I offered my thanks to the Great Spirit.
"My apologies. You’ve been a tremendous help."
"This, too, is the duty of the defense mechanism," she replied in a detached tone.
She was an entity known as the world’s defense mechanism. Though she rarely took direct action, she possessed immense power. To humanity, her existence was practically a walking calamity. I had always made a conscious effort to avoid antagonizing her. However, because our enemy was now the Beasts of the Outside World, our interests had aligned, allowing us to build a cooperative relationship. She was an incredibly reassuring ally to have.
"……"
The Great Spirit fell silent, watching me intently. She seemed to have noticed something.
"I see you have been busy hunting down the beasts yourself," she remarked, sounding almost impressed. "I should be the one thanking you."
"It is simply the duty of the Demon King," I replied, mirroring her earlier sentiment.
The Great Spirit had likely sensed the beasts' miasma lingering within me and deduced my recent actions. Eliminating these creatures was a goal we both shared. Although the Great Spirit possessed absurd combat capability, she was still only a single individual, no matter how powerful. There were limits to how quickly she could subjugate the invaders across the land. It seemed she welcomed my assistance.
She continued her observations. "It appears you have also expelled the one that was nesting in your mind."
"Yes. It was a difficult process, but I resolved the matter."
I thought of the imprisoned Gwen as I answered. I had intended to explain the situation later, but the Great Spirit seemed to grasp the truth without needing a single word. It was a relief to be spared the trouble.
I used sensing magic to sweep the area for further traces of the beasts. Their numbers within my territory had dwindled significantly; most had been wiped out during the recent series of battles. The locations I had visited personally were the most intense combat zones, places where my executives had been desperately holding the line. Judging by the remaining signals, the other fronts were also securing their victories without further delay. The specialized weaponry we had been developing must have proven its worth on the battlefield.
In contrast, other nations were still suffering under the invasion. They appeared to be struggling against beasts with unique, specialized biologies. While it didn't seem as though any kingdom was on the verge of total collapse yet, they were likely sustaining massive casualties.
"The beasts haven't been entirely eradicated yet," I noted.
"Even so, your subjugation speed is overwhelming compared to other regions," the Great Spirit said flatly. "The efforts of the Demon King’s Army have been significant. Thanks to them, the beasts were prevented from scattering. Human casualties have been kept to a minimum."
Her assessment was unexpected. I hadn't imagined she would ever say such a thing. A defense mechanism exists solely for the survival of the world itself; the preservation of human life is not part of its primary directive. In fact, I had often felt she viewed humanity as a nuisance.
When I questioned her on this, the Great Spirit added a clarification.
"I have no desire to see unnecessary sacrifices, either. While protecting the world is my first priority, I will save the people as well, provided I have the capacity to do so."
"……I see."
I nodded, unable to hide my surprise. This was a response I never would have predicted. When we first met, she had been slaughtering humans in a fit of rage. Since then, her words and actions had always felt distinctly inhuman and detached. The idea of her acting to save others was difficult to fathom.
After a moment of hesitation, I decided to ask for confirmation. "Have you changed your core policy?"
"—It must be your imagination."
She denied it immediately. I felt as though she had been about to say something else, but I didn't push. If I pried too indelicately, I risked offending her. I decided to let the matter drop. Regardless of her denial, it was clear she had undergone some kind of internal change.
"I intend to annihilate every beast remaining on this continent," I said. "Will you assist me?"
"Of course."
I didn't hesitate to accept her help. We needed to press the advantage now. The possibility of further reinforcements from the outside world couldn't be ruled out, and I wanted to whittle down their forces while we still had the chance. Furthermore, by offering up the Beasts of the Outside World as sacrifices, my own power would grow. There was every reason to hunt them to extinction.
"Then let us divide the work and begin the purge."
With that, the Great Spirit turned on her heel and ascended into the sky, disappearing toward the horizon in the blink of an eye. Though her voice hadn't betrayed much emotion, she seemed quite motivated.
(If I take too long, I’ll probably get a lecture later.)
Wary of her disapproval, I left Grom and Yura behind and teleported. I arrived at a location far from my previous position, immediately moving to intercept the next group of beasts.
Over the next half-day, the Great Spirit and I struck down beasts across the continent, systematically purging every individual we found. We encountered no major setbacks and quickly thinned their ranks. Finally, I used my magic to transport the scattered units of the Demon King’s Army back from their respective battlefields and collected every remaining beast carcass to prevent further contamination.
With that, the disturbance was quelled, and a brief peace returned to the continent.