ã€ŠA Wild Last Boss Appearedã€‹


 Chapter 1

    <h4>Chapter 1: A wildst boss appeared</h4>

    Everyone was frozen in ce.

    The king on his throne, the soldiers in their stations, and the royal magicians on the court.

    As well as the 200-year-old advisor stationed by the king.

    Everyone was overwhelmed, captivated, and terrified.

    Flowing golden hair was tinged with a scarlet hue at its ends.

    Eyes that surveyed the surroundings were dyed the scarlet color of a zing fire.

    A pure white dress and a deep crimson overcoat hugged her unblemished, fair skin.

    She was so beautiful that just the difference in the level of perfection was able to make the onlookers feel pitiful, and her perfectly proportioned body was wless to the very end.

    Peeking out of the overcoat was the proof of the member of the flugel race. Yet, she possessedrge, jet ck wings of taboo.

    As if they were weing the true king of the nation, everyone hung their heads, trembling in fear.

    Raising their heads was impossible. Looking forward was forbidden.

    The retainers¡¯ knees trembled against the ground as if paying their respects.

    Radiating an aura of domination and surrounded by the prostrating postures of numerous people, it was truly the appearance of a king.

    She wore the presence of a ruler around her, and every motion held conviction.

    And in the midst of this maelstrom.

    Having forced the entirety of the castle into submission without a lifting a finger, the young girl silently smiled and thought to herself.

    I¡¯m screwed, why are all these strangers bowing their heads to me? What in hell is this? A practical joke? What do they want from me? How did ite to this? Someone help!

    ¡ªit was none other than the young girl herself whose mental state was in the most disorder.

    Exactly how did things turn out this way?

    I guess I must first exin this in order.

    However, there is something I need to say before I exin.

    ¡ªI¡¯m actually a man.

    An exceedingly normal, healthy man. And with that in mind, I humbly request your audience.

    First of all... let¡¯s see.

    I was just ying games like any other day.

    ¡°X-gate online¡±

    It wasunched in the year 2027 and it has been six years since its release.

    The game was set in the parallel world of Midgard. The original game had a straightforward melee and magic attack system and was eventually converted from an RPG into an open-world TRPG. It seems like the original was an online game as well, but I unfortunately was not in possession of the game console, so I never yed it.

    ...well no, I did consider buying it. The Dreamstation console, I mean.

    The Dreamstation was a game console manufactured around 20 years ago, so it was pretty difficult to get your hands on.

    And we didn¡¯t have a second-hand video game store in our neighborhood either.

    Well, that¡¯s how it was. Without any major twists, the game created a friendly experience for a beginner.

    yers mainly used swords or magic forbat. There were monsters, elves, fairies, and a great variety of races appeared across the map.

    A frequently used setting, right? Open world RPG¡¯s are all about familiarizing yourself with a game you can enjoy for a long time after all.

    At the time the game was released, I had picked it up on a whim as a high school student.

    I had no particr reason to do so, nor did a friend rmend the game.

    It was purely on a whim... it had somehow caught my eye by chance and it was free-to-y, so I thought I might as well give it a go.

    The result¡ªaplete addiction. I became the so called ¡®fanatic¡¯.

    Anyhow, I dedicated as much time my schedule could afford, and all my free time was devoted to the game. I eventually even obtained cash shop items, for which I even picked up a simple side job I could do from home.

    Why work at home?

    ...if I left the house I wouldn¡¯t be able to game after all.

    Even my time spent at school felt wasted.

    And of course, I was a faithful member of the go-home club.

    My happiness¡ªand the happiness of the great majority of yers¡¯ was something decided by how soon we could see the login page again. As the number of game addicts increased, it seems that aw was passed to regte the distribution of online games around ten years ago. Then, in ordance with the regtion, ¡°X-gate Online¡± limited the daily ying time to ten hours. As a result, I was able to obtain the same login time as other addicts whilemuting to school, and was able to maintain my status as one of the top yers in the game.

    I continued to nurture my in-game character.

    I raised my level in numerous different sses of characters in a frantic pace. I also alternated between various (in-game) jobs on countless asions.

    One of the most appealing aspects of the game was the expansive character customization. I think there were... 8,687,500 different character customizations in total. The ability to freelybine those options allowed for an infinite variety of avatars. This further enabled your ability to foster your love for your own character.

    Using this system, the character I created, Ruphas Mafal, was a young girl of the flugel race. The flugel was one of the many races in the game. It was a race capable of flight and had high-level basic abilities in exchange for being unable to learn all sses of magic. They were also nicknamed the ¡°race of rulers¡± and were endowed with high charisma and the ability to tame monsters the moment they were born.

    These abilities were reflected in the actual gamey. Furthermore, the flugels had a skill that nullified attacks from opponents with a significant level differencepared your own.

    Well, this skill was rendered ineffective during boss battles, though.

    I trained and trained with Ruphas.

    I armed her with cash shop equipment and would participate in all of the in-game special events possible.

    Before long, I established a nation. This would expand the influence that my character possessed. It started off small, but it steadily grew in size.

    The game also included a feature that allowed you to wage ¡°war¡±.

    Two countries would fight with all their might and the losing nation would be absorbed into the winner¡¯s realm of influence.

    Ruphas used this system to her heart¡¯s content and invaded numerous nations.

    Of course, though it¡¯s called an ¡°invasion¡±, both nations have to give their consent.

    However, you attacked without an agreement you would just be inte trolling. In the blink of an eye, you would be shamed and hated by the entiremunity.

    There was one more special feature in the game: the ¡°novel system¡±

    Made in coboration with one of thergest online fiction novel publishers, the system allows yers topile their action into a ¡°formal history¡± simr to a fiction novel.

    ¡°For this reason, I waged war.¡±

    ¡°We suffered through so much to fulfill this request.¡±

    If you sent these to the official website, the epted narrations would actually appear on the homepage and be implemented into the game.

    If you paid the money, even a small aplishment could be written as a glorious tale. As a result, there were unique backstories wherever you went in ¡°X-gate Online¡±, and all yers served as protagonists of the story.

    In addition, if there was a major turning point in the game, the event would be recorded into ¡°history¡± for free.

    Known by every single yer, my character, Ruphas, even became a semi-official character of the game.

    She demolished all opposing forces, bing the first ever supreme ruler who united all of mankind under one sphere of influence.

    The ck wings of dread¡ªRuphas Mafal.

    Yes. At one point in time, I held influence over the entire in-game world in the palm of my hand and created an era of my own.

    As one would expect, the Demon King and his followers could not be turned into followers, but other than solo yers, all yers became citizens of Ruphas¡¯s nation.

    This became a major event recorded in the above-mentioned novel system. Disyed alongside the demon king as the ¡°wildst boss¡±, I was often told that ¡°you should just rece thest boss¡± and various otherments along those lines.

    However, there was a problem.

    Frankly, the game was boring with a single supreme ruler.

    The long awaited war functionality was rendered useless and it became extremely difficult for novice yers to establish their own nations.

    That¡¯s when I started a discussion with the higher level yers and nned a massive event upon yer suggestions.

    I even consulted a famous author on the publishing website and wrote up our own turning point of history.

    The story went like this.

    With her overwhelming military might, supreme ruler Ruphas invaded and unified the world.

    However, a group of heroes assembled from the far corners of the world.

    Grasping the chance to revolt, they naturally confronted the great evil in the name of goodwill!

    Oh valiant heroes, Imend you for your great courage.

    Now is the time to break free of the chains of tyranny and overthrow the throne!

    ¡ªyup. Ipletely yed the viin.

    Ruphas then secretly split her territory into two different parts. And with Ruphas leading the imperial army and the heroes leading the rebel forces, a battle of iparable scale took ce.

    To put it simply, I lost.

    I mean, all the prominent yers were on the opposing team, you know? There was no way in hell I could have won.

    Nevertheless, I stood my ground until the very end.

    Before I knew it, I was the only one left standing, but I continued to rampage to my heart¡¯s desire.

    Our forces consisted of eighty percent of low-level yers who didn¡¯t stand a chance as they engaged in one-on-onebat with the enemymander.

    ...well, at that point in time, I only had a remaining HP of two, though.

    Yup. Damage taken from a single attack.

    In a preemptive strike, we were able to exhaust the opponent¡¯s stamina and health, but they activated the skill, [Switch ces] immediately after. And then they staged their glorious victory.

    They totally did that on purpose.

    And in the end, on top of barraging us with overkill attacks, they even went as far to seal us into a different dimension. (By banishing an opponent into a subspace their revival time is prolonged.)

    Stop it already! My health is already zero!

    Well, it would have been awkward to just be defeated in silence, so before being sealed I also read some cool lines.

    ¡°Magnificent! That was magnificent, heroes! You have clearly expressed your overwhelming power! A party of your caliber might just be able to stand up to the Demon King!¡±

    ¡ªor something. Well, yeah. I was still a teenager.

    Defeated, Ruphas went into hiding and the world was freed from her rule¡ªwas how the event was portrayed in thepleted story

    It gained quite the reputation, receivingments like ¡°So I¡¯m fine with the story ending here?¡±, ¡°Nice finale¡±, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t just forget about the Demon King (LOL)!¡±, ¡°Demon King? Ah, you mean the guy who¡¯s been hiding until Ruphas-sama was done in. Uuuh, what was his name again?¡±, and ¡°You guys are too cruel XDDDDD¡±.

    Although defeated, I felt satisfied havingpleted a great event and gazed at the disy with a wide grin.

    The following day, when I tried to log in for the second time, an unfamiliar character appeared on the screen.

    Her name was Alovenas, the creator of the world. Apparently, she was the goddess who was also, to put it bluntly, the representation of game administration.

    She often made her appearance in tutorials and in-game event announcements. Her offensive ability, HP, and defensive power were definite numbers, but it was not something you could possibly defeat. Hell, she had 999 billion HP. Don¡¯t screw with me. Even boss characters have a threshold of around a million HP.

    That official cheat character appeared to tell me something.

    ¡°Would you like to be granted a new role?¡±

    I thought it might be an official message from the game. Presently, Ruphas was listed beside the Demon King as one of the major boss characters of ¡°X-gate online¡±. Naturally, the administrators couldn¡¯t just leave it as it was. After being defeated in such a dramatic manner, just casually logging in as if nothing happened would be a bit too... well, you get the point. Even I thought it would have been a bit anticlimactic.

    And if I just strolled back into the game, what would happen to the story? In that case, this message was a godsend.

    So I replied with the ¡°Yes¡± option.

    I didn¡¯t know what kind of event it was, but I¡¯ve participated in every in-game event to this point.

    That¡¯s why regardless of what kind of role it was, I would ept the challenge head on.

    I thou¡ª.

    Then, my vision cked out.

    ????????

    And we have now arrived at the present situation.

    Prostrating figures surround me.

    A heavy weight on my chest and sense of loss between my legs.

    My body was hugged by a dress and overcoat. Long hair framed my field of vision and a pair of wings sprout from my back.

    With strangely clear eyesight, I gazed at a distant window, where the appearance of an absurdly beautiful girl was reflected.

    I... turned into Ruphas?

    Nonono, no waaaay.

    I¡¯m male, you know?

    Ruphas is female, you know?

    You¡¯d feel more motivated if I¡¯m ying as a cute girl rather than an old man, right? For that stupid reason, I spent a couple of hours customizing my own beautiful girl, you know?

    But turning into that character is a different matter. The view is gone, goddammit!

    ¡°...hmph, I don¡¯t quite understand the current situation... so is someone going to exin it to me?¡±

    ...heeey.

    I knew my voice would change. That was within expectations.

    But this arrogance in my tone!

    Somehow, when I tried to say ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t really understand the current situation. I would really appreciate it if someone would give an exnation.¡± the words came out of my mouth in a needlessly haughty tone.

    Isn¡¯t this the tone I used when I was roleying Luphas?

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, children of mankind? Raise your heads. How long do you n on prostrating? Or is that your normal posture? In that case, let me apologize for my ignorance.¡±

    What¡¯s wrong? Please raise your heads. If you continue to maintain that posture, I won¡¯t be able to stand it.

    Or if you would pardon me for asking, is that your normal posture? In that case, I apologize for myck ofmon sense¡ªis what I tried to say.

    I sound way too oppressive.

    Shoot, no matter what I try to say in this tone, it¡¯ll just end up sounding haughty again. What do I even do?

    ...ah, I see!

    It was my [overpowering] skill!

    That skill¡¯s probably activated.

    Uuuh, I¡¯m positive you could switch it on and off... calm down already, [overpowering]!

    Ugh, the pressure is unbearable...!

    ¡°...ah, I see. Pardon me, I have been careless. It would be hard to converse with this activated.¡±

    [Overpowering] off!

    There was no convenient puter) window, but I somehow dealt with the problem through intuition.

    As for whether my attempt was sessful, the people who were prostrating before me finally raised their heads and cast their trembling gazes upon me.

    ¡°Wo¡ªwoah... This figure... No way... so you were alive...¡±

    The gentleman dressed like a Shinto priest said with a trembling voice.

    How rude. I have no recollection of having died before.

    Ah, but Ruphas just died the other day, though.

    ¡°Ye¡ªYeah, we made an incredible miscalction. An unforgivable... unforgivable mistake. During the summoning of a hero, we have instead undone the seal on the Supreme Ruler...¡±

    ¡°¡ªhmph, I see. Seems like this man knows who I am. Then let¡¯s have you exin the situation to me.¡±

    It seems like this man knows who I am.

    Then it would be a bit better to ask him for an exnation.

    To grant him a peace of mind, I smiled and gently informed him of my harmlessness.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so afraid, child of man. I won¡¯t do any harm to you and yourpatriots... just rx, and start talking.¡±

    ¡ªbut there really is nothing I can do about this haughtiness, is there.

    ¡¾The setting you don¡¯t really have to remember¡¿

    The original game ran on the Dreamstation game console and was eventually converted into a TRPG and an MMO as well. It was not a VR.

    Unlike all the MMORPG¡¯s so far, it was closer to a TRPG. For instance, when changing sses, you could retain the skills of your previous ss in secrecy.

    In coboration with one of thergest online publishing sites, yer actions and choices were recorded as a story.

    (However, in reality, whether your actions would really be written about actually just depended on how the authors felt about it. yers would submit drafts that said ¡°this is how it all yed out!¡± and if you were lucky, it would be picked up by an author and written as a story. There are also authors who would ept money for the service, and it was plenty possible to record your aplishments by paying. However, not just anyone could be an author. They were properly picked out by the administration and rarely would you find a shitty story.)

    While standing in a gray area between an RPG and a TRPG, the game alsoprised of the elements of a novel, giving it the peculiar title of an MMONRPG (Mass Multiyer Online Novel Role ying Game).

    This system had quite the reputation with yers who were crazed over character personalization. Nevertheless, a number of yers felt nothing from their actions being written as a story.

    Six years after its release, the game has a total of over 8 million yers internationally.

    It was fundamentally free-to-y, but as you proceeded throughout the game, it would continue to pressure you to spend real money.

    The game was produced by Niente Corporation.

 Chapter 2

    <h4>Chapter 2: A wildst boss takes to the skies</h4>

    The ck winged ruler, Ruphas Mafahl.

    200 years ago, the year 2800 on the Midgard calendar, a supreme being wearing the appearance of a lovely young girl distinguished herself.

    With a swing of her arm, she could sever the necks of dragons the size of mountains. With a matter of moments, she could traverse the distance of a thousand miles.

    Haughtiness and unparalleled cruelty. No matter who rose up against her, she crushed them mercilessly.

    The weak barely had the strength to stand in her presence. The strong were torn apart like flimsy scraps of paper and discarded along the roadside.

    As the only person who the Demon King avoided, many schrs insisted that if she had continued to hold the reins of the world, the Demon King would have already departed from the realm of the living.

    Powerfully, powerfully, she pressed forward.

    And that power brought forth the unification of the entire world.

    However, overwhelming power gave birth to fear.

    It was an era during which people were not as weak as they are now. At a time when it was still possible to oppose Ruphas, a group of heroes gathered their courage and stood in defiance.

    The people began to rise up to protest against the supreme ruler.

    I dare say that this was the first time since the dawn of history that mankind was so unified. Even as the dictator they stood against, only she was able to achieve a feat of this scale.

    Tied together by bonds of steel, the heroes prated the Overlord¡¯s defenses.

    Having finished off the 12 generals under hermand, they were finally able to drag Ruphas out to the battlefield.

    The battle spanned over one day and one night.

    The overwhelming pressure that Ruphas exerted forced the weak to their knees, crushing the wills of 7 million of the 8 million warriors who stood to confront her.

    shing, stabbing, and crushing. Ruphas fought at the border between life and death while taking on a multitude of heroes at once. With cuts and burns covering her body, she finallynded a fatal blow against the heroes¡¯ forces.

    However, the heroes stood back up.

    And harboring the power of hope, they set their sights on victory again.

    What followed was an all-out attack from the heroes.

    Even Ruphas Mafahl would not be able to get out of this predicament unharmed.

    But even so, she smiled.

    And with a pleasant smile spread across her face, she shouted.

    ¡°Magnificent! Magnificent, my heroes! You have done well to surpass my abilities! I express my deepest respect for your unyielding courage and overwhelming strength! However, you must not forget that darkness that still remains in this world. This party may stand a chance against that Demon King¡ªbut in the event that you lose that battle, the world will be engulfed in even more darkness than it is in now. Whether your future holds hope or misfortune, I will ascertain with my own eyes from the darkest depths of hell! Kuhahahahaha... haaahahahahahaha!¡±

    Thus, the era of Ruphas Mafal¡¯s rule came to an end.

    The already overthrown ruler was then sealed into a separate dimension, never to set a foot in this world again.

    Supposedly.

    Shoot, then how exactly do I exin this?

    How am I supposed to exin the ck winged girl standing right before their eyes?

    ¡°So, how long are you going to make me wait? You¡ªyou didn¡¯t exin the current situation to me, did you?

    The pitiful figure of the king¡¯s advisor sat facing Ruphas in the royal council room. As the young elf who sumbed to the overpowering pressure expelled by the Supreme Ruler during the battle that took ce 200 years ago, the advisor pondered to himself.

    When attempting to summon a hero, did divine punishment rain down instead?

    Ah, but the benevolent Goddess of Genesis Alovenas would never...

    Reviving the Overlord in an attempt to summon heroes was a bit too...

    Without any regard to the advisor¡¯s mental distress, Ruphas crossed her arms and thought.

    These wings are going to be a real nuisance when trying to sit down.

    ????????

    It took several minutes to sessfully prompt the beautiful long-eared man to begin speaking.

    At certain intervals, he would quickly nce at me and then immediately avert his eyes and tremble in fear. Somehow, little by little, he confirmed my approval and finally decided to speak. I have summarized the contents into these three main points.

    After the span of two hundred years, the Demon King remained undefeated.

    Ah, I know! Let¡¯s summon a hero using the X-gate system.

    Somehow, thest boss appeared instead of the hero... ¡ûhere we are.

    ...so short. For this to take over ten minutes to exin... am I really that scary? But I already had a slight impression that this was inside of the game.

    On the other hand, I wonder just how much Midgard changed over the course of 200 years.

    I¡¯m actually feeling a bit excited about this predicament. I have an optimistic personality to begin with, so as long as I can enjoy myself right now, I frankly don¡¯t give a shit about the trivial details.

    I am able to walk the splendid world of X-gate online in the body of the character I poured my heart into making.

    To online game addicts, this is already the highest form of reward.

    Ah, that¡¯s right. The name ¡°X-gate online¡± was derived from X-gate magic, which was the basis of the game¡¯s magic system.

    Dating back to before the game was made into an MMO, it seems like the protagonist was amonce high schooler.

    The protagonist was summoned through the X-gate and until he was able to defeat the Demon King, he would remain as a resident of that world.

    Well, as an online game, pretty much the only thing that remained of that backstory was the name and the bare existence of the magic. It was quite depressing.

    Come to think of it, didn¡¯t the appearance of heroes happen around year 3000 in the Midgard calendar? Oh wait, isn¡¯t that right now? I don¡¯t know if any heroes from a different world will appear, but if I ever get the chance to meet them, I¡¯ll definitely try to get their autograph... yeah.

    On that note, I should probably consider my next course of actions.

    That elf advisor and the king have been trembling in that corner for some time now.

    First of all, I should demonstrate my harmlessness by leaving as soon as possible.

    ¡°...I see. I understand now. So the Demon King is still going strong. Isn¡¯t he a tenacious one?¡±

    Because it was mainly my fault he went from being the Demon King to being called the Demon King (LOL), I¡¯m frankly relieved that he¡¯s still in good health.

    Then, when they attempted to summon a hero, I popped out of the gacha instead.

    How do I say this... I mean... sorry? I might have just ruined the hero¡¯s debut into the story.

    ¡°Ah, do not fret. At this point in time, I no longer intend to take any drastic actions against this world. A body which already tasted defeat is a body that¡¯s stopped dreaming... it is toote for me to try to achieve something.¡±

    ¡°Ca¡ªCan we believe those words?¡±

    ¡°Affirmative. Although I was defeated, a battle of that scale has left me satisfied. While I am a bit disgruntled that the individuals that overthrew me were unable to defeat the Demon King... well, it¡¯s fine. More importantly, I would like to travel this world and admire it from afar.¡±

    I¡¯ll leave dealing with the Demon King to the heroes for the time being.

    Instead of taking up some meddlesome quest, I would rather explore the world of Midgard.

    I want to journey across it on my own two feet and see it with my own two eyes.

    In all honesty, it takes all of my willpower just to refrain from taking off in excitement.

    ¡°A king without followers and an abandoned throne. Insisting on a monarchy now would beical, wouldn¡¯t it? The Overlord Ruphas is no longer of this world. I am little more than a girl with shattered dreams.¡±

    I don¡¯t feel like going as far to name myself the Supreme Ruler in this world as well.

    That¡¯s like the direct path of earning a wanted poster.

    I simply want to lead a carefree lifestyle, enjoying life to its fullest potential here.

    And I¡¯ll ponder how to return to my world while I¡¯m at it.

    ¡°Therefore, there is no need for you to panic. Just forget about me and keep summoning heroes or something.¡±

    I will have a mental breakdown if I remain here any longer.

    I stood up from my seat and pushed open the nearby window.

    It was a wonder how I knew how to move the wings that I only just received.

    Somehow, my body understood the fundamentals of flight.

    From a scientific perspective, a pair of wings cannot support the human body weight in the air. However, my instincts had shed me the green light anyways.

    ¡°Well then, I will be leaving. If there¡¯s an opportunity, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll meet again.¡±

    ¡°Wa¡ªwait!¡±

    Ignoring the voice calling out to me, I beat my wings.

    And with a push of my legs, my magnificent form took to the skies.

    In the blink of an eye, I separated from the ground and the castle shrunk to the size of a grain of sand.

    Woah...

    Flying... I¡¯m flying!

    Traversing the skies and piercing the heavens!

    I wonder how I can express these feelings in words.

    Freedom¡ªexactly, it¡¯s freedom.

    The delight from removing the shackles of gravity.

    Feet not touching the ground, I escaped to the boundless world above the clouds.

    Spinning, soaring, and gliding¡ªI flew to my heart¡¯s desires!

    ¡°Fu, fufu...... hahahahaha!¡±

    From above the clouds, I swooped dangerously close to the ground. And just beforeing into contact with the ground, I ascended back into the skies, where you could see thend stretching infinitely into the horizon.

    Right here, right now, these vast skies belong to me and only me.

    There were no crowds nor traffic to get in the way.

    I can fly limitlessly and go anywhere humanly possible.

    ¡°Fufu... it feels good to fly through the sky like this. Now then, where shall we head first?¡±

    With so many choices, I was barraged with indecision.

    Well, first of all, this country isn¡¯t an option.

    On the chance that the elf advisor or king ordered their citizens to capture me on sight, it would be a real pain in the ass.

    I want to travel this world in leisure after all.

    ¡°...hm? Wait, isn¡¯t that... I see, so it still remains.¡±

    Troubled, ¡°that¡± rose into my field of vision.

    It was a obsidian ck tower that pierced the skies.

    As if challenging the heavens, the building stood boldly against the vastness of the sky. There is no way I would ever forget its dauntless appearance.

    It was the symbol of our influence that we built together after all.

    The skyscraper ¡°Mafahl¡±.

    My..., no, the base that we erected together.

    ¡°I guess the first destination has already been decided, huh¡±

    I redirected my course of flight, pping my wings.

    Estimate the distance to the tower was difficult because it was visible from almost anywhere on the map.

    It was probably a fairly long distance to cover, but with my current abilities, it was barely a problem.

    I had wings able to carry me to the heavens after all.

    ¡°Hup!¡±

    I flew towards the tower with all of my might.

    It was a good chance to test the limits of this body and above all, and I wanted to see what speeds I could aplish.

    Thendscape blurred by at tremendous speeds and the wind pressed my cheeks.

    Though I¡¯m not too sure, it seems I was able to achieve speeds that far surpassed that of a bullet train.

    Moreover, I was able to make tight turns and my vision remained wless.

    Any birds in my way were easily evaded and it took no additional effort to maintain my speed while making sharp turns.

    Ah, this is so satisfying.

    My heart feels light and carefree.

    I never knew something as simple as flying would be able to bring such freedom and satisfaction!

    However, everything eventuallyes to an end.

    I arrived at my destination just minutes after taking off,

    Stopping abruptly,rge gusts of wind roared and the atmosphere quivered around me.

    It was expected that the arrival of something the size of a human moving at such extreme speeds would be apanied by such violent winds.

    In fact, weak opponent would have been blown away just by the impact.

    This time, I ascended.

    Far above the clouds, I set my eyes on the summit of the tower, where only a select few with finely tuned flight abilities could reach.

    ording to the myth, when Icarus drew too close to the sun, his wax wings dissolved and he fell to his demise.

    But the quality of my wings are not to bepared to simple wax. Just sunlight would never be enough to damage them.

    Many thousands of meters above ground, I made my way to the only entrance.

    There were two ways of entering the building. The first was to enter from high altitude. The second was to open the door to the building from the inside.

    Even I think it¡¯s a pretty worthless design.

    While recalling these memories, I stepped into the tower and headed towards the room reserved for the guild master.

 Chapter 3

    Nations in "X-gate online"¡ªbasically yers with influence¡ªwere allowed to construct a stronghold for their guild.

    The most popr choice was a castle, but there were no particr restrictions on what appearance it could take.

    A rare few took on the shape of shrines and temples, and one particr stronghold was even designed after a coffee shop.

    While it¡¯s hard to imagine a coffee shop serving as the heart of a nation, it was something made possible within the game.

    And from the innumerous options, the design I chose was a tower.

    In no time, I had fallen into a trance and was fully exploiting the customization system.

    The tower was redesigned every time our influence expanded. By borrowing the minds of yers who had a better eye for art, the "Tower of Mafahl" eventually became one of the most awe-inspiring structures of the game.

    "...though it¡¯s abandoned... it¡¯s still so... breathtaking."

    But as you would expect, after a period of two hundred years, the inside of the tower becameyered in dust. Nevertheless, the beautiful designs that decorated the skyscraper¡¯s interior peeked out from under the grime. As I walked straight ahead, a cracked, yet impressive crimson throne came into view.

    The shattered windows were once beautiful stained ss.

    Poking a finger into a crack that ran along the wall, I recall the joyful memories made in this room.

    Everyone was here with me.

    Here, we discussed how we would increase our influence. This was the site where we made an oath as guild members and considered our future expeditions.

    We made merry deep into the night, drowning ourselves in wine...

    ...wait a second, why do I recall these memories as if I was there in person? Ruphas was the one who drank wine in-game¡ªnot me.

    I simply watched through myputer screen, right?

    What am I even reminiscing about in the first ce?

    It was only days ago that I split my territory into two parts. It¡¯s way too soon to start getting nostalgic about anything.

    Shoot, there¡¯s a possibility my memories may be merging with Ruphas¡¯s.

    I¡¯m going to end up mistaking the game for reality if this continues.

    I¡¯m having a hard time distinguishing between the two even now.

    Besides¡ª

    "How strange. This should be my first time seeing this in person, but it somehow feels so nostalgic. I feel a sense of security by just being here."

    Nostalgia wells up in my chest.

    It was as if I had returned home after a journey around the world.

    A mysterious feeling.

    Am I going crazy?

    Or is my consciousness really merging with Ruphas¡¯s?

    It¡¯s impossible to know right now.

    "...hm?"

    My voice slipped out in surprise.

    Here, where none other than myself was permitted entry, a sound resounded through the room.

    I directed my line of sight towards the source of the sound.

    There, a young girl I didn¡¯t recognize stood before me.

    She possessed pale blue hair the color of the seaplimented by her marine blue eyes. Her simple, white clothing lightly wrapped around her smooth, snow white skin. Moreover, her facial features were stunning.

    ...an unfamiliar face.

    At the very least, she wasn¡¯t among guild members I gave permission to step foot on the very highest floor of the tower.

    Who is she? And why is she here?

    "¡ªRuphas-sama! Aren¡¯t you Ruphas Mafahl-sama?"

    Calling out my name, she ran to me and gripped my hands tightly with her own.

    Just the sincere smile stered across her face was enough to express just how blessed she thought she was to witness my return.

    Sadly, I don¡¯t recognize her at all.

    "Who... are you?"

    "Ho-How cruel! Have you already forgotten me? Forgotten about Dina, your most loyal advisor? I¡¯ve been waiting 200 years in this tower for your return, you know!?"

    Dina? Advisor?

    What is this girl saying?

    In ce of an advisor, I instead had my guild members. And even then, none of them were named Dina. I never did have a designated advisor to begin with.

    Not to even mention a young girl named Dina...

    ......

    ¡ªno, she existed.

    That¡¯s right, I remember now.

    When I first built the stronghold, I decorated the tower with various ornamental objects, and among them, I faintly recall positioning an NPC with the appearance of a young girl.

    Yup, characters were also included in the decorations for a stronghold.

    They simply paced aimlessly about the chamber that they were assigned to. Their only purpose was to add more depth to the background, but I had gone out of my way to ce one anyways.

    It was merely because I had thought a stronghold without even a single mob would be a bit too lonely for my taste. Although I hadpletely forgotten its existence before long, it seems I had named it something along the lines of "Ruphas¡¯s Advisor" and given it a strange backstory.

    However, she had no real offensive powers and frankly, she was just another ornament not even worth taking note of. Before I knew it, she became another part of the background.

    And that girl, out of her own free will, chose to spend the span of 200 years of her life waiting for my return?

    Regardless of whether I remembered her or not?

    She had remained faithful to the role I granted her and continued to stay here, alone?

    "Ah, I see... I remember now. Forgive me, Dina. To forget an existence as important as yours... something must be wrong with me."

    This is not a game.

    It struck me how naive my attitude towards this world had been up until now.

    If I continued to treat this world as a game, I could ruin the lives of thousands.

    Forgetting an NPC in a game would just result in a couple seconds of confusion.

    However, doing the same with a person with genuine emotions is an unforgivable insult to their existence.

    "Imend you for your services. You have done well to protect this ce during my absence, Dina."

    "I¡ªI am unworthy of such praise!"

    I will never again think of her as an "ornament in the shape of a human", but instead as another individual.

    "Um, Ruphas-sama. How were you able to return to this world?"

    "Ah. It seems a nation a bit to the west was attempting to summon a hero, but they messed up and returned me from the separate dimension. I owe it to their recklessness that I am able to be here right now."

    "Levatin... should be the country that lies west from here. They¡¯ve shown signs of preparing to summon heroes before. So that¡¯s what it was..."

    ording to Dina, they¡¯ve been working hard towards that goal for a while now.

    Thank you so much for your efforts.

    And¡ªhow do I say this¡ªforgive me. For your considerable hardships.

    "As you can see, I am quite ignorant of the ways of the world in this day and age. I¡¯ve heard that the Demon King is still in good health, though."

    "That¡¯s right! Immediately after those obnoxious heroes defeated you, the heroes fell apart, the country became divided, and they¡¯ve been beaten to a pulp by the Demon King ever since! How sloppy!"

    Ah, yeah. Sorry, Dina. I guess disperse of influence went ording to our n. Rather, the final battle was just a staged event in order to release our influence...

    The copse of Ruphas Mafahl¡¯s rule would signal the dawn of a new era. Various yers would begin to expand their influence, aiming to be the new sessor to the world.

    And the Demon King should have been... the officialst boss.

    Unlike me, there were definite merits in defeating him. The Demon King had a hundred percent chance of dropping a rare item.

    However, countries would never form an alliance to defeat it.

    Rather, it would be troubling if an opposing nation defeated the Demon King. In addition, ipetent allies would only drag you down.

    But that reasoning only stands if this was still a game.

    Which in this case, I haven¡¯t a single clue why humanity would fall apart and lose to the Demon King.

    In the first ce, to what degree was the game was reflected in this world?

    Would an in-game fight with the Demon King influence the history of this world?

    Or do the events of this world ur independently of the game?

    ..the more I think about it, the more disoriented I get. Just the fact that the game is reflected in this separate reality is already unusual in itself.

    What is the rtionship between this world and "X-gate online"?

    A world resembling X-gate wouldn¡¯t be an adequate exnation for this absurdity.

    "Ruphas-sama?"

    "Ah, excuse me. I was lost in thought. Dina, would you do me the favor of teaching me about the world I left?"

    "Yes, of course! If that will be of use to Ruphas-sama, then dly!"

    With a charming smile spread across her face, Dina replied without the slightest hint of hesitation

    Wha¡ªwhat a good girl... She really puts my heart at ease.

    Well, that¡¯s one thing off my checklist. I¡¯ve found something to protect.

    It¡¯s simple. Cute girls are precious assets of any world.

    It¡¯s natural to want to protect them as a man.

    "...first, about the obnoxious heroes that defeated you. Afterwards, each of the seven heroes, as they were called, decided to start their own nations. Four of them have already passed away due to old age, but the other three with longer life spans are still alive today."

    Those seven heroes were undoubtedly referring to the seven yers that stood alongside me as the top ranked yers in the game. Each of them was specialized in a different character ss and we had conquered numerous boss battles as a party. In other words, they were my former guild members.

    ...I wonder how they¡¯re all doing.

    Could those heroes be yers like me?

    Or am I wrong?

    Of course, I would hope for the former, but I can¡¯t confirm anything without meeting them in person.

    So for now, let¡¯s make meeting those three people a goal while traveling this world.

    "The Twelve Heavenly Stars are all in good health. However, I only know the whereabouts of six of them. Among those six, two have joined the Demon King to take revenge on the humans you were defeated by."

    The Twelve Heavenly Stars.

    They were what you would call "familiars".

    The ss I had chosen had the ability to tame monsters and possessed an inherent skill that gave you a chance of turning a defeated opponent into an ally.

    To monster tamers that have little to no offensive power, it wouldn¡¯t be an overstatement to say their ability to reel in a strong monster is a matter of life and death.

    I... lucked out.

    A boss monster that only appeared during an event and a rare monster that almost never made its appearance.

    Having tamed these monstrosities of familiars, I proceeded to put 12 of the most powerful monsters under Ruphas¡¯s jurisdiction as her 12 generals. Then, I bestowed upon them the embarrassing title of the Twelve Heavenly Stars.

    I thought it would be cool for a ruler to have something like the Four Heavenly Kings under hismand.

    I, too, had a phase when I thought like that. (TN: the chuunibyou phase :D)

    ...well, in reality, I was very much interested in things other than monsters as well, but that is a story for another time.

    "Joined the Demon King, huh... Goodness. Though I¡¯m fully aware that my weakness is to me for their actions, it¡¯s still a pathetic way to behave. I will need to quickly scold them."

    Let¡¯s add one more objective to our travels.

    I will collect the Twelve Heavenly Stars and take the responsibility to subdue them. Well, in reality, the thought that the familiars I raised were causing trouble for others made my stomach hurt.

    I¡¯ll stop them with brute force if I have to.

    "Hmph... Dina, could you mark the current locations of the 3 remaining heroes and The Twelve Heavenly Stars on a map?"

    "Yes, certainly."

    First, I must find out if the three heroes are yers like me.

    Then, if the Twelve Heavenly Stars are acting stupid, I will stop and recover them.

    ...Ah, right. We¡¯re also going to need a source of money. For a penniless individual like me, this is top priority. I will need to look for a way to acquire funds for our travels.

    "I¡¯ve finished, Ruphas-sama. I¡¯ve marked everything on this map."

    "Thank you."

    epting the map from Dina, I scanned over the contents.

    As for the heroes, the closest one is positioned at a country called Suvell, which is about 1,400 kilometers north from our current location.

    The elf hero has taken up residence here.

    Furthermore, "The Ram", Aries, is preparing for the invasion of Suvell in a castle at the foot of the volcano nearby.

    ...what in hell does this sheep think it¡¯s doing.

    Anyways, this should be our first destination.

    I¡¯m going to have to stop that sheep before a hole opens in my stomach.

    Good grief, what a pain in the ass.

    However, I would be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t excited.

    Now then, let¡¯s start with looking for a job.

    ¡ùSome kind of exnation

    In the world of Midgard, Magical power and Holy power are pr opposite existences. Magical power is closely tied to demons, so it aims to hurt or curse. On the other hand, the holy attribute has a strong association to the heavens, and it focuses more on healing and support.

    In simpler terms Magic = ck magic, Holy power = White magic

    (TN: In japanese, the word for magic = Ä§Á¦. The first character, Ä§ also means ¡¯has to do with hell¡¯. So for example, Ä§½ç means "hell", or "the world of spirits".)

    ?

 Chapter 4

    The city of Yudaril is one of trade andmerce.

    It lies just east of the country of Levatin and does not belong to any nation.

    Positioned between almost every major country, it¡¯s a bustling city where arge variety of merchants and travelerse to.

    Naturally, that includes adventurers as well. In fact, back when this was a game, this was where new yers began their adventure.

    Despite that 200 years that have psed, Yudaril remained lively as ever.

    I was relieved to see that even a small part of the world remained as I had known it.

    Yeah, I feel kind of attached to this ce.

    "...Dina, it¡¯s difficult to move."

    "Please put up with it for now. You¡¯d be recognized in an instant after all. You don¡¯t want to attract any unwanted attention, do you?"

    While wandering this charming city, I hid my entire body under my overcoat, looking as suspicious as you could get.

    As ording to Dina¡¯s instruction, my wings were wrapped tightly around my body and an overcoat was forced over them.

    Moreover, the crimson overcoat I wore had a convenient hood attached to the back.

    Yup, this is definitely enough to hide my identity.

    But I think it¡¯s is making me stand out anyways.

    And I can¡¯t really move my arms in this outfit.

    What is this? Some new kind of sex y?

    "Now then, Ruphas-sama. First, acquiring funds for our travels is probably the highest hurdle to ovee. Anyone would recognize you at a nce, so it¡¯s extremely hard to find a suitable job, you see? There aren¡¯t many people that out there willing to hire a ck-winged overlord after all."

    "...but those are the events of 200 years ago. In an age without pictures, I doubt anyone would be able to recognize me."

    "Naive. That¡¯s naive, Ruphas-sama. This trading city is where people of every corner of the world gather, you know? And races with long life spans like elves aren¡¯t an exception. They may still remember you clearly."

    Hearing out Dina¡¯s exnation, I nodded in understanding.

    Come to think of it, those races exist in this alternate universe.

    I myself am a member of one of those long-lived races.

    To begin with, the Flugels are the rumored descendants of angels. And regardless of whether that¡¯s true, they boast an average lifespan of a ridiculous 1,500 years.

    That¡¯s why I¡¯m able to retain my young appearance even after 200 years.

    By the way, Ruphas used to be 275 years old, so I guess she¡¯s 475 years old now.

    In human years, she would be 14 when she was sealed and around 24 as of now.

    ...my outward appearance is of a 15 to 17 year-old girl, though.

    "Especially those ck wings! Even if they didn¡¯t recognize you, your wings stand out too much. For Flugels, those are the wings of taboo after all."

    "They¡¯re normally ck, aren¡¯t they? I bet you I¡¯m just a different variety of flugel."

    As I¡¯ve mentioned before, flugels are the descendants of angels.

    They themselves believe the same and take pride in their untainted, pure white wings.

    They went as far as to insist that those wings were the proof of a flugel, and that their sexual appeal was neither decided by their faces nor their bodies, but rather their wings. Apparently, a male would unt his wings at a female to disy his affection.

    To put things bluntly, whether you¡¯re unattractive, obese, pimpled, stink, or wear anime print T-shirts, as long as your wings remain pure white, you¡¯re some pretty hot stuff.

    On the contrary, no matter how refined your physical appearance is, if your wings are tainted, you¡¯ll never be attractive.

    In this aspect, my jet ck wings arepletely out of question.

    They far surpass the jurisdiction of beauty and ugliness. At this rate, I¡¯d only be recognized as a monster.

    In human terms... let¡¯s see. It¡¯s like having green skin, no eyebrows, and hairs sprouting from the middle of my forehead instead of my scalp.

    Forget about beauty¡ªI wouldn¡¯t even be acknowledged as another Flugel.

    Of course, I was fully aware of the backstory. And I had chosen these ck wings with this knowledge at hand.

    The reason was extremely simple. "Wouldn¡¯t wings of taboo just be the coolest?"

    ...Yup.

    Needless to say, many other yers thought the same, and jet ck wings weren¡¯t so umon.

    Rather, more entric designs included golden wings, gradients, and even yers that took the liberty to pick out a different color for every other feather.

    Trying to ept that I stood out while knowing this is... beyond difficult.

    If I stand out, then what about those crazy rainbow winged flugels?

    "There¡¯s nothing normal about it! Please! Be a bit more self-aware!"

    "Okay, I got it, I got it. I understand, so stop shouting already."

    Having made Dina mad, I shrugged my shoulders.

    Good grief. So this world differs enough from the game that I can¡¯t put my wings on disy, huh.

    This seems to be a bit inconvenient.

    "Seriously... back to my point. Despite your reputation, there¡¯s one line of work that pretty much anyone could take up."

    "Ah, adventurers¡ªin other words, people who put their lives on the line to earn a living."

    "Exactly. Reputation and social status are unnecessary. Anyone with a mind and body can do it."

    Those who put their lives on the line to earn a living¡ªAdventurers.

    It¡¯s an upation that requires little more than a bit of determination to take on.

    Money and social status are irrelevant. Anyone can ept requests regardless of whether they¡¯re a ve or a criminal.

    In exchange, your safety isn¡¯t guaranteed.

    Neither the agency nor the client is held ountable if you were to lose an arm or your life whilepleting a request.

    In addition, you sink to the bottom of the social hierarchy.

    The vagrants and the jobless with no ce to stay.

    Individuals constantly troubled over where they¡¯ll find their next meals.

    They¡¯re the kind of people who, in theirst moments, dream of drowning in gold ¡ªthen die along the roadside.

    That¡¯s what it means to be an adventurer.

    Whereas in the game, you could revive limitlessly and this reality remained a dark backstory.

    Rather, the majority of yers farmed money and experience as adventurers and then proceeded through the rest of the game. So the number of adventurers averaged from a couple thousand to hundreds of thousands of yers at a time.

    So what about the social hierarchy? ...all it really amounted to is some verbal abuse from NPC¡¯s, so it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal.

    However, this is reality. Death really is the end of the line, and I¡¯m sure harsh acts of discrimination omitted from the game make their appearance here.

    ...am I going to be alright?

    This is Ruphas Mafahl¡¯s body, so death is highly improbable.

    But will I be able to stand the sight of blood?

    Can I, who can barely stand the sight of a cat or pigeon run over by a car, really do this dirty work?

    To be honest, I¡¯m anxious.

    "We have arrived. This way please."

    In response Dina¡¯s invitation, I entered the building after her.

    It was a slightly grimy tavern made out of wood.

    The first floor was lined with several tables like a cafeteria, and many thug-like figures could be seen sitting throughout.

    The moment we step foot into the building, several hungry gazes fixed upon Dina. However, with a suspicious individual (me) standing beside her, none of them had the nerve to approach.

    "Yeah, this is it. This shitty atmosphere sure is nostalgic."

    "Now that you mention it, you were also an adventurer before establishing your own nation, weren¡¯t you?"

    ¡ªhm? Didn¡¯t I just say something a bit out of ce?

    Nostalgic... no, this really does take me back.

    As I said, It¡¯smon knowledge for the majority of novice yers to work their way up as adventurers.

    I was also one such yer and hadpleted a great number of requests during my time as one.

    However... "I" have never taken single a step into a tavern such as this one.

    And yet, I feel nostalgic.

    Shoot, it seems that "I" might be merging with "Ruphas" after all...

    "Wee. Is there something you would like to order? Or would you like to stay for the night?"

    "We would like to ept a request."

    "...miss, are you alright?"

    The brusque, bald bar-owner shot a dubious look at Dina.

    At a nce, Dina seemed unsuited for battle with her slender body and delicate atmosphere.

    Indeed, if I was told such a girl was an adventurer, I would also question her sanity.

    Dina put on a charming smile in response to the addled shopkeeper.

    "Oh, I won¡¯t be the one epting the request."

    "Oho, so the red guy over there, huh... Alright, I¡¯d like you to step into the back of the shop for a second. I¡¯d like to take a look at your abilities."

    An adventurer is someone who could drop dead at any moment.

    However, having one die before they could fulfill the request would put a hole in an agency¡¯s reputation.

    If rumor went around that "no decent adventurers pick up their requests at that agency", their business would plunge after all.

    That¡¯s why the agency must confirm the extents of their employees¡¯ abilities.

    ...is what I¡¯ve grasped from what Dina whispered into my ear.

    I stepped behind the shop as instructed, where the bar-owner stood beside several identical stone statues.

    Each had a scruffy beard and a friendly smile.

    If I¡¯m not mistaken, these are stone golems produced by an alchemist.

    Alchemists consume tools to create a wide variety of devices, and golems are just one example. Asbat-oriented NPC¡¯s, golems are reassuringpanions for many solo yers.

    Their strength varies upon the raw materials and the skill level of the creator, but they rarely differ in level or status.

    Also, golems can only be revived by their creator, so their remains hold no value.

    In addition, once a golem decides on a target, it continues to fight regardless of whether you like it or not.

    Sure, they¡¯re convenient, but there aren¡¯t many opportunities for low-level yers to use them.

    I, too, remember preparing a fair number of golems to strengthen my defenses before the decisive battle against the heroes. However, they were nothing more than minor hindrances to high-level yers.

    "I¡¯m going to have you fight these golems in a moment. The number of golems defeated and how efficiently you work will be taken into ount of your evaluation."

    "Understood."

    To express my willingness, I took a step forward.

    The overcoat was confining, making my movements slightly awkward.

    To be honest, this is quite the handicap, but... well, I should be fine.

    In the worst case, I¡¯ll deal with them with [coercion], and if that doesn¡¯t work, I can always kick the shit out of them.

    "Ready?"

    "I¡¯m ready when you are."

    "Great. Then let¡¯s get this started."

    With this, the golems¡¯ eyes lit up with life.

    Without a moment¡¯s dy, I invocated a ranger skill¡ª[observing eye].

    It¡¯s a convenient ability that disys the level, remaining HP, and even the stats of an opponent if the user is skilled enough.

    Thus, the target¡¯s abilities were disyed as shown below.

    ¡¾Stone Golem¡¿

    Level 5

    Race: artificial life-form

    HP: 68

    SP: 0

    STR (strength): 73

    DEX (dexterity): 36

    VIT (vitality): 80

    INT (intelligence): 5

    AGI (agility): 27

    MND (willpower): 5

    LUK (fortune): 40

    Hm. As you can see, they¡¯re small fry.

    These are opponents that can be challenged within thirty minutes of ying the game. Now if you tagged along with a more experienced party, a single fight with a higher level opponent could supply you with enough experience.

    All things considered, it seems that these golems were made with the sole purpose of measuring your capabilities in mind.

    Rather, it would be for the best if you gave up on bing an adventurer if you were to lose to these guys.

    ...ah, I should probably also check my own stats while I¡¯m at it.

    Honestly though, the gap in power is sorge that I¡¯m not sure how much I should hold back.

    ¡¾Ruphas Maphal¡¿

    Level 1000

    Race: Flugel

    ss Levels

    Warrior: 100

    Swordmaster: 100

    Grappler: 100

    Champion: 100

    Monster Tamer: 100

    Alchemist: 100

    Ranger: 100

    Strider: 100

    Acolyte: 100

    Priest: 50

    Esper: 50

    HP: 335000

    SP: 17430

    STR (strength): 9200

    DEX (dexterity): 8750

    VIT (vitality): 10300

    INT (intelligence): 8300

    AGI (agility): 10778

    MND (willpower): 9550

    LUK (fortune): 9280

    Equipment

    Head: ¡ª

    Right Hand: ¡ª

    Left Hand: ¡ª

    Torso: Dress of Heaven¡¯s Empress

    ¨C Abnormal Status Nullity

    ¨C Automatic HP recovery

    Shoes: Boots of Swiftness

    ¨C Increased Movement Speed

    Other: Overcoat of the Seven Luminaries

    ¨C 50% Damage Reduction of all Attributes

    Yeah. This is just bullying the weak at this point.

    On that note, it¡¯s not a figure of your imagination if my statistics seem a bit abnormal.

    Although the level cap was 1000, there are no upper limits for character stats.

    This means you can continue raising your stats even after hitting the level cap.

    Despite status enhancing items being notably rare, they weren¡¯t impossible to obtain. In fact, because HP enhancements were especially simple to acquire, my health stats skyrocketed as a result.

    On a side note, the average flugel has around 70,000 HP once they reach the level cap of 1000. That might give you a glimpse of what I had to go through to raise my HP to this degree.

    As one would expect, I was unable to achieve statisticsparable to those of the final boss characters of the game, but I¡¯m confident my stats outstripped plenty of other boss monsters.

    My alias as the "wildst boss" was by no means a groundless assumption.

    While we¡¯re on the subject, I¡¯ll go a bit further into detail about "Levels" and "ss Levels". Levels are just the ordinary levels. In RPG¡¯s, it¡¯s an obvious expression of the strength andbat experience that umtes over time.

    This number caps at 1000 and there¡¯s not much you can do to overturn that rule.

    Even if you were locked inbat with several boss characters, it remains the one unbendable rule of X-gate.

    Next, the "ss level".

    These indicate the level of each character ss you possess and caps at 100.

    This number increases in sync with normal character levels and influences how your abilities develop, so they y arge role in character growth.

    For instance, if you wanted to be a vanguard but have been acting as a support for too long, you might find that your character stats are unsuited for swapping positions.

    This is where the game leans toward to being a TRPG.

    Once a ss level is maxed out, the game will ask you to perform a ss change. Then, unless a new ss is chosen, no experience will be gained no matter what kind of monsters you face off.

    There are two methods of resolving this issue. The first is to act ordingly and alternate sses. Then, upon reaching level 1000, you will have aplished a character that holds mastery over 10 different sses. However, this doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t switch sses before mastering the previous one. For example, I only raised the priest and esper sses to level 50, allowing me to squeeze in 11 sses instead.

    The second method makes use of the cash shop.

    If you pay the money, the level cap is lifted, and you can continue to raise the ss level to up to 200. However, barely any additional skills are can be acquired along the line. For example, Swordmaster and Grappler sses would exceed the offensive ability and HP of a vanguard, which is one advantage of the cash shop.

    In addition, there are also yers who aim to optimize the effectiveness of certain skills that depend on ss levels.

    I who, let¡¯s see... didn¡¯t bring any ss level past 100, wasn¡¯t able to discover any of the possible hidden sses or skills.

    It was the general opinion that ss leveling to 200 wasn¡¯t a very intelligent choice.

    Well, I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter now.

    Now then, it¡¯s finally time for my first taste of battle.

    Although there will be no resistance, it¡¯s an opportunity sharpen my new pair of fangs.

    (TN: there¡¯s an author¡¯s note going in more detail about the different races here. Hopefully I will be able to trante it within a couple of hours. Sorry for the dy and this bullshit. I¡¯ve been ying a bit too much Nier Automata, and TERA and reading too much eromanga-sensei and Danmachi. ?? thank you for being such patient readers.)

    ¡ùA bit of exining

 Chapter 5

    <h4>Chapter 5: The wildst boss epts a request</h4>

    Author¡¯s Note: What, JOJO? You¡¯re saying this kind of MMO doesn¡¯t exist? Think of it this way. It¡¯s because it¡¯s an imaginary setting that it doesn¡¯t matter what I do with the plot.

    Trantor¡¯s Note: I¡¯ve noted some Japanese yen to US dor conversions in parenthesis. Tell me whether it helps or is in the way of your reading experience.

    100 yen = little less than 1 USD

    A golem¡¯s fist swings through the air.

    I had steeled myself for any attack, but their sluggish movements are slowly putting me to sleep. So slow¡ªtoo slow. What is that supposed to be? Some kind of anime protagonist punch overflowing with hopes, dreams, and the power of friendship?

    I could run to the grocery, buy an apple, eat it,e back, and still make it back in time to parry the blow.

    What¡¯s with these half-assed movements? Am I being underestimated?

    ¡°These are some stiff golems, yeah?¡±

    Voicing my discontent, I jumped lightly over the golem. Then, with a tenth of my full power, I thrust my heel down at the head. The stone statue crumpled like a flimsy sheet of paper,pletely losing any resemnce to its original shape.

    ...fra¡ªfragile. Too fragile.

    A cardboard box would have won in apetition of durability.

    ...is it just me, or is the ground a bit too brittle?

    ¡°Owner. There¡¯s no need to hold back, you know? Could you make their movements more natural?¡±

    ¡°......eh? Ah, eh...? Im¡ªimpossible... the¡ªthe golem was defeated in an instant? What just happened?¡±

    ¡°...perhaps, were you not paying attention just now?¡±

    Once again, I took the golem¡¯s speed and strength into consideration.

    However, the owner¡¯s bewildered face tells a different story.

    Ah, I see. It¡¯s just me. It wasn¡¯t because the golems were too slow or too fragile, but because I was too fast and too strong. My concentration on the battlefield was so intense that it distorted my own perception of time.

    ¡°I see... so that was the extents of their power.¡±

    That golem was level 5. That means that the general novice adventurer is also level 5... and that in this world, it is a praiseworthy disy of strength. On the contrary, I¡¯m level 1000 and especially confident in terms of speed. As a result, their full speed appears as nothing but sluggish movements from my perspective.

    The in-game mechanics also worked simrly. If the difference in agility was toorge, the lower level yer would nevernd a blow even if the opponent stood in ce. It¡¯s also a good expression of my fight with the golem.

    ¡°This won¡¯t even serve for a warm up.¡±

    I lightly smash apart two more golems with my feet.

    They give away with almost no resistance¡ªas if I was slicing butter. I gain no sense of aplishment from these short exchanges of blows.

    ¡ªah, this... this isn¡¯t even a fight anymore.

    It¡¯s just a throwaway match with a predetermined winner. It¡¯s just a mock fight to unt the victor¡¯s power, and the only thing gained is an empty sensation like crushing a bug under your heel.

    Nevertheless, this is an evaluation, so I don¡¯t have much of a choice but to continue.

    Though I¡¯m not too sure what he can evaluate from watching me rampage aimlessly, I proceeded to crush the remaining three golems.

    I pulled off a leisurely kick at the final golem. Even then, the golem was unable to dodge and fell to the ground lifelessly.

    Let me just take back what I said about this being my ¡°first taste of battle¡± in advance. I have yet to experience ¡°battle¡± in this body.

    ¡°To-too fast... too strong... wha¡ªwhat in the world are...¡±

    The bar owner trailed off in a shaky voice. His eyes were clouded in fear.

    This is bad. It seems we have a misunderstanding. Though I would rather not draw too much attention as I am now... well, what¡¯s done is done. I¡¯ll try to bear this in mind next time.

    ¡°Ruphas-sama, you¡¯re overdoing it! The very standards of fighting are far lower than what they were 200 years ago! You¡¯ll give rise to fear if you don¡¯t restrain yourself!¡±

    Dina ran over and whispered heatedly.

    So now I know that the fighting standards have fallen over time.

    Shouldn¡¯t you tell me that earlier?

    ¡°Ah, forgive me, Dina, It seems I might have lost my touch over the span of 200 years. I had misjudged my own capabilities.¡±

    ¡°Seriously, try to be a bit more careful next time, okay?¡±

    It seems that even exerting a tenth of my power is excessive. Next time, a forehead flick should be enough to deal with this kind of opponent. Ah, but I can¡¯t move my arms, so kicking is my only choice.

    ...I guess I¡¯ll just have to move as slow as possible and kick as lightly as possible.

    At any rate, how mysterious.

    Normally, the world around me doesn¡¯t move at the speed of a slow motion film. However, the moment I engaged inbat, the world around me slowed to a crawl. Basically, I was able to smoothly transition between a normal field of perception into one more suited for battle. I might have been saved by... Ruphas¡¯ natural instincts.

    ¡°So, what do you think? I should think it was a wless performance, though.¡±

    ¡°Ye¡ªyeah... that¡¯s right, you shouldn¡¯t have trouble with any requests. The request board is inside the tavern, so feel free to choose one to your liking.¡±

    Having received the owner¡¯s approval, Dina and I returned to the bar to seek out the request board. However, after scanning over the avable jobs, I found that all of themcked a certain appeal. Frankly, I would prefer a task with a more generous reward over multiple smaller jobs. I want to get to Suvell as soon as I can. An escort request for a coach traveling from Yudaril to Suvell would be ideal. In that case, I would be able to earn some pocket money while heading over to Suvell. Although I alone could fly over in an instant, that would mean leaving Dina behind. With a carriage, I can easily bring Dina along with me... is what I initially thought, but¡ª

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing good here, huh?¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t.¡±

    Though there was an escorting request, the carriage was headed for Levatin instead. To say nothing of the fact that Levatin is in the opposite direction of Suvell. Unfortunately, we couldn¡¯t find any requests that fell under my expectations.

    ¡°Ah, Ruphas-sama. What do you think of this one?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    I nced at the thin sheet that Dina held up to me.

    ¡¾Request?Cat Search¡¿

    Difficulty: ¡î¡î

    Reward: 100 eru for every cat found

    Our household¡¯s 12 pet cats have run off somewhere.

    Please look for them!

    ¡°1200 eru at best just for searching for 12 cats! What a bargain!¡±

    ¡°Ah, well, it certainly is.¡±

    1200 eru if the search goes well... it certainly is a bargain.

    Eru is the currency of this world and if I¡¯m not mistaken, 1 eru is the equivalent to around 200 Japanese yen (2 USD). Basically, that meanspleting this job earns us a total of 240,000 yen (2,400 USD). Either the client is quite the cat lover, or they¡¯re wealthy nobles. In any case, they live avish lifestyle.

    On a side note, although that was the in-game conversion rate, the opposite might hold true in reality. It¡¯s obvious that between game currency and real money, thetter holds more value. In fact, you could obtain 10,000 eru worth of in-game equipment with 500 yen (5 USD). That would make real money more valuable by a long shot. The world is a cruel ce.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not. I¡¯m not the best at searching. That is a job for a beastman.¡±

    ¡°The¡ªthen what about this one?¡±

    ¡¾request?orc subjugation¡¿

    Difficulty: ¡î¡î¡î¡î

    Reward: 1500 eru

    Orcs have built a nest near the vige and have been doing as they please.

    Please help.

    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s a fairly profitable request there. How strange for no one to ept it.¡±

    I say in approval of the job request held up by Dina. I would have exterminated the orcs even if there was no cash reward. These creatures have a 3 percent drop rate for [orc meat], an HP status enhancing item, after all.

    Orcs¡ªotherwise known as ¡°pork chops¡±.

    When this was still a game, they existed solely so yers could farm easy experience. Truly an existence worthy of their nickname.

    Especially for level capped yers who hoped to catch hold of HP-up¡¯s, orc extermination was a daily routine. There were also yers who camped at orc spawning locations. For these reasons, they became rare monsters. The average orc¡¯s lifespan was reduced to a measly couple of seconds.

    That¡¯s why it was impossible for them to lead a raid on a human vige. They were butchered and looted the second they were born, let alone gathering to form a group. Orcs were mobs so pitiful that you start to sympathize with lines of code. For those orcs to move, gather, and attack people... this is a deeply moving moment for me.

    ¡°It¡¯s because there¡¯s no profit.¡±

    ¡°What? Orc hunting is the embodiment of profit.¡±

    ¡°That might hold true for Ruphas-sama, but the times have changed. Nowadays, a single orc can match the strength of an experienced warrior. The extermination of a nest would be a job for the knight order. And even then, there are plenty of casualties. No one is willing to put their life on the line for a meager 1500 eru.¡±

    ¡°So the times change... back then, adventurers would line up to ept such a request. Not to mention quest rewards would never sink so low. I remember a simr request that paid 15,000 eru.¡±

    The differences between game and reality drew a sigh from my lips.

    Orc hunting is nothing but a valueless burden on the denizens of this world. However, yers from the game would be living the dream to receive a reward for killing orcs. It¡¯s like being told, ¡°On top of receiving an all-you-can-eat coupon for prime grade steak, we¡¯ll pay you 30,000 yen (300 USD) for every additional slice you can stomach.¡± You can¡¯t help but think it¡¯s too good to be true.

    ¡°Basically... it¡¯spletely fine if I obliterate their nest, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Then let¡¯s ept this request. This will be our ticket to secure food and money before we embark on our journey.¡±

    ¡°Yaaaay, this time the orcs are going to go extinct for sure. Though it was my idea, I think I¡¯m feeling a bit sorry for them now,¡±

    This is a chance to earn money, obtain meat, and raise my HP stat simultaneously. If I let such an opportunity flee from my grasp, then I¡¯m unqualified as apetitive yer. With the written request in hand, I told the bar owner of my ns and left the tavern behind.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~

    ¡°By the way, Dina.¡±

    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±

    The vige specified in the request is located half a day away on foot. While heading our way towards the destination, I decided to pass time by raising my doubts with Dina. There¡¯s a wide variety of differences between this world and my knowledge of the game. 200 years is by no means a short period of time after all.

    ¡°You told me that the standards ofbat have dropped from 200 years ago. I¡¯d like to hear about that in a bit more detail.¡±

    200 years ago¡ªwhen this was a game, I was undoubtedly the strongest yer. Listed at the top of all yer rankings, I¡¯m confident that there wasn¡¯t a single opponent that could overpower me. However, in no way did that mean I was unrivaled in strength. Believe it or not, there was nock of yers that could challenge my authority.

    The game had 8 million active yers in total... and around 20 percent of them achieved level capped characters, which is the bottom line for being apetitive yer. Naturally, it¡¯ll take a bit of effort to reach, but it¡¯s definitely not something a little perseverance can¡¯t aplish. Then again, this alone isn¡¯t enough to be recognized as a top-ranking yer. The real challengees after: efficiently collecting status enhancing items after bing unable to level. Then, only a small portion of the retards who ruin their health ying the game are listed as top-ranking yers.

    Now that I think of it... the usage of status enhancing items doesn¡¯t seem to be amon practice in this world. That would mean your growth woulde to a halt at the level cap. But even then, that¡¯s no reason for standards to drop this far.

    The next few words that came out of Dina¡¯s mouth blew my mind.

    ¡°Uuum, let¡¯s see... the country you mentioned earlier, Levatin, is also widely known as the ¡°Nation of Swords¡± and... there¡¯s a sword saint famed as the greatest swordsman on the... he should be somewhere around level 120.¡±

    ¡°......120?¡±

    ¡°Yes, 120.¡±

    I doubted my own ears.

    Wait a moment, 120?

    The greatest swordsman on the is level 120!? What¡¯s with this absurdly low number? I¡¯m surprised he can call himself a sword saint. He sounds like a cocky beginner who decided to honor himself with a ¡°second name¡± because he happened to reach level 100. At least reach level 1000 before making a fool out of yourself.

    ¡°You must be joking. There¡¯s a limit to how low it can be, you know?¡±

    ¡°You see, Ruphas-sama. The strange ones were the people from that generation. Please think about it. You only have one life. The kind of monsters able to reach level 1000 without losing their lives usually don¡¯t exist. Not to mention that the only way to get there is by fighting day after day like a madman. To train without rest¡ªit¡¯s barely enough to call it an act of madness... It was the heroes of that age who were actually crazy.¡±

    I feel disoriented. But I understand.

    Indeed, level 1000 was only achievable because it was a game.

    You could simply resurrect after death. There were no consequences.

    It was possible because it was a game... but can we really say the same for reality?

    To be hunting monsters all day, everyday, and live through that nightmare for over a year. How many people on the can achieve such a feat? How many of those individuals still retain their sanity?

    With that in mind, even level 120 is an incredible aplishment. The level of a lunatic on the verge of obsession.

    I was the one who was irregr.

    ¡°I see... Indeed, it is considerably different from the world I knew.¡±

    I am a lunatic and a monster in this world.

    Staring straight into the eyes of reality, an empty feeling enveloped my chest.

 Chapter 6

    Airou vige. It¡¯s a small vige half a day away from the trade city of Yudaril. With no distinctive products, it¡¯s a reservedmunity. At least that¡¯s what I¡¯ve heard from Dina.

    Having escaped from the shade of the forest, a town of negligible size rose into view. Several small, wooden houses stood in lines, and bountiful fields stretched over thend. This might be a nice change in atmosphere.

    "The specified address of our client should be... ah, thatrge building over there."

    Lifting her eyes from the request paper, Dina pointed to a particrlyrge building. Naturally, it wasn¡¯t as rge" as a residence in the city, but rather rge" in terms ofparison with the other homes of the vige. It¡¯s most likely the vige chief¡¯s home. Arriving at the doorstep of the building, Dina knocked lightly on the door.

    "Excuse meee, we¡¯re here toplete a request. Is the mayor home?"

    Dina told me to leave all of the negotiations and nning to her, so I¡¯m just here for decoration. You see, my arrogant tone would only irritate our employer after all. It¡¯s almost as though my mouth has a mind of its own.

    "Oho, I¡¯ve kept you waiting. Now then, pleasee inside."

    The person who appeared in the doorway was a graying senior. For a moment, his expression warped with suspicion as he nced over me. Nevertheless, he guided us in without a word.

    The room¡¯s interior was clearly worn down. Evidence of hasty repairs lined the walls and wooden flooring creaked with each step. The fact that the mayor¡¯s home was in such a state clearly told of the vige¡¯s predicament.

    "By all means, take a seat."

    Beckoning for us to sit, the man rested on a shaky chair. It looked like it could copse at any moment, but it somehow supported his weight. On a second thought, if I was a beastman, it probably would copse.

    "Well, let¡¯s get down to business at once. We are to destroy the orc nest nearby the vige. Is this correct?"

    "Yes. But I haven¡¯t gone as far to request it¡¯s destruction. As long as you¡¯re able to drive the orcs out of the area, I will dly pay the reward. At this rate, the orcs will continue to prey on the vigers... the young women abducted, the men killed, and the children murdered for sport... With most of our crops stolen, we¡¯ve been driven to a corner. Please, rain judgment upon those horrid pigs."

    "Naturally!"

    While Dina held a conversation with the mayor, I was feeling rather impressed at the low-lives. The orcs are quitemitted to their sleazy lifestyles as usual. Maybe¡ªjust maybe¡ªthat¡¯s why you guys have never been included in the 7 major races and were dubbed as monsters. Ever thought of that?

    Even the vampires were humble enough to be epted by the other races, but when ites to you pigs... But well, it would make my job harder if you guys were actually decent individuals, so I¡¯m strangely thankful. At the very least, I¡¯ll know I¡¯m doing the world a favor when I¡¯m hunting orcs.

    "Please rest at ease! The orc nest will be crushed without fail! By this guy!"

    Dina indicated to me with a triumphant expression.

    Woah there, don¡¯t forget who¡¯s going to be shouldering all that responsibility you¡¯re epting. Well, what she¡¯s saying is urate, so I¡¯ll just nod obediently. On the other hand, the mayor shot me another doubtful nce.

    "I beg of you, please save this vige."

    The vige chief lowered his head. I had never intended to turn him down to begin with, but now I¡¯m bursting with motivation. Promising the orc nest¡¯s destruction, Dina and I left the building.

    "Now what? Should we exterminate them at once?"

    "That sounds delightful, but we¡¯ll need to make preparations. It¡¯s entirely possible for the orcs to raid the vige during my absence."

    We probably won¡¯t encounter any hardships in defeating the orcs. There¡¯s the level gap after all. No matter how unprepared we are, there¡¯s no chance of losing to them. However, it¡¯s our loss if the orcs decide to kill the mayor while we¡¯re away. If our client dies on us, we won¡¯t be able to collect our reward.

    "And that¡¯s where a watchmanes in."

    "A watchman?"

    "Yeah, a single golem should suffice. It won¡¯t be very strong, but if it can even dy the orcs, then it will have served its purpose."

    While giving this exnation, I gathered the requiredponents from the ground, Then, tapping power into an alchemist skill, a stone golem was produced.

    A golem¡¯s strength relies on the skill of the creator. To calcte a golem¡¯s level, the alchemist¡¯s ss level would be added to half of the Alchemist¡¯s total levels. For instance, a golem constructed by a level 20 alchemist with 5 ss levels, would be level 15 (20¡Â2+5). Moreover, if the same alchemist was to have 20 ss levels, he would be able to produce golems stronger than himself.

    This is why golems are efficient for early game leveling. At level 1, it¡¯s possible for an alchemist to produce golems 5 times his own strength. However, while the ss level caps at 100, normal levels can be raised to 1000. This means golems lose their effectiveness duringte game. In the long run, even if I were to produce a golem, it would only be level 600 at best (1000¡Â2+100). Furthermore, the materials also affect a golem¡¯s levels. Although a level 600 golem is workable with quality ingredients, level 100 is the most I can hope from the materials at hand... in short, itcks the fighting power to be of use to me. However, it should serve well as a vige guard.

    "No, no. That¡¯s way more an enough. You know how many million eru a level 100 golem is worth nowadays!?"

    "So a golem from the roadside can fetch such a price..."

    Anyhow, now we have a watchman.

    Ordering the golem to dispatch any orcs that draw near, I left the vige.

    The target is a single orc nest.

    The objective is meat which permanently enhances HP stats.

    Treading on grass, we headed towards the location indicated on the map. It was easy to spot. Not only was it marked on the map, but the pigs didn¡¯t even bother to hide.

    There were two chattering orcs standing guard in front of a cave entrance. Although they more or less kept an eye on the surroundings, they were evidently off guard. It was the naive behavior of someone who had never considered the possibilities of death.

    "We found it. Ugh, they¡¯re repulsive sights no matter how many times I¡¯ve seen them... the Goddess Alovenas must also be grieving over these failed creations of hers."

    "That¡¯s quite the sharp tongue you have. ording to the church, the Goddess is a merciful and loving deity that doesn¡¯t that doesn¡¯t show favoritism, you know?"

    "That¡¯s just a downright lie. It¡¯s another one of those delusions of religion. There¡¯s no question that a goddess also has likes and dislikes."

    Half listening to Dina curse at the orcs, I considered how we could take care of the orcs.

    Boldly approach them and kick them to death.

    Frankly, there isn¡¯t a single reason to be wary of the orcs. Even if we were to exterminate them out in the open, we would win the battle with ease. However, this method risks the possibility of orcs fleeing from the spot.

    Using alchemist skills to eradicate the nest

    I think this is our safest bet out of all of our choices. Although I¡¯m unable to use offensive magic, alchemist skills make it possible for me to perform arge-scale offensive strike. However, in this case, much of the valuable meat will be lost under the debris.

    Freely use skills to swiftly assassinate orcs

    This way, there¡¯s no chance for any orcs to escape, nor will I raise amotion. This strategy makes orc meat a priority. Though we don¡¯t know how many orcs are present, one in every 50 orcs drop the status enhancing item. This means, with my slight fortune boost, I¡¯ll be able to obtain an estimated 3 items from 100 orcs,

    Orc meat is an expendable item that will randomly raise your HP from 100 to 300 points. In the worst case, three uses grants 300 HP ...Miniscule, right? But if repeated countless times, it¡¯s not so insignificant.

    "Now then, let¡¯s finish this quickly."

    "Please crush them, Ruphas-sama!"

    I began item creation with an alchemist skill. Using the earth as material, I would produce weapons. First, I¡¯ll create about 30 swords. Then, using the Esper skill, "Psychic Throw", I¡¯ll keep them afloat.

    In all honesty, I specialize more in closebat, and four of my chosen sses are suited towards closebat to prove it. Well, the strider ss is also fairly oriented for closebat, so I guess that makes five.

    On the other hand, on top of being incapable of using offensive magic, rangedbat isn¡¯t exactly my forte. I don¡¯t possess the archer ss, and my Esper ss was only raised to level 50. However, with assistance from the alchemist ss, it¡¯s not impractical.

    The alchemist skill is literally a skill that produces items from nearby materials. Creatable items range from restorative items to defensive equipment. This isn¡¯t limited to "official" items either. With the rightbinations, it¡¯s possible to craft unique items. Although I¡¯ve only created broadswords in the meantime, I could potentially forge weapons on par with legendary equipment.

    Esper ss is straight up a ss for psychic abilities. The skills allow you to constrain opponents and move objects withouting into direct contact with them. The skill "Psychic Throw", being one of the more typical abilities of the Esper ss, allows the user to fire objects at enemies. Not only is it extremelypatible with the alchemist ss, it¡¯s quite badass to be firing off countless swords with your arms crossed.

    A total of 30 swords were aimed andunched at the orcs. The des pierced their heads, severed their limbs, and punctured their hearts. In the blink of an eye, the former orcs assumed appearances of porcupines. They were in no shape to move. I left the brush, drawing the swords out of the corpses with telekinesis.

    ...Huh? To say nothing about the 3% drop rate, wouldn¡¯t I be able to obtain orc meat by dismantling them by hand?

    "Aw... that¡¯s no good, Ruphas-sama. Now the fillet is damaged. Orc fillet¡ªthe most tender portion of an orc which can increase your vitality, but if it¡¯s damaged in the very slightest, it loses its effect."

    "Hm? Really?"

    "Yup. That said, orcs are pretty agile duringbat, so it¡¯s quite often that it happens. It¡¯s said there¡¯s a 3 percent chance of being able to defeat an orc without hurting the fillet and retrieve it from the corpse without damaging it. ...did you forget all of this while you were sealed?"

    Listening to Dina¡¯s exnation, I felt quite impressed.

    I see, so that¡¯s the three percent. To think a game item¡¯s drop rate would have such a fascinating exnation. But what¡¯s important is that I understand that if I can butcher the orcs skillfully, I can drastically increase the item drop rate.

    "Thank you for the exnation. This will be of great help."

    I¡¯ve just been a bit wasteful. I doubt after stabbing the orcs repeatedly that there are any organs intact, so the fillets are out of question. Although these two bodies are perfectly edible, we can¡¯t expect an HP raise from them.

    "Also, orcs have high vitality, so I don¡¯t rmend attacks aimed directly at their bodies. Strikes aimed at the head or neck are far more effective."

    "Understood. You¡¯re quite well informed, aren¡¯t you?"

    Hearing a scuffle from the cave, I sent a single de flying towards the orc preparing for his shift. The pig was beheaded instantly. As the head rolled to the ground, Dina awarded me with apuse and a couple words of praise. Then, having dismantled the corpse, I was able to sessfully retrieve an orc fillet in its full glory.

    "Look, Dina. It was a sess."

    "I would expect nothing less from Ruphas-sama."

    If I were still "myself" I wouldn¡¯t have been able to endure the sight of the gory process of dismantling a corpse, much less bring myself to kill a living creature. In times like these, I¡¯m truly thankful to have Ruphas¡¯ mental durability.

    Now then, there¡¯s still a shit ton of orcs.

    To fulfill the request, we¡¯ll murder everyst orc in the area.

    (TN: Some more stuff about the setting I¡¯ll trante soon enough. Sorry about the dy. I promise to get another chapter in by Sunday)

    ?

 Chapter 7

    <h4>Chapter 7: The wild orc was thrown intoplete darkness</h4>

    Author¡¯s note: What, JOJO? There are so many ces I couldment, but not enoughments to fill the spaces? ...think of it another way. It¡¯s always nice for a man to have a space to talk to himself... Actually...yeah, no.

    JOJO: DAD!?

    Trantor¡¯s note: Yeah, I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re talking about either.

    ¡°What are yo¡ªGaaah!¡±

    ¡°I¡ªInva¡ªGwaaah!¡±

    ¡°Its someone from that vi¡ªGaaah!¡±

    ¡°Heh, you¡¯ve done well toe this far! It is I, the strongest of the orcs¡¯ four heavenly ki¡ªGyaaaa!¡±

    ¡°Wa¡ªwait! My life! Please spa¡ªAaaaaah!¡±

    Death swiftly imed the lives of countless orcs thatid syed behind me. And as I toured further into the nest, I fixed my gaze upon the next visitors to the afterlife.

    Though I¡¯ve also taken this opportunity to test a variety of skills, this ¡°instant death¡± phenomenon has made it impossible to judge anything.

    ¡°Dina, how¡¯s it going on your side?¡±

    ¡°This one¡¯s... no good. It¡¯s been spoiled.¡±

    I harvested the fillets from corpses, and if they were in healthy conditions, they were stored in a sack. Dina took care of the rest.

    Apparently, she¡¯s using transfer magic to deliver the remaining corpses to the tower. It seems she¡¯s going to make some jerky with our ¡°fruits ofbor.¡±

    While I¡¯m grateful to have such a reliable secretary, we¡¯ll be a bit overstocked with dried meat. I think we¡¯ll distribute the majority of it into the market. Anyhow, I¡¯ll leave it up to DIna.

    ¡°This should be our final destination.¡±

    I kicked open the door.

    Despite the orcs¡¯ startled stances, stone swords beheaded the guards in seconds. In the midst of the confusion, the des struck down a different colored orc attempting to flee.

    Only normal orcs drop orc meat. Therefore, I have no business with an orc lord, a variant species. Innumerable des pierced his body.

    ¡°This should be thest of them, right?¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    Hearing Dina¡¯s reply, I exhaled.

    We¡¯ve fulfilled the request... and my emotions remain unstirred. In my current state, returning to Earth would be unthinkable. Someone who thinks nothing of murder has no business in modern day Japan.

    ¡°And uuh, the kidnapped vigers... oh, here they are.¡±

    Dina¡¯s gaze fell on the cage just steps away.

    On a second thought, is it really a cage?

    Indeed, they were made unable to escape. That¡¯s for sure.

    However, the cage was well-furnished, the captives were properly clothed, and precious stones and flowers had made their way the inside. Although their sleeping expressions were tinged with fear, not a finger wasid on them. At another nce, they looked almost like royalty.

    Though that¡¯s how it should be, this would mean the orcs were actually decent creatures. They abducted women. That¡¯s for sure. However, it was done with the sincere purpose in mind.

    For some unfortunate reason or another, all orc offspring are male, which leaves them no choice but to abduct female members of another race to breed with. In addition, they only target human mates since they¡¯re only race that can cross-breed with another species. Hm? Elves? They wouldn¡¯t even bat an eye.

    However, it doesn¡¯t just end with mating.

    A barbaric race like orcs are unable to properly nurse their own children. So unless they want the women to abandon their offspring, they would rather not displease them.

    This is quite the troubling matter for orcs. That¡¯s why they try their hardest to please the girls. They offered a lifestyle more luxurious than their own, provided plenty of food, and even went as far to proffer up jewels and flowers to curry their favor. Even then, they would nevery a hand on a female without her consent and would protect the girls with their lives on the line.

    Despite their impure motives, they¡¯re a herd of well-mannered pigs. However, that means little to the captives, and being worshiped by the monsters is just in creepy. Although they¡¯re pitiful, it¡¯s impossible for them to live in harmony with the other races.

    ¡°Alright, the girls are unhurt. Let¡¯s return them to the vige.¡±

    ¡°Should I erase their memories?¡±

    ¡°Why would we need to?¡±

    ¡°I think it would be for the best if they forgot about being kidnapped by the orcs.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, are there any limits on your abilities?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re interested, I could rewrite both their personalities and their memories.¡±

    ¡°......Well, it doesn¡¯t seem like we¡¯ll have to go that far. They lookpletely untouched after all.¡±

    The girls should be fine for the time being. Although I¡¯m sure it was a frightening experience, they made it out unharmed. That said, I¡¯ll make sure to confirm this with the actual captives. And naturally, Dina will be the one doing the checking. I won¡¯t lift a finger.

    Sure enough, I¡¯ve turned into a female, but I¡¯m still a man at heart. In other words, I wouldn¡¯t feelfortable doing so. I¡¯ve also lost interest in the female sex since I¡¯ve be one myself. It¡¯s sort of pathetic.

    ...it¡¯s hard to believe I used to hide my porno collection under my dresser.

    ¡°I understand. Then I¡¯ll finish up in a moment.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Try to work as fast as you can.¡±

    Leaving the girls in Dina¡¯s care, I began searching the chamber.

    There should be plenty of stolen property and crops from the vige hidden here.

    I¡¯ll try to return as much as I can to the vige. Even if I pity the orcs, I¡¯m not kind enough to abandon my job. Besides, stealing is stealing. My sympathy doesn¡¯t lighten any of their crimes.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~

    Leaving the shelter of the orc nest, I channeled power into an alchemist skill.

    Though the caves haven¡¯t done anything wrong, it would be careless to leave them as is. The lingering scent of orcs might invite more of their kind, and their first instinct would be to attack the nearby vige. So to prevent worse froming to worst, I¡¯ll be thorough with my work.

    ¡°Transmute, Hrungnir¡¯s right arm.¡±

    As soon as the words left my lips, a massive fist of rock materialized above the caves. Roughly 50 meters wide, it¡¯s an advanced alchemy skill that excels in both range and magnitude.

    The caves were crushed mercilessly, reducing the former settlement to rubble. A thunderous roar shook the air, the earth trembled, and debris scattered in the wind. Any slim chances of survival of the earlier massacre disappeared with the nest.

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Ruphas-sama. All of the captives are without a scratch.¡±

    ¡°Ah, good job.¡±

    Having returned to my side with transfer magic, I thanked her for her hard work. Well, in reality, she did far more work than I did. The orc meat¡¯s preservation, its distribution into the market, and the girls¡¯ care were all left in her custody. It¡¯s a wonder as to why ¡°Ruphas¡± would treat her as an ornament before ¡°I¡± reced her. Isn¡¯t she ridiculously capable?

    ¡°Aaah. Which reminds me. I tried roasting this while I was at it. Want a bite? You should be plenty tired after moving around so much.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±

    Dina pulled a te out of thin air, holding it up for me to see.

    A savory, golden-brown steak rested on its surface, and an appetizing scent wafted through the air.

    ¡°It¡¯s orc steak. It should be delicious with a serving of rice, you know?¡±

    ¡°Great, I¡¯ll have a serving.¡±

    Without another word of protest, I rested my bottom on a tree stump.

    Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t taken a single bite of food since being summoned here. With so many things happening at once, it¡¯s easy to forget not even a day has passed since I arrived. So my fingers snapped, and a wooden table rose from the ground.

    ¡°Wait, so orc meat keeps its buffing effects after being roasted?¡±

    ¡°Rest assured. It¡¯s safe to cut the meat after it¡¯s removed from the corpse. It¡¯s orc fillet, a rare delicacy that raises the vitality of the person who consumes it. However, if harmed while the orc is alive, it loses its enhancing effects and the vitality is scattered throughout rest of the body. Whereas if it¡¯s intact at the time of death, the vitality remains concentrated in the fillet... or so I¡¯ve heard.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this¡ªmystery food?¡±

    While listening to Dina¡¯s exnation, I transmuted some wooden utensils and began dividing up the steak. The tender meat melted under the knife, filling me with anticipation.

    And then, a single bite.

    The delicacy dissolved in my mouth, it¡¯s savory juices caressing my taste buds. Although it¡¯s an overused expression, there¡¯s no other way to express the tender sensation on my tongue. The delicious vor that filled my mouth left me speechless.

    Moreover, the tare sauce thatplemented its sweet-salty taste was irresistible. It brought out the true potential of high-grade meat. Then, scooping up a spoonful of rice into my mouth, I discover another interestingbination. The strong vor of steak and a mouthful of rice merged to form another serving of ecstasy. The two contrasting tastes worked in perfect harmony to cover for each other¡¯s weaknesses.

    ¡°Is this tare sauce homemade?¡±

    ¡°Yes, is it to your liking?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s amazing.¡±

    I could eat forever. Although steak is best made with beef, I can¡¯t really make light of pork steak now that I¡¯ve experienced it firsthand, can I? The delicious quality of their meat really proves that you really can¡¯t judge a book by its cover. It almost makes it okay for the orcs to be so hideous.

    ¡°Dina, you¡¯re not going to eat?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, alright then.¡±

    Is she being considerate, or does she detest orcs? Well, since she says so herself, I won¡¯t think too hard about it. Everyone has some kind of pet peeve or another. Having helped myself to the rest of the orc steak, I pulled up my status.

    ¡¾Ruphas Mafahl¡¿

    Level 1000

    Race: Flugel

    HP: 335000¡ú335300

    SP: 44300

    STR (strength): 9200

    DEX (dexterity): 8750

    VIT (vitality): 10300

    INT (intelligence): 7300

    AGI (agility): 10778

    MND (willpower): 7550

    LUK (fortune): 9280

    Alright, my health points went up ordingly. I still have four remaining fillets, so I can continue to raise my maximum health by at least 400 points. Though my HP is already beyond humanprehension, I¡¯ll continue to push the limits.

    Actually, sincepetition haspletely vanished, I¡¯ll be able to hunt orcs to my heart¡¯s desire. Even breaking into the millions doesn¡¯t seem like such a distant goal.

    ...on a second thought, that¡¯s impossible. No matter how delicious orc fillet is, it can¡¯t be a staple food. Besides, I¡¯m willing to bet that the orcs would go extinct long before I could achieve those numbers. I¡¯m rather surprised they weren¡¯t eradicated 200 years ago.

    ¡°Thank you for the food. It was truly delicious, Dina.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d you enjoyed it.¡±

    Having finished the meal, Dina teleported along with the tableware. She returned only secondster¡ªthis time without them. They were probably left somewhere in the tower.

    ...transfer magic must be so nice. I have zero aptitude for magic, so I¡¯m seriously jealous.

    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s return, Ruphas-sama.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    After this short exchange, we departed for the vige. During the trek back, I asked about her memory maniption skill to break the silence.

    ¡°About your memory manipting ability you mentioned earlier¡ªIs there any way for someone to undo the spell?¡±

    ¡°My magic can¡¯t be undone in most cases. However, if the personality written over is too strong-willed, then it¡¯s possible for them to return to their original state.¡±

    ¡°I see. So even if you erased their memories, there¡¯s a small chance that a few might recall being abducted.¡±

    Thinking about Dina¡¯s exnation, I muttered to myself. Although she¡¯s able to manipte memories, it¡¯s still an imperfect ability. Perhaps it didn¡¯t erase memories, but rather hid them in the subconscious? Maybe that¡¯s why there¡¯s always a chance that someone could recover their memories.

    ¡°It seems like a really convenient skill, but sounds like a real pain to handle.¡±

    ¡°You got that right.¡±

    Dina smiled wryly. Memory maniption, huh?

    That would be great for destroying evidence. There are plenty of scenarios in which this coulde in handy.

    Before we knew it, we had already arrived at the vige with the former captives. Since I couldn¡¯t move my arms out from under my overcoat, the unconscious girls levitated in midair with the help of telekinesis.

    ¡°Ooooh! So you¡¯ve returned! And those girls! So they were safe!¡±

    The vige chief hurriedly greeted us as we arrived. Setting the girls down gently by the chief, I took a step back. I¡¯ll leave all the talking to Dina, as always.

    ¡°Yes, it appears that we made it in time before the orcs made a move on them.¡±

    ¡°Oho, that¡¯s good to hear. There¡¯s nothing more I could wish for.¡±

    Having delivered an exnation, I handed the girls over. In the end, all the kidnapping had amounted to was some pampering from the orcs. However, the girls only grew more frightened, and not a single orc was able to capture a woman¡¯s heart.

    First of all, appearance is key. You orcs carried the ultimate disadvantage the very moment you were born. Regardless of how gentlemanly you act, that is the one obstacle you can never hope to ovee. The world is a ce brimming with injustice.

    ¡°Well then, here¡¯s the 1500 eru that I promised.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°That, and... um, do you happen to know about the golem that has been guarding the vige? Even usmoners can sense its tremendous power.¡±

    ¡°That is a gift of kindness from my master. By all means, use it for the protection of the vige.¡±

    I quietly thought to myself as the conversation went on. We¡¯ve now obtained the food and funds for our travels. I feel like my worries have grown recently, but that¡¯spletely natural¡ªconsidering the fact that I just transported to a parallel world. It¡¯s like visiting a foreign country, but on apletely different level.

    That¡¯s enough for today. We will depart tomorrow.

    Who knew a single day could feel so long?

    High-level adventurer: ¡°Bahaha! Its an orc! Kill it!¡±

    HIgh-level adventurer: ¡°You¡¯re dead meat!¡±

    Orc: ¡°Gaaaah! What are you people!? Do you guys have no hearts!?

    High-level adventurer: ¡°Whaaaaaat!? Did you not hear what I said¡ª!? Meat is my everything! It¡¯s an era of gant heroes!¡±

    High-level adventurer: ¡°What¡¯s the color of YOUR meat!?¡±

    High-level adventurer: ¡°Keep quiet and let us eat your meat!¡±

    High-level adventurer ¡Á 10: ¡°Wha¡ª!? An orc just spawned!? Waha! The early bird gets the worm!¡± DONDONDONDONDON

    Orc: ¡°You guys aren¡¯t humaaaaaan¡ª!!

    Additional information: The sum of the ss levels is equal to the level cap. This means a level 200 yer will have a sum of 200 ss levels. That¡¯s why Ruphas has a sum of 1000 ss levels. End of story (Chapter, I mean.)

 Chapter 8

    <h4>Chapter 8: Journeying across thest boss¡¯s country</h4>

    ¡ùRevision: Cross gate online ¡ú X-gate online

    Trantor¡¯s note: ^author¡¯s that you can just ignore

    ( ©b§Õ©b)¡¾Daily Rank: 5th ce¡¿ ( ©b§Õ©b )

    Video games change with the times.

    Ever since 1979, when ¡°Space Invaders¡± made its first appearance in stores, video games have been constantly evolving to suit the era¡¯s needs. Two yearster, the first portable game consoles were introduced to the market, and in three years, the Family Computer was released to the public. Then, seven more years of innovation brought the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) into existence. The ystation emerged four years after that, and video games continued to change the lives of generations toe. While this new form of entertainment dominated the market, what continued to amaze yers was the rapid evolution of graphics.

    From the 8-bit Family Computer to the 16-bit SNES. And by the time the ystation had made its name, smoothputer graphics had be the norm. The yers of that generation used to marvel at the graphics that the ystation 2 had put on show. Nowadays, kids ying the same games wouldin about the poor graphics. Just as CG technology advanced, yers¡® tastes became more refined in the process.

    However, this didn¡¯t mark the end of the evolution of video games. As the industry continued to thrive, games inched closer to reality. So much that people might have mistaken the graphics for photographs and the avatars for people if they weren¡¯t projected on a disy. It¡¯s almost as if the VRMMO¡¯s that countless of authors have dreamed of might actually appear at any moment.

    Sadly, it is nothing more than a dream with our current technology.

    There are far too many risk factors involved with transferring your consciousness into the world of games. Perhaps it will be a reality some day. However, ¡°some day¡± isn¡¯t something we can measure, and at the very least, it isn¡¯t ¡°right now.¡±

    ¡ªthen why the hell am I shaking in a carriage in the body of my avatar? I would have left my avatar as a man if I had known this would happen.

    ¡°Ruphas-sama, I see it now! It¡¯s the next town!¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see it too, so sit back down.¡±

    Dina, who was sitting beside me a moment ago, was now shaking me back and forth. What¡¯s more, it didn¡¯t help that the carriage also shuddered as it traveled. I had to suppress my urge to hurl.

    By subjugating the orcs and selling off their meat, we are able to ride this carriage to Suvell with 5500 eru at hand. Of course, it goes without saying that Dina didn¡¯t sell any HP enhancing fillets (though she might have sold the ones that lost their effects).

    That aside, I¡¯m a bit curious as to where she sold them. Since she¡¯s able to teleport, almost anywhere is possible. But although transfer magic is convenient, it appears that she¡¯s unable to transfer people along with herself. Perhaps her ability is restricted to inanimate objects, or maybe she needs the consent of the other party. Well, ording to Dina, the transfer fails if she has even a speck of dislike for the target.

    Ah, one more thing.

    It¡¯s about my HP. After consuming the remaining four fillets, my current HP has risen to 336100 points. But, ouch. Since the messy digits are really bothering me, I¡¯ll just avert my eyes for now.

    ¡°Thank you for your patronage¡ª¡±

    Handing the coachman the money, we stepped off the carriage and headed towards the gates of the royal capital. There, a number of soldiers stood guard, and a few were carrying out what looked like security checks. Now that I think of it, this city is under attack of one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, huh. I am sorry for your troubles.

    ¡°The two of you, stop right there!¡±

    We froze in ce. But I kind of knew this would happen. My entire body is concealed under an overcoat after all. I seem suspicious no matter how you look at it.

    ¡°This is Suvell territory from here on. Can you show me your passports?¡±

    Did he just say... passport?

    Hey, this is a first for me. You didn¡¯t need those back when this was... oh wait, you did. When this was just a game, influence yed a part in everything. In order to enter a different nation, a yer needed to gain the ruler¡¯s recognition first. If you think about it, it¡¯s a pretty simr concept to a passport.

    But unfortunately for me, I have nothing of the like. But Dina, oh¡ªDina¡¯s a lifesaver. Calmly, she reached a hand into her breast pocket and passed the gatekeeper some papers.

    ¡°Yes. These are our documents. Please confirm them for yourself.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Just who is this world-ss secretary? She¡¯s way too prepared.

    ¡°Hmph. So you¡¯re a traveling merchant without citizenship of any country. Your names are Dina and Saphur, and your identification papers seem authentic as well.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s been a lot of forgerytely, hasn¡¯t there? Well, with you lot here, the only officials they¡¯ll fool are the nearsighted. Hahaha!¡±

    This man needs a pair of eyesses.

    I¡¯ve never gone out of my way to get an ID, so that¡¯s undoubtedly a product of forgery. And for god¡¯s sakes, put some more thought into my alias! Saphur... isn¡¯t that just my name read backwards!?

    ¡°Hmph, you may pass.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±

    Having made it out in one piece, Dina spread a wide grin.

    However, just when we were about to pass through the gate, a voice called out for a second time.

    ¡°Ah, wait. I still need to take a peek at your face under that overcoat. I apologize, but I still have to make sure it¡¯s not a demon or a monster under there.¡±

    Aaah, yeah, I thought this would happen. And because of that, I didn¡¯t panic. Indeed, I¡¯m an infamous figure known across the board, but my distinctive features are my sleek, ck wings. In a world without photographs, the only ones that could recognize me from just my face are long lived individuals that had seen me in person.

    To break it down, if Oda Nobunaga sauntered around with modern clothing and a different hairdo, I¡¯m sure no one would notice and shout out ¡°Hey! Isn¡¯t that Oda Nobunaga!?¡± So as long the gatekeepers don¡¯t have wings, fangs, or pointed ears, they¡¯re obviously human. In that case, revealing my face shouldn¡¯t raise any problems.

    ¡°Aah, I¡¯m sorry about that... will this much be fine?¡±

    I pulled my hood back and tried my best to smile. Just a friendly reminder, but I¡¯m definitely not a narcissist. However, as a former man, I¡¯m quite aware that my current appearance is that of a matchless, young beauty. A man knows best about another man¡¯s tastes. The behavior, personality, and facial expressions that can make a man¡¯s heart skip a beat¡ªI know them all. Believe it or not, it¡¯s one of the reasons why males with a female backstory might be more charming than a real girl online. And naturally, this knowledge can also be wielded as a weapon.

    ¡°Forgive her, sir gatekeeper. If she didn¡¯t cover her face, she would be called on by simply walking through the streets.¡±

    ¡°Ye¡ªyeah... that¡¯s certainly true.¡±

    ¡°So how about letting us through? I don¡¯t have all day to wait for your approval.¡±

    If I was him, I wouldn¡¯t want to leave a bad impression on this beauty. Even if we never meet again, I¡¯d do anything to avoid being told something like¡ª¡°That gatekeeper¡¯s breath smells. I don¡¯t want to get any closer.¡± And depending on the individual, they might even shamelessly plead for forgiveness. However, in this situation, there is only one right answer for a healthy man who can read the atmosphere.

    ¡°O¡ªof course you can! By all means, please pass through!¡±

    Well, that¡¯s just how it works.

    I pulled my hood back on and finally crossed the border. On the opposite side of the gate, water stretched past as far as the eye could see. The gate merged with a single bridge stretching across the magnificent waters, and the royal capitalid on the other end.

    This country didn¡¯t exist when I had yed the game. It¡¯s a young nation with only 200 years of history; it¡¯s founder being none other than one of the seven heroes of the rebellion¡ªthe ¡°Wisdom King¡±, Megrez. ording to Dina, the hero still passes his days in this country despite retiring from the throne.

    I thought about it as we walked.

    Megrez and I began ying the game at around the same time. There were times when we fooled around together and times when we fought as a party. Even during the decisive battle, not much had changed in our rtionship. Weknew the fight was just an act to revive the game¡¯spetition. It was nothing but a performance, and I just happened to be ying the viin. But when all is said and done, we were still the yers who shared the joy of ying the same game.

    The real question is: who exactly is the Megrez of this world? Perhaps, is he themitted gamer I knew over the inte? Or perhaps, is he a different person,pletely unrted to my memories? And if that¡¯s the case, what had happened to his memories of fooling around with me?

    The ¡°Sword King¡±, Alioth.

    The ¡°Beast King¡±, Dubhe.

    The ¡°Smith King¡±, Mizar.

    The ¡°Adventurer King¡±, Phecda.

    The ¡°Wisdom King¡±, Megrez.

    The ¡°Heavenly King¡±, Merak.

    Andst but not least, the ¡°Vampire Princess¡±, Bnasch.

    These were the yers that I once partied with. Each representing one of the seven major races, they were among the highest ranked yers of the game. They are also individuals I must meet at all costs. Although the first four have passed away due to their shorter life spans, thest three still remain in this world. There is something that I must find out. I need to know whether if there are others stranded in this abnormal situation... or if I¡¯m alone in this predicament.

    ¡°So this is... the country that Megrez founded himself.¡±

    I raise my head.

    Gazing at the capital, the first word thates to mind is ¡°water¡±¡ªa city of water. Therge gate decorated with intricate patterns framed the entrance to the capital, and thanks to the higher elevation, the metropolitanes into clear view.

    That said, the fact that my eyesight has be abnormally sharp also helps, and I¡¯ve grasped a general idea of the country¡¯s cityscape.

    At the heart of the capital, the royal castle stands surrounded by theke¡¯s gentle waves. Bridges in all four directions then connect the castle to separate inds, and another bridge extends from each of the inds to thends that make up Suvell¡¯s borders. Including the imperial castle, five inds make up the city of water. Eight bridges then weave the separate pieces ofnd into a single structure. The cityscape working in perfect harmony with Earth¡¯s natural structures is quite the sight to behold¡ªand an impressive feat of human architecture.

    Theke¡¯s reflective surface sparkled in the sunlight, and the trees swayed in the wind. But there was more to Suvell than just itsndscape. If you strained your eyes, you¡¯ll notice the curious orbs of light floating about the capital.

    Back in the game, magical power drifting through the air was called ¡°mana¡±. That¡¯s probably it. The concentrated mana gave the area a strange presence. It was just what you would expect from the wisdom king¡¯s country.

    ¡°The magical country of Suvell. It¡¯s a nation founded by an elf known as the ¡®Wisdom King¡¯, one of the seven heroes. The area is renown for its abnormal concentrations of mana and rapid advancements in magic and technology. It¡¯s where the magicians and schrs from the far corners of the world aspire to share their ideas. However, because of the abundance of mana, flugels rarelye to pay a visit. Ruphas-sama, is your body holding up fine?¡±

    ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong. I¡¯m not too sure about others of my kind, but as far as I¡¯m concerned, it¡¯s actually rather pleasant.¡±

    Hearing out Dina¡¯s concerns, I took a closer look at the mana around us. I feel no difort being around the wandering mana. Though I¡¯ve heard about the flugels¡¯ dislike of demonic power, I show no such symptoms. Perhaps race¡¯s distaste for mana ispletely psychological? That would exin why I, who has no personal preference, ampletely alright.

    ¡°So, about our next course of actions... where would you like to go after this?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, to meet Megrez. I have a lot of things to ask him after all.¡±

    ¡°Straight to the point, hm? However, if anywhere, Megrez is most probably resting in the castle. You don¡¯t mean we¡¯re going to break in from the front, do you?¡±

    I shook my head at Dina¡¯s words.

    In addition to the oing invasion of a magical beast, breaking into the castle would only add to the chaos. In which case, sneaking in, or waiting for him to leave the castle are much safer options. We would be much better off by gathering information first.

    ¡°Instead, I think we should slip in quietly. We shouldn¡¯t raise any unnecessarymotions¡±

    As Dina implies, I¡¯ll slowly familiarize myself with the capital before inching towards our goal. This country is one of thergest storehouses of knowledge on the, which means there will definitely be a ce where I can read up on the world¡¯s history. I know too little of the 200 years that passed without me. First, I¡¯d like to cover up for myck of knowledge. In that aspect, it¡¯s fairly convenient for Aries to have chosen this city to attack.

    Let¡¯s see... looking for a libraryes first.

    With a clear goal in mind, I asked a passerby for directions.

 Chapter 9

    CHAPTER 9: A KIND MIDDLE-AGED MAN APPEARED

    ¡ªHe was a low-born man.

    He wandered aimlessly, but he set his eyes upon the skies far above him.

    ¡°One day, that¡¯s where I¡¯d like to stand. Specifically, I¡¯d like to be able to stand somewhere around 50th on the daily ranking.¡±

    So the man leaped, believing that he could fly the way he was now.

    ( ©b§Õ©b )

    ¥Î©c¥Î |

    <Daily Rank #1>

    ...He soared a bit too high.

    £¨ ¡ä?`£©ÈË

    Thank you very much, everyone. This is all thanks to you guys... I¡¯ll continue to work as hard as I can without dying of sleep deprivation.

    Trantors Note: Same here. The sleep part.

    ¡°Library? The libraries are at the eastern inds. Is this your first time in this country?¡±

    I asked a friendly, yet stern human for directions. He was bald, had a thick set of eyebrows, and looked straight at us with a pair of bright eyes. Scars lined his face and a thick scabbard gripped tightly to his back. All of this in addition to his worn down armor gave him the typical appearance of a mercenary.

    However, I deemed that he was a sociable man from his vigorous smile. It was an expression that drowned out his fearful appearance, recing it with a warm and fuzzy sensation. That was the kind of man he was.

    ¡°The eastern area, huh... that means...¡±

    ¡°This is the western ind, so you¡¯ll have to cross the bridge on your right. The eastern area is where schrs and students meet. Schools, libraries, museums... and pretty much anything else having to do with knowledge is probably over there.¡±

    Dina and I nod in understanding. It seems that each of the four inds y different roles in the nation. Just hearing this tickles my sense of adventure. Once we¡¯ve flipped through the libraries, we should have a look around.

    ¡°Thank you very much. We will be on our way.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Hey. Wait a second, miss. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re nning to walk there, are you? It¡¯s getting dark, you know?¡±

    The man called us to a stop. Then, he slipped a map out from his pocket and began exining.

    ¡°The country¡¯s fairlyrge. A single ind is about 500 square kilometers by itself. With the royal castle and the bridges, the nation covers somewhere around 2500 square kilometers. It¡¯ll take decades for you to get to the other side on foot.¡±

    ¡°Then how does everyone get around?¡±

    ¡°We take the monorail. Come along, I¡¯ll show you to the terminal.¡±

    A monorail, huh? That¡¯s a modern approach for a change. Well, it¡¯s not like this world doesn¡¯t have the concept of science in the first ce. Even magic exists, so one or two convenient forms of transportation shouldn¡¯t be out of question.

    ¡°Whoops¡ªalmost forgot to introduce myself. The name¡¯s Gants. I¡¯m a mercenary working for the nation¡¯s border security. Well, today¡¯s my day off, though.¡±

    ¡°My name is Dina, a peddler, and this shady guy in red is Saphur-sama, my employer.¡±

    I ground my heel into Dina¡¯s foot, ignoring her pained expression. Who the hell introduces someone as ¡°shady¡±? Although I am indisputably shady, you¡¯re the one who suggested this outfit!

    ¡°You¡¯re dressed quite oddly as well. Well, I¡¯m sure you have your reasons. I don¡¯t n on prying.¡±

    ¡°...thanks.¡±

    That saves us a lot of trouble. I uttered a single word of gratitude and followed quickly behind Gants.

    ¡°Um, if you¡¯re okay with it, I¡¯d like to know a bit more about this country.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing.¡±

    Gants answered Dina¡¯s question quite readily. He¡¯s quite the open-hearted man for someone we just met. It seems like my first impression of him wasn¡¯t far off the mark

    ¡°I¡¯ll start with the nation¡¯s five districts. The first is the southern ¡®marketce¡¯, which is the area you should have seen upon entering the country. The region houses a jumble of industriespeting to sell their goods, so it¡¯s purposely ced near the gates to draw the attention of visitors and tourists. However, the constant attacks from Aries, one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, has caused a decline in its poption in these recent years.¡±

    ...my head hurts.

    These feelings about a subordinate that I¡¯ve never met... are ones I¡¯ll never be able to put into words. But for the time being, prepare to get the shit kicked out of you, Aries. Naturally, I won¡¯t be holding back.

    Ah, no worries. If my memory serves me right, I¡¯ve maxed Aries¡¯ levels to 800. He should be able to survive a couple of kicks at full force.

    On that note, I¡¯ll be going on a bit of a tangent. A familiar will never surpass its owner in terms of levels. For instance, if a level 500 yer tames a level 1000 monster, its level sinks below 500. That¡¯s because a tamed monster¡¯s highest level is equal to half of its owner¡¯s total levels added to triple the number of his ss levels. In my case, the level cap bes 800 (1000 ¡Â 2 + 3 x 100). Then again, even if the form produces a number higher than the tamer¡¯s level (e.g. If a tamer is level 100 with 100 ss levels, theoretically, they would have a 350 level cap), the yer¡¯s levels act as the limit instead. In simpler terms, a tamed monster will never surpass its owner in strength.

    With some simple math, you¡¯ll find that a familiar¡¯s level matches its owner¡¯s until level 600¡ªassuming that their ss level is capped at 100. By level 700, familiars are rendered little to no use, and most tamers join parties.

    Furthermore, monster tamers are only capable maintaining a single familiar at a time. Taming a hundred familiars doesn¡¯t change the fact that you can¡¯t summon an army. Granted, familiars stronger than yers would also destroy the game¡¯s bnce. Solo yers would run rampant, and the game would crumble as an MMO.

    In the first ce, the cash shop can resolve some of these problems to some extent, and producing a level 1000 familiar isn¡¯t unobtainable. However, truth be told, your best option as a tamer remains unchanged.

    ¡°The eastern areas make up the ¡®Educational District¡¯. This one you already know from our earlier conversation, so I¡¯ll leave it out. Next up is the ¡®Industrial District¡¯ to the west, where magical engines, tools, and the monorails we¡¯ll be riding are manufactured. Although it¡¯s nothing inparison to the artisan nation of ¡®Brutgung¡¯, the location is famous for its dense poption of skilled mechanics.¡±

    ¡°...magical engines, Brutgung... both are things I¡¯ve never heard of.¡±

    I whispered into Dina¡¯s ear as he continued to exin. Both are names that I have no knowledge of. At the very least, it wasn¡¯t vocabry from the game. Having voiced my uncertainties, Dina began filling me in in a simrly low voice.

    ¡°The magical engine is something Megrez invented 20 years ago. It¡¯s machinery that uses mana as its source of fuel. In addition to being incredibly cheap to fuel, its power efficiency is many times that of coal. It¡¯s a novel piece of machinery that has drawn quite some attention. However, it¡¯s especially unpopr with flugels, so it has yet topletely rob coal¡¯s ce in the industry.¡±

    So that¡¯s what it was.

    It¡¯s this world¡¯s substitute for petroleum or kerosene. Though I don¡¯t know how abundant mana is, they¡¯ll eventually exhaust thend¡¯s natural reserves. Or perhaps, is mana an infinite resource? I¡¯ll have to relearnmon sense here.

    ¡°Brutgung is a nation founded by another of the seven heroes¡ªthe ¡°smith king¡±, Mizar. It¡¯s a great settlement of dwarves and artisans alike. In fact, the majority of the world¡¯s industrial goods are manufactured and exported from this country alone.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Manufacturing... the subject is yet another unexplored territory for me. But having received my answer, I redirected my attention back to Gants¡¯ exnation.

    ¡°The northern ind serves as the ¡°residential district¡±. Most residences are concentrated in that area. Being the ind furthest away from the country¡¯s gates, it is currently the second safest location in the country.¡±

    ¡°Why second safest? Wouldn¡¯t it be the safest if it¡¯s the furthest?¡±

    ¡°The thing is, miss, monster¡¯s don¡¯t juste through the gate like good citizens like you. While theke does serve as a natural fortress, there¡¯s no guarantee that monsters won¡¯te and bite us from behind. In reality, monsters that fly or swim canpletely ignore the gates.¡±

    His logic is quite straightforward. Just as he implies, there aren¡¯t monsters kind enough challenge the border patrol as a courtesy. Rather, I find it strange that they don¡¯t invade via water. As if reading my mind, Gants jumped into another exnation.

    ¡°That said,ing through the gates might still be a better tactic. Theke that epasses the nation is actually a massive water golem that Megrez-sama transmuted. Pretty amazing, right? Theke that protects the nation is actually the ultimate defense¡ªalmost like a guardian deity.¡±

    I am honestly impressed.

    Although I¡¯m also a level capped alchemist, the thought of transmuting an entireke never crossed my mind. But since this isn¡¯t a game confined to a disy, anything goes.

    In a game, lines of code limit what you can and cannot do. However, this is reality. And in reality, there are no restrictions that determine what will or will not register as transmutation material¡ªwhether it¡¯s a gust of wind or a body of water.

    ...maybe I¡¯ll give it a try when I have the chance.

    But a water golem, huh?

    In any case, Megrez made something quite interesting. Mana infused water should be a quality transmutation material. It wouldn¡¯t be odd for such a golem to achieve the level cap.

    ...let¡¯s see, why don¡¯t we just take a look for ourselves...

    [Observing Eye].

    ¡¾Guardian Deity Levia¡¿

    Level 500

    Race: artificial life-form

    HP: 180000

    SP: 0

    STR (strength): 2750

    DEX (dexterity): 800

    VIT (vitality): 3400

    INT (intelligence): 650

    AGI (agility): 1028

    MND (willpower): 722

    LUK (luck): 2300

    ¡¾Gants¡¿

    Level 82

    Race: Human

    ss Levels

    Warrior: 82

    HP: 6860

    SP: 476

    STR (strength): 303

    DEX (dexterity): 263

    VIT (vitality): 368

    INT (intelligence): 99

    AGI (agility): 245

    MND (willpower): 72

    LUK (luck): 208

    Hmph, level 500, huh? Bearing in mind that this world¡¯s ¡°sword saint¡± is level 120, that¡¯sudable amount of strength. Above all, using the entireke has really jacked up its HP. I mean, 18000 HP at level 500? Is this a bug?

    Especially for golems, who can¡¯t make use of status enhancement items, these numbers are outrageous. Normally, a level 500, mana infused water golem¡¯s HP would amount to somewhere around 50,000 points. A pure water golem would have a slight advantage in HP, but it isn¡¯t significant.

    Producing one with 180,000 is apletely different story. It¡¯s definitely a feat worthy of praise as the ¡°Wisdom King.¡±

    On the other hand, Gants is just a newbie warrior. Ah, well, using our level 120 sword saint as a reference, doesn¡¯t that make him incredibly strong? Well, at least he¡¯s not weak... I think.

    Gants continued exining.

    ¡°Lastly, the central ind isposed of the ¡®noble district¡¯. This is where royalty and nobility live¡ªa ce far out of reach formoners like us. If you trespass, you¡¯ll be arrested on the spot, so make sure to watch out for yourselves.¡±

    So Megrez resides where the privileged ss live. This just makes it all the more difficult to slip in from the front. Well, we can think about thister.

    ¡°And we have arrived. This is the terminal.¡±

    Needless to say, our destination was considerably different from the subway terminals of modern-day Japan. Rather, it looks like the inside of an iron casket. There are no esctors, handrails, or yellow lines to keep away from. shy advertisements and digital noticeboards are nowhere to be found. It was just a metal box used to board monorails.

    Unsurprisingly, the monorail itself was another metal cage, but this time installed with sofas and windows. To put it in a nutshell, we were going to ride a metal box enclosed within another metal box.

    ¡°Now then, this is as far as I¡¯ll take you. If you have the chance, be sure to find me again.¡±

    ¡°dly. Thank you so much, Gants-san.¡±

    ¡°You really saved us back there. I give you my thanks.¡±

    We can¡¯t expect him to lead us to the Educational District, so we gave our thanks and bid our farewells. Having the patience to guideplete strangers through the city is already more than we could ask for. Waving to the kindhearted mercenary who aided our journey, Dina and I boarded the monorail.

    Alright, the educational district, huh?

    I guess that¡¯s where I¡¯ll make up for the 200 years of history ss I¡¯ve slept through.

 Chapter 10

    ¡ùRevision: PS2 ¡ú Dreamstation, a fictional game console.

    Trantor¡¯s Note: Sorry for being so slow. I¡¯ve been studying for SAT subject tests.

    The elerating monorail slid silently along the tracks. Whether it was powered by electricity or mana was of little difference to the passengers riding it. At most, it was only slightly faster or slower.

    However, the scenery is another story. The magnificent waters blur by and a breathtaking city drifts in the midst of ake as vast as the ocean. My chest wells up with curiosity and my heart throbs with anticipation. Even from within the monorail, I can make out every townsperson, tending to their daily routines. I felt like a child gazing out of a car window.

    Stepping off of the monorail felt like entering apletely different country. Those who upied the streets were mostly sharp-featured, frail-bodied individuals. Almost every one of them looked like they suffered from malnutrition. So much that you can¡¯t help but worry that their thin frames might copse at any moment. However, what especially caught my eyes were the long eared beauties¡ªelves.

    In the game, elves typically never left the forest, secluding themselves in the thickest parts of the woods. But some things sure have changed 200 years into this new era. Now, I could catch sight of elves strolling downtown, or making small talk with members of the human race. I could have sworn I even spotted a middle-aged human and a young elf holding hands in public.

    But keep in mind that human and elf lifespans are different. That¡¯s why when cleverly worded, you might not realize that the elf might have lived a far longer life. In simpler terms, he¡¯s tied the knot with a timeless beauty. I hope he dies alone.

    We found the library immediately. Luckily for me, the grand building was ced just steps away from the terminal. Moreover, the library towered over its surrounding buildings, easily making it the tallest structure on the block. I slipped through the entrance and made my way inside.

    Midway, a female librarian cast me a sideways nce, but didn¡¯t say anything in particr. The library is a public space after all. As long as I don¡¯t break any rules, there¡¯s no reason to question me.

    It was a circr hall with desks lined throughout the middle. Shelves upon shelves stacked against the wall and books crowded their spaces. Of course, this was not to say that the room was sealed off. There were proper walkways leading in and out of the hall so that it wasn¡¯t suffocating. I headed towards the history shelves and scanned over the titles.

    "Record of Midgard¡¯s Genesis~ Why Goddess Alovenas Created the World~"

    "History of Midgard?The Birth of the Seven Races"

    "Record of Midgard¡¯s wars¡ªFrom the Appearance of the Demon Race to the Present Day"

    These volumes... shouldn¡¯t really matter. They aren¡¯t events of thest 200 years and probably won¡¯t vary much from the game I knew. What I really want to know are the happenings after my supposed death.

    "The ck Winged Overlord: Ruphas Mafahl¡¯s Military Prowess"

    "Legendary Figures of the Past: Ruphas Mafahl"

    "Historical Analysis: Was Ruphas Mafahl really evil?"

    "Ruphas Mafahl: The only ruler to achieve world domination"

    This area¡¯s packed with books about myself. I¡¯m curious to know how I¡¯m perceived by society, so I¡¯ll take the "Legendary Figures" and the "Historical Analysis" volumes and move on to the next section.

    That, and I¡¯m really starting to appreciate telekinesis. I would have leveled it to 100 instead of 50 if I had known it was this convenient... That said, the esper ss didn¡¯t yield the greatest results inbat, and sorting through books wasn¡¯t something done in the game.

    "The Seven Heroes- Brave Warriors who Defeated the ck-Winged Overlord"

    "The Seven Heroes¡¯ Glories and Follies"

    "Legendary Figures of the Past: Alioth"

    "Legendary Figures of the Past: Dubhe"

    "Legendary Figures of the Past: Mizar"

    "Legendary Figures of the Past: Phecda"

    "Mankind¡¯s Rise and Fall. Was Humanity Mistaken!?"

    "Death to the Seven Heroes! Historian Williams Talks about Mankind¡¯s Greatest Blunder"

    These shelves handle the history of the seven heroes, meaning it¡¯ll talk about the 200 years I¡¯ve missed out on. Come to think of it, the reason why Megrez and some others aren¡¯t included in the "figures of the past" is most likely because they¡¯re still alive. Living legends can¡¯t be "figures of the past."

    Leaving that aside, a number of volumes openly criticize the seven heroes. Was that really eptable? The founder of this country is none other than a living remnant of the seven heroes. Despite his retirement from the throne, there¡¯s no escaping the fact that he was a hero of the legends. I wouldn¡¯t find it strange if the author was charged with treason.

    "Heheh, surprised? Turns out you aren¡¯t actually held in such negative light."

    "...True, it¡¯s strange. And I thought I yed a cold-blooded viin that toppled nations for fun."

    "Well, while there are books written from that perspective, the initial fear has faded with time. At this point in time, some even see your era as one of peace and prosperity¡ªa time when wars were nonexistent, and there was no reason to fear the demon race. Above all, Ruphas-sama wasn¡¯t such a heartless tyrant to begin with."

    I was partly able to ept Dina¡¯s words. This is to say that I can understand the public¡¯s thoughts to a certain degree. Just a guess, but Ruphas is being treated as a historical figure like Napoleon or Nobunaga. If you think back to it, Oda Nobunaga did some messed up shit back then. But nowadays, people see him in a new light, often describing his character as "cool" or "badass". He has even been handpicked as the protagonist of a number ofics, riling up arge fan base.

    For the people who tasted the horrors of Nobunaga firsthand, such things are unimaginable. However, for those who perceive history from a textbook, it¡¯s nothing more than a heartwarming story.

    Therefore, we can safely assume that the author of this book wasn¡¯t an elf.

    "Well, I guess it¡¯s time to hit the books. I¡¯ll be secluding myself for a while¡ªwhat about you, Dina?"

    "Naturally, I¡¯ll be joining you. There are some books I¡¯d like to read as well."

    "Oh? What kind?"

    "This! ¡¯Gunboy, Killed in Action: Volume 1~ Gunboy Dies on the Ground~¡¯"

    A light novel. Forgive me, but let¡¯s get this straight. Why the hell does the first volume kill off the protagonist in the title of the novel? Well, it does make me oddly curious in its own regard.

    "By the way, the second volume¡ª¡¯Tragedy: Death on the Battlefield¡¯¡ªand the third¡ª¡¯Death by Chance¡¯ are also masterpieces!"

    "Don¡¯t they all just die?"

    I pushed down my sudden urge to read them and settled into one of the chairs. First, I¡¯d like to research the 200 years of my absence. Having a clear goal in mind, I flipped a book open.

    Let¡¯s see...

    The goddess Alovenas was one who governed the forces of water and money. Legends tell of a peerless beauty adorned with striking eyes and hair the color of the sea. Others tell of golden locks of hair that glistened like moonlight.

    Some say she was a benevolent goddess who loved all in the world she created. Others recall a deity who held scorn for the repugnant races that tainted her name¡ª

    Ah, wrong book. I returned the volume to its rightful shelf. This time, I made sure I was holding the right title.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    ¡ªRuphas Mafahl

    200 years ago, a supreme being brought the unification of the world. Her untarnished skin, sleek ck wings, and alluring figure made her an unparalleled beauty on the face of Midgard. Such were the words of Merak, one of the seven heroes.

    Powerfully, powerfully, she pressed forward. Whether they be man, beast, or even demons, all cowered under her rule. Yet to this day, her motivation to rule the world is still shrouded in mystery.

    However, the people of that time knew... that although Ruphas Mafahl was a ruthless conqueror, she was by no means a heartless tyrant. Despite using brute force to unite the world, never did she abuse her power.

    Noblesse Oblige. The nobility¡¯s duty to society.

    In exchange for power, a ruler holds the obligation to serve themon people. Such were the overlord¡¯s favorite words, ording to an elf of the time. Even ifnds were obtained through military power, a ruler has the duty to ensure the people¡¯s protection.

    An overlord bore the responsibility to ensure the lives, the futures, and the prospects of his citizens and their offspring. Ruphas Mafahl preached such ideals.

    Being an ambitious conqueror, perhaps such words were hypocritical. In fact, those who opposed her used her so. However, the fact that she never imposed unreasonable burdens upon her countrymen was also an indisputable truth. On the contrary, the overlord had overthrown corrupt rulers on several asions.

    Ruphas Mafahl was not a woman of virtue. However, as to whether she was really wicked... is a question often raised by the schrs of today.

    So then why did she conquer the world? Such is a mystery yet to be uncovered. The only ones aware of the truth being the Twelve Heavenly Stars, fearsome enemies of mankind, we have little chance of finding out. But considering her actions as a monarch, perhaps she did not conquer out of selfish desires.

    We don¡¯t know the facts. But what we do know is that we, as mankind, rejected, overthrew, and cast away her rule. However, these actions did not mark the dawn of mankind¡¯s new era. Instead, they ended up pleasing the demon race.

    The seven great races were not the only ones that felt threatened by Ruphas Mafahl. Demons also feared and kept wary of this powerful being. Dreading the power of the ck-winged overlord, her twelve generals, and the heroes of mankind, the demon race had hid themselves away.

    Losing their greatest threat, the demon race jumped at the opportunity. On the other hand, mankind dispersed without the Ruphas¡¯ rule.

    In response, the warriors of the day stood in defense. However, the seven heroes had lost their original unity, and the scuffles almost always ended in crushing defeat. Hence, demons imed 60 percent of the world, pushing mankind into a tight corner.

    Today, mankind upies a mere 30 percent of the world, a number that continues to diminish as we struggle for survival. The seven heroes were reduced to three, and they barely preserve the bnce of our world¡ªsomething that could crumble at a moment¡¯s notice.

    A temporary peace¡ªlike a calm before a storm.

    The world we know coulde to ruin as I write these pointless ponderings of a single man. Yet, humanity has not a single idea of how to break out of this deadlock.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    ¡ªthe world is on the verge of copse!?

    Having reached this point in the book, I was less surprised than I thought I would be. While I did know the Demon King was going strong enough for countries to resort to hero summonings, I had yet to take it to heart.

    Expecting a hero toe along and solve the world¡¯s problems was about as far as I got. I mean, at a glimpse, the countryside looks like the very definition of peace, You wouldn¡¯t expect the world to be on the edge of destruction.

    But this is the first time I¡¯ve heard about mankind¡¯s decreasing territory. Well, actually, I did have some doubts¡ªlike how the nations were kind of small, and how the entire country of Suvell could easily fit inside of Hokkaido. However, countries often being nothing more than slightlyrger cities in games, I could easily dismiss those doubts. Well, that¡¯s just what it boils down to.

    I was naive. The world is in some pretty deep shit.

    Then again, perhaps this was the obvious oue. The demon race still retains its powerful leader, the Demon King. Moreover, several of the Twelve Heavenly Stars have turned over to join them. Even without the Heavenly Stars¡¯ betrayal, the strength of the general public has drastically declined and four of the seven heroes have kicked the bucket... Naturally, humanity would be driven to a corner. The fact that mankind continues to struggle is nothing short of a miracle.

    Unless I retrieve the Twelve Heavenly Stars, mankind¡¯s going to be knee deep in shit. As far as I¡¯m concerned, their only reason to fight is my death at the hands of mankind. Well, as their owner, I should be able to goad them back to my side... probably... hopefully. I¡¯m trying to be optimistic here.

    To think that the whimsical decisions I made in a game could influence the fate of someone¡¯s world... that these people would agonize over a victory I could brush aside as a game... there¡¯s something about it...

    There¡¯s really something about it...

    ¡¾Some Rtively Useless Information¡¿(Uploaded with edited version)

    ?next

 Chapter 11

    There stood a single castle. However, only monsters crowded its halls, and the esteemed lord of the castle was nowhere to be found. Moreover, the throne that rested in the heart of the fortress remained forever vacant, as if patiently awaiting its master¡¯s return.

    Beside the castle, an enormous sheepid in silent enshrinement. His name was Aries. Having once served under the ck-winged overlord, the "Ram" was a former pir of the Twelve Heavenly Stars.

    ¡ªthis sheep dreamed of the nostalgic past.

    Aries was once a weakling that lived to be hunted. He was a pitiful creature born into a upbringing of misfortune. That was the kind of existence he relived.

    Rainbow sheep.

    They were mythical creatures said to only appear once every five hundred years. A single strand of its wool surpasses the price of gold, easily making it a creature worth entire nations.

    Moreover, cotton spun from its hairs is the ultimate material for clothing. While offering protection that outsses armor, it¡¯s lighter than the finest of silks. What¡¯s more, the cloth serves as an incredible catalyst for magic.

    Thus, it¡¯s said that capturing even one of these creatures would ensure a normal family seven generations of unimaginable wealth. The rainbow sheep is the very definition of a living treasure.

    That said, he was nothing more than a monster with rainbow wool. ¡ªNo, he was not even a monster, but a walking treasure¡ªa preyying in wait for its eventual demise. Neither did he have the means to protect himself, nor could he outrun others. Instead, he had a uselessly brilliant coat that drew all kinds of unwanted attention. People, demons, and other monsters¡ªanything living was just another natural enemy. This was Aries¡¯ pathetic life as prey.

    Intentional or not, there is no crueler feat that Alovenas could achieve. This creature had no purpose in life other than hiding, running, and eventually losing its life to its predators.

    Every day was another desperate battle for its life. Every breath could be itsst. And as he drowned in his fear of death, he continued to cry his heart out.

    That¡¯s why, that encounter was nothing short of a miracle.

    Hair dyed the beautiful scarlet of a zing fire, eyes that shone crimson like the setting sun, and jet ck wings forsaken by god. Aries could remember it like it was yesterday. After all, for Aries, it was in this moment that his life truly began.

    "Oh? A rainbow sheep? Fancy meeting one here. Today must be my lucky day."

    It was a time when his revered master was still young and inexperienced. Even so, she was a shadow of the great ruler that would eventually awaken. Aries, who was so ustomed to running from others, happened upon her.

    ¡ªI¡¯m going be killed.

    At a single nce, Aries was engulfed with overwhelming fear. There wasn¡¯t a single chance of survival. Despite being a fraction of her true potential, a cmity was a cmity.

    "Oh? Aren¡¯t you afraid? Neither do you fight, nor do you run... do you have a death wish?"

    As Ruphas approached the unresisting sheep, Aries drowned in self-loathing. Why was he so weak? Why was he so pathetic? Why was it that his life would only amount to bing the prey of the strong? Even now, all he could do was stand frozen in fear, waiting for his untimely death. It was so pathetic...

    "...so you cry."

    Now, Aries noticed the warm tears streaming down his face. So he cried. He cried hot tears of misery and self-loathing, and he yelled at the injustices of the world.

    However, instead of pouncing on her prey, young girl asked the cowering weakling a question.

    "What do you gain from those tears? Gratification? The satisfaction of self-pity and regret? Ridiculous! If you can shriek in such misery, then lob onest pebble! Shout onest insult! Fuel your hate until your veryst moments! If they rob you of your happiness, you rob them right back! At the very least, that is how I¡¯ve lived my life. And I n to live up to my reputation."

    How arrogant, Aries thought. That was something only the strong would think to say. It was because she had never tasted defeat. What would she know about the grievances of the weak?

    "So what will you do? Will you die in vain? And abandon any hope of survival you have left? Because if those are your thoughts, then¡ªthen I have no problem with butchering a creature with a smaller ego than a struggling animal in a ughterhouse."

    Aries grit his teeth. This wasn¡¯t how he was supposed to die. Aries didn¡¯t want to die, ridiculed by the haughty girl before him. His entire existence screamed as death closed in on him.

    That¡¯s right, he didn¡¯t want to die. This wasn¡¯t the way he wanted to die! For the first time in his life, Aries harbored the will to live.

    And he attacked. He bared his teeth andtched onto the arm of his predator. Now, Aries could be sure he would lose his life. She¡¯d take his life in a fit of rage and cast his soul into the darkest depths of hell.

    The next course events... proved those thoughts wrong. Ruphas didn¡¯t budge an inch. Instead, she murmured in a strangelyforting voice¡ª

    "...That¡¯s right. That¡¯s the way it should be. Looks like you can do it if you try."

    Aries¡¯ jaw came loose. The girl was already¡ªor rather, she had never been hostile to begin with. In his panic, Aries had caught himself in a spur of irrational fear. And realizing this, he released her arm.

    "That¡¯s right, rainbow sheep. If you are to live, then live every breath to its fullest. Whether you flee or fight, give your all in every step you take and in every punch you throw. All so that you can be more than just the prey of the strong."

    Aries finally came to his senses. Although she was strong, she suffered all the same. The flugels valued the white sheen of their wings above all else. Such pitch ck feathers would never go unnoticed. Rather, she would be shunned for her impurity. Surely, she had experienced incredible discrimination.

    However, neither did she feel ashamed, nor did she drown in self-pity. Instead, she struggled, she strived, and above all, she arrived where she was now. The bold smile of this powerful being was enough proof of that.

    Ah, if only I could be like her, Aries thought. A fresh stream of tears rolled down his wet cheeks as he yelled his wishes at the heavens. And a fallen flugel answered his prayers.

    "Then join me. My power alone will not be enough to crush the cruelties of this world. Be strong, and together, we will bring the world under our own jurisdiction."

    ¡ªBe strong, Aries. Together with me.

    Thus, Aries clutched tightly to her outstretched hands. Such was the first encounter between the ck-winged overlord and the first of the Twelve Heavenly Stars. It was also a precious memory that failed to fade with time.

    He could not forget¡ªHe refused to forget the fleeting moments he spent with his precious lord and savior.

    ???

    While flipping through a book, I tried to wrap my head around Aries¡¯ decision to invade the Suvell. For one thing, Aries was a rainbow sheep, a rather timid and harmless species. What could drive him to take such drastic measures time and time again?

    Actually, the reason is obvious enough. I... Ruphas was defeated by heroes of mankind. But the real question is whether he was always aggressive enough to seek revenge.

    In the game, familiars never left their tamer¡¯s side, to say nothing of having real life conversations. That¡¯s why I can only imagine Aries¡¯ personality. The best I can do is use the game as a reference. In that case, exactly... exactly what kind of character was he? I¡¯m supposed to be his master, yet I don¡¯t know a single thing about him.

    I wonder when it was that I first met Aries. I¡¯m sure it was before Ruphas hit the level cap and after I had embraced the tamer ss.. This was right around when I was worrying about what to make my first familiar.

    There¡¯s arger variety of uses for a familiar than an alchemist¡¯s golem. Unlike golems, familiars can level up and consume status enhancing items. Moreover, both healing and revival are possible for familiars. And although they do have level caps, the right monsters can even be of use at end game. At the time, I thought a dragon, being both powerful and shy, would be ideal.

    However, fate brought me a feeble sheep, the exact opposite of what I was looking for. What¡¯s more, it was a unique monster that developers probably just designed for kicks. Not a single sighting had been reported since the update, so rumor had it that it was just a joke in poor taste.

    Upon meeting this creature, I attempted to tame it. God knows why the sheep refused to run, and when it finally attacked, my health barely dipped. Even so, it was my first familiar and I grew attached to it.

    So I began dumping status enhancements into my newfound familiar. In exchange, I could shear the rainbow wool from Aries¡¯ back. This fetched a hefty price on the marketce, with which I could purchase more status enhancement items.

    With this constant ie, I fed Aries¡¯ one skill after another, and his weak self disappeared without a trace. Even after hitting the level cap, Aries continued to save my ass time and again. That said, the cmity ss monsters Iter tamed overpowered Aries even without enhancements, which would leave me slightly discouraged.

    Now that I think of it, I¡¯ve known Aries for the longer than anyone else in the game. This was before I even met my guild members, and far before we established a nation. I wonder... just what did Aries experience for the past 200 years? Was it fury? Or perhaps, was it grief? Either way, his emotions were enough to drive him to seek revenge. Although I do appreciate the feelings, it¡¯s all the more reason to stop him.

    Even then, I can¡¯t help but wonder who would emerge victorious. In terms of pure strength, Megrez has an edge, but I¡¯m sure Aries wouldn¡¯t go down without a fight. Seeing that mankind is on the verge of extinction, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Aries was plotting something. Fortunately, I¡¯m here to intervene.

    "...that sobbing sheep."

    My lips formed words on their own. Sobbing sheep? I remember nothing of the sort. The words that rolled off my tongue felt so natural, yet I couldn¡¯t recall a single thing.

    ...no, that¡¯s wrong. I know. I remember. The body I reside in still recalls the frail sheep that wished to be strong. Although I did not remember, what still remained of Ruphas continued to cling to this memory.

    There¡¯s no longer a reason to waver. Ruphas¡¯ and my intentions line up perfectly. I will kick Aries back into submission and offer him the same hand I had before.

    Don¡¯t worry, I would never forget you. Even if I lost my memory or my life, you are the one I would never forget. That¡¯s why... I beg you to stop crying, Aries.

    Orc "..."

    Aries: "!?"

    Trantor¡¯s Note: When Ruphases to realize that her memories are returning, Ruphas¡¯ and our protagonist¡¯s voices start to ovep. They start saying the same thing in different ways, showing that both personalities coincide. The reason why I¡¯ve emitted this is because it would be impossible (or at least really difficult) to mirror this feeling in English. For example, the sentences (which I¡¯ve emitted from the trantion) "°³¤È¹²¤ËÀ´¤¤¤È¡£Óà¤È¹²¤ËÀ´¤¤¤È¡£" (meaning. "Come with me") are two phrases that say the exact same thing. However, the way they refer to themselves (°³ and Óà) allow us to differentiate between them. (°³- ore is more modern, while Óà sounds ancient).

    ?next

 Chapter 12

    Of the wide range of creatures that inhabit Midgard, most of theme under one of the four major categories. Namely, mankind, monsters, demons, and unssified.

    First off, mankind epasses humans, flugels, dwarves, elves, halflings, vampires, and beastmen¡ªotherwise known as the Seven Great Races. The requirements of being part of this category are, well,pletely subjective. Although you could argue all of them are bipedal, so are goblins and orcs. However, due to their low intelligence, they are lumped together with monsters. It¡¯s a matter of value, I think.

    Which leads us to the next category: monsters. This word refers to all living things altered by mana outside of the Seven Great Races. Such creatures are born from normal animals, which evolve from excess mana intake. Although elves, dwarves, halflings, and beastmen are fabled descendants of magically altered humans, they are by no means monsters. Again, it¡¯s difficult to know where to draw the line,

    There¡¯s little to know about Demonkind. Even within the game, there was but a vague description of the Demon race. Midgard doctrine told of an eighth race of mankind, close rtives of vampires. Despite their magical nature, they are in no wayrades of monsters. However, their superior taming abilities was an important bnce to the game.

    OK, I take that back. Demon monster tamers were cheaters. A horde of 100 monsters could be treated as a single familiar under a Demon Tamer. [Goblin x 100]? So is it one monster or a hundred? I don¡¯t see why summoning [Heavenly Stars x 12] doesn¡¯t work the same way?

    But I will cut myints short, for I have yet to introduce the fourth category: the unssified. This one¡¯s pretty self-exnatory. Creatures that don¡¯t fit into any category, normal animals, are listed as unssified. Since livestock and insects had little to do with gamey, they were all but lumped into a single, vague category. Most resemble the animals of Earth and served an essential addition to X-gate online¡¯s beautiful scenery.

    As one would expect, Aries is a monster. But while it¡¯smon sense to assume monster tamers tame monsters, the actual skill is pretty diverse. In reality, all hostile NPC¡¯s can be turned into familiars¡ªeven humanoid ones, like vampires or dark elves. yers who sought after such familiars weremonly known as "human tamers", often calling bandits and pirates to their aid.

    That aside, Aries is an obvious representation of a monster. Althoughcking in power, rainbow sheep are hardly products of nature. Their shimmering coats make them easy to spot, and I have long since known Aries¡¯ location. What more could I ask for?

    I returned the books to their proper shelves and turned my attention to Dina. She was immersed in the eighth volume of her beloved series, eyes glimmering like a pair of sapphires.

    "Huh? You¡¯re done with what you came for already?"

    "Yeah. I¡¯ve found most of what I was looking for. Let¡¯s go."

    "Go? ...Where to?"

    "To the castle where Aries is. Lead the way, Dina."

    Dina¡¯s spared her light novel a final nce before leaving it on the desk. Soon after she left her seat, we left the library behind. The time was ripe to finally reim my lost pet.

    Although I had nned to consult Megrez first, entering the noble district unnoticed has proved too difficult. I can think of plenty of ways to infiltrate the pce, but none are very peaceful. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to subdue Aries while I wrack my brain.

    "Of course. Once we leave Suvell¡ª"

    At my request, Dina describes the castle¡¯s location. But her words are cut off by a sudden shaking of the ground, pushing her off bnce.

    "Woah there."

    I caught Dina in my arms, then quickly retracted them into my overcoat in a single, fluid motion. My movements were too fast to see, and I had checked for onlookers beforehand.

    The ground continued to tremble.

    Not built to withstand earthquakes, buildings began to visibly sway, creaks of wood and screams following soon after.

    Anyways, earthquakes, huh? Prettyrge ones at that. I¡¯d say around 4 or 5 on the Richter scale.

    "These buildings are quite sturdy for their time."

    "Ruphas-sama, you¡¯re quiteposed for our current situation."

    "I¡¯m pretty used to earthquakes."

    This is nothingpared to what Japan has to deal with on a daily basis. However, the same can¡¯t be said for the residents of this world, their iling arms only proving my point. I imagine this is what American tourists look like on their first visit to Japan. I stared wistfully, and my inner C*nan began to re up.

    "Dina, how often do earthquakes ur in Suvell?"

    "Rarely, if not never."

    "...hmm."

    Seldom do earthquakes ur, huh? Which raises suspicions about its origins. Of course, I don¡¯t deny the possibility of natural causes, but this violent shaking tugs on my memories...

    Right... Aries had the skill to... intentionally cause earthquakes...

    As I¡¯ve touched on before, a familiar can never surpass its tamer in strength. (That¡¯s, of course, excluding rare cases of extreme status enhancing.) Naturally, the level cap certainly ys its part, but another obstacle lies in wait: Skill Management.

    Although yers can learn as many skills as they please, the skills familiars can learn are limited in number. A tamer¡¯s total level divided by fifty, to be exact. Then, taking the skills that familiars learn as they level up into ount, the number of skills that a tamer can teach their familiars be greatly limited.

    Returning to the subject at hand, Aries was never a battle-oriented monster to begin with. In other words, I taught Aries everybat-oriented skill at his disposal. When ites down to it, I might know his skills better than he does himself.

    Aries¡¯ fighting style involves harassing opponents with debuffs before dealing a lethal blow. To ovee his shorings, Aries¡¯ skills rely heavily on luck instead of status, a clever approach if I say so myself.

    Even among these skills, [Earthquake] was among the most versatile of them all. The Area of Effect knocked a significant chunk of agility off its targets, often with aplimentary stun, if the generous gods of RNG willed it. Moreover, flight being a flugel¡¯s second nature, [Earthquake] almost never backfired on Ruphas.

    "Perhaps, it is a coincidence... but if my suspicions prove correct, then Aries ising."

    "Ruphas-sama, I fear you may be right. I just felt a sudden influx of mana over the... over the Trade District."

    "Where Gants is, huh?"

    So she can even perceive the flow of mana. I shed a quick smile at my reliable secretary, then quickly looked over to the Trade District. That¡¯s where we parted with Gants. Although the time we spent together was short, he was a rather pleasant old man. I¡¯d rather not see him die this early in the story.

    "Ruphas-sama, let¡¯s take the monorail back to the Trade District."

    "No, that will take too long. Besides, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it was out of order at a time like this."

    "So...?"

    "So we¡¯re in for a rough ride."

    Despite the chaos, I can¡¯t remove my overcoat just yet. But how else would I fly? Simple. I¡¯ll use something else in ce of my wings.

    "Let¡¯s see... that one looks good."

    I caught sight of a copsed building from the corner of my eye. Shifting my attention to a particrlyrge chunk of rubble, I began transmuting its surface. The concrete slowly smoothened itself out, forming a crude vehicle to carry Dina and myself. The finished product was a t, triangr base around 2 meters wide on all sides.

    "Get on. This is how we¡¯ll fly."

    "Um. It doesn¡¯t look too safe."

    "Then you can hold onto my waist."

    I promptly stepped onto the "vehicle" with Dina pressed tightly against my back. Having made sure she was secure, my esper powers whirred to life. And with a telekinesis powered push, the stone b rose off the ground. Another burst of power shot us into the the sky in the direction of the trade district.

    Now then, I hope we make it in time...

    ???

    A tremble of the earth. And the massive influx of mana. Even without these clues, the keen senses that Gants had trained over decades of battle screamed in rm. He knew¡ªhe could feel something dreadfuling their way.

    "Orders! All mercenaries are to prepare for battle at the borders! I repeat, All mercenaries are to prepare for battle at the borders!"

    As the messenger boy ran around yelling the orders, the Trade District stirred in excitement. Geographically speaking, the Trade District was the most vulnerable to enemy attack. That¡¯s why mercenaries and soldiers were constantly stationed there to fend off oing monsters.

    However, the asional onught of monsters never called for the aid of soldiers off duty. The mercenaries of Suvell knew this, and they gathered before the city in a hastily arranged battle formation. Gants, who had just caught wind of his orders, hurriedly prepared for battle and ran over to Suvell¡¯s gates.

    "Chief Gants! What the hell is goin¡¯ on!?"

    "I¡¯d like to know that myself!"

    Gants had bumped into Johnny, arade mercenary, along the way. Although neither of the men knew what was going on, their battle-trained instincts red in rm. Today... today was the day they would fight. A fight to defend their country!

    "But this atmosphere... you understand, don¡¯t you? This tingling sensation! It¡¯s finallye! The decisive battle!"

    "...Aries¡¯ raid on Suvell."

    Some day. Anyone with half a brain knew that some day, Suvell would have to brawl it out with Aries. The war had fallen into a stalemate, but it would notst forever. It was all but certain that some day, Aries would put everything on the line for a chance at victory. And that dreaded "some day" had finallye.

    "Commander!"

    "Oh, isn¡¯t it Gants!"

    By the time Gants arrived at the gates, the border patrol had already formed an orderly battle formation. He quickly greeted the massive man working as themander. A soldier fighting for his country and a mercenary hired with money locked eyes. Despite their different positions, they wererades in arms who worked themselves to the bone to defend their country.

    "Howrge is the enemy!?"

    Themander handed him a pair of binocrs, quietly implying that it would be faster if he saw for himself. Putting them to his eyes, a glimpse of what looked like hell entered his vision. Mountains of monsters, monsters, and monsters were advancing towards the nation. The massive, unorganized force was slowly making its way to the borders.

    "...Well, then. It looks like our visitors are quite serious as well."

    "Yeah, but the question is why now? ...Perhaps, there¡¯s a motive? Or maybe he was just in the mood for it?"

    "How am I supposed to know? Maybe it took this long to gather an army of that size or something. More importantly, what are we going to do? Are they telling us to hold that back until our main force arrives?"

    Gants rested the huge de of his sword on his shoulder and said in a sarcastic tone. Roughly 500 soldiers and 200 mercenaries guarded Suvell¡¯s borders, making a total of 700 warriors. Seven hundred... a trivial numberpared to what Gants had seen. Once it arrived, Suvell¡¯s main forces posed a chance against that monstrosity. However, whether the National Guard could survive until then was an entirely different question.

    "It¡¯s unreasonable, but we don¡¯t have much of a choice. After all the trouble they went to greet us beforehand, we¡¯ll have to receive them properly, don¡¯t we?"

    "Huh. So that earthquake earlier was some kind of deration of war. We have quite some time to spare, seeing how far they are."

    There was no need for Aries to dere his arrival with an earthquake. To use it to its fullest potential would be to shake the earth right before his rampage, unnerving the enemy soldiers. However, Aries had done the opposite, signaling his arrival. He would invade the country, but would not resort to surprise attacks... it was a rule that the now deceased Ruphas Mafahl had never failed to follow. The fellow only resembles his master in the weirdest ways, thought Gants as he spat on the ground.

    "But thanks to that, we¡¯re able to prepare ourselves to a certain degree. All magicians to the front! Were going to whittle down their numbers before they get close enough!"

    Abiding their orders, the robed figures stepped to the front of the formation. Suvell was the very heart of magic. Not only did the nation house a multitude of magicians, they were almost all first-rate. A barrage of magic from this battalion was noughing matter.

    "Fire!"

    Countless shes of magic fired in unison with themander¡¯s voice. It rained down on the enemy, and signaled the beginning of Suvell¡¯srgest battle in its short history of 200 years.

    ?

 Chapter 13

    Levia "I will protect you!!"

    Trantor¡¯s Note: At times, I referred to "status" as "attributes". E.g. Strength attribute

    "Alright! Now we hold out until the main force arrives!"

    At theirmander¡¯s orders, hundreds of swords unsheathed from the soldiers¡¯ waists. The mercenaries also drew their weapons of choice, kicking the ground. Although the long-distance magic should have shaved off their numbers, the oing horde looked no different from before. The army was simply toorge for there to be any noticeable difference.

    "Aaaaargh!!"

    Gants bellowed as he cleaved a nearing monster in half with his enormous battleaxe. His was a name that anyone in the same line of work had heard at least once. A hero of your wallet, that was who he was. Although he may notpare to the Sword Saint, Gants was a top-tier warrior. He could defeat lesser monsters with a swing, and plunge through shields and armor like twigs.

    "Come at me, monsters! I¡¯m gonna beat the shit outta you!"

    A second swing, and a Howling Wolf was hacked into two parts. A third swing, and the Living Armor behind him was crushed out of shape. A fourth swing, and a diving bird-like monster was knocked from the air, dying on impact.

    "Gaaaaaah!!"

    He swung, and he swung, and he swung. The mercenary ughtered any monsters that drew close, and the blood of his ever-increasing victims dyed his body red. In the blink of an eye, a mountain of corpses formed behind him, and it continued to reach for the sky.

    "A¡ªamazing! So this is the strength of the man known as the strongest mercenary..."

    "What utter power..."

    The soldiers¡¯ thoughts leaked out in admiration. At both his disy of strength, and the immense gap between them. However, despite his unbelievable strength, he was still, in the end, human. The number of monsters was by no means infinite, and his remarkable power pushed them under. Mark my words, he was a ferocious warrior. However, his strength was but a small spark of hope against the might of numbers.

    "Aaaaaah!"

    "Guh, Johnny!"

    Gants¡¯rade mercenary screamed in agony. A panther-like monster sunk its teeth into Johnny¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple and tore out his throat. The next moment, the poor soul was swallowed by a wave of monsters.

    The battlefield was merciless. Whether you knew them or not, lives were lost all the same. The bright man that Gants chatted with just minutes ago was now a bloodied corpse. It was the harsh reality of the battlefield, something Gants had experienced time and again.

    "You! How dare you!"

    Wildly swinging his axe, Gants scattered the monsters that had swarmed Johnny. But he was toote. The twisted figure that Gants had glimpsed no longer resembled a human. Soon after, monsters that filled the space trampled upon the corpse, which would continue to disfigure.

    "Aaaargh!"

    "Eeeek!?"

    Cries of pain filled the air, and soldiers continued to fall one by one. Though the enemy¡¯s numbers also fell, it barely made a difference. Even now, monsters sprung out from seemingly nowhere, and it was difficult to grasp their numbers.

    "Tch!"

    A human-sized mantis, an Amberterine, tore through Gants¡¯ shoulder with its sickle. Then, he winced in pain as he turned to make a clean cut through the Amberterine¡¯s neck. He was wounded physically, but more importantly, the earlier injury dampened his fighting ability. Although the arm still moved, it had undoubtedly weakened. Especially in a battle that would drag on for who knows how long, the minor cut might as well have been a fatal wound.

    "Shit, how much longer will the main force take!?"

    Gants cursed as he swung his axe, cutting down the monsters that jumped at him. Just how many minutes had passed, he questioned. How many more minutes would he have to hold out? Five? Ten? Maybe even more? As uneasiness settled in his heart, the mercenary¡¯s movements began to dull. His wounds grew with time and muscles began to tire.

    This was the magical country¡¯s shoring. Suvell¡¯s abundant mana lured countless mages and sorcerers to its domain. However, the opposite was true for users of magic¡¯s opposing forces. Acolytes and priests that channeled holy power were a rare sight in the magical nation. These scarce numbers could bergely attributed to the fact that flugels, who made up a vast majority of these individuals, found the mana coursing through the country repulsive. In simpler terms, the militarycked healers. They weren¡¯t nonexistent, but their number was definitely insufficient. On the battlefield, this was quite the pressing situation.

    "Gah!"

    Gants sustained another injury to his foot, impairing his mobility. In addition to his fatigue, he could only exert half of his full power at best. The mercenary began to lose heart, and fear overtook him.

    Was this as far as he goes? ...Was this the end of the line? He could almost see the weing smile of his deceased wife, and the beloved figure of the daughter she had left him. Ironically, it was the thought of his clever girl that saved him. She was sure to be in the schrly district, caught up in her educational endeavors. And so he brandished his axe once more and trained it at the monsters before him.

    But before Gants could strike with renewed vigor, an enormous spear of water pierced through the horde.

    "Wha¡ªWhat the!?"

    What followed was an incessant downpour of des of water. Curiously, the liquid weapons curved back into the sky after striking down their targets. Tracing the magical assault back to its origin, Gants... no, every member of the battlefield saw it.

    The figure loomed in the air, its jaw reaching over a hundred meters in width. Mana-infused water made up its transparent body, and its length ran around the entire Nation of Suvell. As the formerke that enclosed the entire country, it was more than likely that it stretched to miles of length. The water dragon conjured by Megrez, one of the seven heroes that overthrew the ck-winged overlord, had finally entered the stage.

    Suvell¡¯s divine beast bellowed, its roars resounding through the battlefield and shaking the earth. The next moment, hundreds of monsters disappeared into the dragon¡¯s jaws.

    "The-The Guardian Beast Levia... so the Guardian Deity finally makes its move..."

    Riddled with wounds, themander mumbled in surprise. The warriors of Suvell beheld the magnificent form with simr awestruck expressions. What beauty and dignity that the dragon embodied! This was Suvell¡¯s guardian deity, the impregnable defense that would lead them to victory. Just its enormous presence reassured its fellowbatants, instilling conviction back into the warriors¡¯ hearts.

    "My fellow countrymen, you have done well in your efforts."

    The voice that followed was that of another cornerstone to Suvell¡¯s defenses. All those who survived the brutal onught turned to face the speaker of those words.

    There he was, silver hair dancing with the wind. His knowing eyes, housing centuries of knowledge, stared down at the battlefield. Spectacles adorned the beautiful features peculiar to his kind, and a white robe obscured the rest of his body from view. Although his confrontation with the Demon King had rendered his legs useless, not once did his abilities wane. Resting on a wheelchair was the regal form of a living legend¡ªthe "Wisdom King", Megrez.

    "Oh, Lord Megrez! Lord Megrez hase to our aid!"

    "The great Wisdom King! Guardian Levia! We¡¯re saved!"

    "Hahahaha! That¡¯ll teach them to mess with Suvell!"

    Levia tore monsters to shreds one after another, drastically reducing the enemy¡¯s numbers. Unparalleled on the battlefield, the water dragon wreaked havoc across the war front, turning the odds in Suvell¡¯s favor in an instant. The astronomical difference in level was in to see as the Divine Beastid waste to the enemy.

    However, deluded by their Guardian Deity¡¯s presence, the warriors of Suvell failed to see what else was left in in sight. Levia was the magical nation¡¯sst line of defense. Its appearance could only mean one thing: that their backs were against the wall... something they were blissfully unaware of.

    ???

    Why do I feel so... unneeded? By the time Dina and I arrived at the scene, the battle had reached its climax. Telekinesis kept my "vehicle" aflight and overlooking the battlefield.

    Levia¡¯s OP.

    Two words that summarized the thoughts running through my head as Levia swallowed enemy forces at a terrific pace. And as enormous as it was, physical attacks did little to impede its liquid body. What¡¯s more, Megrez¡¯s constant healing patched up the dragon in all other respects.

    Although golems are mostly immune to healing magics, their creators can restore their health through a certain skill. In other words, a golem within the range of a master alchemist is nigh indestructible. Meaning one with 180,000 HP under the constant support of the "Wisdom King" was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

    "Oh? Looks like our presence may be unnecessary."

    "So it seems."

    Despite the monstrous force¡¯s overwhelming numbers, each unit averaged at level 50 at best¡ªmaking them little more than fodder for a certain level 500 dragon¡¯s appetite. Quality over quantity¡ªwas not advice taken to heart while building this army. Most weremon monsters with high birth rates, and posed little threat on their own.

    Even if Aries were to make an appearance now, Levia may be able to fight him on equal ground. Although the level gap does tip in favor of Aries, Levia makes up for it with her monstrous attributes. The water dragon¡¯s tremendous vitality and Megrez¡¯s constant support make the Divine Beast more than its level might imply. Above all, Levia¡¯s affinity with her opponent was spectacr. After all, Aries was a fire attuned monster, something Megrez evidently came prepared for.

    Speaking of Megrez, I might as well take a peek at his status. Although the [Observing Eye] is quite the handy skill to have, it is far from omniscient. Unless your own level is double that of [Observing Eye¡¯s] target, only their name and level will be disyed. Furthermore, if the target¡¯s level equals or exceeds your own, [Observing Eye] will fail to activate. That said, it never hurts to try.

    ¡¾Megrez¡¿

    Level 500

    Race: Elf

    ss Levels

    Mage: 100

    Sorcerer: 100

    Acolyte: 100

    Seeker: 100

    Alchemist: 100

    HP: 29500

    SP: 9400

    STR (strength): 980

    DEX (dexterity): 1250

    VIT (vitality): 1028

    INT (intelligence): 5720

    AGI (agility): 723

    MND (willpower): 4290

    LUK (fortune): 1311

    ¡¾Ill Status Effect¡¿Lower Body Paralysis

    ¡¾Ill Status Effect¡¿Brand of the Vanquished

    Much to my surprise, Megrez¡¯s full status shed into vision. My first impression was that he had weakened significantly, and was carrying a few strange status effects at that. Brand of the Vanquished, was it? Lower Body Paralysis was pretty self-exnatory, though.

    "Dina."

    "Yes, Lord Ruphas?

    "Megrez is carrying a strange status effect called the Brand of the Vanquished. Would you happen to know anything about it?"

    I can always consult Dina about any troubling matters. That has always been my easy way out sinceing to this world.

    "Ah, that would certainly exin those rumors."

    "Rumors?"

    "Yes. Rumor has it that the Seven Heroes were cursed by the Demon King soon after their defeat."

    A curse, huh. Sounds like another pain in the ass.

    "Thanks to these restraints, the Seven Heroes are barely able to exhibit even half their original strength. That¡¯s why, if Megrez really is bound by a curse, then Levia truly is Suvell¡¯sst line of defense."

    "...From what I can see, he¡¯s been stripped of both half his levels and sses."

    "God, that sounds nasty... That would mean Megrez is no longer capable of producing golems of Levia¡¯s quality, wouldn¡¯t it?

    I shuddered at the thought of hundreds of hours of gamey disappearing down the drain. What a fearsome curse, that Brand of the Vanquished.

    At a nce, Megrez¡¯s total level had been halved. His attributes also dropped in a simr fashion. After all, there was no way Megrez, who specialized in support, would have a lower INT attribute than I did. Moreover, half of his sses had vanished from his status. His former Esper and Archer sses were nowhere to be seen. This Brand of the Vanquished was ridiculous...

    "Lord Ruphas, look. He¡¯sing."

    "Huh? Oh, Aries."

    The very air constricted, threatening to suffocate the living. A staggering presence overtook the battlefield and pressed itself against every inch of my skin. Calmly, I traced it to its source.

    In the distance, a dazzling coat of wool shimmered in the sun, scattering majestic rays of multicolored light. The ram reached a hundred odd meters in length, and intense killing intent oozed out of the whites of its eyes. The creature before me looked nothing like the gentle sheep of the past.

    Aries of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, my former familiar, shook the earth as he approached the nation of Suvell.

    ?

 Chapter 14

    The earth trembled as the enormous ram approached. The air quivered with the roars of a dragon. Both announced the arrival of powers beyond humanprehension, monsters that hailed from the ancient era of heroes. From one side, Megrez¡¯s ultimate golem, created at the peak of his power,id in wait. On the other, a familiar of the ck-winged Overlord rapidly approached. Tension overtook the battlefield as the beasts summed each other up. Yet, Gants and his allies could only stare in a mixture of fright and awe as all hell broke loose.

    "Rooooaaaaar!!"

    "Baaaaa-a-a-aaah!!"

    A war cry. That alone brewed violent winds across the border, sweeping up clouds of ash and dust. Although Megrez held fast during this exchange, drops of sweat glistened on his forehead. He knew¡ªthat he was long past his prime. And that if Levia, the masterpiece he had forged at the peak of his power, fell, he would not be able to rece her. More importantly, he could not face Aries alone in his weakened state, and Suvell would surely perish.

    If possible, Megrez wanted to refrain from using Levia, as she was the sole reason why Suvell¡¯s enemies could never be too careful. To put simply, Levia¡¯s defeat would mean the kingdom¡¯s downfall. The elven hero would need to find a way to win the war without losing Suvell¡¯s guardian deity.

    "...Go!"

    At his word, Levia sprung at her opponent, digging her fangs into Aries¡¯ body. Considering Levia¡¯s elemental advantage, a frontal assault would surely give him an edge, or so he thought.

    However, Aries¡¯ unyielding expression remained unchanged. It would seem that his heavy woolen coat shielded him from any significant harm.

    "Rooaar!"

    Aries bit back at the dragon¡¯s abdomen in retaliation. Unsurprisingly, the physical attack did little to harm the liquid construct, and the two beasts sprung apart after the short exchange. Then, they continued to re at each other from a distance.

    "...Ba-a-a-ah"

    Aries bleated in frustration, his eyes glinting with insanity. With a shake of his head, the ram¡¯s colorful wool burst into a crimson me, which sent waves of heat rolling off his body.

    [Mesaltim]. That was the name of the mes engulfing Aries¡¯ being. It was a skill once bestowed by the ck-winged overlord, and sent a continuous stream of damage to those who came in contact. It was also a precious memento of his liege, one he used sparingly against only the most worthy of opponents.

    Megrez, at which the mes were directed, winced in recognition.

    "...this is going to be difficult."

    The Elven hero erected a barrier at a moment¡¯s notice, shielding the soldiers and nation from harm. Without it, the heat waves alone would have incinerated anyone of inadequate level. On the other hand, it left Megrez vulnerable and unable to move.

    Releasing the barrier would burn hispanions to a crisp. It took the elf all his concentration to maintain his protection, else a stray heat wave could set fire to the nation. He had no choice but to stay grounded where he was.

    "Roooaaar!"

    "Baa-a-a-aah!"

    As the gigantic beasts¡¯ blows connected, the earth shifted, raging winds swept the battlefield, and the air shimmered under the intense pressure. Each movement sent fissures through the ground, and small hills were ttened upon impact.

    As the two continued to trade blows, the battle began tipping in Levia¡¯s favor. The dragon¡¯s incrediblepatibility with her opponent began to show. Rather, this was the sole reason why Levia could bridge the 300 level gap between thebatants.

    As if on queue, Levia¡¯s next attack sent Aries flying in arge arc into the ground. Again, the earth split and shook. However, this time around, Aries was by no means unfazed. The exhaustion was taking its toll, and his body was suffering the consequences.

    "Y-you can do it! You can do it Lord Megrez!"

    "Victory! Victory will be ours!"

    "Long live the Wisdom King! Glory to the Guardian Deity!"

    The warriors raised cheers of joy, oblivious of their dire predicament. Right there, right then, they were the ones backed against a wall. They didn¡¯t see Megrez furl his brow, barely keeping from cursing aloud.

    Shit... the very water that that makes up Levia¡¯s body is evaporating! I can¡¯t heal Levia the way things are going!

    Alchemists can repair their creations for as long as their mana pools hold out. However, as Levia¡¯s very body vaporized, Megrez was at a loss for words. There was simply nothing there to heal! What¡¯s more, magically conjured water couldn¡¯t rece Levia¡¯s lost biomass. Elements born from mana would inevitably dissipate, returning to the environment once they had served their purpose.

    Although the beasts looked evenly matched, nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, Suvell¡¯sst line of defense stood on the brink of copse. Even if Levia managed to grasp victory, the weakened dragon would not live to see another battle. Nevertheless, Megrez had no choice but to rely on the rapidly shrinking dragon.

    Forgive me... Levia!

    As he plead forgiveness from his greatest masterpiece, Megrez gave Levia what would most likely be his final order¡ªto attack.

    Would Aries copse, or would Levia dissipate before then? The odds were against him, and the elven hero hadid hisst cards down. Megrez¡¯s heart sunk in despair.

    ???

    "What do you think of the performance, Lord Ruphas?"

    "Strictly from appearance, Levia has an upper hand. However..."

    I began to exin my own outlook to Dina. Currently, Levia holds the upper hand in their bout. The dragon¡¯s elemental advantage sets her attacks worlds apart from what it would have been otherwise. Although I¡¯m unable to see Level 800 Aries¡¯ HP and SP, the ram was visibly battered and bruised. What¡¯s more, Levia¡¯s consistent flurry of blows kept Aries from healing properly. At this rate, the water golem should emerge victorious. However...

    ¡¾Guardian Deity Levia¡¿

    Level 500

    Race: Artificial Life-form

    HP: 103567/103567

    "However, Aries will im victory in the end."

    The dragon¡¯s maximum HP was rapidly shrinking. Aries¡ªthat swindling bastard¡ªhad not only anticipated this showdown, but also what woulde after. By weakening Levia, he would lose the battle, but win the war. Despite the manic glow of his eyes, Aries¡¯ actions were surprisingly rational.

    "I see... that would mean..."

    "Yeah. Aries never intended to win in the first ce. In attempt to lure Levia from the safety of Suvell¡¯s walls, he had gathered enough forces to seem like a final stand."

    I thought something was off. Even if the average quality of monsters had dropped over two centuries, this was absurd.

    But Aries¡¯ fight had said it all. Those were disposable troops¡ªbait that served to lure his prey out of their hidey hole. And Levia had happily bit on to it. Aries had judged Levia too powerful to defeat in one fell swoop, and this little scheme was his solution.

    "Aries had nned this retreat, and Megrez is in no condition to recklessly pursue him."

    "... but there¡¯s more to it. Megrez is also afraid that Aries has more monsters at his beck and call. And if in fact he does, the elf¡¯s feet will have to stay nted."

    "Aries is quite a sly one, isn¡¯t he?"

    "My Lord Ruphas was the one who taught him military tactics after all."

    It was time I entered the show. With the soldiers¡¯ unwavering attention on the stage, I can¡¯t reveal myself as Ruphas to Aries. Doing so would also pitt Levia against me. However, I should be more than enough to push back a battered Aries.

    "It¡¯s time Dina. Hold on tight."

    "Time? You can¡¯t mean we¡¯re flying down there, do you?"

    "What else could I mean?"

    As soon the words left my lips, the "vehicle" lurched towards the ground. Telekinesis and gravity shot us like a cannonball towards our destination. In other words, at Aries¡¯ head.

    "Aaaaaaaaah!?"

    Ignoring the screaming woman clinging to my waist, I sent a flying kick at Aries¡¯ head. I was no stranger to empty-handedbat. Every movement, every tense of muscle was reinforced by 200bined levels of the Grappler and Champion sses. Passive skills made every limb a deadly weapon in my arsenal, and every swing a deadly encounter.

    That¡¯s why I invoked [Blunt Edge], a warrior skill that prevented the opponent¡¯s HP from dropping to zero. Funny thing is, the skill can be applied to weapons without des, or even no weapon at all.

    "!?"

    Aries noticed me a second toote. A heavy kick sunk into his face, and the enormous ram was sent tumbling through the air. The sheep plunged through one mountain, then another, leaving smoldering craters in his wake. When he finally came to a stop a kilometer away, Aries¡¯ battered body ckened in exhaustion.

    Which was when I noticed Megrez¡¯s dropped jaw, his eyes darting between Aries and my hooded figure in disbelief.

    "That was a close one, Wisdom King. Perhaps this passing peddler will lend you a hand."

    "D-Dina and Saphur, right?"

    "Oh, if it isn¡¯t Gants. I¡¯m d you¡¯re alright."

    "Ah... Abababa..."

    "Though Lady Dina doesn¡¯t look so alright..."

    Relief washed over me as Gants emerged unharmed. Although shallow wounds riddled his shoulder and foot, those would heal with time. On the other hand, Megrez eyed me with suspicion, which is, of course, the natural reaction. Caution would be advised when dealing with a being capable of striking down a Heavenly Star. However, clearing those doubts would have to wait. I nned to reveal myself to Megrez, but not before we escaped the prying eyes of his countrymen.

    "That power... What in the world...?"

    "This is not the time, revered Wisdom King. We are being watched, and I have my own... reasons. Understand that you will get your answerter."

    "That tone... and that voice... No, it can¡¯t be... that can¡¯t..."

    Megrez was always a sharp one. That said, my condescending tone also gave me away. The arrogance was difficult to suppress, and I decided that it wasn¡¯t worth the effort.

    I kicked lightly off the ground, leaving Megrez alone to sort out his thoughts. With the help of a Strider skill, [Void-step], I traveled the kilometer to Aries in an instant.

    "Who... the fuck... are you...?" Aries sputtered.

    Oh, so it talks. I¡¯m guessing all that crazy bleating was in the heat of the moment? Either way, the ram was a sight to see. The brilliant woolen coat and the sheer size of the beast could take any mortal¡¯s breath away. It was difficult to believe that Aries¡¯ full height barely reached my waist when we first met.

    "That," I answered, "is a question I cannot answer at the time. There are plenty of elves serving in that army, and we wouldn¡¯t want any rumors spreading, would we? Moving on, I have a single [Order] for you."

    "...get out of my wa¡ª"

    I invoked [Coercion]. It wasn¡¯t enough to render Aries immobile, but it would give the ram a hint to my true persona. Even if he wasn¡¯t the brightest tool in the shed, he would at least realize I wasn¡¯t an opponent he could defeat in his tattered condition.

    "¡ªGuh! Thi-this pressure! No... That¡¯s not... Who the hell are you!?"

    "This is not the time, nor ce. But know that I can give you the answer you¡¯re hoping for."

    "...!"

    The manic glow gradually faded from the ram¡¯s eyes. It would seem the gears in his head had finally clicked into ce. With a half-suspicious, half-hopeful expression, Aries dragged himself to his feet. The ram slowly turned his back to me, and trod his way back towards the mountain. From time to time, the magical beast turned his head to steal another nce at my direction and smile shyly, just like the old Aries would.

    Hm? The old Aries? Well, whatever.

    ¡¾Some Useless Information¡¿

    Familiars yed a game of following the leader behind their tamers in the game. Even within cities, familiars stayed faithful to their masters¡¯ sides. In terms of this new world of Midgard, Ruphas used to stroll the city streets, a hundred meter ram constantly looming over her shoulder. I wonder what number that did for the overlord¡¯s reputation?

    ?

 Chapter 15

    Levia: "Do not fear! I will protect you all!"

    Megrez: "...don¡¯t get too cocky when the enemy isn¡¯t even here..."

    Now, it is nothing but a fleeting memory.

    It was long before Megrez was crowned as the Wisdom King¡ªa time when we were but naive adventurers, bursting with passion. It was a time when elven adventurers were a rare sight, for their kind still enjoyed the seclusion of Midgard¡¯s forests. Those who abandoned the shade of the elven canopies were the oddballs and outcasts of the race.

    But Megrez ignored the hushed stereotypes ced upon him. Perhaps, he was content with setting foot on new soils and exploring the different facets of Midgard. With every city came new faces to greet and old acquaintances to bid farewell. And perhaps, if he wandered long enough, he woulde across another person of the same wavelength.

    That was Ruphas.

    And every day spent with her was pure bliss.

    "¡ªso I thought a wider perspective would do the elven race a lot of good. If only they would open their eyes to the outside world."

    Amidst a grimy tavern, Megrez told his dream to those gathered around a table. By no means was it a ssy pub, and its alcohol was no better. But she was what made it special.

    Ruphas sat, legs crossed, eyes sparkling with excitement. His dearest friend grinned from ear to ear, releasing one heartyugh after another. It was at these times that everyone was within arms reach, unshackled by their own differences.

    "That¡¯s why, someday, I¡¯ll make a country where elves can walk hand in hand with the other races. It¡¯ll be a bustling metropolitan, and I¡¯ll prove that it¡¯s possible!"

    "Hoho! I see we have some big dreamers here!"

    "Hahaha! Isn¡¯t that right! Men need dreams! And if you¡¯re gonna dream, you go big or go home!"

    The smithing and sword kings¡¯ goofy smiles were contagious, and soon enough, everyone wasughing along. Ruphas herself grinned, standing up with a mug of beer in hand.

    "Naive, Megez! While you found your country, I¡¯ll rule the world! I¡¯ll build a paradise where no one has to fear the demon race!"

    This time around, the group roared withughter. Ruphas¡¯ expression flushed red with embarrassment and opened her mouth to speak.

    "Wha¡ªwhat¡¯s so funny!? I¡¯m dead serious! I¡¯ll show you all someday!"

    "Gahahaha! Even dreams need limits! The day you rule the world is the day I slurp pasta through my nose!"

    "I¡¯ll hold you to that, Alioth! You¡¯ll see! Once I rule the world, I¡¯ll make sure you keep that promise! He-hey! Not you too, Megrez!"

    Those were blissful days, full of banter, quarrels, and reconciliations. However, such merry times would soone to an end, for these youngsters had the potential to realize their dreams. And once they did, they would slowly lose themselves.

    Where did we go wrong? Where... when did we stray from the right path?

    Ruphas, my old friend... perhaps you knew the answer?

    ???

    After Aries¡¯ retreat, I was promptly invited to the noble district. Hundreds of soldiers lined the bridges that led to the heart of the nation. Each stood with stonelike serenity, and were in no hurry to leave despite the obvious peril of the situation.

    Although heartless, it was a rational decision. While Gants andpany bought time, the main force prepared to receive the enemy. Indeed, the imperial castle is the lifeline of the nation, something to be guarded at all costs.

    However, such rationality would cost the lives of warriors prepared to die for their country¡ªwarriors who would die believing that reinforcements woulde... Then again, perhaps it is not my ce to judge.

    As you can imagine, the noble district was a sight for sore eyes. The developing nation was already beautiful, but the central ind brought extravagance to a new level. Stately mansions stood at every corner, giving the ind an undeniable air of ss. Even the people dressedvishly and carried themselves with the dignified poise of nobility, as ifpletely unfazed by their copsing borders.

    I, too, wore a dress under my overcoat. Perhaps, in time, I would transmute some more casual attire.

    The castle was a sight to behold as well. The royal abode resembled France¡¯s Chateau de Chambord, albeit a littlerger than the original. What¡¯s more, thebination of blue and white only added to the castle¡¯s grandeur.

    As we drew closer to Suvell¡¯s centerpiece, the castle guards shot puzzled nces in my direction, but didn¡¯t move a muscle as I followed Megrez through the castle gates.

    "Oh! If it isn¡¯t Lord Megrez! I was so worried!"

    "I was troubled when you left the castle alone... Well, what¡¯s important is that you¡¯re safe."

    Upon entering the castle, the elven hero was greeted by a pair of portly men clothed in gaudy attire. They looked like orcs dressed in clothes¡ªawkward and out of ce. I had to remind myself that obesity was often a symbol of wealth, not telltale signs of corrupt nobles.

    "However, I must remind my lord to show more restraint. After all, my lord and Levia are irreceable assets to this nation."

    "My thoughts exactly. You are many times more important than the lives of the Trade District."

    They were corrupt nobles. Although sickeningly sweet words spilled from their lips, not a single tinge of emotion stood behind them. The only motivation behind their ttery was the selfish concern for their own lives. In other words, "our protection takes priority over that of themon folk."

    "I am just so relieved you¡¯re alive."

    "Absolutely. This nation still needs you. Ha, ha, ha."

    Barely sparing the babbling pigs a nce, Megrez continued on his way. Dina and I followed closely behind, exiting the castle from the rear entrance. There, an estate stood separate from the grand monument behind us. I guess that¡¯s how he liked it¡ªaway from the squabble of nobles.

    "Hrious, isn¡¯t it? Those are the kind of men who run the country. Selfish, death-fearing bastards, who only know to suck up to their superiors."

    "...So this is what you wanted to show me."

    "Yeah. I wanted to show you my failures."

    Upon entering the estate, a butler offered to take my overcoat, which I politely declined. He sighed dejectedly, handed Megrez a pair of crutches, then pushed the discarded wheelchair out of view. Once the elf had settled in, we made our way to the guest room.

    "It¡¯s fine now, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m the only one watching so... would you show me your face?"

    "Ah, very well."

    At Megrez¡¯s request, I undid the buttons of my overcoat. Slowly, I slipped the garment off, revealing a pair of fully unfurled wings. Words cannot express the sense of release as I extended limbs once restricted by my mantle. To be honest, it was cramped, that overcoat. It¡¯s nice to stretch my wings every once in a while.

    "So it was you... Ruphas."

    "Yeah. It¡¯s been a while, my old friend."

    I guess that¡¯s one thing off my chest. Now to see if whether he is a "yer" like me. After all, in times of need, it¡¯s great to have a shoulder to lean on.

    But deep down, I already knew. A yer would never look at me with eyes like those. What I saw was not joy, delight, or even nostalgia. No, it was fear and regret¡ªas if he was silently apologizing. It was the kind of shameful gaze a child would cast a parent, after shattering a te against the ground.

    A yer would have no reason to fear me, no reason to regret. That betrayal was staged, an act, and no hard feelings passed between the two sides. Only a resident of this world could feel such emotion towards a roleyed performance.

    But I see now... that you, too, are a resident of this world, Megrez.

    "...So you, too, look at me with those eyes."

    So in the end, I am still alone. What... a letdown.

    ???

    "...So you, too, look at me with those eyes."

    Ruphas¡¯ words carried a forlorn quality to them¡ªa quality that made Megrez avert his gaze. It frightened him, that his deepest emotions could be revealed at a single nce.

    "You, are not the Megrez I knew."

    "...People change, Ruphas. The tides turn with time, and I have be weak... both physically and mentally."

    Back then, it was different. 200 years ago, they were different. They were hot-blooded adventurers who explored ces others could only dream of. Each had dreams to follow, ambitions to achieve, and ideals to realize.

    But it was different now. Now, they were tied down by the harsh obligations of reality. What once housed passionate ambitions was reced with the empty husk of regret and resignation.

    "Say, Ruphas, why did you choose now to return? Was it tough at how far we¡¯ve fallen?"

    "To be honest, it was aplete coincidence. In a faulty attempt to summon a hero, I was called back to this world. That was all."

    It was from this exchange that Megrez realized how much he dreaded Ruphas¡¯ condemning words. However, in some dark corner of his heart, he secretly hoped to be reprimanded.

    Two hundred years ago, he opposed and overthrew Ruphas¡¯ rule. He used to think it was the right thing to do. However, he was quickly proven wrong, as the overlord¡¯s downfall brought the crumble of humanity, and a new era of demonkind.

    Even the nation that he dreamed of amounted to a state headed by corrupt officials¡ªnobles who wouldn¡¯t lift a finger for the lives of themon folk. As such, it became difficult to tell who was in the right. Now, if he had the choice, Megrez would much rather live under Ruphas¡¯ rule than watch his dreams distort into hideous husks of their former selves.

    Ultimately, theymited a pointless betrayal, achieving naught but setting mankind on the road to extinction. Who were they to call themselves heroes? Who was he¡ªthe pile of regret that he was¡ªto call himself a sovereign of wisdom?

    "I¡¯ve seen your nation¡¯s libraries."

    "..."

    "There are quite a number of volumes that harshly criticize the seven heroes. It is hardly a healthy topic during the critical state that your nation is facing. You¡¯re the one... collecting them, aren¡¯t you?"

    Megrez was at a loss for words. But at times, silence is an answer. Here, it was a quiet confirmation.

    "I see that you, too, have suffered through a lot. You begin to seek nder in ce of praise, and scorn in ce of reverence."

    "That is..."

    "The constant cycle of envy and esteem has be suffocating, has it not? Even as your knees buckle under the crushing weight of self-doubt, your revered position forbids you from venting your frustrations. Your precious honor... has be a double edged sword, no?"

    Again, Megrez¡¯s lips failed to form words. Each of her words struck with pinpoint precision, leaving him nothing to say in return. It was an odd exchange. While the victor toiled in fear and regret, the vanquished stood with the same dignity she had two centuries ago.

    "Although the Megrez I knew is long gone, you burden yourself with his hardships. What is the point? Take pride in your victory. Hold your head high in knowing that you have conquered the unconquerable¡ªdefeated the undefeatable. And yet, you shrink in shame, regretting a footnote in history you cannot change... And what will be of me? If even my conqueror drowns in his own self-pity?"

    Satisfied with her lines, Ruphas donned her overcoat once again. Jet ck wings and her gorgeous appearance returned under the guise of her garments. Unease settled into Megrez¡¯s heart as Ruphas¡¯ expression retreated into the privacy of her hood. Was she disgusted? Disappointed? Or perhaps, did she sneer from the concealment of her hood?

    "There is nothing to be ashamed of. Do not concern yourself with historians who criticize men of the past. They are hypocrites¡ªnobodies who have never shouldered the burden of humanity, yet think that they could have done a better job. Instead, continue doing what you think is right... At least, that is what the Megrez I knew would have done."

    Ruphas¡¯ words strayed far from Megrez¡¯s expectations. However, from the steady resolution of her voice, one thing was painfully obvious: This woman didn¡¯t regret a single one of her actions. Not the war, not the betrayal, not even the defeat. She may even take pride in inciting revolution. The woman he admired hadn¡¯t changed in the slightest.

    "...Are you...forting me? Thank you for that."

    "No need. You were making quite the pitiful expression, so I thought I¡¯d give you some advice."

    With that, Ruphas turned to leave the room. Most likely, she would never return to this wretched ce. She had ces to go, things to be done. And if that was the case, this was no time to be overwhelmed by emotion. Megrez steeled himself.

    "Ruphas."

    "Hm?"

    "I¡¯ll apany you to the exit. It¡¯s the least I can do."

    Leaning heavily on his cane, Megrez hobbled to Ruphas¡¯ side. It was times like these that reminded him of simpler times. A time when they were just adventurers¡ªnothing more and nothing less.

    "...There¡¯s someone pulling the strings behind Aries¡¯ actions."

    "What?"

    "Although Aries is leading the invasion, someone is using his emotions to their own advantage. You probably don¡¯t need me to tell you this, but... be careful."

    "I¡¯d like to remind you who you¡¯re talking to, but it¡¯s been a while since I saw you. I¡¯ll keep that in mind, old pal."

    It was like nothing had changed. However, Megrez knew it to be nothing but an illusion. He had changed, and there was nothing he could do but watch as the crones weaved their fates apart. So as Ruphas waved a hand in farewell, Megrez could only watch as her back grew smaller in the horizon.

    They were two friends pulled apart by the wear of time. Megrez was no longer thepanion that Ruphas came to know, but a traitor who continued to drown in meaningless regret. It was as if an unbreachable chasm had opened up between two long lost friends.

    Ruphas: "It¡¯s pasta. Eat up. (through your nose)"

    Alioth: "........."

    ¡¾Something I should exin¡¿

    The sum of a yer¡¯s ss levels equates to the level cap. In other words, the sum of Ruphas¡¯ ss levels at level 1000 is 1000. While it was possible for Ruphas to raise a ss level to 200, it would reduce the number of sses avable to her.

    ¡¾Aries¡¯ Size¡¿

    Aries¡¯ initial size was that of a normal sheep, but due to Ruphas¡¯ constant buffing, Aries grew to his monstrous 100 meter length.

    Pigs wearing clothes ¡ú Orcs?

 Chapter 16

    Gale Volcano. Standing at one thousand meters above sea level, it lies twenty kilometers away from Suvell. Although reportedly an active volcano, it hasid dormant for centuries past.

    At the foot of the natural monument stood an equally impressive castle, which was teeming with monsters. However, Aries¡¯ titanic form was nowhere to be seen, and by no means could his huge build enter the narrow confines of the fortress. It was but an object of pride, as the throne sat empty in the center of the estate.

    But if Aries truly wished, entering the castle was a simple matter. Thanks to his tamer¡¯s skills, the ram was granted a temporary humanoid form. With it, assuming the throne would be a walk in the park. However, Aries had no intention of taking a human form. In his crazed hunger for revenge, he was sure it would be an unsightly appearance. And he did not dare to taint the elegant form handed down by his lord and master... for the span of two centuries, not once had Aries walked on two legs.

    "Aries"

    A voice called out to the ancient familiar lying beside the castle. It was the clear voice of a young boy, towards which Aries shot a sharp gaze of annoyance. Thed barely reached five feet, a size that Aries¡¯ hundred meter form could easily overlook. Yet, he had the nerve to grin at the ram. Aries exhaled, sighing through his nose.

    "What do you want?"

    "Oho? May I not speak with you when there is nothing I desire?"

    Except for the blue hue of the boy¡¯s skin, he looked almost human. That is, if you ignored the reversed colors of his pupils and his whites. And, oh, the fangs that peeked out from under his upper lip, which proved himpletely inhuman. In reality, he was of a race of people that drove mankind to a corner¡ªa member of demonkind.

    "First, let me congratte you. With this, Levia has greatly weakened... I¡¯m sure victory will be yours on your next attack."

    "...That goes without saying."

    "Then why have you slept for days on end without making a single move? Just a little more and Suvell will crumble. What are you waiting for?"

    As if he was an old friend, the demon boy offered an outlet to Aries¡¯ worries. However, the dangerous glint in his eyes said otherwise. Despite his caring words, his eyes remained devoid of emotion.

    "No, not just this time. For these past few years, you could have crushed Suvell whenever you wanted. Yet you¡¯ve left them unscathed for years. Why is that?"

    "..."

    "Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re hesitating, are you? They¡¯re the ones who betrayed your master."

    "...I haven¡¯t forgotten."

    Aries was wavering. That was the indisputable truth. But it wasn¡¯t about killing the seven heroes, no. If they had been average warriors, he would have ughtered them without a second thought. But that was where the problem lied. Each hero yed a pivotal role to humanity¡¯s defenses. With the copse of every sequential nation, demonkind took one step closer to world domination.

    And that was something his lord would never wish upon Midgard. As someone who hoped most to rid mankind of its fear of demons, the ck-Winged Overlord was not one to topple nations for some petty revenge. And a revenge that tainted his lord¡¯s memory would be no revenge at all. But even then...

    He would not forget¡ªHe refused to forget the fleeting moments he spent with his precious lord and savior. And the incredible rage he felt towards those who stole her warmth away from him.

    "I don¡¯t need you to tell me... I will kill Megrez. I was only waiting for my wounds to heal."

    "I see, I see. I¡¯m d to hear it. So I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re raring to go?"

    "...Yeah. I can barely contain myself."

    He had his doubts. However, as long as Megrez¡ªno, even one of those seven "heroes" remained, Aries will not have avenged his master. Whether his actions led to the world¡¯s copse was none of his concern. This was the only way he could appease the rage and grief from having his lord stolen away.

    Giving into rage once more, Aries lifted his enormous frame from the ground. This time around, Levia would not survive the encounter. Nevermind Megrez, who was far from the peak of his power.

    "Well, no sense in waiting. My monsters have been ready. Of course, they¡¯re nothing likest time¡¯s fodder. I¡¯ve got monsters and wyverns who¡¯ve all broken level 80. Not even that sword saint willst ten minutes against this bunch."

    "...Sounds like a bunch of small fry to me."

    "Oh be a bit more lenient, will you? Most all monsters are weakpared to you."

    The horde¡¯s presence made little difference to a monster of Aries¡¯ caliber. Over the past two centuries, mankind wasn¡¯t the only one to lose their once great fighting prowess.

    Despite demonkind¡¯s im to victory, by no means was their kind free from casualties. While mankind lost their heroes to war, the greatest of demon nobles perished in battle. Likewise, powerful monsters were exploited as tools of war, driving many to the brink of extinction.

    The odds had been just as likely to tip in mankind¡¯s favor as it was to demonkind. Both sides of the war had an even chance at victory. And that... that was unforgivable.

    If only his liege had lived to fight the war, victory would not have been a prospect.

    It would have been a certainty.

    The demon filth would have been purged from Midgard¡¯s soil, and the world born anew, free from fear of their kind. It would only be right.

    So who was to me for mankind¡¯s demise? Who had beckoned to the world¡¯s ruin? Was it the gods, who abandoned humanity to its downfall? Was it his lord, who unified all of mankind? Or was it the simple murderers, who were worshiped as heroes, and still lived unpunished to this day?

    He would kill them.

    His only concern was...

    The anomaly in the red overcoat. He reminded Aries of histe master, and it wrought an odd mixture of fear and hope in Aries¡¯ broken heart.

    ???

    "Heh... Suvell will finally fall to its ruin. Surely the Demon King will rejoice! Another of the foolish seven heroes will soon meet his maker."

    The demon boy¡ªone of the Demon King¡¯s "Seven Ferii"¡ªchuckled at his impending sess. Atst, Mars could present the Demon King with the head of a hero. With this, the other six would realize how worthy he was to be the King¡¯s aide.

    Two centuries hadpsed since the age of heroes, and the devious masterminds of the time had lost their lives. It was about time for new leaders of demonkind to rise to glory and the Seven Ferii were assembled under that mindset. However, theycked actual achievements to back their positions. But this¡ªthis was it. With this final victory, he would earn the Demon King¡¯s trust.

    At first, the conquest of Suvell seemed all too ambitious. To say nothing of Megrez himself, Levia posed quite the challenge. "Difficult" was a generous word when it came to finding someone willing to challenge a tireless water dragon impervious to physical attacks. The addition of Levia¡¯s regenerative powers and titanic size was of little help.

    However, Lady Luck stood firmly by his side. The moment Mars found Aries by Gale Volcano, he was sure her holiness Alovenas was watching from above. So he invested years into nourishing a desire for revenge in a wavering Aries, which was by no means an easy task.

    But soon, he would be rewarded for his hard work. To convince a pir of the Twelve Heavenly Stars to turn on his former allies... How devious! How cunning!

    Show me, vengeful ram! The face of despair as mankind falls to ruin!

    "What bothers me is that red overcoat... Aries was off-guard, but anyone who can send Aries flying is nothing to sneeze at..."

    Well, Mars was sure the guy was no match for Aries. But with Levia¡¯s and Megrez¡¯s help, he was no longer so confident of the ram¡¯s victory. While he did have the army of monsters, he wasn¡¯t sure if they would help against such monsters of opponents.

    "Well, worst case scenario, I¡¯ll just make an appearance myself."

    Mars crossed his arms and watched the horde march for the war front. Surely, he had the upper hand. As long as he proceeded carefully, victory was certain. He could almost see Megrez¡¯s despairing expression as his kingdom crumbled around him.

    Soon, he would be an object of envy to his fellow Ferii. Good things truly dide to those who wait. Mars smiled at the thought¡ª

    ¡ªAnd hundreds of monsters were suddenly sent flying, wiping the smug grin right off his face.

    "...The-the fuck!?"

    Mars leaned out of the castle window for a better look. What? What just happened? Could Megrez havee himself? With a demon¡¯s excellent eyesight, he scanned the point of impact. And then he saw it.

    Approaching on foot was a figure in that dreaded crimson overcoat.

    "That¡¯s...!"

    It was that fucking anomaly again! How dare he stand in his way! No... he needed to calm down. This was a chance¡ªyes, a chance! If he took care of that red bitch now, Megrez and Levia would have to hold the front alone. If worse came to worst, Mars, Aries, and a couple higher ranked monsters could conquer Suvell themselves. It didn¡¯t matter how many sacrifices he had to make. He would take this fucker down.

    "Don¡¯t falter! There¡¯s only one enemy!"

    Mars barked words of encouragement, spurring his army into action. Monsters surged forward to face a single enemy. No matter how strong a foe, he was, in the end, mortal. No amount of strength could ovee the might of overwhelming numbers.

    Or so he thought as tens¡ªno, hundreds of swords tore his army to shreds. Scores of monsters fell victim to the des, yet not a single one came close to the crimson warrior. Even as the corpses reached the hundreds, his horde inched no closer to their foe.

    Yet, the furious onught showed no signs of slowing. It wasn¡¯t until the army recoiled did the warrior pause to admire his handiwork. More than five hundred corpsesid at his feet, a tribute to strength that surpassed the might of numbers.

    "...who the fuck..."

    Absurd... This was absurd! It was as if the heroes of legend had returned! Perhaps, was he another of the seven heroes? No... the Heavenly King was renown for his hatred of mana, and the Vampire Princess was not one to help others.

    He was not a hero of the rebellion, yet the red warrior was a force to be reckoned with. Seeing his attacks as both a waste of effort and soldiers, Mars ordered his army to withdraw. He would dance with the warrior himself.

    "...A demonkin, huh?"

    "It is as you say. And you are? To think that warriors of your caliber still existed..." Mars said, as he unsheathed a pair of daggers.

    On his right, he held a de of fire. On his left, he gripped a de of ice. Ice to seal his enemies¡¯ movements and fire to burn them to a charred corpse. Such a sudden change in temperature rendered all things brittle to the touch, fit for Mars to crush under his heel like an aluminum can.

    "You¡¯ve done well toe so far, but your winning streak hase to an end. You see, those who oppose the Demon King don¡¯t live long. You only have yourself to me for meeting such an unfortunate end."

    Mars lunged forward. Using his body¡¯s light build, the demon reached speeds difficult for the eye to follow. Each pivot left yet another afterimage as he froze his enemy, restricting their movements. This was the source of his pride, a technique not a single victim had survived. It was his ultimate, sure-kill attack.

    "Behold! The secret technique of one of the Seven Ferii! The Fire-Ice Doubley! As I rob you of your mobility than your life, it is thest, greatest thing you¡¯ll witness. Raging hellfires shall send you to your death! But do not fret. The pain will onlyst an instant, and that is thest mercy I grant you. Rather, you should be grateful! Grateful for the salvation I grant you! Life is but a struggle for¡ª"

    "Shut up."

    ¡ªthe next moment, Mars was knocked into the air, his mind unable to register what had transpired. He understood but one thing: the unfathomable power that sent him flying.

    "...No...Way..."

    Something ruptured inside him, and blood gushed from his mouth. What... just happened? Even the seven heroes could not thrash him so...

    ¡ªMars¡¯ eyes widened in realization. Of the five hundred monsters he had thrown at the warrior, not a single one was dead! While unconscious, none suffered from fatal wounds. That meant the crimson warrior had the leeway to hold back against these overwhelming numbers. Not only were the transmuted des dulled, he made sure to miss every vital point!

    "Wh-who... the fuck... are you..."

    As if to answer his inquiry, jet-ck wings entered his fading field of vision. Mars could only stare in awe as they unfurled to their full span, revealing ruby eyes and locks of golden hair. She was too beautiful a bringer of death and too lovely a ruthless overlord. She was without a doubt...

    "Ru... Ruphas... Ruphas Mafahl...!?"

    Standing before him was the ck-winged overlord even the Demon King so reluctantly feared. And Mars knew¡ªthat he had challenged the impossible.

    ?

 Chapter 17

    Chapter link: (16/10/2015)

    Trantion: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (18-11-2018)

    Trantion link:

    __

    TL Introduction: Hello fellow readers, Tp here! I read "A Wild Last Boss Appeared" sometimest year and had really enjoyed the series as a whole; I particrly liked the part where it was sinct with 190 chapters + epilogue yet still managed to tell a story that was <i>wild</i> enough yet still kept plot holes to a minimum. Since I have some free time during the New Year¡¯s break I thought I would like to share the wild experience with others.

    Disimer: I¡¯m just another fan trying to trante a series that I enjoyed. I don¡¯t have any experience in tranting anything, nor am I great at either English or Japanese (I¡¯ve only studied little bit of Japanese in the past); if anything I n to use this trantion project to try and improve my English itself. I DON¡¯T n to use machine trantion but will probably be using a fair chunk of dictionary here and there when I don¡¯t know what particr words or phrases mean, so if there are puns, jokes or ngs by the author I¡¯m afraid I probably will not be able to bring out the effect that the author intended.

    I will try and stick with the literal trantion as much as possible, only changing a little if the literal trantion will not make sense. If there is anything I don¡¯t understand I will try my best to try and figure it out, or leave a (Japanese text) after the tranted version of what I took it to mean. If there is an error in the trantion, website or even in my sentence structures themselves (or anything else for that matter) please let me know in thements below or DM me on discord and I will try my best to fix them.

    Extra: I currently don¡¯t have a release schedule but if I evere up with one I¡¯ll let you know. Many readers continuing from Shurim¡¯s high-quality trantion might be disappointed in my version but I hope you will give me support! - I assume by now you guys skipped this stupidly long introduction so let¡¯s get into the trantion.

    __

    I took the sps off my overcoat and spread my wings. I felt the sense of freedom instantaneously. I don¡¯t think I can evere to like the feeling of restraining myself with my own wings. Well no, I suppose anyone that would like it would be a weirdo.

    <i>Now then, something was making a lot of noise and mucking around me so I ended up punching the punk but, is this the ¡°guy in the background controlling Aries¡± that Megrez was talking about?</i>

    Honestly, he wasn¡¯t really strong so I¡¯m can¡¯t be sure but, I guess even a small-fry can instigate a conflict.

    ... ahh..., he named himself as one of the 7ary didn¡¯t he?

    (TL: author used "£·ê×" literally meaning 7 days (of the week) e.g. Monday, Tuesday, etc, and each day of the week has a corresponding (well except the moon). Just as a reference, manga used "Luminaries" and Shurim used "Ferii". I honestly don¡¯t know what Ferii means and thoughtary better fit the context because of the names of the characters within that group. Please let me know which you guys prefer)

    "7ary, huh? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard of that before."

    "I¡¯ll exin!"

    While I was wondering out loud, Dina teleported in as if she was just waiting for the queue.

    <i>Hmm, you know, what¡¯s it. I really appreciate that but, isn¡¯t exining things bing your hobbytely?</i>

    "7ary is a title given by the demonkin to 7 individuals who are at General tier, this system arose 80 years ago. Currently, excluding the Demon King and his son, calling them the most powerful of the demonkin wouldn¡¯t be an overstatement."

    "... With just this? From what it looks like, they¡¯re only around level 300."

    "It just means the quality of demonkin is also dropping. Sure humankind lost against the Demon King but, demonkin also wasn¡¯t unscathed. They also lost most of the capable individuals. Otherwise, the world would already be destroyed you know."

    Ah, that makes sense. One of my doubt was dispelled. I was previously thinking "how is the bnce being maintained", but if I think about it properly, my stance of demonkin¡¯sbat ability remaining as it previously was itself is wrong.

    Assuming all that high-level yers, as well as average level yers, existed in this world, and there was a battle that could wipe them all out, I suppose it¡¯s not all that strange that the other side also suffered significantly.

    .... Hmm? Would it be that?

    Perhaps currently in this world, only the Demon King-san can fight with me?

    "By the way, Ruphas-sama, aren¡¯t you going to finish them off? It seems like you didn¡¯t even kill a single monster."

    "Hmm? Ahh.... Regarding that, it¡¯s not in my taste to kill off the monsters who were only being used for no reason. My enemy is, after all, only the demonkins." (TL: Word for "My" here is "Óà" so it¡¯s slightly different from normal "my". I can¡¯t think of an English equivalent for this word but if you imagine a royalty and the way they address themselves, it¡¯ll be something simr to that.)

    As I say that, I slightly moved my finger. When I did, countless swords which were lying on the floor after I previously scattered the monsters all disappeared at once. Disassembly that really doesn¡¯t help, I guess. (TL: I¡¯m not sure about this line, it doesn¡¯t seem to make sense in the context. If anyone knows what it means please lmk "¾š³É¤Ê¤é¤Ì·Ö½â¡¢¤Æ¤È¤³¤«¤Ê¡£")

    "What are you going to do with the monsters? Now that they¡¯ve lost their master, you can return them to the wild but there¡¯s no guarantee they won¡¯t attack people."

    "I¡¯ve thought about that as well.... [Capture]!"

    I activated the basic yet unique skill of the monster tamer ss, [Capture]. The effect of the skill is to add with some chance, any monster under the HP below a certain threshold or otherwise knocked out under my control. (TLN: Both this part and the title is a reference to Pokemon)

    The number of monsters I can capture at once and the chance of sess are based on the level of the ss, and at my level, I can capture about 10 at once. With this number, I will have to repeat it over 50 times but there was something else I wanted to test out. It was a loophole that was definitely impossible in the game, yet at the same time, it was something that the NPC (Non-yable Character/enemy characters) were doing as if it wasmon sense. (TLN: NPC are pretty much gaming term for characters in the game controlled by the AI or the game itself, or in another word, not controlled by another yer in real life)

    This guy called Mars should also have been controlling the monsters using the monster tamer skill just like me. Such being the case, if he can do it there¡¯s no reason I can¡¯t. This isn¡¯t a game so the concept such as "its game breaking so only the NPC can use it" shouldn¡¯t exist.

    In another word... I can think of the monsters not as "individual monsters" but as a single hoard!

    <strong>[Hoard of Monster]</strong>

    Level: **

    Specie: **

    HP: ****

    SP: ****

    STR (Strength/Attack Power): ***

    DEX (Dexterity): ***

    VIT (Vitality): ***

    INT (Intelligence): ***

    AGI (Agility/Speed): ***

    MND (Mind power): ***

    LUK (Luck): ***

    ... It was possible but, what the hell is this? All the disys seem like it¡¯s bugged. I wonder if the numbers are just not showing because the stats are different for each individual monster. With this, I really can¡¯t figure out the precise strength of the hoard.

    But [Capture] seeded normally and I felt all the defeated monsters being added under my control. All I have to do now is to order all these monsters to not randomly attack people and send them back to where they came from.

    As a side note, I don¡¯t n to take them around with me. If I walk around with this many monsters, it¡¯s too eye-catching.

    "Well then, all that¡¯s remaining is you - Aries"

    I moved my line of sight a little... to Aries who was staring at my direction. What I saw was an expression of shock and disbelief. It was the face which portrayed I can¡¯t believe what I¡¯m seeing. Well, it¡¯s not like I couldn¡¯t understand why.

    Someone that was supposed to have been dead for 200 years just waltzed in. I would have wanted to say, after all, that you still had the guts to show up? But, I acted as if I didn¡¯t notice, and went towards Aries.

    "What happened Aries. Can you not believe what are you seeing with your own eyes? Or you are doubting it to be someone with cunning resemnce?"

    "... u.... a.....!"

    Now then, I wonder how Aries would react. If he would quite down with just this, it¡¯s fine. If he says something like "You¡¯re fake!", it would be a bit troublesome. Honestly, I¡¯m not too good at persuading others by talking to them.

    Even if my status¡¯s INT (Intelligence) is high, it, in fact, represents my memory and ability to remember (learn) and such, it does not represent my wit or ability to argue.

    In another word, I may have what seems like an intelligence simr to having a photographic memory, such that if I experience something once I will never forget but it doesn¡¯t mean I became wittier than before.

    "No way, da... Ruphas-sama is, should be dead...! Suddenly now, to delude...!" (TLN: Imagine a robot speaking just the keywords, or inputting only the keywords into a search engine)

    "I¡¯m not trying to fool you"

    Well, there¡¯s a small question as to whether I¡¯m really a "pure and real" Ruphas herself though. But this body is without a doubt Ruphas herself, and her will remains within it.

    So I must be Ruphas Mafaal. I have no conviction but I feel something that suggests it so. So I¡¯ll say this.

    "I am without a doubt Ruphas Mafaal herself. I¡¯m not someone that¡¯s look-a-like nor shapeshifting. This is neither a hallucination, apparition nor a dream. If you still can¡¯t believe after all that - how about it, do you want to find out using your body?"

    As I say that, I cracked my joints. The clearest proof of Ruphas being Ruphas. That is, she is strong. Her look, her wings, and her speech pattern, everything can be learnt and mimicked. But her "strength" alone is something that cannot be copied, something that cannot be mimicked. I curled my finger, as I provoked Aries.

    "Come Aries. I shall test whether you have grown or not over the past 200 years myself. And you shall learn to believe. That I am in fact without a doubt, me myself."

    "Vwoooooooooooooooooooooo!!"

    Aries made a roar that was filled with intent, as if a spirited and motivated war cry. (TLN: Like a roar scene from the Lion King) With just the roar, the air shakes, and feeling of the skin tingling with pressure is conveyed. I am by no means a battle junkie. In truth, I¡¯ve never even had a fight with anyone properly.

    Ahh, but the tion is there. Right now, I am definitely feeling the high, the happiness. For the first time sinceing to this world, I have the feeling I can "have a fight".

    "Vwoooo!"

    Aries utilising the weight of his body charges at me. It¡¯s a scene where I normally should be shaking in fear. Yet, I felt myself smile. It¡¯s as if a lost puppy had finally found its owner and was jumping into its embrace... I felt that sense from Aries. As such, there was only one action that I could take.

    "Hmm, even after 200 years you still have the habit to want to be spoiled. That¡¯s fine too, I shall give you the hug that you want."

    I flew up and stuck out one of my arms, stopping Aries¡¯s charge. The charge had a fair force behind it. There was a loud sound as if an explosion had happened, and my body was carried backwards. Not even I can stay where I was without my feet on the ground but mid-air is the true battleground of an Angel n.

    I spread and wings and moved forward. With just this not only was Aries stopped, but I was also able to push back and put both my hands on his head.

    "A cute thing"

    It was a strange feeling. I could not see this monstrous sheep bigger than 100m as anything other than a puppy trying to act cute for attention. Or would it be closer to still loving it after it had grownrge? Either way, it seems like I could note to dislike him.

    Having said that, there¡¯s still the size issue. It couldn¡¯t be helped that this skin-ship felt a little stuffy.

    "And there!"

    I put some strength in my arms and lifted Aries up.

    I lifted him up above my head as if he was a pet and lightly threw him. A giant sheep was dancing in the air. He then mmed into the ground making a crater which greatly shook the surroundings.

    <i>This is not the end. You¡¯re not finished with just this. Isn¡¯t that right Aries?</i>

    "Next move Aries. You don¡¯t have to hold back,e at me without reservation."

    I as provoke him, Aries gestured back with a roar. The hairs on his body stood up, changing his body into a rainbow coloured mes. This is his ultimate skill; [Mesaltim], which he used to torture Levia.

    It¡¯s easy to block it.... But, I guess I¡¯ll take it head-on.

    [Be eh eh eh eh e e e e e e h!!] (TLN: err... sorry I think this is supposed to be an onomatopoeia for the sound sheep makes but the raw made like look like a goat¡¯s... so... idk)

    Using his burning body as an embodiment of me, Aries charges at me. This time, I use both hands from the very beginning to stop him. Suddenly, the palm of my hands felt the warmth, it was as if the heat of the mid-summer suddenly attacked me.

    Hmm, I see now. Even if I take this embodiment of me head on, I merely feel it as a warmth of summer heat.

    Even I feel like I, myself is a cheap cheat.

    Having said that, what¡¯s hot is hot. There¡¯s barely any damage but, if thissts for a long time perhaps I might end up having something like a heatstroke. I guess I should just release it.

    "Take this."

    Again, I threw Aries and m him into the ground. Now that it¡¯s done, it¡¯s my turn. Aries was still donning the me throughout his body, but for me, this is no different from the summer heat. And it¡¯s not hot to the degree where I can¡¯t move my body. If anything it¡¯s the warmth just perfect for some workout. In another word, there¡¯s almost no problem at all.

    "I guess.... I¡¯ll give him a pat once in a while"

    I flew above his head and I gave his enormous head a "pat". With this Aries¡¯s head mmed into the ground and bounced back with excessive vigour. Next, as if to stroke him, I tapped his chin, flinging him up into the air. Following that, I grabbed Aries and spun him around me, then stroking his belly. Well, by stroke I meant using just enough force to shatter the ground behind his back.

    "So, what do you think? Can you still not believe that it¡¯s me? Aries."

    "U, u u, u...."

    As I say that to Aries as his body rose up, he started making a low rumbling sound.

    <i>Maybe there¡¯s a need to give him some more love and care?</i>

    As I was thinking that, I was given a surprise attack.

    Aries suddenly became small and human-shaped and jumped into my chest.

    "*sob*, I¡¯m sorry Ruphas-samaaaaaaa!!!"

    Aries(?) suddenly started hugging me who was frozen in confusion and started sobbing like a baby. From my estimate, the height was probably around 155-160cm. The long hair going all the way to his waist and its colour.... What the hell is this? Looking from a different angle gives me a different colour. Is this even real?

    Its limbs were thin and its main body was wearing a white robe. No, it¡¯s more urate to say, it seemed like the moment he became human shaped he seemed naked but Dina instantaneously appeared behind him and seemed to put on a white robe in an instant.

    Now that I looked at Dina, she was making what looks to be a very satisfied face whilst giving a thumbs up.

    <i>You.... Aren¡¯t you actually faster than 12 Heavenly Stars?</i>

    Anyways... this is...

    I seem to recall tamer ss had the skill to be able to give human form to the monsters. And I recall giving Aries a human form.

    <i>- Mizaal was telling me "The current trend is TRAP" or something along that line. I ended up going by the flow and ended up editing Aries¡¯s physical appearance to be that of a girl¡¯s.</i>

    As a result, Aries¡¯s human form ended up bing a trap. (TLN: *facepalm*)

    <i>It¡¯s one of my regrets from my past. Damn you Mizaal.</i>

    <i>Or more like didn¡¯t Aries¡¯s personality change too much? The pressure you were giving up until a moment ago suddenly disappeared. Or is it that this is your actual personality, and the previous you were the one that was off. Anyways, I¡¯ll unattach him from me and.... Ugh... what the! There¡¯s snot all over me!?</i>

    "Hey, stop crying. You, even after 200 years you¡¯re still a crybaby?"

    "B, bu, but.... *cry*, *cry*.... *sobbbbbbbbbbbbbbb*!!"

    "Aaaaaaaa! I get it, I get it so! I¡¯m sorry I made you worried!"

    In the end, after all this, I ended up having to calm down a crying child and had to wait over 20 minutes before Aries stopped crying. As a side note, after the first 5 minutes, Dina got bored and ended up disappearing to somewhere else.

    <i>And you still call yourself an adviser?</i>

    __

    Extra: by the Author (TLN: Author adds something extra at the end of every chapter - think of it as a skit)

    (TLN2: After flicking through them/reading them.... Honestly... I don¡¯t think if I¡¯m going to be tranting these because these are mostly jokes or skits and I can¡¯t understand them, let alone trante them. If I ever have free time I might attempt them but otherwise, I¡¯m sorry but... I can¡¯t trante what I can¡¯t understand >.<)

 Chapter 17 (2)

    With the sp of the cloak removed, the wings spread. A sense of release surged through my whole body. It felt terrible to have one¡¯s own wings binding oneself. Or rather, anyone who enjoyed it must be truly disgusting.

    Well, while I was saying this, I was sending everyone around me flying. This was the guy whom Megrez said was manipting Aries, right?

    ¡­Ah, he was one of the Seven Luminaries or something.

    "Seven Luminaries¡­ Uh, I never heard of them."

    "Let me exin!"

    Dina teleported next to me the moment I finished my sentence.

    Hm. Well, it would be really helpful, but has exposition be your hobby recently?

    "The Seven Luminaries are the generals among demons. The group was formed eighty years ago. Beside the Demon King and his son, they could be considered to be the most powerful demons today."

    "¡­Are they only this strong? He seems to be only around Level 300 or so."

    "This is because of the drop in power across the demon race. Although humans lost the war against the demons, the demons were severely weakened as well. Most of the powerful demons died in the war. Otherwise, the world would have been destroyed long ago."

    Ah. I see. I finally understand.

    I had been wondering how humans maintained the power bnce against the demons. Now that I thought about it, the assumption that demons were as powerful as before was wrong to begin with. There were high-level and mid-level yers in this world as well. After that devastating war, it would be weird if the other side remained unhurt.

    Hm? Am I the only one left in this world that could oppose the Demon King?

    "By the way, Lady Ruphas, aren¡¯t you going for the finishing blow? It looks like you didn¡¯t even kill a single monster."

    "Hm? Oh¡­ About that, I don¡¯t have the interest to kill monsters that were being manipted. My enemy is still the demon race."

    I said as I shook my finger lightly. Then, the swords that scattered the monsters all over the ce suddenly vanished. This was the dposition of alchemical creations.

    "What should we do with these monsters? After losing their master, they should return to the wilds, but then they may start attacking people."

    "I have a solution¡­ Capture!"

    I activated the monster tamer¡¯s basic skill, Capture. There was a certain amount of chance that the monster tamer could capture monsters which were unable to move or whose hit points were below a certain amount. The amount one could capture and the sess rate increased along with skill level.

    I could capture ten monsters in one go. At this rate, I would need to repeat fifty times, but it was worth a try. This was impossible in the game, but the enemy aplished it as a matter of fact.

    That Mars guy should be controlling the monsters with monster tamer skills like me. If he could do it, then I should be able to do the same. Since this was not a game, there would be no excuses like "It would break game bnce, so only enemies could use it."

    In other words, these monsters were not considered as individuals, but rather as a group.

    <strong>Mixed Monster Army</strong>

    Level: ¡ö¡ö

    Race: ¡ö¡ö

    HP ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö

    SP ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö

    STR (Strength) ¡ö¡ö¡ö

    DEX (Dexterity) ¡ö¡ö¡ö

    VIT (Vitality) ¡ö¡ö¡ö

    INT (Intelligence) ¡ö¡ö¡ö

    AGI (Agility) ¡ö¡ö¡ö

    MND (Mind) ¡ö¡ö¡ö

    LUK (Luck) ¡ö¡ö¡ö

    Well, it was sessful, but what was this?

    Was the disy bugged? Was it because the individual statuses were different, so it could not be disyed?

    It was impossible to tell how strong they were. However, the capture was sessful, and I had a sense of control over these monsters. Therefore, I merely had tomand them to return to their original locations and not attack people.

    I had no intention of bringing them along, as they would attract too much attention.

    "Then, you are the only one left¡ªAries."

    I narrowed my eyes¡­ and turned to Aries, who was staring at me. He had a shocked expression, as if he could not believe what he had seen.

    Well~ I could understand his feelings. Someone who died two hundred years ago appeared alive out of nowhere. There would be an urge to say, "You still have the cheek toe back."

    But I just pretended that I didn¡¯t care and came close to Aries.

    "Well, Aries. Can you not believe what you are seeing? Or do you suspect I¡¯m merely someone who looks simr?"

    "¡­Ru¡­phas¡­!"

    Then, what would Aries do? It would be nice if he acted maturely.

    If he shouted "Impostor!", it would be rather troublesome. To be honest, I was not good at convincing others with words. Even if my Intelligence status value was high, that merely represented mnemonic ability and awareness, it did not represent imagination or tactfulness. In other words, although I had photographic memory, it did not make me quick-witted.

    "This can¡¯t be right¡­ Lady Ruphas should be dead¡­ This¡­is an illusion¡­"

    "It¡¯s not an illusion."

    Well, personally I had some doubts about whether I was really Ruphas herself. But this body was truly Ruphas, and part of her consciousness remained within. Therefore, I was Ruphas Mafahl. I had no evidence, but something made me feel this way, so I could make this deration.

    "I am indeed Ruphas Mafahl. I¡¯m neither someone who merely looks simr nor a doppelganger, neither an illusion nor a spiritual being. If you still can¡¯t believe it¡­ why not confirm it with your own body?"

    I said as I cracked my knuckles. The best evidence to prove Ruphas¡¯ identity was her strength. Facial features, wings, and mannerisms could all be mimicked, but strength alone could not be imitated.

    I beckoned Aries with my finger, inviting him over.

    "Come at me, Aries. Show me your growth in the past two hundred years. Meanwhile, you could also confirm if I¡¯m truly Ruphas."

    "Ah¡ªAhhh!!"

    Aries got fired up and gave a cry as if of delight. The air vibrated with his cry, sending goosebumps on one¡¯s skin as a witness to his power. I was not a battle maniac. I never seriously quarreled or raged at another person, and never would. Ah, but what was this anticipation?

    Currently, I was definitely anticipating this battle. Since I arrived in this world, this was the first time I truly craved a fight.

    "Ahhh!"

    Aries lunged suddenly, taking advantage of his weight. Normally, this would be a scary sight, yet I merely smiled. This was like a lost puppy jumping into the embrace of its master¡­ I felt a sense of something like this from Aries. Then, there was only one action to take.

    "Hm. You still have not changed your habit of being spoiled after two hundred years. In that case, let me give you a hug."

    I flew into the sky and reached one hand forward. At the same time, I took on Aries¡¯ head-butt, putting considerable stress on my arm. After an explosive sound rang out, my body was pushed backwards. It was impossible to stop the recoil in mid-air with one¡¯s feet. However, the sky was the fl¨¹gel¡¯s battlefield. I spread my wings and pushed forward, stopping Aries¡¯ attack. Furthermore, I ced both hands on his head and forcefully pushed him back.

    "How cute."

    This was ridiculous to see a monstrous sheep of over one hundred meters as a fawning puppy. Or was it that a cute puppy remained cute even after it grew into a big dog? Either way, it seemed I just could not dislike him. Even though his form was like this, it was inevitable when skinship was taken to its extreme.

    "Ha!"

    I strengthened my arms and lifted Aries up, as if raising a pet up high and tossing it lightly. The enormous sheep danced in the air before hitting the ground, triggering thergest earthquake for today.

    But this was not enough. It wouldn¡¯t end merely with this. Right, Aries?

    "Make your next move, Aries. No need to hold back, give it your all."

    As I provoked him, Aries made an indescribable roar. The wool on his body stood on ends. His body was transformed into rainbow-colored mes. This was what threatened Levia previously, his ultimate skill¡ªMesarthim.

    It was easy to defend against it¡­Well, I would take it head-on here.

    "Meh¡ª!!!"

    This time, I used both hands to suppressed the charging Aries, who had be a raging me. My palms felt a burning sensation as heat like that of a midsummer assaulted me.

    Hm. I see.

    Even though I directly touched this lump of fire, subjectively, it felt merely like the summer¡¯s heat. I deeply understood my own unreasonable abilities. Even so, hot things were still hot. There was almost no damage, but if this persisted, there was the possibility of suffering a heat stroke. In that case, it was better to separate quickly.

    "Hot."

    I tossed Aries again towards the ground.

    If you are finished with all your moves, it¡¯s my turn.

    Aries was still shrouded in mes, but it was merely like summer heat to me. There was no feeling of lethargy as one might feel during summer. I was moving normally. In other words, there was practically no effect.

    "Oh right¡­ I should pet you a little."

    I flew to the crown of Aries¡¯ head, and proceeded with my "petting". And so Aries¡¯ head kissed the ground once more, and vigorously bounced back up. I ced my hands beneath Aries¡¯ chin as if stroking it, and jumped up. Then, I flipped Aries over, and stroked his belly. Well, it was stroking, but there was enough force to crush the ground beneath Aries.

    "Well, how is it? Can you still now believe me, Aries?"

    "Hm, hm, hm¡­"

    I asked Aries as he got on his feet. He was groaning softly.

    It looks like I need to give him a little more love, huh?

    As I thought this, my body received an unexpected charge. Aries¡¯ body suddenly shrank and dashed into my embrace.

    "Ahh! I¡¯m sorry, Lady Ruphas!!"

    I was stunned by the sudden turn of events as¡­uh, this person, possibly Aries, was hugging me and crying like a baby. He was shorter than me, probably around one hundred fifty-five to one hundred sixty centimeters tall. His long hair reached his waist, and its color¡­ What was this? Its color changed ording the degree of one¡¯s perspective.

    His limbs were thin, and his body was covered in a white robe. No, when he changed into humanoid form, he was naked. But at the moment of his transformation, Dina teleported behind him and covered him with the robe. Looking over, I saw Dina had a look of self-satisfaction on her face.

    You¡­You are faster than the Twelve Heavenly Stars?

    But still, this¡­Certainly, as I remembered, a monster tamer¡¯s familiar had the personification skill. And indeed, Aries did have a humanoid form.

    ¡ªMizar once said, "Traps are popr nowadays." As a result, I subconsciously designed his appearance to look like a girl as a prank of sorts. Because of this, Aries¡¯ humanoid form became something of a gender fraud. This was a mistake of my past. Damned that Mizar.

    By the way, did Aries¡¯ personality change? Where was the earlier sense of intimidation? Or perhaps this was his normal state, and his previous state was abnormal?

    In any case, I needed to peel Aries off me¡­Ugh! His snot was all over me!?

    "Ah, seriously. Stop crying, stop crying. It has been two hundred years and you are still a crybaby."

    "But, but¡­ugh¡­wah!"

    "Ah! I understand, I understand! I¡¯m sorry I made you worried, so stop crying."

    In the end, I spent over twenty minutes trying to calm this child who wouldn¡¯t stop crying. By the way, Dina got bored after five minutes and left for parts unknown.

    Are you really my adviser?!

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Trantor: There is also an author¡¯s note about Mars rambling on meaninglessly, while Ruphas asked him what he was talking about¡­ It¡¯s too long and nonsensical to trante, so whatever.

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    <strong>Megrez</strong>, also called Delta Ursae Majoris, is a star in the constetion of Ursa Major. It is also the dimmest of the seven stars in the Big Dipper asterism. In this novel, all the seven heroes are named after stars in the Big Dipper, with Megrez being the elf known as the Wisdom King.

    <strong>Seven Luminaries</strong> (Æßê×) are the celestial objects used to name the seven days of the week in East Asian tradition, specifically Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. The fives are also associated with the Five Elements.

    <strong>Fl¨¹gel</strong> means "wing" in German, and is used in No Game No Life light novel series for the angel-like beings whose race is given as ÌìÒí·N (literally, "sky-wing species"). In this novel, Ruphas¡¯ race is given as ÌìÒí×å (literally, "sky-wing tribe"). Given the simrity in names ("sky-wing"), the word fl¨¹gel will be used in this trantion as well. Later in this novel, it will be revealed that some believed them to be descended from angels, so a distinction must be made between the "sky-wing tribe" and the angels.

    <strong>Mesarthim</strong>, also called Gamma Arietis, is a binary star in the constetion of Aries. In this novel, the skills of the Twelve Heavenly Stars are named after stars within their own constetions.

    <strong>Mizar</strong>, also called Zeta Ursae Majoris, is star in the constetion of Ursa Major and the Big Dipper asterism. In this novel, Mizar is the dwarf known as the Smith King.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

    ? ? ?

 Chapter 18

    Chapter link: (17/10/2015)

    Trantion: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (20-11-2018)

    Trantion link:

    __

    Update 1: So I was told that you couldn¡¯tment on the post for chapter 17 a few hours after I posted it. I¡¯m sorry about that, turns out I had to tick a checkbox to allowments. I tested it out but looks like I have to tick it for every page (not blog) >.< if anyone has a way to not have to tick it every page please let me know.

    Update 2: I¡¯ve changed the "7ary" to "7 Luminaries" to match with the manga¡¯s trantion.

    Update 3: MC uses a particr form of "I" when he¡¯s speaking as Ruphas. It¡¯s something that <strong><i>could/would</i></strong> be used by the emperors but are not limited to just them, MC doesn¡¯t use the "I" as an emperor would but moreso portray the natural significance of his own character (he¡¯s really just role ying as a great being, not an emperor). I would prefer to continue using "I" but if there¡¯s enough vote for "We"/"our" I may change it. Please let me know which one you all prefer.

    TL Disimer: I have no experience in tranting anything, nor am I great at either English or Japanese. This is not machine tranted but Japanese to English dictionary is asionally used for words I am not sure about. I will not be able to fully trante the author¡¯s jokes, puns or ngs if there are any. I will try to stick with literal trantion where possible in the context. If there is anything I don¡¯t understand I will leave it in a bracket (x).

    If there is any error in the trantion, website, sentence structure or format please let me know in thements below or DM me on the discord and I will try my best to fix them. Any constructive feedback is appreciated.

    __

    Levia: "I managed to Protect!!"

    __

    Quite a few minutes had psed, and Aries finally stopped crying.

    Although still teary and sniffing, it should at least be enough to hold a conversation by now.

    For now, Aries had returned from being a wild monster to a monster under my control, so I should be able to see his status.

    So the first thing I should do is to check his status.

    [12 Heavenly Stars Aries]

    Level: 800

    Specie: Rainbow Sheep

    Elemental Affinity/Type: Fire

    HP: 75 000

    SP: 7600

    STR (Strength/Attack Power): 4100

    DEX (Dexterity): 4000

    VIT (Vitality): 4050

    INT (Intelligence): 4300

    AGI (Agility/Speed): 4170

    MND (Mindpower): 4294

    LUK (Luck): 4180

    Hmm... Did his stats increase a littlepared to what was in my memory?

    If I recall correctly, Aries¡¯s HP used to be 68 000, so it had clearly gone up.

    I guess in his own ways he was trying to improve himself in thest 200 years.

    Anyways, this is such a bnced stat.

    Well, it was me that raised him to be a jack of all trades due to the scarcity of stat points though.

    Incidentally, even with this, I doped his stat up a lot. Without doping his base stats were in the range of 1000-1500.

    After all, this guy was originally a craft type monster and not a battle type monster.

    tantly speaking, the correct way to use him is to let him manufacture wool and not take him to battle. As a matter of fact, I¡¯m the weird one for forcibly making him strong and making him fight.

    (TLN: For non-gamers out there,bat type pet is self-exnatory but, most games in the MMO genre have what you call life skills or crafting. Long story short you¡¯re able to make various items for various use, e.g. potions to save expense, equipment to better your character, items to decorate your "own house", etc. From the context, Aries was something that produces a rainbow wool for a maybe cosmetic item or special equipment, or something that produces in-game currency if you sell them to NPC. TLDR: just know he¡¯s not suited for battle)

    "Now then, have you calmed down Aries?"

    "Y, Yes"

    Looking up with a swollen red nose and teary eyes, that was a face that I couldn¡¯t rte to being male however I looked.

    I¡¯m not really into a trap so I didn¡¯t think much at all but, Dina who hade back god knows when couldn¡¯t stop smiling at all.

    Although she disdained orcs¡¯ appearance, it seems trap was a strike for her.

    I feel as though I¡¯ve gradually figured out her preferences.

    ... could it be, she is gantly serving me simply because she likes my appearance? That can¡¯t be the reason, right?

    "I don¡¯t like beating around the bush, so I¡¯ll get straight to the point.

    Currently, I¡¯m on a journey to return the 12 Heavenly Stars to under my control, and you¡¯re my first.

    Don¡¯t say anything and follow me. I won¡¯t ept any objection."

    "Yes! dly!"

    Initially, I said I¡¯ll gather the 12 Heavenly Stars and send them to the tower, but it¡¯s quite a distance from here.

    Or rather, if I send this guy back alone, I¡¯m scared he¡¯s going to get lost.

    He¡¯s excellent as a support so it¡¯s probably more advantageous to take him along. Thinking along that line, I ordered him to follow me.

    "Let¡¯s persevere together again, Ruphas-sama!

    And... an unfamiliar person standing over there, I look forward to working with you!"

    "!?"

    Dina had frozen as if she received a shock.

    Ahh, yep. I guess you would freeze after being called an unfamiliar person.

    I also happened to asked Dina "who were you again?", but it seems like Aries is just like me and had also forgotten about Dina. (TLN: poor Dina haha)

    Dina quickly came back to life and then matched her line of sight with Aries¡¯s eyes, striking up a conversation with a bright smile.

    Wait no, looking carefully there were veins bulging on her forehead.

    "Aries-sama? You really don¡¯t remember seeing me before?

    Really??

    I¡¯ve, always, been at that tower, you know?"

    "Eh? You were there?"

    "Here look, please try and remember. In the tower, didn¡¯t I always stay close to Ruphas-sama?"

    Told so by Dina, Aries¡¯s eyes wandered off as if he was recalling something distant.

    After a while, he suddenly raised his voice and said "Oh!".

    "Could it be by any chance, you were that person that always blended in with the background and had no presence?"

    "So cruel!?"

    Dina was again devastated and looked at me with a face that was about to start crying anytime soon.

    Well, yeah, there¡¯s no helping it Dina.

    Because Dina, you were in a literal sense, a "background NPC".

    You literally couldn¡¯t interact with others, have a turn to shine or have the ability to do anything. If you had operated in the same way in this world, of course, no one could remember you.

    "I¡¯m surprised! You could move from that spot!"

    "Am I a furniture!?"

    "Or more like, you can speak!"

    "Ruphas-sama! This child¡¯s spouting savage remarks with a smile without holding back!?"

    Poor Dina. If you could have had disyed the currentpetence or made witty remarks 200 years ago, you wouldn¡¯t be in this situation.

    Or more like why were you a background back then?

    Perhaps back then, you were a quiet person without much personality?

    If that¡¯s so, it¡¯ll mean you¡¯re also someone that changed after 200 years of time had passed... I feel as though you changed too much though. (TLN: I feel like 200 years is a long enough time for someone to have massive personality change)

    <i>Anyways, since this really is quite pitiful, I guess I¡¯ll step in and give a helping hand.</i>

    "Aries. Ever since I came back to this world, Dina is someone that had supported me wholeheartedly.

    Don¡¯t bully her too much."

    "Eh? What.. I¡¯m not trying to bully her......!

    I was just saying what I thought...."

    "That¡¯s even worse!!" (Dina)

    Ahh, I understand now. For good or worse, Aries is just straightforward and honest.

    At this rate, it looks like Dina is going to have some difficult time.

    *

    [ ¨C and in that way, Aries was sessfully retrieved.

    And while we were at it some guy called Mars from 7 Luminaries was buzzing around and generally being annoying so I beat him up.

    You may now feel at ease."

    "........... What was all the hardship we went through in the past few years...."

    After retrieving Aries, I went back to Megrez¡¯s home in the Noble district.

    I don¡¯t know how he persuaded the guards but, after thest encounter he told them to allow me to pass through if I ever showed up with a Face pass (well not that I showed my face) (TLN: it¡¯s a y on word in the raw, not so much a pun but... yea) but it¡¯s quite an appreciative gesture.

    As for Aries, since his original form and the human form ispletely different, guards did not suspect and stop him to inspect at all.

    No one would think that monstrous sheep over 100m would be this girly looking little boy.

    I was the one that edited his human appearance to be such though.

    "What happened to all the monsters?"

    "I ced them all under my control for now. I ordered them not to pointlessly attack people so as long as you guys don¡¯t attack them first you don¡¯t have to worry about being attacked."

    "That castle should have had few hundred monsters.... even after 200 years, The Supreme Ruler¡¯s charisma to conquer andmand still hasn¡¯t waned at all, huh.

    How scary."

    Ah, I¡¯m sorry about that part. It¡¯s probably had waned a lot.

    After all, inside is different.

    Not that I can say that out loud. So for now, I justughed with a confident smile to deceive him.

    "What do you n to do from now on?"

    "Naturally, I¡¯ll regain control of all 12 Heavenly Stars under me. Next is..."

    Next is... where again?

    I¡¯m not familiar with this period¡¯s geography at all.

    If there were cities from the time I was ying the game I would know but, unfortunately, ever since my nation fell apart the heroes had conquered and founded their own nations so I have no idea where is what.

    And so I looked at Dina to let her continue on with the exposition.

    "Our next location is [The Royal Tomb of ck Wings].

    Distance is approximately 500km from this point. One of the 12 Heavenly Stars Libra of [The Scale] is guarding it."

    "........ From the name of it, it seems like my tomb."

    "It¡¯s not ¡¯seems like¡¯, it literally is Ruphas-sama¡¯s tomb.

    Construction waspleted approximate 190 years ago.

    Those who revered Ruphas-sama took 10 years building an enormous pyramidal dungeon consisting of 108 floors in the greatest monumental building project of the world.

    The highest floor contains all the equipment, treasure and weapons that Ruphas-sama had previously upied, and guarding that for the past 190 years without rest is one of the 12 Heavenly Stars, Libra."

    "Hou, Libra huh."

    12 Heavenly Stars, Libra of [The Scale].

    Most likely the strongest Golem even within Exgate Online.

    The base material was obtained bypleting an official event, a material that is truly unique in existence; [Selection Scale].

    (TLN: MMO Genre often have special events hosted by the game¡¯s developers or publishers which gives a unique reward that cannot be obtained elsewhere in the game)

    On top of that, I paid and transferred the material to a Level 200 Alchemist Mizaal to pull the level of the crafted item up.

    I¡¯ve previously already stated had the max level of the crafted item is determined by the material used, for [Selection Scale] the maximum possible level was level 1000.

    Furthermore, with Mizaal¡¯s Alchemist profession level of 200, the calction used for golem creation is such; [1000 ¡Â 2 + 200], and as such Golem of up to 700 could be created.

    (Author Note: Golem is treated as an item so it is transferable)

    On top of that, I used a limited edition cash shop item [Orichalcum] ¡ª the effect of an item: to randomly increase the final maximum level of the crafted Golem by 10-30% ¡ª and was lucky enough to get a +30% roll thus adding additional 210 levels.

    In summary, whilst being a Golem, Libra boasted a level of 910, making it an existence which could be called a Super Golem co-created by Mizaal and myself.

    Well, the rule of [Cannot be stronger than an owner] still stands as usual so if it is transferred over to a weaker yer, it¡¯ll weaken proportionately, but as I¡¯m Level 1000 there¡¯s no problem.

    As a side note, if you look at the attack alone, it¡¯s most probably the strongest amongst 12 Heavenly Stars.... Or perhaps more like, even stronger than me.

    Though to be fair, the skill of the Boss Character [Goddess of the Scale] was carried over and included upon obtaining the [Selection Scale].

    This [Goddess of the Scale] was a gatekeeper to the Almighty Goddess Aldvenus¡¯s sanctuary (or so was the backstory of the difficulty for the dungeon), and thus required the yers to have a fitting strength if they wanted to challenge the dungeon.

    A fearful gatekeeper who struck down all weak and undeserving yers without mercy, with its ultimate (unique) skill, [Brachium].

    Skill¡¯s effect - 100% hit rate, t 99 999 Area of Effect damage which ignores all Defence.

    It¡¯s given but, if you improve your character normally, this is something that you can never withstand.

    Even a high spec¡¯d Angel race or Vampire race yers usually only have around 70 000 HP at level 1000.

    In another word, the enemy is buffed to the point of being broken, that outside of the top yers you would have had no chance whatsoever.

    As I side note, when we were clearing the dungeon Megrez who had low HP got rekt.

    If you could not even clear this gatekeeper, you were judged to be unqualified to meet with the Goddess, this was the savagery behind the dungeon.

    [If you could defeat the gatekeeper and manage to meet with the Goddess after oveing various difficulties the dungeon threw at you, you will be rewarded] was the premise of the event.

    Even after bing a golem, this broken skill remained.

    As one could expect, unlike the time when it was a Boss Character and the broken skill could be sted out immediately after the start of the battle as many time as it wanted, as often as it wanted, the skill was nerfed once to the point of only being able to fire once every 24 hours.

    But fearsome skill still remained fearsome.

    I clearly remember the scene where even the allies were shuddering from the skill being sted immediately at the start of the fight as a [Pre-emptive attack] to gain an advantage.

    The problem was... most likely due to bad AI, if it was in a condition to be able to fire the skill, it just sted it even against the weaklings.

    As a consequence, there were many times I was stumped because it couldn¡¯t be used when I really needed it.

    Anyways, this clearly game-breaking skill was thought to be an administrative failure to properly bnce by many yers, and I also thought it was such.

    There probably would have been a bnce patch in the next update and the skill would have gotten nerfed, but before that could happen, the final war had urred and I happened toe over to this world.

    (TLN: Whenever something newes out in an MMO (not limited to skills), most often it¡¯s broken (overpowered), and after a while, with enough feedbacks or moremonly with enoughints by the yers, it receives a "bnce patch" where it gets weakened (aka nerf))

    Ah, so it¡¯s the Gatekeeper eh...

    I don¡¯t know if there are any tomb raiders but if there was, I can only say "my condolence".

    In this current world, I¡¯d imagine probably only the likes of Levia can ovee.., that.

    "I¡¯ve always heard rumours about Libra.

    I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s been called a merciless murder machine that kills anyone thates to the top floor.

    It looks like some had tried to persuade it by talking, but it really hasn¡¯t listened."

    As if troubled by it, Megrez sighed.

    For me personally, I think it¡¯s better off than the time with Aries, who was just acting around violently but that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case for Megrez?

    "Then isn¡¯t it fine to just leave it alone? Is there really a reason to want to rough up my tomb so much?"

    "It¡¯s problematic because there is.

    It¡¯s not just the people that deterioratedpared to the 200 years ago. Weapons, equipment and alchemists all dropped in quality to an unbelievable degree.

    Especially the legendary tiered swords and armours which were all lost during the fight with the Demon King, all that¡¯s left in the existence are those safely stored in your tomb."

    Legendary tier weapons are probably referring to the rare weapon drops that the yers could not craft up.

    The likes of official event rewards are especially valuable because it is something that you never get your hands on again.

    "Currently, pressured into the corner by the Demon race, it¡¯s something that they want to get their hands on at all cost.

    It¡¯s not that I support raiding the tomb of the diseased but, countless weapons saved in your tomb is something that could give mankind the chance for aeback.

    .... But, because of the existence of that golem, no one has been able toy their hands on them."

    Well, you are talking about a stupidly broken skill with fixed 99 999 damage and defence pration.

    Even if you say that the repeated firing is not possible, in the current age, even getting to the top floor is probably done only by risking their lives.

    So being fired with an instant death damage after going through all that is really something that people wouldn¡¯t be able to readily ept.

    "Hmm........ Personally, I can¡¯te to me Libra.

    It¡¯s true that for mankind, it¡¯s an annoying and troublesome existence, but, for me, it¡¯s a loyal retainer that¡¯s been protecting my possession until I¡¯ve returned. Let alone a reason for cing any fault on it, if anything I should be praising it."

    "I understand that.

    It¡¯s just, after you¡¯ve recovered Libra, it¡¯s fine if it¡¯s even just the stuff you think you won¡¯t use, I¡¯d really appreciate it if you left them in the tomb.

    I¡¯m fully aware this is a shameless request."

    "......... well, I guess I don¡¯t mind if it¡¯s only that much."

    An owner of the tomb that approves people raiding their own tomb, it¡¯s quite an amusing story really.

    At the very least, the next destination has been decided.

    It¡¯s time to go give a word of appreciation to Libra who had been working without rest for the past 190 years.

    __

    End of Chapter Author¡¯s note (TLN: even though I said I probably won¡¯t trante itst chapter, I¡¯ll try to do it for chapters which are not a skit and seem to give information and is simple enough)

    <strong>[Some Irrelevant background settings]</strong>

    In this world, people are aware of normal concepts such as ss, level and skill that existed back in the game but (to begin with there¡¯s no such thing as a video game) beyond all that, there¡¯s a Creation Goddess Aldvenus, all systems are created by her.

    There are no concepts such as [to create my own skill] or [to craft my own technique] in this world. All skills and magic are gifted by the goddess.

    Current the only one with that mindset in this world, is an irregr existence, Ruphas only.

    Fundamentally, those powers are prepared for use by mankind and outside of mankind ss change is not possible.

    That¡¯s what, whatever monsters do, they¡¯ll remain a monster, Alchemist Orcs cannot be born with 100% certainty.

    It is said this mankind¡¯s power to ss change is something rewarded by the Goddess as a result of the devotion she received.

    However, the demon race also has the power to ss change, and as such there are more than a few who doubts whether the power to ss change is really a reward from the Goddess due to the devotion she received.

    And even after 200 years of being pressured into a corner, however much people prayed, the Goddess has shown no sign of changing this system, nor have there been a sign of punishment for the demon race.

 Chapter 18 (2)

    After a few minutes, Aries finally stopped crying. Since he was no longer crying like a baby, it should be possible to converse with him now. But before that, since Aries had once more be my familiar, I could now view his status window. I needed to check his abilities.

    <strong>Twelve Heavenly Stars, Aries</strong>

    Level: 800

    Race: Rainbow Sheep

    Attribute: Fire

    HP 75,000

    SP 7,600

    STR (Strength) 4,100

    DEX (Dexterity) 4,000

    VIT (Vitality) 4,050

    INT (Intelligence) 4,300

    AGI (Agility) 4,170

    MND (Mind) 4,294

    LUK (Luck) 4,180

    Hm¡­His values were higher than I remembered.

    His HP used to be 68,000. He had obviously grown. This guy had been working hard for the past two hundred years. Even so, his values were still very average. This was due to my all-rounded training that resulted in his overall average values.

    By the way, these values were the result of using ability boosts. Without ability boosts, his status values would be around 1,000 to 1,500. This guy was a production-oriented monster, and not abat-oriented one. Frankly, his true purpose was to produce wool, and not to fight. I was the weird one to forcefully make him fight.

    "Now then, have you calmed down, Aries?"

    "Y¡ªYes."

    That face with the teary eyes and blushing nose did not look like a guy at all. I wasn¡¯t into traps, so I didn¡¯t think much of it. But Dina, who returned unobserved, was smiling brightly.

    She, who was disgusted by the orcs, seemed to find his appearance appealing. After seeing him, she gradually came to like it¡­ Or perhaps, did she work diligently for me because she liked my appearance?

    "I¡¯m not good at boration, so I¡¯ll make it simple. I¡¯m currently on a journey to recover the Twelve Heavenly Stars, and one of them is right before me. No need to say anything, just follow me. I won¡¯t ept any objections."

    "Yes! With pleasure!"

    Originally, I intended to let the Twelve Heavenly Stars return to the tower, but it was a significant distance away from here. Or rather, if I let this guy go back alone, he would definitely be a lost child. He was an excellent party member, and could make himself useful, so I decided to let hime along.

    Well, Aries was very happy too, so this seemed to be the correct decision.

    "Let¡¯s work hard together, Lady Ruphas! And¡­that stranger over there, please take care of me!"

    "!?"

    Dina froze as if traumatized.

    Ah, hm. Traumatized by being addressed as a stranger.

    I was the same as Aries. When I first met her, I forgot about her and asked, "Who are you?". Dina recovered quickly to meet Aries¡¯ eyes again, and smiled. No, if one looked careful, her veins had obviously popped.

    "Lord Aries? Have we not met before? Right? I was always in that tower."

    At Dina¡¯s prompting, Aries seemed to have remembered something from the distant past. After a while, he eximed, "Oh! Are you that person who have a weak presence and constantly blends into the background?"

    "You¡¯re terrible!?"

    Dina was traumatized once more as I looked at her crying face.

    Ah, it couldn¡¯t be helped. That was Dina for you. Because in the game, she was really part of the background. She never made an appearance, and her abilities were never mentioned. If she wasn¡¯t so lively in this world, I wouldn¡¯t even remember her.

    "I¡¯m so surprised! You can actually move out of that ce."

    "Am I an ornament?"

    "You can even talk!"

    "Lady Ruphas! This kid is unabashedly saying cruel things with a cute face!?"

    Pitiful Dina. If she had such talents and liveliness two hundred years ago, she wouldn¡¯t have been treated like this. Or rather, why was she considered part of the background back then? Was she a quiet introvert in the past?

    A person could change in two hundred years¡­ But I felt she would have changed too much. Anyway, it was too pathetic. I should put an end to this quickly.

    "Aries. Dina has been supporting me since my return to this world¡­ Don¡¯t bully her too much."

    "Eh? This¡­I wasn¡¯t bullying her¡­ I was merely speaking my mind."

    "That¡¯s even worse!"

    Ah, so that was it. Aries was just innocently honest. Well, it seemed like Dina would be troubled for a while.

    "¡ªAnd so Aries has been sessfully recovered. While I was at it, Mars of the Seven Luminaries has also been defeated. Be at ease."

    "¡­The hardship we went through these few years¡­"

    After recovering Aries, I revisited Megrez¡¯s house in the noble''s district. I was wondering how to get past the guards, but it seemed Megrez already told them to let me pass when I visited previously.

    Aries simply looked too different in his humanoid form. Nobody would associate this feminine youth with a giant sheep that was over one hundred meters tall. Well, I was the one responsible for setting his appearance like this.

    "What about the monsters?"

    "I tamed all of them. They won''t attack anyone unless provoked."

    "The monsters in that castle numbered several hundreds¡­ The overlord''s leadership has not weakened after two hundred years. This is really scary."

    Oh sorry, it had probably weakened, because I was different on the inside. But it could not be said, so I frantically bluffed through this with a confidentughter.

    "What would you do next?"

    "Of course, I will recover the Twelve Heavenly Stars, then¡­"

    Then¡­what?

    I was unfamiliar with the geography of this age. I knew of the map in the game, but after my empire was destroyed, the heroes rebuilt new nations over it. Better let Dina to continue with her exnations.

    "The next destination is the ck-Winged Royal Tomb. It is about five hundred kilometers away from here, and is guarded by one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, Libra of the Scales."

    "The name seems to indicate that it¡¯s my tomb."

    "It is in fact Lady Ruphas¡¯ tomb. It waspleted one hundred ny years ago. Lady Ruphas'' admirers spent ten years to build the world¡¯srgest monument¡ªa great pyramid with one hundred and eight floors. The highest floor contained treasures, equipment, and weapons previously used by Lady Ruphas. It is guarded by Libra for one hundred ny years without resting."

    "Oh, so it''s Libra?"

    Twelve Heavenly Stars, Libra of the Scales.

    She was probably the most powerful golem in X-Gate Online.

    Her construction materials were gained by defeating an event boss. There were only two Scales of the Chosen in the game. She was then created by Mizar (cash yer), who was a Level 200 alchemist, before transferring to me. Therefore, she was of a higher level than I could have created.

    I mentioned previously that the quality of the materials could increase the level cap of the creation. The Scales of the Chosen allowed the level to be capped at 1,000. Since her creator Mizar was a Level 200 alchemist, the form would be 1,000 ¡Â 2 + 200. In other words, the golem could reach up to Level 700.

    (Golems were considered items, so they could be traded.)

    Adding the rare item orichalcum (cash item) would randomly increase the golem¡¯s level by ten to thirty percent. Luckily, her level increased by +210.

    In other words, Libra was a Level 910 golem. What Mizar and I created was essentially a super golem. There was still a rule that it could not exceed the master''s level, so she would weaken if used by a low-level yer. This was not an issue for me since I was at Level 1,000.

    By the way, Libra should the strongest among the Twelve Heavenly Stars in terms of offensive power¡­Sometimes even stronger than me. After all, she inherited the unique skill of the boss Scales of the Goddess, which we fought to gain the aforementioned Scales of the Chosen.

    The Scales of the Goddess was a gatekeeper in Alovenus¡¯ Sanctuary, a super difficult dungeon. It was very challenging for yers. This scary gatekeeper wiped out weak yers without fail, using a fatal skill called Brachium.

    Its effect was¡ªpration of defenses and auto-hit with fixed 99,999 damage.

    Naturally, this was not an attack that normal yers could withstand. Fl¨¹gels and vampires, with their naturally high statuses, normally had around 70,000 HP at Level 1,000. Thus, this terrifying attack could only be endured by yers who used a lot of ability boost potions. Except for top yers, everybody else would be wiped out. Even Megrez, a specialized rear-guard with lower HP, would die from this attack.

    If one cannot pass through this stage, one would be disqualified from meeting the goddess, so it was extremely harsh. The entirety of the event involved defeating the gatekeeper and clearing the insanely difficult dungeon to meet with the goddess for reward.

    Yet this golem had such a ridiculous skill. When used by the boss, it could be fired repeatedly. Although the skill had been reduced to once per twenty-four hours, it was still a threat. I remembered it clearly. When used as a preemptive strike, this skill could wipe out the opponents and induce fear even in allies.

    The problem is¡­theputer''s AI was lousy. Once the skill recharged, the AI would use it even on grunt enemies, resulting in the inability to use the skill when it was really needed.

    Ah, I believed this game-breaking skill was obviously the fault of administrators who failed to bnce the game properly. It would probably be patched in the next update, but the final battle happened before the update and I arrived in this world.

    So she was the guardian.

    I didn''t know why anyone would rob my tomb, but if she was there, it would all end in tears. In the current world, probably nobody besides Levia could break through.

    "I have also heard about Libra. She would mechanically and unconditionally eliminate anyoneing to the top floor. Some tried to negotiate with her, but it seemed to have failed."

    Megrez said in a troubled voice and sighed. I thought that was at least better than going on a rampage like Aries, but it seemed this wasn''t the case for Megrez?

    "Then, if we just leave her alone¡­ By the way, why are so many people trying to rob my tomb?"

    "There is a problem. Over the past two hundred years, not only are our people weakened, even our weapons and equipment have degraded. Especially legendary-grade magic swords and armors. These were virtually lost in the battle against the Demon King. The only ones left are those kept in your tomb."

    Legendary-grade weapons. It seemed only greed for rare weapons could make yers so persistent. Many items and weapons, especially those from events hosted by administrators, were often otherwise unobtainable and therefore very expensive.

    "Currently, for the people pressured by the demons, these items were the stuff of dreams. The tomb has its dangers, but the weapons stored there could potentially turn the tide for our people¡­ However, thanks to that golem, nobody could acquire them."

    Indeed, it must be that idiotic skill with fixed 99,999 damage. Its only weakness was being limited to a single shot. However, the people today probably needed to put their lives on the line just to get to the top floor. In the crowded area, they probably all died instantly from the massive damage.

    "Hm¡­I can''t me her, although she really is causing trouble for people. From my perspective, she is a loyal subject who protects my legacy after I left. I have no reason to admonish her."

    "I understand. If it is possible, we would like to have any unwanted things you could spare from the tomb, after you retrieved Libra. I know this is a shameless request."

    "Hm. That''s still eptable."

    Still, it was really weird for the tomb owner to agree to a request to rob her own tomb.

    In any case, I decided on the next destination.

    It would be unreasonable to notfort Libra who had been working without rest for one hundred ny years.

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes: Skills & sses</h4>

    People of this world ept game concepts like sses, levels, and skills, even though video games do not exist. The system was introduced by the goddess Alovenus. All skills and magic are gifts from the goddess, and the native people do not think of creating their own skills. Only the irregr Ruphas has this concept.

    Basically, these powers were created for the humanoid races, and only they could change sses. A monster remains a monster, regardless of what it does. Orc alchemists and simr things do not appear 100% of the time. ss change is said to be a blessing given to the humanoid races by the goddess who loves humanity.

    However, the demons also have a simr ability, so there are some who doubts the goddess'' blessing. Two hundred years after the defeat of the humanoids, the goddess would neither improve the system nor punish the demons, despite the wishes of many.

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    <strong>Orichalcum</strong> is a semi-legendary metal, possibly a copper alloy. to mentioned that it was second only to gold in value, and was mined in Antis.

    <strong>Brachium</strong>, also called Sigma Librae, is a binary star in the constetion of Libra.

    <strong>Humanoid</strong> is a collective term for various human-like creatures in fantasy settings. In the novel, there are two words which could confusingly mean the same thing ("human") but are used differently. The first word (ÈËég) is used specifically for actual humans, while the second word (ÈËî) is used as a collective term to include demi-human races like dwarves and elves. To avoid confusion, this trantion will use the word "human" for the first (ÈËég) and the word "humanoid" for the second (ÈËî).

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

    ? ? ?

 Chapter 19

    I tied my hair in a pony-tail, and put on the in spectacles. This alone greatly changed the impressions I gave to others.

    My clothes was changed from the white dress to a white tunic and ck trousers, with the usual crimson cloak added on top of them. But unlike how I used to wear it to cover my entire body, the cloak was merely hung over my shoulders.

    Finally, Dina added the bandages to hide my ck wings. The unthinkable happened. My wings vanished from sight, thus I wouldn¡¯t be recognized as a fl¨¹gel.

    This was the camouge ribbon created for me by Megrez. It was enchanted with stealth magic, causing the affected body parts to blend into the surroundings and disappear. After saying that it must be difficult for me to move in my previous state, he generously gave me the entire costume set.

    "How is it? Megrez, does it suit me?"

    "It will suit you, no matter what you wear."

    Thanks to Megrez, I was finally free from self-bondage. Honestly, I didn¡¯t expect him to go so far for me. For his past enemy to be suddenly revived, it would be natural for him to be hostile. Despite this, he still supported me. It was hard to not suspect that it might be a trap.

    "Ruphas..."

    "Hm?"

    "You...Do you hate us? Back then, you nearly reached your ideals and achieved the future of your dreams. It was our treachery that ruined it...Do you not have feelings of hate?"

    I pondered Megrez¡¯s words for a while. I didn¡¯t hate him, and I wouldn¡¯t seek revenge. The fight was just a game to me. It was not what I personally experienced. Instead of answering the question directly, I decided to respond in my own way.

    "If the people rebelled, it implied that I did not have the qualifications of a king. If you guys resisted out of malcontent, then I was simplycking. I have no reason to hate you guys."

    I checked my appearance in the mirror, and made poses from various angles.

    Hm. Not bad.

    There was nothing better than wearing something that was easy to move in. Although I would be conspicuous due to my looks, it was still ten times better than being a suspicious personpletely covered in a red cloak.

    Although I said this myself, this face was exceptional even without make-up...This was like what was seen in the idol photos after being enhanced by Photoshop.

    "So stop ming yourself. Honestly, you are so pathetic right now."

    Ruphas was the invader. He was the hero who defeated her. This was all that mattered two hundred years ago, and it was fine. History was written by the victors. As the loser, I could notin about it, and I had no desire to do so. However, it was uneptable for the victor to be miserable instead.

    "You are a hero to the people of this nation. Stand dignified before me, as you did two hundred years ago."

    "I¡¯m much obliged to heed your advice...Thank you."

    A faint smile returned to Megrez¡¯s face.

    This guy was overly serious. He would probably still be troubled after this, but at least he should be better than before. Actually, we should be the ones to apologize. That androgynous sheep in the corner should be apologizing to Megrez, but...

    Aries simply refused to apologize to the people who betrayed his master.

    "Well then, I should be leaving. Would there be a problem with Levia after being weakened by Aries?"

    "Thank you. As I am right now, I cannot recover the lost maximum HP."

    Aries¡¯ attack reduced Levia¡¯s maximum HP, but it was possible to recover it as long as there was water to use as base material. However, the current Megrez no longer had the ability to do so, therefore I would do it instead.

    How convenient it was to be able to recover as long as there was water. Anyway, as long as Levia was here, there should not be any problem.

    "Ruphas."

    "Yes?"

    "...Have a pleasant trip."

    "That goes without saying."

    I smiled unintentionally, as I received Megrez¡¯s encouragement. I waved my hand and left Megrez¡¯s home, passing through the noble¡¯s district for themercial district.

    Along the way, I noticed Gants¡¯ signature bald head and decided to bid him farewell.

    "Gants!"

    "Hm? Oh! What a beauty! Mi¡ªMiss, what can I do for you?"

    "Hey, there¡¯s no need for this manner of speech. I¡¯m Sahpur. You assisted me when I first arrived here."

    "...Huh? Eh¡ª?"

    Gants eximed in a tongue-tied manner after hearing my words. I supposed Gants never saw my real face. This was a mistake, but I would be leaving Svalinn soon anyway.

    "That suspicious, red-cloaked Sa¡ªSaphur!? To think you are such a beauty!"

    "Hahaha. Your praises are excessive. I wanted to greet you since I¡¯ll be leaving this country."

    "We are indebted to you, Mister Gants. We will return when we are done with our trip."

    Iughed at Mister Gants, who was shocked, as Dina said her farewell.

    Aries...Was there something wrong? He just hid his face behind my back. This guy was bing like a small animal.

    "Oh, is it? Leaving huh. You two...and that cute youngdy there, take care."

    "He is a guy."

    "Really!?"

    "Haha. Well, Gants. We¡¯ll meet again."

    "Oh, ah...Saphur...no, never mind. Be lively! And take care!"

    After bidding Gants farewell, we departed from Svalinn to begin our journey.

    At the end, Gants seemed to have something to say, but he did not voice it aloud. He probably wanted to ask me about sending Aries flying with a kick during that battle, yet he still did not ask anything. Did he guess at ourplicated situation?

    Or maybe he was somewhat aware of my true identity. Even so, he seemed like a pleasant man. I wished he had a long life ahead of him.

    "Dina. The destination is five hundred kilometers from here. How should we travel? I don¡¯t mind going on foot."

    "I have a proposal! How about creating a golem that can move us around?"

    "You don¡¯t like walking?"

    "I hate it! It¡¯s tiring!"

    After leaving Svalinn, it was a grasnd as far as the eyes could see. Although there were roads being made, it would normally be depressing to keep walking on like this. The current me wouldn¡¯t be tired no matter how far I walked, so I could still enjoy myself.

    Was there anything more romantic than traveling this distance on foot?

    But Dina hated it and requested making a transport golem.

    As evident in this world, golems were not stupid and inflexible like those in a game. For example, golems in a game would repeatedly attack an enemy in the same way. But here, Levia could understand Megrez¡¯s directions and take actions intelligently.

    In addition, there was no restriction on its shape. For example, I could create a car-shaped golem and used it as an automobile. Therefore, it was easy to fulfill Dina¡¯s request.

    "Hm. Why don¡¯t you try making it?"

    "Let¡¯s include beds and bathroom in it so we won¡¯t have to camp out."

    The n was upgraded as Dina requested. I originally intended to make a convertible, but now it became a camping car instead.

    Aries looked at me with expectations, despite not being assertive. It was as if he was looking forward to what I would do next.

    "Well, let¡¯s try."

    Firstly, most of the vehicle was made of iron, using the ores found in the rocks as a material. The furniture could be left forter.

    For the bathroom, a goemonburo bath should be fine. The bath of this world was normally goemonburo style. There was no convenient, contemporary bath, and I could not make it as I did not know the details of how it worked.

    For the beds, it was possible to shape the frame out of wood. The problem was the mattress and the bed cover. There were only trees and rocks here, so I could only produce concrete and iron materials.

    But if there were cotton or feathers...

    "...Ah."

    "? What¡¯s wrong, Lady Ruphas? Is there something on my face?"

    There was cotton nearby.

    Well then, we could shave Aries in his sheep form.

    There was enough materials for the bare minimum requirements. If I did this, it would be ready.

    "Transmute!"

    First, the iron ores in the rocks were refined.

    Extraction and refinement of materials were among the basic skills of an alchemist. However, ss level determined the type of materials that could be transmuted. At that start, an alchemist could not transmute one material into another material. A Level 200 alchemist like Mizar could perform frightening feats, like transmuting rocks into legendary metals. I only advanced to Level 100, so I could not do so.

    Then, the freshly refined iron was reshaped into a camping car. I did not know the inner workings of a car, so I merely made an outer shell. Movement would be achieved via the golem¡¯s own mobility, therefore no driver¡¯s seat was needed.

    Next, the sand was transmuted into ss, and attached to the windows. There were several rooms inside, one of which contained a goemonburo bath tub. There was also a traditional kitchen, matching the civilization level of this world.

    "Next...Aries, change into your sheep form."

    "Eh?"

    "I need your wool."

    Considering the size of Aries¡¯ sheep form, only a little of his wool was needed to make the beds. And it would grow back eventually anyway.

    I jumped onto Aries¡¯ back and, using my hand as a knife, cut some of his wool. The wool were then made into mattresses. By this world¡¯s standards, they would be considered surprisingly luxurious and fluffy. I also created some wooden chairs set with cushions made from Aries¡¯ wool.

    "Okay. This is it for the time being."

    Whatever else was missing could be bought from the cities in future. For now, it was good enough that it could move.

    I should check the status of the camping car that I put in so much effort to create.

    Oh, I must name it first before its status could be shown.

    Golems could be named at the time of their creation. In the game, there were golems everywhere with familiar-sounding names. For example, [email protected] or Gett3r.

    So what should I name this one?

    Nothing too pretentious or easily forgotten...

    ...What a hassle. Tanaka, it is.

    <b>Tanaka</b>

    Level: 200

    Race: Artificial Life-form

    HP: 12,000

    SP: 0

    STR (Strength) 555

    DEX (Dexterity) 120

    VIT (Vitality) 658

    INT (Intelligence) 9

    AGI (Agility) 1020

    MND (Mind) 75

    LUK (Luck) 100

    It seemed the attributes were adjusted ording to its shape. This did not exist in the game. Its speed is exceptionally high because it was shaped like a vehicle.

    However, this AGI attribute represented its agility and action speed duringbat, instead of mere movement speed. A high AGI value did not necessarily mean fast movement speed.

    Even so, I was confident that I would win in a race with this vehicle.

    "As expected of Lady Ruphas! It would be more convenient now that we have this."

    Pragmatic as she was, Dina praised me as if she wasn¡¯tining earlier. Aries also nodded, but since his praise was sincere and straightforward, I would ept it.

    But you should transform back first. At this size, merely nodding your head causes a gust of wind.

    We got in the vehicle, and I issued amand to travel north. The vehicle started to move out as though it understood the order. With this, we could proceedfortably until we reached our destination.

    "Oh, right. I will acquire some necessary furniture. I will teleport to buy it, so please wait."

    After saying this, Dina vanished before I could reply.

    This teleportation magic was really convenient. I was envious.

    Still, why didn¡¯t I fly over to Svalinn instead of going on a carriage?

    Dina could just teleport herself there anyway.

    Well, it was toote now. Since Aries was here, we could not that anymore.

    Eh, why didn¡¯t I think of it back then?

    I couldn¡¯t understand.

    Well, whatever. In the meantime, I should rearrange the interior furnishing.

    ?

    "Ha...ha..."

    At the foot of Gale Volcano.

    A youth dragged his injured body, crawling as he bled along the way.

    It was just one blow¡ªone casual blow as if it was made against an annoying insect.

    Even so, he could not even stand right now. He crawled on like an insect, desperately trying to escape from the opponent who was no longer there.

    "Ru¡ªRuphas Mafahl...The only devil that we feared is back...This is a nightmare...suc¡ªsuch a thing..."

    Fortunately, he was at Level 300. Since he was not a worthy opponent, Ruphas did not deal with him seriously and he somehow survived.

    It was a humiliation to be overlooked, but this luck also allowed him to survive until now.

    However, his good fortune wouldst forever...

    "¡ªOh. You¡¯re still alive."

    He heard a cold, condescending voice.

    Mars struggled to turn his unmoving body in the direction of that voice. A blue-haired maiden standing there.

    Her face could not be seen due to back-lighting, but the white in clothes seemed like a fine dress when worn by her.

    Was this elegance?

    Or perhaps it should be called presence?

    In any case, no word could express the mystique possessed by this girl.

    That face¡ªno, that mouth was distorted in an arc like a half-moon and was filled with joy.

    "No, no. An actor who finished his role must exit gracefully. Nobody would benefit from a defeated chess piece reappearing at ater stage for extra credits. After finishing your role, you should leave. That¡¯s the rule of the game."

    "You...You are..."

    The maidenughed at the poor clown whopleted his role.

    She did not answer his question.

    As for letting him have hisst words, she did not feel like providing such a service.

    Just promptly and beautifully...

    She ended his life as if pulling out some weeds.

    The maiden had only such a spirit of cruelty.

    "Farewell, Mars. Pathetic NPC."

    ¡ªSeveral secondster, the youth vanished.

    As if he never existed to begin with, there was no trace of him, not even a strand of hair.

    Also, the maiden responsible for all this was nowhere to be seen.

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Trantor: Nothing noteworthy, just some stuffs about Megrez getting verbally abused.

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    <b>Svalinn</b> (¥¹¥ô¥§¥ë) is a legendary shield that stands before the sun in Norse mythology. In this novel, various cities are named after objects and ces from Norse mythology. Svalinn is the city-state founded by Megrez. "Suvell" is a mistrantion.

    <b>Goemonburo</b> (ÎåÓÒÐléTïL…Î) is a type of furo (Japanese bath), often associated with Ishakawa Goemon.

    <b>[email protected]</b> (¥¬¥ó¡ð¥à) probably refers to Gundam (¥¬¥ó¥À¥à), an anime series featuring giant robots of the same name.

    <b>Gett3r</b> (¥²¥Ã¡ð©`) probably refers to Getter Robo (¥²¥Ã¥¿©`¥í¥Ü), another mecha anime series.

    <b>Tanaka</b> (ÌïÖÐ) probably refers to Tanaka Hisashige (ÌïÖÐ¾ÃÖØ), who was known for making autonomous dolls powered by springs, pneumatics, and hydraulics...that, or maybe "camping car" just slightly sounds like (and rhymes with) ta-na-ka.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

    ? ? ? ?

 Chapter 19 (2)

    Chapter link: (18/10/2015)

    Trantion: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (21-11-2018) + Mabo

    Trantion link:

    __

    TL Disimer: I have no experience in tranting anything, nor am I great at either English or Japanese. This is not machine tranted but Japanese to English dictionary is asionally used for words I am not sure about. I will not be able to fully trante the author''s jokes, puns or ngs if there are any. I will try to stick with literal trantion where possible in the context. If there is anything I don''t understand I will leave it in a bracket (x).

    If there is an error in the trantion, website, sentence structure or format please let me know in thements below or DM me on the and I will try my best to fix them. Any constructive feedback is appreciated.

    Special thanks to Mabo @maboandgibo.wordpress in providing with his draft trantion for Chapter 19 and 20. I was able topare and match with the way he wrote it and it really saved me time. Please give him support at RTD.moe

    __

    Author Note:

    (©b§Õ©b )£¼ ''Tis iz fine ''Tis iz fine ''Tis iz fine ''Tis iz fine

    <Main Character OP> < <TS> <Fanciful MMO> <Many idolising subordinates>

    Professional Booby Trappers wake up early.

    Alsoying booby traps today, waiting with the scope to st the readers.

    (TLN: Author you''re drunk, singing all these nonsense about scoping and blowing us apart :''))

    __

    I tied my hair into a ponytail at the top of my head and put on fake sses.

    Even with just this, the impression of me changed a lot.

    As for my clothing, I changed out of my usual white dress into a white tunic and ck cks, then proceeded to put on the crimson mantle like before.

    But unlike before I didn''t cover my whole body and just wore it casually.

    Lastly, Dina hid my wings by wrapped a bandage around them.

    Mysteriously, the wings could no longer be seen to the point that people would not even realise I was from the Angel race.

    The bandage was a camouge item that Megrez had synthesised and prepared for me.

    Apparently, there was a [Stealth] magic enchanted on it, and any part that is wrapped by it would blend into the surrounding and would be invisible and unable to be seen.

    He gifted to me together with the clothing after saying [It''s probably ufortable to move around as before], and I''m really appreciative of that.

    "Hmm, how is it Megrez? Does it suit me?"

    "Yeah, whatever you wear suits you well."

    Thanks to Megrez, I was unexpectedly freed from my self-bondage y.

    No, honestly I wasn''t expecting him to help out this much.

    From his point of view, I''m his sworn enemy from the past who had suddenly resurrected, and it would be normal for him to act with hostility.

    But instead, from the fact that he is giving me support like this, I''m overly thankful for it that I should start suspecting if this is actually a trap or not.

    "Hey Ruphas"

    "Hmm?"

    "You¡­ are you guys not spiteful of us?

    At that time, without a doubt, you guys were in such an ideal ce that you could have reached a utopia any moment.

    The ideal world you were aiming for was right around the corner.

    And the ones that ruined all that is us who betrayed you¡­ you''re, do you not detest us for that?"

    I pondered on what Megrez just said for a bit.

    I really don''t feel hateful or anything of that sort, and there really isn''t a reason for me to feel that way.

    Because to me, that fight was nothing more than a game, and not something that I experienced firsthand.

    That''s why instead of answering the question, I decided to give him a response in my own way.

    "If I suffer a rebellion by my own subjects, it simply means I wasn''t suited to being a king. If you guys decided you were dissatisfied with me, it also simply means I wasn''t capable enough as a ruler and a vassal for you all. There is not a single reason for me to be hateful of you guys."

    I continued checking my own appearance on the mirror by taking various poses from a different angle.

    Yep, this is pretty good.

    It''s easy to move in, and more than anything, this is not haughty.

    Due to the bombshell appear of my character it''s evitable that I will stand out but it''s 10 times better than being a suspicious person wearing a bright red mantle.

    "That''s why you should stop ming yourself. Honestly, it''s too painful to look at."

    Ruphas was the invader, and he was the hero that defeated her.

    That''s all there is to 200 years ago, and it''s fine that way.

    It''s always the winner that creates the age. (TLN: ¡­. Domingo is that you!?!? ¨C / quote image)

    As such, the moment I lost, I no longer had the qualification to say anything, neither do I feel like saying anything.

    Therefore, if the winning side keeps suffering, it really feels unsettling.

    "For the citizens of this country, you''re a hero.

    Be dignified. Just like 200 years ago."

    "I''ll painfully ept that warning. ¡­¡­ thank you."

    The warmth of a small smile returns to his face.

    I''m sure with this strict personality he''ll continue to ponder, but I think it should at least be better than before.

    If anything, it should be this side that should apologise. Especially the trap sheep that''s hiding in the corner.

    But Aries has stubbornly said [I''m don''t want to apologise to someone that betrayed my master] and has not said a single apology to Megrez yet.

    "Now then, it''s about time for me to leave.

    Levia whom Aries weakened should be fine with that."

    "I appreciate it. The current I would not have been able to restore the lost max HP."

    Aries''s attack had decreased Levia''s maximum HP but given water; the material which constitutes its body, restoration was possible.

    That being said, even if it was possible for Megrez to restore Levia, it was impossible him for him to fully restore it to the previous state, that was the portion I helped out with.

    <i>But to be able to fully recover with just water is quite convenient, isn''t it?</i>

    Anyways, in regards to Levia, there should be no problem with this.

    "Ruphas"

    "mm?"

    "¡­ have a good journey"

    "No need to say it."

    Receiving Megrez''s encouragement, I unintentionally smiled.

    I then waved my hands, leaving Megrez''s house behind.

    I proceeded straight leaving the Noble District and walked into the Commercial district.

    In the middle of the way, I spotted the character-defining bold head Gantz and decided to take a short detour to say goodbye.

    "Gantz!"

    "Nnn? O, ow! What a babe!?

    L, Lady-san, do you require anything from me?"

    "Hey hey, what''s with that way of speech after all this time.

    Look, it''s me. It''s Ru - Supharu. Wasn''t I under your care when I came to the city."

    "¡­.eh? Eh, eeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhh!?"

    Gantz was lost for words when I said that, following on with a surprised cry the next moment.

    Oh yeah, I hadn''t shown my face to Gantz yet.

    I guess I screwed up a little there, as I thought so, we are leaving Suvell Country now in any ce so it doesn''t really matter too much.

    "Su, when you say Supharu you mean that suspicious red mantle!?

    You were actually this much of a beauty!?"

    "Hahaha, don''t praise me, don''t.

    I just thought I''lle and say goodbye because we decided to leave the country."

    "We are indebted to you Gantz-san. We''re returning to our journey."

    Iughed towards the surprised Gantz, while Dina says her parting words.

    Aries is¡­. Maybe feeling responsible, hid behind my back and didn''t even show his face.

    <i>He''spletely acting like a small animal, this guy.</i>

    "O, ow, I see. You''re going already.

    Both of you¡­ and that cute looking small girl, all take care ok."

    "He''s a guy you know."

    "For real!?"

    "Hahaha. Well then, Gantz.

    If fate strings us together, let¡¯s meet again."

    "A, Ah¡­

    Suphasu¡­. Never mind, it''s nothing. Be well! Take care!"

    After saying farewell to Gantz, we left Suvell.

    Gantz looked like he wanted to ask me something at the end but, he didn''t end asking anything.

    He most probably wanted to ask about me blowing Aries away, but thinking about the possibleplexity behind the circumstances for us, had decided not to.

    Either that or, perhaps he had an inkling behind my identity.

    Whichever it is, he was a good guy. I hope he lives a long time.

    "So, Dina. You said the destination is approximate 500km from here but, what do you n to do? I don''t mind walking there."

    "Yes, I have a proposal! How about making a golem that can transport us?"

    "What, you don''t want to walk?"

    "Of course not! It''s tiring!"

    Once we leave Suvell, it''s a never-ending grasnd.

    There seem to be a road-looking thing made, but walking on that the whole time might be quite depressing.

    Though, the current I will never tire from something like walking, so the experience on its own might be something I could enjoy.

    And above all else, to journey this distance by foot, isn''t there some charm to it?

    But Dina doesn''t like it huh, she requested for me to make a golem.

    What I''ve learnt sinceing to this world is, Golem isn''t as mindless as it was back in the game and thus to a certain degree it''s more flexible.

    For example in the game, it''ll arbitrary to attack the enemy and mindlessly continue its attack but, in this world, something like Levia could properly follow Megrez''s direction and could act quite intelligently.

    Furthermore, there''s no restriction to the shame it could take, which means if I shape it like a car, it could act as an automatically driving car.

    So if it''s a question of whether Dina''s request is possible or not, the answer is easily possible.

    "Fumm, I guess I shall try making it."

    "While you''re at it so that we don''t have to sleep outdoors, why don''t you put beds and baths at once."

    Dina just casually made a grade-up request.

    I was thinking about to make a convertible car out of whim but, at this rate, it''ll be a Camper car.

    When I nced at Aries, although he was usually unassertive, this time he was staring at me with great anticipation.

    I support he was curious as to what I was going to make.

    "Well, I''ll try¡­"

    Firstly, in regards to the iron used to make the majority of the car, I can just use the minerals in the rocks lying in the surroundings as material.

    As for the furniture, I can think about thatter on.

    For the bath, I will build a separate room, it should be fine if I create a cauldron bathter.

    Or rather, the bath in this world is normally a cauldron bath.

    There''s no way a convenient contemporary bath could exist, and I don''t know about the specifics enough to be able to recreate it.

    As for the bed¡­ I can shape the framework using those the trees over there, but the problem is the mattress and the bed cover toy on top of it.

    Those alone, I can''t use the trees and rocks in the environment, nor the concreates or irons developed from them.

    If only there were cotton or feathers it''ll be different but¡­.

    "¡­. Oh"

    "? What''s wrong Ruphas-sama? Is there something on my face¡­"

    There''s one nearby, cotton.

    OK, I''ll ask Aries to turn into a sheepter on so I can shave some wool from him.

    Although you can''t say there are sufficient materials, there''s at least a minimum required amount.

    With this, we can make something decent.

    [Transmutation!]

    Firstly, I transmuted the minerals in the rocks into an iron.

    Both the transmutation of materials and transmutating them into a different material is part of the basic ability of an alchemist.

    However, the level of the profession ss determines what you can transmute and in the initial stage, sometimes, you cannot transmute one material to another.

    Someone like Mizaal with the profession level at 200 could grab some rock and casually transmute them into a legendary tier material so it can be quite terrifying.

    Since I have stopped levelling it at level 100, I can''t go that far.

    I then re-transmute the iron into a camping car.

    That being said, I''m not particrly familiar with the specifics of the cars, therefore, it''s really just the shape of the car.

    The movement is left entirely to the golem, there isn''t even a driver¡¯s seat.

    Next, I transmute the ss with the sand in the surrounding, attaching it as the window.

    I made several wards inside and installed a big pot in one of them to serve as the Cauldron bath.

    While I''m at it I guess I''ll make a kitchen. I can''t make something fancy like an electronic stove though.

    It''s antiquated, a kitchen that''s fitting of this world''s civilization''s advancement.

    "Next is¡­. Aries, turn back to sheep for a bit."

    "Eh?"

    "I''m going to use your wool"

    If you consider the size of Aries in his sheep form it''s really a small amount, furthermore, it will naturally grow back.

    I jump onto the top of Aries when he turned back to sheep form after being told so, then proceeded to cut some wool with a small dagger then making it into a material for futon (TLN: thin mattress used in Japan).

    If you think about it using this world''s standard, it''ll be a horrifyingly luxurious and fluffy bed.

    While I was at it, I build a wooden chair and ced a cushion made out of Aries''s wool.

    "Yosh, I guess this is enough for now."

    There many things that are inadequate but, we can buy thoseter in some city.

    All in all, as long as it runs, it''s fine.

    Here, since it''s a good situation, let''s check out at its stats.

    Ah, I also need to give it a name too.

    Like Gun_am or Ge_ter, something like that.

    Now then, how should I name this guy?

    I don''t want it to be too Airy, but it also can''t be something that''s easily forgotten¡­.

    ¡­ What a hassle. Let''s go with Tanaka.

    [Tanaka]

    Level: 200

    Species: Artificial being

    HP: 12 000

    SP: 0

    STR (Strength/Attack Power): 555

    DEX (Dexterity): 120

    VIT (Vitality): 658

    INT (Intelligence): 9

    AGI (Agility/Speed): 1020

    MND (Mindpower): 75

    LUK (Luck): 100

    Apparently, the shape of the golem determines the ups and downs of the status.

    This wasn''t a possible concept back in the game.

    Since I made it into the shape of the car, the speed stat had somehow stretched a lot.

    That being said because this AGI refers to [Agility] that decides the speed in the battle and not the speed of the movement, this high numerical value doesn''t mean it''ll travel fast.

    Well, even with that, if this car and I have a race, I''m confident I will win.

    "Wow, as expected of Ruphas-sama. This''ll be an easy trip."

    What a self-interested person, Dina starts to praise me instead ofining.

    Matching that, Aries is nodding, but since it''s a pure and straightforward praise, I''ll ept it.

    But you need to turn back quickly. With that just, just nodding creates an amazing wind pressure.

    Entering inside, I order the camping car to [Head towards North].

    Soon after, it''s as if it understood what was said and the car started moving.

    With this, we should be able to proceed to our destination considerablyfortably.

    "Ah, that''s right. I''ll procure the necessary furniture.

    I''m going to teleport around a bit and buy them, so please wait for a little bit."

    Saying so, Dina didn''t even wait for my response and just vanished.

    It is convenient as usual, that teleportation magic. I''m really envious.

    Or rather, it''s a bitte now but, I should have just flown back when we were heading to Suvell since Dina can just teleport.

    Because even if I left Dina behind, she can juste teleporting.

    Anyways, it''s toote now and now we have Aries so we can''t even that anymore.

    Yare-yare, why do I always notice things afterwards when it''s toote.

    I really am out of it¡­..

    Well, whatever.

    For now, I think I''ll fiddle with the interior a bit.

    *

    "Haa¡­. Haaa¡­.!"

    At the boot of the Geyr Volcano.

    There, one young boy was dragging his injured body, crawling whilst leaving a trail of blood behind.

    Just 1 hit - as if repelling an annoying bug, he had received that one attack only.

    But even so, he couldn''t even stand up.

    Crawling like an insect in a sorry state, as if desperately running away from an opponent who has long left the scene.

    "Ru, Ruphas Mafaal is¡­. The one and the only devil that person is scared of came back¡­. Ahh, this is a nightmare¡­. Something like this, something like this can''t¡­."

    It was fortunate that he was level 300.

    And because Ruphas had paid no need to him, and only handled with him nomittally, that was the only possible exnation as to the reason he was able to escape with his life.

    Didn''t even consider his existence. Indeed it was a great humiliation.

    Nevertheless, without a doubt, it was his greatest fortune. Because of that, he right now is still alive.

    Although, that fortune didn''tst long.

    " - Oh my. You''re still alive?"

    He heard a chilling cold voice that''s clearly looking down on him.

    Mars with his unresponsive body desperately turned towards the direction of the voice, standing there was one person. The blue haired young girl was standing there.

    Her face could not be seen due to the backlight, her in white dress for some reason seemed like a luxurious dress.

    Is this what you call "grace"?

    Or perhaps it should be called as "presence".

    In any case, this girl possessed something mysterious along those words.

    But that face - no, the outline of the mouth distorted as if drew a half crescent smile, it is full of joy.

    "It''s no good you know. An actor who hadpleted their role must properly exit the stage.

    A piece who had already been defeated can''t reappearter and making measures, no one wants something like that.

    If you finish your role, you leave. That''s the rule of the game."

    "Y, You''re¡­.! What are you exactly¡­."

    A girlughs cutely at a poor clown who had finished ying his role.

    She has no intention to answer the question of the young boy.

    [Pleasant memory for the afterlife], there''s some phrase like that but she is not going to give such a troublesome respectful service like that.

    Just promptly, beautifully.

    Just like weeding out a grass, to just erase this mistake with its death.

    That was inside the girl was just this cruel mentality.

    "Goodbye, Mars. Pitiful, pitiful NPC."

    - a few secondster. The boy no longer existed there.

    He had disappeared without trace as if he had never existed in the first ce, not even a single strand of hair remained.

    And the girl who made such a thing happened, was also nowhere to be found in that ce.

    __

    (Author Note)

    Impression A "If you think in terms of inte games (MMO) Megrez''s word is, begging a retiring high yer for their things"

    Megrez "!?"

    Impression B "Yea really shameless"

    Megrez "!!?"

    Impression C "I can''t believe that Megrez that proudly uses the reason that mankind requires it to promote raiding the tomb of the deceased."

    Megrez "¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­."

    Megrez "£¨*¡ä§¥`£©more, please¡­. Abuse me more, despise me more, please¡­¡­. Only the stabbing, sharp contempt and disdain from the direction of the Supreme Ruler''s supporters let me feel the sin I''vemitted and dims my conscience¡­ haha"

    Ruphas "¡­ urrgg"

    £¨ ¡ä?`£©Good evening everyone. I''m M87 Lightline (£Í£¸£·¹â¾€).

    For now, Aries Arces to a finish here, next we''re entering Libra Arc.

    But because half the stock has been used up, the update from now will slow down, I''m thinking to 2 release per week.

    If you don''t mind this slow release, please continue to support me.

    Well then, let¡¯s meet again next time.

    (Author Note end)

    __

    (TLN: And no, the author''s note doesn''t affect the trantion. The series has already concluded in Japan/raw so I''ll be uploading whenever my trantion is done for the chapter. I hope you won''t mind my irregr release rate)

 Chapter 20

    Several men were traveling along the dark, stone-paved road. Torch in hand, sword at the waist.

    The men behind were equipped with staves or bows. From their orderly movements, it was obvious that they were veterans who overcame a lot of hardships. However, fatigue was evident on the faces of such robust men. Numerous scars were left on their armors. A man in the center, who seemed to be a wizard, was missing an arm.

    It had been hell up until this point. In the past, Ruphas Mafahl mass-produced golems¡ªeach considered to beparable to the Sword Saint of today¡ªfor the final battle. These golems wandered around, attacking them in multiple ambushes.

    Arge party of more than fifty men had now been reduced to merely ten survivors.

    This was the ce where the treasures of the overlord were kept. This was the ck-Winged Royal Tomb, whose soul slept through the ages ording to legends.

    Seeking the hidden treasures, the tomb was infiltrated at times by treasure hunters, invaded at times by tomb robbers, and at times entered by soldiers like these men, who were dispatched in the hope of reversing the dire situation facing the humanoids.

    However, this ce was a merciless hell. Intruders would lose their lives and be ughtered mercilessly. Even if there was only one golem, it would still be a threat. In a head-on battle, they would be instantly killed. Therefore, they avoidedbat and escaped from traps, losingpanions constantly along the way until they reached the top floor.

    "A bit more...A bit more, and we are there!"

    "Ah. Everyone¡¯s sacrifices wouldn¡¯t be in vain...We must bring out the weapons here."

    Honestly, they did not have the strength to challenge this tomb. In this current world, only the Seven Heroes were powerful enough to challenge this tomb. Despite this, they came anyway because they hoped to achieve victory for the humanoids. They sincerely hoped to end the darkness of this world, no matter the sacrifice. This was for the sake of the children and for their families and loved ones.

    These ten men overcame their fear of death, abandoned their self-preservation, and moved forward.

    But reality was unforgiving. The unavoidable, unpassable, and biggest obstacle waited at the top floor.

    "¡ªIntruders confirmed...Warning...Leave this ce in ten seconds. Nonpliance or hostile behavior will be¡ªgak gak¡ªmet with elimination by force."

    The treasury on the top floor was guarded by one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars. As the most powerful golem in history, this merciless guardian was Libra of the Scales.

    Her appearance was that of a lovely girl. A hairband adorned her shoulder-length, light brown hair. Her maid dress was torn and had deteriorated over the years. The girl herself exuded a sense of ageless youth and her eyes were like emotionless ss orbs. Her sleeves were torn, exposing her arms as if to show that she was an inhuman construct. Her stained joints were squeaking and cracked.

    As the men confirmed her identity, they got into position.

    "This is...Libra of the Scales!"

    "Please wait, Twelve Heavenly Stars! We are not here for a fight! Please listen to us!"

    "Starting countdown...ten...nine...eight..."

    "I beg you, please listen! Currently, humanoids are being cornered by demons! To escape this fate, we had toe here!"

    "Seven...six...five..."

    "For the humanoids¡¯ victory! The ck Wings¡¯ legacy here is absolutely necessary!"

    "Four...¡ªStopping countdown. rified intruders¡¯ goals...Acknowledged as foreign enemies after master¡¯s treasures. Elimination condition met..."

    "!!"

    The countdown stopped, but the men realized that did not mean the end of hostility. Instead, the other party had judged that countdown was no longer necessary! Her "elimination condition" had just been met!

    "Wait..."

    "Proceeding with elimination¡ªProgram selection. Brachium, activate!"

    Everything was stained white.

    That was thest sight of the world seen by those men.

    In the end, they vanished from this world without leaving a speck of dust behind.

    ?

    The camping car (Tanaka) traveled for approximately two days, arriving at our second destination¡ªmy tomb. It felt surreal to be visiting my own tomb. If someone was crying before the tomb, I would definitely sing, "I am not there."

    "I think around here would be nice. Tanaka is too conspicuous, so let it stay in the nearby forest."

    "Okay~"

    "I understand."

    "YES, BOSS."

    I told Tanaka, who replied in English for some reason, to stop at the forest and await further orders. Otherwise, this car would automatically follow behind. Then, I alighted along with Dina and Aries, and aimed for the ce where there might be a tomb. I said "aim," but it could already be seen right before us¡ªa huge pyramid.

    I heard about it from Megrez previously, but this was really unnecessarily big. Even with alchemy, it was impressive that a structure of this size was built and still stood unbroken today. Although the Tower of Mafahl would not lose in terms of its ridiculous architecture, only someone like Mizar could have built something like this.

    ...Oh. Actually, both structures belonged to me, although I didn¡¯t know about the tomb previously.

    "Why is there a vige around the tomb?"

    "Oh¡ªWell, this is tourism...Adventurers and treasure hunters gathered here to raid the tomb, so merchants gathered here to make a profit out of them. Poption increased over time, and eventually it became a vige."

    "...My tomb is practically a tourist attraction."

    "It is actually a tourist attraction. The tombs of world famous people usually be tourist attractions inter generations."

    Hearing Dina¡¯s exnation, I helplessly replied with an "Ah". I supposed it was not surprising that my pyramid would be a sightseeing spot in this world.

    Even though I was still here, I had a tomb, and it even became a tourist attraction.

    Ah, this...this was pretty disturbing.

    "Lady Ruphas, leave it to me!"

    "Hm?"

    As I considered this, Aries pounded his chest enthusiastically for some reasons. However, because of his facial features, he looked like a determined maiden instead of a resolved man. This nearly brought on tears.

    "Let me kick these people away! It¡¯s outrageous for them to gather to raid Lady Ruphas¡¯ tomb!"

    As he said so, Aries enveloped his entire body in mes.

    Hey, stop it, you fool! Surely you don¡¯t intend to be a giant sheep here!?

    You are the outrageous one, you stupid sheep!

    "Stop it, Aries. There¡¯s no need for a pointless disturbance."

    "But, but..."

    "There¡¯s no ¡¯but¡¯. Besides, since I¡¯m still here, that cannot be my tomb. I feel bad for the people who built this...but that is merely a structure that I do not know of. It doesn¡¯t matter even if such a ce is raided."

    I had to calm Aries down and avoid causing a disturbance.

    That was dangerous...Despite his appearance, this guy became really reckless when it was something that concerned me. Surely not everyone in the Twelve Heavenly Stars were like this?

    I appreciated the devotion, but this was giving a headache.

    "So...what now, Dina? Should we infiltrate as traveling merchants again?"

    "Of course. Since this is a tourist attraction, it¡¯s not unusual for merchants toe here. Well, you can leave all the negotiations to me."

    Well, this adviser was still reliable as usual. Nothing went wrong so far when I left things to Dina, so let her handle it this time as well. Or rather, if Dina was not here, I would be seriously stuck.

    The first thing I noticed when I entered the vige was temporary shelters like tents deployed everywhere. These probably belonged to merchants or traveling adventurers. There were wooden houses too, which were probably the homes of full-time tomb raiders or people providing service support. Inns and taverns existed as well. The liveliness here did not seem like it was next to a tomb.

    If I was really dead, it would be impossible to rest in peace here.

    "Now then, I will find the agent to acquire a trading permit. Lady Ruphas, you¡ªyeah, that inn looks quite nice. Could you get a room at that inn? I will go there after I¡¯m done."

    Dina ran off without waiting for my reply.

    She sure was energetic. Well, if she was so confident, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    "Ha¡ªDina is amazing."

    "Yes. She¡¯s surprising useful. Why was she so stealthy two hundred years ago though?"

    I wondered what race Dina belonged to. She did not have elven ears, so she couldn¡¯t be an elf. She did not have wings, so she couldn¡¯t be a fl¨¹gel. She had no fangs, so she couldn¡¯t be a vampire. Since she remained youthful after two hundred years, she couldn¡¯t be a human, dwarf, hobbit, or beastman.

    She also could not be a demon due to her skin color.

    Then again, there were many ways to conceal one¡¯s features, such as how I hid my wings. Therefore, I shouldn¡¯t judge only by appearance. Currently, her most likely race would be an elf with her ears concealed. If she was a fl¨¹gel, she would be disgusted by my ck wings. If she was a vampire, she couldn¡¯t walk around in daylight.

    But this begged the question, "Why did she conceal her features in the first ce?"

    ¡ª...Well, whatever.

    There was no doubt that she was helping me, whatever she might be.

    This was simply unjustified suspicion.

    "Let¡¯s go to that inn Dina mentioned. I hope there are vacant rooms."

    Ideally, there were three vacant rooms. Firstly, I was mentally male, so I couldn¡¯t stay with Dina. But since my body was female, the same would be true with Aries. Likewise, Aries couldn¡¯t stay with Dina due to their different genders. Therefore, the ideal would be to have three rooms.

    As I pondered this, I opened the inn¡¯s door and entered. There were four men, who appeared to be adventurers, talking with another man, who appeared to be the innkeeper. Upon seeing me and Aries, the innkeeper jumped over the counter and came forward.

    "Oh, wee,dies! I¡¯m honored to be visited by such beauties! If you want rooms, they are avable and are very cheap!"

    "Eh? But, uncle...currently, we have room reservations..."

    "Later!"

    This innkeeper seemed like someone who stayed true to his desires. He was truly "manly" in the sense of ignoring the customers who came first in order to prioritize us. Well, this must be what was meant by "beauty always wins." When you actually experienced it yourself, it was somewhat ufortable.

    "Well, cheap is good. Innkeeper, do you have three rooms?"

    "Three rooms...Aren¡¯t there only two of you?"

    "There will be one moreingter."

    "I see...Of course, there are!"

    Oh, there were vacant rooms? That would be nice.

    As I thought so, the four adventurers yelled angrily, "Hey!"

    "Hey, uncle! There are only three vacant rooms now, right? If you let her have three rooms, what about us!?"

    "Lady first. Give up."

    "You bastard!?"

    "Between four men who dyed payment and a beautiful woman, anyone would choose thetter. I¡¯m no different. me yourselves for dying payment."

    "Like I said, we already paid!"

    Anyway, I finally understood the situation as I looked on the men who were still arguing. These adventurers frequently dyed payments, and were about to reserve the rooms again after paying.

    At that moment, Aries and I arrived, so that uncle prioritized us.

    It wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t understand their feelings. After all, I used to be a man. Even now, I intended to remain male mentally, so I could understand them. However, the order was important. Since they came first, they should get priority.

    Then, what would be a good solution...

    ...Well, it wasn¡¯t like there were none.

    "Innkeeper, do you have a moment?"

    "Oh,dy. Please wait a while. I will drive them away now."

    "Concerning this matter, I feel bad about depriving the people who came first. Since it couldn¡¯t be helped, we will take only two rooms. How about this?"

    It couldn¡¯t be helped that it became like this. Since there were two rooms, Dina would get one, while Aries and I would stay in the other. Aries probably wouldn¡¯t assault me and probably wouldn¡¯t get in heat. Although it was not ideal, it should still be the better choice.

    ...I hoped Dina wouldn¡¯tinter about being left alone.

    ?

    In a room that could not be described as wide.

    People were sitting by a seven-sided table inside. The seven sides symbolized the main elements of this world¡ªfire, water, wood, metal, earth, sun, and moon. Only demonicmanders, who were given titles of the associated element, were allowed to sit there.

    There should have been seven people, but only six were there now. The one who should have been sitting at the Seat of Fire was absent.

    "...What happened to Mars?"

    The man at the Seat of Wood said with dissatisfaction.

    They were usually at odds with each other. Despite beingrades sitting together, there was no trust between them. Each individual was plotting to kick someone else. Since the remaining others became deterrents, nobody could anything.

    Under such unstable equilibrium, the Seven Luminaries were formed.

    Now, he was anxious that they were still waiting for the one who was supposed to their equal.

    "Who knows? He¡¯s probably dead, right? The monsters following him were gone. Aries was also gone. I doubt he is still alive."

    The woman at the Seat of Earth said happily. There was nomentation or indignation in her voice regarding the possibility that herrade died. Instead, there was delight as if saying, "It¡¯s better if he¡¯s gone."

    "Was he killed by Megrez...or attacked by Aries? In any case, it became like this because he tried to manipte the Twelve Stars without understanding his own capabilities."

    "Ha! He is the weakest among the Seven Luminaries. It is a disgrace to all demons for him to be killed by the Twelve Stars."

    "Hey, stop it, idiot. That line is somewhat tasteless."

    The man at the Seat of Water spected about the cause of death, while the ominous woman entitled "Gold" made a joke as if she was waiting for the opening. The man at the Seat of Moon quickly stopped her.

    "Anyway...Mars was probably killed by someone. Aries of the Twelve Stars also disappeared...This is a very serious situation."

    Finally, the male leader entitled "Sun" spoke softly and looked at the others. He was not angry at the death of Mars, but if there was someone who could defeat one of the Seven Luminaries, the matter could not be overlooked. If it was the Twelve Stars or Seven Heroes, it might still be eptable. But what if it was someone else?

    ...That would be a threat that could not be disregarded.

    "Venus, you should be in Svalinn then. Did you see the killer?"

    "Of course."

    "Oh. Who was it?"

    "I don¡¯t know. I felt that I would be killed if I came too close. However, I remember she has beautiful ck wings¡ªIt was a female gorgeous enough to mesmerize onlookers."

    Regarding the Man of Sun¡¯s question, the woman named Venus smiled pleasantly, while the surrounding people were far from smiling.

    A beautiful, ck-winged female who could kill the Seven Luminaries.

    There was nobody here that wouldn¡¯t think of "her" upon hearing those words.

    But...but it was impossible. She should have died two hundred years ago.

    "Could it be Ruphas Mafahl...!? Is she still alive!?"

    "Impossible! She should have been killed by the humanoids two hundred years ago!"

    Ruphas Mafahl.

    That was a name more frightening to the demons than "Hero".

    That was a tyrant who dominated the entire world and sessfully unified the humanoids.

    Her fighting ability was greater than those ofparable heroes and was considered among the best in the world. More importantly, her existence embodied fear itself. It didn¡¯t whether one was hostile or not, whether one was a demon or not, she would kill everyone.

    As if to crush the enemies¡¯ fighting spirits, she impaled their heads on spears and exposed them to the sky. Begging for mercy was useless. Combatants who pleaded "Please spare me for the sake of my family" had their skulls crushed under her feet. She caught fleeing enemies by their heads and pulled them out along with the spinal cords. She crushed absurdities with extreme absurdity and shattered unreasonableness with extreme unreasonableness. She dismembered invaders into eight pieces. She was the invader of all invaders.

    ¡ªThe ck-winged angel was a terrifying nightmare to demons.

    Everyone was afraid ofing into contact with her. There would be no escape and no help forting. If anyone encountered her, it would mean the end of his life. There were no exception. There were no demon who survived entering her line of sight.

    Fortunately, Ruphas¡¯ extreme cruelty provoked the fear and bacsh of her fellow humanoids. She was eventually put to an end by the heroes, but she already ughtered countless demons by then.

    If she was still alive, the situation between demons and humanoids might reverse itself. The possibility that this fear-incarnate might still be alive made the ce turbulent.

    "The ck-winged queen, the only one whom the Demon King would avoid a direct battle...If she is still alive, we should be discussing about the crisis facing the demons instead of the Seven Heroes. Venus, do you know her current whereabouts?"

    "Yes, she is currently at the ck-Winged Royal Tomb."

    "Good. You continue to monitor her. Report to me immediately as soon as you find anything."

    "Certainly."

    The girl, who was entitled "Metal", acknowledged the order from the leader of the Seven Luminaries with a single word.

    Illuminated by the light shining in from the windows, her respectful bow somehow seemed like an act¡ª

    ¡ªAnd her smile seemed to ridicule everything.

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes: ck-Winged Royal Tomb</h4>

    Known as the most difficult dungeon in the world, this pyramid has one hundred and eight floors. It is imprable from the outside. Golems, mass-produced by Ruphas Mafahl two hundred years ago, patrol the interior. Even the weakest one is as strong as the Sword Saint.

    The number of golems increased as one ascended the floors. Frequently, Level 300-400 golems appear in groups. A Level 600 gatekeeper stands before the stairs leading to the 107th floor. After defeating (or avoiding) it and somehow reaching the top floor, Level 910 Libra of the Scales awaits. A defense-ignoring attack with fixed damage will be initiated.

    No matter how you struggle, it will be game over.

    Light Novel Vol.2 Cover

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    <b>"I am not there"</b> is derived from "Do not stand at my grave and weep / I am not there. I do not sleep.", which are the opening lines of the poem Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep by Mary Elizabeth Frye. The poem was tranted into Japanese andposed into a song called Ç§¤ÎïL¤Ë¤Ê¤Ã¤Æ ("Be a thousand winds") by Man Arai.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

    ? ? ? ?

 Chapter 20 (2)

    Chapter link: (19/10/2015)

    Trantion: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (23-11-2018) + Mabo

    Trantion link:

    __

    Update 1: So I''ve been made aware in thement section that there is another group tranting this series. I was not aware of this until thest chapter because I had only checked the Novelupdates website''s list, but it turns out the group just simply wasn''t adding their trantion to the website themselves. Now that I have found out this information, I am lost as to what I should do. The other group is few chapters ahead of me, and I don¡¯t know if there''s really any point in multiple groups tranting the same few chapters.

    TL Disimer: I have no experience in tranting anything, nor am I great at either English or Japanese. This is not machine tranted but Japanese to English dictionary is asionally used for words I am not sure about. I will not be able to fully trante the author''s jokes, puns or ngs if there are any. I will try to stick with literal trantion where possible in the context. If there is anything I don''t understand I will leave it in a bracket (x).

    If there is an error in the trantion, website, sentence structure or format please let me know in thements below or DM me on the and I will try my best to fix them. Any constructive feedback is appreciated.

    Special thanks to Mabo @maboandgibo.wordpress in providing with his draft trantion for Chapter 19 and 20. I was able topare and match with the way he wrote it and it really saved me time. Please give him support at RTD.moe

    __

    (Author Note)

    ** I inserted a character introduction on the 20<sup>th</sup> chapter.

    ** I changed the colour of Libra''s hair

    \If you seek for the treasureid beyond this point then you shall do so only after defeating me/

    (Author Note End)

    __

    Several men were advancing through a road made out of dark stone pavement.

    In their hand, a touch, on their waist, a sword.

    The men following at the back of the group held staffs or bow and arrow, the way of movement with not a single disorder or unrest suggested these men were a group of veteran warriors who had survived through countless hardships.

    Notwithstanding, on the faces of these strong, sturdy men were a fatigue and wariness that could not be hidden.

    The armours were carved with numerous battle scars, and if you looked closely, the wizard looking man walking in the middle was missing one of his arms.

    To even get here, was truly a hell in itself.

    What Ruphas Mafaal had mass produced in the past in preparation for the final battle - for the current world seemed like a group of individually invincible Sword Saints - a mass produced golems roaming around them, along with many, many trapsid down to attack all those men.

    Now, all that''s survived through is mere 10 men, from the originalrge toon of 50 personnel.

    This is the soil that held the treasure of the Supreme Ruler, a ce said to hold its sleeping soul, [The Royal Tomb of ck Wings].

    Seeking the treasures sleeping within these soil, at times, hunters will dive in, in other times, tomb raiders will wander in, and at asions, even warriors like these men seeking salvation for the mankind are dispatched in.

    But this ce is heartless, a ce of hell.

    Every intruder is mercilessly killed, and their lives plucked away.

    <i>Even a single golem is a threat. If we decide to fight head-on, we will be killed in no time.</i>

    As such, we avoided the fights, went around the traps, and even as we lose ourrades, we push on and finally reached the top floor.

    "Just a little bit more¡­. We''ll reach there in just a little bit!"

    "Yeah, we can''t let everyone''s sacrifice be in vain¡­. We''ll definitely bring home the weapons from here."

    In terms of actual ability, these men are by no mean qualified to challenge this tomb.

    No that''s not right, currently, in this world, the only ones with enough ability to challenge this tomb are [The Seven Heroes].

    Even with that, the only reason they managed to reach here is due to the hope they have for mankind''s victory.

    Because they''re sincerely hoping to end this dark world from the bottom of their heart, no matter the sacrifice they''re required to give.

    Everything is for their children who will live onto the next generation.

    For their beloved family.

    The conviction of the 10 men transcended beyond their fear of death,pletely throwing away even their self-preservation just to take another step forward.

    But it was unsympathetic, heartless.

    Something you could not avoid no matter what, the biggest obstacle, that, was what awaited them on the top floor.

    " - Intruders confirmed ¡­.. Warning ¡­ I rmend leaving this ce within 10 seconds.

    If you do not oBey this warning, or shOw hostile behaviour, I wiLILI - UsSeE F¡ªOoRrrCCe AnD, eliminate you."

    The one who guards the Ruler''s treasure on the top floor, <i>that</i>, is one of the pirs of 12 Heavenly Stars.

    Strongest golem ever in existence, a gatekeeper renounced for being heartless, Libra of [The Bnce].

    And its outer appearance, a lovely young girl.

    A light brown hair which reached her shoulders and an Alice band on top, wearing tattered maid clothes which had already deteriorated from the passage of time.

    However, the girl who wore it still retained her youthful appearance as if she did not feel that very passage of time, but her eyes were very much like a light bulb, it contained no emotion.

    The ripped sleaves exposed her arms as if to clearly show that she was inanimate, and the arm themselves had fine cracks within it.

    Upon seeing and confirming from that appearance, the men prepared themselves to engage at once.

    "This is¡­ Libra of the Scale!"

    "Please wait, 12 Heavenly Stars! We didn''te here to fight!

    Please listen to what we have to say!"

    "Countdownmencing¡­ 10¡­ 9¡­ 8¡­"

    "Please, please listen to us! Right now, mankind is being cornered by the demon race!

    To escape this predicament, we really had no other choice but toe here!"

    "7¡­ 6¡­ 5¡­"

    "For the mankind! We absolutely require the ck Wing''s inheritance!"

    "4¡­ ¨C. Countdown discontinued. Invaders'' intention ascertained¡­

    Recognising as a foreign enemy after the MAsTeR''s possession. The condition for elimination has been met¡­"

    "!!"

    Countdown used for the purpose of warning people had stopped, however, the group of men soon realised it did not by any mean equate to disengagement from battle.

    The stopping of countdown only meant that it had deemed it unnecessary to continue.

    The men had identally fulfilled what she stated it to be the [Condition for Elimination]!

    "Wai¡­."

    "Eliminating - Program * Selection.

    Brachium Activated!"

    Everything was stained with white.

    This was what the men saw, serving as the veryst scene of their life.

    With this as the end - the men left this world, erased without being able to leave a single speck of dust behind.

    *

    Approximately 2 days after running with the camping car.

    We have finally arrived at "my tomb", our next destination.

    <i>To be paying a visit to my own tomb, it truly is a "surreal" experience.</i>

    <i>Or rather, I''m not even buried there so it''s not even really a tomb is it.</i>

    <i>If there''s anyone crying in front of the tomb I''m really tempted to sing [I''m not in there].</i>

    "For now, this ce should be enough. Tanaka is quite conspicuous after all, so let''s just leave it in this forest.

    "Okaayyy"

    "Understood"

    "YES, BOSS"

    I casually ordered Tanaka who answered horizontally to stop and wait in the forest.

    (TLN: So¡­ in formal writing, Japanese is written vertically going from right to left. Horizontal signifies a foreign/westernnguage in Japanese, although the raw didn''t specifically state English in the current line, others'' replies were written in Japanese, whereas Tanaka''s was literally "YES, BOSS" in the raw)

    If I don''t make such an order, this car will automatically decide to follow on its own ord.

    Taking Dina and Aries we get out of the vehicle and head towards the ce with the so-called tomb.

    Though by "head towards", we can actually already see it right in front of our eyes. It''s a gigantic pyramid.

    Although I was informed by Megrez that it was big, it really is unnecessarily big.

    Even if you say that there''s alchemy involved, to just build something of that size and yet still hold up until this day is quite amazing.

    <i>If it''s just the unreasonableness or the excessiveness, Mafaal tower doesn''t lose out against it, but, the only person who would be able to make something this ridiculous can only be Mizaal.</i>

    <i>¡­ Oh, if I think about it properly, both building is mine. Not that I can recall about this tomb.</i>

    "When all is said and done. Why the hell is there a town surrounding my tomb?"

    "Err¡­. Well, it''s something like a tourist industry¡­¡­ It started with the hunters and adventurers who wanted to raid this tomb, but soon merchants saw their chance to profit off of that and started gathering, then, apparently people just gradually started trickling in and, eventually over time, before people realised, it had turned into something like a town."

    "¡­.. So my tomb essentially turned into something like a tourist attraction."

    "It literally is a ''tourist attraction''. It''s normal for a tomb of a world famous person to be a tourist attraction inter generations you know."

    To Dina''s exnation, I muttered out "Ahh" quite helplessly.

    Now that I''ve been told, even back in the world I used to be in, Pyramid had turned into a tourist attraction, and as such it wasn''t all that surprising.

    <i></i>

    <i>Even though I''m still here, for my tomb to exist and for it to have turned into a tourist spot.</i>

    <i>You know, how do I put it¡­. It''s kinda weird and disturbing, isn''t it?</i>

    "Ruphas-sama, please leave it to me!"

    "Nn?"

    As I was thinking such a thing, for some reason Aries enthusiastically pounded his chest with vigorous facial expression.

    Unfortunately, because of the face that he had, he looked more like a young maiden giving her best than an act of man.

    "I''ll scatter these fools away!

    It''s outrageous that they''re gathering to raid Ruphas-sama''s tomb!"

    After saying that, Aries''s entire body became enveloped in mes.

    <i></i>

    <i>Oi stop it you idiot, are you nning to turn into a giant sheep here!?</i>

    <i>The outrageous one is you, you dumb sheep!</i>

    "Hold it Aries. You don''t have to make an unnecessary disturbance."

    "B, But¡­."

    "There''s no "but". To begin with, the moment I''m here means it''s not even my tomb or anything.

    I''m sorry for the people who had built it for me but¡­ that''s an infrastructure that''s unrted to me.

    I don''t think anything of it even if such a ce is raided."

    To prevent a turmoil from happening, I tried to calm down Aries first.

    That was dangerous¡­ Despite how he looks, when I''m involved, he can be explosive quite easily.

    Perhaps the entire 12 Heavenly Stars are filled with guys like this?

    It''s great that they''re being loyal and all but, this is bing a bit of a headache.

    "So, anyways¡­. What now Dina?

    Are we going to pretend to be a travelling merchant as before to sneak in?"

    "Of course. This ce is a famous tourist destination, there''s absolutely no issue for travelling merchants to wander in.

    Anyways, please leave all the negotiation to this Dina."

    Fumu, this advisor is as reliable as ever.

    Considering there had been no problem after leaving the matters to Dina until now I think I''ll leave things to Dina this time as well.

    Or more like, if Dina wasn''t here, wouldn''t I really have been stumped?

    After entering the town, the first thing Iid my eyes on was a whole bunch of temporary shelters made out from the deployed tents.

    Those are most likely merchants or travelling adventurers.

    On the other hand, I also see wooden houses, which I would say are for those people that had settled down to give their all to conquer or to support the raiders of the tomb.

    I also see inns and restaurants, creating a liveliness that was unthinkable that it was actually this close to a tomb.

    "Well then, I''m going to go seek the person in charge to gain a permission to trade. Ruphas-sama and co should¡­ hmm, that inn over there has a good looking atmosphere. Would you be able to get a room in that inn? I''ll also head there once I finish the negotiation."

    After saying that, Dina dashed away without waiting for my reply.

    Truly an "aggressive" personality she has.

    Well anyways, if she''s that confident, there shouldn''t be any problem.

    "Haa-, Dina''s quite amazing."

    "Fumu, she''s useful to a surprising degree. I wonder why she was so stealthy 200 years ago."

    Although it''s a bitte for it, I wonder what Dina''s race is.

    She doesn''t have elven ears so doesn''t seem to be an elf, she doesn''t possess wings so she can''t be an Angel race. There''s also no fangs so she can''t be a vampire.

    But there''s no such thing as a human, dwarf, hobbit or beast race that can remain youthful after 200 years.

    From the colour of the skin, she doesn''t seem to be a demon race either.

    Then again, just like how I''m currently hiding my wings, she could have easily falsified her features using many different methods, so I can''t exactly make a determination by the looks alone.

    The most likely possibility right now is that she is an elf hiding her ear.

    If she was an Angel race, she should be disgusted by my wings, and if she was a vampire race, she wouldn''t be able to move around in daylight.

    And if that is the case, there''s a question as to why she''s concealing her features in the first ce.

    ¡ª¡­¡­ oh well, who cares.

    Whatever race she may be, it doesn''t change the fact that she''s been helping me around.

    I guess this is what you call an unjustified suspicion or distrust.

    "Let''s go to the inn Dina suggested for now. It''ll be nice if there are some vacant room."

    Ideally, it''ll be nice if there are 3 vacant rooms.

    Firstly, since I''m mentally male, I can''t be in the same room as Dina.

    Having said that, since I''m physically female, I can''t be in the same room as Aries either.

    Aries and Dina is also different gender, thus impossible for them to be in the same room.

    As such, having 3 vacant rooms is ideal.

    I opened the door to the inn as I was thinking about it and entered inside.

    Inside, there were 4 men, seeming an adventurer, and an innkeeper who was talking to them.

    After seeing me and Aries, as if sticking his body was an arrow shot from a bow, the innkeeper jumped over the counter and ran over to us.

    "Ohh, weedies, niceing here!

    I feel lucky that a bombshell-san like you came. If it''s a room you want, it''s avable and it''s cheap!"

    "Eh? Hey, uncle-san. We just made a room reservation¡­."

    "Later ok!"

    It looks like this innkeeper is true to his desires.

    In a sense, how man-like of him to prioritise us whilst ignoring honest prior customers.

    Uum, this is what you call [Beauty always has an advantage].

    Now that I''ve experience it myself, it brings about quite a creepy feeling.

    "Umu, I''m thankful that it''s cheap. Mr innkeeper, do you have 3 vacant rooms?"

    "3 rooms¡­ It looks like there are only 2 people though?"

    "There''ll be another person that''sing in afterwards."

    "I see¡­. Of course, it''s vacant and avable!"

    Oh, it''s vacant and avable. How nice.

    I could only think that way for a brief moment before the four adventurers angrily cried out "HEY!".

    "Oi uncle! Didn''t you just say there''re only 3 empty rooms!

    If you lend thedy 3 rooms what are you going to do about us!?"

    "It''s Lady''s first. Just give up."

    "Ya bastard!?"

    "Between 4 filthy men whose first ss at dying payment against a beauty, anyone will choose thetter, including me.

    If you want to me someone, me yourself for always dying on payment and putting in on tabs."

    "Hey, we''ve paid that already!"

    Looking at the men making the fuss, I think I''ve started to figure out what was going on.

    In summary, the adventurers were serial payment "overduers" or "tabbers", and after paying thest portion wanted to reserve the ce again.

    It was then, me and Aries had arrived, and the uncle had decided to prioritise us against them.

    It''s not that I can''t understand him.

    Or rather, until a while ago I was a man, and even now my mentality is that of a man, thus I understand him quite well.

    But, the order is important. Since they had arrived first, they should receive the priority.

    So, is there any good solution¡­¡­..

    ¡­ well, it''s not like there isn''t any.

    "Innkeeper, do you have a moment?"

    "Oh, heydy. Gimme a bit k, I''ll chase these guys out for ya now."

    "About that but, I don''t feel too good about "chasing out" the people that were here before us.

    So regarding that. Since it can''t be helped, we''ll only take 2 rooms, how about it?"

    Since it hade to this, it couldn''t be helped.

    We''ll make it so that lend 2 rooms, we''ll give 1 room to Dina and Aries and I can share a room.

    Such a thing as Aries assaulting me shouldn''t happen, and he probably wouldn''t even have a sexual desire against me at all.

    It isn''t the "best", but this should be a "better" choice.

    ¡­¡­ I feel like Dina willin about being left alone though.

    *

    A room that could not be a said to be wide by any mean.

    In the room, there was a 7 sided table, and in front of it sat people that were not human.

    The 7 sides symbolised the elements that could be said to make up this world; Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, Earth, Sun, and Moon. And only the demon racemanders with the associated title could be allowed to sit upon them.

    However, what should normally be 7 people present, only 6 were here in this ce, missing an individual who should have been sitting in the ce for [Fire].

    "¡­¡­ What happened to Mars?"

    A man who was sitting on [Wood] leaked those words with displeasure.

    They were equal in position, yet opposed each other.

    Although they sat in the same position and wererades with each other, there was no such thing as trust or respect, everyone was only thinking about plotting how to kick someone down.

    "Who knows, he''s probably dead, don''t you think?

    The monsters under his control disappeared and Aries is also gone.

    It''s hard to believe he''s still alive."

    The women sitting on the [Earth] seat happily spoke.

    Although theirrade could be dead, there was no sorrow or anger in that voice.

    If anything, it was seeping with joy portraying [Good work for disappearing].

    "Defeated by Megrez or¡­. Perhaps betrayed by Aries?

    Either way, something like this happened because without even knowing his own capability, he tried to manipte the 12 Heavenly Stars."

    "Whatever, even within 7 Luminaries, he was the weakest. It''s a disgrace for the demon race to be killed by the 12 Heavenly Stars."

    "Hey stop it, idiot. That remark is somewhat excessive."

    A man sitting in the seat of [Water] made a prediction on the cause of death, and as if waiting for the moment the woman sitting in the seat of [Metal] made a sinister joke.

    And the one that rushed in to stop it was the man sitting in the seat of [Moon].

    "Either way, the truth is¡­. Mars was likely killed by someone.

    And on top of that, even Aries of the 12 Heavenly Stars disappeared¡­. This is a serious situation."

    Finally, likely the leader of the bunch, a man sitting in the element of [Sun] quietly said as such, then looked around at everyone.

    There''s no resentment for Mars death sote in the hour.

    Nevertheless, if there existed someone with the ability to kill one of the 7 Luminaries, it''s a grave situation that could not be ignored.

    If it was one of the 12 Heavenly Stars or the 7 Heroes, then it was still fine.

    But, what if it was the work of someone else?

    ¡­. That would be a threat that could not be ignored.

    "Venus. If I recall correctly, you should have been close to Suvell.

    Did you not see who killed him?"

    "Of course I saw it."

    "Hou? And who was it?"

    "I don''t know who it is. If I got too close I was afraid I would also be killed.

    But, I remember she rocked beautiful ck wings - a captivating to look at, it was a beautiful woman."

    Answering the man sitting at the [Sun] with a cute smile, the woman called Venusughed with joy, but others in the surrounding were not in a situation to do so.

    A beautiful woman with ck wings that can kill off 7 Luminaries.

    Upon hearing those words, there was no one that didn''t think about [her], not from those that existed here.

    But¡­. But, it was impossible.

    She should have died 200 years ago. That should have been the case.

    "Could it be Ruphas Mafaal¡­.!? Sh, She was still alive!"

    "Don''t be stupid! She should have been killed by the human 200 years ago!"

    Ruphas Mafaal.

    For the demon race, that was a name scarier than the heroes themselves.

    In the past, she had the entire world under her control, The Supreme Ruler who had almost unified the mankind.

    Herbat ability had rivalled the entire Heroes roster, an existence who stood at the very top.

    And above all else, her very existence was a personification of fear itself.

    It was not a question of whether to fight against her or not, as long it was a demon race, all were ughtered.

    As if to dampen the spirit or morale, she would cut off the head, impale it onto the spears and publicly exposed them in the open.

    There was no meaning in begging for mercy. She once crushed under her feet the skull of the warrior who pleaded to let him go because he had a family.

    Grabbing the head of the enemy who tried to run away, then pulling it apart along with spinal cord.

    The existence of pure unreasonableness who crushed and destroyed the other unreasonable beings.

    She even dismembered the invader into 8 pieces, she was the invader for the invaders.

    ¡ª This dark angel was an absolutely terrifying existence for the demon race.

    Everyone feared in encountering with her.

    You could not run away, and you could not be saved.

    If you happen to meet upon her, it signified the end of your life.

    There was no exception, there existed none amongst the demon race who had entered her into her peripheral and lived to tell the tale.

    Fortunately, the acts of Ruphas was thought to be so cruel that even mankind started fearing and rebelling against her. Eventually, the group of heroes betrayed her and she was taken down, but the number of demon race ughtered until that point was too many to count.

    If in fact, she was is alive right now, it is possible the military might and the situation between the demon race and mankind could reverse.

    The possibility that the personification of fear may be alive caused disorder in that ce.

    "The one and only ck Winged Ruler that the Demon King-sama avoided a direct battle with, huh¡­.

    If she''s still alive, it''s a crisis thatpletely overshadows the 7 heroes.

    Venus, do you know the whereabouts of that person after that?"

    "Yes. Currently, she''s at the [The Royal Tomb of ck Wings]."

    "Good. Then you are to continue monitoring her. The moment you figure out something,e to make a report to me."

    "Understood."

    After receiving the order from the leader of the 7 Luminaries, the girl who bore the title of [Metal] acknowledged her understanding without any wasted words.

    A light from the window illuminated her, that appearance where she made bowed a little seemed like a y ¨C.

    - and with that smile, it was as if she was mocking everything.

    __

    (Author Note)

    [The Royal Tomb of ck Wings]

    Amongst the ones currently in existence, it is the dungeon known to be the highest difficulty.

    A pyramid totalling at 108 floors, and a structure that doesn''t make a dent however you much you attack from the outside.

    Inside, there are a countless number of Ruphas Mafaal''s mass-produced golems from 200 years ago, even the weakest of which rivals the strength of a Sword Saint.

    As you go up the floors the quality of the golem rose, the level casually rising from 300 to 400, golems starting to work in groups then function together in orderly troops, and by the time you got to floor 107, there is a level 600 gatekeeper waiting guarding the stairs.

    And passing (or more truthfully, avoiding) that, you reach the entrance to the top floor. A ce where the level 910, Libra of the Scale is awaiting with the Area of Effect, Defence prating t rate damage.

    However you struggled, it was game over.

    (Author Note End)

    __

    (TLN: You can think of the 7 elements as are pretty much the 5 basis elements from China and the Ying and Yang. And in Japanese it also has a corresponding day of the Week and an associated, though the names may not necessarily match up *does this count as a spoiler¡­?*

    7 Luminaries is written as 7ê×

    Moon ¨C Yin ¨C Monday ¨C ÔÂê×ÈÕ ¨C The Moon

    Fire ¨C Tuesday ¨C »ðê×ÈÕ ¨C Mars

    Water ¨C Wednesday ¨C Ë®ê×ÈÕ ¨C Mercury

    Wood ¨C Thursday ¨C Ä¾ê×ÈÕ ¨C Jupiter

    Metal ¨C Friday ¨C ½ðê×ÈÕ ¨C Venus

    Earth ¨C Saturday ¨C ÍÁê×ÈÕ ¨C Saturn

    Sun ¨C Yang ¨C Sunday ¨C ÈÕê×ÈÕ ¨C The Sun

    TLN end)

 Chapter 21

    I received the keys to the two rooms and entered one of them.

    Aries and I were in Room 202, while Dina¡¯s room was Room 204. The room in between, Room 203, was upied by the adventurers from before, so we were somewhat separated from Dina.

    The room itself was...well, not bad. The wooden room was fairly wide, and the beds were solidly built. There was a bathroom too. There was nothing for me to pick on. No. Actually, it was not umon to find inns without baths in this world. This was only natural in the game world. I was impressed by the advancements made in thest two hundred years.

    The cost of lodging was also cheap, merely thirty ell. Ny ell for three persons was such a reasonable price. Dina had a good eye for selecting this inn with just a nce.

    "Well, let¡¯s wait for Dina."

    "Yes, Lady Ruphas!"

    Although we waited for Dina, thetter probably wouldn¡¯t have much opportunity for action. Everyone other than me would die when facing Libra.

    Although Aries was one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars like Libra, theirpatibility was the worst. Aries specialized in endurance battle using his abundant skills, but Libra specialized in annihting the target with maximum prating damage upon initial contact. Therefore, unless his HP exceeded 100,000, he would die instantly without question.

    After the target took on that attack, Libra had no way to heal herself, so she was the easiest to defeat among the Twelve Heavenly Stars. However, that attack was simply too violent. I finally recruited Aries, but unfortunately, he had to stay behind when fighting Libra.

    "Aries. Do you know what the other Twelve Heavenly Stars are doing?"

    "Well, yes...I was concentrating on destroying Svalinn, so I¡¯m not sure about the details. But...I was invited by Aigokeros the Goat to go with him to the demons¡¯ir, so Aigokeros should be supporting the demons."

    Aigokeros...His race was lord demon¡ªwhat was this?¡ªthat appeared like the devil.

    Goat and sheep...He waspletely unlike Aries. He had the body of a man and the head of a goat. Bat wings sprouted from his back. This was the ssic image of the devil.

    Well, frankly speaking...He was someone who had no difort consorting with the demons. Or rather, he was more demonic than the demons themselves.

    "Hmm...who else?"

    "Who else...I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know."

    "I see, so the Twelve Heavenly Stars are notpletely aware of each other¡¯s movements."

    I thought I could find the others after finding onerade, but it seemed to be impossible. For now, I could only depend on Dina¡¯s information. Until she returned, I could just rx.

    ¡ªAs I thought so, there was a knock on the door.

    "Ah, I can open it, right?"

    "Yes."

    Aries took the initiative and opened the door. It wasn¡¯t Dina standing there, but the four adventurers who were arguing with the innkeeper earlier. Today was definitely the first time we met them, so what could they want? They did not seem hostile. Since Aries was at a loss for words, I came over to the door.

    "I remember you are the four people who argued with the innkeeper earlier. What is it?"

    "Ah, we just want to thank you. Thanks to you, we do not have camp outside."

    The reply was made by a brown-haired man, who probably was the leader. Short, trimmed hair stood on ends. One could tell with a nce that this was a man who trained his body well. His sharp eyes were reminiscent of a carnivorous beast and were filled with brimming confidence.

    "Oh, is that all? I don¡¯t mind such things. You are really one who sticks to the rules."

    "Even if you do not mind, we do. We will return our gratitude. This is our way."

    His thug-like appearance did not match his sincere, honest personality. Considering the increasing number of modern people who would not even give thanks, anyone would wish a young man like him to stay this way. By the way, I should emte that too.

    "We will be staying in this vige for some time. Please rely on us for anything you need. Well, then."

    The adventurers left after saying this. It seemed they really came to thank us. Dina showed up to rece them and entered the room.

    "I¡¯m back!"

    "Oh, you are back. How is it?"

    "Sess. I got the permit to explore the royal tomb. By the way, who are those adventurers I just passed by?"

    "Just some rule-abiding adventurers."

    Dina¡¯s return signified we could openly enter the tomb in the name of exploration. Exploring your own tomb should be a valuable experience. Let us rx for today, and plunge into things tomorrow.

    ?

    "¡ªGet in."

    "Can¡¯t."

    The second day, we stalled in front of the tomb. A lot of people were crowding at the gate, so it was impossible to move forward. They were arguing about something, while blocking the entrance. Honestly, this was very annoying.

    "Ah, I¡¯m sorry. Did something happen?"

    Dina came close to a man and asked. Brown hair that stood on ends, and a muscr body...Oh. This guy was the adventurer from yesterday?

    He confirmed our appearances, and said, "Oh."

    "You are also here to investigate the ruins? Ah, this blue-haired sister is thepanion you mentioned yesterday?"

    "Yes. I¡¯m the traveling merchant, Dina. So what happened here?"

    The adventurers considered her question and frowned. It seemed to be bad news.

    "Ah. A special investigation team was dispatched from L?vateinn two months ago. However, today¡¯s regr contact has not been made. They were near the top floor yesterday. Everyone is happy about the progress, but..."

    "Maybe they are just a littlete?"

    "At first, everyone thought that too, but it has been five hours. It¡¯s too strange that they did not send anymunication magic after so long."

    Hearing the adventurer¡¯s reply, Dina looked over to Aries and I. We nodded silently and moved away from the crowd into the nearby shadows.

    "What do you think, Lady Ruphas?"

    "They probably got hit by Libra. She¡¯s definitely on the top floor."

    "I think so too. They probably got hit by Brachium upon reaching the top floor."

    The investigation team that lost contact must have consisted of talented individuals. I did not know the difficulty level of the tomb, but it should not be too easy by today¡¯s standards. However, it was unfortunate that they were skillful enough to get to the top floor. An encounter with Libra meant inevitable death for people of this era. I was sorry to say that their efforts were in vain, but as long as Libra guarded the top floor, there was no chance of victory.

    But there was a weakness.

    Brachium could not be fired in rapid session. If they sacrificed someone at the start to waste the shot, the remaining members could challenge her with Brachium sealed off.

    But they did not know this. If they were all wiped out at the start, nobody would discover this weakness of not being able to fire repeatedly. If they survived all the way to the top floor, it was only natural to challenge Libra, thest guardian, with all their strength. Dead men tell no tales¡ªThey could not pass on any information since they were all dead.

    This weakness was known only to Mizar and I. Nobody else knew about it. I only came to this world a few days ago, while Mizar had already passed on. The Twelve Heavenly Stars might know this too, but they would not pass this information on to the humanoids.

    Thus, nobody knew about Libra¡¯s weakness, and the mountain of sacrificial victims built up until today. But even if they knew about it, I would still say "NO" to their chances of victory.

    Indeed, Libra had no means of healing herself and could not raise her base statuses. However, her Level 910 was the highest among the Twelve Heavenly Stars, so she was very strong even without Brachium. Therefore, it would be impossible to challenge her, except for the Twelve Heavenly Stars, the Seven Heroes, and the Demon King.

    ...No. Only about half of the Twelve Heavenly Stars had HP above 100,000. Since the Seven Heroes were weakened, they probably could not make it. Given the shortage of manpower, it would be impossible to challenge Libra.

    "The number of victims would increase if we don¡¯t recover her soon."

    It was fortunate that she did not aggressively attack countries like Aries. It would be troubling if the number of capable adventurers continued to decrease. The humanoids¡¯bat power was already low and could not afford to be reduced further.

    I must recover Libra before anyone else ventured to the top floor.

    "Okay. Let¡¯s go, the two of you."

    "Yes!"

    "I can¡¯t handle Libra, but please leave the small fries to me!"

    Bringing Dina and Aries along, I pushed my way through the crowd to the entrance of the royal tomb. I elegantly ignored the voices of people trying to stop us. However, just as I was about to enter, someone caught my shoulder.

    "Wa¡ªWait, older sister! Are you really going in!? You heard what I said earlier! It¡¯s too reckless! The investigation team consists of fifty veterans recognized by the country. It was impossible even for them!"

    He must be a nice guy. From his perspective, I must be an air-headed woman who was trying to enter the tomb without understanding the dangers. He could have just ignored us, but he went out of his way to stop us instead. Therefore, he must be a good person.

    However, I was entering with the full awareness of the dangers involved. Or rather, nobody else in this world knew Libra better than me.

    "Thank you for your concern, but it is unnecessary. Please let go."

    The hand on my shoulder reluctantly lifted, and I entered the royal tomb.

    As expected, the interior was a passage made out of bricks. The surroundings were dim, and it faded into darkness further it was from the entrance. Even so, this was not a problem as long as there was light. Aries held out his palm and created a me in his hand, illuminating the area.

    Deeper and deeper, we pushed forward. As expected of the first floor, all the traps were already triggered. Without any obstacles, we easily found the stairs to the next floor.

    After proceeding to the next floor, a silhouette appeared before us. It was a simple golem constructed out of solid rock. Checking with Observing Eye skill revealed that it was Level 150, despite looking like this.

    This was just a small fry to me, but it might be different for other people.

    "Oh, a golem?"

    "Yes. This was something mass-produced by Lady Ruphas for the final battle with the Seven Heroes."

    "Oh, I see. It is my golem. No wonder its level is high despite the crude construction."

    When I was fighting the Seven Heroes, I mass-produced these golems to make up for inadequate fighting strength. However, multiple golems normally could not be produced at the same time. It was limited to one golem per person. Even if several bodies were made, only the golem at the top of the item list would appear. All the others remained inert.

    Furthermore, if the golem was destroyed, the next golem appeared only after the battle. Thus, the mass use of golems was prohibited. In addition, the highest AI level for golems was set at 5. Golems with high AI level required a long production time, thereby making it impossible to mass-produce high-performance golems.

    But many loopholes could be found in the game.

    If high-AI golems could not be continuously produced, then it implied that low-AI, shoddy golems could be mass-produced. After mass-producing such golems, I could simply distribute one golem to each member of my faction, allowing me to utilize them all.

    I exploited this and suddenly boosted my fighting strength by letting the low-level faction members use a low-AI golem. Well, even so, they were just small fries before a high-level yer. It seemed arge amount of those shoddy golems from back then were left behind to wander about in this tomb.

    "Hmm. Although it is something I made, I could sense its hostility."

    "It¡¯s because the golem¡¯s thought routine is to indiscriminately attack any creature within detection range, except for living creatures belonging to Zodiac and golems. Since Lady Ruphas¡¯ country is no more, we would be attacked too."

    "...Oh. These golems are idiots that always attack the nearest target first."

    A low-AI golem was less intelligent than a monkey. It was simply a shoddy golem that indiscriminately and repeatedly direct normal attacks against the nearest target. Even if it had skills, it would not use them due to its low AI. It wouldn¡¯t consider the conditions of allies as well.

    At AI Level 2, the golem would use skills, chosen at random, without considering the situation. Thus, it wasmon sense that a minimum of AI Level 3 was required for actual warfare. From a certain viewpoint, my golem mass production tactic was contrary tomon sense.

    ...The result was staggering. Common sense was important.

    Oh, by the way, Zodiac was the name of the country I built.

    "Well, I suppose we should just destroy it."

    Crack.

    I cracked my finger joints and aimed at the golem. If the shoddy golems I made were causing inconvenience after two hundred years, it was my responsibility to dispose of them.

    But just as I was about to collide with the golem, someone came between us and blocked the golem¡¯s sword-fist.

    "Oops! I won¡¯t let you! A man who never forgets kindness shown to him, Jean the adventurer! And the other three members of adventurer¡¯s party¡ªHawkeye! In the name of righteousness, let me help you, older sister!"

    An adventurer with brown hair and three other men suddenly interrupted...

    ¡ªHonestly, this was unwanted help.

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes: Some Settings</h4>

    Q: Why didn¡¯t Megrez mass-produce golems?

    A: I did, but Aries destroyed them all.

    Q: Instead of raiding the royal tomb, why didn¡¯t Megrez create weapons?

    A: Actually, I did, but Mars raided them when I tried to export them to other countries. So they were kept in domestic cirction. Once the soldiers were equipped...whether they work or not is as stated in this volume. Since the meddling of Mars ceased, these weapons and armors will be on sale for a while. Perhaps the wealthy people will buy them for self-defense or other reasons.

    After all, it is money.

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    <b>Ell</b> (¥¨¥ë) is the currency used in the world. I can find no equivalent among real-world currency. The closest approximation is ell, a unit of length measurement from one¡¯s elbow to the tip of the middle finger. This trantion will use the same word "ell", but remember it is a currency unit instead.

    <b>Aigokeros</b> (¥¢¥¤¥´¥±¥í¥¹), meaning "Goat-Horned", is the Greek name for the astrological sign of Capricorn. His description closely resembles that of Baphomet. His race is given as ¥í©`¥É?¥Ç©`¥â¥ó (lord demon), which I was tempted to tranted as "demon lord". But I refrained from doing so to avoid confusion with the Demon King (Ä§ÉñÍõ).

    <b>L?vateinn</b> (¥ì©`¥ô¥¡¥Æ¥¤¥ó) is a weapon that could kill the rooster V¨ªe¨®pnir in Norse mythology. It is sometimes identified with either the sword of Surtr or the sword of Frey. In this novel, the name is given to the city where Ruphas was first identally summoned in Chapter 1.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

    ? ? ? ?

 Chapter 22

    "Hah!"

    Adventurer¡ªJean, ording to what he said himself.

    He swung his sword and shed at the golem. However, it did not even break the golem¡¯s rocky shell. Unable to feel pain or fear, a golem¡¯s thought process was extremely simple, determined only to hit the opponent in front of itself. Free from fear and dread, even its mechanically repetitive attacks were a threat. Jean took a step back immediately to avoid that straight punch, but his face made it clear that he was nervous.

    "Ah, such an outrageous punch! If you take one hit, you¡¯ll be in trouble!"

    Correction¡ªAlthough it looked like a straight punch to me, it was not like that to them.

    Two adventurers stepped forward before the golem to cover for Jean. Their weapons were two swords and an axe. Was it so that one would emphasize speed, while the other would emphasize power?

    One man shed at the golem multiple times with his swords, while the other delivered a heavy strike on the golem¡¯s arm. The man in the rear continued to shoot with his bow, covering for the three vanguards.

    I felt that it was not a badbination, but...

    <b>Jean</b>

    Level: 38

    Race: Human

    ss: Fighter 38

    HP: 2747

    SP: 110

    STR (Strength): 135

    DEX (Dexterity): 90

    VIT (Vitality): 95

    INT (Intelligence70):

    AGI (Agility): 85

    MND (Mind): 72

    LUK (Luck): 31

    <b>Ricardo</b>

    Level: 35

    Race: Human

    ss: Heavy Fighter 35

    HP: 3090

    SP: 130

    STR (Strength): 142

    DEX (Dexterity): 80

    VIT (Vitality): 150

    INT (Intelligence): 50

    AGI (Agility): 77

    MND (Mind): 42

    LUK (Luck): 44

    <b>Nick</b>

    Level: 35

    Race: Human

    ss: Light Fighter 35

    HP: 2100

    SP: 145

    STR (Strength): 110

    DEX (Dexterity): 101

    VIT (Vitality): 90

    INT (Intelligence): 72

    AGI (Agility): 102

    MND (Mind): 50

    LUK (Luck): 62

    <b>Shu</b>

    Level: 36

    Race: Human

    ss: Archer 36

    HP: 2110

    SP: 36

    STR (Strength): 120

    DEX (Dexterity): 115

    VIT (Vitality): 80

    INT (Intelligence): 82

    AGI (Agility): 70

    MND (Mind): 45

    LUK (Luck): 108

    <b>Mass-Produced Golem</b>

    Level: 150

    Race: Artificial Life-form

    ss: None

    HP: 9087 / 9100

    SP: 0

    STR (Strength): 305

    DEX (Dexterity): 100

    VIT (Vitality): 355

    INT (Intelligence): 9

    AGI (Agility): 108

    MND (Mind): 15

    LUK (Luck): 70

    ...This was impossible.

    It might be possible with magic attacks, but these guys were all physical types. They could not prate the golem¡¯s defenses and shave off its HP. Despite their desperate attacks, the golem probably took only 2 or 3 points of damage per hit. Actually, the golem only took a total of 13 points of damage so far. On the other hand, if they were hit once by the golem, it would be "Amit¨¡bha!"

    It couldn¡¯t be helped...I felt bad about helping those who came to help, but it was better than just watching them die. I sighed and nced at Aries.

    "Aries, help them."

    "Yes, please leave it to me!"

    Aries happily answered my instruction, kicking off the ground to approach the golem. He agilely passed through the gaps between the adventurers who were in the way. A ming fist crushed the head of the golem and blew off the body with his momentum. The golem struck the wall, falling into pieces and never moving again. It was just a small fry to Aries. One hit was enough against something with HP 9100.

    "......"

    The golem that they were struggling against was instantly destroyed. The four adventurers watched with their mouths agape.

    Oh, as I thought, did this hurt their pride?

    As I thought so, they started cheering like kids.

    "Aw...Awesome~!! Awesome, awesome, awesome! Did you guys see that!? That was so cool! Little girl, how did you do that!?"

    "Eh? Eh?"

    Oh, that was a fairly favorable response. But that surprised the wide-eyed Aries, who was tripping over his words. I did not expect such a reaction, but for now, I needed to separate Aries from the men surrounding him.

    "Calm down, adventurers. I know you are excited, but you are troubling Aries. Also, Aries is a boy, not a girl."

    "O¡ªOh, sorry...eh, a boy?! I thought he is a girl!"

    This man called Jean was overly noisy.

    As I thought so, hispanion, the light fighter, knocked him from behind.

    "Shut up, Jean. You are a bother to others."

    At least someone here was quiet and easy tomunicate with. Honestly, I did not like people who were overly excitable. How should I say this? It was too stressful for my ears. Well, this was a game, and I was a yer.

    "Ah, ah. I get it. Uh, well...Even though we came to help, we were helped instead. Thank you."

    "It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m thankful for the good will."

    I tried to console Jean, who seemed slightly depressed. He tried to help us despite hisck of ability. I felt that such manly behavior should be praised. In the blink of an eye, his face was dyed red. Such a simple man.

    "I¡ªI see. You are such a nice person."

    Nice person. I wanted tough at this description. Certainly, the current me inside this body was not a scoundrel. I did notmit any crimes. I was just an ordinary person...but Ruphas Mafahl invaded the world two hundred years ago. She was truly a viin, or even a viin among viins. Being addressed as a "nice person" was somewhat embarrassing.

    "Oh. I haven¡¯t introduce myself. I¡¯m Jean, an adventurer and a fighter."

    "Light fighter, Nick. Our party leader has caused you trouble. Apologies."

    "Me, Ricardo. ss, heavy fighter. Nice to meet you."

    "Archer, Shu."

    The four introduced themselves. I thought that this party was too unbnced. Three out of four were fighter-type vanguards. There was neither arcane magic user nor healer. There was no ranger as well.

    I thought that Ricardo and Nick should be wizard and cleric, leaving Jean as the well-bnced fighter. Shu would have been better as a ranger instead of an archer. Archer wasn¡¯t bad, but narrow spaces like this limited his abilities. It was usually better for the rear-guard to be magic-type sses. For example, enemies with high physical defenses and low intelligence¡ªsuch as the golem earlier¡ªrequired magic-type sses.

    "Traveling merchant, Sahpur. My ss is...ranger."

    Actually, I had multiple sses, but that would be too abnormal for the current standards of this world. Therefore, I chose one that appeared to be most helpful in the current situation. Unarmedbat was the specialty of the grappler ss. A ranger fighting with his bare hands would just be considered a weird ranger. However, if a grappler used ranger skills, that would obviously be abnormal. Thus, I decided to call myself a ranger.

    "Also a traveling merchant, Dina. My ss is ranger."

    Having never once used a ranger skill, she must be just saying whatever came to mind. There were many mysteries surrounding Dina, but I would leave it for now. Still, I preferred she chose a ss different from mine.

    "Oh. Also a traveling merchant, Aries. My ss is...ran¡ªranger? I think."

    And finally, Aries. He definitely did not understand, simply copying his lines. What should I do with this? A party with all three members being rangers. We became a team that was clueless about party bnce.

    Sure enough, Jean was amazed,posed himself, and said:

    "Such terrible party bnce...Are you people really okay?"

    The leader of a party with mostly fighters was worried about me.

    What was this? This indescribable feeling of humiliation.

    This was awful. As a matter of fact, I could explore this low-difficulty dungeon all by myself. Only a dungeon such as the Goddess¡¯ Sanctuary would require a party of five or more Level 1000 yers. Oh, and one of the five yers (Megrez) was taken down in one hit by the gatekeeper.

    "Don¡¯t worry. Our levels are high."

    "Brute force with high levels? ...Such an elegant-looking party, yet filled with muscle-brains."

    What was this muscle-brained leader of a party filled with fighters saying?

    What should I do? I had an urge to smash his head in with an over-sized boomerang right now.

    What did he just say? I wondered if he came here just to distract and stress me out.

    "Well then, your fighting strength will be insufficient. Okay, I owed you yesterday, so we will go as your bodyguards!"

    Eh. No thank you.

    Uh, they were just a burden earlier. They couldn¡¯t even shave off HP 100 from the golem. Why were they so confident?

    "Thanks, but n¡ª"

    "Is it alright? Then, please take care of us!"

    ¡ªno thanks. Dina covered my mouth before I could finish and epted them without my permission. I removed her hand and stared at her in reproach, but Dina merely smiled and said:

    "Isn¡¯t it fine, Lady Ruphas? Let¡¯s have a little fun before we get to Lady Libra. Since they are offering toe along, why not use whatever is avable?"

    "...You...are really ck-hearted at times."

    Dina smiled and said, "Let¡¯s use them as shields." I shuddered at her words. It seemed she was more rotten on the inside than I imagined. For now, it was fortunate that her rottenness was directed at my enemies. Or perhaps, I just didn¡¯t notice when it was directed at me.

    "Well, we just have to support them without going too far."

    If we left them be, they would be ughtered by golems. If we went all out, their confidence would be shattered. Therefore, we could only pretend to cooperate to defeat the enemies, even though Aries and I would be the ones really doing the work. In short...We could only secretly use them as shields like Dina suggested while we proceeded forward.

    "Oh dear."

    I sighed. I nced at Dina to reproach her for her selfish behavior, then moved forward. The four adventurers followed with Aries and Dina trailing behind. Well then, let¡¯s get to the top floor when Libra was.

    We advanced in the unnecessarily wide tomb. The only positive thing about the tomb was that the area became smaller as one went up the floors. Its pyramid shape implied that the journey would be easier towards the top. The problem was that the golems¡¯ levels went up as well.

    A sound echoed as golems clogged the passageway. I checked and found the golems here to be Level 300. It seemed high-performance golems would start appearing. At this level, the adventurers would die with one hit, so it was really bad. We must destroy the golems before they attacked the adventurers.

    "Jair!"

    The golems gave a strange cry and attacked the adventurers. As I intercepted their attacks, the golems stopped for some reasons. Aries also went in between another adventurer and a golem, that golem stopped as well. What was going on?

    They did not merely stopped attacking, but also backed off when facing us. In the end, they mysteriously chose new targets, and even aimed for Dina, who was in the rear.

    Was it possible...that they recognized me and Aries as allies?

    Impossible.

    When it came to golems of this level, I would have made them with higher AI. These golems were smarter than the ones in the previous floors. It wasn¡¯t surprising that they could recognize me and Aries, even after the country was destroyed. Otherwise, they would attack even Libra.

    ......

    ...Eh? Why was Dina being attacked?

    "Hey, wa¡ªwait a moment! Why is it only me!? Lady Sahpur, please help me!"

    Looking at Dina being chased by golems, I felt somewhat sad. Aries also looked at Dina with sympathy.

    Dina, you...

    ...your presence was so weak that even the golems forgot about you...

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    <b>Amit¨¡bha</b> is a celestial buddha in Mahayana Buddhism. He is said to appear before those who call upon him in their moments of death. Conversely, calling upon his name is sometimes used to imply death.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

    ? ? ? ?

 Chapter 23

    Trantor: Hand of Va ? Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    I lightly parried the fists of the golem and ordered it to wait in a soft voice, then blew it away to make it look like it was defeated.

    It was fine to destroy the low-AI golems on the lower floors. They neither recognized me nor obeyed my orders. They were broken machines that relentlessly attack whatever was in front of them. It was the correct decision to destroy them.

    However, the golems on the middle floors and above had higher levels and could understand simplemands. I did not want to destroy them since they could recognize me and Aries to the point of stopping their attacks. Therefore, I pretended to defeat the golems from the middle floors, leaving them unscathed.

    "Wow. Saphur is amazing. Another golem was sent flying."

    "Is she really a ranger...?"

    Jean and Nick were getting suspicious, but it should be fine as long as my wings remained hidden. It had been some time since we entered the tomb. Currently, we arrived on the 106th floor. Since the tomb had one hundred and eight floors, we would reach the top after another two floors. It took the previous investigation team one month to reach here.

    After hearing the news, I felt respect and pity for them. Considering their levels, even one golem would be an enormous threat. Truly, they were excellent explorers to havee so far despite their low levels. Such a pity. It was a heavy blow for the humanoids to lose these people.

    "Everyone, back off."

    I warned as I saw the entity at the stairs leading to the 107th floor.

    What? Something like this was left behind?

    At twice the size of the previous golems, it was an enormous metallic guardian of ten meters (tall). By using the expensive material mithril, the most powerful that I could create by myself without using cash items was Level 600.

    Before the decisive battle back then, I used the best materials avable to create several golems for the defense of strategic bases. Although they were not as good as Libra who was created by Mizar, they were the highest level golems that I could create by myself.

    Even so, it would probably lose to Levia, who was created out of the water in the entireke. It wasn¡¯t strange for it to be used for national defense. In the current era, it should be the strongest golem.

    Well, well. The investigation team actually broke through this thing.

    Most likely...they left somerades as decoys and ran past it.

    <b>Gatekeeper</b>

    Level: 600

    Race: Artificial Life-form

    Attribute: Metal

    HP: 105 / 45,000

    SP: 0

    STR (Strength): ????

    DEX (Dexterity): ????

    VIT (Vitality): ????

    INT (Intelligence): ??

    AGI (Agility): ???

    MND (Mind): ???

    LUK (Luck): ???

    ...Tsk. I couldn¡¯t see the full status. This implied that it did not belong to me.

    Unless the creature was an ally or the checker had twice as many levels, the status would only disy name, level, HP, SP, and attribute.

    I supposed its AI level should be 3 or 4, and yet it couldn¡¯t recognize me? Should I try? There was no reason for it to be missing something other golems possessed.

    "...Do you know me, gatekeeper?"

    I walked towards the gatekeeper casually. Jean shouted, "Danger!" and was ignored.

    So, how was it? Could it recognize me?

    "...approach...intruder. e¡ª...e¡ªe¡ªelim...elim¡ªelim¡ªeliminate...Ru¡ªrururu¡ªru..."

    I dodged its extended fist. I knew for sure now. I had a bad feeling the moment I saw its reduced HP. It seemed I was spot on. This one was already broken. Although it was still functional, it could no longer recognize me. Sorry, there was no other choice but to destroy it.

    Since the other golems could still move, its current state was not merely due to deterioration over time. An enemy that could reduce its HP to this degree...hmm, there could be none other than the demons. One or two raids probably wouldn¡¯t be enough, given the strength of the Seven Luminaries. However, its HP would be reduced if raided repeatedly ten to twenty times.

    Considering this, I was surprised that it was moving at all.

    "Saphur!"

    "Don¡¯t worry. It can¡¯t do anything to me in its current state."

    I responded to Jean¡¯s concerned voice and stepped forward. Side-stepping the gatekeeper¡¯s attack, I went straight into its bosom.

    ¡ªOne hit!

    I prated it with a knifehand strike, reducing its remaining HP to zero. Purple electrical sparks flew as the metallic parts thatposed its body scattered across the ground. Light shed in one of its eyes before it copsed on the floor.

    "Ah¡ªAh...gah...intruder...elimin...e..."

    It was so humorous and pitiful as it repeated the same words like a broken record. I shook off the metallic fragments on my hand and passed through the side of the gatekeeper. With this, there was no more obstacle. All that was left was to stop Libra. As I was about to go on to the next floor, a voice mixed with noise was heard from behind.

    "...Wel...co...back......Rupha...-sama...Wel...co..."

    I could barely hear the whisper. But I heard it, definitely heard it.

    I stopped and nced at the fallen gatekeeper. As if blessing my return, its broken form reached out a hand...to me, who just destroyed it.

    "...You¡¯ve worked hard. Good job until now... Enough. Rest well."

    "...Ah..."

    Finally, the voice stopped. A sound leaked out as if it was relieved, and the gatekeeper ceased functioning.

    ...This was somewhat unbearable.

    I knew there was no alternative but to destroy it. Still, I just couldn¡¯t take it.

    Strange. My heart was aching as if I hadmitted a terrible mistake. I should not have interacted with it before. Wasn¡¯t this the first time we met?

    It was a golem, a tool that moved only as ordered. So why was I feeling so terrible?

    "...Only the 107th floor and the top floor remain. Stay here."

    There was no doubt Libra was ahead. The party was temporarily disbanded for now. I must go alone.

    Jean, however, shouted in opposition.

    "Wa¡ªWait! You are going alone!? That¡¯s absurd!"

    "No. It¡¯s for the best. Nobody other than me can withstand Libra¡¯s first shot. Her Brachium skill will erase you thirty times over if youe."

    "...!"

    Jean took a deep breath and looked at me suspiciously. His eyes did not doubt my words. They questioned my very existence.

    "You... What exactly are you?"

    "......"

    "I¡¯m a fool, but I¡¯m smart enough to notice your exceptional strength. Around midway, you crushed the golems so we did not have to fight them... You were unfazed even when facing the previous golem¡¯s fist... You talked as though you know Libra personally... You, exactly..."

    "...There is no need for me to answer you."

    I refused to reply and turned my back to them. If the question was directed at Aries and Dina, Dina should be able toe up with a better lie than me. I could not reveal my identity. At least, not now.

    Even though it was just one golem, I was unnecessarily shaken. I did not know why I wouldck calmness so much. I really could not understand...If it was the real Ruphas, perhaps so. But I was different. I had no reason to feel sorrow, right...?

    Ah. What was this? What was wrong with me?

    I climbed the stairs and arrived on the 107th floor. In that instant, everything before my eyes copsed, revealing a cracked, wide, inorganic space.

    In the center was a girl with a maid dress¡ªNo, a golem that imitated a girl.

    The clothes I gave her had signs of patching in some ces. However, it wasn¡¯t enough, so some parts remained torn. The joint was exposed along with her arm. If examined closely, fine cracks could be seen running through her body.

    An artificial life-form created by Mizar, using the materials that I (Ruphas) collected two hundred years ago. She creaked as she turned her face towards me.

    "¡ªIntruder confirmed...Warning...Leave this ce in ten seconds. Nonpliance or hostile behavior will be met with elimination by force."

    She must have repeated this many times. A warning that seemed to be derived from a temte.

    I did not respond. Without advancing, I let down my hair.

    "Ten...nine...eight..."

    I took off the spectacles and reached behind my back to remove the bandage given by Megrez, gradually revealing my wings.

    "Seven...six...five... ..."

    The countdown stopped.

    Without caring, Ipletely removed the bandage and unleashed my wings.

    Despite being expressionless, Libra was motionless as if shocked to her core. The countdown did not continue. I found this a little funny and spoke to her with a smile.

    "It has been a while, Libra. What¡¯s up? You have a face like a pigeon struck by a peashooter. Have you forgotten my face?"

    "...Ru...phas...-sama...?"

    I silently watched Libra as she stood there motionlessly.

    Firstly, I should wait for her conclusion. If she recognized me and interrupted her attack, that would be fine. If she fired Brachium, I needed to ovee it and stop her movements. Her damage did not seem as severe as the previous gatekeeper. It should not be toote for repairs.

    "Matching...biometric data, found...Probability of being the real Ruphas Mafahl, 99.99989965%... Inferring from situation...Survival rate from the battle, less than 1%... Overall probability...conclusion, impossible...impossible...con¡ªconclusion...con¡ªclu¡ªsion, con...impossible, impossible..."

    "Hey, no need to over-think this."

    This was bad.

    She was getting confused by the unprecedented scenario of a dead person showing up. I wondered if this would happen normally, but she must be getting faulty like the gatekeeper. Even if that wasn¡¯t the case, she had been left to guard this ce without rest for one hundred ny years. Well, it couldn¡¯t be helped if her judgment was faulty.

    "I wille over and repair you now. You need to rest."

    "¡ª! Warning! If you continue to approach, the elimination condition will be met!"

    "I don¡¯t mind."

    I ignored Libra¡¯s warning and stepped forward steadily.

    One step, two steps!

    Libra couldn¡¯t decide to attack or not. Meanwhile, I was getting closer.

    "There, I have moved. Aren¡¯t you going to stop me?"

    "...... Program selection!"

    Libra¡¯s eyes shone and her entire body glowed. Firstly, there was a film of light that covered the surroundings. It was an isted space for Brachium skill to prevent the enemy from escaping and avoid unnecessary destruction. In the center, the white glow converged on Libra and shone like a star. A vivid brightness expanded and pulsated.

    Now then, this would be the first massive damage I received sinceing to this world.

    Honestly, I wasn¡¯t confident of withstanding the damage, but...why? At this moment, I very much wanted to be attacked. I didn¡¯t really understand it myself.

    "¡ªBrachium, activate!"

    And the star exploded.

    The entire room was filled with intense white light. An impact that I never felt before struck my entire body. The light was raging like a storm, while colorful particles danced and scattered in the space. Everything inside was severed, trampled, and destroyed.

    It ignored defenses. It ignored resistances. Ignoring even skills and divine magic, it forcefully prated the body to deal the maximum fixed damage.

    Crap. It hurt.

    And it was hot.

    It felt as if my whole body was scorched by the stinging heat...or rather, it was actually charred. I knew my HP was decreasing at a rapid rate.

    "Ugh...!"

    A muffled sound escaped from my clenched teeth. But I insisted on forcing my way forward in this light. Honestly, I wanted to roll down the stairs and escaped to a safe ce right now, but I couldn¡¯t afford to do that. It was too uncool. Or rather, I couldn¡¯t do it at all. Once Brachium activated, it would be better to think that escape was impossible until it finished.

    One step, two steps, three steps.

    I advanced through the glow and shortened the distance with Libra. Meanwhile, the light stabbed into me without mercy, continuously draining my HP. This was really tough. However, it wasn¡¯t unbearable to me.

    "¡ª!"

    "Good grief. I finally arrived."

    Libra moved as I came before her. The weapon that was stored in her left arm¡ªa bluish white de of light¡ªappeared. I dodged the de by a paper-thin margin and grabbed her left arm to stop her movement.

    And I activated the alchemist¡¯s skill, All Repair.

    It was a skill that would fully restore HP, provided the target was a golem. This skill was really inefficient, and not all golems could be repaired. Only the ones owned by the user could be affected.

    Unlike the gatekeeper, Libra should be a golem still owned by me when I fell in battle. I decided to test if my hypothesis was true. It seemed to have passed without incident. The cracks along Libra¡¯s body vanished and her HP was restored.

    "I¡¯m sorry I kept you waiting for a long time. I havee to pick you up, Libra."

    "...Situational evaluation...Probability of being Ruphas-sama herself, 100%...Ruphas-sama¡¯s identity, confirmed... Terminating the task of defending the royal tomb."

    Libra said and closed her eyes as if relieved.

    I gently embraced the girl who could finally rest after her task was finished.

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes: Brachium</h4>

    Originally nned to make it like Mega Man X2¡¯s Giga-Crush skill, but it was suddenly changed due to the question, "Could the royal tomb withstand it?" So it was modified to a skill that shoots after using an istion field specially for Brachium.

    Ruphas: "It has been a while, Libra. What¡¯s up? You have a face like a pigeon struck by a peashooter. Have you forgotten my face?"

    Libra: "...Ru...phas...-sama...?"

    Libra: "You are a fake using Ruphas-sama¡¯s name! Well! Well¡ª!"

    Ruphas: "!?"

    \ "dan, dan, dan" /

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    <b>Mithril</b> (¥ß¥¹¥ê¥ë) is a fictional metal that resembles silver, but is lighter than steel. It was first introduced in J.R.R. Tolkien¡¯s The Lord of the Rings.

    <b>Knifehand Strike</b> (ÊÖµ¶) is a martial arts attack that uses the edge of one¡¯s hand like the de of a sword.

    <b>Divine Magic</b>, along with arcane magic, are the two types of magic in this novel. This setup is reminiscent of the magic types in Dungeons & Dragons RPG, so I decided to adopt the same terms¡ªdivine magic for Ìì·¨ ("heavenly arts") and arcane magic for Ä§·¨ ("magical or demonic arts").

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

    ? ? ? ?

 Chapter 24

    Trantor: Hand of Va ? Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    After I calmed Libra down safely, I worried about what to do next. Jean would definitely be suspicious if I returned with Libra like this. Particrly, if I tried to take Libra along, they would object. In the worst case scenario, they might demand that Libra be destroyed.

    Of course, I did not wish for Libra¡¯s destruction, but this would set me in opposition with them. Although Jean and hisrades were no match for me, I would rather avoid unnecessary trouble. Yet I couldn¡¯t think of any good excuses. Hmm~ In the worst case scenario, I could knock them unconscious and run away... There didn¡¯t seem to be any other way. Thinking about this, I felt a bit depressed.

    "Oh, Ruphas-sama."

    "Wee back. You seem to have secured Libra without incident."

    As I descended to the lower floor in a bad mood, Aries and Dina weed me with a smile. In contrast, Jean and hisrades were motionless. Their eyes stared nkly ahead.

    "Dina, what happened to them?"

    "Oh. It would be troublesome if they report us after returning, so I gave them a little suggestion."

    "Suggestion?"

    "I just nted some fake memories...so they think that they never met us at all. Also, I decided that they are the ones who cleared this dungeon, so it should shift people¡¯s attention away from us for a while."

    The outrageous things Dina just said made me smile.

    Ah, right. She could manipte memories. How convenient and yet terrible. I seriously thought it was good for an ally though. My greatest concern was gone with this.

    "Concerning Libra, she would be already badly damaged when they arrived. The story is that the previous investigation team dealt some extensive damage. This should divert some attention away from Libra."

    "Did you intend this from the beginning when you allowed Jean¡¯s party to apany us?"

    "Why else would we take the trouble to bring along a burden?"

    "...You are such a frightening woman."

    "For the sake of Ruphas-sama, I will be a demon. This is who Dina is."

    Ahem. I shivered slightly and wiped away the cold sweat as Dina puffed her chest in self-satisfaction. Well, whatever. I should take some of the things stored here. After all, I promised Megrez to leave some unwanted things behind. For example, equipment that adds +100 to attack power could not be sold since we did not have the proper sales channels. Such equipment would be better left behind for others.

    "Okay, let¡¯s go to the top floor."

    "Yes~"

    "Y¡ªYes."

    We departed for the top floor, leaving Jean¡¯s party behind on the 106th floor. The top floor was an borate, fancy room. The ceiling, walls, and floor were all made of gold. To say that the eyes were blinded by the golden glitter was a form of ttery. It would be difficult to feel settled here. Jewels and gold coins were simply piled up. Swords and daily-use items were beautifully arranged.

    No. This was not a tomb, no matter how you looked at it. If this was my tomb, I would hate it, since it would be impossible to calm down and sleep.

    It should be like this...but why did I feel so excited about seeing this room? For some reasons, I had a sudden urge to take away all the glittering things here.

    "Ruphas-sama, please calm down."

    "I¡¯m calm...I should be calm, yet I could not calm down. What¡¯s going on?"

    "Oh. Ruphas-sama, you used to love these shiny things and had collected them inrge quantities."

    I stiffened at Aries¡¯ words.

    Eh, seriously? I did not remember a setting like that?

    I collected shiny objects because I loved them. Was I a crow!? No, certainly my wings were ck.

    "Let¡¯s take the necessary weapons before Ruphas-sama gets distracted."

    "Dina. Getting distracted is out of the question. I can still distinguish what we really need."

    "Well then, how about putting away all the unnecessary gold lumps in your hands?"

    After being pointed out by Dina, I finally noticed that I had a mysterious, shiny gem that I did not know what to use for.

    ...Oh crap. I was doing it unconsciously.

    Well, yeah. I was not really interested in such gold lumps. I did not have a taste for money either. I preferred things that were chic and darker in color.

    "Aries-sama, Ruphas-sama is just a crow now. Let¡¯s choose what we need."

    "Yes, I understand!"

    Eh? Not only was I useless, but I was also getting in their way?

    Even as I thought this, my hands were picking up some strange items.

    Ugh, I could not stop myself.

    My body naturally moved towards the shiny objects.

    "Ruphas-sama! That is just a ceremonial object for the looks! It does not do anything! Throw such things away!"

    "Ruphas-sama, that is a shiny item to look nice!"

    "Ah, hmm."

    After making Dina and Aries angry, I dejectedly went to the corner of the room.

    Ugh...It should not be like this. I should be searching for weapons seriously, but my body would not listen. And then, I realized that my hands were once again holding some items of unknown utility. Dina and Aries squinted at me as they gathered the weapons that I previously used.

    Spear, greatsword, knife, halberd, jamadhar, tonfa, pile bunker...It seemed that I was flirting with all types of weapons. Incidentally, my favorite weapon was the whip sword.

    "I guess this is enough for now. The others seem to be weapons used by Ruphas-sama in the past, but they probably won¡¯t be used anymore, so let¡¯s leave them here. They should still be valuable in the current world."

    "What about the golems?"

    "Ah, I will bring the golems to the tower as well. Ruphas-sama, can you gather all the golems that were not yet destroyed?"

    After loitering in the corner of the room, my turn to act finally came. Even so, this was fairly hard work to gather all the golems that were not destroyed. However, if I did not do so, there could be more victims in the future. There was no choice but toply.

    "I understand, but it will take some time."

    I was useless here anyway. So I would do whatever I could do.

    ...This time, I had no dignity.

    ?

    In the end, it took a long time to gather all the golems. This tomb was simply toorge. Who built this thing?

    For the time being, I entrusted all the high-AI golems to Dina, along with all the weapons. It seemed she could transfer any inorganic matter, so everything was moved to the Tower of Mafahl. Aside from that, I also destroyed all the idiotic golems that automatically attack people.

    "Okay, let¡¯s go"

    "Is it alright to leave Jean¡¯s party here?"

    "No problem. They will awake after a while, thinking that they came here all by themselves."

    After waking, Jean¡¯s party would be the lucky heroes who cleared the ck-Winged Royal Tomb. Although they might embezzle some of these treasures, it would not be my problem. The wealth that I could not bring with me would just be a bother, so they could do whatever they want with it. It was enough for me to recover the weapons, golems, and Libra.

    Still, this was meant to be my tomb. My feelings were somewhatplicated when I thought of this ce bing an empty ruin. It was the same on Earth, where treasureden tombs were excavated and robbed. Using prevention of tomb robbery as an excuse, the schrs would im the discovery of important historical relics and disy all the corpses in the museums. However, museums were simply unsuitable to serve as tombs. If I really died, I would prefer to be buried in a in tomb that would not attract anyone.

    We left the tomb and returned to the forest where we left Tanaka. I created a new set of maid outfit for Libra with alchemy. Next, I needed to polish her dirty body and change her clothes. Hmm. The task of polishing her and so on would be left to Dina instead.

    After that, we waited for a few hours. Since Libra would not move without orders, I gave an order for her to get up. Libra promptly opened her eyes.

    "...Visibility good, checking each part...No abnormality. Starting up."

    Light shone from her eyes as Libra slowly raised her body. When she saw me, she stood up and bowed elegantly. Well then, I should take a look at Libra¡¯s status.

    <b>Twelve Heavenly Stars, Libra</b>

    Level: 910

    Race: Artificial Life-form

    Attribute: Metal

    HP: 120,000

    SP: 0

    STR (Strength): 5,500

    DEX (Dexterity): 4,900

    VIT (Vitality): 5,020

    INT (Intelligence): 300

    AGI (Agility): 4,100

    MND (Mind): 350

    LUK (Luck): 600

    Hmm. She was exactly as I remembered her.

    Having SP 0 was amon trait for all golems. Golems did not expend SP when using skills. Instead, their skills were limited to a specific number of times. The usage frequency would not reset until twenty-four hourster.

    Therefore, Brachium could only be fired once. It would be pointless even if SP-based skills were learnt. On the other hand, a golem¡¯s HP could be considerably higher than other characters, given the appropriate materials. If the material was really good, the HP of such a cheat golem would be close to that of a boss monster. However, a golem could only be healed by alchemist¡¯s skills. Since it had high HP, it was not necessarily a drawback unless it was struck really hard.

    For example, Aries had less HP than Libra, but since he had an automatic HP recovery skill, Aries was surprisingly difficult to deal with. But if the two of them were to actually fight, Aries would be killed off in one hit with Brachium before the endurance battle could start.

    "Good morning, my master, Ruphas-sama."

    "Hmm. Does any part of your body feel strange?"

    "No problem. I appreciate your concern."

    It was a fluent and gorgeous voice, unlike the voice mixed with radio noise when I fought her earlier. She seemed to be fine, so that was a relief. Libra then saw Aries and bowed to him as well.

    "It has been a long time, Aries. As before, your appearance and gender do not match."

    "That¡¯s the first thing you say after two hundred years!?"

    Aries fled in tears after suddenly being teased about his appearance. Libra bowed again gracefully.

    "Nice to meet you, stranger. I apologize for the inconvenience I caused this time."

    "This pattern again!?"

    Hmm. It was as expected. When the other golems in the tomb did not recognize Dina, I already expected the same of Libra. Both Aries and I, who also forgot about Dina, now shared a strange affinity with Libra.

    "Libra. This one is my adviser, Dina. Although her presence is weak, she was there with us two hundred years ago."

    "...!!? ...What...? She has a stealth mode that could avoid being recorded in my memory...!?"

    "No matter what, my presence cannot be that weak! I¡¯m going to cry soon!?"

    Dina was almost in tears. She grabbed Libra by the shoulders and brought her face closer.

    "Look, it¡¯s me! Please look carefully! If you look at me like this, there should be an impression in your memory, right?"

    "...No, the corresponding memory does not exist. But I found some corrupted data from two hundred years ago that was deteriorated due to age. Perhaps memory about Dina-sama is stored there."

    Hmm. I secretly thought that since Libra was a golem, she would remember Dina. However, Dina was really unlucky. Her memory data just happened to be corrupted. Maybe her data was entered into the "hated" memory section.

    "Recovery is possible, but it will take a few months. Until then, Dina-sama will be recognized as a temporary adviser."

    "Temporary!?"

    Dina was increasingly traumatized by Libra who did not mince her words. However, Libra did not seem to care. Or rather, since Libra was expressionless, we did not know what she was thinking about. Even so, I could not doubt the loyalty of someone who guarded the tomb so staunchly. Beneath that icy metallic mask, there must be a hot soul...should be, probably.

    "Libra, do you know anything about the other Twelve Heavenly Stars?"

    "I¡¯m sorry. Since I had been guarding the tomb the whole time, I do not possess information regarding the outside world."

    I asked Libra the question, but her reply was as expected. Since she was focused on the tomb, it was unlikely to have information about the outside. Fortunately, there were still four out of the six people in Dina¡¯s knowledge, so there was no rush to collect information.

    "Then, Dina. Where is the next member of the Twelve Heavenly Stars?"

    "The next one...That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a bit far. Parthenos-sama of the Maiden lived hidden in a vige at the foot of the mountain two thousand kilometers west of here."

    "Vige?"

    "Yes. In a forested region with weak monsters, a defensive barrier was erected against outsiders. She is living there peacefully."

    Oh, that was really mild. It was wonderful since this would not bother anyone. Although I was a bit concerned about her bing a shut-in, perhaps this could be postponed? Unlike Aries or Libra, even if we left her alone for a while, there wouldn¡¯t be any victim.

    "Oh, yes...That mountain is Ruphas-sama¡¯s birthce. All the fl¨¹gels who originally lived there had been driven away. She now upied it as an uninhabited, holy sanctuary."

    I took back what I said.

    I knew it, there was trouble.

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes: Weapons Of This World</h4>

    For the most part, weapons of the real world exist in this world. Fictitious weapons, such as whip swords, are alsomon. Also, since gunner is the advanced ss of archer, there were probably a lot of firearms two hundred years ago. (This would be very expensive now.) A firearm with good performance is fundamental to a fantasy world.

    Jean: "This is amazing. I got the strongest sword!"

    <b>Holy Magic Sword¡ªLucifer de Ecthelion ¦¸ [Attack +150]</b>

    A sword made by Ruphas in the past when she was drunk. It is very embarrassing to use as its name must be shouted out loudly when attacking. But by the standards of the current era, it would be considered a famous sword.

    In terms of design, this sword looks like what you might see in souvenir key-chains. As a child, I always wanted to buy those key-chains with a dragon encircling the sword. In fact, I have a key-chain in the shape of (Trantor: uh, a sword in Dragon Quest game, I think). The only sword on the ground that could withstand the power of a dragon knight!

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    <b>Jamadhar</b> (¥¸¥ã¥Þ¥À¥Ï¥ë) is a kind of punch dagger from India, nowmonly and erroneously referred to as katar.

    <b>Tonfa</b> (¥È¥ó¥Õ¥¡©`) is an Asian weapon consisting of a stick with a perpendicr handle attached a third of the way down the length of the stick.

    <b></b> (¥Ñ¥¤¥ë¥Ð¥ó¥«©`) is a fictitious, weaponized pile driver featured in Armored Trooper VOTOMS andter anime series.

    <b></b> (Éß¸¹„‡) is a fictitious kind of sword that can be extended and used like a whip. The closest real-world approximation is the Indian urumi.

    <b>Parthenos</b> (¥Ñ¥ë¥Æ¥Î¥¹) is the daughter of Apollo, who died a maiden and was ced in the heavens to be the constetion of Virgo. It is also the Greek name for the astrological sign of Virgo.

    <b>Ecthelion</b> (¥¨¥¯¥»¥ê¥ª¥ó) of the Fountain is a high elf and one of the greatest warrior of the First Age in J.R.R. Tolkien¡¯s The Silmarillion.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 24 (2)

    Hello everyone, Tp here! A quick announcement regarding trantion for A Wild Last Boss Appeared!

