The Demigod trembled at my words.
It was a tremor born of pure, unadulterated rage.
He fixed his bloodshot eyes on me, forcing the words from the depths of his throat.
"A mission... You claim world peace is the mission of a Demon King? Don't make me laugh. What are you even saying?"
"There is no great difference between your aspirations and mine. Our ideologies are similar. However, there is one decisive difference between us: resolve."
I pressed on.
The Demigod didn't attack; he was likely intrigued by where this was going.
Precisely because he valued peace and justice, he was curious about what the Demon King—his polar opposite—had to say.
"You said that after dismantling the Demon King's Army, you would take your own life. You believe your very existence would only invite new chaos."
He was correct, of course.
I had imagined a similar future.
The Demigod was an irregular entity who manipulated Space Magic at will. In a world where the Demon King's Army had been eradicated, no one would be left to oppose him.
Should that happen, the Demigod would become the eye of a new storm of conflict. Every nation would scramble to bring him under their banner. Others would see him as an eyesore and seek his assassination.
Conflict would be the inevitable result.
Sacrifice would follow sacrifice until the damage became irreversible.
Therefore, dying before such chaos could erupt was a valid strategy. It would remove the root cause and likely prevent the largest problems from ever occurring.
"However, who will maintain the peace in the world you leave behind? Humans repeat the same mistakes over and over. Even if you erase Ritual Magic from the world, they will simply find other means to acquire power. And when they do, war will break out regardless."
"Humans can reflect on their mistakes and grow. Even if conflict arises, the people of that era will find a way to—"
"You are being naive," I declared, cutting him off.
The Demigod faltered.
His hands were still holding a Spatial Distortion in place.
Ignoring the threat, I made my point.
"If you possess the power to change the world and the will to see it done, then follow through to the end. Why choose death and foist the burden onto others?"
"T-That’s..."
"If you truly desire peace, you should spend eternity saving the world. As Absolute Justice, you should never stop eradicating evil."
Our positions were diametrically opposed, yet my reasoning was identical to why I had become the Demon King in the first place.
To become Invincible Justice and strike down the never-ending flow of evil.
That was one potential answer.
While I had not chosen that path for myself, I could feel a certain level of empathy for it.
However, it was a far cry from the Demigod's claims and methods. One could even say we were in direct opposition.
"If you lack the resolve to live for eternity as justice, then your life ends here. You shall become nourishment for the Demon King."
I stepped forward, bringing the Demigod within my reach.
If I lunged and struck now, I could kill him in the blink of an eye. Even if he tried to flee via teleportation, I would at least be able to sever a limb.
And this time, I would mince the flesh before he had a chance to reattach it. By repeating that process, I would eventually end him.
"..."
The Demigod remained silent, composed even as he was cornered.
He stared intently at me.
When a different light finally flickered in his eyes, he spoke.
"...Is that the end of your nonsense? You’re trying to lead me astray, but my mind is made up. My resolve isn't so fragile that it would be shaken by a trivial lecture."
Suddenly, the Demigod charged.
He lunged at me, thrusting his palm forward as if to crush me with the distortion he held.
I swatted it away with my empty hand.
The space beyond my wrist vanished instantly. Simultaneously, the Demigod's palm was torn wide open.
Even as blood sprayed from the wound, he lunged in further.
"You claim that refusing death and continuing to destroy evil is the optimal path? Impossible. That is far beyond the scope of what any individual can achieve. Idealistic drivel won't make the world a better place!"
Sensing a distortion behind me, I performed a somersault.
The teleported Demigod passed right through the space I had occupied a moment before.
His hand was still maintaining a distortion. The wound on his palm twisted and buckled, spewing forth gore and mangled meat.
The Demigod's form flickered unnaturally. Pain contorted his features.
He gnashed his teeth to endure it, then leapt up to continue his pursuit.
"Rule through individual power is a trivial thing compared to the vast flow of history! It will eventually be weeded out! That is why one must commit to being a momentary turning point and refrain from over-interference!"
I took Flight.
The Demigod pursued me, kicking off the air itself.
He increased the frequency of his distortions and made heavy use of teleportation. He launched a barrage of irregular Consecutive Strikes from every conceivable angle—above, below, left, and right.
I focused entirely on evasion.
When the situation grew too dire, I used the Keepsake Sword to cut through the distortions.
Though my body was gradually being whittled away, I managed to avoid fatal damage.
The Demigod's fierce assault showed no signs of slowing; if anything, its momentum only grew.
"Justice is something woven by the hands of many! It is not something for a... Demon King... to speak... of!"
With a ragged shout, his hand—clutching a distortion—slammed into my torso from the front.
It sank into me with a sickening crunch, causing my Black Bone to vanish in an instant.
My body began to collapse around the point of impact.
A look of certain victory crossed the Demigod's face. He raised his other hand, preparing to deliver a final, crushing blow.
I twisted my body and unleashed a flash of steel.
I severed the hand that was currently impaled in my chest.
In one fluid motion, I cut diagonally across the Demigod's torso, and on the return stroke, I lashed out at his face.
The Slash split the Demigod's right eye wide open.
"Ga... ha...!?"
The Demigod recoiled, coughing up blood.
He tried to reattach his severed hand.
I moved faster, mincing the limb into fragments to stop him.
Clutching the scraps of his own flesh, the Demigod stumbled and began to fall. He hit the ground hard, unable to even brace himself for the impact.
"—Half-hearted. Everything you do is half-hearted," I muttered.
Rain began to fall from the sky.
My entire body was soaked.
Feeling the biting cold of the droplets, I descended to the ground.