...I heard it. A voice.
It was Behemoth’s voice, which should have been gone.
I didn't trust my own ears. When I turned toward the sound, I saw her—decked out in a dress that looked like it belonged to a princess from a fairy tale.
With gray gauntlets on her arms, she looked at me and smiled.
"Crying face acquired, Master. You’re a crybaby, just like I heard."
"...Ciel?"
"Yep. Your Ciel Behemoth. Back and better than ever."
"Wait—what the hell did you do?"
Her presence had ballooned. It was several times more powerful than before.
She’d already been freed from her shackles by the Terminus Summon, and since Merli had helped, there were no longer any restrictions. Even so, she was far stronger now than she had been just moments ago.
"It was a gamble. I felt like I could do it if I just ate that first attack and integrated it into my whole body, so I went for it."
"That’s not much of an explanation..."
"I’ll tell you the details later. Anyway... right now, I’m Perfect Ciel-chan, so I’m going to beat the crap out of my little sister with everything I’ve got. Besides, you gave me a name. I owe you a lot for that."
She gave a proud little huff and laughed again.
She looked genuinely happy, as if she were celebrating the name I’d just given her from the bottom of her soul. Then, she released her power.
"Fuhahaha! This is rich! I knew having a Doomsday Beast as an ally was a wild card, but to think—to think you would actually overwrite the existence of the Beast of the Apocalypse, that Magic Beast of the Land! Ah, this is what I wanted to see! I’m in a great mood right now! It’s high time I gave you my blessing!"
Poseidon, who had been a mere spectator until now, laughed loudly as he bestowed a "blessing" of sorts upon me.
My body gave a violent throb.
A searing heat took root inside me, and I felt my mana stores begin to replenish at a terrifying rate.
"I originally intended for us to mingle directly to let it settle, but I’m glad I cut myself while I was storing up mana! Listen well, Hero! You have taken in the Ichor I shed; your mana limits are gone! Run wild to your heart’s content—and strike down that monster, that Terminus Serpent!"
On Poseidon’s arm was a self-inflicted gash. It looked deep. A golden liquid—his blood—was dripping from the wound.
Come to think of it, when I was converting Levi-san’s blood into mana earlier, I did think the conversion rate was unusually high. So this god had been pulling stunts like that behind the scenes...
"I appreciate the help, but a heads-up would have been nice."
"You looked like you would have tried to stop me!"
"Probably. Thanks anyway."
I let out a long, heavy sigh and looked at Leviathan. She was already preparing her second wave.
If I was going to believe the word of a god, I could currently use more magic than I could in my prime. In fact, I was in a state where I could push myself to an absurd degree. If that was the case, I’d use it to stop her. For Levi-san’s sake.
To reach her while she stared at Ciel, I made my move.
"[Summon] Diabel Satan."
I decided to play my other trump card, a technique I’d reached in Mythologia.
It was a pinnacle I’d achieved only because I was the kind of person who kept making contracts with those who held Scriptures. It was a total cheat move. It had a strict time limit, and at worst, I’d be bedridden for three days after using it. But if it meant defeating the opponent in front of me and seeing tomorrow—
"Dia, it’s been a while... I’m not sure if I can pull this off perfectly."
"Don't worry about it. If anything, I’m hyped to be the first one in!"
I synchronized my heart with Dia’s.
I aligned our mana and let our souls resonate.
I blurred the boundary between myself and Dia, and then I chanted.
"[Origin Connect: Summon Install]"
Dia’s form dissolved, melting into my own.
Immediately, I felt the change. Demonic horns and wings sprouted from my body.
"Origin Burst—[The Adversary of God Proclaiming Wrath: Mode Apocalypse Satan]."
I was enveloped in a black coat as Dia and I merged into a single entity.
When I swept my hand to the side, a black greatsword manifested in my grip. The mana overflowing from me began to erode Leviathan’s Divine Realm.
I was overwriting the world. I transformed the environment into the Demon Realm, the place where a demon thrives best. It became a space where I could recover mana just by breathing.
"Everyone, this is the last stretch. Leave it to us."
"Let’s all have a barbecue again afterward. We’ll leave the cooking to Baal."
No one said a word. Ayane and the others simply gave a firm nod.
We can win this.
For some reason, I felt like Levi-san was smiling. No, she was definitely enjoying this. Her mana was surging, a divine authority so powerful it threatened to overwrite the world I had just eroded. She was truly "alive" in this moment.
The battle began. My magic flared, and I blinked across the distance.
I swung my arm, and hundreds of swords with absolute slaying properties manifested and charged.
At the same time, Behemoth struck Leviathan’s massive frame. The impact was enough to make the world shake, and the serpent was sent flying hundreds of meters.
"Apocalypse Burst—Levi Leviathan!"
She coughed up blood from the impact, but then she released her own power, just like Ciel.
Her form compressed. Clad in the armor of a valkyrie and wielding a spear, she took flight to intercept us.
"So you finally felt like using it. Isn't it a bit late?"
"It is not too late! Ah, truly... I have been waiting for this! A battle where I can fight with everything I have and it doesn't just end... where every blow is heavy and terrifying... I feel alive!"
"Is that so? Then we’d better keep it going!"
I unleashed hundreds of spells. Alongside Ciel, I met her head-on as she danced through the sky, blasting water and lunging with her spear. I gave her everything I had.
I wouldn't let this end easily. I was going to win.
The thoughts kept welling up, one after another.
I want to win. I don't want to lose.
Those feelings forced my body to move, even as it screamed at its limit. The pain grew duller the longer the fight lasted.
My body felt light. My blood was boiling.
My mind was sharp. I even forgot to breathe. I just wanted to beat the person in front of me. I didn't want to lose this incredible first match. I lost all track of time as I swung my sword.
Deep down, I knew I probably shouldn't be enjoying a fight like this—but I was too far gone to care.
I didn't care about my remaining mana.
I didn't care about the pain.
Just move. Keep moving. She could still go. She was facing me, enjoying herself from the bottom of her heart. The only thing I could do was answer her.
I just wanted to win.
That was the only thought left. Slashing, parrying, tearing through the air—I kept pushing forward to strike her down.
I want to win. I have to win! I’m not losing here! Ciel and I are going to pass this trial, and we’re taking Levi-san back with us!
"The time of the end has come, for I am the adversary of God—the day of wrath, the time of the apocalypse, life ends and the world is reborn—ah, know that this is my will!"
It was an eight-verse incantation.
I spoke the words that declared my intent and unleashed the final chapter of the demon king Satan.
A certain-kill blow that bore the name of the Origin Finale. This was my gift to her.
"Origin Finale—[Day of Wrath: Satan's Dies Irae]."
It was a meteor.
A star-killing strike packed with every drop of mana I possessed—an ultimate move designed to end an existence.
It swallowed the existence known as Levi Leviathan whole.