    As some of you may be aware there is another group (Hands of Va) tranting A Wild Last Boss Appeared at .

    I found out about them while tranting chapter 20 from chapter 19¡¯sment section.

    So yesterday, after posting my chapter 20 I got into contact with Va to see if it was possible to work in a joint project.

    And the result¡­.?

    We will be splitting the characters between the two of us in the following manner (for now) ¨C> split into 10 Chapters each and alternating between us.

    To get this to work I will be going back and editing my chapters to match my pronouns (names, ces, titles, etc) with the table that he has sent me as I had written my pronouns to match with Shurim or the Manga¡¯s, and he had tranted them to match real life names and lores.

    I will try to list all the changes here as much as I can remember, (but I might miss 1 or 2 changes >.<)

    P.S. I will be ready with chapter 31 once Venca publishes chapter 30 so hopefully, chapter 31-40 will be published one after another! Please look forward to it.

    <i><strong>And here are the links you may need;</strong></i>

    []

    []

    []

    []

    <i><strong>TLDR;</strong></i>

    Hands of Va and I have teamed up to trante this series, there have been few changes to pronouns I previously used to amodate that, and we will be alternating as the main trantor every 10 chapters (listed and in detail above)

    P.S. I will be ready with chapter 31 once Venca publishes chapter 30 so hopefully, chapter 31-40 will be published one after another! Please look forward to it.

 Chapter 25

    Trantor: Hand of Va ? Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    "You did it; it was a sess!"

    The kingdom of swords¡ªL?vateinn.

    Its center, the royal capital, was itself centered on the audience hall of the royal castle.

    It was normally forbidden to make a fuss in the audience hall of the king. However, that ce was currently engulfed by continuous cheers of delight. At the center was a ck-haired youth in his mid-teens. He was confused by his current situation.

    How did it all begin?

    The youth, who lived in Japan, was following his routine after school, participating earnestly in his club activities and then going on his way home. However, his ordinary life was interrupted by a voice calling him to the extraordinary.

    "Whoever can hear us. Please help us."

    It was a call for help. The caller¡¯s identity was unknown. The situation was unknown. Even the kind of help required was unknown. Normally, there was neither duty nor obligation to respond, especially when the voice eerily echoed inside one¡¯s mind.

    A normal person would feel fear and suspicion more than a sense of justice. He could not be med even if he ignored it and ran away. After all, people feared that which was unknown. It wasn¡¯t a bad thing even if he was afraid and escaped.

    However, he was such a nice guy that he could be considered sick. His screws were loose, or perhaps his hoop was off. He wanted to help whenever someone was in trouble. He wanted to reach out whenever someone was lost. This was virtue and benevolence.

    The wish to help others unconditionally and without hesitation, or the spirit to help others without the slightest suspicion, was the quality of a hero. But in terms of his own security, it was a reckless and thoughtless reply. Or rather, he had given up thinking at all. Therefore, the summoning, which required a heartfelt eptance, was established and he vanished from Japan.

    ¡ªThe hero summoning seeded.

    This news immediately spread throughout the country.

    ?

    It was a dark ce.

    No light existed in the darkness, as if the surroundings werepletely sealed off. Even so, I could unbelievably see in the darkness. I could see my hands and feet clearly. I walked on without hesitation. So I thought, "Oh. This must be a dream."

    As I walked on in the darkness, a familiar room eventually appeared. It was not like what I saw recently in the world of Midgard, but rather it was the room of a house in modern Japan. Surrounded by white walls, thismon room was littered with daily items all over the floor, whileic books and light novels lined up on a bookshelf.

    Certainly...yes, this was "my" room. The arrangement of the furniture, theputer on the table, everything matched my memory.

    But¡ªwhy?

    Why did I not feel a sense of belonging in this room?

    It was not nostalgic. It was not familiar. It was notforting. I certainly knew this ce, yet it was severely diforting as if I was visiting the room of a stranger.

    Strange. I wondered what was going on.

    Even though I felt nostalgic when I saw Aries, why did I not feel the same for this ce where I lived?

    I looked at theputer that was still on.

    X-Gate Online...The screen of the game I knew so well was disyed. But it was strangely hazy and odd...as if it was forcefully ced on apletely different game, losing all sense of familiarity.

    That was not all.

    It was disyed on the window. I was absorbed in it without a doubt. But looking at it again...¡ª

    Suddenly, something grabbed my shoulder from behind. There were thin white fingers. The grip was chillingly strong and irresistible. It was toote when I tried to resist.

    Time ran out the moment it was discovered. I would just have to wait for the next opportunity.

    And so my consciousness was forcefully "pulled up" from the dream.

    "¡ªphas-sama, Ruphas-sama!"

    ...And I woke up.

    The first to enter my vision was Dina, who was shaking me. Next were Aries and Libra, who were standing by the side.

    "Ah. Please get up already, Ruphas-sama. Aren¡¯t we going to Vanaheimr?"

    "...Oh. That¡¯s right."

    Hearing Dina¡¯s words, my hazy consciousness became clearer.

    Oh, right. That was the next destination.

    I felt that I was sleeping quite deeply.

    "Sorry. I had a strange dream. I apologize for not waking up."

    "¡ªWhat was your dream?"

    "...Oh, that...Ah, what was it...Sorry, I can¡¯t remember. It seems to be a strangely important dream, but I can¡¯t remember it at all."

    What the heck. I had an important dream, but I couldn¡¯t remember it.

    Well, I knew dreams were like that. Humans would forget their dreams in about five and a half minutes after waking up. This dream seemed quite important to me. Then again, it was not really a big dream, so maybe it was nothing to worry about.

    Traveling in Tanaka, our destination was my hometown¡ªVanaheimr.

    This was a small nation in the mountains where the fl¨¹gels, self-proimed people of heaven, lived in small numbers...Rather than a nation, it was more like a settlement. My setting was such that this was also my birthce. Even though my ck wings...

    It was just a minor detail, so I didn¡¯t think too much about it back then. It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine being persecuted for it though.

    In the game, besides my ck wings, there were wings of diverse colors. Now, that would be the subject of persecution (??). There were even those who changed the colors one feather at a time to create a picture. I was considered rather in byparison.

    "It¡¯s almost night. Let¡¯s stop here for today."

    Tanaka had no driver¡¯s seat. It would move by itself even if nobody attended to it. However, it sometimes moved in a strange direction or attacked monsters along the way. Thus, I needed to control it. That was the reason Dina woke me.

    It looked like a car, but it was actually a golem. It should not be overlooked that it was basically a machine that would automatically attack enemies. Golems with AI level 5, such as Libra, would obey orders with fine details like "avoid unnecessarybat". However, care needed to be taken when dealing with AI level 4.

    Simply put, it was like the priest of a certain RPG who persistently used instant death magic on an enemy that was immune to it. After knowing about such fools, it should be easy to understand my reason for caution.

    "By the way, Ruphas-sama. There is a country ahead."

    "Country?"

    "Yes, or rather, we are already within that country¡¯s borders...The capital city of Gjarhorn is a little further ahead. One of the Seven Heroes, the Sky King, Merak founded this country. Most of the fl¨¹gels live there."

    One of the Seven Heroes who still lived.

    Indeed, it was my goal to meet them and recover the Twelve Heavenly Stars. However, I was hesitant upon hearing that it was a country of fl¨¹gels founded by Merak. A country of fl¨¹gels...I would be left out the moment I entered.

    Of course, there was no way that I would be captured or killed. Since Aries and Libra were here, any aggression by the country would only result in a counter-attack. Regardless, I did not like causing a disturbance.

    Anyway, one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars had upied their original home. No matter how I pondered, I would be considered andmine to the fl¨¹gels. But even if I postponed the trip, nothing would change and I would still go.

    In addition, I must cover my entire body with the cloak again.

    The fl¨¹gels had a long life-span. Many people would still remember my face.

    "I understand. Let¡¯s stay there tonight, even though I¡¯m not too keen."

    Only three of the Seven Heroes survived. There was no way for me to avoid them. Feeling like a criminal facing the gallows, I eventually saw the kingdom Dina mentioned as Tanaka continued to move forward.

    The first impression was¡ªa strange country. Those words alone sufficed.

    Firstly, the buildings were white. The pure whitenesspletely ignored color bnce and appearance. It was impossible to differentiate the private housing from the other buildings. It was just a in, featureless whiteness.

    Next was the location. Somehow, all the buildings were built on cliffs. Or rather, they were forcefully built to cling into the cliffs. Even though there was a t in nearby, where was the fun in building in such a ce?

    It was like a Greek town I saw in a photo once, except that it was far worse. There were stairs everywhere in consideration of visitors, but those stairs seemed to be rather difficult to climb. The city was obviously built on the premise that one could fly.

    What was even stranger was that there were more cliffs on the other side of these cliffs. The other cliffs also had buildings simr to these cliffs. However, all the buildings there were ck in color. As before, they were built on the premise that one could fly. It was really inhospitable to people who could not fly.

    And at the top of the mountain, a white pce with an imposing presence stood sandwiched between the two towns.

    "What is this? What a terrible capital city."

    "It seems really difficult to walk around here..."

    The two towns sprawled on each side of arge mountain. This was a very intriguing city to me. Simrly impressed, Aries had a shocked expression.

    Well, it was fine to have different colors. This was no problem in design. But it was too extreme. One side was pure white, while the other side was pure ck. It looked like a different city when viewed from the side.

    What was this Merak guy thinking about in this country?

    "Dina, what is the situation here?"

    "Hmm...It seems this country is currently divided into two factions in the midst of a civil war."

    "Factions?"

    "Yes. Firstly, there are the ¡¯White Wing Supremacists¡¯ who held onto the traditional beliefs that pure white wings are the pride of the fl¨¹gels and that other colors were uneptable. Opposing them are the ¡¯Mixed Wing Advocates¡¯. Originally, the fl¨¹gels had white wings, so those with discolored wings were oppressed and persecuted, as you already know. However, after Ruphas-sama was gone, this trend intensified."

    As Dina exined the situation, I felt that I was breaking out in cold sweat.

    Oh, was this struggle happening because of me?

    Were the fl¨¹gels persecuted because of a dangerous character like me?

    "When Ruphas-sama ruled, discrimination and persecution based on the color of wings were forbidden. But after Ruphas-sama was gone, the white-winged faction began to re-assert the ideology that they were superior. On the other hand, the people with discolored wings¡ªthe Mixed Wing Advocates fought for equal rights. For nearly two hundred years, both sides have been struggling with each other."

    Damn. This was totally caused by me.

    What was the ban on discrimination and persecution? I didn¡¯t remember issuing such an order.

    In the game, there were fl¨¹gels with wings in all sorts of colors. It was no longer surprising to the point where nobody could be bothered with every single one of them.

    This waspletely different from "me". This was a different world where the actions of "Ruphas" could be witnessed.

    "What is Merak doing?"

    "Merak¡¯s stance is neutral. He seems to be trying to stop the conflict, but it is impossible to control the people."

    "...That guy is a man with a heavy burden..."

    "He¡¯s useless."

    "Libra, don¡¯t say things like that."

    In the game, I remembered Merak as an attentive person who could read the mood and never offend anyone. At least, he was not as useless as Libra imed. If even he could not suppress it, the conflict must have been considerable.

    Therefore, as long as I was the reason for this conflict, there was no way I could just pass over this.

    "So, where are we going? White or ck?"

    "...ck first. It probably belongs to the mixed-winged faction."

    "Understood."

    I felt that I would cause a disturbance if I ventured into the white-winged faction¡¯s territory. Therefore, I chose to visit the mixed-winged faction first, since they might be a little more amodating.

    Of course, there was no danger of exposing my identity, but there was nothing wrong with being cautious.

    "Master supports the ck faction...saved to memory. Next underwear selection, ck."

    "What is this person saying?"

    Libra said some weird things expressionlessly as usual. For the moment, I should just brush it aside. Was she serious or just joking? This could not be discerned from her expression. You would immediately know it when Dina made a joke. Aries was a just novice, so he was blushing with just this statement.

    "Of course, I should select master¡¯s preferred color. Or would it better for me to wear something that could barely be seen with slight adjustments?"

    "...No, it is fine."

    "I see. White faction. The popr standard."

    "No, I didn¡¯t say I particrly like that."

    "...!? Could it be...no panties...!?"

    Hey, this one was still broken. I speechlessly smacked Libra¡¯s metallic head.

    Are you really okay, you degraded tool?

    Those were some really strange thought processes. She was supposed to be AI level 5. I wondered if Mizar taught her those strange things. Aries already could not keep up with the conversation, wasn¡¯t it?

    It was high time to add someone withmon sense so as to put her in her ce.

    Wanted: Someone to fill the role of countering Libra.

    "Anyway, let¡¯s visit the ck town first. Tanaka, hide yourself in the shadows of the nearby rocks!"

    "Yes, master."

    After we alighted, Libra directed Tanaka into the shadows of the rocks. Then, Libra covered it with arge cloth from somewhere and returned.

    Hmm. She was verypetent when she properly performed her tasks. Anyone could have done it, but her actions were fast and steady.

    "So how are we going to the town? There¡¯s a stairway, but..."

    Dina said as she pointed agonizingly at the stairway. There was a stairway leading up to the town. But it was long, unnecessarily long. There were hundreds, even thousands of steps. If we used the stairs, dawn would break by then.

    "Please be at ease. I will carry you all. Program selection. Skill, Sky Jet, activate."

    As Libra spoke confidently, her back opened and deployed a jet pack. It was a mystery how her body managed to contain something like this. Apparently, she could fly in the sky.

    Well, the Sky Jet skill was a general purpose skill for golems. Items that allowed golems to acquire skills were sold for 200,000 eru in the game. I had Libra learned a lot of skills. However, this skill was so science-fiction themed. Where was the sense of fantasy...?

    Libra held me with her right hand, carried Aries like a barrel with her left arm, and grabbed Dina¡¯s neck with her left hand. Dina made an unfeminine sound "Gue", but Libra was unconcerned. The vernier thrusters sted off with a roaring sound that would confuse anyone nearby. And so we flew into the sky.

    Wait...stop, stop! You will wake everyone in town!

    Libra, stop! Stop¡ª!?

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes: About Gjarhorn</h4>

    <b>Gjarhorn</b>

    The citizens of Gjarhorn are the fl¨¹gels who excelled in battle. The terrain is also advantageous to them. Therefore, even without a guardian deity like Levia, there is no way for the demons to take actions. Even he was weakened severely, Merak¡¯s Intimidation skill would always make small fries of Level 250 or less to be unable to move. So it is pointless no matter how many small fries there are.

    If one of the Seven Luminaries attacks by himself, he will be killed by Merak. If two or more cooperate, there may be a chance for victory, but the Seven Luminaries do not cooperate with each other usually. Therefore, the stalemate continues until now. However, this bnce would easily copse if one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars joins in. Or perhaps, it will perish as a result of a civil war.

    <b>Rtions With Other Nations</b>

    It is a country that is somewhat closed to foreign contact, so rtions are not that good. However, they do have a minimum amount of trade. Svalinn is an allied nation, but due to fl¨¹gel¡¯s nature, Gjarhorn is not in sync with the arcane nation of Svalinn. They did not rush to the aid of Svalinn because the mana that fills the region causes the fl¨¹gels great difort. The fl¨¹gels who had been to Svalinn always say that it is a ce that stinks of surstr?mming and durians.

    <b>Rtions Between Kings</b>

    Merak and Megrez are formerrades-in-arms. They are close friends, but do not have direct contact for two hundred years. Merak tried many times to contact the Vampire Princess, Bnash to form an alliance, but he was always ignored. His thoughts and actions are aligned. A true hero.

    <b>Tanaka¡¯s Size</b>

    Q. Tanaka has bathroom and kitchen, so how big is it actually?

    A. It weighs twenty tons, and is ten meters long with a height of two to three meters. Its width is about the same as a roadne in Japan. It¡¯s a rather troublesome size if used on an actual road. It could be bigger if the number ofpanions increases. A terrace could be set up on the roof of the second floor.

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    <b>Midgard</b> (¥ß¥º¥¬¥ë¥º) is the world of man in Norse mythology. In this novel, the world of X-Gate Online is also called Midgard.

    <b>Vanaheimr</b> (¥ô¥¡¥Ê¥Ø¥¤¥à) is the world of the Vanir, the deities of fertility and wisdom, in Norse mythology. In this novel, it is the original home of the fl¨¹gels.

    <b>Gjarhorn</b> (¥®¥ã¥é¥ë¥Û¥ë¥ó) is the horn of Heimdall in Norse mythology. It will be blown to herald Ragnar?k. In this novel, Gjarhorn is the country of fl¨¹gels founded by Merak. The Greek "town" mentioned in this chapter may be referring to Meteora, where several monasteries were built on top of rock pirs.

    <b>Merak</b> (¥á¥é¥¯), also called Beta Ursae Majoris, is a star in the constetion of Ursa Major and the Big Dipper asterism. In this novel, Merak is the fl¨¹gel member of the Seven Heroes, also known as the Sky King (Ìì¿ÕÍõ).

    <b>Vernier (¥Ð©`¥Ë¥¢) Thrusters</b> are rocket engines used on spacecrafts for fine adjustment of altitude or velocity.

    <b>Surstr?mming</b> (¥·¥å©`¥ë¥¹¥È¥ì¥ß¥ó¥°) is a lightly-salted, fermented herring from the Baltic Sea. Salt is used to prevent the raw herring from rotting. A fermentation process of at least six months gives the fish a characteristic strong smell and somewhat acidic taste. A newly opened can of surstr?mming has one of the most putrid food smells in the world.

    <b>Bnash</b> (¥Ù¥Í¥È¥Ê¥·¥å), also called Eta Ursae Majoris or Alkaid, is a star in the constetion of Ursa Major and the Big Dipper asterism. In this novel, Bnash is the vampire member of the Seven Heroes, also known as the Vampire Princess (ÎüÑªŠª).

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 26

    Trantor: Hand of Va ? Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    "¡ªSo, what is this situation, Libra?"

    "We have safely arrived in town. I judge that there is no problem, master."

    "Are you joking? This is a big problem."

    Libra safely delivered us to the country of Gjarhorn. Indeed, we arrived, but the mode of travel was a problem. She brought us here with the movement skill Sky Jet, but it was currentlyte in the night. At a time like this, she chose to move with a roaring jet propulsion. It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine people being woke from their sleep by the noise. As a result, we were currently viewed with suspicion by the people who came out of their residences.

    Ah, seriously. It is sote now. Sorry about that.

    "You can¡¯t do this, Libra. If you make that kind of noise at a time like this, you will wake the people who are already sleeping."

    "No problem, Aries. ording to my analysis, the fighting strength of the people who got up is not a threat. I can handle it alone. They are not an obstacle to master."

    "No, it¡¯s not like that..."

    The dialogue between Aries and Libra made me want to hug my head. What should I do? This maid golem had no concept of being a nuisance to others. Was it because there was only fighting in the game, so her judgments were all rted tobat power and threats? If it was a game, whatever happened was just an in-game event. No matter how much noise was made in the night, the NPC would not wake up. It seemed like Libra wascking in experience.

    "Ah, who are you...?"

    A man in histe thirties spoke as we became the center of attention in the surrounding. Longevity was a trait of the fl¨¹gels, who remained in their primes for half of their lives. This one was probably an old man close to one thousand years old. His wings were slightly dull gray, so it would not be considered beautiful. And not just him, everyone in this street so far had mixed color wings. There were none like my jet ck wings, but there were others close to blue or red. This was really the town of the mixed-winged faction.

    "Ah, sorry. It¡¯s already sote at night. I¡¯m the traveling merchant, Dina. We were stopping by this town and woke you up by mistake. Sorry for the inconvenience. I deeply apologize."

    "Also a traveling merchant, Saphur. Sorry for the bother."

    "Hmm. Traveling merchant, Aries."

    "Golem escort of these three, Copernicus IV."

    We introduced ourselves to the fl¨¹gel uncle and apologized. This mouth that spewed forth arrogant words even at a time like this was a little hateful.

    And Libra, without reading the mood, arbitrarily set herself a strange job and a pseudonym that sounded like the straight man of a stand-upedy. Well, it was still better than using her real name. Unlike Aries, Libra¡¯s appearance did not change, therefore using her real name would expose her identity. But she was not Copernicus.

    "Oh, you are merchants? This is an innovative way to enter the town."

    Uncle, you do not need to try so hard topliment us. We are aware that our entryckedmon sense, so it is fine to be angry with us.

    But he greeted us with a smile, devoid of anger.

    "You must be tired after a long trip. My house also runs an inn. If you don¡¯t mind, please stay over."

    Hearing the uncle¡¯s gentle words, Dina and I shared a look. Despite being disturbed by our nonsensical behavior, he introduced an inn with a smile instead of getting angry. What a nice person. As I was strangely impressed, I followed the uncle and entered the inn.

    This inn...was made of marble?

    No, not just the inn. Every building in this city was made of marble. They were beautifully mottled with unique gloss. It seemed that the art of marble construction was progressing well in this country. Perhaps, there was an alchemist with good craftsmanship.

    "How much for one night?"

    "Twenty-five eru for one room."

    He answered Dina¡¯s question with a very scrupulous price. Twenty-five eru was equivalent to five thousand yen. That was surprisingly cheap, considering there were four people. We paid the fee without hesitation and were brought to our rooms.

    "This is your room. Please take your time."

    The room was surrounded by marble, so it was somewhat ufortable. But it was not without consideration of the customers. A soft carpet wasid on the floor, while a vase was arranged casually. We should be thankful that it was not sparkling in an omnidirectional 360 degrees.

    "Let¡¯s consider meeting Merak tomorrow. Let¡¯s just sleep tonight. Aries is dozing off already."

    "Ah."

    It was veryte already. Even though I was the one who flew with an explosive noise at such a time, it would be better to go to sleep now.

    Regardless of Libra the golem, Dina who slept at an unknown time, and me the gamer who yed through the night, Aries was already very sleepy. But since he could not sleep before me, he was struggling to stay awake. This was really tear-jerking.

    It wasn¡¯t like I mind if he slept before me. Was it necessary to force himself to stay awake because of our master-follower rtionship?

    "Well then, good night."

    "Ah, good night."

    Dina and I slipped into our beds and closed our eyes. The mattress was a bit hard, but that was what a fantasy world would be like. Libra did not feel like sleeping, so she stood in a corner of the room. Well, golems had no need to sleep anyway. She even guarded the tomb for one hundred ny years. Still, it was fine for her to sleep if she could get sleepy.

    I thought so as I drifted into slumber.

    ?

    ¡ªWho? Someone was screaming angrily with an unpleasant voice without a trace of kindness.

    A white-winged man, the father of blood rtion, was angrily shouting at a young girl. A parent got angry at a child. This was nothing special, as most people would have experienced it themselves. But normally, there would be no actual rage when one thought of the child. No matter where it was, even if there was some resentment internally, the parent would not act upon his selfish anger.

    "You! The neighbor¡¯s children said that you hurt them again! Didn¡¯t I tell you!? Don¡¯t injure others!"

    "But, dad, they were the ones who did it first. They threw stones at me. I just, I just wanted to protect myself..."

    "Shut up!"

    The shrill cry echoed. The young girl understand that this was the violence brought on by the creature known as "father". It was always like this. This man never listened to the story of this side.

    He acted like a father disciplining his child, but he was really just thinking of himself. So if he felt like it, he wouldy hands on her. Words thatfort a child would never leave his mouth. It was all about his self-image. If the young girl did something, his own reputation would fall. That was why he always scold and scream like an idiot.

    "I do not remember raising you like that! Have you mistaken my teachings again!? Huh!?"

    In agreement with the man¡¯s piercing voice, the young girl thought, "That¡¯s how it is."

    I do not remember being raised by this man.

    The only thing she ever received from him was scoldings and violence. Mistaken his teachings? Hah, it was full of mistakes. Or rather, there was no memory of him ever doing the right thing.

    "There are no parents who do not love their children."

    This was just a beautiful saying passed on by someone who was the center of parental love and knew nothing of things elsewhere.

    There were plenty of parents who did not love their children.

    Because they were unwanted, annoying, or noisy.

    And because her wings were ck¡ª

    Love was gone for such simple reasons.

    At least, this girl never received love from this filthy thing called "father".

    "...Liar."

    One word muttered, and the girl ran out of the ce.

    I do not want to hear that man¡¯s voice anymore. There is no meaning in conversing anymore.

    That is someone else.

    It is just someone else who happened to share the same bloodline.

    That¡¯s why it is not sad, it is not painful.

    These water droplets flowing along my cheeks are definitely not tears.

    She ran.

    She did not know where she was running, but she ran as far as she could.

    There was no ce for her in this vige.

    The ck wings of anathema¡ªJust because her wings were ck, she was alienated, estranged, differentiated, and discriminated.

    Even though they were not contagious, rocks were thrown at her. If she defended herself, she would be med instead.

    Her only ally was her mother. But her mother was sickly, so she did not want her to worry unnecessarily. Even so, her mother was her only salvation. If not for her, she would have been gone from this ce a long time ago.

    ¡ªWhy do I have to experience this? Just because my wing color is different. Why?

    Besides her, there were other fl¨¹gels whose wings were not white. In a ce devoid of the sun, a ce like a dirty slum...people of the same circumstances lived together.

    It would be different if she stayed here. But if she left the house, that creature called "father" might do something to her mother. Perhaps, his violence would be directed at her instead.

    ¡ªWhy is the world so unfair? Why do I have to be so unfortunate?

    She could not help but curse the gods.

    What great god of creation? What goddess of love?

    If there was a merciful god, why was the world full of inequality?

    Prayers were meaningless.

    There was nobody who would reach out to her.

    ¡ªNobody will help me.

    Even as a little girl, she stopped relying on people. Nobody would help her, so she had to manage by herself. As long as she lived in the house, the minimum amount of food would be provided. But it was uncertain how long it wouldst. Besides, more than anything else, she did not want to live like this.

    Therefore, I must be strong. I must be strong enough to ovee the inequality and irrationality in the world.

    I¡¯m still weak and immature now, but surely someday...I will take my mother and walk out of this miserable life.

    The ck-winged girl¡ªRuphas Mafahl swore strongly in her heart.

    ?

    "...What? It¡¯s just a dream."

    I ced my hands on my forehead and opened my eyes.

    It was a strange dream...yes, a really strange dream.

    Perhaps it was Ruphas¡¯ past. At least, this was something that I did not remember. I did not recall configuring such a setting. Nheless, if Ruphas lived in this world and not in a game, she must have parents. Being persecuted for her wings was also easily predictable.

    This was what I thought.

    Before I became Ruphas, there was the real Ruphas. This body did not belong to me. The soul of the real Ruphas should have been in this body.

    But currently, I was here. I was the only a yer, who knew nothing of Ruphas¡¯ past.

    Then, where was Ruphas?

    Had she been expelled because of my presence?

    Or was she asleep in this body?

    ...Or she was still sealed in the hyperspace. Perhaps the current me was simply a fake.

    But if I was a fake, why would this body have Ruphas¡¯ memories?

    Ruphas¡¯ father whom I saw in the dream should just be a stranger...so why did I feel so angry?

    Why was I so angry about the absurdity and irrationality of the world?

    How should I exin this raging waves of emotions?

    "...Ruphas-sama? Your heart rate has increased."

    "Libra."

    The only one who wasn¡¯t sleeping, Libra, asked in concern.

    She appeared emotionless, but surprisingly, I knew she knew she had the stirring of emotions.

    She wasn¡¯t emotionless. She certainly had a heart. She would cherish and worry about me. Strangely, it felt like we had been together for many years.

    "No need to worry. I just dreamed of the past."

    "Dreamed of the past?"

    "Oh. I just woke up like a little girl having a nightmare...It¡¯s nothing to worry about."

    I could not tell her.

    I was not Ruphas...I might just be a fake.

    ...and so, I kept silent.

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes: Seven Attributes</h4>

    The various attributes are generally ssified as follows.

    When Tanaka was moving: drowsy ¡ú woke by Dina ¡ú arrivedte at Gjarhorn, sleep again.

    Slightly overslept...?

    <b>Character¡¯s Underwear Colors</b>

    This appeared in my imagination, so it¡¯s time to reveal them. The underwear of the characters are as follows:

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    <b>Copernicus</b> (¥³¥Ú¥ë¥Ë¥¯¥¹) could be referring to the astronomer who formted the heliocentric model of the universe. He was the youngest of the four children in his family. Or maybe it was referring to the of Copernicus Science Center in Pnd, where robots performed in ys including some that were amusing and funny.

    <b>Yen</b> (ƒÒ) is, of course, the Japanese currency. As of December 2018, states 5000 yen = 44.03 USD. Based on this chapter, this makes 1 eru = 200 yen = 1.76 USD.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 27

    Trantor: Hand of Va ? Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go sightseeing today. Visit the capital as you please, but don¡¯t cause any trouble.¡±

    In the early morning, I told Dina and the others that we would be staying in the capital for a while. I was curious about the country founded by Merak. I was also concerned about the mixed-winged faction which was in the same situation as me.

    Most importantly, I needed to confirm what was inside Merak, so we could not leave too early. Since learning that Megrez was a resident of this world, I had partially given up, but it was not like I felt there was no possibility.

    The question was how to contact him... Unlike Megrez, I needed to consider the fact that he had not abdicated his throne.

    After all, this was a country of fl¨¹gels, whose lifespan was different. Unlike Svalinn where there were many different humanoid races, this country waspletelyposed of fl¨¹gels. Unless there were a lot of antipathies, there would not be a change in political regime in merely two hundred years. In other words, he was harder to contact than Megrez who had retired.

    ¡°Solo action...There is no problem when consideringbat power.¡±

    ¡°Sightseeing...Where should I go?¡±

    Libra and Aries had no particr objections, seemingly enthusiastic about sightseeing. No, I couldn¡¯t tell if Libra was enthusiastic or not. On the other hand, Dina was easy to read. A joyful expression was evident on her face.

    ¡°Sounds good. I will check out the situation with the white-winged faction. I might find something interesting.¡±

    It was difficult for me to check out the white-winged faction, so it would be of great assistance for Dina to do it instead. Solo action would disperse our fighting strength, but there should be no need to worry about these people even if they encountered a bit of danger.

    Even if the Seven Luminaries attacked, they could easily repel them. Libra and Aries had suchbat capabilities. As for Dina...I did not know her strength, but she was smart enough to keep herself safe, so there was no need for concern. Besides, she could teleport, so she could just teleport over to me when in danger.

    ¡°Then, dismiss for now. The meeting ce will be this inn.¡±

    That said, I left the inn. Dina left soon after for parts unknown. Aries ran off in another direction as well. Libra...oh, she was flying with jet propulsion again. I told her not to use that since it was too noisy. I really didn¡¯t know what to do with her.

    Now then, should I look around this town?

    I left the inn and wandered around the town. I did not feel like I was attracting a little attention from the surroundings. However, wearing a red cloak that covered my whole body, it was natural to attract some gazes, so I gave up. It would be nice to have a slightly better disguise than this.

    Considering Ruphas was female, I should wear men¡¯s clothes instead. I was actually male anyway, so it probably wouldn¡¯t seem too unnatural. Hmm? Oh, that was a surprisingly good idea. I should create a set of men¡¯s clothes with alchemyter.

    ¡°...Hmm?¡±

    After walking for a while, I saw a building reminiscent of a Greek temple surrounded by pirs. Although it looked like a temple, its color waspletely ck. The pitch-ck temple gave me an ominous feeling, but my curiosity got the better of me. So I stopped by the temple and decided to visit it.

    I wondered if they worshipped an evil god or something. This was strangely exciting.

    Concerning the deities of this world, Alovenus was the goddess of creation and also the only deity in this world. Although the demons imed the name of divinity, they had nothing to do with the goddess. They probably used the name of divinity out of rebelliousness against Alovenus.

    There were also five dragons that governed the attributes other than Metal and Water, which were governed by Alovenus. They never appeared in the game though. Online version aside, even TRPG and console games did not have them. They were phantom characters who only had setting pictures publicly released.

    Well then, what was being worshipped here? Was it an independent religion? Or perhaps this wasn¡¯t even a temple?

    As I passed by other worshippers and entered the temple, I saw the idol within.

    Hair that reached her waist.

    Jet-ck wings.

    A unique fashion sense involving a coat over her dress.

    This was undoubtedly me¡ªRuphas Mafahl. I was strangely looking at my own statue...

    ¡°This statue...¡±

    ¡°Oh, how rare. Are you a traveler?¡±

    A gentle voice spoke to me, who was staring dumbfounded. When I turned my gaze towards the voice, a smiling youth with reddish-ck wings stood before me. His face was neither beautiful nor ugly, somewhat average I guess?

    Unlike the beautiful elves, fl¨¹gels usually had ordinary looks and generic faces. It wasn¡¯t that the fl¨¹gels¡¯ beauty standards were not high whenpared to humans, but there were still ugly individuals as well. However, since the fl¨¹gels¡¯ beauty standards were based on wing color instead of facial features, nobody would pay an individual¡¯s face much attention unless it was overly ugly. In such a situation, the youth with a generic face and reddish-ck wings...well, he must have a difficult life.

    ¡°You are quite surprised to see this statue, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m surprised. Does this temple idolize the notorious overlord?¡±

    Upon hearing my reply, the guy with the generic face looked grim.

    What? Was he unhappy because Ruphas was criticized? I was just telling the truth about myself. It was somewhat funny for him to be upset about it. When I thought so, a weirdughter nearly burst forth.

    ¡°Indeed, to the outside world, Ruphas-sama was an evil invader. But to us, she was a savior.¡±

    ¡°Oh...Tell me about it.¡±

    Somehow this country...or rather the mixed-winged faction¡¯s impression of me was different from the rest of the world. I wanted to hear more about his story. I thought that it could help me understand more about Ruphas.

    ¡°Do you know that the fl¨¹gels are concerned with the whiteness of their wings?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I know it well. Since fl¨¹gels imed to be descendants of angels, white wings are considered to be the unique pride of the race?¡±

    ¡°Yes. However, not every fl¨¹gel is born with white wings. There are those, like me, who have wings of different colors.¡±

    The beauty standards of the fl¨¹gels were dominated by wing color, then followed by wing shape. Face and body are considered secondary, so people with wings of different colors were discriminated against.

    Nheless,pletely pure white wings were unheard of. Most of them were slightly gray, using white with a low lightness as the standard. Perhaps, light gray was considered passable.

    Conversely, the darker the color, the more one would be estranged. Of course, my jet ck wings were out of the question. Also, wings like his that were mixed with other colors were automatically out as well.

    ¡°Our situation was terrible. Currently, we have a town to live in and a certain quality of life, but it used to be really terrible. Other fl¨¹gels do not even think of me as arade. When I walked down the streets, I was pointed at and mocked. People with simr conditions stick together. I was living miserably in the slums. Can you believe it? Because our wing colors are different, we could not get jobs and had to starve.¡±

    What he said was not unique to fl¨¹gels. People discriminated against others over minor things, thinking that they were justified because of group psychology.

    When one was in a superior position without the constraints of reason, even kind people could easily be evil.

    The twenty-one subjects in the Stanford Prison Experiment were randomly assigned as guards or prisoners. As a result, the guards who were in positions of power went out of control and abused the students serving as prisoners, beyond the call of duty. In the end, after merely six days, the experiment was aborted because of a prisoner-student bing psychologically traumatized. The student seemed eager to continue, iming ¡°It is different from what was agreed.¡±

    This was despite the fact that they knew the prisoners were innocent and that it was just an experiment. In other words, when men believed their superiority was justified, even kind people would be evil. Everyone had this quality in them.

    As a result, discrimination intensified ording to the easily noticeable difference in wing colors. There was no exception among the fl¨¹gels who imed to be descendants of angels. Whenever I heard this story, it felt overwhelming.

    The descendants of angels...Hearing this was enough to stupefy me.

    ¡°We lived in fear every day, hiding in shadows. It was miserable...Those days were really miserable. But she was different.¡±

    He raised his head and spoke with a strong yearning.

    ¡°Her wings were ck, but she was more beautiful than everyone else. Unlike those of us who could only curl up in fear, she proved the value of her existence with her own power. Then, she dominated the nations, forbade discrimination of the fl¨¹gels under her rule, and treated us like people.¡±

    Ah, yes. Truly, when you were praised before your eyes, your back would itch.

    I did not dislike being praised, but it would be ufortable if it was too much.

    ¡°Thanks to her, we were able to regain our pride. We are not a miserable existence...We could take pride in being fl¨¹gels with wings of different colors.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this over-exalting her? Have you forgotten that the Twelve Heavenly Stars under Ruphas took away your homnd?¡±

    ¡°I have not forgotten. Rather, I think we reaped what we sowed. Betraying Ruphas-sama, subjugating her, then foolishly allowing the demons to make aeback. I think it is rather merciful that we aren¡¯t all killed.¡±

    ...Ah, this was rather bad. I could clearly sense the hate overflowing from this hot-blooded man. It was enough to make him reveal his dissatisfaction to a suspicious traveler.

    Yet I still had to listen.

    To his...no, to the rage brewing in the hearts of the people of this town.

    ¡°Those words could be considered an insult to King Merak...What do you people think of your own king?¡±

    My question stunned him. In the next moment, his eyes turned sharp and cold with an icy rage. It was ice because there was no outlet for the anger. However, if the subject was before him, it would easily burst into mes. The man replied without hesitation.

    ¡°He¡¯s the lousiest foolish king...Being called a hero or whatever, it makes meugh.¡±

    ?

    Aries was walking alone in the dark streets. He had neither a clear destination nor something he needed to investigate. Because there was nothing in particr for him to do, he was just pointlessly strolling around the town.

    In the first ce, happiness to Aries meant serving his master. Currently, doing what was useful to his master had a higher priority than anything else. For the master that he did not see for two hundred years, he wanted to do something to show his filial piety. He would not mind going the extra mile for that.

    That was why he wasn¡¯t really interested in strolling around the town. He would much rather return to his master now.

    But I don¡¯t want to get in the way.

    Ruphas was obviously very interested in this city. However, Aries could get interested in a city founded by the hero who betrayed Ruphas. On the contrary, he would rather burn it all down right now. But since his master wanted a stroll, he would obey without causing trouble.

    Therefore, there was not much that Aries could do. At most, it would be to avoid disturbing his master¡¯s sightseeing and to eliminate the things that would likely get in the way.

    Specifically, the Seven Luminaries of the demons. They were probably setting up something in this town. Or rather, they had no reason not to do so.

    The survivors of the Seven Heroes¡ªMegrez, Merak, and Bnash¡ªwere the strongestbatants among the humanoids. The demons could not dominate the world because of their existences. That was why Mars of the Seven Luminaries manipted Aries to attack Svalinn. Therefore, it was impossible for them to leave this country alone.

    And so, here we are.

    Aries strongly sensed that someone was following him from behind. No, was that person intentionally revealing his presence to let him know of his existence? Either way, he probably wanted to have a one-to-one conversation. In that case, he might as well go along with this invitation.

    Aries walked along the streets to find an empty spot. Eventually, he came to an abandoned za.

    A park...?

    Normally, there would be children ying here, but there was nobody now. It was notte at night, so there was no reason for people to avoid this ce.

    An anti-encounter barrier?

    Among the seven attributes of this world, the moon attribute included magic that could prevent encounters. It was a simple yet convenient magic that allowed one to avoid encountering unwanted opponents. This magic was treasured by adventurers.

    Two hundred years ago, Ruphas often grumbled about how nice it would be if she could use it too. Even if she could not use it herself, there were the Twelve Heavenly Stars around her thatplemented herck. This was especially true for the magic that she was not proficient in, which was supplemented by the Archer, the Maiden, and the Goat.

    The Archer was in charge of offensive magic, while the Maiden was in charge of recovery and support magic. Finally, interference and disturbance magic were what the Goat excelled in.

    ¡°Come out already, Aigokeros. It is you, right?¡±

    As Aries spoke, the empty space began to waver. Immediately after, a devil-like being appeared like a heat haze. It was a heteromorphic monster with a goat¡¯s head, a human torso, and bat wings. Its lower body was fluctuating, as if it had no real substance.

    One of the Twelve Heavenly Stars¡ªAigokeros of the Goat.

    As the man that legends considered to be the devil personified, his dark eyes shone eerily to confront Aries.

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes: Difference Between Dragons and <strike>Dragons</strike> Wyrms</h4>

    <b>Dragons</b> (¥É¥é¥´¥ó) of this world are mostly like the western dragons (¸o). There are two types¡ªflying dragons and ordinary dragons. They are the strongest magical beasts. They originated from dinosaurs that did not be extinct in this world. Mutated by mana, these super-strong dinosaurs became magical beasts. It was natural that they became uncontroble monsters.

    The level depends on the source of evolution. A dragon evolved from T-Rex would exceed Level 700. Even the demons leave the king of monsters alone. However, their poption is small, numbering less than one hundred. They are an endangered species. When encountered, it is necessary to be prepared for death. If more than half of the people have ck feathers, the dragons would flee. Lives could be saved by avoiding a confrontation.

    <b>Wyrms</b> (ýˆ) are the oriental, long-bodied dragons. These were created by the goddess herself. There were only five of them, each controlling an attribute other than Metal and Water, which are controlled by the goddess herself. Their levels are unknown, but 1000 is assumed to be reliable since they govern the system of the world. The guardian deity of Svalinn, Levia the water dragon, was an imitation created by Megrez based on these legendary wyrms. Of course, since water is governed by the goddess, there is no water wyrm per se.

    <b>Dinosaurs</b> (¿Ö¸o) are not even monsters, just normal animals. Despite this, they are very strong. Even without skills or magic, they could kill demons. Their intelligence is low. They are dangerous creatures that would attack anything before them, regardless of humanoids, demons, magical beasts, or even other dinosaurs. However, their numbers declined more than two hundred years ago. Now, only a few are living somewhere. For some reasons, they would not prey on ck birds, even fleeing from them instead.

    Crow: ¡°Even dragons and dinosaurs are afraid of us, are we the strongest?¡±

    ck Dove: ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    <b>Demons</b> (Ä§Éñ×å) in this novel are literally called ¡°demonic god tribe¡±. Since Alovenus is the one true deity, the demons are more like false gods.

    <b>TRPG</b> (tabletop role-ying game) is a form of role-ying game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters¡¯ actions through speech ording to a set formal system of rules and guidelines.

    <b>Lightness</b> (Ã÷¶È) of color, also called value or tone, is a representation of the variation in the perception of a color or color space¡¯s brightness. The lower the lightness, the closer the color is to ck.

    <b>Stanford Prison Experiment</b> (¥¹¥¿¥ó¥Õ¥©©`¥É±OªzŒgòY) was a 1971 social psychology experiment that attempted to investigate the psychological effects of perceived power, focusing on the struggle between prisoners and prison officers.

    <b>Heat Haze</b> (ê–Ñ×), also called heat shimmer, refers to the inferior mirage experienced when viewing objects through ayer of heated air.

    <b>Dragons</b> (¸o), in this trantion, refer to the western dragons, usually depicted as four-legged, winged, fire-breathing creatures. These dragons are evolved from dinosaurs.

    <b></b> (ýˆ), in this trantion, refer to the oriental dragons, usually depicted as four-legged, wingless serpents. These wyrms are divine creations of the goddess herself. Technically, both ¸o and ýˆ are usually tranted as "dragons". But since this web novel used the words differently, another word is needed to differentiate the two. The word "wyrm" is also used in Dungeons & Dragons RPG for the most powerful dragons (usually called "great wyrms").

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 28

    Trantor: Hand of Va ? Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    Libra flew in the sky, watching over the entire white town. She was one thousand five hundred meters above the town. Even the fl¨¹gels could not reach this altitude. As such, she was in a position that would never be discovered first. Even at this distance, Libra could clearly count the number of hairs on every fl¨¹gel in the white streets.

    Libra recognized the white-winged fl¨¹gels as her virtual enemies. They were proud of their white wings and would emunicate her master for her taboo ck wings. In other words, they were her master¡¯s enemies, and her master¡¯s enemies were her enemies.

    Libra had taken no action so far because Ruphas did not give her an order to attack. However, if they showed even a bit of hostility, she was ready to target the entire town with Brachium. There would be no forgiveness and no mercy.

    Her top criterion was whether something would benefit Ruphas or not. If it was something beneficial, she would provide protection and assistance. If it was something harmful, she would kill even a newborn infant. The only exception was her creator Mizar, but he was not around anymore.

    ¡°Breathing, actions, gazes, speech...Currently, the number of fl¨¹gels who discovered master¡¯s identity has been judged as zero. No unnatural aspects found...Attack, unnecessary. Continuing observation...Maintaining standby...¡±

    With an icy, emotionless, mask-like face, the automatic doll continued observation from the sky. In case of emergency, the physical data, facial features, and habits of everyone were saved in her memory.

    Then, she observed Dina, herrade who also came to the white town. She was pacing back and forth at the clock tower in the center of the town, seemingly waiting for someone. Her memory data regarding Dina had been lost, so the details were unclear. However, she seemedpetent at gathering information and was familiar with various ces. Perhaps, she was acquainted with someone in this town.

    ¡°¡ª!¡±

    Through her observation of the entire town, Libra¡¯s sensors detected a suspicious character. He was a handsome man with green hair and sunsses. Since he had no wings, most people would assume he was a human visitor. But Libra would not make such mistakes. A single nce prated his human-like disguise with mechanical efficiency.

    ¡°...Confirmed irregrities in skin color peculiar to mimicry. Confirmed teeth from the raising of the upper lip. Confirmed vertical pupils peculiar to demons via the gap of the sunsses. The probability of a demon in disguise, ny-eight percent. Completed enemy recognition...Specting. Judging from his walking angle, his line of sight, and the pathway, the probability of reaching the clock tower, eighty-seven percent. Determined Dina-sama is in danger of contact. ¡ªElimination conditions met.¡±

    Libra¡¯s lifeless eyes shone ominously as her skirt billowed in the sky. Two machine guns appeared mysteriously from somewhere and were equipped by Libra without hesitation. Guns were weapons for the gunner ss, an advanced ss of archer. Two hundred years ago, this weapon was exceedinglymon, but currently, it was considered an expensive item.

    With a relentless steep dive that ended with a shockwave and an explosive noise, Libranded before the suspicious man. The descent of the metallic humanoid crumbled the ground and threw up debris. Libra walked out of the dust cloud, obstructing the man thought to be a demon.

    ¡°Why...is there a golem in this town?¡±

    ¡°Warning to the demon ahead. If youe closer, I will eliminate you by force. In that event, please understand beforehand that your life will not be guaranteed. You are strongly urged to retreat.¡±

    Raising her alertness so she can attack anytime, Libra issued her final warning while remaining vignt. Meanwhile, Libra¡¯s eyes collected the opponent¡¯s data in order to measure his strength. Search Eye, one of Libra¡¯s skill, had the same effect as Ruphas¡¯ Observing Eye. This skill revealed that the opponent was Level 320 and had HP 25,000. Unless she was reckless, Libra would lose to him. Still, by today¡¯s standards, his level was extremely high.

    ¡°What is this about being a demon? As you can see, I¡¯m just a simple traveler who stopped by here for sightseeing.¡±

    ¡°Eyes behind the sunsses, slightly raised upper lip, irregrities in skeletal structure, differences in flesh quality...These posit that you are a demon using mimicry.¡±

    ¡°...I see. My disguise has been seen through. Well, that makes it easier.¡±

    Without waiting for his words to finish, Libra sensed a slight movement in the man¡¯s muscles. Next, she sensed his feet straining and his knees bending. Concluding that this was preparation to kick off the ground and lunge, Libra immediately raised her alertness and switched tobat mode.

    Immediately after, the ground erupted and the man¡¯s fist was blocked by her arm. The fist was imbued with a force beyond humans, but the blocking arm had a hardness which was beyond humans as well. A metallic sound rang out and the man¡¯s fingers broke.

    ¡°¡ª!?¡±

    ¡°Confirmed hostile behavior. Switching to attack mode.¡±

    She swung her arm to push him away and adjusted her line of sight to a point slightly further away. Then, both of Libra¡¯s eyes shotsers that pierced the ground.

    That man...was not there!

    He moved around to Libra¡¯s blindspot with agile footwork and made a sneak attack from behind. However, what counted as a blind spot for humans did not exist for Libra. Libra bent her arm in an angle impossible for humans and defended against his fist. She turned her head one hundred eighty degrees and firedsers at the man again.

    ¡°Whoa!?¡±

    As the man quickly dodged her attack, Libra pursued further. She reverted her arm and head to their original positions, reversed the direction of her body holding the machine guns, and go on full automatic fire without hesitation!

    One thousand rounds per minute. It was a ridiculous rate of fire, which was beaten only by using two guns for a total of two thousand rounds per minute. Naturally, her guns were not equipped with silencers, so thundering sounds echoed through the streets, disrupting the peace of the town in broad daylight.

    The man desperately dodged the bullets, kicked off the wall of a building and jumped. But he would be unable to dodge in mid-air, so Libra aimed at him again. She immediately equipped the next armament to shoot down the defenseless man.

    ¡°Skill selection. Unlock limiter on right arm. Zubenelgenubi (The Right Scale), release!¡±

    Simultaneously as she dered, her right arm was literally released. The fingers, palm, and forearm were reassembled, making hard, metallic sounds. In just one second, her arm transformed into a one-meter long cannon.

    ¡°¡ªFire!¡±

    In that moment, the window panes of the houses around Libra shattered. What shot forth was a torrent of light. The white re surged forward through the sky, apanied by purple lightning. The man in mid-air clenched his teeth.

    Just as the man was about to be hit, a sudden gale blew him sideways, avoiding Libra¡¯s st. That was not all. He turned direction in mid-air as if he was riding on the winds,unching an attack at Libra. Libra shot her machine gun to intercept him, but all her bullets moved past the man.

    ¡°Got you!¡±

    ¡°¡ª!¡±

    Libra used her machine gun to block his repeated knife-hand strikes, but her gun barrel became notched and then broke in two. This was no ordinary knife-hand strike. That man had an invisible de, which broke the machine gun. In that instant, Libra understood that it was caused by wind and concluded that the man could control the wind to cut metal.

    ¡°You can manipte the wind freely...I see. Isn¡¯t this Wood attribute?¡±

    ¡°To think you could see through it. That is praiseworthy. I wield the power of nature¡ªWood, one of the seven attributes. The one among the Seven Luminaries who can freely control Wood, Jupiter is my name. Give me your name, doll. You should not be a normal person.¡±

    Without being asked, the man dered his name and revealed his true form. His human-like skin turned into an ominous blue. With his sunsses removed, his green eyes had vertical slits.

    Although there was no obligation to dere one¡¯s name after the other party did so, this concerned the dignity of a female follower. Since the other party introduced himself, she should return the gesture. This was her preference as a maid and the honor of being Ruphas¡¯ follower. Therefore, Libra reverted her arm back to its normal form and carefully lifted the edge of her skirt.

    ¡°Greetings, Jupiter-sama. I am one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, Libra of the Scales. And so, it¡¯s nice to have met you.¡±

    ¡°Oh. The Scales that was said to have the greatest firepower among the Twelve Heavenly Stars. I heard you were destroyed in the royal tomb, but it seems to be just a rumor.¡±

    Jupiterughed in amusement and readied his knife-hands. It looked like ordinary knife-hands, but they should be enhanced with invisible wind des.

    Wood attribute¡ªliterally controlled wood, along with wind which counted as part of nature.

    In terms of attributepatibility, Wood would ovee Earth and would be overcame by Metal.

    On the other hand, Libra¡¯s attribute was Metal, which excelled in reinforcing physical substance. Her body, weapons, and equipment could all be enhanced to be metal-like in order to crush her enemies. This attribute was somewhat simr to alchemy. In fact, it was mostpatible with alchemists. In terms of attributepatibility, Metal would ovee Wood and would be overcame by Fire.

    In other words, whether in terms of level orpatibility, Libra had the advantage. Analyzing this battle with few disadvantages, Libra calcted her chance of victory as ny-nine percent and above. But she must not be reckless or merciful. Libra kept her machine guns and extended her left arm.

    ¡°Skill selection. Unlock limiter on the left arm. Zubeneschamali (The Left Scale), release!¡±

    As if it was a deration, her left arm transformed. Her left hand disappeared into her arm as if it was sucked in, reced by the bluish-white glow of a light de. If the Right Scale was the main gun for rangebat, the Left Scale would be the main weapon for meleebat. With this, the protection of the wind made no difference. She could just sh it all away.

    ¡°I¡¯ming.¡±

    The emotionless doll dered. The vernier thrusters on her back sted off and she flew towards her enemy.

    ?

    Normally, this was a park bustling with parents and children. But now, there were only two people present. The tworades faced each other within this mysterious barrier thatpelled others to avoid this ce. Serving the same master and being part of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, they were the powerhouses in this world.

    One of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, Aries of the Ram.

    And also one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, Aigokeros of the Goat.

    The atmosphere did not feel like a meeting between the members of the Twelve Heavenly Stars and long-lost friends. Neither side was currently making an attack, but both sides were ready to do so if the other party made a suspicious move. They were resolved to unleash killing blows without hesitation, even against their formerrades.

    ¡°Aigokeros...why are you here?¡±

    ¡°You know very well why I¡¯m here. I wanted only the lives of the Seven Heroes. You should already know this.¡±

    Aigokeros answered Aries in a deep, murky voice. It was a creepy, reverberating voice as if many people were speaking at the same time. His mouth, which should have been used to speak, did not move at all. Instead, the sound prated directly into the ears, causing difort even to close associates. People with average mental fortitude would be disturbed just by talking to him. His voice always caused physiological difort like a nail scratching a piece of ss. His presence, his confrontation, and his words were enough to drive the other party insane.

    He was the highest among the numerous demonic beings. Was the nauseating aura of the lord demon still active? Aries narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°For that reason, you are willing to submit to the demons?¡±

    ¡°Naturally. I make use of them, while they make use of my power. We have the same objective in the current situation.¡±

    Aries noticed something dangerous in his expression as he replied. He did not intend to talk about defeating the Seven Heroes. It was a shared perspective among the Twelve Heavenly Stars to see them as hated enemies and desire their deaths. But that did not mean they should join forces with the demons.

    Aries had a cooperative rtionship with the demon Mars, but he did not technically be one of them. They merely had amon interest. He definitely did not be part of the demonic army.

    ¡°Aries. I will ask you again. Come with me and help me send the Seven Heroes to my homnd, hell.¡±

    ¡°...Sorry, but I refuse. I would rather die than to be join the demons. My one and only master is Ruphas-sama.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same for me. I won¡¯t swear heartfelt allegiance to them. Just think of it as using them.¡±

    ¡°Even so, I refuse. Even if it¡¯s pretending, I won¡¯t lower my head to the demons.¡±

    Aigokeros and Aries confronted each other in this hair-trigger atmosphere. Aigokeros considered using brute force to make Aries join him. However, he was one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars too, so it wouldn¡¯t be easy to win. When he considered the pros and cons, there seemed to be more demerits. Therefore, the current stalemate persisted. Despite the situation being on a hair-trigger, strangely nothing would have happened.

    At this moment, Aries cast a stone in the still waters.

    ¡°Especially now that our true master has returned, I cannot do such an unsightly thing.¡±

    ¡°...! Then, the one who defeated Mars...!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was Ruphas-sama. She did not die.¡±

    His master was still alive. Hearing this news, Aigokeros was shaken. Then, Aries sent an invitation.

    ¡°Now, it¡¯s my turn to ask you. Cut your ties with the demons and return with me to Ruphas-sama¡¯s side. It¡¯s time to reassemble the Twelve Heavenly Stars.¡±

    ¡°...I cannot do it now.¡±

    ¡°Aigokeros!¡±

    ¡°Reunion with the master...that would be nice. But if we do not defeat our hated enemies, the past would just repeat itself. I will present myself to our master after sending the hateful heroes to hell.¡±

    Aigokeros did not ept Aries¡¯ invitation. No, he could not ept it now. The hateful heroes were not dead yet. The fools who hindered his master¡¯s supremacy had not been killed yet. If he turned back now, the past failure would happen again. He could return to his master¡¯s side only after crushing all the hateful enemies!

    ¡°My clouded heart is clear now! Look carefully, Aries. I will take Merak¡¯s head and let this country sink into a chaotic hell. Hell, death, and the grief of those fools will be a tribute to our master! I will destroy the demons from within and offer them as a sacrifice to our master!¡±

    If Ruphas heard this, she would have stopped him and said, ¡°Stop it, you fool.¡±

    However, after hearing that his master was well, Aigokeros did not overlook it in the heat of the moment. No, perhaps he did not overlook it, but he believed killing the heroes was for the good of his master. Therefore, he could not stop, he must not stop. Following the bloody thought process unique to demonic beings, he believed that annihting all the enemies was the best contribution he could make to his master.

    ¡°Farewell, Aries. Watch with our master from that special seat as I paint this country with madness, blood, and death.¡±

    After speaking his mind, Aigokeros faded away. Aries had no intention of stopping him. Killing the Seven Heroes was themon wish for the Twelve Heavenly Stars. Aries had no reason to stop him. After watching Aigokeros vanished, Aries thought about whether he should tell his master about this.

    ¡°Ruphas-sama did not like excessive ughter and attack on civilians...If I tell her about this, she would surely stop it...but those people in the white town of this country persecuted Ruphas-sama...¡±

    Aries pondered. In any case, he should observe the people in the white town for now. Then, he would decide depending on their personalities and way of thinking.

    If they were different from the past, if they were no longer so fixated on wing color, if their unsightly discrimination was diminished, he would tell his master about this. Then, his master, who disliked peaceful civilians dying for no reason, would surely stop Aigokeros.

    But if they would still attempt to eliminate his master, at that time...

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes: The Left and Right Scales</h4>

    <b>The Right Scale, Zubenelgenubi</b>

    Libra¡¯s main range weapon. She transforms her right arm into a railgun to fire a long-range attack. Probably not an actual railgun, but something more in line with fantasy. If it hits Level 300 Jupiter, it would be instant death, or if he¡¯s lucky, he would be dying.

    Q. Jupiter-san is doing his best, right?

    A. Jupiter-san has a lot of avoidance skills. When he first saw it, he was like ¡°Eh? She¡¯s weak, but what is with that attack?¡± Still, he survived because he is Jupiter. The other Seven Luminaries would have died.

    <b>The Left Scale, Zubeneschamali </b>

    Libra¡¯s main melee weapon. Actually, she used it in the fight against Ruphas. Her left arm transforms into a sword of light to attack the enemy. Its appearance is like a lightsaber (¥é¥¤¡ð¥»©`¥Ð©`). Because it has no physical substance, it does not be blunt and can cut steel like butter. If it hits Level 300 Jupiter, thetter would be split into two.

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    <b>Zubenelgenubi</b> (¥º¥Ù¥ó?¥¨¶ù?¥²¥Ì¥Ó), also called Alpha Librae, is the second brightest star in the constetion of Libra.

    <b>Attribute Compatibility</b> (ÊôÐÔÏàÐÔ) is about the rtionship of the Five Elements (ÎåÐÐ) in terms of creatively or destructively interacting with each other. For example, Wood ovees Earth and Metal ovees Wood. Wood generates Fire and Water generates Wood.

    <b>Zubeneschamali</b> (¥º¥Ù¥ó?¥¨¥¹?¥«¥Þ¥ê), also called Beta Librae, is the brightest star in the constetion of Libra.

    <b>Railgun</b> (¥ì©`¥ë¥¬¥ó) is a device that uses electromaic force tounch high-velocity projectiles, by means of a sliding armature that is elerated along a pair of conductive rails. A railgun projectile can reach several times the speed of sound (343 meters per second or 1,235 km/h).

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 29

    Trantor: Hand of Va ? Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    The country of the fl¨¹gels, Gjarhorn.

    Because of wing color, conflicts had continued from the past...This caused the capital city to be divided into the east and west districts. Currently, a non-fl¨¹gel girl was standing in the white town.

    A young girl with ocean-blue hair that reached her knees and eyes of the same color, Dina.

    She stood in front of the clock tower in the center of the white town, crossed her arms, and pouted her lips.

    ¡°...So slow.¡±

    She was waiting here to exchange information with a certain person. The necessary information had to be clearly acquired while hiding her own vital information and misleading the other party to think that he was the one who benefited. She repeatedly practiced going through the conversation in her mind, but when it came to the actual event, the other party did not appear.

    ¡°Seriously, making ady wait for so long. That¡¯s why this race is...¡±

    Comining, Dina walked off. It could not be helped if the other party did note. She did not want to move recklessly, but now she could only go and find the person. While walking around the town where there was nothing but whiteness, she observed the people living in this country.

    As a flying race, the fl¨¹gel¡¯s way of life was fundamentally different from humans. It was natural for buildings to have entrances on the second or third floor. Of course, there were also stairs ordders on the outside. Although a misstep would send one falling off the cliff, the inhabitants did not seem to be bothered by it.

    On the other hand, the walkways were unnecessarily wide whenpared to a human town, since fl¨¹gels were more likely to collide into each other because of their wings. Everything, both good and bad, began with the wings.

    This was what made fl¨¹gels fl¨¹gel. There was actually a saying in the world that a fl¨¹gel without wings is just an ordinary person. This was why they were so fixated on the shape and color of the wings, despising those that deviated from the conventional forms.

    ¡°...Oh?¡±

    As she was observing the town, a strange figure came into Dina¡¯s view. It was a suspicious person who waspletely covered by a cloak, simr to what Ruphas used to wear. Although the color waspletely white, the purpose of hiding his face and wings should be the same as Ruphas. After observing Ruphas for so long, it was evident that hiding the wings would make the cloak bulge unnaturally. Still, it wasn¡¯t something that could be noticed with a nce. Only people like Libra could see through it with one look.

    ¡ªCould this be an opportunity to get unexpected information?

    Sensing the strangeness of the white-cloaked person, Dina¡¯s beauty distorted with a mysterious smile. Although she was currently waiting for someone, the man was the one who failed to arrive on time. She was there at the prearranged time and ce, so he would have no cause forints. Making her conclusion, Dina changed her goal to follow the white-cloaked person.

    The cloaked person moved to a rtively deserted area, while Dina followed carefully to avoid being noticed.

    No problem, there was no chance of being discovered.

    To deceive, cheat, and infiltrate without being noticed were Dina¡¯s specialties. She was confident that she could even deceive people like Ruphas Mafahl or the Demon King without being noticed. Therefore, it was not difficult for her to follow the white-cloaked person since he was an easy target.

    The white-cloaked person entered a small, dusty hut. Dina moved in front of the hut and opened the door slightly. She narrowed her eyes and looked inside.

    Besides the white-cloaked person, two, three, four...five people in all. Based on the clothes they are wearing, they seem to be of the upper ss.

    These six people were probably very influential and authoritative in this capital city. For them to gather secretly in such a ce, wasn¡¯t this really suspicious? Dina ced her ear outside the door and concentrated on listening to the conversation within the hut.

    ¡°You arete, Reid.¡±

    ¡°Sorry. The other meeting took too long.¡±

    It seemed the white-cloaked person¡¯s name was Reid. When he took off the cloak, white wings appeared as expected. He had a well-trained body and appeared to be in his mid-forties by human standard. He had a sharp look in his eyes that revealed his unusual presence. He was obviously not an ordinary citizen.

    ¡°So what did the king say?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no good. We cannot rely on that opportunist king as expected. He repeatedly ignored my advice. He just doesn¡¯t understand that those filthy wings would keep increasing if the situation remains like this.¡±

    Dina realized that this was a gathering of people who were dissatisfied with the ck town. It was a faction that adhered to the traditional white wing supremacy and refused to acknowledge the other wings. They had no doubt about their own nobility and looked down on people with mixed wings. Therefore, it was unbearable for them when the mixed wings¡ªor filthy wings, as they called them¡ªbuilt their own town as if they were peers.

    ¡°Then, as expected...¡±

    ¡°Yes. We would have to crush the growing filthy wings with our own hands.¡±

    While listening, Dina covered her mouth with her hand. This was a dangerous topic. For them to use the word ¡°crush¡±, it might be impossible to calm them down. It seemed the extended period of tolerance had reached its melting point.

    ¡°But that...¡±

    ¡°Of course, this would dirty our hands, but someone has to do it. Justice could not be defended with only pretty words. Even if someone has to be evil, we mustplete our mission. Did we all not gather here today with that determination?¡±

    Justice. This word was a joke to Dina. Apparently, these people were the self-indulgent types. In the name of justice, one could be forgiven no matter what was done. They must have thought that they were so noble to do what others dare not do and to dirty their hands to enforce justice.

    Ah, how ridiculous. There was no evil as unscrupulous as those who would cloud their eyes with the word ¡°justice¡±.

    ¡°Besides...We have information that the filthy wings are preparing for war against us. It would be toote for us if they attack first.¡±

    Eyes clouded with justice, hearts filled with suspicions...This is getting serious, Dina thought.

    They were convinced that they were right and that they would be victims of the other party¡¯s attacks. They had be like a bomb on the verge of explosion. It was unclear if Merak was aware of this or not, but the fuse of this country¡¯s destruction had already been lit.

    ¡°I have already called for ourrades who shared the same ambitions, forming a volunteer army. Everyone is of one mind. There is no difference in our concerns for this country.¡±

    Reid¡¯s powerful speech stirred the people here to raise their voice in cheers. If they were the minority, it might be possible to stop them. But if they were the majority, it would be impossible to stop. Group psychology could corrupt one¡¯s normal judgment, causing the erroneous belief that one was absolutely right. And so it was the final countdown to chaos.

    ¡°In addition, we have an ally from outside. Although he belongs to a wingless race, Jupitar-dono agrees with us. In fact, the information provided by him has been a great help to us.¡±

    Jupitar¡ªWas this the criminal responsible for lighting the fuse?

    Dina concluded thus, but it felt strange that the principal person was not here. For an important meeting like this, he ought to be here to urge them on. Yet he was absent. Was it really okay for him to stop at this point?

    Well, whatever. She got some interesting information anyway, so there was no need to stay here any longer.

    This would be a good present for Ruphas.

    Without messing up her gentle smile, Dina vanished like a fog from that ce.

    ?

    Jupiter unleashed des of wind at Libra¡¯s face, arms, legs, and chest. But she remained unharmed. As a demon of the Seven Luminaries who threatened the world, Jupiter was attacking with all his might. However, Libra continued to advance expressionlessly as if it was just a light breeze.

    It might be possible to scratch the machine guns a little after they were deteriorated over two hundred years. However, Libra¡¯s body was fully repaired by Ruphas. In her current state, she did not receive a single scratch.

    It was a tornado that could uproot huge trees, yet she ignored the wind bulletsing from all directions as if she didn¡¯t even know they were there. His most powerful skill, which reduced his own HP to use, could not even move her one bit.

    On the other hand, Libra¡¯s attacks were all instant-kill. If he was hit, Jupiter would surely die. A scattershot of instant-kill attacks was no joking matter. And the uracy was rising as time went by. She was learning her opponent¡¯s movements and making adjustments topensate. Even so, this fragile bnce was maintained only because Libra was not going all out.

    If she activated Brachium, everything would be over in an instant. Yet, she did not do so because Libra decided that Brachium should be kept in reserve. In other words, there was no need to use Brachium because the gap in their abilities was too wide.

    Everyone in Gjarhorn, including the king, could be Ruphas¡¯ enemies. Libra always thought so and prepared herself to respond ordingly. In other words, if she activated Brachium, it would be targeting the entire country of Gjarhorn instead of Jupiter. If they became her master¡¯s enemy, she would instantly target the capital city with Brachium and erased the entire country.

    For that reason alone, she kept Brachium in reserve so she can activate it when necessary. Of course, there was probably nothing they could do when if the people of this country became her master¡¯s enemies. They were onpletely different levels in the first ce. However, reality sometimes exceeded expectations. There could be unexpected strength when the masses were united.

    A one-in-ten-thousand chance. Libra was already familiar with such unreliable and unreasonable reality two hundred years ago. Therefore, she would not make the same mistake again. She would not let such one-in-ten-thousand chances happen again. If it began to germinate, she would immediately pull it out by the roots. Therefore, she did not activate Brachium, allowing Jupiter to hang onto his life by a thin thread.

    ¡°This is uneptable. Ourpatibility is terrible.¡±

    Jupiter smiled like a wild beast enjoying a fight as he murmured calmly. His body was full of injuries. The injuries were light, but they were umting. The attacks did not hit him directly. He fully utilized his evasion skills and dodged the attacks perfectly. But even so, the shockwaves alone were enough to damage his body.

    On the other hand, Libra was hit directly several times, but she merely poised without taking any damage. It was as if she was saying that she did not even need to dodge.

    Metal¡ªin other words, steel.

    A body as hard as steel. A de that could cut down trees. A heavy weight that could not be moved by the winds.

    Steel could be melted by fire, but never hurt by the wind. Against Jupiter, Libra was a natural enemy that would not be damaged and could kill him in one hit.

    However, only Jupiter could have continued fighting until now. Among the Seven Luminaries, he was the best in terms of evasion and movement. Besides, he could still make attacks of his appropriate level. If he was one of the other Seven Luminaries, such as Mars, he would be a corpse already. Even so, being good at fighting was not the same as victory. At most, he could continue to fight, but his chance of victory was basically zero.

    ¡°I can¡¯t win this. Although it¡¯s frustrating, I will have to retreat.¡±

    ¡°...!¡±

    Hearing that the enemy intended to retreat, Libra withdrew her left arm and readied her machine gun. If the enemy continued to attack, she would defend with her steel-like hardness and defeat him with the Right Scale. But if the enemy escaped, flight would be required.

    Libra¡¯s maximum flying speed could reach Mach 5, but this was provided that she moved in a straight line and only after sufficient eleration. In other words, her initial velocity was not as fast and she was not as maneuverable as someone who could control the winds freely.

    If he intended to escape, it would be very difficult to catch him. It would be impossible to pursue and capture him. Therefore, it would be better to switch to long-range attacks and shoot him down from behind the moment he tried to flee.

    ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m more familiar with this town than you!¡±

    In cold sweat, Jupiter ran towards the exit of the city. Libra immediately gave chase, but the buildings in this city were too densely packed. This inconvenient situation was due to the fl¨¹gels assuming that people wouldn¡¯t be walking along the streets. This became a maze for Jupiter to flee and hinder Libra¡¯s pursuit.

    He fled into the corners, hid inside buildings, and got lost in the crowds. The tight corners were advantageous to Jupiter, who had high maneuverability. In addition, Libra had not acquired information regarding this capital city. Given the difference in speed, it was impossible for Libra to catch up.

    For example, an Olympic gold medalist, who knew nothing about the city, would have a hard time catching a kid, who was very familiar with the city streets, in a game of hide-and-seek. This was known as a geographical advantage.

    Further pursuit was a waste of time¡ªbased on their speed and maneuverability, her calction determined that the chance of a sessful capture was abysmally low. Without sufficient information on the city, further pursuit would only end in failure. It would be more meaningful to bring the information acquired from this battle to her master quickly. Libra thought so and terminated her pursuit.

    ¡°......¡±

    Chink.

    A metallic sound was heard as Libra moved her head. She could hear the sound of a pebble from two hundred kilometers away. She searched for Ruphas¡¯ voice and breathing sound and located her. As for Jupiter...it was useless as he was blocking sounds with wind walls. It would be impossible to track him with sound.

    ¡°Current location, ck town...temple.¡±

    Libra discovered the location of her master, who did not seem to be in a battle for now. She listened for other voices to check if there were hostile people.

    Yesterday, her master woke up at night with an irregr heart rate. Libra did not really understand, but she knew people could have dreams. This was her master organizing her memories. In some cases, one could remember some painful memories. Based on her master¡¯s reaction...Libra thought that she probably saw some unwanted dreams.

    As expected, this country had bad influences on her master.

    Thus, she concluded that she must eliminate all obstacles to her master while they remained in this country. Libra could not be affected by emotions. She would not be influenced something as surreal as dreams. She would not lose her normalposure. She was essentially a tool. Her existence was meant to benefit her master and remove any obstacles.

    The enemy¡¯s appearance andbat style were recorded. He was a low-level, troublesome opponent who used evasion to run around everywhere. She would not lose. A victory would be easy if she had a reliable method to capture him. Unfortunately, he escaped this time, but the next time would be different.

    She had to prepare weapons and strategies to deal with his speed, so she could reliably deal with him in their next encounter. She could eliminate him with Brachium, but she thought it was unnecessary. At the most, it would be enough to use it as a bluff and a threat. There was no need to fire.

    As a doll who regained her owner, Libra pondered.

    Weapons to defeat the enemies, methods to eliminate them, and actions from the previous battle.

    She reviewed, calcted, and repeated simtions, searching for that which would benefit her master most.

    This was the meaning of her existence as a doll that was created.

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    <b>Dina¡¯s Hair-Length</b> is specifically mentioned to reach her knees (º£É«¤ÎóŠ¤òÏ¥Þx¤ê¤Þ¤ÇÉì¤Ð¤·). The images from the light novel show her with chest-length hair though, so maybe it¡¯s a difference between web novel and light novel, I don¡¯t really know...

    <b>Conspiracy</b>... When you are meeting for a conspiracy, lock the damned door! Fools! ??

    <b>Jupitar</b> is an alias of Jupiter. The name the fl¨¹gels know him by is ¥¸¥å¥Ô¥¿©`, while his name used among the Seven Luminaries is ¥æ¥Ô¥Æ¥ë. Both ¥¸¥å¥Ô¥¿©` and ¥æ¥Ô¥Æ¥ë are different renderings of ¥æ©`¥Ô¥Æ¥ë (¡°Jupiter¡±). Think of it as an alternative spelling.

    <b>Mach</b> is a number indicating the ratio of the speed of an object to the speed of sound in the medium through which the object is moving. The speed of sound through air is 343 meters per second, so Libra could fly up to 1715 meters per second (Mach 5).

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 30

    Trantor: Hand of Va ? Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    This country had more problems than I thought. I felt this deeply as I sat on the sofa in the inn. Firstly, the mob-like guy I met when I went to the temple alone¡ªah, I did not ask his name. For now, I should call him Mob Red (Provisional).

    The resentment towards King Merak that he spoke of was probably not limited to him alone. After all, such a temple as this was built with a statue to publicly honor me, the most reviled person in the world. This alone was a public expression of a treason against the king.

    I understood that discrimination from the white-winged faction was really extreme, but doing this was merely adding oil to a fire. I wasn¡¯t really in a position to say this, but part of the cause for discrimination from the white-winged faction was the mixed-winged faction itself. However, it did not seem to be the entirety of the problem.

    ¡°¡ªSo it seems that the white town is currently preparing for civil war.¡±

    Currently, we were meeting in the inn, exchanging information we gathered today. The first to start was Dina, whose topic was like dropping a bomb. It was the unexpected information that the paranoid people of the white town were preparing for civil war with the mixed-winged faction. They even formed a volunteer army.

    Hey, Merak. What are you doing? It¡¯s a countdown to civil war already, no?

    If this continued, it would be the end of the country. There was no need for invaders.

    ¡°From their conversations, it seems the person called Jupitar is fanning the mes of the white faction. Well, it¡¯s probably a fake name.¡±

    ¡°...Hmm. You have worked hard at collecting information, Dina.¡±

    I put my hands to my forehead. Good work, Dina. If we knew about the mastermind, maybe it was still possible to save the situation. Perhaps, there was a way to stop the conflict. ...Even so, it was doubtful if a situation that was so heated up could be stopped.

    ¡°Reporting. Today at 13 hours 23 minutes 42 seconds. I encountered Jupiter, one of the Seven Luminaries, in the white town and engaged him in battle.¡±

    And Libra dropped another bomb. It seemed she fought a demon when she went to the white town today. It was rather unpleasant to hear that this country, which would copse even if it was left alone, was consorting with demons. If we left without doing anything, this country would surely perish. In that event, the bnce maintained by the three heroes would copse, resulting in a massive invasion by the demons.

    ¡°Based on mybat power andpatibility, my chance of victory is not lower than ny-nine percent. However, if the opponent flees with all his might, it would be difficult to capture him. In order to detain him in our next encounter, I am requesting homing bullets and the maintenance of guns.¡±

    Homing bullets...They were ammunition with a high degree of uracy used by the gunner ss. I did not have levels in the gunner ss, but I could still create them. Libra did not have levels in the gunner ss either, but golems and monsters were fundamentally different from yers. The problem here was that Libra did not have the ammunition.

    ¡°...I remembered they were not that expensive. Do you not have them?¡±

    ¡°I used them all in the defense of the tomb.¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    Oh, right. She did not leave the tomb for two hundred years. In that case, she might be running out of other ammunition as well, not just the homing bullets. Well then, I should just replenish them all. It was easy to buy ammunition in the game, but it might be very difficult to get them in this world. It would be best for me to make them myself. And for the machine guns to not be broken after two hundred years...as expected of something created by Mizar.

    ¡°Write the missing ammunition and weapons down on paper. I will make themter.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Libra did not expend too much ammunition, probably because her Brachium was too powerful. Even so, it made a difference whether she had ammunition or not. I should maintain her fullbat potential. Next would be Aries.

    ¡°Did anything happen to you?¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    ¡°Aries.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no! I have nothing worth reporting to Ruphas-sama...¡±

    Hmm. It seemed there was no issue on Aries¡¯ side. I was a little concerned about his stuttering, but I suppose everyone would have their own things to think about. Well, I should be d that there were no additional problems right now.

    ¡°And finally, it¡¯s my turn. In this ck town, there was a bronze statue of me in the temple for some reasons. This is just provoking the white faction unnecessarily...There¡¯s no doubt we are seeing the countdown to civil war.¡±

    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this a nice city?¡±

    ¡°Master, I propose we fully support the ck town during the civil war.¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s fine too.¡±

    ¡°...You people...¡±

    When I raised the problem of the ck town, this idiotic trio became favorable towards the ck town for some reasons. No, it would be best to prevent the civil war. What were we supposed to do with one side?

    No, we would probably win. I generally studied the levels of the people in this town. The highest level was around Level 50. Even if there were tens of thousands of them, it would be impossible to win against any one of us. Well, Dina might be the exception. But if I did that, it would be a return to being the overlord of terror. I would be wanted all over the world by tomorrow.

    ¡°Well, jokes aside. The problem of this country should be solved by Merak. It shouldn¡¯t be worrying Ruphas-sama. Let them wipe their own asses.¡±

    Dina made a level-headed proposal, as I pondered how to stop the conflict. In fact, when I thought about it, I had no obligation to help this country. In the first ce, I was recognized as the world¡¯s viin. Things could be troublesome if I got involved haphazardly.

    ¡°Dina-sama. In that event, the bnce formed by the three heroes would copse, leading to an invasion by demons. It will be disadvantageous for us if the Demon King¡¯s army continued to grow...It is necessary to let the heroes and the demons be opponents, at least until we recovered our former strength by gathering all the Twelve Heavenly Stars.¡±

    Oh. Libra gave an unexpectedly good opinion. Although it seemed like she intended to profit from their fighting, it was at least better than Dina¡¯s proposal to do nothing. This was what I thought, but it was overturned immediately.

    ¡°Therefore, I suggest that we support the ck town and wipe out the white faction, uniting the country in the process. It is not a favorable situation for the country to be divided. The possibility of them sabotaging each other should be resolved quickly. In addition, when the ck factiones into power, Gjarhorn will be a chess piece for Ruphas-sama to use.¡±

    Hey, Libra. You are rotten at the core.

    In other words, she wanted to eliminate the obstructing white town and let Merak and the demons finish each other off. It was certainly better than letting the people sabotage each other, since whichever faction seized power, they would be united to repel the demons¡¯ attack. But wasn¡¯t this a bit too extreme?

    Next would be Aries...but he did not seem to have an opinion. Well, he was not self-assertive to begin with, so he was probably leaving the decision to us.

    But what should I do? Dina and Libra seemed cold, but they were not irrational. However, it was impossible for me to simply destroy the town. I could not be that cold-hearted. At least, the current me did not bear a grudge against Merak and his country. I would prefer to just eliminate Jupitar and Jupiter along with any other demons, then leave things to Merak.

    ¡°...Now, as Libra said, it would be disadvantageous to us if Merak and this country were defeated. Even so, I do not want to simply crush one faction. Anyway, let¡¯s first capture Jupitar and Jupiter. If things go well, we may be able to stop the civil war. ...Or rather, could they be the same person?¡±

    ¡°Well, I think so too.¡±

    Jupitar and Jupiter. Given the current situation, they were likely the same person. Dina thought so as well, while Libra and Aries nodded their heads in agreement.

    Firstly, if Jupiter was not stopped by Libra, he would probably have met Dina given his route of travel. Then Dina followed a suspicious person (seemed to be called Reid) from the clock tower and learnt about the ns for civil and Jupitar.

    Given some thought, it would seem Jupiter¡¯s destination was not the clock tower, but the hideout that Dina discovered. Furthermore, Jupitar did not arrive on time to the meeting with the suspicious people. It could be inferred that he was absent without notice due to his encounter with Libra and was forced to withdraw. Therefore, the conclusion was that he was Jupiter in disguise. When Libra first encountered him, he changed his skin color to disguise as a human.

    This was getting too obvious. We could safely conclude that Jupiter and Jupitar were one and the same. In the first ce, there was no merit for humans in bringing civil war to this country. Why would anyone want to eliminate one of the heroes who served as guardians in a time of crisis? But if it was the demon Jupiter pretending to be a human, I was convinced that there would be sufficient reasons to do so.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s focus on catching Jupiter first. Perhaps the situation would improve after capturing him.¡±

    ¡°Can we not kill him?¡±

    ¡°If possible, capture him alive. I want to drag him out and make him testify in public.¡±

    In the current situation where the mood was on the verge of having a civil war, I felt that a scapegoat would be necessary to stop it. If we tried to stop it now, it would only draw both sides in. It was difficult to acknowledge one¡¯s mistakes, even worse when it was an entire country. Such a situation could not be helped.

    However, if it was caused by a third party, the responsibility could be shifted. ¡°We were just being manipted. Now, let¡¯s get along with each other...¡± It was a cliched technique used in novels andics. In other words, prepare an easily understood viin and me it all on him.

    I was aware that this was not a praiseworthy method, but...

    ¡°Rmendation is to capture him alive...Understood.¡±

    ¡°However...¡±

    ¡°...?¡±

    ¡°The top priority is your own safety. If it¡¯s too dangerous for you to capture him alive, this order is cancelled. If you judge the situation to be dangerous, you may kill him. Also, you may retreat too.¡±

    For the sake of Libra and the others, I surprisingly gave a simple permission to kill. For me, their lives were the top priority in this world. For the homeless me, Dina, Libra, and Aries were already my family. Thus, I gave permission. I would choose to kill others instead of letting them die.

    My ethical perspective was getting weird. Where did my weak-willed self, who could not even face the corpses of dead small animals, go?

    ¡°Be at ease, my master. The previous chance of victory was no mistake. With the proper equipment, Jupiter will be definitely be captured.¡±

    ¡°How reliable. Then, I will work hard at transmutation to increase the chance of victory by a little.¡±

    Anyway, I would believe in Libra this time. She already said she could do it. I could only believe her. Besides, only Libra knew how the enemy looked like, so she was the only one who could do it.

    ¡°......¡±

    I realized that Libra was watching me silently.

    What? Was there something else to tell me? Or was she waiting for mymand?

    Honestly, I could not understand if she just looked on silently. Should I say something? ...Well, let me say it properly.

    ¡°...My faithful subordinate, one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, Libra of the Scale. Imand you. Do not die and bring the demon in question before me. I await your fruitful result.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my master!¡±

    I gave my order. Libra, who was waiting, immediately responded. Apparently, she was really waiting for an order. If I did not give an order, would she be staring at me forever?

    She seemed to be a character who would be difficult to understand...

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes: Special Weapons in the Game</h4>

    <b>Bow:</b> A long-range weapon that could be used even by non-archers. However, it is usually used by archers who have advantages when using bows.

    <b>Gun:</b> A superior version of the bow, but a bow is still better if it is just a musket. It isn¡¯t that scary. It can be used by a non-gunner, but it still functions best in the hands of a gunner.

    <b>Log:</b> Everyone, grab your logs and let¡¯s go!! The most powerful weapon that could be used by acolytes and priests. Using a mace is outdated. The mainstream weapon to fight monsters is a log. Its range and power are high, effective for dealing with groups of undead. The ¡°log acolyte¡± will rece the ¡°beating acolyte¡± as mainstream...No, impossible...This weapon is a log, damn! In fact, it is stronger when equipped by a vanguard character than an acolyte.

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    <b>Musket</b> (¥Þ¥¹¥±¥Ã¥È) is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in early 16th century Europe.

    <b>Log</b> (ÍèÌ«) is...well, wood; usually the trunk of a tree. As silly as it sounds, there are stories involving characters fighting with logs, such as (ÉñÑÛ¤ÎÓÂÕß).

    <b>Acolyte</b> (¥¢¥³¥é¥¤¥È) is an assistant or follower assisting the celebrant in a religious service or procession. It is also a job in the MMO Ragnarok Online, which features a variant or build called ¡°Beating Aco¡± (Å¹¤ê¥¢¥³)...essentially an acolyte character that buffs himself and beats things up with blunt weapons.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 31

    Chapter 31 - Venus¡¯s Evil n

    Raw link: (29-11-2015)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (29-11-2018)

    Editor: Hands of Va / Va (10-12-2018)

    Trantion link:

    __

    Update 1: Hi everyone, I¡¯m back! For anyone who hasn¡¯t seen the please have a look if you have a minute or two of free time, it contains the details of how this series¡¯ trantion will go and all the changes to terms I previously used. I will be serving as the main trantor for Chapter 31-40, please let me know if there are any inconsistencies.

    Update 2: Release schedule, for now, is set to 1 chapter every 3 days, I¡¯ll post the schedule on the side of the page as a note. Currently, I¡¯m tranting chapter 35 and Va is tranting chapter 41.

    TL Disimer: I have no experience in tranting anything, nor am I great at either English or Japanese. This is not machine tranted but Japanese to English dictionary is asionally used for words I am not sure about. I will not be able to fully trante the author¡¯s jokes, puns or ngs if there are any. I will try to stick with literal trantion where possible in the context. If there is anything I don¡¯t understand I will leave it in a bracket (x).

    If there is an error in the trantion, website, sentence structure or format please let me know in thements below or DM me on the discord and I will try my best to fix them. Any constructive feedback is appreciated.

    __

    (Author Note)

    I also wrote it in the Activity Report but, the publication has been determined.

    (Author Note End)

    __

    <i>Well, this is getting prettyplicated.</i>

    I sighed out loud as I was making weapons and bullets for Libra using alchemy.

    If I was to put it in words all that I wanted to do whilst I was in this country, that would be to meet with one of the 7 heroes Merak and to determine if the inside was a yer just like me or not.

    It was my intention, that if I could make that determination, I would quickly leave this ce, yet things just didn¡¯t work the way I wanted them to.

    For some reasons, things progressed to such a degree that we were just one step away from having a civil war, and if I left things alone, this ce looked like it would self-destruct.

    <i>Self-destruction is no good. And if you ask me why self-destruction is no good, it¡¯s because if the country gets destroyed and Merak gets taken down, humanoids would have lost a guardian pir and get further pushed into the corner.</i>

    <i>And... half of the reason for that civil war is me. So I can¡¯t just ignore it.</i>

    <i>Putting things simply, because I - or rather Ruphas - was defeated 200 years ago, the rtionship between the White Wings Supremacists and the Mixed Wings Advocates who already had tension to begin with, reached the point of no return where it wouldn¡¯t be weird for them to start fighting anytime.</i>

    <i>... so yeahhhh nahh, this is no good at all.</i>

    In any case, something had to be done about this situation first.

    I requested Libra to capture someone called Jupiter or whatever, but it¡¯s probably better to take steps to do what we could in the meantime.

    That being the case, the first thing that came to mind was that Merak properly keeping both camps under control.

    Honestly speaking, this was the best case scenario with the least amount of effort required.

    Personally, I thought all of this was happening partly because he was indecisively sitting on the fence.

    So, if I could somehow manage to motivate him to act, then it shouldn¡¯t be impossible to stop the civil war before it happened.

    However, I just happened to be a nation-wide "bad guy". Furthermore, the people in this country had a long life-span so they totally remembered my face. (TLN: shouldn¡¯t it be international)

    <i>Or more like there¡¯s even a bronze statue of me!</i>

    In other words, for me to act in the open brazenly was totally out.

    <i>Having said that, full-body robe was also a bad idea. I just looked like a suspicious person, no matter how, I¡¯m looked at.</i>

    So in the end, I should try cross-dressing in the way that I thought of the other day.

    The problem regarding clothing could be solved with alchemy.

    Firstly I tied my hair behind my neck, then I put on fake sses.

    On the head, I wore a ck hat, and overall, the impression of me changed a bit.

    I bandaged my chests tightly and wore a white t-shirt on the top.

    <i>The pants are... ck should be fine.</i>

    Finally, I wore a red mantle as an overcoat and hid my wings with the stealth bandage.

    "Hmm..... after this is... the way I speak huh....."

    (TLN: Remember that Ruphas as a character speaks down on others. I don¡¯t know about UK or US but, here in Australia, whether you are speaking to a boss, friend, elder, family or younger generation, there¡¯s not much difference in the way we speak - yes there¡¯s little difference but not muchpared to Japan. However, in Japan there¡¯s "tier" -if you will - of speech. You speak differently to elders, senior, junior, boss, friend, family, younger sibling, older sibling, etc. English just doesn¡¯t have that many tones or way of speech to convey the way Ruphas speaks urately.)

    After disguising, I stood in front of the mirror and looked at myself.

    <i>Un, how do I put it? Although it is a bit weird to say it myself, because the original is a super beauty, even after cross-dressing, I still look like a maiden somewhat.</i>

    <i>For a man, the face just looks too beautiful.</i>

    <i>Maybe, something like a facial hair would.... Nope, I suppose with this facial feature it will only look unnatural.</i>

    If I knew something like this was going to happen, I should have taken Strider¡¯s Disguise skill.... It was an interesting skill that allowed the user to change the outer appearance for a set amount of time.

    <i>Damn it, on top of being a p2w skill, it was merely an appearance changer so I thought "don¡¯t need it" and ignored it, but if I knew this was going to happen, I should have taken it.</i>

    (TLN: p2w (aka pay2win) is a term often used in gaming to mean paying with real life money to win (either by obtaining p2w exclusive items or gaining an unfair advantage with consumers, equipment, stats, etc), nowadays the term has gotten a little loose and also includes anything you obtain by paying real life money in the game from "cash shop" EVEN IF it¡¯s avable to other yers by ying the game, if you y mobile games, think of it as micro-transaction)

    And there¡¯s still my manner of speech. Even if I put the effort in, it didn¡¯t change at all.

    It¡¯s as if something was working against it, the way I spoke was stubbornly fixed in the way it was.

    Unfortunately, maybe I had no other choice but to be a mute character.

    "Ruphas-sama, is it fine now?"

    "Un, I don¡¯t mind"

    While I was taking various poses in front of the mirror, Libra opened the door and came in.

    My current location, not that it mattered but, was a small room inside the room of an inn.

    Surprisingly, in this inn, each room came with another small room within it.

    <i>No, please don¡¯t say it¡¯s normal. In this world, this setup is actually fairly rare.</i>

    Anyways, that was where I was changing into my disguise... was what I was trying to say.

    Initially, Libra wanted to help me get changed but I rejected that proposal.

    If I left it up to her, I was scared that she was going to make me wear something weird.

    "What do you think, Libra? Does it suit me?"

    "Ruphas-sama looks good in whatever you decide to wear.

    However, if I may be permitted to be rude, it is my opinion that your current appearance might make you the target of this and that from the gentleman who may be interested in others of the same gender."

    "........so what you are trying to say is, I don¡¯t look like a man at all?"

    "You at least look more like a man than Aries."

    For real though, she really had that personality where she would just say whatever the hell she wanted.

    Well, it¡¯s still better than being overly reserved though.

    Or rather, Aries also would just say whatever he wanted and Dina also did the same, so perhaps none of my subordinates even knew the word "restraint".

    "If I had to point anything out, I rmend sunsses over normal sses."

    "I see, there was that too."

    Indeed, my face was well-known and there¡¯s still a worry that normal sses alone might be insufficient.

    I agreed and nodded to Libra¡¯s suggestion, and pointed my finger towards the room¡¯s corner.

    <i>I¡¯d make the sunssester.</i>

    "By the way, transmutation of bullets is done. It¡¯s over there, so take the ones you like."

    "Thank you very much."

    Libra thanked me and walked towards the ce with the ammunition.

    Libra then made some ¡¯gacha-gacha¡¯ sound and EVERYTHING was stored in her body.

    <i>....wait, hang on, how did she just do that?</i>

    There¡¯s clearly far more ammunition than the size of her body would allow.

    "With this, the probability to sessfully capture Jupiter has increased. The next time he encounters me will be hisst."

    Libra said a very promising thing indeed.

    It¡¯s not that it didn¡¯t somewhat sound like a g but, I really could not foresee losing at all.

    (TLN: "g" is a Japanese ng often used by the younger generations to mean something that might happen in the future. There can be multiple meaning to gs by putting a word before the word "g" itself but, by default, it means something negative, i.e. death g)

    Basing on the strength of the 7 Luminaries that we had previously fought ugh) Jupiter¡¯s level should at most be around level 300. Furthermore, Libra had the attribute advantage over him.

    However I think about it, it should be an overwhelming victory for Libra.

    Anyways, I should leave this Jupiter-san to Libra and think about a method to make Merak move.

    As for Aries and Dina, I should send them around to check up on the extremists.

    I was also interested in the ns of the White Wings Supremacists¡¯ [Volunteer Army].

    "By the way, Ruphas-sama, since a while ago I haven¡¯t seen Dina around. Do you have any idea where she might be?"

    "? Are you not able to detect her using your sensor?"

    "Negative, there is no response from her within a 100km radius of me. There is no other conclusion but to say that I believe she is out of the country."

    Whilst Libra questioned the strangeness, I thought "Ahh", and put my hands together.

    She had probably returned to the tower using the teleportation magic.

    Which reminded me, Libra was not aware that Dina knew teleportation magic.

    "There is no need to worry about that. She is a user of teleportation magic.

    I suspect that, currently, she returned back to the tower to manage the finance."

    "Teleportation magic.... Are you perhaps talking about... X-Gate?"

    "Nn? No, I haven¡¯t heard about it in detail yet."

    "I am surprised. Could there really be a teleportation magic aside from X-Gate in this day and age?"

    To Libra¡¯s remark, I felt a slight headache.

    <i>What is it..... something is, there is some sense of difort.....</i>

    <i>.....but, whatever it is, it doesn¡¯t really matter right now. Though, it¡¯s true that I can understand Libra¡¯s surprise.</i>

    After all, no such thing as "teleportation magic" had existed 200 years ago.

    Yes exactly, there was no such convenient magic inside [X-Gate Online].

    There were many modes of travel, and of course, there was also amand which allowed instantaneous movement from one map to another. However, that was amand to move across the map instantaneously and as such, it was treated as if the character had "travelled" normally and not "teleported".

    The only exception in the game was the existence of [X-Gate]. However, that was merely treated as a vocabry or setting, never appearing in the actual game. And of course, it was unobtainable.

    Therefore, Dina¡¯s "Teleportation Magic" is either an X-Gate or some new magic which was newly created and introduced in the past 200 years.

    <i>But why.... Why is it that, after all this time, I¡¯m only recalling about this now?</i>

    <i>Why did I ept it as a matter of course until now?</i>

    "Ruphas-sama?"

    "! A, Ahh, that¡¯s right. Now that you mention it, I have not heard about those exnations from Dina. When she returns, let¡¯s try asking her."

    If I thought about it, there was a lot about Dina that we didn¡¯t know about.

    It was a known fact that she was originally a "mob", a background NPC, but other than that particr information, I really didn¡¯t know anything more about her.

    She was not a golem created by me like Libra, nor was she a captured monster like Aries.

    Not that it mat.... No, I didn¡¯t feel too good about it, but there was a need for us to sit down and talk things through once.

    *

    "Shit... that golem, she just went full-on...."

    Inside a forest that was some distance away from the city, Jupiter was screaming insults whilst treating his own injuries.

    Everything was going ording to n until today.

    Naming himself as ¡¯Jupitar¡¯, he sessfully infiltrated into the white side of the city and he even sessfully set up the civil war.

    All that it remained for him to do was to wait for the white and the ck camps to destroy each other, then take out Merak after the country had perished.

    Of course, when it came to one of the 7 Heroes, it would not be an easy win even if there was the [Loser¡¯s Stigma].

    However, he had the confidence to win if Merak became separated from his guards amidst the chaos caused by the civil war.

    Especially because Merak excelled in the power of the [Earth]. Therefore as someone with an affinity to the element [Wood], he stood in an advantageous position.

    The current location was approximately 500km from the city.

    <i>I don¡¯t know about that maid golem¡¯s detection range but I¡¯ve heard from the legend that even if you were 100km away from her, she can still pursue you. There are even stories of her sniping enemies from 200km away, so I¡¯m going to put caution on top of caution and stay a few times the distance away, and hold my breath on top of that whilst hiding in the forest.</i>

    <i>Travelling is a bit of a bother but I can easily cover that distance with my ability.</i>

    <i>But anyway, it¡¯s be bit troublesome.</i>

    <i> As long that golem¡¯s in the city, I¡¯m going to get detected as soon as I get close to it and get chased.</i>

    <i>And if I decide to fight her, I stand absolutely no chance of winning.</i>

    <i>Truly, why did it be like this..... No, I know the reason already.</i>

    <i>That golem is there because Ruphas Mafahl brought her along into the city.</i>

    <i>But why "now"? Why did this happen at this worst possible timing?</i>

    <i>Seriously, what is [that person] doing?</i>

    <i>I thought you were supposed to be monitoring Ruphas to prevent something like this from happening.</i>

    "Why there, you look like you¡¯re not doing too well."

    There was a cute chuckle as if there was something funny.

    When Jupiter turned his murderous stare towards the direction of the noise, what he saw was exactly ¡¯that person¡¯ whom that he was thinking about,ughing at him with pleasure whilst putting her hands on her lips.

    A moonlight shone onto her long golden hair which reached her knees. An overly maintained beauty.

    Wearing a pure white robe, apletely enigmatic colleague walked towards Jupiter.

    ¡ªone of the 7 Luminaries, Venus.

    With the appearance of a beautiful young girl, she was the devilish witch who possessed the element of Metal.

    That skin, as if it there was some camouge, was a shade of white that almost seemed transparent - something you really couldn¡¯t think of as belonging to a demon race.

    She was an existence and someone that was brought in by the leader; one who possessed the title of the [Sun]. ording to him, she was a real demon, but she was an entity that was shrouded in mystery.

    It seemed that the leader fully trusted her, but Jupiter had persistently felt some reservation about her.

    "You bastard.... You still have the guts to show up like nothing¡¯s wrong!?"

    "Oh, you¡¯re so scary. Don¡¯t get angry, I don¡¯t like it."

    "Shut up! Why didn¡¯t youe help me out!?

    And on top of that, why didn¡¯t you stop Ruphas Mafahl froming to this city or make a report about it!

    Thanks to you, I¡¯m in this condition!"

    "Oh, are you able to say that? I was waiting at the meeting ce for you the whole time. Not only did you make ady wait for you, you even stood me up, you¡¯re a failure as a man, you know."

    Whilst staring daggers at the girl who was purposefully making it obvious that she was faking tears, Jupiter¡¯s expression was so full of hatred that he felt his teeth were going to shatter from grinding too much.

    However, she waspletely unconcerned with this and even topped it up with more words.

    "I nned to make a report, you know. I seem to recall the person who didn¡¯te to the important meeting ce was you, wasn¡¯t it?"

    "Guu.... Then, then why, then why did you just let theme to the city!? If it¡¯s you, shouldn¡¯t you have been able to stop them!?"

    "Please don¡¯t say such unreasonable things.

    There¡¯s no way someone like me would be able to stop that Supreme Ruler.

    All that someone like me can do, is to just keep a lookout for where they¡¯re going, that¡¯s it."

    In response to what Venus just said, Jupiter clicked his tongue in a way that would be heard by her.

    <i>This bitch is always like this. Always so slippery and gets away from the pursuit. So truly, so detestable.</i>

    "But I also feel bad about it, you know. So tonight, I thought I should help you hence I havee before you."

    "Help me, you say?"

    "Yeah. It¡¯s in the way, right? That golem.

    If it¡¯s for just a small amount of time, I can handle that thing."

    Jupiter was suspicious towards this suggestion.

    He was thankful for the suggestion itself. *A saving grace.

    No, if anything, he really had no other option but to cling onto that suggestion.

    (TLN: for * raw used¶É¤ê¤ËÖÛ, which is a Japanese proverb, literally meaning something like ¡¯Ship to cross¡¯. I had to research the proverb a bit but from what I¡¯ve read it signifies something like a ¡¯saving grace¡¯. If anyone has a better alternative please let me know below.)

    ".....is it even possible?"

    "If it¡¯s about 20 minutes, it¡¯s absolutely possible."

    ".....20 minutes huh."

    <i>20 minutes.... is a short amount of time.</i>

    <i>But if there¡¯s that much time, as long as I get fairly close to the city from the start I can make the round trip.</i>

    <i>With it, I can go to the country, randomly attack the White Town and then simply tell those idiots: "It¡¯s an attack from the ck City" and it would be fine.</i>

    <i>After I do that, those guys will simply crush each other for me.</i>

    <i>Merak.... As for Merak, I¡¯ll let it slide.</i>

    <i>Once the country gets destroyed, I¡¯ll first wait for Ruphas¡¯ group to leave.</i>

    <i>Even if it¡¯s that person, as long as the country is gone, she should lose interest and leave.</i>

    <i>Ruphas is the demon¡¯s enemy but she should also be the 7 heroes¡¯ enemy..... so she should leave.</i>

    <i>After that happens, I can just assassinate Merak somehow.</i>

    <i></i>

    "Ok fine.... make things happen properly. As for the signal, send it using this magic stone!"

    "This is magic stone of the wind."

    "That¡¯s right, if you use this I¡¯ll know. Understand? Do things properly!"

    After saying that, Jupiter pushed the stone onto Venus, then sat back down on that spot.

    Venus also did not say anything else and left that ce silently.

    On that face was a smile filled with contempt even though he was supposed to be her ally¨C.

    (TLN: I wrote a note about this back in Chapter 20 but this series¡¯ author like to break the sentences up into small parts and separate them using ama. I try to stick to literal trantion where possible and if the sentences are split into parts in the raw I also try to separate them into parts. So when you are reading my trantion and see unnecessary splits in the sentence, please keep in mind that most of those were split by the author to make some kind of emphasis on some word. One example is in thest sentence after the word face.)

    __

    (Author Note) - skit - (TLN: refer to the end of my chapter 17)

 Chapter 32

    Chapter 32 - Gjarhorn¡¯s Fire Spark

    Raw link: (30-11-2015)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (03-12-2018)

    Editor: Hands of Va / Va (29-11-2018)

    Trantion link:

    __

    TLN: This chapter has too many ngs. Simpler ones where meaning doesn¡¯t change much when tranted to English has been incorporated into sentence normally. For the ones where the literal meaning and actual meaning is quite different is tranted literally followed by a TLN.

    Furthermore, this chapter really shows the unique writing skill and quarks of the author, so I feel like I couldn¡¯t fully capture what the author wanted to convey with the trantion, so some sentences don¡¯t have as much of a sinct effect as they should and some sentences have been split into 2 to better make sense rather than using 5 conjunctions forcibly connecting into 1.

    TL Disimer: I have no experience in tranting anything, nor am I great at either English or Japanese. This is not machine tranted but Japanese to English dictionary is asionally used for words I am not sure about. I will not be able to fully trante the author¡¯s jokes, puns or ngs if there are any. I will try to stick with literal trantion where possible in the context. If there is anything I don¡¯t understand I will leave it in a bracket (x).

    If there is an error in the trantion, website, sentence structure or format please let me know in thements below or DM me on the discord and I will try my best to fix them. Any constructive feedback is appreciated.

    __

    (Author Note)

    Gjarhorn¡¯s skill at a nce

    Near Sparks

    Overheat

    Self Destruct

    Great Explosion

    (Author Note end)

    __

    Time was the night.

    At the end of what seemed like a long but short day, I was lying and turning on the bed whilst lost in thought.

    Aries had already gone to bed and Libra, as usual, was standing in the corner of the room.

    ...There was not even a single movement so I might have really end up thinking of her as a furniture but, if something were to have happened she would have quickly responded.

    To solve the problem this city was facing, the best scenario would have been to make Merak take action.

    However, to begin with, as Merak sat in this country¡¯s position of King, getting into contact with him was difficult.

    <i>I can easily infiltrate to meet him without being detected but I can¡¯t really call that very amicable.</i>

    <i>It feels like I¡¯m repeating this again and again but fundamentally, I want to stay unrted to the actual turmoil.</i>

    <i>And... as for how to get into contact with him.... Really... What should I do?</i>

    Libra had more or less detected Merak¡¯s life force, however, it did not look like it would move out of the castle any time soon.

    <i>Move, Sky King. Or do you intend to abandon the title of Sky King and be Unmoving King?</i>

    ".... I¡¯m bac¡ª..... did everyone go to sleep already?"

    While I was somewhat turning into a useless furniture who couldn¡¯te up with any good solution, a capable adviser opened the door and had came in nonchntly.

    Even though it was in a very faint voice, she politely said the returning greetings, maybe it¡¯s what they call uprightness.

    (TLN: Details in the footnote1)

    There was a lot of things I wanted to ask Dina, and Libra also slightly moved her line of sight to check with me with her eyes whether she should pursue them now.

    However, I stayed silent and shook my head a little, telling her not to do so.

    It is because Aries was asleep right now. I believed there was no reason to wake him up.

    If we wanted to question her, it would have to be done tomorrow.

    "¡ªand, as such, we will begin the interrogation of the used."

    "Everything you say will be recorded in my memory, so please don¡¯t hold back and reveal everything."

    "Eh? Eh?"

    Next morning.

    Libra and I captured Dina, who was still half asleep as she got up from the bed. We took her to the table and surrounded her so that she could not escape.

    (TLN: The word used is ßBÐÐ (renkou), which mean to "take" a person somewhere but it¡¯s a specific phrase in Japanese used only in a situation where police "takes" a suspect to the next destination; police car, police station or to court. In this case, it¡¯s used to mean take because they¡¯re technically in the same room but it¡¯s a smalledy to mean they¡¯re kind of role-ying a police interrogation)

    In actuality, I also thought it was about time we put a scalpel on the mystery behind Dina. (TLN: doctor reference. For the younger audience, it means to dissect, or in the simpler term to get to know their mystery)

    For a character that was originally a background NPC, she was toopetent, and furthermore, she was able to use teleportation magic, it was as if she was just asking people to suspect her.

    One exnation was that her presence was too thin that we simply didn¡¯t notice her in the past, however, I didn¡¯t think that was the case here.

    <i>Honestly speaking her presence is not thin. It¡¯s thick.</i>

    Perhaps she just changedpared to the past, however, looking at her ¡¯current¡¯ her, it was hard to imagine that she was that stealthy in the past.

    If it was a game, it was understandable. Yes, if it was a game.

    However, this was a reality, other than me, Aries and Libra also existed.

    Apparently, Libra¡¯s data had fried, however, it was strange that even Aries had forgotten about her.

    "Firstly, Dina. The teleportation magic that you use, that is [X-Gate], correct?"

    "I have been informed of the condition, ¡¯Unusable without Consent¡¯ from Ruphas-sama. That requirement matches to be one of the activation condition of [X-Gate]."

    "Ah, yes. That¡¯s right."

    .............

    <i>Oi, she just casually admitted it.</i>

    <i>Or rather, if I think about it properly it¡¯s not really something she needs to hide nor did she actually try to hide about it.</i>

    <i>It¡¯s a rare skill but it seems like I¡¯ve been brought to this world using that skill, and if I consider the fact that even the young low-level elf could use it.... Well... Un, the fact that I am even thinking too deeply about it makes me feel dumb.</i>

    "Aannnd, next point. You, what are you really?

    I know because of the faintly memory of my past, but you were alive 200 years ago, which means that at the very least you should not be of a human race.

    Having said that, you don¡¯t seem to possess the characteristic features of an Elf, Flugel nor a Vampire race......"

    "I¡¯m just a half-elf."

    "....................."

    ......... Ahhh, un...... Now that she said it, there were such things as "half".

    If she was a mix racial child born between an Elf and a Human, both the appearance of a Human and the lifespan of an Elf can be exined.

    In the game, the characters could not be made into half.... So this is alsopletely my mistake and misunderstanding.

    (TLN: Half is a Japanese ng, details in footnote2)

    "How about all the diverse skills....."

    "I trained myself to the best of my ability in the past 200 years.

    So that this time I don¡¯t be a background - so that I don¡¯t be a background!"

    "............."

    <i>Because it is an important thing you had to say it twice, I totally understand and sympathise.</i>

    <i>What should I do, there is nothing more to ask anymore.</i>

    She had easily andpletely ovee our questioning just like that and Dina somewhat seemed ted by that.

    I looked at Libra to gain help, however, she just casually made an X mark with both her arms.

    It seemed in this interrogation, it was my loss and the final verdict was ¡¯not guilty¡¯.

    <i>Uuuuuummm, maybe I just thought about it too much?</i>

    The headache I experienced at that time might just be a normal headache and a mere coincidence, it did not seem like there was any special meaning behind it.

    <i>Not good, this is quite embarrassing for me.</i>

    <i>Or more like, I should just use the [Observing Eye].</i>

    I did know why I didn¡¯t think of and didn¡¯t feel like using that against her until now.... Even thought it was a bit strange.

    [Dina]

    Level 300

    Species: Half-Elf

    ss Level:

    Acolyte: 100

    Priest: 100

    Mage: 100

    HP: 11 000

    SP: 9800

    STR (Strength/Attack Power): 650

    DEX (Dexterity): 1000

    VIT (Vitality): 683

    INT (Intelligence): 3850

    AGI (Ability/Speed): 900

    MND (Mindpower): 2967

    LUK (Luck): 643

    <i>What the hell, she¡¯s actually quite strong isn¡¯t she, this Dina.</i>

    <i>Not as much as me or the 12 Heavenly Stars but, this is something at the level where she would be able to fight against the 7 Luminaries on the equal footing.</i>

    <i>......though I feel like there¡¯s something, something determinative that I¡¯ve overlooked but.</i>

    Whilst I was thinking that Dina¡¯s line of sight moved past me and nced at the clock that was hanging on the wall, as if something just popped into her head, she suddenly raised her voice a little and said,

    "Ah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯ve just thought about it, but if it is Libra-sama, I can take her anywhere using my teleportation magic."

    "Mm? It¡¯s impossible if it¡¯s me but it¡¯s fine with Libra?"

    "Yes, inorganic objects and items are not included in the [X-Gate]¡¯s usage condition. Otherwise, clothing woulde off when I use it.

    And Libra-sama is a Golem, therefore she can be carried through using X-Gate."

    This meant that the reason I was unable to pass the requirement for X-Gate was due to the fact that somewhere deep down, I did not fully trust Dina or was subconsciously rejecting her.

    And the fact that I was doubting her at that moment meant that I did not fully trust her.

    Perhaps this was seen as rejecting her and thus I was unable to meet the prerequisite.

    <i>Damn, it means if I didn¡¯t doubt her for no reason I can also teleport with her.</i>

    "If you want, do you want to test it out now?

    Rather than using it for the first time when we really need it, it is probably better to experience it in person a few times first so that when we need it, the skill can be used immediately and efficiently."

    "Fuum, Libra, what do you think? I personally think there is a value to testing it out."

    "..... I have determined that there is no problem with it.

    Jupiter also has not closed in on the surroundings.

    As long as he does not possess a way to conveniently and precisely determine my movement, I believe the probability of him using this gap to his advantage is around 5% only."

    I was previously informed by Libra herself that her maximum detection range was as wide as 150km.

    Which meant we could ascertain from her statement that at the very least Jupiter was not within the surrounding 150km.

    Therefore Libra¡¯s statement that he would not be able to make use of the gap and appear unless he moved at the same time as the teleportation magic was reasonable.

    <i>It should be fine then, there should be no problem. Probably.</i>

    Thinking that, I allowed for the teleportation magic to be tested.

    "Ah, that¡¯s right.

    While we are at it, why don¡¯t we try and order Ruphas-sama¡¯s equipment together that we had recently gotten our hands on again?

    I¡¯m just not sure which of the weapons are useful or not... I¡¯m don¡¯t know much about weapons, you see."

    "Understood. Master, may I have about 10 minutes?"

    "Aaah, you may."

    The scenario where Jupiter was able to show up within a mere 10 minutes time frame would have to be very exceptional therefore it should note to fruition.

    As such, with a peace of mind, I sent the two of them off. After looking at them actually teleport away, I returned to my room to waste some time.

    <i>I¡¯ll suppose we can start moving after the two of them return</i>.

    <i>And then... I guess we¡¯ll talk about how to get into contact with Merak.</i>

    After I was thinking like that, after a mere 7 minutes, there was a sign of someone attacking the white side of the town as there was a lot of ruckuses.

    <i>Da, what th, for real.....!?</i>

    *

    Throughout his life, the Sky King Merak had lived side by side with glory.

    Being well featured was a given for him, he possessed a very powerful innate Divine Magic potential, and most important of all, he was born with pure white wings that shone even brighter than light itself.

    His father was the King of the Flugel race, and his mother was the righteous Queen.

    He was blessed with everything he might need the moment he was born, a pinnacle of an existence from the very beginning of his life.

    A God¡¯s Child of Light born into the Royalty - that was what people had called him, and he himself did not doubt that he had to stand above others.

    He had believed that he was special, he was a child born from the King, and possessed superior innate potential, thus it was normal for him to lead the way and guide other people.

    He had believed and was sure that he was to save others when they struggled and got lost.

    However, it was the route that was predetermined for him, and was never something that he had ever gotten a say in.

    The fact was, ever since he was born, he never had to make a choice by himself.

    But she was Different.

    Ruphas Mafahl was different.

    For a girl with forbidden jet ck wings, there was no such thing as glory. She had stood in the position pr opposite to him.

    A sinister and ominous child, devil¡¯s child, abominable and disgusting child. She was given those names, rocks were thrown at her, and she was constantly exposed to, looked at and held with contempt, and with scorn.

    Even her name Ruphas Mafahl was created and given to degrade and deprive her, a name created bybining the names of two evil devils; Halphas and Malphas.

    (TLN: Halphas (¥Ï¥ë¥Õ¥¡¥¹) + Malphas (¥Þ¥ë¥Õ¥¡¥¹) = Ruphas Mafahl (¥ë¥Õ¥¡¥¹?¥Þ¥Õ¥¡©`¥ë))

    In truth, she most likely had a different name, her real name, but she was not even permitted to name herself that.

    Yet, she did not let herself be rotten, instead she took that as a nourishment to proceed forward. (TLN: y on a word in the raw, used nourishment but means a source of encouragement)

    She turned the whole world into her enemy, then crushed them, mocking the entire Flugel race who were crying in the tiny settlement by calling them small and insignificant.

    She waged war indiscriminately against various countries around the world, and ironically the way she conquered them was just like her devilish nicknames, causing everyone to fear and think of her as if she truly was a devil¡¯s child.

    But to Merak, she shone ever so brightly.

    The throne that Merak sat on was given to him. It was not something he had won with his power like her.

    Merak¡¯s subjects were people that were there since the beginning. They were not like her loyal retainers who had followed her out of their own free wills.

    Merak¡¯s life was predetermined from the very beginning. It was not like the way of life that she had chosen for herself.

    *The one who possess and the one who don¡¯t. White and ck. Light and Darkness.

    Without a doubt, Merak had stood in the environment that was more favoured.

    However, when you truly opened the lid**, she sat in the one true throne, and had already climbed to a position to be an existence where not even the demon race could touch, and before he noticed, he was looking up to her.

    (TLN: * and ** is a literal trantion of a ng, * can also be taken to mean rich and the poor, , ** can also be taken to mean removing all pretence and facing up to a reality. For "one true throne" see footnote3 for detail)

    Could he achieve what she did?

    To be born with ck wings, to be exposed to a coarse environment, and yet flip everything around and climb to that point, could he do something like that?

    ...... Impossible, there was not a chance that he could do it.

    The definition of ¡¯The Ruler¡¯ was her.

    Whatever the circumstance, however harsh the condition, she would be the one to grab onto the supremacy and reign supreme. That was what it meant to be a real Ruler, a true King.

    As a consequence, even now Merak was pondering.

    From the day he struck down Ruphas, he had been questioning himself every day.

    And without the slightest bit of doubt, he always reached the same answer.

    <i>¡ªI am, not qualified to be a King....</i>

    "That¡¯s why, King, you should show the power of the Heroes to the despicable mixed wings, and make them quiet down!"

    "No, more than that, we should just exile them."

    "The citizens¡¯ stress is also heightening. This is happening because you are strangely lenient to them!"

    Merak was thinking whilst people looked and chirped around him.

    These people had stressed the importance of the whiteness of their wings, however, that was the old way of thinking.

    If you maintained that mentality, then the Flugel race was bound to degenerate sometime in the future.

    To begin with, the absolute number of Flugel race was low, and the number of children born with a mixed colour was quite high.

    In a ce where there was an abundance of mana, the urrence rate was very high, perhaps the amount of mana in the air turned the wings ck.

    <i>Which means the colour of the wings are determined before a Flugel is born based on the abundance and quality of the mana, hence perhaps it indicates - maybe having the ck wings is superior in terms of quality?</i>

    <i>Perhaps even the fact that Flugel¡¯s base wings colour being white is due to the fundamental reason that Flugel had lived in the mountaintop where there was only a little mana in the surrounding environment?</i>

    This was the way Merak had been thinking things recently.

    And if this line of thought was correct, it would mean that not only was the Flugel race holding themselves back, they had been trying to reverse the beneficial evolution they were gifted with.

    To start with, although these guys had been chirping like they were great, the original inhabitants of the country were the mixed-winged Flugels.

    Originally the country of Gjarhorn was established by Merak for the mixed-winged Flugels who had lost their home due to the persecution they had suffered. It was a way to atone for the sin he hadmitted towards Ruphas after he had betrayed her.

    Ironically, however, these guys were, in turn, chased out by one of Ruphas¡¯ subordinate, one of the 12 Heavenly Stars, Parthenos the [Maiden]. (TLN: i.e. Virgo)

    As a result, Merak had epted them as there were no alternatives, but soon afterwards these guys started asserting their power, and started throwing rocks at the Flugels with the mixed coloured wings.

    <i>There is not a single difference aspared to before.</i>

    If anything, the ones growing arrogant and impudent were these guys, and the mixed-winged Flugels were the victims.

    Hence, Merak should have told them off. To tell them to be reasonable and to shut up.

    However, Merak had also happened to be able to sympathise with the white-winged Flugels.

    A tradition that had been passed down for many years, amon sense. To be told to suddenly change that was impossible, to think that he should at least respect their point was also reasonable.

    The current situation was the result of him continually being indecisive.

    ck and the White, both side¡¯s dissatisfaction had just been building up. The respect towards Merak was lost, and it had reached a point where it wasn¡¯t strange for the build-up to explode any time.

    <i>I am, ipetent.......</i>

    This was always the end result, the answer that he reached whenever he asked himself the question.

    It always ended in him self-deprecating.

    Today alone, however, merely reaching that answer was not the end.

    The price of dying action on this issue. The time to pay the price of that debt had arrived.

    One corner of the White town had exploded.

    The moment that he had received that report, he knew and learnt that it had finally reached the stage where the civil war could no longer be stopped.

    __

    (Author Note)

    [Negative points about the 7 Heroes]

    Megrez

    Was actually apetent Wise King.

    Whatever was said about it, his country was actually well developed, to the point where it was the Midgard¡¯s most magically developed country.

    He created the Guardian Deity Levia and magic engines, and had various infrastructures to teach anyone about pretty much anything with open arms, and was well respected by his citizens.

    However, he condemned himself very heavily and could no longer bear the words of praise that he received, and ended up retiring as the King.

    Passing onto the next generation he had chosen to retire.

    After that, humans who had sat on the position of the King was taken in by the power of the seat and imed "I¡¯m the King so I¡¯m great!" and had turned into an idiot. Eventually leading to their rtives and their children who had imed "I¡¯m a noble so I¡¯m great!" and had turned into generations of idiots. Finally to the point they could not be helped.

    He had a long life so he should have stayed sitting on the position of the King but....

    He was often called ipetent but he was by no means ipetent.

    If anything, the biggest problem is that he stepped down from the position of the King.

    Merak

    Even among the 7 Heroes, he was the most gentle.

    As a consequence, he was not suited to be a King.

    Due to his indecisiveness, he would never state things clearly, and always got lead on by the surroundings.

    An introvert with non-existent leadership skill.

    Bnash

    An unknown.

    Possesses a high military might, however,pletely ignored all emergency requests from Merak and Megrez and shows absolutely no intention ofmunicating or helping other countries.

    As a "King", she is better than the other 2, her country is thriving.

    Deceased Alioth

    Nose Pasta

    (Author Note end)

    (TLN: It¡¯s a small Japanese culture lesson, if you don¡¯t care, I suggest you just skip because it¡¯s is not very relevant to the story.

    1 situational courtesy

    Japan has a lot of those courtesy phrases that are used by everyone living there, from primary schoolers to businessmen. In this chapter, Dina wasing back from the outside and was trying to say "Tadaima" (informal) or "Tadaima-omodorininarimashita/kaettekimashita" (formal) but it was cut off after the first few because she saw that everyone was already asleep or going to sleep. Often these phrases are said even if no one else is there or listening, hence Ruphas saying that she was being courteous. For anyone interested, the 4 below aremon phrases that popped out from the top of my head

    Ittekimasu / Itterashyai: used right before going out Ittekimasu is used by the person going out, and the Itterashai is used by the person staying behind. Literally meaning "I¡¯m going now" / "Please go". I¡¯m going now is self-exnatory but "please go" can be taken to mean "please go ande back", "off you go", "take care" or "have a nice day" or something alone those meaning.

    Tadaima (Tadaimakaettekimashita) / Okaerinasai: literally meaning "I¡¯m back" / "wee back" I think both are fairly self-exnatory

    Ojamashimasu / Ojamashimashita: used when someone enters another¡¯s house or another¡¯s room, temple, etc. Sometimes used by the students when they enter another¡¯s ssroom too but it¡¯s probably not toomon. Literally meaning "I¡¯m intruding" / "I have intruded".

    Itadakimasu: Probably the mostmon and well-known (internationally) of these phrases along with the next one. Used before having a meal. Literally meaning "I¡¯m devouring/receiving" but in a very humble context. Used to signify that you are about to receive a meal (either when given by another) and also to mean that you are going to receive the gift of life.

    Gochisousamadeshita: Simr to one above, this one is used after the meal. Literally meaning "I have devoured" or "thank you for the meal" but in a humble way.

    2 Half

    I tranted Half quite softly above but "half" actually has a bit more to it than just under a fantasy/game setting. Japan is quite homogenised in terms of race, I don¡¯t want racism war inment section (though this chapter in itself is just asking for it....) so I¡¯ll write/wrote it softly but, in Japan there are certain views about foreigners and the phrase "¥Ï©`¥Õ" (literally meaning Half) is used where the children is half Japanese and half foreigner. It¡¯s probably not as bad in recent years.... That¡¯s all I¡¯m going to say.

    3 One true throne

    So.... It¡¯s not really "one true throne" in the raw but there are many ways to say King in Japanese (IMO). The most straightforward is the actual word for "King" or "Íõ" (Ou). That¡¯s the word used to describe the actual King and the actual position of the King. An example would be like Ennd¡¯s Queen.

    Throughout this whole series, the King that¡¯s used to describe Ruphas is "Ò†Íõ" (Haou). Often Haou is used in literature or and sometimes by academics because often the one who is haou doesn¡¯t have to be an actual King. Furthermore, haou is often connected to something negative because it¡¯s often given to someone that rules by fear, by conquering or after much bloodshed. The word "Ò†" alone can already mean Ruler or King, which was what was used for the part of footnote 3, it didn¡¯t have the Ou part. But in the context, it means the throne, but because the author distinguished the seat of "Ha" from "Ouza" I wrote it as "one true throne".

    Exining in popr anime/manga context;

    Consider One Piece. Readers would be familiar with "Haki" (one¡¯s willpower/spirit) and "Haou-shoku no Haki". Both of the "Ha" in the 2<sup>nd</sup> one uses the word "Ò†". The readers would know it as "Conqueror¡¯s Haki" or "King¡¯s Haki" but it literally means "Colour of The Supreme Ruler¡¯s Spirit". Anyways, getting back to the context, the position of the Pirate King itself is not an official position of "King" of a country yet is a pinnacle existence, a Supreme Ruler who rules the sea, freedom and pirates. In a way, to get to a position of the Pirate King you get there by having a very strong will and to fight your way up there and must be acknowledged by others.

    It¡¯s something that a person earns by themselves and only gets it because the others acknowledge that specific position yet is not an actual position of the King (though it could be).

 Chapter 33

    Chapter 33 - Aigokeros¡¯s Ultrasound

    Raw link: (06-12-2015)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (07-12-2018)

    Editor: Hands of Va / Va (-12-2018)

    Trantion link:

    __

    TL Disimer: I have no experience in tranting anything, nor am I great at either English or Japanese. This is not machine tranted but Japanese to English dictionary is asionally used for words I am not sure about. I will not be able to fully trante the author¡¯s jokes, puns or ngs if there are any. I will try to stick with literal trantion where possible in the context. If there is anything I don¡¯t understand I will leave it in a bracket (x).

    If there is an error in the trantion, website, sentence structure or format please let me know in thements below or DM me on the discord and I will try my best to fix them. Any constructive feedback is appreciated.

    __

    All of a sudden, the white side of the city was showered by the bullets made of wind, destroying many houses in the process.

    Many were either injured by the process or crushed by the buildings copsing onto them.

    The White Town, which should have been in peace, was instantly enveloped by confusion and fear, plunging the ce into a turmoil.

    "It¡¯s an attack!! The ones from the ck Town have started attacking us!"

    Jupiter, who had adorned the appearance of a Human, spread false information to that ce.

    It was a given that the attack itself was conducted by himself; however, no one knew about that fact in that ce.

    The ce was already distrustful to begin with, so it was normal for them to think that even this attack was instigated by the ck Town.

    The attack alone was already enough; however, a follow-up voice rang repeatedly inside everyone¡¯s head.

    "Kill"

    Just by listening to that voice, it was enough to peel away people¡¯s sanity. It was a devilish voice which permeated into one¡¯s sanity.

    It gave off a difort many tens of times worse than the sound created by scraping ss with one¡¯s nail, yet this sound rocked the heart of everyone in that ce.

    "Kill Them If You Detest Them"

    That instance, just for a briefest of a moment, they got a glimpse of the embodiment of a devil.

    Head of a goat, body of a human, and wings of the bat growing on its back, it was truly as if the drawing of a devil in the myth hade to life and had appeared as a shadow.

    That shadow had talked to them, bringing forth the hatred within themselves.

    "Kill Them"

    In the eyes of the people, sanity disappeared.

    Sudden attack, confusion, fear. And incitement.

    As if to add something more, a call of enticement from the devil.

    This devil¡¯s call pulled forth the Flugels¡¯ will to discriminate against the other side, which was barely held in check until now, causing people to started picking up weapons into their hands.

    "Kill them"

    "Kill them!"

    "Banish them!"

    Taking in by the madness, the descendants of the Angels were screaming as they proceeded in tanks.

    Regardless of age or gender, even if they were young children, they spewed hatred and joined the ranks.

    There, brakes from reason no longer existed.

    "The guys from the White Town areing to attack us! They¡¯re intending to massacre us!"

    The ck Town was in an uproar.

    They had known from the start that the White Town had hated them and tried to get rid of them, but they had remained optimistic.

    They said the original inhabitants of the country were them, and that King said he had built the country for them.

    That was why they believed it was going to be fine.

    On the other hand, there were those that believed something like this happening was a matter of course.

    The man with the darkish red wings that met Ruphas was one of them.

    <i>Do you see it? Look, that fence-sitting opportunist of a King is undeserving of respect.</i>

    <i>To begin with, it was none other than him that struck down Ruphas 200 years ago and turned our lives into a living hell.</i>

    <i>In the end, he¡¯s with the White Wings Supremacists. No different from the others, a man who belittled us.</i>

    "Snatch It Away From Them"

    At that moment, a voice echoed in.

    In a sh, sanity melted away. A devil¡¯s call brought forth a raging madness to the surface.

    The call ran through the ck Town, amplifying their hatred.

    "Snatch It From Them Before They Take"

    <i>I don¡¯t want them to take it away from me.</i>

    That was what everyone was thinking of. It was an exceedingly natural train of thought.

    They were the victims whose things had been snatched away.

    For the whole time until now.

    They were oppressed.

    They were discriminated against for merely having different coloured wings, and had to live by without having a ce to call home.

    Finally, they saw in Ruphas the appearance of a Ruler they had been dreaming of. Yet, Merak had struck that Ruler down, returning them to the oppressed position they had originally been in.

    Would everything they have be taken away again? Would they have to go through it all over again?

    ".... I¡¯ll take it from them."

    Someone cursed it out loud.

    "As if we¡¯re going to let them take it away from us, this time we¡¯ll be the one doing the taking!"

    Another person who had be delirious shouted.

    "I¡¯m fed up already, we¡¯ve had enough! Why is it always us that has to go through this!?"

    "That¡¯s right, it¡¯s just injustice!"

    "Pick up your weapon! I¡¯ll teach them the fear of getting everything taken away! Who cares about the King! Take this country away from them, make this country ours!"

    Governed by murderous impulse, the descendants of the Angels were shouting left and right, and proceeding in a group.

    Gender and age were irrelevant. If you would not protect yourself, you would not be protected. If you would not take, it would be taken from you. (TLN: "ÊØ¤é¤Í¤ÐÊØ¤ì¤Ê¤¤¡£ŠZ¤ï¤Í¤ÐŠZ¤ï¤ì¤ë¡£" )

    In this ce, there was no longer any dream for peace. There were only a few hundred years¡¯ worth of umted resentment and hatred.

    *

    <i>......... This ain¡¯t gud.</i>

    I was flying an altitude that only the high-level Flugels could reach. Overlooking the country of Gjarhorn, I was at a loss.

    <i>No, un. Maybe I should say it had finally started.</i>

    Someone¡¯s attack on the White Town served as the impetus for them to start rampaging, and in response to that, the ck Town had also started rampaging.

    <i>Well... in all probability, it¡¯s probably the work of that demon called Jupiter.</i>

    I felt as though the timing for it was too strange but it was certain that he had a way to determine Libra¡¯s absence and acted in that timeslot.

    However I thought about it, it did not seem to be his work alone.

    From what I had observed, I could see that everyone in the country was affected by the [Madness] status.

    [Madness] status signifies debuffed state of a person where they have lost all reason and is governed by anger. In exchange, the affected person¡¯s attack power multiplies and bes unable to use anything other than a basic attack.

    (TLN: MMO lesson - buff and debuff are status alignment on a character/NPC where the original status gets altered. Buff is positive, debuff is negative. The buff/debuff can be cast on the yers, the allies or the enemy. And "basic attack" aka auto attack, normal attack, etc is the attack a yer gains usually at the start of the game. It¡¯s not considered a skill and often does minimal damage. It¡¯s used as a filler for when all the skills are unable to be used or yer is justzy or overpowered. E.g. normal attack for swordsman/mage is the swinging motion of their sword/staff respectively.)

    However, as far as I was aware, there was no skill in existence which might give [Madness] debuff at thisrge a scale.

    Thus, this magic was of the [Moon] attribute rather than [Wind].

    However, it should not be possible for Jupiter who seemed to possess the attribute of Wind.

    <i>Maybe, it is that. Perhaps the 7 Luminaries¡¯ [Moon] also came.</i>

    In any case, I should go down and ask Aries¡¯s opinion.

    I descended towards the ground level and entered through the window into the inn where Aries was.

    When I did, I saw Aries making a difficult face and lost in thought.

    "Oi, Aries?"

    "Hiiee!?"

    When I called him, he must have been in such a deep thought that he was so surprised and jumped up.

    For him to be able to daydream during the time of great disturbance, he really was carefree.

    Maybe I should be saying, as one would expect of a sheep.

    "Why are you acting so surprised?

    I¡¯ve had a look around from above, but everyone is debuffed with [Madness].

    It looks like other than the demon called Jupiter, there¡¯s someone else that wants to crush this country."

    "Is that... so." (EN: use ¡¯?¡¯) (TLN: Not a question to Ruphas in a raw, it was a statement/mutter to himself)

    "I¡¯ve decided to find that demon for now, what about you?"

    "..... Before I say anything, Ruphas-sama, may I ask a question?"

    While I was thinking about what to do from now on, Aries looked at me with a meek face.

    It seemed like a face that was worrying about something.

    I thought I should at least hear what he wanted to say so I replied "no problem" to him.

    "It¡¯s fine, speak."

    "Thank you very much.

    Umm, so..... if, amongst the ones causing this disturbance, there was someone from the 12 Heavenly Stars.... If it was you, Ruphas-sama, what would you do?

    Also, keep in mind they acted this way due to their loyalty towards you."

    "Of course, I¡¯ll stop them even if I have to punch them. And then I will reward them afterwards.

    I¡¯m happy that they¡¯re being loyal, but I don¡¯t desire for this country to perish."

    I did not know what this question meant..... no, could it be the 12 Heavenly Stars were involved in this somehow?

    After I answered him for now, it was as if Aries had suddenly made up his mind and he showed a refreshing face.

    <i>Hmm? It really seems like the 12 Heavenly Stars are involved?</i>

    "Thank you very much, Ruphas-sama. Now I¡¯m clear on what I must do."

    "Oi, wait, Aries. You can¡¯t be..."

    "It¡¯s fine, please leave it to me! I¡¯ll go and stop it!"

    After saying it brightly, Aries jumped out without waiting for me to speak.

    <i>Ah, looks like the 12 Heavenly Stars was definitely involved.</i>

    I quickly chased after him but due to the rampaging Flugels getting in the way, I didn¡¯t know where he went.

    In the end, I ended uppletely losing him.

    "....tsk, good grief, always giving me problems!"

    Although he was like that, amongst the 12 Heavenly Stars, Aries was on the weaker side.

    If I was to put things bluntly, if the 12 Heavenly Stars fought each other, he would lose against the majority of them.

    If it was Libra, she would be able to win against half of them, so there would not be much to worry about (if anything, we would have to worry about the enemy). However, Aries is different.

    If the enemy was someone like Leon of the [Lion], it would be checkmate without a doubt. Even if it was someone else, Aries would still be on the losing side most of the time.

    And this time¡¯s enemy, the 12 Heavenly Stars which could cause a status debuff of Madness would be.... Aigokeros huh.

    Byparison, it was not as bad; however, it was still too much for Aries.

    "Aries, don¡¯t be hasty!"

    The matter about the country would have to wait.

    I felt bad for Merak, but my subordinates¡¯ matter was of higher priority for me.

    *

    Chaos and turmoil, Jupiter wasughing with satisfaction in mid-air whilst looking down on the country which was being driven by insanity. (EN: weird wording) (TLN: author wrote it like this)

    Mid-way, there was an ident involving Ruphas Mafahl visiting the country; however, it somehow ended up going well.

    With this, the country was over.

    Following this, Aigokeros would continue to incite, causing the people of this country to kill each other.

    It was a shame Merak could not be killed, but I can do that next time when I have the opportunity.

    Either way, he would now be a naked King. There was no doubt there would be a lot of chances from now on to kill him.

    Not to mention, there¡¯s still a hope that Aigokeros would just go on and kill Merak himself.

    He was one of the pirs of the 12 Heavenly Stars after all.... Against the currently weakened Merak, he possessed more than sufficient ability to kill Merak.

    "Either way, my role for this time is over. Well then, I¡¯ll quickly leave before that junkes ba -"

    "¡ªYou were going to run before who returned?"

    "!!?"

    As he heard a voice from his behind, Jupiter took a battle stance.

    He did not mishear it. There was no way that he would have.

    That was because, it was the existence, the enemy that he currently feared the most and the opponent he dreaded encountering. (EN: too manyma) (TLN: me author, he split the sentence into small pieces that don¡¯t really flow well as an emphasis)

    What came into his sight when he turned was no different from what he thought he would see, but hoped would be different, a sight of a young girl dressed as a maid.

    One of the pirs of the 12 Stars who served the Supreme Ruler Ruphas, the one with the most destructive ability, Star of the Scales.

    ¡ªThe Supreme 12 Heavenly Stars, Libra of the [Scales].

    (TLN: Here, the author used the full "Ò†µÀÊ®¶þÐÇÌì" aspared to the usual "Ê®¶þÐÇÌì". C.f. One Piece¡¯s Shichibukai (ÆßÎäº£) usually used vs full title Oka Shichibukai (ÍõÏÂÆßÎäº£))

    "Wh, What....!?"

    Why was she back here?

    He barely managed to push that question back down his throat.

    ording to the n, this golem was not supposed to be back for 20 minutes.

    It was true that some time was spent on movement and incitement; however, there should still have been some time left.

    Nevertheless, she was here right now.

    Therefore, there was the only thing he could think of, only one conclusion he could reach.

    <i>Venus that bitch f*****g screwed up......!</i>

    Either her identity was discovered or there were some unforeseen circumstances.

    He did not know about the reason.

    But what he did do know was, that this n was going to failpletely.

    Yet again, he had the unfortunate encounter with this psychotic maid.

    "Demon Jupiter of the 7 Luminaries. Your fighting habits, data, and attributes have all been understood from thest fight.

    Should you continue your hostility, the probability of you winning is a mere 0.02%... I strongly rmend that you surrender.

    Should you refuse, I would like to inform you that the probability of you losing your life in the process is 48%."

    Additionally, there was this.

    Once this golem fought something once, she analyses their habits and weakness, and apply it to the subsequent fights.

    In another word, once you have fought with her one time, you would be unable to use the same strategy and skills against her again.

    No, in practice you would use it again; however, she would have prepared a way to counter it.

    Attribute matchup was the worst possible. The difference in level was also evident. On top of that, she had analysed the previous fight.

    The situation was the worst case scenario for Jupiter.

    "F********** yooooouououuuouuuuu!!"

    Jupiter used his wind magic to elerate, drawing an unlikely route through the air.

    This method of flight, which used wind that he freely controlled, had once even led Libra by the nose.

    However, as if Libra understood the movement, she moved her line of sight to the direction where Jupiter was nning to head.

    "I have already seen this before."

    He then saw a ray of light followed by his shoulder getting pierced.

    "Gaa!?"

    "Target enemy¡¯s attack power decreased by 15%. Due to the pain, reaction speed decreased by 20%. Continuing the attack."

    Libra followed up with the next attack on Jupiter who was groaning in pain.

    Taking out a machine gun from who-knows-where, she fired repeatedly!

    Jupiter was dodging on the spur of the moment; however, the bullets which he avoided had started homing in on him.

    "Nnnaaa!?"

    "These are homing bullets prepared by Master. You will not be getting away from me."

    Bullets were chasing him at high speed.

    That alone was fine. There was a higher job ss of Archer called [Gunner], which had the ability to use homing bullets. In this day and age, although they were rare, they still existed.

    However, as the crafter was that Supreme Ruler and the user was the 12 Heavenly Stars, there was just too much difference in the speed, the precision, the power and the range topare with the run of the mill.

    The bullets skimmed the clothing, hit his arms and legs, and stole his ability to continue fighting.

    Notwithstanding, he made a split decision to don the wind throughout his whole body to create a tornado and managed to repel all the bullets.

    A moment of relief - was shattered right away as he saw Libra jumped in from above the tornado, causing his facial expression to freeze up.

    "That move has also been predicted."

    Literally Iron Fist.

    (TLN: y on the word, raw is "ÎÄ×ÖÍ¨¤ê¤ÎâŸÈ­¡£" where "âŸÈ­" means clenched fist but the literal meaning is Iron Fist, and Libra is a golem made out of metal but is literally punch by metal. Pronounced Tekken, yes reference)

    Strong arms, made out of steel, swang down on him.

    He blew his own body away with the wind at that moment, and the fist only grazed his cheek lightly.

    .... It was a light graze, or it should have been.

    However, right afterwards, Jupiter was "flying" towards the ground like a falling star.

    Tremendous impact and pain ran through his cheek, and he was flying into and smashing past buildings. Yet, he was unable to stop until he was blown many tens of meters across, and after finally stopping, he copsed onto the ground unsightly.

    He should have avoided a direct hit.

    It was supposed to have been a light graze.

    And yet, this power. This damage.

    Jupiter turned green and imagined the worst thing for him.

    ..... If it had directly hit, his head would have had "burst".

    "Advising again. With that one attack, your reaction speed has decreased by 11%, the current probability of you winning has changed to 0.00072%. I strongly rmend that you cease to resist further and surrender."

    It was a pronouncement devoid of any leniency,passion or any form of anger or emotion that may have been directed at an enemy.

    Yet currently for Jupiter, it was something more terrifying than anything else in the world.

    __

    (Author Note)

    Stop! If Jupiter gets captured due to Libra¡¯s tracking skill, the Civil War that is about to go well will be ruined!

    Please don¡¯t get captured, Jupiter! If you get captured now, what will happen to the n to crush Gjarhorn? There¡¯s still HP left. If you endure past this, you can get away from Libra!

    Next time, [Jupiter is captured]. Everyone will also ___kemon get!

    (Author Note end)

    (TLN: reference to Pokemon, there¡¯s has been a reference to pokemon (repeatedly since chapter 1...) and in Japanese Pokemon, the catchphrase is Pokemon/Name Getto (get) daze! (imagine naruto¡¯s sentence ender) thest line is a reference to that but "Po" part of "pokemon" is censored)

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34 - Yayyy! We¡¯ve Captured Jupiter!

    Raw link: (14-12-2015)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (17-12-2018)

    Editor: Hands of Va / Va (24-12-2018)

    Trantion link:

    __

    <i><strong>MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE</strong></i>

    Update 1: TLN style will be changed slightly from this chapter onwards. There might be something I missed in editing (for chapter 34-36) but the new TLN style (as a footnote) will be used from chapter 37 onwards. Taking anyment on this too. (There was a request for subscript but honestly, after trying for like 10 minutes and not being able to figure it out... I gave up ^.^;;;;)

    Update 2: I was made aware that thement section makes you fill out useless information like email, name and website but under my setting, you are not required to fill out anything to post ament! No info is required toment and nothing is blocked or censored, including criticism ;). As far as I¡¯m aware the only thing that¡¯s blocked are messages that are automatically gged by WordPress as spam.

    TL Disimer: I have no experience in tranting anything, nor am I great at either English or Japanese. This is not machine tranted but Japanese to English dictionary is asionally used for words I am not sure about. I will not be able to fully trante the author¡¯s jokes, puns or ngs if there are any. I will try to stick with literal trantion where possible in the context. If there is anything I don¡¯t understand I will leave it in a bracket (x).

    If there is an error in the trantion, website, sentence structure or format please let me know in thements below or DM me on the and I will try my best to fix them. Any constructive feedback is appreciated.

    __

    "Ruphas-sama!"

    As I was running and dodging through the crowd of people, Dina jumped in from the side of the road.

    She was supposed to have been teleporting together with Libra, but by the looks of it, the arrangement of equipment was done.

    However, I could not find the all-important Libra, thus I decided to match my running speed with Dina to ask her about it.

    "Dina, that was quite fast. What happened to Libra?"

    "The moment we returned, Libra-sama flew somewhere. It seems she detected Jupiter¡¯s presence."

    That was what I thought and nodded as I heard that.

    Jupiter was the one pulling the strings behind this whole incident, and he unveiled it all at once.

    What was unfortunate for him was that Libra came back.

    In any event, if Libra went to take care of that side, there¡¯s no need for me to worry about it.

    What I needed to do this time, was to do something about Aries, and the 12 Heavenly Stars that he went to try and punch.

    "Where is Aries-sama?"

    "He flew away without even listening to me when I tried to stop him. It looks like the 12 Stars is involved in this incident one way or another."

    "12 Stars.....?"[1]

    Dina and I leapt up and climbed on top of a house.

    And we repeatedly leapt to move, trying to find Aries.

    "It also depends on the enemy, but one-on-one fights between the 12 Heavenly Stars is dangerous. I have to go out and stop them."

    "Understood. I will keep youpany."

    The two of us jumped around here and there, trying to find Aries.

    Good grief, I was not very good at this kind of investigation.

    Speaking of convenience, at a times like this, I was envious of the Beastkin.

    *

    Jupiter was running away.

    Sprinting around theplexlyid out city, he ran into a back alley to try and avoid Libra from finding him.

    As narrow and small as possible, to a location which would be as hard to find as possible.

    But as if to get to the location before he managed to get there, Libra destroyed the houses in the way from the air and descended onto the ground before him.

    And without even a moment of dy, she started firing! Few hundred, few thousands of bullets stormed past the downtown, mouring with the sound of thunder.

    "Shit!"

    Continuing to run away, he stormed into the house at the side.

    <i>Above all else, I needed to hide somewhere!</i>

    <i>Hide and regain myposure.</i>

    Running while being out of breath, he put his hands on the cab.

    However, right afterwards, Libra stormed in by breaking through the wall and shattering the cabs into pieces.

    "Tssskkkk!"

    He was about to release wind magic out of reflex, however, Libra moved faster than he could react and lifted her left arm.

    Right that instance, Jupiter lost the sensation of his arm from his elbow onwards, followed by his arm dropping down to the floor.

    A single sh of the de.[2]

    Jupiter¡¯s attack waspletely predicted and countered by Libra, resulting in Jupiter¡¯s arm getting cut off.

    "Warning. Your attack power has decreased by 39% with this. Currently, the probability of you winning is -"

    "Shit! Shit!"

    Jupiter ran as his blood was dripping out of his arm.

    <i>It¡¯s hopeless, fighting is hopeless. I can¡¯t win against that.</i>

    <i>The world we live in ispletely different. We¡¯repletely in a different league.</i>

    <i>That¡¯s....... That¡¯s a monster!</i>

    But he had confidence in speed. He had confidence in maneuverability.

    All he had to do was to run away. Run away and attempt to recover himself.

    He had no reason to go up against a monstrous, murderous doll like that. In any event, what was important was to run away.

    He jumped out of a house and then jumped into another house.

    However, it was as if she was making a statement that she was waiting for him, Libra was waiting at the entrance of the house gracefully and even gave him a bow.

    "Warning. The probability of you making a sessful escape is....."

    "U, uwaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"

    And he ran again.

    He sped through the downtown, pushing past and scattered a crowd of rioters that he himself made happen, then stormed into yet another house.

    He sped through the corridor, into the living room.

    What was awaiting him at the living room was Libra who was leisurely sitting down and waiting for him.

    "Warning, currently, the probability of making a sessful escape has already dropped below 1%. I strongly rmend that you surren....."

    "Shhhhiiiiitttttt!!"

    He ran, he turned, he jumped, he pushed the crowd of people, and he stormed into a house he saw.

    The previous time, he managed to escape by doing this.

    He used the city that was built like a maze, and he sessfully managed to lose her.

    That¡¯s why he would be fine, that was what he told himself.

    He used wind magic to block the sound from escaping into the surrounding so that not even a single breath could be heard.

    "Haaaa...... haaaa........."

    He violently shook his shoulder up and down, ripping his cloth and wrapped it around his shoulder.

    Recovery item.... No use, he did not bring any.

    He prioritised making himself lighter, therefore he left all the items behind.

    He put his back on the wall, and he looked out the window with caution.

    ..... There! He saw that doll walking outside!

    <i>Go! Go away! Don¡¯t look in this direction!</i>

    <i></i>

    Libra checked around the area, however, she eventually left the area.

    <i>It¡¯s fine, I haven¡¯t been noticed. There was no indication that she noticed me.</i>

    His heart was beating so loudly it almost seemed annoying, and he was sweating profusely.

    1 second.... There was no movement.

    2 seconds.... The inside of the house still remained silent.

    3 seconds.... Still no change as before.

    He instinctively let out a sigh of relief and lowered his caution.

    ¡ªthat instance, a wall behind Jupiter¡¯s back broke and 2 arms grew out of it, subsequently wrapping around his neck.

    "Ga.........aa........!"

    "I would like to advise you, using wind magic to remove the sound from your surrounding is meaningless.

    In this noisy city, if there is any location that is unnaturally silent, it has the opposite effect of letting me know that is the position you are at."

    A voice without a shred of emotion creepily quivered his eardrums, and the strength behind the arms increased.

    He was foaming at the mouth, and Jupiter¡¯s head was filled with fear and dismay.

    <i>I¡¯m, going to be killed.... I¡¯m going to be killed now......!</i>

    <i></i>

    He made a decision at the spur of the moment.

    He gathered his wind magic and blew at his own body, forcibly managing to get away from Libra¡¯s evil grasp.

    Of course, it was not as if Libra¡¯s strength was lowered.

    As the skin around his neck was stripped away, he was running whilst haemorrhaging all over.

    Sticking on the palms of Libra was the skin from his neck that was peeled away. However, without a slightest bit of agitation or confusion, she was looking at Jupiter¡¯s direction with a cold and indifferent sight.

    "Hiiee!"

    Jupiter looked up towards a mechanical doll with the eyes of a small animal that had lost all hostility, then sprang up onto his feet and started running.

    However, Libra did not immediately make chase but with a ¡¯kyui¡¯, moved her neck a little.

    Subsequently, with a pace that could be called slow or sluggish, she started following him without expression.

    "Haaaaaaa......... Haaaaa...... Haa...!"

    Jupiter, who had yet again gotten into another building sat down onto the floor and prayed wholeheartedly that he would not be found by her.

    As he could not even erase the sound with the wind, he covered his mouth with his hands and frantically tried to keep the noise down.

    He had not once prayed to the Goddess until now.

    However, this time alone, he prayed. He would even offer his faith and belief.

    <i>I plead wholeheartedly, Goddess-sama, please let me get away from that.</i>

    <i>Please don¡¯t bring that doll in front of me!</i>

    His teeth were rattling, and he could not stop the cold swear.

    <i>Aaa, what is this? I can¡¯t stop shaking.</i>

    <i>How pitiful.... Is this the sight, the figure of the man who was feared as one of the 7 Luminaries?</i>

    <i>What aughingstock.... A real monster that should be feared existed elsewhere.</i>

    <i>We are just a bunch of punks who got carried away and acted cocky during the monster¡¯s absence.</i>

    Being made aware of such a thing, the man moved slowly like a baby without making a sound towards a mirror on the wall.

    <i>Wall is no good. Don¡¯t put my back on the wall. Arms mighte out of them again.</i>

    <i>Maybe this time my neck will be snapped before I can run away.</i>

    <i>Looking outside the window is also dangerous. She might be there.</i>

    <i>I need a mirror. I have to constantly monitor my behind using the mirror¡¯s reflection.</i>

    That was what he had judged, and in truth, he was not wrong.

    It could be said that it was the ideal strategy that he could take at the time if he had carefully considered every factor.

    However, if one had to pick out one mistake that Jupiter made, it was that "from the very beginning, there is no correct answer" that he could make.

    "¡ªhiee!!!"

    He looked at the mirror, and his body froze.

    ¡ªthere!

    The doll was standing in the reflection of the mirror!

    Already inside the building, and standing right behind him!!

    "..........."

    Libra did not make any noise, she just moved her lips.

    From that movement, Jupiter¡¯s fear grewrger.

    From the movement of the lips, he had learnt what she wanted to convey.

    "I. Won¡¯t. Let. You. Escape."

    "¡ªaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"

    Without caring that he was going to be injured, he jumped through the window, dropping down and rolling outside.

    He had no time to care about pain. He had no leisure to be able to stop and rest.

    Jupiter ran.

    Ever since he was born, he had never been this terrified.

    What was that thing? Why was she able to determine his location so precisely!?

    Scary, terrifying.

    That inorganic doll was scary beyond anything else!

    "Warning"

    "Warning"

    "Warning"

    As if broken, every time they met, the same thing was repeated. However, one part of it decreased without fail, and that was the probability of him making a sessful escape.

    Scary, terrifying.

    For the same sentence to be repeated mechanically and endlessly whilst being chased, it was terrifying.

    He was being chased to the end of the world.

    As if something like fatigue was irrelevant to her, he was being driven into the corner.

    Even though he was running out of breath.

    He went in front of a water fountain.

    Libra appeared from inside the water with the machine gun.

    He hid amongst the crowd of people.

    When he felt that he was tapped on the shoulder, it turned out to be Libra.

    He went to the gathering location of the idiots within the white town and hid in the pre-arranged underground escape route.

    Libra was already inside and was on standby.

    He threw away his pride and jumped into a public rubbish bin to hide.

    But mere three secondster, the whole bin was flipped upside down by Libra.

    He got inside a wooden box that he found nearby and hid.

    A few secondster, the box was lifted up, and he saw Libra¡¯s eyes peeking into him.

    Wherever he went, she was there.

    Wherever he ran, she chased him!

    He was not able to escape from the doll¡¯s field of vision.

    If he turned around a corner of a road, she was already waiting for him there!

    The amount of time he could stay out of her field of vision didn¡¯tst for ten seconds!

    "AAAAAaaaaaaaaAAAAAaaaAAAA, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

    Jupiter was screaming as he flew up.

    Most probably, from the day he was born to this day, he did not fly whilst giving his 110%.

    He could not care less that his body was screaming from the burden that it could not withstand.

    He also did not mind that his face was bing distorted from the friction caused by the wind pressure.

    Controlled by the fear, Jupiter just flew in a straight line.

    And he jumped into the forest that was his safe hiding spot until the previous day -.

    "¡ªI was waiting for you. You have arrived here 5 seconds faster than predicted.

    Recalcting target speed, measurement error has been corrected."

    "¡ª¡ª¨C"

    That moment, Jupiter¡¯s heart waspletely gripped and governed by fear.

    It¡¯s impossible, I¡¯ve now understood. This thing is.... I can¡¯t escape from this tracking murder doll.

    Among the legends pertaining to the 12 Heavenly Stars, one told of the ount in rtion to the "Scales".

    At the time he saw it, he did not believe it.

    He thought that even if it was true, if it was him, he could sessfully escape from it.

    But now, he was convinced. He understood.

    The legend stated.

    Once you were targeted by Libra of the "Scales" - even if you ran to the deepest part of hell, she would definitely chase you.

    "Warning. I strongly rmend you cease resisting and surrender.

    In this situation, where there is no object in this vicinity beside you, I am able to fire the skill [Brachium] before you are able to run away."

    ".......U, A, AaAaaAA......."

    "The probability of you winning is 0%. I repeat. I strongly rmend that you surrender."

    His legs shook.

    He had no sensation of his limbs.

    He knew. He knew of the skill, the existence of the ughter weapon by the name [Brachium].

    A terrifying ultimate final weapon that couldpletely ughter and erase anyone and anything below certain strength without mercy once fired.

    A weapon that could even be called a signature move of Libra of the Scales.

    In front of that skill, all tricks and defences became meaningless, a skill that wouldpletely obliterate anything in an instant.

    "If you do not surrender within 10 seconds, Brachium will be activated and fired.

    Alternatively, should you make an attempt to run or show hostility, it will simrly be activated and fired."

    "W, a .... E!?"

    "Commencing countdown.... 10.... 9.... 8..."

    "Wa, wait! Please wait!"

    "7.... 6.... 5...."

    Libra continued the countdown without emotion.

    There was no room for will, sympathy or personal feeling to stop.

    Just like a machine, just like a robot.

    Just counting down the 10 seconds timer to perform the execution.

    Jupiter was full of regret.

    He should have fought whilst he was still in the city.

    If he had done so, he at least had a minuscule chance of winning.

    But he ran and had gotten tired, the consequence of which, he had put himself in a position where Brachium could be fired without worry.

    Of course, there was no way for Jupiter to realise that Libra would still have fired brachium within the city without a second thought if required. Nor could he remain level-headed enough to assess the fact that the countdown was merely a bluff.

    Now that it hade to this point, he no longer had any option. Even before he could run, even before he could resist, Brachium would be fired.

    And once fired, resisting was not possible. He would die with without mistake.

    That was what ran through his head, he had convinced himself that he was already checkmated.

    "4...."

    "Pl, please. Hey, please wait."

    "3...."

    "Eve, Even a little is fine...."

    "2...."

    "I¡¯m begging you.... Be, I¡¯m begging you...."

    "1...."

    "I, I get it! I¡¯ll surrender! I¡¯ll submit!

    So please don¡¯t fireeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

    "¨C..... Target¡¯s loss of will to fight determined. Terminating the activation of Brachium."

    In front of an inanimate fear itself, Jupiter¡¯s heart waspletely broken.[3]

    Whether it be his pride or self-confidence, he hadpletely yielded them to the fear known of this emotionless doll.

    His whole body was drenched in sweat, his heart was palpitating extremely fast, and his teeth were rattling against each other.

    Due to the terror and despair, the area between his legs was stained, and even his almost non-existent vanity hadpletely disappeared.

    At that same moment, Libra had stopped her countdown.

    The oue of the battle was clearly determined.

    Going back to the capital city even whilst knowing that he was targeted by the doll.

    That was Jupiter¡¯s greatest mistake.

    *

    "You were here after all, Aigokeros."

    "¡ªAries huh."

    At the park they had met the other day.

    There, two of the 12 Stars had again confronted each other.

    However, the outlook of the situation and the pressure released by the two could not bepared to when they had previously met.

    Because of their conviction and loyalty towards Ruphas, they were more than prepared to remove their obstacle even if it was going to cost them their lives.

    Aries was trying to stop Aigokeros, who was trying to take action contrary to Ruphas¡¯s wishes.

    Aigokeros was trying to kill one of the Heroes for Ruphas even if it had meant going against Ruphas¡¯s wishes, and to do so, he had to take Aries down.

    The two that could be said to be the most simr amongst the 12 Stars held onto their belief and conviction, and for the second time met under unfortunate circumstances.

    "It was you that drove the people of this country into Madness right? That¡¯s not something Ruphas-sama wishes.... Stop it right now."

    "Those words.... It seems you really are intending to stop me."

    The ominous aura that Aigokeros adorned became a shade darker and thicker.

    Opposing that, Aries wrapped himself in a rainbow-coloured mes.

    "You think you can win? Huh, [Ram]?"

    "Even I¡¯m not the same as 200 years ago, [Goat]."

    Aries¡¯s surrounding got affected by [Mesarthim] and warped like a mirage.

    The water in the park¡¯s fountain was evaporated away and the ground was grilled.

    Aigokeros¡¯s surrounding was warped and tainted dark.

    The trees withered and the insects which were flying in the vicinity were all annihted.

    "Are you really going to do it?"

    "If you stop, this whole fight can be avoided."

    "Ridiculous!"

    Aigokeros stuck his hands out.

    At the same time, Aries moved his body from his position, followed right afterwards by a ck shockwave running through his original position.

    Gorging into the ground and shattering all the building in the way, the shockwave still did not show any sign of stopping, eventually disappeared out of the city itself.

    "Fuu!"

    Aries leapt up and fired a kick that was enveloped in mes.

    The simple act of Aigokeros guarding against that created a giant crater in the ground, turning the park into a wastnd.

    However, Aigokeros himself was not affected at all and made a countering attack back at Aries.

    "Guuua!?"

    A small frame was blown away.

    After smashing through many buildings, Aries spun mid-air andnded back down as if nothing had happened.

    Chasing after that, Aigokeros flew up and mmed down a ck shockwave from the sky.

    Against that, however, Aries held his hand like a sword and blew the shockwave away with one hand.

    The shockwave that was blown away to the day after tomorrow was flying high up into the sky, eventually disappearing away after scattering all the cloud that was in its path.

    "Haa!"

    Aries flew and mmed his fist at Aigokeros who instinctively crossed his arm to block the attack.

    The surrounding air shook as if an earthquake had urred in the air with the two as the epicentre, blowing Aigokeros away like he was a cannonball.

    Passing through the city, passing through the mountain, and kept flying through the air to a distant ce.

    However, it was also Aries who stopped it.

    Aries ran ahead of Aigokeros, who was being blown away, and this time kicked him straight up, sending Aigokeros high into the air.

    And he jumped. Again going ahead and around Aigokeros.

    "Tsuriaaa!"

    Locking both his arms in a grapple, he performed a double sledgehammer!

    mming into Aigokeros¡¯s head with all his might, sending him back down to the ground.

    Without a moment of rest, Aries generated mes and continuously fired.

    The rainbow-coloured me balls dug into the ground one after another, hitting Aigokeros and burning him countless times.

    "......!"

    However, it seemed that barely any damage got through with something like this.

    Tearing through the smokes, many brilliant lights ran through, targeting Aries.

    A high-level Moon attribute arcane magic, Luna Shooter.

    A magical ray with high uracy and high destructive power that ran straight.

    A high-level Moon attribute arcane magic, Luna st.

    A ck bullet magic that simultaneously locked onto 3 bodies and homed in.

    An extremely high-level Moon attribute arcane magic Lunatic Rain.

    An area of effect skill that turned all moonlight into a rain of light and annihted all enemies in the vicinity.

    Even outside of those three, many Moon attribute high-level and upper-level arcane magic were continuously fired like it was raining.

    However, by blowing mes out from both of his hands, Aries was able to move freely in the air and was able to dodge through all the magic that was sent at him.

    Left and right, up and down.

    Remaining calm to the hectic and ever-changing vision, he flew in and out of even the tiniest gap between the magic.

    "Mesarthim!"

    While charging, his form distorted.

    The young boy¡¯s small frame was enveloped in a giant sheep-shaped me and elerated.

    In an instant, he transformed into a monster who was wrapped in a rainbow-coloured me, and his body mmed right into Aigokeros with all that he had.

    If Ruphas saw this scene, she would have said: "That is not how you use that skill" as a tsukkomi.[4]

    At the very least, in the "game" that she knew of, there was no way for the skill to be used like this.

    Aigokeros was forcibly blown away, and as one would expect, he made a low groan.

    Nevertheless, he was also one of the 12 Stars. While he was being blown away, he held his hand up towards Aries and released his ultimate skill.

    "Deneb Algedi!"

    One giant and conspicuous ck shockwave ran in a straight line towards Aries, swallowing him whole.

    Both sides were directly hit by each other¡¯s ultimate skills, raising ck and rainbow-coloured pirs climbing up into the sky.

    Silencested for a few seconds.

    Breaking that silence was Aigokeros standing up.

    Following that, Aries showed himself bying out of the smokes with his clothing in tatters and revealing his exposed shoulders.

    Both sides had suffered damage. However, it was not a type of injury where it would be a hindrance for the fight to continue on.

    ".... You¡¯re strong as expected, Aigokeros. Even after 200 years, your arcane magic power hasn¡¯t gone down, huh."

    "You too, Aries. You¡¯ve gotten considerably better at what you do."

    Bothughed at each other as if to acknowledge the other party.

    However, this was a battlefield, what was in front of them was an enemy.

    They had to stand by their wills and their convictions. The two pirs of the 12 Stars again looked and ran at the ¡¯enemy¡¯.

    __

    (Author Note)

    It¡¯s no good! C a n ¡¯ t s h o w b a c k t o a n e n e m y m i d f i g h t! It¡¯s no good! Can¡¯tshowbacktoanenemymidfight! It¡¯s no good! C a n ¡¯ t s h o w b a c k t o a n e n e m y m i d f i g h t! It¡¯s no good! Can¡¯tshowbacktoanenemymidfight! It¡¯s no good! C a

    Bang£¨¡É¡ä£»¦Ø£»£©Bang Bang Bang Bang ng

    £ß/_¥ß¤Ä/£þ£þ£þ/

    £Ü/£ß£ß£ß/£þ

    n ¡¯ t s h o w b a c k t o a n e n e m y m i d f i g h t! It¡¯s no good! Can¡¯tshowbacktoanenemymidfight! It¡¯s no good! C a n ¡¯ t s h o w b a c

    (Author Note end)

    [1] Notzy trantion. The author uses 3 levels of formality. 12 Stars (casual), 12 Heavenly Stars (normal), The Supreme [Roadway] 12 Heavenly Stars (formal)

    [2] Originally wrote it as "A single ray of light. ¨C "¹âÈÐÒ»éW¡£" Words are Light, de, One, sh ¨C Taking suggestions.

    [3] ED: Ÿo™CÙ|¤Ê¿Ö²À... not quite sure what the author is trying to say here. Neither ¡°inanimate fear¡± nor ¡°inorganic fear¡± is making much sense. TLN: Honestly, I¡¯m also not sure. If I had to take a guess, it¡¯s probably an error in a draft (since for readers that don¡¯t realise it, JP FreeWebNovels are mostly drafts before light novels are "published officially"). I am inclined to say something like "In front of a fear given off by an inanimate object" or "fictional fear" in a way that it was all in his head without the actual threat, etc. I¡¯ll leave it up to the readers.

    [4] Tsukkomi

    Tsukkomi is a 2 man dry humouredy that is very well established in Japan. Rather than trante it as a ¡¯retort¡¯ which is what it means here *...sort of...* I used tsukkomi because it¡¯s slightly different.

    A verymon Japanese way of joking/ng/culture especially in the Japanese Kansai dialect where people "interrupt" something by point out something, and it can be done afterwards - * yes I just contradicted by saying "interrupt" and "afterwards" together.

    E.g. Person A does something unconventional or stupid or unexpected, and then Person B retorts or verbally abuse Person A with dry humour by pointing out how it should have been. i.e. If you had said out loud to me ¡¯interrupt and afterwards are contradictory you stupid¡¯ where * is, that¡¯ll be a tsukkomi....

    Pretty much Gintama in a nutshell... but most of the anime/manga have tsukkomi scene as long as there¡¯sedy in it.

    e.g. 2: We should just title this chapter "Yandere Libra chases Jupiter! It¡¯s super effective!" ??

 Chapter 35

    Chapter 35 - Aigokeros, Get!

    Raw link: (06-12-2015)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (20-12-2018)

    Editor: Hands of Va / Va (24-12-2018)

    Trantion link:

    __

    Reminder 1: I was made aware that thement section makes you fill out useless information like email, name and website but under my setting, you are not required to fill out anything to post ament! No info is required toment and nothing is blocked or censored, including criticism ;). As far as I¡¯m aware the only thing that¡¯s blocked are messages that are automatically gged by WordPress as spam.

    TL Disimer: I have no experience in tranting anything, nor am I great at either English or Japanese. This is not machine tranted but Japanese to English dictionary is asionally used for words I am not sure about. I will not be able to fully trante the author¡¯s jokes, puns or ngs if there are any. I will try to stick with literal trantion where possible in the context. If there is anything I don¡¯t understand I will leave it in a bracket (x).

    If there is an error in the trantion, website, sentence structure or format please let me know in thements below or DM me on the discord and I will try my best to fix them. Any constructive feedback is appreciated.

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    An underground realm that could be called hell in this world, Helheim. That was the ce that Aigokeros was born.

    If the sky was where mana was thin, the ce where mana was the thickest would be the bottom of the earth.

    The excessive amount of mana in the environment, which could not bepared to that of above-ground, mutated every creatures of the underground realm into hideous forms simr to the devils in myths.

    An evil-looking existence transformed by the essence of magic. As such, due to the others who feared them, they were called devils.[1]

    Those that became transformed by this location were mostly the creatures that preferred to live in the dark ces or caves, such as the bats, lizards and spiders.

    If one were to think of it like that, they would not think that a goat would exist in this location. However, the chances were, some humanoids that had decided to live in this location had probably brought livestock together with them.

    Yet, in this day and age, there was no method for anyone to be able to verify if that really was the case.

    That was because there was not a single humanoid in Helheim right now. There were only a few remaining traces to suggest that they might had once been there in the very far history.

    Even in this realm, Aigokeros was born with an extraordinary amount of mana and was distinguished as the Mighty Grand Devil.

    As a result of an ancestor who had preyed upon the mutated bats, he inherited the features of the bats, namely in the ominous devil¡¯s wings on his back.

    A goat¡¯s head, a human¡¯s body, and the wings of a bat. A hybridposing of three animals - no, magical beasts - that would not normally have mixed together. That, was Aigokeros.

    He believed himself to be the most perfect form of a devil.

    He was the only one of his species in the underground realm. There was no other devil that had the same features as him, the one and only in existence.

    Therefore, he had no question as to whether he really was the ruler of the darkness.

    From his point of view, even the demons were inadequate and iplete. He believed that they were not the existence who were loved (contaminated) by mana.

    <i>To begin with, they¡¯re just an imitation. They¡¯re created by the intentional concentration of mana.</i>

    <i>I do not know who created and for what purpose, but the demons are not a race that evolved naturally.</i>

    <i>Someone had intentionally gathered and condensed the mana together, and after ignoring the natural course of the event, had forcibly created those sham of an existence.</i>

    <i>Without a single exception, the entire race is a deteriorated reproduction of the Demon King.</i>

    <i>Having said that, the real Demon King is also something different.</i>

    <i>It¡¯s true that thing is something magical... but there¡¯s also something divine about it - something that could even be passed off as that abominable Goddess.</i>

    That was why Aigokeros could not believe in "her" existence.

    Although originating from the sky, a ce where a minimal amount of mana existed, her jet ck wings did not contain a single strand of light.

    Shrouded in denser mana than that of the devils, she pushed forward on her own path as if to say that she had no need for the love from the gods.

    She had looked at Aigokeros and had sneered.

    "I see, so this is a devil. I was also shunned and called a devil ever since I could remember but... what a shame, now that I look at it, such a faint existence."

    ¡¯Faint¡¯ was probably directed towards mana.

    Aigokeros could not rebut those words.

    That was because she was.... too dense.

    How many demons had she killed? How many monsters did she take down and devour?

    The amount of mana was so high and so dense that there was no other way but to think that she had taken in all the mana of every living thing she had culled. The amount so high that even Aigokeros had felt fear. And she herself had the whole body polluted by that.

    Living beings became affected and mutated by being exposed to mana. They turned into monsters.

    Which meant that she was probably... a monster. Whilst originally being a Flugel, a species that was loved by the heaven, she had kept on taking in mana, and was in the process of mutating into a separate species.

    A predetermined evolution path by Goddess, a form that one should be. She had ignored that path and was transforming on her own.

    He had understood. This woman was someone that not even the Goddess could control.

    An existence that moved independently of the will of the Goddess, The King Of Mana... someone worthy of being called The Demon King.[2]

    By the time Aigokeros noticed, he had kneeled and bowed in front of the ck Winged Ruler.

    "..... A,dy is.... You are the real... my King."

    He had capitted without even fighting. And he had not felt shameful of that.

    It was simple, things that should have been the way it was, became the way it was.

    The disparity that was determined from the moment they had first met. The difference in the rank of what it meant to be mana.

    That had caused Aigokeros to bow down as a retainer.

    And the King, seeing that, just simplyughed quietly.

    *

    Amongst the 12 Stars, Aries and Aigokeros¡¯ roles most resembled each other¡¯s.

    What was sought from these two stars were "hindering" and "disturbance" of enemies.

    Aries, achieved this with the skill of a magical beast, while Aigokeros achieved it using arcane magic.

    Although they were distinguished from each other depending on the situation and the enemy, amongst the 12 Stars, they had sat in the position that was most simr to each other.

    [Ram] and [Goat]. Motif between the two was also very simr, as such, it was inevitable that these two stars were intimate with each other.[3]

    However, the two¡¯s personalities were the pr opposite.

    Aries was gentle and timid. Aigokeros was hot-headed and would use any means necessary to achieve his objectives.

    And the consequence of those differences manifested themselves as the difference in achieving their desired result.

    Aries interfered against the enemies for the protection of his allies, whereas Aigokeros interfered with the enemy merely as a means to push them into the corner and harm them.

    There, the question of which was better was meaningless.

    Whatever the reason, for Ruphas, there was no doubt that both were useful fighting powers.

    Notwithstanding, when it came to direct confrontation, there was an advantage for the ¡¯Goat¡¯ who used his power as a mean to harm others.

    "¡ªku!"

    Aries blew mes out of his hands and started flying all around.

    Chasing after Aries were countless hand-like-tentacles made out of incorporeal darkness.

    It was a troublesome interference arcane magic where once the target was caught by them, they would be stunned and be affected with speed decreasing debuff. It was an arcane magic without counter, such that Aries had no other option but to avoid.

    If it was Ruphas, she may have been able to say "who cares about some debuff that lowers some of your stats?" whilst charging in and shredding the tentacles into thousand pieces and taking Aigokeros down. However, such a feat was not possible for Aries.

    No, rather than not possible, perhaps it was more correct to say that he would lose if he did something like that.

    For Ruphas who possessed exceptionalbat abilities, some interferences or disturbance to her ability might not overly affect the fight. However, for Aries, it was detrimental.

    After all, let alone someone of equal strength, the enemy was someone who possessed greater ability than himself.

    To suffer a decrease in his stats would have directly lead to his defeat.

    "Uooooaaaaa!"

    Aries dived towards the ground and mmed the ming fist into it.

    When he did, the ground greatly shook as if there was a local earthquake on that spot jolting everything nearby.

    Earthquake. It was one of the signature moves that he had been taught by Ruphas.

    Originally an [Earth] attribute skill, but because the skill was quite useful, he had taken a liking to it.

    The movement of the tentacles all stopped at once, and at the same time, Aries quickly dashed forward.

    Even if it was Aigokeros, he would not have been able to remain standing after repeatedly taking Aries¡¯s ultimate skill.

    As such, Aries again turned his whole body into a me and tried to charge in.

    Rainbow-coloured me drew a track on the ground as Aries¡¯s whole body flew in a straight line.

    And putting all his power into it, he struck his fist forward, piercing Aigokeros¡¯s body.

    ".....!?"

    Pierced, and he thought.

    This was not it..... This was not Aigokeros at all.

    It was a fake created by the moonlight¡¯s reflection, an imitation.

    A trapid out to hunt down pitiful creatures who might have been lured in by the beautiful night with moon.

    As if a hologram made out of the shadow cast by the moonlight, it was one of the moon attribute¡¯s arcane magic. This arcane magic, [Shadow], was used to toy the enemy with the image with no physical substance.

    If Ruphas was here, she would have exined the skill as such "Putting it bluntly, it¡¯s just arcane magic that decreases enemy¡¯s uracy".

    "Oh shi....."

    "Caught you.... Aries!"

    Aigokeros attacked without giving any break to Aries who was still stuck in a dy after his attack.[4]

    He used his unique skill [Deneb Algedi], a condensed moon attribute mana cannon.

    Not only did the skille with very high damage, it included an added effect for the victim to be unable to recover the damage received by the skill.

    As the name of the skill suggested, hebined his arms together and started condensing darkness on his palm.

    It was impossible to dodge. There was also not enough time to guard against the skill.

    Hence the only option left was to endure through the skill.

    "¡ª¡ª!"

    Aries closed his eyes shut tightly and prepared within himself to take the pain that was about toe.

    <i>It¡¯ll be fine, I will still be able to remain standing even if I take the skill.</i>

    <i>If there¡¯s a second strike, it might be quite harsh. And honestly speaking, not being able to use recovery skill to recover is very painful.</i>

    <i>Having said that, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s no chance for a turn-around.</i>

    "Diiiiiieeeeeeeeeee!!"

    <i>Oi, he just said die.</i>

    Although Aries was thinking like that, he also thought Aigokeros was acting like Aigokeros.

    His true nature is really that of a devil.

    Although it was held down normally, once he was affected by emotion, even if the opponent was an ally, he could easily say unsettling things.

    Of course, Aries couldn¡¯t die for Aigokeros nor could Aries afford to die.

    Aries had to endure through it and had to think about what would happen afterwards.

    In front of Aries who was thinking along those lines, ck wings cut in with irregr speed.

    "You fool, what¡¯s the point of killing your ally?"

    One line, muttering a line out of exasperation, she stopped the Deneb Algedi with one hand.

    A ck sh sshed on the impact like a lightning and the after-effect gouged into the ground. Nevertheless, the person who had stopped the attack was not even slightly affected.

    In this day and age, there was only a very limited number of individuals who were capable of achieving such a feat in the face of 12 Heavenly Stars.

    One of them was The Creator Goddess. An omnipotent and almighty Goddess who might not actually exist.

    One of them was The Demon King. An inauspicious enemy who dictated the entire demon race.

    One of them was The Vampire Princess. One of the legendary 7 Heroes who even in this age, retained her full power. A king who ruled over the night.

    And one of them was - The ck-Winged Supreme Ruler.

    "Sovereign!!"[5]

    With a shrieking sound, Aigokeros¡¯s ultimate skill was punched away.

    With a scarlet appearance, the darkness that was scattered away to the surrounding left traces of destruction.

    However, the darkness did not reach Aries who was behind her. The attack waspletely cut away cleanly by her.

    "Na.... A,dy is... O o, yourdy is.....!"

    Aigokeros shouted out with a shaky voice which was filled with delight, with great joy.

    In response to that, she untied her hair, took off her sses and removed the bad disguise she was wearing.

    What appeared in front of Aigokeros was the appearance of his master that he had waited 200 years to reunite.

    "Fum, it¡¯s great that you are also in great health. It¡¯s been a while, Aigokeros."

    After seeing the smile of the subordinate who had the appearance of a devil, she herself smiled back.

    The figure was that of his master that he had sworn his loyalty to, an appearance no different from 200 years ago.

    Standing in front of Ruphas Mafahl, the retainer was shaking in delight.

    *

    <i>...So what was even the point of me disguising myself...?</i>

    <i>Yes, I¡¯m that person that needlessly cross-dressed as a man which eventually had no meaning whatsoever, I¡¯m that Ruphas.</i>

    <i>Haha, go ahead andugh vegetable prince.<strong>[6]</strong></i>

    <i>Even though I disguised myself beforeing out, I was seen through with one look by Aigokeros.</i>

    <i>Anyways, mah. Is it that?</i>

    <i>I guess I should say it was a close call.</i>

    It was so close that my arms were tingling but in the end, it was not something important.

    More than that, I was surprised that I just punched away Aigokeros¡¯s skill.

    <i>I will state it clearly. I don¡¯t have any skill like that.</i>

    Fundamentally, the skills that I possessed were limited to attack type or self-buffs.

    I had thought that defensive skills from the alchemist or acolyte ss were enough for me. Furthermore, if it was not enough, I could always be supplemented by the party members or the 12 Heavenly Stars.

    I was informed, within divine magic, there existed some defensive skills that could defend against the enemy¡¯s arcane magic, but I had no time to be using such a skill.

    In other words, all I did was to simply punch the attack.

    As I thought, although this world felt like the game, it was not the game.

    It was possible for me to do some things that could not have been done in the game, and simrly, it was a possibility that I would not be able to do some things that could be done if I was within the game.

    To begin with, if it was a game, it was not possible for someone to storm in between the attack after the attack animation had ended and the spell cast.

    <i>Anyways, for the time being, Aigokeros that I am currently looking at...... Un, he really has that ominous appearance.</i>

    He looked just like what the society perceived devils to be.

    Yet, with such appearance, he was on his knee and pouring tears out of his eyes. He was praying at me as if his emotion was bursting forth.

    <i>What is this? Some religious cult? Satanism?</i>

    <i>Or more like, if you¡¯re a devil, don¡¯t be praying like that. What am I? A Demon King?</i>

    <i>.....Ah, actually I¡¯m something like that.</i>

    "Ahh - ....you know, what is it. You really made me worried."

    I called out to him whilst he was sobbing and creaking a small puddle on the ground.

    No, un. I was thinking of giving him one good punch when I met him, but I lost the will to do so after seeing such a scene.

    The appearance of him sobbing really portrayed how much he had worried about me - or rather about Ruphas, and as such not even I coulde to hit him at that moment.

    I gave Aigokeros whose crying voice was shaving into my sanity a light pat on his shoulder.

    "You were dutiful and loyal. Raise your head, Aigokeros."

    "Ye, yes!"

    When I told him to raise his head, for some reason he remained hunched back like a cat and only raised his head.

    <i>Is this what you call that?</i>

    He had probably wanted to raise only his head but because he had no legs he ended up looking hunched backwards?

    <i>Aigokeros, I appreciate that you try trying to follow through with the attitude and action of the retainer, but that posturees off quite discourteous instead.</i>

    "I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already heard from Aries, but I don¡¯t seek to do anything towards the people of this country. I understand that you wanted to do it for me. However, it¡¯s quite troublesome for me if this country copses. Can you remove the Madness debuff from the people of this country? With it, I¡¯ll overlook this incident."

    "Yes! If that is what mydy desires!"

    Aigokeros lowered his head and started mumbling some incantation.

    He was probably reciting the incantation to remove the curse.

    Listening to Aigokeros, Aries muttered with dissatisfaction, "Even though you didn¡¯t listen when I told you."

    "If I may say something, Ruphas-sama. Even if I remove the debuff, the citizens of this country most likely would not calm down."

    "What?"

    "To begin with, my debuff only causes the enemy¡¯s emotion to be amplified. Which means, I merely gave them the push. As a consequence, even if I were to remove the debuff..."

    <i></i>

    <i>....That, doesn¡¯t sound too good.</i>

    I remained silent to avoid showing agitation on the outside but was flustered on the inside.

    <i>No wait, hang on, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s still not the time to be flustered.</i>

    <i>If it¡¯s Libra.... If it¡¯s Libra, she¡¯ll do something about it.</i>

    The chances are, Jupiter had already been captured by Libra by now. If we stuck Jupiter in front of the citizens, it might be possible to reverse the situation.

    It was not possible for me to personally go out in front of the people, but I could leave the exining part to Dina or Libra.

    "Mah, there¡¯s still a method. We just have to bring forth the person that was pulling the strings in front of the people and redirect the emotions towards him. Dina, it¡¯s fine for me to leave the negotiation to you right?"

    "Of course. Please leave it to me."

    When I asked her the question, Dina was who hiding in the surrounding tree¡¯s shadow to avoid getting caught in the fight stuck her head out.

    She seems to always be on standby in a good and safe position every time. Was this what you called diligence or was it something else?

    With a "gu", she raised her thumb with a face full of confidence.

    "This Dina is not good at fighting but is good with words. I¡¯ll skilfully manage this incident caused by Aigokeros-sama for you!"

    "..... Ruphas-sama."

    Aigokeros strangely looked at Dina first then looked towards me.

    <i>Ah, this development seems familiar. I guess you could say when it¡¯s the third time, I¡¯m quite used to it.</i>

    Although I already predicted what Aigokeros was going to say next, I decided to at least listen to what he was going to say.

    In any event, he was probably going to say he didn¡¯t know who Dina was ¨C.

    "Is this woman, perhaps, the adviser that skilfully used stealth to always blend in with the background?"

    ¡ªWh.... at......!!!?[7]

    __

    (Author Note)

    G Master who turned into a monster "Kasakasakasa"

    A spider that turned into a monster "Wasawasawasa"

    Some random and unknown creator that turned into a monster "Kishaaaaaa!"

    Ruphas "......Appearance-wise, that goat is the least objectionable."

    (Author Note end)

    __

    [1] TLN: y-on-words. Evil/bad in Japanese can be written as Aku (™), part of magic/arcane/mana is the word Ma (Ä§), andbining them together is Akuma (™Ä§), which means the devil.

    [2] Ok so... simr to above, another y on word. Same word Ma (Ä§) is used to mean magic/mana. Mamono (Ä§Îï) = [magical] Monster, King of Mana/Magic (Ä§¤ÎÍõ) Maou (Ä§Íõ) means a demon/magic king, and The Demon King is also written the same.

    [3] ÄµÑò×ù, and É½Ñò. Both an animal but signifying the constetion. Because unlike in English, there¡¯s no distinguishment between the animal and the constetion when written in Japanese. And raw used the word motif.)

    [4] Dy Frame/Vulnerability Frame

    Opposite of more well-known i-frame (invulnerability frame). In MMO, unless within exceptions such as animation cancel mechanics or characters who specialise inbo and is able to loop perfectly, have ¡¯dy frames¡¯ after casting a skill, a user of the skill is often stuck in animation or there¡¯s a small pause before they can use another skill or move their character. For a few ¡¯frames¡¯, a user is vulnerable to receiving attacks and counters. There¡¯s no ¡¯official term¡¯ like ¡¯i-frame¡¯ counterpart but sometimes called dy or vulnerability frame, or even just cooldown, depending on the game¡¯smunity. Not to be confused with input dy frame.

    [5] Refer to "Ha" from chapter 32¡¯s footnote

    [6] TLN: I don¡¯t know who this is referring to..? ED: no idea what ¥Ù¥¸¥¿¥Ö¥ëÍõ×Ó is referring to either.

    [7] LOOOOOOL. Good on you Dina, you were remembered!! Where¡¯s the fanfare at!?

 Chapter 36

    (Author Note)

    Summary until this point

    Impression A ¡°What!? Dina¡¯s lone thin presence characteristic has been broken!?¡±

    Impression B ¡°There¡¯s someone that remembers her!? Can¡¯t be!¡±

    Impression C ¡°It¡¯s a lie!! Must be some mistake!!¡±

    ¡°Impression D ¡°It¡¯s a lie don don ko doooon!¡±[2]

    Dina ¡°I¡¯m going to cry if you say anymore!¡±

    (Author Note end)

    __

    Although Aries and I had some trouble with Aigokeros¡¯ unexpected statement of ¡°I remember Dina¡±, after joining up with Aigokeros, we safely returned to the city.

    For now, I had made Aigokeros take on a human form.

    His appearance was that of a human man in his prime wearing a ck butler clothing and a monocle on one of his eye.

    His hair was white and dried up just like that of a goat, all-back. His height was most probably around 175.[3]

    It seemed that he was capable of hiding within someone¡¯s shadow and at that moment, he was hiding in my shadow.

    Hey, you didn¡¯t have a skill like that when it was inside the game.

    ¡ªwas what I was thinking. However, now that I thought about it, I seemed to recall a setting in the game where the devil-type monsters ¡®lived in people¡¯s shadow¡¯.

    Ahhh, yeah, yeah. While I¡¯m at it, I¡¯m going to check out Aigokeros¡¯ status.

    [12 Heavenly Stars Aigokeros]

    Level 800

    Species: Lord Demon

    Attribute: Moon

    HP: 72 000

    SP: 10 100

    STR (Strength/Attack Power): 3150

    DEX (Dexterity): 4148

    VIT (Vitality): 3453

    INT (Intelligence): 6183

    AGI (Ability/Speed): 4140

    MND (Mindpower): 5280

    LUK (Luck): 3000

    Fum. Well, a subtle magic type... is what I should say huh.

    There was no mistake that he was a magic main but he wasn¡¯t too lopsided with his specialisation.

    Well, that was fine as his main role was to use magic to interfere. Therefore, it was quite important that he was not defeated by the enemy.

    Afterwards, I fixed up Aries¡¯ clothes.

    Even if I was aware that Aries was male, a risqu¨¦ appearance was no good.

    It was really worrisome that he might be targeted by some strange person.

    Anyways, it¡¯s all nice and all that we¡¯ve returned but........ What should I do?

    The situation was such that citizens were all enraged, both sides surrounded the castle in the middle and stared down at each other.

    The debuff should have long been removed, however, there was no sign of the bloodlust disappearing from their eyes.

    Aahhhh, ain¡¯t no gud-at-all. They¡¯ve self-debuffed.

    Nevertheless, the reason this had yet to turn into a full-on confrontation was that there was a man remonstrating and mediating in the middle.

    Green.... No, maybe it was more urate to state it as emerald green hair.

    It might have been well organised normally, however, he looked like he was a mere shadow of his former self with the appearance of someone that had lost all his weight.

    Clouded blue-coloured eyes, and unnecessarily expensive-looking white vestment.

    Above that, he wore a blue overcoat. And on one side, hisrge white wing could be seen sticking out.

    His appearance was quite different from what I remembered, however, there was no mistake.

    That was one of the 7 Heroes, Merak.

    Just in case, I checked his status.

    [Merak]

    Level 500

    Species: Flugel

    Attribute: Wood

    ss Level:

    Acolyte: 100

    Priest: 100

    Esper: 100

    Archer: 100

    Monster Tamer: 100

    HP: 55 200

    SP: 5301

    STR (Strength/Attack Power): 3750

    DEX (Dexterity): 2920

    VIT (Vitality): 3009

    INT (Intelligence): 2003

    AGI (Ability/Speed): 2444

    MND (Mindpower): 4980

    LUK (Luck): 2711

    [Bad Status] One-Winged

    [Bad Status] Loser¡¯s Stigma

    ¡°..... You got your wing stolen, huh.¡±

    I looked at Merak¡¯s status using [Observing Eyes] and reflexively cast my eyes down.

    For Flugels, wings were their pride and their standing.

    If the inside of Merak was in the same situation as I was, he probably would not care much about it.

    Even if one were to have lost half the organ that they did not originally have, it would finish by merely saying ¡°so what¡±.

    At the very least, they would think that it was better than losing one their arms or legs.[4]

    However, if Merak was the original inhabitant from this world..... If he was the same as Megrez...

    ... In all likelihood, there was no other circumstance that was harsher and more severe than this.

    Even whilst being a hero of the Flugels, he was no longer able to fly.

    He might be able to substitute it using divine magic. However, substitution, in the end, was just substitution.

    ¡°Yes. After defeating the heroes 200 years ago, the Demon King took away a part from each of their bodies.

    Megrez and Phecda lost their legs. Merak, his wing.

    Alioth lost his eyes and for Mizar, it was his arms. Lastly, Dubhe had all his fangs and ws.....¡±

    ¡°....he did quite a brutal thing huh. By the way, how about Bnash?¡±

    ¡°She did not participate in the battle itself. After you were gone, she seemed like someone who had lost her soul and stayed in her coffin for a while.¡±

    ¡°What is she doing?¡±

    I was in a state where I couldment neither on the tragedy that befell them nor on the mystery of why the Vampire Princess acted the way she did.

    In the game, we had joked around and called him as The Demon King-san (lol). However, when it came to a reality, he was this horrifying of an enemy.

    Perhaps I should say ¡®intimidation as expected of the officialst boss¡¯.

    Even if there was no one shot-calling, since he had defeated the heroes who had defeated me, his fighting ability must be higher than mine.[5]

    Well, if he could be defeated in a one-on-one fight, he couldn¡¯t be named the officialst boss.

    ¡°Stop, my people! Conflict and hatred are all that the demon race wishes. Why do you not try and grab each other¡¯s hands!?¡±

    Merak was desperately trying to mediate, however, there was no effect on the rioters.

    No, there was probably some effect. If there was not, the civil war would already have started.

    The mere fact that a hero was standing in the middle already had an effect.

    However, it was not enough to stop the conflict.

    With what was happening, I could see something small serving as thest straw to trigger the start of the civil war.

    Now then, what should I do.....

    ¡°That¡¯s as far as you go!¡±

    As I was thinking as such, something broke into the middle of the popce.

    Yes, ¡°broke into¡± ¨C exactly as written.

    Plunging in, in a straight line from high up in the sky, cutting through the air whilst resonating a thunderous sound, something dropped onto the ground. Shattering the ground upon impact, someone descended into the ce.

    Of course, there was no need to inquire who it was.

    Not as a metaphor but in a literal sense, it was an appearance of a doll with a light brown hair.

    With Sky Jet deployed on her shoulders, she was holding onto a very pitiful looking demon-like man who seemed to have been viciously beaten.

    It was the entrance of one of the 12 Heavenly Stars, Libra.

    ¡°So you made it in time, Libra.¡±

    I unconsciously pumped my fist.

    It¡¯s here, the main Golem is here! With it, we can end it!

    As promised previously, she brought along the demon so there was nothing more I had to say.

    Well now, she will fully expose that demon as the mastermind behind everything and end this whole incident.

    ¡°Y, You are..... That appearance, could it be.....¡±

    Merak whom of course, knew about the appearance of Libra showed a surprised expression on his face, however, Libra stopped Merak with her hand.

    Furthermore, she followed it up by spouting a white lie.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just a Golem passing by, Brudzewski XVII.¡±[6]

    ¡°Umm, I thought it was Copernicus IV......?¡±

    ¡°You could also say that.¡±

    Oi Libra, don¡¯t change your alias.

    You¡¯re even getting tsukommi¡¯d by some random citizen.

    She threw the demon that she had been holding down in front of the two camps with a ¡®poi¡¯ and looked around at the surrounding and spoke with a volume loud enough for everyone to be able to hear.

    ¡°Now, do as you please with this man, please enjoy!¡±

    .......

    ..............

    ¡°............¡±

    ¡°............¡±

    ¡°............¡±

    .......................

    Wait what, oi. No one will understand with that.

    Look, Merak was frozen in ce, and even the popce had the face which showed ¡°what the hell is she saying?¡±.

    You know... he¡¯s the mastermind or was the instigator or something like that.

    Isn¡¯t there something else you have to say?

    However, Libra did not say anything more.

    The surrounding popce also seemed to be curious about the demon, and a few white-winged men who recognised the face had started turning pale.

    Nevertheless, leaving things like that would not develop into anything.

    ¡ªshe¡¯s no good at all.... She¡¯s not suited for persuasion at all....!

    ¡°Dina, please do something about it. No one will understand with that.¡±

    ¡°Y, Yes. Please leave it up to me!¡±

    I kept my face hidden and sent Dina forward.

    It seemed there was no other option but to leave the mediation to her.

    If only it was possible for me to show myself in front of others, I would have done it myself.

    Dina jogged into the popce and raised her arm and shouted out, ¡°Attention!¡±

    ¡°Everyone, for now, please calm down and listen to what I have to say.

    Cutting straight to the chase, the name of the man that is lying here is Jupiter. He is one of the 7 Luminaries who serve the Demon King.

    Amongst the white-winged popce, I believe there are a few people who recognise him.¡±

    Demon, the archenemy of the humanoids.

    And even amongst that, it was one of the 7 Luminaries who stood at the top as a representative. It was a topic which was more than enough to grab the attention of the people in that ce.

    Her tactic was most probably to start with a statement which would attract attention even if the listener was not interested in what she had to say.

    The popce¡¯s line of sight shifted towards Jupiter as if they were nailing him down, followed by amotion that was of a different typepared to before.

    Distrust, bewilderment, fear, confusion....

    A situation where there was someone from the 7 Luminaries in this ce. Furthermore, he was familiar with the constituents of the city.

    This fact cooled the heated heads of the people present.

    ¡°Currently, you feel hatred and want to exterminate each other. But pause and think about it for a moment. If something like that happens, who is going to benefit the most?¡±

    ¡®She¡¯s good¡¯, was what I thought.

    By stating the main point first, she was able to have an impactful follow-up statement of ¡°you are all just dancing on his palm¡±.

    In this way, she was able to hammer in a wedge on their actions.

    It was true that this was more effective in getting through to calm people down who were agitated.

    The method left people unable to ignore what she had to say.

    ¡°Yes, the ones who will benefit the most are the demons.

    By having you kill each other, they would be able to bring this country down, and that is their aim.

    So please, clear your head and think about it. Who is it that you really should be hating?¡±

    While I was hiding in the shadow, I could not be unaware of the fact that my own face grimaced.

    An enemy you should hate, huh. Is that how you would word it?

    ¡®Hatred gives birth to nothing¡¯ was an idiom that I had often heard before.[7] Nevertheless, if people were easily able to bend their emotions and take a loss, no one would ever experience any hardship.

    However, if you diverged or dispersed the vector, the degree of difficulty in tackling the issue was far easier aspared to its counterpart.

    Psychoanalysis of the defence mechanism.

    One of the tactics, ¡°discement¡± was in y.[8]

    When a person felt a desire or a craving and they were unable to fulfil it, their minds be unstable.

    As such, in order to protect their own minds, they would try all sorts of methods to try and fulfil that craving.

    Currently, the popce wanted to crush the opposing town, they wanted to destroy it.

    But unfortunately, there was a problem with that. If it was carried out, then the demons would be greatly overjoyed.

    To that dilemma, the mastermind demon was thrown in with ¡®please enjoy¡¯.

    The craving which could not be fulfilled ¨C he was the perfect subject in directing their hatred towards.

    Aahh, I know already.

    It could not be helped.

    Not to mention, he actually is the mastermind behind everything, so Dina is not wrong. And above all, it was me that had ordered Dina to conduct the way she did.

    That was why. This was just an emotion.... The civilian inside of me was screaming with his emotion and not logic. It was just a boring emotion blurring my judgement.

    ..... That was how it should have been.

    ¡°You..... You bastard!!¡±

    As I was thinking that it was unwarranted interference of sentiment, Jupiter who had been staying quiet this whole time started shouting in a loud voice.

    His face was warped with a hatred worse than the citizens from a while ago. He was staring daggers at Dina as if she was the target who had killed his parents.

    It was probably something like he had finally realised the situation that he was in. It was a littlete though.

    He had probably finally understood that Dina was making him out to be the scapegoat. With an angered look, he screamed out of anger.

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is! No wonder Libra returned so quickly! From the very beginning.... From the very beginning, you had nned to trick meeeeeeeeee!!!¡±

    After shouting, Jupiter became one with the wind and charged out.

    This is not looking that good....?

    I prepared myself at once to be able to get in between them at any time.

    He was definitely pretty fast. Fast.... but,pared to me he¡¯s still slow.[9]

    Even from this distance, I could easily get in between the two whenever I wanted.

    However, it seems there was no need for me to do that.

    From behind Jupiter, Libra stuck her arm out, piercing through his body.

    ¡°A, g.... a!¡±

    ¡°I had already given you the warning that ¡®you would be disposed on the spot of if you attack anyone without permission¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Wa, it.... Listen, you guys ar..... e¡±

    ¡°I will not listen. You have already fulfilled the condition of termination. Therefore, I have made a judgement.... The promise made of your petition to be allowed an audience with my master will now be void.¡±

    It looked like Libra made a promise to allow him to plead for mercy from me in exchange for calming down.

    Nevertheless, I had the feeling that he would have been killed by the people of the country before he had gotten to meet me.

    ..... Ahhhh, actually. Probably not.

    He was level 300 so he probably would not have died.

    Or perhaps there was a promise that he would be rescued before he was killed.

    But by trying to attack Dina, he had broken the promise made with her, and he was disposed of.

    That was the conjecture reached from listening to the exchange.

    ¡°That¡¯s not, it...! You guys are.... All, dec.... by...h....¡±

    Jupiter was trying to say something, however, Libra quickly cut his head off.

    Oi, so merciless. I did not know whether to say ¡®so reliable¡¯ or ¡®I¡¯m d she¡¯s on our side¡¯.

    She proceeded to squash the head that was on the ground with the weight of her foot then without expression started dusting away the dirt on her skirt.

    On her face, there was not a strand of emotion nor disturbance. It was not even possible to fetch a reaction at the level one might have received when a nearby bug was killed.

    Jupiter who had been squashed to death pitifully disintegrated in that ce, not even leaving a corpse behind.

    ....I¡¯m so d that Libra¡¯s on our side.

    In any event, I was quite curious about what he had shouted in hisst seconds.

    nned to trick him from the veryst..... There was no questioning about that.

    Libra would capture him and stick him in front of the people, bringing his sin in broad daylight and turning the situation around. It was just as nned.

    But that roar, and the deep resentment he had directed towards Dina.

    I could not help but feel that there was more to it than what I thought.

    .....I really felt as if I had made an oversight.

    And it definitely was not just my imagination.

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37 - Congrattions, Ruphas transformed into a clown

    Raw link: (20-12-2015)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (28-12-2018)

    Editor: Hands of Va / Va (29-12-2018)

    Trantion link:

    __

    Small update: Due to an infection, I¡¯m scheduled to have a small surgery in a few hours. I would like to say the trantion won¡¯t be affected but it probably will be. Chapter 38 might be dyed by 1-2 days depending on what the doctors say afterwards. Sorry in advance and hope you will be understanding >.< ¨C Once chapter 38es out, I¡¯ll be going back to 3 days between each chapter so it will not be a permanent thing.

    TL Disimer: I have no experience in tranting anything, nor am I great at either English or Japanese. This is not machine tranted but Japanese to English dictionary is asionally used for words I am not sure about. I will not be able to fully trante the author¡¯s jokes, puns or ngs if there are any. I will try to stick with literal trantion where possible in the context. If there is anything I don¡¯t understand I will leave it in a bracket (x).

    If there is an error in the trantion, website, sentence structure or format please let me know in thements below or DM me on the discord and I will try my best to fix them. Any constructive feedback is appreciated.

    __

    (Author Note)

    ~ Summary until this point ~

    Unexpected! Just [Loupe]![1]

    Aigokeros (Doyaaaaaaaaaa)

    Ruphas (....why loupe)

    Dina (Monocle.....)

    Libra (Loupe....)

    Aries (Why loupe?)

    Merak (Loupe....?)

    £¨£»0w0)£¼ Loupe....

    Aigokeros "?"

    (Author Note end)

    __

    The White Town and the ck Town had reached a step away from collision previously, but the battle itself was avoided.

    Nevertheless, if someone were to ask whether the issue was resolved or not, the answer was ¡¯unfortunately no¡¯.

    Indeed the collision was avoided, however, the underlying cause for hostility was not addressed in the slightest.

    On the contrary, the rtionship between the two sides only worsened. This was due to the fact that, regardless of being induced by the demon, people from the White Town had intentionally formed a volunteer army to attack.

    And for this point alone, there was nothing that my group could do.

    Merak was this country¡¯s king. As such, as long as he did not brace himself and kept both camps under control, the danger of civil war would continue to be a possibility.

    I said that with a self-satisfied look of a third party. However, the situation was such that it had developed to the state where we could no longer remainpletely uninvolved.

    Really, you reap what you sow. Considering I was the one who had ordered Libra and Dina to conduct in the way that they did, there was no room for me to feel regret. Notwithstanding, Merak¡¯s stare was quite severe.

    At the time, I was still hiding in the shadow and observing the situation, however, Merak¡¯s line of sight was fixed on Libra.

    Well, I guess, if the golem that was supposedly destroyed casually show up, then anyone would be suspicious of it.

    As a side note, as golem could only be repaired by the alchemist¡¯s skill, unexpectedly, the identity of the one who had repaired Libra would be limited.

    An alchemist who would purposefully (in this day and age) climb onto the top of the extremely-hard-to-conquer tomb, who then repaired and brought Libra out of that ce, and proceeded to release fake information about Libra¡¯s destruction... Well, I guess the only individuals who could achieve such a feat in this age was Megrez or me.

    Furthermore, the individual who would actually do something like that.... Un, there was only me.

    Anyways, it was Dina who actually spread the fake information though.

    For those reasons, it was within my expectation that he would arrive at such a conclusion.

    "Golem over there.... Ummmm, Brudzewski XVII was it?"

    "Nope, I¡¯m Copernicus IV."

    "............. Un, it really doesn¡¯t matter which, but can I get you toe to the castle with me? Of course, if there is anyone that you are apanying, them as well."

    Merak¡¯s forceful wording left no room for rejection.

    Yet, without even the slightest change in expression, Libra firmly stated her reply.

    "I refuse. You do not possess the power to issue an order to me."

    "I, I would appreciate it if you don¡¯t say it like that ande with me..."

    The moment Libra replied in a firm manner, Merak became timid for some reason.

    <i>Oi King.<strong>[2]</strong> Didn¡¯t you be sloppy too quickly?</i>

    At this rate, unless there was an order from me, Libra will most probably stick with a single phrase, "I refuse". Merak was also unable to bring himself to be confident..... It couldn¡¯t be helped, I guess I needed to take an action.

    After I decided, I donned a robe (cross-dressed? Aah, I¡¯ve stopped with that...) and showed myself in front of Merak¡¯s group.

    "Mah wait. It¡¯s a rare invitation from the King. Why don¡¯t we ept it this time around?"

    "If that is master¡¯s order, I have no objection."

    Once I came out, Libra easily agreed to go to the castle and went to stand diagonally behind me as if it was a predetermined position.

    Dina and Aries also stood diagonally behind me and made a "this is everyone" appeal.

    In truth, Aigokeros was inside my shadow, however, there was no need to go out of my way to let them know.

    "I¡¯m really thankful.... Well then, let¡¯s head off. There are quite a few things I want to talk about."

    Although Merak was putting up a front because he was in front of his citizens, from the sight of his back as he walked in front of us, there was no feeling of any <i>haki</i> or dignity at all.[3]

    Even Megrez gave off a form of dignity, so what was up with this?

    The feeling was so bad that Aries also asked "Is that person really Merak?" quietly. Merak really did not give off the feeling of a King.

    There was absolutely no feeling of confidence or the sort being given off by him.

    What about when he was in the game?

    The Merak that I knew.... was always calm and stood in the position to remonstrate everyone else.

    He was by no mean self-assertive or out-spoken about his views.

    Nevertheless, he was also not someone that would be carried away by the flow. Indeed, when there was a sh of views, he gently listed out the pros and cons of each opinion for everyone else and guided others.

    It was the same with the fight.

    He was never the type to proactively stand at the front.

    Flugels were a race that was suited to battle, yet they were also a race that had greatpatibility to be backline support such as acolyte.

    Therefore, there were battle types like me who helped themselves as well asplete backline support yers. Amongst the two types of yers, Merak was thetter.

    He himself was neither proactive nor matchless.

    However, the difficulty of the battle waspletely different depending on whether he was at the scene or not.

    Whatever the situation, he always sent the best possible support at the best possible timing.

    He read the atmosphere... was how I would put it.[4]

    Strangely, before we could write down what and when we needed the support, he would always cast the support you wanted at the time you needed. He was that kind of a person.

    He could always manage the situation, and he always knew what people wanted, that was what I had thought of him.

    .....Was that just my overestimation?

    Maybe it was "couldn¡¯t go the front" instead of "could be seen a step away".

    Maybe it was simply "no confidence" instead of "reserved".

    Maybe he actually did not have any autonomy even though he looked calm and collected.

    Maybe he just could not do anything by himself instead of being capable at reading the atmosphere.

    Is that how it was?

    Maybe I just thought that he was great on my own and had portrayed and pushed that image onto him.

    If that was how things were, it might be a bit problematic.

    I have only ever be a King in the game itself and thus did not know how difficult it was to be a king in actuality.

    In other words, I was a total amateur. However much I became Ruphas Mafahl, I myself was still an ordinary citizen.

    Notwithstanding, even someone like me knew that a King without confidence was nothing good.

    Especially now when the fuse had already been lit, having a King that was not assertive was detrimental.

    Even if it was a little forceful, it was important for the King to show his majesty and keep both sides down.

    ....At this rate, this country would really copse without the demons doing anything.

    <i>¡ªsomehow, it pisses me off.</i>

    <i>Even like this, can you call yourself one of the men that took me down?</i>

    "Please, have a sit."

    Merak led my group into what looked like his personal room then poured tea into cups for all of us.

    I had only ever known and drank tea out of a can or a pet bottle previously, but even I could feel that it was a high-quality tea from the fragrance it gave off.

    As expected from a King. He had been drinking some good stuff.

    "It¡¯s a tea made by the tealeaf imported from Draupnir. I think you will enjoy it."

    Again, it was a name I did not know of.

    I took a sip of tea and shifted my line of sight to Dina who was sitting in the chair beside me.

    When I took such an action, maybe she was predicting that I would do such a thing, she exined to me quietly.

    "It¡¯s a country of beastkin, made by the now deceased Beast King Dubhe. It¡¯s been told the quality of agricultural product from that country is high."

    "<i>Hou</i>."[5]

    Country of schrs Svalinn, industrious nation of Blutgang. And now an agricultural nation of Draupnir, huh.

    One way or another, each country was prominent at something by their own way of life.

    "And this country?"

    "By utilising monster tamers, dairy and livestock farming produced and exported out serving as their main source of ie. It¡¯s just, they never export out any bird meat."

    "Well err, I guess they¡¯re kind of a bird themselves."

    It would be stating the obvious thiste, but Flugels were humanoids with wings.

    Although there was no official exnation as to the origin of the Flugels, the most influential exnation was the story of [Descendants of Angels].

    In addition to that story, there was another exnation which stated them to be [Bird which was transformed by the mana].

    In other words, it was a cruel exnation which viewed the ancestors of the Flugels not as the Angels, but more along the lines of pigeons, pelicans and cranes.

    More explicitly, the Flugels were the Beastkin which originated from them. And those Beastkins, in turn, had gotten involved with the human to create the Flugels. That was the train of thought of some people.

    Of course, the truth was unknown. However, if that was the case, it would not be strange for there to be more Flugels with mixed coloured wings. It was difficult to believe that only the white-winged birds transformed.

    In any event, if that was the truth, then it would be strange for them to export out birds.

    It would not be a forgivable act to turn their own ancestors into domestic products and sell them out.

    "Anyways... isn¡¯t it enough by now? Would you be able to take your hood off and show me your face?"

    "Umu, very well."

    As there was no one else nearby, even if I showed my face in that ce, there would be no problem.

    I took off the hood that I was wearing as I was told and showed my face.

    When I did so, Merak became teary and showed an expression that I could not decide whether it was joyful or sad. He then hung his head down.

    "As I thought, it¡¯s you.... Ruphas. It¡¯s been a long time. You are, alive."

    Seeing that reaction, I was feeling slightly disappointed.

    I had given a thought about it but... this guy... was not a yer.

    He had lived in this world from the very start and was an original inhabitant of this world.

    He was not a mixed existence like me.

    "On the other hand, you¡¯ve changed a lot. You became quite weak in the short time I didn¡¯t see you."

    "Is that... how it appears?"

    Merak gave off a weakugh to my sentence which could be taken as an insult depending on how he interpreted.

    It was a pitiful smile which might be broken at any given moment.

    "That¡¯s not it.... That¡¯s not how it is Ruphas. I¡¯m weak from the start. I never had a King¡¯s calibre."

    He grabbed and scrunched his own hair with both his hands andughed at himself.

    The appearance of him holding onto his own head was far from what one would imagine of a hero who was called the Sky King. It only gave off the appearance of a young man who had been beaten down to rock bottom.

    "Back then, you were there. Alioth and Dubhe were there, and everyone had stood in front for me. I was just... someone that walked behind you guys."

    He must have really been tired, he was even speaking in a different first-person pronoun.[6]

    His mask as the [King] hadpletely fallen away, and the sight of it alone made me feel pity for him.

    This was most probably his true face.

    Timid and without self-assertion. A young and weak-willed man who matched up with his surroundings.

    His previous appearance was nothing more than a mask he had frantically kept on.

    ¡¯And due to the appearance of someone he knew from the past, that mask waspletely peeled away¡¯ was how I would word it.

    Though, I was me and not the Ruphas that he knew of.

    "Is, is this person alright? I feel like even if we let him do whatever he wants, he might get a hole in his stomach and die."

    "Yeah... It¡¯s also the first time I found out he was this weak-willed."

    Dina asked me a question with an astonished tone. However, it was also the first time for me to find out that Merak was this kind of a person.

    This guy, was he really this weak to stress?

    Megrez was also fairly driven into the corner, however, he was different from Merak.

    Megrez sought abuse and disdain, but it could also be said that he was loved to the extent that he could wish for those yet still not receive them.

    In other words, whatever people wanted to say, Megrez had properly unified his country and was loved by them. Megrez was all that.

    However, if Merak did something like that, he might die from stress.

    <i>....It¡¯s bad. 7 Heroes are super troublesome.</i>

    "I should not have be a King... you should have remained as the King. Aaa, why did I be an enemy and fight with you 200 years ago?.... I should have been the one to die.... At that time, I shouldn¡¯t have won....."

    As I left him alone, he started falling further and further into a deep end, reaching to the point where he started muttering.

    <i>This guy is not good... he might really end upmitting suicide.</i>

    <i>Can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll give him some shock therapy.</i>

    <i>I don¡¯t like nor am I good at giving lectures, but, if Merak doesn¡¯t hang on, this country will really copse.</i>

    I stood up from my seat and rudely barged in front of him.

    I then kicked the chair Merak was sitting in and made him fall onto the ground.

    It was an act where if I had kicked the wrong ce, it might have gotten ugly. Nevertheless, because his HP was well over 10,000, even if it hadnded, it would not have done much damage at all.

    It was weird to be saying at the time like this, however, it was a fantasy <i>manzai</i>.[7]

    "Shut up, fool. I¡¯ve been listening for the whole time, but you¡¯ve just been saying whatever the hell you want. You, you dare call me a clown that was identally defeated!?"

    I was not the Ruphas that this guy knew.

    However, those final few words I said back then (or more like typed) were also the words that Ruphas had said out loud, then she most probably would not feel regret about the loss itself.

    Notwithstanding, to think that the winning side felt regret to the point of eventually muttering "it was wrong to have won".

    With such a situation, Ruphas would be turning in her grave and I also would not be able to stomach it.

    If the winner said such a thing, then there¡¯s no face remaining for the loser.

    <i>Hey, was I a clown that was defeated by mistake, huh?</i>

    There was no option but to think of it like that.

    That was why I grabbed onto Merak¡¯s cor and forcibly pulled on him to make him stand up.

    "Be proud. Stand up high. You are the man who defeated this Ruphas Mafahl. I will not ept you acting pitifully."

    Exactly, there was no way I could ept it.

    If the winner was this pitiful, Ruphas could not be saved.

    After he was lifted up by me, Merak was looking dumbfounded. However, after a while, his well-featured face was distorted and started sobbing from both his eyes.

    "....I can¡¯t be your match huh, not against you. You haven¡¯t changed... just like 200 years ago, exactly the same, still always full of confidence."

    "Even like this, I¡¯ve changed a bit."

    I released Merak and let him sit on the chair.

    Uncharacteristically, I spouted out arrogant things, but I did not think I had said anything wrong.

    Having said that, after saying something so boastful, it was a bit embarrassing.

    I could no longer just go back and sit on the chair again with how the things had developed, thus I decided to quickly leave the ce.

    "This country is yours. I will not help you further nor would I let you ask for help. For the rest of the problems, show me that you can sort things out on your own - The Sky King."

    As I quickly turned my back to him and left, Dina and the group also followed.

    There was nothing more for me to say nor for me to do.

    Even if we had solved the issue, the King would still be Merak.

    In any event, unless Merak decided to believe in himself and acquire some confidence, something simr was bound to happen again.

    "You won against me. Show me that you can solve something this small. Don¡¯t turn me into a fool."

    __

    (Author Note)

    Merak "But really, I don¡¯t have the confidence to unify the country, and even if I try to act with dignity it¡¯s just embarrassing, and everyone will hate me, and everything I do will be fruitless, and my luck is bad, and I lost to the Demon King, and Bnash will call me ipetent, and she ignores my call for cooperation... and look I don¡¯t lookmanding... and saying "stand up" and "stick your chest out" is easy but... even if I get carried away with phrases like that... I¡¯ll just be in trouble... and it¡¯s not suited for me... and more like... I can¡¯t... probably can¡¯t... and more like impossible..." mumble mumble....

    Ruphas "7 Heroes are supeeeerrrrr bothersomeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!"

    (Author Note end)

    [1] "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loupe".

    [2] I made a note about having many types of King under Japanese before. This time, the "King" is literally "Country King".

    [3] Haki (Ò†šÝ), exined new chapters ago when I exined about "King" and "Ha". This haki is exactly the word used in One Piece. Literally meaning, will, spirit or ambition.

    [4] (¿ÕšÝ¤òÕi¤à) is a famous Japanese phrase. Literally meaning "reading the air". But English equivalent would be reading the atmosphere. For this scene, it might be closer to reading the situation though.

    [5] Sound made in Japanese when you¡¯re impressed. If I had to put it in words, it¡¯ll be something like "is that so?" with a positive meaning and tone.

    [6] In chapter 17¡¯sment section I wrote a short exnation of all the "I" in Japanese but here is copy paste of the relevant part of thatment (also, for this line, Merak usually use Watashi, but now he used Boku).

    "<i>Commonly used ones;</i>

    <i>Watashi / Watakushi = Common, more soft-spoken, more feminine but can be used gender-neutrally, go-to-word for women, used in business/formal aspect by both gender etc</i>

    <i>Atashi = Slightly altered version of Watashi, I¡¯ve only ever heard this used by adolescent girls in school.</i>

    <i>Boku = Common, more soft-spoken, polite version of "I" that the male gender use. Go-to-word for younger boys, as well as an adult male is trying not to step out of line (though, often Watashi in a gender-neutral form is used instead)</i>

    <i>Ore = Common, masculine version of "I". A bit more haughty than 3 so far. Go-to-word for most older male (honestly probably starting like primary school when "cooler boys" start wanting to look cool) It¡¯s probably the mostmon "I" for male imo (don¡¯t quote me on that). This is the version MC use to refer to himself when thinking.</i>

    <i>Washi / Wa: You often see this used by older generations, maybe like 3 or 4 generations back, especially by older (great-)grandfathers. Often used in theatrical ys or young children trying to show they¡¯re acting like their old (great-)grandparents.</i>

    <i></i>

    <i>-few others in between-</i>

    <i></i>

    <i>Rting to the current context:</i>

    <i>Warawa (Ware) : a haughty version of female "I", a user ces themselves at the very top and sees others to be below them. (Boa Hancock, the Sea Empress from One Piece uses this version) -edit- apparently it was also used in a humbling way by the wives of a samurai.</i>

    <i>Yo: The "I" that¡¯s used by MC when he¡¯s speaking as Ruphas. The male counterpart of Warawa. Moreso than a King, it¡¯s a form that is used to show their high position. The aristocratic system is a Western system but if there were Kings, Dukes, Earls, Counts, Marquis or those fictional haughty evil fat conglomerate merchants (*v*), I imagine Japanese trantion would most likely use this one.</i>"

    [7] OK... so... this is a "dajare" or "bad pun" in Japanese. In Japanese, the number 10 000 is pronounced 1 man (©`Íò), and and fantasy manzai is written as (¥Õ¥¡¥ó¥¿¥¸©`Íòšr), if u look at how it¡¯s written, fantasy¡¯sst part and manzai¡¯s first part corresponds to 10 000 (i.e. a pun/dajare). Manzai (Íòšr) is a skit which is usually done whilst standing thus "stand-upedy" on Japanese television (I exined tsukkomi from few chapters ago, and in those skits, the reply is sometime a tsukommi in a dajare style... yea it¡¯splicated...). Here, Ruphas literally "stood up and kicked the chair" and said his hp is over 1 man, thus this situation was like a "fantasy manzai". It¡¯s hard to exin but it¡¯s just using the words in manzai literally (to stand up) and as a pun.

    __

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38 - Bnash¡¯s Grudge

    Raw link: (21-12-2015)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (03-01-2019)

    Editor: Hands of Va / Va (04-12-2018)

    Trantion link:

    __

    Update 1: I would like to say ¡®thank you¡¯ to everyone that wished me a recovery in thest chapter and apologise for a day dy in the release of this chapter. Chapter 39 is about 10-20% tranted but I¡¯ll try and bump that speed up a little >.< As for this chapter, brought to you by a lot of painkiller and dizziness haha.

    Update 2: So at the end of thest chapter, I made a footnote on different types of ¡°I¡±. I would like to rify that those were what I thought to be the use based on real-life use and not ¡°how to be used formally or officially¡±.

    I would like to apologise because I was made aware that I was wrong on a few of them. So I did a little research after thest chapter. Instead of long exnation here is the link to another page exining them in details.

    TL Disimer: I have no experience in tranting anything, nor am I great at either English or Japanese. This is not machine tranted but Japanese to English dictionary is asionally used for words I am not sure about. I will not be able to fully trante the author¡¯s jokes, puns or ngs if there are any. I will try to stick with literal trantion where possible in the context. If there is anything I don¡¯t understand I will leave it in a bracket (x).

    If there is an error in the trantion, website, sentence structure or format please let me know in thements below or DM me on the discord and I will try my best to fix them. Any constructive feedback is appreciated.

    __

    It was a dark capital city.

    The kingdom of [Mjolnir] for the vampire race was shrouded in darkness as if daytime didn¡¯t exist.[1]

    They called themselves the rulers of the night, and even amongst the humanoids, they had the highest affinity with the "ma", thus if anything, they were closer to demons than humans.

    In the middle of the kingdom, a crimson red pce soared high. And on its highest floor resided their eternal master the Vampire Princess.

    The only individual the vampires swore their loyalty to, whether it be the past, present or the future, was this beautiful king.

    They did not even have the ck Winged Supreme Ruler or the Demon King in mind. They lived solely to serve the Vampire Princess and should she tell them to die, they would die with pleasure.

    A hoard of fanatics who were not even scared of death. Those were the citizens who resided in this Mjolnir.

    At this moment, on the throne of the pce sat a young girl, and in front of her was a single vampire who kneeled down.

    "Reporting in. As Your Highness stated, Svalinn was indeed liberated from the 7 Luminaries¡¯ threat, and the whereabouts of Aries of the 12 Heavenly Stars was concealed."

    "Fum. As I expected... That Megrez, he made a mistake of choosing not to inform me. Largely, he was trying to stand up for someone, but such action only tells me ¡¯she¡¯ was there. ...careless isn¡¯t he."

    A young girl who was sitting on the throneughed with a "<i>kusuri</i>".[2]

    The hair that was flowing down was tinum coloured.[3] Her pupils that split vertically was scarlet red.[4]

    Her fangs were peeking out from between her lips, and her outer appearance was that of a mere 14-year-old girl.

    However, for vampires who could live for eternity, age by appearance was meaningless.

    "I¡¯ve waited too long... aaa, I¡¯ve waited for 200 years, my arch-rival. If it was you, I knew for sure that you would definitelye back from hell."

    A young girl said with great joy and stood up from her throne.

    She walked as she stroke her hair and the ck mantle she was wearing waved in a match with her movement.

    After reaching in front of a window which overlooked the whole kingdom, she gazed up at the sky as if she was love-struck.

    "I¡¯m waiting anxiously for you, Mafahl... If I don¡¯t surpass you, my time won¡¯t pass. Ever since the moment you disappeared in the past, my time remained frozen."[5]

    The corner of her mouth curled and her fangs became bare.

    Her scarlet red eyes showed a fiery glint and strength went into her fists as if she could not wait a moment more for the battle.

    <i>Who cares about the flock of weaklings called demons.</i>

    <i>The Demon King? Like I care. He can do whatever the hell he wants.</i>

    <i>Future of humanoids? Yea I really don¡¯t care because I¡¯m not interested in them.</i>

    <i>If you¡¯re going to perish, go ahead and perish on your own. You get killed because you guys are weak.</i>

    <i>The weaklings might cry why I¡¯m not helping but... I don¡¯t know nor do I hear them. I also don¡¯t have any intention to listen to them. They¡¯re simply worthless.</i>

    <i>The world is always controlled by the strong. Only the handful of prodigies possess the right to dictate the future of the world.</i>

    <i>I have absolutely no interest in the weaklings and ipetent fools.</i>

    <i>There is only one person captured by these scarlet eyes.</i>

    <i>That ck Winged Angel alone, my arch-rival, and my long-time enemy.</i>

    "Let¡¯s settle things properly this time.... Without anyone interfering, with just you and me. The one who will rule this world is not you. It¡¯s also not the Demon King. I¡¯ll make you feel the humiliation of defeat and teach you the ruler of this world is going to be this Vampire Princess Bnash!"

    <i>¡ªWithout fail, I¡¯ll be the one to kill you... Ruphas Mafahl.</i>

    Saying that, the young girl - Bnash held her palm towards the Sky.

    The conclusion that could not have been reached on that day 200 years ago. This time for sure...

    Yes, whilst feeling a strong desire....

    *

    "Haaaaaa......"

    As I was leaving the country of Gjarhorn due to having nothing left to do, I made a deep sigh.

    <i>Ahh, I ended up boasting quite a bit.</i>

    <i>That¡¯s going to be a part of my dark past.</i>

    That probably might have looked quite uncool from the bystander¡¯s point of view.

    "Is anything wrong, master?"

    "No, I was just thinking that I had spoken out of character. I had shown something uncool."

    "I do not believe it was. It was an awe-inspiring event that should be saved in my eternal memory. It is truly unfortunate that we are not able to leave the moment in a visual format."

    I trembled at the words "save for eternity" that came out of Libra¡¯s mouth.

    I did not know if it was as a photo or a video, but either way, the result would be no different from having a public execution.

    Though... since she said "unfortunate", it looked like she did not get to do so. However, I decided to check with her just in case.

    "Libra. Do not tell me that you took a photo or something of that incident.... If you have it saved, immediately dispose of it."

    "............."

    I posed a question to her, but there was no answer or reply from her.

    Libra would usually reply instantly, but this time alone, surprisingly, she seemed to be hesitating.

    <i>What is it? She doesn¡¯t want to dispose of it that much?</i>

    That was what I was thinking, but a reply that I was not expecting at all came from her.

    "Umm..... what is a photo?"[6]

    To Libra¡¯s reply, I froze a little.

    <i>Ahh, that makes sense.</i>

    There¡¯s no such thing as a photograph in this world to begin with.

    Of course, even if I asked Libra, she would not understand what it was.

    Just in case, I had a look at Aries. It seemed that he also did not know what it was from the way he looked as he shook his head.

    Looking at his reaction, I was satisfied that there really was no such thing as a photograph in this world.

    It¡¯s a strange feeling - was what I thought at the time.

    It really gave off a feeling of ¡¯fantasy¡¯ when a metallic golem like Libra who was inly superior in technological advancement evenpared to the modern world existed, yet photographs did not exist.

    Well in actuality, Libra was an existence made by the skill of an alchemist and thus she was technically not mechanical. In that way, maybe it was not so strange?

    However.... Something... something did not sit well.

    I felt as though I missed something.

    What was it? What did I forget?

    What did I miss?

    Remember.... Yeah, it was on the first day back when I arrived at this world.

    <i>¡ª ... but those were events of 200 years ago. In this world where there¡¯s no photography, I doubt anyone would be able to recognise me.</i>

    <i>¡ª na?ve, that¡¯s too na?ve Ruphas-sama. This trading city is where people of every corner of the world gather, you know? And races with long lifespans like elves aren¡¯t exceptions. They may still remember you clearly.<strong>[7]</strong></i>

    "¡ª¡ª!"

    I flexibly looked at Dina.

    There¡¯s no mistake. "She knows"!

    Dina has knowledge about photograph "which did not exist in this world"!

    Perhaps this Dina also realised her own slip-up, she quickly looked at my direction with a face where she was struck with a sudden realisation.

    There was no room for doubt. It was certain. She was ck.[8]

    I did not know why or how, but I knew that Dina was an "irregr" just like me.

    At the very least, she had the knowledge of the "other" world.

    "Dina.... There are some things I want to talk to you about with just the two of us. Can I get you toe with me?"

    ".... Yes."

    <i>I will not let you say no.</i>

    What I was thinking was not wrong.

    That¡¯s right, I had always overlooked Dina.

    I would have known if I had thought about it a little. Or perhaps it was that I, myself, looked away.

    She was an adviser NPC that not even I could remember.

    Aah, yea, of course, it was there. I do remember setting down a background object with nobat ability.

    However, for something like that, Dina was toopetent.

    She had an ability that would not dishonour the position of an adviser.

    Furthermore, it was impossible that people like Aries or Megrez could not recall her existence at all.

    I took Dina along and went further into the forest.

    Aries and Libra tried toe along, but I stopped them.

    It was a discussion that I should speak privately with Dina.

    Therefore, I also left Aigokeros where Aries and Libra was and double-checked to make sure that no one was in the surrounding.

    With it, I was able to take my time to speak freely.

    "Now then, what should I start with....

    No, let¡¯s not take a roundabout route. I¡¯ll cut straight to the chase.

    You, what are you? The story about you being the adviser which existed from 200 years ago... that was a lie, right?"

    "........................ Yes, it was a lie."

    To my question, Dina answered in a clear reply without any form of deception.

    As I expected.

    Dina was not a mere background NPC.

    She was just someone who was using that position as a cover.

    Of course, she was.

    "Because that tower was dirty."

    It clearly contradicted Dina¡¯s words on how she was living and waiting in that tower for the past 200 years.

    It was possible that she was waiting with her position without cleaning the tower, but that would be a bit strange in the situation.

    If she was waiting for her master toe back, she should and would have at least kept the top floor clean.

    And yet, for her to not do such a thing means.... She was not living there for the past 200 years.

    If you thought about it like that, one would easily be able to fit the pieces together.

    Yeah, it was something simple that I should have figured it out.

    But I did not figure things out. I pretended to not fit the pieces together.

    I had unconsciously looked the other way.

    Because I did not want to know, I did not want to figure things out.

    "Who are you? A citizen under my rule.... That¡¯s not it. If that was the case, it would be left in Libra¡¯s memory. At the very least, you are not something who had entered that tower until the moment I was sealed."

    "It is as you say. I am neither your adviser nor your subordinate. I was merely someone who found out about that tower¡¯s setting on the NPC and exploited that information."

    - NPC, huh.

    Looks like she finally decided to stop hiding things, this woman.

    Nevertheless, that raised a question on its own.

    Assuming that she was a yer, if she had enough influence to enter the tower... then it would not be strange for Libra to remember her.

    Additionally, when Aries first saw Dina, he initially had no recollection of her, but was able to recognise that she was the "adviser".

    What was.....

    <i>No, that¡¯s right.</i>

    <i>Dina had that thing.</i>

    "You tricked Aries and Aigokeros with memory maniption, right?"

    "Yes. Aries was back when we first met and cornered him. Aigokeros was... since we were cooperating with the demons, it was during the time we were in their castle. I altered and inserted a fake memory to them respectively."

    "The reason the golems were not able to recognise you as an ally... was because memory maniption did not work on them?"

    "It is as you say. Golem do not have memories, only data. Therefore, a vague skill like memory maniption does not work on them."

    Memory maniption skill that worked even on high levels huh.

    She really possessed an ill-natured skill.

    Which meant, there was also a possibility that I was also being manipted myself.

    Not only that, she said demon race¡¯s castle?

    I finally understood, I was gradually starting to see what was going on. Her real identity.

    "Out of curiosity, how much of my memory did you fiddle with?"

    "..... I could not do it."

    "What?"

    "Your ego and will are far stronger than you would like to believe yourself. Even assuming that it was possible to nt a fake memory in you, to achieve such a feat, I would need to continually cast the spell on you for at least a year without rest. That was why I had to fake being your adviser NPC to fool you. The only thing that barely managed to influence was to make you ¡¯unconsciously avoid doubting me¡¯. It was only possible to guide your thoughts a little."

    So my memory had not been fiddled with huh.

    I did not know to what extent she was telling the truth, however, it was a reasonable argument to say she would have no reason to fake being in that risky position if she could tamper with my memory.

    All she had to do was to impersonate one of my citizens.

    Or was it her aim to make me think that way?

    "Since you know about that, you¡¯re a ¡¯yer¡¯, right?"

    "Honestly, I was surprised. To think that other than me... and even more, Ruphas-sama was a ¡¯yer¡¯. It really was my miscalction."

    With a cute motion, Dina made a sharp evil smile.

    It was significantly different from the high-ss smile that she had been making until now. Notwithstanding, it was a smile that was strangely fitting of her.

    It seemed like this was her real face.

    "Also, I¡¯ll like to make one correction. I am not a ¡¯yer¡¯."

    ".....What?"

    "To put things urately, I am a ¡¯test yer¡¯. I was a test yer hired for the purpose of testing out the ¡¯half-elf race¡¯ that was ¡¯supposed to¡¯ be added in the future patch."

    "Is that the reason you know about the inside of the tower?"

    "Yes. From the administrators¡¯puters, even if you are not a citizen of a country, you could peek a look at the yer¡¯s power and their inner setting. I found out about that adviser NPC from there."

    <i>Hey, are those the things that test yer should be able to look at?</i>

    <i>I¡¯m guessing she looked at those things without permission. How did she not get fired after all that?</i>

    "And.... what do you mean by manipting the memory of Aigokeros at the demons¡¯ castle? That only tells me you are able to freely enter their castle."

    "That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying, Ruphas-sama. I stand in the position to be able to freely enter the demon race¡¯s castle at will."

    After saying that, Dina "changed".

    Her ocean blue hair turned into a vibrant gold colour and her calm and gentle face turned belligerent.

    Her lips curled into an arc and her eyes became thin. It truly changed into a face that I had never seen before.

    "Originally, I nned to continue acting out as your adviser, guiding you until you and the Demon King crushed each other. Having said that, now that it¡¯se to this... that n is... seems like I underestimated you too much. Therefore, allow me to use an alternative method."

    "<i>Hou</i>?"

    " - I¡¯ll make you submit to me here and turn you into my pawn. I still need you to be useful... my loving master."

    The pressure given off by Dina significantly rose up.

    Due to the pressure of her magical powers, trees in the surrounding trembled and the earth vibrated.

    <i>This is quite impressive.</i>

    There was no question of it, the pressure given off by her was the greatest I had felt ever since I arrived in this world.

    "Can you do it? With your level 300?"

    "Aha! Ahahahahahaha! You still believe in that? Something like that... of course it was a lie. That was also another feature to be introduced in the future patch. A simple skill to conceal your status by setting a false status. It was a known fact from before that [Observing Eyes] was far too convenient. For the purpose of bncing things out, it¡¯s only reasonable that there would be a skill to counter that."

    "In other words, your real level is...."

    "Of course, is there even need for me to say it? I¡¯m level 1000 just like you."

    The transformation finished.

    The person that was standing in front of me had the same facial features as Dina, yet was definitely a different person.

    Dashing gold hair and a magic power that was gashing out.

    And even after she stopped her deception, her beautiful countenance was not affected by her belligerence in the slightest.

    "Allow me to re-introduce myself. I am Venus - one of the Demon¡¯s 7 Luminaries, Venus of the Metal. Nice to meet you."

    She spread her arms like in a crucifixions and smiled as if she was mocking everything.

    "¡ªNow then, let¡¯s kill each other. My lovely master - Ruphas Mafahl."

    __

    (Author Note)

    Vampire "Reporting! Super Sa__an person appeared in Totokama Star!"[9]

    B "Dawut!? Run away.....!?"

    Vampire "Yuwut!?"

    This time¡¯s Vege, t....¡¯s job was to create a rival role and to show face Bnash¡¯s face, and Dina¡¯s true nature (?).[10]

    I was thinking from the very beginning that there should at least be one person from the 7 Heroes that would be hostile to Ruphas, so Ba is an enemy character. Priority target is Ruphas > Wall you can¡¯t pass > rest.

    If there¡¯s the Demon King in front of her eyes, and Ruphas was 100m in front of her, she will ignore the Demon King and head towards Ruphas with full speed.

    She is physically more troublesome than Merak.

    But if you reconcile with her properly, she might "Don¡¯t misunderstand Ruphlotto. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m here to help you out or anything" and be a tsunderepletely..... Nah, that¡¯s totally impossible.

    Eh? Dina suddenly showing her true nature seems too forced and nned out?

    .... Maybe it¡¯s just your imagination. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m hiding anything.

    (Author Note end)

    __

    [1] Here the raw said, morning and afternoon. In Japan, the day is moremonly divided into 3 (morning, afternoon, night) and not 4 (morning, afternoon, evening, night) as evening is often just called "night". Of course, there are words for ¡®evening¡¯ (Ï¦¤Ù; Ï¦·½; Ï¦Äº¤ì; •Š) but there¡¯s always other "use" or meaning out of that (e.g.st night, yesterday evening, dusk, dawn, twilight, night).

    [2] Err... chuckle-ishugh, just imagine aughing animation that you think fits "kusuri"... Yeah, Japanese is very descriptive...

    [3] Think silver.

    [4] I imagine like a cat.

    [5] "You" here is "kisama" (ÙF˜”). Very rude version of "you". Also used to look down on others in some context.

    [6] Raw used "Syashin". Shashin (¥·¥ã¥·¥ó) is Photo but written in katakana, as opposed to Shashin (Ð´Õæ) written in kanji. Think of it as a normal word like "alphabet" or phic/syble.

    [7] 2 sentences are from chapter 4 "". With Shurim¡¯s permission, trantion for these 2 sentences have been taken from chapter 4 to keep things consistent. Do note "picture" has been changed to "photograph" to better fit with the context.

    [8] Guilty

    [9] Dragon Balls Z reference

    [10] Ok (?) is part of the raw.

    Also, in case you haven¡¯t noticed, the author seems to be referring to himself as Vegeta in the end of chapter author notes as well as Easter egg in the middle of some chapter. (i.e. breaking the 4<sup>th</sup> Wall).

    __

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39 - Dina Issued A Challenge

    Raw link: (27-12-2015)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts/ TpstT (08-01-2019)

    Editor: Hands of Va / Va(10-01-2019)

    Trantion link:

    __

    Update 1: Please avoid posting spoilers in thementsection because we are not able to use a button to chat the spoiler. Topensatefor this, I¡¯ll introduce a channel for the spoilersin the (#excuses..pletelydead...cuzit¡¯snew) discord... ??

    Update 2: If you would like to talk to me or Va, here is the link for the discord server. The server is still rtively new (actually only 3 people at this moment with me and Va serving as 2 of them...) and there¡¯s next to no activity but, please feel free to join and talk about the series or just to chit-chat!

    Update 3: Raw for chapter 18 of the manga is out, and it covers the entire chapter 44 and half of chapter 45 of the novel. If things go as nned, we will catch up to the manga before the next raw chapteres out (and before ites back to me in 1 month¡¯s time)

    TL Disimer: I have no experience in tranting anything,nor am I great at either English or Japanese. This is not machine trantedbut Japanese to English dictionary is asionally used for words I am not sureabout. I will not be able to fully trante the author¡¯s jokes, puns or ngsif there are any. I will try to stick with literal trantion where possiblein the context. If there is anything Idon¡¯t understand I will leave it in a bracket (x).

    If there is an error in the trantion, website, sentencestructure or format please let me know in thements below or DM me on thediscord ()and I will try my best to fix them. Any constructive feedback is appreciated.

    __

    (Author Note)

    Bnash "I should prepare things before Mafahles. It¡¯s a reunion after 200 years, after all. The firstimpression is important you know. Should I wear ck mantle or should I wearred mantle..... It¡¯s hard to ditch the silver embroidery. Hey you, which one doyou think is better?" Wakuwakusousou[1]

    Aide (....Ruphas hasn¡¯t.... even started heading this waythough......)

    (Author Note end)

    __

    "¡ªNow then, let¡¯s kill each other. My lovely master - RuphasMafahl."

    Dina flew up high and shouted out all the while releasinggold-coloured light from her whole body.

    That instant, there appeared thousands or perhaps tens ofthousands... a number simple too futile to count of Metal-attribute raindrops.

    It was a lump of metal that individually was not worth evencatching.

    However, it was a different story if you were to be showeredby them all at once.

    Needless to say, if you were a normal person, you would beturned into minced meat.

    Countless steel bullets filled the air and in the nextmoment, Dina brought her hands down.

    "Come forth, maidens whom I call. With thy daunting power, crush everything in heaven and earth -Cleta!"[2]

    Pronouncement.

    In that instant, all the metallic raindrops stormed down. Asif shot by a Vulcan cannon, everything on the Earth was shattered, shaved awayand pulverised.[3]

    This... with something like this, I guessed even I would haveto take some damage?

    <i>No, let¡¯s not concern myself with this. I will just break through this.</i>

    By using the intuition and senses of Ruphas within me, Icharged into the metallic rain as if they were rocks to be shattered.

    Of course, a metallicblizzard blew against my whole body.

    It was painful.... But it was not something I could notendure.

    I swung my wings strongly creating a gust of wind to blow away all the metallic raindrops.

    "It¡¯s my turn this time!"

    I transmuted many swords and shattered them into countlessdes using alchemist¡¯s skill.

    I then proceeded tounch them all towards Dina.

    However, Dina did not change her expression nor move from herposition and proceeded to call out the magic.

    "X-Gate!"

    What opened in front of Dina was - I should call it a... holein space?

    As if there was a hole in the sky, it was an unrealisticsight to behold.

    It definitely felt strange and surreal.

    The sky was notsomething that was made to open a hole.

    Yet, in that ce was something that could not be describedas anything other than a "hole", and that hole sucked in all the des that Ihadunched.

    That being said, the Metttribute was quite interesting.

    It was simr to alchemy to an extent, yet it was somethingdifferent from it.

    The basis of alchemy is tobine. It was tobinevarious materials that originally exists into something else.

    But Metal-attribute arcane magic was different. It was usedto "give birth" to a metal.

    Arcane magic could transform mana into a phenomenon. Thatwas the setting under this world.

    For example, fire or water created by arcane magic was nodifferent in substance whenpared to the real ones. Nevertheless,fundamentally, they were mana and not real fire or water.

    Therefore, it was impossible to create a golem out of thewater created by the arcane magic.

    Correction, technically it was possible to create the golem,but they would disappear very quickly. To create a golem out of magic powerwould be impossible unless a person had an infiniteamount of SP.

    Anyways, what I was trying to say was that.

    The difference was whether the created product was water ormetallic.

    In any event, to see a solid product being created in frontof my own eyes was quite absurd.

    <i>As for the X-Gate.... Ireally can¡¯t understand it.</i>

    [Moon] was the attribute that was associated with space and time, but Dina¡¯s affinity was with [Metal].

    Perhaps it was a magic that was not restricted to a specific attribute.

    Furthermore, back in the game, this magic existed only inthe lore.

    Notwithstanding, even though Dina was a "yer" just likeme, she was able to utilise that skill.

    Was it a skill that was learnt in these 200 years or was ita skill that would have been implemented in the next update...? Whichever itwas, there was no way for me to find out at this moment.

    "Are you daydreaming? You seem to have quite a lot ofleeway."

    Dina sent the de that I had previously used back at me.

    <i>Tsk, so you canredirect the vector of the things you sucked up huh.</i>

    Additionally, by teleporting to a new location, Dina wasable to create distance between us and send in the next magic.

    "Aia!!"[4]

    Light so bright that it blinded you - was that what you wouldcall something like this?

    Aurora covered the surrounding so brightly that I could nothelp but shut my eyes.

    But the damage was negligible. It was not something thatcould prate past my defence.

    By the time my vision recovered, Dina had already switchedandmenced her second attack.

    "Auxo!"[5]

    The rain kept falling everywhere in the surrounding.

    The rain itself did not have any power or effect.

    The problem was with the earth that had bathed in that rain.

    Trees started sprouting from every avable space and grewso high up into the sky. Those trees then became like whips and startedattacking me.

    "Tsk!"

    I punched, snapped andkicked at therge treesing towards me.

    I then flew high up into the air to avoid the trees thatcontinued to grow without bound.

    Next moment, I nose-dived! I used a grappler¡¯s skill [MeteorKick] to pierce into the ground, and just as the name would suggest, uprootedand blew away all the trees.

    I then proceeded to grab one of the trees that I had snapped and threw it towards Dina.

    Of course, she escaped by teleporting away, however, I flewand closed in on her by aiming at the location that she reappeared at.

    ".......! Fast......"

    I used a normal attack as a probe at the surprised Dina.

    Dina managed to avoid the attack by quickly twisting herbody a bit and countered by pping towards my face with the back of her hand.

    But.....

    "Something like that won¡¯t work, you know."

    "!?"

    ¡ªIt did not hurt me one bit.

    No, I thought, without a doubt, it had more than enoughpower whenpared to a random small fry¡¯s attack.

    The one I had previously fought..... errrr, who was it again? That guy that was buzzing around me. Thatfire-attribute guy from the 7 Luminaries.

    .... Err, yeah never mind about the name of a guy like that,it really doesn¡¯t matter anyway. In anyevent, this could not bepared to a guy like that.

    Getting back on the topic, even if two yers were of thesame level, each yer would have their strong and weak points. That is tosay, even if the original Megrez or Merak punched me with all their might, Iwould not have taken much damage at all.[6]

    Magic type is a magic type. Thefront liner is a front liner.[7]

    This was even more so since my character¡¯s stats were buffedup by doping.

    My apologies, but just because the enemy was level 1000 didnot mean they would be able to fight fairly with me. Let alone 10%, I did not thinka physical attack from a backline yer would even do 1% of my max HP.[8]

    I struck my palm into Dina¡¯s rib cage and activated the "Blunt-EdgeStrike" skill.[9]

    When it hit her, her body flew away in a funny fashion andmowed down the trees that were in herpath.

    Notwithstanding, it was clear that she was still at maximum level.

    She spun around in the air once and proceeded to softlnded on the ground.

    However, her facial expression showed some of her impatienceand irritation that she could not manage to hide.

    "Haha, I see I see. As expected.... As expected, as expected.As expected of Ruphas Mafahl. With justone attack it took away quite a lot from me."

    "Why don¡¯t we stop here, Dina? Someone like you won¡¯t beable to win against me."

    If I had to describe myself bluntly, I would be a natural enemyto all the magic types.

    The mantle I was wearing reduced the effect of all attributesby half. Thus, an arcane magic attack that did not have "no attribute" was unableto do any significant damage on me. Furthermore, due to the dress that I hadequipped, I was immune to any status defect which might have been associatedwith attributes.

    Additionally, due to the strider ss¡¯s gap-closer skills,I was able to quickly get close to the enemy and dish out high physical damageattacks that the magic types disliked.[10]

    Naturally, as a level 1000 back-line yer, they would haveprepared ways to counter melee yers. Indeed, it was a fact that someone likeMegrez waspletely fine even if the enemy front line got too close to him.

    There was some rare exception like Libra that he could nothandle through.

    But Dina was not prepared.

    It was true that her level was equal to mine. However, shehad neither the knowledge about the theory on how to counter the melee yers northe practical experience in her gamey to spontaneously execute that theoryin realbat.

    And of course it waslike that.

    It was because she was a "test yer".

    She was not like us who actually yed the game up to ourlevel. All she was required to do was to test the bnce of the abilities inthe game.[11]

    As such, she had no reason to figure out how to escape froma melee yer as a support yer. She would neither have found loopholes nor researchedwhich pairing was a good or bad match ina fight.

    She also would not have done something bothersome likedoping during a test y.

    "Oh, how kind of you. Are you saying that you will forgivesomeone like me who had deceived you all this time?"

    "It¡¯s a fact that you were deceiving me this whole time, butit¡¯s also a fact that I was helped by you as well. In any event, I think it wasmy fault for being foolish enough to be deceived. I praise your ability onbeing able to do such a thing, so I don¡¯t feel resentment towards you."

    Exactly, I felt no anger towards Dina.

    Yes, I was shocked that I was being deceived this wholetime, but that was it.

    Ultimately, even now in the end, she was still included asone of the people that I hoped to protect.

    She was deceiving me, using me. Yea that was exactly how itwas. But so what?

    I was not going to hate her just because of something likethat.

    I did not have such a heart that would falter from beingdeceived once.

    "Why don¡¯t you talk to me about it? The reason that you hadto take such a troublesome and roundabout way to get me to fight the DemonKing."

    "Do you think that you¡¯ve already won? I think you¡¯re jumpingto conclusion. Please leave remarks like that after you survive this attack!"

    Dina¡¯s eyes shone brightly and she spread her arms wide.

    The next moment, thend started rumbling and the treesstarted copsing.

    The waves of pressure given off by her magic power alonemade the sensation of wind created by Jupiter looked like a gentle breeze.

    It seemed like she still had a hidden trump card left.

    "X-Gate¡ª"

    "Summon? What is it at this time....."

    When I murmured, I noticed that my surrounding had suddenlygotten dark.

    What the...? Did the weather suddenly change?

    I looked up as that thought was running through my head....And just a little... I regretted it.

    ........ Yeah...... Nah.......This was.... You know....

    "......... This is.... Such a fierce thing."

    There was a massive gate deployed in the air.

    That was fine. That was within eptable range.

    The question was the thing that wasing out of the gate.

    A gigantic globe giving off the golden shine was probably...not real.

    If it really was actuallying down, I would not be ableto see "that" thing falling down at me as golden. To begin with, I probablywould not be able to recognise that thing as a spherical object.

    Even with all that, the size of that thing was beyond the norm.

    The diameter of that thing.... was probably a few hundred metres. I would like to believethat thing didn¡¯t reach a kilometre but...

    She had most likely created it very high up in the sky usingMetal-attribute arcane magic and brought it here using X-Gate.

    What was falling down from the sky was.... Venus, athat was shining bright gold.

    "¡ª¡ª Dawn Starrrrrrrrrrrr!!!"[12]

    Matching with Dina¡¯s yell, a small closed in onto theground with a thundering sound.

    Wa, it..... a little.

    <i>That totally lookslike something that¡¯ll involve the country of Gjarhorn as coteral.</i>

    <i>Not to mention thatmagic was famous for being hard to utilise well because it was something thatshould have taken a few seconds after itwas cast before it starteding downback in the game. Yet, to use an X-Gate to bypass that and fast forward is a little bit unfair, don¡¯t you think?</i>

    She had probably thought that she would not be able todefeat me unless she did something like this, and honestly, she went a littleoverboard.

    Having said that, it didn¡¯t look like I had the option tojust run away.

    If I ran away, the country of Gjarhorn would reallycopse and Merak would die.

    Aries and others will probably be able to endure throughthis normally but I did not really feel like just letting it drop on its own.

    Therefore.

    "Very well. I ept your challenge, Dina."

    From the start, there was only one thing that I could do.

    If there was a subordinate that had made a mistake, I wouldpunch them back until they were rational and then stick my hands out for themto grab.

    I was not good at thinking from the very start. I don¡¯t meanto brag, but I was never one of those people who were intelligent to begin with.

    So the things that someone like me could do was limited, andlikewise, it was evident.

    At the very least, I should expand my full effort in themitment of those limited options I couldtake.

    It was the same this time. It was not going to be anexception.

    I gripped my fist tightly and looked up into the sky.

    It gave off the feeling of oppression that made me want torun away, but strangely, I felt absolutely no fear at all.

    Most probably, the "Ruphas" inside of me was saying that shecould do it.

    And I myself was strangely excited about what was about tohappen, as my heart was pumping so violently that I felt my whole body vibrate.

    I noticed that the muscles in my own cheek loosened into asmile and thus understood that I was probablyughing at that moment.

    Flight.

    I kicked the ground all my might and pped my wings withall the power that I could muster.

    elerate, elerate ¡ª- elerate.

    Sound barrier - annoying, get out of the way!

    Something like the soundwas just a foolish and sluggish thing and I had no intention of waiting agesfor it to arrive. They should just stay behind where they were.

    As the scenery flowed past in a ridiculous speed, I put allthe power that I had into my right fist.

    Grappler¡¯s skill [Iron Fist].[13]It was a skill that raised the attack power of the fist based proportionally tothe level of the ss.

    Furthermore, the skill was paired with the defencepration effect associated with the [Prate Weak Spot].

    The rest was based solely on my power.

    All I had to do was believe in my own body and my right punch.

    "Uoooooooooooooooooooooo!!"

    <i>¡ª I punched it.</i>

    My apologies for not being able to describe it in a stylishand fanciful way, but that was all that could be described.

    I was not good at unnecessarily describing things in vividor colourful phrases, and since all that I did was punch, I could only exinit as "I punched".

    And that was enough.

    The small that I punched ignored thews of physicsand flew away into the sky, proceeding to shatter into pieces.

    When that happened, as the miniature Venus was unable tomaintain its form, it was broken back down into manaand disintegrated as if it never existed in the first ce.

    "...................... No way."

    As if Dina sudden forgot to keep up with her evil fa?ade, Isaw that she had her mouth open with a dumbfounded expression.

    Well, it was a justified reaction.

    Even if it was me, ifI was not Ruphas but the original guy that was in this ce, if I sawsomething like that, I would have called that person a "cheater".

    In any event, it seemed it was more than enough to breakDina¡¯s will to fight.

    I could not feel any more <i>haki </i>from her.

    "So.... Do you still want to continue? Dina?"

    I asked her just in case.

    If she said she was going to continue, I nned to use my fist with "Blunt-Edge Strike" on her.

    Personally, I did not want to punch a girl so I would haveappreciated it if she surrendered at this point.

    I would have avoided hitting her face or stomach, but withthe opponent being a girl, choosing where to hit in the first ce was abother.

    I felt like I would be a scum wherever I decided to hit....

    If the opponent was a guy, I could easily punch his facewithout holding back.

    All the more if he was a good-looking guy. I would have hithim more than I needed to and I would not even stop if he cried.

    ".....No. It¡¯s my loss."

    However, her reply ended my needless worry.

    Dina admitted her defeat and sat down on the spot.

    Good, now I did not have to harm her any more.

    Anyways.... It really did give me the shivers.

    Even if it was fake, I did not think that she would dropdown a like Venus.....

    __

    (Author Note)

    [Some very irrelevant settings]

    Dawn Star

    Strongest Metal-attribute map-wide AoE arcane magic

    It is a famous "dropping the meteorite" magic that any RPGwould at least have 1 of. Back in the game, the yers used to drop the skillhere and there without giving a thought to the surroundings.

    For some reason, even if you used the magic in the room, themeteor will stille down normally. That was the premise of these kinds ofmagic in the games.

    In the game, the magic will strangely do no harm to theuser, but in this world, the user will also be dragged in normally as you wouldexpect.

    Normally, there is a cast time and dy before themeteoritees crashing down onto theenemy and dealing damage. But by utilising X-Gate, Dina was able to cheat and turnthe skill into instant cast magic with nody before activation.

    It¡¯s not really important, but it seems the strongest arcanemagic of any attribute is renamed into the corresponding name.

    If it was the magic attribute arcane magic, then it will be"Triple Grand Hermes", or something like that.[14]

    Mars "So the name of the strongest Fire-attribute arcanemagic would be me!"

    You¡¯re wrong.

    (Author note end)

    __

    <hr ss="wp-block-separator">

    [1] Ithink... this is showing her excitement

    [2] Cletawas written in English in the raw. Second sentence of the incantation is whatthe LHTrantion used for the manga. First line was not in the manga.

    EN: Dina¡¯s skills are named after the Charities inGreek mythology. "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleta".

    [3] IGoogle¡¯d Vulcan cannon, it looked like a minigun to me.

    EN: An example would be the M61 Vulcan, a six-barrelledgatling-style rotary cannon. "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M61_Vulcan".

    [4]Aia written in English in the raw.

    EN: Aea (Greek: ¡°splendor, brilliant, shining one¡±), youngest ofthe 3 Charities. "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aea".

    [5]EN: protector of vegetation and nts, and growth and fertility. "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horae#First_triad".

    [6]Raw used Megrez and Meisu (¥á¥¤¥¹).I assume that was a typo and author meant Merak because it makes sense in thecontext... unless I missed something while I was tranting.

    [7] Iassume the author¡¯s trying to say support (magic type), and a tank (frontliner). For those not used to MMO genre, there¡¯s 3 types ofcharacters/yer/ss. Tank, DPS and Support. Tank does little damage but cantake a lot of hit, their job is to prevent damage from hitting the allies andto keep others alive. DPS (damage per second) is damage dealer like Ruphas,does a lot of damage but doesn¡¯t take damage for others or support otheryers, job is to kill everything. Support are backliners like healers (e.g.Merak) who support and heal others and to keep others alive. Author is sayingeven if support yers like Merak and Megrez attacked Ruphas, Ruphas won¡¯t reallytake much damage at all.

    [8] Referto footnote 10. Back line character like Dina is focused on Magic attacks, and dovery little (if any) physical damage.

    [9]Literally meaning "Striking with the back of the sword". Please let me know ifyou prefer "Blunt-Edge Strike" (current) or "Sword-Back Strike". (Raw: ·å´ò(¤¦)¤Á)

    [10] Exnationof typical MMO mechanics. Most MMO splits the attacks into "physicttacks/damage" and "magical attacks/damage". Meaning for defence, there¡¯s"physical armour/defence" and "magical armour/defence". Most of the time magicusers like mage, healer, support have equipments that boost magic attack/heals(magical), and magic armour/defence. The magic users often (not always) havelow movement speed and low survivability and low physical defence. They oftenhave very little way to counter physical attackers that have already gottenclose to them and thus they are considered "weak" against physical attacks inclose range. Author is saying Ruphas¡¯s equipment gives her a 50% damage reductionagainst all arcane magic attacks and she is able to negate all negative debuffsassociated with specific elements (e.g. fire/burn, lightning/paralysis,water/slow). Furthermore, she is able to easily close in the distance onto themagic users with her "gap-closer skills" and do a lot of burst physical damage(high damage in short amount of time) before the magic user is able to get away(e.g. teleport away).

    [11]Test-yers are usually given max level avatar by the developers and don¡¯treally "y" the game to that level. They just test for bugs and glitches andreport them back to thepany.

    [12] Ã÷¤±¤ÎÃ÷ÐÇ - Used LHTrantion¡¯s trantion (chapter 15) - Dawn Star

    [13]¥¢¥¤¥¢¥ó¥Õ¥£¥¹¥È

    [14] ÈýÖØ¤Ë‚¥´ó¤Ê¥Ø¥ë¥á¥¹

    __

 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40 - Dina, Get!

    Raw link: (28-12-2015)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (12-01-2019)

    Editor: Hands of Va / Va (12-12-2018)

    Trantion link:

    __

    Update 1: This is myst chapter until it is time for chapter 51. Va will be serving as the main trantor for chapters 41-50 and it will be published over on Va¡¯s site. I hope you enjoyed these past 10 chapters and will still be around when I post my chapter 51 in a month¡¯s time! For now, please say hi to Va for me!

    Reminder 1: If you would like to talk to me or Va, here is the link for the discord server. The server is still rtively new and there¡¯s next to no activity but, please feel free to join and talk about the series or just to chit-chat!

    TL Disimer: I have no experience in tranting anything. Trante as a hobby with the intention to improve my English and Japanese. This is NOT machine tranted, but the dictionary is sometimes used to figure out the kanji. I will not be able to fully trante the author¡¯s jokes, puns or ngs if there are any. I will try to stick with literal trantion where possible in the context. If there is anything I don¡¯t understand I will leave it in a bracket (x).

    If there is an error in the trantion, website, sentence structure or format please let me know in thements below or DM me on the discord and I will try my best to fix them. Any constructive feedback is appreciated.

    __

    "So... I hope you will tell me now. Why you did something like this?"

    I asked this question to a depressed Dina with a slightly strong tone.

    I was not particrly angry at the time. However, if I asked her softly, there was a chance that she would try and deceive me again.

    After all, there were times where pretence was important.

    ".... I was... a test yer that arrived in this world... just around Midgard Year 2800 which... was right around when you were sealed. When I hade to, I was in this situation where I had somehow possessed the avatar that I was ying and had already arrived in this world."

    That part was the same as me.

    I had also ended up in this world by possessing the avatar... - Ruphas Mafahl that I was using.

    But those were the information that I already knew about and not the ones I wanted to find out.

    As such, I stayed quiet and urged her to continue with her story.

    "Back then, there were still a lot of strong people. Of course, it wasn¡¯t quite as much as in the game where there was numerous level 1000 yers who had doped themselves. But there were still quite a lot of strong people that would beparable to level 500 yers in the game."

    "What? Is it not like that anymore?"

    "Yes. Also, some yers.... More specifically, yers whose ¡¯name was not mentioned in the novel¡¯ had disappeared without a trace as if they never existed in the first ce. So in my opinion, we¡¯re currently not in the game but... in the world where the game had been written into a novel."

    I involuntarily bit my lower lips when I heard this.

    That... was pretty bad.

    And if you asked me why it was bad, it was because there were not many people who would be mentioned when the story in the game was turned into a novel.[1]

    The reason for that was because,pared to arge number of yers in the game, there were clearly a smaller and limited number of authors.

    Therefore, with the exception of fan-fiction writers being paid argemission, small events or adventures were mostly not turned into a novel form. Alternatively, there was a very limited number of events that automatically got included in the official novel series.

    Needless to say, besides the 7 Heroes, there were still a few other level 1000 yers that had left their names in the official story.

    There were.... - but the number of them barely reached three digits.

    Additionally, there were high-level frence yers who did not be my citizens.

    There were those who thought,

    There were those who thought, "Isn¡¯t it cool to be able to move in the shadows without being mentioned in the lore and stories?" Such yers, who were dedicated to ying the game without being involved in the novels, probably would not be here.

    There were also avatars designed in such a way that it would have breached copyrightws. Naturally including them in the official novel series was out of the question.[2]

    In other words, even though X-Gate Online¡¯s worldwide constant yer base reached tens of thousands, the majority of them never even existed in this world in the first ce.

    "There was no other person that was in the same circumstance as I was. Everyone... acted as if they were the original inhabitants of this world.... No, the reality was, for them, that really was the case. The only irregr to have existed in this world was me and me alone."

    "How about the possibility that you just didn¡¯t notice it but there were others with your circumstance?"

    "That may have been possible. But now... there¡¯s no way of verifying that........."

    Did Dina get mentioned in the novel even though she was a test yer?

    Well, that was an irrelevant question at this point.

    What was important was to try and ask her about what happened in the past.

    I could always ask about the novel seriester on.

    "But... even then... all those people were the small number of acquaintances that I made since I came to this world. At the very least, their names were thest remnants of the ¡¯real world¡¯ that I knew of. But...."

    ".....Everyone... passed away, didn¡¯t they?"

    ".....Yes."

    Hearing that, I wanted to sigh instinctively.

    Ahh, I see..... I guessed it could not be helped that they lost.

    To begin with, it was an issue that I should have thought about from the very start.

    If it remained just like in the game where there were more than a million high-level yers.... Even if the enemy was the Demon King himself, it was not usible for the humanoids to lose.[3]

    Think about it for a moment. Even Dina who fought me just then was base level 1000 who had not doped herself.

    Now imagine the scene where there were million Dinas present, and they all used [Dawn Star] at the same time.

    <i></i>

    ..... There was no way you would be able to guard against something like that.

    Back in the game, excluding wartime, the maximum party size was set as 12 people.

    In other words, there was no way for 13 or more people to simultaneously challenge the Demon King...... But something like that would not have mattered in this world.

    All you had to do was to challenge him with a million high-level people and crush him to death.

    The fact that they lost without doing so meant that it could not be done.

    With that point alone, I needed to overturn my underlying assumption that "this was a world within a game".

    Nevertheless, I was unable to reach that conclusion.

    "I was mortified. I felt hatred. Even the final remnants of the ¡¯real world¡¯ that I knew was stolen from me. The feeling of the world that I knew being vited was painful beyond anything else to me. The other demons aside, with just me alone, there was no way for me to win against the Demon King. Although I managed to infiltrate them as one of the 7 Luminaries due to their disorder and then I sabotaged from within to dy their invasion, that was all that I could manage."

    "That¡¯s when you thought of 12 Heavenly Stars and me... huh."

    "......Yes. I remembered that there was a young girl who was no different from a background in Mafahl Tower so I took her ce. And I thought that if I could skilfully lead you to fight against the Demon King, you would be able to defeat him."

    ............¡ª¡ª.

    It was there again. I felt that ufortable feeling from before again.

    Was there anything strange or out of ce in what Dina just said?

    I thought that there was nothing in particr that I should point out but....

    Well, whatever. I¡¯d just continue listening to her.

    "And what was the true meaning of Jupiter¡¯s scream?"

    "At the time specified by him, I was to take Libra-sama away. I promised him that I would create 20 minutes of time for him. Yet, I broke that promise and brought back Libra-sama whilst he was still in the city. As he screamed out, I had nned to lure him into a trap from the very start."

    I see, no wonder he was able to show up the instant Libra went away.

    It seemed that was only possible because Dina was pulling the strings from behind.

    As a side note, when Libra first spotted Jupiter, he was moments away froming in contact with Dina. That contact was probably set up for the purpose of some information exchange.

    "Anyways, the next question will be thest. In the end, are you my enemy?"

    "No, I don¡¯t have any n to be hostile. Through, the moment I tried to use you, it would not be strange for you to take that as a sign of hostility."

    To my question, Dina¡¯s answer was a "No".

    She had nned to use me but there was no direct hostility from her.

    I crossed my arms and thought deeply, using a brain that was by no means fast.

    The main issue was how to deal with Dina after all this.

    Honestly speaking, there was no option to outright kill her here and now. Whatever happened, I was taken care of by her nor could Ie to hate her.

    Whether she was using me or not, a debt of gratitude was still a debt. If she was not there, I would not have known what to do and have gotten lost on the way.

    Notwithstanding, if I just let her go free, then I would not know what she would do in the future.

    If she started getting the countries of Svalinn or Gjarhorn involved for the sake of defeating the Demon King, then I would not be able to stand it.

    ... It could not be helped.

    "Then it¡¯s fine. Continue serving me."

    "Eh?"

    "I said I¡¯ll let this incident slide and forget about it."

    Dina had deceived and used me.

    But what about it? Did her deception cause me any harm whatsoever?

    Did I suffer a single detriment as a result of her deception?

    ¡ª No, none. Let alone a single detriment, I benefited a lot as a result.

    Furthermore, Dina¡¯s aim was to kill the Demon King, and in truth, it was not that different from the intention I had.

    Indeed, I did not feel like I should actively go and kill him, but as long as I remained Ruphas, I was unable to escape eventually shing with the Demon King.

    So in this particr situation, it was advantageous for me to take in Dina who was connected to the inner workings of the enemy.

    "U, umm, is that fine? I....."

    "I don¡¯t mind. I was helped a lot in this world and owe a debt to you, after all. I¡¯m not short tempered enough to ignore all that and dispose of you before I pay back my debt. Not to mention......"

    I curled my lips a bit and looked down at Dina who looked dumbfounded.

    "¡¯An adviser who may be hiding some secret¡¯, I think that¡¯s interesting on its own. In a way, to have someone dangerous as a subordinate is an exciting scenario."

    ".....Umm, you¡¯re, you¡¯re really a yer on the inside, right? And not the Ruphas-sama herself who has the memory of a yer?"

    "Haha, well, who knows? Our memories have been crossing over for too long and too often, so even I¡¯ve started to recognise that I¡¯ve changed and may not be one or the other. Personally, I can¡¯t even distinguish if what I¡¯m currently thinking belongs to ¡¯Ruphas¡¯ or ¡¯the yer¡¯."

    Right. I was probably no longer the original "me" anymore.

    I did not feel a thing about killing a living thing nor did I have any hesitation in getting into a fight.

    Neither of those was reactions that "I" would have felt.

    However, it was also different for "Ruphas".

    At the very least, I was still unable to be as cold-hearted or vicious as Ruphas was described in the stories I have heard.

    For instance, if I really was the real Ruphas, at the very least, Dina¡¯s head would have flown off by now.

    Well, it¡¯s a good degree of mixture from both sides. Probably.

    Either way, my individuality had not been extinguished and I was able to continue maintaining my own consciousness, so there was still nothing to fear.

    "Above all else, it¡¯s a long-awaited meeting between the people from the same world. I can look the other way for some mischief."

    In the end, neither Megrez nor Merak was from the same world as me.

    With the way things were going, the inside of Bnash was also unlikely to be a yer.

    Which meant that in this world, Dina and I were the only two people to be irregr.

    I extended my hands to Dina who was still sitting down on the ground andughed.

    "Come with me. And use your knowledge and power and for the sake of me."

    For a while, Dina looked at the hands stuck out to her with an idiotic expression on her face.

    But eventually, she looked up at me and raised her voice with overflowing joy and enthusiasm.

    "As expected of Ruphas-sama. You were a person just as I expected... no, more than I expected. Without a doubt, the person who will defeat the Demon King and unite this world can only be you."

    <i>Well no, I don¡¯t really have the intention of unifying the world but.</i>

    Ignoring what I was thinking in my head, Dina took my hands that were extended and stood up.

    "I have received and heard the decree. I herebyply. Mdy. Until the day you defeat the Demon King, I will remain as your adviser."

    "Um. I¡¯ll be relying on you just as before."

    "As youmand."

    Dina and I strongly shook hands with each other. Subsequently, I looked behind me.

    What I saw was Aries and the others who had probably reacted to the magic power heading to my location.

    <i>Now then, how should I fool them?</i>

    *

    The Sky King Merak was sitting on the throne.

    At that moment, there were few white-winged men making an appeal.

    All of those were the men who actively formed the volunteer army to crush the ck Town and start a rebellion, notwithstanding that they were induced to some degree by Jupiter¡¯s words.

    The men were ceaselessly shouting their excuses in front of the throne, even though they had not received the permission to speak from Merak.

    This was yet another sign that Merak was not respected in his position as the king.

    "King, please, this is too much! We were only doing what we thought was the best for the country!"

    "That¡¯s right, everything was for the best of the country."

    "Yeah, we were fooled by the demon, but to begin with, it only happened because we tried to normalise this country in your stead."

    They continued to string stories and excuses that could not be called anything other than rude remarks.

    They were looking down on him. They had the conviction that even with all their remarks, the king would not disy any will of his own.

    They believed that they would not be punished. They believed that at worst, they would only be put under house arrest for a while.

    They had believed it so and were in contempt.

    As such, even the people that should have been trying to stop them from talking out of the line did not do anything to stop them.

    Each individual had their own dissatisfaction towards the weak attitude disyed by the king... And that was the evidence that they were looking down and making light of the position of the king.

    "..................."

    Merak quietly closed his eyes and pondered.

    The one that allowed them to be like this was himself.

    It was his weak attitude that weed those people¡¯s impudence.

    As such, the one that had to correct them out of that character had to be none other than himself.

    Once he decided this - A heavenly pressure that overwhelmed and pushed everything down was activated on that ce.

    "You lot..... Who gave you the permission to open your noisy mouths?"[4]

    At that moment, everyone in that ce was assaulted by the pressure as if they were held down by arge hand.

    It was the [Coercion] skill; avable to every Flugels as an innate racial ability that allowed them to suppress others.[5]

    Originally used to domesticate animals and magical beasts, it was called the power gifted by the gods. Ever since they were born, they had never felt this much violent pressure on themselves.

    It was the heaviness of the king that was only possible because it was used by the level 500 Merak.

    Being subjected to that for the first time in their lives, they were made to recognise that the existence before their eyes was [The Sky King].

    "Let alone run your mouths, I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve even given you the permission to raise your heads... Yet, you lot have ignored that and started speaking out of ce, and now, you¡¯ve even reached a point of shifting the me and making me take responsibility.....

    ...... Hey, you lot..... I suppose I can take that as the cue that you don¡¯t mind losing your heads for the crime of insulting the king, huh?"

    The men who were exposed to the Coercion started finally shaking in fear and breaking out in cold sweats.

    They wanted to say no.

    They wanted to shake their heads side to side.

    But they could not. They were in so much fear that they could not even do something that simple.

    "I¡¯ve been very tolerant towards you fools until now. When you lot started trickling in and said that you lost your homes, I allowed you to stay, and I even gave you a town. I permitted some rudeness and allowed you to conduct yourself without fear. .....But... it seems I was wrong."

    The pressure increased even more.

    Now that it hade to this point, it was no different from violent oppression.

    Those that were subjected to the Coercion could hardly breathe. And even the nearby knights and ministers who were not directly subjected to it started breathing heavily whilst their knees shook uncontrobly with fear.

    "¡ªDo not be mistaken into thinking that I will be kind forever."

    Merak¡¯s eyes appeared to be like the predatory bird¡¯s.

    Overwhelming disparity. The gap in the ability that that could not be filled.

    Everyone in that ce instinctively reacted and cowered in fear.

    Scary, terrifying.

    The king that they had believed to be weak and unassertive up to that point suddenly became far more terrifying than any demon.

    Once the pressure weakened and they regained some of their freedom, the action those men took was to prostrate.

    They stuck their heads onto the floor and begged for the king to have mercy whilst their teeth ttered.

    It was not only them. Even the ministers and knights were taking the posture and attitude of submission. They had no option to not do so.

    They had misunderstood until now.

    This man was the king. He was the king of the sky and the one who ruled over all those that possessed wings.[6]

    As Merak looked down on the people who had submitted to him, he somehow managed to push back down a sigh down his throat.

    As I thought, I disliked things like this.

    The feeling of stepping down on the others did not make me feel good.

    However, it was my duty and my obligation to make sure my citizens did not look down on the position of the king.

    And in the first ce, we were in the position that we were in, because I neglected that obligation. In other words, I was merely fulfilling my duty and paying back the debt I owed.

    <i>......... This is fine, right, Ruphas.......? There are still a lot I have to worry about, but I¡¯m alright now. There are still mountains worth of problems that I have to deal with, but I will show you that I can handle and ovee them. I will not make you out to be the foolish clown. So please... don¡¯t worry about me and keep moving forward.</i>

    Thinking of his friend from the past who had probably long left his country by now, a grin surfaced on Merak¡¯s face.

    He was determined to be a person that he could be proud of by the next time they met.

    Although a little of the unreliable look remained, the face of the man who had decided as such looked quite dependable.[7]

    __

    (Author Note)

    ¡ª10 minutester.[8]

    (Trantion:

    Top (above the arrow): People that was from the White Town.

    Left (in spikey box): Ruphas¡ª-!!

    Right (on the head): Merak)

    (Author Note end)

    __

    [1] Refer to chapter 1 of manga (Chapter 1 page 7) or novel (ctrl+f "novel system") for the exnation of the novel system.

    [2] If you are not aware of how MMORPG character creations work, character creation of most of the famous and well-made MMORPG nowadays allow you to "create" and "customise" your own avatar in such a way you can create a very detailed and specific "look" you want. It can range from basic stuff like the colour of your eyes/hair, body proportion, height, to very specific things like hairstyle, size of your fingers, angel of your eyes/eyebrows, etc etc. And of course there are yers who create their character into something that looks very much like a real-life celebrity, anime, manga or fictional characters. Bringing back to context, if the publishers of the X-Gate game were to use those characters and describe them in the "official novel" it would be in breach of some copyrightw.

    If you are still can¡¯t figure out how MMORPG¡¯s character customisation works, please google "___ character creation" and rece ___ part with one of the following games; de and Soul, de Desert Online, Revtion Online and Aion.

    [3] So... it¡¯s not a mistrantion. Above it says "tens of thousands", here it says "million". There are 2 options. (1) The constant yer base means "active yers" whereas this million refers to the entire poption/yer base. In MMO, there¡¯s often "dead" yers/character, dead yer referring to yers that don¡¯t y frequently or have already quit the game. Dead characters often refer to "alts" which are yer¡¯s secondary+ characters that don¡¯t get yed often. The author is probably referring to every character when he says million. (2) The author just can¡¯t count... :3

    [4] Picture from "A Wild Last Boss Appeared!" manga chapter 16 page 24 - Source of English trantion, LHTrantion.

    [5] Coercion was used in Shurim¡¯s trantion. Intimidation was used by LHTrantion.

    [6] Merak used Haoushoku no Haki/Reiatsu. Critical Hit! It¡¯s super effective! :¡¯)

    [7] Picture from Light Novel of the series.

    [8] Picture from the Web Novel Chapter 40 in author footnote. - the link at the start of the chapter.

    __

 Chapter 41

    Trantor: Hand of Va ? Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    <b>Dina</b>

    Level: 1000

    Race: Half-Elf

    sses:

    Acolyte 200

    Priest 200

    Ranger 100

    Strider 100

    Mage 200

    Sorcerer 200

    HP: 35,000

    SP: 16,000

    STR (Strength): 1750

    DEX (Dexterity): 3000

    VIT (Vitality): 2050

    INT (Intelligence): 11,550 (+2000)

    AGI (Agility): 3700

    MND (Mind): 8902

    LUK (Luck): 1930

    Equipment

    Head: ¡ª

    Right Arm: Sage¡¯s Bracelet (INT +1000)

    Left Arm: Spy¡¯s Bracelet (INT +1000)

    Body: Traveler¡¯s Clothes

    Feet: Traveler¡¯s Shoes

    Others: ¡ª

    ...What was with this rear-guard over-specialization?

    I saw that her status was extremely unbnced. Only the rear-guard sses were chosen. A few of them were even at Level 200, which one must pay to achieve. Even her gears boosted her Intelligence, so it seemed she put quite a bit of effort into this.

    At Level 1000, her attack and HP were extremely low, but her Intelligence was higher than that of most doped characters. It was a tremendous number that even Megrez could not reach in his prime. Still, she¡¯d be a sitting duck against Libra.

    Before Libra and Aries arrived, Dina and I standardized our words to have a matching cover-up story. We didn¡¯t know where the attack came from, but I just somehow dealt with it. It wasn¡¯t a lie since I actually did deal with it. It was Dina whounched the attack though.

    Well, whatever. I noticed Dina had changed back to her familiar blue-haired form.

    This was done using a kind of Water magic, Illusion¡ªwhich used mists to confuse the opponents and change one¡¯s appearance. In the game, I knew that its effect basically increased one¡¯s chance of avoiding an encounter. Many yers wanted the developer to make it change appearances, but there seemed to be no ns to implement that. To think that it would be a reality here...The world was truly full of surprises.

    She had both Metal and Water attributes since this was a racial trait of half-elves. How cunning. Half-elves did not grow as fast as elves in terms of Intelligence and Mental Power, but they were stronger in other areas where humans excelled. They had high affinities for both divine and arcane magic, so they could use two attributes at the same time.

    Moreover, unlike elves, half-elves could eat meat normally. As people of the forest, elves did not eat meat. This was the reason Megrez¡¯s HP was so low, despite the fact that he was already . He was even taken out by the in one hit. In the game, the inability to eat orc meat was a definite handicap for the elves.

    Thisndmine would not be noticed until one started doping...In other words, this was usually only noticed when one was close to Level 1000. In this way, it was really terrible.

    But half-elves did not have this handicap. What a cheat. This would probably be nerfedter on. Or perhaps, the developer intended for elves to have another way to increase HP other than consuming orc meat.

    Anyway, we recruited Aigokeros and returned Dina to the group, so we got into Tanaka and left Gjarhorn behind. It was getting a bit cramped with this number of people. I should consider expanding Tanaka. Should I take the chance to incorporate bulletproof ss or carbon material?

    Even though such materials did not exist in this world and they could not be made in the game, it should be possible now. Creating a material using the knowledge from the ¡°other side¡±...It was somewhat interesting to see what would be the level limit of a golem made with such a material.

    In the game, it was impossible to retrofit a golem with other materials once it was made. There was no other choice except to create an entirely new golem. But now, it might not be impossible. Although this world was simr to the game, it was not the game itself.

    ¡°By the way, Aigokeros. Do you have any useful information? Since you were with the demons earlier, you must have heard of various things.¡±

    I sat on the sofa that we prepared in the car and asked Aigokeros, who was sitting opposite in his humanoid form. Aries sat next to Aigokeros, munching on the corn that was bought in Gjarhorn. Aries originally wanted to eat the grass there, but I stopped him. If he did that in his humanoid form, it would seem as if I was abusing him. I just couldn¡¯t bear to watch.

    By the way, Aigokeros¡¯ favorite was dandelions. Imagine the figure of a mature gentleman eating a dandelion...This was so cruel and surreal. In the end, they were still a goat and sheep, despite looking like humans.

    ¡°I see...Firstly, besides me, there is another member of the Twelve Heavenly Stars who was working with the demons.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Who is it? Speak.¡±

    ¡° of the Scorpion has be a revenant of vengeance and is fully cooperating with the demons. Unlike me who was making use of the demons, she has be the demons¡¯ tool, hoping for theplete destruction of all humanoids. , the country founded by the Adventure King, was destroyed by her.¡±

    -¡ªHey, that was the most dangerous thing that was done so far.

    I held onto my head and sighed, despite trying to hold it in.

    Scorpius of the Scorpion was...well, as her name suggested, a scorpion-type magical beast. The magical beast species was Emperor Berserk Scorpion,monly called Berserk Emperor. Its normal attacks wereced with venom and it could release a poisonous fog, adding poison on top of poison to create a deadly poison...Basically, it was a specialist that repeatedly used poison, poison, and more poison.

    Besides poison, an Emperor Berserk Scorpion had no other attack. However, it was very hard, so its opponent would be forced into a battle of endurance. Even if its attack power was low, one must not feel relieved because when its HP reached a certain value, it would be berserk and attack with amazing vigor. This would be very bad.

    However, she was not a frightening opponent for me. Sorry to say, but a fellow who could only inflict abnormal statuses would be just a small fry before my dress. However, for a city or a country, there would be no scarier opponent. This was because it could spray deadly poison over everyone. This would basically turn the country over to destruction. It was so dangerous that it seemed like a joke.

    ¡°Ah, Scorpius...She really worshiped Ruphas-sama.¡±

    ¡°When that worship turns into hate, I think she is currently an extremely dangerous existence.¡±

    After finishing his corn, Aries concurred. Libra also nodded in agreement. Was the Scorpion such a dangerous person?

    ¡°Indeed. That person is currently a revenant of vengeance that would not even listen to me. Her overwhelming hatred surpassed the level limit, allowing her to reach Level 900. It¡¯s too much even for me to handle.¡±

    What was this amazing thing?! A tamer¡¯s magical beast was limited to Level 800, yet she somehow exceeded this upper limit. I nced at Libra and asked:

    ¡°Libra, if you fight her, what are the odds?¡±

    ¡°...The chance of victory is probably around sixty-two percent. I estimated Scorpius¡¯ current strength based on her previous data. Her fighting power surpasses mine. By using Brachium at the start, her HP could be drastically reduced, but it would not be enough to defeat her. After that, it would be a simple fight based on our abilities, depending on whether I would copse first or she would be taken out first.¡±

    Even Libra, my current strongest follower, considered her to be dangerous. I thought she would definitely win since poison was ineffective towards golems, but it seemed Scorpius was unreasonably strong.

    However, Aries could win by using Mesarthim to deal with the poison¡¯s continuous damage. No matter how high the defense, it would be useless before an attack that could inflict proportional damage. Endurance battle was Aries¡¯ specialty after all. Since both of them had fire attribute, theirpatibility was good. Even if Scorpius went berserk, she would not inflict too much damage.

    On the other hand, Aigokeros would be helpless since he already admitted that she was too much for him to handle. As for Dina...she had the advantage in terms of attributes, but her HP was too low. I didn¡¯t think she could handle the attacks of the berserk scorpion. Anyway, her current location was still unknown, so it would be pointless to dwell on this. Well, if we met her, there would be no choice other than Aries. Since she was currently dwelling with the demons, we could only leave it be for now.

    ¡°Next...Leon the Lion is fighting a war with Bnash the Vampire Princess all day and night. The strongest of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, Leon, and the strongest of the Seven Heroes, Bnash, are engaged in an all-out war with their armies. Even if the demons¡¯ Seven Luminaries approached carelessly, they would just get killed.¡±

    ¡°Hmm...Bnash should have a slight advantage. Her meleebat power surpassed mine, after all.¡±

    ¡°No, that is...Among the Twelve Heavenly Stars, Leon has always been a deviant with little loyalty to you...After your disappearance, he went wildpletely, returning him to Level 1000.¡±

    Wow, what a mess...

    They started a top-tier battle while ignoring me and the heroes. Bnash at her prime versus boss-era Leon. I wanted to watch such a dream-like battle...but I really didn¡¯t want to get too close.

    ¡°Hey, Aigo. I think Bnash is abnormally obsessed with Ruphas-sama as her rival...¡±

    ¡°Yes. Ever since she lost to Ruphas-sama in a fight, she became obsessed with her goal of surpassing Ruphas-sama. Leon is the same. Even though he was the strongest magical beast, he lost to Ruphas-sama and became her follower. He has been eyeing the throne of Ruphas-sama even while obeying her.¡±

    ¡°An advice, master. If master approaches them, there is an eighty percent chance that Bnash and Leon would interrupt their fight in order to attack master.¡±

    ...I retracted my previous statement. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t want to get too close. It was that I wasn¡¯t far enough. I definitely should not get close at all.

    Unlike the other Twelve Heavenly Stars and Seven Heroes, Leon and Bnash seemed to regard me as an enemy. A Level 1000 doping power and a Level 1000 boss monster were engaged in massbat with their armies. It would be a joke if I just gleefully rushed into the middle of it.

    Hmm. I would leave their location for thest. They were already fighting like old friends anyway.

    ¡°Also...This might not be important, but it seems L?vateinn has sessfully summoned a hero.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Hearing this, I made an unexpected response. Apparently, this world had properly summoned a hero this time. Since it was a hero, he probably had the hidden ss¡ªhero. It was the strongest vanguard ss that would be unlocked after reaching Level 200 in warrior, light warrior, heavy warrior, and sword master sses. In the game, it was practically unknown until discovered it.

    I didn¡¯t know anyone else besides Alioth who took that ss. This was because it was very inefficient to unlock that ss. Warrior, light warrior, heavy warrior, and sword master had very simr abilities. Normally, a yer would choose only one of these iron te-type sses. In addition, there was very little reason in expanding these basic sses to Level 200 with the cash shop. If the cash shop was to be used to expand a ss, it would be an advanced ss of sword master or a ss with no further advancement, such as an alchemist. This was the basic of basics among yers in the game.

    But Alioth did it.

    Ignoring the ability scores and inefficiency, he added all the vanguard sses. Since thispletely ignored the ssic method of character-building, high-level yers like me considered it to be a joke character. Even Alioth himself was partially taking it as a joke. There was no way for this build to be strong. We were all convinced of this. But that ridiculous build unlocked a hidden ss and Alioth suddenly became the strongest character.

    As if topensate for the bad growth rate earlier, his ability scores were raised a lot. The skills were also atrocious. Most notably, the skill Climax, which would resurrect the character after being reduced to zero HP and counter-attack with a hundred percent chance of inflicting a critical hit.

    If that ss was unlocked right from the start, if it was nurtured starting from Level 1...The hero would probably have the same ability scores as doping yers just by leveling normally.

    ¡°...That is no good.¡±

    I rubbed my chin and muttered. The hero ss was very powerful, therefore this could be troublesome. The trouble was that the demons knew about the hero summoning. Since Aigokeros knew about this, it was evident that the demons had received the same information.

    At low level, the hero would not be much of a threat. But after leveling up, he would be a monsterparable to me and the Seven Heroes.

    They knew that. So what would happen after that? What would they do?

    What would I do if I was in their position?

    ¡ªThis would be predetermined...Kill him before he could grow up. This was the best method.

    ¡°The hero is going to be killed.¡±

    Hero, the hope of the weak humanoids.

    He would be killed before the curtains were drawn.

    Nobody here could dispute this statement of mine.

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Ruphas: It seems the two of you have been fighting like old friends.

    B: £¨¡ä?¦Ø?`£©Wha¡ª

    Leon: £¨¡ä?¦Ø?`£©Wha¡ª

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Wee back to this blog! I will be your host for the next 10 chapters, while works on Chapter 51-60. I added internal links from the main text to the foot notes. You should be able to return to the main text by clicking on the BACK ?? button at the end of the foot note. Let me know if there is any issue with the links.

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    <b>Doping</b> (¥É©`¥Ô¥ó¥°) is the use of banned athletic performance-enhancing drugs by athleticpetitors. In this novel, the word refers to the use of ability-boosting items, such as orc meat which increases HP.

    <b>Scales of the Goddess</b> (Å®Éñ¤ÎÌì³Ó) is a boss mentioned in . The text here actually says Selection Scales (ßx¶¨¤ÎÌì³Ó), which is the drop item...This made no sense unless Megrez was knocked out when the item dropped on his head? The author probably made a mistake here, confusing the boss name with the item name.

    <b>Scorpius</b> (¥¹¥³¥ë¥Ô¥¦¥¹) is the constetion of the scorpion, containing many bright stars such as Antares. The associated astrological sign is Scorpio.

    <b>Hrotti</b> (¥Õ¥í¥Ã¥Æ¥£) is a sword in the V?lsung cycle. It was a part of F¨¢fnir¡¯s treasure, which Sigurer took after he slew the dragon.

    <b>Phecda</b> (¥Õ¥§¥¯¥À), also called Gamma Ursae Majoris, is a star in the constetion of Ursa Major and the Big Dipper asterism. In this novel, Phecda is the Adventure King (Ã°ê“Íõ), the hobbit member of the Seven Heroes.

    <b>Alioth</b> (¥¢¥ê¥ª¥È), also called Epsilon Ursae Majoris, is the brightest star in the constetion of Ursa Major and the Big Dipper asterism. In this novel, Alioth is the Sword King („‡Íõ), the human member of the Seven Heroes.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 42

    Trantor: Hand of Va ? Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    ¡°The hero is going to be killed.¡±

    Everyone nodded their heads in agreement with this statement of mine.

    Yet there was no negativity in the atmosphere. In the first ce, to put it bluntly, the hero was merely a stranger to the Twelve Heavenly Stars. There was no reason to be pessimistic about it.

    But it was different for me. In the game, it was the hero who eventually defeated the Demon King, so it would be troubling if he died at this point. Thus, I said it in the serious tone of something important was going to happen...but Aries and the others merely responded as if they didn¡¯t really care: ¡°That seems like it.¡± They probably thought I was just making small talks.

    ¡°As expected of Ruphas-sama. That is indeed the case. The demons would probably send someone from Seven Luminaries today or tomorrow¡ªdepending on the hero¡¯s departure.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s probably true. There¡¯s no need to wait for him to be strong. There is no reason to match the monsters and dungeons to the hero¡¯s current strength.¡±

    Dina also nodded in agreement to Aigokeros¡¯ words, making a remark that dismissed every RPG in the world. This couldn¡¯t be helped. If a newbie came under attack by thest boss right at the start, the setting couldn¡¯t be established and the game would be unyable. Even thest boss would be trying desperately to make it enjoyable for yers. I knew that.

    Anyway, the timing of the hero¡¯s departure was too good...Ah, no. It was Dina who pushed this topic on me. In other words, she raised this topic in time with the hero¡¯s departure. It seemed Dina also thought that it would be troublesome if the hero died at this stage.

    ¡°...L?vateinn has a Sword Saint as usual. Since it is the kingdom of swords, their soldiers should be of fairly high standards. Assuming the Seven Luminaries will attack...how much of a fight can they put up?¡±

    I asked Aigokeros since, like Dina, he would know about the strength of the demons. Aigokeros muttered to himself and then spoke:

    ¡°That¡¯s right. That country is the sword.¡±

    ¡°If the barrier set up by the Sword King Alioth is still active, the Seven Luminaries would be repelled. Ruphas-sama.¡±

    As Aigokeros answered me, Dina forcibly interrupted for some reasons.

    What is this? Hmm. You actually love expositions, don¡¯t you?

    Or was she just desperate to hold onto her position as the one who set the expositions?

    In contrast with the two who werepeting for a strange position, Aries and Libra were rather quiet. Aries was preparing to eat his second corn, while Libra was an uninvolved ornament in the corner.

    ¡°Barrier?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The skill of the hero¡ªSoul Session. Its effect is as you already know, Ruphas-sama.¡±

    ¡°...Ah, I see.¡±

    Soul Session. Its effect was to greatly increase the abilities of yer characters and reduce those of enemies within the skill¡¯s area. It was just a skill thatbined buff with debuff, but the strange part was that its effect would continue even after the battle was over.

    However, the demerit was huge. When it was used, the hero would die instantly and be returned to the town with no time to use resurrection magic. When this was a game, Alioth would rush back from the town into battle after dying due to the use of this skill. There would be exchanges like ¡°I thought you were dead!?¡± and ¡°Too bad, it¡¯s just a trick!¡±.

    ...In this world, using the skill was equivalent to dying...I guess. Naturally, it wouldn¡¯t be something ridiculous like running back from the town after dying.

    ¡°This is the reason the country continues to survive until now after losing the hero...No, that¡¯s not it. Even now, Alioth is protecting the country.¡±

    Svalinn depended on Megrez and Levia. Gjarhorn depended on Merak¡¯s Coercion. And L?vateinn depended on the barrier. They were defending their countries in their own ways. Hrotti, which was destroyed by the fool Scorpius, probably did not have such a strong defense. However, Phecda had levels in the monster tamer ss, so it would not be strange if at least one powerful magical beast was left in defense of the country. ...Did it die in battle with the Demon King? In any case, it should be safe to think that all the surviving countries had some kind of defensive measures.

    ¡°I see, so it should be safe within the country for now.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. Even Aigokeros and I would have some difficulties fighting a massive number of humans within that barrier. Of course, we should still be able to inflict some devastating damage.¡±

    Based on what Aries said, it seemed that even the Twelve Heavenly Stars were wary of that barrier. How admirable. The level difference between the Twelve Heavenly Stars and the humanoids was as wide as heaven and earth. To be able to make Aries hesitate, its effect must be immense.

    Of course, even when facing buffed opponents while being debuffed, we could still drive the country to near-destruction and annihte the knightly order. However, the Seven Luminaries would have no way to aplish this. This assumed that the Seven Luminaries did not include Level 1000 characters like Dina.

    This was also proof that they had nobody else like Dina. Because if they did have someone like her, they could just drop a meteor from outside the barrier and that would be the end of it. Therefore, even though there might be some differences among the Seven Luminaries, everyone besides Dina was like . To put it bluntly, it was a gathering of small fries.

    But I did not feel any special influence when I was in that country. Did the barrier really exist? Did it not affect me since I was a yer? Or was I too stupid to notice its effect? This was slightly worrying.

    ¡°If it is me, there is a ny-eight percent chance of taking down L?vateinn, master.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know why Libra was bragging, but I struggled to keep myself from sighing. ...Now I thought about it, it was a good thing that Libra remained in the tomb all this time. If it was her, the barrier would not matter if she used Brachium. Buff and debuff were irrelevant before fixed damage.

    ¡°Back on topic. So as long as they remain in the country, they would not be threatened?¡±

    ¡°If Scorpius-sama, the Demon King, or his son do not appear, it would be safe. Conversely, if they appear, they would be in danger of destruction. Also, if they leave the country, they could be attacked as well.¡±

    ¡°In other words?¡±

    ¡°They will be watched as soon as they begin the journey. They will encounter the Seven Luminaries once they leave the country.¡±

    Dina dered with confidence. Indeed, as soon as they left the country, it would be ¡°A wild Seven Luminaries appeared!¡±

    Yes, it would be checkmate. Or the boss just came out by himself. This was forbidden in RPG. In addition, since this was spoken by Dina who was one of the Seven Luminaries, it must have been a pre-arranged matter. ording to customs, the hero would probably be apanied by the Sword Saint and so on, but they could not possibly overwhelm the Seven Luminaries.

    ¡°The Seven Luminaries would surely appear to ambush the hero. Conversely, this would be a good opportunity to attack the Seven Luminaries. Everyone, wait here. I will go to L?vateinn.¡±

    Honestly, I wanted to help the hero, but it would be hard to convince Aries and the others. Therefore, I would do it myself. If it were just the Seven Luminaries, there was no need forpany. The only one who could catch up with me flying at full speed would be Dina, provided she moved ahead of time. If it was Libra, she could catch up after a while, but there was no need to bring this dangerous object to the royal capital. If she fired Brachium, it would be the worst possible scenario for the royal capital.

    Dina...no, it would not do.

    Dina mentioned that the Seven Luminaries knew that Dina was Venus. If Dina showed up behind me to oppose the Seven Luminaries, it would be taken as a betrayal. This would ruin her cover as a double agent. Currently, it would be better to let them think that Venus was an ally.

    ¡°Master, are you nning to go alone?¡±

    ¡°No problem. If it¡¯s the like of Seven Luminaries, even if they all attacked me simultaneously, I can defeat them.¡±

    Libra sounded a little worried, but there should be no problem. It might be a bit conceited, but if they were just like Mars and Jupiter, there was no way I would lose. Even if I wascking allies, I could just create a few golems on the spot in the worst possible scenario. Well, I wouldn¡¯t lose as long as I didn¡¯t be too reckless.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back tomorrow. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    I said that to Aries and the others, then stepped out of Tanaka. Considering the current situation of the world, it would not be a mistake to eliminate the Seven Luminaries whenever possible. I didn¡¯t know what the Demon King was thinking, but the impression was that he never moved on his own. The active ones were the Seven Luminaries and the Twelve Heavenly Stars.

    Two of the Seven Luminaries had been defeated. Excluding Dina, there were only four people left. If I eliminated one of them this time, there would be only three people left. This should be advantageous to the humanoids.

    As I pondered this, I spread my wings and soared into the sky. It felt good to be free from the constraints of gravity. I would never be tired of this. This was the time when I was d to be a fl¨¹gel. Cutting through the winds, I shortened the distance in one breath.

    The distance that Tanaka took several days to travel was covered in merely tens of minutes. This feeling was irresistible, but what was really going on with these wings? I remembered seeing somewhere that a human would need , but my wings were not that big. They were quite big, but each wing was only one and a half meter. Despite this, I was able to fly normally. It was truly a fantasy.

    After flying for tens of minutes, I was in the sky above L?vateinn where I was first summoned. It was nostalgic, despite it not being that long ago. In fact, only a few weeks had passed. In a way, I was grateful to this country. I was here because this country messed up the summoning. And because I was here, I met Aries and the others.

    This was probably a funny way to think. Normally, I should be angry that I was separated from my peaceful life in Japan. Wishing to return home soon was probably the correct way to think.

    But...why? I did not think so at all.

    It was not just about being homesick. I did not even feel nostalgic for my hometown.

    A peaceful life, guaranteed safety, reliable housing, and readily avable food and clothing. Numerous entertainment.

    ...It was a big difference.

    Compared to a world threatened by demons, the difference was as wide as heaven and earth. If I was to say which was the blessed world, it would most certainly be the other world.

    But why?

    It was almost like a dream...It did not feel real as if it was merely a movie on a screen. It felt like a different world to me. It did not feel real. There were memories of staying and growing up there, but it felt like someone else¡¯s memories instead...as if I was being shown the peaceful life of a stranger in a drama or perhaps in another person¡¯s memories.

    It seemed I was currently being dyed in the splendid yet dangerous feelings of ¡°Ruphas¡±. No, maybe it was from the beginning...

    ...Oops. Now was not the time to think about such things. No, I should say this was not something to think about at all.

    I shook my head and looked at L?vateinn again. As I looked closely, something like a barrier seemed to cover all over the royal capital. Originally, the skill¡¯s area of effect should not be so wide. It seemed to be a difference between reality and the game. Or was it Alioth¡¯sst will?

    ¡°I see...With this, the Seven Luminaries would not be able toe close. Do you not think so?¡±

    I muttered and called out to someone behind.

    I had not confirm the person¡¯s appearance yet...I sensed someone appearing suddenly just before I shook my head. I could sense that the person was just standing behind me without doing anything.

    A sudden appearance would imply teleportation via X-Gate. I confirmed it with Dina that the only teleport magic currently in the world was X-Gate. There wasn¡¯t any other. The condition required to use X-Gate was to be able to use both divine magic and arcane magic. Therefore, it was considered impossible to be used by the fl¨¹gels, who could use only divine magic, and by the vampires, who could use only arcane magic. In addition, the beastkin generally did not like magic, so it was probably not used by them in the present time. As such, it was considered to be magic that few people could use.

    ...This was not Dina. This prating hostility and the oppressive feeling were not hers. This was different from the Seven Luminaries. Their sense of presence was not so great.

    Then.

    Then the possible answers were sorely limited. And I already got the answer. It was just a hunch, but I was fairly certain.

    I never met him, but I knew him well.

    I wondered when this encounter woulde. We must have shared, feared, and longed for this feeling over the past two hundred years.

    ¡°Right? Demon King.¡±

    To my own surprise, I distorted my face with a smile that seemed belligerent.

    Thus, I spoke to ¡°that guy¡± behind me.

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Ruphas: (Reconsidering this, it would be super embarrassing if I was mistaken. I should have at least confirmed it before saying it out loud.)

    <h4>¡ù Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    I have added expected release dates (ETA) for uing chapters to the .

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    <b>Comparing the Back of Acorns</b> (¥É¥ó¥°¥ê¤Î±³±È¤Ù, ) is a phrase meaning that while differences exist, they are insignificant and mostly negligible.

    An average human would probably need wings of about 6-7 meters each. Forparison, Ruppert Archeopteryx, a footunchable microlift glider, has a wingspan for 13.6 meters (44 feet 7 inches). Argentavis, one of thergest flying birds, had wings up to 6.5 meters (21 feet 4 inches) and weighed about 70 kilograms (159 lbs.).

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 43

    Trantor: Hand of Va ? Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    He¡ª Sei¡ªwas an ordinary male Japanese high school student in 2015 .

    Age 17. Height 170 (centimeters). Weight 60 (kilograms).

    This was an average body shape. Also, he didn¡¯t have anything that he was particrly good at, or bad at. His results were slightly above average. He was decent in sports, but he was not the best in his ss. Be it studies or sports, he was merely slightly above average. His looks were well featured. Although it was not the type of face like an idol which would causemotion wherever he went, he was still one of the good-looking guys in his ss.

    Such a guy was currently being troubled in a ce far from Japan¡ªor rather, he wasn¡¯t even on Earth, but in the other world of Midgard.

    There was a voice in his head, asking for help. He answered, seeking the person in distress. If that person was injured, he would call an ambnce. If that person was assaulted, he would rush to the scene. He would answer a call for help, no matter who it might be. But all those worries came to an end when he was asked to defeat the demons and the Overlord in another world.

    He could not understand. He was so perplexed that he thought it was a joke.

    It had been more than forty years since the great aplishment ofnding Apollo 11 on the moon in 1969. Science and technology had advanced by leaps and bounds, but humans had yet to leave the sr system. Even so, by means of an ult power like magic, hended in another world without wearing a spacesuit.

    Even though the situation was beyond his understanding, he quickly adapted. Or perhaps he was just a fool. He was in the unprecedented situation of being summoned to another world by himself, yet he neither cried out to return home nor became angry. Instead, he calmly listened to the people around him and the young elf (who was actually more than two hundred years old) that summoned him. They exined the reason he was summoned and what he needed to do. All these, he obediently epted.

    It was not that he did not fearbat. However, he had a dream, a reckless ideal for the future, guided by the optimism of youth. Since he was little, he wanted to be a policeman. He longed to be a modern hero that helped people. It was a blueprint for the future drawn by a child who knew nothing of corruptions and under-the-table dealings.

    He grew up watching the back of his father who was a policeman. He was proud of his father whom people could always count on. Therefore, he wanted, longed for, and aimed to be like that. Even now, this dream had not faded.

    It was honestly unimaginable to fight the Demon King and the Overlord in another world. He did not want to kill anyone even now. However, he simply could not ignore the hands reaching out to him for help. If he abandoned them here, the future he dreamed of would nevere to pass. This was the reason he answered the pleading of the people from another world. The hero (father), who was still shining in his heart, would not simply abandon them.

    ¡°...Although I tried enthusiastically, I wish I have the abilities to apany it.¡±

    Sei muttered in a whisper while matching swords with the swordsmanship teacher Friedrich in the training area. However, being distracted during training was suicidal. All the more so when his opponent was the much stronger Sword Saint¡ªthe world¡¯s strongest swordsman.

    Friedrich sent Sei¡¯s sword flying and pointed his own sword to thetter¡¯s throat. And that was game over. Sei raised his hands to surrender and looked at his teacher once more. Due to the cool nickname of the Sword Saint and the resounding name of Friedrich, he had originally imagined a handsome knight. Instead, his appearance was very different. If one was to describe him in a word, it would be...tiger.

    This was not a figurative description. His face was really a tiger. No, not just his face. His entire body was covered in orange fur with ck stripes. He was over two meters tall, and he wore armor while swinging a sword. His powerful presence was certain to bend one over at the waist on the first encounter. Indeed, Sei was bent over.

    Moreover, he had cat-like habits, such as smaller than himself for no reason. When he had free time, he was always stuck in a gap or he would enter a box from which he could not get out.

    But he could not be described as a bipedal cat. His pride as a tiger was strong. Even if he had cat-like reactions, he was still a great tiger beastkin. Even if he brought home a mouse, he was still a tiger.

    ¡°Growl!¡±

    The Sword Saint growled loudly. Sei strongly wished that he could speak in a humannguage. It was not that beastkins could not speak humannguages. He had heard them converse normally before. However, the Sword Saint only growled like a tiger. He could probably speak in a humannguage if he wanted to. That was what the young elf said, but Sei had never heard him speak.

    ¡°The captain seems to be angry that Sei-sama is distracted during a mock battle.¡±

    The person who was tranting the Sword Saint¡¯s words was the female vice-captain. A female knight should be a beauty...It should be like that, but the reality was different. That crude facial feature was...more like a female gori. Her muscr, dark skin with hair in , along with her thick lips and big nostrils, crushed the image of the ¡°female knight¡± to pieces. She was most certainly not an Amazon. Also, if you looked closely, you could see the nasal hair sticking out of her nose. This was the reality.

    ¡°Grrr...¡±

    ¡°The captain says that he wants to eat chicken today.¡±

    ¡°No, even if you tell me that...¡±

    ¡°Growl!¡±

    ¡°The captain says he wants to go outside, so today¡¯s training is over.¡±

    ¡°...Isn¡¯t the Sword Saint being a bit too whimsical?¡±

    Friedrich was really whimsical. A while ago, he dreamed that he was ying with a ball, so he abruptly ended the training and ran off somewhere else. Perhaps he was just a big cat. Sei held back the urge to say it out loud. Even so, he was the Sword Saint, the only sword master in the world. He was a symbol of this country, so one could not speak ill of him.

    ¡°Sei-dono!¡±

    ¡°Oh, Cruz-san? What is it?¡±

    As Sei stared helplessly at the back of the Sword Saint, a young elf came running towards him. He was the one responsible for summoning Sei to this world. Despite his appearance, he was already two hundred years old and was serving as the king¡¯s adviser. His full name was , wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡°The traveling members have been assembled. Please present yourself before the king along with Friedrich-dono.¡±

    Hearing this, Sei tightened his expression. It finally came, he thought. Despite being a hero, Sei had been an ordinary person living peacefully in Japan until recently. Even though he had been training swordsmanship since then, traveling alone would still be suicidal. Therefore, it was necessary to make proper preparations for hispanions and equipment. The king told him to train while they made the preparations. Now, it seemed those preparations wereplete. This implied to start of his journey.

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Hero, the time hase for departure.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Sei and Friedrich kneeled and bowed their heads before the king. A few strangers were standing beside the throne. Sei thought they were probably his futurerades.

    ¡°Equipment, human resources. I am confident that the best of what is currently avable has been procured. First and foremost, the pride of our country, the Sword Saint¡ªFriedrich.¡±

    ¡°Growl!¡±

    He answered as the king called his name.

    No, at least speak before the king. Isn¡¯t this rude? Sei thought. However, this seemed to be usual and nobody said anything.

    ¡°Master of divine magic, my adviser, the acolyte¡ªCruz.¡±

    ¡°I will put my life on the line.¡±

    The next to be called was the young elf. He must be strong for his name to be called here. It was said that he was one of the few survivors from the battle with Ruphas two hundred years ago. He should be an eptable candidate.

    ¡°The valedictorian from Svalinn¡¯s arcane magic academy, Alfie. She was also trained in swordsmanship by her father, Gants the mercenary. Her abilities would be helpful to you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to be chosen, Your Majesty.¡±

    One of the people standing beside the king, a seemingly strong-willed girl with brown side-ponytail hair responded. Like a mage, she wore a ck cloak, covering her white shirt and red skirt. Well, whatever, but her skirt was a bit short. Was she being seductive?

    ¡°Also from Svalinn, the Wisdom King Megrez-sama¡¯s steel golems. Most of the golems were destroyed by Aries of the Twelve Heavenly Stars. Even so, upon hearing of the hero¡¯s departure, he hurriedly created these.¡±

    Kacha, kacha. The golems stepped forward with a rough noise. Their intimidating auras were not inferior to the Sword Saint¡¯s.

    ¡°And in case of emergency, there are ten rangers of the covert team to support you from the shadows. Each is an elite over Level 50.¡±

    Suddenly, there was a group of men in ck next to the king. Their faces werepletely covered. When they noticed Sei¡¯s gaze, they gave a thumbs-up.

    ¡°Next are the four members of Hawkeye. They brought the treasures of the Overlord from the ck-Winged Royal Tomb. We have specially selected your weapons from them.¡±

    Hearing the king¡¯s words, the eyes of the Sword Saint, Cruz, and the girl shone. Sei didn¡¯t really know, but they seemed to be of considerable worth. Anyway, it seemed that they weren¡¯t going to just send him off with just a cypress stick.

    Alfie, Cruz, and the tiger were genuinely happy about the weapons presented to Sei and the rest. Even Sei, who was unfamiliar with weapons, could tell with a nce that they had a strange presence. Indeed, the pure warriors and mages, who were residents of this world, were really pleased.

    ¡°Come, it¡¯s time to start the journey. Hero and hispanions, be sure to defeat the Demon King and the resurrected Overlord and clear the dark clouds of our time!¡±

    Ah, so the journey had already started. As he thought this, Sei stood up hurriedly. At the same time, the others also stood up and Alfie joined in. The surroundings echoed with the sound of trumpets. The noisy cheers of the citizens were heard from outside the castle.

    With Sei in the lead, they marched forward as if it was a parade. As they left the castle, people flocked to see them.

    Damn. This is super embarrassing.

    Sei blushed and walked quickly. He wanted to leave the capital as fast as possible. The next few minutes were like a parade for public execution. Eventually, Sei and hispanions finally reached the city gate.

    Now, it begins. An adventure to save the world.

    He used to think that this only happened in video games. It was a heroic saga that one would watch in safety through the screen. Yet he was currently in such a situation, being the protagonist himself. The only difference was the ability to continue from a saved game. With increasing nervousness, he started sweating.

    Don¡¯t be afraid. Don¡¯t be frightened. Now, look ahead and step forward.

    Although he thought that he was unsuitable for this and that there were more qualified people around, he was currently the hero. Therefore, to avoid worrying hispanions, he¡ªlooked and ck feathers entered his field of vision.

    Immediately after, a ck angel descended as if it was a dance. A crimson cloak covered her pure white dress. The ominous ck wings on her back were a symbolic presence. Her golden hair, mixed with a tint of vermillion, danced like the mes. Her beauty could not be described as anything but peerless. Even though she merelynded, the ground cracked. Her forceful presence alone suppressed the ranger team.

    ¡°Eh? This can¡¯t be right. That¡¯s...¡±

    ¡°Ru, Ru, Ruphas Mafahl!!?¡±

    Alfie muttered in fear, while Cruz screamed. Sei thought, As I expected.

    His legs were shaking with only a nce. His entire body was overwhelmed by fear. There was no mistake. It was ¡°her¡±. This woman was¡ªthe ck-Winged Overlord!

    ¡ªA wild Ruphas Mafahl appeared!

    Even though he thought of such silly notifications, it did not diminish the fear.

    Fear. Yes, Sei was currently feeling fear that was unprecedented since his birth. Even his teeth were rattling.

    No. We cannot fight this.

    This was a monster that merely looked human. There was nothing in this dimension that could challenge her.

    But, ah. Why is the reality so heartless?

    To encounter the Overlord on his first step of the journey was already the worst scenario, yet the nightmare still continued.

    Ruphas looked up into the sky. Following her gaze, Sei also looked up...and saw another person¡ªno, monster. It was a man. He was a good-looking guy with blue skin, which no human would have. His ck hair was fluttering, while his eyes were golden. A ck cloak covered his entire body. The air around him was distorted like a mirage. And...despite any reluctance to admit it, his presence was not inferior to the ck-winged woman.

    He slowly descended and touched the ground. His position was on the opposite side of Ruphas. He stared at her with Sei in between them.

    Stop it, you fool. Don¡¯t nk us. Sei wanted to shout it out.

    ¡°Ah, ah...Idiot, no...a, a thing like this...¡±

    Cruz¡¯s face was so white that the others worried if he was dead. Tears flooded his eyes as his face distorted in despair. It seemed Cruz recognized the other guy as well. It was someone he knew and feared from the bottom of his heart.

    ¡°Demon...¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Demon King...! Why is the Demon King here...!?¡±

    ¡ªA wild Demon King appeared!

    It was just the first step of their journey.

    The hero and hispanions were sandwiched between the two bosses¡ªthe Overlord and the Demon King.

    What sort of is it?

    And Sei thought:

    ...We are dead, right?

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    This (colored) picture is provided by Éñú—˜”. Thank you, Éñú—˜”.

    Sei: Level 15

    Alfie: Level 72

    Cruz: Level 88

    Friedrich: Level 120

    yer: ¡°Oh, everyone except the hero is strong. I understand, until the hero grows up, he is just a sub-character warrior.¡±

    ¡ù In addition, since Ruphas will be fighting the Demon King, this is just an event battle whereby you try hard not to die for several turns. If left alone, the Demon King will attack only Ruphas. But if you attack and target him, he will annihte you instantly. Therefore, let¡¯s work on defense and recovery.

    yer: ¡°What is this shitty game!?¡±

    <h4>¡ù Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Some readers haveined about spoilers in the uing chapter titles, so I have removed them from the , except for the title of the next chapter...Consider it as a next episode preview you find in most TV series.

    The colored picture above is from the web novel, thus she looks a bit different from the pictures in the light novel and manga. It¡¯s interesting to see her alternative look.

    I think I identally messed up the blog temte. Let me know if there¡¯s any issue with this new one.

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    <b>Minami-Jyuji</b> (ÄÏÊ®×Ö) literally means ¡°Southern Cross¡±, which is an asterism in the constetion of Crux.

    <b>Common Era</b> (CE) is one of the notations of the world¡¯s most widely used calendar era. This is a non-religious alternative to the Anno Domini (¡°Year of the Lord¡±) devised by Dionysus Exiguus in 525. The word used here is Î÷•·, literally ¡°western calendar¡±. Sei was summoned in 2015, since this web novel was posted in 2015-2017.

    When ites to a <b>cat squeezing into a box</b>, there can only be Maru, who has the most YouTube views for an animal in the Guinness World Records (Sep 2016).

    <b>Dreadlocks</b> (¥É¥ì¥Ã¥É¥Ø¥¢©`, also ¥É¥ì¥Ã¥É¥í¥Ã¥¯¥¹) are ropelike strands of hair formed by matting or braiding hair.

    <b>Cruz Northern</b> (¥¯¥ë¥¹?¥Î©`¥¶¥ó) is a reference to the Northern Cross asterism. How convenient, one character is the Southern Cross, while the other is the Northern Cross. What are the odds?

    <b>Penalty Game</b> (ÁP¥²©`¥à) is amon element in Japanese stageedy and variety shows, which involve some sort ofpetition or bet. The winner forces the loser to participate in the penalty that involves doing or experiencing something unpleasant.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 44

    Trantor: Hand of Va ? Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    Space itself was distorted.

    It was like andscape painting by a child, twisted beyond its original shape. Such a surrealndscape would not be real.

    An illusion. This was the illusory perceptions of Sei and the others, caused by fear and the enormous presences of Ruphas and the Demon King. Space was not actually distorted. However, even if everyone present recognized this, it was no different from reality itself as the ck-Winged Overlord and the Demon King faced each other in this distorted world.

    The hero was not even acknowledged in their eyes. They merely confirmed each other¡¯s identities,pleting a world that consisted only of themselves. The unfortunate hero who was sandwiched between them was an existence no different from a rock. As such, both sides ignored Sei and hispanions, staring intently at each other.

    ¡°...I have waited a long time for this.¡±

    Very soon, the man¡¯s voice broke the silence. It was a deep and calm voice. Unbelievably, there was no sense of sharpness. Instead, it was like a young man who met his unrequited love.

    ¡°Unbelievably, this is the first time we met. Even so, we are familiar with each other. Therefore, this does not feel like our first meeting.¡±

    The man spoke with the hero in between them. The Demon King was the archenemy of all humanoids, the pinnacle of demonkind, and the threat to the world. He was the manifestation of death and horror. The king of demons, who overwhelmed the Seven Heroes, continued speaking without reservation before the ck-Winged Overlord.

    ¡°Well, this may seem unnecessary now...Greetings, . I am ...Your people know me as the Demon King.¡±

    ¡°Alcor?¡±

    ¡°This is the name we have for you. It is certain death for us to encounter you. Out of fear, we call you Alcor, the star that brings death.¡±

    His eyes narrowed in vertical slits like a snake as he gazed affectionately at his rival whom he did not battle in the past two hundred years. Before such a gaze, Ruphas remained unmoved and returned a fearless smile.

    If the Demon King was a monster, she would be one as well. They could stand before each other as equals precisely because they were on the same level as each other. Thus, there was no reason to fear. Her face had the expression of someone in a position of strength. That was why she was not afraid. Or so others would think, but in truth, she was thinking: ¡°What¡¯s with this pressure? I should just smile through this.¡±

    ¡°It may seem unnecessary, but it¡¯s good manners to return a self-introduction. I am Ruphas Mafahl, the being your kind calls the star that brings death.¡±

    Although they knew each other, this was still the first time they met. It was weird, even funny, to call oneself by this hitherto unknown nickname. They were talking calmly on the surface, but the fight had already begun.

    The Demon King, Orm, was using mental skills, which were negated by Ruphas¡¯ equipment that granted immunity to abnormal statuses. On the other hand, Orm resisted her Coercion skill by virtue of his level. Both sides were using powerful skills. If it were not Ruphas and Orm, the fight would have already ended. However, this was just child¡¯s y to both of them. Both sides understood that it would not be effective, treating it only as a simple greeting.

    However, the hero and hispanions, who were sandwiched between the two, were in a pathetic state. They were afflicted by Fear (attack power reduced) and forced to the ground by Coercion (movement disabled).

    ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t expect you to take action personally. Are you really that afraid of the hero?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool. There are only two people that I fear. One is the omniscient and omnipotent goddess. The other is the one before me, the star that brings death. Everyone else is merely dust.¡±

    ¡°So is this current situation beyond your expectation?¡±

    ¡°No. I expected this. I came here to meet you.¡±

    What a contradictory statement. He said he wanted to meet despite being afraid. Ruphas prompted him with her silence. Orm continued:

    ¡°Ah, let¡¯s be honest here. I was afraid of you. I wanted to avoid having a direct confrontation with you. I was frightened of fighting the star that brings death and the twelve stars that follow you as well as the heroes who gathered under your leadership. I feared, I was frightened. I thought of you day and night. I will not deny my cowardly nature. This is an undeniable truth after all.¡±

    ¡°Yet you show up so easily this time.¡±

    ¡°After you were gone, I finally noticed that you were the only being that existed outside the goddess¡¯ scenario. I realized you are an existence that the world could not afford to lose.¡±

    Ruphas narrowed her eyes at Orm¡¯s mysterious exnations. Her expression suggested that she did not know what he was trying to say. No, not just her. Sei and the rest also could not understand what the Demon King was saying.

    ¡°...What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to know? Then, use your full power and find out. Use simple violence, like you used to do two hundred years ago. Well, even if you refuse, I will still attack.¡±

    Crack. Orm cracked his finger joints. In response, Ruphas slowly clenched her fists.

    ¡ªAnd it began.

    Sei and hispanions felt it in their bodies, predicting the fight that was about to start.

    Here and now, it was starting. The fight between the Overlord and the Demon King did not happen two hundred years ago. This would be a top-notched duel that nobody had ever seen.

    ¡°¡ªHow fearless! Then, let me grant your wish!¡±

    ¡°¡ªLet me witness if the power of the star that brings death had dulled over the past two hundred years.¡±

    Bottom: Ruphas, Aigokeros, Aries, Karkinos.

    Bottom: Venus, Terra, Sei (Hero).

    An explosion.

    The air exploded above the heads of Sei and hispanions, but both of them were no longer there. This was a speed that the human eye could not follow. The two kings fought in the air over their heads at an unrecognizable speed, repeatedlying into contact and then separating. The battle was fought in the air.

    Moving at a speed that the others could not follow, the two people exchanged countless fists using the sky as their stage. Blows after blows, all of them were advanced skills with the power to kill. There was neither a feint nor a dirty trick. All of them were great skills that could kill in a hit.

    However, using such skills were as easy as breathing for both of them. They were fighting precisely because both of them were at the top of their games. Of course, they did not stop moving. In fact, they were in constant motion, flying around to each other¡¯s blind spot.

    Flying at a speed that could not be followed by an ordinary person, the two transcendent beings became shes of light that ignored thews of physics, turning at right angles, swirling, and testing out each other.

    They are like light...Sei thought.

    The crimson and ck lights were surreal, flying around in the air like the dogfight scenes of a robot anime. This was what reflected in his eyes.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    Ruphas seized an opening in Orm¡¯s punches and struck him. A roaring sound like the explosion from a cannon was heard. This should not have been the sound of two people fighting. But by the time the sound was heard, it was toote. Ruphas was already flying high into the stratosphere, overtaking Orm.

    This time, it was a kick. An explosive noise was heard once more and Orm crashed into the ground like a cannonball. At the same time, cracks stretched endlessly across the ground. As if it was an earthquake, the ground shook, copsed, and crumbled.

    Ruphas followed up and dived towards the ground. But at the same time, Orm flew up with a kick, sending Ruphas flying. Crashing through rocks, trees, and other things, Ruphas flew away from him. Immediately after, Ruphas, who was sent flying at an unknown speed, returned at an even more iprehensible speed with an attack directed at Orm.

    Orm struck with his fist once more. Ruphas jumped up to dodge the attack andnded behind Orm, striking with her elbow as if she was dancing. But it was ineffectual as Orm also struck out with his elbow to counter it. A roar resounded btedly, sending a shockwave that spread three hundred sixty degrees around. Furthermore, the ground caved in to form a huge crater with the two of them in the center, uprooting the nearby trees with a shockwave.

    The golems formed a wall around Sei and hispanions, while Cruz raised a defensive shield. Even the winds from the shockwave were deadly to them. The defensive barrier shook unreliably as Cruz¡¯s face distorted in frustration. Furthermore, some of the golems outside the barrier were reduced to dust.

    ¡°...As expected. This is the first time I experience a battle like this since the fight with the Seven Heroes two hundred years ago.¡±

    ¡°...Me too. You are indeed worthy of the title of Demon King.¡±

    Theyughed and slowly backed away while facing each other. To escape? No, it was for a running start. After increasing the distance, both of them kicked off explosively and charged forward.

    With a running start, their strikes were more intense than ever before, shaking everything and changing the terrain with the shockwave. But the two culprits were no longer there. Instead, the air detonated high up in the sky. At the same time, the sounds like roaring cannons were heard, sending out explosive shockwaves.

    All that remained were bted sounds and shockwaves. Sei and hispanions could only understand that a fight urred there earlier and that they almost died. This was the saddening result of their efforts.

    .

    Ruphas¡¯ kick sent Orm flying towards the sea. Several golems shattered in his trajectory, while the sea split in two. Orm disappeared into the far end of the sea. But the battle resumed in an instant.

    Explosion.

    A few golems that happened to be in the trajectory vanished as Orm fired his magic, which cleaved its way forward and swallowed Ruphas. In time, it left Mother Midgard and broke through the atmosphere, vanishing into the other side of space. Yet Ruphas, who was engulfed by it, stood there calmly.

    Explosion.

    Ruphas¡¯ knife-hand strike missed and ripped the earth all the way to the horizon. The wind pressure from Orm¡¯s missed fist parted the sea. However, only the two of them could see the effects of their own attacks. Other observers could only notice the residual effects of the collisions and the shockwaves. There was no one to be seen. Their existences could only be inferred from the sounds of collisions and shockwaves.

    Over and over, the sky exploded, the pathetic golems were destroyed, the trees uprooted, the ground caved in, and the sea was split apart.

    This was supernatural. This was the ultimate.

    It was abnormal. It was strange. It was an aberrant power.

    This was not something that ordinary people could understand. They could not follow the pacing of the battle to begin with. High-ranking skills were unleashed like the rain. It was impossible to tell exactly what skills they were even using.

    This was a battle between monsters. There was no other way to describe it. Ignoring the narrative of a heroic saga, thest boss A andst boss B just appeared arbitrarily and started fighting after acknowledging each other.

    This was beyond understanding. It seemed that nobody cared about Sei and hispanions, making them feel rather miserable.

    ¡°...What is that?¡±

    Alfie muttered with a pale face. Her teeth were chattering and her eyes were unfocused.

    ¡°...What? That...¡±

    This was what everyone present thought. There was no answer to the question, ¡°What is that?¡± That was beyond reason, beyond understanding. Itpletely ignored theirmon sense. Therefore, nobody could answer the question. There was no possible answer to such a question.

    ¡°This is hopeless, isn¡¯t it? ...That kind of...You say we are to defeat...How? ...It¡¯s impossible to win...That kind of monsters...Hey, right?¡±

    Sei looked and saw Alfie in tears. Alfie, who was strong and confident before the journey, was now a terrified little girl whose will had been broken. Yet who could possibly me her? Who could remain calm in the face of this ridiculous battle?

    ¡°Such...Against those two monsters...What are we supposed to do?!¡±

    As Alfie cried out in tears, the sky exploded once more. This was a battle at super-sonic speed. Both of them hadpressed their bodily sensation of time so that they could simultaneously attack and defend as if time itself had stopped.

    Of course, they did not actually use any skill (to stop time). If one could move fast enough to be in a state where time was infinitelypressed, it would be no different from having stopped time. The key would be to reach the level where one could move with full power as if time had stopped.

    The sound had already vanished. The two people continued to battle each other in a silent world where even time had been left behind.

    Dodge, being dodged; defend, being defended against; beat, being beaten; kicked, being kicked; shot, being shot.

    Absolute defense, defense pration; absolute uracy, absolute evasion; single attack, continuous attacks, chaotic attacks; damage increase, damage reduction.

    Divine magic, arcane magic; eleration, deceleration; attack reflection, skill pration; attack increase, defense increase, speed increase; attack decrease, defense decrease, speed decrease; buff, debuff; inflict stun, stun immunity.

    Every constant (passive), normal (major), and counter (reaction) skills that activated was invalidated, skills that prated were defended against, and skills that avoided were offset. Even so, they continued to make deadly attacks without being able tond a decisive blow.

    ¡°Hah¡ª!!¡±

    Ruphas twisted her body. With attack increase, defense pration, and all possible skills, she prepared for a single strike. Compared to the ridiculous cannon-like attacks so far, this was an even more ridiculous cannon-like attack. In the end, the cannon-like aspect was no different. It merely increased in power.

    ¡°Ugh¡ª!!¡±

    Orm also turned his body, putting all his power in his right fist. This was probably a full-powered attack on par with, or even higher than, Ruphas¡¯ skill. It would likely devastate the environment, but that was unimportant right now. The important thing was now, this moment of the battle.

    ¡ªCollision. Even time began to shudder.

    This was probably the most powerful attack released by two of the strongest in the world of this era. They collided with hesitation, undoubtedly shaking the entire world. At the same time, it released all the sounds and shockwaves that were contained in thepressed time.

    Distant forests shook violently, causing panic among the animals. The seas raged, while the living creatures all over the world felt vibrations in the air. The ground everywhere ruptured. Avnches happened on snowy mountains, while countless rocky hills copsed. The shockwaves caused windstorms. Typhoon-like winds ravaged the entire world. All the remaining golems were annihted while protecting the hero and hispanions.

    In a city that was shaking due to the earthquake, the vampires were agitated at the unknown cause. However, the girl who was their princess was unmoved. She sat gracefully on the throne, stirring the wine-ss containing fresh blood. Surrounding her were the corpses of magical beasts, which were minions of the eyesore lion sent for her head.

    ¡°...How enviable.¡±

    As if to announce that her rival was still alive and well, the world trembled in a wave of power. Although she was already certain, she could now feel the healthy state of her rival. At the same time, a surge of frustration came from her chest. Selfish jealousy burnt in her heart as if she had been abandoned by the other person who was ying with someone else.

    Joy and jealousy...She was like a foolish girl remembering her first love. Pondering this, Bnash nced through the window. Who was fighting her beloved and hated rival?

    ¡°How exciting.¡±

    In the wilderness, a single male muttered in a delightful voice. Surrounding him were the corpses of vampires. Vampires had a high level of immortality, yet these had been ravaged beyond their abilities to regenerate. The one responsible was the huge lion sitting on the throne in the center.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting hard...Are you trying to charm me? Ruphas.¡±

    His body was over one hundred fifty meters long, even bigger than Aries in his true form. His eyes were full of arrogance as if everyone else was merely prey. His muscr body had the flexibility of cats and the hardness of steel. His body hair was crimson red.

    The reddish ck, huge lion was currently drooling, desperately carving for the best prey in the world. The world shook. Feeling this waves of power was the ultimate seduction, stimting his fighting spirit.

    However, the desired opponent was not here. Oh, what a ughter it would be. This was frustrating enough to drive one crazy. Unable to sate his fighting spirit and beastly appetite, Leon the Lion King took pleasure in feeling the shockwaves of battle.

    This was no joke. Sei was shivering miserably from the shockwaves of the battle. It would be impossible to defeat these monsters. No, they were not monsters, but cmities. They were cmities in the shapes of people. Look, even the tiger had his ears frightfully lowered and his tail between his legs.

    The two of them, who had finished a collision somewhere else,nded on the ground and stood as if they had not moved before the battle started.

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Megrez: ¡°My golems...¡±

    <h4>¡ù Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    The text in the two colored images essentially say the two lines immediately above the images. Despite showing many other characters in the images, they aren¡¯t actually present in the scene. They show upter in the same volume (Vol.3) of the light novel.

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    <b>Alcor</b> (¥¢¥ë¥³¥ë) is the fainterpanion of Mizar, the two stars forming a naked-eye double in the handle of the Big Dipper asterism in the constetion of Ursa Major. The name Alcor came from Arabic, meaning ¡°forgotten or neglected one¡±. As mentioned before, the Seven Heroes are named after stars in the Big Dipper. This nickname essentially ces Ruphas as apanion (or forgotten member) of the Seven Heroes.

    <b>Orm</b> (¥ª¥ë¥à) is the Old Norse word for ¡°snake¡±, ¡°worm¡±, or ¡°dragon¡±.

    <b>Explosion</b>¡ª approves!

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 45

    Trantor: Hand of Va ? Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    Iron Fist, a skill that increased attack power.

    Prate Weak Spot, a skill that prated defenses.

    Revenge, a skill that increased power ording to damage received.

    Meteor Kick, a skill that removed flight status of its target and inflicted damage.

    Shine Blow, a skill with absolute uracy.

    sh, a skill with absolute evasion.

    Double Blow, a skill that attacked twice.

    Fourth Blow, a skill that attacked four times.

    X-Counter, a skill that negated physical attacks and countered with double damage.

    Sonic Fist, a skill that increased its number of attacks ording to ss and level.

    Smash, a skill that always inflicted a critical hit.

    Armor Break, a skill that inflicted a debuff to reduce defenses.

    Power Break, a skill that inflicted a debuff to reduce attack power.

    Speed Break, a skill that inflicted a debuff to reduce speed.

    Buster Impact, an exceptionally high-damage skill that could be used only once every twenty-four hours.

    , a high-speed movement skill.

    And various buffs and debuffs from divine magic, recovery divine magic, defensive shields, and more¡ªall these were used without reservations. If it was written like this, it would not be meaningful. Was this just an enumeration of the settings? I would have thought so too.

    Could you believe it? This was just a small portion of the skills I used to fight the Demon King. Well, I knew he was strong. After all, he defeated the Seven Heroes (actually only six since Bnash did not participate) who defeated me. More than anyone else, I was aware of his power, but now I finally felt it for real. Honestly, I wanted to apologize for calling him ¡°Demon King-san (LOL)¡±.

    ...Demon King-san was really strong, so (LOL) shouldn¡¯t be added.

    My HP was already reduced by . He should have lost a considerable amount of HP too, but since he was the officialst boss, his HP would exceed 1,000,000. My prediction ced him at around 3,000,000 to 6,000,000 HP. I did not think his HP would reach 10,000,000 though.

    Basically, what I wanted to say here was that the situation was rather bad. If the fight continued like this, I would lose. Although we seemed to be on par in battle, there was a difference in HP, so it would be impossible to win. In yer-versus-boss situations, it would only considered equal when the yer could .

    I could not catch up in terms of healing. Although divine magic was used for automatic healing, it would need some time for a full recovery. I should have brought a weapon at least...If I had a weapon, I could use Sword Master skills, so the situation would be somewhat better. Although I could create weapons with the materials from the surroundings, such dull weapons would be of little use. Anyway, he did not seem like an opponent that could be defeated with just anything.

    ¡°Hmm. As expected of Alcor. Even after two hundred years, you are still stronger than the hero Alioth. But are you holding back? Or maybe I¡¯m not worthy of you fighting seriously?¡±

    ¡°......?¡±

    ¡°Your strength is not merely of this degree. The overlord, who challenged the Seven Heroes, countless veterans, and hordes of golems and magical beasts two hundred years ago, should be stronger than this. The one I feared...Ruphas Mafahl should be more brilliant and strong enough to burn.¡±

    I pondered the Demon King¡¯s words and made an idiotic sound. Eh? What? No, my strength was the same as Alioth. However, some skills could not be used in battle within the game. The skills had to be to set for use beforehand and then only those skills could be used. There was no limit now, so I should be stronger instead.

    My total ability value was indeed higher than the Seven Heroes, but it was not that great a difference. I could notpete in the fields that were specialized by each of the Seven Heroes. As expected, it was impossible to match the Seven Heroes fighting as a team. If it was possible, I would not be a wildst boss, but the actualst boss instead.

    ¡°...Is this really your limit?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡±

    ¡°Impossible...What in the world...No, I see. Is that it? ...The goddess has the initiative.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know why, but the Demon King was visibly sullen and clicked his tongue. Could it be...that Ruphas was stronger and more dangerous before I possessed her? No, no. That kind of strength would not be possible by doping. Even if I yed the game tens of times longer than I did, it would be impossible to reach that level of power.

    ¡°I see. It seemed I was too impatient. It¡¯s not time yet.¡±

    ¡°You have been muttering to yourself for some time now. It seems you have reached a conclusion that I have not understood?¡±

    The Demon King muttered to himself and apparently reached a conclusion. Could he be very lonely? Soliloquies were known as a sign of loneliness.

    After I pointed it out, he turned to me as if finally noticing me.

    ¡°No, now is not the time for us to fight. There is no way to go beyond the goddess¡¯ scenario like this.¡±

    ¡°The goddess¡¯ scenario?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, this world moves ording to the goddess¡¯ scenario. The demons are no exceptions...or rather, they are the clowns that direct the scenario to its climax. After all, the goddess created them for this purpose.¡±

    Even though I did not defeat him, it seemed I was considered eptable. Despite having not determined the victor, the Demon King still provided some information. Didn¡¯t he say that I should find out by using my full power? Well, since he was already talking, I should just quietly listen.

    ¡°Why do you think that the demons attack and kill the humanoids?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it to expand their territory?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course, but that is only the apparent reason. The real reason is...they could not stop killing. It¡¯s like if you don¡¯t eat, you can¡¯t live. If you don¡¯t sleep, you won¡¯t be normal. These are instinctive desires. The demons are...defective creatures that would disappear if they do not kill people. After disappearing, their fragments would be left behind in the world, bing what you call mana.¡±

    This was a setting that I did not know. Indeed, the game did not exin why mana existed in the world. I didn¡¯t think too much about it, simply assuming that it was a given for a fantasy setting.

    ¡°The fundamentals of arcane magic is to recycle their corpses. Without demons, it would be impossible for you and your kind to use such a convenient thing like arcane magic. Yet because of them, the futile killings would continue on. The goddess created the demons for this reason and left the management responsibilities to me.¡±

    ¡°...Management? How are you different from them?¡±

    I felt there was something strange in the Demon King¡¯s words. Whenever he mentioned the demons, he always used the word ¡°them¡± without including himself. This seemed to imply that he himself was not a demon.

    I pondered this and as I was about to ask a question, someone among the hero¡¯s party interrupted, ¡°Please wait!¡±

    This must be the elf-niisan who summoned me. He shouted at the Demon King with a face full of frustrations.

    ¡°Wha¡ªWhat was that about!? It sounded like the goddess wanted the world to be in despair! The goddess...You are saying that Alovenus, the goddess ofpassion, wish for massacres!?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, weaklings. The goddess did not want the world to be saved. That was why the war happened two hundred years ago.¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    ¡°Consider it carefully. Isn¡¯t it strange? Isn¡¯t it unnatural? It was true that people were afraid of Ruphas Mafahl back then...but there was no need to defeat her before we even fought...It should happen after her battle with the demons instead. The ideal scenario should be to let Ruphas defeat me first, then take the opening to bring her down after that. Yet the Seven Heroes rebelled and sealed Ruphas away without waiting for the right time.

    ...Now, isn¡¯t that suspicious? Even the Wisdom King, Megrez, made such a short-sighted decision as if he never even considered the future. Even a child would know if that was a good or bad time to dispose of Ruphas. Yet the Seven Heroes stopped thinking and simply challenged her.

    Well, since Bnash was already hostile to Ruphas and was aiming for her neck, she would probably do something so silly. But excluding her, weren¡¯t the actions of the remaining six people too unnatural?¡±

    I was speechless with regards to the Demon King¡¯s question. The elf-niisan appeared likewise. Nobody could refute it. It was indeed very unnatural. I did not know how tyrannical ¡°Ruphas¡± was, but she was ultimately still an ally of the humanoids. ording to the books, even though she had a reign of terror, her rule was by no means evil.

    Even if she was to be ousted sooner orter, it would be better to let her defeat the demons first. Or rather, there would be fewer sacrifices if they waited for her to weaken after defeating the Demon King. Instead, the heroes attacked ¡°Ruphas¡± while she was in perfect condition, losing many veterans in the battle between humanoids and thenmenting if they had made a mistake in the aftermath.

    What a stupid story.

    ¡°Alcor, you probably reached the truth earlier than anyone else. That¡¯s the reason you unified the world and sought to exterminate the demons, even though nobody would really benefit from it. It¡¯s all to forcibly end the goddess¡¯ scenario.¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°X-Gate! !!¡±

    A gate, emitting golden light, suddenly appeared in the space next to the Demon King. The surprise attack came so suddenly that even the Demon King could not react in time and was dramatically blown away. As if to follow up on the attack, a golem in a maid costume flew through the gate.

    ¡°Program selection! Zubenelgenubi!¡±

    Libra sted the Demon King who had been blown away. The light, wrapped in purple lightning, surged forth in a straight line into the ground, resulting in an explosion of mes. Libra came over to my side, grabbed my waist, and activated Sky Jet.

    ¡°He¡ªHey, Libra?¡±

    ¡°Master, I propose: Withdrawing from the battlefield is the best option now. Now is not the best time to fight the Demon King.¡±

    ¡°No, wait a minute. We are having a very important...¡±

    ¡°Withdraw!¡±

    ¡°...conversation!?¡±

    Ignoring my words, Libra flew off without permission.

    Was she really loyal to me? She even ignored mymands.

    Meanwhile, the Demon King, who was rtively unhurt, returned hurriedly, but Tanaka suddenly crashed into him from the side. Then, Tanaka made a U-turn and went through the X-Gate.

    Hey, Dina. You even brought Tanaka along? Its level is low. What would you do if it was destroyed in one hit?

    ¡°Descend, Libra. The hero is still down there.¡±

    ¡°No problem. I don¡¯t know why Master is so concerned with them, but the Demon King is obviously after Master. If we withdraw, he won¡¯t do anything to those rats.¡±

    ¡°...You heard our conversation? We should be beyond your range of detection.¡±

    ¡°Dina-sama opened a small gate, so we have been eavesdropping on the entire conversation.¡±

    Oh, so it was like that. That fellow, Dina, was eavesdropping all along. Since I couldn¡¯t win, she dashed in to help and then brilliantly escaped. She acted at that time probably because the Demon King was fully concentrating on our conversation and had lots of openings. If it was during the battle, she might hit me instead in the worst scenario.

    Even so, he was saying something fairly important. He was about to borate on some unknown settings or past events. Furthermore, it seemed the goals of my previous self was different from what I knew about her settings. If possible, I would like to listen to the end.

    Anyway, Alovenus huh? If I thought about it, she was a mysterious existence to me. She was the goddess ofpassion who created the world of X-Gate. In the online version, she was the incarnation of the administrators.

    Furthermore, she was probably responsible for bringing me here. In reality, myst memory over there was to answer ¡°Yes¡± to Alovenus¡¯ question. That could not have been unrted. Yet despite being the goddess ofpassion, she created demons. If the Demon King was telling the truth, she would have intentionally created the enemy of all humanoids. If this was a game, it could be exined away as a plot device, but reality itself was different. What were the merits of doing such a thing? She would not be a goddess ofpassion, but an evil deity.

    Moreover, if mana was the corpses of demons, it would mean that more than half of the humanoids were evolved from demons...Elves, beastkins, dwarves, hobbits, and vampires. These five races had evolved from humans due to mana. If this was true, fl¨¹gels would be an exception. This was because we were ipatible with mana. In other words, fl¨¹gels originated from humans without any rtion to mana...The theory of being the descendants of angels just became more credible.

    Furthermore, the changes in wing colors were due to mana...Eh? Wasn¡¯t this mutation into a magical beast? This implied that I, with my ck wings, had evolved into a different race? ...When I visited Svalinn where fl¨¹gels would usually avoid, I did not feel any resistance at all. In fact, it was ratherfortable...Could it be I, Ruphas, was not a fl¨¹gel...?

    ?

    ¡°...So it was you who did it.¡±

    Orm got up from the ground and muttered in a bored voice. He was not talking to himself. He turned and walked towards the girl who was smiling slightly...Dina. Despite facing the wrath of the Demon King, she did not flinch.

    ¡°Speak. A barrier is in ce here. That golem will not hear us. Of course, the hero is outside the barrier too.¡±

    ¡°Hehe...As expected of Your Excellency. There is nothing that you overlooked.¡±

    ¡°Get to the point. What was that supposed to be? Venus...No, Dina.¡±

    Hearing Orm¡¯s words, Dinaughed lightly. She narrowed her eyes, pursed her lips, and said elusively.

    ¡°That was, of course, an act to gain trust. After all, there was a doll monitoring me.¡±

    ¡°And so you made an unreserved attack?¡±

    ¡°Oh, but an attack like that was nothing to Your Excellency. This is my trust in Your Excellency¡¯s abilities.¡±

    ¡°What a smooth talker.¡±

    Orm snorted andughed. He faced Dina and asked in a serious tone:

    ¡°Alcor...Ruphas Mafahl has weakened. You know, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°I think this should not be your doing, right?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way I could pull that off. Only the omnipotent goddess could do that.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    Dinaughed and came closer to Orm, whispering into his ear:

    ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡±

    ¡°...I see. So there was this too. Then, I will start preparing for the attack.¡±

    ¡°She would be stopping by for a while. I pray for Your Excellency¡¯s good luck in battles.¡±

    ¡°What a strange thing to say. Who exactly are you praying to?¡±

    Dina did not answer Orm¡¯s question. She merely passed by him silently. At that moment, a gust of wind blew. After the wind subsided...all that was left behind were the dumbfounded hero and hispanions.

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes: A Completely Irrelevant Matter</h4>

    In the early stage of the plot, the Twelve Heavenly Stars were named ¡°Royal Way Twelve Stars¡± (ÍõµÀÊ®¶þÐÇ), but since it was not forceful enough, it was renamed as ¡°Tyrannical Way Twelve Stars¡± (Ò†µÀÊ®¶þÐÇ). This was the history behind the name. It would be wonderful to name it ¡°Imperial Way Twelve Stars¡± (»ÊµÀÊ®¶þÐÇ). I somewhat regretted not doing that.

    <h4>¡ù Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    This is in reference to the author¡¯s notes above.

    In Confucianism, the Royal Way (ÍõµÀ) is a form of governance based on righteousness andpassion. It is opposed by the Tyrannical Way (Ò†µÀ), which uses military power and authority to oppress themon people.

    On an unrted note, the Imperial Way (»ÊµÀ) could be a reference to the Imperial Way Faction, which was a political faction in the Imperial Japanese Army that sought to establish a totalitarian, expansionistic, military government.

    The author isn¡¯t particrly consistent in naming the group. In , they were referred to as £±£²ÐÇÌì, which Shurim tranted as ¡°Twelve Heavenly Stars¡±. I will continue to use the term (¡°Twelve Heavenly Stars¡±) for consistency¡¯s sake.

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    sh Step (Ë²ši) uses exactly the same name as the skill in Bleach manga/anime.

    Ruphas has 335,000 HP in . After consuming the orc meat, her HP rose to 336,100 in . So 50,000 points of damage reduced her HP by 14.9%.

    Essentially, because the boss has so much HP, the yer needs to be overwhelming in order to even the odds and equalize the situation.

    Evening Star (Ïü¤ÎÃ÷ÐÇ) is the name for the Venus as it appears visible to the naked eye in the evening. When it appears in the morning, it is called Morning Star or Dawn Star (Ã÷¤±¤ÎÃ÷ÐÇ), which is the name of the other skill used by Dina in .

    Blutgang (¥Ö¥ë©`¥È¥¬¥ó¥°) is the sword of H¨¢ma (also called Heime), which broke in his duel with Theodoric. In this novel, Blutgang is the city founded by Mizar, the Smith King. Like other cities such as Svalinn and L?vateinn, it is named after a weapon in Norse mythology.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 46

    Trantor: Hand of Va ? Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    After the fight with the Demon King, Libra and I returned to our original location and pondered the Demon King¡¯s words inside the car. It seemed there was a significant difference between this world and the game. Unknown settings appeared one after another. There was even a theory that the goddess was a viin. It was unbelievable.

    However, if one thought about it, this world was rather strange in many ways. This was reality. I was not having a very realistic dream. There would be a limit to a dream¡¯s realism, so this world most definitely existed. Yet this world was strangely influenced by the game, such as status and level being expressed in numerical values.

    These could not have been natural phenomena. Such game elements must have been intentionally added by the goddess. Yet this begged the question: Where did these idease from? Unless the goddess herself knew about the game and created the world in its likeness, the situation could not be otherwise exined.

    So this game existed in the past. After an epic story unfolded, it ended with ¡°This is just a program in the game world.¡± Yet another virtual world had developed into one where programs lived and monsters evolved. If this was such a world, then...no, impossible.

    In that case, it was impossible to exin the difference of this world from X-Gate Online. If this was the virtual world of X-Gate Online, there would not be a time skip of two hundred years. This was because time did not pass within the game. It would be the same during the morning, afternoon, or night. Months and years did not pass.

    When I started ying the game, it was Midgard Year 2800. Six yearster, it was still Midgard Year 2800 and not 2806. The same year repeated itself indefinitely, just like the world of . However, it was clearly different from the world that I was currently in. Therefore, the hypothesis could not be established.

    ...No. I still could not understand. There was not enough information. I should have listened to what the Demon King had to say after all. I was so close to getting to the core of this world.

    ¡°Look, Ruphas-sama. It¡¯s !¡±

    Hearing Dina, I was brought back to reality. Looking out the window, there was a towering mountain with a forest at its foot. It seemed we safely arrived at the location of another member of the Twelve Stars.

    Although I was still concerned about what the Demon King said about the world, I could not make sense of it no matter how hard I thought. I guessed I should leave it for the time being. I needed to resolve the problem before me.

    Still, this was Parthenos of the Maiden. Dina said that she was alive and well, but was this true? It wasn¡¯t that I doubted her, but it was rather impossible for her to be alive after two hundred years. This was because her race was human.

    Previously, I mentioned a tamer could capture an enemy, be it magical beast or human. This was nothing unusual. In most RPGs, humans, such as XX Soldier or XX Priest, generally appeared as monsters.

    In the , there was a cruel skill called ¡°Eat¡±, which consumed the target to recover one¡¯s HP. There were cases where yers used it on human soldiers. It was horrifying when the main heroine charged towards the human soldiers and was followed by crunching sound effects of her eating.

    It was essentially the same thing. Parthenos was originally a human bearing the title of ¡°Maiden Who Serves the Goddess¡± and was treated as a mob. She appeared in a team with other mobs in a high difficulty dungeon that could only be challenged by Level 1000 yers. She would annoyingly provide healing and support from the rear.

    As an ally, that support would be very useful. I wanted one too, so I captured her. Although I trained her to some degree, herbat power was fairly weak. After all, she wasn¡¯t meant to fight, but to provide healing and support.

    Although she came from a high difficulty dungeon, she was only like an ordinary Level 800 yer. In a normal fight, she was definitely the weakest of the Twelve Heavenly Stars. But it was fine for her to be weak. She had a vast amount of SP and very high Intelligence and Mind statuses. She could set up shields and heal from the rear. This alone was already very helpful. Trading blows in the frontline was Leon¡¯s job...Well, I still had not recruited him yet.

    Back on topic. Anyway, Parthenos was human, so her lifespan should be short. Even if she survived after two hundred years...well, it was impossible, considering her lifespan. But if she was still alive, she must be very old. I did not think she could endure the hardship of traveling. If I was right, she must be an (elderly) maiden.

    For now, we should put an end to the upation. It was fine even if she could not travel with us. For rearguard, Dina was enough...Otherwise, she might die just from walking.

    ?

    As we approached the forest, there was indeed a barrier thatpletely covered it. We did not encounter any enemy, so we reached the center easily. Hmm. It seemed after so long, she was still on our side. In that case, we should not be ambushed here. We were probably recognized as allies.

    As I walked through the forest, I realized this ce could truly be called a ¡°sanctuary¡±. Sunlight shone through the gaps between the trees, while animals ran about freely and fearlessly. There were many animals resembling squirrels and rabbits, further strengthening this atmosphere.

    Libra did not seem to have any particr emotion, but for a sheep like Aries, this must be a cozy ce. As for Aigokeros...He was too out of ce, like a violent mismatch with the surroundings. It was too surreal for a goat-headed to be in a forest where small animals yed. Well, it was actually the same for Aries who was over a hundred meters long. But he was a fancy rainbow sheep that just looked big, so it was marginally safe.

    After walking for a while, we came to a cabin in the forest. Did Parthenos live here? This region was unapproachable because of Parthenos. Thus, there should be nobody else living here. I stood before the door and knocked lightly.

    ¡°...! Eh? A knock?! Im¡ªImpossible! Why?!¡±

    The sound of a young girl, who was shocked to her core, was heard from within the cabin. On the other side, I was really surprised too. I was certain that an old woman would answer, not a young girl. Perhaps it was Parthenos after all...Maybe she discovered the art of youthful rejuvenation.

    After waiting for a while, the door opened gingerly. A young girl¡¯s face appeared in the opening. She was a cute girl with big bright eyes. Her hair was light pink. She was about fifteen years old. But...this child was not Parthenos. As I recalled, Parthenos¡¯ hair was green, not pink. Was it dyed?

    As I thought about this, Aigokeros put his hand in the gap of the slightly opened door and forcefully opened it. Then, he reverted to his demonic form for some reasons and stood before the girl with his arms crossed.

    ¡°Young woman. You are being rude before our greatdy...¡±

    ¡°Fool. You are the rude one.¡±

    I grabbed the foolish head of Aigokeros and tossed him aside with my arm strength. What should I do now? This was a really bad first impression. Frightened by the demon that suddenly appeared, she backed off quickly. Fear was evident on her face as she stiffened in surprise. A pair of white wings trembled on her back.

    ......

    ...Wings?

    Eh? This girl was a fl¨¹gel?

    Then she definitely could not be Parthenos. Parthenos was a human, so she should not have wings. Seriously, who was this child?

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. My subordinate was rude. I¡¯m not a suspicious person...probably. I do not intend to hurt you. I¡¯m here to look for an acquaintance. Girl, do you know someone named Parthenos?¡±

    ¡°...Eh? Do you happen to know granny?¡±

    Granny, was it? Then, there were two possibilities regarding this girl¡¯s identity.

    The first possibility was that she was of Parthenos¡¯ bloodline. It was possible to have a half-breed between humans and fl¨¹gels. Parthenos might have found a fl¨¹gel husband and had a child, who in turn had a child. But if this was the case, where was Parthenos¡¯ husband?

    The second possibility was that she was adopted. For some reasons, Parthenos picked up this fl¨¹gel girl and raised her. For now, I should just check her status. If I could confirm her race, it would be easy to determine which possibility was correct.

    <b></b>

    Level: 320

    Race: Fl¨¹gel

    ss: Acolyte 100, Priest 200, Bard 20

    HP: 21,000

    SP: 3,301

    STR (Strength): 1,200

    DEX (Dexterity): 990

    VIT (Vitality): 1,390

    INT (Intelligence): 1,800

    AGI (Agility): 1,270

    MND (Mind): 3,102

    LUK (Luck): 1,505

    ...She was her adopted granddaughter. There was no ¡°half¡± prefix before her race, so there was no blood rtion. Her level was quite high by the current standard. Perhaps she was trained by Parthenos.

    ¡°Oh, those ck wings...Are you the Ruphas-san that granny talked about?¡±

    ¡°Yes. My full name is Ruphas Mafahl. Behind me are Aries and Libra of the Twelve Heavenly Stars. The idiot rolling over there is Aigokeros. The one with blue hair is Dina.¡±

    When I introduced them, Libra, Aries, and Dina bowed politely. And the young girl returned the bow ordingly. Hmm. What a nice, polite girl.

    ...Was I the most impolite person here, by any chance? I couldn¡¯t use honorifics even if I wanted to. The words always came out in a pressuring tone.

    ¡°Um, just call me Virgo. Granny would be very happy to know that Ruphas-san is here. If you don¡¯t mind, can you go over to granny¡¯s ce?¡±

    ¡°Is that okay? That would be a great help.¡±

    She was not wary of us. What a straightforward child. My face rxed unconsciously. Maybe she was not so vignt because of the barrier. As I thought this, Dina pulled on the hem of my clothes.

    ¡°Hmm? What is it, Dina?¡±

    ¡°Ruphas-sama, this is bad. That girl¡¯s character somewhat oveps with mine.¡±

    ¡°...Really?¡±

    ¡°As it is, my personality will be thinner and less noticeable.¡±

    ¡°It was already like that from the start.¡±

    Talking about a topic like that with such a serious expression, was she an idiot? I ignored the traumatized Dina and followed behind the girl who was leading the way. After that, Libra and Aries followed behind. Aigokeros, who had literally filled his belly with grass, returned to my shadow.

    ...It seemed this guy really is a goat. Aries, don¡¯t look so jealous. I will give you the cornter.

    After walking for tens of minutes, the girl led us to an opening in the forest. Light shone down as if to avoid the trees, adding to the fantastic atmosphere of the forest.

    And in the center was a tombstone made of marble.

    ...The stone was engraved with the name: Parthenos.

    ¡°This is granny.¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    ¡°Granny fervently believed in the resurrection of Ruphas-san and lived on with that in mind. Butst year, she choked while eating a fruit, then...¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    I stared at Dina silently. She turned her gaze away to look at the sky, breaking out in cold sweat.

    Hey, what is this...Parthenos, you are dead?!

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes: About Half-Breeds</h4>

    <b>Q. How does a half-fl¨¹gel, half-human look like?</b>

    A. If the human bloodline is strong, he would be almost like a human. If the fl¨¹gel bloodline is strong, then he would be almost like a fl¨¹gel. Lifespan depends on the bloodline, but it would be about half that of a fl¨¹gel. Unlike pure-blood fl¨¹gels, they do not care much about the color of their wings.

    <b>Q. What about a half-beastkin?</b>

    A. He would be like a human with the ears or tail of a beast. (A pure-blood beastkin is basically a bipedal beast, like the Sword Saint.) However, the possibility of bing a pretty girl with cat ears, rabbit ears, or dog ears is low. If things don¡¯t go well, you end up withndmines like an uncle with cat ears or rabbit ears. In the first ce, there are very few half-beastkins, since only rarely would a human want to have a child with a bipedal beast.

    <b>Q. Orc?</b>

    A. No generations apart, an orc will be a 100% orc. He would not look like his mother¡¯s race. It¡¯s strange, but no half-orc is ever born. Despite issuing forth from a human womb, the child would be a 100% orc. The meaning thereof has puzzled the biologists of Midgard.

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    Sazae-san (¥µ¥¶¥¨¤µ¤ó) is an early manga series that was adapted into the longest running animated TV series in the world (Guinness World Record, 2013). The manga ran for twenty-eight years, but the characters never aged. Sazae was always 27 years old.

    Vanaheimr (¥ô¥¡¥Ê¥Ø¥¤¥à) was first mentioned in . For those who had forgotten, it is the world of the Vanir, the deities of fertility and wisdom, in Norse mythology. In this novel, it is the original home of the fl¨¹gels. Parthenos upied the ce, forcing the fl¨¹gels to relocate to Gjarhorn.

    This could be a reference to Dragon Quest VIII...not too sure, since the author tends to be somewhat obscure about his references.

    Demon Lord (¥Ç©`¥â¥ó¥í©`¥É)...Back in , Aigokeros¡¯ race was specifically mentioned as lord demon (¥í©`¥É?¥Ç©`¥â¥ó). I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a mistake or if the author just changed his mind about his race name.

    Virgo (¥¦¥£¥ë¥´) is one of the constetions of the zodiac, lying between Leo and Libra. It is the secondrgest constetion in the sky, easily located by its brightest star, Spica.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 47

    Trantor: Hand of Va ? Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    ¡°So what does this mean, Dina? Back then, I¡¯m sure you said that the Twelve Heavenly Stars are alive and well, but...¡±

    ¡°Uh, uh...ah, that. Because the barrier was maintained, I guessed that Parthenos was still alive. Or rather, why does the barrier still exist even though Parthenos is no longer here?¡±

    In response to my queries, Dina made ufortable excuses and raised questions about the existing barrier. It might seem like excuses, but her question was actually justified. Alioth¡¯s barrier was the type that was triggered by his own death. However, this barrier was the duration type which would disappear after some time. It was really strange for it to persist after one year. I thought it might be possible at a high level, but Dina¡¯s reactions seemed to indicate otherwise. In that case, the question was why the barrier remained.

    ¡°About that...After her death, Granny stayed in this world out of grudge. She is currently a vengeful spirit wandering somewhere in the forest.¡±

    ¡°So the Maiden actually...¡±

    After two hundred years, Parthenos was bing ridiculous...This was not Parthenos of the Maiden, but Parthenos of the Evil Spirit.

    ¡°Oh, hmm. I understand the current situation.¡±

    Basically, it was Dina¡¯s misunderstanding that the Twelve Heavenly Stars were all alive and well. This was caused by the remaining barrier, which led Dina to believe that Parthenos was alive. But the truth was that Parthenos died and the barrier was maintained by her grudge. I could not me her for the insufficient research. Nobody could have expected reality to be so cruel.

    ¡°For the time being, I¡¯ll let it pass by meeting her first.¡±

    It was pitiful and unbearable for someone with the title of ¡°the Maiden¡± to abandon her body and be an evil spirit. Honestly, I was happy that she was so loyal to me (Ruphas), but I felt sorry for her too. It would be necessary for me to liberate her.

    ¡°Virgo, right? Do you know where Pathenos¡¯ spirit is?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t...but she should be somewhere nearby.¡±

    In response, Virgo shook her head. Since the barrier existed, she must be nearby. However, it was difficult to grasp a spiritual entity, so even her granddaughter Virgo did not know her exact location.

    ¡°So how do you know that she has be a ghost?¡±

    ¡°Oh, about that. I saw granny when she asionally came out to maintain the barrier.¡±

    Virgo replied in a straightforward manner to most of Aries¡¯ questions. The two of them kept chattering on about various things.

    Dina was muttering and sighing that her role was being ovepped, but it seemed to me like the one that Virgo ovepped was Aries. Aries¡¯ use of formalnguage was superior...Actually, he only used formalnguage with me, so this would be how he would ordinarily speak. Virgo was certainty not like Dina who was fixated on using formal speech at every situation.

    ¡°So why don¡¯t we just wait for the barrier to weaken?¡±

    ¡°The maintenance was done a while ago, so I don¡¯t think she woulde out soon.¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    I simply thought we could wait it out, but ording to Virgo, this n was bad and likely to fail. The barrier was recently reset, so she wouldn¡¯t appear for the time being. She would probably appear if we were to wait for a few months, but it would be very troublesome...Well, we were not in a hurry, so maybe it would be good to wait patiently. As I was drawing this conclusion, I sensed Aigokeros raising his magical power and quickly turned around.

    ¡°In that case, we just have to break the barrier. Leave it to me!¡±

    ¡°Eh? Wai¡ªAigokeros?¡±

    ¡°Please be at ease, my master! Let me destroy this barrier and drag Parthenos out!¡±

    ¡°No, wai¡ª¡±

    ¡°Invisible Break!¡±

    Ignoring my words, Aigokeros the idiot activated his magic. This was the advanced Moon-attribute magic¡ªInvisible Break, which was a kind of cancetion magic that removed duration-based magic. If there was defensive and support magic, there would also be magic that could nullify them. This was the role of Aigokeros among the Twelve Heavenly Stars, canceling the support magic of the opponents. This was something I treasured a lot.

    However, I did not say that he could use it now.

    The sound of ss shattering echoed through the forest. At the same time, I could feel the protection of the forest vanishing. He just had to do it, this stupid goat. Among the Twelve Heavenly Stars, he was the one who never listened to what other people were saying. I could understand that he was revved up for the first time in a while, but this was too aggressive. What if Parthenos mistook it for an enemy?

    ¡°How is it, my master?¡±

    ¡°I understand you are an overly anxious idiot, but think before you act next time.¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    I nced around the forest and lightly reprimanded the goat who was looking at me in self-satisfaction. Aigokeros looked as if he was depressed, but I couldn¡¯t care less. Since I was here, I didn¡¯t think Parthenos would consider us to be enemies.

    ¡°......¡±

    I crossed my arms and silently waited a few minutes for Parthenos to appear. Since it became like this, there was no choice but for her to appear and repair the barrier. The problem was that she might consider us as enemies for breaking the barrier and attack us. She should know me, but since she was now a vengeful spirit, she might have forgotten me in the worst case scenario.

    But a vengeful spirit? I should not believe in something so ult, but I still epted it readily. Well, after I have experienced so many bizarre things, I could not be surprised with something like a ghost. I merely felt: ¡°Oh, so ghosts really exist.¡± As such, I was confident that I would not be surprised even if a zombie or ghost appeared before me. I was getting so ustomed to strange things that I was feeling numb.

    But as we waited, nobody showed up. Time continued to pass.

    ¡°...She¡¯s noting.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯sing.¡±

    Dina, who was beside me, was strangely in tune with my muttering. I thought she would appear immediately, but I was disappointed. Had she already pass on? Or did she maintain the barrier at fixed intervals and sleep the rest of the time?

    After that, we continued waiting for Parthenos to appear, but she never did in the end.

    ...Seriously, what should we do now?

    ?

    ¡°Hero, I¡¯m sorry for thest time. We intended for the preparations to be thorough, but it seemed we were too naive.¡±

    Because of the unusual encounter in which Ruphas and the Demon King fought, the hero and hispanions returned to the kingdom of swords, L?vateinn.

    Some people said they were lousy. Sei wanted to shout and tell them to face Ruphas and the Demon King themselves. This was impossible. Even if they gathered hundreds or thousands of people, they could not win.

    The king said they were too naive, but it did not change Sei¡¯s thoughts. Indeed, they were too naive. If the elites were assembled...If enough people were gathered...If weapons were collected...It was aplete mistake to think that such petty tricks would be enough to deal with the opponent.

    It was impossible to understand...The terror and hopelessness could not be understood by someone who did not witness that battle. One of hispanions, Alfie, was so terrified that she refused to join the party anymore. But Sei could not me her. Even he himself wanted to escape back to Japan if it was possible...

    ¡°Alfie¡¯s departure is regrettable. However, be at ease. I have already prepared someone even more elite than her.¡±

    The king spread his arms and introduced the people who were waiting at the side.

    ¡°First, the one with the fearsome nickname ¡®Oni¡¯, the one recognized as the strongest mercenary, Alfie¡¯s father, Gants!¡±

    At the king¡¯s pronouncement, a bald middle-aged man came forward. A huge battle axe, about the size of a person, was on his back, while a sword hung at his waist. His brand new armor looked mismatched, but it was probably given to him by the king. Looking at his face, Sei inevitably thought that he did not look like his daughter at all. Genes were truly mysterious.

    ¡°Second, the party that cleared the ck-Winged Royal Tomb, the adventurers who recovered the treasures therein, Hawkeye! Please, !¡±

    ¡°We ept your royalmand, Your Majesty! Leave the hero to us!¡±

    The reply was so full of confidence that it seemed rude. The man waspletely dressed like an adventurer. He had brown hair that stood on ends and sharp eyes that seemed to shine. His presence and attitude seemed to suggest that there was nothing to be afraid of. It made one think that he would charge at an enemy even if there was a huge difference in their abilities. Three more people stood behind Jean and nodded confidently at his words.

    ¡°And then...I thought it was wrong. The young people who bear the future and the youth from another world are being forced into battle, yet I myself stays in safety on the throne...Yes, this is a self-evident truth. How can the world be saved if oneself is unwilling to plunge into the fire?¡±

    Everyone present was shocked at the king¡¯s self-reproach. Sei had a bad feeling about this, as if the king was about to say something outrageous. The premonition was true as the king shouted something crazy.

    ¡°I shall apany the hero! Let¡¯s save the world together!¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty¡ª!?¡±

    The king rose from his throne and made an idiotic deration. His aides shouted with expressions like it was the end of the world. But the king continued his speech as if he did not care.

    ¡°I may be an old man now, but I too fought in the frontline when I was young! I will not regret my way of life! I shall also be the cornerstone for the future of my subjects! What descendant of the Sword King would not step forward to face death? Soldiers, bring me my sword! Witness the sword skills of Alioth VI, the one with the Sword King¡¯s bloodline!¡±

    ¡°The king is mad! Stop him!¡±

    ¡°What are you people doing¡ª!?¡±

    At Cruz¡¯smand, the soldiers moved in unison and took hold of the king. The king brandished his arms in a way unexpected of an old man and threw a thousand blows as if he was in a great battle. However, the number of enemies was too great and he was unceremoniously dragged away.

    Eh, was this really okay? Wasn¡¯t this treason? The others did not seem to think so.

    ¡°...Is this really okay?¡±

    ¡°No problem. That¡¯s the king¡¯s illness.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t that a treason?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s always like this. His Majesty is not someone who would be bothered by such things. Although if it was not Friedrich-dono, the person would have been thrown into prison.¡±

    ¡°...Isn¡¯t it necessary for the king to look dignified and majestic?¡±

    ¡°...I have already given up on that.¡±

    Apparently, Cruz was having a hard time with the king. Incidentally, he was the king¡¯s adviser. Well, it must be really troublesome with this king. Was the muscle-brained king even ying his political role properly?

    Still, Sei looked at his travelpanions again.

    Sword Saint, Friedrich.

    An Amazon who served as the vice-captain (real name unknown).

    A rearguard specialist, Cruz.

    A mercenary, Gants.

    An adventurer, Jean.

    Ricardo, Nick, and Shu, also from Hawkeye.

    And himself.

    ¡°......¡±

    ¡ªWhat was with this needlessly thick-headed group...?

    Sei was feeling very sad for some reason.

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Female knights, mercenaries, beautiful elves, and beastkin. This should be the temte for a male hero¡¯s party.

    Sei: I want to go home already...

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    Jean, leader of the party Hawkeye, was Level 38 in . Inparison, the supporting rangers were Level 50, while Alfie was Level 72 in .

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 48

    Trantor: Hand of Va ? Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    Since then, we waited overnight. In the end, the spirit of Parthenos did not appear to us. I wondered if she had already passed on to the afterlife. I didn¡¯t really know if the afterlife existed, but since this was a different world with magic, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for an underworld to exist. After all, there was a goddess in this world. Ghosts and vengeful spirits also existed in the game as monsters, so it felt like heaven and hell probably existed as well. After all, Aigokeros was born in hell.

    However, this was troubling. With Parthenos dead, it would now be Eleven Heavenly Stars instead of Twelve Heavenly Stars. I did not intend to recruit Parthenos in her ghostly state, so the position of the Maiden would definitely be left vacant. After all, she did rather well so far, so she should get some rest.

    But should I look for the next Maiden or just leave them as Eleven Heavenly Stars? Dina was asserting and pointing to herself for some reasons, but I ignored her and made my way back. Should I tame a humanoid monster and train her from scratch? Or perhaps create a golem? Either way, she would not be like her predecessor.

    ¡°It seems Parthenos is no longer here. In that case, there is no reason to stay here any longer. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    I announced my intention to leave the forest. Dina and the others nodded in agreement. I would like to meet her at least once, but if we stayed too long, it would just inconvenience Virgo. If Parthenos had already departed for the afterlife, I wondered if she would be angry with Aigokeros for breaking the barrier. I hoped we coulde back at ater date.

