grimo and Jiriel were flustered. Amidst this, Beal had a solemn expression as if he had some idea of what was happening.
“Could it be... No, but that’s the only way to think of it... but can such a thing really...?”
“Do you know something? Beal.”
“Yeah... It’s hard to believe, but I sense a wavelength unique to High-ranking Demons from this mud...! It is a dark pulse that no celestial being could ever possess.”
“So you’re saying that God might be a Demon?”
Beal nodded with a grave expression.
“G-God is a Demon? There’s no way that could be possible!”
“But now that you mention it, I definitely feel a Demon-like atmosphere. And it feels close to Master Beal’s... Wup!”
Before I knew it, the mud had encroached up to my chest, and the Holy King’s entire body was submerged in the darkness.
This mud itself seemed to be a Magic Body with its own will.
Its rate of encroachment was extraordinarily fast, swallowing us up in the blink of an eye.