    Unlike Svalinn which was invaded and Gjarhorn which was on the verge of civil war, there was no reason to rush here. I felt sorry for the fl¨¹gels who were exiled, but this issue could wait.

    ¡°Oh, but is it okay?¡±

    ¡°What is it, Aries?¡±

    ¡°This is Ruphas-sama¡¯s hometown, right? You told me before that your mother¡¯s grave is in the country on the mountain.¡±

    I stiffened at Aries¡¯ words and stared at the mountain. Mother, huh...By the way, there was a memory of mother in the . Ruphas hated her father and was hated by him, but her rtionship with her mother seemed to be good. Or rather, she wanted to destroy the irrationality of the world for her mother¡¯s sake. A grave would imply she was already dead. This might have unexpectedly influenced Ruphas¡¯ behavior.

    ¡°My memory recorded that master would visit the ce annually and devote prayers to her deceased mother two hundred years ago. Since we havee this far, why not visit your mother¡¯s grave for the first time in a while?¡±

    Hmm. Libra¡¯s exnation implied that their rtionship wasn¡¯t merely good, but that she was a considerable weight in Ruphas¡¯ heart. For me, it was just the grave of a stranger. But I was Ruphas now, so this was notpletely unrted to me.

    ¡°...That¡¯s right. Since this ce was sealed for two hundred years, the grave must have been neglected for some time. It¡¯s not a bad idea to visit now.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know if Ruphas¡¯ mother would wish for a stranger like me to visit her grave, but this couldn¡¯t be helped. I still didn¡¯t know why this was happening, but I expected that there would be a hint ahead. If the Demon King¡¯s words were to be believed, Ruphas took independent actions that were not in my knowledge and had her own experiences and memories. She was aware of some things that I did not know.

    ¡°The goddess¡¯ scenario¡±...This would be the most important phrase in the future. If the mystery could be solved, I might find out why I became like this. And the key to unlocking it was none other than ¡°Ruphas¡±.

    What did Ruphas notice before she was sealed? What was she trying to do? Knowing that would probably unravel the entire mystery.

    ¡°Are we visiting the grave? Shouldn¡¯t we hurry then?¡±

    ¡°...? This is unexpected, Dina. You are actually opposed to it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m not actually opposed to it. I just feel that we shouldn¡¯t stay for too long.¡±

    I was surprised that Dina had a negative opinion about visiting the grave. I thought she would casually reply, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± But I understood after hearing her follow-up statement.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that the mountain is very high. I don¡¯t really want to climb it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±

    I nodded and looked at the mountain again. There was a saying that fools and fl¨¹gels like high ces. Well, fl¨¹gels really preferred high ces. The mana was thin in high altitude, so it would befortable to fl¨¹gels. Since they could fly, it wasn¡¯t that difficult to reach high ces.

    For example, to reach the summit of a mountain with an altitude of five hundred meters, a fl¨¹gel could do it like a human walking five hundred meters on the t ground. (Ah, no. It would be about if the horizontal distance was included.) It would not feel that far.

    Furthermore, the mountain formed a natural barrier to make it difficult for foreign enemies to attack, giving the inhabitants a peace of mind. But the problem was...uh, what was Vanaheimr¡¯s altitude? I did not have a skill that could measure altitude by the eye, but it seemed to be very high.

    ¡°Libra, do you know the height of the mountain?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I measured it at an altitude of 3807 meters.¡±

    Oh, it was higher than . Certainly, we could not do this on foot. To fl¨¹gels, this would be merely three to four kilometers of travel. Since they could fly at a speed faster than an adult riding a bicycle, covering this distance would not be tiring. There were plenty of people whomuted to work or school on bicycles over such a distance. This could be done daily without any problems. If I or Libra flew at full speed, we would need only one minute...no, less than thirty seconds.

    ¡°Certainly, this height is troubling, but it isn¡¯t impossible to carry you and fly there.¡±

    ¡°There would be no problem if I carry Aries and Aigokeros while master carries Dina. However, for future considerations, we need the means to fly en masse.¡±

    Libra made a good point. There were only a few of us now, but the number of people would increase in the future. The situation would be troublesome by then. Besides me, only Libra and one of the Twins among the Twelve Heavenly Stars could fly. Furthermore, the other twin could not fly, so it would be difficult to move when the number of people increased. Since both hands were upied, it would be impossible for us to respond quickly if anything happened.

    ¡°By the way, Aigokeros, can¡¯t you fly? You have wings after all.¡±

    ¡°Master, I can certainly fly, but I can¡¯t fly so high. Have you forgotten?¡±

    ¡°Oh? It¡¯s like this?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    Since Aigokeros had wings, I decided to ask about it, but it seemed he could not fly so high. Basically, he was like an early form of that had not yet learn how to fly. In other words, only Libra and I could really fly.

    ¡°Hmm...In that case, I might as well let him fly.¡±

    The non-flying members needed toe along, but Libra and I should not have both our hands upied. Therefore, the solution is simple: ¡°Let someone who can carry everyone fly.¡±

    ¡°Okay, everyone leave the forest now. Dina, find the Floating Stones out of the alchemical materials that we recovered from the royal tomb and bring a few of them here.¡±

    Now then, let¡¯s start remodeling. In the game, once an alchemist transmuted an item, it could not be further modified. To upgrade an item, it must be rebuilt from scratch. But this was not a game, so it should be possible to upgrade. Anyway, it wouldn¡¯t be a mistake to at least test it out for the future.

    And so I remodeled Tanaka. Its outward appearance did not change much. In consideration of the future, it was erged and its height was increased significantly. Of course, it was not unnecessarily high. The second-floor space, which did not exist previously, was added. The roof itself was mobile, so it could be changed into a roof terrace as a luxury specification. But this was just the start as the main feature was yet toe.

    ¡°Okay, Tanaka. Transform.¡±

    ¡°Yes, boss.¡±

    At mymand, Tanaka turned on its lights. The wind blew from its bottom, causing the car body to float, while its four wheels turned sideways. mes surged from the centers of the tires to increase buoyancy. Steel wings were deployed from the sides of the car, apanied by engine sounds.

    This was the newly upgraded Tanaka, called...

    ...I couldn¡¯t think of a good name.

    How troublesome. Let¡¯s just call it Tanaka Jet.

    <b>Tanaka</b>

    Level: 350

    Race: Artificial Lifeform

    HP: 18,000

    SP: 0

    STR (Strength): 862

    DEX (Dexterity): 120

    VIT (Vitality): 987

    INT (Intelligence): 9

    AGI (Agility): 1530

    MND (Mind): 78

    LUK (Luck): 100

    Oh, it seemed if good materials were used during the upgrade, its . In that case, Libra...probably already exceeded the level limit. This was unfortunate, but I couldn¡¯t make her any stronger. It might be possible for Mizar, but it didn¡¯t make sense to rely on the deceased. A flying camping car was amazingly surreal, even if I said so myself.

    ¡°How is this, Dina? Now everyone cane along.¡±

    ¡°Eh, hmm...indeed.¡±

    As if distracted by the flying camping car, Dina¡¯s reply was somewhatckluster. In contrast, Aries and Virgo were looking at Tanaka with eyes shining like children. By the way, Virgo came along as a guide and for surveince. Since it was an important ce that was once guarded by her granny, she was taking the precaution in case we did something strange. After all, Aigokeros the fool already did something like that, so we couldn¡¯t deny her concerns.

    ¡°Do you want to ride it?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Is it okay? If so, yes please!¡±

    I asked Virgo since she looked so curious about it. She happily epted my offer. Hmm. It seemed flying vehicles were considered romantic everywhere. Although it looked the way it was, I did not dislike stuff like this.

    ¡°It¡¯s a big problem, Ruphas-sama.¡±

    ¡°What is it, Libra?¡±

    ¡°Tanaka did not have any equipment for aerialbat. At the very least, there should be a gunner¡¯s seat. Then the main cannon, anti-aircraft attacks, and explosive bombs...¡±

    ¡°What in the world are you talking about?¡±

    I yed the straight man to Libra, who requested excessive armaments on Tanaka. I got inside Tanaka, followed by Aries, Aigokeros, Dina, and Libra. Virgo enteredst in a reserved manner. After confirming that everyone was aboard, I closed the door andmanded Tanaka:

    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go, Tanaka.¡±

    ¡°Yes, boss.¡±

    Tanaka answered and flew into the sky. Since this was a different world, it was fine. If it was in Japan, it would be really surreal. Anyway, a flying car was truly romantic, such that although it was still a fictitious invention, it could be considered a promised product. But for this romance to be realized in such a manner, the world was truly full of surprises.

    Now then, next stop would be Ruphas¡¯ hometown. It would be nice if there were some useful clues.

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    ¥ì¥Ã¥É¤µ¤ó¡¸ÎÂ¤¤......°²È«¤Ê¿Õ¤ÎÂÃ¤ò¤·¤è¤¦¤Ê¤É......¤½¤ì¤¬¤â¤¦ñjÄ¿......ËØÈË¤ÎË¼¿¼......¤Ã£¡¡º¿Õ¤òïw¤Ö¡»¤Ê¤é......¥«¥â¥Í¥®......¤Ã£¡ Ã÷¤é¤«¤Ë×Ô·Ö¤è¤ê¤âÐ¡¤µ¤Ê¥«¥â¥Í¥®¤ËÁ•µÃ¤µ¤»¤Æ¥«¥ó¥È©`¤òïw¤Ö......¤Ã£¡ ¤³¤ì¤¾ÍõµÀ......¤Ã£¡¿ñšÝ¤ÎÉ³Ì­¤Û¤É......Ãæ°×¤¤......¤Ã£¡¡¹?‘éêL¤ÇÒÛ¤ËÁ¢¤¿¤Ê¤¤¡º¤½¤é¤ò¤È¤Ö¡»¤òÃØ»ÒªÒò¤Î¤ª¤·¤ç¤¦¤ËÒ™¤¨¤µ¤»¤ë¤Î¤Ï»ù±¾¡£

    Trantor: I have no idea what he¡¯s talking about...Just some random bbering about flying in the sky or something that didn¡¯t much sense. It doesn¡¯t seem relevant to the story anyway.

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    Ruphas¡¯ dream of her mother is in .

    This distance is based on the hypotenuse of an isosceles right-angled triangle. Using Pythagorean theorem a<sup>2</sup> + b<sup>2</sup> = c<sup>2</sup>, the hypotenuse c would be square root of 500 x 500 + 500 x 500 = 707.1.

    Mount Fuji (¸»Ê¿É½) is the highest mountain in Japan, reaching an altitude of 3776 meters. This makes Vanaheimr 31 meters higher. Forparison, Mount Everest has an elevation of 8848 meters.

    Charizard, also called Lizardon (¥ê¥¶©`¥É¥ó) in Japan, is an orange, dragon-like Pok¨¦mon.

    Tanaka was initially Level 200 when it was created in , so it gained 150 levels.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 49

    Trantor: Hand of Va ? Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    There was a term, . It was a mysterious phenomenon of feeling like you had experienced or seen something before, even though you did not. This French term, d¨¦j¨¤ vu, was overused in many stories. And right now, I was feeling something stronger than this.

    Aboard Tanaka, we arrived at Ruphas¡¯ hometown where she was born and raised among the fl¨¹gels...Vanaheimr.

    Vanaheimr sat on top of the mountain, where the air and mana were thin. The local topography made it difficult to walk. Given how Gjarhorn was like, it seemed that fl¨¹gels instinctively preferred ces like these.

    It was strange. I was feeling nostalgic about this town. Although I never visited this ce before, I felt nostalgia and disgust towards it. There was a crumbling bakery, where no bread was ever sold to the children of taboo. I (Ruphas) was even kicked by the shopkeeper before. There was a half-copsed building, where a brat once threw rocks at me. There was arge, once-grand mansion, where Merak used to live and which I always stared in admiration.

    ...None of them were fond memories.

    This town continued to stimte the bad memories that I did not know I had. Even though I did not experience it myself, I had the impulse to use an area skill to destroy the entire ce.

    ¡°Hmm. Ruphas-sama...Are you alright? Your face looks pale.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no problem. Let¡¯s go. First, let¡¯s take a look at my family¡¯s home.¡±

    Hearing Aries¡¯ question, I realized my expression was stiff. For some reason, the frequency of me being influenced by ¡°Ruphas¡± was increasing. Being in this town seemed to elerate the process. If this continued, I would lose my sense of self.

    No, perhaps I had already lost it long ago. I could not bring myself to say, ¡°It was not like that.¡± Furthermore, I did not think this was unpleasant. Perhaps, I was really going crazy.

    ...In any case, I should drop by at Ruphas¡¯ home. The ghost of Parthenos might be there. There might also be some hints regarding Ruphas¡¯ behavior before she was sealed.

    ¡°Is this Ruphas-sama¡¯s hometown? It looks like a nice ce.¡±

    ¡°For me, it is a ce of bitter memories. Most of them involve having the neighborhood brats throwing rocks at me.¡±

    At the same time as I casually answered Libra, the houses in my line of sight vanished in an explosion. I turned and saw Libra, Aries, and Aigokeros held out their hands in that direction. It was evident that they were the ones who made those attacks.

    Hey, what were you people doing?

    ¡°I retract my previous statement. This is the crappiest town ever.¡±

    Libra rotated her wrist with a twirling sound and gave an opinion that was a hundred eighty degrees from the previous one. I had to admire thatplete change of attitudes. Aries and Aigokeros also nodded. There wasn¡¯t anything that I could say.

    While I was stunned, Dina moved next to me and wrote in the air. She was using her finger to concentrate magical power and doing it quite skillfully.

    ¡°You have memories of your avatar?¡±

    In response to Dina¡¯s question, I silently nodded. It was a silentmunication. Perhaps, she did not want Libra to hear it. However, it was doubtful if Libra would have noticed since she was busy shootingsers out of her eyes to destroy Merak¡¯s old home. Aries had reverted to his sheep form and was stomping around the town. Aigokeros was randomly destroying whatever was nearby. Virgo was scared.

    ¡°It¡¯s not good to be led by your avatar too much. Your ego will disappear. If you think it is dangerous, consider leaving this town immediately.¡±

    I nodded again at Dina¡¯s suggestion. I would pass at losing my ego. I should consider withdrawing as she suggested.

    ¡°Enough. Stop this. We did note here to destroy the town.¡±

    p. I stopped the three idiots by hitting them with my hand. If this continued, something important might be destroyed. I stopped the rampages of those three and walked down the ruined town.

    I was wondering where to go, yet my feet naturally moved on their own as if I was living here until yesterday. Guided by the memory of Ruphas inside me, I moved my legs and eventually arrived in front of a mansion. It was a building that was evidently splendid in the past but was now dpidated.

    ¡°Oh, this is a decent house. Is this Ruphas-sama¡¯s home?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You could call it my house. Though I can count the number of times I have stepped inside.¡±

    I casually answered Aigokeros and went inside. Technically, this mansion was certainly my house. ording to the memories, Ruphas¡¯ father lived here as did her mother. But even so, this was not really my (Ruphas¡¯) home. I (Ruphas) was living...in a shabby hut at the side.

    ¡°Th¡ªThis is...¡±

    ¡°As you can see, it¡¯s like a storehouse. Well, actually it is a storehouse.¡±

    Cobwebs were everywhere. The tiny hut was almost like a dog¡¯s kennel. This former storehouse was where Ruphas grew up. I naturally did not know of such a setting. Ruphas was set to wear a dress mostly as a hobby and for better performance. In an exaggerated sense, if the strongest equipment was Dangerous Swimsuit, I would have equipped it on Ruphas without hesitation.

    ...Now I thought that it was a good thing the strongest equipment was not a swimsuit.

    In terms of story, I never considered why Ruphas would be wearing a dress. But Ruphas of this world...could be like that because of the poverty of her youth. She admired, envied, thirsted, and looked up to the upper ss. After she gained power, she collected fancy dresses and shiny objects to realize the dreams of her youth...

    ...No, maybe I was overthinking this.

    ¡°My father disliked me for being born with ck wings. If it was allowed, he might have killed me. However, the respectability of being upper ss and the desperate persuasion of my mother barely spared me from being killed. The result was me being isted in the storehouse.¡±

    I spoke fluently of the unknown past as if I had experienced personally. I heard that memories were never forgotten, but merely buried so deeply that it was difficult to draw out. In other words, even forgotten memories coulde gushing forth with the right stimulus. This body belonged to Ruphas, so the memories that I did not know about were still deep inside her brain. Perhapsing to this town caused her memories to surge forth once more.

    ¡°...Master, I request permission to kill your father.¡±

    ¡°Impossible. He¡¯s already dead.¡±

    When I considered the matter of her father, I naturally gained the information that he was already dead. It was gradually bing easier to ess Ruphas¡¯ memories. Anyway, I should persuade Libra who was saying dangerous things and also stop Aries who was trying to set fire to the mansion. The mansion must not burn since it might contain important clues.

    ¡°This is the most likely location for Parthenos to be.¡±

    I did not know if Parthenos knew about my home, but she should be able to find out after two hundred years. Besides, there might be something about Ruphas¡¯ past which I was not aware of. No, even just a stimulus would be enough. That alone could allow me to draw out Ruphas¡¯ memories. I thought so without speaking aloud and stepped into the storehouse.

    I thought that it was a horrible ce. I could hardly imagine anyone living here. There were only one small bed and all manners of unidentified junks. Since this was a storehouse, it was natural to store things here. There was nothing wrong with it. However, these junks were obviously thrown in here by her father out of frustration.

    Well, it didn¡¯t matter. The important thing was clues that led to what Ruphas uncovered about the goddess¡¯ scenario two hundred years ago. However, there was nothing rted here, which was somewhat disappointing.

    ...Well, if I thought about it, Ruphas only spent her childhood here. When she actively sought to eradicate the demons was after she reached Level 1000 as an adventurer. She probably did not realize anything so important when she was still a child. In other words, there was no clue here...This seemed to be a wasted trip.

    ¡°...The goddess¡¯ scenario huh?¡±

    I murmured softly. Everyone other than Dina looked at me strangely. They merely reacted to my words which did not seem familiar to them. On the other hand, Dina was unresponsive. I thought she might know something, but it seemed unfamiliar to her as well.

    ¡°Ruphas-sama, what is the goddess¡¯ scenario?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it is something the Demon King mentioned the other day. He said that the world is moving ording to the goddess¡¯ scenario. Is any of you familiar with it?¡±

    Everyone shook their heads or hands to indicate that they did not know. Even the Twelve Heavenly Stars did not know. It seemed Ruphas had been quite secretive two hundred years ago.

    What were you doing, Ruphas? At least tell it to Libra.

    ¡°Allow me to answer that question.¡±

    A question that nobody could answer. As I thought so, a young girl¡¯s voice was heard from the entrance of the storehouse. However, the voice was very unusual. It sounded as if it was transmitted directly into my mind. It was difficult to describe it. If I had to draw an analogy, it would be that an invisible and cheap earphone was put on me and I was forced to listen to a cracking voice...At least, this was not the voice of a living human.

    A semi-transparent girl was standing at the entrance. The scenery behind her could be seen through her body, which was evidently not substantial. Her age was...young. Her outward appearance was about twelve years old. Her braided green hair extended to her knees. Dressed in a robe, she attracted all of our attention.

    ¡°It has been a while, Ruphas-sama. You appeared unchanged from two hundred years ago. This old woman is relieved. Oh dear, the lifespan of a fl¨¹gel is such an enviable thing. On the other hand, I just keep getting older and have now be a ghost. Hehehe.¡±

    Contrary to her youthful appearance, her tone andposure were like those of an old woman. Her rxed, long-winded speech was unbnced when taking her appearance into consideration.

    ¡°Well, it has been a long two hundred years. I knew that you would be back someday. And I have kept Vanaheimr as you ordered back then. However, some time ago, I choked on a fruit and left my body.¡±

    Looking at theughing ghost, I could think of nothing and merely responded with a dumb ¡°Eh?¡±.

    Wait, wait a minute. Those words and a span of two hundred years. And that line about keeping Vanaheimr. If you put all these together, then...

    ¡°Oh? What is it, Ruphas-sama? Have you forgotten the face of this old woman? Knowing about your resurrection, I hurriedly and painstakingly recreated my previous appearance.¡±

    ¡°Wa¡ªWait? That tone...and two hundred years...Are you granny?¡±

    Before I could ask, Virgo posed her question while pointing her finger at the girl. Virgo did not recognize her immediately, so it meant that she was an ordinary old woman when she was still alive. The girlughed as if it was really funny and answered in the tone of an old woman:

    ¡°What is it, my grandchild? A little difference in appearance and you no longer know me?¡±

    ¡°N¡ªNo, this isn¡¯t a little difference at all...¡±

    The girl puffed her chest up in front of Virgo and grinned. Then, she looked at us and opened the edge of her mouth, dering her name in a dignified manner. The name was as we expected. She was the person we were looking for¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯m the one who stayed next to the ck-Winged Overlord, a member of the Twelve Heavenly Stars¡ªParthenos of the Maiden. To be Ruphas-sama¡¯s strength once again, I have refused the call of the heavens.¡±

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    It was merely instinct that Ruphas collected golden objects. The other person was reading it too deeply.

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    D¨¦j¨¤ vu (¼ÈÒ•¸Ð) is a French term describing the feeling that one has lived through the present situation before.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 50

    Trantor: Hand of Va ? Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    Parthenos was once the name of the tribe which served the goddess. They were agents of the goddess in the world below and worked in the shadow to maintain the bnce of the world. Perhaps, she was proud of the role that had persisted since the birth of the human species. They were different from other inferior beings. They were seen and acknowledged by the goddess. As divine servants, they dedicated love and loyalty to the goddess.

    They found the clergy, which devoted only faith without knowing what the goddess was, to be ridiculous. This fact enhanced their sense of superiority. They knew the secrets of the world.

    They knew the true purpose of the goddess. They knew the true meaning behind the love for humanity.

    Magical beasts and demons, as well as humans and animals, were all in ordance with the goddess¡¯ will. These were all merely pieces moving on the board. They alone stood outside of the board. They were the original humans¡ª.

    That was also the name of their great ancestor. As the son of the goddess, he was said to be created by Alovenus as the first human. His direct descendants were the agents of the goddess. They were the only ones among humans who knew the true purpose of the goddess and were obliged to support it.

    Parthenos did not doubt it. Indeed, she was proud of it from the depths of her heart. She had unshakable love and faith in the goddess.

    ...Unshakable. So she believed.

    Her encounter with the ck-Winged Overlord started with her intrusion. It was considered to be an impregnable location. Neither the demons nor the tyrants of the past could enter the Sanctuary of the Goddess. She was apanied by Megrez, Alioth, Merak, and ¡ªwho would eventually be four of the Seven Heroes¡ªand entered the unfamiliar territory of the sanctuary.

    Even the strongest gatekeeper, the , was conversely defeated and the Selection Scales was taken. The elite troops of the goddess advanced to repel the intruders but were instead defeated. Finally, Parthenos, the current head of the Aeneas family, was forced to confront the intruders.

    ¡°Leave, intruders. This is the goddess¡¯ sanctuary. It is not a ce for inferior beings.¡±

    ¡°Well, well. Unfortunately, we are inferior beings, so we cannot understand the words of noble beings.¡±

    The ominous ck wings fluttered as the overlord of the mortal world chuckled. Her mouth twisted slightly as if craving for battle. Her eyes were sharp like a de and her golden hair with tints of vermillion near her neck was like a zing me.

    A fl¨¹gel¡¯s wings should naturally be white, but they darkened when tainted by mana. If they became jet ck, it would already be considered a magical beast. She was not a fl¨¹gel, but a magical beast in the shape of a humanoid...or perhaps a new species, the eighth . It was like how humans evolved into elves, beastkins, and hobbits in the past. She had mutated into a creature different from fl¨¹gels.

    ¡°Even more so, if they are the ones who force despair and suffering on the people. , the obligations that apany nobility. That is my creed. ...If my beloved people were forced into despair, the goddess must know of it. Then I will drag her off with my hand until I hold the seat of the goddess.¡±

    This woman was dangerous. Parthenos understood the danger with a nce. The entire world was at the will of the goddess, moving ording to her scenario. The demons reduced the number of humanoids and when they died, they became mana to empower the humanoids.

    This seesaw game was the providence of the world. It did not depart from the scenario of the goddess and the Demon King. No, in the first ce, it was impossible to have anything beyond the will of the goddess and the Demon King, but...

    But Ruphas Mafahl was different. The goddess did not expect the mutation of the fl¨¹gels. Gaining unrivaled power, unifying the world, and driving the demons to the brink of extinction waspletely outside the scenario.

    ¡°Fool. Be ashamed of the thoughts in your heart.¡±

    ¡°Ha. I have been shamed a long time ago. You arete by two hundred seventy years, girl.¡±

    Parthenos raised her staff, while Ruphas rested her favorite whip-sword on her shoulder. In response, tens or even hundreds of elite troops of the goddess surrounded Ruphas. These were the chosen warriors of the goddess, averaging over Level 600. Of course, they could resist her Coercion. The stronger ones even reached Level 1000 like Ruphas.

    Even if Ruphas was strong for a Level 1000 character, she would merely be prey caught in a when she was besieged like this. But she chuckled fearlessly and the crimson glow of her eyes shone even brighter.

    ¡°¡ªRidiculous! You think you can stop me with this? If you really want to stop me, at least bring out an !¡±

    ¡°...Ugh, impossible...This...¡±

    One hourter, the difference between the winner and the loser was clear. The elite troops, which guarded the seat of the goddess, had copsed in disarray. Parthenos herself was also down, leaving only the ck-winged fallen angel standing in the middle. Her dress was free from any speck of dirt. Her face and skin were as beautiful as before the fighting began.

    Different...This one was different. This could not be exined as Level 1000. No matter how she consumed magical beasts and raised her abilities, it should not result in such a monster. In fact, the people she brought along as well as her tamed magical beasts were not much of a threat.

    ¡°Oh, you are...¡±

    ¡°This is nothing to be surprised about. Since I decided to challenge the goddess, it would be a joke if I am not capable of doing this much.¡±

    The intruder stood before Parthenos and dered as a matter of fact. Parthenos could no longer stand up on her own, while Ruphas waspletely unhurt. There was no way to turn the situation around, so she waited for the final blow to put an end to things.

    ¡°Well, do it. My life is dedicated to the goddess...Even now, I¡¯m not afraid of death. This soul will not lose its ego after dying and will continue to be the goddess¡¯ follower. Even if you kill me here, it is meaningless.¡±

    ¡°Oh. A life dedicated to the goddess?¡±

    As if it was something funny, Ruphas smiled deeply and grabbed Parthenos by her neck, lifting her up to her eye level.

    ¡°In that case, would it not be fun to take away the life you dedicated?¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ªWhat...?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s easy to kill you. But before that, I¡¯ll give you a choice. ...You are too ignorant here.¡±

    Ruphas said and carried Parthenos off like luggage. She approached her friends, the heroes-to-be, who were searching nearby.

    ¡°We are going back, . The objective has been aplished.¡±

    ¡°I told you to stop calling me that!?¡±

    ¡°Going back...We are not going to meet the goddess?¡±

    ¡°Oh, Dubhe. That¡¯s no longer necessary. If there is information, this one has it.¡±

    The armored swordsman Alioth, the heavily armored dwarf Mizar, and the white bear beastkin Dubhe stomped behind Ruphas. At a closer look, Dubhe was dragging the unconscious Megrez along. Even they did not reach this ce unharmed. He was probably taken out by the gatekeeper¡¯s Brachium skill.

    ¡°Wait, please wait! Where are you taking me?¡±

    ¡°As I said, you are too ignorant. Firstly, I will show you the current world.¡±

    Then Parthenos left the sanctuary for the first time and saw the world below. There were trials of the goddess, but the world below should still be enveloped in divine love. She then realized it was a mistake after seeing the world with her own eyes.

    The demons attacked the humanoids. Childrenmented the loss of their parents, while mothers mourned the loss of their children. There was no paradise here, only despair and fear.

    What was once an absolute faith in the goddess was now beginning to crack.

    ?

    I...was a bit confused.

    The girl before me should be Parthenos, ording to her own words and Virgo¡¯s reaction. Her clothes and hair color were the same as in the game. Aries and the others did not object in any way. The problem was with what she said.

    Keeping Vanaheimr as I ordered back then...What did that mean? I thought the seal of Vanaheimr was her own decision. She should be like Aries and Aigokeros, who went on a rampage out of loyalty. But from her words, it seemed that I (Ruphas) instructed this.

    But for what? What was the purpose?

    Why did I want to keep the town with all its hateful memories as it was?

    ¡°Parthenos?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°First of all, I apologize for having kept you waiting. I¡¯m sorry. It must have been difficult.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m unworthy of your words.¡±

    Firstly, I should acknowledge her effort. This should ease the way into the main topic.

    ¡°So...Can you tell me about it now? What you know of the goddess¡¯ scenario.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Ruphas-sama. But before that...To what extent have you lost your memories?¡±

    ¡°......!¡±

    I was inadvertently surprised by the wordsing out of Parthenos¡¯ mouth. No, it wasn¡¯t just me. Aries and Aigokeros also had shocked expressions on their faces. It wasn¡¯t because they found out that I was not Ruphas...probably. But it was because I lost my memories. That confused me.

    ¡°So you know about that.¡±

    ¡°Of course. During your resurrection, some memories would be lost due to the goddess¡¯ subtle maniption. It was you yourself who said so.¡±

    To my question, Parthenos gave an unexpected reply. Did Ruphas predict that she would lose her memories? If so, was the current situation ording to her ns?

    Dina had a concerned look that was rarely seen. A line of sweat dripped down her face. She knew about my inner self, but seemed to be uncertain about Ruphas¡¯ actions from two hundred years ago.

    ¡°Eh? Oh, then...Ruphas-sama, you have lost your memories!?¡±

    ¡°Wh¡ªWhat! This...¡±

    ¡°So it was really like that.¡±

    In contrast to the shocked Aries and Aigokeros, Libra was calm. Everyone looked to Libra, waiting for her to continue.

    ¡°Ruphas-sama often behaves as if she does not remember her past. Moreover, she did not respond immediately to Parthenos¡¯ appearance. Aftering to this town, she seemed to be regaining her memories instead of feeling nostalgic about the past. Therefore, I presumed that she is missing memories just like me.¡±

    Oh? This defective golem was really sharp today. Was this really Libra? Anyway, I could only confess about the loss of memories at this point.

    ¡°Well, I suppose there¡¯s no need to hide it any further. Parthenos, why did I order you to seal this town two hundred years ago?¡±

    ¡°It would be faster to just see for yourself than for me to exin. Perhaps shock would cause the memories to resurface.¡±

    Faster to just see for myself? Was it something that could be understood by just seeing it? Moreover, ording to what she said, it seemed to be a considerably shocking thing.

    Parthenos stood (or rather floated) before us and went forward. We promptly followed behind her. Leaving my parent¡¯s house (storehouse), we went through the streets that became even more of a ruins because of Aries and the others. Eventually, we arrived at the exit of the town. Parthenos stopped and turned towards us.

    ¡°Next, Ruphas-sama should continue alone. The others wait here...and do not rampage anymore. Otherwise, it might ¡®awaken¡¯.¡±

    ¡°?¡±

    Everyone nodded at Parthenos¡¯ iprehensible warning. I didn¡¯t quite understand the part about ¡°awaken¡±, but I felt the same about rampaging. Leaving Dina and the others behind, Parthenos gently rose into the sky. A momentter, I too soared into the sky.

    Apparently, the destination was the summit. For us who could fly, an altitude of 3807 meters was not a significant distance. No, even if it was equivalent to walking four kilometers, it would be a considerable distance. However, our speeds were too fast.

    Parthenos and I arrived at the summit in merely tens of seconds andnded in an appropriate location. The summit of Vanaheimr had a huge hole like the caldera of a volcano. It was as if something had prated the mountain right in the center. But there was no magma. It was just an open hole.

    ¡°Here is the answer. Please take a look.¡±

    ¡°What? Something is jammed inside, but...¡±

    My words stopped as I peeked. I was speechless. No...This was amazing. It might have been better if it was just full of magma. The shock came from seeing something even bigger than Aries for the first time in this world. No, there was noparison.

    ¡°...It¡¯s huge.¡±

    Something that looked like a living creature was there. No, could it really be a living creature? If this was true, it would be too ridiculous. This was a fantasy, so I understood thatmon sense would not apply to this world. Or at least, I thought I understood. Still, I did not expect such absurd creatures to actually exist.

    It was the head of a reptilian creature. Its eyes were closed. Its nostrils inted asionally in tune with its breathing, sending gusts of warm wind to the top. The head alone probably exceeded the size of Aries in his gigantic form. Was the body folded to be able to fit into the mountain, or perhaps it was digging all the way into the ground....?

    Its full length was tens...no, hundreds, even thousands of kilometers. Or perhaps beyond estimation. In any case, if something like this became active, Vanaheimr would be utterly destroyed. No, in the worst case scenario, perhaps even the entire world...

    ¡°One of the elite forces of the goddess, an arbitrator of the world. One of the five ouroboroses, the one who controls the light¡ªHeavenly Ouroboros.¡±

    I shuddered as Parthenos told me its name.

    <h4>¡ù Author¡¯s Notes: Extra Information About the Seven Heroes</h4>

    Dubhe¡ªa beastkin simr to a pr bear, the . He has a gentle personality. He adds ¡°bear¡± to the end of his sentences, but in fact, it is consciously attached as a character trait and he rarely forgets to do this. If you ask him, he will let you cuddle him.

    Nose Pasta: ¡°Am I going to be called ¡®nose pasta¡¯ until the end of this story!?¡±

    Megrez: ¡°Isn¡¯t it at least better than me who was dragged around during a battle in a shback scene?¡±

    Dubhe: ¡°It¡¯s still better than me who was merely exined as a white bear in my first appearance, bear~¡±

    Mizar: ¡°Well, cheer up, nose pasta.¡±

    Nose Pasta: ¡°You bastard!!¡±

    <h4>¡ù Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    The next 10 chapters (51-60) will be tranted and hosted by , while I work on Chapters 61-70. Expect Chapter 51 to be online on Feb 15.

    <h4>¡ù Foot Notes</h4>

    Aeneas (¥¢¥¤¥Í¥¤¥¢©`¥¹) was a Trojan hero in Greek mythology. He was featured in Homer¡¯s Illiad and Virgil¡¯s Aeneid. He was the son of Aphrodite (Venus) and was the ancestor of Romulus, who founded the city of Rome.

    The Scales of the Goddess (Å®Éñ¤ÎÌì³Ó) is the boss that dropped the item Selection Scales (ßx¶¨¤ÎÌì³Ó) used to create Libra as mentioned in . Again, the author confused the two names and used ßx¶¨¤ÎÌì³Ó here seemingly to refer to both the boss and the item.

    The seven humanoid races are the ones represented by the Seven Heroes, namely human, dwarf, elf, hobbit, fl¨¹gel, beastkin, and vampire.

    Noblesse oblige (¥Î¥Ö¥ì¥¹?¥ª¥Ö¥ê©`¥¸¥å) is a French expression that trantes as ¡°nobility obliges¡± and denotes the concept that nobility extends beyond mere entitlements and requires the person who holds such a status to fulfill social responsibilities. Furthermore, Ruphas seems to be alluding to theodicy and the problem of evil here, questioning why the goddess allows the humanoids to suffer (e.g. invasion of demons).

    Ouroboros (¥¦¥í¥Ü¥í¥¹) is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. First mentioned in the author¡¯s notes of , an ouroboros is a long-bodied oriental dragon directly created by the goddess. Unlike the previous author¡¯s notes where names were given only in kanji, the different kinds of dragons were given English transliterations (¥¦¥í¥Ü¥í¥¹ in the case of ýˆ) in Chapter 51. For consistency, the author¡¯s notes of will be edited to reflect these changes.

    Nose Pasta...nickname for Alioth as described in .

    Dubhe (¥É¥¥©`¥Ù), also called Alpha Ursae Majoris, is the second brightest star in the constetion of Ursa Major and is the northern pointer of the Big Dipper that points towards Pris, the North Star. In this novel, Dubhe is the Beast King (ª•Íõ), the bear beastkin member of the Seven Heroes.

    ording to , thergest carnivore onnd is the pr bear (Ursus maritimus). Adult males typically weigh 400-600 kg (880-1,320 lb), and have a nose-to-tail length of 2.4-2.6 m (7 ft 10 in-8 ft 6 in).

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 51

    Chapter 51 - Maiden, Get!

    Raw link: (07/02/2016)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (26/01/2019)

    Editor: Hand of Va / Va (09/01/2019)

    Trantion link:

    __

    Update 1: o/ everyone, I¡¯m back for the chapter 51-60, I hope you guys are enjoying the series and will continue to support us!

    Update 2: The domain¡¯s been changed from to .

    Reminder 1: Come join the discord server to hang out!

    Reminder 2: Myment section doesn¡¯t require you to fill out any details and can leave out all boxes nk (other than the actualment ofc xD).

    Request: Please consider whitelisting the website from adblock apps, I will really appreciate it, thank you >.<

    TL Disimer: This is NOT machine tranted, but the dictionary is sometimes used to figure out the kanji.

    If there is an error in the trantion, website, sentence structure or format please let me know in thements below or DM me on the discord () and I will try my best to fix them. Any constructive feedback is appreciated.

    __

    (Author Note)

    Summary until this point.

    Heavenly Ouroboros "You little nose pasta!"

    Alioth "I keep telling you I¡¯m Alioth!!!!!!!!!!!?"

    (Author note end)

    __

    In this world, there existed the species called the Dragonkins.

    The dragonkins could be divided into [Dragon] and [Wyrm].

    Which was then even further split into four sub-species; [Pseudo-dragon], [Dragon], [Dinosaur] and [Ouroboros].[1]

    The exnation of these four from the weakest to the strongest goes as follows.

    Pseudo-dragon was the ssification given to those mutated from the lizards or snakes which originally had outer appearances simr to that of dragons. Although they were ssified as part of the dragonkin, they were technically not dragons.

    These pseudo-dragons were the post-mutated species of reptiles such as Komodo dragons and giant girdled lizards which also existed back on Earth. Once they were mutated by mana, as they could only be described as dragon-like magical beasts, they were called ¡¯Pseudo-dragons¡¯.[2]

    Needless to say, the wyverns that Mars were previously controlling was within this category. As a side note, the pre-mutated state of the wyvern was the gliding lizard.[3]

    Additionally, when the snakes mutated, as their outer appearances became simr to those of wyrms, they were sometimes called [Pseudo-wyrms]. It was truly confusing.[4]

    If one were to ask why there were such confusing and needless distinctions and categorisations, that was because, during the initial consumer release of the game, the dragon-like monster was embarrassingly introduced as a small-fry monster.[5]

    Later on, when the setting for the dragon was established, yers retorted back (<i>tsukommi</i>) by saying "dragon already came out during the initial release", which stomped the developers on what to do about their game.

    The developers hadpletely forgotten that they had already introduced dragons as small fry monsters.

    As they could note up with a solution to this issue, they made up the confusing settings of "pseudo-dragons" as an excuse after saying "Those are not dragons. They¡¯re just ¡¯fake dragons¡¯; a mutated form of snakes."

    And that was the circumstance behind the birth of the pseudo-dragons.

    Needless to say, as they were merely reptiles which had mutated into magical beasts with their outer appearances resembling those of dragons, they were not actually dragons.

    As a consequence, their abilities were not significant and were merely strong-looking small fries.

    Although they were merely fakes, as their outer appearances were "cool", they were popr amongst the tamers.

    Next was the [Dinosaurs].

    These creatures existed from the past in this world of Midgard and were authentic dinosaurs that had not yet been wiped out.

    In other words, dinosaurs were merely animals and thus not even magical beasts.

    Notwithstanding, the dinosaurs were quite strong to the extent of easily eating weaker magical beasts, demons and adventurers.

    At the very least, they were a significantly scarier and stronger grouppared to the pseudo-dragons.

    To begin with, as the recent research on the dinosaurs back on Earth had established that dinosaurs had feathers on them, I believe the dinosaurs here were quite different from the dinosaurs there.[6]

    Essentially, they looked like giant-reptile that were often portrayed in the 20<sup>th</sup>-century artworks of the dinosaurs.

    The next on the list was [Dragon]. Fundamentally in this world, when one mentions the word "dragon", this category was what they were describing.

    These creatures were also magical beasts that were mutated by mana, however, their original form was what made them so fearsome.

    That was because this category of [Dragon] was the result of the aforementioned dinosaurs that had mutated.

    Even in the base form, the dinosaurs were already monstrously strong, thus after the mutation, they became ridiculously and stupidly overpowered.

    Back on Earth, there was a movie where the dinosaur was transformed into a monster due to the exposure to the radioactivity.[7] It was essentially the same situation.

    Dragons had huge and hard bodies as well as the ability to breathe out fire. As a consequence, even if the average yers back in the game challenged a single dragon by banding together, they had to struggle through a difficult battle.

    In particr, those dragons which had mutated from the carnivorous dinosaurs were especially dangerous.

    Using the likes of 7 Luminaries as an example, even if Mars cloned himself ten times and challenged a dragon, he would still lose even against a single one.

    Notwithstanding, there was a monster that overshadowed those already overpowered monsters.

    And that was that what was in front of my eyes - [Ouroboros].

    [Heavenly Ouroboros]

    Level: 1000

    Species: Ouroboros

    Attribute: Sun

    HP: 10 000 000 / 10 000 000

    SP: ¡Þ

    STR (Strength/Attack Power): ?????

    DEX (Dexterity): ????

    VIT (Vitality): ?????

    INT (Intelligence): ????

    AGI (Ability/Speed): ?????

    MND (Mindpower): ????

    LUK (Luck): ????

    I used my [Observing Eyes] to check the status, but just this time alone, I was happy that I could not see anything.

    Its HP was such a high value that I had never seen before, and its SP was particrly scary as it was set at infinity.

    In other words, it was one of thosemon situations in the game where "only the enemy can use whatever and however many skills they want to use".

    Perhaps this was because the ouroboros were considered to be the protectors of the world, so they could tap into the power of the world an unlimited number of times.

    "The 5 Ouroboroses... existed, I see."

    I had heard of the term 5 Ouroboroses before. Although they were only mentioned in the lore, I thought I knew about their existence.

    But looking at the thing that was in front of me, I understood... that it was not good.

    It was something that must never be woken up, something out of our dimension.

    I will say it bluntly. Even having Ruphas¡¯s spec, I did not feel like I could win against that.

    I would probably be able to put up a good fight, but I would still lose due to the overwhelming difference in our HP.

    Even assuming that I was able to constantly dish out my max damage, it¡¯s suggesting that "you wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat it unless you can attack it 101 times."[8]

    <i>Just perhaps, it may be possible if I teamed up with the entire cast of 7 Heroes back in their prime....</i>

    Even though it was merely sleeping, I could feel how dangerous it was in my bones.

    I could feel the tingling sensation just by looking at its sleeping face.

    "Normally, they are in an eternal hibernation state. However, when the world faces a true peril, they will wake up and fulfil their duties to protect."

    "Is the reason I sealed up this ce to contain this guy?"

    "In practice, my containment barrier doesn¡¯t have the power to seal an ouroboros. However, by maintaining the surrounding in a state that it previously was, whatever happens outside would not be sensed by the ouroboros, and thus it would be deluded into thinking that the peace was still being maintained. The reason I drove everyone out of Vanaheimr back then was to prevent the people from bing coteral damage during the one-in-a-million chance the ouroboros wakes from its slumber."

    "............Just a while ago, Aries and others went on a rampage but."

    "I was also dumbfounded and flustered. Good thing it didn¡¯t wake up but... if it had woken up, my effort for the past 200 years would be gone down the drain."

    "A, apologies."

    I was sweating from my palm and appreciated the good luck that we had.

    I neither thought nor expected that there would be a slumbering dragon, but if it had woken up from our uproar a moment ago, it would have been game over for all of us.

    Or maybe not. It might be possible for us to sessfully run away.

    "Did Merak and the others know about this thing¡¯s existence?"

    "Even amongst the Flugels, only a few of them knew about its existence. I naturally assume Merak knew about it. However, they believed this ouroboros to be a guardian deity of some sort."

    "Guardian deity.... I see, so the water dragon Levia in Svalinn was an imitation of this."

    "Yes. It was a fake deity that Megrez created using the ouroboros as a model. That is what Levia is."

    Guardian deity... huh.

    Indeed, Levia had the majestic aura to deserve that title.

    Notwithstanding, once the creature had too much of that majestic aura to the point of destroying everything in its surrounding every time it moved, it simply be a destruction deity.

    At the very least, in my personal view, knowing that there were four more of these things around, I thought that it was more of a reason that I could note to admire them as a guardian deity.

    Wasn¡¯t that right? Think about it.

    If the Goddess suddenly had a whim to simultaneously take all five of these guys out on a stroll, the world would end at that point.

    Just by moving, the surrounding would be destroyed and people would die. Something like that was no longer a guardian deity. It was a destruction deity.

    Guardian deity - this thing was too enormous to name itself that.

    "In the past, mdy nned to destroy the Goddess¡¯s scenario. Nevertheless, even if it was mdy, there was no chance of winning against the Goddess and the five ouroboroses¡¯bined might at the same time. Therefore, mdy decided to n ahead and sealed the five ouroboroses first. Furthermore, you decided to take the Demon King down first before unifying and gathering the whole Midgard with its might to challenge the Goddess to a war."

    "........ Once the world is in grave danger, it will awaken - is that what you said? What is the criterion for the world to be considered in grave danger? At the moment, the humanoids have already been driven into a corner by the demons. Should the current situation not be considered a grave danger to the world?"

    "I also do not know. However, I believe the criterion is solely based on the Goddess¡¯s arbitration of the situation. The fact that she has not once in history decided to wake the ouroboros up means that she has never considered that to be a grave danger, or......"

    "Or that she approves of the situation, is that what you¡¯re trying to say?"

    "Exactly."

    Approval, huh. That¡¯s honestly still the better case.

    The worst-case scenario would be that she was promoting it. That she was personally ordering the demons to attack the humanoids - that would be the worst-case scenario.

    And judging by the current situation of the world, there was a high chance that was indeed the case.

    Anyways, perhaps I should call the past Ruphas reckless....

    Whatever was said about her, she was aiming too high.

    There was not much to say, as let alone the Goddess or the ouroboroses, she was defeated by the 7 Heroes before she even managed to defeat the Demon King, after all.

    "Are the others also being sealed?"

    "Correct. After receiving life from mdy, Tauros the [Bull] is in charge of the Earth Ouroboros. Aquarius the [Water Bearer] is on the Fire Ouroboros. I am on the Heavenly Ouroboros. Andstly, the Wood Ouroboros is sealed by Gemini the [Twins] after they each drove ou... after evacuating the original citizens of thend."

    "How about the Moon Ouroboros?"

    "The Moon Ouroboros alone has yet to be found. It should be somewhere in the world but...."

    The Moon Ouroboros, huh.

    <i>It couldn¡¯t be living on the Moon as its name suggest, could it?</i> - I momentarily had such a thought but convinced myself it couldn¡¯t be the case.

    Considering that Sun Ouroboros was on Midgard and not in the Sun, the Moon Ouroboros should definitely be here somewhere as well.[9]

    In other words, should the Goddess feel like ordering it to move, it was currently in a state to be able to take action.

    No, perhaps it had already started moving and no one noticed it yet?

    "Thank you for letting me know. Let¡¯s return to where everyone else is, Parthenos."

    "Understood."

    In any event, I was curious as to why the Ruphas of the past sought to pick a fight with the Goddess.

    Various affairs that I did not know about kept popping out one after another, and I did not even know what was what anymore.

    But, there was one thing that I now understood.

    "Goddess¡¯s scenario", "Rebellion", and "Goddess¡¯s Tricks".

    Now that it came to this point, even an idiot like me knew what was happening and why I was here in this ce.

    For the Goddess, Ruphas Mafahl was most likely a very, very troublesome existence.

    An annoying existence for her.

    And of course, she was. There was no other way to describe a person that was plotting a rebellion in the world that was created by her.

    Thus the Goddess yed some sort of little trick to seal the memory of Ruphas who was being resurrected.

    And that little trick was - me.

    What the hell was this sh_t... aaa god da_n it, it truly was a pile of sh_t.

    I truly was just an unnecessary and extra presence.

    I was just a gimmick to nket the real Ruphas and serve as a lid to prevent her from being able to reach her goal. That was the "new role" that the Goddess granted to me![10]

    By using an outsider like me as a nket, she managed to seal the real Ruphas and even make the original goal forgotten and lost.

    But I did not understand....... Why me?

    If Ruphas was in the way, it would have been better for her to ce someone else who would be devoted to the Goddess.

    In any event, an objective for my journey just increased. Whatever I had to do, I would meet up with the Goddess and get it out of her why she got me involved in all of this.

    ... No, that¡¯s wrong. It didn¡¯t increase. I just finally "acquired" it for the first time.

    Until now, I was just someone who was doing this and that and going with the flow without a real objective in mind. I had never left the starting point until now.[11]

    In all likelihood, even that was one of the ploys within the Goddess¡¯s tricks. She had most probably chosen someone who move aimlessly on their whim.

    Someone who was optimistic and went with the flow without worrying about anything... There was no doubt that she had purposefully chosen some idiot like that.

    In other words, someone like me.

    After feeling happy that I was summoned into another world, I felt like going on a journey, so I did. I then found out that the 12 Heavenly Stars were causing havoc, so I decided to gather them because I felt like it. I knew I wouldn¡¯t move around at all if there was no ¡¯goal¡¯ so I created a ¡¯goal¡¯ on a whim and just went with the flow otherwise.

    But this time, it¡¯s different.

    I want to know. I want to know why the Goddess brought me from the other world. Why she chose me over others.

    I was not able to let things slide without finding that out.

    And most of all, I could not feel good knowing that I was being used by someone, somewhere without even knowing the reason why.

    The reason the Goddess put me into Ruphas was because Ruphas was an annoying existence for her.

    Therefore I was used as a way to nket the original Ruphas.

    Then... then it was fine. If that was what the Goddess disliked, then that would be what I would do.

    I would find out what the original goal of Ruphas was and I would do what original Ruphas was going to do.

    If I did something like that, even the Goddess would not stay silent.

    Without a doubt, she woulde into contact with me.

    As such, I was going to put my all into chasing after myself (Ruphas).

    I would follow in her footsteps and achieve what she was trying to do.

    This was not my sense of justice, it was also not what one would call courage, and of course, it was not out of concern for the distressing future of the world.

    It was simply a grudge.

    It was simply retaliation against the Goddess who had gotten me involved.

    *

    After we regrouped with Dina and the crew, we decided to leave Vaneheimr.

    Considering the reason for the seal to be ced in that location, there was nothing left for us to do at that ce.

    We were also orally informed of the locations of the other sealed [Ouroboroses] and the respective 12 Heavenly Stars from Parthenos. Therefore, if there was no other location to go in the future, we could give them a visit.

    ording to Parthenos, the reason for why it had to be given verbally was "because we don¡¯t know where the Goddess is hiding."

    "Please take care, Ruphas-sama. The Goddess possesses a special power called [Avatar]. The Goddess will not move on her own. However, she has the ability to create a clone based on what she thinks is ideal and to incite people into doing what she wants to be done. In other words, you may believe some random viger to be an ordinary powerless individual, however that person may turn out to be the Goddess."

    That was what she said.

    There were three locations the [Ouroboroses] were sealed.

    Firstly, the location where the [Earth Ouroboros] was sealed was the underground world Helheim, also known as Hell.

    One might recall that the Hell was Aigokeros¡¯s birthce. It was a high difficulty dungeon where a great number of devil-type monsters resided.

    Although the truth was unknown, it was said that the souls of deceased evildoers also cycled back and reincarnated here. Nevertheless, it was undisputed truth that evil spirits sometimes appeared as enemies in Helheim.

    This ce was sealed by the [Bull] Taurus.

    Next was [Fire Ouroboros]. This guy was sealed in the very far end of the South..... In what was currently serving as the domain of the demons; Eternal Burningnd of Muspelheim.[12]

    The protector of this seal was Aquarius the [Water Bearer].

    Aquarius was an important person who could wield water arcane magic, but it seemed it had been sent that way.

    Well, fortunately, there was still Dina who would use water arcane magic.

    Last on the list was [Wood Ouroboros]. The current residence of this guy was thend of the fairies, Alfheimr.

    It was a forest of light where the fairies came from. And in the game, there was nothing but fairies and spirits as enemies in that ce.

    And the one who sealed this ce was Gemini of the [Twins].

    Just as its name suggested, it was a strange star where two people served as one. Due to their existences, 12 Heavenly Stars had a dumbposition of having "13 individuals even though it¡¯s called 12 Heavenly Stars".

    In any event, meeting up with them would have to wait.

    There was no use for me to just casually show up in the sealed locations nor was there anything for me to do in those ces. Additionally, it was not as if they were burdening people by being in those ces.

    For now, I was nning to find the other 12 Heavenly Stars who were in the domains of the humanoids.

    Having said that, if I recalled correctly, Alfheimr was still barely in the domain influenced by the humanoids, so I did not mind giving that ce a short visit.

    "I apologise, Ruphas-sama. In truth, I also want to go, but as you can see, I am already deceased. As such, I am no longer able to be of use to you."

    "It¡¯s fine, do not worry about it. I appreciate your will and conviction on disying your loyalty even after death."

    "Your kind words are too much for someone like me. However, please don¡¯t worry. Although I can¡¯t go personally, I will send Virgo after you in my stead."

    "Wha?"[13]

    Due to Parthenos¡¯s remark, Virgo was taken back.

    It seemed Parthenos had neither informed nor checked up with Virgo.

    Oi Parthenos. Was it really alright to send her out without even saying anything to her?

    "She¡¯s still inexperienced, but I have taught her all the basic minimums that she needs to know. I¡¯m sure she will be of some use to you."

    "Umm, grandma. I still don¡¯t know anything....."

    "My grandchild, listen. I am not going to approve of you wanting to stay and live in these forests. Just go out and have a look around the world. Right now, it¡¯s something important for you to do."

    "Ehhhhhh............"

    Parthenos pushed the unconvinced and unenthusiastic Virgo into Tanaka and decided things on her own.

    Well yeah, it was not as if I did not appreciate hering along.

    Considering that Parthenos had already passed away, the new [Maiden] was required, and since she was already over level 300, she would be considered a very superior personnel by this age¡¯s standard.

    Furthermore, since she was not a demon, if she was nurtured properly, she could naturally reach level 1000, thus it was not a dream to say that she could potentially be the next 12 Heavenly Stars in the end.

    If we continued to power-level her and leave the role of stopping the enemy to her, eventually she should reach a level cap.[14]

    Additionally, as she was a Flugel, she should know how to use divine magic like the back of her hand and should have a naturally high base stat. She could also fly.

    Yeah, not bad at all.

    "Well, it would be good if she is willing herself... Are you fine with it, Virgo?"

    "Uuuuuuuuu........ well, since grandma said stuff like that already, even if I try to stay behind in the forest, I¡¯ll just get chased out..... So, pl, please take care of me from now on."

    And just like that, the second [Maiden], Virgo became ourrade and our travellingpanion as we left Vanaheimr behind.

    The sight of Parthenos waving her hand from behind until the very moment we could no longer see her left asting impression.

    I did not know what to say, but I supposed there really was those type of people that were energetic even after their deaths.

    I guess it would be a good idea toe and visit her the next time I was in this area.

    __

    (Author note)

    Ruphas: "Just out of curiosity, what¡¯s your weapon?"

    Virgo: "Eh? I use things like a staff or a cane."

    Ruphas: "Ohhhh, she¡¯s normal sensible person..... (deeply emotional)"

    Parthenos when she was still young: "Everyone! Have you got yourrge logs!? Let¡¯s go!!"

    (Author Note end)

    __

    [1] Official exnation by the author is given in the end-of-the-chapter author note of chapter 27. But here are 4 pictures of my interpretation in the following order [Pseudo-dragon -‚Î¸o], [Dragon-¸o- western dragon], [Dinosaur-¿Ö¸o] and [Ouroboros-ýˆ- Eastern dragon].

    Pseudo-dragon (source: Monster Hunter ¡°¡°)

    Dragon (Source: ¡°https://imgur/gallery/S5F9j¡°)

    Dinosaur (Source: https://.youtube/watch?v=rRiecAmGWHU)

    Ouroboros

    (Source 1 (Infinity) :

    Source 2 (Shenlong ¨C Dragon Balls):

    Source 3 (Kaido ¨C One Piece): )

    [2] Here is what Komodo dragon and giant girdled lizards look like.

    Komodo dragon

    Giant Girdled Lizards

    [3] Here is the image of the gliding lizards

    [4] Ok... so... in Japanese, both the Western and Eastern dragons are called "Ryu(u)". If you wanted to mention a "dragon", both the (¸o) and (ýˆ) can be used interchangeably (just as we use the word "dragon" to describe both "dragon" and "wyrm" in general conversation). Having said that, as you can see from the images above, there¡¯s a distinction between "giant lizard dragon" that is often depicted in the western media/literature and "long snake like body dragon" that is depicted in the Eastern media/literature. Here the author split the dragons into four types and used the two written form to separate them into different categories (sub-species). In the trantions, we will using the word "dragon" to mean the "western dragon" and "ouroboros/wyrm" to mean the "eastern dragon".

    Bringing back to the context, the author used the "Fake ryu(u)" for both the "pseudo-dragon¡¯ and "pseudo-wyrm" but again, the written form is different. That is the main reason the narration (Ruphas) is saying it is confusing, because in Japanese it¡¯s literally the same (process of mutation, origin, when saying it out loud, using the "ryu" that¡¯s used interchangeably, etc) except in the written form.

    Furthermore, wyrm will be used to describe a snake like dragon and ouroboros will be used to mean the 4<sup>th</sup> type of dragonkin.

    [5] Probably one of the following; (1) closed beta (2) open beta (3) base-game without DLC (4) base-game before any updates (... pretty much CBT(1)/OBT(2))

    [6] Special thanks to amenter who linked me to an article about this research;

    [7] Godzi

    [8] I don¡¯t know if this is a Japanese proverb or a reference to something. I google¡¯d it but it seems to be some reference to a Japanese online MMO?

    [9] Sun Ouroboros (ÈÕýˆ) = Heavenly Ouroboros (Ììýˆ).

    [10] Refer to chapter 1. <i>"Would you like to be granted a new role?"</i>

    [11] Literal trantion <i>"I had nevernded my feet on the ground." </i>(µØ¤Ë×ã¤¬×Å¤¤¤Æ¤¤¤Ê¤¤)

    [12] "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yggdrasil". 9 worlds of the Yggdrasil in the Norse mythology "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_cosmology#Nine_Worlds"

    Asgard: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asgard". Home of gods (Odin; Thor etc), Valha is within Asgard.

    Vanaheimr: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanaheimr". Home of Vanir; group of gods associated with fertility, wisdom and the ability to see the future. (i.e. second tribe of Gods)

    Alfheimr: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81lfheimr". Home of the light elves (i.e. fairies, fae, elves).

    Midgard: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midgard". Name for Earth, home to human.

    Jotunheimr: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B6tunheimr". Home to giants.

    Muspelheim: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muspelheim". Realm of fire.

    Svartalfheim: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svart%C3%A1lfar". Home of ck/dark elves.

    Nifilheim: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niflheim". Realm of ice and cold.

    Nioavellir: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ni%C3%B0avellir". Home of the dwarves.

    Tp: "Wait what happened to Helheim...?? xD"

    Answer to my question from Va-sensei (the other trantor/editor): ¡°The 9 worlds vary ording to sources. Sometimes, Helheim and Niflheim are considered the same world. Other times, Svartalfheim and Nidavellir are considered the same world instead. (In which case, dark elves and dwarves are considered the same race.) In addition, Muspelheim is sometimes excluded from the 9 worlds because it pre-existed (along with Niflheim and Ginnungagap) before the creation of the worlds. It¡¯s a little messy.¡±

    [13] The author used "¡¸¤ñ£¿¡¹", which is..... a character that¡¯s no longer used in Japanese. It¡¯s pronounced "we" and used in olden times. Author¡¯s pretty much trying to convey "eh?" but in a way Virgo is fumbling. So English equivalent would be like... "What" ¨¤ "Whaa?" "Wvat?" or "Wut?". I don¡¯t know which version is better or more fitting so I just picked one on a whim.

    [14] Power levelling can mean few different things but the one that applies here is when the high-level yer (like Ruphas) ¡°carries¡± a low-level yer by grinding mobs so that the low-level yer gets exp fast. Effectively, Virgo will just need to be in the party and she will level up from shared exp, potentially even to level cap. Level cap means the maximum level.

    Tp: "Someone carry my character to max level!!" :¡¯)

    Extra Note: Although not followed by Va or me (because English don¡¯t really have it), Parthenos speaks in a way that only old women do. It¡¯s just one of those things in Japanese that English doesn¡¯t really have.

    __

 Chapter 52

    Chapter 52 - A Wild Last Boss Made A Review

    Raw link: (08/02/2016)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (31/01/2019)

    Editor: Hand of Va / Va (10/01/2019)

    TL Disimer: This is NOT machine tranted, but the dictionary is sometimes used to figure out the kanji.

    If there is an error in the trantion, website, sentence structure or format please let me know in thements below or DM me on the discord () and I will try my best to fix them. Any constructive feedback is appreciated.

    __

    It was sudden, but I decided to try and review what I had been doing until now and reorganise my goal from now on.

    I believed it was important to conduct a review like this once in a while.

    If I did not do so, what we were doing might not correspond to our aim. It was also very possible that by the time we noticed things, we were alreadypletely off-track.

    Firstly, my original goal was to look around and explore this world. Nevertheless, with the situation as it was, there was no longer any room for me to say things like that. Furthermore, as I was already on a journey, it could be said that this goal was already being fulfilled.

    Next, to retrieve the 12 Heavenly Stars and to meet with the 7 Heroes.

    Up to this point, I had retrieved Aries, Libra, Aigokeros, Parthenos¡­ stayed back in the forest and was reced by Virgo, totalling up to 4 of them.

    Dina originally said that she was aware of the locations of six of them, thus using the information that she possessed, it was only possible to find two more of them. Furthermore, she had also stated that "two out of those six are under the Demon King".

    There was no doubt, those two was referring to Aigokeros and the [Scorpion]. In other words, information for five out of those six was already ascertained.

    Which meant there were only one left that could be found using her information as the basis.

    However, due to the information given by Parthenos, we now knew the location of the [Twins], the [Water Bearer] and the [Bull].

    Out of what was remaining, I was also informed that [Lion] was stuck in a war with Bnash.

    In summary, four stars were under my hands and the location of the five stars were already determined.

    Retrievalpleted: Ram, Scales, Goat, Maiden.

    Known locations: Twins, Water Bearer, Bull, Scorpion, Lion.

    Unknown locations: Archer, Fish, Crab.

    If I were to write it in the way that was easy to understand, it would be something like this.

    What was toe was a little concerning.

    As for the reunion with the 7 Heroes, I have met with Megrez and Merak. All that was remaining was Bnash.

    Notwithstanding, this Bnash was pretty troublesome.

    Apparently, she still retained her power from her peak, and that she did not participate in the battle against the Demon King.

    Furthermore, it seemed that she waspletely hostile to me, thus she was a very dangerous existence.

    Having said that, it was not as if I could not predict something like this would happen.

    To begin with, the 7 Heroes had the history of defeating me in the past, as such, there was already some form of hostility in our rtionship.

    If anything, acting friendly with me would be considered strange.

    The two I had previously met was acting like rubber duckies that was stuck on the ceiling, whilst swimming in the stars whilst covering a quacky version of Friday.

    The two that I had previously met were acting so friendly towards me that I had let my guard down, however, in a way, Bnash''s reaction was what would be considered a normal and correct response.

    At the very least, it was far better than seeing regret from the people after they had defeated me.

    It was easy to understand¡­ however, it was bad. She was probably the most troublesome and scary opponent to date.

    Having retained her power from her prime meant that she was level 1000. Furthermore, the 7 Heroes'' level 1000 was not the same as the level 1000 you would see elsewhere.

    They were the no-lifers who had perfected themselves to the pinnacle of their specialisation by consuming the meat (doping) of the countless monsters they had ughtered.[1]

    Back in the game, Bnash had the second highest total stats and sat in the position right behind mine.[2] Additionally, with hertent Vampire race bonus, she was especially a terrifying opponent.

    If the time of face-off was during the morning or the afternoon, I was slightly stronger than her, however, if it was during the night, she most likely would win.

    Also considering from the fact that she was aiming for my head¡­. It was unlikely that a yer was inside her.

    Although this was a provisional assessment, this ount established that all of the 7 Heroes were people of this world.

    In other words, Dina and I were the only people toe from the "other side".

    And then there was [Lion], the strongest of the 12 Heavenly Stars who was currently at war with Bnash.

    The worst thing was that both of them were showing hostility towards me.

    Which was to say, if I identally or casually got close to them, I would have to face both the Vampire Princess and the Lion at the same time.

    Even for me, that was too much. It was not something to joke about.

    <i>¡­. I think¡­ I''ve decided not to go near Bnash for a while.</i>

    Next was the Hero.

    Previous, I determined there was a real and foreseeable possibility that the Hero was going to be killed, thus I returned all the way to Laevateinn.

    But in reality, I was in for a surprise as the Demon King''s aim was me. Furthermore, the existence of the Hero was not even significant in his eyes.

    This meant that even if I left the Hero alone for a while, it was likely that there would be no problem.

    There was still a possibility that the 7 Luminaries would aim for him, but¡­ close to the Hero was a tiger over level 100, as well as two other decently strong people.

    Furthermore, there were few rangers blending in with the shadows, thus they should somehow manage things unless the 7 Luminaries plotted against them.

    Well, perhaps it was not a bad idea for me to make a golem that would protect the Hero for the one-in-a-million situation.

    Andstly, the real goal.

    To find out the goal and the intention of the original "Ruphas" and to create an issue for the Goddess who had selfishly gotten me involved on her whim with her "scenario".

    Whilst I was doing that, I would bring the Goddess out into the open and ask her what her intention was.

    I did not know what the Goddess was thinking when she put me inside Ruphas.

    It was also unknown what she had wanted me to do.

    But¡­ no, that was why I wanted to know. I had to know.

    If I did not find out, I would not be able to move forward. I would just be continuing to stomp on my spot.

    I had enough with wandering about without being able to have a foothold, without being able to put my feet down, without knowing where the sinkholes or the goal was.

    That was why I was going to stop and return to the starting position.

    And this was the retaliation against the Goddess.

    Right now, I was thankful and appreciative of the progression of my consciousness assimting into that of Ruphas''s.

    If I had remained as "myself", I doubt I would have even gotten to thinking things this way.

    If I had remained as the ever hopeful, dumb and whimsical "self", even at this moment, I would not have questioned anything and still would have said something stupid like "Yay, the world of the game I loved!", and be enjoying this world like an idiot.

    Even though I had somehow suddenly gotten thrown into the world of MMO, I would be baffled yet be greatly overjoyed.

    Although this reaction looked like it was looking at the reality, it was just a sign of escape. One would not even be looking for a way to return to the original world.

    The only job I would have would be to think about myself. And the only aim would be to satisfy oneself at the expense of someone else theye across.

    Anything troublesome would beined as troublesome by me, yet I would be joyful of those troublesome things and head in straight towards them whilst calling those troublesome things troublesome, and wishing those troublesome things would continue.[3] I would be gleefully waiting for the stage that I myself would be able to act and look cool.

    I wanted to be praised, I wanted to be recognised, I wanted to be revered, I wanted to be worshipped, I wanted to be raised up, I wanted to be respected and I wanted to be drunk in the feeling of knowing that I was a cool existence in this dreamlike world.

    Ahhhh, so nonsensical. I was able to live in a peaceful country of Japan and not have to worry about what I would wear or eat and I was even able to peacefully y games without a shred of worry. Yet, even though I was able to live in the world that would truly be considered dreamlike by the people of Midgard, I took it for granted and said "I would rather live in the world inside the game than be stuck living in this boring ce" and was unable to appreciate what I already had. I was unable to see what was right in front of me.

    Someone strange and deranged like that - was who I was.

    Aaahhh, I''ll admit it. For the Goddess, I was someone that was easy to handle and make use of.

    In such a way, I might have been a perfect and easy existence to nket the individual called "Ruphas".

    Well, of course, that was the case.

    This chapter is only avable on 2 M0re fr33 thoughts.

    I was someone that lived in a peaceful country of Japan without a shred of worry as I lived my life whilst being immersed in the game. On the other hand, there was Ruphas who had spent her days in the world of Midgard fighting day in and day out.

    It was given that there would be a difference in the willpower and strength between the two of us. It was something so self-exnatory that one did not even have to think hard to reach such a conclusion.

    Nevertheless, the lid was already being taken off. I sensed that for myself.

    Come read for free at the original source two more free thoughts.

    I knew that such a situation would notst long.

    ¡­. This was¡­ I should hurry up and meet with the Goddess to get myself returned to my original world. If I failed to do such a thing, next time, it was going to be me that would be sealed into the pot by the lid known as Ruphas.

    Even for me¡­ it was something I wanted to avoid.

    <i>Anyways, reviewing is done.</i>

    <i>Now that I think about it, I''m suuuuh a useless person.</i>

    I stood in the position to have finally recognised that I was in a dangerous and precarious situation due to how far the assimtion with Ruphas had progressed.

    If you are seeing these lines, maybe you should read at the original source? Come visit 2 more free thoughts

    Notwithstanding, it was truly ironic andical that I could not help butugh that something ridiculous like this had to happen for me to finally open my eyes and see what was in front of me.

    Or more like, I knew how warped my face was at that moment from the smile that I had.

    If you are seeing these lines, it means you are reading on an aggregate website

    "¡­¡­.. Ruphas-sama?"

    Aries who was sitting next to me questioned with a slightly tactful tone.

    Stop with the upturned eyes already. Even knowing that Aries was male, there was quite a powerful effect.

    Whilst thinking that, I turned my line of sight towards him.

    "What is it?"

    "No, umm. Were you thinking about something?"

    "What makes you think that?"

    "Umm¡­. Your face is¡­"

    "Face?"

    "Yes. ¡­ You know¡­ I''ve been thinking that recent Ruphas-sama was very calm, serene and easy-goingpared to the past, or at least gave off that feeling, but the expression Ruphas-sama just showed somehow reminded me of the old Ruphas-sama."

    "¡­ Is that so?"

    Hmm, it seemed even my face was finally showing "Ruphas" now.

    This really might be getting quite bad.

    My consciousness still remained right now, but at this rate, it really might disappear at any moment.

    I did not know how much time I had left, however, there was no doubt that duration decreased by visiting Vanaheimr.

    And unfortunately, as I continued to regain Ruphas''s memory and recall her intention, my consciousness would continue to fade.

    If you are seeing these lines, it means you are supporting a thief.

    Nevertheless, if I did not try to do so, I would not even be able to grasp a trace of the person who had gotten me involved.

    If I continued to do nothing due to the fear of my consciousness disappearing, I would only be walking into the Goddess''s scheme as I was sure that was the reason I was here in the first ce.

    What the hell was this shitty game? The closer I got to the clearing the game, the closer I was to game over.

    Although it was possible to extend the duration, I would only be dancing on the palm of the schemer.

    It truly was just some shitty game.

    In any event, for now, I was going to devote myself to retrieving the remaining 12 Heavenly Stars like the [Scorpion].

    ¡­. So in summary, what I was going to do was not that different from what I had been doing until this point.

    "Aigokeros, do you know the next country Scorpius is going to aim?"

    "Yes. Scorpius stated that the next country to fall will be Blutgang."

    if you are reading this, a kitten has died in the heart of the trantor. when the TLer¡¯s heart runs out of cute kittens to fuel his passion, the TLer may rage quit.

    Blutgang¡­. The country founded by Mizar, huh?

    As this country did not have the protection of an active 7 Heroes,pared to the countries such as Svalinn or Gjarhorn it should be easier to topple.

    Furthermore, it was the world''s leading industrial country where all the tradesmen resided, thus it was a very important location.

    Considering the destruction of the country of Hrotti, it seemed that Scorpius''s intention was to topple the weaker locations first.

    "Dina. Who is the final 12 Heavenly Stars that you know the location of?"

    "It is Karkinos-sama of the [Crab]."[4]

    Karkinos huh. If I recall correctly, out of the 12 Heavenly Stars, he was the one who most excelled in defence.

    He had needlessly high endurance and an extremely hard shell. He could protect and shield his allies by using a skill called [Covering], bing an impable wall.[5]

    On the other hand, he only possessed a single offensive skill which just happened to be a counter exclusive ability, thus making him a very inefficient and lopsided character.

    Nevertheless, his only offensive skill [Acubens] was a fairly strong skill that would deal half of all damage back to the enemy.[6]

    For example, if [Acubens] was activated against [Brachium], a value of 50 thousand would be added to the final damage which would be dealt to the enemy.

    If you consider the fact that the skill would be stronger as the enemy became stronger, it was indeed a very fearsome skill.

    However, his affinity with [Scorpion] was the worst. As the damage suffered from the poison inflicted by the enemy was not added to the counter by the system, his HP would be one-sidedly shaved down.

    Furthermore, as the poison-inflicted damage was not affected by the defensive stats, his HP would be shaved down even faster than it should.

    For better or worse, he was very easy to counter.

    "Where is he located?"

    "He is at Blutgang."

    "The destination matches. I suppose I should take this as a good convenience."

    "It might also be an inconvenience, you know."

    Karkinos and Scorpius would be at the same location. No, Scorpius was still aiming to go to that location. In any event, whilst Scorpius was not there yet, it was determined that the location for both of them would be the same.

    And for me, it was a good opportunity for me to retrieve two of the stars at the same time and save time on travelling.

    However, it was too optimistic to think that nothing would happen when two of the stars met each other.

    Even up until now, the only star to not have created any problem was Parthenos. As for Aries and Aigokeros, they went around doing whatever they want without regards to the trouble they might cause, and even worse, when the two of them met, they started fighting with each other on their own.

    In other words, even if they were within the same 12 Heavenly Stars, it was reasonable to assume that they might start killing each other instead of saying, "Long time no see! Have you been well?"

    No, this time around, even if they hit off with each other, it would be very bad. As one could expect, if the Scorpion and the Crab teamed up, Blutgang would be annihted in less than a day.

    Thebination between the perfect defensive capability of the Crab who would not let any enemy pass and the protected Scorpion who could mindlessly spread poison to the heart''s content¡­. Even imagining that alone would make one realise how horrible of abination they would be.

    With something like that, there was a need for me to reach Blutgang in a hurry.

    __

    (Author note)

    B: "Good, Mafahl left Vanaheimr. Is it about time that she startsing this way? I should prepare to face her. That''s right, I should think of and prepare for a speech for when I meet her. But I don''t want to be seen as if I was waiting for her, so maybe I should act like I''m uninterested¡­.." <i>Fidgety fidgety</i>

    Aide: "Looks like they decided to head towards Blutgang."

    Let''s not go near Benash for a while - b y - Ruphas

    B: "£¨¡ä?¦Ø?`£©"

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] In gaming (though, it''s sometime used elsewhere), people who y all day long and "dedicate their life to the game" (either because they don''t have a job, no social life, no school, or they''re just in a holiday and can y all day long) are called to have "no life". Not really a derogatory term but definitely doesn''t have a positive meaning to it. The term NEET might be more well known to non-gamers but read other novels/manga or watch anime. But technically¡­ NEET and gaming term "no-life" is not the same. "No-lifers" (sorry for theck of trantion skill) can be used neutrally in some circumstance but words like otaku or NEET in Japanese is quite a bad insult (English readers might proudly call themselves that but¡­ there''s actually quite a bad connotation to them in Japan, both to their social life and career). The author specifically didn''t use the term NEET (keep in mind that NEET is a Japanese term) and used the term (ŽüÈË), which is used to mean invalid or crippled.

    [2] Stats are those INT, STR, LUK, MIND, etc that you see listed. Sometime called attributes.

    [3] Yes, the author is repeating the word "troublesome" for a reason. Yes, the author is trying to make that sentence convoluted and repeating.

    [4] Crab = Cancer. Karkinos (¥«¥ë¥­¥Î¥¹) is the Greek name for Cancer. "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac#Twelve_signs".

    [5] Covering =¥«¥Ð©`¥ê¥ó¥°

    [6] Acubens = (¥¢¥¯¥Ù¥ó¥¹) | aka Alpha Cancri, Star system in the constetion of Cancer. "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Cancri".

    __

 Chapter 53

    Chapter 53 - The Power Of Alchemy Is So Awesomeee!

    Raw link: (14/02/2016)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (03/02/2019)

    Editor: Hand of Va / Va (/01/2019)

    Trantion link:

    __

    Update 1: I¡¯ve been informed reader mode and the text to speech shows the hidden texts, I¡¯ll reduce the number of them to keep them manageable. I can¡¯t exactly install plugins because on the WordPress, to install plugins, you need to have a business ount (which is AUD$30 per month), and considering I barely get like 10 cents per day from the ads... yeah... it¡¯s not a very viable option for me. As for special DNS, etc, the site is not hosted by me but by the WordPress, so I can¡¯t do that too. (And in all honesty, I¡¯m not trying to fight the aggregate websites, I just got out of control thest chapter.)

    Update 2: I¡¯ve been told people use reader mode for night mode, and asked if there¡¯s a way to change to night mode. From the quick look, no. For the same reason as above, I can¡¯t add night mode without a plugin, and I can¡¯t install a plugin without a business n. The current theme I have also cannot have a dark background for the central parts, so I can¡¯t change that also. I will browse through other themes but... I quite like the current one because it¡¯s very clean and easy to read for all users.

    Request: Please consider whitelisting the website from adblocker apps, I will really appreciate it, thank you >.<

    TL Disimer: This is NOT machine tranted, but the dictionary is sometimes used to figure out the kanji.

    If there is an error in the trantion, website, sentence structure or format please let me know in thements below or DM me on the discord () and I will try my best to fix them. Any constructive feedback is appreciated.

    __

    (Author note)

    *Notice*

    Thank you for always reading [A Wild Last Boss Appeared!]

    Finally tomorrow, on the 2/15 it will be on sale. Please purchase at the rate that it wouldn¡¯t be sold out.

    (Author note end)

    __

    Save for the few exceptional scenarios, Midgard¡¯s construction technology was superior to that of what the Earth possessed.

    This superiority came from the fact that there was no fantasy-like power such as alchemy back on Earth. Even if it was something impossible to build back on Earth, using alchemy, it could easily be made possible.

    For example, the unnecessarily big Royal Tomb only took ten years to build because alchemy was utilised. If the same thing was to be built back on Earth, it would have taken a lot longer toplete.

    Nevertheless, there was a limit to everything.

    Even if it was alchemy, not everything was possible as there existed limitations on its usage.

    However, in every society, there were those rare individuals that could be called prodigies amongst the geniuses.[1] And at times, these prodigies were able to ignore what everyone else considered to be a norm and go out of bounds to such an extraordinary extent that they were able to reach a domain where nobody thought was possible tond.

    In other words, it was that. The man called Mizar could be categorised into that type.... That was what I was made aware of.

    This chapter is only avable on 2 M0re fr33 thoughts.

    We travelled in Tanaka for a few days.

    What we ended up reaching was that enormous... or more like some castle-like structure that was way too enormous.

    Its height could reach the sky and its length was definitely well over a kilometre.

    Huh? Or rather, was this a castle? That?

    Not to mention there were various cannons sticking out from here and there, this just looked like a battleship.

    Whilst I was standing nkly in a daze, Dina spoke to me.

    "I just went to have a look. That is our next destination, [The Mobile Capital Blutgang]."

    "...... Mobile.... Capital?"

    "Yes. The Smith King Mizar¡¯s final and greatest invention. That is what Blutgang is. A golem with the height of 300m, length of 1100m and the width of 400m, and created using orichalcum, it has managed to repel all the advances made by the demons. I have heard that the inside is split into 15 different floors and consists of different areas for residential and business purposes."

    The whole capital itself was a giant weapon... this was scary, what the hell.

    Who would imagine that the very target of the advance, the capital itself was going tomence attack?

    Not to mention, it was a level 770 golem created using cash shop item. It was not funny at all.

    <i>Or more like, Mizar, aren¡¯t you living in the wrong world?</i>

    <i>If anything, this golem looked like something that should appear in a robot anime featuring space wars.</i>

    <i>Why are you making an enormous space warship under the fantasy setting.... why didn¡¯t you think about how mismatched it was to this world?</i>

    "So he turned the whole capital into a golem... I was surprised about Levia, but this is more than that. Well, maybe I should be saying as expected of the Smith King."

    "Wow.... It¡¯s, it¡¯s so big."

    Virgo was looking dumbfounded next to me with her mouth wide open.

    Her pure white wings were frantically moving, making it very easy to see how excited she was.

    Aries and Aigokeros must have already known about this as they made no reaction. Strangely, even though Libra had no emotion, she seemed proud of this.

    Ahh, I had forgotten but, Mizar was like a parent to her.

    "Well, it¡¯s a golem as it seems, so it¡¯s extremely strong against any physical attack."

    "Looks like it. Even Aries or Libra would struggle and have to put in quite a lot of effort to take that down."

    "Apparently, in the case of emergency, it¡¯s able to transform into a humanoid form, it seems it¡¯s even possible to trade punches with an enemy."

    "At this rate, everything is a go, huh."

    "Yeah. Having said that,patibility with Scorpius is...."

    "The worst, isn¡¯t it?"

    Blutgang was a golem. As a consequence, poison did not work against it, thus in a way, it was in an advantageous position in a fight against Scorpius.

    Notwithstanding, the people inside were apletely different story.

    However firm Blutgang itself was, if everyone on the inside was massacred by the poison, it was a practical defeat.

    If anything, due to the closure of being ced within a golem, it was easier for the poison to spread throughout.

    It seemeding to this ce in a hurry was not a mistake after all.

    "Ruphas-sama, what should we do about disguises?"

    "I recall that a Dwarf¡¯s lifespan was not that long. Then I guess, there shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem as long as I hide my wings. I¡¯ll go with the clothing that was provided by Megrez this time."

    To Libra¡¯s question, I replied by selecting the clothing I previously received from Megrez.

    There were two options on what I could wear when I went outside. One was topletely cover myself and look like a suspicious person and the other was to use the bandage that I received from Megrez and show myself daringly.

    Under the first option, there was very little chance of my wings being seen by others, however, I would look like a suspicious person, thus would be doubted from the initial encounter.

    Under thetter option, I would not look like a suspicious person, however, there would be a troublesome consequence if someone that knew my face were to see me.

    There were an advantage and disadvantage to both, thus it was important that I used them correctly.

    If the others would not have remembered my face, it was better to boldly step out with only my wings hidden than be overly cautious and cover myself entirely.

    The more one tried to sneakily do something the more suspicious they became.

    I made Aigokeros turn his back towards my side and tried to start changing, at this moment, Aries also turned around in a hurry.

    Ah, not good, I forgot Aries was also a male. His appearance waspletely that of a girl¡¯s so I had forgotten.

    To a confused Virgo, Libra exined: "That thing is a male."

    "Ah, Ruphas-sama. It¡¯s fine to continue whilst being in Tanaka. Blutgang has a dock that can store golems."

    "Hmm, that¡¯s convenient."

    As advised by Dina, we continued to progress without stepping out of Tanaka.

    When we reached in front of the castle, with a "gasha gasha" sound, a walking armour came out from the castle.

    It was probably Blutgang¡¯s patrolling golem.

    From the look of it, their average level was around level 50. These did not look like they were the product of Mizar.

    "PlEaSe SToP riGHt tHEre. PleaSE STAte yoUr reASon fOr EntrY aNd sHoW yOuR PErMIt. THAnk You VERY MuCH."

    "I¡¯m the wandering merchant Dina. I came here to conduct business. Here is the permit."

    Dina made an answer and shed her permit in front of the patrolling golem¡¯s eyes.

    When she did that, the area around the golem¡¯s eyes shed in blue light and made a funny looking beep sound.

    Maybe it was scanning the permit?

    "CheCKiNG the PErmiT coMPLeTed."

    "nEXT up, I wILL chECK INSIde ThE GoLEm."

    At the same time as the patrolling golem made that statement, Dina got out of Takana and gestured towards everyone else toe out.

    It seemed we were to wait outside until the golem finished checking the inside.

    As there was no reason for us to retaliate against this, everyone obediently followed Dina¡¯s instructions.

    "They are inspecting inside the golem and making sure no dangerous material is brought inside. The thing that Blutgang needs to be most cautious of are the demons or the likes infiltrating inside. And, if in case there was someone like Jupiter who was disguised as a human, most of them would be caught here."

    "I see. But if it was something like that, wouldn¡¯t something like Libra be gged here?"

    Libra may have had the appearance of a maid, however, inside of her was packed with a surprising amount of armaments.

    Let alone all the external weapons like the machine gun, even the built-in weapons on Libra should easily be considered ¡¯out¡¯.

    Putting it in another way, it would not be incorrect to think of her as a walking danger item.

    That was what I was thinking, nevertheless, the patrolling golems did not even say anything about Libra to us.

    "Please do not worry master. There is too much of a difference in quality between me and them. Inferior golems that can only crudely scan the surface would not be able to see past my disguise."

    "Is, is that so?"

    Yeah, she¡¯s definitely a dangerous item.

    What was scary? Well, the fact that she would not even be caught at all at the inspection points was scary.

    However, something that might have been gged was not just Libra.

    Aigokeros was hiding inside my shadow so they would not say anything about him, however, the problem was Aries.

    Notwithstanding, the patrolling golems again did not say anything in regards to Aries, and gave us the permission to pass through.

    While I was being curious about this point, I noticed that Dina was making a triumphant look.

    "Did you use the concealment of the status?"

    "E-x-a-c-t-l-y"[2]

    It looked like Dina used her cheat and managed to fool them.

    When it came to stuff like that, she was really reliable.

    After being let through by the golems, Tanaka who was carrying the lot of us passed through the gate and entered into Blutgang.

    After passing through the gate which was surrounded by steel 360 degrees, we were stopped by the hand signal of a dwarf in worker¡¯s clothing who was probably a guide.

    "Hey, we¡¯ll take care of the golem over here. It¡¯s forbidden to travel in a golem inside the capital."

    "Understood. Everyone, let¡¯s use our feet from here on out."

    After putting Tanaka under the dwarf¡¯s care, we continued to stand in front of therge door which we assumed would continue to the capital.

    When we did so, the dwarf operated the switch that was next to the door. Subsequently, therge door made a heavy sound and opened.

    Therge door opened sideways and the inside of Blutgang was bared for us to see.

    What was in front of us was without a doubt, a city.

    A painting of the blue sky on the ceiling which was mimicking the real sky was at the top and artificial light was shining down.

    Although the area was only 1100m in length times the width of 400m, and buildings were crammed next to each other. There were major roads, parks, and various stores throughout.

    The ceiling was also fairly high, which I estimated was probably around 20m, allowing us to avoid feeling oppressed or entrapped.

    There were even residential apartments and mansions that one might have forgotten that it was inside a golem if they did not keep it in mind.

    As I looked around due to my curiosity getting the better of me, surprisingly, instead of the usual Dina, Libra started with the exposition.

    "Out of the 15 floors within Blutgang, the residential areas upies up to the eighth floor. Each area is called ¡¯The First City¡¯, ¡¯The Second City¡¯ and so on. The ninth and the tenth floors aremercial areas. There are various stores lined up in this area.

    Eleventh to thirteenth floors are office areas. Allpanies that exist within Blutgang are lined up on these floors. Factories and storages make up about half of these. The fourteenth floor is the royal area. Only the royalty and those deemed worthy by the royalty are allowed in ess.

    And finally, the fifteenth floor has Blutgang¡¯s mainmand centre and is only essible by very limited individuals. The high-level golems created by Mizar-sama is also stored in this floor."

    "You¡¯re quite informed."

    "Blutgang is like a little brother to me."

    <i>It¡¯s a pretty big little brother, oi.</i>

    I wanted to make that <i>tsukommi</i> but was barely able to hold it back as I looked at the side of Libra¡¯s face which remained emotionless as usual.

    Although the size and the creation was different, both Libra and Blutgang had themon point of being the products of Mizar.

    In all likelihood, there were some things that were being considered by her.

    "And, Karkinos is somewhere in this capital... There¡¯s no mistake with that right?"

    "Yes. There should not be any mistake this time."

    To my question, Dina purposefully replied with an emphasis on "this time".

    Previously, even though she said that Parthenos was here, when we actually got to the location, Parthenos had already passed away. Dina was probably keeping that in her mind when she was replying.

    Personally, after seeing that even Dina was not a perfect person, I could more intimately rte to her, however, there was no reason for me to tell her that.

    "Hmm. Well, for now, let¡¯s get something to fill out stomach. Fortunately, it seems there are still restaurants in the residential areas."

    "During the early days, the restaurants were only ced in themercial areas, however, due to theints received from the citizens that it was bothersome to travel to the stores every time, some of the general goods stores and eateries were moved to the residential areas."

    We were walking about the city as Libra was exining things.

    Compared to the cities that we have seen thus far, everything including the buildings looked new.

    Of course,pared to the modern world Japan, there were still aspects that looked outdated, however, it did not give off the feeling of ¡¯old¡¯ by any mean.

    Hmm.... I would say it was recent?

    Describing the city as something you might imagine of 18<sup>th</sup> or 19<sup>th</sup> century London... might best fit how it looked it.

    Of course, not everything looked like that. I just phrased it that way because it best matched what I would recall from the back of my mind. There might have been better ways to describe it, but it was simply just easiest for me to describe it as such.

    As such, it was not as if there were bridges here and there like you would expect from the London of that time. To begin with, there were not evenrgekes or rivers that would require bridges in the first ce. There were small ones here though.

    Although I stated that the buildings were big, because there was a physical limitation called the ceiling, everything was still in small scales.

    Well, it was whatever. For now, I just wanted to get something to eat.

    It was not as if I had not eaten anything, but because we were on a journey, all food products that were stored in Tanaka were things could wouldst for a long time.

    Although there was a thing that somewhat resembled a refrigerator, it was far from being the real one.

    To begin with, because I did not know the mechanics behind how the refrigerator worked, I just casually created a box that somewhat sealed things well and used Dina¡¯s water magic to fill it up with ice.

    Which was to say, rather than a refrigerator, it was more like a cooler box.

    It was better than not having anything at all, but something was different. It just wasn¡¯t it.

    As a consequence, when we reached a city or a town, we would usually end up eating at those ces.

    Eating good food allowed us to better avoid being stressed out too. So I was just stating the obvious.

    "Ah, Ruphas-sama. Doesn¡¯t this ce look nice?"

    "Yeah. Personally, I think the store with the crab sign across the road also looks interesting."

    The shop that Virgo was pointing at was a nice looking store that was surprisingly made out of wood.

    There were various nts that were lined up in front of the store and gave off a good atmosphere.

    But for me, I could not avoid feeling curious about the store that boldly gave off a beach feeling by putting that crab sign even whilst being inside this golem.

    Having said that, because we were travelling with others and Virgo who had just recently joined us was being assertive, I thought I would fold here.

    As for the crab store, the next time we get an opportunity, we can give it a visit.

    "Anyways, this store here also has a nice atmosphere. Let¡¯s go in this store this time."[3]

    "Yay!"

    Virgo had a childish personality like that of Aries, however, she had a bright personality unlike Aries. She had a happy and vivid personality which made people smile when they looked at her.

    I thought that Aries¡¯s personality was too reserved, thus I would have preferred that he learnt some things from her.

    As I was thinking that, we opened the door to the restaurant and entered inside.

    Now then, I just hope some weird dish won¡¯te out.

    __

    (Author note)

    [Mobile Capital Blutgang]

    The final invention of the Smith King Mizar from back in his prime.

    Height 300m, Length 1100m. In its humanoids form, it transforms into a height of 1100m, length 300m.

    After finding an abnormality in his spirit, he put all that he could into creating this whilst he retained his sanity. It was for the purpose of "protecting oneself, even in his time of weakness and death."

    If you were to forcibly push people in, it was possible to amodate a few million people, with its agricultural nts. In case it was attacked, the capital itself was able to move and retaliate and/or escape.

    Inside, besides the golems created by the dwarves, there were average level 300 super golems on standby that were able to repel the advances from the demons (though the Demon King and his son were not included in this list).

    In case it was pushed into the corner, there were mass-produced Libra-type golems on standby that were created using Libra¡¯s blueprint.

    Although the hero himself was absent, its ability to preserve itself was definitely a top ss in Midgard.

    [Mass Produced Libra Type]

    Imitations that looked just like Libra. The colour of the hair was different from the original¡¯s, it was white.

    Its built-in armaments were either the Left Scale OR the Right Scale. It came with the ability to fly and track enemies as well as various firearms.

    There are a total of four in existence, all of which are level 700.

    In case there appeared an enemy that not even Blutgang could handle, it was reserved as a trump card for final defence line.

    Originally there were 5 of them, however, during the fight with the Demon King, Mizar took one along and ended up being destroyed.

    Q: Why are there mostly level 300 golems? If it¡¯s Mizar, shouldn¡¯t he be able to create golems up to level 700?

    A: He had his hands full in creating the Blutgang itself and mass producing golems. After his golem squad were defeated by the Demon King, I think he probably thought "it¡¯s better than nothing" and created them out of whim.

    Q: Create a golem out of nature like Megrez!

    A: I will only recognise if the golem is made out of metal! - Mizar

    (Author Note end)

    __

    [1] Slightly altered from raw, raw stated: "natural disaster would be born amongst the genius". This is because both the natural disaster and genius is "tensai" though written differently in kanji. Pretty much the meaning is the same as written above.

    [2] This part was written in English (or in katakana), instead of Japanese.

    [3] Raw used "sense" instead of "atmosphere". Though not exactly the same thing, in Japanese they use "sense" like we would use "atmosphere".

    __

 Chapter 54

    Chapter 54 - A Wild Last Boss Ate Lunch

    Raw link: (15/02/2016)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (05/02/2019)

    Editor: Hand of Va / Va (13/02/2019)

    Trantion link:

    __

    Update 1: Starting this chapter (for my portion of chapters), I will have a ¡°teaser next chapter¡±. I will include the first few lines of the next chapter as a teaser of the subsequent chapter. The teaser for the subsequent chapters will be essible through at the very end of every post. The title for the teaser chapters will be hidden until the chapter is fully released. Please enjoy.

    The teaser will include the first 200-250 words of the next chapter (average chapter length of this series is 2500-3500 words).

    Update 2: There¡¯s no hidden text in this chapter, to make up for the crazy amount I put onto chapter 52. From now on, I will at most only put 3 hidden texts linking to this website. There will no longer be any misleading texts (there were no misleading textsst chapter).

    Request: Please consider whitelisting the website from adblocker apps, I will really appreciate it, thank you >.<

    __

    (Author note)

    * [A Wild Last Boss Appeared!] is out on sales today *

    Changed Sun Hobbit race¡¯s name into "Floresiensis".[1]

    I will be fixated on this from here on out.

    (Author note end)

    __

    "Wee. Would it be a group of six?"

    When we entered the restaurant, we were greeted by a small girl with an apron.

    From the quick look of the girl, I estimated her age to be around 12 years old. However, her true age was probably not what it looked like.

    Fundamentally, dwarves were a race with short height. They were also a race that was hard to estimate the age based on appearance.

    Back in the game, they were called [Shadow Hobbits] and were originally the same species as the hobbits.

    What created the distinction between the Shadow Hobbits and the Sun Hobbits depended on whether they decided to live in the caves or roam free on thend.

    Fundamentally, when one imagined the Hobbit race, they were talking about the Floresiensis (in a fictional work it would correspond with species such as Grass __ner or Half__ngs), however, that was not urate.[2]

    If you were to be specific, dwarves were also of the hobbit race.

    Having said that, in the end, it was merely the background setting and no one really paid any attention to it.

    As such even from now I will continue to call the Floresiensis as the Hobbits and the Dwarves as Dwarves.

    Official names were just that. Even back on Earth, we called the hedgehogs as a needle mouse even though it was closer in species to a mole than a mouse.[3]

    But no one really cared about stuff like that and continued to call it the needle mouse.

    In other words, it was simr to that.

    In the fictional fantasy works, dwarves were usually short in height and had long and bushy beards. Dwarves in Midgard were not different in that regard.

    Short height was the race¡¯s trademark and the male dwarves all grew their beards long.

    Notwithstanding, they did not age particrly fast and were not significantly different whenpared to the human race.

    Putting it bluntly, they simply did not shave their beard and thus the aging process was the same as that of the human.

    However, I heard that, because the male dwarves often did more physicalbour, they ended up looking manlier.

    Most probably due to natural evolution based on that, just by working a little, male hormones gashed out making them buffed up and muscr very quickly, as well as making their eyebrows thick and bushy. As a consequence, beards also grew at an extraordinary rate.

    Furthermore in dwarven societies, the chiselled featured or the so called "uncle face" is considered to be handsome.[4]

    As such, whoever they were, by the time they reached their thirties, they looked like they had turned into Santa us.

    Needless to say, any cleanly shaven human that would be considered handsome by the human society would not even be taken into consideration by the dwarven women.

    The dwarven women, on the other hand, preferred to look like a legal loli.[5]

    Though by the time they entered their forties, they simply looked like a short grandma.

    "What would you like to order?"

    "Barometz Soup."[6]

    To the woman¡¯s question, I looked at the menu and answered.

    In the past, I had wanted to try this if I ever had the chance to go to the world of Midgard.

    Back in the game, food was considered to be a recovery item, and this soup was one of those.

    It was a magical beast that had an interesting mutation and its origin was (probably) a nt.

    It looked simr to the gourd and for some reason, from inside the nt you could harvest smallmbs.

    If nobody harvested the smallmb, the nt would mature into an adult and stick only the face out of the fruit whilst eating the nearby grass and eventually eating itself to death. It made no sense. In a way, the very existence of itself felt like a troll or a failure.[7]

    In any event, it was a convenient existence. Even its hooves were made out of wool, thus its whole body could be turned into a material to be used.

    For the alchemists, it could be considered a strong ally of some sort.

    It was considered basic for the low-level alchemists to start off by hunting barometz and turning its wool into equipment.

    Well, in my case, since I had been serving as a vanguard before I became an alchemist, by the time I became one, I was able to casually hunt other magical beasts and dinosaurs.

    To top things off, since I had Aries to provide me with highest-grade material called the rainbow wool, putting it bluntly, I had absolutely no need for barometz.

    Anyways, those barometz had a nice vour to them with its meat tasting like a crab... or so I read in the descriptions.

    But, one could not help but think it was a gag by now.

    No, it really was considered to be a joke back in the game. It was probably what the developers had intended to achieve as well.

    Notwithstanding, to be stuck in that state in reality in this world... I could not help but pity them.

    Well yeah, even if I said that, I was still going to eat it though.

    Or so I was thinking, but I noticed that Aries was staring intently at me.

    "............................"

    "..........Ah, no, actually I think I¡¯ll have a mushroom soup."

    I noticed myck of consideration and quickly changed my order.

    I was being careless. To eat a sheep in front of Aries who was a sheep was not a good idea. Though there was a question as to whether barometz could be called a sheep in the first ce.

    Of course, I knew that he would not have med me for it, however, there was a scary thought that he would say "Ruphas-sama¡¯s favourite food is a sheep" and begin cutting pieces off of his body.

    Well, this was a problem, I should avoid eating the meat corresponding to the animals represented by the members of the 12 Heavenly Stars.

    "I will have the sd assortment."

    "I will also have that."

    "Me too."

    "I will have barometz soup."

    Whilst Dina, Aries and Aigokeros were making an order of sd, Virgo ordered barometz without reservation.

    She paid absolutely no mind to Aries¡¯s line of sight. Or more like, she did not even notice it.

    "Ah, and I will also have goat milk porridge."

    And this time, she went for a goat.

    Aigokeros¡¯s stare was added on top of Aries, but still, she did not noticed it.

    In a way, she was an amazing person.

    "In any event, I¡¯m surprised that there are ingredients inside this golem."

    "That¡¯s because. Inside the golem..."

    "Inside the golem, there are agricultural nts. List of things grown ranges from barometz and other easy-to-grow produce, such as Fruit of Eir as well as a variety of potatoes species and vegetables. Though, half of the ingredients are being imported from elsewhere."

    When I made a query of Dina and as she started answering, Libra cut in from the side.

    Dina who had her exposition role taken away was making a vexed face, however, Libra was making an ¡¯I don¡¯t care¡¯ face.[8]

    You guys... why did you want the exposition role so much?

    Well, whatever. What was important now was the food.

    The soup that was carried to me had various mushrooms cut in different shapes and sizes making it look quite delicious.

    There were a few things that I could not recognise, but to begin with, I was not too versed in mushrooms themselves.

    I could not even distinguish the difference in taste between matsutake mushrooms and shimeji mushrooms, thus as long as it was not a poisonous mushroom, I was fine with anything.[9]

    And the taste.... Yeah, there was just a good amount of salt in the dish.

    Although demons now upied the majority of thend in Midgard, for the remainingnds that the humanoids had to be neighbouring an ocean could be considered a silver lining.

    The ce I had a little skirmish with the Demon King previously... in other words, around the country of Laevateinn. If I recalled correctly, there was an ocean connected to that ce.

    Salt was an important substance that the body needed. If all thend that was connected to the sea was taken away, even if there was no war, the humanoids would start dying.

    Anyways, as I expected, the culinary skill in this world had not progressed as much as it had back on Earth.

    It felt like it was boiled and seasoned with salt half-heartedly.

    Well, it was how it was. After all, Midgard was currently in the middle of a world war. The nutrient and the quantity was given priority over the taste of the food.

    There was no room to be able to pursue the taste of the food and there certainly was not an ingredient to be wasted in experimenting for the taste. As a natural consequence, the culinary field had not progressed greatly.

    I remembered seeing a variety show on the television in the past, and in it, there was a famous but stubborn chef who owned a ramen restaurant. He was taking his son in as a disciple but due to his son¡¯s inability, he was dissatisfied with the taste of the final product. As a consequence, after taking a single sip, he became angry and threw it onto the ground. If such an act was done in this world, he would not be able toin even if he was punched.

    Trying to pursue great vour was splendid. It was no secret that everyone wanted to eat something nice.

    In this world, however, there was simply was not enough to allow for such a luxury.

    Furthermore, many seasonings werecking or non-existent in this world. This was most likely a major factor in hindering the advancement of the culinary field.

    Although it was amon fantasy trope, in this world, ck pepper was considered to be a luxury item under the setting. In fact, back in the game, ck pepper was sold for a great value as a cash shop item. I believe the origin of ck pepper was limited or whatnot.

    Notwithstanding, it was not as valuable as it was back in the Middle Ages back on Earth.

    Back on Earth, ck pepper was worth its weight in gold, however, this was the result of thebination of the great Age of Discovery and theck of refrigeration.[10]

    If one were seeking to cross a sea, ck pepper was indispensable for long-term preservation of ingredients.

    Nevertheless, in this world, it was not undergoing the Age of Discovery and had a convenient existence called water arcane magic.

    If one wanted to store an ingredient for a long time, all they had to do was to freeze something using water arcane magic.

    Of course, ice created using arcane magic would eventually turn back to mana. When that happened, however, all one had to do was to use the arcane magic again. As a consequence, in regards to storing ingredients, there was no need for ck pepper.

    "I¡¯m satisfied" would be going too far, however, it was a relief on being able to eat non-preserved food for the first time in a while. Once we were full, we made the payments and left the store.

    What we should do next was without a doubt, to find Karkinos.

    However, as we did not know where he was, all we could do was to search every corner.

    Notwithstanding, to search every corner of this wide Blutgang would take a very long time. Additionally, as there were private dwellings here and there, thus it was impractical to actually search every corner.

    We were not a Hero in an RPG game, as such we were unable to storm into whatever house we wanted.

    "Libra, is it not possible to search for Karkinos¡¯s location?"

    "I have been doing so from before. If I am given time, I will be able to analyse every citizen¡¯s breathing to find a one that matches with my memory. May you wait a while?"

    "In that case, we shall wait until Libra finishes searching."

    It looked like the search for Karkinos¡¯s location would be sorted out if Libra was here.

    She had said that she would need some time, however, it would still be far quicker than finding him on foot.

    At that moment, Dina raised her finger as if she thought of something.

    "Ah, if that¡¯s the case, would you mind if I go shopping? We¡¯re about to run out of the stored food and water."

    "In that case, I will apany you as a bodyguard."

    To Dina who said that she needed to do some shopping, Libra surprising offered to apany her as a bodyguard.

    I believed that if it was Dina, she would be fine, however, if Libra went with her, I would definitely feel at ease.

    Or more like, I would have wanted to suggest that myself.

    I did not feel that there would be a danger to Dina. As a level 1000, she would be able to handle most things on her own.

    However, there was a scary feeling of not knowing what Dina would do if she was left alone.

    After all, she was a double spy of the demons and I did not know what she would do in the background. Though she was added as arade knowing all this.

    But if Libra was near her, even if it was Dina, she would not be able to take strange actions.

    If I had to make an issue, it would be whether Libra would be able to direct her effort elsewhere as she was in the middle of searching for Karkinos. That was it.

    "Please feel at ease. I am able to guard sufficiently even if I am searching for someone. If anything, as there are surveince in every floor of this golem, it would be more efficient for me to get closer to the centralmand."

    "I see, then I will leave it to you."

    "Thank you for leaving it to me."

    To buy food, Dina and Libra left our group, leaving me with absolutely nothing to do.

    I wonder what I should do until theye back.

    We had just finished eating and there were no convenient stores here to kill time.[11]

    As such, the only thing I could do was to walk around.

    "Ok, until Dina and Librae back, you¡¯re free to move on your own. Each should make sure you¡¯re not causing a problem for the people in the city."

    "Ruphas-sama, what are you going to do?"

    "I think I will have a look around the city a little."

    "In that case, I wille with you."

    "Me too."

    "Ah, then me too."

    "........."

    When I said I was going to walk around the city, the sheep, the goat and the maiden all decided to tag along.

    What was this? Was this one of those things you often see in RPG where hero walked in a neat line with his friends and allies trailing behind them?

    This made me feel hard to walk around.

    "......... You guys can do what you like, you know."

    "Walking together with Ruphas-sama is what I like doing."

    "Me too."

    "Umm, if I¡¯m alone, I¡¯m going to get lost so..."

    I tried to tell them to go away in a roundabout way, however, all three of them showed no sign of wanting to separate.

    I could understand the reasoning behind Virgo¡¯s statement, but Aries¡¯s loyalty felt a little heavy.

    I did not know if it was just me not paying attention, but I felt as though Aigokeros had been saying nothing but "Me too" since a while ago.

    Sigh, at this rate, it looked like I really would not be getting free time by myself for a while.

    No, well, it was not like I disliked it but.

    About these guys anyways.

    __

    (Author note)

    [Fruit of Eir]

    Fruit believed to have been entrusted by the War Maiden Eir who had served the Goddess when people were pitied by her due to the famine.[12]

    Sweet, full of nutrient and sprouted regardless of the season even if there were only a little bit of soil.

    Being enclosed by the green coloured skin, the fruit was very watery and could better reliably quench a thirstpared to raw water which may have been infected with bacteria or disease.

    In the publication, this fruit is introduced in the 1<sup>st</sup> volume. In the web novel version, this is the first appearance.

    [Seasonings in Midgard]

    It exists normally but is not abundant.

    If anything, very sweet sugar are the main.

    Fructose is mostly made from the Fruit of Eir.

    Not really a valuable item.

    The remainingnd is adjacent to a sea, thus it could be harvested from there.

    Transportation for the distribution either uses a bird monster that the tamers control, golems that can fly or the flugels. Thus even if the country was away from the sea, it was possible to have salt. As expected, it was not abundant.

    A luxury item. The location that it could be nted was limited and it was on the demon¡¯snd.

    In other words, it was more valuable than Ruphas had believed in the chapter and could be traded for quite a high price.

    However, Midgard is not in the great Age of Discovery and the ingredient preservation could be done using the water arcane magic. It was merely a very rare seasoning.

    Does not exist.

    Does not exist

    Something simr exists.

    There was a simr thing created in the past, however, people questioned and dissed its existence by saying "isn¡¯t it just stupid to have the egg raw....?" and have disappeared as part of the history¡¯s shadow.

    As a side note, apparently, its taste was inferior to the mayonnaise in a foreign country and mediocre at best.

    Exists normally.

    It does not exist currently.

    There are tomatoes, thus if you teach people how to make it, it could be made.

    Q: Are there sweets and snacks?

    A: If it¡¯s something at the level of grilled or fried fruit pie, it exists. There is no such thing as cakes or chocte. Bluntly speaking, if a modern age patisserie makes a trip to Midgard, they could be very rich very quickly. AND they would quickly be targeted and be kidnapped by someone in power. Or more like, they would be instantly kidnapped by the Vampire Princess who loves sweet things.

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] (¥Õ¥í©`¥ì¥·¥¨¥ó¥·¥¹) "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_floresiensis".

    [2] Reference to The Lord of the Rings. Grass-Runner and Halfing. The author nked out the reference in this chapter, but Va has pointed it out to me that the author actually used both words without nking out the characters in chapter 4.

    [3] So... In Japanese, mouse is nezumi (¥Í¥º¥ß), and mole is mogura (¥â¥°¥é), hedgehog is called the harinezumi (¥Ï¥ê¥Í¥º¥ß), literally meaning needle mouse. (Picture source: )

    [4] Umm... I google¡¯d this but it wasn¡¯t very useful haha. I imagine middle age man. Imagination is the key in fantasy novels :¡¯)

    [5] ¥É¥ï©`¥Õ¤ÎÅ®ÐÔ¤Ï¤Û¤È¤ó¤É¤¬¤ª¤¸ŒŸ¤ÎºÏ·¨¥í¥ê¤Ê¤Î¤À¡£

    [6] "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable_Lamb_of_Tartary".

    [7] Troll was not in the raw... but thought it was fitting.

    [8] I used vexed, the author used gumeme face (¤°¤Ì¤Ì), for what the author meant see this link; "".

    [9] Shimeji mushroom = White Beech Mushroom "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimeji". Matsutake mushrooms = ... matsutake mushroom "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsutake". Matsutake are those super expensive, super luxurious food in Asia. Though not the same thing, you can analogise to caviar. Ruphas is saying she wouldn¡¯t even be able to distinguish between that and super cheap andmon mushroom like shimeji.

    [10] "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Discovery".

    [11] Convenient stores are exactly as it sounds. For people that are not aware of the term, it would be stores like 7-Eleven that serves as small stores that have everything (sort of..) you may need in a day. In Japan, some people would often "chill" in those stores and some students (and even adults if they¡¯re free) would stand in the corner and read magazines for free without buying.

    [12] "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eir".

    __

 Chapter 55

    Chapter 55 - A Wild Fool Appeared!

    Raw link: (21/02/2016)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (08/02/2019)

    Editor: Hand of Va / Va (16/02/2019)

    Trantion link:

    __

    Teaser for is out too!

    Update: TL disimer removed from the tranted page + hidden text limited to 3 from now on (start; middle, end); no misleading texts will be used.

    Request: Please consider whitelisting the website from adblocker apps, I will really appreciate it, thank you >.<

    __

    The grasnd that led towards Svalinn.

    There, eight men were struggling in a fight against over thirty magical beasts.

    The young man with ck hair... Sei was swinging his weapon "Katana" which was entrusted to him by the king, in order to ward off the beasts which were assaulting him.

    These beasts had the appearance simr to that of hyenas you might see back on Earth, however, their hair appeared poisonous with purple and pink colour. These beasts were called [Fool] and had an average level of 20, and were something that could easily be handled by trained warriors and knights.

    Nevertheless, that was a statement that only applied if there were a limited number of them. There was no doubt even these mobs were a troublesome enemy if there were many.

    "Fua!"

    Notwithstanding, even at this time, Sei¡¯s heart was not broken and his feet continued to move while he continued precisely to swing his sword.

    He, who was forced to see two of the world¡¯s scariest entities at the same time, had be desensitised and resistant to something like this.

    Whoever the enemy and however strong the magical beast, all he could think was pared to those twost bosses, these are nothing."

    Additionally, his weapon was extraordinary.

    The weapons from The Royal Tomb of ck Wings cut so well that it was scary. It also served topensate for Sei¡¯s inexperience and unskillfulness.

    Looking around, he noticed that Cruz was using divine magic to support the allies whilst Jean was using various weapons to crudely cut down the magical beasts.

    Gants swung his battleaxe and cut down multiple magical beasts in a single swing. Friedrich, on the other hand, had acted as if he had regained his wild beast instinct, crushing the Fools with his feet, tearing them apart with his ws and biting them to death.....

    Hey, use your sword, Sword Saint.

    "Guwoooooooo!!"

    The sword saint howled causing the magical beasts to be intimidated.

    It was said that wild beasts were sensitive to those stronger than themselves, thus these magical beasts had likely sensed instinctively that Friedrich was stronger than themselves.

    They quickly ran away in all directions and the silence returned to that location.

    "..... Uu, pu."

    As the fight ended, tension dissipated.

    When that happened, Sei was assaulted with the feeling of wanting to puke everything out.

    He quickly covered his mouth and forcibly held down the stuff that was going up his throat.

    Even though he had gotten quite used to it, he still had some instinctual hesitation in killing living things with his own hands.

    Although he was now a hero, he had been living in the peaceful country of Japan until quite recently. Even the meat that he ate was the one he purchased from supermarket shelves that were pre-made and packaged.

    The only living things that he could recall killing by himself... were limited to bugs.

    He did not particrly feel anything when he squished mosquitoes during summer. However, if that were to be reced by cats or dogs, it was needless to say that he would feel some unpleasantness and hesitation.

    It was the same as that.

    Nevertheless, he could not do anything unsightly like vomit.

    He was well aware that his title of the hero was nothing better than a title of a clown. From the eyes of the people that held real power, he was no different from a bug. He was literally a small fry that did not even enter into their sight.

    Yet, there was a thing called pretension.

    Even if he did not possess any real strength, even if he was not deserving, as long as he had the title of a hero, he would be considered and be called as one. As he had epted that role and a title, he had the obligation to act like one.

    Even though he was like this, there were people who called him a hero. There were also people did not know any better and relied on him.

    As such, he did not want to act pitifully.

    Inside himself, there existed a hope that would be crushed if someone blew on it. But all his weak self could do was to keep up a thin veil of pretence.

    As such, he wanted to at least keep that up. Because it was his obligation once he answered that call for help.

    The stuff that had climbed out of his stomach and up his throat - the stuff that had already reached his mouth, he forcibly swallowed it back down.

    "Oi oi, you¡¯re still not used to it, Sei? Isn¡¯t it about time you at least manage to kill the magical beast casually? If you can¡¯t, it¡¯s going to be a bit tough going forward."

    ".... Yeah, might be."

    Although he affirmed Jean¡¯s prompt, inside, he was still hesitating.

    <i>I¡¯m fine with this</i>, somewhere deep inside of him, he felt this way.

    Indeed, if he were to hesitate in killing even the magical beasts, he would not be able tost long. He knew that.

    He had to get used to it. Not wanting to get used to it was just his selfishness. He knew that.

    But at the same time, he thought that he did not want to be a human being that could mindlessly kill a living thing without feeling anything.

    Contradiction - he did not want to show his pitifulness. Yet, he did not want himself to be able to kill a living thing without feeling anything.

    It was not possible to have both ways, yet Sei continued to cling onto both.

    He wanted to continue feeling the weight of snatching life away. If he were to forget the weight of that, he would lose the sense of justice that he believed in.

    The country of Japan that he would eventually return to was a country governed byw. There,ws existed so that people could exist, there were things called morals, and there were things calledmon sense.

    He did not want to be someone that would not hesitate to kill a person when he had to go back.

    Of course, a policeman had to arrest a criminal. If required, they would even fire a firearm and take a life.

    However, the moment that policeman merrily pointed the gun at someone, to be excited in firing that firearm and be joyful that they get to kill someone, they would no longer deserve to be called a policeman. They would simply be a murderer who used thew as a shield.

    But in this world, it was justice. Someone that was able to enter more battlefield and kill more magical beasts without hesitation was considered to be a greater warrior. And they were the ones that became a hero.

    Although this greatly resembled Sei¡¯s goal of following his father¡¯s footstep, it could not be any further in essence.

    <i>I knew it already but.... I¡¯m not suited to being a hero inside a game....</i>

    I knew I was being na?ve.

    It was not "kindness". It was "naivety".

    Icked a resolution. I did not have the right mental attitude.

    Even though I answered a call for help out of my own free will, even now, I still had not set my feet down yet.

    Indeed, my feet were physically touching Midgard¡¯s soil, nevertheless, my heart was still stuck in the peaceful country of Japan.

    As such, I always became a burden on my allies and could not avoid prioritising Japanesemon sense and moral over Midgard¡¯s.

    If it was just to jump in recklessly, it was easy. If I tell myself that the actions I took were for justice, it was possible to move forward.

    However, I did not have the ability to make that possible. I did not have the right mindset to make it possible.

    His actions were not courage but recklessness. As a consequence, Sei did not believe himself to be a hero.

    <i>The way I¡¯m acting... is called reckless, isn¡¯t it?</i>

    <i></i>

    I was asked to defeat Ruphas and the Demon King.

    However, it was impossible for him. Or rather, they were not individuals that could be defeated by living things.

    Even though Sei clearly knew that it was impossible for him, he continued to move forward. That was what you called recklessness.

    That was why he was not a hero. He was not qualified to be called that.

    Even then, everyone called him that and ced their hopes onto him. As such, he could not betray their expectations.

    In this way, he thought that at the very least, he would try and be a hero.

    He wanted to change his mindset which had not even reached the starting line. To change from recklessness to courage at the very least.

    He did not want to walk while looking away from fear. He wanted to walk while acknowledging that fear.

    If he could not do that, he would not even be able to make the distinction on what was right and what was wrong.

    Someone that only looked at things that were in their favour and looked away from all that was unfavourable to them. Someone like that would never be able to make a correct judgement on things.

    <i>Everyone is terrified... They don¡¯t try to look at things clearly.</i>

    <i>¡¯Ruphas Mafahl is scary strong. Thus she is evil. We should defeat her. We want her to go away.¡¯</i>

    <i>..... I¡¯m also the same. I don¡¯t want to ever meet her again if I can help it.</i>

    <i>But.... It¡¯s, ¡¯but¡¯...</i>

    <i></i>

    Sei had one question.

    Something that he could not ask his allies, a question that he kept to himself.

    A hypothesis based on the unbiased view that only he could have due to having been brought from another world.

    ¡ª Was Ruphas Mafahl actually an enemy?

    <i>Somehow, everyone is hostile towards her to a surprising amount.</i>

    <i>Even that conversation with the Demon King... No one is thinking deeply about what was being said. They barely brushed it off as a conversation between two evil entities.</i>

    <i>But to me, that conversation was something different.</i>

    <i>The Demon King stated even the battle from 200 years ago was the work of the Goddess.</i>

    <i>.... Then... "Maybe the current battle is also the same?"</i>

    <i>In the first ce, it was strange for the 7 Heroes that should have been her allies to take her down.</i>

    <i>Mind control? Maniption of the heart? Amplification of the subconscious fear? I don¡¯t know what kind of trick it was, but... perhaps it was active even now?</i>

    <i></i>

    The goal ofing to Svalinn was to meet and talk with the Wisdom King Megrez and ask him about possible hints on how to defeat the Supreme Ruler and the Demon King.

    Additionally, they hoped that Megrez would know how to strengthen the power of the hero.

    After all, Megrez was a man who once reached the pinnacle of level 1000.

    It was reasonable to think that he knew a special strengthening method the people of this current generation did not.

    Nevertheless, Sei had a separate goal in mind.

    Out of his group, only Sei was going to meet Megrez for a reason other than to defeat the Supreme Ruler. He was looking to find out what really happened 200 years ago.

    By personally meeting and talking to the Wisdom King himself, he wanted to find out the circumstances and deduce what Ruphas was thinking.

    He could not continue forward without finding out. He could not continue fighting.

    He could not limit his field of vision and blindly ept other¡¯s judgement that she was evil.

    It was not a simple issue where he could blindly fire first, thenter say; "Oh, it turns out I was wrong. Sorry mate."

    He recalled what histe father who was a police officer told him.

    "Do not point your gun towards someone by mistake."

    Police officers stood behind a shield called thew. They had the power to arrest criminals.

    But that was exactly why the police officers had to look at the other party impartially and properly.

    They could not just listen to one side of the story. They had to listen to both sides of the arguments, then only once they have fully understood the situation, they had the obligation to reach a correct answer fairly and justly.

    "Your father made a mistake... I once caught someone that was innocent, and ruined 15 years of his life... and as a consequence of that mistake... he took his own life. Ahh Sei, your father¡¯s no longer an ally of justice... That¡¯s why... you mustn¡¯t be like me. Whatever you do, you mustn¡¯t be someone that blindly follows that feeling of justice and make a mistake."

    Saying that, Sei¡¯s father drowned in his guilt and stress until all his hair turned white, resulting in him escaping to alcohol every waking moment.

    His father was a man of justice.

    Whenever it was, his father dreamed that he could be an ally of the weak. Someone that could bring kindness and happiness to all.

    As such, his father worked every day without rest. Looking at his father¡¯s back, Sei believed it was someone that he could be proud of.

    He told himself that one day, he would be just like that man he was boastful about.

    That feeling had not changed even now.

    <i>It¡¯s fine father... Somehow, I¡¯m still rational.</i>

    <i>Well actually, I was flipping out quite a bit, but I think I¡¯m still fine. Maybe, probably, most likely.</i>

    <i>¡¯Don¡¯t make mistake¡¯, did you say? Yeah, I¡¯m not going to make my judgement after listening to just one side of the story.</i>

    <i>I¡¯m not going to point my gun toward someone I shouldn¡¯t be pointing towards.</i>

    <i>.... Well, I guess what I¡¯m actually holding is a katana though.</i>

    <i>I don¡¯t even know why there¡¯s even a katana in a different world though. But then again, this world was full of strange things I can¡¯t understand.</i>

    <i>But, it¡¯s fine. ....... I¡¯m... definitely not going to make a mistake in deciding what should be in front of the gun.</i>

    <i></i>

    The young man who was called a hero but believed himself to be insufficient thought strongly in this way.

    That he could not be a god of death that would be able to ruthlessly kill the enemies in the name of justice.

    He knew that he could not be the hero that was expected by the people of this world.

    Nevertheless, the pir in his heart did not give way. The sense of justice that was passed on from his father still remained strong inside his heart.

    That was why he was determined to find it. Not "a hero" that could mercilessly cut down the enemy as people wanted him to be. But "the hero" in his heart.

    In its hand would be a lethal weapon called the "justice".

    And above its head would be a title of "hero" to justify whatever its action. Behind it, would be a shield called a country.

    That was why he must not make a mistake. A mistake could and would never be forgiven.

    Not someone that blindly fulfilled justice because they were given the objective, but someone who used their courage to rightfully reach a correct answer.

    He believed that was what it truly meant to be the hero.

    <i>...... The question is.</i>

    He nced behind himself.

    What he saw was a hunting ground of a tiger who was howling and culling the magical beasts who had long lost the will to fight.

    There was neither justice nor evil involved. Only the beast-like instinct of wanting to fulfil themselves by taking down an enemy in a hunting ground.

    ¡¯<i>There¡¯s a prey in front of my eyes. It showed its back and is running away. So I will chase it and eat it!¡¯</i> That was everything!

    It had no interest in what the enemy had to say. It would eat if it got hungry. There was no concept of good or evil in this.

    The wild - they did not care what was logical!

    <i>This feels like a party that will definitely make a mistake on who it points its spearhead towards....</i>

    <i></i>

    Looking at the tiger who was gobbling up the magical beast, Sei¡¯s eyes lost focus.

    He thought... If you¡¯re considered humanoids, at the very least, cook your meat before you eat it.

    __

    (Author¡¯s note)

    Although this and that has happened, looks like the publication is selling somewhat. Thank you everyone for the support.

    Although there are few stores that were about to sold out, for now, I¡¯ve managed to avoid getting bombed to death.

    ... I just hope... that it¡¯ll be nice if I don¡¯t die from a dyed explosion.

    (Author note end)

    __

 Chapter 56

    Chapter 56 - The Hero Had A Conversation With The Wisdom King

    Raw link: (22/02/2016)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (10/02/2019)

    Editor: Hand of Va / Va (16/02/2019)

    Trantion link:

    __

    Chapter 57 teaser is out on

    Request: Please consider whitelisting the website from adblocker apps, I will really appreciate it, thank you >.<

    __

    "You¡¯ve done well toe here. I wee you."

    Country of Arcane Magic, Svalinn.

    Slightly away from the pce that was in the middle of the country, there existed a small estate that the Wisdom King Megrez resided in.

    That was the first destination for Sei¡¯s group. First location they absolutely had to visit in this journey to get close to the pinnacle called the Demon King and the Supreme Ruler.

    The master of the estate, the elven living legend, the Wisdom King Megrez was forced to live the remainder of his life on a wheelchair due to the side effect he suffered from the battle 200 years ago.[1]

    Even then, it was possible to feel a certain strong pressure being given off by him just by him being there.

    Sei¡¯s group was guided towards a room inside the estate and gestured to sit on a simple yet well-made chair that was made using alchemy.

    Having the living legend in front of them, even the bold and hard-headed individuals of Sei¡¯s group could notpletely hide their nervousness as everyone tried to sit down whilst making as little sound as possible.

    However, for some reason, the sword saint sat on the ground and curled himself into a ball.

    He did not know what etiquette was. Self-centred and whimsical, those were the traits associated with feline creatures.

    Sei and Cruz were troubled by the act that overly portrayed "freedom", however, the ever magnanimous and cheerful Megrez merelyughed it off calmly.

    "Ahh, I don¡¯t mind it. Make yourself at home. You guys also don¡¯t have to be that nervous. Even though I¡¯m called the Wisdom King, I¡¯m someone that¡¯s long stepped down from the seat of power."

    Depending on the other side, the impudent act of the tiger was something that could result in them getting arrested on the spot, however, it seemed Megrez did not mind it.

    Perhaps it was as expected of one of the heroes. They were used to entric and quirky oddball personalities.

    Or perhaps, because the 7 Heroes were full of weird and entric people, the actions of the tiger was nothing more than a cute act for them.

    "Now then, I assume the reason you have sought me was out to find a method to be stronger?"

    "Yes. We havee in search of the method to boost Sei-dono here, who havee from a different world, to level 1000. We thought that as someone who had once reached that realm in the past, the Wisdom King-sama, might know a method."[2]

    To Megrez¡¯s question, Cruz answered.

    In his voice, you could still detect some nerves. Most likely, it was influenced by the fact that they were both elves.

    "Yes, I did indeed reach that realm once in the past. No, if it was 200 years ago, it was not just me but many individuals that stepped foot into that realm... If you look back on it now, it truly was a golden age for the humanoids. Never in the entire history was the power of the humanoids that high."

    "We would appreciate if it you could reveal that secret form once again, and use it for the hero."

    "Secret form, huh... Do you mind if I ask why you believe such a thing exist?"

    Method on how Megrez and the others once reached level 1000. Cruz just now called that "Secret Form".

    There were never any story or evidence which suggested that Megrez had used anything of that sort.

    Although it sounded as if it was mere spection, if you were to read between the lines and speak bluntly, it was as if he was directly being asked, "you didn¡¯t follow the proper and correct way and used some fraud, didn¡¯t you?"

    But even then, they were sure that there was a special something that was being hidden from them. And for this particr point, Sei was of the same opinion.

    The reason was because, without a special technique of some sort, it was almost impossible to reach that realm of level 1000.

    In this world, the method for getting stronger was very simple. And it was "to kill another living thing".

    ording to the book that Megrez had once published, every living thing to some degree had mana inside their bodies, whether it was a small orrge amount.

    Furthermore, mutation of the living thing was also caused by the existence of mana, and the stronger the body, the more of this mana it stored.

    By killing and stealing the mana from another living thing, one was able to be stronger. That was the true form of the phenomenon called "level up".

    In other words, mutation and levelling up were fundamentally the same thing.

    The only difference was whether the living thing transformed into a different creature or retained its form and be stronger. Megrez himself wrote at the end of his book as followed, "The creature who had continually levelled up and absorbed mana is able to pass on a part of that onto a future generation, whereby eventually will reach a point of transformation called the mutation."

    As such, putting it in a simple term, one merely had to continue fighting.

    If one continued to kill the magical beast and the demons, they will get stronger whether they wanted to it not.

    However, there was a major problem with this.

    "That¡¯s because, if one were to grow normally, there just isn¡¯t enough mana (experience points) around to be able to reach that point."

    All one had to do to level up was to increase the mana that was stored inside of their bodies, however, the amount of mana required for the next level was not consistent.

    For example, let¡¯s assume that an individual was able to increase their level to level 2 by defeating one magical beast.

    However, if a level 10 individual wanted to be level 11, they would need to defeat many tens of that same magical beast.

    If one were to graph the amount of mana required to level up, the ratio of mana required for a single level will go up as you continue to level up. And by the time one reached a three-digit level, the amount of mana required for the single level became too astronomical to specify.

    Two hundred years ago, even before the rise of an individual called Ruphas, there was the Vampire Princess Bnash who was believed to be the strongest in the world. She had spent over a hundred years in conquering an entire continent by killing every single magical beast on it and literally building a mountain of corpses.

    If one were to call killing the magical beasts the proper way to level up, there was no one better than her who faithfully followed this method.

    Longevity and the near absolute dominance and power of the Vampire race. Only then, it was made possible for the entire continent worth of magical beast to be annihted.

    But even then, her level at the time was merely 600. It was still far from the level 1000 position.

    ¡¯Then all she needs to do is go crush another continent¡¯ - one might think in such a way, however, it was not that simple.

    As it was previously mentioned, the amount of mana required for the subsequent level up only went up exponentially. As such, even if she were to annihte another continent, her level would only reach around level 700.

    "Level 1000" was a realm that was set by the Goddess and to reach there meant that you were entering the domain of a deity.

    However, the journey to reach that point was filled with struggle, thus it was not a point that was possible to be reached easily.

    If one were to try and reach this point using the proper method, then they would at least need to kill every living creature on Midgard other than themselves.

    If you looked at the battle between the Demon King and Ruphas, it was obvious. Level 1000s were no longer what could be called a living creature, but a transcendent being which could utterly destroy the world in a short amount of time.

    An individual capable of facing off against the world alone. As such, to reach that state, they had the need to eat the entire world.

    Level up was not a simple work that the current Ruphas believed it to be.

    ¡¯Magical beasts infinitely respawn so just keep killing them¡¯ - such a thing was only possible because it was inside the game, and it was not a viable method in this world.

    Nevertheless, 200 years ago, what was impossible was made possible.

    Even the human race which had short lifespan was able to step foot onto the realm of level 1000.

    It was clearly strange. It was hard to believe they reached that point using the proper method.

    "There has to be something. A loophole that was given by the Goddess. A hope and a way out for the humanoids who have been driven into the corner."

    "..... If you were to ask if there¡¯s something else, it indeed exists. However, before I answer that, let me make a question of my own. What do you guys think of the Goddess who had created this world?"

    Although Megrez asked in a calm manner, his eyes were sharp.

    There was no one in that room who could understand the underlying meaning of that question on the spot.

    After a few seconds of silence, only Sei could faintly pick up the true meaning behind Megrez¡¯s query.

    At the same time, Sei was also able to figure out why Megrez had sent those golems to his group.

    <i>......... I see....... This person is......</i>

    Megrez must have noticed the change in Sei¡¯s facial expression.

    Although he did not say anything, inside of himself, the evaluation of the boy who came from another world was raised.

    "Of, of course, she¡¯s the great omnipotent Creation Goddess and the mother to us all. She¡¯s the symbol of absolute justice... thew of this world and the very guidance of the world itself."

    "I see. A very model answer as expected from an acolyte. I¡¯ve understood well now. For you guys - let¡¯s follow what you¡¯ve called it and say the secret form. I cannot pass on the secret form."

    "Wha!? Wh, howe!?"

    "Because you do not understand. Just like in the past... Just as I did not back in the past."

    Megrez¡¯s tone was still as calm and pleasant as before.

    However, his eyes were so sharp that it clearly conveyed the message that there was nothing more to say.

    An unexpected refusal of cooperation from the hero. In response, Gants¡¯s face stiffened and Cruz¡¯s face made an expression of despair.

    On the other hand, Friedrich yawned as if he was not involved in all of this. <i>I¡¯m begging you to read the atmosphere, stupid tiger.</i>

    "It, it can¡¯t be."

    "However, you over there... I think your name was Sei, wasn¡¯t it? I would like to have a conversation with you. I apologise, but can I get everyone other than him to stand up and leave the room?"

    If Megrez had told "everyone leave", perhaps Cruz would have persevered a bit more.

    Notwithstanding, even if it was just a single person, the fact that they were permitted to remain behind gave hope to Cruz, causing his words to be pushed back down.

    There was a constion in knowing that not everyone had been abandoned by the Wisdom King. If anything, there was a chance that by being overly persistent, they would all be chased out from that ce altogether.

    After a short deliberation... Cruz, by making eye contact with Sei, conveyed the message, "Please, I¡¯ll leave things to you."

    "Understood.... We will be stepping down. Let¡¯s go, everyone."

    They could not understand what they did wrong.

    However, the final result showed they did not pass the Wisdom King¡¯s judgement. It was as simple as that.

    Everyone other than Sei reluctantly left the room and the vice-captain who wasst to leave dragged the tiger along with him.

    Finally, the only ones to be left in the room was Sei and Megrez.

    "Now then, Sei-kun... I will ask you the same question again. What is your opinion of the Goddess?"

    "......... I really don¡¯t know well. I just simply don¡¯t know enough about this world to be able to answer that question. But, I think she stinks a little."

    It was an opinion that would never have been uttered by a person of this world. It was a statement of unparalleled sphemy towards the image of the Creation Goddess.

    It was a statement that could only be made because he was an alien that came from another world.

    Even Megrez narrowed his eyes with interest and awaited Sei¡¯s next words.

    "When we first went out on a journey, we heard the Demon King say something.

    That... the Goddess¡¯s will was involved in the strange battle between the 7 Heroes and Ruphas that happened 200 years ago.

    Of course... it¡¯s not like I believe everything the Demon King said... but... I agree with him that there were some strange aspects to it.

    That¡¯s why I came here to ask you. To ask... whether the battle from 200 years was really what you guys wished or not."

    "You came across the Demon King.... I¡¯m surprised that you guys are fine."

    "It seemed he didn¡¯t even put us in his sight."

    As Megrez pondered and thought about what was said, he crossed his arms.

    After being told as such, it seemed he was able to recall something.

    The colour of his face could not be said to be good by any means.

    "I have no intention of making any excuse thiste. It¡¯s an unchangeable fact that I betrayed my friend 200 years ago.

    Nevertheless, I will also admit we were too impulsive. As a result of losing their greatest threat called Ruphas, the demons took the opportunity and took charge, leading us to the current state of the world.

    It¡¯s strange, but... it¡¯s really hard for a person toe to understand oneself.

    200 years ago, I was scared of Ruphas and let go of my hand which was holding onto her sleeve. I¡¯m not sure if that was an action I took due to my real feelings or the result of being induced by someone.... I¡¯m not able to make that judgement myself.

    At the very least, I was clearly aware of what I was doing and did not feel like I was being manipted by someone."

    Megrez did not stop after saying this.

    There was pain and bitterness on his face as if he was a sinner that was forced to face their own sin.

    "If I think about it, everyone was indeed acting weirdly at the time.

    Mizar, Alioth, Phecda, Dubhe, Merak.... Everyone had their own thoughts about Ruphas.

    Envy, jealousy, fear,petition... there¡¯s no doubt that everyone had some form of feeling that made them feel that they had lost against Ruphas in some way.

    But at the time, that feeling was too prominent. As if it was amplified, everyone couldn¡¯t feel anything but defeat. Looking back on it, maybe I was also the same.

    ... Only Bnash managed to stay normal without acting strangely."

    Memory maniption, amplification of emotions, or maybe even mind control.

    In any event, to be able to manage any of that without being noticed by the target... it was clear how powerful the person had to be.

    But Sei had already made his belief, his conviction.

    Most likely, not just Megrez and the other heroes, but the entire world.... He was already convinced that every living thing was induced and influenced by the Goddess. That they were under the control of the Goddess.

    Because... it was just weird.

    There was a thing like status with a limitations like level. There existed magical beasts and demons. And the humanoids were suffering whilst the Goddess did nothing, yet.... No one felt any absurdness from the whole situation.

    Furthermore, there was a strangeness and suspiciousness to the fact that demons had yet to annihte the humanoids.

    If the demons had put their minds to it, the humanoids should have long perished.

    At the very least, the Demon King had the power to make that happen.

    Yet, the demons had not managed to erase the humanoids. Not only that, the average level of the demons had decreased as if they were matching with the humanoids.

    In the past, it was overflowing with level 1000s, right? And the demons and the magical beasts were strong enough to be able to retaliate against them, right?

    But for some reason, they no longer had that.

    As if they were matching up with the humanoids... they could now be scattered by the level 120 sword saint?

    Even the 7 Luminaries that he heard about in the stories were around level 300... the quality had clearly gone down far too much.

    Simr to the cat ying around with the mouse, even though the humanoids were suffering, the other party held back to just a degree so that annihtion would not ur.

    That was the image of this world painted by Sei in his mind.

    "Wisdom King-sama, I want to hear it from your mouth. Ruphas Mafahl is... not an enemy, right?

    That¡¯s why you stuck the golems with us. So that, in case of one-in-a-million chance, if we made a mistake and managed to corner her, they would hinder us.

    Although it was impossible with our actual abilities, it would be questionable which way things would roll if the Goddess interfered."

    "....... It¡¯s exactly as you say. I no longer think of her as an enemy.

    No, even back then. The methods she used might have been cruel, but she was an ally that wished for the freedom and peace of the humanoids from the bottom of her heart.... Even though... she was an ally..."

    "Wisdom King-sama."

    Seeing the Megrez who looked like he would start crying any moment, Sei stood up and spoke.

    The reason he was called to this world was most likely to defeat the Demon King and Ruphas.

    However, he could no longer fulfil that role nor did he have the intention to do so.

    At least one of them.... He understood well that to defeat Ruphas equated to tightly squeezing his own neck.

    In that case, there was something else that he had to do.

    There had to be another road that he should have sought.

    "Please fight together with me. I¡¯m still weak and... I still don¡¯t know anything about this world and... I don¡¯t even have the resolution to fight and....

    But, even then, I wish to stop it.

    To not fire at the pre-determined target, but to stop the individual who¡¯s forcing that onto another.

    That¡¯s why I need your cooperation."

    The enemy that he had to fight existed elsewhere.

    The target of his gun must never be wrong.

    Exactly, the person that his party should fight - was not Ruphas Mafahl!

    __

    (Author note)

    Sei: "..... is what I want to think. Or more like¡ª¨C I don¡¯t want to fight something like that (shake shake shiver shiver) * trauma triggered

    Megrez: (Is this boy alright......)

    As such, this time it was also about the hero.

    I had them address a few questions in regards to what many of you were thinking; "strangeness in the average level going down".

    Although, for this particr point, it seems a few people were already thinking "Ah, there has to be some trick behind all of this - " but....

    From next time, we will be returning to Ruphas¡¯s side.

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] I assume the author is referring to the fight with the Demon King. As a side note: I actually don¡¯t recall if the battle with the Demon King happened RIGHT AFTER the battle with Ruphas or if there was some time in between... I just always assumed there was a small time difference between Ruphas/Demon King fight, but it seems it was right after another. In any event, the author is talking about the curse Megrez received after the heroes challenged and lost against the Demon King. The curse is first mentioned in Chapter 13.

    [2] Yeah.... "Wisdom King-sama" sounds weird... but deal with it ?? It¡¯s for consistency >.<

    __

 Chapter 57

    Chapter 57 - A Wild Dwarf Appeared!

    Raw link: (28/02/2016)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (23/02/2019)

    Editor: Hand of Va / Va (25/02/2019)

    Trantion link:

    __

    <strong>Update 1: Release for chapter 59 and chapter 60 will be dyed 1 day each (4 days gap) due to my other schedules. New dates are as follows; 12/03/2019 for chapter 59 and 16/03/2019 for chapter 60.</strong> Sorry for this change. Release schedule on the side has been amended to reflect this change.

    <i>If people want it, I can release half the chapter on the 2nd day (instead of the whole chapter on the 4th day; i.e. splitting the chapter). Please let me know your preferences in thement section/discord.</i>

    Request: Please consider whitelisting the website from adblocker apps, I will really appreciate it, thank you >.<

    Chapter 58 teaser is also out

    __

    We explored Blutgang while we waited for Dina and Libra to return. If I had to sum up my impression of the location in one word, it would have to be "magnificent".

    Although it was an artificialnd which was created inside the giant golem, as long as one did not stare at the ceiling for too long, it was very possible that they would start to forget that they were inside a golem.

    No, let me say it frankly. It was scary.

    I did not think that they had already evolved from living in caves to this point.

    Notwithstanding that inside of the city gave off an olden feeling, to have such a city inside the limited space like this reminded me of the robot anime I watched in the past which showcased a space colony.

    In this world, it seemed the race that was closest to the modern age and most fantasy-like were the dwarves.

    If they were given a few hundred more years, it was very possible that there would not be much difference between the inside of Blutgang and the modern age.

    I assumed there would soon be things like traffic lights and cars in this world.

    Ah, if I was to talk about cars, I suppose there was already one that existed in this world; the Tanaka that I had created.

    Whilst I was thinking along those lines and loitering around the city, I noticed that there were multiple footsteps that were heading towards our location.

    I guessed the distance to be approximately.... 300m. Although I was not at the level of Libra, my hearing was still quite good.

    Compared to a human, the strides were smaller and felt almost dull or barefooted. There would be no mistake to assume that all of the footsteps belonged to dwarves.

    In support of that assumption, what appeared from the corner of the intersection, turning towards us were around five dwarves that was wearing workers¡¯ clothes.[1]

    ......Rather than dwarves, with the way they looked, they were just a couple of uncles from the construction or warehouse facilities.

    I felt the stereotypical image of dwarves that donned armours inside of my head copse.

    "Ohhh, she¡¯s here!"

    "Is there no mistake it¡¯s that charming youngdy?"

    "Yeah, there¡¯s no mistake! It¡¯s not every day you get to see a beauty like that, I¡¯m not going to make a mistake!"

    Seeing the change in the expression of the dwarf toon that started heading towards me, my vignce amped up a gear.

    From the conversation that I overheard, it was clear they were searching for me. Furthermore, they even stated that there would be no mistake based on my appearance.

    .... This was... not looking too good?

    Using the disguise I was gifted by Megrez I currently had my wings hidden. Additionally, I had also changed the hairstyle and was wearing sses.

    Notwithstanding, the face itself was not hidden and the appearance of Ruphas was extremely eye-catching.

    Thinking that the lifespan of the dwarves was short and that there was no photographs in this world, I had assumed that there would be no dwarf that would know how I looked like... but it seemed I had made a blunder. With this level of technology, it would not be strange that there was something that resembled a camera.

    Since I did not like wearing that full-body bondage y disguise, I came out wearing the current disguise, but it seemed I was too careless.

    ....Oh well, whatever. It was just a simple mistake that would be easily corrected with my battle prowess.

    I lightly loosened my knuckle joints and used the [Observing Eyes] on the dwarves to check their level.

    Their prowess equalled to those of level 20 to 40. If it was me, I could literally knock them all out in a blink of an eye.

    By deliberating my consciousness to enter into a battle, I was able to slow down the sense of time, turning the movement of dwarves into slow motion.

    And by further concentrating my consciousness to put myself in a state ready for battle, it was possible for me to fight, react and attack in the smallest gap in a time frame that could practically be considered an instant... that was what I had noticed from the recent battle with the Demon King.

    In all likelihood, I would be able to knock them out before they could even be aware of anything. There was simply that much difference in our specs.

    If they were to show even a slightest intention to attack - <i>I will take them down.</i>

    "Wa, wait, please, Ruphas-sama! I can¡¯t feel any hostility from those people!"

    However, Virgo pulled my consciousness back from a state that was in fullbat mode.

    Her words caused my mind to rapidly cool down, returning my perception of time to that of an ordinary state.

    Shortly thereafter, the group of dwarves arrived in front of me with an all too obvious smile that contained not a single speck of hostility.

    "Yo, I was looking for you. You were that chick that came in a box-like golem made out of steel, right? Look, it¡¯s me. I¡¯m the one that epted your golem at the entrance."

    "......eh? Ahhhhhhh..... Apologies, I can¡¯t distinguish your face."

    The middle-aged dwarf pointed at himself and said as such, however, putting things bluntly, I could not distinguish the dwarves apart at all.

    Well, if I were to look at things properly, I could sort of see that there were some differences between each of their faces.

    But these five.... Or rather, were all the dwarf men like this? All the distinguishing parts of the face were ovepping with each others.

    Thick eyebrows, big nose and a needlessly long beard. Additionally, they all had stern facial expressions.

    As if I would know. Even worse, they were all wearing the same coloured workers¡¯ clothes.

    At the very least, change the colour! If Ma__o and Lu__gi wore the same coloured clothing, it would be hard to distinguish them.[2]

    "Tsk, this is why the outsiders are...! Hey, look carefully! I¡¯m clearly the most handsome one in the bunch!"

    "What are you talking about!? You just look like a grandpa!"[3]

    "That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. I¡¯m the handsome one!"

    <i>...... I can¡¯t tell them apart at all.........</i>

    They might have been able to tell each other apart, however, from my perspective, all I saw were five identical individuals causing a ruckus.

    If they had shaved their beards, I would at least have been able to clearly see their facial features properly.

    "Ahh¨C, you know, how do I put it? I suppose I¡¯ll at least listen to what you have to say."

    "Ohh, that¡¯s right, I forgot. The golem you came riding in, that thing was really magnificent! A small mobile golem that carries people are already being put to use in this Blutgang, but it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen something perfected to that degree! Not to mention, the interior had been turned into a dwelling space, it¡¯s perfect for a long journey! That thing¡¯s an innovation! Can you tell me who it was that build it and where they¡¯re at?"

    It seemed these guys neither had noticed my real identity nor had any hostility towards me.

    Their craftsman soul was simply lit on fire after seeing Tanaka and so they came to find me.

    Well, this was embarrassing. I wanted to smack myself in the head for the way I was thinking just a moment ago.

    <i>¡¯If they were to show even a slightest intention to attack - I will take them down. </i>Awkward!¡¯[4]

    It was fortunate that I did not say that out loud. If I had done so, it definitely would have be a dark spot in my history.

    I was really d Virgo had stopped me.

    .... Or more like, what was this? I was being so aggressive without even thinking about it.

    For some reason, the way I was thinking recently had be quite dangerous.

    "Ahh, if it¡¯s that thing, I made it. But was that really something to be surprised about? If you¡¯re talking about a passenger golem that you can board into, there¡¯s already a super high-ss one called Blutgang?"

    "Well, of course, Blutgang is the pinnacle of alchemy. It¡¯s impossible there¡¯ll be something better than this. But Blutgang is an ultimate creation of the Smith King. It¡¯s not something that we can imitate. There¡¯s just simply noparison. On the other hand, if it¡¯s that thing that you came riding on, if we try and understand the mechanics behind how it was built, even we can mass-produce it. That¡¯s why I called it innovation."

    To my question, the middle-aged dwarf answered proudly.

    There was no mistake that in the boarding type golems, Blutgang was of a highest-ss golem.

    The height of 300m and length of 1100m, a supreme non-standard sized creation. Furthermore, you could board tens of thousands, or even a few hundred thousand people if you wanted to push it.

    Without a doubt, it was a golem withoutparison. One would not have to hesitate in calling it the world¡¯s greatest invention.

    However, if one were to ask if you could mass produce that, the answer would be "No".

    Some weird structure which made absolutely no sense could only be made because it was Mizar. Let along the current generation¡¯s dwarves, even I would not be able to replicate it.

    Whereas, if it was Tanaka, as long as one understood the framework, it could be easily reproduced. At the very least, it would be so for the alchemists.

    Needless to say, there were boarding type golems that existed in this world. Nevertheless, Tanaka was modelled after a modern car, thus the interiorfort and stability werepletely different.

    In all likelihood, the self-driving golems in this world wereparable to a self-moving horse-drawn carts without the horse.

    "So here¡¯s an idea, what don¡¯t you let us inspect that thing a little? We¡¯ll pay you handsomely and once it starts being mass produced, we don¡¯t mind putting your name as the inventor. In Blutgang, there¡¯s this thing called "patent". Unlike the other countries, the initial inventor properly gets their respect and money associated with the product. We¡¯ll need permission to copy it and when it is copied, the initial inventor gets the appropriate amount of money. So how about it? It¡¯s not such a bad deal, right?"

    "Hmmmmmmmmmm............"

    I pondered a little about the middle-aged dwarf¡¯s suggestion.

    There was nothing inside Tanaka that I would be troubled with if it was reproduced.

    However, if it was a real car, it would be overloaded with things like fuel and engine which would be too much advanced technology for this world. However, Tanaka was only a golem with an appearance of a car.

    Notwithstanding that it was fitted with things like rubber tyres and suspensions, if you considered the technical skills of the dwarves, it was not a technology that was greatly advanced.

    There were no items that would trouble me if it was inspected and even in the worst case scenario where they decide to dismantle Tanaka into pieces, I could put it back to the current state.

    Furthermore, if the skills of the dwarves could improve with this, it was favourable to the humanoids.

    <i>I suppose... it¡¯s not such a bad idea?</i>

    "Well yeah... I don¡¯t mind. Inspect it however you wish. But, you wouldn¡¯t mind if I was also at the location, would you?"

    "Of course not, why would I? If you, the creator of that thing would be there with us, I couldn¡¯t be more pleased."

    For now, I decided to ask so that I could also be there at the location.

    Although I stated that it was possible for me to restore Tanaka if it was dismantled, it was a possibility that it would be dismantled to such small pieces that it was practically impossible to restore it to the original condition.

    For such a situation, it was probably better if I was at the scene so that I could stop them when required.

    But above all else, I wanted to see the technical skills of the current generation dwarves.

    "Alright, now that it¡¯s decided, let¡¯s go."

    I was led by the five middle-aged dwarves and had to backtrack all the way to the entrance of Blutgang.

    When that happened, Aries and the others followed me as a matter of course, thus we looked like an odd group as the nine of us were walking in line. Nevertheless, it seemed no one paid attention.

    We passed through the gate that we had initiallye in and returned back to the docking lot.

    "Ohhh that¡¯s right, I forgot. We haven¡¯t introduced ourselves yet. My name¡¯s Howell."[5]

    "I¡¯m Kurta."[6]

    "Yea, I¡¯m Geversite."[7]

    "It¡¯s Kullerudite, nice meeting you."[8]

    "I¡¯m called Gersdorff."[9]

    Ok, I¡¯ve clearly understood that these guys had no intention of wanting me to remember their names.[10]

    As if I could remember your names if you all introduce yourselves one after another with the same appearances.

    Anyways, I guess it¡¯s fine if I just remembered Howell who had first started talking to me and called the rest as Dwarf B - E.

    Well, I could not even remember which one was B and which one was C though.

    "Ahh, yeah, anyways, Howell... was it? If it¡¯s fine with you, can you sell me materials that you can only obtain in this country?"

    "I¡¯m Gersdorff. Howell is on the other side."

    "............."

    <i>Damn it, maybe I </i><i>should just paint their beards right now....</i>

    <i>Every one of these guys has ck beards. At least have variation in colour.</i>

    <i>Graphic designers, are you being stingy with your resource and using the same graphics over and over? - </i>That was the tsukommi that I wanted to make.

    <i>Or rather, even the designs of the recycled vigers at least came with a variety in colour.</i>

    "Ahh¨C, anyway Howell, listen."

    "I¡¯m Geversite. Howell is this guy right next to me."

    "It¡¯s me."

    "I really don¡¯t care which one you are. I¡¯ll appreciate it if you just consider what I just said."

    Previously, I had already exined that the basis of the alchemy was to transmute one material into another.

    For example, transmuting rocks into steel, then creating a golem using that steel which was transmuted.

    Back in the game, there were a finite and set number ofbinations and paths the yers could take. Furthermore, the numbers and types were also predetermined.

    But it was now different. If I felt like it, I could now transmute any form of alloy or steel.

    Additionally, the current location was the ce most favourable to the alchemists, the country of dwarves. It was highly improbable that there were no new materials made avable by them.

    As such, it was possible that I will be able to see super materials that I would not even be able to find back on Earth.

    That was what I was hoping for.

    "Materials exclusive to this country... hmm, I¡¯ll gather them and bring them allter on."

    "I¡¯ll appreciate it."

    Howell¡¯s (... this guy was Howell, right?) joyful answer caused my lips to curl up a little.

    In practice, because Tanaka was created out of cheap materials, I thought I would try and upgrade it using proper materials.

    Although there were raw materials back in the tower, those would be considered rare materials by the current Midgard¡¯s standard.

    Starting from the epic grade orichalcum, adamantine, Damascus, mithril and apoitakara.[11]

    They were each extremely powerful as a material, however, because they were all rare and limited in avability, I was hesitant in using them incessantly.

    I did not know exactly what I would have to deal with in the future. Notwithstanding, I knew that I should at least have to deal with the Demon King-san and the Goddess, thus I had a hunch that I would be forced to create strong golems.

    If at that time, there were not enough material because I had used them up to upgrade Takana which was nothing more than a transportation device, it would be ludicrous.

    As such, the material used to upgrade Tanaka into a jet was wootz steel (Damascus steel).[12]

    Notwithstanding that it was a fairly strong metal, it was not a very rare material back in the game.

    It was a material with a fairly high maximum level that the yers could obtain cheaply. As a consequence, it was a perfect material in mass-producing fairly strong golems.

    Anyways, I thought that I would observe the dwarves researching Tanaka for a little while.

    They were looking overly enthusiastic about the research that they were about to conduct, thus I was worried that they would go too far if I did not stop them halfway.

    __

    (Author¡¯s note)

    Alovenus: "Dwarves are such a pain to create and it¡¯ll decrease my workload, so you won¡¯t mind it if I make their designs and graphics to all be the same right?"

    Ruphas: "Oi."

    (Author¡¯s note)

    __

    [1] Ok so.... This part (×÷˜I×Å)... I just used "work clothes" as an umbre term because that¡¯s the literal trantion and because each country will have different description/trantion for them. In Japan it means one of these: (picture source: "".)

    [2] Was told to footnote that this is Mario (wears red) and Luigi (wears blue)..... but.... people should know this right....???? At this point we¡¯re just spoon-feeding readers as a trantor/editor, whereas Japanese readers will need to figure out all these themselves.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario".

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luigi".

    "".

    [3] Raw said: Your face looks like an oldest out of here.

    [4] Last part¡¯s raw (¥­¥ê¥Ã£¡) "".

    [5] Howell (¥Ï¥¦¥¨¥ë)

    [6] Kurta (¥¯¥ë¥¿)

    [7] Geversite (¥²¥Ù¥ë¥µ¥¤¥È) is a kind of metal sulfide. "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfide_minerals".

    [8] Kullerudite (¥¯¥ë¥ì¥ë¥À¥¤¥È) is another kind of metal sulfide.

    [9] Gersdorff (¥²¥ë¥¹¥É¥ë¥Õ) is the name of the guy who gave his name to a sulfide mineral called Gersdoffite. "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gersdorffite".

    [10] Yeah.... Me too. At least the author¡¯s tsukommi-ing himself using his own character... But yeah... these names are 10/10 on "wth" scale.

    [11] Raw: ¥ª¥ê¥Ï¥ë¥³¥ó¡¢¥¢¥À¥Þ¥ó¥¿¥¤¥ó¤Ë¥À¥Þ¥¹¥«¥¹¡¢¥ß¥¹¥ê¥ë¡¢¥¢¥Ý¥¤¥¿¥«¥é

    "https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%92%E3%83%92%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AD%E3%82%AB%E3%83%8D". ¨C ÇàÉúÉú»ê£¨¥¢¥Ý¥¤¥¿¥«¥é£©¤Ï¥Ò¥Ò¥¤¥í¥«¥Í¤òÖ¸¤¹¤È¤¤¤ï¤ì¤ë¡£

    It seems like apoitakara is another name for hih¨©rokane, a legendary rust-proof metal that is lighter than gold and harder than diamond - "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mythological_objects#Substances_from_Asian_mythology".

    [12] Err... yeah... idk, I just google¡¯d it. Ask the author for all the inconsistencies in small details

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wootz_steel".

    ¨C Wootz steel is a crucible steel characterized by a pattern of bands. These bands are formed by sheets of microscopic carbides within a tempered martensite or pearlite matrix in higher carbon steel, or by ferrite and pearlite banding in lower carbon steels.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus_steel".

    ¨C Damascus steel was the forged steelprising the des of swords smithed in the Near East from ingots of wootz steel imported from India and Sri Lanka.

    __

 Chapter 58

    Chapter 58 - A Wild Karkinos Appeared!

    Raw link: (29/02/2016)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (26/02/2019)

    Editor: Hand of Va / Va (28/02/2019)

    Trantion link:

    __

    <strong>Update 1: Due to 2:1 ratio of votes, chapter 59 and 60 will be released fully in 1 go.</strong>

    Release dates; Chapter 59 (12/03/2019); Chapter 60 (16/03/2019)

    Side note: there¡¯s highly likely to be no teaser for chapter 60 upon chapter 59¡¯s release.

    Teaser for chapter 59 is out.

    Request: Please consider whitelisting the website from adblocker apps, I will really appreciate it, thank you >.<

    __

    The inspection of Tanaka by the dwarves took about three hours to finish. Although it might have seemed like a short amount of time, it was only possible because there was alchemy involved.

    In that time, Dina and Libra who went shopping had gotten back.

    At this moment they were looking at Tanaka along with me in an exasperated expression.

    Modified... yes, we did not merely stop at inspection of Tanaka but went ahead and modified it.

    In the beginning, the dwarves merely dismantled Takana into smaller pieces to inspect it, however, things took a turn for the worse when I got bored and joined them.

    If one were to let me make an excuse, I would me it on the fact that the Blutgang exclusive materials brought by the dwarves were of a higher standard than I was expecting.

    Apparently, the name of the material was called "Mizar Steel" and it was a new material created approximately 100 years ago and had a quality befitting of its name containing founder of the great nation.

    It was a sturdy, light and flexible material and possessed an astonishing maximum level of 400 should anyone want to create a golem out of it.

    It was unfortunate that there was no longer any high-level alchemist in this country which had the ability to create golems of that level cap.

    It was truly regrettable as, if there were alchemists capable of such a feat in this country, itsbat might would include level 400bat golems.

    Needless to say, if it was me, I would be able to bring out the full potential of this material. Additionally, as I knew that it would serve as a good material should I decide to mass produce golems, I had purchased quite a fair amount of it.

    I had a n to eventuallybine them with the golems which were retrieved from the Royal Tomb and create a toon of mid-level golems.

    In any event, I had decided to strengthen Takana with the Mizar Steel, however, I might have taken things too far.

    In some moments, I was taught various things by the dwarves. And in others, I was casually teaching them various knowledge from modern day Japan. The current Tanaka was the unfortunate consequence of that. Although the outer appearance had not changed much, the originally big Tanaka had be even bigger with the length of 15 metres and the height of 2.8 metres.

    It was without a doubt, a size that would not be able to run on Japanese roads. Furthermore, the interior had be as luxurious as hotel rooms.

    In other words, using this world¡¯s standard, it was extremely luxurious.

    The floor was now porcin tiles. The cabs and walls were purposefully made using wood and varnished giving off a brilliant and glossy look.

    Apparently, in this country, the varnish was normally in cirction, as such it was a fortunate miscalction which saved me the hassle of having to manually make things myself.

    We also purchased cloth and as such carpets, sofas and beds also received improvements.

    If I were to turn Tanaka into an amodation infrastructure, I would be able to fetch quite a lot of money. Not that I was going to do such a thing.

    "This thing turned out quite nicely!"

    "Kakaka, I¡¯m satisfied!"

    Dwarf rangers were alsoughing in satisfaction as they were looking up at Tanaka.

    I assumed they now had basic knowledge of the mechanics behind suspension and types, thus I believed it would not be long before this country was introduced to transportation golems which resembled modern day cars.

    I digress but, Mizar Steel and the cloth were both sold cheaply to me.

    It seemed it was due to the gratitude for letting them inspect Tanaka.

    In practice, the dwarves went as far as to say "We don¡¯t mind it giving it to you for free." However, I did not feel good about that, thus I asked them to make it dirt cheap instead.

    "Oh, by the way, Libra, did you find out the location of Karkinos?"

    "I was waiting for you to ask that question. I have already determined his location."

    "Good, let¡¯s go there now."

    I had almost forgotten, but the original goal ofing to this location was to find and meet up with Karkinos as well as to stop Scorpius.

    Now that Libra has urately determined Karkinos¡¯s location, it was possible for us to head to his location any time.

    After saying a few words to the dwarf ranger, I followed Libra who guided us at the front of the group.

    We again went through the gate and returned to the capital.

    After walking for a few minutes, we reached a familiar storefront.

    The store that we were standing in front of was the restaurant with the crab sign that caught my attention the first time we came into the capital.

    "............."

    What a strange thing it was. It turned out Karkinos was right in front of us.

    Not to mention he was boldly hanging up a crab signboard.

    <i>You know, how I should put it. As an excuse, maybe I should say that people had small peripherals and that the harder we looked for something, the harder it was for us to spot something that was close to us.</i>

    <i>I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of something like that before. Instead of trying to hide badly, it was much harder to find person that was boldly walking around in the middle of the city, you know, something like that.</i>

    The current case was exactly like that, ¡¯it¡¯s hard to see what is under your nose¡¯ or something like that.

    Or rather, one would not think it would be like this. That one of the pirs of the 12 Heavenly Stars was opening a restaurant at a location like this.

    "It turns out it was in front of our eyes."

    "Yea, it¡¯s right in front of our eyes."

    Dina and Aigokeros said to me as if they were tag teaming to attack an already defeated enemy.

    What the hell, you guys did not notice it too.

    "Well, don¡¯t mind the small things. Let¡¯s go inside first."

    I quickly changed the topic and hurried everyone into the restaurant.

    Inside, the walls and tables were made out of wood and gave off a quiet atmosphere.

    Nevertheless, it was not all natural, as you could see the surface shining from the coat of varnish.

    Behind the counter stood a young man wearing a pair of sses.

    His lustrous ck hair wasbed all the way to the back and tied neatly, and his extremely sharp eyes which could even be mistaken for a de were sitting behind a pair of sses.

    The position of his nose was high but the overall look of his face was well proportioned.

    He had a fresh and high stature with his white shirt and tie. The vest that he wore on top of that was coloured red. Finally, his cks and shoes were coloured ck.

    Whichever angle you looked at him from, he gave off a feeling of being a "good catch man".

    When that man saw me, he spontaneously jumped on the spot and spun around in mid-air, eventually hitting the ceiling and bouncing back down.

    After crashing in front of me with a bang, he quickly stood up and grabbed my hand with his.

    "<i>Oh! I was surprised!</i> Ruphas-sa<i>maaa</i><i>!</i> You who exist here is none other than my most beloved master, Ruphas Mafahl-samaaa!"[1]

    <i>Ah, this guys is a ¡¯lost cause¡¯ type.</i>

    Even though I literally just said it, I was going to have to take back my words. He gave off a feeling of "bad catch man".

    For some reason, he started spinning around on his spot and started scattering rose petals in the surrounding.

    "<i>Oh, at least!</i> This day... who knows how long I¡¯ve waited for this day. This Karkinos, ever since losing mdy that one fateful day that I couldn¡¯t forget due to the heartache, couldn¡¯t sleep at night so slept in the day, couldn¡¯t eat meals normally so had snacks, but believed that I would be able to see you so I was waiting for you."

    Well, surprisingly, he lived his days quite normally, oi.

    While I was being quite astonished by everything, the lighting inside the restaurant suddenly stopped working, or so I thought, however, a spotlight suddenly lit on Karkinos.

    "But, <i>me</i> believed it. Believed that mdy wouldn¡¯t be done with something of that degree. <i>Me</i> believed that <i>me</i> would definitely be able to see mdy one day."

    As he said that, he put one of his hand on my waist and grabbed my hand with the other.

    Subsequently, he made that move you often see male dancers do for the female dancers during the social dance.

    What was that calling again..... was it something like Drop Oversway?[2]

    But before I coulde up with the answer to that question, my stance was returned back to normal, followed by Karkinos going down on his knee with my hands being pulled to his lips for a kiss.

    Receiving such treatment from a man gave off an eerie feeling.

    "Congrattion on returning, my dearest master. <i>Me</i> would like tomemorate of this joyful asion. <i>Me</i> would also like to present my love and loyalty to mdy even though 200 years have passed -"

    Notwithstanding that he had reached such a point in his speech, he was cut short and was unable toplete what he was saying.

    The reason for that was simple. It was because Libra had stuck a de made of light on Karkinos¡¯s neck.

    "....H, hey.... <i>You</i> was also here, Libra."

    "It has been a while, Karkinos. Now then, I would like you to state your defence for why put your hands on master¡¯s waist without permission."

    "Well, you know. Between <i>you</i> and <i>me</i>, can <i>you</i> look the other way a bit..."

    "I take it those are your final words. I have understood and epted them."

    "<i>NOoouwooooooouoo!?</i>"

    Libra tried to mow Karkinos down with the de without a shred of hesitation, which was then avoided by Karkinos who took a bridge-like posture, after the initial swing by Libra, Karkinos quickly shifted away from the location whilst in that posture and put some distance between himself and Libra.

    In this small timeframe, Libra had already gotten up and was moving in for her next attack.

    I was looking at Karkinos who was screaming "<i>Help!</i>" and running away Libra and gave off a sigh.

    <i>...... 12 Heavenly Stars... There¡¯s really no ordinary individual amongst them....</i>

    *

    [12 Heavenly Stars Karkinos]

    Level: 800

    Species: King Crab

    Attribute: Earth

    HP: 105 000

    SP: 4500

    STR (Strength/Attack Power): 4850

    DEX (Dexterity): 2228

    VIT (Vitality): 10 503

    INT (Intelligence): 1180

    AGI (Agility/Speed): 2134

    MND (Mindpower): 4160

    LUK (Luck): 4050

    <i>Yeah, it¡¯s quite high.</i>

    Looking at Karkinos¡¯s stats, I almost became astonished from his needlessly high defensive values.

    In this game, vitality served as a stat to determine whether a one would be able to withstand the enemy¡¯s attack or not. In other words, it was indicative of one¡¯s defence.

    High vitality = tough body = hard; that was how it was back in the game.

    In any event, Karkinos was the one with the greatest defensive ability back in the 12 Heavenly Stars, and these values were reflective of that.

    If vitality was the only stat in question, it would even beparable to me who was a level 1000 yer who had endlessly doped myself.

    Not to mention his HP was also very high.

    "Anyways, why do you have a restaurant open in a ce like this?"

    As the game of chase between Karkinos and Libra wasing to an end, I asked a question towards Karkinos.

    We all sat in front of the counter and on it there were crab soups made for us by Karkinos.

    The taste was certainly that of a crab. Though... I wondered how Karkinos was able to get his hands on crabs in this country.... Wait no, it couldn¡¯t be that he was using himself as a cooking stock, could he?

    Currently, Karkinos had the appearance of a human, however, if he were to transform himself back to that of a magical beast, he would be a giant crab.

    The name of his species was King Crab. It was the strongest amongst the crabs which had mutated into magical beasts and made many yers suffer due to their ridiculously high defensive statbined with envious counter skill.

    As such, it was not imusible to use himself as a cooking stock, but... as I was thinking about such a thing, Virgo who was sitting amongst us shouted out loud, "Ah, this is barometz."

    Looking at the others, I saw that Aries¡¯s face had turned blue after unwittingly drinking the soup.

    <i>Oi Karkinos, how could you so easily go through with such a scam.</i>

    <i>Don¡¯t say it¡¯s a crab soup and serve barometz.</i>

    "Thank you for asking. After <i>me</i> heard that Ruphas-sama was defeated, in preparation for the time that mdy would be back, <i>me</i> went around countless countries with the purpose of gathering information. But one day, <i>me</i> noticed that rather than go to different location <i>meself</i> it would be more efficient to create a location where the information wille to <i>me</i>."

    "And that was the restaurant, huh."

    "<i>Yes, That¡¯s right.</i> At times, it was at Hrotti, and then at Ydalir, or at Svalinn. Currently, it is at Blutgang. By going from country to country and opening a store here and there, I¡¯ve been gathering information. <i>Me</i> always believed that Ruphas-sama will return and was hoping to get news of that one day."

    "I see, and you¡¯re telling me that while you were waiting for the news, I myself walked in."

    "<i>Yes, Yes, Yes! Me</i> felt that is what you call destiny! As <i>me</i> expected, <i>me</i> and Ruphas-sama are connected by a faithful red string."

    Unnnnn...... I thought that the idea in itself was not too bad.

    If anything, his only mistake would be that he chose a capital city like Blutgang which was literally closed off from the rest of the outside world.

    For example, if he was based in the trade capital of Ydalir, he would be able to get his information from the wandering merchants around the world and would have more quickly discovered my return and as a consequence, met up with us.

    What he said was not a bad idea. However, the location that he chose was detrimental.

    Though if I said such a thing, he would probably be depressed, as such I decided not to do so.

    "The location that you chose is quite bad, isn¡¯t it? If you¡¯re going to open a restaurant, you should have chosen Ydalir."

    Notwithstanding that I chose not to say anything to Karkinos, Dina voice it out loud quite easily.

    Karkinos froze up and dropped to the floor as if he just suffered from a shock.

    "....In truth, <i>me</i> also faintly felt like that... whilst <i>me </i>was in this country... was thinking there was no information about the outside...."

    "No, you should have noticed it. As expected, you¡¯re still as stupid as before, Karkinos."

    Towards Karkinos who was already feeling down, Aries mercilessly followed up with a line which could easily have been a final blow.

    Although Aries had always been quite straight forward with the way he spoke poisonous things easily, this time, his statement was particrly toxic.

    In all likelihood, it was due to his anger about being tricked into eating barometz.

    All these small things aside, with this, our goal of meeting up with Karkinos was fulfilled.

    Considering that every encounter until now was filled with some troublesome thing, this was most probably our smoothest re-encounter.

    .... It would have been perfect if only he was not such an entric person.

    __

    (Author note)

    Takana¡¯s size is about to turn into a joke.....

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] Karkinos is weird (well, actually... all 12 of the Heavenly Stars are weird... but anyways...), his speech is weird. He mixes hiragana, katakana and English all in 1 sentence. Since English don¡¯t have much variations, his "English" and "Katakana" "portions" (roughly, not exact for katanaka since it¡¯s still Japanese) will be written in italics.

    [2] Picture from the light novel. Additional info: "".

    __

 Chapter 59

    Chapter 59 - A Wild Scorpius Appeared!

    Raw link: (06/03/2016)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (03/03/2019)

    Editor: Hand of Va / Va (04/03/2019)

    Trantion link:

    __

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    __

    It seemed among the 12 Heavenly Stars, the man called Karkinos was one of the individuals with bettermunication skill.

    Even after the previous event, he continued speaking with Aries, Libra and Aigokeros in a friendly manner whilst asionally getting shed at by Libra. Nevertheless, the ce stayed in an uplifting atmosphere.

    Unfortunately, only Virgo who had just recently joined the group was unable to get into the clique. She was left looking at the others from the outside.

    She might have been considerate and putting effort into not interrupting the reunion, however, amongst these colourful personalities she seemed to be the only normal individual, thus she came off as being unable to blend in with them.

    I left the rowdy bunch of 12 Heavenly Stars to go and sit beside Virgo.

    "Can¡¯t blend in?"

    "Ah, Ruphas-sama."

    Virgo was sort of forcibly ordered by Parthenos to apany us.

    In other words, unlike the others who had followed me out of their own wills, she was dragged away by us from what could potentially be her peaceful and serene life.

    As such, I was a little worried about her.

    I also did not wish for her to have a hard time on this journey.

    "No, I was just wondering if it was alright for me to be here... everyone... here is such amazing people. I was just thinking that I wouldn¡¯t be of any use to anyone with how low-leveled I was. And ability wise, I¡¯m like a downgraded version of Dina-san."

    Notwithstanding that Virgo¡¯s and Dina¡¯s element affinities were different, just as Virgo stated, their positions in the group were ovepping with one another.

    Both were backline support types, however, as opposed to Dina who could use both arcane magic and divine magic, Virgo could only use divine magic.

    Furthermore, Dina had an affinity with both the Water and Metal elements and came with a superior spec associated with the maximum level of 1000.

    To top things off, she was able to use a cheat skill such as X-Gate and render enemy long distance attacks ineffective and create appropriate distance between herself and her enemies even though she was a rearguard, effectively allowing her to get by without the protection of the vanguard.

    Now that I thought about it, what was with that cheat character....

    Well anyways, depending on the way she¡¯s trained, Virgo had the potential to rival Dina.

    Although flugels were unable to use arcane magic, they had superior base stats, thus they stood in a perfect position to be strong backline support.

    Looking at things from that point of view, it could be said that Virgo¡¯s potential was more than enough to rival Dina¡¯s.

    "There¡¯s no need to jump to such conclusion. You are a sessor personally chosen by that Parthenos. You will be able to stand side by side with those guys in the near future."

    "Would things really be like that?"

    "That¡¯s right, young girl. You shouldn¡¯t be making such a depressing face."

    While Virgo and I were having a conversation, a very refined and pleasant voice cut in.[1]

    At the very least, it was a voice I could not recognise.

    To determine where it wasing from, I turned my face towards the voice. What I saw there was an ingredient for a dish - the barometz.

    A nt was growing from a flower pot. Coming out from its unnaturally big bud was the head of a sheep which was speaking to us.

    "....... The magical beast can speak, huh."

    "Oi oi, thedy with the ck wings, you say such a strange thing. Of course, magical beasts can also speak. Even the orcs are constantly talking."

    .......Ahh, yeah. Now that I thought about it orcs were indeed speaking non-stop.

    Or more like, thinking about it properly, Aries and Aigokeros were also magical beasts.

    The barometz which had a needlessly refined and dandy voice continued speaking as if it waspletely normal.

    "Young girl, there¡¯s nothing to think too deeply about. There¡¯s no one that can¡¯t be of use. Whoever you are, whatever you are, you will always have a role to fulfil. There¡¯s a stage where you can shine. Even if there¡¯s no spotlight on you right now, there¡¯s a shine that only you possess. Stop undervaluing yourself. It doesn¡¯t match your cute face."

    For some reason, an ingredient was saying something excessively cool.......

    I did not know why, but although the things that it was saying were correct, for some reason, it was irritating.

    "Even I¡¯m the same. I¡¯m just ame magical beast who can¡¯t even move on my own, but by being cooked and eaten, I can bring happiness to people¡¯s face. When I¡¯m in a dish, I can shine."

    "Ba, Barometz-san."

    "Are you even fine with that?"

    What should I do? I did not even know where to begin retorting.

    Whilst I was lost on what to say and was staring at the barometz, Karkinos who had finished speaking with Aries and the group came over and tightly gripped onto the barometz¡¯s head.

    "Ruphas-sama, in preparation for the journey, <i>me¡¯s </i>going to go turn the whole barometz into smoked meat. If you don¡¯t mind, please give me some time."

    After saying as such, Karkinos went to the back of the kitchen.

    It seemed he went to create food which could be stored for our long journey.

    The barometz kept saying, "Young girl, believe in your own potential!" as it was being taken to the back and eventually stopped making noise.

    In the future, it would most probably be smoked meat and help us out.

    .... Well, it was a good guy. Yeah.

    All that side, Dina was awfully quiet today for some reason.

    It almost seemed as if... she was preparing herself so that she could move any time if anything were to happen.

    As if she was waiting for something, no, as if she knew something was going to happen.

    .... Or was that just my intuition going on overdrive?

    *

    A single woman was walking on the top of the wastnd.

    She was a beautifuldy which possessed a captivating style and looked to be in her early twenties.

    She was wearing a ck bondage clothing which exposed much of her skin. On top of that, she had a simrly ck coat with furs equipped, nevertheless, she did not put her arms through that coat.[2]

    Her lips were dyed purple and on her left cheek was a tattoo with the shape of a crimson heart with ck wingsing out of it.

    Her hair which was tied on the top of her head flowed all the way to her foot and the end of it was shaped like a scorpion¡¯s sting.

    No, it was not "like a". It was truly the sting of a scorpion.

    The hair which should have been soft and smooth became harder as it neared the end, and by the end of it,pletely became scorpion¡¯s sting.

    If one were to summarise it in a single phrase, she would be a poisonous woman. She would assault man using her seductive body whilst poisoning and eating him up. Let alone hiding that dangerous scent, she was going around and scattering them.

    Her name was Scorpius. She was a specialist in poison as well as one of the pirs of the Tyrannical Way 12 Heavenly Stars.[3]

    Right now, in her line of sight was a steel capital created by Mizar, one of the despicablete [7 Heroes], who had betrayed her master in the past.

    "Haa, that thing looks disgusting, what a senseless capital. It¡¯scking in grace and elegance. Right? Don¡¯t you guys think so too?"

    She spoke as if she was drunk or clingy.

    Hearing the words she spoke of were the army of thousands or tens of thousands of magical beasts.

    They were not the weak fodders she had borrowed from the demon race. It was an army of scorpions which were personally subdued by her.

    <i>Emperor Berserk Scorpion</i>. The title of an emperor which was within her name was not just for show.

    She was without a doubt, the king amongst the scorpions. She was a pinnacle of all living things in the desert, the pinnacle of all magical beasts which had mutated out of scorpion.

    As such, every magical beast originating from a scorpion was her child, her subordinate and her pawn.

    In addition to the immense power she possessed herself, she had the army with both the quality and quantity at her beck and call.

    Because she possessed all of that, she was able to singlehandedly destroy the country of [Hrotti] which was founded by thete [Adventure King].

    Ruphas had misunderstood one thing.

    She had believed there was nothing protecting Hrotti at the time.

    She had mistakenly believed that there was no protective system around Hrotti to prevent the advancement of the demons. She had believed there was nothing like Levia protecting Svalinn, nothing like the defensive field protecting Laevateinn and nothing like the demon preventative system possessed by Blutgang. She was under such misunderstanding.

    Wrong. She was wrong.

    Hrotti had indeed had a defensive mechanism. It indeed had something that would not even lose to Levia.

    If anything, it would have been most strange for Phecda who had the monster tamer skill to not leave anything behind once he passed away.

    Before he passed away, he had gone through the magical beasts he tamed and left the four most powerful and excellent beasts as guardian deities.

    But even then, they were all annihted.

    The army of scorpions trampled down the country into oblivion as it it ate away all the protections left by thete Adventure King.

    "But that thing¡¯s such an ideal prey. If they¡¯re holing up in that tiny ce, the poisons will circte really quickly. Haa... haa... I can¡¯t wait... I wonder what kind of face the dwarves will make as they suffer and drop dead. To be bleeding from every hole you can imagine. Ohh, I can just imagine them trying to run away from that tight coffin, but dying with despair and misery... ohh so unbearable, I¡¯m going to wet myself."

    She stuck her red tongue out seductively and licked her lips.

    She believed it was perfectly normal for the humanoids to be suffering.

    If anything, she believed it was their duty to suffer and die.

    Because if that was not so, there will be no retribution for her master.

    After all, her master had given her all for the sake of the world and the humanoids, yet she was betrayed and taken down by them. Ahh, there was no way she could forgive them.

    As such, Scorpius became crazed. By her own will, she abandoned her reasoning, ethics, morals, discipline and self-control to be a lunatic murdering machine.

    To make them drown in theke full of blood, to make them struggle and suffer. To make them scream from misery. To put them under utter despair.

    To make people scream from the bottom of their lungs and to make them cry so that her beloved master could hear them.

    Those were the only thoughts that were keeping her moving nowadays.

    Her master was her everything. And to be next to her master meant the world for her.

    Now that her master was taken away from her, she no longer had any meaning in continuing to live. As a consequence, topletely annihte the people that took her master away became her only reason in life. It became the only way she could repay herte master.

    That was why she had no hesitation and felt absolutely no remorse in what she was doing.

    Women? Child? Infant? Elder? She could not care less about any of them.

    As such, she became crazed of her own choice. She allowed herself to continually be enveloped in insanity and madness.

    So that she could sink this world into despair, for that one and only reason.

    Her advance was also detected by those in Blutgang.

    If anything, there was not the slightest indication to hide it.

    If anyone were to take bring tens of thousands of magical beasts which had mutated from scorpions, it would be natural that they were found out.

    In the 15<sup>th</sup> City, the highest floor of Blutgang.

    There, the marshal who was permitted to operate Blutgang was making a grim expression whilst looking at the outside view disyed on the monitors.

    The Marshal... indicated the highest position within Blutgang, and had the power tomand every individual in the 15<sup>th</sup> City. It was the highest position with tangible power.

    Of course, position wise, the royalty sat higher.

    However, he was entrusted with theplete power tomand and control Blutgang in the time of war and as such, would not be wrong to call him the most powerful individual in the capital.

    "So you¡¯vee... poisonous woman."

    The marshal who had a white beard could be said to possess one of the bigger bodies amongst the dwarves and was not much different in size aspared to a human.

    He wore a blue military uniform and on his heard was a hat with five ornamental stars.

    There was a pipe in his mouth as he continued to sit on his chair without being agitated.

    His name was Genell.[4] Although just a little, he carried the blood of royalty and was a dwarven elder of such age to have lived side by side withte Mizar.

    There was some nervousness. However, there was no agitation.

    From the very day Hrotti was destroyed, he had expected that one day it woulde to this.

    In the 15<sup>th</sup> City, there were already Type 1 Battle Deployments on standby and all the subordinates were sitting in their respective position.[5]

    "Emergency transmission to all cities within Blutgang! Beginning now, Blutgang will be entering into battle against the Tyrannical Way 12 Heavenly Stars¡¯ Scorpius of the [Scorpion]!"

    "Emergency transmission received!"

    After receiving Genell¡¯s order, one of the subordinates put his hands on the microphone and repeatedly gave instructions out.

    Subsequently, those instructions were simultaneously transmitted throughout the capital and heard by all citizens within.

    In practice, even they themselves did not know the mechanics behind how such a thing was possible.

    Blutgang was created by the hands of the great Smith King and the technology that was utilised was so advanced that even after 200 years of time, most features seemed like a ck box that had yet to be made clear.

    "We will be the one to make the initial move! Prepare to fire!"

    "Prepare to fire!"

    "Target acquired!"

    "Firrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!"

    With Genell¡¯s order as the trigger, muzzles which wereing out from all over Blutgang all fired at the same time.

    The shockwave shook the earth as the cannons fired in rapid session, scattering the scorpions away.

    Nevertheless, the important Scorpius herself was not perturbed in the slightest and started walking forward calmly and graciously.

    It was not effective? No, even before the cannon could reach her, she used the sting on her hair to strike away at the cannonballs!

    "It¡¯s no use, it¡¯s not working at all!"

    "Doesn¡¯t matter, continue firing! We can reduce their number!"

    "Marshal, the deployment of the golem squad is ready!"

    "Good, send them out!"

    Next moment, Blutgang¡¯s gates opened and a bunch of golems came out in a squad and advanced forward whilst ringing a rigid sound.

    The golems that were deployed were notcking in the least as not only the recently created models but even the high-level golems made by Mizar 200 years to serve as the steel guardians were sent out.

    The manned type golems were boarded by the dwarves who were wearing armours and advanced forward without fear.

    "Attaakkkkk!!"

    As the dwarf who was leading the squad shouted, the golem squad all elerated forward.

    Steel guardians who did know what fear was all embarked right onto the wilderness with their bodies, and advanced onto the army of magical beasts.

    "Give them a wee."

    As if to match up with the advancing golems, the scorpion army of magical beasts also advanced forward and shed with the golems in the middle.

    The situation was approximately even.

    Neither side had the emotion called fear, thus they neither ran nor flinched.

    They only thought about annihting the enemy leading them to wholeheartedly striking the enemy down.

    At times they would use their allies¡¯ corpses or broken debris as a foothold as the magical beasts and golems continued to reduce the number of enemies.

    "Chargingpleted!"

    "Target, acquired!"

    "Target, set!"

    "Firing location determined!"

    "Enemy number 600! The number of allies 100! All allies are golems! There is only a single Mizar type!"

    "Alright.... Artillery, fireeeeeeeeeee!!"

    If they could erase more enemies, they did not even care about the allies bing coteral damage.

    Essentially, as long as there were no living dwarves, it was all fine.

    It was fine to remake the golems.

    Unfortunately, the Mizar models would not be subject to reproduction, however, they still could not hesitate because of that.

    They could not miss the chance because they were unwilling to trade 1 for 600.

    Just as they aimed, a lot of golems shattered into pieces, however, using that as the sacrifice, they were able to turn a lot of magical beasts into meat paste.

    "Oh dear, involving your own allies, quite a yful bunch, aren¡¯t cha?"

    With this, the bnce shifted towards Blutgang a little.

    However strong they were, the enemies were a gathering of magical beasts which knew neither tactics nor strategy.

    They believed if quality could be matched by quantity, the side which could utilise strategy would be in an advantageous position.

    The way they thought was not wrong by any means. The wars were always foretold using strategy as the basis.

    However, they could not underestimate the enemy. The one that they were fighting was a monster which could easily overturn those strategies in a sh.

    That was why they were the Tyrannical Way. That was what they were the 12 Stars.

    Exactly because there was that pride, Scorpius was not agitated in the slightest.

    "In that case, maybe I¡¯ll try ying around a little too!"

    Scorpius¡¯s form became painted in madness.

    Her eyes were opened wide and her smile caused her mouth to open from one ear to another. Even her beautiful look turned ugly as she went in towards the bunch of golems.

    By the time one thought her hair - no, her sting moved, all the golems in the area had already been cleared away.

    Scorpius¡¯s true power might have been in rtion to poison, however, it did not mean that her attack power was low.

    Especially now that she had continuously been in this state of insanity, her norm had be madness.

    By always been in this crazed state, her attack power had increased as a matter of fact.

    Needless to mention the low-level golems, her attacks could not be withstood by even the level 300 or 400 golems.

    "Here, here, here here here herehereherehere!"

    Her sting was swung with a speed so fast one could not even follow and mowed down and turned one golem after another into a mere debris.

    In order to try and stop her by any means possible, golems were rushed onto her, nevertheless, however many were thrown at her, the result stayed exactly the same.

    And from this little battle, Blutgang which had lost many high-level golems was plunged into a position of inferiority.

    As the bnce was broken, the magical beasts started their attack like an avnche, further decreasing the number of golems.

    Come read for free at the original source two more free thoughts.

    It did not matter who was looking at the fight, if this continued, the side which would win was as clear as ck and white.

    "Ma, marshal! Now that it¡¯se to this, please give the order for Blutgang to enter battle form!"

    "Rejected! Don¡¯t forget, that thing possesses poison! If we get close to her, even if we win, the citizens will die! Think of that as a loss!"

    "But what should we do!"

    "Send out the Scales Squad! They¡¯re the only things that can hold their own against her!"

    "......! Understood, sending out the Scales Squad!"

    The greatest battle prowess of Blutgang was to have the Blutgang itself be on the offensive.

    However, for this battle, that was not a viable option.

    By going close to her, they would be subjected to her poison and lose the citizens within, which would signify their loss.

    However, the cards in Blutgang¡¯s hands were not limited to one.

    They possessed another trump card - "The Scales Squad".

    Just as its name was mentioned, four shadowy figures charged out and took battle formation in mid-air.

    "Hmm?"

    Scorpius looked up into the air as carefree as she could be. What she saw was the nostalgic appearance of herrade.

    Belonging to the same group; the Tyrannical Way 12 Heavenly Stars, and possessing the name of the [Scales], the murderous maid, Libra.

    And for some reason, there were four of her in the air looking down at the magical beasts.

    "What? What is that.... Isn¡¯t that Libra?"

    "Target acquired...mence destroying."

    If she looked at things properly, the colour was different.

    Compared to Libra who had brown hair, these four possessed white hairs.

    Besides that, however, they were no different from herrade which existed in her memory. Furthermore, two of them expanded their weapons resembled the one in Scorpius¡¯s memory.

    "The Right Scale (Zubenelgenubi)... fire!"

    "! Tsk!"

    Libra¡¯s main long distance weapon [The Right Scale]. And its destructive power was well known by Scorpius.

    Two rows of ray were fired in a sh as it continued to pierce the ground, scattering many magical beasts in the process.

    Although Scorpius had avoided the attack instinctively, as if to strike while she was taking her time recovering, two fake Libras came out from the smoke.

    "The Left Scale (Zububeschamali)."

    An attack by the left arm which had been turned into a de that could even slice through steel. Again, it was an attack that Scorpius could recall.

    Scorpius used her sting to intercept this as she withstood the attack.

    However, the second Libra quickly moved around to the side and mowed towards Scorpius with the de.

    A narrow escape - the de merely scratched the cheek before it was stopped, nevertheless, anybody could see that managed to wound Scorpius.

    __

    (Author note)

    Just as a side note, individually, these mass-produced Libras are super golems which would be specified as a national treasure.

    Such a waste. (Emotional)

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] Literally "refined" and "pleasant voice" in the raw. From the context, I imagine like......... Deep voiced prince charming on auto-tune....

    [2] Err... I don¡¯t know how to word this. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s better exnation but... yeah... she¡¯s wearing the coat like this; (An official illustration of her from light novelter in the chapter)

    [3] In the past, I have tranted the "Tyrannical Way" as "Supreme Roadway" multiple times. Starting this chapter I will be tranting it as "Tyrannical Way" due to suggestion by Va. I... don¡¯t think I will be going back to edit them in the past chapters but please do keep aware of the change. (Ò†µÀÊ®¶þÐÇ)

    [4] Raw: (¥¸¥§¥Í¥ë) ¨C Genell

    [5] Possible Gundam or Evangelion reference. Type 1 Battle Deployment = ready for battle any time.

    "". This is simr to DEFCON alert state used by the US. "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DEFCON".

    __

 Chapter 60

    __

    ¡°.......!¡±

    Although it was just a minuscule amount, a truly minimal amount, Scorpius was surprised and felt some approval towards her enemy.

    Ever since that fateful battle 200 years ago, thebat level of the world decreased by an unnatural extent. It was such that, by the current age, the individuals who could deal damage to her were so rare that it was no different from finding a needle in a haystack.

    Something like the magical beasts or the demons were out of the questionpletely, and if anyone could wound her, Scorpius believed they had to be those that were equal to her such as the 12 Heavenly Stars, the Vampire Princess, the Demon King or perhaps his son.

    But some strange reason, she was shown that the bunch of inferior-product-lookalike-san were able to scratch her cheek.

    This fact surprised her a little.

    She felt nostalgic. She felt that there was a threat that should normally be felt from enemies. There was such a thing on this battlefield.

    ¡°Enemy, insignificant damage. No change tobat ability. Continuing to attack.¡±

    As they said that, the two Libras split to the left and right, followed by a ray of light from the previous oneing straight down the middle.

    Although Scorpius dodged this again, the ray of light which was fired continuously for the second time broke herposure just a little.

    However, it was as expected of the 12 Heavenly Stars. Even this follow-up attack without a timeg was swept away by the sting and she regained herposure in an instant.

    ¡°Heeeeh.... You don¡¯t just look lookalike, huh. To be able to scratch this mistress, I¡¯m genuinely surprised at your work, you know.¡±

    Scorpius swiped at the blood on her cheek with her finger andughed as she licked that finger.

    I see, looks like these are Blutgang¡¯s trump card.

    In all likelihood, they were made by Mizar with the original Libra as the base. If it was him who had the know-how of how she was built, he¡¯ll be able to make these imitations.

    However, even if they were considered imitations or fakes, as long as the creator was the same, the equipment and the product could be considered ¡°real¡±.

    They might have been inferiorpared to the original, however, what Scorpius just saw was without a doubt ¡°the Right Scale¡± and ¡°the Left Scale¡±.

    Furthermore, Scorpius believed all four¡¯s levels were most likely to be around 700.

    At the very least, it was more than enough to repel the advances made by the demons. Without a shred of doubt, these were clearly the legacy left behind from 200 years ago.

    Scorpius could not help but understand why Blutgang had not copsed until now.

    ¡°But, it¡¯s strange, right...... Just then, the original will have fired ¡®Brachium¡¯, right? It¡¯s weird, right? It¡¯s odd, right? I wonder why it wasn¡¯t used. After all, wasn¡¯t that the perfect opportunity?¡±

    ¡°............¡±

    ¡°Fufufu, you don¡¯t have it, right? You guys... don¡¯t have your most important weapon equipped, do you?¡±

    Without a doubt, Libra¡¯s greatest value came from her [Brachium] which was her most fearsome weapon.

    An individual¡¯s resistance was irrelevant. Their attribute was irrelevant. Their skills were also irrelevant. It was a skill which made everything else irrelevant with its pration effect and the ability to forcibly deal the maximum possible damage. It was a highest-tiered annihtion weapon.

    But that was a weapon which could only be made after using the [Scales of the Goddess] as the material.[1] It was not a weapon which could be made or reproduced by utilising another method.

    These Libra-lookalikes might have been made to be as close to the original as possible, however, the most important material used was different.

    Even if it was well created, it didn¡¯t change the fact that they were merely imitation products... They were simply inferior and degraded products which were a long way from the original.

    ¡°You idiots! Something like Libra without [Brachium] is, right, not even enough to serve as my pincers!¡±

    They were a slightly annoying bunch of enemies.

    However, they were not enemies Scorpius had to be scared of.

    Scorpius had not even the slightest cloud of doubt that she woulde out victorious as she swung and thrust her sting much faster than the speed of sound ¨C skewering one of the mass-produced Libra-type.

    ¡°Not good, assist the Scales Squad!¡±

    Inside themand centre of Blutgang, they were feeling the never-before-felt uneasiness.

    Until now, there were countless attacks by the magical beasts.

    There were also more than one or two advancements made by the demons.

    Nevertheless, Blutgang managed to ovee and repel them because they had the trump card called the Scales Squad.

    Four mass-produced golems, created using one of the pirs of the 12 Heavenly Stars, the [Scales] as the basis.[2]

    Even without the Brachium installed and even though they had either one or the other of the Left or Right Scale, they were still the level 700 highest-ssed golems. There was a sense of security in knowing everything would be fine if those girls were there.

    Yet right now, one of them had her body impaled without even being able to react.

    As a golem, this was not fatal on its own.

    In practice, the impaled mass-produced model continued to fight despite having a hole in the stomach area.

    Nevertheless, it was clear that the tides were shifting in the [Scorpion]¡¯s direction.

    ¡°We cannot, sir! If we fire carelessly, we will hit the mass-produced Libra-model!¡±

    ¡°Shi... why, why are they getting overwhelmed... even if they¡¯re mass-produced models, they¡¯re level 700. And there¡¯s four of them! Let alone a fair match, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for us to be the one to overwhelm her instead!¡±

    Level-wise, this fight was definitely not disadvantageous for them.

    They had no way to know that [Scorpion] had surpassed her limits and had be level 900, nevertheless, she was not an enemy that they would not be able to ovee.

    But in actuality, they were being overwhelmed. The Scale Squad was being pushed back by the [Scorpion]¡¯s fierce attacks.

    The reason for that was because of a match in the attributes.

    The Scale Squad... ¡ª or rather, golems¡¯ attribute were fundamentally determined by the material they are constructed from.

    Additionally, as most of the strong golems are created out of metal, thus their attributes subsequently became Metal.

    On the other hand, [Scorpion]¡¯s attribute was Fire.

    In the past, during the battle at Svalinn, the guardian deity Levia showed that it was possible to fight on equal footing against Aries, who outssed itself, due to the elemental affinity advantage.

    (Although Levia was a cheat golem in that the material which it was created from was itself, thus it was able to show strength which was well above its level.)

    But this time, it was the opposite. The one in the higher position also had an advantage in terms of the elemental affinity.

    Consequently, the Scale Squad was in an unfavourable situation.

    Furthermore, the state of affairs did not stop there.

    ¡°Ma, marshal!¡±

    ¡°What is it!¡±

    ¡°We, we have another problem! We have detected many high magical powers in the First City... we¡¯ve determined that the demons have infiltrated!¡±

    ¡°What did you say!?¡±

    *

    ¡°It¡¯s gotten quite rowdy, huh?¡±

    I opened the restaurant¡¯s door and surveyed outside.

    From just a moment ago, the outside had gotten noisy with the sound resembling a cannon... or more like, they must have been really firing cannons somewhere.

    There were countless sound of explosions ringing.

    Fortunately, I had already found out what was happening. There was no way I could have missed what was happening as they had kindly broadcasted the event with a sound loud enough to be heard all across Blutgang.

    It seemed the Scorpius hade attacking and Blutgang had started fighting against her.

    Notwithstanding, when I said ¡°rowdy¡± I was not only talking about that.

    ¡°Yeah. Really, they show up everywhere, those guys.¡±

    To my words, Dina responded and ran her line of sight to a distance.

    In the ce where she looked at, there was a bunch of greenish or bluish skinned things flying around like they owned the ce.... Well, what I¡¯m trying to say was that there were a bunch of demons who had overtaken the ce.

    I already knew that Scorpius was working with the demons, thus it was not a sight that was very surprising.

    However, for them to be able toe inside so easily, I could not help but say it was a little concerning.

    ¡°They probably hid and waited for the time the golems were dispatched and came in from where the golems were dispatched.¡±

    ¡°This Moon arcane magic power... Luna, huh?¡±

    As Libra deduced how they were able to infiltrate, Aigokeros muttered a name that I had not heard before.

    It seemed they were acquainted with him, however, I could not recall that name.

    ¡°Luna?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the one amongst the 7 Luminaries who possesses the title of [Moon]. This individual specialises in hiding themselves within the shadow and assassinating or disturbing the enemy.¡±

    ¡°From the sound of the name, it sounds like a woman?¡±

    ¡°In all likelihood, that is correct. They always dresses as a man, however, from my observation that was a woman.¡±

    In response to Aigokeros¡¯s words, I frowned.

    A woman... I did not feel like I wanted to actively go and attack the enemy.

    Nevertheless, leaving the enemy alone was out of the question.

    It was because the enemy specialised in assassination... that on its own meant that the enemy was far more troublesome aspared to the other 7 Luminaries.

    Even if the level was low, there was still a way to fight.

    Even if they continued to avoid fighting with those that were strong, as long as they could hunt down the all-important target, they were deemed to have shown a result.

    Any idiot who squirmed around like an idiot (Mars) thinking that their own level was great andes attacking from the front in a simple manner could easily be ovee with pure fighting prowess. However, if the enemy hides within the shadow, even if one could easily overpower them through the sheer difference in level, one could end up having a rug swept away from underneath their feet.

    As a consequence, there was a need to either capture or remove this enemy first.

    ¡°Aigokeros, since you¡¯re able to figure out who they are from their magical power, I assume you can also find their location?¡±

    ¡°It can easily be done.¡±

    ¡°Good, then you are to capture this Luna or whatever. If possible, I want you to capture it alive. However, I forbid you to unnecessarily involve and destroy the surrounding. Don¡¯t turn the citizens into coteral damage as well.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    After I ordered him, Aigokeros disappeared from his spot just like a mist.

    With this, the problem with the 7 Luminaries should be sorted out one way or another. If it was Aigokeros, there was no chance that he would lose.

    The problem was who would deal with the demons who had infiltrated into Blutgang.

    Furthermore, I also had to find out who I needed to send against Scorpius.

    Should I go myself? If I did that, Scorpius would most probably stop.

    I guess I¡¯ll take Dina with me too. She¡¯s a double spy against the demons, thus it¡¯s probably easier for her to fight if she goes outside where there are no demons.

    The matter of the demons who had gotten inside will be dealt by Aries and Libra.

    Virgo will... I suppose she wille with me.

    It¡¯s a good opportunity, I suppose I¡¯ll take her power-levelling against the army of magical beasts.

    Lastly, I guess I¡¯ll take Karkinos with me too.

    ¡°Dina, Virgo and Karkinos, you wille with me. We¡¯re going to go stop Scorpius. Aries and Libra, you are to stay inside and stop the demons.¡±

    I gave my orders to the remaining members and quickly left the ce.

    Dina quickly followed after me as Libra and Aries started running towards the other direction.

    *

    One of the 7 Luminaries, Luna of the [Moon].

    Bluish-white skin characteristic of the race, a gold-coloured pupil with vertical iris and honey coloured hair. That was the young boy¡¯s ¨C no, young girl¡¯s characteristics.

    Amongst the 7 Luminaries, she was the one was most specialised in assassination.

    It was not as if she could not directly fight with her enemies. However, someone that stood above her... the Demon King¡¯s son had strictly ordered her to avoid directly fighting with the enemies.

    But she felt disgruntled by that order. She felt that she was not trusted and that she was being underestimated.

    As such, she figured that she would prove him wrong.

    This was also the reason she had riled Scorpius up and advanced towards Blutgang.

    I¡¯m not weak. I can also do things outside of assassination. ¨C That was what she wanted to prove.

    However, looking at the results, it could be said that she had recklessly jumped the gun.

    At the very least, now that they had determined that Ruphas Mafahl had resurrected, she should have been more cautious in her actions.

    After all, Mars¡¯s and Jupiter¡¯s deaths were the result of them being unable to exercise such caution.

    As such, she should have reflected on those and heavily exercised the much-required caution.

    She should have understood that she could not continue to think of herself as the strong.

    (Something is tailing me?)

    By having Scorpius be the bait, they were able to have gained great initial result by easily infiltrating into Blutgang. However, there was an eerie and ufortable feeling since the moment she entered as if she was being observed by something.

    Blutgang¡¯smand centre? No, those guys would not have such leisure.

    Mass-produced golems? No, those overwhelmingly annoying battle prowess would all have been sent towards Scorpius.

    Then who could it be? Something that gave off a clingy feeling. Someone that continuously released this atmosphere.

    She could feel their line of sight, however, she could not find their body whatsoever. There was not even a shadow.

    Nevertheless, there was certainly a feeling of presence that was closing in on her.

    (Shadow.... It can¡¯t be!?)

    There was not even a shadow, so Luna pondered.

    But if that wasn¡¯t it, what else could it be? What if it was a shadow itself?

    The moment she reached that answer, her shadow on the ground which was running along with Luna warped.

    She instantly felt her back tingle and her spine cool down. Ignoring all her reason and mental walls, she was forcibly made to feel [Fear] which was mmed straight within her heart.

    The warped form was a devil in the truest sense.

    It had two horns growing out of it, had the face of the goat and the body of a man, and with the wings of the bat, it was a figure of a devil straight out of myth.

    ¡°Hiii!¡±

    As she instinctively jumped back, the shadow on the ground released a ray of ck light, striking past her.

    To be able to avoid the initial attack was without a doubt, due to her good luck.

    However, even if she were to use all the luck she had on the spot, the devil was not such an enemy that she could deal somehow.

    From inside the shadow, an air which gave off the feeling of all sinister things in the world started flowing out.

    The surrounding views distorted and Luna was made to feel that space around her had gotten dark.

    ¡°So you dodged... so pitiful. If you lost your consciousness without knowing anything, you would have at least avoided feeling despair.¡±

    Luna whose body was instinctively screaming to copse, desperately and frantically kept herself up.

    To make a sound, that was all there was to it.

    Notwithstanding, her soul was disrupted and her sanity was pressured.

    It was as if someone was scratching the ss with their nails right next to her ear. She felt such a torturous feeling.

    It was as if the words themselves were cursed, the feeling of uneasiness just by merely existing. The feeling of disgust.

    [Fear] possessed by every person was forcibly turned into a tangible form. Symbol of such sinister. That was what this devil was.

    ¡°Aigo... keros....¡±

    Come read for free at the original source two more free thoughts

    ¡°Luna... weak one. I shall now bestow upon you two paths.¡±[3]

    Eyes that were like a void shone ominously.

    Just from that alone, Luna¡¯s legs shook uncontrobly and disgracefully.

    ¡°One is sweet surrender. If you do not resist, you shall get away without getting hurt. I shall take you as an offering to present to my great master.¡±

    ¡°A, haha, that¡¯s a wonderful suggestion. Are you telling me to be killed by Ruphas Mafahl without resisting?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. An existence so insignificant like yourself, something no different from a bug is able to die by the hand of my master. That is an honour.¡±

    Ruphas Mafahl shows no mercy to the demons. That was something even a child knew about.

    If you entered her sight, it signified your end. Whether you were a woman or an elder, she would hunt you down to the end of hell and kill you, subsequently hanging your head to the environment.

    That was the existence called the ck-Winged Supreme Ruler.

    In other words, to surrender here directly signified death.

    ¡°One is merciless submission. I shall remove your four limbs and present your bloodied self to my master as an offering.¡±

    ¡°...... Both are exactly the same.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative. To die after surrendering, or to resist and die pitifully ¨C now choose, a weak one.¡±

    The devil mercilessly handed down her death sentence.

    That on its own... signified and bared the difference in the ability between the two.

    __

    (Author Note)

    *Aigokeros is not an enemy character.

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] Refer to chapter 18.

    [2] Hmm.... If there¡¯s only 4 (5 if you include the one destroyed by the Demon King) does it count as a ¡°mass-produced¡±...?

    [3] Aigokeros is using ¡°nanji¡± to refer to Luna. Although ¡°nanji¡± usually means ¡°you¡± in English, just as there are various level of ¡°I¡± in Japanese, there¡¯s quite a lot of ¡°you¡± as well. This ¡°nanji¡± is often used by someone in the extremely higher position referring to their subject. For example, it¡¯s something that a God or the Emperor would use against their subject. Or the old form of you. (i.e. thou). Though since you don¡¯t use thou/nanji in this age, it¡¯s used to show that Aigokeros is speaking down on Luna.

 Chapter 61

    ¡°I reject both!¡±

    Faced with a death sentence, Luna mustered all her dignity and yelled in defiance. The opponent was one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars who served the overlord. Furthermore, he was the merciless, ruthless incarnate of the devil.

    Aigokeros of the Goat.

    However, Luna was still one of the Seven Luminaries that the demons took pride in, and she strangely had the Moon attribute like Aigokeros. Because they had the same attribute, they understood each other¡¯s weaknesses. She was one of the few who could resist Aigokeros¡¯ mental interference, so she was in a better situation than the other Seven Luminaries would be.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    She condensed mana to create a ck sword and jumped to sh down from above. Aigokeros neither dodged nor defended against it. He took the attack with his arms folded. The result was that he remained unharmed. The attacking sword dissipated instead, while Aigokeros did not have a single wound on his body. He did not use any special magic. The inability to harm him was simply due to the hopeless difference in their statuses. That was all.

    ¡°How slow. How fragile. How weak.¡±

    Aigokeros spewed words of contempt and sent her flying by flicking his middle finger. It was basically a forehead flick. With that alone, Luna was blown away, scraping the floor for more than one hundred meters before stopping. In pursuit, Aigokeros vanished into the floor and emerged from Luna¡¯s shadow. No, he did not simply emerge. His body had grown significantlyrger. His head reached the ceiling of the first floor of Blutgang, while Luna immediately avoided the arm that reached out to attack.

    ¡°En¡ªErgement by condensing mana!?¡±

    ¡°Oh. You can figure it out to that extent.¡±

    This was not Aigokeros¡¯ true form. It was a clone created by condensing mana, essentially a type of magic. Arcane magic fundamentally converted mana into a phenomenon. Metal-attribute magic could even create ores. This was basically the same. It was a self created by Aigokeros out of mana. Although it would disappear like an illusion when the magic ended, it currently existed as a real body.

    ¡°Monster...!¡±

    This was the Twelve Heavenly Stars! This was a resident of Helheim!

    Painfully realizing the overwhelming difference between her opponent and herself, Luna immediately chose to avoid a direct confrontation. Luna jumped to increase the distance between them, while Aigokeros nced at her emotionlessly.

    ¡°Capture.¡±

    ck tentacles grew from the erged body of Aigokeros. These were no ordinary tentacles. These were mutated tentacles that ended with teeth. With a strange unbearable sound, a repulsive putrid smell, and a psychologically revolving sense, the tentacles surged towards Luna.

    If Aigokeros attacked without reservation and consideration for his surroundings, there would be no way for Luna to avoid the attack. Luna would be captured easily by sacrificing the lives of nearby residents and damaging the buildings. However, Aigokeros was ordered by his master to not cause coteral damage, so the movement of the tentacles slowed due to the narrow area and dense housing. Ironically, the streets of Blutgang protected Luna, who came to destroy Blutgang.

    But even so, Luna was not dominating the fight. In the first ce, her attacks could not get through her opponent¡¯s defenses. If she went on the offensive, she would be enclosed and captured.

    Should she retreat...? The moment of weakness raised such thoughts and slowly corroded her heart. She was no match for this devil. Luna was not so foolish as to not realize this. She also knew about the fate of the idiot (Mars) who charged recklessly without noticing such things.

    But...

    No, if I retreat here, I will be throwing mud at ¡°that person¡¯s¡± face! In addition, our ipetence would bring shame to him!

    But Luna chose not to retreat.

    There were reasons for this decision. Recently, the Seven Luminaries were being too disgraceful. Firstly, Mars failed to invade Svalinn and lost Aries. Libra disappeared along with arge portion of the treasure she was guarding in the tomb. Jupiter died at Gjarhorn, while Aigokeros defected from the demons. And finally, the resurrection of Ruphas Mafahl was confirmed.

    It was evident that the Twelve Heavenly Stars were regrouping under Ruphas. Although she did not know how many stars have been recovered, it was still a very bad situation. Furthermore, the other demons had been saying, ¡°The Seven Luminaries are not such a big deal after all.¡± The morale of their subordinates was falling. If that was all there was to it, it would be fine. She did not mind herself being despised. However, their blunders would be the blunder of the person who formed the Seven Luminaries. This was unbearable to Luna.

    I...We are not weak!

    The group called Seven Luminaries was a simple assembly of individuals. They were the temporarymanders formed to raise the falling morale of demons who lost their elites two hundred years ago. To make it sound good, it could be said that they were chosen for their abilities. However, because the demons had deteriorated so much, they were merely papier-mach¨¦.

    Originally, it was unthinkable for a mere Level 300 to be amander. In fact, they would not even qualify to serve as aides to themanders. After all, there were many Level 1000 demons two hundred years ago.

    The strength of a demon was decided at birth. The strong would be strong, the weak would be weak, and the average simply remained average...There was no way to either raise or lower the level which was specified at birth. Among demons whose roles were fixed at birth, the life of Luna at Level 300 was never bright. If she encountered Ruphas Mafahl or her subordinates, she would not survive, therefore she did her best to avoid them. Despised by the high-level demons, she survived, while they died.

    She did not want to die. She just wanted to stay alive. The instinct to attack the humanoids did not matter. She only wished to stay alive.

    And so she continued to survive this way, rising to the top of the demons before she realized it. Luna did not be stronger. She automatically rose to the top because all the stronger demons died. Originally, this was not a stage for her. But since all the actors were dead, seven recements were quickly found as emergency. This was the shell known as Seven Luminaries, and Luna just happened to be one of them.

    For the first time in her life, she sat in the position of the strong. She was aware that she was an inexperienced actor, yet she did not want to get off. She was tired of being looked down upon, being despised, and disgracefully running away. Because she had reasons to stay in her position, she desperately tried to make herself appear strong. She dressed and talked like a man in order to hide her weakness.

    But ultimately, a disguise was merely a disguise. A mask was still a mask. Every time she encountered someone stronger, she realized how insignificant and weak she was.

    ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself to be strong. You are a woman.¡±

    Thus that person, who was born strong, advised Luna. Destined from birth to be strong, he was born around the same time as Luna and was her childhood ymate.

    Terra, the son of the Demon King. He was the master that they served and the person who created the Seven Luminaries.

    ¡°Do not look down on me, Terra-sama! I¡¯m one of the Seven Luminaries!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be conceited. The Seven Luminaries were chosen as temporarymanders because there was nobody else. It does not mean that you people are strong.¡±

    ¡°......!¡±

    ¡°Therefore, do not push yourself. Do things that are within your means. Do not overdo it. Just keep to covert operations and disturbances.¡±

    She longed for it since she was a child. His strength was something a weakling like herself could never reach. She could only watch his back. She knew she was not a suitable match for him and was once severely reprimanded for it. Even so, she still wanted to stay by his side.

    She wanted him to acknowledge her, even if nobody else did.

    She wanted him to talk to her. She wanted him to turn around to look at her.

    She wanted him to look back and think that she was useful.

    This was the real hope of the girl named Luna, who hid it beneath her pretense of strength.

    ?

    ¡°Targets, locked. Commencing attack.¡±

    Libra held her sniper rifle and fired at the demons flying inside Blutgang. The sure-hit, sure-kill rounds burst the heads of demons like watermelons, piling up the pitiful corpses on the ground. It was done simply and urately. Emotionlessly, the ughter doll continued to clear away the demons ording to her master¡¯s order.

    In contrast to Libra who was cleaning up quietly, Aries was jumping acrobatically around within the city. Using the houses as tforms, he jumped and incinerated the demons with his hands. Rising without losing momentum, he used the ceiling as a tform and jumped back towards the ground. He destroyed the demons that he passed by, then immediately jumped back up again afternding.

    Even the fleeing enemies who lost the will to fight were not spared. He grabbed the nearest demon, incinerated it, and threw it at the fleeing mob. The other demons were thus ignited and became charred in an instant. However, the mes did not damage the houses. Aries snapped his fingers and the mes were extinguished.

    ¡°Aries, some have escaped to the other floors. We are going after them.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Libra and Aries ran up the stairs and quickly reached the next floor. This was unlike their behaviors in Gjarhorn where they destroyed the surroundings. If Merak saw this, he would surely be angry and thought, ¡°If you can keep the surroundings safe, you should have done so in Gjarhorn!¡±

    ¡°I found them.¡±

    Her rifle spewed fire and killed an enemy in one hit a long distance away. If she used The Right Scale, it would have prated the walls of Blutgang. It was the same with Brachium. With such densely-packed buildings, area attacks would affect the surroundings no matter how limited they were. However, besides her built-in weapons, Libra could also use other weapons ording to the needs of the situation. At least, such demons could not escape from her ranged attacks.

    ¡°Did we happen to get the easiest position this time?¡±

    ¡°No. Considering the amount of work we had to do, Aigokeros who only has to finish off one small fry would have it much easier.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±

    Aries jumped off the ground and exploded five demons in front of him. He kicked off the wall and returned next to Libra in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°By the way, Libra. What do you think of the current Ruphas-sama? I feel that she is more gentle than before.¡±

    ¡°I conclude thatpared to the past, she has been empathizing with her enemies. But she is still our master who holds our loyalties.¡±

    Using her light de, Libra shed the demon who charged at her out of desperation. He was then incinerated by Aries¡¯ fists. Furthermore, the ming bullets from her rifle finished off the fleeing enemies. There was no need to look through the scope because Libra¡¯s eyes were themselves the most precise scope.

    ¡°This is something I heard from Mizar-sama. Originally, master was not a ruthless person. In regards to this, you should be more informed than me, but...I specte that the ruthlessness and brutality of master were acquired out of necessity. She was originally a gentle person. I do not know master before she became ruthless, but I think the current master is more natural.¡±

    ¡°Indeed...The old Ruphas-sama was very stern, but she was not merciless. Otherwise, I would have been killed the first time I met her.¡±

    Aries and Libra chatted as they cleaned up the demons. Once the current floor was cleared, they moved on to the next floor. With that repetition, the number of demons within Blutgang rapidly declined.

    ¡°But that¡¯s why I¡¯ve been thinking. Is it really good for Ruphas-sama to regain her memories? Perhaps, it is better for her to be happy without those memories.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want her to regain her memories?¡±

    ¡°No way. Even if it is just a bit, Ruphas-sama still forgot the times she spent with all of us. I couldn¡¯t possibly bear it. Butpared to this, I do not want Ruphas-sama to be miserable.¡±

    Chase and shoot. Chase and crush. Their arms and legs did not stop while they were conversing. They dutifully executed their master¡¯s order until the number of demons was reduced to a single digit.

    ¡°Either way, the one who holds the key is probably her...Dina-sama. Her behavior is too unnatural.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Really?¡±

    ¡°...Did you not notice? No, this might be one of those thought-maniption skills.¡±

    Libra told Aries as she destroyed thest demon. She could say for certain precisely because as a golem, she was immune to mental interferences.

    ¡°I specte that some of you...no, in the worst case scenario, everyone including you is affected by Dina-sama¡¯s thought maniption or memory control. We must be cautious of that person...no, that woman.¡±

 Chapter 62

    Author: Fire Head (Ñ×î^)

    Trantor: Hand of Va

    Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    Show All Notes

    ¡°I reject both!¡±

    Faced with a death sentence, Luna mustered all her dignity and yelled in defiance. The opponent was one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars who served the overlord. Furthermore, he was the merciless, ruthless incarnate of the devil.

    ?? Luna (¥ë©`¥Ê) is the Latin name for the Earth¡¯s Moon.

    Aigokeros of the Goat.

    However, Luna was still one of the Seven Luminaries that the demons took pride in, and she strangely had the Moon attribute like Aigokeros. Because they had the same attribute, they understood each other¡¯s weaknesses. She was one of the few who could resist Aigokeros¡¯ mental interference, so she was in a better situation than the other Seven Luminaries would be.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    She condensed mana to create a ck sword and jumped to sh down from above. Aigokeros neither dodged nor defended against it. He took the attack with his arms folded. The result was that he remained unharmed. The attacking sword dissipated instead, while Aigokeros did not have a single wound on his body. He did not use any special magic. The inability to harm him was simply due to the hopeless difference in their statuses. That was all.

    ¡°How slow. How fragile. How weak.¡±

    Aigokeros spewed words of contempt and sent her flying by flicking his middle finger. It was basically a forehead flick. With that alone, Luna was blown away, scraping the floor for more than one hundred meters before stopping. In pursuit, Aigokeros vanished into the floor and emerged from Luna¡¯s shadow. No, he did not simply emerge. His body had grown significantlyrger. His head reached the ceiling of the first floor of Blutgang, while Luna immediately avoided the arm that reached out to attack.

    ¡°En¡ªErgement by condensing mana!?¡±

    ¡°Oh. You can figure it out to that extent.¡±

    This was not Aigokeros¡¯ true form. It was a clone created by condensing mana, essentially a type of magic. Arcane magic fundamentally converted mana into a phenomenon. Metal-attribute magic could even create ores. This was basically the same. It was a self created by Aigokeros out of mana. Although it would disappear like an illusion when the magic ended, it currently existed as a real body.

    ¡°Monster...!¡±

    This was the Twelve Heavenly Stars! This was a resident of Helheim!

    Painfully realizing the overwhelming difference between her opponent and herself, Luna immediately chose to avoid a direct confrontation. Luna jumped to increase the distance between them, while Aigokeros nced at her emotionlessly.

    ¡°Capture.¡±

    ck tentacles grew from the erged body of Aigokeros. These were no ordinary tentacles. These were mutated tentacles that ended with teeth. With a strange unbearable sound, a repulsive putrid smell, and a psychologically revolving sense, the tentacles surged towards Luna.

    If Aigokeros attacked without reservation and consideration for his surroundings, there would be no way for Luna to avoid the attack. Luna would be captured easily by sacrificing the lives of nearby residents and damaging the buildings. However, Aigokeros was ordered by his master to not cause coteral damage, so the movement of the tentacles slowed due to the narrow area and dense housing. Ironically, the streets of Blutgang protected Luna, who came to destroy Blutgang.

    But even so, Luna was not dominating the fight. In the first ce, her attacks could not get through her opponent¡¯s defenses. If she went on the offensive, she would be enclosed and captured.

    Should she retreat...? The moment of weakness raised such thoughts and slowly corroded her heart. She was no match for this devil. Luna was not so foolish as to not realize this. She also knew about the fate of the idiot (Mars) who charged recklessly without noticing such things.

    But...

    No, if I retreat here, I will be throwing mud at ¡°that person¡¯s¡± face! In addition, our ipetence would bring shame to him!

    But Luna chose not to retreat.

    There were reasons for this decision. Recently, the Seven Luminaries were being too disgraceful. Firstly, Mars failed to invade Svalinn and lost Aries. Libra disappeared along with arge portion of the treasure she was guarding in the tomb. Jupiter died at Gjarhorn, while Aigokeros defected from the demons. And finally, the resurrection of Ruphas Mafahl was confirmed.

    It was evident that the Twelve Heavenly Stars were regrouping under Ruphas. Although she did not know how many stars have been recovered, it was still a very bad situation. Furthermore, the other demons had been saying, ¡°The Seven Luminaries are not such a big deal after all.¡± The morale of their subordinates was falling. If that was all there was to it, it would be fine. She did not mind herself being despised. However, their blunders would be the blunder of the person who formed the Seven Luminaries. This was unbearable to Luna.

    I...We are not weak!

    The group called Seven Luminaries was a simple assembly of individuals. They were the temporarymanders formed to raise the falling morale of demons who lost their elites two hundred years ago. To make it sound good, it could be said that they were chosen for their abilities. However, because the demons had deteriorated so much, they were merely papier-mach¨¦.

    ?? Papier-mach¨¦ () is aposite material consisting of paper pieces or pulp, sometimes reinforced with textiles, bound with an adhesive, such as glue, starch, or wallpaper paste. Contextually, it refers to something that was weak and not very durable.

    Originally, it was unthinkable for a mere Level 300 to be amander. In fact, they would not even qualify to serve as aides to themanders. After all, there were many Level 1000 demons two hundred years ago.

    The strength of a demon was decided at birth. The strong would be strong, the weak would be weak, and the average simply remained average...There was no way to either raise or lower the level which was specified at birth. Among demons whose roles were fixed at birth, the life of Luna at Level 300 was never bright. If she encountered Ruphas Mafahl or her subordinates, she would not survive, therefore she did her best to avoid them. Despised by the high-level demons, she survived, while they died.

    She did not want to die. She just wanted to stay alive. The instinct to attack the humanoids did not matter. She only wished to stay alive.

    And so she continued to survive this way, rising to the top of the demons before she realized it. Luna did not be stronger. She automatically rose to the top because all the stronger demons died. Originally, this was not a stage for her. But since all the actors were dead, seven recements were quickly found as emergency. This was the shell known as Seven Luminaries, and Luna just happened to be one of them.

    For the first time in her life, she sat in the position of the strong. She was aware that she was an inexperienced actor, yet she did not want to get off. She was tired of being looked down upon, being despised, and disgracefully running away. Because she had reasons to stay in her position, she desperately tried to make herself appear strong. She dressed and talked like a man in order to hide her weakness.

    But ultimately, a disguise was merely a disguise. A mask was still a mask. Every time she encountered someone stronger, she realized how insignificant and weak she was.

    ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself to be strong. You are a woman.¡±

    Thus that person, who was born strong, advised Luna. Destined from birth to be strong, he was born around the same time as Luna and was her childhood ymate.

    Terra, the son of the Demon King. He was the master that they served and the person who created the Seven Luminaries.

    ?? Terra (¥Æ¥é) is the Latin name for the Earth.

    ¡°Do not look down on me, Terra-sama! I¡¯m one of the Seven Luminaries!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be conceited. The Seven Luminaries were chosen as temporarymanders because there was nobody else. It does not mean that you people are strong.¡±

    ¡°......!¡±

    ¡°Therefore, do not push yourself. Do things that are within your means. Do not overdo it. Just keep to covert operations and disturbances.¡±

    She longed for it since she was a child. His strength was something a weakling like herself could never reach. She could only watch his back. She knew she was not a suitable match for him and was once severely reprimanded for it. Even so, she still wanted to stay by his side.

    She wanted him to acknowledge her, even if nobody else did.

    She wanted him to talk to her. She wanted him to turn around to look at her.

    She wanted him to look back and think that she was useful.

    This was the real hope of the girl named Luna, who hid it beneath her pretense of strength.

    ?

    ¡°Targets, locked. Commencing attack.¡±

    Libra held her sniper rifle and fired at the demons flying inside Blutgang. The sure-hit, sure-kill rounds burst the heads of demons like watermelons, piling up the pitiful corpses on the ground. It was done simply and urately. Emotionlessly, the ughter doll continued to clear away the demons ording to her master¡¯s order.

    In contrast to Libra who was cleaning up quietly, Aries was jumping acrobatically around within the city. Using the houses as tforms, he jumped and incinerated the demons with his hands. Rising without losing momentum, he used the ceiling as a tform and jumped back towards the ground. He destroyed the demons that he passed by, then immediately jumped back up again afternding.

    Even the fleeing enemies who lost the will to fight were not spared. He grabbed the nearest demon, incinerated it, and threw it at the fleeing mob. The other demons were thus ignited and became charred in an instant. However, the mes did not damage the houses. Aries snapped his fingers and the mes were extinguished.

    ¡°Aries, some have escaped to the other floors. We are going after them.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Libra and Aries ran up the stairs and quickly reached the next floor. This was unlike their behaviors in Gjarhorn where they destroyed the surroundings. If Merak saw this, he would surely be angry and thought, ¡°If you can keep the surroundings safe, you should have done so in Gjarhorn!¡±

    ¡°I found them.¡±

    Her rifle spewed fire and killed an enemy in one hit a long distance away. If she used The Right Scale, it would have prated the walls of Blutgang. It was the same with Brachium. With such densely-packed buildings, area attacks would affect the surroundings no matter how limited they were. However, besides her built-in weapons, Libra could also use other weapons ording to the needs of the situation. At least, such demons could not escape from her ranged attacks.

    ¡°Did we happen to get the easiest position this time?¡±

    ¡°No. Considering the amount of work we had to do, Aigokeros who only has to finish off one small fry would have it much easier.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±

    Aries jumped off the ground and exploded five demons in front of him. He kicked off the wall and returned next to Libra in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°By the way, Libra. What do you think of the current Ruphas-sama? I feel that she is more gentle than before.¡±

    ¡°I conclude thatpared to the past, she has been empathizing with her enemies. But she is still our master who holds our loyalties.¡±

    Using her light de, Libra shed the demon who charged at her out of desperation. He was then incinerated by Aries¡¯ fists. Furthermore, the ming bullets from her rifle finished off the fleeing enemies. There was no need to look through the scope because Libra¡¯s eyes were themselves the most precise scope.

    ¡°This is something I heard from Mizar-sama. Originally, master was not a ruthless person. In regards to this, you should be more informed than me, but...I specte that the ruthlessness and brutality of master were acquired out of necessity. She was originally a gentle person. I do not know master before she became ruthless, but I think the current master is more natural.¡±

    ¡°Indeed...The old Ruphas-sama was very stern, but she was not merciless. Otherwise, I would have been killed the first time I met her.¡±

    Aries and Libra chatted as they cleaned up the demons. Once the current floor was cleared, they moved on to the next floor. With that repetition, the number of demons within Blutgang rapidly declined.

    ¡°But that¡¯s why I¡¯ve been thinking. Is it really good for Ruphas-sama to regain her memories? Perhaps, it is better for her to be happy without those memories.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want her to regain her memories?¡±

    ¡°No way. Even if it is just a bit, Ruphas-sama still forgot the times she spent with all of us. I couldn¡¯t possibly bear it. Butpared to this, I do not want Ruphas-sama to be miserable.¡±

    Chase and shoot. Chase and crush. Their arms and legs did not stop while they were conversing. They dutifully executed their master¡¯s order until the number of demons was reduced to a single digit.

    ¡°Either way, the one who holds the key is probably her...Dina-sama. Her behavior is too unnatural.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Really?¡±

    ¡°...Did you not notice? No, this might be one of those thought-maniption skills.¡±

    Libra told Aries as she destroyed thest demon. She could say for certain precisely because as a golem, she was immune to mental interferences.

    ¡°I specte that some of you...no, in the worst case scenario, everyone including you is affected by Dina-sama¡¯s thought maniption or memory control. We must be cautious of that person...no, that woman.¡±

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    (Japanese: ¤ª¤ª¤­¤¯¤Ê¤ë Grow) refers to the final smash of (Japanese: ¥×¥ê¥ó Purin) in Super Smash Bros. fighting game.

    Mars: ¡°Even after dying, I guess many things still concern me. As expected of me! My presence persists even after dying.¡±

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Hello again. Wee back! There are a few changes to this blog. Firstly, I may be testing some scripts over the next few posts, so please bear with me while this is going on. I will be testing on my end with Chrome for Windows, Firefox for Windows, Microsoft Edge for Windows, and Chrome for Android.

    To read this chapter, click on <b>Show text</b> link above and enter the chapter number. JavaScript must be enabled on your browser.

    I¡¯m also trying out a new format for notes. Notes are now hidden by default. They can be shown (or hidden again) by clicking on the key words (colored text with dotted underline) in the text. If you are using reader mode, you need to enable the notes first by clicking on <strike>any one</strike> key word or you will not see the notes in reader mode. <strike>You can also click on the memo icon ?? on the first line for trantor/editor credits to show/hide notes.</strike> Clicking on each key word shows/hides only its own note.

    If you encounter any issue with these changes, please leave ament along with your browser, operating system, and Text-To-Speech extension/software (if any). You can also message me on the Discord channel.

    ?? <b>Update:</b> Fixed issue with show/hide notes. Changed the image to a concept art of Terra, who was mentioned briefly in this chapter. Removed encrypted text.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

    ? ? ? ?

 Chapter 63

    ?? Show text. JavaScript must be enabled. Answer the question and click OK.

    <b>Q: What is 6 minus 3?</b>

    ? This chapter is <b>NOT</b> optimized for Reader Mode!

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes: Sei-kun¡¯s Bad End Collection</h4>

    <b>Route 1</b>

    Sei: ¡°Oh! Be prepared, overlord!¡±

    Ruphas: ¡°Ruphas¡¯ forehead flick!¡± (Let¡¯s try hitting him lightly.)

    Sei: ¡°...¡±

    Ruphas: ¡°...He¡ªHe died.¡±

    <b>Route 2</b>

    Sei: ¡°Oh! Overlord, I will defeat you to get the apple!¡±

    Libra: ¡°Brachium.¡±

    Sei: ¡°...¡±

    Ruphas: ¡°...He¡ªHe died.¡±

    <b>Route 3</b>

    Sei: ¡°Oh! Overlord, we are not enemies, let¡¯s shake hands!¡±

    Ruphas: ¡°Oh, not bad. I rather like you.¡± (Pats his shoulder)

    Sei: ¡°...¡±

    Ruphas: ¡°...He¡ªHe died.¡±

    <b>Route 4</b>

    Sei: ¡°Oh! Overlord, look at this sword (Lucifer deLucifer de is the sword acquired by Jean after the tomb was cleared of all the more useful items. See .) acquired by mypanion! What do you think!?¡±

    Ruphas: ¡°Don¡¯t show me my ck history!¡± (Smacks)

    Sei: ¡°...¡±

    Ruphas: ¡°...He¡ªHe died.¡±

    Sei: ¡°...What should I do!?¡±

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    For those who may be wondering, the encryption lock is put in ce against aggregate sites. I don¡¯t actually mind those aggregate sites copying my trantions, provided they include credits (trantor/editor/proof-reader/etc.) and link back to the source (i.e. blog URL). I¡¯m doing this for free out of personal interest with no profit whatsoever, so at the very least, credits should be given to me and TMFT who worked on it. Anyone who has written a thesis before will know that it is only proper to credit the sources that you used.

    However, a lot of aggregate sites do not even do something as basic as this. They just strip off the credits without providing a link back to the source. So yeah, that¡¯s why there is a simple copy protection in ce. The encryption will be removed after a few chapters, so if it really bothers you, you can always wait until then before reading. It is a bit inconvenient, but that¡¯s what happens when those site owners don¡¯t respect other people¡¯s effort.

    This blogyout is fairly clean and uncluttered, so there should be no pressing need to use Reader Mode. Reader Mode tends to mess up the CSS, such as those used for in-line notes. A lot of CSS functionality cannot be used if Reader Mode is to be supported. (And the Reader Modes for different browsers work somewhat differently, leading to moreplications.) The encryption does not interfere with Reader Mode; it just needs to be decrypted first. You can still use Reader Mode if you want, provided you don¡¯t mind some messed-up CSS.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 64

    Author: Fire Head (Ñ×î^)

    Trantor: Hand of Va

    Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    I made something weird again.

    This was what I thought as I examined the golden apple from different angles. It was not a rare phenomenon to solidify mana since both Earth and Metal attributes could do so. However, I have never heard of arcane magic that could create apples. Besides, as a fl¨¹gel, I could not even use arcane magic. In any case, what was the use of arcane magic that produced apples?

    ¡°Dina, do you know what this is?¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    ¡°Dina?¡±

    ¡°Eh, ah, yes. It¡¯s probably a forbidden fruit.¡±

    With an unusually confused expression, Dina answered my question with a strange term. Forbidden fruit? Was it the one ate by Adam and Eve, resulting in their expulsion from Paradise? Then would we gain wisdom if we ate this? I would need to hear this in detail.

    ¡°An Intelligence-Up item? I have never heard of this though.¡±

    ¡°Well...It would certainly increase Intelligence...but rather than a doping item, it is more like an experience point item.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Hmm...I think Ruphas-sama also noticed this. Unlike the game world, one cannot absorb the mana of a defeated enemy by merely participating in the battle. It would all go to the person who defeated the enemy. In addition, the absorption efficiency is very bad. Only about ten percent of the mana possessed by the enemy would be absorbed.¡±

    ¡°Is that the reason why level decreased unnaturally over the past two hundred years?¡±

    The people who were originally strong died. In addition, people were limited by the difficulty of gaining levels. I should have noticed this earlier. When we were with Jean¡¯s party inside the royal tomb, they did not gain levels at all. I just epted it without questioning back then. But Dina denied my hypothesis.

    ¡°No. It was like this from the beginning. The system of the world did not change suddenly over the past two hundred years. Mana has always been going to the person who defeated the enemy. Therefore, it was not possible to reach the cap at Level 1000 in this world. The weird ones are the people from two hundred years ago.¡±

    ¡°In other words, the current average level is actually normal?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Two hundred years ago...before ¡®that time¡¯, the average level of humanoids was not too different from now. Based on my investigations, only about ten people out of all the humanoids exceeded Level 100.¡±

    ¡°¡®That time¡¯?¡±

    ¡°The rise of Ruphas Mafahl...That is to say, your appearance. The golden apple is the concentration of mana which should have been dispersed. It provides experience points (mana) that are way beyond what would normally be absorbed. I think you used it to raise the average level of humanoids in one go.¡±

    ...I see.

    In other words, I was fundamentally mistaken. I kept thinking that the average level dropped unnaturally over the past two hundred years. But the opposite was true. The level was unnaturally raised two hundred years ago. And the cause was none other than myself. Therefore, when I was gone, the average level returned to normal.

    But still, the forbidden fruit...it just did not sound good.

    ¡°ording to legend, there used to be no mana in the world. Then, the heavenly people descended upon the mountain near the heaven, Vanaheimr. They watched over the world and took on the role of collecting impurities of the world. The collected impurities (mana) became the forbidden golden apple. At some point, someone chose to eat the apple out of curiosity. That person gained arcane power and was expelled from Vanaheimr, bing human...¡±

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°A myth of this world. Although it sounds suspicious, it cannot simply be written as a legend.¡±

    That said, Dina nced at the apple in my hand.

    Oh, yeah. That¡¯s right. The real thing is here.

    ¡°The apple that could raise people to an otherwise unreachable level should be the forbidden fruit. From the perspective of the goddess, this must be an eyesore. Furthermore, starting with the Seven Heroes, if other transcendent characters were mass-produced by using that thing, she would not be able to tolerate it.¡±

    ¡°...Hmm.¡±

    I pondered while ying with the apple in my hand. It seemed that game knowledge was bing less reliable. I knew there would be differences between the game and reality, but I had believed that the knowledge would still be of use. However, the knowledge turned out to be useless when it really mattered. In fact, the more important the matter, the less useful the knowledge was.

    It was as if my perception was being guided by something. It seemed there were some other errors mixed in here. At least...one could get a drink that increases status by paying money in the game, but it was impossible here.

    ¡°In any case, it is not poisonous, right?¡±

    ¡°It is a mass of mana. Furthermore, the wings of the next generation may be ck. Therefore, for the fl¨¹gels who advocate the white-wing ideology, it would be more poisonous than anything else in the world.¡±

    Apparently, it was not poisonous enough to make the eater sick. But it was a deadly poison to the white-wing advocates huh?

    What about Virgo then? Her wings were pure white. I found them to be very beautiful, despite not being concerned about wing color. They had such a surprising whiteness that they could be a symbol for the white-wing advocates.

    Fortunately, the eater¡¯s wings would not turn ck. But since it would affect the next generation, one would naturally hesitate to eat it. Since acquiring a portion of Ruphas¡¯ memories, I also did not want to increase the number of children who might experience tragic childhoods as Ruphas did.

    I put the apple in my hand into my cloak without giving to Virgo. I would just keep it for the time being. Even Virgo would not want it if her children would inevitably have ck wings and thus be bullied. It was true that I wanted to raise her level if it was possible, but I did not want to ruin her future for it.

    ¡°Capture!¡±

    For now, I should just capture the surviving monstrous scorpions. Once captured, they would recognize me as master and faithfully obey my orders. If the target had very high intelligence, it might resist. But as I mentioned before, scorpion-type magical beasts were basically murderous monsters that follow their instincts. Thus, once they were captured, they would not question my orders.

    Then, Dina transported the captured monsters to the tower via X-Gate and returned the golems which were removed previously. Now, there was only Scorpius left. I started walking towards Scorpius who was just staring at us without any reaction.

    ¡°It has been a long time, Scorpius. Do you remember my face?¡±

    ¡°Ruphas...-sama...¡±

    Currently, I was lightly disguised with the costume given by Megrez. However, I did not disguise my face. Since I was rampaging earlier, she should have realized my true identity. Although Scorpius had been looking at us expressionlessly, she soon licked her purple lips with her red tongue while ncing my way.

    ¡°How can I possibly forget? Every day, every hour, every minute, every second, I have never forgotten your face. Ever since this mistress heard the news that you are alive, this mistress has been waiting all this time for our reunion!¡±

    ¡°!¡±

    Scorpius shouted and directed her hair, which was bundled like a tail, towards me. Against the unexpected attack, I nearly had a hole pierced through me. However, I quickly shifted the upper half of my body and managed to avoid the sting attack.

    ¡°What are you doing, Scorpius?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, hehehe...At that time, this mistress regretted losing you. Oh, why didn¡¯t I stop you back then? Why did I let you go to that dangerous battlefield? This mistress has always, always, always, always, always, always, always, always, always, always...always, always, always, always, always, always, always, always, always regretted it. And so I decided...¡±

    Scorpius blushed and faced me with her wide eyes, looking at me like a lustful whore.

    ¡°If we could meet again, this mistress, and this mistress alone!¡ªScorpius will protect you! I will have you captured, tied up, locked up, restrained, hugged, kept, and protected, so that nobody other than myself can touch or hurt you! This mistress will keep you by this mistress¡¯ side alone, somewhere nobody else can touch you, hurt you, see you, hear you, or even be within visual range!

    Yes, that would be the best, wouldn¡¯t it? It is a mistake to make the noble you, the treasure of the world, to stand on the same ground as the other lower lifeforms. It drives me crazy just to think that you would enter the sight of those trash! I cannot forgive them for speaking with you. It would not be enough even if I kill those who yearn for you tens of thousands of times. I cannot tolerate you being with those ursed filthy things.

    Therefore, this mistress will kill all your enemies and this mistress will protect all of you. It¡¯s no problem, my beloved Ruphas-sama. Although it might feel a bit inconvenient at first, this mistress would prepare everything you need. You don¡¯t even need to move at all.

    This mistress will take care of everything, including food, sleep, exercise, and entertainment.

    I won¡¯t let you be taken away again nor let you fight. This mistress will kill everything that would hurt you, be it the Seven Heroes, the Demon King, the goddess, humanoids, magical beasts, dragons, ouroboroses, or whatever else they might be! So please, wait in the love nest that this mistress has prepared. So please, smile only for this mistress¡ª¡±

    .........

    ¡ªScary!

    I looked away from Scorpius, who was still rattling off her love for me like a machine gun, and nced at Dina.

    Eh? What? Was Scorpius really like this?

    I did not intend to preach against homosexuality. Aside from reproduction, the nature of love depended on the individual.

    But...Hmm. This was a turn-off.

    Dina¡¯s face was blue, urging me to quickly do something about it with her gaze. Virgo looked as if she lost her soul. She probably could not understand what Scorpius was saying anymore.

    ¡°¡ªSo...Please,e into this mistress¡¯ arms!¡±

    Oh, not good. At some point, Scorpius finished talking. After dodging a strike from the tail-like hair (which was really more like a tail), a second strike was immediatelyunched. Scorpius¡¯ hair somehow increased and multiple tails attacked simultaneously. Wait, what was wrong with that hair!?

    ¡°Ugh!?¡±

    If it was just me, dodging the attacks would be easy. No, it would not be difficult to avoid the tails and advance closer to her. However, Virgo, Dina, and Karkinos were here as well. Karkinos was tough so he would be fine, but Dina and particrly Virgo were different. I grabbed their hands and jumped from the spot to avoid all the tails. But that was not the end. Very soon, the third wave of attacks approached us...

    ¡°Acubens!¡±

    In order to divert Scorpius¡¯ attacks, Karkinos suddenly activated his skill and sent her flying. When I looked back towards the ground, Karkinos was already equipped with a scissor de in each hand, overlooking the fallen Scorpius.

    ¡°Hahaha! I¡¯m relieved that you are still as crazy as before! However Scorpius, even if it¡¯s you, as long as there is me, the Shield of the Zodiac, no attack will be permitted to reach Ruphas-sama! Stand up! You will be beaten by me until you have no other choice but to throw in the towel and straighten that twisted mind of yours!¡±

    ¡°Karkinos...A Crab like you should not disturb a mistress like this Scorpion!¡±

    Scorpius stood up and gathered mana in both hands. The mana took shape and became a pair of ck scissors. Since Karkinos¡¯ weapons were also scissors, a confrontation using the same weapon began.

    Scorpius dashed across the ground, aiming her scissors for Karkinos¡¯ neck. Karkinos had no intention to dodge. Seeing this, I called out, while Virgo averted her eyes.

    But¡ªhe was not cut. There wasn¡¯t even a nick!

    ¡°......!¡±

    ¡°Kekeke. Have you forgotten the hardness of me after two hundred years?¡±

    With a wide smile, Karkinos kicked Scorpius. Of course, it was not a normal kick. It was a counterattack that added Scorpius¡¯ attack power to its own.

    As I watched Scorpius rolling on the ground, I thought:

    Eh? Isn¡¯t Karkinos stupidly strong?

 Chapter 65

    Thebat styles of Scorpius and Karkinos could be said to beplete opposites. Scorpius moved around at high speed while making continuous attacks. On the other hand, Karkinos would only counterattack without moving.

    I followed the movement of Scorpius with my eyes while keeping Virgo behind me in order to protect her from the shockwaves. This was pretty fast, even whenpared to Demon King-san. However, Karkinos did not lose sight of her, properly following her every move. After making several feints, Scorpius attacked Karkinos¡¯ back, but Karkinos caught the attack and countered with Acubens.

    ¡°Currently, it seems the bet is on Karkinos-sama.¡±

    ¡°Yes. If it is a frontal collision, Karkinos would have the advantage.¡±

    Realizing her disadvantage, Scorpius increased the distance between them. Karkinos was indeed strong, but his strength was not really in one-versus-one battles, but rather it was in group battles. Serving as a robust shield to protect his allies was his specialty since he was unsuitable for offense.

    Therefore, keeping a distance was the correct choice. Given Scorpius¡¯ firepower, if she abruptly attacked without preparing for the counterattack, it would be suicidal. But as if realizing her cautious approach, Karkinos took the initiative to attack.

    ¡°Ah, he¡¯s attacking.¡±

    ¡°Oh. He¡¯s attacking even though he cannot use Acubens while being offensive. He¡¯s making quite a bold move.¡±

    In the game, Acubens was a skill in which the user took a defensive stance and waited for the opponent to attack. In yer-versus-yerbat, the user must read the movements of the opponent and react immediately after the opponent¡¯s attack ended. As a result, when the user was attacking, Acubens could not be activated. This skill was very powerful, but also difficult to use.

    ¡°Ah, well, these movements are fairlymon, even though I cannot see it at all...¡±

    Dina and I could follow their movements with our eyes as we watched the fight, but Virgo was different. She was desperately looking back and forth, trying to catch a glimpse of the fight. Currently before us, Karkinos and Scorpius were exchanging hundreds of blows with their scissors-like weapons, but Virgo probably could not see it.

    Scorpius had the advantage in terms of power and speed, but Karkinos had his ridiculous hardness. Furthermore, when he read Scorpius¡¯ iing attack, he would immediately switch to take the stance for using Acubens.

    ¡°Rather skillful.¡±

    ¡°It was a better fight than I expected.¡±

    ¡°Ah, but...it is merely a good fight.¡±

    It was indeed a good fight. If the fight continued like this, Karkinos would win. But this would not be enough since the battlefield would not continue indefinitely without changing.

    As I mentioned before, Karkinos had badpatibility with Scorpius. If Scorpius became serious, Karkinos had no chance of victory. Thus, this was the end of being a spectator. I should finish this before Scorpius became serious. Having decided this, I moved over to Scorpius, who was trying to breathe out poisonous mists, and grabbed her arm.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, but you should sleep a bit.¡±

    And I struck her with the t of the de. Although I did not strike her seriously, Scorpius was blown away dramatically and rolled several times on the ground.

    ...That was weird. Did my attack power increase?

    No. It was because I was ¡°remembering¡± how to use this body. Since the visit to Vanaheimr, I became in sync with Ruphas within me. It seemed the sync was not just the consciousness, but the body as well. In any case, my body moved better than ever. I simply epted this as a result.

    ¡°Amazing! As expected of Ruphas-sama, what a brilliant technique! I¡¯m entranced by you!¡±

    ¡°Hmm...Sorry, Karkinos. I interrupted your fight.¡±

    ¡°No problem. To be honest, the victory won¡¯t belong to me if we keep on fighting. Thank you for your nice judgment.¡±

    Watching Karkinosughed out loud, I also smiled faintly. He was highly tensed, but he was a nice guy. He would not cause unnecessary conflicts with the other Twelve Heavenly Stars and his ability was impable. I was really d to have such a reliablerade.

    The problem was...Scorpius. She was knocked out now, but there was no guarantee that she would not go berserk after waking up. Well then, should I tie her up to restrict her movement while she was unconscious?

    As I thought so, I noticed a turbulent pressure from behind. ...Did I make a mistake? Despite being high-level, she would not wake up so soon after being struck in the head by surprise.

    ¡°...Wh...¡±

    ¡°Hmm. You are awake? I seem to have underestimated you a bit.¡±

    ¡°Why...Why, Ruphas-sama!? Why do you not understand the passion of this mistress!!!¡±

    ¡°Tch!¡±

    Scorpius screamed and her eyes turned red. An ominous pressure surged forth from her entire body. Then, in inverse proportion to it, there was a white glow that had a sense of holiness. It was not arcane power, but rather its opposite. It was the glow of life regarded as a miracle of the divine¡ªdivine power.

    ...No, wait. Scorpius should not be able to use this, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡°Impossible...Divine power? I never knew Scorpius could use divine magic.¡±

    ¡°This is the first time for me to see it...but this is...¡±

    ¡°Do you recognize this?¡±

    This was an iprehensible view that I had never seen before. However, Karkinos seemed to recognize it. His expression turned grave. When I asked about it, he nodded firmly.

    ¡°Yes! Ruphas-sama, this is the same as that time!¡±

    ¡°That time?¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten? That time two hundred years ago...The same phenomenon happened on the Seven Heroes!¡±

    Hearing these words reminded me of what the Demon King said See for what the Demon King said. previously about the unnatural, short-sighted rebellion two hundred years ago. Hiding behind it all was the goddess¡ªthe existence that desired conflict. ording to Karkinos, the divine power overflowing from Scorpius was the same as back then. Was that how it was? Currently, Scorpius...was being controlled by the goddess?

    ¡ªAt that moment, I ¡°remembered¡± a scene that I should not know, but yet I most certainly recognized. It was a battlefield. It was in the midst of a fierce battle where I was cornered. These wererades with whom I once fought alongside and shared my journeys.

    I guessed there was something each of them felt towards me (Ruphas). Be it jealousy, fear, or envy...These feelings were amplified unnaturally. The attacking heroes were blessed by the goddess with divine power. After cornering me, their faces distorted with pain. There was no joy despite being on the verge of victory...Tears of blood flowed from the eyes of Alioth who finally defeated me.

    ¡°......¡±

    ¡ªApparently, it seemed that the memories locked away in my mind were restored by this encounter. It was a very interesting scene, but currently, I needed to deal with Scorpius before me.

    ¡°Why...Why...! Why, why, why, why, why, why, why! Why, why, why, why, why, why Scorpius alternates between hiragana (¤É¤¦¤·¤Æ) and katakana (¥É¥¦¥·¥Æ). Thetter is rendered in italics here...The weird thing is that she is speaking those words, while the difference between hiragana and katakana is mostly in written script., why, why, why, why, why, why...Why, why, why, why, why...Why¡ª!¡±

    While repeating ¡°Why¡± like a madman, the pressure emitted by Scorpius increased. It was not my imagination. She was actually bing stronger. As if she was being boosted by someone, she had already exceeded her original status.

    This was amon theme in many stories. It was like the hero who refused to give up because of the power of friendship, despite being overwhelmingly inferior to his enemy. Ignoring the power gap between himself and the enemy, he repeated his assaults until finally he turned the situation around and triumphed.

    People often called this convenient plot armor, but this was only possible because the author¡ªin other words, God¡ªincreased the hero¡¯s power. This situation was probably the same. In this world, only the goddess Alovenus could boost someone by such an unreasonable degree.

    ...This was the reason Ruphas lost two hundred years ago.

    ¡°I see. I heard that Scorpius exceeded her limit See for Scorpius exceeding her limit. to reach Level 900 due to her obsession with me...She must have been dominated by the goddess at that time.¡±

    ¡°Ruphas-sama!¡±

    ¡°Stay back, Dina. Only I can stop that thing.¡±

    I raised the whip sword over my shoulder and confronted Scorpius. Perhaps she did not even know what she was currently doing anymore. She kept repeating ¡°Why¡±, but it would be meaningless even if I responded. I grinned unexpectedly and advanced towards her.

    Honestly, such an intense love. It was so extreme that the goddess was able to use it to get to her, but I still could not mock it. However, there was one thing I could say:

    She was

    my (our) Here, the narrator is using two first-person pronouns¡ªamon pronoun (°³ or ¤ª¤ì) used by the yer and an archaic pronoun (Óà) used by Ruphas herself. Since there was no such distinction in English, I will trante Óà (¤ª¤ì) as ¡°I (We)¡± or ¡°me (us)¡±.

    retainer (thing). You will return her, Alovenus.

    ¡°Fu!¡±

    I (We) exhaled softly and swung the whip sword down. This distance would not be within reach for a normal sword, but suchmon sense did not apply to this weapon. The de stretched like a snake, swelled, andunched towards its prey. Scorpius agilely dodged, but I (we) closed the distance at the same time and kicked her soft belly.

    ¡°Ugh, wah...!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Scorpius? You are wide open.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, ah¡ª!¡±

    Even while being blown away, Scorpius struck back with her tail. I (We) immediately deflected the attack aimed by my (our) face, but my (our) cheeks were grazed, leaving a trail of blood.

    Hmm. Did she manage to wound me (us)? Well, I guessed it was a job well done.

    Furthermore, I (we) was poisoned. Since I (we) was not wearing the

    dress that granted immunity to abnormal statuses See for her Dress of Heaven¡¯s Empress.

    , I (we) was poisoned like a normal person. However, this could simply be cured by using divine magic. I (We) wiped the blood off my (our) cheek with my (our) finger, removed the toxins from the body, and licked the blood on my (our) finger.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a nice attack. I¡¯m going to speed things up a bit.¡±

    I (We) did not get angry for getting hurt, but rather I (we) thought it was somewhat delightful. I (We) felt a deep emotion to see that she had trained herself to this degree. It was a pity that she became a puppet of the goddess, but I (we) could talk to her after she regained her sanity.

    ¡°Transmute¡ªWinter of Swords!¡±

    I (We) thrust the whip sword into the ground and activated the transmutation. Countless whip sword des grew from the ground and rushed towards Scorpius at the same time. This skill created countless des from the ground tounch an area attack. Furthermore, it confused the enemy by making it difficult to locate the real sword out of all the transmuted swords. Although the transmuted swords were not weak, it would still be better to hit with the real one.

    Apparently, Scorpius did not seem to be able to distinguish the real sword from the fakes. Her leg was cut deeply and she copsed on the ground. However, she still did not give up and breathed poisonous fog out towards my (our) eyes.

    ¡°...Hmm.¡±

    If the toxic fog hit, it would inflict a deadly poison, but I did not hesitate. While the fog was certainly very powerful, it had the weakness of obscuring the position of her opponent.

    Well then, let¡¯s just charge forward! I (We) shed through the fog and grabbed the head of Scorpius, who had an astonished look on her face. Her head was mmed down onto the ground.

    I (We) felt pain from the poison, but it was not enough to kill. Or rather, it was aforting kind of pain, knowing with my (our) own body the growth of my (our) retainer.

    Now then, show me what you would do next. What could you do? It has been two hundred years. You haven¡¯t just been ying, have you? Reveal all your cards and show me your hand.

    We finally had our reunion, so please entertain me (us)¡ª

    ...¡ªNo, wait. Calm down,

    me This ¡°me¡± (°³) is themon first-person pronoun, representing the yer, not Ruphas.

    . It was like I was a battle maniac. Time to cool down.

    I was heating up...I said to myself until the moment passed. I was barely able to stop myself.

    What entertainment? What was the point if I lost sight of the purpose of this battle?

    Now that Scorpius had quieted down, it would serve no purpose to continue beating her. Seriously, I wasn¡¯t sure what I was doing anymore. Fighting was the means to an end, not an end in itself.

    ...Why would one feel pleasure in fighting? ...Seriously.

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    ¡ªAt that moment, I ¡°remembered¡± a scene that I should not know, but yet I most certainly recognized. Alioth stuffed his nose with pasta and rolled around on the floor...

    Alioth: ¡°Why do you remember this scene here!? You must be mistaken! This has nothing to do with your present situation, right!?¡± (weeping tears of blood)

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    No encryption for this chapter, testing behavior of aggregate sites. Removed encryption for Chapters 63 and 64.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 66

    Thebat styles of Scorpius and Karkinos could be said to beplete opposites. Scorpius moved around at high speed while making continuous attacks. On the other hand, Karkinos would only counterattack without moving.

    I followed the movement of Scorpius with my eyes while keeping Virgo behind me in order to protect her from the shockwaves. This was pretty fast, even whenpared to Demon King-san. However, Karkinos did not lose sight of her, properly following her every move. After making several feints, Scorpius attacked Karkinos¡¯ back, but Karkinos caught the attack and countered with Acubens.

    ¡°Currently, it seems the bet is on Karkinos-sama.¡±

    ¡°Yes. If it is a frontal collision, Karkinos would have the advantage.¡±

    Realizing her disadvantage, Scorpius increased the distance between them. Karkinos was indeed strong, but his strength was not really in one-versus-one battles, but rather it was in group battles. Serving as a robust shield to protect his allies was his specialty since he was unsuitable for offense.

    Therefore, keeping a distance was the correct choice. Given Scorpius¡¯ firepower, if she abruptly attacked without preparing for the counterattack, it would be suicidal. But as if realizing her cautious approach, Karkinos took the initiative to attack.

    ¡°Ah, he¡¯s attacking.¡±

    ¡°Oh. He¡¯s attacking even though he cannot use Acubens while being offensive. He¡¯s making quite a bold move.¡±

    In the game, Acubens was a skill in which the user took a defensive stance and waited for the opponent to attack. In yer-versus-yerbat, the user must read the movements of the opponent and react immediately after the opponent¡¯s attack ended. As a result, when the user was attacking, Acubens could not be activated. This skill was very powerful, but also difficult to use.

    ¡°Ah, well, these movements are fairlymon, even though I cannot see it at all...¡±

    Dina and I could follow their movements with our eyes as we watched the fight, but Virgo was different. She was desperately looking back and forth, trying to catch a glimpse of the fight. Currently before us, Karkinos and Scorpius were exchanging hundreds of blows with their scissors-like weapons, but Virgo probably could not see it.

    Scorpius had the advantage in terms of power and speed, but Karkinos had his ridiculous hardness. Furthermore, when he read Scorpius¡¯ iing attack, he would immediately switch to take the stance for using Acubens.

    ¡°Rather skillful.¡±

    ¡°It was a better fight than I expected.¡±

    ¡°Ah, but...it is merely a good fight.¡±

    It was indeed a good fight. If the fight continued like this, Karkinos would win. But this would not be enough since the battlefield would not continue indefinitely without changing.

    As I mentioned before, Karkinos had badpatibility with Scorpius. If Scorpius became serious, Karkinos had no chance of victory. Thus, this was the end of being a spectator. I should finish this before Scorpius became serious. Having decided this, I moved over to Scorpius, who was trying to breathe out poisonous mists, and grabbed her arm.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, but you should sleep a bit.¡±

    And I struck her with the t of the de. Although I did not strike her seriously, Scorpius was blown away dramatically and rolled several times on the ground.

    ...That was weird. Did my attack power increase?

    No. It was because I was ¡°remembering¡± how to use this body. Since the visit to Vanaheimr, I became in sync with Ruphas within me. It seemed the sync was not just the consciousness, but the body as well. In any case, my body moved better than ever. I simply epted this as a result.

    ¡°Amazing! As expected of Ruphas-sama, what a brilliant technique! I¡¯m entranced by you!¡±

    ¡°Hmm...Sorry, Karkinos. I interrupted your fight.¡±

    ¡°No problem. To be honest, the victory won¡¯t belong to me if we keep on fighting. Thank you for your nice judgment.¡±

    Watching Karkinosughed out loud, I also smiled faintly. He was highly tensed, but he was a nice guy. He would not cause unnecessary conflicts with the other Twelve Heavenly Stars and his ability was impable. I was really d to have such a reliablerade.

    The problem was...Scorpius. She was knocked out now, but there was no guarantee that she would not go berserk after waking up. Well then, should I tie her up to restrict her movement while she was unconscious?

    As I thought so, I noticed a turbulent pressure from behind. ...Did I make a mistake? Despite being high-level, she would not wake up so soon after being struck in the head by surprise.

    ¡°...Wh...¡±

    ¡°Hmm. You are awake? I seem to have underestimated you a bit.¡±

    ¡°Why...Why, Ruphas-sama!? Why do you not understand the passion of this mistress!!!¡±

    ¡°Tch!¡±

    Scorpius screamed and her eyes turned red. An ominous pressure surged forth from her entire body. Then, in inverse proportion to it, there was a white glow that had a sense of holiness. It was not arcane power, but rather its opposite. It was the glow of life regarded as a miracle of the divine¡ªdivine power.

    ...No, wait. Scorpius should not be able to use this, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡°Impossible...Divine power? I never knew Scorpius could use divine magic.¡±

    ¡°This is the first time for me to see it...but this is...¡±

    ¡°Do you recognize this?¡±

    This was an iprehensible view that I had never seen before. However, Karkinos seemed to recognize it. His expression turned grave. When I asked about it, he nodded firmly.

    ¡°Yes! Ruphas-sama, this is the same as that time!¡±

    ¡°That time?¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten? That time two hundred years ago...The same phenomenon happened on the Seven Heroes!¡±

    Hearing these words reminded me of what the Demon King said See for what the Demon King said. previously about the unnatural, short-sighted rebellion two hundred years ago. Hiding behind it all was the goddess¡ªthe existence that desired conflict. ording to Karkinos, the divine power overflowing from Scorpius was the same as back then. Was that how it was? Currently, Scorpius...was being controlled by the goddess?

    ¡ªAt that moment, I ¡°remembered¡± a scene that I should not know, but yet I most certainly recognized. It was a battlefield. It was in the midst of a fierce battle where I was cornered. These wererades with whom I once fought alongside and shared my journeys.

    I guessed there was something each of them felt towards me (Ruphas). Be it jealousy, fear, or envy...These feelings were amplified unnaturally. The attacking heroes were blessed by the goddess with divine power. After cornering me, their faces distorted with pain. There was no joy despite being on the verge of victory...Tears of blood flowed from the eyes of Alioth who finally defeated me.

    ¡°......¡±

    ¡ªApparently, it seemed that the memories locked away in my mind were restored by this encounter. It was a very interesting scene, but currently, I needed to deal with Scorpius before me.

    ¡°Why...Why...! Why, why, why, why, why, why, why! Why, why, why, why, why, why Scorpius alternates between hiragana (¤É¤¦¤·¤Æ) and katakana (¥É¥¦¥·¥Æ). Thetter is rendered in italics here...The weird thing is that she is speaking those words, while the difference between hiragana and katakana is mostly in written script., why, why, why, why, why, why...Why, why, why, why, why...Why¡ª!¡±

    While repeating ¡°Why¡± like a madman, the pressure emitted by Scorpius increased. It was not my imagination. She was actually bing stronger. As if she was being boosted by someone, she had already exceeded her original status.

    This was amon theme in many stories. It was like the hero who refused to give up because of the power of friendship, despite being overwhelmingly inferior to his enemy. Ignoring the power gap between himself and the enemy, he repeated his assaults until finally he turned the situation around and triumphed.

    People often called this convenient plot armor, but this was only possible because the author¡ªin other words, God¡ªincreased the hero¡¯s power. This situation was probably the same. In this world, only the goddess Alovenus could boost someone by such an unreasonable degree.

    ...This was the reason Ruphas lost two hundred years ago.

    ¡°I see. I heard that Scorpius exceeded her limit See for Scorpius exceeding her limit. to reach Level 900 due to her obsession with me...She must have been dominated by the goddess at that time.¡±

    ¡°Ruphas-sama!¡±

    ¡°Stay back, Dina. Only I can stop that thing.¡±

    I raised the whip sword over my shoulder and confronted Scorpius. Perhaps she did not even know what she was currently doing anymore. She kept repeating ¡°Why¡±, but it would be meaningless even if I responded. I grinned unexpectedly and advanced towards her.

    Honestly, such an intense love. It was so extreme that the goddess was able to use it to get to her, but I still could not mock it. However, there was one thing I could say:

    She was

    my (our) Here, the narrator is using two first-person pronouns¡ªamon pronoun (°³ or ¤ª¤ì) used by the yer and an archaic pronoun (Óà) used by Ruphas herself. Since there was no such distinction in English, I will trante Óà (¤ª¤ì) as ¡°I (We)¡± or ¡°me (us)¡±.

    retainer (thing). You will return her, Alovenus.

    ¡°Fu!¡±

    I (We) exhaled softly and swung the whip sword down. This distance would not be within reach for a normal sword, but suchmon sense did not apply to this weapon. The de stretched like a snake, swelled, andunched towards its prey. Scorpius agilely dodged, but I (we) closed the distance at the same time and kicked her soft belly.

    ¡°Ugh, wah...!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Scorpius? You are wide open.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, ah¡ª!¡±

    Even while being blown away, Scorpius struck back with her tail. I (We) immediately deflected the attack aimed by my (our) face, but my (our) cheeks were grazed, leaving a trail of blood.

    Hmm. Did she manage to wound me (us)? Well, I guessed it was a job well done.

    Furthermore, I (we) was poisoned. Since I (we) was not wearing the

    dress that granted immunity to abnormal statuses See for her Dress of Heaven¡¯s Empress.

    , I (we) was poisoned like a normal person. However, this could simply be cured by using divine magic. I (We) wiped the blood off my (our) cheek with my (our) finger, removed the toxins from the body, and licked the blood on my (our) finger.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a nice attack. I¡¯m going to speed things up a bit.¡±

    I (We) did not get angry for getting hurt, but rather I (we) thought it was somewhat delightful. I (We) felt a deep emotion to see that she had trained herself to this degree. It was a pity that she became a puppet of the goddess, but I (we) could talk to her after she regained her sanity.

    ¡°Transmute¡ªWinter of Swords!¡±

    I (We) thrust the whip sword into the ground and activated the transmutation. Countless whip sword des grew from the ground and rushed towards Scorpius at the same time. This skill created countless des from the ground tounch an area attack. Furthermore, it confused the enemy by making it difficult to locate the real sword out of all the transmuted swords. Although the transmuted swords were not weak, it would still be better to hit with the real one.

    Apparently, Scorpius did not seem to be able to distinguish the real sword from the fakes. Her leg was cut deeply and she copsed on the ground. However, she still did not give up and breathed poisonous fog out towards my (our) eyes.

    ¡°...Hmm.¡±

    If the toxic fog hit, it would inflict a deadly poison, but I did not hesitate. While the fog was certainly very powerful, it had the weakness of obscuring the position of her opponent.

    Well then, let¡¯s just charge forward! I (We) shed through the fog and grabbed the head of Scorpius, who had an astonished look on her face. Her head was mmed down onto the ground.

    I (We) felt pain from the poison, but it was not enough to kill. Or rather, it was aforting kind of pain, knowing with my (our) own body the growth of my (our) retainer.

    Now then, show me what you would do next. What could you do? It has been two hundred years. You haven¡¯t just been ying, have you? Reveal all your cards and show me your hand.

    We finally had our reunion, so please entertain me (us)¡ª

    ...¡ªNo, wait. Calm down,

    me This ¡°me¡± (°³) is themon first-person pronoun, representing the yer, not Ruphas.

    . It was like I was a battle maniac. Time to cool down.

    I was heating up...I said to myself until the moment passed. I was barely able to stop myself.

    What entertainment? What was the point if I lost sight of the purpose of this battle?

    Now that Scorpius had quieted down, it would serve no purpose to continue beating her. Seriously, I wasn¡¯t sure what I was doing anymore. Fighting was the means to an end, not an end in itself.

    ...Why would one feel pleasure in fighting? ...Seriously.

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    ¡ªAt that moment, I ¡°remembered¡± a scene that I should not know, but yet I most certainly recognized. Alioth stuffed his nose with pasta and rolled around on the floor...

    Alioth: ¡°Why do you remember this scene here!? You must be mistaken! This has nothing to do with your present situation, right!?¡± (weeping tears of blood)

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    No encryption for this chapter, testing behavior of aggregate sites. Removed encryption for Chapters 63 and 64.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

    ? ? ? ?

 Chapter 67

    Author: Fire Head (Ñ×î^)

    Trantor: Google

    The proper trantion will rece this machine trantion on the date indicated on the . Come backter.

    It¡¯s almost the same time as Rufas and Scorpius¡¯s battle is over.

    The battle in Brutgang was also looking final.

    If you use the word "decision", it originally came from the beginning. I never had to fight.

    So much, the difference between Iigokeros and Luna was sorge that it was difficult to bury.

    To extend it to this point is that it is only because of the tenacity of Luna, and the geographical advantage also helped her.

    But after all it gets stretched. It is not something that will eventually change the oue.

    Luna¡¯s delicate body is gripped by Aigokeros¡¯s huge arm, and a sad cry lingers from his mouth.

    "Ah, ah ah ah ah ah!"

    "That¡¯s the end, Lunar of the seven days. Stupid pest to the great Lord.

    Now how shall I do it ... let¡¯s break up our arms? Shall we moan our feet? Would you like to kick out the internal organs while alive? Or do you try at the same time? "

    The nature of Aigokerus is a brutal devil who loves blood, fear and death above all.

    Because of the fascination of the Lord Rufus and his philosophy of world unification, his brutal face is usually hidden, but once released, there is no excuse.

    Enemy kills, kills with any means, kills brutal, regrets and kills.

    That is the meaning of existence, his instinct.

    Come on the screams of fear Now the weak. The face is dyed with repentance and hopelessness, and he goes to death while suffering.

    The 12th Heaven of Heaven, Igokerus of "Goat".

    It is not because of his strength that he was epted into twelve stars.

    Because it was "dangerous".

    If Rufus managed and controlled, there was a danger that it would be more fearing than the demons and could harm humanity.

    I liked to torment others more than natural. It was alive to create a face of despair.

    Small people whoe towards the mouth of hope for courage bend their knees in front of the overwhelming difference in power, distort their faces with tears and runny noses, die for life.

    I loved that while I was born.

    There is no reason to like darkness. There is no need for reasoning about being fond of loving death.

    However, you should be so because you were born so.

    Death is beautiful. Despair is the only way of thinking.

    That¡¯s why, Ruphas weed himself under his control.

    It is to manage and monitor the Great Devil who is too dangerous.

    And above all, he had a sense of true "magic".

    It further intensified the brutality of the demons.

    "Foolishness, a false devil ... did you think that the created devil is against the true devil?"

    "Yes, I¡¯m false ...!"

    "Yes, they are God¡¯s toys. They are created to resemble demons and be weird things."

    "Oh, that¡¯s one thing ......!"

    Igokeros ishellHellheimIt is a true devil who was born and born.

    ThereforeDevilManaComprehension degree, the observation eye is even more than Rufusu.

    Speaking of talent that smells the same kind of smell, is it good?

    To himUnderstandingWakaIt is The density of mana is.

    So I obeyed Ruphas unconditionally and dropped my head. Because she instinctively understood that she was the one who truly led the devil.

    So I also noticed the distortion of the demons. Oh, this guy is different.

    More than anything they feel damn good from them! God¡¯s power! Heavenly power!

    Oh yes, these guys are not demons. The imitation that was created to resemble our genie.

    I just shaped it all-I can¡¯t do it!

    So I hated. It was totally ufortable for me to say that such a degraded product but I put myself and pretend to be a magic.

    "Have you ever wondered what a wolf is? Why is no corpse left after the demons and other demons die"

    "...! That¡¯s ... because it will be broken down into mana if you die ..."

    "Why is it broken down into mana? If we die, it bes dead and returns to the earth.

    Why does it disappear as if only the demons and demons did not exist from the beginning?

    Do you really remember the phenomenon? y a role and "return" to mana. Isn¡¯t it a phenomenon that we have seen enough to make you look tired? "

    It was said that there was Luna.

    know. Produced and produced from mana, finished its role and returned to mana.

    She knew the phenomenon.

    "Masa ... or ... ..."

    "Yes, the true nature of the demons and so on-"

    It¡¯s just giving despair "Genuine".

    It was just before Iigokerus put it in words.

    From the entrance of Brutgang, an amazing sword shed and jumped to Aigokeros while avoiding the structure dexterously.

    It is a sudden surprise, but Iigokeros is not quick enough to allow a direct hit at this distance.

    Even if it avoids with ease, the person who shoots the sword sh as it follows from the ground.

    The first shot is fake. It was a thing to divert the attention of Igokeros, and the desire was running close to the ground at high speed while hiding in the structure.

    Once again, the ugly sword sh shines, breaking the arms of Aigokerus. She held Luna with her arms in her arms andnded on the top of the building.

    "Nuu, Èê is ......!"

    It was a huge magic embodied in mana that was cut off, not Iigokers himself.

    However, it is still something that can not be cut off easily, and this alone tells the level of the attacker.

    The short trimmed hair is more blue than blue.

    She is wearing a white cloak and is dressed in a white bag.

    The color of the skin is light orange, close to human beings, and the color of the pupil is red.

    There is no fangs in its mouth, but the sign of mana scouring from the whole body proves him a devil.

    "Demon King¡¯s SonTerraOr! "

    "That¡¯s why you are Igokeros. It seems that he has been bothering me a lot."

    The most vignt of the demons is the genie. It never shakes.

    However, there is an opponent who can not but be warned after that, and even with the 12th supremacy.

    That is the son of the devil king, and he is the Lord who swears allegiance for Shion ... Tera.

    Aigokeros also met face-to-face several times while cooperating with the demons.

    But its ability is unknown. I have never seen anything serious.

    What is that appearance?

    The demons have blue or green skin, and it ismon among the tribes that ck and white eyes are reversed.

    But that figure of him is almost human. Too different.

    "Te, Tera ..."

    "No, I would say so much if I don¡¯t go crazy"

    "......I¡¯m sorry"

    "Don¡¯t worry too much ... it was really good to be in time."

    Two people of the devil who enter the world with their eyes while holding them.

    Even though Igokeros threw a fist without reading the air, Tera was moving away to the roof of another building, avoiding it with a motion that felt even elegance.

    If you look only at the paintings, who will think of him as a demon.

    Incarnation of a piece or a giant devil.

    A knight who came to save a girl who is a part or captivity.

    I do not know which is a viin with this.

    "Hmm, I¡¯m fine. I will also devote to my love for the Lord."

    "If you tell the truth, I¡¯m too excited about you.

    But now you are not your partner. It¡¯s bad, but I¡¯ll get rid of it. "

    Tera had confidence that if they were one-on-one they could win against Igokeros.

    It is different from a reckless self-reliance with no grounds found in Mars and so on in Shun on a certain ability and a sure self-esteem due to the observation.

    But there is also Rufus Mafaar here.

    In addition to the "Goats", "Aries", and "Bnces" of the 12-star Hado, if you use a ck wing, Tera will be no match.

    No, whether Rufas, who is weakening now, can win even one on one.

    "Even if it runs away"

    "I think"

    Tera jumps to the wall, holding Luna.

    Then he shook the sword with one hand, and opened up the wall of Aru or Brutgang.

    It¡¯s not like breaking the brut gang, it¡¯s just a small blemish that only one can pass at one or two people.

    But that is enough to escape. Tera jumps out of the crack in the wall and jumps out of the Brutgang.

    For a moment, I met a ck-winged woman who was outside.

    "......"

    "-"

    Silence each other. As soon as it was a cross between the two, it caused a reaction and both eyes were off, and Tera left the field.

    I think once again that there is no bottom.

    I heard from my father that Rufus is now in a state where he can not exert his full power due to some kind of interference from the goddess.

    But is that still? Is that more than half of the power removed?

    I felt that I could get caught in a moment when I met my eyes. There was so much presence.

    I am convinced that the current choice of fighting against Alle ispletely wrong.

    And Tera thinks.

    We need to change direction as soon as possible.

    It is necessary to ask the true meaning to the "love" of the staff members who move to the 7th and 12th stars and bump into Rufuss.

    "Luna"

    "Hey, yes!"

    "Now, on Shunday ... no, the whole Genie is manipted by the will of some.

    My father knows it and does not stop it, but on the contrary it is cooperative with that woman.

    When ites to Sol, you can call it a puppetpletely.

    Now, among the demons there are few who I can trust. "

    While holding Luna, Terra ¡¯kicks¡¯ the sky.

    Then his body elerated in the air, and the scenery flowed backward at a tremendous speed.

    "You are one of the few, worthy of trust. Please don¡¯t die in this battlefield.

    I need you. "

    "Te, Tera ..."

    The words may be for the men.

    It is also known to Luna.

    But I still wonder if there is a back. I would rather like to be there.

    I think that is necessary without the master-ve rtionship.

    Thinking so far, Luna shook her head to throw away her troubles.

    "You, what are you doing?"

    "No, nothing!"

    My boss¡¯s words I don¡¯t even know about this feeling are just a little angry now.

    *

    What a handsome guy now.

    I suddenly saw a handsome guy who came out of the wall of Brutgang and had been making money for a while.

    What I say, I can understand with instinct that now is surely a guy¡¯s enemy.

    A white cor and a cloak on a useless handsome face.

    What¡¯s that, the appearance just saying "I¡¯m the main character". The hero of this world will be a brave.

    Besides, she was holding a princess-like girl with something demonic. Explode.

    "Hello Rufas, did you see that? That¡¯s the correct way to treat the heroine!

    It¡¯s weird to catch and fly to the neck! "

    "No, that would end up being a viin. ... Oh, was that a viin?

    So who the hell is that? "

    Next to Dina, who is still pulling the treatment for a while, I ask about the current handsome guy.

    I was holding a genie-like thing, and probably a member of the genie.

    Then if you ask Dina, who is a double spy with the other side, you should get an answer.

    "Oh, that is the son of the devil king. It¡¯s a prince of the demons."

    "Are you a real good-looking prince?"

    "If it is a maiden game, it¡¯s definitely a target for capture."

    "I don¡¯t know because I¡¯ve never done it"

    Ginger and I are action and RPG, fighting game school.

    I don¡¯t really like adventure and love games.

    In short, it will be a light novel and a love novel with a save road function.

    Then would it be better to just buy a book normally? What is so sad, I have to buy the expensive body and read the light novel.

    "... Rufas is not a girl, I¡¯m not a girl ..."

    "Well, that¡¯s because the contents are men."

    "Huh?"

    "Hmm?"

    Dina who heard my remarks is stunned andes to stare at me.

    Hmm? Did you say something strange now?

    "Huh? Well ... Rufus-sama,contentsyer... who are men? ...... Speaking of which, it was natural to know if it was a woman and various things ...

    "Did not say?"

    "I don¡¯t say it! It¡¯s my first ear!"

    "Oh ... is that right? Don¡¯t n.

    The sexual desire did note back yet, leaving home knowing what he likes when I became this body.

    That¡¯s why I feel nothing more than looking at women¡¯s skin and so on. "

    "That¡¯s it so embarrassing!"

    Leave me alone Dina and I will walk to join Wilgo.

    Perhaps the inside will be finished, and the Libras will also workter.

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    To be added...

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    The proper trantion will rece this machine trantion on the date indicated on the .

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 68

    Author: Fire Head (Ñ×î^)

    Trantor: Hand of Va

    Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    The city of demons existed outside the living space of the humanoids. This domain of demons was called the Dark Continent. Its exact location was unknown. At least, it was somewhere that could not easily be found by the magical beasts tamed by the humanoids. It would be the same for demons, except that they had ess to teleportation. To be precise, it was the Demon King and one of the Seven Luminaries, Venus, who made such teleportation possible.

    However, Terra could only move by using his father¡¯s X-Gate as he did not trust Venus. His distrust of her did not lessen with time. Instead, it intensified in recent days. No, there was no need for it to intensify further. It was not wrong to call it a conviction at this point.

    That¡ªThat was not an ally of demons.

    ¡°Venus! Is Venus here?¡±

    Terra shouted loudly for his subordinate. She usually came and went like a shadow, so she might show up even if you thought she was not around. A few minutes after calling, there was a tear in space and a golden-haired girl descended before Terra.

    ¡°You called for me? Terra-sama.¡±

    ¡°I have something to ask you.¡±

    ¡°What might it be?¡±

    The identity of Venus was a mystery even among demons. One day, the leader of the Seven Luminaries, Sol, suddenly brought this beautiful girl. Unlike normal creatures, there was usually no need to ask for her background since demons were spontaneously generated somewhere. Her skin and eye colors were unusual for demons, but since Terra himself was like that, he could only ept it.

    Above all, the Demon King acknowledged her existence, so nobody could speak out against it. Before anyone could notice, she had already integrated herself into the group.

    However, Terra thought that this woman was really suspicious. It was because Venus could use X-Gate, which was an ancient secret skill that required the use of both divine and arcane power. The demons were the incarnations of the arcane, therefore it was impossible for them to use divine power. The only exception was the Demon King himself.

    His father probably knew her true identity and her purpose. However, it must be something profitable to his father, but not to the demons as a whole. He did not know what his father saw in her. He did not want to doubt him. However, it was clearly a mistake to leave this woman alone.

    ¡°Firstly, are you the one who told Mars about the location of Aries and made use of his desire for recognition?¡±

    ¡°Ah, ¡®made use of¡¯ is such a terrible way to say it. I merely told him of a way to deal with the troublesome Svalinn. Well, it failed because of an irregr called Ruphas Mafahl...But it was too much to expect me to predict her appearance.¡±

    Venus smiled innocently. Looking away from Venus, Terra threw out his next question. When talking to her, there were certain things one should not do, such as looking her in the eye. If one did this, one would start thinking of things which would normally not be considered. One¡¯s consciousness would be manipted. It would feel strange when one calmed downter.

    While talking to her like this, Venus was probably doing something.

    ¡°Secondly, are you the one who informed Jupiter of the spark in Gjarhorn and induced Aigokeros to go along?¡±

    ¡°Eh, that¡¯s right. Unfortunately, that failed as well. Oh, a schemer would drown in his schemes. I¡¯m ashamed to send him off with such a self-satisfied look. I have reflected on this too. Eh.¡±

    You have the cheek to say this.

    Terra clenched his fists as blood rushed to his head. However, he regained hisposure because Luna, who was next to him, held onto his hand. That was right. He must not be too hot-headed. Giving into rage before this person was simply suicidal.

    ¡°Thirdly...Are you the one who induced Scorpius to move in ordance with Luna¡¯s infiltration, causing the matter to be a big issue?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I wanted to support Luna-sama¡¯s efforts.¡±

    ¡°What a joke...Where in the world would you find an infiltration mission that was so shy? That was like publicly announcing that someone has infiltrated.¡±

    The infiltration mission was supposed to be done only by Luna and a few of her aides. It should not have involved so many demons and even Scorpius. They were to secretly infiltrate the robust defenses of Blutgang and assassinate the high-ranking people. That was the original n.

    However, this woman hadpletely ruined it. Scorpius charged directly from the front, causing Blutgang to move intobat deployment. Then, demons were meaninglessly sent as reinforcement for the infiltration. As a result, Aigokeros noticed Luna¡¯s infiltration and Ruphas Mafahl came forth to subdue Scorpius.

    ¡°No, even the very beginning of it all...It was strange that Ruphas Mafahl was summoned by the hero-summoning ritual. Was it something you did? It was possible for either you or my father to subvert the summoning by using X-Gate.¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    ¡°In addition, you induced Ruphas Mafahl to sh with father in L?vateinn. And father¡¯s sudden expedition...Is this because of something you said?¡±

    The Demon King was currently not in the city. A few days ago¡ªno, on the day he fought with Ruphas, he led his subordinates on an expedition somewhere. Those subordinates were not demons. They were an elite force captured and nurtured by his father using monster tamer skills. It was evident how serious the matter was for them to be brought along.

    Even though Terra put pressure on her, Venus¡¯ expression did not change much. She merely smiled mysteriously and answered impudently.

    ¡°Let me just answer yourst question¡ªYes, it is as you say. I was directing the fight. This was the wish of His Majesty.¡±

    Terra narrowed his eyes and grabbed the sword at his waist. Then he moved with god-like speed and pointed the tip of the sword at Venus¡¯ neck. Luna could not even see the sword. It was merely a sh to her. But still, Venus was unwavering.

    ¡°What are you nning? What are you trying to do with us!?¡±

    ¡°Well...If it is you, I don¡¯t mind teaching you about it. His Excellency is only concerned about you. I have no intention of turning His Excellency into an enemy. But...¡±

    Having said that, Venus nced at Luna.

    ¡°Unfortunately, I cannot talk in front of her.¡±

    ¡°Luna is the only one I trust. No problem. Speak.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t. It¡¯s not a matter about trust.¡±

    As Venus answered, a crack in space opened up behind Luna. It was needless to say what the goal was. If he struck with the sword, his beloved woman would be killed. It was a threat.

    The Seven Luminaries were basically about the same, but Venus was the exception. To bet against a yer whose depth was unknown, Luna was too costly as a wager. Yet he had nothing else he could wager with. Terra clenched his teeth and withdrew his de. At the same time, the crack in space vanished.

    ¡°Wh¡ªWhat exactly is wrong with me!? Why not me!?¡±

    ¡°Because you are just a doll (NPC).¡±

    ¡°Me? A...doll? You are referring to me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, a poor doll (NPC) who isn¡¯t even aware of being a doll. You are not even aware that you are a toy. Until I met that person, I was the same.¡±

    Thest sentence was merely a whisper, such that it could not be heard clearly. Even so, it was obvious that Luna had been insulted. Anger colored Terra¡¯s face and he stared at Venus sharply.

    ¡°Venus. By my authority, you are expelled from the Seven Luminaries as of today. From now on, don¡¯t think you can do whatever you want in front of me.¡±

    ¡°...Well, this happened earlier than I thought, but it¡¯s a perfect timing, so whatever. Fortunately, the Twelve Heavenly Stars have already been recovered safely, so it should be fine.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°In other words, I¡¯m tired of acting.¡±

    Venus snorted and her hair began to undte. In that instant, multiple cracks in space appeared to surround Terra and Luna. Meanwhile, Venus fired her magic into a crack in space next to her. Then the spatial cracks surrounding Terra and Luna began to glow all at once.

    ¡°You!?¡±

    ¡°Well then, have a nice day, you two. The next time we meet, it would be as enemies. Please give my regards to His Excellency too.¡±

    Venus¡ªNo, Dina left through the spatial crack. At the same time, golden radiance shone forth from the spatial cracks to attack Terra and Luna. Although they would cause only minor damage to Terra, they would be deadly to Luna. Therefore, Terra hugged Luna and received all the damage using his back as a shield.

    This attack of Venus was not meant to defeat both of them. It was to take advantage of Luna as a deadweight so that Terra could not move. When the attack ended, Terra confirmed the safety of Luna in his arms. Then, he sought out Venus, but she was already gone.

    ?

    ¡°¡ªAnd so I was expelled from the Seven Luminaries.¡±

    ¡°What were you even doing?¡±

    After the fight with Scorpius, I waited several minutes when Dina said, ¡°Someone¡¯s calling me.¡± and vanished through an X-Gate. Upon her return, the first thing she said was how she confessed all her crimes to the son of the Demon King and was expelled from the Seven Luminaries.

    But when the son asked, ¡°Was it you!?¡±, she could have forcefully denied it all. Instead, she had to say ¡°It was me!¡± with a self-satisfied look and then got expelled. This person might be an idiot after all.

    ¡°Ah, should I say it was my temper or perhaps I was just desperate? I was pretending I had some leeway, but I was actually in a difficult position. Terra-sama...Oh, there¡¯s no need to address him as -sama anymore. Terra-san is Level 1000 just like me. And his status is abnormally high. It¡¯s like he¡¯s a boss, okay? His HP is even higher than Ruphas-sama¡¯s, okay? Well, Ruphas-sama would probably win in a fight, but I definitely could not. Then I would definitely be caught and bound like what usually happens in those amateur fan books!¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t see anything like that happening.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too naive, Ruphas-sama! Men are wolves! They are beasts-senpai! Especially the ones that seems upright or straight-faced, they¡¯re always the ones with a lot of weird and strange fantasies and delusions in the back of the mind! That guy definitely did it to Luna-chan already!¡±

    ¡°Hey, stop. Why did things suddenly be so crude!?¡±

    Dina started on a weird topic and I interrupted her story. That was another person¡¯s privacy, which shouldn¡¯t be intruded upon. Well, when I saw him carrying her like a princess as if she was a fragile thing, I thought she must have been more than just a subordinate to him. That was probably it. The son was interested in Luna.

    It wasn¡¯t a bad thing. At least, it was proof that he was a healthy man who had someone he loved. However, the image of the handsome protagonist, which was painstakingly set up, would be ruined. That was exactly why it would be considered one man¡¯s sympathy to not go into that direction. Still, I thought that these handsome guys should just explode and die.

    ¡°So you can¡¯t be (dekin) a double spy anymore.¡±

    ¡°I was banned (dekin) from entering.¡±

    ¡°A

    punThe term (ñjÈ÷Âä) refers to a type of word y involving simr sounding words. In this case, the specific words are ³öÀ´¤ó and ³ö½û. It¡¯s hard to make it work in English, so I¡¯ll just leave it as a note.

    ¡±

    ¡°Oh, you understand it?¡±

    ¡°Two points.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s terrible!?¡±

    As a double spy, Dina had been quite reliable in getting information from the demons. But from now on, I could not rely on her information concerning the movements of the demons. However, if I thought about it, she had not been sharing much about the demons¡¯ movements with us anyway, so nothing really changed. What a useless double spy.

    ¡°So what do we do now?¡±

    ¡°Well, first of all, let¡¯s fix those three mass production models of Libra. As for the one that was broken in pieces...I think it could still be used as raw materials, so let¡¯s recover it and return to Blutgang.¡±

    I could not help if it hadpletely fallen apart, but if it was only partially damaged, I could still use skills to repair it. The problem was whether they would regard me as an enemy and attack. I was confident that I could handle three inferior (broken) copies of Libra, but I would rather avoid it if possible. Doing so would certainly make me an enemy of Blutgang.

    As I pondered this, one of the mass production models, which was less damaged than the others, walked towards me. What? It seemed to have no desire to fight since I did not see any weapons...

    ¡°¡ªData scanning, matched. You must be Ruphas Mafahl-sama. We have been waiting for your visit. Pleasee to Blutgang¡¯s royal chamber. Our master is waiting for you.¡±

    Eh? Master?

    ...No, that guy was already dead.

    Even though I thought so, I could not say it aloud.

    No way, I thought.

    That guy (Mizar) was still alive!?

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Q: Are you pulling it out?

    Terra: ¡°......¡±

    Libido-san: ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I have a job.¡±

    Physics + Mass + Language: ¡°Dat joo reelly batrayed osThis is a somewhat famous line from Kamen Rider de, wherein the main character Kazuma Kenzaki mispronounced ±¾µ±¤ËÑYÇÐ¤Ã¤¿¤ó¤Ç¤¹¤« (¡°Have you really betrayed us!?¡±) as ¥ª¥ó¥É¥¥¥ë¥ë¥é¥®¥Ã¥¿¥ó¥Ç¥£¥¹¥«©`.!!¡±

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    The editor is busy with exams, so Chapter 69 and 70 will be dyed by 1 day each. See for updated release schedule.

    Sost chapter was posted early with Google Trante...Nothing happened for 1 day. Since this blog¡¯s RSS was disabled previously, NovelUpdates did not automatically add it. After I manually submitted the chapter to NovelUpdates, I received a private message telling me not to post machine-tranted chapter and the chapter wasn¡¯t added (or was added then removed?) to NovelUpdates. Despite this, the aggregators promptly copied the machine-tranted chapter. This suggests that aggregators are operating using NovelUpdates list.

    Basically, what I¡¯m testing here is to post an early chapter with machine trantion for aggregators to copy, then rece it with the proper trantionter on the scheduled date without encryption. This chapter was also posted early with Google Trante. However, since NovelUpdates do not seem to allow early post with machine-trantion, this chapter wasn¡¯t submitted. And the aggregators did not copy the early chapter, since it wasn¡¯t on NovelUpdates...So I guess this n couldn¡¯t work.

    Do NOT submit this chapter to NovelUpdates. I will manually do itter when enough time has passed. If you are using NovelUpdates for...updates, please be informed that you may not get thetest chapter from there.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

    ? ? ? ?

 Chapter 69

    Author: Fire Head (Ñ×î^)

    Trantor: Hand of Va

    Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    The mass production models of Libra guided us through Blutgang. She said she was bringing us to the royal area. She said we were going to meet her master, but there was no doubt that their creator was Mizar. So did this mean that Mizar was still alive? Otherwise, perhaps they changed their master. Even though it was Mizar who created Libra, she still addressed me as master. It would be natural if the same thing happened to them.

    ...Let¡¯s just prepare to run away.

    If they wanted me to hand over Scorpius, then sorry, I would hastily withdraw even if I had to resort to violence. I would not want to do it if possible, but my followers were important too.

    Then, the real Libra and Aries came from the other side of the road. Libra nced at the three partially damaged mass production models and then turned towards me as if nothing happened.

    ¡°Master. The clean-up of the demons in the city has beenpleted. By the way, the ones here that are of the same model...¡±

    ¡°Greetings. I am Libra Mass Production Model Unit Three. You must be the original. Wee to Blutgang. We wee your visit.¡±

    ¡°You are too kind. My name is Libra.¡±

    Libra and the Libra Mass Production Model exchanged pleasantries and walked alongside each other like it was natural to do so.

    ...Eh? That was her only reaction?

    Their conversation ended in a shockingly simple manner. There was no casual talk at all. As expected of golems, their behaviors were surprisingly in.

    And then Aigokeros...Oh, right there. He was standing in front of a wall with a hole as if he was in a daze. What was he doing?

    ¡°Hey, Aigokeros.¡±

    ¡°!!?¡±

    He reacted exaggeratedly to my voice and suddenly transformed into his human form in order to kneel and prostrate himself. Oh, it was because he couldn¡¯t prostrate with goat legs. It was not like I wanted it to be this way.

    ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m terribly sorry, my master! I failed to capture the Seven Luminaries as you instructed me to...¡±

    Ah, I understood. He was concerned about failing the job I gave him. Well, that could not be helped. After all, it wasn¡¯t just the Seven Luminaries. It was my fault for not predicting the arrival of the Demon King¡¯s son. However, Aigokeros did not seem to think so. He continued to apologize earnestly.

    ¡°Hoho. Even though the Seven Luminaries had an overwhelmingly inferior level, she still managed to escape? What an unbelievable blunder.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Have you lost your arms after two hundred years? Aigokeros.¡±

    As I thought about how tofort him, Libra and Karkinos began to pour salt on his wound.

    Hey, stop it. Don¡¯t you have anypassion?

    Meanwhile, Dina was teaching Virgo, ¡°Look. This is the kind of useless guy who cannot do his job.¡±

    Like I said, stop it already.

    Only Aries tried tofort Aigokeros by putting his hand on his shoulder.

    You never change, Aries.

    ¡°Ah, hmm. Well, don¡¯t worry about it. Even if you failed this time, just try harder next time.¡±

    ¡°Ho¡ªHow merciful! If this happens again, I, Aigokeros, will pay for it with my life!¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll be troubled if you pay for it with your life.¡±

    What should I do? This goat¡¯s loyalty was giving me a headache. If it was like this, he might reallymit suicide next time. I guessed I would have to assign him a simple task next time to restore his confidence. Or perhaps I should host some sort of event as a distraction? Or maybe let him graze as much grass as he wanted?

    In any case, my subordinates here were all recovered. The unconscious Scorpius was handed to Karkinos and we followed the mass production models once more. We took what looked like an elevator and arrived at the fourteenth city. Several dwarves were standing before a massive door. They were unarmed, so they didn¡¯t seem like they would attack...Were they just there to look vignt?

    ¡°Wee to Blutgang. I¡¯ve been waiting, Ruphas Mafahl-dono. My name is Genell. I¡¯m the one whomands the army of Blutgang.¡±

    ¡°...I see. It seems you already know me. There¡¯s no need for the bandage then.¡±

    Apparently, they already knew my identity. Well, I did beat up and recovered Scorpius. Furthermore, the real Libra was by my side, so it couldn¡¯t have been anyone else but me. I removed the stealth bandage and handed it to Dina, then took off the decorative sses. Even though they were expecting it, the dwarves were still shocked and cried out, ¡°Oh!?¡±

    ¡°So why did you call me over? Is it to bait and capture?¡±

    ¡°You are joking. We¡¯ll be annihted if we be hostile within Blutgang to the person who subdued Scorpius. Right now, I¡¯m desperately trying not to offend you.¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s fine.¡±

    It seemed that the dwarves were pretty nervous. Well, I was known as one of the world¡¯s greatest viins, so they would essentially be inviting the supposedly defeatedst boss into their country. If it was like this, of course they would be nervous.

    I had forgotten recently, but I was basically a source of terror in the world. There had not been anyone who could deal with me normally after knowing that I was Ruphas. In that sense, these dwarves were trying hard to be strong.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s hear what you have to say. To expose the royalty to such danger, you must have a story that could justify this.¡±

    ¡°About that, it¡¯s not the royalty that you will be meeting. Someone beyond the royal area wants to meet you.¡±

    ¡°What? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°It would be faster to see it yourself than for me to exin. Please let me guide you.¡±

    The dwarf named Genell pulled a lever near the door. The door opened and the royal area came into view. The first to be seen was a vast garden. Beyond that was a swimming pool and a court for some form of sports. There was also a white structure like a high-ss hotel in the middle.

    A few watchdog-like magical beasts, whose mane put lions to shame, were roaming freely and looking over here. However, their tails were hanging low as they shivered. I was seriously shocked. I actually liked dogs very much...

    Passing in front of those frightened doggies-chan, we proceeded further back. asionally, I felt the gazes upon us...Apparently, there were some people watching from within the castle. When my eyes met those of a small dwarf, I waved my hand. Then, a motherly dwarf hurriedly dragged him away. It wasn¡¯t like I could eat him with my eyes.

    ¡°How dare they be so rude to my master. Let me kill them all...¡±

    ¡°Stop it, you fool.¡±

    What was this fool up to now? I lightly poked Aigokeros and reprimanded him. Part of the reason I was regarded as such a terror must have been because of this guy. Look, the dwarven guides were also scared. They were looking at us with sad expressions as if they were ready toy down their lives aspensation. What should we do about this?

    Eventually, the dwarves led us to the back of the royal area...or rather they reached the wall, but there was nothing here. A dwarf ced his hand on the wall and murmured something. The wall opened up, revealing a room beyond. What he just murmured was probably a password or something simr.

    ¡°This is...¡±

    It was a rustic room. It was like a different space from the luxurious area before...It was an undecorated room surrounded by walls and ceiling. The only ornament was a crystal ced in the middle of the room. It was glowing faintly with a blue light.

    ¡°Golem, is it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. This golem is the heart and the brain of Blutgang. It contains our great king¡¯s personality and memories, which were transnted just before his death...¡±

    ¡°What? Could it be...¡±

    Genell¡¯s words caused me to stare at the crystal involuntarily.

    ¡°You¡± there?

    Are you there? ¡ªMizar.

    The crystal glowed as if to answer my question. Then, although it did not sound like I had heard it before, there was a strangely familiar voice.

    ¡ºHave youe? It has been a while, my friend (Ruphas)...and my masterpiece (daughter).¡»

    ¡°...Mizar.¡±

    ¡°Mizar...-sama.¡±

    Apparently, it seemed like it was really Mizar. Like Libra¡¯s reaction, I was convinced of this. No doubt, this was indeed Mizar. Although there was no proof, I could still dere this. Something in me said so.

    ¡°I see. While Blutgang is the protection you left behind, it is also you yourself. To think that you remain behind as a golem...This is evidence of your passion for golems.¡±

    ¡ºKekeke, is that apliment?¡»

    ¡°Idiot. You are really foolish.¡±

    No, seriously. Who would have thought that he became a golem?

    In an old RPG, there was a funny character called Dungeon Man (¥À¥ó¥¸¥ç¥ó¥Þ¥ó) is a character who can be a temporary party member in Earthbound RPG, which was published by Nintendo in 1994., who liked dungeons so much that he eventually became a dungeon himself. I didn¡¯t think that there would be a fool who would actually do the same thing.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t say it like that. It was necessary. After all, at that time, I was rather abnormal.¡»

    ¡°...The event two hundred years ago?¡±

    ¡ºAh, I¡¯m not trying to make excuses for what happened, but at that time, I (Mizar) was really weird. The crystal that is the control golem of Blutgang...has already been imbued with my personality back then. That¡¯s why I could say that the Mizar at that time was influenced by something.

    And it was painful to look from the sidelines as myself (the original) be weirder every day. It was like I was bing something other than myself. Isn¡¯t it funny? The copy was closer to the real Mizar, while the real Mizar became a different person. ...Which one was the real Mizar? I could no longer tell them apart.¡»

    I could not respond to that. Mizar¡¯s unique method of copying personality and creating golems had resulted in the existence of two Mizars. One was the real Mizar who was getting weirder every day. The other was a copy who retained his original personality.

    Since there was a copy, he could objectively assess the changes in himself. He could see for himself how he was bing not himself. ...What a torture. It must have been quite a crazy situation.

    ¡°When did you start bing weird?¡±

    ¡ºWell, that¡¯s...probably after we returned from the Sanctuary of the Goddess. Since then, I think I started to be hostile towards you. It was probably the same for Alioth, Megrez, and Dubhe.¡»

    ¡°What about the others?¡±

    ¡ºMerak¡¯s location was bad to begin with. Vanaheimr was practically on the Goddess¡¯p. As for Phecda, he had been wandering about to many ces. Perhaps he came into contact with her somewhere. I don¡¯t know about BMizar is using B (¥Ù¥Í¥È) as a shortened name for Bnash (¥Ù¥Í¥È¥Ê¥·¥å).. She was obsessed with you to begin with. Honestly, even if the Goddess did not do anything, she would probably fight you anyway.¡»

    ...B...Seriously, no matter where I went, everyone¡¯s opinion of her was the same. It had consistently been ¡°She¡¯s dangerous to begin with¡± all along. Just how dangerous did herpanions see her, this Vampire Princess. Let¡¯s just leave her be for now.

    ¡ºBack when I was creating golems with you, there was already a sense of threat. I wondered if you would one day snatch away my position as the best golem creator in Midgard. But it was abnormal to think of killing you just for that. Therefore, I copied my personality into a golem while I was still myself, leaving behind a normal self.¡»

    ¡°......¡±

    ¡ºNearing the end, I noticed that I waspletely off and there was no longer any hope. My original could only think of defeating you. He wouldn¡¯t even listen to me anymore. And, well, you already know what happened after that.¡»

    Mizar paused for a while. After a moment as if he was feeling regret or perhaps pity, he continued speaking.

    ¡ºAfter defeating you, he returned to normal, but it was already toote. As atonement, he challenged the Demon King. Well, it was impossible to win after abandoning himself to despair. As a result, it was a crushing defeat and he lost an arm. Mizar...be it himself, his friends, his arm, or a peaceful world¡ªhe lost them all. With a heart full of regrets, the original cried every day for years toe...I couldn¡¯t bear to look...¡»

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    HEEEEYYYY!! Aaahh¡ª!!

    AHYYY! AHYYY! AHY! WHOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!

    Oh¡ª! Ugh¡ª!!

    Trantor: Not sure what this is supposed to be...Just Mizar wailing perhaps?

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    <strike>The light novel volume 3 should end around this chapter or so. The next chapter (70) of the web novel should be the start of volume 4.</strike> Actually, this chapter (69) marks the start of the Light Novel Volume 4 as seen in the color image above.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

    ? ? ? ?

 Chapter 70

    Author: Fire Head (Ñ×î^)

    Trantor: Hand of Va

    Editor: Two More Free Thoughts

    ¡ºOh, sorry. This rather spoils the mood. I did not call you here to listen to something like this.¡»

    The crystal glowed softly as he spoke. It was a diamond-shaped object, but strangely, I felt like I could see a rustic dwarf scratching his cheek. Somehow, I knew that he would be doing that if he had a body.

    Then again, it didn¡¯t really matter since he would still be indistinguishable from other dwarves. It was the unshaven beard. They all looked the same because of it.

    ¡ºI think I should tell you about what I know concerning the goddess. Still, it may not be anything new to you.¡»

    ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡±

    Information about the goddess. That was what I currently wanted the most. It was almost certain that Alovenus was behind this series of events, but I couldn¡¯t see what she was trying to achieve. I had a feeling that Dina knew something about this.

    ¡ºWell, firstly, it¡¯s about the rtionship of the demons. As you suspected, the demons and the goddess are connected. The true form of the demons is...¡»

    ¡°Arcane magic.¡±

    Interrupting Mizar, Aigokeros responded. Everyone¡¯s attention was focused on Aigokeros.

    ¡ºWhat? You already knew? Well, if it is you, it won¡¯t be weird for you to know.¡»

    ¡°Of course. Anyone would have noticed such inferior products.¡±

    ......Well, I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t notice.

    I wanted to say that, but Aigokeros seemed to have more to say, so I decided to silently listen for now.

    ¡°Arcane magic...is referring to that magic?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Aries. Arcane magic essentially transforms mana into a phenomenon. The Metal attribute could even generate matter.¡±

    ¡°But the demons are living creatures...¡±

    ¡°They are not. They are magically created phenomena that resemble living creatures.¡±

    As I listened to the conversation between Aigokeros and Aries, I recalled the words of the Demon King. The demons were created by the goddess and wouldpletely vanish when they die. In the past, I had executed demons and put their heads on public disy as an example. A normal corpse would remain for some time, but they could not keep their forms and vanish as if they were magical effects. Also, they would be mana after dying, which was the same as arcane magic.

    ¡°As arcane magic unleashed to target humanoids...they naturally attack humanoids. It¡¯s the same as fire magic. The released magic would not ask, ¡®Why am I attacking that?¡¯ They are the magic released by the goddess to attack the humanoids.¡±

    ¡°Tha¡ªThat¡¯s so...¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡±

    Hearing Aigokeros¡¯ exnation, Virgo¡¯s face turned blue, while Karkinos gazed up into the sky. Although I had long suspected a connection between the goddess and the demons, I did not expect it to be arcane magic. They were neither creations under orders nor creatures under mental maniption. The truth was nothing so tepid. The demons were an attack on the humanoids by the goddess.

    ¡°There are some exceptions.¡±

    ¡°Is this exception referring to the guy called Terra?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, master. He is indeed arcane magic, but the caster is different. Terra alone is the magic released by the Demon King.¡±

    ¡°I see. That¡¯s why he is the son of the Demon King.¡±

    So demons are arcane magic? I see.

    If I had to say, there was a convincing element in this. But it was...just cruel.

    ¡°They are arcane magic that are convinced that they have their own wills...but they are just soulless dolls created by the goddess.¡±

    ¡°...They are basically NPCs.¡±

    ¡°Master?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    When I thought of soulless dolls, I would think of NPCs that were prepared by administrators for games. At first nce, they might seem like they were moving by their own volitions, but in fact, there was no souls within them. They were merely dolls that imitated people by moving ording to pre-programmed settings. That was the truth of the demons.

    Conversely, the people on the streets and the magical beasts that I would normally consider as NPC would not be NPC by the definition of this world. They were not arcane magic but were creatures with their own volitions. If there were people like me who had knowledge of that other world, they might also have defined the demons as NPCs.

    ¡ºThere is one more person who is also a self-conscious magic created by the goddess. I have confirmed his existence after a long period of research.¡»

    Once Aigokeros ended his speech, Mizar took over the topic. I returned my attention to the present and filed the topic of NPC in the back of my mind. Even if I sympathized with them, nothing would change.

    ¡ºThe goddess once intended to make him her agent, but because of his differing opinion concerning the humanoids, he strayed from the goddess. He turned into a fish and fled into the sea.¡»

    ¡°Hmm. If Terra is the son of the Demon King, then he is the son of the goddess? So what¡¯s his name?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ErosEros is the god of love in Greek mythology, sometimes represented as the son of Aries and Aphrodite. In one myth, Eros and Aphrodite transformed into fish to escape the monster Typhon. The word eros is also the Greco-Christian concept that represents sexual or romantic love..¡±

    ¡°...Such a terrible name.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know what to say to the name Mizar mentioned. What was with that name? Anyone with that name would definitely be teased. If you put Terra, the son of the Demon King, and the son of the goddess together, you would get ¡°Terra-ErosTerra-Eros () is a reference to , an erotic android from Xenosaga series.¡±.

    There were a lot of terrible names in the world, but Eros was among the worst. What was Alovenus thinking when she named him?

    While thinking that, I looked at myrades and the Twelve Heavenly Stars...Aries, Libra, Aigokeros, and Karkinos had surprised looks on their faces.

    ¡°Ru¡ªRuphas-sama!¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°What is that reaction!? It¡¯s Eros! Eros...Isn¡¯t that the real name for Pisces of the Fish!?¡±

    ......

    What...!?

    I was stunned by the surprising truth that came from Aries¡¯ mouth. The son of Alovenus was one of my retainers!? Or did I capture the son of the goddess!?

    As I thought this was a problem, I was overwhelmed by the consciousness within me. Then, the figure of a blond youth came to mind from a corner of my memories.

    ...Was he on the brink of tears because he was surrounded by friends who keep calling him, ¡°Eros, Eros¡±?

    ¡°Oh, ah¡ª, hmm. That¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡ºWhat? Is he your retainer?¡»

    Mizar said in shock. Well, I only just found out about it myself.

    ¡ºOh, yes. Ruphas. If it¡¯s possible, could you repair the damaged golems and the mass-production model Libras? You could freely use any of the materials avable in Blutgang.¡»

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but what about those that have fallen apart?¡±

    ¡ºThe ones that have fallen apart...You can use them to create something else. Just dispose of it. Keep it as yourpensation.¡»

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    As I epted Mizar¡¯s request, I suddenly had an idea. How about reusing the parts from the mass-produced golems which have fallen apart to create new armaments for Libra?

    The power of a golem was fixed and could not increase. That wasmon sense and I used to think so as well. But then I thought even if Libra herself could not be stronger, couldn¡¯t she be more powerful by using add-on parts?

    For example, if there was a golem with a very offense-oriented status, it would just be a small fry that could not do anything by itself. But if it was reshaped into a weapon for Libra to use, it would increase the actual offensive power of Libra.

    ¡°As it happens, there¡¯s something I want to make. Mizar, do you want to coborate once more? Even if you cannot use alchemy now, you still have your knowledge, right?¡±

    ¡º...Interesting! Your oundish ideas also surprise me. What have you thought of this time?¡»

    Mizar seemed enthusiastic about my proposal. Then, from now on, it would be time for alchemists. It wouldn¡¯t be fun to watch, so I should let Aries and the others out. That was what I thought, so I ordered everyone to leave. Now, what interesting armaments should we build?

    ?

    I was really a little tired.

    First, I repaired the damaged golems and the three mass production models of Libra. Then, I created an armament using the parts of the destroyed mass production model of Libra. As expected of Mizar¡¯s knowledge, the finished product turned out to be better than I thought. Well, I could not make a definitive conclusion without actually testing it out.

    ¡°So then, let¡¯s test its performance.¡±

    ¡°Yes, master.¡±

    The new armament created this time was technically not an equipment. It was a weapon-type golem that had some degrees of autonomy, somewhat simr to Tanaka in some ways. Its biggest feature was that it could be summoned by Libra from anywhere.

    Libra and I went outside of Blutgang for the performance test. We confirmed that there was nobody near the target, which was a huge rock about one kilometer away. If we made a mistake and got someone involved, we would be sorry about that.

    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s start...Armament selection! AstraeaAstraea is the goddess of justice, innocence, and purity in Greek mythology. ording to Ovid, she ascended into the heavens to be the constetion of Virgo, while holding the scales of justice (the nearby constetion of Libra) in her hand.!¡±

    As Libra shouted aloud, Blutgang¡¯s golemunch gate opened and a pair of steel wings flew out. The small ne turned in the air and stopped above Libra, transforming into a different shape. At the same time, Libra jumped and a line of red lightThis is simr to in Gundam Seed Destiny anime series. Thebination of the core with the legs and torso used redsers for guidance. See for a sample video of thebination scene. connected the two. Then, the two golems moved towards each other as if drawn by mas. The add-on armament named Astraea docked on Libra¡¯s back.

    Two cannons were deployed over Libra¡¯s shoulders to face the front. Until now, Libra only had The Right Scale which was mounted on her right arm. But with this armament, her artillery power would be increased threefold.

    In addition, two more cannons extended from her waist. Although it was a purely artillery-type attack which had no ce in a fantasy setting, the firepower was so strong that it could destroy a fortress in one hit. And finally, the wings of Astraea spread into three pairs of steel wingsThe armament setup is based on from Gundam Seed anime series. See the images at the end of the chapter..

    This was the new form of the automatic tracking and ughter maid¡ªSuper Libra. Or perhaps Astra-Libra would be better?

    Super Libra converted her right arm into a weapon, aimed her three railguns and two anti-fortress cannons¡ªa total of five cannons¡ªat the rocky mountain, and locked on.

    ¡°Maximum output...All cannons locked on one target...Fire.¡±

    For an instant, my vision turned white. Three rays of light and two artillery shells went in straight lines towards the pitiful mountain.

    ¡ªA pir of fire rose towards the sky and everything was incinerated.

    ¡°.........¡±

    Ah, hmm. This is dangerously good.

    If Blutgang was struck by this, it would possibly be in danger. Even if it was notpletely destroyed in one hit, it would be prated catastrophically. I thought it could probably evaporate Levia in one hit.

    Well, of course. After all, this was three barrages of The Right Scale (Zubenelgenubi), supplemented by two more artillery strikes. In game terms, this would be considered fivebo attacks.

    I wondered if Karkinos could endure it. The power level was terrifying. All mypanions stared at me with a stunned look. I averted my eyes.

    It¡ªIt couldn¡¯t be helped...Once a guy started on something like this, he would want to take it as far as possible...This was like the pursuit of romance...

    However, I admitted that the firepower was excessive. It couldpletely wipe out the Seven Luminaries with one attack.

    Libranded on the ground before me and bowed.

    ¡°That is an amazing firepower, master. With this power, I could eliminate any enemy.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡ªHmm.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much for giving me such an armament. By the way, master.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡±

    Libra looked at me with upturned eyes. Well, since there was not much of a difference in height between me and her, this normally would not happen. Upon closer inspection, it was evident that Libra purposely stood on a ground which was slightly lower than my position. This was clearly a calcted move.

    ¡°¡ªWhere are the enemies that must be eliminated with this? Or when would we expect to meet them?¡±

    Despite having no emotions, she was clearly anticipating it. Looking at her before me, I decided to seal Astraea. At least, she must not use it without my permission. Although I was the one who made this, she was the type who should not be given more firepower.

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Libra: ¡°The enemy is still not here!? Hurry, hurry!¡±

    The figure of Libra-san who wanted to shoot at the enemy as soon as possible. She has forgotten that her setting of being emotionless.

    There was a proposal in thements section to let the golemsbine, so this was used on Libra. Thus, Libra became an annihtion weapon for no particr reason.

    ...Seriously, what is to be done for Archer-san who has yet to debut? Since Libra¡¯s range, power, and uracy were crazy, it feels like he will be an unwanted child unless I work very hard at the design...

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    The next 10 chapters will be hosted on . Unfortunately, TpstT is busy with exams and assignments, so tentatively, chapter 71 will be dyed by 1-2 weeks andter chapters will be released every 4 days. Join for discussion and release notifications.

    Update: I just noticed that one of the color images in Light Novel Volume 4 is of Ruphas in the golem chamber, so this means Volume 4 started with the Web Novel . The image has been reced for the previous chapter. I will reuse the previous image for ater chapter.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 71

    Chapter 71 - The Demon King Brought Out High-Level Monsters

    Raw link: (17/04/2016)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (20/04/2019)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va / Va (21/04/2019)

    Editor 2: Keii (02/05/2019)

    Trantion link:

    __

    Notice 1: Hi everyone I¡¯m back, sorry for the dy in release. <strong><u>The release schedule for chapters 71-80 is one chapter every four days</u></strong> due to my real life scheduling conflict.

    Notice 2: There was a lot of weird words, phrasing and structure in this chapter that I wasn¡¯t able to trante well, sorry about that.

    Notice 3: A Wild [Keii] the Salmon appeared as our editor. Please shower her with love everyone.

    "<i>Keii: Helloooo, localzy English major who will be helping out with editing the trantions from now on. o/</i>"

    Request: Please consider whitelisting the website from adblocker apps, I will really appreciate it, thank you >.<

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    High above in the air of Midgard.

    He was in an area even higher than Vanaheimr - in the area around the stratosphere.

    Blue skin and gold eyes. Long ck hair that reached his back and enveloped in a jet ck overcoat. In this world, this man was the King of Demons.[1]

    Behind him, there was an army of high-level magical beasts which obeyed him without showing the slightest bit of fatigue.

    He - The Demon King Orm endlessly flew high above in the air for a particr goal: going around in search of "that".

    Including today, it would already have been more than a week.

    He was informed that it was in this area; however, even as the Demon King, it was difficult to capture "that" which continuously moved around.

    Nevertheless, his effort had paid off.

    Right now, the thing that he had continued to look for was right in front of his eyes.

    "I¡¯ve found it now."

    Orm muttered and looked up. In that ce was a ship.

    A flying ship with giant wings growing out of it. Above that strange ship full of oxymoronic objects¡¯s mast stood one man.

    The tip of his bright golden hair, which shone under the sunlight, curled and spiked up. He was a young man that gave off a delicate and subtle feeling notwithstanding that his countenance maintained a level of manliness.

    His muscrly-built body was probably slightly over 180.[2] Thebination of his facial expression and the way he stood made him look graceful.

    One of his eyes was hidden behind an eyepatch,bined with what he was wearing, one could not help but think that he was trying to say, "I am a pirate."

    From the top, he wore a white coat and on the back of that was an embedded emblem of ck wings.

    His name was Castor.[3]

    Also known as - The Tyrannical Ways 12 Heavenly Stars, one of the Gemini of the [Twins].

    "So you¡¯vee... I¡¯ve already found out that you were looking around for us since a few days ago. What is your business with me, esteemed Demon King!?"

    "Castor, huh? I have no business with you. The thing that I¡¯m interested in, is a hidden treasure in that ship."[4]

    Even with the Demon King in front of him, Castor did not falter. Likewise, the Demon King also did not break his fearless and daring smile.

    It was an Explosive atmosphere - nevertheless, both side remained theirposure.

    It was as if each party knew that the one that was going toe out victorious in the end was themselves. Notwithstanding, in that ce, there was not one bit of carelessness or negligence.

    "I see, so you¡¯re after the riches. If that¡¯s what you want, I don¡¯t mind giving you what you¡¯re seeking?"[5]

    "No no, you see, unfortunately, what I¡¯m seeking isn¡¯t something that can ever be exchanged into gold. What I want... is the Key That Seizes the Heavens."

    "No can do. The only one that can take hold of heaven is my master. It will never be you!"

    "So you¡¯re that adamant to be under Alcor, huh. In the end, together with your sister, it seems that¡¯s all you guys will ever amount to."

    Orm sneered as if to provoke him, however, Caster gracefully let it slide.

    As a start, neither side revealed their hands and just had a dodgeball with words.

    "Indeed, it¡¯s true that I¡¯m under Ruphas-sama. I won¡¯t deny that I loyally follow hermands. However, I never had any intention to be below you, the King of Demons."

    "Is that so (hou), are you suggesting that I¡¯m below the 12 Stars? If you¡¯re going that far, even if it¡¯s me, it hurts my self-esteem. Even I can be sensitive."

    "My apologies, it was insensitive of me. But unfortunately, I¡¯m quite blunt, you see. I only say things that are facts, you see."

    The smiles they were giving off gave a very refreshing feeling, there was not a shred of maliciousness.

    As long as one did not listen to the words they were speaking, one would be able to imagine them as best friends of many years having a flowery and nostalgic conversation.

    Nevertheless, the words that were spoken were poisonous. It was as if thorns were stuck onto words and then pitched at the other party with all their might.

    "Is that so, is that so.... I really want to test that out."

    "I suggest you stop. It¡¯s not my preference to get involved in fights where I can already see the oue."

    Orm narrowed his eyes a little until only a thin slit was left as if to challenge Castor and the air around him distorted like a mirage.

    At that same time, Castor grasped the anchor as if it was his favourite weapon.

    Originally, anchors were used to hold a ship in ce. However, this anchor¡¯s size was something that a human could hold onto and its length was modified to be like a spear.

    An anchor... or rather, it might be better to say that it was a spear that was like an anchor.

    But it was only the size was ordinary, its weight was out of the norm.

    Lightly grabbing onto that anchor which could shatter the ground just by putting it down, Castor jumped off his beloved ship, Argo.[6]

    Subsequently, he stopped mid-air and faced Orm from the front.

    "But if you say you¡¯re still going toe, I won¡¯t hesitate in being your opponent. Of course, you¡¯ll have to be prepared for an appropriate amount of scalding."

    "I¡¯ll be let off with just a bit of scalding, huh. How nice of you."

    "Even scalding from a full-body burn is still considered scalding."

    One sh - another sh.

    The anchor which was swung at the speed that its sound could only be heard afterwards became like a gale as it assaulted towards Orm.

    However, Orm guarded against that with his arms and countered by releasing condensed mana which he formed in his palms.

    Castor maintained hisposure as he continued to spin the anchor to blow away the condensed mana, subsequently swinging widely.

    "Wind, heed my call!"

    From the anchor that was swing down, a de of wind was released.

    Dispite being the same Wind attribute, it was on apletely different league whenpared to Jupiter of the 7 Luminaries.

    If it was a small ind, it would not be strange for it to be cut into two by therge de. And if it hit head-on, even if it was Libra, she would not be able to avoid taking damage.

    Nevertheless, even this was blown away with a single hand by Orm as he closed in on Castor, then leaving a scratch on Castor¡¯s cheek with the simple pressure of his kick¡¯s after-effect.

    "Fuu. As to be expected, if it¡¯s an individual strength, you¡¯de out above, huh."

    With just a few seconds¡¯ worth of exchanges, Castor was able to precisely assess and determine the difference between each other¡¯s prowess.

    "As to be expected"... if it was an individual fighting prowess, the other side was above him. Even if the other side was doing a handstand, he was not sure if he would be able to win.

    However, that was something he already knew from the start and something already pre-determined. It was nothing to be surprised about.

    From the very beginning, Castor¡¯s true strength did note from his individual self. If one were to only consider individual fighting prowess, Leon and Libra would be superior to him.

    Nevertheless, he had no doubt in his belief that he was still the one with the greatest war potential within the Tyrannical Ways 12 Heavenly Stars.

    The battles were not limited to one own¡¯s power. The [Army]¡¯s strength was what mattered the most.

    Castor raised his right hand up into the air.

    With that as the signal, many shadowy figures gathered on the deck of Argo.

    They all individually released strong and majestic auras, imposingly awaiting for a sortie order.

    For the first time,posure disappeared from Orm¡¯s face and he showed a grim expression.

    "Heed my call, myrades (Argonauts)![7] Show me your power! Our arch-enemy is here!"[8]

    Command - at the same time, heroes who were called the [Argonauts] all jumped out.

    The number of them was approximately fifty, all of whom were over level 500.

    No, many strong ones amongst them even surpassed Castor and reached level 1000.

    These heroes were the living remnants from the great battle 200 years ago. No, it was not a correct expression to call them living remnants.

    It was because these heroes had, absolutely without a doubt, died once before.

    The identity of these guys were those heroes that had once fought on Ruphas¡¯s side.

    They were defeated and had lost their lives, yet were reanimated as fairies. They were the warriors who had sworn their loyalties towards the ck-winged master.

    Some of those that had passed away did not ascend and stayed behind in this world.

    They were the vengeful spirits, they were corpses which moved, they were the magical beasts and many other shapes and forms.

    However, some of the existences amongst them... only those existences with strong souls were able to be exceptions and retain their previous life¡¯s memories and rationality, allowing them to retain their minds and be [Heroic Spirits].

    Castor¡¯s younger sister... the other half of the [Gemini], the Fairy Princess Pollux was able to use her skill [Argonauts] which allowed her to be able to put those Heroic Spirits into artificial bodies made out of mana, thereby reviving them onto this world, turning them into an army.[9]

    In exchange for how broken and cheat-like that skill was, she herself had neither the skill in takingmand nor possessed battle prowess of her own.

    As such, the older brother Castor led them and fought on her behalf.

    In other words, it was a skill which could not be utilised if one of them was missing. It was a skill which required the two of them to act as one.

    That was what the [Return of the Heroic Spirits (Argonauts)] was.[10]

    "Look carefully, Demon King! What you see is our real power, our bond! The Fairy Princess¡¯s de, the ck Wing¡¯s army led by this Castor!"

    Matching with Castor¡¯s voice, the Heroic Spirits all aggressively moved out.

    Orm¡¯s mana bullets were fully blocked by the Priests¡¯ shields.

    The Sword Masters¡¯ swords shredded the magical beasts which followed Orm, and the Grapplers¡¯ fists blew away the giant magical beasts.

    One Alchemist transmuted and caused a storm of des, whilst another Alchemist transmuted a gigantic golem to blow away multiple magical beasts at the same time.

    Those that were considered strong 200 years ago were without a doubt, powerful.

    Individually, they were mighty warriors possessing strength able to match thousands and could rival an army of a country on their own.

    Outside of the time they were under a mobilisation order, the effect of the skill was cancelled; thus, it was not possible for them to increase their number using Monster Tamers¡¯ skill or Alchemists¡¯ transmutation. Nevertheless, it was not a mistake to call them the most powerful squad in Midgard.

    Even the Demon King knew of their fearsomeness.

    That was exactly why he had brought the army of magical beasts with him.

    However - there was too much difference in quality!

    The army of magical beasts which were by no means weak was defeated one after another, they were exterminated one-sidedly.

    "Listen, Demon King, you¡¯re definitely strong. If it was just based on individual prowess, you are an even match against my master! Those magical beasts are also not weak. But that¡¯s just that."

    If it was a simpleparison of strength, the gathering of the magical beasts was not inferior.

    Nevertheless, the battle was still one-sided.

    The magical beasts were a group, but they weren¡¯t an army at all.[11] The best they could be called was a "group."

    There existed no order or formation. If there existed a hundred magical beasts, there would be hundred magical beasts fighting in the way they wanted.

    However, the army of Heroic Spirits was different. If there was a hundred of them, they would still be one.

    Having the strength of the hundred, they moved as one and loyally faced the enemy as one.

    They each protected one another¡¯s back, encouraged each other and they each gave courage to others so that they can stand against even the strongest of enemies.

    1 + 1 was not 2. It was even possible to be 10 or 100.

    That was what the army was. That was what the union meant.

    "Against me, in the name of Ruphas Mafahl, you, whomand the subordinates to only fight as a group, shall have no chance of winning! As themander, you are far inferior in quality against my master!"

    Castor slid in the air and mmed his weapon into Orm.

    Castor¡¯s anchor mmed onto Orm¡¯s arm multiple times, causing the sparks to light up like a firework.

    The ck overcoat fluttered and the white coat shook.

    The two men be a shooting star that swam around in the air which repeatedly shed with each other.

    If this one-on-one were to continue, Orm would surely win.

    However, from the side, a Strider provided assistance to Castor by chopping at Orm¡¯s sides dealing a slightest bit of a scratch, followed by the Sorcerer¡¯s magic swallowing Orm.

    "This is the end, Demon King! Scatter, Heroic Warriors! This attack will end him!"

    Following Castor¡¯smand, the Heroic Spirits all backed out at once.

    What was released was an absolute highest-tiered Wood attribute arcane magic!

    The storm raged wild and lightning thundered.

    Whatid behind Castor at that moment was the imposing and majestic aura of fifty gods.

    In this world, there was only one true "God" and that was the Goddess Alovenus.

    Nevertheless, faith and religion had always branched out based on the age and civilisation at the time. There was a countless number of "Gods" that was created upon the imagination of the people.

    This was a result of something or someone after they were buried deep in the darkness of history by the name of Alovenus, perhaps called a heretic leading them to be persecuted and punished, otherwisebelled and treated as a devil would be... an illusion given birth by those deprived beings¡¯ imagination. This was a manifestation and summoning of those.

    "¡ª [The God Who Possesses Fifty Names]!"[12]

    Matching Castor¡¯s edict, fifty fake gods all moved to attack.[13]

    There were those that were born as the Chief of the Gods from the figure of imagination, out of myth or a legend.[14]

    There were those that were born as War Gods.[15] There were those that were born as the Gods who presided over the realm of the dead.[16]

    There were those demi-gods who inherited blood from both the gods and the people.[17]

    There were some fake gods who breathed me out of their mouths. There were some fake gods who crushed things with their fists.

    They created raging storms and thundering lightning and with the glistering aura of the Gods, they trampled everything in their paths into absolute submission.

    By the time everything was done and dusted, there no longer existed a single magical beast in the aftermath.

    The figure of Orm - there, he no longer existed.

    "So it¡¯s done."

    Staying afloat in the air, Castor looked down on the magical beasts.

    The magical beasts who could no longer maintain their physical forms returned to mana, bound to bless this world.[18]

    In any event, he was able to somehow defend "that thing" that his younger sister had entrusted onto him.

    Ever since 200 years ago when his master fell, he had continued to protect that thing using the ship and the spirits.

    With the single misuse of that thing, the world would break apart. The Key That Seizes the Heavens. There was no way that he could give such a thing to the demons.

    That thing belonged to his master who would one day return.

    Although his sister, the fairy princess, did not possess any battle capabilities, she had a strange ability.

    And she had announced. She had announced, "Master will definitely return, one day."

    Subsequently, she had ordered Castor to protect the key. All this happened 200 years ago.

    He, who could only fight andmand things, could not understand. However, he thought that his sister could see things that were toe in the future.

    Or perhaps his master had ordered something to his sister before the fateful battle.

    That was why Castor was here.

    He had continued to fight for the past 200 years because he had believed in his master and his sister.

    "Anyways, I¡¯ll change the location of the ship. Before the next thinges."

    Castor who was convinced of his victory tried to return to the ship.

    But it happened right after that.

    Suddenly, a ck ray of light scattered past the cloud and pierced through the ship.

    "Wha!?"

    <i>So there was still an enemy left!</i>

    Keeping an eye out on the smoking ship that was sinking down into the clouds in his peripheral, he armed himself with a weapon as he turned around.

    The heroes also readied themselves into a battle stance, individually arming themselves with weapons.

    And then they saw.

    Swimming through the clouds, something enormous... an appearance of something way too enormous.

    "..... Wh... wha!? Th, this is....! No way.... It can¡¯t be....!?"

    In terms of length... how long was it!?

    One km? No.

    Ten km? No!

    That was something so enormous, something so long... something so abnormal that it could evenp around Midgard....

    That enormous shadow split the cloud and stuck its head out, causing the heroes to feel fear.

    "Aa, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!?"

    They were without a doubt, winning as an "army".

    They had sessfully exterminated and expelled the "group" that Orm had brought with him.

    But they did not know. That in this world, there existed things that were simply unreasonable.

    The existence of the absolute "individuals" who stood above an "army".

    For the first time, in this day, they understood.

    The true reason why the 7 Heroes were defeated -.

    __

    (Author Note)

    I¡¯m coughing hard so I¡¯m going to take a rest <i>B Y</i> first appearance revision.

    Castor : ".....suddenly an underdog."

    Mars : "£¨???£©¥ÎColleeeeague"

    Jupiter : "©c£¨???£©Colleeeeague"

    Maru and Jupi : "©c£¨???£©ÈË£¨???£©¥ÎColleeeeague"

    Castor: "Do note near me."

    * Note that in the myths, the other half of Gemini, Pollux is a man. However, to have a bastard that merely gets protected all the time is useless, so I forcibly changed it into a woman.

    Or more like in regards to these two, if I don¡¯t change the genders around it¡¯s a little ©°(©°^o^)©´ -ish.[19] In this world, there¡¯s probably a guy like Clytemnestra.(TLN ?? <strong>¶à·Ö¤³¤ÎÊÀ½ç¤Ç¤Ï¤½¤ÎÉ¿¤ê¤òÊÜ¤±¤Æ¥¯¥ê¥å¥¿¥¤¥à¥Í¥¹¥È¥éÞx¤ê¤¬ÄÐ¤Ë£Ô£Ó¤·¤Æ¤Þ¤¹¡£??</strong>) Well, not that it¡¯s going toe out.

    (Author Note end)

    __

    [1] Could be read as mana, magic or evil instead of demon. The word has multiple meaning.

    [2] Centimetre.

    [3] Castor is one of the twins that make up the constetion of Gemini in Greek mythology. Castor is the mortal son of Tyndareus and the brother of Helen of Troy.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_and_Pollux".

    <i>"Castor is the second brightest object in the constetion of Gemini and one of the brightest stars in the night sky."</i> ¨C "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_(star)".

    [4] Secret treasure = treasure = can be considered as secret relic-ish treasure = Raw: ÃØ±¦ - hihou

    [5] Riches = treasure = can be considered as a gold-ish treasure Raw: Ø”±¦ ¨C zaibou

    [6] Argo was the ship in which Jason and the Argonauts, which included both Castor and Pollux, sailed to retrieve the Golden Fleece in Greek mythology.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argo". Raw: ¥¢¥ë¥´©`´¬

    [7] Arguonauts were a band of heroes who joined Jason to find the Golden Fleece in Greek mythology. Some famous Argonauts include Heracles, Atnta, Theseus, Nestor, Castor, and Pollux. "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argonauts".

    [8] Raw is probably closer to archaic English... but... I don¡¯t know how to use them so ?? You¡¯re stuck with something half-assed like this. Sorry :X

    [9] Pollux is one of the twins that make up the constetion of Gemini in Greek mythology. Pollux is the divine son of Zeus, who shared his immortality with his half-brother Castor. In this novel, Pollux is gender-swapped to be female.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_and_Pollux".

    Orange-hued evolved giant star in the northern constetion of Gemini. It is the brightest star in Gemini and the closest giant star to the Sun. "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollux_(star)".

    [10] Raw: Ó¢ë‘¤ÎŽ¢ß€

    [11] Pun in the raw. "They¡¯re ¡¯guun-reteiru¡¯, but they are not a ¡¯guun¡¯". Something like that.

    [12] ÎåÊ®¤ÎÃû¤ò³Ö¤ÄÉñ

    [13] So I considered "pseudo-gods" or "demi-gods" but I chose "fake gods" in the end because I thought it better fits the context. Raw: ‚ÎÉñ

    [14] Ö÷Éñ

    [15] ‘éÉñ

    [16] Ú¤¸®

    [17] °ëÉñ

    [18] I remember reading few chapters ago that demons turn into mana but magical beasts maintain their body? Or was that just normal beasts...? Footnote to be updated when I go back and check to see if this is an inconsistent in my memory or inconsistency by the author.

    [19] Google¡¯d it for you, this emoji means "homo" originating to havee from "fujyoshi"... Which is a rabbit hole on its own. So... google it yourself. :¡¯) "".

    __

 Chapter 72

    Chapter 72 - Scorpius Was Acting Spoiled

    Raw link: (18/04/2016)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (23/04/2019)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (03/05/2019)

    Editor 2: N/A

    Trantion link:

    __

    Notice 1: Forgot to enablement for this chapter when I created the page. Thement has now been enabled.

    Notice 2: Please <strong>don¡¯t</strong>post the chapter on Novelupdates, I¡¯ll post it up a few dayster.

    Notice 3: Chapter 73 will be released as usual, but chapter 74 might be a little dyed, I will let you all know when chapter 73 is released.

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    The morning after doing the stupid thing, namely, strengthening the plenty strong Libra even further, we left Blutgang as we were being monitored.... I meant, whilst we were being sent off by the dwarves.

    In all honesty, I wanted to take it easy a bit longer, but we had Scorpius with us.

    Unexpectedly, it was not possible to keep on hosting the individual who had attacked the country, thus we were faced with the inevitable problem of having to quickly leave the ce.

    If anything, the fact that they allowed us to stay for a night meant they were being magnanimous.

    Normally it would have been an instant eviction.

    Anyways, the cause of that problem, Scorpius, had been clinging to my arm the whole time since she woke up.

    She had been pushing her chest against me as if to give things a try, however, it was meaningless since we were the same gender. Though, I was a man on the inside.

    Either way, considering that I made her feel so lonely this whole time that it caused her to go berserk, I thought that it¡¯d be fine if she was going to be satisfied with this, so I let her be.

    Having said that, excluding Virgo, I felt the other 12 Stars were displeased with what was happening as I felt my back hurting from being stared at.

    Aries was acting disgruntled and Aigokeros was giving off the feeling of cursing someone to death as he stared down at Scorpius.

    Libra was holding onto a machine gun the whole time and Karkinos was crying, "<i>Me </i>had also just gotten back together too!!"

    Even as we became more chaotic, Tanaka carried and drove on as usual.

    After Mizar¡¯s revtion, our next target had been determined to be Eros, also known as Pisces but, we had one problem with that.

    Not one of us knew Pisces¡¯s location. Not even Dina had a lead on where Pisces was.

    <i>Now then, what should we do about that?</i>

    "Aaaannn~, that worrying face of yours when you¡¯re thinking about something is also gorgeous, Ruphas-sama."

    Scorpius, who was stuck on my arm, said something random as she entangled even more.

    It really didn¡¯t matter but I would have preferred it if she stopped whispering into my ear. It was quite ticklish.

    As if she had detected what I was thinking, Libra grabbed onto Scorpius¡¯s head with her iron fist, quite literally, and pulled Scorpius away from me.

    "Heeey, that hurts, you knooww!? What are you trying to doo!?"

    "That¡¯s as far as you go, Scorpius. I can understand that you are feeling joyous about the reunion, however, you are causing inconvenience for the master. I will not permit anything further."

    "Haah?? Why should this mistress need your permission to nurture the love I have with Ruphas-sama? If you get carried away further, I¡¯ll turn u into a <i>scrap</i> as I did to your sisters!"

    "I rmend that you stop. If the battle were to break out, the one that will turn into dust is you."

    Scorpius and Libra had me in the middle as they created sparks and started a staring contest with each other.[1]

    Aries seemed to be hesitating on what he should do, but Aigokeros crossed his arms and seemed to be brimming with the will to join in.

    Instead of trying to defuse the situation, Karkinos tailed and encouraged the two whilst heughed in high tension.[2] Virgo, on the other hand, ran to a position that would allow her to avoid getting caught up.

    And Dina blended into the background magnificently.

    "No, I¡¯m not!?"

    Well, blending into the background was a joke.

    In fact, she was drinking tea in the corner as if the chaos had nothing to do with her.

    Even whilst I was thinking about all of this, the atmosphere between Libra and Scorpius became perilously threatening and eventually led to Scorpius¡¯s hair waving and pointing towards Libra.

    Matching that, Libra clenched her fist, creating a vtile situation.

    Thinking that this was getting too dangerous, I came between the two to break them up.

    "Stop this. You two, are you intending to break Tanaka?"

    "Hmm.... Looks like you managed to get away with your life, Scorpius."

    "Are you talking about yourself? Libra."

    With me stepping in, the fight was somehow avoided, however, they still continued to stare at each other.

    These guys have such a bad rtionship, oi.

    Aries and Aigokeros had quite a good rtionship, but it seemed not every member of the 12 Heavenly Stars got along well. There were also bad pairings as well.

    Well, if there were 12 individuals, I supposed there were bound to be at least one bad pairing.

    Anyways, I should inspect Scorpius¡¯s status in the meantime.

    [12 Heavenly Stars Scorpius]

    Level 800

    Species: Emperor Berserk Scorpion

    Attribute: Fire

    HP: 90 000

    SP: 8000

    STR (Strength/Attack Power): 4800

    DEX (Dexterity): 3105

    VIT (Vitality): 6570

    INT (Intelligence): 2100

    AGI (Agility/Speed): 3800

    MND (Mindpower): 3300

    LUK (Luck): 5500

    ....... Level, 800, she returned back down.

    Was this what that was? Did her level return to what it was because she was no longer under the influence of the Goddess or because she was reunited with me and her hatred was cleared away? I wonder what the reason was.

    Anyways, because her level had decreased, her HP had also gone down. As such, it seemed she would no longer be able to withstand Brachium.

    Yeah, this was exactly as Libra said. If they fought, Libra would have won.

    Or more like, how was she able to win against both Aries and Scorpius whom she was supposed to be badly matched against?

    I was reminded and made to feel yet again how badly broken Brachium¡¯s efficiency was.

    Of course, if you considered the fact that with just that skill alone, she was able to be a candidate for one of the strongest, it was to be expected.

    Nevertheless, status alone did not determine how strong an individual was. This also applied to Scorpius.

    As her true strengthy in her poisonous attacks, simply speaking, her status did not need to be that high.

    By further buffing herself, she was able to multiple her attack, therefore in practice, her actual attack power was far different from the value that would be disyed.[3]

    Additionally, due to her high luck, she was frequently able to deal critical hits, thus as long as there was no Brachium, she was unlikely to lose against Libra.[4]

    The scariest thing was the influence of the Goddess who was able to strengthen this Scorpius to the point of being able to beat Libra.

    <i>If I take into ount how the 7 Heroes were strengthened by this unreasonable power up 200 years, no wonder I couldn¡¯t win.</i>

    "Anyways, Ruphas-sama, what should we do from now on?"

    "We have no choice but to gather those whose locations were known. If I recall correctly, Alfheimr, Helheim and Muspelheim... those three ces, right."

    For now, if I had to pick a ce out of them, Alfheimr was the most convenient ce.

    And above all else, as [Gemini] of the Twins was actually two persons counting as one member, there was this joyous point of being able to collect tworades at the same time.

    As I was thinking about the future, Tanaka suddenly stopped, causing my train of thought to be cut off.

    What happened? Something strange like Takana stopping on his own just happened.

    "Oh, he stopped. I wonder what¡¯s happening."

    "What happened, Tanaka? Did something happen?"

    "<i>YES, BOSS.</i>"

    I walked towards the front and looked outside the windows.

    When I did so, I noticed that there were quite a lot of people approximately 1km in front of us.

    It seemed they had not noticed us, however, we saw beastkins, humans and elves going towards the same location without minding about the others.

    When I looked at the sky, there were even flugels which made it clear that there was somemon objective between them for this journey.

    "Dina, is there something where they are going?"

    "Umm, if it¡¯s this position and direction.... Ahh, there¡¯s Draupnir."[5]

    "The country of beastkins, huh. But I wonder why the other races are also going there."

    In response to my question, Dina was saying "hmmm" as she tilted her head a little.

    It seemed she also did not know why.

    Unexpectedly, Scorpius raised her voice at that moment.

    "Ahh, that¡¯s because recently, there¡¯s been a hunting festival going on, Ruphas-sama. They would release all the magical beasts that the tamers have caught at the same time for this ridiculouspetition to determine the strongest of these weaklings by seeing who can hunt down the most number of magical beasts."

    "I see (hou), you¡¯re quite well informed."

    "Yeah, of course. That¡¯s because after I destroy Blutgang, I was nning on spreading magical beasts randomly for this hunting festival then storm into that country."

    ".... I see."

    So dangerous. It was a super correct choice to recover Scorpius.

    If I didn¡¯t recover her, she would probably have gotten a horrible hat-trickbo of bringing down the three major countries of Hrotti, Blutgang and Draupnir.

    Scorpius acted as if she did not have a speck of guilt (or most probably, she literally did not feel it at all) and stuck herself at my arm, subsequently raising her head and looking towards Dina.

    "Oh, by the way, who¡¯s that blue thing? Oh and that white-winged."

    "You¡¯re asking after all this!?"

    "The white-winged girl is the new recruit for Tyrannical 12 Heavenly Stars, Virgo of the [Maiden]. The previous Parthenos has passed away thus she¡¯s the new ce holder. And that blue thing is Dina Bkgrounnd-sama the [Background]."

    "Whaaatt!? Don¡¯t teach such a lie so casually, Libra-sama! I don¡¯t have ast name like that!"

    "Did we have a star like the ¡¯Background¡¯? Well whatever, it doesn¡¯t matter, pleased to meet you, ok? Background-san."

    "Noo, stop calling me with that name!?"

    Dina was tearing up as she looked at me.

    I understood very well from the way she looked at me that she wanted me to do something about all this.

    Tears of a beautiful girl did have that enticement to make people protect them, but strangely, even above all that, Dina really made people want to tease her.

    As such, instead of helping her out, I decided to get on board.

    "I see, for the stars to shine well, we do need a background to exist. Or maybe space for the stars to be able to roam... Which means that background might be something needed for the Tyrannical to exist...."

    "Ruphas-sama!?"

    "Isn¡¯t it fine, Background? In a way, it¡¯s even more magnificent than the stars themselves. It¡¯s the universe itself."

    "It doesn¡¯t make me happy at all!"

    As by now, being teary had almost turned into full on crying, thus I decided to stop teasing her.

    Well, I did feel that Scorpius really did not regret what she said though.

    "But hunting festival, huh...."

    If I was to be blunt, I had absolutely no interest in the hunting festival itself.

    Although it might sound too much, from our point of view, this really was merely a festival for the low levels as Scorpius said.

    If I were to use the game as a basis, this just seemed like the extremely crippled or newbie yers (noobs) rushing into a hunt. If one were to waste time like that, it would be better to farm more items.

    That was why I did not feel like participating at all.

    I did not know how big Draupnir was, however, with my speed, it was not impossible for me to fly around the capital and defeat all the magical beasts.

    The others in the group were also in the same situation such that whoever participated, it was clear things would be overkill.

    Nevertheless, I was actually thinking of putting that overkill situation into practice.

    "It¡¯s not such a bad sideshow. Virgo, why don¡¯t you participate?"

    "Eh? Me?!"

    Virgo¡¯s level was the lowest amongst us.

    Notwithstanding, her level at 300 was still extraordinarily high by this world¡¯s standard, so it would clearly still be an overkill.

    Meanwhile, although I felt a little bad for the other participants, I wanted Virgo to have some confidence.

    In all likelihood, she did not realise how strong she was herself.

    After all, she was raised by Parthenos in the forest the whole time and once she came outside, she was surrounded by me and the 12 Heavenly Stars. This hadpletely caused her to believe she was weak.

    There was a saying that the frog in the well did not know that an ocean existed.[6] This referred to how the frog that resided in the well might think it knew all about the world, however, it would not know how wide the ocean was.

    But nowhere was it written that the well was small, additionally, the frog might be a monster that went above the length of 1m.

    Nevertheless, the frog that was living in the well had no way of knowing how big or strong it was.

    She was precisely in that situation. She did not realise how all the frogs outside the well were smaller and weaker than herself.

    It was not as if I wanted her to be conceited. But I wanted her to at least have the confidence matching of her own ability.

    I believed it was my duty to think about things like that as someone that was entrusted to take care of her by Parthenos.

    "Ruphas-sama, you are seeking victory over the hunting festival? If that is your wish, please leave it to this mistress. I will serve up all the magical beasts and participants with poison for your pleasure."

    "If you leave things to me, I will show you the country of beastkins sinking into fear and terror...."

    "I will wipe the whole country with Brachium..."

    "Umm... I¡¯ll turn back into my sheep form and stomp on the capital..."

    "Wh, whaat! Then I¡¯ll use Dawn Star on the whole capital...."

    "Noooo!? Only <i>me</i> amongst the stars don¡¯t have arge scale attack!? <i>Me </i>can¡¯t win with this!"

    "All of you are banned from participating, understood?"

    <i>These guys... why are they saying such a dangerous thing so casually?</i>

    <i>The capital is not a magical beast, you know. Even if you destroy the capital, you won¡¯t win, you know?</i>

    "Anyways, it¡¯s fine even if you don¡¯t use these guys as your reference. If it¡¯s you, even if you don¡¯t use these idiots as the standard, you have more than enough ability to aim for the victory."

    "Umm, but I don¡¯t have any ability with such arge area of effect."

    "That¡¯s why you don¡¯t have to use them as the reference. To begin with, hunting festivals are not something like that."

    Firstly, I thought I would correct things properly to resolve the misunderstanding caused by the bunch of idiots acting up.

    The hunting festival was all about how fast one could hunt down the magical beasts. It was not a festival about howrge scale an attack one was able to release.

    I patted Virgo¡¯s head and asked her, "so how about it?"

    I really wanted her to gain some confidence from this. Those were my true feelings.

    It was really pitiful of her to underestimate herself because she was surrounded by a bunch of overpowered monsters even though she had ability and talent.

    "Yes. Then... I¡¯ll give it a try."

    "Ahh, just take it easy."

    With this, Virgo¡¯s participation was determined.

    As such, all we had to do now was to go to Draupnir.

    I gave my order to Tanaka and changed the direction of our journey.

    __

    (Author Note)

    [The Hunting Festival in-game]

    Ruphas: "Go, Libra! Scatter the enemies in front of me!"

    Libra: "YES, Master! Brachium towards the capital, fire!"

    Ruphas: "Transmute! Winter of Swords the whole capital!"

    Megrez: "Tidal wave the entire capital!"

    High-level character-san 1: "Kame __ haaaaaaaa!!"[7]

    High-level character-san 2: "So special....!"

    Low-level character-san: "Ah, Shamo star..."[8]

    High-level character-san 3: "Ex __ aliburrrr!!"[9]

    High-level character-san 4: "a Hosei Ho__hooooo!!"[10]

    High-level character 5: "Starli___ Breakerrrrr!!"[11]

    High-level character 6: "Midgard isss!!! The Midgard itself isssss!!"

    ** However wide of an attack the yers used, objects and NPC were not destroyed. Exploiting that, all the superrge scale attacks were used one after another. Game is scary.

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] Something like below. Very typical Japanese cultural thing.

    [2] High-tensionugh... I think it¡¯s those.... happy, loud, crazy cheerfulughs u hear in anime.

    [3] In MMORPG there are "buffs" and "debuffs" which I¡¯ve exined in previous footnote somewhere. Sometime, some games have buffs which temporary boosts the ally¡¯s or their own stats. Some of those buffs boosts the attack value;

    <i>e.g.1 "Boost ally¡¯s/own attack stat by x% for y seconds"</i>

    <i>e.g.2 "Multiply the damage dealt to enemy by x% for y seconds"</i>

    <i>e.g.3 "Multiply the damage/effect of next damage dealt by x%"</i>

    In all likelihood, Scorpius has one of these buffs. And my guess is that Scorpius¡¯s poison damage is based off of her base attack stat or the initial hit of the attack (e.g. "<i>Deal x damage to the enemy, enemy receives a poison debuff which does y% damage of the x damage every second for the next z second</i>"). Hopefully you get what the author¡¯s trying to say even if you didn¡¯t understand how the mechanics work from this crappy exnation.

    [4] In MMORPG, luck stat is usually the most vague and random but... looks like in this series¡¯ game, the luck stat corresponds with critical hit chance and perhaps critical damage. (Sometimes, crit is based on agility, a lot of the times crit is based off dex. Having said that, majority of the time, if there¡¯s luck stat, crit is based on luck and dex corresponds with dodge. If you have aint, tell that to the developers.)

    Critical Hit chance is the chance for the attack to do critical damage.

    Critical damage is usually a direct multiplier to the base damage. (e.g. If a punch was going to do 100 damage and critical damage is 150%... usually... actually, depends on the game, some game it¡¯ll be 150 damage, and some game it¡¯ll be 250 damage. The yers will have to figure it out, but you get the idea.)

    [5] "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draupnir".

    [6] Literally tranted. Raw: "¾®¤ÎÖÐ¤ÎÍÜ´óº£(¤¦¤ß)¤òÖª¤é¤º"

    [7] Reference to dragon ball series.

    [8] Reference to dragon ball series.

    [9] Reference to Fate series.

    [10] Reference to One Punch Man.

    [11] Reference to Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha.

    __

 Chapter 73

    Chapter 73 - This Is Draupnir, The City Where Furries and People Live Side By Side Harmoniously

    Raw link: (24/04/2016)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (05/05/2019)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va / Va (09/05/2019)

    Editor 2: Keii (10/05/2019)

    Trantion link:

    __

    Update 1: ETA for chapter 74 is 16/05/2019. ¨C Teaser is out though.

    Update 2: An illustration added to chapter 72 because it turns out there was one more that was relevant.

    Request: Please consider whitelisting the website from adblocker apps, I will really appreciate it, thank you >.<

    __

    The capital. If you were to hear that word, what would you imagine?

    Chances are, since it was called the capital, one would most likely imagine a giant castle or a pce surrounded by buildings.

    Laevateinn, Svalinn and Gjarhorn. Up until this point, although the shapes of those three countries were different, there was thismon feature.

    The capital of Blutgang itself was a giant castle, thus it might have been an exception amongst the exceptions. However, I think the capital cities of the RPG game worlds were fundamentally the image of the western medieval kingdoms and cities.

    <i></i>

    <i>Putting it simply, it was that, you know? Fantasy RPGs are fundamentally based on Western society.</i>

    <i>Once in a while, you get Eastern-styled games. But those games have a distinct setting right from the very start and often the enemies were not magical beasts but youkai and oni instead.<strong>[1]</strong> Things usually went like that.</i>

    <i>At the very least, if the magical beasts, magic, swords, heroes and the Demon Kings were toe out, that RPG world would give off a Western feeling.</i>

    <i>Well, in essence, it¡¯s that, you know? After being told, "Now, wake up, hero!" and grabbing a sword, the outside turns out to have Edo-period aesthetics..... Well, you know, wouldn¡¯t you feel a bit off? You¡¯d feel that something¡¯s just off.</i>

    <i>After you received the request to defeat the Demon King and were about to storm into his castle, the castle turned out to be an Osaka-jo (TLN: Osaka Castle) with the presiding Demon King having a chonmage and wearing a kimono. How would you feel?<strong>[2]</strong></i>

    <i>And while I¡¯m at it, what if the hero also had a chonmage and wore a kimono and said, "Sessha shall now journey to subjugate the disordered one, titled the Demon King-degozaru," now what would you feel?<strong>[3]</strong></i>

    <i>And the Demon King, being the Demon King, said, "Why dost thou struggle and close off a country? Exchange of culture is what I find the most joy in. Westernisation is what is most beautiful. Now be swallowed up by my culture and modernise."... wouldn¡¯t you be turned off?</i>

    <i>It¡¯s way too weird. At the very least, I wouldn¡¯t y a game like that.</i>

    <i>Anyways, with all that, I haven¡¯t seen an eastern-styled citytely.</i>

    <i>For some reason in RPGs, if you go towards the East, a yer would often end up finding a Japanese-styled country and sometimes it might even be called Jipangu.<strong>[4]</strong> However, it seemed there was nothing like that in this world.</i>

    <i>Having said that, since this world somehow has a thing called a katana, it¡¯s possible there was a country like that in the past.</i>

    <i>As a matter of fact, back in the game, out of all the countries founded by the yers, there was a country with purely Japanese style.</i>

    <i>Though... I actually waged war and destroyed it, but whatever.</i>

    Anyways, the conversation had derailed.

    What I wanted to say was that if one were to imagine a "capital", they would imagine a western-style medieval city.

    However, what was in front of me currently was a far cry from a western-style city.

    Or rather... was this even really a capital? To begin with, was this even a city?

    The ce that we were at... if it was to be summarised in one word, it would be "grasnd".

    Although it had been overly stepped over, it was, without a doubt, a real in grasnd. There were not even roadsid out to make things easier for people to walk on.

    Then, there were tent-like buildings lined up next to each other.

    So what was that thing again.... Something... like the nomads of Mongolia might use.

    If I recalled correctly, yurt. Though I wasn¡¯t confident about that.[5]

    Additionally, there was a forest just nearby. It seemed there were also beastkins living within that.

    "I wonder what this capital thing is supposed to be about."

    "If the king is residing there, then it¡¯s the capital. Though, in regards to Draupnir, rather than a king, they have an emperor. So technically, rather than a kingdom, it¡¯s an empire."[6]

    "Hmmm (hou)? To take the title of the emperor, they really put themselves on the pedestal."

    "There are many ttypes of beastkins. Taking flugels for example, at most there are only two different types, ¡¯white-winged¡¯ and ¡¯the rest¡¯, but the beastkins are not like that. There are felines-types, dog-types, horse-types, cow-types and so many countless other types like elephants and rabbits that it would be pointless to list them all. Not to mention, even within the same species like feline-type, there are many different subspecies like cats, tigers, lions, leopards, cheetahs and other finer ones."

    "I see, I see. So you¡¯re telling me, even though they¡¯re all bunched up together under the umbre of ¡¯beastkins¡¯ due to their appearances, in actuality, they¡¯re just many different finely split species, huh?"

    To Dina¡¯s exnation, I bobbed my head in a nod.

    Although it was amon understanding that the world of Midgard was split into seven different races, the reality was that it only worked out that way because all the beastkins were forcibly categorised as one.

    Well, of course it was. Even if they¡¯re the same beastkins, there was no way the lion-based beastkin and rabbit-based beastkin were of the same species.

    There were even those animals like tigers and bears who lived within the forest.

    However, if we were to count all of those different species, there would be well over a hundred different humanoid races it would create a strange situation where majority would be some sort of beastkin. I assume that was why it was all bunched up as one.

    "The ruler whomands over all the different beastkins. Hence, that is not a position of ¡¯king¡¯, but the emperor. At least, it seems that is the logic to their im."

    "The ruler who stands above the kings of many different races, hence he is the emperor, huh. I see."

    "To think there¡¯s someone that disregards Ruphas-sama and ims the position above the king, how irritating..... Such an obsolete country, maybe I¡¯ll drown it in poison right this instant."

    Although I was fairly satisfied with the reasoning from Dina¡¯s exnation, it seemed Scorpius was not pleased with it at all.

    I quickly grabbed and put her under control as she said some dangerous thing and took on a battle posture.

    "Cease now, Scorpius. It¡¯s a fact that the current me is not a king. It matters not to me that a random person decides to call themselves an emperor, sovereign or monarch."

    "Aaaannn, as expected of Ruphas-sama! How so merciful and benevolenttt!"[7]

    As soon as I stopped her, she very readily retracted her insane aura and returned to sticking onto my arm.

    And that... It was only because of my specifications that I did not feel anything. If it was someone ordinary, their arms would be feeling quite numb.

    <i>Anyways, you can stop clinging onto me now,</i> there was a slight fear of not knowing what she would do if I said something like that.

    .... Maybe I was too hasty in adding her back as apanion?

    "However, what Scorpius is saying also makes sense. The title of an <i>emperor</i> who stands above <i>kings</i> is only suitable to someone like Ruphas-sama who had ruled every country. What do you think, Ruphas-sama? Once <i>you</i> retrieve all of the 12 Heavenly Stars, <i>you</i> can once again rule the world and at that time call <i>youself</i> the <i>Emperor</i>!"

    "For a crab, that was a good suggestion. In that case, how about we rename the Tyrannical Way 12 Heavenly Stars as Imperial Way 12 Heavenly Stars when that happens?"

    "Aah, that sounds cool!"

    In the back, whilst ignoring the person in question, the crab, the goat and the sheep were getting heated up.

    <i>Haven¡¯t I been saying that I¡¯m not interested in dominating the world anymore!? Why should I repeat the same mistake!?<strong>[8]</strong></i>

    <i>If I did something like that, I¡¯m going to be thest boss route again and be beaten by the Hero-san.</i>

    <i>To be ganged up on by the Hero, the Demon King and the Goddess at the same time is just an impossible game, ya know.</i>

    <i>The Hero-san¡¯s still weak right now, but his ss selection is really busted so... just by bing a level 1000, he would be the same strength as me!<strong>[9]</strong> These hax-tier cheap cheats should be limited to a reasonable degree!</i>

    <i>Ah, there are also B and Leon so... I¡¯ll get hacked five ways. Yeah... definitely not happening.</i>

    "Well, those things don¡¯t really matter. More importantly, can you figure out where the reception for the hunting festival¡¯s registration is?"

    "I think it¡¯ll be fine if we head where the people are flowing into."

    "Then we¡¯ll do that."

    I decided to ept Dina¡¯s suggestion and tag along with the wave of people.

    It¡¯s really an irrelevant thing, but my get-up this time was a full-body cover, so I was in suspicious person mode.

    After all, in this ce, there were also elves and flugels. I could not say for certain that there would not be anyone who remembered what I looked like.

    Fortunately, because there were adventurers and travellers from all over the ce, I did not stand out too much.

    Amongst the other adventurers, there were some very entric ones that they might even have been able to say, "<i>So what?"</i> There were some really entric appearances. Compared to those people, what I was wearing was far better.

    If I were to get specific, there was even an idiotic man who was wearing bikini armour.

    <i>You... even if the effects are just that good, I still question whether....</i>

    <i>I get that this isn¡¯t a game and you can technically equip female-only equipment as a male if you really wanted to, but.....</i>

    "Ruphas-sama, that person...."

    "Don¡¯t look at him."

    Virgo was pointing her finger at the bikini armour and was trying to say something, however, I covered her eyes and turned her forward.

    It was fine that such perverts do not enter into your vision. It was poison for the eyes.

    "Anyways, the beastkins are really quite diverse. That guy, Dubhe, did really well in unifying all these people."

    As I looked around, I was really made to feel how diverse and numerous the number of species categorised as beastkins were.

    The more I looked around, the more I felt there were a lot of them.

    Starting from the ever-standard cat and dog species, there were even lizardman-looking reptilian species.

    Considering those were also under the beastkin umbre, it was quite surprising.

    Additionally, I was able to confirm half-humans when. I saw humans with animal ears and tails.[10]

    Well... if I had to point out something, it would be that especially for the half-breeds, their appearances looked a little like sakayaki, and I thought it did not match them well at all.[11]

    Who was going to benefit from the rabbit-eared middle-aged man with a beard? Were they going to start flying as they said <i>mama mia </i>in the air?[12]

    "If I may say something, those no-brain beasts would never have been able to achieve such a difficult feat. I would like to state that they merely stole the governance that Ruphas-sama built up."

    I was honestly impressed with Dubhe, however, Libra cut in from the side with harsh words.

    <i></i>

    <i>You really are merciless against every one of the 7 Heroes except Mizar.</i>

    "Ah, I can see something resembling a line. Look, everyone¡¯s lining up."

    "Looks like that¡¯s our destination."

    When we followed where the people were going, we found a line formed by various travellers.

    At the end of the line was what looked to be a reception, thus it seemed like there was no mistake in assuming that this was the right ce.

    We put ourselves at the end of the line and decided to wait until it was our turn.

    *

    "Yes, with this, the registration isplete. The hunting festival will happen tomorrow so please take things easy tonight."

    After deciding to register for the hunting festival, Sei received a number te from the receptionist and nervously stored it into his pocket.

    After leaving Svalinn, the Hero¡¯s group came to Draupnir in search of information.

    It just happened that at this ce, there was a hunting festival which gathered many travellers, adventurers and merchants precisely at the right time.

    They had decided to change their destination to this ce in the hope of finding someone that had information on Ruphas¡¯s whereabouts and at the same time, to test Sei¡¯s ability.

    Additionally, this ce also happened to be the birthce of their party¡¯s strongest member, the Sword Saint Friedrich.

    After Sei told Friedrich he wanted to talk to Ruphas before deciding anything, Friedrich became very meek like a cat which was borrowed from a neighbour. The party¡¯s decision matched up when it was decided that part of the reason foring to this ce was to cheer Friedrich up.

    "There¡¯s quite a lot of different types of people."

    Sei looked at all of the travellers that were in that ce with great interest.

    Brawny warriors with heavy armour. A woman who wore things that a dancer or performer might wear.

    A rabbit-eared, bearded man. A fullbody jet-ck swordsman who perhaps believed himself to be really cool.

    Andstly, a perverted, very muscr and buffed up person, who despite being a man wore female-exclusive bikini armour.

    "...... Yeah, really. There¡¯s a whole variety of people. Are all the adventurers like that?"

    "Well no. <i>That¡¯s</i> definitely a an unique case. So please don¡¯t put us in the same category as that thing."

    To Sei who was saying something with awe, Jean became flustered and quickly reeled him back to reality.

    Subsequently, Sei¡¯s party split into two groups to move around.

    The first group consisted of four individuals: Jean, Nick, Shu and Sei. The purpose of this group was to protect Sei while registering him into the hunting festival.

    The members of the second group were Gants, the party¡¯s vice captain who had recently grown two more nose hairs, the tiger, Cruz and Ricardo. This group was currently running around gathering information.

    The Rangers¡¯ squad who are always sneakily moving around in the shadows had quickly gone to make reservations at the inns.

    "Oi, look, Sei. That group has so many beauties. I¡¯m so envious of the guy that¡¯s with them."

    As if to change the topic, Jean pointed at one party of people that were in the line.

    He was pointing to a group which consisted of a very suspicious person enveloped by a full red mantle and a hazardously well-proportioneddy who was clinging onto that mantled person. A cute white-winged young girl and another cute girl with rainbow-coloured hair.

    An elderly gentleman who had a monocle on and a handsome man with a red vest.

    Lastly, a blue-haired beauty and a maid with brown hair who gave off a stiff feeling and stood quietly by.

    <i>.... What is this? What¡¯s up with this party that looks like it has nomon point?</i>

    <i>Ah! When I thought the handsome man wearing a red vest got close to the person with the red mantle, he got punched by the maid.</i>

    "They look like a bunch of weird ones, but they¡¯re probably very high-levelled. That sexydy¡¯s intense look is very arousing."

    "Ye, yeah, it¡¯s definitely a gathering of beauties."

    "Right? Anyways Sei, which one¡¯s your type?"

    "Eh?! Well, no, I don¡¯t have something like a type..."

    "Don¡¯t hide it, don¡¯t hide it. Let me say what I think. Your type is either the white-winged girl or the girl with the rainbow-coloured hair. Hey, you actually like the ones who give off the quiet and shy feeling, don¡¯t you?"

    Jean had Sei locked under his arm and was coercing Sei whilst saying, "Now, reveal everything!"

    At this time, Sei thought that although Jean was typically very nice and sociable, he was a troubling person at times like this.

    However, at this moment, Jean suddenly released Sei and made a "hmmm" sound as if to ponder on something.

    "Wh, what happened?"

    "Mmm? Well, I have this feeling as though I¡¯ve seen them somewhere before. But I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll forget them if I ever saw a beauty like that before. ....... Maybe it¡¯s just my imagination?"

    Jean tilted his head as if it was something strange, however, Sei was thinking he was just imagining things.

    Having said that, Jean was definitely not someone in possession of a good memory.

    Jean was the type of man who had even forgotten how he recently got his hands on the items he had.

    As such, Sei believed this time was also just because of his forgetfulness.

    "It¡¯s probably just your imagination. Anyways, we should get going."

    "No wayyy... I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve definitely met them before.... I wonder where it was....."

    Sei held and dragged Jean to the inn where they were staying for the night as Jean continued to look behind him even at that point.

    Even though the distance between them was ever so close, it was yet to be the time for them to meet each other.

    __

    (Author note)

    [A very irrelevant note on the background setting]

    As a matter of fact, in Midgard, there existed a lot of pitiful creatures who look like humanoids but are not categorised as one.

    For example, an existence very close to beastkins, an insect-type insect species also exist. However, it seems that just because they look unsettling to look at, they were categorised as a magical beast.

    Particrly, those like G and fly species are particrly unsettling that even the magical beasts run away from them.[13]

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] Youkai in English would most probably correspond to supernatural folklore entities. There¡¯s too many kind of youkai so it really can¡¯t be summarised in one word. Youkai are also often called "ayakashi", "mononoke" or "mamono" in other series.

    The term "youkai" and "ayakashi" was often used in Inuyasha.

    The term "ayakashi" is often used in xxxHolic.

    The term "mononoke" is used in... Mononoke Hime :3 I believe it was also used in Nurarihyon no mago, but don¡¯t quote me on that.

    The term "momono"..... is actually magical beast lol.

    As for oni.... Well oni is oni.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%8Dkai".

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oni".

    [2] Osaka-jo "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osaka_Castle".

    Chonmage = topknot... sort of... "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chonmage".

    Kimono: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimono#Men¡¯s_kimono".

    [3] Sessha is "I", in archaic warrior speech form. Simrly, degozaru is another archaic warrior speech form, that gets tagged on at the end of the sentence. Err... yea, just sticking to the raw. The sentence in the " is a totally whack, but that¡¯s intentional. Raw: (¡º×¾Õß(¤·¤ã)¤³¤ì¤è¤êÄ§Íõ¤Ê¤ëÀÇ½åÕß¤ò³É”¡¤Ë³ö’ì¤±¤ë¤Ç¤´¤¶¤ë¡»)

    [4] "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_Japan#Jipangu".

    [5] Yurts look like this; "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yurt".

    [6] Kingdom and royal capital is written in the same way as (Outo), and this Ou is the Ou representing the king that I had previously exined in the footnote. y on word, saying that rather than a "capital" (i.e. kingdom) it¡¯s an empire because it¡¯s being controlled by an emperor. Additionally, emperor "usually" stands above kings.

    [7] Raw: Changed from raw a little. ¨C "You have such arge vessel". - [Æ÷¤¬´ó¤­¤¤¤Ç¤¹¤ï¤¢]

    [8] Raw: "Why should I step on the same rut!?" - pretty much means "why should I make the same mistake that someone else (I) made"

    [9] Remember that to get the Hero ss in the game, they needed to max out all the swordsman sses. Which only one person in the game did because of how useless and weak it was, yet after they got the Hero ss and gained 200 level, he became one of the most strongest yer in the game. For those that¡¯s not familiar with the MMO system, this is because most of the time, the ss depends how much "stats" you get when you level up.

    E.g. Beginner ss like.... Err idk make one up... like Swordman might only get a total of 1 points to the stat per level and higher tier ss like Swordmaster might get 10 points per level. This would be because to get the Swordmaster ss they would have had to waste 200 levels on Swordman, effectively meaning a yer can only get 200+2000=2200 points at level 400.

    Reminder from earlier chapters: The author¡¯s saying that the first 4 sses that you have to max out don¡¯t give much boost in stats. To make things worse, because they¡¯re all "swordsman" ss, the skills they have are all the same. Meaning the yer will have a very situational skills with no flexibility and little utility, leaving them at a disadvantagepared to every other yer in the game. Yet just by getting the Hero ss at level 800 and levelling it to level 1000 (total of 200 levels) they will get more than enough topensate for all the disadvantage they had to suffer up to level 800. Ultimately making them stronger than average level 1000s. (So if 200 levels of Hero is capable of making up 700 levels of disadvantage - yes 700 not 800, it¡¯s a MMO logic... imagine how many stats Sei can get with 1000 levels of the same Hero ss)

    So... Ruphas is saying the ss is so busted that if they had the ss from level 1, just by levelling it to level 1000, without buffing/doping, they would be able to match her stats which was doped to the extreme.

    [10] Raw is slightly different for these 2 sentences here, but I don¡¯t know how to word so it¡¯s been changed a bit. It has pretty much the same meaning.

    [11] Sakayaki is a partially shaved hairstyle for men during the Edo period. "https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%95%E3%81%8B%E3%82%84%E3%81%8D".

    [12] Reference to Mario

    [13] I think G stands for cockroach. Since it¡¯s Gokiburi in Japanese.. Raw: [ÌØ¤Ë£Ç¤ä¥Ï¥¨¤ÎÏxÈË¤ÏÄ§Îï¤Ç¤¢¤Ã¤Æ¤âÌÓ¤²¤ë¥ì¥Ù¥ë¤Ç¥­¥â¥¤¡£]

    __

 Chapter 74

    Chapter 74 - Virgo, I Choose You

    Raw link: (25/04/2016)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (12/05/2019)

    Editor 1: Keii (13/05/2019)

    Editor 2: Hand of Va (13/05/2019)

    Trantion link:

    __

    Update 1: ETA for chapter 75 is 20/05/2019

    Update 2: .... Please ignore footnote 9 ?? ahaha ^^;;;;;;;;

    <i>Va/Kei: "Tp, I think your footnote 9 is irrelevant, going off topic and too long, besides I don¡¯t think the colours are ever fixed in games."</i>

    <i>Tp: "Ehh... I was bored and I¡¯ve already written them >.<"</i>

    Request: Please consider whitelisting the website from adblocker apps, I will really appreciate it, thank you >.<

    __

    Once we finished registering, we decided to return to Tanaka to pass the night.

    We had thought about staying at an inn. However, in this country, even the inns were nothing more than tents. Therefore, we did not think it would befortable to stay in them.

    It might havee down to an innate difference with the beastkin. Nevertheless, I believed it would have been more profitable for them to have created dwellings that better suited other humanoid travellers.[1]

    By this moment, Virgo had retired to bed early and Aries was already deep within a dream.

    I got out of Tanaka for no particr reason other than to enjoy the night wind and tried to work my brain which I tended not to use to ponder on some things.

    What I was pondering on was this country¡¯s defence.

    Laevateinn had Alioth¡¯s barrier. Svalinn had Levia and Gjarhorn had Merak¡¯s Coercion.

    And as for Blutgang, the capital itself was a moving fortress which was further protected by the mass-produced Libra models.

    Which meant that this country must also have some significant form of defence.

    If I were to think about it, although whatever was serving as the defensive mechanism might currently be on our side, it would be wise for me to think about the possibility of them turning into an enemy.

    After all, for the citizens of this country, there was no significant difference between the demons and I. There was no doubt that they thought of both of us as a menace.

    Which meant that the chance of the defensive mechanism of this country baring its fangs at us was not insignificant.

    I did not think for a moment that we would be unable to handle it if such a thing urred. However, the problem was when those fangs were directed at Virgo.

    Thinking about such a situation, it was not wrong of me to think of a way to protect her.

    <i>.... For now... I think I will just get some information out of Dina when I have the time. Although she is a shady character, 90% of the information that she said had been correct.</i>

    "Master."

    I heard a voice from behind me.

    Without having to turn around, I knew the owner of the voice.

    I continued to look forward and called out the name of the subordinate to which the voice belonged.

    "Libra. What is it?"

    "I had a matter that I wanted to discuss with the master."

    As Libra said that, she came to stand next to me.

    Her weight was iparable to how she looked. However, it was because of that reason that her smooth and elegant set of movements, which did not make others able to sense her true weight, was quite impressive.

    From the side, Libra was making a troubled face..... Never mind, it was the same as always.

    Whilst having the exact same expression as usual, she started speaking in a slightly more serious tone.

    "I will cut straight to the chase. Exactly what kind of person is that woman called Dina? Although I have yet to recover the corrupted data, I have at least been able to deduce that she was not there 200 years ago."

    "..... So you had already noticed."

    "Yes. Also, that master had long noticed that fact and was hiding it from us."

    I had thought I hid it quite well, however, it seemed it was out in the open.

    Others aside, it seemed reasonable that I would not be able to keep it hidden from Libra for long.

    Not to mention I was horrible at acting. Above everything else, I was quite stupid.

    I gave off a sarcasticugh before trailing off, and moved my eyes away from the loyal subordinate who did not me me.

    "Looks like I treated you guys unjustly."[2]

    "There is no problem. I am sure that master also had things on her mind. Nevertheless, if I am to advise master on the subject, I believe it is important that I also know the details of such an important matter."

    I took a quick nce at Libra and thought about it a little.

    Currently, amongst my subordinates, Libra was probably the one that I could trust the most. After all, she could not be mind controlled.

    In other words, whether it was the Goddess or Dina, it would be impossible for them to manipte Libra.

    Which meant that even if the Goddess thought Libra was a nuisance, there was no way to control her.

    The worst case scenario was if the fact that "golems cannot be mind controlled" was nothing more than a sham or a bluff. However, I did not believe such would be the case.

    If that was the case, rather than create such a roundabout bluff, it would have been much easier and quicker to control Libra and gain my trust.

    The fact that such a thing did not happen meant that it could not be done.

    "Hmm... I suppose it¡¯s fine to inform you of what¡¯s going on. Having said that, in all honesty, I also haven¡¯t been able to fully grasp her real identity. Although she was one of the 7 Luminaries for the demons, she¡¯s clearly not a demon, after all."

    "I suppose so. The moment that she was able to use divine magic, she can no longer be of demon or vampire background. However, with all that knowledge, what could she really be?"

    "From what I believe, it can be certain that she has some form of connection with the Goddess. I just don¡¯t know if the rtionship she has with the Goddess is simr to Parthenos or something much closer... or perhaps, she¡¯s even the Goddess herself. I just don¡¯t know."

    Yes, at this point, I was convinced that my conjecture was true.

    It was certain that Dina and the Goddess were not unrted. They were connected to each other in one way or another in the background.

    At the end of figuring out her secret will be the Goddess.

    What I did not know was the extent to which they were rted to each other.

    Whether her rtionship with the Goddess was of the same standing as what Parthenos had to the Goddess in the past. Or whether she was someone far closer to the Goddess, one of the Goddess¡¯s close confidants.

    Or whether... she was the Goddess¡¯s avatar herself.

    I simplycked too much information to make a determination.

    "Master. She is dangerous. I believe it is most appropriate to restrain her as soon as possible and put her under interrogation."

    "Don¡¯t be too hasty! Even if you do such a thing, she can just teleport and run away from us. And once she runs away, we will no longer have a way to find her."

    ".... Are you suggesting we continue to let her get away with what she¡¯s doing?"

    "I wonder. It could very well be us that¡¯s been allowed to get away with doing whatever we want. Whichever and whatever it is, currently she¡¯s the only lead we have towards the Goddess. To let that go would be too hasty of a move, don¡¯t you think?"

    At this moment, Dina probably thought that I was dancing on the palm of her hand. However, I believed there was something not even Dina had managed to figure out.

    And that would be¡ªto what extent I had "returned" already.

    This point alone could only be fully known by myself. After all, she had previously tried to check by asking, "Are you really a yer?"

    Now that I thought back on it, that line was most likely used to determine how much of me had returned.

    Although it was embarrassing of me to say this, the original me would never havee to doubt Dina in the first ce.

    The mere fact that I was able to think in this way and suspect others meant that the way I thought now was no longer how "I" used to think.

    Looking at this from another perspective, there was the merit of the other side not being able to figure out how much they were being suspected as long as I continued to maintain how I used to act on the surface.

    As such, for the time being, it was fine with how things were going.

    It was fine to continue being the whimsical me who did not think things through.

    "And you know, if I were to assume that she waspletely our enemy, it raises some baffling points."

    "Baffling points?"

    "Yeah. It¡¯s true that she¡¯d been moving and manipting me towards her desired oue the way she wants. There¡¯s no mistake in that. But... at this moment in time, there hasn¡¯t been a single demerit that she has brought me. As a matter of fact, all of her actions have been in my favour. That¡¯s what I can¡¯tprehend."

    <i>To give me more benefits, to hide the demerits</i>. If it was something like that, I could understand.

    But that was not how it was. There was not a single demerit whatsoever.

    The reunion with Aries at Svalinn. The retrieval of Libra at the Royal Tomb.

    Aigokeros¡¯s return at Gjarhorn.The collection of Karkinos and Scorpius at Blutgang.

    And restoring the rtionship with the 7 Heroes at all of the cities I had visited thus far. Everything had been for my benefit.

    .... Wasn¡¯t that weird? Wasn¡¯t Ruphas Mafahl a nuisance for the Goddess?

    Wasn¡¯t that why she manipted the 7 Heroes and made them seal Ruphas Mafahl 200 years ago?

    If so, for what reason would she strengthen such a weakened enemy at this point in time? That was what I could not understand at all.

    This was the reason which was making me unable to prove the already 90% certain hypothesis that "Dina = The Goddess¡¯s Avatar".[3]

    <i>Do not reach premature conclusions. Do not cloud yourself with suspicions. Scrutinise the information more closely with aposed state of mind. </i>

    That was the hesitation and warning which kept ringing in my head.

    I believed I had definitely overlooked something.

    "I can¡¯t exin it well..... I feel as though it¡¯s a wrong choice to corner Dina at this point in time."

    "You feel...? That is ambiguous."

    "I know. But give me some more time."

    I wondered what it was. Although I could not figure out why, I felt that it was not yet time to use Dina.

    Almost all of the pieces had already lined up, and the full picture for the jigsaw puzzle was already showing.

    Even without the remaining pieces, it was at the point where one could imagine the final image using the pieces which had already been arranged.

    However, it was still very possible that by finding the remaining pieces and actuallypleting the puzzle, the final image turns out to be a <i>trompe l¡¯oeil</i>?.[4] If I were to analogise it to something, that was what I was feeling.

    "...... Understood. If that is what master desires, I shallply."

    "I appreciate it, Libra."[5]

    "There is no problem, I am master¡¯s tool.[6] As such, I only exist to support what master desires with all my ability. Even if that turns out to be a wrong choice in the end, it is my role to shatter the concept of the wrong choice."

    "Pleasingly dependable."

    Indeed, I really had such a dependable subordinate.

    The problem was whether she would be too dependable and blow up everything in my path into oblivion.

    In any event, it really was getting chilly. I suppose it was already time for me to go to sleep.

    *

    The day of the hunting festival.

    Rays of light which must have been fired by magic or something were lighting up the sky in a flower pattern just like a firework. Additionally, at the audience seats, many different species were bustling with excitement whilst asking when the festival was going to begin.

    Fortunately, the audience seats were not tents but rows of seats arranged like what you would see at the screening of a movie.

    At the front of that was a stupidlyrge screen-like thing, which everyone in the audience was looking at.

    .... I thought this world didn¡¯t have anything like a camera? How were they going to disy things?

    "Ahh, that¡¯s a mana screen created by Mizar before he passed away. By using the mana in the air as a medium, it¡¯s able to disy what is happening in the distance. Simr technology is also being utilised in Blutgang as those within are apparently able to see what¡¯s happening on the outside. Though, I¡¯ve heard that because it was too much of a ck box, unfortunately, nobody has been able to replicate the product after he passed away."[7]

    Mizar again, huh.

    As I listened to Dina¡¯s exnation, I was looking up at the sky.

    Why was he the only one who was able to far surpass the civilisation level of Midgard?

    <i>You were actually a modern Japanese person, weren¡¯t you?</i> - I really wanted to say something like that.

    If he was to reply that he had no modern knowledge and waspletely from this world, then he had absolutely been born in the wrong age and world.

    "At this point, everything¡¯s a go for you, huh, you bearded guy."

    As I was feeling exasperated, I beckoned for Virgo toe towards me.

    She was about to go participate in a short while. However, if anything were to happen to her, I would not have the face to meet with Parthenos again.

    As such, although it might have been an overkill for this festival, I had gotten Dina to bring a weapon from the tower.

    Notwithstanding that it was a hand-me-down weapon which I was using around mid-level, it should still be an effective equipment for now.

    "Ruphas-sama, what is this?"

    "It¡¯s a sword I used in the past. The name of the sword is La Pucelle and it¡¯s able to utilise the mana in the environment to discharge a light attribute arcane magic.[8] It¡¯s quite an excellent weapon which used to be favoured by the flugels who are unable to use arcane magic."

    The flugels were unable to use arcane magic.

    However, within the game, as if it was a promised or a standard concept, there were weapons which could bring out the same effect as arcane magic just by being used.

    This weapon just happened to be one of those and its rarity was also one of the higher tiers.[9]

    I was also taken care of by this weapon at the early and mid-game.

    Though, by the time I passed level 500, it was much better to use my own attack skills than to rely on these effects, so I ended up leaving it in the inventory and forgetting about it.

    Having said that, for the current Virgo, it should still be of much use.

    The problem was... whether in this world, the flugels actually hated mana because they would die if they were exposed to too much of it. Back in the game, the background lore was such that flugels were unable to use mana because they would die if done so.

    Nevertheless, the associated death was nothing more than a background setting.

    This was why, back in the game, one was able to see flugel yers casually show up at Helheim, which was filled with mana, without consideration and in contradiction with the background setting. This weapon also happened to be a popr weapon.

    However, flugels of this world instinctively hated mana.

    As such, if Virgo were to find this weapon repulsive, I had also prepared an alternative weapon for her.

    In that case, although it might be a little overkill, I was thinking about handing her the spear I greatly favoured when I was around level 500.

    However, it seemed all these worries were a wasted consideration as Virgo looked at me with such a glistering smile that even flowers might start blooming.

    "Thank you very much Ruphas-sama! I¡¯ll definitelye back as the winner!"

    Great! It looked like a bullseye.

    Behind me, Scorpius was literally burning the surrounding grass with the mes of jealousy, however, I did not have any intention to give her my hand-me-down.

    I was scared that if I were to give her something, she might end up using it for some weird purpose.

    <i></i>

    <i>Or more like, Scorpius, don¡¯t be literally releasing mes! It¡¯s a nuisance to the surroundings.</i>

    "Virgo. A sword alone iscking firepower. From me, I would like to give this anti-golem cannon...."

    "Stop it, Libra."

    Although I did not know if she was feelingpetitive or really thought it wascking firepower, I chopped the top of Libra¡¯s head who was trying to give something like a rocketuncher to Virgo.

    Hey you, that¡¯s clearly an overkill item that was going to blow up the area.

    <i>Or more like, where did you even take out something like that?</i>

    "Please take care, okay, Virgo? If it gets dangerous, just quickly call for us, okay?! I¡¯ll quickly fly to you with Mesarthim!"

    "If it¡¯s me, I can plunge all of the participants into utter despair and incapacitate them. If you require it, just say so."

    "Araa~, what about I try dispersing the whole ce with poison? If I do that, you¡¯ll be able to win easily, you know?"

    "Then <i>me </i>will....."

    Although Aries and the others were saying some dangerous stuff, Karkinos alone could note up with anything.

    He thought about it quite seriously and eventually cupped his head.[10]

    "Karkinos, you run slowly so you won¡¯t make it in time to help."

    "You can¡¯t use either ranged attacks or support magic so..."

    "Honestly, aren¡¯t cha just an ipetent fool that¡¯s limited to defence and countering?"

    "You can¡¯t do anything other than be a shield, right?"

    "<i>N o o o o o o o!!?</i>"

    Aries, Aigokeros, Scorpius and Dina did not even hold back at all and shattered Karkinos¡¯s heart one after another.

    <i>Oi, stop it. Though what you¡¯re saying is true, he¡¯s the best amongst the 12 Stars when ites to being the shield</i>.

    <i>.... Aaah, but yeah, this guy... he really has no role outside of being a shield.</i>

    __

    (Author note)

    [The definition of humanoid in this world]

    With the human race as the baseline, humanoids are those races that do not differ too much in appearance and could coexist with others like them.

    Due to this definition, even though creatures like mermaids and centaurs could co-exist with the other humanoids, they are currently ssified and treated as magical beasts. There is still a debate to this day whether the term "humanoids" should be extended to include those species.

    Additionally, the opinions regarding the giraffe species beastkin vary; one says they differ too much from the shape of the human and the other says if it¡¯s just the neck, it should not be a problem.

    Furthermore, there are even those with opinions like, "this doesn¡¯t work, after all," because they¡¯re unable to get into houses due to their long necks (or otherwise, able to get inside but pierces the ceiling due to their long necks). Because of this, their position was constantly being threatened.

    (Author note)

    __

    [1] Raw only had "human" but I thought "other humanoids" better suited the context.

    [2] Raw says "Apologies" but in a tone from a higher position of power. English doesn¡¯t really have one so I changed it around a little to suit Ruphas¡¯s speech.

    [3] The raw uses uses =, it¡¯s notzy trantion.

    [4] Raw: [ò_¤·½}] - "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trompe-l%27%C5%93il".

    [5] Again, raw says "apologies" (from higher position) but I changed it to "I appreciate it" because I can¡¯t think of an English equivalent and it better fit the context, whilst following the tone/speech pattern of Ruphas.

    [6] Raw says "I don¡¯t mind" - changed to "there is no problem".

    [7] ckbox = "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ck_box".

    [8] La Pucelle = Joan of Arc. Apparently also means Virgo/maiden in French. "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_of_Arc".

    [9] (This footnote is irrelevant to the story, please feel free to skip)

    In MMOs, there are corresponding "tiers" to weapon, even if it¡¯s the same level equipment or same weapon. The colour and name of the tier depends on the game but usually it¡¯s something along the line of:

    ¨C White (normal/trash/broken)

    ¨C Green (good/normalmon)

    ¨C Blue (great/rare/umon)

    ¨C Yellow (excellent/very rare)

    ¨C Purple (great/unique/epic)

    ¨C Gold (.... I have way too many in this list and I ran out of the stuff in the bracket - most game don¡¯t have this many tiers xD)

    ¨C Orange (unique/legendary)

    This is just an example so don¡¯te kill me if your game has different matching (though I¡¯d be interested to see them in thement section just because I got nothing better to read), but as a basic concept, the higher the tier, the harder it is to obtain and the more "lines" it has (if you don¡¯t get it don¡¯t worry about it) and the higher the specs. Ruphas is saying this weapon is of a higher tier. I¡¯m guessing purple or gold tier, since that¡¯s the mostmon tier that yers in the game use (or whatever the equivalent of one tier under legendary is).

    [10] NotLikeThis / NotLikeBlob.

    __

 Chapter 75

    Chapter 75 - A Wild Carnivorous Dinosaur Appeared[1]

    Raw link: (01/05/2016)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (18/05/2019)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (20/05/2019)

    Editor 2: N/A

    Trantion link:

    __

    Update 1: ETA for chapter 76 is 25 May 2019

    Update 2: I would like to say sorry for all the dys. Next chapter will be myst chapter until chapter 87es around as Va will be taking over with the releases from me starting chapter 77 while I go off to exam ??

    Request: Please consider whitelisting the website from adblocker apps, I will really appreciate it, thank you >.<

    __

    There were a few minutes left until the start of the hunting festival.

    With a nervous looking face, Virgo strongly held onto the sword whilst waiting for the festival to start amongst the other participants.

    She felt that there were only strong looking people around her and were greatly feeling out of ce.

    A muscr man was holding a gigantic battleaxe and a weird man, dressedpletely in ck, was posing with a "fuu".

    There were also a martial artist who was clearly over two metres in height and a random chubby human with a single piece of white loincloth around his crotch.[2]

    There were also knights with full te armours which made one feel that they were strong.

    "<i>Now, it is finally nearing the time for the start of Draupnir hunting festival! I would like to dedicate this time to reiterate the rules again! ...Is what I would like to say, but the rules are very simple. It is to hunt and hunt and hunt the magical beasts that have been released throughout the capital! That is the one and only rule!</i>

    <i>Each magical beast is individually assigned a point corresponding to its strength and the brave warrior who has gained the most amount of points after the time limit of one hour will be crowned the champion!</i>

    <i>Oh, yes, excuse me for thete introduction, I am Chiron, who will be reporting live.</i>"[3]

    It was a voice amplification arcane magic, or perhaps divine magic.

    The voice of a person who called himself the live reporter rang throughout the ce. Virgo turned to face towards thementary box and she found a very gentle looking man sitting there.[4]

    Next to the man was a tiger beastkin who looked quite strong.

    "This time, we have invited this country¡¯s pride, the strongest man on the continent, the Sword Saint, Friedrich, as amentator! Sword Saint-san, please enlighten us!"

    "Roarrrrrrrr!"

    "Common Midgardnguage is OK."

    To the tiger¡¯s unique joke, the stadium felt some excitement.

    It was most probably his way to relieve everyone¡¯s nervousness.

    People thought that once one became known as the Sword Saint, he probably would know a way to relieve the nervousness.

    "Now then, the time for the curtains to be drawn is finally upon us! Is everyone ready? Now get to your position, and...... STARRRTTTT!"

    The reporter¡¯s voice indicating the start of the hunting festival rang. At the same time, some form of arcane magic must have been fired as a loud and explosive round could be heard.

    All the participants started running to take the lead and Virgo also ran with all her might so that she would not be left behind.

    When she did that, she reached the very front in a sh.

    Wait, what? - Although she thought in this way, this was just a matter of course. There was simply too much difference in their levels and statuses.

    Could everyone be holding back because they¡¯re being considerate of others? - Thinking along those lines, Virgo looked back as she ran at the very front.

    Having said all that, this festival was not a runningpetition. It was a festival on how many magical beasts could be hunted.

    The participants each used their own instincts and experiences to find and run towards spots that magical beasts might gather leading them to scattered in all directions.

    And in front of Virgo was a magical beast with the height of over two metres and a face that looked like it was trying to say "I¡¯m strong, you know?", blocking the way.

    Green skin with a well-trained muscle. It was a creature wearing a loincloth.

    It was one of the demi-humanoids species called the hobgoblin.

    "Gobugobu!"

    The hobgoblin was most probably underestimating Virgo who appeared weak.

    With a creepy smile, it slowly closed in on Virgo.

    On the other hand, Virgo was not confident in her own strength.

    Although there was a saying that the frog in the well did not know that an ocean existed, the well that she lived in was filled with nothing but monsters who could scatter that giant ocean into oblivion.

    As a consequence, she did not know her own strength.

    Even then, the reason she did not falter was that her master had an expectation out of her.

    She could not do such a disgraceful thing like run away even after getting gifted a sword.

    "Yaaaaaaa!"

    Thinking in that way, she charged in with a desperate feeling.

    She thrust her sword and pointed it towards the hobgoblin¡¯s chest.

    When she did so, the hobgoblin was pierced without the slightest bit of resistance and copsed onto the ground without even being able to raise its voice.

    "Participant number 760, Virgo! 8 points obtained!"

    "Eh?"

    Due to how easily she won, Virgo became a little befuddled. She then slowly and nervously approached and nudged the hobgoblin¡¯s corpse.

    However, she did not get a reaction from it. She noticed that there was not a shred of sign of it resuscitating and that it truly was dead.

    Looking at the situation, Virgo finally realised that she had won and thought about what was going on a little.

    (Could it be..... The monsters in this hunting festivals are all extremely weak?)

    In actuality, it¡¯s not that the monsters are weak but I¡¯m strong - she was still unable to think in this way.

    However, she thought that things would work out somehow if the enemies were weak.

    Without realising that she was under some weird misunderstanding, she stood up and motivated herself.

    If it¡¯s something like this, I can do it! Even if I can¡¯t win, I can still fight to the degree of not embarrassing everyone!

    Virgo batted her white wings and danced straight into the air.

    The act of flying itself was not excluded by the rule. To fly in the air was also judged as one of the skills.

    Virgo looked for a magical beast from the air and once she chose the nearest magical beast as her target, she elerated straight to that wolf type magical beast.

    Right past the side in a straight line!

    She sliced the magical beast in half and flew right back up into the air.

    "Participant Virgo, 6 points obtained!"

    This time she chose the bird type magical beast in slightly a distance away as her target.

    Although there was some distance between her and the magical beast, Virgo currently had a sword which was entrusted to her by Ruphas.

    By pouring power into La Pucelle, Virgo was able to fire a white de-like thing from the tip of the sword, allowing her to shred the bird which was still some distance away.

    "Participant Virgo, 7 points obtained!"

    Without reducing her speed, this time, she was able to find a pack of goblins.

    With the height of around 150 centimetres, there were two ordinary goblins holding onto clubs as well as a rare species of goblin which held a staff and used magic¡ªa goblin magician. Thus there were three enemies in total.

    Virgo quickly elerated and dived into the middle of them, whereby she swung her sword around. With this single swing, she was able to cull two of them.

    Towards Virgo who was flying away, the magician fired a fireball at her back. Nevertheless, without even turning around, she was able to avoid the attack by dodging to the side.

    She became upside down in the air and released a de of light from her sword at the magician.

    "Participant Virgo, 20 points obtained!"

    I can do it, I can win!

    After reaching this point, Virgo had finally started thinking for the first time that she could actually be strong.

    However, as she thought in that way, the first thing that came to her mind was the appearance of her colleagues.

    In her mind was a scenario of what if any one of her colleagues had participated in this hunting festival... for example, what if someone like Libra had participated.

    Within Virgo¡¯s mind was a picture of Libra equipped with machine guns and bazookas whilst roaming around a burning grasnd and turning the country of Draupnir into a scorched ruin, murdering every magical beast which could be spotted.

    Ah, yea it¡¯s impossible. I¡¯m actually just weak.

    Although it was merely that the standard ofparison was horrible, she was not able to notice that fact.

    In any event, as one of Ruphas-sama¡¯s group member, I have to at least put enough effort in to not embarrass the others.

    Thinking along those lines, Virgo flew into the air without even noticing that she was the also flying high in the point¡¯s board.

    *

    "Participant Virgo, 5 points obtained!"

    "Participant Virgo, 9 points obtained!"

    "Participant Virgo, 8 points obtained!"

    What¡¯s with that girl, she¡¯s hell strong.

    As he... the Hero Sei, shivered with such a thought, he was desperately trying to defeat a magical beast.

    He knew who the currently peerless young girl called Virgo was already.

    It was the cute white-winged girl from the group with weird getups.

    Even before themencement of the festival, her white wings stood out, causing Sei to feel surprised that she was going to participate. Additionally, as she was clearly nervous, Sei was burning with a sense of justice, thinking that he would go rescue her if things were to ever be dangerous for her. It would not be fair to say that there was an ulterior motive. Even Sei was a man.

    However, he was too na?ve in his thoughts. Or rather, he was too pretentious.

    Help? ... Exactly help who?

    Help the person who had been flying around in the air and wiping out the magical beasts using a "hit and run" tactics?

    You must be kidding with me. That girl¡¯s leagues above me. Or more like, she¡¯s probably the strongest amongst all the participants in this festival.

    He wondered what the nervousness from before was. Perhaps to camouge her strength?

    It was amon trope in the fantasy genre to have a person who looked weak but was actually strong. However, she was on a very bad end of that. Sei thought that she could even have been stronger than the Sword Saint.

    Although in his head, he thought that could not be possible, however, one could not help but think in that way when they looked at her.

    Ah, this time she defeated a wyvern.

    The pseudo-dragons were apparently weaker than the real dragons, but they were still scary monsters which levelled over 80.

    Although it was not relevant to what he was thinking about, Sei was currently level 35. He was at the point where he could easily be one shotted by that young girl.

    Or more like, I want to cry because it¡¯s so hard to level up in this world.

    Normally, it should be a scenario where I can easily level up quickly... shouldn¡¯t it?

    In the light novels that he had previously read in the past, as opposed to everyone else, the main character alone was able to unreasonably level up super quickly and enjoy an easy life using dumb cheats.

    "Participant Virgo, 12 points obtained!"

    "Participant Bunny Dandy, 3 points obtained!"

    "Participant Bikini Muscle, 7 points obtained!"

    Participants¡¯ names were announced one after another, causing Sei to start feeling impatient.

    Not good. At this rate, I can forget about bing one of the high ranks. I can see myself ranking near the bottom.

    In practice, Sei was barely managing to hang onto what would be considered a high ranking, however, the person himself did not seem to think that way.

    Sei swung his sword as if he was possessed, striking down the magical beast with the movement.

    Nevertheless, he still had hesitation in snatching someone¡¯s life away. One might ask why he was still dragging such a feeling of hesitation around, however, to pluck another¡¯s life away was still a harsh thing for a formerly Japanese person.

    All the more so if the enemy happened to be a cute puppy type magical beast.

    Oi stop it, don¡¯te this way. I actually like puppies a lot.

    Don¡¯t wag your tail around. Don¡¯te towards me using only your hind legs<i>.<strong>[5]</strong> Don¡¯t follow me from behind.</i>

    Thinking along those lines, Sei was continuing to desperately fight against it. At that moment, he was pulled back to sanity as he heard a shriek from a distance.

    "Wh, what?"

    <i>Could there be a strong magical beast on that side?</i>

    He turned his head to the direction of the shriek as he considered that thought.

    Subsequently, Sei froze from what he saw.

    In the direction of his eyes.... In the grasnd few hundred metres away from him, something big existed.

    It was a raging [Dinosaur] big enough that he could clearly see even from such a distance away.

    <i>"Ah, an ident! There is an ident! The dinosaur Dinogiganto who has the surrounding forest as its territory hase out and intruded onto the arena! Everyone, please don¡¯t fight with that. That thing is not a target in this hunting festival!"</i>

    <i>¡ª What the hell, the dinosaurs exist in this world?!</i>

    Sei¡¯s face turned pale as he looked at the raging dinosaur in the distance.

    He did not know whether they were categorised as a magical beast or a living creature, however, he could at least see that it was a monster which was clearly iparable to the magical beasts used for the festival.

    After all, the dinosaur was eating the magical beasts of all things.

    All the magical beasts were running away from the dinosaur and this even included the pseudo-dragons who had lost the will to fight.

    Its appearance of chasing down and devouring those magical beasts was truly a depiction of the predator. It was truly a portrayal of those that stood in the upper echelon of the food pyramid.

    The biggest problem at this moment was that it also saw the humanoids as its prey.

    Currently, there were no victims amongst the travellers and the adventurers, however, if things continued like this, it was only a matter of time.

    If someone did not try and stop the raging monster, it was certain that there would be victims.

    And this horrible situation was about to be a reality. A female adventurer believed to be a participant was currently on her bottom, trembling right in front of the dinosaur.

    <i>Not good!</i> - Such a thing was obvious to any onlookers. If she was to be left alone, she would definitely be eaten.

    "Shit!"

    Sei swore out loud and started running towards the location of the dinosaur.

    For some reason, the dog also followed behind him.

    The amount of time left until the dinosaur finished eating the current magical beast was at most, a few seconds. In this time period, he had to get to the location and drag the female adventurer, who was on her bottom, out of where she was.

    Fight it? Stop joking. Sei knew his own ce.

    He knew that the best he could do would be to gain enough time and allow others to run away sessfully until the warriors who could fight the beast were dispatched.

    He knew that as long as he bought enough time, Friedrich and Gants would likely arrive on the scene. When that happened, there would be a chance of winning.

    "Oi, hurry up and run! Stand up right now!"

    Sei who had somehow managed to reach the ce in time grabbed on the woman¡¯s arm to pull her up.

    However, the woman did not budge and merely shook her head.

    "I, I can¡¯t... my knees are feeling weak and..."

    "Tsk, can¡¯t be helped!"

    At this point, Sei immediate decided to carry the woman and run away from the ce.

    Nevertheless, it was a fruitless attempt.

    Heavy.

    It was not the woman who was heavy, but the armour on her which was heavy.

    Additionally, her sword was also heavy.

    With so much weight around, it was not possible for him to carry her and run away.

    "Oi, leave your armour and sword behind! I can¡¯t carry you around like this?"

    "Bu, but these are expensive and... I haven¡¯t even managed returned the loan I made to buy them and..."

    "Is this really the time to be saying things like that!?"

    Time was of the essence at that moment.

    They had to run away from the ce before <i>Dinogiganto</i> finished eating the magical beast.

    However, it was toote. The dinosaur had already swallowed the magical beast and turned its direction towards them.

    Judging that it was already impossible to run away, Sei drew his katana and entered into abat stance and provoked the dinosaur.[6]

    Perhaps his decision to not abandon the woman at this point in time could be attributed to Sei¡¯s manliness.

    Although this courageous action was not reciprocated by the woman at all as she quickly chose to leave Sei behind and run away.

    "GIGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

    The dinosaur roared and started heading towards Sei.

    Fast and heavy.

    <i></i>

    <i>Even though the ground shakes every time it takes a step, what is up with that speed?</i>

    Sei held his katana firmly in position and patiently studied the movements of the dinosaur to avoid getting killed.

    <i>The thing I have to look out for is its mouth! I have to dodge its bites before anything else.</i>

    <i>And if I can somehow manage to hit its feet, running away won¡¯t be impossible.</i>

    - Right at that moment, a white shadow came between the dinosaur and Sei.

    She swung the sword in her hands and the wind pressure blew the dinosaur away.

    The pure white wings battered, creaking an image of a white angel descending in front of him.

    Using hindsight, he was able to figure out that she was not an angel but a flugel instead. However, at the time of the event, Sei had without a doubt saw her existence as an angel.

    __

    (Author note)

    Sei: "Main heroine finally came out!? Am I also finally going to be able to enjoy my youth at chapter 75!?"

    Ruphas: "Hou?" Entering former Ruphas mode.

    Aries: "Hehh?" Turning into a giant sheep.

    Aigokeros: "Are you ogling at our newbie???" Turning into a giant demon.

    Scorpius: "Aren¡¯t you quite bold?" Turning into a giant scorpion.

    Libra: "I assume from that statement, that you have already prepared yourself for death?" Equipping Astraea.

    Sei: " "

    (Author note end)

    TLN: "Press F for Sei. :¡¯D"

    __

    [1] Slightly different from the raw: "A Wild Last Boss Jumped Out"

    [2] Err.... Something like a loincloth... but yea... google it if you want an actual raw one... (¥Õ¥ó¥É¥·Ò»¶¡) though... I won¡¯t rmend searching it if you¡¯re around other people. :3

    [3] The centaur: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiron".

    [4] "".

    [5] Something like this;

    "".

    [6] Commonly, provoke/intimidate or whatever name the developerse up with are "aggro" gaining skills in MMO. Long story short, it pulls the enemy¡¯s attention towards the user so that the enemy will attack them instead of the allies.

    __

 Chapter 76

    Chapter 76 - The Hero¡¯s Sand Attack[1]

    Raw link: (02/05/2016)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (24/05/2019)

    Editor 1: Keii (24/05/2019)

    Editor 2: Hand of Va (25/05/2019)

    Trantion link:

    __

    Update 1: So... I messed up the formattingst few chapters in my final edit and all the italicised texts were turned into normal texts. (Though the author doesn¡¯t italicise them... so... it¡¯s probably closer to raw that way xD).

    Update 2: I will be away on exam next few weeks <strong><i><u>so I¡¯m passing the baton off to Va early this time</u></i></strong>. Please wish me luck and I hope to see you all next time my chapters roll around, though I will still be editing Va¡¯s chapters. (Originally, I thought I could speed trante my chapters, but with three jobs and full-time study it looked like I was dreaming >.< sorry for all the dys this batch. ?? )

    Update 3: Please be respectful to each other in thement section.

    Request: Please consider whitelisting the website from adblocker apps, I will really appreciate it, thank you >.<

    __

    In this world, outside of the humanoids, living existences with flesh couldrgely be divided into [Animals] and [Magical Beasts].

    Animals were those who were not influenced by mana and maintained their appearances, whereas magical beasts were those who had been transformed after being influenced.

    And ordinarily speaking, in terms of strength, magical beasts outssed animals.

    For example, if a domestic cat and a tiger were to fight, one would not need to think too hard to figure out that the tiger woulde out victorious.

    However, if that cat was transformed under the influence of mana, it might very well turn out to be the winner.

    A transformation with mana had the capacity to bring out powers within animals which would otherwise have never been able to awaken such powers.

    Nevertheless, in the world of Midgard, there were monsters among animals which tantly ignored such a fundamental concept.

    And those were the dinosaurs. These ancient monsters had long existed in this world far before the humanoids came to being.

    Withplete disregard to the phenomenon called mana, they were fearful monsters which screamed that the strong were called strong because they were strong, and saw all those around themselves as nothing more than prey.

    Humanoids were its prey, magical beasts were its prey, others of its own kind were its prey and even the demons were its prey.

    It was a naturally strong existence which saw everything else as its target for predation. That was the carnivorous dinosaurs.

    As a consequence, in the world of Midgard, they were feared more than the demons and, in some ways, hated more than the demons.

    Although their numbers were dramatically reduced by Ruphas Mafahl 200 years ago, they still existed up to this date and spread fear around the world.

    And even amongst those carnivorous dinosaurs, there were those that were particrly feared above the rest.

    The one who inhabited the North, <i>Dinorex</i>.

    The one who inhabited the West, <i>Dinoacrocanth</i>.

    The one who inhabited the East, <i>Dinotarbo</i>.

    Andstly, the one who inhabited the South, <i>Dinogiganto</i>.[2]

    Although there were numerous dinosaurs who were considered dangerous, the ones which were a head above the others on the danger scale were these four.

    And at this moment, one of those four was blocking the path while standing in front of Sei.

    Its length was approximately 13 metres and its weight was approximately 13 tonnes. Without a doubt, it was a monster.

    Inparison, our side consisted of two individuals: an inexperienced newbie hero and a young flugel girl.

    Looking at them from the sidelines, however one thought about it, it was not a situation where even a fight could be established. Even calling it reckless was too much of a leeway.

    However, the participants of the festival were not limited to these two individuals.

    After finding out about the existence of the dinosaur, several adventurers and travellers quickly came to aid Sei and Virgo.

    "Fu... dinosaur, huh. I¡¯ll take care of it in five seconds!"

    The full-body ck-cloaked cool warrior stood at the front and drew his sword.

    Even the de was jet ck in colour and showed off his bad taste.

    He continued to give off an atmosphere of a strong individual as his mantle fluttered around and brazenly approached <i>Dinogiganto</i>.

    Was this it? The scenario where an unknown and strong character suddenly and coolly entered and struck the enemy down?

    Under such expectations, Sei wished all the best to the pitch ck warrior.

    "Under my justice - you shall wither. Secret Sword Technique -ck Shadow Flowing de!"[3]

    Pitch ck-san shouted out some questionably cool sounding technique in a low voice and swung at <i>Dinogiganto</i>.

    Subsequently, he was blown away somewhere by the tail whilst screaming, "Ooufff!?"

    The total duration was precisely five seconds long.

    <i></i>

    <i>What¡¯s the point of </i>you<i> getting taken care of in five seconds?!</i>

    "Looks like it has some strength."

    Following pitch ck, the bearded rabbit-eared wrestler-like muscr man went out in front whilst cracking his knuckles.

    Even after seeing the <i>Dinogiganto¡¯s</i> body and the instant K.O. which had just happened, he still did not falter.

    It was an atmosphere of aplete veteran who had absolute confidence in himself.

    And so he ran to the foot of the <i>Dinogiganto</i> and grabbed the thick foot with both of his arms.

    However, it did not move or even budge.

    <i></i>

    <i>He could not have thought he can throw the dinosaur around, could he?</i>

    <i>Well duh, there are things that are simply impossible. Think about the size first.</i>

    <i></i>

    As Sei was getting exasperated by such a dumb event, the foolish man was kicked away by the dinosaur and rolled away on the ground. His eyes rolled back, showing only whites.[4]

    "You weaklings. I¡¯ll show you how the fight should be done!"

    Andstly, the bikini armour macho uncle stepped forward.

    Then he ran to the foot of the <i>Dinogiganto</i> and grabbed onto its thick foot.

    <i></i>

    <i>As I said, it¡¯s impossible. What were you even looking at!? I¡¯m begging you to think about the size first, you idiot.</i>

    The stupid man, who did not learn from the previous guy, was kicked away by the <i>Dinogiganto</i> and merrily got knocked out together with the rabbit-eared man as if they were best friends.

    "..... What did they evene here for, these guys...?"

    In the end, all Sei got to see was the strength of the dinosaur which took the three of them out in a sh. As Sei felt astonished beyond words due to the pointlessness disyed by the three, he gripped his katana again and got ready forbat.

    Virgo also readjusted how she held her sword and prepared for battle against the <i>Dinogiganto </i>with a face full of nervousness.

    The dog-type magical beast tried to trot in front of the dinosaur without a care in the world. However, the flustered Sei quickly grabbed the dog and put it behind him before returning back into a battle stance.

    What was surprising at this moment was the <i>Dinogiganto</i>. Sei thought it would already have attacked him, however, for some reason, it was still in its position whilst surveying Sei... no, surveying Virgo intently to see what action she might take.

    Due to it living in the wild, perhaps it was sensitive to those that were strong.

    It had likely assessed Virgo, who looked weak, to be strong, and instinctively judged that it was not in its best interest to recklessly charge in.

    " G U U U U U U .... G Y A O O O O O O O O O O ! ! "

    However, the <i>Dinogiganto </i>did not have the type of personality to wait and carefully assess things, even if the enemy turned out to be strong.

    The <i>Dinogiganto¡¯s</i> roar resounded throughout the entire area. At the same time, it spun on the spot and struck strongly with its tail.

    Its aim was Virgo who was in the air! However, she quickly closed the distance at once whilst avoiding the tail m and ducked towards the <i>Dinogiganto</i>¡¯s feet.

    A straight line! She sliced at one of its feet and flew back up into the sky, outside of its range.

    The <i>Dinogiganto,</i> which had one of its feet sliced, was unable to maintain its bnce and fell down. Nevertheless, the slice did not amount toplete amputation.

    It got back up on its feet in a sh and looked up at the sky to re at Virgo.

    "Ama, amazing...."

    Sei could not help but be dazed, his jaw dropping in response to her fast movement, and he became fascinated by her charm.

    Gorgeous. Such sharp and quick movements.

    It was clear to Sei that she was iparably leagues above the previously blown away Pitch ck-san.

    In practice, Virgo was a full support type. What she just disyed was nothing more than a result of the difference in her level and status. Yet, Sei wascking in level so much that he was unable to even notice such a thing.

    During the time Sei was being stupefied by her abilities due to his low level, Virgo and the <i>Dinogiganto</i>¡¯s fight continued. Virgo repeatedly sliced at the <i>Dinogiganto</i> using hit-and-run tactics.

    He wanted to assist her if he could and as a man he felt shameful to just be looking at her fight from the side.

    Nevertheless, he was not stupid enough to not be able to figure out how he¡¯ll be nothing more than a burden if he helped her poorly.

    As a consequence, he gave up the idea of joining the fight using his sword.

    Instead, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped nearby sand and gravel in it. He then threw it at the <i>Dinogiganto¡¯s</i> eyes the moment Virgo backed away from it.

    "GAAAAAA!?"

    "It¡¯s a diversion. It should have some effect, right!?"

    <i>Haa, I¡¯m really not acting anything like a Hero.</i> - Although he was thinking such a thing, he told himself mentally that it was the best course of action he could take.

    Notwithstanding that his level was low, as a level 30, his physical ability was far above that of what he should normally have had. He had more than enough throwing strength to be able to throw a handkerchief ball filled with sand and gravel at the <i>Dinogiganto</i>.

    During the moment the <i>Dinogiganto</i> faltered, Virgo released a de of light from the tip of her sword and dealt a deep wound on its body.

    When this happened, the <i>Dinogiganto</i>¡¯s rage red and it persistently chased Virgo only.

    It seemed it had judged Sei to not be of any threat and hadpletely ignored him.

    It was a pitiful story. He had wanted to mock himself by asking, "Are you even a hero?"

    But...

    <i>.... Works well for me. You lizard bastard.</i>

    <i>I am weak. And I¡¯m aware of that.</i>

    <i>But just because I¡¯m weak doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t do anything.</i>

    <i></i>

    Sei activated the Hero skill [Light Sword] which he had recently acquired.[5]

    For the subsequent attack, the weapon¡¯s attack power was doubled. Although Sei thought the skill in itself was quiteme,bined with the katana from the Royal Tomb of the ck Wing, he was able to change theme skill into a magnificent skill which dealt significant damage.

    (A<i>nd the timing is... now!</i>)

    The moment the <i>Dinogiganto</i> took arge step to attack Virgo, Sei attacked at the ground where its foot was going tond!

    With this attack, Sei managed to create something simr to a pitfall that barely managed to fit the <i>Dinogiganto</i>¡¯s foot. As soon as the attack was released, Sei quickly retreated to create some distance.

    The attack that he made could not be any more shameful.

    It was by no means a way that a man called the Hero should be fighting.

    Nevertheless, although its effect on the overall scheme of things was minimal, in this battle, his action was not without its value.

    The <i>Dinogiganto</i>¡¯s feet sank and it lost its bnce, giving Virgo the opportunity to release an attack with all of her might.

    "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"

    First, she flew up high and grabbed her sword with both of her hands, preparing to swing down widely.

    And then she descended rapidly!

    Trying to imitate the battle she previously saw between Ruphas and Scorpius, she rapidly elerated and mmed her sword with all of her might towards the head of the <i>Dinogiganto</i>.

    Furthermore, she activated La Pucelle¡¯s effect at this moment and bestowed the power of a light sh into the attack towards the head.

    "Let me support you! [Light Sword]!"

    At that moment, Sei activated his skill and doubled the attack power of La Pucelle that Virgo held. Just as the name of the skill suggested, La Pucelle which had turned into a sword of light carved into the head of the <i>Dinogiganto</i>, causing it to gush out blood.

    And when the sword was swung down, the <i>Dinogiganto¡¯s</i> head down to the tip of its nose was cleanly sliced off.

    "GA...... A ........"

    The <i>Dinogiganto</i>¡¯s giant body nted to the side and copsed downwards, creating a loud sound.

    It did not simply fall down this time.

    It had no sign of getting back up nor did it show any signs of movement. Even when the dog-type magical beast whimsically got close and peed on it, it did not move at all.

    After seeing such a thing, Sei was able to truly feel that it had been defeated, causing Sei to tightly clench his own fist.

    <i>I¡¯ve won </i>- he was not going to say such a presumptuous thing. The one who had won was the young girl, not him.

    Nevertheless, he was still able to feel happy that they had managed to ovee such a hurdle.

    Perhaps things had not yet registered into her brain, but the young girl was looking dumbfounded at the turnout. Sei ran to where she was and gave praise for her brave effort.

    "You did it! You defeated this monster!"

    "A. This thing, it was defeated? Because grandma said the dinosaurs are scary, I thought it is going to get back up and mutate or something...."

    "Mutate!?"

    Although this sounded like a broken record, Virgo was a frog which resided in the well.

    However, all of the friends it lived with were true monsters.

    A sheep which could turn into a giant, a full-body weaponised golem, a scorpion which could turn into a giant and a devil which could also turn into a giant.

    Although Crab-san had not turned giant up until now, it could probably also turn into one.

    As a consequence, she did not think that dinosaurs, which were said to be strong, could be finished with such a degree of attacks.

    However, she had misunderstood things.

    Sei shook his arm around whilst thinking, "That¡¯s impossible," and rejected what she was saying.

    "Umm, thanks. Your support really helped out."

    "Well, I¡¯m really happy you put it that way, but... Yeah, I¡¯m sorry I could only provide such ame form of support."

    As he knew himself that hecked strength, he did not believe he made a wrong decision.

    Notwithstanding that, what was pathetic remained pathetic.

    He could not determine, in what other world there would be a hero that entrusted the battle to a young girl whilst he himself threw sand around and dug holes in the ground.

    Even the fodder heroes, who served only as stepping stones in light novels, fought in a more dignified manner.

    "Umm. Oh yeah, I still haven¡¯t told you my name yet. I¡¯m Sei. Minami-Jyuji Sei."[6]

    "<i>Minamijyuji Sei</i>? Oh, you have a strange name."

    "Aah, Sei is my name. In my country, the first name and the family name are ced the other way around."

    "Is that so? Ah, I¡¯m Virgo. I don¡¯t have a family name."

    After mutuallypleting their self-introductions, they started having a conversation.

    Notwithstanding that they werepetitors within the same festival, they were stillrades who fought against the same ferocious enemy.

    Due to the two¡¯s personalities, they were not wary of one another and felt a pleasant feeling for each other.

    However, this action might have been a disy of how inexperienced the two of them were.

    It was wrong of them to let their guard down simply because the enemy had stopped moving.

    The <i>Dinogiganto</i>, which had been lying down on the ground until this moment, opened its eyes and got right up as if it was jumping.

    Precisely. It was still not yet dead.

    Astonishingly, even with its head cracked open, its vitality allowed it to continue functioning.

    "Tsu!"

    "What, not dead!"

    Although Virgo and Sei quickly turned their heads around to look towards it, the <i>Dinogiganto</i>¡¯srge mouth was already right in front of them.

    However, before its jaws could reach and close around them, a gust of wind blew past them.

    As soon as it happened, the <i>Dinogiganto</i> stopped moving on the spot. Its eyes rolled into its head and turned white. This time, for certain, it had died. It copsed straight onto the floor.

    For Virgo and Sei, it simply looked as if the dinosaur suddenly got up then immediately died.

    They wondered what it was, but had no way of figuring out what had happened.

    ".........? What just happened?"

    "I don¡¯t know. Maybe it got up but finally ran out of power? Damn, it really scared me."

    For now, they assumed that it had used up thest of its strength.

    After assuming this, the two decided to leave the location before anything else happened.

    *

    "....................."

    "Looks like you managed it, Libra."

    At this moment, I was flying in the sky some distance above the audience seats whilst crossing my arms and acknowledging Libra.

    Next to me, Libra, who was holding a sniper rifle, was looking through its scope silently.

    Once I had found out that a dinosaur hade out, the action I decided on was to take Libra out and give the order to snipe it down.

    Although I did not think that Virgo would fall behind the dinosaur due to her level, I also knew that she barely had any actualbat experience. We could not afford a one-in-a-million chance situation.

    Therefore, as precaution against any possible mishaps, we had been on standby in the air in order to be able to provide support instantly.

    And as expected, Libra had sniped the dinosaur down as I was hoping she would.

    <i>Yeah, she¡¯s definitely reliable, isn¡¯t she?</i>

    "..........."

    "Libra?"

    "........ It was not me."

    Libra answered without showing any expression as she rejected my assumption... Though it was the same expression as always.

    ording to Libra, it was not her that had finished off the dinosaur. However, in this day and age, there were not many individuals who could achieve such a feat at that moment.

    I looked towards her and waited for what she was going to say.

    "Before my bullet could reach the enemy, some other individual released an arrow and pierced it through the head. The bullet I fired merely pierced through the corpse."

    "Who was it?"

    "I do not know. However, in this day and age, there are a very limited number of individuals who could achieve such a feat."

    Libra stored the rifle away and answered as she looked into the distance.

    "With above 50% certainty, I believe[Archer] is in the vicinity."

    "....Sagittarius, is it?"

    "Yes."

    A disturbance might have been inbound even in a country I had visited to take a breather.

    Whether this constituted as good luck or bad luck.... I did not know. However, it seemed that turmoil really favoured me.

    __

    (Author note)

    Q: What would happen if we monster-fied a Dinogodzi_?

    A: It wille ashore on Japan and fight with other monsters.

    (Author note end)

    TLN: .... Irrelevant text 1: For those that are curious, we got 5 F¡¯s for Seist chapter xD For those that don¡¯t know the meme, I¡¯ll include a link in the footnote.[7]

    Again, I¡¯d like to apologise for all the dys this batch of release. I¡¯ll try and make it so that next batch doesn¡¯t suffer from the same problem ?? , unfortunately, no promise >.<

    I¡¯d also like to remind everyone that [A Wild Last Boss Appeared] is an adventureedy series that often acts like a parody/satire on its own [isekai] genre and packed with not-so-subtle references. It¡¯s not a dark and edgy series (though admittedly there are some dark scene here and there) so if you are expecting Ruphas to start massacring people you¡¯re reading a wrong series.

    Additionally, feel free to theorise what will happen in theter chapters (either in thement section below or on discord) since the author has them mostly set out since chapter one with all the small hints and foreshadows (if you can pick them up).

    Lastly, please keep thement section to reasonable cleanliness. I don¡¯t n to delete anyment other than spoilers, but if people start throwing unwarranted insults at another person, I may end up doing so.

    __

    __

    [1] Pokemon reference... again... "".

    [2] Raw in order: ¥Ç¥£¥Î¥ì¥Ã¥¯¥¹; ¥Ç¥£¥Î¥¢¥¯¥í¥«¥ó¥È; ¥Ç¥£¥Î¥¿¥ë¥Ü; ¥Ç¥£¥Î¥®¥¬¥ó¥È

    These four dinosaur names are based on real theropod dinosaurs. Interestingly enough, they are roughly directional as well. <i>Tarbosaurus</i> lived in Mongolia and China (East), <i>Giganotosaurus</i> in Argentina (South), and <i>Tyrannosaurus rex</i> in North America (North). Only <i>Acrocanthosaurus</i> is misaligned to its cardinal point (West), since it lived in North America too.

    <i>Giganotosaurus</i> is estimated to be 12-13m long and 4.2-13.8 tonnes, which is about the same size of the dinosaur described here.

    ^ Research courtesy of Va

    [3] Raw: ü\Ó°Á÷ûÈÐ

    [4] Va: <i>"p/s. i wanna see some1 suplex a dinosaur!"</i>

    [5] Raw: (¹â„‡)

    [6] Bond. James Bond.

    [7] "".

    __

 Chapter 77

    Chapter 77

    As the hunting festival ended without further incident, Virgo returned with a spectacr victory . This was natural because of her level, but she should have more confidence in herself now . I felt like I did something horrible to the other participants, but if Virgo was not there, people would surely have been eaten by the dinosaur, so I guessed this made it somewhat even .

    Anyway, we would be having a victory celebration tonight . It would be a modest celebration using the dishes made by Libra, Dina, and Karkinos . It didn¡¯t really matter, but I would not be cooking . It wasn¡¯t that I couldn¡¯t cook, but I only knew how to throw in some ingredients to make simple dishes like fried rice . Honestly, it would look kind of bad .

    On the other hand, there could be noints about the dishes made by Dina and the others, be it in terms of taste or appearance . What bothered me was that Libra actually tried taste-testing the food . As a golem, how did she even tell the tastes apart?

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the taste, but the sensor on my tongue can analyze theponents . Thus, it would be possible to select the seasoning that Ruphas-sama likes the most byparing with past data . ¡±

    ...What exactly was a golem?

    Mizar, you were trying too hard . It felt like he had advanced golem technology by a hundred years . It was weird . A golem was supposed to be an autonomous lump of rock or metal, so how did it be an android?

    ¡°Okay, the kasserole is here . ¡±

    Dina gave a beaming smile and put the pot in front of us . With a whole pot¡¯s worth, we had quite the luxurious meal today . This must be the French dish known as a casserole . I remembered this dish involved mixing chopped vegetables, meat, and cheese in a soup, which was then cooked in an oven using a heat-resistant container .

    Having said that, it was as one would have expected from a different world . There were ingredients that could not be found here (in Midgard) and also others which were used that could not be acquired there (in Japan) . The oven was not a high-performance type like what was avable on the other side . Instead, it was an old type built with bricks .

    The result looked like a casserole, but was actually something else . There were so many simrities that it gave off an eerie feeling . It was as if technology and knowledge of the other side were flowing in and being utilized...Was I overthinking this? For now, I should just ask about it .

    ¡°Dina, this is...?¡±

    ¡°Kasserole . It is a typical home-cooked dish in Draupnir . Its definition is somewhat ambiguous, since it is considered a kasserole as long as you dump meat and vegetables into a pot and cook it . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of sketchy . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a dish from the country of the beastkin . ¡±

    The casserole I knew of was more clearly defined than this, but it did not seem to be the case here . Simply put, under Draupnir¡¯s definition, whatever was cooked in a pot was considered a kasserole . It did not matter how it was made or what ingredients were used .

    This was like an inferior imitation...It was as if the concept was given to people who knew nothing of it, resulting in an inferior imitation that came to be spread as the genuine thing...No, there was actually a setting like that in the game .

    Most of the dishes and technology of this world were provided by the goddess to the humanoids, so the humanoids had not done much in terms of invention or trial and error . This was originally the excuse that the administrators prepared for the meta-question posed by yers, ¡°If this is a different world, why is it so simr to Earth?¡± But perhaps, the flow of knowledge and technology from Earth into this world was actually real . It was not impossible . After all, it had already been proven by the fact that a person from Earth could be brought over through the use of X-Gate .

    ¡°Even with that, to a beastkin, this is considered fanciful food . ¡±

    ¡°Even though it¡¯s so sloppy?¡±

    ¡°Yes . Beastkin have very strong stomachs . They usually eat some lightly cooked meat or vegetables . In severe situations, they would even eat it raw . ¡±

    It was fine to eat it raw? In regards to this, I guessed they really were animals . I listened to Dina¡¯s exnation as I ate the casserole¡ªno, kasserole . Hmm . It tasted a little like gratin . It wasn¡¯t bad . Well, this had been somewhat modified to make it easier for us to eat . Originally, it would probably taste a lot more random and crude .

    ¡°So what are the ns for tomorrow?¡±

    Karkinos asked while passing the fruit juice to Virgo . Aigokeros and I had wine instead . Although I did not drink much on Earth, I found it quite delicious after gaining this body . I sipped a bit to moisten my throat and answered him .

    ¡°I originally nned to leave Draupnir, but I¡¯m changing the n . Since I¡¯ve found out that the Archer may be nearby, I intend to stay and search for a while . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . Tomorrow, we will split up and search . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm . That damn horse . Adding more troubles onto Ruphas-sama¡¯s hands . He should have rushed over to present himself as a loyal servant . ¡±

    Although Karkinos did not seem to mind the Archer much, Aigokeros was considerably dissatisfied . Uninhibited by the liquor, he was ranting about being a loyal servant . Was he drunk already? This was just the first ss .

    ¡°Hmm . Tomorrow, let¡¯s split up in groups of two . As for the grouping...Let¡¯s see . Dina and I, Libra and Karkinos, Aries and Virgo, and finally Aigokeros and Scorpius . ¡±

    ¡°What, no way?!¡±

    When I divided everyone into groups, Scorpius, who had been sitting beside me regardless of her being a nuisance, made an expression as if it was the end of the world . She then red at Dina in anger, while grinding her teeth . On the other hand, Dina¡¯s face turned blue under her gaze as she shed cold sweat .

    ¡°Ah, uh . Ruphas-sama, I wish to make a change . If this goes on, I will be assassinated by Scorpius-sama . ¡±

    ¡°Oh¡ª...Hmm . Let¡¯s do it like this then . Dina and Aigokeros will be one group . Scorpius wille with me . ¡±

    What should I do? Scorpius was seriously annoying .

    Back in a good mood again, Scorpius held onto my arm and pressed her cheek against me . Anyway, I decided to conclude tonight¡¯s meeting . All that remained was to take a bath and then go to sleep . It wasn¡¯t important, but I would always reject Scorpius who continually came running to wash my back . I felt that something bad would happen if I let her in with me .

    Sometimes when I was in the bath, she would sneak into the dressing room and then get caught by Libra . She always insisted on using the bath after me, so Libra had to rece the bath water and clean the bathroom immediately after . Sometimes, when I woke up in the middle of the night, I would see Scorpius hanging from the ceiling after being caught by Libra . Somehow, Libra was so reliable that I couldn¡¯t do without her anymore .

    Now, if only she wasn¡¯t a ponkotsu herself...

    I thought as I looked at Libra . She looked at the door as if she noticed something .

    ¡°Master, it seems that there is someone outside Tanaka . Based on body temperature and breathing, that person seems to be quite nervous, but I do not sense any hostility . Shall I get rid of the person?¡±

    Libra said as she equipped a machine gun .

    Why did she suddenly turn the conversation towards getting rid of things? She just said that she did not sense any hostility, so how did she logically arrive at the conclusion to ¡°get rid¡± of the person?

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine . Let¡¯s hear what the person has to say . ¡±

    It wasmon sense tomunicate first if there was no hostility . I hid my wings under my cloak, while Dina went over . In such situations, Dina was more suitable than a weird person like me . With a ¡°pat, pat¡± sound, she walked briskly over to the door and opened it .

    There was a bipedal fox...no, it was a fox beastkin . Beastkin had faces like those of the animals of their types, so it was usually embarrassing to be cute .

    Anyway, I wonder if fox beastkin could be infected by echinocosis . I thought that it should be possible .

    ¡°Kon . ¡±

    ¡°Please speak in themon tongue of Midgard . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes . ¡±

    The fox beastkin-san started off with a cute cry, however, after unexpectedly receiving Dina¡¯s cold and cement-hard rebuke, it started speaking normally . Maybe that was its attempt at a joke or something . Due to the cold response, its ears were drooping . It should be okay to address as ¡°it,¡± right? After all, it was difficult to determine the gender of a beastkin .

    ¡°Well, is there anyone on this list here?¡±

    ¡°Do you mind if you show me the list?¡±

    ¡°Here you go . ¡±

    Dina took the name list and came back, leaving fox-san behind . Fox-san must have found the camping car unusual as it was looking inside with shifting nces .

    I received the list from Dina and looked through the names . There were many unimpressionable names, such as Bikini Muscle, Shadow, Bunny Dandy, and Sei . However, Virgo¡¯s name was right at the top .

    Were these...the names of the winners of the hunting festival?

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the details, but I¡¯m visiting the top rankers around due to the emperor¡¯s order . If it is convenient, pleasee to the southern warrior¡¯s yurt tomorrow at ten in the morning . ¡±

    ¡°What is the reason for the summon?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but as a mere messenger, I do not know the reason . However, it is notpulsory . If you feel like it... pleasee . ¡±

    Apparently, fox-san was just running errands . None of my questions were answered, but since Libra did not say anything, it was not lying .

    If you feel like it, huh?

    Speaking on the emperor¡¯s order would imply that this was an imperial summon . No matter what one¡¯s nationality might be, if one were to ignore the summon, things would be difficult for travelers and adventurers in this country . In the future, one could expect almost no request from this country . This was practically optional in name, butpulsory in fact . Well, we could ignore it as much as we liked though .

    Well then, what was this about?

    If the summon was for me or Libra...or anyone else other than Virgo, we would have answered it without hesitation . Even if there were schemes or traps prepared in advanced, we could still forcefully breakthrough them .

    But what about Virgo? Level 300 was certainly exceptional in this era, but she was not invincible . There were individuals, such as the Seven Luminaries, who could challenge or even defeat Virgo . For example, the demon that I once defeated with one punch . If Virgo fought him, she might lose . Although this invitation was not necessarily hostile, it would be better to be cautious .

    ¡°Virgo, let¡¯s hear your opinion . ¡±

    After thinking it through, I decided to respect Virgo¡¯s opinion . If she wanted to go, we would support her . If she did not want to go, then I would take care of it . If the emperorined, I would deal with it . Fortunately, things like authority had little effect on us .

    ¡°Hmm . I think I will go . After all, it is a rare invitation . Besides, I want to do something if it is possible . ¡±

    Virgo seemed enthusiastic . In that case, we would support her to the best of our abilities .

    Although I just made changes to the n, I had to change it again . Let¡¯s remove Aries from the search and assign him to support Virgo . It would not be a bad idea to listen in on the emperor¡¯s conversation until Dina and I could ascertain if there was any danger .

    ¡°I understand . That¡¯s how it is, messenger . Please tell him that Virgo will take part . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will certainly do so . ¡±

    Hearing my reply, messenger fox-san ran off in a good mood . Its tail couldn¡¯t help but wag as it moved along . It probably ran off to search for the other participants . How energetic .

    ¡°For now, let¡¯s sleep early to prepare for tomorrow . Therefore, don¡¯t take too long in the bath . I will also finish as soon as possible . ¡±

    ¡°Ruphas-sama, today for sure, your back...¡±

    ¡°Unnecessary . ¡±

    I hoped that the emperor did not invite us with malicious intent . I did not want to cause amotion by making an enemy out of an entire country .

 Chapter 78

    Chapter 78

    An exceptionallyrge tent stood amidst the built-up dwellings (yurt). The winners of the hunting festival stood within, waiting for the reason why they were summoned by the emperor. Sei was there as well, looking around while trying to kill some time. Of course, as the top winner, the white-winged girl was here, but even the pervert in bikini armor and the pretentious guy in all ck were here too.

    So they were in the top ranks, Sei thought while feeling somewhat ufortable.

    Hmm...The one in all ck. Was he always this short?

    For some reasons, he was wearing sunsses. That was rather strange. However, Sei did not really know him, so he decided not to voice his suspicions. In fact, his difort was justified because the guy in ck was actually not the same person as before.

    The real guy was still unconscious in the inn due to being assaulted yesterday. The one impersonating him here was Aries. He was wearing a ck wig and a costume created by Ruphas. Of course, Sei did not know any of this, so he brilliantly overlooked it.

    Several minutester, a small cat beastkin appeared in the tent. His height was about one hundred thirty (centimeters). He was basically a bipedal tabby cat wearing small armor, making him appear somewhat funny.

    However, when he entered, the beastkin soldiers saluted all at once. Apparently, he held a high position, contrary to his appearance. He nced at the assembled warriors and gave a slight cough.

    ¡°Everyone, I¡¯m a cat.¡±

    This much was obvious. Surely, everyone present had the same thought. Contrary to his appearance, his voice was rather rough. It was often said that it was difficult to differentiate between the genders of beastkin, but this one was apparently male.

    ¡°I am Kaineko, themander of the warriors of Draupnir. Brave ones, you have gathered today ording to the summons. The battles during the hunting festival yesterday were spectacr. His Majesty was very pleased.¡±

    At that moment, Sei suddenly felt the urge toin.

    What is with that silly name? Is he trying to be the funny man? Is he waiting for someone to retort back with a straight man¡¯s response?

    But when he nced around, nobody had any reaction to that name. A sudden feeling of loneliness assaulted Sei.

    Is it only me? Am I the only one who thinks it is funny?

    As Sei thought this, Kaineko rubbed his face with his hand and continued speaking.

    ¡°You have been summoned today because we hope that you can lend your strength to this country. No, to be precise, it¡¯s not an exaggeration to say that this hunting festival was held to search for strong warriors.¡±

    ¡°In other words, this is a request from Draupnir?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    It was a small muscr man who asked Kaineko. He had a messy beard and carried an axe.

    He¡¯s probably a dwarf, Sei thought. This is the first time that I¡¯ve seen one.

    ¡°This is a formal request from Draupnir. Of course, a reward will be prepared. Once the request is met, we promise to reward all participants with one thousand eru. And the person who brings back what we want will be rewarded with five hundred thousand eru. Of course, the others will also be given the highest honors.¡±

    Five hundred thousand eru. These words changed the looks on everyone¡¯s faces except for Sei, Virgo, and the ck-cloaked guy. This was an exceptional reward for adventurers. If one was not too wasteful, it would be enough to live off it for more than ten years.

    Furthermore, even if one did not acquire the target, as long as he participated, he would be rewarded with one thousand eru and a ce of honor. This alone made it worth the while to participate. Future adventures would be easier and one¡¯s name would be famous.

    ¡°So what should we be looking for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like you to go to the Spiritual Peak Hnitbjorg and retrieve the elixir stored there.¡±

    When Virgo asked her question, Kaineko revealed the identity of the target item. When Sei heard this, the screen of a recentrge-scale RPG came to his mind.

    Since it would be a waste to use, the elixir was always left in the inventory while resorting to cheap potions and recovery magic instead. Before the yer realized it, the final battle was over and there were still dozens of elixirs waiting to be used. This was amon situation.

    For Sei, the elixir was like a decorative flower within his inventory. He would be anxious if he didn¡¯t have it, but he would not use it even though he had it. That was essentially what an elixir was. But in contrast to Sei, the item¡¯s name was astonishing to the natives of this world. Everyone was agitated and raised their voices in disbelief.

    ¡°Elixir!? Hey, stop joking! That is a legendary miracle drug that was lost because of the Demon King two hundred years ago!¡±

    ¡°Indeed, but the miracle drug is real. Our great founder, the Beast King Dubhe, kept the miracle drug in Hnitbjorg.¡±

    As he listened to the story, Aries remembered the raid on the royal tomb. The legendary miracle drug, the elixir, was a miraculous item that only some alchemists could make. It was one of the highlights of alchemy more than two hundred years ago, produced by the joint research of Ruphas Mafahl and Megrez the Wisdom King. It was a first grade medicine that could heal all wounds,pletely recover mana, cure diseases, and even prolong life.

    ...There was a pile of them in the royal tomb, Aries thought as he looked into the distance.

    His master had said, ¡°I was preparing to use them some day, but before I realized it, they weren¡¯t used and the number of them had increased significantly,¡± or something like that.

    Of course, they were all recovered and were now stored in Mafahl Tower. There were forty-three bottles. If all of them were sold, it would yield a terrifying amount of money that could buy the entire living space of the humanoids. It was said that the Demon King destroyed all the extant elixirs, so now they had disappeared from the world. Only the royal tomb guarded by Libra was overlooked.

    ¡°Of course, you are not allowed to run away with it. If you do so, you may consider this entire country to be your enemy.¡±

    The elixir was the most valuable miracle drug. If it was sold, the price would not just be fifty thousand eru. It might even be ten times this amount. Therefore, it would not be strange if some people got greedy, but doing so would make an enemy out of the entire country. After emphasizing this carefully, Kaineko continued his exnation.

    ¡°But there may be some who would be unsatisfied with this. Therefore, we promise that we will share the elixir with the person who brings it back, albeit only a small amount.¡±

    With that said, Kaineko showed everyone a small...really, really small bottle that could be handled with one¡¯s fingertips. That was the amount they were prepared to give. It was just a small bottle that was about five centimeters long, but it was enough to excite the adventurers.

    Although it was only a mouthful, its value was immeasurable. It could heal all kinds of wounds, cure all manner of diseases, and even extend the lifespans of people nearing the end of their lives by several years or even a decade. This was the effect of the elixir.

    However, Aries remembered Dinaining, ¡°There¡¯re too many!¡± while collecting the forty-threerge bottles of elixir, each of which contained three liters. If this scene was shown to the people here, they would surely faint.

    ¡°Uh, why do you need something like that?¡±

    ¡°The guardian dragon-sama, who is the key to the protection of this country, suddenly had a serious illness...We need the elixir as a cure.¡±

    If used correctly, the ultimate miracle drug could turn the tide of war. For example, if Megrez drank it, he would be able to walk again. If Merak drank it, his lost wing would regenerate. Even if they could not remove the curse of the Demon King, the Seven Heroes could change the current war situation by regaining fully functional bodies. And surely, the Demon King must have destroyed all of the elixirs in order to prevent this.

    Perhaps Dubhe anticipated this, so he kept it somewhere safe. And now was the time to use the miracle drug.

    ¡°If the guardian dragon-sama falls, our country would be destroyed by the demons. The elixir is necessary to prevent this.¡±

    The revitalization of the guardian dragon. Without it, there would be no tomorrow for Draupnir.

    Sei gulped at the unforeseen crisis. He engraved into his heart that this was a request that would determine the survival or doom of a country. But at the same time, Sei considered the possibilities. If he sessfullypleted this request and acquired the elixir, he could give it to Megrez.

    ...Perhaps this could lead to the revitalization of the Wisdom King, one of the Seven Heroes who could turn the tides of war alone by himself. Thus, he summoned the courage to ask an important question.

    ¡°I want to ask one thing...Can that amount cure legs which have been paralyzed?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s possible. If the legs werepletely lost, it might not be enough. But if it was just legs that could not move, then it could certainly be cured.¡±

    The fires of motivation lit up in Sei¡¯s eyes. The miracle drug, the elixir...This was something he must obtain by all means. If it could restore the Wisdom King to a healthy body, it was well worth the risk to take on this request.

    On the other hand, Aries knew of this long ago. However, he did not mention it to Ruphas because he thought it would be a waste to use the elixir on the people who betrayed his master. And since Ruphas did not say that she wanted to give the elixirs to the Seven Heroes, he interpreted it to mean that she had not forgiven those traitors.

    Of course, he had never thought of the truth...that Ruphas had treated the existence of the elixir as a mere recovery item that was used in the game.

    ¡°...I heard that.¡±

    A deep voice spoke out among the crowd of people. And the voice was not friendly at all. It was threatening like a sword. Everyone¡¯s eyes focused on an unremarkable beastkin warrior that one could see anywhere else. Under everyone¡¯s gazes, he distorted and changed into an amorphous liquid. It was like a human-shaped slime. He undted further before bing a blue-haired youth with a cold presence.

    Blue skin with vertically slitted pupils. These were the features of demons, the nemeses of the humanoids.

    ¡°Ah, a demon!¡±

    ¡°What a surprise. To think that an elixir still exists. With such a thing, the wounds of the Seven Heroes could be healed.¡±

    His piercing gaze seemed to look down on everyone present as he spoke in an emotionless voice.

    Kaineko immediately drew his sword and shed at the demon with a speed that the current Sei could barely follow. The de swang down deep into the demon¡¯s body, but there was not a single drop of blood. In fact, there was no reaction at all. The body that had been cut simply flowed like water.

    ¡°It¡¯s futile.¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    The demon¡¯s arm twisted like a whip and sent Kaineko flying. His armor was crushed by the single blow and Kaineko fell onto the ground without any further movement. As themander of the soldiers, he must be fairly capable. And yet, with just one blow...Too strong. Yes, Sei thought so as his palms became sweaty.

    ¡°Dead? Or just unconscious? No matter. That¡¯s what happens when you charge at me without properly gauging your own skills. I hope you get a little smarter in the future.¡±

    ¡°You!¡±

    The demon¡¯s mocking remarks enraged the beastkin soldiers, who simultaneously charged at him with their spears. But it was still ineffective. The spears pierced through as if they were stabbing at water. The demon, who was stabbed, did not even change his expression.

    ¡°Such a pointless act.¡±

    The demon quickly moved his finger to draw a five-pointed star in the air. A vessel for firing arcane magic was created. The top point was Wood, followed by Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water in a clockwise direction. To connect the five points ording to the principle of mutual generation and mutual destruction, a double circle was drawn to surround the star, representing the Moon and the Sun. And then, the umted mana was poured into this vessel.

    ¡°Arcane magic!? Impossible, this is too fast!¡±

    The activation of magic was done in three basic steps. Create a vessel, then pour in the mana, and finally release the magic. The speed at which these three actions were done depended on the skill of the magic user. The higher the skill level, the faster the magic would be released.

    The ultimate skill was to use magic without actions at all. This was the summit upied by Megrez, Aigokeros, and the Demon King. The Seven Luminaries of the demons could also use simple magic without actions. In other words, if they needed to draw a seal, it would be a prelude to releasing advanced magic.

    ¡°Apsaras!¡±

    And then, a huge swan of water was created. In the tent where there was no escape, the magical bird cried out¡ªand the tent exploded from the inside.

 Chapter 79

    Chapter 79

    Water magic, Apsaras.

    This skill converted mana into water, transforming it into a massive swan made of water to attack the enemies. The biggest feature of this magic was the ability to track targets. The swan could home onto a target up to a certain extent and kill it. Its power, scale, and uracy were all excellent, but it was a difficult magic to use because of the huge amount of mana required.

    If a human magic user were to use this skill, he would definitely need several minutes of preparation. Yet this male demon released it so easily. This alone showed how great the difference in power between them were.

    ¡°Force Barrier!¡±

    However, before the swan struck, a wall of light appeared to protect everyone. It was a defensive wall created by Virgo with divine magic. However, it was not easy to defend using a barrier which had been erected in a hurry. Normally, it would have been broken through after sustaining for a while.

    However, iridescent mes suddenly appeared between the wall and the swan, evaporating all of the water which the wall could not defend against. Then, the iridescent mes immediately changed direction and engulfed the demon¡¯s right arm. As all of this happened in an instant, only Virgo and the demon saw what had happened.

    ¡°Tsk! I don¡¯t know who, but it seems that a troublesome fellow has sneaked in...I¡¯m not a fool who does not know his limits. I will retreat for now.¡±

    Looking at his arm that had disappeared with one hit, the demon jumped away and vanished. Aries was clearly able to track the demon¡¯s movement, but he chose to not pursue further. It would be easy to chase and defeat him, but the current task assigned by his master was to support Virgo. If he chose to leave the ce for a while and something were to happen to her, he would be quite troubled. At any rate, an opponent like that could be erased easily at any time, so there was no need to finish him off in a hurry.

    ¡°Eh, he retreated?¡±

    ¡°Looks like it.¡±

    As Sei was wondering why the enemy mysteriously disappeared, the bikini armor pervert confirmed the situation. The fight was over quickly, but he still understood the difference in power between them and the enemy. Without a doubt, that was no ordinary demon.

    Realizing this, Kaineko fell to the ground and groaned.

    ¡°The refinement and power of that water magic...Could he be Mercurius, one of the Seven Luminaries?¡±

    Virgo ran over to Kaineko and cast healing divine magic on him. As he felt the pain lessen significantly, his expression softened.

    ¡°Mercurius?¡±

    Virgo repeated the name and Kaineko nodded in response.

    ¡°Although I¡¯ve only heard rumors, it¡¯s been said that among the demon race, there exists a man with a fluid body who can negate all forms of physical attacks directed at him. The guy we fought just now matches that description perfectly. In addition, his refinement of Water magic...¡±

    ¡°Se¡ªSeven Luminaries!? You can¡¯t be serious, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m staying! With that kind of opponent, no matter how many lives you have, it won¡¯t be enough!¡±

    ¡°M¡ªMe too! This ain¡¯t a task for adventurers! You should be asking the formally trained soldiers instead!¡±

    As soon as Kaineko confirmed the name of the enemy, amotion erupted on the spot. Several men refused to participate and walked out of the tent. However, that was inevitable. The Seven Luminaries were fearsome invaders from the demon race and were the current nemeses of the humanoids. With only seven of them, they were able to drive the humanoids into a corner.

    The very idea of fighting them was weird to begin with. Even though those demons could be defeated by Ruphas in one hit,pletely powerless against Libra, called weaklings by Aigokeros, and considered unworthy of pursue by Aries, they were still considered a fearsome existence.

    The abnormal ones were Ruphas andpany. This point must not be forgotten. And so, nearly all participants of the hunting festival fled, leaving behind only three people. They were Virgo, Sei, and Aries who was disguised using the ck costume.

    ¡°Th¡ªThis is bad...What should we do now?¡±

    ¡°They have a point. I too think that we should send trained soldiers instead of adventurers to the mountain.¡±

    Kaineko was crestfallen over the fact that most of the adventurers fled, but it was not unreasonable for them to flee. After all, they had received neither formal training nor support with the provision of weapons. They were simply outstanding individuals among themon people who hunted magical beasts for a living.

    Compared to soldiers, their weapons were cheap products that they made do with to get by. asionally, there might be some who acquired powerful weapons from ancient ruins, but such individuals were rare. There were no real adventurers who would swing legendary weapons around in the way Sei would see in games.

    ¡°If it was possible, we would have done that. But we can¡¯t and that¡¯s why we had to gather adventurers.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t? What happened?¡±

    ¡°That mountain is a holy ce, so there is a holy barrier that keeps magical beasts away. We beastkin are affected by it too.¡±

    When he heard Kaineko¡¯s words, Sei recalled what Cruz taught him about the humanoids of this world. Cruz mentioned that the beastkin, which counted among the humanoids, were fundamentally no different from magical beasts. For example, the orcs were basically pig beastkin, to put it bluntly.

    Both were descended from humans. Both were mutated by mana. Both had animal features. There was practically no difference. Then what was the difference between beastkin and orcs? It was the ability to coexist with other humanoids.

    Beastkin could coexist, therefore they were considered humanoids. Orcs could not coexist, therefore they were categorized as magical beasts. This was the only difference. In other words, whatever was effective against magical beasts would generally be effective against beastkin as well.

    ¡°But we are fortunate this time. The barrier does not actually repulse magical beasts per se. Instead, it repulses mana. Therefore, it should not be possible for the demons to invade so easily. The elixir will not be taken immediately.¡±

    ¡°Repulses mana huh?¡±

    Sei decided to consult with hispanions after the meeting regarding this somewhat troublesome barrier. After all, the most powerful person in his party was the Sword Saint, Friedrich. Since he was a tiger beastkin, it would not be possible to bring their greatest fighting strength along.

    Meanwhile, Virgo looked at Aries with a worried expression, but Aries gestured that it was okay. In the present world, there were only a few known types of barriers and the kind of barrier which could stop real monsters like the Twelve Heavenly Stars did not exist. Or rather, there was nobody who could do it. To really stop the Twelve Heavenly Stars, one would need a barrier like the one raised by Alioth in L?vateinn.

    And in all likelihood, although the Seven Luminaries would be somewhat affected, they could probably break through the barrier forcefully. In other words, Kaineko¡¯s deduction was fundamentally wrong. However, Aries chose not to point it out.

    ¡°But we cannot tarry too long either. Since the Seven Luminaries now know of the elixir¡¯s existence, they would surely find some other way to get to it. Perhaps by brainwashing humans and so on.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that we don¡¯t have much time left?¡±

    The situation could not be dyed any further. Without the elixir, the guardian dragon would be lost and this country would be doomed. If the elixir was left alone, the demons might acquire it. Sei made up his mind and started walking towards the tent¡¯s exit.

    ¡°Wh¡ªWhere are you going?¡±

    ¡°Please wait for a while. I need to call myrades.¡±

    This was an important battle that would determine the fate of a nation. With that conviction, he chose to gather hisrades immediately. But before he could leave the tent, he saw that hisrades were already gathered outside the tent. On the side, the covert ranger squad gave a thumbs-up. It turned out that they had ran to tell hisrades.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s time for us to act, Sei.¡±

    Jean smiled broadly and entered the tent. He was followed by Gants, Cruz, Ricardo, Female Knight (Gori), and Tiger. The hero¡¯s party had gathered. Even if one saw this a second time, it would still look very cool.

    ¡°Wh¡ªWho are you people?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the mercenary Gants, but currently I¡¯m the hero¡¯srade even though I¡¯m unsuitable for such a task. Well, this is a national issue after all. Although we are not participants of the hunting festival, we could not just stand by and watch.¡±

    Hearing Gants¡¯ name, Kaineko widened his eyes. Anyone who had fought in real battles would know of him. If the strongest mercenary appeared, it would be natural to be surprised. But what surprised him even more was the huge bipedal tiger behind Gants.

    ¡°Oh, you are Fried! You havee back!¡±

    ¡°Grrr...¡±

    ¡°Oh, it really has been a long time. We have heard tales of your brave exploits!¡±

    ¡°Gah!¡±

    ¡°Ah, she¡¯s fine. You can meet herter.¡±

    Grrah!¡±

    ¡°If you are that worried, just confess already. You can¡¯t keep her waiting forever.¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry. Please speak in anguage we can understand!¡±

    Friedrich and Kaineko were conversing, but Sei had no idea what they were talking about. Nobody could me him for his involuntarily loud interruption. Then, the Female Knight came forth and tranted Friedrich¡¯s words.

    ¡°Apparently, that cat beastkin is the squad leader¡¯s elder brother. Since it is a long-awaited reunion, they just started chatting.¡±

    ¡°Brothers!?¡±

    Sei eximed involuntarily and thenpared the two. Kaineko was a cat beastkin about one hundred thirty (centimeters) tall. Friedrich, on the other hand, was a tiger beastkin over two and a half meters tall. The size difference was like that of a cat and a tiger. It was difficult to believe that they came from the same womb. Noticing Sei¡¯s gaze, Kaineko rubbed his face with his paw in embarrassment.

    ¡°Oh, we don¡¯t look like brothers, right? People often say that. I take after my father, while Friedrich takes after our mother.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the problem right now.¡±

    One could not help but wonder what kind of couple would produce brothers like that. The ecology of beastkin was really mysterious. It was too early to ept them as siblings, but there was no time for such persuasion right now. After discussing for a while, they finally held hands tightly.

    ¡°It seems that the discussion has concluded. We are allowed to apany them.¡±

    The discussion between Friedrich and Kaineko ended with the permission for the Hero¡¯spanions toe along. At such times, the names of the Sword Saint and the Hero proved useful. This was a party consisting of the Hero and the Sword Saint who was the pride of the country. If they rejected this, they would not find a stronger team. The party decided to aim for Hnitbjorg with everyone present.

    ¡°Then let me guide you. Come with me, brave ones.¡±

    ?

    The vast grasnd of Draupnir.

    Here, Libra and Karkinos walked on in their task to find the Archer. Having said that, only Libra was searching for the most part. Karkinos was hardly useful at all. Libra searched the surroundings and eventually found and picked up an object.

    It was an arrow.

    Back then, this was the weapon that killed the dinosaur before Libra could snipe it. It was probably shot by the Archer. This was not useful in itself. However, by examining the angle of the fallen arrow, the position where it was fired could be estimated.

    Libra¡¯s eyes moved rapidly as numbers indicating the angle, wind direction, and air resistance danced across her vision. Eventually, one spot in her vision was chosen as the candidate and marked with a circle. Of course, all of these things were only visible to her. There was no actual marker attached to that spot.

    ¡°...Is it over there?¡±

    It was closer than expected. That was Libra¡¯s first impression. If it was the Archer, he could have been further away...It was not impossible for him to shoot from a distance that was much further than from here. Yet the most likely location was very close. It was just a bit further from thementary box for the hunting festival. Thus, that was the next spot to examine.

    The Archer must have erased his tracks, but it would not be possible forplete erasure. Slight footprints on the ground. Trampled grass. Fallen body hair. As long as such things existed, Libra could use these clues to find the next clue.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Karkinos.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    With the totally useless Karkinos, Libra headed for the next clue. After this, she would just repeat the process until she found the Archer himself. There was almost nothing more difficult than getting away from her once she started tracking someone. Even if it was one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, there would be no exception.

 Chapter 80

    Chapter 80

    There were clues leading to the Archer left behind in various ces . Libra felt suspicious as she followed the clues . As they led closer and closer to the Archer, Libra¡¯s suspicions became convictions . There was no doubt about it...This trail was intentionally left behind . It was devised to such an extent that an ordinary person probably would not realize it, but if it was Libra, she would definitely put the pieces together .

    She did not know his intentions, but it seemed that the other party was specifically looking for her . In that case, there was no other way . She would have to ept the invitation and ask him about his true intentions .

    There were no signs of traps . After analyzing the terrain, temperature, and sound within a radius of several kilometers, she was certain that no traps had been set .

    The Archer was an expert hunter . Although Libra would not lose at a long-range, the Archer¡¯s true skillsy in the abundant knowledge of utilizing the terrain to set up traps . Furthermore, it was his role topensate for offensive arcane magic which Ruphas was bad at . In fact, his favored form of attack was actually arcane magic, not arrows . Therefore, his reason for using an actual arrow was none other than to leave a clue .

    However, Libra did not choose to return . If she chose to return now in order to call Ruphas and allowed the Archer to get away, everything they had done up to this point would go down the drain . If he seriously tried to get away, it would be difficult even for Libra to find him . Given his mobility, it would be easy for him to leave the capital while she was returning to Ruphas . Since the other party was practically inviting her, she might as well just follow through with it .

    Having decided thus, Libra continued to follow the clues along with Karkinos . Faint footprints, traces of trampled grass, and body hair fallen in the undergrowth...Even with just a handful of such clues, Libra could urately arrive at the destination . After searching for a while, she came to a dense forest . There were many objects to provide cover . This was the favored battlefield of the Archer .

    ¡°You havee, Libra . ¡±

    ¡°Sagittarius?¡±

    As she turned towards the sound of the voice, there was a young man standing there . It was thementator for the hunting festival, a man named Chiron . However, this was just an illusion created by arcane magic . Seeing through the illusion, Libra called out his name without hesitation .

    Hearing her response, the Archer¡ªSagittarius smiled in satisfaction and shook his arm . Then, the man vanished and was reced by a half-man, half-horse magical beast . The lower body was a horse, while the upper body was a muscr man . This was the true form of Sagittarius .

    His ck hair was cut to a ttop, while thick eyebrows framed his sharp eyes which were hidden behind sunsses . He had the dignity of a skilled hunter . With a cigar in his mouth and an unshaven beard, he looked to be in histe forties by human standards .

    He was wearing a full-body robe . Libra knew it was an item which was created and given to him by Ruphas . Its effect was by no means great . It did not improve defense much and did not grant resistance to any attribute or abnormal status . However, it could change color to blend into the surroundings . It was a great equipment for stealth, but it was useless before Libra who could locate a creature by its breathing and heat signature .

    ¡°How unusual . For you to reveal yourself like this, when you rarely ever show yourself to others . ¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    ¡°You once said, ¡®To be the ideal hunter is to hunt the prey down before they realize they are being hunted . ¡¯...You almost never show yourself even to your allies . For someone who kills enemies from afar like a shadow, your current behavior is really puzzling . ¡±

    Although both Sagittarius and Libra were long-range attackers, there was a difference in their approaches . Libra¡¯s approach was to seek and destroy . She was a ughtering machine that chased down the enemy relentlessly, overwhelming him with massive firepower . In other words, despite being a long-range attacker, it was Libra¡¯s style to proactively engage on her enemies without reservation . Her long-range attacks were not meant to fight the enemy at a distance, but rather to finish off a fleeing enemy or to cut off an escape route .

    Sagittarius, on the other hand, was the opposite . His race¡ªthe centaur¡ªwas the perfect sniper who kept a distance from the enemy with its high mobility while continuously attacking the enemy from his blindspot .

    Libra would start with a warning, letting the enemy recognize her so as to incite fear and pressure . However, Sagittarius would not do this . Without warning, he would take down a defenseless foe with one shot . He was basically an assassin . Libra was a professionalbatant, but he was different . He was a professional killer .

    Someone like him...Whenever he appeared before others, he would always disguise himself to hide his true form . Yet he was appearing like this now . This was what puzzled Libra . Did he appear like this because he did not feel threatened in the presence ofrades? No, if that was the case, he would have appeared before Ruphas directly . But since he did not do so, his appearance before Libra was unlikely to be a matter of ¡°Come, let¡¯s berades once more . ¡±

    ¡°...The current me have neither the right nor the face to appear before Ruphas-sama . That¡¯s why I called for you . ¡±

    ¡°I can assume from those words that you are undertaking an action that is unfavorable to the interest of the master . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you take it to mean that way . But first, I want you to listen to me . ¡±

    The eyes of Libra and Sagittarius met and sparks flew . Karkinos, who waspletely left out and unable to intrude in this atmosphere, could only sit down and lean against a tree in boredom . After all, he was a person who could serve no other purpose besides being a shield .

    ¡°I¡¯m currently working with Leon . ¡±

    ¡°...With that traitor? Let me hear your reason . ¡±

    Before she even verified the truth, Libra was already holding a machine gun in her hands . The implication was that she would shoot depending on the answer . However, Sagittarius¡¯ expression did not change . It was an iron maskparable to a golem like Libra .

    ¡°There is almost no difference between beastkin and magical beasts, yet we centaurs are ssified as magical beasts . Do you know why?¡±

    ¡°Because centaurs are not bipedal . The definition of humanoids in this world uses humans as a base form . While there could be some appendages like wings, humanoids are defined as creatures that can coexist with humans without being too different in shape . To be more precise, those who were created to resemble the goddess arebelled ¡®humanoids¡¯ . Therefore, if one¡¯s form deviates too much from the base form, it cannot be considered ¡®humanoid . ¡¯ This is why you centaurs are not considered humanoids . Merfolk are ssified as magical beasts for the same reason . ¡±

    ¡°Indeed, but we centaurs do not abduct women like orcs and we do not actively attack people . We just live our lives quietly . Centaurs can coexist with humans . And yet we are viewed with hostility...merely because we are considered magical beasts . ¡±

    Centaurs were gentle and thoughtful magical beasts . In a way, their calm and intelligent nature made them more suitable to be considered a civilized race than some humanoids such as the beastkin . In fact, the elves honored them as sages of the forest .

    They were intelligent, quiet, and gentle . Although there were rare exceptions like Sagittarius, centaurs were basically pacifistic creatures that posed no danger to anyone . However, they were seen with hostility by humanoids other than elves and were even attacked in certain situations . This was because the humanoids were taught to consider all magical beasts as dangerous in the current world .

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking that I want to change the current world . And now I have a reason to do so . ¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ve decided to side with Leon?¡±

    ¡°Yes . If he controls the world, the rights of the magical beasts will be improved . The situation of centaurs will be in a much better state than it is right now . ¡±

    ¡°You have changed, Sagittarius . As I recall, you were not the type of person to care about such things . ¡±

    ¡°I have certainly changed...After all, it has been two hundred years . I can¡¯t be the kind of person I used to be anymore . Now...I have something that I want to protect . ¡±

    Leon was a deviant among the Twelve Heavenly Stars since he had the ambition to rece Ruphas and the Demon King as ruler of the world . If he took over the world, the rights of magical beasts would certainly improve . But in that scenario, what awaited was a future without wisdom or civilization, one in which only the fittest would survive . There would be days of nothing except killing and eating . The world would regress to what it was without the wisdom of the humanoids, filled with only beasts and dinosaurs . This was not the future envisioned by Ruphas .

    ¡°Leon does not have the attributes of a king . At best, that man can be the leader of a mob . Have you gotten to the point where you can¡¯t even see that anymore?¡±

    ¡°I know that . I¡¯m nning to stand beside him and make up for the wisdom that hecks . ¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t get it . That man will not listen to your advice . Considering he lives only by his instinct and desires, that man¡¯s nature is truly that of a magical beast . ¡±

    Libra pointed her machine gun at Sagittarius and then announced in an emotionless voice .

    ¡°Warning . It will be fine if you return to the master now . If you still side with Leon, you will be regarded as a threat and be eliminated . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have already decided . If it¡¯s for the sake of those children, I will do anything . Even if...I have to choose a road that opposes Ruphas-sama!¡±

    Sagittarius roared and drew his bow . What was unleashed was not a real arrow, but an arcane magicposed of a burning red me .

    Sagittarius¡¯ affiliated attribute was Wood, so normally he was not a terrifying opponent for Libra . However, the bow that Ruphas gave him two hundred years ago was troublesome! Its effect changed the attribute of the magic that was used . Its name was Kaus Media . It was the only bow in the world that could always strike at the target¡¯s weakness . In other words, the absolute advantage that Libra had in this matchup waspletely negated by the bow .

    ¡°Well then, Karkinos Barrier!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s!?¡±

    Libra quickly grabbed the nearby Karkinos and used him to deflect the iing magical arrow . Although Karkinos was useless except for being a shield, he was the best among the Twelve Heavenly Stars in terms of defense . Although the usage gave off a sense of wrongness, Libra harmlessly blocked Sagittarius¡¯ first attack by using Karkinos as a shield .

    ¡°Hostile intentions towards master confirmed . This re-ssifies Sagittarius as an enemy . Proceeding with elimination . ¡±

    She squeezed the trigger of the machine gun and fired a scattering of rounds . But Sagittarius quickly took cover among the trees, evading the iing bullets . He had probably predicted this development .

    Libra quickly changed her weapon from a machine gun to a rifle, grabbed Karkinos, and chased after Sagittarius . The alliance of Sagittarius and Leon was troubling . If he was not eliminated here, it would be an obstacle to her master . Libra charged forward, using Karkinos as a shield to block iing magic fired from between the trees .

    She used Karkinos to deflect the masses of mes flying overhead .

    ¡°No!?¡±

    The water arrows shot from between the trees was blocked by Karkinos .

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    He was used to step on the earthen spearsing forth from the ground . Karkinos was thrown to deflect the iing metallic arrows .

    ¡°Oh my God!¡±

    She recovered Karkinos and elerated, shielding herself behind Karkinos as she charged towards the wall of fire that appeared ahead . And so she broke through the wall and emerged from the mes .

    ¡°Help me!¡±

    Karkinos screamed every time he encountered magic, even though it was a rare opportunity where he could y a role . Libra shut him up, told him to endure it, then aimed her rifle at Sagittarius .

    And she fired . A continuous stream of homing bullets created by Ruphas shot at Sagittarius . Of course, she was not merely aiming straight at him . Some of them were fired to cause intentional ricochets, while others were fired to knock down the trees before Sagittarius to cut off his escape routes .

    However, Sagittarius evaded all of the bullets and passed under a falling tree before it could block him . As expected of centaurs, which were proud of their leg power .

    She wanted to use Astraea and finish this in one go, but it could not be used without Ruphas¡¯ permission . In other words, in a situation where she could not contact Ruphas, she must eliminate Sagittarius with her own power . Libra passed the rifle to Karkinos and released the mechanism on her right arm .

    ¡°Skill selection . Unlock limiter on right arm . The Right Scale (Zubenelgenubi), release!¡±

    As she made her deration, her right arm changed into a cannon and she aimed it at Sagittarius, who was fleeing ahead . In Libra¡¯s field of vision, his heat source was disyed, thereby ignoring the effects of Sagittarius¡¯ camouge robe . A circr marker ovepped with the words ¡°Lock-on¡± on that spot .

    ¡°uracy sixty-two percent...Fire!¡±

    The muzzle emitted violet electrical sparks . Upon firing, the recoil blew away the nts behind Libra . And a sh of light was released towards Sagittarius, blowing away all of the trees and obstacles in between .

    However, Sagittarius dodged marginally and avoided a direct hit . Even so, the attack had opened the way to Sagittarius . Libra elerated using the vernier thrusters on her back, bing a bullet herself that sped towards Sagittarius .

    And then, with her steel head, she bashed into Sagittarius¡¯ face .

 Chapter 81

    Chapter 81

    Sagittarius ran through the forest and nced towards the side. Libra flew between the trees a little further away. Her inorganic eyes were focused on Sagittarius. Although both of them were moving at a speed that would normally be impossible for humanoids and magical beasts, they still avoided the trees with their agile movements. No, a closer look revealed that Libra would asionally brush against the surrounding trees, but she simply wasn¡¯t bothered by it.

    ¡°Target, lock. Fire!¡±

    Libra held her machine gun and took aim with the muzzle. Arge amount of guided bullets rushed towards Sagittarius, twisting around obstacles in an unbelievable manner. However, Sagittarius generated a storm around himself to deflect the bullets and counterattacked with a magic arrow. But an arrow shot straight at Libra would not reach her.

    Once more, she blocked the magic using Karkinos as a shield and then firedsers from her eyes. When he thought that he had somehow avoided them, the centers of Libra¡¯s palms opened and cannons emerged, spewing forth mes.

    ¡°Are you trying to burn down the forest?¡±

    Sagittarius immediately changed his magic¡¯s attribute to Water and fired it as an arrow. However, with that opening, Libra detached her arm which shot towards Sagittarius like a flying iron fist. This wasmonly known as Rocket Punch.

    However, Sagittarius was not only proficient in rangedbat. After all, he was one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars. His basic status alone made him strong enough to handle meleebat. He countered the flying iron fist with his own fist, returning the arm back to Libra.

    After reattaching her arm, Libra murmured coldly.

    ¡°It seems that your bones have been fractured. Adjusting target¡¯s uracy downwards.¡±

    ¡°You are really hard to deal with.¡±

    The two of them finally exited the forest and moved onto a rocky mountain. Now their situations were reversed. The present terrain was disadvantageous to Sagittarius. On the other hand, Libra had the advantage since she could fly freely in the sky. In addition, there were no obstacles.

    But despite this, Sagittarius continued to climb the rocky mountain. His half-horse body sprinted at full speed straight up the rocky mountain. Libra continued to follow, but a barrage of magic arrows were fired to prevent this. She flew in an evasive manner and fired a scattershot in return.

    However, Sagittarius did not lose out. He agilely avoided the bullets and counterattacked. Arrows and bullets met again and again, but neither of them were hit since their skills rivaled each other.

    Under these circumstances, it was Sagittarius who showed his trump card first. He pulled his bow to a full draw and magic power began to gather at the tip of his arrow.

    ¡°Once it is fired, it will surely hit. Alnasl, is it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. This is unavoidable even for you.¡±

    In the world of Midgard, there were some fearsome skills that were ¡°absolutely urate.¡± Some of them were released without any way to escape, such as Libra¡¯s Brachium. Others ceaselessly sought out their targets until they hit. The Shine Blow skill of Ruphas was one of these absolutely urate skills that wereunched with unavoidable speed.

    But Alnasl was not one of them. Once it was fired, it would hit in the next instant. In other words, there was no process between firing and hitting. It could neither be countered nor avoided. It was an attack that did not exist in such a dimension, since firing automatically equated to hitting the target.

    There was no way for Libra to evade this, except to stop it before it was fired. Of course, the absolutely urate arrow could not be blocked by Libra even if she used Karkinos as a shield. Even if she took cover behind him, it would be impossible for Karkinos to take the hit in her stead.

    However, Libra judged this to be a good opportunity.

    ¡°I see. The moment of attack is my greatest opportunity.¡±

    In response to Sagittarius¡¯ imminent attack, Libra dumped Karkinos and transformed her right arm. She intended to match her attack to his and fire at the same time. Even for a master like Sagittarius, he would be vulnerable when unleashing his ultimate skill. Since she could not avoid his attack anyway, she resolved herself to use her skill to attack as well. Both of them stared at each other without blinking and waited for the moment to attack.

    ¡°...Alnasl!¡±

    ¡°The Right Scale (Zubenelgenubi)!¡±

    Sagittarius fired a ming arrow from his bow, then¡ªone-tenth of a secondter, Libra¡¯s right arm shot a sh of light. As soon as the light hit Sagittarius, Libra activated her jet. Alnasl¡¯s damage would be inflicted right after this, but Libra did not care. She did not know where it would hit. Would it be the torso, the chest, the neck, or the head?

    No matter where she was hit, she could endure a single blow. As a golem, she could continue fighting even if she was slightly damaged. In that case, she did not need to worry about the damage. She just needed to continue until she defeated him!

    But Sagittarius¡¯ next move exceeded Libra¡¯s prediction. The fired arrow did not hit Libra. Instead, Sagittarius vanished.

    ¡°?!¡±

    He did not run away. He did not fly away either. Sagittarius simply ¡°vanished¡± in a way that Libra could not detect. Libra was unusually confused in such a situation whereby she could only exin it thus. She suddenly stopped in ce to look around and search the surroundings. But she could not detect his shadow, shape, sound, or heat. He was not merely invisible. He was actually not here anymore.

    In order to determine what happened, she reyed the footage of what she saw in her field of vision earlier. For just a few seconds, she observed what Sagittarius did at the moment he fired the arrow in slow motion. Then she understood. Sagittarius grabbed his arrow after firing it.

    ¡°...I¡¯ve been tricked.¡±

    To begin with, Sagittarius was not aiming at Libra. He was probably aiming for somewhere very far away...such as a tree located a long distance from here. And he grabbed the absolutely urate arrow that ignored causality and instantaneously moved to hit the target.

    This was the first time Libra saw the arrow being used like this. Two hundred years ago, there were many asions where Sagittarius used his absolutely urate arrows, but never in this way.

    Libra could make predictions based on past data. She was even more urate and precise than modernputers. On the other hand, she could not predict something that was not in her data. This was her blindspot, a loophole in her thought process.

    By using his trump card which was hidden for two hundred years, Sagittarius sessfully escaped from Libra, who was known to be inescapable once she locked on to her target.

    It was great to know Sagittarius¡¯ trump card, but considering that he had allied with Leon, the failure to capture him here was a severe blow.

    ?

    Sei and hispanions were walking in single file through the mountain pass of the Spiritual Peak Hnitbjorg. A mysterious aura emanated from the ce they had just entered, making it worthy of being called the Spiritual Peak. Sei was expecting a tough climb up the mountain, but this mountain was different. There were caves here and there, so one could climb up the mountain gradually by passing through these caves.

    It is like the dungeons in RPGs, Sei thought inappropriately in regards to their situation. There were crystals on the ceiling, floor, and walls, emitting a violet glow. Cruz, who was in charge of the rear support, looked at them in astonishment.

    ¡°A¡ªAmazing...These are all mana crystals. There is so much materialized mana here...How much will it be worth if we just bring them back to sell?¡±

    ¡°Do they sell for a lot of money?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Materialized mana is one of the best materials for alchemy. It also serves as a catalyst for arcane magic. If one is ced on the tip of a staff, it will assist in the use of arcane magic. Honestly, if this was not the Spiritual Peak, I would want to bring them all home right away.¡±

    Apparently, this seemed like a treasure trove to a magic-user like Cruz. He seemed to be really excited and kept ncing at the crystals. If he was so interested in them, he should just take some, but I thought that he wasn¡¯t the kind of person to do that.

    Aries as well. In the past, he went with Ruphas to collect an excessive amount of such crystals in mountains and caves where mana umted. Thus, he could understand Cruz¡¯s excitement a little. However, he did not think it was worth that much since it was a type of crystal that formed naturally in any location that umted mana.

    The required condition was for the location to umte mana, so it must be some ce that did not leak mana and where no living creature was present. In other words, as he recalled Ruphas once said, to find these magic crystals, all one had to do was to simply target such pits and caves. Furthermore, there was a barrier that repulsed mana, so mana could not pass through it. As a result, the mana that umted in this mountain could not pass through the barrier, so it crystalized instead. Basically, it was a product of coincidence.

    Anyway, if I bring some back for master, she would probably be happy, right?

    He thought so and then grabbed some crystals at a speed which the others could not perceive, hiding them beneath his ck cloak. Only Virgo barely noticed Aries¡¯ movements, but even she was not sure what he did.

    ¡°Virgo-san, are you okay? Ti¡ªTired?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    As they continued on the treacherous path, Sei was worried about Virgo even though he was out of breath himself. But despite Virgo¡¯s appearance, she was still Level 300. In terms of constitution, she was the second highest among the people here.

    She continued climbing with a calm expression. On the other hand, Sei and hispanions were the onesgging behind. He was slower than the energetic dog walking by his feet. It was truly difficult to be in a group with arge level gap.

    ¡°By the way, I think...No, I believe so, but is that gori beastkin okay...doing fine?¡±

    Even though he was struggling with his awkward tone, he was worried about the female knight who went ahead. There was a barrier here that repulsed magical beasts. A high-level creature like Aries might be fine, but it would be poisonous to a low-level beastkin. In that case, it would be better for the gori beastkin to wait here. They were very considerate words, but the female knight stiffened.

    ¡°Hey, those are forbidden words! She¡¯s a human, not a beastkin! Even though she certainly looks like a gori!¡±

    Jean rushed to follow up on the exnation, but it became a finishing blow instead of a support. Gori¡ªNo, the female knight punched him in the face and knocked him down. She then walked ahead in anger. She was still ady after all. Although she was aware that she looked like a gori, it still somewhat hurt.

    ¡°By the way, that demon...Mercurius of the Seven Luminaries. Do you think that he will interfere?¡±

    ¡°Oh, he will definitelye. He can¡¯t ignore the elixir.¡±

    One of Sei¡¯srades, the former adventurer Nick, muttered as he nced around cautiously, while Gants answered him. Since this was near the center of the barrier, even if demons appeared, they would have a situational advantage. However, it was still rather disheartening without Friedrich.

    The question was where would he interfere? Kaineko said that he would probably use brainwashed humanoids, but so far there were no such people. Instead, there was the sound of flowing water.

    ¡°...? Hey, do you hear any strange noises?¡±

    While everyone was on alert, Virgo was the first to notice it. At first, she thought she was imagining things, but she quickly reconsidered it. It was not her imagination. There was indeed the sound of water and it was getting louder.

    Sei and the others must have heard it too. As they wondered what unimaginable thing was causing the noise, Cruz turned pale as he realized the truth of the matter.

    ¡°Thi¡ªThis is bad! Everyone, gather around me!¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°No time to exin! Quickly!¡±

    At Cruz¡¯s urging, Sei and the others gathered. Without exnation, Cruz activated a barrier of light to cover everyone. This was like preparing for a battle, making Sei and the others even more tense.

    Then, no further exnation was needed. The source of the noise became apparent. A torrent of water flooding the entire cave poured in.

 Chapter 82

    Chapter 82

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    As Cruz¡¯s barrier blocked the water flowing down, it creaked. The barrier covered only a small area, about a radius of five meters, but this was currently the only safe ce within the cave.

    Sei remembered the submarine tunnel that he had once visited during his holidays when he still lived in Japan. Inappropriately, he thought that such a scene would be possible if a tunnel was built under fast flowing water. It was not that he could afford to think such thoughts, but rather it was the opposite. His thought process was confused by the sudden crisis, so it was inevitable.

    The torrent of water covered everything except where they were currently standing. If this area was flooded as well, they would be dashed against the rock walls and eventually drowned, resulting in the death of the entire hero¡¯s party.

    However, the flow of the water was very powerful, such that Cruz¡¯s barrier was starting to distort and crack.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s happening!? Didn¡¯t you say that demons couldn¡¯te in here!?¡±

    ¡°It¡ªit seems that Kaineko-san was mistaken...He has forcefully prated the barrier!¡±

    Gants asked anxiously, while Cruz replied in a strained voice. This water was not natural. Clearly, someone¡ªprobably Mercurius¡ªhad used magic with an obviously hostile intent. In other words, Mercurius himself had already intruded into this ce.

    But fortunately, this turbid flow of water would notst indefinitely. If they could endure it for long enough, it would probably stop by itself. However, it was difficult to endure for an extended period of time. Cruz might be one of the elite divine magic users in the world, but there was still an insurmountable difference in level.

    At Level 105, Cruz was arguably the highest level magic user among the humanoids. However, the opponent was a fearsome demon at around Level 300. He was not an opponent who could be ovee by acting alone.

    Eventually, Cruz¡¯s barrier broke, but at the same time, Virgo raised her hand.

    ¡°Vindemiatrix!¡±

    At Virgo¡¯s deration, the turbid flow of water ¡°vanished.¡± This was an advanced skill that dispersed the mana of a specified area. Since it could disperse mana, it was effective against all forms of arcane magic. It could even deal incurable damage to beings that maintained their bodies using mana. Not realizing that Cruz was staring at her nkly, Virgo erased all of the turbid water.

    ¡°Ju¡ªJust now...Impossible. The mana was unquestionably erased! That technique is believed to be the world¡¯s administrative power belonging only to the Goddess and those acknowledged by her!¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Vir¡ªVirgo-san...Who exactly are you!?¡±

    Virgo widened her eyes as she listened to Cruz¡¯s words about unfamiliar topics. Virgo had neither awareness nor knowledge concerning the power of the Goddess. What she just used was a skill that she had learnt for self-defense when she was young. Her grandmother had told her, ¡°This would be instant death for a demon.¡±

    Although it might be a bit excessive for self-defense, Virgo regarded that skill only as something of such magnitude. However, the reality was actually different. There were a very limited number of people who could use that skill. At least, it was not something that was pervasive among the humanoids.

    This was only natural. After all, this was a skill which was only taught to the n that the Goddess had personally breathed life into and put in charge of managing mana...In other words, it was a divine skill taught to the direct descendants of the original human, Aeneas.

    There were only four individuals who could use this skill in the current world. Needless to say, one was the Goddess herself. The other was Parthenos, who had once served her. Another was Ruphas Mafahl, the master of Parthenos. And thest one was Virgo, the sessor of Parthenos.

    This skill could erase mana without question. In Midgard which was overflowing with mana, it was unmatched, deserving to be called a divine miracle. Since all arcane magic wasposed of mana, they could be easily rendered ineffective with this skill.

    If it was used on vehicles that utilized Megrez¡¯s mana engines, thetter would stop functioning. If it was used on demons, it would deal a significant amount of damage. And for those that wereposed of mana, the damage would be irrecoverable.

    Level differences did not matter with this skill. It would definitely be effective even if it could not remove too much mana in one go. In other words, even if the target was a Level 1000 demon, it would definitely still be effective.

    ¡°Eh? Even if you ask me who...I¡¯m just a normal fl¨¹gel who has been living in a forest until recently?¡±

    ¡°Normal? Normal!? That¡¯s impossible! As if a normal fl¨¹gel could erase mana! Even the Sky King wouldn¡¯t be able to do something like that!¡±

    ¡°Kyaa!?¡±

    He must have felt that he was being made fun of by Virgo. Cruz screamed in distress and grabbed her shoulders. Apparently, he seemed to be the kind of person who was normally calm, but would panic when something beyond his understanding urred. However, it seemed too immature for an adult elf with bloodshot eyes to be cornering a fl¨¹gel girl. Feeling that this was in bad taste, Sei hurriedly pulled Cruz off and positioned himself in front of Virgo to protect her.

    ¡°What are you doing, Cruz-san? Now is not the time for such things! We don¡¯t know when the next attack wille!¡±

    ¡°B¡ªbut¡ª¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no but! What we need to do now is to decide whether to stop the person who is using this magic or to leave this mountain!¡±

    Indeed, now was not the time to be questioning one¡¯s allies. The original n had fallen apart, along with its premise. They came here on the premise that the Seven Luminaries would not personallye to this mountain, yet Mercurius had beaten them to it.

    In other words, even if they somehow survived the first attack, it would not be strange if the second attack came soon. Therefore, they had to choose¡ªeither to withdraw for now or to proceed despite the danger.

    ¡°The boy is right. Advance or retreat. We must decide quickly.¡±

    ¡°I agree with old man Gants. Let¡¯s advance.¡±

    ¡°No. I think we should withdraw. In the current situation, the enemy can continuously attack us with magic without showing up. If we keep taking such attacks, we will be wiped out.¡±

    Gants and Jean, who were experienced travelers in this party, agreed with Sei. As a mercenary and an adventurer respectively, they were used to such situations. However, their opinions differed. Jean wanted to advance, while Gants rmended withdrawing.

    ¡°I think Gants is right. We should withdraw.¡±

    ¡°I think we should advance. If we retreat now, the elixir will be taken.¡±

    Even the two adventurers with a weak sense of presence, Nick and Shu, had opposing opinions. It would be dangerous to proceed on, but if they retreated, the elixir would very likely be lost. In that case, even if they survived this ce, this country would fall after losing its guardian dragon. However, it was simply too dangerous to proceed. Thus, both arguments reached a stalemate and the conversation was in vain.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine with either way.¡±

    Aries gave a vague response, but this was in fact the case since there was no problem for him either way. If the opponent was the Seven Luminaries, proceeding would not be a problem. However, the guardian dragon was an existence that did not matter to Aries. If this country fell because they lost the elixir, it would merely be the loss of a country founded by the hateful Seven Heroes. It might even be a desirable thing.

    ¡°Uh, I think it¡¯s okay to proceed.¡±

    ¡°I think we should retreat...We are divided again.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m bad at thinking. I will just follow whatever everyone decided.¡±

    Virgo and the Female Knight had opposing opinions, so things were divided evenly again. Ricardo had no intention to take a side, while Cruz was useless at the moment. As a result, the decision was entrusted to thest remaining person. Everyone cast their gazes towards the hero. Sei broke out in sweat from the pressure of responsibility, but he still spoke his mind in a clear tone.

    ¡°...Let¡¯s advance. I think the reason he was making these long-range attacks without showing himself was in order to make us feel threatened and leave. Even if he forcefully prated the anti-mana barrier, he should still be affected to some degree. Perhaps, fighting here would be disadvantageous to him. Earlier, Cruz-san was able to defend against the attack most likely due to us being in this mountain. If the attack happened outside, the barrier would have been broken through right away.¡±

    ¡°Th¡ªThat¡¯s true. You can think of it that way.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, I think we should move forward. He should be the one who is struggling right now.¡±

    Unexpectedly impressed by Sei¡¯s calm assessment of the situation, several people gasped softly. His power may still be undeveloped, but his ability to assess situations was quite good. Aries raised his evaluation of Sei slightly and was reminded of his master¡¯s adventuring days.

    ¡°Everyone, get your recovery items! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Wait, Ruphas. There¡¯s a trap...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already triggered the traps!¡±

    Ah, she was hopeless. Ignoring Megrez¡¯s warning, she stepped into the trap. As she dered that they could just heal up after taking damage, she advanced relentlessly like a muscle-brain without worrying about the arrows shooting at her, the walls closing in on her, or the mes dousing her from above. Other than avoiding the instant death traps with her ranger skills, she advanced while stating that it would be faster to be attacked and heal up than to disarm the traps. It was terrible.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not that smart, so I might be wrong.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. ...I¡¯m the one who was wrong. Certainly, if we run away now, we would be doing exactly what the enemy wanted. Hey, I changed my mind. I also agree with advancing.¡±

    Inspired by Sei, Gants changed his opinion. As a result, there were five who voted to advance and two who voted to retreat, so the decision was made. Nick and the Female Knight simply shrugged and were convinced that they had to advance despite the dangers.

    In that case, faster would be better. They had to move as quickly as possible and engage the demon in battle before the situation snowballed. The more they were attacked, the more exhausted they would be. Therefore, the number of times they were attacked before they reached the destination would be the key to victory.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go! Cruz, snap out of it!¡±

    Gants grabbed Cruz by the head and ran ahead. Soon after, everyone started running, following the cave leading upwards. This Spiritual Peak had a peculiar shape. The mountain was hollow on the inside. It was a spiral slope that led upwards. It was said that the elixir was ced at the top. Therefore, it was impossible to get to the elixir by flying from the outside. This was a natural fortress.

    The enemy was probably at the top! The water must have flowed down from there. Then he must have wanted them to retreat. After all, because of the structure of the mountain, there was only a single passage. If they did not retreat, they would definitely encounter the enemy. In other words, even if the enemy acquired the elixir, he could not leave unnoticed.

    Sei was right. This Spiritual Peak that sealed mana was actually a dead end. Lured by the elixir, the enemy had basically cornered himself. Mercurius understood this as well. Currently, he was the one who was in trouble!

    ¡°Second wave iing!¡±

    A turbid stream of wave came towards Gants. He was indeed ahead! He must have thought that it would be checkmate the moment he got the elixir. However, his miscalction was the presence of Virgo. Once again, she jumped forward and extended her palms.

    ¡°Vindemiatrix!¡±

    The advanced water magic released by the demon vanished without a second thought. Magic was a way to collect mana and turn it into a phenomenon, and so long as it remained that way, this skill¡¯s effectiveness would remain absolute. In the most appropriate sense, it was the natural enemy of a magic user. If there was a person with this skill on the other side, the magic user would be worthless. Seeing this, Jean whistled with a heartfelt admiration for Virgo¡¯s fighting spirit.

    ¡°Amazing, girl-chan! You are unbelievably strong!¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be modest. Have some confidence. You are really strong!¡±

    The hero and hispanions continued advancing like this and finally arrived at the top¡ªthe room where the elixir was ced. In front of the room, there were scattered debris consisting of broken parts of a golem, probably the guardian of the elixir. Originally, Sei and hispanions would probably have to fight it.

    It was obvious who the culprit responsible for this might be. The demon stood ahead, holding a small vial in his hand and ring at them with a sharp look.

    It seemed that they had managed to catch up.

    Now, all they had to do was to defeat him. Brimming with enthusiasm, Sei and hispanions readied their weapons.

 Chapter 83

    Chapter 83

    Aries was thinking .

    When should he join the battle? Or was it better for him not to interrupt?

    It would be easy for Aries to finish off Mercurius here . Regardless of their attributepatibility, there was an insurmountable difference between them since his level was more than double of the demon¡¯s level . He could forcefully defeat him while ignoring the advantages and disadvantages .

    Although Aries had struggled against the water golem Levia, the level difference could not be easily ovee as long as it wasn¡¯t an exceptional foe like that . Levia was created out of ake which was rich in mana, and mana could empower objects and creatures by allowing them to level up .

    Basically, golems could not possess mana . Even if its raw materials were created by magic, it would eventually revert back to mana . However, Megrez overcame this weakness by using a vast quantity of water containing pure mana, sessfully creating a contradictory existence¡ªa golem with an abundance of mana . Although Aries did not like it, he had to admit that Megrez was worthy of being called the Wisdom King .

    Returning to the topic at hand, Aries could defeat Mercurius without much effort . It might be a bit trickier than the other Seven Luminaries, but that was all . The opponent would be a little stubborn and troublesome, but it wouldn¡¯t be possible for Aries to lose .

    But...Aries pondered . If he were to interrupt here, would it be beneficial for Virgo? If any of the other Twelve Heavenly Stars had been here, they would have interrupted without hesitation . They would have jumped at the Seven Luminaries and ughtered them without worrying about revealing their true identities . That would be the correct thing to do .

    If Virgo and the Seven Luminaries were on equal footing, it was not guaranteed that she woulde out victorious . In that case, it would be better to not risk it and quickly finish it themselves . It was the correct option to take .

    However, Aries could empathize with Virgo¡¯s feelings . Aries was different from the other Twelve Heavenly Stars . All of them were strong to begin with . Libra was the strongest golem . Aigokeros was the devil king of the underworld . Karkinos was the top among the crustacean monsters of the seaside, while Scorpius was the empress of scorpions . Parthenos was the leader of the tribe which served the Goddess . The rest of the Twelve Heavenly Stars were all just as exceptional, including the queen of the fairies, the son of the Goddess, and the strongest magical beast .

    The Twelve Heavenly Stars, with the exception of Aries, was a group consisting of the strongest individuals from different regions . Every one of them were considered legendary and fearful existences in their own regions of residence . If they were not already following Ruphas, they might have beenpeting with each other for dominance . The strongest members of different races from different regions came together to form the Twelve Heavenly Stars .

    However, Aries was different . He was simply lucky . Because he was the first to be captured, Ruphas was attached to him, seeing him as a weak monster that needed to be strengthened . Originally, he was not someone who could even begin to stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest . No, he was the weakest magical beast that could not evenpare with ordinary magical beasts . This was Aries .

    Therefore, only Aries understood Virgo¡¯s feelings¡ªthe heart of the weak . The current Virgo was like him in the past; surrounded by the strong, he could not be confident of himself and was ovee by an unbearable sense of inferiority .

    Why am I here? Am I really needed? Shouldn¡¯t I give this position to someone else?

    Overwhelmed by such thoughts, he could not understand the value of his own existence . It was unclear if Virgo had the same troubles as Aries had in the past, but it was likely for her to have such thoughts to some extent . Therefore, Aries decided to leave things be .

    This was because it was very mortifying for the party that was receiving help . Even though it was a battle that could have been won, the other Twelve Heavenly Stars would interfere when it became even slightly dangerous . It was not just once or twice that he was told to stay back because he was weak . And then he would think, Oh, why am I so weak?

    The regret, pity, and misery would result in sleepless nights . Aries knew that feeling . The other Twelve Heavenly Stars never understood such things because they were strong without exception . This was why Aries suppressed his urge to bash the Seven Luminaries .

    Not yet...It wasn¡¯t the time to act yet . If he took action now, he would be saying to Virgo, ¡°You can¡¯t win, so just leave it to me . ¡± In that case, nothing would change and Virgo would never have confidence in herself . So for now...he should just watch .

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Eh, me?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nobody else except you . ¡±

    Mercurius asked without hiding the hostility in his eyes . Virgo, subjected to the query, was puzzled . ¡°Who are you?¡± It was hard to answer such a question .

    Although she was one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, she merely seeded her grandmother . She did not think that she had such power . However, the man from the Seven Luminaries was somehow cautious . He quickly drew a seal and told Virgo in a low voice .

    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t matter who you are...A person who can use that skill must not be left alive . Here, I will do my best to get rid of you!¡±

    Mercurius dered and shotpressed water bullets from his palm . It was water, nothing but water . However, apressed high-speed jet of water could even shatter rocks . As he made his attack, everyone spread out and the water bullets easily destroyed the rocks behind them . If humans were hit by that, they would note out unscathed .

    ¡°Ooh¡ª!¡±

    The first to the frontline was Gants . He swung arge battleaxe, one of the treasures of the ck-Winged which he received from the king prior to their departure . There were no special effects . It was just a strong, heavy axe, but it fitted just right in Gants¡¯ hands . Compared to the axes which he had been making do with up until now, it had tremendous power .

    The destructive blow cut Mercurius in two and crashed into the ground, creating a cloud of dust . But even with such an attack, Mercurius did not change his expression .

    ¡°It¡¯s useless . Such an attack won¡¯t work on me . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true! But it will still take some time to restore your body!¡±

    The attack was ineffective, dealing no damage . That was true, but so what? Gants swung his axe with a ferocious smile and shredded Mercurius . He wasn¡¯t trying to damage Mercurius to begin with . Based on the information provided by Kaineko, he already knew that physical attacks would be ineffective . In that case, the deciding factor would be none other than magic . As such, he understood that his role would be to engage and upy the enemy .

    The pieces of Mercurius¡¯ body started to swell and tentacles of water shot towards Gants . The tips were sharp and pointed, obviously capable of prating shabby armor . However, Gants smiled widely like a beast . Instead of dodging, he increased the power of his assaults . As a result, all of the tentacles stabbed at Gants...but all of them got stuck in his flesh . Gants¡¯ well-trained muscles had stopped the tentacles .

    ¡°Your attacks are...lukewarm!¡±

    Gants swung his axe again, slicing up Mercurius . Mercurius¡¯ attacks would normally have prated Gants¡¯ muscles, therefore he must have been weakened . Although it was not at the point of being able to call it easy, it had certainly been weakened to the extent where even Gants¡¯ defenses were enough to protect against it .

    But he was still one of the Seven Luminaries . He still would not lose to physical attacks . Mercurius changed his arm into a whip and sent Gants flying . But he was reced as the adventurers Jean and Nick charged forward .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Nick! Don¡¯t give him time to use magic!¡±

    ¡°I know!¡±

    They were originally members of the same adventuring party, so there was no fault in their coordination . Although they were deemed ¡°too weak and unnecessary¡± by Ruphas, they were in fact veterans among the adventurers of this world . Jean¡¯s sword and Nick¡¯s dagger sliced into Mercurius ceaselessly, giving him no opportunity to use magic .

    From behind, Shu¡¯s arrows provided support fire without ceasing, aiming for Mercurius¡¯ fingers so that he could not draw the seal necessary for magic . They were not aiming to win . This time, their job was not to win . Buying the time for their allies to win¡ªthis was the job of the vanguards .

    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me, you bunch of weaklings who don¡¯t realize your own limit!¡±

    Mercurius directed the water tentacles towards Virgo in frustration, but the attack did not reach her as Ricardo, a big man in armor, cut in to receive the attack instead . There was damage as the attack was beyond what the armor could withstand . However, it was not fatal . As long as he didn¡¯t die, Virgo could heal him with recovery magic . And it was amazingly fast! Gants had already been healed and even though Ricardo had just received damage, he was almost already fully recovered .

    ¡°Annoying!¡±

    Mercurius yelled and struck Jean¡¯s sr plexus . With just one blow, his ribs were broken and Jean¡¯s mouth was filled with fresh blood . He then kicked Nick and disengaged the two adventurers . At the same time, he activated a spell that required no action! He skipped the process of drawing a seal, generating des of water which then scattered across the room .

    However, an actionless spell was naturally weaker than normal . Virgo unleashed a barrier that easily blocked it and he understood that this was far from being a decisive blow .

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    Sei kicked off the ground, jumped in, and swung his sword down . Although it was a physical attack, it was not to be underestimated . As a hero, his skill had unnatural effects that went beyond its appearance . This was one of them . As a hero, he was the only one in the world who could use this skill¡ªMagic Break .

    Its effect was not to reduce the opponent¡¯s HP, but to reduce his SP . It could disperse mana, even if it was only a little . In other words, even though it was a physical attack, it was still effective against the demon .

    However, Mercurius would not just stay still and take the beating . He instantly hardened his body, transforming it from water into ice . Then, he stopped the attack with his hardened arm and counterattacked by kicking him in the jaw .

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Sei was sent flying off in an arc . Immediately after that, a de of light came flying over . That was a shing light emitted from Virgo¡¯s sword . Although Mercurius somehow avoided it, Virgo herself closed the distance by flying in low .

    And they passed each other in a sh! Her sword struck Mercurius and his expression changed .

    ¡°Ugh, ah...!¡±

    It worked! Virgo felt a solid contact in her hands, but herck ofbat experience and alertness brought on a disaster . Mercurius immediately turned on Virgo and reached out his hand . He was aiming for her head . Believing her to be too dangerous if she was not killed in one blow, heunched a deadly attack .

    However, the earth itself shook violently just at the right moment as if it was calcted . As a result, he lost his bnce and the opportunity to attack Virgo . And then, Virgo approached, shing at him again .

    Just now...that guy in ck! The man in ck, who...

    The earthquake just now was caused by that mysterious man in ck . He silently ignored Mercurius¡¯ gaze, but this only made it more unsettling . Mercurius had to admit that the battle was not going as he expected . He understood now that he made a wrong judgment .

    It was aplete mistake toe to this mountain because he was afraid that the elixir would restore the guardian dragon . He knew that he would be weakened by the barrier, but he had thought that he could flush the hero and hispanions away with water magic by taking advantage of the mountain¡¯s terrain . Even if that failed, he should still be able to withdraw cautiously .

    What went wrong? It was his miscalction that they had someone with an anti-magic skill and they just rushed up the mountain without a care . Even so, he was confident he could win . Despite being weakened, he could still win against the hero¡¯s party .

    But...that girl named Virgo, she was too annoying . She could heal whatever damage he inflicted and she would sh at him immediately when given the opportunity .

    Defeat¡ªthis word shed across his mind in a realistic manner .

    ¡°...No! I won¡¯t lose!¡±

    Mercurius steeled himself and turned his body into a de to attack the hero and his party .

    Yes, he could not afford to lose .

    Even if his body was merely a puppet of the Goddess, could he admit that it existed only to be defeated?

    No, it¡¯s fine if it was just him...If it was fate, he could calmly ept it .

    But...

    We demons may be dolls...but there are things even a doll wants to protect!

    In his mind, there was the smile of a familiar girl who bore the name of the moon .

    And she would never turn to him, yet she was a priceless treasure to him .

 Chapter 84

    Chapter 84

    ¡ªAs Mercurius was being cornered, he remembered something that had happened before he came to this country.

    The demons were dancing to a tune. Mercurius always thought so. Originating from somewhere, they were hostile to the humanoids for no reason. That was what the demons were.

    And if they were to stop fighting the humanoids, they would turn into mana and die. It was like how magic that did not do its part would dissipate. He was certain that they were dolls. These dolls were born with the role of attacking the humanoids...They were just tools given human-like shapes with no free wills.

    But why? For what? Who would create such deficient dolls?

    While walking through the dim castle, Mercurius muttered to himself as he pondered the meaning of his own existence.

    Assuming we have won the war against the humanoids, what would we do after that? We would disappear after killing the humanoids, so if we were to drive them to extinction, it would be the end of the line for us. In the end, we have no choice but to self-destruct. A tool that has finished its role will be destroyed...Are you kidding me?

    ¡°Mercurius!¡±

    ¡°Luna?¡±

    A girl with honey-colored hair called out to Mercurius. On top of her violet inner clothes, she wore light armor which emphasized mobility. It seemed that the person in question had tried to cross-dress as a man, but it was honestly impossible for her. Only idiots like Mars would be fooled by this. Although she seemed to be binding her chest, Mercurius knew for a fact that she was well-endowed.

    As Mercurius looked at her running over, he had a shocked expression.

    ¡°Luna...What happened to the color of your eyes and skin?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    The racial characteristics of demons were blue or green skin and eyes with inverted ck sclera and white pupils. Luna was no exception and should also have these characteristics. But currently before Mercurius, Luna had white skin and eyes simr to normal humans. Mercurius asked merely out of curiosity, but Luna visibly panicked and answered as if to make an excuse.

    ¡°Ah, no. This¡ªThis is...for infiltration! Yes, for infiltration! You see, when you infiltrate into a human city, wouldn¡¯t it be suspicious if you don¡¯t look like a human?¡±

    ¡°...I don¡¯t think a disguise is necessary under normal circumstances.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that...B¡ªBy doing this normally, I can make sure that I won¡¯t be exposed when I¡¯m actually out there!¡±

    ...Liar. Internally, Mercurius called out her childish excuse.

    A disguise would be needed when going to a human city. He understood that. This was what Jupiter did as well. Mars was the only fool who would venture close to a human city without a disguise. However, it made no sense to always maintain a human disguise, since it was possible to be mistaken as a human and attacked by fellow demons.

    Well, since she was one of the Seven Luminaries, there shouldn¡¯t be any disrespectful demons who would attack her. If there was one, Mercurius would have buried that demon.

    There must be another reason. Probably...she was conscious of Terra who did not look like a demon. In order to get closer to him, she changed her appearance to match his. Mercurius pushed down the jealousy surging inside him and forced his stiff facial muscles into a smile.

    ¡°It looks good on you. I don¡¯t like humans, but their skin color isn¡¯t bad.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is it? That makes me happy.¡±

    ¡°By the way, what do you want? Surely you did note here just to show me this?¡±

    He raised a question to Luna while thinking deep in his heart how happy he would have been if that was the case. ¡°Ah,¡± Luna cried as she remembered the reason she called out to Mercurius.

    ¡°Oh, right. Terra-sama is summoning the Seven Luminaries. Saturnus is already in the conference room.¡±

    ¡°Terra-sama? ...I understand. I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. We¡¯ll be waiting.¡±

    Looking at the back of Luna who left first, Mercurius let out a small sigh. That ended quickly. He did not like it one bit. She did not have eyes for him and was always thinking of someone else.

    Romantic rival...That would be wrong. He was not even a rival since the matter was settled from the beginning. He knew that he was just reaping what he sowed. Since he was introverted and not eloquent, he could not say it out loud. He could not show the other person the unrequited love that he felt.

    If he behaved in an obvious manner like Luna, the other person would probably figure it out, but it was impossible for him. He always acted ¡°cool¡± to hide his true feelings.

    ¡°...Explode already. Just Terra-sama alone though.¡±

    With soft yet disrespectful words, Mercurius headed for the conference room.

    When he opened the door, there was a heptagonal table which symbolized the seven attributes. There were already people at the seats of Moon and Earth. However, the seats for Fire, Wood, Sun, and Metal were empty.

    It couldn¡¯t be helped. Mars and Jupiter had died, while Venus had betrayed them. The one who governed the Sun, the man who was supposed to be their leader¡ªa demon by the name of Sol¡ªwas excluded from the conference because he was being suspected of having been brainwashed by Venus.

    Mercurius took the seat of Water and looked at Terra, who remained unseated as the superior of the Seven Luminaries.

    ¡°There are fewer of us now.¡±

    The woman at the seat of Earth, Saturnus of Earth, said while resting her chin on her arm. The rtions among the Seven Luminaries were not good. They were an uncooperative group which would kick each other down if given the chance. Even so, if four out of seven people were gone, there would surely be some concerns.

    If they had cooperated with each other without trouble, would this have happened?

    ...No, that would be impossible. Thinking about it now, the reason for this was because the bomb (Venus) had already infiltrated into their midst.

    ¡°Is everyone here?¡±

    Terra nced at everyone, making sure that everyone was here. That being said, there were only three people.

    ¡°Some of you may already know, but Venus has betrayed and left us. No, perhaps she was originally on the other side to begin with. We have been dancing to the tune until now, losing so much in vain.¡±

    Recently...Until a few weeks ago, the demons had an absolute advantage over the humanoids. The Seven Heroes were indeed terrifying existences, but since Aigokeros, Scorpius, and Aries of the Twelve Heavenly Stars were on their side, the demons did not need to fear the guardian beasts and the heroes, except for Bnash.

    However, if one were to think about it now, it was probably another trap of Venus. Because they had the situational advantage, Mars and Jupiter became conceited and were defeated. Meanwhile, Aries, Aigokeros, and Scorpius were taken. By the time they realized it, the situation had already been reversed. With Ruphas andpany, they were pushed to the point where it was doubtful if they could even win against the humanoids.

    As such, this was no longer the time for them to be in conflict with each other. The three of them listened to Terra with serious expressions.

    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to take any more losses. Therefore, all of you will take note of Ruphas¡¯ movements so that you don¡¯te into contact with them by mistake.¡±

    Originally, this should be a situation where they dug themselves in and watched for further developments. Perhaps, the humanoids and Ruphas would defeat each other. Even if they did not, Bnash and Leon would surely sh with her.

    However, the situation did not allow the demons to do such a thing. They were deficient creatures that would disappear if they did not attack the humanoids...They simply did not have the option to stop the war. Their only option was to smartly attack others while avoiding Ruphas, Bnash, and Leon.

    ¡°I would do this even if you didn¡¯t say so. I don¡¯t want to be the opponent of such monsters. Well, we¡¯ll just do the boring tasks of crushing small viges.¡±

    ¡°Saturnus...Attacking nonbatants is a little...¡±

    ¡°As stubborn as ever, Luna. Even if you say that, we demons would be the ones to die if we don¡¯t do it. Anyway, what¡¯s with your eye and skin colors?¡±

    ¡°Eh? No, this is...¡±

    Terra coughed lightly to interrupt the unnecessary bickerings between Luna and Saturnus. The conference resumed again. Originally, the purpose of this conference was only to discuss a n of action regarding Ruphas, including issues like her current whereabouts and how muchbat power she still possessed.

    Her current location was unknown because all of the demons who were sent out for reconnaissance were taken out by a long-range sniper. This was probably done by Libra of the Scales. Although it was possible to estimate her location by using the scouts that were taken out, it would take a lot of subordinates to do it. And if Libra¡¯s range was too long or Ruphas was moving too fast, the uracy of the information acquired would not bnce out the sacrifices which were made.

    Although it was just a spection, it was believed that Ruphas andpany were moving at more than one hundred kilometers per hour. Furthermore, if it was just Ruphas herself, it could be inferred from the speed at which she flew from Gjarhorn to L?vateinn that she could fly around Midgard itself in about thirty minutes. No, if the battle with the Demon King was taken into consideration, her top speed could be several times to tens of times more than this...What kind of monster was she?

    If it was limited to short distance, she might even be able to move by teleportation. In that case, even if her ¡°current location¡± was pinpointed, the information would no longer be useful by the time it reached Terra. After all, Ruphas could travel around the world several times before Terra¡¯s familiars could return to him, therefore such information could not be expected to be urate.

    After the conference, Mercurius went straight to the throne room of the Demon King.

    Fight while avoiding Ruphas. That would be fine. However, it would not solve the fundamental problem that the demons would vanish even if they won. In order to change this, the very existence of the demons themselves must be changed...In other words, it was necessary to change the rulesid down by the Goddess. If they could not do that, there would be no future for the demons.

    ¡°Your Majesty, pardon my intrusion.¡±

    Mercurius entered the throne room and knelt before his master. Apparently, the Demon King had a major fight somewhere recently and was currently recovering from his wounds. But his wounds must not have been severe as he calmly sat there as if he was not wounded. He narrowed his eyes in interest at Mercurius¡¯ visit.

    ¡°Mercurius, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty...Please lend me Your Majesty¡¯s power.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Let¡¯s hear it.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I am aware that I am being rude. Your Majesty¡¯s Key to the Heavens...The item officially known as GM Key. I wish to use it once for all of us.¡±

    The Key to the Heavens.

    It was a divine artifact that appeared only in legends. It could change divine providence and only the agents of the Goddess were allowed to possess it. It was said that the Goddess gave it to the original human Aeneas and it was handed down to the heads of his n for generations.

    In addition, the Goddess told all races and creatures that to seek possession of the key, other than by her agents, was the greatest sin directed towards her. Therefore, aiming at the key was nothing but a deration of war on the Goddess. As a result, no viin, no magical beast, and no demon ever raised its hands against the agents¡¯ n throughout history. No matter how foolish, nobody would antagonize the Goddess. Nobody wanted to antagonize her.

    But more than two hundred years ago, there was someone who directly challenged this providence.

    That was Ruphas Mafahl.

    She invaded the sanctuary of the agents in a dignified manner and took the key from Parthenos, the head of the n. The key waster entrusted to Gemini of the Twins, who had thergest fighting force in the form of the ship Argo among her followers...or so it was thought.

    But Mercurius believed that it was no longer on the ship Argo. Yes, it was due to the Demon King¡¯s expedition after the battle with Ruphas. There were only a limited number of opponents that would require such arge fighting force to challenge.

    One was the army of Leon, the Lion King.

    One was Mj?lnir, which was led by the Vampire Princess, Bnash.

    And another would be Ruphas Mafahl and her Twelve Heavenly Stars.

    But all of them were alive and well. There was no evidence of them having fought the Demon King. No, Ruphas fought the Demon King, but that was before the expedition.

    Therefore, there was only one candidate left. That would be the ship Argo, which had a lot of heroic spirits. In other words, the key was already in the hands of the Demon King. That was what Mercurius spected.

    ¡°... So you knew already...that I have that on me.¡±

    ¡°Pardon me, but I conducted a great deal of research.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Let¡¯s hear it. What do you wish to do with the key?¡±

    The Demon King was in a good mood right now. He seemed to be looking forward to what Mercurius had in mind.

    In that case, he should cut to the chase before the Demon King¡¯s mood changed. Mercurius gulped and answered with a nervous expression.

    ¡°The demon race...No, even just one person is fine. Please free her from the destiny of demons. Nobody else can do this, except you who holds the key.¡±

 Chapter 85

    Chapter 85

    Mercurius had only one wish. It was neither the triumph of the demons nor honor and glory. He was even willing to give up his life for it. Even just one person was fine. Just one person...If his beloved woman survived, it would be enough. Therefore, he made a deal with the Demon King.

    He would present the fresh blood and body of the guardian dragon, which protected Draupnir, as a tribute to the Demon King. The guardian dragon¡¯s fresh blood was rich in mana and could raise the totalbat power of any living creature. Even to the Demon King, it was a highly valuable prize that could not be ignored. Basically, it was a doping item that Ruphas mentioned before. It was certainly among the top ranking items.

    Of course, the guardian dragon was normally not an opponent that he could fight upfront and win. But it was different now. If the guardian dragon had been weakened by an incurable poison by a certain someone, it would be possible to defeat it.

    That was why...That was why he could not afford to lose.

    He could not fall before the hero in this ce.

    ¡°I will win! Even if I have to sell my soul to the devil...No, to the Goddess!¡±

    Mercurius¡¯ body was sliced by Virgo¡¯s sword. Even if he tried to fight back, the others would get in his way. Cruz fired magic from the rear, dealing slight but certain damage. On the other hand, no matter how much damage Mercurius inflicted, it would be quickly recovered.

    Even if he could win against one person, it would be impossible to win against this number of people. When the weakening effect of the sanctuary was factored in, there was nothing he could do even as one of the Seven Luminaries.

    Furthermore, the hero was more troublesome than he thought. Originally, the hero ss was a hidden ss that could be unlocked only by mastering the three warrior sses and the sword master ss. Even during the Age of Heroes two hundred years ago, only Alioth alone could reach this pinnacle of swordsmanship. Yet the hero had this ss right from the beginning.

    How absurd!

    His level andbat power were not bnced. Observing Eye revealed that his level was below 40, yet his power was alreadyparable to the mercenary Gants.

    He could not win this. Even as one of the Seven Luminaries, he could not turn the tides.

    As such, he made a prayer to someone he should not have, and when he did, a certain answer came to the prayer in his heart.

    ¡°Weak doll, do you seek power?¡±

    A voice resounded so loud in his ears that he thought his heart was going to explode. It was the voice of someone with an enormous presence. For a moment in his mind, he saw the illusion of a beautiful woman with an otherworldly presence and ocean blue hair.

    He had seen a simr appearance somewhere...It was his former colleague Venus, but her power was nothingpared to this. And then he understood.

    Ah, it¡¯s her.

    This was their creator...no, caster.

    ¡°Hmph. Is my struggle just a puppet show to you? Well, fine. I¡¯ll be the doll then. I¡¯ll y the supporting role in your badedy. Therefore, Goddess! Give me power! Give me power so that I won¡¯t lose to anyone!¡±

    Hehehe, the Goddessughed. He certainly felt it.

    Ah, go ahead andugh at me. And despise me.

    He understood. If he did this, he would never be able to return to what he was before. This was a road from which he could not turn back. He understood it not by reason, but by his instinct alone. If he were to abandon ¡°Mercurius the Demon¡± as apleted magic and forcefully raise the output, he would simply be a powerful water magic and not be Mercurius anymore.

    Mercurius¡¯ shape began to break down, melting into a form like an amoeba. He could feel he was no longer himself.

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    A tremendous amount of divine power surged from Mercurius¡¯ body. The expressions of everyone stiffened when they saw the sacred radiance which should be impossible for a demon to emit. Their thought processes could not keep up with this sudden, abnormal development.

    Yet the change was undeniable. Mercurius lost his human shape, melting and spreading out like goo. Furthermore, it had clearly increased in volume, engulfing the hero and hisrades like an avnche. Virgo and Cruz deployed a shield at thest moment, but it would not endure for long.

    ¡°Tsk!¡±

    Aries removed his ck robe and jumped in front of them.

    With his fist aze, a single blow was struck! With an arm strength that could shatter the earth despite its appearance, he sent Mercurius flying. Although he was sent flying, it was not really effective. It was evaporating, but its expansion simply covered the portion that was lost.

    ¡°Eh? That...Wh-Who!?¡±

    Sei was puzzled by the sudden appearance of Aries, but there was no time for exnation. Aries immediately judged that this narrow battlefield was a disadvantage and shot a ming bullet to melt the wall and create arge hole. He grabbed Virgo and jumped out of the hole without waiting for her response.

    ¡°He¡ªhey. You¡¯re that girl who was in Svalinn...no, boy...¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about, old man? Anyway, I don¡¯t really know what¡¯s going on, but we are going to run away! It¡¯s bad if we stay here!¡±

    Gants was stunned to see him. Although he had met Aries once, he knew nothing about him. All he knew was that the young girl (?) was obviously a different person from the ck-robed guy who had participated in the hunting festival.

    As everyone escaped through the hole opened by Aries, Sei noticed something as he ran. He picked up the small bottle that had fallen onto the ground and then jumped out of therge hole. The cave behind him was already filled with water. It was as if the entire Spiritual Peak was about to be covered.

    Sliding down the mountain slope with superhuman ability, Sei and hisrades regrouped with Kaineko who hurriedly ran over.

    ¡°Ev¡ªEveryone! What¡¯s happening!?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! Mercurius suddenly transformed...¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that Mercurius!?¡±

    Cruz, who had not recovered from the confusion, answered Kaineko in a crude tone. That said, Cruz himself did not know what was happening. It was unprecedented that the Seven Luminaries could transform.

    Mercurius, who no longer looked like himself, cried out as his volume increased, creating more and more water. If this continued, it wouldn¡¯t just affect the Spiritual Peak. The entire Draupnir would be flooded.

    ¡°Hey, Cruz. What should we do about that? My axe...probably won¡¯t be effective.¡±

    ¡°¡±It¡ªIt would be impossible to resolve this with magic. Please don¡¯t ask me.¡±

    Gants nced at Cruz with unfocused eyes as he asked him, but he didn¡¯t really think that thetter would have a solution. And as expected, Cruz replied with ¡°impossible¡± and everyone sank into silence. In the end, everyone had the same opinion.

    In other words, there was nothing they could do about it. Such a thing could not be defeated by mere humanoids.

    ?

    ¡°Wa¡ªWait, Aries-san! Where are we going!?¡±

    ¡°Eh? For the time being, we¡¯ll regroup with Ruphas-sama and the others.¡±

    While carrying Virgo, Aries jumped onto trees and rocks to distance themselves from Mercurius.

    At the very least, Mercurius was not an enemy that Aries would lose against. However, he was rather troublesome to deal with. Furthermore, it was bothersome to fight while protecting Virgo. It was not impossible that an ident could happen.

    In that case, he would prioritize the mission given by Ruphas and ensure Virgo¡¯s safety. He really wanted Virgo to win and be confident of herself, but it was a different story when her life was threatened. This was the scenario where he should regroup with Ruphas and ensure Virgo¡¯s safety.

    ¡°Regroup...But what about those people over there!?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Well, they¡¯ll just have to put effort into running...No, I guess it¡¯s impossible. The water is rising faster than they can run.¡±

    ¡°Then isn¡¯t that no good!?¡±

    Aries did not care much about those strangers. Honestly, it did not even matter to Aries if this country survived or not. He had a gentle personality and was one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars who could be negotiated with. But his actions were based on certain priorities¡ªfirst was Ruphas, second was Ruphas, third and fourth were also Ruphas, and only from the fifth and beyond were there other things.

    Moreover, for these ¡°other things,¡± eighty percent of them were personal rtionships. He honestly had little concern for impersonal things. After all, he was a sheep. The herd was always the top priority. If the herd leader made a mistake, Aries would follow and make that same mistake.

    In other words, he was indifferent to things that had nothing to do with him. But once he made up his mind to follow someone, he would even follow them into hell.

    ¡°Everyone is still there. We have to help them somehow.¡±

    ¡°You mean help them evacuate? But it¡¯s rather troublesome to deal with this amount of water.¡±

    ¡°But Aries-san can do it, right?¡±

    ¡°...Well, it¡¯s possible.¡±

    ¡°Then, please!¡±

    If it was for a personal rtion, Aries would fight with his life on the line. But fighting for strangers was nothing but a loss to him. Moreover, the hero was an enemy of Ruphas. Why should he fight in vain to help an enemy? This was the question at the bottom of Aries¡¯ heart.

    But if he left it like this, it would leave a wound in Virgo¡¯s heart. Aries thought for a while and decided to prioritize Virgo¡¯s mental stability. Based on the fights he had witnessed so far, the hero could be burnt and killed at any time. If thetter openly expressed hostility, Aries could burn him to cinders when Virgo wasn¡¯t looking.

    ¡°I understand...We¡¯re going back!¡±

    Aries kicked the tree and turned around, going towards the Spiritual Peak. He dropped Virgo just outside of the water¡¯s range.

    ¡°Virgo, run away with them. In the meantime, I¡¯ll y with that guy.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡ªHmm. I understand.¡±

    After letting go of Virgo, Aries kicked off the ground and ran faster than before. After sufficient eleration, his entire body was engulfed in mes. He pierced through Mercurius and the Spiritual Peak, emerging from the other side.

    He then made another assault, prating Mercurius once again and evaporating part of the water. However, the water expanded from the side that had evaporated. If this continued, there would be no end to it. Apparently, as soon as Mercurius was hit, he converted the surrounding mana into water and added it to his body. As such, no matter how much water Aries evaporated, it would be meaningless unless the mana was dispersed.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s try a few things before giving up.¡±

    Aries began another assault, this time raising his fists to the sky. The resulting shockwave created a sudden gust of wind. Like a tornado, it drew Mercurius up into the air. Aries leaped after him, delivering dozens of ming kicks per second. Using trees and rocks as tforms, he kicked, smashed, and pierced Mercurius at a speed faster than thetter could fall.

    When seen from the side, one would only see rainbow-colored, ming bullets shooting endlessly at a giant water monster.

    He evaded the attacking water tentacles and elerated with the mes from his hands as if they were vernier thrusters. He closed the distance, followed by a kick using the full force of his body. When Mercurius was sent flying from the force of the kick, Aries spread his hands apart as wide as possible.

    ¡°Hah...!!¡±

    The ming bullets were continuously fired, continuously fired, and continuously fired! By evaporating the water faster than it could regenerate, it was an attack with the intention topletely eliminate Mercurius. Aries¡¯ ming bullets continuously shaved off parts of Mercurius. The water that had lost its form reverted back into mana.

    The water, which wasrger than the mountain, was visibly reduced until it shrank to about the original size of Mercurius. No matter howrge the opponent was, it was simply irrelevant to Aries. This was because his attack inflicted ¡°percent damage.¡± No matter who he was up against, he could deal simr percent damage.

    ¡°Mesarthim!¡±

    Aries raised both hands and created a huge mass of fire. This me was his specialty that could inflict percent damage. Its effect was to ¡°continuously inflict a percent damage while contact was maintained.¡± Thus, Aries had the advantage in a battle of endurance.

    He threw the mass of fire which engulfed Mercurius. If Ruphas saw this scene, she would have interrupted to say, ¡°I said before, this is not that kind of skill!¡±

    ¡°Ugh, Ugh¡ªUgh¡ª!¡±

    Mercurius uttered his death cry as his body continued to vanish. It was hell to be engulfed in a fire that burned continuously unless it was put out. If the percent damage continued to umte, his HP would eventually be reduced to 1, which would be indivisible any further.

    The me that continued to burn Mercurius relentlessly inflicted percent damage continuously until it was extinguished. This was even more frightening than fixed damage.

    Eventually, Mercurius was reduced to just a small droplet of water and his HP had certainly became 1 even without confirming it. Finally, Aries shot a small ming bullet to evaporate the remaining water,pletely eliminating Mercurius.

    Normally, this would have been the end. There was no reason for it to exist after beingpletely incinerated.

    ¡°...Sigh¡ª...I knew it was going to be like this.¡±

    However, the current Mercurius was not normal.

    Seeing the surrounding mana turn into water again, Aries scratched his cheek in annoyance.

 Chapter 86

    Chapter 86

    Aries looked at the ever-increasing water and frowned in vexation.

    There was no way to deal with it if the water could reform from mana no matter how much of it he evaporated or attacked. When a demon was killed, it would lose its form and revert to mana. It was the same with magic that hadpleted its task. However, this did not mean that they werepletely lost.

    Substances were transformed from mana. The mana that made up these substances would never decrease and always remained behind. Now, Mercurius had be a literally immortal monster. Even if his body waspletely destroyed, he would still reform from the mana.

    Aries had no way to disperse mana, so he was out of options. He would not lose as the overwhelming difference between their power was still there. But it was impossible for Aries to defeat Mercurius.

    As far as Aries knew, there were only three people who could defeat this thing.

    The first was Aries¡¯ master, Ruphas Mafahl. She could condense the surrounding mana into a golden apple and stop the regeneration of Mercurius.

    The other person was Aigokeros. He could use the mana to create his own illusions. In other words, he could use up all of the mana before Mercurius could use it to regenerate.

    Thest person was Parthenos. Her secret skill, Vindemiatrix, could simply disperse the mana, thereby cutting off the regeneration at its source.

    But none of these people were currently here.

    ...No, it was not three, but four people. Aries nced at Virgo who remained at a distance. If it was her...As the sessor of Parthenos, she could destroy this monster too. But this was too dangerous a bridge for her to cross.

    Aries would rather just abandon this country and leave instead of fighting such a pointless battle. However, he knew that Virgo would not agree to this. In that case, he had no choice but to support her while she yed the central role. Strangely enough, just as he had been ordered to by Ruphas, Aries was now actually assuming a supportive role for Virgo.

    ¡°Vindemiatrix!¡±

    As Aries pondered, a sh of light passed by him and struck Mercurius. The mana that was struckpletely vanished. Virgo pped her wings and came next to Aries.

    ¡°Has the evacuation beenpleted?¡±

    ¡°Yes. They have evacuated to the capital. Kaineko-san will probably think of something next.¡±

    Apparently, Virgo seemed to be really motivated. Such an overly good-natured person, Aries thought, but he did not think badly of her. Although her power was limited, she was desperately doing what she could. This left a good impression on him. Her image somehow ovepped with that of his old self who struggled desperately to be stronger. This strangely made him happy.

    ¡°All right. Then, I¡¯ll block his attacks, while Virgo, you try to disperse as much mana as you can. Even if it couldn¡¯t bepletely dispersed, it should reduce his power considerably.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ll try!¡±

    Aries, who decided to support Virgo, emitted a me and spread his hands apart. He then put his hands together and thrust out his palms, releasing the me that had converged there in an instant. Immediately after, hot air blew with his palms at the center, making Aries¡¯ hair flutter.

    The ground where he stood sank from the force as the torrent of mes released from his palms evaporated Mercurius. In coordination, Virgo dispersed the mana and shaved off Mercurius¡¯ body. However, the rate of regeneration was faster than they expected. Mercurius was now a huge mass of water like a mountain and was steadily extending his reach towards the capital.

    ¡°If¡ªIf this continues, Draupnir will...!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, Virgo. The mana that constitutes this guy isn¡¯t infinite. If you keep reducing it, the damage to the capital will be reduced.¡±

    As he stopped Virgo who was trying to return to the capital city in a panic, Aries used his me to evaporate an iing water tentacle attack. As with the fight with Levia, hemented that he never had a good match and was always facing opponents with ipatible attributes.

    Why do I end up fighting enemies with Water attribute all the time?

    At any rate, it was certain that this was working. The question was whether the capital city would be engulfed first or Virgo wouldpletely wipe out the enemy before that happened. Well...he was convinced that the capital city would probably be safe, so there were some leeways.

    For now, the top priority was to protect Virgo. With that in mind, Aries decided to use his full power.

    <strong>?</strong>

    ¡°What¡¯s that noise?¡±

    Having failed in her search for the Archer in the capital city, Dina raised her head and looked towards the mountain. In response, Aigokeros also looked towards the mountain and saw a torrent of water approaching like an avnche.

    It seemed that something had gone wrong in the mountain where Virgo was headed. If the water continued as it was, it would surely flood the capital city and inevitably drag them along.

    However, Water magic was Dina¡¯s specialty. She swiftly moved her finger, lifting the approaching water up into the air and directed it to collect in one ce. Then, she activated the X-Gate.

    With the destination specified as another world, it swallowed all the collected water and was then interrupted in the midst of the process. As a result, the mass of water had nowhere to go and was banished to the space between dimensions. It would never be able to get out on its own, forever drifting between Midgard and another world.

    This Subspace Seal skill was established by exploiting the faults in the X-Gate. Even if another user could use the skill, they would not be able to abuse it unless the nature and nuances of the skill could bepletely understood.

    Even the Wisdom King would not be able to do this. This was a mystery that could be considered Dina¡¯s unique skill.

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    Aigokeros unleashed a ck wave from his hand to scatter the water. But the water, which should have reverted to mana, regenerated and approached again as if nothing had happened. Seeing this, Aigokeros understood at a nce. This unusual water was able to immediately regenerate itself from mana.

    Normal magic would revert to mana after losing its form and that would be the end of it. Yet somehow, this magic was able to transform back into water after reverting into mana. This seemed like an impossibility. It was as if the caster was nearby, recasting the magic each time it ended.

    But it was too early to speak of it transforming back from mana. In short, he just had to use up the mana first.

    Once he made his judgment, Aigokeros used the mana in the surroundings to create an illusion. His figure grew quickly, creating the illusion of an enormous devil which was evenrger than the one he used to fight Luna.

    More than ten meters, more than twenty, more than thirty...Finally, the devil grew to a size that reached the heavens. The incarnation of evil had descended upon Draupnir.

    The sky darkened, the clouds were dyed ck, and thunder resounded.

    This was the practically the manifestation of the devil king. It was as if the king of devils had ascended from hell to bring ruin to the peaceful Draupnir.

    ¡°Mon¡ªMonster¡ª!?¡±

    ¡°He¡ªHelp¡ª!?¡±

    Naturally, the beastkin panicked and fled. Looking down on the pitiful beastkin like they were bugs, Aigokeros gave a spiritedugh in a voice that tormented the minds of the listeners.

    ¡°Hahahahaha! Foolish beastkin, be afraid! And run! That¡¯s the most appropriate form for you! ¡ªHahahaha!!¡±

    Additionally, this goat was certainly in a good mood. It couldn¡¯t be helped since he was a devil. He truly enjoyed the look of people in the grip of fear.

    ¡°...Uh, Aigokeros-sama. The enemy this time isn¡¯t Draupnir.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±

    After being admonished by Dina, the enormous devil scratched his head. As he recalled the original purpose, he looked into the distance. Virgo and Aries were fighting there and they seemed to be having some difficulties.

    What a sloppy bunch, Aigokeros thought and started moving after he decided to support them. Although his body remained that of an old gentleman, it waspletely enveloped within the enormous illusion.

    From a third-person perspective, it seemed as if a huge devil that could reach the sky was advancing towards the mountain. At least, that was what it seemed like to Sei, who was some distance away.

    ¡°Wh¡ªWhat is that...!?¡±

    ¡°Th¡ªThat¡¯s...There¡¯s no doubt! That appalling figure is one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, Aigokeros of the Goat! The most evil among the Twelve Stars, who despises good and justice!¡±

    ¡°Good and justice...Co-Could it be...!?¡±

    ¡°Yes...I¡¯m afraid so. I¡¯m sure Virgo-san¡¯s brilliance is more of an eyesore to him than anything else...I can only think that it appears here to eliminate the hateful angel!¡±

    Sei turned pale upon hearing the remarks of Cruz, who had outrageously misunderstood the situation. The figure of the ck-Winged Overlord shed across his mind.

    I see. The master is a monster, so too is the subordinate.

    If the enormous devil that looked like ast boss was a subordinate of Ruphas, he could ept it.

    As Aigokeros approached Virgo with her glittering white wings, it looked like the great devil hade to kill the angel. In fact, the opposite was true. The Goat and the Maiden wererades, but who could possibly believe that at a nce?

    And then, the chaos elerated further. mes blew up from the direction of the mountain and a huge monster,parable to Aigokeros, appeared.

    ¡°Meh¡ª!!¡±

    It was a giant sheep engulfed in rainbow-colored mes. That was one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, Aries of the Ram! Gants, who knew that appearance, turned pale and his finger began to shake. And he thought, It couldn¡¯t be worse!

    Behind her was the Goat, and in front of her was the Ram. The white-winged angel waspletely surrounded from both the front and the back. No matter how one looked at it, this was the end. In fact, Goat-san and Ram-san were Virgo¡¯s friends, but this was too wild for anyone to ept at first nce.

    ¡°Hey, Sei! Where do you think you¡¯re going!?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? I¡¯m going to rescue Virgo-san!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool! What can you possibly do!?¡±

    Gants stopped Sei by grabbing his wrist as thetter tried to rush over. If it was only Mercurius, perhaps something could be done. However, the current situation hadpletely changed. Having seen Aries of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, he knew just how terrifying they were. This was a monster among monsters that exceeded human understanding.

    It was no longer at a level where one could consider victory or defeat if one were to fight. They were walking catastrophes such that the very concept of fighting against them could not be conceived. That was what the Twelve Heavenly Stars were. Moreover, there were two of them! This was not a good fight to get into by any means.

    ¡°Listen. Don¡¯t confuse courage with recklessness. It¡¯s just reckless to charge at an opponent that you can¡¯t win against without a n. You are still immature, but one day, you will be stronger than any of us. Until then, don¡¯t get involved with that kind of monster. Endure it for now!¡±

    ¡°......!¡±

    Sei clenched his teeth in frustration at his own powerlessness. He certainly could not simply watch Virgo die. However, he understood the real problem in that there was nothing he could do.

    Why am I so weak? Why is my brain so bad?

    He didn¡¯t have the power to save a girl nor could he think of a way to ovee this situation. As he shook his fists in regret, the situation worsened further. This time, a huge scorpion monster that reached the sky appeared. And then a huge crab monster appeared from the woods, while the strongest golem in Midgard, Libra of the Scales, flew over with her vernier thrusters.

    And so, the five stars¡ªthe Ram, the Goat, the Scorpion, the Crab, and the Scales¡ªwere gathered here. But in the next moment, they lowered their heads to the ground.

    What was happening?

    Sei narrowed his eyes to look. He could barely see someone in a crimson robe standing in front of the huge monsters.

    For these monsters to be submissive, who¡ª?

    As he thought this, a strong wind blew past, uncovering the robe that concealed the person¡¯s face. And he saw her, a blonde woman whose hair turned from gold to red at the tips.

    There was no mistake. He would never forget it even though he had only seen it once.

    ¡°...Ruphas Mafahl...¡±

    That¡¯s right. Monsters beyond human understanding would submit only to another monster beyond human understanding.

    Sei said as his lips shuddered. Draupnir was dyed in despair.

    Then, Cruz fainted, muttering, ¡°It¡¯s the end of the world.¡±

 Chapter 87

    Chapter 87

    A fact that I noticed ¨C only after I made the submission! Today¡¯s already Saturday!

    So this time alone, the submission is on the weekend, I will not be submitting on Monday .

    I¡¯ve done it now... orz

    (Author note end)

    __

    (TLN: So the first half of the chapter is pretty much entirely Ruphas talking to the audience, it¡¯s slightly different from the ¡°narrator¡± narrating which is technically still from Ruphas¡¯s POV but not italicised . Having said that, I don¡¯t want to italicise the whole part so... . Yeah, please read with that in mind . ¨C Also... passages in this chapter doesn¡¯t connect too well... just saying...)

    __

    ¡°We are sorry . ¡±

    Looking at the three idiots ¨C Aigokeros, Scorpius, and Karkinos ¨C grovelling on the ground in front of me, I felt like holding my head in anguish . [2]

    Where should I even begin... although... it probably would not be that long of a story .

    Hmmm, I suppose I could backtrack and start my exnation from when I was trying to find [Archer] with Scorpius .

    Well, not that there was any significant substance to the tale . After all, although it was very pathetic, we were unable to find any clues in the end .

    Anyways, as we were thinking that we should regroup with everyone, water came flowing down the mountain . That¡¯s all there is to it .

    Until this point, everything was fine . Well, actually, it¡¯s not fine at all, but honestly speaking, something of that degree can be easily handled so it¡¯s no big deal .

    Simply creating a wall with alchemy would solve the problem, or one could even blow it away with the wind pressure created by trying to punch it .

    Well, you know, it was that . Do you remember when I was having a fight with the Demon King-san and my punch missed and hit thin air, causing the nearby sea to split? It¡¯s putting that to practical use .

    The problem began when Aigokeros started consuming the surrounding mana to create a giant illusion in order to try and erase the water .

    Additionally, Aries turning giant was also a bad idea .

    Scorpius, after she saw that, started burning with apetitive spirit for some reason and turned giant for no reason, and at the same time, Karkinos who was in the forest also turned giant .

    As for the reason why they purposefully turned giant, when I asked them, this was the answer I received:

    ¡°Oh, I was just going with the flow . ¡±

    When I heard this, I smacked Karkinos down strongly .

    So this was why Draupnir was currently facing a catastrophic disaster where a giant crab, scorpion, goat, and sheep showed up, requiring me to quickly go to the ce in a hurry and scold this bunch of idiots .

    But yeah, really, what am I even supposed to do about this? Aren¡¯t all the beastkin inhabitants of Draupnirpletely terrified out of their minds right now?

    Aigokeros, you even changed the weather for no good reason . Even though it was such fine weather before, now it¡¯s nketed by bleak darkness .

    Although this is an irrelevant fact, the Moon attribute arcane magic called [Moonlit Night] was a skill that flipped the day and night setting back in the game . [3]

    X-Gate Online was a game with an in-game clock which was linked with that of reality . Within the game, time was split into six categories: namely, dawn, morning, afternoon, evening, night, andte night . The time within the game determined the brightness of the game¡¯s graphics as well as the events and types of magical beasts that appeared .

    Alternatively, it was the same type of magical beast, but the ce where they spawned changed .

    For example, those magical beasts who were very active during the day time might go to sleep at night under the setting . In those cases, even if the yers tried their best to find the monster in the grasnd or forests, it would be impossible to find them, however, it might be possible to encounter them if the yers ventured inside a cave .

    And while I am exining this, I should mention that those monsters were typically asleep at themencement of the battle, so there was this neat merit of being able to defeat them quite easily during the in-game night time .

    Additionally, there was a race from the yers¡¯ side that was also affected by this time belt .

    Yes... . It¡¯s the nobles of the night¡ªthe [Vampires] .

    They were an incredibly extreme bunch of yers who were ridiculously strong during the in-game night, however, their statuses were negatively affected during the morning and afternoon . And of course, just as a matter of course, there werei... requests quickly made by the yers asking the developers to ¡°do something about these terrible specs . ¡±

    And naturally, it was quite a reasonable request . Even if the avatars they yed were vampires, the yers themselves were not vampires .

    Regarding this point though, there were those with the opinion that it was the yers¡¯ fault for choosing the vampire race in the first ce . However, even for the yers who only had time to y during the in-game night time, this was a troublesome feature .

    Anyways, the option that developers were forced to take was to provide an update patch which included arcane magic and items which could flip day and night time .

    As one would expect, of course, the global in-game time itself did not change . [4]

    If something like that were to happen, countless yers would be experiencing constant changes between day and night and they would not even know if it was in-game day or night anymore, causing mass confusion . Not to mention the load on the server would also be tremendous if something like that were to happen .

    Long story short, it did not actually flip day and night . It essentially just changed the effects the yers could obtain from the time mechanics .

    For example, if the skill were to be used during the day time, the monsters which fundamentally only appeared during the in-game night time would be more likely to appear in the vicinity . Or if they were vampires, they would not suffer any negative effects .

    ¨C Although...... This little thing called the ¡°knowledge of the game¡± had not been very reliable recently .

    Even as I was recounting this, I was thinking: Isn¡¯t this quite weird?

    After all, you know... . ? Is this even fine...? This messed up feature of a game .

    ... . Oh, the conversation side-tracked . It was a bad habit of mine to start thinking about a needless thing for a long time once I started pondering on something .

    In any event, it was originally arcane magic that would not have actually changed the day and night, however, suchmon sense from back in the game did not apply in this world, after all .

    Aigokeros had actually changed this world¡¯s time to night time . The sky was enveloped by creepy darkness as if the world was about to end .

    Or moooorrrrreeee like... it¡¯s that thing, you know . Like, what the hell is actually happening with the stars and rotation of the in this world?

    If day and night were swapped in an instant, that meant that the just spun around at an incredible speed . Shouldn¡¯t the sudden change in the speed of the spin be incredibly bad... Seriously, think about it logically for a moment .

    To begin with, the rotation of the was governed by thew of inertia and I would have thought that once the speed was changed, it would stay in the changed state . [5]

    Taking the Earth, for example, it was believed that back in the day, each day was only five hours long, but because the speed of rotation slowly decreased over time, the day is currently 24 hours long .

    So in the distant future, it¡¯s hypothesised that the length of the day might further increase... oh, I derailed again .

    Well, but yeah, it¡¯s definitely that . Yeah, really, in this world, the Law-of-Physics-san really is not doing its job at all .

    Since even me who¡¯s quite dumb could figure it out, there were many funny parts . As I expected of a fantasy genre .

    Oh yea, I apologise . At the start, I said, ¡°It probably would not be that long of a story,¡± but that was a lie . It actually ended up being quite long .

    ¡°You guys are a bunch of people that really can¡¯t be helped... anyways, Libra . Why is it that even you are lowering your head?¡±

    I questioned Libra as I was trying to reposition the robe which had shifted due to the wind .

    The ones I was scolding currently were the three idiots who had turned big and not Libra .

    However, for some reason, she also lowered her head . I was baffled by this action .

    ¡°No, I just thought it would be more picturesque if I did this . This can serve as a demonstration for the onlooking Hero and hisrades over there and show the might of Master at the same time . ¡±

    ¡°Wha!?¡±

    As I was informed of this by Libra, I became flustered and looked into the distance .

    She¡¯s right . They¡¯re really there, the Hero and his group . They¡¯re looking this way whilst somewhat showing a terrified expression, oi .

    I¡¯m totally an invader here right now . You could only see this as a bunch of enemy characters that suddenly showed up in front of the Hero and hispanions .

    Because that idiot Aigokeros spewed some useless thing before, the beastkin clearly became scared . My image just became even worse than before .

    Hmmmm... . What should I do about this... . ¡°I¡¯m not an enemy, I¡¯m not scary . ¡± ¨C Even if I said something like that, I suppose it won¡¯t be that persuasive .

    ¡°Nnnn?¡±

    As I was thinking about things like that, I noticed a strange thing .

    No, although it was not really an abnormal act, if one were to take an objective view, his ¡°actions¡± would definitely be considered strange .

    For some reason, from within the Hero¡¯s group, a young man who looked like the hero started walking towards our direction .

    What is it? Could it be that he¡¯s intending to challenge me here and now?

    Young man, I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s not courage, that¡¯s recklessness . Even if you are the Hero, with merely 30 levels or so, I don¡¯t really feel like I would be losing .

    Well, I guess I¡¯ll have a look at what he¡¯s going to do . Even if he really dide swinging at me, with the difference in our abilities, there¡¯s absolutely no problem at all anyways .

    When that happens, I guess I¡¯ll just sweep him away and knock him out lightly .

    *

    My heartbeats are so loud and noisy .

    My hands are drenched with sweat and I¡¯m short of breath even though I haven¡¯t done anything yet .

    After forcing through his allies who were trying to stop him, Sei came to stand before the overlord who, along with the Demon King, was called the great evil of Midgard, Ruphas Mafahl and her subordinates .

    Fortunately for him, he was able to understand that at this current moment, the Supreme Ruler did not have any intention to kill .

    This was because he knew that his head would not still be on top of his shoulders if she had the intention to do so .

    In all honesty, Sei was terrified of Ruphas¡¯s sudden appearance before him .

    Nevertheless, even though he was scared senseless, it had already reached a point where he could no longer back down .

    However, what barely held him together was his realisation that he hade here to gather information about the Supreme Ruler¡¯s whereabouts... in other words, to meet with her .

    Exactly, did he not say it to Megrez? Didn¡¯t that Wisdom King not teach him?

    That Ruphas Mafahl was not the enemy .

    So then... so then, don¡¯t run away . If we run away, we can¡¯t reconcile with each other .

    If we don¡¯t take the first step, nothing is ever going to change .

    ¡°......... Ruphas Mafahl... . . ¨Csan, right?¡±

    ¡°Hmm . Looks like I¡¯ve already been found out . Then I guess there¡¯s no point in hiding my face anymore . ¡±

    Sei asked Ruphas the question as if he was squeezing something and without any dy, she answered and took off the robe which was hiding her face .

    When she did, her golden hair flowed down and showed a countenance which wouldn¡¯t even be an exaggeration to say was drop-dead gorgeous .

    Her appearance... yes, if it was just her appearance, it was just a truly beautifuldy .

    Something delicate, heart-warming, and someone that any man would want to protect .

    However, the reason one would not be made to think in this way was because of the aura which belonged to the strong that she emanated .

    Her appearance and her presence did not match with each other .

    It was as if he was merely made to see an illusion of a beautifuldy, but it felt like he was, in fact, facing a giant monster which was even bigger than the giant devil . This was his perception of what he was seeing .

    It was because he had rashly, ipletely, and half-heartedly became strong that he was able to clearly understand things much better than thest time . He was made to understand .

    This was the Supreme Ruler . This was level 1000 . This was the highest pinnacle of strength in Midgard .

    Again, he was able to definitively confirm that the decision of Laevateinn, which had decided to summon Sei himself for the purpose of defeating the Supreme Ruler, was erroneous from its very foundation .

    To fight against something like this was not a decision that a person of sound mind could have reached .

    Even assuming that it was not him that was summoned but the entirety of the Japan Self-Defense Forces that was fully armed, he wondered whether there would be a chance of victory... No, it was impossible . He could not imagine a scenario where they would be able to win .

    This woman possessed a power which soared far above any single military might on Earth and that was only at the level of considering her whimsical acts of violence .

    He did not even know if a nuclear weapon would be able to kill her or not...

    The person who could take on the whole world was the individual called Ruphas Mafahl ¨C this was not a metaphor .

    Additionally, even her subordinates, the Tyrannical Ways 12 Heavenly Stars, were gathering back under her . She was definitely returning to her peak state . [6]

    ... . . I¡¯m so d that the person which was called over... . . was me .

    He seriously thought in this way at this point . He was d it was him that was summoned over to this world .

    It was good that it was him, a cowardly individual who was unfit to be the hero .

    If it was someone else... if it was an individual which possessed the ¡°courage¡± to fight against Ruphas, in other words, a true and proper Hero as defined by this world, then this world would definitely be finished . They would have definitely been plunging straight into the future where they had no means of avoiding destruction .

    The Goddess, the demon race, and the Supreme Ruler . There was no way that the humanoids would be able to survive after turning those three factions into enemies at the same time .

    That summoning might have been a major failure, however, looking at the oue, the failure was a good thing .

    For the current world of Midgard, a hero who would valiantly challenge the great evils of the current Midgard must not be called over .

    Well, talking from an overly expectant perspective, rather than me, it would have been better to call someone that¡¯s smarter, calmer, able to judge the situation clearly, and can negotiate well with others... calling over someone like that was probably better for them .

    Sei thought in this way . Looking objectively, he was probably someone that fit in the category of ¡®better¡¯ .

    Not the worst but not the best . He wanted to believe he was not an individual that should not have been called, but he was also not someone that should have been called .

    In any event, the fact was, the person that was called over was him .

    In that case, he had to do things that only he could do .

    The people of this world would never have been able to think in that way ¨C to make amends ande to an understanding with Ruphas Mafahl .

    He understood that he had the obligation to do so .

    ¡°Child of another world . It is fine even if you do not stiffen up that much . To be able to stand before me alone like this, you have promise . ¡±

    ¡°!¡±

    Sei unconsciously gulped .

    He couldn¡¯t help but be surprised after hearing the initial words of ¡°Child of another world¡± that came out of Ruphas¡¯s mouth .

    He could not understand why, but his identity and background was already suddenly discovered .

    As he expected, he absolutely could not see the depths of her .

    ¡°Now then, what is it? You came here because you had something to talk about, did you not? Ask me anything you want . Currently, I¡¯m in a pleasant mood . For most things, I shall answer you like a fool . ¡±

    Ruphas showed a faint and bewitching smile .

    Was she testing him or were these her true feelings?

    Whichever it was, he had gained the permission to ask a question .

    In that case, he thought he should do so before she changed her mind .

    ¡°Th, then, allow me to take you up on your kind offer...¡±

    Gulp ¨C he gulped down his spit and frantically pieced together the contents of the question in his head .

    Just constructing it alone was no good . He also had to predict what would happen after he asked the question . He absolutely had to avoid a route where the question he asked would result in her displeasure, which would lead to his eventual death .

    However, asking nothing but a safe question would not result in him gaining any important information nor result in any progress .

    So think carefully .

    The only weapon that he could use was his badly wired brain that he possessed .

    There were no other weapons that would have any effect on Ruphas .

    He must not forget... about the fact that the beautifuldy that was in front of him had the ability to turn a person into meat paste on a whim .

    ¡°Then, firstly... mydy and your group, in rtion to this country, what exactly are your intentions?¡±

    Now then, from now is where the real deal is .

    Sei told himself that as he decided to walk the tightrope where it would not be strange for him to fall at any time, alone .

 Chapter 88

    Chapter 88

    Ruphas crossed her arms as if she was thinking about Sei¡¯s words .

    Sei could only brace himself and wait to see Ruphas¡¯s reaction .

    While waiting for the next time Ruphas opened her mouth, he tried to maintain his mind to remain calm in anticipation for whatever surprises the next few words may entail .

    Nevertheless, contrary to Sei fortifying his mind as if he was a soldier walking towards certain death, Ruphas¡¯s answer was extremely trivial and off-putting .

    ¡°Nothing in particr . ¡±

    ¡°N, nothing? You mean to say there¡¯s no reason?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . To begin with, we only came to this country to test my subordinate¡¯s abilities . Now that it¡¯s done, I have no intention of proactively doing anything to this country . ¡±

    In response to that reply by Ruphas, Sei tried to ponder on it without showing anything on his face .

    In all likelihood, she was not saying a lie . However, it did not seem like she was saying everything .

    That was because if everything was actually done, there would have been no more reason for her to remain in this country .

    Since she was still remaining in this country now that the hunting festival had concluded, it meant there was a corresponding reason .

    Nevertheless, he believed that reason did not involve doing anything to this country .

    ¡°Anyways, you lot, how long do you n to stay in those appearances? Those forms intimidate others even if you¡¯re not doing anything . Hurry up and turn back to your human forms . ¡±

    When Ruphas called out to those behind her, all of the giant beasts on standby all vanished at once .

    In their ces were a white-haired gentleman, ady with arge amount of exposed skin, and a young man with red clothing .

    Sei recalled those appearances .

    That¡¯s right, there was no mistaking it... It was the group of entric people who were in the line together with Virgo two days ago .

    Which meant, the individual that was referred to would be Virgo when Ruphas earlier said: ¡°to test my subordinate¡¯s abilities . ¡±

    (No wonder she was overly strong...)

    Sei was not surprised by this fact . If anything, he even felt happy to finally figure out why .

    An individual who was not a Hero or a Supreme Ruler and yet was able to rival Friedrich and possessed the ability to erase mana itself .

    Ahh, no wonder . Of course, there was no way she was just an average person .

    However, if that individual was a subordinate of Ruphas Mafahl, he could ept it .

    After all, she was someone who was able to raise the level of others easily .

    (... . . It wasn¡¯t as if I was... . being deceived . )

    Just for a moment, Sei felt like Virgo was deceiving them, however, he immediately rejected that thought himself .

    At the very least, Virgo herself was extremely pure and a good girl .

    There was no mistaking that . And even if that was all an act, it only meant that he didn¡¯t have the eyes to judge other people properly .

    He admitted that he was not highly intelligent . As such, he decided to believe in his instincts .

    After personally interacting, speaking, and fighting together, he decided to believe in her .

    Then, as a result of choosing to believe in Virgo, another option became avable for Sei to take . A brand new path opened up right in front of Sei for him to tread upon .

    ¡°... Right now, at the bottom of that mountain is a girl called Virgo who was fighting together with us . She stayed behind and is currently in a battle against one of the 7 Luminaries . She is... your subordinate, right?¡±

    ¡°I see, you were also one of the high-ranked participants from the hunting festival . ... Libra . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, there is no mistake . I have indeed found Virgo¡¯s biological response from the direction of the mountain . ¡±

    After hearing about Virgo, Ruphas immediately turned to speak to the attendant who was standing by on the side .

    When she did so, the attendant reacted as if she had been waiting to be asked and replied back with the confirmation of information even before her master had given the order .

    Sei could only shudder at the fact that she was able to detect a person even from this distance .

    ¡°S ¨C so, honestly, I personally believe that it is pitiful to let her fight alone . But... as a practical problem, our party consists of no one but members who rely on physical attacks . However much we will it, there is not much that we can do and... Although I realise it¡¯s quite shameful... like this, all we could do was try and find someone who seemed capable in order to ask for their help . ¡±

    ¡°... . . ¡±

    ¡°So, would you fight together with us?¡±

    ¨C Now, how would she react!?

    Sei awaited Ruphas¡¯s next few words as his palms were drenched with sweat .

    Although the way he asked was bad, Sei¡¯s aim was to establish a cooperative rtionship through fighting together for Virgo¡¯s sake .

    No, to call it ¡°fighting together¡± was way more than a little presumptuous . After all, there was just simply too much difference in power .

    Nevertheless, his instinct told him whether he could directly establish a cordial rtionship here or not would determine what would happen in the future .

    Additionally, the chance of that seeding was not low by any means . If Ruphas was really not a bad person as Megrez had taught Sei, she would at least be magnanimous enough to decide to help one of her subordinates .

    Putting it the other way around, if she was someone that would abandon Virgo here, Sei would have to fundamentally change the way he thought about things .

    He wondered if the response from Ruphas would be what he had been hoping for .

    ¡°Yeah, that is fine . ¡±

    ¡°Re, really!?¡±

    ¡°Yeah . To begin with, Virgo is our colleague . Even if you had stopped us, we would have gone to help her . ¡±

    Looking at Ruphas who was saying that with a delightful smile, Sei¡¯s expression brightened .

    Seriously . She¡¯s much more of a reasonable person than what I¡¯ve been hearing .

    The legends may have been wildly exaggerated, maybe she¡¯s not such a scary person after all .

    Just as he was feeling reassured, from behind Ruphas came rushing a torrent of water as if it was trying to swallow everything in its path .

    It seemed it had already reached this point as they were talking .

    In the heat of the moment, Sei almost tried to shout, ¡°It¡¯s dangerous!¡±

    However, that did not ur, and above all, even before he could shout out loud, Ruphas had already moved into action .

    She grabbed the nape of a young girl with blue hair and evacuated her from the line of fire .

    And without a moment of dy, as if she was sweeping away a fly, she thrust her palm forward .

    Surprisingly, when she did so, the torrent of water which had already came rushing right in front of them dispersed away . Additionally, due to the pressure from the fist, the torrent was blown far away .

    ¡°!? !!?¡±

    ¨C Water, which was supposed to have been invulnerable to physical attacks, was blown away!?

    Physics, naturalw, and everything else was all irrelevant . Overwhelming power and level itself became thew .

    As if such an unreasonable thing was being stated, Sei¡¯s mouth dropped wide open and he thought for a moment .

    I take back what I just said . Ruphas is definitely a scary person .

    *

    Due to an unexpected prompt by the Hero for coboration, my mood skyrocketed .

    With this eel-ated feeling, I even felt like I could make a broiled eel on rice out of it .

    Of course, something like that was definitely not possible, but what I was trying to say was that I was feeling the highest peak of happiness from this thrill . [1]

    But yeah, in all honesty, one of the problems I had been facing was how to establish a rtionship with the Hero .

    If I had badly chosen to be hostile, there were more than enough chances for the full-power one-sided fighting from two hundred years ago to ur all over again . [2]

    Although he was not currently an enemy I would lose against, he was still a Hero, after all . If the Goddess interfered and yed her hand, I did not know what kind of a monster he would turn into .

    You know, like the scenario you might see in the stories . Originally, it was a battle that he could not win due to the sheer difference in abilities . Then, the hero suddenly became unreasonably strong for various reasons like being angry over the death of hispanion or awakening a random sealed power, then overwhelming thest boss in a single moment .

    Of course, those things only happened in stories . It was different from reality .

    Therefore, what I was thinking of was blurring the line between reality and fantasy .

    But... unfortunately for me, this world was the Goddess¡¯s story .

    Furthermore, I believed she was someone that liked mainstream developments . Worse yet, to achieve that mainstream development, she was someone who would ignore plot holes and inconsistencies that might ur as a result .

    That was why, in this world that she created, thews of physics were not doing their jobs at all . It was very much possible that the rate of eleration downwards would change based on the weight of the armour equipped . [3] It was very much possible that equipping ws on both hands would double the amount of power one had .

    In other words, if I were to underestimate the Hero carelessly, the Goddess coulde in and interfere and it would not be strange for him to have surpassed me by the time I noticed .

    With all that taken into consideration, a coboration with the Hero was a great development that I dly weed .

    Having said all that, I had hidden the matter about Sagittarius .

    If I carelessly bbered and resulted in them saying, ¡°Let¡¯s just defeat Sagittarius in case,¡± it would be troublesome for us .

    ¡°Oh, by the way, Ruphas-sama, there seems to be a group of people that¡¯s been staring at Ruphas-sama from over there . ¡±

    ¡°Ahh, them?¡±

    ¡°Yes . And it seems we are acquainted with several of those faces . ¡±

    After being prompted by Dina, I had a careful look at the people who mostlyprised the Hero¡¯s party .

    Although I was not acquainted with the tiger and the gori beastkin, I remembered previously meeting the rest of the people .

    The bald man was definitely Gants whom I met at Svalinn and the adventurer on the side was called Jean if I recalled correctly .

    Because the other three had weak presences, I could not remember them properly, but I could at least recall they were part of the warrior-only party which had an unbnced partyposition .

    And the person who had already fainted whilst spewing foam out of his mouth was the handsome elf nii-san who had taught me many different things when I was first summoned to this world .

    If it¡¯s something like this, I might just be able to casually talk with them .

    Thinking in that way, I decided to first approach them .

    When I tried to do so, the tiger beastkin immediately fled and hid behind a tree and Jean and his crew raised their guard .

    Gants seemed to be the only one who did not raise his guard .

    Well, I¡¯m thankful that there¡¯s at least one acting in this way .

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Gants . I¡¯m d to see that you¡¯re healthy above all else . ¡±

    ¡°...... Ahh, you too . Saphur... no, Ruphas Mafahl . ¡±

    Unexpectedly, Grats did not seem to be that surprised .

    If anything, he seemed to be content after confirming his suspicions .

    ¡°That reaction, could it be that you had already noticed?¡±

    ¡°Well, somewhat . To be able to blow Aries away with a punch...The possibilities would be limited to someone like the 7 Heroes or the Demon King . So when that happened, even an idiot like me knew you weren¡¯t some random person . Oh, by the way, since you were using an alias, does Dina-chan also have some other name?¡±

    ¡°No, mine is my real name . ¡±

    Dina replied to Gants¡¯s question, however, I wondered if it really was her real name or not...

    No, it was not the time to be questioning her identity .

    In any event, it was a joyful miscalction that Gants happened to be at this ce .

    Since he was here, we could probably progress the conversation more easily .

    And... hmm... I suppose we also no longer required memory maniption on Jean and his party .

    I took a nce at Jean, who was looking at me and trying to figure out something, then signalled at Dina with my eyes .

    When I did so, Dina nodded and snapped her fingers .

    ¡°Tsk! That¡¯s right . I remember now! The travelling merchants Saphur-san and Dina-san! And, Libra of the 12 Heavenly Stars! Wh, why did we believe until now that we were the ones who had conquered the Tomb ourselves?¡±

    It seemed Jean¡¯s crew were suffering from slight confusion after suddenly regaining all the memories they had lost until now .

    Though, from their perspectives, they had forgotten about a very important matter until this point, thus they would have been feeling strange about themselves .

    For now, during the time until they recovered from their confusion, I decided to wake up the elf nii-san .

    Recovery techniques were not my specialty, however, it was not as if I could not use them at all .

    Anyways... If I consider his fainted state to be a status defect induced by [Sleep], I could do something about it just by dispelling a debuff .

    Originally the sleep debuff would be dispelled when the individual received an attack from the enemy, therefore it would have been possible to wake him up just by tapping him lightly . However, in this case, since he had fainted, he probably would not wake up even if we hit him .

    When I cast the spell, the elf nii-san woke up and dropped his jaw with a face that screamed his surprise as he looked at me .

    ¡°Ru, Ruru, Ruphas Mafaahhlllllll!!?¡±

    When he saw me, the elf-san deployed a hemispherical shield which covered himself whilst sitting down .

    Oi, that reaction really hurts you know .

    But... this is such a thin shield, is that even fine?

    It looked somewhat like he had put up a super thin piece of ss around himself .

    As I was slightly worried for him about the strength of the shield, I tried knocking softly to check .

    When I did, the shield gave off a sound and shattered, causing the elf to be stunned .

    Oi, so fragile, so fragile . It was just like the barriers that easily broke from Showa-era anime . [4]

    ¡°Calm down . I have no intention of doing anything to you, and even if I did, a thin shield like that would be meaningless in helping you . ¡±

    It was not as if I was trying to scare him, but I honestly questioned the usefulness of a shield which would break from a soft knock .

    With that, it couldn¡¯t even be called a shield, it was just a seal . [5]

    It looked like its only use would be to stick it randomly somewhere .

    ¡°Th, then what exactly... . ¡±

    ¡°For a detailed exnation, you should hear it from that brave boy or Dina . But speaking just the conclusion, we¡¯ve decided to coborate with you . Well, it would probably just be for the duration of us staying in this country, but... I look forward to working with you . ¡±

    Whilst saying that, I smiled towards the Hero¡¯s party .

    When I did, their faces showed an expression as if they had turned stupid and then looked towards Sei .

    Such a hassle . Although it was not that surprising if you consider my notoriety, the only ones who interacted normally with me was the Hero, Gants and...... . the puppy which was swinging its tail around with a tongue sticking out at the foot of the Hero .

    If one were to talk about the tiger beastkin, he¡¯s even gone further back than before .

    As I was patting the head of the puppy, I thought about what was toe in the future that I had just put myself into and sighed a little .

    __

 Chapter 89

    Chapter 89

    Now then, although we have called it a coboration on equal footing, in practice, the Hero¡¯s party in this battle would have next to no role to y .

    In addition to the difference in levels between the two sides being a problem, they were also fundamentally disadvantaged .

    The enemy was a mass of water whom physical attacks did not work against, and inparison, the Hero¡¯s party consisted of a Sword Saint, a mercenary, adventurers, and a knight .

    The only support member of the party was an elf nii-san... Cruz, but all he was doing was being a coward in regard to me and had no intention of doing anything . The only one who could be of any use was the young Hero boy, Sei . [2]

    If I recalled correctly, even when the Hero ss was low levelled, they were able to learn some fantastic support skills . Therefore, he might not be useless if he was assigned a supportive role .

    Having said that, the best case scenario would be to recall Virgo and Aries, scatter the enemy with Libra¡¯s firepower, and during the time the enemy was scattered as mana, I would gather it all and turn it into an apple .

    ¡°But it looks like... mana was just forcibly gathered without regard to anything . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a little bit of a hassle, isn¡¯t it? It looks like mana was gathered not just from this country¡¯s vicinity but also from other ces, as if that thing was a vacuum cleaner . ¡±

    Looking from a distance, I saw that Virgo was trying her best to try and erase the mana . However, it did not look like she would manage to erase it in time .

    Or rather, was that not Parthenos¡¯s skill?

    If I recalled correctly, the name of the skill was [Vindemiatrix] or something... but it was a skill with its only use being erasure of mana . Although it was convenient in some circumstances, it was a niche and situational skill as it was too limited in where it could be used .

    Nevertheless, in this world where thew ¡°demon race = mana¡± was applied, it was an effective attack when used against the demons .

    That Parthenos... looked like these were the kinds of things she had been teaching Virgo .

    But even with this skill in use, the situation was not fully under control . The rate of increase in the amount of water was greater than the rate it was being erased at .

    In all likelihood, it had originally been using only the mana in this country¡¯s vicinity . However, in retaliation against Virgo, it had likely started gathering mana from elsewhere .

    The water monster was getting bigger and bigger by gathering and absorbing mana not just from this country but also from ces that werepletely unrted .

    Although we could still deal with the situation currently, if it continued to gather all the mana from the whole of Midgard, we might be in a bit of trouble .

    Anyways, in a nutshell, all we had to do was prevent that from happening .

    I created a white light ball on my palm and shot it towards the sky .

    ¡°Breidablik . ¡±[3]

    The moment I activated the spell with its name, the light ball expanded and widened, eventually turning into a light dome which covered the whole capital .

    [Breidablik] ¨C the effect of the skill was an area-of-effect debuff on all the enemies .

    Upon the activation of the skill, it decreased the magic power of all within the area regardless of whether they were enemies or allies .

    It was a very hard-to-use skill which could even be negative for the user¡¯s side depending on how the yer used it because the skill would also affect the magic-type yers on the caster¡¯s side .

    On the other hand, if the party was nothing but muscle brains who had no idea what magic was, it was a great support skill with very little else on par . [4]

    The background setting said this is a skill to block the flow of mana, so I tried using it because I thought it would be useful, and it looks like I was spot on .

    I was sessful inpletely stopping the inflow of mana from the outside .

    As I was showing a smug look on my face, I heard the noise of someone copsing . When I turned back to look behind me, the tiger Sword Saint-san had copsed on the ground .

    ¡°Err... . Ruphas-sama . You know, how do I put this... this mana repellent field is very effective on magical beasts and beastkin... so, inside this field, the beastkin be unable to freely move around, normally . And to top that off, if you consider how this field was made by Ruphas-sama¡¯s power without holding back... unless they¡¯re at the same tier as the 12 Stars, I don¡¯t think they will even be able to freely move their fingers...¡±

    After listening to Dina¡¯s troubled exnation, I questioned whether I was hearing things correctly .

    Eh? Really? This is supposed to be a debuff meant to be for the enemy, what do you mean even the allies are getting debuffed?<strong>[5]</strong>

    I hastily turned to nce towards Aigokeros and the rest to check whether they were affected or not .

    ¡°Please do not worry, my master . Although there is a little bit of an effect, with our abilities, we are more than capable of performing normally . ¡±

    ¡°Aaann~ a bondage y from Ruphas-sama is a treat~ . ¡±

    ¡°No problem! It¡¯s just the right amount of handicap!¡±

    ¡°There is absolutely no effect on me . ¡±

    Hmm, it seemed there was some form of adverse effect on Aigokeros, Scorpius, and Karkinos, however, there would be no problem towards their performance .

    As for Libra, there was absolutely no effect, huh .

    Back in the game, whether the enemy was a yer or a golem, it would be weakened by the skill, but... this is quite different here .

    I mean, Libra¡¯s not getting affected at all but the allies are getting affected .

    Unless the situation was simr to this time, this skill did not look like it would be used frequently .

    ¡°Ma, mana repellent barrier... not to mention the whole capital in an instant...¡±

    ¡°Cruz-san, howrge is this capital again?¡±

    ¡°... . It¡¯s about 3000 km2 . [6] If it¡¯s purely based on the surface area, it¡¯s even greater than Svalinn . ¡±

    ¡°So approximately 1 . 5 times the size of Tokyo prefecture... to cover that whole area in an instant... isn¡¯t the scale too out of whack?¡±

    After listening to Cruz¡¯s exnation, I gave off a sigh after getting reminded of how unreasonably small the area for this country was .

    Even if it was not official, it was a country where many different races and species resided . Despite being an autocratic country led by an emperor, the surface area of this country was only a hair¡¯s length bigger than Tokyo prefecture .

    Again, I was forcibly made to realise just how small the living space of the humanoids was at this moment .

    This...bining all the avable areas, isn¡¯t the living space of the humanoids only a little more than the area of Japan?

    ... Well, whatever . In regards to this issue, it¡¯ll be solved one way or another if we eradicate the demons .

    ¡°We¡¯re heading to assist Virgo now . Everyone, follow me . ¡±

    I grabbed the young man Sei, tucked him under my arms, and spread my wings to fly up . Shortly after, Libra flew up whilst grabbing Dina, followed by Aigokeros who was grabbing onto Karkinos .

    Although I had forgotten, Aigokeros was not unable to fly...

    Scorpius stretched her braided hair, hooked it onto the mountain (apparently called Hnitbjorg), andunched herself up by quickly shortening her hair .

    That range is quite insane, oi .

    Although this was an irrelevant observation, she looked quite foolish because when sheunched herself with her hair, she was flying backwards .

    Oh, also, the Hero¡¯s party was carried along with my telekinesis which I had not used muchtely .

    Wended right near Virgo who was fighting at the mountain and took the time to re-evaluate the blob of water .

    Now that I¡¯m having a closer look, it¡¯s pretty big, huh . It¡¯s full length... it¡¯s probably well over 1km?

    If it continued to be bigger, it even looked like it would be able to swallow Blutgang .

    ¡°Ruphas-sama!¡±

    ¡°Virgo, are you hurt?¡±

    ¡°N, no!¡±

    I dropped Sei nearby and examined Virgo with [Observation Eyes] .

    There was barely any damage done to her . It looked like Aries had properly managed to protect her .

    Additionally, there was also barely any damage done to Aries himself . It looked like they had managed to fight with quite a bit of leeway .

    Once he noticed me, he turned back into his human form andnded next to me .

    Although this was irrelevant to the current matter, he was wearing his clothes properly . He probably quickly changed into it when he transformed back .

    ¡°Ruphas-sama, I¡¯m sorry . That guy... however much I burn him, he regenerates instantly...¡±

    ¡°Ahh, don¡¯t worry about it . Good job on protecting Virgo . ¡±

    My orders for Aries was to be Virgo¡¯s support .

    He had followed my orders faithfully and also managed to sessfully protect Virgo . As such, there was no reason for me to reprimand him .

    In regard to this giant blob of water, it was just a bad match-up . After all, Aries did not have any skill that he could use to erase mana .

    If it had been me or Aigokeros, we could have managed it in any number of ways... But since I was here already...

    I think I will let Virgo have the honour this time .

    I activated an [Esper] ss skill and used telekinesis on the giant blob of water .

    [Psycho Compression]... well, it was a skill which could be used on a weak enemy to immobilise it for a short amount of time whilst dealing damage to it .

    By strongly using that skill, I was able to put pressure on the giant blob of water and ultimatelypress it .

    Have you ever thought about something like this when you were a child? Assuming there was a container which would never break, what would happen to the water inside if you continued to put water in while making the container smaller and smaller?

    Once the liquid ispressed to a certain degree, it bes unable to bepressed any further, and due to the resistant force applied by the water to the container, the container breaks .

    However, in this situation, the container absolutely could not be broken .

    That was what I was doing at this moment . Right now, I had created an invisible container which enveloped the giant blob of water and enclosed the water inside .

    And without holding back, I continued to decrease the volume of the invisible container andpressed the water .

    Although the temperature also served as a factor, at around 3500 atmospheric pressure, the water would turn into a substance called Ice V and at above 6200 atmospheric pressure, it would turn into Ice VI . [7]

    Because I had never measured how strong my telekinesis was, I did not know what kind of substance it was at that point . However, I could verify it by just looking at how the water had turned into small pieces of ice .

    Hmm... maybe I will try and experiment around with charcoal next time .

    If I recalled correctly, for carbon to turn into a diamond, the required pressure was approximately one million . So if the charcoal turned into a diamond, I would be able to prove that my telekinesis had enough pressure to rival about one million atmospheric pressure . [8]

    ... . Though... in this world where the Laws of Physics-san was sabotaging things, it might not be much of an indicator though .

    If it was this world, let alone charcoal, it would not be strange for the rocks to turn into diamonds . After all, everything was possible in this world .

    In any event, with this, it was checkmate .

    By this point, the giant blob of water was no longer able to maintain its form and had already been broken down into mana . As I had forciblypressed that mana, it had turned into a strange crystal .

    ¡°......... . . A le, legendary magic stone which is only created when arge amount of mana ispressed to an extreme limit...A mana diamond... it, it really existed... or more like... is it even something that can be created by someone... . ?¡±

    Cruz was muttering something absentmindedly . I wondered what was going on with him .

    When I was wondering that, Dina whispered and taught me the situation .

    ¡°Ahh, the crystal that Ruphas-sama just created is thought to be an illusory item that no one in Midgard had ever seen until now . Even two hundred years ago, Ruphas-sama and the others thought it would be a hassle... so you never showed it to the others in public and only used it as a material to craft your own essories . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see . A rare item, huh . ¡±

    It seemed that I had unintentionally created a fairly rare item just now .

    It might actually be a useful material for alchemy .

    But we had to give the highest priority right now to allowing Virgo to y a role . For that purpose, I could forego one rare item .

    I quickly made that decision, levitated the crystal in the air, and moved it to a position that Virgo could easily aim at .

    ¡°Now, Virgo, it¡¯s time to end it . Be shy . ¡±

    ¡°Ye, yes!¡±

    Although it was currently a crystallised chunk of mana, if it was destroyed, it would revert back to water .

    As such, it was time for Virgo to shine .

    Following her response, she raised both her hands and produced a shiny and pure white light between her hands .

    ¡°Vindemiatrix!¡±

    An absolute magic negation skill that wouldpletely erase mana .

    Virgo illuminated the crystal with the niche and situational skill that only Parthenos could use even back in the game . [9]

    When it did, the crystal, which waspressed to its limit, faded andpletely disappeared from this world .

    ¡°The mana diamond gotttt¡ª! The legendary crystal just¡ª!?¡±

    Unfortunately for Cruz who started shrieking with a voice as if he was dying, nobody cared about the state of his heart .

    Because I was informed about the value of the crystal, I could partly understand why he was shrieking, however, I still questioned the need to shout all that out loud .

    Oh, he burnt out looking white as a ghost and copsed . I guess everything¡¯s over for this guy .

    *

    ¡°......... . . ¡±

    Whilst sitting down on the throne, the Demon King Orm opened his eyes .

    Just then, in and far away, a spark of fake life had been extinguished .

    Furthermore, the one who had sent that life to their death was none other than himself .

    Because Venus was chased away, there was no one else who could make the 7 Luminaries dance on the palm of their hand ¨C that was what Terra thought .

    That line of thought was not incorrect; it was a fact . The decision made by Terra was indeed correct .

    Nevertheless, the seeds had already been sown .

    With the knowledge of Draupnir¡¯s guardian deity poisoned, if one were to consider Mercurius¡¯s personalitybined with his affection towards Luna, it would be easy to predict what possible routes he might take next . In actual fact, Mercurius had been running on rails which had led to the certain destruction that was prepared for him .

    The only thing left to enable it to happen was for the Demon King, who had now gained the power to change the fate of the demon race, to show interest in the head of the guardian deity when he really wasn¡¯t interested in it at all .

    With just that, Mercurius would have walked on the path to destroy himself . And the reality showed that it was indeed the case .

    Exactly ¨C the one who was leading the 7 Luminaries to destruction wasn¡¯t Venus alone .

    The 7 Luminaries¡¯ leader, the Demon King himself was the one who most wished the demon race, which was the magic of the Goddess, to disappear from around him .

    Orm pointed his eyebrows down in sorrow whilst fiddling with the key that he had previously taken from Castor in his hand .

    ¡°Are you worried about something?¡±

    A voice came from behind and Dina showed her face from behind the throne .

    As usual, it was a ghost-like entrance from her . By the time one realised, she would have popped out from somewhere and would be talking to you .

    Orm faintly smiled and put the key back down .

    ¡°Hmm, nothing much really... I just remembered the eyes of Mercurius . ¡±

    ¡°Eyes, you said?¡±

    ¡°Yeah . ... The eyes that he had when he came to petition me whilst filled with his affection for Luna were very serious, you see . Sometimes, I get this thought . Whether they¡¯re really dolls or not . ¡±

    In response to Orm muttering things, Dina unexpectedly thinned the opening of her eyes then followed up with a quiet voice and a tone whichcked any form of emotion .

    ¡°They¡¯re dolls . Whether they have individuality or have feelings for another, it¡¯s all irrelevant . Dolls are still dolls . They move the way their owner wants them to and at the very end, they¡¯re thrown away . It¡¯s the fate that they have . ¡±

    ¡°Quite harsh . ¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s a fact . Wouldn¡¯t you think it¡¯s creepy for a doll to move on its own without the will of the owner? That¡¯s why, the only thing they can do is to sneakily move around whilst trying not to get caught . If they don¡¯t want to get thrown away, they have to return to their original position before they are found and appeal, ¡®I¡¯m a doll . ¡¯ If they don¡¯t... they¡¯ll be chucked away . ¡±

    Orm closed his eyes and put all his weight on his back .

    He was expressionless at that moment and what he was thinking could not be read .

    ¡°But Mercurius did not move in a way that went against the will of the Goddess . ¡±

    ¡°You might be right . But the answer is simple in that case . There¡¯s another bad doll in the midst who¡¯s going around breaking other dolls . If they¡¯re found out, they¡¯re definitely going straight to the bin, don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    ¡°How scary . Do you think I¡¯m also going to get thrown away?¡±

    ¡°You might be . Or perhaps... you¡¯ve already been thrown away?¡±

    Dina smiled faintly as if to mock him, followed by Ormughing in return .

    In that throne room where the two of them were present, only the eyes of the King of demons and the blue-haired young girl shone in a strangely creepy way .

 Chapter 90

    Chapter 90

    After he sessfully took care of ¨C or rather, gotten taken care of one of the 7 Luminaries, Sei and his party returned to the yurts and were receiving praises .

    However, personally, Sei thought that he could not enjoy the victory as he felt that they had somewhat stolen the credit away .

    No, let¡¯s stop with vague expressions like ¡°somewhat¡± . After all, Sei and his group had literally stepped in to steal the credit from Ruphas .

    In fact, aside from Virgo, there was no one from Ruphas¡¯s group currently present . As they did not want to unnecessarily cause any disturbances, they went back to their mobile golem which could be called their base of operations .

    In regards to the matter about the credit, Ruphas herself said, ¡°I don¡¯t need something like that, so just split it equally with Virgo . ¡± Although the act of ¡°stealing¡± the credit was done with the consent of the person herself, Sei still could not feel good about it .

    In regards to the matter about the reward, he decided to assign a bigger proportion of it to Virgo . However, because his side was still taking the entire portion of the elixir, which was undoubtedly the most important part of the reward, he could not feel good about it in that regard either .

    Nevertheless, even in rtion to the elixir, Ruphas had simply said, ¡°Don¡¯t need it . ¡± Thus, when one just looked at the oue, Sei and his group had ended up with all the honour and credit even though they had done next to nothing .

    Sei almost questioned whether there was an ulterior motive or not because Ruphas was being overly generous .

    ¡°Heroes, you have done well for us . Know that your party has saved this country . Allow me to represent this country and thank you all from the bottom of my heart . Here therein, your names shall forever be carved in this country¡¯s history . ¡±

    After safely getting his hands on the elixir, Kaineko was in a brilliant mood and showered Sei¡¯s group with praise .

    When he finished praising them, he raised his hand as a signal . Matching this motion, many beastkin who were on standby behind him came and started setting down gold ingots one after another .

    Beholding all of this in front of them, the eyes of Jean and his adventurers¡¯ party were glistering . However, since Sei did not know the true value of this, he was confused .

    ¡°Please check the amount . There should be five million eru worth in total . ¡±

    ¡°Umm... Isn¡¯t this too much?¡±

    When Sei originally epted the request, it was promised that the reward for participation was one thousand eru, and the reward forpleting the request was five hundred thousand eru .

    However, now that they had actuallypleted the quest and received the reward, it was ten times the amount of the promised reward .

    Although it was the tiniest portion, they had also received the elixir as a reward, thus the overall value of their rewards was enormous .

    In response to this query, Kaineko answered as if it was something obvious .

    ¡°Your group is an officially recognised party of the Hero from Laevateinn . Now that we have made you work, if we were to only reward you with the same amount as adventurers would have received, the other countries would question our country¡¯smon sense . This is just the right amount of rewards that you should be receiving . You have no need to be reserved . ¡±

    Kaineko¡¯s answer was something that no individual of this world would raise an eyebrow about .

    Adventurers were exactly just that ¨C they were individuals who had the lowest social standing in this world .

    A payment to them valued at five hundred thousand could already be considered over the top .

    The only reason Sei felt a sense of unease was because he originated from Japan wherebourers were blessed .

    Sensing Sei¡¯s feelings, Jean patted his shoulders and told him to not worry about all of this .

    ¡°Furthermore, the Hero Sei-dono . After hearing about your work this time, our country¡¯s emperor and empress have expressed their interests in meeting with you . The emperor has stated that, if you do not mind, he would like to wee you into the royal family by having you be our princess¡¯s fianc¨¦ . What do you think?¡±

    The moment Kaineko finished proposing something outrageous whilst smiling, Cruz¡¯s eyes instantly sharpened .

    As expected, it happened ¨C thinking as such, Cruz stepped forward .

    It was predictable that there might be some royalties or nobles who would propose something like this when the name of the Hero started to spread .

    In that case, the one who made the first move would be the winner . Once the Hero was engaged to the princess, it would be almost impossible for others to start probing him . Additionally, any achievements of the Hero in the future would all be credited to Draupnir¡¯s royal family .

    In all likelihood, after looking at the feats from this time, Draupnir¡¯s royal family had probably judged Sei to have promise .

    At the very least, to the extent that they believed it would be fit to engage one of the however many princesses they had .

    ¡°Please hold it, Kaineko-dono . That is what you call ¡°too hasty¡± . Sei-dono has things he must do, as well as a home to return to after everything is done . We appreciate your offer, but it is not right to restrict him in this way . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course, we are well aware of that . That was why we said if Sei-dono does not mind . What do you think, Sei-dono? Would you please at least meet the princess once? Even the princess herself said that she would like to meet the Hero . ¡±

    After hearing Kaineko¡¯s rebuttal, Cruz could do nothing but grit his teeth together as Kaineko grinned victoriously .

    That grin was exactly the kind of smile that would be seen on a cat that had sessfully cornered a mouse .

    This shitty cat... with a face that looks harmless to a human, he¡¯s blocking off Sei¡¯s escape routes!

    Cruz was convinced of this and tightly clenched his fist .

    The royal family wants to meet you ¨C being told such a thing, it was impossible for them to refuse the request .

    ¡°The princess, huh?¡±

    Problematically, Sei was not dissatisfied with all of this .

    After all, everything up until this point had been rough . It could not be helped that he was feeling a little warm for the fantasy-like event which he had encountered .

    The Hero and the Princess . It was a very mainstream storyline used from ancient times, however, to say that he did not admire such a thing at all would be a lie .

    ¡°Fufufu, are you curious about the princess?¡±

    ¡°Aah, no, umm...¡±

    ¡°There is no need to hide it . It is only a natural thing as a man . And you should rejoice, the fourth princess, Lechwe-sama, that you are about to meet is famous for being beautiful . [1] She hasrge eyes, snow white skin, and a cute face . On top of that, she is tolerant and easily epts others . There¡¯s no doubt that all the men in the country would be jealous of you . ¡±

    Listening to Kaineko¡¯s pitch on the princess¡¯s appeal, Sei wavered .

    Although he believed there were some exaggerations to the description because of her position as a princess, if she was raised up to such a degree, Sei wanted to at least see what she looked like .

    Furthermore, because he had already met Ruphas and Virgo, he was already well aware that the beauties of this world were unreasonably beautiful withoutparison .

    Even without any makeup or Photoshop enhancements whatsoever, it was still hard for him to believe those kinds of beauties would be casually walking around here and there .

    ¡°I ¨C if it¡¯s just to meet with them!¡±

    ¡°Good, then it¡¯s decided!¡±

    Hearing Sei¡¯s response, Kainekoughed in his heart as he confirmed his victory .

    The only remaining question was whether Sei would be interested in the princess or not . However, he was convinced that Sei would be .

    He only had to look at her once and he would not be able to look away .

    Kaineko was sure that Sei would even forget about his desire to return to his original world and decide to stay in this country forever .

    Lechwe was simply that beautiful . In fact, so beautiful that even Kaineko felt a sense of jealousy towards Sei .

    ¡°Now that it¡¯s decided, let us hurry towards the yurt where His Majesty the Emperor resides . ¡±

    Kaineko quickly hurried the conversation along before the Hero could change his mind and stepped outside .

    The preparations had all beenpleted beforehand and a horse carriage was already waiting outside . Looking at this, Cruz grimaced again .

    This shitty cat... he already prepared everything beforehand... . . !

    Now, if Sei became captivated by the princess, everything would be over .

    The Hero would be stolen by Draupnir .

    Furthermore, there was nothing that Cruz could do . To begin with, if he took a misstep, it would be deemed as disrespect towards the royal family .

    As such, Cruz could not say anything in the end and could only tag along with them .

    The yurt that Sei and the party were brought to was so extravagant that they did not know if it could still be called a yurt .

    First of all, it was simply too big . It probably had multiple floors and a very strong foundation .

    On the floor was a red carpet and from the ceiling hung a chandelier .

    With how extravagant it was, it was no longer a tent but a pce .

    In fact, Sei thought they should have just made a pce normally instead of unreasonably upgrading a tent to this degree .

    On what looked to be a throne too big for a human sat a white bear wrapped around in clothing which looked to be something that a Mongolian might have worn . On the top of his head was a shiny crown .

    At this moment, Sei was filled with nothing but a bad feeling for what was toe .

    ¡°Hero, you have done well toe so far . Your work has truly been impressive thus far . ¡±

    The one who was speaking in a haughty tone was a bear in every sense, however one looked at him .

    Bear beastkin ¨C was how he would be categorised, it was a species of bipedal creature that was originally a bear .

    Unlike a real bear, the ws on their fingers could be retracted, thus they were somewhat close to a human¡¯s fingertips . Nevertheless, as they were still far thicker than normal and were covered in fur, it was a bit hard to see the differences .

    In other words, other than the fact that it was wearing clothes and was able to speak, it was impossible to distinguish him from a real bear .

    Furthermore, next to the throne was another chair which was upied by a pr bear wearing a dress .

    ... . Yep, I already know what¡¯s going to happen . I can already see the punch line .

    Indeed, she hasrge eyes, snow white skin (or rather... fur), and a cute face...

    Tolerant and epting of people? Well yeah, she definitely looks like she¡¯s big enough to bear hug other people .

    There¡¯s no mistaking it, she must be the princess .

    What the hell, I knew she would be a beastkin ¨C having such a thought, Sei wanted to start crying .

    Of course, it is . I already knew this is a country of beastkin . Of course, the princess is also a beastkin . But I just wanted to dream a little...

    ¡°Now then, Hero . If you would like, with our daughter...¡±

    ¡°Y ¨C Your Majesty . Please excuse me, but I am still someone who is inexperienced and immature . I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m unworthy of taking care of your precious daughter . ¡±

    ¡°Is, is that so? We do not really mind that . ¡±

    ¡°N, no! Even if Your Majesty does not mind such a thing, I would not be able to forgive myself if I do so!¡±

    The bear king quickly brought up the topic about the marriage with his daughter, however, Sei respectfully turned him down .

    Impossible, definitely impossible . It¡¯s not even a question about being racist or whatnot, it¡¯s just impossible to think of having a bear as fianc¨¦e .

    I might even end up dying if she pokes me a little, and most of all, there¡¯s simply too much of a difference in our standards of beauty .

    I mean, there¡¯s no mistake that she¡¯s cute, it¡¯s a fact .

    But I feel like there¡¯s just too much of a difference in the way ¡°cute¡± is being used . I mean, looking at dogs and cats and thinking they¡¯re ¡°cute¡± and looking at a person of the opposite sex like Virgo and thinking she¡¯s ¡°cute¡± ispletely different .

    At the very least, I can¡¯t think of that princess as a member of the opposite sex . Or more like, I only figured it out because of their clothing, but if they weren¡¯t wearing anything, I wouldn¡¯t even know which gender they were . Heck, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to tell the two apart .

    ¡°Th ¨C that¡¯s right! We have to give the elixir to the guardian dragon-sama! Yeah, let¡¯s go, Kaineko-san!¡±

    ¡°Eh? No, but...¡±

    ¡°If the guardian dragon-sama dies due to the poison while we¡¯re speaking here, it¡¯ll be a big problem! Let¡¯s go now!¡±

    ¡°... . Can¡¯t...prehend . ¡±

    Sei said whatever he wanted to and quickly jumped out of the tent as if he was running away .

    Needless to say, it was clearly a rude action by him . Nevertheless, the bear king did not seem to mind what had happened at all .

    Perhaps it was to be expected from the king of the beastkin . He personally did not care about small issues in regard to etiquette . However, his ears were drooping a little and it was evident that he was somewhat depressed .

    ¡°... . . Did We do something bad?¡±[2]

    ¡°N ¨C no, nothing at all! We¡¯ll strictly scold the Hero after all of this!¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Ahh, there is no need . We called on the Hero to give him praise, not to scold him . We shall annul any issues raised by this incident . ¡±

    Whilst Cruz frantically bowed his head, he was feeling relieved inside .

    Thank goodness Sei was not won over by this country¡¯s princess .

    Although Sei acting with such an attitude in front of the Emperor was somewhat problematic, from what Cruz had been informed, Sei had grown up in a country where he would very rarely be able to meet with royalty face-to-face, thus it might have been an inevitable incident .

    Furthermore, Cruz could not say he could not understand Sei¡¯s action . After all, anyone would want to avoid getting wedded to a bear .

    As Cruz was thinking such a thing, from the back room came out a young girl .

    She had pure snow white skin and white hair .

    Large round eyes, a gentle and tender countenance, a plump chest, and the ears of a bear on the sides of her face .

    There was no arguing that she was a beauty .

    Not only that, against all odds, she was an extreme beauty born as a result of a beastkin and human couple, making her a figurative ¡°endangered species¡± and befitting to be called a [Beastkin¡¯s Beauty] .

    Ha ¨C half beastkin!? And beautiful to the point where it could be called miraculous!?

    At this moment, the young half-beastkin girl asked a question to the bear king in front of the astonished Cruz .

    ¡°Father, I apologise for beingte . Umm, may I know where the Hero is?¡±

    ¡°Ahh, about that Lechwe... sorry, it seems the approach We had taken had some issues . Unfortunately, the Hero left this ce just now . ¡±

    Listening to the conversation between the two, Cruz unconsciously wanted to say,

    She¡¯s the princess!? The princess is this girl?!

    Then who¡¯s the bear that¡¯s sitting in the dress next to you!?

    Cruz frantically held that retort froming out and raised a query to the bear king whilst somewhat maintaining hisposure .

    ¡°Um, umm... Is thisdy the Princess Lechwe?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right . She¡¯s lovely and resembles Us, does she not?¡±

    ¡°I ¨C I had wrongly assumed it was thedy who was sitting next to you...¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Ahh, the one sitting next to me is the First Royal Consort Kumaaru . [3]Isn¡¯t she beautiful? ...... Ahh, I see . You must be wondering why we have a princess who is half-beastkin even though both of us are full . The answer to that is because Lechwe is the child of the fourth royal consort . ¡±

    ¨C Even though you¡¯re a bear, you¡¯re into polygamy!?

    Notwithstanding that Cruz wanted to retort in such a way, he pushed it back down with his iron will .

    So in summary, it¡¯s that? That this bear king is quite vigorous and has many wives? And this Princess Lechwe was probably born from the human wife .

    Having deduced this much, it was time for Cruz to really feel relieved in his heart .

    Thank goodness... thank goodness that Sei and Princess Lechwe didn¡¯t end up meeting... . So fortunate...!

 Chapter 91

    Chapter 91

    Sei, who had dashed outside as if he was running away, looked up at the sky and felt mncholic.

    Although I ran away in the heat of the moment, now that I think back on it, what I did might have been quite insulting.

    But... if I¡¯d stayed there, I probably would¡¯ve been caught in the flow of the situation or something and ended up getting engaged to that bear princess, so... even in hindsight, I don¡¯t know which one was the correct action to take.

    Notwithstanding that Sei had left the yurt after using the excuse of providing the guardian deity with the elixir, the one who had the elixir in their possession was Kaineko and not Sei.

    In other words, all his actions amounted to was running away in a literal sense and he currently had nothing that he could do.

    Ah, yeah, I really messed up, huh ¨C reaching this point, he was regretting his actions.

    ¡°Sei!¡±

    As he was wasting time, Cruz, Virgo, Gants, Friedrich, and the others came out from the tent one after another.

    When Cruz got close to Sei, he started shouting as if he was angry.

    ... Though... it was obvious from his tone that he was merely pretending to be angry and was not actually angry.

    ¡°It¡¯s no good, you know, to leave the room without permission when you¡¯re in the presence of the emperor. That bear emperor was just too frivolous... I mean, magnanimous, but in front of other kings, you might even end up in jail for being the rudest person possible. Especially if you had been in front of the Vampire Princess and did the same thing, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for you to have been executed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Well yeah, we managed to get through it this time because of that, but.... anyways, next time, definitely don¡¯t do anything like that. Do I make myself clear?¡±

    Due to the meritorious achievements they had aplished for the country, this time the incident was forgotten. However, Sei¡¯s actions were originally something that should not have been done.

    After being strictly reprimanded, Sei hung his head down.

    Observing Sei¡¯s state, Cruz judged that he should leave it at that and lightly coughed. Rather than continuing with the reprimand, he decided to change the topic of the conversation.

    ¡°Now then, let us head towards the guardian deity. Even whilst we¡¯re dying here, the guardian deity might be suffering, after all.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I have no objection to that.¡±

    In response to Cruz¡¯s suggestion, Kaineko also agreed, subsequently leading the group from the front.

    The guardian deity¡¯s location was this country¡¯s top secret. As such, amongst them, no one other than Kaineko knew of its location.

    Notwithstanding this secrecy, perhaps it was determined that there was no reason to hide it as Sei was the hero who had saved this country.

    Kaineko continued walking normally whilst being followed by Sei and his group, eventually stepping foot into the forest.

    Sei remembered the location they had entered as it was, without a doubt, the forest where the dinosaur hade out from.

    Once inside the forest, he could see the sunlight seeping in through the gaps in the branches and hear the cries of the birds singing.

    Are the glittering lights mana?

    Nature undisturbed by the hands of human was proportionately mystical and fantastic.

    By further adding the glitter of mana on top of all of that, it was not strange for this area to be described as a space distinct from reality.

    When Sei raised his head, he saw a butterfly the size of a human fluttering around and small birds which reached his stomach hopping around.

    .... Oi, they¡¯re too big. Even though it started off looking like a fantastic ce, now it¡¯s starting to look like a magical beast¡¯s hangout.

    Nevertheless, what fascinated Sei the most was how Virgo had been in a great mood ever since they had entered the forest.

    He noticed that she was looking around the forest joyfully and in a state where she might starting humming anytime.

    ¡°Virgo-san, do you like the forest?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you just call me Virgo. It feels a bit weird to be called with ¨Csan at the end.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay, I get you. But yeah, you look like you¡¯re in a really good mood.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Ever since I could remember, I lived in the forest the whole time. Although I¡¯ve heard that normal flugels like to live on the top of mountains, I personally prefer the forest.¡±

    Beastkin lived in the grasnds and flugels lived high up in the mountains.

    Dwarves preferred caves and floresiensis were nomads who did not stay in one fixed location.

    Humans created towns wherever they went and vampires resided in the darkness.

    Lastly, elves stayed within the forest... this wasmon knowledge of the principal habitats of the seven races in Midgard.

    As that knowledge made evident, flugels were originally residents of the mountains and not the forest.

    Mountains ¨C or rather, they simply preferred higher ces. Even Ruphas was not an exception to this preference as the ¡°castle¡± that she had once constructed was a tower that reached the heavens.

    Considering all of this, Virgo might have been a fairly rare individual amongst the flugel race.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s quite rare. I believe flugels are supposed to dislike the forest which is overflowing with mana.¡±

    ¡°I also hear that a lot, but it seems I don¡¯t really feel that way.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, how fascinating. It might be possible that one of your parents was an individual who had absorbed a lot of mana.¡±

    ¡°Is that how it is?¡±

    Cruz raised his fingers and counted the number of exceptions amongst the flugels who did not dislike mana.

    ¡°Yeah, when the parents absorb a lot of mana, even amongst the flugel race, you see individuals who don¡¯t hate mana. Taking Ruphas Mafahl as an example, there¡¯s a record of her entering a location with such high mana density (Helheim) that even elves are reluctant to enter. And she did this without batting an eye.¡±

    ¡°But Virgo¡¯s wings are pure white, you know?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not limited or determinative that the change will appear on the outside. Even the parents of that Ruphas Mafahl were said to have possessed normal white-coloured wings.¡±

    Hearing Cruz¡¯s exnation, what came to Sei¡¯s mind was Megrez¡¯s story.

    If Sei recalled Megrez¡¯s story correctly, Megrez had hypothesised that even when Ruphas¡¯s distant ancestors had consumed the forbidden fruit, it was only Ruphas who showed it on the outside.

    They believed Virgo was of the opposite pattern; her parents had absorbed a lot of mana, however, her changes did not appear on the outside and she maintained pure-white wings.

    In this case, they became curious as to who Virgo¡¯s parents could be.

    To have a daughter like Virgo who did not show any form of aversion towards mana to the extent of stating her love to be inside the forest, her parents must have been individuals who had absorbed an enormous amount of mana.

    In other words, there was an extremely high possibility that Virgo¡¯s parents, or at the very least, one of her parents, were one of the heroes who had existed two hundred years ago.

    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. It¡¯s right in front of here.¡±

    It seemed that while they were having a conversation, they had arrived at their destination.

    Kaineko, who was walking at the front, spoke up and stopped his steps.

    Matching Kaineko, Sei and the group continued until they entered an open space before stopping.

    Strangely, no trees sprouted in that ce. Nature itself created a circr space as if it was making it easier for the dragon to live in.

    It was a location where the soft grass covered the ground in abundance and would normally have appeared to be picturesque.

    However, the first thing Sei and the group experienced was the feeling of fear and fright.

    A humongous body, which would exceed fifty metres in length, was copsed on the ground.

    It was the appearance of a dragon straight out of a fantasy. Its blue scales would no doubt be ordinarily reflecting rays of light and shining brilliantly.

    However, right now, that dragon was severely injured.

    The dragon¡¯s scales were cracked and it was bleeding from all over its body. It was barely managing to breathe.

    Was it a result of the illness? No, definitely not. Just the illness alone would not have rendered the dragon into this state.

    As if to exin its state, Sei noticed that above the dragon stood the shadows of four silhouettes.

    ¡°Look what we have here. How rare to see visitors inside the forest.¡±

    The first one to speak out was a strange-looking woman.

    Although the top half of the silhouette was that of a human, her bottom half was lined with scales and resembled the body of a snake.

    Amia ¨C it was one of the species within the magical beast category said to possess intelligence not inferior to that of a human¡¯s.[1]

    Nevertheless, under the definitions arbitrated by the humanoids, they were categorised as magical beasts, thus they were one of the species which were subjected to oppression and persecution.

    ¡°Looks like they came to cure the guardian dragon¡¯s illness~. But it¡¯s impossible now~.¡±

    The one who spoke up next was a monster who possessed the head of a fish.

    This one belonged to a species within the magical beast category called merfolk. The characteristics of this species were that the male mermen¡¯s upper bodies were that of a fish, whereas the female mermaids¡¯ lower bodies were that of a fish instead.

    Although it had been said for many years that it was not impossible for them to live alongside humans, even to this date, they were still categorised as magical beasts. Due to the current state of affairs, they lived independently within the ocean and were believed to have their own cultures and traditions.

    ¡°Scram, young man. You guys are not our objective.¡±

    In reaction to the third thing who raised its voice, Sei almost screamed out loud.

    Bug ¨C it was a... bug!

    Although the silhouette of the body was that of a human¡¯s, its head was that of a spider. Additionally, from its back spouted the numerous legs of a spider.

    It was a species called [bugkin] within the magical beasts. Simr to the beastkin, they were originally bugs but were transformed to possess human appearances due to the influence of mana.

    Alternatively, they were originally humans but ended up transforming after consuming too many insects which had absorbed mana.

    Whichever their origin was, in this world, due to their hideous and repulsive appearances, they were subjected to being categorised as magical beasts, thus it was impossible for them to obtain the same rights and privileges as that of the other humanoids.

    ¡°Kyahahaha, they¡¯re scared, they¡¯re scared! That¡¯s why I said, the sergeant¡¯s out just from how you look!¡±

    Thest to speak out was a young girl with a flower on her head.

    Simr to the previous individual, the appearance of her silhouette closely resembled that of a human¡¯s. However, grass and flowers grew from her limbs, revealing the fact that she was not human.

    Looking even more carefully, her legs were like that of something that had already transformed into the roots of a nt and did not even have any muscle attached to it.

    She was of a species which possessed the characteristics of a nt within the magical beast category called dryade ¨C or sometimes known as dryads. This was a species with extremely simr traits to humans.[2]

    Nevertheless, they were also subjected to the unfair categorisation and subsequently unjust persecution and oppression due to them being categorised as magical beasts.

    In other words, in regards to the four individuals which were present here, all were from species which did not differ greatly from the rest of the humanoids. Notwithstanding, simply due to the arbitrary definitions of categorisation, they were treated as magical beasts.

    These four were also victims of this world¡¯s system.

    ¡°You detestable magical beasts! Get away from the guardian dragon-sama right this instant!¡±

    Kaineko shouted out in anger and drew his sword.

    However, the four individuals on top of the dragon showed a greater hint of anger in response to those words.

    The four individuals looked down at Kaineko with the eyes they might have shown looking at their parents¡¯ killer. Subsequently, the spiderkin responded as their representative.

    ¡°Magical beast... I guess you¡¯re right. In the current state of this world, we¡¯re magical beasts. We¡¯re forced into that category. But... between you and us, what exactly is the difference?¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re able to converse with each other. We¡¯re even able to understand one another. Aside from being different in appearance, you and I arepletely the same. So then why, why is it that we have to be treated as magical beasts? Why do we have to be persecuted, oppressed, and driven away?¡±

    After hearing the spiderkin¡¯s question, there was no one who could answer immediately.

    What was the difference between them? ¨C even if they were asked such a thing, they did not know. They could only answer, ¡°You just look different.¡±

    At this moment, themia woman ced her hand on the shoulder of the spiderkin and calmed him down.

    ¡°Stop it. There¡¯s no point in asking them that. We¡¯ve been trying to advocate for our rights for hundreds of years... We¡¯ve been working hard so that we can understand each other and walk side by side... but even then, we¡¯ve been getting ignored. That¡¯s why we ended up deciding this, wasn¡¯t it? Now that we¡¯vee this far, there¡¯s no point in talking to these people. Even if we did, nothing¡¯s going to change.¡±

    ¡°.... You¡¯re... right. You¡¯re exactly right.¡±

    ¡°The only one who can save us is Leon-sama. We shouldn¡¯t depend on the humanoids anymore.¡±

    Hearing themia and the spiderkin talk with each other, Sei felt a sense of unrest like never before.

    Different... they¡¯re different from all of the other magical beasts I¡¯ve encountered until now.

    They have reason, they have intelligence, and we¡¯re also able to talk things out with them.

    They might look different, but we¡¯re able to walk alongside each other.

    Sei was not well informed about how this world operated. He also did not know the details of how humanoids and magical beasts were distinguished from each other.

    Nevertheless, he was able to somewhat understand how those four must have suffered and distressed before finally arriving at this point.

    He understood because he was a resident from another world.

    Those who had lived in this world from the beginning would not have been able to understand. They would only be able to see that the magical beasts were whining andining on their own.

    All simply because it was programmed into theirmon sense.

    ¡°Shut up, magical beasts! After hurting the guardian dragon-sama that much, you talk about walking side by side? You make meugh! The reason you¡¯re being treated as magical beasts? How stupid! The answer? The answer¡¯s right in front of me! Your mouth speaks about peace but youe storming in with a weapon in your hands! You guys are just absurd! Come, be a stain on my sword, you filthy magical beasts!¡±

    Kaineko roared in anger and leapt towards them with the swiftness befitting that of a feline.

    It seemed he was intending to first strike at the spiderkin at the front of the group.

    However, the sword that Kaineko swung was easily repelled by one of the arms of the spiderkin and he ended up getting blown away after receiving a simple kick as a counter attack.

    ¡°Grrrrrrr!¡±

    This time, after seeing Kaineko defeated, Friedrich howled in fury.

    The sword saint, famed as the strongest humanoid, dashed up the guardian dragon and released an overwhelmingly powerful sword sh using his whole body.

    Yet, the spiderkin took this attack head-on in the same fashion as Kaineko¡¯s attack and was able topletely stop the sword saint¡¯s attack after merely taking a step back.

    In the end, the sword saint¡¯s defenseless back was hit by the dryad¡¯s whip-like arm and he ended up getting constricted in ce.

    ¡°Gu, ooo...¡±

    ¡°Kyahaha, so weak, so weak! The strongest humanoid titled the sword saint can only do this much? For real, for real, the humanoids are so weak now. Just like Leon-sama said, hehe.¡±

    ¡°Ku!¡±

    This time, Virgo flew up and struck at the dryad.

    The first strike cut the dryad¡¯s arm off and the second strike sliced through the leaf which was used as its defense, eventually creating a small fissure on its body.

    Without a doubt, it was an injury which would have been fatal to any human. Nevertheless, although the dryad was a little surprised, it did not suffer significant damage.

    ¡°Oh, oh, what¡¯s this? Little girl, you¡¯re pretty good!¡±

    The dryad stretched her nt-like arm, however, Virgo flew higher up and avoided all of the attacks.

    Following her movements, the spiderkin and the merman jumped and shed fiercely with her mid-air.[3]

    With a speed so fast that Sei was unable to follow them with his naked eyes, the merman and the spiderkin attacked with their harpoon and arms respectively. Notwithstanding this, Virgo was somehow able to parry their attacks using swift sword skills.

    In the next moment, themia released a cannonball-like magical attack. In response, Virgo quickly maneuvered through the sky at that moment and managed to avoid the magical attack.

    However, in that momentarypse, the merman jumped above Virgo and mmed his harpoon down on her.

    Although Virgo managed to guard against the attack using her sword in the nick of time, she was unable to resist being pushed downwards. Notwithstanding that she was able to stop her momentum right before she hit the ground, during the time that she spent recovering on the spot, the dryad¡¯s nt-like arm came charging in from the side and blew her away.

    Thanks to Sei running in to cushion Virgo right before she mmed into a tree, she was able to avoid suffering any major damage. However, the two¡¯s movement also became restricted when the spiderkin took this opportunity to spit out webs from his mouth.

    ¡°S ¨C Shi...!?¡±

    ¡°What ¨C I can¡¯t see in front of me because of the wings!?¡±

    In a short period of time, Kaineko, Friedrich, Sei, and even Virgo were rendered powerless.

    Whilst this reality set into Cruz and the others, themia looked at Virgo and sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised. There¡¯s someone that¡¯s quite capable. But if you have that much power, you¡¯ll be our obstacle in the future. I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ll have you die here.¡±

    ¡°Wait. From the looks of it, she¡¯s just a young girl. There¡¯s no reason to go that far...¡±

    ¡°Sarge, ya¡¯re too soft. Just stay back, why don¡¯t ya?¡±

    Themia pointed her hand towards Virgo and transmuted a water spear.

    However strong Virgo was, in the current state where she was unable to take any action, receiving this attack was likely to be fatal.

    The spear was fired towards Virgo without any hesitation. But before the spear couldnd, Ricardo, Nick, and Shu stepped in to try and shield her.

    The three of them individually tried to stop the spear by parrying the water spear with their weapons, however, it merely resulted in their weapons being broken the moment it shed with the water spear.

    Furthermore, the water spear pierced through even the three¡¯s armours, resulting in the three of them getting impaled through their nks and legs as the spear continued to fly towards Virgo.

    ¡°¡ª-!¡±

    Virgo closed her eyes before it could reach her as Sei tried to somehow shift his position so that he would be in the way of the spear¡¯s trajectory.

    But what happened at the end proved how unnecessary all of these actions were.

    A spinning anchor came flying from further inside the forest, mowing down all of the trees in its path and repelled the water spear.

    ¡°Wh, who!?¡±

    Themia opened her eyes wide in surprise and looked at the anchor.

    The anchor, which had stolen everyone¡¯s attention, flew around in an arc and circled back towards where its owner was at.

    And then, a man appeared from inside the forest.

    The young handsome man had golden hair and was wearing a white coat and an eyepatch on one eye. He held onto the giant anchor as if it was a light weapon and set his eyes on the four demi-humans as if he was intimidating them.

    ¡°Who am I...? I¡¯m really not anyone worth mentioning, really. I¡¯m just a pitiful man who had a small ident and ended up falling nearby. But yeah, it looked like a situation where I couldn¡¯t just look elsewhere. I don¡¯t know the situation too well, but I decided to lend a hand just for a moment.¡±

    As his coat fluttered about, the man brandished the anchor.

    If one were to look at him carefully, he was injured all throughout his body. Even his clothes were ripped here and there.

    Notwithstanding that, the feeling of great strength could still be felt just by staring at him.

    Sei was also able to sense the man¡¯s strength as his skin tingled ever so slightly. And at that moment, this was what he was thinking:

    This man... is strong! And... to the point where¡¯s he¡¯s in apletely different league!

    No one knew what he had gone through, however, it was evident that he had suffered some damage.

    He was in a condition far from perfect.

    Yet even in such a scenario, the manmanded a presence which could overwhelm the four demi-humans. At this moment, one half of the Twins, one of the pirs of the Tyrannical Ways 12 Heavenly Stars, the Fairy Princess¡¯s sword¡ªCastor smiled fearlessly.

    __

 Chapter 92

    Chapter 92

    Inside the forest, 4 demi-humans and a handsome man stood facing each other .

    If one were to only look at the numbers, it was four versus one . Furthermore, for some reason, the man had already suffered substantial damage before anything had even begun .

    Moreover, as observed from the previous fight, the four demi-humans were individually no pushovers as they each had the capacity to easily defeat Friedrich, the sword saint who was famed to be the strongest living individual amongst the humanoids .

    Nevertheless, the four of them were unable to take any action at this moment .

    Against a single heavily injured stranger, they werepletely mentally overwhelmed .

    There was not a single opening . The four were able to imagine themselves being victims of a counter-attack no matter how they attacked the man .

    It was exactly because those four were somewhat strong that they could clearly understand the differences in their strength .

    However, they could see that their enemy was heavily wounded... thus they believed it was not an enemy they could not defeat .

    Making such a decision, the four spread out and charged towards Castor .

    ¡°Owoo!¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    First, the spiderkin and the merman engaged with Castor, both using their own weapons to attack .

    In response, the merman¡¯s harpoon was blocked by the anchor, while the spiderkin¡¯s arm was stopped by a single fingertip .

    However much strength the two of them used, he did not even budge for a moment . Castor first sent the merman flying backwards with a kick then backhand chopped the spiderkin, mming him into the ground .

    The spiderkin was able to respond quick enough to avoid receiving a direct hit, but ¨C heavy!

    The spiderkin suffered damage great enough to slow him down significantly, causing him to wonder why the damage was so great even though he had avoided the hit .

    The merman who had been hit directly was wedged into a tree and waspletely knocked out, whilst the spiderkin had his arms broken .

    ¡°Aqua st!¡±[2]

    ¡°Air sher!¡±[3]

    Themia fired a water bullet and the dryad released a de of wind .

    However, Castor swept them away with the anchor as if he was shaking off a buzzing fly and quickly moved to counter-attack .

    ¡°Ptarmigan!¡±[4]

    The moment Castor finished calling the name of the spell, with him as the centre, lightning spread away from him if he was spreading his wings, eventually piercing through the four of them .

    After being struck by the lightning, the four copsed whilst releasing ck smoke from their bodies . However, they had not yet died .

    Nevertheless, with just a single attack, they had suffered severe wounds, clearly and painfully outlining the difference in ability between the two sides .

    Facing the four individuals who were now kneeling on the ground, Castor continued to maintain an expression as if he was holding back .

    ¡°I¡¯ve made sure you guys wouldn¡¯t end up dead . But if you want to continue, I¡¯ll need to have you be prepared for that . Now then, did you still want to continue?¡±

    ¡°Nu... . ¡±

    The spiderkin who seemed to be their representative groaned in a muffled voice and raised his hand towards hisrades to give an order .

    ¡°...... We¡¯re retreating . ¡±

    ¡°Are you ¨C are you for real? Some half-dead corpse like this, if we all gang up on him, it should be easy, right? We won¡¯t be careless next time!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve alreadypleted our goal . There¡¯s no point in staying any longer . ¡±

    Although the dryad tried to argue against the spiderkin who had calmly ordered the rest to retreat, his decision did not change .

    The difference in ability was as clear as day and night . Even if the other party was already heavily injured, it was clear that people would end up dead if they continued to fight .

    Furthermore, the scariest moment was when someone with ability was driven into a corner .

    As such, he decided to retreat without trying to do the impossible . He thought that was the best decision that he could make in this situation .

    ¡°Wa ¨C wait! Who exactly are you guys!? Why have you done something like this!?¡±

    To the four who were moving away, Sei cried out questioningly .

    When he did, the spiderkin turned back once and replied in a quiet voice .

    ¡°We are those who seek to revolutionise the world . ¡±

    ¡°The world¡¯s... revolution?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right . There¡¯s only so little time left for you humanoids to keep that smug face of yours . If Leon-sama decides to be serious, you guys and the demons can be squished quickly and easily . It¡¯ll be our age then . ¡±

    In response to Sei¡¯s question which they had no obligation to answer honestly, both the spiderkin and the dryad answered in session .

    Seeing the two of them answer, themia struck both of their heads with her fist .

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t talk about unnecessary things . Come on, let¡¯s hurry up and go home . ¡±

    Themia used her tail to grab the unconscious merman and pulled him towards her whilst the dryad reluctantly raised her hands up .

    When she did, with her as the centre, a gust of wind started blowing and lifted the four of them up into the air .

    Subsequently, without even a chance to stop them, the demi-humans escaped away from that area, eventually getting far enough so that they could no longer be seen .

    ¡°Those guys, who the hell were they?¡±

    ¡°Somehow, they give off a really bad feeling . I think we can deduce from their words that something really bad is about to happen soon . ¡±

    Gants, who was freeing Virgo and Sei from the strings, muttered a question, followed by Cruz answering with what he had deduced whilst sweating profusely .

    The world¡¯s revolution, humanoids and magical beasts, and then Leon... he had a bad feeling about all of this . At the very least, he could not imagine a positive oue .

    In any event, they would have to think about all of thister . Right now, they had to prioritise figuring out what to do about the guardian dragon and their ownrades who were injured .

    Cruz quickly ran towards hisrades and checked their conditions to see how injured they were .

    ¡°My... so bad...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m fine... tend to the guardian dragon-sama first . ¡±

    Based on Cruz¡¯s observation, Ricardo, Nick and Jean¡¯s injuries were extremely ghastly .

    All three of them had suffered deep injuries that went right down to their bones, such that even if a high-tier healing skill was used, they would still require a few days topletely recover .

    With the conditions that they were in, even if they recovered, it was probably impossible for them to continue on with their journey .

    Virgo, who had finally regained her freedom, bowed her head to Castor in gratitude for saving her life and quickly ran towards the guardian dragon .

    In truth, she wanted to take more time to thank him, however, she needed to take a look at the guardian dragon¡¯s condition first .

    ¡°High Healing!¡±

    She held her hands toward the guardian dragon and applied a healing light .

    High Healing ¨C It was a high-tier version of the fundamental recovery-type divine magic, Healing . Although the effective heal of the spell also depended on the user, with Virgo as the caster, the skill was able to recover the target¡¯s HP by approximately thirty thousand per cast .

    In other words, in this current age, she was almost able to fully restore most living creatures¡¯ HP after a single cast .

    However, the injuries on the guardian dragon did not seem to disappear nor did it open its eyes after the skill was used .

    Seeing the result, Virgo turned pale .

    It¡¯s... toote . No matter what recovery spell we use, it¡¯s impossible to help the guardian dragon now .

    Because... it¡¯s because ¨C because it¡¯s already dead .

    ¡°Wha ¨C what¡¯s wrong Virgo-dono? Why aren¡¯t you healing?¡±

    ¡°... . I¡¯m sorry . With my ability... it¡¯s too...¡±

    Kaineko tightly grabbed Virgo¡¯s shoulders with his hands and shook her whilst he spoke in a shaky voice . Nevertheless, Virgo simply closed her eyes and shook her head .

    Indeed, there existed a skill to resurrect a person or a creature which had already passed away .

    Although the skill was limited in a way that it only had any effect shortly after the death, it was indeed a fact that a resurrection spell existed within the divine magic category .

    However, it was a spell belonging to the highest-tier of magic and not something that Virgo had already acquired .

    Perhaps Ruphas might have been able to use such a skill . However, it was still impossible for Virgo .

    ¡°Tha ¨C that can¡¯t be right... I¡¯ve ¨C I¡¯ve heard it from Sei-dono . You¡¯re arade of that Ruphas Mafahl, aren¡¯t you? Th ¨C then, a concept like impossible shouldn¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°...... I¡¯m sorry . I¡¯m, I¡¯m the lowest level and the weakest amongst us all, and... . ¡±

    ¡°... . tsk . ¡±

    After hearing Virgo¡¯s response, Kaineko had a sorrowful look as he released his hands from Virgo .

    His face was distorted as if he was feeling resentment, regret, or both .

    But he could not direct that resentment and regret towards Virgo due to his pride as a knight . Thus, eventually, those feelings were directed at the magical beasts instead, allowing him to barely keep his sanity in check .

    ¡°Just watch ¨C just watch, you magical beasts¡ª!¡±

    All of the fur on Kaineko¡¯s body were standing on end!

    Meanwhile, after hearing the previous statement made by Kaineko, Castor became intrigued by what he had heard and came to stand next to Virgo after walking past the raging cat .

    Then he stared intently at Virgo¡¯s face and observed her, eventually causing Virgo to be unable to endure anymore and speak up .

    ¡°Um, umm?¡±

    ¡°Ahh, I apologise . To stare at ady¡¯s face, I was being impolite . Please forgive me . Are you an acquaintance of Ruphas-sama?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes . ¡±

    Are you Ruphas¡¯srade? ¨C Her personality to honestly nod affirmatively even after being asked such a question was no doubt a bad move on her behalf .

    It would not be strange if she was apprehended as a result .

    However, the man instead nodded in joy as if to say, ¡°I see,¡± and then reached into his pocket and took out a small vial .

    He then poured that liquid into the mouth of the guardian dragon .

    ¡°Umm, that was... . ?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called Amrita . [5] It¡¯s the highest-tiered alchemical treasure which is crafted afterbining the water from Urdarbrunnr, the elixir, the Dragon King¡¯s blood, phoenix¡¯s blood, and a few other rare materials in a vase . [6] Its effect is superior to that of an elixir and although the special effect only works if it¡¯s used shortly after death, it can even resurrect a dead person . It¡¯s a masterpiece that even Ruphas-sama only crafted a limited amount of . ¡±

    Although Virgo could not fully understand the words that he just said, she could at least understand that it was an extremely precious thing .

    As if to back up her assumption, Cruz was showing the whites of his eyes .

    ¡°The Dragon King¡¯s blood... . Phoenix¡¯s blood... Urdarbrunnr¡¯s water... aababbabababa...¡±

    ¡°Um, umm . Is that fine? To use something so precious . ¡±

    ¡°Ahh, it¡¯s all fine . It looks like you¡¯re my newrade, after all . You can think of this as some meagre celebratory gift from me . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you too . That¡¯s what I thought . ¡±

    ¡°Ahh, I apologise for thete introduction . I am one of the pirs of the Tyrannical Ways 12 Heavenly Stars, Castor of the [Twins] . ¡±

    12 Heavenly Stars . After hearing that title, Gants and the others quickly took a precautionary stance .

    However, for some reason, Sei did not react like the others, and instead opted to watch the interaction between Virgo and Castor .

    How should I put this?... it just feels different .

    Compared to the others in the 12 Stars, I can feel calmness from this man .

    At the very least, he¡¯s so serene that it doesn¡¯t make me feel like I need to put myself on guard, and not to mention, he¡¯s the one who helped us .

    I just feel like to put yourself be on guard against him is just rude .

    Such a thought process caused Sei to not ready a battle stance .

    ¡°Hmm? Looks like the dragon has alreadye back to life . Impressive vitality as expected, haha . ¡±

    Everyone responded to Castor¡¯s words by looking towards the guardian dragon .

    When they did, they saw that all the injuries on the guardian dragon werepletely healed and it was sleeping peacefully .

    After seeing that, Castor joyfully smiled and walked to the nearby tree before entrusting his back to it and sitting down .

    ¡°Ar ¨C are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Ahh, there¡¯s no problem . Just became I came here, I messed up a little, you see . So I just need to rest and recover from that a bit . If I just rest for a moment, I¡¯ll be able to walk again . ¡±

    Castor calmly replied to Sei, who asked in a worried voice .

    Castor then looked at everyone else and continued speaking .

    ¡°But is it really alright to be wasting time with me? I don¡¯t quite know the details, but it looks like you guys are in the midst of some veryplicated situation . I would have thought your time would be better spent discussing with each other what the best course of action would be . ¡±

    After being reminded by Castor, Sei and the others looked at each other .

    It was exactly as Castor had said . Now was the time to quickly go back and report on what had just happened .

    What had just happened was unlikely to be a simple standalone attack by the magical beasts .

    It was more deliberate, against the country... no, against every one of the humanoid races . One could only believe their actions to be a hostile deration against all of the humanoids .

    ¡°You¡¯re right . Not to mention, Nick and the others also need proper medical care, so let¡¯s return first . ¡±

    ¡°But those guys mighte back . Isn¡¯t it important to have someone look after the guardian dragon?¡±

    Sei suggested that they go back and Gants suggested that they leave someone close to the guardian dragon .

    When they discussed as such, Virgo was the one who volunteered to stay behind .

    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll stay behind . I want to have a chat with Castor-san too . ¡±

    ¡°I understand... but... if he looks like he¡¯s about to do something, then quickly run away, alright? After all, he¡¯s one of the 12 Stars . You don¡¯t know what he¡¯s going to do to you . ¡±

    ¡°Um ¨C okay . ¡±

    When Virgo said she would stay behind, Cruz told her worryingly .

    However, Virgo was also one of the 12 Stars . Therefore his words and actions were no different from Cruz telling her, ¡°You¡¯re one of the 12 Stars, so I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re going to do . ¡±

    Of course, Cruz did not know that Virgo was also one of the 12 Stars . As such, he did not even have the slightest intention for it to be taken it that way .

    In the end, Sei and the rest left the forest whilst Virgo, Castor, and the guardian dragon were left behind .

    Out of the frying pan and into the fire . While healing Castor, Virgo thought that various other things were going to being her way from now on . This made her sigh out loud . [7]

 Chapter 93

    Chapter 93

    ¡°My card is Ace . So Dina-sama¡¯s turn will be skipped . ¡±

    ¡°Noo, you¡¯re so mean!¡±

    ¡°I... have no cards that I can use . So I¡¯ll be taking some from the deck . ... Hmm, three of hearts, huh . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t have a three . Then I¡¯ll take three cards . ¡±

    While Virgo was visiting the emperor¡¯s yurt, we were bored out of our minds, so we decided to amuse ourselves by ying a deck of cards that I had transmuted through the use of alchemy .

    The current game that we were ying was called American Page One and its basic rules were simr to those of UNO . Or rather, it was really just UNO . [1]

    The subsequent yer had to y a card with the same suit or number as the previous yer¡¯s, and certain numbers had certain special effects .

    For example, the card ¡°Ace¡± that Libra used had the effect of making the subsequent yer skip a turn . Meanwhile, the card ¡°3¡± that Aigokeros used had the effect of forcing the subsequent yer to use the same number three, and if they did not, they would have to draw three cards from the deck .

    Furthermore, simr to UNO, there was a rule which stated that in the event where there were no usable cards in one¡¯s possession, the person must keep drawing cards until they had a usable card, and the first yer to empty their hand was the winner .

    And just for reference, the first person to get rid of all of the cards in their hand was Karkinos and second in ce was Scorpius .

    In other words, we were currently in the middle of fighting over third ce .

    The card that Aries had just used was ¡°8¡± . This number could be used regardless of what suit the previous card was and allowed the user to specify the next suit that must be used .

    ¡°I¡¯m going to choose spades . ¡±

    ¡°Then I will use this . ¡±

    After Aries specified spades, I yed a five of spades .

    This card had no special effect .

    Next, Libra yed a nine of spades, causing Dina to scream .

    The special effect of the number nine was reverse . In other words, instead of Dina getting her turn as she should, the rotation reversed back to me again .

    Although it was pitiful, Dina only had one more card in her hand . If we were to carelessly give her a turn, she could end up winning, thus Libra¡¯s move was the correct approach .

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m also done . ¡±

    However, Dina was not the only one with one card remaining . Aries was also in the same situation .

    He ced his final card, the six of spades, in the pile and got himself third ce .

    This isn¡¯t good . At this rate, I might even end up inst ce .

    ¡°Oh, by the way, Ruphas-sama, are these things called ying cards new merchandise? If we manage things well, I think they could even be a bigsource of ie . ¡±

    ¡°Something simple like this would be easily copied by others . We wouldn¡¯t be able to earn much from it . ¡±

    I answered Karkinos¡¯s question whilst looking at the cards in my possession .

    In this world, there was no such thing as an intellectual property right . [2]Therefore, any idea that people considered to be good was subjected to being stolen by others .

    The dwarves, who came to hate this, created a system called the patent system by themselves .

    I think that Blutgang might have a system that¡¯s close to intellectual property rights .

    As I was thinking about such a thing in my head, I managed to empty my hand andplete the game .

    Sigh . I¡¯m fourth this time, huh . I got a delicate position this time .

    ¡°Ruphas-sama!¡±

    Matching with the timing I managed toplete the game, Virgo came into the room .

    She must have finallypleted her audience with the emperor to receive their gratitude and sessfully healed the guardian dragon .

    It took longer than I expected, therefore I did well for us to have created ying cards to pass the time .

    Nevertheless, I noticed that Virgo was flustered and sweating, therefore I had to adjust my thought process .

    Looks like... something troublesome happened .

    ¡°What happened, Virgo?¡±

    ¡°I have something I need to talk to you about... but first, there¡¯s someone who wants to meet Ruphas-sama . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    I stood up from the sofa and walked towards the door .

    As I did, I saw that there was someone handsome wearing a white coat and giving off a feeling of a pirate outside .

    I could not recall seeing him before . However, I felt nostalgic looking at him .

    Although it was an assumption, I believed it was someone that I was acquainted with . At the very least, that was what I was feeling .

    Anyways, I supposed I should try and dig it up from my memory . Recently, as long as there was some form of trigger, it had not been too difficult to pull out the memories of the real ¡°Ruphas¡± .

    As I decided this, I focused my consciousness into myself, searching through the memories I had no recollection of .

    ¡ª¡ª...............

    He is... Ahh, that¡¯s right . I remember now . If I recall correctly, he¡¯s Castor .

    The older brother of the [Twins] and one of the Tyrannical Ways 12 Heavenly Stars . He was an individual with a good bnce in handling both magical and physical abilities .

    Back in the game, he was nicknamed [Fairy Siblings (Brother and Sister)] and was always in a set with his sister . However, in this world, he was clearly moving around alone .

    To reflect that, his status was showing something that I could not recall ever seeing .

    [Castor]

    Level 800

    Species: Fairy

    Attribute: Wood

    HP: 32 500 / 55 000

    SP: 2300 / 9800

    STR (Strength/Attack Power): 4208

    DEX (Dexterity): 2100

    VIT (Vitality): 3005

    INT (Intelligence): 6000

    AGI (Ability/Speed): 3995

    MND (Mindpower): 800

    LUK (Luck): 1092

    Equipment

    Head: ___

    Right arm: Anchor Lance (STR+1200 AGI-200 Uses both hands)

    Left arm: ___

    Body: Sky Pirate¡¯s Garment (Reduction of mana usage when using Wood attribute arcane magic)

    Foot: ___

    Others: Sky Pirate¡¯s Coat (Reduces physical damage received by half)

    Hmm, although it was the first time I had seen Castor¡¯s status without being in a set with his sister, his stats were decent enough to be of use even if he was alone .

    Nevertheless, because he was always in a set with his sister, his individual strength was only around that of Aries even when he was using his equipment .

    Type-wise, he was a backline magical attacker who could also handle himself in the front line, therefore his role ovepped a little with that of Sagittarius¡¯s .

    Although,pared to Sagittarius who was purely specialised in speed and magically enhanced attacks, Castor had decent capability to fight in the frontline, so it was not impossible to distinguish between the two of them .

    Having said that, he¡¯s in a really weird position . After all, if it was about the role of the jack of all trades, there was already Aries .

    Or more like, back in the game, tamed beasts didn¡¯t have equipment... To begin with, it should have been impossible to even equip them with equipment as a tamer .

    Hmm, could it be that if I make specialised equipment for Aries, Aigokeros, and the others, they would be even stronger than they currently are?

    But yeah, the most important thing I need to pay attention to right now is this strange situation where he¡¯scking in HP .

    ¡°It has been a while, Ruphas-sama . I have always believed that you would return one day . ¡±

    ¡°Indeed, I¡¯m d to see that you¡¯re in good health, Castor . ¡±

    Castor got on his knees in front of me and bowed his head .

    The first impression was not bad at all . His appearance of being a Prince Charming character was not something I liked, but he was not like Aries and the rest who had been causing problems up until this moment nor was he like Karkinos who had a weird personality .

    Was it finally time? To have an individual withmon sense and sanity finally join a party full of idiots whom you would want to retort back to all day long?

    ¡°Ara~, isn¡¯t it Castor? What are you doing in a ce like this?¡±

    ¡°Long time! It¡¯s been 200 years, hasn¡¯t it, Castor?¡±

    Scorpius and Karkinos who had already finished ying the card game showed their faces from behind me and started talking to Castor .

    Furthermore, Aries and Libra also joined in and peeked at his face .

    It seemed the ones still ying to avoidst ce were Aigokeros and Dina .

    In my peripheral vision, I saw that the two of them were staring at the cards in their hands and groaning .

    ¡°By the way, it looks like you¡¯re really drained?¡±

    ¡°In regards to that... I¡¯m gravely sorry! [The Key to the Heavens] that I had been assigned to keep safe by Ruphas-sama had just been stolen by the Demon King the other day...!¡±

    ......... The Key to the Heavens? What the hell is that?

    As I looked at Castor who was grovelling on the floor and apologising, I dug back into my memory . However, I could not recall any memories which matched what he had just stated .

    At the very least, there wasn¡¯t an item like that back in the game, was there?

    It was not as if I remembered the names of all of the items back in the game, however, I was confident that I knew all the important ones .

    However, I was sure there was no such item back in the game .

    I knew of a one-use item which could open any dungeon door called a Dungeon Key though . [3]

    Anyways, I should ask Dinater . She probably knew something about it .

    But in any event, you fought with the Demon King-san, huh... of course that didn¡¯t work out well .

    With your status, even if the Demon King was doing hand stands, you wouldn¡¯t be able to win against him .

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t let it bother you . Dina, tend to him . ¡±

    ¡°Pl ¨C please wait a bit . I¡¯m about to be done soon... . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s my win . ¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    It looked like they finallypleted the game .

    Dina, who had ended up inst ce, stood up from her seat and started walking towards us whilst looking depressed .

    In any event, as it was probably their first time seeing each other, I decided to introduce them to each other .

    ¡°Castor . This is Dina, and she¡¯s currently serving as my advisor . She says that she was also there 200 years ago, but because her presence is so thin I can¡¯t verify if it¡¯s the truth or not . She¡¯s quite shady in many different ways, but feel free to treat her well . ¡±

    ¡°Is ¨C is that... . is that even fine?¡±

    ¡°Well, she¡¯s not a bad person . Probably . ¡±

    In the face of my very frank introduction, Castor made a wary face . However, because a suspicious person is naturally suspicious, there was not much else that I could do .

    Even if I had decided to unskillfully cover for her, there would just be contradictionster on . To begin with, I was not that skilled with my words .

    In that case, it was probably better for me to be blunt right from the start .

    Although Dina was looking at me from behind with an exasperated look, I decided to ignore it .

    ¡°And this is Virgo . She¡¯s the sessor to Parthenos and is the new star in the position of the [Maiden] . She¡¯s still quite inexperienced, but she has good potential . Treat her well . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I understand . ¡±

    As there were nothing particrly suspicious about Virgo, I introduced her normally .

    The difference between Virgo and Dina¡¯s introductions is mean to Dina? Well, this is just our usual routine, so don¡¯t worry about it .

    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s hear what happened . ¡±

    I turned towards Virgo and made a statement so that she could talk about what she wanted to discuss .

    I smelled that something troublesome was going on, thus there was no option of not hearing about it .

    ¡°Yes, the truth is...¡±

    And true to my instinct, what we ended up hearing from Virgo was a troublesome event .

    The tale of four demi-humans who had killed the guardian dragon and their resentment, grief, indignation, anger and oppression that they had suffered from the humanoids . And the one standing behind them, Leon .

    This is... definitely that thing, right? However I think about it, the deration of war on the humanoids is going to happen in the near future .

    Although... the act of attacking the guardian dragon is already as good as a deration of war .

    Long story short, the magical beasts, even though it wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to be categorised as humanoids, couldn¡¯t endure it anymore . And after reaching their limit, they are demanding their rights, huh .

    Furthermore, the reason behind Sagittarius¡¯s betrayal that I had heard from Libra matched almost perfectly with this story . Therefore, it was not hard to imagine that Leon was the one instigating them from the background .

    That guy... is he trying to make an enemy out of both the demons and the humanoids?

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    I asked the opinions of the 12 Stars who were sitting behind me .

    When I did, all of them replied with roughly the same answer .

    ¡°I can only say he¡¯s impatient . ¡±

    ¡°Definitely a fool . ¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s an idiot without any salvation . ¡±

    ¡°I also think it¡¯s a bit over the top . ¡±

    ¡°He can just die, you know . ¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s rushing without any ns in mind . ¡±

    Libra, Karkinos, Aigokeros, Aries, Scorpius and Dina, in turn, denounced Leon¡¯s rushed decision making . However, frankly speaking, I was also of the same opinion as them .

    Yeah, you know . An idiot or a fool .

    Everyone else aside, I wonder if he¡¯s forgotten that there¡¯s also Bnash left in the midst .

    I mean yeah, he could probably easily manage against people like Megrez and Merak . I also think he¡¯ll win against those like Levia or Blutgang .

    But... to have both Bnash and the Demon King as his enemies at the same time is nothing but an act of a fool .

    Or more like... even if I just leave him alone, wouldn¡¯t he just self-destruct?

    It¡¯s just... those demi-humans, who might get caught up in his self-destruction, are quite pitiful .

    Those demi-humans were likely only sweet-talked by Leon after they were cornered and left without any options . Therefore, it was too pitiful to leave them one-sidedly surrounded by strong opponents in all directions along with Leon . [4]

    If it was just Leon, I would have left him to swim by himself . Only after he got himself beaten to a pulp by Bnash and the Demon King would I have gone to collect him, whilst he was just a ragged piece of cloth, but at this rate, it was too miserable for the other demi-humans .

    ¡°But it¡¯s strange~ . Leon aside, was Sagittarius also that much of a fool? I thought he was at least a man who could think through the situation properly... Did I think too highly of him?¡±

    ¡°Hmm... you¡¯re right, it¡¯s definitely strange . The Sagittarius me remembers should definitely have been a lot more careful and cool . ¡±

    I deduced from their remarks that it seemed Leon always had this type of personality .

    Although, in regard to this, I had been informed prior to this event . He must be simr to Bnash .

    However, judging from Scorpius and Karkinos¡¯ reactions, Sagittarius was not . At the very least, he was different enough such that everyone felt a sense of abnormality from his actions .

    In other words, there was something more to all of this than what we were seeing .

    Alternatively, he was burdened by circumstances which left him no other option but to obey Leon .

    Even his very act of informing Libra made no sense . If they wereying down a trap, it would definitely be better for him not to inform me that he was on the other side . To intentionally say, ¡°I¡¯m going to be on Leon¡¯s side¡± was no different from saying, ¡°Watch out because I¡¯m going to be on Leon¡¯s side . ¡±

    With all this in consideration, our next destination was as good as determined .

    Let¡¯s go to their location next to retrieve Leon and Sagittarius .

    Then I would just have to ascertain their real intentions myself .

    __

    (Author¡¯s note)

    Castor has officially be an ally .

    Notwithstanding that he¡¯s in an awkward position when he¡¯s alone, whenbined with the Argonauts, he¡¯s a reliable man which could be considered in the strongest tier even amongst the 12 Stars .

    However, Argonaut is a fusion skill with his sister . Therefore, when he is alone, he is not able to put it to use .

    Because he was sunk by the Demon King, until he reunites with his sister, the Argo ship and the Argonauts cannot be used .

    Castoorue... .

    Q: Is it just me or is Castor weak?

    A: Ah nah mate, he had a bad match-up with his enemy... The only ones who could go one-on-one on equal footing with the serious Demon King-san are the real/original Ruphas and Bnash during the night of the full moon, ya know~ .

 Chapter 94

    Chapter 94

    Now that our next destination had been determined, there was no longer any reason for us to remain in Draupnir .

    As such, all we had to do now was to leave the country; however, we were still in Draupnir .

    This was because Virgo had received a message from the Hero that she had to pass on to me . The content of the message was that the Hero wished to have a conversation with me .

    Therefore, please wait for a little while before you depart ¨C that was the general gist of it .

    As a consequence, I was currently just waiting for the Hero to arrive whilst resting on the sofa within Tanaka .

    Although Aigokeros was expressing his anger whilst muttering, ¡°To make master wait... . ,¡± nevertheless, the Hero must have been dyed due to having to report the attacks from the demi-humans to the emperor .

    Anyways, I¡¯ll just wait herefortably .

    I was enjoying the moonlit view outside of the window as I was taking a sip of the tea made by Libra .

    Although this was an irrelevant fact, in preparation for our uing journey, we had apparently ended up buying a lot of tea leaves from Draupnir .

    ¡°By the way, Dina . Do you know what [The Key to the Heavens] is?¡±

    I quietly asked Dina who was sitting next to me .

    Based on the conversation with Castor, it would be very strange for me to not know what it was . Nevertheless, however I searched through my memory, it did note up at all .

    I was convinced that ¡°Ruphas¡¯s¡± memory would have the relevant knowledge . However, as if it was intentionally being sealed, I was not able to recall it .

    It seemed that, in regard to this specific memory, it was stored in a very deep ce .

    ¡°No, I also don¡¯t know the details about it . But, I¡¯ve heard that the one who holds it has the power to even manage the providence of the world...¡±

    ¡°The world¡¯s providence... huh?¡±

    The world¡¯s providence, or in other words, the power to change the rules regting how the world worked . My honest impression after hearing this was that it was as if the holder would be an administrator .

    Or, alternatively, a GM who had been assigned such power from the administrators . [1]

    Whichever it was, currently, I could only think of it as [The Somewhat Dangerous and Problematic Key] .

    I wondered what the Ruphas of two hundred years ago was nning to do by obtaining such a thing .

    Or rather, more importantly... Why she did not use such an item during the battle against the 7 Heroes?

    Was it because she was unable to use it as there were conditions that had to be met before she could use the item? Or was it because even though she could have used it, she chose not to?

    If it was the former, everything was well . Everything was still coherent and reasonable .

    The problem would be if it was thetter . If she could have used it whenever she wanted two hundred years ago, yet chose not to do so, I could not ascertain her intentions whatsoever .

    After all, it would mean that her decision not to do so was no different from choosing to lose the battle herself . I did not know how many of the rules she could have bent to her liking, but even if it were just a few, there was no doubt that it would have been in her favour .

    Yet, she chose not to use it . She instead entrusted it to Castor and then lost .

    ...... I can¡¯t understand it at all . With how things yed out, I can only think that Ruphas had intentionally chosen to lose the battle two hundred years ago .

    Ahh, this isn¡¯t good . I¡¯mcking too much information toe up with any solid conjectures beyond this point . I need a bit more information and material to work on .

    ¡°Oh, Ruphas-sama . Sei has arrived . ¡±

    ¡°Hm . ¡±

    After my train of thought was interrupted halfway by Virgo, I stood up from my sofa .

    When the door opened, I saw a bunch of the Hero¡¯s party members lined up while looking like fools .

    Especially that young man Sei, who was saying, ¡°Even though this is a fantasy, there¡¯s a camping car...¡± and looking confused .

    Ahh, yeah . The others aside, he alone would have a reason to react in such a way .

    Or more like, objectively speaking, a Supreme Ruler moving around in a camping car would feel quite bizarre .

    Even that Conqueror of the Century¡¯s End was only cool because he was moving around riding on a giant horse . <strong>[2]</strong> If he was moving around in a car, he would have looked quite shoddy and surreal .

    And the one who¡¯s actually putting that in practice is me .

    I feel like my dignity is also copsing, but if it¡¯s just a type of dignity where I¡¯m feared by everyone in my surroundings, I¡¯d rather that it copses already .

    ¡°Nice to see you arrive, Hero . I¡¯ve been waiting for you . ¡±

    I decided to give a friendly wee to the Hero¡¯s party .

    Since they decided to cooperate with me, I decided to use that to my advantage . After all, I did not have a hobby of letting such effort go to waste .

    From what it looked like, the young boy Sei¡¯s current emotions must have been about 30% nervousness, 30% fear and 40% conviction . I thought that he had a nice expression at that moment .

    As for Gants, because he already knew about me, I could not feel any fear or apprehension from him .

    It was also the same situation for Jean . I could not feel a shred of nervousness or fear from him . It was quite a relief that they acted the same way as they previously did .

    On the other hand, the elf nii-san was looking at me and constantly shivering in fear .

    I... should be describing this situation as the same as it previously was... or more like... if I recalled correctly, he was like this at the time he summoned me as well .

    Behind the elf nii-san were a tiger and cat beastkin who were being cuddly in a giant ball of fluff together . Next to those two was a gori beastkin .

    The Hero, an adventurer, a mercenary, and an elf . And three beastkin, huh .

    Hmm, isn¡¯t this party too skewed towards frontliners?

    ¡°Hmm? What happened to Nick-san and the rest?¡±

    Before I could say anything, Virgo raised her voice in confusion .

    Nick... Ahh, if I recalled correctly, they were the muscle-brained adventuring colleagues of Jean .

    Now that she had mentioned it, they were currently not present in this location .

    ¡°Ahh, yah, if it¡¯s those guys, cause their injuries are pretty bad, they¡¯ve decided to chill and recover for a bit in Draupnir . ¡±

    ¡°Indeed . In exchange, I shall be joining the Hero¡¯s party, and I intend to fill in the void left by them . ¡±

    Because I was not present at the location of the incident, I did not know the details . However, it seemed that the three adventurers had to retire and taking their ces was the cat .

    Oi oi, is that even fine? It¡¯s kinda rude of me to say it, but that cat looks super-duper weak .

    He looks like a Bengal cat walking on two legs, so it makes me smile, but he just doesn¡¯t look strong however I look at him . <strong>[3]</strong>

    If the enemy is a Japanese person who loves cats, he might be able to KO them just by being there... like some form of final hidden weapon, but I just can¡¯t imagine him being useful in a proper fight .

    Cats are supposed to be loved . Not something that should be made to fight .

    ¡°I see . Anyways, let¡¯s hear what you have to say . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . The truth is...¡±

    The content of the young boy Sei¡¯s story was something that was quite simple .

    It could be summarised as him having doubts as to whether I was really an enemy or not, and to determine that, he came to talk to me .

    To be able to do such a thing, he was someone that was quite courageous .

    Although it was strange for me to be saying it about myself, in this world, I was considered and treated as someone that was extremely scary to interact with .

    Furthermore, because the 12 Stars had turned gigantic on the previous asion, if I was in his position, I would frankly not consider my own image to be that great .

    Even assuming he had assurance from Megrez, there was still the fact that Megrez himself had a conflict with me two hundred years ago .

    So I might still get killed ¨C he should have at least thought in such a way beforeing here .

    Nevertheless, he recognised his position as ¡°someone without any preconceptions,¡± and chose the option to walk alongside with me .

    Something like that... was not something that just anybody could achieve, is it?

    ¡°I see . You¡¯re indeed correct in that I have no intention of proactively being hostile to you all . To begin with, I remember telling you this the first time I was summoned, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    As I answered Sei¡¯s question, I looked at the elf nii-san, causing him to quietly shriek .

    This guy... isn¡¯t he overly fearful of me for no reason?

    I mean, it¡¯s not like he needs to be this scared of me . I¡¯m not going to kidnap and eat him or anything, after all .

    ¡°In other words, can I assume that you will assist in fighting against the demon race together with us?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad way of thinking, but that¡¯s forter in the future . I have things I need to do before then . ¡±

    It was not a bad idea to work together with the Hero and his party .

    However, my next destination was still the region where Bnash and Leon were in conflict .

    The others aside, if your level was too low, you were likely to end up dying for real .

    At the very least, if you were to encounter Leon or Bnash and still wished to escape with your life, you would at least need to have power at the same ss as the 12 Stars .

    Without it, it would not even be possible to think about running away .

    In other words, it¡¯s that . It might be a bad way to word it, but the Hero¡¯s party is nothing but a burden .

    ¡°Something you have to do?¡±

    ¡°Indeed . It seems that guy Leon¡¯s been inciting the magical beasts and leading them to a path of destruction, bringing them along as coteral damage . For Leon, he might just be reaping what he sowed, but I feel that it¡¯s quite pitiful for the magical beasts involved . A subordinate¡¯s mistake is the mistake of his master, or in other words, my mistake . Therefore, I have to go and stop that fool . ¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯re not totally uninvolved . If the magical beasts all grouped up and came raging for war, it¡¯ll be a major problem . Yo, Ruphas, I¡¯ll lend you my help in stopping that guy called Leon or something . ¡±

    In response to my exnation, Gants brought up the topic of a joint struggle without a moment of hesitation .

    Always a man with good intentions . Working together, huh .

    I was quite happy with his intentions... but... you know, it¡¯s that . Honestly speaking, with their levels, all that they could do was die from the shockwave of a fight between me and Leon .

    Furthermore, I did not know when Bnash would make her move .

    To bring them along was way too risky .

    Nevertheless, if I were to be honest and outright tell them, ¡°You¡¯re all too weak so I don¡¯t need you,¡± then the reconciliation g that I had long been painstakingly working towards would probably snap just like that . [4]

    So for the moment, the appropriate action would be to leave them with a rtively unimportant role as if I was assigning them with some important task .

    ¡°Thanks, but the location that Leon is in is an active war zone . I want to head there by ourselves . Instead, can I get you guys to search for the location of the centaurs¡¯ hometown?¡±

    Although I was concerned about Leon and Bnash, the matter about Sagittarius was also weighing on my mind .

    In regard to this matter, Libra had said that it was impossible for Sagittarius to rush into action like Leon would .

    In other words, there was a reason which was forcing him to undertake such a rash decision .

    In my prediction, I believed this was somewhat connected to the ¡°people I must protect¡± as mentioned in the conversation between Sagittarius and Libra .

    As such, if something were to be done about that, there was a possibility that we could avoid having to fight against Sagittarius .

    Having said that, centaurs were a species of fairly strong magical beasts . To have just the Hero and his party endeavour on this search was a little too dangerous .

    Therefore, I made a quick selection of the members who would apany them on their journey at that moment .

    ¡°I will entrust Virgo and Castor to apany your party . It¡¯s probably easier for you lot if you¡¯re with someone you¡¯re familiar with . ¡±

    What wascking from the Hero¡¯s party was a magic type .

    Nevertheless, I could not entrust them with a suspicious individual like Dina nor could I send over someone dangerous like Aigokeros .

    Or rather... Aigokeros was likely to end up assassinating the entire Hero¡¯s party behind their backs . Therefore, I absolutely could not leave him with them .

    As a consequence, the individuals that I could assign were limited . In the end, I decided to select Virgo and added Castor as he seemed to be the most normal out of the others .

    In all honesty, the main reason I entrusted Virgo to them was to put her as far away from danger as possible . It was too risky to take her with me to where Bnash and Leon were .

    In exchange, I would be bringing Aries with me this time . After all, his per cent damage attack would be effective against both Leon and Bnash .

    In particr, now that Leon¡¯s status was likely to have reverted back to the time he was a boss character, his HP was likely to have surpassed one million .

    In other words, it meant that Aries would be able to easily deal 99,999 damage to him . [5]

    Although Aries was the weakest individual amongst the 12 Stars when it came to battle, it did not mean that he could not be more useful than those stronger than him .

    He had the potential to be stronger as his enemy got stronger .

    ¡°And hmm, that¡¯s right . As a bonus, I¡¯ll include a free mode of transportation . ¡±

    Using the materials I acquired in Blutgang, I made a second camping car model golem without putting that much effort into it .

    Others aside, Virgo was a girl . I did not want her to be continuously camping outside without even being able to wash her own body .

    Therefore, I included a minimum amount of utilities in the golem, created rooms for the men and created a small separate room for Virgo .

    In the limited space, I also installed a shower room and toilet . Therefore, the room avable for the men had be quite small... but it would still be better than sleeping outside... yeah .

    I could not deny that I was ying favourites, though .

    As such, Unit 2 of the camping car model golem series waspleted . Because it was troublesome to think of a name, I just ended up naming it Suzuki . [6]

    [Suzuki]

    Level 350

    Species: Artificial Lifeform

    HP: 20 000

    SP: 0

    STR (Strength/Attack Power): 620

    DEX (Dexterity): 120

    VIT (Vitality): 700

    INT (Intelligence): 9

    AGI (Ability/Speed): 1650

    MND (Mindpower): 75

    LUK (Luck): 100

    Alright, it has somewhat of an awkward status, but it¡¯s not like it won¡¯t be of any use at all in battle .

    I ordered it so that in the case of an emergency, it would protect Virgo and the others, and at other times, to move ording to the orders given by Castor and Virgo .

    I had also ordered it to listen to the Hero¡¯s party¡¯smands . However, if they showed intentions of abusing (exploiting) Suzuki, I had programmed it to kick them out .

    Finally, for that one-in-a-million chance, I had ordered it to rough them up to the point of them being on the verge of death should they show any intention of putting their hands on Virgo .

    Well, it was merely just as insurance, though .

    ¡°Umm... Ruphas-san, why is it a camping car?¡±

    ¡°I just thought it was suited for journeys . Or would you have preferred a truck instead?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m trying to say...¡±

    ¡°I know what you want to say . Well, I can¡¯t tell you the details, but just understand that I also know a little about the other world . ¡±

    The young boy Sei was beating around the bush with the way he questioned me, but I promptly cut off the conversation on the spot .

    Oh, by the way, the inside of me is actually a modern Japanese person ¨C even if I were to say such a thing, he was unlikely to believe me, and even if I was in his position, I would not have believed it myself .

    Therefore, there was no merit in conveying to him such information .

    The young boy Sei was looking at me for a while with his doubtful expression . However, he must have decided that it would be useless for him to continue pursuing this issue . In the end, he did not end up saying anything .

 Chapter 95

    Chapter 95

    After separating from the Hero¡¯s party, we departed from Draupnir. At this moment, we were heading towards our next destination, riding in Tanaka which was running on the road.

    Our next location was the northernmost region of thend inhabited by the humanoids. This was the domain which was believed to be the most dangerous ce on the continent.

    There were three reasons why it was called dangerous.

    Firstly, there was its geographical location.

    There was nothing perplexing or difficult about this point. The location was just simply bad.

    The humanoids had most of their territory taken away by the demon race, so they were living in what little area ofnd they had left.

    And the northernmostnd was the location that was closest to the demon race¡¯s domain.

    Nevertheless, the demon race did not advance any further into the humanoids¡¯nd. No, they could not advance any further.

    And that was because of the second reason. The northernmostnd was the territory of the species said to be the strongest out of the seven humanoid races and believed to be the existence closest to that of a devil. It was the kingdom teeming with vampires ¨C yes, it was the kingdom of [Mjolnir] led by the Vampire Princess Bnash.

    Even if they were of the demon race, just Bnash alone was someone they absolutely had to watch out for.

    It seemed that if one were to ignore her and go around Mjolnir, she would ignore them. However, if they were to identally or carelessly try to advance towards Mjolnir, Bnash would just lead her own army and utterly annihte all of the enemy¡¯s troops.

    In other words, the only reason the humanoids were still able to retain their right to exist and it had not yet been stolen by the demons was because it just so happened that the most troublesome individual existed in the most troublesome location.

    ¡°Bnash is there.¡± ¨CThat simple fact alone was enough to halt the advancement of the demon race for the past two hundred years.

    That... was the information that I had been given by Dina.

    ¡°Hmm... even though she¡¯s like that, looks like she¡¯s still contributing to the humanoids in her own ways.¡±

    ¡°The person herself probably doesn¡¯t have that intention at all though. For her, in practice, she must just be thinking that even though she hasn¡¯t even taken a single step, everyone around her is selfishly fighting their pointless war whilst sandwiching her.¡±

    When I honestly praised Bnash¡¯s contribution, Dina smiled bitterly and supplemented me with missing information.

    Bnash herself did not care about the humanoids at all.

    She just happened to be in that location. The other humanoids had just selfishly decided to think of her as their shield without her input, while the demons were terrified of her and stopped their advancement on their own, also without her input.

    Nevertheless, the fact that just her being there served as a deterrence was something to be impressed about.

    ¡°Though, once before, the demon race tried to invade her in an attempt to expand their territory. Well, the oue of that went horribly wrong.¡±

    ¡°Hmm (hou), I¡¯m interested in hearing what happened.¡±

    ¡°The strongest seven demons at the time, you could call them the previous generation of the 7 Luminaries, but yeah... seven demons at level 600. Thirty-six strong and fearless warriors at level 500. Two hundred demons at level 300, rivalling the current 7 Luminaries. And an additional one thousand demons no different from small-fry.

    Those were the losses suffered by the demon race in the span of a single night against ¡®Bnash alone¡¯. If you were to include those killed by her subordinate vampires, then the actual number would likely be a few times higher than that.¡±

    .... Bnash, for real!?

    I was about to shout that out subconsciously. However, it was barely held back and no sound leaked from my mouth.

    Those spontaneous lines not being voiced out loud must have been one of the good points about possessing Ruphas¡¯s body.

    Although the tone of her speech was the same as ever, I was thankful about how weird lines like these were restrained froming out.[1]

    ¡°I see. I suppose that¡¯s certainly enough to be a deterrence. But did the Demon King do nothing about all of this?¡±

    ¡°They had a small skirmish, but for some reason, neither side fought seriously and both ended up withdrawing. I¡¯m guessing neither side had any interest in the battle at all.¡±

    After hearing Dina¡¯s words, I was again made to realise just how troublesome Bnash was, making me want to hold my head with my hands.

    I could somewhat understand the reason the two of them wanted to withdraw. In all likelihood, they had sensed that if they had fought with all that they had, neither of them would get away scot-free.

    And neither of their goals included destroying the other side. Neither had any benefit in getting involved in a fight where they could end up dying.

    From the Demon¡¯s King¡¯s perspective, although Bnash was indeed a troublesome individual, her fundamental stance was that she was indifferent to everything that was happening around her.

    In other words, if he ignored Bnash and Mjolnir, they would be rtively harmless. Therefore, he had no reason to have them as his enemy.

    From Bnash¡¯s perspective, the Demon King was an eyesore, but that was it.

    If they were hostile to her, she would swat them down. But if they were not, she couldn¡¯t care less about what they did.

    If they left her alone and fought against the humanoids, then go right ahead. She had no interest in interfering in a war between fodder trying to kill each other. ¨C Such was her mindset.

    As a result, the two had judged that this was not their battleground. After just a small skirmish, they withdrew from the battle.

    Such a situation was what had likely happened.

    Furthermore, the most troublesome thing was that if I happened to be her enemy, she would not withdraw from the fight.

    In all likelihood, once she locked onto me, she would continue chasing me down until one of us died.

    She was the most reliable person with no equal only because she was our ally. As an enemy, she was nothing short of terrifying.

    ¡°And the third reason?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, the magical beasts... or more precisely, the existence of [Tyrfing], an alliance between the demi-humans.[2] With the strongest of the Tyrannical Way 12 Heavenly Stars, Leon-sama, as their chief, they mainly consist of centaurs, merfolk, spiderkin, ntkin, snakekin and giants. If we only consider the number of individuals that they have, they surpass Mjolnir.¡±

    ¡°So the species that weren¡¯t recognised as humanoids, huh....¡±

    As an honest opinion, I was not very keen on culling them down.

    It was because they were the victims.

    Their body shapes differed slightly from the definition of a humanoid. Alternatively, they were just a little too big.

    Just because of such a pointless reason, they were categorised and treated as magical beasts, and at times, suffered the fate of being subjugated.

    Of course, I could not say that the ones who had set the definition of what it meant to be humanoids were unconditionally at fault.

    They might have had their own circumstances that they had to worry about and base their decision on. Simrly, they might have had to think about the consequences of including certain races as humanoids and to calcte what the likely oue would be after weighing the pros and cons. Eventually, it resulted in them reluctantly cutting off those races.

    Nevertheless, whether the species that were treated as magical beasts would ept their fate or not was apletely different issue. And clearly, because they could not ept such an unreasonable thing, the current situation existed.

    As bonus information, although it was not totally relevant to the issue at hand, the orcs were also excluded.

    Notwithstanding that they were simply reaping what they sowed, I still felt a little pitiful for them.

    ¡°Well then, our objective this time is Leon and the magical beasts ¨C no, let¡¯s call them demi-humans. We¡¯re going to stop them, but this time, it¡¯s going to be a littleplicated because Mjolnir¡¯s very close to it. There would be no problem if B doesn¡¯t notice me, but...¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll probably notice you, almost without fail. The vampires are simr to me and it¡¯s the race that¡¯s the closest to the devils. There¡¯s no way she wouldn¡¯t notice the mana emanated by Ruphas-sama.¡±

    There would not be any problem if Bnash did not notice my presence.

    However, Aigokeros casually shattered such fleeting expectations of mine.

    It seemed I was emanating and shrouded with such an aura of mana that only existences like them could notice.

    I¡¯m actually technically a flugel, you know...

    I¡¯m supposed to be part of the race that¡¯s the furthest away from mana, so how did things even turn out this way?

    As I wasmenting such a thing, from the ceiling rang a loud noise as if something came crashing down.

    In response to that, Libra immediately reacted and climbed up onto the roof after getting out of the window.

    Did something just happen?

    After recognising that something happened, I promptly stopped Tanaka and exited the vehicle myself.

    And what I ended up seeing was ¨C

    The appearance of an ever-beautiful young girl with silver hair sitting atop Tanaka¡¯s roof.

    ¡°Tsk, Bnash!¡±

    Aries shouted out loud whilst he enveloped his hand in mes and stared at the young girl who was sitting atop the roof.

    In unison with his words, the other 12 Stars also prepared forbat. However, there was still no response from the young girl¡¯s side.

    Let alone any response, she had a faint smile full of leisure. Her eyes ignored everything else and pierced straight into mine.

    I see..... She¡¯s Bnash, huh.

    I (ore) could not remember seeing her face before. However, I (yo) did remember seeing her figure before.[3]

    There had been absolutely no change to herpared to two hundred years ago.

    Skin as white as snow. Eyes as crimson as blood.

    Her flowing silver hair reflected the moonlight and sparkled. And her countenance was overly well-proportioned.

    From her outer appearance, her age appeared to be around fourteen years old. She had an appearance which looked to be much younger than I was expecting.

    Her outfit consisted of what I believed to be a white dress shirt and a ck skirt.

    On top, she wore a ck overcoat over her shoulders without passing her arms through the sleeves.

    Judging purely from her appearance, she was a lovely young girl. However, I was able to understand it.

    This was THE Vampire Princess. She was, without a doubt, THAT Bnash.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Ruphas Mafahl. It¡¯s been two hundred years and four months. I knew about your damn existence and that you were in good health already, but now that I¡¯ve seen you in the flesh, it¡¯s definitely a different level of relief. I¡¯m joyful that you are still alive.¡±

    ¡°..... Looks like you also haven¡¯t changed at all. Your appearance hasn¡¯t changed one bitpared to what¡¯s in my memory.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t ever change. My time has been stopped, all this time, ever since then. Even if I wanted to change, I¡¯m not able to.¡±

    Bnash was smiling very gently as if she was joyful about this long-awaited reunion.

    And chances were, she really was joyful from the bottom of her heart.

    Rejoicing about this reunion with me, truly from the bottom of her heart.

    However, as opposed to everything else, her eyes alone were not smiling.

    With the eyes of a wild beast looking at its prey and without any fluctuations, she was staring straight at me.

    In response to that rxed attitude, Libra judged it to be an opportunity to attack and thus turned her arm into a de and swung at Bnash.

    However, without even turning back to look at Libra, Bnash grabbed Libra¡¯s arm and gripped it with what looked to be an unimaginable superhuman strength.

    ¡°¡ª¨C!¡±

    ¡°I rmend you stop, doll. I¡¯m actually in an excellent mood right now. If you don¡¯t do anything, I don¡¯t mind letting you go... but if you want to be in the way of my reunion with Mafahl, know that I won¡¯t guarantee your safety.¡±[4]

    After saying that, with only the strength in her arms, she threw Libra towards my direction.

    Although Libranded back down softly, it was not as if there was no damage at all.

    If one were to look at Libra properly, her wrist had cracks running through them, making it very obvious how overpowered the Vampire Princess¡¯s strength was even if one did not want to find out.

    ¡°You fools too, 12 Stars. You lot are a little capable, I¡¯ll give you that much. But in the end, you¡¯re just Mafahl¡¯s cherished pets. You¡¯re not really my enemy. If you don¡¯t want to die, just go tremble in the corner.¡±

    ¡°Heeh...! You¡¯re really talking big, aren¡¯t cha, midget!¡±

    Responding to Bnash¡¯s ridiculing words, Scorpius charged towards her.

    Simrly, Aigokeros circled around to the other side of Bnash and sted an attack towards her at the same time without holding back.

    Notwithstanding this, what happened the next instance was that the two who had attacked her were blown away as I thought Bnash¡¯s figure disappeared.

    Magic? No. Wrong.

    She was simply fast. With an absolute speed faster than one could imagine, she avoided the attacks from the two of them and countered them.

    If I were asked to describe it in words, I could onlye up with a simple answer, but.... ¨C This is not good. She¡¯s so damn fast it¡¯s not even funny.

    ........ Ever since I obtained this body, this was the first time I had ¡°lost track¡± of someone¡¯s movements.

    Even whilst observing everything from the sidelines, I was barely able to understand that they had gotten counterattacked.

    The two individuals involved were unlikely to have even sensed what had just happened to themselves.

    ¡°......tsk! To show such a disgraceful sight in front of Ruphas-sama....! I can¡¯t forgive you.... I¡¯ll kill you...!¡±

    ¡°¡ªdon¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to return alive.¡±

    Scorpius and Aigokeros quickly got back up and started to release their true selves.

    However, before the two of them could transform, I stopped them by signalling them with my hand.

    It was not yet determined that the two of them would lose. Nevertheless, if they were to fight against Bnash, they were unlikely toe out unscathed.

    Even if they were to win, in all likelihood, one of them would... or in the worst case scenario, both of them would end up dead.

    Therefore, I would not allow them to act any further.

    ¡°Fall back, both of you. Don¡¯t get provoked by her.¡±

    After shutting Scorpius and Aigokeros up, I looked at Bnash again.

    Even during all of this time, her eyes were fixed right on me.

    She did not even bother to have Scorpius and Aigokeros in her peripheral view.

    They were literally not in her eyes.

    ¡°A wise decision. Even if they continued the fight, it would only end with your cute pets dying. The only one who¡¯s able to fight with me is you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying whatever you want, aren¡¯t you? Weren¡¯t you and Leon enemies?¡±

    ¡°Ahh, that thing. Hmm, I¡¯ll admit he¡¯s fairly strong. Indeed, to defeat him is difficult. But a fight where the oue is predetermined cannot be called a battle. It¡¯s difficult to defeat him, but that¡¯s all it amounts to. That thing¡¯s not able to win against me.¡±

    Bnash replied matter-of-factly as if it was the most natural answer in the world and without a hint of it sounding like a tough act or a bluff.

    She would have some difficulties. She would have to actually put the effort in.

    However, she did not even believe for a moment that it was possible for her to be defeated by him.

    Her expression and wording suggested to me that she had absolute confidence in her victory, definitively and without fail.

    Was it just her self-conceit or was it absolute confidence backed by her abilities...?

    ¡°This is just my perspective, but I think battle can only be considered a battle when we can¡¯t foresee the oue. To me, walking into a fight against a strong opponent where it makes me feel that there¡¯s a high chance of being defeated is what¡¯s considered a battle... and aside from you, there¡¯s no one else that can make me feel that way. It¡¯s fine to be proud of yourself, Mafahl. The only opponent that I can ¡®challenge¡¯ is you and only you.¡±

    After Bnash made such a statement to me, she threw a single piece of paper at me.

    The content of what I had received... an invitation?

    The invitation, which courteously had the address of the location, even had Bnash¡¯s signature. And on the back, there was an instruction to freely let anyone with the invitation pass to the castle without any interference.

    ¡°And this is?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s exactly as it seems. I want to invite you to my castle. Ahh, you can be at ease. I won¡¯t be preparing any traps or guards. To begin with, small tricks like that are meaningless against you anyways. What I seek is only one thing... this time for sure, I want to have aplete one-on-one fight to the death against you without anyone else¡¯s interference.¡±

    Her wish was a one-on-one fight against me, huh.

    In other words, for today, she only came to send me a message.

    Should I be saying that she was unexpectedly honest and upright, or that she was thorough about weird things?

    ¡°For my sake, don¡¯t run, Mafahl. I¡¯ve waited two hundred years just to have a conclusive battle with you. If you were to disregard me, I might end up sulking and cause a temper tantrum.¡±

    ¡°No worries, you can also be at ease. Even if you don¡¯t threaten me like that, it¡¯s an invitation from my old friend. I¡¯ll be epting it graciously.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s so, everything is well.¡±

    Bnash disyed a smile which could make anybody fall for her and proceeded to whisper with a sweet voice.

    ¡°The only one that¡¯s permitted to kill you is me, and the only one that¡¯s permitted to kill me is you. ¨C There will be nopromise on this. This time for sure, let¡¯s do it until one of us dies.¡±

    Her face was truly that of a constantly smiling young girl right before her long-awaited date.

    However, what came out of her mouth was, without a doubt, an invitation to kill each other, and the aura emitted from her was filled with murderous impulses.

    The silver-haired young girl who had such an unbnced atmosphere looked at me for onest moment and then disappeared as she flew away in the moonlight.

    ..............

    Not good. What should I do? That girl¡¯s just too much.

    __

    (Author note)

    B: ¡°However much I wait, you wouldn¡¯te to me, so I came to you personally!¡±

    With all that said, these were Leon and B. The first one to strike was B.

    If she had remained sitting and waiting on her throne, with her specs alone, she would be the final boss. However, because she came out earlier, she now appears like a mid boss.

    She just was not patient enough...

    Furthermore, although it should be quite obvious by now, in truth, B does not particrly hate Ruphas.

    If anything, she really loves Ruphas.

    Or more like, if she hated Ruphas, they would not have formed a party in the first ce.

    If you were to ask me how much she loved Ruphas, it would be that she wanted to be able to stand next to Ruphas so much that she was somehow able to be level 1000 without consuming the golden apple through sheer willpower and effort.

    She only ends up attacking Ruphas because she loves Ruphas so much.

    In other words, she is the once famous archetype, the violent tsundere heroine.[5]

    A character archetype who used violence when she became embarrassed. Even though she was not in a rtionship with the protagonist, when he looked at another woman, she would use so much violence that it would not be strange for her to instantly kill a person out of her jealousy.

    Hmm, yep. Definitely a ssic tsundere.

    Furthermore, things had gone beyond the point of a joke and she dealt constant damage to her target. Therefore, if the main character was someone like Sei, the gag scene mentioned earlier would result in him seriously dying.

    B: ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like I like you or anything!¡± Smack! Stter.

    Remains of what used to be the main character: ¡° ¡°

    This is what would have happened to a normal character if B had a favourable impression of them.

    (Author note end)

 Chapter 96

    Chapter 96

    In the past, she once believed that she was the strongest person.

    Fundamentally, vampires were a race with absolute authority when it came to battle capability and magic. And even amongst them, she was leagues above the rest right from the very beginning.

    Thetent amount of mana was different. The amount of mana they had from the moment they were born waspletely different.

    Basic attributes and the cap on the limitations. The one who was born well above the others in both of these aspects was her ¨C Bnash.

    Everyone around her hadbelled her as a child prodigy or a princess. However, thosebels only caused her to feel difort.

    Looking at the vampires around her, she had never considered them to be part of the same species as her.

    She could only see them as low-levelled lesser lifeforms. She could not think of them as the same race as her either.

    Was her self-esteem just simply so high that it resulted in her feeling that way?

    Or was it justmon for a child to think that they were special and different from others?

    If that was the case, then all was well... truly, if that was all there was to it, it would have all been fine.

    However, in actual fact, she really was different from the others.

    The more that she grew up, the wider the gap between her and the others became. Eventually, this caused her to feel that everything else in the world was nothing but rubbish.

    It¡¯s as if they¡¯re things that look like me, but are actuallypletely different living beings.

    Such a thought was ever-present in the mind of Bnash, almost to the point of making her feel certain that was how it actually was.

    Genius? Prodigy? Exceptionally talented?

    Even when she was described or categorised in any and every form of that description, none of them felt right.

    If an individual human and an individual monkey were to ever face off against each other in terms of their speed in solving equations and the human won, was that guy a prodigy?

    No, of course not. It was just natural that a human would win against a monkey.

    In summary, it was exactly just that. It was just the most natural course of events that Bnash was able to defeat all other vampires in existence. It was just simply because they were all inferior to Bnash and were existences lower ranked than herself. The gaps arose just simply because they were lesser living creatures.

    At the very least, Bnash recognised the sheer difference between herself and the others in such a way.

    There was once even a time she had gone all around the continent just to look for an enemy who would be able to fight with her on equal footing.

    The more that she fought and killed, the more her power grew. Eventually, she reached a point that there was nobody who would go against her.

    How boring it was for her. To be victorious in a battle that she knew for certain she would win even before anything had started. The feeling of how dull everything was. The feeling of how disappointing and unsatisfying everything was.

    There had been times when she felt that the enemy had put up a good fight. There had even been times when she felt there was some difficulty.

    However, she had never once met an enemy whom she believed could defeat her. She had also never met anyone that could truly be called an enemy who could fight her as her equal.

    Eventually, she exterminated all enemies on her continent which was equal to a quarter of thendmasses of the world, requiring her to venture out into the world as her next destination.

    She had previously heard rumours of the existence of the Demon King and the Lion King, who were categorised as her fellow supreme rulers.

    In truth, she did not have the slightest bit of expectation for them as she believed that she would stille out victorious.

    Nevertheless, they were still enemies that she had to eventually meet face to face. They had to determine who was the strongest, and the one who coulde out victorious in the end would be the individual who could decide the future of the world.

    In the past, before Ruphas Mafahl stood on top of the world, the world only barely managed to maintain the bnce because the top four individuals were at a stalemate¡ªthe pinnacle of the demon race, the Demon King; the pinnacle of the magical beasts, the Lion King; the pinnacle of the dragonkin, the Dragon King; and the pinnacle of the vampire race, the Vampire Princess. These four were individuals who had to eventually face each other to determine supremacy.

    Apparently, there was also someone called the Devil King Aigokeros in hell. However, because he did not feel likeing out to the surface, the onespeting to be the true supreme ruler were long considered to be just the four of them.

    As such, when she heard that news, she was surprised for a moment.

    ¡ª The Dragon King had been subjugated by a flugel woman.

    One of the four pirs who maintained the world¡¯s bnce and were deemed the ¡°strongest¡± was butchered by a member of a flugel race who waspletely under the radar.

    Even Bnash had heard about the rumours of the Dragon King.

    His personality was the very definition of arrogance. He was a tyrant who considered every existence other than himself to be a lesser being and often killed other living creatures on a whim.

    She had heard that he often scared the humanoids and demanded live sacrifices.

    As such, it was not that surprising that the humanoids bore a grudge against him. Even if he was subjugated, it would just simply be a fitting retribution.

    The problem was how it was the act of a single individual.

    The individual had not been leading an army, there were no traps involved nor did the individual lead them to their demise through skillful and deceitful words.

    The individual boldly walked up to him, attacked him and single-handedly ughtered him.

    This very fact caused Bnash to feel a sense of surprise.

    Nevertheless, at the very moment, she was still not fascinated enough.

    The reason the Dragon King lost was that he was weak.

    In other words, he was just someone insignificant and not as powerful as he was described by all the rumours.

    After Bnash made such a conclusion, she quickly lost interest in the flugel woman.

    However, she only realised her mistake just a few years after all of that. And this realisation came with herself as the price.

    As a result of when that very specific flugel ¨C Ruphas Mafahl came storming into her very own domain.

    It was the very first time in her life that she fought whilst she was mentally prepared to be defeated. It was also the first time in her life she felt such excitement during the battle.

    It was the very first time since she had been born a few hundred years ago that she fought with someone on her equal... no, the first time she met someone who was superior to her.

    The races involved were a vampire and a flugel. Within the humanoid races, they symbolised darkness and light respectively and were the two races where the rtionship could be seen as the furthest possible from each other.

    However, she understood. ¨C She¡¯s the same as me. Other mobs, other vampires... she¡¯s far closer to me than any of those.

    She was a non-conformer within the boundaries of her own race just like herself, a faulty existence given birth to by the world and an existence which should not have existed.

    For the first time, she could not see victory in sight. She never thought until this very moment that she would one day be able to lose herself in a battle where her defeat was in sight.

    She was not in a battle where victory was certain and was winning in the way it was predicted.

    She was full-heartedly ¡°challenging¡± in a battle where she did not know whether she would be able to win or lose.

    This ¨C how pleasant!

    In the end, it was painfully clear defeat on Bnash¡¯s behalf, resulting in Bnash agreeing to join forces with that woman with the qualification that it would only be to the point where Ruphas managed to unify the world.

    It was humiliating to her that she was not dealt a finishing blow. However, it was more humiliating to her when that woman was mindful of her and made everything as ¡°Let¡¯s consider it as you didn¡¯t lose.¡±

    Yet, at the same time, it was the ship that Bnash had to board.

    Because she met that woman, she found out that there were superior existences.

    She became aware for the first time how fun battles were.

    Furthermore, she was able to find out that she could improve further.

    Then it would be the next time. Next time for sure, she would win against that woman.

    Even if she were to lose at that time, she would not receive any pity. The pity that she received due to this loss was her fault because she was weak enough that her enemy could afford to pity her. To ignore that very fact and make light of her own loss, Bnash¡¯s own pride would not allow such a thing.

    Therefore, for now, she decided to obey that woman to help her be the supreme ruler.

    When that woman tookmand of the world, it would be time for the rematch. For the sake of that, she did not mind providing her assistance.

    When that woman stood on top of the world, they would have a true conclusive battle.

    That was most likely the first-ever wish from the bottom of her heart that Bnash had.

    Notwithstanding that it was often misunderstood, Bnash did not particrly hate Ruphas.

    Although she had felt some dissatisfaction about getting a dent on her title of the strongest, she recognised that she was not strong enough.

    As such, she neither hated nor resented Ruphas.

    If anything, she was thankful to Ruphas and respected her for it.

    If Bnash was asked to name one person that she respected out of the entire world, she would no doubt mention Ruphas¡¯s name without the slightest bit of hesitation.

    Bnash did not hate Ruphas at all. If anything, she liked Ruphas.

    Her affection was strong and passionate, simr to a young maiden who had just fallen in love for the first time. She yearned for Ruphas in her every waking moment.

    It was a feeling simr to affection, a feeling not far from love.

    The only difference was, in her case, all of those feelings were turned into a murderous intent and pushed onto her fangs.

    Every form of affectionate expression was turned into a murderous expression, thus resulting in theming out as fatal attacks.

    Therefore, Ruphas Mafahl alone was someone that only she could kill.

    She would not permit anyone else to kill Ruphas, and only Ruphas would be permitted to kill her.

    As a consequence, she simply could not ept the oue of that incident.

    She could never forgive the bunch of people who had defiled the battle between Ruphas and herself.

    Everything began when Bnash asked Ruphas for a rematch.

    It was a mutual agreement between the two of them. The pact stated that when Ruphas unified the world, she would once again fight Bnash with all of her might this time.

    Ruphas had indeed fulfilled that agreement, and the two of them were shing with each other, using powers which could end up destroying the whole world as coteral.

    One was the supreme ruler who had gained extraordinary strength by utilising her own power to create golden apples and the stat-increasing items she created through alchemy.

    And the other was Bnash who had endlessly absorbed mana to get herself to level 1000 through her own efforts after gaining a rival called Ruphas and realising her own potential.

    Both were existences which had far surpassed the boundaries of the vampire and the flugel races respectively and each were dishing out skills and power which was anything beyondmon sense at each other.

    For Bnash, it was the moment of exhration that she had long-awaited, believing that the battle would continue until she ended up dead or she killed her opponent.

    Eventually, the battle entered its climax, and Bnash was finally being pushed back into the corner.

    She was truly riddled with wounds all over her body. Not even her innate vampire regeneration ability could keep up and she was likely to use up all of her remaining strength after the next full-powered attack.

    Inparison, Ruphas still had some leeway. With the current state of things, one could only admit that Ruphas had an overwhelming advantage in this situation.

    Of course, Bnash was not someone who would give up just because of that. If she only had enough strength to attack onest time, she just had to reverse the situation with that one attack. It was as simple as that.

    ¡°I¡¯ming, Mafahl... let¡¯s end it with thisst attack.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sounds like a n. Come at me to your heart¡¯s content, B.¡±

    The figure of Ruphas, who moved her hands with an expression as if she was holding back, felt annoyingly charming as usual.

    Even if I¡¯m going to lose, I want tond one hit. I¡¯m going to put everything I have into this attack and m it into her. I¡¯ll be an existence she will never forget.

    No... I¡¯m going to win! I¡¯m going to pierce her heart with this one attack!

    With the drive to strive for a certain victory, Bnash started dashing towards Ruphas, and Ruphas weed that attack head-on.

    Nevertheless, the betrayal happened all too suddenly.

    Right before the attacknded, someone had used interference arcane magic on Ruphas. This interference skill activated and caused Ruphas to be unable to move for a moment.

    Bnash noticed this interference and quickly tried to stop her attack at thest moment. However, an attack which already contained the momentum imbued by all of her might could not be easily stopped.

    Although her ws managed to avoid dealing a fatal blow, it stillnded on Ruphas¡¯s nk, causing a red flower to blossom.

    ¡°You lot... what is the meaning of this!?¡±

    Of course, the one who shouted this out loud was Bnash.

    From her point of view, her anger was reasonable as her long-awaited battle was interrupted by something boorish.

    Therefore, she was staring daggers with detestation towards the individuals ¨C the 7 Heroes, who had interrupted everything.

    However, she quickly noticed it. There was something strange about them.

    They were overflowing with an unbelievable amount of divine energy they normally would not have. They currently had enough power that even whenpared to her current self, they would not be considered inferior.

    What¡¯s this? I admit the 7 Heroes are strong individuals, but they¡¯re definitely not this strong.

    Against Bnash who was seething with rage, the 7 Heroes did not answer back with anything.

    Let alone that, they used arcane magic to restrain Bnash and sealed her movement.

    Normally, she would not have been affected by such arcane magic and even if she was, she would quickly be able to break out of it.

    However, the current Bnash was wounded all throughout her body. She could barely move her limbs satisfactorily.

    In the end, Bnash could only slump on the ground pitifully and observe the situation while being unable to figure out what was happening.

    ¡°Apologies, B. Looks like there¡¯s something important I have to attend to. I¡¯m sorry, but let¡¯s consider this time¡¯s battle as just wounding each other and leave the conclusion for next time.¡±

    ¡°Wa ¨C wait, Mafahl!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will definitelye back. You should sharpen your fangs until that point.¡±

    After saying that, she left Bnash where she was and flew away... and did not end up returning.

    What happened afterwards was as foretold by history. The wound that Bnashnded on Ruphas served as the main cause that Ruphas was cornered and eventually, defeated by the 7 Heroes.

    Bnash was again subjected to a defeat phrased as ¡°wounding each other¡±. Furthermore, the loss of her rival robbed her of a reason to continue striving and living.

    She lost all interest in worldly matters and started to view the entire world with indifference, making her hole up in her own coffin.

    Although she knew very well after receiving a message from her subordinates that Alioth and the others were about to fight against the Demon King and that they were requesting her reinforcements. Notwithstanding all that, she ignored everyone and kicked the messenger away.

    She knew that their betrayal was not out of their own true wills. Nevertheless, she could not forgive them.

    Therefore, she did not pay any heed whatsoever to what was happening around the world.

    It did not matter to her that the humanoids were pushed into a corner. It also did not matter to her however many of the heroes died. Nothing managed to move her heart.

    The turning point for all of these came upon her that fateful day, approximately fifty years after the defeat of Ruphas.

    It was the day that the army full of demon fodders came to invade her country. The day where she crushed them all as a slight exercise.

    It was because of the bombshell dropped by the only individual within that hoard that put up some of a fight, the Demon King.

    ¡°Hmm, as expected of the Vampire Princess. You¡¯re worthy of being rumoured to be the only person within even the 7 Heroes that could fight against that Ruphas Mafahl alone.¡±

    ¡°On the other hand, you don¡¯t reach up to the rumours of yourself. Well, I¡¯ll admit that you¡¯re quite strong, but that¡¯s all there is to it.¡±

    The fight between the two of them was not on equal footing.

    Although the Demon King still had some leeway, there were many wounds all over his body, and furthermore, much of his clothes were torn.

    In contrast, Bnash was almostpletely untouched. The flow of the battle was overwhelmingly in her favour.

    Nevertheless, it could faintly be felt that the Demon King had also not used all of his power to fight.

    What was fascinating was how even though he was being overwhelmed to this degree, the Demon King still did not show the slightest intention of fighting properly.

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame. If you were there at the time, maybe the state of the world would be different right now.¡±

    ¡°Whatever. I really couldn¡¯t care less what those guys did.¡±

    ¡°How bitter. Is that all arising out of the anger of being interrupted in a battle against her?¡±

    ¡°.... You should choose your words more carefully. I don¡¯t mind tearing apart that mouth of yours that¡¯s moving around a lot.¡±

    ¡°Spot on, huh.¡±

    Bnash moved with a speed fast enough to leave sound behind.

    Blood blossomed out like a flower as the Demon King, who had his right arm along with his shoulder sliced off, took some distance.

    However, his face was still as fearless as ever, and notwithstanding that his arm was cut off, he did not even react a little.

    ¡°Well, just calm down a little. Alcor... ahh, Alcor is how we refer to Ruphas amongst us, you see. Anyways, didn¡¯t she say it herself? That she¡¯ll ¡°definitely return¡±? You¡¯re jumping to conclusions too rashly.¡±

    ¡°You talk as if you know something.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I do.¡±

    During the time the Demon King replied, he brought the severed arm towards the open wound.

    When he did, the arm reattached itself perfectly, even though he had not stitched it up.

    After he tested that his fingers moved as normal, he looked at Bnash with the smile of a devil offering temptation to its target.

    ¡°Ruphas Mafahl will definitely return. Hmm... let¡¯s see... ording to ¡®her¡¯, it¡¯ll be about one hundred and fifty years from now. To a vampire like you, it shouldn¡¯t be that long of a duration to wait. It will be good if you just wait around patiently. Don¡¯t worry, your wish will definitely be fulfilled.¡±

    Even now, Bnash did not know why the Demon King knew of such a thing.

    She also did not know who he was referring to when he mentioned ¡°her¡±.

    Nevertheless, it became a fact with Ruphas¡¯s actual return.

    Then... then, it¡¯s fine. The reality was everything. Everything else was irrelevant, nor was she interested in anything else.

    As long as this version of reality existed, she was fine with it.

    She did not require anything else.

    Bnash silently and patiently awaited her arch-rival¡¯s presence to approach her as she waited in a room where her subordinates were forbidden from entering.

 Chapter 97

    Chapter 97

    The kingdom of the vampires, Mjolnir.

    The capital was established on the premise that it would be night time at all times.

    Surrounding the domain of the kingdom was constant darkness given birth to by Bnash¡¯s arcane magic which did not permit the light of day to ever enter.

    As a consequence, there was no concept of morning, afternoon or evening in this kingdom.

    The entire area surrounding the kingdom was constantly in a state of midnight.

    In these circumstances, there were streetlights prepared throughout the kingdom, faintly providing artificial light.

    For the other humanoids, it might be considered dark. However, for the vampires, it was just the right amount of lighting.

    The structures within the kingdom were precisely those belonging to medieval Europe.

    Nevertheless, as one could have expected, it was nothing like normal cities. No matter what building or castle one looked at, it was built luxuriously. There was not a single building that looked ordinary or in a deplorable state.

    Vampires were the aristocrats of the night. Every citizen within this kingdom was a noble and affluent ¨C that¡¯s what Dina had told me.

    Of course, it was not as if there was no one who did manualbour.

    All over the kingdom, there were those that were working and opening the stores. However, those activities were not done by the vampires but by a species of undead categorised as ghouls.

    Apparently, they were human corpses that were mutated by mana and reanimated, a bunch of pitiful existences which could not even leave any offspring behind.

    In other words, although they could always onlyst for a single generation, as long as there were corpses and mana, they could be born without any restriction.

    Therefore, although they could not prosper, they could not be exterminated either.

    Well, they¡¯re pretty much what you call zombies. As there were only good looking ones within the capital, it was fortunate that one would not feel any disgust when looking at them.

    If one were to ignore the fact that they looked blue, they looked exactly like normal humans. Furthermore, one could even converse with them.

    The ghouls, who had nowhere to go, were permitted to live within Mjolnir and somehow passed their days by living in conditions almost no different from that of ves.

    Notwithstanding that I felt a little pity for them, I supposed having a ce to live was better than nothing.

    There was no way that they would be able to enter the boundaries of the other countries. If they were also denied entry into this country, their only fate would be to be subjugated as moving corpses.

    Those ghouls who were heavily deformed were not even permitted to enter this country. Life was definitely hard for the ghouls.

    This was what I wanted to say: A grave should not be made in a location dense with mana.

    Therefore, the graves in this world were ordinarily built behind monasteries and were enveloped by mana repellent barriers cast by acolytes.

    If such a thing were not done, there would be an outbreak of zombies.

    Notwithstanding all of that, zombies still arose.

    One of the causes could be attributed to those individuals who were scared of dying. They might intentionally go to a location where mana was dense so that they could be reanimated as zombies.

    It was not as if I could not understand why they did it... but I questioned their will to continue living even if they were to be zombies.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have one cl?tite.¡±[1]

    ¡°Here ya go!¡±

    Anyways, just because they were zombies did not mean they were an existence that one had to be scared of.

    Just as there were humans with good and bad intentions, in this world, the zombies retained the personalities of their previous lives.

    Therefore, the good individuals remained good and bad individuals remained bad even after they turned into zombies.

    Nevertheless, as one would have expected, the humanoids would consider the ghouls as nothing more than magical beasts and felt it was perfectly reasonable to turn them into ash without a second thought.

    When I ordered from a blue-faced middle-age man working as a street vendor, he handed me a snack that looked like a crepe with his hands which were enveloped by a clean pair of gloves.

    After paying for the snack and biting into it, a jam that tasted like it was made from something simr to a strawberry overflowed into my mouth.

    Hmm, it did not seem like they would be handing me something rotten just because they were zombies.

    If I were to put things into a perspective that was easier to understand, there existed a distinction within the kingdom where the vampires were the upper ss and the zombies were the manualbourers.

    And... the roads were slightly unique.

    Because I flew in, I was able to see it, but this kingdom was shaped in a strange way if one were to look from above.

    The kingdom was perfectly circr and surrounded by walls.

    And within the walls, therge roadwaysrgely divided the kingdom into what looked to be a heptagram.

    I felt like taking my time to go around the area as a tourist, but unfortunately, the reason for my visit this time was not to be a tourist.

    The reason I was here was none other than to ept the invitation from Bnash.

    Truthfully, I wanted to handle Leon and Tyrfing first. However, if I were to leave her alone, I did not know what she was going to start doing.

    In the worst-case scenario, there was even the possibility of getting pincered by Leon and Bnash.

    Therefore, I left Dina and the 12 Stars in charge of Leon and came to this location alone.

    Now that I thought about it, ever since I had arrived in this world, excluding the moment right after the summoning, this was the first time I waspletely alone.

    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s just a little, it should be fine. I¡¯ll just go around lightheartedly.¡±

    ¡°Oi, you.¡±

    Since I¡¯m actually at the vampire¡¯s kingdom, I suppose I¡¯ll take this asion to have a quick tour.

    As I was thinking that, someone talked to me from behind.

    When I turned to look, there was someone with the appearance of a country¡¯s princess, who had her arms crossed and was looking at me with displeasure.

    I¡¯ve been thinking about it since before, but you have quite light footwork, don¡¯t you? Oi.

    All things considered, is it even fine for someone like you to be casuallying out to the middle of the town like this? You¡¯re still one of the 7 Heroes, after all.

    ¡°Oh... Hey, B.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you ¡®Hey, B¡¯ me. When I was wondering what you were doing for you to not turn up at the castle even when I sensed your presence arriving at the kingdom, even though I was waiting... you... you¡¯re pretty bold to be touring around the ce whilst ignoring me.¡±

    ¡°Haha, no need to rush things too much. I was nning to properly head to your ce afterwards.¡±

    Although this was an irrelevant fact for the moment, whenever I said Bnash, it was always automatically changed to a more intimate nickname, ¡°B¡±.

    In all likelihood, it was because the real Ruphas had always referred to her that way.

    Additionally, for some reason, I did not feel any sense of unease towards her.

    Although I understood that she was a dangerous individual, strangely, I felt a greater feeling of goodwill towards her.

    Of course, it was something different from a feeling of sexual affection...

    But how should I phrase this?

    For example, a friend who¡¯s in an equal position?

    It felt as if I was speaking to someone like that. I could not help but feel a sense of closeness towards her.

    Surprisingly, the individual who was most acknowledged by the real Ruphas was likely to be this Bnash.

    ¡°By the way, do you have any ces you¡¯d rmend visiting within the capital? Oh yeah, I¡¯m also looking for souvenirs but I haven¡¯t been able to find them.¡±

    ¡°.... You... did your personality get somewhat softer?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been asked that a lot.¡±

    It was a rare asion where I finally got to meet thest of the 7 Heroes.

    From the way that she spoke, I was able to figure out that she was not in the same condition as I was, however, I expected this from the beginning.

    Nevertheless, it was just too dull to start a death match right after the reunion.

    It was not strange for me to want to have a chat with her and get to know what kind of an individual she was.

    I ordered another cl?tite from the store and shoved it into theining Bnash¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°In any event, instead of talking here... ¨C mmuguu!?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say something so stiff. It¡¯s a special asion. It¡¯ll be boring to just start killing and get things over so quickly right after the reunion. Here,e and show me the key highlights of this kingdom.¡±

    Personality-wise, the other 7 Heroes were friendlier and warmer. There was no mistake in that.

    Nevertheless, although it was strange, I felt that she was the easiest to get along with.

    After all, she did not have that sense of strange psyche towards me.

    She was neither like the 12 Stars who felt excessive admiration towards me nor was she like the 7 Heroes who were psychologically oppressed from their guilt.

    She was neither fearful of me nor was she was like Dina where I could not tell what she was thinking.

    It would be easier to say she was just natural. She was standing in the same position that I was.

    And the current me could not help but feel a sense of ease andfort.

    Though... there¡¯s also something wrong with me, considering that I¡¯m feeling this way even when she¡¯s constantly releasing insatiable bloodlust towards me.

    *

    After being ushered by Bnash, the location that I came upon was something like a colosseum.

    She had probably wanted to fight with me as soon as possible. However, when I said, ¡°I guess I¡¯ll go home now¡±, she quickly took on the role of showing me around the kingdom. She was so easy to understand and handle.

    In all honesty, I would have loved to drag this on, create a loose atmosphere, and avoid the battle itself.

    After all, based on what I have heard so far, if Bnash was defeated, the humanoids would suffer significantly detrimental effects that would likely lead to them falling into a horrible condition.

    It was because Bnash existed that the demon race was unable to advance further.

    If I were to word it differently, it would mean that if she was defeated, that would be possible.

    As such, as a personal preference, I would have wanted to dy the battle with her untilter.

    (<strong>TLN: If you are sensitive to (animal) violence, you might want to consider skipping the rest of the chapter, though it¡¯s actually not very graphic.</strong>)

    ¡°This ce is an arena for magical beasts. We make captured magical beasts fight each other to the death and gamble on who will win. It¡¯s the most popr pastime in the capital.¡±

    ¡°You have quite a bloody pastime.¡±

    ¡°Lately, there¡¯s quite a lot of magical beasts trying to invade us from Tyrfing, so we¡¯re not reallycking in participants. It also serves as an execution for the magical beasts, you see.¡±

    Although she just said something outrageous as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world, if one were to consider this world¡¯s level of civilisation, it was not very strange overall.

    Even back on Earth, the executions in the Middle Ages served as a form of entertainment for the other citizens.

    After all, there were even records stating that in France and Ennd, arge number of people turned up to watch public executions.

    Additionally, this ce was the kingdom of the vampires who were known to be belligerent. Furthermore, the ones who were being executed were the enemy country¡¯s magical beasts.

    So it was no wonder any feelings of pity or morals were not part of the equation.

    The only people who would say such a thing as ¡°why you are doing such a horrible thing?!¡± would be individuals who had lived in a peaceful country and had time to learn such things as morals.

    The problem was... even as an individual who had grown up in Japan, had be blinded by peace, and had time to learn such morals, I did not feel very repulsed by what was happening.

    It was not as if I did not feel like pitying them.

    Yeah, I even thought that they were doing something quite horrible.

    But above all of that, I understood and epted that, ¡°Well yeah, it¡¯s just that kind of a country.¡±

    I¡¯ve reached quite a dangerous ce already.

    ¡°Since we¡¯re already here, do you want to make a bet?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    After being asked as such by Bnash, I looked at the arena.

    Although it was called an arena, because it was entirely surrounded by walls and escape was absolutely impossible, it would be better to call it a prison.

    The vampires were looking down from a safe height and were having a good time as they were shouting things out.

    And the ones in the arena looked like a hippo-like animal with a strong-looking body and a weasel-like animal with a small stature.

    In terms of size, the hippo was towering over five metres whereas the weasel was at most one metre. Just applyingmon sense, one would not think that the weasel stood any chance at winning.

    The odds were clearly in favour of the hippo, and in actual fact, even when I looked at the status of each, the hippo was in the lead.

    With all that considered, this was nothing but one side bullying the other.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll bet 50 eru towards the hippo.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite a cheap way to bet.¡±

    As expected of the monarch of the kingdom. The perception of the value of money waspletely different.

    In terms of Japanese yen, 50 eru was equivalent to approximately 10,000 yen.[2] Therefore I had bet quite a significant amount.

    Nevertheless, for her, the amount must have been like pocket change.

    She was looking at me with an exasperated expression.

    Subsequently, when the deathmatch began, as expected, the hippo was winning by an overwhelming margin.

    Of course, it was. After all, the physiques of the two werepletely different.

    As one could see from how boxing sses were finely divided every few kilograms, weight could sometimes be directly equated with strength.

    In this world, such a thing could mostly be ignored due to individual stats. However, even when it came to their statuses, the hippo was in the lead as well.

    As a consequence, the match was almost as good as set before it even began.

    The hippo¡¯s body mmed into the weasel quite strongly and the small weasel¡¯s body danced midair.

    Its arms and feet were broken and bent into weird shapes. It was obvious that the weasel was pushed to the brink of death after just a single hit.

    Nevertheless, the weasel tried to re-posture itself as it was falling down and gnawed into the hippo¡¯s neck.

    Maybe it was the weasel¡¯sst fart. Well, it wasn¡¯t farting though.

    As I was thinking about such a thing, I noticed that something was strange. The weasel¡¯s teeth were dug into the hippo and did not let go. The hippo was screaming and struggling about in agony.

    Eventually, the hippo gave in to the pain and lost consciousness, suffering the fate of having its body greedily devoured by the weasel.

    .... The smaller one just ended up winning, oi.

    ¡°Fufu, looks like you predicted it wrong. Haverines might be small, but they¡¯repletely fearless. They¡¯re dangerous predators that bite at the prey until itsst breath. In this arena, there¡¯s a tradition of being able to make a giant killing from them.¡±

    ¡°Haverines?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re a new species of magical beasts that starteding into existence after you were sealed up. They were originally a smaller wolverine that mutated into a magical beast.¡±

    When I looked around, I saw that a bunch of vampires were fuming and saying, ¡°Another one got done in by him again!¡±

    I see, I see, it seemed those guys also predicted it wrong like I did.

    As I was thinking I got yed, I paid out the 50 eru bet reluctantly.

    If it were to be knownter that I lost it due to a bet, Libra is going to scold me...

 Chapter 98

    Chapter 98

    I was shown around different ces by Bnash, but I was regretting things a little .

    It looked like I really should not have left everything up to her discretion .

    As I was thinking I could avoid fighting with her in the end by continuing thisx atmosphere, reality showed me that things were not that sweet .

    The ce that Bnash took me to was arge building near the castle which was empty inside .

    From the outside, the building looked fancy, but inside, there were only strong and reinforced looking walls, a ceiling and a floor with nothing else inside .

    There were not even the bare minimal amenities required for day-to-day life, making was clear that the space was not designed for habitation .

    ¡°This thing¡¯s a building specially built in preparation for the day that would eventuallye to pass . Because it¡¯s built using Mizar Steel that was specially imported from Blutgang, the building won¡¯t even crack a little in most situations . Even then, it should still be quite fragilepared to you and me . But at least it¡¯ll serve as a location for us to be able to fight without having to worry about the environment . ¡±

    ¡°... . . However I think about it, this is not a tourist location, is it?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have minded showing you around a bit more... but yeah, sorry, but I¡¯m not used to restraining myself, you see . When the carrot is hanging right in front of me, I¡¯m not able to hold myself back . Seems like I¡¯m even worse than horses . ¡±

    She was smiling as she said that . However, as opposed to her smile, she was very clearly emanating the intention to fight .

    In all likelihood, if a low-levelled person were to walk into the building, that person would not even be able to remain standing due to the intimidating aura emitted by her .

    She¡¯s not even a flugel . She¡¯s giving off that intimidating aura as if it¡¯s the most natural thing in the world . What is even going on with her?

    As she was clearly in a different leaguepared to all of my enemies in the past, this time alone, I would not be able to say that it would be an easy fight .

    It looked like I had to fully prepare myself .

    ¡°I¡¯ve waited too long for this moment... Just for this moment, I¡¯ve waited way too long . ¡±

    Bnash¡¯s facial expression distorted in anticipation of battle .

    Her beautiful countenance changed into a sharp evil expression and the ends of her mouth lifted to reveal her fangs .

    Her eyes shone a crimson red colour and her silver hair waved about violently .

    Matching that, I sharpened my consciousness, which caused everything in the environment to slow down .

    Even then, the feeling of the aura emitted by her did not change . This indicated that the stretch of time she was experiencing was on par with mine .

    ¡°¡ªNow, let¡¯s begin!¡±

    At the same time as she said that, she charged in .

    Just by taking a step, the floor which was under her feet shattered and exploded, resulting in the debris stopping mid-air .

    To rify, it was not as if the debris actually stopped in the air . From a third party¡¯s point of view, it would have seemed like Bnash had disappeared and the floor underneath her exploded . And even before a single second had passed, all the debris would have fallen back down on the ground .

    However, it was different for me . I was experiencing a perception of space and time where time itself was dted to the extreme limit, such that the debris which was a part of the explosion effectively stopped mid-air without falling back down, essentially isting me as I left the world¡¯s concept of time behind .

    I existed in a time and space which were no different from the state of stopped time . In this situation, only Bnash was able to move about nimbly, as she closed in on me .

    It¡¯s the same with the Demon King, but to think that they¡¯re able to so naturally keep up within the time (world) between time . <strong>[1]</strong>

    It seemed there was no falsehood in her being titled the strongest of the 7 Heroes . Needless to say, I was not joyful of this turnout .

    ¡°Tsk!¡±

    In response to Bnash¡¯s w attack, I grabbed her wrist to stop her and countered by kicking her feet away .

    The instant I thought that I had thrown Bnash off bnce, she kicked behind her, which caused me to quickly release her wrist as I flew backwards .

    In the space between me and Bnash, a cannon-like shockwave billowed through vertically, opening a massive hole in the ceiling .

    I wonder what happened to that ¡°the building won¡¯t even crack a little in most situations¡± thing... .

    Also, this was an extremely irrelevant thing, but because she had raised her feet around in front of me, I saw something I should not have even if I did not try to .

    ... . White, huh . A little unexpected .

    Anyways, wouldn¡¯t it be better if the skirt was a little longer?

    As I was thinking about such a stupid thing, Bnash¡¯s kick changed from a dropkick to an axe kick .

    Distance-wise, there was no way that it would hit me . However, there was no way that her attack was performed to merely make a whiff in the air .

    I took half a step to the side just in case, and as expected, a ck sh passed through the spot that I had just stepped away from .

    Magic... . ! Not to mention a high-powered one without using an incantation from her leg!

    However, I was not given any time to be surprised as Bnash had already moved on to her next attack .

    Something ck shone and condensed within her hand . Subsequently, what could be described as a torrent of darkness was released from her hand as an embodiment of destruction .

    A thickser? A destruction ray?

    It was a little troublesome to properly describe it in words, but it was effectively arge beam of light you often saw in mangas .

    As a result of me dodging the ray that travelled straight forward, it pierced through the building¡¯s wall and flew away somewhere .

    Ah... it¡¯s no good . This building¡¯s not able to withstand Bnash¡¯s power whatsoever .

    Anyways, to be on the defensive the whole time is kind of, you know? I guess this time, I¡¯ll try attacking her .

    I kicked the ground and closed the distance between us, then chopped at her with my hand .

    In retaliation, Bnash blocked the attack and thrust her finger to counter me . I side-stepped very quickly, however, Bnash¡¯s finger still scratched past my cheek, yet at the same time, I matched the timing of her counter by countering with a knee kick .

    Nevertheless, Bnash was able to stop that with her own knee, finally managing tond a swift punch onto my cheek .

    Notwithstanding that, I was able to avoid taking any damage by spinning my whole body and head,making her punch slip .

    Taking advantage of the centrifugal force, I tried tond the back of my hand on her, however, Bnash lowered herself and swiped at my feet by kicking close to the ground .

    Although I almost fell down, I ced my hands on the ground and pushed myself back up through the sheer physical strength in my arms . I kicked upwards towards her using the force I gained from the handstand andunched her upwards by connecting with her chin .

    However, she spun in mid-air and closed back in on me, and in return, I decided to receive her head-on .

    Both of our arms and legs moved about rapidly, and afteryers uponyers of feints, our fists collided in the middle .

    After being pushed back a little by the rebound, I switched into my next move .

    ¡°Psycho Compression!¡±

    For now, let¡¯s start with debuffing the enemy . This was just the fundamental basics .

    I applied telekinesis on Bnash and inhibited her movements, then tried to close in on her .

    However, faster than I could get close to her, she forcibly shattered the telekinesis spell into thousands of pieces and countered back by using her ws . [2]

    What the... howe you can¡¯t be restrained at all...?

    Although Ruphas thought as such, it was evident that Bnash was dyed even if it was for a fraction of an instant . As a consequence, her ws swung at empty air, again having the effect of doing nothing but destroying the walls and the floor .

    On the other hand, after I leapt into the air to avoid her attack, I moved around tond behind her .

    She turned around in a hurry, but it was just a bit toote . My crescent kicknded on her and sent her slender body flying .

    If she was one of the 7 Luminaries, it would have been certain death . Even if she was one of the 12 Heavenly Stars, she would definitely have taken significant damage from that attack .

    Notwithstanding that, Bnash halted the momentum mid-air andnded back down on the ground as if nothing had happened at all .

    She did... not show any indication of charging in at all .

    It seemed she was just testing the waters .

    As our perception of time returned back to normal, the initial debris which was created as a result of Bnash kicking the floor at the beginning of the battle fell to the ground .

    ¡°Hmm... I guess I should say it¡¯s to be expected . I thought I managed to quickly guard against that attack, but seems my arm was fractured . ¡±

    Whilst looking at her arm which was bent in a strange direction, Bnash smiled joyfully .

    In a battle for supremacy against an equal rival, to have one of your arms shattered was by no means an insignificant event .

    It was momentous damage which could end up deciding the fate of the battle right away .

    However, Bnash forcibly moved her arm back into its original position and started moving her fingers as if nothing had happened .

    The vampire race¡¯s regenerative ability? No, even if it was, it was far too quick .

    Looks like she¡¯s got some HP recovery equipment or something .

    But it¡¯s definitely good news that her arms broke from just that .

    However fast her regeneration is, her durability¡¯s definitely not that high .

    It¡¯s probably fine to think that I¡¯m stronger than her when ites to power and endurance .

    ¡°But considering you, that was definitely a soft attack . I¡¯m not too pleased with you holding back, you know . ¡±

    Bnash scowled at me as she said that with dissatisfaction .

    Holding back, huh......?

    Well sure, that attack was definitely not a skill nor buffed by divine magic .

    So if you asked me whether that attack was the best I could do or not, it definitely isn¡¯t .

    Having said that, I seriously put effort into that attack .

    Although that attack was not backed up by a buff or a skill, I had seriously kicked her without holding back .

    This was the same situation as the fight against the Demon King .

    Although I was fighting with all my might, from the opponent¡¯s point of view, they thought I was holding back .

    In other words, it signified that I was not at the point where Ruphas was two hundred years ago... and if Bnash was able to fight against the Ruphas from two hundred years ago on equal footing, I was in a very bad position in this battle .

    ... . Looks like I really don¡¯t have the leeway to be holding back, huh .

    I cast a status-increase buff on myself and as if to match that, Bnash also activated a skill to increase her own status .

    ¡°Next round! I¡¯ll see how long you can keep holding back!¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t have the intention of doing that, you know . ¡±

    Bnash flew towards me again, this time much quicker than before .

    Fast! Even for me, I was only able to see the shadow of her movement and barely registered that she had charged towards me .

    I quickly tried to guard the attack in response and when I did, I felt a heavy impact run through my arms from the other side .

    Although I tried to counterattack her, Bnash had already disappeared from my sight .

    When I thought that a silver ray ran past me, this time, I felt the impact from behind me .

    I was somehow able to guard against this attack using my wings, however... . . this is not good! I can¡¯t keep up with her movement!?

    From then on, it was clearly a defensive battle for me .

    As the silver ray of light moved about and continuously assaulted me from all directions, I could do nothing but barely guard against them .

    Even if I felt like counter-attacking, there was nothing that I could do because I was not able to keep her in my sight .

    Because I was able to barely keep track of her afterimage, I was somehow able to defend against her attacks in time . However, I probably would not be able to win the fight by just defending .

    As such, there was only one option that I could take .

    I predicted the uing attack, forewent the defence and threw my fist at Bnash¡¯s face, aiming to get an eye for an eye .

    As predicted, she stepped in at the same time to w at my cheek, however, in a test of power, I was above her .

    Notwithstanding that I was able to get away after taking a small amount of damage, Bnash went flying away quite easily and her beautiful face was drenched in blood .

    However, Bnashughed in pure delight and came flying back in towards me as the wounds on her face quickly regenerated .

    Oi... . Normally, people would be a bit more hesitant .

    Even though I had managed to counter her, she did not pay attention to it at all and continued with her onught .

    As I was getting cornered by her, I remembered the fight between the two magical beasts which I had just witnessed .

    That magical beast that looked like a weasel... if I recall correctly, it was called a Bavarine or something?<strong>[3]</strong>

    That guy... didn¡¯t mind its inferior status and fought against the bigger hippo without fear . And in the end, it ended up winning .

    There was nothing scarier than those who did not fear anything . The ones without hesitation were extremely troublesome because they did not care about what happened to themselves .

    After all, we often hear the idiom, ¡°the more cowardly you are, the longer you live¡± .

    I had absolutely no intention of rejecting that notion, and if anything, it was probably how things really were .

    Although the words ¡°brave¡± and ¡°courageous¡± sounded great, it could be taken to mean that those individuals merely unshackled themselves from their natural self-preserving limiters, therefore, it was only natural that they usually did not live for long .

    However, when it came to a one-off battle, there was nothing scarier than individuals who did not fear anything .

    And in all likelihood, Bnash was one such individual .

    Without a shred of doubt, she had entrusted her everything for this one single fight .

    The line, ¡°I have waited two hundred years for this¡±, was by no means an exaggeration . She truly believed that it would be fine to die right here and now .

    Therefore, regardless of whether she was to end up receiving an injury that wouldst with her for the rest of her life or end up dying, she could not care less .

    Until she died herself or I was killed, she would continue with the battle . She was standing in this ce with such a mindset .

    ... . . This person, without even needing to debate about it, is definitely the most troublesome enemy up to this date .

    ¡°Transmute ¨C [Winter of Swords]!¡±

    I transmuted a single sword and stabbed it into the ground .

    At the same time, countless des grew out from the ground and created a field of no escape which all simultaneously assaulted Bnash .

    Needless to say, I did not think for a moment that something like this would be enough to defeat Bnash, however, it would at least serve the purpose of allowing me to read her next movement .

    If she were to avoid the des, her speed would naturally decrease and if she were to break them, the location of the broken des would serve to tell me where she was .

    However, neither of those scenarios came to fruition and there was no figure of Bnash within the mountain of des .

    In that case, there was only one possibility . Without even looking, I leapt into the air and body mmed right into Bnash who was attacking me violently from above .

    As there was a swarm of des on the ground, it was very difficult to attack me .

    As such, the simplest way to attack me was from above, which also happened to be the safest ce at the moment .

    ¡°Ha!¡±

    I grabbed onto Bnash¡¯s arm and shot a kick right into her soft stomach .

    At the same time, I elbowed down on her back and pincered her between my elbow and knee .

    Blood spewed out from Bnash¡¯s mouth and even whilst I was feeling a little sorry for her, we flew up into the sky .

    After breaking past the ceiling, I continued to ascend straight up, eventually reaching a point where Mjolnir¡¯s buildings barely looked like small peas before rapidly descending back down .

    Adding to the fall speed, I threw her towards an area of ground away from the capital with all my might and activated a follow-up skill .

    ¡°Transmute ¨C [Hrungnir¡¯s Right Arm]!¡±[4]

    From the ground came rising up particles of sand and rocks, eventually reaching past even the clouds .

    Then, with the downwards motion of my arm, an enormous fist fell down after splitting the clouds .

    It was an enormous fist weighing ten tonnes given birth by the alchemist¡¯s skill .

    And that skill mmed right into Bnash without any mercy . With an ear-shattering sound, the ground caved right in .

    ¡°............¡±

    After finishing my attack, I inspected the enormous fist that I had created myself .

    So how¡¯s that? Is it over with that attack? Or did I go too far?

    It¡¯ll be for the best if she just stays knocked down though .

    Nevertheless, my expectations were quickly shattered as a crack started to run through the enormous arm .

    There was not even a need to mention who the one cracking it was .

    Eventually, after it waspletely broken, the silver-haired Vampire Princess came flying out from within, then stopped when she came in front of me .

    Looks like there¡¯s some effect, but... . her smile brimming with leisure is still there, huh .

    ¡°Just as I was expecting . It was quite a decent attack, but considering you, that was quite a soft attack . Are you unable to get serious with me as the opponent? Or is it that...¡±

    Bnash¡¯s eyes shone suspiciously as sheughed after showing her fangs .

    This is not good, I¡¯m having a bad feeling about this .

    ¡°¡ª you will feel like actually trying once I get serious first?¡±

    Yeaahh, there it is, she said it . That ssic clich¨¦, the ¡°I actually wasn¡¯t trying at all¡± line .

    Honestly, I knew something like this was gonna happen, dammit .

    __

    (Author note)

    Raising the curtains for the Ruphas vs B battle

    By the way, between when B first dashed in and ¡°I guess I should say it¡¯s to be expected¡± scene, not even a single second of timepsed .

    Of course, if an ordinary person were to have observed this fight from the side, it would have just looked like the two of them disappeared and ces here and there shattered and exploded randomly .

    During the time the rock was falling back onto the ground, there was: Kick ¡ú dodge ¡ú dropkick and then magic ¡ú dodge ¡ú chop ¡ú finger thrust ¡ú knee kick ¡ú back-handed p ¡ú ground kick ¡ú high kick tens of attacks exchanged ¡ú Psycho Compression ¡ú restriction negated ¡ú attack with a w ¡ú leap into the air to avoid the attack andnd at the back ¡ú high kick ¡ú B got blown away and stopped; are all the exchanges that took ce .

    Q: I don¡¯t quite understand what you mean by how things can be so quick that it feels like time has stopped .

    A: Please imagine Zell Dincht who¡¯s able to repeatedly use Rush Punch and Head Shock within the span of one second in the game, but is actually many tens of minutes of endlessly punching the enemy from the perspective of the yer . [5]

    Ruphas and B are individuals that are able to live in that domain of the perception of time .

 Chapter 99

    Chapter 99

    The feeling of intimidating pressure that I felt from Bnash continued to be amplified .

    Before I knew it, I was covered in cold sweat and was able to understand that even I was being overwhelmed by her aura .

    Things were getting so ridiculous that it was no longer even funny anymore . To think that I, who was usually in the position to use the Coercion racial skill, would be the one to be swallowed and oppressed under the pressure this time .

    Bnash¡¯s silver hair fluttered about as lightning and thunder split the sky .

    As if to answer what was happening, the sky, which had been enveloped in darkness, cleared to allow the moonlight to shine upon the whole of Mjolnir .

    Ordinarily, Mjolnir was enveloped by Bnash¡¯s arcane magic to prevent the sunlight from ever entering .

    However, because she had finally decided to get serious, the spell must have been undone .

    In other words, the long-standing mana that she had been expanding on the spell the whole time had returned to her . And worse yet... tonight was the night of the full moon .

    In other words, on top of the strength that Bnash had previously disyed, she was now further strengthened by the mana that she had just recovered and the power of the moon .

    Back in the game, the concept of getting strengthened during the night of the full moon was nothing but a background setting . To begin with, such a thing as ¡°the night of the full moon¡± did not exist back in the game .

    Within the game, however long a yer was to wait, the moon would always be a crescent moon, showing theziness of the developers .

    However, in this world, what was merely a background setting turned into a reality .

    The surge of magical power emanated by Bnash amplified to the extent where one could see it undte with their naked eyes; furthermore, it did not stop there .

    ¡°Mafahl . I¡¯m really grateful to you . If I didn¡¯t meet you, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to reach this point . So... this is the greatest form of respect that I can submit to you . ¡±

    No, no, it¡¯s enough, I¡¯m really satisfied already . Please, just forgive me already .

    However, as expected, such a weak-hearted thing would never havee out of my mouth . Aftering to this point, I was finally truly hateful of how this body prevented me from being able to say such a convenient thing .

    Oi, at least let me whine .

    ¡°Even if you don¡¯t feel like getting serious, it¡¯s fine . It just means that I¡¯m at the point where I fail to make you feel that way . Then, in that case, I¡¯ll let you see how far I¡¯ve gotten first ¡ª¡ª this ¡®world beyond level 1000¡¯ that you taught me in the past!¡±

    After saying that, a silver light enveloped Bnash .

    Eh? ¨C No, wait . Seriously, wait a minute .

    I thought level 1000 was the upper limit in this world?

    At the very least, from the knowledge that I possessed, level 1000 was as high as a character could reach . Beyond that, a character¡¯s stats could only be raised by doping items .

    However, I was sure that was not what Bnash was referring to .

    The magic power of Bnash continued to increase even more despite the fact that I already thought I was in a position to no longer be able to handle her . In the process, her silver hair became white-gold (tinum) coloured and her whole body started to shine with a silver hue .

    Oh, this is bad . I can¡¯t see her status, but I can feel it in my skin .

    This girl¡¯s seriously no good .

    Even though she didn¡¯t receive the divine protection of the Goddess, she just powered up even more than what¡¯s possible through the Goddess¡¯s divine protection . What is with this monster?

    ¡°Now, here Ie!¡±

    ¡°!¡±

    After saying that, Bnash vanished .

    At exactly the same time Bnash vanished, I felt an impact as if I was getting punched by something and I saw the background fly past me .

    It hurt because I was punched ¨C I understood what was happening as such .

    Although I quickly stopped myself mid-air and safelynded back down on the ground, I was unable to find Bnash¡¯s figure whatsoever .

    My perception of time was already dted to the extreme . Without a shred of mistake, everything around me was still .

    However, I was unable to find her . I was not even able to see the shadow of her afterimage .

    Was it implying that even though I was able to see everything around me still and stranded in time, Bnash was able to see my figure as still and frozen in time?!

    ¡°Ga, ha!?¡±

    This time, it was my stomach .

    Again, I felt an impact run through me . I felt the sense of pain as if I was getting impaled by something .

    Nevertheless, I was still unable to find the figure of Bnash who had attacked me . On the other hand, I could only blindly prepare myself for the uing attack like a clueless fool .

    How could this be...? Ever since I had gotten into this body, whatever was said, I had somehow managed to continue winning against everything quite leisurely .

    There were times where I had to put some effort in, but even then, I did not experience any major difficulty to the point that I would call it problematic .

    Notwithstanding that, I hadpletely lost track of my enemy¡¯s figure .

    Currently, I was no different from a scarecrow . I was unable to keep up with her speed and she alone existed in a higher dimension after shifting her speed gear up .

    Let¡¯s aim tond an eye for an eye counter ¨C even such an aim could not be done .

    At the moment, we had already gotten to the point where I could not even figure out where and how she was going toe attacking .

    Nevertheless, I could not continue to let her do whatever she wanted to me .

    Firstly, I would determine her movement!

    ¡°Transmute ¨C [Winter of Swords]!¡±

    I grew countless swords from the ground and restricted Bnash¡¯s movement .

    Now, without this ¨C

    ¡°Tsk!?¡±

    I was made to understand how shallow and short-sighted my thoughts were and how the gaps between the two of us had long passed the point of making such small tricks meaningless .

    Of all things that could have happened, every single de which I had just created on the ground immediately shattered at the same time and before I could guard myself, Bnash¡¯s punch sent me flying .

    During this state and before I could even re-posture myself or get time to breathe, I received an attack to my stomach, next to my back, then to my chin and my ribs . Many other continuous barrages of attacks descended all over my body .

    This is really bad, she¡¯s way beyond a joke .

    She¡¯s way too strong and way too fast .

    Right now, I can¡¯t even figure out or understand if I¡¯m getting punched, kicked or getting shot by magic .

    All that I can understand is that I¡¯ve turned into a sandbag to be one-sidedly assaulted .

    However you want to word it, this is what you call foul y . To begin with, what the hell is she talking about? What is this world beyond level 1000 anyways?

    I (ore) don¡¯t even know anything about that, you know?

    Ahh, in any case, she¡¯s actually really strong .

    Hey look, I (ore) got punched again . This time it was my shoulder .

    Oh, I know I just got mmed into the ground and got shot by magic on my back .

    I¡¯ve (ore) heard that she was strong, but honestly, if it¡¯s to this degree, I¡¯m quite stuck . I (yo) didn¡¯t think that you would actually have grown up to be strong to this degree .

    After all, from the first time I met you, you were already in a different leaguepared to the others . So the result of you aiming to reach higher as a result of meeting me is this, huh? Haha, how joyful .

    ... . Hmm? Wait, wait, what do I (ore) mean by the first time I met you? This thought process isn¡¯t me, but Ruphas, right?

    Oh, this is not good, I¡¯m getting punched so much I¡¯m losing consciousness . I even know myself that my memory and consciousness are getting muddied and disoriented .

    But strangely, I¡¯m not feeling irritated or frustrated at all .

    If anything, deep down, I¡¯m feeling honoured and delighted, inside of me .

    You¡¯ve done well to have gotten this strong .

    To have polished yourself up to this point, you have done a good job . Really, you¡¯re amazing .

    Honestly, you really make me want to bow to you .

    To be able to have reached this strength, an ordinary amount of effort wasn¡¯t enough, was it?

    Therefore, before I (yo) knew it, I (yo) wasughing .

    The oue of events was so joyful that I (yo) could not help but be pleased .

    Ahh, really ¨C

    ¨C I¡¯m (yo) really delighted, B . You have done well for yourself to have imed up to this point .

    *

    The atmosphere released by Ruphas changed .

    After Bnash promptly detected that change, she stopped attacking and quickly backed away to create some distance .

    Until this point, notwithstanding that she was the one attacking one-sidedly, she did not think for a single moment that she was in an advantageous position .

    It was because she knew . She knew that Ruphas Mafahl was nothing insignificant like that when she was serious .

    The arch-rival that she had feared, adored, chased after and wished for simply could not have been a weakling like that .

    Therefore, she was convinced that there would definitely be a time when Rupahs ¡°arrived¡±... and in fact, Ruphas had finally decided to show her real ability .

    ¡°So it¡¯s finally arrived...!¡±

    ¡°... . . Indeed . ¡±

    Ruphas stood up whilst adorning a rxed smile and took a nce at Bnash before turning to survey the surroundings .

    While Ruphas was looking around, she was giving off that nostalgic feeling, thus Bnash felt a sense of strange confusion . However, she quickly switched her thought process .

    The only thing important right now was what was happening right here and now .

    The fact that Ruphas had finally decided to get serious... as long as such a reality existed, it was enough for Bnash .

    ¡°As I was expecting, it was you, huh . The one to smack me awake . ¡±

    ¡°What... . ?¡±

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s nothing important . I was just daydreaming a little . Until now, I was stuck in a dreamlike state, you see . Well, all things considered, it ended up turning out the way I predicted it would turn out . ¡±

    Ruphas took a step forward .

    Matching that, Bnash unconsciously took a step backward, allowing her to recognise that she was instinctually fearful of Ruphas .

    That¡¯s right, this is that Ruphas Mafahl . The arch-rival that I respected and feared .

    There¡¯s no way Ruphas Mafahl can be anything else .

    Bnash bolstered herself mentally and took a step forward as if to cover for the instinctive step that she took which seemed like a step to run away .

    ¡°Thanks to you, I¡¯ve woken up . The way you woke me up was a little extreme, but it was just the perfect amount for me who was daydreaming . I believed that if it was you, you would smack my head to help me wake up . It was worthing here, after all . ¡±

    Ruphas smiled refreshingly and joyfully as she spread her ck wings wide .

    ¡°Aries and Scorpius wouldn¡¯t have been able to do this . They¡¯repetent, but they could easily have been managed by the sleeping me when I turned around in my sleep . ... . . Looks like I really must thank you, B . ¡±

    Both of Ruphas¡¯s hands were coated with mana .

    The concentration of divine power and arcane power increased as they interacted with each other and they circted around Ruphas .

    There was no mistaking it . The current Ruphas waspletely in the mood to smash things out .

    The once supreme ruler who had ruled the entire world, the ck-winged overlord, has once again graced me with her presence .

    In response to that gracious feeling, Bnash¡¯s mouth distorted and she once again moved at a speed which could be mistaken for the speed of light .

    ¡°Tsuaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡±

    After releasing a warcry, she challenged Ruphas with her greatest speed and might .

    It was different from how she had been probing things out like she previously was .

    It was, without a doubt, the greatest amount of might that she had and a truly serious attack .

    If it was an ordinary person, let alone understanding what was happening, they would have ceased to exist without even being able to figure out that they were attacked . The speed was almost no different from the speed of light .

    The attack that she used had once split the continent, along with the magical beasts and demons living on it, into two .

    The Vampire Princess¡¯s whole-hearted attack caused a permanent fissure on the, yet ¨C Ruphas stopped it with just a single fingertip .

    ¡°!?¡±

    Ruphas¡¯s hair fluttered and just from the shockwave of the attack, fissures ran along the ground behind her .

    However, the fingertip which had directly stopped the impact of the attack did not even have a single scratch on it nor was a singleyer of skin torn .

    After an instant of stiffness, Bnash had already moved onto her second attack .

    I knew it already . I predicted and foresaw it already .

    That¡¯s right, my opponent¡¯s that Ruphas Mafahl . The strongest individual in existence and the only individual whom I determined to be worthy of trying to surpass .

    So it¡¯s only natural that she can do something like this .

    It¡¯s only natural that her ability is this high .

    A wall so high that I can¡¯t see the end, a wall that looks impossible to climb over .

    But it¡¯s because it¡¯s this high that it¡¯s worth climbing over . It¡¯s because it¡¯s this high that it¡¯s worth challenging!

    ¡°OOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo!!¡±

    Stronger, faster, sharper!

    Bnash attacked furiously like a blizzard with her magic-imbued ws .

    However, Ruphas was able to stop every one of those shes and did not suffer a single injury .

    Against that Bnash, Ruphas smiled gently then ced her hand onto her forehead ¨C a finger flick .

    As Bnash felt that her head was about to burst open, she was blown away . She then barely managed to spin around a few times in mid-air andnd back down safely .

    What power... . Even when it¡¯s a full moon?

    Bnash wiped away the blood that was flowing out from her forehead while her mouth distorted to form a smile as if she was possessed .

    I¡¯ve waited too long... yeah, I¡¯ve waited an eternity for this .

    This is a wall worth oveing . This is worth challenging .

    I¡¯m not winning in a fight that I know that I am going to end up winning .

    I¡¯m in a fight where I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯m going to win... . No, I¡¯m challenging an enemy that I almost know for certain that I have no chance of winning against .

    This is what it means to battle . This is what the word ¡°challenge¡± means .

    Right now, I can feel it in my skin that I¡¯m the challenger without a doubt .

    Yeah, I feel a little mortified . But above all that, I feel happy .

    The one that I¡¯m aiming to surpass is definitely an outrageous person . That fact makes me feel blissful .

    ¡°As expected . You won¡¯t lose the will to fight, huh . ¡±

    ¡°Of course . If I was going to lose my will to fight from just that, I wouldn¡¯t challenge you in the first ce . ¡±

    Ruphas, who felt joy in Bnash¡¯s undying will for their battle, nced over her own status once .

    [Ruphas Mafahl]

    Level 3000

    Species: Flugel

    ss level

    Warrior 200

    Swordmaster 200

    Grappler 200

    Champion 200

    Monster Tamer 200

    Alchemist 200

    Ranger 200

    Strider 200

    Acolyte 200

    Priest 200

    Esper 200

    Psychic 200

    Mage 200

    Sorcerer 200

    The Archenemy 200

    HP: 18 050 000

    SP: 72 290

    STR: (Strength/Attack power): 46 600

    DEX (Dexterity): 29 250

    VIT (Vitality): 40 900

    INT (Intelligence): 34 900

    AGI (Agility/Speed): 42 334

    MND (Mindpower): 34 650

    LUK (Luck): 27 840

    Equipment[1]

    Head: ___

    Right Arm: ___

    Left Arm: ___

    Body: Dress of Heaven¡¯s Empress

    > Immunity from all status debuffs

    > Auto HP Regeneration

    Foot: Boots of Swiftness

    > Increased movement speed in battle

    Others: Overcoat of the Seven Luminaries

    > 50% damage reduction from all elemental attacks

    ... . . 80%... . no, about 70% of the original, huh?

    After Ruphas checked her own stats, she was able to recognise that she had yet to fully recover .

    Nevertheless, she judged that it would not be a problem to fight against Bnash .

    Fundamentally in this world, level 1000 was the upper limit that an individual could reach .

    That was the highest possible limit set by thewsid down by the Goddess . As long as one followed her rules, it was impossible to go beyond that point .

    However, Ruphas had surpassed that limit . In other words, it signified that she had broken through the rules of this world created by the Goddess herself .

    Additionally, this was not a phenomenon limited to just Ruphas . Bnash also stood in a simr domain .

    This reality was what made Ruphas joyful .

    [The Vampire Princess Bnash]

    Level 1500

    Species: Vampire

    ss level

    Grappler 200

    Champion 200

    Assassin 200

    Strider 400

    Mage 200

    Sorcerer 200

    Necromancer 100

    HP: 705 000

    SP: 31 430

    STR: (Strength/Attack power): 26 112

    DEX (Dexterity): 10 787

    VIT (Vitality): 14 305

    INT (Intelligence): 14 318

    AGI (Agility/Speed): 42 001

    MND (Mindpower): 11 295

    LUK (Luck): 10 282

    Equipment[2]

    Head: Tiara of the Moon

    > Auto HP Regeneration

    Right Arm: Usurper¡¯s w

    > Absorbs enemy HP upon attacking

    Left Arm: Usurper¡¯s w

    > Absorbs enemy HP upon attacking

    Body: Vestment of Immortality

    > Auto HP Regeneration

    Foot: Boots of ck Shadow

    > Evasion chance increased by 100%

    Others: Overcoat of Moonlit Night

    > Auto HP Regeneration increased by 100% during night time

    * Vampire exclusive item

    Just by looking at Bnash¡¯s status, Ruphas was easily able to understand that Bnash was not ridiculing her with the intention to challenge her .

    Although Bnash¡¯s status did not reach as high as Ruphas¡¯s, she was able to leave the restrictive boundary specified by the Goddess .

    Notwithstanding that Bnash was enjoying the boost from the full-moon night, herbat prowess was nothing short of splendid .

    It was no wonder the demon race was unable to pass her .

    How would the bunch of existences who were bound to live within the realm specified by the Goddess be able to pierce past Bnash who had surpassed that?

    She was now a qualified individual . She had already taken possession of the right to challenge the Goddess into her own hands .

    Notwithstanding that, if Ruphas was to be asked whether Bnash could already defeat her, the answer would be no . Furthermore, Ruphas had no intention to let Bnash win either .

    However, to just win simply against that Bnash, who had waited 200 years for this moment, would be unfair to her .

    Therefore, there was only one thing that Ruphas could do .

    To use all of her might to the very limit, without holding back, without mercy, and to utterly annihte Bnash with the best of her ability .

    That was the greatest show of respect and the greatest form of courtesy .

    ¡°Be honoured, B . You¡¯re an opponent that is worthy of me giving my best . So in respect to you, I will also be fighting using a weapon that¡¯s worthy to be used against you . ¡±

    Ruphas muttered an honestpliment without any lie and held her hand up .

    And the power formed in her hand was of both divine and arcane nature .

    She caused the two types to sh with one another, distorting this world to create a hole in the space which was created by the Goddess .

    The hole in the space then turned into a gate and connected to create a temporary pathway to another location, effectively turning the distance between the two locations into zero .

    ¡°X-Gate ¨Ce, my weapon . ¡±

    The supreme ruler¡¯s summoning .

    In ordance with thatmand, the Mafahl tower, which stood in the far distantnd, started to rumble .

    __

    (Author note)

    Sei: ¡°........................ . Why is it that people in this world wanted to try and fight against people like these?¡±

    [Breaking past the limit]

    This time, the limit break used by Ruphas and Bnash is like a form of skill, therefore it is not as if they are usually over level 1000 all the time .

    Therefore, ordinarily, the 12 Stars are also usually level 800 .

    Putting things into another perspective, whilst Ruphas is like this, Aries and the others are level 1000 .

    (Strictly under the calction, they are at level 2100 . However, because they have not broken past the limit, they are stuck at level 1000 . )

    Aries: ¡°Oh, I suddenly became level 1000 . ¡±

    Aigokeros: ¡°Same here . ¡±

    Scorpius: ¡°Ahh, looks like Ruphas-sama decided to get serious . It was nice knowing you, midget-chan . ¡±

    Libra: ¡°Looks like she¡¯s won (already ¨C convinced) . ¡±

    Karkinos: ¡°With this me will also have more roles to y... . ¡±

    Dina: ¡°Nope, even if the level of the tank goes up, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s more roles to fulfil... . ¡±

    Karkinos: ¡°£¨¡ä?¦Ø?`£©¡±

 Chapter 100

    Chapter 100

    The countless number of equipment retrieved from the Royal Tomb of the ck Wings had been sent to the Mafahl Tower and were ordinarily only usable via Dina who was able to utilise X-Gate to bring those equipment to Ruphas¡¯s hand .

    At the very least, that was what Ruphas had believed until this moment and as a matter of fact, that was truly how things were .

    However, that preconception was overturned by none other than Ruphas herself .

    It was because the equipment in the tower were summoned to her hand without going through Dina due to the X-Gate which was activated by herself .

    The equipment which was called over was a set of two swords which acted as one weapon .

    One sword screamed of power but looked unrefined, while the shorter sword gave off a feeling of grace and looked elegant . Although the pairing looked mismatched with each other, it gave off the feeling of man and woman .

    ¡°Lifthrasir . [2] This is a legendary sword that was said would remain intact even if the world were to end . It¡¯s a treasure that¡¯ll be wasted if I were to use it against some random small-fry, but if it¡¯s against you, even this sword would probably be happy to lend me its aid . ¡±

    ¡°Nothing wille out of it even if you praise me, you know . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my honestpliment . You should ept it gracefully . ¡±

    Ruphas swung the swords around even though it was not the appropriate time to be doing so .

    Needless to say, Bnash was not a clueless idiot to be thinking, ¡°What is she doing?¡± whilst she saw this .

    In a battle like the one they were in, the concept ofmon sense was useless . If anything, it could even be said that the winner was determined by how and to what extent an individual could surpass this so-calledmon sense .

    Right after Bnash flew into the air, the ground which used to be below her shattered and the sh attack continued to fly into space beyond Midgard, eventually splitting a faraway asteroid into two . [3]

    However, the two had no way of knowing the coteral damage that happened elsewhere far away in outer space .

    They both kicked the ground to take a step forward and shed in the middle, causing a gale to blow away from them due to the impact .

    Bnash¡¯s ws and Ruphas¡¯s short swords smashed against each other and very quickly, Bnash who had lost in the contest of strength was blown away .

    Nevertheless, she quickly got back on her feet and struck her palm out .

    ¡°Luna Shooter!¡±

    ¡°Sol Bullet!¡±

    The ck torrent released from Bnash¡¯s palm and the mass of white light shot from Ruphas¡¯s finger shed with each other .

    In terms of power, both of them were approximately the same .

    However, [Luna Shooter], the arcane magic activated by Bnash, was a high-tier Moon attribute arcane magic and was one of the ultimate skills which was used to instantly kill an enemy using a massive amount of mana .

    On the other hand, [Sol Bullet], used by Ruphas, was a fundamental basic offensive arcane magic of the Sun attribute . It was of a lower tier than the one Bnash had used .

    The fact that the two of them were equal with one another signified the difference in the ability to handle arcane magic between the two of them .

    Furthermore, that sh did notst for a long time .

    It was because Ruphas came dashing through her own attack towards Bnash .

    Looking at this, Bnash clicked her tongue whilst thinking, ¡°What a troublesome sword¡± .

    A part of Ruphas¡¯s collection, a pair of swords: Lifthrasir .

    The longer magical sword Lif was able to slice through divine magic and therefore made it possible to attack the enemy directly whilst prating past their defensive barriers . The shorter divine sword Thrasir was able to cut through arcane magic and therefore effectively served as a powerful defensive anti-arcane magic weapon .

    Although, against Bnash who would not use divine magic, the longer ded Lif waspletely ineffective, making it nothing more than a sword that cut well, thus it served as a silver lining in all of this .

    However, if a question of whether it made everything well was to be asked, the answer would be no . After all, the one who was holding onto that sword was the strongest user in all of Midgard, Ruphas .

    When in her hands, even an ordinary knife would turn into a weapon which would be worthy to be called legendary .

    And in this case, that individual took hold of a weapon which was already ssified as legendary . As a consequence, the might and threat of that weapon did not need further mention .

    ¡°Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡±

    After screaming out a warcry, Bnash turned into a silver ray of light .

    Oveing even her own limits and ignoring the creaks from her joints, she continued to attack Ruphas from all directions .

    However, with a cool expression that aggravated Bnash, Ruphas deflected the attacks with her sword and did not end up suffering even a single scratch .

    Let alone that, from just a casual swing of the sword, Bnash¡¯s right arm was amputated from her shoulder .

    ¡°... . tsk!!¡±

    Bnash immediately picked up the severed arm and held it towards the open wound, forcibly regenerating everything .

    Afterwards, without the slightest bit of hesitation, she charged in from the front and using the remaining blood on her hands from the previously amputated arm, attempted to blind her enemy .

    She then circled around to the back and thrust her arm straight towards where Ruphas¡¯s heart would have been .

    But again, it did not hit . Whilst keeping her back where it was and only moving her arm, Ruphas blocked Bnash¡¯s attack with the de of her sword .

    Afterwards, Ruphas spun around and utilised the inertia to reinforce her kick on Bnash¡¯s chest tounch her up .

    The sound of Bnash¡¯s ribs cracking resounded and from her mouth spewed blood .

    Yet, she did not falter . Afternding back on the ground as if barely managing to avoid being uncontrobly mmed down, she held her palm out in front of her and released a barrage of arcane magic to rain down upon her enemy .

    Individually, her condensed mana bullets were dense enough to each destroy a city on its own . Yet she released hundreds to thousands of them whilst leaving no space for any maneuvers .

    However, even after such an attack, Ruphas was still unscathed! Flying out of the cloud of dust and cutting past the mana bullets, she ended up in front of Bnash .

    Then, without the slightest bit of hesitation, she shed! Bnash¡¯s upper and lower body were sliced off from each other .

    ¡°... . Tsk, don¡¯t look down on me!!¡±

    However, in that very situation, Bnash countered, directlynding a mana bullet on Ruphas .

    Additionally, it might be appropriate to call it an obsession born as a result of her long-standing strong feelings .

    Notwithstanding that the lower body was separated from the brain, the lower body moved on its own and kicked Ruphas away .

    In light of what had just happened, even Ruphas was astonished, causing her to open her eyes wide in surprise as she was blown away .

    Taking advantage of this interruption, Bnashbined the bisected upper and lower body together . Unfortunately, perhaps due to how much severe damage she had suffered up to this point, she ended up kneeling down for a moment .

    ¡°Just from this... won¡¯t fall from just this much...!¡±

    Who cares about the pain, who cares about the damage?

    I¡¯ve already determined that this battle¡¯s going to continue until one of us dies .

    This is exactly the once-in-a-lifetime battle that I¡¯ve long sought after .

    So, I can¡¯t be wasting my time on my knees . There¡¯s no room to stop and recover .

    ¡°As if I¡¯ll be done with just this!¡±

    Bnash did not even wait for her wounds to recover properly before charging in and starting her fierce attack again .

    Her attacks were by no means slow . They were neither weak nor dull .

    If anything, there was no one else in Midgard who could dish out attacks which were equally fast, equally strong and equally sharp .

    Each of her individual attacks in this countless barrage was more than enough to instantly kill those at the level of the 7 Luminaries and deal major damage to those at the same standing as the 12 Stars .

    She was, without a doubt, the absolute strongest existence amongst the 7 Heroes and one of the individuals who could be called the strongest in Midgard alongside the Demon King .

    However, even against an attack from such an individual, Ruphas was able to easily ovee it and counterattack, mming her feet down and breaking Bnash¡¯s neck .

    Even whilst rolling on the ground, the regeneration effect took ce . However, notwithstanding that Bnash stood back up, she was already out of breath and it was clear that she was heavily drained from everything that had happened thus far .

    Shit, I knew it already, but she¡¯s so far...! I knew ¨C knew that I wouldn¡¯t be able to win... but is she telling me I can¡¯t even contend with her properly!?

    She was happy that her arch-rival was strong . However, that aside, if she was unable to do something about the difference, it was already clear who the loser would be .

    She had issued a challenge whilst fully prepared to lose in the end, but it was not as if she wanted to lose .

    After all, her greatest wish was to defeat Ruphas and surpass her .

    Therefore, she wired her brain to think of a move that would lead her to victory .

    She had absolutely no intention of saying foul ys were unfair or cowardly, thiste in the game . Winning was everything .

    Attacks aiming for the eyes, feint attacks and surprise attacks, as long as there was a hand to y, she did not care what it was .

    She no longer paid any attention to what method she would have to use to win nor was she fighting against an enemy that she would be able to win against if she was worried about such a thing .

    It was fine to look unsightly, it was fine to look dirty and it was fine to look desperate .

    If it meant that she would be able to win against her opponent, there was no asset worth more than that .

    <That wish of yours, I shall grant it for you . >

    Boom, the heart rang loudly .

    The voice of a person whom she did not know, but certainly recognised, resounded . And suddenly, something was flowing into Bnash .

    That was ¨C power .

    It was exactly what she was wishing for just a moment ago . The move that would close the gap between herself and Ruphas .

    <You desired it, did you not? To win against her . If so, I will serve as your power . If it is you, you shall definitely be able to fulfil that wish of yours . >

    Just for a moment, Bnash saw a vision of a blue-haired beautifuldy in a dress .

    A woman, who gave off a strangely tranquil feeling, smiled warmly and Bnash saw a scene of herself getting hugged by thatdy .

    At the same time, Bnash suddenly overflowed with divine power all throughout her body . Power filled her entire being .

    Is this it? So this is the secret behind how the 7 Heroes won against Ruphas .

    She had always thought that everything was strange . She had always thought it was a mystery that even though there was such a massive difference between Ruphas and the 7 Heroes, the 7 Heroes were able toe out victorious .

    But finally, she understood . If it was like this, it was understandably no longer impossible to end up victorious .

    All the more, if it was her which gained such a power, it would enable her to fight against Ruphas on almost equal footing .

    With this... if I have this power, I¡¯ll be able to battle against her .

    As a consequence, Bnashughed at the situation and then opened her mouth .

    ¡°You¡¯re in the way . Scram . ¡±

    Bnash could feel that the owner of the voice was surprised by her response . However, she did not know why she was surprised to that extent nor did she care to want to understand why .

    This fight was hers . The battle that she had long continued to seek .

    And at the end of that battle, whether it be a victory or defeat, whether it be life or death, everything was hers alone .

    As if I¡¯ll even give a single millimetre of it away .

    What kind of a misunderstanding is this stupid woman under? Did she think for a moment that I would be happy with this?

    Did she think that everyone would get on their knees to pray, worship and say, ¡°Ah, thank you very much, Goddess¡± like fools or something?

    Know your ce . There¡¯s a limit to how impudent you can be . I¡¯ve never once called for an idiot like you nor have I ever had the need to .

    When did I ever say I needed your support?

    Since when have I ever wished for help from an insignificant idiot like you?

    That affectionate Goddess mask of yours and your hands that try to bless me are disgusting and make me want to puke . Don¡¯t you dare try to touch me, trash .

    The only one in this ce that¡¯s permitted toe in contact with me is her alone .

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? I¡¯ve said to scram already, Alovenus ¨C you third rate author!¡±[4]

    Bnash shouted out loud and silvery light overflowed from her body .

    At the same time, the power, which was seeping from her body, was extinguished and the divine power itself was blown away from her .

    I don¡¯t need it . I have no need for a fake power like that .

    Sure, I want to win against Ruphas even if I have to exchange my life for it, but if I have to win using a borrowed power like that, even dying would be better .

    In the first ce, winning like that is not your own victory . Even if a person were to win like that, it would merely mean that an individual that received the Goddess¡¯s power won and it would not be the individual¡¯s victory alone .

    I thought to win regardless of what kind of dirty tactics I had to use . I wished to surpass her even if I had to look unsightly .

    But I¡¯ve never wished to fall to the point of bing someone else¡¯s tool nor win using someone else¡¯s power .

    That¡¯s right, this battle is my fight . This stage is for just Ruphas and myself .

    As if I¡¯ll let someone elsee onto the stage .

    Even if that person is the Goddess, I¡¯ll kick her down and make her fall back onto the audience seat .

    The only thing a fool like you can do is observe . Just shut up and watch from the side, you out-of-ce Goddess .

    ¡°I¡¯ve made you wait... now, let¡¯s continue our fight . I won¡¯t let anyone else interfere . ¡±

    ¡°............ . . ¡±

    ¡°......? What are you looking like a fool for, Mafahl?¡±

    ¡°... . No, nothing . I was just thinking, you¡¯re quite an existence . I¡¯ve never once felt this much respect from the bottom of my heart like I do now, B . ¡±

    After hearing Rupha¡¯s honestpliment, Bnash¡¯s eyes opened wide then she started tough .

    ¡°What are you saying thiste in time? I¡¯ve always been quite an existence . If I wasn¡¯t, I would never have been able to call myself your arch-rival . ¡±

    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s right . You¡¯re certainly someone worthy of calling yourself my arch-rival . Just then, I felt that feeling being renewed once again . ¡±

    The two of them acknowledged each other and smiled at one another, creating a moment of stillness .

    But regardless of whatever happened, this was still a battlefield and they were still in the middle of killing each other . Therefore, the tranquillity did not continue tost .

    Although Bnash was drained, she moved resolutely towards Ruphas with a movement as sharp and as fast as she had been moving until now .

    Due to her own extreme speed, even her own body suffered as a consequence, causing blood to flow down from the corner of her mouth as she continued to strike at Ruphas .

    In response, Ruphas used pinpoint precision to guard, deflect and counter Bnash to send her flying .

    Then the follow-up attack . Ruphas mmed her feet into Bnash who had barely managed to get her feet back on the ground, shattering her ribs into pieces and shoving them into her organs, attempting to break her delicate body .

    Yet even then, the Vampire Princess continued to remain standing without falling down .

    ¡°¡ª not yet! I won¡¯t, lose, yet!¡±

    Bnash jumped up, gathering and amplifying all of her magical power in her two hands .

    In perception of the iing imminent doom, the whole of Midgard shook violently . Animals across the world trembled in panic and the Sword Saint, who was travelling together with Sei¡¯s group, became terrified and unable to move .

    Perhaps it was what you call an instinct possessed by those in the wild . They could subconsciously sense what was going to happen .

    Right now, in this time and space . A power that was more than enough to obliterate the entirety of Midgard was created .

    And on top of all of that, that power was within the hands of the woman who would fire it towards Midgard without the slightest bit of hesitation . They understood all of that instinctively .

    ¡°Along with Midgard... . Everything can perish¡ª!¡±

    From the hands of Bnash, a light gushed out, piercing into open space .

    Right afterwards, what peeked out from the sky was a single arrow .

    However, the size of that arrow was something stupendous . If it was the length alone, it was well over a few kilometres .

    All things considered, rather than an arrow, it might have been better suited to being called a spear... no, even if it was a spear, it was far too long .

    In any event, it was far too strong of a power to be called an arrow fired from a bow .

    ¡°[The Maiden Who Fires the Silver Arrow]!¡±[5]

    Bnash swung her arms down .

    At the same time, the greatest highest-tiered Moon attribute arcane magic, enhanced with as much power as possible, came charging towards the ground .

    What would happen to Midgard as a result of this attack was nothing but a throwaway thought to Bnash .

    Even if the whole world was to be destroyed, as long as she would be able to win against Ruphas, even just for the slightest moment, it was all fine for her .

    She did not care that she would die as a result .

    Nevertheless, in the face of an attack which could literally destroy the whole world, Ruphasughed without a care and then firmly settled down on the ground .

    Then, along with an ear-shattering sound, the silver arrow came dropping onto where Ruphas was currently standing .

 Chapter 101

    Chapter 101

    The silver arrow that could shatter Midgard approached the ground . As she watched it, Bnash was already preparing for her next move .

    I couldn¡¯t care less what Midgard ends up bing as a result of this skill .

    It was not a lie when she said she felt this way . But at the same time, she had the conviction that this would not happen . It was because Ruphas had Lifthrasir, which could cut through magic . If it was a normal person wielding it, it would be impossible to cut such a huge silver arrow, but the current wielder was not normal . It was Ruphas . Therefore, she will definitely cut it down .

    Bnash was convinced of this . But even if it was her, there was bound to be some kind of opening the moment she cut through the magic . Even if Ruphas understood this, she had no choice but to stop the attack . If she dodged it instead, Midgard would really be blown away .

    That very moment would be a good opportunity for Bnash . The time it would take her to cut the arrow would probably only be a moment, but this would absolutely be a good opportunity for Bnash . After breaking through her limits, this moment would be like several minutes to her .

    She could win¡ªby aiming for that moment when Ruphas was defenseless andunching an all-out attack!

    But Bnash¡¯s expectations were overturned in the next moment . Unbelievably, her sure-kill attack, which used all her magic power, stopped just before the ground . Ruphas stopped it with one hand,pletely killing off the momentum .

    ¡°What? With just one hand...!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m giving it back . ¡±

    Ruphas threw the arrow, while Bnash evaded it . After missing its target, the arrow pierced through the stratosphere into space and struck a distant which was evenrger than Midgard . It prated theary core, utterly destroying it .

    The attack was meant so that Bnash could create an opportunity to catch Ruphas off-guard, but instead, it was Bnash who was caught off-guard . A momentary stiffness . This was an opening created unconsciously . She was defenseless . It was less than one-tenth of a second in real time, but it would be enough for Ruphas to defeat her opponent . However, Ruphas did not pursue Bnash, letting the opening slip by .

    Was she holding back? Was she leaving some leeway? Or perhaps she was just beingcent? ...None of them were right .

    Ruphas wanted to show her respect to Bnash and decided to give her aplete defeat . Aplete victory required her to not make any surprise attacks on her opponent . She needed to face her opponent¡¯s full power upfront . Thus, Ruphas allowed Bnash¡¯s opening to slip by . She did not want a pointless victory by making surprise attacks on an opponent who was off-guard .

    Ruphas¡¯ face was turned violently ferocious . Her crimson eyes shone like a me .

    ¡°B . I will show you what ¡®Mana Transmutation¡¯ is . Rejoice...This is still an experimental skill . I haven¡¯t shown it to anyone yet . ¡±

    Alchemy worked on physical materials, but it was considered impossible to transmute using magic as a base material . To be precise, it was possible to transmute mana into materials, but it was pointless to do so since magic would eventually revert back into mana . This wasmon sense in alchemy . Anyone who dabbled in alchemy would know it .

    But Ruphas now knew that this information was not right . Transmutation using mana as the base material was possible . And proof of this could be found everywhere in the world .

    ¡°Transmute¡ªWinter of Wolves !¡±

    At Ruphas¡¯ deration, the surrounding mana coalesced and stabilized . It then took the forms of wolves and a pack of several hundred wolves charged at Bnash .

    Wolf-shaped magic? It was certainly so . Since magic turned mana into phenomena, it had to be magic . There was nothing surprising about it having the shapes of wolves . After all, there were magic in the forms of birds, beasts, and even humanoids . The Water magic Apsaras was one such example .

    What is this? Why does an existence created by mana have its own ego and attack ording to its own judgment? This is critically different from my own magic . In fact, these seem more like demons than magic .

    Bnash thought so, but this did not change what she needed to do . It didn¡¯t matter whether it was a demon or magic . She just had to kick all of them into smithereens!

    ¡°Do you intend to beat me with just this level of attack!?¡±

    A sh of silver dashed forth and the wolves were defeated one after another . The wolves were shed apart, losing their forms and reverting to mana . The mana then umted behind Ruphas . When all the wolves were defeated, the mana fully umted and formed a giant wolf . With a body no less than two hundred meters long, this giant wolf king was even bigger than Aries . It stared at Bnash and bared its fangs .

    ¡°Transmute¡ªThe Thing That Shakes The Earth!¡±

    Ruphasughed eerily as the god-eating wolf opened its maw .

    And roared .

    The unspeakable wolf¡¯s roar became a wave of destructive energy that swallowed Bnash . Her entire body was torn in an instant and an enormous amount of blood flowed . Only Bnash could have endured it without losing any of her body parts . If it had been anyone else, there would not even be any bones left .

    ¡°Gah...ha, ah...¡±

    However, she finally reached her limit and fell to her knees on the ground . Her heartbeats were annoying, her fingers were shaking, and her vision was bing blurred . She understood what this meant .

    Ah, I have reached my limit . If possible, I want to make one final blow . But it seems I only have enough power left to make a full-power attack .

    As she thought this...Bnashughed involuntarily .

    Oh, it¡¯s the same . It¡¯s the same situation as thest time .

    It was like this two hundred years ago . She was cornered to the point where she had to gamble it all with one final attack in an attempt to reverse the situation . At that time, some boring people got in the way, but it was different this time . Bnash put all her remaining power into her right arm and looked straight at her nemesis .

    ¡°...Let¡¯s go, Mafahl . Let¡¯s end it with this attack . ¡±

    ¡°...Oh, yes . Come on then, B . ¡±

    She spoke the same line as before . Ruphas understood and replied in the same manner . That beckoning gesture was also the same asst time, making it both hateful and endearing .

    Now then, the stage that I longed for is right before me . The continuation of that day is finally here .

    Bnash¡¯s expression distorted in delight as her eyes burned with a deep red color .

    ¡°¡ªOh!¡±

    Regardless of victory or defeat, this would be the end!

    By burning even her life-force, Bnash¡¯s attack was like a meteor . She charged straight at Ruphas at her maximum velocity, faster than anything she had ever been able to reach even in her several hundred years of existence .

    On the other hand, Ruphas also went straight ahead . She decided against using feints and raised her right arm to receive the attack upfront .

    Their arms crossed and fresh blood danced between them .

    The one bleeding was...Ruphas . Bnash¡¯s all-out attack tore into her shoulder, leaving behind a wound that was not shallow . But unfortunately, even though it was not shallow, the wound was not deep enough either . Although she was bleeding profusely, the wound did not reach her bone . Ruphas could easily recover from a wound of this extent .

    On the other hand, Ruphas¡¯ sword had pierced Bnash¡¯s heart . The sword served as a plug, preventing excessive bleeding . However, anyone could see that it was a fatal wound .

    In other words...the victor had been determined . Bnash could not defeat Ruphas . She was relieved . After realizing this fact, Bnash smiled with a sense of self-ridicule .

    ¡°¡ªStill couldn¡¯t reach you, huh?¡±

    In her heart, she felt that it was frustrating and mortifying . After all, it was the first time ever in her life that she had a goal and the first time she ever had a rival . Yet in the end, she still could not surpass her even once . Until her final moments, she was only ever chasing after Ruphas¡¯ back . With a plop, her arms dropped down as her body lost its strength .

    ¡°...Are you satisfied? B . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool . Losing is the worst . All that remains is a lingering attachment . ¡±

    Her eyes could not see anymore, yet strangely, she could hear Ruphas¡¯ hateful voice clearly .

    Are you satisfied with this?

    As always, it showed how much leeway she always had . But that was the kind of person Ruphas was . If Bnash got angry over it every time, there would be no end to it .

    ¡°...Ah, but...I feel like my heart has gained closure . It¡¯s not bad . ¡±

    ¡°You just said that it was the worst . ¡±

    ¡°Shut up . ¡±

    She copsed as her legs lost their strength . However, her body was embraced by Ruphas . Bnash no longer had the strength to push her away, so she simply entrusted herself to Ruphas .

    It seems my vitality is ending here .

    She had a lingering attachment, but there was no regret . This was a battle in which all possible oues were epted, a fight that she yearned for . And it had finally been realized . The result was disappointing, but she certainly felt that she was alive right at that moment .

    So...yeah, it wasn¡¯t bad .

    Although it was only for a short while, the time that had stopped for her finally began to flow again . Even if it was just for a few moments...it was still more fulfilling than the two hundred years that she spent in stagnation .

    ¡°Mafahl...Did you know that this would happen?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t I say it before? That I will definitely return . ¡±

    ¡°Hmph...Stupid...You made me wait too long!¡±

    Despite the hateful words spewing from her mouth, Bnash could not stop smiling . In her mind, she recalled the old days spent with the people whom she acknowledged¡ªAlioth, Dubhe, Phecda, and Mizar .

    Now that I think about it, those days weren¡¯t so bad .

    Even while vowing to have a rematch with Ruphas, she stood by her as they fought for world domination .

    They were considered to bepanions as well as rivals to her, the fearsome Vampire Princess . That was why she could not forgive any form of betrayal . That was why she was angry at them . She did not regret not helping them . They simply reaped what they sowed . She did not intend to apologize or repent .

    But...yeah . I¡¯ll forgive them somewhat . Now that I think about it, I don¡¯t really hate them .

    ¡°Hey . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°...Hold me a little tighter . My body feels like it¡¯s fading away . ¡±

    ¡°...Oh, I understand . ¡±

    Alioth and the others have already passed on . This time, it¡¯s my turn . That is all there is to it . There¡¯s some kind of fluid in my mouth . It¡¯s probably blood, but I can no longer taste it .

    Bnash forcefully swallowed it . Her consciousness felt distant and she realized her end was near .

    ¡°Mafahl . Do you really think you can change the world? This is the yground of the Goddess...We¡¯re no different from the magical beasts in the arena . The Goddess looks down from the distant heavens to see us struggling . How are you going to fight someone like that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m collecting various hands to y . Everything is going well now . The Goddess may also be preparing various things...Well, there¡¯s no problem . After all, I have some talented subordinates . ¡±

    Ruphas said as she thought of her subordinates . They would surely do well . Since she had such confidence and trust, she could allow herself to y the role of the Goddess¡¯ toy and clown, continuing to dance to her tune . Although she was awake now due to a little shock, she would soon return to slumber again . And then, she would wander about like a sleepwalking patient with sleepy eyes, baiting the Goddess to let down her guard .

    ¡°In particr, ¡®she¡¯ is talented...If it is Ophiuchus, she would certainly do well . ¡±

    ¡°...I haven¡¯t heard of her . Aren¡¯t there thirteen people in the Twelve Stars if you include the Twins?¡±

    ¡°She is the thirteenth star that even the Twelve Stars are unaware of . Two hundred years ago...No, she started taking actions on my orders even before that . I¡¯m here in this way right now because she was able to outsmart the Goddess . ¡±

    ¡°So everything is in the palm of your hand? I don¡¯t like this . ¡±

    Bnash muttered in annoyance, yet she was relieved in her heart . Truly, the person she regarded as her rival was a terrifying being . To be able to outsmart the Goddess and make her dance in the palm of her hand, she was such an abominable woman . That was why she could think: It¡¯s fine...She won¡¯t lose to the Goddess .

    It was rather frustrating, but she could not imagine her losing .

    That¡¯s fine . Don¡¯t lose to anyone . You should continue acting like who you are...Just be the absolute powerhouse that I admire . As long as you do that, it would all have been worth it .

    ¡°Mafahl . ¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ever lose . Now that you¡¯ve won against me, if you lose to someone else, I¡¯ll beat you up even if I have toe back from the underworld . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry . I won¡¯t lose . ¡±

    Ruphas¡¯ forceful response brought a sense of satisfaction to Bnash . A few seconds of silence passed between them, then Bnash spoke once more .

    ¡°Hey, Mafahl . ¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Did I...manage to be your rival?¡±

    ¡°What a stupid question . You¡¯re the one who has ever chased after me so far in order to defeat me . Perhaps, you are the only one who understands me the most . ¡±

    ¡°...I see . ¡±

    Bnash did not reveal her thoughts regarding Ruphas¡¯ reply . However, one could somehow discern that she was happy . A few secondster, Bnash spoke again .

    ¡°Hey, Mafahl . ¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Are you still there?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be here until the end . Don¡¯t worry . ¡±

    Her consciousness was finally drifting away and she was losing sense of her body . It was almost time to say goodbye...Bnash felt the truth of this strongly . But still, it wasn¡¯t bad, if the ce to die was in the arms of her rival .

    ¡°Hey, Mafahl . ¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°.........¡±

    ¡°...Thank you . ¡±

    ¡ªThose were thest words she uttered .

    Thereafter, Bnash did not speak anymore nor did she move . Ruphas gentlyid Bnash down and pulled out the de stuck in her heart . She cleaned her body using healing divine magic .

    Her sleeping face was full offort with a gentle smile that she rarely ever showed . Gently stroking her hair, Ruphas pondered .

    Just as Bnash saw Ruphas as her goal, Bnash was Ruphas¡¯ goal . When she was still immature, the Vampire Princess was already known as the strongest humanoid . Along with the Dragon King, Demon King, and Lion King, she reigned as one of the four powers .

    Ruphas, who was still weak at that time, wanted to be just like her . She strongly yearned to be powerful like the Vampire Princess, repelling all irrationalities and not losing to anyone . Bnash wondered if she was considered a rival by Ruphas, but that was incorrect . It was Ruphas who thought so first . Ruphas was the first to see Bnash as a rival, aiming to be just as strong .

    ¡°I¡¯m the one who should be thanking you . If it wasn¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t be this strong...Thank you, B...Rest in peace . ¡±

    She said her words of farewell and raised her head . There were ten vampires, possibly Bnash¡¯s subordinates, standing nearby . She could tell at a nce that none of them were ordinary people .

    Their levels...Even the weakest is Level 500 . They¡¯re probably survivors of the battle from two hundred years ago .

    As Ruphas recalled, Bnash challenged her alone two hundred years ago . She also did not participate in the fight against the Demon King . In other words, the elites from that time were left behind until now . But even so, they were no match for the current Ruphas . If she wished, she could kill everyone in the blink of an eye .

    ¡°You must be Ruphas Mafahl-sama?¡±

    ¡°Yes . Are you Bnash¡¯s subordinates?¡±

    ¡°We are not her subordinates . We are her tools . All of us had dedicated everything to her . ¡±

    ¡°She was rather adored, wasn¡¯t she?¡±

    The vampires looked upon the peaceful, sleeping face of Bnash and gently carried her body . Then, they lowered their heads deeply to Ruphas .

    ¡°Thank you, Ruler of the ck Wings . You have fulfilled your promise to our master . ¡±

    ¡°...You don¡¯t hate me?¡±

    ¡°This is what our master wanted . Be it victory or defeat, life or death...We would always prioritize the will of our master . ¡±

    Despite saying so, they were probably feeling conflicted inside . One vampire standing in the back clenched his fist until it was dripping blood, while another vampire tapped on his shoulder .

    ¡°Our master is surely satisfied...That is...our...greatest pleasure . ¡±

    ¡°...You don¡¯t have to force yourselves . ¡±

    ¡°!!¡±

    As Ruphas said this, the vampire who was bowing previously raised his head and struck with his fist . But before it could hit Ruphas, another vampire grabbed his arm and stopped the attack . At that moment, he opened his eyes and realized that he was being rude . Perhaps, this was the result of being unconsciously driven by anger . He immediately lowered his head and held his fist tightly .

    ¡°Excuse me . Please forgive my rudeness . ¡±

    ¡°Apologies, but we will be taking our leaves now . We must conduct a state funeral for our master . ¡±

    The vampires turned their backs on Ruphas and flew away . They did not even look back once, but it was obvious that their eyes would be full of hate and grief . This was because...the eyes of the vampire whoshed out earlier were bleeding tears of blood .

    ¡°...She was very much adored...Truly . ¡±

    Ruphas muttered and picked up the twin swords on the ground . She started walking through the wastnd caused by the battle to rejoin Dina and the rest .

    However, her footsteps were somewhat heavy .

 Chapter 102

    Chapter 102

    Hi, Ruphas here.

    Currently, I¡¯m thinking back on what happened earlier as I fly over to regroup with Dina and the others. Although my memory of what happened after I was beaten to a pulp by Bnash is kind of vague, I distinctly know that I have defeated Bnash.

    But what was that earlier? Actually, I know what happened. When I was cornered by Bnash, the real ¡°Ruphas¡± probably came out and defeated her. I can understand that much.

    What I can¡¯t understand is why do I feel like I was the one who did it? I wasn¡¯t watching from a third-person perspective while someone else was controlling my body. I wasn¡¯t sealed away while the real Ruphas fought. That was...actually me. I was the one who did it.

    How should I say this? ...For example, if a guy gets drunk and bes bold enough to do something he normally wouldn¡¯t do, it¡¯s still something he himself did and not the result of a dual personality. It may be a bit confusing, but if I have to forcefully make an analogy, it would be something like this.

    At that time, I also pointed at myself and said, ¡°I was asleep.¡± And more urately...How do I say this? I remember waking up back then. My consciousness became clear and I felt as if my shackles had been removed. This has happened several times so far. This was particrly noticeable when I was fighting Scorpius. Back then, I was taking pleasure in the fight itself.

    I¡ªI¡¯m gradually losing myself.

    Is it assimtion? Or am I being absorbed? In any case, I have changed a lotpared to the moment I came to this world. There was something strange right from the beginning. Even though I lived in the peaceful nation of Japan, it was disconcerting to find myself killing living creatures so easily.

    Although I no longer know how many times it has been, I once again feel that my initial thoughts were too naive. I thought I still had some time, but it was ridiculous. Perhaps, from the start...I never had time. If it continues like this, I don¡¯t know what will happen to me when Ruphas fully wakes up.

    Will I be assimted as before? Or will I bepletely taken over and disappear? This state is probably not what the Goddess intended. Since she considers Ruphas to be a disturbance, she probably won¡¯t be happy about her awakening. Is this a blunder of the Goddess? She wanted to seal off Ruphas¡¯ strong will, yet she prepared a weak cover like me...If this is true, then the Goddess is too dumb.

    Besides, what did I say when I was fighting Bnash?

    ¡°Everything is going ording to n.¡± ...I certainly said that back then. What exactly is going ording to n? What was I thinking to say something like that? Even though it was me, I myself do not know.

    Who...Who exactly am I?

    ?

    Let¡¯s turn the clock back a little.

    Acting independently from Ruphas, Aries and the others rode in Tanaka and approached Tyrfing. Although they were concerned about their master, they felt that since it was her, she wouldn¡¯t lose to Bnash. She had not fought seriously since her return, but that was only because there was no opponent that required her to take things seriously. Therefore, if Ruphas became serious, it would be impossible even for Bnash to win.

    It was exactly because they had absolute trust in her that Aries and the others were able to continue pushing on towards their goal of defeating Leon despite being distracted by what they had left behind.

    ¡°We can see it now! It¡¯s that ce that¡¯s surrounded by a wall, right?¡±

    ¡°I have detected many biological signatures...They match snakekin, giants, and bugkin...There¡¯s no mistake. This is Tyrfing.¡±

    After seeing a city surrounded by city walls through Tanaka¡¯s window, Aries shouted out. Libra further confirmed it. Tanaka transformed into its flying mode and flew into the sky. They looked down on the streets of Tyrfing from high above.

    The fortified city was divided into several districts by walls, separating the areas inhabited by various demi-humans. As a result, the residence of ntkin, such as dryads, was a forest, while the district for merfolks on the other side of the wall had holes filled with sea water.

    It was a horrible mess when seen from above. In the city center, there was an unnecessarilyrge castle that seemed to be showing off its presence. In all likelihood, Leon was in there.

    ¡°Now, what should we do? Do we enter?¡±

    Karkinos looked at everyone and asked. However, Libra and Dina spontaneously waved their hands, rejecting the idea.

    ¡°No. The castle may have traps set by Sagittarius. There may be traps in the city too.¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no need to fight in the enemy¡¯s territory.¡±

    The opposition had Sagittarius, a trap specialist, and he should be expecting their arrival. So was there any need for them to step into his territory? There was no need to step into it if they already knew there would be a trap.

    After making that decision, Libra transformed her right arm into a cannon and stepped out of Tanaka. After seeing this, the others realized what she was going to do and moved onto Tanaka¡¯s roof.

    ¡°We know where they are, so there¡¯s only one thing to do...That is a preemptive strike!¡±

    Libra aimed the cannon at the castle. In her vision, a red icon marked Leon¡¯s location in the castle. A target lock-on marker was disyed as well as the shot¡¯s uracy. At the same time, Aigokeros increased his magic power, Dina raised her hands, and Aries created a me in his hand. Scorpius took a deep breath, while Karkinos just stood there with nothing to do.

    ¡°The Right Scale (Zubenelgenubi), maximum output, fire!¡±

    ¡°Die! Deneb Algedi!¡±

    ¡°Aqua Judge Gavel!¡±

    A familiar sh of destructive light emitted from Libra¡¯s arm, while a ck wave was released from Aigokeros¡¯ hand. Dina¡¯s magic created a massive amount of water which crashed into the castle like a gavel used by a judge. It was a rather big gavel though.

    ¡°Mesarthim Version Three!¡±

    ¡°Graffias!¡±

    Aries generated and shot a huge fireball, which he named Version 3. It seemed he was aware that it was being used in a way different from its intended purpose. Meanwhile, Scorpius exhaled a poisonous breath called Graffias. The breath system was originally a skill used by dragons, but since she was the queen of poisons, poisonous attacks were her specialty.

    On the other hand, Karkinos regretfully had no opportunity to act. His special skill, Acubens, was a counter skill that would activate after he was being attacked, so he must wait for the opponent to attack first. And that was his only offensive skill. If Karkinos could not activate that skill, he could only make normal attacks.

    Among his other skills, there was Tegmine which could increase his defenses. When he was incapable ofbat, Altarf could be activated to double the damage output of his allies, even breaking through the damage limit.

    In order to attract physical attacks to himself, he could use Asellus Borealis...Ruphas would say that it¡¯s just a skill that could alter the enemy¡¯s target. Asellus Australis, on the other hand, attracts magical attacks to himself.

    These were the main skills of Karkinos. It was obvious that none of the skills in his lineup could be used to attack at will. He was definitely excellent as a wall, but he was merely a scarecrow in a situation like this. That was why Crab-san had no role to y now.

    While Karkinos was busy being an ornament, the attacks of Libra and the others struck the castle, causing a huge explosion. Fortunately, Dina deployed a shield around the castle, significantly reducing the damage to other parts of the city. However, it was a catastrophe inside the castle itself.

    Anyway, this was the first strike. Most of the traps in the castle should have been destroyed. However, the opponent was Leon, the strongest male of the Twelve Heavenly Stars. Such attacks would not be enough to kill him, so everyone began preparing for another attack.

    ¡°Fire again. Use long-ranged attacks to shave away Leon¡¯s endurance.¡±

    If he was too proud toe out of his castle, then it was fine. All they had to do was to turn the castle into his grave. Having made such a judgment, Libra aimed once again, but her expression turned grave in the next moment.

    ¡°Tsk, he¡¯sing! Everyone, spread out!¡±

    Libra gave themand and everyone flew away without question. Immediately after, a man jumped out of the castle with tremendous pressure and broke through the roof of Tanaka. However, gravity pulled him down and hended on the ground.

    He was a huge man over two meters tall. He shook his reddish-ck mane-like hair and stared at his formerrades with eyes of a carnivore. He was wearing a ck skin-tight bodysuit, while his lower half was covered in torn trousers. He raised the edge of his mouth into a smile.

    ¡°Yo...Aren¡¯t there a lot of nostalgic faces?¡±

    If he were to be described in as few words as possible, it would be¡ªa mass of muscles. With well-developed biceps, steel-like pectoral muscles, and eight-pack abdominal muscles, he looked significantly different from the good-looking members of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, such as Aries and Karkinos. Although he was not ugly, he was certainly out of ce among them. One could say that he was full of manliness, but it was more like the ferocity of a wild beast. Comparatively, the adventurer Jean and the mercenary Gants appeared far more rational.

    A centaur with thick facial features, Sagittarius, stood next to him. Just one of them would have been enough, but the two of them together was simply overwhelming. As if saturated with the smell of manly sweat, the ce seemed to be filled with masculine odor. Why did Ruphas make Leon¡¯s humanoid form like this? Even though the other Twelve Heavenly Stars were made up of good-looking people, these two seemed to be emanating masculinity in a bad way.

    ¡°But...Ruphas didn¡¯t evene...This looks like it¡¯s gonna be a boring fight.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you dare say that? You¡¯re just a traitor!¡±

    Against Leon who spat those words out, Aigokeros became enraged and covered his body with ck mana. Despite seeing him transform from an old gentleman into a goat-headed devil, Leon was unmoved. Instead, he seemed to be beckoning Aigokeros toe at him.

    ¡°You¡¯ll regret this!¡±

    Aigokeros charged and punched Leon in the face. The punch¡¯s shockwave sted the trees behind Leon away. However, Leon did not change his expression, merely staring coldly at Aigokeros without turning his head.

    ¡°What is this...? Isn¡¯t this a rather lukewarm punch...? A punch should be thrown like this!¡±

    Roaring, Leon¡¯s punch struck Aigokeros in the face. With that alone, the magical beast known as the Devil King was blown away, crashing through the city wall. His momentum demolished countless buildings as he flew into Tyrfing and vanished.

    ¡°Eh, Aigokeros!? You!¡±

    Agitated that his close friend was struck, Aries jumped and delivered a kick at Leon¡¯s thick neck. Leon evaded it with only a slight movement and readied a punch to counterattack. However, Scorpius was faster, using her hair to wrap around his arm and sealing his movement. Then, the sting at the tip of her tail pierced Leon¡¯s neck and delivered her poison.

    ¡°Hahaha. Be more careful, Idiot-san. You should know the effects of this mistress¡¯ Sha skill. Once poisoned, its effects cannot be removed except by using an elixir or the highest-tier divine magic. It doesn¡¯t matter how strong you are...You are finished.¡±

    ¡°Oh? ...And?¡±

    ¡°Ha? And...the poison won¡¯t disappear.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡±

    Leonughed and grabbed the hair entwined around his arm. Then, he said as if he wasn¡¯t even affected.

    ¡°You¡¯re the idiot! If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯d all be fine if I just kill all ya bastards before the poison fully takes effect!¡±

    He pulled her hair and mmed his fist into Scorpius¡¯ belly. This was followed by the ominous sound of something breaking as fresh blood flowed from Scorpius¡¯ violet lips. As soon as Scorpius was blown away, a crashing sound was heard from a faraway ce beyond where the eye could see. Seeing this, Aries couldn¡¯t help but be fearful.

    He was truly strong...!

    He was unbelievably and simply strong!

 Chapter 103

    Chapter 103

    ¡°I suggest you stop getting ahead of yourself, Leon.¡±

    Libra¡¯s eyes shone and a curtain of light formed around her. Aries and Dina, who were present earlier, were excluded from the field. Only Leon, Sagittarius, and Libra remained in that location. Seeing this isted space, Leon and Sagittarius instantly realized what was going to happen.

    ...It¡¯sing! The greatest destructive power among the Twelve Heavenly Stars had buried countless warriors in the past!

    White light converged on Libra and she shone like a star. The light expanded and pulsated.

    ¡°Brachium, activate!¡±

    The star exploded. An even more vibrant light ran through and vited the field of light. It was like a storm of light. Colorful particles scattered, prating all defenses. Neither divine magic nor skill was meaningful. Brachium was ced at the top of all abilities and took precedence without exception. In other words, once this skill was activated, the target would surely die if it did not have more than 100,000 HP. It was a cheat among cheats. Ruphas once said, ¡°In terms of attack power, it may be higher than me.¡± This was a violence of the upper allowable limits, reserved for defense of the Goddess¡¯ Sanctuary.

    And that vortex of light¡ªwas easily ovee by Leon.

    ¡°!¡±

    ¡°Warm! Ain¡¯t it?¡±

    Leon extended his steel-like arm, while Libra crossed her arms to defend. Her steel arms received the impact, which caused cracks to appear. With just one punch, Libra¡¯s body was blown away and the field of light scattered.

    Brachium certainly worked. The damage was actually inflicted. However, it wasn¡¯t enough as Leon probably had too much HP. As if he did not care about it at all, Leon shortened the distance between himself and Libra. On the other hand, Sagittarius was barely conscious and could be seen using an item out of the corner of one¡¯s eye.

    ¡°Oh¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Tsk!¡±

    Libra jumped to evade Leon¡¯s second attack and stopped in mid-air. Truly, despite being a rotten traitor, he was still the strongest among the Twelve Heavenly Stars. He couldn¡¯t be challenged with a straightforward approach. In that case, she would need to show all her cards as well. Having arrived at that conclusion, Libra called for her new armament which had been approved by her master beforehand.

    ¡°Armament Selection! Astraea!¡±

    In response to Libra¡¯s call, the golemuncher in faraway Blutgang opened and steel wings flew out. The armament named Astraea rushed to Libra¡¯s side at supersonic speed and provided fire support by shootingsers at Leon, who was about to jump.

    ¡°Oh!?¡±

    Surprised, Leon was shot down as Astraea turned in the sky. This was followed by a second and a third shot. Thesers from the cannons checked Leon¡¯s movement. Of course, Leon would not be defeated by such attacks. However, while he was distracted, Libra and Aries closed in on him and delivered a de attack and a ming kick respectively. Seeing this, Leon dodged the kick, but received a cut to his forehead. There was slight bleeding from the cut skin, but the wound itself was shallow.

    ¡°Annoying!¡±

    He sent Aries flying with a counter-kick and thetter¡¯s delicate body crashed into the city wall. However, his continuous punches at Libra were evaded by a paper-thin margin and Libra gained some distance between them. In addition, she fired rays from her eyes while retreating, hitting Leon in the back and causing him to be even more irritated.

    Taking this opening, Libra flew into the sky and Astraea moved over her. Its shape changed as if it was folding and a red line connected Astraea to Libra.

    ¡°Link!¡±

    The golem that was specifically constructed for Librabined with Libra in the air. Astraea¡¯s cannons hung over Libra¡¯s shoulders while two more guns pointed forward at her waist. Finally, Astraea deployed her wings, giving Libra three pairs of steel wings.

    ¡°Combinationpleted...Here Ie!¡±

    ¡°What the hell is that?¡±

    ¡°It seems she has acquired a new battle mode since west met.¡±

    Libra aimed the four cannons and her right arm at Leon and Sagittarius, staring down at them sternly. Both opponents were of the Twelve Heavenly Stars. Half-powered attacks would not be sufficient. In that case, there was only one way to do it...by using maximum firepower to destroy them!

    ¡°Maximum firepower...All cannons released...Full fire!¡±

    Libra unleashed a sh of destruction...from her right arm, her shoulders, her waist, and her eyes. Aiming at seven locations, seven rays of destructive light shot towards Leon and Sagittarius. Both of them barely dodged the attacks, but the firing did not ur only once.

    With only slight dys, the two of them were repeatedly bombarded. One shot after another, this was the first field test of the destructive weapon. The incessant bombardment was not ineffective, even against Leon.

    Clicking his tongue, he jumped to deliver a kick at Libra. However, Libra had gained greater mobility bybining with Astraea. She instantly evaded Leon¡¯s attack by increasing her altitude and counterattacked with all her cannons.

    ¡°Tsk!¡±

    Leon turned in the air andnded, looking up at Libra cautiously. Leon would win in terms of pure fighting power, but theirpatibility was bad. Although he would not lose, if this continued, he would only be wasting his stamina. Since he did not know when Aigokeros and Scorpius would return, he could not afford to focus all his power on Libra alone. Furthermore, Scorpius¡¯ poison was slowly shaving away his stamina, thereby increasing his anxiety.

    As for Aries, whatever was fine. He was originally a fodder monster that was no different from trash. No matter how strong a trash monster became, it would still be trash. He was a prey whose existence as one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars was unnatural to begin with. Such a person could not possibly be a threat. Therefore, whatever was fine with him.

    As for that blue-haired girl watching in the corner...Leon wasn¡¯t sure what to make of her, but it would probably be fine to leave her like this.

    ¡°Sagittarius!¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    At Leon¡¯s shout, Sagittarius drew his bow. Leon grabbed the unreleased arrow by the tip and looked up at Libra. His well-trained hand did not even bleed when holding on to the arrowhead.

    ¡°Alnasl!¡±

    Sagittarius activated his sure-hit skill and the arrow instantly reached Libra. The unavoidable arrow hit Libra¡¯s nk, but this was not the actual attack. While grabbing the arrowhead, Leon had moved together with it.

    ¡°!?¡±

    ¡°Gotcha!¡±

    Leon¡¯s right fist pierced Libra¡¯s shoulder, shattering the cannon. Although Libra fell towards the ground with that attack, she managed to recover and fly again at thest moment. But Leon pursued further, blowing her away with a cannon-like kick.

    After being blown away, Libra prated the city wall and crashed into the city itself. Even though it was his own city, Leon crashed through the houses to deliver a finishing blow to Libra. It was impossible to evade and her defenses would be easily prated. Just as she was in danger of destruction, someone interrupted and took Leon¡¯s punch with his face instead of Libra.

    ¡°Wh¡ªWhat...!?¡±

    ¡°...Tsk, tsk, tsk. Have you forgotten about the existence of me, Leon?¡±

    His sses broke and the punch¡¯s shockwave caused a depression in the ground behind him. Yet, the person who received the blow was unshaken and was simply standing there with a rxed smile.

    ¡°You can have it back! Acubens!¡±

    With an elegant form, Karkinos delivered a high kick. But this was not just a kick. It was a counterattack that was imbued with Leon¡¯s own attack power. This time, Leon¡¯s huge body left the ground and was blown away. While crashing through the buildings along the way, Leon willfully repositioned himself andnded on the ground. However, Karkinos rushed after him.

    ¡°You bastard! You¡¯re just a useless crab that can only wait for an enemy to attack!¡±

    ¡°Yes! Yes! Yes! Indeed, me can only do that. But because me can only do that...me won¡¯t lose to anyone when ites down to that!¡±

    Karkinos made a series of attacks at Leon using scissor des that he retrieved from somewhere. Of course, they were ineffectual against Leon, serving only to annoy him. But that was enough since that was the aim all along.

    Leon kicked Karkinos in the chin, causing him to leave the ground for a moment. Then, immediately after that, an even more powerful kick hit Leon¡¯s chin, sending him flying into the sky. Karkinos followed up by jumping after Leon.

    ¡°Bastard!¡±

    ¡°Leon, stop! Don¡¯t attack!¡±

    Ignoring Sagittarius¡¯ advice, Leon struck with his steel-like arm. The beating sent Karkinos¡¯ body spinning, but the centrifugal force added to the counter, which struck Leon in the face and sent him spinning as well.

    Defense specialization. Karkinos would never make a powerful attack himself. Indeed, he couldn¡¯t do it in the first ce. His only offensive skill depended on the enemy¡¯s attacks, thus he was unsuitable for offensive roles. It wasn¡¯t really a lie to say that he was useless. In fact, he was the only one among the Twelve Heavenly Stars who couldn¡¯t do anything when they were going on the offense. He ran too slowly, couldn¡¯t attack from afar, and did not haverge area attacks. There was only one thing he could do¡ªwait to make a counterattack. That was it. However, this allowed him to demonstrate unparalleled power when facing opponents like Leon.

    Karkinos approached Leon, who was knocked down on the ground. Leon red at him with murderous intent, channeling all his strength into his fist. Defense? Counterattack? He didn¡¯t care about that. If it was hard, he would simply use even greater violence to smash it.

    ¡°Oh¡ª!¡±

    Karkinos was struck by a storm-like series of attacks¡ªpunch, back fist, knee strike, elbow strike, upper kick, drop kick, roundhouse kick, and double sledgehammer. He was struck down and then hit up, pushing the very limits of violence.

    Karkinos¡¯ neat face was smeared with blood in an instant and his body bent back to a great extent. However, his mouth was raised slightly into a smile...In the next moment, Leon paid the price for his reckless violence with his own body.

    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡±

    Punch, back fist, knee strike, elbow strike, upper kick, drop kick, roundhouse kick, and double sledgehammer. He was struck down and then hit up! Leon¡¯s previous attacks were returned exactly as he delivered them. This time, it was Leon who got bloodied.

    The damage Karkinos had received was certainly not light. Even if he had the hardest defense, it was impossible to be unaffected by Leon¡¯s attacks. But at first nce, he seemed to have the advantage by doing even more damage to Leon. Finally, he kicked Leon into the ground andnded gracefully.

    ¡°Hay! Come on!¡±

    While looking down at Leon on his knees, Karkinos taunted him further by beckoning with his finger. Furthermore, Dina, who had merely been watching so far, activated her recovery divine magic to fully heal Karkinos. With this, even a battle of attrition by shaving at each other was no longer an option for Leon. In an instant, the situation had reversed.

    Thinking that the situation was worsening, Sagittarius wanted to move to provide support, but he was stopped by a cannon which was pressed against the back of his head. He knew without looking that it was Libra.

    Furthermore, Aries finally stood up while stumbling. An illusory giant goat and a monstrous scorpion also appeared in the city. Both of them, who had recovered, were full of murderous intent, havingpletely forgotten that they were oncerades. After looking at them andughing bitterly, Karkinos dered suddenly to Leon.

    ¡°Checkmate. The victor has been determined, Leon.¡±

    Hearing those words, Leon could only clench his teeth.

 Chapter 104

    Chapter 104

    Once, he believed himself to be the strongest.

    There was nobody who could match him since the moment he was born. He was born to be at the summit of all magical beasts. The power he was born with was different. The position he was born into was also different.

    In terms of both basic ability values and their upper limits, he¡ªLeon¡ªwas born worlds apart from the others. The creatures around him naturally revered and followed him as their king. In turn, Leon epted it as a matter of course.

    Because I¡¯m strong, it¡¯s natural for them to obey me. I can do whatever I want with these lower lifeforms, since my strength grants me absolute authority.

    He had never thought of other magical beasts as hisrades. He was at the pinnacle while they were just lower lifeforms. He believed this from the bottom of his heart. In fact, due to the difference in power, nobody could disagree with this...No, the ones who disagreed were killed and eaten by him.

    Was it arrogance that resulted from an overly-high self-esteem? Or perhaps a childish delusion that only he alone was different? No, he would deny both ims. It was simply the truth that he was above them from the beginning. That was all. Thus he asserted his dominance without reservation and indulged in unrestrained violence.

    There doesn¡¯t exist anyone who could fight me on an equal footing. Oh, what a joy it is to have such absolute superiority for being born the king.

    Since victory was predetermined, he just had to follow through the process to obtain it.

    ¡°We¡¯ll win. If we believe in this, it¡¯lle true. As long as we stand united to face the future, we won¡¯t lose to beasts.¡±

    He took pleasure in using simple violence to crush those people who spoke of such nonsense! Even if they believed and hoped for the future, the weak would still be weak and the trash would remain trash.

    Because of my absolute strength, no matter what those small fries do, they would never resonate with my heart. If you can¡¯t ept this, then stop me. But you can¡¯t, can you? Then that¡¯s all there is to it.

    In any event, Leon only saw everything other than himself as insignificant bugs. Therefore, he never felt remorse in his heart for what he did nor considered himself to be in the wrong. He never felt that he would lose and never met anyone who could challenge him. He never doubted that the situation would continue like this into the future.

    It seems that there¡¯s a Vampire Princess, Demon King, and Dragon King across the sea, but they are probably just small fries anyway.

    For someone who thought this way, the news was not surprising. When he heard that the Dragon King had been subjugated by a fl¨¹gel, he merely thought that a small fry had been defeated by another small fry and promptly forgot about it. But eventually, he came to recognize that it was a mistake to think that way.

    That same fl¨¹gel¡ªRuphas Mafahl¡ªinvaded his territory.

    It was his first experience. It was natural that one who dominated others by power could also be dominated by power. It was natural to be terrified of the enemy.

    Is this fear? Is this pain? Is this defeat?

    These things should never have crossed his path for his entire life, yet they were engraved into him by that woman in a single night. He knew he would win the battle, yet he did not win as he expected. He never imagined that he would be giving it his all to fight a losing battle.

    I won¡¯t admit this...I, like this, would be defeated by a woman!

    As a result, the battle ended with the defeat of Leon and he became a member of the Twelve Heavenly Stars under Ruphas. He was relieved that she did not finish him off, yet he was ashamed of himself for feeling this way. It was the greatest humiliation. For him, being ced in the same group as small fries like Aries was a disgrace that was equivalent to an execution.

    All of this is just infuriating. There cannot be anyone above me. I won¡¯t ept it.

    That¡¯s it. This humiliation must be returned. I won¡¯t forgive the existence of Ruphas Mafahl. Therefore, I will kill her myself. I won¡¯t let anybody else do it.

    This time, I¡¯ll utterly defeat her, push her down, and dye her beauty with fear for making me experience the pain of defeat. I¡¯ll bite her white neck while she fearfully begs for her life. I¡¯ll eat her without leaving any bones behind.

    Surely, at that time, I¡¯ll be the strongest once more. If onepletely devours that unbeatable woman, it¡¯ll surely give the same pleasure as being on top.

    For the first time in his life, Leon had a distorted desire.

    He was the only one who was different among the Twelve Heavenly Stars. He did not revere nor admire her. Instead, he hated her and held a grudge. He swore that he would kill her one day.

    His behavior seemed simr to Bnash¡¯s, but their secret feelings werepletely opposite. Essentially, Bnash¡¯s attack on Ruphas was a perversion of love. On the other hand, it was pure hatred and murderous intent for Leon. It was different from the warm, familiar feeling given off by Bnash.

    Therefore, he could not ept that ending. He could not forgive her for disappearing on her own after defeating him.

    I¡¯ll kill you. I should have been the one to kill you, right? Yet you ignored that and lost in a battle on your own. How can I regain my pride now after losing to you?

    After losing sight of his goal, Leon abandoned his ce as one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars and spent his time idly. However, a recent event moved him to take action. He was merely eating the adventurers and demons who ventured too close, yet the magical beasts saw him as their protector.

    When he finally noticed the creatures that he didn¡¯t care about, such as bugkin and snakekin, they were revering and exalting him as their king. The situation was the same as before. The surrounding creatures were willingly bowing to Leon¡¯s absolute strength.

    This doesn¡¯t feel bad at all. That¡¯s right, I¡¯m the king, an incarnation of power that others willingly follow even if I don¡¯t do anything on my own. It was only natural that this is the case. What is strange is the situation until now.

    He thought so and allowed them to join him. Actually, he didn¡¯t care about the rights of demihumans and the definition of humanoids. He simply wasn¡¯t interested. Despite this, he needed to have a generous heart.

    And then he thought, ¡°That¡¯s right. If I take over the world, wouldn¡¯t that mean I have surpassed Ruphas?¡± He wouldpletely rule over and dominate this world which even Ruphas couldn¡¯t aplish. If he could do this, he would have surpassed Ruphas. Since Ruphas was no longer around, he couldn¡¯t do so by fighting her. Therefore, he must prove that he had surpassed her by doing what she couldn¡¯t do.

    But¡ª

    But what is happening? Let alone Ruphas who returned recently, why am I being cornered by the Twelve Heavenly Stars, who are merely her subordinates? Why am I being pressured by these small fries?

    I don¡¯t like this...I don¡¯t like it at all from the bottom of my heart.

    ?

    ¡°Damn! It¡¯s another thing if it¡¯s Ruphas, but why am I being cornered by low-grade trash like you guys...?¡±

    Leon forcefully raised his blood-soaked body and red at his formerrades. Comrades...? No, he never once thought of them that way. Everything other than himself was a lower life-form, therefore he never had a sense of camaraderie.

    The truth was that he was strong. If he were to fight one-on-one against anyone here, he could ovee any disadvantage inpatibility and achieve victory. He could even have forcefully overwhelmed Karkinos by virtue of the difference in their constitutions. However, if Dina¡¯s recovery was added to the mix, there would be nothing he could do. Even if he tried to attack Dina to stop her recovery, he couldn¡¯t break through Karkinos¡¯ interference. Furthermore, there were Libra, Aigokeros, and Scorpius to consider.

    He was strong, very strong. However, no matter how strong he might be, the opponents were a group of monsters that transcendedmon sense, the Twelve Heavenly Stars. No matter what they did, it would be impossible for Sagittarius and Leon alone to win this.

    ¡°Shut up, it¡¯s annoying.¡±

    Then, there was a ck sh of light. Aigokeros unleashed Luna Shooter, a Moon-attribute arcane magic, at Leon and blew his body away. A giant-sized Scorpius grabbed Leon with her pincer and mmed him into the ground.

    Sagittarius couldn¡¯t do anything to help, since a ruthless cannon was still positioned right at the back of his head. No, even if he could move freely, could he really provide support? At least, it did not seem like Libra would allow him to turn the situation around.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I can¡¯t hear the words of a trashy person who even lost to trash. I didn¡¯t think that a pile of shit like you, who betrayed Ruphas-sama, would bark like this!¡±

    Scorpius screamed hysterically and swung her pincers down again and again. Each time, the ground shook and caved in. There was not a speck of mercy or forgiveness between formerrades. Her world revolved around Ruphas. Every decision was made based on Ruphas as a criteria. Therefore, she no longer considered the traitor Leon to be arade. He was just an annoying magical beast.

    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that so!? Say something, hey!? Everyone thinks so too, right!? Since Ruphas-sama is absolutely right, those who would bare their teeth at her must be absolutely bad!

    Why doesn¡¯t this idiot understand such an obvious truth!? Oh, I see. You weren¡¯t thinking at all, right? Is that why you don¡¯t even understand something so obvious!?

    Come on,e on,e on! Scrape your filthy head against the ground and apologize to Ruphas-sama! Admit that you¡¯re apletely horrible idiot and beg for forgiveness!

    Come on what are you doing speak up I can¡¯t hear you are your ears rotten just because you¡¯re a little strong you think you can be patronizing I¡¯ve really hated you since a long time ago oh yes won¡¯t it be good if you don¡¯t exist right that¡¯d be all fine right oh why didn¡¯t I think of something so simple before but it¡¯s okay since it¡¯s still not toote right now I¡¯ll reduce you to minced meat and then Ruphas-sama will pat my head and praise me¡ª¡±

    ¡°...Oh...¡±

    Karkinos held onto his forehead as he looked upon Scorpius, who was ranting something iprehensible while hysterically attacking Leon. Normally, he could still hold a conversation with Scorpius, but once she went berserk, there was no helping it.

    It¡¯s starting again.

    Everyone thought as they watched the giant scorpion dryly with a disgusted look on their faces. As they watched her go berserk, they even thought that perhaps her behavior back at Blutgang had nothing to do with being brainwashed by the Goddess. She was truly hopeless.

    Anyway, this was aplete victory. Leon might even be killed if the current situation persisted. They had to think about how to stop Scorpius. Leon was certainly a traitor, but he was still Ruphas¡¯ hands and feet and a member of the Twelve Heavenly Stars. His judgment had to be left to Ruphas herself. As her subordinates, they could not willfullymit an act that would be equivalent to severing her limbs. As such, they couldn¡¯t actually kill him, even if it was fine to leave him on the border between life and death.

    I won¡¯t admit it...

    As a result, they didn¡¯t notice that while Leon was being beaten up, his hate was increasing. Or rather, because he was recklessly being cornered, his rationality was no longer effective in holding him back. They should have known that there was at least one person who would see this as an opportunity.

    ¡ºDo you desire power?¡»

    His heartbeat quickened. A female voice resounded his eardrums with gentleness andpassion. His entire body felt an unprecedented power. This was what he wanted. The thing he was looking for was here right now. The power to surpass Ruphas was right before him.

    ¡ºYou are the strongest magical beast.Therefore, the current situation cannot be permitted to persist. If you so desire, I shall bestow power upon you.¡»

    An unknown, beautiful woman with blue hair appeared in his mind. She smiled and reached out to Leon. Needless to say, this was the Goddess¡¯ offering and an invitation to ruin. However, Leon simply raised the edges of his mouth.

    Power...Power! If he had more power, he wouldn¡¯t lose to anyone and he could even reach Ruphas¡¯s level. There was no need for pride. Power was absolutely everything. Weaklings wouldn¡¯t even be able to protect their pride, so Leon grabbed the hand without hesitation.

    ¡°No need to pitch the idea...Skip this pointless chatter and quickly give it to me! Power, gimme power! Absolute power that won¡¯t lose to anyone! Shut up and just give it to me!¡±

    ¡ºVery well. I shall grant your wish.¡»

    The Goddess smiled and put her hand on Leon. At that moment, Leon¡¯s body exploded with divine power.

 Chapter 105

    Chapter 105

    It happened suddenly.

    The game should have ended. The victor should have been determined.

    However, it waspletely overturned by a rude third party from outside of the game board.

    With the exception of Scorpius who was still hysterical, everyone sensed the danger in the unnatural, sacred glow emitted by Leon¡¯s entire body.

    ¡°This is bad! Move away, Scorpius!¡±

    Despite Libra¡¯s warning, the berserk Scorpius did not stop. She repeatedly mmed her pincer into Leon without noticing his changes, but it was no longer effective to Leon. Enduring Scorpius¡¯ attacks, Leon¡¯s body swelled up as he abandoned his human form. A mane reced his hair, which was like a red lotus. His entire body was covered in fur. Bing evenrger than Scorpius, he revealed the true nature of the ferocious king of magical beasts.

    This was the Lion King Leon, the strongest magical beast which stood alongside with the Dragon King, the Vampire Princess, and the Demon King.

    Before the Twelve Heavenly Stars who were stunned by his intimidating presence, Scorpius was swept away by his foreleg as if she was just a nuisance. With that act alone, the giant scorpion was easily blown away, crashing into the city and sliding further along the ground.

    ¡°Grr...oh¡ª!¡±

    The roar of a wild beast, devoid of reason, reverberated. His eyes, full of murderous intent, turned towards the Twelve Heavenly Stars. At the same time, Libra fired all of her cannons, engulfing Leon in an explosion.

    However, before the smoke even cleared, Leon jumped out and made a sudden attack on Libra and Karkinos, who was standing before her. As Libra and Karkinos were blown away, his hind leg kicked at the approaching illusory form of Aigokeros, dissipating it. Thetter¡¯s true form was then crushed beneath his feet.

    ¡°This! Mesar¡ª¡±

    Aries jumped and tried to use Mesarthim, but Leon simply nced at him like he was a bug and swept him away with his tail. Dina¡¯s golden sh struck him directly, but he was unmoved. A simple re was enough to send her fleeing through a gate in panic.

    ¡ªIt was getting out of hand.

    This was themon impression of the Twelve Heavenly Stars who were currently facing Leon. They knew what had happened as this had happened before. Like the previous fight with Scorpius, the Goddess had probably done something.

    But the problem was that Leon was the one who was empowered this time while Ruphas was not present. Leon was already strong, so if the power of the Goddess was added to him, he would surpass all of the Twelve Heavenly Stars here. He did not fear Libra¡¯s cannon fire and easily crushed Karkinos¡¯ defenses. Even the effects of the poison inflicted by Scorpius had disappeared.

    Leon breathed in deeply and aimed at the Twelve Heavenly Stars before him¡ªLibra, Karkinos, Scorpius, and Aigokeros. Only Aries, who had flown in a different direction, was not within range...Well, it didn¡¯t matter.

    It wouldn¡¯t be a hindrance even if such a small fry monster was left out. Leon¡¯s pride wouldn¡¯t allow him to consider it a hindrance. From his open mouth, he exhaled a breath that was as hot as a star, surging towards the Twelve Heavenly Stars.

    Even if it was the Twelve Heavenly Stars, it would be hard for them to take this attack head on. Therefore, what happened next was truly a life saver.

    ¡°Everyone, grab on!¡±

    Just before the roar reached them, they heard Sagittarius¡¯ voice. Then, the scorching breath passed over, leaving behind a tragic scene where only molten rocks remained. But there were no corpses left behind by the Twelve Heavenly Stars, so they must have somehow evaded the disaster. All that remained were Leon and Aries.

    ¡°Tsk. Sagittarius, you bastard...You¡¯ve betrayed me.¡±

    He clicked his tongue in annoyance and looked over to Aries. Thetter was ring at Leon, but he made no move to stand up.

    I know it already. The difference between his power and mine.

    Feeling instinctively frightened, he couldn¡¯t pull himself up. Leon looked at his posture and snorted.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good posture, Aries. You¡¯re a trash monster after all. It¡¯s only natural for you to appear frightened.¡±

    ¡°What¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it true? You were picked up by Ruphas, trained by Ruphas, and empowered by Ruphas. None of it was your own power. For a piece of trash like you to stand on the same level as us, it makes me wanna puke.¡±

    ¡°...¡ª!¡±

    He seemed to have lost interest in Aries, who couldn¡¯t even stand up. After saying that, Leon jumped away from the spot, leaving behind a cowardly sheep. Aries hung his head in regret, clenching his fists.

    How...how pitiful. I¡¯m well aware of it even if Leon didn¡¯t say it out loud.

    More than anybody else, he couldn¡¯t forgive himself. However, he couldn¡¯t stop trembling, which made him even more miserable.

    ?

    The clock turned back slightly to the time before Aries and the others came into contact with Leon.

    After separating from Ruphas and the others, Sei and hispanions traveled to the centaurs¡¯ vige on Suzuki, the camping car golem. Even though its interior was not as well-furnished as Tanaka, it still made their travelfortable to an extent that was previously unthought of. This reminded them of how unusual Ruphas¡¯ alchemy skills were.

    It would have been enough that they didn¡¯t have to walk on their own. They were certainly thankful that they could move towards their destination at over sixty kilometers per hour. Moreover, Suzuki was equipped with beds, a sofa, a simple bathroom, a toilet, and even a kitchen. Even aristocrats didn¡¯t have such a luxurious mode of transportation.

    There was the demi-dragon carriage, which was used exclusively by the royalty of L?vateinn. Instead of horses, it used demi-dragons to pull the carriage. Its interior was luxurious since it was used exclusively by the royal family. However, due to structural problems, the interior of the carriage could not be too big. It wasn¡¯t because the demi-dragons were too weak. It was simply that if the carriage was too big, it would be inefficient at turning to the point where it might even be dangerous.

    But Suzuki was different. Unlike a carriage drawn by horses or demi-dragons, it could turn by itself, so its maneuverability waspletely different. Of course, it still couldn¡¯t turn in ces that were too narrow, but at least it could do finer turns than what was possible for a carriage.

    ...Or rather, Suzuki could simply fly over ces that it couldn¡¯t pass.

    It was unbelievable, but once when it came to a rocky passage that it couldn¡¯t pass, Suzuki spread its wings and flew over it. It would also automatically repel attacking monsters. There was once when monsters appeared, they went out and readied themselves for the iing attacks, but Suzuki fired its cannon and blew them away.

    In other words, there was no need to even fight those monsters that were weaker than Suzuki.

    By the way, Suzuki was at Level 350, which was even higher than Virgo¡¯s level.

    What would this mean?

    If it was a monster that even Suzuki couldn¡¯t win against, Sei and the others wouldn¡¯t be able to win either. At that time, they could only leave it to Castor. This meant that they would have no role to y in any event.

    ¡°A¡ªAmazing, this vehicle called Suzuki...It¡¯s even faster and morefortable than the demi-dragon carriage used by royalty. Even though I have heard that there are automobile golems in Blutgang, they were nothing like this.¡±

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s even a bathroom, toilet, kitchen, and beds. It¡¯s truly everything one could ask for. As a mercenary, I¡¯ve traveled all over the world, often riding in horse carriages and demi-dragon carriages. Even so, I¡¯ve never had such an easy trip.¡±

    Cruz expressed a genuinepliment about Suzuki¡¯s all-inclusiveness, while Gants was simrly impressed. Apparently, a camping car was a vehicle that was made with super-high level technology that was unknown and undreamed of by them. In fact, they were not wrong. After all, this was a vehicle that was made based on Earth¡¯s technology, which was much more advanced than that of Midgard. If Midgard were to develop this on its own, several hundred years wouldn¡¯t be enough for its technology to reach this level.

    ...Well, that would be true if Mizar, who created Blutgang, was excluded from the considerations.

    ording to Ruphas, Mizar was simply a perverted alchemist cheat with something wrong with his head.

    ¡°Hey, Cruz-san. Do you think we can buy this? If Ruphas wanted to, she could probably just make another one. Let the country fork out one million eru or so...If we have this, the difficulty of the next trip would be different.¡±

    ¡°No, Jean-san. Its creation looked easy probably because its maker was Ruphas Mafahl, but this would probably be equivalent to a masterpiece. At merely one million or so...if it¡¯s ten million...no, but the budget...¡±

    Everyone else was impressed by Ruphas¡¯ skill in making this mobile golem, but Sei maintained a troubled look on his face. Certainly, it was amazing. If one were to ask about itsfort, it was definitelyfortable.

    But...But why was it a camping car!? Why was something that should exist only on Earth being produced here?

    And its name...Wasn¡¯t Suzuki that Suzuki?

    Cruz and the others seemed to think that Suzuki was the name for this kind of vehicle, simr to a horse carriage and demi-dragon carriage. But they were wrong. It was the name for this specific camping car and Ruphas knew it as well.

    In fact, when Sei asked her about it, she responded naturally and asked, ¡°Would you have preferred a truck instead?¡±

    Indeed, as she herself said, she knew about Earth. She knew about Earth¡¯s technology.

    In addition, it had a strange name like Suzuki.

    No, no. Calm down! This is not the ce to y the straight man!

    The problem was not the name. To be honest, there were a lot of points to retort. He wouldn¡¯t really care if people were to ask him if he was performing a gag.

    The main issue was why Ruphas knew about these things.

    Ruphas had knowledge of Earth. In other words, it was possible to acquire such knowledge in this world and she somehow managed to get it.

    There were simr situations in the stories that Sei was familiar with in the past. The protagonists were fighting various enemies in another world when thest big boss knew about Earth and was nning an invasion. As he thought this, Sei¡¯s naturalplexion turned pale.

    No, that¡¯s impossible, I think. Megrez said that Ruphas is not the enemy.

    But...there was a precedence. Whether she was good or evil aside, the truth was that her attempt to conquer the world two hundred years ago was already engraved into the annals of history.

    In that case, what if...what if...her target also included Earth?

    Megrez said that she aimed to forcefully unify the world because she was worried about Midgard. To put it in another way, she would resort to violent means if it was for Midgard¡¯s benefits.

    Wouldn¡¯t it be possible then? It would be the worst-case scenario where she aimed for the technological capabilities of Earth in order to enrich and develop Midgard.

    As he thought this, Sei shook his head. Once he started thinking, his thoughts would gradually shift in a pessimistic direction and assume the worst possible scenario. It was his bad habit.

    ¡°Sei-kun, are you alright? Your face doesn¡¯t look that good though...¡±

    ¡°Eh, uh!?¡±

    Virgo, who noticed something strange about his look, asked with concern. He hurriedly raised his head and his eyes met those of Virgo, who was staring at him intently. Fluffy pink hair, big eyes, white skin, and pure white wings. She looked exactly like an angel, causing Sei to be flustered.

    It wasn¡¯t something he could get used to, no matter how many times he saw her. Her features were simply so out of the ordinary. Or rather, the more he tried to get used to it, the less resistant he became to her presence.

    ¡°Are you sure? You¡¯re not overdoing it?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡ªah. I¡¯m fine. No problem.¡±

    Endure. Endure, my rationality. Now is the time for your steel-like will!

    Sei desperately controlled himself. By sheer willpower, he seeded in subduing the instinct of a man who was lost in admiration of Virgo. However, in his mind, an exceedingly muscr macho-man appeared before his steel-like rationality. ¡°Man is a beast,¡± he said and shattered his rationality with a hammer.

    No, who the heck are you?

    Sei willed himself to appear in the mental world in his brain and grabbed the macho-man, tossing him into the sky. He then quickly repaired his rationality, forcefully patching things together. But Virgo followed up ruthlessly and ced her soft hand on Sei¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°It¡¯s not...hot, right?¡±

    What was this? What was this clich¨¦d situation in which a girl got too close to a guy without noticing it herself? It was like a scene straight out of romanticedies.

    Am I going to die? Could it be that I¡¯m going to die today?

    Have I used up all the luck I have and now I¡¯ll die miserably?

    While he was thinking about this, he became aware that his heart was inevitably beating louder.

    Hey, stop it. Please leave me alone. I¡¯ll seriously fall in love.

    At that moment, Suzuki¡¯s light was shining brightly, even though it was not visible to Sei and the others.

    ¡ºEncountering the highest priority situation ordered by Master. Crap removal mode, activate.¡»

    Suddenly, Suzuki¡¯s ceiling opened and the sofa Sei was sitting on automatically flew upwards, sending him to the roof. Then, the roof closed and he was left alone. Of course, there was also a sofa on the roof, so it wouldn¡¯t be any lessfortable. However, he couldn¡¯t get back inside for a while.

    This was one of the orders given by the overprotective Ruphas to Suzuki, ¡°If anyone tries to hit on Virgo, expel him to the roof for some time.¡± This was the rear exclusion mode. However, thiscked consideration as Suzuki, who did not know of the intricacies of the human mind, took action even though Virgo was the one who initiated contact.

    Thanks to it, there was this tragic incident whereby Sei was expelled to the roof even though he did nothing wrong.

    ¡°Wh¡ªWhat did I do¡ª!?¡±

    Suzuki proceeded on while Sei cried out. Their destination was the demihuman vige where the centaurs lived.

    Nobody noticed that, from the top of a giant tree in the forest, a cane spider demihuman was watching.

 Chapter 106

    Chapter 106

    The demihuman vige was located a few kilometers southwest of Tyrfing.

    There was no doubt that Tyrfing was their capital city, but it was no ce for nonbatants to live during wartime. Therefore, until the war ended, each race would continue to live in the viges that existed prior to the founding of Tyrfing. The centaurs, bugkin, and ntkin lived in this vast forest, away from prying human eyes.

    Suzuki was parked a kilometer away from the forest as Sei and the others prepared to enter the forest. They were heading into the territory of the demihumans, who naturally would not have a good impression of humans. If Sei and the others were to approach brazenly, they would unnecessarily make the demihumans more cautious.

    Since Ruphas, Libra, and the others already assumed that there would be a battle, they boldly made a frontal assault like a bunch of fools without using stealth or maneuvers. However, Sei¡¯s purpose here was only for investigation. Furthermore, they were not muscle-brains like Ruphas. Therefore, they had to make the appropriate preparations and the means to do so came from Castor.

    ¡°Everyone, we¡¯ll now be going to the vige on foot. Before that, I want you all to drink this.¡±

    Castor retrieved several small bottles, distributed them to everyone, and exined the effects.

    ¡°There is a kind of Water-attribute arcane magic known as Illusion, which can disguise one¡¯s appearance. It¡¯s not a high-level magic, so some of you may already know of it. This magic potion has a simr effect, as it changes the drinker¡¯s appearance for about three hours.¡±

    ¡°Uh, is it alright to have this? It sounds like a really expensive magic potion...Or rather, most of the potions that have effects like arcane magic are lost legacies of the past. There are only a few of them left...¡±

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s certainly valuable in this era, but it¡¯s not so for us. Don¡¯t hesitate to use it.¡±

    Apparently, items with arcane magic effects were considerably valuable in this world. Based on Sei¡¯s knowledge, such items were the most basic items in any RPG. Even so, he hadn¡¯t seen any of them in his trip so far.

    No, actually, there was one. It was Virgo¡¯s sword. Until now, he had believed her sword to be nothing more than a really good sword, but it seemed to be an amazing masterpiece. Well, if one thought about it, she was with Ruphas. Based on Suzuki¡¯s orders, it was obvious how overprotective Ruphas was when it came to Virgo. In that case, she would have been given a powerful weapon as well. Thinking thus, Sei simply epted it.

    While Cruz was muttering and staring at the potion, Jean and Gants swallowed the contents without hesitation. Then, the female knight and the tiger also drank the potion. After a slight hesitation, Sei swallowed the contents in one gulp. Virgo also hardened her resolve to drink it.

    Immediately, the changes were remarkable. Firstly, Sei grew horns on his forehead and his skin turned red. Of course, it didn¡¯t actually change since it was just an illusion. He basically looked like an oni. For the time being, he decided to ask Castor about this appearance.

    ¡°Uh, Castor-san. What is this?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a kind of monster known as an ogre. It¡¯s said that their ancestors were humans since they look simr to humans, but the details are not well understood. They are ssified as monsters instead of humanoids because they are somewhat aggressive, but they are creatures that one could converse with.¡±

    As Sei thought about such monsters, a change came over Virgo. Her change was minor as only the wings on her back changed into those of a white butterfly.

    ¡°The potion drank by Virgo would change the drinker into a butterfly-type half-bugkin. Well, since no human would have children with a bugkin, it¡¯s more of an endangered species than a rare species. However, as it wouldn¡¯t be able to fit into human society, it won¡¯t be strange for one toe to a demihuman vige.¡±

    After hearing Castor¡¯s exnation, Sei was once again surprised by the racial diversity of this world. How should he say this? It¡¯s amazing how finely ssified each species could be. Of course, there were many different species of organisms on Earth as well. This led him to start wondering which world had more of them.

    Anyway, when he heard that the potion could change one¡¯s appearance to a non-human form, he was subconsciously put off, but it seemed careful considerations were made in regard to their final appearances. Both Sei and Virgo did not change much. In fact, it was a little like cosy. With that thought in mind, he turned to look at the others.

    ¡°Oh¡ª. This is a big deal. I can¡¯t tell that it¡¯s an illusion no matter how I look or touch it.¡±

    ¡°It feels a bit weird. My lower body appears to be a horse, but I can still only sense my two legs.¡±

    ¡°I think this is a little bit...¡±

    Gants was covered in an armor-like exoskeleton simr to that of a rhinoceros beetle. A horn was growing out of his head. On the other hand, Jean retained his upper body, but his lower body had be a horse like a centaur. Both of their new forms were so strangely suited to them that it almost made himugh.

    Meanwhile, Kaineko hadpletely be a cat. It seemed he would be a domesticated monster rather than a disguised demihuman. Then, Sei turned his gaze towards Friedrich...and he was stunned.

    His tiger features remained, but stag horns sprouted from his head and his lower body was now that of a horse. Furthermore, ck moth wings grew from his back. What was this hybrid form?

    ¡°Um, Castor-san?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. I made a mistake. That¡¯s a party game item thatbines the features of a bugkin, centaur, and moth.¡±

    ¡°...What should we do with that creature?¡±

    ¡°...What should we do?¡±

    For the time being, they could cover him up with a cloth like what Ruphas did. If only the wings were shown, he could pass as arade of demihumans. Sei finally nced at the female knight and immediately turned away.

    The female knight had been transformed into a kind of demihuman known as arachne. Her upper body was the same, but her lower body was now that of a spider. That was fine in and of itself, but her original appearance now made her look like a gori-spider hybrid.

    Finally, Cruz was transformed into a bipedal grasshopper monstrous humanoid. Although a grasshopper humanoid reminded Sei of a certain Japanese pop culture hero, it didn¡¯t look very cool. This was because it was just an ordinary grasshopper. It wasn¡¯t one that was designed to be aesthetically pleasing. Instead, it was basically like a real grasshopper.

    ¡°What is it, Sei? You look disappointed.¡±

    ¡°N¡ªNo, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    It seemed to be impossible to ride a motorcycle or deliver a grasshopper kick with that form. Sei turned his eyes away in disappointment.

    He then thought about how to approach Ruphas concerning the golden apple. He didn¡¯t mention it when they were in Draupnir because of the impression he would give to the other party. If he had asked for a golden apple on their first meeting, it would seem like he was approaching them with that goal in mind right from the start. At least, that would be what he would have thought if he was in Ruphas¡¯ position.

    No, that was indeed the goal, but there were other priorities as well. First of all, peaceful cooperation with Ruphas was the most important. It would be really bad if he was looked upon with suspicion. That was why Sei didn¡¯t freely speak about the apples.

    Consider this. If someone approached another person to say that he wanted to make peace and then asked for the apples on the same day, it would be unnatural no matter how one looked at it. Anyone would think that such a person was prioritizing his own greed.

    Moreover, Ruphas had been betrayed by herrades in the past. That was why Sei thought that he ought to be more careful. He certainly wanted to be strong. As long as he lived in this world, he needed power to protect the people who were close to him. Even so, he mustn¡¯t lose sight of the most important thing in his desire for power.

    Let¡¯s talk about the applester...For now, we should start by aplishing this goal and gaining her trust.

    He didn¡¯t know this yet. Leaving the old Ruphas aside, the current Ruphas was airheaded and gullible enough that if he had asked for the apples, she would have thoughtlessly replied, ¡°Okay...¡±

    ?

    As Sei¡¯s party approached the demihuman vige, several bugkin guards appeared. These demihumans had faces like bees and were carrying spears. If they had the faces of wasps, they would have been monsters. But even the faces of bees could not be considered cute if one were to look closely. Of course, it would be scary if it grew to the size of a human, but it was still better than having the fierce face of wasps.

    They looked at Sei¡¯s party suspiciously, but when Castor told them that they were demihumans seeking a ce to live, they believed it. Currently, the most suspicious person here was Castor. As someone of the fairy race, he was most certainly not human, but he looked exactly like a human. As a result, it took some effort to acquire their trust.

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s start by looking for the centaur vige. There must be a reason why Sagittarius is cooperating with Leon.¡±

    Nobody rejected Castor¡¯s words. Everyone in Sei¡¯s party nodded and walked on.

    This forest was themunal space for the demihumans. Since there were many different races, there were also many different cultures. In other words, it was natural to think that there were divisions to some extent.

    It was the same with the insects on Earth. While there might be many kinds of animals and insects living in the same forest, there wouldn¡¯t be ants inside a beehive. Their sizes might be different, but it should still be the same in this regard. In other words, there should be a centaur vige somewhere in this forest. In that case, finding the vige would be the first step to aplishing their goal.

    ¡°Even if you say to look for it, how exactly should we do it?¡±

    ¡°Well, first of all, let¡¯s look for the vige and ask for directions.¡±

    ¡°Um, about that...We don¡¯t have to look for the vige. We could just ask the beekin at the entrance.¡±

    ¡°I see. That¡¯s a good idea. I was careless.¡±

    Looking at Castor who was merrilyughing as he backtracked to the previous path, Sei had a bad feeling about something. He made a mistake when distributing the potions earlier. Now, he was advancing without noticing things that he should have noticed right away...Speaking of which, when they first met, he was wandering wounded through the forest even though he had recovery potions on him.

    ...Could it be that this person was a muddlehead despite his appearance?

    Sei really thought so. Nobody answered his question. But if someone were to do so, it would be an affirmative. For example, there was actually a considerable period of time between Castor¡¯s defeat by the Demon King and his encounter with Sei. As for what he was doing during that time, it was nothing special. He was simply lost.

    Castor was a rare individual among the Twelve Stars since he had both sound judgment andmon sense. However, he was somewhat¡ªhow should one say this?¡ªa bit of a dork. To put it in a good way, he was big-hearted. To put it in a bad way, he tended to overlook the details.

    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s ask the beekin at the entrance for directions and then find the centaur vige.¡±

    While looking at Castor who said that as if he had never made such a mistake in the first ce, Sei thought such things in his head.

    The Tyrannical Twelve Stars¡ªThis was a collection of monsters which followed Ruphas Mafahl and transcended human knowledge. Each one of them had the power to match that of an entire country. Since a long time ago, they were regarded as walking disasters and embodiments of terror.

    That was what he had heard, but what was actually the truth?

    At least, Virgo, who was next to him, did not have that kind of image. Despite his giant form, Aries was usually quiet. And Castor was like a good-natured but dorky elder brother.

    Maybe they¡¯re not so terrifying after all?

    What he had heard waspletely different from what they had encountered in reality. Thinking about the difference in image, Sei realized that his fear of the Twelve Stars was slightly reduced.

 Chapter 107

    Chapter 107

    ¡°I can see it. That¡¯s the centaur vige. There¡¯s no mistake.¡±

    Kaineko, who had be an actual cat after using the transformation potion, said as he walked ahead. Following his line of sight, there was an open space ahead, where demihumans with horse-like lower bodies could be seen. After several tens of minutes, Sei and the others finally arrived at their destination. Their gaits were obviously tired.

    This was only natural. Castor was leading them at first, bringing them the wrong way and entering the wrong vige several times. When the number of mistakes reached double digits, they realized that if they left it to Castor, they wouldn¡¯t reach their destination even after nightfall. Therefore, Kaineko reced Castor to take the lead.

    ¡°Oh, so these are centaurs, the sages of the forest?¡±

    Cruz, who appeared to be a grasshopper monstrous humanoid next to Sei, said joyfully and ran over. Among the humanoids, only elves were friendly to centaurs and had respect for them. However, he was currently a grasshopper monstrous humanoid. In Sei¡¯s eyes, it just looked like a monster trying to invade the centaur vige.

    ¡°Grrr.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. The two of you, please wait here. No, seriously.¡±

    The weird creatures, Friedrich and the female knight, were trying to advance. Forget the grasshopper monstrous humanoid, these were true monsters. If they were to approach, it would cause unnecessary terror. Hopefully, they could stop Cruz and just wait here.

    Then, Jean, who was transformed into a centaur, went forward to approach the vige. The centaurs turned to look at Sei and the others with gazes that were not exactly friendly.

    Was it forbidden for anyone other than a centaur to enter?

    An old centaur came before Sei and said, ¡°Are you Leon¡¯s subordinates? What do you want?¡±

    These words gave them a great sense of incongruity. It seemed that the centaur had mistaken them to be Leon¡¯s demihuman subordinates, but then why was he hostile?

    Since Leon and Sagittarius were allies, these centaurs should be subordinates of Leon as well. In any case, it would be difficult to converse if the other party was so hostile. Therefore, they needed to clear up the misunderstanding first.

    ¡°Wait. We just arrived here today to avoid human discrimination. We don¡¯t know what it means to be Leon¡¯s subordinates.¡±

    When Jean recited the speech that was prepared beforehand, the old centaur¡¯s eyes visibly became calmer. At the same time, the hostility vanished from the gazes of the surrounding centaurs, who were now just looking to observe the situation. It still wasn¡¯t reallyfortable, but at least it was better than being stared at with hostility.

    ¡°Oh, is that so? My apologies. We¡¯ve been rather nervoustely.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s happening? I¡¯ve heard that demihumans are following Leon-san. If so, isn¡¯t it okay for us to do so as well? Well, it seems like things are a bit different from what we heard.¡±

    Jean casually questioned the old centaur who had softened his attitude. It was his strong point to be able to brazenly do something which others would normally be cautious about. The old centaur growled at Jean¡¯s inquiries, but he couldn¡¯t respond strongly after their initial threatening attitude.

    ¡°Ah, hmm. Is that what you heard outside? Certainly, you could say that centaurs are currently part of his group.¡±

    ¡°What a weird way of putting things.¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah...¡±

    The old centaur scratched his cheek as if troubled, wondering if he should tell the truth. However, he seemed to have concluded that it was not a problem to speak. Perhaps, he was less vignt since Jean was also a centaur. In that case, the disguise was a great sess.

    ¡°We...or rather¡ªOur chief, Sagittarius-sama, originally didn¡¯t think it was a good idea to ally with Leon. He rejected the invitation.¡±

    Everyone reacted when they heard Sagittarius¡¯ name, but they quickly calmed their expressions. The purpose of their current visit was to investigate why Sagittarius was cooperating with Leon. It was really lucky to hear about it so suddenly.

    ¡°But Leon¡¯s followers threatened Sagittarius-sama that they would destroy this vige if he didn¡¯t cooperate. It¡¯s really regrettable...I hate my own powerlessness. If it was just Sagittarius-sama alone, he wouldn¡¯t have epted such an idiotic invitation. However, because of us, he was forced to cooperate reluctantly.¡±

    ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you just leave here and run away?¡±

    The old centaur clenched his fists with heartfelt hatred. But Gants had some doubts concerning this. If they knew that they were hostages and they really hated Leon, why didn¡¯t they run away? In that case, Sagittarius would be free. However, the old centaur shook his head at those words.

    ¡°If we could do that, we would have done so already. But it¡¯s not possible. In order to prevent this, Leon has assigned supervisors in this forest to watch us.¡±

    ¡°Supervisors?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and they would be our executioners if Leon gives the order. What hateful people they are.¡±

    As the old centaur spoke, he nced around. After confirming that there was nobody watching, he returned his gaze to Sei and the others.

    ¡°In any case, let¡¯s go over to my house. The entrance is no ce to talk.¡±

    The old centaur said this and entered the vige with Sei and the others following behind. However, thebination creatures, such as Friedrich and the female knight, were left to watch outside. There would be a big fuss if they were toe along.

    After entering the vige, the first thing that everyone noticed was its simplicity. The centaur vige consisted of simple wooden houses. There were no other buildings except what was absolutely necessary. Even inside the house, the ce didn¡¯t seem well-ventted.

    It was like a stable. Was this really eptable for the sages of the forest?

    The centaurs seemed to be interested in what was happening, but none of them approached. Instead, they would look away whenever their eyes met. Unable to understand this, Sei spoke softly to the grasshopper monstrous humanoid next to him.

    ¡°Cruz-san, could it be that centaurs...¡±

    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re very timid...or rather, they¡¯re very vignt. I don¡¯t think they particrly hate us, but for now, they would probably just observe us from some distance.¡±

    Although there would be some differences between individuals, the basic personality of the entire race seemed to be fixed to some extent. In that case, Jean would seem like a really strange centaur to them. This was because Jean was a man who was at the opposite end of being timid. Rather than being brave, he was simply reckless. He seemed to have forgotten for some reasons until recently, but when he went into the ck-Winged Royal Tomb, he had to be saved by Aries from the Level 100 golem that he challenged.

    Then, would they have realized that he was not really a centaur?

    Now that he thought about it, they should have given the role of centaur to someone other than Jean.

    ¡°Well then,e in.¡±

    They entered the old centaur¡¯s house, which was truly a stable. The rooms were separated by simple partitions. There seemed to be piles of straw inside them. It was a wonder how he could live like this, but a closer inspection revealed some furniture and other items at the corner of the house. Apparently, he wasn¡¯tpletely like a horse.

    ¡°Now then...I want to ask this first. You¡¯re not the races you appear to be, right?¡±

    After entering the house. the first words of the old centaur struck the core of the issue. Everyone was shocked and turned to look at each other. Who was the one who made a suspicious move that betrayed them? As Sei thought this, the old centaur continued.

    ¡°The first person that I thought was suspicious was him. Even though he certainly moved like a centaur, I can¡¯t feel any caution from him.¡±

    As expected, the old centaur pointed to Jean. Sei¡¯s concern was right on the mark. As expected, he wasn¡¯t suitable to y the role of a centaur. However, this alone wouldn¡¯t be conclusive.

    ¡°After finding it strange, I listened carefully. The footsteps and the movements don¡¯t match. They¡¯re more like those of bipedal creatures. That¡¯s why I thought that maybe it¡¯s magic or some sort of disguise.¡±

    I see, it¡¯s our footsteps.

    Sei was convinced and impressed at the same time. It might be possible to discern their identities from their footsteps, but when Jean was walking, they were all walking together as well. In other words, he was listening to Jean¡¯s footsteps while there were other people¡¯s footsteps in the mix. Wasn¡¯t this really amazing?

    It seemed that centaurs have pretty good hearing. In that case, it was pointless to whisper softly. If he thought about it, his previous conversation with Cruz was really bad. It was practically revealing that he wasn¡¯t familiar with centaurs, even though there was a centaur in his party. As he thought this, he nced at the old centaur, who merely smiled.

    Oh, I¡¯ve been found out.

    Convinced, he hung his head down.

    ¡°So what will you do if that¡¯s the case? Will you report us?¡±

    ¡°No, if I wanted to, I¡¯d have done so at the entrance.¡±

    The old centaurughed cheerfully at Jean¡¯s question. Certainly, it would be better for him to raise his voice at the entrance instead of inviting them to a ce where he couldn¡¯t escape. Since he didn¡¯t do that, he shouldn¡¯t be hostile to them and wouldn¡¯t hand them over to other demihumans.

    ¡°From here on, it¡¯s just my spection. You guys are probably humanoids, right? As for your purpose...Are you here to investigate the war potential of the demihumans?¡±

    ¡°What a surprise. As expected of the sage of the forest...To think that we¡¯ve beenpromised to this degree. As you¡¯ve guessed, we¡¯re indeed humanoids. However, our purpose here is different.¡±

    ¡°A humanoid who would call me a sage of the forest...Are you an elf? You have a rather strange appearance.¡±

    As the brain of this party, Cruz also yed the role of a negotiator in such situations. However, because his current appearance was that of a grasshopper monstrous humanoid, such an intellectual tone did not match his appearance, making the situation rather strange.

    In fact, Sei felt strange too. If he looked like this, he would be more suited to be the one yelling, ¡°Such an evil organization! Unforgivable!¡±

    ¡°Our objective is to investigate why Sagittarius is cooperating with Leon. We concluded that the answer is in this vige, so we came here in disguise.¡±

    The objective that Cruz mentioned had essentially been aplished. What the old centaur said at the entrance was exactly what they wanted to know. Sagittarius had to cooperate with Leon because the centaur vige was being held hostage.

    And there were those who were monitoring the vige. In other words, if they were defeated, the centaurs could escape and Sagittarius would be free to act. In that case, should they regroup with Ruphas first or should they free the centaurs by themselves?

    It wouldn¡¯t normally be possible for them. However, Castor, one of Tyrannical Twelve Stars, was currently here. And so was Virgo, even if she wasn¡¯t as good as him. There was also Friedrich, the strongest Sword Saint of the humanoids. In other words, they had sufficientbat power.

    ¡°What!? Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Our objective has been achieved. All that remains is to free all of you from here.¡±

    When Cruz said so, the old centaur grabbed his hand.

    ¡°In that case, please let us cooperate with you! We can¡¯t continue to let Sagittarius-sama be bound because of us!¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Things went more smoothly than expected. Cruz was smiling broadly. On the other hand, Sei¡¯s expression was not good. Everything was indeed going well, almost too well. But based on his experience, when something was going well, there would be some reaction behind the scenes.

    Of course, there was no reason for him to think so. It was just a ridiculous jinx...but somehow, it just felt unpleasant. However, the problem was that a bad feeling at such times was usually quite urate.

    Sei was convinced of this when a young centaur rushed into the house.

    Ah, as expected, something bad had happened.

 Chapter 108

    Chapter 108

    ¡°Derby-sama, there¡¯s something you need to know! Sarjes¡¯ army has appeared at the vige entrance!¡±

    Upon hearing the words of the young centaur who rushed in, the old centaur turned pale and looked outside. Apparently, his name was Derby, but now was not the time to be concerned about that. It seemed that something bad was happening.

    ¡°Sarjes?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the bugkin in charge of the demihuman vige. He¡¯s a disgusting spider demihuman.¡±

    When Sei heard that he was a disgusting spider demihuman, he immediately thought of the male spiderkin they met in Draupnir. Considering his ability, it wouldn¡¯t be mistaken to think he had a decent position, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he was leading an army. Derby raised his hand to stop Sei and the others from going out, while he told them he himself would go.

    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re just here to look around. You guys should stay here.¡±

    Leaving Sei in the house, Derby took a few young centaurs and left for the vige entrance. And then, they confronted the bugkin¡¯s army. Led by a male spiderkin, the other side had amia, a dryad, and a merman as well as an assortment of bugkin with weapons standing behind them. On the other hand, there were only a few centaurs. If a fight broke out, thetter wouldn¡¯t be a match.

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Humans have infiltrated the vige. They should be here...Bring them out.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know. Those guys aren¡¯t here.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re disguised as demihumans. You don¡¯t remember them?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯re so many demihumans, I can¡¯t remember them all. Leave.¡±

    Confronted by the intimidating spiderkin, Derby responded forcefully without a hint of weakness. The atmosphere between them was like a hair-trigger situation. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if a battle broke out. The dryad, who was behind the spiderkin, puffed her cheeks and red at the centaurs.

    ¡°How arrogant! Are you trying to oppose us?!¡±

    ¡°Do you want to attack us? Oh, good. Do it then. That will free Sagittarius-sama.¡±

    ¡°Annoying¡ª!¡±

    Vocalizing her annoyance, the dryad moved her nt roots. However, the spiderkin stopped her with his hand and said in a cold voice.

    ¡°Stop this pointless provocation. There¡¯re children in the vige, right? I know you guys won¡¯t abandon your children. Otherwise, you¡¯d have resisted already.¡±

    ¡°......!¡±

    Derby couldn¡¯t respond to the words of the spiderkin, who kept his cool all this while. In other words, it was a fact that things were exactly as he said. Seeing Derby clench his teeth, the dryad smiled as if she had thought of something.

    ¡°Hey, sergeant. I¡¯ve a good idea. Just one person will do. How about killing one as an example? How about it?¡±

    ¡°...Hostages must be kept alive for them to be meaningful. It¡¯s foolish to kill them pointlessly.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that again. Isn¡¯t it just because you don¡¯t want to do it? I¡¯ll do it for you then.¡±

    The dryad said casually as she reached out her branch. The branch caught a centaur child who was watching from the back. The other centaurs couldn¡¯t even stop her as she retracted her branch and caught the restrained centaur child.

    ¡°I¡ªcaught¡ªyou!¡±

    ¡°Eek!¡±

    ¡°What are you doing?! Don¡¯ty your hands on the kids!¡±

    ¡°Please be at ease. This is the only time I¡¯ll do it...provided you guys are honest with us.¡±

    ¡°...Despicable!¡±

    Some of the young centaurs charged angrily at the dryad. However, the dryad¡¯s arm turned into a whip and repelled the centaurs.

    ¡°Well, this time, you¡¯re reaping what you sowed. Be sure to learn your lesson next time.¡±

    The dryad concentrated wind arcane magic in her hands and tried to cut the centaur child. However, the spiderkin grabbed her hand and stopped her massacre.

    ¡°...Wait. What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too hasty in making a conclusion. The centaurs are certainly a threat right now, but even so, they are still fellow demihumans...If Sagittarius-sama cooperates with us sincerely, they would be ourrades. I can¡¯t approve of reckless killing which could lead to future problems.¡±

    ¡°...Sergeant, you¡¯re really sweet.¡±

    The dryad and the spiderkin confronted each other and a tense atmosphere developed. Eventually, the dryad yielded, sighing as she looked away. Seeing this, the spiderkin rxed as well.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. I don¡¯t want to fight the sergeant. I¡¯ll spare you this time¡ª¡±

    While saying this, the dryad extended the branch holding onto the centaur child towards the other centaurs. It seemed she was going to return the child to them. Everyone was relieved to see this, but in the moment when they rxed, the dryad swung her branch high up into the sky along with the child.

    ¡°Uh, wah¡ª?!¡±

    ¡°¡ªNot! There¡¯re so many hostages, so killing just one is fine! The sergeant¡¯s method is so sweet that it makes me puke!¡±

    The dryadughed cruelly and swung the child down from the sky to the ground. If this continued, the child would crash to the ground. Nobody could react to the sudden development as everyone¡¯s faces turned pale in the face of the impending tragedy. Sei and the others rushed out, but they couldn¡¯t make it in time.

    In the next instant, a sh of a sword cut the dryad¡¯s branch into two. At the same time, a silhouette flew forth and caught the centaur child. It was like a savior or a hero who appeared just at the right timing. The dryad red at the person who interrupted her, while the centaurs gratefully looked to their savior. And then, both sides cried out at the same time.

    ¡°Wah! It¡¯s a monster?!¡±

    ¡ªStanding right there was an unidentified lifeform. It had the upper body of a tiger beastkin, the lower body of a horse, and horns on its head. There were even moth wings on its back. It made one wonder what kind of mating could produce a creature like this. The creature was none other than the Sword Saint, Friedrich.

    And the child was caught by the female knight whose upper body resembled that of a gori. Her lower body was that of a spider, so she was yet another unusual creature. The child, who was saved, saw their appearances and fainted.

    ¡°Wai¡ªWhat is that?! What is that?! Disgusting, disgusting, super disgusting! What is that weird thing?!¡±

    The female knight charged at the dryad who was confounded by their appearances. Her hand held a sword, which was the pride of the knights, while her numerous spider legs moved creepily.

    ¡°No¡ª!?¡±

    Almost in tears, the dryad retreated, but the female knight was relentless. Striking at a child to make an example for the public conflicted with the code of chivalry. It was absolutely uneptable. Swinging the sword roughly with an angry expression, she hunted down the retreating dryad. The dryad extended her vines in a half-frenzy, but they were all cut off.

    And she jumped, agilely moving from tree to tree while approaching the dryad.

    ¡°Grr¡ª!¡±

    The tiger growled in response to the female knight¡¯s activity and shed at the spiderkin. The spiderkin defended with his arm and assumed a position to test their strength against each other.

    However, the dryad and spiderkin were still superior in terms ofbat power. Although they were surprised by their sudden appearance and their looks, such a situation would notst for long. Therefore, there was only one thing Sei and the rest could do. They had to defeat the spiderkin and free the centaurs.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped if it¡¯s like this! Everyone, let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Great! I¡¯ll pay them back for what happened to Nick and the others!¡±

    ¡°And the pain of the guardian dragon!¡±

    At Sei¡¯s prompting, Gants, Jean, and Kaineko rushed forth at the same time. Behind them, Virgo sent a sh of light with her sword, while Cruz shot a magic missile right after that. The two attacks were aimed at themia and the merman, sessfully dividing up the enemy as they evaded the attacks.

    At the same time, Virgo took flight andunched a sneak attack at themia. The merman tried to provide support, but Castor was blocking him.

    ¡°Sorry, but every one of you will have me as your opponent. It¡¯s fine toe at me all at once.¡±

    ¡°Y¡ªYou make me sick. Don¡¯t be cheeky just because you¡¯re a little good-looking!¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just a racial difference...Your appearance is rather unusual even among merfolk...¡±

    ¡°A¡ªA while ago, I tried the human¡¯s facial beautification method. And then, the mermaid I had a crush on dumped me!¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    Castor took the blows silently as the merman shed at him while rting his tragic tale. Sometimes, no matter what was said, it would only add salt to the other person¡¯s wounds. That was how it was for now. Therefore, in such cases, it was the greatest kindness to the other party to just be silent.

    Silently, Castor swung his anchor first at the merman, then at the bugkin army. One after another, they were rendered incapable of furtherbat. Meanwhile, Virgo flew over as several magic missiles passed her by.

    ¡°We meet again, little girl! Have youe to continue what we left offst time?¡±

    ¡°Why are you people doing this?!¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t understand our feelings of being treated as monsters!¡±

    Themia shot a series of arcane magic at Virgo, but unlike the previous time, it was one-versus-one this time. Virgo flew unrestrained through the sky, evaded the magic, and counterattacked with her de of light. But themia dodged her attacks and so the two of them fired away at each other from a distance. Virgo soared through the air, while themia moved on the ground like a snake. The current battle situation between the two became aplete deadlock.

    ¡°We certainly met in Draupnir...I see, did youe here to kill demihumans?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really not like that...Well, I can¡¯t deny it either.¡±

    On the other hand, Sei, Gants, Jean, and Kaineko had to join forces in order to bring the fight to the spiderkin. Even as they boldly attacked from all directions by taking advantage of their numbers andbinations, they were all guarded against by his arms. When he started to counterattack, Jean was sent flying into a tree.

    ¡°Hey, spider bastard! You seem different from the others, so let me give you some advice! Stop following that idiot Leon! Otherwise, all the demihumans will fall together with him!¡±

    ¡°I was wondering what you wanted to say. There simply isn¡¯t any other way for us!¡±

    ¡°I see. Then you¡¯ve chosen to follow the wrong boss!¡±

    Gants¡¯ battleaxe and the spiderkin¡¯s arm collided, making sparks fly. Even so, the difference in level was a serious problem. Even though he had the characteristics of a bug, Gants was still pushed back despite using a battleaxe against his bare hands.

    ¡°Grr¡ªoh!¡±

    ¡°Hah¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Why am I the only one who has to fight these monsters?!¡±

    Faced with Friedrich and the female knight, the dryad was running away with a desperate expression. Although she would win in terms ofbat power, she had lost the will to fight because of their terrifying appearances. Moreover, magic was being directed her way from behind. As she wondered who it might be, she noticed a grasshopper monstrous humanoid using magic for some reason. Seeing this, the dryad came close to tears.

    ¡°No¡ª?!¡±

    The dryad ran away in tears. The tiger-centaur-moth and the gori-arachne pursued her, along with the grasshopper monstrous humanoid. It was now impossible to tell who were actually the hero¡¯spanions. Sweat streaked down Sei¡¯s cheek as he saw the scene before his eyes. This was definitely not a hallucination.

    ¡°An¡ªAnyway! We¡¯ll stop you!¡±

    ¡°Do it if you can! Human brat!¡±

    Sei refocused his mind and readied his katana, while the spiderkin received his attack.

    Then, the de and the spiderkin¡¯s arm collided.

 Chapter 109

    Chapter 109

    Every time Castor swung his favorite weapon, Anchor Lance, he would knock down the demihumans. He was not particrly powerful among thebatants of the Tyrannical Twelve Stars. In terms ofbat power, he was even weaker than Aries. He also did not have any powerful skills.

    Yet, Castor was still one of thebatants of the Tyrannical Twelve Stars. Even the nonbatants of the Twelve Stars, such as Parthenos and the Fairy Princess who was the other half of the Twins, had extraordinary strength. As a marginally qualifiedbatant among them, his strength was sufficient to match a thousand warriors all by himself.

    There were several hundred demihumans, while Castor was alone by himself. However, the demihumans were the ones who were overwhelmingly disadvantaged. This was because Castor¡¯s strength could truly match several thousand individuals. Therefore, regardless of whether there were several hundred or several thousand people fighting, it would just be a dead rubber match in which the victor was already decided.

    Even so, he was still one of the Twelve Stars who had a decent personality, thus he had been holding back to avoid killing the demihumans. If Libra, Aigokeros, or Scorpius were here, the lives of the hostile demihumans would not be taken into consideration. With just a few dozen seconds, the entire ce would be littered with corpses.

    ¡°Storm Circle!¡±

    The winds were released in all directions with Castor at the center. That alone was enough to render the demihumans in front incapable of fighting, while the warriors behind them were visibly frightened. If Castor was serious, he could have defeated the ones who were behind as well. However, if the winds were strengthened to such an extent, some of the demihumans in the front might end up dead. The demihumans seemed to have understood this and they realized they had no chance of victory.

    ¡°Wh¡ªWhat are you doing?! Hurry up and get rid of that handsome bastard!¡±

    ¡°B¡ªBut...¡±

    ¡°If¡ªIf you don¡¯t go, I¡¯ll kill you all! If you don¡¯t want to die, go!¡±

    ¡°Uh...Wah!¡±

    After being threatened by the mermanmander, an arachne in the vanguard cried out and charged. The upper body of an arachne was no different from that of a female human. This young arachne would be considered adorable if one looked only at her upper body. However, her lower body was that of an ugly spider. The mismatch merely invoked more disgust.

    Castor disarmed the arachne girl as she thrusted her spear at him. She was thus effectively neutralized. After getting disarmed, the arachne girl shut her eyes firmly and prepared for the killing blow. But Castor gently tapped her head as she cowered in fear. When the arachne opened her eyes in bewilderment, Castor shed her a sparkling handsome smile.

    ¡°Please stop. A weapon doesn¡¯t suit a pitiful child like you.¡±

    ¡°Ah...Y¡ªYes...¡±

    She smiled in relief, showing her shiny white teeth. Then, the arachne girl¡¯s cheeks turned red and she couldn¡¯t move from the spot. If this was a manga, her pupils would have be heart-shaped by now.

    The merman distorted his face in rage and clenched his teeth. If Ruphas was here, she would have understood his feelings and dissed Castor for the smiling and head-patting seduction. She might even be the merman¡¯srade just to spite the handsome bastard.

    Watching Castor show off his handsome power before him, the merman grew jealous and his hatred increased further. On the other hand, the arachne girl hadpletely fallen and she looked up to Castor, holding her hands together as if she was praying.

    ¡°It seems you don¡¯t know how to treat ady properly. A man should be gentle with ady. He shouldn¡¯t drag her into a battlefield.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t particrly important, but his master was actually the world¡¯s strongest woman who would run around the battlefield at supersonic speed and defeat her enemies in a bloody festival. If this was pointed out to him, he might be speechless. But the merman wasn¡¯t so quick in the head, so Castor continued his speech.

    ¡°You seem to have a crush on someone, but if you do things like this, it¡¯s only natural that you¡¯d be rejected. Listen, let me tell you the truth: What¡¯s important about a man is not his face, it¡¯s what¡¯s inside him!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t get to say that¡ª!¡±

    The merman was enraged. His face turned red with anger as he grabbed his harpoon and charged. He was followed by an ant-faced warrior, a mantis-faced warrior, and a mob of male warriors who were not blessed with appealing looks.

    One of the tragedies involving the demihumans was their aesthetic sense. Even if they had the features of a fish, snake, or bug, they were still simr to humans as the term ¡°demihuman¡± implied. So what did this mean? This was both a tragedy and aedy.

    Part of their aesthetic sense was derived from humans. Of course, each race had its own standards of beauty, but at the same time, they also had an aesthetic sense based on human standards.

    For example, consider the dragonfly-faced bugkin. Although other races might see them all as having monstrous faces, they could still clearly differentiate between the beautiful and ugly individuals among themselves. Even if others could not tell them apart, a handsome individual would still be popr among other dragonfly bugkin. This was true regardless of gender.

    However, at the same time, they could also discern beauty by human standards. Thus, if there was a beautiful human girl before them, they would not find her ugly because she didn¡¯t have a dragonfly face. Like humans, they would recognize her as a beauty.

    This was where the tragedy began. Even if one had the most handsome dragonfly face, humans would see him only as a monster. If he were to confess to a human girl, she would only run away.

    In other words, Castor was a handsome guy whose appearance made them feel bad about themselves! Not only could he catch the eyes of human beauties who would never turn to look at them, even female demihumans would find him attractive.

    How absurd! How unfair!

    However, this was only natural if one were to think about it. After all, Alovenus, the goddess of love and beauty, stood at the top of this world. Since she was the goddess of beauty, she wouldn¡¯t be considered in even if seen from the perspective of non-humans.

    In other words, Alovenus appeared beautiful to every race and every creature. Such a sense of beauty was instilled in all living things. The standards of beauty in this world were ultimately based on Alovenus. And since humans had an appearance which was the closest to Alovenus, they stood in the center of the aesthetic sense which wasmon to all living things. Therefore, no matter how different one¡¯s appearance might be, a good-looking human face was regarded as beautiful by all creatures.

    ¡°Die¡ª!¡±

    Right at this moment, their hearts were as one. They had a sense of unity like never before. Their cries were a song ofmentation by the males who were not popr. Their tragic lives shed before their eyes as they charged at Castor.

    There was once a vige girl who frequently came to the forest in order to harvest herbs. Whenever I tried to help her after she lost her way, she would scream, ¡°Monster!¡± and run away. When I tried to return the things she dropped back to her, she would be scared out of her wits.

    Since it couldn¡¯t be helped, she returned to her original location and she met a bear beastkin. For some reason, they started skipping and dancing. After meeting the bear in the forest where flowers bloomed, they eventually got married. She was now the fourth royal consort of Draupnir.

    Because he was a beastkin, the human found him cute, so he got greedy.

    Giving in to jealousy, despair, and hatred, they pushed themselves beyond their limits.

    Showing the highest level of training they could ever muster, they became one with malice and challenged Castor. Meanwhile, Castor swung his fist upwards at those men.

    ¡°Gemini Meteor Fist!¡±

    His fist prated the sky, turning those men into meteors. It was actually nothing special, just an ordinary uppercut. They were simply blown away by the wind magic. There was actually no such skill as Gemini Meteor Fist. A single blow took them out. They lost the ability to fight as they crashed to the ground. As they lost consciousness, they thought:

    You handsome bastard, just perish...

    ?

    The battle between Virgo and themia became a long-distance shootout. It wasn¡¯t intentional. It just became like this before either of them realized it. While Virgo soared in the sky, themia couldn¡¯t reach her altitude. While themia moved between the trees, Virgo couldn¡¯t get close enough because the trees were in the way. As a result, there was no effective way to attack besides long-ranged attacks. Both sides merely repeated the same attacks, inevitably leading to the current situation.

    If Virgo had a bit more experience, it wouldn¡¯t have be like this. Because of their level difference, she could have simply shed her white de at themia¡¯s neck without worrying about her magic. But Virgo couldn¡¯t do it. At the moment of the attack, she would hesitate for an instant and create an opening. It wasn¡¯t a tactical decision to keep to a long-rangedbat. It was Virgo herself who subconsciously avoided shing directly at her opponent and thus chose a long-ranged battle instead.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    ¡°Water Spear!¡±

    A de of light was released from La Pucelle, colliding with the water spear fired by themia. It wasn¡¯t a mutual neutralization. The de of light unterally sliced through the water spear and headed towards themia, who evaded it with a literal snake-like movement.

    Themia¡¯s level was definitely not higher than Virgo¡¯s. On the contrary, themia was only Level 150. Virgo¡¯s level was over twice as high inparison. Certainly, as a support type, Virgo¡¯s status was not suitable for directbat. But if the level difference was doubled, there would be an absolute gap between them. In that case, Virgo should have won, but she didn¡¯t. Instead of a straightforward victory, she was in the heat of battle.

    This was the difference in their experience and motivation. Virgo¡¯s experience was definitely insufficient. Furthermore, she didn¡¯t have a strong hostility to eliminate the demihumans. On the other hand, themia was at the end of her rope. She couldn¡¯t afford to lose. The difference in their will to fight was bridging the level gap which should have been unbridgeable.

    Somehow...I need to stop her movement! I¡¯ll use that skill!

    Virgo¡¯s eyes narrowed and a heavy pressure struck themia¡¯s body. This was Coercion, the unique skill of fl¨¹gels. Its effect could enforce submission from those whose levels were half that of the user. It was a kingly power that sealed the enemy¡¯s movements without shedding blood. It could subdue the opponent without fighting before the battle even started. Considering the level difference between Virgo and themia, this skill should have restrained her movements.

    ¡°...Tsk, don¡¯t look down on me!¡±

    However, themia¡¯s desperate shout shook off the coercion, allowing her to resume the battle. A water bullet struck Virgo while she was surprised, causing her to drop in altitude.

    ¡°How?!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too soft, little girl. Sure your level is surely higher than mine. Normally, that one burst of coercion would have ended everything. But you just don¡¯t have it in you. You don¡¯t have the intention of forcing the opponent into submission no matter what it takes. It¡¯s empty inside...This kind of coercion is like papier-mach¨¦.¡±

    Virgo had a modest and gentle personality. But actually, was it really just gentleness? Shecked self-confidence, she wasn¡¯t independent, and she couldn¡¯t move forward on her own. Since she frequently just went with the flow, it could be said that she wascking on the inside. Therefore, her Coercion didn¡¯t have the power to restrain. And so, the battle that should have ended in one skill continued on. After being seen through, Virgo was shaken.

    ¡°Those beautiful, pure white wings...You¡¯re probably rted to the royalty of the fl¨¹gels. Did you think you could suppress us with that level of coercion? There is too much of a difference between what each of us is fighting for!¡±

    Themia shouted and her arcane magded a direct hit on Virgo. But as long as there was a level difference, the injury would of course not be fatal. She ended up with a minor injury instead. However, if minor injuries continued to pile up, it could lead to a severe injury. The battle was gradually shifting to themia¡¯s advantage as Virgo¡¯s situation became more desperate. Seeing this, Sei¡¯s heart became anxious.

    This is bad, Virgo is...!

    Sei wanted to rush over to aid Virgo who was getting desperate, but he couldn¡¯t do it. That was because he couldn¡¯t take his hands off his current situation. If he turned his back on the opponent before him, he would be killed instantly.

    The mobility of Sarjes the spiderkin was a threat to Sei and the others. He ran quickly on the ground and jumped dexterously from tree to tree. He would then suddenly attack anyone who showed an opening, increasing the damage he dealt. Sei and the others were barely able to deal with this by forming a circle, but it made them too passive in the fight. Their current situation was overwhelmingly disadvantaged.

    ¡°Tsk, this is bad...That spider bastard is too fast.¡±

    ¡°I can barely follow him with my eyes. How troublesome.¡±

    Jean and Gants stared at Sarjes¡¯ movements while grumbling. Even when he was caught in their fields of vision, he would have started his next move, so it was difficult to determine his position.

    We have the wrong matchup, Gants thought in his heart.

    Among them, only Virgo was capable of high mobilitybat. She was the only one who could fly and therefore follow Sarjes¡¯ three-dimensional movements. However, Virgo was currently struggling with themia and was unable to provide reinforcement.

    While Gants was thinking this, a metallic sound was heard from behind, followed by Kaineko¡¯s cry of agony. Apparently, he was barely able to block Sarjes¡¯ attack due to the unique dynamic vision of a beastkin. However, they couldn¡¯t hold out for long.

    What should we do...?

    Sei brainstormed for a way to win despite their inferiorbat capabilities. His own skills, hispanions¡¯ abilities...No matter how he considered them, he couldn¡¯t find a way to give Sarjes a decisive blow. Meanwhile, Sarjes¡¯ thread entangled Sei¡¯s sword, worsening the situation.

    This is bad...Is there anything we could do? Anything...!

    But unexpectedly, when Virgo flew out of the edge of his vision, an idea came to him.

    ¡ªYes, there was one. A way to ovee this situation.

    ¡°Virgo, can you hear me?! If you can hear me, I want you to shout out what I say!¡±

    ¡°Eh?!¡±

    ¡°Shout this out...¡±

    Sei opened his mouth to speak and then stopped. Honestly, he wondered how things would change. Perhaps, as a result of saying this, he might end up getting killed. However, there was no other option now. He just had to try hard at resolving the misunderstandingter.

    ¡°Say...¡®This guy is a chikan! Somebody, save me!¡¯...¡±

    ¡°...Eh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, just shout that out! You¡¯ll find out what it means!¡±

    The words Sei spoke was iprehensible. No, the meaning was basically understood. Although she had never heard of the term ¡°chikan,¡± she could understand that it was basically a request for help. But whom should she be seeking help from? And where would this person be?

    Virgo opened her eyes wide. After hearing the request, Sarjes, themia, and Gants were wondering if Sei was still right in the head. But Sei was convinced that this was the incantation to reverse their situation. If Virgo were to say this, that would surelye.

    ¡°Uh, eh...Then I¡¯m saying it? Thi¡ªThis guy is a chikan! Somebody, save me!¡±

    Virgo shouted, despite not knowing Sei¡¯s intention.

    Nothing...changed.

    No, it just appeared as if nothing changed. But that was not actually the case. After hearing Virgo¡¯s cry, that thing approached at astonishing speed in order to eliminate the insolent target. Its creator had given strict orders. If an insolent fool appeared to touch Virgo, beat him to within an inch of his life!

    ¡°Yes, boss!¡±

    And so, Suzuki came running. It elerated and headed towards the demihuman vige at maximum speed. While moving, its shape changed and it quickly reorganized its body with gacha-gacha sounds. Several parts were rearranged and the doors became steel arms. From the bottom, legs were extended. It abandoned the form of a car to be a steel giant.

    Just like something from a robot anime, the eyes on its head were covered by a visor. In the back, twin eyes shone bright red. The giant ran in a stunning form like a marathon runner. In order to obey the highest prioritymand given by Ruphas, it had assumed its assault form!

    Its right hand was holding a mana saber that was made using Libra¡¯s Left Scale as a model. Its left hand was holding a mana rifle that firedpressed mana instead of live ammunition. Later on, its creator, the ck-winged overlord, said, ¡°Honestly, this is too much.¡±

    It jumped over the bee demihumans at the vige entrance and rushed in, breaking through any tree that was in the way.

    And it saw her! The figure of Virgo, the target to be protected!

    Seeing that appearance, Sei was stunned for a moment, but who could me him? No, it wasn¡¯t just him. Everyone was stunned by the sudden intruder, but Sei was more surprised than anyone else.

    ¡ªHey...Why is it a robot...?

    As he thought this, his eyes had a faraway look as if he wanted to escape from reality. But he quickly shook his head to remember his purpose. Immediately, he cried out to Suzuki.

    ¡°Did youe? I¡¯m the chikan! Come!¡±

    It was a rather terrible thing to say about himself. If his father heard this, he would be in tears. Sei held his sword firmly as he provoked Suzuki. Sei¡¯s sword was currently entangled by Sarjes¡¯ thread, connecting them together. By following the thread, he could determine Sarjes¡¯ position.

    Sarjes¡¯ current position was...sandwiched between Sei and Suzuki, who wasing straight at him! Upon recognizing the insolent target, Suzuki marked him as an enemy and charged over at a tremendous speed. Its charge broke the tree on which Sarjes was standing, knocking him down in the process. At the same time, Sei dashed forward, evading Suzuki¡¯s body and sticking closely to Sarjes while he was on the ground.

    ¡°Wh¡ªWhat...?!¡±

    ¡°Sorry...Let¡¯s get hurt together.¡±

    A steel giant charged at them with a thundering noise.

    It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine.

    Sei kept telling himself that. Ruphas definitely said ¡°within an inch of his life¡± in hermand. In that case, he would surely not be killed. By the way, was this really a body smash? Considering its size, wasn¡¯t this more like a ser ball kick?

    ¡°Go to hell!¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡ª?!¡±

    The pitiful Sarjes screamed and a momentter, he was kicked by Suzuki along with Sei. As expected, it wasn¡¯t a body smash, it was a kick. In his heart, Sei made such a retort, perhaps due to a habit of being precise.

    With a single blow, the golem created by the ck-Winged Overlord crushed the exoskeleton of Sarjes and caused tremendous damage. When he crashed to the ground, he was no longer able to stand up by himself. On the other hand, Sei escaped serious injuries due to the shield that Virgo deployed at thest minute. In addition, Virgo hurriedly flew in front of Suzuki to stop its charge, thereby sparing Sei¡¯s life.

    Anyway, isn¡¯t it pointing its rifle over here? Its finger is on the trigger, right?

    This is a dangerous tightrope. This tightrope is way too dangerous.

    However, Sei realized that his n worked, and thinking that he had been somewhat useful, he lost consciousness.

 Chapter 110

    Chapter 110

    ¡°Really, you were so reckless.¡±

    Looking at the fainted Sei, Castor grinned. Although Sei was still immature, Castor was honestly impressed by a youth with such prospects. It wasn¡¯t easy for one to realize his own power was insufficient and yet refuse to give up, finding a way to breakthrough. His power and experience werecking, but if he had a good mentor...perhaps he would be a monster.

    Thinking so, Castor looked forward to Sei¡¯s growth in the future. However, now was not the time to dwell on that. Sei had sacrificed himself to create an opportunity, therefore it was the responsibility of their guardian to turn that opportunity into victory.

    ¡°Storm Pressure!¡±

    The mana released by Castor turned into winds above themia and the dryad. It then became a heavy air pressure that crushed the opponents and rendered them unable to move. The army had already been scattered by Castor, while the spiderkin had been defeated by Sei. In other words, if these two were defeated as well, the battle would be over.

    ¡°Wh¡ªWhat is it?! I can¡¯t move...¡±

    ¡°Ugh, crap...This...¡±

    The dryad and themia were desperately trying to escape, but unfortunately, the level difference was too great. Castor moved his finger to bind them together with an invisible wind rope,pletely neutralizing them.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s leave it like this.¡±

    ¡°As expected, this is what it means to be the Twelve Stars huh?¡±

    Jean praised Castor for suppressing the enemies. Castor responded with a smile...but in the next moment, his expression became stiff. There was no need for exnation. This was because Sagittarius appeared before them in the next instant.

    No, it wasn¡¯t just him. Libra, Scorpius, Aigokeros, and Karkinos were with him as well. All of them had suffered considerable damage.

    ¡°Wh¡ªWhat?!¡±

    ¡°Ev¡ªEveryone...?! What actually...¡±

    Their sudden appearances surprised Gants and agitated Virgo. They weren¡¯t surprised merely because of their sudden appearances. While there was that, what truly shocked them was the extent of the injuries they had sustained.

    The Twelve Stars were walking disasters, essentially a group of monsters that could individually challenge an entire country. It was unbelievable that several of them were chased to this ce. Libra looked around and immediately grasped the present situation.

    ¡°This is...the demihuman vige? It seems you have helped us, Sagittarius.¡±

    Until just before, Libra and the others were fighting Leon in Tyrfing, but they were here now because of Sagittarius¡¯ ability. By using the skill Alnasl which would surely hit the target, Sagittarius rescued the Twelve Stars by instantly moving them to the target location just as they were about to be struck by Leon. This also implied that he was not really following Leon ording to his own heart.

    ¡°Thank you, Sagittarius! Me and the others were nearly annihted.¡±

    ¡°...No need to thank me.¡±

    In response to Karkinos¡¯ words of thanks, Sagittarius turned his face away. Perhaps, he was feeling guilty about betraying Ruphas and the other Twelve Stars. Even if it was an act of impulse, he was standing on their side now. It couldn¡¯t be helped anymore. At least, Leon would have considered his action to mean that he was now an enemy.

    ¡°Sagittarius-sama!¡±

    ¡°Derby? And those fallen over there are Sarjes and the others...? What happened here?¡±

    When Derby called out to him, Sagittarius looked at the vige in disbelief. There were obvious signs of battle, not to mention the captive demihumans. Moreover, there was even the spiderkin Sarjes, who was the executive of the demihuman alliance. It was obvious that something had happened in the vige.

    ¡°That¡¯s my line. You people should be in Tyrfing, so why are you here? Moreover, you¡¯re together with Sagittarius...Can you tell me what is the current situation?¡±

    Likewise, Castor and the others were also unable to grasp the situation. To them, it seemed the members who should have been in Tyrfing just suddenly showed up here.

    Libra said, ¡°Hmm,¡± and decided that firstly, it seemed necessary for them to try and grasp the current situation.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Then, let¡¯s start by exchanging information.¡±

    ?

    Aries leaned against the ruined wall and squatted down.

    He really wanted to follow Leon right away, but since he knew that he had no chance of victory, he just couldn¡¯t move his legs. This wasn¡¯t just a matter of his will and courage. It was also an instinct of what might happen to him if he opposed the ultimate predator, Leon.

    The difference in rank was determined at the moment of birth. Aries was born a weakling who couldn¡¯t win against anyone, destined to be a prey that would be eaten. Therefore, it should be impossible. For Aries to challenge Leon, it would be a vition of nature.

    Predator and prey, strong and weak. This huge difference existed even if they were both magical beasts. This was a natural gap that would be difficult to bridge. Unlike the other Twelve Stars, he alone was different.

    The Twelve Stars were a group of monsters, each of whom were named the strongest in their own ways. Before serving Ruphas, some of them had dominated vast territories of their own.

    The Devil King of Hell (Aigokeros), the Queen of Poison (Scorpius), the Strongest Golem (Libra), the Toughest Magical Beast (Karkinos), the Manager of the Sanctuary (Parthenos), the Fairy Princess (Pollux), her other half the Strongest Male Fairy (Castor), and the World¡¯s Best Archer (Sagittarius).

    The Son of the Goddess (Pisces), the King of the Labyrinth (Taurus), the Empress of the Sea (Aquarius), and¡ªthe Lion King, Leon.

    What was he even doing among them? Who was he actually?

    All of the other Twelve Stars were strong from the start. They rightfully had their seats among the powerful. They had inherent abilities that Ruphas desired, so they became her subordinates.

    However, he...he alone was different. He was allowed to take the seat. It was given to him.

    Leon was right. He couldn¡¯t think of any way to deny it. His power, position, and skills were all given to him by Ruphas. None of them were gained by himself. After all, a sheep was still a sheep, and a weakling remained a weakling.

    If it was the Seven Luminaries, he could still manage somehow. But if he was faced with a truly strong opponent, his false mask would be peeled off and his inherent weakness would be exposed. Originally, Aries was not abat-oriented magical beast, so his will to fight was naturally weak.

    That was why there was nothing he could do. He couldn¡¯t defeat Leon. He couldn¡¯t do anything. Surely, Aigokeros and the others would do something about it this time. After all, they were strong, unlike himself.

    ¡°Are you not going to fight?¡±

    Hearing a voice, Aries raised his head. It was Dina, who came back some time ago. During the battle, she was the first to leave after seeing the threat posed by Leon, but it seemed she had returned. Dina crouched before Aries and looked into his eyes.

    ¡°Leon-sama went after everyone.¡±

    ¡°...I know.¡±

    Why is she preaching even though she ran away herself?

    Aries thought so, but he didn¡¯t say it aloud. It was a fact that he was a coward who did not join the battle. In that case, it couldn¡¯t be helped no matter what was said about him.

    ¡°Even if I go there...it¡¯s meaningless. I won¡¯t be able to do anything. There¡¯s no way I can defeat Leon.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but that¡¯s not the case at all. Isn¡¯t Leon-sama most frightened of Aries-sama?¡±

    Although Dina seemed to be talking nonsense, Aries did not change his expression at all. ttery was amon practice, but if there was too much, it would be exposed as a white lie. It would be really disheartening.

    It was like motivating a child...It was like having a strong man tell a kid, who was ying with a papier-mach¨¦ toy sword, ¡°Wow¡ªAmazing, so amazing. You could kill even the Demon King in one hit.¡± He would feel like he was being yed for a fool and just couldn¡¯t take it seriously.

    ¡°The fire given to you by Ruphas-sama is an iparable me that shouldn¡¯t normally exist and can vary its power ording to the vitality of the opponent. No matter how powerful the opponent is, the threat you pose to him is always the same. The stronger your opponent, the stronger your me will be, scaling in power without limits. Ruphas-sama devised this in order to break the existence that is remotely high above. The god-killing me is given to you alone.¡±

    ¡°...Such ttery is gushing out of you so smoothly.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s true.¡±

    Aries looked at Dina in a daze, while thetter had a smile on her face as usual. He still couldn¡¯t understand what she was thinking, but her casual attitude was unwavering.

    I don¡¯t know her true character, Aries thought once again.

    In his current memories, she indeed existed two hundred years ago. However, Libra said that it was a false memory that was nted by Dina. In that case, who was she truly? What was she doing here?

    ¡°But it¡¯s impossible. You saw Leon¡¯s power earlier, right? He was strong to begin with, then something strange happened...I can¡¯t do anything about that.¡±

    ¡°Oh, the Goddess¡¯ modification (One Pattern), right? It¡¯s certainly annoying...but it¡¯s okay. It actually isn¡¯t as strong as it looks.¡±

    Dina smiled and then said something really outrageous.

    ¡°That¡¯s because¡ªhe¡¯s the type of man that the Goddess hates most. It¡¯s natural that it should be given. It¡¯s natural that he should be blessed. There¡¯s no appreciation at all. He just thinks that it¡¯s his natural right to receive all these things. People like that are just fools. Because of them, the Goddess had to stop saving people and think of new methods. There¡¯s no real power in him. She won¡¯t be pouring any love into him.¡±

    It was as if she was really familiar with what the Goddess liked.

    ¡°If Leon-sama wins and defeats Ruphas-sama and the rest, it would be very convenient for the Goddess. That¡¯s why she is doing this...Her feelings must be reallyplicated right now, since this was an act of denial. That¡¯s why the power she bestowed was just a small portion, a fragmentary piece. If he wins, it would be convenient. On the other hand, she thinks that he should lose. She wants him to lose.¡±

    It was as if she was reading the thoughts of the Goddess.

    ¡°That guy doesn¡¯t deserve to win. A deserving person is one who doesn¡¯t bring shame to the name of the hero, a brave child who is nurtured to be the protagonist of the story...Therefore, technically, it¡¯s fine even if Leon-sama loses. If he¡¯s lucky, he can get rid of one or two members of the Twelve Stars. She doesn¡¯t hope for any more than this. In the worst case scenario, it¡¯s fine even if Leon-sama, who is the strongest of the Twelve Stars, continues to umte hatred and ends up dying without aplishing anything. She isn¡¯t expecting much from him to begin with, so she won¡¯t have given him a lot of power.¡±

    It was as if she knew what the goals of the Goddess were...

    ¡°A man like this is not needed.¡±

    ¡ªThat sounded as if she was the Goddess herself.

    For the first time, Aries became cautious about Dina. He had been warned by Libra before, but he had thought sweetly of her in his heart. He couldn¡¯t really consider her an enemy.

    But it was different now. He felt perplexed that she might actually be an enemy. His suspicion of Dina was growing.

    ¡°Dina-san...Who are you, seriously?¡±

    ¡°Who am I, huh? I¡¯m not really an existence that¡¯s worth mentioning. But if I have to say, I¡¯m someone who¡¯s unable to be anyone.¡±

    As she said this, Dina smiled as if she was mocking herself. And then, she stood up and raised her palm towards Aries. A variety of buff effects was applied to Aries, raising all his statuses.

    ¡°This is...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing like the Goddess¡¯ modification, but it¡¯s still my full-powered buff with divine magic. This should make it a bit better. Now then, get going. Your battlefield is not here.¡±

    ¡°What about Dina-san?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be fighting, you know. After all, I¡¯m just a weak girl.¡±

    She smiled as she confidently said that she wouldn¡¯t be joining the fight and then created a fracture in space. Apparently, she was fully intending to skip out on it. However, this was strangely just like her. Aries felt like he couldn¡¯t say anything about it.

    ¡°Well then. Good luck.¡±

    After those final words, Dina vanishedpletely. Aries was left there with a face like a foolish roon. Eventually, he looked up and leaped in the direction where Leon had leaped.

    I¡¯m not sure, but it seems my fear of Leon has diminished. Or maybe Dina did something I don¡¯t know about.

    Anyway, he would think about itter. Right now, he needed to head to the battlefield where hisrades were waiting.

    Honestly, he was still anxious about whether he could fight on the same battlefield. But still, if he could use his power a bit more effectively...No, He didn¡¯t believe in his own power. But he believed in Ruphas. And he possessed the power given by Ruphas. In that case...In that case, it should be possible to use it effectively. It would be impossible not to do so.

    As Leon said, this fire was given to him by his master, so it wouldn¡¯t be inferior to the power of the Goddess. He believed this. There was no doubt.

    Therefore, Aries leaped. He didn¡¯t want his master¡¯s power to be considered inferior just because he was afraid.

 Chapter 111

    Chapter 111

    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how things were.¡±

    At this moment in time, Libra and the others who were at Derby¡¯s house finished exchanging information and somehow managed to understand each other¡¯s situation.

    And the conclusion they reached was that Sagittarius¡¯s betrayal was really not of his own will.

    He probably had no option but to follow Leon after he took the centaur vige hostage.

    However, it was not as if Sagittarius submissively followed Leon. He advertised his intention to be an enemy to Libra, which served as a warning that led them toe to Tyrfing.

    Because he understood that he would not be able to defeat Leon by himself, he invited a fighting force that would be able to do so. He probably had such a train of thought, but unfortunately, he had made a slight miscalction.

    Originally, his true aim would have been to utilise Ruphas¡¯s overwhelming power to take Leon down.

    However, due to Bnash¡¯s interference, Ruphas was unable toe to where he was, thus only the Twelve Heavenly Stars ended uping over.

    Under normal circumstances, even if it was just the Twelve Heavenly Stars, it would have been possible to defeat Leon. Nevertheless, even that was not what the current situation was.

    Due to a needless intervention from the Goddess, Leon¡¯s fighting prowess had increased, making him be something beyond what they could handle.

    Even Karkinos, who was a perfect match to counter Leon, became unable to do anything.

    Currently, on their side, there were four individuals who possessed monstrous fighting prowess: Libra, Scorpius, Aigokeros and Karkinos.

    In addition, if they were to add Sagittarius and Castor, it would be six versus one... nevertheless, everyone in that ce understood that it would still be very tough.

    Normal conditions aside, the current Leon¡¯s strength was abnormal.

    After all, Leon, who was already the strongest individual amongst the Twelve Heavenly Stars, turned wild after being released from Ruphas¡¯s control and regained his real strength. On top of that, he was further empowered by the Goddess¡¯s buffs.

    No doubt, there would only be three individuals who would be able to fight against a stupidly overpowered existence like that head-on ande out victorious: Ruphas, the Vampire Princess and the Demon King.

    ¡°In any event, he will probably arrive here very soon. Irrespective of whether we choose to stay or not, he wille for the purpose of massacring every centaur.¡±

    Castor looked at the centaurs and spoke in a grave and serious tone, followed by Sagittarius who nodded to concur.

    Now that he had taken action to save the Twelve Stars, any exnation that he might attempt to make became useless.

    Without a shred of doubt, Leon would, with absolute certainty,e attacking this vige as a reprisal against Sagittarius.

    Sagittarius, who knew of this very well, came to the vige to try and protect it.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re right. That thing is a petty, short-tempered man. He¡¯ll definitelye and destroy this vige as a way to teach me a lesson. That¡¯s why, on the surface until now, I had to be obedient to him. ........ Though, something like that wouldn¡¯t really be a good enough excuse.¡±

    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s a given. Betraying Ruphas-sama is an action deserving of death.¡±

    While Sagittarius was mocking himself, Scorpius cornered him further with her harsh and spiteful words.

    However, even though she was reprimanding him with her mouth, there was no follow-up action.

    ¡°Well, right now, we also need your power, so I¡¯ll let you go for now. It pisses me off, but it¡¯s better to have more fighting power against the current Leon.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate it.¡±

    It was not as if there was no anger towards Sagittarius.

    However, his sentence could be left to Ruphas.

    Before all of that, right now, the important thing was to consider how to defeat Leon, and Sagittarius was a valuable source of fighting prowess that they should take into consideration.

    As such, rather than quarrelling with each other, it would be preferable for them to work with each other.

    Scorpius was calm and collected enough to be able to think as such.

    As long as she was not in a hysterical fit and Ruphas was not involved in the matter, she was also able to properly assess and think through things quite normally.

    ¡°In our battle against Leon, we will be using Karkinos as the central figure. We will have him stand in front of Leon whilst Virgo and Castor will then continue to provide assistance. Sagittarius and I will provide long-ranged support. Aigokeros is to distract Leon using illusions, and Scorpius, please keep inflicting him with your poison if you see any opening to do so.¡±

    Libra ordered and exined everyone¡¯s role in their impending fight against Leon as they listened to what she said with a grim expression.

    They were essentially ganging up on a single person with many people. However, they had no room for hesitation.

    After all, their opponent was that very Leon. If they were to hold anything back, they would be the ones who would be defeated.

    After they decided how they would fight against him, as if it was waiting for this moment, the forest shook.

    Earthquake.... ¨C there was no individual who would be stupid enough to say such a thing in that location.

    Libra and the group all dashed out of the small hut and faced towards the outside of the vige.

    And what was reflected in their eyes was the appearance of a giant lion which was nearing their location whilst crushing the trees below him with every step.

    In response to its majestic but imposing figure, the Hero¡¯s group froze up in a daze and Gants dropped the battleaxe that was in his hands.

    Huge ¨C just, unnecessarily, way, too, big!

    In the past, Gants had seen the figure of Aries when he attacked Svalinn. However, evenpared to that, Leon¡¯s figure would be considered abnormal in size.

    Sei was currently unconscious. However, it would probably be fortunate for him to continue sleeping.

    And as if learning from Sei, the tiger rolled onto the ground and tried to pretend that he was dead.

    On the other hand, Kaineko¡¯s fur was standing straight. Jean, the only individual in that ce who could not understand the difference in their abilities, charged in to attack. However, because he was so small inparison, he could not even get anyone to notice that he had moved in.

    ¡°So he¡¯s arrived... let¡¯s go, Sagittarius!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know!¡±

    Libramenced a full-powered indiscriminate attack with all that she had, including Astraea, and Sagittarius matched her by firing an arrow towards the sky.

    The destructive lights fired by Libranded directly on the giant lion and countless arrows of light rained down upon and pierced into Leon¡¯s body.

    However, the punctures were only on the surface. Indeed, they were nothing more than small pricks on the surface of his skin and Leon¡¯s expression did not even change in the slightest.

    On the other hand, Jean, who had finally arrived at the foot of Leon, was blown away by the shockwave of a single arrownding near him.

    ¡°You really love to y these small tricks, don¡¯t cha? Looks like you still haven¡¯t understood... that a small attack like this, doesn¡¯t, work on the current me!¡±

    Leon opened his mouth wide and sucked in arge amount of air.

    The attack that followed was nothing particrly special. It was neither a special ability nor would it inflict some detrimental debuff.

    In other words, it was nothing more than a simple roar ¨C it was nothing more than an act of exhaling airbined with the mana which was in the body.

    If one were to speak in terms of ssification, it was a skill that even a low-tiered monster could use. It was not wrong to think of the move as a basic level ability that qualified as a low-tiered skill.

    However, even with such a skill, if Leon were the one to use it, it would easily turn into an ability of mass destruction that could wipe out a kingdom.

    It might seem like a crazy exaggeration that a single living creature¡¯s roar could have power surpassing what would be required to uproot a single kingdom. Such a description was just on so grand a scale that even calling it nonsensical was too sensible of an action.

    However, in this world, this was what it meant to be ssified as one of the strongest individuals. To be a monster which was able to destroy a world on a whim ¨C that was the minimum threshold of what it meant to be ssified as one of the strongest in the world.

    Ruphas, Bnash and the Demon King all individually possessed transcendent-like battle prowess such that they would easily be able to turn the whole of Midgard into nothing more than space dust should they really get serious.

    The ability to destroy a country or two was nothing more than child¡¯s y and being able to erase a continent or two was nothing more than a given. Thus they were the powerful. Thus they were the strongest.

    The exhaled air would easily dust away the centaur vige... no, the forest itself which served as the demi-humanoids¡¯ settlement.

    There was no doubt the attack would massacre many of the demi-humans and extinguish Jean who was unfortunate enough to be in the direct line of attack. Even the Twelve Stars would no doubt suffer heavy damage from the attack.

    Furthermore, there was nothing that could be done to prevent the attack by those on the Twelve Stars¡¯ side.

    Even if they possessed the means, Leon¡¯s attack power was on too grand a scale that they would not be able topletely offset his attack.

    In hopes of at least mitigating the impact, Karkinos jumped in front. Fully prepared to take significant damage, he turned into his giant form.

    Right at that moment ¨C

    A rainbow-coloured shooting star flew right in, kicking Leon¡¯s jaws upwards and forcibly closing his mouth.

    ¡°¡ªgha!?¡±

    A small-framed silhouette enveloped by a rainbow-coloured me once again mmed into the closed jaws.

    When it did, as if everything was a joke, Leon¡¯srge body lifted into the air. At the same time, mes fired out from the silhouette¡¯s hands and it elerated. It moved above Leon and this time, it kicked Leon downwards.

    Leon immediately also tried to counterattack... however, the attack did not connect. The target was too small.

    Beingrge equated to strength.

    When something was big, its attacks would naturally have more weight. Furthermore, because any damage it received from the enemy was spread out across arge surface area, the damage it suffered was also distributed ordingly.

    What looked to be a giant boulder to a human would seem like nothing more than a grain of sand to Leon. When the Twelve Stars gigantified, the change in oppressiveness due to the change in appearance was a given. However, there was more to it than the number which was disyed on the status.

    Nevertheless, small things had their own merit for being small.

    And that was this. It was a small and insignificant matter, but because they were small, attacks could not hit them.

    Additionally, this rainbow-coloured me inflicted damage based on the enemy¡¯s vitality, thus it was perfect for killing high-ss enemies. The damage of this attack was not affected by the size of its body.

    That small and insignificant existence ¨C Ariesnded in front of Libra and the others, turning to face them with an expression as if he was being ttened by the guilt of the sin he hadmitted.

    ¡°Umm... everyone, I¡¯m sorry. I got dyed a little.¡±

    ¡°No, it was good timing, Aries. We were waiting for you.¡±

    Leon¡¯s strength was beyond what one might callmon sense by now. Since it had gotten to a point where not even a full-powered attack from Libra worked properly, there were only limited ways to deal with Leon¡¯s defence.

    Because Leon¡¯s defence at the moment surpassed even Karkinos whose only selling point was that he was the toughest of the Twelve Stars, the poor Crab-san did not even have a position to stand on.

    However, Aries alone was an exception. His mes alone could prate any form of defence.

    When used against Leon¡¯s needlessly high vitality, it would not be wrong to call it a Brachium which could be repeatedly fired.[2] Although it was a skill which was significantly affected by the enemy¡¯s strength, limited to the current ce and time, Aries¡¯s me could outdo even his own master, Ruphas.

    In other words, since Ruphas was not here... Aries was the only individual who had the possibility to take Leon down.

    Nevertheless, in a one-on-one fight, it would not even be a battle in the first ce. Thus, the cooperation of Libra and the others was required to give Aries the chance to win.

    ¡°A small frryy....! Trash like you, to this me!¡±

    Leon, in his anger, stared daggers at Aries, who in turn looked straight back at him, though slightly timidly.

    The Lion King Leon ¨C the strongest of the magical beasts.

    For Aries, that was the object of his admiration. He had always wanted to be like that. He always envied that position and wondered what he could have done if he was that strong.

    It was because Leon had always been strong, as if he existed in a world different from that of Aries¡¯s.

    However, the feeling that he had towards the current Leon was not that of envy, respect or admiration. It was pity and disappointment.

    The current Leon, who was nothing more than a doll controlled by the Goddess, looked tooical to Aries. It didn¡¯t suit him at all, and that... made Aries feel disappointed from the bottom of his heart.

    ¡°Mesarthim Version 1.¡±[3]

    Aries¡¯s whole body was enveloped in a rainbow-coloured me and his hair fluttered.

    If Ruphas saw his current appearance, she would have said, ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been saying, Mesarthim isn¡¯t a skill that¡¯s supposed to be used like tha... oh wait, never mind, it¡¯s that kind of skill.¡±

    Aries was not going to use his original giant sheep appearance.

    Just this time alone, he wanted to challenge Leon using the appearance of a human which had been bestowed upon him by Ruphas. At this very moment, that was what he felt.

    As if responding to that intention, Scorpius and Aigokeros gigantified at the same time.

    The centrepiece of the attack this time was Aries. Therefore, any attacks towards him had to be prevented as much as possible.

    Thus gigantification. Thus the increase in the number of enemies.

    The two of them immediately decided to be a wall for Aries for the sake of victory.

    ¡°Ooooooooooooooooooo!!¡±

    ¡°Shyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡±

    Aigokeros and Scorpius both jumped towards Leon and tried to hold his body in ce.

    Following all of this, Karkinos also charged in as if he was saying that he would not fall behind. As such, there were four giant magical beasts who were locked together and grappling with one another.

    In irritation, Leon bared his fangs. However, Karkinos forcibly shoved his scissors (pincers) into the mouth that was opened wide.

    Additionally, the counter skill Acubens was triggered, causing Leon to start bleeding.

    Nevertheless, Karkinos also did not get away scot-free. One of his scissors was shattered by the bite and he himself was sent flying after being head-butted by Leon.

    But cutting in at that moment was Aries who released a kick, cracking Leon¡¯s fangs and sending hisrge body flying in return.

    Furthermore, Aries fired mes out from his palms and flew, charging in towards Leon who was blown away.

    Matching that action, Leon opened his mouth wide. However, ck tentacles which suddenly appeared from the ground tangled with his body, causing him to be slightly dyed.

    He managed to immediately be unconstrained, nevertheless, the roar that he released was already toote.

    Aries directed the me towards the ground and ascended vertically. He then redirected the mes towards the sky and suddenly descended, smashing his fist right into Leon¡¯s head.

    This one attack caused the ground to shake and buried Leon¡¯s head.

    However, as expected, the Lion King¡¯s stamina was leagues above normal. He had already received five hits from Aries which meant that he had already received close to 500 000 damage in numerical value, but he still stood back up and opened his mouth.

    A moment before Leon managed to release his roar ¨C due to the mana rifle fired by Suzuki which closed in towards his eyeball, he instinctively closed his eyes, causing the attack to miss Aries by a hair¡¯s breadth.

    Notwithstanding that Aries was not hit directly, the attack that merely scratched him ever so slightly sent his slender body flying.

    Nevertheless, even before Leon could conduct a follow-up attack, Aigokeros jumped into action, picking Leon up from the bottom and throwing him away.

    ¡°Gu..... u.....¡±

    ¡°Aries! Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Y, yeah. I can still fight... I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Just a single hit. Furthermore, it was an attack that merely scratched him. Nevertheless, just that alone had caused Aries¡¯s body to be covered in wounds.

    His clothes were in tatters such that the current condition was only fine because he was a guy. If he was a girl, he would have had to quickly fall back.

    Even his white skin was now engraved by wounds, making him appear like a fragile and hurt maiden to an onlooker and causing them to feel affectionate.[4]

    However, his will to fight which resided in his eyes had not been extinguished in the slightest as he once again enveloped himself with the rainbow-coloured mes.

    If he had not received the defensive buff cast upon him by Dina, he might very well have been finished from that single attack that he had just suffered.

    Even whilst he was thinking such a thing, Aigokeros, Karkinos and Scorpius continued to be engaged in a hard battle while Sagittarius and Castor provided supporting fire from the back. Simrly, Suzuki continued to fire its rifle, however, it only aimed at Leon¡¯s eyes after determining that it would not do any damage even if it hit.[5]

    On the other hand, Virgo immediately flew towards Aries and applied recovery divine magic to heal him, whereas Libra, who found a gap in this situation, showered Leon with everything that she had.

    And... due to all of this noise, the poor and pitiful Sei and Sarjes both opened their eyes, only for them to pop out at the same time as they shouted aloud:

    ¡°Mo.... Monster War!?¡±[6]

    __

    (Author Note)

    Leon: 160m[7]

    Scorpius: 110m

    Karkinos: 105m

    Aigokeros: 105m

    Suzuki: Approximately 20m

    Sei: ¡°.............umm............. you know......... at this rate, rather than me, maybe it would have been better to summon the Ultr__man or something?[8] Isn¡¯t this a joke? You know... I was.... summoned for the sake of fighting all of this....¡±

    Their master is a monster that conducts super-fast speedbat like the ones you see in Dragon__ll.[9] Their subordinates are giant monsters (kaiju). The maid is a war machine that ignores the fantasy genre. Their mode of transportation is a camping car. I can¡¯t really say much since I wrote it myself but... I wonder what is up with this mishmash bunch of a meaningless group.

    The Goddess: ¡°Stop being unreasonable already! This is a fantasy world, you know!?¡±

    * As a note, the reason Aries¡¯s attacks have been managing to hit properly unlike before is because his agility has been increased.

    As expected, buffs are quite unfair.

    Dina: Oh no.....

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] ¡°https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden/wiki/Fire_Punch_(move)¡±.

    [2] Recall that in the world of Midgard, the system limits the maximum damage one can do/receive as 99,999. Brachium is 99,999 damage, however, it cannot be fired repeatedly. Aries¡¯s me does percentage damage, but because most individuals in Midgard don¡¯t even have 100,000 HP, the numerical damage would usually do less than the maximum possible value set by the system. Nevertheless, if the HP isrge enough, like that of Leon¡¯s, the numerical value of percentage damage could be 100,000 or higher. In such a case, the system will cap the damage at 99,999. Furthermore, whereas Brachium is limited to a single shot, Aries¡¯s me is continuous damage over time as long as the me is in contact with the enemy.

    [3] [¥á¥µ¥ë¥Æ¥£¥àVer.1]

    [4] Sometimes, I question the author¡¯s...

    [5] Va: ¡°Why though? Did Virgo call Leon a chikan this time?¡±

    Tp: :¡¯) ¨C Va¡¯s 10/10ment (during the edit) that I had to include again haha.

    [6] ¹Öª•´ó›Q‘é ¨C Kaijyuu Daikessen ¨C Literally tranted as ¡°monster big battle¡±. Did a quick google because I thought it was some reference, and it seems like it¡¯s a Godzi game from 1994? It seems to be one of those games that¡¯s quite simr to Tekken, Street Fighter or Guilty Gear. And this phrase also seems to have some link with Ultraman, hence the mention of Ultraman in the author¡¯s note.

    ¡°https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzi:_Monster_War¡±.

    [7] Height in metres.

    [8] Ultraman. ¡°https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra_Series¡±.

    [9] Dragon Ball ¡°https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Ball¡±.

 Chapter 112

    Chapter 112

    ¡°Storm Harpoon!¡±[2]

    At the same time as Castor swung his favourite anchor down, a current of wind with a visible pressure was thrust into Leon¡¯s head.

    It was nothing more than ordinary arcane magic. However, when it was used by Castor, it was strong enough to leave a fissure a few hundred metres wide on the ground.

    Nheless, for Leon, the impact of that skill felt no different from being hit by something lightweight.

    It served no more than to slightly draw his attention away.

    But even that was enough. The mere fact that he was distracted by something was already a job well done.

    ¡°Luna Tentacle.¡±

    Following up on what just happened, Aigokeros called upon tentacles made out of darkness and rushed them towards Leon.

    One should not be asking; who is going to benefit from tentacles on a giant lion y. That was because the person using the skill was actually being serious.

    However, the constriction onlysted for a fraction of a moment. By the next moment, the tentacles had already been shredded to a thousand pieces and Leon was already charging towards Aigokeros with the intention of sending him away.

    Nevertheless, that charge did not end up where Aigokeros was. It was because there was a head-on collision between a giant crab and a lion as Leon was interrupted by Karkinos who stepped in between them.

    Due to the shockwave caused by the two of them colliding, the trees in the vicinity broke and the ground shook like an earthquake.

    The counter skill Acubens sessfully threw Leon away. However, immediately after that happened, Karkinos himself also copsed onto the ground.

    It was because he had finally reached his limit after repeatedly taking Leon¡¯s attacks.

    Karkinos¡¯s defence was the highest amongst the members of the Twelve Stars and ordinarily, would even surpass that of Level 1000 Leon.

    Furthermore, his defence enhancement skill [Tegmine] would raise the numerical value of his defence to be above 20 000. Thus, against him, the majority of attacks would not have any effect.[3]

    But the current Leon was abnormal. He could even forcibly overwhelm Karkinos¡¯s defence with raw strength, allowing him to defeat Karkinos who stood in a naturally advantageous position when matched against Leon.

    If one were to consider that Leon was still going berserk even after managing to defeat Karkinos, one could only describe the situation as crazy.

    ¡°Graffias!¡±[4]

    Scorpius doused him with a poisonous breath attack.

    The poison released by her was different from ordinary poison as it had the effect of stacking on itself.

    As Ruphas had previously said, an annoying point of this scorpion was that she was able to further pour and stack poison on those that were already poisoned.

    Analogising, in ordinary situations, poison worked by inflicting the enemy with a poison that would deal 1 damage every second.

    However, she was different. She could repeatedly release poison towards the enemy and make the poison stack such that she was able to increase the damage per second to 2, 3, 4 or even 10 as long as she continued to stack them.

    But even that was nothing more than slowly shaving away at Leon¡¯s enormous vitality.

    A poison that could not be cleansed would eventually but surely kill the enemy. Nevertheless, that eventuality would not arrive until farter in time.

    At the very least, it would not happen during this particr battle.

    ¡°Ya pesky shit!¡±

    Leon leapt into the air and moved to attack Scorpius¡¯s giant body.

    Now that the shield known as Karkinos had shattered, there was no technique that could stop Leon¡¯s attack.

    After just a single attack, Scorpius was taken down and subsequently suffered Leon¡¯s stomp which caused her outer shell to crack into pieces.

    Although Aigokeros jumped in from behind, without even turning back to look, Leon dispersed Aigokeros¡¯s illusion into a fine mist by swiping at it with his tail.

    ¡°You....!¡±

    ¡°Stop, Aries! If you charge in recklessly....¡±

    Aries leapt in from Leon¡¯s blindspot and kicked.

    However, as if he had read the attack beforehand, Leon turned his head towards the attack, dodged the attack and spun on the spot. Or so it seemed, but in the next moment, Aries was captured by Leon¡¯s tail.

    ¡°Ga... a!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve finally caught ya... ya¡¯ve been dilly-dallying around me for a while now... If I keep letting a small fry like ya bastard keep doing whatever ya want, it¡¯ll damage my pride. So it¡¯s enough already, if ya¡¯re trash, be good and quietly act like trash.¡±

    Leon said as such in an irritated tone and strengthened the hold on his tail.

    When he did, the ominous sound of bones breaking resounded from Aries¡¯s body, and with it, a face distorted in pain.

    Libra and Sagittarius quickly tried to snipe Leon to improve the situation. However, Leon with his giant body swiftly leapt aside and avoided their attacks.

    He possessed agility that did not match up with hisrge size.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of ya bastardster... stay in line, be silent and wait there patiently.¡±

    Leon said this without even looking at Libra and the rest as he increased the grip with his tail even further.

    He was probably meaning to ughter Aries just like this.

    No, it was not anything soft like that.

    Leon lifted Aries¡¯s body in front of his mouth and bared his fangs out.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give ya bastard a fitting finale. I¡¯ll kill and devour you, ya fodder monster.¡±

    Aries was no longer in a condition where he could register those words.

    It was because his eyes were already rolled up to show its white and he had lost consciousness.

    Ultimately, this was the reality of the difference in strength.

    One could say percentage damage or anything else they wanted to. However, when one party possessed overwhelmingly higher status, it was a given that the one with the stronger status would win.

    Leon was now convinced of his victory and opened his mouth wide ¨C.

    ¡°¡ªHermes Trismegistus.¡±[5]

    A voice resounded from thin air and the mana in the surroundings intensified.

    Immediately afterwards, as if to nket Leon¡¯srge body, magic arrays appeared from three different directions at the same time, flooding torrents of muddy water onto him.

    The amount of water that came flooding would equal that of a deep blue sea, turning that original ce into something of a pyramid that secured that entire location.

    After condensing an enormous amount of water in ce to secure whatever was inside, the pressure applied by the liquid easily surpassed tens of thousands of tonnes.

    Due to this sudden attack, Leon identally released Aries, but the intruder¡¯s attack did not end here.

    ¡°X-Gate.¡±

    Space-time distorted.

    The entire space-time continuum around Leon turned into an empty pitch ck dimension. What appeared in front of Leon, who was trapped in ce inside of a water pyramid, was just a single young girl with blue hair.

    There was nothing else. Whether it be the centaurs in the forest or the vige, nothing existed in this space.

    The only things left were Aries, Castor, Sei and others who were organic. However, everything inorganic including Libra was nowhere to be seen.

    The young girl looked down onto Leon and as if sneering at him, smiled towards him, causing a few hundred magic arrays to be simultaneously deployed.

    ¡°Dawn Star!¡±

    Invocation.

    At the same time, from the empty space, meteors started storming down.

    The solution deployed by Dina to solve the dilemma of this arcane magic which would cause a major catastrophe if it was activated normally in Midgard was exceedingly simple.

    It was to suck away everything in the location ¨C within a radius of a few kilometres of where they were using X-Gate.

    As a result, anything and everything thatpromised the world was temporarily stored away in an alternate dimension created by Dina¡¯s X-Gate, leaving only organic matters that did not consent to being sent away by X-Gate behind.

    She did not take Leon away using X-Gate.

    Using X-Gate, she stored away all inorganic matters, thus giving birth to a temporary location with the special characteristics of having no coteral damage urring due to whatever was done within the area.

    Meteors shining in a golden colour collided one after another directly onto Leon after going through the pyramid causing chain explosions.

    Furthermore, whilst she was sealing Leon¡¯s movement, she also created shields around other people at the same time to prevent the shockwaves from harming them.

    Not only that, she even pointed her finger towards Aries who had passed out and applied recovery divine magic,pletely healing up the damage that he had suffered.

    Simultaneously using two arcane magic spells and two divine magic spells as well as X-Gate.

    After noticing such superhuman feats being used simultaneously as if it was just the mostmon thing in the world, Cruz¡¯s jaws dropped in astonishment and he was muttering, ¡°It¡¯s impossible¡±.

    Once the magic was over, she then returned the world to its original appearance.

    After Dina verified that her surprise attack was sessful, she noticed that Libra¡¯s strong gaze was fixated on her.

    After sweating a little about that, she quickly fled into a rift in space to reflect on whether she had shown too much of her own tail.

    ¡°The rest is up to you, Aries-sama. Don¡¯t worry... you will be able to win.¡±

    After leaving those final words behind, the storm finally cleared away from the area they were in.

    Aries, who was left behind in ce, opened his eyes in a daze, not even fully registering what had just happened. Meanwhile, Leon stood up to frantically look for the intruder. However, he was not able to find any figure.

    Dina understood her own limits. She was also well aware of her own weakness.

    As such, she would not make such a foolish mistake as staying back in the battlefield indefinitely. After all, she would not fall behind anyone when it came to the speed of running away.

    ¡°Shit, who the hell was that shitter just then!? Come out now, I¡¯ll kill and eat you!¡±

    Looking at Leon who was going mad with rage, Aries was able to faintly understand that he had just been helped by somebody.

    Based on the situation, he thought it was most likely Dina. The damage that he had suffered had beenpletely recovered and there were simply not many individuals who would be able to so easily and perfectly conduct a surprise attack as well as recovery magic.

    Amongst all of this, he could not say that he did not think how good it would have been if even his clothes were repaired.

    Aries¡¯s clothes were in the same tattered condition as it previously was, and he appeared to be in quite a perilous condition.

    He sighed out loud, not realising that Dina did not repair his clothing because she thought his current clothing¡¯s condition was a feast for the eyes.

    With what had just happened, their situation had reverted back to the beginning, but even with that surprise attack just then, Leon did not suffer major damage.

    To be more precise, in terms of numerical values, it would have dealt quite significant damage to Leon. However, due to his enormous vitality, it did not even match up with a single punch from Aries.

    As such, the only viable attacker present in their current location was Aries. Nevertheless, the difference in their ability was as was previously disyed.

    If everything was back to how it had been, it would be nothing more than a repeat of what had just transpired.

    But to help ease that worry, someone ced their hand onto Aries¡¯s head... or so he felt.

    When he instinctively turned to look back, he saw the appearance of his master, Ruphas, for just a single instant.

    However, the expression on that Ruphas¡¯s face was from that of the olden days. An expression she donned back when she was feared and called the Supreme Ruler. An expression overflowing with self-confidence.

    ¡°Why are you afraid, Aries? You are one of the Twelve Stars that I have recognised and approved of. You are notckingpared to him. Have self-confidence ¨C you are strong. Ahh, you should teach that fool. The strength of the one he called a small fry.¡±

    After saying as such and smiling inappropriately, she disappeared as if she was a phantom.

    Immediately afterwards, a power rose up from within Aries¡¯s body.

    This was not like support divine magic where he was buffed up on top of what he already had. It was more like his fundamental statuses themselves shot straight up.

    When he looked around, with the exception of Libra, everyone, including Castor and Aigokeros, were looking at their own bodies and showing a surprised response.

    Could it be? ¨C after thinking such, Aries decided to check with everyone else.

    ¡°Umm... it felt like I suddenly levelled up....¡±

    ¡°Yeah, same here.¡±

    The abnormality happened to every member of the Twelve Heavenly Stars except Libra and Leon, and this only signified a single thing.

    ¡°Ahh, looks like Ruphas-sama decided to get serious. It was nice knowing you, vampire midget-chan.¡±

    Scorpius said as such in a cheerful expression, and that line stated the answer to this very abnormality.

    Excluding Libra who was manufactured by Mizar, the Twelve Heavenly Stars¡¯ levels were capped at level 800.

    That was a limit based upon the monster tamer ss of their master, Ruphas, and as long as she remained at an overall level of 1000 and ss level 100, their own levels absolutely could not change.

    However, the fact that the absolute limitation changed could only mean one thing ¨C that Ruphas¡¯s level changed.

    The highest cap on level was 1000. That was the ceiling set by the Goddess and this world¡¯smon sense.

    However, Ruphas had long climbed past such a wall and the Twelve Heavenly Stars were well aware that she would shoot straight past even level 4000 at her strongest moment should she decide to get serious.

    And only when Ruphas decided to get serious could the Twelve Stars show their real and true abilitiespletely, utilising their talents to the fullest.

    ¡°She¡¯s won.¡±

    Libra muttered a quick and short but fully convinced line, which received unanimous assent from everyone else.

    It seemed Bnash had put up a very good fight. At the very least, the fight was good enough to make their master fight seriously.

    Therefore, everything was already over. By this time, the conclusion would have already been reached.

    There was no individual in this world who would be able to fight against Ruphas Mafahl when she was fully serious and stille out victorious.

    In the past, she had once said to Parthenos that if she wanted to fight her, she would need to at least bring one or two ¡°ouroboroses¡±. However, that was not particrly a bluff. In actual fact, Ruphas possessed such overwhelming battle prowess that it was simply the truth.

    ¡°Wi, with this, me will also have more roles to y....¡±

    In response to the copsed Karkinos who muttered such a thing, everyone simultaneously said in unison, ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen.¡±

    Even Dina quickly showed her face from the gap in the space-time continuum and said, ¡°Even if the level of the tank goes up, it¡¯s not like there are more roles for them to fulfil.¡±

    Aries and the others ignored and left Karkinos, who was mentally shattered, on the ground, and looked up towards Leon, ready to fight.

    ¡°You understand, right, Aries? Right now, our power¡¯s been heightened to our greatest, but it won¡¯tst long.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Now that Ruphas-sama has gotten serious, a fight won¡¯tst long.... It wouldn¡¯t be strange at all for the whole fight to have finished in less than a second.¡±

    A battle involving Ruphas in a serious state was beyond the understanding of an ordinary matter of course. It was an extremely fast battle conducted in a state of an extraordinarilypressed matter of time.

    In other words, it would not be strange for all the enemies to have been annihted in merely one second after Ruphas got serious and then reverted back from her serious mode.

    She was just that strong and just that fast.

    Ordinarily, the concept known as having to battle would not even have been established in the first ce. Bnash just happened to be one of the rare exceptions who could actually establish such a thing.

    Nevertheless, unfortunately for Bnash, she would still not be an enemy for Ruphas.

    It by no means meant that Bnash was weak. It was just that Ruphas was too strong.

    ¡°Then get going, Aries! m all that you have into that guy!¡±

    Sagittarius fired his arrow and Aries grabbed onto that.

    Straight afterwards, Aries was teleported right above Leon and firmly gathered his mes in his fist.

    Aigokeros and Castor used their arcane magic to obstruct Leon¡¯s movement whilst Libra conducted supporting fire at Leon¡¯s eyes.

    Scorpius used her sting to keep Leon¡¯s feet in ce and even Karkinos, who was believed to have no role to y, had a sudden lightbulb moment and quickly activated a skill.

    ¡°Please receive this, Aries! [Altarf]!¡±[6]

    It was a skill which could only be activated once when he was rendered unable to battle. It was an awkward skill of Karkinos which was better described as ast-ditch struggle rather than a counter. That was Altarf.

    The effect of that skill was one-off. The skill doubled the damage of the buffed individual¡¯s next attack and just for this single hit, the wall of 99 999 damage ced as a limitation by the world could be ignored.

    Aries, who had turned into a ming body, cried and dropped onto Leon¡¯s head just like a rainbow-coloured meteor.

    If Ruphas was present in that ce at that moment, she most probably would have overlooked the situation using her Observing Eyes.

    The terrifying scene where Leon, who had over 800 000 HP remaining, was reduced to a state of only having 1 HP left after just a single attack.

 Chapter 113

    Chapter 113

    For some skills that exist in Midgard, there are things such as ¡°restrictions¡±.

    It might be the number of times it can be fired. If the skill was extremely powerful, it may be such that the skill might only be able to be used once every 24 hours.

    It might be the race or species of the user. There might be skills or arcane magic that could only be acquired or learnt by a specific race or species.

    It might be thebination. It might be a skill that could only be acquired once all the specific and required sses werebined.

    And it might be the level. It might be a skill that could only be activated once the required level was reached even if the individual had already learnt the skill itself.

    The skill [Hamal], which Aries possessed, was one such skill.[1]

    Amongst the offensive skills which Aries possessed, it was the skill which boasted the highest damage and, when allowed to activate, could potentially serve as a trump card which could flip the tide of the battle.

    However, there was a restriction to the activation of this skill. As such, ordinarily, even if he wanted to use it, he was unable to do so.

    The restriction was that the user had to be level 1000. In other words, it was a skill with a level restriction.

    Furthermore, its usage limit was once every 24 hours.

    Nevertheless, in exchange for having stringent prerequisites, its damage was monumental.

    With a single use of the skill, it dealt damage equivalent to half of the enemy¡¯s maximum HP, regardless of how much HP was remaining.

    Although, if one were to ask Ruphas, she would probably answer that Brachium was far superior in firepower.

    That was because there was a limit to how much damage could be dealt. Regardless of whether the enemy¡¯s HP was 200 000 or 100 000 000, the maximum possible damage was 99 999. It was impossible to go above that value.

    Furthermore, if the enemy¡¯s HP did not surpass 200 000, it would not even reach 99 999 damage.

    As such, she would deem Brachium, which would ¡°definitely do 99 999 damage¡± as far simpler and superior.

    However, that was only when considering Aries as a single individual. Whenbined with Karkinos, this skill had the potential topletely outperform even Brachium.

    Whenbined with Karkinos¡¯s skill [Altarf], this skill would truly be peerless.[2] It would be a me which could even y gods.

    In other words, only in an extreme situation which satisfied the prerequisite conditions of Aries¡¯s level being 1000 and Karkinos being unable to battle, Aries would possess the highest possible damage among the Twelve Heavenly Stars.

    To double the damage on a skill which dealt half of the enemy¡¯s maximum HP whilst ignoring the maximum possible damage cap set by the system ¨C in other words, however high the enemy¡¯s HP was, it quite literally became a skill which could possibly one-shot the enemy.

    Nevertheless, per cent damage was still per cent damage. However much the enemy¡¯s HP was shaved away, it was unable topletely finish them off. Thus, there was an outstanding weakness of the enemy always being left with 1 HP.

    But that weakness was extremely convenient at this moment. If one were to consider that their goal was to stop Leon without killing him, it was a job well done.

    As such, everything came to a conclusion as the lion stood fallen in front of a ram.

    The result would not change regardless of how disgraceful the situation was.

    Victory and defeat had already beenpletely determined.

    ¡°Well done. You did it, Aries.¡±

    ¡°Excellent! As expected, Aries!¡±

    ¡°Aries-san, that was amazing...¡±

    Libra, Karkinos and Virgo congratted Aries who had arrived in front of Leon.

    Aigokeros and Scorpius, who had turned back into their humanoid forms, patted Aries¡¯s back and also congratted him on his sessful win, causing Karkinos to also turn back into his humanoid form in a hurry.

    On the other hand, Sei and his group were still in a daze after experiencing that battle which was out of their league, whilst the demihumans were dumbfounded after their leader, whom they believed to be invincible, was defeated.

    However, because Scorpius started to talk to them at that moment, their expressions changed to that of despair.

    ¡°Now~ then. It means once we clean up the fools that followed Leon, everything¡¯s over, right? Compared to Aries who defeated Leon, it might be ame battle merit, but even then, these weaklings are still Ruphas-sama¡¯s enemies, so I guess they should be properly taken care of.¡±

    Scorpius coldly dered such and whipped her hair, which was braided into a sting.

    The first individual that she aimed for was the spider bugkin, whom she believed to be their leader.

    However, before she could kill him, Sei quickly stepped in and stopped the sting with his katana.

    What happened next was that his katana broke into two and Sei went rolling on the ground.

    Nevertheless, due to the unexpected interference, Scorpius¡¯s attack also missed the target and only ended up piercing the tree which stood next to the spiderkin.

    This result was not particrly because Sei¡¯s ability was great or anything. It was simply because Scorpius¡¯s attack was casually made without any effort and so half-assed.

    If she was serious at the time..... No, even without being serious, if she had used even 20% of her power, let alone Sei and his katana, even the spiderkin behind him would definitely have died.

    ¡°Se, Sei-kun!?¡±

    ¡°...... Heeyyy, what are you doing, kid~?¡±

    A flustered Virgo quickly approached Sei, who had copsed on the ground, whilst Scorpius looked towards him with an exasperated expression.

    However, Sei somehow managed to pull himself up and looked straight towards Scorpius.

    ¡°¡¯What are you doing?¡¯ should be my line. What are you doing all of a sudden!?¡±

    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it obvious? Killing them.¡±

    ¡°Bu, but they can¡¯t move anymore. And they¡¯ve lost the will to fight already. Any more is just being excessive -¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    ¡°.....eh?¡±

    ¡°To this mistress, their conditions are irrelevant. They¡¯re subordinates of the fool who was hostile to Ruphas-sama. In other words, an enemy. To this mistress, that alone is enough. I don¡¯t care to know about them. The conviction of the enemy, tear-jerking past or anything of that sort is all irrelevant to me.¡±

    Sei had made one mistake.

    No, rather than a mistake, it was a misconception.

    Because Virgo, who was also one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, was a kind-hearted girl. Because even though Castor was a little bit of a klutz, he was a trustworthy young man.

    Because Ruphas Mafahl was an understanding person whom you could talk things out with.

    Thus he was mistakenly relieved after believing that the Twelve Heavenly Stars were existences who were not really terrifying.

    People were only excessively terrified of them due to the interference of the Goddess and they were actually a bunch that would be understanding if one tried to speak to them ¨C he was convinced after making such an optimistic observation.

    Wrong. Way too wrong.

    The Twelve Heavenly Stars was a gathering of what were originally magical beasts. Although Aries and Karkinos were a little bit understanding such that they could be reasoned with and might even amodate your situation, when it came to Aigokeros and Scorpius, it would not be that way.

    Retaining the mercilessness and ferocity of magical beasts, the two of them were individuals who had forcibly been turned into humanoid forms.

    In conclusion, their patterns of thought were fundamentally different and reasoning with them would bepletely meaningless.

    Domesticated ferocious beasts might embrace their master. However, for anyone other than their master, they would forever remain as ferocious beasts.

    ¡°Now, scram. You don¡¯t want to be killed together, right~?¡±

    Although Scorpius told him such in a kind and affectionate tone, she had absolutely no such expression on her face.

    Regardless of whether Sei scrammed or not, in a few seconds, Scorpius¡¯s sting would heartlessly massacre the demihumans.

    ¨C at least, that was how it should have been.

    ¡°O, o, ooooooooooooooohhhhhhh!!¡±

    If only... Leon did not try to get back up.

    ¡°What!? Still....?¡±

    Everyone simultaneously entered a battle-ready stance and directed their line of sight towards Leon.

    Even Scorpius readied herself as if she hadpletely forgotten about the demihumans as she prepared for Leon¡¯s next attack.

    ¡°Please wait. Something seems wrong.¡±

    The whites of Leon¡¯s eyes were showing and he roared whilst drooling.

    His body was no longer in a state which could fight. Even if he was the Lion King, the damage he had suffered was far too much.

    In contrast to everyone who was in a fright, Libra alone was calm and collected as she indifferently analysed the situation.

    ¡°This is... I see. What you would call the final fate of selling one¡¯s soul to the Goddess, I suppose.¡±

    Leon was no longer able to fight.

    However, right now, he was a puppet strung up and controlled by the Goddess.

    It was irrelevant that the person himself could not fight. If the Goddess were to order him to ¡°fight¡±, then irrespective of his will, he would continue to fight until he died.

    And until something was done about it, Leon would continue to go berserk until he perished.

    Due to the sh between the Goddess¡¯s regeneration enhancement and Scorpius¡¯s poison damage, Leon was forced to suffer the painful transition between life and death repeatedly. Due to this pain, Leon was foaming from his mouth and bleeding blood from his eyes.

    Under Libra¡¯s [Observation], Leon¡¯s HP had been repeatedly skipping back and forth between 1 and 0 since the end of the fight. Thus, he was truly in a situation where he could neither live nor die.

    ¡°I see~. Was this mistress also like this? ..... So, can you do something about this?¡±

    As Scorpius recalled her own foolish actions from the past, she asked Dina who had only her upper body sticking out of a crack in space-time.

    As usual, Dina was in a fully prepared state to run away at any time. Nevertheless, she looked up towards Leon and shook her head.

    ¡°No, once he¡¯s in this state where he¡¯s alreadypletely sold his soul to the Goddess, it¡¯s a little bit.... I mean, he¡¯s no longer at the level of where his thoughts could be manipted.¡±

    ¡°I see, there¡¯s nothing we can do, huh. Even though it¡¯s just karma, now that it¡¯se to this state, he¡¯s quite pitiful.¡±

    Scorpius released a sigh and then opened and closed her scissors which were created by mana repeatedly.

    In unison, Aigokeros condensed a ck chunk of mana and Libra held up her firearm.

    Being surprised by those three¡¯s reactions, Aries instinctively went in front of Leon as if to protect him.

    ¡°Wa, wait! What are you intending to do!?¡±

    ¡°Now that it¡¯se to this, there¡¯s nothing we can do other than kill him. It¡¯s a bit painful to lose the strongest battle prowess amongst the Twelve Heavenly Stars, however, if you consider that there may be further damage, the best-case scenario is to end it with the death of Leon alone.¡±

    ¡°It sucks to have the same opinion as you, but I¡¯ll concur with that. There¡¯s no other way than to kill him here and now.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s what it means. Move, Aries. Otherwise, you¡¯ll also be caught in the crossfire.¡±

    Even though his HP was on the brink of death, he continued to move. Dina was also unable to help him.

    As such, there was only one option left ¨C To kill him and render him incapacitated.

    As subordinates of Ruphas, it was unforgivable for them to erase another of the Twelve Stars without permission, especially if it was the possessor of the strongest fighting prowess amongst them. However, it could not be helped because it was the only option avable to them. Their master would also understand.

    After such determination, the three of them at the same time all chose to decisively kill Leon without the slightest bit of hesitation.

    ¡°Is there... no other option?¡±

    ¡°None.¡±

    In response to Aries¡¯s question, Aigokeros answered cold-heartedly.

    If things were left on its own, Leon would continue to go berserk until his death, destroying the centaur vige and inflicting who knew how much destruction as coteral damage.

    It must not be forgotten that, however childish or immature the way he thought things were, he possessed the highest fighting prowess amongst the Twelve Heavenly Stars.

    If he could not be saved either way, the only option was to put him down before the damage could spread.

    After falling behind Libra and the others, Sagittarius and Castor also reached the same conclusion, lifting their weapons up at the same time.

    Aries bit his lips in his own powerlessness to do anything, however, he was unable to say anything back.

    He understood. He understood that Libra and the rest were correct.

    It was because, right now, there was no one who possessed the means to salvage the situation in this ce.

    ¨C No. At least, ¡°supposedly¡±.

    ¡°...... Step away from there.¡±

    A deep and profound voice, as if it rang from the bottom of the ground, resounded within Aries¡¯s ears.

    At the start, he perceived it to be a voice which was only directed towards him.

    He believed it was just like Aigokeros and the rest, as such it was a voice advising him to move away from where he was.

    However, it was strange. That voice did not belong to anyone in that ce, yet strangely, it was a voice he was well familiar with.

    As such, when he first heard the voice, he did not question, ¡°Who¡¯s voice is this?¡± It was because it was a voice he was well used to hearing.

    Nevertheless, it was still strange. It was because he had still not grouped back up with the owner of that voice. As such, the owner of that voice should not have been here.

    ¡°Did you not hear me...? I told you to move away.¡±

    Again, the voice resounded.

    The second advice to move away from that position came again. However, it was not an advice which was directed towards Aries.

    Aigokeros and others all turned back at the same time and looked at the owner of the voice who had directed that advice towards them.

    Exactly, the owner of the advisory voice was not talking to Aries. It was directed at everyone in that ce.

    Its feet which gripped the ground were enveloped by steel boots. Its arms, all the way down from its elbows, were also enveloped by steel gauntlets.

    It wore a ck trench coat and carried an axe with one of its arms.

    Its face couldn¡¯t be seen as it was hidden behind a steel mask, thus it was impossible to figure out his facial expression.[3]

    Nevertheless, Aries and the rest remembered that appearance quite well.[4]

    ¡°You¡¯re....¡±

    ¡°You are.... Taurus of the [Bull]. Why are you here...?¡±

    One of the Tyrannical Ways Twelve Heavenly Stars, Taurus of the [Bull].

    It was the name of a man who was supposed to be in charge of sealing the [Earth Ouroboros] and was currently supposed to be in the underworld Helheim.

    He went past Libra who had called his name, passed Aries and stood in front of Leon without the slightest bit of hesitation.

    He looked up towards the crazily berserking Lion King and muttered with a voice which had no intonation.

    ¡°It¡¯s turned into quite a weird situation... but generally speaking, you must have been tempted by that Goddess or something. If I were to say it¡¯s just like you, it¡¯d be the end of it all, but how disappointing it is to see this. My formerrade, I¡¯ll be destroying that useless power now. If you continue to unt around the Goddess¡¯s power in a ce like this, there¡¯ll be a negative effect on the seal.¡±

    He clenched his steel hands and the sound of steel grating resounded.

    Looking at that appearance, Leon must have instinctively sensed that he was a dangerous existence.

    As it yelled wildly, the giant lion charged in to assault that man.

    However, there was not the slightest bit of agitation from the man. All he did was intently stare at the lion with the cold pair of eyes which was hidden deep behind the mask.

    ¡°[¨C Aldebaran].¡±[5]

    The man invoked the name of the skill and mmed his left palm into the Lion King¡¯s nose.

    Instantly, the world turned silent.

    It was as if time had stopped, a ce so awfully quiet that it felt unnatural.

    However, it was the calm before the storm and anything could happen in the very next instant ¨C that was how everyone in that ce felt.

    ¨C clink.

    The sound of something shattering resounded and a crack ran through the space.

    The sound did not resound only once and the interval between the countless cracks shortened whilst each time it happened, it became louder and louder.

    The cracks in the space continued to widen, eventually forming aplex array as if it was a spider¡¯s web.

    ¡ª Copse.

    An explosive sound, akin to forcibly smashing something very hard with a hammer that¡¯s even harder, resounded.

    Leon¡¯s giant body was sent flying until it was ejected out of the forest from the impact of that fist.

    All the trees in the way were broken without exception, signifying how powerful that single hit was.

    ¡°Wa, wait! If you use such a strong attack, Leon¡¯ll end up dead! Right now, Leon¡¯s HP is just 1, you know!?¡±

    ¡°... There¡¯s no problem. My Aldebaran doesn¡¯t break physical objects but [Power] itself. So, things cannot die from my attack. Have you forgotten about that after 200 years?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡±

    ¨C Don¡¯t ¡°Oh, right¡±!

    In response to Aries who acted satisfied after hearing Taurus¡¯s words, Sei subconsciously retorted (tsukommi) within himself.

    Perhaps this was what a retort in disregard of fear looked like.

    What do you mean ¡°Things cannot die from my attack¡±!? If you punch someone and send them flying that shily, people will normally end up dead!

    Not to mention someone¡¯s satisfied with that answer as if it makes perfect sense without retorting back.

    Is it me that¡¯s strange!? Is it just that I¡¯m thinking of things that are unnecessary!?

    Thinking of such a thing, Sei suddenly wanted to start weeping.

    Only the stupid dog rubbed its face against Sei¡¯s foot as if to console him.

    Ah, no, wait, I¡¯m wrong. It just wants to y. Now it¡¯s clinging onto my pants.

    ¡°S, so, how¡¯s Leon?¡±

    ¡°.... Just then, I shattered the Goddess¡¯s power which was possessing him. I won¡¯t be able to do anything if he¡¯s stupid enough to be tempted again, but there shouldn¡¯t be any problems for a while. ..... By the way, is Ruphas not here?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah. We¡¯re acting separately right now.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Dropping his fist down, the man called Taurus turned his back and started walking away as if he no longer had any business at this location.

    His steps had no hesitation and it was very clear that he was truly intending to go straight back to where he came from.

    However, at that moment, Scorpius shouted in a hysterical manner.

    ¡°Hey, wait right there! Are you nning to just go back after suddenly showing up out of nowhere and without exining anything!? Do you think that¡¯ll be forgiven!?¡±

    ¡°.... It¡¯s because you guys were all berserking close to the sealed area, and to top it all off, started flinging around that Goddess¡¯s power, so I came here to shut you guys up. Now that I¡¯m done, I¡¯m going back... Is there any problem with that?¡±

    ¡°Of course there is! Even though you¡¯ve finally had a reunion with your brethren after 200 years, you¡¯re not even going to say, ¡®It¡¯s been a while¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Ahh, I see, that¡¯s indeed the case.... It may be as you said.¡±

    In response to Scorpius¡¯s words, Taurus unexpectedly admitted his mistake.

    In contrast, Scorpius was perhaps a little satisfied with how he reacted, nodded and said, ¡°Of course it is.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    Just one phrase. Taurus only muttered a single phrase to everyone.

    Then, he immediately turned his back and started walking away.

    When he did, Scorpius half fell down without meaning to.[6] She then got right back up and screamed in anger.

    ¡°Hey, youuuuu!!¡±

    ¡°..... There¡¯s still more?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it!? Is that everything from you!?¡±

    ¡°..... You told me that I didn¡¯t even say, ¡®It¡¯s been a while¡¯. So I answered your demand. Where is the problem in that?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a major problem with that, you unsociable twat! And you know, I¡¯ve been meaning to say this for a while, but what¡¯s the meaning of you calling Ruphas-sama without honorifics? Does your loyalty really lie with Ruphas-sama, huh?¡±

    ¡°............¡±

    After being questioned by Scorpius, Taurus stayed silent.

    However, Scorpius was able to sense that the eyes whichy deep behind the mask sharpened a little.

    ¡°For me, that person is myrade in arms, my benefactor and a master who is worthy of me offering everything that I have. Is that answer unsatisfactory to you?¡±

    The intonation of his voice was no different from what it was previously.

    Nevertheless, one could definitely feel his seriousness from his response such that even Scorpius was momentarily suppressed by his conviction.

    In truth, nobody really questioned Taurus¡¯s loyalty thiste in time. Although Scorpius questioned as such just a moment ago, she was well aware of how things really were. That this man¡¯s loyalty was, without a doubt, absolute, and that he possessed a heart made of steel that would allow him to execute the duties of that loyalty without fail... to such an extent that even she would be jealous of.

    The duration of the rtionship between Taurus and Ruphas was the longest even amongst the Twelve Heavenly Stars, save for that of Aries, as Taurus was the second magical beast to be tamed by Ruphas.

    Furthermore, unlike Aigokeros and Parthenos, when he was tamed, Ruphas at the time was not yet an absolute powerhouse like she currently was.

    When Aigokeros met Ruphas, he bowed down and swore his loyalty in front of the power that she possessed. In other words, the rtionship was a master-and-servant structure from the very start.

    However, when Ruphas met Taurus, she was still not yet a peerless monster. Therefore, the rtionship between the two of them was not that of a master-and-servant but more along the lines ofrades in arms who strived to progress towards the same objective.

    As a consequence, Ruphas¡¯s trust and reliance in him were firm, such that even amongst the members of the Twelve Stars, he alone was treated as a friend rather than a subordinate.

    Thus, this very point made Scorpius so envious that she wanted to kill him.

    It had always been that way. There were countless times Ruphas had sent the Twelve Heavenly Stars ahead of her to scatter the enemies away ¨C however, when it came to standing behind her, it was always Taurus.

    ¡°Any, anyways. As I recall, 200 years ago, you couldn¡¯t do things like break apart the Goddess¡¯s power, could you? How did you do it?¡±

    Flustered, Aries, who noticed that Scorpius was elerating straight into displeasure, changed the topic of the conversation as quickly as possible.

    Taurus looked down towards themendable sheep who was desperately trying to calm the situation down and decided to go along with Aries¡¯s question.

    Taurus could not care less about Scorpius¡¯s displeasure, but merely decided to give face to Aries.

    ¡°Even if you ask me how... it¡¯s not like I can give you an exnation. Even you guys wouldn¡¯t be able to exin the mechanics behind how your skills operate. I just felt like this is what I wanted to do... I couldn¡¯t shatter that woman¡¯s power 200 years ago and because of that, things ended up in that way. So after thinking that I don¡¯t want things to end up the same way, I polished myself for 200 years. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±

    ¡°Umm.... Do skills evolve just like that?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know the theory behindplicated things like that. For those kinds of things, wouldn¡¯t the person that¡¯s hiding there be better versed in such matters?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    After Taurus said whatever he wanted, he clenched his fist once again and created a cracking sound.

    He then released a single destructive burst of his skill (Aldebaran).

    That attack was thrust upon an empty space, but created a destructive sound as if something was there.

    What was broken was ¨C space-time.

    An empty space-time continuum shattered and from the inside, Dina dropped down onto the ground.

    ¡°Wahiyaaaaa!?¡±

    ¡°I knew someone was there. I sensed ¡®two¡¯ portions of the Goddess¡¯s power, so I was thinking it was strange... but it seems that quite a weird one¡¯s bunched up with you guys.¡±

    Taurus stood in front of the absentminded Dina who was suddenly dragged out. He then looked down towards the self-proimed strategist with his steel-hard will.

    Dina by now had finally realised the circumstances and was looking up at Taurus, stiffened.

    She quickly met his eyes and tried to use the mind control skill... however, there was not a single effect on Taurus.

    It was as if he was a golem or something. His will did not flutter in the slightest.

    Even when the stupid dog came towards his foot, he did not falter in the slightest.

    ¡°It¡¯s no use, deception doesn¡¯t work on me... there is only one person who¡¯s able to move my heart. Now, answer ¨C who are you?¡±

    ...... Ehh? Is it that I¡¯m in a deep end?

    A precarious situation as I¡¯ve never been in before in the past?

    As she thought this, she was breaking out in cold sweat. Nevertheless, she was unable to change her smiling expression as she continued to look up at Taurus absentmindedly.

 Chapter 114

    Chapter 114

    Chapter 114 ¨C Libra Used Pursuit

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2019/10/18)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2019/10/19)

    Editor 2: Keii (2019/10/20)

    __

    Notice 1: Apologies, I¡¯ve been busy and don¡¯t have a teaser ready for you.

    Notice 2: I forgot to include a relevant illustrationst chapter, so I retrospectively added it. I will also include a copy here.

    __

    (Author note)

    There seems to be a protagonist which arrives thiste in time.

    (Author note end)

    __

    After finishing the battle with Bnash, I arrived at Tyrfing even whilst feeling dispirited. However, for some reason, there was nobody present.

    Or rather, there were some demihumans present, but the all-important Twelve Heavenly Stars and Leon were nowhere to be seen.

    Wherever she looked, there were traces of destruction and battle remaining. However, the individuals themselves could not be found.

    She was convinced that it was not a mistake to say that they were all here at one point in time. Nevertheless, they must have changed the battlefield halfway through the battle.

    She wanted to believe that if it was them, they would not lose to Leon. But after all, the individual who served as the enemy was him.

    If possible, I¡¯d like to go assist them as quickly as I can.

    As she was searching through the destroyed location for something which could serve as a clue to tell her where they were, she spotted something written on the broken-down castle wall.

    ¡°Currently, everyone is fighting at the demihuman¡¯s vige.¡±

    It was a single concise message. Below the message, a simple map was drawn to convey to her their current location.

    In all likelihood, this was done by Dina. Quite a job well done.

    It doesn¡¯t seem that far away, so I should be able to get there quickly.

    I spread my wings wide, checked the direction that I was heading to and then crouched down a bit.

    Subsequently, I leapt into the air with great speed and then used that momentum to fly up.

    I created a giant crater when I jumped... I¡¯m sorry to anyone who lives close by.

    When I get a little serious with this body, the surroundings end up being destroyed. Please forgive me.

    The surroundings quickly flowed past behind me and all sound disappeared.

    I was not really bing deaf, it was just that the speed of sound was unable to keep up with me.

    After I flew a little, I found what looked like a forest below. I then quickly descended andnded back down on the ground.

    In terms of the amount of time that had passed... well, it would not even have been five seconds.

    The difference between the time that I experienced and the time that passed in real life was quite significant. Therefore, sometimes, I became unable to make out how much time had really passed.

    Now that I think about it, when I first flew from Laevateinn to Mafahl Tower, it registered in my head that it had taken a few minutes. However, it most likely had only taken a few seconds in reality.

    When I arrived at the location, for some reason, Dina was slumped on the ground. In front of her was a masked man who was standing tall.

    ..... He is.....

    ...... He¡¯s... right. He¡¯s Tauros. ... No, was it Taurus? Which was it again?

    In contrast to before, I¡¯m able to recall who he is just by looking at his face... even though I can¡¯t actually see the face behind the mask. Though.... I don¡¯t know if I should be feeling happy with this development or not.

    I had heard from Parthenos that he was currently sealing the [ouroboros] in Helheim, so what is he doing here? And why is he cornering Dina?

    In any event, this is looking pretty bad, so I suppose it¡¯s better for me to stop it.

    Oh, everyone¡¯s looking at me. I guess they¡¯ve noticed that I¡¯ve arrived. Even Tauros is staring at me.

    ¡°.... Ruphas, huh?¡±

    Not to mention, he¡¯s not using any honorifics.

    I see, I see, it seems he¡¯s different. He¡¯s not the same reverent type as everyone else.

    But strangely, this feels fitting and I¡¯m feeling nostalgic.

    For now, if I were to divide them into groups, Scorpius and Aigokeros would fit into the fanatic group; Aries, Virgo, Parthenos and Libra would fit into the normal group; Dina and Karkinos would fit into the weirdo group; and I suppose Leon and this guy would be in the rebellious group.

    It doesn¡¯t change the fact that this is a gathering of strange individuals though. Ruphas really gathered many different types of individuals.

    ¡°Tauros, huh? It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.... It has. It¡¯s really been a while. Also, my name¡¯s Taurus.¡±

    Oh, it seemed Taurus was the correct one. He has such a confusing name.

    But I seemed to recall Parthenos calling him Tauros too. It seems that it was not just me; other people were not remembering his name properly either.[2]

    But... how troubling... the conversation isn¡¯t continuing.

    After Taurus replied to my words, we weren¡¯t able to find another topic and it¡¯s been silent this whole time.

    Yeah, how do I put this? It¡¯s simr, but definitely a new pattern that we haven¡¯t had until now.

    Aries, Aigokeros and the others all showed some kind of reaction when we first reunited, disregarding whether that reaction was good or not.

    Even Libra was not an exception to this, as at the very least, there was no trouble getting a small conversation going with her.

    But Taurus showed no reaction whatsoever and the conversation ended after he only said, ¡°It¡¯s really been a while.¡±

    In any event, the silver lining to all of this was that I was not able to sense any hostility towards me. I supposed I should just quickly step in and help Dina out.

    ¡°Ahh, anyways. Don¡¯t bully her too much. She¡¯s a newbie, but she¡¯s actually quite an useful individual.¡±

    ¡°............¡±

    Hmm? Are you asking me what happened to the ¡®strategist from 200 years ago¡¯ setting?

    Well, who really cares at this point in time? After all, everyone already knows that¡¯s a white lie by now.

    Due to the mask, I was unable to read Taurus¡¯s facial expression as the awkward silence hung in the air.

    Hmm.... This guy... he¡¯s quite a handful in a different way from Scorpius.

    [Coercion] is actually supposed to be my skill though.

    ¡°..... If you¡¯re willing to go that far, I won¡¯t say that I can¡¯t take a step back. Assuming you¡¯re saying it out of your own will, that is.¡±

    ¡°..... What are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°Who knows? Truthfully, I¡¯m also not able to decide. It feels a bit strange, but the person that predicted all of this woulde to pass was none other than you. Since that¡¯s the case, this very situation included, it might actually be based on your true will.... If that¡¯s the case, I have nothing to say.¡±

    ¨C !

    This guy... did he see through everything after a single nce? The fact that I was someone else who was upying Ruphas?

    If it had been the words of someone else who was going against Ruphas¡¯s will, he did not have any intention of listening.

    I also had a small inclination that the very act of me entering into Ruphas¡¯s body was something that the original Ruphas had nned and predicted. And above all else, there was that battle against Bnash.

    In other words, right now, he was trying to ascertain things.

    Whether or not I was included as part of Ruphas¡¯s will.

    ¡°..... Well, whatever.... It seems all of these situations were part of the n. Then you should first sort out everything that¡¯s here. I¡¯ll always be in Helheim... I¡¯ll wait for you toe.¡±

    From the looks of it, it seemed that he would let Dina go based on my words.

    As soon as Taurus left her side, Dina very quickly crawled all the way to me and swiftly hid behind my back.

    It¡¯s really rare that she¡¯s showing such a strong aversion to someone else.

    Anyways, while I¡¯m at it, I guess I¡¯ll check Taurus¡¯s status, just in case.

    [12 Heavenly Stars, Taurus]

    Level 800

    Species: Minotaur

    Attribute: Earth

    HP: 230 000

    SP: 2000

    STR (Strength/Attack power): 50 000

    DEX (Dexterity): 3695

    Vitality (vitality): 500

    INT (intelligence): 100

    AGI (Agility/Speed): 100

    MND (Mindpower): 500

    LUK (Luck): 10

    Equipment

    Head: King Minos¡¯s Steel Mask (No effect)[3]

    Right Arm: Heresy Killer¡¯s Axe

    > Doubles STR

    > When receiving damage from the enemy, the defence will be calcted as 0

    Left Arm: ¡ª¡ª

    Body: Helheim¡¯s Coat

    > Continuous HP regeneration when in a location with mana

    Foot: Heavy Boots

    > Enemy¡¯s hit rate to self 100%

    > uracy doubled when attacking

    Others: ¡ª¡ª

    ¨C isn¡¯t he an idiot!?

    I almost said that out loud, however, I desperately held back my words.

    Taurus¡¯s status was identified to bepletely skewed and specialised for attack and HP. Putting it another way, he was the type to tank everything with his high HP and get one strong hit in.

    As long as his HP was high enough, under this world¡¯s system, he was able to take any kind of attack. In other words, whoever the enemy might be, it was possible for him to endure at least two attacks.

    Or more like, to begin with, unless the opponent¡¯s status was very broken, 99 999 damage was not even going to happen. Therefore, although his defence was paper-thin, he was able to take a lot more hits than one would think at first nce.

    Well, it was fine. The issue was that his status had be even more skewed than what I could recall.

    As there was no such thing as equipment for magical beasts, his attack power was 25 000.

    However, because he was wearing some weird equipment, his status had be quite absurd.

    That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been saying, magical beasts shouldn¡¯t be wearing equipment. It¡¯ll destroy the in-game bnce.

    Well, it¡¯s that, you know. With such a dumb number, most enemies will receive a hit from him and be sent flying before they can shave his HP down.

    But yeah... maybe it¡¯s the sad feature of being a specialised type. It¡¯s clear to see how he matches up with others.

    For example, if the enemy was Bnash, even if she was only at level 1000, he would be pulped into submission one-sidedly without even being able to touch her.

    It was unfortunate. However, with such dimwitted and slow attacks, even if he had attempted hundreds of thousands of times, he would not even be able to scratch Bnash.

    Or rather, I would think that in all likelihood, in a one-on-one battle amongst the Twelve Heavenly Stars, he would end up ranking quite low.

    To begin with, before he could even attack, he would be beaten to a pulp. Thus, someone like Libra would definitely win, and it was doubtful whether he would even be able to win against someone like Aries.

    With such high HP, he would just end up bing an easy target for Aries.

    But all of that was the story only if he was acting alone.

    If he were to coordinate with someone else, he would be someone that would be impossible to handle.

    For example, if he were to attack whilst Aries or Aigokeros was sealing the enemy¡¯s movement, that alone would be quite a significant feat. Furthermore, on the day his skill¡¯s damage was boosted and went past the limit imposed by the system, it ended up disying quite a ridiculous number as damage.

    Even whilst he was a wild magical beast, he was already specialised in attack, and this became the result because after I captured him, I further strengthened nothing but his attack power because I thought it would be interesting that way.

    As one could see, he possessed an astronomically high attack power such that if one only considered the heaviness of the blow, it even surpassed that of Leon¡¯s.

    Although it was bad for me to say it, his status was built in a way with nothing but coordination in mind in the first ce.

    Back during the time of the game, I would seal the enemy¡¯s movement and have him attack the enemy.

    Although his true strengthid not in attack power, but in a very cheat-like inherent special ability that he possessed..... Nevertheless, the exnation for that skill would be done sometime in the future.

    After I sent off Taurus by watching his back which was disappearing into the distance, I turned to look at Aries and the rest.

    And the first thing that I noticed was Aries whose appearance was in a very precarious situation.

    His clothes were torn here and there, such that he was essentially half-naked and it would not be wrong to call the situation miserable.

    Combined with the fact that there was still some amount of fabric on him and that he was male, it was not important to pay that much attention to the overall situation. However, someone like the young boy Sei was looking elsewhere entirely after having difficulty deciding where to look at.

    Now that I think about it... I haven¡¯t told him Aries is male.

    In any event, leaving it like this is quite bad. There might be someone that thinks of lewd things even knowing Aries is male.

    I snapped my fingers and used alchemy to repair Aries¡¯s clothes.

    Maybe this time, I should use some durable materials and create a piece of equipment that would be hard to rip.

    .... Oh, that reminds me, the highest tiered cloth material is this guy¡¯s wool.

    ¡°Anyways, Dina. How long are you nning to stick to my back?¡±

    ¡°B, but! That person was really, really scary, you know!? What is even up with him!? How do you open a hole in the space-time continuum with a punch!?¡±

    Unusually, Dina was crying andining whilst genuinely upset.

    It seems this time¡¯s incident was a really bad situation.

    Until this point, I had thought of her as a happy-go-lucky person that I could not see through. However, it seemed she actually had a natural enemy.

    Although she always seemed like she was sneakily nning something bad, what happened this time should be quite a good medicine for her.

    ¡°Now then... first of all, I would like to know the situation. Can anybody exin to me what happened?¡±

    ¡°Understood. Then first, I will start from the time we first arrived at Tyrfing ¨C¡°

    When I asked for an exnation, it was Libra who quickly responded to the question.

    ording to her exnation, right after arriving at Tyrfing, the battle against Leon started. Furthermore, they had managed to corner him once.

    However, after receiving the same old assistance from the Goddess, he powered up. After permitting a reversal in such a situation, they were pushed into a serious predicament.

    ¡°The Goddess again, huh? She¡¯s such a one-trick pony.¡±

    ¡°Stories are usuallyme like that. Like suddenly getting stronger or awakeningtent ability to result in a super power-up after bing angry, or it might be his bonds with his friends, or the character might say, ¡®I¡¯m going to protect everyone¡¯, then without any exnation whatsoever bes able to fight on equal footing or be even stronger the enemy they were previous losing against. In the end, doesn¡¯t the protagonist win as a result of the convenience and corrections of God (author) in order to advance the story? For God, it¡¯s the easiest and simplest way to intervene. The main character is nothing but a doll to God, you know?¡±

    ¡°Well... yeah... I guess it just can¡¯t be helped? If they don¡¯t do something like that, the bad guy will end up winning so....¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I guess so. I think the Goddess is also doing many different things so that a bad guy like Ruphas-sama doesn¡¯t win.¡±

    Dina, who had reverted back to her usual state after Tauruspletely disappeared, replied to my sarcasm with an even greater sarcasm of her own.

    However, she was still clinging to my back even now and it seemed that she had yet to fully recover from the shock she had received from Taurus.

    ¡°How outrageous to say that Ruphas-sama is the bad guy! Ruphas-sama is justice itself! The one and onlyw in this world!¡±

    ¡°Exactly, exactly!¡±

    ¡°The conversation is going off-track so you guys just be quiet for now!¡±

    After telling the usual two blind followers, Scorpius and Aigokeros, to be quiet for a moment, the two of them showed a face as if they had somehow received some kind of mental shock and copsed on the spot.

    So dramatic.....

    ¡°Apologies, the conversation got side-tracked. Please continue.¡±

    ¡°In this case, should I be saying ¡®scorpion-zama¡¯?¡±[4]

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say it.¡±

    I rebuked Libra, who was expressionlessly attempting to deal the final blow to Scorpius, and urged her to continue with the exnation.

    Seriously. Why is it so easy to get side-tracked or get absolutely nowhere?

    ¡°Scorpion-zama.¡±

    I already said you don¡¯t need to say that!

    __

    (Author note)

    Stop! If Scorpius inflicts poison damage, thest remaining 1 HP that Leon has will be extinguished!

    Please, don¡¯t die Leon (President¡¯s [of apany] voice)

    If you manage to get through this, you can win against Ruphas. (President¡¯s voice)

    [Taurus-san¡¯s anxiety]

    People always get my name wrong. Even Ruphas often gets wrong. Parthenos also gets it wrong. Even the author often gets it wrong.

    Taurus: ¡°It¡¯s Taurus... my name is Taurus. It¡¯s not Tauros or Tauris.... Don¡¯t get it wrong again.¡±

    Ruphas: ¡°Ohh, sorry Tauras.¡±

    Correct: Taurus

    Incorrect: Tauros

    Both are fine, right? (Outburst)

    (Author note end)

    __

    (TLN: Sorry, I had some difficulty with tranting this chapter.)

    __

    [1] ¡°https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden/wiki/Pursuit_(move)¡±.

    [2] Ok.... So I remember the trantion was Taurus in the past, and honestly, I didn¡¯t even notice that Parthenos (author) misspelt it when she first said his name. So clearly, it¡¯s not as noticeable as Taurus/Tauros in Japanese. It¡¯s simr to Jupiter/Jupitar. Additionally, Japanese people have trouble pronouncing the L sound.

    For those who are not very used to Japanesenguage, what Ruphas is saying stems from how its an ¡°English word¡± written with Japanese katakana letters (which are sometimes annoying even to Japanese people) and unless a person is carefully looking out for it, it¡¯s hard to see small mistakes/differences. For a bit more detail on why it¡¯s confusing, have a look at these videos. It¡¯s ¡°kanji¡± so it¡¯s not exactly the same but the idea is the same.

    ¡°https://.youtube/watch?v=IARguDQIGVs¡±.

    ¡°https://youtu.be/88Nh0wvQGYk¡±.

    In addition, the Japanese katakana used here are simply transliterations of the same name from differentnguages: ¥¿¥¦¥ë¥¹ (Latin: Taurus) / ¥¿¥¦¥í¥¹ (Greek: ¦³¦Á?¦Ñ¦Ï? / Tauros).

    ¡°https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%BF%E3%82%A6%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B9¡±.

    [3]¥ß¥Î¥¹Íõ¤ÎâŸ¢Ãæ

    In Greek mythology, Minos was the first King of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa. Every nine years, he made King Aegeus pick seven young boys and seven young girls to be sent to Daedalus¡¯s creation, thebyrinth, to be eaten by the Minotaur.

    ¡°https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minos¡±.

    [4] The term zama (¤¶¤Þ¤¢) is short for zamamiro (¤¶¤Þ¤¢¤ß¤í), which is a ng used to ridicule the failure or misfortune of others.

    ¡°https://word-dictionary.jp/posts/2209¡±.

    ¡°http://zokugo-dict/11sa/zamamiro.htm¡±.

 Chapter 115

    Chapter 115

    ¨C and that is all that happened up until this point.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    What I understood after hearing Libra¡¯s exnation was that I waspletelyte showing up to the ce.

    Within the time I defeated Bnash and got here, both the battle and the matter with Sagittarius were concluded. As a consequence, I, who casually showed up sote in time, only looked like a fool.

    Well, yeah.... I already know the reason as to why I¡¯mte.

    The cause of why I waste was because I was being a tourist by looking around the capital and gambling in a fight between magical beasts.

    I did not think the actual fight against Bnash took that long at all.

    From my point of view, I was fighting for quite a while. However, the amount of time that had passed in reality would not even have been a minute long.

    The inside of my head was flooding as I was mentally sweating cold. However, on the surface, I tried to remain calm and collected.

    ¡°You went through a lot, everyone. You have done well to have subjugated Leon.¡±

    ¡°H A H A H A, it was nothing special since it was Ruphas-sama¡¯s order.¡±

    ¡°Oh really? What¡¯s the tank that couldn¡¯t even sessfully fulfil the role of being a shield talking about?¡±

    ¡°To begin with, it was Aries who defeated Leon and the rest of us really haven¡¯t done enough to be looking smug.¡±

    ¡°Why!? This time me also contributed somewhat, right?¡±

    Karkinos responded to my praise. However, Libra, Scorpius and Aigokeros retorted (tsukommi) without mercy.

    Somehow, Karkinos has been unanimously designated as the go-to person to tease.

    Such a pitiful poor soul.

    ¡°Anyhow.... I see. The one that took Leon down was Aries, huh. You did well.¡±

    As I was praising him, I lightly patted his head. This caused his face to be red whilst saying ¡°hwa hwa¡±.

    He hates it..? No, that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case. His face is showing some kind of expression which suggests he¡¯s happy, so maybe he¡¯s just a bit embarrassed.

    Yeah, it¡¯s quite cute. Well, he¡¯s male though.

    ¡°By the way, where¡¯s Leon? Even if you¡¯ve said that he¡¯s unable to battle anymore, we can¡¯t underestimate how tough of a guy he is. It¡¯s probably best to tie him up whilst he¡¯s knocked out.¡±

    ¡°In regard to that, we no longer have to worry about it, Ruphas-sama.¡±

    I had been informed that Leon¡¯s HP had been lowered to 1 by Aries and then he was blown away by Taurus¡¯s attack.

    As such, it was likely that he was probably knocked out somewhere outside of the forest. However, it could not be guaranteed that he would not start going berserk once he woke up.

    It was my idea that Leon¡¯s actions be restricted before that could happen. Nevertheless, Scorpius answered Ruphas in order to ease her worries.

    ¡°This mistress¡¯s poison is still lingering in his body. If you are talking about that traitor, he¡¯s probably downed after reaching 0 HP. So there¡¯s no need to tie him up.¡±

    ¡°................¡±

    Leoooonnn!!?

    I became flustered and quickly leapt out, very soon finding a giant lion which was copsed outside of the forest.

    The white of Leon¡¯s eyes were showing and he was foaming from his mouth whilst convulsing, clearly indicating his perilous condition.

    Rather than just stop him, this is clearly overkill!

    ¡°Dina!¡±

    ¡°Y, yes! [Star of Asclepius]!¡±[1]

    Imanded Dina who had ended up where I was because she was still attached to my back.

    [Star of Asclepius] was a resurrection skill belonging to the highest-tiered Water attribute divine magic.

    The effect of the skill was to fully recover the HP of all allies within the specified area around the user whilst stripping all status buffs, irrespective of their effects, and it also came with the effect of resurrecting the dead.

    However, within X-Gate Online, resurrection skills had a time limit. The skill had to be used on the dead within a specified time limit or else they would be sent back to the town to respawn and would end up suffering a death penalty debuff.[2]

    Needless to say, in this world, death was permanent, thus there was no such kind feature as being sent back to town to respawn with a death penalty debuff.

    In fact, back in the game, when the magical beasts¡¯ HP reached 0, they would only be forcibly retired from the battle. Thus, it was impossible for them to die in the first ce. Nevertheless, they would most likely die as per normal in this world.

    As if to envelop Leon, a star-shaped array rose up, then in the middle of the array, a staff entangled by five snakes manifested.[3]

    Subsequently, the staff turned the surrounding light into particles which were then sucked into Leon¡¯s body.

    After a short moment, although Leon¡¯s eyes continued to show its white, he began to breathe serenely.

    ...... S, so close.

    Under normal conditions, the time limit for casting the resurrection skill was clearly over. Therefore, it was perhaps fortunate that we were helped by the fact that this world was different from the game.

    Alternatively, Leon¡¯s vitality was just that overpowered.

    ¡°Master, are you nning on letting that traitor live? If you give me the order, I will immediately present you with the scene of his beheading.¡±

    ¡°Stop it.¡±

    Libra, who had caught up to us, turned one of her arms into a de and uttered something dark.

    When I stopped her, Libra started muttering something as if she had made a conclusion.

    ¡°To let him live on purpose and kill the traitor by your own hand.... Ahh, I see, so that¡¯s the case. I understand. In that case, I will prepare devices that you can use to torture him.¡±

    ¡°Why is it that you always think of dark things like that?¡±

    ¡°Ruphas-sama, if it¡¯s torture, please let this mistress do it! I¡¯ll make sure the traitor will regret being born!¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡±

    ¡°You guys, the conversation¡¯s getting off track so just be quiet.¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    After making the stupidbo pair, the scorpion and the goat, shut up, I pointed my finger towards Leon.

    ¡°..... [Photon Chain]¡±[4]

    From the tens of arcane magical circles that manifested behind me, a whole bunch of chains made out of light extended out and proceeded to entangle Leon.

    Dina was looking at me with a surprised face. However, it was only natural.

    After all, what I had used just now was arcane magic, not divine magic.... It was a power that I, as a flugel, should not have been able to use.

    Back during the battle with Bnash, I definitely used arcane magic. Furthermore, I still had the sensation of using it remaining.

    Although the limit cap on my level had almost returned to 1000 as it previously was, my level at this very moment was still at 1300 and had not yet fully returned to normal.

    It would eventually fall back to 1000. Nevertheless, at this moment in time, I still had levels in the mage ss remaining.

    As such, I decided to test some things out, but I really was able to easily use arcane magic without any problem whatsoever.

    ¡°Ruphas-sama.... Just then, did you just use arcane magic?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. B hit my head quite severely, you see... and apparently thanks to that, I was able to open my sleeping eyes quite a bit.¡±

    In fact, other than arcane magic, there was one other thing that I had the sensation of ¡°being able to recall¡±. Nevertheless, it would probably be fine if I tested that out next time in the future.

    After all, it was quite an overpowered ability and furthermore, if I were to do that, the Twelve Heavenly Stars would also automatically power up at the same time.

    Although, as expected, I would probably be unable to replicate the overwhelming effects that were achieved during the fight against Bnash.

    The name of the skill... hmm, I suppose I¡¯ll name it [The One Who Left First (Alkaid)].<strong>[5]</strong>

    ¡°Leon should be fine with this. In any event, I guess I¡¯ll speak with Sagittarius first.¡±

    I returned to where Sagittarius was whilst leaving Leon behind, outside the forest.

    I had already heard the reason as to why Sagittarius cooperated with Leon and I did not really see any reason to punish him for it.

    Therefore, the topic of the conversation would be about the future toe.

    And in particr, this conversation would not just affect Sagittarius and the centaurs but also all of the demihumans.

    ¡°Sagittarius.¡±

    ¡°..... Here.¡±

    ¡°First of all, I will consider the entirety of this incident absolved. Raise your head.¡±

    Seeing the pitiful Sagittarius lowering his head, Imanded him to raise it.

    From the very beginning, I did not have the intention of punishing Sagittarius. After all, the underlying cause of this situation was me who had initially recruited a clearly dangerous guy into the Twelve Heavenly Stars and then disappeared for 200 years without implementing any failsafe in ce.

    Because I was in this body, I knew that back when I first tamed Leon, I was not thinking about anything in particr.

    Just because I felt like it.... I just simply thought it would be amusing to have the strongest magical beast as a pet and it would be a waste to erase something that had this much power.

    So on a whim, I decided to add him as an ally.

    .... What the hell was the old me thinking?

    ¡°Rather than that, let¡¯s think prospectively. Rather than just the centaurs, this will involve the other demihumans as well. You lot would do well to listen too.¡±

    The ones that I directed my line of sight to whilst I said that were the tied-up demihumans who were rolling on the ground.

    A spider bugkin, a merfolk, a dryad and amia. It seemed these four constituted the demihuman alliance¡¯s officers.

    Their levels were approximately 150. In this day and age, they would be considered quite strong. After all, whether it be the Seven Luminaries or Virgo, there were surprisingly few individuals who were able to surpass the level 300 ceiling.

    From the looks of it, the demihumans did not show any intention of bing violent. They were, in fact, very well-natured at the moment.

    They were likely well-natured in the face of the sheer difference in abilities as you could sense fear from the way they looked at the Twelve Heavenly Stars and I.

    It could not be helped. After all, they had just witnessed the battle between Leon and the Twelve Heavenly Stars with their own eyes.

    So it would not be unreasonable for them to lose the will to continue fighting.

    ¡°I¡¯ll start by going straight to the point. With the way things are now, you lot will be subjected to concentrated barrages from the major kingdoms and even have your viges burnt to the ground.¡±

    After hearing what I just said, Sei and Virgo showed a surprised expression. On the other hand, Gants and the Elf nii-san, who had probably already predicted what would happen, showed a rigid and grim expression.

    Meanwhile, the demihumans, who must have been fully prepared when they first made the challenge, did not show any surprise. However, their faces were painted with despair.

    Their leader, Leon, was defeated. However, it did not change the fact that they had harmed Draupnir¡¯s guardian dragon. If anything, now that they no longer had a significant backing called Leon, it would now be much easier for the humanoids to invade their territory to harm them.

    Looking purely in terms of quarreling with different kingdoms, Aries and Scorpius had done far worse than the demihumans. Nevertheless, it was fundamentally harder to catch us who were constantly moving from one ce to another. Furthermore, the top individuals of each kingdom were Megrez, Merak and Mizar. They would know full well the power level of the Twelve Heavenly Stars and I. Therefore, there weren¡¯t really any fools who would purposefullye and sacrifice their troops for no reason in a fight against the constantly moving gathering of those monsters.

    On the other hand, they would not know the situation the demihumans were in and it would not be strange for them to see thetter as the enemy and dispatch an army during this current situation.

    If that were to happen, it would turn into a war between the alliance of humanoids and demihumans... however, there was no chance of victory for the demihumans.

    Svalinn¡¯s Wisdom King Megrez along with Levia. Mobile Fortress Capital Blutgang along with the mass-produced Libra models and their golem army. Additionally, Gjarrhorn¡¯s Merak. Furthermore, Draupnir¡¯s guardian dragon would likely be fully recovered in the immediate future and would be burning with the intention to exact its revenge.

    If any of those were toe out, the demihumans would be pushed into a corner. Even the fact that they managed to defeat the guardian dragon was due to to Scorpius weakening it prior to everything. If they were to fight head-on against it, even if fortune was favouring the demihuman alliance, the best that they would be able to achieve would be mutual destruction.

    With Leon there, even if those individuals were to be an enemy, it would have been possible to fight back and do quite well. However, because that very Leon had constantly been picking a fight with Bnash, the overall result would not have been any different.

    Bnash would be able to hold Leon back by herself and the rest would annihte the remainder of the demihumans. The war would simply be over just like that.

    .... Or more like, if it was Bnash, she just has to use one area-of-effect arcane spell, she will be able to erase all the demihumans along with all the viges.

    Yeah, she alone is in apletely different dimension when ites to battle.

    Although... if we backtrack all the way to the beginning, the one that nted the seed to everything was none other than me.

    After all, the matter about Leon was a given. Even the fact that the demihumans were able to attack the guardian dragon was because Scorpius had gone ahead to weaken it.

    And that Scorpius was my subordinate. Therefore, the ultimate responsibility of the subordinates¡¯ mismanagement fell onto me.

    As such, I could not take the option ofpletely abandoning them to their own demise, thus I decided to at least tell them the options that they had. I had the duty to do so.

    Nevertheless, once I told them the options that they had, it would bepletely up to them what they choose to do.

    ¡°With that in mind, I have a suggestion for you. Why don¡¯t you all hide yourselves within the Mafahl Tower until everything calms back down? I will not say that you should be my subordinates. After all, it¡¯s just a tower that¡¯s currently not being utilised... as long as you don¡¯t steal anything from it, it¡¯s not impossible for me to provide it to you lot as a dwelling. And because it¡¯s needlessly high, even if you all live there, there won¡¯t be a problem of having no room left.¡±

    When it came down to it, the only buildings that would be capable of hiding them all would be either Blutgang or the Mafahl Tower.

    I finally understood after all this time. The reason why the Mafahl Tower was that high.

    Part of the reason for it must have been due to my own preference, but above all else, it was because I needed the space to house the ever-growing number of subordinates that I had.

    I tamed a countless number of magical beasts, created a countless number of golems and epted many kinds of subordinates.

    As a result, I was in need of a facility which would be able to ept arge number of individuals, thus the Mafahl Tower was created to have a ridiculous height to be able to amodate that demand.

    There was no doubt the result of all of that was that tower which reached high above into the sky.

    In other words, after taking all that into consideration, it was not impossible to wee the demihumans.

    Although I told them that they should not steal anything, in a pragmatic sense, it was next to impossible for them to do so. It was because all the important weapons and equipment were stored in the highest floor of the tower.

    Furthermore, as I previously stated already, only individuals who would be able to fly as high as I could would be able to reach and enter the highest floor.[6]

    ¡°A, are you saying that we should abandon this vige behind...?¡±

    Although themia questioned me with an anguished expression, it seemed she realised and understood that it was the only viable option that they would be able to select.

    For her, this vige must have been like her hometown.

    It was understandable that she had some hesitation in choosing to leave that hometown behind. However, if she did not do so, she would share the same fate as that of the viges.

    Nevertheless, I was not a devil. I had already thought about how to deal with it.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it. I have a way around that.¡±

    ¡°A way around....?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll leave it up to you, Dina.¡±

    ¡°Ehh, I knew it.¡±

    I would have Dina move the whole vige using X-Gate.

    That was my solution to the way around the problem.

    I would leave it up to Dina to decide where she wanted to send the vige, but fortunately, there was plenty ofnd in this world where the eyes of the humanoids did not reach.

    To begin with, the majority ofnd was under the control of the demon race.

    Unfortunately, the elf nii-san and the cat beastkin both immediately voiced their objections at the same time.

    In response, I looked in their direction without feeling particrly mindful of what they had just said.

    Bluntly speaking, it was a turn of events that I had already predicted would happen.

    Now then... I wonder what I should say to appease them. After all, I¡¯m not really someone who¡¯s good at word games.

    __

    (Author note)

    [Photon Chain]

    Sun attribute arcane magic. It restricts one selected enemy¡¯s movement for a set period of time and increases the hit rate on that enemy to 100%.

    Although it seems to have a cheat-tier effect, many boss monsterse with a way to deal with such effects and effectively nullify the skill most of the time.[7]

    Bluntly speaking, this is arcane magic meant to be used against small-fry monsters. It was quite a useful skill when the yer was trying to capture a monster.

    However, even this arcane magic, which its effect was nullified regardless of the difference in stats back in the game, became a contest of Ruphas¡¯s magical ability VS the opponent¡¯s physical strength in this world. This meant that even when the opponent was a raid boss, it became able to forcibly restrict the target. What is this? Isn¡¯t that just unfair?

    Not only that, instead of being limited to ¡°a set period of time¡± as it was back in the game, in this world, the effect of the skill would continue indefinitely until Ruphas was to undo the skill or the skill was shredded by the opponent. What is this? Isn¡¯t that just unfair?

    [Star of Asclepius]

    Highest-tiered Water attribute divine magic.

    The effect of the skill was to fully recover the HP of all allies within the specified area around the user whilst stripping all status buffs, irrespective of their effects, and it also came with the effect of resurrecting the dead.

    As all status buffs are stripped regardless of their effects, even if it was a positive buff to the selected target such as ¡°Brave¡± or ¡°Enhance¡±, the buffs would be removed. Although it was a slightlyplicated skill to use, it was quite a powerful skill which could restore the state of the battle in an instant.

    In fact, back in the game, it was a skill which took quite a long time to cast and take effect. Furthermore, it came with a stupidly long recovery frame after the skill was cast. Therefore, during its use, the user waspletely subjected to being attacked... or at least it was supposed to have been. Nevertheless, Dina activated it in an instant. What is this? Isn¡¯t that just unfair?

    (TLN: Characters from top left, going right, down.

    Terra, Luna, Sei, Bnash, Dina, Leon, Taurus, Ruphas, Virgo, Aigokeros, Libra, Aries, Sagittarius, Castor, Scorpius, Karkinos)

    __

    [1]¥¹¥¿©`?¥ª¥Ö?¥¢¥¹¥¯¥ì¥Ô¥ª¥¹ ¨C quite literally tranted as Star of Asclepius.

    Asclepius is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Greek religion and mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis (or Arsinoe). Asclepius represents the healing aspect of the medical arts.

    ¡°https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepius¡±.

    [2] In some MMOs, the yer would have a ¡°death penalty¡± when they die and resurrect. It¡¯smonly x% reduction in the yer¡¯s statssting for y period of time.

    [3] The Rod of Asclepius is a serpent-entwined rod wielded by the Greek god Asclepius and is a symbol frequently associated with medicine and health care.

    ¡°https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_of_Asclepius¡±.

    [4]¥Õ¥©¥È¥ó¥Á¥§¥¤¥ó

    [5]ÏÈ¤òÍù¤¯Õß (¥¢¥ë¥«¥¤¥É).

    Alkaid (¥¢¥ë¥«¥¤¥É), also called Eta Ursae Majoris or Bnash, is a star in the constetion of Ursa Major and the Big Dipper asterism.

    The One Who Left First (ÏÈ¤òÍù¤¯Õß) is probably referring to the fact that Bnash left this world (died) before Ruphas.

    ¡°https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eta_Ursae_Majoris¡±.

    [6] This was stated in the first few chapters of the series.

    [7] In most MMOs, the boss monsters have with CC (crowd control) immunity. Meaning you can¡¯t affect (either by restricting or limiting) the movement of the boss in any way whatsoever. This means you can¡¯t stun the boss (which is effectively what this skill is doing ¨C stun debuff + decreased evasion debuff). In other cases, the boss might not have total immunity, bute with resistance (chance to resist the effect ¨C e.g. 75% chance to not be stunned), or decreased effectiveness (meaning stun that shouldst 1 secondsting only for 0.1 second). So normally, raid boss like Leon would have total immunity from this skill¡¯s effect.

 Chapter 116

    Chapter 116

    Pl, please, we plead you to wait, Ruphas-dono! Is Your Honour suggesting that you will shelter these people!?¡±

    ¡°Ab, absolutely not! That must not happen! We plead that these people¡¯s sentences be left to Draupnir!¡±

    After I heard the elf nii-san and the cat beastkin raise their voices at the same time, I turned to look towards them .

    What were their names again... . ? I feel like I¡¯ve heard them say it but... I¡¯ve kind of forgotten them .

    Umm... that¡¯s right, if I recall correctly, their names are Cruz and Kaineko . I just confirmed it .

    [Observation Eyes] was able to see it if there was an assigned name, therefore, it was actually quite a convenient skill .

    Although... in the case where the individual had more than two names and I was aware of all of them, the one that I recognised them as would be the one that would be disyed, thus what was disyed was not necessarily perfect .

    For example, Dina fit into this category . Although she was called Dina, she also had the name known as Venus .

    However, even if I were to use Observation Eyes on her, the only name that would be disyed would be Dina .

    That was likely to be the case because I previously recognised her name to be Dina .

    Anyways, none of that is relevant right now .

    ¡°Leave everything to Draupnir, huh... . What you¡¯re saying is you want me to allow you to execute all of these people who had lost the will to fight without a second opinion? How dark . Would you not be satisfied unless you massacre them?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not pleading purely based on what I want . Since they were the one who had mounted the attack first, we require evidence to show that they had, in fact, been subjugated . After being attacked, if we did not retaliate at all, Draupnir as a kingdom would be looked down upon . Even assuming we let them go or they got away, things won¡¯t just end there... without a doubt, an army would be dispatched to go out and find the demihumans . ¡±

    I looked down at the cat beastkin, right into his circr eyes as he was looking up .

    I felt that what he had said did make some sense .

    But above and beyond that, I want to scratch around his chin .

    No, well... I understand that they¡¯re trying to have a serious conversation... but just look at it . It¡¯s a cat that¡¯s standing up and walking around on two feet .

    I think you¡¯ll get it if you¡¯re a cat lover but, you know, my hand is just tingling . I just really want to pet its fluff .

    ¡°I get what you¡¯re trying to say . So you are saying that you¡¯re not actually trying to bring thew into your own hands . ¡±

    ¡°That is exactly so . ¡±

    ¡°What about the others? Is there anyone that just really wants to kill the demihumans?¡±

    I turned towards the young boy Sei and the others and asked that question . Nevertheless, no one answered in the affirmative .

    The only exception to this was Scorpius who stood up in response, but I was not asking her .

    Sit back down .

    Why is it that you¡¯re so bloodthirsty?

    ¡°In that case, you just need the ¡®fact¡¯ that these people were massacred, right?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Well... I suppose...?¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s no problem . I¡¯ve already thought through that much . ... . Dina . ¡±

    What Kaineko said made sense .

    Since they had suffered an event that was pretty close to a deration of war, if they were to do nothing about it, it would be a problem for the prestige of the kingdom . Furthermore, its citizens would not be able to live peacefully .

    After all, putting things in ¡°Earth¡± terms, it was no different from a warship being shot with something like a missile, which was essentially no different from a deration of war, yet the country decided to do nothing about it and forgive the offender .

    ......... . . Although... if it was Japan, they might regrettably do just that and let everything slide .

    Anyways, whatever . The problem is that it¡¯s not going to stop at just Draupnir . By now, the other kingdoms would probably be preparing for war too .

    The particrly scary one is Mjolnir . There¡¯s a possibility of them invading now that they might have found out Leon¡¯s out ofmission .

    Then I guess, the easiest way is to just make it so that all of the demihumans are dead .

    Therefore, I decided to order Dina to first teleport away all of the viges .

    ¡°Understood . X-Gate!¡±

    Dina opened her arms wide and teleported the whole forest somewhere .

    The reason that I did not specify the destination was simple . It was because Dina knew about the geography of this world more than I did .

    I only knew about the locations we had visited thus far . However, Dina knew about quite a lot of different ces .

    As such, leaving it up to her discretion was less likely to result in the viges being sent to some weird location .

    After the forest was swallowed by a crack in space-time, the demihumans who could notprehend what was happening were left behind .

    After all, from their point of view, they must have been sick and tired of everything after they were suddenly caught up in a monster war and the disappearance of the forest even though they had just been living as usual .

    ¡°Next... . The four demihumans there and Sagittarius . I¡¯m sorry, but go and exin what¡¯s going on to the rest of the demihumans . ¡±

    I snapped my fingers and undid the restraints on the demihumans .

    I heard Jean saying to evacuate, but there weren¡¯t really any problems in releasing their restraints .

    Although it sounded bad, even if they were to decide to do something, they were not in a position where they were able to do anything to us . Even if they decided to target the likes of Virgo or Sei, who were the weaker members amongst us, I would be able to step in before anything happened .

    If they wanted to be able to outspeed me, they would have to at least have the ability to operate in the millisecond world .

    As long as they lived in the world where time flowed as normal, whatever they decided to do, it was impossible for them to take the initiative away from those like me, Bnash or the Demon King who lived in a world where our perception of time was a few stages beyond them .

    Having said that, it was all unwarranted anxiety .

    Under the current circumstances, the demihumans had already sensed that it was the only option they could choose and decided to start exining the situation to the others .

    I did seem to asionally hear, ¡°Definitely don¡¯t try to defy¡±, ¡°You saw those monsters fighting each other, right?¡± and ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, just stay quiet¡±, whilst feeling their fear being directed towards us . I supposed it must have really been a huge shock for them to have witnessed the monster battle between the Twelve Heavenly Stars .

    Eventually, the demihumans must have epted the situation as they started to slowly trickle away from the location only to leave the wilderness behind with no one remaining .

    Now, once I just add my finishing touches, we will be able to create a situation where it¡¯s persuasive to say that the demihumans were annihted .

    ¡°Now then ¨C you guys, step back . ¡±

    After I got everyone to stand behind me, I slowly raised one of my arms up into the air .

    When I did, mana gathered on my palm and gave birth to a giant fireball .

    On the surface, it might have seemed like a Fire attribute spell . However, my elemental affinity was Sun attribute .

    As such, it was a fire, yet not a fire . It was the power of the Sun .

    As the bright white fireball elerated, it increased in size and dispersed an extraordinary amount of violent and hot wind .

    If the skill were to be left alone, even before it was fired, the mere coteral damage from the hot wind would be enough to annihte all the demihumans a thousand times over and still have plenty of change (charge) left over . However, I was able to prevent any coteral damage by encapsting the fireball with a barrier at the same time as the activation of the arcane magic .

    ¡°¨C [Sr re]¡±[2]

    A high-tier Sun attribute arcane magic, Sr re . Also known as Sr Surface Explosion . [3]

    Of course, it was not the real thing .

    It was said that a real sr re would have a length of tens of thousands of kilometres and its destructive power would exceed over a hundred million Hydrogen bombs, but unfortunately, this was nothing more than an imitation created by mana in the end . Unfortunately, imitation could not reach such an extent .

    So the skill¡¯s only as big as a few hundred metres wide, and I estimate its destructive power would probably only be as much as about tens to a few hundred Hydrogen bombs¡¯ worth .

    ... . ...... My perception is also reaching a pretty dangerous point, huh... Just then, I felt my gut sink after thinking about the way I thought about things .

    To think about the destructive power of a few hundred Hydrogen bombs as ¡°only as much¡±, I¡¯ve reached quite a dangerous point . Honestly, I can already see mymon sense starting to copse .

    Before I fired the skill, just as a precaution, I activated a divine magic barrier and enveloped everyone present within it .

    Furthermore, I stered divine power around the target area which would soon be scorched and let the power spin rapidly .

    It was one of the high-tier Sun attribute divine magic spells, [Heliosphere] . [4] It was a technique which created an absolute field against arcane magic by rapidly spinning divine power and creating ayer, thereby stopping any form of mana from passing through it .

    If I was still in the game, I would have been able to fire the skill without thinking twice . Unfortunately, if I were to fire a Sr re skill without any preparation in this world, however much I held back in consideration for my surroundings, the coteral damage would not be aughing matter .

    After finishing my preparations, I lightly flicked my wrist .

    In unison with my movement, the fireball which was on top of me fired,nding on the location where the demihuman viges used to be .

    ¨C Immediately afterwards . A giant explosion .

    The first thing that happened was a sh .

    There was a light that quite literally blinded and burned the entire field of vision, painting the environment white .

    Normally, anyone who saw this would no doubt be blinded without exception . Nevertheless, because the skill I previously cast had a debuff immunity effect, the actual amount of light that reached people¡¯s eyes was no different from identally staring at the Sun directly . Therefore, as long as they closed their eyes reflexively, there would be no problem .

    For reference, I didn¡¯t even close my eyes . Isn¡¯t this body really a cheat? I¡¯m quite surprised that even my eyeballs¡¯ endurance is blown out of proportion .

    Next, the explosion went off, creating a mushroom cloud . [5]

    Hmm, even though I¡¯m the one who fired it, this is quite funny . For an individual to be able to present a nuclear tier level of power, what the hell is this?

    But can you believe it? Even this is nothing but a backyard toy sparklerpared to the destructive power of [The Maiden Who Fires the Silver Arrow] .

    I mean her arrow... really shatterss... .

    I don¡¯t even want to think about how many times stronger than nuclear warheads it is . <strong>[6]</strong>

    ... . . Somehow, I can understand why people in the past feared and wanted to get rid of me . It feels quite natural .

    Mmhmm . Yeah, this is quite scary .

    Maybe on the day the Demon King and I fire arcane magic at each other, that alone would turn the whole of Midgard into a scorched wastnd?

    When I turned to look behind me, there were three types of responses .

    Every one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars was looking at me with an expression that said, ¡°As expected¡±, with the exception of Virgo who looked like her soul had escaped her body .

    Simrly, the hero¡¯s group had the same reaction as Virgo and the whites of their eyes were showing .

    Oh, now that I look at it, only the tiger dashed away .

    ¡°... . . Hey Sargeant... were we... trying to fight against this?¡±

    ¡°... . . Yeah... . That¡¯s right... . To follow Leon-sama probably would have meant something like that . ¡±

    ¡°However you look at it, we probably would have just died from the shockwave alone . ¡±

    ¡°We were too reckless . I don¡¯t even want to see another fight anymore . ¡±

    The fourmissioned officers were muttering something to each other quietly and were showing an expression as if they had no other option but tough .

    Eventually, the explosion settled back down, leaving behind a giant crater and a burnt field .

    Well, even though I said a burnt field, since it was just a barren wastnd to begin with, there are only things like rocks and stuff left though .

    In any event, with this, a ce which would serve as the basis for the excuse was perfected .

    Looking at the ce, anybody would think that I had burnt the demihumans along with their viges .

    In all likelihood, that explosion just now would have been seen by the other kingdoms anyway .

    All that remained was for the demihumans to relocate and everything would be over .

    ¡°Now then, you were called... . Kaineko, right? It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t understand your feelings, but this time, why don¡¯t you let the demihumans go as a favour for me? I hope you can tell your kingdom that the demihumans were annihted from that attack . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . Will happily oblige!¡±

    ¡°Hmm? What is this? You¡¯re suddenly quite cooperative . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . Will happily oblige!¡±

    ¡°... . Huh, whatever . Then, I¡¯ll leave it to you? The elf over there too, alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes . Will happily oblige!¡±

    ¡°Iesu, mamu!¡±[7] (TLN: ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am!¡±)

    I was thinking that there would still be some kind of objection from Kaineko and Cruz, but contrary to my predictions, they became quite docile and cooperative .

    But really, are these two alright? Their faces are quite pale and their feet are shaking quite violently .

    I mean, err... even if they¡¯re not that terrified, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to attack them or anything .

    If anything, I actually quite like feline animals, so I¡¯m thinking that I want to get along with them .

    As I thought that, I looked towards Kaineko, but he suddenly screamed ¡°hii¡± with a voice that sounded like he was on the verge of tears .

    ... . . This is quite a shock .

    ¡°Next is the matter about the demihumans...¡±

    ¡°Ruphas-sama, please allow me to assume that role . ¡±

    The next role was something important .

    It was the role to take the demihumans to the Mafahl Tower . However, if they were to be identally seen by the humanoids, all of the preparations done up until this point would be meaningless .

    Therefore, I was originally thinking that I should assign this role to Libra who was the most sensitive to the surroundings and would be able to ascertain the best possible route in this situation . Nevertheless, Sagittarius volunteered as a tribute himself .

    ¡°You will?¡±

    ¡°I see . Master, the most suitable person in this situation is indeed Sagittarius . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Well if you say so, then there shouldn¡¯t be any mistakes . ¡±

    Sagittarius, huh?

    Well, I suppose he does seem to have quite good eyesight, so I would think that he would be right after Libra in terms of suitability .

    But whenpared to Libra, there seem to be some worrisome aspects .

    My worries must have been showing on my face . Sagittarius for some reason took out his bow and arrow as if it was the most natural thing to do .

    ¡°Please observe, Ruphas-sama . My arrow can be used in this way too . Everyone! Grab each other¡¯s hand! The one at the foremost, grab onto me!¡±

    ...... . . ?

    What exactly is he trying to do?

    The demihumans listened to Sagittarius¡¯smand and joined hands with one another . Then, the demihuman who was at the head of the line held on to Sagittarius .

    It seemed they were trying to do something quite weird . However, I did not understand the meaning of all of this .

    Are they thinking that they should all line up and head to the tower together in a friendly and orderly manner?

    However you think about it, that¡¯s very conspicuous .

    ¡°Then we will be going now . [Alnasl!]¡±

    Sagittarius fired his arrow and for some reason grabbed the arrow right after it was released .

    What exactly was he thinking... . ?

    However, I immediately understood the reason for his actions .

    Sagittarius, who grabbed the arrow, disappeared from the spot and all the demihumans who were in contact with him disappeared together .

    ¡°Are you surprised, master?¡±

    ¡°Y, yeah . Just then, what did he just do?¡±

    ¡°That was his [Alnasl] skill which boasts absolute uracy . The moment after the arrow is fired, he teleports to and in front of the enemy . Of course, even Master must be aware of that already, but he acquired the ability to teleport along with the fired arrow by grabbing the arrow itself . We were also helped as a result of that skill . ¡±

    ¡°... . . Rather than an absolute hit skill, wouldn¡¯t it be an absolute evasion skill?¡±

    ¡°I suppose it can be used in both ways . ¡±

    I was impressed by Sagittarius¡¯s use of the skill as it was exined by Libra .

    By grabbing onto the arrow with an absolute uracy effect which bypassed the concept of space-time, Sagittarius was able to use it as a teleportation skill, an absolute evasion skill and a mode of moving things . What is this? Isn¡¯t that just unfair?

    I mean, in other words, as long as he felt like it, he was able to go anywhere he wanted .

    Such a cheat skill really existed .

 Chapter 117

    Chapter 117

    ¡°.........¡±

    ¡ªA line of sight looked down from the distant sky above.

    ¡°She¡± sighed in mncholy as she watched the battle within her miniature garden. It just wasn¡¯t working out that well. A mistake from the distant past had not been corrected and was now being revived after generations, upsetting the bnce of the world. And that bug was...Ruphas Mafahl.

    The second mistake was her return after having been sessfully eliminated previously. She had wanted to seal away Ruphas¡¯ consciousness and ego in order to turn Ruphas into an existence that moved in a way favorable to her will and maintained the bnce of the world. After all, it was foreseeable that even if Ruphas was left alone, she would have revived by herself eventually anyway. Furthermore, there was no pawn that could stop her.

    In that case, she might as well revive her and move her ordingly...but it seemed to have been a bad move. In the end, a bug was still a bug. It wasn¡¯t something that could be resolved with a superficial fix.

    She had hoped that Ruphas would eliminate the Demon King who had recently stopped listening to hermandspletely, and was intending to turn her into the ¡°evil¡± of the world. However, by the time she had noticed it, Ruphas had already be the ¡°evil¡± to her. How ironic.

    What went wrong? Was the time chosen for Ruphas¡¯ revival wrong? Was the tentative personality given to her wrong? Or...

    ...Whatever it was, she must admit it. She had made a mistake.

    Ruphas Mafahl was now searching to find her own way out of the original ns. Once the script had been messed up, the more one tried to fix it, the weirder it would be. And the presence of Ruphas Mafahl would only exacerbate the problems.

    This was uneptable. People would not be able to find happiness this way.

    In order for people to be happy, a certain degree of misfortune was necessary. The greater the fall, the greater the happiness they would feel in the end.

    However, Ruphas was a bug thatpletely destroyed misfortune itself. In a world with only happiness, people would not feel happy. They could not be happy.

    Therefore, yes, a certain amount of despair and misfortune was necessary for her beloved children as long as it was not overwhelmingly destructive.

    So she made the decision to move her strongest piece in the current situation. It was a rough treatment, but it couldn¡¯t be helped...She would eliminate Ruphas with an infinite army.

    There was no other way.

    ?

    After sending the centaurs and the other demihumans to the tower, Sagittarius returned safely. Only the spiderkin remained as he probably had something to say to the youth Sei. It seemed most of the problems had been cleared up, but there was still one thing left to do.

    I left Aries and the rest behind and went towards Leon, who was still lying on the ground. The giant lion red at me with murderous intent, but in his exhausted state, he was unable to break the chains binding him and could only struggle futilely.

    ¡°Hmm. I suppose I¡¯ll just say... It¡¯s been a while, Leon.¡±

    ¡°Ruphas...!¡±

    There was only hatred for me in Leon¡¯s eyes. In a sense, it was rather novel, yet it was only natural. As I had only encountered friendly people until now, it felt rather funny. I smiled at Leon, who was desperately staring angrily at me, and decided to check his status by activating Observing Eye.

    <strong>The Lion King, Leon</strong>

    Level: 1,000

    Race: Nemean Lion

    Attribute: Sun

    HP: 1/1,500,000

    SP: 8,250/10,000

    STR (Strength): ???

    DEX (Dexterity): ???

    VIT (Vitality): ???

    INT (Intelligence): ???

    AGI (Agility): ???

    MND (Mind): ???

    Well, it was as expected. Since he had not returned to me, his status was not disyed except for his HP, SP, and level. His name was ¡°Lion King, Leon¡± instead of ¡°Twelve Star, Leon¡±, so he was still in a state of rebellion.

    However, his HP...Hey, this could be said to be a truly appropriate number. Furthermore, the Goddess¡¯ modification would have been added on top of this, so I knew he would be dangerously strong even without fighting him. Aries and the rest did well to win the fight.

    If I were to fight him normally, it would have been quite difficult. It was one of his features to not have any outstanding skills like the other Twelve Stars, but conversely, it could be said that he did not need such petty tricks. His strengthy in overpowering the enemy with his status. He would crush an opponent upfront without any petty tricks.

    No matter how good one¡¯s skills were or how much magic one could use, it was all pointless if the difference in power was too great. A Level 100 character could give it his all to make a full-powered attack, but a high-level character could still easily surpass it with just a normal attack. This was the nature of RPGs.

    Well, there were also those in the world who limited their ythroughs with low levels or did amazing things like subjugating the Demon King with only low levels. Therefore, I couldn¡¯t say it was always like that.

    Since I couldn¡¯t see his status, I couldn¡¯t be sure...but yes, his overallbat power was evidently higher than that of Bnash in her base state.

    ¡°We¡¯ve finally met. I¡¯ve never once forgotten about you in the past two hundred years. Every night, I was reminded of the humiliation I felt on that day...I¡¯m going to kill and eat you!¡±

    ¡°.........¡±

    ¡°Now, unravel this chain! Fight me!¡±

    While listening to his words, I considered what would be the best way to deal with this. The best solution...Well, it would be to fight him like he said. I should just defeat him here to establish the power rtionship and forcefully return him back to my control. This would weaken the fool back to Level 800. Yes, this was the best solution. The answer was simple without having to worry about it.

    However, the ¡°Ruphas¡± inside me had a different answer, and I eventually also arrived at the same answer. And that was¡ª

    ¡°I refuse.¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ª!?¡±

    ¡°The battle is already over. Aries and the rest have won. That¡¯s all. If I just casually act now, it would taint their victory.¡±

    Yes, the battle was between Leon and Aries and the rest. It was already over. I just casually came over after the fight was finished. I had no interest in restarting a fight that was already over. Furthermore, it would be too disrespectful towards Aries and the rest who worked hard to achieve this victory after oveing the massive difference in their statuses.

    Aries and the rest had won with great effort. If I overturned their victory to restart the fight and beat Leon, it would be like saying I alone could beat him. This would be inappropriate no matter how one looked at it. Besides, Aries and the rest were my subordinates, so their victory would be my victory too. I wanted to be proud of it right now. I would not drag it through the mud.

    ¡°Don¡¯t joke around! You¡¯re leaving it all to your subordinates and just being a spectator yourself!? I, I¡ªAm I not worthy of fighting you!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you relied on the Goddess¡¯ power?¡±

    ¡°¡ªTsk!¡±

    My statement silenced Leon, who was making a ruckus. He was cornered by people who were weaker than himself, yet he still lost after borrowing the Goddess¡¯ power. This was a great humiliation for him, something he would rather forget. But I wouldn¡¯t let him forget it. If he were to be left alone like this, he would surely be manipted by the Goddess again.

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that it¡¯s bad to ask for power. It¡¯s fine to use everything that you can use. In that sense, the power of the Goddess was no exception. However, you became unsightly after being taken over by the power. If you had been able to make use of the power and make it your own, I might even have praised you for a job well-done.¡±

    After all, I was someone who suddenly gained the peerless power of a game character. In that sense, I was just like him. Since this was how I gained my power, I wouldn¡¯t criticize his method of gaining power. That would just be an oversized boomerang that would return to strike me.

    ¡°However, while being controlled, the person fighting the battle would no longer be you. Even if I fight you now, it would really be a fight between me and the Goddess. You would just be a chess piece moved by the Goddess, an item that was being used by her.¡±

    That was exactly why Bnash appeared so dazzling when she tly rejected the Goddess. She carried out her own will, pushing the Goddess away as if she was in the way. Because she was like that, she was acknowledged by ¡°Ruphas¡± as a rival.

    ¡°I¡¯ll answer your previous question.¡±

    In the moment I said those words, I could no longer recognize who was actually speaking. I understood that I was speaking by my own will, but at the same time, I felt like someone else was also speaking through my mouth...using the same words and the same intentions. For the first time, I felt that ¡°Ruphas¡± and I hadpletely ovepped.

    ¡°The current you is not worthy of fighting me.¡±

    ¡°......!¡±

    After saying that, I moved to turn my back to Leon. I might have said a bit too much, but if I didn¡¯t do so, he would have easily relied on the Goddess¡¯ power again. Leon was a simple-minded fool, but that fool could still be used as a weapon at times.

    This current statement established to him that if he were to use the Goddess¡¯ power, he would be unworthy of fighting me. In that case, he would not use the Goddess¡¯ power anymore. Since his biggest goal was me, he wouldn¡¯t choose a route that would bring him further away from his goal.

    In a sense, he was easy to understand and somewhat cute. If I had to rte it to something, it was like the cuteness of a silly cat or dog. Certainly, Leon was an annoying guy, but it wasn¡¯t a big problem for me.

    I wondered what I couldpare him to...If I had to forcefully do aparison, yes, it would be like a cat. A cat might jump onto a personalputer because it wanted some attention. It would then step on the keyboard, possibly pressing a button that forcefully shut down the entire system. It couldn¡¯t be helped, so the owner yed with it, but it soon lost interest and walked away after scratching the owner¡¯s hand. It would be annoying and selfish, such that the owner might think of it as a little bastard. But even then, the owner would think of it as cute and forgive it anyway.

    For me, Leon was something like that. At least, he was not a piece of garbage like the Dragon King that I once fought was. Although he was indeed self-indulgent and arrogant, it was merely like a wild lion killing and eating a zebra. It was nothing more than that.

    .........

    ......Eh? Who¡¯s this Dragon King again?

    ?

    The location was a forest.

    The glow of mana illuminated the trees. In ce of nts that couldn¡¯t move by themselves, the divine life-forms created by divine power¡ªthe spirits¡ªinnocently flew among the trees.

    Among these spirits, there were those who awakened their own sense of self and became fully independent from the nts. These were called fairies. asionally, they were revered by humanoids and other creatures as divine.

    Furthermore, there were also humanoids that were influenced by the fairies. These were the fairy race (elves). Therefore, they had a highpatibility with divine power even though they were mutated by mana.

    A young man walked alone in the forest.

    This man in pure white armor had authority and power that were second only to the Demon King among the demon race. He was Terra, known as the son of the Demon King.

    He was walking towards the deepest part of the forest with a dignified stride. The spirits and fairies watched him with great interest, sometimes even flying around him mischievously. Terra smiled at him without raising his hand to drive them away.

    The appearances of spirits and fairies could vary widely, but they were generally cute boys and girls about twenty percent the size of humans. Nheless, this was not absolute. Some powerful fairies were indistinguishable from humans. There was even a pirate-style man with an unnecessarily strong body.

    Eventually, Terra reached the deepest part of the forest and saw a girl standing there as if she knew that he would being. She had semi-long, warm honey-colored hair that reached down to her shoulders. A headband was worn on her head and her eyes were green. She wore a three-colored dress, consisting of red, blue, and white. An armored heroic spirit (einherjar) had taken on a temporary body to serve next to her.

    ¡°Such an unusual guest, but I can¡¯t wee you.¡±

    The Fairy Princess Pollux, who was at the top of all fairies, sat in the deepest part of the fairies¡¯ home, Alfheimr. As the top of the life-forms created by divine power, she was the pr opposite of the Demon King. If the Demon King and the demons symbolized darkness in Midgard, Pollux and the fairies symbolized light in Midgard.

    Although the two of them could not possibly mix with each other, they never actually shed, keeping a state of passive opposition for many years. It was as if they were secretly in contact with each other to maintain the bnce of light and darkness, preventing either light or darkness from sweeping away the world.

    ¡°Greetings, great elder of light. My name is Terra. First of all, please forgive my sudden, impolite visit.¡±

    ¡°Hmm...? If I recall correctly, you¡¯re that, right? The Demon King¡¯s son. I¡¯ve heard that Orm had a son, but I imagined the son to be simply a smaller version of him. It seems you¡¯re rather polite.¡±

    Pollux watched and observed Terra. There was no sense of hostility. His sword was sheathed and respect was evident in his eyes. However, he was a demon, so unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t a reliable person.

    ¡°So why did youe here? If it¡¯s not an important matter, please go home.¡±

    ¡°I want you to give me detailed information about Avatar and, if possible, teach me how to make one.¡±

    ¡°.........¡±

    Hearing Terra¡¯s words, Pollux narrowed her eyes coldly.

    Avatar¡ªIt could be said to be the birth of a spirit or fairy. After all, they were basically temporary bodies (avatars) of nts. Although there was a difference between divine power and arcane power, they were still simr to the demons who were created from mana.

    In an extreme sense, spirits and fairies were divine magic used by nts. nts could not move by themselves, so they would generally evolve in two ways. One way was mutation. They could mutate into monsters, which included the demihumans known as dryads. The other way was to create an avatar, giving rise to spirits and fairies.

    However, it was said that the essential method of creating an avatar was known only to three individuals in this world¡ªthe Goddess, the Demon King, and the Fairy Princess. nts require Pollux¡¯s permission to create avatars. They could not be created do so without her assistance.

    The question remained how her all-important self was created, but nobody could answer that. This was because even if someone were to return to the time before the humanoids were created, Pollux had already existed back then.

    ¡°What would you do after knowing that?¡±

    ¡°I want to free someone from the fate of the demon race. Her friend sacrificed himself for this purpose. We are not the Goddess¡¯ dolls. We want to take our lives into our own hands.¡±

    ¡°...I see.¡±

    For a moment, there was gentleness in Pollux¡¯s eyes as she looked at Terra. At the same time, her eyes were dyed with sympathy as if she was looking at a pitiful thing. But thatsted only for a moment. In the next moment, she became cold as ice.

    ¡°Sorry, but it is a secret. I can¡¯t teach you despite whatever reason you may have.¡±

    ¡°I know, but I cannot give up regardless of the reasons. I swore to my friend who died that I¡¯d definitely do it.¡±

    ¡°Then what would you do?¡±

    ¡°What do I need to do to be acknowledged?¡±

    ¡°Well...¡±

    The Fairy Princess waved her hand. At the same time, more than a hundred heroic spirits appeared and stood before Terra. All of them were over Level 700. Of course, there were also Level 1000 characters mixed in among them.

    ¡°Dance, my beloved children. ¡ªReturn of the Heroic Spirits (Argonautai).¡±

    The guardians of the sanctuary from various generations appeared. Whenever Midgard was shrouded in darkness, heroes would descend to disperse the dark clouds. The first fl¨¹gels, from a time before the consumption of the forbidden fruit, descended like an army of angels.

    There was Eir, the valkyrie who blessed the poor with her fruits. Brunhild, who led the noble warriors to the Goddess, was present as well. The great people from history revived one after another, creating a ridiculous difference inbat power whenpared to Terra.

    ¡°If you win, I can give you a hint. But basically, I just don¡¯t feel like teaching you anything.¡±

    As she said this, the Fairy Princess showed an icy expression that was full of ridicule.

 Chapter 118

    Chapter 118

    The god-like skill used by Pollux, Argonautai, summoned the spirits of dead heroes from the past and gave them physical bodies to materialize in. Their races did not matter. She could revive even magical beasts as long as she acknowledged them as heroes and they shared her will.

    There were humans, vampires, fl¨¹gels, elves, dwarves, floresiensis, and beastkin. There were also bugkin, merfolk, ntkin, snakekin, and even the long-extinct giants and dragonkin. All of them raised their weapons to protect her.

    There was no limit to how many people she could summon and theysted as long as Pollux¡¯s SP wasn¡¯t depleted. Furthermore, Pollux had another special ability. She could draw an unlimited amount of arcane power and divine power from the world of Midgard itself via her dormant true form.

    And this was the proof that her true form that created her avatar had unlimited power, but what exactly was her true form? Only a few people could arrive at the answer.

    ¡°Please hurt him a little, so that he¡¯d never want toe here again.¡±

    At Pollux¡¯smand, all of the heroes rushed forward at once. Terra drew his sword and attacked one of the leading heroes. However, the giant in the frontline easily parried Terra¡¯s sh with the great sword in his hand and pushed him back. Then, two fl¨¹gel knights cut in from the sky, leaving two shallow wounds on the shoulders of Terra, who barely evaded the attacks.

    ¡°Ugh!?¡±

    ¡°Heh, you have good reaction speed.¡±

    Pollux praised him as if she was impressed by Terra¡¯s speed at which he avoided a fatal wound. However, there was not the slightest hint of vignce against Terra in her voice. It was merely the praise of someone who was absolutely certain of her victory as she watched the desperate efforts of her opponent.

    Of course, there was no way she could lose. She would win even if she took a nap. It was like a game of chess in which the opponent had only a king, while she had so many queens and knights that it broke the rules. If the king waspletely surrounded by her queens and knights, why would there be any need for vignce?

    Furthermore, there were several heroes here who were even stronger than Terra. If this situation was to be ovee, it would need an absurd king who could overturn the entire chess board. In the past, Pollux had met one such individual who was ridiculous enough to make her admit defeat¡ªthe ck-Winged Overlord. However, unfortunately, she was in apletely different league from Terra.

    It was checkmate. The fight was over before it even began.

    ¡°Just give up and go home. I don¡¯t have a hobby of bullying the weak.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it too early to proim victory?¡±

    ¡°Is it? Well then, continue with your pointless resistance.¡±

    The giant stepped forward and sent Terra flying with a club. Terra certainly raised his defense in time, but it was overpowered by the opponent¡¯s absurd strength and level. There were various kinds of beastkin waiting where hended and they attacked together at once. Terra barely managed to evade their attacks, but he couldn¡¯t find an opening to counterattack. As a result, he was unterally increasing his own injuries.

    He somehow widened the distance and swung his sword, sending forth a blue sh. However, it wasn¡¯t able to even defeat one enemy as it was blocked by multiple shields. Moreover, magic of all attributes were fired at him in return. Even after resisting some of them, the rest still struck him.

    ¡°Ug¡ªUgh!¡±

    The teamwork of the Argonauts was by no means good. Or rather, it was bad to the extent of having no leadership. Each individual just rushed in to attack Terra in a bid for a grandstand y. This was the reason why Terra had not lost yet.

    If Castor had been here, it would be possible to unite the heroes as one and operate as a single army. However, Pollux couldn¡¯t do that. Since she had nobat power, she couldn¡¯t stand in the battlefield herself. Even if she had the cheat-like ability to produce an unlimited amount of military power, she could only summon them forth. She simply didn¡¯t have a way to make good use of them. In other words, she couldn¡¯t master her own skill.

    In fact, this mass summoning merely resulted in the heroes dragging each other down, significantly lowering their individualbat power. Sometimes, they even got in the way of each other.

    However, this did not imply that there would be a chance for victory. Even if it was a poorly coordinated group, their individual power was still unmistakably of the highest tier in Midgard. When one could not even be certain of victory in a one-versus-one fight, they became an incredible threat when they were gathered together as a group.

    Even if one or two of them could be defeated, Pollux could immediately revive them by summoning them again. Thus, the number of enemies would never decrease unless Pollux was defeated, but there were too many enemies in the way to get close to her.

    Furthermore, that wasn¡¯t all of the cheats her skill was capable of.

    ¡°No, let¡¯s push you a bit further. Heroes, sacrifice your lives to be the cornerstone of victory.¡±

    Some of those with the hero ss responded to Pollux¡¯s order. They were not recent heroes from the past two hundred years. They were probably heroes from thousands or tens of thousands years ago. They received Pollux¡¯s orders and rushed to be the first to sacrifice their lives.

    ¡ªSkill: Soul Session.

    This was one of the skills possessed by the hero. It was a skill that would create a permanent barrier, weakening enemies and strengthening allies. However, in proportion to its powerful effects, the price was high, requiring the life of the person who used the skill.

    The heroes activated the skill without hesitation and dispersed into particles of light. At the same time, all of the Argonauts were strengthened by several tiers, while Terra¡¯s status was reduced to about Level 200. But the nightmare was not over yet.

    ¡°Souls of the dead, return to me. Dance, my beloved children.¡±

    Pollux used Argonautai again. Then, the heroes, who had just sacrificed their lives, returned to the battlefield as if nothing had happened. This was the most unreasonable aspect of Argonautai¡ªinfinite resurrection.

    Even the major demerit of having to sacrifice one¡¯s life was not a problem as long as the skill user was a heroic spirit (einherjar). Since they were already dead, they could be revived as many times as necessary so long as Pollux existed.

    As a result of multiple uses of the powerful Soul Session skill, the status of the heroes had far exceeded what an ordinary Level 1000 would have. In terms of ability values, everyone had risen to the tier of the Seven Heroes. On the other hand, Terra was rapidly weakened as hisbat power was reduced to be even lower than that of the Seven Luminaries.

    In other words, it was not an exaggeration to say that this was like hundreds of Alioth fighting against Mars on his own. It could not even be considered a proper battle.

    ¡°Now then, even a kid would understand that furtherbat is pointless...Are you still going to continue?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m not giving up.¡±

    ¡°How foolish. This is not courage. It¡¯s just being suicidal.¡±

    The heroes began to attack fiercely once more. At this point, it was just an execution, a scenario where the heroes were pulling back just enough to not kill him. He was beaten, kicked, and knocked down to the ground in an unsightly manner. He was stepped upon and thrown about. It was clear to anyone watching which side was winning. Seeing this situation, Pollux raised her eyebrow in annoyance.

    ¡°Stop fooling around. How long are you going to continue with this pointless struggle?¡±

    ¡°Who knows...? When will it be?¡±

    Terra acted like he still had breathing room, but of course, such leeway did not exist. Even as he acted tough, he was punched in the face while someone told him to shut up. This was not a fight anymore. It was just lynching. Pollux frowned upon seeing this pitiful unteral development.

    Honestly, this was hard to do. If Terra had spoken arrogantly like most demons would have, he would have been easily seen as a viin and crushed without hesitation. If he was like Leon, she would have eliminated him with full power. On the other hand, if the opponent was like Bnash, Pollux would be eliminated if she didn¡¯t use her full power.

    However, after talking to Terra, she understood that he was not a viin. Furthermore, he was fighting for someone he loved...This was really hard to do. Pollux was fond of wishes and beliefs that were pure and noble. She wanted to support him, instead of stepping on him.

    She did not have a hobby of crushing a healthy flower that was desperately trying to bloom in this hell-like world. If it was a poisonous flower that spread poison without consideration of its environment, she would pluck it without hesitation. However, that was impossible in this case. She really could not bring herself to do it.

    I really hate this. Moreover, since he is unnecessarily resistant to abnormal statuses, I can¡¯t just put him to sleep...

    Pollux closed her eyes gloomily and sighed. She turned and left the battlefield.

    ¡°If you have the skill Blunt-Edge Strike, please continue hitting him until he loses consciousness. The rest of you are to be on standby. I don¡¯t want the Demon King to bear a grudge against me, so be sure not to kill him.¡±

    She moved away from the armored warrior who served as her escort and approached the shade of another tree. She couldn¡¯t bear to watch anymore. She didn¡¯t think it was interesting to lynch a young man who was fighting for someone he loved and had such a straightforward belief.

    However, she was too careless. As if waiting for this moment, someone jumped off the tree,nded behind Pollux, and raised a knife to her neck.

    ¡°¡ª¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Heroic spirits! Stop attacking!¡±

    After assaulting and holding Pollux hostage, Luna ordered the heroic spirits to stop attacking. Her voice appeared calm, but Pollux noticed that the de at her neck was shaking. She turned to look at the young man who was restraining her...No, it was a girl?

    Tears appeared in Luna¡¯s eyes, which were mixed with fear and anger. She was full ofmentation over her inability to do anything while Terra was being beaten. Pollux understood with just a nce.

    Oh, I see. She¡¯s the one that Terra wants to protect.

    ¡°Hey...Were you waiting for the moment when I left my escort? How brave. So you managed to get behind me, but do you think you can win? Apparently, you are about Level 300, but I¡¯m still Level 800 though, you know?¡±

    ¡°If you have thebat power of a regr Level 800, I can¡¯t possibly win. But you should have littlebat power in exchange for your powerful, peerless skill. Am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°Not a bad take at the situation. Is this your idea? Or is it the idea of that child over there? Anyway, your guess is off. You will die if I counterattack now.¡±

    Polluxughed, showing leisure that only the powerful would have. Although Luna¡¯s hand trembled for a moment, there was no further agitation.

    ¡°This is Terra-sama¡¯s idea. And I believe in him.¡±

    ¡°Heh, so what if I refuse to cooperate? That child¡¯s objective cannot be achieved without me, so I know from the start that I don¡¯t have to worry about being killed. I can just act stubbornly, you know?¡±

    ¡°At that time, I will kill you at my own discretion. I can¡¯t allow Terra-sama to be killed.¡±

    ¡°.........¡±

    Pollux nced at Luna and Terra and smiled at the strength of their bond. At the same time, she thought:

    Such pitiful children. If they hadn¡¯t been born as demons, they wouldn¡¯t have to suffer so much.

    Anyway, victory had been determined in this battle. Pollux raised both of her hands to express her willingness to surrender.

    ¡°Okay, I surrender. As you have guessed, mybat power is inferior even to adventurers. I will stop the Argonauts. Please apply recovery skills on him.¡±

    The young man¡¯s persistence and strategy has won, huh?

    As she thought this, Pollux was strangely happy. If such people existed, the demons might not be hopeless after all.

    That was how she felt. She could see a bit of light for the future.

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    <strong>Argonautai</strong>

    This is the basic and most powerful skill of Pollux. Its effect is the mass summoning of the spirits of heroes from the past. Even the braves and heroes from recorded history could be summoned. Although each summoning has the inefficient cost of 1000 SP, Pollux can easily summon several hundreds of people without any problem.

    The strength of the hero makes no difference to its SP cost. The cost would be the same whether the hero was Level 10 or Level 1000. The summoned hero will not hesitate to use sacrificial or self-destructive tactics, since they can cheat by reviving immediately. Just think of it as everyone being able to resurrect in the next moment after getting serious. The heroes¡¯bat powers are as if they were at the prime of their lives, therefore it is difficult to deal with.

    Furthermore, Pollux can receive arcane power and divine power from Midgard via her true body, so her SP is practically infinite and she can summon and revive them indefinitely. However, this skill can only summon those whom Pollux recognized unmistakably as heroes, therefore the Seven Heroes cannot be summoned. (Pollux considers them to be traitors, not heroes.)

    Its weakness is that they would disappear upon Pollux¡¯s defeat. And the most crucial point is that Pollux is extremely weak. Pollux was aware of this weakness, therefore she thought that the best method was to simply summon them and leave the entire army to Castor, while she remained behind in Alfheimr.

    <strong>Pollux of the Twins</strong>

    Pollux is simultaneously the strongest and weakest of the Tyrannical Twelve Stars. She has the mostmon sense among them. Unlike the others, she doesn¡¯t have any weird kinks and she isn¡¯t a weirdo. In fact, she is actually a decent person. As a result, she has the most difficult time among the Twelve Stars, since her master, who threw hermon sense away into the other side of the universe with all her might, regrly gives her headaches.

    As the symbol of light in Midgard, she is the leader of the fairies and spirits, who are the opposite of the demons. As the counterpart of the Demon King, she maintains the bnce between good and evil as well as light and darkness in the world. Needless to say, she was originally on the Goddess¡¯ side, so she is somewhat simr to Parthenos.

    She is undoubtedly the biggest cheat among the Twelve Stars and also the biggest burden among them. Her individualbat power is even inferior to Jean¡¯s.

    Her true form is a ridiculouslyrge tree that can encircle the entire world. Although either of the Twins can demonstrate considerablebat power individually, their true valuey in the siblings working together.

    By the way, Pollux and Castor are the oldest of the Twelve Stars. Her lifetime is longer than the history of the humanoids. She is said to have lived for tens of millions of years.

    <strong>Ruphas¡¯ Party In Order of Age</strong>

    Castor ¡ú Pollux ¡ú Pisces ¡ú Aquarius ¡ú Leon ¡ú Aigokeros ¡ú Taurus ¡ú Karkinos ¡ú Ruphas ¡ú Scorpius ¡ú Parthenos (deceased) ¡ú Sagittarius ¡ú Aries ¡ú Libra ¡ú Virgo ¡ú Tanaka ¡ú Astraea ¡ú Suzuki

    Hmm. Someone seems to have been forgotten...Who could it be...?

 Chapter 119

    Chapter 119

    This was the house of the Fairy Princess, located in the deepest part of Alfheimr .

    After the battle was over, Terra, Luna, and Pollux faced each other across the table . Pollux ordered her fairy subordinates to brew some ck tea and then turned to face Terra and Luna with a serious look .

    ¡°Now then...You wanted to create an avatar, right? To be precise, you desired a body that isn¡¯t a demon in order to avoid the fate of demons, I think . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes . Whether it be fighting Ruphas Mafahl or searching for some other way, it seems that right now we don¡¯t really have free will of our own . ¡±

    The demon race was bound by fate . He didn¡¯t know the details, since the person who knew, Venus, was no longer around . No, even if she was around, she wouldn¡¯t have spoken truthfully . The other person who seemed to know was his father, the Demon King, but Terra no longer trusted him . Because if Terra¡¯s guess was correct...that man was definitely not a demon . He was more like a sacred existence that stood opposite to the demons .

    Basically, the Demon King was an actor whose purpose was to enliven the stage prepared by the Goddess . The demons were only dolls created as chess pieces for the Demon King .

    This wasn¡¯t simply a leap of his imagination . They were called ¡°counterfeit devils¡± and ¡°the Goddess¡¯ toys¡± by Aigokeros . If the demons didn¡¯t kill people, they would die . Furthermore, when they died, they would cease to exist and turn into mana . This was what Venus meant by ¡°dolls¡± .

    If the pieces were put together together, one would understand even if he didn¡¯t want to . The fact was that the demons were arcane magic of the Goddess, which was used to forcibly oppose the humanoids .

    He didn¡¯t know what the thoughts and intentions of the Goddess were when she did such a thing . But there was one thing that he could say for certain . From the beginning, the Goddess never intended for the demons to win .

    At the milestones of each era, whenever the humanoids were in danger, the Goddess would reach out to save them . Sometimes, she empowered the people who were called heroes to miraculously turn the tide .

    However, if the truth was known, it would be such a ridiculous and humorous scene . It was the Goddess herself who created the demons to afflict the humanoids, yet she would rescue them from the crisis created by herself as if she was the goddess ofpassion .

    She was basically ying by a script that she wrote herself . Both enemies and allies were moved by the Goddess . It was just a puppet show . They were only dolls that couldn¡¯t help but move ording to her scenario .

    You...have noticed this, therefore you begged my father to save Luna .

    In Terra¡¯s mind, he thought of a man who was his subordinate and his friend . He...Mercurius must have reached this truth before him and thought that only the Demon King could change this fate . Thus, he rushed recklessly into action . In the end, he went to Draupnir like he was being led by the nose...and met his worst possible end in a conflict with the hero and the Tyrannical Twelve Stars . When he found out about his friend¡¯s wish, Terra couldn¡¯t stay silent anymore .

    His father, the leader of the demons, wasn¡¯t on their side . He wasn¡¯t an ally from the start . If things remained the way they were, there was no way for Luna to survive . Now that Ruphas Mafahl had returned, it would only be a matter of time before the demons were exterminated . The only way to save Luna was to transform her into something other than a demon .

    Simrly, Luna had also noticed the fate of the demons . She thought that it must be averted, even if it was only for Terra alone . Meanwhile, Terra was unaware of her thoughts . They were so simr to each other .

    ¡°I¡¯ll start with the conclusion first . What you desire most right now is the method to move the body of an avatar...but I can¡¯t teach it to you . ¡±

    ¡°...What?¡±

    ¡°To be precise, I don¡¯t know it myself . I can certainly create avatars with divine power and can also let them be possessed by the souls of the dead to result in something akin to resurrection . But I have never heard of transforming an arcane magic lifeform, such as a demon, into a fairy . It¡¯s just unprecedented . We are divine magic, while you are arcane magic . As you know, divine magic and arcane magic are opposing powers . Honestly speaking, I¡¯ve never even considered such a thing . ¡±

    Divine power was the opposite of arcane power and had the property of being able to repel arcane power . For example, shields created by divine magic utilized this property . Furthermore, it could be used to enhance substances other than arcane power . This was also used by healing and strengthening skills .

    In other words, arcane magic was the power to create what did not exist, while divine magic was the power to enhance what already existed . In the first ce, their natures werepletely different .

    ¡°We could let you die and then try to revive you with Argonautai...but I don¡¯t know if that will work . ¡±

    ¡°May I hear the reason?¡±

    ¡°It might be a bit cruel to say this...but it¡¯s possible that you may not even have a soul in the first ce . ¡±

    Pollux¡¯s words caused Luna¡¯s shoulders to shudder .

    ¡°We fairies are the avatars of nts, so there are souls in our true bodies . To be precise, a part of the soul is separated from the body to dwell within the avatar . But you demons...¡±

    ¡°...were created from nothing, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes . For example, there¡¯s no soul in an arcane magic like Fireball or Aqua st, right? You may have a soul because you have a sense of self, but then again, it¡¯s also possible that you don¡¯t . And if you don¡¯t...even I cannot summon something that doesn¡¯t exist . Divine magic is the power that works on what already exists...Likewise, my Argonautai works on an existing soul to strengthen and materialize it...It doesn¡¯t have the power to create something from nothing . ¡±

    Hearing Pollux¡¯s exnation, Terra bit his lips . He was willing to ept any truth and had vowed to his dear friend to save Luna no matter what the truth might be . But...But he couldn¡¯t see any light at the end of the tunnel . No matter how much he wanted to save her, he couldn¡¯t find a way . However, Pollux continued speaking .

    ¡°But I haven¡¯t attempted it myself, so I can¡¯t say for sure that it¡¯s impossible . ¡±

    ¡°Th¡ªthen...!¡±

    ¡°Reincarnating a demon into a fairy...Isn¡¯t that interesting? I can¡¯t promise that I can definitely do it, but I¡¯ll try to find out if there¡¯s a way to do so . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Terra stood up and unconsciously grabbed the hands of Pollux, who was smiling gently . Behind him, Luna showed an unamused expression on her face, but Terra didn¡¯t seem to notice .

    The Fairy Princess¡¯ coboration...There was nothing more encouraging than this at the present moment . Of course, since this coborator was a member of the Tyrannical Twelve Stars, she would turn from coborator to enemy in an instant if they became hostile to Ruphas Mafahl . Even so, he was happy that she was purely concerned about them at the moment .

    ¡°Ah, hmm . Can you let go of my hands for the time being? Your cute girlfriend-san is already burning with jealousy . ¡±

    When Pollux teased him, Luna hurriedly turned away . Terra quickly tried to exin, but he was probably not ustomed to doing this . Stuttering ¡°Ah¡±, ¡°That...¡±, and ¡°It¡¯s different¡±, he just couldn¡¯t get to the point . Looking at their reactions, Polluxughed lightly .

    These two people are not viins .

    Although her master was merciless towards demons, perhaps it was possible to arrange for these two to be spared . As she thought so, she had a good feeling about this . No, if everything was going ording to her master¡¯s ns, she should currently be more gentle than she was before . Although she didn¡¯t know how much of her had returned, it was possible that some gentleness still remained .

    For the time being, she didn¡¯t have any way to save them with her current knowledge . Then...it might be a bit risky, but she had no choice but to search the memories of her true body . Even if she didn¡¯t know it, her true body might .

    However, Pollux¡¯s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a heavy pressure that assaulted her in the next moment .

    ¡°¡ª¡ª!¡±

    Something wasing inside her very being . An irresistibly strong will was forcibly dominating her . Furthermore, Pollux knew its identity . She was expecting this to happen eventually . But...But why now of all times?

    ¡°Fairy Princess-dono!?¡±

    ¡°...Ru¡ªRun...! Take the children...quickly...from Alfheimr...¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°Hurry! Before I¡¯m...dominated by the Goddess! If I¡¯m no longer myself, I won¡¯t be able to hold back next time!¡±

    ¡°¡ª¡ª! Sorry about this!¡±

    Seeing Pollux shouting desperately, Terra understood that this was not a matter they could deal with right now . Even though he hesitated for a moment, he quickly grabbed Luna¡¯s hand and jumped away . He didn¡¯t want to abandon Pollux as doing so was the most shameful misdeed possible to him .

    However, if Pollux became an enemy and she decided not to hold back, he wouldn¡¯t be able to protect Luna . After considering this, he decided to make a quick withdrawal . While watching Terra¡¯s back get further away, Pollux gave a sarcastic smile .

    ¡°To think that...she would move me, who is a cornerstone for the bnce of the world...It seems the Goddess-sama is running out of options . Although this signifies just how well Ruphas-sama¡¯s n is going...I should be pleased yet I¡¯m having mixed feelings . But this was expected...I¡¯ve read this flow of events...The timing is really terrible though . ¡±

    Polluxughed and forced her own soul into dormancy . If the Goddess wanted to use this body...Fine, she¡¯d let her have it . But as a price, this would narrow the Goddess¡¯ vision .

    Most people didn¡¯t know about this, but the Goddess didn¡¯t always see everything that was happening in the world . Instead, the opposite was true . Her vision was narrow because it was too broad .

    For example, suppose there was a model that perfectly mimicked the called Midgard . There were towns and people in the model, and they moved in sync with reality . Would one be able to observe the people¡¯s activities through it? No, it would be impossible . They would be too small, while the observer was too big .

    This was the rtionship between the Goddess and Midgard . She was usually looking at the world with a magnifying ss or microscope to observe a very narrow area . Therefore, she couldn¡¯t observe everything . She had to use terminals (avatars) to act as her hands and send dolls to act on her behalf .

    Because their existences were too different, it was difficult for her topletely grasp all the tiny people . However, it wasn¡¯t like there was no solution to this . She could log in to her avatars or dolls and observe the world through their eyes .

    Pollux was not the Goddess¡¯ avatar, but there was virtually no difference . To be precise, her true body was simply such an existence . Although Pollux was a fairy that had separated from her true body and established her own ego, she could still be forcefully used if the Goddess wanted to do so .

    Of course, if she wanted to resist, she could do so for tens of minutes, but she didn¡¯t do so . This was because even if she resisted now, the result would be the same . Besides, there were merits to not resisting .

    If the Goddess logged in to her, the Goddess¡¯ perspective would be narrowed to her own perspective . In other words, the Goddess couldn¡¯t grasp her master¡¯s actions while Pollux was being controlled . This was basically a double-edged sword for the Goddess . While she obtained Pollux¡¯s power, Ruphas would bepletely free, even if it was only temporarily .

    ¡°The rest is up to Ruphas-sama...I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be killed, but the next time I wake up, I should be prepared to have at least lost an arm...¡±

    Her body surrendered, but her memories did not . Pollux sealed her soul by her own will, preventing the Goddess from being able to read her memories . Even so, she herself was unclear which of her memories were true and which ones were lies .

    For example, she followed Ruphas¡¯ order to give Castor the Key to the Heavens . But when she thought about it now, was it really the real thing? Because...if it was really in the hands of the Demon King right now, Terra and Luna should have already...

    ¡°Ugh!? Ah, ah¡ª!¡±

    This was the limit of Pollux¡¯s thoughts . Her consciousness was painted white and she had the unpleasant feeling of losing herself .

    Ruphas-sama...elder brother-san...

    And the light disappeared from Pollux¡¯s eyes .

 Chapter 120

    Chapter 120

    ¡°Master, are you sure Leon should be left as he is?¡±

    ¡°Yes, just let him cool his head for a bit . ¡±

    After binding Leon with chains of arcane power and rendering him helpless, we left him there and departed from the former demihuman vige, which had be a scorched in .

    The effects of Photon Chain were that it rendered the target immobile for a certain period of time and improved the uracy of attacks against the target to one hundred percent . This was different from the game in that it was permanent unless the caster canceled it or the target pulled himself free . In the game, it was pretty much ineffective against boss-ss enemies . In any event, if it was Leon, he should recover after a while and pull himself free, so there was no problem .

    Currently, Tanaka and Suzuki were running alongside each other, heading to our next destination¡ªAlfheim .

    We could only leave Leon behind for now . Bringing Leon along now would cause unnecessary trouble, yet killing him would be a waste of hisbat power . There was also the option of forcefully making him submit to a master-subordinate rtionship, but this would reduce his boss status to that of a tamed monster and lower his level from 1000 to 800 .

    Naturally, his exceptional HP of 1,500,000 would be expected to drop sharply . Indeed, after Leon was captured in the game, his HP was...250,000 . In addition to being limited to Level 800 as a tamed monster, his HP was surprising as it was clearly inferior to that of a boss monster .

    It couldn¡¯t be helped for the sake of game bnce, so I couldn¡¯t do anything about it . This was one of the most ssic features of an RPG . An enemy would have HP in the tens of thousands, yet when it became an ally, its HP would be reduced to only a few thousand .

    Still, I didn¡¯t think it was a great idea, especially since we would be fighting the Goddess in the future . It would be a pity to reduce Leon¡¯sbat power . That was why I thought I should let him remain resistant and hostile to me so that he could maintain his status as a Level 1000 boss monster .

    After talking to him for a bit, I realized he was very simple-minded . If he was properly guided, I felt he could be induced to fight the Demon King .

    ¡°So what are you nning to do next?¡±

    ¡°First, we¡¯ll go to Alfheim as nned and meet up with Pollux . As for the option to go to Helheim...¡±

    The n was to head to Alfheim next and meet up with the Fairy Princess Pollux, who was the other half of Gemini and was responsible for sealing the Wood Ouroboros . This was because the other ouroboroses were sealed in Muspelheim, which was outside of the humanoids¡¯ living space . Going there would mean that we would be stepping into the realm of the demons .

    It was a ce where we would have to go eventually, but I wanted to consolidate mybat power and be properly prepared before venturing there . Even though the demons would be just small fries to us, if they attacked in the tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands, it would still be difficult to deal with .

    Based on the fact that Taurus had showed up, the entrance to Helheim was probably nearby, but it didn¡¯t make sense to go there now . Firstly, if I wanted to move Taurus who was responsible for sealing an ouroboros, I would have to prepare a substitute, but none of my current members could do it .

    There were three people who were familiar with seal-type skills, namely Aigokeros, Dina, and Sagittarius . Aigokeros might actually end up awakening it instead, so he was out of the question . I wasn¡¯t sure what Dina could do . Sagittarius just joined us, so it would be a bit weird to swap him out with Taurus so quickly . Therefore, I should recruit Pollux first and let her summon an einherjar as a substitute .

    Besides, Taurus already said, ¡°Come after everything else is done . ¡± This probably meant ¡°Don¡¯te yet . ¡± If I were to casually go there, he might conclude, ¡°You are really not Ruphas!¡± and start attacking . Furthermore...

    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna! I¡¯ll never go! Let¡¯s just leave it like that! Leave him until the final battle and let him be a character that doesn¡¯t appear until the credits roll at the very end!¡±

    ...Dina was acting rather spoiled in her refusal to go . If I insisted on going to Helheim, she might run away using X-Gate and note back, so it was reasonable to postpone the trip . Furthermore, the hero and hispanions were currently with us . If we brought them to Helheim, it would be too pitiful for them . At their levels, they would probably die in a battle with some small fry devils there .

    This was merely based on knowledge of the game, but even the weakest small fry devils in Helheim exceeded Level 200 . It was one of the most difficult dungeons for beginners . They were some perverted, self-restricting yers who charged in with only two-digit levels, but then nobody was forcing them to do so .

    The youth Sei and the others only came along because of the issue concerning the demihumans, but they were not really ourpanions . In that case, no matter what, I should send them to a nearby city first .

    Anyway, Pollux huh? In the game, she was always treated as a set with Castor, being the Fairy Siblings . Thus, I didn¡¯t really know their individualbat power .

    First of all, there was no battle data . The only data avable was that of Castor . Pollux would be levitating nearby, neither attacking nor taking damage . She had an uracy value so she could technically be hit, but even then, Castor would take the damage instead for some reason . asionally, she would cast divine magic to support Castor...so she was like an optional essory for Castor .

    Her scariest aspect was probably her summoning ability . Surprisingly, unlike other MMOs, there was no summoner ss in X-Gate Online, so it was impossible to summon phantom beasts or magical beasts out of nothing . This was probably because the administrators deemed it to be unnecessary since the monster tamer and alchemist sses already covered this role .

    However, for some reason, only Pollux could do this . Once the battle began, she would summon periodically after a certain amount of time to send reinforcements against the enemy . Well, in any game, one would find things like ¡°XX summoned a friend!¡± to happen frequently . This could probably be treated as summoning . Even so, it wouldn¡¯t summon souls of the dead, such as the einherjar .

    Of course, this ability was weakened for some reason when she became an ally . It was no longer a skill that would increase the numbers of one¡¯s allies . Instead, it became an attack skill that temporarily summoned a big man in full-body armor to make an attack . When I first saw this, it was quite disappointing . Moreover, the summoned hero vanished immediately after finishing the attack . Why was it like that, even though it remained behind when it was used by the enemy?

    Anyway, Castor¡¯s true form was currently here...The optional essory, Pollux, was acting on her own now . Was this really okay? To be honest, she seemed absurdly weak .

    ¡°Dina, is there a suitable vige or town on the way to Alfheim? I want to send the hero and hispanions there . ¡±

    ¡°In that case, Ruphas-sama, how about L?gjarn, the warrior city? It has arge poption and there are also transports like demi-dragon carriages, so they can resume their journey without any problem . ¡±

    ¡°What kind of city is it?¡±

    ¡°In the realm of L?vateinn, there are four domains, namely the Sword Domain, Shield Domain, Spear Domain, and Bow Domain . L?gjarn can be considered to be the center of the Spear Domain . One of the heroes who followed Alioth to betray Ruphas-sama became the first lord . Thereafter, the lordship was inherited by his descendants through the generations . If I recall, the lord of the Spear Domain is of the noble Speth family . ¡±

    ¡°Master, if you give the order, I can wipe it out with Brachium . What do you think?¡±

    ¡°No, thank you . Do you intend to send the hero and hispanions to a burning field?¡±

    After hearing Libra interrupt Dina¡¯s exnation, I sighed . Why did she always think in terms of annihting the other party? Although she had the highest possible AI level of 5, it made me want to cry that she was still a piece of junk .

    Anyway, it was a domain of L?vateinn huh? ...It seemed that I had unknowingly returned to where I started . It might be natural since the living space of the humanoids was small . It seemed that I had gone in a circle already .

    I departed from L?vateinn to Svalinn, then onwards to the royal tomb and Gjarhorn . I stopped at Vanaheim and Blutgang . Then, it was on to Draupnir and I dropped by Mj?lnir on the way to Tyrfing . And now, I was back in L?vateinn once more . In other words, as far as the humanoids¡¯ living space was concerned, I had roughly traveled around in a circle .

    I thought it was quite fast, but considering the area involved, it was like driving a car around Japan for a week . It would naturally be fast .

    ¡°So what kind of city is it?¡±

    ¡°Yes . First of all, it has various kinds of facilities . The equipment for warriors and knights are of particrly good quality . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean bad quality?¡±

    ¡°It must be trash, right?¡±

    Responding to Dina¡¯s words, Scorpius and Libra gave a critical evaluation . Well, it might be true at our levels, but this was the limit of the current world . I couldn¡¯t evaluate it since I had not even seen it, but wasn¡¯t it possible that there might be some unexpectedly good products?

    ¡°Furthermore, there is an annual martial meeting where warriors can show off their abilities . In ordance with the fantasy trope, it¡¯s a great ce for the protagonists to test their skills . Would you like to participate?¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t I end up killing the participants?¡±

    It had been said many times already that the overall level of this era had been greatly reduced . Even the world¡¯s strongest, the Sword Saint himself, was like that . The people who could break through Level 100 were exceedingly rare .

    Currently, we were like people from an RPG that had a Level 1000 limit entering a world with a Level 99 limit . To begin with, the arena itself was different . Even if I flicked someone¡¯s forehead as a joke without any killing intent, it would be enough to send that person¡¯s head flying . Of course, I would use Blunt-Edge Strike skill during a fight, but if I forgot to activate it, it would be a murder case . I didn¡¯t want to risk it .

    By the way, it might be a bitte to mention it now, but it seemed that the Sword Saint was a tiger .

    No, hmm . I had actually seen him in Draupnir...You know, that tiger . Whenever I saw him, he would run away in fear for some reason . I had no idea that he was the Sword Saint . I thought that he was just a timid big cat . Sorry, Sword Saint .

    Anyway...

    ¡°What is it, Sagittarius? You¡¯ve been rather quiet . ¡±

    ¡°...No . Currently, I don¡¯t have the qualifications to join in on the conversation...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it . It¡¯s already over . ¡±

    I spoke to Sagittarius, who was sitting in a corner, and then moved next to him . He didn¡¯t change into a humanoid form . Instead, he was sitting there in hisrge true form, so it was a bit cramped .

    ¡°If you can¡¯t forgive yourself no matter what, you can just contribute more during the next battle . I¡¯m looking forward to your archery skills, you know?¡±

    No, really . Although Libra could also perform as a long-distance sniper, having two snipers was never a problem . Besides, his range was even longer than Libra¡¯s and his attack would absolutely hit the target . It could also be used to teleport, so it could be really helpful depending on how it was used . Furthermore, he was someone with valuablemon sense . Even that alone made him worth it .

    ¡°Ruphas-sama...¡±

    ¡°Now, I feel a bit cramped . Could you change into your humanoid form?¡±

    In his case, changing into a humanoid form merely changed his lower body, since his upper body was already human . But it should still be better than staying as a horse . When I said so, he smiled slightly and nodded .

    ¡°Ah, Ruphas-sama, please wait...¡±

    Karkinos noticed something and rushed to stop it . I didn¡¯t understand the reason though . As I watched, the horse-like lower body of Sagittarius glowed and eventually changed into the lower body of a human . Karkinos quickly covered Virgo¡¯s eyes and turned her around .

    What¡¯s this guy...

    So I thought, but in the next moment, I understood the reason .

    This was because there was a pervert with a naked lower body standing before me .

    ¡°.........¡±

    ¡°Oh...That¡¯s why I said wait . ¡±

    The symbol of manhood was swaying at his crotch . Luckily, Dina instantly activated a Water-element arcane magic to censor it with a mosaic, so I was able to avoid a direct view . Even so, it was terrible...and huge .

    The person at the heart of the issue, Sagittarius, didn¡¯t seem to care at all . He stood in a dignified manner with no intention of hiding anything .

    ¡°Transformation..pleted . ¡±

    For some reason, Scorpius¡¯ fist sank into Sagittarius¡¯ smug-looking face .

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Are you stupid!? Why are you showing Ruphas-sama that filthy thing!? Cover it up now, or do you want me to cut it off!?¡±

    ¡°Even if you say that, I¡¯ve always been like this . ¡±

    ¡°When you are a humanoid, it¡¯s different from when you¡¯re a horse!¡±

    Although I was stunned by this development, I somewhat epted Sagittarius¡¯ exnation .

    I see...So that¡¯s how it is .

    Now that he mentioned it...his lower body was usually naked! As a centaur, he wore a robe on his upper body, but his lower body was a horse without wearing anything . As I recalled, when Aries first changed into humanoid form, he was naked as well . Dina had to dress him up right away .

    Aigokeros, Scorpius, Karkinos, and Leon must actually be decent beings . At least, they prepared their own clothes . However, Sagittarius was half-humanoid, so it might bemon sense for him to wear something on top but nothing on the bottom .

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry . I don¡¯t mind . ¡±

    ¡°I mind, you fool!¡±

    When Sagittarius replied with an indifferent tone, Scorpius¡¯ angry kick exploded on his crotch .

    ¡°!!?!?¡±

    Sagittarius grabbed his crotch and squatted down, while Scorpius looked down at him as if she was looking at something filthy .

    Hmm . What is this? Stop it . It must have hurt .

    Still, I didn¡¯t expect Sagittarius to be a lower-body-only nudist .

    I thought we finally had a serious person join us, but it turned out to be a weirdo again . What was wrong with the Twelve Stars?

    For the time being, should I transmute some underwear...?

 Chapter 121

    Chapter 121

    One day after leaving the demihuman vige, we arrived at L?gjarn, the city of war, on the way to our next destination, Alfheim.

    ¡°Oh, this is...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really like a city from an RPG.¡±

    After arriving in L?gjarn, I was a little touched now. What entered my field of vision was the most archetypal cityscape of an RPG. The roofs of the buildings on both sides of the cobblestone street were uniformly red, while the walls were either yellow or white. Flowers adorned the window sills, giving off a gorgeous atmosphere that was contrary to its stern name¡ªthe warrior city.

    It was neither surrounded by a hugeke nor stuck to the side of a mountain. It was neither shrouded in perpetual night nor a capital city that was a mobile golem itself. It certainly wasn¡¯t a collection of tents on a grasnd.

    This was the ssic fantasy cityscape. There were carriages on the main street and many people wereing and going. Their outfits were also typical of RPGs. They weren¡¯t uncles in work clothes with faces that looked alike nor angels wearing cloaks. The women wore aprons over blouses and skirts, simr to the German dirndl in design. The men wore leather pants with suspenders, many of which were simr to the German lederhosen.

    The emphasis on durability and dirt resistance would imply heavy work. In this world where the culture was less developed than on Earth, it was unsurprising that hardbor was involved in the majority of jobs instead of desk work. Furthermore, there were adventurers and mercenaries, who were obviously notmon people, walking around with swords.

    Hmm. This was good. The fantasy feel was amazing.

    ¡°Now, is it okay to send you this far?¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank you, Ruphas.¡±

    Gants answered my question cheerfully. Even though he knew my identity, he still did not change his attitude towards me. He was still a nice uncle. On the other hand, the tiger and the elf nii-san still looked at me with anxiety. They were rather pitiful.

    In the hero¡¯s party, there were three types of attitudes towards me¡ªfriendly, indifferent, and fearful. Sei, Gants, and Jean were the former, while Cruz, the tiger, and the cat were thetter. The gori was probably indifferent, neither particrly fearful nor friendly.

    ...Ah, I needed to make a correction. It wasn¡¯t just three people who were frightened of me. There were four people, including the one who joined the hero¡¯s party yesterday and just got off Suzuki.

    ¡°Golems are amazing. To think that we¡¯d reach the national border so quickly.¡±

    What came down was a suspicious person who shrouded his entire body with white loose clothes, wore a turban on his head, and even covered his face with a cloth. Of course, we knew why he was dressed in this manner. His identity was the male spiderkin who served as one of the subordinates of Leon.

    I didn¡¯t know the details, but it seemed that when Scorpius tried to kill him, the youth Sei intervened and saved his life. And so, the honorable male spiderkin offered to apany him on his journey out of gratitude. This was the result of the youth Sei¡¯s moral character.

    But even so...

    ¡°You guys don¡¯t look like a hero¡¯s party at all.¡±

    ¡°...I¡¯m aware of that.¡±

    My words caused Sei to droop his shoulders, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. There were adventurers, a mercenary, and even a tiger, a gori, a cat, a dog, and a spider. What a chaotic group. It seemed the only serious people were the youth Sei and Cruz.

    ¡°What will Ruphas-san and the others do now?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll take a short tour in this city, then head over to Alfheim.¡±

    Originally, I intended to go directly to Alfheim, but there had been some changes. We¡¯d take a stroll through this city for a little while. This was the most RPG-like city since I came to this world. It would be a pity to just leave without doing anything. There was no urgent matter right now anyway, so it wasn¡¯t a bad idea to spend some time socializing with friends. Besides, it might help Sagittarius to take his mind off things.

    ¡°Libra, find the best inn in this city.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    There was a lot of money left. I had made a lot of money from selling the orc meat that I acquired at the start through Dina as well as the swords and spears that I made casually. (Despite this, they still met the professional standards in the current era.) Furthermore, since we were traveling on Tanaka, there was no transportation cost. And so we only ended up umting funds.

    ¡°By the way, Sei. I have something for you.¡±

    I said and snapped my fingers. Then, as if he was waiting for the cue, Aigokeros stood beside me and handed me a package. Well, it wasn¡¯t actually anything important. It was just something I made casually during the journey, but it should still be of a better quality than what was generally avable.

    A katana was revealed after the package was unwrapped. The katana used by the youth Sei had been broken by Scorpius, so this was a kind ofpensation.

    The materials used were Mizar Steel and the mana crystals that Aries picked up from somewhere. This gave the weapon a decent attack power along with a magic support function which was better than having nothing. In addition, I added a bit of my mana into the crystals, so low-tier Sun-attribute arcane magic could be activated without any cost. Well, even if I said this, it was just a poorly made sword, but it was just the right match for low-level individuals.

    ¡°This is a recement for the katana that was broken by Scorpius. Think of it as a farewell gift.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Is¡ªIs that okay? As long as we have money, we can just buy weapons here...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It was my subordinate who broke it, so it¡¯s my responsibility.¡±

    I handed the katana over to the youth Sei and then I realized that I didn¡¯t name the sword. Even though it was fine for it to be nameless, it would still be better for it to have a name...

    ¡°Its name...Since it¡¯s a katana, a Japanese name will be more appropriate. Okay, let¡¯s call this katana Kouen.¡±

    Kouen¡ªa phenomenon in which the Sun¡¯s gases were blown upwards, also called a sr prominence. The name was somewhat pretentious, but a little exaggeration for a weapon name seemed fitting. Furthermore, it was the weapon of the hero, so a slightly fanciful name would be better.

    Looking at the youth Sei who received the katana with trepidation, Gantsughed and said, ¡°You struck gold.¡±

    ¡°Congrattions. I wonder how many millions a weapon made by Ruphas Mafahl is worth.¡±

    ¡°Heh, it¡¯s probablyparable to my Lucifer de Ecthelion ¦¸.¡±

    Lucifer de Ecthelion ¦¸...? Wai¡ªWasn¡¯t that the super-weak weapon I made while I was messing around?

    Its equipment effect merely added +150 to the attack power without any add-on effects. It was left behind in the royal tomb and now Jean was using it as if it was a really powerful sword...Sorry, Jean, but it was actually super weak.

    ¡°Wel¡ªWell then, we should get going.¡±

    I somehow felt it was bing unbearable and quickly left the spot.

    How should I exin this...? It was like watching an adult acting inappropriately for his age while buying a sword-shaped key holder at a souvenir shop. Moreover, the key holder was made by me. While listening to the footsteps of myrades who followed behind, I was thinking of making something for Jean next time.

    ?

    Watching the backs of Ruphas and her followers moving away, Sei sighed lightly. The purpose of meeting with Ruphas was to determine the paths and choices avable to him and understand her personality and objectives. Although it becameplicated due to the issue with the demihumans, he somehow managed toplete it without any problem. All he had to do now was to activate and release the golem he received from Megrez. However, he still did not have an answer.

    He had already concluded that Ruphas was not a viin. She wasn¡¯t a dangerous person like the world portrayed her to be. So at one point, he almost concluded that they should make an alliance. However, her subordinates were different. Scorpius and Aigokeros were fine if Ruphas was keeping them under control, but if she wasn¡¯t, they could potentially bare their fangs at the humanoids.

    Yes, Ruphas herself wasn¡¯t the only thing that the people feared in the past. The Tyrannical Twelve Stars, who could be devilish beings at her whims, were also feared. That was why he pondered and became confused.

    Is this really correct? Is the path I¡¯m choosing right now really the correct one? If...If it turned out to be the wrong choice...

    ¡ªIn that moment, he recalled Ruphas using Sr re in his mind.

    He then imagined a scene where she used that power against the humanoids, a scene where she destroyed Midgard. Overwhelming power was enough to incite fear on its own.

    ¡°Sei, what¡¯s wrong? You look pale.¡±

    ¡°Ah, ah. No, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    He could empathize with the people in the past. That was certainly scary, way too scary.

    When he first came to this world and heard about the Demon King and Ruphas, he only thought of it all as a typical fantasy development. He imagined they were as powerful as the typical demon king of RPGs. But it was different. They weren¡¯t even in the same dimension.

    If she wanted to, she could destroy this world at any time. There was too much power concentrated in one individual. Furthermore, shemanded the organization called the Tyrannical Twelve Stars.

    As a result, if one chose the wrong way to deal with Ruphas...in the worst-case scenario, one could be responsible for the destruction of the world. This fact was more frightening than anything else.

    ¡°An¡ªAnyway, why don¡¯t we find an inn? A lot of things have happened. I think it¡¯s better to take it slow today.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Everyone is pretty tired. Let¡¯s take a break here.¡±

    As Sei talked to Cruz about amodations, he had a diforting feeling. Their journey was made possible by the support of a ranger team from behind the scenes. For example, food procurement and information gathering of cities were performed by them. This included making arrangements for amodations. When they arrived at a city, one of the rangers would normallye and inform them about the amodations. However, nobody came today.

    ¡°...Um, Cruz-san. Could it be that...the entire ranger team was left behind in Draupnir...?¡±

    ¡°.........¡±

    When Sei mentioned it, Cruz seemed to notice it as well. His face turned pale as he checked to see if there were any rangers nearby, but of course, there weren¡¯t any. This was because Sei and the others were traveling on Suzuki after they met Ruphas. It was moving at more than sixty kilometers per hour. It wasn¡¯t a speed at which humans could run and catch up.

    No, the people of this world might be able to catch up if they were of exceptional levels, but it was impossible for the ranger team. Disregarding any momentary burst of speed, they couldn¡¯t move at the same speed as Suzuki over such a long distance all the way from Draupnir. They were certainly remarkable, but they weren¡¯t exceptional.

    ¡°An¡ªAnyway, let¡¯s find an inn for the time being. They may unexpectedly catch up if we wait for a bit.¡±

    Cruz looked into the distance and decided to prioritize amodations. He wasn¡¯t trying to escape from reality. Neither was he looking away out of guilt for messing up.

    They passed through a lively street and headed towards an inn that caught their eyes. Its exterior wasn¡¯t bad. In addition, it was facing the main street and had a sense of cleanliness. Naturally, the price would be higher than normal, but this was the hero¡¯s party backed by a king, so they had sufficient money. Moreover, the acquisition of the elixir in Draupnir resulted in them having an excess of money.

    It was not a good idea to stay at a cheap inn and have one¡¯s luggage stolen by thugs. The price of an inn was not just about the quality of its facilities. Cheap inns should be avoided if only to buy one¡¯s safety.

    Naturally, cheap inns would attract people who could only pay so much for such facilities, thus such people would often steal other customers¡¯ luggage. In the worst case scenario, even the innkeeper might aim for the customers¡¯ luggage.

    Sei paid at the counter to receive the key and headed for the designated room.

    I¡¯m really tired today. Let¡¯s take a long break.

    So he thought, but when he used the key to unlock the room, the door of the next room opened.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    And he met Ruphas who just came out of the other room.

 Chapter 122

    Chapter 122

    <h4>122: A Wild Thug Appeared!</h4>

    Author: Fire Head (Ñ×î^)

    Trantor: Hand of Va

    Editors: Two More Free Thoughts (TpstT), Keii

    Raw Chapter: µÚ£±£²£²Ô’ Ò°Éú¤Î¥Á¥ó¥Ô¥é¤¬¬F¤ì¤¿

    Why is this happening?

    Depressed, Sei sighed as he walked down the main street.

    I don¡¯t know what kind of coincidence is it to stay at an inn and just happen to have an overlord as a neighbor. Is this a joke?

    Moreover, she is currently ying Seven Bridge using ying cards with Gants and Jean. I¡¯m not merely ying the straight man here. Why are there ying cards in this other world? Why is it Seven Bridge? How does she even know the rules?

    Well, the possibility of having ying cards in this world wasn¡¯t zero. The world of Midgard was distorted as if it was the remnant of a story involving a fantastical or fictional Earth.

    However, when I checked with Cruz, he confirmed that there was no such thing as ying cards in this world. At least, the game didn¡¯t exist back when Cruz was born. In that case, there was only one possibility. It was evident that Ruphas knew about Earth.

    Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t a vague understanding that such a world existed. If she knew of the games and vehicles on Earth so well, it would imply that she had actually seen them before. But she had been born and raised in Midgard and should have been sealed away for thest two hundred years.

    Could it be that she was on Earth when she was sealed away? ...Ridiculous. That¡¯s impossible.

    ¡°No way...The more I think about it, the more I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    After scratching his head, Sei ceased thinking about it for now. Then, he saw the building he wanted to go to and headed over there. He walked out of the inn alone to have a change of pace and to familiarize himself with his new katana.

    He had heard from Cruz that there was a training center in this city. For a fee, it provided a ce to train as well as simted battles against golems made by alchemists. It was a facility that was appreciated by those who frequently found themselves in battle.

    Indeed, in a world where battles were a daily urence, there would definitely be a demand for such facilities. After all, there were adventurers who had nobat experience at all as well as amateurs who had no other options but to fight. For these people, such a facility was essential.

    Furthermore, there were many instruction manuals that were forbidden from being taken out of the facility. People could train themselves using these manuals to learn how to use various weapons. For Sei, this was a very fortunate situation. After all, his weapon was a katana and not a regr sword. In other words, nobody in his party knew how to use it properly and so they couldn¡¯t teach him.

    As a mercenary, Gants could use many different weapons, but the weapons he was most proficient with were axes, followed by great swords, and then blunt weapons. In other words, he was good with weapons that utilized brute force. Regarding katanas, he said, ¡°It¡¯s a bit too delicate for me.¡±

    The female knight was more proficient with the great sword. For Jean, it was the long sword, while for the tiger, it was the great sword as well. Kaineko used a rapier, so it was the most simr to Sei¡¯s weapon, but a rapier and a katana were stillpletely different.

    That was why nobody could teach Sei how to use a katana. Since he had not yet learned proper swordsmanship, he could onlye here. He wanted to take the opportunity to actively learn what he could.

    ¡°......?¡±

    The training center was already nearby, but Sei stopped his feet. He heard the sounds of an argument from within an alley. Although L?gjarn was a reasonably safe city, Cruz still advised him not to enter the back alleys. ces away from the main streets were hangouts for vagrants. One would never know what kinds of dangerous people lurked there.

    Therefore, if it were the usual sounds of an argument, Sei would have ignored it and headed towards the training center. If it was just thugs arguing with each other, it would be their own fault if they got hurt.

    However, one of the voices was clearly that of a girl and she sounded frightened...After hearing this, he couldn¡¯t just pretend that he had heard nothing.

    ?

    ¡°Heheh, you can¡¯t escape now.¡±

    ¡°Now then,e with us quietly.¡±

    The words spoken in the back alley could be recognized as ssic low-ss dialogue no matter which world one might be in. Like what one could see anywhere, the men were dressed in a manner that clearly said, ¡°I¡¯m a thug!¡±

    They had unpleasant grinning faces as well as foul dirty clothes. With knives in their hands, these five men were harassing a girl. If one were to ssify them, they would probably belong to the primate order, hominidae family, and thug genus.

    Such existences were not umon. One could find simr creatures in the back alleys of anyrge city. Strangely, their lines and actions were always the same. Because of their poor vocabry, some people had proposed, ¡°Actually, they are magical beasts, right?¡±

    In the words of Ruphas, they were simply monsters using humanoid graphics.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be afraid. Uncles like us are very kind.¡±

    ¡°Yes, very gentlemanly too.¡±

    ¡°A pervert named Gentleman, that is.¡±

    The men surrounded the girl to block her escape routes, brandishing their knives in a manner that was contrary to their words.

    Where exactly would such behavior be considered gentlemanly?

    Compared to them, even the orcs would be considered gentlemen. The girl, who was being harrassed, looked nervous, but she still held on to her well-used staff.

    The enemies consisted of five people, but each individual¡¯s ability wasn¡¯t that high. It was a considerable disadvantage for her to be cornered at such a close distance, but the girl judged that her level was still higher than theirs.

    In fact, the level difference was huge. The thugs were at most around Level 10, while the girl already exceeded Level 50. This difference ensured that she would not lose...unless the girl was a mage who was bad at meleebat.

    Actually, it was still possible to use a sword to deal with the situation. Although she was a mage, she had learned swordsmanship from her mercenary father. Of course, she was far from being a professional swordsman, but it was not impossible to defeat these thugs in meleebat.

    However, the only weapon she had now was a handy, defensive staff. If she were to go out of the city, she would be fully equipped, but currently, she only had such unreliable weapons.

    First, target one person...with Fireball to set him on fire...Then, increase the distance while they¡¯re confused...

    If she could increase the distance, there would be no way she could lose. She hadn¡¯t stepped into many battlefields. Instead, she had spent most of her time reading and learning arcane magic in Svalinn. In addition, there had been a recent incident where her self-confidence waspletely crushed. Even so, she told herself that she wasn¡¯t so weak as to lose to these guys.

    However, when she was about to use magic, the staff suddenly vanished.

    ¡°!¡±

    ¡°Oops, that¡¯s dangerous. You mustn¡¯t use such a dangerous thing.¡±

    The staff was in the hands of the man behind the thugs.

    What did he do? Super speed? Teleportation? I don¡¯t understand. I don¡¯t understand what just happened.

    The person who took the staff was a handsome man in high-quality clothes. He was clearly different from the thugs. He had blue eyes with wavy brown hair. It was evident from his graceful, well-featured face that he was an aristocrat. However, he couldn¡¯t hide the vulgar desire in his eyes. This caused the girl considerable difort.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me take action. Do you know how sinful it is formoners like you to waste my precious time and energy? Tools should behave like tools and work as I desire.¡±

    ¡°How selfish...¡±

    The girl was enraged by his selfishness, but the elegant man didn¡¯t seem to care. He was rxed in a way that suggested he was confident that he would never lose. His smile was full of scorn. However, his expression became vexed upon hearing the voice of a third party.

    ¡°Hey, you people! What are you doing!?¡±

    Everyone turned their attention to Sei, who came after hearing themotion. However, when they saw his figure, the five thugsughed at him as if he was a fool.

    What? It¡¯s just a self-righteous brat.

    They thought so as they let their guard down. They set their prey aside and turned their knives towards Sei as they approached him carelessly.

    ¡°What¡¯s up, bro? Are you an ally of justice?¡±

    ¡°Heh¡ªyou¡¯re so cool.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. We¡¯re gentlemen, not viins.¡±

    ¡°A pervert named Gentleman, that is.¡±

    Seeing Sei¡¯s unreliable figure, the thugspletely underestimated him. However, Sei confronted them directly without any hint of fear.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what the situation is, but don¡¯t you think you¡¯re immature for surrounding a girl like this?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s with this guy? Isn¡¯t he getting ahead of himself?¡±

    ¡°This is bothersome. Let¡¯s just finish him off.¡±

    One of the thugs reached out for Sei, but thetter calmly evaded it, caught the thug¡¯s arm, and threw him over.

    ¡°You bastard!¡±

    ¡°You jerk, how dare you do that to P!?¡±

    They weren¡¯t expecting the youth to fight back. Now, the four remaining thugs attacked him simultaneously. But for the current Sei, they were too slow. After oveing the battle at the demihuman vige, he wouldn¡¯t be frightened of something like this.

    Without changing his expression, Sei struck them down one after another with either a knife-hand strike or an elbow strike. All five of the thugs copsed on the ground in an instant. And then, the elegant man, who was hanging back, apuded deliberately.

    ¡°Heh, you¡¯re pretty good. I guess you can¡¯t judge a book by its cover.¡±

    The elegant man said this as if he found it interesting, while stomping on the face of a thug.

    ¡°Compared to him...You guys are useless. In the end, a piece of crap is just crap.¡±

    Stomp. Stomp. Trample.

    ¡°To make me...take action...personally!¡±

    He stomped on the thug¡¯s face again and again, not caring if thetter¡¯s teeth were broken or his face was bleeding.

    ¡°You¡¯re really...a useless tool!¡±

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯re you doing!? Aren¡¯t they yourrades!?¡±

    ¡°Comrades? Stop joking. They¡¯re just tools. Don¡¯t you throw away tools that can¡¯t be used? This is the same.¡±

    The elegant man stepped on the thug¡¯s body and wiped the blood off his shoes with the thug¡¯s clothes. Then, he turned to Sei and smiled scornfully.

    ¡°Now then, it¡¯s ridiculous that I have to take action personally against amoner like you. But it can¡¯t be helped since my tools are so useless. Let me show you what pain is like.¡±

    ¡°......!¡±

    It seemed the elegant man was bing riled up. Sei quickly readied his stance, but he lost sight of the elegant man in the next moment. And then, there was an impact on his abdomen and he staggered.

    It hurts!? I was attacked? When did that happen!?

    He was taking damage even though he didn¡¯t look like he was being attacked. He was confused by this seemingly impossible event, but only momentarily. He had gained some courage after experiencing actual battles.

    Losing track of his thoughts during a battle was synonymous with death. Therefore, Sei cleared away the confusion and doubt in his mind and immediately looked for the elegant man. There was nobody in sight, but there was another shadow next to his own shadow at his feet.

    ¡°From behind!¡±

    Sei turned around and kicked. This surprised the elegant man. Despite hurriedly jumping back to dodge, he still couldn¡¯t evade itpletely and the kick scraped the tip of his nose. Although he had wanted tond gracefully, his expression changed after seeing red spots on the ground. The kick had caused his nose to bleed.

    ¡°......! Damnedmoner, you dare do this to my face!¡±

    The elegant man roughly wiped away the blood from his nose and then vanished again. Immediately after, Sei received an impact to his face. And then his shoulder, abdomen, and jaw started to ache.

    There was no mistake. He was under attack!

    He was being beaten even though he wasn¡¯t! He was being kicked even though he wasn¡¯t!

    Is this the telekinesis ability of the esper ss? Or is he simply that fast?

    He didn¡¯t know which was it. Perhaps, it was somethingpletely different. Fortunately, his level and attack power were not too different from Sei¡¯s.

    Sei endured the pain and stopped moving to avoid falling over. He swung his fist at the elegant man who appeared at the edge of his vision, but he disappeared again and evaded the blow.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can get another lucky hit. You can never beat me because I have the power of an invincible hero!¡±

    The elegant manughed and folded his arms across his chest.

    Is he giving himself a handicap?

    Sei thought and quickly put his hand on the katana at his waist.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Debris-sama.¡±

    The tense atmosphere was broken by a man¡¯s voice resonating from the darkness. A tall man in his thirties with a mustache appeared. After seeing him, Sei became more nervous than ever. He could tell that that man was strong, probably stronger than Jean, or evenparable to Gants.

    ¡°This person is the hero recognized by the royal family of L?vateinn. There¡¯s no benefit in fighting here.¡±

    ¡°Hero? Heh, that¡¯s him? As I thought, the royal family is useless. They¡¯re blind in regards to evaluating people.¡±

    ¡°...Be careful with your words. If someone rted to the royal family hears of this, you could be charged with treason.¡±

    ¡°.........¡±

    The elegant man, Debris, frowned sullenly and then struck him without saying a single word as if he was throwing a tantrum. The other man seemed to have expected this as he neither move nor say anything, even though he stumbled for a moment.

    Debris red at Sei and warned him in a low voice.

    ¡°I¡¯ll remember your face. The price of being an ally of justice will be high.¡±

    After saying this, both men left without looking back. After watching them leave, Sei sighed and released his tension. Then, he tried speaking to the girl who had been harassed...and he suddenly realized that her face looked familiar.

    ¡°Eh? You¡¯re...Alfie?¡±

    She was the female mage who was once a member of the party aiming to defeat the Demon King and the Overlord. But after seeing the battle between those monsters, she became disheartened and left before they started their journey.

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Debris-kun, the self-proimed hero (LOL), is not even as strong as Sei. Weak (I believe).

    <strong>Specs of the Hero¡¯s Party</strong>

    There¡¯s nothing worth nothing this time. I¡¯d like to release the specs of the hero and hispanions who had been treated like normal people by Ruphas. They¡¯re not weak by any means...really, they¡¯re not weak.

    <strong>Minami-Jyuji Sei</strong>

    Arm Strength: could barely lift 55 kg with a bench press ¡ú can now lift 550 kg

    Leg Strength: could run 100m in 14 seconds ¡ú now, 7 seconds

    Grip Strength: 42 kg ¡ú 210 kg

    Sword Attack Power: can cut an iron te with a thickness of 3 cm

    Punch Power: 50 kg ¡ú 400 kg

    Jumping Power: vertical jump of 63 cm ¡ú 3m

    General Comments: He¡¯s actually very strong now, having far surpassed the limits of an Earthling.

    <strong>Jean</strong>

    Arm Strength: can lift 620 kg

    Leg Strength: can run 100m in 8 seconds

    Grip Strength: 250 kg

    Sword Attack Power: can cut an iron te with a thickness of 3.5 cm

    Punch Power: 430 kg

    Jumping Power: 2.4m

    General Comments: He has sufficientbat power as an adventurer and could be scouted by a country for his strength.

    <strong>Gants</strong>

    Arm Strength: can lift 700 kg

    Leg Strength: can run 100m in 11 seconds

    Grip Strength: 350 kg

    Sword Attack Power: can cut an iron te with a thickness of 5 cm

    Punch Power: 650 kg

    Jumping Power: 1.2m

    General Comments: He¡¯s the strongest mercenary so far. It¡¯s no exaggeration to call him a super-human.

    <strong>Female Knight</strong>

    Arm Strength: same as a gori

    Leg Strength: same as a gori

    Grip Strength: same as a gori

    Sword Attack Power: same as a gori

    Punch Power: same as a gori

    Jumping Power: same as a gori

    General Comments: Gori, gori, gori.

    <strong>Friedrich</strong>

    Arm Strength: can lift 900 kg

    Leg Strength: 65 km/h

    Grip Strength: 400 kg

    Sword Attack Power: can cut an iron te with a thickness of 3m

    Punch Power: 850 kg

    Jumping Power: 5m

    General Comments: Strong (I believe).

    <strong>Cruz</strong>

    Arm Strength: can lift 25 kg

    Leg Strength: can run 100m in 20 seconds

    Grip Strength: about 20 kg

    Sword Attack Power: doesn¡¯t have a sword in the first ce

    Punch Power: hmm, about 10 kg?

    Jumping Power: vertical jump of about 30 cm or so?

    General Comments: Weak (I believe).

    £¨£»©b§¥©b£©£¼ I¡¯m a rearguard, okay!?

    <strong>Kaineko</strong>

    Arm Strength: can¡¯t lift with cat paws

    Leg Strength: 45 km/h

    Grip Strength: can¡¯t grip with cat paws

    Sword Attack Power: swings like a cat

    Punch Power: can kill cat lovers with his cuteness

    Jumping Power: about 10m

    General Comments: Cat.

    <strong>[Bonus] Mars</strong>

    Arm Strength: barely but can lift 1 tonne (1,000 kg)

    Leg Strength: Mach 3 (3,705 km/h)

    Grip Strength: 600 kg

    Sword Attack Power: can leave a crack on the ground up to 50m away

    Punch Power: 1.2 tonne (1,200 kg)

    Jumping Power: 120m

    General Comments: His opponent matchup was just terrible.

    Eh? Ruphas? ...It¡¯s going to be outrageous if serious calctions were made. I dare not try to calcte it.

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    One of the editors was busy, so this chapter was dyed for a few hours. Sorry about that.

 Chapter 123

    Chapter 123

    The atmosphere was simply awkward.

    Alfie was a girl who was once chosen by the king to be one of the hero¡¯spanions, but she left because she became frightened. In other words, from Sei¡¯s perspective, she could be considered a deserter.

    Of course, Sei didn¡¯t think of her that way. Anyone who had seen that battle would understand that it was inevitable. However, he still couldn¡¯t casually say, ¡°Hey, long time no see.¡±

    Alfie was the same. After all, she couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty towards Sei. She was ashamed of fleeing after saying that she would fight together with him. But it was just too scary. When she thought about fighting such monsters, she wouldn¡¯t stop trembling.

    But it was only natural. That was a cmity after all. It was like being told to challenge an avnche when an avnche was actually happening, or fight a tsunami when a tsunami was rising, or defeat a meteor when a meteor was falling.

    ¡ªIt was simply impossible. It waspletely beyond the limits of what a living creature could do. But Ruphas and the Demon King could do that. They could blow away an avnche with one punch, split a tsunami, or shatter a meteor. They were that kind of monsters.

    And so Alfie fled. She didn¡¯t want to die in a battle that she couldn¡¯t possibly win. She thought she could fight with her life on the line. She thought she could devote her life to the future of the world. However, when confronted with such a small chance of victory, she was reminded of the meaning of weakness. She realized painfully that her will wasn¡¯t strong enough to let her face a battle with zero chance of victory.

    Her reason told her not to challenge the Overlord and the Demon King and that running away was the right thing to do. Her head told her that since they were like cmities, one should only think of reducing the amount of damage and casualties.

    However, the youth, who was weak at that time, was still continuing the journey and she had seen his growth with her own eyes. Although he was still immature, he had grown to the point where he couldn¡¯t bepared to what he was before.

    And what about her? She ran away and had to be rescued...She felt that she was such a shameless person...How miserable.

    ¡°...Um, that...¡±

    ¡°.........¡±

    Sei thought that the conversation would not progress otherwise, so he spoke up. Alfie shuddered and looked at Sei. There was fear in her eyes. She was afraid of being med for running away. She was scared of being branded as a coward.

    ¡°It¡ªIt¡¯s been a while...You¡¯re doing well...right? Anyway, this...yeah. I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here.¡±

    ¡°E¡ªEh, that¡¯s right. I didn¡¯t think we would meet again.¡±

    Sei carefully chose words that wouldn¡¯t hurt her. Alfie was relieved and replied stiffly.

    ¡°An¡ªAnyway, let¡¯s leave here for the time being. This ce isn¡¯t safe.¡±

    ¡°Tha¡ªThat¡¯s right.¡±

    Although both of them were stuttering, they understood what they had to do now. First, they needed to leave this alley. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t know if more thugs might show up. The creatures known as thugs would infinitely spawn in an unsafe ce.

    Sei and Alfie rushed into the main street and entered a nearby restaurant where they could take their time to have a conversation. It was a stylish shop with a crab-shaped signboard which read, ¡°King Crab Number Four Shop.¡±

    ¡°Wee to King Crab L?gjarn Branch.¡±

    A restaurant staff in a red vest greeted them and guided them to a table by the window. Anyway, why was it that the staff was wearing the same clothes as Karkinos from Ruphas¡¯ party?

    The two of them ordered some food and settled down to resume their conversation.

    ¡°Uh...Can I ask you? Why were those guys after you?¡±

    ¡°Well...Yes, it¡¯d be better to tell you. If you know about it, it¡¯d be easier to avoid getting involved.¡±

    No matter how one looked at him, the man who was after Alfie was definitely not normal. He probably belonged to the wealthy ss of aristocrats. He was a pretty arrogant guy.

    This was not unusual. After all, on Earth, medieval Europe was also dominated by nobles. History had shown that there had been quite a few oppressive nobles. In Japan, there had been incidents where people were cut down just for bumping into a samurai. The question was why was Alfie being chased by such an individual.

    ¡°Well, I saw something that I wasn¡¯t supposed to see. In other words, they¡¯re trying to silence me.¡±

    ¡°Something you shouldn¡¯t have seen?¡±

    ¡°Have you heard of the annual martial arts tournament in this city?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I heard about it from Cruz-san.¡±

    While they were talking, the restaurant staff came over and served Alfie the ck tea she ordered. Fruit juice was ced in front of Sei and the staff left quickly.

    ¡°The winner of this year¡¯s martial arts tournament will be honored as the hero of the Domain of the Spear.¡±

    ¡°Hero?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a political scheme. If the hero that they produced is the one to defeat the Overlord and the Demon King, the local nobles would have greater influence and persuasive power over the royal family...even though it¡¯s impossible to win.¡±

    While listening to Alfie, Sei imagined an armor-dded hero bravely challenging Ruphas and the Demon King. In his mind, Ruphas smiled wickedly, while the Twelve Heavenly Stars awaited her orders as they stood behind her in their true forms as giant monsters.

    ...No, it¡¯s impossible. He¡¯d be killed in an instant.

    Sei thought as he drank his fruit juice.

    ¡°Herein lies the problem. The lord...The Speth family seems to want the family¡¯s young master to be the hero.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s him?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Debris Speth, the eldest son of the Speth family.¡±

    Alfie drank her tea and frowned grumpily.

    ¡°That guy is the worst. He¡¯s even poisoning the food and drink of his opponents in order to win.¡±

    ¡°Poison!?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s not enough to kill. It¡¯s a light poison that induces drowsiness and stomach ache. Well, if you drink it, you won¡¯t be able to participate in the tournament.¡±

    Poison. When he heard it, the first thing he thought of was Scorpius, one of Ruphas¡¯ subordinates. She didn¡¯t give him a good impression.

    ¡°The worst thing is...if that guy gets interested in a woman, he would pretend to be hurt in order to lure her over to heal him and then he would kidnap her. My friend got involved and was kidnapped.¡±

    ¡°I see. So you witnessed the event and they came after you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I wanted to help her right away, but I was alone. Furthermore, that guy has an unknown ability, so the situation is quite bad.¡±

    An unknown ability...That must be it. The unidentified skill was also used on Sei. He had moved instantaneously, attacked Sei without thetter noticing, and seized Alfie¡¯s staff. Unless the truth about that skill was known, Sei didn¡¯t think that he could win.

    Aflie was about to say something, but she held back.

    Please help me.

    That was what she really wanted to say. However, she had abandoned Sei and ran away from the journey, so she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say it. Even so, she still wanted to help her friend. Although it was shameful to do so, she thought she should ask for help. But she knew that it was unreasonable, so she couldn¡¯t say it.

    But, for me to be talking like this, am I not expecting to receive help somewhere in my heart? He might help me if I talk to him¡ªain¡¯t I just being shallow and calcting? How...shameless.

    Alfie despised herself and bit her lips.

    ¡°It¡¯s a littleforting to talk to you. Thank you.¡±

    Alfie decided to leave before she could make any unreasonable request. After all, she abandoned them and ran away in fear. What happened in the past was a fact that would never change. Even so, she wanted them to help her when she was in danger. How could she possibly make such a convenient request?

    I can¡¯t say it. I won¡¯t say it. Therefore, it¡¯s enough. There¡¯s no need to involve him any further. Furthermore, they have a mission. There¡¯s no need for them to be involved in a conflict between fellow humans.

    ¡°I¡¯ll settle the bill. Take your time to enjoy the food.¡±

    ¡°The food hasn¡¯t evene yet though.¡±

    ¡°.........¡±

    Alfie looked around. It seemed that she had ordered an apple pie out of habit.

    ¡°It¡¯s a thank you gift for your help. You can eat it.¡±

    ¡°Please spare me from being treated by a girl. Why are you in such a hurry to leave?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±

    Sei looked straight at Alfie and said forcefully.

    ¡°I can¡¯t simply ignore it after hearing so much. I¡¯ll help.¡±

    These were words that she hoped and also dreaded to hear. She wanted someone to help her, but the more straightforward he was about it, the more cowardly and filthy she felt. The time she spent with him was short, so she didn¡¯t really know him well. But even so, when he was summoned from another world, she already understood a bit about him.

    Fundamentally, he was a good person.

    ¡°Then, first, myrades...¡±

    ¡°Wa¡ªWait!¡±

    It was right for Sei to gather manpower. After all, the opponent was a noble, so naturally he would have a lot of backing. It was too reckless to challenge him with just the two of them. However, for Alfie, Sei¡¯srades were people that she had abandoned. If all of them came here, it would be like sitting on a needle mat for her. It would not be afortable ce to be.

    Fortunately, Sei wasn¡¯t insensitive to such an extent. He understood Alfie¡¯s worries.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We had new faces joining us since then. This would make it a bit easier, right?¡±

    ¡°...In¡ªIn that case, well...¡±

    ¡°Now then, please wait a bit. I¡¯ll call them over now...¡±

    Sei said that and stood up. He didn¡¯t forget to pay for the food either. He didn¡¯t know how it was in this world, but back in Japan where he grew up, it was a shame for a man to let the woman pay.

    ¡ªAnd then, ten minutester.

    In front of Alfie, there were several members who weren¡¯t in the party during her time.

    ¡°Sei, you¡¯re too kind. Well, I don¡¯t like that bastard noble, so I¡¯ll help.¡±

    The first was the adventurer, Jean. He wasn¡¯t a member when the party first departed. He was a talented man who was brought inter by the king. Therefore, he wasn¡¯t familiar with Alfie. Meanwhile, Alfie was wondering why Sei would bring a thug along. Well, it wasn¡¯t really a problem.

    ¡°Abusing his authority to do evil. Inexcusable! Let my sword deliver his judgment!¡±

    The next person was the cat beastkin, Kaineko. Looking at his small body stretching to strike an imposing pose, Alfie desperately resisted the urge to stroke him.

    This is super cute. I want to stroke him.

    Cats were dangerous creatures that could charm their opponents just by being there.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about human cities, but if you seek my assistance, I¡¯ll respond with righteousness. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll win no matter how many weak human soldiers there are.¡±

    The third person was obviously bad news. Hiding his entire body under a hooded cloak, he was suspicious no matter how one looked at him. In addition, one could asionally see the legs of a bug from under the cloak. Based on his words, it was apparent that he wasn¡¯t a human. Alfie was starting to worry about what exactly Sei brought along.

    ¡°We¡¯ve heard the story. Let¡¯s do our best!¡±

    The fourth person was a white-winged fl¨¹gel girl. She looked adorable, but her wings were so white that Alfie was somewhat concerned. Alfie was certain that pure white wings were proof royalty, so was it really okay to involve her? She hoped that this was just a white-winged girl who was unrted to royalty.

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    A dog was wagging its tail next to Sei¡¯s legs.

    Uh, is this really considered abat power?

    However, in the current situation, it was considered barely eptable. Honestly, this didn¡¯t seem like a hero¡¯s party, but she thought that they still must have met the requirements somehow.

    Sure enough, these were all people who weren¡¯t there back then. It was her first time meeting these people, so she didn¡¯t feel ufortable...except for one person.

    ¡°Hey, Alfie! Dad is here to help!¡±

    ¡°.........¡±

    Thest person was...Gants. He was a muscr elite mercenary with a skinhead. Of course, Alfie knew of his fame and strength. She knew she could count on him.

    That¡¯s right. He¡¯s my father after all.

    Alfie shuddered and stared at Sei.

    Why did this guy bring my dad over!?

 Chapter 124

    Chapter 124

    <h4>124: Debris Was Entangled By A Death g</h4>

    Author: Fire Head (Ñ×î^)

    Trantor: Hand of Va

    Editors: Two More Free Thoughts (TpstT), Keii

    On that day, a lot of enthusiastic people were gathered at the martial arts tournament. A round ring was at the center of the location.

    Two participants were crossing swords and causing sparks to fly in the ring. However, the battle was one-sided as a brown-haired handsome man was overwhelming a warrior in heavy armor. Eventually, the warrior fell to his knees and groaned grudgingly.

    ¡°Damn it...You coward...¡±

    ¡°Hmm, what are you talking about? I really wish you didn¡¯t me me for yourck of skills.¡±

    ¡°How shameless...! You...poisoned me!¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know anything about that. Maybe a subordinate who was concerned about me did it, but that has nothing to do with me, right?¡±

    Their conversation was drowned out by the crowd, so nobody heard it. It merely looked like the loser was ranting.

    ¡°Well, even if it¡¯s exactly as you said, you are just a lowlymoner, while I¡¯m an outstanding noble. Between us, who is more suitable to bear the title of a hero? Even a child could understand that. The spectators don¡¯t want your victory. They havee to see me defeat you elegantly and make you crouch before me!¡±

    ¡°You...!¡±

    The warrior swung his fist, but failed to hit him. After drinking the water in the waiting room, he couldn¡¯t exert even half of his full power. Debrisughed at him and swung his sword. The warrior shouted in pain as his forearm fell off.

    However, nobody med him. Since this was a serious match with real weapons, it wasn¡¯t against the rules to kill the opponent, although a victory without killing was preferred. Death and injury were considered an ident during the tournament.

    ¡°Argh...! Wai...I surr¡ª¡±

    The warrior tried to surrender, but Debris skewered his throat with his sword to prevent him from doing so. Naturally, attacking a surrendered opponent was a foul, but this was effective only if the referee heard the cry to surrender.

    ¡°.........¡±

    The referee did not hear it, even though it must have reached his ears. The voice that tried to surrender must have reached his brain through his eardrums. However, he did not hear it. He refused to hear it. If he judged it as a foul and earned the enmity of the Speth family, he would lose out in the end. Therefore, he decided to resolve the matter of the warrior¡¯s death as a result of him choosing not to surrender.

    ¡°That¡¯s the end! The winner is Debris!¡±

    At the referee¡¯s deration, Debris raised both hands to appeal to the crowd, agitating the spectators. This was his trick.

    Before the match, he would poison the drinks of his opponent, bribe the referee, and then win the fixed match. If he didn¡¯t like the opponents, he would ignore any attempts they made to surrender and simply kill them. If the opponent was a woman who could be his toy, he would kidnap her under the guise of administering treatment, making himself out to be a gentleman in the eyes of the spectators.

    Speaking of which, the toy he had acquired previously was quite interesting. She was certainly a female knight and since she had a pretty face, she was worth the effort to beat her up. While he was ying with her, she was calling out the name of some guy. What kind of reaction would he make if he were to see the woman in her current state?

    Commoners were just something for him to look down upon, but they did have one value¡ªserving as toys for his entertainment.

    But toys would eventually break if they were yed with too much. It was about time to throw that woman away. Recently, she had stopped showing any reactions. That was why he had designated her friend, a mage called Alfie, as his new toy. However, she turned out to be an outrageous ingrate who, let alone thinking of it as an honor, rudely ran away.

    And then there was that Sei or something, who got in his way. Debris didn¡¯t like how he was proimed as the hero simply because he was appointed by the king.

    Amoner shouldn¡¯t oppose or object to me. All of you are my toys. Your existences have no other purpose. Therefore, I¡¯m going to break all of you.

    He would destroy everything the hero thought was important. For now, he would start with hispanions. By now, Debris¡¯ subordinates should be heading towards the inn that they were staying in when they arrived in the city. It was about time they were under attack. There were many beautiful women among them, so it would be nice to capture them and make them into his new toys.

    He didn¡¯t notice it. He hadn¡¯t noticed it yet. The beautiful woman was a walking cmity.

    ?

    There were many inns in L?gjarn. There were many mercenaries, adventurers, and swordsmen who came to the city to test their skills, so it was inevitable that there was more demand for such facilities.

    If one were to ask what the best inn in the city was, people who were familiar with the city would all reply, ¡°Ratone¡¯s Inn.¡± This inn was originally started by a young man that one could find anywhere. He opened the inn in order to have the opportunity to meet his love interest.

    His love interest came from a family of knights, so they practically lived in different worlds. However, the young man pined for her and loved her so much that he opened the inn in an attempt to woo her even if it wouldn¡¯t work. Eventually, the inn gained a reputation for the innkeeper¡¯s cooking skills.

    At first, the knightly girl merely thought, ¡°I should at least visit and try it out once.¡± Thereafter, it became a ce she frequently visited. The innkeeper further improved his cooking skills in an attempt to please her. And so they came to meet each other many times and the inn became a ce where she belonged. Before she realized it, they were mutually attracted to each other and they eventually became lovers.

    ¡ªSo said Dina, who was babbling on about the romance story during lunchtime, even though the innkeeper was nearby.

    Hey, stop it, you idiot. Even if it has be a well-known story, it¡¯s a kindness to keep quiet about it.

    I bit into my bread and looked at Dina disapprovingly, but she didn¡¯t seem to care.

    ¡°They¡¯re so passionate,¡± she said such an insensitive thing and continued to tell the tale.

    Why were women so interested in the love stories of others? I honestly couldn¡¯t understand it. Hearing the love stories of others set a fire in my belly. They should just explode. However, the innkeeper, who was the subject of the story, had a dark expression and didn¡¯t react to Dina¡¯s rumors.

    Did something bad happen? Or was he dumped?

    While thinking that, I drank the soup...Sweet!? The soup was sweet!?

    ¡°Hey, innkeeper. Did you mix up salt with sugar for this soup?¡±

    ¡°Eh!? My¡ªmy apologies! I¡¯ll rece it for you!¡±

    Mistaking sugar for salt was so clich¨¦ that even light novels had stopped using it recently. I was worried that there was something wrong with my sense of taste. I had heard that the selling point of this inn was its delicious food, but honestly, it was rather disappointing. Every dish was somewhatcking.

    Perhaps I should say...his heart wasn¡¯t in it?

    It wasn¡¯t actually bad, but it felt like he was cutting corners or messing up the taste because he was distracted. People often said, ¡°Cookinges from the heart.¡± It seemed that this was true. It wasn¡¯t that a heart and love would really be seasonings and deepen the taste of the food. However, cooking depended on urate calctions and tedious work. In other words, it was necessary to expend a lot of time and concentration to make a delicious dish.

    This was especially true here since it was not Japan. One couldn¡¯t put the ingredients in the pot and just wait for three minutes to get a delicious dish. There was nothing so convenient here. In other words, cooking without putting one¡¯s heart in it would only skimp on time and effort, so the taste naturally went down a grade.

    It seemed that the innkeeper was thinking of something else while he was cooking today. ...Well, I wasn¡¯t that familiar with cooking anyway, so maybe it was just my imagination. At least I wasn¡¯t like those food judges in manga who could take one bite and conclude, ¡°This dish is full of thoughtfulness and love! Seriously!¡± I simply didn¡¯t have such a convenient tongue.

    While I was thinking of this, the innkeeper cautiously talked to us.

    ¡°Um...I¡¯d like to ask a question. Are you adventurers?¡±

    ¡°¡±Adventurers? Hmm. We are indeed adventurers.¡±

    If I was asked whether I was an adventurer or not, I was certain that I was one. When I first arrived in this world, I had registered and received requests as an adventurer. I took on a simple request to make some money for my trip. Since then, I hadn¡¯t done anything as an adventurer, so I was bing a NEET. Anyway, let¡¯s hear what he had to say.

    ¡°Innkeeper, is there something troubling you?¡±

    ¡°...Yes.¡±

    That¡¯s right. It must have been trouble if he wanted to rely on adventurers. It was also easy to guess from the heavy atmosphere. If he merelycked ingredients or needed to procure some monster meat, the atmosphere wouldn¡¯t feel so tragic.

    ¡°Can you ept a request? As for the reward...I can pay five hundred thousand eru.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too much. It depends on the job, but even ten percent of that would be sufficient for an adventurer¡¯s request.¡±

    ¡°No, it is necessary to give this much. This is because, in the worst case scenario, you could be going up against a noble.¡±

    The innkeeper¡¯s words stopped my hand which was holding a spoon.

    I see. A noble huh? Once again, I had a bad feeling about this. Well, I should at least listen to his story...after clearing away all the boorish disturbances.

    ¡°Libra.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    I called out to Libra who was standing behind me. She responded instantly as if she had been waiting for instructions. The innkeeper didn¡¯t seem to know, but the inn had already been surrounded.

    It would be too much of an eighth-grader syndrome to call it a murderous intent, but it was definitely directed at us. In game terms, it would be the feeling that we had be targets. Somehow, I just knew it.

    The presences that were surrounding the inn...There were twelve people. Libra could deal with them alone. But if it was simply left to her, she would simply kill everyone, so it was necessary to be more specific about her order. I wanted to know why they were aiming for us.

    ¡°Capture everyone and extract information from them.¡±

    ¡°Understood. How would you like me to do it?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Ah...Just do it as you normally would.¡±

    ¡°I understand the mission. Moving ahead with its execution.¡±

    At the same time as I gave the order, Libra went outside casually. Immediately after, men started screaming outside. There were screams, followed by even more screams. I didn¡¯t know who they were, but let¡¯s leave sympathy aside for now.

    Eventually, the screaming stopped. When the door opened again, Libra entered without a single drop of blood on her. She was dragging along twelve men who had been tied up. Without exception, all of their arms and legs were bent in the opposite direction. Their mouths were gagged and they were blindfolded. They had beenpletely neutralized.

    ¡°Capturepleted. Moving on to interrogation. May I borrow Aigokeros?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment, Libra. If it¡¯s interrogation, wouldn¡¯t it be more effective to use this mistress¡¯ poison?¡±

    ¡°No. We can extract the information without your help.¡±

    ¡°Tsk...¡±

    And so Libra and Aigokeros went upstairs. Along the way, the men were bumping into the stairs. Was this really okay? Whatever it was, they¡¯d better not dirty the room. I¡¯d be staying there overnight after all.

    ¡°Sagittarius.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°After Libra extracts the information, find the person who sent them.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    I gave the order to Sagittarius while breaking my bread and dipping it in my soup. Immediately after, the screams of the men resonated from the room we had rented. It was as if it was the end of the world. What in the world were they doing...? I didn¡¯t really want to think about it.

    Well, I didn¡¯t know who it was, but since he had acted in a hostile manner, there would be no need for me to be merciful. If the other party wished to stir up trouble, then so be it. It would be too troublesome to leave an unresolved problem, so I might as well just crush itpletely.

    I could only say that the timing was bad.

    If it was when I had just arrived in this world, I wouldn¡¯t be so cold. I would have been more gentle.

    There might be other ways to resolve this matter, but...

    ...Too bad. I wasn¡¯t so gentle anymore.

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Even though Ruphas wasn¡¯t moving this time...Debris, why?

    Death g: ¡°Oh, what a handsome guy! Let me entangle him!¡±

    Debris: ¡°!?¡±

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    ¡°Hearing the love stories of others set a fire in my belly.¡±

    Hand of Va: ??...The author makes the character seem so petty. ??

    TpstT: It¡¯s the same old Japanese BS, to be honest. I don¡¯t understand those scenes in anime/manga where the main character gets a girl, or a girl talks to a guy, and every other guy stares daggers at him. Is that actually a thing? It¡¯s so dumb.

    Keii: Yeah, some people get really upset about being single/other people getting girls.

    <strong>Conclusion:</strong> It¡¯s stupid and childish. I hope they had removed it from the light novel version.

    ...Also, personally, I never really get all these food-rted anime. Everything is delicious. Everyone reacts in the same exaggerated way to the food like they¡¯re having an orgasm. When everyone constantly overreacts, it just gets annoying...It¡¯s the same thing with those male protagonists that get flustered over every little thing involving a female character. When I see that in a manga or anime, I usually drop the series soon after...

 Chapter 125

    Chapter 125

    <h4>125: The Death g Unfurled To Its Maximum</h4>

    Author: Fire Head (Ñ×î^)

    Trantor: Hand of Va

    Editors: Two More Free Thoughts (TpstT), Keii

    Behind the scenes of this morous tournament .

    Sei and hispanions were stealthily investigating the waiting rooms for the participants, which had been prepared by the Speth family . If Alfie¡¯s words were to be believed, Debris had kidnapped several participants . However, if they were to directly use him, it would just be a one-sided usation and they would be criminals .

    Furthermore, the other party was a noble who governed the Domain of the Spear, so they couldn¡¯t just recklessly use him . Although Sei was the hero chosen by the king, reckless behavior on his part could lead to a loss of trust in the king . If that were to happen, the ambitious Debris would surely take advantage of the mistake to make the kingdom owe him one .

    If there were no such restrictions and he was a monster like Ruphas who could annihte all of the humanoids, not merely the nobles, he could just forcefully take action without leaving any room for negotiation . However, this was impossible for Sei and his group .

    Therefore, they needed to find the evidence first, then act in the name of righteousness . By now, Sei did not doubt that the Speth family was involved in some sort of wrongdoing . After all, he had personally seen Alfie being hunted down . He had also seen Debris¡¯ cruel mistreatment of the hired thugs when they turned out to be useless .

    Emotional evaluations aside, from an objective third-person perspective, this wasn¡¯t enough to make the Speth family anything more than a suspect . That was why they had to find evidence first, but...

    ¡°Did you find anything?¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s nothing here . ¡±

    Sei shook his head in response to Gants¡¯ question . They had checked the waiting rooms used by the participants who were suspected of being kidnapped, but they found no evidence . It seemed that the scene had been carefully cleaned up . It would have been good to at least find some evidence of the poisoned food and drinks, but things weren¡¯t going so well .

    ¡°By the way...Alfie, how did you know that the participants were poisoned? I¡¯m not doubting you, but if the poison could be visually identified...¡±

    ¡°...I actually drank it myself . ¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°I said I drank it too . ¡±

    Alfie looked away and answered Sei¡¯s question .

    ¡°Before the match, Rail...that¡¯s my friend¡¯s name . She called me to the waiting room . And I took some of the ck tea that was prepared for her . As I mentioned before, the poison just makes you a bit drowsy and unable to exert your strength . After ten minutes or so, you¡¯d be able to move normally again . But by then, Rail had lost the match . I rushed to look for her and found him trying to take her somewhere . And so I was hunted down for the sake of being silenced . ¡±

    ¡°I¡ªI see . ¡±

    Apparently, Alfie had a rather careless personality . No, would anyone even question if a drink offered by a friend had been poisoned? In fact, even the friend who offered the drink didn¡¯t think it was poisoned, so it would have been hard to find it suspicious in this situation .

    ¡°Hey, Kaineko-san . Can you find any clues with your sense of smell?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be absurd . That¡¯s the specialty of a dog beastkin . I¡¯m a cat . It¡¯s impossible . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s impossible, huh?¡±

    After searching another waiting room, Jean and Kaineko couldn¡¯t find any clues, so they regrouped with Sei and the others . If Kaineko was a dog beastkin, he might have been able to find some clues, but since he was a cat, he couldn¡¯t .

    There weren¡¯t any clues...Everyone was discouraged at the results . While they were thinking about what to do next, something moved . It was the stupid dog that always stayed close to Sei¡¯s feet . It suddenly started running as if it noticed something and went to the back of the hallway .

    ¡°Hey, where¡¯re you going!?¡±

    Sei quickly chased after it and eventually found the dog barking loudly at a wall after turning around a corner .

    Why is this dog barking at the wall?

    When Sei touched the wall, there didn¡¯t seem to be any changes . It was just an ordinary wall . Gants and the others came soon after . Jean was the first to notice something .

    ¡°I see . Move aside, Sei . This is probably that sort of thing . ¡±

    After saying that, Jean knocked repeatedly on various parts of the wall and listened to the differences in sound . As an adventurer, he had experience exploring ruins, so he could notice subtle differences in sound . There were often hidden doors in ruins, so being able to find them was an indispensable talent for first-rate adventurers .

    Jean examined the wall for a while and then noticed a small hole at the base of the wall...It was a small hole that wouldn¡¯t normally be noticed unless someone was looking intently for it .

    ¡°Bingo . ¡±

    He took a wire-like object out of his pocket and inserted it into the hole . After messing around with it for tens of seconds, there was a clicking sound and Jean returned the wire into his pocket . He then put his hands on the wall and moved it sideways...and the wall slowly slid to expose a hidden passage .

    ¡°Impressive . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a former well-known adventurer, you know? I could finish something like that before breakfast . ¡±

    Jean took the lead, followed by Sei and the others . Gants followed in the rear . The victims were probably just ahead and Debris¡¯ subordinates should be waiting there as well . After going down the stairs, Jean stopped at the corner . He used his hand to signal Sei and the others to be quiet while he carefully looked around the corner .

    As expected, there were some armed guards waiting there . Naturally, it was possible to break through forcefully . However, it would be a problem if they had difficulty defeating even one of them and the guards ended up calling for reinforcements . The situation would be unpleasant .

    The members of Sei¡¯s party were not weak . Since the party included Gants, the strongest mercenary, and Sarjes, the executive of the demihumans, they actually had considerablebat power .

    However, if the number of enemies reached one hundred or two hundred, they might be overwhelmed by numbers alone . Moreover, this was the enemy¡¯s territory . They didn¡¯t know what kind of traps had been installed .

    ¡°Leave it to me . ¡±

    Sarjes spoke confidently and quickly jumped out of the shadows to run across the wall . All of this happened in an instant, so even the soldiers didn¡¯t notice him . Sarjes moved along the ceiling and by the time they thought he had jumped down, several soldiers had already fallen .

    ¡°Wh¡ªWhat!?¡±

    ¡°An enemy attack!?¡±

    The soldiers quickly became alert, but Sarjes was nowhere to be seen . In the next moment, Sarjes jumped again, took out another soldier,nded on the wall, and left . His movements were those of a hunter .

    The enemies didn¡¯t even know what was happening . Their numbers were reduced one by one . Within ten seconds or so, there wasn¡¯t a single soldier left who was still conscious . Having finished hunting, Sarjes returned to Sei and the others .

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah . ¡±

    ¡°...That¡¯s not half-bad, spider uncle . ¡±

    Sei and Jean were impressed and surprised by the ability of Sarjes who went ahead . It was scary when he was an enemy, but he seemed so reliable now that he was an ally . It was a littlete to say this, but it was a wonder how they managed to win against him . Honestly speaking though, it was doubtful whether their victory was really the result of their own efforts .

    ¡°What¡¯s this? Since a while ago...there¡¯s the smell of blood?¡±

    ¡°...I have a bad feeling about this . Let¡¯s proceed carefully . ¡±

    After progressing for a while, Sei frowned at an unpleasant smell . Kaineko was also wary of the smell and the group slowly advanced . And then, what they saw was a nauseating scene .

    ¡ªWomen . Everywhere, there were women who had been broken and thrown away .

    There was a groaning woman hanging from the ceiling . Another woman was stuck to the wall and her body was impaled by darts . One woman, who was hanging off of the bed, murmured an unintelligible whisper . Another woman had copsed in the back and her face had been burned beyond recognition .

    Virgo covered her mouth upon seeing the scene . The others expressed disgust .

    ¡°How terrible...¡±

    ¡°What...is this...?¡±

    ¡°Tsk...So this is how the noble-sama ys around? To think that he actually ims to be an outstanding noble . ¡±

    Sei desperately held back his nausea, while Jean threw up without hiding his disgust . Gants didn¡¯t say anything, but his face was seething with rage . Kaineko¡¯s fists were shaking .

    ¡°Rail! Rail, where are you!?¡±

    Alfie lost her cool at the sight and shouted as she searched for her friend . However, she didn¡¯t seem to be within sight .

    ...No . Alfie just didn¡¯t realize that she was within sight .

    ¡°...That voice...is that Alfie?¡±

    ¡°...Rail!?¡±

    The voice belonged to the woman who had copsed in the back . Alfie ran over to hug the woman whose face was burned beyond recognition .

    Oh, how did this happen?

    Her once beautiful face was dyed ck and red . Her hair was almostpletely burned away . Tears poured forth from Alfie¡¯s eyes as she embraced her friend who had changed .

    ¡°Why...¡±

    ¡°Oh, I hope you don¡¯t get the wrong idea . I didn¡¯t do it . That stupid woman did it to herself . ¡±

    As if to answer Alfie¡¯s question, a voice came from behind Sei and the others . When everyone turned their heads to look, there was a noble man with his subordinates . Debris Speth was standing there with a grin .

    ¡°Since she had a somewhat pretty face, I took great pains to y with her . But that fool burned her own face instead . Thanks to that, I have lost interest in her . She¡¯s just a female knight, did she think that she was protecting her honor by doing that? I really don¡¯t understand . Well, she can be thrown away now since she isn¡¯t worth embracing anymore . But that won¡¯t help with my displeasure . I don¡¯t like to cry myself to sleep . If you cause me displeasure, you have to pay the price for it . ¡±

    ¡°You bastard...!¡±

    Jean raised a wrathful voice at Debris¡¯ selfishness and took the first step forward . As a man, he couldn¡¯t forgive this guy . He would make him suffer as the woman did...No, he would make him suffer even more and crush his smug face .

    But in the next moment, Jean felt a sharp pain in his abdomen and fell to his knees .

    ¡°Gah, ugh...!?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t approach me so casually, you mere adventurer . You and I have different worth . Know your ce . ¡±

    What did he do? What just happened?

    Never mind Jean who was attacked . Even Sei and the others who were watching couldn¡¯t understand what had happened . The same was true even for Sarjes who had the highest status in the hero¡¯s party . He couldn¡¯t hide his surprise .

    ¡°Could it be that you think you can challenge me? Don¡¯t be so conceited . I¡¯m different from all of you . I¡¯m the chosen one . You people can¡¯t even touch me . ¡±

    As he said that, Debris raised his hand before his face to show off his ring .

    ¡°Stop messing around! I¡¯ll never forgive you!¡±

    Alfie suddenly stretched out her hand and shot a ming missile . But the me didn¡¯t hit Debris . Instead, one of his subordinates behind him was struck and burned . Debris himself was already behind Alfie and raised his fist .

    ¡°Such a bad girl . Shooting magic at me...What would you do if you actually hit me?¡±

    As he said this, heshed out with his fist, but it was intercepted by Sarjes . Thetter immediately moved to counterattack, but Debris had disappeared once more .

    ¡°.........!¡±

    No, he didn¡¯t just disappear . The robe concealing Sarjes¡¯ body was cut and he felt the pain of being struck with a de . Sarjes¡¯ resistant body didn¡¯t suffer a serious wound, but that wasn¡¯t the problem . Debris had shed Sarjes before he could even register it . That was the problem .

    ¡°What is this hardness? The de couldn¡¯t prate . ¡±

    ¡°...Such a strange technique . It¡¯s not...just being fast . It felt like all of his actions were finished in an instant before I could register them . ¡±

    ¡°Eh, you realize it?¡±

    Debrisughed as if he was impressed by Sarjes . He then showed his ring .

    ¡°Congrattions . I¡¯ll tell you since you can¡¯t do anything about it anyway . I can stop the time of this world . ¡±

    ¡°Stop time!? Stop lying! That¡¯s impossible unless you¡¯re the Goddess-sama!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true . But what if the Goddess-sama gave me this power?¡±

    Debris smiled and looked down on everyone . He then began to brag about it . Perhaps, he had wished to brag to someone since the beginning . A man with such strong pride and vanity usually had the urge to talk to someone about the special things he had .

    ¡°Behold the Ring of Time, a divine artifact given to the Sword King Alioth by the Goddess-sama in order to defeat the ck-Winged Overlord . Alioth left it with one of his friends and thetter¡¯s descendants continued to inherit it . ¡±

    ¡°Im¡ªImpossible...Something like that...¡±

    ¡°Hmm . That¡¯s a nice expression . Your expression shows that you now know the absolute difference between us . That¡¯s the expression of someone who understands that he can¡¯t win no matter how much he struggles . When it is dyed with anger and despair at the unreasonable situation, it is my favorite expression . It¡¯s simply irresistible . ¡±

    Debris smiled and drew the sword from his waist .

    On the other hand, Sei and the others went on full alert, but would it be meaningful at all? If the opponent stopped time and then moved to attack, there would be no point in defense or evasion .

    Debris disappeared and blood spurted from Sei¡¯s leg .

    There was nothing they could do to counterattack when faced with a cheat like stopping time .

    And so the one-sided battle began .

 Chapter 126

    Chapter 126

    Tens of minutes had passed since the start of the battle .

    Sei and the others were lying on the ground . They had been disarmed, their legs had been shed, and they had lost the ability to fight .

    If it was only Debris, they still had the possibility of winning . Indeed, stopping time was certainly troublesome . No matter how experienced a mercenary or adventurer might be in battle, if his weapons were lost, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use his full power .

    However, what was really troublesome was the man who apanied Debris . If he hadn¡¯t been here, it would have been possible for Sei and the others to bridge the gap and achieve victory over Debris .

    Sarjes and Virgo were still standing, but both of them had been unable to find an opening to attack before time was stopped .

    ¡°Do you understand now? This is the difference between those who are chosen and those who are not . There is an insurmountable difference between us . ¡±

    ¡°Why are you acting like you¡¯re so great? ...It¡¯s not you who¡¯s amazing . It¡¯s the ring . ¡±

    Hearing Debris bragging about his victory, Alfie wanted to at least retort back spitefully . She couldn¡¯t move her body anymore, so she could only move her mouth . But apparently, it was more effective than Alfie expected as she saw Debris¡¯ face be distorted with rage .

    ¡°...Did you just insult me?¡±

    Debris moved next to her in an instant and stomped on her back .

    ¡°Argh!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking if a meremoner just insulted me!¡±

    Stomp, stomp, stomp .

    The girl¡¯s back, head, arms, and legs were being trampled on without any guilt or hesitation .

    ¡°You bastard!¡±

    Gants was enraged by the scene and he forced himself to stand up, picked up his axe, and swung it with all his might . This exceeded Debris¡¯ expectations, but he quickly disappeared to avoid the axe . However, Virgo anticipated his movement and flew forward to attack with her weapon .

    ¡°Eek!?¡±

    A sh of the sword passed in front of Debris¡¯ face . Panicking, Debris stopped time and widened the distance between them . Virgo lost sight of him for only a moment, but she quickly found him again and turned around .

    It wasn¡¯t that Virgo was keeping up with the stopped time . She certainly lost sight of him . However, the difference in their base speeds was too great, so she could attack before he could take action . After fighting him for a while, it became obvious that while the ring was certainly a threat, Debris himself was not a big deal . In that case, she could ce all of her bets on this!

    ¡°That¡¯s enough . Do you not care what happens to this young man?¡±

    ¡°!¡±

    However, Virgo¡¯s movement was stopped by Debris¡¯ associate . The associate was sitting next to Sei and had a knife at his neck . This was a threat . If anyone moved again, he would decapitate Sei . As a result, even though Sarjes and Virgo could still fight, they couldn¡¯t make a move or do anything .

    Having secured his safety, Debris smiled victoriously and bashed Virgo in the face .

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    ¡°Ho¡ªHow dare you surprise me!? ...Even though you¡¯re just a worthlessmoner! You too! Don¡¯t put me in danger, you useless piece of trash!¡±

    Debris hit his associate out of irritation, then turned his gaze back to Virgo . Her cheek was slightly red because of the beating, but since their statuses were too different, there wasn¡¯t any swelling . She was staring at Debris with a sharp gaze .

    Debris clicked his tongue as if his mood was ruined by those eyes, but he immediately smiled unpleasantly once more .

    ¡°I don¡¯t like this . If you don¡¯t know what courtesy is, then I¡¯ll just have to educate you . Courtesy is very important, you see . Those who don¡¯t know it will have a hard time in the future . For your own sake, I¡¯ll teach it to you . ¡±

    ¡°...You don¡¯t deserve any courtesy . ¡±

    In response to Virgo¡¯s words, Debris silently kicked her .

    Gants clenched his fists so hard out of rage that they were bleeding . Sei felt helpless and angry that this situation had resulted from him being held hostage .

    Why? Why am I so weak? This is miserable . I want power...power to defeat this guy and protect everyone!

    Debris continued to raise his hand towards Virgo while stomping on Alfie . But despite this, the girl¡¯s attitude did not change . Instead, Debris reached the limits of his patience first .

    ¡°You need to have a better understanding of where your ce is . ¡±

    Having said that, Debris ced his hand on Virgo¡¯s clothes and tore them off all at once . Her white skin was exposed and her underwear could be seen . However, even though Virgo felt embarrassed, her eyes continued to stare straight at Debris .

    ¡°Hey, what are you doing!?¡±

    ¡°What am I doing? ...Isn¡¯t it obvious? I¡¯m going to educate her . It¡¯s an honor for amoner to be embraced by a noble like me . ¡±

    Debris grinned and raised Virgo¡¯s chin . He couldn¡¯t be stopped . Nobody could move because Sei was being held hostage . Without hiding his despicable desires, Debris reached for Virgo¡¯s underwear .

    ¡ªIn that moment, the ceiling copsed and a beauty in a red cloak descended from above .

    ¡°...Huh?¡±

    ¡°Hmm . To think that there¡¯s a basement in this ce . Are you sure there¡¯s no mistake that this is the ce?¡±

    ¡°Yes, master . This is the ce that Sagittarius located . ¡±

    The embodiment of terror who was also a peerless beauty stood there, alongside the steel doll who was her follower . Ruphas looked around casually and widened her eyes in surprise upon seeing Sei .

    On the other hand, as the cause of her trauma was before her, Alfie¡¯s face became uparably paler than ever before . Unlike when she first met Alfie, Ruphas was currently in disguise . She was wearing sses and had hidden her wings . However, as her face itself didn¡¯t change, she could still be recognized by people who knew her .

    ¡°What are you all doing here?¡±

    ¡°Ru¡ªRuphas-san, why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I had received a request from the innkeeper . I don¡¯t really care about the reward, but he looked kind of worried and was distracted while cooking . It seemed to be a waste of his talent, so I came to find a solution . ¡±

    Sei was stunned by her response and wondered what in the world he was fighting for . Even though Sei and his friends had been desperately chasing evil, did shee here merely because she wanted to eat something delicious?

    Libra, who had moved away in the meantime without anyone noticing, returned to Ruphas with a woman whose face had been burned .

    ¡°Master, she seems to be the target . Her features match the description . ¡±

    ¡°...Hmm . ¡±

    Ruphas narrowed her eyes coldly as she examined the burned face and then looked at Sei¡¯s wounds . Her eyebrows lowered in displeasure when she saw Alfie¡¯s awful condition . But there wasn¡¯t really a significant change at this point . The atmosphere changed drastically when she saw Virgo with her underwear exposed .

    ¡ªAll expressions vanished from Ruphas¡¯ face .

    At that moment, Sei¡ªno, everyone in that ce who knew Ruphas¡ªhad the feeling that they were going to be killed . Even Libra, who wasn¡¯t able to feel fear, became alert against her master . The change was just that drastic .

    ¡°...For now, I¡¯ll like to hear about it . Did you do all these?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Who are you? Isn¡¯t your attitude rather big after showing up so suddenly? Ignorance is truly scary . It seems that you don¡¯t even know who I am?¡±

    ¡°Hmm . I have absolutely no idea . ¡±

    Debris¡¯ expression changed after hearing Ruphas¡¯ remark that seemingly made fun of him . However, he immediately smiled smugly once more and spoke pretentiously . On the other hand, Sei was paralyzed with fear so much that he couldn¡¯t even speak, but he was desperately shouting in his heart .

    Stop it . Don¡¯t provoke her any further . Apologize now and beg for forgiveness . Otherwise...you¡¯ll be killed!

    However, Debris didn¡¯t doubt that he had the advantage . He didn¡¯t notice that he was stepping on a nuclear weapon, let alone and mine¡ªno, a star before an imminent explosion .

    ¡°Well, whatever . Rejoice . I appoint you as my toy . Despite your attitude, you look good . You¡¯re suitable for me to y with . ¡±

    ¡°...Master, let¡¯s kill this thing . ¡±

    ¡°Wait, Libra . I haven¡¯t heard his answer yet . Considering what I¡¯m about to do, a simple apology would be uneptable if I got the wrong person . Therefore, I have to verify the truth . ¡±

    Ruphas didn¡¯t take any action other than question Debris again without showing any signs of anger .

    ¡°So, are you responsible for this?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes . I educated her a little since she dared to speak against me . That woman...She burned her own face without my permission because she hated being embraced by me . Isn¡¯t that sow rather pretentious?¡±

    ¡°Another question . Virgo...the fl¨¹gel over there . Are her bruises and clothes also your doing?¡±

    ¡°What about it? She dared to make me feel a bit of fear . This is merely her retribution . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm...This is amazing . It¡¯s like the type of lower lifeforms you see in books and it¡¯s even the kind that¡¯s particrly despicable . ¡±

    Ruphas spoke in a straightforward manner regarding Debris . Wasn¡¯t this man named Debris the archetype of despicable nobles? For him to be this rotten, it was impressive in its own way .

    In a sense, this was a kind ofpliment from Ruphas . But Debris was evidently displeased by her words as he drew his sword .

    ¡°It seems you need to be educated as well . ¡±

    ¡ªTime stopped .

    Channeling mana into the ring would stop the time of this world . Everyone, except for Debris, would be sculptures . The Ring of Time, which was said to have been once given to the hero Alioth to defeat the ck-Winged Overlord, was invincible .

    If he could stop time, he would win, no matter who his opponent was . This woman who suddenly appeared was no exception . For now, he would peel off her clothes . He couldn¡¯t wait to see her rxed face copse in shame . While thinking such despicable thoughts, Debris reached out to Ruphas...

    ¡ªHis arm was grabbed and the flow of time was restored .

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s surprising . You can move at this speed even at your level? Or is it some kind of trick?¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ª...Eh...!?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see . It¡¯s this ring . It seems like a powerful item . ¡±

    Ruphas, who casually entered the stopped time, spoke in a tone as if she didn¡¯t even notice that time had stopped . Indeed, she truly didn¡¯t realize it . For her, stopping time was just a phenomenon that urred naturally whenever she moved seriously . It was a trivial thing for her as the world stopped simply because it couldn¡¯t catch up to her speed .

    Therefore, Debris¡¯ time stop effect was simply high-speed movement in Ruphas¡¯ eyes . For monsters at her level, it was only a natural phenomenon . Stopping time didn¡¯t even constitute a skill for her . It was simply an ordinary movement .

    Ruphas removed the ring from Debris¡¯ hand and examined it .

    ¡°Hmm . The sacred artifact, Chronos . It¡¯s quite a big deal . Upon activation, it reduces the speed of the world by ten thousand for a few seconds . It can effectively stop time, huh? ...But this is...defective...¡±

    ¡°Gi¡ªGive it back!¡±

    ¡°Well, wait a bit . We need to settle some things first . ¡±

    Ruphas smiled gently and raised her fist . Using Blunt-Edge Strike, her steel-like fist smashed into Debris¡¯ face at supersonic speed . Debris¡¯ nose broke and started bleeding as he was being blown away, but Ruphas grabbed his head and forcefully pulled him back .

    ¡°Oops . Don¡¯t faint yet, brat . The punishment is only starting . ¡±

    Ruphasughed like a wild beast eyeing her prey and activated Coercion . In an instant, everyone was assaulted by a heavy pressure as if the sky itself had fallen . Merely stopping the time of the world was not even worth mentioning . Suppressing the entire area with just her presence was a talent that truly befitted a king .

    The world itself seemed to fear Ruphas¡¯ presence as Coercion¡¯s pressure was so great that it even physically cracked the floor . However, Sei and the others barely took any damage as she demonstrated fine finesse in controlling the shockwave that cracked the floor .

    ¡°Eek...!?¡±

    At this point, Debris finally understood . He was the one who was ignorant . He finally realized that he had picked a fight with a ridiculous monster . And Debris thought, Ah, again . I¡¯m being looked down upon again . I¡¯m being ridiculed again .

    ¡°I¡ªI don¡¯t want...I don¡¯t want to be looked down upon anymore...! I¡ªI don¡¯t...want to go back to that time anymore!¡±

    Debris Speth was abandoned as a filthy orphan in front of a church . He grew up without knowing his parents¡¯ faces and voices . His body was weak and he had no magical talent . As a result, he was ridiculed by the people around him every day .

    Useless Debris . Ipetent Debris . Those were his nicknames . He had never once been praised and was constantly being looked down upon as garbage . But one day, his life waspletely changed . When he learned that he was actually a noble¡¯s son who was kidnapped and then abandoned by the desperate criminal in front of the church, he literally jumped for joy .

    Yes, I¡¯m actually a noble . I¡¯m different from thosemoners .

    However, his happinesssted only for a while . As a noble, he was treated with scorn by his peers for being raised as an orphan . That was why he pretended to be strong in order to not be looked down upon . He must rise above the others¡ª

    ¡°I don¡¯t care . ¡±

    Ruphas¡¯ fist smashed into Debris¡¯ face again .

    ¡°Ugh...ha!?¡±

    ¡°Why did you suddenly start monologuing about your past even though you weren¡¯t asked about it? Did you think that having a tragic past would erase whatever you have done? Honestly, I don¡¯t care about your past . ¡±

    As far as Ruphas was concerned, Debris¡¯ past was no different from dog poo that was left on the roadside . An orphan? Being looked down upon? Why should she care?

    This guy hadid his hands on Virgo, thereby making himself an enemy . That was all that mattered . Besides, she didn¡¯t like the way he did things .

    I can abuse people because I had a tragic past? Ridiculous .

    Nobles had duties associated with their stations . Nobles existed not to abuse themoners, but to protect and govern them .

    I have done many bad things and took many lives . I have burned and destroyed my opponents . I won¡¯t deny that . But if someone ys around with his subjects¡¯ misfortunes, he is no longer a noble . He¡¯s just a scumbag who has authority .

    Within Ruphas, her emotions disappeared at an rming speed, leaving behind only the ruthlessness of the ck-Winged Overlord .

    I really don¡¯t like him .

    In that case, there was no need to hold back . There was only one thing to do .

    Blunt-Edge Strike was activated...and she bashed him with all her might .

    Bash .

    Bash, bash .

    Bash, bash, bash, bash .

    Bash, bash, bash, bash, bash, bash, bash, bash, bash .

    Ruphas¡¯ fist mercilesslynded on Debris at the rate of over one hundred million punches per second .

    Head, face, chest, shoulders, arms, knees, belly, legs, shins, and testicles!

    Every part of his body was crushed!

    Incisors, canines, premrs, and mrs!

    All of the teeth in his mouth were broken . His jaws were broken as well . His eye sockets and eyeballs were crushed . But the fist did not stop .

    The skull, facial bones, back bones, chest bones, and ribs! The shoulder bones, cor bones, upper arm bones, forearm bones, wrist bones, and hip bones! The pubic bone, thigh bones, kneecaps, calf bones, and foot bones!

    Every part of his body waspletely destroyed! It was an unreasonable scene where a punch that could crack a in a single hit was forcibly mitigated to leave 1 HP behind due to the skill¡¯s effect . Debris¡¯ mental fortitude was incinerated in an instant by the severe pain, but he couldn¡¯t die because of the skill¡¯s effect .

    ¡°Get lost, you lowlife . ¡±

    ¡°.........!¡±

    When Ruphas¡¯ consecutive attacks were finally over, there wasn¡¯t any part of Debris¡¯ body that remained unharmed . His body was barely keeping its humanoid shape even with the skill¡¯s effect . The lump of meat that couldn¡¯t even scream took the final hit and was blown away dramatically . But immediately after, Ruphas grabbed his head and pulled him back .

    As long as Blunt-Edge Strike was active, he wouldn¡¯t die from Ruphas¡¯ attacks . However, the skill wasn¡¯t smart enough to ount for other factors . For example, if Ruphas didn¡¯t grab him, Debris would have been blown away over a distance proportional to the power generated by several hundred million punches per second . Ruphas herself couldn¡¯t be sure where he would end up . Perhaps, he might be blown into space and die there .

    Ruphas threw Debris away gently, but even though she did it gently, it was still done by someone with an exceptional arm strength . Debris crashed into a wall, sinking several meters into it as if he was digging a tunnel before he finally stopped .

    This casual action was like throwing trash that was picked up from the ground into a garbage bin . It was just a casual gesture, but the phenomenon that resulted from it waspletely unreasonable . Having seen such an overwhelming scene, the face of Debris¡¯ associate turned pale and he realized their chance of victory waspletely zero .

    Afterpletely destroying the human called Debris, Ruphas added,

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry...I was using Blunt-Edge Strike (Hold Back) . Use the little time you have left to regret what you¡¯ve done . ¡±

    ...How exactly was this holding back?

    While thinking so, Sei and the others raised their pale faces to look at Ruphas .

 Chapter 127

    Chapter 127 - Alfie Ran Away

    Raw link: (2016/10/24)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2019/11/13)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2019/12/09)

    Editor 2: Keii (2019/12/11)

    Trantion link: <u></u>

    __

    Notice 1: I¡¯m away overseas from when this chapter goes up, until chapter 130-ish. Chapters (and teasers) will be released on scheduled release but if it fails to be released normally, I¡¯ll release them when I am back home. For these chapters, the teaser and the actual chapter will have a separate URL, since I won¡¯t be able to edit whilst overseas.

    __

    (Author note)

    * Information regarding the Ring of Time

    Although it was dered to be able to stop time itself, in actuality, it only applies "a debuff that makes it feel like the concept of time stopped moving". Therefore, although it is just a little, time itself is still flowing.

    Nevertheless, let alone something that can move at the speed of sound (Mach 1), even those that can move at a speedparable to lightning (Mach 440) are not able to intrude and react under the debuff.[1]

    Notwithstanding, for existences like Ruphas or B who can easily enter and operate within such a world, the effects of the ring are useless.

    (Author note end)

    __

    (TLN: I apologise beforehand, but this chapter is probably a little hard to understand if you¡¯re young or not used to English. The author¡¯s exnation of the skill is unnecessarily convoluted and longwinded. So when I tranted that, even though I tried to make it simple, it still feels like a "simple journal article". That¡¯s another way of saying, "it makes sense but it¡¯s still a pain to read andprehend". I included a simplified exnation at the end of the chapter for those that are confused.)

    Currently, in front of me, there was the appearance of a man who was in a seiza position... or rather, forced to be in a seiza position.[2]

    He was a weak uncle-like man who was serving the guy called Debris or something, the noble who was doing that stupid thing until just a moment ago. He was prostrating and looking downcast after having his face beaten to a pulp.

    It was quite a disgusting scene where hisher regions werepletely stained and there was a puddle under his feet.

    <i>.... Perhaps I went a little too far? By the looks of it, it seems like he¡¯s just a normal person who doesn¡¯t really have any power.</i>

    Although... because of what I had heard, I was aware that he was merely executing the orders due to the difference in social standing, so I had pulled my punches back quite a fair amount. Notwithstanding, this was still the aftermath.

    <i>Even though I just lightly pped him.</i>

    <i>Well, umm... how do I put this? Let¡¯s just say that he </i>did<i> help out in doing bad things and that because of his actions, there were quite a lot of people that didn¡¯t manage to get away, so... let¡¯s just say it¡¯s just retribution.</i>

    As a side note, the guy called Debris or something was healed up just enough to an extent that he wouldn¡¯t drop dead spontaneously, therefore, even though it was barely, he was still alive and breathing.

    I emphasise on "just enough so that he won¡¯t die". After all, if he were to be fully healed, we did not know what he might start doing.

    Therefore, he still barely maintained his original shape and did not be an unknown or unrecognizable object.

    Additionally, although it was to be expected, I had already confiscated his ring and had no ns to return it to him.

    A knife to a fool like an iron club to an oni.[3] It was because nothing good woulde out of it even if I were to return it to him.

    Afterwards, the wounds on all of the female victims were healed up and Dina was also called upon to erase their memories of everything that had conspired in this ce.

    After all, it was unlikely that there were any memories they would have wanted to keep.

    Although something simr had happened in the past, now that I thought about it, it seemed those orcs could be considered gentlemen inparison to Debris.

    In other words, Debris was an existence that was below that of orcs.

    Needless to say, Virgo¡¯s clothes were also repaired.

    "You. Do you swear to make up to the victims from now on?"

    "Yes, I swear."

    "Good. But never show your face in front of these victims. There¡¯s a risk of their memoriesing back. You are to aid them from the shadows. Do I make myself clear?"

    It seemed the man, who was an associate in a countless number of Debris¡¯s evildoings, had an aching heart as he promised to live to make up for everything that he had done.

    It was not as if everything would be forgiven once a person were to regret his actions. However, depending on the perspective, he himself was also one type of victim who could not refuse Debris¡¯s orders due to his status.

    Therefore, I would not go as far as wanting to kill him outright. I also felt that it was pitiful for the Speth family to be brought down along with the criminal.

    I mean... If the Speth family¡¯s evil deeds were toe to light... the family would definitely be ruined to the bone.

    I assumed the truth of what had happened would soon reach the ears of the royal family via Gants and the elf nee-san, so they would officially have their nobility revoked.

    "Okay, are you able to stand?"

    "Aa, ye, yes! I, I¡¯m, I¡¯m, I¡¯m, I¡¯m fine!"

    I got the brown-haired girl who was still leaning on the side of the wall to stand up and cast a recovery divine magic onto her.

    Even though she was done in quite badly, with this, there should not be any scars left.

    <i>To go this far against a young girl, that bastard called Debris was quite a rotten individual as a man.</i>

    <i>Just look, she¡¯s shaking this much from fear.</i>

    <i>Maybe I should punch him a hundred more times.</i>

    <i>.... Well, whatever. Punishment wille chasingter on, after all.</i>

    <i>Anything more than this is just kicking a corpse.</i>

    "I¡¯ve intruded. I¡¯m done with what I wanted to do. I¡¯ll leave the rest to your discretion."

    I decided to leave the rest to the hero¡¯s party and quickly leave this ce behind.

    Of course, the woman called Rail, who was the target of the request, was also with us. The burn mark on her face was also healed up perfectly.

    <i></i>

    <i>Divine magic is super convenient.</i>

    "Ruphas-sama. What kind of an item is that ring?"

    Whilst we were returning, Libra inquired about the mechanics behind the ring.

    In all likelihood, she became curious after hearing me call it a defective item.

    In response, I answered her without holding back any information.

    "The effect of the ring is as I previously said already. But if the speed of the entire surrounding area was to be decreased by 10 000, even the user themselves would stop. So the ring forcibly hastens the wearer¡¯s time just enough to be able to counter that decrease in 10 000 speed until it feels like time has stopped for everyone else but them."

    "Then..."

    "Yeah. For someone like me who¡¯s already in that realm in terms of speed, it¡¯ll be no problem. But he wasn¡¯t like that. Even then, as long as he was wearing the ring, the ¡¯time passed¡¯ would be absorbed by the ring itself. But... I¡¯m sure you can guess what happens once he loses that ring, can¡¯t you?"

    The effect of the ring was a debuff against the whole world and a buff to the user themself to counter that debuff.

    In terms of a number, it was 10 000. It dropped the speed of everything in the world to 0, effectively stopping time itself.

    Although it sounded unbelievable, the ring was applying a debuff on the concept of "time".

    However, because the debuff was also applied on the wearer themself, thereby stopping the time of the user, it counteracted the debuff by forciblypensating the wearer with just enough speed to where they could increase their flow of time enough to be able to break free from the speed debuff.

    <i></i>

    <i>I see, it¡¯s definitely quite an unfair effect. So much so that if there wasn¡¯t a demerit to it, I would have wanted the Twelve Stars to use it.</i>

    However... when there came a time the ring were to be lost, all of the "time that had passed" woulde flowing back to the former user all at once. Therefore, it was an extremely defective product.

    Needless to say, it was not just a simple and soft-hearted effect akin to, "the wearer was in the world where time had stopped for five seconds, so they lived for five more secondspared to everyone else". It conferred a demerit far worse than that.

    It was said that the ordinary speed at which humans walked was approximately 5 kilometres per hour. Since that noble was an individual from this world, he possessed physical abilities greater than that of a person back on Earth. However, it still would not have surpassed 30 kilometres per hour.

    <i>Unterally stopping time... in other words, in this world where individuals at the level such as Bnash and I were at, the amount of speed adjustment which would be needed to actualise the phenomenon of "leaving everything else behind in time" is... well, because I¡¯ve never really measured it, I¡¯m not 100% sure, but in the state where my perception of time is dted and I felt like running or flying at full-speed, I would, in fact, be able top around Midgard at least once before one second of real time had passed.</i>

    <i>Basing my judgement on that, it¡¯s not a bad deduction to think that the speeds of Bnash and I are over Mach 100 000.<strong>[4]</strong></i>

    <i>Because the numbers have gotten too big, all of this sounds like a joke, but let¡¯s leave that thought aside for now.</i>

    <i>The main point is whates after that. I¡¯ve heard that Mach 1 is approximately 1200 km/h.</i>

    <i>Although... because it¡¯s affected by pressure and the temperature of the medium, there might be a slight deviation, so it¡¯s just an approximate figure.</i>

    <i>And, calcting it based on these figures, for an individual that has a speed of 30 km/h to be able to surpass someone moving and operating at Mach 100 000, their own speed would have to be multiplied by 4 000 000.</i>

    <i>In other words, 4 000 000 seconds would have passed for each second of time the noble stopped... rewording that, approximately 46 days of his lifespan would be spent in a sh.</i>

    <i>If he were to only use it a few times, although it came with a vicious price to pay, it wouldn¡¯t be something that he wouldn¡¯t be able to afford.</i>

    <i>If 10 seconds of time were to be stopped, it would mean that he would have spent over a year¡¯s worth of time, but it may still be considered within an eptable range.</i>

    <i>But what if it was repeated multiple times?</i>

    <i>What happens when a few seconds of time was stopped every time it was used and it was used repeatedly?</i>

    <i>If one minute¡¯s worth of time was to be stopped, he would have spent over seven years¡¯ worth of his lifespan. If a grand total of 10 minutes¡¯ worth of time was to be stopped, over 70 years¡¯ worth of his lifespan would have been used.</i>

    <i>And by the looks of things, that spoiled brat had relied quite heavily on this ring.</i>

    <i>I¡¯m not sure how many times he had used it up until now, but... well, if my predictions were correct, by now, he would have turned into a geezer. Actually... I guess if he can end up only as a geezer and nothing more, it¡¯s still a good result?</i>

    <i>To sum things up, it was pretty much no different from being asked to abandon the future for a moment of immediate victory.<strong>[5]</strong></i>

    <i>The only ones who would be able to use the ring without any demerits were me, the Demon King and Bnash... but, how would we even put it to use?</i>

    <i>I suppose it¡¯d be interesting to use it as material for a golem, maybe?</i>

    <i>If it¡¯s the current me, it wouldn¡¯t even be a dream for me to create a golem which is at a higher level than Libra.</i>

    <i>Well, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that it¡¯s still a defective item, but it¡¯s not like there¡¯s absolutely no way to make use of it. I suppose I¡¯ll just keep it on me for now.</i>

    After we got back to the inn, the innkeeper subjected us to over-the-top gratitude.

    He must have been worried about the woman called Rail to this degree.

    Needless to say, we did not convey everything that had transpired at that location.

    We only informed him that after she was kidnapped, she was put to sleep.

    After all, it was a fact that she was not vited, therefore, technically, it was not a lie.

    Anyways, let¡¯s put all of that aside. What was important at the time was the food.

    In front of me were steaming, luxurious and beautifully presented dishes.

    Although I felt there were too many dishes, considering that we also had quite a few people on our side, we would probably be able to finish it all.

    I selected one from amongst the many dishes and picked it up with my hand. It was a giant bone covered in meat and well-cooked right down to the inside.

    <i>Manga meat... so it actually exists for real...</i>

    When I gnawed it off, the meat¡¯s sulent vour overflowed within my mouth. Its vour was something that I was not familiar with.

    Although it was a little hard, the meat had the right texture and was pretty nice overall. It tasted a little like chicken meat, however, it was definitely something else.

    As I was enjoying the taste with every bite that I took, I suddenly pictured a dragon-looking creature with wings in my head.

    At the same time, what I saw was a memory of a scene where Ruphas from the olden times was camping with young and immature looking individuals such as Megrez, thete Alioth, Mizar and the others.

    Near them was a corpse of a subjugated pseudo-dragon, cooking under a fire.

    <i>Ahh... so, that¡¯s a pseudo-dragon, huh?</i>

    <i>We might call it a fake one, but it was still the first time we were eating a dragon.</i>

    <i>So the taste of a pseudo-dragon is actually pretty simr to that of a chicken?</i>

    <i>I mean, I¡¯m definitely not discontented with it. I actually quite like this vour.</i>

    <i>If there was something like mayonnaise, I think it¡¯d go quite well together.</i>

    As I was thinking about such a thing, I enjoyed the hour having lunch.

    However, it all came to an end when suddenly, at that moment, Dina stood up.

    "What¡¯s wrong, Dina?"

    "I need to go wash my hands."

    <i>Ahh, she needs to go to the toilet, huh?</i>

    After watching Dina¡¯s back as she hurriedly went away, I went back to biting at the pseudo-dragon meat.

    But this time, I was stopped again when Castor suddenly stood up by kicking his chair away.

    <i>What? Do you need to go to the toilet too?</i>

    That was what I thought. However, Castor¡¯s expression at the time was the very definition of dead serious.

    He was covered in sweat and donned a very grim facial expression that I had never seen him have before.

    <i>He¡¯s holding it back... well, actually, that doesn¡¯t actually seem to be the case.</i>

    "This feeling... is it Pollux? But... how can it be... there¡¯s no way she would leave and go outside of the Land of the Fairies..."

    Pollux?

    If I recalled correctly, that was the name of the younger sister from the [Twins].

    ording to Parthenos¡¯s story, I had heard that the [Twins] were fulfilling the duties of sealing an ouroboros. However, Castor certainly did not appear to be doing that. In the first ce, the very fact that he was here was strange.

    Therefore, it could naturally be inferred and determined that the one who was sealing the ouroboros was the younger sister of the two.

    And from the looks of it, it seemed something had happened to her.

    Castor subsequently ran straight outside and the rest of us were just left behind quite anticlimactically.

    "......."

    <i>Well, yeah, it¡¯s that, you know.</i>

    <i>I guess we should chase him for now.</i>

    *

    "..... Well, she certainly came in like a storm."

    After Ruphas left, Sarjes earnestly muttered such words and everyone else was inclined to agree.

    Even an item which was terrifying to them was nothing more than a defective product to Ruphas.

    Even an enemy who was a strong opponent for Sei and the rest was nothing more than a weak old man from Ruphas¡¯s point of view. In all likelihood, Ruphas had not even noticed that the man, who was still in a seiza position even at that very moment, was one of the top-tier warriors amongst the humanoids. No, in the first ce, it was questionable whether she even conceived him to be a warrior at all......

    For her, theparison of the difference between an ordinary person and Debris was the same as that of an ant and a slightly stronger-than-normal ant. There was no way she could even distinguish the difference between the two.

    The light p, which was simr to if she was affectionately patting a small loveable animal, had caused the head of Debris¡¯s subordinate to fling left and right and then immediately swell up. This scene caused everyone still present at the time to be terrified and leak a weird soundingugh.[6]

    Since he was young, Sei had always questioned the concept of "you can¡¯t run away from the boss" in games. However, the reason for that mystery had now be apparent.

    <i>Yeah... it¡¯s definitely impossible. You can¡¯t run away from that. The realm that they live in is different.</i>

    <i>To have your neck grabbed the moment you start running away... there¡¯s really nothing you can do.</i>

    ".... I¡¯m so... pathetic."

    Sei muttered quietly and looked at his own hands.

    He was aware that he was weak.

    But even then, he had not considered or thought about it too seriously. This was because Ruphas and the rest were definitely over the top.

    Comparing oneself to a tornado, an earthquake or a meteor and thinking that oneself was weak was natural. There was no one who would give thought to something like that seriously.

    Ordinarily, one would not go about thinking, "The Sun is so big and strong, so why am I this weak?"

    But today was different. He was made to learn.

    After being faced with the reality that he could not even reach the foot of another human being simr to himself, he was forced to realise how weak and pitiful he was.

    It was a disgraceful scenario where, let alone being unable to save a person from someone full of evil intentions, he himself was turned into a hostage.

    At that moment, above everything else, he could not forgive his own weakness.

    He had wanted to be stronger more firmly than he had ever wished for.

    The method was......... right in front of his eyes.

    If, somehow, he was to be given the golden apple that only Ruphas could make, he could easily be one of the top-tiered talents, even in this world.

    But was that really the right thing to do? Was it not just far too simple?

    Ruphaemon~ I want to be strong~ Here, have some golden apples~ Yay, I¡¯m level 1000 now~[7]

    ....... Was that... really what it meant to be strong? Could one really be proud that they had gotten stronger that way?

    After gaining strength in such a simplistic and irresponsible way, could he really keep himself from bing impudent and arrogant?

    Did he have the confidence that he would not be like that Debris guy?

    There was nothing worse in corrupting a person than a power that was simply handed to them.

    In that sense, the golden apple was truly the forbidden fruit. It was something that provided the temptation for people to go off-track.

    <i>I want to be stronger......</i> That was how Sei felt from the bottom of his heart.

    Nheless, he still hesitated to reach his arms out to grab the golden apple.

    Truth be told, this was the reason he had never brought up the topic about the golden apple in Ruphas¡¯s presence.

    It was not anything special. It was simply that he was scared about making a mistake. He was fearful that he would step off-track once he gained power.

    Mistakes were frightening. Once he went off-track, it was not just his own life but the lives of others that he would destroy.

    Furthermore, the greater the power that he possessed, the bigger the coteral damage he would cause from his mistakes.

    As an extreme example, even if the current Sei made a mistake and identally smashed the ground with all of his might, at most, only a small part of the ground would be shaved off.

    However, if Ruphas were to do the same thing, it would cause unimaginable damage to the surroundings.

    It could even make the crack in two.

    It was the very fact that he, as a single individual, would gain the power to decide the fate of even the world. There was no way the pressure of that would be light. There was no way he could think lightly of it.

    If he were to be given that much power... would he be able to use it correctly? Did he have the qualifications for it?

    Faced with those questions, Sei did not know the answer.

    "Sei-dono, is anything wrong?"

    "N, no, nothing."

    Although Kaineko looked up with his round eyes and prompted Sei, Sei feigned that there was nothing wrong.

    Sei then silently moved the stupid dog peeing on Debris¡¯s face away from Debris and told it not to pee on someone¡¯s face, before turning to face Alfie.

    "Umm... I¡¯m sorry. That I wasn¡¯t able to be of much help."

    "What are you saying? If you weren¡¯t there, I¡¯d have been caught in that dark alley and I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯d be subjected to by now. I¡¯m really thankful for everything, Sei."

    Alfie disyed a warm smile and extended her gratitude towards Sei.

    She then looked away, which was also followed by Sei looking away.

    They must have had things they wanted to say to each other, however, neither of them could muster up their convictions.

    Eventually, however, she picked herself up and looked directly towards Sei.

    "So, umm... you know, only if you¡¯re fine with it... or more like, if everyone is fine with it... umm, I know it sounds like a lot to ask for, but umm, I, would like to be included in the journey together with..."

    It happened as Alfie was fidgeting and asking bashfully.

    The stupid dog that was getting bored and looking for something to do decided to attach itself onto Sarjes. Unfortunately, due to its momentum, Sarjes¡¯s robe slid off.

    And what appeared from underneath was - a spider!

    As soon as she saw his appearance, Alfie turned pale and stopped speaking.

    She already understood that Sarjes was not a bad person. If anything, they had even fought together with each other and she had a favourable impression of his personality. She certainly did not hate him... yes, she did not hate him.

    However, as a human, it was unavoidable to have irrational fears that they could not stand.

    There existed those who could not stand the sight of a cockroach however much they tried, and there were those who could not stand spiders.

    In other words, that was just how it was.

    For Alfie, she just simply could not stand the appearance of a spider. It was just something irrational that she could not help fearing.

    It had nothing to do with whether it was harmful or not. For example, it was not a problem about whether it possessed venom or not.

    It was just that, somehow, she could not stand how it looked.

    Just by looking at it, she would get goosebumps and would not be able to stop sweating.

    "................. I¡¯m sorry. Please forget what I just said......."

    Just like this, the g which was almost raised copsed in a sh.

    __

    (Author note)

    Alfie is looking towards us like she wants to be part of the group.

    Sarjes: "This is my real handsome appearance."

    Alfie ran away.

    Sarjes: "Sorry."

    Sei just cannot raise a gbelled "girl" (Merciless)

    (Author note end)

    (TLN: Press "F" for Sei... again... jks jks

    Since the author¡¯s exnation of the mechanics behind the ring sucks (so much so that even the editors can¡¯t fully understand it), here is the <strong>simplified exnation of the Ring of Time </strong>(even though I also butchered it).

    1: User activates the ring

    2: The ring ces a "worldwide -10 000 speed debuff" [No units are given by the author, but from the context, it¡¯s probably AGI (agility/speed)], including to the user itself. Hence it effectively "slows everything down that it feels like time stopped".

    3: The ring gives the user the buff "hastens the user¡¯s flow of time until they feel like they¡¯re matching the ¡¯normal¡¯ flow of time", to counter the debuff on them. Hence the user is the only one that feels ¡¯normal¡¯ time whilst everyone else is slowed down.

    4: As long as the user has the ring equipped, the "time passed" for the user is calcted in real-time. (i.e. Time stopped for the ¡¯real-time¡¯ = 1 second & the ¡¯time flowed¡¯ for the user = 1 hour ¡ú The ring stores 59 minutes 59 seconds & the user ages 1 second.) Where the "time passed" is calcted with the perception of the 10k speed stat as the base (i.e. people like Ruphas/B/Orm)

    5: When the user takes off the ring, all of the stored time flows back to them. Using the previous example, when the user takes off the ring, they will age further by 59 minutes 59 seconds¡¯ worth, totalling up to the full 1 hour. (Hence footnote 6¡¯s Tamatebako)

    6: Ruphas is saying that anyone with an AGI stat of 10 000 or above (like her) does not suffer the detrimental effect BUT the ring itself bes useless to them, since they can do the same thing the ring does without actually using the ring. Therefore, in her mind, the ring is defective.

    If you y games, the whole mechanic can be summed up with "the ring artificially creates freeze frames".

    On a separate but more serious note, I am not sure that I am fully satisfied with the ending for the failure of an existence, but given the otherwise light-hearted nature of this series as a whole, I will say it was a fitting end for him. Personally, I am not too satisfied with the bitter-sweet ending for the victims as it is by no means "positive", however, I appreciate the author giving us a realistic and believable solution (even though I also don¡¯t appreciate the author making such a two-dimensional character in the first ce). As was discussed on our discord server, erasing their memories and rewinding time were really the only two viable solutions for the victims, as once the act wasmitted, there really is no way to remedy the horrific experience.

    In any event, now that the shitter, I mean trash, I mean... Debris failure of an existence, has been fucked and shoved down the bin into irrelevance, we will finally go back to the main storyline [and they go back to being light-hearted]. Please look forward to it!)

    (I think the image is from Volume 3)

    __

    [1] The speed of sound is 1234.8 km/h OR 767.269 mile/h.

    Lightning (Mach 440) is 543 321 km/h OR 337 598 mile/h. Just went on a tangent and researched it a little but I¡¯d say it¡¯s a little weird in terms of numbers. I feel like even if you consider the medium that it¡¯s travelling through, it seems quite fast for a leader and a bit slow for a return stroke. So I¡¯m just going to say "I don¡¯t know ¡¥\_(¥Ä)_/¡¥, author is probably right" and move on. ¨C Edit: It seems Naturoforum also used Mach 440 for the speed of lightning at one point.

    [2] So... what¡¯s the seiza position in English... yoga position? :¡¯) But yea, it¡¯s like this;

    ¡°https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiza¡°.

    [3] An oni is a creature from Japanese folklore. The closest English equivalent would be an ogre. They¡¯re usually depicted with an iron club/metal club in their hand.

    ¡°https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oni¡°.

    [4] Mach 100 000 = 123,480,000 km/h (34,300 km/s) OR 76,726,915 miles/h

    As a reference, the speed of light = 874 030 mach = 1 079 252 244 km/h (299 792km/s) OR 670 616 254 miles/h

    I.e. At least 11.44% of the speed of light.

    [5] The ring is pretty much a grim version of Japanese folklore, Urashima Taro¡¯s Tamatebako. In that series, the man travels into a ce where time flows at a different rate. When he left the ce, he was given a chest and was told not to open it. When he opened it, all of the "passed" time flowed back to him all at once and turned him into an old man.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urashima_Tar%C5%8D".

    [6] Like this;

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_1354" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1354" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-1354" ss="wp-caption-text">Dina ¨C AWLBA manga</figcaption></figure><figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_1355" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1355" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-1355" ss="wp-caption-text">Dutchess 50 Teas</figcaption></figure>

    [7] Reference to Doraemon, Ruphas + Doraemon = Ruphaemon. Doraemon has a magic pocket (... it¡¯s a pocket right? Maybe pouch, w/e) where he can pull out... err... stuff. And because it¡¯s one of those kids shows, you ask him for something and he justes up with some convenient stuff. I¡¯m pretty sure the author¡¯s analogising that Nobita (the main character) in the Doraemon show is "handed" the most convenient thing from Doraemon just because he asked for it. It¡¯s pretty much saying that he doesn¡¯t deserve it. Though, the author did go round about in giving that analogy and didn¡¯t expressly state it.

    __

 Chapter 128

    Chapter 128 - Pollux Used the Dragon King

    Raw link: (2016/10/30)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2019/11/19)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2019/12/11)

    Editor 2: Keii (2019/12/11)

    Trantion link: <u></u>

    __

    So this chapter is written like... err... as Va would describe it: "Like how Yoda talks" (author always writes like "how Yoda talks", but this chapter was particrly bad). The sentences don¡¯t connect too well and in my opinion, it¡¯s too fragmented so it doesn¡¯t flow properly. It¡¯s a real pity because the content itself is not that bad.

    __

    __

    "Haa... haa...!"

    In the sky away from the Land of the Fairies, a pair of demons, a man and a woman, were flying desperately.

    No, the expression that two of them were flying was not the correct way to describe what was happening.

    It was more correct to say that the man, Terra, was carrying Luna and flying by himself.

    There was a big difference in level between Terra and Luna. Therefore, rather than for Luna to fly herself, it was significantly faster for Terra to carry her and fly.

    Needless to say, it did not allow Terra to reach his top speed. Furthermore, a terrifying pursuer was closing in on him from behind.

    Its length was 170m. Its weight, 180 000 tonnes.

    Its whole body was enveloped in jet ck scales and every time its giant wings pped, it caused a storm just from the motion.

    Individually, its giant neck was already majestic and unparalleled, yet there were ten of them in total. As each of its necks was enough to rival ten ordinary dragons, it was nicknamed "The Dragon Which Possessed 100 Heads" in the past.

    It was a monster which should no longer have existed in this time and age. It was an existence which should have been subjugated over 200 years ago.

    Historically, it dominated a quarter of the world and was a feared existence which stood at the pinnacle of the dragon race that embodied what it meant to be the strongest.

    It was an existence which stood alongside the Vampire Princess, the Lion King and the Demon King as the four strongest individuals. Until the moment Ruphas Mafahl came and subjugated it, it was a tyrannical king which unted its title as unrivalled in power.

    - [The Dragon King] Ladon.[1] A monster which should have long perished from this world, yet currently, it was undoubtedly in this world and was releasing a mighty roar.

    And riding on that... was the Fairy Princess Pollux, looking down on Terra and Luna with an icy stare.

    "Terra-sama! I¡¯ll be the bait, so please just leave me and run!"

    "That¡¯s not going to happen. You wouldn¡¯t even be enough to be bait."

    "But!"

    "For now, just grab onto me tightly!"

    Pollux¡¯s rampage was a total miscalction on the part of Terra.

    As for the reason why it had turned out this way, Terra was somewhat able to understand the situation thanks to thest few words Pollux had shouted.

    The Goddess had interposed one way or another and was currently controlling Pollux.

    If that was not the case, even if she was the Fairy Princess, she would not be able to summon and control the Dragon King.

    Indeed, if it was her ability, it was not impossible to reanimate the Dragon King.

    However, her ability was "to summon a hero". On the other hand, the Dragon King was a destroyer and an existence which stood at the pr opposite of such heroes. Therefore, the prerequisite was not fulfilled. At the very least, it was very hard to believe that Pollux would recognise that existence to be a hero.

    Furthermore, even assuming that she was able to sessfully summon him, she should not have been able tomand him.

    If the legends were true, the Dragon King Ladon was more tyrannical of a king evenpared to the Lion King Leon. It did not have the disposition to listen to what others had to say.

    Notwithstanding that, it was being controlled by Pollux as if it had absolutely no self-consciousness of its own.

    In Midgard, there was only one entity which could make such a thing possible.

    Exactly - to actualise such a thing, only the Creation Goddess Alovenus was capable of that feat.

    And her goal was most likely to defeat Ruphas Mafahl. In order to make that possible, she had moved her strongest chess piece that she could currently reach.

    "Pitiful child of the demon race. Cease your needless resistance and settle down quietly. I do not really have the intention to kill you. If you would onlye to my hand as one of the cards against Orm, I shall guarantee your safety."

    "That¡¯s a good offer....! But sadly, I doubt I¡¯d even be enough to serve as a hostage against my father."

    "No, no, that is not exactly the case."

    Borrowing Pollux¡¯s mouth, something other than Pollux spoke.

    Its tone was soft and, without any particr reason, induced a sense offort in the listener.

    However, Terra possessed a conviction that the only thing at the end of entrusting themselves to that sense offort was destruction.

    Her words put one¡¯s heart at ease. Just like a mother singing a luby to a child, it erased the sense of caution. That was scarier to him than anything else.

    Furthermore, if he and Luna were caught now, he would no longer be able to face Pollux who was likely to be desperately fighting back.

    Fighting back - yes, she was still resisting. If that was not the case, they would have already been... in particr, Luna would have already been erased.

    As the demon race was arcane magic used by the Goddess, it would be easy for her to erase them.

    However, she was unable to do that. Furthermore, she wanted to obtain Terra as a means of a threat against his father. This signified that she was currently in an iplete state where she could not manifest her omnipotence or full capabilities.

    At this moment in time, all that she was doing was possessing Pollux¡¯s consciousness and moving her body. That was exactly the reason why Terra and Luna were still alive.

    No, even the phrase possessing Pollux¡¯s consciousness was incorrect. In all likelihood, even the possession was notplete.

    It was like moving a chess piece on the board. It was a puppet-like state in which she was moved and made to speak her words.

    If Ruphas was here, she would have described this situation as, "So, something like moving a character on a TRPG."

    "Capture them."

    Answering to Pollux¡¯smand, a countless number of dragons, which were on standby behind her, all elerated at once.

    They were the many armies of dragons which had been hunted down by Ruphas in the past. Those dragons were now given temporary bodies and were returned back to the world of the living.

    Each and every one of these dragons was a monster which possessed an exceptional amount of power.

    Although Terra might have been able to able to take on up to five of these enemies at once, anything more was too much for him.

    Adding on the fact that he would have to fight whilst covering for Luna, there was no chance for victory.

    He desperately dodged the pack of pursuing dragons and attempted to shake them off with an acrobatic flight. He fiercely hugged the snuggling existence within his arms that he had to protect so that it would not fall.

    If Terra was alone in this situation, he might have been able to take hold of his sword to sh the enemies away and keep them in check whilst running away.

    Of course, there was only about a 1% chance of such an oue happening. Nevertheless, such a possibility existed.

    However, the current situation was too unfavourable. Even such a small possibility was extinguished.

    "So you wish to be captured alongside that girl. Truly a noble way that I favour, but.... That is a development that those on the Hero¡¯s side should do. It is not something that you should be doing."

    Spoken from a stance far above them, it was a very unreasonable manner of speech.

    However, she had the right to speak from that position. She had that power.

    The Dragon King¡¯s ten heads squirmed and faced Terra with their mouths open.

    What came out from each mouth were ten shots of hellfire that would each be enough to destroy a city and still have power left over.

    "I will have them hold back a little... so don¡¯t die, okay?"

    Then, a giant mended on Terra¡¯s back.

    *

    "Are you sure it¡¯s in this direction?"

    "Yes. My sister¡¯sing from this side of the city."

    A few minutes after Castor dashed out on his own.

    We were looking at the sky that extended far beyond the boundary of the city.

    ording to what Castor had said, for some reason, the other half of the Twins [the Fairy Princess] was sensed to be moving towards them on her own.

    Perhaps it was a synchronisation which was only made possible because they were twins.

    Nevertheless, it did not seem like there was a mistake in what Castor had said. It was because I was also feeling a tingling sensation of something dangerous closing in on me.

    I took my sses off and took off the bandages that were hiding my wings.

    I also had Virgo stay back at the inn. In all likelihood, she would not be able to keep up with the battle which was about to happen from now on. Furthermore, I thought that it would be better to leave a skilful supporter in the town behind us, as it would allow us to fight properly without having to worry about what was happening behind us.

    As a side note, we had also left Dina behind. She had yet toe back from the toilet.

    ..... Needless to say, the best-case scenario would be for there to be no battle in the first ce.

    If it turned into a stupid scene where I was just overly cautious and Pollux simply had some matter to talk about, it would be for the best.

    Therefore, I hoped to myself that I was merely overly cautious for no reason.

    To begin with, as she was one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, it was strange to think that there would even be a battle at all.

    However, I wondered why. Within myself, I felt a sense of conviction that things would not turn out that peacefully.

    I did not know whether my brain or my heart had my "mind" and which one had the soul. However, both of them were screaming, "Prepare for battle."[2]

    The sensation that I felt was most likely the instinct of the real "Ruphas", which had been honed and polished through battles beyond my imagination.

    It would be the end of it all if I was to brush it off as "just a feeling". Strangely however, I had the utmost confidence in those unfounded feelings even though they had no substance to back it up. Furthermore, it was not just me.

    Aries, Libra, Aigokeros, Scorpius, Karkinos, Sagittarius and Castor had all already entered a battle-ready state as if to say, "Come at us from anywhere."

    Although we would be fighting back with almost our best lineup, I did not think that it would be excessive.

    It was because something inside me was giving off the highest degree of rm. A battle that would happen in a moment would be a sh against an existence which surpassed the realm of Bnash and Leon.

    "Divine magic - Heliopause & Heliosphere."[3]

    I spread a divine power over Laegjarn as if to cover it whole, deploying an anti-physical damage barrier.

    Heliopause was skill that created a barrier which couldpletely negate all physical damage under a certain value. It worked against enemies who dealt damage below that fixed threshold.

    However, its condition was up to "(Total level + Priest ss level) x 10".

    In other words, my Heliopause was unable to prevent damage that surpassed a value of 10 500.

    Although it seemed a little questionable, it was by no means unusable.

    Back in the game, there were magical beasts which could use a skill called [Drink 10 000 Needles] and fire needles from all directions, each dealing a fixed damage of 10 000.[4] In those situations, there was no divine magic which was more reliable than Heliosphere.

    Additionally, although it depended on the user¡¯s HP, if the damage dealt by Mesarthim was less than 10 000, then it could even negate the damage dealt by Mesarthim.

    Anyways, what I was trying to say was... I guess, it¡¯s a defensive measure that¡¯s better than nothing.

    Even though I had worded it that way, it should still be enough to prevent damage from any shockwaves during the uing battle.

    If it was directly attacked, it would easily shatter. However, in those situations, we would have to have Karkinos put in some effort.

    As for Heliosphere, I had already previously exined it, but as a reminder, it was an absolute anti-arcane magic barrier.

    This was deployed on the inner side of the Heliopause¡¯s dome, thereby creating a barrier to prevent stray arcane magic.

    I digressed, but there actually existed an absolute anti-physical damage barrier in X-Gate Online. Furthermore, I was able to use that skill. However, there was no skill nor divine magic that allowed me to grant that to all of my allies.

    To top it off, those types of absolute anti-whatever defensive skills were often breached by the enemies when they used defence pration skills, therefore, it was often unexpectedly useless.

    When I first acquired those skills, I had a brief moment of happiness and shouted, "With this, I¡¯m invincible!" However, I could not forget the feeling when it was easily breached by the enemy in the battle immediately afterwards.

    "Sagittarius."

    "Here."

    When I called Sagittarius, he shot an arrow towards me without any hesitation.

    I then grabbed the intangible arrow of light and activated a skill upon contact.

    "Enchant Ray."[5]

    Enchant Ray - A buff that increased the attack and defence stats of a single ally.

    This wasbined with Sagittarius¡¯s support skill called [Asce].[6]

    The effect of Aschera was simple. It turned a single target skill, whether it be arcane or divine magic, into an area of effect skill.

    Needless to say, the potency of the skill dropped whenpared to the original single-target state. However, when considering the effort saved from having to cast it on each and every individual target, it was a convenient skill.

    Although... if you consider that some national RPGs allowed the yer to switch the effect of the skill between single target and area of effect with a single press of an L button, it was not a very strong skill.[7] However, it was still convenient, nheless.

    I then threw the arrow that I was holding onto. When I did, the arrow divided into multiple pieces and pierced everyone present in that location, increasing their stats.

    "Skill, Tegmine!"[8]

    Karkinos also activated his skill, further increasing his already solid defence.

    Now then, with this, the preparation for the battle was somewhatpleted for now.

    I crossed my arms together and awaited whatever wasing towards us.

    Subsequently, the first thing that appeared before us, after betraying our expectations, were a pair of demon couple.

    <i></i>

    <i>If I recall correctly, I saw him once at Blutgang... the so-called Demon King¡¯s son... Terra or something?</i>

    <i>And he¡¯s carrying a young girl and seems to be running away from something.</i>

    <i>His whole body¡¯s covered in wounds. He¡¯s in quite a miserable looking state.</i>

    <i>Is he the cause of why my rms are ringing inside of me? ..... No, that¡¯s not right. I do indeed feel some kind of a threat from him, but it¡¯s not him.</i>

    "He¡¯s....."

    "That seems to be the Demon King¡¯s son. Should I erase him?"

    "No, wait. Something seems a little strange."

    I stopped Aigokeros, who was about to switch to attack mode the moment he saw their figures and decided to wait and see the situation.

    When we decided to do so, Terra and the girl crashnded in front of us and the young girl in his arms fell to the ground.

    However, she did not have any significant wounds on her. It must have been because Terra had protected her with his life.

    "Terra-sama! Terra-samaaa!"

    The young girl was sobbing as she nudged Terra, but he did not respond.

    When I silently took a step forward in front of her, the young girl... If I recalled correctly, she was Luna of the Seven Luminaries? She came in front of me as if to cover for Terra.

    It was truly admirable. After all, she must have known that she had no chance of victory.

    As a way to test her, I red at her lightly, at which point, the girl shivered in fear. However, she still did not show any intention of moving away.

    "....... P, please..... I don¡¯t care what happens to me........ but please let Terra-sama go."

    "Hmm (hou)? Aren¡¯t you asking for something that¡¯s too good to be true? I don¡¯t believe I have any obligation to help you out."

    "I, I¡¯ll do... I¡¯ll do anything you ask of me... so please..."

    Hmm? Did she just say that she¡¯ll do anything?

    Anyways, let¡¯s put aside those jokes for now, how should I go about this, I wonder?

    But whatever, for now, let¡¯s put aside how to deal with these two untilter. It seemed like the cause of whatever was ringing the rm inside of me was finally arriving.

    It flew right in front of us with frighteningly fast speed.

    What appeared in front of us in a sh as if it had warped out before us was a giant dragon.

    It was a monster which had ten heads, but strangely, I felt a sense of familiarity from it.

    My brain taught me its name straight away.

    ...... The Dragon King Ladon, huh. If I recalled correctly, he appeared during the special event hosted by the developers as a special magical beast that acted as the final boss. I also recalled that after it was defeated, it dropped many valuable alchemy materials and I used them to craft items like Amrita.

    And above that dragon stood a young girl with honey-coloured hair. There would be no mistake in concluding that she was the Fairy Princess Pollux.

    Our eyes met each other and the Fairy Princess smiled warmly.

    "I see, so you are that ck-Winged Supreme Ruler. I have heard about your misgivings even before now, however, this must be the first time we are conversing with each other."

    "....... You, are not Pollux, right?"

    "Correct. Although I have borrowed her body for a while, I am not her."

    Borrowing Pollux¡¯s mouth, something other than Pollux spoke.

    If it was the real Pollux, she would not say that it was our first time having a conversation after we reunited.

    In truth, it would be the first time for me, however, for her, it would not be the first encounter with Ruphas Mafahl.

    As such, there was only one conclusion. Just as I was not the real Ruphas, she was also not the real Pollux.

    Furthermore, if you considered who would be able to pull off the stunt of being able to manipte Pollux, the possibilities were limited.

    If my assumptions were correct, out of all the enemies that were currently against me, she would be my greatest enemy.

    "I have always wanted to have a conversation with you once... but before that, let us have the extras get off the stage."[9]

    Pollux looked down at Terra and Luna and a full-body armoured warrior climbed down from the dragon and approached the two of them.

    ..... It was quite strong. By the looks of it, its level was around 750.

    The warrior raised its sword up, at which point, Luna covered Terra like a shield.

    The warrior had no murderous intent. Its intention was most likely to amputate their limbs and capture them.

    I then took a step forward to cut in between the two parties before raising my arm to grab the de being swung down with my bare hand.

    "!?"

    Position-wise, the two of them were in a hostile rtionship with me.

    Therefore, I did not have the obligation to help them, however... well, I felt that the two of them were different from the other demons that I had met up until this point.

    I suppose one could say that it was a bit too hasty to erase them right now.

    It would not be toote to listen to what they had to sayter on and decide on a course of action after that.

    "Young girl of the demon race. Do not forget what you said a moment ago."

    For now, I decided to sell them a favour as I strengthened the grip of the hand which was holding the de.

    In any event, I never had any intentions of demanding anything weird of her in the first ce. After all, I did not have a hobby of stealing someone else¡¯s partner.[10]

    Anyways, it was merely an idea that it might be usefulter on if she owed us a favour.

    I shattered the sword with my grip alone and kicked away the surprised armoured warrior.

    With just that action alone, a loud explosive sound was heard and its armour caved right in. Furthermore, another individual which was in its path was caught up as coteral and spiralled away into the distant horizon.

    <i></i>

    <i>Ohh, so light.</i>

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_770" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-770" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-770" ss="wp-caption-text">Illustration from Volume 6 of AWLBA Light Novel</figcaption></figure>

    "I have to concur with you, someone who¡¯s not Pollux. We do indeed need the unneeded extras to get off the stage. - You should piss off."

    As I said that, I smiled belligerently, then activated the skill that I had only just recently acquired.

    __

    (Author note)

    [The Dragon King Ladon]

    Length: 170m

    Weight: 180 000 metric tonnes

    Level: 1000

    Attributes: Fire x 2 | Water x 1 | Wood x 1 | Metal x 1 | Earth x 2 | Moon x 1 | Sun x 2 (Each head has a different elemental attribute)

    HP: 500 000 x 10 (Each of the ten heads have separate and independent HP)

    Historically, it was one of the four pirs which contended to be the strongest on Midgard and dominated a quarter of thend.

    Each head possessed an independent personality and could not be killed unless all of its heads were defeated.

    Furthermore, it had a ridiculously high regenerative ability, therefore, even when one of its heads was cut off, it would regenerate it back up after a short period of time.

    In other words, to defeat the Dragon King, one had to defeat all ten of its heads before it could regenerate the defeated ones.

    Due to this special characteristic, it was believed to be impossible to subjugate him alone.

    As each of its heads did not have the same amount of HP as that of Leon¡¯s, a forceful and barbaric barrage of area-of-effect attacks was effective. However, as each of its heads had a different attribute, it was quite difficult to defeat all of them at once.

    Its personality was violent and cruel. Although each of its ten heads had a different personality of its own, this point alone was universal.

    Needless to say, each of its individual heads was not weak. Even one head possessed enough power to contend against someone like Aries and Scorpius on more than an equal footing.

    Ordinarily, it was a monster that would not be strange to see as thest boss, but unfortunately, as this world was full of monsters, he was overshadowed somewhat.

    Furthermore, this time, as he was summoned whilst having his personality stolen away, he did not have the same majesty as he previously did.

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] Ladon (¥é©`¥É©`¥ó or ¥é©`¥É¥¥¥ó) was a serpentine dragon that guarded the golden apples in the Garden of the Hesperides. ording to Aristophanes, it had 100 heads. It was eventually killed by Heracles during his 11th Labour.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladon_(mythology)".

    [2] The raw has the first heart written as (ÐÄÄ ) which is the word for heart (organ), and the second as (ÐÄ)... which is also heart (the intangible heart) in English (RIP English vocabry).

    [3] Heliopause - (¥Ø¥ê¥ª¥Ý©`¥º) | Heliosphere - (¥Ø¥ê¥ª¥¹¥Õ¥£¥¢)

    [4] Drink 10 000 Needles (á˜Íò±¾ï‹¤Þ¤¹) is a reference to the Japanese variant of a pinky promise which included the saying, "If you lie, you have to drink 1000 needles." (Ðê¤ò¤Ä¤¤¤¿¤é¡¢á˜Ç§±¾ï‹¤Þ¤¹)

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinky_swear".

    Originally tranted as "Will Drink 10 000 Needles" and the name of the skill reminded me of Dizzy from Guilty Gear with ridiculous skill names... "I used this to catch fish", "For searing cod...", "I used this to pick fruit", "For roasting chestnuts", etc :¡¯)

    "".

    [5] Enchant Ray (¥¨¥ó¥Á¥ã¥ó¥È?¥ì¥¤)

    [6] Asce (¥¢¥¹¥±¥é), also called Zeta Sagittarii, is the third brightest star in the constetion of Sagittarius.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeta_Sagittarii".

    [7] Not sure which game the author is referring to.

    [8] Tegmine (¥Æ¥°¥ß¥ó)... Ok so... the author wrote (¥Ç¥°¥ß¥ó), but I assume it¡¯s just a typo since the effect of the skill is the same as Tegmine which was previously used. The rest of this chapter (raw) looks like it¡¯s barely edited with how hard it is to read, so I assume the author was just trying to keep up with the deadline and made a small mistake.

    [9] Alovenus speaks in a very clean and politenguage. Often times she speaks in a position equal to the listener, but at times she ces herself in a position higher than others. "Positional writing" (or whatever it¡¯s actually called) is not really a thing in English, but it¡¯s quite important in Japanese. Think of the way she speaks as... hmm... maybe (1) awyer and a judge speaking to each other in a courtroom (though not that stiff), or (2) two country¡¯s diplomats speaking to each other respectfully.

    For example, she might say "you shall do this" instead of "you should do this". In English she would probably say "do not/it is" instead of "don¡¯t/it¡¯s" and she refers to Ruphas as "kijo" which would be something like "nobledy" or "mdy" (in earlier chapters, when 12 Heavenly Stars used "kijo" it was tranted as "mdy"). "Kijo" is a term that you might see in some "imperial pce"-ish series when a duchess refers to another duchess. It¡¯s not really important for English readers since they all end up as "you" anyways... but I actually see it as relevant to the storyter on, which unfortunately won¡¯t be properly conveyed because I can¡¯t trante it to the same effect (hence this footnote).

    [10] Hmm... We¡¯re going PG rating guys :X, I went soft but... the raw isori. If you know what it is, you know what it is. If you don¡¯t... well... be good and stay innocent.

    ... Also, if you didn¡¯t figure it out at the time, the "joke" that Ruphas referred to a few paragraphs above is rted to this.

    __

 Chapter 129

    Chapter 129 - Pollux Used the Seven Heroes

    Raw link: (2016/10/31)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2019/11/26)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2019/12/12)

    Editor 2: Keii (2019/12/12)

    Trantion link:

    __

    __

    __

    (<strong>TLN: Reminder that I/my/me with "ore" is MC Ruphas and I/my/me with "yo" is the real Ruphas</strong>)

    The skill [The One Who Left First (Alkaid)].

    I would say that it was a skill that should never havee into existence in this world in the first ce.

    It was only natural. After all, that skill was bugged.

    The reason was because it shattered the level 1000 ceiling set by the Creation Goddess.

    By using the skill that I gained... no, that I recalled during the battle against Bnash, I was able to surpass level 1000 and fly into the realm beyond.

    My sensations were enhanced and my consciousness became warlike. I entered a state where hurting others arose no response from me, making my thoughts more violent.

    I became less of me (ore) and turned more into me (yo).[1]

    Unfortunately, as expected, I was not able to ascend as high as I previously had and my level stopped increasing once it reached level 1500.

    It was a lot lower than I was expecting it to be... however, it was still enough for this situation.

    After all, the Twelve Stars¡¯ levels would also jump up when my level went up.

    The only one to not have her level increased was Libra. Nevertheless, she had her very own method of powering up.

    "Armament Selection! [Astraea]!"

    Libra¡¯s additional armament was ejected from Blutgang and came flying towards her. It then undertook a docking process with Libra midair.[2]

    With this, Libra was fully armoured and everyone else was level 1000.

    The enemies that we were opposing were between levels 700 to 1000, numbering at a few hundred units.

    If the Dragon King was also considered in the calctions, the enemy¡¯s fighting prowess was so astronomical that it was not even funny.

    ..... Or at least, that¡¯s how ordinary people would probably think.

    But I would be troubled if you were to underestimate us. The Tyrannical Twelve Stars were a bunch of the strongest individuals that I (yo) specifically gathered for the purpose of challenging the Goddess.[3]

    I did not include anyone that wouldn¡¯t be able to prevail through this small disadvantage.

    True, if one were to only add up the numerical value of each side¡¯s levels, then the difference between the two was quite significant. After all, even if one were to include me, our side would only be at 7600.

    Inparison, the sum of the opposing side¡¯s levels would easily surpass a few hundred thousand.

    But how unfortunate for them. Our side¡¯sbat power is not additive but multiplicative.

    Now that I (yo) had regained a fragment of my power, the Twelve Stars were finally able to disy their serious side.

    Looking back retrospectively, I did feel sorry for them up until now. Because I was so worthless until now, they were forced to fight while being restricted.

    But now... there¡¯s no need to worry about that anymore. Their chains have already been undone. Therefore......

    "Imand the Tyrannical Stars that obey me. Now is the time to show me your full ability and entertain me!"

    Argonautai? It would be a different story if the elites that had served me two hundred years ago had been summoned, but since Alovenus feared a rebellion and summoned only the average heroes, it¡¯s nothing more than a mishmash gathering of individuals.

    It seemed like the ones that had been obeying the Seven Heroes came out, but.... don¡¯t make meugh. These guys were not even worth counting as part of the enemy¡¯s number.

    I had heard that it had been passed down that theybined their power to defeat me, but that¡¯spletely and utterly wrong.

    The truth was that they¡¯re nothing but a bunch of cowards that stood far, far away in the back and provided supporting fire.

    They were a bunch of terrified weaklings who pushed the role of directly fighting me onto Alioth and the rest whilst they themselves stood at a safe distance and attacked timidly.

    What happened to them in the end again?

    ... Ahh, I remember now. If I recall correctly, because they were such an eyesore, I ended up incinerating the whole bunch.

    "Your feet are shaking, heroes. Even after death, you can¡¯t forget your fear towards me, eh?"

    "Wh, what did y...!"

    "Ahh, by the way... you lot, who are you again? I can¡¯t recall your lot¡¯s faces or names at all. Forgive me, alright? You see, I have a bird brain where I forget the faces of the people that leave no impression on me after three steps."

    "Yo.... y....!?"

    After I ridiculed them, the heroes¡¯ faces warped in anger and shame.

    <i></i>

    Well, I suppose that should be enough for provocation.

    I mean, although I said that, it¡¯s actually a fact that I could not recall their individual faces.

    Truthfully, they were not worthy enough for me to remember them. In the end, they¡¯re just a pack of small fries who raised "only" their levels with the golden apples.

    Did they really think that after being defeated by me 200 years ago, if they showed up thiste in time with their lingering attachments and made a small clique, they would be able to win against me?

    Nothing would change just because they came back from the realm of the dead. It¡¯s a promised feature that reanimated apparitions would be weaker.

    Here, quickly scram.

    "Skill, [Ex Coalesce]."[4]

    Needless to say, when it came to being able to do things that I previously was unable to, I was also the same.

    There were also a number of skills that I previously was not able to use because I did not fulfil the prerequisite for them. Let us unveil the destructive power of one such skill: [Ex Coalesce].

    The usage prerequisite for this skill was that the user must be over level 200 in both the Monster Tamer and Alchemist sses.

    And the effect of this skill was... a fusion of skills.

    For example, let us assume there were two skills and they were both activated at the same time; one would "stun the enemy upon a critical hit," while the other would "always inflict a critical hit".

    The final result would be that the skill¡¯s effect would be changed to "always stun the enemy".

    Originally, it was a skill where the tamer and the magical beast¡¯s skills would be merged together. However, there was no such restriction in this world.

    Back in the game, this skill¡¯s feature would only trigger upon a limited pre-programmed number ofbinations. However, that was also irrelevant in this world. If I thought that it would work, then it would work.

    <i></i>

    <i>I couldn¡¯t care less about the restrictions as specified by the Goddess nor do I have an obligation to follow them. I determine the rules that I have to abide by.</i>

    <i>Observe carefully with your own two eyes, the powers of the Twelve Stars who are finally at the realm they should be.</i>

    <i>.... Okay, Alovenus?</i>

    *

    The moment they received Ruphas¡¯s orders, the Twelve Stars all charged in.

    Their whole bodies were overflowing with power whilst their master¡¯s voice pushed their backs.

    <i>We might lose.</i> - They did not think even for a moment in that way. They had nothing but conviction for their uing victory.

    It was because, behind them stood the absolute existence, the ck-Winged Supreme Ruler. And she hadmanded them to show their full power and entertain her.

    If they could not even answer that expectation, what a joke the title of the Twelve Stars would be. What a joke it would be to im to be her subordinates.

    In front of the enemy forces which numbered many times their own number, Aries and the rest all activated their signature skills without any hesitation whatsoever.

    "Let¡¯s go, Libra, Scorpius!"

    "Don¡¯t order this mistress around!"

    "I¡¯ll match with you!"

    Sagittarius roared and to him, Scorpius and Libra responded.

    In that brief moment, the heroes who were opposing them must have seen it clearly.

    Brightly lit stars forming the constetions of the Archer, the Scale and the Scorpion behind the three of them.

    And those constetions ovepping each other for an instant.

    "Fly!"

    First, Sagittarius fired his arrow, which was grabbed by Libra as it teleported to the middle of the enemy lines.

    Matching the brief moment the enemy¡¯s attention was pulled away by Libra, Scorpius released her [Venomous Breath (Graffias)], covering everyone including Libra with her poison.[5]

    However, this attack did not have any effect on Libra. It was only natural, after all. Libra was a golem and not an organic being to begin with.

    All the heroes, who were inflicted with the poison, were then enclosed by a field of light. What was fired upon them was a st from the Scale.

    A destructive light which did not permit the weak to even bear with it. The name of the skill was -

    "[Brachium]!"[6]

    It was a grand opening initiated by argest scaled annihtion skill being used.

    In the face of the Twelve Stars¡¯ strongest firepower, all enemies with less than 99 999 HP were exterminated without question.

    Absolute defence skills were irrelevant. Absolute evasion skills were not permitted.

    This radiance of destruction was the signature attack of the Guardian of the Sanctuary. It had a higher priority than any other skills and prated through any defence. It was a first-ss skill. It dealt a fixed damage of 99 999 at all times and could not be mitigated by any means.

    With just that attack, the originally countless number of Argonautai were reduced to where only about 20% of them remained. However, even though the attack had ended, there was no time for them to rx and collect themselves.

    "Aigokeros!"

    "We¡¯re going in, Aries!"

    This time, Aries and Aigokeros stood together as if they were protecting each other¡¯s back, ovepping the Ram and Goat constetions atop each other.

    What was being released from Aries¡¯s back was a rainbow-coloured me.

    Those mes were entangled by Aigokeros¡¯s ck waves, turning into a ck me and dispersing into the surroundings.

    The effect of this skill was abination of continuous per cent damage as long as the mes persisted and a curse which rendered the damage unheble on ones affected.

    In other words, not only did this me prate the enemy¡¯s defence, thus able to deal damage upon any enemy, it did not even permit the enemy to heal themselves.

    This was essentially equivalent to destroying the enemy¡¯s maximum HP. Meanwhile, the heroes which were affected by the mes started dropping one after another.

    "What are you doing? There are only a few enemies, you know!"

    "Get on them! Drown them with numbers!"

    The heroes did not just take the beating without doing anything back.

    A bunch of dragons, which were historically known as the strongest race, used their breath attacks whilst the level 1000 Swordmasters used their shing attacks which could even crack the ground apart.

    However, what stood in front of them to block their attacks was the Twelve Star¡¯s wall, Karkinos.

    He used the skill [Covering] to pull in all attacks, stopping them by himself, before proceeding to smile evilly.[7]

    "<i>Wee to hell!</i> Sagittarius, are your preparations done?!"

    "Leave it to me!"

    Sagittarius activated the [Asce] skill and endowed it upon Karkinos.[8]

    At the same time, the constetion of the Crab and the Archer ovepped with one another, causing the reflecting shot to multiply and reflect back on all enemies, including the ones that had not attacked him.

    "[Acubens Extension]!"[9]

    Karkinos multiplied and reflected back the received attacks on all of his enemies.

    Originally, Karkinos could only attack at a melee distance. However, after receiving Ruphas¡¯s push and being enhanced by Sagittarius¡¯s attack, he no longer had such a restriction.

    Karkinos swung his pincers widely, releasing many rays of light that further fragmented into arrows of light, overrunning the enemy camp.

    After this unreasonable attack, the number of heroes was further culled down, yet the nightmare had not yet ended for them.

    After all, the party had just begun.

    "Match with me properly, Karkinos!"

    "<i>OK!</i>"

    Scorpius and Karkinos both readied their pincers simultaneously and proceeded to attack a dragon.

    What happened next was a storm of super-fast sh attacks.

    Stemming from the fact that both of them used the same weapon, they must have nicelyplemented and matched with each other.

    The dragon, which was supposed to have hard scales, was shredded in an instant, turning into miserable pieces of meat.

    "Sagittarius, provide support!"

    "I figured it wasing so I was preparing for it!"

    The next constetions to cross were the Scale and the Archer.

    Libra opened all of her gunports and Sagittarius prepared his bow.

    Then it was fired. A blizzard of arrows and destructive lights.

    Due to the effect of the skill [Asce], the destructive lights and arrows scattered then branched out.

    Several thousand, several tens of thousands of shots burned away at everything in their path.

    "Aigokeros!"

    "Acknowledged!"

    Castor stabbed his beloved Anchor Lance into the ground, causing a tornado to rise up.

    Against all the heroes who were sucked up into the air by the tornado, rays of light came down from above and prated them.

    Yet it still was not the end. Just before theynded back down onto the ground, Aries turned into a giant cluster of mes and charged into them, denying them from evennding back down andunching them back up into the air.

    Following this, Aries fired mes from his palms, took flight and started to kick one enemy after another by repeating the former process.

    Finally, when the enemiesnded back down, there were Libra, Sagittarius, Scorpius, Castor and Aigokeros on standby waiting for them.

    "We will be attacking simultaneously. Is everyone ready?"

    "Who do you think you¡¯re talking to? I¡¯ll turn you into a piece of scrap if you want?"

    "Match my timing!"

    "Let¡¯s clean them up all at the same time!"

    Libra opened her gunports and Scorpius breathed in deeply.

    Aigokeros¡¯s eyes shone and Castor raised his anchor up.

    Aries intensified his mes and Sagittarius readied his bow.

    And when all of those were simultaneously fired, even the heroes who were already long dead felt their impending "deaths".

    "Full Fire!"

    "[Graffias]!"

    "[Deneb Algedi]!"

    "[God Who Possesses Fifty Names]!"[10]

    "[Mesarthim Version 3]!"

    "[Alnasl]!"

    The six attacks mixed and fused with one another due to Ruphas¡¯s skill, turning into a certain-hit aurora attack that prated the enemy camp.

    Meanwhile, Crab-san, who could not initiate an attack on his own, wascking a role to y during this crucial moment. Therefore, for now, he decided to throw a pincer at the enemy.

    Once that ray of light had finished passing through, there were no longer any heroic spirits left.

    The only ones left were the Dragon King and the Fairy Princess who rode on it. Notwithstanding this situation, herposure had not diminished.

    When the Fairy Princess snapped her fingers, all the heroic spirits which were just defeated a moment ago came back to life and then stood in front of the Twelve Stars once again.

    However, seeing this, Ruphas sneered.

    "Hmm. This time, it¡¯s my turn to show off."

    After saying this, she moved her fingers.

    When she did, the heroic spirits, who were just brought to life, rose up into the air at once. Without even able to resist, powerful telekinesis pulled them up and trapped them mid-air.

    Ruphas then held her hand up, gathering mana which shone in a golden colour next to her.

    What it formed was a bow which shone in a golden colour like a sun.

    <i></i>

    .... However, as the size of the bow was ridiculously big, there might be a reason to wonder whether there existed an arrow which could be used with it.

    But it did not necessarily have that an arrow which had to go with this.

    After all, the effect of this skill was quite surprising in that, even though it¡¯s the biggest arcane magic within its attribute, it¡¯s actually not a skill which directly attacked the enemy but instead, could be categorised as a support type.

    Its effect multiplied the power of the next magic activated by a few times. In other words, what should be used with this bow was arcane magic.

    And the rate of the multiplier was determined by the time spent until the activation of the next skill.

    "- [Prophet with the Golden Bow]! And burn them all, [Sr re]!"[11]

    Upon Ruphas¡¯s invocation of the skill, an offensive arcane magic, which was in the upper ranks in terms of destructive power and temperature even amongst the Sun attribute skills, was released.

    A small-scale golden-coloured Sun swallowed up the heroic spirits, passed through the stratosphere in a sh and flew far away into empty space beyond.

    The speed at which it travelled surpassed even the speed of light as it forcibly sent away all the enemies caught up in it to the far end of the sr system.

    No, that was not all that it did. The [Sr re], which was fired, was enhanced by the [Prophet with the Golden Bow] such that even that was amplified.

    This monstrous skill¡¯s diameter surpassed 100m, it surpassed 1km, it surpassed 10 km and even surpassed 100km. Although it did not reach the extent of the real Sun, it possessed overwhelming heat and gravity, bing a small-scaled-sized pseudo-star.

    A countless number of natural satellites,ets ands in its path were destroyed and pulled apart and eventually, after escaping the sr system and travelling further beyond into faraway space, exploded.

    Even if they were the Argonautai, after getting hit by such an attack, they were unable to survive.

    Sr re alone had already vaporised many of them, yet there was the added effect of being carried far into space and being caught up in a small-scale sun¡¯s explosion at the end.

    There were a few brave individuals who had an HP surpassing the value of 99 999. In fact, out of the dragon race, 90% of them had an HP stat surpassing 100 000.

    But even still.

    Even still, they were erased by a single attack.

    "Now then, haven¡¯t you had enough, Goddess? No matter how many enemies you gather, you wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat me, you know?"

    "I suppose that is indeed so. Seriously, you really are such an astounding monster. To even be able to ignore the damage cap, what kind of logic is this?"

    What the Goddess had just said was exactly the correct response to the unreasonable event that had just taken ce.

    Exactly, Ruphas, who had activated [Alkaid], was able to ignore the maximum limit of damage one could deal at once.

    In the Goddess¡¯s eyes, she was able to clearly see the several hundreds of thousands of damage dealt to the heroic spirits in numerical values.

    Notwithstanding that, her rxedposure did not copse. She had a reason why it did not need to copse away.

    "However, I hope you haven¡¯t forgotten? There existed heroes that managed to defeat even you."

    Pollux smiled warmly and proceeded to summon once again.

    But this time, what she summoned were not ordinary soldiers like the previous times.

    They were the four stars that rivalled even Ruphas in terms of brightness.

    They possessed a reputation which was in line with that of the Vampire Princess. They were the strongest of heroes in history, who had managed to put a stop to the Supreme Ruler¡¯s ambitions 200 years ago.

    First to appear was a peerless warrior who was d in armour.

    He had mastered all sorts of sword skills such that when it came to the ability to handle the sword, he was reputed to even surpass Ruphas. He was the Sword King, Alioth.

    The next to rise up was a giant bear beastkin, Dubhe, whose body was enveloped in white hair.

    The third was an individual in full body armor known to be Midgard¡¯s greatest alchemist, Mizar.

    Thest to appear was a small-framed individual known as the Adventure King, Phecda, who possessed a battle prowess contrary to his small appearance.

    All four of them were formerly known as part of the Seven Heroes.

    They returned to thend of the living once more and pointed their sword tips at Ruphas.

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_778" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-778" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-778" ss="wp-caption-text">Illustration from Volume 6 of AWLBA Light Novel</figcaption></figure>

    __

    (Author note)

    Mizar: "Mine is an axe, you know."

    Dubhe: "Bare handed bear~."

    Phecda: "It¡¯s actually a bow and arrow."

    Incorrect: They returned to thend of the living once more and pointed their sword tips at Ruphas.

    Correct: They returned to thend of the living once more and only Alioth pointed his sword tip at Ruphas.

    Alioth: "Can you stop doing things like thattt already!? It looks like I¡¯m the only fool that¡¯s being controlleddd!?"

    [The One Who Left First (Alkaid)]

    An original skill that did not exist back in X-Gate Online.

    Can also be used by Bnash.

    By breaking past the level 1000 cap set by the Goddess, the maximum limit of the level bes infinity, thereby allowing the user to disy their true battle prowess which was previously suppressed by the system.

    Furthermore, due to the activation of the skill, the upper limit of the damage dealt shoots up, therefore it bes possible to deal up to 999 999 damage. However, the damage of the real Ruphas in her prime was not this measly.

    Originally, it was a skill which would allow the user to bring about 100% of their power, however, because the all-important "Ruphas" had forgotten her real full power, she only increased up to level 1500.

    (If she unleashes her full power, she will increase to above 4000.)

    In other words, even right now, she is stillpletely leagues away from her prime. What is wrong with this monster?

    Although this is irrelevant, 200 years ago, this skill did not have a name. It only gained the name Alkaid after the battle with B.

    In respect to Bnash, Ruphas named it [Alkaid] which is another name for Eta Ursae Majoris of the Ursa Major, Big Dipper asterism.

    Demerit: It destroys the world¡¯s system and ovees any existing boundaries, therefore, it ces quite a significant burden on the world.

    Using game-rted terms, it would be something like one person using so much data that it startsgging in one go.

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] From this point onwards, I/my/me is written with "yo".

    [2] Tp: But Blutgang is not even close... So the author didn¡¯t ount for Astraea to travel to Libra, either that, or it teleports :X

    Va: Yes, it¡¯s basically Gundam Seed, where they shoot out dockable parts from the mother ship (even though it¡¯s nowhere near the gundam... Blutgang is nowhere near here.)

    [3] Since above, it¡¯s the "real" Ruphas that¡¯s narrating. Also... the author¡¯s inconsistency with naming the Twelve Heavenly Stars is driving me crazy...

    [4] Ex Coalesce (¥¨¥¯¥¹¥³¥¢¥ì¥¹)

    [5] Venomous Breath (Graffias) (ÃÍ¶¾¤Î¥Ö¥ì¥¹ (¥°¥é¥Õ¥£¥¢¥¹))

    [6] Brachium (¥Ö¥é¥­¥¦¥à)

    [7] Covering (¥«¥Ð©`¥ê¥ó¥°)

    [8] Asce (¥¢¥¹¥±¥é)

    [9] Acubens Extension (¥¢¥¯¥Ù¥ó¥¹?¥¨¥¯¥¹¥Æ¥ó¥·¥ç¥ó)

    [10] God Who Possesses Fifty Names (ÎåÊ®¤ÎÃû¤ò³Ö¤ÄÉñ) is possibly a reference to Marduk who was mentioned in Enuma Elish as having fifty names.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marduk".

    "".

    [11] Sr re (¥½©`¥é©`¥Õ¥ì¥¢)

    Prophet with the Golden Bow (½ð¤Î¹­·¬¤¨¤ëÓèÑÔÕß) is possibly a reference to the Greek god Apollo, who has a golden bow and is associated with prophecies.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo".

    __

 Chapter 130

    Chapter 130 - Alioth Used Swords Dance[1]

    Raw link: (2016/11/06)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2019/12/03)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2019/12/21)

    Editor 2: Keii (2019/12/24)

    Trantion link:

    __

    <strong>Merry Christmas everyone.</strong> Here is a bonus chapter for you.

    __

    (Author note)

    The story up until now

    Sagittarius: "Because master¡¯s strongest arcane magic is a bow, the value of my existence is disappearing at a super-fast speed. If it¡¯s like this, Ruphas-sama might as well take the title of the [Archer]? ...... Wait...? If that¡¯s the case, what¡¯s going to be of me? The Supreme Ruler¡¯s seat that became empty? I am... the ck-winged Supreme Ruler.... I am actually Ruphas-sama, all this time....?"

    Libra: "He¡¯s taken quite massive damage it seems..."

    (Author note end)

    __

    (<strong><i>TLN: This whole chapter¡¯s "I/my/me" is written (in kanji) as "yo" and first time it appears, it is superscripted with "ore". Interpret that how you will.</i></strong>)

    "You lot are..."

    At that moment, I (yo+ore) was feeling surprised and nostalgic.

    The four men that stood in front of me were a human, a beastkin, a hobbit and a dwarf respectively.

    Even though I should not have known the appearances of the people who were pointing their weapons at me, the "Ruphas" inside of me registered that she knew of them.

    At the same time, I felt a wave of burning anger.

    I quickly regained myposure and held back my anger... however, just by seeing their appearances, I ended up clenching my fist tightly.

    I was not particrly angry about the fact that I was defeated by them. I was also not feeling resentful towards them.

    But, why was it? Why? Just by seeing their miserable appearances, I was overflowing with fury.

    Why was it that, just by seeing their appearances of being controlled along with their empty eyes, I was feeling this disheartened?

    "Tsk!"

    After kicking the ground away, the swordsman - Alioth - stepped in front of me in a sh.

    Ruphas received the sword he swung down with her bare hand using [Knife-hand Strike]. However, the de ate into her hand causing blood to start overflowing from the cut.[2]

    <i>Tsk...! I guess it¡¯s to be expected of someone who is called the Sword King by others. It cut quite nicely.</i>

    I moved my arm away to deflect the sword, plucked a single feather out of my ck wings then threw it as if to stab at Alioth¡¯s eyes.

    Subsequently, I back-stepped once to create some distance between us then treated the wound on my hand.

    Meanwhile, Alioth also pulled out the feather from his eye as if nothing serious had happened and regenerated the wound in his eye.

    "I was wondering who it was going to be, but it¡¯s just a bunch of despicable traitors.....! I see, you¡¯re going to oppose Ruphas-sama again? Not just once, but for the second time....! I¡¯ll kill you... kill, kill, kill kill killkill!"

    After screaming in a fit of anger, the one who slid past me to charge at the heroes was Scorpius.

    No, it was not just her.

    With rage-filled expressions, Aries and Aigokeros also charged towards Phecda, Dubhe and Mizar respectively.

    <i>Not good... their coordination has copsed!</i>

    "Calm down, you lot! You¡¯re moving exactly how they want you to!"

    "Fufu, it is a reversal of the situation."

    Pollux smiled as if to ridicule my agitation whilst Alioth jumped in to attack me.

    Although I managed to dodge his attack, this time, one of the Dragon King¡¯s heads opened its mouth to try and swallow me whole.

    I somehow managed to avoid that attack in thest second as well, but the Dragon King had more than one head. The other nine remaining heads simultaneously breathed out breath attacks which engulfed me.

    Needless to say, I had no obligation to take that attack like a sitting duck.

    I folded my wings like I was covering myself, then opened them quickly in one go. From that action, a strong wind pressure blew the breath attack away, during which I charged in to sh at the Dragon King.

    However, the immediate moment before my attack hit the Dragon King, Alioth stepped in between us, managing to stop my attack.

    <i>I suppose this situation is really not in my favour. Even in my current state with [Alkaid] activated, to fight against the Dragon King and Alioth who are both being backed by the Goddess is quite tough.</i>

    "Ruphas-sama!"

    "Now, now. I need to have you guys continue to fight against them."

    <i>Libra and the rest... are not avable, as expected. They have their hands full against the Argonautai.</i>

    <i>If anything, they should be the ones who really need the help since they¡¯re up against that many enemies.</i>

    <i>Then there¡¯s only one hand that I can y. I have no option but to quickly take care of the Dragon King and Alioth.</i>

    I strongly pped my wings and positioned myself to Alioth¡¯s nk before trying to aim at his neck with a w attack.

    However, in that instant, I saw an old memory where "Ruphas" and Alioth were enjoying their time together and telling each other their dreams.

    "....Tsk!"

    After missing the best opportunity that I had, I could only cease the attack and create some distance between us.

    <i>Shit... what was that just now...?</i>

    <i>For a moment, it was as if my body hesitated to kill Alioth.</i>

    <i>No, perhaps it was exactly just that.</i>

    <i>I (yo+ore) can say this exactly because we¡¯ve already merged quite a lot, but... "Ruphas" seems to be someone who¡¯s extremely nice and easy-going to those who are close to her. You could say that she¡¯s deeplypassionate or sentimental.</i>

    <i>In all likelihood, it¡¯s due to her not being able to ever receive love from her father when she was still young. Once she registers someone as close to her, she pampers them to no end and lets slides most of their mischievous deeds.</i>

    <i>That¡¯s why she can¡¯t help but subconsciously hesitate for an instant when I¡¯m about to attack.</i>

    <i>And in a battle at this level, that moment of hesitation is fatal. It bes a massive opportunity.</i>

    <i>In our battles, slipping the opponent the slightest moment of hesitation equates to unequivocally giving the enemy yer one free turn in gaming terms.</i>

    <i>This might be... quite bad?</i>

    "It is just like that time. Even though you can win if you fight seriously, you are unable to give it your all. It can even be called the one and only weakness that you have."

    "..... Apparently so."

    In response to Pollux¡¯s words, I unconsciously showed a self-ridiculing smile.

    <i></i>

    <i>Ahh, really, I didn¡¯t think that I would have such a dumb weakness.</i>

    <i>To not know myself is quite a big handicap, isn¡¯t it? Thanks to that, one of my shorings had to surface at a critical time like this.</i>

    <i>I didn¡¯t know... that I was weak against someone that I had be attached to.</i>

    <i>If there was a significant difference in our abilities, there wouldn¡¯t really be an issue, but Alioth is not a random small-fry.</i>

    <i></i>

    "Ruphaaassssss!"

    This time, the Dragon King came charging at me whilst calling me with a deeply resentful voice.

    <i>You still feel resentment towards me even though you no longer retain your own psyche, eh? What a troublesome guy you are.</i>

    It was definitely something when a 170m-long body charged at me. However, it was not at the level where I could not stop it.

    I was forced backwards as I pushed against the Dragon King¡¯s head. Although the ground below me was shaved away by this, the Dragon King¡¯s charge itself was halted.

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_803" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-803" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-803" ss="wp-caption-text">Illustration (reused) from AWLBA light novel. Illustration used previously in volume 4.</figcaption></figure>

    "Gu..... o ooo!"

    Subsequently, I strengthened the grip on one of my hands and took hold of the Dragon King¡¯s horn. Then, using nothing but pure physical force, I spun him around in a circle andunched him into the air.

    However, the Dragon King stopped himself in mid-air and countered by firing breath attacks at me from all ten of his mouths.

    The breath attacks mixed with each other to form a single ray which then came pouring towards my direction.

    <i></i>

    <i>Dodge - no, I can¡¯t. If something like that hits the ground directly, Midgard will be destroyed!</i>

    <i>Even assuming it doesn¡¯t get destroyed, it¡¯ll no doubt erase the whole of the humanoids¡¯ domain!</i>

    <i></i>

    "Guuoooooooo!"

    I clenched my fist tightly and directly punched the breath attack from the front.

    The Dragon King dodged the reflected breath attack, whilst the chunk of energy thatbined seven different attributes disappeared into the horizon far away.

    Although the cmity was somehow avoided, it was as impactful as I had expected.

    The skin on my hands was burnt away and blood was gushing out of it.

    I would be able to fully recover if I were to use a recovery skill. Furthermore, it was not the time to be worrying about the pain.

    <i></i>

    <i>Nevertheless, even assuming that it was a makeshift one, to think that this fist that had managed to shatter a meteorite and was still left unscathed would be hurt... It hurts my self-confidence a little bit, you know?</i>

    "Haaaaaaaaaa!"

    In any event, there was no time to be daydreaming.

    That was because, this time, Alioth closed the distance and swung his sword down from above.

    I avoided his sword and opened an X-Gate, taking out the whip sword that I regrly used.

    Using my beloved sword, I stopped Alioth¡¯s sh attack, then proceeded to counterattack with the de.

    <i>- Consecutive Attack Skill, [Quick Raid]! </i>

    I unleashed a storm of shes at Alioth using a skill which prioritised speed at its foremost. It was a skill where in exchange for a lowered attack power in its individuals strikes, the gaps in its motions were reduced. If utilised well, the skill allowed the user to continuously hit the enemy.

    But strangely, the skill that Alioth activated was also exactly the same.

    The many sword shes that we both unleashed shed with each other¡¯s, generating a gravitational field between us due to their power and the sheer number of shes.

    <i>But mine are superior in both power and speed. So I can force my way through.</i>

    <i>Exactly... I should be able to force it through... so... don¡¯t think about the olden times.</i>

    <i>Even though I know that things like the smiles from bygone days only make the sword that I¡¯m holding dull... it¡¯s just stuck in my head and won¡¯t go away!</i>

    "Guu!?"

    The one who was forced back, in the end, was me.

    I was pushed back by Alioth¡¯s sword shes and my sword and my whole body were blown away.

    And to that scene, as if to deal a follow-up finishing blow, the Dragon King¡¯s foot closed in on me from the top.

    I quickly crossed my arms in front of me in thest second to receive the attack. However, in the face of its great impact, the ground below me caved in.

    My arms... were fine. They did not end up breaking.

    But the position and the posture that I was in was bad. If one were to ask me what was so bad about it, it was that my movements werepletely restricted, so the fact that I would not be able to prevent Alioth¡¯s next attack was what was bad above all else.

    "Owhhhhhh!"

    Alioth pulled his sword up and closed in on me.

    If I were to receive this uing attack, even I would not be able to get away without receiving a severe wound.

    As that was the case, I could only switch to prioritise preventing his attack whilst allowing myself to take damage from the Dragon King¡¯s stomping attack.

    I still had some leeway with how much HP I had left. Although it would be quite detrimental, it would not be fatal.

    <i>Okay... I¡¯ll match the timing and somehow....</i>

    - At that precise moment, something blew the Dragon King away, then, without losing any momentum, stepped in between me and Alioth and stopped his sword sh with their bare hands.

    ".... Huh?"

    That was exactly what you would call the sh of a moment.

    The instant I registered that I saw a silvery shiny thing pass before me, it was there in front of me.

    The hair which was fluttering was silver in colour.

    The robe that it wore was jet-ck.

    Its skin was as white as fresh snow, yet its height could by no means be called tall.

    However, the appearance of it stopping Alioth¡¯s sword by pinching them using two fingertips and without any effort made it seem extremely big in my eyes.

    ".... Mafahl, what exactly are you doing? After winning against me, how could you be having a hard time against some spirits of the past.....?"

    "You¡¯re....."

    The colour of the eyes that turned back to look towards me was crimson.

    Fangs protruded from the openings of her mouth and her face overflowed with absolute confidence in respect to her own abilities.

    She sent Alioth flying away with a kick just as if she was kicking away a small pebble on the side of the road then stared daggers at me.

    "I believe I¡¯ve already told you! That if there everes a time you¡¯re to be defeated by someone else, I¡¯lle punching you even if I have toe back from thend of the dead. The one who will kill you is me, the Vampire Princess Bnash. Don¡¯t ever forget that!"

    She was the high-strung Vampire Princess who even swatted away the Goddess¡¯s invitation. And right now, she was standing right in front of me looking the same as ever.

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_769" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-769" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-769" ss="wp-caption-text">Illustration from AWLBA light novel ¨C Bnash</figcaption></figure>

    *

    Aries was locked in the middle of a struggling battle.

    From the very beginning, his status was not high.

    After all, even if he had been pulled up to level 1000, his enemy was the Beast King Dubhe, who was one of the Seven Heroes that were said to rival even Ruphas if they were to be of the same level.

    The beast without an ego of its own was showing the whites of its eyes and whilst drooling, was going berserk with its wild animalistic nature in full effect.

    "<i>B E A A A A A A A A A </i>r!!"

    It was a series of attacks which relied heavily on his beastly strength.

    Notwithstanding that, they were not attacks that relied entirely on raw power. As he was half-man half-beast, his attacks were apanied by a proper form.

    Nevertheless, Aries also did not have the intention to run away. Even if he could forgive everyone else, the Seven Heroes alone were people that he could not forgive.

    He could not forget about the fact that even though they had his master¡¯s trust, they ended up betraying her.

    "Haaaaaa!"

    Aries and Dubhe¡¯s arms and legs repeatedly shed with each other at a high speed, creating small fireworks upon impact which spilled over into the surroundings.

    Fist strike, back-hand strike, elbow strike, knee kick, spinning kick... a high-speed melee battle urred between the two of them, both being inflicted with damage.

    Needless to say, Mesarthim was being used.

    Just by being in close proximity to each other like how they currently were, Dubhe was no doubt taking continuous damage and suffering burns all over his body.

    But Dubhe swung his ws around as if he did not even notice that fact, managing to carve a wound on Aries¡¯s body.

    "<i>B E A A A A</i>!"

    Aries crouched down to avoid Dubhe¡¯s strong arms and swept at Dubhe¡¯s legs.

    When Dubhe lost his footing and became unstable, Aries kicked him upwards then flew into the air himself to give chase.

    Aries flew past the flying Dubhe then spun around. Using his fire-enveloped leg like a whip, he executed an axe kick onto Dubhe.

    However, a moment before the attacknded, Dubhe disappeared from the spot then instantly appeared behind Aries,unching Aries away with a kick of his own.

    "Gha!?"

    Aries crashed into the ground, yet he did not stop there. The momentum continued to push him further, drilling a deep hole into the earth.

    Nevertheless, Aries quickly pulled himself together and as if he had swum through the ground, popped up behind Dubhe who hadnded back down on the ground.

    Aries then grabbed the back of Dubhe¡¯s head who had failed to react to Aries¡¯s sudden appearance and mmed it down.

    However, using his fearsome strength, Dubhe forcibly stood back up before flipping his body backwards to sandwich Aries between himself and the ground.

    The ground below them shattered and blood dripped down from Aries¡¯s mouth.

    But this time, it was Aries¡¯s turn tomence a counterattack.

    In retaliation to Dubhe, Ariesnded multiple kicks on his back.

    So this time, it was Dubhe¡¯s turn to leak blood out from his mouth. Despite the circumstances, he immediately threw Aries away with a shoulder throw.

    Although Aries tried to quickly get back up, Dubhe¡¯s foot stomped on Aries, causing a dull sound.

    Then a second time, a third time, a fourth time.

    With an impact strength high enough to cave the ground below them with each stomp, Aries¡¯s resistance gradually got weaker and weaker.

    Then in came the fifth stomp as a finishing blow.

    In a dazed state, Aries could only watch/look on as Dubhe¡¯s foot came down on him. However, in the next moment, Dubhe was sent flying out of his field of vision.

    Correction, he was punched away.

    ".... Eh?"

    The back of the person who came into Aries¡¯s view belonged to a bulky and muscrrge man.

    His hair was a deep dark red and his body was enveloped in a ck bodysuit.

    His massive log-like arms were bulging with veins, whilst he himself was emitting, without any attempt to hide it, an animalistic nature that was even greater than Duhbe¡¯s.

    "Yo, aren¡¯t cha having a sad and pitiful fight.... Aries?"

    The name of the one who stood in front of Aries and mocked him... The Tyrannical Twelve Stars, Leon of the [Lion].

    __

    (Author note)

    Miracle Carnival

    Hasmenced

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_1390" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1390" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-1390" ss="wp-caption-text">Illustration from AWLBA Chapter 130 raw. I just screenshot it because I don¡¯t feel like formatting this.</figcaption></figure>

    This battlefield had lined up Ruphas, Pollux (possessed by the Goddess), the Dragon King, Alioth, Phecda, Dubhe and Mizar.

    If I don¡¯t assemble them now, when else should I assemble them?

    Let¡¯s chuck Bnash and Leon in there too....! Overwhelming battle prowess.....!

    Fight with each other, fight with each other...... all of you high-level peeps....!

    People of Laegjarn: "Don¡¯t fight near usssssssss!!!"

    Sei: "Individually, they¡¯re already crazy dangerous, and now, they¡¯re all gathered together.... £Ü(^o^)£¯"

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] "".

    [2] Knife-hand Strike (ÊÖµ¶)

    __

 Chapter 131

    Chapter 131 - Bnash¡¯s Attack That Dug a Hole

    Raw link: (2016/11/07)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2019/12/08)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2019/12/24)

    Editor 2: Keii (2019/12/26)

    Trantion link:

    __

    __

    __

    When Bnash opened her eyes, she was in her own familiar room, within her coffin (bed).

    However, do not be too quick to ridicule it just because it was a coffin. After all, the coffin was a first-ss luxury item specifically made for her and was iid with a top-tier quilt stuffed with feathers that was crafted by the kingdom¡¯s alchemists so that she would be able to pass her time infort. It was one of Bnash¡¯s favourite items.

    However, that was not the issue currently. The issue was that she had just woken up as per normal.

    The reason was because she had challenged Ruphas to the best of her abilities, lost, then should have died...

    "Ohhh, you have awakened, Princess!?"

    The one who noticed straight away and reacted to Bnash¡¯s awakening was a vampire who had been serving her for the past few hundred years.

    That vampire was an individual who had been alive since the transformation of the first progenitor of the vampire race and had sworn eternal loyalty to the race. Right now, this living witness of the olden times had a slightly distorted face full of wrinkles and was joyful from the bottom of his heart that his master had opened her eyes.

    Furthermore, after hearing him speak, ten vampires came charging into the room with just enough speed so that the doors were not smashed into pieces.

    The ten of them were survivors from the battle 200 years ago and each individual possessed enough power to destroy a kingdom on their own.

    They were a group named "The Ten Blood Ancestors" and it was needlessly evident that they were created and named whilst being conscious of Ruphas¡¯s "Tyrannical Twelve Stars".[1]

    Bnash was looking at their faces which were overflowing with endless joy, but there was only confusion and a multitude of questions inside her head.

    ".... Why am I alive?"

    The attack that she had received at the end of that battle was, without a doubt, fatal.

    She had, without mistake, been impaled through her heart.

    However unparalleled Bnash¡¯s regenerative ability was, with her heart impaled, she should not have been able to stay alive.

    She had definitely sensed her life slipping away along with the blood which dripped out of her.

    She could recall how she became numb, starting from her fingertips, and that lethargic feeling as if she was slowly sinking down into a deep darkness.

    She had believed that if there ever came a time when she next opened her eyes, it would be in thend of the dead, and if such a world did truly exist, she was thinking that she would give Alioth and the rest who had passed away before her a good punch.

    Yet why was it that she was still alive and in the ce where she currently was?

    "It is because of Amrita, mydy. The ultimate spirit medicine which cures the consumer regardless of their wounds or sicknesses and even resurrects the dead. Ruphas-sama had administered that medicine to you before you passed away."

    "What? But I don¡¯t remember her doing something like that...."

    Whilst saying as such, Bnash thought back to the events of that time.

    Wait. Was there really nothing?

    Was there not actually something that happened, that she could think of?

    Yes, exactly, that happened shortly after she had asked Ruphas to hold her... she recalled that there was some kind of fluid which flowed within her mouth.

    At the time, she had believed that it was her own blood...[2]

    "..."

    <i>......... She got me.</i>

    <i>While I was fragilely and uncharacteristically asking to be embraced at the time, Ruphas was nonchntly shoving amrita into my mouth.</i>

    <i>Waa, how embarrassing. What an incredibly stupid scene.</i>

    <i>Not to mention, this meant that even though Ruphas knew that I was going to be saved, she was ying along with me.</i>

    Bnash¡¯s face was dyed red in no time and she trembled in embarrassment.

    She was terribly regretful of the fact that she had run her mouth and said embarrassing things such as "hold me" and "thank you" thinking that it was the end of the line for her.

    ".... t out."

    "Princess?"

    "Everyone, get outtt-!"

    It was a brilliant showcase of someone venting at a bystander.

    Her subordinates werepletely uninvolved and innocent. There was no reason for her to be angry towards them.

    However, at that moment, Bnash just felt like venting at anyone she could find.

    She kicked all of her subordinates out of the room then closed the coffin¡¯s lid and holed herself up inside.

    Yet, even then, she could not get rid of the bashfulness, thus she rolled around inside in anguish.

    The coffin which was specifically made for her was actually fairly wide.

    "~~~~!!"

    She rolled herself in her (Japanese) bedding and screamed voicelessly inside the coffin.

    <i>Embarrassing, sooo embarrassing!</i>

    <i>Just then, Ruphas must have beenughing at me inside.</i>

    <i>No, maybe she was actuallyughing.</i>

    <i>I remember that, sometimes, she actually had that kind of nasty personality.</i>

    <i>And I was so uncool, sooo uncool!</i>

    <i>"Thank you..." dammit!</i>

    <i>... I want to go back to the past right now and punch myself! And while I¡¯m at it, I want to punch Ruphas like 100 times.</i>

    <i>No, 100 times is not good enough. I have to take a mounting position and punch her like 10 000 times.</i>

    - On this day, the history of the Vampire Princess was scarred by an unerasable ck mark.

    That scar would remain on her for eternity and would serve as the fuel to fire her goal of defeating Ruphas.

    By the time she had finally managed to make aeback from the "damage" that she had suffered and get out of her coffin, a whole full day¡¯s worth of time had already passed.

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_763" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-763" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-763" ss="wp-caption-text">Illustration from AWLBA light novel ¨C Chibi B and Ruphas</figcaption></figure>

    *

    Bnash crossed her arms in front of Ruphas and stared at her with an angered expression due to the fact that her rival was, of all things, somehow getting cornered by someone other than herself.

    It was the same as 200 years ago. Even though Ruphas had made a promise to battle with her, Ruphas made a blunder and ended up being sealed away. And this time, even after Ruphas had won against her, she was getting cornered by mere spirits.

    <i>Yeah, I know already. It¡¯s just me getting angry on my own. I was the one who raised the bar on my own and now that things didn¡¯t go the way I wanted them to, I became angry on my own. I realise that¡¯s no different from a tantrum disyed by a child and that I¡¯m just putting my own selfish and unreasonable expectations onto others.</i>

    However, emotion and reason were two different things. It just so happened that Bnash had ended up prioritising her emotions.

    That was why she could not stand it. That was why she was angry. She wanted to shout, "What the hell are you doing!?"

    Therefore, she opened her mouth to try and say one or two of herints... but before she could do so, Ruphas spoke up first.

    "You saved me there, B. Honestly, that was quite a dangerous situation."

    The Ruphas who said this to her with a warm smile did not have a speck of surprise for the current situation where Bnash suddenly appeared alive and well.

    And it was only natural. It was Ruphas who had made Bnash drink the amrita, as such, it must have been within her considerations that Bnash would show up in front of her again sooner orter.

    To begin with, there was no way Ruphas would kill Bnash in the first ce.

    It was because Bnash was someone who was effectively like a guardian that allowed the humanoids to continue existing. Furthermore, Ruphas was not someone who was unable to understand the consequences of what would happen if such an individual was to be killed.

    Due to Ruphas¡¯s reaction, Bnash lost her initiative and even forgot theints that she was going to say, so instead, she looked away from Ruphas with a pout.

    "Don¡¯t be mistaken. It¡¯s not like I came here with the purpose of helping you or anything. I just don¡¯t like the idea that you might get beaten by someone other than me."

    Bnash looked away from Ruphas and directed her gaze towards Alioth and the rest once more.

    And when she did, what she felt was... ¡ª Disappointment. Anger.

    <i></i>

    <i>Mafahl is too, but beyond that, what the hell is with these guys? What exactly are you doing in this ce?</i>

    <i>Even after you kept crying and saying that you made a mistake after what happened 200 years ago, it¡¯se to this again. Are you nning to repeat the cycle all over again?</i>

    "But beyond that... what¡¯s not to my liking is... you guys, dead spirits. It¡¯s said that stupidity won¡¯t be cured until death, but for you guys, even after death, you¡¯re not cured of your stupidity."

    Bnash had never once regretted the road she had chosen.

    Although she had just recently regretted the embarrassing words she had spoken, she would still never regret the choices she had made. It was because that would be a betrayal to herself.

    Therefore, regardless of the oue that resulted from her decision, she would ept it and move forward. Whether that was good or bad, it was the way she chose to live her life.

    As such, she disdained Alioth and the rest. And she disdained the one who manipted Alioth and the rest even more.

    She was annoyed at the ones who were doing something whilst knowing they wouldtere to regret it, and as for the one who was making them do it, they werepletely out of the question.

    "I originally came with the n of punching Mafahl... but there¡¯s been a change of ns. I can¡¯t bear to look at you guys right now. Before you guys can do anything more unsightly, I¡¯ll send you guys back to hell."

    "B."

    "Move, Mafahl. You¡¯re being postponed."

    Bnash¡¯s crimson eyes were filled with anger.

    What exactly was that anger directed towards...? Was it perhaps directed at the disappointing Alioth and the rest?

    Or perhaps it was anger towards the Goddess for ying with the individuals who once stood side-by-side with her as heroes even after their deaths?

    Or just maybe, it was both of those reasons, or maybe even for apletely different reason. For Bnash, it did not matter which of those options it was.

    What was important was the emotion that she was feeling at that moment. Reason and logic would follow shortly afterwards.

    <i>I will crush them to a pulp</i> - right now, that was her form of justice as indicated by her heart.

    That justice might have been derived from Bnash simply not liking what Alioth and the rest were doing, thus she wanted to punch them. It also might have been derived from her feeling of wanting to liberate them.

    But yet again, for Bnash, even the underlying reason for why it was her justice was irrelevant. It was because regardless of whatever reason it might have been, it did not change what she had to do.

    Bnash kicked the ground.

    Just from her taking a single step, the surface of the gouged in, changing the terrain, whilst the Vampire Princess herself became a silver shooting star which assaulted the heroes.

    By dting the time she experienced to the extreme, the time around her effectively ceased moving such that everything except for light was unable to enter the world she was in, turning it into a world where the flow of time was as close to zero as possible.

    In terms of speed, she was moving at over Mach 400 000. At half the speed of light, that was a world which operated near light speed.[3] That was the domain Bnash resided in.

    And since she had matched her perception of time to that speed, if an ordinary person were to live for a duration of one second, she would have been able to manoeuvre for one year¡¯s worth of time.

    However, her opponents were the Seven Heroes. Alioth barely but somehow managed to reach the same world as her as he swung his sword.

    "Different, huh."

    - sh.

    Bnash¡¯s ws sliced off one of Alioth¡¯s arms, and without even looking back, she moved on to attack the Beast King.

    Dubhe, who had previously gotten blown away by Leon, was down on his knee, however, after sensing Bnash¡¯s bloodlust, he proceeded to try and receive her attack.

    Dubhe howled and mmed down his strong arms filled with beastly strength.

    Nevertheless, Bnash decided to take that attack head-on. Subsequently, she used her thin arms to stop Dubhe.

    Due to the strength of the two of them, the ground below them caved in, whilst the two of them stopped moving.

    A short contest of strength ensued... What followed was Dubhe¡¯s arms losing in strength against those of Bnash¡¯s as he was lifted up by her.

    "You¡¯re also different."

    A single sh of her silvery ws.

    A red flower bloomed whilst one of Dubhe¡¯s arms danced in the air.

    The next to be targeted was Mizar who was locked in a battle against Aigokeros.

    Mizar immediately created multipleyers of strong walls and attempted to prevent Bnash¡¯s attack, however, she charged right into those steel walls from the front, shattered them and cut his feet off. Phecda quickly fled the scene, nevertheless, she easily caught up to him and gouged his torso out.

    "You and you too!"

    The silver shooting star rapidly flew around.

    Its movement was so fast that it even left the concept of time far behind itself whilst disallowing Alioth and the others from even touching it.

    Correction, even if they were able to touch it, there would not be any significant damage done to it.

    It was because if one wished to defeat her, they would have to continually deal attacks which out-damaged her abnormally high regenerative abilities.

    Within a decasecond, the Sword King¡¯s de shed a hundred times.

    The Beast King fiercely punched with a speed so fast that his fist looked like it multiplied.

    The Smith King transmuted so many des that it fully covered the sky like rain.

    The Adventure King¡¯s storm of arrows reached its intended destination before sound could do so.

    All of those attacks only ever managed to hit Bnash¡¯s afterimage, creating aical scene where nothing hit anything.

    "Too slow, too lukewarm, too dull! What exactly are you ying at? This is so ridiculous, I can¡¯t even say anything. This is boring. You lot, when did you... When did you guys all be this much of a wimp?!"

    The Vampire Princess howled.

    Alioth and the rest were not weak. If anything, now that they had the backing of the Goddess, their statuses were superior to what they previously had.

    However, they were empty. Their hearts were not into it. They had no bloodlust.

    With the way things were, they were no different from dolls which had copied their abilities and movements. As if such worthless toys would be able to take the Vampire Princess down.

    At that moment, Bnash used her arm to purposefully catch Alioth¡¯s attack which he swung down with all of his might, letting the de sink into her bones.

    Looking at this scene, Bnash felt a sense of disappointment. She even almost felt sad.

    <i>Even though you devoted your whole life to your sword and that devotion was strong enough for me to recognise you, look at you now.</i>

    <i>To not even be able to take off my arm which I presented to you, how truly pitiful you have be.</i>

    "How pitiful, Alioth. If you were as you were before, you would have cut my arm away and probably would have sliced right down to my waist from my shoulder just then."

    At this moment, Dubhe punched Bnash.

    For this as well, Bnash decided to purposefully receive it with one of her arms.

    The bones in her hand cracked and turned in an angle it should not have.

    Yet, she only felt disappointment and nothing more.

    "The strength of the Beast King who¡¯s able to shatter the greatnd is only this much, huh. If you were the Beast King that I knew back then, you would have at least sttered my arm just now."

    Bnash sighed like she was exasperated from the bottom of her heart and moved to counterattack.

    Against Alioth, she used the half amputated arm.

    Against Dubhe, she used the arm which was shattered.

    She punched and sent them flying, shattering Alioth¡¯s sword and breaking his sternum, and pulverising Dubhe¡¯s arm and caving his skull in.

    Seeing what happened, Phecda quickly nocked his arrows and rapidly fired them repeatedly.

    Nevertheless, Bnash closed the distance between them directly from the front, again, without bothering to defend or dodge the attack.

    The arrow dug directly into her eyeball whilst the arrow which touched her fingers shredded them.

    Nheless, she was not perturbed. As if everything that had happened was unrted to her, the ces that were shredded instantaneously regenerated back whilst she came to stand before Phecda.

    "What¡¯s wrong? You can¡¯t even pierce through a single body like mine? Your fame as the master of the bow, who could even pierce the Dragon King, is crying.."

    One shot of a knee kick.

    With just that, Phecda¡¯s ribs were shattered. Furthermore, those shattered bones lodged themselves into his inner organs.

    When Bnash turned to look at Mizar whilst she pulled out the arrow which was sticking out of her eyeball, there were a countless number of golem warriors.

    Those golems simultaneously leapt towards Bnash, each swinging a weapon of their own.

    However, it was futile. The des that managed to hit her neck shattered in return, the swords that stabbed into her heart bent and broke whilst the golems themselves were all scattered away by a single sweep of her arm.

    "Equivalent to toys. Even if you have the technique, you don¡¯t have the mindset. Your true weapon should have been the entricity behind the ideas of your inventions. If you can only reuse what you¡¯ve already used before, you won¡¯t be able to reach the distant ce that I¡¯m in."

    Bnash disappeared suddenly, yet grabbed Mizar¡¯s head before any time had passed.

    She then mmed him into the ground, the resulting impact causing the greatnd to shake.

    The vibrations reached even the far-away kingdom of Svalinn, causing the Wisdom King, Megrez, to be sent flying upwards from his seat and crash into the ceiling.

    Whilst she continued to hold onto Mizar, Bnash dived deep into the ground, reaching the middle parts of Midgard where the mantle was.

    In terms of temperature, it was approximately 6000¡ãC.[4] In terms of pressure, it surpassed 100 000 atmospheric pressure. Yet, in this world of death, she continued to run about easily, eventuallying out from the other side of the. She then continued to fly beyond Midgard without losing her speed until she reached a random small in her way which she shattered to pieces before she turned back. After re-entering Midgard¡¯s atmosphere, she mmed Mizar into the ground and passed through the middle of Midgard¡¯s mantle once again.[5]

    She then popped out of the ground and, just using her physical strength, threw Mizar, who was burning up in mes, towards Dubhe and Alioth, squishing the three of them together.

    "It¡¯s unpleasant to look at the current state the four of you are in any longer... you should disappear without a trace! Moon attribute arcane magic, Catastro -"[6]

    "Hold it, B!"

    Bnash proceeded to try and finish the four of them off by activating arcane magic whilst she herself was regenerating from the burns all over her body, however, Ruphas halted her.

    ".... They¡¯re Argonautai that will resurrect back up indefinitely. You mustn¡¯t kill them."

    "Hmm, I see."

    After hearing Ruphas¡¯s warning, Bnash changed the arcane magic that she activated.

    Moon attribute arcane magic [Luna Tentacle]. She activated the arcane magic that was greatly favoured by Aigokeros, which created tentacles made out of darkness to bind the enemies. She then used the skill to immobilise the four heroes.

    She then gave the four individuals onest nce - <i>at that moment, only Ruphas, with her extraordinary kic vision, caught a momentary look of sorrow on her</i> - and, as if she had lost interest in them, turned her back to them.

    __

    (Author note)

    Mizgarzud: "Stapphhhhhh!!! She¡¯sing inside meeee! I¡¯m getting felt up insideee! (with a deep voice)"

    Dig a hole (prate through the)

    The Goddess: "£¨|||¡ä§Õ`£© Can you stop using-destroying skills as if it¡¯s the most normal thing in the world....?"

    *By the way, in regard to the hole B opened up, leaving it on its own would have been bad, so Ruphas used alchemy to fix it up.

    Q: Can B fly in the sky?

    A: She cannot. However, the speed at which an object falls is fixed and B is able to move about before she falls that 1mm. In other words, since she¡¯s faster than the speed at which Gravity-san can pull her down, she is able to bounce and leap about, therefore as a result, it looks like she¡¯s able to fly.

    If you can leave time behind, you should be able to fly.[7]

    That certain Vampire-san from that world was also flying in the anime, so there¡¯s no problem, there¡¯s no problem.[8]

    Although... in Bnash¡¯s case, she¡¯s a monster that can already jump beyond the stratosphere using nothing but her leg strength, so there¡¯s really not much difference from being able to fly...

    Q: Catastro - what?

    A: High-tier Moon attribute arcane magic [Catastrophe].[9] The skill is a total annihtion arcane magic with the effect of turning the moon¡¯s mana into a countless number ofsers that carpet bombs Midgard. When B uses this arcane magic, she is able to instantly scorch 30% of Midgard.

    However, because the mechanic of the arcane magic is to firesers from the moon, whether it be in the game or in this world, it cannot be used unless there is a moon.

    B was originally nning to use this skill to turn the Dragon King, Pollux and Argonautai, including the Seven Heroes, into ash.

    I suppose with B¡¯spetence, she would be able to avoid firing at the ally¡¯s kingdoms, however, the amount of damage Midgard would have taken would still have been pretty significant.

    B-chan is a super problem child.

    The Goddess: "S-T-OO-PPP¨C!?"

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] Ten Blood Ancestors (Ê®Ñª×å)

    [2] Recall chapter 101 when B swallowed "some kind of fluid".

    "<i>Alioth and the others have already passed on. This time, it¡¯s my turn. That is all there is to it. There¡¯s some kind of fluid in my mouth. It¡¯s probably blood, but I can no longer taste it.</i>

    <i>Bnash forcefully swallowed it. Her consciousness felt distant and she realized her end was near.</i>" - Trantion by Va, chapter 101.

    "".

    Amrita was first mentioned briefly in chapter 92 when Castor used it to revive the guardian dragon.

    [3] Mach 400 000 = 493 920 000 km/h OR 306 907 659 miles/h

    Speed of light = Mach 874 030 = 1 079 252 244 km/h (299 792 458 m/s) OR 670 616 254 miles/h

    The speed was given in chapter 127 (as Mach 100 000), but that was what "MC Ruphas thought". This time, it¡¯s the author¡¯s official narration of the Bnash¡¯s speed (as of chapter 131).

    [4] 6000¡ãc = 10 832F.

    [5] The raw says mantle... but the middle of a is the core... so... err... I don¡¯t even know anymore. I¡¯ll stick with the raw and say "mantle" but note it here so that people are not misinformed.

    [6] Keii: "Where is Phecda?"

    He fled, but honestly, I don¡¯t know... The author didn¡¯t mention Phecda in thest sentence, and in the raw, he says "three" instead of "four" in this sentence. But since the following sentence says "four", and the context suggests that "four" is probably correct, I have changed it to "four" under my discretion.

    [7] My trantion = -10/10...

    The author¡¯s #logic = -10/10... We are a good match.... ^^;;;

    [8] Honestly, I don¡¯t know which series he¡¯s talking about. Maybe Adel from Trinity Blood... but he has wings so...?

    Originally, I thought the author was talking about Shalltear from Overlord, but this chapter came out 2 years before Overlord season 2 ("anime" as the author note said), so date-wise it doesn¡¯t make sense.

    Correct me if I¡¯m wrong but, iirc, these can¡¯t fly: Alucard from Hellsing; Evangeline from Negima; Vampires from Vampire Knight, Shinobu (Monogatari series). I can¡¯t fully recall for these but I don¡¯t think they can too: Moka (Rosario), Mina Tepes (Vampire Bund). Let me know if you know which series author is talking about. The author makes references to major series, so it should be from a popr anime series pre-2016.

    Va: "Maybe Arcueid from Tsukihime? I can¡¯t remember if she can fly though. But she has no wings at least. She¡¯s described as a true ancestor as well.

    "".

    [9] Catastrophe (¥«¥¿¥¹¥È¥í¥Õ¥£).

    __

 Chapter 132

    Chapter 132 - The Dragon King Used methrower[1]

    Raw link: (2016/11/13)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2019/12/11)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2019/12/29)

    Editor 2: Keii (2019/12/31)

    Trantion link:

    __

    __

    (Author note)

    This time, it¡¯s Lion-san¡¯s turn to be matchless.

    This is the time to restore him from his dishonour.

    (Author note end)

    __

    "Leon... why are you here?"

    Whilst Aries was fallen on the ground, he looked up at his unexpected rescuer.

    The rtionship between Leon and Aries could not be called good by any means. If anything, it was not a mistake to call it the worst.

    It was not as if Aries particrly hated Leon. However, Leon clearly looked down upon Aries and held him in contempt.

    Leon had always called Aries a small-fry monster since a long time ago and he was not the type of person who would try and help out even when Aries was about to be killed by the enemy.

    If anything, he probably would have just said, "An end befitting a small fry," and would not even think anything else of it. Leon was the kind of man who evaluated an individual based solely on their strength and considered strength to be absolute justice.

    That was why this was a seemingly impossible situation.

    "I came because I smelt a very familiar smell, but it looks like you guys are having quite an extravagant party. A banquet like this is wasted on a small fry like you... I¡¯ll devour the rest for you."

    Leon¡¯s mouth distorted whilst his still technically humanoid face turned savage and ferocious just like that of a wild beast.

    Snap, snap... with that sound, Leon¡¯s muscles expanded, making his already bulky and log-like arms even thicker.

    Veins popped out all over his body and the surrounding air distorted just from the heat that was generated from his body, forming a mirage.

    "Just keep lying there and watch... I¡¯ll show you the way I fight."

    Leon clenched his fist and disappeared from the spot.

    The next moment, he dropped his fist onto a heroic spirit who was engaged with one of the other Twelve Stars, crushing that heroic spirit along with their armour and copsing the ground below them.

    With just one hit, despite being strong enough to be called a hero, the warrior¡¯s limbs became twisted in weird angles and they suffered enough damage to where they became unable to even move.

    Furthermore, Leon rushed into an area densely packed with heroic spirits and, just from his body hitting them, sent tens of heroic spirits flying.

    Of course, the heroic spirits did not just stay quiet. They all took hold of their swords and proceeded to hack at Leon.

    However, in the face of this situation, the Lion King for some reason put his hands in his pockets and received it head-on in a defenceless manner.

    The result of that - He waspletely unharmed. The attacker¡¯s swords shattered into pieces, yet Leon¡¯s skin did not even suffer a single scratch.

    A single kick from Leon then crushed all of the powerless warriors at once whilst he walked to the next gathering of heroic spirits with what could be called a dull and sluggish movement and his hands still in his pockets.

    In response, the heroic spirits this time fired all sorts of arcane magic. High-tier arcane magic of all attributes was sent flying towards Leon and exploded on him.

    If someone were to have been looking at Midgard from space at that moment, glimmers and explosions which shone from the arcane magic would have been visible, even from that far of a distance. The scale of the explosions and impacts were just that big.

    However, Leon charged straight in through this storm of arcane magic and, as if nothing had happened at all, came to stand in front of the heroic spirits.

    "Worthless... not even enough as an appetiser!!"

    One magician, who was unfortunate enough to have been standing at the very front of the pack, had his head grabbed and was then swung around as an improvised weapon.

    Violence known as "hitting a person using another person". With each swing, the magician broke a little more, scattering his flesh and blood upon the other heroic spirits.

    The pitiful magician hadpletely lost his humanoid shape by the time he was finally released, having be chunks of raw flesh.

    No, perhaps the one who was the most unfortunate might have been the young magician boy at the very back of the pack. The reason was because he was the one who was forced to suffer from fear for the longest amount of time.

    "Eeek!" - The young boy, who was surprisingly young to have been titled a hero, released a shriek and instinctively drew back.

    But reality was cruel. In the very next moment, a strong arm thicker than his waist directly hit his head. After the impact, everything above his neck was gone and blood was spewing out of what remained of his body.

    Whilst bathing in the blood spewing onto him, Leon directed his bloodshot eyes at his next prey.

    Looking at this scene, Ruphas thought to herself, "Who exactly is our enemy here again?" However, it could not be helped that she thought this way.

    "Oooohhhhhhhhhhhh!"

    When Leon roared, a countless number of heroic spirits in front of him were shredded and sent flying as if they were pieces of paper.

    The Lion King¡¯s roar was not just a simple thing used for intimidation.

    A simple roar... Even that was apanied by destructive energy that passed through the enemy camp, causing the surroundingnd to be gouged out and the nearby air to be dispersed.

    The enemy warriors¡¯ eardrums ruptured and their bodies warped as if they were being squished by a huge invisible pressure.

    "It¡¯s a massacre...!"

    Leon disappeared once again.

    Keeping track of his extraordinary speed must have been difficult even for his fellow Twelve Stars.

    Many impacts and shattering noises repeatedly and continuously resounded. As if the air around them was exploding, the heroic spirits started getting blown apart in groups.

    Needless to say, it did not just happen once or twice.

    One after another, many ces within the army of the Argonautai spontaneously exploded. Each time, heroes of the past were blown to bits and pieces.

    There was not enough time to avoid the attack, yet, if they tried to defend against the attack, their guard itself would be destroyed.

    And what made it possible was strength. Just raw strength.

    As long as one possessed overwhelming strength, there was no need for special abilities or effects.

    His fists relied on raw strength without any apanying techniques. His wide-motion kicks could not be said to be polished by any means.

    Yet, he gave the heroic spirits of the past absolutely no room to retaliate as he smashed and shredded them as if they were pieces of paper.

    <i>The strong are called strong because they are strong.</i> It was a very simple quote that was easy to understand.

    Unnecessary fillers were not needed. For Leon, unique abilities and such were something akin to street performances. To him, those kinds of abilities were something acquired by weaklings after shedding tears and wasting their efforts so that they could desperately pretend to be someone strong. It was something unnecessary and useless in Leon¡¯s mind.

    As long as he had his body, it was enough for everything. He possessed fists with such overwhelming strength that it was unnecessary for him to obtain those tricks.

    Therefore, he punched. Therefore, he killed.

    With just that, all of his attacks which had the motions of an ordinary auto-attack turned into - sure-kill secret techniques.

    The purest form of violence. That was what led him to be recognised as the strongest even within the Tyrannical Twelve Stars.

    If every single attack that he executed dealt fatal damage, then there was no need for him to use any special offensive skills.

    If, just by standing, the wall known as his muscles could break enemy swords, then he had no need for any defensive skills.

    The Lion King bared his fangs and ran around the battlefield, leaving mountains of corpses everywhere he went.

    With the way things had developed, there was nothing the Argonautai could do.

    No, perhaps there might have been some options they could take. Although they might have been far inferior to Ruphas and the Seven Heroes, they were still heroes of legend who had managed to reach level 1000.

    Collectively, they possessed an enormous number of skills, arcane magic and divine magic such that depending on the way theybined their techniques, let alone barely manage the current situation, they could even turn the situation around. Depending on how they utilised their skills, it was not impossible for them to evenpletely shut Leon down just as the Twelve Stars had done once in the past.

    However, that was a scenario only possible if they could work together. As a mere gathering of masses who acted on their own, they dragged each other down and obstructed one another. There was no way they would be able to y the optimal hand that they might have possessed.

    The heroic spirits were vanquished one after another without being able to show even half of their full potential. By the time Leon next emerged from the battle, thend was fully soaked in their blood.

    "Not enough, it¡¯s stillcking something... I mean, without the main dish, you wouldn¡¯t be full, would you...!?"

    Whilst saying that, Leon looked at the Dragon King provocatively.

    Hearing this, all ten of the Dragon King¡¯s heads agreed with what Leon had said, recognised him as a worthy enemy and bared their fangs.

    In the past, before Ruphas showed up, the two of them were the strongest of the magical beasts and were at the apex in terms of battle prowess. They also each maintained a quarter of the power bnce on Midgard. Now, the Dragon King Ladon and the Lion King Leon met each other face to face for the first time.

    And, above all else, these two were very simr to one another. Both were tyrants. Both were violent.

    They oppressed and ruled over others through violence and fear. These were the ovepping points the two of them shared.

    Leon¡¯s body expanded in size and the clothes that he was wearing ripped and were sted away.

    His whole body became covered in hair as he got rid of his humanoid appearance and turned back into his original appearance of a lion.

    What appeared at the end of this transformation was a monstrous lion which was big enough to rival even the Dragon King.

    Finally, the two tyrants, who had each bared their true nature, were ring and growling at each other face-to-face.

    At that moment, Pollux, who did not want to get caught up in the middle of all of this, jumped off the Dragon King.

    On the other hand, the city of Laegjarn was inplete and utter panic.

    It was only natural. Alter all, there was suddenly a mythical battle of legendary proportions happening outside of the city. It would have been strange if they were still calm.

    It was an unbelievable scene where historical heroes, who could only be encountered in books, were being sent flying one after another.

    That alone would have been enough to go beyond the tolerable limit of their brain capacity, yet this time, there was a 160m tall lion and a 170m tall dragon with ten heads.

    Alfie had already fallen on the ground and was mumbling as if she had gone insane and Friedrich had started digging holes in the ground aftering to the understanding that he was not able to run away outside.

    Cruz was shouting, "It¡¯s the end of the world!" in a crazed fanatic state whilst Sarjes seemed to have suddenly be enlightened and was muttering something meaningless like, "Living and dying are all of equal value... maybe it¡¯s the will of the big universe. Yeah, yeah."

    Meanwhile, Jean was screaming, "I¡¯m also going to fight!" and, as a result, was trying his best to try and get out.

    On the other hand, Gants was calm and collected. Due to the innkeeper losing consciousness, he had made himself some coffee that resembled muddy water and was frowning after saying that it tasted disgusting.

    "U, um... you¡¯re really calm and collected."

    Sei sat on the chair and received a cup of coffee from Gants who was sitting on the other side of the table.

    Next to him was Virgo who had stiffened due to the bitterness of the coffee.

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_768" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-768" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-768" ss="wp-caption-text">The Dragon King vs The Lion King ¨C Illustration from AWLBA light novel</figcaption></figure>

    "I mean, nothing¡¯s going to happen if you make a fuss about it. Their battles are in a realm that we can¡¯tprehend. Even if we cry or scream, it¡¯s not going to change anything. In that case, isn¡¯t it better to just drink a cup of coffee like this?"

    "B, but, aren¡¯t there other things you could do... like, try and calm down everyone that¡¯s panicking?"

    "That¡¯s impossible. The whole city is under a massive hysteria. Even if we say something, they¡¯re not going to listen to it and what we say will just be muffled by the surrounding noise. Not only that, in the worst-case scenario, we¡¯d be an outlet for the mobs¡¯ anger. In the first ce, those are the responsibilities of the nobles. It¡¯s out of our pay grade."

    "Well, if you¡¯re talking about the nobles, Ruphas-san just squished them."

    "........ I forgot about that."

    Gants looked outside the window.

    There, what he saw were the people of the city moving about in confusion and shouting iprehensible things. He then wondered why people lost all order and control when they fell into a panic.

    Furthermore, he honestly questioned why Cruz, who just so happened to be part of the Hero¡¯s entourage, was one of those people.

    Meanwhile, the hole Friedrich was digging hit a hot spring that was flowing underground and he got sted back out of the hole by the water pressure. What exactly was this tiger doing?

    "Ruoooooooooooooo!!"

    "Jyaoooooooooooooo!!"

    The two giant monsters both released a war cry and shed directly with each other without any small tricks.

    They most likely chose to firstpare what they were both most confident in - their raw strength.

    Due to the shockwave caused by Leon and Ladon shing with each other, the barrier which enveloped Laegjarn creaked whilst the surrounding area was assaulted by a sonic boom.

    The entire area other than Laegjarn was shaved away and turned into a barren wastnd, yet the two monsters who caused that catastrophe continued topare their strength without even minding what had just happened.

    There was no option for retreat. It was a duel of pure strength in order to determine who woulde out on top.

    However, presently, Ladon had the advantage. His ten heads all moved at once and bit into Leon¡¯s body.

    Against Leon¡¯s strong skin and muscles, the even stronger fangs of Ladon pierced in, gouged it out, and shredded and chewed on it.

    But as if to match that, Leon opened his mouth and bit into Ladon¡¯s body.

    Leon¡¯s teeth bit and shattered the Dragon King¡¯s scales, which were believed to be harder than anything else in this world, allowing him to pull apart the flesh underneath it and swallow it.

    Luna, who was watching this gruesome scene, tightly held her mouth shut with her hands and tried to resist the resulting sense of queasiness.

    "They¡¯re, they¡¯re devouring each other... even though they¡¯re getting eaten themselves, they¡¯re eating their opponent... they can¡¯t be sane......!"

    Both of their bodies were soaked in blood, yet their movements did not dull.

    The next to move was Leon.

    He opened hisrge mouth wide and released a roar point-nk at Ladon.

    His destructive roar, which was a condensed form of mana, swallowed up the Dragon King¡¯s body, vaporised the ground in its path and continued on forward.

    It eventually went beyond the domain of the humanoids and destroyed a lone ind which just happened to be in its path, creating a massive dome-shaped explosion.

    However, Ladon was alive and well. Furthermore, as if to say, "Right back at you", it opened all ten of its mouths simultaneously and exhaled a raging hellfire from all of them.

    Individually, a single fireball fireball was strong enough to instantly vaporise something like a humanoid city, yet Ladon was continuously firing such fireballs from all ten of its mouths extremely rapidly.

    It was like a machine gun which fired missiles, so to speak. Pirs of mes caused by the explosion rose up one after another, whilst Ladon gave no mind to the fact that he was getting caught up in the explosion himself.

    ".... !!"

    Luna tightly hugged Terra in the heat of the moment and tried to be a shield which would protect him from the impending shockwave.

    At this moment in time, she was well aware that she was no different from an insect in the face of these monsters¡¯ banquet. Nevertheless, she was still one of the Seven Luminaries. She believed she was enough to at least be a shield.

    She tightly hugged Terra with such a tragic determination, yet, however long she waited, the heat that she was predicting would reach her did note to pass, thus she opened her eyes whilst feeling confused.

    What she saw then was the back of Ruphas who was standing in front of her with one of her hands stuck out.

    The insignificant area of space behind Ruphas, which was created due to the barrier she had put up, became the only safe haven at that time.

    mes which were like floodwater flowed behind Luna and Terra whilst she herself felt like she was inside a ss vase looking out towards a red raging stream running past the vase.

    "Don¡¯t stick your hand out carelessly. If it¡¯s you, just bying into contact with this shockwave, you¡¯ll be turned into ash."

    It seemed she had been helped by Ruphas.

    Realising this, Luna first felt a sense of relief, followed by a question and then confusion.

    She was thankful that they were... or rather, at least Terra was saved.

    However, she questioned if it was fine for Ruphas to be not worrying about her own subordinates.

    Notwithstanding, she quickly understood that it was an unnecessary worry of hers.

    In this torrent of extremely hot sts of wind, the Twelve Stars were observing the battle between Leon and the Dragon King without minding the shockwave in the slightest.

    However powerful the attack itself was, its shockwave was still just a shockwave in the end. It was not enough to shake them.

    No, if one were to look carefully, only Libra, whose weakness was fire, had Karkinos stand in front of her as a shield.

    <i>They¡¯re.... they¡¯re monsters... Every, one, of, them....!</i>

    They were all standing nonchntly in that hellish ridiculous heat which could even melt and boil boulders.

    Bnash was even sitting down on top of a boulder. However, that boulder was in the process of being magnificently melted too.

    In other words, she was essentially sitting on magma, yet she was not minding it in the slightest.

    In the first ce, the Vampire Princess was a monster who had just dug and swam through the inside of Midgard¡¯s mantle.[2] Something of this degree could only make her feel like it was a little bit warm.

    In the face of these battles which were in a different dimension from hers, the only thing that Luna could do was learn that her side was trying to recklessly fight a battle where they had no chance of winning.

    __

    (Author note)

    * As a side note, whilst all of this was happening, Pollux summoned a heroic spirit who could put up a barrier and prevent things from reaching her properly.

    Furthermore, even though these people are able to bear the heat of the mantle of the, they can still feel the heat of a mid-summer day as per normal.

    For them, magma, the heated up rock, and the temperature of a summer day are of the same level.

    In other words, just because they can bear a temperature of 1000¡ãC does not mean that they do not feel heat that is a few hundred degrees lower. The lower limit in feeling hot, warm, chilly and cold are actually fairly the same as that of a normal person.

    It¡¯s just that, the upper limit of how much they can bear is ridiculously high, therefore, whether it be 1000¡ãC or -100¡ãC, they still feel just the same.

    In other words, it is something like this;

    ¨C Slightly hot summer day

    Ordinary person: "So hot~"

    B: "Today is a bit hot, huh."

    ¨C zing hot desert

    Ordinary person: ".... Haaa, haaa..... w, water....."

    B: "Today is a bit hot, huh."

    ¨C Above magma

    Ordinary person: "_" Burnt to death

    B: "Today is a bit hot, huh."

    Yep, she¡¯s bugged.

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] "".

    [2] Va: And her clothes are not burnt because? It¡¯s like when Ainz gives the girl who was shed a potion and even her clothes repaired itself...

    Tp: #FantasyStoryLogic

    __

 Chapter 133

    ¡°Thank you so much, Fairy Princess-sama. With the divine sword that mdy has bestowed upon me, I will definitely defeat the King of the Demons and bring peace back to the world.¡±

    ¡°.... Yeah... If it¡¯s you, you will ¡®definitely¡¯ be able to achieve that. Please take care on your journey.¡±

    ¡ªThis conversation urred a few thousand years in the past.

    At the time, the world was on the brink of annihtion by the hands of the King of the Demons, who was leading the army of darkness to wipe out the humanoids, when the hero rose up together with his trustedrades with whom he had tightly knit and strong bonds.

    To those people, Pollux bestowed legendary equipment, taught them the King of the Demons¡¯s weakness and sent them on their way.

    On a journey of death that she knew for certain they would never be able to return from.

    After sending them away, Pollux lowered her head.

    ¡°.... How stupid. Why is that no one ever raises any questions...? Even though everything is going far too smoothly.¡±

    The King of the Demons¡¯s weakness? .... Don¡¯t make meugh. There¡¯s no such thing.

    After all, that thing is a divine beast created by the Goddess to manage the world. He is one of the pirs which make up the arbitrators.

    He is an agent of the Goddess and has the same sort of existence as my real body.

    In the face of such a thing, there was no way for the humans to be able to win. People were just not made by the Goddess to be able to win against that thing.

    If they fought with each other seriously, the oue was already predetermined.

    But even then, the heroes were likely to win. That was how the scenario waspleted.

    The King of the Demons would be defeated and after a few thousand to tens of thousands of years... when the Goddess judged it to be necessary, he would change his name, change his appearance and terrorize the humanoids once more.

    The humanoids did not know. Nobody knew.

    That all of the evil kings who appeared in the legends and histories were actually the same individual.

    The Destruction God appeared when humans were first created from the flugel race and was only defeated because the ¡°first human¡±, Aeneas, sacrificed his life to do so.[2]

    The Beast God threw the world into war and turmoil during the age the beastkins first came into existence.

    The Titan God led the army of giants and rampaged to its heart¡¯s delight.

    This time, it named itself the Great Demon King and the next time it appeared again, it would be named something else. But the humanoids did not know that they were all exactly the same person.[3]

    Furthermore, she herself was one of the actors in the scenario.

    She was a grim reaper who disguised herself as someone who helped out the humanoids, whilst inflicting them with the poison called hope and sending them to certain death. That was the true identity of the Fairy Princess. Although they were separated into the two roles known as ally and enemy, there was no difference in substance between the two of them.

    That was why... she had to... couldn¡¯t help but spew forth poison.

    ¡°.... So stupid... Why do they... look at me with such honest eyes... and believe in me....? Doubt me....! Think that something¡¯s wrong! Shouldn¡¯t you be able to figure it out if you think about it a bit!? That there¡¯s only neatly and conveniently ced weak magical beasts near your starting city so that you¡¯re able to be stronger... That you were handed weapons and equipment so that you could gradually get stronger... And that there¡¯s this suspicious woman called the Fairy Princess who just so happens to know the enemy¡¯s weakness...! However you think about it, isn¡¯t it just weird!? .... I¡¯m begging you. Doubt me already... Please stop getting fooled...¡±

    Until this moment, Pollux had sent off heroes many times... many, many times... many, many, many times.

    With a smile, she guided them, handed them weapons, gave them advice and provided them with trials so that they could be stronger.

    And she would realise it every time. Their desires from the bottom of their hearts for the peace of the world was unmistakably real. They were people worthy enough to truly be called heroes.

    There was once a young man who told her that he loved the world ¨C but he died without being able to see peace arrive in the world that he loved.

    There was once a swordsman who told her that he would be as strong as he needed to be for the sake of the person he loved ¨C but by the time peace had arrived, he was already dead with and alongside the person he loved.

    There was once a cheerful man who told her with a hearty smile that he wanted to show a peaceful world to his children ¨C but he died without even being able to see the face of the child who was born.

    There was once a kind female warrior who journeyed to certain death despite being a woman for the sake of the people important to her and for the future ¨C but right now, there was not even a single trace of her bones left in this world.

    Everyone... was guided to certain death by Pollux.

    Just as the scenario willed it to be, peace returned to the world and the hero dramatically passed away in a beautifully adorned manner.

    ¡°............. I can¡¯t.... anymore....¡±

    Pollux¡¯s well-featured face became dishevelled and distorted. She covered her face with her hands and copsed down on her knees.

    Their eyes, full of trust, were heart-breaking. Their words, full of gratitude, were painful.

    As they told her of the future that woulde once the world was peaceful, their figures... were so dazzling to her... yet it was so sad...

    Just how many of those heroes, who should have had their own futures, did she let die without helping them?

    Rightfully, they ought to have been the ones who were rejoicing once peace was restored in the world the most. So why was there a need for them to die?

    Either way, their lives were short. The lifespan of a person was at most a few thousand years even if they were of a long-lived race... She had always thought that it would have been fine to let them spend their lives however they wanted to as a reward for the difficult battle that they had to go through.

    But the Goddess hated leaving overly strong individuals who possessed too much power alone.

    That was why, every time, ¡°he¡± would deal a fatal wound to the hero before purposefully pretending to be defeated.

    That was why... the hero she had just sent out today also wouldn¡¯t be returning. He would not be able to reunite with his lover who told him that she would be waiting for his return.

    Pollux always prayed that they would note to her.

    However, the Goddess, who was the object of that prayer, desired for that oue.

    That was why they would always appear before the Fairy Princess without fail. They were guided by fate.

    Would it be fine if she did not lend them a hand? No, if those individuals were so half-baked that they would stop at that, they would not even be able to arrive before her in the first ce.

    Furthermore, in those cases, the hero would just challenge ¡°him¡± without possessing enough strength and die needlessly. At that point, the dead hero¡¯s son or their rtive would inherit the curse known as bing a hero.

    What if she just announced the truth of the matter?

    That was also a no. Even if she did something like that, she would only shorten their lifespans. The Goddess most likely would not let go of people who knew the truth.

    ¡°How many times do I have to repeat this...? How many times do I have to fool them...? How many more times do I... have to kill those children...? Answer me, please... Goddess-sama...¡±

    I don¡¯t want to do this anymore ¨C

    Pollux¡¯s spirit was already almost at the breaking point.

    She did not want to do the job of stepping on brave flowers that were trying to bloom in this deprived wastnd.

    She had repeated that process endlessly for tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of years.

    Because she loved the people who were being born. Because their appearances as they desperately tried to live even in a world like this was dazzling beyond anything else.

    After repeatedly looking after people from many different periods of time, she had started to feel affection towards them like she would towards her own children.

    She wanted to protect them. She wanted to hug them. She wanted to free them from hell.

    However, the reality was theplete opposite. She was nothing more than a grim reaper who would drop them down into hell. She was nothing more than a heretic who stepped on flowers.

    ¡°.... It would be for the best if someone like me... didn¡¯t bud in the first ce.¡±

    If she had remained an avatar, how much easier would it have been?

    If she was just a spirit who was being controlled by her real body, she would not have had to suffer through such a painful experience.

    Pollux took out her short sword which she kept for self-defence and aimed it towards her own throat.

    That¡¯s right... it¡¯d be best for her to disappear. It would only be appropriate for someone like her to disappear.

    ¡°¡ª! Stop it, Pollux!¡±

    However, her hand was stopped by the other half of herself, her brother.

    Pollux tried to shake her brother¡¯s hand away, but her arm strength could notpare to his.

    ¡°... Please let go, older brother.¡±

    ¡°No. I won¡¯t.¡±

    Castor tightly hugged Pollux.

    Pollux was devoid of so much vigour that it felt like she would immediately disappear if he did not do so.

    Whilst Castor slowly calmed his sister down, he could not help but curse the Goddess.

    Ahh, God. Omnipotent Goddess, Alovenus. Why do you treat her so badly?

    Pollux is not a girl who can bear such a role.

    She is far too kind to be able to continue doing this.

    He wished he could exchange ces with her. He wanted to exchange ces for her.

    But it was impossible. The heroes would, without fail,e to seek an audience with ¡°the Fairy Princess¡±.

    In all likelihood, the Goddess applied her hand so that they would hear information that would drive them to seek her out.

    And his sister was someone who would answer if she was sought after. It was because she knew that the situation would only get worse if she did not do so.

    In the end, he was just a byproduct that was left over from the creation of the supreme being known as the Fairy Princess.

    He had no talent other than to fight. A good-for-nothing fairy. A recessive product which was thrown away in the process of giving birth to the dominant product.

    However, Pollux could no longer continue ying the role that she was given. She had reached her limit.

    If this continued, she would break.

    Even if she were able to slowly recover from the mental scars that she had suffered over the long years that had passed, the wounds would only be reopened along with a new scar.

    And the repeated process of the still-healing scars being pried open had caused Pollux to reach the current point of no return where her wounds had be too deep.

    Her feeling of guilt never disappeared. It only continued to weigh her down at the bottom of her heart.

    It would have been for the best if she was someone who was irresponsible enough to be able to forget about it all.

    It would have been for the best if she was rational enough to be able to leave it behind the horizon ofpsed memories.

    However, Pollux was not able to do that.

    Because she was unable to do that, she was slowly breaking apart.

    That was why Castor prayed.

    Anyone... anyone was fine.

    Someone who could destroy this hellish ce in the most literal sense. Someone who would show up to rip and throw away even the Goddess¡¯s scripts.

    ¨C He had almost given up after being convinced that such a thing would never be possible.

    *

    ¨C It would have been for the best if he had not prayed.

    A few thousand yearster, Castor was deeply, deeply regretful of his prayer from the past.

    On that day, the embodiment of hell that repainted hell itself stepped into the Land of the Fairies.

    Her ck wings asserted an ominous presence. Her beautiful face, brimming with absolute confidence in herself, would make even beasts smile.

    Behind her was an army of magical beasts which were on standby.

    Using a special skill avable in her position as the Fairy Princess, she checked the level of the intruder only to almost faint instinctively as a result.

    The level of the intruder was ¨C 4200.

    Eh... what is, this... monster?

    Wrong. This was definitely not a hero. As if she would be able to bear a hero like this.

    Having said that, it was not ¡°him¡± either.

    This was not an existence which was prepared by the Goddess. To begin with, the Goddess, who had let previous generations of heroes die because she hated people with too much power, would not create a senseless thing like this on her own.

    Furthermore, wasn¡¯t this woman ignoring the level limit set by the Goddess?

    .... She had heard about it in rumours. There was an existence which ¡°he¡±... Orm, who was currently calling himself the Demon King, was truly afraid of and was avoiding direct confrontation with.

    However, Pollux had thought of that as nothing more than an exaggeration. After all, there were many others in the past who were being made such a fuss for no reason.

    But the troublesome part about this time was that it was actually true.

    What should I do...? This person... might ignore the scenario and actually kill Orm.

    This was not a scenario made by the Goddess.

    It would not be a fabricated victory as if it was scripted in a y.

    This was a real monster who could even fight against the serious Orm, defeat and suppress him in a direct battle, thene out as the true and authentic winner.

    Without a doubt, it was a bug in this world which had appeared naturally, independent of the Goddess¡¯s will.

    With ¡°that¡± in front of her, Pollux asked a question with a shaky voice.

    ¡°U, um... do you have some business with me?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve heard that there was a Fairy Princess who used some mysterious techniques in thisnd... I thought it would be interesting to wee the Goddess¡¯s underling as my subordinate, so I came here. Well, speaking candidly... I came to tame you, Fairy Princess, Pollux. And you, her brother, Castor.¡±

    ¡°¡ª-¡±

    They were speechless.

    It took her a few seconds to evenprehend the words which were spoken.

    Eh? What? Am I going to get tamed? Am I being treated as a magical beast?

    Until this moment, there had been a countless number of times humanoids had visited the Land of the Fairies.

    There had been countless times in the past where she had been the target of prayers like ¡°Please help us, Fairy Princess.¡± There had also been countless times where she had been begged for advice.

    However... there had never been a fool who hade with the intention to capture her, until now. She wouldn¡¯t have been able to bear with it if there was.

    ¡°Ahh, needless to say, it¡¯s fine for you to resist. You two also have the right to refuse. If you do not wish to serve under me, you should struggle with all your might.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll do just that!¡±

    Castor raised his anchor up and the Argo, which carried the heroic spirits, levitated into the sky.

    The sister summoned and the brothermanded.

    With that, the undefeated invincible cheat skill [Argonautai] waspleted.

    However, the ck-winged woman took one look at the ship and lightly jabbed at it.

    Immediately afterwards, a massive hole opened up in the Argo and it began to go down in mes and smoke.

    Eh? ... wait, eh? Did the... Argo just... sink? Is this some kind of a bad joke!? Did she... just sink the Argo with nothing but the pressure from her fist!? That ship is as hard as orichalcum, you know!?

    This was truly an existence which defied logic.

    No, perhaps it was actually logic who disliked her and was running away from her with all its might.

    Meanwhile, the summoned heroes were all rendered unable to move just from Coercion alone whilst the fairy siblings were barely able to simply sit on the floor.

    She didn¡¯t know. She didn¡¯t know someone like this existed. To put it another way, this was a hell which surpassed hell, a despair which shattered despair. It was something unreasonable that trampled on the unreasonable, something irrational that destroyed the irrational.

    And she was someone who ripped and threw away even the Goddess¡¯s script ¨C an existence that she had long been waiting for.

    That woman stood in front of Pollux and looked down into the eyes of the Fairy Princess.

    ¡°Your eyes are like those of a dead person. I see that you¡¯re really feeling the weight of the role that the Goddess assigned to you.¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    ¡°What is it? What is there to be surprised about? Did you think that I would not know about it? Sure, I realise that I¡¯m not actually someone that¡¯s particrly clever... but even I would notice something that¡¯s this tantly obvious. You and the Demon King. For people who are supposed to be opposing each other as light and darkness, you guys sure seem to be bnced out perfectly, as if it was arranged beforehand. And it¡¯s not just that. You see, Megrez decoded a stone te that was hidden deep in some ruins and by the looks of you, you¡¯ve been repeatedly confronting the same person over and over and over again. It¡¯s just like a pendulum that swings back and forth between light and darkness, back and forth between hope and despair. So I¡¯m convinced of it, you see. The two of you are colluding with each other. ... I¡¯m spot on, am I not?¡±

    Ruphas raised Pollux¡¯s chin using her fingertips and looked into her eyes.

    ¡°You must have suffered after fooling people countless times and letting them be killed without being able to help. Your mind must be getting really worn out from wondering how many times you¡¯d have to repeat the cycle. Rejoice ¨C this is thest time!¡±

    ¡°!!¡±

    ¡°If the Goddess will not answer, I will answer it for you. The curtain that signals the end of the y will soon arrive. Once that is done, you will no longer have to send anyone to certain death... Because I will destroy the stage of the y altogether.¡±

    Listening to the words spoken by Ruphas, Pollux finally realised that she was dealing with a devil.

    An evil devil which went against the Goddess. This woman was exactly that.

    However Pollux thought about it, this woman was moving whilstpletely ignoring the Goddess¡¯s script. For someone like her to have been born must have beenpletely outside of the Goddess¡¯s calctions.

    But... ahh... how ironic.

    That the one to tell her the words she wanted to hear the most would be the devil.

    No, was it because she was a devil that she knew what Pollux wanted?

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring back true freedom to this world which is being bound by a third-rate y. For that purpose, I want you... be my subordinate, Fairy Princess Pollux.¡±

    That was an evil temptation.

    It was a road of snakes that would lead to a betrayal of the Goddess.

    The heroes would not be able to tear through the Goddess¡¯s script. If anyone could do it, it would be this monster who was out of the norm.

    That was why Pollux... took hold of that hand.

    Even if it turned out to be the road to self-destruction, she no longer wanted to pluck any more flowers.

    __

    (Author note)

    ~Currently~

    Ruphas: ¡°Sr re!¡±

    B: ¡°Quick Raid!¡±

    Leon: ¡°Lion Roar!¡±

    Ladon: ¡°Dragon King Ten Heads¡¯ Consecutive Fireballs!¡±

    Pollux: ¡°...¡±

    ¨C Clearly, she no longer needs to snap or pluck them. It¡¯s because all of the flowers are now burning.

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] ¡°https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden/wiki/Mega_Punch_(move)¡±.

    [2] Aeneas (¥¢¥¤¥Í¥¤¥¢©`¥¹)

    ¡°https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeneas?oldid=494842373¡±.

    [3] This is written literally as ¡°Great Demon King¡± (or actually ¡®Big¡¯ but means ¡®great¡¯) (´óÄ§Íõ ¨C Dai-ma-ou).

    The present time ¡°Demon King¡± is actually written as (Ä§ÉñÍõ ¨C Ma-jin-ou), which would literally mean Magic God King or Demon God King. I think I¡¯ve already footnoted this in an earlier chapter, but yeah, we just ended up tranting it as ¡°the Demon King¡± because that¡¯s what the first trantor (Shurim) used.

 Chapter 134

    Chapter 134 ¨C Pollux Sent Out Aeneas

    Raw link: http://ncode.syosetu/n2211cx/135/ (2016/11/20)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2019/12/27)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2020/01/02)

    Editor 2: Keii (2020/01/03)

    __

    (TLN: Recall I/my/me with ¡°ore¡± is for MC Ruphas and ¡°yo¡± is for real Ruphas.)

    The Argonautai had mostly been sorted out and weakened to the point where they would not immediately die and Aigokeros had apprehended them.

    Alioth, Dubhe, Phecda and Mizar were also neutralised.

    And Pollux¡¯s final hope, the Dragon King, was currently locked in a grand battle with Leon. In other words, the opposing side was almost out of personnel.

    I stepped out of the barrier that I had erected to protect Luna and Terra and stood in front of Pollux.

    Although there was a heroic spirit of an elf in front of her, it would not be a match for me.

    Or rather, I did not even feel like fighting it. After all, if I were to defeat it, the barrier which was protecting Pollux would disappear and she would be burnt to death.

    In any event, we had a winner. She no longer had any chance of victory.

    ¡°Looks like this is checkmate. Or do you still have a hand to y? If that¡¯s the case, I suggest that you quickly take them out... I¡¯ll make you submit straightforwardly without any small tricks.¡±

    For some odd reason, my body doesn¡¯t function properly if I¡¯m fighting against the Seven Heroes, but there won¡¯t be any problem against others.

    It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s the Dragon King or a hero of the past. Juste at me.

    I cracked my knuckles and awaited Pollux¡¯s next move.

    ¡°Hmm. In that case, I¡¯ll meet your request. Come and dance, the origin of the flugels... the one who governs the stars of heaven! Uranus!¡±

    A light shone down from the sky and lit up the ground like a spotlight.

    On the spot which was lit, flowers began to bud and a man with pure white wings and white clothing began to descend downwards while enveloped by a god-like radiance.

    A halo glowed on his back and there were three wings on each side, totalling to six. A bunch of young flugels of both genders had been summoned alongside him and hymned whilst they circled around him as if they were celebrating his advent.

    The man called Uranus was disying an affectionate smile as he very, very slowly descended to the ground.

    Yes, so very slowly that it was irritating....

    ¡°Come down quickly!¡±

    ¡°Guaa!?¡±

    I (yo) flew above him and punched him down so that he would get to the ground faster.

    Thend shook upon his impact whereas the guy himself, who had dropped down, had his arms and legs bent in weird directions and was foaming from his mouth.

    What is this? Isn¡¯t he quite fragile? I thought he would be ridiculously strong because he was called the origin of the flugels, but he¡¯s no big deal at all.

    It seemed he was killed in a single hit as he disappointedly turned into light and disappeared.

    The flugel children, who were around him, were scared witless by my action, thus they were shaking quite vigorously and had slumped down.

    By the way, the reason these guys were not being burnt was because the barrier protecting Pollux was still there... but the flowers which sprouted just then were burnt by the Dragon King¡¯s hellfire¡¯s shockwave.

    ¡°H, huh? Then how about this!? Manifest before me, the origin of all humans. You, the founder of the human race and the first guardian of the sanctuary ¨C Aeneas!¡±

    Answering Pollux¡¯s summons, particles of light formed into the shape of a human.

    Subsequently, what appeared was a half-naked man who liberally exhibited his body without any hesitation.

    It might have been fine to call him a handsome young man with that appearance, but even then, it was still uneptable that he only had a single cloth covering his waist.

    No, I actually understood the reasoning. After all, he was the first-ever human being... in other words, he was like an extremely primitive man.

    Although it sounded nice to call him the founder of the human race, to put things bluntly, it simply meant that he was born during a time when there was no civilisation. Therefore, the real thing was like this.

    Although... it did not change the fact that he was still an eminent individual...

    ¡°Wear some clothes!¡±

    ¡°Bubuwoo!?¡±

    The man, who received my fist, was sent spinning away and disappeared into the far distance whilst sttering in all directions.

    I thought in my head how he did not return any decent response when I punched him, however, there was an answer to that query in my memory.

    It seemed that the role of guardian of the sanctuary could only be passed down to and held by a single individual. Therefore, once their generation was over, the levels and the skills of the previous generation were passed down to their sessor.

    It was probably the work of the Goddess who did not want to needlessly increase the number of strong individuals who were at level 1000.

    And at the same time, I understood why. The reason behind why all of the guardians of the sanctuary throughout history were strong even though they were humans.

    Apparently, Aeneas underwent the ritual right before his death. In other words, the one who had just been summoned was nothing more than an empty shell who had lost all of his power.

    Argonautai might have been a skill which resurrected the hero of the past in their prime state, nevertheless, even it could not bring back power which had been lost because it was already passed down to their sessor.

    Well, either way, even if that was not the case, as he had been given the title of guardian of the sanctuary, he should have at least had enough power to rival someone like the current Megrez who was in a weakened state... but, someone like that was no match for me.

    ¡°Next.¡±

    ¡°......... As, as you wish! In that case, here¡¯s something special! Summoned in the past from a different world. An existence which was bestowed great divine power and restored peace to the world. Appear, the hero of another world!¡±

    Thunderps resounded whilst a single man giving off sparks appeared before me.

    His well-trained body was like steel.

    He had shining ck muscles and a sparkling bold haircut.

    His manly face was like that of a beast and even his eyebrows were shaved off.

    He wore boxer pants and boxing gloves.

    A boxer, who was clearly not a Japanese person judging from his 190cm height, was shouting ¡°I am the Champion!¡± and was doing shadow boxing.

    Alovenus.... You.....

    ¡°This is, umm... a long, long time ago when I prioritised strength and called a person over, something like this came out, and...¡±

    ¡°.... I mean... if your only criterion was their strength, I suppose something like this would most likely end uping out.¡±

    Yeah. That young boy Sei is actually an amazingly normal hero. I was just reminded of that again.

    Or more like... I have no idea what this guy¡¯s been saying since a moment ago.

    I can¡¯t speak English, you know.

    Why is it that even though Japanese automatically gets tranted to amonnguage in this Midgard, English remains the way it is?

    I thought X-Gate Online had integrated everynguage around the world.

    ¡°As a side note, because this guy tried to spread thenguage that he speaks, in Midgard, there are some people who speak untrantable words. It seems, there are people like your Crab-san who speak thatnguage due to their personal preference though...¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s this guy¡¯s fault!¡±

    ¡°Nice Punch!¡±

    So Karkinos¡¯s style of speaking in English is this guy¡¯s fault!?

    The moment I thought that, my fist caught the hero boxer and sent him flying over the horizon.

    Seriously... Even though this is supposed to be somewhat of a serious fight, stop calling in weird guys already.

    ¡°Anyways, don¡¯t tell me that was the greatest card that you had?¡±

    ¡°Gu.... It, it doesn¡¯t matter what it is, juste out! Heroic spirits, I summon you!¡±

    It seems she had really been pushed into a perilous position.

    Pollux desperately moved around and activated the Argonautai skill.

    However, although she could summon an indefinite number of times, each summon only had one soul. A spirit which had already been summoned and captured alive by us could not be called again.

    In other words, her remaining yable cards were truly limited at this moment and it was unlikely there were any significant ones left.

    I was thinking such a thing, however, in the very next moment, my predictions were proven wrong in a different way.

    ¡°I was called so I have appeared!¡±

    The one who appeared was... that annoying guy (Mars) that I punched into the distance once upon a time.

    He took a nce at me with a lofty air and, backed by confidence from who-knows-where, smiled at me as if he was assured of his victory.

    He then drew his sword and started to run around me in a circle.

    ¡°Now is the time for me to show you. The true ability of I, who has returned from the dead! I apologise, for I had held back at that time. I had misjudged your strength wrongly. But this time, I will not be lenient on you. This Mars, a member of the Seven Luminaries who bears the title of ¡°Fire¡± shall burn you with all of my ability! Only an instant ¨C In other words, the equivalent of the amount of time that you would experience in the Ring of Time. My resurrected self¡¯s true ability and the ¡°shockwave of my soul¡± ¨C! Fire and Diamond Dust, by mixing two antithetical powers together, at this moment, a new and evolved sacred chaos is born. These powers who shan¡¯t have merged together, take this moment of miracle in the eternity of time, evolved beyond their time in order to move to the future! y for me, o¡¯ me. The requiem of despair. Sing for me, o¡¯ ice. The symphony of blessing. You are already caught. There is no longer anywhere for you to run. Your path has been closed off by the unknown. Be afraid, be frightened, and celebrate and give praise. This is the moment of light that was given creation by me. You shall see it at the moment of your death. A kind embrace that invites you to be nothing. Scatter! The Ultimate Secret Art, Grand Crimson (Daiguren) ¨C¡±[1]

    ¡°SHUT UP!¡±

    I punched the fool who had a needlessly long monologue as usual into the air and banished him to the end of the sky.

    At this moment, I was far more used to this body than I was when I fought against him the first time, therefore, even if I had the same stats, the power behind my punch waspletely different. Furthermore, as Alkaid was still active, my stats themselves were alsopletely different.

    After looking on and noting that the moon, which had shown its face after the day had entered evening, had gained another crater, I turned back to look towards Pollux.

    Ruphas vs Mars 2

    Ruphas 1HKO that guy (Mars)... Again... Illustration from AWLBA light novel

    ¡°Looks like you really have run out of cards to y.¡±

    ¡°U, umm.... Th, there¡¯s still the Dragon King...¡±

    Pollux looked towards the Dragon King as her final hope, however, just as she was doing so, Bnash sank the Dragon King into the ground with a single punch, knocking it out.

    By the look of things, Bnash, who had gotten bored of observing the battle, had subjugated the Dragon King by punching it from the side.

    After having his prey stolen from him, Leon wasining. However, Bnash undauntedly told him, ¡°It¡¯s because you were taking your sweet time fighting against it.¡± Thus, they were in the middle of bickering with one another. Nevertheless, that was irrelevant for now.

    ¡°So... what were you saying about the Dragon King?¡±

    ¡°Guu.....¡±

    ¡°Anyways, you should have had enough by now. Get out of Pollux¡¯s body.¡±

    Yet, after hearing my rmendation, Pollux smiled cheekily.

    And, as if to say, ¡°If you want to attack me, go ahead and do so,¡± she opened her arms wide.

    ¡°No, the one who is at a loss is your side. Are you able to attack this body? If you want to defeat me, then that¡¯s fine. Go ahead and do so. However, just know that if you are to use your power to attack me, this girl will no doubt end up dead.¡±

    ¡°....¡±

    Tsk...!

    Although it aggravated me to admit it, what she said was correct.

    As long as she did not leave Pollux, there was nothing that I could do.

    Although there was the option of attacking her using [Blunt-Edge Strike], in all likelihood, she would not leave from something of that degree. It would be the same as needlessly harming Pollux.

    If the state that she was in was some kind of a status debuff, there would be a countless number of ways to remedy the issue. However, it was not any kind of a status debuff either.

    Cutting only the mana away using Lifthrasir ¨C that was also no good. After all, the Goddess was not using mana to possess Pollux.

    Using some Sun attribute arcane magic which would only damage spirit-type enemies ¨C that was also probably not going to work.

    Using some warrior skill which would deal damage to SP and not to HP ¨C was out of the question. Her SP was infinite, therefore, as expected, it would be meaningless.

    What should I do... Is there some method...?

    ¡°Pollux, don¡¯t lose.¡±

    While I was standing still and unable to do anything, Castor hade to stand beside me without me being aware of it and spoke to Pollux.

    He was not speaking to the Goddess. In all likelihood, he was speaking to Pollux who was in a deep slumber.

    Persuasion, huh... Although I doubted that there would be any meaning to it, because Castor was the other half of the Twins, it was possible that it might have some form of effect.

    Let¡¯s leave it to him for a moment and see what happens. This is truly a pitiful scene.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for this exact moment for a long, long time. A script for a y whichsts indefinitely. Deaths that repeated over and over again. You were always crying because you hated that. Now is the time to go beyond the script. Right now, we have to get away from the Goddess¡¯s third-rate script. Grab hold of freedom with your own hands... isn¡¯t that right, Pollux!?¡±

    ¡°Third-rate............¡±

    After hearing Castor¡¯s persuasion, Pollux¡¯s face visibly became depressed.

    What the... Alovenus got damaged so easily.

    Now that I recall correctly, she got called a third-rate by Bnash just recently.

    What seemed to be the Goddess¡¯s power ever so slightly separated from Pollux¡¯s body, as the light of rationality returned to her eyes.

    Is it correct to assume... that Pollux is resisting from the inside? It¡¯s not like the Goddess got depressed and left Pollux¡¯s body of her own ord... right?

    In any event, this is a good chance. If we can do something about that, we¡¯ll be able to save Pollux.

    But... what exactly is that? Is that a skill? Is it arcane magic? Or is it divine magic?

    No, if I had to describe it, it¡¯s the very essence of power. A fragment of the Goddess.

    And I don¡¯t have the means to deal with that in any way.

    If it¡¯s Vindemiatrix... no, it¡¯s no good. It¡¯s probably meaningless.

    Something... isn¡¯t there something...?

    [¨C Call me.]

    ¡°!?¡±

    Suddenly, a voice resounded in my head.

    The voice that I heard was something that I had only heard once before, however, it was something that I could never forget.

    In all likelihood, it was from the time before I (yo) had be me (ore). It was a voice I had always heard back when I was still an adventurer. That was exactly why it was so strongly ingrained within my memory.

    [¨C Call my name, my friend. Should you do so, whatever is happening at the time, I shall be your sword.]

    Ahh, that¡¯s right. I had forgotten that there was you.

    Forgive me. Even now, I have yet to wake up.

    But I¡¯m joyful. That even in this state you would still recognise me (yo) as me (yo).

    In that case, entertain me. Use that power of yours to your heart¡¯s content.

    ¡°Divine and arcane. A gate of space-time opened by two kinds of powers. Thou, who possess the arm of destruction that breaks apart all contrivances. ¨C X-Gate! Come, Taurus.... No ¨C Asterion!¡±[2]

    Whilst calling Taurus¡¯s real name, I shed divine and arcane power together, opening a hole in the world.

    Taurus was a title which was conferred by me after the creation of the Tyrannical Twelve Heavenly Stars. In other words, it was the name of his position. It was not his true name.

    As those like Aries did not originally possess a personal name, the conferred name became their actual name. However, it was not the same for Taurus.

    And there was only one individual who knew of his true name in this world ¨C me (yo).

    Answering my summons and appearing before me was an existence with a reliable appearance that was no different from what it was 200 years ago. Someone who could be said to be my partner in arms.

    Swinging his coat around himself, a giant who possessed the title of the [Bull] manifested before me.

    There was purple lightning running and sshing out of his right arm and the eyes behind his mask caught sight of the enemy which had to be taken down.

    ¡°¨C Aldebaran!¡±

    The unleashed skill was a technique which destroyed and forcibly cancelled an enemy¡¯s power.

    Whether the root of that power was divine or arcane in nature was irrelevant to this skill.

    The strike, which could even crumble and shatter the gods¡¯ scripts, was shot towards the Goddess¡¯s fragment that wasing a little out of Pollux and violently tore it apart.

    A crack split open in the space-time continuum and forcibly separated what connected the Goddess and Pollux together.

    And, as if a hammer or something of the like shattered a boulder, a thunderous sound resounded, dispersing away what was punched.

    Well, that was probably just the smallest fraction of the Goddess¡¯s power... probably an extent that¡¯s not even worth a single strand of her hair, but even then, that was an incredibly cheat-like skill. If my subordinate screams this much of a cheat, my standing is in a little bit of danger. Truly, how reliable.

    ¡°... You¡¯ve be a lot more like yourselfpared to thest time we met, Ruphas.¡±

    ¡°Still notpletely though.¡±

    Hearing my friend¡¯s words, I lightly smiled and answered.

    Although I can¡¯t see his face due to the mask that he¡¯s wearing, well, it¡¯s him after all. I know that he¡¯s probably cheekily smiling right now.

    I thought that he might as well show his face since he was in his humanoid form, however, this was one of the quirks that Asterion had.

    Just like with his real name, it seemed that he did not want to show his face to anyone except for me.

    Even though he has a huge frame, he¡¯s someone that could be described as delicate or feminine... well, that¡¯s the interesting part about him though.

    Subsequently, I watched as Asterion got swallowed up by X-Gate and was summoned away.

    Meanwhile, I...

    .... No, I shook my head and recollected myself from the disorderly thoughts that I was experiencing.

    Damn, just then, Ipletely became Ruphas.... No, maybe I was taken over by her?

    It almost became the state that I had reached when I was fighting against B.

    This isn¡¯t good. I feel that the boundary between ¡°me¡± (ore) and Ruphas is bing more and more vague.

    Whilst staring at Alioth and the rest who were being forcibly unsummoned after the Goddess had been separated from Pollux, I (yo) directed my attention towards Pollux who had lost consciousness.

    Next, I want to meet the true you.

    As I was thinking such...

    __

    (Author note)

    The Goddess: ¡°£¨¡ä?¦Ø?`£© third-rate............¡±

    Anyways, with this, the battle against Pollux has concluded.

    Aeneas, whose name was famous in the past for a good reason,pletely became aic relief character.

    Wait, that¡¯s not right... it¡¯s just that he was having a bad day.

    Anyways, even if he had the power that he had at his prime, as long as he was within the constraints specified by the Goddess, however strong of a character he was, he wouldn¡¯t be able to win against Ruphas....

    However, since I had brought out most of the strong enemies like the Dragon King, Leon, B, Alioth, Dubhe, Phecda and Mizar, we will enter an easy mode for a while.

    Although, honestly speaking, the only ones left which might be able to fight against Ruphas are the Demon King-san and the five ouroboroses...

    The Goddess: ¡°£¨¡ä?¦Ø?`£© ............ t h i r d ¨C r a t e ............¡±

    __

    (TLN: This chapter has too many fancy terms and weird sentence structures >.<. And LOL RIP the Goddess¡¯s psyche. ^^;;; But quite an anti-climatic way to end an otherwise fairly exciting arc.

    Anyways, I believe this chapter marks the end of this arc and an arbitrary ¡®Second Act¡¯ of the series. Next chapter is a transition chapter but from now on, the series will be addressing the main storyline and unravelling all of the things we had built up until this point, please enjoy.)

    __

    [1] What the hell did I just read? What the hell did I just trante? I don¡¯t even know... There¡¯s too many references that I can¡¯t figure them all out.

    Honestly, I could only spot Bleach references, but I know there are more since I¡¯ve heard some of the stuff he said before.

    The things I spotted are, Byakuya¡¯s, ¡°Scatter! Senbonzakura!¡± and Hitsugaya¡¯s ¡°Bankai! Dauguren Hyorinmaru!¡± (Grand Crimson Lotus Ice Ring)

    Senbonzakura: ¡°https://bleach.fandom/wiki/Senbonzakura_(Zanpakut%C5%8D_spirit)¡±.

    Hyorinmaru: ¡°https://bleach.fandom/wiki/Hy%C5%8Drinmaru_(Zanpakut%C5%8D_spirit)¡±.

    ... Anyywaayyss.... Scatter! The Ultimate Secret Art, Grand Crimson ¨C (É¢¤ì£¡¾¿˜O°ÂÁx?´ó¼tÉ)

    [2] Asterion (¥¢¥¹¥Æ¥ê¥ª¥¹) is the name of the Minotaur in Greek mythology. He was named after the foster-father of Minos.

    ¡°https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minotaur¡±

    ¡°https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterion_(king_of_Crete)¡±.

    __

 Chapter 135

    Chapter 135 - Pollux, Get!

    Raw link: (2016/11/21)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2019/12/30)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2020/01/05)

    Editor 2: Keii (2020/01/07)

    Trantion link:

    __

    __

    __

    (<strong><i>TLN: I/my/me of this chapter is in "ore" unless specified otherwise.</i></strong>)

    It was the day after the battle against Pollux, who had been manipted by the Goddess, ended.

    We had rented the inn¡¯s most spacious room and almost everyone was gathered there.

    The Twelve Stars and I were a given; the young boy Sei, Terra, Luna and even Bnash were also here.

    However, as you would have understood from the moment I said "almost everyone", not everyone was here.

    First of all, Leon. He left after the battle ended.

    He had said that he had no intentions of getting along, but really, it was just like him to act in that way.

    And there was one other person... Dina, who had disappeared right before Pollux¡¯s raid, was also not here.

    At the time, I had simply thought that she was having an awfully long toilet break and nothing more. Notwithstanding, she did not show herself even after the battle had ended and, needless to say, she was also not in the bathroom. Her whereabouts had bepletely unknown.

    Therefore, at this moment in time, with the exception of Leon and Dina, everyone was gathered in this ce.

    ... And one more thing. Although it was a very joyful miscalction, once the skill [Alkaid] was deactivated,pared to the activated state, "my" (ore) own thoughts and consciousness returned.

    As I had predicted, that skill called and woke the real Ruphas up. Although I might get stronger, that skill¡¯s trade-off was quite detrimental and self-destructive to me.

    <i>Overuse is no good</i> - was what I would have wanted to say, however, it was a skill I would no doubt have to use when it was time to face the Demon King.

    "In that case, you guys no longer have any intention of fighting against the humanoids anymore?"

    "That¡¯s right. Now that we know the true nature of what the demon race is, I don¡¯t intend to participate in a riggedpetition that I know I¡¯ll end up losing."

    The one who answered my question was the Demon King¡¯s son, Terra.

    <i>On another note, oi, this bastard... he¡¯s so handsome to the point that it¡¯s irritating.</i>

    Evenpared to the actual Hero, the young boy Sei, he had such a good looking face that it was as if he had "I¡¯m the protagonist" written all over his face. It was as if he waspletely overshadowing and eating up Sei¡¯s presence.

    Even the young boy Sei was muttering, "Wouldn¡¯t it be fine if this person just became the Hero?" and seemed to have lost some self-confidence.

    If we asked apletely irrelevant third party who did not know anything to choose who they thought was the protagonist after being told that our battle was a part of a fantasy game, they would most likely choose this guy. His face was just that noble and good looking.

    <i></i>

    <i>Explode and die!</i>

    "You say that, but isn¡¯t it actually just because you¡¯re scared of Ruphas-sama?"

    Aigokeros med Terra in a provocative way.

    If I recalled correctly, previously, Aigokeros took a loss against Terra at Blutgang.

    Either way, Aigokeros¡¯s action was a little childish.

    "That may be the case. It¡¯s quite a miserable thing, but if it¡¯s me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to win against her."

    On the other hand, Terra easily admitted the possibility and did not show any sign of being caught up in the provocation.

    <i>Ohh, he¡¯s such an adult.</i>

    <i>He¡¯s handsome looking on top of being calm and collected like a good adult, what is with this guy?</i>

    <i>You make us look like a band of bad guys inparison, so you can show off a bit more of your shorings, you know?</i>

    <i>... Ahh, we actually are the bad guys.</i>

    "Ruphas-dono! Even though there¡¯s someone from the demon race in front of your eyes, are you not going to kill them!?"

    "If it was the me of the past, I would have killed them without a second thought, but the current me is not so cold-hearted as to attack an enemy who has already surrendered. If you really want it to be done, you can do so yourself."

    "E... no, that, umm..."

    The elf nii-san was shouting something, but I swiftly brushed it aside.

    Having said that, it was not like I was going to prevent the humanoids from defeating these demons. After all, looking at the current situation from their shoes, the ones in front of me were from the demon race... not to mention one of them was the prince himself, thus it might not have been easy for them to be forgiving.

    That was why I would neither affirm nor deny the way they thought of things. If they really wanted to defeat them, then they could fight with each other themselves.

    Yet the elf nii-san did not say anything else and quieted down.

    <i></i>

    <i>Well, he must have been hoping that I would say something like, "The demons should be killed," just as I did 200 years ago.</i>

    <i>Or rather, because I now hold someone else¡¯s point of view, I can say this, but the me of the olden days was just too cold-hearted. Or it could also be said that I gave no allowances.</i>

    <i>I possessed the power to destroy the world, was merciless and not to mention cold-hearted... so let me say this clearly. It was only natural for me to have been betrayed, and only natural to have been abandoned.</i>

    <i>The problem is... that I¡¯m definitely closing in on that point.</i>

    "Libra, have you managed to locate Dina?"

    "No. I can¡¯t find her at all even though I¡¯ve been searching for her since yesterday night. It is very possible that she is no longer in this city."

    "..... I see."

    Even using Libra¡¯s detection ability, we were still unable to ascertain Dina¡¯s whereabouts.

    As Dina was able to run away to any location using X-Gate, it would be easy for her to escape out of Libra¡¯s detectable area.

    Due to the natural progression of deduction, the question of why she ran away at this timing came up and I suspected that answer had something to do with Pollux.

    Perhaps Pollux possessed something... some sort of information that was detrimental to Dina. That was why Dina ran away.

    If I thought in that way, everything would be resolved.

    "Then... let¡¯s talk about Dina first. After all, fortunately for us, there¡¯s someone who knows about ¡¯Venus¡¯ in this ce, mm?"

    "Dina... you say?"

    In response to my words, Pollux tilted her head.

    From the looks of it, she had not heard of the name before.

    When Pollux responded in this way, Libra took out a piece of paper and started drawing at a rapid speed.

    And what was created in the end was a drawing of Dina¡¯s face borate enough for a person to mistake it for a ck-and-white photograph.

    <i></i>

    <i>You... could do something like that?</i>

    Pollux received the piece of paper and looked at it seriously.

    And she started cold sweating quite heavily.

    "......... Ruphas-sama......... This person... was around you until recently?"

    "That¡¯s right. She named herself as the advisor that had been with us since 200 years ago. Though, honestly, we already knew that was a white lie."

    "Wha, wha, wha... what were you thinking!? This... she¡¯s the Goddess¡¯s avatar, you know!? Other than the fact that she¡¯s wearing different clothing, isn¡¯t her outer appearancepletely the same as the actual Alovenus-sama?!"

    <i>Wha, what did you say -!?</i>

    "Or more like, the person who sealed you, Ruphas-sama, is none other than her! I personally saw her help out Alioth and the rest in the battle 200 years ago by using the Subspace Seal technique!"[1]

    <i>Wha, what did you say -!?</i>

    <i></i>

    Or rather, I didn¡¯t expect that at all.

    Honestly speaking, I was fairly sure that Dina was the Goddess¡¯s avatar, but to think that, let alone help out, she was the very person who sealed me.

    <i>Ahh, I see now, no wonder Dina ran away.</i>

    <i>The moment that woman (bitch) felt that Pollux was closing in on us, she ran away at full speed.</i>

    <i>Even assuming that she had a thin presence, I could say that it was too careless of me.<strong>[2]</strong></i>

    "Or more like, why did you even appoint a person like that to be an advisor!? If you knew that it was a lie, you should have dismissed her!"

    "Well, no, I thought I¡¯d let her y for a bit..."

    "Are you stupid!? You¡¯re stupid, right!? You only let a person y around if the other party doesn¡¯t notice that you¡¯ve already figured out their lie. If they know you¡¯ve already figured it out, then it¡¯s meaningless! Libra, you too! Why is that even though you¡¯re with her, you allowed such a dumb thing to take ce!?"

    "I¡¯m in such a deep state of apology that I¡¯m high above the mountains."

    "You¡¯re not repenting, are you!? Let alone being ¡¯deep¡¯ in apology, you¡¯re climbing high above the clouds!"

    "Soon, I¡¯ll leave out of the atmosphere."

    "You piece of metallic trash!"

    In front of Pollux¡¯s very scary and angry look, I was in such a deeply emotional state that I did not even know what to say.

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_766" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-766" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-766" ss="wp-caption-text">Pollux hasmon sense. Illustration from AWLBA light novel.</figcaption></figure>

    <i>Ohhh... she¡¯s a very decent individual. Nothing like the "decent (LOL)" people that we had until now. She¡¯s someone with actualmon sense and a normal way of thinking.</i>

    <i>This is it, this! The thing that the Twelve Stars werecking.</i>

    <i>Such a well-executed retort (tsukommi) just then. She must be the one that I was searching for.</i>

    "...... Ruphas-sama, if you have some time afterwards, can you let me know of everything that has transpired up until this point from the time of your resurrection to the extent that you can remember? Knowing you, Ruphas-sama, you¡¯ve probably, no, actually, you¡¯ve definitely overlooked some things. Here."

    Pollux took out a piece of paper from her pocket and started noting things down.

    I used my peripheral vision and lightly peeked at what she was writing, but from the looks of it, she was organising all of the information that she had gained from the conversations that we had up until this point.

    What apetent person she was, this Pollux.

    "Seriously... Even though I know Ruphas-sama has always been a muscle brain, it still makes my head hurt. You guys too! Instead of affirming and enabling everything that Ruphas-sama does, give her some proper advice. Why exactly do you think the Twelve Stars exist?"

    "Of course, to use my whole body and everything that I have to fulfil all of the wishes Master has..."

    "Silence, goat. The duty of the Twelve Stars is to make up for the areas that Ruphas-samacks in. Ruphas-sama might possess an overwhelming amount of power, but she¡¯s not omnipotent. That¡¯s why, to cover for the things that she can¡¯t do, all sorts of idiosyncratic individuals were gathered and formed into the Tyrannical Twelve Heavenly Stars so that they could serve as her own limbs.

    In particr, when it came to her actions, ever since the past, Ruphas-sama has always been a hot-blooded muscle brain who just charges straight in without thinking. So someone at her side has to act as her ¡¯brain¡¯, but of all things, to think that she had infiltrated into that very position of the ¡¯brain¡¯..."

    Pollux spoke in a very irritated sounding way then started to look at the Twelve Stars in a reproachful manner.

    Meanwhile, I was made aware of quite an important new fact and was feeling quite surprised by it.

    <i>I see... so it wasn¡¯t just me that was a hot-headed muscle brain, but also "Ruphas".</i>

    On the other hand, the Twelve Stars who were made to suffer Pollux¡¯s reproachful looks responded without feeling ashamed.

    "But... I¡¯m not that smart..."

    "Me too."

    "There¡¯s no way this mistress would object to what Ruphas-sama does, would I?"

    "<i>Me</i> is also not good at thinking about things..."

    "Well yeah, I¡¯m also not in charge of having to intelligently think through things, so."

    "I¡¯m also not good at those kinds of things."

    After hearing Aries, Aigokeros, Scorpius, Karkinos, Castor and Sagittarius answer, Pollux held her head in anguish and muttered, "All these muscle brains..."

    When she did, this time, Virgo shrivelled up in a pitiful state. Seeing that, Pollux became flustered and quickly followed up with, "Oh, it¡¯s not your fault, okay?" Pollux really was the type to worry, I see.

    Following this, Pollux proceeded to stare down Libra, but Libra turned her head 180 degrees and avoided her stare.

    "Libra. The only one who could have acted as the counsellor while I was away was you, isn¡¯t that right? Why did you let Ruphas-sama go astray?"

    "An issue has urred in my hearing system. I am unable to hear what you are saying."

    "What a convenient system you have right there, huh? You piece of metallic trash maid!"

    Pollux signed out loud like she had gotten past the point of exasperation, then turned towards me to stare me down.

    "Ruphas-sama."

    "Y, yes?"

    "Now that I¡¯m back, from now on, I¡¯m going to be managing your actions. So when you n to do something, you must first discuss it with me. Do I make myself clear?"

    "Eh? No, but..."

    "Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?"

    "......... Yes."

    In terms of simple fighting prowess, Pollux had nothing on me.

    Yet, for some reason, I was unable to raise my head in front of her.

    In all likelihood, even 200 years ago, I was scolded by her for countless things and she was the one holding the reins.

    <i>Ahh... So this is a (true) advisor, huh?</i>

    Now that I had a feel for it, I understood how much Dina had been cking in her role as an advisor.

    "Having said that, this is actually a point that we should reflect back on a bit... of all things, to think that she was the very person who sealed Ruphas sama. This mistress didn¡¯t even notice that and was ying cards together with her... haa... haaa...!"

    "I didn¡¯t notice it and was discussing the proper way to make ck tea with her......!?"

    "You guys are just too carefree..."

    Scorpius and Aigokeros¡¯s fists were shaking as their anger red up.

    Nheless, the contents of what they were saying were actually quite stupid.

    The other Twelve Stars were also in simr conditions and each showed some kind ofplicated facial expression.

    As for Aries and Virgo, from their expressions, rather than anger, it seemed that their sadness from being deceived was stronger. On the other hand, Libra was showing an expression as if to say she had predicted this from the very beginning.[3]

    Now that I recalled correctly, the one who had doubted Dina the most was Libra.

    "In that case, if we can catch and get the information out of her, we will be able to close in on the Goddess in one go. ...... We weren¡¯t acquainted with each other for that long, but she didn¡¯t seem like that bad of a girl to me."

    "Be vignt, older brother. Women are monsters. They can easily put up all sorts of fake outer appearances."

    Against Castor, Pollux presented him with the reality of the world.

    <i>Yeah, she might be right. Women are really scary.</i>

    <i>Although... in terms of what they are, Scorpius and the like are actually monsters.</i>

    "Humph. It¡¯s you after all. You probably left her alone whilst saying, ¡¯I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s thinking, so it might be interesting to leave her as a subordinate,¡¯ isn¡¯t that right? You being soft on the people you¡¯re acquainted with is the same as before I see, Mafahl."

    "Guu..."

    Being stabbed right where it hurt with what really did happen by B, I was almost taken aback.

    <i>Yeah, you¡¯re right on point, dammit.</i>

    <i>"¡¯An advisor who may be hiding some secrets,¡¯ I think that¡¯s interesting on its own. In a way, to have someone dangerous as a subordinate is an exciting scenario." ......... That¡¯s the carefree remark I made after that one battle against Dina. What foolishness.<strong>[4]</strong></i>

    <i>But yeah... for some reason, I can¡¯t think of her as an enemy, however hard I try.</i>

    "In any event,rgely speaking, there are four main things that we need to do from now on. First of all, we have to find the two remaining Twelve Stars, Aquarius and Pisces. Then, we have to track down Dina who has disappeared. Andstly, we have to search for a way to transmigrate the demon race into a fairy race... huh."

    "It seems like there¡¯s a need to split into four groups."

    "Yeah."

    Normally, splitting apart the military strength was a bad move.

    <i></i>

    <i>But yeah... well, there¡¯s probably no issues whatsoever. Honestly speaking, this line-up is too good. It has an overabundance of fighting prowess.</i>

    <i>The ck-winged Supreme Ruler (me), the Vampire Princess (B), the prince of the demon race and his close aide, the majority of the Twelve Stars and as a bonus, the Hero and his party.</i>

    <i>Thinking about it, what is with this chaotic party?</i>

    <i>Honestly, with something like this, we could have taken over the world in a single day.</i>

    <i>And, as a side note, if the goal wasn¡¯t ¡¯domination¡¯ but ¡¯destruction¡¯, it¡¯d be done in an instant. So scary.</i>

    "Of course, I will be joining the group which will search for a method of transmigration. After all, if I¡¯m not there, nothing would even begin to get done. ... Besides, there¡¯s something that I¡¯m curious about."

    "Allow Luna and I to join in on that too."

    "If Pollux is going, then I¡¯ll also tag along with that group."

    "Then me too... I mean, I¡¯m not really useful as a fighting potential, so..."

    The first detachment group to be decided were the fairy siblings, Virgo and the demonic pair of Terra and Luna.

    I supposed, considering their end goal, it was only natural.

    Furthermore, rather than sending Virgo to a dangerous location, if we could send her with the fairy siblings and have her on standby together with them, it would make us feel more relieved. Therefore, there was no problem with this.

    "If I recall correctly, Aquarius is in the scorching region of Muspelheim, right? In that case, the members who are resistant to fire would be optimal to send there. ... Okay, Aries and Scorpius, you guys go. In the one-in-a-million chance that it turns into a battle, Karkinos, who¡¯s a good match with Aquarius, you go with them too."

    For Muspelheim to be named the scorching region, it must have been a ce that was really hot.

    Although every one of us here was resistant to heat to some degree, if it continued for a prolonged period of time, we might end up suffering from something like hyperthermia.[5]

    As such, sending individuals like Aries and Scorpius who had high resistance to fire was optimal.

    As for Karkinos, well... he would serve the role of countering Aquarius. If it was just the two individuals who possessed a fire attribute, then they would be an absolutely horrible matchup against Aquarius.

    "Ehhh!? That¡¯s so cruel! This mistress wants to travel together with Ruphas-sama!"

    "Scorpion-zama."

    "Librrraaaa, you!!"

    As usual, Scorpiusined, but I decided to ignore it for now.

    Recently, I had been getting more and more used to dealing with her.

    Next was a search party for Pisces whose location was unknown, but I could address this by sending the two individuals who excelled in search and detection.

    "To find Pisces, I am sending Libra and Sagittarius. As support, I will add Aigokeros. I doubt it will lead to a battle, but just in case, make sure to stay vignt."

    "I have understood the mission, master. I will make sure to bring back Eros."

    <i>Be nice to him and call him Pisces!</i>

    <i>Well anyway, that should be fine. With Libra and Sagittarius there, they should be able to find him.</i>

    "As for the Hero and his party, please move ording to your own discretion. I mean, you guys aren¡¯t really my subordinates. So it¡¯s fine for you to take the action you believe would be best."

    "Y, yes!"

    I purposefully did not specify the young boy Sei¡¯s actions. It was because I believed it would turn out better that way.

    He... how should I put this? He acted in a way that was out of the expectations.

    An idea like wanting to reconcile ande to amicable terms with me was a prime example of that. It was something that the other people probably would not even havee up with.

    I wanted to bank on his trickiness arising out of him being from another world and his ideas which were not bound bymon sense.

    Thest thing that remained was the matter about searching for Dina, but I deliberately wanted to go by myself.

    <i></i>

    <i>There shouldn¡¯t be any problem in terms of battle potential and I actually want to sit down and talk to her properly.</i>

    ... At least, that was what I was thinking, but.

    "Oi, Mafahl. Haven¡¯t you forgotten about me?"

    "...... You... intend toe along?"

    "I mean, even if I stay behind in Mjolnir, it¡¯s boring. I feel like it¡¯d be more interesting to tag along and observe your movements."

    From the looks of it, it seemed B wanted toe along.

    <i>Eh? Is this... going to be alright? She¡¯s not going to start spontaneously attacking me, right?</i>

    <i>I don¡¯t particrly hate B and, if anything, I actually respect her. But she¡¯s actually scary because I don¡¯t know when she¡¯s going to start attacking me.</i>

    In any event, with this, splitting everyone up into teams was done.

    What was left was to figure out our modes of transportation so that we could go about reaching our respective destinations.

    If I were to remodel Tanaka and Suzuki, it would be enough for two teams.

    After including the Hero¡¯s party, I wanted transportation for at least two more teams. In the worst-case scenario, B and I could just fly to our location ourselves.

    <i></i>

    <i>Although... in B¡¯s case, it¡¯s jumping rather than flying.<strong>[6]</strong></i>

    "What¡¯s left is the means to get to our destinations, huh."

    "In regard to that, please leave it to me, Ruphas-sama."

    "Hmm?"

    Whilst I was thinking that I might create another golem, Castor confidently interjected himself, causing my thought process to be cut off.

    It seemed he was in possession of some ride that could fly in the sky.

    Castor matched his sight with that of Pollux¡¯s and she nodded lightly in return.

    "Let¡¯s do it, Pollux!"

    "Alright, older brother."

    "Coboration skill - [gship of the Heroic Spirits]!"[7]

    Castor and Pollux held each other¡¯s hand and held them up into the air.

    When they did, light overflowed from their hands and rose high up into the air, slipping past the ceiling.

    The light did not seem to possess any destructive power as the ceiling which it had passed through did not break.

    Following a brief period of time after this, light gathered in the sky above and an enormous flying ship materialised in the air.

    The people of the city were gazing up into the sky, wondering what was going on after they witnessed the irrational scene of a flying ship appearing out of nowhere.

    <i>This is... amazing.</i>

    In RPG games, it was a popr staple trope for a flying ship that could travel across the world map to appear near the end of the game. To think that they could actually make such a thing happen, I was stumped for words.

    __

    (Author note)

    [Ruphas¡¯s faction has been strengthened quite significantly]

    Kings of every kingdom: "£¨ ©b§¥©b£©"

    The Demon King: "£¨ ©b§¥©b£©"

    The Goddess: "£¨ §¥£© ©b©b"

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] Subspace Seal Technique („¿Õég·âÓ¡).

    [2] The word "woman" is used with "bitch" superscripted on top.

    [3] ... Wait, I thought Libra has no facial expression... lol.

    [4] Original quote from chapter 40.

    [5] Hyperthermia and hypothermia are states at which the [human] body is at a temperature that it should not be. Hypothermia is diagnosed to have urred when the body temperature drops below 35¡ãC (95.0¡ãF) and hyperthermia is diagnosed to have urred if your body temperature passes 37.5 or 38.3¡ãC (99.5 or 100.9¡ãF) depending on the reference used. Note that once your body temperature goes over 40.0 or 41.0¡ãC (104.0 or 105.8¡ãF), it is called hyperpyrexia. If there are any doctors around and I¡¯m wrong, please let me know since my source is Wikipedia ^^;;

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperthermia".

    [6] Both were "tobu", so to "fly". But the kanji used is different. One is literally to fly, whereas the other is to err... leap/hop/sent flying/shot flying, etc. You get the idea.

    [7] Coboration Skill - [gship of the Heroic Spirits], (ºÏÌå¥¹¥­¥ë¨D¨D¡ºÓ¢ë‘ß_¤ÎÆìÅž¡»)

    [8] What... why didn¡¯t you do that from the beginning... Also, now that we know Pollux is actually super smart, the inconsistency of her being defeated by Terra and Luna is even bigger. As a side note, I think the author intended the readers to think that Pollux intentionally let those two win. However, the intended effect is not very apparent. Personally, I think Pollux was brought down too much when she was cornered by Luna.

    __

 Chapter 136

    Chapter 136 - Ruphas Used Ember[1]

    Raw link: (2016/11/27)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2020/01/01)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2020/01/07)

    Editor 2: Keii (2020/01/11)

    Trantion link:

    __

    __

    __

    The gship of the heroic spirits, <i>Argo</i>.

    It was an enormous ship which flew in the sky with a length of 350m and width of 52m.[2]

    It could only be manifested when both Castor and Pollux were together and it used mana as fuel to move around.

    The wooden material which had been used to build the <i>Argo </i>was a single branch taken from the fairy siblings¡¯ "real body". Perhaps due to that, the gship possessed high self-regenerative abilities, thus even if it were to be shot down by the enemy, it possessed the cheat-like feature of being able to make aeback after a few days.

    This time, the ones who would be piloting the ship were the heroic spirits called forth by Pollux, therefore we did not have to do anything in particr.

    The one who would be serving as our navigator was Pyxis of the [Compass] constetion.[3] The single-eyed bandana-wearing man boasted that he knew everything there was to know about the skies of Midgard.

    The heroic spirit who named herself as our chief engineer was Suhail of the [V] constetion, a female pirate who wore a white overcoat.[4]

    Although her countenance was not bad, due to her trained steel-like thick and muscr arms and legs and extremely split abdominal muscles, she did note across as feminine to others.

    There was also a pack of three dwarves, Naos, Tureis and Azmidiske of the [Puppis] constetion, who would apparently be serving as our engineers, but I couldn¡¯t distinguish them apart apart from each other.[5] This was why I had previously said they should at least dye their beards.

    Our helmsman, Avior of the [Carina] constetion, was a man who did not look like a human no matter how I looked at him.[6]

    Or rather, he was an undead monster known as a dragon skeleton. I wondered if there was not a better helmsman.

    Besides them, a wide diversity of Argonautai were assigned a range of different roles and would be supporting us in our subsequent journey.

    For some reason, there were also two heroic spirits wearing ck robes which flew away from our location. Nevertheless, as the one who summoned them was Pollux, I doubted she would have summoned someone suspicious.

    The gship could reach a speed as high as Mach 5 and, if given six and a half hours, it was said to be able to take ap around Midgard.[7]

    But because the appearance of how fast the ship seemed to be going and its actual speed did not match up however I thought about it, I could only say it truly felt like a fantasy.

    ... Although it was irrelevant information, I wondered what was up with the crew members, as some of them were staring intently at Aries.

    "Oh, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re wondering about, it¡¯s because, in the past, we travelled around the world on the <i>Argo </i>in search of a rainbow sheep. But in the end, we weren¡¯t able to find it."

    That exnation was given by Castor.

    Due to the fact that he was the captain of the <i>Argo</i>, the pirate captain cosy that he had been wearing now appeared to be truly fitting.

    <i>So that appearance wasn¡¯t just for show.</i>

    "That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard about this."

    "I mean, it¡¯s a story from a few thousand years ago."

    <i>A few thousand years ago, huh. I suppose if that was the case, there wouldn¡¯t have been a reason for him to tell us.</i>

    <i>The rainbow sheep at the time wouldn¡¯t have been Aries and I wasn¡¯t even born back then.</i>

    <i>Oh well, it doesn¡¯t really matter anyway.</i>

    "If anyone looks at Aries in a weird way, I¡¯ll use my discretion to throw them off the ship."

    "Of course, I understand."

    When I said that as a joke, Castor replied with a bitter smile.

    At the same time, every crew member who was looking at Aries hastily went back to their respective jobs in a flustered manner.

    <i></i>

    <i>Now then, let¡¯s have a journey in the sky.</i>

    <i>... We might have done something bad to the citizens of Laegjarn. They must have been the ones who were the most surprised about the </i>Argo <i>materialising.</i>

    First, we dropped Pollux, Castor, Terra and Luna off at Alfheim. As a bonus, I also dropped the Hero¡¯s party off there.

    Additionally, as a mode of transportation from now on, I decided to lend them Suzuki once again.

    The next location the <i>Argo </i>headed to after Alfheim was an unexplorednd that we had not stepped foot onto until this point - in other words, it was outside of the humanoids¡¯ domain.

    We had already determined that Aquarius was residing in Muspelheim, thus we decided to drop off Aries¡¯s group here.

    Furthermore, as a way for Aries¡¯s group to return to us, we left Tanaka with them. As we had previously arranged, a few heroic spirits who would take care of the ouroboros¡¯s seal in Aquarius¡¯s stead were also dropped off.

    It was decided that the two individuals who would fill in Aquarius¡¯s shoes would be the Water Snake Hydrus and Immortal Bird Phoenix.[8]

    Hydrus was a level 800 water dragon, which was a species of dragon. In his current humanoid form, he was a handsome bastard with blue-hair which reached down to his knees.

    Phoenix was renowned to be the strongest of the bird-type monsters and was immortal. He possessed high regenerative ability, resistance to heat and aerialbat ability. Simr to Hydrus, he was a level 800 handsome bastard with a red ponytail.

    Although both of them were magical beasts that had been tamed by me, in actuality, I had not raised them at all from the moment I captured them. After all, those two were strong from the beginning.

    "Ohh, Ruphas-sama. It makes me deeply emotional to be able to meet you like this once again in the realm of the living. It has been worthwhile waiting for you even after my death."

    "I appreciate the miracle of this reunion."

    The two handsome individuals, who were sparkling needlessly due to the handsome-character effect, took hold of my hands.

    <i>Even their lines are superficially fine. Did they end up in the wrong world?</i>

    <i>If anything, these guys feel like the kind of handsome bastards that might show up in shojo manga.<strong>[9]</strong> I mean, they¡¯re even unnecessarily shiny and all.</i>

    <i>Or more like, were they dead all this time? I don¡¯t remember sending them out in that battle back in the game...</i>

    "So the immortal bird died?"

    "Uugh... When you ask that question, I feel ashamed. I might be called an immortal bird, but it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t die. If I¡¯m cut into finer pieces than my regeneration can manage, even I can¡¯t..."

    If I considered that the immortal bird had died and turned into an Argonaut, it was amazing in a way.

    But the thing that I could not understand the most was the Carina (dragon skeleton).

    Since he was supposed to be a dragon skeleton, it would mean that he was dead from the very beginning. Yet what was with him dying and then turning into an Argonaut?

    Or rather, if he was going to resurrect at all, then he should at least properly resurrect with the same appearance as before he died. Why did he even remain as a skeleton?

    "Ruphas-sama, we¡¯ll soon be leaving the humanoids¡¯ domain. I predict that we may be attacked by demons. Please prepare for such an oue."

    I acknowledged Libra¡¯s warnings and then looked outside of the ship.

    When I did, I saw a bunch of demons rushing towards the ship and aiming for us.

    If it was against just those guys, now that we had a heavily concentrated amount of significant war potential, even if I did not do anything, Libra and the crew would be able to do something about it, but... since it was a good opportunity...

    I thought that it would be better for them to experience firsthand the resurrection of Ruphas Mafahl.

    "There¡¯s no problem. I will go."

    I cut in front of Libra and hopped out of the ship before taking flight.

    By doing this, I was able to see the swarms and swarms and swarms of demons.

    <i></i>

    <i>This is pretty amazing. They¡¯re filling up the whole sky.</i>

    <i>In terms of numbers... there¡¯s so many that I can¡¯t count them all, but maybe there¡¯s over a hundred thousand of them?</i>

    <i>Either way, if you think normally, we¡¯re significantly outnumbered. If you think normally, that is.</i>

    "Heheh! There are idiots that came out from the humanoids¡¯ domain!"

    "Phew, it¡¯s a chick!"

    "Ain¡¯t she a good woman? I wanna do her."

    The demons, who were impressed by my appearance, started jeering and the likes, yet I simply pointed my index finger upwards.

    On top of my index finger, a small marble-sized ball of light was created, illuminating my face.

    "Ohh? Looks like she wanna fight."

    "What a bravedy she is. She probably doesn¡¯t realise our levels. Ignorance is so scary, isn¡¯t it?"

    "Alright, before we fight, I¡¯ll teach you despair... hopeless despair. Listen well and be amazed, for all of our levels are 250! Those Seven Luminaries that you guys are desperately fighting against are, you know, actually not that much stronger than us. In this Dark Continent, there are people with those kinds of abilities everywhere!"

    "You can¡¯t even say anything cuz you¡¯re scared, right? Of course you are! After all, there are so many enemies with the same strength as the ones who are tormenting you guys. You must be so scared that you can¡¯t even squeak and you¡¯ve leaked yourself, right??"

    <i>Ahh, yeah, they¡¯re raising gs.</i>

    <i>There¡¯s a lot of these guys in RPG games, aren¡¯t there?</i>

    <i>These kinds of enemies show up in the early or mid-game as enemy officers ormanders and even though they¡¯re overwhelmingly stronger than other enemies, for some reason, in thete-game dungeons, they only show up ying the role of a small-fry mob.</i>

    When I was ying games, I wondered why they didn¡¯t go and be officers elsewhere. I was quite curious back then.

    At this point, when I took a quick nce at the ship, perhaps after losing all interest in what was happening, B was yawning withplete indifference.

    But it could not be helped. Although level 250 was indeed somewhat strong if you wanted to think of it that way... but from B¡¯s and my point of view, they were nothing more than enemies which werecking.

    "Alright. Let¡¯s scare them with arcane magic first."

    "Heheh, aren¡¯t they gonna leak even more?"

    "Don¡¯t kill them, alright. We¡¯re going to enjoy them afterwards."

    The demon, which was at the very front of the pack, said something and fired arcane magic in my direction.

    I looked on as the arcane magic was closing in on me, yet the corner of my mouth curled up.

    <i>Well... I guess it¡¯d be something like this... they¡¯re level 250, after all.</i>

    It would have been fine if I received it directly, but that would mean my clothing would get a bit of dust on it.

    As such, I poured mana into the ball of light which was at my fingertip, expanding it in one go.

    The ball of light, which gigantified in an instant, swallowed up all of the arcane magic which was flying towards me, yet it still continued to expand in size.

    In front of the demons who were in a state of shock, it continued to expand until it turned into a miniature sun with a diameter of 50 metres before the expansion calmed down.

    In truth, I could make it even bigger, however, Midgard would turn into a scorched if I were to go too far.

    So I decided that this was enough.

    "E...... a......?"

    The demons, who were howling until just a moment ago, became petrified and their pupils became constricted to a point.

    Theirher regions were stained yellow and they were shaking vigorously.

    Well, they made a mistake in who they picked a fight with.

    I couldn¡¯t me them for not knowing who I was since I had my wings hidden, wore sses and was under a disguise, but next time, they need to pay attention to who their enemy was.

    Subsequently, I moved my fingertip and lightly shot the [Sr re] which I hadpleted in the demons¡¯ direction.

    It was impossible for them to avoid it. It was because the miniature sun possessed a strong gravitational pull of its own.

    One after another, demons were sucked into the sun whilst their screams turned into a despair-filled chorus of agony which struck my eardrums.

    - That instant, an explosion.

    A firework tomemorate the first step out of the humanoids¡¯ domain was shot and a resulting mushroom cloud ascended into the air.

    I had limited the area of effect quite significantly, but even then, it was still quite shy.

    Well, I supposed the demons would have learnt a lesson from this and would not carelessly pick a fight with others in the future.

    Due to the effect of [Blunt-Edge Strike], the demons still had 1 HP left. Those demons were now rolling on the ground in tears and rejoicing that they were still alive.

    ... I would be happy to just defeat them, but because there was that incident with Terra, I decided it would be fine to let them go just this once.

    If his dreamlike goal of transmigrating the demon race could be realised, then it was possible that we might not have to quarrel with the demons anymore.

    But if I were to exterminate the demon race before then, it would never even get to that point.

    So just this once. If it was just once, I was willing to let them go.

    <i></i>

    <i>At this moment, I (ore) still have that much naivety left in me, even if just barely.</i>

    "As expected of you, Ruphas-sama! That single attack of yours was as grand and magnificent as the sun, it was truly splendid! As I thought, the lustre of a me which burns all creation is the most supreme. Something like water is worthless, worthless!"

    "That was amazing, Ruphas-sama! Truly a brilliant disy of the use of ¡¯<i>Sun attribute</i>¡¯ arcane magic! The yakitori seems to be under some misunderstanding and thinks it¡¯s the same attribute as him, but the Fire attribute can¡¯t evenpare to this! I mean, Fire is nothing but a degraded version of the Sun, in the end!"[10]

    "Huh?"

    "Nnn?"

    When I returned, Hydrus and Phoenix were openly head-butting each other, however, somewhere in their words was toxicity towards each other¡¯s elemental attribute.

    Perhaps, they must have felt that toxicity directed towards them. The two of them threw away their shining-character effects and suddenly seemed to resemble hoodlums with bloodshot eyes, staring each other down.

    "Nnn? What did you say, you little shit? Don¡¯t get cocky, eh? You¡¯re just a Water Snake. Are you picking a fight with me, huh?"

    "Huh? You¡¯re just a yakitori. Stop clucking and chirping already, eh? Do you want to get eaten, huh?"

    "Nnn?"

    "Huh?"

    The appearance of them taking hold of each other¡¯s cor and trying to mince the other party was just like what one would expect of small-time hooligans.

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_765" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-765" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-765" ss="wp-caption-text">Phoenix vs Hydrus. Illustration from AWLBA light novel.</figcaption></figure>

    <i>They might look like pretty boys, but in the end, they¡¯re still magical beasts, huh. Their true nature is still fairly violent, after all.</i>

    I ignored the two individuals who started punching each other without a cue and rested my back on an armrest.

    As I had been told the humanoids¡¯ right of existence was within the demon race¡¯s sphere of control, I stayed quite vignt and thought it would be dangerous to enter their domain until I gained sufficient war potential... but it seemed I was thinking too much.

    Although it was possible that these demons were just the scouts and the probability of stronger guys being on standby was not zero, it seemed their threat level was far less significant than what I had predicted it would be.

    Having said that, with the way things were currently, even if stronger enemies were to show up, it would be no problem.

    I decided to let the Argonautai handle the enemies the next time.

    "Aries-sama! You¡¯re also Fire attribute right!? Let¡¯s beat him up together!"

    "Wha, that¡¯s dirty! Don¡¯t call others into your personal fight! Your fire¡¯spletely useless to me, but his grace¡¯s fire is effective even if I reduce the damage by half! Because it¡¯s per cent damage!"

    After Hydrus took a mounting position on top of Phoenix and punched him until he was bleeding from his nose, Phoenix sought assistance from Aries.

    <i></i>

    <i>Well... if it¡¯s Fire VS Water, it¡¯s no wonder it¡¯d end up like that.</i>

    Aries, who was called upon for help, was looking a bit flustered, but Scorpius lightly knocked on his head.

    "You can ignore it, Aries. You can leave a bunch of idiots like that to their own devices."

    "That¡¯s right, fights are supposed to be done one on one."

    "Sagittarius, go and wear some pants..."

    Although what Sagittarius said was spot on, because of the arrow dangling down from his crotch, everyone was exasperated.

    <i></i>

    <i>You... didn¡¯t I create pants for you...? Why are you still naked?</i>

    Fortunately, the mosaic censorship skill cast by Dina was still in effect, but it was still an unsightly scene.

    B in particr looked at Sagittarius as if she was looking at some filth and was cracking her knuckles.

    I had been told that 200 years ago, Sagittarius almost never appeared in front of even his allies and whenever he did show himself in front of people, he would be under some kind of a disguise.

    I originally thought it was due to him specialising in assassination... but unexpectedly, the real reason might have been because of his exhibitionism which made it unsightly for him to appear before others. Therefore, it was likely that he might have been ordered by Ruphas to keep himself from appearing before others.

    "Oi, Mafahl. Can I kill that guy?"

    "If it¡¯s only halfway to death, I permit it."

    "Alright."

    "Ruphas-sama!?"

    Sagittarius looked at me with pleading eyes, but ¨C <i>I don¡¯t see it</i>.

    Looking at Sagittarius who was kicked out of the ship and abandoned on his own and Libra who had fired a rocket punch to retrieve him back up, I smiled bitterly.

    What a rowdy bunch we were.

    But it seemed that we were sure to have a journey which would not be boring.

    __

    (Author note)

    Ruphas: "£¨#©b§¥©b£© From today onwards, you¡¯re going to specialise in nothing but sniping from a long distance away. Also, in case you need to appear before people, make sure you wear your pants and disguise yourself."

    Sagittarius: "W, why..."

    Ruphas: "£¨#©b§¥©b£© Because you¡¯re always dangling that around and it¡¯s unsightly."

    * The truth of the matter that was made clear, which no one wanted to know about.

    The Immortal Bird Phoenix

    One of the magical beasts which was captured by Ruphas 200 years ago and swore loyalty to her.

    The strongest ss of bird-type magical beast which rivals even the dragons.

    He possesses high regenerative ability, aerial manoeuvrability and me attacks, therefore, it is very strong.

    Furthermore, his blood itself possesses a strong healing effect and is a recovery item. Therefore, even as a material for alchemy, it is of the highest tier.

    If an individual possesses even a single feather of his, the holder will automatically regenerate a small amount of HP in intervals. Judging him based solely on his strength, it would not have been strange for him to be named as one of the Tyrannical Twelve Stars. However, because Ruphas had captured him for the sake of alchemy, he was not raised at all.

    His special techniques are [Leer] and [Fire Spin].[11]

    Honestly speaking, because he is someone which will be traded for Aquarius, he is a character you don¡¯t really need to remember.

    His HP is 65 000. He has the personality of collecting shiny things.

    The Water Snake Hydrus

    One of the magical beasts which was captured by Ruphas 200 years ago and swore loyalty to her.

    A kind of dragon, which is known to be the strongest category of magical beasts.

    Its true appearance is that of a water dragon with a length of 80m. It possesses a strong defensive ability and maniption over water.

    Hydrus is aplete physical-attack type. The destructive cannon howl attack that it releases from its mouth can turn a 1km radius from the point of impact into ash.

    His defect is that he is unable to learn the majority of the Water attribute skills because he ran out of memory.[12]

    Due to that, he reached a sad point where he does not possess many powerful water-type skills despite being a water dragon.

    Honestly speaking, because he is someone which will be traded for Aquarius, he is a character you don¡¯t really need to remember.

    Judging him based solely on strength, it would not have been strange for him to be named as one of the Tyrannical Twelve Stars. However, when it came to the Water attribute, because there was already Pisces and Aquarius, he drops down to the second tier.

    His HP is 67 000. Although he is a dragon of the sea, he possesses the ability to fly.

    Whilst he is Water attribute, he has two more [Weakness: Lightning] as part of his unique passive skill. Therefore, some Wood attribute arcane skills (Lightning types) are insanely effective against him.[13]

    Amongst some of the magical beasts, on top of their base weakness, the Goddess may specify additional unique weaknesses. He is one such individual.

    So please do not use Thunderbolt on him.[14]

    Honestly speaking, I¡¯m sorry that they¡¯re essentially Hu__ of the Wind and Shu__n of the mes.[15]

    Because the Argonautai have be allies, from now on, we won¡¯t be short on dogs that bite anymore. Convenient![16]

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] "".

    [2] 350metre = 1148.3ft = 0.22 miles.

    52metre = 170.6ft.

    Since it didn¡¯t seem THAT enormous... I did a quick Google search and ording to Wikipedia... (well.. credibility/reliability aside... I gotzy lol), the longest aircraft carrier has a length of 342m (1122ft) and thergest cruise ship has a length of 361m (1184ft), so it¡¯s actually massive.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_naval_ships".

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_ofrgest_cruise_ships".

    [3] "A small and faint constetion. Pyxis, also known as Pyxis Nautica, Latin for "mariner¡¯spass", is counted among the 88 modern constetions. Pyxis is located close to the stars that formed the old constetion of Argo Navis, the ship of Jason and the Argonauts." - Wikipedia: Pyxis

    Pyxis of the Compass (¡ºÁ_á˜±P×ù¡»¤Î¥Ô¥¯¥·¥¹): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyxis".

    [4] "V is a constetion and its name is Latin for the sails of a ship. It was originally part of arger constetion, the ship Argo Navis, but waster divided into three parts, the others being Carina (the keel and hull of the ship) and Puppis (the poop deck of the ship). It ranks 32nd of the 88 modern constetions in size." - Wikipedia: V (constetion)

    V (·«×ù): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_(constetion)#".

    Suhail (Gamma Velorum) (¥¹¥Ï¥¤¥ë): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_Velorum".

    [5] "Puppis is a constetion that represents the poop deck of a ship. It was originally part of an overrge constetion, the ship of Jason and the Argonauts, Argo Navis, but was divided into three parts, the other two being Carina (the keel and hull) and V (the sails of the ship). Puppis is thergest of the three constetions and it is one of the 88 modern constetions."

    Puppis (ÆA×ù): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppis".

    Naos (Zeta Puppis), Tureis (Rho Puppis), Azmidiske/Asmidiske (Xi Puppis) are stars within the Puppis constetion.

    Naos (Zeta Puppis) (¥Ê¥ª¥¹): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeta_Puppis".

    Tureis (Rho Puppis) (¥È¥¥¥ì¥¤¥¹): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rho_Puppis".

    Azmidiske/Asmidiske (Xi Puppis) (¥¢¥¹¥ß¥Ç¥£¥¹¥±): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_Puppis".

    [6] "Carina is a constetion and its name is Latin for the hull or keep of a ship. It was part of the constetion of Argo Navis (the ship Argo) until it was divided into three pieces, the other two being Puppis (the poop deck) and V (the sails of the ship)."

    Carina (¸o¹Ç×ù): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carina_(constetion)".

    Avior (Epsilon Carinae) (¥¢¥ô¥£¥ª©`¥ë): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epsilon_Carinae".

    The Japanese name for the Carina constetion (¸o¹Ç×ù) literally means "dragon bones". This new character, Avior, is thus described as a dragon skeleton (¥É¥é¥´¥ó¥¹¥±¥ë¥È¥ó).

    [7] Mach 5 = 6174km/h OR 3836.35 miles/h

    Based on this sentence, assuming it is apletep, the circumference of Midgard is estimated to be around 40 131 kilometres (OR 24 936 miles).

    Byparison, the circumference of the Earth is calcted as 40 070 kilometre (OR 24 898 miles) by NASA (and 40 075km [24 901 miles] by another site)

    NASA (40 070 km): "".

    Space (40 075 km): "".

    For reference, the fastest ne Lockheed SR-71 ckbird clocked in at 3529.6km/h or 2193.2 mph (approx. Mach 3). And a NASA space shuttle is stated to travel at approximately 28 000 km/h or 17 500 mph (approx. Mach 22.7).

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_SR-71_ckbird".

    "".

    "".

    [8] Water Snake Hydrus (Ë®Éß¤Î¥Ï¥¤¥É¥é¥¹): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrus".

    Immortal Bird Phoenix (øP»Ë¤Î¥Õ¥§¥Ë¥Ã¥¯¥¹): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_(constetion)".

    [9] Shojo manga (ÉÙÅ®Âþ»­) is a manga aimed at a teenage female target-demographic readership.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Djo_manga".

    Shojo trantes to young girl, so in this category, you would see series like Ouran High School Host Club, Kaicho wa Maid-sama, Vampire Knight, Cardcaptor Sakura and Special A. Yeah, you get the idea.

    In the slightly exaggerated POV of Ruphas, this category *typically* has handsome men, a shallow story, cutesy girls, etc

    [10] Yakitori, literally meaning grilled bird/chicken, is a popr food in Japan. In English, you can call it a skewered chicken.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakitori".

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_1516" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1516" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-1516" ss="wp-caption-text">Image from: </figcaption></figure>

    [11] Leer (¤Ë¤é¤ß¤Ä¤±¤ë): "".

    Fire Spin (¤Û¤Î¤ª¤Î¤¦¤º): "".

    [12] Hmm... in the Pok¨¦mon games, you can only "learn" 4 moves at any given time even if that Pok¨¦mon can actually learn like 100 moves. I think the author¡¯s saying that Phoenix only has 2 skills so it was no problem for him, but Hydrus has so many skills it could learn but can¡¯t learn because it¡¯s limited to 4.

    [13] Another Pok¨¦mon reference, Water Pok¨¦mon take double damage when hit by Electric type attacks. So I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s x2x2x2, so he takes 8 times the damage of what he should take when hit by Lightning type attacks.

    [14] Thunderbolt (10¤Þ¤ó¥Ü¥ë¥È): "".

    [15] Huey of the Wind (ïL¤Î¥Ò¥å©`¥¤) and Shuren of the mes (Ñ×¤Î¥·¥å¥ì¥ó )

    "".

    "".

    [16] Err... wasn¡¯t sure what "dog that bite" was, but apparently, it¡¯s a famous quote from some literature (... prob not "some", but since I¡¯m not familiar with Japanese ssic literature, I can only say "some"). I think it means a fodder character/guinea pig character that will first fight the enemy so the actual important characters/readers can get a feel for the enemy¡¯s strength.

    __

 Chapter 137

    Chapter 137 - Muspelheim Was Frozen

    Raw link: (2016/11/28)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2020/01/04)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2020/01/11)

    Editor 2: Keii (2020/01/16)

    Trantion link:

    __

    __

    __

    It must have been approximately three hours since we had started flying over the Dark Continent.

    After being told, "We can almost see Muspelheim," I went up onto the deck of the ship.

    Looking around, I saw that many other people on our journey had also gathered already and that they were surprised by the state of Muspelheim which they saw in front of them.

    Muspelheim, one of the locations where an "Ouroboros" was sealed.

    It was said that Muspelheim was a ce with a strange phenomenon where fire did not revert back to mana. Thereby it was said to be surrounded by mes which never disappeared.

    Its temperature was said to be around a thousand degrees Celsius, thus it was an uninhabitable environment for living organisms.[1]

    In one legend, it was discussed that it might have been the result of a sacred treasure¡¯s influence.

    <i></i>

    <i>Well, all of that was second-hand information provided by Libra.</i>

    <i>But... it seems hearsay really can¡¯t be relied upon.</i>

    When I was supplied with the aforementioned exnation, I had pictured in my head that Muspelheim was and enclosed by mes, but my predictions turned out to be significantly different from reality.

    <i>Or more like, this is...</i>

    "It¡¯s frozen."

    "Yeah... It¡¯s frozen."

    Looking down onto thend below from the <i>Argo</i>, I saw a scene which was theplete opposite of what I had imagined it to be.

    Even though it was called a scorchingnd, of all things, it was actually an extremely coldnd encased in ice.

    In the middle of all of this, there was a pce made out of ice. Furthermore, houses that were also built out of ice were lined up around the pce, making it look like a castle town.

    The ground was covered in snow and just by looking at the ce, one could feel chills running through their body.

    Looking at it from a distance, it looked mystical, however, it was a location which one would not have wanted to live personally.

    "It¡¯s probably the work of Aquarius. It is my conjecture that, using its own mana, Aquarius must have overwritten thisnd¡¯s climate."

    "Is that so (hou)? The whole of Muspelheim?"

    "If it is her, it is not impossible."

    "Out of curiosity, Libra. Do you know what the surface area of Muspelheim is?"

    "It is 83 500 km<sup>2</sup>."[2]

    83 500 km<sup>2</sup>... so... it approximately had the same surface area as the ind of Hokkaido, huh?[3]

    Considering therge surface area and the fact that it was originally and where the average temperature was over a thousand degrees Celsius, for her to freeze up the whole area, she must have possessed tremendous power.

    When it came to Water attribute users, the first one that came to my mind was Dina, but notwithstanding that they both used the same element, the way they used it was substantially different.

    <i>If anything, rather than Water, this is more like an Ice attribute.</i>

    <i>Though, since an Ice attribute doesn¡¯t exist in this world, it¡¯d be categorised as the Water attribute.</i>

    "So, Ruphas-sama, we¡¯ll get going now."

    Aries jumped onto the railings of the ship first, followed by Scorpius, Karkinos, Phoenix and Hydrus.

    They were going to directly jump down into the city.

    With their physical abilities, it was not particrly a problem, but I wondered if they would not feel cold looking like that.

    Aries¡¯s limbs were exposed to the environment and one did not need to even mention Scorpius.

    Even Karkinos, who was wearing the most clothes out of the bunch, could not be said to be wearing winter clothing.

    Well, if it was them, there would not be any problems. But I decided to give them something just in case.

    "Hm, wait a moment. Going off looking like that is that, you know. So take these."

    Saying this, using X-Gate, I took out three sets of thick coats from Mafahl Tower.

    It was defensive equipment called [The Coat of Aurgelmir] that I had crafted in the past for times where I would have to battle against a Water attribute boss.[4]

    Overall, it dropped the wearer¡¯s status a little, nevertheless, it was a piece of defensive equipment which was strong against Water and Fire attribute enemies as it reduced the damage inflicted by those two elemental attributes by 70%.

    I digress, but my current overcoat reduced the damage I suffered from all attributes by 50%, therefore, taking into consideration only Water and Fire attributes, it was superior to my equipment.

    In terms of design, there were white, ck and red colours avable, therefore it would be fine to give them their own individual colours.

    ... Scorpius... did not look much different in the end though.

    "And, this is a farewell gift."

    As a bonus, I gave the three of them weapons that I had crafted to pass the time.

    Originally, in X-Gate Online, perhaps in consideration of game bnce, it was set so that magical beasts could not equip equipment, but that was not so in this world.

    Castor, Taurus and Sagittarius had equipment and weapons as if it was the mostmon thing in the world. If you thought about the fact that they had two empty hands, then of course it was only natural that they would be able to carry equipment around.

    What I gave Aries was a pair of gloves with a holes cut where the fingers were, otherwise known as the so-called open finger glove.

    At the roots of both hands, in other words at the third joint of each hand, there were four protrusions. When the hand was clenched into a fist and used to punch something, that part would be mmed into the enemy.

    The gloves increased the STR of the wearer by 1200 and came with the special effect of being able to "prate the enemy¡¯s elemental defence".

    With it, even if the enemy was strong against the Fire attribute, Aries would be able to deal percent damage without any worries.

    What I gave Scorpius was a chain sickle of some sort.[5]

    At a fundamental level, it was a chain sickle, however, the end of the weapon was not a sickle but a scorpion¡¯s pincer. When the weapon was swung at an enemy, the pincer would automatically pinch at and capture the enemy.

    The weapon simply increased the attack power of the user by 2000 and nothing more. Nevertheless, it was clear that it was a strong weapon just by looking at it.

    Although the chain sickle did not have any special abilities, because it had a long range, it was proportionately easy to use.

    The one who gave me the most to think about was Karkinos.

    If someone were to ask me what the problem was, it would be that he already had a weapon.

    That scissor de that he always whipped out from who-knows-where was apparently a genuine weapon of his.[6]

    Scorpius¡¯s scissors were created from mana, but Karkinos¡¯s scissor was a weapon that he had made himself by shaving away at his own shell.

    As such, for Karkinos, I decided to just upgrade the weapon which he already had.

    Originally, his weapon provided him with an increased attack power of 800. After the modification, his attack power would increase by 1000 and gain the effect of being able to attack twice. Furthermore, when thrown, the scissor would return back to the location of its owner like a boomerang, thus he was now technically able to use long-range attacks.

    <i>... But, yeah. Even if I provide them with weapons, it¡¯s a bit awkward.</i>

    Unlike these three, the aforementioned individuals, Sagittarius, Castor and Taurus, did not change much when they transformed into their magical beast forms.

    Castor in particr was already in his base appearance and even when Sagittarius reverted back to his true appearance, only his lower body changed. Taurus would probably only grow bigger.

    However, when Aries, Scorpius and Karkinos became serious, the three of them would revert back to their enormous magical beast forms.

    When that happened, the weapons provided by me would naturally be unusable.

    Thinking in that way, perhaps they just had an innatepatibility problem with equipment.

    <i>Well, it¡¯s probably still better than nothing. Probably.</i>

    "Ru, Ruphas-sama gave me a piece of equipment... I¡¯ll cherish it for my whole life! I¡¯ll store it carefully and turn it into a family heirloom and marvel at it for generations!"

    "No, don¡¯t store it. Use it. What do you think the equipment is even for?"

    In any event, I managed to increase their base stats.

    Even if something were to happen, as long as it was not something extraordinary, they should be able to deal with it somehow.

    Because of theck of time, I had not finished crafting equipment for the other members, but I nned to make them some in due time.

    "Thank you very much, Ruphas-sama."

    "Mm. I¡¯ll leave Aquarius to you guys."

    "Understood!"

    I lightly patted Aries¡¯s head and sent them out.

    What happened from now on depended on them.

    Needless to say, I believed in them. If it was the three of them, they would be able to bring Aquarius back without fail.

    After hearing my words, Aries seemed to have be energised and, this time for sure, jumped off the <i>Argo</i>.

    Following him, Karkinos, Phoenix and Hydrus also jumped down.

    Currently, the <i>Argo </i>was at an altitude of 10 000 metres, but if it was Aries and the rest, it was not a height at which there would be any problem.[7]

    Something like a parachute was also unnecessary.

    Watching their figures as they left, I noticed that Scorpius had yet to jump off.

    "......"

    "......"

    Looking at the face of Scorpius who seemed to be expecting something, I also gave her a head pat.

    When I did, Scorpius¡¯s enthusiasm immediately shot up and she jumped off whilst screaming, "Hyaaaaa".

    Today, she was operating normally as usual.

    *

    Aries and the rest who descended from the height of 10 000 metresnded in a position which was slightly away from the city.

    Right before hended, Aries brought out his mes whilst Scorpius and Karkinos both kicked towards the ground and used the resulting shockwave to soften thending impact.

    There was not much to say about Phoenix and Hydrus who could both fly in the first ce.

    Theynded in a ce slightly behind Aries and the other two so that they would not get ahead of them.

    Like this, the five of them whonded in the extremely cold region of Muspelheim were made to experience once again how different the ce was from the Muspelheim that they remembered in their memories.

    "No matter how much I look at it again from this close up, it really doesn¡¯t feel like Muspelheim. With the way things are, it¡¯s more like the North Pole."

    "You can say that again. It used to be such a nice ce with nice heating, what a waste."

    "Indeed. I don¡¯t mean to me Aquarius-sama, but honestly, seeing Muspelheim, which is supposed to be a paradise of mes, be frozen over this magnificently, I feel a little conflicted."

    For the three Fire attribute individuals, Aries, Scorpius and Phoenix, the original Muspelheim was the location where they felt mostfortable in.

    And in reality, even Ruphas decided on the current members after taking into consideration Muspelheim¡¯s extreme heat, therefore, it could be said that the current situation was out of the calction.

    Nheless, if one were to ask whether they could change members at this point or not, the answer was no.

    Even if they were to include Aigokeros into this group, there was no member that they could take out.

    If Aries was to be removed, it would mean that there would be a double troublemakerbination of Aigokeros and Scorpius left. If Scorpius was to be removed, it would mean that Scorpius and Libra would be in the same group, thus there would be infighting in that group.

    However, Karkinos absolutely could not be removed because he was there to be the countermeasure against Aquarius in case the one-in-a-million chance they entered into a battle with her.

    In other words, although the situation was different from what they had originally nned for, the current personnel could not be swapped out.

    "For now, let¡¯s enter the city. First, we need to try and understand what kind of city this is."

    "It¡¯s just as Karkinos-sama says. There¡¯s nothing that we can achieve even if we remain here."

    Karkinos suggested that they enter the city and Hydrus responded in agreement.

    Practically speaking, what he was saying was right on point. Even if they continued to stand around, the situation would not change.

    The others did not have any objections to this suggestion and silently nodded in agreement.

    Step by step, they left their footprints behind in the snow and then stepped foot into the city.

    When they did, what filled their vision was a world of silver.

    All of the buildings, which were lined up, were made out of ice and snow and took the shape of hemispheres.

    The houses were adorned with their own decorations and were all lined up fantastically.

    Even the trees that decorated the side of the road were all made out of ice, making them wonder how such a thing was possible.

    The various pieces of ice which were shaped like trees protruded out of the ground in a straight line. From them, snow blossomed out of the ice as if they were leaves.

    Phoenix casually snapped a branch off of one of the trees and observed it by rubbing and scraping it with his fingertip.

    At the very end, he heated up his palm and tried to see how it would react, but only ended up narrowing his eyes.

    "It¡¯s a strange type of ice... it doesn¡¯t melt even when heated up. Are all of the buildings which constitute this city also made out of the same kind of ice?"

    "How beautiful. Rather than ice, you could call them crystals at this point... is this a city of crystals?"

    In contrast to Phoenix who was making a conflicted face, Hydrus was absentmindedly looking around the silvery city.

    <i></i>

    <i>The glister of this silver world... what a beautiful thing, it is.</i>

    Hydrus was inappropriately wondering in his heart whether this whole city was one big piece of art or not.

    "Stop getting mesmerised, octopus. What ¡¯city of crystals¡¯? You¡¯re so snobby."

    "You¡¯re noisy, yakitori. Looking at this city and not feeling anything, aren¡¯t your senses rotten, huh?"

    "Huh?"

    "Huh?"

    Ignoring Phoenix and Hydrus who became inharmonious and grabbed each other¡¯s cors, Aries and the rest proceeded to move forward.

    As those two were always like that with each other even 200 years ago, this was just their normal state, thus it was not something they had to pay attention to thiste in time.

    Although they seemed like they had a bad rtionship, those two could be calledrades in arms with each other and were actually good buddies.

    As such, even if they were to m a cross-counter on each other¡¯s face, there was nothing the others had to worry about.

    If left alone, they would catch up with Aries and the rest inside of the city eventually.

    "So, what do we do first?"

    "Hmm, I guess the first ce to visit to gather information is always the <i>tavern</i>. Let¡¯s look for a building that looks like that first."

    If one wanted to gather information, then they needed to go to a ce where a lot of people gathered.

    That was a conclusion anyone who had any sort of experience of being an adventurer would immediately be able to reach.

    In the past, there was a period of time where Ruphas herself had gathered information at taverns. Karkinos himself had also opened taverns with the purpose of gathering information.

    Where people gathered, information would consolidate.

    Even if it was just a small rumour, there was a high possibility that the shopkeeper or the regrs might have heard about it before.

    "Ehh... that¡¯s so troublesome. It¡¯ll be the end of it all if we just head straight to the pce and pick Aquarius up. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re not acquainted with each other."

    "That¡¯s true. Is there some reason we shouldn¡¯t just go ahead and do that?"

    "That¡¯s what we¡¯re going to find out. Just what exactly is this city like? Why did Aquarius make a city like this when she should have been sealing the ouroboros? Without knowing those things, if we just charge right in, it could cause unnecessary <i>trouble</i>."

    "Aren¡¯t you prudent?"

    "After all, this is a <i>mission</i> in which failure cannot be permitted."

    Even Scorpius, who was looking hassled, could do nothing but agree with Karkinos¡¯s words of "failure cannot be permitted" and swallow her objections.

    Exactly, failure was absolutely not permitted. This was an order entrusted to them by their master.

    If they were to do something unnecessary and cause Aquarius to be weighed down such that she could no longer leave, they would not be able to show their faces in front of Ruphas anymore.

    "...... Fine, fine. But we can¡¯t take up too much time. This mistress wants to quickly finish the job and get back to doing lewd things with Ruphas-sama."

    In that way, Scorpius ended up reluctantly approving Karkinos¡¯s suggestion.

    __

    (... Ehh... interesting and useful but long Author Note)

    [I will hereby exin the standard of level groups in this world, without the effects of doping]

    I don¡¯t have much to write about right now, so I will go through the approximate reference points of each level group. Please note that this is not an absolute of each category, but along the lines of "well... they¡¯re probably this strong" type of thing, so please keep that in mind.

    An ordinary person. In terms of Earthlings, level 1 is a child, level 2 is an average adult man and level 3 has the strength of a professional sportsman. In other words, even if you bring a professional baseball yer and such to this world, they would only possess abilities as strong as a level 3 person.

    People in this level range would be deemed sort of able to fight, even in Midgard. A newbie adventurer would fit in this range.

    As a side note, in terms of Earthlings, level 4 would be at the level of a professional martial artist. The strongest amongst them might be a world champion, however, there would be barely any differences in terms of their status. An Earthling who could reach level 5 would probably be the rarest of the rare.

    They are enough to be considered a full-fledged adventurer. As long as they are not overly zealous, they would be able to scrape by and live stably. Even amongst the knight¡¯s order, they would be fine as a lowly squire.

    They are at a sufficient level to call one-self full-fledged. As adventurers, they could call themselves top-ss. Even amongst the knight¡¯s order, they are sufficiently strong and, depending on the situation, may even be in the position to lead some subordinates.

    The lowest point at which a person may call themselves strong. From a holistic view, it can be called the lowest end of the top tier.

    As an adventurer, they are first-ss. If anything, why are they still being an adventurer at this level? Well, yeah, they have that kind of strength. Jean¡¯s group [Hawkeye] fits in this category. In truth, they are actually really amazing.

    Even amongst the knight¡¯s order, they have the strength to be amander. Once a person reaches level 50, it would not be strange for them to be promoted to a position in the royal guard.

    In practice, in some smaller kingdoms, warriors at this level are named as "the strongest in a kingdom".

    A charismatic strong individual that the whole continent would know about. Once an individual reaches this stage, when they are being addressed by others, they would no doubt be referred to with "the strongest of..." in their titles somewhere.

    In an often-seen adventurer¡¯s guild setting, they may be someone that is assigned the ss of S rank. Although... those categories don¡¯t exist in this world.

    Individually, they have enough strength to be able to go against a small toon and, depending on the situation, against a mid-sized toon.

    They are insanely strong. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to be named the strongest of the humanoids. In practice, in a few different ages of civilisations, this was actually the strongest level range that the humanoids could reach.

    In normal RPG games, they would be characters at the level cap who could do amazing things. It would not be strange for them to be called legends.

    I made this category whilst keeping in mind the average medieval fantasy world RPG game¡¯s strength at level 100.

    Individuals who have surpassed the limits of a human. A living legend.

    Although it would depend on the way they fight, it is not impossible for these people to destroy a country on their own. Their existence itself bes a weapon.

    Alone, they can be a threat to a kingdom. A walking strategic-level weapon. If they run, they would be able to move faster than the speed of sound. Their arcane magic would be able to burn down an entire forest. Their sword attacks would create fissures in thend itself. If these individuals were not in an insanely exaggerated world like this series, it would not be strange for them to serve the role of thest boss.

    With their strength, they would be able to fight against Earth¡¯srge army of battalions alone. (But not against nuclear weapons!)

    Eh? There¡¯s also an Earthlingmando who can cause a third world war to erupt as if they were a one-man army?

    ......... Is that person really human?

    The category where an individual would exist beyond their time and be passed down in myths and legends.

    Individually, they would be able to easily surpass a kingdom¡¯s military might and change even the weather.

    If these individuals were to get serious, they could evenpletely erase a small area ofnd. By now, they have transcended the limits of a living being.

    In all likelihood, they can fight against the entire Japanese defence force in a frontal assault on equal footing. Still assuming no nuclear weapons.

    But if they¡¯re over level 400, there is a possibility that they can withstand nuclear strikes.

    Walking catastrophes. These people can no longer be thought of as living creatures.

    They can split seas, crack mountains and change the very geographical structure of the.

    These people should be thought of as catastrophes that possess a will of their own. They are no longer existences that can be handled by means ofmon sense. By this stage, not even a small scale nuclear weapon would be able to defeat them.

    Major catastrophes. Individually, they can destroy civilisations. Let alone that, they can even wipe out all living creatures on the. Truly monsters.

    By this stage, even if the Earth¡¯s strongest nuclear weapon directly hit them, they will not die.

    If a monster at this level decides to attack you with hostile intent, it is equivalent to a giant meteor falling on top of you.

    The pinnacle of strength. Individually, these people have the strength to turn a into a dead rock.

    They are no longer at a point where something could be done about them. One can only pray that these people don¡¯t decide to direct ill intention towards them.

    They are at the point where "even after striking them with all the nuclear weapons the world has, they finally suffered some small damage" stage.

    Originally, this is a stage that is almost impossible to reach without some form of intervention from the Goddess¡¯s side. This is the realm only some great evils and heroes in Midgard¡¯s legends have managed to reach.

    Their existence itself is one form of deterrence. In a way, they are the world¡¯s system itself and it was never intended for other living beings to struggle against it.

    The Lion-san is extremely strong.

    People that reached the level 1000 cap that you normally can¡¯t reach, then further increased their stats above and beyond that limit. A category of senseless people that make no sense.

    They can even fight on equal footing against the previous group of deterrent-ss magical beasts.

    The Goddess: "What is this...£¨£»¡ä§Õ`£©".

    Level 1000 limit broken individuals who limit broke even more, such that they have finally broken past the level cap restriction - the scenario.

    By now, the individual is just a bug in the system.

    Because they have broken past the level 1000 wall, their maximum damage ceiling has also been increased. Therefore, from this category onwards, the destruction tier gets a little out of hand. A bit more specifically, it is possible for them to deal more damage than a like Midgard would be able to bear and shatter it. Furthermore, damage limits go up by one digit for every one thousand level threshold that they break past.

    At this stage, they can fight at half the speed of light. From a single jump, they can reach space and with a single kick shatter a.

    Even a mere shockwave of full-strength arcane magic will shatter countlesss and can even cause cosmic-scale explosions.

    The Goddess: "£¨£»©b§Õ©b£©............? ?? ?!?" <= The Goddess in a state of confusion after the situation has surpassed her understanding. It seems she honestly doesn¡¯t know how such a weird thing ended up happening.

    The stage where nothing makes sense anymore.

    If they feel like it, they can probably destroy a sr system at the very least. (Half-assed statement)

    The Goddess: "<i>That¡¯s right... This is a</i><i>dream (runs away from reality).</i>"

    Look, Goddess! This is despair.

    The Goddess: "_"

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] 1000¡ãC = 1832¡ãF.

    [2] 83 500 km<sup>2</sup> = 32 240 miles<sup>2</sup>.

    [3] Hokkaido is an ind in the north of Japan.

    ¡°https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokkaido¡°.

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_1538" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1538" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-1538" ss="wp-caption-text">Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokkaido</figcaption></figure>

    [4] The Coat of Aurgelmir (¥¢¥¦¥ë¥²¥ë¥ß¥ë¤Î¥³©`¥È).

    Ymir Aurgelmir: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ymir".

    [5] Chain Sickle: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusarigama".

    [6] First appearance in chapter 68: "".

    [7] 10 000 m = 6.2 miles.

    __

 Chapter 138

    Chapter 138 - Aries Used methrower![1]

    Raw link: (2016/12/03)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2020/01/07)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2020/01/15)

    Editor 2: Keii (2020/01/20)

    Trantion link:

    __

    __

    (Author note)

    -Skipped- Irrelevant to English readers.

    (Author note end)

    __

    After entering a tavern, what Aries and the rest saw was a sight that should not have existed in the Dark Continent ¡ª a lively bunch of "humanoids".

    They included, but were not limited to, humans, beastkin, elves, flugels, dwarves and hobbits. The very fact that humanoids were actually living here was astonishing.

    Ever since the Seven Heroes had lost against the Demon King, the humanoids had had their right to exist slowly taken away. By now, they were only left with a small area ofnd - specifically, they could only live in the small area ofnd where Aries and the rest had been operating in up to this point.

    Yet, to think that there were some living normally in Muspelheim, which boasted the greatest level of danger even within the Dark Continent.

    Inside the shop, enveloped by perpetual ice, people were sitting down whilst wearing heavy clothing in order to keep warm and drinking alcoholic beverages while having friendly conversations.

    At the very least, it did not seem like they were liviing in fear of tomorrow, because the tavern was not shrouded in a dark atmosphere.

    "This is kind of a given, but it doesn¡¯t seem like the furniture themselves are made out of ice, huh."

    Scorpius touched a random table and muttered in a disinterested voice.

    Even taking into consideration that they wouldn¡¯t disappear, as expected, the tables and chairs could not have been made out of ice.

    Having said that, the surroundings were how they were. It did not change the fact that it was still cold.

    However, taking into consideration how the whole ce was enclosed by ice, this tavern could be said to be unnaturally warm.

    "If you ask me if it¡¯s a bit chilly, it¡¯s a bit chilly, but it¡¯s actually quite warmpared to outside."

    "Aries-sama, that¡¯s probably because these ice has a secret to it. These ice doesn¡¯t just not melt. They probably has air within it and, rather than ice, it¡¯s closer to snow in nature."

    Snow contained air, therefore it had an outstanding instion function.

    As a result, caves or houses made out of snow were surprisingly warm.

    Needless to say, the degree of warmth was only rtive to the outside temperature, however, it did not change the fact that people would still feel morefortable inside.

    Hydrus exined all of the finer details of the ice that would not disappear whilst admiring it due to it being the work of the Water attribute.

    "Hmm, what¡¯s this? You lot aren¡¯t from around here, right?"

    Whilst Aries and the rest were looking at the inside of the tavern like it was something strange, a dwarf who appeared to be the shopkeeper came and spoke to them.

    Looking at his appearance, Scorpius muttered an honest but rude observation, "Really, these guys... wherever I go, they all look the same."

    With regard to the dwarf race, Ruphas had once said 200 years ago, "With the exception of Mizar, I can¡¯t tell them apart." Scorpius was also of the same opinion.

    If anything, Scorpius could not even distinguish between Mizar and the other dwarves.

    "On the other hand, you¡¯re a familiar face. Why does every dwarf look exactly the same?"

    "How rude."

    Fundamentally, Scorpius afforded no courtesy to anyone other than Ruphas.

    Therefore, she would sometimes nonchntly behave in a manner that might be taken as disrespectful by the other party.

    Thinking that it would only cause unnecessary problems with the way things were going, Karkinos made her fall back and sat in front of the counter instead.

    "<i>Sorry</i>. She did not say that because she had any ill intent. By the way, <i>master</i>, what kind of ce is this city?"

    "What? You don¡¯t know?"

    "<i>Yes</i>. After all, <i>me</i> are a group of travellers."

    "Travellers... in this world that¡¯s being dominated by the demon race? How entric. Or is it that you guys are just that confident in your own strength?"

    "Well, something like that."

    Contrary to his ridiculous speech pattern, Karkinos was someone who possessed goodmunication skills.

    At the very least, it was iparable to that of Aries or Scorpius, who fell into a deep depression for a long time or became aggressive after Ruphas¡¯s defeat respectively.

    That was because he was the only one amongst the Twelve Stars who had chosen and sessfully managed to blend in with the humanoids and live alongside them.

    Perhaps this was one of the contributing factors behind why Ruphas had decided to dispatch him to this ce.

    Although it might have been unbelievable based on his usual frivolous actions, he actually had a fairly serious and patient personality.

    "This city, huh... hmm, it¡¯s called [Nectar].[2] This ce used to be called the scorching world Muspelheim."

    "That, <i>me</i> are also aware of. That¡¯s why it¡¯s surprising. To think that there would be a city where Muspelheim used to be."

    "You, what age are you guys from? The time when this ce was the scorching world was almost 200 years ago."

    "<i>Oh!</i> So it¡¯s been like this since 200 years ago."

    "Yeah. Even you should be aware that the humanoids lost against the demons 200 years ago. At that time, a lot of people either died or ran away from thend they used to live in. But amongst them, a few groups of people didn¡¯t manage to get away in time or refused to abandon the ce where they used to live and ended up remaining in thisnd."

    What the shopkeeper said made sense.

    Indeed, as the humanoids were cornered and had their domain stolen, it was an impossible scenario to think that every single one of them had gotten away.

    It was natural that there were those that did not manage to get away or decided to fight until the very end.

    But the problem was after that.

    Whilst it was somewhat reasonable to think that there would be people that fit into those categories, it was unbelievable that those people would manage to survive and thrive in a city like this until this age.

    After all, it was impossible for them to have been overlooked all this time as they lived in the domain controlled by the demon race.

    "Well, apparently, it was miserable after that. It was fine and all that they tried to retaliate against the demon race, but naturally, they were killed one after another. Anyways, so just as we thought it was all over for us, our King, Aquarius-sama, enclosed Muspelheim in ice and froze each and every demon that tried to get close.

    Seeing that, our ancestors must have believed that we had no other option but to cling onto that person. So in exchange for everyone swearing their loyalty, they managed to gain that his protection. Not only that, that person even gave us this city. So we became able to live here peacefully whilst being in the Dark Continent."

    "Ah hah, I see. So something like that happened."

    Karkinos put his hands into his pocket and tried to take out a coin.

    But suddenly, he had a lightbulb moment and searched the inside of his pocket.

    And what he took out was a small gemstone.

    "<i>Thank you</i>, <i>me</i> heard a good story. This is payment."

    "O, oi, isn¡¯t this a gemstone!? I can¡¯t ept something precious like this!"

    "No, no. Unfortunately, <i>me</i> don¡¯t have this city¡¯s <i>money</i>. This is the least valuable and cheapest thing that I can pay <i>you</i>."

    "N, no, but... this is too valuable. It¡¯s not a fair exchange."

    "Then in that case, can I ask <i>you </i>for one more piece of information? If you agree, <i>me</i> will call it even."

    "O... kay, fine. I¡¯ll answer anything you ask. It¡¯ll still be too valuable even then. So, what do you want to know?"

    After hearing the shopkeeper¡¯s words, Karkinos¡¯s sses suspiciously shone.

    What he was going to ask from now on were questions that would have been seen as suspicious if he was the one to first raise the topic.

    But now that the other party had told him that he would answer anything, Karkinos doubted that the dwarf would not follow through.

    Fundamentally, dwarves were a race with a strong sense of honour and hated getting into debt.

    As such, Karkinos believed that the other party would be the one to give him a correspondingly good trade offer if he were to give him a valuable gemstone.

    Karkinos had now obtained the verbal promise that he would answer anything Karkinos asked. And dwarves disliked going back on their word, especially if they had just said it.

    Things were going so well that it was scary. Karkinos unwarrantedly thought that perhaps he had an innate talent for being a strategist and praised himself.

    If these inner thoughts were to be heard by Pollux, she would have said, "Isn¡¯t it just a coincidence?" and bluntly cut him off.

    "Then, please tell me of a way to meet this country¡¯s <i>Queen</i>."

    "Kueen?"

    "I mean the Queen."[3]

    "What are you talking about? Aquarius-sama is a man."

    "......Ahh, I see! How rude of me. I just assumed they were a <idy</i> from the name."

    Karkinos lightly matched the flow of the conversation but signalled towards Scorpius and Aries.

    When he did, the two of them nodded ever so slightly.

    It seemed like things were going to be troublesome - that was what their eyes were saying.

    "Well, yeah... directly meeting him is probably impossible? Though you might be able to seek an audience if you manage to achieve something very significant."

    "Achieve something very significant?"

    "Well, for example, defeating the demons thate attacking or to defeat Pluto who¡¯s leading them... well, it¡¯s probably impossible though."[4]

    "Pluto?"

    "That¡¯s the one leading the demons around here. Although not to the extent of Aquarius-sama, he¡¯s super strong and yeah, we¡¯ve been staring each other down for the past few dozens of years. Apparently, for some reason, Aquarius-sama can¡¯t leave this city, but yeah, this city ended up suffering a few times because of him. He¡¯s a really annoying guy."

    Hearing that information, Karkinos¡¯s lips distorted into a smile.

    <i></i>

    <i>I see, so if we defeat that guy, we can meet Aquarius without making things messy.</i>

    <i>Rather than charging in, with this, we won¡¯t have to incur "her" bad mood...</i>

    <i>It¡¯s an "easy solution".</i>

    "That was a good piece of information, <i>master</i>."

    "Are you going already?"

    "Yes. <i>Me</i> figured out what <i>me</i> have to do now."

    "I see. If you drop by the area,e visit again. If it¡¯s you guys, I¡¯ll let you drink for free."

    He probably meant that the gemstone was a form of pre-payment. What an honourable dwarf he was.

    Even though he was told it was payment for the information. Was him not epting that considered too stubborn or just too well-natured?

    But Karkinos did not dislike a man like him.

    After replying, "If there is a chance, I¡¯d appreciate that," he left the tavern along with Scorpius and the rest.

    *

    At a location approximately 500 km away from Nectar, there existed a city.

    A city - perhaps to be called that, it might have been just too big.

    The reason was that it had more surface area than the whole of the humanoids¡¯ domainbined.

    If anything, it was as big as a whole country. The appearance of the city which was lined up with high-rise buildings made out of alchemy was just like the Hero Sei¡¯s hometown. It was so much so that one could mistake the location for one of Earth¡¯s developed major countries.

    Even during the night, the roads were lit up with mana. The scene of the location being filled with recreational facilities designed for the fulfilment of the inhabitants created a spectacle which would make the ce befitting to be called the ruler¡¯s ce above thend.

    Nevertheless, the inhabitants could not be called good citizens by any means.

    If one were to look inside those recreational facilities, it was lined up with devilish games.

    [Whack-A-Human]...... it was a game of hitting captured humans using a hammer andparing scores with each other.

    [Beastkin Arena]...... it was a game of making the tamed beastkin warriors kill each other andparing whose pet was stronger so that they could boast in the end.

    [Humanoids Darts]...... it was a game of putting the captured humanoids onto a target and dividing it up into different sections which were each assigned a different point value so that they could throw darts at them.

    The demons walked around the city without feeling a shred of fear. If anything, they walked around as if they were reveling in the prime of their lives.

    They did not doubt the peace and tranquillity that they were enjoying.

    They no longer even had humanoids in their minds. They lived in peace whilst believing that the Demon King would soon exterminate them.

    As such, what happened next was all too spontaneous.

    - Loud footsteps resounded.

    What followed next was the sound of something giant roaring.

    A devilish roar shook thend itself and cut through the sky.

    The demons looked up in confusion and headed towards the sound to satisfy their curiosity whilst seemingly still stuck in the na?ve frame of mind that they had be ustomed to as a result of the long period of peace.

    And then they saw it.

    The appearance of a giant sheep which was walking in their direction whilst shaking thend itself.

    Its whole body was enveloped in rainbow-coloured mes and it continued to mercilessly progress towards them whilst melting the buildings and squishing everything and everyone in its path.

    "Wha, what is that!? A monster!?"

    "How can this be... it¡¯s too big!"

    "Where¡¯s the army!? What exactly is the army doing!?"

    When that giant sheep moved, just by taking a step, buildings copsed.

    Cultures which were build up. Traditions. Businesses.

    It did not even notice that it was destroying everything. Just by walking forward, everything was demolished and pulverised.

    But their nightmare had yet to end.

    Be attentive, demons. The peace and tranquillity that you have enjoyed thus far shall now presentlye to a conclusion.

    What appeared next was a giant monstrous scorpion.

    It cracked the ground and from the fissure, the full picture of something repulsive came to light.

    Buildings were cleared away with a single swing of its stinger, and the ground below it cracked with each light movement of its pincers.

    Simrly, from the sea appeared a crab monster which began toe ashore.

    In retaliation, the demon race¡¯s army was mobilised and moved in to attack.

    The demons who flew in the sky all fired arcane magic and the artillery shots all mmed into the three monsters one after another.

    Yet the monsters did not stop. Their steps did not falter.

    Even though they received all the attacks head-on, as if they were merely being bitten by mosquitoes, they continued to close in without even minding it in the slightest.

    "Kishyaaa...!"

    The giant scorpion opened its pincers.

    An intense me began to gather within the expanded pincers, and its heat started to increase exponentially.

    An inauspicious rumbling sound rang throughout the whole city and everyone could feel the impending "death" that they would not be able to avoid.

    The army desperately attacked with the hope of stopping that attack, however, it had absolutely no effect.

    The monstrous scorpion cried out as if to ridicule them, then released the mes of destruction.

    That me was like a heat sh that continued on indefinitely.

    The me, which reached the edges of the horizon, burnt and pierced through the buildings. Furthermore, by moving its pincers horizontally, the scorpion¡¯s mes razed the whole city.

    No, it was not just from the pincers.

    The scorpion also released the heat sh from its mouth and stinger and started attacking in all directions.

    Meanwhile, the rainbow-coloured mes being breathed out by the sheep burnt awayrge areas ofnd and repeatedly ignited things. At the same time, for an unknown reason, all of the shots fired by the army went towards and exploded on the crab as if they were sucked in. Then, in the next moment, a counter-attack from the crab¡¯s pincer swatted them down.

    What was happening was truly a catastrophe.

    A catastrophe which had returned to them once again after the passage of 200 years.

    In the face of these cmities, there was nothing the demons could do to retaliate. They could only run around, hide and pray that they would move on and wait until that moment where they did.

    Amidst the city which was being destroyed and within a tower which wasrger than the other structures in its vicinity, a single man was shaking in fear with his eyes wide open.

    His name was Pluto and this demon was level 420. He possessed abilities which surpassed even that of the Seven Luminaries. However, rather than advancing into the humanoids¡¯ territories, he wanted to concentrate more on the city that he governed. Thus, he turned away Terra¡¯s invitation into the organisation. As a result, he was in the position that he currently upied.

    No, that was just an excuse. The truth was that he was only holed up in this ce because he was scared.

    As one of the few survivors from 200 years ago, he knew of the individual called Ruphas Mafahl. He knew of the living cmities which obeyed her.

    Everyone around him said that he was strong. They raised him up on a pedestal and said that he possessed more abilities than the people within the Seven Luminaries.

    s, they were wrong. They were so wrong. There existed no one who was truly strong in this city.

    In the end, it was nothing more than a ranking amongst the weaklings... Whenpared with a true monster, they were nothing more than mere insects.

    That was why he refused themander¡¯s seat for the expedition into the humanoids¡¯ domain. He did not want to be a member of the Seven Luminaries.

    Because in the humanoids¡¯ domain, there were still bunches of monsters... and above all else, because he did not really believe that Ruphas Mafahl would actually die from something of that degree.

    And his hunch turned out to be correct.

    Just look. This scene of despair filled his sight. This nightmare.

    The embodiments of hell which appeared before his eyes after 200 years had passed.

    "200 years, huh... I guess it¡¯s on the longer side."

    With a shaking hand, Pluto ced a cigar in his mouth then lit it.

    <i></i>

    <i>Ahh, I already knew. I always knew that there would be a day like this one day.</i>

    <i>After all, this ce is the Goddess¡¯s yground and we¡¯re simply her dolls.</i>

    <i>As the only one to have noticed that fact, I ran around pitifully and lived until this point. I managed to sit in the seat of the strong. I was blessed by luxury until today.</i>

    "Ahh......"

    As such, the man smiled at himself in self-mockery, then inhaled onest time in satisfaction.

    Outside of the tower, the giant sheep opened its mouth and seemed to be about to breathe out a me in his direction, but he had no thoughts of running away thiste in time.

    An age would pass on. Just like how Ruphas Mafahl had once risen up. And just like how she was overthrown.

    This time, it was their turn... nothing more, nothing less.

    He exhaled smoke and, looking at the mes which were closing in on him, smiled faintly.

    "The ending turned out to be quite abrupt and disappointing, huh."

    A demon which knew of the events from 200 years ago muttered in a voice stained with resignation and, in the next instant, was erased by the rainbow-coloured mes along with the building that he was in.

    With it, the glory of the demon race came to a conclusion.

    To this date, they persecuted and oppressed the humanoids, yet indulged themselves in peace and tranquillity. Today was finally the time for them to pay up all of those debts.

    Those who knew of the past woulde to the realisation. Those of the younger generation who did not know of the past woulde to experience fear without knowing anything.

    What it meant for the cmities who possessed wills of their own, [The Tyrannical Twelve Heavenly Stars] to soon all be gathered under the ck-winged Supreme Ruler once more. The despair behind what that reality entailed.

    __

    (Author note)

    * Twelve Stars are allies.

    Even though we were wandering around in an area that had approximately the same surface area as Japan for over 130 chapters, as soon as we went outside of that area, we are greeted by the scene of the Twelve Stars burning away a surface area surpassing that.[5]

    And by the way, needless to say, whilst we call the regions outside of the humanoids¡¯ domain the Dark Continent, it is actually not the Dark Continent at all. If anything, it would be something like East Blue from One Piece.[6]

    If anything, the humanoids¡¯ domain is way more dangerous however you think about it as that ce is home to Ruphas, Aries, Scorpius, Karkinos, Taurus, Pollux, Parthenos, the Goddess¡¯s avatar, Aigokeros, Libra, Sagittarius, Leon, B, the Seven Heroes, the Heavenly Ouroboros, the Wood Ouroboros and the Earth Ouroboros. Why are you all gathered in such a small area...?

    Normally in stories, the basic temte is when the characters leave behind a small stage to explore the bigger world, the outside world turns out to be more dangerous. But in this story, it is the opposite. Because the small world was swarming with monsters, the initial location is the true ce of carnage.

    Sei: "For the summoning ce to be the end game already..."

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] "".

    [2] Nectar (¥Í¥¯¥¿©`¥ë) is derived from Greek nektar, the fabled drink of the Greek gods. The word is derived as apound of nek, meaning death, and tar, meaning the ability to ovee.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nectar#Etymology".

    [3] Recall that Karkinos speaks in English in some parts. Queen above (italicised) is in English, this Queen is in Japanese.

    [4] Pluto (¥×¥ë©`¥È¥¥)

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto".

    [5] ording to Google, the surface area of Japan is 377 973 km2. The surface area of Earth is 510.1 million km2. If Midgard is simr in size to Earth, which it is suggested to be by the author, it¡¯s approximately 0.074% of the total surface area. So RIP the humanoids... they really got cornered there lol.

    [6] One Piece, East Blue, is where the main character of that series originated from. For example, one area looks something like this;

    "".

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_1579" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1579" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-1579" ss="wp-caption-text">One Piece Foosha Vige ¨C small vige in East Blue ¨C Image from: </figcaption></figure>

    __

 Chapter 139

    Chapter 139 - Fire Ouroboros Used Sleep Talk! Fire Ouroboros Used Substitute![1]

    Raw link: (2016/12/04)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2020/01/09)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2020/01/17)

    Editor 2: Keii (2020/01/2020)

    Trantion link:

    __

    __

    __

    Aries and the others annihted the demon¡¯s city within a single night. On the following day, they were invited to the ice pce.

    Inside the pce, all four walls were made out of ice that did not melt. Additionally, there were knights, adorned with ice swords and armours, lined up in an unmoving posture.

    Aries wondered if they felt cold inside. Perhaps the thing inside was not a living person.

    No, it might have been that there was no one inside in the first ce.

    Sitting on the throne was a young man in extravagant clothing, resting his arms on the armrests and looking down upon the five individuals in Aries¡¯s group as if to evaluate them.

    But his observation must have finished. He opened his arms wide in an exaggerated manner and spoke towards the five of them in such a way as if he was reading out a script.

    "You have done us a great justice, travellers. Truly splendid was your achievement of striking down Pluto. Thus, we shall reward you with whatever your heart desires. Property, honour, authority? Speak as you will."

    Hearing that, Scorpius muttered, "Ain¡¯t that generous?"

    Additionally, she questioned the hrity of the whole situation.

    It seemed that, even after they had gotten this far, he had yet to understand whom he was speaking to.

    Even taking into ount that 200 years of time had passed, for him to forget their faces, what a dishonourable man he was.

    Scorpius ran her fingers through her hair and stared at him in contempt.

    "My, my, is that so? In that case, I wish to meet Aquarius, Mr Substitute."

    "Huh? What are you saying? I am Aqua-"

    "Sorry, but I have no business with the Carrier. Ganymedes, the one we have business with is the Water Pitcher."[2]

    After being called his "real name", the fake king who had called himself Aquarius trembled.

    Exactly, he was definitely not Aquarius.

    Needless to say, he was not apletely unrted existence either. He was actually an extraordinarilypetent level 600 magical beast who was assigned the role of [Carrier] as Aquarius waszy and hated acting on her own.

    Although he did not possess any special abilities, if it was a pure punching contest based on stats, he would be able to put up a good fight even if the opponent was Castor.

    Having said that, that statement was as good as saying he was nothing special whenpared to the Twelve Stars¡¯batants. As such, he was not someone who would pose a threat to Scorpius and the rest.

    With what had just happened, he too started to recall who the people he was looking down upon were.

    His face gradually but visibly turned blue and he started cold sweating.

    "Y, you lot are... no, you guys are...!"[3]

    "We¡¯re going to pass through. You¡¯re not going to say that you won¡¯t let us, right?"

    "... U, understood."

    In this predicament, the knights in the surroundings showed no indication of taking any action.

    If there were people inside, they would most likely have either been flustered by the change in the situation or tried to reproach the group for the disrespect they showed towards the person that they believed was their king. At the very least, they would most likely have shown some form of reaction.

    But there was no reaction whatsoever. This meant that, as expected, these knights had no egos of their own and were like puppets.

    Scorpius and the rest passed by Ganymedes¡¯s side and casually opened the curtain which was hanging at the far end of the throne room.

    Apparently, in this pce, the area behind the throne led to a room that was exclusively for the king. What a simpleyout it was.

    Aquarius... was also easy to find. She was at the far end of the room that they had just entered.

    There, a giant water pitcher was boldly enshrined.

    Its height seemed to be approximately three metres. It looked to be of a size which seemed like a hassle to carry around, however, for someone at their level, it was not a size that they had to be mindful about.

    After all, their master, Ruphas, was someone who could casually throw the Dragon King, who had a length of 170 metres, with a single hand.

    "It¡¯s been a while, Aquarius. Why don¡¯t you show yourself?"

    "...... Mmm? Ohh, what¡¯s this? I haven¡¯t heard this voice in a while, it¡¯s quite nostalgic."

    What responded to Scorpius¡¯s call was the voice of a childish young girl.

    The one who popped out from the opening of the water pitcher was a little girl whose outer appearance looked to be no older than around 12 years of age.

    She was wearing strange cherry blossom-coloured clothing - a traditional clothing item called a "kimono" from the country of "Wakoku" which was said to have existed over 200 years ago.[4] On her head, there was an ornament modelled in the shape of a cherry blossom.

    The colour of her hair was deep blue and the colour of her eyes were a shade of blue. At first nce, she was an adorable young girl. That girl then smiled so brightly at her old friends that it seemed as if flowers could suddenly bloom.

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_749" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-749" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-749" ss="wp-caption-text">Aquarius ¨C Illustration from AWLBA light novel</figcaption></figure>

    However, by now, it was extremely normal procedure for the outer appearance and inner self to not sync up. Even amongst characters thus far, this trait was particrly true for the Twelve Stars.

    Needless to say, she too was not at the age that she appeared to be.

    No, perhaps whether the very concept of age existed for her or not was questionable.

    After all, she was neither a magical beast nor a person. She was not even a golem.

    She was a piece of equipment with a will created by the Goddess... in other words, an item.

    [Divine Artifact: The Queen of the Seas (Aquarius)].[5] That was her true nature.

    Even the little girl, who was currently showing her face, was only there so thatmunication between the item and the others would be easier. It was nothing more than a fake body made out of water. In the end, her true body was the water pitcher itself.

    "My, my. It¡¯s the lesbian scorpion, dumb crab and the sheep brat. Oi, isn¡¯t this rather nostalgic? And the ones at the back are... hmm, who are you guys again?"

    "It¡¯s Phoenix!"

    "It¡¯s Hydrus!"

    "Ohh, that¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. The yakitori and the blue snake."

    "It¡¯s the Immortal Bird!"

    "It¡¯s the Water Snake!"

    Also, although it was unknown if it was because her true nature was a piece of equipment or not, she just could not remember people¡¯s names.

    As such, regardless of whether it was an enemy or an ally, she would call them by their species rather than their name.

    The problem was so severe that she could not even remember Ruphas¡¯s name and simply called her "Master-sama".

    Fortunately, whilst the way she spoke was quite horrible, she was not a violent individual like Leon.

    If anything, she had a favourable rtionship with everyone and amongst the Twelve Stars, she was someone in the moderate faction.

    She rested her elbows on the edges of the water pitcher and spoke whilst smiling with a chuckle.

    "And? Do you have some business with me? Well, since you came here anyway, if you guys just came here to have a drink, I¡¯ll be hospitable and take them out."

    "Umm, yeah. That¡¯s nice and all, but we didn¡¯te here to have fun. The truth is Ruphas-sama has been resurrected. And so, she sent us here for the sake of bringing you back."

    "...... Ahh...... I see. So it¡¯s already been 200 years... That was quick."

    Even after hearing about Ruphas¡¯s resurrection, Aquarius did not show any form of surprise. If anything, she answered with a response that suggested she was fully aware of everything from the beginning.

    Seeing this, Scorpius felt more than a little jealous.

    Even though she herself had not been informed of anything whatsoever, people like Parthenos, Pollux and Aquarius had been told what was going to happen.

    Scorpius understood the reasoning behind it. Ruphas must have actually wanted to hide the information from everyone, including her own allies. But if she did not say anything, even if people were to be put in charge of the ouroboroses, they might abandon their posts halfway through or, in the worst-case scenario, wake the ouroboros themselves as a means to take revenge on the humanoids.

    As such, in order to nail down all the contingencies, she informed them of what was toe. Scorpius understood that.

    But... what was vexing would still be vexing.

    "But now¡¯s not a good time. Please wait for a little bit."

    "Did something happen?"

    "If you ask if something happened, well, yeah, something happened. You should already be aware that I¡¯m sealing the Fire Ouroboros. But you see, this Fire Ouroboros doesn¡¯t sleep very soundly. Approximately every 20 years or so, it creates a clone of itself as an avatar and roams around like it¡¯s sleepwalking. And worse yet, it¡¯s annoying because it¡¯s half asleep and ends up burning away everything in its surroundings."

    Aquarius muttered as if she was tired of being hassled and then sighed out loud.

    "Well, once you take care of the avatar, it calms down. Although, in the end, it¡¯s still just a half-asleep avatar, so its abilities are actually not that significant. But even then, it¡¯s still an ouroboros¡¯s clone. I shouldn¡¯t have to say this, but it¡¯s strong enough that some random magical beast or demon that you could find anywhere couldn¡¯t even be his opponent."

    "<i>I see</i>. In other words, until that¡¯s defeated, you can¡¯t move freely. No wonder you were having a hard time against someone like Pluto."

    "Ahh, that guy. Well, that guy¡¯s probably too much for the Carrier to handle. If it¡¯s one-on-one, the Carrier wouldn¡¯t lose, but against thatrge of an army, the Carrier would have a hard time alone."

    Aquarius said as such and looked at Ganymedes.

    Although she was not condemning him or anything, Ganymedes still shrivelled up.

    "Well, he was whatever anyways. He was just a small fry so even if we left him alone, it was no problem."

    "Hey, hey. If you put it like that, our work was just aplete waste of effort."

    "Hahaha, my bad, my bad. Anyways, back on the topic of the ouroboros... It looks like you brought a fill-in for me, but as you¡¯d expect, it¡¯s a bit too much for the yakitori and the blue snake to handle. So until that¡¯s sorted out, I can¡¯te with you guys. Sorry."

    Phoenix and Hydrus were by no means weak. If anything, those two were quite strong magical beasts.

    One was an immortal bird which possessed high regenerative ability and firepower and was ranked as the strongest species amongst the bird-type magical beasts.

    The other was part of a subspecies amongst the dragonkin, which was said to be the strongest race. It was a water dragon which possessed high attack power and arcane magic power.

    If either one of them had the intention to do so, both of them had sufficient power to be able to change the geography of the itself.

    Yet even then, Aquarius judged it to be "not enough".

    "In that case, Aquarius, <i>me </i>and the rest will join in to subjugate the avatar."

    "Huh? I¡¯d appreciate that... but is that fine?"

    "<i>Yes</i>. <i>Me</i> were all ordered to bring you back. If it is necessary, <i>me</i> will help out."

    Karkinos winked and turned around to look back at hisrades who were behind him.

    In response, Aries nodded whilst Hydrus and Phoenix smiled back in assent.

    The only one who might have had a problem was Scorpius, however, even she understood that this was the most optimal approach.

    In the end, although she still seemed a little reluctant, she spewed out, "Just do whatever you want."

    "OK. Thene with me tomorrow. We¡¯ll go make the sleepyhead ouroboros sleep together."

    Aquarius said merrily, followed by Aries and the rest smiling to match the atmosphere.

    From the looks of it, this time, there would be no battle between the Twelve Stars before they could be recovered.

    The following day.

    Aries and the rest were led to the basement of the pce.

    No, perhaps rather than calling it the basement of the pce, it might have been more appropriate to call it the basement of the city of Nectar.

    Underneath theyer of ice that served asnd was an extremelyrge prison made out of ice. Furthermore, its temperature was such that if an ordinary person were to be in here, even if they were wearing heavy winter clothes designed to keep warm, they would freeze to death in a very short duration of time.

    It was 100 degrees Celsius below freezing point.[6] That was the temperature of this space.

    Notwithstanding that, Hydrus and Aquarius who were resistant to the Water attribute aside, even Aries and Scorpius were walking around this space without minding the temperature in the slightest.

    Although it might seem like it was being repeated over and over again,mon sense did not work well against such high level monsters.

    If they were to sumb to something of this degree, they would not be able to bear against any sort of Water attribute arcane magic used by their enemies. However much of a weakness they might have towards the Water attribute, if it was merely a low temperature, then it was not a significant threat for Aries and the others.

    Although they would indeed feel cold and would note to feel like it was a ce that they would like to stay in for a long time, it was just that.

    Ganymedes, who was carrying Aquarius¡¯s water pitcher, walked foremost, followed by the other five individuals.

    Eventually, when they reached the deepest part of the ice prison, Aries and the rest got to see the appearance of "that thing".

    "So this is an ouroboros..."

    "This is insanely ridiculous. Even its single nose hair is bigger than this mistress with my humanoid form undone."

    It was an enormous living creature. A living creature which was way too enormous.

    What was visible was merely the tip of its face. Only the very tip of its nose.

    Everything except for that was buried underneath the ground. The part that they could see was merely the slightest fraction of the entire body.

    Yet, even that slightest fraction was bigger than Scorpius¡¯s whole body when she was in her magical beast form.

    Imagining the full body of such a living creature alone was already ridiculous.

    <i></i>

    <i>I see, no wonder Master wanted to seal it. Before anything else, before whether it¡¯s strong or notes into question, it¡¯s the type of monster that needs to be prevented from moving from the onset.</i>

    "Hey, is this sealing method alright? I heard from Ruphas-sama, but apparently, ouroboroses are not actually entities that can even be sealed in the first ce. Wasn¡¯t it something like... by stabilising the surrounding environment and making them think, ¡¯The world is still at peace,¡¯ they won¡¯t wake up, or something?"

    "Hmm. So that¡¯s how they¡¯re sealing it at the other locations. But honestly, I use a different method. Or more like, with that kind of optimistic method, this guy would wake up on its own. I said it before, but this guy really doesn¡¯t sleep that well."

    What Aries recalled was the previous incident with the sealing of the Heavenly Ouroboros.

    After that, they received an exnation from Ruphas. She exined that the sealing of the Heavenly Ouroboros was not something that could actually be called a seal, but was merely maintaining the status quo of the surroundings.

    However, this Fire Ouroboros¡¯s seal was clearly different. The entire environment had been changed in a way which could not be any more contradictory from how it was previously.

    In response to Aries¡¯s questions, Aquarius answered whilst ying with her own hair.

    "My method is actually very simple. By making it cold, I¡¯m just inducing a sense of sleepiness, so that it¡¯ll just continue sleeping. This ouroboros is actually quite easy to understand, you see. When its surroundings are hot, it bes active, and when it¡¯s cold, it bes dull. That¡¯s exactly why I was selected to be the one to seal him, even though my attribute doesn¡¯t match with him."

    Whilst exining as such, Aquarius nced in front of her looking like it was too much of a hassle.

    At the end of that line of sight... was a single young man in front of the ouroboros loitering around like a lost soul.

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_748" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-748" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-748" ss="wp-caption-text">Fire Ouroboros¡¯s avatar ¨C Illustration from AWLBA light novel</figcaption></figure>

    "Well, even then it still asionally sends out a half-asleep avatar though."

    "So that thing is the avatar?"

    "Yeah, there¡¯s no mistake."

    Karkinos asked to confirm it and Aquarius answered.

    As usual, she only had the upper half of her body leaning against the water pitcher and did not show any indication of moving on her own.

    Even though Ganymedes didn¡¯t seem too tired, Karkinos felt a little sorry for him.

    "Even though its body is that big, the avatar is a humanoid form, huh."

    "I don¡¯t know the details, but apparently, the skill known as Avatar will always result in a humanoid form when used. There are four types of avatars overall. Spirits derived from of divine power. Fairies derived from of spirits. Demons derived from of arcane power. Andstly, there¡¯s a method where, by inserting a part of the soul into the womb of a living person, one is able to derive a clone of themselves. The one that¡¯s most problematic is the fourth type. After all, because it possesses actual flesh of its own, they¡¯re indistinguishable from a normal person and even if [Observing Eye] is used, their true identity can¡¯t be seen through."

    In response to Hydrus¡¯s query, Aquarius gave an exnation.

    Spirits and fairies did not need to be exined much further. Pollux and Castor, who were theirrades, were in this category.

    Strictly speaking, it was difficult to consider the demons to be avatars. After all, they were arcane magic which possessed a will of their own and were not clones of anyone in particr.

    As for thest category, she could currently give no corresponding example.

    Although... Aries and the rest had been dealing with an avatar of the fourth category until just recently...

    "Aquarius-sama, what category does your current appearance belong to?"

    "Ahh, this is part of the first category. It¡¯s a type known as a spirit."

    Aquarius responded to Phoenix¡¯s question.

    Even whilst giving all of these exnations, Aquarius¡¯s line of sight was still fixated on the Fire Ouroboros¡¯s avatar.

    At that very moment, it showed no indication of moving. However, if they were to attempt to do anything to it, it would no doubt start to move.

    In other words, as long as they did not instigate anything, they had some time to buff themselves a bit.

    Aquarius activated a unique skill and applied it to everyone else.

    "Skill, [Sadachbia]!"[7]

    The Secret Lucky Star (Sadachbia) - its effect was to bestow allies with a dedicated [Good Luck Star].

    Once the Good Luck Star was granted, for the next few fixed number of attacks, that ally would be able to "luckily" evade them. As such, it was an evasion support skill. Putting things bluntly, it promised the buffed allies absolute evasion.

    Nevertheless, it was certainly not an all-powerful invincibility skill.

    If the enemy was like Bnash who used insane speed to continuously attack, the Good Luck Star would quickly run out. Alternatively, there were also enemies with a skill like Libra¡¯s Brachium, which would bypass the effect and deal direct damage.

    Furthermore, there was something called priorities amongst skills. For example, if there were two skills, one with absolute uracy and the other with absolute evasion, and they were to go head-to-head, the skill with the higher priority would take effect.

    And whilst this skill, [Sadachbia], allowed the buffed individual to enjoy the effect multiple times, it sat low on the prioritydder in exchange. As a consequence, it came with the weakness that almost every absolute uracy skill would bypass this skill¡¯s effect.

    However, even taking that into consideration, this skill¡¯s supportive effects could still not be described as anything but almost cheat-like.

    "Now then, after so long, we¡¯re fighting as a team again. I¡¯ll be relying on you, everyone!"

    "Understood! Let¡¯s go, Phoenix!"

    "Alright!"

    Hearing Aquarius¡¯s words, Hydrus and Phoenix responded in high spirits.

    It was the subordinates¡¯ role to strike first as the vanguard.

    The blue and red magical beastbo both charged at the same time andmenced an attack on the Fire Ouroboros¡¯s avatar.

    __

    (Author note)

    The Utsusemi technique is dirty, as expected the Water Pitcher is dirty.[8]

    Anyways, with this, Aquarius has be an evasion cheat character.

    The thing I used as reference is FF11¡¯s Utsusemi technique.

    She also has other evasion skills such as a skill which lets her absolutely evade long-range attacks or a skill which can only be used once a day as her trump card but lets her absolutely evade all skills directed at her within a specified period of time. Even though she doesn¡¯t move, she evades them. She just evades them all.

    Ganymedes carries the water pitcher around and tries his hardest to run away to evade them.

    But because Ganymedes is not also endowed by the skill, they will hit him.

    And besides evading, she willunch a bombardment of ice attacks under the category of Water attribute arcane magic at the enemy, so she¡¯s actually strong.

    Q: If Ganymedes bes unable to battle first, would she still evade them?

    A: She will. She will create waves using arcane magic to carry the water pitcher around and evade them.

    Q: Can she still move even if Ganymedes bes unable to battle?

    A: She can. The water pitcher can roll around or she can create waves with arcane magic to carry herself and move around.

    Q: Isn¡¯t Ganymedes just redundant?

    A: ............

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] Sleep Talk (¤Í¤´¤È) "".

    Substitute (Éí´ú¤ï¤ê) "".

    So... here¡¯s the thing. All the chapters with the title temte of "X (person) Used Y (skill)" were actually "X¡¯s Y." It was originally tranted as such, but waster retrospectively amended to match the Pokemon theme.

    In this chapter, the second part actually used the wording for "used". So the literal trantion would be; "Fire Ouroboros¡¯s Sleep Talk. Fire Ouroboros Used Substitute."

    [2] Ganymedes (¥¬¥Ë¥å¥á©`¥Ç¥¹), also Ganymede (¥¬¥Ë¥á¥Ç): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganymede_(mythology)".

    A divine hero whose homnd was Troy. In one version of the myth, Zeus falls in love with his beauty and abducts him in the form of an eagle to serve as Cup-Bearer in Olympus. Is it just me or are these Greek lores sometimes so weird...?

    "The water carrier represented by the zodiacal constetion Aquarius is Ganymede, a beautiful Phrygian youth." "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquarius_(astrology)".

    [3] Just as there are quite a lot of words for "I", there are also a lot of words for "you" in Japanese. The first "you" (¤ªÇ° ¨C omae) is the "you" which is used when someone in a higher position (or friends) speaks to someone in a lower position. Whereas the second "you" (ÙF·½+ gata ¨C anata+gata) is used when someone in a lower position speaks to someone in a higher position, or equal position but in a respectful setting. Do note that there¡¯s an "annta" derivative, which can be used as an insult. There are actually quite a few other ways to say "you", but if you want to learn them, you should find a proper source since using the wrong one could get problematic... like really problematic...

    Honestly, now that I think about it... if a person doesn¡¯t know the nuances of Japanesenguage and says "you" when they go visit Japan, there are so many ways it could go wrong. (Edit: just as a courtesy note. You often see "temei" or "kisama" for "you" in anime, but never ever use them to address another [Japanese] person unless you are specifically trying to disrespect or swear at them.)

    [4] Wakoku is pretty much Japan. Wa is used to mean Japan, and koku is country (even though it¡¯s written in katakana in the raw). You might have seen/heard "washoku" or "wafuu" before, which means Japanese food and Japanese style respectively.

    Kimono is self-exnatory.

    [5] Divine Artifact: The Queen of the Seas (Aquarius) [ÉñÆ÷?º£¤ÎÅ®Íõ (with Aquarius/¥¢¥¯¥¢¥ê¥¦¥¹ superscripted on top)]

    [6] -100¡ãC = -148¡ãF.

    [7] Sadachbia (Gamma Aquarii) (ÃØÃÜ¤ÎÐÒß\ÐÇ ¨C ¥µ¥À¥¯¥Ó¥¢) is a binary star in the constetion of Aquarius. It is one of the brighter members of the constetion. It bore the traditional name Sadachbia, from an Arabic expression ??? ??????? (sa¡¯d al-¡¯axbiyah), meaning ¡°luck of the homes (tents)¡±.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_Aquarii".

    [8] Utsusemi technique (¿Õ²õ¤ÎÐg) from Final Fantasy XI

    "".

    __

 Chapter 140

    Chapter 140 - Phoenix Used Leer![1]

    Raw link: (2016/12/10)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2020/01/12)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2020/01/28)

    Editor 2: Keii (2020/01/31)

    Trantion link:

    __

    Notice 1: All relevant Ganymedes has been retrospectively changed to Ganymede. Apologies for the mistake. Ganymedes is the Cup-Bearer for Zeus and Ganymede is the Cup-Carrier for Aquarius constetion. Raw used the ¡°spelling?/character?¡± for Ganymedes, but I changed it based on my discretion. Seest chapter¡¯s footnote for details and lores. ^^;;

    Notice 2: This is myst chapter for this batch. Chapter 141 to 150 will be published over at . I will update the ¡°Next chapter¡± link at the bottom when the chapter is published (I haven¡¯t been informed of the ETA but probably in 4 or 5 days¡¯ time). I hope to see you all when it is time for chapter 151 (ETA: If everything goes well, 2020/03/16? Haha, we wish xD But let¡¯s be optimistic! :X)

    __

    __

    In the face of the two individuals, Phoenix and Hydrus, charging towards it, the Fire Ouroboros¡¯s avatar showed no reaction.

    It was unknown whether it judged it to be unnecessary to retaliate against their attacks or if it was simply unable to keep up with the two¡¯s speed.

    Whatever the case, it was convenient that it wasn¡¯t moving. Phoenix sharply red at the avatar whilst attacking.

    Amongst all skills, there existed a few skills that were exclusive to magical beasts and could not be used by humanoids.

    One such skill went by the name of [Shackle Eyes].[2] The effects of the skill decreased the targeted individual¡¯s defence and made them unable to move for a very short period of time.

    Following this, Phoenix raised his arm up, causing a fire twister to rise up from below the avatar¡¯s feet.

    It was the Fire attribute arcane magic [re Tornado].[3] Although the firepower was by no means high, it continually hit the enemy and was able to restrain them until the skill waspleted.

    However, the damage caused by that skill was nil. After all, the enemy was the Fire Ouroboros, an existence which could very well be called the pinnacle of Fire attribute creatures. Against an entity like that, no matter how strong of a Fire attribute was to be used, it would be meaningless. If anything, it might have had the opposite effect as the ouroboros could simply absorb the attacks to regenerate its HP.

    Therefore, this was nothing more than a way to dy him for a moment. The real deal, in this case, was the attack from Hydrus.

    "Tidal Wave!"[4]

    Out of the Water attribute spells, which was the speciality of Megrez, there was a high-tier arcane magic called Tidal Wave. Tidal Wave was arge area-of-effect arcane magic that conjured a vectored tsunami which was then used to crush the enemies.

    The spell was one of the core skills amongst the Water attribute arcane magic due to its impact strength, scale, and cost of usage all being outstanding. As a consequence, it was not an exaggeration to say that whether an individual could proficiently use this skill or not determined their true value as a specialised Water attribute arcane magic-user.

    Within the prison made out of ice, which was by no means tight - height 50m, length 1km and width 800m - a tsunami which covered the space raged about.

    Aquarius and the others deployed a barrier topletely prevent the skill from affecting them, however, the avatar was subjected to the raging water.

    Subsequently, the tsunami continued on and almost hit the real body of the ouroboros, a scenario which was only avoided because Aquarius deployed a barrier to prevent it.

    "You idiot! Don¡¯t hit the real body! What if it wakes up!?"

    "I, I¡¯m sorry."

    Their original n was to keep the ouroboros with the bad sleeping habits asleep. If they were to end up waking him, it would be counterproductive.

    After being scolded by Aquarius, Hydrus lowered his head.

    Seeing that appearance, Phoenixughed to make a fool out of him, which caused Hydrus¡¯s face to be indignant.

    Yet even with the two of them attacking in that way, the avatar had yet to move.

    It was still standing as upright as it had been originally.

    "Bastard, he¡¯s underestimating us."

    "Is he saying that our attacks aren¡¯t even worth avoiding? We¡¯ll crush thatcency of his!"

    Looking at the still unperturbed appearance of the avatar, the two of them irritatedly charged and kicked it at the same time.

    The power of their kicks was not insignificant. Just the previous day, when they invaded the demon¡¯s city, this simple kick destroyed a skyscraper with a height of over 50m in one hit. Furthermore, the wind pressure which was created by that kick alone collectively destroyed many buildings which were behind that skyscraper.

    The avatar was hit by the two of them at the same time! With perfect timing, the two individuals mmed it right into the avatar¡¯s face. However, as soon as it connected, both of their faces distorted in astonishment.

    <i>What the hell is this... it¡¯s so hard!?</i>

    <i>And it¡¯s heavy! Even though we mmed it right from the front, it won¡¯t even budge a little!</i>

    How were they to describe this bizarre tactile sensation?

    Perhaps if they were ordinary people, they would have analogised it to something like, "It felt like kicking steel." However, for those two individuals, destroying steel was as easy as destroying a sandcastle.

    As a consequence, they were not able to find an analogy which suited the situation.

    The enemy was simply that hard. Simply that heavy.

    Nevertheless, it seemed they were sessful in at least grabbing its attention somewhat.

    The avatar, which had not bothered to move until now, moved in an easy-going manner and took hold of the two individuals¡¯ ankles.

    "Nuooo!?"

    "B, bastard... so strong!"

    Surprisingly, just from the strength of its grip, their ankles were ced under so much pressure that their bones shattered.

    The two of them immediately assessed the situation and determined that it was impossible to escape. The moment they did so, they used Knife-Hand Strike to amputate their own feet and created some distance between themselves and the enemy.

    A moment afterwards, a me blew out of Phoenix¡¯s leg and his foot was regenerated. For Hydrus, on the other hand, new flesh grew out of the amputated cross-section and a new foot was materialised.

    While this was happening, as if to follow up on his attack on the two of them, the avatar also used a Knife-Hand Strike towards them, sending invisible des in their direction.

    But due to the effect of [Sadachbia], the des went around the two individuals as if they were actively dodging them on their own, causing the attacks to miss.

    In this brief period of time, the two of them regained their posture and then red up with rage.

    "Yer little shit! Don¡¯t look down on me!"

    "I¡¯ll kill you, bastard!"

    One would wonder what had happened to their usual ssiness.

    After being thrown into aplete frenzy, the two individuals¡¯ eyes became bloodshot and they started raging about violently as magical beasts.

    Phoenix first conjured mes out of both of his arms, eventually merging them together in order to create a shiny white orb.

    The orb which was fired was one of the highest-tier Fire attribute single-target offensive arcane magic.

    This attack prated elemental resistance, even if someone had the same Fire attribute affinity. It was the origin of mes which scorched everything.

    Its name was -

    "Burn them all! [Prometheus]!"[5]

    An extremely hot white ball of mes, which surpassed even 10 000 000¡ãC in temperature, directly hit the avatar, slightly melting the surrounding ice which was not supposed to melt.[6]

    And in unison with Phoenix¡¯s attack, Hydrus also activated arcane magic which ranked in the highest tier but of the Water attribute.

    Although overall, it was one-upped by [Hermes Trismegistus], which had been previously used by Dina. Still, in terms of single-target Water attribute arcane magic, it was undoubtedly the one with the highest destructive power. The skill¡¯s effects were simple in that it used the raw power of water to crush the enemy to death.[7]

    The skill was strong enough that, with its momentum, a target hit by the skill could be sent flying to the bottom of the sea.

    "Get crushed and die! [Oceanus]!"[8]

    As if all the water in the seas had beenpressed, an extremely heavy mass of water mmed into the avatar at the same time as [Prometheus].

    Yet, the two of them were not finished with their attacks.

    Now that the extremely hot mes and massive amount of water had violently exploded on the avatar, the uing attack would be the real deal.

    The mes from [Prometheus] evaporated and vaporised [Oceanus]¡¯s water which, as a result, exploded.

    And it was not just a simple explosion. Phoenix and Hydrus simultaneously erected a spherical barrier around the avatar and contained the explosion. By doing so, therge-scalebustion, which would ordinarily have been enough to burn away a veryrge continent, was trapped in a spherical space with a radius of 1.5m.

    - Luminescence. Followed by an explosion.

    Due to it being contained in that small space, the visual representation of the st was toned down. Nevertheless, the might of its power was definitely at the level of a catastrophic disaster.

    The sight of the avatar was obstructed due to the smoke which was formed from the surplus of energy that overflowed from the attack. In this situation, Hydrus and Phoenix smiled after believing that they had won the battle.

    "Did we do it?"

    "There isn¡¯t even a need to check. There¡¯s no one who¡¯d be fine after taking an attack like that."

    From the looks of it, it seemed the two of them werepletely convinced that they had won.

    Aries, impressed with what had happened, was watching the scene with his eyes wide open.

    That attack just then was actually amazing. If it had critically hit him, even he would not be able to get away without taking arge amount of damage.

    It was even possible that his HP would have been shaved down to a dangerous point with just one hit.

    "Wow, that was amazing, both of you."

    "<i>Nice fight!</i> That was a better result than <i>me </i>was expecting!"

    "Hmm. I guess if you asked me if it was amazing, it would be, but... Aquarius, what do you think?"

    In contrast to Aries and Karkinos who gave honest praises, Scorpius¡¯s response was somewhat cold.

    Seeing Scorpius like this, Aquarius smiled bitterly then followed up with an honest opinion of her own.

    "Well, I suppose it was a job well done. You guys shaved down more of his HP than I was expecting."

    At the same time as Aquarius was saying that, apressed heat sh came flying out of the smoke.

    The two sts of heat sh missed the two of them once again due to the effect of [Sadachbia], however, the attack from the red shadow which followed immediately afterwards could not be avoided.

    That shadow gripped the two individual¡¯s heads before they could even react then mmed them into the ground.

    The floor made out of ice, which had barely melted even from [Prometheus], cracked from the impact and the whole city of Nectar shook like there was an earthquake.

    Of course, Phoenix and Hydrus did not just take the attack without retaliating. Even whilst in the position of being pushed down on the ground and bleeding profusely, they kicked him back.

    But it was fruitless. The avatar did not budge even the tiniest amount.

    The avatar relied on its raw strength to m their two heads together before releasing them from its hands and roundhouse kicking the two of them.

    After just one attack from the avatar, they were sent flying away as if they were withered twigs, resulting in the two of them caving right into the ice wall.

    Due to the excessive damage they had suffered, their limbs were broken and one of Phoenix¡¯s arms was torn off.

    "Tsk, you¡¯ve done it now!"

    "Shit, don¡¯t underestimate us!"

    The two of them immediately started regenerating their wounds, during which time, they leapt off the wall to punch at the avatar.

    They began to barrage the avatar with punches and kicks with such a speed that not even the Seven Luminaries would be able to follow them with their eyes, yet every one of those attacks were rendered ineffective.

    They were all blocked, parried and dodged.

    When one thought that the two of them had disappeared and reappeared behind the avatar, the avatar had already circled around behind them. Furthermore, with what looked like a light push, the two of them were knocked down.

    No, the attack did not even connect. Even that push had missed due to the effect of [Sadachbia].

    Nheless, because of the wind pressure from that push, the two of them were knocked down.

    "What, how can this be...!?"

    "We¡¯re... being treated like children...!?"

    The avatar¡¯s eyes thinned as if it was getting bored, then it dropped a finishing attack on top of them.

    An impact sounded after a dy. A shockwave exploded from the spot.

    Yet, the two individuals did not feel pain upon their bodies. When they opened their eyes to check the attack which had beening down upon them, the fist had been stopped by Karkinos¡¯s frame moments before hitting them.

    "<i>Well done!</i> Both of you fought magnificently. Having said that, it¡¯s about time to switch yers. From now on, <i>me</i> and the others will take on the responsibility."

    Karkinos gripped his fist and released a counter.

    Utilising the enemy¡¯s attack itself, a single hit from Acubens struck the avatar¡¯s cheek, sending the avatar, which had barely budged up until this point, into the ice wall.

    In the face of this unexpected situation, the avatar was blinking in confusion whilst Karkinos got his scissors out. During this time, Aries and Scorpius came to stand on either side of Karkinos.

    "Everyone, watch out for that guy¡¯s grabs. It seems that it¡¯s a skill with absolute uracy. Because the absolute evasion effect that should have been cast on Phoenix and Hydrus didn¡¯t work at all."

    "Is what she said, did you hear that? Can you handle it?"

    After receiving Aquarius¡¯s warnings, Scorpius prompted Aries without breaking the smile that she had on her face.

    Upon being asked so, Aries strongly replied with a face full of confidence.

    "It¡¯s fine. If I know about it, I¡¯ll manage somehow!"

    The moment he said that, he charged straight in, closing in right next to the avatar in an instant.

    As both side¡¯s affinities were Fire attribute, Aries¡¯s action could not be called anything but reckless.

    The reason was that his opponent was an existence which stood at the pinnacle of the Fire attribute. On the other hand, in terms of a Fire attribute magical beast, Aries was categorically as good as the weakest.

    In other words, this was a fight which should have never even happened in the first ce. Nevertheless, Aries was no longer the weakest existence right now.

    He had had his abilities honed up by Ruphas. He also had the equipment which he had received from her.

    As such, there was no need for him to fear anything. All he had to do was trust in the power of his master and face his enemy with all of his might.

    "HAAAAAA!"

    Aries continuously hit the avatar with his fists. The gloves that he was wearing allowed him to bypass the avatar¡¯s attribute resistance and deal damage.

    In terms of numerical value, the damage dealt was 99 999. It was because the higher the enemy¡¯s maximum HP, the stronger Aries¡¯s attacks became.

    In response, the avatar tried to counter-attack, but...it did not hit!

    The avatar¡¯s attacks against Aries, who was protected by the Good Luck Star, missed the target as if the attacker was purposefully avoiding the enemy. It did not even scratch the target.

    As such, the avatar tried to grab Aries. However, this attack had already been showcased in the battle against Phoenix and Hydrus.

    Aries quickly dodged backwards and, utilising his falling momentum, put his hands on the ground and spun his body further away.

    Whilst Aries continuously somersaulted backwards multiple times, a scorpion¡¯s pincer came flying in, grabbing the avatar¡¯s arm in the process.

    The equipment, which was given by Ruphas, was already showing its value.

    "Unfortunately, the specialty of gripping the enemy is not exclusive to you."

    Scorpius stuck her tongue out from her mouth and licked her purple lips, then proceeded to pull the avatar by relying on her raw strength.

    After the distance between her and the avatar became close enough, she used a w to attack!

    After inflicting the avatar with her poison which ate away even mana itself, she kicked him away and created some distance once more.

    The one to follow up with an attack in this situation was Aquarius.

    The apparition of the young girl hid into the water pitcher, then Ganymede directed the opening of the water pitcher in the avatar¡¯s direction.

    "Freeze Duster!"

    Aquarius¡¯s voice resounded from inside the water pitcher. Immediately following that, a countless number of ice shards were sted from the inside of the water pitcher.

    Furthermore, the velocity at which the shards came flying out was truly ridiculous.

    Due to them being sted out so fast, the shards all looked as if they were connected to one another.

    If it were analogised to something, it would be like a wave made out of ice. If someone who was unable to keep up with the extreme velocity of the shards with their eyes saw this scene, they would only be able to register that a gigantic wave wasing out of the water pitcher.

    However, even whilst being showered in a storm of ice, the avatar leapt straight towards Aquarius.

    But this time, a contradictory phenomenon urred.

    As if being sucked in by gravity, his attack along with his body was pulled towards Karkinos.

    This was one of Karkinos¡¯s skills, [Asellus Borealis].[9] The effect of this skill redirected all physical attacks to himself. In other words, it was an "absolute get-hit" skill that could not be avoided by any means.

    The avatar¡¯s palm was forced to grab Karkinos and m him down into the ground, however, Karkinos immediately stood back up, took hold of the avatar¡¯s head then mmed it down onto the ground in the same manner.

    Karkinos then topped it off with an ordinary automatic attack! A kick from Karkinos¡¯s long legs mmed into the avatar¡¯s neck, sending its body flying away.

    "Do it now, Aries!"

    "Leave it to me! [Mesarthim Version 3]!"

    In this situation where the avatar was thrown off his stance, a rainbow-coloured raging fireball was fired at it without a moment of dy.

    And the avatar had no way to avoid it.

    Then - <i>the moment before it hit, its mouth curled up into a smile</i> - the avatar was swallowed up by god-killing mes.

    __

    (Author note)

    [The two individuals who served as the dogs who bite (guinea pigs)]

    As their assigned role suggests, they lost.

    Well, they still fought bravely until the end.

    Though, I will advocate for them and say that they are actually not weak. If anything, they are super strong.

    Having said that, now that we are having a battle in thetter half of the story, they may seem like weak characters.

    [Shackle Eyes]

    Leer

    [re Tornado]

    Fire Spin

    [Prometheus]

    One of the highest-tier Fire attribute single-target offensive arcane magic.

    The skill ignores the enemy¡¯s elemental attribute resistance and deals arge amount of damage.

    Although it also depends on the power level of the user, when this arcane magic is used by Phoenix, it can reach extreme temperatures as high as 10 000 000¡ãC.[10]

    This temperature is approximately the same as the sma that is blown out of the surface of the sun.

    Zetton: "It¡¯s lukewarm."[11]

    [Oceanus]

    In-text, I wrote it as, "as if all the water in the seas had beenpressed", but it¡¯s actually not heavy to that extent.

    In the end, "as if" is just "as if". Honestly speaking, it¡¯s just hyperbole.

    In actuality, it¡¯s only about a few hundred billion metric tonnes worth of weight. So it¡¯s not even 1% of all the water in the ocean. Although, it¡¯s still a lot if you think about it.[12]

    Although this skill is boasted as being in the strongest ss of Water attribute single target arcane magic, because the skill is reliant on the user¡¯s stats, Hydrus¡¯s attack is actually not that strong.[13]

    As an analogy, it would be something like making a Gyarados use the Hydro Pump skill. Use Aqua Tail! Or Waterfall![14]

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] Leer: "".

    [2] Shackle Eyes (¿`ÑÛ)

    [3] re Tornado (¥Õ¥ì¥¢¥È¥ë¥Í©`¥É)

    [4] Tidal Wave (¥¿¥¤¥À¥ë¥¦¥§¥¤¥Ö)

    [5] Prometheus (¥×¥í¥á©`¥Æ¥¦¥¹) is a Titan who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus".

    [6] 10 000 000¡ãC = 18 000 032¡ãF. This is about the upper-end of the temperature range in the Sun¡¯s corona. "".

    [7] Hermes Trismegistus (ÈýÖØ¤Ë‚¥´ó¤Ê¥Ø¥ë¥á¥¹), chapter 112 Dina.

    [8] Oceanus (¥ª©`¥±¥¢¥Î¥¹): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceanus". The Titan of the river Okeanos.

    [9] Asellus Borealis (¥¢¥»¥ë¥¹?¥Ü¥ì¥¢¥ê¥¹).

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_Cancri".

    [10] 10 000 000¡ãC = 18 000 032¡ãF. So... above, the author said "surpassed" this temperature. Now the author note says "maximum". But yea, keep in mind, we are tranting a web novel and not the published light novel. So it¡¯s technically just a draft version.

    [11] Zetton: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zetton?oldid=484108959"; "".

    [12] As a reference, the total mass of the Earth¡¯s hydrosphere is approximately 1.4 quintillion tonnes (1.4 * 10^18). Hundred billions are in the 10^11s range. Although... if you can understand what I¡¯m saying, you probably don¡¯t need me to tell you that xD. And if you can¡¯t understand what I¡¯m saying, this note wouldn¡¯t help you either way xD.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrosphere".

    [13] If you recall, Hydrus is a pure physical ss. Thus, he has a low intelligence (INT) stat, meaning the skill¡¯s damage doesn¡¯t scale too well with him.

    [14] ording to the wiki, Gyarados has a 125 base attack stat but only a 60 base special attack stat. Hydro Pump is a very strong skill (110 base power) but it scales off the special attack stat. Although Aqua Tail (90 base power) and Waterfall (80 base power) are not as strong as Hydro Pump, they scale off the attack stat. So by simplifying the math (although there¡¯s other factors);

    Hydro Pump: 110 base power x 60 special attack stat = 6600 damage.

    Aqua Tail: 90 base power x 125 attack stat = 11 250 damage.

    Waterfall: 80 base power x 125 attack stat = 10 000 damage.

    So even though Hydro Pump does more damage as a skill, if a normal Gyarados (without doping) is the one using it, then Aqua Tail and Waterfall will do more damage. It¡¯s a simr deal with Hydrus.

    Gyarados, Hydro Pump, Aqua Tail and Waterfall are all from Pok¨¦mon.

    Gyarados: "".

    Hydro Pump: "".

    Aqua Tail: "".

    Waterfall: "".

    __

 Chapter 141

    Author: Fire Head (Ñ×î^)

    Trantor: Hand of Va

    Editors: TpstT, Keii

    ??

    When the mes of Aries dissipated, the avatar had already vanished. It seemed to have been sessfully vanquished by Mesarthim.

    Scorpius said, ¡°Well, that was rather disappointing.¡±

    However, this was the natural result. After all, up until this point, this was an opponent who was being dealt with by Aquarius alone. This time, there were four members of the Twelve Stars, including Aries, Scorpius, and Karkinos. Furthermore, Phoenix and Hydrus, who had already fought it beforehand, were capable in their own right. Therefore, there was no reason for it to be a difficult battle.

    Therefore, Aquarius thought that this was natural and did not question it further. However, the change in the avatar¡¯s expression during its final moments was rather troubling.

    It..ughed? The avatar that has only ever sleep-walked without being conscious of its surroundingsughed?

    Until now, all that the avatar did was strike back when attacked, but that was just an automatic defense. There were no hostile or malicious intentions. As an analogy, it was like how people would close their eyes when something came right before their eyes. Likewise, they would withdraw their hands quickly when they felt pain. In other words, this was just a reflexive action...The fire ouroboros was not conscious.

    That was why this had never happened before. It had never shown distinctive expressions, such asughing.

    The ouroboros is sleeping...There¡¯s no mistake. The seal hasn¡¯t been weakened. Am I thinking too much? Was it just dreaming andughing in its sleep...?

    Aquarius red at the fire ouroboros intently. Naturally, thetter showed no indication of moving. Even now, it was still sleeping soundly.

    Then why? The ominous feeling wouldn¡¯t go away.

    ¡°Hey, Aquarius. Let¡¯s leave quickly. There¡¯s nothing left to do here, right?¡±

    ¡°...Ah, yes...Let¡¯s go back up.¡±

    Since Scorpius was hurrying her, Aquarius decided to return. She ordered Ganymedes to move and looked back just once more.

    There was...no change. The ouroboros was still sleeping.

    Aquarius felt something iprehensible, but she still left without further questioning the unchanging form of the ouroboros. Therefore, she did not notice.

    After they had left...the ouroboros opened its eyes...and immediately shut them again.

    ?

    ¡°Then, first, let¡¯s consider the future.¡±

    This was the fairies¡¯ vige, Alfheim.

    Currently, the Fairy Princess Pollux and her elder brother Castor were gathered here. Terra, the son of the Demon King, Luna of the Seven Luminaries, and Virgo of the Twelve Stars were here as well.

    Furthermore, in case of an emergency, Pollux had summoned three heroic spirits as guards, who folded their arms and stood behind her.

    The first was Pavo of the PeacockPavo (¥Ñ©`¥ô¥©; Latin for ¡°peacock¡±) is a constetion in the southern sky. The peacock is associated with Argus, the builder of the ship Argo, who was turned into a peacock and ced next to the defunct Argo Navis constetion. The peacock is also associated with Argus Panoptes, whose hundred eyes were preserved by Hera in the peacock¡¯s tail.. He originally had white wings, but due to excessive dyeing and fanciful decorating, his wings became fanciful like a peacock¡¯s. He was exiled from the fl¨¹gels as a result. He was a useless man in many senses of the word.

    The second was Apus of the Bird-of-ParadiseApus (¥¢¥×¥¹; Greek for ¡°without feet¡±) is a small constetion in the southern sky. It represents the bird-of-paradise, which was once wrongly believed tock feet. Also, see for the fight between Terra and Pollux¡¯s Argonauts., who was a former fl¨¹gel adventurer skilled in wind maniption and specialized in Wood-attribute divine magic. As a fellow fl¨¹gel and adventurer, there was a time when he had seen Ruphas as a rival. However, he was just a pathetic man who realized the difference between them and surrendered to her without a fight. Incidentally, he was the fl¨¹gel who shed Terra¡¯s shoulder when thetter challenged Pollux.

    Thest was Corvus of the RavenCorvus (¥³¥ë¥Ö¥¹; Latin for ¡°raven¡±) is a small constetion in the southern sky. In Greek mythology, when Apollo learnt from a pure white crow about his lover¡¯s infidelity, he turned its wings ck in a fit of rage.. He was a strange guy who originally had white wings, but he dyed his own wings ck after bing captivated by Ruphas.

    These three capable people had reached Level 1000. They were reliable and loyal followers who fought alongside Ruphas until the end of the battle two hundred years ago. As such, there was little fear of treachery.

    Leading the three of them along, Pollux crossed her arms and leaned against a tree. She then spoke softly.

    ¡°There¡¯s one important thing to consider. What will the Goddess-sama do next?¡±

    ¡°Th¡ªThat...Isn¡¯t that something to be discussed with Ruphas-sama present?¡±

    Virgo gingerly voiced her opinion to Pollux. The current conversation was important enough to direct the course for the future. She wondered if it was really fine to talk about this without Ruphas, who was at the heart of the issue. However, Pollux simply shook her head.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. Ruphas-sama might not be consciously aware of it herself, but she actually knows everything and is moving ordingly. Our current conversation is merely a simple exnation for you people who may not know much about the Goddess.¡±

    ¡°Then, what about the other Twelve Stars?¡±

    ¡°Also not necessary. It would be counter-productive to casually tell those muscle-brains, especially Scorpius and Aigokeros. We wouldn¡¯t know what they might end up doing.¡±

    Pollux implied that the other Twelve Stars were not really reliable. It was a rather harsh opinion to have of one¡¯srades, but such discretion was necessary for the brains of the group.

    One should believe in one¡¯srades and leave one¡¯s back to them. Indeed, that would be wonderful. It might even be beautiful. However, Pollux believed that unconditional trust was the same as giving up thinking altogether...Such beautiful and pleasing words were just sugar-coating problems.

    Furthermore, the Goddess could control people and modify their memories. As such, abandoning suspicion was equivalent to telling the Goddess to take whatever actions she wanted...Such behavior was absolutely uneptable.

    To be blunt, there were only two people in the current group¡ªRuphas and Bnash¡ªwho could be confirmed as definitely not on the Goddess¡¯ side. Indeed, Pollux even doubted herself. There was no guarantee that her memories and thoughts had not been tampered with. In order to bepletely outside of the Goddess¡¯ influence, it would be necessary to be so absurd as to jump out of her control like the two of them.

    ¡°First, there¡¯s the methods used by the Goddess...This is actually easy to predict. Because, currently, she can only move the readied pieces. She can manipte the weakness in one¡¯s heart. She can also control one¡¯s consciousness like what she did to me. Otherwise, she canmand another piece that was previously prepared by her...Basically, there are these three types, but essentially, all of them involve acting through someone else.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t she omniscient and omnipotent?¡±

    Surprised by the few options avable to the Goddess, Terra directed a question to Pollux. It was themon sense of this world that the Goddess of Creation, Alovenus, was omniscient and omnipotent. However, Pollux shook her head.

    ¡°It¡¯s close, but she¡¯s not truly omniscient and omnipotent. How should I say this? ...Because the ne of existence is too different, she can¡¯t see everything. For example, if an entire world is a grain of sand, would you be able to grasp the detailed activities of every single person who lives there? If there is a foreign molecule that mixes into such a miniature world, would you be able to destroy only that molecule? ...Impossible, right?¡±

    ¡°...Yeah, that would be impossible. Just poking it with your finger would destroy everything.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is. If the Goddess-sama herself takes action, the world would be crushed by her finger and everything would be blown away by her breath. Since the Goddess-sama doesn¡¯t want to destroy the world, she can only make minor adjustments and move really tiny handpieces very carefully.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t encouraging news. Instead, it was undesirable information that made them realize how much the power of the opponent exceeded their imagination. However, Pollux continued without worrying about their concerns.

    ¡°In other words, the Goddess-sama can only move her handpieces in that one pattern as she¡¯s been doing until now. However, brainwashing and possession won¡¯t work on Ruphas-sama. As long as Taurus is around, it would be the same no matter how many times she tries. Even if she controls me again, there¡¯s nothing that can be done now that Bnash and Ruphas-sama have teamed up.¡±

    ¡°In other words, she needs a more powerful piece?¡±

    ¡°You catch on quickly. Exactly, that¡¯s where the seals that we¡¯ve been maintaininges into y. By preemptively sealing them, we can restrict the Goddess-sama from moving her strongest card¡ªthe ouroboroses.¡±

    Currently, the cards avable to the Goddess were surprisingly few. Except for the Moon Ouroboros, all the other ouroboroses had been sealed. Furthermore, the fairy siblings, Parthenos, and Aquarius, who were originally on the side of the Goddess, had all joined Ruphas.

    Currently, there were only three cards for the Goddess to y¡ªthe demons, the Moon Ouroboros, and the avatar.

    However, one of them, the demons, could no longer be counted upon. Even if Luna was brainwashed, her abilities couldn¡¯t bepared even to Castor¡¯s. Even if theyunched a mass offensive, they would simply be destroyed by Ruphas in one attack. The only one to reach Level 1000, Terra, was not the result of the Goddess¡¯ arcane magic and thus could not be moved.

    In other words, it was just the Moon Ouroboros and the avatar...They just needed to watch for Dina¡¯s movements.

    After all that, would she still move the demons? Pollux pondered as she nced at Luna.

    ¡°Well...I don¡¯t think it¡¯s likely, but you should be careful. The possibility of you being manipted isn¡¯t zero.¡±

    ¡°O¡ªOkay.¡±

    ¡°Well, if she¡¯s going to control someone, it¡¯s more likely to be me than you, so you don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡±

    Saying thus, Pollux pointed at herself. Naturally, Pollux had taken measures to protect against brainwashing. Currently, she was wearing a skill-sealing ring on her finger. This was given to her by Ruphas, so she was currently unable to activate Argonautai.

    Moreover, the ring was cursed by Aigokeros, so she couldn¡¯t remove it on her own. Removing it would require the permission of Ruphas or another member of the Twelve Stars. In other words, Pollux was currently not worth manipting.

    Ruphas had said, ¡°To think that there would be a day when a masochistic item for bondage y would be useful...¡± However, everything had its own use. By the way, its effect was that any experience gained would be doubled at the expense of sealing one¡¯s skills.

    ¡°And the Moon Ouroboros... Since we¡¯vee this far, I¡¯m just going to say it bluntly. You all know about the Demon King, right? He¡¯s the Moon Ouroboros. Oh, by the way, all the beast gods, evil gods, and great demon kings who persecuted the humanoids and were then subjugated by the heroes...all of them were him.¡±

    ¡°...Huh?¡±

    Upon hearing Pollux¡¯s revtion, Terra stared at her dumbly. Luna and Virgo widened their eyes. Castor had a bitter look on his face as if he was reminded ofsomething badCastor¡¯s encounter with the Demon King happened in . As mentioned in , Orm (¥ª¥ë¥à) is the Old Norse word for ¡°snake¡±, ¡°worm¡±, or ¡°dragon¡±.. Although this was irrelevant information, Pollux had never told him about the Demon King¡¯s true identity.

    ¡°Also, my brother and I are avatars of the Wood Ouroboros. However, since I became a fairy and gained my own ego a long time ago, I¡¯m practically a different being now.¡±

    ¡°Is it really okay to tell us this?¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t really something that needs to be hidden.¡±

    For Pollux to reveal her true identity so easily, it couldn¡¯t be helped that Terra was stunned and asked such a question. How could he have imagined that the being before him was an incarnation of an ouroboros and an agent of the Goddess? Luna too was visibly shaken by the truth.

    ¡°You...are supposed to be the opposite of the Demon King-sama...But if you are both the same kind of existence, then that means...¡±

    ¡°...It¡¯s just a dramatic farce by colluding parties. It¡¯s an easy-to-understand heroic tale based on the Goddess¡¯ scenario...Orm and I had been ying the roles of enemy and ally. This had been going on for millions of years.¡±

    Pollux spoke as if she was forcing those words out of her mouth. Hearing this, Luna closed her mouth as she couldn¡¯t say anything.

    The faith in the Goddess whom people had believed in so far, the stories of the great people of the past, and the symbol of light that was the greatest obstacle to the demons¡ªnone of them ever existed.

    Everything was just aedy. They were all just faithfully ying the roles they had been given.

    ¡°And thenewest heroApparently, poor Sei doesn¡¯t count. Or maybe Pollux just didn¡¯t know about him yet. appeared two hundred years ago. The Goddess-sama thought of Ruphas-sama as a threat, so she set her up as the viin of the heroic tale¡ªin other words, thest boss¡ªand let Alioth and the others subjugate her.¡±

    ¡°So, that¡¯s the truth of what happened two hundred years ago...If you unveil what¡¯s behind the scene of the heroic tale, it¡¯s nothing but a farce.¡±

    Terra was reminded of the words thatVenusTerra¡¯s confrontation with Venus happened in . spoke before she vanished in front of him.

    Doll...She pointed at Luna and said that. A poor doll who wasn¡¯t even aware that she was a toy.

    Indeed. Once this much was known, it was easy to understand why she said that.

    The arrangement that Pollux and the Demon King had with each other involved using the demons and fairies as pieces to y out an opposition between darkness and light. Once this was known, there was no other way to think of it except as a puppet show.

    Even the Seven Heroes were merely amusing actors dancing to the tune. Only Ruphas and Bnash were not.

    ...No, wait. Back then, she had also said something else that was worrying.

    ¡°I was the same.¡±¡ªThis seemed to imply that she was different now. Wasn¡¯t that strange?

    Since Venus (Dina) was the avatar of the Goddess, shouldn¡¯t she practically be the Goddess¡¯ doll herself? If that was true, then why...?

    ¡°Ah, speaking of which, is that guy, Orm, doing well? I haven¡¯t seen himtely.¡±

    ¡°That manner of address is rather casual. Do you have a close rtionship with him?¡±

    ¡°Close rtionship...I guess it¡¯s more like a rtionship that we can¡¯t get out of? After all, we have been associating for millions of years. asionally, he woulde over and have tea with me. Well, yeah. I don¡¯t really hate that.¡±

    The rtionship between the Fairy Princess and the Demon King, which was thought to be irreconcble, turned out to be like this. If this was told to the mentally fragile Cruz, hismon sense would copse and he would faint.

    As she spoke, Pollux suddenly remembered something. Orm always came to visit whenever she was depressed after sending those heroes to their deaths. Now that she thought about it, did he actually care about her in his own way?

    ¡°So, back to the main topic concerning the next move of the Goddess-sama. Now that Ruphas-sama¡¯sbat power is nearlyplete, it would be pointless to move a minor piece. Therefore, the Goddess should be thinking of sending out the ouroboroses. In other words, the Goddess-sama will likely be trying to break the seals of the ouroboroses. It would probably be the Heavenly Ouroboros who is the least protected. Perhaps Vanaheim is her target?¡±

    The ouroboroses were sealed in four locations.

    The seals of the Earth Ouroboros and the Fire Ouroboros were guarded by Taurus and Aquarius respectively, so they would be difficult to break. As for the Wood Ouroboros, they were currently gathered here.

    Therefore, Vanaheim would be the least protected. Parthenos was there, but she was already dead and had nobat power. She could try and terrify the ouroboros as a ghost, but putting things in another perspective, that was all that she would be able to do.

    Therefore, the target would be the Heavenly Ouroboros. At least, if she was the Goddess, she would send her piece there to wake the ouroboros.

    Yes, that¡¯s what she thought.

    ¡°¡ªNot a bad analysis, but it¡¯s somewhat off. The first one that I¡¯m aiming for is the Wood Ouroboros.¡±

    ¡°!¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    ¡°Who!?¡±

    Castor, Terra, and Luna reacted immediately to the sudden voice. Everyone turned in the direction of the voice and readied their weapons.

    Under their vignt gazes, a tall white-haired man casually walked forward. He had golden pupils which were vertically slit. Furthermore, his skin was blue, which was a defining trait of the demon race. Seeing this man, Luna eximed in surprise.

    ¡°You¡¯re...Sol!?¡±

    ¡ªHe was thest member of the Seven Luminaries, Sol of the Sun.

    He should be Level 300...but Terra somehow felt that he would be a strong opponent like he had never fought before. He silently stepped forward.

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Next chapter: ¡°What¡¯s a Level 300 small fry doing here now...?¡±

    A member of the Argonauts, RockyamNone of us have a clue who or what ¥í¥Ã¥­¥¢¥à is supposed to be. I can¡¯t find anything with the search engines either. Leave ament if you know. (¥í¥Ã¥­¥¢¥à), has been renamed to Pyxis. Well, he¡¯s not really an important character, so you don¡¯t have to remember this.

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Wee back! If you haven¡¯t read Chapters 127-139, check for the links. Since the start of the Aquarius arc, we have entered into the territory of Light Novel Volume 7.

    About the author¡¯s notes above...Our trantions are based on the post-revision version. Pyxis was mentioned in .

    Sometimes, there are issues with variant spellings of the same name. The carrier of Aquarius will be tranted as Ganymedes (¥¬¥Ë¥å¥á©`¥Ç¥¹), although his name is also spelled as Ganymede (which is also the spelling used for one of Jupiter¡¯s moons). The mythical minotaur¡¯s name is Asterion, but sometimes also spelled as Asterius. We will be changing Taurus¡¯ name to Asterius since it is closer to the raw (¥¢¥¹¥Æ¥ê¥ª¥¹).

    Also, I¡¯m trying out a new blog temte. Let me know if there¡¯s any issue.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 142

    Author: Fire Head (Ñ×î^)

    Trantor: Hand of Va

    Editors: TpstT, Keii

    ??

    Let us turn back time a bit.

    There was a barren wilderness where no humanoids came close. No, it was not just the humanoids. Even magical beasts and demons did note near his territory. They understood that if they approached that ce, they would definitely be eaten with no room for negotiation. Any poor victims who did not know this would have their corpses exposed and weathered down to the bones.

    A man stood in the middle of that wilderness with his arms crossed. He was the ruler of this territory...He was Leon, the Lion King who was said to be the strongest individual among the walking cmities known as the Tyrannical Twelve Stars. He closed his eyes and asked himself as he recalled his defeat a few days ago.

    What am I missing?

    He had reached the limit of Level 1000 long ago. It wouldn¡¯t increase at all, regardless of how many times he ate others. He simply couldn¡¯t break through the limit set by the Goddess. However, it should be possible to break through. It had to be possible to do so. Ruphas and Bnash had shown that it was possible to make it a reality. They had already gone ahead of him.

    What¡¯s the difference? What¡¯s the difference between them and I? What am Icking?

    In terms of inherent qualities...Leon¡¯s inherent qualities were definitely better than theirs. He won by such arge margin that they weren¡¯t evenparable. Both Ruphas and Bnash were certainly considered geniuses. They could even be considered prodigies. But even then, they were still significantly inferior to Leon, who had been born at Level 1000.

    There were those who were born the strongest right from the start and those who were not. He shouldn¡¯t have lost. He shouldn¡¯t be inferior to the two of them. But the reality was that Ruphas and Bnash had surpassed him and risen above him.

    This very fact made him truly dissatisfied from the bottom of his heart. He just couldn¡¯t stand it.

    Why? Why can¡¯t I ovee this wall? Why can¡¯t I go beyond Level 1000?

    The more he thought about it, the more he could not understand why. He was merely umting irrational rage. Blood vessels emerged on Leon¡¯s log-like arms as he bashed a nearby mountain in frustration. His superhuman strength literally crushed the rock, shattering the moderately sized mountain into pieces.

    However, Leon wasn¡¯t satisfied. He realized his own inadequacy.

    No, it isn¡¯t like this. This much doesn¡¯tpare with Those Who Left First. They can shatters, but I can¡¯t. Bnash can easily prate the and emerge from the other side, but I can¡¯t. Ruphas can destroy a with a single arcane magic, but I can¡¯t.

    Although his strength should beparable, the scale of destruction waspletely different.

    There was a wall. It was the wall that separated those who had transcended and those who had not. It was the wall of a single level that separated Level 1000 and Level 1001. Unless it was broken through, one¡¯s damage would be limited by thews of this world. No matter how much one¡¯s status was boosted, there would still be a point where one couldn¡¯t reach.

    Furthermore, the figure of the cheating crab, who could ignore the wall despite being Level 800, shed past Leon¡¯s mind for some reason.

    ¡°Damn it¡ª! Is this it!? Is this...Is this my limit!?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re looking pretty roughed up, eh?¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    He suddenly heard a voice from behind him. In response, Leon did not even bother wasting time to look back and simply swung his arm. This alone created destructive wind pressure, sweeping thend behind Leon clean.

    If anyone trespassed into his territory, there would be no questions asked. All of them were to be eliminated and reduced to dust. However, the intruder didn¡¯t even move slightly after receiving the attack. He was still standing coolly with his arms crossed.

    ¡°...Who the heck are you?¡±

    After Leon turned around to look, a man with long white hair came into view. His skin was blue and his vertically slit eyes were golden in color. He seemed to be a demon, but a quick nce gave a sense of incongruity.

    What¡¯s with this guy? His presence feels strange for a demon.

    He had a sense of holiness, making Leon feel very unpleasant. It was iprehensible how he could be unmoved despite receiving that attack. In addition, the fact that he coulde so close without being noticed raised Leon¡¯s caution.

    ¡°Greetings, Lion King. My name is Sol...Sol of the Sun, a demon of the Seven Luminaries. By the way, I don¡¯t really like the epithet Sun. It isn¡¯t beautiful and it¡¯s easily confused with Mar¡¯s Fire at first nce. Therefore, when referring to me, Heavens...Yes, I¡¯d be d to be known as Sol of the Heavens.¡±

    ¡°The Seven Luminaries? Here I was wondering who you were, but what a letdown. Aren¡¯t they just a gang of small fries?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s rather harsh, but I can¡¯t deny it. A group of Level 300 individuals would certainly seem like a gathering of weak soldiers from your perspective...They¡¯re just insignificant existences.¡±

    The white-haired man¡ªSol didn¡¯t seem to mind being insulted and continued talking with a lightugh. He appeared to be taking it too casually. It didn¡¯t seem like a response that a member of the Seven Luminaries should have before the Lion King.

    His strange presence stopped Leon from immediately jumping into action. Something was wrong here and his instincts sounded an rm.

    ¡°But can you forgive their weakness? They didn¡¯t want to be weak. They were born weak. In order to not exterminate the humanoids that had been weakened as a whole, weaklings were intentionally gathered together. In a sense, they are rather pitiful. As a strong person, shouldn¡¯t you generously tolerate them?¡±

    ¡°You seem to imply that you¡¯re different from them.¡±

    ¡°Oh, indeed. I am actually different.¡±

    Solughed fearlessly¡ªand vanished.

    At the same time, a kick was delivered to Leon¡¯s stomach. The impact that struck Leon easily prated the Lion King¡¯s abdominal muscles. The attack almost made him regurgitate the contents of his stomach! Leon¡¯s giant body was blown away with one kick, crashing through the mountain behind him and flying several kilometers away in an instant.

    Before Leon could stand up, Solnded with his arms still crossed.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s something like this. How was my kick? I¡¯d be d if you are satisfied with it.¡±

    ¡°You bastard!¡±

    Leon¡¯s temper instantly reached its low boiling point. He immediately closed the distance and swung his thick arm. Sol blocked the single attack with one arm but was sent flying backwards after that. He did not fall down, but the ground beneath his feet was blown away and two tracks were carved into the surface as he flew backwards. When he saw that his arm was numb, he smiled deeply.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good attack. It¡¯s been a while since I had this feeling.¡±

    ¡°Are you mocking me!?¡±

    Leon closed the distance again, but this time, Sol jumped forward as well. Their arms collided, while their kicks and knees smashed into each other. The shockwaves spread three hundred sixty degrees in the area, causing a sudden gust of wind to surround them.

    Th¡ªThis guy...!

    ¡°Our power is about the same. Then, how about speed?¡±

    Sol rushed at him with quick punches and kicks. In response, Leonunched a storm of barrages, resulting in many attacks and defenses between them. There were smashes, kicks, thrusts, deflections, diversions, blocks, and evasions. A meleebat between equal opponents began.

    But there was a breakthrough in the fight as Sol¡¯s punch struck Leon¡¯s lower jaw and sent him flying upwards. He then jumped and overtook Leon, dropping his heel down on him in mid-air!

    Leon crashed into the ground and created a crater, while Sol descended quickly in pursuit.

    Thetter directed a knife-hand strike at Leon who was standing up, but it struck thin air as Leon suddenly vanished.

    Sol calmly moved his head sideways. Immediately, his cheek was grazed as Leon¡¯s fist suddenly struck where his head had been. Leon had quickly moved behind him to make a surprise attack, but it was anticipated and evaded.

    The wind pressure from Leon¡¯s fist gouged out the ground before him as if sand or whatever had been scooped up. Of course, the earth wasn¡¯t as fragile as sand, but this demonstrated how powerful Leon¡¯s punch was.

    But the punch didn¡¯t hit. Without looking back, Sol grabbed Leon¡¯s fist and threw him over his shoulder. While Leon had no footing in the air, Sol raised his palm towards him and released mana.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    This was the Sun-attribute arcane magic, Photon Buster. As implied by the name, its effect was to simply bombard the target with mana in the form of light. A thick ray of lightpletely engulfed Leon¡¯s body, making it impossible to evade. An explosion followed.

    But Sol didn¡¯t just stop there. He vanished from the spot, moving swiftly to Leon as if he was teleporting. He grabbed Leon¡¯s hair and brought his knee to thetter¡¯s face! Leon counter-attacked with his ws, but Sol evaded them, grabbed his arm, and then threw him away once more.

    Leon dug into a nearby rock, while Sol raised his palm in his direction again.

    ¡°Photon Rain!¡±

    Bullets of light surged forth from Sol¡¯s palm one after another at a speed simr to heavy rain. They struck Leon mercilessly and exploded, shaving off his stamina. There was nopromise and no reservation. Anticipating Leon¡¯s powerful vitality, Sol used arcane magic to stab at him like rain in order to stop himpletely.

    But what was with this amount of arcane magic? He had been firing great skills consecutively such that it seemed as if he had unlimited magical power. In order to corner Leon, he was firing arcane magic wildly in such a way that it seemed as if he wouldn¡¯t run out of mana.

    ¡°It¡¯s useless. Take this!¡±

    Sol put his hands together and pushed forward. The atmosphere trembled merely from the concentration of magical power before he fired. The scattered stones and rocks in the wilderness rose into the air as if they were defying gravity.

    He was gathering so much energy that he was generating gravity of his own and creating a temporary state of weightlessness. Violet lightning surged through Sol¡¯s body and concentrated in his palm.

    ¡°Vanish!¡±

    This was the Sun-attribute arcane magic, Photon Smasher. While it was in the same tier as Photon Shooter, it was ranked higher within the same category. Although its range was inferior, its power even surpassed Sr re, which was Ruphas¡¯ specialty.

    Of course, this was purely based on the arcane magic itself without ounting for the caster¡¯s individual power. If it had actually collided with Ruphas¡¯ Sr re, things would be different, but it didn¡¯t matter for now. It was irrelevant to the present situation...After all, there was no doubt that it had extraordinary destructive power.

    The beautiful torrent of light broke through the atmosphere of Midgard and went beyond its mother. Such a scene was nothing surprising during a battle of this level. Even so, a which was so densely packed with such monsters was truly abnormal.

    A line of scar was carved into Midgard. Sol crossed his arms and looked at the smoke. Leon...did not reappear.

    ¡°...Is he dead? That was more boring than I expected. Or perhaps, he wasn¡¯t as good as the rumors said.¡±

    When the smoke cleared, Leon was nowhere to be seen. Was hepletely destroyed? Or was he blown away somewhere? Or did he flee with his tail between his legs?

    Well, it didn¡¯t matter. Whichever case it was, the result showed that he was no one significant.

    ¡°Well, that was a disappointment. I was hoping to have a wonderful fight, but...Lion King Leon. He didn¡¯t live up to his reputation. In that case, it seems the other Twelve Stars will not be promising opponents either.¡±

    Sol muttered to himself and then flew off without looking back. Now that he knew the difference in power, it was unnecessary to waste any more time. He might still be alive, but it didn¡¯t matter. Leon was no match for him anyway.

    Unfortunately, if the strongest Leon is only like this, the other Twelve Stars won¡¯t be much of an opponent. As expected, the only ones who can entertain me are Ruphas Mafahl and Bnash. Maybe it¡¯d be more interesting to go there now?

    ¡°...Ah, I know. Don¡¯t worry. First, I have toplete the task that was given, right? To be honest, it¡¯s boring, but I¡¯ll prioritize it first. The main dish cer.¡±

    Sol muttered to himself as if he was talking to someone. However, there was nobody there. It was as if he was talking to himself.

    ¡°The Fire Ouroboros...is a light sleeper to begin with. It¡¯ll be fine even if he is left alone. First, it will be the Wood Ouroboros. Then, pass on the instructions to the Earth Ouroboros. After that, we¡¯ll wait for you tounch a simultaneous attack. Anyway, that Ruphas Mafahl...Haha, she really is an awesome fellow, since she managed to force the Goddess to move the ouroboroses.¡±

    Sol flew in the sky and headed straight for his destination. His destination was Alfheim, where the Wood Ouroboros slept.

    ¡°As expected, the most difficult one is the Moon Ouroboros...I have no idea what he¡¯s thinking. Apparently, he¡¯s acting with a different goal in mind than that of the Goddess. Even if I go to deal with him, I¡¯ll probably be hurt down to the bones. Well, that¡¯s interesting in its own way too.¡±

    Thest of the Seven Luminariesughed fearlessly and finally arrived at his destination, Alfheim.

    There seemed to be a barrier which warded off intruders... but he couldn¡¯t care less. Sol collided with the barrier headon and forced his body through it. Of course, the barrier resisted, but what meaning was there to it?

    Sol broke through the barrier like it was merely a thin p of skin and thennded before Pollux and the others. The members who were gathered there were quite unexpected, but it made no difference in what he had to do. It wouldn¡¯t shake the certainty of his victory.

    This was because he knew there was an insurmountable disparity between them and him.

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Q: Isn¡¯t he too powerfulpared to the other Seven Luminaries?

    A: It¡¯s a natural intion that enemy cadres who appearter are of a different magnitude than the ones before. Even if a game has the Four Heavenly KingsThe Four Heavenly Kings (ËÄÌìÍõ) are four Buddhist gods who watch over the four cardinal directions. They originated from the Indian Lokaps., the first one could be defeated at around Level 10, while thest one would require around Level 60 to win.

    Q: Isn¡¯t Leon weak?

    A: Sol has a buff called First Appearance Adjustment...

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    This chapter¡¯s title (¥½¥ë¤ÎÆÆ‰²¹â¾€, literally ¡°Destructive Beam of Sol¡±) is a reference to (ÆÆ‰²¹â¾€, literally ¡°destructive beam¡±), a skill from the Pok¨¦mon series.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 143

    Author: Fire Head (Ñ×î^)

    Trantor: Hand of Va

    Editors: TpstT, Keii

    ??

    The Seven Luminaries of the demons.

    They were the seven elite demons who were gathered to oppress the humanoids. This was what this gathering of weak soldiers was called.

    By the current standards of the humanoids, they were truly powerful enemies. They were monsters that even the knightly orders could not match, but they were still far from being true monsters. Even if Mars, Mercurius, Jupiter, Saturnus, and Luna were summoned to fight together, the five of them still could not match thebat power of Castor alone.

    So, yeah, even if the leader of the Seven Luminaries or whatever were toe out now, he wouldn¡¯t be much of a threat. He would just be a minor character who hadpletely missed his timing toe onto the stage...That was how it should be.

    However, Castor unconsciously drew and readied his weapon in his hand. He wasn¡¯t alone. Terra and the heroic spirits behind Pollux were simrly ready and alert.

    In front of them, the man in white¡ªSol¡ªgrinned.

    ¡°First, let me introduce myself. I¡¯m one of the Seven Luminaries, Sol of the Heavens. I rule over the Sun attribute. I¡¯m honored to meet you, my cousins.¡±

    The ones whom Sol called his cousins in a deep and refined voice were the twins, Pollux and Castor. Of course, they had no idea what he meant. As the avatars of an ouroboros, they had no rtives, especially one who was a demon.

    However, why was it that, somewhere in their hearts, they knew that he was right? Why did this man give off the same feeling as themselves?

    ¡°And Terra, you too are my cousin. You could say that our existences are very simr.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about...What exactly are you doing here, Sol?¡±

    From Terra¡¯s perspective, Sol was a male subordinate who reported to him. In the current situation, he wasn¡¯t someone he could trust. After all, it was Sol who had brought that traitor, Venus, to Terra. Thus, he needed to consider the possibility of Sol being Venuss...Dina¡¯s puppet.

    It might be memory modification or thought maniption. He had considered that Sol might have been subjected to either one of them. But now, Terra was wondering if his idea was fundamentally wrong. What made him reconsider was the eerie, overwhelming presence which wasn¡¯t there when Sol was working under him.

    ¡°What if I say that I¡¯m here to wake the ouroboros?¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ª!?¡±

    ¡°Well, let me reveal something first. I¡¯m not of the Demon King¡¯s faction, but rather, I¡¯m of the Goddess¡¯ faction. I¡¯m sorry for lying to you, but it¡¯s my job. Don¡¯t think badly of me.¡±

    With a casual smile, Sol inly revealed his purpose. This was a sign of absolute confidence that they wouldn¡¯t be able to stop him. At this moment, Terra realized that he had misunderstood his own subordinate.

    ¡°I could achieve my objective like this, but you people probably won¡¯t understand what is happening, right? If you like, I can take some time to exin it to you?¡±

    ¡°...How very kind of you.¡±

    ¡°Haha. I¡¯m actually quite kind. Let me tell you all a certain story.¡±

    As he spoke sarcastically, Sol nced at everyone. There were five high-levelbatants among the people gathered here. They were Castor and Terra as well as the three fl¨¹gel heroic spirits. In other words, it was everyone except Pollux and Virgo. But even when faced with this, Sol¡¯sposure did not falter.

    ¡°Ah, of course...You can always make a sneak attack while I¡¯m exining. Maybe you can seed if I¡¯m not ready for it.¡±

    Sol said as he nced at Apus of the Bird-of-Paradise behind him. Thetter was holding a dagger behind his back, but his intention was easily seen through. Hisplexion changed and his movement stopped.

    ¡°Well? Aren¡¯t youing at me? Did you get nervous?¡±

    ¡°Stop acting tough. Hurry up and speak.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I apologize. That¡¯s right...Let¡¯s start from the beginning.¡±

    At Terra¡¯s urging, Sol crossed his arms and closed his eyes in remembrance. His stance seemed to be full of openings, but nobody took advantage of them. This was because they understood that Sol was trying to lure them into it. Eventually, he opened his eyes and spoke about himself.

    ¡°The Seven Luminaries of the demons...Luna of the Moon, Mars of Fire, Mercurius of Water, Jupiter of Wood, Venus of Gold, Saturnus of Earth, and me...Sol of the Heavens. As you may have guessed, the two of us...Venus and I are a bit different from normal demons. Rather than a demon, Venus is actually a half-elf.

    Oh, let me say this first. Saturnus is truly a demon and has nothing to do with us. Please don¡¯t doubt her. And it isn¡¯t like I was trying to hide it or anything, but I¡¯m the avatar of the Heavenly Ouroboros. More urately, it should be the Sun Ouroboros, but that name is easily confused with the Fire Ouroboros, so please call me the Heavenly Ouroboros instead.¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ªWhat!?¡±

    Everyone held their breath as they took in Sol¡¯s words concerning his identity. The five divine beasts served as the proxies of the Goddess. One of the ouroboroses, the avatar of the Heavenly Ouroboros, was currently in front of them. They couldn¡¯t help but be surprised.

    At the same time, they understood why he had called them cousins. Yes, he was the same as Pollux and Castor. He was an avatar created by an ouroboros and he had gained an ego that was independent from the ouroboros itself. The only difference was that, unlike Pollux, he followed the will of the ouroboros which was his true form.

    ¡°As an avatar that has gained a sense of self, it would be more appropriate to consider me as the son of an ouroboros. In this sense, Terra, you are the same as me.¡±

    ¡°...I¡¯ve been kept in the dark this whole time. I hate myself for being so useless.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so depressed. It¡¯s rathermendable that you were able to doubt Venus and I despite being subject to the thought maniption of Venus. Besides, even though I have a different creator, I¡¯m certainly a demon. It would be difficult to discern my true identity.¡±

    Sol spoke quietly and nced at Luna. On the other hand, Luna red at him cautiously, but it had no effect.

    ¡°...Does my father know about this?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s hard to say. He isn¡¯t someone you could make light of. Perhaps, he had long realized my true identity and yet still dared to leave me be.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your purpose of infiltrating the Seven Luminaries?¡±

    ¡°While Venus controls the demons from the inside, I keep an eye on the Demon King. The Seven Luminaries of the demons...is just a cover for us to hide under. Although you were the one who actually organized it, you were simply manipted into doing so.¡±

    Terra¡¯s face turned grim as he remembered forming the Seven Luminaries.

    At that time...Yes, at that time, I seemed to be in a daze. It was as if I was drunk after drinking too much wine. At that time, I was probably already under Venus¡¯ spell. I didn¡¯t even suspect that woman whom Sol brought back from somewhere, despite the fact that she didn¡¯t even look like a demon.

    There was nothing more terrifying than being manipted mentally without prior knowledge.

    And...yes. At that time, there was an unbridgeable gap between Luna, who was at the bottom of the demon race, and Terra, the prince of demons. No matter how much Terra wanted Luna beside him or how much Luna wanted to be by his side, it wouldn¡¯t be possible given the difference in their social standings. However, at that time, the powerful demons had been mostly killed by Ruphas, thus there was a unique opportunity for Luna to sit in the chair of an executive.

    ¡ªAnd she made use of that desire. There was nothing more to it. His own sexual urges were the cause of this situation.

    ¡°And so Venus manipted the demons from the inside, while I remained inconspicuous and acted as one of the clowns known as the Seven Luminaries.¡±

    ¡°Why are you monitoring my father?¡±

    ¡°Good question. That¡¯s Terra for you. It¡¯s because your father has been ignoring the script of the Goddess.¡±

    Terra raised his eyebrows at his words. He didn¡¯t say anything, but his face showed that he was somewhat shaken.

    ¡°Two hundred years ago...The story should have ended at that time. The Seven Heroes should have defeated the demons by sacrificing their lives. The demons should have been exterminated as their fate would have it.¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ª!?¡±

    Terra couldn¡¯t control his voice this time. It waspletely beyond what he imagined. It was an answer that he didn¡¯t expect. Likewise, Pollux¡¯s face looked grim as things had deviated from her expectations.

    ¡°...Isn¡¯t the Goddess¡¯ scenario to drive the humanoids into a corner?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it is, but there was actually going to be a break. Just like it has always been, the current Demon King should have been defeated and exited the stage, taking all his subordinate demons along with him. But that did not happen. The Seven Heroes, who were supposed to die, survived and the demons didn¡¯t leave the stage. Instead, the farce continued even though it should have already ended.¡±

    Pollux listened carefully and thought with her hand on her chin.

    Orm...What is that guy thinking?

    Extending the farce which was supposed to end...This had never happened before. What was the benefit of dragging things out? What was that man trying to do by inciting dissatisfaction in the Goddess? What was he anticipating?

    ...I can¡¯t see any merit for the Demon King to do so.

    ¡°Of course, the Goddess asked him what that was about. He merely replied, ¡®I can¡¯t afford to y around with the Seven Heroes and the other heroes anymore, so I used my full power.¡¯ After all, normally, every few thousands to tens of thousands of years, there should only be a single individual who was specifically selected by the Goddess to reach Level 1000. Yet at that time, he was attacked by arge number of Level 1000s. So under such conditions, things might have really been as he said. But at that time, the Goddess was somewhat concerned, so she thought of sending me to keep an eye on him.¡±

    Sol unfolded his arms as he spoke. Terra and the others were ready to respond, but it seemed there was no sign of an attack as yet.

    ¡°After that, he was obedient to the Goddess for a while. Ensuring that the humanoids would not be exterminated, he cornered them and increased their fear. But the concern of the Goddess was justified. The deciding factor was the battle a few days ago. He had revealed the script to the returned Ruphas Mafahl.¡±

    ¡°What exactly is Orm thinking?¡±

    ¡°I also don¡¯t know the answer to that. All I know is that he haspletely separated himself from the Goddess. She has no piece to move against Ruphas Mafahl and even Orm is being rebellious...Moving Pollux and the other Twelve Stars would only increase Ruphas¡¯bat power. Therefore, the Goddess finally decided to move her greatestbat power.¡±

    Sol said and started to gather mana. This implied that he had finished talking. Did he deliberately signal that he was going to start fighting because he wanted a dignified battle? Or was he simply looking down on them?

    Whichever it was, the situation would not change. Terra drew his sword, while Castor and the others advanced.

    ¡°Well then, do you understand now? In that case, I want to get things started...If you have something you want to do, you should do it first. I¡¯ll wait until you are done using support divine magic.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t look down on us!¡±

    The heroes behind responded bravely to Sol¡¯s provocation. They jumped andnded in front of Terra. All three of them were holding their swords.

    ¡°We are the Three Winged Knights who are loyal to Ruphas-sama! Pavo of the Peacock!¡±

    ¡°Simrly, Apus of the Bird-of-Paradise!¡±

    ¡°Simrly, Corvus of the Raven! You are not worthy of facing Castor-sama! Let¡¯s do this. Formation A!¡±

    ¡°Wait, we should use B here!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, whatever!¡±

    ¡°Then use C!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    The three fl¨¹gels flew and shed fiercely at Sol. On the other hand, Sol smiled bitterly and flew into the sky. The three of them followed up with simultaneous attacks from the front, left, and right, but Sol defended against them with his arms and knees.

    Furthermore, he emitted mana from his body, repelling the Three Winged Knights with a shockwave. In addition, he made a frontal assault, kicking Corvus in the jaw. While thetter was unable to recover his stance, Sol delivered a heel-drop and sent him crashing into the ground.

    The other two swung their swords simultaneously from behind, but Sol immediately turned and grabbed their swords with his fingers.

    ¡°......!¡±

    ¡°This...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯m just lightly holding them.¡±

    With just the strength of his fingers, he threw the two of them along with their swords and then instantaneously moved to kick Apus. He turned his palm towards Pavo in a flowing motion and an explosion urred soon after.

    The battle took only a few seconds. No, if one considered only the offense and defense without the conversation, it took less than a second. From the point of view of Virgo and Pollux, it was practically instantaneous.

    Seeing the Three Winged Knights defeated in an instant, Terra was hit hard by reality.

    This guy...isn¡¯t just all talk. He¡¯s really strong. Truly.

    ¡°Now then, who¡¯s next?¡±

    Sol nced at Terra in a rxed manner, ignoring Virgo who was using recovery skills on the Three Winged Knights lying on the ground.

    The Three Winged Knights weren¡¯t weak by any means. Unlike Ruphas and the Seven Heroes whose ability values far exceeded those of Level 1000, theirs were only those of a normal Level 1000. But by virtue of their levels alone, they had already reached the summit in their own ways.

    They were monsters who were capable of destroying the humanoid¡¯s civilization all by themselves. They were capable of turning Midgard into a devastated with no living creatures in just a few days.

    Furthermore, theirbat power was close to that of Terra, so it was not usually possible to deal with all three of them at the same time. Even if one were to underestimate them, they would still be acknowledged as powerful individualsparable to Ruphas and Leon in their normal states.

    On the other hand, Terra, who was the strongestbatant here, was not too different in power from any one of the Three Winged Knights. It would be dangerous enough for him to deal with two of them at the same time instead of all three of them.

    If Terra wanted to fight them evenly, a reasonably strong buff or debuff would be necessary. However, there was nobody here who was capable of such skills. The ones used by Virgo weren¡¯t enough.

    It might be possible for Pollux to forcefully suppress Sol with Argonautai, but...the Goddess might possess her the moment her ring was removed, so it couldn¡¯t be done. If Pollux were to be controlled by the Goddess here,plete annihtion would be inevitable.

    Therefore, they could only fight using the heroic spirits who were summoned when Ruphas was present, since Ruphas could have dealt with the possession immediately if it were to happen.

    Fortunately, the heroic spirit who could break this deadlock had already been summoned.

    ¡°¡ªThe next one is me.¡±

    Duang!

    The sound of something heavy hitting the ground was heard. At the same time, the voice of a young girl resounded. However, her tone was that of an old woman, which did not match her voice. Everyone turned back and saw a green-haired girl.

    She held a branch of the Wood Ouroboros in her hand and her mouth arced into a grin.

    Virgo knew her figure well. She had only seen her like this once, but she would never forget it. This was the youthful figure of her grandmother whom she respected, but she shouldn¡¯t be around anymore.

    ¡°...Gran¡ªGranny?¡±

    She was one of the Tyrannical Twelve Stars. She was the previous Maiden¡ªParthenos.

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Synopsis of the previous chapter:

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    Ruphas: Leon¡ª!?

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    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Congrattions! You have survived the exposition dump! It feels rather contrived or forced for the information to be given out like this. There has to be a better way to show it than have the antagonist monologuing all the way...

    This chapter¡¯s title (¥½¥ë¤ÎÌô°k, literally ¡°Sol¡¯s provocation¡±) is probably a reference to (¤Á¤ç¤¦¤Ï¤Ä), a skill from the Pok¨¦mon series. But frankly, it should have been ¡°Sol¡¯s expositions¡± or ¡°Sol¡¯s soliloquies¡±. Sol used Endless Monologuing! Pollux, Terra, etc. took 9999 mental damage! Luna and Virgo gained Deaf status!

    As you may have noticed, many chapter titles are referencing Pok¨¦mon in some ways. We will be retroactively changing some of them to better conform to the English versions of Pok¨¦mon.

    You can check out the updated titles in the page.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 144

    Author: Fire Head (Ñ×î^)

    Trantor: Hand of Va

    Editors: TpstT, Keii

    ??

    ¡°I¡¯m naturally on the team searching for a way to reincarnate. Nothing would get done without me...and there¡¯s another thing that worries me.¡±

    This was what Pollux said when they were splitting up into teams. Ruphas didn¡¯t particrly care at that time, but Pollux considered it to be something that must be investigated urgently. That was because, depending on the situation, she believed that it could potentially cause the ns Ruphas had made two hundred years ago topletely fall apart.

    The fairies¡¯ vige, Alfheim.

    Once they returned here, Pollux distanced herself from the others for a while before she started talking about the avatars. When Ruphas was still present, multiple heroic spirits had been summoned to support everyone...They included Phoenix, Hydrus, the Three Winged Knights and her. At that time, she had read the atmosphere and quickly left the locationSee for the two heroic spirits who flew away when Ruphas was on the Argo.. Thus, by now, she should already be in the fairies¡¯ vige.

    Slightly away from the others, there was a young figure leaning against a tree as if she had been waiting for Pollux. Her braided hair was green. Dressed in a white robe, she appeared to be about twelve years old. She smiled when she noticed Pollux.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since west met, Pollux.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it has been a while...Parthenos.¡±

    She was Parthenos, the previous Maiden. A year ago, she had reached her natural lifespan, but now she was here as if she was in her prime. She looked like a young girl, but her actual age was more than two hundred years old, which was exceptional for a human. She wasn¡¯t just an old woman; she was practically a fossil.

    Argonautai would summon heroes as they were in their primes, so she had been summoned as she was two hundred years ago when the Twelve Stars were in their glory days. Of course, Pollux could have summoned her as an old woman, but she wouldn¡¯t have done that since she was a woman herself.

    ¡°So, what is it that you want? I¡¯m d to have a young body again after such a long time, but I still have to watch over the seal of the ouroboros. I¡¯d like to return to my former location, if it¡¯s possible.¡±

    ¡°I have something to ask about the seal of the ouroboros.¡±

    Pollux narrowed her eyes and stared sharply at Parthenos.

    ¡°Hey, Parthenos. Why did you...let the avatar of the Goddess pass?¡±

    ¡°...Oh, so there was something like that mixed in with the group back then. That was a blunder...¡±

    ¡°Stop pretending. If it¡¯s Ruphas-sama, you might be able to smoke your way through, but it won¡¯t work for me. Don¡¯t look down on me.¡±

    The thing that Pollux wanted to check was why Dina had been allowed to pass through the barrier of Parthenos when Ruphas and the others visited Vanaheim. Ruphas had previously thought, ¡°Parthenos used to be the guardian of the Goddess¡¯ Sanctuary, so as an entity simr to the Goddess, Dina could have simply passed through.¡±

    But that was strange, way too strange. This was because the ouroboroses were proxies of the Goddess, so there were seals to prevent this from happening. If an entity simr to the Goddess was able to pass through, there would be no point in the barrier.

    In other words, Dina was able to pass through, but not for the reason Ruphas believed...It was because Parthenos knowingly let her through.

    ¡°Another thing. You¡¯re the Manager of the Goddess-sama¡¯s Sanctuary. It¡¯s impossible for you not to know the face of the Goddess-sama. Even if she somehow passed through by mistake...or even if she somehow bypassed the barrier, when you saw her, you must have figured out her identity.¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    ¡°Answer me, Parthenos.¡±

    Neither excuses nor deceptions would work. Parthenos raised her hands, expressing her intention to surrender. Other people aside, she judged that Pollux alone could not be deceived.

    ¡°As expected of you, Pollux. Everything is exactly as you have said. I was aware of her identity and deliberately let her through the barrier. But it seems not even you noticed her ¡®identity that¡¯s behind her identity¡¯.¡±

    ¡°...What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t leak this to anyone else, especially someone who isn¡¯t tight-lipped.¡±

    And Parthenos exined. Why did she let Dina pass through? Who was Dina and what was she trying to do? And why did Ruphas trust her without reservation? Why was Dina...not recognized as an enemy even after it was discovered that she had been deceiving them?

    Yes, it wasn¡¯t merely because Ruphas didn¡¯t think about it or was careless. Ruphas had a reason not to consider her as an enemy. It was just a vague memory buried deep in her psyche that Ruphas recalled subconsciously, but she knew that Dina was not an enemy.

    When Pollux heard it, she had an incredulous look, but eventually she became convinced.

    ¡°...I see. That certainly makes sense. I thought it was strange...No matter how much of a muscle-brain Ruphas-sama was, she was being yed around with too unnaturally. But certainly, if that was the case, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not convinced.¡±

    ¡°Are you dissatisfied with this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m dissatisfied. I wasn¡¯t told everything. That¡¯s pathetic.¡±

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped. In the worst-case scenario, it¡¯s feared that your memories could be read by the Goddess. The most important information needed to be hidden no matter what.¡±

    ¡°I know. I¡¯m saying it¡¯s pathetic because of that.¡±

    Pollux was ashamed of her own weakness. If it had been the Vampire Princess, even if she was the avatar of an ouroboros, Ruphas would have told her everything. Even on the off chance that the Goddess interfered, her peerless pride rendered her beyond the norms. There was no fear that she would be controlled by the Goddess. There was no need to worry about her memories being read.

    But Pollux couldn¡¯t do that. Although she resisted, she was still controlled by the Goddess. She wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand it if the same thing were to happen again in the future.

    It was really pathetic and she hated it.

    This had nothing to do with her mental status. Even if one had infinite status, they would still be unable to resist the Goddess. It would require a ridiculously strong will that went beyond status. Otherwise, it would be impossible to resist the Goddess.

    ¡°So what do I do now? Should I go back?¡±

    ¡°No, wait here just in case. It¡¯ll probably be okay, but we might need your help if something happens.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but who¡¯s going to protect the seal?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve sent Borealis of the CrownBorealis of the Crown (¡º¹Ú¡»¤Î¥Ü¥ì¥¢¥ê¥¹) refers to Corona Borealis (literally ¡°northern crown¡±), a small constetion in the northern hemisphere. to Vanaheim on your behalf, so it¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°...You don¡¯t miss a thing.¡±

    Borealis of the Crown was a Level 1000 grappler who was one of Ruphas¡¯ subordinates. There was an anecdote that he was originally the ruler of thergest humanoid empire before theing of Ruphas. He fell in love with her after losing to her in a duel. When Ruphas founded her own nation, he quickly became her subordinate.

    His height was two hundred twenty (centimeters). He was a nice middle-aged man who wore only a cloak over his otherwise naked upper body, making hime across as a pervert. It had been said that if it was restricted to close quartersbat, even Ruphas would struggle against him. To put it simply, he was far better than Parthenos when it came to singlebat.

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is. You¡¯lle with us until we meet up again with Ruphas-sama.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, fine. It¡¯s been a long time since I used my power for Ruphas-sama.¡±

    ¡°Yes, then I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡±

    ??

    ¡°Oh, the Tyrannical Twelve Stars?¡±

    ¡°Formerly. Now, the position has been given to my granddaughter. Currently, I¡¯m just Parthenos.¡±

    Parthenosughed fearlessly and activated her skill. It was the high-tier priest skill, Double Star. This skill could only be learnt by a Level 100 priest.

    Then, Quadruple StarThe skill name was given literally as Fourth Star (¥Õ¥©©`¥¹?¥¹¥¿©`)...which seems to suggest that the author doesn¡¯t know the difference between ordinal numerals (second, fourth, etc.) and multiples (double, quadruple, etc.). Since this is a greater version of Double Star, we will be naming it Quadruple Star instead. was activated. This skill required the user to be a Level 200 priest who had already learnt Double Star. It could only be used after activating Double Star. Although this skill created some openings, its effect was tremendous.

    Its effect allowed the quadruple use of mid-tier divine magic for a certain period of time.

    Parthenos moved her fingers and four pentagram magic circles appeared before her, buffing everyone present.

    The Sun-attribute divine magic, Photon Weapon, increased the attack power of allies.

    The Sun-attribute divine magic, Ray Block, increased the physical defense of allies.

    The Sun-attribute divine magic, Ray Barrier, increased the magical defense of allies.

    The Sun-attribute divine magic, Photon Field, created an area which would absorb damage dealt to allies.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not done yet. Don¡¯t regret not stopping me from buffingter, okay?¡±

    As she said that, she activated the skill again. Seeing this, Sol¡¯s expression changed and he immediately moved to attack. However, he was toote. Hiscency made him too slow to react for a move. That extra move was enough for Parthenos to buff another four times.

    The Sun-attribute divine magic, Regenerate, automatically recovered HP for a certain period of time.

    The Sun-attribute divine magic, Mana Regenerate, automatically recovered SP for a certain period of time.

    The Sun-attribute divine magic, Speed of Light, increased the speed of allies by several times.

    The Sun-attribute divine magic, Aura Burst, increased all statuses of allies. It could be used together with other support skills.

    Sol attempted to interrupt Parthenos, but Terra¡¯s de blocked him from the front. Normally, Sol would win, but their powers were currentlyparable. This was possible only with the support of Parthenos.

    And there was yet another move. Once again, Parthenos had the time to activate her skill.

    ¡°Hey, hey. There¡¯s more? Hurry, hurry!¡±

    The Sun-attribute divine magic, Auto-Resurrection, would automatically revive allies once when their HP reached zero.

    The Sun-attribute divine magic, Element Reflector, halved the damage of a specific attribute for a certain period of time.

    The Sun-attribute divine magic, Aura Feather, granted allies the ability to fly using wings of light.

    The Sun-attribute divine magic, Ray Force, increased the magic damage dealt by allies.

    ¡°Impossible...So fast!?¡±

    While dealing with Terra, Sol was astonished at the speed of Parthenos¡¯ skills.

    Certainly, it wasn¡¯t impossible for a high-level caster to use four skills at the same time. However, there would be a slight timeg between each skill activation, and the time required to activate four skills would normally be a few minutes...Even if they were of the same ss as the Seven Heroes, it would still take a few seconds.

    It was impossible to activate everything instantly without anyg.

    Quadruple Star was by no means an invincible skill. The more the skill was used, the longer it would take to activate, causing one to lose the initiative. There was also the problem of not being able to use the appropriate skill for an important situation.

    Therefore, it was a priest¡¯smon sense to not rely on such a skill and activate the skills normally in order to quickly prioritize the important skills.

    This is weird. This woman...has been mixing in some high-tier skills from the start!

    But it was precisely because she was Parthenos that she could make this possible.

    With the exception of Leon, all the other Tyrannical Twelve Stars had their own unique, cheat-like skills. Parthenos was no exception.

    Her unique skill, ZavijavaZavijava (¥¶¥ô¥£¥ä¥ô¥¡), also called Beta Virginis, is the fifth-brightest star in the constetion of Virgo., was by no means shy whenpared to those of the other Twelve Stars. At least, it wasn¡¯t a big skill with a visible impact. However, that didn¡¯t mean that it was weak. When Ruphas was in the game, she had sincerely thought, ¡°Isn¡¯t this broken?¡±

    Its effect was to lift the restriction on high-tier divine magic.

    There were many skills which had a restriction on the tier of skills which could be incorporated. This particr skill ignored all these restrictions and allowed the incorporation of high-tier and even highest-tier skills.

    It looked in at first nce, but it was a ridiculously overpowered skill.

    This was because priests and sorcerers had skills that decreased SP consumption for arcane magic below a certain tier and reduced cooldown time to zero for divine magic below a certain tier. (However, this normally applied only to low-tier skills, so the main use of Quadruple Star was to fire the lowest-tier skills rapidly andpensate with numbers.)

    But Parthenos ignored this. Meta-skills, which could only be applied to low-tier skills, could be applied by her to high-tier skills. And this was the result¡ªa nightmare in which high-tier skills could be used rapidly with no dy!

    Certainly, Parthenos was among the weaker members of the Twelve Stars in terms of purebat power. There was no argument about it.

    Ruphas had confirmed her weakness and said, ¡°Her support is awesome, but herbat power is terrible.¡± But she had also said, ¡°It¡¯d be more than enough to just let her use her skills from the rear.¡±

    Such a support specialist could overturn the difference inbat power just with her very presence. This was the power of the previous Maiden.

    After being grazed by Terra¡¯s de, Sol broke through the frontline and threw a punch at the most dangerous woman present.

    But he was careless. Certainly, Parthenos was among the weakest of the Twelve Stars, but she was not as weak as Pollux whosebat power was a mismatch with her level.

    At least, she still had the power of a Level 800...If all the buffs were taken into consideration, her arm strength wasparable to the strike of a vanguard.

    ¡°Idiot.¡±

    ¡°!¡±

    Parthenos used a log to block Sol¡¯s punch, narrowed her eyes, andughed. She then started spinning with her right foot without giving her opponent time to recover.

    Using centrifugal force, she smashed the log into Sol¡¯s face.

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Pollux: ¡°You can use four skills in one turn? Stop this overpowered effect right now!¡±

    Aquarius: ¡°What a cheat!¡±

    Libra: ¡°If this was a game, it¡¯d be banned in the tournament.¡±

    Taurus: ¡°What a foul ability...¡±

    Ruphas: ¡°So broken.¡±

    B: ¡°Is it still waiting for a patch?¡±

    Chaos Emperor Dragon (»ìãçµÛýˆ) and (é_êV¤È½KÑÉ¤ÎÖ§ÅäÕß) are cards from Yu-Gi-Oh! Series. None of us have a clue who or what Pet Shop (¥Ú¥Ã¥È¥·¥ç¥Ã¥×) is supposed to be...: ¡°Isn¡¯t it good that its effect is strong?¡±

    Chaos End Ruler: ¡°Right. Bnce is important.¡±

    Pet Shop: ¡°I didn¡¯t notice that the bnce was broken during the test y.¡±

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    This chapter¡¯s title contains reference to several Pok¨¦mon skills¡ª (¥³¥¹¥â¥Ñ¥ï©`), (¤Æ¤Ã¤Ú¤­), and (¤ï¤ë¤À¤¯¤ß). Also, I think the Japanese always confuse "status" with "stats" (short for statistics)...

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 145

    Author: Fire Head (Ñ×î^)

    Trantor: Hand of Va

    Editor: TpstT

    ??

    The Branch of the Wood Ouroboros. As its name implied, it was the smallest branch that was cut from the Wood Ouroboros, appropriately sized for humans to hold.

    Basically, it was just a tree branch. It was something that hadn¡¯t been properly processed, so it was not something that could be called a weapon. However, since it was part of the Wood Ouroboros, it functioned as a powerful equipment, such that just swinging it around was enough to make legendary weapons cry and lose confidence in themselves.

    Parthenos was one of the few people who loved and used it. Artificial processing was considered heretical. She believed that using it in its natural form was the best.

    Even though it was just a branch, it was still a part of the Wood Ouroboros. If the part which was buried beneath the ground was included, its length was thought to be able to cover onep around Midgard itself. It was the tallest tree and one of thergest living things. It was a tree of a ridiculous size, reaching more than fifty thousand kilometers.

    Even the tip of its thinnest branch was longer and thicker than the tallest building on Earth. A tiny piece was cut from this branch to be Parthenos¡¯ log. The raw material used to build the ship, Argo, also came from this.

    Of course, cutting the branch off didn¡¯t wake the ouroboros. In human terms, it was like having the tip of a strain of hair being cut off.

    ¡°Take this!¡±

    Parthenos swung a log that was bigger than herself, sending Sol flying. She flew to pursue him further, holding out her palms to fire a barrage of light magic. The sky was instantly lit up and Sol was engulfed by a chain explosion.

    However, the opponent was the avatar of the Heavenly Ouroboros. He wasn¡¯t dividing his abilities up like Castor and Pollux and he wasn¡¯t asleep. Although he didn¡¯t have a cheat-like special ability as Pollux did, all of his special abilities had been manifested as hisbat strength, resulting in tremendous speed and power.

    As Sol calmly flew out of the smoking explosion, Terra flipped his mantle and shed at him. Sol¡¯s knife-hand strike and Terra¡¯s sword collided in mid-air, creating sparks.

    ¡°Demonic sh!¡±

    Terra¡¯s de shone blue and the umted mana along the de shed out. The sword master¡¯s skill, Demonic sh, was one of the few long-ranged attacks avable to sword users.

    The attack struck Sol¡¯s arm and blood gushed out. However, Sol continued to exert his strength in his arm without losing his smile. The wound on his arm closed instantly and he threw punches at Terra as if nothing had happened.

    ¡°!¡±

    After blowing Terra away, Sol descended in pursuit. However, Terra made a turn in mid-air andnded on the ground. In the next moment, he had already moved behind Sol, who reacted quickly and turned around to fight.

    In Virgo¡¯s eyes, they seemed to have attacked each other only once, but they had actually attacked and defended against each other at a speed that was too fast for the eye to follow. They had traded more than a hundred shes and punches. The sounds were heardter, creating a storm around them.

    This was a battle between the strong at a level that Virgo could not reach, but there were five people present who could step into this battlefield¡ªCastor of the Tyrannical Twelve Stars, the Three Winged Knights who had recovered, and Parthenos who had been fighting like a vanguard.

    Castor jumped and swung his anchor down, causing damage that exceeded Sol¡¯s defense. When Sol fell to the ground, Parthenos, who had been waiting, bashed him with her log. Then, the Three Winged Knights shed at him with their swords, but Sol quickly vanished and evaded the attacks.

    ¡°Wh¡ªWhat¡¯s going on? I can¡¯t tell at all...Ah, Terra-san is shing...Eh? He¡¯s already over there?¡±

    ¡°You can see Terra? That¡¯s amazing. I can only see shadows flying around at an incredible speed.¡±

    Virgo moved her eyes desperately to follow the high-speed battle, but she could only follow the afterimages despite her best efforts. However, being able to keep up with the afterimages was already a big deal.

    At least, Pollux wasn¡¯t able to do so. This was one of the reasons why Pollux couldn¡¯tmand the heroic spirits the way Castor could. Her thought processes and motion perception simply weren¡¯t able to keep up with the speed of battle.

    I can¡¯t give any directions because I can¡¯t even figure out what is going on.

    This was the sad reality that resulted from the extreme specialization of her special abilities. The roaring sounds of battle reverberated as if they were trying to drown out Pollux¡¯s self-ridicule.

    The six of them improvised a team battle with Terra at its core. The battle with Sol, who was fighting on par with them all by himself, was bing more intense. Terra activated Quick Raid skill and attacked with a storm of blue sword strikes.

    However, Sol wasn¡¯t losing. He evaded the wild lightning-fast strikes, twisted his arm, and unleashed a tornado-like series of punches. It was a direct hit that prated¡ªThis misperceptionsted only an instant. In the next moment, Terra¡¯s afterimage vanished and Sol¡¯s shoulder was sliced apart.

    This was Phantom Sword, which attacked and left behind afterimages thatsted for a certain period of time. This was another sword master skill.

    If Ruphas was here, she would have criticized, ¡°It¡¯s a strong skill against other yers, but it¡¯s a suicidal skill when it¡¯s used against theputer since thetter won¡¯t be confused at all. Would anyone really use this? The administrators should at least provide an attack adjustment.¡±

    ¡°Storm Harpoon!¡±

    Castor swung his anchor down, creating a wind de. Itnded a direct hit on Sol¡¯s head, but it only resulted in a slight bleeding. However, the Three Winged Knights shed at him while Sol lost his posture, resulting in an intense series of attacks and defenses.

    Even when facing the three swords which operated as one, Sol wasn¡¯t losing ground.

    Sword versus barehanded attacks. Three versus one. Normally, the former should be considered more advantageous. But the result was an evenly matched battle. They had been unable to deal a fatal blow to Sol.

    No, they weren¡¯t evenly matched. Little by little, the Three Winged Knights were being pushed back.

    Parthenos¡¯ support was certainly working. It had overturned the situation instead of merelypensating for the difference in power. But now, the difference was back again. The reason was...Sol himself had been using divine magic.

    This is bad! This guy is buffing himself as he fights! He¡¯s the same type as Ruphas-sama, huh?

    Solughed as if he was responding to Parthenos¡¯ inner anxiety. If one¡¯s opponent was bing stronger by using divine magic, then one should just do the same. Sol couldn¡¯t match Parthenos¡¯ speed of activating skills, but he could still activate them one by one while he fought.

    Each time he did this, the difference inbat power narrowed and was soon returning to how it was originally. If that were to happen, it would be overwhelmingly disadvantageous! The most effective way to deal with this situation was to disable or cancel the divine magic. However, this was the specialty of Moon attribute.

    The Sun attribute was rich in support skills, but it barely had any dispel skills. Pollux could summon a heroic spirit with that attribute, but if she unsealed her skills now, the Goddess might seize the opportunity to possess her.

    Taurus¡¯ Aldebaran skill and Ruphas¡¯ weapon Lifthrasir would also be effective, but neither of them were here. But support came from an unexpected person.

    ¡°Luna Dispel!¡±

    The ck glow of Moon-attribute arcane magic surged forth and canceled one of Sol¡¯s divine magic. It came from Luna, who was pointing her fingers to the sky. The difference in power did not matter when it involved dispelling. As long as it hit, the effect would be cancelled.

    This probably happened because Luna wasn¡¯t even considered to be abatant in Sol¡¯s eyes. As a result, Sol was struck by Luna¡¯s unexpected attack and lost a buff. However, it was just one skill. Sol easily evaded Luna¡¯s subsequent skills andnded in front of her in an instant.

    Without saying anything, he swung a knife-hand strike, but it was intercepted by Parthenos. However, Sol¡¯s aim was Parthenos from the start. He changed the trajectory of his knife-hand strike the moment the prey jumped in on her own.

    ¡°¡ª¡ª!¡±

    The log and the hand missed each other. An arm flew off into the sky.

    At the same time, the log smashed into Sol¡¯s face, blowing him away. But soon after, Parthenos lost her bnce and fell to her knees. Her body was missing her right arm. As the severed arm vanished into faint light particles, Virgo¡¯s face turned pale.

    ¡°Granny!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic. This body is just an illusion...I¡¯m already dead. There¡¯s no need for concern about losing an arm from my temporary body.¡±

    Despite speaking so strongly, Parthenos calmly analyzed her own disadvantages. If the battle continued like this, the situation would be difficult for her side. There was a difference in the speed of support, but as the battle continued, it would eventually catch up...and even overturned the situation.

    If Luna¡¯s dispelling could sessfully hit, they could have continued, but it would be difficult considering the level difference. In the first ce, it probably wouldn¡¯t hit from now on.

    As a result of her own carelessness, the loss of her arm really hurt. The arms were the outlets for arcane magic and divine magic. The loss of one arm was equivalent to a gunner¡¯s gun muzzle being crushed.

    Pollux was already staring at the sky with a determined look.

    They could take a risk...If she got Castor to remove her ring, she could unseal the skill and then overwhelm Sol with numbers using Argonautai. Certainly, if it worked, Sol would be eliminated. But if the Goddess possessed her in that instant, it would be over.

    ...Is this it, then?

    Level 800 versus Level 1000. The difference was toorge. Even though she was already dead, she was still a member of the Tyrannical Twelve Stars which were captured by Ruphas. Even if she became an Argonaut, the restriction was still in ce, limiting her to Level 800.

    This weakness was not something limited to just her, but also shared by Phoenix and Hydrus. In that case, what they needed was a rearguard who hadn¡¯t been captured by Ruphas, a Level 1000 star that would be the Maiden of the next generation. The time hade for the passing of the torch to the next generation as she should have done before she died.

    ¡°Virgo,e to me.¡±

    If it was like this, she would lose her ability to fight. Even though she was an Argonaut, she couldn¡¯t do anything. Even Aeneas was like this, so there was no reason for her not to follow suit.

    But there was no need to worry. Her granddaughter was different from her and was born with innate talent. Her granddaughter was unlike her who knew nothing before she met Ruphas.

    She must have gained some insights after seeing the world. Then, I can just entrust it to her. My beloved adopted granddaughter, officially take on the name of the Twelve Stars.

    The Guardian of the Sanctuary passed down the power only to one individual for each generation. When the role was passed on to the next generation, all levels and skills were transferred as well.

    To be precise, it was more like transferring all the skills rted to being the Guardian of the Sanctuary. Therefore, she would only retain the skills that she had acquired before taking on the role and after passing on the role. This was a safety feature to prevent bing too strong with repeated inheritance.

    However, this was proof that all the guardians of the past were not exceptional individuals without the power they had inherited along with the role. It was the Guardian of the Sanctuary who was truly strong. Aeneas and Parthenos themselves weren¡¯t particrly strong.

    It could be likened to an equipment. The role of the Guardian of the Sanctuary itself was a kind of power. Passing the role on would mean Parthenos would lose herbat power. But she thought that it would be fine.

    The role given by the Goddess was no longer needed. And surely, this would be thest inheritance in history. If her master were to destroy the Goddess¡¯ scenario, the sanctuary would no longer need guardians to protect it.

    Parthenos gathered her power at her fingertip and focused everything she could on it. Then, she released all the power into the chest of Virgo, who still couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. The emitted light was absorbed into Virgo¡¯s chest and her body began to glow.

    ¡°Eh? Wai¡ªeh? Granny, what¡¯s this!?¡±

    ¡°I just entrusted the power of the guardian to you. Don¡¯t make a scene.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡ª!?¡±

    Thispleted the inheritance. It was just a one-sided transference without the other party¡¯s consent, but that was how it was. It was regrettable that there wasn¡¯t time to exin.

    Originally, when passing on the role, it was necessary to exin how to use the power and what was the guardian¡¯s mission. However, since Ruphas¡¯ faction was ditching the guardian¡¯s mission in the first ce, there was nothing to talk about.

    Besides, she now thought that guardian¡¯s mission was pointless anyway, so there was no need to leave it to her grandchild. She passed on only the power to resist absurdity and entrusted her with the freedom to make her own future. She even gave her grandchild the skills and experience she gained afterwards. It was up to Virgo how the power was to be used.

    ¡°I¡¯ve entrusted all my power to you. You can do whatever you want with it.¡±

    ¡°Do...whatever I want...?¡±

    ¡°Ah, mybat experience, power, skills, arcane magic, divine magic¡ªthey are all with you now. And you can inherit this log too!¡±

    ¡°This...Sorry, I don¡¯t need it.¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s heavy and hard to hold. Besides, I already have the sword given by Ruphas-sama...Anyway, I don¡¯t think an unprocessed log is really a weapon...¡±

    And so Parthenos passed everything on to her granddaughter.

    But it seemed only the log was not received.

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Comments: ¡°The Goddess is so unpopr. LOL¡±

    Goddess: ( ¥Î§¥`)

    After ¡°A Wild Last Boss¡± is over, let¡¯s do a spinoff with Alovenus as the protagonist and call it ¡°The Useless Goddess Wants To Be Popr And Charismatic¡±.

    You refuse the log...!? Take the log, damn it! Haha.

    Q: She¡¯s so strong, yet she left the battlefield so soon...

    A: It¡¯s precisely because it¡¯s a guest participation that meant to leave soon. That¡¯s why she had such a ridiculous performance. If it¡¯s always like this, I¡¯ll be troubled as the author. If she forms a team with Ruphas and B, the Demon King will die. For now, she¡¯ll be Virgo¡¯s exclusive coach.

    Fugo (¥Õ©`¥´) and (ÖØ¤Á©`) are characters from JoJo¡¯s Bizarre Adventure series. (¥Î¥ô) is a character from Hunter ¡Á Hunter series. (¥­¥ã¥ó¥Á¥ç¥á) is a character from Zatch Bell! series.: ¡°Isn¡¯t that fellow the one who was ridiculously powerful and was removed from the scene by the author?¡±

    Shigechi: ¡°Simply staying in the story would be super disadvantageous to the antagonist, so of course it would be removed from the scene.¡±

    Knov: ¡°It¡¯s really stupid to be removed from the scene for such a stupid reason despite having a powerful ability.¡±

    Kanchom¨¦: ¡°If it¡¯s removed from the scene because it¡¯s too troubling for the author, then it shouldn¡¯t have made it such a cheat to begin with.¡±

    Yu-Gi-Oh! Banned Cards: ¡°Being banned right after making my debut makes me question the meaning of my existence.¡±

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    This chapter¡¯s title contains reference to a Pok¨¦mon skill¡ª (¤¯¤í¤¤¤­¤ê, literally ¡°ck mist¡±).

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 146

    Author: Fire Head (Ñ×î^)

    Trantor: Hand of Va

    Editors: TpstT, Keii

    ??

    It was a strange feeling. She didn¡¯t feel like she had changed in any dramatic way. It didn¡¯t make her feel more exhrated. She even thought that nothing had really changed.

    But...she could see them. Until now, her eyes had been having difficulty following Terra¡¯s movements as well as Castor¡¯s battle. The Three Winged Knights were now clearly visible as they were beaten down and moved to reposition themselves in mid-air. Furthermore, Sol, who had flown through the frontline to attack and stop Parthenos, was nowpletely in her field of vision.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you!¡±

    She pped her wings and came in between them, blocking Sol¡¯s fist with La Pucelle. She felt a strong impact, but it didn¡¯t feel as strong as she had expected. She should have been unable to stop the blow and been easily blown away instead. That was what she thought, but despite being pushed back, she had sessfully stopped Sol¡¯s fist.

    ¡°Wh¡ªWhat?¡±

    There was a look of astonishment on Sol¡¯s face, and the unexpected result caused him to ease his exertion. At that moment, Terra flew in from the side and sliced off Sol¡¯s forearm with his sword. However, Sol immediately regenerated the wound and counterattacked Terra.

    A wall of light appeared between them and his fist bounced off it. Sol wasn¡¯t the only one surprised at this scene. Terra was shocked as well. Even if someone was at Level 1000 andunched a surprise attack, it wouldn¡¯t be easy topletely block Sol¡¯s attack. At least, it would be impossible for an ordinary Level 1000 character.

    If anyone could perform such a feat, it would be someone like Ruphas, Megrez, or Merak, who had stepped beyond the realm of Level 1000. In other words, it was the realm of those who were dissatisfied with Level 1000 and strengthened themselves beyond their limits. There was no reason for Virgo, who had just inherited her power, to be at that level. Even Parthenos, who had given her the power, wasn¡¯t in that realm, so why was this happening?

    ¡°Yah¡ª!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s...with this person!?¡±

    It would be a bit inappropriate to call it a flying leap.

    As if she had unleashed her potential which had been suppressed until now, Virgo pursued Sol with her sword. Even so, Sol was still stronger, especially when it came to meleebat.

    Virgo had certainly be stronger, but she stillckedbat experience. Even if her level had exceeded that of her predecessor, her expertise was still different. She couldn¡¯t use skills continuously at the cheat-like speed that Parthenos could. She also couldn¡¯t instantly select the optimal skills to use like Parthenos could. But Terra was here, as well as Castor and the Three Winged Knights.

    There was a mysterious awakening that apanied Virgo¡¯s inheritance of power. In addition, there was also a difference in numbers. Even for Sol, this wasn¡¯t easy to deal with, but he stillughed fearlessly.

    This...This is the battle I wanted. A worthy struggle is what I desired.

    The odds were now fifty-fifty. It was finally even at this point. Sol¡¯s power was so great that it was reminiscent of Ruphas. Terra looked grim as he realized this fact. Meanwhile, Sol wasughing happily. Sol¡¯s knife-hand strike collided with Terra¡¯s de, creating sparks. Both of them then vanished at the same time.

    ¡ªAbove!

    When Luna shifted her line of sight, Sol and Terra had already crossed their fist and sword, vanishing immediately after. When she thought they would appear on the left, they had already shown up on the right. Trees fell from the resulting shockwaves. When the dust rose up for a moment, she thought Terra hadnded, but it was Sol who had crashed into the rocks.

    Luna could only catch up with the afterimages left behind after the fight, but Virgo could just barely follow the actual fight. Naturally, the Three Winged Knights and Castor could as well.

    ¡°Demonic sh!¡±

    Terra unleashed the advanced skill Demonic sh and a blue sword pressure flew towards Sol. Facing an attack that could cut apart a mountain, Sol clenched his fist.

    ¡°!¡±

    The grappler skill Smash was a simple but powerful skill that would always deal a critical hit. His fist was slightly torn by the sword pressure, but the fist pressure had canceled out the blue sh. In that instant, Terra gripped his sword with both hands and swung it down from above with all his might.

    As the name might imply, Meteor Rush was among the most powerful sword master skills and could only be used once every twenty-four hours. It released an intimidating feeling as if it was a meteor destroying everything on the ground.

    At the same time, Sol clenched his fist and swung upwards towards the sky. This was Buster Impact, a skill which could also only be used once every twenty-four hours. It had a simr effect. It was basically a grappler¡¯s version of Meteor Rush.

    Skills that had reached the maximum limit in terms of damage were not so useful at high levels. Instead, continuous damage was generally preferred to single burst damage, even if the former was less powerful. Nevertheless, these skills were powerful enough that even a Level 100 character who had mastered them could deal damage that was five digits. Their destructive power was immeasurable.

    Explosions resounded as the shockwaves spread across the continent, centering on Alfheim. The sudden shockwaves caused tragedies as old buildings in nearby viges copsed. Even the people who were further away were blown away by the winds.

    The two of them in the center of the vortex were blown away at the same time. Sol rebounded off the ground and rolled at the same time beforending. Terra, who was also blown away, thrusted his sword into the ground and managed to stop his body after shing a straight line on the ground.

    ¡°Not bad, son of the Moon Ouroboros. I didn¡¯t think this would be so much fun. Does your power stem from your anger towards me for deceiving you?¡±

    ¡°No. I was deceived because of my immaturity. I¡¯m ashamed of my ipetence. I don¡¯t hate you for it.¡±

    The distance between them widened and they returned to staring at each other. Sol adjusted his breathing as he spoke and Terra answered honestly. However, they remained wary of each other and left no openings.

    ¡°I fight to protect my people. I use my sword to protect their future.¡±

    ¡°I see. That¡¯s the model answer of a knight. But have you forgotten the true nature of the people whom you¡¯re trying to protect? It¡¯s all a dream...They¡¯re simply arcane magic of the Goddess, dolls in the shape of humanoids. Is there any value in their future? Don¡¯t you think that disappearing ording to the roles they were given would be better for the world?¡±

    Sol sneered as he questioned Terra¡¯s justice and his reason to fight, trying to cause him to waver. However, Terra did not waver. His sword was not swayed by his words in any way.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, but we demons canugh like humanoids. We can cry like them too. We can share our joy and love with others. Just because we were created by magic doesn¡¯t mean we can simply be unterally erased.¡±

    ¡°But you people are the invaders of the humanoids. Did you forget the sins you havemitted in the past?¡±

    ¡°I remember and I will never forget. I killed many people in order to protect my people. Certainly, I¡¯m a sinner from the humanoids¡¯ perspective. But are the demons who never went to the battlefield sinners too? Are those who were forced to dirty their hands in order to survive evil? ¡ªIf that¡¯s what you hoped for, do those people who were forced to do so also have to be judged?¡±

    As he spoke, Terra recalled all those people whom he had killed. The past, in which he had cut down and killed the brave humanoid warriors who had challenged him, could never be erased. No matter how he tried to justify it, he had cut down the humanoids as enemies in order to protect his own people. It couldn¡¯t be excused just because it was a war. Certainly, he was a sinner who had willingly stepped onto the battlefield and willingly killed others. Therefore, if that was to be called a sin, he would freely admit his own sin.

    If...If they could find a way to reincarnate the demons, they couldugh together with the humanoids of the world...If such a future came to pass...At that time, he would ask the people to judge him...At that time, he would bear all of the infamy as thest of the ursed demons and stand on the execution grounds.

    He had been ready for this ever since he had first held a sword in his hand. Since the very first time he had killed someone, he had believed that he would die miserably someday. But that was all for the sake of paving the way for tomorrow. Even if he wouldn¡¯t be part of that future¡ªas long as she was still alive, it would be enough.

    ¡°Then I will sever that ursed fate with my sword! We¡¯ll be thest of the demons to walk this ursed path! For the sake of living together without killing each other, for the future of my people...I¡¯ll fight!¡±

    His sword wasn¡¯t clouded by doubt. There was no hesitation in his eyes. His armor reflected the sunlight that was shining from the sky, while his cloak was pping as if to present the image of a noble swordsman.

    Thisplicated the feelings of the Twelve Stars, who had been previously hostile to him. No, they were in fact still hostile. They couldn¡¯t consider what Terra had said to be a convenient excuse of an invader. After all, Ruphas, the master of the Twelve Stars, was the same as him.

    She had also killed her enemies for the sake of peace. She had ruthlessly erased them. If all of her enemies were killed down to thest person, peace would finallye. She was running barefoot on a thorny path, dyeing it red with her own blood.

    Oh, how ironic. The people who were seeking peace were killing each other. That¡¯s why they should have been pleased. However, it justplicated their feelings.

    ¡°...Hey, elder brother. Could that child be the next hero or something?¡±

    ¡°No, the hero is somebody else. Sei, the one who came from the world called ¡®Japan¡¯Castor mistakenly thought that Japan is the name of the world itself, and not simply a country., is the current hero.¡±

    ¡°Would that be the unreliable kid who¡¯s bringing along a tiger, a cat, and a gori beastkin?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s that unreliable youth who¡¯s bringing along a tiger, a cat, and a gori beastkin.¡±

    ¡°...He¡¯s the hero?¡±

    ¡°Apparently.¡±

    What exactly is the hero...

    While the twilight fairy siblings were talking, the battle between Sol and Terra had intensified before them. They seemed to be evenly matched. But with the difference in numbers, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if the bnce was lost at any moment.

    Sol was enjoying the struggle with a joyful expression. However...the person behind Sol didn¡¯t enjoy it as much as he did. She decided to ensure victory by helping Sol.

    ¡ªA third party who couldn¡¯t read the mood had intervened.

    ¡°This is...not good!¡±

    Holy power emanated from Sol¡¯s body, increasing the pressure exerted by his presence. There was no doubt that the Goddess had interfered. Sensing this, both Castor and Sol shouted at the same time.

    Bad. This is really bad!

    Castor merely felt threatened by Sol¡¯s increasing power. It was Sol himself who had a greater sense of danger than anyone else.

    This was a move that shouldn¡¯t have been made!

    ¡°Goddess, stop! This...¡±

    ¡°¡ªToote. She¡¯s too hasty to end the fight, huh?¡±

    In contrast to Sol¡¯s anxiety, Pollux spoke softly. At the same time, Parthenos removed the sealing ring from Pollux¡¯s finger. The Goddess¡¯ assistance was really great, but that also meant that her consciousness had moved over to Sol. In other words, she was revealing that she could no longer possess Pollux for now, which was what they had been worried about...It was a really stupid move.

    ¡°Gather, my beloved children...Come, Return of the Heroic Spirits (Argonautai)!¡±

    A pir of light rose from Pollux¡¯s body and prated the sky. The sky tore apart and light shone down. And the heroes who had died began to descend from between the clouds. In response to the call of the Fairy Princess, they prepared their weapons one after another.

    Victory had been decided. If the fairy siblings summoned all of the heroes at the same time, there were only a few in Midgard who could prevail against them.

    Sol clicked his tongue as he realized that his fun time was over. Even if he stayed here, only death would result.

    ¡°Looks like this is as far as I go. If all of the ancient heroes are gathered like this, even I won¡¯t be able to win. ...Well, whatever. In that case, I¡¯ll just deal with the heroes of the current generation first. Besides, the objective has already been met.¡±

    Sol left behind a disturbing statement and turned to leave the location. Castor quickly directed some heroes to pursue him, but it would be difficult for them to catch up if Sol made a serious attempt to escape. After witnessing his perfect escape, Pollux clicked her tongue and raised her opinion of him in her heart.

    He wasn¡¯t just strong. He had good judgment too. That was a rather annoying opponent.

    ¡°Once he saw that he couldn¡¯t win, he quickly withdrew before the exits were blocked, huh? ...He¡¯s rather difficult, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. A discerning opponent is the most troubling. A bothersome person has appeared.¡±

    Pollux and Parthenos frankly acknowledged how bothersome Sol was andmended him for it. Their victory this time was due to the Goddess who had left an opening in her desperation to win. Otherwise, there would have surely been casualties regardless of whether they attained victory or defeat.

    Even so, Sol¡¯sst words were rather troubling...Was it a bluff?

    The ouroboros showed no sign of movement. It seemed to still be asleep.

    Furthermore, the current heroes he mentioned should be referring to the Seven Heroes, but that was probably a trap. The goal was likely to disperse their forces while they rushed to protect the Seven Heroes.

    Pollux didn¡¯t notice.

    The Earth Ouroboros, who slept underground, opened its eyelids once...and closed them immediately.

    ?

    The ocean. It was the mother who brought forth life and also a world of mysteries. There were civilizations in the ocean which were different from those of the humanoids onnd.

    The merfolk, also called the fishfolk, were sea dwellers with high intelligence andbat power. The females had upper bodies resembling humans and the lower bodies of a fish. The males had the opposite appearance and were ssified as demihumans in the current world.

    Furthermore, the merfolk were broadly divided into two types¡ªthose who wanted to be treated as humanoids by the people onnd and those who separated themselves from the people onnd in order to live in the paradise of the sea. The former were those who followed Leon, while thetter lived in Sk¨ªeenirSk¨ªeenir (¥¹¥­©`¥º¥Ö¥é¥º¥Ë¥ë; Old Norse, ¡°assembled from thin pieces of wood¡±) is the finest ship in Norse mythology. It was owned by Freyr and could be folded like a cloth and ced within one¡¯s pocket., the kingdom of the sea.

    In this underwater kingdom, beautiful mermaids swam in crystal-clear waters, while mermen with harpoons went out to hunt.

    About half of the buildings were towers. The windows were mostly open and merfolk entered and exited through them. Although they were towers, they had no stairs. The merfolk could freely move up, down, left, and right, so it was enough to simply have holes connecting spaces. They were built on the assumption that three-dimensional movement was possible. It couldn¡¯t be done by humans onnd.

    Instead of using vehicles for transportation, the merfolk used orvarsAt thirty meters long, an orvar (¥ª¥ë¥ô¥¡©`¥ë) would be about the size of a blue whale. On the other hand, an orca (öU), also called killer whale, is only about five to eight meters long., a species of magical beasts which had mutated from orcas. Even the young could reach a length of ten meters. If it was a huge specimen, it could grow up to thirty meters. These magical beasts had very highbat power and intelligence, but they were also known for being friendly to people and easy to domesticate.

    In addition, there were also small creatures called dauphins that lived alongside the orvars.This species were originally dolphins which had been domesticated and living with the merfolk for many years. Eventually, they underwent dwarfism and became pets. Selective breeding had resulted in many different kinds of dauphins. On the other hand, abandoned dauphins, which had been thrown away by owners who were tired of raising them, had also be a social problem.

    In this city of the sea, there was a particrlyrge building. It was a huge pce constructed of pure gold and crystals, from which the king of the merfolk ruled over the city of the sea. Only beautiful mermaids worked in the pce. No merman worked there. Furthermore, all the mermaids had blond or vermilion hair, which were uniformly long.

    Deep within the pce, there was a room which glittered with the most tasteless fashion. Decorated with crystal essories and surrounded by beautiful mermaids, the only male within the pce sat on a throne which appeared to be arge shell at first nce.

    Unbelievably, he was the only male in this city of the sea who was unlike the other mermen, because he had apletely human body. Both his upper body and lower body werepletely human and covered in a fluttering hagoromoA hagoromo (ÓðÒÂ; literally ¡°feather dress¡±) is a colored or feathered kimono, usually worn by a heavenly maiden. In some legends, the heavenly maiden is unable to fly and return to heaven without it.-like costume. His blond hair waspletelybed back, while his sharp blue eyes hinted at his arrogant personality. He had a mole on his forehead, which could be considered an exquisite feature.

    He looked like he was in his early twenties. His slender, well-toned body was exposed as he was waited upon by the females. He was the king of the sea. In a sense, his dominance over the vast sea implied that he was the ruler of thergest territory in Midgard.

    Presently, a young mermaid, who was probably a messenger, came and bowed.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯d like to make a report. The descendants of those who went onnd have gone missing.¡±

    ¡°Ah, those idiots who decided to followLeon, eh? What a bunch of fools...They should have just lived under my protection. Why did they even want to be treated equally by those who are satisfied with the narrow world onnd? Why should anybody care what the lower life-forms think?¡±

    Without hiding his contempt, the king mocked them. In his eyes, the seven humanoid races were inferior species. No, not just the humanoids. Everything that lived in this world were lower life-forms to him. They were just a pale imitation of the Goddess.

    There were only two beings who were truly precious in this world. Needless to say, one was himself, the perfect being, the pinnacle of beauty, and the son of the Goddess. The other was a lovely woman who was born of a lower species but had surpassed it all to be one-of-a-kind in this world.

    At one rank below, the ouroboroses, the Fairy Princess, and the Demon King would barely qualify to be admitted. He looked at the messenger girl and stared at her limbs as if licking them without hiding his lust.

    ¡°What else?¡±

    ¡°Ye¡ªYes. A few people who imed to have business with Your Majesty are shouting outside the pce.¡±

    ¡°Business with me? Where did these rude peoplee from?¡±

    ¡°I¡ªI don¡¯t know. I have never seen them before. There is a feminine golem and an old human who wears a monocle...¡±

    ¡°...A feminine golem and an old human who wears a monocle?¡±

    Listening to the girl¡¯s report, two figures who didn¡¯t give him good impressions shed across the king¡¯s mind. One was a killer maid golem which, although she had a decent appearance, was ultimately nothing more than a beautiful object. The other was a crazy goat devil. He would never forget them. He didn¡¯t have a good impression of them because whenever they spoke to him, they always used that abominable name.

    ¡°I see. By the way, aren¡¯t you an unfamiliar face?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Suirat Tigas, an apprentice who has just started working here the other day. This time, I¡¯m acting on behalf of the messenger who is sick.¡±

    ¡°Hmm...¡±

    It wasn¡¯t unusual for him to not know about a neer. To put it bluntly, she was just someone at the bottom ranks. It would be too disrespectful to bother the king with reports about every single apprentice. One would be introduced only after they had finished their training and could properly serve by themselves.

    ...Still, there was actually a separate facility for training purposes, so only those who were deemed capable were allowed toe here. However, the king didn¡¯t pursue the matter further.

    Hmm...Her face looks a bit young, but her hair color is the same...

    The girl¡¯s hair was blond, bing vermilion at the tips. This was the same color as that woman whom he acknowledged as his equal and fell in love with. In fact, all the females who served in the pce had something inmon with her.

    There was nothing much to it. This man was simply making a harem of women who were simr to his unrequited love. For him, it was essential for the hair color to be a perfect match.

    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get rid of those shouting fools. You¡¯re Sira, is it? I have decided. Tonight, you will be my partner. Be honored.¡±

    The king grinned disgustingly at his unexpected partner for the night. The girl, who was specified, blushed and lowered her head.

    Such a fresh reaction. I have only been dealing with experienced women so far, but it might be fun to have an inexperienced virgin every once in a while.

    However, the king¡¯s despicable thoughts were blown away in the next moment.

    ¡ªThe entrance was blown away and the doornded a direct hit on him.

    ¡°I¡¯vee to intrude in a dynamic fashion! Is the perverted narcissist Eros at home?¡±

    ¡°ying King of the Hill in a pce full of women? He¡¯s still a man with bad taste.¡±

    While saying so, a steel maid golem came in along with an intellectual-looking old gentleman who was actually of the radical faction.

    The surrounding mermaids were stunned by their crude and disrespectful entrance. It was only natural. After all, he was the king. It was unheard of for him to be smacked with the door.

    ¡°It¡¯s not Eros! It¡¯s Pisces, you fools!¡±

    The king yelled at the two of them. The Tyrannical Twelve Stars, Pisces of the Fish¡ªreal name, Eros¡ªpushed aside the broken door and jumped up without hiding his annoyance.

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Terra: ¡°I fight to pave the way for tomorrow!¡±

    Sei: (What a heroic aura...)

    Who is the real hero...?

    The Goddess: ¡°£¨¡ä?¦Ø?`£© £¿¡±

    Sol: ¡°Useless...Useless trash...!¡±

    Dina: ¡°My true form really cannot make it...I need to do something soon...¡±

    Who is the real mastermind...?

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    This chapter¡¯s title (¤È¤¯¤»¤¤£º¤»¤¤¤®¤Î¤³¤³¤í, literally ¡°ability: heart of justice¡±) is a reference to a Pok¨¦mon named . This brings us to the end of Sol¡¯s arc and the start of Pisces¡¯ arc. The next chapter to be released will be Chapter 0 (Character Introduction). Chapter 147+ will resume after Chapter 0.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 147

    Author: Fire Head (Ñ×î^)

    Trantor: Hand of Va

    Editors: TpstT, Keii

    ??

    ¡°I just detected a reaction that¡¯s simr to Eros¡¯ mana. It looks like he¡¯s below here.¡±

    They had been flying through the sky on the Argo for some time, but Libra¡¯s words caused the ship to stop.

    Hearing this, Ruphas leaned out of the ship, but the vast sea extended as far as her eyes could see. She narrowed her eyes and concentrated to see if he was somewhere on the sparsely scattered inds, but she couldn¡¯t find anyone anywhere. Under normal conditions, Ruphas had a visual acuityVisual acuity is a measurement of one¡¯s rity of vision. A normal human vision has a visual acuity of 1.0 (6/6). A visual acuity of 12.0 (6/0.5) means she can discern the contours of an object at 6 meters while a normal human can do so only at 0.5 meter. of 12.0, allowing her to distinguish the silhouette of an insect less than one centimeter at a distance of twenty meters.

    If she were to use arcane power to create a lens of light in front of her eyes, she could see even further. Two lenses would be created. Mana would be used to create an object lensAn objective, also called object lens (ŒÎï¥ì¥ó¥º), is the optical element that gathers light from the object being observed and focuses the light rays to produce a real image. and an ocr lensAn eyepiece, also called ocr lens (½ÓÑÛ¥ì¥ó¥º), is a type of lens that is attached to a variety of optical devices such as telescopes and microscopes.. The perimeter would then be surrounded by mana to prevent light from escaping. By creating an improvised refracting telescope, it would be possible to see distant scenery. This was called Light Scope, a support-type arcane magic.

    The in-game effect was just a simple zoom-in. If this was done too close to a character, the yer would see through the polygons and see behind the character. The administrators should fix this.

    However, there was no human to be seen even after it was used.

    ¡°Is he under the sea?¡±

    ¡°Yes, most likely.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t surprising.

    As the name Pisces of the Fish implied, he was unlike the other Twelve Stars whose activities were mostly onnd. He was the type who could show his true worth only in the sea. Hisbat power was at its greatest in underwaterbat.

    Therefore, it was only natural to expect him to be under the sea, but this was also why it was really troublesome. After all, the sea was much wider and deeper thannd. In other words, the ce that they needed to search was muchrger than if it was onnd.

    Furthermore, none of Ruphas¡¯panions were particrly adept in moving around underwater. Naturally, this was also the case for Libra, Sagittarius, and Aigokeros, who were in charge of searching for Pisces this time. In other words, they needed to make some preparations before diving into the sea.

    ¡°How long can each of you hold your breath?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to breathe, so I can do so for any amount of time.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t tried, but it should be possible for a few hours.¡±

    ¡°My best record is forty-five minutes.¡±

    The three of them answered Ruphas¡¯ question and the difference between biological creatures and non-living creatures became apparent.

    As a non-living creature, Libra had no time limit. However, despite her appearance, she weighed three hundred kilograms, so she would definitely sink if she was thrown into the sea.

    Ruphas wasn¡¯t sure what exactly Aigokeros was, but he could probably be considered as a half-mana lifeform. He was halfway between a biological creature and a demon, but it didn¡¯t seem like he hadpletely lost the functions of a biological creature.

    Since Sagittarius was a centaur, apletely biological creature, his limit was less than an hour. Even though it was only forty-five minutes, it was already an amazing feat after taking his race into consideration. This was like a human who could hold his breath underwater for more than ten minutes.

    ¡°We need some countermeasures. Sagittarius, can you do it?¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me. Oxygen Suction!¡±

    The effect of Sagittarius¡¯ divine magic, Oxygen Suction, was simply the collection of oxygen. This increased the oxygen absorption capabilities of living creatures, allowing them to take in oxygen that was dissolved in water as if they were onnd. In short, it could simply be thought of as a skill that allowed one to breathe underwater.

    By the way, there was a penalty in the game if one were to enter underwater fields without using simr skills. HP would automatically decrease. However, Ruphas would simply charge without hesitation and force her way through, depending on her HP regeneration instead.

    One wouldn¡¯t need oxygen if it had overwhelming vitality. As such, Ruphas had probably surpassed the realm of biological creatures. However, there was no reason to do the same thing in this world.

    ¡°Next, Libra. If I make some optional parts for underwater movement, it should be manageable.¡±

    Ruphas said and then entered the cabin to work on it. Then, after a while, there was the sound of iron striking iron, the sound of something breaking, and the sound of explosions. It didn¡¯t really sound like the process of manufacturing something, but nobody present particrly cared about that. If the youth Sei was here, he would have made a straight-man retort, but unfortunately there was no one who would y that role here.

    Then, after waiting for a few minutes, Ruphas returned with something with several blue wings. It looked somewhat simr to Libra¡¯s support golem, Astraea. A closer look revealed four pairs of wings. In addition, two cannons extended from the waist when it was attached. However, it was missing the shoulder cannons of Astraea.

    ¡°It¡¯s done. This is a golem for underwater movement. Its name is...Astraea Type M. There¡¯s a small screw at the end of each wing, which can be moved to change direction. The waist cannons can fire harpoons, which would pierce an opponent and deliver vibration and ultrasonic attack to destroy the body from within. If you equip this, you would be able to move freely in the water without sinking.¡±

    Ruphas docked Astraea M onto Libra as she exined its functions. Libra tested it out immediately, firing an harpoon from the waist cannon. The fired harpoon was attached to a long wire, which extended to a far distance. Eventually, the harpoon fell into the sea and stabbed a shark-like magical beast which just happened to be there.

    This was a dangerous magical beast known as a deep blue, which liked to consume human flesh. When ultrasonic waves were emitted in the monster¡¯s body, the deep blue bled from its eyes and mouth before it stopped moving. With the harpoon piercing the corpse, the wire was wound back into the cannon and the shark corpse was hauled onto the Argo.

    ¡°This is a great piece of equipment. With this, I can definitely ughter Eros.¡±

    ¡°No, please bring him back normally instead of ughtering him.¡±

    While speaking, Libra¡¯s equipment was changed to prepare for underwaterbat. Her favorite machine gun was mostly useless underwater, so it was left on the Argo. Instead, it was reced by an underwater assault rifle made by Ruphas. Thus, she was now prepared for anything.

    ¡°And this is for Aigokeros.¡±

    After equipping Libra, Ruphas retrieved a weapon through a rift in space created by X-Gate. However, it was the wrong size.

    It was a huge death scythe that seemed to be emerging from the deck of the ship. It was obviously intended to be used while erged since it wasn¡¯t a size that people could normally use. The length of the handle already reached one hundred meters long. The de glowed ominously as if a single sh could reap an entire city.

    ¡°As you can see, it¡¯s intended to be used when you assume giant form. You can store the weapon away in your shadow when you¡¯re not using it.¡±

    Aigokeros could merge with the shadows. Not just for himself, he could also do the same for clothes and other items. This was something that Aries and the others couldn¡¯t do. Even if they were given weapons to be used when they were in their giant forms, they didn¡¯t have a ce to store the weapons.

    But Aigokeros alone could do this. That was why only he could use this weapon which required one to be in giant form. The huge size itself was its destructive power. In addition to STR +2,000 attack adjustment, it also had an instant death effect. Of course, most boss-ss monsters were immune to instant death attacks, but weaker opponents would most definitely die.

    ¡°Thank you very much. With this, I can definitely ughter Eros.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, don¡¯t ughter him. Just bring him back.¡±

    Ruphas handed the weapon to Aigokeros, who stored it in his shadow. The sight of handing over a hundred-meter-long weapon with one hand was rather unrealistic, but there was still nobody around to make a straight-man retort. After all, this was actually quite normal for them.

    Then, Sagittarius looked at Ruphas expectantly, but she didn¡¯t give him anything.

    ¡°You already have a weapon, right? I have nothing for you.¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    Indeed, Sagittarius already had a weapon made by Ruphas. Therefore, he was the only one who didn¡¯t get anything. Sagittarius drooped his shoulders and sat on the floor, hugging his knees. But this gloomy man, whose lower body was naked, ended up being kicked off the ship by Bnash. When he debuted, he was so serious. This was just terrible.

    ¡°Then, we¡¯re going.¡±

    ¡°Please wait for our good news.¡±

    Libra and Aigokeros jumped off the ship one after another, diving into the sea withrge sshes of water. It looked as easy as if they were diving into a pool, but the Argo was currently at an altitude of ten thousand metersFor fuel efficiency,mercial airlines usually fly at around 36,000 feet (10,973 meters). The terminal velocity of a skydiver in a belly-to-earth (i.e., face down) free fall position is about 195 km/h (120 mph; 54 m/s)., so their falling speed would have reached two hundred kilometers per hour.

    Jumping into the sea at this speed was equivalent to smashing directly into concrete, but Libra and the others did not take any damage. If they took damage from this, they couldn¡¯t be called the strongest golem or devil king in Midgard, where power bnce was crazy.

    ¡°I can¡¯t find Sagittarius.¡±

    Even though she was underwater, Libra spoke normally. Humans couldn¡¯t speak underwater, but she was a golem. She could speak underwater by emitting only sound without releasing air. In terms of the things known to Ruphas and Sei, it was like ying music from underwater speakers.

    ¡°He probably has already started searching for Eros.¡±

    Aigokeros also spoke as if he wasn¡¯t underwater. It seemed his voice was passing through the water via telepathy.

    They weren¡¯t particrly concerned about Sagittarius as he excelled in stealth. To begin with, he was someone who rarely showed himself even before his own allies. Although this had not been the case since the return of Ruphas, what he was doing now could be said to be his original style. Since it was him, he would have started taking actions as a merfolk, just like how he had turned into a beastkin in Draupnir.

    ¡°Anyway, do you know where Eros is?¡±

    ¡°I felt a reaction from there earlier. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Libra indicated the destination and flew through the water using the wings on her back. Likewise, Aigokeros followed as if he was flying. After swimming for a while, a strange group emerged to block their way. They were humanoid creatures whose heads had mutated into those of fishes.

    Were they...mermen?

    This appearance was really weird. They were probably mermen, but this group was really eerie. Their arms were drooping and swaying left and right. They were dragging their tails on the seabed and they moved by jumping like frogs. Their faces were very distinctive and their appearances were very disturbing. It was as if they were deep-sea mermen.

    ¡°Are those merfolk?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Whatever it is, since they¡¯re in the way, all we need to do is to eliminate them.¡±

    Aigokeros moved his right arm and a giant demonic arm instantly materialized, holding a huge scythe.

    ¡ªsh.

    The demonic arm moved as Aigokeros moved his own arm and the scythe killed the mermen instantly. The two of them passed over the mutted corpses without changing their expressions or looking back.

    ¡°It¡¯s a species that we didn¡¯t see before two hundred years ago. Was it a mutation?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. In the deep sea, mana tends to concentrate densely like it does in my homnd, Helheim. It won¡¯t be strange if they have simr mutations as ours as a result.¡±

    Mana had the property of flowing from high to low. The reason for this had been studied for many years, but it hadn¡¯t been fully understood. The only thing that was certain was that mana tended to umte easily underground and in the deep sea.

    In fact, a high concentration of mana had umted in Helheim, the underground world. As a result, the creatures there had demonic mutations. The humanoids were no exception. The humanoids in Helheim mutated to be as simr to devils as possible, bing the ancestors of vampires.

    Therefore, it was no wonder if the same thing was happening in the deep sea. Presumably, the merfolk hadpletely be magical beasts under the influence of mana. This was probably a new generation of monsters that were as yet unnoticed by the Goddess.

    ¡°Eros and these unknown magical beasts...This is bing a little annoying.¡±

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t change what we have to do. We just have to fulfill our master¡¯s order.¡±

    ¡°That goes without saying.¡±

    It didn¡¯t matter whether the enemy was known or strong. Unshaken, Libra and Aigokeros continued to swim towards their destination. Eventually, they arrived at the glorious capital of the sea.

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    There have been frequent requests for , so I have added it before Chapter 1. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any problem if you skip it, but if you can¡¯t grasp the characters properly, please look it up.

    Midgard: ¡°Ah, Goddess-sama. There¡¯s a bug in the deep sea.¡±

    Goddess: ¡°Ugh, not again!¡±

    <b>Today¡¯s Bug: Deep OneThe Deep Ones are a race of intelligent ocean-dwelling creatures in the Cthulhu Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft. They are approximately human-shaped but with a fishy appearance. They regrly mate with humans along the coast, creating societies of hybrids. They were first featured in The Shadow Over Innsmouth.</b>

    It¡¯s a mutation of merfolk in the deep sea,pletely bing magical beasts. The species was simr to devils like Aigokeros. Born in dense mana, they had highbat power. Their average level was 100, but in the deep-sea world, they were just disposable lower-ss monsters. They had the Innsmouth look.

    <b>Astraea Type M</b>

    Length: 1.5 m

    Weight: 280 kg

    Primary Armament: Anchor Buster x2 (Attack Power 9500 - Fixed)

    Secondary Armament: Automatic Seeking Wing Cutter x8 (Attack Power 5000 - Fixed)

    Astraea Type M¡¯s attack power is independent of Libra, so it is fixed regardless of Libra¡¯s own values.

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    This chapter¡¯s title contains a reference to a Pok¨¦mon skill called . The cannons are described in the raw as firing anchors (¥¢¥ó¥«©`)...This is just wrong, considering what happened to the shark. It seems the author is confused about the difference between anchors and harpoons. I have tranted it as harpoons instead. Oh, and TpstT wasining about Sagittarius pulling a deus ex machina with his oxygen magic.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 148

    Author: Fire Head (Ñ×î^)

    Trantor: Hand of Va

    Editors: TpstT, Keii

    ??

    ¡°I see. I understand what you mean.¡±

    The royal chamber of the undersea pce was normally inessible to all except the king, Pisces, and his chosen female. Currently, four people were having a conversation across the table. No, more urately, only three people were speaking. The mermaid named Suirat, who had been brought along because she was chosen by Pisces, didn¡¯t seem to be keeping up with the situation and was merely looking on silently.

    Libra and Aigokeros finished exining the return of Ruphas and everything that had happened so far. Pisces merely acknowledged them and nodded.

    ¡°The return of Ruphas-sama is something to rejoice about. There¡¯s no doubt about that. But why are the two of you here? Why not one of the others? Like Pollux, Aries, or someone who¡¯s actually better.¡±

    ¡°I see. We seem to be unweed. Would you prefer Scorpius and Leon instead?¡±

    ¡°Stop joking. If they hade, I¡¯d have left them at the door. A berserk lesbian and a muscr idiot? No, thank you. Especially Leon, it¡¯s too much to even look at him.¡±

    Pisces basically judged people by their physical beauty. Was it only to be expected of the child of Alovenus, who was also called the goddess of beauty? He essentially hated ugly people and those who were excessive. Libra, who was merely a beautiful object, and Aigokeros, who embodied the negative aspects of the world, were not weed visitors.

    If someone from the Twelve Stars were to visit him, he would rather it be someoneforting to the eyes like Pollux or Aries. Of course, this was assuming that Aries maintained his humanoid form.

    By the way, the person whom he didn¡¯t want here the most was a perverted horse that walked around with its lower body exposed. He had no good memories of that horse...Once, he met a girl in town and took a liking to her, but she turned out to be the perverted horse in disguise. Even now, that experience was still traumatic for him.

    ¡°Also, cease calling me Eros. Don¡¯t you already have Taurus to mess around with by mistaking his name?¡±

    ¡°What are you saying? It¡¯spletely different. Taurus¡¯ name is so confusing that it¡¯s natural to make mistakes without any malicious intent. In your case, we¡¯re getting your name wrong on purpose.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s even worse!¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like we¡¯ve made a mistake, right? After all, Eros is your real name. Isn¡¯t that right, Eros?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is, Eros.¡±

    ¡°Bastards...¡±

    Pisces grumbled while resting his cheek on his hand. He thought, This is why I hate these people.

    The sensible Pollux and good-natured Aries would not have deliberately called him by his real name. Aries might sometimes do so identally, but at least there was no malicious intent.

    However, these two were different, especially Aigokeros, who was full of malice. He didn¡¯t know what Libra was thinking. It was rather strange for her to be malicious, yet she still called him by his real name.

    Seriously, why are the Twelve Stars full of weirdos?

    Pisces seemed to have forgotten himself as he became deeply lost in thought.

    ¡°By the way, why are you referring to yourself in the same way as Ruphas-sama? It¡¯s rude to our master.¡±

    ¡°Ugh...¡±

    Pisces grunted at Aigokeros¡¯ reproach. As Aigokeros said, Pisces¡¯ use of the first-person pronoun was in imitation of Ruphas. At least, Aigokeros and the others knew that, before Pisces had met Ruphas, he had been addressing himself as oreThis part is difficult to trante into English, since there¡¯s only one singr first-person pronoun in English, but that¡¯s not the case in Japanese. Basically, Pisces originally used the first-person pronoun ore (°³), but changed to the archaic first-person pronoun yo (Óà) in order to imitate Ruphas. See List of Japanese Personal Pronouns for more details.-sama. In addition, they had probably noticed that all of the females in the pce were simr to Ruphas in some way.

    ¡°Well, whatever. More importantly...¡±

    Pisces quickly changed the topic as he was unwilling to continue this conversation. This was this and that was that. There was no need to let the goat tell him how he should address himself.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to witness the return of Ruphas myself, but right now is a bad time.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that there¡¯s something that takes precedence over our master? That just shows how deep your love is.¡±

    ¡°Shut up. It¡¯s so annoying how you twist everything that I say! Unlike you, I¡¯m the king of the vast nation of the sea! It covers seventy percent of Midgard¡¯s surface! As king, I¡¯m different from you people who have nothing to protect!¡±

    Pisces spread his arms wide as Libra and Aigokeros looked at him coldly. Their faces showed signs of exasperation and seemed to be saying, ¡°Is it starting again?¡± However, Pisces didn¡¯t seem to care what they were thinking.

    ¡°The unified nation of the great sea, Sk¨ªeenir, consists of one hundred eighty territories, three hundred cities, and one hundred million people. In the history of Midgard, has there ever been a king who ruled over such a vast territory?¡±

    ¡°Ruphas-sama once unified the world.¡±

    ¡°Ah, my talent as a king frightens even myself! This king, who could do so much in just two hundred years, is truly a supreme treasure above everything else in this world. And this sea kingdom will be an engagement ring for my beloved. Do you understand the difference? You people are simply peasants, while I¡¯m a glorious king. Don¡¯t put me on the same level as you!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. WarosWaros () is a Japanese Inte ng that meansughter, simr to LOL. In this chapter, it is made to rhyme with Eros (¥¨¥í¥¹)., waros.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. Eros, Eros.¡±

    ¡°You bastards¡ª!¡±

    Although what Pisces had said sounded like narcissistic self-praise, what he had achieved was actually quite amazing. Purely in terms of territory, he was superior even to the Demon King.

    Currently, the demons dominated over ny percent of the world, while the humanoids lived in a small area that was less than ten percent of thend. But in the end, this only ounted for thend, which was merely thirty percent of the whole of Midgard. The remaining seventy percent, which consisted of the vast world of the sea, was under the rule of Pisces.

    Certainly, this achievement could not be ignored. Bringing him back to Ruphas would mean that the sea kingdom of Sk¨ªeenir would be her ally. In an instant, the spheres of influence of Ruphas and the Demon King would be turned upside down. The power bnce would bepletely reversed.

    ¡°But currently, my kingdom has a problem.¡±

    ¡°Is it because of your narcissism?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s certainly a big problem.¡±

    ¡°No, you fools! Currently, we are at war with the mutant invaders known as the deep ones.¡±

    Hearing about the war, Libra and Aigokeros nced at each other. That didn¡¯t sound like something that should be troubling one of the Twelve Stars. Wasn¡¯t that a problem that could be solved by any one of the Twelve Stars with their overwhelmingbat power?

    It didn¡¯t matter whether the enemies were in the thousands or tens of thousands. One could simply use wide area annihtion magic to wipe them out by virtue of the absolute difference in level. The Twelve Stars, especially those members who werebatants, could certainly do so. There was only onebatant who could not because he was a crab that was useless except to serve as a shield.

    ¡°The deep ones...Are they the merfolk who look like deep-sea fish?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve encountered them? Yes, they¡¯re those ugly folk who dare to challenge me because they don¡¯t know their ce. They can¡¯t be eradicated nor driven out of the sea. The beautiful kingdom that I¡¯ve built is being ruined by them.¡±

    ¡°Then you should just annihte them all. The ones I fought were just a bunch of worthless small fries.¡±

    ¡°Those were just the vanguard. The real problem is the one who¡¯s hiding behind them.¡±

    Pisces clicked his tongue sullenly and roughly brushed his hair.

    ¡°Their general is called...the evil god of the sea. I don¡¯t know when exactly it came into being, but it seems to have dwelled in the deep sea for a fairly long time. To put it simply, it is a marine mutant that was transformed by mana. Aigokeros, it is a natural being like you. Just think of it as a monster whose birth was unintended by the Goddess.¡±

    ¡°Is it strong?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, quite significantly. Although we only had a little skirmish, itsbat power isparable to that of the Twelve Stars. When ites to underwaterbat, it may be on par with the Dragon King.¡±

    Twelve Stars ss¡ªHearing this, the look of contempt vanished from the faces of Libra and Aigokeros. A monster that formed naturally as a result of mana mutation was by no means an easy opponent to deal with. After all, the Twelve Stars and the former subordinates of Ruphas were a group of such individuals. Basically, Karkinos, Scorpius, Aigokeros, Phoenix, and Hydrus were all included in this group.

    ¡°Are the deep ones that same kind of being?¡±

    ¡°No, they are a new species that came into being in thest two hundred years. All sinners who vite the dignity of the sea kingdom are not killed and are instead generously banished to the deep sea. Over time, they transform into magical beasts who now serve the evil god.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this problempletely self-inflicted?¡±

    ¡°Oh, is it only male merfolk who were banished?¡±

    ¡°You fools would never understand my passion.¡±

    Since Pisces favored the females, it was mostly the males who were sent to the deep sea. Therefore, there were no females among the deep ones and they would be extinct if this situation persisted. In other words, this was a war for survival to them.

    Simply put, the assaults were their way of saying, ¡°Send us some females, you crappy harem bastard!¡± This was such a wretched reason for war.

    The evil god who got caught in the middle of this and had to y along was really pitiful. Actually, wasn¡¯t it a rather nice magical beast for going out of its way to y along? At least, it wasmendable that it had done nothing wrong despite having so much power at its disposal until now.

    ¡°I understand. In that case, let¡¯s work together.¡±

    ¡°How troublesome. Let¡¯s eradicate the deep ones quickly.¡±

    It didn¡¯t matter to Libra and Aigokeros what would happen to the merfolk. However, if this became part of Ruphas¡¯ territory, it would be a different matter. It would be uneptable to present the master with a ruined wastnd as a gift. Furthermore, if the evil god was left alone, it might get in the way of their master sooner orter. There was no reason not to help.

    ¡°Hmph, help huh? Regardless of your personalities, yourbat power is still reliable. Fine. I, Pisces, will make a special allowance for you to help. Be thankful. Well, even if you¡¯re not here, I¡¯ll still manage somehow.¡±

    ¡°Right, let¡¯s go back, Aigokeros.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll just say that Eros is dead.¡±

    ¡°Wa¡ªWait, don¡¯t go! I understand. I¡¯m grateful. I¡¯ll be grateful, so please help!¡±

    At the sight of Libra and Aigokeros turning to leave, Pisces abandoned his arrogant mask and cried for help. After all, Pisces was desperate to deal with the situation and the assistance of two of the Twelve Stars was something he found irresistible. He had to resolve this matter somehow, otherwise he couldn¡¯t return to Ruphas. This was basically torture for him.

    ¡°Alright. Then, let¡¯s take the fight to the enemy immediately.¡±

    ¡°We¡ªWe¡¯re going now? I haven¡¯t even formed an army yet.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t need something like that, right? We are sufficient by ourselves.¡±

    When it came to war, quantity weighed more than quality. This was an absolute truth that had not changed since ancient times and would continue to hold true in the future. The side with more troops would be the victor. War was basically like this.

    Of course, various factors like strategies, tactics, weapons, terrains, and weather could enable an overwhelmed minority to defeat the majority. However, the first thing that should be considered would always be numbers. The fact that arger number was more advantageous would never change.

    However, they were the walking disasters known as the Tyrannical Twelve Stars. The theories of war simply did not apply to disasters. No matter howrge an army was, if three huge meteors fell, the country would still be easily destroyed.

    ¡°I wonder if your life as a king has be too long and dull?¡±

    ¡°Who are you talking to? I¡¯m Pisces, the son of the Goddess. Something like that wouldn¡¯t happen to me!¡±

    Piscesughed at Libra¡¯s provocation and opened the pce¡¯s doors. The surrounding merfolk were watching to see what was happening, but they wouldn¡¯t have guessed that the three of them intended to assault the enemy camp by themselves.

    ¡°¡±We¡¯re moving out! Don¡¯t fall behind, peasants!¡±

    ¡°Who are you calling a peasant, Eros?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead first, Eros.¡±

    ¡°Call me Pisces!¡±

    Pisces snapped his fingers. The thin hagoromo that he was wearing earlier was instantly reced by a golden, tasteless armor. He had a mantle on his back and a trident in his hand. In addition, a giant, thirty-meter long killer whale responded to his call to move out...The orvar cried and he got on its back.

    ¡°Hahahaha! Hahahahaha!¡±

    The king of the seaughed in a tasteless manner with his arms crossed on the orvar¡¯s back. After that, the two followed after him with a stunned look. As the underwater city shrank away in the distance, the three of them entered the deep sea.

    Several deep ones appeared to block their way, but they were just small fries. The ultrasonic waves emitted by the orvar enveloped them, causing them to bleed from every hole in their bodies. They were then preyed upon and torn apart by sharp teeth.

    Pisces had raised his orvar pet to Level 500. At least, Pisces didn¡¯t have to fight personally if they were just small fries.

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Orvar A: ¡°Hey, hey. I¡¯m rushing into a battle involving the Twelve Stars when I¡¯m only Level 500.¡±

    Orvar B: ¡°He¡¯s gonna die.¡±

    Orvar C: ¡°Whatever. The opponent is the mutant evil god.¡±

    Orvar D: ¡°Oh...That¡¯s a big deal, isn¡¯t it? ...He¡¯s gonna die.¡±

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    This chapter¡¯s title contains a reference to a Pok¨¦mon skill called .

    I don¡¯t really understand why the Japanese seem to think that the word is funny or embarrassing. It¡¯s basically the Greek word for sexual love, so what? It¡¯s somewhat annoying when they keep repeating the same thing. It¡¯s like one of those overused themes in Japanese mangas and animes that simply make you groan...miso soup, soy sauce, hot spring, and the lot.

    Since we are on the topic of mermaids...

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 149

    Author: Fire Head (Ñ×î^)

    Trantor: Hand of Va

    Editors: TpstT, Keii

    ??

    The deep sea was a world full of mysteries despite being on the same as other ces. Not just in Midgard, but even in Sei¡¯s home world where science had progressed much further than in this world, the whole picture had not been fully revealed.

    Deep-sea creatures were often different from the types of fish that humans would usually see. They often had strange and unique evolutions. For example, there were fish with transparent heads is a fish recognized for a highly unusual transparent, fluid-filled dome on its head, through which the lenses of its eyes can be seen., jellyfish that glowed seven different colorsMertensia ovum, also called Arcticb jelly, is weakly bioluminescent in blues and greens, producing a rainbow effect simr to that seen on an oil slick., creatures that looked like spidersSea spiders, also called pogonids, are marine arthropods that are found in oceans around the world. There are over 1300 known species, with a leg span ranging from 1 mm (0.04 in) to over 70 cm (2.3 ft). They are not true spiders, or even arachnids., strangely-shaped fishThe pelican eel, also called, is a deep-sea fish whose loosely-hinged mouth can be opened wide enough to swallow a fish muchrger than the eel itself. that could open their mouths so wide that their jaws seemed to be broken, and squids with transparent bodiesThe ss squid, also called cranch squid, is a family of squids with about sixty different species. Itsmon name is derived from the transparent nature of most species..

    There was even an organismTardigrades, known colloquially as water bears, are a phylum of water-dwelling eight-legged segmented micro-animals. They are found everywhere, from mountaintops to the deep sea and mud volcanoes. Tardigrades are among the most resilient animals known and are usually about 0.5 mm (0.02 in) long when fully grown. that wouldn¡¯t die at a temperature of absolute zeroAbsolute zero is the lowest limit of the thermodynamic temperature scale. By international agreement, absolute zero is taken as ?273.15 ¡ãC (or ?459.67 ¡ãF). or when exposed to radiation that would kill most living things. It could survive without water in a dry state for ten years. It could calmly exist in a vacuum and even survive in outer space.

    Visit for full text.

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    It¡¯s probably the strongest character who is unrted to this story. (It has no connection to the Goddess or Ruphas.) Oh well.

    Moon: ¡°What did I even do to deserve this...?¡±

    <b>Today¡¯s Bug: Mutant God, Thulhu</b>Thulhu (¥È¥¥©`¥ë©`) is modeled after Cthulhu (¥¯¥È¥¥¥ë¥Õ or ¥¯¥È¥¥¥ë©`), a Great Old One whobined the features of a human, an octopus, and a dragon.

    Level: 1,000

    HP: 2,800,000

    SP: 66,666

    Attribute: Water

    STR (Strength): 6,000

    DEX (Dexterity): 2,000

    VIT (Vitality): 6,200

    INT (Intelligence): 5,800

    AGI (Agility): 5,000

    MND (Mind): 9,999

    LUK (Luck): 2,000

    This dream world operates only by thews of the evil god. It ignores thews of Alovenus, which are supposed to be absolute. However, it is currently unusable due to therge amount of sea water. And yet the evil god still calls itself the God of Water?

    Alovenus: ¡°...Oh, I see. It¡¯s a dream. I should hurry and wake up.¡±

    ¡ù The Goddess wasn¡¯t involved in the birth of this entity.

    By the way, Pisces is not an ouroboros, but a magic simr to it. Or perhaps, he is a poor prototype. In other words, he is like Levia, being a mockery of an ouroboros.

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Why isn¡¯t Pisces a fish? ??

    As mentioned in , Astraea is basically modeled after Freedom Gundam. If the description of Astraea M in didn¡¯t seem obvious enough, the detachment of the wings in this chapter should be evident enough that Astraea M is based on .

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 150

    Author: Fire Head (Ñ×î^)

    Trantor: Hand of Va

    Editors: TpstT, Keii

    ??

    What does it mean to be undefeatable?

    What does it mean to have strength that would never lose?

    For those who fought, it was an eternal proposition as well as a goal to strive for.

    How could the vast amount of skills, divine magic, and arcane magic bebined to create an absolutely unbeatable existence?

    Anyone who had reached Level 100 would have thought about this at least once. One of them, the Vampire Princess Bnash, reached her own answer. It involved high HP and percentage HP regeneration.

    Aw existed that restricted the upper limit of damage in Midgard to less than 100,000. Therefore, if one¡¯s maximum HP was increased to the point where the percentage HP regeneration would recover 99,999, then the damage taken would be nullified in the next moment, no matter what kind of attack it was.

    Theoretically, it would be impossible to lose. In fact, Bnash herself embodied this principle, as any damage done to her would be fully healed in an instant. Of course, this wasn¡¯t the only thing that made her powerful, but one could say that defense was her greatest asset. Therefore, she never needed to take any defensive actions duringbat and could focus only on attacks without hiding any card up her sleeve.

    And right now, there was another being that perfectly embodied this principle.

    ¡°¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö......¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡±

    The mutant god howled. Its form, voice, and scent¡ªeverything that it wasposed of¡ªcaused intense difort in others, turning sanity into madness.

    Despite its nightmarish existence, Aigokeros stood before it without any mental disturbance. After all, Aigokeros was the devil king whose existence would reduce one¡¯s sanity, so they were evenly matched in that sense.

    The huge evil god and devil king fought once more as Libra looked up at them and muttered.

    ¡°The time required for its wounds to start regenerating...is 0.05 second. The time required forplete recovery is 0.6 second. This is rather troubling, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Pisces frowned upon hearing her mechanical voice. It took less than a second toplete its regeneration. The speed was so fast that it would be imperceivable to normal humanoids and magical beasts. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that it was almostpletely healed at the same time it was damaged.

    Of course, they could cut in before it waspletely healed. It was certainly possible tounch an attack within a hundredth of a second and damage it before its regeneration could start. No matter how ridiculous the speed of its regeneration was, it could be overwhelmed by a barrage of attacks that was even faster. In other words, they could just hit it faster than it could regenerate.

    For example, if Bnash was here, she could hit the mutant god with dozens of light attacks in the time it took to regenerate once. It would be almost dead in an instant. Ironically, the most effective way to overwhelm Bnash¡¯s invincibility was her own fighting style. Although it would be slightly slower, Ruphas could also overwhelm an opponent with a simr barrage of attacks.

    However, neither the Vampire Princess nor the ck-Winged Overlord was here. Instead, it was Aigokeros, Libra, and Pisces.

    ¡°We just need to damage it faster than it can regenerate. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not realistic, considering that its level is higher than ours. It isn¡¯t a sandbag that can be beaten without it fighting back. It¡¯s not possible to attack it unterally.¡±

    Pisces made a proposition while evading the attacking tentacles, but it was shot down by Libra immediately. As mentioned before, attacking faster than its regeneration was certainly a solution. It wasn¡¯t a mistake.

    However, the opponent would naturally fight back, defend, and evade. It might even use skills to heal itself further. In other words, there must be an overwhelming difference in speed in order to implement this tactic, such that one must move to a smaller time scale and leave the opponent behind.

    But the speed of the mutant god and Libra and the others were...about the same. Naturally, this was an ultra-high-speed battle that took ce on a different time scale and could not be followed by ordinarybatants. The aforementioned tactic would not be easy to implement when they were fighting on the same stage.

    ¡°Besides...we fortunately have someone who is the natural enemy of regeneration specialists. Just watch.¡±

    Libra pointed her finger at the side of the evil god. This was the spot where Aigokeros had damaged it earlier, but it still had not regenerated. The head, which was pierced by Libra¡¯s harpoons, and the body, which was burned by Pisces¡¯ roar, had almostpletely regenerated. Only that wound persisted without regenerating.

    Aigokeros¡¯ attacks inflicted an irreversible curse. Once wounded, the damage could not be healed until the curse expired after a certain period of time. Divine magic and using items were ineffective. Even amputating the damaged part would not help. Furthermore, even elixirs and amrita were useless against this ability. In other words, Aigokeros was the natural enemy of the mutant god.

    ¡°Is your n to just rely on him? I don¡¯t really care for that.¡±

    ¡°In that case, would you like to be the main attacker? Your unique skill...is called AlreschaAlrescha (¥¢¥ë¥ì¥·¥ã), also called Alpha Piscium, is a binary star in the constetion of Pisces. Its name is derived from Arabic, meaning ¡°the cord.¡± There are some variations in its spelling, such as Al Rescha, Alrischa, and Alrisha., right? But, well, you can¡¯t use it, right?¡±

    ¡°Stop joking. I¡¯m not going to use it on such an ugly opponent.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought, so please don¡¯tin and stay focused on providing support.¡±

    ¡°Whatever. Start fighting already! How much longer do I have to fight by myself!?¡±

    Aigokeros shouted at both of them, who were still discussing tactics. He had been hitting the evil god all this time and it was starting to get tough.

    Libra immediately took action without answering his question. She bent her knees out of her skirt as if preparing to jump. The parts that were not usually visible due to being covered by the skirt had the characteristic joints of a golem. The parts that were her knees opened up and fired shells from within. They hit the evil god and exploded, while Pisces immediately followed up with an attack.

    ¡°Maelstrom!¡±

    This high-level Water-attribute arcane magic created a swirl of water to attack the enemy, hitting the evil god and sealing its movements. However, Aigokeros did not take the opportunity to escape. As if he had been waiting for this, he shot a ck bolt that bored into the evil god¡¯s chest.

    But the evil god¡¯s vitality was not to be trifled with. After being shaken momentarily, it moved all its tentacles as if it had received no damage. They struck in all directions towards the three of them.

    ¡°¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ª!!¡± Full text at

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes </h4>

    It¡¯s weird...Sagittarius should have been a serious character...Well, exceptfor his habit of exposing his lower body and cross-dressing, he¡¯s fairlyserious...

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    This chapter¡¯s title contains a reference to a Pok¨¦mon skill called . Chapters 151-160 will be hosted over at blog. For those of you who did not notice it in , Suirat Tigas (¥¹¥£¥é?¥Æ¥£¥¬¥¹) is basically Sagittarius spelled backwards.

    A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!

 Chapter 151

    Chapter 151 - Aigokeros Used Hidden Power!

    Raw link: (2017/01/15)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2020/01/28)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2020/03/18)

    Editor 2: Keii (2020/03/21)

    Trantion link:

    __

    I hope everyone has been staying well and healthy in this tough time and will continue to be so. All the best to everyone.

    Notice 1: There were repeated messy edits after the publication of chapter 140, so here is the summary for those who read it shortly after it was released.

    We have retrospectively made edits and have settled with "Asterius" (chapter 134) and "Ganymedes" (chapter 139 and 140) over "Asterion" and "Ganymede". They are just a spelling variant and are supposed to be the same person in the lore. We have chosen this spelling over the other because the raws have used "Asterius" and "Ganymedes". Apologies for the inconvenience.

    Notice 2: Title for numerous chapters have been changed to match the Pokemon theme. Too numerous to list here, but it is listed on discord.

    __

    __

    From Aigokeros¡¯s, Pisces¡¯s and Sagittarius¡¯s bodies, power welled up in an explosive manner.

    As their master, Ruphas, surpassed the limits, their levels were also pulled up in the process, allowing them to reach the height of level 1000 after breaking past the level 800 wall.

    The difference in level was not something that could be shrugged off and ignored. As a matter of fact, the higher the number associated with the level, the more important the difference in level became.

    For example, even if an individual¡¯s level was to be double that of another person¡¯s, if they were level 1 and level 2, then there was not a monumental difference between them.

    Needless to say, even a difference in one level could not be looked upon lightly. However, there was still a not insignificant chance that the level 1 individual could end up winning against the level 2 individual.

    But if the doubling of the numerical value described a level 10 and a level 20, then the difference between the two of them would not be overturned by normal means. Furthermore, if the doubling was describing a level 100 and a level 200, then the difference between the two of them would be definitive and conclusive.

    Between the Twelve Stars and the Evil God, the level difference was 200. Even whenpared to Libra, there was a level difference of 90.

    There was a definitive difference in ability born out of those 200 levels. And after Aigokeros and the others had instantly covered the gap, the Evil God must have sensed the abnormality.

    Even without exchanging words, it no doubt must have understood that.

    Just now, the scale which was barely maintaining the bnce fatally tipped in its enemy¡¯s favour.

    "Now then, let¡¯s finish this, mutated one. Out of respect for your strength, I will show you all that I¡¯ve got to give. Look carefully... at the real appearance of the Devil King Aigokeros!"[1]

    Removing the level restriction signified that the Twelve Stars would be able to disy their original power that they were otherwise unable to show.

    In the past, Aigokeros was called the Devil King of Helheim and was feared by others. Lifting his level restriction meant that he would be released from the shackles which were binding him.

    The goat¡¯s eyes shone red whilst his wings ttered about.

    His real physical body - the body of the old gentleman, which had been at the feet of the illusion until this point disappeared andpletely merged with the illusion that had been created by him.

    That was not all. All the mana in the surroundings were gathering into one point with him as the centre.

    It was the same as what Mercurius had done at Draupnir.

    "Return to me! Power of darkness!"

    The ck mana that was being absorbed by Aigokeros caused the illusory body to materialise into a tangible one.

    The lower body which had looked like a fish until this point changed into legs covered in hair. At the same time, the giant body which had had a height of approximately 100m became bigger and bigger, eventually surpassing 1km, yet even then, it continued to grow bigger.

    The whole of Midgard was covered in darkness and lightning shed about everywhere whilst the whole world trembled in fear due to the materialisation of the Devil King.

    The Evil God was grasped by the Devil King¡¯s hand all while the head of the goat pierced the clouds and reached the stratosphere.

    If, at this time, someone were to look at Midgard from space, they would have doubted what they were seeing.

    That was because they would have seen something sprouting out of Midgard - a gigantic devil goat the size of a.

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_743" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-743" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-743" ss="wp-caption-text">Illustration from Volume 7 Light Novel ¨C Aigokeros true power</figcaption></figure>

    "Goodbye, mutated one. If it¡¯s you, you may be able to survive after receiving my next attack... but you will never be able toe back to this. This world is the possession of my master... Having said that, you are also someone who has the makings of a king. As someone who is also a devil, this Aigokeros shall recognise and concede that fact more than anyone else."

    Aigokeros by no means disliked the Mutant God.

    If anything, Aigokeros felt that... the Evil God was the one and onlyrade of his in this world.

    The Evil God was not something that was phony or counterfeit like the demon race. It was a true devil. How could Aigokeros hate something or someone like that?

    If Ruphas Mafahl had not existed, he would not have minded dividing the world and sharing half of it with it.

    He had honestly thought of and recognised his enemy as such. However, this world already had a ck-winged King. The rightful king who would rule over the world already existed.

    As was the case, there was no longer any room for this Mutant God to linger around. There was no longer any room for Aigokeros to allow it to continue existing.

    After all, there could only ever be one rightful king.

    And... there could only ever be one devil who could serve that one rightful king. That was himself, Aigokeros.

    "If you manage to stay alive, your attempt to reign supreme should be done in some other world¡¯snd."

    Aigokeros flung his arm, throwing the Evil God into empty space.

    At the same time, as ast-ditch effort, the Evil God also activated a special skill.

    When it did, with the Evil God as the centre, the world around it was rapidly rewritten. Midgard, which should have been under the rules and limitations put in ce by the Goddess, was repainted with alienws.

    What it changed to was a dream that he had been seeing. The reality was repainted with his dream, attempting to invert everyone¡¯s madness and sanity.

    Thews governing the maximum damage were negated. Even thews which governed the maximum level one could reach were negated.

    The Evil God created a world which was not bound by the Goddess¡¯sws, resulting in a ce where he was not restrained, a ce where he would be able to exhibit his true ability.

    But - it was just a bit toote to show his hand. Aigokeros was not as easygoing as to wait for the Evil God¡¯s erosions toplete.

    Not only that, as the erosion had implicated even Aigokeros, the constraint on Aigokeros¡¯s level was nullified, allowing him to surpass the maximum level of 1000 and reach 1350.

    Aigokeros, who had gained an increase in power after surpassing the limits, opened his mouth and started gathering an astronomical amount of mana.

    Seeing this, the Evil God attempted to dodge it. However, he was caught and held in ce by Pisces¡¯s fangs who had turned his body into an ouroboros form.

    Just like that, the Evil God was flung around using raw physical might and was finallyunched away.

    "- Disappear!"

    A destructive ray was fired from Aigokeros¡¯s mouth. This destructive ray was a perfect coalescence of the brightness of a star and endless and eerie darkness.

    A bright dark light, a term all too contradictory within itself, directly hit the Evil God and in a single moment, blew its body to the far end of the void in an instant.

    There was no technique that the Evil God could use to avoid the attack. It was simply impossible for the Evil God to escape from the extremely powerful attack that Aigokeros had used.

    To top things off, an arrow imbued with the skill [Alnasl], which ignored the distance between the user and target to absolutely hit the target was added to the mix. As a result, the two rays spiralled around each other to create a helix, strengthening and reinforcing each other, sending the Evil God far, far away.

    And although this was a story from the future... from a few yearster, or perhaps a few dozen years, or even a few hundred years into the future... this ray of light continued to carry the Evil God without disappearing across a few light-years¡¯ worth of distance, or perhaps a few dozen light-years¡¯ worth of distance, or even a few hundred light-years¡¯ worth of distance.

    Past the star, past the star system, past the gxy and eventually, passing even the gxy group. Just as literally as it was written, the Evil God was being sent out of the world that they were in.

    As for where he might end up at the end or what might end up happening to the Evil God, Aigokeros did not know.

    Perhaps at the end of it all, the Evil God might reach a ce where it might be worshipped as an Outer God.[2] Perhaps it would end up on a devoid of any living creatures and gain peace on thatnd.

    Whichever the oue, Aigokeros and the others were only sure of one thing.

    And it was that it was not an entity which would die from something of this degree. Just that.

    Even going into the future, the Evil God would continue to live and survive somewhere out in space just like themselves.

    And that... they would never cross paths with each other ever again. With that conviction in mind, Aigokeros felt it to be all too unfortunate.

    Eventually, Aigokeros dispersed the mana and returned to his usual size. At this time, Pisces came up to Aigokeros whilst cold sweating and spoke up.

    "Hmm... I guess it¡¯s to be expected of the Devil King of Helheim. The only one amongst the Twelve Stars to be regarded as dangerous by Ruphas-sama and tamed for the purpose of sealing you."

    Aigokeros was different from the other Twelve Stars.

    Although it had previously been stated, due to his cruel disposition, he alone was regarded as dangerous by Ruphas. As a consequence, he was tamed by Ruphas so that he could be ced under her supervision.[3]

    It was because Ruphas had concluded that, had he been left alone, he would be a terror to the humanoids of a magnitude higher than that of the demons.

    Furthermore, to have him serve under her meant that the great devil known as Aigokeros would be shackled under a level restriction such that his true abilities would be ced under a seal.

    Not even that Lion King Leon could secure this much of a sense of danger out of Ruphas.

    The strongest individual amongst the Twelve Stars was Leon. There would be no one who would raise an objection to that statement.

    However, the most sinister and atrocious out of the Twelve Stars was, without a doubt, the Devil King Aigokeros.

    In addition, the birth of the great devil was something not even the Goddess had predicted would happen. He was a monster which was naturally born outside of the Goddess¡¯s scenario.

    That was why Aigokeros called himself a true devil. That was why he worshipped and respected Ruphas who was simrly operating outside of the Goddess¡¯s scenario, yet possessed power far greater than himself.

    Had that not been the case, it was a possibility that, by this time, this great devil would have enveloped Midgard in darkness and deprivation.

    "Even though you have that much power, you¡¯re content to be under a seal and not attempt to reign supreme yourself... I can¡¯t believe someone like that really exists."

    "There is only ever one true king. Our ck-winged Supreme Ruler, and she alone. If she so requires, I will dly subject myself to death or be ced under a seal. That is my loyalty."

    "How humble."

    Pisces sneered, then noticed that he was feeling a sense of relief within himself.

    Thiste in time, he was feeling fortunate that this devil was not egocentric like Leon.

    The very fact that this demon had been spellbound by Ruphas...was perhaps the greatest fortune Midgard had encountered.

    Ordinarily, he acted like a man with a few screws loose in his head. Nevertheless, the asional disy of his true nature as a devil made Pisces shiver.

    "Either way, this time, the problem has been solved. Eros, I assume you wille with us now?"

    "Well, first I need to pass my position over. After that, I¡¯ll apany you guys. Also, don¡¯t call me Eros."

    "Alright, best regards from now on, Eros."

    "I said don¡¯t call me Eros!"

    "We¡¯ll count on you, Pisces."

    "Shut up, transforming horse. Die!"[4]

    "!?"

    On the way back to the pce, Pisces loosened his lips whilst making sure Libra and the rest could not see him smile.

    Even after 200 years of time, they were still the same old bunch of weirdos that he remembered. However, he was strangely happy about that.

    Whilst he would never tell them this, he actually really enjoyed having those back-and-forth exchanges.

    Notwithstanding that, it was his honest desire that they would call him Pisces.

    *

    "It seems Libra and the others safely managed to meet with Pisces."

    After opening the letter, I rested my back on the ship¡¯s pir.

    There were two messages. One of them had just arrived a few dozens of seconds ago with the request to activate Alkaid.

    Apparently, there was a troublesome enemy that even they were struggling against. As a result, they requested the activation of Alkaid so that their limiters would be removed.

    Honestly speaking, this request had surprised me. After all, I had not expected for a moment that there would be a monster at a calibre that even thebination of Libra, Aigokeros, Sagittarius and Pisces would still struggle against.

    The second letter was there to let me know that the monster had been ejected out into space and that Pisces had been retrieved.

    Although in regard to that, I knew about it even without receiving the letter.

    After all, I was able to see Aigokeros¡¯s giant form even from where I was. ...... Or rather... in all likelihood, he could be seen by everyone regardless of where they were.

    Anyhow, I wondered if Aigokeros had actually possessed such a skill before. He got so big that it was like a joke at this point.

    Perhaps he could destroy a without even breaking past the level restriction?

    "That was pretty impressive, eh. I previously called him a pet and made him out to be a fool, but if it¡¯s that guy, even I might be in danger."

    "Stop being modest, B. If it¡¯s a direct confrontation, you¡¯d almost certainly win."

    I sneered in response to B saying that she might end up losing against him even though she did not truly think so in her heart.

    Indeed, Aigokeros in that state could even make me feel a sense of threat, notwithstanding, B was still superior to him.

    If it came down to a punching contest, thatrge body of Aigokeros would only work against him as B would be able to rapidly and continuously punch him at her will. Eventually, he would be blown to pieces by The Maiden Who Fires The Silver Arrow.

    Or rather, B was so strong that it was not even funny.

    But really, what happened was such a waste. Although I only saw it for the briefest moment of time, the weird and grotesque monster which was sent flying by Aigokeros was level 1000.

    Its HP was 2.8 million, meaning it was higher than that of Leon¡¯s. Whilst it would be weakened if I tamed it, given how strong it was, I wanted to have it under my control.

    It would have served as a good durable wall.

    Oh, I supposed in that case, Karkinos would lose his standing.

    "By the way, where do you n to go next?"

    After being prompted by B, I closed my eyes and considered what to do for a moment.

    At this moment in time, we were pursuing Dina who had gone missing. However, even at this point, we had yet to ascertain her whereabouts.

    We had tried checking ces that she might have gone to, such as Mafahl Tower, but we were unable to find even a single clue.

    With how things were developing, our only option was to go to a location which was slightly dangerous.

    For example... exactly. For example, like the Demon King¡¯s ce.

    I opened my eyes, made my decision, then voiced that out loud.

    "... Let¡¯s go to the demon race¡¯s castle."

    "Mmm."

    B reacted to my words by smiling and baring her fangs.

    In all likelihood, the one who was most familiar with Dina was the Demon King.

    The reason was because he was aware of Dina¡¯s spy activities... In other words, he had acquiesced in regard to her identity as Venus.

    Of course, it might very well have been possible that he had simply not noticed anything whatsoever. However, given his position as the ruler of the demon race, that would have been far too negligent on his part.

    Furthermore, I felt that he was in possession of information that I was still unaware of.

    It did not seem like a bad idea for us to speak to each other once, candidly.

    In the worst-case scenario that things got dangerous, it would all be fine if I ran away.

    "Interesting. You mean to settle things with them after 200 years of time."

    "Well, it all depends on how the other party responds. I don¡¯t really have the intention to rile things up from my side."

    Naturally, since it was called the demon race¡¯s castle, there was probably bound to be a lot of demons and magical beasts.

    But honestly speaking, the number of enemies did not really matter.

    Even if there were tens of thousands... no, even if there were hundreds of millions of enemies, it was all meaningless against me.

    Indeed, under the theory of war, the amount of avable resources was a factor which could directly determine the oue of war.

    Nevertheless, I was well beyond the level where such things mattered.

    However many enemies were gathered, what was impossible would remain impossible.

    As an extreme analogy, it was something like telling a person that there was a nuclear missileing their way and to gather tens of thousands of unarmed ordinary humans and order them to do something about it. In the end, it would simply be impossible.

    Well, against the small fries, if I casually intimidated them with Coercion, the problem would be solved.

    "Alter the course. The new destination, the Dark Continent... Head to the Demon King¡¯s castle."

    When I ryed my order, the Argonautai started moving without me having to put in any additional hassle, and changed the course of the journey.

    <i></i>

    <i>Now then, will an oni or a snakee out? Will we draw good luck or bad luck?<strong>[5]</strong></i>

    <i>As for what¡¯s toe? Well, I suppose, we can only go with the flow.</i>

    __

    (Author note)

    VS Mutant God arc has now concluded. Aigokeros, who had been acting the role of the goat which bites, has finally disyed his disposition as the Devil King.

    The goat-san in his serious mode can be as big as a. He is strong (convinced).

    Well, to be fair, until this point, he was in an unfortunate position of always losing, notwithstanding that he looked intimidating.

    So I wanted to show how strong he actually was.

    Next time, it will be our protagonist¡¯s turn.

    Having said that, in addition to Ruphas who has absurd fighting prowess, we currently even have B. So it probably won¡¯t be that hype.

    Q: What is going to happen to the Evil God-san from now on?

    A: Because he is being sent flying faster than the speed of light, he will go back to the past. Furthermore, he will crash into a ck hole and be sent to another universe. He will then continue to be sent flying until he eventuallynds safely on the Earth.

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] Raw is just Maou, so it could just be the "demon king Aigokeros". For now it¡¯s written as Devil King because he was introduced in this way.

    [2] The Outer Gods (Íâ¤Ê¤ëÉñ) are the cosmic entites of the Cthulhu Mythos. However, Cthulhu is generally considered a Great Old One (¾ÉÖ§ÅäÕß) instead of an Outer God.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu_Mythos_deities#Outer_Gods".

    [3] First mentioned in chapter 67 - "He was not recruited into the Twelve Heavenly Stars because of his strength. It was because he was too dangerous. If he was not controlled by Ruphas, he would be a terror to the humanoids of a magnitude higher than that of the demons." - Trantion by Va "".

    Also refer to chapters 35, 96, etc.

    [4] So this is a pun. The term "transformation" or "abnormal" or "metamorphosis" used here is written as "hentai". Hentai can also mean sexually perverted. So when Pisces said "transforming horse" it has the double meaning of "transforming and perverted" horse.

    [5] "¹í¤¬³ö¤ë¤«Éß¤¬³ö¤ë¤«" - literally tranted as "would it be an oni or snake thates out?" is a popr Japanese idiom. The second part is, "¼ª¤È³ö¤ë¤«Ð×¤È³ö¤ë¤«" literally tranted above. Both are pretty self-exnatory, but in English, the closest equivalent would be like saying, "Now then, shall we see if everything goes well or not?" after rolling a dice and hoping something favourable ends up happening.

    Oni is a creature from Japanese folklore. See footnote 3 of chapter 127 for picture. I didn¡¯t trante it as demon since we already have "demons" in this series.

    The second part is actually referring to a draw of the luck at Japanese shrines and temples. It¡¯s simr to fortune cookies, but it gives a paper with your "luck". You can check out Omikuji for more details.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oni".

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O-mikuji".

    __

 Chapter 152

    Chapter 152 - A Demon Used Thunder![1]

    Raw link: (2017/01/21)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2020/01/30)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2020/03/23)

    Editor 2: Keii (2020/03/27)

    Trantion link:

    __

    __

    __

    We ended up finding the Demon King¡¯s castle very quickly.

    Or rather, the Argonautai had apparently long identified the location of the castle.

    Well, I supposed after flying around with Castor for 200 years, it made sense for them to have at least searched out the enemy¡¯s base of operations.

    Even in the Dark Continent, it was a wastnd which was particrly dense with mana. In the midst of this wastnd soared a cliff with an enormous ck castle on top.

    Indeed, its majestic and dignified appearance really screamed, "I am thest dungeon!" There was arge number of scary-looking magical beasts flying about and patrolling the surrounding area. Furthermore, dark clouds obstructed the sunlight to keep the ce under a perpetual night.

    Thunder resounded along with lightning shes, creating an eerie atmosphere.

    <i></i>

    <i>If anything, this castle is way too much of a stereotype that,tely, you actually don¡¯t see much anymore.</i>

    <i>Also, I think about it every time I see these kinds of castles, but... if you copse the cliff from the outside, wouldn¡¯t the castle drop down and kill all the small fries in one go? I mean, I¡¯m not going to do that but...</i>

    <i>Why is it that demon kings¡¯ castles are always situated on an unstable ce like the edge of a cliff or some precipice?</i>

    <i>Isn¡¯t it just so inconvenient? Or rather... honestly speaking, it¡¯s a type of building that I would not want to live in.</i>

    <i>Actually, it¡¯s that, you know? I just genuinely want to ask...Why is there a castle casually standing in the middle of nowhere even though this ce isn¡¯t even the capital?</i>

    <i>Since he¡¯s a king, I assume that he would naturally be sustaining himself on the tax money from his citizens. But with where this castle is, it must have been quite a hassle for the person bringing in that tax money.</i>

    <i>Build the cities closer to your castle!</i>

    <i>... Well... I can¡¯t say much to others because of Mafahl Tower.</i>

    "So, what now? Do you want to shoot it down from the outside?"

    "Nah, no need to rush. We didn¡¯t reallye here to cause conflict. As long as they don¡¯te attacking us, there shouldn¡¯t be a need for us to do anything to them. Having said that, I¡¯m not really liking this dark and dull setting."

    I looked up at the sky and casually fired arcane magic at it.

    It was only low-tier arcane magic, however, considering that it was just to scatter the clouds, it was more enough.

    As a result of my single attack, the cowardly clouds quickly flew away and the blue sky expanded in all directions, allowing the sunlight to shine through.

    <i></i>

    <i>Good, now it¡¯s bright.</i>

    <i>I¡¯m sorry that they went to great trouble to look like thest dungeon, but I like it better when it¡¯s bright.</i>

    Whilst thinking such a thing, B red at me as if she had something to say.

    Oh, crap. I forgot that she disliked the daytime.

    She snapped her finger, turning day into night in an instant and making the whole ce shrouded in darkness once again.

    Moon-attribute arcane magic [Moonlit Night], huh? She really did just use high-tier arcane magic without any additional movement as if it¡¯s the most normal thing in the world.

    "Oi, B."

    "Stop yapping. Let¡¯s go."

    Even though the weather just turned fine, it reverted back in an instant.

    When I figured that I wouldin a bit, B started progressing forward without minding it in the slightest.

    It seemed she wanted to just boldly walk right in from the front.

    I supposed it would be unnecessary and seem bad for the two of us to look for a backdoor to sneak in. Therefore, I was also in favour of boldly walking in from the front.

    As we closed in on the castle, the magical beasts in the surroundings all came flying at us. However, the moment B turned to look at them, they all instantly turned pale and ran away.

    B did not possess any intimidation skill, yet they must have instinctively felt that they were going to die.

    In fact, it was an excellent decision on their behalf. If they had progressed 1 more metre... no, even if they had progressed half that distance, they would no doubt have been shredded into pieces.[2]

    Once we reached the front of the castle, what was in our way was a giant steel door.

    For some reason, its height was over 10m long.[3] It was big enough that even a giant could utilise the door.

    Normally, this was the part where we would need to present some item or find some method to open the gate. But that whole part was irrelevant for us.

    B simply ced her hand on the gate and forcibly wrung the gate open using nothing but her arm strength.

    Lock? Ahh, if you¡¯re asking about that, she twisted and grinded it in an instant. Perhaps it was made out of tofu or something?[4]

    "Wh, what, how can it be? To open that gate with her bare hand!?"

    "That gate was made out of steel, you know!"

    "That door should have a weight of 50 tonnes... Is, is she a monster!?"

    <i>Okay, okay, thanks for that exposition right there.</i>

    I lightly applied Coercion on the bunch of pale-looking people on the other side of the gate, forcing them down on the ground.

    <i></i>

    <i>You lot, don¡¯t move from there, alright? If you move even a little, you¡¯ll be crushed by B.</i>

    When we stepped through the gate, as one would expect, demons which were guarding the ce started flooding out, but however many of them there were, it was all meaningless.

    "You¡¯re in my way. Get lost."

    There, I increased the pressure from my Coercion.

    The warriors who were wearing heavy-looking armour all fell down to the ground as if they were being pushed down and became unable to move.

    The two of us brushed past them and looked around the inside of the castle which was needlessly spacious.

    We were currently in a reception hall, but unfortunately, there were far too many routes that we could take.

    There were three routes on each side of us leading to who-knows-where, totalling to six.

    Directly in front of us, there were stairs, but there were additional doors on each side of them.

    If one were to climb the stairs for a bit, they would see a portrait of the Demon King as the stairs split to the left and right, both of which further split again into four paths each, totalling to eight paths.

    At this point, there were already 16 different possible routes. Additionally, if we were to take any of those paths, they were bound to further split into paths leading to the guards¡¯ rooms, kitchens, training room and etcetera.

    The whole ce was constructed simrly to a typical RPG¡¯sst dungeon. But honestly, heroes must really be tolerant to actually bother finding the boss patiently in a troublesome castle like this whilst encountering enemies.

    "There¡¯s a needlessly high number of paths, eh?"

    B muttered as if she was hassled by all of this.

    Indeed, to search all of the paths one at a time was too much of a bother.

    To have the castle constructed in this way, was it perhaps due to a vignce or precaution against enemy infiltration?

    I had previously heard somewhere that facilities like this were purposefully built in this way so that even if enemies were to infiltrate, they would not be able to immediately reach their intended location.

    "It looks like it¡¯s going to be a bit of a hassle to actually search ourselves. I guess we¡¯ll make this guy guide us."

    B randomly selected a single demon amongst the ones which were sitting on the floor and grabbed him by his neck.

    The pitiful demon with a Mohican haircut which was selected shook violently in fear and was sobbing his heart out.

    Although he was my enemy, I did feel a little sympathy for him.

    Having said that, I was also in support of the idea of using a guide.

    "You. I assume you know where the Demon King is? If you guide us to him, I promise that we¡¯ll let you go. So can you tell us where he is?"

    "Y, yhes... Gu, dly..."

    Whilst asking for the path, B and I continued to progress forward through theplex structure of the castle.

    We progressed straight, we turned, we ascended some stairs, we descended some other stairs, we went through some doors, we then climbed some more stairs and...

    <i>Hang on a minute, this is way tooplicated. Is this a maze or something?</i>

    After walking for a little over ten minutes, B¡¯s irritation had clearly significantly intensified, such that she was visibly annoyed.

    "Oi, when are we going to get there?"

    "Y, yes! If we go straight through here, we¡¯ll be there!"

    Saying that, the location that the guide was pointing to was a path where the trail cut off.

    Below that ce, a countless number of needles were ced along with scattered bones which I assumed belonged to those who were caught by the trap.

    "Th, this road has a mechanism where someone needs to pull the lever here or it can¡¯t be passed. I, I will keep the lever pulled, so please pass through."

    <i>Why is it that the insides of thest bosses¡¯ castles always have these kinds of attractions? It¡¯s not like they¡¯re theme parks.</i>

    <i>Wouldn¡¯t gimmicks like this just be troublesome under ordinary conditions?</i>

    <i>It¡¯s probably that, you know. It¡¯s probably one of those traps designed to make sure that someone from the party gets struck out even before arriving at thest battle¡¯s location.</i>

    When the person who was guiding us pulled the lever into ce, a bridge appeared from the other side and connected the path.

    Well, it was a distance that we could have easily jumped across, but we might as well ept the chivalrous act.

    Whilst thinking that, the moment we started crossing the bridge, the guide pressed some button, instantly sending an electric current running through us.

    "Hiyahahahaha! Idiots! You got caught so gullibly! These currents are 1 billion volts and 500 000 amperes. It doesn¡¯t matter how strong your body is, you¡¯ll turn into ash in an instant! I¡¯ve done it, Demon King-sama! This great servant have struck down the Supreme Ruler and the Vampire Princess!!"

    The guide was hyperactivelyughing in joy for some reason.

    But I only felt pity for him.

    Indeed, this trap would have killed ordinary people, but unfortunately, we were anything but ordinary.

    1 billion volts is what? Approximately the same as a live lightning strike? Well, if you asked if it was amazing, I supposed it was... but... if it was just lightning, an individual who could use high-tier arcane magic could spam it. We were in that kind of a world right now, you know?

    Even in ordinary fantasy worlds, lightning strikes were often casually dropped on people, and the people who received them could often casually counterattack, you know?[5]

    Not to mention this was a fantasy world where the power bnce waspletely out of whack.

    I didn¡¯t even know how he thought we would be taken down by something of this degree.

    I shrugged to show my exasperation and B simrly let off a sigh.

    Yet the electric current was still running.

    "... Looks like, this is their reply."

    "Well, I predicted it¡¯d be something like this."

    "Eh!?"

    When I prompted B for her opinion, she replied that she had guessed that something like this might happen.

    Well, I did feel like we were being led around halfway through. I mean, we were way off track.

    I figured that the guide was at least scheming something and the end result was what had just happened.

    We ended up foolishly getting caught in some obvious trap.

    "You did well until now. We don¡¯t need you anymore."

    "Wa, wai!? P, please wait! It, it was just a passing impulse! I won¡¯t, I won¡¯t do it anymore! I¡¯ll guide you! I¡¯ll be submissive! I¡¯ll even lick the bottom of your feet! Mer, mercy..."

    Those were thest words he spoke.

    Even though there was some distance between them, B executed a forehead flicking motion from some distance away. Matching that motion, the head of the guide sttered into a fine mist.

    <i></i>

    <i>Ohh, how grotesque.</i>

    "So, what now? With the way things are, we don¡¯t even know if the path until this point has been correct."

    "Well, we can only continue forward until we figure it out. Even if it¡¯s wrong, we can just turn back. By the way, Mafahl, have you been mapping until this point?"

    "Yeah, more or less."

    When I was questioned by B, I took out a piece of paper from my pocket.

    The path we had taken until this point had been mapped. I mean, even considering how I acted, I had the ranger ss.

    The floor n drawn using the ranger skill resulted in maps which had no equal when it came to precision. The map which had beenposed perfectly recorded theyout of the castle.

    ... But that map... had been turned into ashes.

    "......"

    "......"

    Me, B and the clothes that we were wearing would not even need to care for such a measly electric current.

    However, the material that I had been using to map our path was just an ordinary piece of paper.

    Naturally, a piece of paper would not be able to endure a lightning current.

    Err... I should probably think like this, you know. Yeah, this was the point where, rather than thinking about my carelessness, I should be praising the amazing n that the enemy executed.

    Yeah... that guide was someone with amazing resourcefulness or foresight. To think that they would be able to ruin the mapping that I had been undertaking until now.

    "Anyways, shall we get going?"

    "Oi, aren¡¯t you at least going to bother making an excuse?"

    "Don¡¯t worry about the small details. Let¡¯s just get out of the trap first. Even though it¡¯s just single digit damage, our HP is being shaved away by a single digit¡¯s worth."

    "You still have that same old irresponsible and sloppy personality..."

    <i>Aaaa, aaaa, I hear nothing.</i>

    <i></i>

    People became mature by continuously making mistakes. There was no reason for one mistake to hold you back.

    We crossed the bridge and got out of the electric current trap. We then decided to go forward for now.

    In the end, we were met with nothing but a dead end.

    Although we had already predicted it, it turned out the path we were taking was actually a wrong route.

    "Can¡¯t be helped, let¡¯s turn back."

    "Why don¡¯t we just go on a rampage inside the castle? They mighte out and meet us instead."

    "Let¡¯s leave that as our final resort. It shouldn¡¯t be that much of a problem to look around a bit more."

    After chit-chatting for a bit, we returned back to the bridge and got back to the prior path after having the current run through us once again.

    Although it was not painful, I wondered if we could do something about my hair being messed up a little from the running current.

    Using my fingers as ab, I ran them through andbed my hair all the while we were going back to the previous paths.

    When we got there, there was an appearance of a female demon looking exasperated.

    She had wavy brown-coloured hair and wore a in-looking grey robe. She was also of a higher level than most other demons. Needless to say, she was not enough to be B¡¯s or my enemy.

    "... I¡¯ve been told already, but... what a monster you guys are. Toe and go across the electric current trap as if it¡¯s the most natural thing in the world... that thing has the same power as live lightning, you know...?"

    "And you are?"

    "I am one of the Seven Luminaries, Saturnus of the [Earth]. I have no hostile intentions. To begin with, it wouldn¡¯t even be a battle. I have been ordered by the Demon King-sama to guide the two of you to him."

    Ahh, I see. The Seven Luminaries, huh.

    No wonder her level was slightly higher than the others.

    Anyways, since she was offering to guide us, we might as well ept the offer. I decided to let her guide us without objection.

    When I turned to look at B to see what she thought, she nodded, suggesting that she was of the same mind.

    "Appreciate it. We¡¯ll be relying on you."

    "... Are you not going to doubt me? It might turn out to be a trap, you know?"

    "If it turns out to be a trap, at that time, it¡¯ll result in nothing more than you dying."

    B replied in such a way, but in truth, it was not as if I waspletely incautious.

    Even at this very moment in time, I had one of the ranger ss¡¯s skills [Trap Search Level 1] activated.[6]

    When this skill was activated, at set intervals, the user¡¯s SP would be consumed. In exchange, the skill would detect traps for the user. This skill could go as high as level 5 and naturally, the higher the level of the skill, the more intricate of a trap that it would be able to detect and the worse the SP consumption became.

    The skill that I had activated, [Trap Search Level 1], had the effect of detecting only "traps which would result in instant death". As a result, the user would be assaulted by other traps one after another.

    In games, as long as the yer did not die, everything else was as good as irrelevant. After all, if a yer did not die, they could recover one way or another and all would be well.

    As such, the skill was only activated up to level one to reduce the consumption of resources, whilst progressing forward without a care in the world regardless of how many traps they were to end up triggering. This was the basic strategy of high-level yers for conquering dungeons.

    In truth, when the yers reached a high level, it would be much faster and far more efficient to purposefully trigger the traps rather than bother with disarming every single trap that they came across.

    The higher the level of the individual, the higher the level of search skill they would be able to use. Yet, as the individual¡¯s level beame higher, the more they would not require the search skill. It was a horribly bnced scenario.

    After walking around the castle for a while, we came to stand before a steel gate giving off an enormous amount of presence.

    Correction... rather than the door, it was from the individual which was on the other side of the gate.

    "Now, please enter."

    Saturnus said so and then slowly opened the gate.

    __

    (Author note)

    Ruphas will be allowed through. Bnash will also be allowed through.

    Logic will not be allowed through.

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] "". Bad trantion and ignorance at its finest. Kaminari is lightning. Lightning is the actual electrostatic discharge. Thunder is just the sound... Forcibly matching the titles is fine, but man... sometimes these little things irks me. My pet peeves.

    [2] Tofu (aka bean curd) is a super soft food made out of soy milk. Honestly, I never even knew that tofu was called bean curd in English until I opened the Wikipedia page... If you don¡¯t know what it is err... think of it like a slightly dried jelly.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu".

    [3] One Piece? Fairy Tail? There¡¯s so many series that I don¡¯t know which one specifically.

    [4] Trap Search Level 1 (¥È¥é¥Ã¥×¥µ©`¥ÁLv£±)

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_760" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-760" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-760" ss="wp-caption-text">Illustration from light novel ¨C V1 to V6 now on sale, I think it¡¯s a picture from the previous volume, but it¡¯s in my V7 batch so... here it is.</figcaption></figure>

    __

 Chapter 153

    Chapter 153 - The Laws Of Physics Is Storing Energy![1]

    Raw link: (2017/01/22)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2020/02/11)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2020/03/28)

    Editor 2: Keii (2020/04/02)

    Trantion link:

    __

    Notice 1: For those that haven¡¯t noticed it, the release schedule is posted on the side of the page/on discord. Dates are just ETA and not fixed. The schedule may also change without notice, but it¡¯s a good indication of when the chapter will arrive.

    Notice 2: Illustrations up on the discord. Assign yourself the required role.

    __

    (Author note)

    Trap Search Level 0: Acquired from the start. It is able to detect rtively weak traps. Extremely low SP consumption.

    Trap Search Level 1: Can be acquired at level 5. It is "only" able to detect instant death traps with a high detection rate. Low SP consumption. Even though you acquire this skill early in the game, there is no use for it at that point in the game.

    Trap Search Level 2: Finally a skill which is practical. Can be acquired at level 15. The effect of the skill is dependent on the user¡¯s stats. It is able to detect a majority of the traps but the detection rate is quite low. If a ranger has not at least learnt this skill, then they are not even worth talking about. Low SP consumption.

    Trap Search Level 3: Stronger version of level 2. The effects are enhanced. Can be acquired at level 30. Moderate SP consumption.

    Trap Search Level 4: Stronger version of level 3. The effects are enhanced. Can be acquired at level 50. High SP consumption. For someone like Ruphas or Phecda, this version is more than enough. Although it is not impossible for the skill to fail to detect a trap, the possibility of that happening is lower than winning a division one jackpot from a lottery.

    Trap Search Level 5: Stronger version of level 4. The effects are enhanced. Can be acquired at level 100. High SP consumption. At this point, unless the user¡¯s stats are extremely low, it will not fail to detect a trap.

    Trap Master: Able to detect all traps. Sess in detecting a trap is guaranteed regardless of the user¡¯s stats. Because the SP consumption rate is so high, only absurdly strong individuals are able to use it. On the other hand, if they are absurdly strong individuals, level four or five would be enough. They would not fail to detect a trap at that point. Can be acquired at level 200. It is a wasteful skill.

    Phecda: "Trap Master activated! I can see through any trap with this skill! Oh, there¡¯s a poison arrow trap right there. I¡¯m going to disarm it, so please wait for a bi-"

    Ruphas: "Too bothersome." > Progresses forward.

    Trap activated > The effect of the poison is nullified due to equipment, 1 damage suffered.

    Ruphas: "Right, let¡¯s keep going."

    Phecda: "..."

    (Author note end)

    __

    After being guided by the one who represented Earth within the Seven Luminaries, we arrived at a room which was spacious enough to be able to amodate around a hundred people.

    Looking around from the entrance, there was a throne. The Demon King was sitting on it, looking the exact same as thest time I had seen him.

    After noticing our intrusion into the room, he raised his head to look towards us then spoke to Saturnus.

    "You did well. You may fall back."

    "Understood."

    After being told to do so by the Demon King, Saturnus hurriedly left the room.

    What confidence he had, not keeping any guards with him.

    Although... I supposed it was possible that he knew there was no meaning in keeping a guard with him. However, even if that were the case, since he would be dealing with the two of us by himself, it would not be wrong to conclude that he possessed quite a bit of confidence.

    Once the Demon King saw us, he smiled faintly and then slowly stood up.

    He then moved the table which was at the corner of the room to the centre, then sat on the apanying chair.

    "Are you not going to sit on the throne?"

    "That¡¯s just there so I can maintain my majesty when my subordinatese into the room. I mean, there¡¯s no way I would ordinarily be sitting there all the time when it¡¯s my own room."

    <i>He does have a point there.</i>

    <i>Well, but, at least in that case, sit on your throne when you¡¯re having an audience with a guest. Why is the throne even in your personal room anyways?</i>

    In any event, B and I also sat down on a chair and faced the Demon King.

    Well, the whole situation was truly surreal. After all, we were sitting on improvised chairs looking at each other whilst ignoring the throne in thest boss¡¯s personal room.

    "I believe I¡¯m already aware of why the two of you are here. You must be looking for Dina, am I right?"

    "Since you know that name, it would mean that..."

    "Yes, I already knew about her background from the very beginning. Including her goal."

    He had just casually said something outrageous, but it was something that was predictable if one thought about it a little.

    To begin with, since she was pulling the strings so tantly in front of the Demon King¡¯s eyes and under his nose, there was no way he could not have noticed anything.

    Furthermore, if one were to consider that he had not made a single attempt to rebuke her, it would mean that he was acting in concert with her as her aplice.

    Of course, it was not impossible that the Demon King was simply blind and oblivious, but that line of thought could no longer be considered an option now.

    "I see. In that case, it would mean that you were also aware of the fact that she was the Goddess¡¯s avatar?"

    "That¡¯s right."

    "Does that mean you are on the Goddess¡¯s side?"

    The farces that were the heroic tales had urred countless times in this world in the past.

    And the main characters who had enlivened all of that were said to be Pollux and this guy.

    Pollux acted the role of the righteous and led the heroes around. This guy acted the role of the viin and fought with the heroes.

    He would pretend to be defeated andnd a fatal hit on the hero, creating a scene where the world would appear to be saved by the beautiful and noble sacrifice of the hero. Then, once everyone forgot about what had happened, he would once again appear as if he knew nothing of history and terrorised the world whilst adopting a different name.

    I see, truly a farce. It was nothing but a badly written y authored by a child.

    However, one of the actors who was enacting the scene felt disgusted by this farce from the bottom of her heart and left the Goddess¡¯s side.

    So what about this guy? Was he still on the Goddess¡¯s side? Or did he feel equally disgusted by the y just like Pollux?

    ... Well, the answer did not even require me to ask about it.

    "Is that what you think?"

    "No, not at all."

    In response to the Demon King¡¯s sarcastic remark, I answered back honestly.

    Exactly, I was aware that he had long estranged himself from the Goddess.

    If that was not the case, he would never have disclosed such disadvantageous information about the Goddess to me.

    What I could not understand was why he had left Dina, who was the Goddess¡¯s avatar, alone to her own devices.

    At that time... when he was about to inform me of the information, the one to hinder him was Dina.[2]

    As such, it was only natural to conclude that Dina was on the Goddess¡¯s side. Yet, he did not rebuke her even in rtion to that matter.

    After all, even after that incident, he had left Venus alone.

    Those were the points which were iprehensible to me.

    Furthermore, even now, I was still unable to ascertain what his goals were.

    "Do you mind me asking? The reason as to why you left the Goddess¡¯s side?"

    "I don¡¯t particrly have a special reason. I just simply got bored of it."

    The Demon King rested his chin on his hand and smiled as he narrowed his eyes.

    "I simply got bored with having to purposefully lose ording to a predetermined arrangement, even though I have sufficient power to conquer the world. Would you not say that it¡¯s only natural for a person to want to move the scenario with their own hands every once in a while? I merely gave priority to my urge to rule the world... that¡¯s all."

    "...... Is that really how it is?"

    "That¡¯s right. There¡¯s no other reason."

    Heughed out loud daringly. The appearance of him oozing with his own desire at that point was truly befitting the king of demons who stood as the enemy of all humanoids.

    <i></i>

    <i>But I wonder why. I really don¡¯t believe that¡¯s his true reason.</i>

    <i>If anything, to me, he¡¯s like a clown who¡¯s acting to hide his true thoughts.</i>

    <i>I still don¡¯t know what that true reason is, but... I feel like he¡¯s trying to protect something or someone.</i>

    <i>That¡¯s what my intuition is saying.</i>

    <i>The thing that he might be trying to protect... even at the cost of having to go against the Goddess... The underlying reason behind why he wanted to avoid the loss as prearranged by the script.</i>

    <i>Could it be...?</i>

    "By the way, that boy called Terra. You¡¯ve got a pretty exceptional son, eh?"

    "A son of a demon. A phenomenon which shouldn¡¯t have existed. I¡¯m truly embarrassed."[3]

    I directed the topic towards Terra to test the waters, however, there was no change in the Demon King¡¯s expression.

    At the very least, it seemed that something of this degree was not enough to shake him.

    Whilst I observed him very carefully, I spoke as if I was interested in all of this.

    "Your eyes seem a lot clearer than thest time I met you. Looks like you¡¯ve regained a lot more of yourself."

    "Thanks in part. Well, thanks to this one, B, poking me a little, I woke up."

    "But notpletely."

    "You¡¯re exactly right."

    The fact that I can still perceive myself as me (ore).

    That was the absolute indication that Ruphas Mafahl had not resurrected.

    Even at this point, I was still yet to be able to disy half of the power that I had in my prime.

    Having said that, I did not feel like I would lose to most of the enemies.

    At this very moment, the only possible individuals that I might lose to were B, the five ouroboroses, the Goddess, and the Demon King who was right in front of me.

    "I¡¯ll look forward to the time we fight in the future."

    "Is there really a need for us to fight?"

    "Of course. I¡¯m going to say this now, but you shouldn¡¯t think of the enemy¡¯s enemy as your ally. It¡¯s true that I¡¯ve rebelled against the Goddess. But I haven¡¯t capitted to you. ... The world doesn¡¯t need two overlords. From the moment that you and I both strive to reign supreme, we were fated to fight with each other for the dominance of the world."

    <i>The dominance of the world, huh.</i>

    <i>Even though you say that, the progression in your conquest is nothing but sloppy.</i>

    If he had been serious, the area of his dominance would already have been muchrger. And depending on how things had turned out, he and B could have directly confronted one another and one of them should already be dead.

    Considering that things had not turned out that way, it suggested that he had not gotten serious. With that as the basis, I could not help but think that he had some other goal in mind.

    As if prolonging the process itself was his goal... I could not help but think in that way.

    "If that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t we just finish everything up right here and now? If you want, I will be your opponent, hmm?"

    B, who had not been participating in the conversation and had only been watching over us, cut in from the side and prompted.

    At the same time, the atmosphere inside the room intensified and cracks started running in the window sses.

    In response to this, whilst the Demon King did not change his posture, it was apparent that he had also heightened his battle spirit.

    An ordinary person would have had difficulty breathing just by being around us.

    "I received a message for you from Dina."

    In that stiff and dense atmosphere, the Demon King shifted the topic of the conversation seemingly in a purposeful manner.

    He was most likely suggesting that he did not have the intention to fight yet.

    In a practical sense, if he were to engage in battle right now, he would have to fight both B and I, so it was very unlikely for him to win.

    It could be said that it was wise of him to try and avoid the battle.

    Additionally, I was sure that B would also not wish to win via a two-on-one setup. After the Demon King failed to y along with her provocation, she retracted her hostility after looking disappointed and bored.

    "She said, ¡¯I will be waiting for you at the very first location where we met, that is within mydy¡¯s memory.¡¯"

    "The very first location we met, did you say?"

    In response to receiving her message for me, I unwittingly questioned him.

    I remembered the location where we first met. It was at the Mafahl Tower.

    That was where I met Dina and that was when everything began.

    However, we had already searched the Mafahl Tower, yet she was not there.

    Then where? Where exactly was Dina talking about?

    Unable to figure it out, I could only remain silent.

    "...... I see. Thanks for the hospitality."

    It seemed Dina was not here.

    Nevertheless, we had certainly obtained a hint.

    The location at which we met for the very first time, that was within my memory, huh.

    I did not even have a shred of a clue as to the answer, but it would all be fine if I took this into consideration from now on.

    And for this particr matter, I could not rely on someone else¡¯s knowledge.

    After all, the answer was only within my memory.

    "Are we going now?"

    "Yeah. Based on the fact that she left a clue, it seems that she¡¯s unexpectedly someone that doesn¡¯t like being lonely."

    It was a message from Dina. Even though she was hiding away herself, she was telling us to quickly find her.

    It was just as if she was a child who was ying a game of hide-and-seek, and even though she was very good at hiding, she wanted people to quickly find her.

    Thinking in such a way, I felt that the whole situation was a little weird.

    As expected, it seemed that even though I was being led around, my inner disposition was unable to hate her.

    "I see. The next time we meet will probably be after everything has been brought out into the open."

    "Probably."

    The Demon King smiled as if he was in a smilingpetition. Simrly, I smiled back in order to match his expression.

    The next time we meet, I was sure it would not be this heart-warming.

    In all likelihood, the next time we met, there would be a battle.

    Both the Demon King and I understood that. But that was exactly why we were smiling right now.

    "Well, see youter. Orm."

    "Yeah,ter, Ruphas."

    After saying that, I stood up from the chair and B followed suit.

    By the looks of it, she was considerably bored, as she was showing an expression which seemed relieved that it was finally over.

    Once we returned to the entrance of the castle, the warriors which were guarding the gate opened the way for us by splitting away to the sides whilst trembling in fear. Subsequently, we opened the gate in the same way that we previously did and left.

    "So do you have somece in mind?"

    "For now, let¡¯s try going back to Mafahl Tower. Maybe we missed something there."

    After being asked by B, even whilst feeling that we would draw the wrong straw, I suggested the name of a location that we had already searched once.

    In practice, I simply could not recall any other location which would qualify as the location where I first met Dina.

    The very first thing that I saw when I got to this world was the throne of Laevateinn. However, Dina was not at that location.

    After that, I took flight for the first time and went to the tower. That was where I first met her.

    <i>Yeah, however much I rewind and think about it, our first meeting was at Mafahl Tower. There¡¯s no other ce.</i>

    <i>It would be nice if there¡¯s another hint lying around somewhere...</i>

    I set the destination of <i>Argo</i> as Mafahl Tower and we returned to the domains of the humanoids once again.

    *

    "Around this time, Ruphas-sama is probably searching the Mafahl Tower."

    With fluttering blue-hair, a young girl - Dina muttered to herself with a warm smile.

    Every time she walked, the people in the surroundings took a moment and unwittingly turned back to look at her.

    Although part of the reason was due to her beauty, the biggest reason was the colour of her hair.

    The hair colour for 90% of people on the street was ck. There were the asional individuals who had dyed their hair brown or blond, but nevertheless, the real colour of their hair was still all ck. There was not a single human being who had natural blue hair like Dina.

    To begin with, it was simply impossible to get natural blue hair as there was no gic makeup for it. Undermon sense, blue hair was something which did not exist outside of cosy.

    Yet she continued to walk whilst disregarding everyone¡¯s line of sight being drawn to her and recalled a time from 200 years ago.

    At that time, she was still a doll. Without possessing an ego of her own, she believed that she was a clone and a personification of the Goddess who walked the grounds of the world.

    She believed that the name Dina was nothing more than a name given to her by her parents who were "used" in the process of creating an avatar and that her real name was Alovenus.

    In truth, she was a bona fide avatar of the Goddess and even inherited the Goddess¡¯s memories and personality.

    As such, it was not wrong to think in that way. As such, she did not perceive or recognise herself as herself.

    The time that it all came crumbling down was 200 years ago. To be specific, it was 201 years ago.

    One year prior to when the Seven Heroes¡¯ betrayal took ce. That was the moment she perceived and recognised herself as herself. That was the time when she was truly born into this world.

    And at this moment, without a doubt, she was moving ording to her own will.

    She deviated from the Goddess¡¯s scenario based on her will, but only to the extent where she would absolutely not be noticed by the Goddess.

    As for what exactly her goal was, or who exactly it was for, no one other than her knew.

    Was it perhaps for the sake of Ruphas? Was it perhaps for the sake of the Goddess? Or perhaps neither of them but for her own benefit? Again, no one knew.

    Boxes of steel ran on maintained roads. Shops which disyed and adorned various signs were clustered together.

    High-rise buildings, which stood tall into the sky as if they were trying to reach the heavens, were lined up next to each other.

    A young girl walked down the middle of the street in Japan which was packed with students and srymen heading to work - hustling into the crowd until, eventually, she could no longer be found.

    __

    (Author note)

    Earth: "Please, mercy... I... am not like Midgard and thews of physics are properly doing their jobs... Thews of physics are going to perish just by the act of you guys walking, so seriously, please don¡¯t..."

    Laws of Physics: "- Is it my turn!?"

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] "". When you use that skill and you take 2 turns taking damage.

    [2] Recall chapter 45 when the Demon King was telling Ruphas something important and she dropped an Evening Star on him.

    [3] Recall that demons are created out of arcane magic and not born. So the Demon King is saying that the concept of "son" is something that shouldn¡¯t have existed in the first ce. Footnote is here because I butchered this and thest line is so hard that it doesn¡¯t mean that way anymore...

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_736" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-736" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-736" ss="wp-caption-text">Illustration Volume 7 Light Novel Cover</figcaption></figure>

    __

 Chapter 154

    Chapter 154 - Ruphas Used Teleport![1]

    Raw link: (2017/01/28)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2020/02/14)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2020/03/31)

    Editor 2: Keii (2020/04/07)

    Trantion link:

    __

    TLN: Apologies for the low-quality trantion. This chapter¡¯s "exnations/analogies" were a little difficult to trante and I took forever trying to figure out how to word it. Hopefully, it still makes sense and I didn¡¯t butcher it too much. As we are almost at the climax of the main storyline, the seemingly "useless information" in this chapter is actually quite important, so please let me know if it doesn¡¯t make sense.

    __

    __

    <i>What should I do? I can¡¯t find any clues whatsoever.</i>

    We searched every nook and cranny of Mafahl Tower, however, we spectacrly found nothing.

    I thought that there would at least be a single note left somewhere, but there really was absolutely nothing.

    Now that it had gotten to this, I really had no clue. Without a doubt, the first location where I had met Dina was here.

    <i></i>

    <i>So if there¡¯s nothing in this ce, where am I supposed to look?</i>

    "Oi, Mafahl. Are you sure you don¡¯t have any ideas?"

    "Unfortunately, I really don¡¯t. What a problem it¡¯s turned out to be."

    "I¡¯m not sure about the details, but, isn¡¯t that one called Dina supposed to be the Goddess¡¯s avatar? In that case, couldn¡¯t she have used some kind of memory maniption technique to convey and leave a message that only you could understand? If that wasn¡¯t the case, she wouldn¡¯t have specifically added ¡¯that is within your memory¡¯."

    "Hmm, even if you tell me that..."

    B suggested a consideration on the matter, however, I really did not know what I did not know.

    Even if I was told that it was within my memory, the very first location that I could recall where I met Dina was, without a doubt, the very ce that we were in.

    If I were to go back any further in time, I would no longer be Ruphas, but be "me" (ore).

    I first saw the figure of Alovenus in the game on my screen, then I was led to this world, and...

    "Oh."

    A voice leaked out of me without me meaning to.

    <i>Wait, hang on. Just wait a minute...!? That¡¯s right. The very first location where I met Dina wasn¡¯t in this world.</i>

    It was in the other world... It was on Earth, in Japan. In "my" (ore) own room before I became Ruphas. Right in front of myputer¡¯s screen.

    At that time, I set Dina as an object within the Mafahl Tower.

    Was that what she meant? In other words, that she was not in Midgard, but on the Earth?

    If that was truly the case, indeed, it would absolutely be a location where no one other than me would notice.

    "Sorry, I just thought of one."

    "Hou? Where is it?"

    "It¡¯s in another world."

    "Huh?"

    There was an expression that said "What the hell is she saying?" written all over B¡¯s face. Furthermore, even on my own end, I did not say it with much conviction.

    Nheless, factoring in that we could not find her anywhere even after thoroughly searching the Mafahl Tower, that was the only ce I could think of.

    Exactly, Dina had to be on Earth. She was in Japan and... in all likelihood, at the house that "I" (ore) was previously living in. Even if she was not there specifically, she should be somewhere nearby.

    Additionally, I also had a method of reaching that ce.

    If I used X-Gate, it should be possible to bypass the space-time continuum and pass over to the other side. In reality, the young boy Sei had already been summoned here through that method.

    If anything, perhaps I should have done this sooner.

    Even if just to investigate my background from the roots, I should have crossed over to the other side at least once.[2]

    And the reason behind why I had not done that yet could probably be attributed to the fact that I myself had not wanted to unveil the truth.

    In all likelihood, I was fearful of learning the truth more than anyone else.

    "There¡¯s another world independent of this world that is called ¡¯Earth¡¯. If Dina were to be somewhere, that¡¯s most likely where she is."

    "Another world, huh... Good, this sounds fairly interesting. There might be some individuals with decent backbones over there."

    "No, there isn¡¯t. I¡¯m begging you not to go berserk over there."

    Bughed belligerently as if she was ready for a fight, but I remonstrated her.

    Although I did feel bad for her, there was absolutely no one in the other world who would be able to fight against B.

    The physical capabilities of the people on Earth were shockingly frail. It was because they had evolved and adapted to living in a progressively advanced civilization with convenient lifestyles.

    You might have often heard this line before. That, if one were topare a human being of the past and a human being from modern times, it would give rise to a difference in strength and stamina.

    People now lived infortable living spaces where one could adjust the room temperature. Their modes of transportation were bicycles, buses and trains. Not only that, it was not even rare for there to be people who did not leave their houses all day long unless they suddenly gained the motivation to exercise. These were the signs of peace and prosperity made possible only because Earth had advanced beyond Midgard.

    Even the greatest nation in the world, America, which boasted the strongest military force was more famous for asserting ridiculous things such as "Pizzas are vegetables!" and undergoing an obesity crisis.

    As such, it was only natural that the physical capabilities of the people on Earth had dropped to a deplorable state. They were simply iparable to the people in Midgard. Even when human warriors werepared to each other, the modern counterparts fell short of the warriors of the past.

    Also, pizzas are not vegetables.[3]

    Although this was purely my spection, even the so-called world champion in that world would not surpass level 5 in this world.

    From what I¡¯ve heard in the past, the bones of human beings on Earth were structured in such a way that it would be impossible for them to lift anything weighing over 500 kg.

    In contrast, this world was just a mess. As long as an individual raised their level, they would be able to lift anything regardless of the weight.

    Whilst I had never exerted my full strength, at the very least, I had enough arm strength to throw the Dragon King away with a single hand, so I was substantially weird myself.

    The misgiving in all of this was most likely thews of physics.

    In Midgard, perhaps because the Goddess fired thews of the physics-san or whatever, it was not doing its job at all.

    Even if B or I were to go at a speed fast enough top around Midgard in a single second, everything would most likely remain fine. However, if such a thing were to be attempted on Earth, there would no doubt be a major catastrophe. In the worst-case scenario, that alone would be enough to erase all life on Earth.

    Once we crossed over to that world, battles had to be absolutely avoided. For argument¡¯s sake, even if we were to engage in a battle, if we did not substantially hold back, it would result in an extremely bad situation.

    Although this exposition had gotten quite long, in summary, if B were to rampage in that world, Earth would be in danger.

    In the worst-case scenario, let alone Earth, that whole universe would be in danger.

    "I¡¯m going to ask just in case, but are you nning toe along?"

    "That¡¯s my intention."

    "In that case, I¡¯m going to request that you stay calm and collected. And whatever you do, don¡¯t move around as you do in Midgard, even if it¡¯s by mistake."

    "What do you mean?"

    I had knowledge about both worlds. As such, I could understand how dangerous and horrible of an idea it would be for us to move around with all our might.

    On the other hand, B only had knowledge of this world. In other words, hermon sense told her that the world would still be perfectly fine even if she ran around seriously.

    If I did not revise her understanding of that first, I would be too fearful to take her over to the other side.

    As such, I casually activated one of the grappler¡¯s skills, [Shine Blow], and fired it in a random direction at that moment.[4]

    This skill was one of the avable skills that had an absolute uracy effect. Just as the name of the skill would suggest, the fist was struck out at light speed, thereby giving no room for the enemy to avoid the attack and allowing the user to absolutely hit the enemy.

    Furthermore, the speed of light was not absolute, but instead rtive. For example, if I were topress time and use the skill in a world where the speed of light was about 10%, Shine Blow would be activated at "the speed of light as I perceived it". In other words, the fist would be thrown at a speed far faster than the actual speed of light.

    From that random shot that I had fired, the ground in front of me got scraped away to the horizon as if it was scooped up by a spoon, but that was all there was to it. The world itself around us was still perfectly fine.

    "Putting things simply, if an attack like that was fired on the other side, the world would perish."

    "... Well, I mean, if you punched the with all your might, I suppose it¡¯d end up like that."

    "That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying. It doesn¡¯t matter where you shoot it, a person will... or more like, the moment anything with sufficient mass passes the speed of light, it¡¯ll all be over. Sure, the part about shockwaves being created due to something moving is also the same in this world, but the scale at which it happens ispletely different. Let alone the speed of light, you have to understand that just by passing the speed of sound, there could be a major disaster. Furthermore, there¡¯s a theory that not only the but the whole universe could perish if something were to travel faster than the speed of light. Although I¡¯m not too sure about the details."

    "...... How fragile can that world be? What is even up with the world perishing from a punch that doesn¡¯t even hit?"

    Although Bnash replied as such whilst sounding exasperated, the one which was strange was not the other side but the world that we were in.

    It was only because the world we were in was so nonsensical that people like me and B were able to fight to our fullest extent.

    Should that not have been the case, we would most likely have had to seal our own powers which had be overly powerful.

    If anything, the part which we needed to pay attention to was making sure that we did not unintentionally kill off the people living in that world.

    Without iting across as some kind of a joke, the people in that world could very well end up dead just from our shoulders bumping into them...

    For the human beings in that world, B and I were like a certain plumber with a red hat with an invincible star buff whichsted for an indefinite amount of time.[5]

    "So yeah, as insurance, I need you to wear this. I¡¯ll also put the same thing on."

    I activated X-Gate and connected it to Mafahl Tower. I then took out two bracelets, throwing one to B and putting the other one on my arm.[6]

    It was a limited equipment called [Infinity], which was distributed only to yers who had participated in a special event.

    It was a broken piece of equipment whereby the effect of the item was to make all the skills used by the wearer cost only 1 SP. Although it would not be infinite uses, since the skills cost practically nothing, the wearer became able to use skills for effectively no cost, thereby allowing them to fire skills off continuously.

    However, the corresponding demerit was quite detrimental. When the bracelet was equipped, every status was reduced to 10% of the original value.

    As a consequence, the practical use of the bracelet in actualbat was low. The only usage of this bracelet was to equip it during preparation for a battle to spam-cast skills and buffs then change equipment right before the actualbat began.

    However, rather than taking such troublesome steps, as it was faster to use skills normally and recover by using items, there was no practical use for the bracelet unless the individual wanted to save items.

    In either event, our status was now down to triple digits. If it was now, perhaps even the Seven Luminaries would be able to put up a good fight.

    "Also... let¡¯s match our clothing to what¡¯s on the other side as well."

    Our current appearances would be equivalent to cosying if we went to the other side now.

    As was the case, it was probably better that I crafted some clothing which would match the people on the other side.

    B and I returned to the <i>Argo</i> and got changed after I crafted a new set of clothing.

    Although it was a bit painful to have to lose the beneficial effects of the equipment that we were currently wearing, as expected, it would be problematic to be wandering around the middle of a Japanese city in a fancy dress.

    Even the clothing that I had received from Megrez gave off a fantasy design, therefore, it was not very suitable for the other side.

    On this specific point, the dress shirt and skirt that B was wearing might have possibly been viable for use, however, I decided to have her change just in case.

    "Well, yeah, I guess this should be fine."

    "These clothes have quite a weird design, huh?"

    Looking at my own reflection in the mirror, I was feeling satisfied now that I looked like the people on the other side.

    My getup consisted of a red hoodie and a pair of jeans. By the way, the hoodie that I was wearing was the type with a pocket in the front.

    <i>Don¡¯t say that it looksme. It¡¯s themeness that makes it good.</i>

    Additionally, it was nice for moving around casually. Or rather, the dress that I was usually wearing was just too hard to move around in.

    Due to the beneficial effect that it gave and its durability, I still wore it. However, with that dress on, it was really hard to use a kicking technique.

    My hair was tied up in a ponytail and I no longer wore a fake pair of sses. After all, I doubted that there was anyone who knew my face on that side.

    B did not look very different from how she usually looked with a white dress shirt and a ck skirt. She now wore tights underneath the skirt.

    Well, she nonchntly kicked around even with a short skirt on, after all... it was something that I needed to worry about, you know?

    Andstly, on top, she wore a long ck coat. That was the summary of her getup.

    "Now then, shall we begin?"

    I got up onto the deck of the <i>Argo</i> and gathered arcane power in my right hand and divine power in my left hand.

    I then mashed the two powers together to make them repel each other. The resulting reaction bore a hole in the space-time continuum.

    And lo and behold, in front of me, an X-Gate big enough to allow people to pass through waspleted.

    Typically, we would use this skill to go from one ce to another within Midgard, but this time would be different.

    Deeper and deeper, a hole was dug into the world known as Midgard... no, a hole was opened in the very universe itself and eventually broke through the world itself.

    It was on the other side of apletely separate universe. That was where the Earth existed.

    There was no need to figure out the coordinates. After all, the ce where this Midgard existed was also the Sr System.

    There was the Sun, the Moon, the Venus, the Mars and others.

    In other words... it had the same coordinates.

    The Earth existed in exactly the same ce as Midgard.

    If I were to be more specific, I should say, it was on the opposite side of Midgard.

    I did not know which side was heads and which side was tails, but long story short, the Earth could be reached as long as I could cross over the universe.

    And the reason behind why I knew about all of this information, which I normally should not have been aware of... was most likely because she had left this information in me.

    "Let¡¯s go, B."

    I stuck my hand out to B and she stared at it in puzzlement.

    "... What¡¯s that hand for?"

    "Doesn¡¯t matter, just take it. X-Gate requires the consent of the other party. If you reject the transfer halfway through, you¡¯ll end up in a boundary between the two worlds. So if you reject it at this point, I¡¯ll judge that it¡¯s impossible to take you along, and I¡¯ll go alone."

    "............"

    B ced her hand on top of mine whilst looking reluctant to do so, and then quickly turned her head away.

    <i>Do you really hate holding hands with me that much?</i>

    Well, whatever, I was not going to mention anything at this point. I mean, after all, she was someone who was originally hostile towards me, so if anything, her taking my hand must mean that she was trying to be amicable with me.

    Whilst being sent off by the <i>Argo</i>¡¯s crew who were telling us to take care, I pulled B¡¯s hand along and leapt into the X-Gate, heading to the opposite side of the world.

    We travelled far, far deeper than we would ordinarily ever have gone.

    By travelling in the boundary of space that one would never be able to reach by physical means, we were able to experience the existence of arcane power and divine power which overflowed the world in a way that would not be possible otherwise.

    In all likelihood, in an originally empty space, arcane power overflowed to materialise substances. Those substances were then likely enhanced by divine power, turning into real tangible objects.

    It was a godly technique of "creating something from nothing" through the act ofbining arcane power and divine power in a way that was impossible for us to achieve.[7]

    <i>I see. So it turns out arcane power and divine power are actually the same form of power.</i>

    It was nothing more than dividing the power of creation into plus and minus. It was said throughout Midgard that arcane power was the power to materialise something that did not exist and divine power was the power to enhance something that already existed. But the truth was different.

    It turned out arcane power was the power to create something from nothing and divine power was the power to strengthen that something so that it would remain as that something permanently.

    Midgard wasposed and held together by those two powers. That was why, when one forcibly mashed the divine and arcane power together, it would repel the power which held the world together in that specific area, causing a hole to form.

    As a simple exnation, it was something like overwriting data which already existed. If there was data which already existed in that ce and the exact same data was brought on top of it, the data would be overwritten.

    At the moment the overwriting happened, the previous data would be squashed by the new data and disappear.

    Needless to say, although the new data would take root in that location, at the very moment the process took ce, there was a temporary state where nothing existed.[8]

    So in summary, X-Gate was something like overwriting a part of the world and utilising a nk state which was given birth until the moment the overwriting waspleted to create a shortcut.

    In other words, the world that we were inhabiting until now... correction, the whole universe itself was Alovenus¡¯s arcane magic.

    What I could not understand was why the living creatures within it were also not created by her arcane magic.

    Although the whole world itself was made out of her arcane magic, the people living within it were substantive. Needless to say, we were also not given birth by arcane magic.

    After all, if that was not the case, I would have long been erased by her.

    Of course, I was under the influence of mana and had even been mutated due to it... but we were still different from the demon race.

    In other words, it meant that Alovenus created a world through her arcane and divine magic and allowed real living creatures with actual substance to inhabit it.

    And although this was just my spection, those living creatures were brought over from Earth. That was why there was a strange sense of congruity in the ecosystem between Earth and Midgard to an unnatural extent.

    But why was it like that? Could it possibly be that she did not have the power to create life even though she had sufficient power to even create a universe itself?

    Could it possibly be that she brought over real life from outside because she could only create iplete dolls like the demons?

    "............"

    "What¡¯s wrong, Mafahl?"

    "No, nothing."

    Just then, I was imagining something truly terrifying.

    It was a line of thinking that I hoped would not be correct.

    At the same time, there was a bitter feeling within myself. The more one hated the idea, the more often it came into fruition. And I was most likely spot on.

    <i>- Alovenus... Could it be that she¡¯s actually not the Creation Goddess? Could it be that the truth is just the opposite?</i>

    Whilst thinking like that, I started to break out into a cold sweat.

    __

    (Author note)

    By the way, I will give away one spoiler to answer the question of whether there is another mastermind behind Alovenus who just happens to be the true creator deity. Please rest assured that such ast boss will not just pop out of thin air.

    To the bitter end, the highest-ranked deity of this world is Alovenus. That will not change and there is no stronger character than her. In the truest sense, this shoddy failure of a Goddess is the final antagonist and the strongest character.

    Eh? Are you saying that she doesn¡¯t have the necessary majesty or threat of thest boss, so you would prefer it if another boss that has an actual sort of majesty pops out even if it¡¯s out of thin air?

    It - it¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯ll be fine. Once we enter the final battle, she will properly show us strength worthy of thest boss.

    Her personality and her strength is a mismatch.

    (Author note end)

    Tp: @[email protected] Is that how the quantum state works...? It¡¯s not right? Also, the Evil God was sent flying to Earth from Midgard a few chapters ago. So that means, you can travel from Midgard to Earth through crossing the universe, but it¡¯s at the same coordinates if you use X-Gate? Not to mention the Evil God was sent flying for years but also went back in time? O.o??

    Va: I think you¡¯re thinking too much. The author is probably just making things up by meshing together different theories and hypotheses.

    Many worlds interpretation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Many-worlds_interpretation

    Tachyon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachyon

    ckhole as a wormhole: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ck_hole#Singrity

    __

    [1] "".

    [2] Recall that they are in "a game" or "a novel". Either way, he¡¯s saying he could have returned once to check the source material/what¡¯s happening on the other side.

    [3] ... I feel like the author wrote the whole section of this chapter just to say this line. ^^;;

    "".

    [4] Shine Blow (¥·¥ã¥¤¥ó¥Ö¥í¥¦)

    [5] "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario".

    [6] Keii: Aren¡¯t they at Mafahl Tower right now...?

    [7] Va: It¡¯s also called creatio ex nihilo - "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_nihilo#Creatio_ex_nihilo:_the_creation_of_matter".

    [8] Tp: @[email protected]?? I feel like something is not right here...

    Va: Yeah. -Long exnation: snip-

    __

 Chapter 155

    Chapter 155 - Ruphas Used Pay Day![1]

    Raw link: (2017/01/29)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2020/03/23)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2020//)

    Editor 2: Keii (2020//)

    Trantion link:

    __

    __

    (Author note)

    Laws of Physics-san: "Yeehaw! It¡¯s finally the great me¡¯s turn to shine!"

    Laws of Fantasy: "Well, actually..."

    Laws of Physics-san: "What... why...?"

    Laws of Fantasy: "I came along with Ruphas and B. So they¡¯ll still be able to move around the way they¡¯ve been doing up until now in Midgard, kk?"[2]

    Laws of Physics: "..."

    * It¡¯s simr to the effects of the Lunar Robe from <i>Night Wizard!</i>. They¡¯re bringing thews of their world into another world.[3]

    Q: Does that mean that even if they move at Mach velocity, it¡¯d all be fine?

    A: Ruphas and B would be fine, but for everyone else except for the two of them, thews of physics would still apply. Therefore, there would be a major catastrophe.

    (Author note end)

    __

    "...By the looks of it, it¡¯s checkmate. Seems we were a little too slow in noticing it."

    At the summit of the Mafahl Tower, a woman was sitting on the throne and muttered as if she had gotten tired of it all.

    Her eyes had no glimmer. There was no longer any of the brightness or cheeriness on the face of that girl as she once had as an adventurer when she was still young.

    She had believed that if she continued to kill, kill and kill her enemies, there would one day be peace.

    If it was for the sake of that peace, she would do anything that she needed to. By now, she was long used to being called a devil, a monster or an inhumane person.

    But it seemed she had far underestimated the might of her ownrades.

    By being too overzealous and engrossed with what was in front of her, she failed to take notice of the discontent and unhappiness of the ones who were following behind her.

    The Goddess utilised that very misgiving to her advantage, such that their hatred and loathing for the woman sitting on the throne had gotten to the point of no return.

    Perhaps the only one who was not affected and had not changed was the Vampire Princess alone. In respect of her willpower which was unyielding like steel, the woman sitting down on the throne felt respect from the bottom of her heart. In contrast, it could be said that the other six individuals were not as strong-willed as the Vampire Princess.

    The fact that she was unable to take notice of that difference was perhaps a fault attributable to her on its own.

    What was happening now was an oue resulting from choosing to abandon the thinking process under the guise of a convenient word known as trust.

    The eyes of the ones whom she called friends were now clouded with hatred and loathing. It had gotten to the point where any attempt at persuading them was likely to be rendered futile.

    Although on the surface, they were still being subservient to her, she knew that, behind the scenes, they were steadily preparing for insurrection.

    Furthermore, she had already ascertained and was aware of the fact that more than half of those in her army held the same opinion as them and were gleefully waiting for that to happen.

    "It isn¡¯t a checkmate yet. If it¡¯s you, it should very well be possible topletely turn the tables around and start all over again."

    "Hmm, yeah, it¡¯s possible. But you know, Ophiuchus... even assuming that I end up winning, what would happen then? Who exactly in their right minds do you think would end up following a ruler who massacres her own friends and allies? After all, a ruler who kills over half of her own subordinates is nothing but a tyrant. No one would recognise that individual. On top of that... once I do end up killing a lot of my allies and subordinates, even if I were toe out victorious, there¡¯ll be nothing left in my hands. ... Whether I win or not, I¡¯ll only end up losing everything. From the moment it had gotten to this point, it was my loss."

    The ruler with the ck wings mocked herself andughed cynically.

    She was sneering at herself for her own ipetence.

    Until now, if it was for the sake of world peace, she did not mind beingbelled as an evil ruler.

    She believed it was fine for her enemies to consider her a terrifying ughterer.

    But in the end, she was feared even by her own allies. She was told that she was unworthy to be a ruler. With how things had developed, she was no longer a ruler at all.

    She had be nothing more than a delusional fool who called herself a ruler.

    "At the very least, the Twelve Stars will be left. And myself."

    "You¡¯re right. I guess that¡¯s the only silver lining."

    The ck-winged ruler faintly smiled and chuckled. At that point, she was feeling ever so thankful for her dearest loyal followers who remained under her even in this situation.

    And exactly because of that feeling, she thought that any further battle should note to fruition.

    If she fought seriously, it was not a battle that she would not be able to win. If she really felt like it, it was possible for her to suppress everyone and massacre them all.

    However, heroes would not readily yield while they were roused under the influence of the Goddess. If she was able topletely suppress everyone and everything through the use of Coercion, she would have had an easy time. But the enemy would definitely be expecting Coercion and recognise its threat. Therefore, one could be sure that they would have some kind of countermeasure against it.

    After all, it was not as if there were no skills or techniques which could render Coercion ineffective. Coercion was by no means an unparalleled and undefeatable skill.

    Nevertheless, even if the heroes under the protection of the Goddess all came assaulting her, there was no way she could lose. But among the Twelve Stars... there would most definitely be a fatality.

    For the sake of preventing that from happening, the most optimal solution was for her to promptly leave the stage.

    Alternatively, she could swiftly massacre Alioth and everyone else before the Twelve Stars could be defeated and it would be a problem solved... but she knew that she was unable to put that into practice.

    If she were to do so, it would mean that she was no longer herself but merely an empty shell which had abandoned all emotion and sentiment.

    "... Looks like there¡¯s no other way but to think of ¡¯a way to lose¡¯."

    "A way to lose... did you say?"

    "Yeah. If what the people desire is for me to step down as ruler, then, I shall answer by granting it to them. I will stage the loss and investigate the one who caused all of that to happen in the meantime."

    "That¡¯s..."

    "For you, it will most likely be a painful and audacious road. If you want to defect from me, now is the perfect time, you know?"

    Even if she were to leave, she would not be med.

    The king was hinting this to her. However, in response, the young girl called Ophiuchus merely smiled courageously.

    "No thank you, Ruphas-sama. I have no intention of going back to being a doll. Until I met you, I was nothing more than a doll that didn¡¯t possess an ego of my own... You were the one who turned me into ¡¯me¡¯. In return for that, I¡¯ll fool even the Goddess-sama herself."

    Replying as such - a young blue-haired girl disyed her unwavering loyalty.

    *

    During the very brief instance as I passed between the worlds, a strange memory ran through my head.

    In that memory, I was exchanging a conversation... but I wondered who exactly it was with.

    As if I was having a dream, the face that I saw was very hazy and I was unable to make out who it was.

    It was just that... recalling that blue hair, I could not help but associate it with the woman that I was currently chasing after.

    In any event, it seemed we were able to sessfully cross over to the other world. I was no longer able to feel either arcane or divine power.

    This was a world devoid of any fantasy elements. A world ruled entirely by thews of physics and science.

    Yet, it was a ce far more developed as a civilisation than the fantasy-filled Midgard. There were many high-rise buildings lined up next to each other. In a way, perhaps this was a ce that was more fantasy-like than Midgard.

    In other words - this was Earth. And just now, B and I had set our feet down on thend of Japan.

    "...... So this is another world."

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_742" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-742" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-742" ss="wp-caption-text">Illustration from AWLBA Light Novel Volume 7</figcaption></figure>

    B muttered whilst she looked around the surroundings.

    As to be expected, it seemed that even for her, she could not help but be astonished by the sight of what she was seeing for the first time.

    There were steel boxes that were running on the road. The buildings that were lined up were mostly high-rise buildings.

    In public parks, children were ying without a shred of fear or any threat from magical beasts. Also, as a side note, the air was excessively dirty and polluted.

    It was a strange feeling. After all, even though there were convenient powers such as alchemy and arcane magic, Midgard was still stuck in the Middle Ages. Yet, this world where no such powers existed had progressed to this point.

    The people who were walking on the street stalled, looked in our direction and started whispering to each other discreetly.

    As to be expected, the colour of our hair was quite conspicuous. Well, I supposed we did not look like Japanese people by any means.

    Well, whatever. I guessed that for now, I would check our current position.

    If we just casually loitered down the road, we were bound to find some information signs sooner orter. I would be able to determine where we were from that.

    As for visiting a police box... I wondered what I should do. It would have been fine to consider it as one of our options if the way I spoke was not permanently stuck in a haughty tone.[4]

    Admittedly, seeing a blonde woman using the archaic first-person pronoun of "I (yo)" haughtily in the Japan of this world would be far too strange.

    And to top it off, right now, we were unable to take out and verify our personal identities. As such, in the worst-case scenario, we might get arrested under suspicion of being overstayed illegal foreigners.

    As expected, we should avoid the option of asking for directions at a police box.

    "For now, let¡¯s follow the path down the road. There should be an information sign somewhere."

    "I¡¯m not quite sure what¡¯s happening, but I¡¯ll leave it up to you."

    As I walked down the road, I randomly picked up a rock and tried crushing it.

    There was no difference in grip strength. My physical abilities were the same as when I was in the other world.

    I thought that perhaps it would give rise to a difference in physical capabilities across the worlds, however, it seemed that was not the case.

    In other words, even in this world, I would be able to move faster than the speed of sound and punch faster than the speed of light.

    It would even be possible to reach the moon with a single leap.

    However, if I were to attempt any of that in this world, it would cause major coteral damage on Earth. Therefore, I absolutely could not do it.

    As a precaution, we wore bracelets which greatly restricted our abilities. Notwithstanding that, it would still be more than very easy to annihte a city or two by running at our full strength. So we had to be really mindful.

    As I was thinking such thoughts, B was casually crossing a major road whilst ignoring traffic lights.

    As one could have expected, a truck which wasing down the road was sounding its horn as it closed in on her. Yet, even after seeing that, B showed no indication of attempting to avoid the hit.

    Let alone that, she clenched her fist lightly and...

    "Oi, hold it."

    I quickly grabbed B¡¯s nape and pulled her back.

    Because I greatly held back the speed at which I pulled her, there was no coteral damage to the environment.

    Nevertheless, a few students who coincidentally saw my movement were standing in a daze.

    "Oi, did you see that just now? I¡¯m not imagining things, right?"

    "Huh, ahh, yeah. That blondedy just moved at an unbelievable speed just then..."

    "Or more like, isn¡¯t she too much of a beauty? Could she be an idol?"

    From the looks of things, even the speed that I had just used was far too much.

    Well, whatever. There should not be a problem even if I left it be.

    With only so many of them, it would only end up as a strange happening of the day.

    It could be that some of them would post it on the inte and whilst it might turn into a funny story, I doubted anyone would truly believe it.

    In the meantime, I left the ce all the while holding onto B.

    "Hey, what are you doing?"

    "That¡¯s my line. What were you nning to do?"

    "That golem-like object was buzzing and charging towards me, so I was merely trying to make them realise their ce."

    "That¡¯s not a golem. It¡¯s a vehicle. And you were the one at fault for crossing the street while the traffic lights were red. In this world, there are strict and precise rules in ce to determine whether a person or vehicle should cross the road."

    "Traf-ikhyts?"

    "That thing. The thing that¡¯s giving off three different coloured lights."

    After this conversation, I exined traffic lights, roadways and cars to B. However, it was questionable whether she even understood half of the things that I had said.

    Halfway through, when we were talking about the blue light of the traffic lights, she suddenly said: "That¡¯s not blue but green, isn¡¯t it?" At this point, I was not sure how to reply back to her, but... really, I wondered why it was even called a blue light.[5]

    If I recalled correctly, it was something along the lines of, back in the olden days of Japan, all the colours were expressed through four colours; blue, red, white and ck, so it¡¯s vestiges of that or whatever.

    In any event, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stop monitoring B, huh. I mean, I really didn¡¯t know what she was going to end up doing.

    I was contemting this as we continued to walk down the street, and what do you know? We ended up finding an information sign as I had expected.

    <i>Our current location is... Tokyo, huh. The ce that "I (ore)" used to live in previously was Niigata, so it¡¯s unexpectedly close by.<strong>[6]</strong></i>

    <i>If I recall correctly, it should be to the north side of Tokyo. So, if we continue to progress in that direction, it should work out in the end.</i>

    <i>But the problem we have is the mode of transportation. After all, I currently don¡¯t own any currency from this world.</i>

    <i>I do have things like jewels and gold in my possession so there¡¯s an option to liquidate them, but as I recall correctly, doing those things require me to show my proof of identity.</i>

    <i>So how should I go about things? Maybe we should just move around by jumping from the roof of one building to another?</i>

    <i>I mean, in all likelihood, we probably wouldn¡¯t be spotted that easily.</i>

    <i>But even if we could do that, it would be appropriate to have some money on hand, just in case. After all, I want to bring back some food from this world when I go back.</i>

    <i>... Hmm, maybe I¡¯ll use that trash skill that I haven¡¯t used in a long time.</i>

    - Skill [Money Getter].[7]

    This was one of the skills that a ranger could learn. It was a useless skill with the effect of allowing the user to find and pick up money during the battle.

    The amount of money that one could gain by using this skill only amounted to a smidgeon, so it was too insignificant. Furthermore, as the user would be defenceless whilst the skill was active, it was often cancelled halfway after getting attacked by the enemy. Needless to say, if the skill was interrupted, the effect of the skill also ceased.

    The only time an individual might use this skill was when they had absolutely no money left. Yet even at such times, it would usually be resolved by selling some items that they had on hand. Therefore, in the end, there was no role for this skill to y.

    I also tried using the skill a few times right after I obtained it, but due to theck of uses that the skill had, I quickly and decisively abandoned using it.

    The name of this skill was always brought up whenever there was a discussion about useless skills on forums and bulletin boards.

    Notwithstanding all of that, I supposed under the condition where one had no proof of identity and no money whatsoever, it could be useful.

    I then used telekinesis to pick up a 500 yen coin from the ground and caught it.

    In a way, what I did just now was misappropriation, but let¡¯s not talk about that. I mean, if it was just this amount, I doubt most people would bother taking it to a police box.[8]

    Needless to say, 500 yen would be spent almost immediately. As such, there was a need to somehow increase what I now had.

    Fortunately, there was a slot machine shop nearby.[9]

    Honestly speaking, I wasn¡¯t actually familiar with them, but I thought it¡¯d be fine one way or another.

    I¡¯d show the might of my 9280 luck stat that¡¯s ordinarily not being put to use.

    I temporarily took off the bracelet and walked into the store.

    B¡¯s face grimaced due to how dirty and noisy the inside of the building was, but she did not show any indication of going wild.

    Well, I guessed regarding the noisiness, there were also gambling venues in the other world and it was not all that different.

    The oue was we had overwhelming winnings.

    About halfway through, I also gave some coins to B so that we could fully abuse our high luck stats to get as many jackpots as we could.

    After seeing the anime characters on the slot machines, there was quite an impressive and memorable situation where B kept making straight man¡¯s retorts along the lines of "Isn¡¯t this guy¡¯s eyes way too big?" and "Isn¡¯t this guy¡¯s face way too big?"

    But for now, we had increased the amount of money that we had on hand to over 100 000 yen. Therefore, if it was just to buy random things here and there in this world, it should be enough.

    As we were nning to take off after re-equipping the bracelets, we heard a scream from some distance away.

    When we turned around to check what was happening, there was a truck heading right towards a young child¡¯s position at an intersection slightly away from us.

    The traffic light for the pedestrian¡¯s path was blue (green). In other words, the truck had to be the side which was ignoring the traffic light.

    <i>Ok, ok, you¡¯re in rush, you¡¯re in rush, we get it.</i>

    I lightly kicked the ground below me and reached the intersection, then punched away the truck which was closing in on the young child.[10]

    Well, I described it as punched away, but I only made it float slightly. Of course, I did not go to an extreme extent of sending the truck far away to prevent subsequent nuisance.

    After floating in the air for a few seconds, the trucknded back down on the ground safely. Even though the driver inside had lost consciousness, I confirmed that he was still alive.

    The driver was holding onto a smartphone...[11]

    <i></i>

    <i>That¡¯s dangerous. You¡¯re driving inattentively? This piece of shit.</i>

    <i>Maybe I should have punched it a little harder.</i>

    When I looked around, people were making a fuss and some of them even had their smartphones out and directed at us.

    <i>Oh shit, I might have gone a bit too far.</i>

    I slowly left the ce, making sure that I did not go faster than the speed of sound - was what I¡¯d say, but I supposed for normal people, it would look like super high speed - taking B with me and jumping away from where we were.

    "Oi, I thought you said not to cause an uproar?"

    "Sorry, I don¡¯t even have a retort to that."

    As if I was running away, or rather, I was, in fact, running away... I leapt from one roof of a building to another.

    __

    (Author note)

    [Money Getter]

    Trash skill.

    All it does is find and pick up money that is lying around on the ground.

    Having said that, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s money lying around on the ground everywhere. Yet it still finds it.

    Maybe it¡¯s actually a skill that just teleports money that¡¯s ssified as "not in the possession of anyone" to a position near the user.

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] "".

    [2] Not actually "kk?" in the raw but it has a simr effect. I couldn¡¯t replicate the exact joke in the raw, so you¡¯re stuck with "kk?", kk?

    [3] <i>Night Wizard!</i> is a TRPG that was adapted into an anime in 2007. The setting features an alternate Earth, where magic is hidden, dealing with otherworldly invaders. The wizards would create barriers, known as Lunar Robes (ÔÂÒÂ), around themselves to allow the use of magic.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Wizard!".

    [4] In Japan, you see these small police stations/boxes here and there, quite literally everywhere. Some are quite spacious, but most are small. I¡¯ve even seen ones that are smaller than 3m by 3m wide. You can report crimes, but for most people, it¡¯s there like a... err... to serve as a munity helper". These police boxes can serve as a lost-and-found, a port to help out the young children or elderly people with their need, etc. One of themon ways people use these police boxes is to ask for directions or ask about information about the location where it is based.

    For example, you might be a tourist or just simply someone who lives in a different part of the city/suburb/prefecture, and you¡¯re not familiar with this location. You might ask them where you are on the map, where XYZ street is, where the nearest train station is, where the shopping mall is, etc. Ruphas is saying that that would have been an option but can¡¯t because of the way that she talks.

    [5] Well... you know around the world, the three colours of the traffic light are green, yellow and red? In Japan, the colours are the same most of the time; green, yellow and red. But for some strange reason, they call it "blue" instead of "green". Honestly, I wondered why they called the green light "blue" when I was living in Japan too. Granted, the green light looks a bit bluer (? If you want to try and forcibly justify it)pared to the rest of the world, but I would say they¡¯re still definitely green (or more like, there¡¯s no way to say it¡¯s not green unless you change the very definition of what green/blue means...). Admittedly, asionally you see actual blue coloured lights, but they¡¯re super rare and are exceptions. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s some history to it and an actual reason.

    Va-Sensei to the rescue! (below)

    Actually, the Japanese terms for these colours use kanji (h×Ö, literally "Chinese character"), which were adopted from the Chinesenguage. In Chinese, Çà is actually a colour somewhere between green (¾v) and blue (Ë{), such as cyan. The word can also be used loosely to refer to either green or blue, such as Çà²Ë ("green vegetable") or ÇàÌì ("blue sky").

    In Chinese, it is more frequently used to refer to green than blue. In Japanese, it¡¯s the opposite. The green traffic light being called Çà in Japan is probably a legacy of its Chinese origin. This bes an issue when a trantor fails to take thenguage of the raw into consideration.

    Çà (Chinese) - "https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%9D%92%E8%89%B2".

    Ë{ (Chinese) - "https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%97%8D%E8%89%B2".

    ¾v (Chinese) - "https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%B6%A0%E8%89%B2".

    Çà (Japanese) - "https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%9D%92".

    [6] Tokyo and Niigata are both prefectures in Japan. In the map given below, Tokyo is 13, and Niigata is 15. They¡¯re approximately only 300 km away from each other.

    "".

    <figure ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption ss="wp-caption-text">Prefectures in Japan ¨C image from the link above</figcaption></figure>

    [7] Money Getter (¥Þ¥Í©`¥²¥Ã¥¿©`).

    [8] If your country uses a dor system, think of 1 yen as 1 cent. 500 yen = approx. $5 = approx. 4.2 Euro = approx. 3.9 pound. Give or take 10-20%.

    [9] You don¡¯t see them often in other parts of the world, but in Japan there are slot machine shops (Pachinko) shops quite literally everywhere. It¡¯s honestly hypocritical because everyone knows Pachinko/slot machines are gambling... and gambling is illegal in Japan... BUT because the winnings from the slot machines are dealt with in a separate shop, it doesn¡¯t get caught under the gamblingw. i.e. semantic and technicality bullshit, but the government doesn¡¯t care because its them a lot of tax revenue (just like tobo and alcohol around the world). [Abroad in Japan] made quite a good video on this topic so I¡¯ll link it here.

    "".

    "".

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachinko".

    "https://.youtube/watch?v=-tBy2jemw4s".

    [10] Va: Yamete! Truck-kun needs to send him to another world!

    Tp + The Author: NOT TODAY!

    [11] Va: He¡¯s just faking it to find another opening to send the kid to the other world...

    Tp: Remember guys don¡¯t fiddle with your phone while you¡¯re driving. While you¡¯re at it, don¡¯t drink and drive either!

    __

 Chapter 156

    Chapter 156 - A Wild Ophiuchus Appeared!

    Raw link:<u></u> (2017/02/04)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2020/03/25)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2020/04/10)

    Editor 2: Keii (2020/04/18)

    Trantion link:

    __

    <strong>Notice 1: It has been brought to my attention that ! Congrattions to the series and the author, Firehead.</strong>

    On this note, I have sent an email to J-Novel Club regarding whether the licensing covers the web novel version and whether we will be obligated to stop or not (... Let¡¯s hope I didn¡¯t goof and actually sent the email to the right address... ^^;;). <strong><u>For now, the release will have no ETA until further notice</u></strong>, while we wait for their reply and discuss amongst ourselves what to do, going forward. Thank you for your understanding and for all the support you have given us thus far! (/>.<)/

    __

    __

    On that day, at that venue, there was some excitement andmotion.

    The Street Corner Beauty Contest was an event which anyone could participate in on a whim. It was an event which determined the number one beauty based on the votes of the audience. In a way, it was a slightly questionable and outdated event which prompted people to ask, "They¡¯re still doing something like this in this day and age?"

    To bepletely upfront, it was a project organised by some popr TV variety show which broadcasted after midnight. Again, in a way, it was a slightly questionable show which was bound to fail even before the projectunched.

    Although it was called a beauty contest, in truth, the main premise of the show might have been more along the lines of getting viewers to judge and ridicule the excessively self-conscious participants.

    Naturally, this event had a hidden agenda.

    There was a dirty big surprise prepared by the procedures of the show. There would "coincidently" be an idol by the name of Yuwontsel Lanyway (18 years old), whose poprity was on the decline, who just so happened to be in the area and participated, only for her to win at the expense of the other participants who would be used as stepping stones.[1] Needless to say, of course, she did not just coincidentally happen to be passing by the area. The entire thing was scripted and she was just waiting on standby.

    In other words, yes, that¡¯s exactly how it was. From the very beginning, she was guaranteed to win. It was just ast-ditch event prepared by her managers and televisionwork in an attempt to regain her poprity. Although... on the question of poprity, the television show itself had no poprity from the beginning.

    Obviously, there were paid audience members amongst the crowd who were fully prepared to boost the stage¡¯s excitement.

    Having said that, in this day and age where the inte was very active, an easily seen-through act like this would be revealed in an instant, eventually sending everything into the ground or burning up in mes. Nevertheless, the idol¡¯s managers were proceeding with the n despite knowing full well of the consequence.

    After all, if she was unable to sell at this moment in time, she would not seed either way. As such, they did not care about what image she would end up getting.

    ... Or more like, there might be nothing to burn up in mes in the first ce. As mentioned previously, it was not a popr television show to begin with.

    The possibility of no one seeing the show and the idol disappearing into obscurity was a more likely oue. If anything, even burning in the depths of a scandal might be the better alternative.

    "The next participant is... oh? Could it be an idol getting on the stage?"

    And finally, it was the idol Yuwontsel¡¯s turn to get on stage. The people¡¯s expectations were heightened rtively just from her appearance.

    Yet at the same time, the fact that the people¡¯s expectation only heightened rtively was a tragic scene for the declined idol.

    Furthermore, a few within the audience sensed that this was all staged, thus they were looking up to the stage with cold dead eyes.

    But at that moment, everyone¡¯s line of sight drifted away from the stage.

    "Oi, B! They¡¯re in the middle of an event. Don¡¯t just cut across it!"

    "Like I care."

    - There was an extremely beautiful young girl and ady, both of whom were so beautiful that people could not believe they were of the same human species, coincidently passing across the front of the stage.

    The young girl walking in the front had silver hair and the flustereddy chasing the young girl from behind had bright golden hair. Regardless, the beauty of both of them was out of this world.

    In this respect, even the host was lost in thought and standing in a daze, involuntarily forgetting what was happening.

    The most pitiful person in this situation was the idol who had just appeared on the stage.

    Due to the two irregr individuals who had just passed through the front of the stage, her presence was overshadowed entirely. Furthermore, even though she was the one who was supposed to step on the other participants, she was the one who was stepped on.

    Subsequently, one of the participants created a thread on a public forum for the "idol" event by the name of "Flop" and stating that they had be unable to sleep ever since they had seen the two passers-by who were too beautiful. Due to a photograph of the two passers-by that had been taken by a smartphone being posted on the thread, everything had blown up and became amotion. Nevertheless, the two individuals remained ignorant of all of this.

    In addition, after all of this, there was another thread made with the title: "I saw that blonde-haired one punching a truck" with a supporting photograph. Not only that, but there were also even ims of "I saw them jumping from one roof of a building to another", causing themotion to rapidly explode. But again, the two of them remained ignorant of all of this.

    *

    "Two double cheeseburger sets."

    "<i>Lun luna~</i>"[2]

    "Oh, and I¡¯ll also have a soft-serve cone."

    "This Ronaldo is happy to serve you."[3]

    Whilst we were heading towards Niigata, B and I decided to take a detour and get a light lunch at a popr burger chain which had been opened all over the country.

    There might be some of you who were wondering why we chose to eat hamburgers of all things, and the answer to that was simple. I just wanted to taste that nostalgic junk food vour for the first time in a while.

    After receiving our order from the shop attendant who was dressed in a clown costume, I headed towards where B was sitting.

    Although this was a piece of irrelevant information, the shop attendant¡¯s uniform was that of WacRonald¡¯s mascot, Ronald the founder. As for why he¡¯s the founder, I also did not know.

    "So this world¡¯s food has so much salt, huh? And it tastes crude and sloppy."

    "Well, it¡¯s junk food, so..."

    B criticised as she bit down on the double cheeseburger, but she did not stop eating, so it must have been eptable for her.

    For me personally, I was expecting the typical "So this is an isekai¡¯s food, huh! It¡¯s amazing!" line and reaction that one often found in light novels from her, but now that I thought about it, she¡¯s technically the queen of a kingdom. So I supposed, she must have been used to eating good food.

    It was called something like food porn, right? In those works, it¡¯s mainstream for kings and gods to eat cheap food from Earth and have an overreaction. But unfortunately, B did not follow the predictable mainstream pattern at all.

    Fortunately, whilst B showed no reaction towards the cheeseburger, her expression changed just for a moment when she tasted the ice cream before eating it all up very quickly.

    <i>Oh, I see. So she¡¯s surprised by the soft serve cone, huh.</i>

    Indeed, there was no such thing as a soft-serve cone on that side of the world. Frozen treats did exist, however, there were only simple ones such as sherbets.

    They were nothing more than a simple type of food where fruits, berries and nectar were poured on top of snow or crushed ice. On Earth, it existed by the time the Old Testament was drawn up. Unexpectedly, the history of frozen treats dated back quite a bit.

    Subsequently, B ordered me to go and purchase five more soft serve cones. Now that we had satisfied ourselves, we decided to rmence heading towards our destination.

    Honestly, it would have been faster for us to move on foot. However, enjoying the hassle of going from one ce to another was part of the charm of undertaking journeys.

    This time, we decided to head towards a train station. Once we got onto the bullet train, we sat down on one of the avable seats within the free unreserved cart.

    Once the bullet train started moving, the scenery outside the window flowed backwards. In response, B was looking on with interest.

    "This is some decent speed. Is this thing also not a golem?"

    "Yeah, it¡¯s not."

    "It¡¯s a strange thing. It doesn¡¯t use any mana, nor was this physical object bestowed with some limited decision-making capability like golems. In other words, it would mean that this lump of steel is moving on its own purely as a lump of steel... so for me, that¡¯s more ¡¯magical¡¯ than anything else."

    Inside the bullet train, I was reading a random book that I whimsically acquired from a bookstore just a moment ago.

    B was unable to read this world¡¯s words. However, it seemed that her interest was piqued by manga as she was flipping through pages after pages and skimming through them.

    It didn¡¯t really matter, but what I was reading was a light novel. The content of the novel was about an ordinary young Japanese man who was suddenly summoned to another world and, <i>hyacha</i>, became peerless in an instant. Well, yeah, it¡¯s one of thosemonly done plots.

    Back in the day, this series was popr enough for it to be animated... but when I spotted it in the bookstore, it had the "Newest Edition"bel on, so I bought it on impulse. While I was in another world as Ruphas, I thought a sequel hade out, but...

    But it¡¯s weird. There¡¯s absolutely no difference in contentpared to what I had previously read.

    If I recalled correctly, this series concluded in the year 2022, so at the very least, the two volumes that I had acquired were not thetest edition or anything.

    Not only that, but even the errors which had been amended in the reprint version were also still as they were.

    What an outrageous bookshop. I could not understand what kind of nerve it must have to misrepresent thest two volumes of a series which had already concluded as thetest edition and sell them.

    On the other hand, as B was unable to read this world¡¯s words, she was skimming through manga.

    Hers was even an older work of art. A popr series from the Showa era.[4]

    At the end of that series, the heroine was massacred by her neighbour who had be an insurgent, causing the protagonist of the series to abandon humanity to their doom. It was a grim and intense series where even the protagonist ended up dying after humanity was brought to ruin.

    After getting off the bullet train, I followed the road that I had in my memory and reached the house at the end of it.

    For some reason, there were a few incongruences between what was in my memory and reality, but the path itself should have been correct.

    It should have been correct, but... I wondered why. Somehow, there were differences which did not match my memory.

    A shop which had just recently gone through remodelling and runched itself did not exist. Yet the shop prior to that remodelling was still standing and in business.

    Not only that, but it was also in a condition far better than what was in my memory.

    The yground equipment which was at the park should have been removed and taken away due to it being ssified as dangerous from all the stain on the metal.

    It was not as if I made a mistake in my pathing. It should definitely be correct.

    Yes, it should have been correct.

    But...

    In the ce where my home should have been, there was an old and worn-out detached building.

    Needless to say, I did not know or recognise this building.

    "Is this worn-out house your destination?"

    "No... I mean, the location should be correct, but..."

    How troubling. After reaching this far, I no longer knew what I was supposed to do anymore.

    Given the fact that it was someone else¡¯s house, naturally, theputer that I was using would not be inside. In fact, the very "location where I first met Dina" that I was thinking of was not here.

    As I was pondering as such, I heard footsteps ring out from behind me, followed by the sound of the voice that I was familiar with.

    "Yes, it is correct. At least, the location is."

    ... I see, it seemed I had reached the correct answer.

    Once I turned to look behind me, I spotted Dina who looked exactly the same as she previously did.

    She really hid in a troublesome location. Because of that, we ended up spending quite a lot of time trying to find her.

    She was smiling faintly and came to stand beside me.

    During this time, B did not show any reaction whatsoever. Perhaps she was trying to assess the situation.

    "This is an empty house. Approximately half a year from now, it will be bulldozed down, and half a year after that... in the year 2017, a family home that mydy is well familiar with will be built."

    "2017? Then right now, it¡¯s..."

    "Yep, it¡¯s the year 2016. And a year from now, a married couple and their child will move into the newly bought home. That ¡¯young boy¡¯... no, that ¡¯young man¡¯ will grow up to the age of 21 years old without even realising who he really is. And in the year 2033, after being guided by the Goddess-sama... no, by me, his memory and ego will be brought over to Midgard. And right now... he¡¯s standing right next to me."

    After hearing Dina¡¯s words, B¡¯s gaze greatly sharpened and red at the two of us.

    Notwithstanding that, Dina continued to smile unfazed.

    Meanwhile, after hearing that exnation, I felt a sense of intrigue and understanding.

    There was no other way to think than "I see, so that¡¯s how it was." No wonder this world did not make me feel nostalgic.

    In other words, it was that, you know? In conclusion... it turned out that "I (ore)" was the real Ruphas Mafahl who had a memory imnted into me.

    From the very start, there had never been two different egos within me. It was merely that I had lost my sense of self on my own and was ying the role of "someone else".

    From the very beginning, I was "the real Ruphas who was ying the role of someone else".

    "Who exactly is that ¡¯young man¡¯?"

    "He is also you, Ruphas-sama. To be more precise, he is simr in existence to me or Pollux-sama."

    "I see."

    For every word that Dina spoke, I felt the sensation of a piece of the puzzle clicking in my head.

    Yes, that¡¯s right. The identity behind "I (ore)" was me myself.

    - He was an avatar.

    Broadly speaking, avatars were divided into three different categories. A type created out of magical power, a type created out of divine power and a type which made use of a human parent¡¯s womb.

    Ruphas was... no, let us stop describing her as someone different.

    In the past, out of those, I chose the 3<sup>rd</sup> category. After imitating the technique of creating an avatar which the Goddess had a monopoly on, I created an avatar of myself in a different world at a different reference point of time.

    The ego and the memories possessed by the avatar was then brought back to my real body by Dina, allowing me to obtain an independent and objective point of view that I originally did not have, which then gave me the opportunity to look back and assess myself.

    Now that it hade to this, I understood clearly. I could evaluate and state things precisely because I had the opportunity to review my past self from the position of "someone else".

    Of course, it was only natural that I would be abased.

    Just by being able to see from that point of view, there was worth to the imnted ego and memory.

    "By the way, what happened to that young man?"

    "He¡¯s perfectly fine. Although I copied his memories and ego, even after ¡¯that event¡¯, he¡¯ll continue to live as normal, and eventually die normally from old age. Though, he will not realise who he really is until the very end."

    "I see. Then that¡¯s fine."

    "Also, just so you know, he¡¯ll continue to hug his parents¡¯ legs until he reaches 23 years old, at which point, he¡¯ll enter the workforce as apany worker and finally start to live by himself."

    "Err, no, you don¡¯t need to tell me that."

    With this, one of the weights on my shoulders had been lifted.

    It seemed that I had not ended up ruining anyone¡¯s livelihood.

    In the beginning, I thought that I had forcibly possessed Ruphas and had stolen her life. After that, I felt uneasy thinking that I had taken everything away from a young boy.

    However, because Ruphas was actually me, there was nothing for me to steal away from her. And now, I had found out that the young boy was able to be independent of me.

    With this, I was able to move onto the next topic while feeling assured.

    "And I assume you¡¯re going to tell me everything? The reason behind why we had toe all the way here."

    "Of course. After all, there¡¯s no longer any reason for me to hide it. But before that... allow me to... start by introducing myself."

    After saying that, Dina took out a business card from her chest pocket, and handed it to me.

    After seeing the name which was written on top of it, I understood everything once again.

    <i>Ahh, I see</i> - that was what I felt.

    <i>I see, as expected, you were the one.</i>

    "I¡¯m in possession of three names. One of them is my name as the Goddess¡¯s avatar, Dina. One of them is my name as the Seven Luminaries of the demon race, Venus. And then there¡¯s one more."

    She chuckled mischievously whilst B, in response, crossed her arms in displeasure.

    Exactly, she was the very individual who had deceived everyone.

    She had deceived me. She had deceived the Twelve Heavenly Stars. She had deceived the demons. And she had even proven that she could deceive the Goddess herself, like a snake.

    She was THAT [13<sup>th</sup> person].

    "- One of the Tyrannical Thirteen Heavenly Stars, Ophiuchus the [Serpent Bearer].[5] That... is the name mydy has bestowed upon me."

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_754" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-754" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-754" ss="wp-caption-text">Illustration from AWLBA light novel volume 7</figcaption></figure>

    __

    (Author note)

    Late Night Television Show: "Our ratings went up because of that incident! Great!"

    (Author note end)

    TLN: For those of you wondering, yes, Ophiuchus, the unofficial 13<sup>th</sup> zodiac constetion represented by the constetion Serpens, is a real thing. It is one of thirteen constetions that cross the ecliptic (what Tyrannical is based on), so it¡¯s sometimes called the 13<sup>th</sup> sign of the zodiac. But because you can¡¯t neatly divide the sky in 30¡ã angles if there are 13 constetions, it just doesn¡¯t get included. I¡¯m sure there are deeper reasons, but I¡¯m sleepy. Its symbol is ? and it covers 29 Nov to 17 Dec.

    Ophiuchus: "<u>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiuchus</u>".

    Ophiuchus (astrology): "<u>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiuchus_(astrology)</u>".

    <strong><u>Please read notice 1 at the start of the chapter if you haven¡¯t already, thank you!</u></strong>

    __

    [1] It took me like 30 minutes trying to figure out the correct reading of this name (because Japanese names can be read many, many different ways even if it¡¯s written exactly the same way + I¡¯ve never seen this name before). This is another one of those puns that the author always uses. (Í¯žÓîûÄÎ) when read and split into 2-3 character (2 for family name, 3 for first name) has the option to be read as Douse Urena. As you are told from the context, she is an idol on the decline. If you add the letter (i) at the end of Douse Urena, it bes Douse Urenai, which literally means/trantes to "You won¡¯t sell anyways." So in English, the name would be something like... err... "Yuwontcellneway". On second thought... let¡¯s use that since it makes more sense in the context...

    [2] No, you¡¯re not dumb. It doesn¡¯t mean anything, it¡¯s just an onomatopoeia... The attendant singing? Replying? Acknowledging? Whatever, something like that.

    [3] Again, no you¡¯re not dumb. It just doesn¡¯t make sense. It¡¯s the attendant acknowledging that they¡¯ve gotten the order, but said in 3rd person. Pretty much saying they¡¯re happy to sell. It¡¯s probably one of those scripted lines employees have to say as specified by thepany. It¡¯s weird either way.

    Changed a bit during the edit to "happy to serve". Raw is slightly different but it means the same.

    [4] 1926/12/25 to 1989/01/07. "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Dwa_(1926%E2%80%931989)".

    [5] Ophiuchus: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiuchus".

    Ophiuchus (astrology): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiuchus_(astrology)".

    __

 Chapter 157

    Chapter 157 - Specialty Trait: Miracle Skin

    Raw link: (2017/02/05)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2020/03/30)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2020/04/13)

    Editor 2: Keii (2020/04/23)

    Trantion link: <u></u>

    __

    Notice 1: Hi everyone, good news! I received a reply from the J-Novel Club and we will be continuing the trantion of A Wild Last Boss Appeared! I hope you will ride along until the end of the series. My trantion of chapters 17 to 19 has been removed from this blog. The new release date ETA has been posted on the side of the blog. The release date for the chapters 157-159 have been changed. The dates for chapters 160 and onwards are the same as they previously were.

    Chapters 156 to 160 are actually my favourite chapters of this series, so without further ado, I hope you enjoy chapter 157.

    __

    (Author note)

    In the previous chapter, I made a mistake in regard to "I (ore)", so I made some corrections.

    There is no effect on the overall flow of the story.

    (Author note end)

    TLN: I think we already have the amended version so we are not affected.

    __

    Dina was the Goddess¡¯s avatar, born from an elven father and a human mother.

    In regard to how many avatars there had been before her, even she did not know.

    In all likelihood, up until this point, each time was the same. The womb of a human who was already onnd was borrowed and used to give birth to an avatar. When the previous generation passed away, a subsequent avatar would be born once more.

    Dina registered all previous generations of avatars as "herself". Simrly, the Goddess also considered all generations as "herself". After all, the avatars were clones of the Goddess, and as such, all of them were essentially the same person.

    Although she possessed the name Dina, given to her by her birth parents, that was nothing more than a name attached to the new body that she currently upied. She thought nothing special of the name itself.

    As a consequence of all of this, she did not feel all that grateful for the parental love that she had received nor did she have a sense of guilt for leaving her hometown behind without saying anything to anyone once she came of age.

    After all, she was the Goddess¡¯s clone. To her, she had no parents.

    After leaving her hometown, she travelled around the world as the proxy of the Goddess. At times, she passed judgement upon and punished people; at times, she rewarded and blessed people.

    It was at this time. The time when she discovered the existence of Ruphas Mafahl, who was gaining prominence in those recent years.

    Notwithstanding that she was just an adventurer, she was re-enacting a story of a heroic tale which was not among the countless number of established "Goddess¡¯s scenarios" by going around and saving several countries. The list of magical beasts that she had defeated included even the likes of the renowned Dragon King Ladon.

    <i>She might be considered a risk factor.</i>

    After regarding Ruphas¡¯s existence as a risk, Dina infiltrated the kingdom which Ruphas had founded and used mind maniption on the people to make sure that her existence was not detected. On the off-chance that she bumped into someone and was temporarily detected, she also imnted a fake memory which made people think that "she was an advisor" in order to avoid suspicion. With this, she roamed around the Mafahl Tower just as if she was some kind of background object and sessfully undertook the extremely bold and daring activity of observing Ruphas Mafahl from close by.

    After observing Ruphas in this way, Dina reached a single conclusion.

    This woman was extremely dangerous. Way too dangerous.

    So dangerous that if she was left alone to her own devices, there was a risk of her overturning the very foundation of the Goddess¡¯s scenario.

    Dina thus thought of eliminating her... however, the more that Dina observed her, the more that she was made to understand how much of an impossibility doing that was.

    As a clone of the Goddess, she had power equivalent to a level 1000. She also possessed various special skills in her position as the representative of the Goddess.

    Yet even then, she could not imagine herself winning against Ruphas Mafahl.

    Irrespective of whether she was to use memory maniption, perception maniption, arcane magic, divine magic, or even a power which went beyond the concept of time to delete the enemy¡¯s existence, she did not think it would be effective.

    As the stand-in for the Goddess, Dina¡¯s power should have been absolute. At the very least, even if she was against the likes of Alioth or Megrez, whilst she might fall behind a little in pure battle prowess, she still had sufficient cheat-like power toe out victorious unconditionally.

    But in the end, all of that was strength which was permitted and operated under the specification of the Goddess¡¯s rules. She was only peerless and invincible because others also operated within those rules.

    As such, if she was to be against Ruphas who operated whilst disregarding those rules and restrictions, her invincibility was not invincible enough.

    <i>The only way is to... move the ouroboroses... but they¡¯re...</i>

    As ast resort, Dina had ess to the most powerful unique skill.

    The name of the skill was [Rasalhague].[1] The effect of the skill was to activate all the ouroboroses simultaneously.

    Exactly. As the stand-in for the Goddess, she had the ability to wake the ouroboroses.

    Not only that, after waking them up, she had the authority to give orders to them.

    However, to do so signified destroying Midgard. Once done, there was no going back.

    Just by moving, the ouroboroses would deal fatal damage to Midgard.

    As such, even for the Goddess, it was ast resort.

    If possible, she did not want to take such an action. Thus, she wondered if there were any other options avable.

    It happened during one of those days when she was pondering that question.

    Dina overheard the words of Ruphas and Megrez, who were discussing their course of action for the future. Those words invited the slightest disturbance into Dina¡¯s psyche.

    "So there¡¯s an outbreak of an epidemic at an elven settlement in the east, huh. We may need to do something about it."

    It was just the slightest bit of agitation.

    It was truly just the slightest disturbance. It was such a small effect that even Dina herself was unable to understand why she was feeling what she felt.

    But at that very moment, Ruphas directed her sight towards Dina¡¯s direction and their eyes met.

    <i>She¡¯s looking at me...? No, that¡¯s impossible. My perception maniption should be perfect. Even if I somehow appear in a person¡¯s vision, they should register me as an advisor, forget about me and move on.</i>

    "What¡¯s wrong, Ruphas?"

    "... No, it¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s leave it at this today. You guys go ahead, I¡¯ll follow shortly."

    "Alright, sure thing."

    After immediately shifting her line of sight away from Dina, Ruphas sent Megrez out of the room first, then closed the door behind him.

    She then turned back to look towards Dina and prompted a question.

    "... Since when have you been standing there?"

    "!?"

    - She was busted.

    After realising that fact, Dina¡¯s heart jumped in surprise.

    <i></i>

    <i>How is that possible? It¡¯s impossible. No, it has to be impossible.</i>

    After losing herposure, Dina subconsciously stopped moving for a moment. Furthermore, due to this pause, her chance to flee the scene was snatched away from her.

    By the time Dina came to, Ruphas, who had already closed the distance between them, ced her hands on the wall as if to prevent her from getting away and was staring down into her eyes.

    "You don¡¯t look like someone of the demon race, huh. You. Who exactly are you?"

    "I, I¡¯m..."

    Dina was momentarily lost for words. At that very moment, the thought that shed within her head was of the warmth and smiles that she had received from her parents.

    The ones who treated her not as the Goddess¡¯s clone but instead as an individual known as Dina, and poured their love out for her.

    Why...? Why was it that, at this very moment, she was recalling those memories?

    She should have thrown them away. Along with the name "Dina", she should have thrown away the parents who had given birth to her current body.

    Was she fearing death at this moment? Was she being fearful that she would never be able to meet them again?

    <i></i>

    <i>... That can¡¯t be.</i>

    Death was not something to be feared. After all, she was the Goddess¡¯s clone. Even if she was to be killed right here and then, her next ¡°self¡± would be born.

    Even if she was to be killed, it would just mean that one more avatar became unusable. There was no concept of death for her.

    After telling herself that, a smile crept up on her face like it was stered on.

    "... Allow me to introduce myself, Ruphas Mafahl. My name is Alovenus. The creation goddess, Alovenus. Although, this body is just an avatar."

    "Is that so?"

    "You did well in noticing my presence. I thought I had hidden myself quite well."

    Donning a sneering mask on her face, she feignedcency andposure.

    <i></i>

    <i>If you want to kill me, then go ahead and kill. If you do so, the next avatar will be born immediately afterwards and begin taking action.</i>

    Yet, Ruphas did not take any action. She merely looked at Dina with great interest.

    "I only noticed just now. Just for a brief moment, your emotions wavered, allowing me to see through your concealment. ... Is there something at this elven settlement?"

    "No, there is nothing."

    "Really, now? I don¡¯t believe it¡¯spletely unrted to you being a half-elf though."

    After Ruphas replied as such, she touched one of Dina¡¯s ears.

    Due to this sudden physical contact, Dina¡¯s shoulder instinctively trembled.

    "On the outside, you look just the same as every other human, but if you touch your ears, you can feel the slightly pointed tips. Not only that, but your cartge also has a slightly different strength to it. Unlike humans, elves have a more distinct pointiness in their ears and, in support of that, their joints and cartge are stronger than that of humans. It seems that this feature is inherited even by half-elves. Also, elves¡¯ ears are more sensitive because they have more nerves running through them."

    "Y, you¡¯re well informed."

    "One of my close friends is an elf, you see. After ying around with his ears a few times, I noticed the difference in joints and cartges."

    After all of this, Ruphas removed her fingers from Dina¡¯s ears. However, her body was still in the same position.

    From the look of things, it seemed that Ruphas had no intention of letting Dina go. In the meantime, Dina was looking for any favourable opportunities but was unable to find any chances to make an escape.

    "Your agitation must have been because of the epidemic, huh? Do you have an acquaintance in that settlement?"

    "........."

    "Do you want me to take a guess? In all likelihood, one of your parents, if not the both of them, is in that settlement, correct?"

    "Tsk!"

    Dina tended not to show her emotions on her face, but even then, for the briefest moment, she was unable to sessfully hide the disturbance in her heart.

    Ruphas was able to detect this disturbance with her sharp awareness, allowing her to be convinced that what she had just said was correct.

    "Your face is asking why. Well, it¡¯s nothingplicated really. You called yourself an avatar, did you not? But you¡¯re not made out of arcane or divine power. Which means that there have to be parents who gave birth to you. After knowing that much, even I can have a shot at figuring things out. Although..."

    Once Ruphas got to this point, she looked at Dina with a slightly surprised face.

    "For you to be agitated after hearing about your parents, that¡¯s quite a human reaction, no? Could it be that even the Goddess has the ability to feel grateful? Or is it that... you¡¯re actually a separate entity from the Goddess herself?"

    "What kind of stupid thing..."

    "It¡¯s not particrly a strange thing now, is it? Even factoring in that you have the memories and the ego of the Goddess, from the very moment that you were born, you¡¯re a separate entity who underwent a different path and experience in life.

    Your parents are not the parents of the Goddess. They love you, not the Goddess. The things that you¡¯ve experienced as yourself is your experience and not the experience of the Goddess. With all that, you¡¯re already a different entity, no?"

    What Ruphas was saying was not incorrect. However simr they seemed to be, the Goddess herself and her avatars were different. From the moment that they began to tread different paths, they were no longer the same entity.

    For example, say there was a body without a will and the Goddess possessed that body in order to remotely control it. In those cases, indeed, it could be considered the Goddess herself.

    But that was not what was happening. Due to how powerful of an existence she was, the Goddess was unable to see the finer details throughout the world.

    Which was why she created the avatars. So that she could use the information from those avatars to observe the details of the world.

    That was the reason the avatars were given free will of their own... and at times, they thought differently from the Goddess herself.

    At the very least, if she was the Goddess herself, she would not have felt any concern for "Dina¡¯s" parents. The Goddess most likely would not even have remembered their names or faces and would have simply registered them as one of many elves that each had the same appearance.

    "You, what is your name?"

    "I named myself just then, didn¡¯t I?"

    "No, you haven¡¯t named yourself. You¡¯re not the Goddess, after all. You have it right? Your real name."

    "It¡¯s not my real name. It¡¯s merely a fake name given to this body."

    "You¡¯re pretty stubborn, aren¡¯t you?"

    Ruphas smiled bitterly and, for some reason, took out a vial from her pocket and pushed it onto Dina.

    What Ruphas gave Dina was a medicine she had jointly developed with Megrez known as an elixir.

    Not only could the elixir cure any illness, it could also increase the lifespan of the consumer. As this amazing product seemed like it was directly picking a fight with the Goddess, Dina did not see it very favourably.

    "Hold onto that and go where you wish to go the most right now."

    "Are you telling me you¡¯ll let me go free? A bitcent, don¡¯t you think?"

    "Well, even if we continue to speak as we are, we¡¯re not getting anywhere anyways. I¡¯m expecting that the next time we meet, I¡¯ll be speaking to the real you and not the Goddess¡¯s avatar."

    "I doubt there¡¯ll be a next time though."

    Dina gloated and then disappeared from the ce.

    Now that she had been found out once, the same approach was unlikely to work again.

    She had to think of another way to observe her target. The next time she was caught, she would most likely be eliminated.

    Utilising the X-Gate, Dina left the tower behind. Then, she looked around at her surroundings and was shocked.

    It was because the location which she had justnded on... was the elven settlement where she was born.

    She hade to this location subconsciously.

    <i>How could I have done something so stupid... even though I don¡¯t care what happens to them.</i>

    She instinctively mocked herself for what she just did, yet her feet did not take her away from the location.

    All she had to do was leave the ce.

    All she had to do was use X-Gate one more time and leave the ce.

    Although that was all there was to it, she was painfully reluctant to do so. She was unable to leave this ce.

    <i>What is this? Did I get infected by emotions or something?</i>

    "... All I¡¯m doing is checking what¡¯s going on. I¡¯m simply curious, that¡¯s all."

    After making an excuse for herself, Dina took a step into the forest.

    <i>No doubt, they¡¯re going to lecture me again.</i>

    <i>They¡¯re going to ask me what I¡¯m doing here and why I¡¯m finally bothering to show my face sote in time.</i>

    <i>And that¡¯s fine. If anything, I¡¯d rather that be the case.</i>

    It was because if that was how things developed, she would be able to cut off her lingering attachments.

    Right after she had such thoughts, another question came into her head.

    <i>Lingering attachments? What do I mean by lingering attachments? How stupid. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d have any of them. I mean, I¡¯m the Goddess¡¯s clone!</i>

    Eventually, she finally reached deep into the forest.

    And what Dina ended up seeing... was the appearance of her withered father, who was all worn out from the illness, and the tomb of her mother, who had already passed away from this world.

    __

    (Author note)

    The truth is, this Background-san was actually being a background.

    There is nothing strange about it.

    (Author note end)

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_739" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-739" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-739" ss="wp-caption-text">Illustration from AWLBA Light Novel Volume 7</figcaption></figure>

    __

    [1] Alpha Ophiuchi aka Rasalhague (¥é¥¹?¥¢¥ë¥Ï¥²): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Ophiuchi".

    Alpha Ophiuchi is a binary star and the brightest star in the constetion of Ophiuchus.

    __

 Chapter 158

    Chapter 158 - Dina Used Secret Power![1]

    Raw link: (2017/02/11)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2020/04/09)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2020/04/18)

    Editor 2: Keii (2020/05/01)

    Trantion link:

    __

    __

    __

    By the time Dina reached her hometown, it was already on the verge of destruction.

    Her human mother had already long reached the end of her lifespan and passed away, and her father looked like nothing but the skin on top of his bones.

    No, it was not just her father. At this point, Dina¡¯s hometown had turned into nothing but a prison full of people who were just moments before their deaths.

    "........."

    Her heart wouldn¡¯t be moved... or so should have been the case.

    She had thought that she would not feel anything even if she saw what was happening. She was the Goddess¡¯s avatar who just so happened to be born in this vige. Thus, she should not have had any sentimental feelings towards these people.

    But why? Why was it that she was feeling this agitated?

    Why could she feel a chill running down her spine? Why did her feet tremble as if there were ice cubes sliding down her back?

    Up until this moment, she had observed scenes like this many times. Although she did not directly y her hand in them due to her overwhelmingly powerful existence, she had ordered the Moon Ouroboros to create a scene like this over and over again. There were times when the poption of the world had gotten way toorge and she had reduced their numbers. There were even times when she hadpletely erased an entire species.

    <i></i>

    <i>- Really?</i>

    Were those things really done by her?

    <i>Those were the things the Goddess did, and... isn¡¯t it that I¡¯ve never really personally seen a scene like this ever before?</i>

    "... Ohh, Dina... thanks foring back again."

    She must have instinctively gotten close to the bed that her father was sleeping in before she became aware of how close she was.

    Notwithstanding that it had been about hundred years since she had left the vige, her father noticed the appearance of his daughter in a sh and reached out one of his worn-out and almost skeletal hands towards her direction.

    Before she even noticed, she had grabbed his hand then became mute and dumbfounded from realising how weak it was.

    A person would eventually die. They would die and leave this world. Even the long-lived elves were not an exception to this rule.

    She was aware of this from the very start. Yet, within Dina, there were feelings of dread and dismay as if she had found out this rule for the first time ever.

    Why was it that her heart was feeling so painful despite her mother being nothing more than a passageway to bring herself, the avatar, into this world? Why was it that her heart was feeling so painful despite her father being someone whose existence she did not even recognise until she saw him in such a weak condition?

    Why was it that the memories of when the two of them showered her with loving smiles were overflowing into her thiste in time?

    She should have been the personification of the Goddess. As such, the deaths of one or two living individuals should not have been able to move her heart this much.

    Until this moment, she had never questioned the equation, "the Goddess = myself".

    But now, for the first time, that equation fell apart. She could not help but feel that there was an insurmountable wall standing between herself and the Goddess.

    It was because... she just could not believe in any shape or form that her real body, the Goddess, would be feeling the same pain that she was currently feeling.

    In all likelihood, the Goddess would not even remember her father¡¯s face nor his name... She would not even feel like remembering it, and... even if her father was left to die, she would have nothing more than a passing thought along the lines of "Oh, the avatar¡¯s elven father died."

    "Fa, father..."

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_741" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-741" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-741" ss="wp-caption-text">Illustration from AWLBA Light Novel V7</figcaption></figure>

    She had not thought of him as her father. She had thought of him as nothing more than one of the many individuals who walked on Midgard.

    But was that really the case?

    The loving smiles directed at her. The warm love that she had received from her parents. In truth, did she not feelfortable and at home when she was with them?

    In truth, did she not indeed ept the warmth and loving care afforded to her? Did she not feel happiness when she was with them?

    Was it not merely due to her forcibly shutting her eyes and feigning willful ignorance as a result of her pride and conceit in believing herself to be the Goddess?

    <i>I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know who I am.</i>

    <i>Because... I¡¯m the avatar of the Goddess who walks on Midgard. I¡¯m supposed to be the manifestation of the Goddess herself and...</i>

    <i>But if that¡¯s not the case, then... who exactly am I?</i>

    What shed across Dina¡¯s mind was the image of a foolish doll who merely mimicked the Goddess.

    There were strings attached to the limbs of that doll, and the real Goddess herself was controlling and ying around with that doll from an ever-high position. Dina could not help but imagine such a scene.

    Dina strongly ced her hands over the clothing on top of her chest as if she were trying to hold down her painful heart.

    When she did, she felt something hard there. When she took it out to see what it was, she realised that it was the vial of elixir which had been forced onto her by Ruphas.

    It was a forbidden medicine which could cure any illness and even increase the lifespan of a person. As it was a product which figuratively spat on the Goddess, Dina had nned to smash it to piecester.

    But right now, for some reason, she could note to shatter it anymore.

    She did not know whether to use it or throw it away. She was just standing in ce, lost as to what she wanted to do herself. But at that moment, her sharp sense of hearing detected something and the colour of her face changed.

    <i></i>

    <i>Something ising... something big, and... dangerous ising to this vige.</i>

    There was a sound which was loud enough to shake the earth. And the sound of trees being snapped and knocked down.

    After jumping out of the house in a fluster, what Dina saw was a giant ck scorpion monster which was closing in on her position whilst sweeping away the buildings in its way.

    <i>The queen of poison... The Emperor Berserk Scorpion...!?</i>

    - The Emperor Berserk Scorpion. Amongst the countless number of scorpion-type monsters, it was known to be the strongest of its kind and was ssified as a catastrophe-level magical beast.

    Within its body, it contained any and all kinds of poisonous concoctions which existed in the world. It was designated as an extremely dangerous species as, if the monster felt like it, it could cover the whole in its poison within a mere few days and turn it into a dead and lifeless.

    Within history, these kinds of monsters had actually appeared a few times. The purpose behind these monsters was to cull down living things who had grown too numerous in number.

    Living things were left to flourish as long as the ecosystem was not destroyed. However, once the Goddess determined that the bnce of the world had copsed, these monsters would appear.

    These monsters would then concoct a kind of poison that the target living creatures did not possess the antibodies of, right on the spot, and spread an epidemic, driving them into extinction... In other words, they were walking pestilences themselves.[2]

    Its battle prowess was level 900. Although it was a littlecking whenpared to the world¡¯s arbitrators, like the Lion King and the Dragon King, it did not change the fact that these monsters were extremely dangerous. The emergence of these catastrophe-level magical beasts equated to the extinction, or at the very least, decline, of some species. Even to this date, they served as a feared cmity which could not be handled and would continue to assault and terrorise the humanoids.

    That was the true nature of the epidemic which was treading upon this vige.

    <i>Why...? Sure, the elves have been growing in numbertely, but it¡¯s still not the time for something like that to move yet. So why is something like that...? And at this vige...?</i>

    While staring at the queen of the scorpions, Dina desperately worked her brain.

    The elves were one of the Goddess¡¯s favourite species. Furthermore, the number of elves were not that high by any means.

    There was no special reason for something like that toe to this vige. If anything, it should have been facing the humans, which were currently growing with massive momentum. So why?[3]

    <i>Could it be...?</i>

    There was one thing that came to her mind.

    And that was her very existence.

    As the avatar of the Goddess, going forward, there would be times where she would have to name herself as the Goddess and appear before the people.

    As a matter of fact, the best and most efficient way to remove the existence known as Ruphas was to utilise the name of the Goddess and dere Ruphas as evil and incite the people.

    However, if such a time were toe and it was revealed that the one calling herself the Goddess was known to have been born amongst one of those people, then others would be doubtful. She might be considered a chatan who called herself the Goddess.

    But there was one simple solution to that problem. There would not be any problems if the ones who knew of that fact were no longer in this world.

    Dina thought the use of memory maniption would have been sufficient. But the one who had moved this scorpion must have considered it insufficient and wanted to be absolutely sure.

    Precisely. The avatar and the real body, which should have originally been the same person, had a different take on the matter. It just so happened that such a troublesome thing resulted in such an oue.

    The queen of poison opened its mouth, and at the same time, Dina instinctively reacted at aparable speed.

    "Tsk! Heed me, ¡¯time¡¯!"

    Dina quickly activated a unique skill, trapping the queen of poison in a prison of "time".

    The unique skill [Yed Posterior].[4] It was a skill used to control time. A set period of the target¡¯s time would be cut away and removed, causing the enemy¡¯s movement itself to elongate over the cut period. It was an extraordinary skill only usable because she was the proxy of the Goddess. It was an absolute skill with an unfair effect.

    Not only that, this skill¡¯s effect only became more potent the more time the target was ced under. Eventually, not only would the target¡¯s time stoppletely, it would go beyond that, and tread into the negative territory. The target¡¯s time itself would revert and rewind back into the past. It was such that Dina could even revert them back to the moment "before they were born".

    Simrly, Dina also possessed a unique skill which allowed her to speed up the flow of time. Themonality shared between these two skills was that they could not be prevented.

    Her special unique skills had an effect whereby, when it was used, it took "absolute priority" over all others that were in ce.

    Although people around the world were not aware of it, there were priorities attached to every given skill.

    For example, where two skills, one with absolute uracy and another with absolute evasion, were to be pitted against each other, the skill with the higher priority would be given precedence.

    There were five levels of priority. Typically, the higher the rank of the skill, the higher the priority it had.

    However, the priority level of unique skills used by the agents of the Goddess, such as Dina and the ouroboroses, was "six".

    In other words, those skills would sessfully and unconditionally take effect, and absolutely could not be off-set or negated by any means possible.

    It meant that once the skill was used, it would be perfectly established with absolute certainty. The significance of these absolute priority skills was proof that the user was a proxy of the Goddess.

    The movements of the queen of poison dulled before Dina¡¯s eyes, bing extremely slowed down.

    However, the poison mist had already been fired from her mouth. Those mists were ever so slowly... but definitely, making their way out of the prison of time.

    <i>Oh no... oh no oh no oh no!</i>

    Irrespective of how well the queen of poison¡¯s real body¡¯s movement was restricted, if the poison mist were to escape out of the prison of time, then there were no hands left to be yed.

    At that very moment, the queen of poison¡¯s speed was reduced down to 100 000<sup>th</sup> of her original speed. For most living things, this much deceleration was as good as stopping their time.

    However, it was still moving. It had not yet stopped.

    In other words, its original scattering speed was just simply that stupidly fast.

    The flow of the time continued to get slower and slower. By now, the queen of poison was almost unable to move at all.

    Nevertheless, before its time could be stoppedpletely, the poison mist would leak out of the prison of time first.

    As the avatar of the Goddess, Dina possessed seven unique skills. All of them had their priority levels assigned as "six" and would take precedence over any other skill.

    But amongst those skills... none had an effect that was able to resolve this current problem.

    <i>What should I do? What can I do?</i>

    Once the poison mists leaked out, she might be able to bear with it for a while, however, the people in this vige would die.

    At the very least, her father, who was already on his deathbed, definitely would not survive.

    Furthermore, once the poison had been sprayed all over the vige, regardless of how many times she was to use resurrection divine magic, the ones resurrected would die again immediately afterwards.

    At this moment, Dina had even forgotten that she was the Goddess¡¯s avatar as she did nothing but desperately rack her brain trying to find any possible solution to avoid what was about to happen.

    However, a panic-driven brain in a mad rush for an answer would naturally not even be able toe up with the most obvious solution.

    Impatience gave birth to further impatience, ultimately robbing away any form of rational decision-making ability she would have had.[5]

    And finally, it was the moment the poison mist had reached the edges of the prison of time and was about to cross over -

    "Hmm, the effect of your skill is absurdly powerful, but the way you¡¯re utilising it is horrendous. I guess it¡¯s because you have ess to overpowered skills that you can¡¯t think of a way to pragmatically resolve the problem. Look here, something like this can be resolved in a much simpler way."

    Dina heard a voice overflowing with confidence from her side. In the next moment, she saw a clenched fiste into her peripheral vision.

    The owner of the voice took a step and punched with all their might.

    That was all that they did. Nevertheless, the resulting oue of that was beyond Dina¡¯s imaginations.

    With just a single strike of their fist, an enormous tornado which reached the ends of the sky was created, blowing away all the poison mists high up into the air.

    The queen of poison was ever so slightly caught up by this tornado and was also sent high up into the air. As a result of its weight, it barely managed to avoid getting sent out of the stratosphere, but as it was falling back down, Ruphas clenched her fist once again and took aim at it.

    "You also seem to be under someme control. Whatever, you¡¯ll probably wake up from being punched. I¡¯ll hold back, but I¡¯ll punch with all I have. Ready?"

    What a contradicting sentence it was. How would one punch with all they had even whilst holding back? It did not even make any sense.

    But this was a world where such an illogical thing could be established. And it was the existence of skills which made it possible.

    At that moment, Dina definitely felt something.

    The presence that she felt from Ruphas skyrocketed at an overwhelming degree, and of the fact, that even the level restriction in ce had been ovee.

    Ordinarily, [Observing Eyes] could not be used to measure the values of an individual which was stronger than the user.

    However, Dina was the Goddess¡¯s avatar. She was able to disregard that condition and determine Ruphas¡¯s level. After seeing that it was a ridiculous number exceeding 4000, Dina almost fainted.

    The level cap served as a wall in ce against how much destruction could be caused. So that power that was too strong would not destroy the world, the might of an attack was forcibly brought down to a specified cap upon impact. It was a defensive mechanism that had been set in ce.

    Had such a system not been in ce, just by a person moving beyond the speed of sound, there would be serious coteral damage done to the surroundings as a result of the sonic boom. Simrly, if a person were to move beyond the speed of light, the world would perish.

    Furthermore, there was more than one wall in ce. As a precaution, beginning at level 1000, at a set interval of 1000 levels, there were tenyers of restrictive walls in ce.

    In other words, there was a restrictive wall at level 2000, 3000 and so on and so forth.

    And right now, Ruphas¡¯s level was over 4000. She had already ovee 4 restrictive walls which were in ce.

    In her current state, the maximum damage which could be dealt was 999 999 999!

    It would be possible for her to deal almost a billion damage per hit.

    In that condition, the skill [Blunt-Edge Strike] was activated. After activating the "special holding back" skill, which would definitely leave the enemy at 1 HP, Ruphas punched the queen of poison with all her might, sending her away.

    This time for sure, the giant body with a length reaching 100m was sent flying out of the stratosphere, eventually closing into where the Sun was.

    The Blunt-Edge Strike prevented the opponent from dying as a result of the damage dealt by the user. However, the opponent could still die as a result of damage from outside factors. In other words, if the queen of poison continued to plunge into the Sun in its current condition, it would not be able to survive.

    Nevertheless, Ruphas had already caught up to where the queen was, and turned her around with a kick.

    (After this, Ruphas was joking around at a tavern with herrades whilst saying "as expected, the Sun was actually pretty hot".)

    Again, using with the effect of Blunt-Edge Strike, Ruphas kicked the queen, who was already at 1 HP, vertically down into Midgard.

    She again overtook the queen who was falling down like a shooting star and stopped in a standby position in the sky slightly above the vige.

    She then stopped the queen who fell right down onto her with one hand, finally slowlynding back down onto the ground.

    The total time that psed whilst all of this was happening... was merely about one second.

    Dina¡¯s jaw, which had dropped down, did not close.

    __

    (Author note)

    Let¡¯s inspect Dina¡¯s unique skills.

    * Note, a few of these are just to let you know what they are, and there is a possibility that they may not y a role in the storyline.

    [Rasalhague][6]

    It was next to the pillow again today. A part of my body.

    But once out, it¡¯s no longer a part of my body.

    When I turned on the television, an empty-headed personality was using it as a joke.

    They were talking about hair again...

    - of course, that¡¯s not the case. It is a skill that simultaneously wakes andmands the ouroboroses.

    It has the priority rank "6", and as such, it takes precedence over every other skill. It cannot be negated by any means.

    [Cebalrai][7]

    Maniptes the target¡¯s memory, and imnts fake memories.

    Furthermore, by manipting their recognition, the user is able to make the target perceive them as air or a rock, thus making them unable to feel their presence. It has the priority rank "6", and as such, it takes precedence over every other skill. It cannot be negated by any means... or so it was meant to be.

    [Muliphen][8]

    To use Fenbren to beat the first volume, it¡¯s impossiblen~... of course, that¡¯s not the case.[9]

    This skill can assign a maximum damage restriction on the target. It is able to drop their maximum damage down to 9999.

    It has the priority rank "6", and as such, it takes precedence over every other skill. It cannot be negated by any means.

    [Yed Prior][10]

    Separates the target¡¯s time from the surroundings and allows it to be sped up infinitely without an upper limit.

    Eventually, the target of this skill can be sped up such that they transcend past the limit and concept of time itself. Although... that¡¯s assuming their physical body even manages to bear the effect...

    It has the priority rank "6", and as such, it takes precedence over every other skill. It cannot be negated by any means.

    [Yed Posterior][11]

    Separates the target¡¯s time from their surroundings and allows them to be decelerated infinitely without limit.

    Eventually, the target of this skill will be slowed down such that their time will stop. Their time will then flow backwards until before they were born, effectively being erasedpletely.

    It has the priority rank "6", and as such, it takes precedence over every other skill. It cannot be negated by any means.

    [Sabik][12]

    A skill that creates skills.

    However, this does not mean that it can create any skill whatsoever on a whim. There are 100 points that can be distributed out during the creation of a skill.

    For example, if the power of the skill is raised too much, it may end up as an extremely destructive skill but possesses a terrible uracy rate or end up as a skill with no special effect. Alternatively, if you evenly distribute points to those effects, there will be less assignable points to power.

    Additionally, if the previously made skill still remains in ce, Sabik cannot be used to create another skill. If Dina wants to create a new skill, she will need to get rid of the previously created skill.

    This is nothing more than a handy jack-of-all-trades skill to do what the user wants by disregarding assigning points into power and focusing entirely on uracy and special effects... or so Dina took it to be......

    [Marfik][13]

    Allows the Goddess to possess the body, skyrocketing all stats by multiple times.

    When this skill is used, Dina would, in a very literal sense, be the Goddess¡¯s avatar. Her consciousness will be erased.

    This skill can be activated by the Goddess, regardless of Dina¡¯s will.

    It has the priority rank "6", and as such, it takes precedence over every other skill. It cannot be negated by any means.

    [Star of Asclepius][14]

    The most powerful recovery skill within the Water-attribute. Able to heal all kinds of wounds. It can even resurrect the dead.

    Technically, this is not a unique skill. However, because it is a legendary skill that no one else can use, it is essentially Dina¡¯s exclusive magic.

    [Subspace Seal][15]

    Abandons the target in the space between dimensions.

    ount ban.

    Technically, this is also not an exclusive skill.

    Super Kitchen Ability[16]

    The other Twelve Stars may be at a cheat tier, but Dina is, in a literal sense, the very embodiment of cheat.

    The others may possess bnce-destroying skills that are unfair or cheat-like, however, Dina uses actual fraudulent skills and essentially truly cheats her way through.

    Also, it¡¯s worth noting that Ruphas¡¯s mere punch is more dangerous than any of these.

    All ya gotta do is raise ya level and punch ya way thru!

    (Author note end)

    Tp: Dina, mate... that Sabik skill is so overpowered and you don¡¯t utilise it to its full extent! How could you not abuse that skill!?

    __

    [1] Secret Power: "".

    [2] Va: Something is not right. Epidemics and pestilences are diseases, not poisons.

    Tp: I think it¡¯s because of the way the word "doku/¶¾" is used in the Japanesenguage. Whereas the Englishnguage separates the parts of the concept into "poison", "venom", "toxin", "disease", etc, and they each have quite a different definition, "doku" can mean "poison (the mostmon use)" but can also mean "malice" or "wicked". It¡¯s pretty much the "go-to" word (or part of the word) for anything malicious and bad. So if you interpret that word broadly, it can include epidemic and pestilence.

    [3] The raw used "humanoids" here, but we believe this is an error because elves are one of the said humanoid races. We have used our discretion and changed it to "humans".

    [4] Epsilon Ophiuchi aka Yed Posterior (¥§¥É?¥Ý¥¹¥Æ¥ê¥ª¥ë) is a red giant star in the constetion of Ophiuchus. "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epsilon_Ophiuchi".

    [5] I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a better trantion for this or a moremonly used one, but this line is quite a famous/well-known Japanese proverb. (½¹¤ê¤Ï½¹¤ê¤òÉú¤ß¡¢Àä¾²¤ÊÅÐ¶Ï¤òÊ§¤ï¤»¤ë¡£) - Literally tranted as; "Impatience gives birth to impatience, losing rational/calm and collected decision making." I just stretched it out a bit more so that it makes better sense and portrays what the actual proverb means.

    [6] Alpha Ophiuchi aka Rasalhague (¥é¥¹?¥¢¥ë¥Ï¥²): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Ophiuchi". Alpha Ophiuchi is a binary star and the brightest star in the constetion of Ophiuchus.

    [7] Beta Ophiochi aka Cebalrai (¥±¥Ð¥ë¥é¥¤): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_Ophiuchi". Cebalrai is a star in the constetion of Ophiuchus.

    [8] Gamma Ophiuchi aka Muliphen (¥à¥ê¥Õ¥§¥ó): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_Ophiuchi". A fourth-magnitude star in the constetion Ophiuchus.

    [9] Bishop Warrior Fenbren (¥Õ¥§¥ó¥Ö¥ì¥ó) is one of Har¡¯s Guardian Knights in Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai manga.

    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Quest:_The_Adventure_of_Dai#The_Demon_Lord¡¯s_Army".

    [10] Delta Ophiuchi aka Yed Prior (¥¤¥§¥É?¥×¥ê¥ª¥ë): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Ophiuchi". A star in the constetion of Ophiuchus.

    [11] Copy pasted from footnote 4... Epsilon Ophiuchi aka Yed Posterior (¥§¥É?¥Ý¥¹¥Æ¥ê¥ª¥ë) is a red giant star in the constetion of Ophiuchus. "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epsilon_Ophiuchi".

    [12] Eta Ohiuchi aka Sabik (¥µ¥Ó¥¯): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eta_Ophiuchi". A binary star in the constetion of Ophiuchus.

    [13] Lambda Ophiuchi aka Marfik (¥Þ¥ë¥Õ¥£¥¯): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambda_Ophiuchi".

    [14] Star of Asclepius (¥¹¥¿©`?¥ª¥Ö?¥¢¥¹¥¯¥ì¥Ô¥ª¥¹): "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_of_Asclepius". See chapter 115¡¯s end of the chapter author note for the full description of this skill.

    [15] Subspace seal („¿Õég·âÓ¡). Used previously in chapter 86.

    [16] None of us knows what this means... I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s ng or symbolism that I can¡¯t figure out.

    __

 Chapter 159

    Chapter 159 - X-Gate Online Used Explosion![1]

    Raw link: (2017/02/12)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2020/04/26)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2020/05/02)

    Editor 2: Keii (2020/05/04)

    Trantion link: <u></u>

    __

    Notice 1: This chapter is being released 2 days ahead of schedule because I will be away for the next few days with my mid-semester exam. <strong>The ETA for chapter 160 is May 12<sup>th</sup></strong>. <strong>There is also a chance that it may be dyed to May 13<sup>th</sup></strong> because I am away until halfway through the 12<sup>th</sup>, and I may not be able to release the chapter in time. After that, it will go back to Va.

    __

    (Author note)

    I moved the core content from the previous chapter into this chapter as I was too hasty with hinting at Dina¡¯s role.

    (Author note end)

    __

    The elven vige survived. Correction, it was saved.

    Afterwards, by distributing the elixirs around, the people who were ill were cured and Dina¡¯s father managed to regain his health.

    Additionally, the scorpion became attached to Ruphas and, after changing into a humanoid form, glued herself onto Ruphas¡¯s arm.

    Dina had a strange feeling thinking about how the scorpion had managed to be attached to Ruphas despite how violently it had been punched by her. But then again, the true nature of the scorpion was a magical beast, after all.

    Perhaps it was attracted to the power that had overwhelmed her so much to the point where she was unable to retaliate against it.

    But Dina did not have the leisure to be paying attention to such things.

    That was because she was going through an existential crisis after what she had believed to be her identity hadpletely copsed. She did not have room to be thinking about anything else.

    She had been keeping a close watch on Ruphas, believing her to be a risk factor, yet she was helped out by her. In contrast, she could not help but admit that the Goddess, whom she had believed to be the same entity as herself up until this point, and her actual self had a fatal misalignment in their thought processes.

    Now that things had gotten this far, she was convinced. No, she could not help but be convinced.

    - Of the fact that she was not the same entity as the Goddess. She was merely... a separate individual who had inherited the Goddess¡¯s memories and ego... She was just a doll.

    At the very least, from the moment when the Goddess tried to kill Dina¡¯s birth father and Dina tried to prevent that, the two of them had trodden uponpletely separate paths.

    However, in that case, who exactly was she? What exactly was she?

    Whilst Dina was pondering such questions, her father, who was still resting on the ground, softly spoke with a weak voice.

    "Ahh, Dina, you¡¯re still safe... good, good."

    Something warm flowed out from her eyes.

    She had thrown her mother away, thrown her father away, thrown her vige away and left them all behind without a word.

    Because of her assumption that she was the incarnation of the Goddess, she looked down on them. So much so that, even in regard to her mother¡¯s death, she had just learnt of the fact.

    Notwithstanding all of that, he was still the same. He still unconditionally loved that daughter of his. He still worried and cared for her.

    Yeah, that¡¯s right. Didn¡¯t he always call her that in the past?

    From the first moment that she had been born, he had always called her that.

    Not Alovenus, the borrowed name of someone else, but Dina.

    Now, she understood. Now, she noticed.

    That she was not Alovenus. Irrespective of the fact that she had inherited a part of the Goddess¡¯s spirit, irrespective of the fact that she had been conferred her memories and ego... she was still different. She could never consider herself as Alovenus ever again.

    After all, she loved them this much. She felt this much joy after finding out that he had been saved.

    This feeling was hers alone. It was not the Goddess¡¯s.

    On that day, the young girl who should have been the Goddess¡¯s avatar ceased to be her avatar. She turned from an avatar into a young girl, an individual by the name of Dina.

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_741" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-741" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-741" ss="wp-caption-text">Illustration from AWLBA Light novel V7 ¨C Used itst chapter but it might be from this scene instead...</figcaption></figure>

    *

    "... By the looks of it, it¡¯s checkmate. It seems we were a little too slow in noticing it."

    - A few yearster.

    The ck-Winged Ruler who had taken hold of essentially the entire world could be seen with her secret advisor who closely followed her like her own shadow.

    The Tyrannical Thirteen Heavenly Stars¡¯ Ophiuchus. That was the alias bestowed upon Dina.

    Using her unique skill, she thinned her presence as if she was a shadow.

    Using perception maniption, she made it so that even her own allies could not detect her existence. Her presence itself waspletely erased from the minds of others as if she was blending into the very background.

    Amongst the Twelve Stars, only Taurus, Parthenos and Aquarius were aware that a thirteenth star actually existed.

    And even for them, they did not know that her name was Dina. They could only barely sense that there was an enigmatic thirteenth star known as Ophiuchus, whose appearance they did not even know.

    "It isn¡¯t a checkmate yet. If it¡¯s you, it should very well be possible topletely turn the tables around and start all over again."

    Right now, the two of them were being cornered.

    It would not be wrong to say that they were facing a crisis the likes of which they had never faced before.

    After concluding that the Demon King would not be able to handle Ruphas, the Goddess manipted Alioth and the rest by amplifying the insecurities and envy that they felt towards Ruphas, inducing them to feel antagonistic towards her.

    Furthermore, even amongst the countless number of subordinates who followed her, over half of them had turned against her.

    Those subordinates who had a strong loyalty towards her or those possessing strong mental strength were still on her side, but if there was a confrontation, it was clear which side woulde out victorious... at least, under normal circumstances.

    But Ruphas was not normal at all. Even if she was alone, she could overturn this unfavourable situation.

    Dina had just pointed this out. However, Ruphas¡¯s expression did not improve.

    "Hmm, yeah, it¡¯s possible. But you know, Ophiuchus... even assuming that I end up winning, what would happen then? Who exactly in their right minds do you think would end up following a ruler who massacres her own friends and allies? After all, a ruler who kills over half of her own subordinates is nothing but a tyrant. No one would recognise that individual. On top of that... once I do end up killing a lot of my allies and subordinates, even if I were toe out victorious, there¡¯ll be nothing left in my hands. ... Whether I win or not, I¡¯ll only end up losing everything. From the moment it had gotten to this point, it was my loss."

    Victory could be achieved. If it was only victory, it could be achieved.

    However, to make thate to fruition, she would lose her friends, have to burn down the country that she had needed to protect with her own hands and have to massacre her own people.

    And that... was essentially no different from defeat.

    "At the very least, the Twelve Stars will be left. And myself."

    "You¡¯re right. I guess that¡¯s the only silver lining."

    In response to Dina¡¯s words, Ruphas showed a faint smile.

    Ruphas collected her thoughts a little. Then, once she hadposed her thoughts, she raised her head.

    "... Looks like there¡¯s no other way but to think of ¡¯a way to lose¡¯."

    "A way to lose... did you say?"

    "Yeah. If what the people desire is for me to step down as ruler, then I shall answer by granting that to them. I will stage my own loss and investigate the one who caused all of that to happen in the meantime."

    "That¡¯s..."

    "For you, it will most likely be a painful and audacious road. If you want to defect from me, now is the perfect time, you know?"

    Even if she were to leave, she would not be med.

    The king was hinting this to her. However, in response, Dina merely smiled courageously.

    "No thank you, Ruphas-sama. I have no intention of going back to being a doll. Until I met you, I was nothing more than a doll that didn¡¯t possess an ego of my own... You were the one who turned me into ¡¯me¡¯. In return for that, I¡¯ll fool even the Goddess-sama herself."

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_756" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-756" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-756" ss="wp-caption-text">Illustration from AWLBA Light Novel V7</figcaption></figure>

    She was adept at fooling people.

    After all, from the moment she had been born, she had been fooling people.

    So she¡¯d prove that she could do it.

    She would sessfully deceive the demons. She would sessfully deceive the Twelve Heavenly Stars. She would sessfully deceive the Seven Heroes. She would sessfully deceive Ruphas. And she would prove that she could even sessfully deceive the Goddess herself.

    While slithering like a snake, she would prove that she could stir up every single faction from the inside, bringing about disorder and mayhem.

    If, at the end of all of that, even if she would have to suffer from hate and disgust from her allies, even if she would have to bear the title of a traitor, she would not hesitate.

    She would let the Goddess know. ¨C <i>This is me. This is the woman known as Dina.</i>

    "The Serpent Bearer". What cruel irony it was for her master to bestow upon her such a title.

    If anything, her master, who had created the forbidden fruit and pulled down all those who followed the Goddess onto earth only for her to add them into her own camp, was the real snake. In the truest sense, she was the king of devils who appeared in legends and myths.

    But she was the Serpent Bearer. As such, she would have to lead even that very snake by the nose and reach the truth behind it all.

    "Alright. Then in that case, what you should do is..."

    A few weekster.

    Dina was mixed amongst the traitors¡¯ camp.

    She stood on the side of the Seven Heroes who had rebelled against Ruphas and looked for a suitable target while moving around like a shadow.

    Eventually, the individual that she found was a young elf.

    Seeing him shivering on the ground, not even able to stand up after having experienced Ruphas¡¯s Coercion, Dina smiled.

    <i>Excuse me for looking through your memories... hmm, I see, I see. You have some connections with the royal family, mmm. Not too bad as a target, I suppose.</i>

    Dina walked towards the young man who was shivering on the ground and manipted his memories and perception.

    Dina amplified his fear that he felt towards Ruphas, coaxing him to run away from the location. Additionally, she imnted a single order, deep in his subconsciousness.

    And that order was to be carried out two hundred years from now. At that time, to oppose the threat of the Demon King, he would have no choice but to summon a hero. She imnted such a belief in him. Incidentally, she also bestowed him with the knowledge of how to use the skill X-Gate.

    Moreover, she presented him with various pieces of knowledge and taught him how to use a few arcane magic spells. She then incited him to be an executive officer in some kingdom in the future.

    In the battle which was about to ur, most of the high-level individuals would end up dead. As a consequence, even with his level ofpetence, given time, he should be able to be a central pir in the country he ended up settling in.

    Furthermore... whilst bestowing him with the method of how to use X-Gate, she included a fatal fault.

    At the time they would attempt to summon a hero, instead of a person from another world, the summoning process would conclude a step prior... The method was rigged such that he would summon someone from the boundary between Midgard and another world.

    With all these steps in ce, he would eventually try and summon a hero. And when he did, he would mistakenly call upon Ruphas.

    The one who would undertake the heavy responsibility of calling her master back to this world was this young man who seemed to have no redeeming features.

    Not even the Goddess would be vignt against someone like him.

    After preparing a ticking time bomb on a pitiful young man, Dina moved to the battlefield. She then applied her hand to end a certain battle which was already in its climax.

    At the same time Megrez tried to seal Ruphas with sealing arcane magic, she activated X-Gate.

    Subsequently, she sent Ruphas away to subspace.

    Needless to say, Ruphas was sent away without resistance. The prerequisite to X-Gate was the consent of the target - and because Ruphas had consented to this from the very beginning, there was no reason for her to not be sent away.

    With this, everyone else would think that the great heroes had defeated Ruphas.

    "Magnificent! Truly magnificent, heroes! You have done well to prove to me that you can surpass me. In the face of your courage and strength, I shall show my admiration from the bottom of my heart. But don¡¯t forget, the darkness has not yet lifted. With this much solidarity between your party, you may even strike the Demon King down - however, know that should you lose that solidarity of yours, the world will be enveloped in far more darkness than it ever has been. Whether your future shall turn out to be bright or dim, I shall observe it from the depths of hell! Kuhahahahaha... HAAhahahahahahaha!!"

    Despite how exactly things were developing, Dina felt that Ruphas was in too high of a spirit.

    <i></i>

    <i>Could it be that she¡¯s actually really enjoying thisst boss roley??</i>

    <i>Not to mention that she¡¯s even warning them that "solidarity is important".</i>

    Due to how frank Ruphas was being with all of this, Dina subconsciously leaked a weird chuckle.

    However, the fact that Dina was distracted by all of this was a problem.

    Feeling someone¡¯s gaze on her, she turned to look towards the source. When she did, her eyes met with Pollux¡¯s, who was firmly fixated on her.

    <i></i>

    <i>- Oh shit.</i>

    <i>This is definitely going to invite some misunderstandings.</i>

    From Pollux¡¯s perspective, any woman who looked like a carbon copy of the Goddess and smiled shrewdly after sealing Ruphas, was clearly suspicious.

    In all likelihood, even if Dina were to apply memory maniption afterwards, Pollux was still likely to say something like, "She¡¯s suspicious."

    Dina became flustered and quickly disappeared from the location, escaping from the battlefield.

    Although Dina had made a small mistake, looking at things holistically, things were going well.

    After leaving the battlefield behind, Dina headed to the space between space and reconvened with Ruphas.

    "Ruphas-sama, what was that at the end!? Because of you, I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle and ended up being seen by Pollux-sama!"

    "What are you doing...? Of all people, you were seen by her..."

    "Hey, that¡¯s your fault, Ruphas-sama! It¡¯s because you were in such high spirits roleying as the final boss!"

    "Well, no, I just... felt joyful seeing everyone be strong."

    Alioth and the rest could not even have imagined what was happening.

    Who would have thought that, in the backstage of that fateful battle, there was such silly conversation going on?

    Ruphas and Dina enjoyed a small quarrel with one another, before switching back to the main topic at hand.

    "Anyways... Now, I¡¯ll wait for you to create an avatar. After you¡¯re done with that, I¡¯ll stop time and seal your real body in this subspace. The avatar that you create will be sent into the future to try and circumvent the Goddess-sama¡¯s supervision. I¡¯ll think of some method to feed information and knowledge from this world to you. And two hundred years from now, I¡¯ll match the time of the summoning in order to bring Ruphas-sama back into this world. Is that alright with you?"

    "Yeah. ... Ahh, by the way, is it possible to change the avatar¡¯s gender?"

    "Eh? Well, I suppose so. I mean, you¡¯re just imnting a fragment of your memories, ego and soul, so it¡¯s possible... but are you nning to be a man?"

    "No, I¡¯m just wondering."

    Now that Dina reflected on it, she thought that she should have pursued this topic a little more back then.

    How could Dina have predicted that Ruphas would actually make a male avatar?

    As for why Ruphas had chosen a male avatar, in all likelihood, it was probably because Ruphas had wanted to objectively assess herself.

    Considering that she went as far as changing the avatar¡¯s gender, Dina thought that Ruphas had, no doubt, wanted topletely be "someone else" so that she would be able to urately observe and assess the deeds of "Ruphas Mafahl" and determine why she ended up getting betrayed.

    Of course, Dina thought that Ruphas may have had other reasons as well. For example, perhaps Ruphas had wanted to make it harder for the Goddess to notice the avatar by changing its gender. Or perhaps she even wanted to try and prevent the avatar from bing too much like "Ruphas" by putting the avatar in a position as far away from how she was as possible.

    Alternatively, perhaps she just wanted to use this opportunity to try and understand how the minds of men worked.

    Whatever the reason, Ruphas was a master whom she could not read.

    After their conversation, Dina extracted the fragment of Ruphas¡¯s soul which would serve as the foundation for the avatar and stopped Ruphas¡¯s time. Dina then travelled into the future, carrying that fragment with her before releasing that fragment.

    As long as that fragment was released and allowed to roam free, it would eventually house itself in some random fetus which had yet to be born. No further attention was required from Dina.

    After watching the fragment leave, Dina returned to the past once more. She then got around toying down the necessary foundations so that she might properly provide that baby with the required information by the time it grew up.

    Once Dina returned to the original time, she utilised memory and perception maniption and integrated herself into Japanese society, establishing apany.

    And around the time when Japan entered the <i>Heisei</i> era, she developed a game with simr features to the world of Midgard.[2] In the beginning, she started selling the offline prototype game [X-Gate] publicly.

    Then, without a moment of dy, she started creating the game [X-Gate TRPG] beforepleting the final product, [X-Gate Online], which was as faithful to the systems which existed on Midgard as possible.

    There was no need for Dina to worry that Ruphas¡¯s avatar would not y the game.

    After all, the avatar would subconsciously remember its original world.

    As such, the avatar would definitely be hooked onto the feel of the world. It should, no doubt, y the game with great interest.

    However, because this game was matched with the original world that Dina came from, there was an issue with the game¡¯s bnce.

    As a consequence, the reputation of the game was a little... no, very bad on the inte. With how things were turning out, it was charging right into termination of its services.

    <i>... It, it looks like it can¡¯t be helped.</i>

    Regardless of whatever happened afterwards, she had to first get the avatar to y the game. And for that to happen, the game had to be popr enough.

    As long as the avatar was aware of the game, Dina was sure that it would y it. However, if the game itself was too under the radar, there was a chance that the avatar would not even learn about its existence.

    As a result, Dina cheated. She created amercial and endowed it with her perception maniption skill, forcibly inciting people to be interested in the game and creating a game with fake poprity.

    This was the reason X-Gate Online was as popr as it was despite the fact that the game bnce was so bad that it was known as a shitty game that was always moments before its services were shut down.

    After Dina ascertained that Ruphas¡¯s avatar had properly started ying the game, the next thing Dina did was recreate a situation as close to reality as possible.

    Out of the countless yers who yed the game, Dina selected the yers whose in-game avatars closely resembled the Seven Heroes. She further picked out the ones amongst them who logged in more frequently and implicitly "guided" them.

    For example, those yers might "luckily" acquire rare items which rarely dropped from monsters or they might "luckily" encounter rare monsters which gave a high amount of experience points... Subsequently, after they were led to be top yers in the game, they were awarded with special character names such as "Alioth" or "Bnash" from the admins.

    In particr, for the would-be Alioth, he would be taught the existence of the hero ss from an event quest that he coincidentally came across as well as a way to obtain it.

    On top of all of this, she created a separate ount for herself and mingled with the group Ruphas and the rest hung out with. She would then lead the conversation in the direction that she wanted and tried to incite them so that they would recreate historical events that she knew had happened.

    Such as... <i>It¡¯s boring if there¡¯s only one faction in the game, so let¡¯s split up and have a big battle.</i>

    The reason such a ridiculous event that would have normally never happened even came to pass in the first ce was because the administrators had the game in their hands.

    After the fact, people wrote on the forum, "Things are going so smoothly, it¡¯s as if the admins are helping out certain yers."

    It was exactly as they had said... The administrators were, in fact, helping out certain yers in the game.

    After a while, Dina sensed a distortion in the space-time continuum. In other words, X-Gate was activated. When this happened, Dina electronically appeared in front of Ruphas¡¯s avatar as the mascot of the game, "the Creation Goddess Alovenus", then said some stuff and teleported back to Midgard.[3]

    In the process, she retrieved the fragment of Ruphas¡¯s soul from the avatar who was ying the game then put him to sleep.

    At that time, because the avatar fell forward on his face, she was unable to see what the avatar looked like.

    As the clothing that the avatar was wearing could be worn by both genders, Dina never thought to question which gender the avatar was. As a consequence, Dina mistakenly thought the avatar was an androgynous young girl.[4]

    Digressing a little, after Dina left Earth, the perception-maniption magic that had been casted on the people was undone. As a result, the game, X-Gate Online, suffered due to its horrible bnce and quickly deteriorated. Very quickly, the game flopped and its services were terminated.

    __

    (Author note)

    [Summary/List of Dina¡¯s jobs]

    * The reason behind why Ruphas felt convinced that Dina was "not her enemy" and couldn¡¯te to hate her despite the suspicion she had towards Dina was because, subconsciously, Ruphas "knew" that Dina was on her side.

    Needless to say, this was an extremely dangerous mission for Dina as there were always a risk of her getting erased by Ruphas herself as a result of the suspicion, and because the killer maid¡¯s nozzle was always locked onto her.

    (Author note end)

    RIP Cruz... "A pitiful young man with no redeeming features." Haha.

    __

    [1] "".

    Remember that we¡¯re forcing the Pokemon references. It would normally be tranted as "X-Gate Online Massively Exploded!" Both to how it exploded in poprity (and got big) and how it exploded and shut down.

    [2] The Heisei era refers to the period of time between 1989 January 8 to 2019 April 30 (corresponding to the reign of Emperor Akihito). So, at the time this series was being written, it would have been in the Heisei era. The author wouldn¡¯t have known the Heisei era would end in 2019, so he must have written this paragraph based on that assumption.

    [3] For those that forgot, the past few paragraphs were from chapter 1.

    "".

    [4] Dina only noticed during the fight against Scorpius, in chapter 67.

    "".

    __

 Chapter 160

    Chapter 160 - Ruphas Awakened

    Raw link: (2017/02/18)

    Trantor: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2020/04/29)

    Editor 1: Hand of Va (2020/05/04)

    Editor 2: Keii (2020/05/12)

    Trantion link:

    __

    Notice 1: Previously in chapter 99, I wrote Ruphas¡¯s HP at level 3000 as 18 050 000. I made a mistake, it was 1 805 000. It has now been corrected.

    __

    (Author note)

    [Summary ofst time]

    Q: So the Goddess¡¯s avatar, Dina, turned out to be actuallypetent... then, could it be that the Goddess herself is also...

    A: Please don¡¯t worry. The real Goddess is ipetent.

    (Author note end)

    __

    (<strong><u>TLN: Reminder that I/My/Me denoted by "ORE" is used by the Japanese MC because "ore" is used by a male person.</u></strong>

    <strong><u>I/My/Me denoted by "YO" is a haughty form, typically used by the "real" Ruphas in her position as the Supreme Ruler/King, but is umon in real life.</u></strong>

    <strong><u>I/My/Me denoted by "WATASHI" ismonly used by a female person and in a gender-neutral/polite context</u></strong><strong>.</strong>)

    Even while Dina published a game in Japan and continued to send information to Ruphas¡¯s avatar, she frequently went back to Midgard.

    The reason behind this was to observe the Demon King, Orm.

    Originally, he was supposed to leave the stage once Ruphas was overthrown. However, for some strange reason, he acted out the farce of beating back the heroes.

    As a result, it was only natural for the Goddess to have some misgivings about him. In the end, Dina was given the order to observe the Demon King.

    For Dina, who was undertaking activities in Japan, this order turned out to be a miscalction that she could not feel joyful about.

    Even more annoying was the fact that the Sun Ouroboros¡¯s avatar developed an ego of its own and started acting as a subordinate of the Goddess.

    By this point, Pollux, Parthenos, Taurus and Aquarius had alreadymenced with the act of sealing the ouroboroses. Nevertheless, it was not as if they couldpletely keep everything under control.

    There were chances that the ouroboroses would whimsically create avatars, and there were also chances that those avatars would have egos of their own.

    It was just that the worst-case scenario hade to pass.

    In other words, on one hand, Dina had to show that she was properly observing the Demon King, whilst on the other, she needed to hide the fact that she had betrayed the Goddess.

    Calling her a double agent... would have been an understatement.

    When she was amongst the demons, she had topletely act as a faithful servant of the Goddess. At the same time, she had toe and go between Japan and Midgard.

    Yet there was also a positive side of this miscalction. Because of it, she was able to meet with the Demon King, who was also rebelling against the Goddess, and establish a cooperative rtionship with him so that they could use each other as covers.

    Exactly... the Demon King was already aware of Dina¡¯s new identity. He was already aware of it, yet he allowed her to continue ying around.

    After all, he knew it would profit him more this way.

    And on that fateful day...

    It was the Goddess¡¯s suggestion to imnt an alternate ego into Ruphas.

    By imnting a random person from Japan, who would have been living incency due to a long period of peace, Ruphas would be an entity who would be easier for her to control, turning her into a chess piece for the Goddess.

    Yet not even the Goddess could have guessed that Ruphas had long integrated into Japan and hidden herself using a clone.

    Ruphas and Dina used this opportunity to their advantage and tantly copied the memories and ego of Ruphas¡¯s avatar, retrieved the fragment of her soul and returned it to Ruphas before bringing her back to Midgard, sessfully summoning her back.

    In other words, the true identity behind Ruphas at that point was... the real Ruphas herself, who was ying the role of "someone else who was possessing Ruphas".

    That was why she showed no hesitation when she needed to fight other people. That was why she did not feel agitated even after taking the lives of others.

    It was only natural that she felt no sexual urges towards other women, and the way she spoke was only fixed to how it was because, subconsciously, she did not want to lose sight of herself.

    And in the end, roleying was roleying... as long as there was some external stimulus, the actor would wake up.

    For example, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve experienced dreams before. In those dreams, have you ever found yourself in a setting which was otherworldly and could not have existed in reality? Or, alternatively, a dream where you became a character in your favourite game or fictional work?

    And at that time, did you notice that you were ying the role of that character without feeling out of ce?

    After you woke up and regained your rationality, you might have asked yourself, "What was that dream? As if something like that is possible." However, even if such a massive turnaround happened afterwards, during the time you were experiencing the dream, you would not have considered the whole situation to be strange in any way. However weird it is, when you are within a dream, you would think of yourself as yourself.

    Of course, there are times where you may notice that you are dreaming even while you are within a dream.

    Nevertheless, in most cases, you wouldn¡¯t recognise that you were inside a dream.

    Even if what was happening was such a ridiculous situation that you would instantly know it was a dream if you were awake, you probably wouldn¡¯t question it until you actually woke up.

    In that case, would you say that the you inside the dream is not yourself?

    The answer to that was, again, no. Although you had to unconditionally ept the setting and act all throughout the dream without questioning the situation, you were still yourself.[1]

    Ruphas could be said to have been in such a state. Long story short, Ruphas had been dreaming of "someone who took possession of Ruphas".

    But in the end, what had happened was analogous to being half-asleep or daydreaming. As a result, by fighting against strong opponents such as Bnash, she could not help but gradually open her eyes.

    At that time, she momentarily woke up fully, but noticing that it was not yet the right time, she forcibly went back to sleep and continued roleying.

    Yet her sleep had definitely be lighter, thus, she was returning back to her real self.

    All of that was in ordance with Ruphas and Dina¡¯s ns. It was in ce to deceive the eyes of the Goddess.

    For example, if Ruphas had resurrected back on Midgard in herplete state from the beginning, the Goddess would have moved the ouroboroses without even giving her time to gather her allies.

    To prevent that from happening, Ruphas needed to purposefully act like a clown.

    But that was now over. Now, the Twelve Heavenly Stars had all been gathered and her preparations wereplete.

    All that remained was for her to remove the obstacles and gain the right to challenge the Goddess.

    As such... Dinapletely removed all effects caused by the memory perception skill that she had cast on Ruphas.

    *

    <i>I woke up from my dreams.</i>

    <i>Although it turned out to be quite clich¨¦, the way I (ore) - no, I suppose there isn¡¯t any reason for me to continue roleying.</i>

    <i>The way that I (watashi) am right now feels just right.</i>

    <i>I don¡¯t have the sensation of having roleyed as someone else nor do I feel like I¡¯ve be someone else.</i>

    <i>My memories didn¡¯t get cut off midway but continued seamlessly. Whether it be before I was sealed, while I was daydreaming or in my current state, all of them are me myself. I had never be someone else.</i>

    <i>I went to sleep at night, had a dream, and in that dream, I yed out the role of myself in a slightly different setting without any questions, then I was woken up by someone because it was morning. I suppose it¡¯s something like that.</i>

    <i>Until now, I was worried that I might be taken over by Ruphas and I would stop being myself, but all of that feels so stupid now.</i>

    <i>Now that everything has been unveiled, it turns out that it was all a one-man show that I had been ying by myself. I was roleying myself while being terrified of myself.</i>

    <i>If I may say so myself, howughable I was. Trulyical.</i>

    "- Ahh... yep. I had a good sleep. It¡¯s not every day that I get to experience being so invigorated."

    "I¡¯m sure it was. After all, you were sleeping for over two hundred years."

    The way that I spoke was no longer fixed as it previously was. Now that I hadpletely registered myself as myself, if it was something as measly as the way I spoke, I could change it however I wanted on a whim.

    Besides, the way I spoke was like this from the beginning. If I had to pick a point to fix, then it would just be about the first-person pronoun that I used.

    "Thanks for everything that you¡¯ve done until now, Ophiuchus. You did well in fooling everyone andpleting your task in its entirety. I doubt anyone else could have done what you did... Let me express my gratitude."

    "Your words are wasted on me."

    <i>You did well...</i> Those were the only three words that I had in mind.

    Dina had sessfully deceived me, sessfully deceived the world, sessfully deceived the humanoids, sessfully deceived the demons and sessfully deceived even the Goddess herself.

    She managed to feed me information little by little and guided me to the truth by making me doubt her. She managed to prevent the annihtion of the humanoids by manipting the demon race, and while she was at it, she even managed to evade the supervision of the Sun Ouroboros.

    By carefully timing her actions and moving around ostensibly, she was able to make Terra suspicious of her, allowing her to run away from the demon race. This must have been to get away from the watchful eyes of the Sun Ouroboros.

    She then matched Pollux¡¯s movements and ran away without anyone else suspecting that she would do so at the time, and whilst pretending toy low, she moved herself to a world where the Goddess was not looking. Finally, after directing me to where she went, she sessfully managed to wake me up.

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_740" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-740" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-740" ss="wp-caption-text">Illustration from AWLBA Light Novel V7</figcaption></figure>

    <i>For now... I guess I¡¯ll check my own status once.</i>

    [Ruphas Mafahl]

    Level 4200

    Species: Flugel

    ss level

    Warrior 200

    Sword Master 200

    Archer 200

    Gunner 200

    Grappler 200

    Champion 200

    Monster Tamer 200

    Alchemist 200

    Ranger 200

    Strider 200

    Acolyte 200

    Priest 200

    Esper 200

    Psychic 200

    Mage 200

    Sorcerer 200

    The Archenemy 1000

    HP 4 405 000[2]

    SP 99 999

    STR (Strength/Attack power): 80 580

    DEX (Dexterity): 38 025

    VIT (Vitality) 53 170

    INT (Intelligence): 65 370

    AGI (Agility/Speed): 65 034

    MND (Mindpower): 45 045

    LUC (Luck): 49 194

    Equipment

    Head: __

    Right Arm: __

    Left Arm: __

    Body: Long sleeve shirt & Jeans

    Foot: Fashionable leather boots

    Others: A jumper

    <i>Good, no changespared to before I was sealed.</i>

    Although I was worried that I might have be a bit rusty, it seemed that it was a good thing I was still exercising even when I was daydreaming.

    Without a doubt, I was in my best condition.[3] If it¡¯s now, I felt like I could destroy even the Sun just by punching it.

    Although I had an urge to test things out, I was currently in Japan. If I did something like that, the whole ce would perish just from the resulting shockwave.

    As a result, I decided to hold off on the enjoyment of having a test run until I got back to the other world.

    When I turned back to look at the two of them, Dina was smiling even though she was sweating profusely and B had her arms crossed while looking at me with a battle-ready expression.

    For now, I decided to undo the skill Alkaid. There was no benefit to be had from releasing my power where I was.

    "...... fuuu."

    Dina sighed out loud as if she was feeling a sense of relief.

    It seemed that when I had my power released in my serious state, those in my surroundings could not help but feel unnecessarily intimidated from the pressure I gave off.

    When I looked down at my arm, the bracelet that I was wearing in order to seal my abilities had cracks running through it.

    From the looks of things, it was unable to properly rein in my full power and had broken instead. What a wasteful thing I had done.

    Well, I supposed it would be fine if I fixed itter.

    "Honestly, I don¡¯t get the full story... but long story short, everything was in the palm of your hand. Everything that happened during that battle two hundred years ago and onwards."

    "I (watashi) do feel sorry for fooling you. But back then, I had no other option but to do what I did. If I had ended up winning, the Goddess would have moved the ouroboroses in order to reset everything."

    Two hundred years ago, I broke my promise to settle everything with B and acted as the loser.

    However, by that time, I had already been cornered. Even if I had won the battle, it was already in a state where nothing would have been left.

    Assuming that I had won at that time... the Goddess would have awakened the ouroboroses and all lives on Midgard would have perished.[4]

    If that had happened, it would have been my loss. A victory where nothing remained on hand was essentially no different from a loss.

    As such, at that time, I had no option but to lose and leave the stage. Furthermore, I could not have had the powerful force known as B disappear along with me as coteral damage by getting her involved.

    "... You... your first-person pronoun..."

    "Yeah, I¡¯m back to how I used to be. After all, I¡¯m not a king or anything of the sort anymore. I¡¯m starting again as just Ruphas Mafahl."

    Until now, I had been referring to myself as "I (ore)" in my mind and had been voicing "I (yo)" when I talked.

    But in the end, it most likely turned out that way because I was unable to properly bnce my mind and my body.

    The "me (ore)" that I had been acting as and my vanity as a ruler that had subconsciously seeped into my identity after a long period of time entangled with each other, resulting in that strange oue.

    But all of that was over now. The current ¡°me (watashi)¡± was no longer "me (ore)" nor the Supreme Ruler (yo).

    Now, I was just an individual from the flugel race who was being a sore loser and came back for a second round, even though I had already lost once and gotten off the stage.

    So it did not seem like a bad idea to go back to how I originally was. Back to when I was fighting as just an individual adventurer.

    After actually seeing from the perspective of a third party, I understood something. That after I became a ruler, I was too hasty.

    I chased after ideals for no reason other than to reach those ideals. I didn¡¯t bother to turn around and look at those around me. And if it was for the sake of reaching my goals, I employed any form of atrocity without any hesitation or remorse.

    Although I had previously said this already... it was only natural that I was betrayed.

    Just the fact that I was able to notice all of that meant that I had benefited from having gone through this entire farce.

    "By the way, Ophiuchus... or would you prefer to be called Dina instead?"

    "Whichever is fine."

    "I see. Then, Dina... did ¡¯that person¡¯ finally show their tail?"

    "Yes. Just as mydy predicted they would."

    When I heard Dina say that, I reflexively smiled.

    In unison, Dina also smiled as she brushed her hair back.

    It seemed that the act of devoting ourselves to being clowns had paid off.

    All thanks to that, we were able to make that certain individual drop their guard.

    As a result, that individual hadmitted a mistake that they would not be able to weasel their way out of.

    As such, all we had to do now was capture them.

    "Now then..."

    I brushed aside the hair in front of my face and faintly smiled.

    The Twelve Heavenly Stars had all been gathered. We had traveled throughout the humanoids¡¯ domain and met up with Megrez, Merek and Mizar.

    We had almost reached our goal. There were only a few enemies remaining.

    No, from the very beginning, there was only really one entity that could even be called an enemy.

    As for B... although we were technically on opposing sides, she was more of my friend than an enemy. So I didn¡¯t count her.

    Anticipating my next words, Dina showed a nervous expression and B smiled whilst baring her fangs.

    I then opened my mouth as if to live up to their expectations.

    "Should we go and buy some food and games from this world before we go back home?"

    - The two of them fell down at the same time.

    "Hey, wait a minute, Ruphas-sama, you did not just do that!? You were so charismatic and about to say something like a major boss just then!"

    "Mafahl, are you fooling around, you bastard?"

    Although the two of them had started ranting at me -

    <i>Aaaa, aaaa, I don¡¯t hear anything</i>.

    <i>Charisma is meant to be broken. Even that certain vampire from a certain fictional work said so.</i>

    <i>Besides, it isn¡¯t often that wee over to this world.</i>

    <i>We haven¡¯t even bought any souvenirs for the people in the other world.</i>

    <i>On top of that... yeah, now that I¡¯ve regained my memory, it turns out that I¡¯m technically not a citizen of this world. In other words, I haven¡¯t technically eaten any Japanese food other than the hamburger we had a short while ago that was from this world.</i>

    <i>Now that I think about it that way, you get what I¡¯m saying, right? I just have this irresistible urge to fill myself.</i>

    <i>Huh? You¡¯re saying I haven¡¯t changed at allpared to before I regained my memory?</i>

    <i>... Just leave me alone. Honestly, I¡¯ve always been like this.</i>

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_753" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-753" ss="wp-caption alignnone"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-753" ss="wp-caption-text">Illustration from AWLBA Light Novel V7</figcaption></figure>

    __

    (Author note)

    Q: So what was the thing with the Seven Heroes in the game?

    A: They were chosen from the people who used avatars (character models) which looked like the real ones and were in a position which were as close to the original as possible. They then were assisted by the admins just to the extent that it would not seem suspicious. They were then gifted with names such as "Alioth" and "Bnash".

    The yers themselves decided to use those names only because they sounded cool. So in reality, the avatars had a different in-game name of their own, for example, something like Alioth¡¯s Pasta Mask. (Just for reference, "Paste Mask" was the original name.)

    Needless to say, although it was possible to rig things so that those yers would be top yers, look simr to the original or possess the same skills, the personalities of the yers themselves were quite different from the original.

    If I were to be more specific and give an example, the yer behind Bnash was someone who woulde into a group chat whilst saying something like: "b(¡Ðo¡Ð)d Good £Ü(*^¨Œ^*)/ morning~!!".

    (Author note end)

    TLN: This chapter has too much repetition...

    Anyways, this concludes my batch this time. Starting with the next chapter, Va will once again serve as the trantor and the chapters will be hosted on his site. As usual, please tell him I said hi. Incidentally, I believe this chapter also corresponds with the end of volume 7 of the light novel(?), so we only have 2 more volumes worth of chapters (32 chapters left) until the end of the series. As you have read, a lot of the mysteries have started to unravel and we are in the final stretch. I will see you all again at the end of June/start of July, Tp signing out! (/>.<)/

    <figure data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_737" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-737" ss="wp-caption aligncenter"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-737" ss="wp-caption-text">Illustration from AWLBA Light Novel V7 ¨C Pretty much Japanese ¡°V1 to V7 on sale¡±</figcaption></figure>

    __

    [1] Why so convoluted, author...? Rejecting the double-negatives that rejected the previous part. *^*

    Va/Keii: That¡¯s why you edit/rephrase!

    [2] Previously in chapter 99, I wrote Ruphas¡¯s HP at level 3000 as 18 050 000. I made a mistake, it was 1 805 000. It has now been corrected.

    [3] The way "best condition" is used here is often used in conjunction to one¡¯s health or physical state. Long story short, it¡¯s weirdly phrased/weird choice of words for "best condition".

    [4] Va: Why the author repeats the same thing 3 times in a row?

    Tp: Tell me about it. This whole chapter was a repeat of thest chapter¡¯s end of the chapter author note.

    __

 Chapter 161

    Chapter 161

    Together with Terra and Luna, all of the Twelve Stars, except for Leon and Taurus, were on the Argo.

    Everyone was pleased to be reunited with Aquarius and Pisces, who had just rejoined the group. Thetter was brought to tears when they repeatedly called him Eros, but he was relieved to find that things hadn¡¯t changed even after two hundred years. Furthermore, he was surprised to find that Parthenos, who was deceased, had manifested via Pollux¡¯s skill.

    In any case, while waiting for Ruphas to return, they were discussing their next course of action with Pollux at the center of the discussion. Specifically, it involved how to deal with the man called Sol.

    ¡°That guy said that he¡¯s aiming for the current hero. Therefore, his next target will be either Megrez, Merak, or Bnash.¡±

    ¡°It should be fine to exclude Bnash. She¡¯s currently with our master. Besides, even if Sol challenges her while she is alone, he would just be countered and subdued.¡±

    If what Sol said was true, his next target should be one of the remaining Seven Heroes...Megrez, Merak, or Bnash. However, Libra quickly removed Bnash from the list. After all, Sol was barely able to fight the Three Winged Knights, Terra, and Castor even though they were buffed. He probably would not be enough to challenge Bnash. Thus, even if Bnash was left out, she was unlikely to be defeated.

    In that case, his possible target was limited to either Megrez or Merak.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine to just ignore him? I don¡¯t really care what happens to those people. Actually, it would save us the trouble of killing them ourselves.¡±

    ¡°I agree. There¡¯s no reason for us to be concerned about the Seven Heroes. Let them be killed.¡±

    These harsh opinions came from the two extremists, Scorpius and Aigokeros. These two obsessive individuals still had no intention of letting the betrayal of the Seven Heroes go.

    It would be fine even if the Seven Heroes were killed. They actually felt that it would save time if their enemies were to crush each other. This was a feelingmon to most members of the Twelve Stars, even if they didn¡¯t say it out loud.

    ¡°Anyway, is there any point in targeting the currently weakened heroes? He isn¡¯t an ally of the demons, right?¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t understand it either. If I was Sol, I¡¯d put all my efforts into waking the ouroboroses.¡±

    Aquarius pulled her upper body out of the water pitcher and posed her question, while Pisces agreed with her.

    That¡¯s right. Sol was on the side of the Goddess. That was fine...but from his perspective, there should be no reason to attack the Seven Heroes right now.

    ¡°By the way, since Aquarius is with us, can we make some nectar to boost ourbat power?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m missing some ingredients. Besides, your status is so high now that the nectar would have almost no effect.¡±

    Aquarius shook her hand to deny the possibility of Pisces¡¯ suggestion.

    Nectar...was the name of the country that she founded. Its name was derived from the divine drink that only she could produce. It was no exaggeration to say that her true identity, Artifact: Queen of the Seas, was originally an item created to produce nectar.

    Although it was a dream drink that could boost one¡¯s status, its effect would be weaker as the drinker became stronger and more expensive ingredients would be required.

    For example, when Aries was still weak, he could boost his status by consuming nectar which had been mass-produced using cheap ingredients. However, if the current Aries consumed the same drink, it would have no effect at all.

    For someone like Ruphas, boosting her status by a single point would cost tens of billions of gold. It was thus practically unusable. Although the people here weren¡¯t as strong as Ruphas, the cost would still be quite extreme.

    If one were to consider that tens of billions of gold was required to boost one¡¯s status by a single point, its efficiency was really bad. Unfortunately, nectar was an item meant topensate the weak.

    After Aquarius exined this, the discussion returned to dealing with Sol. Then, Parthenos put her hands together and voiced out what they hade up with for the time being.

    ¡°Back on topic, does Sol want to get rid of them now because he considers our alliance with the heroes to be troublesome? Or perhaps he wants to kill the Seven Heroes and frame Ruphas-sama for it, pitting the humanoids against us.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not impossible...but honestly, the currently weakened humanoids wouldn¡¯t be a threat to me and the others.¡±

    What Parthenos said was certainly not impossible. In fact, two hundred years ago, the fear of Ruphas had increased to the point where the situation became the humanoids versus Ruphas, which led to her downfall.

    However, the situation was different now. Back then, there were ironically some heroes who had been trained by Ruphas herself. They were able to challenge Ruphas because the humanoids were at the peak of their history.

    But now, the humanoids had fallen to the point where even the Sword Saint Friedrich was considered the strongest...No, they had actually returned to their state before theing of Ruphas. In that case, any one of the Twelve Stars could drive the humanoids into extinction.

    That¡¯s right. They couldn¡¯t even be counted as an enemy.

    When Karkinos said that, there was a moment of silence, as nobody could argue against it.

    ¡°So in the end, we should think of it as a trap to divide our forces. I think we should leave it as is and regroup with Taurus instead.¡±

    Libra expressionlessly provided a usible solution. There was no point for the enemy to kill the Seven Heroes, and even if it really happened, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to them. What would be scary was that if they decided to divide their forces to protect the Seven Heroes, the enemy could move freely and take them out one by one. Even if Megrez and Merak were really killed, there would be no damage to them.

    Therefore, they should just ignore it. This was Libra¡¯s conclusion.

    That¡¯s right. One shouldn¡¯t make the mistake of assuming that they were allies of the humanoids. They were actually a third faction that obeyed only Ruphas.

    ¡°...Perhaps killing the Seven Heroes is a means rather than an end.¡±

    However, Pollux interjected just as the discussion was about to be brought to an end. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem to lose the current heroes. Regardless of her personal sentiments, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for the faction as a whole. But what happened after that could be damaging to them. That was what she thought.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Aries...Aren¡¯t the hero and hispanions are visiting Megrez?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they needed to talk to him about something or whatever.¡±

    ¡°Then, if Megrez was killed in front of the hero-kun, what would he think?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s...Well, I think he¡¯d be angry.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Then, what if Sol were to do that and call himself a demon?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯d bear a grudge against the demons?¡±

    Aries answered Pollux¡¯s questions with an expression as if it was only natural. However, Pollux had a stern look as she thought deeply about his answers.

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯d probably bear a grudge against the demons, but hecks the power to defeat them...In that case, wouldn¡¯t it be a great opportunity for that old trick again?¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    ¡°Maybe that is his goal? To destroy the current heroes and create a new generation of heroes. Orm is now an enemy of the Goddess-sama...Then, wouldn¡¯t the Goddess-sama desire a hero who could defeat him? Furthermore, if the Seven Heroes were killed, the humanoids would be deeply enraged...Gathering everyone¡¯s hatred and anger, then transforming it into power...It¡¯s possible that the hero might have a skill like that.¡±

    What Pollux said was merely spection. But given the current situation, the possibility was rather high.

    If a Level 1,000 hero was born and the adjustments of the Goddess were added, it was possible that the hero might even be able to challenge Bnash. If the hero were to unite all the humanoids, gather their feelings, and then join forces with the ouroboroses...In the unlikely event that this were to actually happen, what happened two hundred years ago would repeat itself.

    ¡°I understand. In that case, let¡¯s move our forces to assist Megrez and Merak. However, since this might be a trap, we should bring enough forces to be able to force our way through it even if it is a trap. I¡¯ll go to Taurus by myself. The other members can ambush Sol instead.¡±

    ¡°By yourself?¡±

    ¡°Considering I won¡¯t be fighting Taurus, I¡¯ll be enough by myself to retrieve him. ...Ah, I also need an Argonaut to rece Taurus.¡±

    Libra¡¯s proposal was to allocate all of theirbat power into oveing any potential traps. It¡¯d be fine if they simply crushed whatever Sol was nning with overwhelming power. It might be simple, but such a forceful approach was often more effective than aplex maneuver. Or rather, this forceful approach was most effective against opponents who attempted to predict the other side¡¯s moves.

    Pollux thought for a while and then nodded.

    ¡°Yes. This method may indeed be better, but there¡¯s also the possibility that he¡¯s luring us away in order to deal with Taurus. In the first ce, it was suspicious that he¡¯d reveal his next destination to us. You should stay vignt.¡±

    ¡°Even if he reallyes, it won¡¯t be a problem. We¡¯ll just counter it.¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    Pollux was speechless as she looked at Libra, who uttered such reliable words. As expected of Libra, she had never once considered that she might lose.

    In fact, if Sol was really heading for Taurus, he would end up facing both Libra and Taurus. Furthermore, any adjustments that the Goddess made would be meaningless before Taurus. The battle would start with Sol being brought to the verge of death by Brachium and end with Taurus beating him with his punch. Furthermore, the apanying Argonaut wasn¡¯t weak. There weren¡¯t any factors that could result in a loss.

    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s begin.¡±

    Ruphas was probably still looking for Dina. In that case, while their master was absent, they should resolve as many of the remaining problems as possible by themselves.

    With this determination, the Twelve Stars started taking action.

    ?

    ¡°You¡¯re finally here. Wee.¡±

    Inside Megrez¡¯s residence, the hero¡¯s party and two other guests were currently being weed. The other guests were so remarkable that Cruz fainted as a result.

    Sitting next to Megrez was a one-winged man. On his other side was a golem in the form of a dwarf. They were the Sky King Merak and a golem that was remotely controlled by the personality of the dead Smith King Mizar.

    In other words, three of the Seven Heroes were here. Even Sei was amazed by this.

    ¡°I see. So he¡¯s the hero? He has a good eye.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I don¡¯t see anything but a young man.¡±

    Merak and Mizar¡¯s golem...it¡¯s troublesome to keep saying that, so let¡¯s just call it Mizar. Both of them were observing Sei as if they were trying to appraise his value. It was making him really ufortable.

    Sei had merelye to convey his conclusion after he had the conversation the other day. He was surprised to find that the number of heroes had increased.

    ¡°Uh, Megrez-sama. This is...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. I was simply inspired by your appearance. I realized that if I continued to live quietly without doing anything, I¡¯d beughed at by future generations.¡±

    ¡°And by Ruphas as well.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s been two hundred years...What have we been really doing?¡±

    Megrez and Merakughed in self-ridicule.

    What they had been doing...They knew it better than anyone else.

    ¡ªThey hadn¡¯t been doing anything.

    For them, time had stopped two hundred years ago.

    Ah, I wish I didn¡¯t do that. I wish I didn¡¯t do this. Ah, we continued to regret how stupid and wrong we were¡ªand so we just stopped there.

    If one had made a mistake, it¡¯d be fine to simply correct it. If one had been foolish, it¡¯d be fine to be wiser next time. However, instead of letting things go, they wasted two hundred years obsessing with the past.

    They were merely wounded and cursed when they fought the Demon King for a bit, then they behaved as if they had received sufficient punishment and took no further action.

    But what about this youth? After being summoned from another world, he had been running around for the sake of this world which had nothing to do with him. Even if he was weak,cking in power, and could not sh heaven and earth apart like Ruphas, he was still desperately doing whatever he could.

    Compared to him, they found themselves to be such embarrassments.

    ¡°Since west spoke, I¡¯ve been thinking. You¡¯re certainly powerless. Forget about Ruphas, you can¡¯t evenpare to the current me.¡±

    ¡°Ye¡ªYes.¡±

    ¡°However, you have something that¡¯s more important than yourbat power. It¡¯s the will to advance without faltering at all times. You believe in your own justice, irregardless of what a hundred other people might say. You have the power to press on in search for the correct answer...and the power to choose the right path. I¡¯m certain that this is the weapon that will let you win.¡±

    Megrez and the others couldn¡¯t make this choice back then. They lost to the power of the Goddess and walked down the wrong path. Even now, the humanoids had not changed at all. They were still afraid of Ruphas and tried to repeat what had happened before.

    However, this youth was searching for the right path in the midst of all this. He was desperately searching for a peaceful road all by himself. And now, notwithstanding that it was still imperfect, he was here after forming an alliance with Ruphas¡¯s group.

    Some people who heard this might say, ¡°Anyone could have done that.¡±

    Well, that¡¯s true. Anyone could have done that. Nobat power was necessary to do it.

    Despite being summoned as a hero and told by his allies about how horrible Ruphas was, he still made his own judgment by contacting and conversing with the monster called Ruphas. He merely determined that he could get along with her. There was no need forbat power of any kind.

    Not everyone could destroy a. Only those like Ruphas and Bnash could do so. However, if it was just talking to someone who could destroy a, anyone could do it.

    But if anyone imed this, Megrez would have said, ¡°In that case, you do it.¡± ...Yes, anyone could do it, but nobody did. This was why the battle happened two hundred years ago. Nobody did so...Not himself, not Merak, not Mizar. Even Alioth, Phecda, and Dubhe didn¡¯t do it. As a result, they became enemies and tried to kill each other.

    That was why Megrez respected the boy named Minami-Jyuji Sei. He respected this little boy who had neither lived for even a tenth of his lifetime nor possessed a tenth of his power.

    And so he thought:

    It¡¯s about time we change ourselves. What kind of hero depends on a boy from another world? What kind of Wisdom King is that? If we really regret what had happened, now is the time to support this boy with all of our might.

    With such thoughts in mind, Megrez tried to contact the other heroes after he parted with Sei. Bnash ignored it as usual, but apparently Merak and Mizar had also reunited with Ruphas and arrived at some conclusions.

    Then, there was only one thing to do. Now was the time to make up for the mistakes of the past.

    ¡°Let us assist you, hero. We will move under your direction.¡±

    The courage of a powerless boy had moved the three heroes.

 Chapter 162

    Chapter 162

    The three heroes would now act together as allies . There was nothing more encouraging than this .

    This hope was born out of the efforts of the weak youth who persisted in looking for the menial things that he was able to do . He did what anyone could have done, yet nobody did . Therefore, his efforts now bore fruit .

    However, as usual, just when things seemed to be working out, unexpected disasters happened . An apuse was heard as if it had been waiting for the heroes to decide to cooperate .

    ¡°How wonderful . Despite being a weakling, our hero didn¡¯t give up and continued to search for the things that he could do without rotting away . And now, he has aplished the feat of moving the time of the heroes again . How truly admirable, weak hero . ¡±

    At the sound of the voice, Megrez started casting his magic before Sei and the others could even react . He fired a magic missile in the direction of the voice without even needing to use any actions to umte power . It exploded and encased the wall in ice .

    Perhaps he decided to use ice magic because he was worried that a water bullet would prate the wall and affect people¡¯s houses . The speed of his decision-making and reaction was truly that of a hero . Although he had retired from actualbat, the difference between him and Sei was still like that of heaven and earth . Nevertheless, the owner of the voice was not within that ice . Instead, a voice was heard from the opposite side of the wall .

    ¡°Good reaction speed . I¡¯m a little surprised . ¡±

    Contrary to his words, he didn¡¯t seem surprised at all . A strange white man stood there, leaning against the wall . Judging by his skin and eye colors, he was probably a demon . However, even the Seven Luminaries of the demons weren¡¯t a match for the heroes . Even though they were weakened, the heroes were still heroes . They wouldn¡¯t lose to the Seven Luminaries .

    That was assuming it was an ordinary member of the Seven Luminaries .

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°My name is Sol . I am one of the Seven Luminaries, Sol of the Heavens . Well, the title of the Seven Luminaries has lost its meaning these days anyway . ¡±

    The Seven Luminaries . When they heard the name, Sei and hispanions drew their weapons and readied themselves .

    The first person to attack was Sarjes . With the remarkable agility of a spiderkin, he ran across the wall and attacked Sol from behind . There was a sh across Sol¡¯s neck, who couldn¡¯t seem to avoid it . Sarjes stabbed Sol with a knife-hand that was as sharp as a real de...but his arm was stopped without even managing to pierce Sol¡¯s skin .

    ¡°......!¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t cleaned up properly . There are bugs in the house . ¡±

    Sol hit Sarjes lightly with the back of his hand as if he had literally been bitten by a bug . He seemed like he was just shooing away a bug, but due to the overwhelming difference in level, it became a lethal blow . Sarjes smashed into the wall and broke through it, passing through several private houses before disappearing in a cloud of dust .

    Then, Gants and Jean attacked from the front, swinging their weapons down . Both attacks made an audible impact . As before, Sol didn¡¯t evade it . He didn¡¯t even defend himself . Gants¡¯ axe struck him on the head, while Jean¡¯s sword hit his stomach .

    However, iprehensibly, there wasn¡¯t even a scratch, as if they had struck a block of steel .

    ¡°Growl¡ª!¡±

    Friedrich roared and grabbed the cors of Gants and Jean, pulling them back . At the same time, Sol¡¯s fingertips shed before their eyes and the ceiling was destroyed by the resulting shockwave . If that had hit, both of them would have been vertically split apart .

    Friedrich jumped backwards before that attack had even ended...because he had seen the illusion of his own death .

    ¡°I see . You have good intuition at least . You seem to have sensed that you would have died if you had taken another step further . ¡±

    It seemed that Friedrich¡¯s timidity was unusually helpful this time . His fine y had allowed them to avoid any fatalities...at least for now . But if Sol felt like it, he could massacre the entirety of the hero¡¯s entourage instantly .

    The Mizar Golem attacked Sol from behind, but it was just a remotely controlled golem after all . Moreover, it was made by Blutgang¡¯s dwarves, whose levels were less than 100 .

    It could not be helped . Even though his personality continued to exist, he was currently nothing more than the core of the huge golem called Blutgang . He was no longer the old Mizar who was called the Smith King .

    Naturally, he had lost his alchemy skills . Therefore, except for the golems that he created when he was still alive, he could only depend on the dwarves of the present to make anything . As a result, it was inevitable that the golem¡¯s level was low . A casual attack from Sol easily destroyed his arm .

    Sei and hispanions were surprised by his attack power, but Sol was the next person to be surprised . While he was distracted by the Mizar Golem, another golem suddenly appeared, crashing through the ceiling to get behind Sol .

    ¡°Wha¡ª!?¡±

    ¡°Invader detected . Eliminating!¡±

    A huge iron fist struck Sol¡¯s back, blowing him away . He bursted through the wall and several more houses before a crashing sound was heard from afar . Although several private houses were destroyed, it seemed nobody was caught in the midst . It seemed the golem had ounted for that in its calctions before attacking .

    ¡°He¡ªHey, that golem...¡±

    Jean was the first to react to the huge golem that had suddenly appeared . Yes, he recognized it . He had seen this golem that was over ten meters tall before .

    A head like a knight¡¯s helmet sat on top of a shining silver body . It had a single eye . Its arms were unnaturally huge, featuring literal iron fists . Its lower body spread out like a skirt where its legs should be . It was somehow floating in mid-air .

    Its name was Gatekeeper . It was the steel guardian who had once defended the ck-Winged Royal Tomb before it was destroyed .

    ¡°Hahaha! Are you surprised? I fixed it when Ruphas and I built Astraea!¡±

    ¡°You...I was wondering what you put on standby on top of my house, and it turns out that it¡¯s something like this...¡±

    ¡°Mizar, honestly, you just ced it there hoping you¡¯d get to say, ¡®I told you this would happen . ¡¯ Right?¡±

    Megrez and Merak calmly retorted to Mizar, who wasughing vigorously . However, regardless of what they were saying, their actions were appropriate . They had already taken the next step .

    At Megrez¡¯s prompting, the water in theke surrounding Svalinn concentrated and transformed into a giant water dragon . This was Levia, the guardian deity who had defended against the attacks of Aries .

    In addition, Merak activated his divine magic in order to support the Gatekeeper and Levia . Using its malleable aqueous body, Levia extended tentacles to grab the heroes and theirpanions and ce them on itself . Then, the guardian deity and the Gatekeeper left the royal capital at high speed .

    After being blown away by the Gatekeeper, Sol stood in the mountainous area far away from the royal capital as if nothing had happened . He folded his arms and waited for Megrez and the others to arrive . The Gatekeeper had intended to blow him away out of the royal capital so as to avoid involving the citizens, but it seemed that Sol had understood its intentions and allowed himself to be beaten .

    ¡°Megrez, be careful . He called himself one of the Seven Luminaries, but he¡¯s really strong . ¡±

    ¡°I know . ¡±

    The Gatekeeper¡¯s level was 600 . The unexpected attack should have done a lot of damage to one of the Seven Luminaries, who were each around Level 300 . However, Sol didn¡¯t seem like he was around that level at all . He seemed to be holding back .

    Of course, it could just be a bluff...but Megrez and the others judged it otherwise based on their long battle experience . It wasn¡¯t a bluff . The attack really wasn¡¯t effective .

    ¡°Hmm . I see...The Seven Heroes, huh? This looks more fun than I expected . ¡±

    Sol maintained his fearless attitude despite the numerical difference . There were three heroes, eight people from Sei¡¯s party, the Gatekeeper, and Levia . This would be a thirteen-versus-one battle...but there wasn¡¯t a ho in the world that would fear thirteen honey bees .

    It would only be natural for Sol to win this battle . But if he held back somewhat, he might be able to enjoy it more .

    Levia was probably the strongest among them . However, even if it had the attribute advantage, Levia was barely a match for Aries, who was among the weakerbatants of the Twelve Stars . In that case, it would be impossible for it to defeat Sol when there was no advantage in terms of attributepatibility .

    ¡°Heavy Rain!¡±

    Megrezpleted his arcane magic in an instant and a huge magic formation covered the sky . Then, a storm of water bullets fired from it, leaving no gaps in between . As the name Heavy Rain implied, the water bullets that were falling like rain were not single-target attacks, but area attacks .

    Knowing that there was a speed difference between them due to their difference in levels, Megrez decided that single-target attacks would not hit him, so he opted for area attacks that would leave no room for escape .

    Of course, such attacks would affect even allies, but the bullets that should have struck them were blocked by Levia, who served as a shield . As the guardian deity of water, Levia was immune to water-based attacks . If it were real water, Levia would have been healed instead of being damaged .

    ¡°Hmm...¡±

    Sol groaned slightly while he defended against the constantly falling water bullets with his arm . The Gatekeeper took the opportunity to thrust its arm forward and its huge fist spun as it flew towards Sol . Levia also changed its body ordingly and unleashed a whip-like de of water at the same speed .

    The de of water advanced while acting as a support for the iron fist by covering it from the falling water bullets . Then, the fist mmed into Sol and the de shed his arm .

    ¡°That¡¯s a good attack, but...¡±

    Sol¡¯s arm wasn¡¯t severed . He was merely a little bruised . There wasn¡¯t even a drop of blood . However, Megrez was unmoved by that and he immediately moved on to the next attack .

    Meanwhile, Merak focused his concentration, making the surrounding rocks dance into the air and shoot towards Sol at the same time . This was Psychokinesis, which was usable by ESPers . Mental power was normally used for support, but ESPer was one of the few sses which could use it for attacks .

    Fl¨¹gels could not use arcane magic . A bnced build like Ruphas, who had levels in both vanguard and rearguard sses, could still y an active role by assisting as a vanguard . However, a specialized backliner like Merak would not be able to do much .

    To put it in a more extreme manner, an elf who could use both arcane magic and divine magic was far superior as a backliner . It was only natural . Whenparing a backliner who could also attack with arcane magic and a backliner who could only support, it was needless to say which one would be more useful .

    However, there was a ss that utilized their high mental power such that even fl¨¹gels could join in on the attack . It was the ESPer ss . Unlike other sses, the ESPer¡¯s offensive skills mostly depended on the value of the user¡¯s mental power . In other words, it was a valuable offensive method for those who specialized in support . Thus, many fl¨¹gels would also take some levels in this ss .

    Rocks flew at Sol one after another, but he simply pped them aside with his hand . However, the water bullets got through that opening, while Levia grew countless thorns from its body to attack Sol . Using Levia as a shield, the Gatekeeper moved through the Heavy Rain and attacked Sol¡¯s vital spots with its fist .

    Their coboration was amazing . It was as expected of veteran heroes who couldpensate for each other¡¯s openings . However, Sol¡¯s expression did not change at all . Eventually, he sighed lightly .

    ¡°This is more fun than I had thought it would be..pared to what I had expected anyway . But well, this is probably all there is to it . ¡±

    As he said so, he broke through the water bullets that were still falling . There was no way to avoid the water bullets . In that case, he could simply just not avoid them . He ignored the shower of direct hits and dashed straight for the Seven Heroes .

    He side-stepped the Gatekeeper andnded on Levia with ease . In response, Levia grew thorns to attack the enemy on its head, but Sol avoided them with a quick step and rendered them ineffective .

    Merak got between Megrez and Sol, deploying a wind shield for defense . However, Sol didn¡¯t care and simply kicked it, shattering the shield that was supposedly deployed by a hero in one hit . No, considering the level difference, perhaps Merak should be praised for sessfully preventing one attack .

    ¡°Wha¡ª¡±

    Merak stiffened in shock only for a moment . Itsted less than one second . No, itsted less than one-tenth of a second . It was just for a moment . He would have deployed the shield again in the next moment . However, the momentary gap was fatal .

    Sol¡¯s second attack came before Merak could recover and struck Merak¡¯s arm . There was an ominous sound of bones breaking as Merak¡¯s body fell off Levia . Without confirming Merak¡¯s condition, Megrez canceled Heavy Rain . He was afraid that Merak might get hit by the attack .

    However, this was another deadly opening . Sol closed the distance and threw a punch . At thest moment, Levia created a wall of water between them and prevented a direct hit . But the ncing blow was enough to break Megrez¡¯s ribs, causing fresh blood to overflow from his mouth .

    ¡°St¡ªStop!¡±

    Sei attacked Sol with Kouen, the weapon he had received from Ruphas . But sadly, he was too powerless . Sol easily stopped the de with a single fingertip and he disarmed Sei without leaving him any room for a counterattack .

    Just a while ago, there had been hope for the fact that the heroes would be cooperating with him, but now, there was nothing but despair . No matter how united they might be or how strong their beliefs were, they could still be ovee by overwhelming power . This was Midgard . This was the rule of this distorted world governed by power .

    In order to finish off Megrez, Sol advanced and closed the distance .

    ...If the conclusion were to be stated first, this must have been his mistake . In order to test his strength, he challenged opponents that he didn¡¯t have to fight, taking unnecessary detours . Now, it hade back to haunt him . In other words, he reaped what he sowed . But for the heroes, this was a happy miscalction, as it meant that their fates had not ended yet .

    ¡ªSol was suddenly hit from the side . This was nothing like the hit that Sol had previously received from the Gatekeeper . The single blow crushed his face, which spewed a fountain of blood as he was blown away .

    He crashed into the ground, but his momentum did not stop . He continued plowing through the ground without stopping until he was buried . Eventually, he stopped a few kilometers away and then looked up to see what had happened .

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve been searching for you...you white-haired bastard . ¡±

    He heard the rough voice of a man . The owner of the voice stood in front of Sol, shaking his red hair and looking down at him .

    This was what the embodiment of demonic rage would look like . His face was distorted in anger and his fangs were bared . Blood vessels were visible on his log-like arms . Space itself seemed to be distorted because of the rage that he was emitting .

    ¡°The Lion King, huh?¡±

    After confirming the enemy¡¯s appearance, Solughed fearlessly .

 Chapter 163

    Chapter 163

    It was humiliating for him.

    Even though he had not used his full power, even though he had not recovered from the injuries incurred during the battle with the Dragon King, the fact that he had lost to a mere demon was unforgivable. It made his blood boil and wounded his self-esteem.

    I¡¯m the strongest. I should be the strongest.

    Yet what was this...this pitiful state that he was in? He had lost to Ruphas and even lost to Aries. He had even lost to some unknown person. Being strong was his pride and the meaning of his existence. Therefore, he would not let it end like this. He relied on the slight scent that had been left behind to track down his enemy and now, he once again stood before Sol.

    ¡°Stand up. I¡¯m not done with you yet.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    In response to Leon¡¯s provocation, Sol stood up with an expression as if he had been holding back. But his expression became clouded in the next moment. When he got up, his legs were shaking as if he was about to copse. It seemed that one blow was enough to result in his current condition.

    ¡°Oh¡ª!¡±

    Leon swung his steel-like arm as Sol raised his arms to guard at thest second, but thetter was still blown away. As his arms creaked, Sol once again strongly recognized the danger in facing such ridiculous attack power head-on.

    He had never been hit directly in the previous battles. He had always been able to evade or defend against everything. He should have confirmed that their powers were even back then...but it seemed that there was a difference in strength even when their powers were even.

    The first hit to his head was indeed a serious blow. As a result, he couldn¡¯t move his legs satisfactorily. But Sol didn¡¯t me the surprise attack. There was no cowardice in battle. It was either kill or be killed. Only those who did not understand the true nature of battles would call others cowards or despicable. The damage he incurred was his own fault on the battlefield. It was a price he had to pay. Sol understood that.

    As he was blown away, he quickly activated divine magic to buff himself. Meanwhile, Leon¡¯s angry attacks continued unabated, forcefully shaving off Sol¡¯s endurance with every blow despite his guard.

    It was so terrible that his defending arms seemed to be getting scraped...No, they were actually being scraped. Each time he received an attack, his bones creaked and his skin cracked. With Leon¡¯s power, there was little difference between a direct hit and a ncing blow. If the hitnded, it was as if a vital spot had been struck.

    If the opponent attempted to guard with his arms, Leon would destroy his arms and rob him of his attack power. If the opponent attempted to guard with his legs, he would crush his legs and rob him of his mobility.

    Among the Twelve Stars, Leon alone had neither unique skills nor pretentious special abilities. But why was he still called the strongest? It was because he was just simply that strong.

    Not yet...Not yet...Just a little more...

    While enduring the onught of such a wild beast, Sol buffed himself further and waited for a chance to counterattack. He patiently waited to recover from the initial damage so that he could move his legs freely. It was daunting in a battle of this level where every second was like several minutes. It felt like a bitter road that wouldst forever.

    However, Sol enjoyed his disadvantaged situation. He found joy in struggling in a fight. He wasn¡¯t really a pervert who would find pleasure in pain. What he wished for was a responsive battle. No, maybe he was a weirdo after all, specifically the kind of weirdo called a battle junkie.

    Three more seconds...two seconds...one second...

    One second would normally pass in the blink of an eye. But within that second, Leon would be able to ughter most enemies, mutting their original forms. Despite being subject to his attacks, Sol concentrated on defending without losing hisposure.

    ...Zero!

    The instant that the damage was recovered and his legs regained their mobility, Sol evaded Leon¡¯s punch. His strengthened fist struck Leon¡¯s cheek, sending thetter¡¯s huge body flying backwards.

    However, Leon was surprised only momentarily. He immediately directed his strength into his legs, stopping after flying only five meters backwards. Sol pursued quickly with a kick to Leon¡¯s face. But Leon threw an uppercut as he staggered, sending Sol flying.

    Sol rolled in mid-air to kill his momentum and activated arcane magic the instant hended on the ground. The roles of attacker and defender were reversed. This time, it was Sol¡¯s turn to attack aggressively, putting the pressure on Leon. But Leon lowered his guard for some unknown reason and charged straight into the arcane magic.

    ¡°!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s lukewarm! Yourme magic!¡±

    Leon closed in quickly and unleashed a powerful uppercut. After being struck in the chin, Sol made several revolutions before falling head first onto the ground. Leon quickly jumped after him and attempted to trample him. Sol avoided it at thest moment by rolling on the ground. The trample ended up digging into the ground, forming a huge crater.

    ¡°You keep running around...Whatever, I¡¯ll just have to hit you with something that you can¡¯t avoid. I wasn¡¯t really seriousst time...This time, I won¡¯t hold back.¡±

    Leon shook his hair as his muscles expanded.

    Badump.

    As the sound of his heartbeat seemed to echo in the atmosphere, Leon transformed. Abandoning his human form, the Lion King, the strongest magical beast, appeared before Sol. His intimidating presence caused Sei and the others on Levia to gulp. Friedrich even trembled and crouched down.

    ¡°I¡ªIt appeared...¡±

    ¡°He was so scary when he was an enemy, but as an ally, nobody seems more reliable. Although, if we go over there, we won¡¯t even register as existences in his eyes, much less as an enemy or an ally.¡±

    Sei muttered nervously, while Gants sweated and spoke as if he was convinced of his victory. Although they had only been bystanders during the battle between Leon and Aries, Leon¡¯s strength could still be felt in the atmosphere. After all, Leon¡¯s strength was guaranteed when he was able to gain the upper hand even while battling several members of the Twelve Stars.

    Although this just happened coincidentally, he was an ally for now...or rather, he was an enemy of the enemy. In the first ce, they couldn¡¯t imagine how he could possibly lose.

    However, unlike the hero¡¯s party who felt that Leon would win, the expressions of Megrez and the others were stern. As they watched, Sol happily caught the edge of Leon¡¯s mouth. At that moment, there was an overwhelming surge of divine power from him. This was something Megrez and the others were familiar with...It was the mistake of their past.

    ¡°Not good... At this rate, the Lion King is going to lose.¡±

    ¡°Eh!?¡±

    Sei couldn¡¯t believe the despairing words that came out of Megrez¡¯s mouth. At least, his expression seemed to be saying so. He had personally witnessed Leon¡¯s strength with his own eyes. Although Leon had eventually lost, he was overwhelming enough to fight against several members of the Twelve Stars at the same time. He just couldn¡¯t believe that the Lion King could possibly lose.

    ¡°The one called Sol is borrowing power from the Goddess. The same thing happened two hundred years ago when we fought Ruphas.¡±

    Leon was the strongest magical beast. There was no mistake. However, he was only at the pinnacle of the power ranking created by the Goddess. He couldn¡¯t go beyond the pinnacle in the way Ruphas and Bnash could.

    Furthermore, the ouroboroses were actually above him in the power ranking. He was far from being the strongest. Therefore, if the Goddess gave Sol enough power to go beyond the ranking...there was no chance that Leon could win from the very beginning.

    Leon was so powerful that he didn¡¯t need unique skills. He could overwhelm others with his own strength. Conversely, it implied that he didn¡¯t have any way to triumph over those who were stronger than himself. In other words, his strength could only win over those who were weaker than himself.

    ?

    ¡°Speaking of which, I just remembered.¡±

    Aries spoke casually on the Argo, which was heading towards Svalinn. After hearing what Pollux had said, he remembered something.

    ¡°Previously, Dina-san said this before...¡±

    Aries began by mentioning what Dina had said during the fight against Leon. At that time, Dina was speaking as if she was the Goddess herself instead of merely reading the thoughts of the Goddess. Now, he understood the reason for that.

    She was the avatar of the Goddess, therefore her thoughts were the closest to those of the Goddess herself. Dina and the Goddess basically had the same thought processes.

    Of course, there might be differences due to the environment in which she was born and raised as well as her interpersonal rtionships. Aries and the others did not know this, but there were actually differences. Despite this, they still shared amon root.

    Dina was aware of this, thus she could read the thoughts of the Goddess by examining her own thoughts.

    If it were me, then I¡¯d do this. If it were me, this would be my next move.

    Those kinds of thoughts directly equated to the thoughts of the Goddess.

    As a result, she could gain a leg up on the Goddess. And this Dina had told Aries back then.

    ¡ªThat guy doesn¡¯t deserve to win. A deserving person is one who doesn¡¯t bring shame to the name of the hero, a brave child who is nurtured to be the protagonist of the story...Therefore, technically, it¡¯s fine even if Leon-sama loses.

    Dina had said that.

    Leon was the type of man that the Goddess hated most. Leon thought that it was only natural for him to be blessed and he felt no gratitude. It was only natural for the Goddess to hate such foolish people.

    In that case, her preference should be just the opposite¡ªa person who would not take blessings for granted and would walk by himself despite being weak. Surely, that was what the Goddess loved. That was why Dina supported a weakling like Aries.

    After hearing that, Virgo covered her mouth with her hand and shouted.

    ¡°Then...the matter about Sei-kun...¡±

    ¡°Probably, I think. If what Dina-san said was correct, I think Sei-kun would be the type of man that the Goddess would like.¡±

    ?

    ¡°¡ªIn other words, you¡¯re saying that the next target of the Goddess is the youth named Sei?¡±

    B, Dina, and I were currently in a restaurant, discussing the next moves of the Goddess over a light snack. At my feet, there were several bags filled with food, games, and daily necessities from this world that I had stocked up on from various shops.

    By the way, the shop we were currently in was called Ayirezias, which was a restaurant that specialized in Italian cuisine. It offered high-quality products despite its low prices. I used to frequent this shop...Oh, no. My avatar did. I had never been here myself.

    Howplicated...I understood that these memories were just imnted and I had never actually experienced any of it. Now, the memories that were lost in the sealed space had been properly restored. But it was still rather confusing.

    Well, my avatar was still me. I waspletely different now, but the roots were still the same. In other words, my tastes were still the same, along with the shops that I preferred...That¡¯s what it meant.

    ¡°Yes, if what I¡¯m thinking is correct. As you know, I¡¯m already independent from the Goddess-sama. Even so, our fundamental selves are the same. In other words, I have the same preferences as the Goddess. I will also physiologically reject whatever the Goddess hates. For example, take Leon-sama and Aries-sama. Both the Goddess and I have a good impression of Aries-sama, but we both hate Leon-sama.¡±

    ¡°...I think Leon¡¯s self-centered willfulness is pretty cute.¡±

    ¡°Ruphas-sama, you just think of Leon-sama as nothing more than an oversized cat, don¡¯t you...?¡±

    Apparently, the Goddess and I did not have the same taste in animals. A person who loved cats would understand. For some reason, cats seemed cute when they behaved selfishly. Of course, the cats were being kept as pets, but they did not know that. They acted as if they were number one and were the masters instead. But that too was cute.

    Leon was like that to me. I should say this now. The reason I captured Leon instead of killing him like I did the Dragon King was because I liked cats. It was often said that lions were scary, but if one were to look closely at their faces, they were actually quite cute.

    ...By the way, my avatar (I) also had a cat. Its name was Fahl. It was a cute, self-centered cat.

    ¡°Well, anyway. As a hero, that Sei-kun is certainly the kind of human talent that the Goddess would want. However, he seems to be going on apletely different route than what I had thought.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see...At first, I considered letting him lose his will to fight and make him retire. Therefore, I set up an encounter for Orm and Ruphas-sama in front of Sei-kun, but unfortunately, that didn¡¯t work.¡±

    Dina must be referring to the time when I fought the Demon King. Indeed, now that I thought about it, that battle was the result of Dina¡¯s impressive maniption.

    For the Demon King, it was to verify my return as well as to test my power at that moment in time. For Dina, it was to preemptively break the hero who might be troublesome in the future. Now that I knew that they were working together right from the start, I could only say, ¡°They got me.¡±

    ¡°But he didn¡¯t break. On the contrary, starting from the conversation Ruphas-sama had with Orm, he proceeded to search for the truth and eventually chose to ally with Ruphas-sama. This was a happy miscalction for me, but it¡¯d be an unbelievable mistake for the Goddess-sama.¡±

    During the conversation, the doria was brought before B. The dish¡¯s name was ¡°I-really-don¡¯t-know-what¡¯s-so-Mnese-about-this doria¡±. She scooped it with a spoon, brought it to her eye level, squinted at it, and said,

    ¡°Basically, both of you made a miscalction. Even if the roots are the same, you don¡¯t have to be as useless as her.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t say that...Even I hate my carelessness sometimes. This is all because of the Goddess-sama.¡±

    Apparently, even Dina herself was concerned about how useless her true form was. Perhaps the Goddess was unexpectedly concerned about this too?

    ...I thought so. I got the feeling that she was quite mentally fragile when she was possessing Pollux.

 Chapter 164

    Chapter 164

    Putting the uselessness of the Goddess aside, Dina continued her exnation.

    The topic was how the boy Sei was ignoring the Goddess¡¯ scenario. Honestly, nobody had thought that he would be so far off from the Goddess¡¯ script.

    ¡°Honestly, he should havemented his own powerlessness and sought out power. With the Goddess¡¯ adjustments, he would have long shot up to Level 1000. But even though he was weak, he continued to look for things that he could do and open up a way. There has never been a hero like this until now. He is a child who knows he¡¯s weak, yet still continues to look for a way.¡±

    ¡°But won¡¯t she like such a person?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

    While we were talking, one of the restaurant¡¯s waiters came from the kitchen with a tray holding some pudding and tiramisu. There were three sets, so each of us had a te in front of us. Dina and I knew what they were, but they were unknown dishes to B. The other world didn¡¯t have pudding or tiramisu. B looked strangely at the pudding for a while before scooping it with a spoon and putting into her mouth. Then, she stiffened for a moment, but continued eating as if nothing had happened.

    ¡°Does it suit your taste?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not bad.¡±

    Her response was nothing exceptional, but her hand, which was holding the spoon, didn¡¯t stop moving. Apparently, she rather liked it. I also brought the tiramisu to my mouth and felt a slight satisfaction tasting its sweetness. I already knew this, but the difference between each world¡¯s cuisine was like that of heaven and earth.

    If one wished to eat this in Midgard...Of course, there was no tiramisu there, but assuming somebody made it...It would cost several hundred thousand yen. Even nobles and royalty did not eat this. After all, I had been a ruler for a while, so there¡¯s no doubt about it.

    However, the same dessert only cost three hundred ny-nine yen here. For better or worse, I had been wanting to eat something like this without knowing how precious it was...I suppose that¡¯d be the way to put it.

    ¡°But this is really ironic.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    After gobbling up the tiramisu, B spoke some mocking words. Dina and I turned our gazes to her.

    ¡°The Goddess prefers people who can walk on their own two feet. But those people wouldn¡¯t bother with her third-rate script. Strongly independent individuals would naturally reject the Goddess more often. In the end, the ones who would follow her script are those people whom she hates, the idiots who think that it¡¯s only natural to be blessed. ...Only puppets would y along with a puppet show.¡±

    B¡¯s sarcastic words made Dina lower her head andugh a little. Her expression suggested that she was pitying someone who wasn¡¯t here. But soon after, Dina looked up and returned to her usual smile.

    At that moment, a waiter came from the kitchen. Apparently, B had called for the staff.

    ¡°Give me two each of the pudding and tiramisu from before. Also, add a gto.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ...B, didn¡¯t you say it¡¯s merely not bad?

    If it was delicious, it would be fine to just say it was delicious. It was strange to not be straightforward about things.

    ¡°Currently, there are barely any pieces left for the Goddess. Except for the ouroboroses which are herst resort, there¡¯s only Sol, who can barely fight Ruphas-sama and the others.¡±

    ¡°Sol?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s thest one of the Seven Luminaries and the avatar of the Sun Ouroboros. Unlike me, he¡¯spletely on the Goddess¡¯ side. Depending on his movements, Sei-kun may be brainwashed by the Goddess due to his desire for power.¡±

    I see. So the Goddess intended to make the boy Sei aplete hero and turn him against me?

    Even so, if it was just him alone, he wouldn¡¯t be a match for me. But it would be troublesome if all the humanoids united in the name of the hero. Public opinion could be more troublesome than simple violence. If the people of the world rose up to defeat me, Megrez and the others might be forced to fight me as well. There was nothing more troublesome than a popce that believed in its own justice.

    ¡°That would certainly be a hassle...By the way, will you be alright?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be alright. There maye a time in the near future where I¡¯ll be moved as a piece by the Goddess-sama. There¡¯s nothing that I can do about that, since I¡¯m her avatar. It cannot be resisted with only willpower.¡±

    Dina spoke gently and met my eyes. Her eyes showed her readiness to meet her fate. Yes, she knew what would happen to her in the end.

    ¡°So, Ruphas-sama, at that time, don¡¯t hesitate.¡±

    ¡°...Ah, yes.¡±

    I responded to Dina¡¯s words with my determination. Yes, the action that I needed to take had already been decided. No matter which route I took, it was inevitable that Dina would be an enemy if I aimed to defeat the Goddess.

    Move the piece called Dina and use her as a hostage. There was no way that the Goddess would not use such a simple and effective hand. And at that time, I would have to harden my resolve.

    After that, we left the shop after some further discussion and conversation. All that was left to do was go where we wouldn¡¯t be seen and return to the other world. When we returned there, it would probably be the beginning of the final battle.

    It seemed that there was still an enemy in the form of Sol...but this wasn¡¯t something that I needed to worry about. After all, the Twelve Stars were still there. Therefore, they would surely protect the ce in my absence. But before that, there was another ce I wanted to stop by.

    ¡°Dina, is it possible to dy our return a bit? I want to make a detour...¡±

    ?

    ¡°...What¡¯s this? A bug at this time? Work properly! The developers need to do their jobs properly.¡±

    I was feeling down and unmotivated to do anything.

    After the end of the big event the other day, I was thrilled to see a new event signified by the appearance of Alovenus when I was about to login. Well, of course I was looking forward to it. After all, it had said, ¡°Would you like to be granted a new role?¡±

    However, the screen just shed and nothing else happened. I wanted my excitement back. Anyway, that was it.

    When I considered it calmly, I didn¡¯t feel like logging in today. I wondered why I had been so passionate about this game thus far. X-Gate Online was a game that I had been enthusiastic about and spent a lot of time on, but it didn¡¯t seem to be such an interesting game when I came to my senses.

    After all, there were a lot of things that broke the game¡¯s bnce. My friends had also said that it was a crappy game. I had argued about it at that time, but now, I felt like what they had said was true.

    ...Well, all online games were probably like this.

    The yer wouldn¡¯t notice it in the heat of enthusiasm, but it would cool down quickly once some distance was kept from it. This was a story that one would hear about a lot.

    That¡¯s right. I had been gaming too muchtely. I should try something different today. For the time being, it¡¯d be a good idea to chill out and see if there¡¯s an interesting game at the nearby store. In the end, I was still trying to find a game.

    Even though I was amazed at myself, I went down the stairs and opened the door to my house. Then, my domestic cat, Fahl, jumped through the gap in the door and ran outside.

    ¡°Ah, hey!¡±

    I quickly left the house to go after Fahl, but I was surprised to find it immediately. It was rubbing its head against the leg of a blonde beauty who must have been passing by.

    This was impossible. Who was this super beauty? Was it CGI?

    Her blonde hair glittered as it reflected the sunlight. Its tips shone vermillion. In fact, she looked a bit like the character I yed in X-Gate Online. She gently carried Fahl and ced it in front of me.

    ¡°Is...No, is this your cat?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. It¡ªIt is.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Beauty-san handed my cat over to me and passed me by. At that time, I felt...What was it? It was a strange feeling that I couldn¡¯t really describe. It was like someone whom I knew had walked by...It was as if I had known her even before I was born. Fahl was strangely restless, looking back and forth between Beauty-san and me in puzzlement.

    ¡°Uh, excuse me!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Ha¡ªHave I seen you somewhere before...?¡±

    ¡°Haha, what is that? A pick-up line?¡±

    ¡°Ah, no. It¡¯s not like that...¡±

    What...What should I say? Actually, I didn¡¯t even know why myself. Why did I call out to stop her? She turned to look back at me once.

    ¡°This is the first time we¡¯ve met, and we won¡¯t meet again. I just visited this ce because I wanted to see it for a bit, and I¡¯ll be taking my leave now. ...Our paths will not cross again.¡±

    After saying this, she walked away without looking back. Even so, to say that we wouldn¡¯t meet again...Was it really such a disgusting pick-up line? Hmm. That must be it. After all, nobody would like to be asked, ¡°Have we met before?¡± by a guy simply for passing by his house.

    At that moment, I saw a ck feather floating by in the corner of my eye. I quickly caught it, but it seemed there was no crow nearby. At the same time, the woman had disappeared like a mirage.

    ¡°...Was it a dream?¡±

    As if I had been made a fool of by a tanuki, I released the ck feather in my hand into the wind.

    ¡°Was that enough?¡±

    ¡°Yeah...Now then, let¡¯s return to Midgard.¡±

    And so, I finished my first and final encounter with myself and returned to my original world. I didn¡¯t know what his life would be like in the future. After all, he was no longer my avatar, but an independent person.

    ?

    ¡°Oh¡ª!¡±

    Compressed mana was released from his mouth as Leon roared. Unless one was using a skill with absolute evasion, it would be impossible to avoid this attack that could even change the terrain of the itself.

    The attack range itself was strange in the first ce. The roar released from the huge lion¡¯s mouth spread in a radius, bing a wall that attacked the enemy and allowed no escape. The range expanded to a few kilometers in an instant, making evasion impossible.

    Although it might be possible to avoid it if one could move at a faster speed in that instant, Sol couldn¡¯t do so. He crossed his arms to withstand the attack. The ground, including the spot where he stood, was shaved off as if it had disappeared. Not only that, even the thousand-meter high mountain that was located behind him disappeared without a trace. It was needless to mention how powerful the attack was.

    However, even if a mountain could be erased, a powerful individual would not be erased so easily. This was that kind of world.

    Sol enjoyed the burning sensation on the surface of his arms and grinned.

    ¡°At first nce, it seems like a powerful attack. No, it actually is a powerful attack...but you don¡¯t have much control over it. It¡¯s shy, but its power is spread out. This won¡¯t be enough to defeat me. It seems you still don¡¯t understand the nature of a battle between powerful individuals.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Let me teach you. What a battle between powerful individuals needs is...¡±

    Sol jumped from that spot andnded before Leon. However, it should not be underestimated just because it was a jump. When it was done at Sol¡¯s speed, it was effectively no different from instantaneous movement. The moment after one registered that he had started moving, it was already over.

    ¡°A concentration of power!¡±

    Sol smashed his fist into Leon¡¯s nose. At the same time, a white glow shone and Leon was blown away. As he punched, he also activated arcane magic, dealing double damage. The attack looked in on the surface, but it certainly did more damage to Leon than the previous roar had done to Sol.

    ¡°Even if it looks like a simple punch, it still exerts a strong force since its power is concentrated. Didn¡¯t Ruphas Mafahl teach you that?¡±

    A wide area attack seemed powerful at first nce. However, in reality, its power had been dispersed, thus it was actually quite weak. If there were arge number of enemies, it would be very effective, but there was little merit in using it against a single opponent. It would merely make it difficult to avoid, but one could just attack at a speed that the opponent couldn¡¯t avoid.

    However, Leon¡¯s life had always been filled with battles that hade to him. He had always been the one being challenged. He had always been the king who had to face the multitude by himself. Although it might clear away a swarm of small fries, he had never personally polished the techniques needed to defeat a powerful individual. And that probably wouldn¡¯t change in the future as well.

    ¡°Hah! In short, it¡¯s just the tearful effort of a small fry! I¡¯m originally strong to begin with. I don¡¯t need that sort of thing!¡±

    Leon¡¯s limb knocked Sol down as if thetter was a mosquito. Sol plunged into the ground as if it was tofu or something simr, but he immediately flew out of the ground behind Leon.

    Sei, who was watching the battle, was overwhelmed and said, ¡°It¡¯s not a pool...¡±

    In a battle between Level 1000 monsters, the ground wasn¡¯t truly ground and footing wasn¡¯t really footing. Sol kicked Leon away before thetter could turn around, releasing arcane magic in order to press the offensive.

    At first nce, they seemed to be evenly matched. But the bnce was definitely breaking down

 Chapter 165

    Chapter 165

    Ever since he was born, he never thought that he would lose.

    His life had been colored with victories without even having to struggle for them.

    To Leon, all other creatures were simply weaklings. Even when he saw them using skills, he never thought that he himself would ever use them. After all, they were just self-defense techniques used by weaklings to scratch at his feet in order topensate for the difference in their abilities...They were just pointless things.

    The humanoids used swords. They had neither fangs nor ws, so they had to use substitutes to sh at their opponents. But he didn¡¯t need them.

    The humanoids wore armor. Since they didn¡¯t have tough bodies, they wanted fake armor in order to better withstand attacks. But he didn¡¯t need them.

    In the end,bat equipment were merely substitutes. From Leon¡¯s perspective, processing the fangs and bones of magical beasts into weapons and armors was nothing more than using the body parts of small fries to make junk for even weaker people.

    The same logic applied to skills. Skills that increase strength, skills that increase power, skills that increase damage... How stupid. These skills couldn¡¯t evenpare to a single attack of his. Were they not just something to trick children with?

    Therefore, the existence of Ruphas was difficult for Leon to understand. She should have just been a weak humanoid. She was just a small entity with neither fangs nor ws. However, her power easily surpassed his own.

    He was humiliatingly defeated and then captured. He had lost count of how many times he had bared his teeth in resistance. But every time, he was easily dealt with and brushed aside. She just left him to his own ord. Worse yet, she had even said, ¡°Are there really owners who get angry because they were bitten by their own cats?¡± ...Stop messing around!

    To his chagrin, he challenged her many times...and lost many times. And every time, she would say, ¡°Leon, your power is certainly strong. But swinging around blindly in the dark would only waste your strength and your amazing talent. You should learn to use a bit more finesse.¡±

    Stop messing about!

    He remembered yelling back in response.

    I¡¯m strong. I¡¯m a powerful individual. I don¡¯t need the tricks of weaklings.

    But Ruphas said to the ferocious Leon:

    ¡°The tricks of weaklings, huh? I see. But Leon, if I were to encounter an enemy who surpasses me, between you and the weaklings who had these tricks...For example, if I were to choose between you and Aries, I would choose Aries without hesitation. I wouldn¡¯t even bring you along in the first ce.¡±

    This was inly a humiliation. She was implying that he was lower than Aries, even lower than the weakest magical beast.

    ¡°You won¡¯t understand if it¡¯s just words, right? Bring it on. I¡¯ll fight with you. I¡¯ve currently suppressed my level to 1000. In terms of status, yours should be much higher than mine. But let me make a prediction...Even as you are now, I¡¯ll still win this fight.¡±

    Stop looking down on me, he had thought.

    He vividly remembered responding to Ruphas¡¯ provocation and attacking her in anger. Then, a light tap with her fist had brought him down. Although it was vague, he could still somewhat remember his chin shaking. He had no memories of what had happened after that. When he came to, he was staring at the sky.

    Judging from the pain he had felt throughout his entire body, there was no doubt that he had been crushed. He had finally learnt how powerful the tricks of the weaklings that he had looked down upon were.

    ?

    What Megrez and the others had said was the truth.

    From the perspective of Sei and his party, the battle between Leon and Sol was like a battle between gods. Since the scale and values were so different, it was impossible for them to determine who was winning. They could only see them moving around at high speed. However, even people like them had some feelings about where the scale of victory was leaning towards.

    And in reality, it wasn¡¯t merely the tilting of the scale. It was already a dead rubber...Since Leon¡¯s constitution was high, the battle was still ongoing, but nevertheless, the victor had already been decided.

    Sol¡¯s punch sent Leon¡¯s huge body flying into the air. The former jumped up after him and kicked him back down. Leon immediately got up and fired a destructive light from his mouth, but just as he perceived that Sol had evaded it, thetter grabbed his tail and threw him away.

    ¡°Megrez-sama, this is bad! We should provide some sort of support...¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t. When they¡¯re fighting at that speed, we¡¯re likely to hit Leon if we provide improper fire support. No, before that, if we provide assistance to the Lion King, who¡¯s like the embodiment of pride, he would attack us instead.¡±

    It was evident who was going to win. Therefore, Gants suggested that they should provide support, but Megrez rejected the idea. Leon was definitely not their ally. He was merely an enemy of the enemy.

    If they interfered, he would erase them first. They couldn¡¯t interfere without getting in the way anyway. While they were talking, the battle had progressed further. Leon finally copsed on the ground.

    ¡°It¡¯s over, Lion King. It¡¯s been fun.¡±

    Sol elerated in order to deal the finishing blow. He was aiming for the neck...No matter how powerful the Lion King might be, he would not be able to live after being decapitated. He concentrated all of his mana into his knife-hand and swung it down.

    However, a small shadow intercepted it from the sky above and caught Sol¡¯s knife-hand with both hands. His rainbow-colored hair swayed and, with a beauty that could be mistaken for a girl, he stared intently straight at Sol.

    ¡°Tsk. You...are Aries of the Twelve Stars!?¡±

    ¡°Yah¡ª!¡±

    Sol was caught off guard by the sudden intrusion as Aries, enshrouded in mes, kicked him into the air and jumped after him. Sol immediately spun in mid-air to recover his stance and fired arcane magic at Aries.

    However, Aries changed his trajectory by spewing fire from his hands and went around to nk Sol. And this time, he released a me in order to elerate himself using the recoil and kicked at Sol.

    Although Sol quickly guarded against it, the blow wasn¡¯t light. Sol¡¯s body swiftly descended and crashed into the ground, but the momentum did not stop there. While plowing through the ground, Sol collided with a mountain, prated it, and flew out from the other side.

    But Sol was the avatar of the Sun Ouroboros. An attack of this level wouldn¡¯t be enough to finish him. He forcibly stopped his body using his leg muscles and met Aries, who was charging in upfront.

    However, in the next moment, he felt a chill down his spine and he jumped away from that spot. At the same time, a goat demon bearing a huge scythe emerged from the ground.

    ¡°He evaded, huh? ...He has good intuition.¡±

    ¡°Aigokeros!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just them, okay?¡±

    ¡°!¡±

    The ce Sol had retreated to was also unsafe. At the same time as Sol heard her voice, Karkinos¡¯ kick sank into his cheek and sent him flying. His body was then caught by an extensible concealed weapon that imitated a scorpion¡¯s tail. Scorpius mmed Sol into the ground, while Aquarius¡¯ water pitcher turned towards him.

    ¡°Absolute Zero!¡±

    The chill of Absolute Zero, which could freeze all substances, was directed towards Sol and struck him. The fact that Sol didn¡¯t die from this was already praiseworthy. He jumped and forcibly escaped from the prison of chill, but it was hard to say whether he was actually safe now.

    As if he had been waiting for this, Aries¡¯ fist sent Sol flying. The Argonaut who was steering the Argo, Avior of the Carina constetion, chased after him. Despite being a skeleton, he was a heroic spirit. He was an entity which made no sense whatsoever. He opened his mouth and concentrated all of his mana there.

    ¡ªAnd unleashed it.

    The mana, which had beenpressed to its limit, became a destructive aurora that flew in a straight line and swallowed Sol. The torrent continued to plow through the ground, eventually flying off into space. It coincidentallynded on the moon and created a huge mushroom cloud.

    And it still didn¡¯t stop. Fire, fire, fire, and¡ªfire.

    Magic bullets shot from Avior¡¯s mouth one after another, creating columns of smoke that reached the sky.

    But Sol was still alive. He stood with his arms crossed and smoke rising from his body. However, it was not over yet. Piscesughed as he grabbed Sol¡¯s head from behind.

    ¡°Prostrate, you peasant.¡±

    Sol¡¯s head hit the ground.

    Refrain from raising your head high. For I, the son of the Goddess, am here. A mere son of an ouroboros has no right to stand beside such a supreme being.

    His words were truly arrogant, but he truly had the power to back up his arrogance. Despite having fallen, Sol quickly shook off Pisces¡¯ grip and created some distance between them. What he saw then was a scene filled with hopelessness.

    The Argo floated in the sky above and numerous heroic spirits looked down from its decks. On the ground were the Tyrannical Twelve Stars, excluding the Bull and the Scales. The fairy siblings were nowhere in sight...but they were probably somewhere in the ship. The ship couldn¡¯t possibly havee without them.

    Even Terra, the son of the Demon King, stood with his sword ready, keeping Sol surrounded.

    No matter how he looked at the situation, there was no chance of winning. There couldn¡¯t possibly be any chance of winning. However, Sol¡¯s fearless smile didn¡¯t falter despite this. He was still holding back. He was confident that he could escape from here. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have acted to lure them out.

    ¡°I see...Certainly, I was the one who had lured you out, but I wasn¡¯t expecting everyone to show up. Hahaha. This is rather convenient.¡±

    I¡¯ve seeded in luring them out. In that case, ¡°that¡± should handle smoothly afterwards. It should be fine if I just retreat now as soon as possible.

    Thinking this, Sol spoke in his mind to his absentrade¡ªDina.

    I¡¯ve yed my part. Quickly, open the X-Gate so I can leave this ce.

    But the response that Sol received was...silence.

    No reply came back. There was no reaction at all.

    Impossible. This shouldn¡¯t be happening.

    There was a connection between the Goddess¡¯ avatar and an ouroboros¡¯ avatar that simply couldn¡¯t be broken. After all, she was the representative of the Goddess in the world and a switch to activate all of the ouroboroses during an emergency, thereby announcing the end of the world. She was the ultimate weapon.

    It was impossible that an ouroboros¡¯ avatar could not contact her. In other words, the telepathic message had been intentionally ignored.

    .........

    ...I see. Is that it?

    Sol suddenly started tough.

    Oh, I see. Is that it? That¡¯s it, isn¡¯t it?

    It was obvious when he thought about it. It should have been easy to notice. It was strange to think that he was the only one who had acquired a sense of self. She was no longer a puppet.

    If that was true, everything would make sense. That would exin all of the developments that had seemed so convenient for Ruphas and her group up until now. That would exin why the Twelve Stars were gathered together once more, resulting in such a troublesome situation.

    ¡ªHow fascinating!

    Sol realized that there was no way to save himself. He understood that this would be the ce where he died. But there was no anger in him. There was no resentment. Instead, he wanted to praise her for sessfully deceiving everyone up until now. He wanted to say that her act was impressive.

    Sol took a liking to the strong. Be it power or wisdom, it was inevitable that he took a liking to people who exceeded his imagination. This was because it would be boring if the world was exactly as the Goddess and her representative wanted it to be.

    Therefore, Solughed. Instead of being angry at her deception, he epted that it was due to his ipetence that he didn¡¯t notice it. He wanted to celebrate her cunningness that lured him to this dead end.

    Never mind that things didn¡¯t develop in the way that they were expected to. Never mind that things weren¡¯t following the script. After all, what was so interesting about that third-rateedy?

    ¡°Fine, Dina. Then I¡¯ll meet my end here. But I won¡¯t simply do whatever you want. ...Apanion. Even if it¡¯s just one person, I¡¯ll bring along apanion with me to hell.¡±

    There was no way to retreat. There was no way to advance either. By all means, if hisst opponents were to be the Tyrannical Twelve Stars, they would not becking as opponents.

    However, unexpectedly, it was Leon who stood alone before the fierce Sol. He had changed from his lion form into his humanoid form. He violently knocked away Virgo, who was trying to heal him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do unnecessary things, you dregs. He¡¯s my prey.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Don¡¯t sing your own praises, okay? You were about to lose earlier.¡±

    ¡°...Tsk. Well, I can¡¯t deny it...I can¡¯t win if I remain like this.¡±

    Unexpectedly, Leon mildly acknowledged Scorpius¡¯ ridicule. He cracked the joints of his neck and spat out the blood in his mouth. Then, he sighed heavily and scratched his head.

    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped...I don¡¯t like following Ruphas, but...using tricks, huh?¡±

    Leon defenselessly approached Sol with his arms down. Despite being ufortable about his demeanor, Sol stepped forward and aimed for his chin. However, Leon lightly knocked his attack away and quickly returned an elbow strike to his chin. His head shaken, Sol fell in a sitting position as Leon looked down at him.

    ¡°Hey, just now...¡±

    ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s a skill. Technical Guard...It prevents an opponent¡¯s attack and reduces the damage taken. It¡¯s a skill that¡¯s taught by our master, but this is the first time I¡¯ve seen him using it.¡±

    That was a defensive skill that Leon had never been seen using. Aries was surprised by that, so Aigokeros calmly exined it to him.

    Sol stood up and threw a punch, but Leon dodged it with the evasive skill, Abandonment. This was a skill that increased the user¡¯s evasion rate. It was not like Leon to use something like this.

    Leon unleashed the double-strike skill, Double Blow, and mmed his fist into Sol¡¯s stomach, blowing him away. The attack was made carefully. Unlike his usual big and forceful swings, it was small andpact.

    ¡°Leon can actually fight like this...¡±

    ¡°To begin with, hisbat talent was unquestioned. Even if he didn¡¯t have any unique skills, he¡¯s still strong when he gets serious, okay? That guy...makes me sick.¡±

    Scorpius responded with disinterest at Aries¡¯ astonishment. After all, Leon didn¡¯t need such pretentious skills. Rather, he hadn¡¯t needed skills at all. Up until now, he had been engaging in violence solely using his high status. Basically, he had just been using basic attacks. He would still use some skills such as Roar, but those were just novice skills with a wide area of attack.

    Yes, he was strong without skills. He stood in the position as the strongest of the Twelve Stars without using any skills. So what would happen if he used skills to the fullest? ...That was what the current scene would answer.

    But he had never tried to use them. He had thought that it would be his loss if he used the skills that Ruphas taught him. After all, those small tricks (skills) were just the results of the tearful struggles of weaklings. He would have to throw away his pride to use them.

    But now, he had let go of it all. He admitted that he couldn¡¯t defeat Sol in his current condition.

    ¡°Interesting...Yes, it should be like this! This is what makes fighting worth it!¡±

    Sol clenched his fist and happily charged at Leon. Leon charged in response and their fists collided upfront. But this wasn¡¯t just a simple collision. A lot of skills were activated in that instant and there were multiple feints all over.

    They crossed fists and kicks at a speed that was too fast for the eye. Only the sounds of collisions were heard. Unlike the shy attacks and defenses earlier, they had changed to using in attacks.

    ...Well, it was questionable if they could be considered in since the shockwaves were enough to blow things in the surroundings away. But whenpared to the earlier battle, the scale had certainly gone down significantly.

    However, the power contained in these attacks were several times that of the previous ones. Their power was not diffused meaninglessly, but rather concentrated into a single point.

    Their strengths were almost equal. If Sol were to be boosted by the Goddess, he would still win. But Sol had already taken considerable damage, while Leon had an enormously strong constitution.

    Sol¡¯s fist sank into Leon¡¯s stomach and the sound of breaking bones was heard. Meanwhile, Leon¡¯s fist smashed into Sol, shattering his jaw and making it impossible for him to clench his teeth. Their fists collided and crushed each other, while their legs crossed and broke each other.

    ¡°Oh¡ª!¡±

    Leon howled.

    I¡¯m the strongest. I can¡¯t lose. I don¡¯t have time to be stumbling in a ce like this. There are walls that I need to ovee. I can¡¯t lose to someone like you or my soul would cry.

    ¡°Wah¡ª!¡±

    Sol howled.

    Yes, this is what I¡¯m looking for. There¡¯s nothing interesting about a world where everything happens as one expects. I want something that is beyond what I can think of.

    Being able to find such an opponent in this miniature garden of the Goddess caused him to shout with delight. Their abilities were almost equal. In that case, victory would be decided by the strength of their wills.

    On one hand, there was one who looked ahead and greedily sought out victory. On the other hand, there was one who was satisfied with the battle itself. The difference between them became evident in the weight of their fists.

    They struck each other for only several tens of seconds, but they personally experienced it as a fierce battle thatsted for several hours.

    Eventually, it was the white-haired man who fell in the end.

    ¡ªAt the same time, in Helheim...

    The heroic spirits who had apanied Libra were lying on the ground. Their entire bodies were covered in wounds and they vanished into light particles.

    Furthermore, Libra and Taurus were pointing their weapons at each other.

 Chapter 166

    Chapter 166

    Sol felt refreshed as hey on the ground and looked up at the sky.

    It had been a good fight. He had bet everything on it and lost. He didn¡¯t want to make any excuses like having been overwhelmed by numbers or having his constitution reduced. Whatever it might have been due to, a loss was still a loss. It was his own fault for being forced into the current situation.

    To begin with, a battle was not merely fighting with each other upfront. For instance, before actually fighting, one could create favorable conditions or environments. A battle included all of these things, like strategies and tactics. He had been caught in their plot without realizing it himself and then lost to a fool. That was it.

    ¡°He...Hehehehe...Hahahahaha!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±

    Even though he was the loser, Sol wasughing loudly. Leon felt unpleasant about this and shouted at him in irritation.

    I really don¡¯t like his pretentious attitude. If he still has a trump card, then he should use it already.

    He stared at Sol with such thoughts in mind.

    ¡°It¡¯s really funny. The Goddess¡¯ scenario, which had been written over several ten thousand, hundred thousand, or even million years, was made to fall apart so brilliantly in only two hundred years! It¡¯s so funny that I can¡¯t stopughing!¡±

    ¡°Is that all?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s all...Ah, what? Could it be that you think I¡¯m still hiding something? If so, you can rx. I¡¯ve nothing left. You¡¯ve genuinely won. Even if you leave me be, I¡¯ll disappear soon.¡±

    Hearing Sol¡¯s words, which sounded as if he had surrendered to fate, Virgo rushed over. There was no particr reason. It wasn¡¯t a calcted move to gain some benefit from his gratitude after healing him. In the first ce, if she was being calctive, she wouldn¡¯t have rushed over. In other words, she was moving instinctively. This was both her kindness and her foolishness.

    She held out her hand to heal him, but Sol grabbed her hand to refuse it.

    ¡°Stop it, you kind girl. Kindness may be a virtue, but it¡¯s also a weakness in battle. For example, if I take you hostage right now, the situation will be reversed all because of you. Some people can¡¯t be saved with kindness alone...There are heretics who wouldn¡¯t consider it evil to make use of such kindness. From now on, keep this in mind.¡±

    Saying that, Sol grabbed Virgo¡¯s shoulder and pushed her away. But Virgo couldn¡¯t ept it, so Sol desperately tried to convince her.

    ¡°Bu¡ªBut you¡¯re not that kind of person! Even now...¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m a doll of the Goddess right down to the bones. Even though I have developed an ego, I couldn¡¯t be like Pollux or Orm. If you heal me now, I¡¯d surely return as an enemy. ...Give it up. Finishing off the enemy is the victor¡¯s right as well as duty.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to tell me that.¡±

    Aries grabbed and held back Virgo, who was still trying to speak. And then, Leon stepped forward. He raised his fist and exerted enough strength to make the arteries on his arm visible.

    ¡°As my final act, let me give you a little hint in honor of your victory. Once I die, the Goddess will have almost no pieces left. It¡¯s not that she doesn¡¯t have any left, but they probably don¡¯t have thebat power needed to defeat all of you. Do you know what that means?¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡±

    Solughed bitterly at Leon¡¯s uncaring reply and remembered the appearance of thest doll other than himself. What he had just said was not strictly true. There were still two pieces left. One was Dina, who could still be controlled by the Goddess whenever she wanted to, regardless of Dina¡¯s own will. And the other person...

    Nheless, these two alone weren¡¯t enough to face against their innumerable foes. The Goddess would definitely move the ouroboroses topensate for it.

    ¡°It means that it¡¯s starting. This attack will trigger the end of the world.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡ªLeon didn¡¯t care about Sol¡¯sst words and simply swung his fist down.

    An explosive sound echoed. Karkinos transformed into his gigantic form and jumped in front of everyone to receive the shockwave. The pressure from the punch was like a storm thatsted for several seconds. When it was finally over, there were huge cracks on the ground that extended all the way to the horizon.

    Sol...was no longer there. Only the faint light particles that remained hinted that he had even existed until now. Even they would disappear soon.

    ¡°...Why?¡±

    ¡°Who knows? Men are foolish creatures. If it were this mistress, I would want to survive no matter what.¡±

    Scorpius muttered in exasperation as she lightly patted Virgo¡¯s head, which was hanging down. With this, thest piece of the Goddess that could oppose the Twelve Stars had vanished. Anyone could predict what would happen after this.

    ¡ªIt¡¯s starting.

    He had certainly said so. There was no need to say what it was. Now that thest piece called Sol had disappeared, the Goddess had only one move left. And so, the time was close at hand. The end of the world would soon begin.

    ¡°It looks like we can¡¯t sit back and rx. I¡¯m returning to Blutgang immediately. From now on, time is of the essence. Megrez, let me quickly examine the mana engine you designed.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll take action right away. It¡¯s a race against time now.¡±

    It was unclear what Sei and hispanions were saying, but they seemed to be able to understand each other. Perhaps, the reason the heroes were gathered together was also to discuss this matter. Sei did not mention it. Besides, there were things that needed to be done. There were things that he could do.

    ¡°Megrez-sama, I...think I¡¯ll return to L?vateinn. I can¡¯t really help you in a fight, but I should at least tell them that Ruphas-san is not an enemy.¡±

    ¡°Is that your answer?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll use my skill to send you to L?vateinn.¡±

    What Sei was trying to do was minusculepared to what would happen in the future. But he was the only one who could do this minuscule thing.

    It wouldn¡¯t be convincing even if Megrez said that Ruphas was not an enemy. Even if Ruphas herself told them that she was not an enemy, nobody would believe her. However, since he was unrted to what had happened two hundred years ago, people would believe his conclusion, which he had reached by his own efforts.

    He couldn¡¯t do anything to help in this battle, but he could be a bridge between the humanoids and Ruphas.

    ¡°If Sei-dono has decided on this...Very well, we are resolved to do the same as well. Wisdom King-sama, please send us to Draupnir. I¡¯ll persuade King Kumar to join in.¡±

    ¡°Grrr!¡±

    ¡°Oh, Friedrich. Do you want toe too?¡±

    Kaineko and Friedrich also chose to follow Sei¡¯s lead and walk the same road as Ruphas. Gants and Jean didn¡¯t raise any objections and quietly nodded.

    However, among the people present, only Merak did not move. He stared intently at Virgo. It was as if he had seen something unbelievable. His lips were quivering.

    ¡°White wings...and that face and hair color...It couldn¡¯t be...Yo¡ªYou, I¡¯m sorry, pardon my rudeness, but are your parents actually your foster parents?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Uh, no. I¡¯ve never seen my father and mother. It seemed that I was abandoned in the forest as a baby, and granny picked me up and raised me.¡±

    ¡°Wh¡ªWhat...¡±

    Merak was shocked to the core as he widened his eyes while staring at Virgo. He had aplicated expression that seemed to have a mix of delight and sadness. Meanwhile, Parthenos spoke up.

    ¡°As I thought, that is the case.¡±

    ¡°Eh? What? Granny?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple. The Sky King-dono...is probably your real father.¡±

    ¡ªThe atmosphere froze.

    Mizar, who was about to return to Blutgang, and Megrez, who was about to turn towards Svalinn, stopped. After all, it was a shocking statement with considerable destructive power.

    ¡°...Eh¡ª!?¡±

    Virgo¡¯s cry resounded to the heavens.

    ?

    A while ago, Libra and the three heroic spirits serving as her escorts had reached Taurus in the underworld of Helheim without any major obstacles. Taurus was quietly sitting in front of the head of the sleeping ouroboros.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time...no, it¡¯s been just a few days, Taurus.¡±

    ¡°...Ah.¡±

    ¡°You know why I¡¯m here, right? I¡¯m here to pick you up.¡±

    There was no need for a long conversation between them. Libra spoke briefly, while Taurus responded with a single word. If one didn¡¯t know the circumstances, it would be impossible to know what they were talking about.

    Taurus stood up slowly and quietly clenched his fist.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go after cleaning up this mess.¡±

    Taurus said this as light began to umte in front of him. The light emitted by the Earth Ouroboros took on a humanoid shape. This was the creation of an avatar, just like what the Fire Ouroboros and the Sun Ouroboros had done.

    This was nothing strange. Except for the Moon Ouroboros, which was already awake, all of the ouroboroses would create and send out avatars. In that case, it wouldn¡¯t be so convenient that only the Earth Ouroboros wouldn¡¯t do so.

    The created avatar was Level 1000. Itsbat power wasparable to Sol¡¯s. It was a transcendent being that could drive creatures to extinction by itself.

    ¡°Aldebaran.¡±

    ¡ªBut it was shattered into pieces with one hit.

    Apanying the destructive sound of the steel fist, the newly created avatar reverted to light particles and vanished. Even though it was an avatar, it was also a skill. Therefore, it was helpless before Aldebaran, which was a skill that could end skills.

    It was an instant kill that made one wonder what Leon¡¯s struggle was all about, but it was simply a matter ofpatibility. Since its very existence was a skill, it could not possibly withstand a blow from Taurus.

    ¡°Well done, as expected of Taurus.¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go. Everyone¡¯s waiting.¡±

    ¡°No, not yet.¡±

    Saying that, Taurus swung his fist at Libra. Libra quickly evaded and the punch missed its target. However, there was no change in the power contained in that punch. He was attacking with the intention to kill.

    ¡°What are you ying at, Taurus?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for me to speak of the reason. You know it better than anyone else.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Libra readied her weapon as she stared at Taurus with an icy look. If the other party was going to do something like this, then it would only lead to a battle.

    ¡°Regardless of who you might be, if you continue with this, I will counterattack. I¡¯ll interrogate you after immobilizing you...So I rmend that you speak before it bes an interrogation.¡±

    ¡°...I see. You¡¯re unaware of your own condition. Or did you destroy your own memory in order to deceive yourself?¡±

    ¡°...The corrupted data?¡±

    When Taurus said this, Libra stopped moving for a moment. That¡¯s right...The corrupted data. It had been inside her since her reunion with Ruphas. However, its true nature was still unknown, and it had not been repaired at all. No, had she even been trying to repair it up until now?

    ...No, now wasn¡¯t the time to think about it. First of all, she needed to calm this angry bull down. If necessary, it would be fine to finish him off. Actually, wouldn¡¯t that be better? It was all for the sake of her master.

    ¡°Please stop, both of you! There¡¯s no need for two of the Twelve Stars to fight each other!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! Let¡¯s calm down and talk about it first!¡±

    The heroic spirits were panicking due to the sudden development, but the two of them didn¡¯t stop. Libra scattered shots while maintaining her distance. But Taurus advanced while ignoring the attacks.

    However, Libra had the advantage in maneuverability. She jumped around agilely, not letting Taurus close the distance between them. The only threat that Taurus posed was his overwhelming destructive power. Furthermore, his strength was only effective at close range. He had no way of making ranged attacks. Once this was known, making an effective strategy was simple. All one needed to do was attack from a distance.

    Unaware of my own condition? Deceiving myself? What foolishness...Since I¡¯m a golem, memory maniption won¡¯t work on me. You¡¯re the one who is suspicious, Taurus.

    Libra fired her cannon at Taurus, forcefully blowing him away. It was tedious to shave away at his constitution, but at the same time, it was a simple task that almost seemed to guarantee victory. It would be fine to keep wearing him down without letting hime close. Then, she could fire a single shot of Brachium when he was within range. That would be the end of it.

    It¡¯s true that my memory has been corrupted...That¡¯s right. I should just repair it. I¡¯m sure that if I repair my memory, Dina-sama¡¯s true identity and the reason for Taurus¡¯ madness will be clear.

    Libra didn¡¯t notice it. She didn¡¯t realize how strange her thoughts were right now.

    ¡°I should just repair it.¡± ...This meant that she could have always repaired it at any time, but she hadn¡¯t done so. Why hadn¡¯t she done it? Normally, she should have considered this first.

    But she was unable to do so since she was a golem. There was no other reason. She was simply convinced that it was all for the sake of her master. As long as she recognized this to be true, her thoughts would not go any further. They simply stopped when the answer was evident. This was the sad difference between people and golems.

    Corrupted data...repairing...

    Without any justifications, she thought that it was time to repair the corrupted data. There was no reason and no doubt. This was because it was the right thing to do.

    She was essentially a tool. The purpose of her existence was to benefit her master and eliminate any threats to her master. Therefore, she had no doubt.

    And¡ª

    ¡°...Ah. Is that so?¡±

    The doll¡ª

    ¡°I see, Taurus. Everything is exactly as you have said. Indeed, I¡¯m acting for the sake of my master...¡±

    ¡ªsneered.

    ¡°...for the sake of Alovenus-sama.¡±

    An expression that had never been seen before appeared on her face.

    ¡ªAnd the brilliance of Brachium swallowed Taurus and the heroic spirits.

 Chapter 167

    Chapter 167

    It all started more than two hundred years ago.

    It started when Ruphas Mafahl stormed into the Sanctuary of the Goddess and took the Selection Scales. The Selection Scales was originally prepared by the Goddess for the Gatekeeper of the Sanctuary, thus its original master was Alovenus. Yet it was modified and then used to build a new golem, Libra.

    However, the scales already had a mission by the time it was taken. Its mission was to monitor Ruphas Mafahl...and reduce herbat power from within. Yes, there were two spies among the Tyrannical Thirteen Stars. One was Dina, the manifestation of the Goddess. The other was the emotionless doll, Libra. This mission was not lost even when Mizar rebuilt it.

    This was only natural...After all, Mizar was already under the control of the Goddess when he returned from the Sanctuary. It had been deliberately left behind without being deleted. Even Mizar¡¯s copy didn¡¯t know about it. It was the original Mizar who built Libra. The copy was merely a spectator. Since he was just a copy, even he didn¡¯t expect that his original self would do something so stupid.

    After it waspleted, it became the steel maid who was seemingly the most unwavering and most loyal to Ruphas among the Tyrannical Thirteen Stars. She was unwavering and unshakeable precisely because she was a doll without any emotions.

    As a result, Libra had not wavered at all since the beginning. She had been faithfully and emotionlessly following the original mission given to her by her true master.

    That had not changed after two hundred years.

    She protected the royal tomb in order to prevent the humanoids from gaining powerful weapons. Her reason for killing the intruders was to reduce thebat power of the humanoids. After her reunion with Ruphas, she partially destroyed her own memory so that she could deceive herself into ying the role of a perfect subordinate. This had been possible because she was a golem.

    However, she still did not forget her mission. Regardless of what Libra might have been thinking, her thought processes would always return to thepletion of her mission. Libra didn¡¯t question the apparent contradiction. After all, to her, it was correct.

    She decapitated Jupiter so that Ruphas wouldn¡¯t learn of any information she didn¡¯t need to know. Even during that time when the Demon King was about to say something unnecessary, she purposefully interrupted him. However, not everything went well.

    One of the two spies...Dina, who should have been the manifestation of the Goddess, was behaving strangely. At first nce, she seemed to be following the Goddess¡¯ scenario, but it was her fault that the real scenario was being derailed.

    Dina had directed Mars to move Aries, who eventually returned to Ruphas. It was the same with Scorpius and Aigokeros. If one were to trace the causes, they had returned due to Dina¡¯s guidance. At Gjarhorn, she deliberately misspoke and revealed herself as a spy for the demons at an early stage.

    ...What was she doing? What in the world was all of that for?

    Libra had been suspicious of Dina from the start. Without even realizing it herself, she had suspected her of treachery. It was the same when the Demon King was conversing with Ruphas. The timing of Dina¡¯s interruption was toote. When Libra thought about it now, wasn¡¯t she just pretending to be on the side of the Goddess because she was being monitored by Libra?

    Therefore, she had advised Ruphas many times to investigate Dina. She thought that if Ruphas suspected Dina and questioned or interrogated her, everything woulde to light.

    However, although Ruphas suspected Dina, she did not investigate further for some reason. Thetter was allowed to do as she pleased. It was as if Ruphas was convinced that she was on her side...

    What had happened? Did they have a private discussion without her noticing?

    No, there had been no such evidence. She hadn¡¯t picked up on any such conversation.

    Instead, it was Libra who had messed up. When Dina revealed that she was a spy for the demons, Libra had to pretend that she knew nothing about it. Indeed, that conversation had been heard by Libra. She could pick up sounds from distant locations. There was no way that she would not have heard it.

    However, since both of them belonged to the Goddess¡¯ faction, Libra wasn¡¯t able to expose her pretense. This led to an unnatural situation where she had to pretend that she had not been listening to what she should have heard.

    Later, when Libra became suspicious of Dina, she wanted to reveal the fact that she had heard their conversation, but it was meaningless to do so by then. After all, Ruphas was allowing Dina to do whatever she wanted despite knowing all of that. If she had revealed it, she would be exposing the fact that she had lied and risk casting suspicion on herself.

    However, the act was over. Dina was no longer reliable.

    Fortunately, there were only two people here¡ªTaurus and Libra herself. There would be no witnesses. Therefore, she should just quickly kill Taurus and finish what the Earth Ouroboros¡¯ avatar could not do. After that, she would assassinate the others one by one.

    With her decision made, Libra aimed her cannon at Taurus.

    ¡°Goodbye...Taurus.¡±

    ¡°......!¡±

    First, she would finish off one person. With this, the Tyrannical Twelve Stars would never be able to fully assemble.

    ¡°¡ªDid you think that everything would proceed that smoothly?¡±

    But suddenly, there was an unexpected voice. When she looked back, she saw the queen of fairies, surrounded by heroic spirits. Her brother, the strongest fairy, was on standby next to her. She cast a cold nce at Libra.

    ¡°You¡¯ve finally shown your true colors, Libra. I was thinking that it would end up being something like this when you said that you wanted to go to Helheim alone...¡±

    ...I had already been exposed?

    Libra remained expressionless, despite being somewhat surprised. However, she kept her cannon pointed at Taurus. She watched Pollux while trying to anticipate her next move.

    ¡°...When did you notice?¡±

    ¡°Almost from the very beginning.¡±

    ¡°From the very beginning?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Specifically, it was when I found out that you left the Goddess¡¯ avatar alone.¡±

    ¡ªLibra, you too! How is it that even though you¡¯re with her, you allowed such a dumb thing to take ce!?

    ¡ªI¡¯m in such a deep state of apology that I¡¯m high above the mountains.

    ¡ªYou¡¯re not repenting, are you!? Let alone being ¡®deep¡¯ in apology, you¡¯re climbing high above the clouds!

    ¡ªSoon, I¡¯ll be leaving the atmosphere.

    ¡ªYou piece of metallic trash!

    She remembered that conversation from back then. Indeed, that was a mistake. It hadn¡¯t seemed like it was a mistake before, but it was certainly a mistake to leave Dina alone after that. Furthermore, it could be said that this mistake had happened because of Dina. By casting doubt on herself, Dina brought Libra¡¯s inconsistency, which should have been hidden in the shadows, to light.

    ¡°Even if you can fool Ruphas-sama, you can¡¯t fool me. Don¡¯t think you can get by with such poor acting. It¡¯s not like you to leave such an obviously suspicious person alone...Rather, it should be impossible for you to do so. Yet you let the self-proimed adviser, the Goddess¡¯ avatar, do as she pleased.¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    ¡°Then there is only one exnation. That you were her coborator. ...I wished I was just overthinking it though.¡±

    Pollux crossed her arms and the heroic spirits responded to her fighting spirit and lined up in front of her. Castor had already drawn his weapon, while Taurus slowly lifted his axe.

    There were heroic spirits in front and the bull behind. Libra had beenpletely pincered. Both advancing and retreating would be difficult for her. She could have wiped them out with Brachium, but she had already used it a while ago.

    In other words, she waspletely cut off. Her escape routes had been blocked.

    ...At least, normally, one would think so.

    ¡°I see...It seems that I¡¯ve underestimated you. In that case, I¡¯ll quietly retreat from here.¡±

    ¡°Will you be able to do that?¡±

    ¡°Pollux. You¡¯re very clever, but your lowbat power really is a weakness. Because of that, you¡¯re bound by the same perspective as normal people.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Libra mocked her and simply flew up as if she didn¡¯t care about the ceiling. No, in truth, it was no different from a ceiling not being in the way at all. After all, if Libra could break through walls, ceilings, and floors whenever she pleased...as if they were jelly.

    Imagine this. A prisoner was locked in a jail, but the walls and ceiling were made of jelly. No matter how well it was locked, it wouldn¡¯t be a perfectly sealed room if they were made of jelly. ...That¡¯s right. Even if it was enclosed by walls and a ceiling, it wouldn¡¯t be considered a confinement area if they were so fragile.

    In other words, even though it seemed as if the front, back, left, right, up, and down were all blocked, only the front and back were actually blocked.

    Up, down, left, and right. This was a that was full of holes, which allowed one to easily escape.

    ¡°Wa¡ªWait!¡±

    Pollux shouted to stop Libra, who was digging through the ceiling and causing rubble to fall. Even though Castor managed to block them at thest moment, the ceiling continued to copse.

    ¡°We should also leave, now!¡±

    If Castor and the heroic spirits were the only ones here, they could have smashed through the ceiling in pursuit without worrying about the copsing rubble. Taurus would be buried alive, but he wasn¡¯t so weak as to die from this. They could just dig him outter. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    However, Pollux was different. She would actually die from this. Therefore, Castor had no choice but to escape in order to protect Pollux.

    ¡°Sorry, elder brother. It seems I¡¯m just a burden...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Castor carried Pollux, while the heroic spirits lifted Taurus.

    And they left Helheim without being able to capture the treacherous Scales.

    ?

    ¡°I¡¯ll be stopping here. The two of you, please return to Midgard on your own.¡±

    Afterpleting our errands on Earth, Dina suddenly stopped in between the two universes on our way back to Midgard. I actually predicted that this would happen, so I refrained from asking any questions for now.

    ¡°As soon as I return to Midgard, the Goddess will take control of me and wake the ouroboroses. So...I¡¯m done here.¡±

    ¡°...I keep causing trouble for you every time.¡±

    ¡°Yes, indeed.¡±

    Dina looked at me andughed as if she had been troubled. But I didn¡¯t see any intention of reprimanding me for it in her face.

    ¡°However, this is the path I have chosen. This is the path that I chose as Dina, and not as the Goddess¡¯ proxy. I was like a doll until I met you...You have made me into a person, so I have no regrets. But...I can only serve you up until this point.¡±

    As she said that, a smile appeared on Dina¡¯s face. She knew the destiny thaty ahead of her. This was the end of the road. As the Goddess¡¯ avatar, she was bound to the Goddess in a way that could not bepared to Pollux¡¯s ties to the Goddess. The Goddess could take control of her consciousness and possess her whenever she wanted.

    Furthermore, this couldn¡¯t be prevented by any item or skill. Equipment that sealed skills would be meaningless. Therefore, there were only two options. One was to kill Dina.

    ¡°Ruphas-sama. If you kill me here, you¡¯ll have some time before the next avatar is born. ¡ªGoodbye.¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    This was the script that Dina had decided on from the start. She would mess up the Goddess¡¯ scenario and she herself would disappear in the end. By doing so, the entire scenario would be ruined and Ruphas could act freely until the next avatar was born.

    This was definitely the best move. There were no better alternatives. But...

    ¡°At that time, don¡¯t hesitate...That¡¯s what you said.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I know. Don¡¯t hesitate...Ah. I have already decided¡ªto defeat the Goddess and save you.¡±

    Instead of choosing the best option here, I specifically opted to choose a better option.

    The best move? I had no need for it.

    I had always been a simple fool who pushed my way through with brute force. The choice of the wise would never have suited me from the beginning. I had already decided long ago to pick a fight with the divine. In that case, why shouldn¡¯t I save my subordinate who had always been loyal until now?

    ¡°We have a promise. If you were to rouse the Goddess¡¯ ire, I¡¯ll do everything I can to protect you.¡±

    When she heard my reply, the relieved Dinaughed in a funny way. A tear shone at the corner of her eye.

    ¡°...You¡¯re really a fool.¡±

    ¡°You already knew that though, right?¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t know. I had no idea that you¡¯re a fool to this extent.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Dina closed her eyes and pulled something from her bosom. It was a shiny key. Furthermore, it had immeasurable power.

    ¡°The Key to the Heavens...Simply put, it¡¯s the GM¡¯s authority. I¡¯ll give this to you. I¡¯ve already prepared the settings. Please activate it when the timees.¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t this key supposed to have been in Castor¡¯s hands?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a fake, you know. To deceive the one who was monitoring me...Actually, since we¡¯ve already gotten to this point, I suppose there¡¯s no reason to be vague anymore. In order to deceive Libra-sama, I asked Orm to y along in order to feed false information. Therefore, the key that Orm now possesses is naturally also a fake. Well, wandering around in the Argo, which was loaded with heroic spirits, was like saying, ¡®I have it here. Pleasee and rob me.¡¯ I wouldn¡¯t do something so silly.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t surprised by the name that Dina mentioned. Actually, I had considered that it might have been the case. Well, that¡¯s true. When Dina said that she was a spy for the demons, she should have overheard it, yet she didn¡¯t fly over.

    Furthermore, when Libra killed Jupiter, his body vanished instantly. If I considered it now, that was evidence that she was actually on the Goddess¡¯ side. Even if a demon died, its body would remain for a while...After all, I had in so many demons and paraded their heads in the past. So there was no mistake.

    However, when Libra killed Jupiter, his body disappeared on the spot. This was impossible unless it had been done by the power of the Goddess. ...That¡¯s right. When I had said that ¡°that person¡± was exposing their true colors, I was referring to Libra.

    Dina¡¯s movement had been inefficient because she was being watched by the Goddess through Libra. That was why, when she was before Libra, she had to y the iprehensible role of being the Goddess¡¯ doll who was the demons¡¯ spy that pretended to be Ruphas¡¯ subordinate.

    ...Even I thought that I was imposing a really troublesome role on her. I honestly felt sorry for her. Nobody could have managed such a role, except for Dina.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to see what¡¯s right under your nose...The Goddess won¡¯t have thought that I was holding on to it all along. Also, the ¡®Ark¡¯ has beenpleted. It¡¯s a product that I¡¯m truly confident of, created bybining Midgard¡¯s alchemy and modern science.¡±

    ¡°To think that you made it all by yourself, good work.¡±

    ¡°Hehe. Actually, I didn¡¯t do it by myself. I was helped by apany that I founded...Actually, all of our employees are from Midgard. They are people who died over there long ago. Scorpius-sama did a good job of it.¡±

    Dina¡¯s words made me think of those people...no, that race. There was only one race that had died and was involved with Scorpius. I see...It was certainly strange now that she mentioned it.

    Since Dina had been manipting the demons from within, it would have been weird if she had just watched them be destroyed without doing anything. It wasn¡¯t that Scorpius couldn¡¯t be manipted, but to think that this had been within her calctions as well...

    Needless to say, Scorpius wouldn¡¯t have made a blunder in finishing them off and would have properly put an end to their lives. No doubt, she would have even confirmed that they were really dead.

    However, Dina could resurrect the dead, provided that they had been dead only for a short time. Furthermore, she could manipte time itself, so it wasn¡¯t impossible.

    ¡°Died over there...Scorpius...I see. Anything you¡¯ve had a hand in was a job well-done.¡±

    Indeed, she had been deceiving everyone for two hundred years. There was no reason for her to die when she had yed out her role. She had worked hard enough. She had saved me. So now, it was my turn.

    ¡°I¡¯ll seal myself in here. Even if the Goddess still manages to find me, it should at least buy you some time.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you can just sleep peacefully. It¡¯s my fight from this point onwards. I¡¯ll take the baton from here.¡±

    ¡°¡ª...I¡¯ll ce my trust in you then.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, trust me.¡±

    I spoke strongly as if I was speaking for myself to hear, and stroked Dina¡¯s head. As I turned my back to her, I felt Dina stopping her own time.

    Until the Goddess found her...Well, it wouldn¡¯t even take a day. In the meantime, I had to be prepared. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t even constitute a real challenge to the Goddess.

    However, before that, there was still one final decision to be made.

    ...I¡¯ve kept you waiting, Orm. I¡¯ming back right now.

    We needed to settle who among us was better suited to challenge the Goddess.

 Chapter 168

    Chapter 168

    When people stayed in their rooms and didn¡¯t spend time talking to someone else, they would naturally spend more time thinking. During such times, Orm had been thinking. He continued to ask himself questions.

    What is this world? Who am I?

    This world...Yes, this world was the Goddess¡¯ miniature garden, a toy box that she had created. And he was merely a stage device that spread despair to the people in her story.

    There had been no objections. There had been no doubts.

    This was because the omnipotent and omniscient existence had decided that it should be that way. He didn¡¯t even question if it was correct. If the deity decided it, it would be providence. The very act of questioning it would be wrong.

    Carnivores attacked, killed, and ate herbivores, but they were not evil. They could not live otherwise. That hadn¡¯t really been decided on by anyone. They did it because they had to do so. That was providence. That was the decision of the deity.

    When did it all begin? As the Goddess¡¯ minion, he had acted as the evil that she wanted. If he were to consider when it had all started, it should have been several tens of thousands of years ago.

    Orm¡¯s role in the scenario was to bring despair...and fear to the people. In the end, he had to pretend to be defeated by the hero who bravely challenged him. He would also deal a fatal injury so that the hero would be forced to leave the stage.

    It was a simple role. In the first ce, there was no creature that could defeat the ouroboros Orm. If he were to get serious, he could easily defeat the hero.

    A certain hero had once said, ¡°For the sake of my loved ones, I won¡¯t lose.¡±

    A certain hero had once yelled, ¡°For the peace of the people!¡±

    Those who challenged him had their own beliefs. They would speak loudly of whatever they were. Orm had always listened to them with a sense of emptiness.

    Orm simply couldn¡¯t understand what they were talking about. Even though he could understand the meanings of their words, he couldn¡¯t understand what had inspired them so much.

    Loved ones? Someone more important than themselves?

    Family? What¡¯s that? ...What in the world was that?

    He didn¡¯t know what those were. The Goddess had never taught him these things. Therefore, Orm simply yed his role and buried them all. He didn¡¯t even know what kind of brave and precious existences they were, he simply killed them all.

    When did it all begin? When did he start taking an interest in such things? The Fairy Princess Pollux, someone like him who was given the opposite role, was able to understand the hearts of the heroes. And because she understood them, her heart was screaming.

    Orm didn¡¯t understand. He couldn¡¯t understand why the Fairy Princess wasmenting.

    Does she know? Why do these people called heroes stand against me, to the point of throwing their short lives away?

    What in the world is inspiring them? She must have understood that.

    I don¡¯t understand. My heart has never hurt.

    But...seeing her tears, he understood that what he had been doing must have been something terrible.

    If he were a human and was one of those heroes...would he be able to understand the reason for those tears?

    When did it all begin? He hade to dislike being a puppet in an endlessly repetitive story. The protagonist would change, but the story would remain the same. When he thought about it now, it might have been his first rebellious act against the Goddess. It was just a trivial act of self-satisfaction, so it might not actually be a rebellion.

    Orm thought that if he were to create a puppet to act in his stead, he might feel a bit better. Unlike the other ouroboroses, since Orm was still active, he didn¡¯t need an avatar. But he still decided to create an alter ego all the same.

    When he finally noticed it, he realized that the avatar he had created was far from his intended purpose. Instead, it was more like the opposite. It looked like the heroes that Orm had wanted to understand. It looked like a human.

    If he were a human hero, he might have been like this. As if reflecting his imagination, Orm¡¯s alter ego came into existence...Orm named it Terra.

    ¡°...The world is afraid.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    While sitting on his throne, Orm murmured softly. Saturnus responded in confusion. It couldn¡¯t be helped that she couldn¡¯t understand his sudden talk about the world. But Orm didn¡¯t think that it was necessary to exin further. He thought that she would understand its meaning soon even without any exnation from him.

    Look, she¡¯s almost here. She¡¯s returning from another world beyond this universe after having regained her true power and memories. The true monster, who has forcefully distorted and destroyed the decisions of the Goddess (providence), ising.

    ¡°It¡¯s the return of the king.¡±

    ¡ªAs soon as he spoke, the world trembled.

    It was very simr to the fl¨¹gels¡¯ skill, Coercion. But the area of effect and power were different by many orders of magnitude. Saturnus couldn¡¯t even stand up, and could only grind her teeth. The world rumbled in fear of the return of the king.

    This was not a hallucination. Her return was enough to cause the rotation of Midgard to slow down slightly. An abnormal hurricane now swirled over the Dark Continent. The moon drifted closer to Midgard as if it was attracted to it. The seas rose as a result.

    Once it had reached this point, her very existence was already a concept of power. Ruphas did not wield power. She was power itself. She was an existence that was so overwhelming and intimidating that the entire world...no, the entire universe seemed to yield to her. Regardless of the actual distance, her existence could be sensed instinctively.

    Ruphas Mafahl, as she was more than two hundred years ago, had truly returned.

    Orm sensed this and stood up from the throne.

    ¡°Ar¡ªAre you going to fight?¡±

    Saturnus looked at Orm as if she was seeing something she couldn¡¯t understand. She really couldn¡¯t understand at all. Anyone with proper senses would know how meaningless the action that Orm was trying to take was.

    Wasn¡¯t it fine to just leave them alone? Ruphas and Alovenus...Let these uncontroble monsters crush each other. She couldn¡¯t see any merit for Orm to purposefully fight Ruphas.

    ¡°Please stop, Your Majesty! There¡¯s no point in doing this!¡±

    After passing through the time-space tunnel, B and I returned to thend of Midgard once again. Even if I took into ount the fact that Dina had sealed herself in the subspace, the amount of time during which I could move freely was probably less than a day...probably not even ten hours.

    There was no time. If I missed this opportunity now, our match would have to be pushed further back. There might not even be another chance to settle who would be the victor between us. So I would have to settle now what we couldn¡¯t settle two hundred years ago.

    One might wonder if it was really the time to be doing such things. Since both the Demon King and I were aiming to defeat the Goddess, one might say that the right thing to do would be to form an alliance instead of fighting each other.

    ...That was true. Indeed, that would be the right thing to do. If I was being honest, what I was trying to do now was overwhelmingly useless and certainly inefficient. I used X-Gate to retrieve my equipment and, while I was at it, transmuted a partition so I could change out of my clothes. The time required was almost instantaneous though, so I might not have needed the partition after all.

    ¡°Are you really going to fight the Demon King now?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve kept him waiting for so long. Even though he¡¯s so far away, you can feel it too, right? His fighting spirit.¡±

    ¡°I understand that, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s meaningful to do this now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true...It isn¡¯t a smart choice, but...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about reason.¡±

    Orm himself didn¡¯t have a persuasive answer for Saturnus. This was because, as she had pointed out, this fight was meaningless. No, there was a reason for Orm to fight, but objectively speaking, its priority was not really that high. It obviously wasn¡¯t something that he should be doing right now.

    After Dina had disappeared from Midgard, Ruphas returned. If Ruphas had erased Dina, ¡°that time¡± would have been dyed for a while...Even if it were to happen, it would be after the birth of the next avatar of the Goddess.

    But somehow, he knew...Ruphas hadn¡¯t killed Dina. In that case, the twilight of the gods was near. The end of time was approaching right before their eyes.

    The Goddess would find Dina and control her. If that were to happen, it couldn¡¯t be stopped anymore. Everything would move on to the final stage. There was no doubt about this...Today was the day that Midgard would meet its end.

    When he thought about it, it was evident how pointless it was for him to fight Ruphas now. A wise person would say, ¡°Consider the situation. Is this really what you should be doing right now? It¡¯s fine to leave it forter. Calm down and look at the bigger picture...¡±

    Oh, right. That was certainly correct.

    But even so, Orm still answered.

    ¡°If we keep dragging our feet, we can¡¯t continue to move forward. That¡¯s the kind of person I am, and so is Orm.¡±

    One couldn¡¯t hope to fight the Goddess with a heart still lingering with regrets. Now that I had regained my memories, this was the only feeling that I had. My fight with him had started two hundred years ago, and it still wasn¡¯t over yet. I couldn¡¯t possibly challenge the Goddess in such an iplete state.

    In the first ce, there were two people who had the right to challenge her. It would be strange for them to move on to the next stage without first settling who had the right to challenge the Goddess.

    ¡°If it were you, you would understand what I¡¯m feeling, right, B?¡±

    ¡°...Hmph.¡±

    In response to my words, B nced away as if she was uninterested by what I had to say. Surely, she must have understood how Orm and I felt. After all, she was the one who had been waiting for two hundred years to fulfill her wish for a settlement.

    I would be acting on my own ego from this point on. I would be clearing up the regrets that still remained in my heart...It was just a boring task. But it was something that was very important to me.

    Besides, he couldn¡¯t just be left alone, since this was a battle for the right to challenge the Goddess.

    A wise person would say that the challenger did not need to be one person. A kind person would say that they could share the right. A gentle person would say that they should work together.

    All of them were right. I was the one who was making a mistake. But even if I knew that it was a mistake, I wouldn¡¯t correct it. In the end, it was the choice of a fool.

    I knew that. The path I had chosen was neither wise nor right. It was certainly not kind.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing...but obstinacy.¡±

    Orm said and smiled quietly. He knew that it was a mistake, but he was still going to go through with it. Determined, he walked past Saturnus, causing his cloak to flutter. Saturnus grabbed the edge of his cloak, but she quickly let go.

    Right now, even Saturnus herself couldn¡¯t understand her own feelings. No, she didn¡¯t want to understand, since it would be too disrespectful. Therefore, Saturnus put on the mask of a subordinate...but she couldn¡¯t hide her overflowing emotions, so she pleaded.

    ¡°Please be sure...toe back alive. We demons need you...!¡±

    ¡°Of course I will. I¡¯m not fighting in order to die.¡±

    Orm turned his back to her. A smile appeared on Saturnus, who was in the midst of an emotional turmoil. The demons were dolls...Dina had said so, but unexpectedly, they might not have been abandoned.

    Certainly, their bodies were lifeless things created by the Goddess, but they still had hearts. Terra, Luna, and Mercurius certainly had their own hearts.

    Orm felt that he had done something terrible to Mercurius. He had believed that Orm possessed the key, but what Orm had was a fake. No, even if Orm had the real thing, he would still be unable to transform the demons into living beings.

    The true power of that key could only be unleashed by those people who were connected to the Goddess...In other words, Dina, the avatar of the Goddess, and Parthenos, the Guardian of the Sanctuary.

    However, Dina couldn¡¯t risk having her treachery be discovered by the Goddess, while Parthenos was the enemy of the demons. In other words, Mercurius was stuck right from the start.

    After all, they were just dolls that could be chess pieces at the whim of the Goddess. It wouldn¡¯t be a pity even if they died in vain. That was what he had always thought.

    But maybe it wasn¡¯t just Mercurius, but also all of the demons who had died so far, including Pluto and Jupiter. Everyone might have had a different way of life, but there was only one way to change the fate of the demons...There was no other way besides that.

    That would be to have the Goddess, who wrote the scenario in the first ce, rewrite the scenario and change the character settings of the demons. There was no other way.

    And only Ruphas Mafahl had the power to realize it at the low probability of one tenth of a percent. But if Ruphas were to be left alone, even if she were to win against the Goddess despite that slim chance, the demons would only return to living in fear under her. In that case, this battle was inevitable.

    This world shouldn¡¯t have lost Ruphas Mafahl...but she couldn¡¯t be left alone either. In that case, I¡¯ll control her...I¡¯m an ouroboros. I can¡¯t fight the Goddess directly. Even if I try, this body will reject the battle since it was born as a representative of the Goddess. But if I can defeat Ruphas and use that power for myself...

    Ruphas had now beenpletely awakened. His chance of victory over her in her current state was probably less than ten percent. However, it would be meaningless to defeat Ruphas in her iplete state.

    It was meaningful now. It was meaningful precisely because the current Ruphas who had returned to this world was the peerless and strongest existence.

    This is the first time in my life...for me to be the challenger. The heroes who had once challenged me might have been in a simr state of mind.

    Orm flew into the sky as he reminisced about the past. The scenery flowed past in an instant, and he arrived at a deserted ind as if he had been guided there. The surface area was about forty percent of the humanoids¡¯ habitable zone. But neither demons nor humanoids lived here because of the frequency of natural disasters urring here. This was a good ce to fight.

    At the same time as Orm arrived, the ck-winged ruler descended from the opposite direction. Her face brimmed with absolute confidence as she waspletely different from how she was before.

    Even though he was reluctant to admit it, he was forced to do so.

    ...Ah, the time has finallye.

    Undeniably, he was currently facing the death-omen star.

    ¡°I¡¯ve kept you waiting, Demon King. At this point, I believe words are unnecessary. I¡¯vee to settle things from two hundred years ago.¡±

    Ruphas smiled gently and lowered her arms. She didn¡¯t ready herself nor raise her guard. This natural body posture was her stance, showing how much leeway she had.

    ¡°Ah...Let¡¯s settle it! Ruphas Mafahl!¡±

    As Ruphas had said, words were unnecessary at this point. Power was the only basis for interaction. The next time they met would be the signal for battle. This was what both of them had acknowledged. The gong to start the battle was already ringing.

    Orm disappeared from the spot and swung his right fist. On the other hand, Ruphas simply extended her index finger. Immediately after, the punch and finger collided¡ª

    The deserted ind that both of them were on turned into a wastnd in an instant. The surrounding sea was blown away like a flood.

 Chapter 169

    Chapter 169

    ¡°Oh¡ª!¡±

    Hit, hit, hit, hit.

    Lowering his waist and stepping firmly on the ground, Orm gave a sharp yell and swung his fist. Each and every strike was a deadly attack. True to the name of deadly attacks, they had power that wouldn¡¯t bring shame to the name. They were so destructive that a single hit couldpletely obliterate a dragon.

    They weren¡¯t just normal attacks. Each attack was imbued with countless skills, such as those that increased his status, increased damage, prated shields, and countered skills. They were certainly not half-hearted attacks. The speed of Orm¡¯s punches exceeded six hundred million kilometers per hour, which was faster than Mach 500,000.

    The number of digits had risen so much that it seemed like a child¡¯s delusion, but the truth was that he was actually punching that fast. His attacks wereunched as if it was raining. And again, they weren¡¯t weak. Living creatures wouldn¡¯t be able to survive them.

    But in that case, what was this woman in front of him? Was she even a living creature?

    ...That might be so. But at least, she had surely exceeded the definition of a living creature as defined by the Goddess.

    ¡°Ugh...¡±

    ¡ªThey¡¯re not hitting her!

    Ruphas had been maintaining her natural pose without moving. When viewed by a third party from the sideline, it seemed as if Orm was attacking one-sidedly, while Ruphas was just standing there.

    Needless to say, normal people wouldn¡¯t be able to see Orm¡¯s punches due to how fast they were. Therefore, this hypothetical third party would barely be able to follow their speeds...This was based on the premise that they had at least five hundred levels in their sses. If they had such power, then they could vaguely understand that Orm was making some sort of amazing attacks.

    Ruphas¡¯ hair was fluttering, and the ground behind her was being shaved off as if it were jelly without anyone touching it. If one were to look at it, they could guess that the cause was the shockwaves from Orm¡¯s attacks, so one would know that Orm was attacking even without being able to follow his speed.

    However, Ruphas, who had not moved, was still unharmed as she smiled in a rxed manner. Actually, she wasn¡¯t really being immobile. She had been evading, defending, and diverting the attacks. But her speed was so fast that she seemed to be unmoving.

    ¡°You¡¯re quite a slow starter, aren¡¯t you? Or are you taking a wait-and-see approach?¡±

    Ruphas smiled and reached for Orm¡¯s forehead with her right hand. Then, she flicked his forehead with her middle finger. It was the so-called forehead flick.

    Orm disappeared from the surface of Midgard in an instant, and some asteroids that were floating near the shattered. At around the same time, a crater formed on the next. Thendscape that reflected in Orm¡¯s eyes wasn¡¯t that of the Midgard that he was familiar with. He had gone beyond into outer space.

    ...! I was...blown away? This far with just a single blow!?

    ¡ºWhat¡¯s wrong? That was just a greeting.¡»

    A telepathic message was received by the astonished Orm.

    He quickly got up in this world of zero gravity, but Ruphas had somehow already caught up before he realised it and was calmly waiting there. Needless to say, as was generally understood by most people, outer space wasn¡¯t an environment in which living things could survive.

    Since fl¨¹gels usually lived in areas of higher altitude than other humanoids did, they tended to have higher vital capacities and were less likely to suffer from anoxia. They could function with less oxygenpared to other humanoids and could hold more air in their lungs. But even so, they were never designed to survive without oxygen.

    However, Ruphas was calmly present in such an environment. As if the surroundings were just a little dark, she merely stayed there casually. Since there was no oxygen, naturally, she wasn¡¯t breathing...

    But she was a monster after all. It would be pointless to expect her to suffocate. Even if she survived without breathing for an entire day, Orm wouldn¡¯t be surprised. This woman, Ruphas, was someone who could realize something like that as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

    ¡º...I see. As expected of you. You¡¯repletely different from before.¡»

    ¡ºIf you understand that, you should get serious, Moon Ouroboros. You¡¯ll regret it if you don¡¯t give it everything you¡¯ve got.¡»

    ¡ºThen allow me to do just that.¡»

    Normally, Orm kept his power sealed. This was simr to what Leon and the other Tyrannical Twelve Stars did, but Orm¡¯s case was different in magnitude. His true form was an ouroboros¡ªa mechanism of the world itself that acted as an agent of the creation deity.

    Orm¡¯s body lost its original shape and began to change at an incredible speed. His total body length exceeded one hundred twenty-three thousand kilometers. Just the tip of his nose alone wasrger than the mountain of Vanaheim. Each of his fangs wasrger than both Leon and the Dragon King. They were of a ridiculous size.

    However, a battle was not only about size. This was particrly true of this ridiculous world. It wasn¡¯t an umon sight for a small creature to overwhelm arger creature. But there was still a limit to this.

    If it wasn¡¯t too big, it would be fine. However, if the sizes were too different, it wouldn¡¯t even be possible to fight to begin with. This wasn¡¯t the difference between a human and an ant. It was the difference between a human and a microbe, or a god and a human.

    Midgard Orm. This was his fearsome true form as an agent of the deity from mythology.

    ck scales covered his entire body, leaving no gaps in-between. Each of them wasrge enough for Aries in his sheep form to stand on. Perhaps, this would convey how beyondmon sense it was.

    But despite the size difference, Orm did not lose sight of Ruphas. His golden eyes were firmly on Ruphas, his small but powerful opponent.

    ¡ºHow spectacr. Is this your true form?¡»

    ¡ºYes, it is.¡»

    Orm opened his mouth, and a destructive light surged forth,pletely engulfing Ruphas¡¯ field of vision. This was the judgment of the deity, the heavenly tribtion that living creatures could not resist.

    The shining light advanced in a straight line, annihting the asteroids andets that were in its path. After a long dy, the lights of those celestial objects were snuffed out. However, the one who had been struck by that destructive light had not disappeared. Although she had been thrown back several hundred kilometers, she was still watching Orm with her arms folded.

    ¡ºOh¡ª!¡»

    The damage to Ruphas was slight...or perhaps even, zero. But Orm was unmoved by this. He had expected this. He knew from the start what would happen with an attack of this magnitude. If it had ended with something of this magnitude, it wouldn¡¯t be much of a challenge in the first ce. Therefore, his heart wasn¡¯t agitated just because the attack was ineffective. Orm immediately moved on to the next attack.

    He moved his oversized limbs. Despite being so small and difficult for Orm to aim at, Ruphas was blown away in the direction of Mars.

    The universe in which Midgard existed and the universe in which the Earth existed were two sides of the same coin. Thes that existed in each universe were almost the same, except that the Earth was reced by Midgard. Therefore, there were the Sun and the Moon, as well as others like Mars and Mercury.

    In the instant that Ruphas touched down on the ground, Orm fired another ray of destructive light. The radiance swallowed Ruphas, but it had already been proven that it was ineffective.

    However, what about the secondary disasters that were caused by this attack? Theary core of Mars was destroyed by the ouroboros¡¯ destructive light. The expanded and caught Ruphas in a huge explosion.

    Although the destructive end of a was nowhere near the supernova explosion of a star, it still generated overwhelming power and heat. Orm used his body to shield Midgard from the shockwave, and watched the explosion with vignce.

    ¡ºLosing sight of the enemy in an explosion...It¡¯s the archetypal losing g in a battle manga that my avatar likes to read.¡»

    ¡º!?¡»

    At the same time as he heard the telepathic message, Orm felt an impact on his head. He was being attacked by something. Something had crushed Orm¡¯s scales, which should have been tougher than anything in the world, and drew blood. Another blow struck, blowing Orm¡¯s huge body away to drift in space.

    What is this...? No, only one person could have done this.

    That person, Ruphas, was looking at him with the same appearance as before. It was as if she didn¡¯t even notice theary explosion.

    ¡ºEven aary explosion...is ineffective?¡»

    ¡ºYou don¡¯t have to sigh. That previous attack was on the right track. It¡¯s actually effective. It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t take any damage. But although it¡¯s effective, it won¡¯t im my life even if it¡¯s repeated one hundred times.¡»

    ...What a monster.

    Forgetting that he himself was a monster, Orm thought so from the bottom of his heart.

    Ruphas slowly clenched her fist in front of him. She had only been observing the situation so far, but she was about to start a full-scale attack now. Orm didn¡¯t take his eyes off Ruphas, but his vignce was pointless. Ruphas vanished, and his huge body was blown away.

    What a ridiculous monster!

    His size wasparable to a celestial object, while his power exceeded that of a celestial object by far. Yet he was so easily blown away. It was simply unimaginable.

    Could this mean that this woman could break a in two with a single punch?

    ...It might actually be possible, if it was this woman.

    Since there was a difference in their muscr strength, the size difference was just a disadvantage for Orm.

    Imagine this. Imagine a mosquito flying about in the middle of summer. The mosquito wasn¡¯t hurt when it was caught by a human hand. Instead, the human was blown away with a mere touch by the mosquito. Such a scene would be too surreal. Was there even any chance for the human to win in such a situation?

    The situation here was like that...No, it was actually even more hopeless than that. However, Orm had been prepared for such a struggle from the beginning. He hade here after having strengthened his resolve for it.

    ¡ºIn that case...how about this!?¡»

    Orm¡¯s huge body began to circle around Ruphas at a super high speed. He opened his mouth and bit his own tail, spinning continuously like a spiralling snake. Eventually, his speed exceeded the speed of light, and Ruphas waspletely confined within.

    Those who were trapped within an ouroboros that was moving faster than light would be separated from time itself. A second experienced by them might be a day, a year, or even a century on the outside. They would be trapped inside a prison called Time.

    Then, the time that had psed outside would bare its fangs at them. Their bodies would deteriorate as if a long time had passed. Essentially, it was like Urashima Tar¨­¡¯s jeweled hand-box, except that it was not nearly as simple. The time that was currently assaulting Ruphas could easily reach tens of thousands of years.

    ¡ªUnique skill, Cyclical World (Ouroboros).

    I caught her!

    Orm was confident that even if this didn¡¯t bring him victory, Ruphas would surely have taken considerable damage. After all, Ruphas was still a living thing. Even if she had a long natural lifespan or had consumed longevity elixirs, her lifespan couldn¡¯t be unlimited. Old age was inevitable. If she was hit directly by the waves of time, there would be nothing that even she could do.

    Yes, that was how it should be...But why...why was Ruphas crossing her arms with a rxed look as if she wasn¡¯t changing!?

    ¡ºThat was a good idea. It¡¯s an interesting trick. But when ites to tricks, I¡¯m also quite confident in them...Sorry, I¡¯ve already neutralized your attack. ¡»

    ¡ºNeutralized...!? Ridiculous. That shouldn¡¯t be possible...The Goddess shouldn¡¯t have created any counter skills for this...¡»

    ¡ºNo, that fool certainly created one. Although she didn¡¯t mean for it to be a counter skill...she had given the skill to her own alter ego.¡»

    When she said that, Orm finally noticed it. The time that should have been elerated within the enclosed space wasn¡¯t elerating at all. On the contrary, it was even being rewound.

    This skill...Ridiculous. This should be impossible. This isn¡¯t Ruphas¡¯ skill. Only Dina should have this skill.

    ¡ºYed Posterior. It¡¯s one of Dina¡¯s unique skills that can slow down time, stop time, and even reverse time to the point before the target was born.¡»

    Unique skills could only be used by the person in question. This was why they were called unique. In other words, this was an impossible situation. Her actionpletely defied reason.

    Orm activated a special version of Observing Eye that could only be used by agents of the Goddess. This ignored any level difference and allowed him to look at Ruphas¡¯ status.

    And he understood...the reason. The ss section in Ruphas¡¯ status included The Archenemy, a ss that shouldn¡¯t exist. That was the reason. Indeed, a ss with that name shouldn¡¯t exist. At least, it wasn¡¯t created by the Goddess.

    In that case, who created it? Obviously...Ruphas had created a ss that was suitable for herself and added it to herself. That had probably been done by bending rules with the Key to the Heavens. Furthermore, when selecting which skills to acquire from leveling up, she selected the skill of her subordinate. This was the only exnation Orm could think of.

    After reasoning it out, Orm faced even greater despair.

    What¡¯s going on? This woman...Does this mean that this woman can use all of the skills of the Twelve Stars!?

    ¡ºIs this okay? Staying so close to me...I¡¯m going to burn you up.¡»

    As she said that, Ruphas¡¯ entire body was covered in a rainbow-colored me. The god-ying me (Mesarthim) would deal continuous damage proportional to one¡¯s maximum HP upon contact.

    The heat spread out with Ruphas at the center, ruthlessly scorching Orm¡¯s scales. It didn¡¯t matter how hard Orm was. No matter how tough he was, it was still meaningless. The heat of this me increased limitlessly in proportion to the opponent¡¯s power.

    Orm slowed down momentarily as he struggled to endure the heat. In that instant, Ruphas flew out and struck Orm with all of her might.

    ¡ªUltimately, petty tricks could not ovee despair (Ruphas).

    ?

    ¡ºFather! Father!¡»

    In his drowsy consciousness, Orm remembered Terra when he was still a child. At first, he had just wanted to create a doll that would act in his stead. It was supposed to be a substitute tofort himself and disguise his misery. Naturally, he would not have felt any sentiment towards such a thing. There was no reason he would feel any emotion towards it. That was what he had thought.

    ...When did it all begin? When did he be happy to be called by his child (Terra)? When did he start to think that his child¡¯s smile was so precious? When he had finally noticed it, it was no longer aforting doll, but an irreceable existence to Orm.

    Orm was an ouroboros, which was an agent of the Goddess. An ouroboros was a perfect life form, which was as close as possible to immortality. He would die if he was killed by someone, but only the Goddess could do such a thing. Therefore, the ouroboros, Orm, didn¡¯t need a mate or an offspring. He wasplete all by himself. There was no meaning in leaving offspring behind. Inevitably, he had never experienced what a parent would feel ever since he had been born.

    This is my first experience...My heart is so calm because someone else is nearby. Now, I feel that I can understand those heroes who had challenged me to protect what was important to them.

    When did it all begin? When did he be so weak?

    He was terrified of Ruphas Mafahl. He was so afraid that there was nothing he could do about it. He had always thought that death was simply an end. He had even thought that it would be fine for him to die at any time. Yet, now that death had taken shape before him, he was terrified to such an extent.

    No, I don¡¯t want to die. I still want to live.

    No, not yet...I still haven¡¯t seen that child grow up!

    Furthermore, what would happen if I die? What would happen if that terrifying death-omen star were to meet my son?

    No, I won¡¯t allow that to happen. That alone must note to pass.

    I still...cannot die. I don¡¯t want to die and leave my child behind.

    He still remembered how relieved he had felt when Ruphas was gone. But that relief quickly turned into despair again. The Goddess had given him amand...that it was time to close the curtains on this story. This would be the end of the demons. The evil Demon King would be overthrown by the heroes, and his subordinates would be culled by the humanoids...Terra would be no exception.

    I don¡¯t want that to happen. I won¡¯t ept it.

    It¡¯s just a scenario to the Goddess, but to me, it¡¯s a priceless treasure.

    ¡ªBy the time he had noticed it, he was already ignoring the Goddess¡¯ script and subjugating the heroes.

 Chapter 170

    Chapter 170

    Orm returned from fighting the heroes after taking parts of their bodies from them and reducing their powers by half with a curse. But there was no relief in his heart. He was still worried. After all, ignoring the Goddess¡¯ scenario was essentially rebelling against her.

    Although he had made up some usible excuses, she probably hadn¡¯t believed it. The fact that two members of the Seven Luminaries, a group created by his son, were actually spies from the Goddess¡¯ faction was proof of this. Furthermore, no matter how one looked at them, one of them was obviously an alter ego of the Goddess.

    The destruction of the demons seemed to have been averted, but the end had merely been slightly postponed. ording to the Goddess¡¯ scenario, the demons were still evil that must be defeated. The future would not change unless this was fundamentally changed.

    But Orm couldn¡¯t do that. It wasn¡¯t a matter of power. Even if he defeated the other four ouroboroses and challenged the Goddess, he wouldn¡¯t be able to proceed further. The role of an ouroboros was to manage the world and serve as the Goddess¡¯ agent. It hadn¡¯t been created to fight the Goddess herself. This was an instinct that was independent of emotions and reason. It simply couldn¡¯t be resisted.

    Only Ruphas could challenge the Goddess. Bnash wasn¡¯t a bad option either, but since she wasn¡¯t interested in the Goddess at all, she wouldn¡¯t even attempt to fight her.

    Ideally, Ruphas and Bnash would join forces and, along with the Tyrannical Twelve Stars, challenge the Goddess together without exterminating the demons...But that would be difficult to realize. It would be hard to imagine Ruphas, who was so hostile to the demons, letting the demons escape. Before defeating the Goddess, her attacks would surely be directed at them first.

    In order to overturn the Goddess¡¯ scenario, Ruphas was needed in this world. But Ruphas herself was the personification of terror for the demons. She was the death-omen star.

    What should I do? What should I...

    If she could be cursed, the removal of the curse could be used as a bargaining chip...

    After brainstorming about how to make Ruphas obey him, Orm arrived at a n that could only be described as naive. But he couldn¡¯t think of any other way.

    If he could defeat Ruphas and halve her power with a curse simr to the one he had ced on the heroes, she would be forced to ept his request. If her power was halved before she even fought the Goddess, it would be impossible for her to proceed further.

    Therefore, as long as the curse was sessfullyid, he could use the temporary lifting of the curse as a condition to have Ruphas join him to defeat the Goddess. Then, he could defeat her while she was still exhausted after fighting the Goddess...

    ¡°...It¡¯s just an empty theory now. After all, Ruphas is not around anymore.¡±

    He only realised it after she was gone. Ruphas Mafahl was the only one who could challenge the Goddess. She was the only one who could overturn the Goddess¡¯ scenario. But everything was already toote. Ruphas had disappeared from the world, so there was nobody left who could challenge the Goddess.

    Just as Orm was about to give up, another traitor brought to him a devilish seduction.

    ¡°That¡¯s not really true, you know.¡±

    ¡°......!!¡±

    It was only when she spoke that Orm noticed her presence for the first time. He hadn¡¯t realized it, but the alter ego of the Goddess had been hiding in the room. When did she enter? ...He didn¡¯t notice it at all. It was impressive that she could hide her presence even from the Demon King. Her presence waspletely eliminated to the point where she faded into the background.

    Despite being surprised, Orm pretended to be calm.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ve been observing you for the past few years. And now, I¡¯m convinced. ¡®Ah, this person has betrayed the Goddess...¡¯ It seems the report you had previously made was a lie.¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    Orm silently gathered mana in his hand. Since she already knew, he had no choice but to kill her. However, killing the Goddess¡¯ alter ego was equivalent to dering that he was a rebel.

    ...There was nothing he could do. It was already toote to salvage the situation. Furthermore, there was another spy. Even if he killed this one, the other spy would notice the abnormality.

    As Orm pondered this dilemma, the Goddess¡¯ alter ego made a suggestion.

    ¡°Would you like to join me?¡±

    ¡°What...?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also a person who has rebelled against the Goddess, someone who wishes to end this boring story.¡±

    This should have been impossible. As the alter ego of the Goddess, she possessed the memories and personality of the Goddess herself. Normally, it would be unthinkable for her to be independent of the Goddess, since it would be like the Goddess betraying herself.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you...Alovenus?¡±

    ¡°I have three names¡ªVenus of the demonic Seven Luminaries, Ophiuchus of the Tyrannical Thirteen Stars, and my real name that was given to me by my parents, Dina. ...Nobody has ever given me the name Alovenus.¡±

    ¡°Is the alter ego of the Goddess betraying the Goddess herself?¡±

    ¡°You find it hard to believe?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t believe it...But now, I have no other choice but to bet that it is true. Fine, I¡¯ll take the bait and y along.¡±

    The serpent that encircled the world took the bait of the serpent bearer.

    Fine. I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s aiming for, but I can use her. There¡¯s no way to back out of this anyway.

    And so the two of them formed an alliance. Dina then hid Orm¡¯s betrayal without revealing it to anyone. Moreover, although she didn¡¯t reveal her entire n, she predicted that Ruphas would return after two hundred years. In the meantime, she skillfully manipted the demons so that the humanoids would not be exterminated until then.

    Now that he had gotten this far, he didn¡¯t know how to thank her. Although she might not have acted with good intentions, he had still received two hundred years of time.

    Dina, the alter ego of the Goddess, had reported, ¡°Orm isn¡¯t a traitor. He simply got frightened by the unprecedented invasion of the heroes and fought back seriously.¡± The Goddess had judged it as ¡°a shade of white that was ever so close to gray,¡± and did notunch a full-scale purge. As a result, Orm and Terra managed to survive.

    Thanks to her, he had managed to arrive at this point. He just had to fight Ruphas directly, obtain victory, and then curse her. But the wall before him was too high...Still, he had not yet lost the battle. He couldn¡¯t afford to lose.

    ?

    Maintaining his fading consciousness with the strength of his will alone, Orm engulfed Ruphas with a ray of destructive light.

    He understood their pains now. He now knew of the feelings of those heroes who had challenged him and sacrificed their own lives, and understood how precious they were.

    Once upon a time, somebody had said that people could be as strong as they had to be for the sake of their loved ones.

    Ah, that¡¯s so true. For the sake of my son, I will be as strong as I need to be.

    Once upon a time, a man had yelled that he didn¡¯t care what would happen to himself as long as his significant other was happy.

    That¡¯s so true, hero. Your words were right. I was mistaken...!

    I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll go to the same ce when we die, but if we meet again, I¡¯ll apologize for everything that had happened in our previous lives.

    Therefore, now...just for this moment, lend me your strength!

    ¡ºHmm...?¡»

    Ruphas was receiving Orm¡¯s attacks when she noticed that he was changing. Everything, including his attack power, speed, and the conviction, was different from before. She remembered this feeling. It was a route that Bnash and herself had gone through.

    ¡ºInteresting. Have you broken through your limit?¡»

    Orm charged and used his mass to push Ruphas into the sun. Naturally, Orm himself wouldn¡¯t be unharmed by such a move. The temperature at the sun¡¯s core was about fifteen million degrees Celsius. No substance could possibly withstand the heat.

    Orm¡¯s scales were burnt, and he was losing his consciousness in the heat. Still, he endured it because he had someone he loved. He had learnt what it meant to care for somebody else.

    ¡ºAre you prepared for self-destruction? You have an excellent resolve. Even though I¡¯m of the Sun attribute, I won¡¯t be immune to sr heat. I have to say, it¡¯s certainly hot and taxing for me. But...it isn¡¯t unbearable, you know?¡»

    Ruphasughed fiercely and grabbed a scale on Orm¡¯s head, throwing him overhead. Orm¡¯s head was burnt, while Ruphas escaped from the sun¡¯s core. Of course, this wasn¡¯t the end. Using the materials that were floating around the sun, Ruphas activated her alchemy.

    ¡ºTransmute¡ªOne-Eyed Hero.¡»

    A huge old man was created out of ster materials. His beard was long, and his face was obscured by a brimmed hat. Dressed in a ck robe, one of his eyes was crushed, while the other was glowing with a strange light. Straddling an eight-legged horse, he was evenrger than an ouroboros, and he easily caught hold of Orm, who wasrge enough to encircle an entire. Grabbing Orm¡¯s head and tail, he started to exert enough force to pull Orm apart. Orm released a silent scream.

    If the opponent was huge, simply use an evenrger being. It was a simple but effective move. Orm¡¯s torso creaked and his body began to tear.

    St¡ªStrong...She¡¯s too strong...! Di¡ªDid I really think I could beat this monster until now? This...This is such a hopeless battle. Have you heroes been experiencing this all along!?

    The difference in power between Ruphas and Orm was about the same as the difference between Orm and the heroes of the past.

    They had never given up. Even though they understood the difference in power, they still challenged him. Even if they lost their arms and legs, their hearts did not break. They would continue to challenge Orm with just the brilliance of their souls.

    I¡ªI can¡¯t lose...If I lose, I won¡¯t be able to face the people that I¡¯ve killed!

    Orm roared and squeezed out thest bit of power beyond his limit. He crushed an arm of the huge old man, and then wrapped himself around him, crushing his neck. Seeing the false god reverting to asteroids, a rxed look appeared on Ruphas¡¯ face.

    He¡¯s really starting to exceed the limit...I don¡¯t know what is changing his emotional state, but it¡¯s a big leap forward.

    Orm unleashed the destructive light from his mouth again, but this time, its power had increased considerably. It struck Ruphas, despite her guard, and scraped past other celestial objects. The breath swallowed Ruphas whole and blew her far away in an instant.

    Ruphas shrugged the attack off with one hand, but she lost sight of Orm in an instant.

    ...I lost sight of him? Even with that huge body?

    Her querysted only for a moment. By the time she realized it, Orm had already assumed his humanoid form and dropped an axe kick on Ruphas. She quickly raised her guard, but she was in outer space where there was no firm footing. As her body was blown away, Orm resumed his ouroboros form and chased after her.

    Orm roared to engulf her again, then changed back into his humanoid form to go around and kick her up. He then changed back into an ouroboros to deliver a bite. He was attacking in a rage, utilizing his humanoid form which was originally intended to contain his power.

    ¡ºOh¡ª!!¡»

    And the limit was finally surpassed. Orm¡¯s level finally exceeded the upper limit set by the Goddess, reaching Level 1500 like Bnash. Naturally, he wasn¡¯t just a normal Level 1500. At Level 1000, Orm already had more power than Bnash. Now, he had exceeded the limit. Therefore, his power was currently unknown. He had reached a level of strength that even Alovenus herself could not have guessed he could aplish.

    After increasing his strength and speed, Orm became a ray of light and showered Ruphas with hits. Sometimes as a humanoid, sometimes as an ouroboros, Orm used every technique at his disposal to take down his strongest opponent.

    I can win. No, I have to win. Definitely.

    His mind was set on his son¡¯s prosperous future. That was all. That was why he must ovee this despair.

    ¡ºNow then, I¡¯ll recognize you as a formidable enemy.¡»

    Just as he heard the telepathic message of Ruphas, who was still calm and collected even in this situation, a tremendous impact struck Orm¡¯s cheek. His fangs broke and his scales shattered. Orm barely managed to retain his consciousness. Meanwhile, Ruphas, who had be even more intimidating than before, was quietly floating before him.

    ¡ºWell done, Orm. And I¡¯m sorry...I thought that I could win against a man like you by using only fifty percent of my power.¡»

    ¡º...Huh?¡»

    ¡º¡ªSeventy percent. From now on, I¡¯ll raise my power to the same level that I used to fight Bnash.¡»

    As she spoke, a rainbow-colored me engulfed her entire body. This was Mesarthim, which she had used a while ago. But unlike before, it wasn¡¯t just a momentary use. It was now being activated constantly.

    Furthermore, she was also using the same skills as Parthenos. In an instant, she used multiple support divine magic on herself.

    There had been a moment when the difference in power had narrowed. But immediately after, it had widened again.

    Despair could not be ovee. That was why it was called despair in the first ce.

 Chapter 171

    Chapter 171

    Fiend. Monster. Supreme Ruler. Death-Omen Star.

    In the past, she was feared by the entire world and was called by many names.

    However, Orm was forced to find that all of those names were insufficient. Those titles were unfitting to properly describe this Ruphas Mafahl, who was far more abnormal than abnormal could be.

    This was... yes... this was ¡°despair¡±. This woman was a personification of the very notion of despair.

    He bit and crushed her with his fangs which could shatter evens.

    He showered her with a roar which could annihte even celestial bodies.

    He made her get caught up inary core explosions. He trapped her in a prison of time. He even shoved her into the Sun.

    Normally, an individual would have died, would they not? No matter how one thought about it, there was no way it should not have worked.

    Yet she looked calm and undisturbed. It was as if it was not affecting her.

    To top it all off, she was not even taking things seriously. She had not even taken hold of a weapon either.

    ... What was he to do?

    Against an enemy such as despair, was there even anything that he could do? Was there any possible course of action he could take in order to defeat that thing?

    Having used up too much of his power, he could not even maintain his ouroboros form any longer and unwittingly turned back into his humanoid form.

    To rify, whilst his real form was that of an ouroboros, his humanoid form served the purpose of decreasing his energy consumption.

    During moments when his life was truly in danger, Orm¡¯s survival instincts would kick in and he would forcibly transform into his humanoid form in order to decrease his energy consumption, even if just ever so slightly, so that the probability of his survival would increase.

    However, on the battlefield, it was an extremely fatal w.

    Ruphas grabbed Orm¡¯s head and then soared across space at a speed faster than light.

    She flew right out of the sr system and mmed him down into a which was probably multiple times bigger than Midgard.

    Yet, the momentum from the throw was not lessened. Instead, fractures ran through the.

    ¨C And it was destroyed.

    The was unable to bear the single hit that it had suffered, and so it crumbled before proceeding to explode.

    In that high temperature, Ruphas grabbed Orm again and took flight once more.

    Then, relying on pure strength, she threw Orm into the Sun as if she was throwing a javelin.

    The moment Orm passed right through its hellish mes and came out from the opposite side, he was caught by Ruphas, who had circled around the Sun in the meantime.

    She was as rxed as someone who had just taken a small detour. It was beyond ridiculous. After all, the Sun was not that tiny.

    It was followed by a barrage of punches. Although Orm desperately tried to dodge them, they were not at a speed that he could hope to avoid.

    All of the punches were thrown so fast that they left the speed of light in the dust, practicallynding on him the moment they were released.

    There was essentially no time difference between the initiation of the attack and the moment that it hit.

    It was as if the causal nexus was reversed ¨C Ruphas¡¯s punches, which left even light itself behind, were thrown after it had already been determined that the attacks themselves had hit. To ask someone to dodge such a thing was pointless.

    It could be said that Orm had fared well up until this point. Without the slightest bit of ttery, it could be said that Orm had fought very well until this point.

    But he had done a bit too well. After all, he had gotten Ruphas Mafahl into the mood.

    To be recognised as a strong opponent by Ruphas... directly signified an end to the battle. It equated to the beginning of a one-sided beat down.

    Now that things had turned into this, there was nothing which could be done. The only thing which he was permitted to do was be unable to resist and be oppressed as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

    His head was grabbed and his face was mmed into her knee. Then, his neck was grabbed and an overwhelming amount of magical power was directly poured into him.

    His whole body was burnt and battered. In this state where he could no longer even twitch, Orm was taken ahold of and flown all the way back to Midgard.

    Right before passing through the stratosphere, Ruphas dropped her speed before finallynding back down on the same uninhabited ind they had originally started fighting on.

    ... But the moment she did so, the uninhabited ind crumbled away.

    ¡°... Oh, crap. I didn¡¯t hold back enough.¡±

    Feeling guilty for having identally destroyed the uninhabited ind which had been free of any sins, she used alchemy to reconstruct the ind.

    Unfortunately, because she did notpletely remember the shape of the ind, it ended up being shaped a little differently. She then ced Orm, who was on the verge of death, on top of that reconstructed ind.

    ¡°Hmm, as I expected. I should have re-familiarised myself first before fighting. With my power suddenly going back to how it originally was, I couldn¡¯t hold back properly.¡±

    My self-restraint is not good enough.

    While thinking such a thing, Ruphas looked up.

    When she did, she saw the ship, Argo, which must have rushed to her whereabouts after they had detected the two of them fighting.

    Bnash could also be seen sitting on the ship with her arms crossed, looking dissatisfied.

    Well, you guys got here quickly ¨C thinking so, Ruphas wanted tough out loud.

    After all, only about two seconds¡¯ worth of time had psed since the battle with Orm had begun.

    In fact, if the time that had been taken to have the useless conversation was removed, it was doubtful whether even two seconds hade to pass.

    ... Yes, exactly. That whole battle, from the moment it had started until now, had only taken about one second.

    As both sides were operating in a time axis which was multiple stages higher than normal and fighting whilst elerating their perceptions of time, the amount of time which had passed in reality was merely a moment.

    If they were to fight at a speed faster than light, it would essentially mean they were fighting whilst time was stopped.

    If anything, one should be praising Orm for having been able to keep up with a fight to this extent.

    At the very least, before the battle had begun, Ruphas had predicted that it would be possible to defeat Orm within half a second¡¯s worth of time.

    The Twelve Stars leapt out of the ship and came towards Ruphas.

    At the same time, Terra came dashing over and cut into the space between Ruphas and Orm.

    ¡°Ruphas-sama, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no problem. Leaving that aside, can you help out the Demon King and heal him?¡±

    After saying that, Ruphas looked around at her surroundings... and realised that Virgo was nowhere to be found.

    *

    In one way or another, the battle against the Demon King, which had been a mental burden, was concluded peacefully. To this, I felt a slight sense of relief.

    Saying that everything had gone peacefully would be slightly off from the ordinary definition of the word ¡°peaceful¡±. However, technically, I didn¡¯t end up killing him, so I¡¯d appreciate it if you overlooked that.

    But... yeah... the Demon King had been far stronger than I had predicted he would be.

    I was not being sarcastic at all. That was my honest impression.

    It might sound pretentious saying it myself, but speaking very bluntly, there existed no creature in Midgard who would be able to win against me in a one-on-one battle. The ouroboroses were no exception to that statement.

    Against someone like me, although it wasn¡¯t all of it, he had beenable to draw out 70% of my power. He should be proud of that oue.

    If I assumed my full power to be 100, the power of my daydreaming state... in other words, when I had initially returned to this world, would be around 24. Even when I was using Alkaid, it would be at most around 36.

    And at my weakest state, I was approximately as strong as Leon.

    Putting it that way, you should be able to somewhat understand how strong 70% of my strength was, no?

    The Demon King was able to draw that much out of me. Although the battle had ended up as andslide victory in my favour, it could be said that he could not have fought any better.

    ¡°Are you not going to kill my father?¡±

    ¡°If it were the old me, I (watashi) probably would have. But it¡¯s not like the current me is being cornered like how I was before. I¡¯m not going to whip someone who¡¯s already down.¡±

    When I answered Terra¡¯s question, all of the Twelve Stars looked at me with a puzzled expression.

    Out of all of them, Aries was the one who asked me a question, as if to represent everyone present.

    ¡°Umm, Ruphas-sama... something about your first-person pronoun is...¡±

    ¡°Ahh, yeah, I went back to what I was using before. Does it sound strange?¡±

    ¡°Eh, no, it¡¯s nothing like that! It¡¯s just... It feels so nostalgic, and...¡±

    For Aries, who had known me since I was still an adventurer, the first-person pronoun that I was currently using would not have felt all that strange.

    Although he might have been a little surprised, he was looking at me with a sense of nostalgia.

    On the other hand, the ones who were actually bewildered were the members who had only known me during my time as the Supreme Ruler.

    To be more specific, they were Scorpius, Aigokeros, Pollux, Castor and... well, actually, I suppose everyone except for Karkinos.

    To begin with, the only ones amongst the Twelve Stars who had known me during my time as an adventurer were Aries, Taurus and Karkinos.

    Looking back on things, it felt a little nostalgic, but... originally, I hadn¡¯t even had any intention of taming Karkinos. It had all started when I was attempting to tame another magical beast, but it just so happened that he identally got between me and the magical beast at that very specific moment and ended up getting tamed by mistake...[1]

    ¡°By the way, what happened to Virgo?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s... umm, so she¡¯s talking to Merak with Parthenos right now.¡±

    ¡°To Merak?¡±

    Virgo and Merak... it was not as if the two of them being together was too inconceivable.

    After all, both of them were flugels. In Virgo¡¯s case especially, she had never had the opportunity to properly speak with any other flugel other than myself.

    Although there had been some flugel participants during the tournament held at Draupnir, we had done nothing more than look at them from a distance.

    Technically I was a flugel too, but I was essentially a derivative bugged race that had been born out of them.

    If I wanted to be cool and name myself, hmm, I suppose I would belong to something like a dark flugel race.

    Whilst a race with only a single individual in it gave off a slightly cool feeling, it also felt quite lonely.

    ¡°Well, for now, shall we start by exchanging information? I want to know what happened while I was away.¡±

    After Pollux nodded and concurred with my suggestion, I headed towards Orm, who was down on the floor.

    As Virgo was not here, it could not be helped. After all, amongst the Twelve Stars, Dina was the only one besides Virgo who specialised in healing. Unfortunately, both of them were away.

    Whilst some people here, like Pisces, Sagittarius and Castor, were also able to use those skills, it was merely at the level of first-aid.

    As such, there was no other option but for me to do it myself. At least, that was what I was thinking. However, Terra stood in my way, as if to protect Orm.

    Uh... it was not like I was nning to finish him off...

    Well, I supposed I was like ¡°that¡± two hundred years ago. It could not be helped that he would be on guard against me.

    Because I had gained an objective perspective, I was able to understand that the me of the past was indeed cruel.

    After all, back then, if I even caught sight of a demon in the corner of my eye, I would have madly chased them and finished them off.

    For now, I should try to get Terra out of the way first.

    Thinking that, I tried to take action. But at that moment, Orm, who was on the verge of death, stood up and came between me and Terra, causing me to stop moving.

    Even though this guy... shouldn¡¯t be conscious anymore.

    ¡°... Don¡¯t, harm, Terra...¡±

    Illustration from AWLBA Light Novel Volume 8

    What came out as a mumble was, without a doubt, a show of fatherly love towards his son.

    After hearing that, I was reassured. It was as I had expected.

    I nowpletely understood the reason why Orm had betrayed the Goddess.

    It was nothing peculiar. At the end of it all, he was just another father.

    He wanted to protect his son. With just that alone, it was sufficient reason to start rebelling against the Goddess. He was just an ordinary father which could be found anywhere.

    There was a world of difference between him and my foolish father. Honestly speaking, I was quite jealous of Terra.

    After hearing the words that came out of Orm¡¯s mouth, Terra also had an expression of disbelief.

    ¡°So Terra, it seems like this is the answer. It looks like he was rebelling against the Goddess¡¯s scenario for your sake.¡±

    ¡°Fa... ther...¡±

    ¡°Now get out of the way. Before it¡¯s toote.¡±

    I lightly pushed Terra aside with my hands and held them towards Orm.

    I then poured healing divine magic onto him whilst I spoke to him.

    If it was him, just this much should be sufficient to make him conscious.

    ¡°Hey Orm, I already know the reason why you challenged me. You¡¯re an ouroboros. Even if you were to challenge the Goddess, that body of yours won¡¯t allow you to bare its fangs against the Goddess. And not just against the Goddess herself but even against her followers. And for that reason, you must have wanted me as your sword so that you can fight the Goddess, correct?¡±

    The reason why Orm challenged me and the reason why he had waited until I had recovered my power.

    The answer to that was nothing other than because he wanted me as his fighting prowess.

    It was impossible for him to fight against the Goddess. It was not an issue about how strong he was. It was an issue with his primal instinct as an ouroboros.

    That was why he needed a sword that he would be able to use to fight against the Goddess.

    However, when that sword came back, it was rusted. Although it was still better than the other dull swords lying around everywhere, it was far from something that would be able to challenge the Goddess.

    That was why he had waited until the sword had regained its original form before he challenged it with everything that his body and soul had to offer... but look at what had happened.

    Courageous... no, it was more correct to say that it was reckless.

    Since he knew how strong I originally was, he should have known full well that a single ouroboros would not be able to win against me. Yet, even then, he still challenged me.

    He must have fervently wished for a future where his son would be able to survive.

    ¡°I too agreed to this battle with that thought in mind. Be my sword, Demon King Orm. Lend me your strength, so that I may fight against the Goddess.¡±

    I did not have a skill which would be able to free him from the Goddess¡¯s shackles.

    However, by cing another shackle over the pre-existing shackles, it was possible for me to offset and counteract it.

    If my dominion over him surpassed his natural instincts, it should not be impossible for him to fight against the Goddess and her underlings.

    ¡°... If I be your sword, would I also be able to fight?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to make a definitive promise, but the probability is not zero. At the very least, this suggestion is far more realistic than the chances of you winning against me.¡±

    ¡°... I see. Then please, do it.¡±

    Orm smiled faintly then closed his eyes without any resistance.

    Looking back on it after everything had concluded, it was a simple battle.

    At the end of it all, it was just a simple battle with the premise that the losing party would be a subordinate of the winning party.

    Whichever way it rolled, the fact that we would be picking a fight against the Goddess would not change.

    It was just a childish yground brawl to figure out who was better. That was the truth behind the battle which had destroyed manys.

    Although... Orm must have had a fear that if I was the one who came out on top, then the entire demon race would be exterminated.

    Having said that, I was the winner, and nothing was going to change that. As it was a privilege awarded to the winner, I was going to cast the skill without any reservations.

    ¡°Capture!¡±

    I activated a skill from the Monster Tamer ss, then ¡°captured¡± Orm.

    In all likelihood, there was no other way for Orm to challenge the Goddess.

    I ced my own shackles on top of the Goddess¡¯s shackles and put him under my dominion.

    With this, in the future, when there was a conflict between his natural instincts which would be screaming ¡°do not fight the Goddess¡± and mymand to ¡°fight the Goddess¡±, if my power of dominion was superior, it would be possible to offset his instincts.

    I shouldn¡¯t have to state this, but this was a pretty absurd method.

    If I were to analogise it to something, hmm... let¡¯s assume there was a person who really, really wanted to sleep. And that person¡¯s boss came around and loudly roared at them to not fall asleep, then forcibly grabbed hold of that person and made them stand up. What I was trying to do was very close to that.

    Having said that, if I was the one who had lost the battle, then I would have been the one who would be getting tamed, so I would allow him no room toin.

    ¡°It¡¯s said that, in the past, the constetions of the Serpent Bearer and the Serpens were one and the same. Although there¡¯s no empty seat within the Thirteen Stars right now, I¡¯ll wee you as part of the Serpent Bearer. I shall hereby bestow upon you your name. Your star is... Serpens. Tyrannical Thirteen Heavenly Stars, the other half of the [Serpent Bearer], Serpens of the [Serpent].¡±[2]

    I bestowed Orm with an alias and forcibly ced him within the Tyrannical Thirteen Heavenly Stars.

    To be honest, it would have been fine to bestow him with a random name, but it would have looked unbing for a random star to be stronger than the Thirteen Stars.

    It was probably better to forcibly ce him within the Thirteen Stars.

    As for the fact that the Thirteen Stars now had fifteen individuals within them despite being called thirteen... well, who cares?

    Fundamentally speaking, I¡¯m very whimsical.

 Chapter 172

    Chapter 172

    For Merak, it was a regret from his past that he could not get over.

    He had betrayed his friend and plunged the world, which had almost been unified, back into turmoil.

    Why had he done such a thing? Why hadn¡¯t he thought about it a bit more?

    He could not understand why himself. Even though they were his own, he could not understand his own thought processes at the time at all.

    Even the subsequent battle against the Demon King, which he had attempted as a way to atone for his sins, ended up in a miserable defeat. Afterwards, he ended up passing a few days on top of his bed, unconscious.

    Yet, the misfortunes did not stop piling up.

    Underpinning the fact that he had lost, the demon race exploited the asion and invaded.

    By the time he had regained consciousness, everything was long over.

    Although they had barely managed to sessfully defend the kingdom, many lives had been lost.

    Beyond anything else, the event which had tormented Merak the most was how the whereabouts of his wife and daughter had be unknown.

    The rtionship between him and his wife was by no means a loving marriage. They had initially only be engaged as a result of their parents¡¯ decision due to their positions as fellow members of well-established families within the flugel race.

    Nevertheless, they were still family. It was only when they had disappeared that Merak realised the significance of his wife¡¯s presence.

    However, reality was cruel mischief. The corpse of his wife was found the following day. The body was found quite a distance away at the foot of Vanaheim, along with the corpses of her guards. ... In all likelihood, she had been killed while they were attempting to get away.

    In the end, the case was closed without him being able to locate the whereabouts of his daughter.

    Having lost many important things to him all at once, Merak was stricken with grief.

    His missing daughter was... a child simr in appearance to his wife with pink hair... and possessed pure white wings just as he did.

    ¡°Are you... my father?¡±

    ¡°That should be how it is. Although... I don¡¯t know if I have the right to call myself your father.¡±

    They were inside Megrez¡¯s mansion, which was half destroyed.

    On the surface, Merak looked calm and collected. However, he was unable to raise his head.

    He knew that if he were to raise his head and see Virgo, he would want to give her a hug with his tainted hands.

    He knew clearly that his already fragile tear nds would burst open in a sh.

    He felt that he did not have the right to call himself a father. Nor did he have the right to give her a hug.

    But even then, he was joyful and relieved.

    That she had continued to live on... with just that, he could not have felt a greater happiness.

    ¡°Parthenos-sama, mydy... From the bottom of my heart, I offer you my deepest gratitude. Truly... I don¡¯t even know how to express how grateful I am.¡±

    ¡°You should express your gratitude to your wife¡¯s grave. I didn¡¯t do anything at all. In all probability... after predicting that they wouldn¡¯t be able to sessfully get away, she hid Virgo and voluntarily chose to be the bait herself. It was only by chance that I picked up Virgo.¡±

    In the face of Merak¡¯s gratitude, Parthenos crossed her arms and responded curtly.

    Merak seemed to have been paying her respect in her position as the former Guardian of the Sanctuary. However, the Seven Heroes were not existences that Parthenos favored.

    Even if those individuals were to offer her words of gratitude, she would be troubled trying to figure out how to respond.

    ¡°Instead of me, why don¡¯t you say something to Virgo instead, eh? Isn¡¯t this supposed to be a reunion between a parent and their child?¡±

    ¡°Y, yeah, you¡¯re right... I know that, but... I don¡¯t know what I should say thiste in time...¡±

    The fact that they were able to reunite with one another made him happy, it as if his dream hade true. If it indeed turned out to be nothing more than a dream, he wished he wouldn¡¯t wake up from it.

    But on the other hand, Merak was at a loss for words.

    He felt that whatever he said woulde out cheap and shallow, making his daughter feel unpleasant as a result. Because of that worry, he was unable to say anything.

    There were things he wanted to say. In fact, there were plenty of them.

    I wanted to see you again. I¡¯m d you¡¯re alive. You look just like your mother. You¡¯ve be beautiful. Are you happy right now? How have you been up until now? Have you ever encountered anything you disliked? Have things been tough for you?

    But before he could ask each and every one of those questions, his conscience would whisper within himself.

    Do you even have the right to ask such a thing?

    Do you even have the face to act like her father thiste in time?

    Thinking such a thing, he just could not bring himself to say anything.

    ¡°Umm, father... I don¡¯t know what I should say, but... I¡¯m d that I was able to meet with you.¡±

    ¡°...!¡±

    With just those words, Merak burst into tears.

    I¡¯m d to have met you too.

    Even though he wanted to say just that, he could not vocalise the words because of his tears.

    In the face of him being like that, Virgo smiled warmly and affectionately, then gently ced her hands on his shoulders.

    ¡°... What a good-for-nothing man, you are.¡±

    ¡°A certain individual cannot read the mood, thus she will be removed.¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    In response to Parthenos, who did not read the mood and said unnecessary things, the gatekeeper golem, which was on standby, grabbed and restrained her.

    And, as if it was carrying a cat around, the golem, which could unexpectedly read the atmosphere, took Parthenos away and left the building.

    Illustration from AWLBA Light Novel V8

    *

    After acquiring Orm as an ally, we were aboard the ship, Argo, and were flying towards Svalinn at our top speed.

    I was informed that the guy called Sol had been defeated by Leon. Additionally, Taurus, although heavily injured, had been retrieved by Pollux and Castor.

    Furthermore, whilst I was away, a lot of things had happened. For example, Parthenos had turned into a Heroic Spirit, Virgo had awakened, and the young boy Sei and his amusing gang of friends had worked to persuade the kings of Laevateinn and Draupnir.

    After settling my business with Orm, the only problems left for me were Libra, Dina and the other ouroboroses.

    The Goddess should already be trying to find Dina. Before she managed to do so, I would have to finish up doing what I needed to do.

    For the time being... I would have to evacuate every living creature in the world.

    Very soon, Midgard would be destroyed. This was already a predetermined fact. As long as the Goddess did not change her mind, it was a course of events which could not be avoided. It was precisely because of this that I had no option but to pretend to lose in the battle two hundred years ago.

    Even if I had won the battle, if the Goddess decided to move the ouroboroses, every living thing would have died. There was no meaning to such a victory.

    But this time would be different. After all, we had spent two hundred years preparing for it... we would not make the same mistake again.

    Though to be fair, the credit for half of the preparations belonged to Dina and not me.

    The ouroboroses had been sealed as insurance so that they would not move until this point. However, there was no longer any need for them.

    After the Argo arrived in the airspace above Svalinn, we all leapt off the ship andnded in front of Megrez¡¯s half-destroyed mansion.

    The inside of the building had already been somewhat tidied up somewhat and I spotted Virgo and Merak having a conversation across the table.

    For some reason, Merak was sobbing as if he was ovee by emotion and I was taken aback a little.

    Outside the building, the heroes¡¯ entire party was present, and for some reason, Parthenos was restrained by the gatekeeper as if she was a cat.

    What on earth were these guys ying at exactly?

    ¡°Gatekeeper, how¡¯re things looking?¡±

    ¡°Everything looks good, Ruphas-sama.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s fine. By the way, what did Parthenos do?¡±

    ¡°I had judged that she was in the way of a reunion between a parent and their child, thus, I removed her.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Ruphas-sama, can you say something to this guy? He doesn¡¯t understand how to treat a dead person properly.¡±

    ¡°If the dead person is as energetic as you, there shouldn¡¯t be any problem.¡±

    Although Megrez and Mizar weren¡¯t present right now, they had probably already started taking action.

    Those two were not individuals who would lose sight of what to do knowing the world was about to perish.

    Normally, Merak should also be taking action, but... well, I suppose I could overlook him given the situation.

    ¡°I made it in time, huh.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    As I mumbled something to myself, the young boy Sei gave a puzzled response.

    It seemed that the Goddess had not yet meddled with him.

    If we were to believe Dina¡¯s words, then there would definitely be some form of an action directed towards him... but in any event, he was still fine at this moment in time.

    Personally, it would be most convenient if that something were to be done while I was present in the area.

    After all, if I was present, most things could be handled.

    In any event, just the fact that he, despite being the hero, had not taken any hostile action towards us whatsoever until this point was a far happier miscalction than he had been believing it to be.

    After all, if he had acted just as Dina and I had been thinking he would, he would have long had his spirit broken... or would already have be a pawn under the Goddess.

    The fact that such a piece had disappeared would signify that we had gained ¡°one piece¡±, and at the same time, the Goddess had lost ¡°one piece¡±.

    On the board, this was insignificant yet significant.

    Using shogi (Japanese chess) as an example, it was just as if the Goddess suddenly lost a piece on the board which she was eventually going to move.

    I supposed as an analogy, currently, on top of the board, they had the King General and the ouroboroses which protected that King... so two Gold Generals and two Silver Generals.

    No, since they had already taken Libra and we predicted that Dina would also be taken from my side... they would pretty much be the Flying Chariot and the Bishop. So I reckoned that they would ce those units on the board soon.

    As for the current progress of the battle, I would say that I had the advantage.[3]

    ¡°Sei, boy. I have a request for you. Would you hear me out?¡±

    ¡°Y, yes... If it¡¯s something that I can do.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s something that only you can do.¡±

    The fact that the young boy Sei was willing to work for our side was very convenient.

    From what I¡¯d been told, apparently, he had gone as far as to discuss with the king of Laevateinn that I was not their enemy.

    With how things were, he would do better persuading the citizens than I was predicting he would.

    I could not do it. Since I was still the symbol of terror around the world, whatever I attempted to do would only give birth to rebellion.

    Orm was out of the question. He was even less suitable for this than I was.

    Leon was not even worth mentioning, and B would only be able to move the citizens of Mjolnir.

    In that case, how about the members of the Seven Heroes? Some people also opposed them due to the war two hundred years ago.

    As a consequence, there was a need for a representative who was distinct from any of the above.

    If that representative just so happened to have the title of the Hero, then there were no further objections.

    ¡°Soon, the Goddess will move the ouroboroses and Midgard will be destroyed. Before that happens, I want to force as many living creatures as possible away from this into the Ark. During that time, I want you to persuade and calm down the citizens of this world who will no doubt be in confusion. Of course, I¡¯m not telling you to do it alone. I n to get Megrez and the rest to help out as well.¡±[4]

    If the world were to perish, the people living in that world would also perish. If such a thing were to happen, that could no longer be called a victory.

    As such, I had prepared the Ark as much as possible so that all living things could evacuate into it.

    Unfortunately, because I did not have the leisure to be persuading people one by one, it would pretty much be done by force.

    I would throw them onto the Ark regardless of the person¡¯s will.

    Needless to say, doing such a thing would give rise to chaos. There were also sure to be people against it.

    However, if I were toe out and suppress those who were opposed to it, it would only have the opposite effect.

    Although it was possible for me to forcibly shut them up using my Coercion, it would mean a repeat of what had happened two hundred years ago. A reign which depended on oppressive power and fear would definitely give birth to a rebellion... Back then, I had not understood that.

    This was exactly the situation when the name of a Hero could shine.

    He did not have to participate in battles. It was exactly because he had not taken part in any useless battles that he could do this.

    ¡°Umm, for something like that, rather than me... I mean, I¡¯m weak, and... I don¡¯t have the gravity like Ruphas-san has, and...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re better exactly because you¡¯re weak. In the past, I relied on nothing but power to try and control everything. It ended up giving rise to fear among the people, and ultimately, it failed.¡±

    In the past, I was weak. I was someone who had been oppressed.

    Because I hated that self, I sought power. I greedily coveted and wished for power.

    I dashed headfirst into countless battlefields, then I killed, killed, and continued to kill some more.

    In the beginning, I must have had the mindset that I wanted to protect other weak individuals like myself.

    I kept saying that I would save an individual like my mother, who was kind but had no power.

    Then I got stronger, then I got stronger some more ¨C and by the time I realised it, I could no longer understand the hearts of the weak.

    I did not gain power. I ran away to power.

    ¡°Only the weak can understand the hearts of the weak. That makes you the most suitable one for the job.¡±

    I patted his shoulder, and when I did, a small light enveloped him.

    ¡°U, umm, what just happened?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a small trick. It¡¯s to make sure that no nuisances happen when you¡¯re persuading others. Don¡¯t worry about it. There¡¯s no detriment to you, and I¡¯ll make sure to properly undo it afterwards.¡±

    ¡°I, I see...¡±

    He did not run away to power.

    If it was him, irrespective of what the Goddess attempted going forward, he should not lose sight of himself.

    It was exactly as B had said. Those who walked independently on their own two feet would never be something like the Goddess¡¯s doll.

    Furthermore, the exchanges of violence from one side to another which we would encounter from this point onwards were not battlefields which were suitable for him.

    Such vulgar fights were battlefields for people like myself. A battlefield for me and the Goddess.

    Long story short, this was a fight between Alovenus and myself. I did not like her storytelling. She did not like me. We were screaming that and were trying to forcibly remove each other with brute power. It was nothing more, nothing less.

    Something like that was just vulgar, right? It was no different from the temper tantrums of children.

    The only problem was, the children having those tantrums would not lose to anybody when it came to power.

    So, that would end up happening, right? They had to figure it out.

    To decide once and for all who woulde out on top.

    So, it¡¯s about time for it all to begin. The world¡¯s most high-levelled and pointless battle.

    ¡°¨C Winter of Winds.¡±[5]

    I activated a skill and covered the whole of Midgard with winds.

    At the same time, I activated the skill X-Gate. I let it pass through the space-time continuum and called forth ¡°that thing¡±.

    The thing which was brought over was an extremelyrge ship... so extremelyrge that it was multitudes of timesrger than Blutgang.

    It was an evacuation vessel that had been built up by Dina and the floresiensis over the course of two hundred years in order to survive the twilight of the gods.[6]

    Its length was easily over a few hundred kilometres. At this point, it was no longer an ordinary ship but a space battleship.

    Around the ship, there were sacred beasts which were once said to have protected the hobbit¡¯s kingdom floating around... Seiryu (Azure Dragon), Suzaku (Vermillion Bird), Byakko (White Tiger) and Genbu (ck Tortoise).[7]

    ¡°How grand. Is this the reason they were missing for the past two hundred years?¡±

    ¡°Hey, wait a minute... Why are these guys here? Aren¡¯t these plebs the ones this mistress killed back then?¡±

    In response to the Ark, which suddenly appeared out of thin air, let alone the young boy Sei, even B and Scorpius were dumbfounded. There were also murmurs from the people of the city.

    Having said that, perhaps the people of Svalinn had already been persuaded by Megrez, as they remained fairly calm.

    I manipted the wind and first brought the ship to Svalinn, which was closest to me. I then ripped the entire kingdom off the ground.

    I then covered the kingdom with a shield and ced the entirety of the kingdom into the Ark.

    The Ark, which was on standby, wasid out perfectly. There were open passages here and there.

    Next, I went to the kingdom of Laevateinn, then moved on to Laegjarn and the other nearby territories. After that, it was Gjarhorn and Nectar.

    Although Nectar was a little far away, it was beyond favourable that every other humanoid domain was concentrated in a tiny area of space. Alternatively, even this might have been within Dina¡¯s calctions.

    I also pulled the deep-sea kingdom of Skiddnir from the bottom of the seas, which was followed by the various countries under the g of Draupnir.

    Although I was making sure not to shake up thend too much, if one or two pieces of furniture were to be broken, I would like that to be overlooked. I would try andpensate for it afterwards.

    ¡°Wai¡ª, Ruphas-san! What exactly is this!?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? Midgard will soon perish. In that case, I can¡¯t just leave the people on the. I¡¯m going to evacuate them to the best of my ability.¡±

    Exactly, this would soon be a battleground.

    For the Goddess, the ouroboroses and us.

    In that case, it would be better for us if nothing else was here. If there were people around who would die just from being caught up in our fight, I would not be able to fight seriously. After all, this whole would soon turn into a dead.

    Now then, Alovenus. With this, there¡¯s no longer any need to hold back.

    If you¡¯re ready, thene at me from anywhere you¡¯d like.

    __

    (Author note)

    Q: So what exactly did Ruphas even do?

    A: She ¡°shaved off¡± the surface of the Midgard, which included everything from kingdoms and living things to mountains and everything else, then chucked them all into the Ark.

    The current Midgard is a barrennd which had over half of its surface peeled away. In particr, the ces where the humanoids were present has be apletely barrennd. There is not even a single insect left.

    Oh, wait, Megrez¡¯s mansion is still left in its ce. After all, Ruphas is standing there right now.

    [The Ark]

    It¡¯s a ridiculous object with a length well over a few hundred kilometres long.

    The time taken to construct it was two hundred years.

    It¡¯s made so that as many inhabitants of Midgard as possible could be amodated. There¡¯s even a water area for the deep-sea kingdom.

    Although there are different floors for the magical beasts, demi-humanoids and humanoids, I have no intention of going into too much detail.

    Usingbinations of magic and science, things like gravity and atmosphere were maintained.

    It¡¯s pretty much at a scale where it¡¯s fine to call it a space colony.

    What exactly is fantasy...

    Ark: ¡°I¡¯ve epted living things, nature and everything else! Please be at ease!¡±

    Midgard: ¡°...Eh? Could it be...? This time, I¡¯m really going to end up perishing?¡±

    Answer: Yes.

 Chapter 173

    Chapter 173

    In the skies above Midgard, which had had over half its surface peeled away by Ruphas, Dina was floating and looking down at something with an expression as if she was looking at garbage.

    Her eyes were dead and without any luster, as if she was an exquisitely refined doll.

    Beside her was another of the Goddess¡¯s dolls, Libra, who was awaiting orders from her real master.

    ¡°Truly... she¡¯s gone ahead and done it, that Ruphas.¡±

    The voice of Dina came out from her mouth, yet the words and the tone used were nothing like how she spoke.

    The individual who was speaking was indeed Dina. However, her will was no longer present.

    Using her body, someone else ¨C the Goddess was speaking.

    ¡°Well, whatever. In this situation, I should be happy that she¡¯s kindly protecting the living things. After all, it¡¯s actually a hassle to bring them over from Earth.¡±

    The voice which came out was Dina¡¯s. The thing speaking was Dina¡¯s body.

    But the one currently present was no longer Dina.

    Dina was overflowing with an undtion of power which she had never possessed before now. That divine power, which was surging out of her, made even the very fabric of the space-time continuum flicker.

    In all likelihood, her current fighting prowess rivalled even that of Ruphas.

    ¡°There are not many pieces left avable to me... If it¡¯s Ruphas, perhaps she would be able to ovee even these ouroboroses.¡±

    ¡°... Taking her capabilities into consideration, that¡¯s most likely going to be the case. Even for you, Alovenus-sama, with a mere borrowed body, there¡¯s no guarantee that you¡¯ll be able to win against mas... Ruphas.¡±

    ¡°However, once the ouroboroses are beaten back, it¡¯ll mean the start of the climax. The one to bring everything to a close... can¡¯t be anyone except the Hero, I suppose.¡±[1]

    Ruphas would most likely beat the ouroboroses back.

    Whilst she would have to make some sacrifices, the one who would win in the end would be Ruphas. Anybody could understand that much.

    It was unknown how many sacrifices Ruphas would have to make. Needless to say, for the Goddess, it would be preferable if everyone except for Ruphas were to perish. No, if one considered the might of the ouroboroses, it was only natural that things should develop that way.

    Yet, even then, Ruphas would most likely win. Even in the worst-case scenario where she was the only one left, if it was her, she would end up winning.

    However, not even Ruphas could have predicted... that even the ouroboroses were nothing more than the opening act.

    Regardless of the age, it had always been the case that the Hero would win at the very end. That was simply how the stories were meant to be.

    That was why, at the very end of it all, she would meet her end at the hands of the weak hero who was not even worth considering.

    ¡°Although... if it¡¯s her, the possibility of her oveing my predictions is not zero.¡±

    ¡°... I have a question. Why does mydy seem to be having so much fun?¡±

    ¡°Who knows? I wonder too. Perhaps it¡¯s because what¡¯s going to happen from now on is something that I myself wish to see.¡±

    Dina... Correction, the Goddess, who was using Dina¡¯s body, spoke as if she was sneering.

    ¡°Even assuming that she defeats the ouroboroses and even wins against the Hero, what exactly could happen? Although they¡¯re called the ouroboroses, in the end, they¡¯re nothing more than fragile tools that I created whilst carefully trying to not destroy the universe. The same goes for the Hero. Even if she were to beat them all, she can¡¯t reach me. Even Ruphas should be well aware of such a thing.¡±

    ¡°... At the very least, all of your chess pieces, like the ouroboroses, the Hero and us who are present here will all perish. Putting it that way, could you not say that she has liberated this world from mydy¡¯s control?¡±

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯d indeed be the case. But it may not turn out that way. I just have this feeling... that she¡¯ll do something, something that I¡¯ve never even considered.¡±

    Although Dina¡¯s facial expression did not change, the way she spoke suggested that she was enjoying what was going on and was looking forward to what was toe.

    Ultimately, for the Goddess, everything which was happening was nothing more than a game.

    If she lost, she would feel vexed. She might even feel dejected. But that was it.

    It was simply impossible that the Goddess herself could be harmed in any way.

    That was exactly why she was acting so leisurely.

    It was exactly because she absolutely knew that she would win at the very end. That was why she was able to remainughing.

    Indeed, if she lost in a game, she would feel bad... but... the Goddess could erase the very universe (game) itself whenever she felt like it.

    ¡°Then shall we begin...? The end of the world.¡±

    After saying that, the Goddess activated the skill to move the ouroboroses.

    ¨C The world shook.

    The earth divided, the wind raged and the weather became crazy and erratic.

    The first thing to appear was the personification of light.

    The Sun Ouroboros, which was slumbering within the mountain of Vanaheim, awakened and then freed its enormous body from the ground.

    Its endlessly long body pierced into the sky beforepping around Midgard.

    Its appearance, which could only be described as abnormal, could even be seen by Ruphas and the others.

    It was so big that it could no longer even be called a living thing. Looking at it, everyone except for Ruphas and Orm felt a cold sweat.

    Even Bnash, who was maintaining a calm appearance, could not help but sweat nervously.

    The Sun Ouroboros¡¯s whole body was enveloped in shiny scales. Then the white ouroboros, which looked almost divine, roared, causing the world to shudder.

    The next to appear was the personification of me.

    An ouroboros enveloped by deep crimson scales shot out along with a volcanic eruption, then intersected with the Sun Ouroboros that had appeared shortly prior.

    Just from the appearance of the ouroboros of the me, the earth started evaporating, causing all of the remaining vegetation that Ruphas had not retrieved to burn up.

    Midgard had effectively turned into a desert just from the mere fact that this ouroboros had begun to move.

    This was followed by the appearance of a giant tree which pierced into the heavens.

    The world tree, who held dominion over all nts in the world, was d in lightning and did not burn even after being exposed to the Fire Ouroboros¡¯s heat.

    From the other side, the very earth itself took the shape of an ouroboros and revealed itself to be an ouroboros who was enveloped in rocks and boulders.

    Combined, there were only four of them. However, all four of them were the very embodiment of what it meant to be transcendent.

    They possessed the world¡¯s biggest bodies and were protected by the world¡¯s hardest scales. They possessed the world¡¯s strongest power and were the arbiters representing the creation deity.

    Each of them only made its appearance when the world was going to be destroyed, yet at this very moment, all four of them had simultaneously made their advent, each executing a roar which reached the far ends of space.

    Heed well, mankind. Here therein, your age shall now be concluded.

    Such a will was conveyed throughout the world without the use of any humanoid words.

    Illustration from AWLBA V8 Light Novel

    *

    ¡°Listen, everyone. In a bit, I¡¯m going to fight against Dina and Libra. I¡¯ll entrust the ouroboroses to every one of you guys.¡±

    After seeing the ouroboroses and hearing Ruphas¡¯s words, nervous looks appeared on all of the Twelve Stars.

    With Ruphas¡¯s power, even if she had to face multiple ouroboroses simultaneously, it would be possible to fight them on an even footing.

    However, she just suggested that she would not be participating in that fight.

    Her actions were not because she was underestimating them. If anything, it was the opposite.

    She only chose to act this way because she had determined that, without giving it her all, she would not be able to win against Dina, who was possessed by the Goddess.

    Indeed, there had been a precedence of the Goddess making use of someone else. But this time alone, things were different from the past.

    The Goddess was making use of her own avatar. As a consequence, her fighting prowess would be beyond that of the ouroboroses.

    Furthermore, Dina had already informed Ruphas of the Goddess¡¯s power.

    ¨C Her HP was 999.9 Billion.[2]

    This was Alovenus¡¯s HP from within the game.

    And the Alovenus from within the game was the avatar of the game¡¯s administrator, in other words... Dina herself.

    As such, yes, that¡¯s what it signified.

    It was her strength when she was possessed by the Goddess. That was what it indicated.

    ¡°Very well. Then I¡¯ll take on the Heavenly Ouroboros.¡±[3]

    Orm was the first individual to respond to Ruphas¡¯s arguably unreasonable order.

    If the other side was an ouroboros, then it would be met with an ouroboros of our own. Both sides would be arbiters and destroyers of the same ss.

    Orm jumped up and, in a sh, transformed his body into that of an ouroboros enveloped by ck scales.

    Subsequently, he headed towards the enemy that he had to defeat. The next individual to step forward was Bnash.

    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll take on the Fire Ouroboros. I¡¯ll check out just how capable these things called ouroboroses actually are.¡±

    The ouroboroses were indeed at the pinnacle of the world.

    However, if the other side was an existence that was at the pinnacle, then it would be met with an abnormal existence of our own. An existence which trod above and beyond the rules that had beenid in ce by the Goddess.

    Bnash smiled with an expression full of confidence, but she was interjected by the voice of another.

    ¡°Wait a minute.¡±

    ¡°... What is it, Fairy Princess?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯ve recognised them, but... the situation is how it is. Since you¡¯re at it, take them along with you.¡±

    Pollux spoke with displeasure and activated her skill.

    At the same time, a light down poured from the sky and four men appeared from within.

    Bnash was very familiar with the faces of the four individuals who appeared.

    The Sword King, Alioth.

    The Beast King, Dubhe.

    The Adventure King, Phecda.

    And the Smith King, Mizar.

    They were Pollux¡¯s sworn enemies from two hundred years ago and the ones she had summoned once before when she was under the Goddess¡¯s possession.

    She brought them back to this world once more.

    ¡°Pollux, you...¡±

    ¡°Brother, please don¡¯t say any more. After all, I haven¡¯t recognised them to be worthy.¡±

    Pollux¡¯s skill was the ability to bring back ¡°an individual whom she recognised as a hero¡±.

    In other words, if she did not recognise them as a hero, they could never be brought back.

    This was why, in the past, Pollux was unable to summon the Seven Heroes however she wished.

    However, the fact that she had summoned them indicated that she had given them her recognition.

    After learning about their past, after learning that they had circumstances of their own, after seeing the interaction between Merak and Virgo, she had learnt that they had gone through hardships of their own.

    ... She must have subconsciously thought that it would be fine to forgive them.

    Pollux herself must have been self-conscious of this, however, she was feeling conflicted within herself.

    As such, she was unable to be honest and upfront, causing her to turn her back on them right after summoning them.

    ¡¸It looks like I made it in time for the final feast! I¡¯vee too! ¡¹

    Furthermore, Blutgang came flying over.

    A loud sound rang out from the speaker and the gigantic metropolis transformed into a giant humanoid-shaped golem beforending on the ground.

    ¡¸Megrez, your mana engine is working great! Blutgang can fly now! ¡¹

    ¡°Ohh, my Blutgang is flying now!¡±

    ¡¸Ohh!? Why am I down there!? ¡¹

    ¡°Yo, me! I¡¯vee back from Valha to make up for the debt of my past sins!¡±[4]

    It was an unexpected reunion of all of the members of the Seven Heroes. Although there were now two Mizars, that was something trivial.

    Bnash kept her arms crossed then sighed out loud. However, there was a faint curl on the edges of her lips.

    It seemed that, unlike before, they had been properly brought back as theirplete selves.

    At this moment, Ruphas took out small vials from her pocket, then threw them at Megrez and Merak.

    ¡°This is...¡±

    ¡°Use it. It¡¯s an elixir. The final battle¡¯s about to begin, so if you guys remain at half of your strength, it¡¯ll be inappropriate.¡±

    ¡°... Thanks.¡±

    After drinking the elixir handed to them by Ruphas, Megrez stood up from his wheelchair.

    At the same time, Merak¡¯s wings were restored as Taurus walked in on the group.

    ¡°Taurus, are your injuries fine now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s no problem anymore. My friend called me back... so I can¡¯t just keep napping.¡±

    After saying just that, Taurus passed by Ruphas¡¯s side.

    There was no need for superficial words. A friend of his hade back and said she would fight.

    So all he needed to do was join the battlefield himself.

    If his friend was going to shed away her grudge from the past, then he would help her do so.

    From the past, this had always been the unchanging camaraderie and loyalty Taurus held towards Ruphas.

    ¡°If I just grind my teeth and bear with it...¡±

    ¡°... aaa.¡±

    ¡°Break a leg.¡±

    ¡°¨C Aldebaran.¡±

    Taurus¡¯s unwavering fist sent Megrez and Merak flying.

    Both of their bodies were sent flying and mmed right into the ground.

    With this, the past was called even. At the very least, Taurus no longer had any intention to say anything else after this.

    Megrez and Merak stood up with swollen faces. However, they appeared refreshed.

    ¡°I¡¯ve removed the curse which was on you guys. As for the rest, do whatever you want.¡±[5]

    ¡°Thank you. We appreciate it.¡±

    Megrez expressed his gratitude and then waved his arm at Taurus, who had his back turned towards them.

    At the same time, Levia came close to Megrez, and he jumped on top of it.

    Merak, on the other hand, spread his wings, which he had just regained, and flew up whilst Alioth also got on top of Levia.

    ¡°Bnash, we¡¯ll also help you, bear.¡±[6]

    ¡°We¡¯ll fight with you.¡±

    Looking exactly the same as they had back then, Dubhe and Phecda stuck their hands out and ced them on top of one another. Bnash, whilst snorting in response, stuck out her own fist and did the same.

    To that, Mizar ced his palm on top, followed by Merak, who did the same.

    Finally, Megrez also ced his hand on the spot after getting off from Levia. However, for some reason, the moment Alioth attempted to get off from Levia to join them, Levia raised its neck and did not let him get off.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t be a burden.¡±

    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know our strength, right?¡±

    ¡°Leave your back to me.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go wild together again, B!¡±

    Bnash spoke up as if she was spitting out those words, and Megrez, Merak and Mizar responded with a voice full of confidence.

    They each knew of each other¡¯s capabilities. Whilst it was a little irritating for her, Bnash was not someone who could not understand that they were a useful group of individuals.

    Then whatever. If you¡¯re saying you¡¯lle along, then feel free toe along. Utilise that so-called power of yours to the fullest.

    Although B did not voice it aloud, she permitted them to tag along, all the while feeling a sense of nostalgia.

    ¡°Hey, wait a minute! Why am I the only one left out!? I¡¯lle join you guys any moment now, so please wait for me! You guys... don¡¯t let go, okay? I haven¡¯t joined you guys yet!¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it, everyone. First, shall we start off by showing ourselves to the people in the Ark and calming them down together with Sei-kun? As for Alioth, we can just leave him behind.¡±

    ¡°Megreeezzzz!¡±

    Illustration from AWLBA Light Novel V8

    The Seven Heroes, apanied by Blutgang and Levia, headed towards the Ark.

    That side should be fine if I leave it up to them... After being convinced of that, Ruphas recalled the past and became amused.

    Once this battle is over, it might be a good idea to have a drink with those guys again.

    Ruphas activated X-Gate and retrieved two swords from the Mafahl Tower, then threw those swords in the direction of the Ark, towards Levia... towards Alioth, who was on top of it.

    ¡°It¡¯s a gift. Take it with you!¡±

    ¡°Thanks, you¡¯re a lifesaver!¡±

    When the Argonautai were summoned, the weapon that they had previously been using was also materialised using mana. However, that weapon was a mere recreation. It was not the real thing.

    Even though they were about to head into the final battle, if the so-called Sword King did not even have a proper weapon, it would look quite pathetic.

    Although... pathetic was a word which perfectly encapsted Alioth¡¯s character, but after all, it would be his first battle after his return. It would be nice if he got to do something.

    Thinking something along those lines, Ruphas generously lent him two from her collection.

    It was an action executed only because she believed that if it was Alioth, he would most likely be able to utilise it well.

    ¡°I¡¯ll head towards the Wood Ouroboros. I¡¯ll properly settle it with my own hands.¡±

    ¡°If Pollux is going, then I¡¯ll go with her.¡±

    The fairy siblings, Pollux and Castor, voiced their desires to fight against the Wood Ouroboros.

    For the two of them, the Wood Ouroboros was their original body, and at the same time, their parent.

    They could not give this fight away to anybody else. They had a strong determination in their eyes.

    ¡°Pollux.¡±

    Ruphas handed a single ring to her.

    The ring was something that Ruphas had previously inadvertently acquired: the divine artifact, Chronos.[7]

    It was a godly ring which, by slowing down time in the surroundings, allowed the wearer to enter a state where time was effectively stopped. Nevertheless, it was a defective product in that, as a trade-off for its effect, when the ring was taken off, all of the umted time would flow back to the user all at once.

    However, Pollux was a Fairy Princess who had already existed for hundreds of thousands of years. For her, regardless of how much negative recoil she suffered, there would be absolutely no effect whatsoever. To begin with, as she was a fairy, the very concept of a lifespan did not exist for her.

    In other words, she was able to utilise this ring with absolutely no risks involved.

    Furthermore, Ruphas had tinkered with the ring a little in the meantime.

    Previously, the effect of the debuff enforced by the ring worked against the world atrge. However, such an effect only served to hinder the wearers¡¯ allies.

    As such, Ruphas removed that effect from the ring and made it so that the ring only worked to purely increase the speed of the wearer.

    ¡°Take it with you. From now on, everyone¡¯s constantly going to be fighting in a state where time is dted. If you don¡¯t have a toy like that, you won¡¯t even be able to keep up with the fight.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right... I¡¯ll ept it, thank you.¡±

    Pollux¡¯s actual fighting capacity was no different from that of an ordinary warrior.

    This meant that she would not be able to keep up at all with the battle which was to happen from this point onwards.

    It was not merely at the level of ¨C She would not be helpful in a fight. She would not even be able to see the fight in the first ce.

    In her current state, someone could very well be killed in the time she spent summoning a heroic spirit.

    In order to participate in the battle ahead, the ring was an item which was absolutely necessary for her.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take on the Earth Ouroboros. I¡¯ll go beat up this bastard who has the audacity to call himself the strongest even though I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°Then I will... then I guess I¡¯ll also head to the Earth Ouroboros.¡±

    Pollux would be challenging the Wood Ouroboros, but there was still a need for someone else to challenge the Earth Ouroboros.

    In that regard, Leon and Aries were the first two individuals to volunteer.

    ¡°In that case, me will take on the Wood Ouroboros. After all, Pollux will need a shield.¡±

    ¡°Virgo, the two of us will head to the Earth Ouroboros. Aries aside, if we leave this stupid lion to rampage about without someone to heal him, it¡¯s obvious that he¡¯s going to lose.¡±

    ¡°Y, yes, grandma.¡±

    ¡°Who are you calling stupid lion, huh!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m ill-matched against the Earth Ouroboros. So I¡¯ll be generous and go crush the tree.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡±

    This was followed by Karkinos¡¯s, Pisces¡¯s and Aigokeros¡¯s decision to head towards the Wood Ouroboros.

    Simrly, Virgo and Parthenos volunteered to join the battlefield where the Earth Ouroboros was.

    ¡°You¡¯ll need someone to support you guys, right? Then I¡¯ll fight the Wood Ouroboros.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go and smash apart the Earth Ouroboros.¡±

    ¡°Although I¡¯m a bad match attribute-wise... Well, there shouldn¡¯t be any problem giving them support with my ability. I¡¯ll tag along with the group taking on the Earth guy.¡±

    And finally, Sagittarius chose to head towards the Wood Ouroboros whilst Taurus and Aquarius chose to fight against the Earth Ouroboros. Without Ruphas having to say anything, the two teams werepleted.

    On the side, the Argonauts also divided at their own discretion then split into four teams so that they could supplement each party.

    Looking carefully, one could even see the figures of Phoenix and Hydrus, who had previously been left behind for the purpose of sealing the ouroboroses.

    It seemed they had rushed back because the ouroboroses had started moving.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go where my father is. Luna, you stay with the Ark.¡±

    ¡°... T, Terra-sama, I also want...¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t. This time, the battle will be on apletely different level.¡±

    It seemed Terra would head towards Orm to support him.

    But Terra aside, Luna would not even be worth considering as a battle potential. This time alone, Terra would have no leeway to protect Luna.

    Luna understood that as well.

    She understood why... but even then, to allow Terra to head there alone whilst she stayed somewhere safe felt painful for her.

    Terra hugged her very firmly, then whispered as if to coax her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll definitelye back... I won¡¯t die and leave you alone.¡±

    ¡°... It¡¯s a promise, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a promise.¡±

    ¡°Oi, stop it you fools. That¡¯s a super obvious death g right there!¡±

    Watching the two individuals who were hugging each other, Ruphas made a straight-man retort without reading the atmosphere.

    There were not many who came back alive after hugging someone right before the final battle and promising that they would definitelye back. Most of them would end up dead.

    After seeing off the flying figure of Terra, who chased after Orm, Ruphas¡¯s eyes met with Scorpius¡¯s, who still remained behind.

    ¡°... Are you not going?¡±

    ¡°This mistress¡¯s battlefield is the ce where Ruphas-sama is.¡±

    ¡°............¡±

    ... Even though this is the final battle, she doesn¡¯t waver, huh.

    Feeling as such within her, Ruphas looked up into the sky thinking ¨C Whatever.

    Now, all she could do was trust them. Trust that all of her allies would return safe and sound.

 Chapter 174

    Chapter 174

    The entirety of Midgard was suffering from extreme weather .

    The skies of Midgard were covered by therge frames of the ouroboroses and dark clouds . It was as if the Sun and the Moon had been eaten by them .

    The great earth was torn apart, the seas withered away and the mountains crumbled into ruin .

    Thunder roared continuously without rest and a blizzard blew throughout the world regardless of the season as if it was trying to bury all of Midgard .

    It was what one would call doomsday . It was the world¡¯s dusk, caused by an all-out war between God and monsters, that would extinguish all lifeforms in this world .

    The day the world woulde to an end had arrived .

    ¡°Ohh... it¡¯s the Fimbulwinter . It¡¯s the end of the world!¡±[2]

    People were rushing in to pray at churches which were now within the Ark .

    However, there was no meaning to their prayers . After all, that very deity was their enemy .

    The priests were shouting as if they were having a panic attack, and the inside of the Ark was shrouded in a dark and gloomy atmosphere .

    Simrly, at this moment, Sei was also within the Ark, holding onto his head .

    He was currently at the core of the Ark, in the main control room .

    There, many hobbits were working restlessly . Cameras, made through modern scientific achievements, were disying various ces within the Ark on screens .

    Furthermore, Sei, along with other heroic figures and kings and queens of the various kingdoms, was standing at a seemingly important spot which was surrounded by many cameras, as if there was about to be a live broadcast .

    ¨C What exactly was she hoping that I¡¯d do?

    Ruphas had told him that she hoped he would persuade and ease the worries of the people .

    ¡°... No, that¡¯s impossible . As if hearing words from someone like me would put people at ease in this kind of situation . ¡±

    ¡°What a miserable brat you are . Why does Mafahl think well of someone like you anyways?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to know...¡±

    In the face of Sei, who was being fainthearted, Bnash showered him with scathing words . She then looked at the hobbits in the surroundings .

    When she did, they switched on something, as if they understood what she wanted . This action caused giant screens to appear in the skies ¨C It¡¯s quite strange to say that there was a sky within the ship, but the ship was something which could amodate the whole, so it was essentially no different from an artificial . Thus, the expression of the sky will purposefully be used ¨C of every city within the Ark . Bnash was disyed on all of those screens . [3]

    After Bnash made sure that it was working properly, she took hold of the microphone and spoke into it .

    ¡°You hear me, right? Listen, people of Midgard . I¡¯m Mjolnir¡¯s ruler, Bnash . I don¡¯t have much time, so I¡¯ll get straight to the point . The whole of Midgard from the ground up has been peeled off and evacuated into this Ark . Right now, on Midgard, there are ouroboroses active . The end of the world has started already . ¡±

    After hearing what came out from Bnash¡¯s mouth, people became rowdy .

    It was not something that they could readily believe .

    After all, for them, they only felt that there had been some strong winds which had swept by them for a very brief moment, yet by the time it was over, they were still met with a familiar city with no noticeable changes .

    Yes, the inside of the Ark was... At the very least, for ordinary people, their towns were still in the same form and shape as before, when thend itself had been taken into the Ark .

    Ruphas, with her extraordinary precision while using the skill, had managed to relocate people to their respective habitats with very minimal disturbances .

    Nevertheless, they understood that something had happened .

    Furthermore, they understood that that ¡°something¡± was beyond the realm of their imagination . It was something that was both very remarkable and unusual .

    ¡°But, there¡¯s nothing that you guys have to do . Just shut up and continue to live as you have been . That¡¯s all . ¡±

    Bnash concluded her announcement by saying that .

    In a way, she had put in a lot of effort .

    But unfortunately, Bnash was someone who was innately strong from birth . She could not understand the hearts of the weak .

    Although she had gotten to experience a little of what it felt to be in the position of the weak after having gained a rival known as Ruphas, her very existence and every one of her actions was a perfect representation of what it meant to be a strong individual .

    If there was an enemy, all she had to do was defeat it . If there was a difficulty, all she had to do was smash through and ovee it . She would never even consider the thought of kneeling down, trembling in fear and curling into oneself in the first ce .

    For her, it was simply impossible to understand and empathise with the fear and anxiety that the people were feeling .

    ¡°That¡¯s not going to help, is it!? As if you¡¯ll be able to put anyone at ease with that!¡±

    ¡°Huh? What do you mean? It¡¯s enough, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not enough at all! There are clearly better ways to phrase it!¡±

    ¡°... Then you do it . I¡¯m going first . ¡±

    Looking bothered, Bnash responded as such before flying out of the Ark .

    Watching her leaving figure, Megrezughed bitterly .

    No wonder Ruphas left Sei here . Indeed, to calm down the hearts of the weak, one needs to be able to understand and empathise with their feelings . Truly, he¡¯s perfect for this role .

    In any event, with Bnash¡¯s words, the people from Mjolnir have calmed down . So it¡¯s our turn next .

    Megrez adjusted what was disyed on the screens in the air so that he and the other Seven Heroes were being disyed .

    He believed this would be the most effective first move . In particr, the figures of Alioth and Dubhe, who were supposed to have been dead, should give courage to their respective kingdoms .

    ¡°Yo, idiots of Laevateinn . Does anyone know my face, mm? I¡¯m more or less the founder of the kingdom, Alioth . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Draupnir¡¯s founder, Dubhe, bear . Well, I say kingdom, but technically the beastkin just gathered together and somehow turned into a kingdom by the time I noticed, and I somehow became their emperor, but yeah...¡±

    ¡°Is this the time to be saying that!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Phecda . Although... my kingdom¡¯s already long perished... but anyways, it seems that my people are the ones who made this Ark, so I suppose there¡¯s no need for me to calm anyone down . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Merak . My citizens, please calm down and listen to what we have to say . ¡±

    Once the Seven Heroes had eased the citizens of their respective kingdoms, everyone turned to look towards Sei .

    Although this is irrelevant information, Mizar did not end up saying anything in particr .

    This was because his citizens within Blutgang were savouring this situation and burning with eagerness . In fact, they had remained within Blutgang with the intention of participating in the uing final battle .

    Dwarves were very bold .

    ¡°Right now, Midgard is being assaulted by terrifying monsters... by the ouroboroses . Tobat this unprecedented situation, we¡¯ve formed an alliance with that Ruphas Mafahl and the Demon King . Let me introduce you now to the one who managed to make this alliance possible... the one from another world who answered our summons and appeared in this world... the Hero, Sei . ¡±

    ¡°!?!?¡±

    In response to Megrez casually introducing him in such an amazing way, Sei¡¯s eyes almost rolled back .

    Hey, wait a minute . Did I just hear myself being described as something appalling?<strong>[4]</strong>

    I feel like I just got turned into the primary mastermind, or rather, the leader of the alliance between the Seven Heroes, Ruphas, the demi-humans and the demon race without my input .

    Sei looked at Megrez as if to admonish him, but Megrez simply smiled back warmly .

    Additionally, it seemed that the words Megrez had casually made up were very effective .

    After hearing the statement that the symbols of fear, such as Ruphas and the Demon King, had be their allies, the people¡¯s hearts were filled with hope . As the one who had achieved that great feat, the name of the Hero was etched into their minds .

    The more a person was pushed into a corner, the more they would want to cling to hope and worship an idol .

    The news of the emergence of the hero and the announcement of the establishment of an alliance turned into their hope and ran through their minds like a jolt of electricity .

    ¡°The Hero... Hero, Sei!¡±

    ¡°Ohh! It¡¯s the Hero!¡±

    ¡°Hero-sama! Hero-sama!¡±

    Subsequently, a few people in each kingdom and city started raising their voices .

    They were the rangers who had previously travelled together with Sei and his group, but they had been left behind after Sei and the rest had met with Ruphas and received Tanaka and Suzuki as modes of transportation .

    Because they were earnest in their work, they scattered across various cities like cherry blossoms with the intention of hyping up the hero in each of their respective locations .

    The call for the hero resounded throughout various cities and kingdoms and the expectations for that hero throughout the Ark brimmed .

    On the other hand, after having be the person in question, Sei could no longer do anything butugh it off .

    ¡°... U, umm, so... h, hi everyone . I¡¯m Sei, and I¡¯m more or less the Hero right now . ¡±

    Sei took hold of the microphone with a stiff expression and started with an introduction .

    It was clear that his misfortune would continue for a while .

    *

    The ouroboros of the earth roared then proceeded to drop the hammer of justice on the fools who had the audacity to challenge a deity .

    However, its movement abruptly halted as it caught sight and looked down at the small people who were standing below it .

    There stood Leon, who was at the foremost, followed by Aries, Taurus, Virgo, Parthenos, Aquarius and Ganymedes... Additionally, there were also Phoenix, Hydrus and the Three Winged Knights, who came to support this battle .

    Those who had giant forms had already transformed into them and were fully enhanced and prepared to engage in battle .

    Taurus, for example, had turned his upper body into that of a bull whilst his lower body remained as that of a human . Overall, his appearance had changed into that of a Minotaur, and he was holding onto an axe .

    Leon and the others had simrly turned into giant forms corresponding to their titles and towered into the sky .

    But this time alone, they were the smaller challengers .

    ¡¸Small ones... You are impertinent enough to challenge me?¡¹

    The Earth Ouroboros scoffed at them .

    Even though all it did was open its mouth to speak, the atmosphere trembled and a storm brewed .

    Ouroboroses were personifications of something transcendent . Irrespective of how insignificant its individual actions were, each and every thing that it did would lead to a catastrophe .

    When they spoke, a storm would brew . When they breathed, a cyclone would pass .

    When they moved, an earthquake would be triggered and a tidal wave would rise .

    If the ones here had not been Leon and the others, they would not have even been able to remain standing .

    ¡¸You shall have the honour of being squished in an instant...¡¹

    The Earth Ouroboros¡¯s eyes shone and then the space around them distorted .

    At the same time, Parthenos shouted .

    ¡°It¡¯sing! Block it, Virgo!¡±

    ¡°Y, yes! Vindemiatrix!¡±

    ¡¸¨C Gravity Amplification x 10000 . ¡¹

    Thepressed mana acted as a supergravity attack which dispersed with the Earth Ouroboros as the centre .

    The very next moment, the earth caved in as if it had suddenly disappeared, changing the very shape of the .

    Fortunately, thanks to the mana erasure skill that Virgo had cast at the veryst second, the ground that they were standing on managed to remain in ce . It was as if the ce they were standing on had been turned into a cliff .

    ¡°T, the ground disappeared!?¡±

    ¡°No, it didn¡¯t disappear . It was crushed . ¡±

    Aquarius calmly gave an exnation for the confused Aries, who did not understand what had just happened .

    Nevertheless, her facial expression was quite grim .

    They had anticipated it... but even then, after personally witnessing the difference in dimensions between themselves and the ouroboros, they could not help but feel uneasy .

    The attack which had taken ce was most likely far from its full power . In all likelihood, it would equate to nothing more than a light sweep for them .

    But even something of that degree had this much power... Indeed, they were the representatives of the deity . There was a clear difference in scale .

    ¡¸Humph, although its power was scattered, to think that it would be prevented... Then I suppose next time, I¡¯ll amplify it by a hundred thousand times . ¡¹

    The Earth Ouroboros opened its mouth and gathered gravitational force within its mouth .

    It formed it into a cannonball with an extremely high gravitational force that it could crush even a with its pull . It was attempting to fire something like that at any moment .

    In the face of the ominous rumbling sound ringing from it, everyone scattered from the spot without being told to do so .

    As Parthenos and Virgo were riding on Aries, they were carried away without having to dodge it for themselves .

    ¡¸Tera Graviton . ¡¹[5]

    The ball ofpressed gravity was released, and it progressed towards Leon and the rest whilst it ate away at the .

    Knowing that they would not be able to get away scot-free if they were hit directly by it, everyone dodged away from it before switching into the offensive .

    The one to lead the offence was Leon .

    The king of lions kicked the air then shot towards the Earth Ouroboros whilst baring its fangs .

    ¡¸... Repulsion Force . ¡¹[6]

    ¡°!?¡±

    However, the moment Leon attempted to get close to it, he was repelled by something as if he was being pushed away by someone .

    The repulsive force, which prevented anyone from getting close to it, was something that not even Leon could readily ovee .

    ¡°Move . I¡¯ll shatter it . ¡±

    However, irrespective of whether it was gravity force or repulsive force, as long as it was some form of skill or magic, it was irrelevant to Taurus .

    After being buffed by Virgo and increasing his speed to the limit, he came before Leon and readied himself .

    He then swung his giant war axe . The next moment, there was a sound of something shattering and the repulsive force disappeared .

    Not wasting the opportunity, Aries, Aquarius, Phoenix and Hydrus all attacked at the same time .

    ¡°Mesarthim Version 3!¡±

    ¡°Absolute Zero!¡±

    ¡°Oceanus!¡±[7]

    ¡°Prometheus!¡±[8]

    Four different torrents of power directly hit the Earth Ouroboros, causing an explosion to ur .

    Although the Earth Ouroboros initially received those attacks in a disinterested manner, as a result of a few of its proud scales being burnt, it narrowed its eyes .

    An ouroboros¡¯s scales were not something which would crack or burn from ordinary attacks .

    Even in practice, Prometheus, Oceanus and Absolute Zero had only managed to destroy one of its scales . However, Mesarthim alone had managed to burn away a few of its scales .

    ¡¸... I see, it looks like there¡¯s one who might potentially be a threat . I guess I¡¯ll squish that first . ¡¹

    The Earth Ouroboros opened its mouth towards Aries and, without a moment of dy, fired a roar imbued with gravity .

    Although Virgo promptly used Vindemiatrix and attempted to prevent the attack, the amount of mana imbued into the attack was leagues apart from what she was expecting .

    Nevertheless, she was able to erase most of the mana within the attack . In fact, she was able to erase about 90% of the effect .

    However, as the original effect for the attack increased the gravitational force by a hundred thousand times, even when 90% of the effect was negated, the effect still increased the gravitational force by ten thousand times .

    Aries used his body as a wall to shield Virgo and Parthenos from the attack at thest moment . As a result, he was directly showered by the attack .

    If it¡¯s something like this, I¡¯ll be able to bear with it... As Aries was thinking something along along those lines, the Earth Ouroboros opened its mouth once more .

    ¨C A second strike!? It¡¯s too quick!

    The act of covering for Virgo hade back to bite him .

    With the position that they were in, the gravity amplification effect would arrive before Virgo would be able to get in front of Aries and erase the mana .

    The Earth Ouroboros was nning to crush the three of them using extreme gravity .

    But Leon boldly leapt in between them .

    ¡°Ya bastard! Quit ignoring me!¡±

    ¡¸I¡¯m not . ¡¹

    ¡°...!¡±

    At the same time as Leon leapt between them, the Earth Ouroboros faced towards Leon .

    Faced with such a quick change in aim, Leon¡¯s eyes opened wide in surprise and the world as seen by those eyes distorted .

    Immediately after, he was hit .

    A gravitational force which could crush evens directly exploded into Leon¡¯s body and he was flung up into the air .

    Each individual attack was limited to 99 999 damage . As a consequence, it was impossible to defeat Leon with just a single move... or at least, that was how it should have been .

    However, it just so happened that whilst the attack was in effect, the damage continuously stacked up .

    Even though it was just a single attack, as long as the target did not manage to break free from the gravitational force, damage would be dealt continuously, such that even with Leon¡¯s HP, it could be shaved all the way down to 0 in a short period of time .

    ¡°Tsk... you piece of shit!¡±

    Leon somehow managed to struggle out of the area of effect where the gravity was amplified . However, he copsed down onto the ground below .

    Although there was no one present with the skill Observing Eye, if there had been someone, they would see that Leon only had 50 000 HP remaining after that single attack and had entered into a range where he was susceptible to an instant death .

    Nevertheless, the severity of the damage that Leon had just suffered was clearly visible to everyone .

    Confronted with such a scenario, silence hung in the air among everyone, and only the Earth Ouroboros¡¯s voice loudly resounded .

    ¡¸You probably had some confidence in your abilities . Did you also think that you would be able to win if you came at me with numbers? Howughable . Did you really think that we, as the representatives of the Goddess, would be that weak? I suggest that you cease underestimating the ouroboroses!¡¹

    Met with heavy words, nobody was able to respond .

    Virgo, in particr, was not even able to stop trembling in fear .

    A fear brought forth by an absolute being known as an ouroboros .

    Such an emotion was slowly creeping in on that ce .

 Chapter 175

    Chapter 175

    ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s work together! We have no chance of winning if we each fight him on our own! Ganymedes, put me on top of the sheep brat! Tauros, youe too!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Taurus . ¡±

    After Aquarius shouted that, Taurus got on top of Aries as per her instructions .

    Furthermore, Ganymedes also jumped onto Aries¡¯s back all the while holding onto Aquarius . This action was replicated by the Three Winged Knights .

    Phoenix and Hydrus, who were unable to get onto Aries themselves due to their sizes, each stood to either side of him and then stared back at the ouroboros .

    ¡°Alright, listen up, everyone . It¡¯s vexing, but that bastard¡¯s leagues above us . If we challenge it without coordinating our movements, we don¡¯t stand a chance . Fortunately for us, we have a way of fighting against him . The little girl¡¯s (Virgo) Vindemiatrix is...¡±

    ¡¸Giga Graviton Rapid Fire! ¡¹[2]

    Aquarius tried to convey a strategy to her allies, but the ouroboros they were facing was not a na?ve enemy who would leisurely wait whilst the enemy had a conversation mid-battle .

    It started firing barrages of gravity bullets without holding back, causing Aries to run around desperately trying to avoid them .

    Each shot was not as strong as the Tera Graviton which had knocked Leon down earlier .

    Nevertheless, in exchange for the decrease in power, the interval between each individual shot was shortened to the point where it looked like a machine gun . The whole spectacle of the gravity bullets gouging into the earth and making the full of holes almost looked hrious .

    It looked just as if balls of dirt were gradually being scooped away, bit by bit, using a spoon .

    In any event, even after the might of the individual shots were weakened, those gravity bullets were still a threat for Aries and the rest .

    Now that Ruphas hadpletely regained her powers, their levels were at level 1000 . Inevitably, their defence and HP had increased .

    Yet, even then, they were likely to be unable to move if they were hit by just three of them .

    ¡°You piece of shit! Can¡¯t you wait while we¡¯re having a strategic meeting!?¡±

    ¡¸Like I care! ¡¹

    Aquarius jeered at the Earth Ouroboros, but it was pointless .

    She then clicked her tongue and continued what she had been saying before .

    ¡°Anyways, our little girl here can negate that guy¡¯s attacks a bit,bining that with my skill, we can avoid his attacks as long as it¡¯s not an area-of-effect skill . The only one who can prate through his defence is Tauros . Whilst the only thing that did any damage to him was the sheep¡¯s mes . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Taurus . It¡¯s about time you start remembering my name properly . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be on evasion duty, while the little girl¡¯s on defence . Tauros and the sheep will be on offence . The grilled bird and the blue snake, you two will act as support . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m an Immortal Bird!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Water Snake!¡±

    ¡°... I don¡¯t even know what to say anymore . ¡±

    Although Aquarius herself thought that she was giving orders earnestly, her disposition of being unable to remember people¡¯s names caused her orders toe across as a bit weird .

    Nevertheless, the instructions that she gave were very precise . If everyone got on top of Aries, then they would only need to put in minimal effort towards defence and evasion .

    The attacks aimed towards Aries would be redirected by Aquarius¡¯s skills and the attacks which could not be avoided would be negated by Virgo .

    The opponent¡¯s defence would be shattered by Taurus and Aries would ultimately be the one dealing damage .

    If Phoenix, Hydrus and the Three Winged Knights were able to provide support and distract the enemy¡¯s attention, it would be perfect .

    The enemy was someone who could defeat even Leon with a single hit . There would be no chance of winning if they fought separately in their own ord .

    If everyone did not work together, there was no way they could win .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go... [Sadachbia]! Charge in, sheep!¡±

    After receiving the absolute evasion buff from Aquarius, Aries fired mes from his hooves and ran in the air .

    In response, the ouroboros opened its mouth once again and continuously fired more gravity bullets .

    But all of the shots were automatically redirected from Aries and could not even scratch him .

    By the time the ouroboros understood that what was happening was due to the effect of a skill, Aries had already gotten right in front of its face and Taurus was swinging his axe down on its head .

    With a single blow of Aldebaran, the repulsion force field was shattered, allowing Aries¡¯s mes to directly connect .

    Subsequently, Aries slid by the ouroboros and created some distance before he changed direction and charged in once more .

    ¡¸Impudent... ¡¹

    The Earth Ouroboros muttered in annoyance and fired gravity bullets once again .

    But the ones that were fired this time were different from before, as they started pulling in everything from their surroundings .

    The ones that had been fired before could be described as a form of ¡°heavy pressure¡± . It was a skill to crush an enemy down using gravity .

    In contrast, the ones fired this time were based on ¡°attraction¡± . It was a skill that pulled everything in its surroundings towards it and could not be evaded .

    In other words, this was one form of an absolute uracy skill .

    ¡°Did you assume that you can ignore my skills just by using absolute uracy skills!? Don¡¯t look down on me! Skill, [The One Who Swallows (Albali)]!¡±[3]

    Ganymedes positioned the water pitcher and the figure of a little girl disappeared into it .

    At the same time, she sucked the gravity shot towards herself . Despite the difference in size, it was swallowed by the water pitcher .

    ¨C Reflect!

    Of all things that could have happened, the gravity shot hit the Earth Ouroboros . This sessfully caused his movement to momentarily stop .

    At that moment, Aries charged in to attack, unleashing the god-ying mes on it once again .

    ¡¸...!¡¹

    ¡°Did you think that sucking things in is exclusive to you? You¡¯re too na?ve!¡±

    The Earth Ouroboros did not respond to her with words, but instead increased the gravitational effect of the entire ce .

    With this, evasion was impossible and it also could not be sucked away like before .

    However, this effect was negated by Virgo¡¯s skill, giving Aries a small opening to charge in again .

    Taurus shattered the repulsion force field, Aries burned the ouroboros and the other members applied further pressure .

    ¡°Now! Aim at the spot where its scales got burned!¡±

    ¡°Got it! Let¡¯s go, Hydrus!¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡±

    After receiving instructions from Aquarius, Phoenix and Hydrus opened their mouths .

    They then correspondingly and rapidly fired shots of me or water one after another, concentrating at the particr spot that Aries had scorched .

    Furthermore, the Three Winged Knights, Pavo, Apus and Corvus, aimed and shot their attacks at the eyeball of the ouroboros, creating a smoke screen to block its vision .

    As an ouroboros, even its eyeballs were strong beyond allmon sense, but nevertheless, it was still enough to hinder its vision for a brief period of time .

    In that duration, Aries passed by Leon, allowing Virgo to use healing skills on him .

    Because Leon had been hit by the area-of-effect gravity amplification attack, he was moments away from death, but this would be sufficient to allow him to return to battle .

    Notwithstanding that, the Earth Ouroboros was still not agitated in the slightest .

    It was only natural too . After all, it had not gotten serious yet ¨C but it was nning to do so from now on .

    ¡¸Very well . I will also fight properly . ¡¹

    As soon as he said that, Aries was sucked towards him .

    Although Aries quickly got ahold of himself and tried to ground himself, his body was still being pulled little by little .

    The same thing was happening to Phoenix and Hydrus . During this time, Virgo was desperately holding onto Parthenos with one hand and Aries with the other so that Parthenos would not fall off, thus she was preupied .

    But as if to mock the predicament that they were in, a shower of meteors came closing in from outer space .

    The Earth Ouroboros itself was serving as a gravity-inducing mass, pulling all of the stray asteroids from space towards it .

    ¡°Not good! Avoid it, sheep!¡±

    Aries madly dashed about and dodged the meteor shower .

    One after another, meteors gouged into the earth of Midgard and mes riled up from everywhere one could see .

    The ground itself, on the other hand, was sttered upwards and then came falling back down from the sky like it was raining . The whole situation was as if the entirety of Midgard was being nketed by magma .

    With how things had developed, Midgard was no longer a habitable .

    Yet even then, Aries¡¯s speed did not drop and he continued to avoid the meteor shower, but... when a vast area of Midgard was suddenly covered by a dark shadow, everyone paled .

    What they saw was a giant meteor with a diameter of a few kilometres .

    Whilst they were all categorised as meteors, the ones up until now were only a few metres wide . Even then, each had enough destructive power to create a crater dozens of kilometres wide, destroying everything within that range .

    But the oneing down this time was on apletely different scale . If something like this were to hit the, it was very possible that Midgard itself would be destroyed . [4]

    S, shit...

    Faced with this despairing predicament, such a thought ran through Aquarius¡¯s mind .

    From the very beginning, the ouroboroses... no, the Goddess never minded the damage which would be inflicted on the itself .

    They had had a faint hope that she would mind it a little .

    They had held onto the fleeting hope that perhaps the enemy would not give it their all in consideration of the damage which would be done to the .

    But now, they understood . It had never been in their consideration .

    This was exactly the reason why Ruphas had evacuated as many of Midgard¡¯s inhabitants as possible... Whilst it might have been a forceful move, Ruphas¡¯s decision was in the right .

    ¡°Tsk, shoot it down¡ª!¡±

    Aquarius¡¯smand almost sounded like a scream and everyone who could attack began attacking simultaneously .

    For example, although Aries was fully upied with avoiding the other falling meteors, Aquarius, who was on top of him, could switch to destroying the iing one .

    Simrly, Phoenix, Hydrus and Leon looked up whilst the Three Winged Knights flew up towards the falling meteor and started hacking at it .

    ¡°Tsk! Hydrus!¡±

    ¡°I know!¡±

    Phoenix and Hydrus gathered as much power as possible in their mouths andunched a jet of me and a stream of water respectively at the falling meteor .

    Those two attacks,bined with Aquarius¡¯s magic and Leon¡¯s roar, hit the descending gigantic meteor that was making it look like the sky was falling, and sted it into pieces .

    The meteor, which had now shattered into countless smaller pieces, hailed all around the area while Phoenix and the rest shot them down one after another .

    Of course, they were not able to shoot all of them away, but nevertheless, lessening their number helped Aries .

    ¡¸... Graviton Wave . ¡¹[5]

    But seeing their action as an eyesore, the Earth Ouroboros opened its mouth . This was followed by an invisible roar, which could only be described as a gravitational wave, passing by in front of Phoenix .

    Right after the gravitational wave passed in front of him, there was no one left in front of Phoenix .

    Until just a moment ago, Hydrus had certainly been standing in front of him . But now, not even a single trace of him was left .

    Hydrus had disappeared very anti-climatically ¨C he probably would not have even realised that he had disappeared himself .

    ¡°H, Hydrus...? O, oi... where did you go...? Hydrus...?¡±

    Calling out the name of his rival, Phoenix stood there dumbfounded .

    But he was only stupefied for a fraction of a moment . In the very next moment, he had turned into a raging me and was filled with anger .

    ¡°... . Y, you bastard¡ª!! Was it you¡ª!? You were the one who did that to Hydrus!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, grilled chicken! You¡¯re ying right into his hands!¡±

    Phoenix, who was now enveloped in mes, failed to listen to Aquarius¡¯s restraining words . Losing himself in his anger, he charged straight towards the Earth Ouroboros .

    Unfortunately, there was no way that a straightforward frontal assault would be effective against the Earth Ouroboros . In the end, all that his attack managed to do was crack one of the scales on the Earth Ouroboros .

    He was then hit by the gravitational wave that the Earth Ouroboros used as a counterattack, and the right side of his body was erased away . Even then, he continued to spew words of resentment and attempted to attack . Regrettably, Phoenix was erased by the Earth Ouroboros¡¯s follow-up attack without a trace, just as Hydrus was .

    Whilst he might have been an immortal bird, he was not able to avoid dying when his whole body was erased .

    ¡°Phoenix! Hydrus!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no time for you to be minding what happened, sheep! Our skills won¡¯t be able to keep up, so focus on avoiding things!¡±

    Aries continued to run in the air and desperately avoided the meteor shower .

    Normally, there was no way he would have been able to avoid something of this degree .

    However, at that very moment in time, he was distracted by the Earth Ouroboros itself . Aries was unable to maneuver at even 10% of his full capacity .

    It was not as if all that Aquarius was doing was giving out orders . They had only managed to survive up until this point because she had been continuously and relentlessly casting absolute evasion skills .

    But unfortunately, due to the constant stream of attacks, the absolute evasion skills that had been endowed on them had already been used up . The skills were not able to keep up with the constant barrages of attacks .

    Noticing the dy in their actions, it turned into a prime opportunity for the opponent and an extremely detrimentalpse in judgement for Aries and the rest .

    The Three Winged Knights were unable to dodge in time and were also erased after being hit by the meteor shower, dwindling their numbers further .

    Subsequently, the Earth Ouroboros opened its mouth wide and aimed at Aries...

    ¨C ... then there was a stter of blood .

    *

    While Aries and the rest were fighting the Earth Ouroboros, Pollux and the others in her group were also engaged in a hard battle at a different ce .

    Her group¡¯s opponent was the Ouroboros of Wood .

    Going against it were the fairy siblings, Aigokeros, Pisces, Karkinos and Sagittarius .

    Supporting them was the ship, Argo, and the heroic spirits called forth by Pollux .

    Nevertheless, the progress of the battle was by no means in their favour .

    No, if one were to be honest with themselves, they were definitely in a disadvantaged position .

    Not only was the ouroboros¡¯s defence extremely solid, any damage which could be dealt to it was quickly regenerated .

    The ouroboroses were the beings which maintained the bnce of the world . As a consequence, they would always be backed up by the very world they existed in .

    This was how Pollux had ess to unlimited SP .

    As her true original body, it was only natural that the Wood Ouroboros would also be able to utilise the powers that she had . As a result, any superficial damage done to it was no different from having done no damage whatsoever .

    Not only was it extremely difficult to deal damage in the first ce, any damage done would ultimately be negated .

    Calling it a cheat would still be an understatement .

    ¡°How could this be...? The Wood Ouroboros, which is our original body, is...¡±

    Pollux ground her teeth, mortified .

    They had been prepared to have a hard time . They knew that it would not be an easy battle .

    But even then, they could not have predicted that it would turn out like this .

    Yes, that¡¯s right . There was no way that they could have predicted something like this .

    That the Wood Ouroboros, which was their real body, was so...¨C

    ¡¸Hyoo hyo hyo hyo hyo hyo hyo! Delightful, delightful . Hey, hey, what happened? Are you done already, hmm? Even though you were so pumped up when you first arrived, you look so pitiful now, don¡¯t you, hmm? Yeah, yeah, it¡¯s fine even if you attack me more, you know? I¡¯ll receive it all without fighting back, you hear? Heerree, why not trynding a hit on this old man¡¯s face at least once, hmm? Mmmm~? Riiight here . ¡¹

    ¡°¡ª is... such an annoying old geezer!¡±

    ¡¸Hyo hyo hyo hyo hyo, how mortifying, how mortifying! ¡¹

    The Wood Ouroboros had turned out to be... how should one put it...? It had apletely different personality from that which Pollux had predicted it would have .

    As a representative of the creation deity, she had assumed on her own ord that it would be overflowing with a majestic aura and would be stern and rigid in personality .

    Indeed, she was the one who had assumed the personality of someone she had never personally met before... She could not help but be forced to admit that she was the one who had wrongly imposed her own assumptions on others .

    But even then... she had wanted it to be something more... ¡°reasonable¡± .

    The appearance of the Wood Ouroboros, which was turning its head from side to side as if to me the situation (in fact, was ming the situation) and sticking its tongue out as if to make a fool of his opponent, was very annoying, to say the least .

    ¡°Fine then! Fine, I¡¯ll do just that! Come here, heroic spirits! Everyone, attack at once!¡±

    Pollux shouted out in anger, then summoned even more heroic spirits .

    If the opponent was the greatest in quality, then she would be the greatest in quantity .

    Numerous heroic spirits flew in front of her and all activated their skills simultaneously .

    There were so many arrays of different coloured beams that they filled up the entire sky . They were all aimed towards the Wood Ouroboros andnded on it directly, but that was not all .

    Not only were the cannons on the Argo fired, Sagittarius, Aigokeros, Pisces and Castor also mmed the Wood Ouroboros with their arcane magic . The crab, which was unable to use arcane magic, decided to at least nk his scissors . Even though it was already the final battle, he was a useless man as usual .

    A me pir rose, piercing the sky, and an area ofnd equal to the area of the continent of Africa on Earth disappeared at once .

    However, after the residual smoke cloud from that explosion lifted, what remained was the unaffected appearance of the Wood Ouroboros .

    ¡¸Delightful, delightful . Mmm, it was a good massage . Next time, message my back, alright? You see, I¡¯m a bit stiff after having just woken up . ... Oh . Wait, was that supposed to have been an attack just now? In that case, I might have said something rude, hmm?¡¹

    ¡°~~~~g!!¡±

    Pollux wordlessly screamed before, in her fury, making an expression that she normally would not show to others .

    She then summoned even more heroic spirits and continuously activated skills to strike at the Wood Ouroboros with the intention of brute-forcing her way through using numbers .

    However, the moment she did so, she was assaulted by a sense of lethargy that she had never felt before and copsed onto the floor of the Argo .

    ¡°... Eh?¡±

    Although she somehow managed to catch herself by using her hands to break her fall, she was unable to put any strength into her arms .

    Her arms were trembling and she was unable to put any strength into her feet as well .

    Her vision distorted and she started to sweat .

    What... what happened? ¨C Unable to understand what was happening to herself, she was left in a state of confusion whilst suffering from an unknown phenomenon .

    Sensing an abnormality with Pollux¡¯s condition, Castor went to her but was unable to find any injury whatsoever . There were also no traces of her being poisoned .

    They were truly unable to figure out what might have been the cause .

    In response to their predicament, the Wood Ouroboros provided an answer .

    ¡¸Hmm, it happened much quicker than I was expecting it to . Well, never mind, regardless of that, you did well . ¡¹

    ¡°W, wha, did y, you do?¡±

    ¡¸I haven¡¯t done anything, you know . You just used too much of your power and copsed on your own . Well, in other words, you just ran out of SP . ¡¹

    Ran out of SP ¨C for those who participated in battles, it was a sensation that they would no doubt have to endure at least once, but it was something which was generally unrted to Pollux .

    She was the Fairy Princess . As an avatar of the ouroboros, she was constantly backed up by the world itself, and as such, her SP was infinite . As a consequence, she had never once ran out of SP . It just could not happen .

    ¡°I, I ran out of SP...? Could it be...?¡±

    ¡¸Looks like you figured it out . That¡¯s right, you had infinite power because you were my avatar... and you became an enemy to me . You¡¯re no longer backed up by the world, you know?¡¹

    ¡°Tsk!¡±

    ¡¸Although, it¡¯s the same for me . Now that the world is breaking apart to this extent, it¡¯sughable to talk about this backup thing . ¡¹

    The skill, [Return of the Heroic Spirits (Argonautai)] had an overpowered effect, but in return, it had an extremely high SP consumption rate .

    The only reason Pollux was able to use it despite this was because she had ess to unlimited power .

    Now that her power was no longer infinite and had be finite, one would not need to think hard to understand that her reserves would be quickly exhausted if she continued to use the skill .

    If she had thought about it a little, she should have been able to predict it appropriately . She should have thought about it beforehand .

    Pollux cursed her own carelessness and felt ashamed that she had allowed such a disgraceful behaviour to happen during the final battle .

    Even though they were in this predicament, the Wood Ouroboros did not follow up and attack, and instead spoke to them refreshingly .

    ¡¸Isn¡¯t this enough? You should understand the difference in our strength by now . ¡¹

    Pollux looked up at the Wood Ouroboros and boldly red at it .

    It was not an enemy that would be taken aback just because she red at it . However, she at least wanted to show that her heart had not yet been broken .

    Yes, she understood the difference in their strength . So what?

    Was she supposed to just let it kill her without resistance?

    But the subsequent words spoken by the Wood Ouroboros were not something that Pollux had anticipated .

    ¡¸If you stop now, it should still be fine . You should stop fighting and plead with the Goddess for forgiveness . If you do so, the Goddess will most likely forgive you . I¡¯lle and plead with you... so, my child, why not put a stop to this and grow out of this somewhatte rebellious phase?¡¹

    It was as if the Wood Ouroboros was coaxing a child who was not listening to what they were being told . It was as if it was trying to persuade her .

    With a kind and gentle voice, the Wood Ouroboros said this to Pollux .

 Chapter 176

    Chapter 176

    ¡°Just as I was wondering what you were going to say... of course I refuse. If I was going to falter at this point, I would have never fought you guys in the first ce.¡±

    Pollux decisively rejected the Wood Ouroboros¡¯s proposal and took out a small vial from her pocket.

    What she took out was something called [Mana Drink F], which was an item used to recover the user¡¯s SP that she had never thought she would have to use.

    There were three types of mana drinks and they were ordered in terms of their efficacy: namely, [Mana Drink], [Mana Drink S] and [Mana Drink F]. The one that she was using now was the type whichpletely recovered the user¡¯s SP. She was only carrying one of them around in case of an emergency.

    If one considered the fact that an item used to recover SP only ended up seeing any use after they had gotten to the final battle, they might understand how out of the norm the SP reserves of Ruphas¡¯spany were.

    But then again... Pollux had been holding onto this item not for herself but in case one of her allies ran out of SP. She had never even imagined that she would be the one to use it.

    She drank the entire thing in one go and stood back up.

    Although her SP was now fully recovered, Argonautai still had a horrible SP consumption rate.

    If she were to summon about ten heroic spirits, her SP would run out very quickly.

    She was not short of recovery items. If anything, there was an abundance of them.

    Even whilst the was being destroyed, the Mafahl Tower was standing strong, undisturbed. Within it, there should be mountains of recovery items lying around. Not only that, in preparation for the final battle, the Argo was stocked with arge quantity of HP recovery and debuff cleansing items.

    But Pollux had never thought that she would need an item to recover her SP.

    It was because she had thought that she would be able to endlessly and repeatedly call upon heroic spirits as long as she was alive. Furthermore, she knew that those heroic spirits would be summoned with full HP and SP. As a consequence, there was no need for them to recover anything.

    Exactly. She had never included the act of recovering SP in her battle ns. It was because there was no need for such a thing.

    The only reason she even had an SP potion in her possession was due to her cautious and prudent personality. That very personality of hers had allowed her to salvage the situation, but there would be no second time.

    The progress of the battle was extremely unfavourable for them... but the option of walking away from the fight was not one that was avable to them.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to swindle the world anymore. I don¡¯t want to betray the people anymore. I¡¯m sick and tired of sending lovely children to their certain deaths. Even if there¡¯s barely any chance of winning, I choose to fight alongside them.¡±

    ¡¸I understand your feelings. Indeed, the Goddess has imposed a harsh condition. But even then...¡¹

    The Wood Ouroboros sighed out loud with a hmm.

    With just that, there was a st of wind and part of the surface of the was shaved away.

    ¡¸Even then, you should stop. There is nothing but death awaiting you at the end of all of this. No one can win against the Goddess.¡¹

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡¸You¡¯re standing on a thin tightrope. There¡¯s no need to continue a fight where you know you¡¯ll end up dead.¡¹

    Hearing the Wood Ouroboros¡¯s words, Pollux closed her eyes.

    She recalled watching the backs of heroes who were always brimming with hope as they headed off to their certain deaths.

    They were the ones whom she had personally sent to their certain deaths.

    After having sent countless heroes to that ce of certain death, now, she was standing there herself.

    Karma hase full circle... After thinking that, Pollux could not help butugh bitterly.

    ¡°What an absurd thing to say. Until now, I¡¯ve been sending countless people to a battlefield where death was the only possible oue. Yet I¡¯m supposed to run away when it¡¯s my turn? Don¡¯t joke around with me. If I run away now, I¡¯ll never be able to show my face in front of those children!¡±

    ¡¸You¡¯re saying that despite knowing that you cannot win?¡¹

    In response to Pollux, who had a determined expression, the Wood Ouroboros looked at her as if he was pitying her.

    However, that pitying look of his immediately changed due to an interruption from the devil goat.

    Aigokeros crossed his arms and proceeded to float in front of the Wood Ouroboros¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Oi, you... I¡¯ve been patiently listening to you for a while now, and all you¡¯ve done is insult my master. You say no one can win against the Goddess...? How stupid! We¡¯re the ones who should be saying that. No one can win against our master! And as one who¡¯s loyal to her, I will not fall short against a follower of the Goddess!¡±

    Aigokeros¡¯s eyes shone and dark clouds loomed and nketed the sky. He then spread his arms wide and shouted in a loud voice.

    ¡°Gather to me, the power of darkness!¡±

    Heeding Aigokeros¡¯s voice, mana throughout Midgard came swirling into him as if he was the centre of a whirlpool.

    Aigokeros assimted the vast amount of mana, turning himself into such an enormous size such that he was evenparable to the ouroboroses.

    Aigokeros VS The Wood Ouroboros. Illustration from AWLBA Light Novel V8

    In an instant, he had turned into his true form as the Devil King, surpassing even the size of the humanoids¡¯ territories. He then grabbed the Wood Ouroboros¡¯s head.

    Seeing Aigokeros¡¯s new form, even the Wood Ouroboros could not help but be surprised with a stiff smile.

    Aigokeros was an existence unlike that of Leon¡¯s or the Dragon King¡¯s. Fundamentally speaking, Aigokeros was not an existence which had been born under the Goddess¡¯s settings.

    He was a major bug that had been born outside of the Goddess¡¯s settings, just like Ruphas... as such, the extent of his power could not be fully grasped by even the ouroboroses.

    ¡¸Interesting, interesting... It seems that good things cane out of living for a long time.¡¹

    ¡°y time¡¯s over. Sink into despair... toy of the deity.¡±

    Aigokeros, relying purely on his physical strength, mmed the Wood Ouroboros¡¯s head into the ground.

    With just a single hit, Midgard¡¯snd shattered. The fractures which ran out from the impact wererge enough that the might have been divided into two.

    Aigokeros then picked the ouroboros back up and sent the Wood Ouroboros flying away with a tightly clenched fist.

    He then leapt up, chasing after it. He grabbed the nearby Moon with both of his hands and mmed it down on top of the Wood Ouroboros¡¯s head.

    Then a second time, a third time ¨C unable to withstand its severe misuse by the Devil King, the Moon crumbled into bits and pieces. The Devil King then opened his mouth, gathering an intense ck light within it.

    It was the same dark destructive ray which had blown away even the Mutant God.

    In response to Aigokeros¡¯s action, the Wood Ouroboros charged up a lightning bolt from its mouth, firing it at the same time as Aigokeros.

    The two extremely dense energies shed with each other. Unable to withstand the coteral force, approximately a third of the Midgard broke away, making it lose its spherical shape in the process.

    The one who ended up losing the contest was Aigokeros. As a result of the ouroboros¡¯s roar, he was pushed all the way to Mercury before mming down on the.

    Nevertheless, Aigokeros stood right back up with overflowing bloodlust. He took hold of the Mercury and spun it around him.

    Although it was slightly smaller than Midgard, he was still throwing a genuine at the Wood Ouroboros.

    To top it off, he repeatedly fired Deneb Algedi from his mouth. This shattered Mercury¡¯s core, and the Wood Ouroboros was caught up in the resulting explosion.

    But it flew out of the explosion then wrapped itself around Aigokeros¡¯s body.

    Unwilling to give in, Aigokeros seized the Wood Ouroboros¡¯s jaws and pulled them, intending to tear them apart.

    But the Wood Outoboros repeatedly fired destructive rays from its forcibly opened mouth, blowing away everything which was above Aigokeros¡¯s neck.

    There were not many living things which were able to continue living after having lost their heads. However, Aigokeros was a devil.

    Since half of his body was constructed out of mana,mon sense did not apply to him.

    His head which had been erased was instantaneously restored. This time, it was Aigokeros¡¯s destructive ray which burned the head of the Wood Ouroboros at point nk.

    ¡¸Shyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡¹

    ¡°Ruwoooooooooooooo!!¡±

    The Devil King and the Ouroboros of the Wood roared as they wrestled with each other.

    From an outside perspective, it might look like they were evenly matched.

    But if one looked at the damage that had been dealt to each other, the discussion of who was at an advantage would not even need to happen.

    Exactly, Aigokeros would not be able to win against the Wood Ouroboros. He might be able to put up a good fight, but that was about it.

    If anything, the mere fact that he was able to put up a good fight one-on-one was praiseworthy.

    The Wood Ouroboros¡¯s fangs shredded Aigokeros¡¯s arm, and a single whip from its tail hollowed out his torso.

    Subsequently... Aigokeros¡¯s giant body fell onto the half-destroyed Midgard.

    *

    A silvery light was dashing around freely.

    The silvery light recklessly shot into the Fire Ouroboros¡¯s body and then quickly escaped away before it could be hit by a counterattack.

    The one who was fighting against the Ouroboros of the me was the Vampire Princess Bnash.

    She forced thews of inertia to present a letter of resignation as she continuously turned at a 90-degree angle despite her speed. Drawing an impossible path, she relentlessly struck the Fire Ouroboros.

    The Fire Ouroboros was the personification of me. As such, the surface temperature of its body reached tens of thousands of degrees Celsius.

    Ordinary living things would not even be able to get close to it before being burnt to death.

    But Bnash was not ordinary. Without minding how her fist was being scalded from the heat, she repeatedly dealt damage at a speed faster than the Fire Ouroboros, who was backed up by the world, could recover.

    By this point, Midgard had already lost its original form as a and half of itsnd had sunk into magma.

    The only locations which were still left intact were the ces under the protection of Ruphas¡¯s shield.

    In a few minutes, Midgard would most likely explode and cease to exist in this universe.

    Yet Bnash utilised thatva as footing and was fighting against the Fire Ouroboros with an advantage.

    ¡°Haaaaa!¡±

    As she raised a warcry, the Fire Ouroboros¡¯s jaw was kicked up.

    Due to the size difference between the two parties, it looked as if the Fire Ouroboros was bending backwards on its own, making the whole scene look quite stupid.

    The Fire Ouroboros opened its mouth and fired mes, but Bnash was no longer there.

    This time, Bnash kicked it from the side, submerging it into the magma.

    ¡°Lunatic Rain.¡±

    Bnashunched a silver-coloured attack high up into the air.

    That attack then scattered mid-air and turned into countless raindrops of light, falling back down onto the surface.

    There were thousands of these destructive lights, each capable of erasing the entirety of the humanoids¡¯ domain on its own. All of them simultaneously poured down onto the magma, showering the Fire Ouroboros.[2]

    Eventually, the attack concluded, but the Fire Ouroboros did note out.

    She understood that it was not an opponent that would die from something of that degree.

    Bnash crossed her arms and then clicked her tongue quietly.

    Tsk... the power behind that arcane magic dropped drastically. That stupid goat... he gathered too much mana.

    There needed to be mana to use arcane magic.

    But currently, the mana on Midgard had been gathered by Aigokeros. As a result, it was on the brink of being exhausted.

    As a consequence, Bnash was not able to raise the power of her arcane magic to the extent that she had been hoping for.

    In other words, even if Bnash was to use her ultimate skill, [The Maiden Who Fires The Silver Arrow], it would most likely not be all that powerful.

    Humph... whatever. I¡¯ll just have to finish it off with a melee battle.

    Even if Bnash did not use her arcane magic, she still had overwhelming power and speed.

    Even if she was unable to use arcane magic, it did not mean that she had be weaker.

    Bnash decided that if the Fire Ouroboros did not want toe back out, all she had to do was chase after it. Just as she snapped her finger, the Fire Ouroboros struck its head out from under the magma.

    As expected, the damage done to it was not significant. Although the rate at which Bnash dealt damage to it was higher than its regeneration rate, she still had to prepare herself for a long battle.

    The Fire Outoboros quietly looked down on Bnash and then spoke.

    ¡¸... Impressive. To think that there¡¯s someone who¡¯s able to actually touch me. I¡¯ve never been hurt to this extent. ¡¹

    What came out from the Fire Ouroboros¡¯s mouth was honest praise.

    It narrowed its eyes as if it was being carried away... in fact, it was being carried away... and it spoke in a delighted tone.

    ¡¸This sensation that¡¯s running through my whole body, ohhh, how pleasant! I understand now, so this is that so-called feeling known as love!¡¹

    ¡°... Huh?¡±

    ¡¸Ohh, you may be small, but you¡¯re beautiful, my princess! I¡¯ve fallen in love with you! The time has finallye in this long but pointless life of mine! Your silver hair, white skin, crimson eyes, ohh, everything about you is so lovely! This is love! This is love! Right now, I¡¯m feeling euphoric! Ohhhhhhhhh! Reach, my feelings! Reach the Vampire Princess! Elope with me, my princess!¡¹[3]

    ¡°.........¡±

    ¡¸Ahh, you must be shy. Those innocent aspects of yours are also so lovely. It¡¯s alright, I am a gentleman. I won¡¯t be violent with you. You don¡¯t need to worry about the difference in size. I¡¯ll work hard and learn a skill that lets me turn into a humanoid form, so please wait for me, my sweet honey. Oh no, this isn¡¯t good. I¡¯ve been too hasty. Let me make it clear that I¡¯m still a virgin. Wait no, that¡¯s not right, I¡¯m not saying that I¡¯m a virgin, alright? I mean sure, I¡¯ve never had sex before, but as a perfect being and a representative of a deity, I¡¯ve never needed to. So the definition of a virgin that the humanoids use doesn¡¯t apply to me. Don¡¯t get the wrong idea, okay? Oh yeah, I¡¯ve heard before that a man who¡¯s too forceful isn¡¯t liked. Right, everything must happen in order, huh? Let¡¯s start with a date. Yeah, let¡¯s go on a date. Since Midgard¡¯s been destroyed already, I want to take you out to Mars. ............ Wait, Mars is destroyed already¡ª! Who destroyed Mars!? To destroy the dating spot that I was nning to take my dear princess to, what kind of harassment is this, damn it! No, it¡¯s still fine, then let¡¯s go to space! That¡¯s right, I want to take you out to a sea of stars. Please be at ease. Let me emphasise that I¡¯m a gentleman. I¡¯m not scum who¡¯ll demand something of an unwillingdy. First, I¡¯ll start by raising your affection. Don¡¯t worry, I have confidence in my looks, you see. I¡¯ll definitely get you to look at me. And for our anniversary every year, I¡¯ll celebrate it by giving you a ring. I¡¯ll gather diamonds from space and turn them into a-sized ring. It¡¯ll be a supermassive engagement ring. How about it? Aren¡¯t I generous? Where should we build my home? That¡¯s right, did you know, independent of this universe, there¡¯s another universe called ¡®the original universe¡¯? I¡¯ve heard that universe is a ce where magic doesn¡¯t exist and it¡¯s instead ruled by thews of physics. I¡¯ve heard there¡¯s this called Earth there that has quite a developed civilisation. It has a lot of yummy food and many luxurious things. Mmhmm, let¡¯s build our house there. How many children would you like to have? Oh yeah, of course, I have no ns to force you to have them. Although I want them, if you say that you don¡¯t want them, I¡¯ll give up. And and and¡ª¡¹[4]

    Without even minding Bnash¡¯s response, the Fire Ouroboros prioritised his emotions and endlessly said what it wanted to.

    Looking at it prattling on, it had no form of dignity whatsoever. If one were to be blunt, it was actually quite creepy and disgusting.

    Bnash sighed out loud as if she had lost any motivation to keep fighting, and was looking at the Fire Ouroboros as if it was excrement.

    Simrly, Ruphas and Scorpius, who were waiting some distance away for Dina to arrive, also heard the Fire Ouroboros¡¯s confession and were left speechless by how forceful it was.

    ¡°... It seems the ouroboroses are quite far off from the beings that I imagined they would be. I thought that they would be a more majestic bunch, but...¡±

    ¡°Whaa, howme. Seriouslyme. Speaking like a machine gun without minding what the other party thinks is just exposing how much of a virgin you are. To think that something like that is the pinnacle of this mistress¡¯s Fire attribute, gimme a break already. It¡¯s some. You think so too, right, Ruphas-sama?¡±

    Although Scorpius said so disdainfully as she spoke from her heart, Ruphas could not help but recall the dangerous words that had been previously spoken by Scorpius along with her countless stalker behaviours, as well as the fool (Mars) that Ruphas had twice sent flying with a punch.

    ¡°...... No, actually... personally, I feel like everything makes sense now.¡±

    The ouroboroses were the personifications of something transcendent and were the pinnacles of their own respective attributes.

    If the Fire Ouroboros is like that... yeah, I can understand why the fire attribute has a lot of those weirdly overbearing people.

    Aries is the only soothing one amongst those with the Fire attribute. He¡¯s really done well for himself to be so decent.

    Well, Aries has his own issues. After all, once he makes up his mind, he¡¯s really stubborn to the bitter end, to the point where he could be described as too rash. I suppose those parts of him are due to his Fire attribute nature.

    ... I hope the Sun Ouroboros is a normal and decent guy.

    Ruphas looked up at the sky and prayed from the bottom of her heart that the pinnacle of her own attribute was not a weird guy like the Fire Ouroboros.

    ... Now that I think about it... the one at the receiving end of that prayer is the Goddess. Yeah, this prayer¡¯s probably not going to be answered.

    __

    (Author note)

    Aigokeros used m!

    Midgard HP: 750 002 / 999 999

    Midgard: ¡°£¨£»©b§¥©b£©Gyaaaaaaaa¡ª!!¡±

    Aigokeros used Hyper Beam!

    Midgard HP: 700 003 / 999 999

    Midgard: ¡°£¨£»T§¥T£©H, help meeee!!¡±

    The Wood Ouroboros used Hyper Beam!

    Midgard HP: 690 004 / 999 999

    Midgard: ¡°£¨£»T§¥T£©Please stoppppp!!¡±

    Aigokeros used Body m!

    Midgard HP: 630 004 / 999 999

    Midgard: ¡°£¨£»©b§¥¡££© Nooooooooooooo!!¡±

    Bnash used Rain Dance! (Lunatic Rain)

    Midgard HP: 600 000 / 999 999

    Midgard: ¡°£¨£»©b§¥¡££©Agyaaaaaaa!!¡±

    Aigokeros used a Moon Stone!

    The Moon¡¯s HP: 0 / 250 000

    The Moon: ¡°Amelia¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡±[5]

    Aigokeros used Rock Slide (Mercury)!

    The Mercury¡¯s HP: 400 000 / 480 000

    The Mercury: ¡°Abaaa!?¡±

    Aigokeros used Hyper Beam! Hyper Beam! Hyper Beam!

    The Mercury¡¯s HP: 0 / 480 000

    The Mercury: ¡°Goodbye!¡±

    [The Earth Ouroboros]

    Personality: Stern and merciless. Its personality is the most like how ouroboroses are imagined to be. Slightly in and boring.

    Relevant persons concerned: Taurus, Saturnus, Mizar, the Crab

    [The Wood Ouroboros]

    Personality: An easy-going geezer. Has a rtively high emotional quotient amongst the ouroboroses.

    Relevant persons concerned: Castor, Pollux, Virgo, Jupiter, Phecda, Merak

    [The Fire Ouroboros]

    Personality: Weirdo. Long-winded.

    Relevant persons concerned: Scorpius, Mars, Aries, Phoenix

    [The Moon Ouroboros]

    Personality: Rtively calm and collected. Cold on the surface, but is emotional deep down. If it¡¯s for the person they love, they may even throw away their lives.

    Relevant persons concerned: Bnash, Aigokeros, Luna

    [Water and Metal (Alovenus)]

    Personality: Comes across as a sophisticated tactician, but is actually quite a klutz. Tends to scheme too much and have ite back to bite themselves. Clumsy.

    Relevant persons concerned: Dina, Megrez, Libra, Mercurius, Hydrus, Pisces, Mutant God.

 Chapter 177

    Chapter 177

    Bnash replied to the Fire Ouroboros¡¯s creepy and intense confession with a kick .

    She kicked one side of the ouroboros¡¯s head, which was literally as big as a mountain, then circled around to the other side before kicking it again upwards .

    Considering how enormous the ouroboros¡¯s body was, not even Bnash was able to send it flying away with a single hit in a shy manner . The best she could do was make it go flying in a great arch .

    Nevertheless, damage was definitely being dealt to it, and Bnash relentlessly continued to corner the Fire Ouroboros .

    With Bnash¡¯s overwhelming power and speed, the difference in size could no longer be considered a handicap .

    If anything, it would be hard for the Fire Ouroboros to hit her due to how small she was .

    Of course, the Fire Ouroboros did not just allow her to punch it without any resistance .

    It was able to retaliate against Bnash¡¯s speed, quickly moving its long body to enclose her in the space within .

    ¡°This is...¡±

    As if it was trying to make its own body into a spherical ball, it enclosed Bnash within that space with nowhere to escape .

    If the enemy was too fast, then the solution to that was simple . All it had to do was trap them into a certain area .

    Needless to say, if one took into ount how ridiculouslyrge the Fire Ouroboros was, the volume of space which it was able to enclose was quite out of the norm .

    Using the Earth as a reference, the amount of space that it had enclosed could easily fit the entire country of Japan within it .

    However, the volume that it enclosed was not really the issue in all of this . There was meaning to the very fact that something or someone was enclosed within it .

    The default surface temperature of the Fire Ouroboros was tens of thousands degrees Celsius, but that temperature could be raised at will by the Fire Ouroboros .

    Long story short, it was a prison of me that was impossible to escape from .

    Thanks to Bnash¡¯s regenerative abilities, she would not be burnt to death right away, but the rate at which she was taking damage was still greater than how fast she could heal it off .

    The Fire Ouroboros must have been nning to push her to death¡¯s door before capturing her .

    Faced with this extreme heat, even Bnash started slipping out of consciousness as she began sweating profusely .

    ¡°Humph . Were you nning to bake me to death or something? Don¡¯t look down on me!¡±

    Bnash soared through the sky then punched the Fire Ouroboros¡¯s body, relying purely on her strength .

    The inability to escape applied to both sides . Considering the posture that it was in, the Fire Ouroboros would not be able to avoid Bnash¡¯s attacks .

    Indiscriminate light-speed attacks bore onto the Fire Ouroboros from the inside, causing the Fire Ouroboros to bleed out from its mouth upon each impact .

    Nevertheless, the one at a disadvantage was still Bnash . Forced to constantly suffer the extreme heat, her stamina was quickly being eaten up . Furthermore, due to the circumstances, she was unable to disy her full power the way she wanted to .

    It would be too much to say that she had no chance of winning, but it would not be wrong to say that things were looking unfavourable for her in this contest of endurance .

    If there was one thing that both sides had overlooked, it would be that this battle was not a one-on-one fight .

    ¡°Fire¡ª!¡±

    Hundreds of missiles were fired and guided onto the Fire Ouroboros, all of which exploded one after another .

    Each explosion could turn an area with a radius of dozens of kilometres into scorched earth . It was a high-powered attack which exterminated any living things within that range .

    Each of the missiles, some of which were erroneously guided and missed their target, gave birth to mushroom clouds while the enormous golem Blutgang, which had executed the attack, body-mmed right into the Fire Ouroboros at its maximum speed .

    What was supposed to have been a capital city transformed itself into a steel giant with a height of 1100 metres right after the body-m, and clenched its fist tightly .

    Then, literally with an iron fist, it started punching the Fire Ouroboros and tried to help Bnash escape from the outside .

    That was not all . From Blutgang¡¯s golem docking bay, three mass-produced Libra models and the Gatekeeper came flying out and proceeded to fire everything that they had at the ouroboros .

    ¡¸Small fries! You dare get in my way of romance!?¡¹

    The Fire Ouroboros opened its mouth and fired mes at Blutgang .

    This methrower attack had a temperature of two million degrees Celsius and rivalled the heat of the ster corona around the Sun .

    The temperature of the me would have melted any metallic substance on the surface of the . However, before it could hit Blutgang, it split into two .

    ¡°You can¡¯t call a one-sided and unreciprocated love a romance!¡±

    After disying the feat of splitting the Fire Ouroboros¡¯s mes, Alioth followed up by slicing off its scales .

    In his hands was Lifthrasir, a long sword and a short sword which acted as one weapon . [2]

    Then, as if it was a chain attack, a gigantic arm big enough to grip the Fire Ouroboros sprouted out of the magma and uppercut its chin .

    ¡°HAHA! This feels nostalgic, doesn¡¯t it!?¡±

    Mizar, who was standing in an imposing manner on top of Blutgang,ughed in a high-strung manner whilst using that transmuted arm to hold the Fire Ouroboros down .

    Then, the guardian deity Levia jumped off and tried to body m into the Fire Ouroboros . [3]

    ¡°Psycho Compression!¡±

    ¡°Apsaras!¡±

    Merak aimed his hands towards the Fire Ouroboros and stopped its movement for a moment whilst Megrez materialised a white swan and mmed it into its body .

    But this was not the end of the attack from the Seven Heroes .

    Dubhe jumped off from the top of Levia¡¯s head and punched the Fire Ouroboros with all his might .

    When he did, the shockwave turned into the face of a bear and assaulted the ouroboros¡¯s face .

    This was followed by an onught of arrows numerous enough to cover the whole sky showering onto the Fire Ouroboros .

    The shower of arrow attacks, which had been fired by Phecda, were all aimed and concentrated on one fixed point . All of the arrows rushed towards that point and punctured a small hole through the Fire Ouroboros¡¯s body .

    Whilst the hole might have been minuscule in size for the ouroboros in question, it was still more thanrge enough for a person to pass through it .

    After sessfully escaping from the inferno, Bnash took flight, leaving the stratosphere .

    She then condensed mana into her hand .

    Indeed, the mana on Midgard had been exhausted . Due to that foolish goat¡¯s actions, there wasn¡¯t any left .

    But Bnash had learnt of the truth behind this world before the battle . This whole universe itself was a creation of the Goddess¡¯s arcane magic . She knew of the fact that this whole world had been materialised using mana .

    As such, the amount of mana that she could gather... was nothing short of infinite .

    ¡°[The Maiden Who Fires The Silver Arrow]!¡±

    The silver arrow that she shot/fired impaled the Fire Ouroboros¡¯s body and then exploded .

    Subsequently, the Fire Ouroboros¡¯s body was shredded from the inside .

    *

    Amongst a sea of stars, two monsters were swimming freely .

    One of them was ck and the other was white .

    The two ouroboroses, who ruled over light and darkness respectively, entangled and bit down on each other . They were perfectly even in terms of both the offence and defence in this battle .

    The rays fired from each of their mouths disappeared far into the distance before turning into a supermassive explosion . Each swing of their tails swept away countlessets nearby .

    The two of them interweaved with each other as they swam close to where the Saturn was . At the same time, they were relentlessly sting attacks which could destroy even stars at one another .

    ¡¸Moon Ouroboros... what a foolish man you are . To think that you would betray a deity and be our enemy . ¡¹

    ¡¸You might be right, Sun Ouroboros . But I have no regret . ¡¹

    ¡¸I am called the Heavenly Ouroboros . Feel free to get used to calling me that . ¡¹

    From the white ouroboros, a destructive ray was fired . Simrly, Orm also fired a dark destructive ray from his mouth . They collided with one another and cancelled each other out .

    After a moment of equilibrium, the ck and the white light exploded . The explosion was bright enough to where it could even be seen from Midgard .

    The resulting shockwave cascaded out from the spot and erased approximately twenty per cent of Saturn¡¯s ring .

    But the two individuals who made that happen were still perfectly fine and were staring down each other as if to see what the opponent¡¯s next move was going to be .

    ¡¸Well, whatever . Whether you feel regret or not actually doesn¡¯t matter to me . Honestly, I couldn¡¯t care less . There¡¯s only one thing that¡¯s important . It¡¯s that you betrayed us and are present right in front of me... that¡¯s the sole important consideration at y here . ¡¹

    ¡¸So you find it that hard to forgive me . ¡¹

    Orm muttered quietly, as if he was whispering to himself .

    In response, the Sun Ouroboros sneered from the bottom of his heart .

    ¡¸Kukukukuku... No, you¡¯re wrong . In fact, it¡¯s the opposite, Moon Ouroboros . ¡¹

    ¡¸The opposite, you say?¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s right . Thank you for betraying us . Thank you for appearing in front of me as an enemy . For a long time, I¡¯ve been thinking... that the world is too small and too boring . But I don¡¯t mind that particr fact . I can bear with it . But what I couldn¡¯t bear was that even though you, Moon Ouroboros... even though someone strong like you was right nearby, I wasn¡¯t allowed to fight with you!¡¹

    After saying that, the Heavenly Ouroboros started emitting light from his body . [4]

    That light then turned intoser-like beams which came out from everywhere around its body, attacking everything in its surroundings indiscriminately .

    However, Orm charged right through the barrage of attacks and crashed into the Heavenly Ouroboros .

    ¡¸That¡¯s right, Moon Ouroboros . Make me feel pain! Make me feel that I am alive! All this time, I¡¯ve been wanting to fight with the other ouroboroses . With someone like you . To kill, to be killed, to devour and to be devoured... ahh, I¡¯ve dreamt countless times of how blissful it¡¯d be if I could do things like those . ¡¹

    The Heavenly Ouroboros ecstatically shouted its feelings as it proceeded to wrap its tail around Orm¡¯s neck .

    In turn, Orm also moved his own tail, wrapping it around the Heavenly Ouroboros¡¯s neck .

    The power possessed by the two of them was even . No, if one considered how Orm had managed to surpass his limit, even if temporarily, during the battle against Ruphas, it might have been more correct to assume that Orm would be superior .

    However, the scales of this battle were leaning ever so slightly in the Heavenly Ouroboros¡¯s favour .

    At the end of it all, Orm was an ouroboros . The moment he decided to retaliate against the Goddess, his power became inhibited . It was simply impossible for him to fight to the best of his potential .

    Thanks to having be a subordinate of Ruphas, he was barely able to continue fighting . Yet even then, the powerful rejection that he felt as a result of his primal instincts was too big of a handicap .

    ¡¸Unable to feel even pain, a life of endless slumber... Being a peerless and invincible existence known as an ouroboros... Ahh, how meaningless . It¡¯s boring, it¡¯s pitiful... It¡¯s as if I¡¯m dead even while being alive . So I thank you, Moon Ouroboros, my brother . I was born for this moment . This is the moment I¡¯ve been waiting for . So this is pain, so this is bliss... ahh... So this is what it means to be alive!¡¹

    The Heavenly Ouroboros perceived the sensation of pain as bliss, and the corners of its mouth curled in joy .

    Now then, let¡¯s fight, let¡¯s kill each other, dear brother . Let¡¯s enjoy this great moment!

    While the Heavenly Ouroboros was screaming something along those lines, something shone in the corner of its eyes . The moment it noticed that, an azure blue sh directly hit one of its eyes .

    Although it would eventually heal back up, the fact that one of his eyeballs had been crushed was quite significant .

    After having his rare enjoyment interrupted, the Heavenly Ouroboros stared daggers at the direction the sh came from with murderous intent .

    What it saw was a white horse with wings and Terra, who was riding on it .

    Needless to say, it was not an ordinary horse . It was one of the core pirs of the Argonautai summoned forth by Pollux into this world . In the past, its abilities were second only to the Twelve Heavenly Stars¡¯ and stood side by side with those such as Phoenix and Hydrus . The horse was a magical beast: Pegasus of the [Winged Horse] . [5] Its level was ordinarily the same as the Twelve Heavenly Stars at 800, but right now, with Ruphas having broken past the limits set by the Goddess, its level was 1000 .

    Its unique skill provided its rider with a blessing that allowed it to take them anywhere it wanted to regardless of the environment . Even if that ce was space, it too was not an exception .

    ¡°Father, I¡¯ll assist you!¡±

    As Terra had not acquired the Esper or the Psychic ss, he would ordinarily be unable to speak in space like how Ruphas or the ouroboroses could .

    However, thanks to Pegasus¡¯s ability, Terra¡¯s voice was able to reach Orm .

    Terra swung his de and the sword shed into the Heavenly Ouroboros .

    For the Heavenly Ouroboros, it might have been no different from an insignificant scratch wound . Even then, the slight pain that he felt disrupted his concentration .

    ¡¸You¡¯re annoying!¡¹

    The Heavenly Ouroboros sted a destructive ray from its mouth .

    However, Pegasus disappeared from the spot the moment the ray was fired and then circled around to the other side .

    Indeed, Pegasus was not part of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, but that did not mean that it was inferior to the members of the Twelve Heavenly Stars in every aspect .

    For example, purely in terms of raw speed, the only one amongst the Twelve Stars which could keep up with him was Sagittarius .

    Although it could only maintain it for just a instant, Pegasus was able to travel at near-light speed .

    To urately aim at and shoot it down was difficult even for an ouroboros .

    ¡¸You¡¯re the Moon Ouroboros¡¯s avatar, huh... Someone like you dares to get in the way of my happiness!?¡¹

    The Heavenly Ouroboros once again rapidly shot out torrents of destructive rays .

    Pegasus, too, quickly dodged them, but the Heavenly Ouroboros moved his head to chase after its movements .

    When it did, the destructive rays which had been fired curved as if to follow the movement of his head and chased after Pegasus, destroying and exploding the celestial bodies in its path .

    It intended to forcibly shoot Pegasus down by continuously firing rays until theynded .

    Even for Pegasus, it would not be simple to avoid them indefinitely .

    At the same time, Orm, who saw his own child in danger, red up in anger and showered the Heavenly Ouroboros with a ck destructive ray of his own .

    For a very brief instant, the Heavenly Ouroboros¡¯s tail loosened its grip, allowing Orm to bite down on its neck .

    Whilst the scales of an ouroboroses might have been the hardest in the world, the fangs of another ouroboros could still prate them .

    Unwilling to yield, the Heavenly Ouroboros simrly bit down on Orm¡¯s neck, causing the two of them to drop down onto Saturn while devouring each other .

    Although the two of them dropped onto the gas giant at the same time, Orm was one step faster in rising back up and charging at his enemy .

    Body m ¨C it was a very primitive method of attacking one¡¯s enemy by literally mming one¡¯s body into them .

    Nevertheless, when it was done using an ouroboros¡¯s giant body and speed, its destructive force was anything but ordinary .

    The two ouroboroses¡¯ bodies flew through space like shooting stars, shattering countless rocks and asteroids in the way before ending back on Midgard and sinking into magma .

    The impact further destroyed Midgard . On the other hand, the magma was no different from a warm liquid for the two of them .

    They continued to fight within the confinement of the magma before both simultaneously flew out of it .

    ¡¸Haa... haa...¡¹

    ¡¸Humph... looks like you¡¯re exhausted already . Rightly so . You¡¯re no longer backed up by the world . Backed by the world, I have ess to an infinite amount of power . But you... you¡¯re no longer limitless . Your reserve is finite . It¡¯s not just about the SP either . The difference between our HP regeneration rate is also significant . I would have liked to fight with a bastard like you at your best, but battles are never fair . ...... Looks like this fight is my win, Moon Ouroboros . ¡¹

    Notwithstanding it was at their own expenses, the ouroboroses still had more than sufficient self-regenerative abilities .

    But the Heavenly Ouroboros was backed up by the world on top of its own abilities .

    Even the eye that had been crushed just a moment ago had already fully recovered . In contrast, the wounds on Orm¡¯s body had yet to heal .

    The reason behind this was not purely limited to hisck of the world¡¯s backing . Orm¡¯s body itself was refusing to engage in the battle which was happening, and thus it instinctively decreased his rate of regeneration .

    While they might have both been ouroboroses, the difference between the two of them was too great .

    ¡¸It was fun while itsted, Moon Ouroboros... In gratitude and respect to you, I¡¯ll put you to rest now . ¡¹

    The Heavenly Ouroboros said those words, indicating that he was about to put an end to Orm .

    But countless rays of light came flying in at that moment and hit the sides of the Heavenly Ouroboros .

    Those rays had enough power to raze a city to the ground, but... they were weak . The attacks were far too weak . So weak that it was not even worth mentioning .

    In what could be called an ultimate battle that involved stars getting destroyed as coteral damage, a ¡°mere¡± attack which could destroy a city or two could no longer even be called an attack . It was so far out of the question that it was no longer about whether it was too weak or not... it could no longer even be considered an attack in the first ce .

    There was not a single scratch on the Heavenly Ouroboros . It only felt as though something weak hade into contact with its cheeks .

    Using human beings as an analogy, it would have felt as though a piece of cotton hade into contact with their cheeks .

    Even saying that, there would still be some form of displeasure . The Heavenly Ouroboros¡¯s eyes moved to look at the small and weak ones which had delivered the attack .

    What it saw was a great army of demons numerous enough to cover the entire sky .

    ¡°... Oh, snap, it looks like it didn¡¯t have any effect . Technically, that was an all-out attack and the best that we could do . ¡±

    ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s impossible, Saturnus-sama! Let¡¯s run away! We can¡¯t win against something like that . ¡±

    The individual who was standing at the foremost of the army was one of the Seven Luminaries, Saturnus .

    She had her arms crossed as if she was supporting her voluptuous chest and her lips were curled into a smile .

    But it was not as if she had room forcency . If anything, it was quite the opposite .

    Because there was so much of a difference in the ability between the two sides, she could do nothing but smile .

    ¡°Run away, you say? Where to? I don¡¯t see any safe ces left on this, do you?¡±

    ¡°B, but...¡±

    ¡°Prepare yourself . At this moment, we have no way to continue living unless His Majesty wins . The only difference is whether you want to fight and be erased or be erased without fighting . ¡±

    Saturnus narrowed her eyes and then recalled the ones who had been erased first .

    They were by no means great people . In fact, most of them were evildoers or the ones who had iting due to their own actions . She did not feel that much sympathy for them . She also was not pitying them .

    But even then... yes, even then, they had been alive .

    They had had their own wills and were living ording to their own beliefs .

    That was why Saturnus smiled fearlessly .

    ¡°Let¡¯s show our pride... to that Goddess who¡¯s even more ill-natured than I am . If we don¡¯t do anything here and are erased, we¡¯ll truly be nothing more than dolls . So let¡¯s at least go out with a bang . ¡±

    Saturnus gathered mana in her palm .

    She did not think that she would deal any damage to it . She never thought that she could win from the very beginning .

    She understood that, in all likelihood, a few seconds from now, that ouroboros would counterattack and she would be erased from this world .

    Yet, even then, she could not just sit tight and wait for the world to end .

    ¡°Everyone, listen up . It¡¯s pointless to throw any offensive skills or arcane magic at it, so let¡¯s give up on that . We¡¯ll switch to casting buffs and heals on His Majesty and applying debuffs on the enemy . We¡¯ll focus purely on annoying the enemy to the best of our ability! Show him that weaklings have their own way of doing things!¡±

    Following Saturnus¡¯s directions, the demons all switched to supporting Orm .

    Individually, they were not able to achieve much . Bluntly put, they were just small fries .

    But when there were thousands to tens of thousands of them all giving it their best, it added up, providing a significant amount of support .

    Although a single healing spell was unable to heal Orm to full health, when there were tens of thousands of them being cast on him, it was possible to fully heal him .

    Assume that there was a debuffing skill which lowered the enemy¡¯s defence regardless of the level difference . Even if, individually, it could only lower the ouroboros¡¯s defence by a value of 1, when it was stacked up many, many times, it was possible to decrease it¡¯s defence by a minimum of a few hundred .

    With a difference of a few hundred, their king might be able to reverse the situation . The demons were betting on that... no, they had no option but to bet on that .

    ¡¸... Even though you¡¯re all just trash, you dare to get in my way!?¡¹

    But their opponent was the Heavenly Ouroboros . It was a monster which could exterminate the entire demon race on a whim .

    It didn¡¯t even need to use a destructive ray . If it even just looked at them and breathed, it would all be over .

    But the weaklings¡¯ desperate struggle must have touched upon a nerve .

    The demons¡¯ attacks were not even an attack . Because there was so much of a difference in power, the very concept of a battle could not even be established .

    But for the Heavenly Ouroboros, the very fact that ¡°some small fries got in the way of my happiness¡± was unforgivable .

    The Heavenly Ouroboros opened its mouth and mercilessly charged light within it at its maximum power .

    Ahh, so it was all futile in the end . We¡¯re dead . We¡¯re really dead . Oh well, with something like that, at least we won¡¯t even have the time to feel pain . That¡¯s the only silver lining in all of this .

    Keeping her arms crossed, she started sweating hard, but she did not break out of her bold smile .

    She refused to have a miserable death after being ovee by fear .

    If she had to die regardless, she would rather do it while standing tall . She would fight until the very end and die proudly .

    From the very start, she was standing here with that kind of resolve .

    And the Heavenly Ouroboros fired his roar¡ª

    ¡ª unsessfully . Instead, the Heavenly Ouroboros was pinned down by Aigokeros, who fell down from the sky .

    Subsequently, the Heavenly Ouroboros¡¯s mouth was forcibly shut in the process and the ray of light exploded, trapped in its mouth . In the end, the Heavenly Ouroboros¡¯s attack spectacrly backfired .

    __

 Chapter 178

    Chapter 178

    You¡¯re in the way!¡±

    Aigokeros shouted out loud as he grabbed and spun the Heavenly Ouroboros around .

    The words that he had muttered were truly unreasonable . After all, Aigokeros was the one who had intruded upon the battlefield . If anybody there deserved to be called a nuisance, it should have been him . Consequently, it was a line which should have been said by the Heavenly Ouroboros .

    However, this was a battle where logical reasoning andmon sense had no standing whatsoever .

    Bindingmon sense from all four directions and making it unable to move, then violently beating it up until it was unable to recover . At the end of that process was this battlefield known as the Fimbulwinter .

    At the end of it all, this battle was irrationality versus irrationality to determine who was the strongest and most irrational out of them all . Long story short, it was a sh of two egos .

    We are stronger . We are correct . We don¡¯t like the other side . So they should be destroyed .

    Putting it in a very simple way, what both sides were effectively saying was just that .

    As a person who had a rtively normal way of seeing things, when Saturnus heard what Aigokeros had said, she was left in disbelief and muttered something along the lines of ¡°Why are you the one saying that!?¡±

    ¡¸You... you, you, you, you! Every single god-damned one of you keeps getting in the way of my fight with the Moon Ouroboros! ¡¹

    Needless to say, the one who was the most angry there was the Heavenly Ouroboros .

    It angrily sunk its fangs into Aigokeros¡¯s body and started shredding and devouring him .

    But Aigokeros was not willing to lose out . Instead, he took hold of the Heavenly Ouroboros and tried to pull it aw¡ª At this moment, a numerous amount of rays came flying and assaulted the Heavenly Ouroboros, sting it away .

    It was not like the fruitless attack which had been previously executed by the demon race .

    This was an all-out attack that was carried out by heroic spirits .

    ¡°Hey, Aigokeros! What are you doing!? Our opponent is the Wood Ouroboros!¡±

    ¡¸She¡¯s right, you know! This old man¡¯s over here . ¡¹

    Matching Pollux¡¯s disapproving words, the Wood Ouroboros came to float beside the Argo and rebuked Aigokeros .

    Because the Wood Ouroboros had closed the distance on them so suddenly, Pollux was given a fright, but the Wood Ouroboros simply repeated ¡°delightful, delightful¡± with a smile and then pulled back some distance away .

    ¡°Whether I face one or two, it¡¯s the same thing . Both are my master¡¯s enemy . I¡¯ll bury them all! Come at me!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to do just that! Can¡¯t you see that¡¯s why we¡¯re splitting up and fighting separately!? You idiot!¡±

    Pollux was almost tearing up from frustration as she shouted that out . But she quickly recovered and calmly assessed the progress of the battle .

    She understood painfully well how useless she was in this battle .

    Thanks to the ring she had received from Ruphas, she was barely able to keep up with all the fights and even criticise Aigokeros the way she had just a moment ago .

    The only thing she was able to do at this point was use her brain... Having been left in a state where she could not even summon heroic spirits as freely as she wanted, the only weapons that she had left in her possession were the experiences that she had gained from having lived a needlessly long time and her intelligence .

    They had split up exactly because it was difficult to face multiple ouroboroses at the same time... but battles never progressed the way one wanted them to .

    This was especially true for Orm . It was originally predicted that his matchup would be the one with the highest probability of victory because both he and his opponent were ouroboroses . But in fact, he was the one who was the most disadvantaged out of everyone .

    Even though it should have been an even battle, he was hindered by his primal instincts .

    Whilst Terra and the demon race were there to support him, unfortunately, they were an insufficient factor in reversing the scales .

    Long story short, left on his own, Orm would lose . When he did, the Heavenly Ouroboros would be free to jump into another matchup and start a snowballing effect .

    Of course, Aigokeros would not have thought that deeply . However, looking purely at what they had to do, his words were not incorrect .

    ¡°... Fine, whatever . Either way, with how things have developed, we can¡¯t avoid an all-out brawl . Everyone, we¡¯ll team up with Orm and fight the Heavenly Ouroboros and the Wood Ouroboros at the same time!¡±

    Pollux raised her hands and then concentrated .

    The number of heroic spirits she would be able to summon was, at most, ten . As such, she could not continue to overwhelm the enemy with a numerical advantage the way she had been doing before . She could not afford to summon half-assed spirits .

    Having said that, in this battle, even Ruphas¡¯s former subordinates would be inadequate and could be easily erased .

    In that case, who should she summon? Aeneas? Uranus? Or perhaps some other heroic spirit?

    No, they were no good . They were still not enough . Unless they were even stronger than them, they would not even be able to fight properly .

    In that case... there was only one individual left as a candidate . Correction, one creature .

    It was not a creature who would listen to what people had to say, but that should not be an issue this time . Considering its personality, if it had not ended up meeting Ruphas, it would have gone ahead to battle the ouroboroses on its own ord .

    The issue was whether she would be able to summon it in the first ce . After all, she had never considered that creature to be a hero before .

    Unfortunately, this was not the time to be insisting that she would never be able to summon it . ¡°Unable to summon¡± was not an excuse that she could use at this point . She had no option but to do it .

    If it was impossible, then all she had to do was make it possible right now . If she was unable to do it, then all she had to do was make herself able to do it .

    Ruphas was able to break out of her own shell and stand in this battlefield because she had done that .

    Pollux had also witnessed Virgo soar into what she was currently . Simrly, she was able to understand that Orm was on the verge of breaking through his own limit .

    So at the very least, she had to show that she could get past a limitation of this degree, or she would not look respectable inparison .

    ¡°The one that this Fairy Princess shan¡¯t recognise, yet stillmands... Return from Valha and be my sword . Thou, the king of dragons who possesses ten heads¡ª¡±

    ¡°!? Pollux, that¡¯s...¡±

    ¡°¨C descend! Ladon!!¡±

    When Pollux shouted themand, lightning started to sh .

    Using her skill in a way which clearly deviated from how it was intended to be used ced a burden on her, causing her to feel pain all over her body .

    Argonautai was a skill that called upon a heroic spirit . If what was being summoned was not recognised as a heroic spirit, the spell could not be invoked .

    Pollux had never thought of Ladon as a hero, and this time was no different .

    Yet she still forcibly summoned it back as a spirit . Saying that what she had done was reckless was an understatement .

    Nevertheless, she forced her way through that with pure unreasonableness and actualised the summoning .

    Gradually, the lightning strikes started taking form, and from within it, a dragon with ten heads manifested and roared loudly .

    Ladon looked around the battlefield by moving its ten heads, but the Heavenly Ouroboros saw this and spoke with ridicule .

    ¡¸Humph! I was wondering what you were going to call... but it turns out it¡¯s just the boss of those bad imitations of ours . Did you think you¡¯d be able to win against me if you summoned trash like that? Kukuku... You¡¯re showing your true self, Fairy Princess . In the end, you¡¯re nothing but the Wood Ouroboros¡¯s avatar . And you, the Dragon King? You might have a fancy title, but the king of garbage is still nothing but a speck of dirt . Know your ce!¡¹

    The Heavenly Ouroboros might have mocked what was happening, but Pollux daringly smiled .

    It was as she had expected... Pollux was able to ascertain the Heavenly Ouroboros¡¯s personality after hearing what it had said after being spun around by Aigokeros .

    That ouroboros was the type to recognise entities who were equal to himself, but looked down on all others .

    Therefore, she had predicted that if she ced Ladon in front of him, he would definitely say something along these lines . She was spot on .

    All ten of Ladon¡¯s heads locked on to the Heavenly Ouroboros and were riled up, angered .

    ¡°... Are you the bastard who insulted me and my brethren just now?¡±

    The outermost right head represented all ten of its heads as it demanded the answer to its question .

    Unlike when it wasst summoned, it had not lost its own sense of self .

    It had been summoned in its entirety and in theplete state that it had been in before it was defeated by Ruphas .

    Whilst it might have been a hassle if it had turned hostile, it seemed there was no need to worry about that right now .

    ¡¸So what if I am, inferior creature? Did it get to your head after you were told the truth? Don¡¯t make meugh . I¡¯m just calling some trash a piece of trash . What is there to be indignant about, huh? What a joke you are . ¡¹

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±

    Ladon allowed himself to be swept away by his bloodlust and charged at the Heavenly Ouroboros .

    Up until this point, it was as Pollux had been hoping for, but even the Dragon King would not be able to defeat an ouroboros on its own . Having said that, it was still an entity which had the same strength as Leon . It would not be beaten very easily .

    During this interval, the Argo moved near Orm so that she could speak to him .

    ¡°Orm, we have to work together . Lend us your strength!¡±

    ¡¸Very well . I¡¯ll move ording to your directions . ¡¹

    Pollux nodded and Castor tookmand of the whole situation in her stead .

    The twins, who shared the same real body, were able to understand what each other was thinking without having to exchange words .

    Furthermore, Castor was able to fully utilise the whole of Argonautai to its full capacity, allowing him to move the army of heroic spirits as if they were a single entity .

    The one he was pointing to at this point was the Wood Ouroboros .

    He must have been nning to focus on striking down the Wood Ouroboros first before concentrating on the Heavenly Ouroboros .

    The Wood Ouroboros, who saw through Castor¡¯s strategy, curled its lip and then aimed its tail at Orm, whom it had assumed would be the source of the attack .

    It was a direct hit ¨C but Orm did not budge even a little . In fact, the Wood Ouroboros felt something off about the impact itself .

    When it looked carefully, it looked as if there was a crab in between its tail and Orm .

    ¡°Acubens!¡±

    ¡¸Nuuu!¡¹

    Karkinos¡¯s skill, which used the enemy¡¯s power against them, was activated, pushing the unexpecting Wood Ouroboros back .

    Matching this timing, Castor pointed his hands at the Heavenly Ouroboros, sending everyone to that side .

    ¡¸Oh, oh no!¡¹

    ¡°Everyone, fire!!¡±

    Following Castor¡¯smand, Orm and Aigokeros both fired destructive rays from their mouths . Sagittarius fired his sure-hit arrow and Pisces simrly sted a beam from his mouth . A de was shot out of the anchor which Castor swung down and everyone which was on the Argo activated their respective skills . To top it off, every gunport on the Argo shot what they had . All of thesended directly on the Heavenly Ouroboros .

    After being mmed with a tremendous amount of energy, the Heavenly Ouroboros somehow managed to stay rooted in ce, but the stream of attacks was not yet finished .

    From each of Ladon¡¯s ten heads, a beam was fired . Instead of hitting the enemy directly, all ten of those beams converged on the same spot in the air .

    Was Ladon trying to attack itself and self-destruct? Or was it a misfire?

    No, it was neither of those .

    The ten beams fused with each other and then started expanding in ce, shooting off sparks before turning into a giant fireball .

    This expansion did not stop . Instead, the world rumbled in panic as a premonition of the destruction ahead .

    ¡°... We¡¯re going to die . ¡±

    A mass of pure destructive energy, which had been pushed to the limit, was then fired .

    That energy and the energy from the previous barrages of attacks on the Heavenly Ouroboros mixed with one another, inviting a brief moment of silence .

    ¡°This isn¡¯t good, everyone take cover!¡±

    Castor quickly grabbed Pollux whilst everyone else got into a defensive position .

    Immediately afterwards, an explosion big enough to burn heaven and earth took ce, gorging away a chunk of Midgard before leaving behind a massive pir of mes in its ce .

    Even while being blown away by the st of the explosion, Pollux conveyed the next step in her strategy to her brother, who then ryed that to everyone else .

    ¡°Pisces... No, wait, Eros! Use your unique skill!¡±

    ¡°Why did you correct yourself there!?¡±

    After being prompted by Castor, Pisces activated his skill all the whileining about what had happened .

    When he did, Pisces¡¯s body turned into mana and, as if he was being sucked in, drifted into the Wood Ouroboros¡¯s body .

    Those who were originally in the Goddess¡¯s camp were each in possession of a unique skill of the Goddess, almost as if they had inherited a fragment of her power . Powers such as Parthenos¡¯s Vindemiatrix, Pollux¡¯s Argonautai and Dina¡¯s perception maniption abilities all fell under this category .

    Pisces was not an exception to this .

    His unique skill was called [The Deity¡¯s Cord (Alrescha)] . [2] The effect of the skill allowed the user to take possession of an opponent and manipte them . It was very simr in effect to the ability the Goddess had been using up until this point .

    If one were to describe this skill using the terms and knowledge gained from ¡°the other world¡±, then this would be simr to a skill that controlled an opponent as if it was their own avatar .

    If this was an online game, it would be analogous to illicitly logging into someone else¡¯s ount .

    This power was almost cheat-like... no, it was definitely a cheat, allowed only because Pisces was the son of the Goddess .

    If he had used this skill, he might have been able to deal with the Mutant God himself . However, because he was repulsed by the Evil God¡¯s appearance, he refused to use the skill .

    Unfortunately, this time, the opponent he was possessing was the Wood Ouroboros . Even Pisces would not be able to manipte him ording to his will . The most he would be able to do was make him dull and limit his movement somewhat .

    But that was enough . Pisces would hinder the Wood Ouroboros from the inside and slightly readjust the direction of his attacks so that they would miss . Being able to achieve that was enough to greatly increase their chance of victory .

    ¡¸Ho ho, so you intend to hold back this old man¡¯s movements, eh? You lot came up with an interesting strategy, mm?¡¹

    ¡¸Nu ow o... this guy, what a guy...! Even though he¡¯s possessed by me, there¡¯s no sign of his consciousness disappearing...¡¹

    Both the Wood Ouroboros and Pisces¡¯s voices came out from the Wood Ouroboros¡¯s body .

    Both consciousnesses remained, but the one with the initiative over the body was still the Wood Ouroboros .

    If Pisces was able to sessfully take over its body, then things would have be easy . However, as expected, it was not that simple .

    ¡°Karkinos!¡±

    ¡°OK!¡±

    Castor sent his next order to Karkinos and Karkinos quickly got behind the Heavenly Ouroboros .

    When Karkinos, who should have been a barrier for his party, moved around to the opposite side, the Wood Ouroboros was puzzled and suspicious of his actions . At the same time, he felt excited about finding out what his children had came up with .

    ¡¸I wonder what you guys are scheming...¡¹

    Pisces was trying to take possession of him, while Karkinos, who was the shield, was retreating . The Wood Ouroboros pondered what those actions signified .

    Thinking over things normally, the Wood Ouroboros felt that it was nothing more than decreasing their own battle potential . After all, even Pisces was not able to takemand over its body .

    Having said that, it was clear to the Wood Ouroboros that they were scheming something .

    He decided that it was not the best course of action to be reckless and it would be best to probe them a little with a light attack .

    But at that point, the other ouroboros appeared out of the smoke and angrily shouted at the Wood Ouroboros .

    ¡¸What are you doing, Wood Ouroboros!? Why don¡¯t you quickly finish off the pesky mobs!? For there to be weaklings in this battlefield is nothing but an eyesore!¡¹

    ¡¸Calm down now, Heavenly . These younglings are trying to do something . It¡¯s best for us to be more cautious, don¡¯t you think?¡¹

    ¡¸Irrelevant! An ouroboros can easily ovee such trivial and worthless strategies with power!¡¹

    ¡¸... Don¡¯t make me say I told you so . ¡¹

    The Heavenly Ouroboros opened its mouth and white light concentrated within .

    Simrly, the Wood Ouroboros opened his mouth and lightning began shing within . It would be a simultaneous breath attack by the two ouroboroses . If itnded, it would definitely be annihtion .

    Seeing what was happening, Orm quickly opened his mouth and tried to offset their attacks . The Dragon King also matched the Heavenly Ouroboros¡¯s attack and prepared to fire a breath attack from all ten of its heads . Simrly, Aigokeros produced ck lights in his hands .

    But in a weakened state, Orm would be unable to perfectly offset their attacks . Likewise, even when the Dragon King and Aigokeros¡¯s skills werebined, it would be barely enough to counterbnce just one of the enemy¡¯s breath attacks .

    The moment before all of the attacks were fired, Castor gave an order which surprised some people .

    ¡°Now, Pisces! Amplify the power of the breath attack!¡±

    ¡¸...!¡¹

    Pisces¡¯s skill allowed him to possess his opponent and possibly take control of their body .

    At the same time, just as individuals who were possessed by the Goddess became stronger, it was possible for Pisces to power up the individual he possessed by adding his own power to them .

    Why would Pisces amplify the Wood Ouroboros at this very moment...? Even Terra and Orm were surprised at this unexpected order, but the answer to that question became apparent very quickly .

    The breath attack fired by the Wood Ouroboros missed the Argo and flew towards the Heavenly Ouroboros ¨C correction, towards Karkinos, who had circled behind it .

    Exactly . Karkinos had a skill which pulled an enemy¡¯s attack towards himself and made it hit him with absolute certainty ¡ª [Asellus Borealis] .

    Having said that, it was not an absolutely urate arrow (Alnasl) like Sagittarius¡¯s attack, which teleported from one location to another . It was a simple and in skill which merely attracted the attack towards himself by bending its trajectory .

    If there were any obstructions in the path between the attack and Karkinos, then the skill would easily fail to have the intended effect . If an enemy was aware of this weakness, then it would be easy to prevent Karkinos from using a counter as a result of being hit due to this skill .

    Yes, exactly... if there was anything between Karkinos and the skill when he used this absolutely get-hit skill, then it would end up hitting whatever was obstructing it .

    ¡¸Guwooooooo¡ª!?¡¹

    In other words, it was friendly fire .

    Because the Heavenly Ouroboros¡¯s breath attack was neutralised by Orm¡¯s, Aigokeros¡¯s and the Dragon King¡¯s attacks, the Wood Ouroboros¡¯s breath attack was able to directly hit the Heavenly Ouroboros in its amplified state .

    Needless to say, Orm did not miss out on this opportune moment .

    He bared his fangs and then bit down on the Heavenly Ouroboros¡¯s neck, sttering blood everywhere .

    Terra also attacked from the opposite side of the Heavenly Ouroboros at this very moment . This attack contained the force of his full might, but as expected of the Heavenly Ouroboros, it still lived .

    But that would not be the case any longer . Aigokeros followed it up by taking hold of the Heavenly Ouroboros and then, relying purely on his strength, twisted it around .

    The cracking sound of an ouroboros¡¯s extremely strong bones resounded, and eventually, its neck was torn apart .

    Faced with this gruesome sight, Pollux instinctively looked away from the scene, but at this moment, the Heavenly Ouroboros, with its shockingly amazing vitality, attempted a final counterattack .

    ¡¸It¡¯s not over yet! I¡¯m still alive! My joyful battle is not yet over!!¡¹

    Even though it only had its head left, the Heavenly Ouroboros attempted to execute its final counterattack as it positioned itself to fire a breath attack .

    The chance of being able to offset this attack... was none . Everyone¡¯s current positioning was just unfortunate .

    The Heavenly Ouroboros was aiming at the Argo, but Orm and Aigokeros were too close to the Heavenly Ouroboros at this moment, as they had previously intended to finish him off .

    With where they currently were, the Heavenly Ouroboros¡¯s breath attack would reach the Argo before the two of them could get in between and shoot the attack down .

    The heroic spirits quickly deployed shields, but it was questionable whether there was even any meaning to this action . Unfortunately, even if they were able to soften the blow a little, they would still be unable to avoid getting shot down . This meant that even if everyone else survived, Pollux would definitely end up dead .

    ¡¸Dieee¡ª!¡¹

    A final breath attack was released from the Heavenly Ouroboros¡¯s mouth .

    The ray that travelled faster than the speed of light blew away half of the Dragon King¡¯s body which had been in its way before closing in on the Argo .

    But right before itnded, the light was obstructed .

    It was stopped at thest moment by the Twelve Heavenly Stars¡¯ shield ¨C Karkinos .

    But even for Karkinos, he could not get away scot-free after being directly assaulted by an ouroboros¡¯s breath attack .

    This was still true even after taking into consideration that his level had been pulled up to level 1000 by Ruphas¡¯s current state, the fact that the Heavenly Ouroboros was weakened to the point where it was on death¡¯s doorstep and that it had been somewhat softened up by the heroic spirits¡¯ shields .

    Even with those conditions, an ouroboros¡¯s breath attack was still enough to destroy a star . It just simply wasn¡¯t that weak .

    Karkinos¡¯s shell melted and shattered . In an instant, Karkinos¡¯s HP was dropped to a dangerously low point .

    But the higher the damage dealt by the enemy, the more potent his skill became .

    ¡°Acubens!¡±

    While cutting through the Heavenly Ouroboros¡¯s breath attack, Karkinos charged right in .

    His scissors were all worn out and cracked .

    But even then, he did not stop until the de that paid back multiple-fold was thrust into the Heavenly Ouroboros¡¯s frame .

    With how things had developed, the battle could be considered over . The Heavenly Ouroboros, which was now merely a head, no longer had the strength to ovee its own attack reflected back multiple times .

    He was left in a daze and muttered in disbelief .

    ¡¸... I, I, lost...? Against these, small creatures...¡¹

    It had a brief moment of peace of mind .

    Eventually, the Heavenly Ouroboros epted everything which had happened and thenughed out loud .

    ¡¸Fu, fuhaha... fuhahahahahahaha! Well done, well done, small creatures! I see, I see . I¡¯ll recognise all of you . It seems I was the one who was wrong . Of course, it was only natural for me to lose when I underestimated such strong enemies as weaklings! But heed my friendly advice . Even after you defeat me, the battle will continue . In the end, the ouroboroses are nothing more than pawns for that person! I¡¯ll be keeping an eye out for how you guys will go about handling the next battle, which you could never overturn, from the afterlife!¡¹

    Leaving behind a speech, the Heavenly Ouroboros epted his impending death .

    The cause of his defeat was because he had underestimated everyone except for the Moon Ouroboros as weaklings, and as a result, made light of them .

    If anything, the Heavenly Ouroboros should have weed it . He should have rejoiced . After all, many strong enemies were in front of him . What a blunder on his behalf to have looked down on them instead .

    If there was to be one misgiving, then it would be that the Heavenly Ouroboros wished it could have used magic...

    Because of Aigokeros, it had been unable to use any arcane magic . To an ouroboros, the loss of ess to magic meant they had lost one weapon in their arsenal .

    Yet even then, it was a fruit of the enemy¡¯s endeavors in their battle . The Heavenly Ouroboros could not help but recognise their effort .

    ¡¸Thank you for letting me enjoy a fun battle... I give you my blessing, small creatures . ¡¹

    Just like that, the Heavenly Ouroboros gave his recognition to the enemies who had managed to strike him down and paid his respect . At that moment, Karkinos¡¯s de sliced through it .

    ¡°... Goodbye, Heavenly Ouroboros . ¡±

    ¨C It then scattered away .

    The Ouroboros of the Heavens, who had served as the one who managed the ouroboroses as a whole, turned into light along with a sound loud enough to burst one¡¯s eardrums and disappeared .

    ¡°Hmm, so that¡¯s the pinnacle of the Sun Attribute, huh... At the very end, even though it was moments away from death, it looked quite peaceful and refreshing, didn¡¯t it?¡±

    With her arms still crossed, Ruphas looked upon the passing of the Heavenly Ouroboros and pondered on its personality a little .

    Well, I guess it was a more of a decent guy than the Fire Ouroboros . But to have fought an enemy with pride and conceit, then end up losing . Not only that, to give its recognition and disappear after leaving behind a speech... I feel like what had happened is quite familiar, almost as if I¡¯ve seen it before... Where and when was it again...?

    ¡°......... Oh, it was me . ¡±

    I see, I see . Indeed, I am a Sun Attribute .

    epting the oddity behind the whole situation, Ruphas was somehowing to terms with it on her own .

 Chapter 179

    Chapter 179

    The Fire Ouroboros¡¯s tail, which had been shredded off, was blown away,nding in the space between the Earth Ouroboros and Aries¡¯s group .

    The blood from the shredded tail sttered everywhere and obstructed the views of both sides .

    The one who recovered from this unexpected situation first was Aries .

    This whole time, he had conviction in his friends . He believed that his friends woulde out victorious . That was why he did not be agitated .

    On the other hand, the Earth Ouroboros had never predicted that something like this would happen .

    It had never thought for a moment that one of the pirs of the ouroboroses, the Fire Ouroboros, would suffer this much damage from being punched around, to the extent that a part of its body would be torn off and sent flying towards a different location .

    It was because the ouroboroses were indisputably strong entities that the Earth Ouroboros was momentarily bewildered . Because it had thought that such a thing absolutely could not happen, it had an immense impact on the ouroboros when it saw what was actually happening before its eyes .

    Aries blew mes out of his mouth and burnt the Earth Ouroboros¡¯s body .

    After a brief moment of dy, the Earth Ouroboros started firing gravity bullets, but they never ended up hitting Aries . This was because they were dispersed by Virgo¡¯s skills .

    ¡¸Fire Ouroboros... are you telling me he was defeated? I also can¡¯t feel the Heavenly Ouroboros¡¯s presence anymore . As if such a thing...¡¹

    When the Earth Ouroboros spoke, its voice was shaky .

    It was a truth that he did not want to admit... The fact that they, the invincible ouroboroses, were being pushed back had put him in a daze .

    As a matter of fact, it was notpletely unrted to him . After all, he had also not yet been able to defeat the opponents which he was fighting against .

    He had no option but to acknowledge... the strength of the small creatures which were before him .

    It was exactly because of this reason that he had to destroy them . It was exactly because he now recognised them to be a threat .

    ¡¸Dangerous... you lot are dangerous! Contaminants who threaten the Goddess¡¯s miniature garden... I can no longer afford to hold back! I must erase you all along with this entire sr system with all of my might!¡¹

    The Earth Ouroboros decided to throw away hisxness towards the fight and flew out into space .

    As she observed his actions, Aquarius quickly turned pale after figuring out what he wanted to do .

    This is bad... we can¡¯t let him do what he¡¯s about to do!

    ¡°This is bad . Chase after him! Letting him get away would be really bad!¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear him just now!? If you leave him be, he¡¯s really going to destroy this entire sr system along with everything else nearby! The Earth Ouroboros can aplish that!¡±

    Aquarius was originally a tool used by the deity . As such, she had general information about the ouroboroses . This allowed her to quickly realise the despair-inducing situation that they were about to encounter .

    The Earth Ouroboros was able to manipte gravity, and the pinnacle of that was... a ck hole .

    The Earth Ouroboros was nning to materialise a ck hole and let it devour everything in order to destroy them all .

    Which was why they had to stop him before he could activate the skill .

    Once it was activated, there was nothing that they would be able to do .

    Whilst that might be the case, the distance between the two parties had widened too much .

    If the Earth Ouroboros was close to Midgard, they might have been able to make it in time to interrupt him . Unfortunately, the Earth Ouroboros had taken this possibility into ount and moved away to the edges of the sr system .

    It was an incredible speed . But with hisrge body, it was not impossible .

    Let¡¯s say that there was a giant human being that was bigger than a gxy . If that person walked at the pace of an ordinary person, rtive to their size, then their walking speed would easily be faster than the speed of light .

    The distance from Midgard to the edge of the sr system was approximately 28 billion kilometres . For an ordinary person, it would be considered a vast distance that they would not be able to traverse . [3]

    But for an ouroboros, with their size, it was not a distance that they could not reach . This was especially true if one considered how fast they could fly despite theirrge body .

    In any event... it was impossible to obstruct him now .

    ¡°B, but it¡¯s space . I mean, if it¡¯s just for a while, I¡¯ll be fine, but...¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be fine at all! I¡¯ll end up dead!¡±

    Aries replied with a slightly out-of-the-norm response whilst Virgo was flustered .

    Exactly, at the end of it all, they were still living things .

    Although one might retort that it¡¯s too weird to im that they were living things after having gone through such arge-scale battle, they were actually still living things .

    If Sagittarius was here, then he might have been able to do something using his divine magic, but unfortunately, he was stuck in a battle with the Wood Ouroboros at this moment . They could not expect him to provide any assistance .

    ¡°... Damn it, we won¡¯t make it in time!¡±

    At the outer edge of the sr system, the Earth Ouroboros bit down on his tail and started drawing a circle .

    Sensing what was happening, Aquarius spoke in anguish .

    Unique skill [Cyclical World (Ouroboros)] .

    The effect of the skill that the Earth Ouroboros was using was actually as simple as it could be . Using one¡¯s own body as a centre of mass, he would turn into a singrity which would devour everything that passed through its event horizon into oblivion . It was an indiscriminate attack which eliminated anything and everything .

    The gravitational pull, which was strong enough to attract everything within the sr system, first swallowed Neptune and deleted it out of existence .

    The next to follow was Uranus and after that was Saturn . By this time, Saturn had already been pulled apart by the gravitational force and turned to dust .

    What the Earth Ouroboros had said was not an empty threat . It really intended to destroy everything .

    One after another,s were being sucked in and erased from existence . In the process, countless other celestial bodies were lost .

    Once the event horizon was crossed, not even light could escape .

    If it was Ruphas, who could travel at a speed much faster than the speed of light, she could force her way through and escape even after passing the event horizon . However, that was impossible for the others .

    Jupiter had already disappeared by this time . Even the debris from Mars and Mercury had just disappeared . It was Midgard¡¯s turn next .

    The problem of distance had been solved, though the way it happened was not a constion in any way .

    ¡°W, what should we do, Aquarius!? Isn¡¯t there something we can do!? Something like absolute evasion!?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask for the impossible . As long as the ck hole remains, the attack persists as ¡®damage over time¡¯ . Even if we avoid it once or twice using absolute evasion, it still wouldn¡¯t make a tenth of a second different before being sucked in . ... Having said that, although that thing is a ck hole, it¡¯s also the Earth Ouroboros . If we can somehow take that down before Midgard gets swallowed, we might be able to stop it somehow...¡±

    Even though she had just said that herself, she immediately judged that it was an impossible thing to do .

    It¡¯s impossible... that thing still has a few million HP left . It¡¯s impossible to strike it down withone hit .

    If we could at least somehow stop its spin with an attack, we might be able to interrupt the skill... but even that would be hard .

    Even when it was hit by Mesarthim, it didn¡¯t flinch .

    What do we do? What should we do?

    Do we just suck it up, tuck our tails between our legs and ask Ruphas for help?

    But she wouldn¡¯t be free right now... That¡¯s why she asked us to take the ouroboroses down . Having said that, we don¡¯t have any other options...

    While she was desperately pondering what to do in her head, Taurus quietly gave her an instruction .

    ¡°... Aquarius . Shoot me . ¡±

    ¡°What...!?¡±

    ¡°I can break that apart . ¡±

    ¡°W, wait, that¡¯s reckless! Sure, if everything goes well, you might be able to break it apart, but you¡¯ll still end up dead!¡±

    Now that the Earth Ouroboros had turned into a ck hole, it was swallowing everything into oblivion with its gravity .

    Would one be able to understand how strong its gravitational pull was if it was said to have sufficient attraction to even pull faraway stars from outside of the sr system?

    Was the gravity tens of thousands of times stronger than the Sun? Hundreds of millions of times? Trillions of times?

    It would not be a mistake to say that it was certainly strong enough to where one could not even estimate how strong the pull was . In any event, once someone got close to it, they would not be able to get away scot-free .

    All the more so if it was at an arm¡¯s length away . Getting that close was no different from an act of suicide .

    However, there was not a shred of fear on Taurus¡¯s face . Instead, there was the conviction of knowing that he was the only one who could do something about it .

    ¡°If I die from that, it just means that I only amounted to that much... Don¡¯t mind it . Just do what you have to do . ¡±

    ¡°... Just make sure you don¡¯te back and haunt me . ¡±

    Aquarius understood the conviction Taurus had . The young girl, who was acting as her body, dived back into the water pitcher .

    Right after she did, Taurus also jumped into the water pitcher, and Ganymedes took aim .

    What was happening was extremely surreal and ludicrous at the same time, but the people involved were ever so serious .

    With an explosive sound, Taurus was fired, passing through the stratosphere into space, where the number ofs had greatly been reduced .

    Taurus passed through the remains of the celestial bodies and then appeared in front of the Earth Ouroboros .

    Behind his fist was a loyalty towards hisrades and a strong conviction . He was there so that he might open a door leading to the path of victory for his friends .

    Two hundred years ago, he was not able to follow through with his vows .

    But this time was different . Now was the time when he would fulfil the vows that he had made .

    He swung his axe and charged down onto the Earth Ouroboros without any hesitation .

    And his skill-nullifying skill shattered the ck hole, forcibly stopping the enemy¡¯s skill .

    *

    ¨C Apparently, the queen has a hidden illegitimate child .

    ¨C I heard it has the head of a cow . Doesn¡¯t that make it a half-beastkin?

    ¨C But the queen¡¯s denying it, right? Even though it¡¯s clearly half-beastkin .

    ¨C I heard the kingughed it off and forgave her . So magnanimous, isn¡¯t he?

    ¨C Magnanimous, you say? I heard he imprisoned his own son in abyrinth . Even if his wife is fine, his son isn¡¯t exactly fine .

    ¨C It¡¯s better not to talk about this too much . Apparently, the king wants to pretend as if his son never existed .

    From the moment he had been born, he was alone .

    Taurus ¨C Asterius was originally a prince of some kingdom .

    Though he had been recognised as a prince during the time he was within his mother¡¯s womb, he had never been recognised as one after he was born . He was not even allowed to name himself as one .

    The source of it all was not his mother¡¯s infidelity, but his father¡¯s betrayal .

    Asterius¡¯s father, the king of Minos, desired the princess from a neighbouring kingdom so much that he went to the church every day to wish for her . Regardless of whether it was a rainy or snowy day, hemuted to the church, prayed and wished for it . Faced with this persistent and ridiculous prayer, the Goddess became fed up and was stumped on what to do .

    His desire to do erotic things was too great . Fascinated by the princess¡¯s beauty and voluptuous and cow-like chest of hers, his behaviour was extremely obstinate .

    Due to his overly persistent behaviour, the Goddess reluctantly decided to grant his wish, but with a single condition attached .

    When the princesses to you as a bride, she will bring a beautiful white bull with her . Promise that bull to me as an offering and I shall listen to your request just once .

    The king happily epted the condition . What he wanted was the princess, and he did not care about a bull at all . At least, that was what he had thought .

    But the king did not fulfil the promise . When he saw the bull which the princess had brought with her, he was mesmerised by its beauty and did not want to let it go, wanting it for himself . In the end, he went back on the promise which he had made with the Goddess .

    When this happened, the Goddess was angered and cursed the unborn son of the king with atavism .

    Ultimately, the son who was born as a result was Asterius . His distant ancestor from an unknown generation was a beastkin . That blood had resulted in him being born as a half-beastkin . Consequently, the king did not recognise him as his son and confined him away .

    No one recognised his existence . Both of his parents treated him as if he never existed in the first ce . The queen, in particr, was creeped out from the bottom of her heart, as such a thing had been born out of her own womb even though she had never cheated with anyone . Even though she had a cow-like chest, she had never even known that one of her ancestors was a cow beastkin .

    Although the king deliberated on how he had gone back on the promise which he had made with the Goddess, because he had managed to obtain the princess which he had been after with no problem, he decided to do the irresponsible act of forgetting about what had happened . Instead, he decided to y the role of the magnanimous husband who forgave his queen . Of course, the magnanimity stemmed from the fact that he knew he was the cause of everything that had happened .

    Asterius was all alone . Originally, he, who had been trapped in thebyrinth, should have be food for the magical beasts which dwelled down there and died . At the very least, that¡¯s what the king thought would happen .

    But he ended up living . He ended up surviving .

    Using the strength which he had gained from the curse imposed on him by the Goddess as a weapon, he slew the magical beasts, ate their meat and drank their blood .

    Thebyrinth was a prison used to keep numerous magical beasts . He was notcking in opponents which he could fight . He continued to fight every day and became stronger as a result .

    By the time he noticed, he was already the reigning king of thebyrinth and feared by the whole world .

    ¨C Apparently, there¡¯s an extremely dangerous monster in thatbyrinth .

    ¨C Because of that cow bastard¡¯s fault, no one can reach the treasure at the end of thatbyrinth .

    ¨C Apparently, another group of adventurers just got beaten back out . Such a resentful beast, that cow bastard is .

    ¨C Why is it even still alive, I wonder? I mean, it should just die .

    ¨C Why won¡¯t that cow die faster?

    He was feared . He was hated .

    No one needed him . Everyone hoped that he would disappear .

    Asterius was all alone . No one was beside him, and no one wanted to understand him .

    Whether they were a magical beast, a humanoid or even his parents . Everyone was his enemy .

    He wondered if, one day, he would be killed by someone while still being hated by the world .

    He had pondered such thoughts and epted them .

    Which was why, when an adventurer who could kill him appeared in front of him, he even felt relief to some extent .

    A fierce battle took ce . And he lost .

    To Asterius, who had epted his impending death, the adventurer ¨C a young ck-winged girl ¨C said thus .

    ¡°You, why don¡¯t youe with me?¡±

    It was the first time someone extended their hand to him . It was also the first time he experienced someone who was not afraid of him .

    But above all else, he had never thought that there would be a day when someone would need him .

    Later, he learnt that she was also someone who had received no love from her father .

    Both of them had not been blessed with good fathers . They rted to one another on a strange level .

    Perhaps she simply was not able to leave someone who was in the same circumstances as herself all alone .

    Perhaps she only acted that way because she projected herself onto of him .

    Either way, to feel wanted and needed by someone made him genuinely happy .

    So Asterius thought about it .

    My life is something which has been thrown away even by my own parents . Ruphas, you are the only one who gives my life meaning . You are the only one who needs me .

    That¡¯s why... my life is yours .

    If I hadn¡¯t met you, my life would have ended in thatbyrinth either way... Instead, I¡¯m able to fight in this great battlefield, which will determine the fate of the world, for the sake of my friends . So I have no regrets .

    I¡¯ll open the path ahead . So I¡¯ll leave the rest to you .

    My friend... I believe in your victory .

    With those as hisst thoughts¨C Asterius lost consciousness .

 Chapter 180

    Chapter 180

    ¡°You know, Libra... I was mistaken. Because of stuff like fear and envy, I was clouded by the emotions that were right in my face and I lost myself in them.¡±

    This had happened in the past.

    It was the veryst conversation that she had had with her creator and also a memory that she was unable to erase even now.

    That conversation happened on the day Mizar was defeated in the battle against the Demon King and during the time he was frail and weak. That was when he confessed to Libra.

    ¡°Honestly... deep down, I think I should have been aware that I was mistaken. Deep within me, there was something that I couldn¡¯t quite figure out, some... sense of duty or fear which felt like it¡¯d been ced there by someone else. My heart was constantly ringing an rm, causing me to hesitate. But I didn¡¯t even notice it. ¡®I¡¯m right. Ruphas is wrong.¡¯ ... I was caught up in those delusions and ended up betraying my friend.¡±

    His arms were no longer thick like they used to be. Instead, they were thin and frail. Furthermore, his arms from the elbows onwards had been turned into cold and lifeless artificial arms.

    His firm and sturdy body had been left in a state where there was nothing but skin on his bones.

    His face was pale, lifeless and devoid of any willpower.

    Libra was expressionless as ever as she looked down on him lying on his side, as she dutifully spent her time together with her parent during hisst moments.

    ¡°Libra, don¡¯t be like me. Keeping your duty in mind is fine. Thinking about the reason behind your existence is also fine... but if you ever lose your way, listen to what your heart is saying. Ask yourself if what you¡¯re doing at that moment is right... if it¡¯s really the path you yourself wanted to take. Just take a moment and think it through, at least once... I was... unable to do just that...¡±

    ¡°Mizar-sama, I don¡¯t have this ¡®heart¡¯ that you speak of.¡±

    ¡°No, you do... you have a heart. I mean... look. Even though I didn¡¯t give you any orders, you¡¯re taking such dutiful care of me during my final moments. None of the other golems are doing such a thing.¡±

    ¡°............¡±

    Mizar took hold of Libra¡¯s hand with his trembling hands.

    What should have been warm hands which had created a countless number of inventions in the past were no longer present.

    The only thing that was present in that ce were cold and manufactured hands just like Libra¡¯s.

    Without any intention or purpose in mind, Libra returned his action by tightly clenching her hands around his.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be alright, Libra... You can choose. Even if you¡¯re not ordered to, you can choose what you want to do with your own free will... I believe that you possess... what no other alchemist in Midgard... not even that Ruphas, could create... the thing called a ¡®heart¡¯... After all... you are... my masterpiece (daughter)...¡±

    ¨C And so, the scales were rattled.

    To lean to the right would have been correct. To lean to the left would have been wrong.

    Yet the scales rattled back and forth.

    Before anyone had noticed, the loads on each side of the scales had be of equal weight.

    Because of that... the scales rattled.

    *

    The battle which would determine the fate of the world had entered its climax. At this moment, arguably the source of everything, Ruphas, was standing off against the one who controlled all of the ouroboroses.

    The ones who were standing in Ruphas¡¯s way were Dina and Libra... Both of whom had stood alongside Ruphas as her subordinates until just a while ago.

    But things were different now. Dina was now under the control of the Goddess, and Libra stood alongside her as a result of the very reason for her existence.

    ¡°You¡¯ve finallye.¡±

    Ruphas spoke with a chilly voice as she looked at the two of them.

    From the very beginning, she had predicted that things would turn out this way. She had very clearly understood that the two of them would stand in her way as enemies sooner orter.

    That was why she was not surprised. All she felt was a firm determination.

    From the very beginning, the two of them were under the opponent¡¯s possession. So technically speaking, the one who had rights over them from the start was the Goddess. Having said that, Ruphas could not care less.

    She wasn¡¯t going to say something cheesy like, ¡°Give them back to me¡±. Instead, she would just take them for herself.

    It was irrelevant to her that they were the Goddess¡¯s avatar and doll.

    The two of them were herrades. That was why she would snatch them. She would not allow any objections.

    One could say that it was a very tyrannical determination. But that was how determined Ruphas was right now.

    ¡°Indeed. It was about time I got bored of letting you y around, you see. So shall we have you put an end to it now?¡±

    With Dina¡¯s appearance. With Dina¡¯s voice.

    The Goddess fixed her cold eyes on Ruphas and spoke.

    But Ruphasughed in return as if she was ridiculing the whole situation.

    ¡°You speak as if you could have sorted everything out whenever you wanted to. But aren¡¯t we here because you couldn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°No, I really could have, actually. If I wanted to, I could have erased you at any time. It¡¯s just that I held back a little.¡±

    They both had an expression ofcency.

    Neither side doubted their chance at victory. Neither side considered even for a moment that they might be the one who would end up losing.

    Ruphas casually flexed her fingers and cracked her joints all the while the Goddess clenched her fist and gathered mana around it.

    Although Aigokeros had collected all of the mana in the surroundings, such a thing was unrted to her.

    Now that she had a connection with the Goddess herself, the mana that Dina was gathering came from outside of the universe that they were in. It was supplied directly from the Goddess, and the amount of power that she could exhibit was effectively infinite.

    In front of that Goddess, Libra stepped in the way. As if to directly reciprocate that action, Scorpius came to stand in front of Ruphas.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you wait for a moment? Does a mere traitor like you think you have the right to fight against Ruphas-sama, hmm? Against someone like you, this mistress is more than enough.¡±

    ¡°Scorpius. I¡¯ve already analysed all of your abilities, movements and weaknesses. You have no chance of winning. This statement is made after taking into consideration that you are currently level 1000.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Those are some big statements, aren¡¯t they? Why don¡¯t you try it then!?¡±

    One of Libra¡¯s arms was currently a de, and she was merged with a support golem that resembled Astraea on her back.

    It was... not the original Astraea. The original was designed by Ruphas, and in preparation for the worst-case scenario, was set to obey Ruphas¡¯s orders rather than Libra¡¯s. As a consequence, Libra was unable to use Astraea at this moment.

    As a result, this was most likely a piece of equipment bestowed upon Libra by the Goddess.

    The wings on this one were ck, unlike the original, and the cannons on the back were the type that condensed and fired mana in the form of a concentrated manaser.

    There were more mana cannons equipped around her lower back, but these were the type which fired mana as projectile bullets. All in all, itcked any form of originality and there was barely any differencepared to the original Astraea, such that it would not be wrong to call it a copy-and-paste item.

    Having said that, it would be appropriate to assume that this new one¡¯s performance surpassed that of the original¡¯s.

    Scorpius also simrly had a weapon which had been bestowed upon her by Ruphas in her hands. The two of them were staring each other down as if they were rival cats and dogs.

    ¡°Tssyaaaa!¡±

    Without waiting for a signal to begin, Scorpius transitioned into an attack.

    Her retractable weapon in the shape of a scorpion¡¯s pincers flew towards Libra, who took off into the sky.

    Twopressed mana bullets were shot downwards from the cannons on Libra¡¯s waist, gorging into the earth below.

    A cloud of dust was riled up from the impact and assaulted everyone present. However, the Goddess casually put up a shield and kept it away from her, whilst Ruphas ignored it entirely, keeping her arms crossed.

    ¡°Looks like they¡¯ve started. Well, shall we observe them first?¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°By the way, I just wanted to ask you something... How do you feel? How does it feel to be betrayed by someone you believed was loyal to you?¡±

    ¡°... The answer to that... I¡¯ll give it to youter.¡±

    Even while the Goddess and Ruphas spoke, the battle continued.

    Scorpius jumped out from the dust cloud. She controlled her hair freely, shooting it towards Libra.

    But Libra used the de on her left arm to repel it, then instantly pointed all of the cannons on her right arm, shoulder and waist towards Scorpius.

    It was an all-out barrage without restraint. The five rays of light which she fired travelled straight towards Scorpius, but Scorpius was yanked away from the position as if she was pulled away by some force.

    By stabbing her weapon into the ground and retracting that, she was able to pull herself away from that position.

    Immediately afternding on the ground, she circled around to Libra¡¯s back.

    She then breathed poison gas from her mouth... but as Libra was a golem, it was only natural that there was no effect on Libra.

    Cutting through the poison fog, Libra closed in on Scorpius. Libra¡¯s de and Scorpius¡¯s unique weapon collided with one another, and sparks flew from the impact.

    When the impact repelled them from one another, they disappeared simultaneously, but Ruphas and the Goddess still chased the two¡¯s movements with their eyes.

    The two of them were moving at a very rapid speed, such that they appeared as if they were simply shadowy blobs, and the ground exploded shortly after the shadows collided with one another.

    At this moment, Libra charged in to attack at her top speed. Scorpius in return decided to ept the attack directly from the front. Then... the impact.

    With the two of them as the centre, a st of wind projected outwards and the ground below shattered and caved in.

    The attack this time turned into a battle of pure strength where neither side was willing to give in, as the two of them took appropriate positions to see it through to the end. Incidentally, the two¡¯s line of sight intersected with one another.

    ¡°Libra... I¡¯ve never liked you from the beginning, but I¡¯ve always acknowledged the loyalty that you had towards Ruphas-sama. So it¡¯s really a shame... That someone like you would fall to the point where you¡¯d be a doll for the third-rate Goddess.¡±

    ¡°A third-rate!?¡±

    ¡°Scorpius... Indeed, Alovenus-sama does often act third-rate as if it¡¯s the most normal thing in the world. I won¡¯t deny that.¡±

    ¡°No way, please deny it!¡±

    ¡°But I was her tool from the very beginning... There¡¯s no way I could have fallen anywhere. I was as low as I could have been from the beginning. Nothing more.¡±

    ¡°As low as you could have been!? ... What? Is that what you think of serving under me!?¡±

    A de made out of light and Scorpius¡¯s special weapon shed with one another. The moment the reaction force from the impact rebounded their own attacks, they would immediately move on to their next attacks.

    Twice, thrice, and for the fourth time... each individual hit was supported by the full force of their might, and the small number of attacks was a testament to that force.

    On every impact, a shockwave was sent out, blowing away everything in the vicinity.

    Had there been any cities still left on Midgard, they would have been turned into empty and barrennds from these shockwaves.

    ¡°Heh? What are you trying to say? Even though you were sticking so closely to Ruphas-sama all the time, were you just acting the whole time?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t technically an act. At the very least, during those times, I had recognised Ruphas-sama as my master.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you saying it quite clearly yourself, hmm?¡±

    ¡°I would like to warn you that it¡¯s a waste of time if you are hoping to make me have a change of heart. After all, I have no emotions.¡±

    This time, when the two parties¡¯ des intersected, blood flowed out from Scorpius¡¯s cheek.

    As they had been travelling and fighting together until recently, Libra was already aware of Scorpius¡¯s movements and habits.

    Notwithstanding that Scorpius was in a disadvantageous position in terms of attribute, defeating Libra when she had collected and analysed all necessary data would be no easy feat.

    Libra then flew up high into the sky and disappeared due to the distance she had created.

    Right afterwards, as if there was an air raid, small guided missiles came pouring down like a hailstorm.

    One after another, the missiles barraged the ground. Scorpius was pursued by repeated explosions.

    Within the storm of explosions, Ruphas lightly flicked away the missiles which erroneously came flying towards her location with the back of her hand. Simrly, the Goddess also retained herposure and kept the missiles away from her with just a simple shield.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always hated how you¡¯re always so pretentious!¡±

    Scorpius wildly spun her weapon around and mowed down everything in the air.

    All the missiles, which were falling down, were caught by this action and ended up exploding midair.

    She then leapt up into the air. She got above Libra¡¯s position and then kicked her down.

    But Libra used her arm to guard against the kick, and as a result, it did not result in a direct hit.

    Yet the force behind the kick was still enough to drop Libra all the way down to the surface. Right before hitting the ground, Libra managed to halt andunch herself back up.

    Dodging and parrying the mana bullets and manasers that Libra fired, Scorpius swung her weapon.

    But Libra managed to avoid Scorpius¡¯s attacks by flying around in the air then proceeded to step down on Scorpius¡¯s head and swatted her down.

    ¡°Is that so? I¡¯ve also never liked how you acted.¡±

    Libra replied in a chilly voice but noticed the oddity in her words right afterwards.

    Liked...? What do I mean, liked?

    I¡¯m unrted to something like that. To like or to hate, something vague like that is irrelevant to how I behave.

    The principle behind my actions is the reason for my existence. I was made so that I will do what I am doing, that is all there is to it.

    My will has no role to y in my decisions. To begin with, I don¡¯t have an ego or a will that can intervene in my decision-making process.

    But... yes. I most likely had never viewed Scorpius positively.

    She always stuck right next to Ruphas and she asserted that it was her rightful spot.

    She would always sneak into Ruphas¡¯s room at night but I would drive her back. Yet she never learnt her lesson. She would do the same thing every night.

    Towards someone like that, I...

    ... I... what? Could it be that I ¡°hated her¡±?

    That¡¯s impossible. I was not made to be able to feel emotion.

    Is there a glitch in my thought processor...? No, it¡¯s very much normal. There are no abnormalities. Did Ruphas-sama nt something in its ce? No, there are no traces of such a thing.

    ¡°Libra, what are you doing!? Finish her off!¡±

    ¡°... Understood, Alovenus-sama.¡±

    After receiving Alovenus¡¯smand, Libra selected her attack.

    Now that Scorpius was level 1000, her HP reserve had increased. Even at this point in the battle, it was still higher than 100 000... she could not be killed in a single hit by Brachium.

    However, if Libra was able to hit Scorpius with Brachium at this point, it would put her in a very advantageous position. It might even give her the momentum to allow her to push to the end.

    As such, the most optimal attack that she could select at this point was Brachium. All she had to do was weaken Scorpius right now and then finish her off afterwards.

    But the instant when she was about to fire the attack, Libra somehow recalled that time from two hundred years ago... and when she had reunited with Ruphas in that tomb all the way until today.

    ¡°... Full Burst!¡±

    Libra simultaneously fired everything from all of her muzzles as an all-out barrage.

    Wrong, this is wrong. This is not the most optimal choice.

    Just as one would have expected, Scorpius dodged all of the attacks which were raining down on her. She then extended her weapon out towards Libra.

    Libra avoided this attack and then created some distance.

    As such an event unfolded, Ruphas made a jeeringment.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Libra? Are you not going to use Brachium? If I were you, I would have used Brachium at that moment and ended the battle.¡±

    ¡°... Are you not going to stop it? If I had done that, there was a high probability that Scorpius would have lost the battle and died as a result.¡±

    ¡°Are you wanting me to stop you?¡±

    Libra questioned Ruphas, but Ruphas responded to her with a question of her own.

    What kind of a stupid question is she asking? Of course, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d ask the enemy to stop me from finishing off my opponent. ¨C Libra thought.

    But why was it...? For some reason, Libra was unable to say that out loud.

    She was unable to understand why herself. Was she broken?

    ¡°Let me ask you something, Libra. Why do you think I¡¯ve been letting you do whatever you wanted to up until now?¡±

    ¡°... You just simply didn¡¯t notice it... was not the case, I see.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, I noticed it. Ever since two hundred years ago, in fact. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t inform you of my ns as I did Dina. It¡¯s also for the same reason I didn¡¯t entrust you with the sealing of the ouroboroses.¡±

    ¡°Then why?¡±

    ¡°I wanted you to learn, that¡¯s all.¡±

    Ruphas smiled as she talked.

    ¡°Libra, you¡¯re the most amazing golem. But even then, youck something.¡±

    ¡°Ick... something, you say?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Youck a heart. You are Mizar¡¯s masterpiece, but even with his skill, he wasn¡¯t able to give you a heart.¡±

    A heart... that was something that no golem could ever have.

    A golem¡¯s specifications could be increased depending on how it was constructed. They could even be given high thought-processing functions.

    But there would still be no heart or emotion.

    Its decision making process would prioritise whether something was correct or not. Whether it was to the benefit or the detriment of its master.

    Whether it would be in line with the order it had received or not. That was all there was to it.

    There was no room for something vague such as their likes and dislikes or their personal opinions toe into y at any time during the decision making process.

    ¡°Libra, right now, your master is the Goddess. If you wish to act in ordance with the reason for your existence as a golem, then the correct thing for you to do would be to follow the Goddess¡¯smand. Having said that, let me say this to you and your budding heart of yours. I say this to you not as a doll, but as Libra. ... Come back, Libra. You¡¯re on our side. I need your service.¡±

    ¡°What a foolish thing to say.¡±

    Libra pointed all of her muzzles towards Ruphas.

    All she had to do was fire. All she had to do was fire and show Ruphas that they had gone their own separate ways. It was a simple thing to do.

    Yet, in the face of such a simple thing, why was she hesitating? As a golem, was this not the point where she would fire without any qualms?

    No, even before such a question, she was strange from the very beginning.

    If she had truly wanted to kill Taurus, then hadn¡¯t she had more than enough opportunities to finish him off?

    Although Pollux and Castor had caught up with her, with her stats increased, she should have had more than sufficient strength to finish off Taurus at that time.

    Furthermore, she should have had more than enough opportunities to assassinate her enemies.

    Aries had turned his back on her numerous times. How many opportunities had she had where she was able to kill him?

    How many times had Virgo been defenceless against her? There were even times when only the two of them had been alone without Ruphas. So why had she not taken any action?

    A part of her memory was missing... was not an excuse that she could use. After all, golems would always follow through with their master¡¯smand. As a consequence, even if they had no recollection of receiving themand, their actions would still be for the sake of fulfilling the order given to them by their master.

    ... So why was it that the whole time, she had been pretending to not realise that she had been ordered to ¡°infiltrate and sabotage the enemy from the inside¡±?

    At this point, she recalled Aries¡¯s smile, full of the faith that he had in her.

    The countless days they had travelled together after reuniting with one another in that tomb. The voices of herrades. Mizar¡¯s grief.

    Those times had brought forth something within Libra.

    ¡°Libra... you, do you even realise what kind of face you¡¯re making?¡±

    ¡°... Of course I do. It¡¯s a face which is ridiculing you guys... are you not able to see it?¡±

    When Libra was with Ruphas and the rest, she was always expressionless.

    With that consideration in mind, for her to be showing an expression of scorn itself could be thought of as a disy of emotion.

    But Scorpiusughed it off.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. That must be an expression that was taught to you by the Goddess... but I wonder why. To this mistress, it feels like your current expression is far more of a mask than usual. Almost as if you¡¯re wearing a mask with a fixed expression on your face. You just look so pathetic.¡±

    Scorpius closed in on Libra without minding her defence, then grabbed Libra by her cor and lifted her off the ground.

    Scorpius then mmed her forehead into that of Libra¡¯s and looked her straight in the eyes.

    ¡°Come back, you fool! I really, really hate you, but I¡¯m so sick and tired of how pathetic you are right now that I don¡¯t even feel likepeting with you!¡±

    The Libra that Scorpius knew of was always expressionless.

    Despite her always remaining expressionless and acting as if she had absolutely no emotion, she would always station herself close to Ruphas and hog the spot as if it was her rightful ce. Libra was fixated on that position more than anyone else.

    Scorpius was envious of her for that reason. It was unknown how many times Scorpius felt jealous of Libra.

    When this happened, Libra erased the sneering expression on her face and then looked back into Scorpius¡¯s eyes with an ice-cold expression.

    ¡°How unreasonable.¡±

    Libra made that statement with a dry and emotionless voice then mmed the back of her fist into Scorpius¡¯s face and forcibly pushed her away.

    With this attack, Scorpius¡¯s HP dipped below 100 000. As a result, Scorpius could now be finished off with one hit.

    With how things had developed, there was no longer any reason for Libra to hesitate firing Brachium.

    Should she fire the skill, it would definitively end the battle. There was no option of not firing it.

    Libra locked onto Scorpius and then closed her eyes.

    ¨C The scales then rattled.

    To lean to the right would have been correct. To lean to the left would have been wrong.

    Yet, the scales rattled back and forth.

    Before anyone had noticed, the loads on each side of the scales had be of equal weight.

    They rattled, they rattled, and they rattled...

    ... And eventually, they stopped rattling.

    *

    Even after reuniting for the first time in two hundred years, the Seven Heroes¡¯ coordination was perfect.

    It was as if there had never been a nk period in the first ce and they had been fighting together as a team until just yesterday. That was just how fluid their movements were.

    Bnash would be the one to charge into the vanguard and disrupt the enemy. Dubhe and Alioth would then push the front line with great vigour and pressure the enemy lines.

    During this time, Megrez and Phecda would use their arcane magic and long-range physical attacks respectively to provide supporting fire all the while Merak swiftly dealt with the enemy attacks.

    Mizar would then observe the battlefield and, depending on the situation they were in, would either supplement their offence or their defence.

    In the past, they challenged the Moon Ouroboros whilstcking Bnash and ended up losing.

    Although they had certainly lost against the Moon Ouroboros with their abilities, was that all there was to it?

    The guilt of betraying their friend and the resulting urge to self-destruct... it was simply impossible to assert that they felt no subconscious thoughts of wanting to lose or get hurt.

    And... when they entered a battle with those mindsets, they were far from being able to disy their true abilities.

    If they were seeking punishment and defeat somewhere deep in their minds, even if they thought they were fighting seriously, it was impossible for them to disy their true abilities.

    But this time was different. This time for sure, they were fighting for the sake of their friend.

    For the purpose of clearing away their debts, they returned and stood on the battlefield once more.

    As a result, their morale was sky-high. They thought that this time for sure, they would disy the true abilities of themselves... of the Seven Heroes... to the ouroboros.

    ¡°By the way, Mizar. If I recalled correctly, there was a golem that you made within the Twelve Heavenly Stars... isn¡¯t that kinda bad? I mean, if you think about it, when you were making that golem, we were pretty messed up because of the Goddess. We were like... that... right?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, it¡¯s kinda bad. I left the order which was in the Selection Scales entirely untouched when I made it. The master of the golem is still the Goddess.¡±

    ¡°Oi!¡±

    While providing support from the back, Phecda became curious about the topic and asked Mizar a question. The answer that he received affirmed his suspicions.

    It was not merely at the point of ¡°kinda bad¡±. The chance of Libra betraying Ruphas was effectively set in stone.

    However, no concern could be seen on Mizar¡¯s face.

    There was no fear that his creation would strike his own friend.

    ¡°Well... whatever, there¡¯s no need to worry about it. Right before I died, I saw potential in Libra. Even though I didn¡¯t give her any orders to do so, she took care of me and stayed beside me during my final moments... A normal golem can¡¯t do something like that.¡±

    Mizar firmly believed what he had said and he said so with pride.

    If a golem was able to select what to do based on their own will irrespective of themands they received or the reason for their existence, then they could no longer be considered a tool.

    They would have be an entity of their own, with the only difference being that their body was metallic rather than flesh.

    If what Mizar believed was true, it would mean that, at that time, he would be proven to be the best golem creator in Midgard.

    Mizar was hoping for... believing in the moment when Libra would be truly pleted¡±.

    ¡°It¡¯ll all be fine. She¡¯s able to decide for herself... after all, she¡¯s my masterpiece (daughter)!¡±

    *

    ¡°¨C Alovenus-sama, I apologise.¡±

    While keeping her eyes closed, she apologised to her master.

    It seems that I am broken. ¨C Libra had finally realised that.

    After all, there was far too much weight on her left beam.

    Even though she should have leaned to the right side, her scales were no longer rocking back and forth.

    ¡°It seems I am a failed product.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    When she had recognised Alovenus as her true master, she had tried to call her ¡°master¡±, but for some reason, she had corrected herself right afterwards.

    From then onwards, she continued to refer to Alovenus as ¡°Alovenus-sama¡±.

    Even though she was able to call Ruphas her ¡°master¡± so easily, she could not understand why she was behaving in this way.

    She simply felt that there was this stubbornness within herself.

    ¡°Mydy, I am unable to make myself want to call you ¡®master¡¯.¡±

    Libra unequipped the Astraea which had been bestowed upon her by the Goddess, then pointed her muzzle at the Goddess.

    She then fired a farewell shot at her original master to indicate her choice.

    The Goddess was engulfed in mes while looking dumbfounded by what had happened, before Libra closed her eyes once more.

    She corrupted the memory that the Goddess was her true master, this time on her own ord... then deleted it to make sure that it would not return.

    The scales had leaned to the wrong sidepletely. It would not swing back to the other side ever again.

    The scales, which were broken, would never work again. It leaned to one side ording to its own will and it broke itself, also ording to its own will.

    ... Correction. It did not be broken.

    In all likelihood, Libra was iplete until this point. Irrespective of howplete she looked in the eyes of a third party, if the creator said that she was yet to bepleted, then she was iplete.

    And now... yes, now, she was pleted¡±.

    Until this point, Libra of the [Scales] in the Tyrannical Twelve Heavenly Stars was not aplete golem... but just now, she had beenpleted.

    Watching the whole scene as it transpired, Ruphas smiled in satisfaction and then spoke towards the Goddess, who still looked dumbfounded.

    ¡°Oh yeah, I haven¡¯t given you the answer to your question. But before that... By the way, I just wanted to ask you something... How do you feel right now?¡±

    The Goddess did not give an answer. But the mortified look on her face exined it all.

    __

    (Author note)

    Mars: ¡°N. D. K! N. D. K!¡±

    Alovenus: ¡°...¡±

    Libra has received a version upgrade to Libra plete) in the final battle beforeing back home.

    All the modding up until this point will be carried over.

    > During the final climax, Libra became an enemy and received a power-up.

    > Ruphas and Scorpius selected amand known as ¡°persuasion¡±.

    > Libra came back to their side while in the upgraded state.

    > It¡¯s amon clich¨¦ when ites to super robots. Yep.

 Chapter 181

    Chapter 181

    Ruphas-sama, I...¡±

    After gainingplete independence from the Goddess, Libra hesitantly turned towards Ruphas . Ruphas merely patted her on the shoulder .

    ¡°You finally came back . ¡±

    ¡°...Yes . ¡±

    This would do for now . After all, they were still in the midst of a battle . Even Midgard itself would perish soon . Casual conversation could wait until everything was over . Therefore, for now, they should just fight .

    Libra probably caught on to her intentions as she looked up into the sky and shot down ck Astraea, which was made by the Goddess . Then, she called for Astraea and docked it to her back .

    ¡°Libra, I¡¯m no longer your master . Therefore, this is a request that I¡¯m asking you to consider out of your own volition . Assist Aries and the others . They look like they¡¯re having a hard time . ¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need a request . Just say the word and give me an order . My master is you, Ruphas-sama . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so? ...Then, this is my order . Tyrannical Twelve Heavenly Stars, Libra of the Scales . Defeat my enemies!¡±

    ¡°Yes, my master!¡±

    Upon hearing the order, Libra flew into the sky . Ruphas no longer hadmand over Libra . The authority tomand was in the hands of the Goddess . But that was irrelevant now . The tool had chosen its user, just as a user could choose which tool to use . Her master was Ruphas . There could be nobody else . This was decided by Libra herself .

    She was certain that she was broken . She realized that this was a failure typical of a defective product . But for some reason, her thoughts were clearer than ever . It was a strange, light feeling . In human terms, this was like finding one¡¯s way again after being lost . Since this was the first time Libra was experiencing it, she couldn¡¯t find the words to describe her condition .

    ¡°Libra, take them along!¡±

    Ruphas raised her voice and three golems flew over from Blutgang, which was still fighting the Fire Ouroboros . They were Tanaka, Suzuki, and the Gatekeeper . The three units transformed in mid-air, separating their parts and rbining them to change form . When they came below Libra, they were already in a form that was difficult to describe .

    If one were to describe its overall shape, it was like a tform with two tes¡ªyes, resembling a pair of scales . The two tes were turned to face the back, bing vernier thrusters . Two cannon barrels were protruding in front .

    Blue and white jewels were embedded into the left and right sides of both barrels . But they were not glowing at the moment, as if they were silently waiting . It was hard to say that the design was refined...Because it prioritized functionality, it had a rather clumsy shape . Simply put, it was an ammunition dump in the shape of a pair of scales .

    It charged towards Libra¡¯s back and docked there . The two cannons had openings for the arms, and Libra ced her arms inside without hesitation and connected to them . Combination...Would it even be correct to call it that? The size difference was so great that it appeared as if Libra was being embedded between the cannons instead of actuallybining with the unit . It was a shape that waspletelycking in elegance, as if Libra was carrying a huge ammunition dump on her back .

    Scorpius took one look at it and muttered, ¡°Wow, so uncool...¡± Its appearance was truly not praiseworthy . However, Ruphas nodded in satisfaction for some reason .

    ¡°Whatever...Let¡¯s go, Libra!¡±

    Scorpius jumped onto the fully armed Libra as thetter flew by using her vernier thrusters . Her current speed was unlike anything that Libra had ever reached . elerating at an insane speed, Libra flew into outer space in an instant .

    ¡ºYou keep getting in my way...¡»

    In space, the Earth Ouroboros was about to unleash its breath upon Taurus . However, Libra saw it and deployed all of her weapons, simultaneously firing the cannons . Many shes and guided missiles exploded on the nk of the Earth Ouroboros, while Scorpius jumped off and recovered Taurus . She then extended her weapon at the ground near Aries and used it to return to the ground by retracting it .

    Meanwhile, Libra flew around the Earth Ouroboros at high speed, using explosives to distract it .

    ¡ºPetty tricks!¡»

    The Earth Ouroboros breathed out, trying to shoot her down . However, Libra evaded the destructive light which could move only in a straight line . She went around the ouroboros to close the distance and aimed her cannons at its nose .

    ¡°Full fire!¡±

    And she fired .

    The Earth Ouroboros¡¯ face fell under heavy fire,pletely blocking its vision . Furthermore, the Left Scale was activated . When she swung her left arm, the left cannon which was connected to her arm moved as well, and a huge de of light emerged from the muzzle . This was already more than twice the attack power of the normal Libra, but it wasn¡¯t over yet . The blue jewels on the left side of the ammunition dump started to glow .

    ¡ºWeapon support, activate . Zubeneschamali, output five hundred percent . ¡»

    The Gatekeeper¡¯s voice echoed, and the de of light from the left barrel erged considerably . If Libra wanted to do so right now, she could probably cut the Moon in two . Libra swung the disproportionallyrge de down, slicing through many rocks that were floating in space and explosively striking the Earth Ouroboros¡¯ face .

    Violet lightning shed everywhere . The ouroboros¡¯ scales were scorched, leaving behind a scar that was not shallow .

    Then, Libra stuck out her right arm, and the barrel that was connected to her arm extended ordingly . Light gathered at the muzzle, while the red jewels on the right side of the ammunition dump started to glow .

    ¡ºWeapon support, activate . Zubenelgenubi, output five hundred percent . ¡»

    A buzzing sound was heard as the energy charge marker on the left barrel filled up in an instant . It wasn¡¯t only using Libra¡¯s energy for the attack . Even the mana thatposed the universe was being collected, allowing the attack to exceed its normal limit .

    The light was enough to burn one¡¯s retinas...An ordinary person would have been inevitably blinded . An overwhelming torrent of destruction,parable to the breath of an ouroboros, was fired from the barrel .

    At the same time, the vernier thrusters were fully activated to prevent Libra from being blown away by the recoil, allowing her to remain in her position . Smoke started to emit from the overheated barrel in an instant as it began to cool down . However, Libra couldn¡¯t bask in the afterglow of the attack, as she rapidly descended .

    The sh of light forced the ouroboros back down to Midgard . It erupted into mes as it re-entered the atmosphere . Libra passed next to it as she descended with her own aura of me . She moved right next to Aries .

    ¡°Libra!¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    ...should have already betrayed us .

    Aries was surprised by the sudden intrusion of Libra, who should have been on the Goddess¡¯ side from the beginning . Meanwhile, Aquarius muttered with suspicion . However, Libra merely closed her eyes and spoke with her normal voice .

    ¡°...I have no excuses . If you can¡¯t believe in me anymore, just shoot me down from behind . That¡¯s all I can say for now . ¡±

    Libra didn¡¯t think that she wouldn¡¯t be attacked . If Leon was here, he would have surely said, ¡°Then die!¡± and attacked . If that were to happen, Libra would not even try to evade the attack . She wouldn¡¯t ask for them to believe in her . It was only natural for them to distrust her .

    But even though she was acting like this, Aries happily said to her .

    ¡°Libra...Wee back . ¡±

    ¡°...I¡¯m back, but I don¡¯t really have the right to say that right now . When this battle is over, and if everyone is able to forgive me, I¡¯ll formally say it again . ¡±

    After saying that, Libra charged at the Earth Ouroboros . At that moment, Aries and the others certainly saw it . There was a smile on Libra¡¯s face .

    ¡°Eh? Did she just...smile? Am I seeing things, or did that golem really smile?¡±

    ¡°No, Aquarius . I saw it too . ¡±

    They had known each other for more than two hundred years, but nobody had ever seen Libra smile . It was only natural . Since she had no emotion, she would also have no facial expressions . Therefore, she had never smiled, raged, normented .

    Although they were both considered objects, this was the difference between Aquarius and Libra . Aquarius had emotions from the start, and could express them through her physical manifestation . However, Libra never had any emotions . They could only remember her standing expressionless behind Ruphas . For the other members of the Twelve Stars, it was an unbelievably major event for her to smile even slightly .

    ¡°She really has changed . In the end, she still returned to where she belonged...That¡¯s why I really can¡¯t stand her . ¡±

    Scorpius sarcastically made a cynical remark, but there were traces of a happy smile . Then, she jumped off Aries and was enveloped by light as she transformed into her true form as a giant scorpion monster .

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s smash those oversized freaks and return to Ruphas-sama!¡±

    Scorpius shouted and exhaled a poisonous breath at the Earth Ouroboros .

    Naturally, there was no effect . The Earth Ouroboros¡¯ superior immunity instantly neutralized and destroyed all toxins . But Scorpius wasn¡¯t the Queen of Poison for nothing . If all existing poisons would not work, then she could just make a new kind of poison on the spot . She could mix the toxins in her body to create a poison that would work on an ouroboros .

    The newly created poison prated even the powerful resistance of an ouroboros, but the effectsted only for a moment . It didn¡¯t evenst for one second, but a second was more than enough for a battle of this level .

    After being affected by Scorpius¡¯ poison, the Earth Ouroboros was blinded and lost sight of everything before it . Naturally, its eyes would regenerate soon, but that moment of recovery was an opportunity in itself .

    Guns emerged everywhere from the ammunition dump on Libra¡¯s back, and they all flew out at the same time . Essentially, they were guns with only muzzles . No consideration had been made for where the users would hold them . There were neither grips nor triggers .

    All of them were automotive gun-shaped golems . They were remotely controlled by Libra, who served as the brain . An inevitable attack was made from all directions in three hundred sixty degrees, while the guns themselves moved to evade the ouroboros¡¯ counterattacks .

    These automotive weapons were the ultimate products of alchemy . But how would they even fit into a fantasy setting?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Absolute Zero!¡±

    ¡°Mesarthim!¡±

    ¡°Get blown away!¡±

    Aquarius, Aries, and Leon simultaneously made their attacks, causing explosions on the Earth Ouroboros . Its scales were blown off as the Earth Ouroboros screamed in humiliation and agony .

    ¡ºYou¡ª! Be crushed, puny ones!¡»

    The Earth Ouroboros attempted to emit gravitational waves in all directions with itself at the center...but nothing happened . Arcane magic that depended on mana could no longer be used . As long as Aigokeros remained in his colossal form, the ability would be sealed away .

    The Earth Ouroboros would naturally have understood that, but it seemed to have been pushed too far . As a result, it had forgotten about it, and its face revealed obvious restlessness .

    ¡ºThen, how about this!?¡»

    It switched to counter-attacking with gravitational missiles generated by the gravity of its own body instead of mana . However, attacks that wereunched out of desperation would not be able to hit Aries and the others . Everyone quickly evaded them . Aries, Leon, Scorpius, and Libra took the opening and attacked simultaneously .

    Although the ouroboros¡¯ repulsive defense was still somewhat functional, it had been prated by overwhelming damage .

    This is bad...Gravitational missiles are useless since I can¡¯t hit them . As for meleebat...I¡¯d have to deactivate the repulsive defense to attack...That¡¯s out of question . I¡ªI can only get up top!

    With all of its offensive options blocked, the Earth Ouroboros made its final gambit . It left Midgard again and increased the distance between them . Once again, it was forming a ck hole . This time, it would swallow and destroy everything .

    But the situation was different now . It had forgotten that Libra had joined the fight .

    Libra flew in pursuit of the Earth Ouroboros and passed in front of it as the ouroboros was about to bite its own tail . The ouroboros was a moment toote as its tail was severed, drifting off into space . It was struck at the moment when it deactivated its repulsive defense in order to bite its own tail .

    In the first ce, why had it gone to the edge of the sr system, far away from Midgard, to activate the skill previously? Wasn¡¯t it to prevent the activation from being interrupted? Yet it had forgotten about it and tried to activate the skill near Midgard . That was why it was struck and ended up in such a humiliating situation .

    An ouroboros was a perfect creature and an invincible existence . It had never experienced a hard battle . That fact became a vulnerability because it wasn¡¯t used to adversity . The situation might have been different if it were the Heavenly Ouroboros, which thrived in the face of adversity, but the Earth Ouroboros wasn¡¯t like that .

    ¡ºUgh...Ugh...Ugh¡ª!¡»

    The ouroboros screamed without knowing if it was from anger or fear . It opened its huge mouth and approached Libra, who fearlessly charged into the mouth . She went inside the ouroboros and sent out all the automotive guns from her ammunition dump .

    In Libra¡¯s vision, lock-on markers focused on every organ within the body of the Earth Ouroboros . The words ¡°Multi Lock-On¡± were disyed .

    ¡°All weapons released! Multi Lock-On!¡±

    ¡ºLock-onpleted!¡»

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    There were disadvantages for being too big . Because the ouroboros was sorge, it made the terrible mistake of swallowing the world¡¯s most dangerous weapon . With Libra at the core, destructive lights, guided missiles, bombs, railguns, magic cannons, and magic missiles were all unleashed inside its body, crushing its organs and bones .

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    As an analogy, this was like a war within one¡¯s body . Libra rushed from the throat to the tail, ceaselessly firing ammunition everywhere in order to destroy the Earth Ouroboros from within . No matter how impossibly resilient an ouroboros might be, its interior wasn¡¯t as resilient as its exterior .

    This was basically torture . It was as if the ouroboros was in hell . The foreign matter that had entered from its throat had burnt its esophagus, destroyed its stomach, and repeatedly vandalized its intestines .

    ¡°Fire! Fire! ¡ªFire!¡±

    Libra went from the throat to the tail, destroying its body in the process . Then, she flew out¡ªnot . Instead, she did a reverse run . She flew past the ces where she had been previously, further destroying them as she advanced . There was only one goal here . The Earth Ouroboros probably understood it too . It cried out in a scream .

    ¡ºStop, stop¡ª!¡»

    Libra¡¯s destination was the brain . She returned to the throat while burning the Earth Ouroboros at a speed that exceeded its regeneration . Then, she changed course and prated the throat .

    Using her de of light, Libra made an incision in order to reach the skull . The skull protected the brain, which was the most important organ of an ouroboros, so it was extraordinarily resilient . It was even more resilient than the scales . Its defensive numerical value exceeded fifty thousand, so it wasn¡¯t a defense that could be broken through normally .

    But that was irrelevant to her skill . Its maximum damage was fixed . The targets were all her enemies . Libra had already locked on to all parts of the body, including the brain .

    ¡°Switching to final attack mode! Limiter, release!¡±

    ¡ºLimiter release, acknowledged!¡»

    The jewels embedded into both sides of the Scales began to glow at the same time . Libra¡¯s entire body became white hot . This would be the one attack from the Scales .

    Libra did not know any of this, but in the myths of Earth, there had been a golden age when the gods watched over and protected the people . But the Goddess of the Scales, Astraea, eventually gave up on the people and brought an end to the time when the gods lived among people . The tilted Scales never returned to bnce . The Scales separated the gods and the people, but the era of the gods manipting people would end today .

    This would be the one attack that would determine fate itself¡ª

    ¡ºOutput, one thousand percent!¡»

    ¡°Skill selection...Brachium Overflow!¡±

    A torrent of destruction swirled within the head of the Earth Ouroboros . Basically, this was the same as a regr Brachium, except that the output was different . The damage value exceeded its normal limit, dealing an explosive 999,999 damage without allowing for evasion or defense .

    Its brain cells were stirred, crushed, and mashed . The ouroboros couldn¡¯t even scream . Its eyes turned white, and foam dripped from the edge of its mouth . Then, Libra flew out of the mouth of the Earth Ouroboros, which hadpletely stopped moving .

    She soared higher and higher . Then, she descended rapidly . With the force of that eleration, she swung her huge de of light down, decapitating the Earth Ouroboros .

    ¡º...Ugh...Ugh...¡»

    In the end, full of bitterness and humiliation, the Earth Ouroboros let out a moan that wasn¡¯t even a proper word and became particles of light . It then exploded, scattering the particles .

    It was a fantastic sight to see the scattered light that briefly illuminated the darkness of space, but Libra didn¡¯t feel any emotion at all . This was the end of an ouroboros, an agent of the Goddess . After watching this, Libra muttered softly .

    ¡°Mission,plete...I¡¯m going back . ¡±

    She wasn¡¯t returning to the Goddess . She was returning to herpanions ording to her own will .

    Having deviated from her master¡¯s will, she was a defective product of the Goddess . She returned to the ce of herpanions who still greeted her with a ¡°Wee back¡± despite her being such a defective product .

 Chapter 182

    Chapter 182

    ¡°The decisive moment ising . ¡±

    I watched the four battles approach their conclusions and spoke to the Goddess (Dina) .

    The Earth Ouroboros and Heavenly Ouroboros had died . The Fire Ouroboros was already half-dead, so there was no way B and the others would lose . At this point, even B alone would have won without any problems . On the other hand, the Wood Ouroboros had to deal with both Pollux and Orm at the same time . It was only a matter of time before Aries and the others headed over there and helped them achieve victory .

    However, the Goddess (Dina) still maintained a casual expression . That was natural...since the most important existence was still unharmed over here . No, even if I had defeated Dina, she would still be just as casual . After all, this entire world was just a game . If she lost, she might be disappointed . If she started sulking, she might never y it again . That was all there was to it .

    No matter how hurt the game character was, the yer still wouldn¡¯t receive a scar in real life . That was why I needed to destroy this universe (game) to be on par with her . If I didn¡¯t do that, I wouldn¡¯t be able to fight her . I wouldn¡¯t even be able to meet her face to face .

    Naturally, I couldn¡¯t afford to lose to her right here . After all, I haven¡¯t even managed to reach the same battlefield as Alovenus yet .

    ¡°What a bunch of useless guys . However, your steady advance is ending here . No matter how strong you are, you can¡¯t defeat me . ¡±

    ¡°Not quite . That¡¯s Dina¡¯s body . You yourself aren¡¯t even on this battlefield yet . ¡±

    ¡°I see . That¡¯s true . However...For someone like you, this is more than enough . ¡±

    As she spoke, the pressure released by the Goddess (Dina) increased .

    ¡ªShe¡¯sing!

    I could feel the mana from beyond this star ebbing away . It wasn¡¯t something inferior like Midgard¡¯s mana . She was collecting the mana that made up the universe itself . Yes, the universe itself was her arcane magic . Therefore, the amount of mana that she had ess to was infinite .

    ¡°Now,e forth . You, the ruler of the sky, the thunder of destruction that shattered the stars...Ceraunus!¡±

    The sky parted and lightning descended . At our level, I would say that a lightning strike was just child¡¯s y...but naturally, this wasn¡¯t ordinary lightning . There was no way to know how much voltage was in the current, but there was no doubt that it reached an astronomically impossible value . As she had said, it could incinerate even stars . It was evident there was enough power to erase them .

    I raised my hand over my head and deployed a shield to block the lightning . It was an instor that created ayer of air which did not conduct electricity . Naturally, it was immediately destroyed . This wasn¡¯t something that could be defended against using rubber, pure water, or ayer of air .

    Physical truths, rationale,mon sense, reasoning, theories, andws...were all sadly invalid . They werepletely meaningless . However, if the other side was pushing forward with raw power, I would just have to reciprocate in kind . I raised the output of the shield to an irrational level, blocking the lightning that ignored rationality .

    The lightning scattered light across the sky . Despite a reduction of the number of stars shining in the sky, Midgard itself was still extant .

    ¡°Cut her down, Winter of Swords!¡±

    This time, I went on the offensive . This waspletely different from the half-actualized Winter of Swords that I had previously used against B . It was a full-scale skill activation .

    Countless des sprang up at the feet of the Goddess (Dina), prating the sky above . The Goddess (Dina) jumped further away with a smile, while I moved my arm to pursue her . The des moved and cornered the Goddess (Dina) once again .

    However, she slipped through the cage of des, jumping higher up without suffering any wounds . I jumped after her as she escaped, facing her in mid-air .

    ¡°You, incarnate of destruction, the one with a thousand names, the ultimate being that will destroy all things...Mahak!¡±

    With the Goddess (Dina) as the center, mes scattered in all directions . I had a premonition of absolute death . Even though it might have seemed somewhat timid, I was forced to retreat . But it soon became obvious that my premonition was right .

    The des that I had transmuted were destroyed without exception, disintegrating into charcoal . It was obvious that this wasn¡¯t just normal heat .

    ¡°Absolute destruction, huh?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s instant death for both living and nonliving things . ¡±

    Hearing the words of the Goddess (Dina), I muttered, ¡°I see . ¡±

    It would most likely prate any resistance as well . What a horrifying skill...if one was actually struck by it . However, the actual effect aside, the mes were actually not a big deal . At least, it was fairly mild whenpared to the heat of the Sun...It was a weak me that could be snuffed by blowing at it .

    I lightly punched forward and snuffed out the mes using the resulting wind pressure . Then, I flew right in front of the Goddess (Dina) .

    ¡°Aldebaran!¡±

    My fist struck the Goddess (Dina) in the belly and blew her away .

    Sorry, Dina . I¡¯ll heal youter, so please forgive me .

    If I had used this on Pollux back then, it would have restored her consciousness . Aldebaran could destroy and nullify all powers .

    However, the Goddess...was still possessing Dina . Well, that was natural, since the Goddess wasn¡¯t controlling Dina using a skill . She was merely controlling someone who had originally been created to be her avatar . There wasn¡¯t any power at work here .

    Based on what I had heard from Dina, the Goddess had to use a skill to possess her . But it wasn¡¯t an ongoing effect . Once it was used, the skill wasn¡¯t considered to still be active .

    ¡°It¡¯s useless,¡± the Goddess (Dina) mocked me and used another skill .

    ¡°You, queen of the underworld, divine progenitor of the gods,e forth . Izanami!¡±

    At themand of the Goddess (Dina), the surrounding mana began to coalesce into the shapes of people . They took the forms/appearance of Japanese-styled men and women holding weapons, and gave off a sense of being rather formidable . They promptly surrounded me .

    How lukewarm . What is this? Are they asking to be beaten up?

    She should have known by now that this amount of enemies wouldn¡¯t be enough to deal with me . In that case, let me clean this up with a skill . The divine gatekeeper would eliminate those who weren¡¯t fit to be in this battlefield...by using the Selection Scales .

    ¡°Brachium!¡±

    A destructive light swirled around me, turning the manifesting people back into dust . Brachium was a skill with a fixed damage value, and my current damage value was 999,999,999...which was almost a billion .

    Caught up in the attack, the Goddess (Dina) received enormous damage . The surrounding area waspletely cleared away . Even then, this much damage was merely one-thousandth of her HP . It might not be my ce to say this, but her status was truly ridiculous .

    ¡°The first was from Greek mythology, then followed by something from Indian mythology . This time, it¡¯s Japanese mythology? You really are shameless . All of them are taken from myths from the other world . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes . Now that I think about it, you¡¯d know about them, wouldn¡¯t you? And you¡¯re right . The world over there is full of stories, and they¡¯re all so interesting . I¡¯m amazed by the people¡¯s creative freedom . ¡±

    The Goddess (Dina) smiled as she spread out her hands . She was like a kid who was talking about a toy that she was proud of . I got a glimpse of her innocence tainted by insanity .

    ¡°So which mythology would you like to experience next? Egyptian mythology, Chinese mythology, Bablyonian mythology, Norse mythology, or whatever else you¡¯d like . Pick whatever you want, I don¡¯t mind . Or do you prefer the gods fromics and novels instead of mythologies?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, that¡¯s quite a big proposition . So you¡¯re suggesting that if you feel like it, you can use all of the fantastic abilities from the myths and stories of the other world?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say everything, but I can use whatever people can imagine . ¡±

    That reply from the Goddess (Dina) answered one of the questions that I had been pondering about . Monkey see, monkey do...Furthermore, the forms of the gods who had been born earlier were rather ambiguous . There was no doubt about it . She...

    ¡°You cannot use your power to create life again, right?¡±

    When I confidently asked my question, the smug look on the Goddess (Dina) froze . Her reaction suggested that I had said something that shouldn¡¯t have been said .

    ¡°That¡¯s the limitation of imitating things like a monkey . It¡¯s too obvious and easy to know what you cannot do . This world itself is a distorted product made by merging various myths from the other world . This is also true for the native creatures . There¡¯s nothing truly original here . Although there are many creatures that have undergone their own evolutions and mutations, their roots can still be traced back to creatures from Earth . ¡±

    For example, there were dog-like magical beasts and cat-like creatures . There were reptilian demihumans and insectoid monsters . There were people who lived like the fish in the sea and people like us who had bird-like features .

    ¡°Somewhat alike¡±, ¡°simr¡±, ¡°look-alike¡±...All living things in this world could be described using those terms . However, one wouldn¡¯t say that a dog was like a dog or a cat was like a cat . This was because they were the original to begin with . A biologist who knew all living creatures on Earth would not think that there were any truly unknown creatures in this world, because everything here was simply a pirated copy .

    ¡°You can do everything that people can imagine? That¡¯s wrong . You can only do what people can imagine . You don¡¯t have the power to create what is truly unknown . ¡±

    All the roots of Midgard originated from Earth . Perhaps she actually had the power to produce the unknown, but she simply didn¡¯t have the imagination . Because all of her ideas originated from Earth, there would always be some parts that resembled what was found on Earth .

    All these meant only one thing . I couldn¡¯t be certain, but my intuition shouted that my inference was correct . In the first ce, it was weird that she could not create life despite iming to be the goddess of creation or the goddess who created the world .

    ¡°Alovenus, you are not the deity who created the world . Before you became a goddess, the world already existed...Am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°...That¡¯s an interesting thing to say . I see, I see . This development is not bad . The true deity of creation is the mastermind who¡¯s manipting the events from behind me...Hehe, is that what you want to say?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the case . Are you stupid?¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ª!?¡±

    The Goddess (Dina) attempted to confuse me with an impossible idea, but that was utterly pointless . Without a doubt, she was the true mastermind and the pinnacle existence of the world . There was nobody pulling the strings behind her nor anyone superior to her . At the same time, there was also no doubt that, other than Alovenus, there had existed another deity who had created the world .

    The problem was that this deity probably no longer existed . I didn¡¯t have any idea why something like that had happened nor did I have a way of verifying my theory . But there was one thing that I was sure of .

    ¡°Alovenus, you were probably someone just like us . But for some reason, you were brought here from your original world . And also, for some reason, you challenged the original deity and took its ce . ¡±

    Yes, this was the only conclusion one could make at this point . The distorted world of Midgard and the creatures in it were a patchwork of myths . Everything from its civilization to its food culture was an imitation of the other world .

    Above all else, there was also the fact that, despite doing whatever she wanted to whenever she wanted, Alovenus had left Earth alone up until now . It was as if Earth was an invible sanctuary or something . She hadn¡¯t even noticed that Dina had been lurking there...She must have considered Earth to be a special world . Therefore, she wanted to use humans from the other world as the protagonists of her story . Consider why she would bring over a youth who might be unsuitable for battle and give that person preferential treatment .

    Why? ...It was easy to guess the reason .

    ¡°That¡¯s right . You are a human from Earth, Alovenus . You are neither omnipotent nor omniscient . You are not a god . You are just a third-rate scriptwriter who reced the original deity . This is your true identity . ¡±

    She must surely be as close to immortality as possible . There¡¯s no doubt that she could live agelessly for nearly forever . Her power was so overwhelming that she could destroy this universe .

    The more I thought about it, the more it seemed fitting to consider her a deity . At least, she was powerful enough to be considered one . But her origin was no different from us . Despite being a deity, she was too human and had too many faults .

    ¡°.........¡±

    After I revealed her true identity, there was a momentary void in the heart of the Goddess (Dina) . She probably didn¡¯t expect me to hit the bull¡¯s eye . It was no wonder, since I was someone who had beenpletely born and raised in Midgard . I should never have gained knowledge of the other world, so I should never have been able to reach the truth .

    After being stunned for a while, she smiled dryly .

    ¡°Ha, hahaha...Hahahaha...How long has it been since someone called me a human? It must have been at least several hundred million years . I can¡¯t remember clearly anymore...It sounds rather nostalgic . Certainly, I had been called one in the past . ...How long ago was that? I can¡¯t even remember it myself . ¡±

    As she said this, the Goddess (Dina) stopped smiling and looked at me . Unlike before, she no longer looked like she was just ying a game . For the first time ever, she finally recognized me as an enemy .

    ¡°The game ends here . You have gone a bit too far into territory that you should not be in . ...It¡¯s time for the curtains to be lowered by the hands of the protagonist (hero) . ¡±

    The Goddess (Dina) moved her arm . The mana which made up the ouroboroses quickly flew over and coalesced in a single spot . Its destination was the Ark...No, it should be the young man within it, right?

    Even the mana that had been gathered by Aigokeros was forcefully taken away . All of it was flowing into the young man Sei as experience points . Even the Fire Ouroboros and Wood Ouroboros had probably be experience points as well . Only Orm, who was under my control, barely escaped after some difficulties . But even then, the young man Sei should have enough power to challenge me .

    ¡°Ah . The curtains will indeed be lowered soon...by the hands of the hero . ¡±

    I responded by agreeing with the Goddess and looked at the Ark . Naturally, what I meant when I said the curtains would be lowered waspletely different from what the Goddess had meant .

    Alovenus, you still don¡¯t understand . That young man is not the protagonist . He¡¯s someone who seeks the right path even at the cost of stepping down from the seat of the protagonist .

    The curtains would indeed be lowered soon . It would be the curtain call for aedy .

    And at that time, the fights behind the scenes that couldn¡¯t be shown to the audience would begin .

 Chapter 183

    Chapter 183

    When the Goddess bestowed power upon another, she would first ensure that the person wanted power. This ensured that the person would naturally ept the power and freely use it.

    Even if she didn¡¯t do so, the Goddess could still control the person. It wasn¡¯t impossible to forcibly make someone a puppet even if the person rejected her power...And the person must have a mental fortitude simr to that of Bnash in order to resist it. In other words, the Goddess could control Sei whenever she wanted.

    So why didn¡¯t she do that? The reason was simple...It was because he would still be too weak. No matter how much its status was improved, a doll that couldn¡¯t make its own decisions would be full of openings, so it wouldn¡¯t be useful as abat unit.

    Because the Goddess was too powerful, she wouldn¡¯t be aware of tiny events that were happening in the tiny world. For example, if someone was ying a game from the perspective of God, the yer wouldn¡¯t notice a tiny mosquito that came before the game character. This was because the character was too tiny.

    This would be a fatal w in battle. It was almost like being defenseless. It might be manageable if there was an overwhelming difference between thebatants, but the opponent this time was Ruphas Mafahl. A hero who was full of openings wouldn¡¯t be much of an opponent at all.

    This was why, when she controlled Alioth and the others back then, she didn¡¯t deprive them of their wills. Pollux was a special case, since she waspletely a doll. She was weak to begin with, so there would be openings regardless. It was the Argonauts who would be fighting anyway.

    Therefore, the awakening of the hero must follow the proper order by first having the hero be aware of his own powerlessness. The Goddess would then grant him power when he sought it out of his own volition.

    However, the n hadpletely fallen apart due to the betrayal of one person. Dina, who was her avatar, had gone astray. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to consider her as another Alovenus, since she had her personality and memories. Thus, her betrayal wasn¡¯t expected by the Goddess. She was the culprit behind everything.

    Dina was supposed to only give Ruphas a false personality, but she ended up giving Ruphas knowledge of the other world and returning her back to her actual self. The Twelve Stars, who had gone astray, were returned to Ruphas, while the demons were further weakened. By intentionally faking ipetence, she had even caused Libra to be exposed. The hero waspletely ignored by her as well...When the Goddess finally realized it, the situation had already be like this.

    An understanding had been reached between the hero and Ruphas. Both of them were now enemies of the Goddess. It shouldn¡¯t have been like this. It wouldn¡¯t be a story if the protagonist and thest boss were on amicable terms. Furthermore, it was based on an extremely unorthodox reason like ¡°The author is annoying, so let¡¯s beat her up together.¡±

    But that was all there was to it. Now that the Goddess herself had taken action, the story would not be derailed further.

    Convinced of her victory, the Goddess (Dina) smiled and used her thought-maniption ability. Likewise, Ruphas smiled and watched without interrupting her as she was also certain of her victory.

    Both of them had yed their cards, but which one would end up victorious? Regardless, there was one thing inmon. Regardless of who was expected to win, the curtains would fall by the hands of the hero.

    ?

    Sei was confused. He remembered being in the Ark, persuading the people there. It could be argued whether it counted as persuasion, but he was currently looking at the scene outside.

    Outside the Ark, he could see Virgo fighting desperately. Her opponent was the Wood Ouroboros. It was an abnormal monster that could crushs. Virgo couldn¡¯t possibly remain unharmed.

    Sei could only look on without being able to do anything. After all, Virgo was strong, while he was weak. Instead of providing assistance, he would die just from being outside of the Ark.

    The had lost its original form, bing swallowed by magma. Meteors continuously rained from the sky. The mountains were crushed and the ground had ripped apart. The seas had dried up, while thunder roared ceaselessly. Abnormal weather was urring everywhere. It was no doubt the end of the world. It was the end times that were found in various myths.

    It would be a lie if he said that he wasn¡¯t feeling miserable. He couldn¡¯t help but feel inferior. No, he had always felt miserable. Being a hero was a heavy burden. He was ashamed of his own weakness.

    Helplessness had apanied Sei like a neighbor who would not leave. Ever since he saw Ruphas in this world, it had been like a friend who constantly ced a hand on his shoulder. He had been disgusted with this friend since the very beginning. Even now, that feeling continued to grow.

    He felt particrly helpless during the fight against Debris in L?gjarn. Seeing the difference between himself and Ruphas had made him give up in a sense. She was a natural disaster in humanoid form, so it couldn¡¯t be helped if he couldn¡¯t win.

    There was no shame in running away from a falling meteor, not winning against a fighter jet armed with nuclear missiles, or surrendering to a fully mobilized army. If a rampaging giant monster came out of the screen from a monster movie, who would be able to fight it with a sword?

    However, that time alone was different. Debris had been an opponent that Sei could have fought, but he had still lost. He was even taken hostage and became a burden for Virgo. In the end, everything had been resolved by the intrusion of Ruphas. Sei had never hated his own powerlessness as much as he had during that incident.

    When he finally noticed it, he was squatting alone in the dark. A sense of helplessness took on Sei¡¯s appearance and spoke to him.

    ¡°I¡¯m so weak. I can¡¯t protect anything or do anything. What kind of hero am I? Seriously, what a joke.¡±

    Exactly.

    Such a pitiful, useless hero would just be the object of scorn. As if it was going with the flow, his sense of inferiority took on the appearance of Debris and ced a hand on his shoulder.

    ¡°I envy those powerful people. I¡¯m jealous of them. I can¡¯t help but think...If only I have such power...¡±

    Shut up and be quiet!

    Sei murmured and weakly shook the hand off. However, the sense of helplessness persisted. His sense of inferiority didn¡¯t disappear. Instead, his misery took on the appearance of a stranger (Mars) who pranced around in front of Sei.

    ¡°Hey, how are you feeling right now? How does it feel to be a hero who couldn¡¯t do anything?¡±

    Who the heck are you?

    Sei got up and punched the stranger in the face before sitting down again.

    Suddenly, a ray of light descended in front of him. When he raised his head, he saw a divine woman before him. She gently reached out her hand and spoke to Sei.

    ¡°It will be okay, Hero Sei. You¡¯re not weak. Your power is simply dormant. Now, take my hand. You no longer need to feel helpless, inferior, or miserable. You can fly to the battlefield right now and be the one who saves everything.¡±

    Instantly, he saw a figure of his own powerful self ying out in his mind like a movie. He used the power that was surging within him to y an active role like a rampaging lion. Even when he fell into a predicament, the power that was dormant within him was conveniently awakened and allowed him to reverse the situation. Then, after bing more and more active, cute girls fell in love with him for no real reason. When they realized the situation, they started fighting over him.

    That was the flow of a typical story. It was amon development. It would be a lie to say that he didn¡¯t yearn for it. It was at least much better than his current useless self. He had always wondered why he was even summoned to this world. He wouldn¡¯t say that he never had any delusions of a future in which he was powerful and active.

    But even then...

    ¡°...I see. You¡¯re the Goddess, Alovenus, right?¡±

    ¡ªThis weakness is also part of me, Minami-Jyuji Sei.

    No matter how bitter it was, he had no choice but to swallow it. No matter how he tried to look away, reality would still be there. People could never really escape reality.

    ¡°If I take your hand, I can certainly be stronger. But the cost of that would make me lose sight of something really important...Am I right?¡±

    ¡°...Do you not seek power?¡±

    ¡°I want it. Ah, damn. I really want it. I want it so badly that I¡¯m almost willing to take your hand.¡±

    Sei was different from Bnash. Bnash was strong. She was so strong that she didn¡¯t need the help of the Goddess. She was proud of her own power. Although both of them craved power, they were the exact opposites of each other. Bnash had never felt inferior until she met Ruphas. She had never felt helpless.

    I¡¯m strong. Since she can beat me, Mafahl must be stronger. In that case, I¡¯ll be even stronger through my own power.

    That was Bnash¡¯s train of thought. It was simple and stubborn. She never had the fragility of a weak person like Sei to begin with. She had abandoned it while she was in her mother¡¯s womb.

    However, Sei was different. He wasn¡¯t strong. Instead, he was terribly delicate. If Bnash¡¯s heart was a superalloy steel te with a ridiculous thickness of several meters, Sei¡¯s heart would be like aluminum foil. It could be folded many times, leaving wrinkles behind. He was different from Bnash, who didn¡¯t even know what it meant to fold.

    But even so...With his weak heart that was full of wrinkles, he rejected the hand of the Goddess.

    ¡°I...don¡¯t need it. I¡¯m weak. Honestly, it¡¯s a very miserable feeling. But even so, there¡¯s still one thing that a weakling like me can do. I...I won¡¯t make the mistake of pointing the muzzle at the wrong person...I don¡¯t want to make such a mistake.¡±

    He wanted power. He really wanted it. He wanted it so much that he wanted to cry. Actually, he was still wavering over it right now. He had an urge to say that he wanted to take back everything he had just said.

    But he couldn¡¯t do that. If he did, he would no longer be Minami-Jyuji Sei. If he were to betray his own conscience to gain power, he would only be a gun that would fire without aiming. No matter how powerful it might be, a gun that would shoot people that it shouldn¡¯t shoot from behind wasn¡¯t worth anything.

    ¡°...Hehehehehe.¡±

    Faced with Sei¡¯s attitude, the Goddess discarded herpassionate smile as her mouth distorted into the shape of a crescent moon. Then, she apuded him and grabbed him by the jaw.

    ¡°I see, I see. As expected of a hero. Such a wonderful state of mind. I apud the strength of your heart. Yes, I don¡¯t hate that at all. I rather like the attitude of wanting to walk on your own two feet. That¡¯s why I pity you...Oh, what a poor child. Although you have such a strong belief, you don¡¯t have the power. That¡¯s really, really unfortunate.¡±

    The Goddess didn¡¯t seem to have heard Sei¡¯s words, continuing her own monologue by herself. It wasn¡¯t that she disliked Sei. She wasn¡¯t angry at his rejection. In fact, it was the opposite. She really thought that he was a very courageous and wonderful child.

    That¡¯s right. People should be like this. They shouldn¡¯t just wish for things to happen or look to their deity. Instead, they should keep walking with their own feet. That was the strength of humans. And it was beautiful.

    That was why she pitied him. A young man like him deserved more power than anyone else, but he had rejected it. He needed to be saved. He should be saved. He must be saved. He cannot be left unsaved.

    ¡°Be at ease. I will not abandon you. You can be happy. You can be a bit more selfish. I¡¯ll forgive you for it. I will save you from your helplessness.¡±

    This was a forced salvation. She wasn¡¯t even listening to his words. She would save him because she wanted to do so. He was wonderful. He was simply wonderful beyond measure. Therefore, he should be happy. She would make him happy.

    At this moment, Sei understood. He had always thought that the Goddess Alovenus was a viin who was just messing around with the world.

    But that was wrong...This Goddess...This ill-natured Goddess¡¯ aim was merely off-target.

    ¡°Even if you don¡¯t ask for it, I will grant you my power. It¡¯ll be alright. By the time you wake up, it will all be over.¡±

    She no longer cared about Sei¡¯s intentions. A doll without an ego wouldn¡¯t be that good inbat, but it would be fine if there was an overwhelming difference in status. By turning the ouroboroses into experience points, he could take in a portion of the universe and be an invincible powerhouse. He would be able to defeat Ruphas.

    And so the Goddess lifted his chin further to force her salvation on him.

    ¡°Imand you. Reject her if you wish to do so.¡±

    Then, a different form of domination that was already inside Sei interrupted, allowing Sei to push the hand of the Goddess away. When Sei quickly turned around, he saw Ruphas. This was Sei¡¯s mindscape, so Ruphas shouldn¡¯t be here. However, she had already snuck her domination into Sei. Naturally, it wasn¡¯t to control him. It was to protect him from being controlled by others.

    ¡°Wha¡ª!? Ru¡ªRuphas!? Why are you here...?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. I thought that something like this would happen, Alovenus. As expected, you are trying to force your power onto him...Too bad, huh?¡±

    ¡°Wa¡ªWait a minute. Don¡¯t tell me that you...used that without his permission?¡±

    Ruphas had used it before Sei had gone inside the Ark. When she patted him on the shoulder, she had activated a skill.

    The name of that skill was Capture. It was a basic skill of a monster tamer. It would capture the target and put it under the tamer¡¯s control. As evident from the fact that she had used it to capture Parthenos, it wasn¡¯t a skill that was restricted only to magical beasts. If desired, it could be used to capture a human.

    ¡°I have already captured this young man called Sei. You can¡¯t touch him unless you defeat me first.¡±

    ¡°What is this unorthodox method!?¡±

    In Sei¡¯s mindscape, the aspect of the Goddess cried out in anguish like a tree spirit. At the same time, all of the experience points (mana) that were heading towards Sei changed course and rushed towards Ruphas.

    The hero had rejected the script, therefore the story would no longer be valid.

    The curtains had been lowered.

 Chapter 184

    Chapter 184

    ¡ºHmm. It looks like this is it.¡»

    In the midst of battle, the Wood Ouroboros muttered as if he had given up. He hadn¡¯t actually lost. Although he was at a disadvantage, it wasn¡¯t impossible for him to reverse the situation. However, he looked up at the sky as if he knew that the end had arrived.

    He could see the enormous amount of mana, which had onceposed the vanquished Heavenly Ouroboros and the Earth Ouroboros, moving towards somewhere. The nearly dead body of the Fire Ouroboros had already started dispersing into particles of light, so it would only be a matter of time for him.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡ºThe curtains...The curtains have closed on this story.¡»

    The time to close the curtains had arrived. Finally, the moment hade for the catastrophe of the story before the end of the world. The plot had be such a mess by this point that it was nowpletely out of sync with the script. The story couldn¡¯t be established anymore.

    The only thing possible at this point was for the Goddess to tear up the script and throw it away. The Wood Ouroboros regretted the short time he was able to spend with his children, but he decided to perform one final task before disappearing. He nced at Pollux and Castor. Then, he released a faint glow from his eyes that enveloped their bodies.

    ¡°Th¡ªThis is...?¡±

    ¡°Po¡ªPower...Power is overflowing.¡±

    Pollux¡¯s SP became infinite once more, and her status also improved. Furthermore, there was something new in her list of skills...She had gained the skills of the ouroboros, the arbitrator of the world. At the same time, the Wood Ouroboros started fading into particles of light.

    ¡°Wh¡ªWhat did you do!?¡±

    ¡ºI have transferred as much of the power and authority of an ouroboros as possible to the both of you. I¡¯ve also broken the connection between us. Now, the two of you are no longer my avatars...Even if I disappear, you won¡¯t die as well.¡»

    The Wood Ouroboros raised the edge of his mouth into a grin. Seeing that, Pollux was convinced that things were as she expected.

    From the beginning, this ouroboros alone had been somewhat strange...He never had any intention of killing Pollux and the others. What he had been doing was merely frolicking. He was just ying around with his children.

    If he had been serious, the Argo would have already sunk, since he had many chances to do so. From his point of view, the rebellion of Pollux and the others was like children swinging tree branches while pretending to be swordsmen. He had looked at them with a warm smile. There was no way he harboured any murderous intent.

    ¡°Stop messing around! We¡¯re your enemies, right!? So why...!¡±

    ¡ºI¡¯m really happy about it. Despite being my avatars, both of you have opinions which are different from mine. You have also chosen a different path...This really makes me happy.¡»

    The Wood Ouroboros had been watching Pollux¡¯s growth since the moment of her birth. Even while sleeping lightly, he could feel her anguish. Now, she was standing before him as an enemy. She had chosen her own future by her own will. As a parent, he couldn¡¯t help but be happy about it.

    ¡ºThe story of the Goddess is over. From here onwards, it will be your own story...I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t do anything as your parent. Live well, both of you.¡»

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a joke! What are you talking about at this point in time!? If you tell me something like that... I...I still haven¡¯t...called you...¡±

    ¡ªI still haven¡¯t called you ¡°father¡±.

    Did her words reach him...or not?

    The Wood Ouroboros became particles of light and vanished from the world, right before the eyes of the dumbfounded Pollux and the others.

    In the end, it left with the words...¡°Delightful, delightful.¡±

    Pollux watched and then fell to her knees.

    ¡°...What is this? Isn¡¯t this too selfish? Why didn¡¯t you just say so from the beginning? Why are you talking like a good guy right at the very end? How am I supposed to feel now...?¡±

    ¡°He probably didn¡¯t want to weaken our resolve. Somehow, I can understand the Wood Ouroboros¡¯...our father¡¯s thoughts.¡±

    ¡°Brother...¡±

    ¡°Males are such selfish creatures, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    Castor ced his hand on his sister¡¯s head and patted her gently.

    This was the end of the ouroboroses.

    Thest remaining one, the Fire Ouroboros, shouted in anguish as it transformed into light.

    ¡ºNo¡ª! I don¡¯t want to disappear!¡»

    But Bnash ended its life with a stab.

    The end of Midgard was here. The ouroboroses were gone. The story had also ended. Therefore, only the fight that wasn¡¯t part of the story remained. The final judgment was entrusted to the Goddess and the ck-Winged Overlord.

    Castor gentlyforted his crying sister as he quietly looked in the direction where his master would be.

    ?

    Kill stealing.

    Such annoying behaviors were a problem in many MMO games. Essentially, a third party would suddenly appear and kill enemies that had already been weakened, stealing the experience points, items, or gold. It was generally considered bad manners to do so. Polite people wouldn¡¯t do this.

    But this was what I was doing right now. The huge amount of experience points (mana) that was going to Sei had its direction changed forcefully. Since the original recipient, the young man Sei, had rejected it, the mana of the ouroboroses had no owner. By using Aigokeros¡¯ skill, I drew the experience points towards me instead.

    ¡°Ah, wah...Level 4300...4600...4800...5000...and still rising....Aren¡¯t you inting yourself too much!?¡±

    As agents of the Goddess, the ouroboroses yielded experience points of a magnitude that waspletely different from the magical beasts. Furthermore, there were four of them...The Wood Ouroboros was strangely low in mana, but it still raised my level.

    No, wait. There was nothing from the Fire Ouroboros, so there were only three of them...Well, whatever. My level was currently 5100. It had risen sharply and was still rising.

    So what would you do now, Goddess? Dina wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat me anymore. You should have more or less understood by now. I couldn¡¯t be stopped unless you do it yourself.

    ¡°X-Gate.¡±

    As my final act, I activated X-Gate on the entire world. This world was almost finished. When it was finished, nothing would be left. Therefore, before that could happen, all living things must be temporarily evacuated to the other universe. Nobody would want to remain here at the moment anyway.

    As expected, the transfer was sessful. Except for a few individuals, everyone had been evacuated. The remaining people seemed to be Bnash, Orm, all of the Twelve Stars, and Terra.

    B and Orm jumped into the sky and came next to me. The Twelve Stars arrived after that to confront the Goddess. For some reason, Bnash was at Level 2700.

    So it was you. You hogged the experience points of the Fire Ouroboros for yourself.

    It was as expected. She also had the right to challenge the Goddess.

    Orm was at Level 1500. It seemed that he had also exceeded his limits.

    ¡°Apparently, I¡¯m not the only one, Alovenus.¡±

    ¡°Hmm...To think that you people could ignore the limit that I set so easily...¡±

    I brought my hand to my chest and touched the Key to the Heavens. It was about time for this to be used.

    I¡¯m going to use it, Dina. Thest move that you had prepared.

    This move would be a check.

    ¡°...Fine, whatever. I get it, I get it already, okay.¡±

    As if she had given up, the Goddess (Dina) muttered and sighed. Then, she raised her head and looked at us with a bored expression. She had lost all of her pieces, since we had crushed all of them. Therefore, it was time for the end. She had no choice but to go beyond the game board. Thend waspletely crushed, and Midgard finally came to an end.

    ¡ªExplosion.

    Our mother vanished, but we continued to face the Goddess without trembling in the midst of the explosion. Sagittarius raised a shield to contain a pocket of air, thereby preventing anyone from suffocating.

    ¡°This universe is a failure. Honestly, it¡¯s a shame to throw everything away after it has been nurtured up to this point. I guess I¡¯ll take another several hundred million years to build another world.¡±

    The Goddess (Dina) no longer had a smile on her face. She simply looked tired as if nothing really mattered anymore. The curtains had been lowered. The stage had disappeared.

    She probably had never considered what would happen after this. It was only natural. She didn¡¯t think we could withstand the copse of the universe. We shouldn¡¯t be able to do so.

    ¡°¡ªEnd of the World (Big Crunch).¡±

    The Goddess (Dina) murmured and the universe began to contract. All the stars flew towards us...No, they were being dragged along as the universe became smaller.

    But I was unmoved. Neither B nor Orm made a slight movement. I didn¡¯t say anything to either of them, but they had probably guessed that I had something up my sleeve. In that case, I would meet their expectations.

    ¡°By the way, I want to return this to you. Yeah, it¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t need it anymore. Please go ahead. Share your fate with this world.¡±

    In the end, the Goddess simply threw her away. Dina copsed as if her strings were cut. I quickly caught her and protected her with divine magic. Even if it was Dina, it would be a problem to leave her unconscious in space.

    As the universe continued to contract, I gently tapped Dina on the cheek after she had finally returned to us.

    ¡°...Hmm? Ah, Ruphas-sama...¡±

    ¡°Time to wake up. Don¡¯t oversleep.¡±

    ¡°This is...Oh, I see. You did it.¡±

    Dina sleepily looked around her in order to gauge the current situation. Yes, everything was moving ording to the n so far. From here on, it would be a realm that only B, Orm, and I could enter. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t a ce where people without the right to challenge the Goddess could enter.

    I took out the Key to the Heavens and activated the setting that had been configured in advance. And so, ownership of the universe was transferred to me. Yes, since this was an abandoned universe, I could use the key to take ownership of it. Naturally, the end of the universe could not be stopped.

    ¡°Uh, Ruphas-sama! I¡¯m calm, but what should we do!? Som¡ªSomething overwhelming is about to happen!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, Aries. The universe will simply disappear.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡ª!?¡±

    Iughed and activated my skill. This skill belonged to Aigokeros. The entire universe was an arcane magic of the Goddess. Now that she had abandoned it, it had be my possession. In that case, even if I took in everything, nobody could say anything about it.

    ¡°¡ªGather to me, power of darkness (power of the Goddess)!¡±

    This universe was an arcane magic. Arcane magic itself was mana. And mana was a fragment of the Goddess¡¯ power and experience points. Then, it should be possible for me to assimte the entire universe and reach the divine realm.

    Yes, this was my final move. I would seize the universe that she had abandoned so that I could reach the same realm as her and send her flying with a punch. Furthermore, I wasn¡¯t the only one who was taking in the universe. Due to the effect of Sagittarius¡¯ skill (Asce), the experience points were being distributed to B and Orm as well.

    Exactly, this privilege was the right to challenge her. Those who were blocked by the limit could not advance beyond Level 1000, no matter how much experience points they gained. Therefore, it was necessary to exceed the limit.

    ¡°Twelve Stars, you have worked hard until now. From here on, we will be the ones going forward. Believe in our victory and wait for our return.¡±

    I used X-Gate and created an escape route for them. On the other side of the gate was the Ark. Only the three of us¡ªB, Orm, and I¡ªcould advance further. However, both Aigokeros and Pisces argued back aggressively.

    ¡°No, my master! I wish to serve you in the final battle! Please use me!¡±

    ¡°Me too! If it goes on like this, I¡¯ll just end up as that Eros guy who has no presence!¡±

    ¡°...You guys are really zealous.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Aigokeros and Pisces were the rare exceptions among the Twelve Stars. They had not exceeded their limits, but they had the ability to advance to the final battle with me. Aigokeros transformed himself into mana, which was then assimted by me. Meanwhile, Pisces activated his skill and possessed me.

    Perhaps because of Aigokeros¡¯ influence, I sprouted wings like those of Aigokeros on my back. I became strangely ominous.

    ¡°Ruphas-sama, I...¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯te.¡±

    Aries wanted toe along, but I rejected him. Unfortunately, it was impossible for him. At Level 1000, he wouldn¡¯t be able to face the Goddess, who could destroy an entire universe. He would be annihted in an instant.

    Unfortunately, from here on, the world would be limited only to those who had the right to challenge her. However, I wondered if my rejection was a bit too harsh. I patted Aries¡¯ head andughed reassuringly.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. This time, I¡¯ll be back. I won¡¯t leave you behind anymore.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a promise then!? Please be sure toe back!¡±

    Scorpius quickly seized on my words, but Libra grabbed her neck and dragged her towards the gate.

    ¡°Wait! What are you doing, Libra!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best for us to leave quickly since we are in the way. Master, godspeed.¡±

    Libra and Scorpius disappeared through the gate first, followed by the Argo, Pollux, and the others. Terra exchanged words with Orm before flying through the gate. Then, the other Twelve Stars evacuated one after another. Thest person to remain was Dina.

    ¡°Ruphas-sama...I believe in you. I believe that you¡¯ll definitelye back!¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll be back very soon. Wait for me.¡±

    I made a promise to Dina, then she too left the universe. Only B, Orm, and I were left behind. The universe had shrunk to its very limits since most of it had already been assimted into us.

    My level...No, the number no longer mattered anymore. At this point, level couldn¡¯t serve as a guideline at all.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s start with a greeting! A loud, shy strike!¡±

    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll match yours, Mafahl.¡±

    First, I activated arcane magic in order to make a deration of war. The Prophet With The Golden Bow was the greatest support arcane magic of the Sun attribute. In her attempt to match it, Bnash activated the Maiden Who Fires The Silver Arrow. But there wasn¡¯t just one arrow, since Orm was also using the same arcane magic.

    Now then, Goddess. Have you made your resolve? You can no longer be a yer who simply moves pieces from a safe position. From here on, it will be a brawl in the backstage.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Two silver arrows flew at mymand, literally prating the universe. The wall between dimensions was destroyed, opening up a hole in space. We flew after the arrows and the three of us left the universe through the hole.

    ¡ªAnd in a pure white world that extended on forever.

    We finally met the stunned Goddess, who seemed like she couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing.

 Chapter 185

    Chapter 185

    When did it all begin? She couldn¡¯t remember anymore.

    Although it was just barely, she could recall that she had once used to be a human. However, when she became a deity, her human self hadpletely vanished from history, as if she had never existed in the first ce. Therefore, only she herself knew that she had once been a human, but there was no way to prove it.

    It had urred too long ago for her to remember the twists and turns that had happened after that. However, there was no doubt that, in the end, she had faced the creator deity, destroyed it, and became the next deity.

    After bing a deity, the first thing she did was create a universe. Next, she created a with an ideal environment for living things and created life through trial and error. But it was at this point where she stumbled.

    Although she had more than enough power to destroy the previous creator deity, she didn¡¯t have the ability to create life. This was because life was too fragile by her standards. It was so fleeting that it was beyond the limits of herprehension. It was a puzzle that required aplicated process to create. Even a single part of it was difficult to get right. Even if she tried to create life, nothing woulde out of it.

    Inevitably, she had to create the world bit by bit using every living thing from her original world. She moved them to Midgard and allowed them to thrive there. As time went on, creatures with simr appearances and intelligence levels as the humans of Earth appeared. This made her jump for joy.

    She loved the people with all her heart. She responded whenever they asked for her, and she gave them whatever they desired. This didn¡¯t change even after they ate the forbidden fruit containing the essence of evil, which they had been taught not to eat.

    I love you all. I want you to be happy. I¡¯ll be sure to make you happy.

    With that wish, she continued to give the people everything that they wanted.

    But why...why?

    The more she gave, the more desires she fulfilled...

    The people¡¯s standards for happiness simply continued to rise, but they were never truly happy.

    ??

    The final point. This was what Alovenus called the ce outside of the universe. This was the end of everything and also the ce of beginnings. Every world and every timeline was connected to this ce.

    In a sense, the universe was like a software within aputer. There would be various saved data within. Each of them formed a parallel world. Beyond the universe, there were many more universes (softwares). These were organized in a folder. But if one were to look outside that folder, there would be more folders. If one were to go beyond theputer itself, there would be moreputers lined up outside. This served as an analogy for the universe.

    Everything came together in this divine space. It was a world that nobody except Alovenus could enter...At least, that was how it was supposed to be. It was a world of whiteness that spread infinitely towards the horizon. It would be meaningless to ask how far it extended, since the answer would be that it extended forever. This world was endless and infinite.

    In contrast to the whiteness, there was something ck scattered everywhere. Each of them constituted an entire universe. Midgard was simply one of these infinite universes. In fact, it was just a tiny world within a star system that existed inside a gxy, which was part of a gxy cluster. The universe itself contained many such gxy clusters.

    It was apletely different order of magnitude and scale from what hade before.

    After all, no matter how much Ruphas was considered a monster, she was only the strongest creature of a small. She couldn¡¯t possibly reach this ce.

    At least, that was what the Goddess had always thought. Therefore, Alovenus was now trembling with surprise unlike any she had experienced before. There were three intruders who had stepped into her own domain. They stood before her with the intention of having a decisive battle.

    The concept of size did not exist in this ce. After crossing over from the universe, Ruphas and the others were now on equal footing with Alovenus. Even though they were nothing more than dust in the universe, they had unmistakablye here as enemies.

    ¡°So you¡¯re Alovenus? ...This is the first time I have seen you face-to-face.¡±

    On the other hand, Ruphas was unable to hide her excitement in the presence of the Goddess whom she had finally met.

    In terms of appearance, she was just like Dina, to the extent of having the same features. Her hair color was different from Dina¡¯s. Even though Dina¡¯s blue hair had been reced by golden hair, she still looked like Dina. She was wearing a white dress and draped in a blue cape while being wrapped in light.

    Her status...Ruphas observed her status a little, but she soon realized that it was pointless. Her status was disyed, but that was all. Gauging her status was evidently pointless when there were strings of the number nine stretching all the way to the edge of the window. In any case, there should be no doubt that the numerical values were astronomical.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised. I didn¡¯t expect you toe here.¡±

    ¡°I suppose so.¡±

    Ruphas responded in a casual manner, but deep inside, she knew that she was being overwhelmed. She had known that the scale and dimensions they were in would be different, but when Ruphas finally faced her, she was still stunned by her vast power.

    There are ck things floating in this space...Is every single one of them an entire universe?

    The intion had reached its extreme here. It had reached the end of the line.

    ¡°Did youe here to demand a rewriting of the script?¡±

    ¡°If you already know, then this should be quick. Even if you refuse, I¡¯ll force you to rewrite it.¡±

    ¡°Is it really such a bad thing to prepare amon enemy for all of the humanoids?¡±

    In response to Ruphas¡¯ request, Alovenus asked if her script was really wrong. Obviously, it would be a difficult world for the people involved. Alovenus naturally knew that. But it was fine for it to be difficult and bitter, since that was what the people really needed.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t make the world like this out of the blue. At first, I thought that saving people would bring them happiness.¡±

    Alovenus gloomily lowered her eyes and spoke as if she was reminiscing about the past. Yes, she had continued to save people and give them what they wanted. She had once believed that doing that would bring them happiness.

    But that was wrong. If the people only experienced happiness, they would be numb to it. In a world that only ever experienced peace, people wouldn¡¯t realise that they were in a state of peace at all.

    For example, suppose there were two children with the same birthday. One was a poor child who struggled daily to find enough food to eat and had never celebrated a birthday before. The other was a rich child who could eat as much cake as desired and always had huge birthday cakes for every birthday. If the same cake was given to both of them, only one child would gain a great sense of happiness out of it.

    What a delicious cake! It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve received such a thing on my birthday!

    On the other hand, the other child might throw a tantrum upon seeing the cake.

    Are you fooling around? It¡¯s my birthday, so what¡¯s with this tiny cake?

    Wasn¡¯t it strange? The poor child was extremely happy, while the rich child was unhappy instead, even though they were given the same cake of the same taste and size.

    Why did this happen? It was because their definitions of happiness were different. The poor child had low expectations, so a lot of happiness could be gained with just a tiny cake. However, the rich child had high expectations, so it was impossible to be happy with just a tiny cake. Happiness had be somon for the rich child that it couldn¡¯t be recognized for what it was anymore.

    In other words, the amount of happiness that one could feel was not absolute. Depending on one¡¯s environment, it could increase or decrease significantly.

    ¡°People can¡¯t have nothing but happiness. Peace alone would make them rot.¡±

    There was a time when Alovenus had created a utopia where everyone could be saved. There was no hunger, no pain, and no lifespan, since all of them had been removed by the Goddess. Sickness and death had nothing to do with people. After all, they could always get whatever they wanted. It was a world engulfed by the love of the Goddess. There had been no wars and no disparity between the rich and the poor. It was a paradise that idealists could only dream of. It was a golden age.

    Alovenus had realized the Heaven that people had dreamt of. However, there was no limit to people¡¯s desires when it was all just given to them. Their standard of happiness continued to rise as long as they continued to receive.

    It¡¯s only natural to receive. It¡¯s only natural to be saved.

    For the people who had arrived at such thoughts, their current level of happiness was only natural and they were unable to recognize their current feeling as happiness. They would continue to enjoy it without feeling happy, and if things didn¡¯t go as they had expected, even if just a little, they would be unhappy.

    It was a world where the Goddess would give them everything without them having to do anything. They didn¡¯t have to walk by themselves. With a little wish, they could be carried anywhere. They couldn¡¯t stand by themselves since they didn¡¯t need to do so. They didn¡¯t even need to lift things or eat by themselves.

    Those people could live forever in a utopia without pain. Since everything was given to them, they didn¡¯t do anything. All they had to do was lie on the soft grass or a bed given to them by the Goddess.

    Alovenus had sighed upon looking at those people.

    No, this is wrong. This isn¡¯t the world that I had wanted to make. I didn¡¯t intend for people to be like this.

    What I wanted... was to help and save the people who were desperately striving to live and give their best whilst living in a cruel world, yet weren¡¯t able to get a break. I only wanted to make them happy.

    These are...These are merely dolls, aren¡¯t they?

    Alovenus didn¡¯t understand.

    I didn¡¯t make any mistakes. I was surely doing the right thing. But why did the people be so corrupted? Why did their hearts be so frozen?

    Then, she took a look at her original world as a distraction...and saw something incredible. A poor child became exceedingly happy after eating a hard piece of bread that wouldn¡¯t be considered delicious by any means.

    Her people wouldn¡¯t even eat such a thing. Instead of eating such a hard piece of bread, they would naturally eat higher-quality bread. Sometimes, they would even take one bite before throwing it away. But they didn¡¯t consider it to be a form of happiness, since they had already taken it for granted.

    Those people who lived in nations that were at war would be delighted at the brief moments when their lives were not being threatened. But those things werepletely unrted to the people of the Goddess. This was a sight that had a huge impact on Alovenus.

    ¡°You seem to be misunderstanding something. I don¡¯t want to make people unhappy. On the contrary, I want to lead them to happiness. I want them to be happy.¡±

    I was wrong.

    Alovenus realized her mistake and understood that peace and happiness were not what her people needed.

    Indeed, it was only natural if one were to think about it. Even though sugar was sweet, if one were to continue eating sugar-rich pastries everyday, one would naturally hate it. It was good only because people only tasted it once in a while. Sweet things would taste sweeter after eating some unpleasant food. However, for people who only ate sweet things, sweetness wouldn¡¯t be recognized for what it was.

    It was the same for happiness. For people to feel happy, they also needed to feel down. If they were at rock bottom with their misfortunes, they would be happy over the most trivial things.

    I can make them happy. At the very least, it would be much better than this corrupted utopia. They don¡¯t think and don¡¯t act. They simply wait for it without moving. Where is the happiness? In what ways are they humans?

    Even in difficult times, humans would still stand up and walk on their own feet. That is what makes them humans. That is what makes them beautiful.

    That¡¯s right. I want to make people happy. I don¡¯t want to make dolls happy.

    ¡°Ridiculous...Then, Goddess, are you going to say that everything that you have been forcing on the world is for the sake of the people!? Your well-meaning actions have no bad intentions...yet they have caused so much misfortune for the sake of making people happy!? Have I been ying the clown just for that reason!?¡±

    Orm, who had the longest rtionship with the Goddess, raised his voice in anger.

    What a joke...What is this?

    He wasn¡¯t trying to y the victim here. He was the one who had been ying out the Goddess¡¯ script and brought misfortune to a lot of people. He had no intention of denying this fact.

    But the reason for it...was just so ridiculous! Pollux had cried and those heroes had died for something like this...

    ¡°...This...means that all of those people that I¡¯ve killed were never saved...! I...I...for something like this...those honorable people...and their futures...!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mourn, Moon Ouroboros. They were happy. It might have been a fake happiness, but their sacrifices brought about peace...It certainly gave them a sense of aplishment and satisfaction.¡±

    ¡°Stop messing around¡ª!¡±

    Orm struck out at the Goddess in a rage. He had continued killing them with his own hands. He had robbed them of the happy future that they should have had. More than anything else, it was for these reasons that he couldn¡¯t forgive himself if he didn¡¯t ask the Goddess why.

    Having surpassed the level limit, the fist that Orm was throwing at the Goddess could even destroy a gxy supercluster. Its speed was infinite. Its destructive power was immeasurable. It was a punch that could be conceptualized as pure destruction.

    The punch approached the Goddess, but it was easily stopped by an invisible wall that was deployed before her.

    ¡°Moon Ouroboros, you must be mourning right now. You are suffering for your sins...But rest assured. If you¡¯re miserable now, you won¡¯t be able to go any lower than this. You can be happy from now on. Rejoice and be d.¡±

    ¡°You¡ª...!¡±

    ¡°I will never abandon you. I sincerely hope that everyone will be happy. Therefore...¡±

    Alovenus smiled and held on to Orm¡¯s hand. Ruphas and Bnash responded at the same time, releasing arcane magic from their palms.

    However, all three of them were simultaneously teleported away into outer space. Surrounding them was a group of giant stars which were several thousand timesrger than the Sun.

    ¡°For the sake of a happy future¡ªlet the world be stained in despair!¡±

    ¡ªHypernova Explosion.

    A massive chain explosion that could burn the entire universe was centered on the three individuals.

 Chapter 186

    Chapter 186

    After passing through the X-Gate, the Ark arrived on the dark side of the moon. The moon had been crushed by Aigokeros, but this wasn¡¯t the same moon as the one of their world. This was the moon of the Earth in the other universe.

    Looking at the blue from inside the Ark, Virgo let out a sound in admiration and joy.

    ¡°All that¡¯s left is for us to believe in her and wait, huh...? To think that we¡¯d be excluded due to ourbat power at the very end of the end.¡±

    Castor muttered and clenched his fist. The regret that he felt was amon feeling among everyone who had been left behind, including the Twelve Stars and Terra. They were prepared to go through whatever battlefield that they might have to traverse together. They were prepared to give their lives. However, the battle had reached such a high level that they couldn¡¯t even stand on the battlefield, so now they could do nothing except wait here. In particr, Leon was more upset than anyone else, since he had absolute confidence in his own power.

    ¡°Dina, can you predict how the battle will end? After all, you¡¯re the only one who knows the true power of the Goddess.¡±

    When Libra asked Dina for her opinion, everyone¡¯s eyes turned to thetter. The only person who really knew the Goddess was Dina, since she was a manifestation of the Goddess herself. Despite feeling ufortable about it, Dina revealed what she knew.

    ¡°If...If you were to write the level and status of the Goddess down here, you would be writing a string of nines that would reach the end of the universe and then circle back. Her power is simply that immeasurable.¡±

    ¡°In other words?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s via a normal method, it¡¯d be impossible for anyone to win. That¡¯s the reason why that person is the deity.¡±

    As Dina made her deration, Scorpius grabbed her cor. She was exerting so much force that she was almost strangling Dina. However, Libra quickly pulled Scorpius off.

    ¡°Stop joking around! Ruphas-sama can¡¯t possibly lose!¡±

    ¡°...That¡¯s why I said, ¡®If it¡¯s via a normal method.¡¯ The method that Ruphas-sama is using is by no means normal.¡±

    Dina gave a slight cough and tidied her cor. Meanwhile, Libra passed the overly excited Scorpius to Leon, who restrained Scorpius with a disgusted look.

    ¡°Assimte the universe, which is the product of the magic of the Goddess, and then use it to stand in the same realm as her...This is the method we came up with, even though it can¡¯t really be considered a method. There was no weakness or even a strategy that we could use against an existence like her. There¡¯s no convenient loophole that we can exploit to defeat her... Even if ites across as unrefined and crude, we have no option but to overwhelm and defeat her with pure power alone.¡±

    It would have been great if she had a weakness that could be easily exploited.

    For example, it could be something that could be destroyed in order to severely weaken the Goddess. Or it could be a convenient item that could temporarily suppress the power of the Goddess. Or it could be a skill that could somehow kill only the Goddess. Or it could be a sword that had immense killing power against the Goddess...If something like that existed, the chance of victory would surely increase.

    ...Nope. There was no such thing.

    She wasn¡¯t perfect. In fact, the intelligence of the Goddess was somewhat disappointing, so she had a lot of openings. It wasn¡¯t difficult to deceive her. But even so, she was the strongest being who stood above all. She was so strong that those shorings didn¡¯t even matter anymore.

    ¡°Th¡ªThen, Ruphas-sama can win!¡±

    ¡°...The chance of victory isn¡¯t all that good. At best, it¡¯s about zero point one percent, I think?¡±

    Aries made an optimistic evaluation, but Dina responded by ruthlessly stating the facts. The Goddess wasn¡¯t such an easy opponent. That was the reason Ruphas had to exploit bugs. By bing a bug in the world, she was able to break through the system and gain the right to challenge the Goddess.

    However, having the right to challenge her wasn¡¯t the same as obtaining victory. Only when one was standing in the battlefield against her would one truly know the fear of facing the deity.

    ¡°Even so, I still believe. She has always exceeded my expectations. So all I can do is say ¡®Wee back¡¯ when she returns.¡±

    And if Ruphas was defeated, she would share the same fate as her. With that resolve, Dina had devoted herself to fighting alone for two hundred years. She had done everything that she could.

    The baton had already been passed. There was nothing else that she could do. All she could do was bet everything on her victory and wait.

    If she lost the bet, she would also perish...but that wasn¡¯t a problem for her. After all, it was what she wanted and something she had decided on her own will. Even if she couldn¡¯t apany her onto the battlefield, her life and fate were still tied to Ruphas.

    ??

    ¡°Cleave it away, Selection Scales¡ªBrachium!¡±

    The torrent of destruction unleashed by Ruphas countered the hypernova explosion from within. Time itself no longer existed here, so it was no longer restricted to being used once per day. The swirling light of destruction targeted the entire gxy supercluster.

    If the opponent used exploding stars as an attack, she just needed to eliminate the stars from the surroundings first. An eye for an eye, power for power.

    Having gotten this far, she had no interest in entertaining the idea that she could beat someone so strong by resorting to tricks. This was a battle that pit power against power, destruction against destruction in order to determine the fate of the world. This was a battle to see who was superior and who would submit to the opponent. Therefore, there was only one strategy to use. No, it wasn¡¯t really a strategy.

    ¡ªUse brute force upfront! That was the only way to break through.

    While Alovenus¡¯ attack was being countered, Bnash and Orm flew forth andunched a series of attacks on Alovenus. Their speeds were already infinite. They couldn¡¯t be avoided since they struck at the same time as the attacks were made. However, they were blocked by an invisible wall in front of the Goddess.

    ...Who cared about strategies? It was a hassle to think of a strategy since she had no weaknesses anyway. There was no point in thinking about things. It would be fine to just push through forcefully. The method they had decided to use was to simply destroy them upfront. Was there any other way to break through in the final battle?

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡ª¡ª!¡±

    The series of attacks by Bnash and Orm forcefully struck the invisible wall. These faster-than-light attacks had reached an infinite amount of mass, creating ck holes upon impacts and shaking the entire universe.

    Such things didn¡¯t matter anymore. Who would care about coteral damage?

    Orm transformed into his ouroboros form and released a destructive light. It was a direct hit. A torrent of light rushed to the end of the universe in an instant, destroying all of thes, stars, and gxies in its path.

    ...But the Goddess was unharmed. She didn¡¯t even receive a scratch.

    ¡°The Maiden Who Fires the Silver Arrow!¡±

    Bnash used her strongest Moon-attribute arcane magic, firing a silver arrow at the Goddess. Its size was abnormal. The arrow wasrger than a star, and it sped towards the Goddess. Many gxies disappeared as a result, but it still did not reach the Goddess. She smiled and caught the arrow with her fingers...Then, she extinguished it with a sigh, as if she was blowing out the me of a candle.

    ¡°Come! He Who Gnaws At The Roots...Transmute! The Mocking ughterer!¡±

    Ruphas raised her hand and used a significant portion of the universe as a base material to activate alchemy¡¯s ultimate technique. The one that emerged from the void was an enormous ck dragon...No, the word ¡°enormous¡± could no longer adequately describe it. Whenpared to it, even an ouroboros would just be a microorganism. Its swirling body was so big that it could swallow the entire universe.

    It could turn stars to dust just by ring at them. A single breath could blow away gxies. It was a monster among monsters that was said to consume the World Tree, which was rooted in the foundation of the universe. Its roar sted through the entire universe before the Goddess.

    ¡°Growl¡ª¡ª!¡±

    Its mere roar caused cracks to form throughout the universe. The few remaining stars disintegrated into theirponent molecules and disappeared. Too much mass would create supergravity, twisting and destroying space itself just by its existence. It was simply a disaster. This beast of ruin would bring about the destruction of the universe by virtue of its existence alone.

    However, when faced with it, Alovenus merely giggled¡ª

    ¡°How cute.¡±

    She tapped it lightly and erased it. Its end was simply too dumbfounding. The previously overwhelming existence was dissipated as if it was a lie. The final ultimate technique of Ruphas was treated like dust. Faced with this scene, even Ruphas was momentarily stunned.

    ¡°Hehe. You¡¯re really strong...But it will all be meaningless unless you bump it up another level.¡±

    For the Goddess to be speaking while they were in a state where even light stood still, it might have seemed all too strange. After all, at this level of battle, the speed of sound was almost negligible. However, the one speaking was the Goddess, who could bend thews of nature to her will. It was too easy for her to twist reason and disregard contradictions.

    In the first ce, it was already strange that they were having a conversation in space. Common sense didn¡¯t apply...No, there wasn¡¯t even a fragment ofmon sense here anymore. Everything here was paranormal, but there was one thing that had not changed.

    ¡ªThe stronger one would win. This was an absolutew that would never change.

    ¡°Tsk! Incinerate, the god-ying me¡ªHamal!¡±

    Ruphas released the me of Aries, which could reduce the opponent¡¯s maximum HP by half, from her palm. This skill didn¡¯t care about how many digits the opponent¡¯s HP had. Regardless of how many novemdecillions, vigintillions, or centillions the HP might be, the skill would still scrape half of it off.

    In addition, she also activated the skill Ex Coalesce. Combining the former with Aigokeros¡¯ Deneb Algedi would make the damage be irrecoverable. A ck me that could incinerate even gods engulfed Alovenus, but thetter didn¡¯t even make a slight movement.

    ¡°Hehe. In the instant that I was struck, I increased my HP by ten digits. So the damage that the me did to me is like a speck of dust.¡±

    ¡°Quick Raid!¡±

    Bnash jumped in from the side, increasing her speed andunching a series of attacks. Faster, faster, and faster! Her speed was already infinite, so it couldn¡¯t be increased any further. But she didn¡¯t care. If it didn¡¯t work right now, she would just have to break through the limit. She would go beyond infinity and reach a further infinity. She would keep going over the walls and transcend beyond her previous self. It was the only way toe out of this alive.

    ¡°There¡¯s no limit to the amount of power one can imagine. For example, we could argue about who, between the character of story A and the character of story B, is actually stronger. The character from story A might be able to destroy a universe, but story B could reveal that a single universe is just like a cell of arger multiverse.¡±

    Alovenus spoke, and the entire universe began to shrink. It became smaller and smaller...until it went beyond the limit, allowing Ruphas and the others to see the whole picture. Beyond the universe, a vast outer space expanded.

    While the Goddess talked leisurely, Ruphas didn¡¯t cease her attacks. She released one of Scorpius¡¯ poisonous skills. Orm activated his breath weapon as well. However, the Goddess didn¡¯t stop talking.

    ¡°And then, this is where story Ces in and states that the multiverse is just a single cell of an evenrger cosmos.¡±

    The multiverse shrank as well, revealing the overwhelming scale that the multiverse was just a cell of a cosmos.

    ¡°However, even with such an overwhelming setting, the strongest being within it could be unseated easily by the author (deity) with the creation of another character that could defeat the hitherto strongest character with a single punch. This would make the new character even stronger. Furthermore, the strongest D would be treated like a child by E, who couldn¡¯t react to the speed of F, who could be killed one hundred times with a forehead flick by G, who couldn¡¯t even be an opponent for H, who could be blown away with a sigh by K even if there were one hundred Hs...Hehehe, this is quitemon in fiction, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Alovenus concentrated light in her hands. This wasn¡¯t just light. It had the power to take in countless universes and destroy worlds by the hundreds, thousands, and millions. This was the realm of God. There was just far too much of a difference in scale.

    ¡°This whole thing is like a dispute between children. Ruphas, your avatar probably did something simr when he was young, right? When there are two children, one would pretend to attack with a great beam, while the other would pretend to block it with a great barrier. But the former would say that this great beam could easily destroy a great barrier, while thetter would insist that it was an invincible barrier that could not be destroyed. The attacking side would selfishly and unreasonably argue that his beam could destroy even an invincible barrier, while the defending side would retort that his barrier would never ever break...And so there would be no end in sight.¡±

    Alovenus giggled. It was augh that embodied absolute belief in her victory and her own power. She couldn¡¯t lose. There was no reason for her to lose. Even if she really lost, she could simply fiddle with the setting. She coulde up with so many ways to make herself the strongest by changing the setting, reason, and providence.

    ¡°Let me start with the conclusion...My power is infinite. I can ovey settings over pre-existing settings. For example, let¡¯s say you somehow acquired unusual abilities and powers in order to defeat me. Then, I can simply resolve that like this. ¡®Your unusual power won¡¯t work on me, and I can still defeat you with one finger.¡¯ Do you think this is ridiculous? Yes, that¡¯s right. I won¡¯t deny it. However, such an inexplicable statement can sometimes be stronger than a never-ending exchange.¡±

    The power of Alovenus swelled further and triggered a universal explosion. Ruphas and the others tried their best to defend, erase, or assimte the power. However, Alovenus flew over and flicked the three of them at the same time. Ruphas and the others immediately went on the offensive, but their attacks were easily evaded. Attacks with infinite speed should have ignored the entire process of hitting.

    ¡°Infinite speed? I see. How amazing. Then, I¡¯ll answer thus, ¡®Infinite speed before me is nothing more than one, and I¡¯m one hundred times faster.¡¯ If you have infinite power, then I¡¯ll say, ¡®Even that infinity is just one, there is always another infinity beyond.¡¯ If you go beyond that, I¡¯ll simply say that there¡¯s even more beyond. If you say that you¡¯ll be infinitely stronger and stronger, I can simply make myself be infinitely stronger, but at a rate one thousand times faster than you.

    So what will you do next? An instant death attack that kills the opponent just by facing them? An ability to take away all of the opponent¡¯s powers just by being present? A trait that always makes you stronger than your opponent? Turn back time to undo events? Be a resident of a higher dimension and toss away the opponent¡¯s settings like a piece of waste paper? The power to nullify all kinds of abilities? An invincible barrier that can reflect any attacks at several times their original power? A constitution that maniptes the concept of victory and ignores the process to attain absolute victory? A cheat that instills the concept of defeat into the opponent to ensure absolute defeat for them? Or pure, unrivaled power that can prate and kill everything without exception?

    Whatever is fine. Please use them until you are satisfied. They wouldn¡¯t work anyway.¡±

    Alovenus ridiculed them, saying that all resistances were futile. Then, the light of the universe¡¯s beginning (Big Bang) exploded around her. It wasn¡¯t just once. Again and again, the universe was born as if it had been erased without exceptions, while arger universe was born outside of it. There were even more further beyond...

    Did she repeat the same thing a hundred times out of whim? In any event, Alovenus immediately abandoned the newborn universe by the point Ruphas and the others had be so small within it that they were like specks of dust.

    ¡°End of the World (Big Crunch), a hundredfold.¡±

    Countless worlds were simultaneously destroyed. The scale had be toorge to make any sense out of it. Alovenus herself probably wasn¡¯t thinking too much about it. This tremendous power made the previous battles look like children¡¯s y. This was the reason she was said to be omnipotent.

    Of course, she was neither omniscient nor omnipotent. That was the previous creator deity.

    However, Alovenus had a simple and peerless power that could kill off even an omnipotent being. She was too juvenile and too childish...but that was also the reason she was the strongest.

    In the midst of such an unimaginable struggle, Ruphas and the others became aware of this threat.

 Chapter 187

    Chapter 187

    After Alovenus went on the offensive, Ruphas and the others were forced to go on the defensive . However, their defense was ineffectual, and their recovery couldn¡¯t keep up with the damage they were taking . Their attacks were meaningless . Even if they made full use of their skills, they would be immediately invalidated .

    Compared to the beginning of the battle, Ruphas and the others had received a significant power-up . However, they still couldn¡¯t catch up . Alovenus¡¯ attacks were just too strange .

    Alovenus created a universe that was transcended by another universe...and yet another universe that went beyond that . The current universe was like a cell . Likewise, the universe beyond was the same...The mind-boggling hundredfold repetition of this resulted in the multiverse .

    She seemed to be using them like they were disposable bombs . She created one using a Big Bang and then destroyed it with a Big Crunch . She was just ying around . It was ridiculous . It was so over-inted in scale that it was getting stale .

    This was like a child selfishly ying and believing, ¡°I¡¯m stronger than you . ¡± This was basically the same thing but repeated on arger scale . No matter what they did, it would be pushed aside by such a childish, unreasonable justification . It would be erased and blown away . All of their power, speed, and skills were rendered meaningless .

    However, Ruphasughed in the face of such a predicament . Indeed, she was certainly the strongest . She was beyond all rules . However, Alovenus had made a mistake somewhere . There was only one and it was somewhat trivial...However, it was an extremely important truth in this situation .

    ¡ªI¡¯m also the childish sort of person who hates losing .

    ¡°Alovenus . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s up? Are you surrendering?¡±

    ¡°No, no . You¡¯ve been going on at great length concerning the reasoning of your power...Therefore, I¡¯ll answer you thus . ¡±

    Ruphas raised the corners of her mouth andughed fiercely . She was overwhelmingly higher than her in terms of scale, but they were already standing on the same tier . Both of them were fighting in the realm of God, beyond their world . In that case, what remained was simply a battle of wills .

    It¡¯s pointless to think about useless things like the limit of power and my own strength . There¡¯s only one thing that will push me forward here . There¡¯s no need for any reasoning or theory .

    ¡°You¡¯re indeed very strong, but I¡¯m even stronger . ¡±

    In that instant, Ruphas¡¯ power exceeded the setting that had been put in ce by Alovenus .

    Multiverse? I don¡¯t care about such things . Infinite status? Well, whatever . Subversion of the setting? So what?

    ¡°I¡¯m stronger than all of them . ¡± Everything depends on this .

    Strangely enough, as Alovenus herself had said, there was no concept of strength in a battle of this level anymore . Concepts, providences,ws, and even limits were all things that had been created by God . Therefore, there were no such things in the realm of God . They would just have to create their own based on their whims .

    They were like trying to paint their own colors on a nk white canvas and enforce their own truths . Alovenus could do that, so there was no reason why they couldn¡¯t do it themselves . After all, they were residents of the world that had been created by Alovenus . For the same reason, naturalws didn¡¯t apply to them . In hindsight, this was probably why thews of physics didn¡¯t apply to them at all .

    Even though certain things were impossible for the former deity who had been destroyed by Alovenus, they wouldn¡¯t be impossible for us, who had inherited the power of Alovenus . Alovenus was indisputably the strongest . That was why only her own power could defeat her .

    Then, from here on, it would be a matter of who had the greater ego and strength . Since the opponent insisted that she was stronger, then Ruphas would simply insist that she was even stronger . It was just a repetitive quarrel among children .

    This was already the realm of God, therefore they could do anything that they wanted to . Ruphas¡¯ status instantly changed to ¡°¡Þ¡± . Furthermore, the character ¡Þ repeated itself on the disy indefinitely .

    Infinite infinity . Once she had reached this point, it was just a matter of arm strength to get everything done . The multiverse would be reduced to dust just from its mere existence .

    ¡ªA punch was made . An omnipresent and pure form of violence struck Alovenus, destroying and blowing away the invisible walls that protected her . This ¡°awesome punch that could destroy any barrier¡± shattered ¡°the barrier that could block any attack¡± . The punch¡¯s shockwave reached everywhere in an instant, shattering everything that was in front of her . It even blew away one of Alovenus¡¯ arms .

    ¡°...Oh, so you have indeed reached this realm as well . Yes, I somehow knew something like this was going to happen . ¡±

    Alovenus instantaneously removed the damage andughed almost to the point of tears .

    She had thought that nobody could reach this ce . She had thought that nobody could stand up to her . She had thought that all she could do was y with dolls by moving them around . She had thought that she would be alone in this ce forever .

    But what was going on here?

    The people who were supposed to have been her dolls hade to this ce .

    ¡°Seriously, you¡¯re someone who never does what I expect you to . I wanted to make a doll that wouldn¡¯t think for itself, but it turned out to be theplete opposite . Things really don¡¯t go the way I want them to . It is exactly as you have said . I¡¯m a deity who can¡¯t get things to work properly no matter what I do . ¡±

    ¡°Is that really the case?¡±

    ¡°.........¡±

    ¡°You really couldn¡¯t get things to work out?¡±

    Ruphas confidently asked that question, and Alovenus¡¯ expression froze . Ruphas had always been thinking about this . Was Alovenus really the unthinking goddess that they had thought she was?

    Alovenus had been too thoughtless, too stupid, and too childish . As a result, they had been able to get this far . They had been able to continue deceiving her . But perhaps, they had only managed to get this far because Alovenus herself actually wanted them to, somewhere within her heart .

    ¡°That¡¯s wrong . That wasn¡¯t what you wanted . If it was, then why did you go to such lengths to try and make someone like me into a doll? No matter how one looked at it, you had chosen the wrong person . What you wanted was the exact opposite of what you said, Alovenus . Despite having the power to make everything else go your way, it didn¡¯t change the fact that you yourself were excluded from it all . You suffered from that .

    You had no sense of reality . You were unable to feel alive . You were always all alone in this ce . As you suffered from loneliness, it must have felt like you were ying with a doll alone in a room all this time . Therefore, you wanted someone to notice you and disobey you . That¡¯s the reason you had raised me up . ¡±

    Alovenus suddenly felt as if something was piercing her heart . But that was just her imagination . There was nothing there in that ce . To begin with, she was immortal . She had given herself the setting that she couldn¡¯t be killed by any means . Even if a god-ying spear or sword were to stab her, she would feel no pain and suffer no wound .

    In that case...what was this pain? Why did she feel a sense of fulfillment?

    ¡°You must have wanted someone who wouldn¡¯t simply do whatever you desired, right? You must have wanted something that could jump out of the palm of your hand, right? You didn¡¯t want to be omnipotent . You must have wanted something that¡¯s beyond your power, even if it¡¯s just one thing . You must have wanted someone, who wouldn¡¯t just let you have your way, to be beside you .

    ...Rejoice, Alovenus . Your dream hase true . As you have wished, the punitive devil who would oppose you is here . That person, whom you have desired, now stands before you!¡±

    ¡°.........Ah . ¡±

    Alovenus let out a trembling voice as she tried to stop her emotions from showing on her face .

    Oh yes, I remember this feeling...and this pain . It has been so long that I¡¯ve forgotten this feeling . How many hundred millions, billions of years...or perhaps even tens of billions of years, have I forgotten about it? This is¡ªYes, this is delight .

    She was lonely . Since the moment of her birth, she was far too different from everyone else and had been exempted from all naturalws . She couldn¡¯t stand on the same stage as everyone else . While everyone else in the world was desperately struggling to live, she alone wasn¡¯t . Therefore, she thought that she should save them . She thought that she could elevate everyone to a position as close to her as possible . Perhaps, that was what she truly desired... But she stood in a position that was too high up for her to realize that wish .

    Instead of resolving the problem, her apotheosis only made it worse . Her ever-increasing power drove her further into loneliness . Although there were other people who had their own wills, she couldn¡¯t join in their conversations . It was like watching characters speak to each other from the other side of the screen . When she turned around, she was still alone in this ce .

    She envied the little ones . She at least wanted to feel like she was a part of their story, so she wrote a script and moved the world along . Because she wanted to feel the satisfaction of making them happy, she ended up repeatedly missing the point of redemption .

    But even though it wasforting, it wasn¡¯t enough to fulfill her . The truth was that she had always wanted someone to stand before her and oppose her .

    Why else would she ce the forbidden fruit, which she hadmanded them not to eat, in a ce where they could reach? Now, she finally realized why she did what she did .

    She didn¡¯t want a faithful doll . She wanted people who could walk on their own feet, think for themselves, and even betray her to show that they were different from her...She wanted them to catch up to her, no matter what they had to do to reach where she was, since she couldn¡¯t go back herself after bing too strong and climbing too high .

    ¡ªShe wanted them to tell her that she wasn¡¯t alone .

    ¡°Come, you poor girl who is trapped in the prison called omnipotence . You don¡¯t need to save anyone anymore . Let me save you instead . ¡±

    ¡°...Ah, haha...Hahahaha...¡±

    Alovenus covered her mouth with her hand as she issued forth augh . It sounded like she wasughing and crying at the same time...Certainly, it was the first joyful cry she had ever experienced in her life .

    ¡°Hahahahaha! Hahahahahaha!¡±

    With her emotions no longer suppressed, the Goddess gave a loudugh that echoed throughout all of space-time, causing space itself to fracture and copse .

    In a parallel world somewhere, the native dinosaurs died without ever knowing the cause as their universe shattered . In another timeline that might have existed, a civilization, which was unlike that of Earth¡¯s and was even able to participate in space wars, was erased without being able to do anything . Time itselfpletely copsed, causing Dina and the others who were still waiting for Ruphas to return to freeze in time .

    The shockwaves from the Goddess¡¯ughter erased half of the extant universes in the Final Point .

    Eventually, the Goddess removed her hand from her mouth and spoke in a calm voice .

    ¡°Hehehe...That¡¯s a big im to make . Can you really do it though? My tantrums are a little excessive in terms of scale, if I may say so myself . ¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind . ¡±

    Ruphas beckoned with her hand and Bnash, who had been waiting for Ruphas to finish her conversation, sighed in astonishment . Orm also smiled bitterly . The two of them looked at each other and nodded .

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like putting up with this . You can deal with this spoiled child by yourself . ¡±

    ¡°I agree...is what I¡¯d like to say, but it seems even we cannot reach the world beyond . We¡¯ll leave the rest to you . ¡±

    Beyond this would be a battle in the realm of God where everything happened ording to one¡¯s thoughts . The current realm could already be considered a battle of the gods by most people . Indeed, Bnash and Orm were powerful enough to fight in this realm .

    However, they understood it after hearing herughter . The Big Bangs and Big Crunches so far were just yful attacks by the Goddess, who was merely messing around . She hadn¡¯t been fighting seriously .

    But the next stage would be even higher . They would have to rise to the peak of infinity . It would be an endless struggle involving infinite multiples of infinity .

    It might be a different matter if the opponent was Ruphas, but Bnash wouldn¡¯t have such a strong fighting spirit when her opponent was the Goddess . She would probably lose her momentum mid-way .

    On the other hand, Orm didn¡¯t have enough conviction that he was the strongest entity . Thus, that inconsistency would be noticeable along the way, casting a shadow on his ability to be the strongest . He would surely be left behind mid-way .

    That wouldn¡¯t do . One needed to be more selfish than anyone else to win this battle . One would need to hate losing more than anyone else . One had to hold fast to the belief that oneself was the strongest without a shadow of doubt...Only someone who could do so would be able to challenge the Goddess .

    Therefore, there were only two people who could stand on this battlefield¡ªRuphas and Alovenus . Honestly, they were frustrated at the feeling of being left behind again . However, that was no reason for them to stay here and be a burden .

    ¡°I¡¯m bored of this . I¡¯ll be waiting for you . ¡±

    As if she was hiding her frustration, she pouted and ced her hand on Ruphas¡¯ shoulder . Then, she transferred all of her experience points (mana) to Ruphas . Having lost the right to stay in this realm, Bnash was forcefully expelled from the Final Point .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry . I can¡¯t fight with you to the end . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it . ¡±

    Likewise, Orm transferred his experience points (mana) to Ruphas and vanished from this ce . There were only two people left¡ªRuphas and Alovenus .

    From here on, it would be a battle of wills over who was stronger . It had to be a one-versus-one match . If it were three-versus-one, Alovenus wouldn¡¯t be convinced that she wasn¡¯t the strongest, since she had room to make excuses . That wouldn¡¯t be eptable . This lonely Goddess wouldn¡¯t stop until shepletely admitted to losing .

    ¡°Now, Alovenus . It¡¯s just the two of us . Don¡¯t hesitate...Come!¡±

    ¡°Yes...Let¡¯s get started!¡±

    Ruphas and Alovenus held out their palms as they materialized and unleashed nameless destruction upon each other . There was no need for skill names anymore . It was just a hassle toe up with them . The power wielded by each of them was infinite . If the opponent¡¯s infinity exceeded one¡¯s own infinity, then one would simply have to go beyond that .

    They were no longer using trivial attacks like Big Bang and Big Crunch . Those kinds of attacks were already meaningless at this point . There was no need to name the skills . They were just purely unleashing raw power .

    I¡¯m strong .

    I¡¯m stronger .

    Then, I¡¯m even stronger still .

    Ruphas continued to elerate . Her speed endlessly increased, as if it was being multiplied by the speed of light . However, Alovenus elerated at a speed that left it far behind . In the next moment, Ruphas reciprocated by doing the same thing .

    If Ruphas struck with a googolplex power value, Alovenus would counterattack with a power value of a googolplex multiplied by a googolplex . Then, Ruphas would attack again with a multiple of that .

    If the opponent insisted that infinity was merely one before her, then all that was needed was to transcend to a higher realm . Using each other as a stepping stone, they tried to push through with their strongest settings .

    Neither of them was thinking about how high they had reached in this conflict over offense and defense . They were simply not interested .

    They went beyond the initial universe, and beyond, and beyond, and beyond, and beyond, and beyond¡ªbeyond the universe, beyond the multiverse, beyond the omniverse¡ª!

    ...It didn¡¯t matter anymore . There was no point in thinking about it . As long as it didn¡¯t reach the opponent, it was meaningless .

    ¡°Hehehe...Hahahahaha!¡±

    Alovenusughed innocently like a child and continued her vicious attacks without ceasing .

    The ability to absolutely kill anything that existed within the same space, prating all resistances .

    The ability to reflect all attacks received .

    The ability to reverse time and make the opponent non-existent .

    The ability to win regardless of the process .

    The ability to inflict the defeat condition on the opponent .

    The ability to erase everything with a nce .

    The ability to nullify all abilities .

    The ability to seal all attacks and render the opponent incapable of taking defensive actions .

    The abilities of all the gods from various mythos .

    The abilities that were made up in fiction somewhere .

    ¡ªShe was using everything that she could think of, but Ruphas still didn¡¯t disappear . Thetter just couldn¡¯t be stopped . But she was having so much fun that she couldn¡¯t help it .

    ¡°That¡¯s right...Enjoy it to your heart¡¯s content, Alovenus . I¡¯ll take everything you¡¯ve got!¡±

    Even though a smile could be seen on Ruphas¡¯ face, all of her attacks were overkill .

    Enough arm power to prate whatever abilities and kill the opponent .

    Enough leg power to evade any petty tricks .

    Enough eye power to see through the opponent¡¯s next move and the move after that .

    Enough willpower to ovee whatever the opponent did .

    Controlling enough power to seize the opponent¡¯s powers for oneself .

    Enough mental power to insist that whatever the setting might be, it had nothing to do with herself .

    ¡ªShe used everything that she had, oveing all oppositions in order to corner Alovenus .

    A collision¡ªThe universe and the parallel worlds contained within one dimension were erased .

    A collision¡ªThe higher dimensions, which had been created by fusing an infinite number of simr dimensions, couldn¡¯t withstand the shockwaves and were blown away .

    Another collision¡ªEven the super-high dimensions, which included many higher dimensions, shattered without a word .

    But not yet, it still wasn¡¯t enough . Something like this wouldn¡¯t be enough . The opponent was still full of vigor . She hadn¡¯t taken any damage at all . Therefore, she must go higher, even higher, and beyond the end!

    It wasn¡¯t a fight anymore . It was a game that was possible only because these monsters existed in the same realm . They were ying with each other .

    The Goddess and the rebelughed at each other . In the aftermath of their collisions, countless existing worlds had disappeared .

 Chapter 188

    Chapter 188

    After Alovenus went on the offensive, Ruphas and the others were forced to go on the defensive. However, their defense was ineffectual, and their recovery couldn¡¯t keep up with the damage they were taking. Their attacks were meaningless. Even if they made full use of their skills, they would be immediately invalidated.

    Compared to the beginning of the battle, Ruphas and the others had received a significant power-up. However, they still couldn¡¯t catch up. Alovenus¡¯ attacks were just too strange.

    Alovenus created a universe that was transcended by another universe...and yet another universe that went beyond that. The current universe was like a cell. Likewise, the universe beyond was the same...The mind-boggling hundredfold repetition of this resulted in the multiverse.

    She seemed to be using them like they were disposable bombs. She created one using a Big Bang and then destroyed it with a Big Crunch. She was just ying around. It was ridiculous. It was so over-inted in scale that it was getting stale.

    This was like a child selfishly ying and believing, ¡°I¡¯m stronger than you.¡± This was basically the same thing but repeated on arger scale. No matter what they did, it would be pushed aside by such a childish, unreasonable justification. It would be erased and blown away. All of their power, speed, and skills were rendered meaningless.

    However, Ruphasughed in the face of such a predicament. Indeed, she was certainly the strongest. She was beyond all rules. However, Alovenus had made a mistake somewhere. There was only one and it was somewhat trivial...However, it was an extremely important truth in this situation.

    ¡ªI¡¯m also the childish sort of person who hates losing.

    ¡°Alovenus.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s up? Are you surrendering?¡±

    ¡°No, no. You¡¯ve been going on at great length concerning the reasoning of your power...Therefore, I¡¯ll answer you thus.¡±

    Ruphas raised the corners of her mouth andughed fiercely. She was overwhelmingly higher than her in terms of scale, but they were already standing on the same tier. Both of them were fighting in the realm of God, beyond their world. In that case, what remained was simply a battle of wills.

    It¡¯s pointless to think about useless things like the limit of power and my own strength. There¡¯s only one thing that will push me forward here. There¡¯s no need for any reasoning or theory.

    ¡°You¡¯re indeed very strong, but I¡¯m even stronger.¡±

    In that instant, Ruphas¡¯ power exceeded the setting that had been put in ce by Alovenus.

    Multiverse? I don¡¯t care about such things. Infinite status? Well, whatever. Subversion of the setting? So what?

    ¡°I¡¯m stronger than all of them.¡± Everything depends on this.

    Strangely enough, as Alovenus herself had said, there was no concept of strength in a battle of this level anymore. Concepts, providences,ws, and even limits were all things that had been created by God. Therefore, there were no such things in the realm of God. They would just have to create their own based on their whims.

    They were like trying to paint their own colors on a nk white canvas and enforce their own truths. Alovenus could do that, so there was no reason why they couldn¡¯t do it themselves. After all, they were residents of the world that had been created by Alovenus. For the same reason, naturalws didn¡¯t apply to them. In hindsight, this was probably why thews of physics didn¡¯t apply to them at all.

    Even though certain things were impossible for the former deity who had been destroyed by Alovenus, they wouldn¡¯t be impossible for us, who had inherited the power of Alovenus. Alovenus was indisputably the strongest. That was why only her own power could defeat her.

    Then, from here on, it would be a matter of who had the greater ego and strength. Since the opponent insisted that she was stronger, then Ruphas would simply insist that she was even stronger. It was just a repetitive quarrel among children.

    This was already the realm of God, therefore they could do anything that they wanted to. Ruphas¡¯ status instantly changed to ¡°¡Þ¡±. Furthermore, the character ¡Þ repeated itself on the disy indefinitely.

    Infinite infinity. Once she had reached this point, it was just a matter of arm strength to get everything done. The multiverse would be reduced to dust just from its mere existence.

    ¡ªA punch was made. An omnipresent and pure form of violence struck Alovenus, destroying and blowing away the invisible walls that protected her. This ¡°awesome punch that could destroy any barrier¡± shattered ¡°the barrier that could block any attack¡±. The punch¡¯s shockwave reached everywhere in an instant, shattering everything that was in front of her. It even blew away one of Alovenus¡¯ arms.

    ¡°...Oh, so you have indeed reached this realm as well. Yes, I somehow knew something like this was going to happen.¡±

    Alovenus instantaneously removed the damage andughed almost to the point of tears.

    She had thought that nobody could reach this ce. She had thought that nobody could stand up to her. She had thought that all she could do was y with dolls by moving them around. She had thought that she would be alone in this ce forever.

    But what was going on here?

    The people who were supposed to have been her dolls hade to this ce.

    ¡°Seriously, you¡¯re someone who never does what I expect you to. I wanted to make a doll that wouldn¡¯t think for itself, but it turned out to be theplete opposite. Things really don¡¯t go the way I want them to. It is exactly as you have said. I¡¯m a deity who can¡¯t get things to work properly no matter what I do.¡±

    ¡°Is that really the case?¡±

    ¡°.........¡±

    ¡°You really couldn¡¯t get things to work out?¡±

    Ruphas confidently asked that question, and Alovenus¡¯ expression froze. Ruphas had always been thinking about this. Was Alovenus really the unthinking goddess that they had thought she was?

    Alovenus had been too thoughtless, too stupid, and too childish. As a result, they had been able to get this far. They had been able to continue deceiving her. But perhaps, they had only managed to get this far because Alovenus herself actually wanted them to, somewhere within her heart.

    ¡°That¡¯s wrong. That wasn¡¯t what you wanted. If it was, then why did you go to such lengths to try and make someone like me into a doll? No matter how one looked at it, you had chosen the wrong person. What you wanted was the exact opposite of what you said, Alovenus. Despite having the power to make everything else go your way, it didn¡¯t change the fact that you yourself were excluded from it all. You suffered from that.

    You had no sense of reality. You were unable to feel alive. You were always all alone in this ce. As you suffered from loneliness, it must have felt like you were ying with a doll alone in a room all this time. Therefore, you wanted someone to notice you and disobey you. That¡¯s the reason you had raised me up.¡±

    Alovenus suddenly felt as if something was piercing her heart. But that was just her imagination. There was nothing there in that ce. To begin with, she was immortal. She had given herself the setting that she couldn¡¯t be killed by any means. Even if a god-ying spear or sword were to stab her, she would feel no pain and suffer no wound.

    In that case...what was this pain? Why did she feel a sense of fulfillment?

    ¡°You must have wanted someone who wouldn¡¯t simply do whatever you desired, right? You must have wanted something that could jump out of the palm of your hand, right? You didn¡¯t want to be omnipotent. You must have wanted something that¡¯s beyond your power, even if it¡¯s just one thing. You must have wanted someone, who wouldn¡¯t just let you have your way, to be beside you.

    ...Rejoice, Alovenus. Your dream hase true. As you have wished, the punitive devil who would oppose you is here. That person, whom you have desired, now stands before you!¡±

    ¡°.........Ah.¡±

    Alovenus let out a trembling voice as she tried to stop her emotions from showing on her face.

    Oh yes, I remember this feeling...and this pain. It has been so long that I¡¯ve forgotten this feeling. How many hundred millions, billions of years...or perhaps even tens of billions of years, have I forgotten about it? This is¡ªYes, this is delight.

    She was lonely. Since the moment of her birth, she was far too different from everyone else and had been exempted from all naturalws. She couldn¡¯t stand on the same stage as everyone else. While everyone else in the world was desperately struggling to live, she alone wasn¡¯t. Therefore, she thought that she should save them. She thought that she could elevate everyone to a position as close to her as possible. Perhaps, that was what she truly desired... But she stood in a position that was too high up for her to realize that wish.

    Instead of resolving the problem, her apotheosis only made it worse. Her ever-increasing power drove her further into loneliness. Although there were other people who had their own wills, she couldn¡¯t join in their conversations. It was like watching characters speak to each other from the other side of the screen. When she turned around, she was still alone in this ce.

    She envied the little ones. She at least wanted to feel like she was a part of their story, so she wrote a script and moved the world along. Because she wanted to feel the satisfaction of making them happy, she ended up repeatedly missing the point of redemption.

    But even though it wasforting, it wasn¡¯t enough to fulfill her. The truth was that she had always wanted someone to stand before her and oppose her.

    Why else would she ce the forbidden fruit, which she hadmanded them not to eat, in a ce where they could reach? Now, she finally realized why she did what she did.

    She didn¡¯t want a faithful doll. She wanted people who could walk on their own feet, think for themselves, and even betray her to show that they were different from her...She wanted them to catch up to her, no matter what they had to do to reach where she was, since she couldn¡¯t go back herself after bing too strong and climbing too high.

    ¡ªShe wanted them to tell her that she wasn¡¯t alone.

    ¡°Come, you poor girl who is trapped in the prison called omnipotence. You don¡¯t need to save anyone anymore. Let me save you instead.¡±

    ¡°...Ah, haha...Hahahaha...¡±

    Alovenus covered her mouth with her hand as she issued forth augh. It sounded like she wasughing and crying at the same time...Certainly, it was the first joyful cry she had ever experienced in her life.

    ¡°Hahahahaha! Hahahahahaha!¡±

    With her emotions no longer suppressed, the Goddess gave a loudugh that echoed throughout all of space-time, causing space itself to fracture and copse.

    In a parallel world somewhere, the native dinosaurs died without ever knowing the cause as their universe shattered. In another timeline that might have existed, a civilization, which was unlike that of Earth¡¯s and was even able to participate in space wars, was erased without being able to do anything. Time itselfpletely copsed, causing Dina and the others who were still waiting for Ruphas to return to freeze in time.

    The shockwaves from the Goddess¡¯ughter erased half of the extant universes in the Final Point.

    Eventually, the Goddess removed her hand from her mouth and spoke in a calm voice.

    ¡°Hehehe...That¡¯s a big im to make. Can you really do it though? My tantrums are a little excessive in terms of scale, if I may say so myself.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Ruphas beckoned with her hand and Bnash, who had been waiting for Ruphas to finish her conversation, sighed in astonishment. Orm also smiled bitterly. The two of them looked at each other and nodded.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like putting up with this. You can deal with this spoiled child by yourself.¡±

    ¡°I agree...is what I¡¯d like to say, but it seems even we cannot reach the world beyond. We¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡±

    Beyond this would be a battle in the realm of God where everything happened ording to one¡¯s thoughts. The current realm could already be considered a battle of the gods by most people. Indeed, Bnash and Orm were powerful enough to fight in this realm.

    However, they understood it after hearing herughter. The Big Bangs and Big Crunches so far were just yful attacks by the Goddess, who was merely messing around. She hadn¡¯t been fighting seriously.

    But the next stage would be even higher. They would have to rise to the peak of infinity. It would be an endless struggle involving infinite multiples of infinity.

    It might be a different matter if the opponent was Ruphas, but Bnash wouldn¡¯t have such a strong fighting spirit when her opponent was the Goddess. She would probably lose her momentum mid-way.

    On the other hand, Orm didn¡¯t have enough conviction that he was the strongest entity. Thus, that inconsistency would be noticeable along the way, casting a shadow on his ability to be the strongest. He would surely be left behind mid-way.

    That wouldn¡¯t do. One needed to be more selfish than anyone else to win this battle. One would need to hate losing more than anyone else. One had to hold fast to the belief that oneself was the strongest without a shadow of doubt...Only someone who could do so would be able to challenge the Goddess.

    Therefore, there were only two people who could stand on this battlefield¡ªRuphas and Alovenus. Honestly, they were frustrated at the feeling of being left behind again. However, that was no reason for them to stay here and be a burden.

    ¡°I¡¯m bored of this. I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡±

    As if she was hiding her frustration, she pouted and ced her hand on Ruphas¡¯ shoulder. Then, she transferred all of her experience points (mana) to Ruphas. Having lost the right to stay in this realm, Bnash was forcefully expelled from the Final Point.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t fight with you to the end.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Likewise, Orm transferred his experience points (mana) to Ruphas and vanished from this ce. There were only two people left¡ªRuphas and Alovenus.

    From here on, it would be a battle of wills over who was stronger. It had to be a one-versus-one match. If it were three-versus-one, Alovenus wouldn¡¯t be convinced that she wasn¡¯t the strongest, since she had room to make excuses. That wouldn¡¯t be eptable. This lonely Goddess wouldn¡¯t stop until shepletely admitted to losing.

    ¡°Now, Alovenus. It¡¯s just the two of us. Don¡¯t hesitate...Come!¡±

    ¡°Yes...Let¡¯s get started!¡±

    Ruphas and Alovenus held out their palms as they materialized and unleashed nameless destruction upon each other. There was no need for skill names anymore. It was just a hassle toe up with them. The power wielded by each of them was infinite. If the opponent¡¯s infinity exceeded one¡¯s own infinity, then one would simply have to go beyond that.

    They were no longer using trivial attacks like Big Bang and Big Crunch. Those kinds of attacks were already meaningless at this point. There was no need to name the skills. They were just purely unleashing raw power.

    I¡¯m strong.

    I¡¯m stronger.

    Then, I¡¯m even stronger still.

    Ruphas continued to elerate. Her speed endlessly increased, as if it was being multiplied by the speed of light. However, Alovenus elerated at a speed that left it far behind. In the next moment, Ruphas reciprocated by doing the same thing.

    If Ruphas struck with a googolplex power value, Alovenus would counterattack with a power value of a googolplex multiplied by a googolplex. Then, Ruphas would attack again with a multiple of that.

    If the opponent insisted that infinity was merely one before her, then all that was needed was to transcend to a higher realm. Using each other as a stepping stone, they tried to push through with their strongest settings.

    Neither of them was thinking about how high they had reached in this conflict over offense and defense. They were simply not interested.

    They went beyond the initial universe, and beyond, and beyond, and beyond, and beyond, and beyond¡ªbeyond the universe, beyond the multiverse, beyond the omniverse¡ª!

    ...It didn¡¯t matter anymore. There was no point in thinking about it. As long as it didn¡¯t reach the opponent, it was meaningless.

    ¡°Hehehe...Hahahahaha!¡±

    Alovenusughed innocently like a child and continued her vicious attacks without ceasing.

    The ability to absolutely kill anything that existed within the same space, prating all resistances.

    The ability to reflect all attacks received.

    The ability to reverse time and make the opponent non-existent.

    The ability to win regardless of the process.

    The ability to inflict the defeat condition on the opponent.

    The ability to erase everything with a nce.

    The ability to nullify all abilities.

    The ability to seal all attacks and render the opponent incapable of taking defensive actions.

    The abilities of all the gods from various mythos.

    The abilities that were made up in fiction somewhere.

    ¡ªShe was using everything that she could think of, but Ruphas still didn¡¯t disappear. Thetter just couldn¡¯t be stopped.But she was having so much fun that she couldn¡¯t help it.

    ¡°That¡¯s right...Enjoy it to your heart¡¯s content, Alovenus. I¡¯ll take everything you¡¯ve got!¡±

    Even though a smile could be seen on Ruphas¡¯ face, all of her attacks were overkill.

    Enough arm power to prate whatever abilities and kill the opponent.

    Enough leg power to evade any petty tricks.

    Enough eye power to see through the opponent¡¯s next move and the move after that.

    Enough willpower to ovee whatever the opponent did.

    Controlling enough power to seize the opponent¡¯s powers for oneself.

    Enough mental power to insist that whatever the setting might be, it had nothing to do with herself.

    ¡ªShe used everything that she had, oveing all oppositions in order to corner Alovenus.

    A collision¡ªThe universe and the parallel worlds contained within one dimension were erased.

    A collision¡ªThe higher dimensions, which had been created by fusing an infinite number of simr dimensions, couldn¡¯t withstand the shockwaves and were blown away.

    Another collision¡ªEven the super-high dimensions, which included many higher dimensions, shattered without a word.

    But not yet, it still wasn¡¯t enough. Something like this wouldn¡¯t be enough. The opponent was still full of vigor. She hadn¡¯t taken any damage at all. Therefore, she must go higher, even higher, and beyond the end!

    It wasn¡¯t a fight anymore. It was a game that was possible only because these monsters existed in the same realm. They were ying with each other.

    The Goddess and the rebelughed at each other. In the aftermath of their collisions, countless existing worlds had disappeared.

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    Ladies and gentlemen, I love intion! ¥É¥ï¥©¡£

    Here is the tombstone of Intion-san.

    <h4>Trantor¡¯s Notes</h4>

    In this chapter, the author demonstrated that he didn¡¯t understand the concept of infinity...The moral of the story is: Write about what you know, not about what you don¡¯t know. Oh, and rattling off a grocery list isn¡¯t a good way to tell a story either.

    Anyway, the entire thing about ¡°an awesome punch that can destroy any barrier¡± and ¡°a barrier that can block any attack¡± in this chapter is simr to the omnipotence paradox: Can God create a rock so heavy that he himself cannot lift it?

    This is sophistry rather than an actual paradox. There are two mutually exclusive concepts in the question: an omnipotent being who can lift anything and an immovable rock. Both cannot logically coexist in the same framework. If there is an omnipotent being, there cannot be an immovable rock. If there is an immovable rock, then there cannot be an omnipotent being. But the question assumes that both are true, simr to the idea of a ¡°square circle¡±. There is no answer because the question itself is logically faulty.

    Omnipotence does not cover logical non-entities, such as a square circle. Non-entities are ¡°nothing¡±, therefore the ability to do everything (omnipotence) does not require the ability to do or create non-entities. (Nothing is ¡°outside¡± of everything.) So no, God cannot draw a square circle and it doesn¡¯t make God any less omnipotent.

    So technically, the punch and the barrier cannot both exist at the same time. But then again, the author has already thrown logic out of the window with all that infinite infinity nonsense, so whatever goes.

 Chapter 189

    Chapter 189

    It was shortly before Ruphas and Alovenus broke time itself and everything in the world stopped.

    A young man was browsing his favorite website on hisputer that day. His domestic cat, Fahl, settled on his hand several times, as if to disturb him. Every time, he would move the cat away, but it just came back after a while. What exactly did the cat want?

    He had gotten tired of X-Gate Online, the game that he had been ying constantly until recently. As a result, he currently had a lot of free time. He had already gone for a job interview, so now he was just waiting to hear back from them.

    When the young man was disturbed by Fahl for the seventh time, he suddenly felt like looking outside while moving the cat away. Outside the window, he saw two children walking along the road to an elementary school somewhere. It was a scene from everyday life. It was nothing unusual. He had probably seen it before...or even done it himself.

    The two children wereughing and ying with each other on their way to school. That was all there was to the scene. It was nothing special.

    ¡°Touch¡ª!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ineffective because there¡¯s a barrier!¡±

    For some reason, Japanese boys tended to y this ¡°barrier¡± game when they were young. ording to a survey, this was true for ny-five percent of them. If there were one hundred men, ny-five of them would have yed this strange game at least once before.

    He didn¡¯t know why, but there must be something about it that resonated with children. The young man felt nostalgic watching them, as he had yed it before as well. Initially, it was just ¡°touch¡± and ¡°barrier¡±, but eventually, it became something beyond that. This wasn¡¯t an umon urrence either.

    There were no clear rules like tag or hide-and-seek, so the children had to make the rules up themselves. Therefore, there were no limits and no fouls.

    ¡°In that case, beam!¡±

    ¡°Beam barrier! It¡¯s useless!¡±

    ¡°Barrier-destroying weapon!¡±

    ¡°Twoyered barrier!¡±

    There was no upper limit to this. After all, it was just word y. They could decide on the settings as they yed along. If they so desired, one yer could imagine an absolutely invincible barrier. Likewise, the other yer could conceive a beam that could destroy such a barrier.

    Children were invincible in the imaginary world. They could do anything. In that case, when would this game end? Would itst forever? No, of course not. The end would surelye, no matter how it might actually end.

    The young man looked outside the window and scratched his beloved cat¡¯s head as Fahl disturbed him for the eighth time.

    Everything must eventuallye to an end, except for the disturbance of a certain cat.

    ??

    How long had the fight been going on for?

    She no longer had any sense of time, but surely, let alone a second, not even an instant had passed. For Ruphas, it felt like she had been fighting for hours, but the battle between the Goddess and the rebel had been perfectly even so far.

    The battle hade to a temporary stalemate as they simply red at each other from a distance. As they faced each other in this white space, Ruphas made a move first. When she waved her arms, Lifthrasir appeared in her hands, even though they had been borrowed by Alioth.

    Even though the universe in which Midgard existed had already vanished, this pair of swords alone had not. This pair of swords, which was said to remain even if the world was destroyed, would continue to exist for the rest of eternity. Ruphas ced the two swords together. Then, the shapes of Lifthrasir strangely changed andbined into a longsword, as if that was its true form.

    Likewise, Alovenus waved her hands and retrieved two white glowing swords, which were thenbined in the same manner as Ruphas¡¯ swords.

    The two of themughed as they held swords of simr shape. Then, silence filled the ce. Ruphas¡¯ red cloak fluttered despite the absence of wind. Alovenus¡¯ blue cape did the same.

    They jumped and collided with each other.

    The after-effects, which couldn¡¯t simply be described as shockwaves anymore, spread throughout the infinite Final Point. The after-effects covered several hundred millions or even several trillions of light-years in an instant and continued on indefinitely.

    At the center, Ruphas and Alovenus circled each other in flight and crossed their des. The battle, which had been extremely mboyant until now, had turned into a simple sword fight. However, even though they didn¡¯t look shy, all of their attacks were absolutely deadly.

    Their des collided and numerous dimensions copsed. Their swords shed and many timelines shattered. Lightning-quick strikes crossed each other and cracks ran through the Final Point.

    Their swords locked with each other. When they thought they would be blown away by each other¡¯s attack, they instantlyunched a full-body assault, scattering sparks in the process.

    They didn¡¯t even know what was being broken by the after-effects. They didn¡¯t care anyway. Their eyes met. Ruphas looked at her fiercely, while Alovenusughed happily.

    ¡°......Ha!¡±

    Ruphas swung her sword down, but Alovenus jumped and evaded it. Then, Alovenus flipped her dress and swung her de, scattering shes before Ruphas¡¯ eyes. All of the scattered shes had absolute uracy and would inflict absolute destruction. But both of them cut each other¡¯s shes down, closed the distance, and crossed their des again, sending out even more shockwaves.

    They seemed to be evenly matched...No, they were actually evenly matched. As long as both parties kept repeating ¡°I¡¯m stronger¡± in rtion to the other party, there could be neither superiority nor inferiority between them. Now that they had reached the highest possible form of being the ¡°strongest¡±, this battle could only result in a stalemate.

    It was a simple equation that even a child could understand. When it was a matter of infinity versus infinity, there could be no answer as to which of them was superior. At least, that was how it should have been.

    However, Ruphas began to push back with her sword, while Alovenus showed signs of impatience on her face for the first time.

    This is strange. I can¡¯t possibly lose. I can¡¯t be pushed back.

    She should have been increasing her power ording to her opponent. Naturally, Ruphas was doing the same thing, but while she was doing so, Alovenus was also repeating it. Therefore, they should be neither superior nor inferior.

    So why was she being pushed back? Why was she losing?

    ¡°A quarrel (game) between children...That¡¯s what you called it, right, Alovenus?¡±

    Ruphas pushed Alovenus back with even greater force. They were doing the same thing by repeatedly configuring their settings to be above each other¡¯s settings. However, Ruphas was doing it slightly faster. Alovenus was increasing the speed at which she became stronger. The scale was increasing. But Ruphas was still one step ahead. Somehow, there was a difference between them. What was the reason for this?

    ¡°By the way, you were using a quarrel among children who each insist that they are stronger as an example...Do you know which one would win in the end?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no resolution...There¡¯s no end to it as long as they continue doing the same thing.¡±

    ¡°Wrong. My avatar yed this when he was a child...Eventually, one would realize that there is no end to it. The child who was a little smarter wouldpromise, and the game would be over.¡±

    Indeed, there would be an end to this seemingly endless children¡¯s game. This end was calledpromising. Upon the realization that there was no end to how long it could be repeated for, the slightly more mature child wouldpromise and settle the matter. Those implications must have been conveyed to Alovenus, whose expression became even more impatient.

    ¡°I¡ªI¡¯mpromising...? Are you saying that I¡¯m giving up?¡±

    ¡°No, you aren¡¯tpromising. You¡¯re not giving up, but you¡¯re not obsessed enough with victory.¡±

    The difference in power was even greater now. Ruphas¡¯ power hadpletely surpassed that of Alovenus. As a result, Alovenus¡¯ sword started to crack. Despite having the setting of being unbreakable, the setting that it could be shattered was repeatedly written over the previous setting. Even if the sword gained the setting to repair itself, it would just be erased immediately.

    ¡°You¡¯re already satisfied. You became satisfied the moment a person on equal footing with you showed up. But I¡¯m greedy...I won¡¯t be satisfied until I win.¡±

    Indeed, this battle must end with a victory. A draw was uneptable. She wouldn¡¯t ept something that was merely better. She sought only the best. Only victory would be eptable.

    Ruphas and Alovenus had different goals. The Goddess only sought someone who was her equal, while the rebel was aiming beyond that. It was the same situation as the battle between Leon and Sol. One could say that it was as expected of a master and her servant.

    Alovenus hated Leon...probably because he must have seemed shallow to her. He must have looked stupid to her. But Ruphas was quite fond of Leon, and considered him someone who shouldn¡¯t be abandoned. His obsession with victory was something that surpassed every other member of the Thirteen Stars.

    ¡°It¡¯s over, Alovenus. I¡¯m...No.¡±

    Ruphas jumped and swung her sword. In that moment, Alovenus saw numerous illusions behind her. Even though they should have left earlier, Bnash and Orm were there. Her own manifestation, Dina, and the doll, Libra, were also present. The Seven Heroes, the Twelve Heavenly Stars, the heroes of the past, demons, humans, demihumans, magical beasts, and even animals could be seen. All kinds of lifeforms that had existed in Midgard were present. Everything that Alovenus had been ying with until now was there.

    ¡°¡ªWe are stronger than you.¡±

    Ruphas¡¯ sword broke the Goddess¡¯ sword, and even sliced through the Goddess¡¯ body. The sh tore through everything in its path and continued to fly on indefinitely. The sh, which seemed to cut even the Final Point open, became bigger as it flew on to a distant location¡ªand eventually disappeared.

    Naturally, the Goddess didn¡¯t die because of this. Death would note to her by any means except for suicide. Even if her soul was destroyed, erased without any traces left, or rendered non-existent, she would still return, calmly and brazenly.

    The current Ruphas might be able to forcibly kill the immortal Alovenus, but it seemed she had no intention of doing so. In any case, Alovenus herself had already painfully epted her defeat.

    ¡°...Eh? Ah? Im¡ªImpossible...I¡¯m currently...¡±

    ¡°Oh, your HP has been reduced to zero. You should know this already.¡±

    Even when her HP had been reduced to zero or less, or when her HP statistic itself was erased, Alovenus still wouldn¡¯t die. The battle would continue for as long as she wanted it to continue. She could stand up again as long as she wanted to do so.

    However, she had lost. Indeed, there was no doubt that Alovenus had lost. Furthermore, if Ruphas had wanted to kill her, Alovenus would be dead already.

    Faced with that fact, Alovenus sank down. Now that she had admitted to losing, even just once...Alovenus would never be able to beat Ruphas in another fight over this divine realm. No matter how much she added the setting that she was actually stronger, the fact that she had lost would still remain in her heart. This would cast a shadow over the belief that she was the strongest.

    ¡°Ah...Ah, ha...¡±

    Alovenusughed dryly.

    Oh, what a day. This is both the worst and the best day ever.

    She had never thought that someone on an equal footing with her woulde here, much less someone who actually surpassed her. She couldn¡¯t help but be amazed. This woman...Ruphas Mafahl was a ridiculous idiot who surpassed even a deity.

    Ruphas raised her fist in front of her to finish the fight. Then, she brought it down on Alovenus¡¯ head. The roar of an explosion echoed, and a shockwave that was about to die from overworking spread out.

    If this was a regr, Alovenus would have been buried into the ground and burst out from the other side, prating the end of the universe to cross over into another universe. Naturally, Alovenus¡¯ existence was too powerful for her to be in a normal universe, so this was built on the premise that it was an extremely strong universe.

    ...In any case, it was a fist that was swung down with that much power.

    ¡°Eh!? It¡ªIt hurts!?¡±

    ¡°This is punishment for a naughty child. Seriously...I had to work so hard just for this one hit.¡±

    ¡°Wai¡ªeh, is that all!? Did you really go so far just for that!?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. Anyway, rewrite that annoying script. A script that¡¯s frowned upon by all of the characters in it isn¡¯t even a script anymore.¡±

    She could havepletely defeated the Goddess. It wasn¡¯t that she had never considered it. In fact, if Alovenus was truly a viin, Ruphas would have done so andpletely annihted Alovenus with thatst blow.

    However, Alovenus wasn¡¯t truly an evil deity. Instead, she was just a lonely benevolent deity who was a little misguided. She had been more zealous than most people. Naturally, this didn¡¯t mean that the outrageous things she had done could simply be forgiven. However, Ruphas thought that it would be fine to give her a little grace.

    After all, nobody had ever stood by her, so she had always been alone. There had been no one to scold her, correct her mistakes, and teach her...No one could save the Goddess who was piling mistakes on top of more mistakes.

    This was the difference between Dina and Alovenus. They had the same memories and personality, so why was there a difference between them? It was due to the ce where they were standing. Dina was never alone. She had parents who loved her, and she walked on the samend along with Ruphas and the others. She had a foundation that allowed her to recognize her own mistakes.

    Alovenus didn¡¯t have anything like that. Because she was too strong, she would have crushed the universe under her feet. It wasn¡¯t really an excuse, but nothing would be resolved by getting rid of her. Instead, her cooperation was indispensable for restoring the things that had disappeared in the aftermath of the battle. She had to take responsibility and save those who had been unhappy.

    If she was simply erased, the demons would also disappear, as they were her magic. That would be too hard on Orm.

    ¡°Also, transfer your divine authority over Midgard to Dina. Leave the management of Midgard to her for a while. You can just watch and learn.¡±

    After dumping that oversized baggage onto an unsuspecting person, Ruphas moved her arms to rewind and repair the various dimensions and timelines that had been erased during the battle. Although she was a bit concerned about whether the timelines could be properly rewinded, she was able to get it done by maintaining that anything was possible.

    ¡°You should help out too.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Wai¡ª¡±

    Ruphas grabbed the stunned Alovenus by her cor and dragged her along.

    This was the end of the game between the Goddess and the rebel, which hadsted for more than two hundred years. All of her pieces had been eliminated or stolen. It was finally checkmate. The board had been overturned, along with even the stage. The punishment had also been meted out.

    The world had been released from the script of the Goddess. From here on, the script would be written by the people themselves. Ruphas thought of the future andughed as if a weight had been lifted from her. And¡ª

    After finishing the battle at the Final Point, she returned the mana that she had acquired from the universe. Then, she returned to those who had been waiting for her. She returned to the world where she belonged.

    Upon seeing her, her subordinates cheered and her friends celebrated her victory. Bnash kept her arms folded as if she was bored, but there was a slight grin on her face. On the other hand, Orm simply nodded in satisfaction.

    Meanwhile, the girl, who had the same face as the Goddess, smiled brightly at her master and said words that were all too normal in that kind of situation...but those words were packed full of all kinds of emotions.

    ¡°¡ªWee back, Ruphas-sama.¡±

    ¡°¡ªOh, I¡¯m back.¡±

    And so the twilight of the gods came to an end.

    <h4>Author¡¯s Notes</h4>

    The Golden Apple That Was Created In The Blutgang Arc: ¡°...Hey. Why was I created to foreshadow something and yet not make it to the end...?¡±

    Foreshadowing-san: ¡°It must have been me. But it was foreshadowing that Ruphas could collect mana and be absurdly strong. At the same time, it exined why there were so many Level 1000 characters two hundred years ago. You weren¡¯t foreshadowing anything in particr. It was better to show the readers at least once that the apple could be created...and that¡¯s you.¡±

    Golden Apple: ¡°What...the...¡±

 Chapter 190

    Chapter 190

    ¡°I see... So you¡¯re really going home . ¡±

    This conversation happened on thend of Midgard while the morning sun shone brightly overhead .

    In front of the ship Argo, which had justnded, was the Hero and his party . Beside them was Virgo, who had a meek and docile expression .

    The one who was standing at the front of the group was Sei .

    Now that the Goddess¡¯s script had reached its conclusion, there was no longer any role for the Hero to y .

    This world no longer had any need for an epic heroic tale . All that remained in this story was ¡°reality¡±, where people carved out their own journeys through their own capabilities and wills .

    As such, there was no longer any reason for him to remain in this world .

    After all, he had his own life back on Earth as well as dreams he wished to realise .

    ¡°Yeah . Looks like I¡¯m someone who¡¯s more suited to be in the other world . ¡±

    It was not as if he had no lingering attachments towards this world .

    If he was being honest, he even had this fleeting feeling which he wanted to convey to the girl who was standing right in front of him .

    But... unfortunately, there was far too much of a difference in their life expectancies .

    As a flugel, Virgo would live on for the next few hundred years, or perhaps even a few thousand years . Sei, on the other hand, realistically only had about eighty more years to go even if he lived a long life .

    Even if he prepared himself to be rejected and confessed to her, and even if he was lucky enough to receive an ¡°okay¡±, the one who would be grieving at the very end would be her .

    That being the case, he believed that it would be better to keep his feelings deep within himself... This feeling of longing could never work out .

    Well... even before all of that, there¡¯s far more of a chance that I¡¯d be rejected .

    ¡°The real issue though is my strength now . Even though Ruphas-san and the rest of you might say that I¡¯m still weak, if I return to Earth with my current power...¡±

    At this point in time, Sei had managed to reach level 55 .

    When the Goddess had previously sent the mana (experience) which constituted the ouroboroses towards him and they were stolen by Ruphas, there was a minuscule amount of it that had been left behind untouched . Sei¡¯s current level was due to him being affected by that mana .

    Needless to say, from Ruphas¡¯s point of view, that amount was so minuscule and trivial that she had not even noticed that it had been left behind .

    Nevertheless, if Sei was going back to Earth, it would not be that negligible .

    After all, where on Earth would one be able to find a human being, and still a student at that, who could run faster than a cheetah and was physically stronger than a brown bear?

    Even his stamina and vitality was no longer at the level of a normal human¡¯s .

    Even if a criminal that he was apprehending had a knife and stabbed him, as long as Sei was mindful of that, they would not be able to even leave a scratch on him . Simrly, even if he was shot with a gun, he would at most feel some pain but suffer no other consequences . That was how superhuman Sei currently was .

    Exactly, he was only considered weak because of who he was beingpared to . He had long be a member of those who he had called superhuman .

    If he felt like it, he would be able to monopolise as many Olympic gold medals as he wished for as long as he wished for . It would also be a simple matter for him to be the best in the world at various martial arts .

    He might even be able to give rise to a legend of an invincible master who obtained sweeping victory over every martial art on the .

    For him to go back to Earth while possessing such a strength... Was that something that should be allowed?

    While Sei was agonising over such thoughts, Ruphas replied to him in a very rxed manner without the slightest hint of worry .

    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be a problem, is there? I mean, your power is something that you acquired as a result of your efforts . There¡¯s no need to feel ashamed about it . Take it back with you as a badge of honour . ¡±

    ¡°Um... is that really fine?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be? Even if you had power, I can tell that you¡¯re not someone who¡¯d irresponsibly abuse it . ¡±

    Ruphas was not saying this without giving it any thought .

    She had only said what she said because it was Sei .

    If the person in front of her was someone like Debris, then she would have somehow turned them back to level one even if she had to punch them into a pulp, irrespective of their will .

    She was only able to dere that it wasn¡¯t a problem because it was Sei .

    From the very beginning to the very end, he was the ¡°hero¡± who continued to seek the right answer without taking an easy way out . That was the reason why she was able to send him away while believing in him .

    ¡°Besides, you dreamed of bing a policeman, right? Then it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have some extra strength . If you¡¯re going to do that, then be the strongest policeman who can arrest any criminal regardless of how vicious they are . ¡±

    ¡°Haha... After a fight like that, I¡¯d never be able to call myself the strongest, you know?¡±

    Seiughed dryly as if to say ¡°No thank you¡± and then turned to look at hisrades whom he had been travelling with until now .

    Gants, Jean, Friedrich, the Female Knight (the Gori), Cruz, Kaineko and Sarjes .

    There was also the canine magical beast which was sitting next to his feet . It had perhaps sensed that they were about to part ways, because it looked somewhat saddened .

    Apart from them, the three adventurers, Ricardo, Nick and Shu, as well as Alfie and the ranger squad hade to bid him farewell .

    Sei had always been mindful of how unorthodox his party waspared to a typical hero¡¯s entourage, so much so that he had initially thought that it was some form of harassment . But now that everything hade to an end and he looked back at it all, he had quite enjoyed the memories that it had brought him .

    Well, yeah . Good times... I think?

    ¡°Well then... everyone... thanks for everything up until now . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it . Take care of yourself over there . ¡±

    In response to Sei, who held his hand out, Jean responded the quickest by cing his own hand on top of it .

    On top of that, Gants put his . Thereafter, the others in the group also started stacking their hands on top of the batch .

    At the very end, Virgoid her hand . At this moment, Virgo and Sei¡¯s eyes met each other for a brief moment .

    ¡°Sei-kun... I wish you all the best . I... won¡¯t forget you . ¡±

    ¡°Ahh . Me too... I definitely won¡¯t forget you . ¡±

    The two of them removed their hands from the crowd almost reluctantly . Seeing that their farewell had ended, Ruphas snapped her fingers .

    When she did, a crack in the space-time continuum appeared right in front of Sei, creating a path which led to Earth .

    It was not just an ordinary gate . Ruphas hadbined it with Dina¡¯s skill to make it a gate which would send Sei back into the past .

    The other side of the gate led to a Japan of the past, during the year 2015 . In other words, he would be sent to the time immediately after when he was summoned to this world .

    While Sei had only lived for a little short of a year in this world, his age was still rewound back by rewinding his time by the same amount . After all, at his age, a few months of time resulted in a significant difference in how he looked .

    ¡°Once you pass through this gate, you¡¯ll be met with an everyday life no different from before you came to this world . I¡¯ve already set it so that you¡¯ll arrive back at your original location, so you don¡¯t have to worry about getting sent somewhere overseas . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you... for everything . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it . To begin with, you were only caught up in all of this because of our world¡¯s selfish actions . It¡¯s pretty much my duty for me to send you back safely . ¡±

    Hearing what Ruphas said, Seiughed a little, then headed towards the gate .

    He looked back reluctantly just onest time... at Virgo, then decisively charged into the gate as if he was getting over his hesitation .

    In all likelihood, this was his first love... as well as his first time experiencing a broken heart .

    Although Sei had managed to subtly realise this, they went their own separate ways before Virgo even became self-aware that it might very well have been her first awakening of love .

    Looking at the two of them, Dina quietly spoke .

    ¡°He was a good kid . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah . While he didn¡¯t have the power to fight... he was different from someone like me who could only resolve problems through violence . He really was a hero . ¡±

    What Minami-Jyuji Sei had achieved was small, yet big at the same time .

    While he did not have powers like Ruphas or the Thirteen Stars, if he had not made the decisions that he had made, things would not have progressed as simply as it had .

    Perhaps he was not even aware of it himself, but he alone was the only one who had consistently not acted the way that the Goddess was anticipating him to .

    If one considered how even those like Ruphas or Bnash had periods when they had moved the way the Goddess had wanted them to, Sei was trulymendable .

    ¡°By the way, you¡¯re not nning to leave this as a tragic love story, are you?¡±

    ¡°It all depends on that young boy Sei . If he continues to think about Virgo even after going to the other world, and if Virgo bes aware of her own feelings... I¡¯m thinking that perhaps it might be possible to summon him back to this world as an Argonaut after he passes away . In the end, I have no intention of forcing them together, so everything will depend on what the two of them choose . ¡±

    Having gotten this far, no one wished for a bad ending . But there also couldn¡¯t be a free pass .

    Therefore, if the two¡¯s hearts continued to stay connected to each other, when the time came, Ruphas was scheming to fiddle a little with the reasons and principles behind how the world worked .

    Above all else, she was definitely not interested in seeing Virgo cry .

    As such, if Virgo wished for it, she did not even mind sending her to Japan or bringing Sei back to this world after he passed away . Every option was within consideration .

    Nevertheless, Ruphas considered their wishes to be of utmost importance . This meant that their choices and their decisions were an absolute prerequisite before anything could be done .

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll wait and see for a while . We have to respect the answers that those two younglingse up with . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking like an old person . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m no different from an old person . How many centuries do you think I¡¯ve lived for?¡±

    ¡°But you know, Ruphas-sama, if we consider how your time was stopped while you were sealed away, you¡¯re technically still around sixteen or seventeen by human terms, right?¡±

    ¡°......... Eh?¡±

    Flugels were a race which matured fast, but took a long time to grow old .

    They matured fast to the state where one¡¯s mind and physical strength was at peak condition, which corresponded to theirte teen years . From then onwards, their outer appearance no longer changed any further, so it became impossible to tell their age just from how they looked .

    Until now, when she had thought of how old she was in terms of human age, she had considered herself to be in her early twenties... but in fact, if she subtracted the time that she had spent sealed away, she was surprisingly still young .

    She was bewildered from that sudden epiphany . Consequently, the sight of her counting her age with her fingers was strange and silly .

    *

    ¡°No way! Why am I the one that has to stay behind on Midgard!? If I do that, won¡¯t I just be insignificant like air until the very end!?¡±

    ¡°Well, honestly, I can only say that you just got onto the stage toote...¡±

    ¡°To be fair, you only showed up right before the final battle, so...¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it all because you left me alone by myself until the end!? I was in the sea that whole time . If anything, I should be saying that you could havee and gotten me first! And you, stupid horse! Cut it out! Wear your pants properly!¡±

    On the other side of the Argo, amongst the small group of Thirteen Stars who had had to stay behind on Midgard, Pisces was relentlessly quibbling andining .

    Although Sagittarius and Aigokeros were trying to calm him down, their attempts were not very effective .

    But it couldn¡¯t be helped . After all, unlike the others, Pisces had a vast kingdom in the sea and its citizens to take care of . If he ignored them and migrated to the Moon by himself, it would trouble the people that he left behind .

    Having said that, as expected, even if he wanted the entirety of Skiddnir to migrate with him, the Moon was far too small .

    Even back when they were shoved into the Ark, the portion allocated to Skiddnir alone, unlike the other kingdoms, effectively only constituted the bare minimum of their kingdom .

    The ones watching this go on from the sidelines were the fairy siblings, Pollux and Castor, as well as Orm, Terra and the other members of the demon race, who were standing some distance away .

    Seeing the whining Pisces who was unable to let go of the others, Saturnus made an exasperated sigh .

    ¡°When I think about the Tyrannical Twelve Heavenly Stars, they¡¯re supposed to be the very symbol of fear for our race... but, looking at this... how do I put it? They¡¯re like a bunch of very stupid fools . ¡±

    ¡°The Twelve Stars actually are a bunch of very stupid fools . Though, I guess it¡¯s Thirteen Stars now...¡±

    Pollux concurred with Saturnus¡¯s words and the two of them sighed at the same time .

    Perhaps because the both of them were too honest for their own good, they unexpectedly matched well with each other .

    Saturnus then turned around and spoke in a mocking tone .

    ¡°Although... being a fool also applies to us . Isn¡¯t that right, Mr . I-Recklessly-Went-Ahead-And-Died-For-No-Reason?¡±

    ¡°... Sorry about that . ¡±

    Saturnus was looking at Mercurius, who had previously died at Draupnir .

    As he stood there, he was no different from how he had previously looked . He had been resurrected back to the world of the living as an Argonaut, despite having a constitutionpletely opposite of what his original body was .

    After hearing what had happened to him at the very end, Pollux somehow managed to perceive him as a hero, thus she was able to sessfully summon him . But, seemingly ufortable with what had been said to him, he looked away .

    There were also others who had passed away, such as Jupiter, but he had wished to move on and reincarnate . Therefore, he was not present here .

    The reason he gave them was, ¡°I want to forget about that scary golem (Libra), so I want to live a new life . ¡±

    ¡°By the way... what about Mars?¡±

    ¡°Sorry . However much I try, I just can¡¯t perceive him as worthy of being a hero . ¡±

    Although Pollux responded to Saturnus¡¯s question apologetically, Saturnus thought that it was only natural .

    Indeed, it would be impossible . While it might have been possible to recognise Mercurius as a hero if one changed their perspectives, even after a change of perspective, Mars was still nothing more than an idiot .

    Thinking of him, she couldn¡¯t help but imagine the sight of his face looking down from the sky with a smile whilst saying, ¡°Is it still not time for me toe back?¡± As a result, she randomly fired a few magic bullets into the air and dispersed a cloud that looked like that image .

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine . You¡¯ve done enough for us . I owe you one . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s whatever . This is nothing . You don¡¯t have to mind it too much . ¡±

    Orm started speaking to Pollux gently and refreshingly, but Pollux replied back to him coldly .

    Of course, she was not trying to be cold . She was only disying this attitude because they had known each other for a long time, and it was only normal between them .

    ¡°Besides, if we¡¯re going to start talking about who owes who a favour, then I owe you a lot of them . Didn¡¯t youe and console me every time I felt down in the past?¡±

    ¡°W... that¡¯s... I suppose...¡±

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been wondering about it for a while, but why have you always been so kind to me to that extent? I mean, technically, on the surface, we were supposed to have been enemies with each other, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because... err, I wonder why . ¡±

    After being questioned by Pollux, Orm awkwardly looked away from her .

    Seeing this, Saturnus reached the answer before Pollux . She had finally figured it out .

    I see, I see . So that¡¯s why . No wonder His Majesty was always overly mindful of the Fairy Princess .

    At the same time she realised why that had always been the case, a sense of helplessness assaulted her whole body .

    ¡°Ahh... I see . So even His Majesty is a man at heart . I¡¯m so beat... Forget having my heart broken, I hadn¡¯t even managed to get on the stage to begin with . ¡±

    Saturnus had an affection towards Orm that she could not voice out loud .

    She had hidden her own feelings because she thought that it was inappropriate for her to think of her own master in that way .

    As a consequence, she could not even consider it a failed love . After all, the conclusion had been reached before she had even managed to get onto the stage .

    That being the case, it did not mean that she would not feel hurt .

    ¡°Saturnus... you...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, is there a problem? Just like you, I lost before I even got to participate in the battle . Both of us are nothing but side characters . I mean, even though you got resurrected, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to go ahead and confess to her, right?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    While Mercurius had an unrequited love for Luna, he had not even gotten her to realise those feelings . To top it off, Luna and Terra mutually liked each other . Mercurius was unable to get between them thiste in time .

    Simrly, by the time Saturnus had realised her own feelings, everything had already concluded .

    Although, in her case, because Pollux had not yet realised Orm¡¯s feelings towards her, Saturnus still had some kind of a chance... but because one was the Fairy Princess and the other was a mere individual of the demon race, there probably wouldn¡¯t even be apetition . She could already see how things would turn out .

    ¡°I¡¯m going to drown myself in drinks today . Hey, you . Since you¡¯re free anyways,e and keep mepany . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sounds good . I¡¯m feeling like drinking myself . ¡±

    The pair of demons, who were both victims of unrequited love, turned their backs on everyone else and walked away from that ce .

    ... Digressing a bit, the two of them would proceed to marry each other ten yearster and be husband and wife, but at this point in time, neither of them had any way of knowing that was what was going to happen in the future .

    __

    (Author note)

    [Japan]

    Sei: ¡°...¡±

    Thulhu (The Mutant God): ¡°...¡±

    ¨C Sei thought the following: ¡°Ugh, there¡¯s something dangerous here . ¡±

    ¨C Thulhu thought the following: ¡°Ugh, there¡¯s someone with the other world¡¯s smell here . ¡±

    Sei: ¡°...¡±

    Thulhu: ¡°...¡±

    ¨C Both of them mutually decided that they had seen nothing .

    Sei did not feel like having a conflict with it, and Thulhu had already had enough after getting sent away from the other world .

    Non-intervention... they each thought that was the best option for both sides .

    Sei and Thulhu did not exchange words, but they both nodded to acknowledge each other and went their own separate ways .

    Although they did not voice anything out loud, what they were thinking strangely matched each other . They each had had enough of overinted battles .

    Next Chapter: The final chapter .

    (Author note end)

    TLN: There were some questions on discord and discussion forums in regard to some finer details, so I just wanted to rify a few things . If you are not interested in power scaling, you should skip this long note because it does not affect the story . A quick disimer that the following are just my opinions, and the small differences in how Va and I trante ultimatelyes down to our writing style .

    (1) ¡°¡®Infinite infinity¡¯ was tranted a little differently by someone I know, it is ¡®infinity infinity¡¯ or ¡®infinite to the power of infinity¡¯?¡±

    The raw for this is ¡°ŸoÏÞ¤ÎŸoÏÞ\¡± or ¡°Mugen no mugen jou¡± . The ¡°jou¡± here signifies indices . ¡°X no Y jou¡± trantes to ¡°X to the power of Y¡± . This means that, strictly speaking, ¡°mugen no mugen jou¡± should trante to ¡°infinity to the power of infinity¡± . Nevertheless, the context/sentence prior to this statement was describing an ¡°infinity infinity¡± . As for whether the author is aware of aleph cardinal numbers and beyond, I don¡¯t know .

    Simrly, the author used terms that are meant to mean ¡°ridiculouslyrge number¡± in chapters 186 and 187 . They were tranted as ¡°novemdecillions, vigintillions, centillions, and googolplex¡± . Refer to the corresponding footnote in chapter 186 which mentions that those terms are interchangeable with ¡°immeasurable¡± and ¡°unspeakable¡± . E . g . ¡°If Ruphas struck with an immeasurable/unspeakable power value, Alovenus would counterattack with a power value that was immeasurable/unspeakable multiplied by an immeasurable/unspeakable value . Then, Ruphas would attack again with a multiple of that . ¡±

    (2) ¡°Can you also ask why ¡®´óÓîÖæ¡¯ was tranted as ¡®multiverse¡¯ instead of ¡®big universe¡¯?¡±

    Yes, ¡°´óÓîÖæ¡± (in chapter 186) or ¡°daiuchuu¡± strictly trantes to ¡°big universe¡± . Japanese as anguage is context and implication heavy, and based on how the author used it in the raw, I believe that rger universe¡±, ¡°multiverse¡± and ¡°higher dimension universe¡± are all eptable for that line . In context, the author probably picked this word over the others because Alovenus created a single universe and amped it up a scale and encapsted that with a ¡°bigger¡± universe, so that the previous universe was nothing but a speck within, repeated a hundred times over . It¡¯s unclear what the author meant by ¡°bigger¡± . Until the author rifies what he truly meant, it¡¯s impossible to tell which was intended, but the strict trantion for it is a rger universe¡± .

    Strictly speaking, the first real use of ¡°multiverse/¶àÔªÓîÖæ/¥Þ¥ë¥Á¥Ð©`¥¹¡± and ¡°omniverse/È«ŒgÔÚÓîÖæ/¥ª¥à¥Ë¥Ð©`¥¹¡± was in chapter 187, when they were transcending to a higher dimension or when they were ¡°going beyond and beyond¡± . The author must have wanted to leave absolutely no room for misinterpretation because he wrote the word in katakana and superscripted it with the kanji to emphasise it .

    (3) ¡°It¡¯s confusing whether it was meant literally or metaphorically when Alovenus said ¡®Be a resident of a higher dimension and toss away the opponent¡¯s settings like a piece of waste paper?¡¯ . (Chapter 186)¡±

    Personally, I think it was meant to be taken literally, but I¡¯ll leave the decision to you . The raw for it is ¡°¸ü¤ËÉÏ¤ÎÊÀ½ç¤Î×¡ÈË¤È¤Ê¤ê¼ˆ¤òÆÆ¤ë¤è¤¦¤ËÏàÊÖ¤ÎÔO¶¨¤òÆÆ¤ê’Î¤Æ¤ëÆà¤¤Á¦£¿¡± . A strict trantion for this is ¡°An amazing power where you be a resident of a higher world and rip the opponent¡¯s setting and throw it away as if you¡¯re ripping up a piece of paper?¡±

    (4) ¡°Anything else?¡±

    The author uses the word ¡°¸ÅÄî¡± or ¡°gainenn¡± quite a lot throughout the series . It is strictly tranted to mean ¡°concept¡± or ¡°notion¡± . Va has opted not to use the term based on his own reasoning, but I¡¯d just like to note it for the people that are power scaling . There are too many to list, so I¡¯ll just give three examples:

    (i) During the fight between Alovenus and Ruphas, the ¡°concept¡± of time was erased and time ceased to exist .

    (ii) The raw for ¡°The ability to seal all attacks and render the opponent incapable of taking defensive actions . ¡± (chapter 187) is ¡°¹¥“Ä¤È¤¤¤¦¸ÅÄî¤òÆÆ‰²¤·¤Æ¹¥“Ä¤½¤Î¤â¤Î¤ò·â¤¸¡¢·ÀÓù¤È¤¤¤¦¸ÅÄî¤òÏû¤·È¥¤Ã¤Æ·ÀÓùÐÐ„Ó¤òÈ¡¤ì¤Ê¤¯¤¹¤ë¡£¡± or strictly tranted as, ¡°The ability to destroy the very concept of attack to disallow attacking and the ability to erase the very concept of defence so that the enemy bes unable to take defensive actions . ¡±

    (iii) Alovenus woulde back even if her HP was erased¡± is strictly ¡°Alovenus woulde back even if the very concept of her HP was erased¡± .

 Chapter 191[END]

    Chapter 191

    It had now been five years since the battle with the Goddess.

    For Ruphas and the rest who had lifespans of a few hundred, or perhaps even a few thousand years, it felt like no time had passed. But the same was not true for the rest of the world.

    It had merely been five years, yet it was still five years nheless.

    In just that amount of time, the world had changed. The people were still moving forward.

    Protecting those people, who were now walking on their own, from the Moon and guiding them in the right direction was now Dina¡¯s job. She was now known as the Goddess of the Moon.

    Nowadays, she was literally the proxy of the Goddess in both name and reality. On the surface, she was the individual who had the highest authority on the Moon.

    That being the case, it was not as if Dina had forgotten that she was one of Ruphas¡¯s subordinates. This meant that, technically, Ruphas was above her. Unfortunately, because Ruphas was even more useless than a cat when it came to internal administration, Dina was essentially the one at the very top.

    Just as the individual herself had admitted, while Ruphas was proficient in using force to increase the size of her territory and the number of her subordinates, she was not suited to govern a world that was at peace.

    Truth be told, the very fact that the absolute power known as Ruphas existed served as a deterrence. As a consequence, even if she justzed around, as long as she was present, it was still sufficiently meaningful.

    Perhaps, thinking along those lines, it could be said that the one in the highest seat of power, Ruphas, would not be changing for a while.

    Additionally, the Tyrannical Twelve Heavenly Stars officially admitted Dina and Orm together as the constetion of the [Serpent Bearer] and changed its name from the Tyrannical Twelve Heavenly Stars to the Imperial Thirteen Heavenly Stars.

    Yes, not tyrannical, but imperial. The term ¡°tyrannical¡±, which had used its power to bend and oppress others¡­ was no longer needed.

    ¡°Dina-sama, I¡¯ve organised the reports.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much, Libra. You can leave it there.¡±

    The highest floor of the Mafahl Tower, which was now situated on the Moon¡­ the office room on the floor immediately below that was now Dina¡¯s personal workce.

    There, Dina handled everything that was a part of her duties These duties included, but were not limited to, handling various problems that had urred on Midgard, maintaining ecological bnce, controlling the weather, detecting natural disasters such as earthquakes before they urred and preventing them from happening.

    Alternatively, if there seemed to be a kingdom that was attempting to plunge the world into disorder, she might cause an earthquake in order to sanction them. Fortunately, there had been no such movement from any nation thus far.

    Nevertheless, humanoids were creatures which tended to take peace for granted. While they might still feel thankful for the peace they were currently experiencing since it had only been five years, individuals with ludicrous ambitions would inevitably start appearing after a few years.

    Even now, there were plenty of nobles who had a rotten disposition simr to that of Debris, meaning that Dina¡¯s worries never ended.

    ¡°Haa¡­ what a problem this is.¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t I been telling you? Dina, this is why, for stuff like that, you can just use the power of god to go boom boom boom, brainwash them or something and turn them into new dolls, and it¡¯ll all be problem solved.¡±

    ¡°Alovenus-sama, you¡¯re being a nuisance, so please don¡¯te into my office.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so mean!¡±

    The one who Dina was treating as a nuisance was ady who looked exactly like Dina.

    Among other simrities, her facial features were almost exactly the same as Dina¡¯s. The only difference between the two of them was that thisdy¡¯s hair from her neck down was blond in colour.

    Thedy¡¯s clothing was also different from that of Dina¡¯s, as she was wearing a white dress and a blue cape. Thisdy was the very Goddess, Alovenus, whom Ruphas had fought.

    Needless to say, it was not her real body. If Alovenus¡¯s real body had truly descended there, then the universe would have long copsed.

    As such, it was nothing more than one of her avatars. Nevertheless, this avatar was slightly different from Dina, as it was constructed out of divine power. Additionally, this avatar did not possess a shred of its own ego. It was a type of avatar that solely existed so that the Goddess could take possession of it.

    In other words, the one present here was the one and only, the very Goddess herself.

    Digressing a little, the one who had created this avatar was Ruphas. If the Goddess was to do it herself, she would not be able to limit her power to this extent, and any avatar that she created would turn out to be strangelyrge in size.

    It was no wonder she had only been able to create giant avatars up until now.

    ¡°You understand, right? I¡¯m the Goddess, you know? I¡¯m your real body, you know? I¡¯m the most important person in the multiverse, you know? You should revere me more. You should give me more attention.¡±

    ¡°Libra, please throw this useless person out.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Hey, wait!!¡±

    Libraplied with Dina¡¯s orders and grabbed Alovenus by her neck before dragging her out of the office. Libra then shoved Alovenus into a cardboard boxbelled ¡°Please don¡¯t pick up¡± and threw the box out of the Mafahl Tower.

    Although she had been thrown out of the tower from an altitude of a few thousand meters, it would not be a problem at all. After all, that thing was technically still the Goddess. Furthermore, it was just an avatar.

    In the end, she would not even take any damage. Even if she ended up dead, her real body would be unharmed.

    After expressionlessly throwing out the Goddess, who was her real master, Libra returned to the office as if nothing had happened at all.

    ¡°Oh, by the way, Libra, have you seen Ruphas-sama around? I haven¡¯t seen her since this morning.¡±

    ¡°No. I also don¡¯t know where she went.¡±

    ¡°I see. I had a few matters that I wanted her opinion on.¡±

    Dina said so with a troubled face and looked outside the tower.

    Today, Midgard was ever so blue and ever so round. In all likelihood, it would continue to remain just as blue and round even tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, a year from now, ten years from now, a hundred years from now and so on.

    The warring period had concluded. As a consequence, it was unlikely that a battle which could alter thendscape of the would happen again in the future.

    Today, just like every other day, both Midgard and the Moon were peaceful.

    On Midgard, inside the pce of the kingdom of Svalinn.

    There, various kings of various nations were gathered together and speaking around a round table.

    Laevateinn¡¯s Alioth the Sixth. Gjarhorn¡¯s Merak. Draupnir¡¯s Emperor Kumar. Blutgang¡¯s king and hispanion, Mizar the golem. Svalinn¡¯s king and his advisor, Megrez. Since the kingdom of hobbits had amazingly restored itself, the king of Hrotti was also present.

    There was also the ruler of Mjolnir, Bnash. Even the king of Skiddnir, Pisces, and the queen of Nectar, Aquarius, were present.

    They were informing each other about their respective nation¡¯s state of affairs. They were also discussing their nation¡¯s specialties and arguing about the details regarding what to export and import.

    It was a surreal scene which would have nevere to fruition just a short while ago. In particr, the very fact that Bnash was present there was nothing short of a miracle.

    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll provide fifty million eru as reconstruction funds. In exchange, give Mjolnir the highest priority in exporting your specialty products.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯d help out greatly, Vampire Princess-sama.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait, B, my friend, monopolising exports isn¡¯t good. Blutgang will provide our craftsmen. So export to us too.¡±

    Although Bnash seemed like a muscle brain, she was surprisingly good at managing her country.

    If that was not the case, then she would not have been able to remain as queen for over two hundred years. She was different from that random muscle-brained Supreme Ruler from somece, somewhere.

    Fundamentally speaking, as long as Ruphas was not involved, Bnash was actually a very calm and intellectual individual.

    Even after this exchange, the conversations continued on. It was only when the day was about to transition into night that they decided to call it a day.

    As soon as the meeting concluded, Bnash stood up from her seat and left the pce behind.

    Even though she was a queen, as usual, there was not even a single guard around her. Yet there was not a single person reckless enough to pick a fight with her.

    She had no need for guards. Even alone, Bnash had the strongest military power on Midgard.

    In fact, ack of guards was something not exclusive to just her. Megrez, Merak and Pisces also did not have anyone guarding them.

    While Aquarius had brought Ganymedes along with her, he was being used as a mode of transportation rather than a guard.

    ¡°Humph¡­ as usual, that Mafahl didn¡¯t show up.¡±

    ¡°Well, I suppose it¡¯s because she¡¯s on the Moon. I doubt she¡¯d stick her neck into Midgard¡¯s matters thiste in time.¡±

    After Bnash grumbled unhappily, Megrez bitterly responded to her.

    Merak and the Mizar golem stood up nearby and looked up at the Moon.

    ¡°Besides, this whole situation is what she wanted to achieve. To conquer the world and create a peaceful world where there¡¯s no demons¡­ It¡¯s slightly different in form from what she had initially nned, but she has indeed achieved that. In a way, she ended up winning it all.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t like it.¡±

    Merak supplemented his input but that only riled Bnash up more.

    It¡¯s always like this¡­ She always runs away after taking the win. By the time I notice it, she¡¯s already ahead of me. I hate that feeling. That¡¯s why there¡¯s meaning in chasing behind her¡­ but howplicated.

    ¡°From now on, it¡¯s our responsibility. In the past, we decided to go along with the Goddess¡¯s n and ended up causing chaos for the world¡­ We haven¡¯t finished atoning for that yet.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t count me as one of you guys, you fool.¡±

    Megrez said so with a serious tone, but Bnash rebutted that.

    The ones who had rampaged around and gotten manipted by the Goddess were the other heroes, not including herself. She was different. She was just asserting that.

    Having said that, while she had not been manipted by the Goddess, Bnash had still been involved in Ruphas¡¯s downfall, so it was also a fact that she was not able to assert herself that strongly.

    ¡°In the past, we had made a mistake. Even then, Ruphas still came back for us and corrected the world like this. So from this point onwards, it¡¯s our job¡­ This time for sure, we have to pick the right path and lead the world to peace¡­ as well as for the sake of the ones who passed away first.¡±

    Hearing Megrez¡¯s words, Merek and the Mizar golem nodded. While Bnash did not nod, she also did not deny his words.

    Alioth, Duhbe, Phecda and Mizar¡­ those four had left first, while the ones here were left behind.

    As such, this time for sure, as the ones who had been left behind, or in Mizar¡¯s case, as Mizar¡¯s clone, they had the responsibility of fulfilling and realising their dreams.

    In all likelihood, that was the ideal goal that everyone had aimed for in the past.

    A slight distance away from where Bnash and others were leaving¡­ the phantoms of Alioth and the rest, who looked as if they were looking after the remaining members, showed a satisfied expression¡­ then disappeared along with the wind.

    Some distance away from the Mafahl Tower stood the demon race¡¯s castle.

    After being given half of the Moon as their domain, the demon race had founded their country. Nowadays, they were happily living there in peace.

    They were no longer subjected to murderous impulses that constantly loomed around them.

    Although it was not as if their past sins had been absolved or their fear towards Ruphas hadpletely disappeared, time was sure to mend it all, little by little.

    Today, inside the central castle, an event was being hosted.

    Standing next to Terra, who was wearing a ck suit, was Luna, who was wearing a pure white dress.

    In front of the two of them was Aigokeros, who was dressed like a priest, and was reading predetermined lines from a palm card.

    Surely, there would be those who wondered why, on this celebratory asion, the Devil King was dressed as a priest.

    It was because Terra and Luna had wished for it.

    There was no need for them to make vows to a deity who had yed around with them. Such a deity was not deserving of their beliefs.

    As such, the target of their vows could not be such a deity. Instead, as a symbol of their beliefs, they decided to invite the Devil King, who was the pr opposite of such a deity.

    ¡°Do you, Terra, take this woman, Luna, as your wife, and promise to be true in good times and bad, in times of prosperity and in poverty, in times of sickness and in health, that you will walk together, without betrayal, until death do you two part, to love each other, to think about your wife, and stay true only to your wife, and vow as such in the name of the Goddess?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I won¡¯t vow to the Goddess. I make my vow to myself and to my wife.¡±

    ¡°Do you, Luna, take this man, Terra, as your husband, and promise to be true in good times and bad, in times of prosperity and in poverty, in times of sickness and in health, that you will walk together, without betrayal, until death do you two part, to love each other, to think about your husband, and stay true only to your husband, and vow as such in the name of the Goddess?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I won¡¯t vow to the Goddess. I make my vow to myself and to my husband.¡±

    The demon race¡¯s marriage ceremonies were slightly different from those of the humanoids.

    They would never make a vow to the Goddess. They would not pray to her.

    The targets of their vows were themselves and their partners. Perhaps, as demons, this was the only appropriate form of marriage for them.

    Aigokeros heard the two¡¯s responses and then raised both of his arms up, returning to his original Devil King appearance.

    ¡°Everyone, for these two, there¡¯s no need to wish for blessings from the Goddess, is there? Now tied together in a knot known as marriage, the two before me need not seek help from the Goddess. Listen, Goddess, the creator of all things in the universe. You created humanoids in the shape of yourself and blessed couples with love. But there¡¯s no need. These two have no need for your blessings. Even without you, these two shall still continue to love, live and create a wholesome family. Whether it be in times of happiness or sorrow, they will not forget about trust and gratitude. Even without you supporting them, they would struggle and get their work done. In times of hardship, these two shall love andfort each other. They are blessed with many friends and the blessings of this marriage shall allow them to grow, such that they will be able to live their days merrily.¡±

    Those words were like a rejection letter which was addressed towards the Goddess.

    There was no need for her help. There was no need for her script.

    They were telling her to not unnecessarily interfere because they could walk with their own feet.

    After hearing their prayer, Alovenus looked lost for words in the Final Point, but they had no way of knowing what was happening over there.

    ¡°Now then, everyone, say it with me¡­ God is dead!!¡±[1]

    Everyone attending the wedding concurred with Aigokeros¡¯s words and repeated those sphemous words.

    Immediately afterwards, a loud round of apuse resounded, followed by the husband and wife walking down the flowery aisle.

    As he watched the two of them, Mercurius looked as if he would die at any moment.

    ¡°Hey, you, pick yourself up. Stop making such a dark face on this asion.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know¡­ I know that¡­ If she¡¯s happy, then I¡¯m also happy¡­ I¡¯m giving them my blessing¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, right now, you probably have the most unhappy face in the world.¡±

    In pr opposition to the two of them, Pollux and Orm were wishing Terra and Luna good fortune from the bottom of their hearts.

    No, if one looked at them more carefully, Orm had aplex expression on his face.

    ¡°It¡¯s a strange feeling. To think that my son would overtake me first.¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, can it? As a perfect living being, ouroboroses have no need for apanion. I also don¡¯t have a partner yet even at this age. Isn¡¯t it just fine?¡±

    Common sense and norms for ouroboroses and fairies were a little different from ordinary creatures.

    At the very least, they had absolutely no need for a spouse or the act of childbearing.

    In a way, it was also the same for the demon race. However, it only meant that Terra and Luna felt that deeply for each other even after considering that fact.

    ¡°Well, I guess you¡¯re right, but to be honest¡­ I¡¯ve be a little interested in something like this ever since a few thousand years ago. Although¡­ the target of my affections hasn¡¯t taken notice of it at all.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, so you have someone like that? In any case, how dense, if we can even still call it that, can that person even be¡­? To not notice it for a few thousand years¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°But, wait a minute? There aren¡¯t that many people who can live for a few thousand years, are there? As far as I¡¯m aware, I¡¯m the only female person who¡¯s been in contact with you for a few thousand years, am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®yeah¡¯¡­ then who is she? If there¡¯s no one else other than me, then why are we even having this conversation? There¡¯s no one else that I can¡­ think¡­ of¡­¡±

    Having gotten to this point, Pollux finally managed to figure out the answer.

    She momentarily became pale, then gradually turned pink.

    ¡°¡­ Figured it out? You¡¯re truly dense indeed.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Eh? Me? You mean me?¡±

    The Fairy Princess and the Demon King stared at each other.

    Watching at the two of them from the side, Mercurius quietly spoke.

    ¡°Saturnus¡­ right now, you probably have the most unhappy face in the world.¡±

    ¡°¡­ The misfortune of another tastes like honey, but the happiness of another tastes like dirt. Hey, Mercurius, I¡¯m going to drown myself in drinks again, so keep mepany again tonight.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll keep youpany until I¡¯m beat.¡±

    ¨C On this day, in the wedding¡¯s gallery, there might or might not have been two new couples that were born.

    ¡°Ruphas-sama, where exactly are you~!?¡±

    Inside the Mafahl Tower, a ck shadow was scampering around.

    That ck shadow was Scorpius. She was running around and searching for any location that she thought Ruphas might have been in and dashing from one location to another.

    For some reason, Ruphas had been missing in action from the start of the day. While it was not exactly a problem that Ruphas was away for a day or two, nor did there exist anyone who could do anything to Ruphas anyway, the problem was Scorpius herself.

    At this rate, she would not have a sufficient dose of Ruphas and would end up dead. Strangely enough, that was what she truly believed.

    She looked all around the tower, and ultimately ended up charging into the Moon headquarters of the King Crab restaurant.

    Inside the store, the other members of the Thirteen Stars, such as Aries, Taurus, Parthenos, Castor, Sagittarius, Leon and Karkinos, were all present.

    ¡°Hey, you guys, have you seen Ruphas-sama around?¡±

    ¡°No. She hasn¡¯te here.¡±

    Aries answered Scorpius while chowing down on a salt-boiled crayfish.

    While one might wonder why he was eating such a thing despite being a sheep, he was technically a magical beast. One should not mind it too much.

    ¡°Aaaaa, where exactly has Ruphas-sama gone to¡­? This mistress hasn¡¯t seen her for a whole day. Could it be that something has happened to Ruphas-sama¡­!?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine to just let her be for a day? Or more like, maybe she took off because you¡¯re being annoying?¡±

    In response to Scorpius, who was dramatically worrying for Ruphas, Leon replied with an exasperated tone.

    It was basically unnecessary to worry that something might have happened to Ruphas.

    There was no one who could do anything to her. Even if the Sun were to smash directly into her, she would stille back home as if nothing had happened whatsoever.

    Even if a deadly pathogen found its way inside her body, the pathogens would be eradicated almost instantaneously.

    Long story short, it would be fine to assume that she could not die from anything besides reaching the end of her lifespan.

    Even her lifespan itself could be ovee if she so wished to simply by rewinding her time.

    In other words, worrying was needless. There was nothing to worry about.

    ¡°What did you just say!? Even though you¡¯re just ¡®the strongest (LOL)¡¯!¡±

    ¡°N¡¯d you say, huh!?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry? I¡¯m sorry for saying the truth?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±

    Watching the two of them yapping about loudly, Aries warmly thought that it was peaceful.

    As he continued to chew on the salt-boiled crayfish, he looked outside the restaurant¡¯s windows. Outside the store was Sarjes, who had once journeyed with the Hero, Sei. Beside him, there was also themia, druid and a merman-looking thing.

    ¡°Karkinos-dono, I¡¯ve brought you the ingredients that you asked for.¡±

    ¡°Thank you! Now I can expand my menu.¡±

    The thing that Sarjes gave to Karkinos was a semi-transparent globe that Sarjes had to carry with both hands.

    The globe was packed with amber-coloured honey that looked very sweet.

    ¡°Karkinos, what is that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s honey produced by Syrup Ants, magical beasts which had mutated from ants. It¡¯s a species of magical beasts whichrgely inhabits deserts, and its honey is very exquisite. I was thinking that I¡¯d/I could create a dessert using this for thedies and was in the middle of researching the recipe.¡±

    Karkinos happily answered Parthenos¡¯s question.

    Because the world had be peaceful, there were a wider variety of new dishes being produced. Lately, Karkinos was so passionate about developing new recipes that he was constantly looking at the recipe books and ingredients that Ruphas had brought over from the ¡°other world¡±.

    In the past five years, he had copi¡ª¡­ chased after various dishes and had been crowned as the Cooking King.

    No doubt, his restaurant, King Crab, would continue to sit on the throne in the culinary world for a long time toe.

    ¡°Ahh. Shall we also order some things before we leave?¡±

    ¡°Alright, then I want something sweet! Aren¡¯t the desserts here famous?¡±

    ¡°Then I want an egg dish.¡±

    ¡°I want a prawn dish.¡±

    The four demi-humans sat at a table and looked through the menu.

    As they were doing so, Aigokeros, who for some reason was wearing a priest costume, came in and also sat down.

    ¡°Oh, wee back, Aigokeros. How was the wedding ceremony?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not cut out for doing things I¡¯m not used to. Even though I helped them out because Ruphas-sama ordered me to, I don¡¯t ever want to do it again.¡±

    Aigokeros took off his outer garments and chugged the beverage that Karkinos ced on his table.

    To think that the Devil King was acting as a priest¡­ it was so ridiculous that one could not evenugh about it.

    Yet, Castorughed bitterly as he saw such an appearance. Then, Aigokeros dropped a bombshell.

    ¡°Oh, now that I think about it, the Demon King and Pollux were acting a little strange¡­ It was almost as if they were a pair of newly coupled youngsters. I really can¡¯t understand this feeling. What has happened to them?¡±

    ¡°Argo, mobilise! Argonauts, follow me! Now is the time for a great battle!¡±

    ¡°Castor!?¡±

    Castor jumped out of his chair, surprising Aries. He took hold of his favourite weapon with one hand and ran out of the restaurant.

    The army of heroic spirits all followed him as they jumped onto the Argo.

    Seeing as how even the powerhouses like Phoenix, Hydrus and the Three Winged Knights were part of the heroic spirits following him, one could see how serious Castor was.

    Although it was still obvious that they were going to lose.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bet 1000 eru that Castor is going to have the tables turned on him.¡±

    ¡°Likewise.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not even worth betting.¡±

    Scorpius and Taurus bet on Orm¡¯s victory, but since no one was betting on Castor, there was no point in continuing with the bets.

    A short distance away from the Moon, rapid exchanges began to happen. The exchange was between Orm, who had already turned back into his Moon Ouroboros form, and the Argo, which was firing barrages of arcane magic towards him.

    By the time people noticed the battle, the Argo had already been shot down. A battle between powerhouses was typically done within a few seconds.

    ¡°Men are idiots.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡±

    Scorpius and Parthenos sighed as they both took a sip of their beverages.

    It had been five years since that dreamlike, but a definitely real, incident.

    After turning twenty-three years old, Minami-Jyuji Sei took an employment examination to be qualified as an official civil servant, which he then sessfully passed. Nowadays, he spent his days as a policeman.

    Despite being young, he had already achieved a few meritorious feats. As a result, he was currently the most promising individual among the younger generations in the organisation. At the same time, he was also the subject of envy by many.

    Sei himself also thought that he was somewhat cheating everyone.

    His situation waspletely different from everyone else.

    He had no need to fear the weapons that were swung around by criminals. After all, they looked stationary to him.

    For him, even firearms looked like nothing more than toys.

    Of course, it would still hurt if he was hit by one. But it could also be said that a little pain was all that he had to worry about. To begin with, it was so simple for him to dodge bullets that it wouldn¡¯t even hit him in the first ce.

    As a human, everyone had self-preserving instincts. Yet Sei alone was able to move around while disregarding that.

    When he jumped into a burning house to save a child, everyone said, ¡°What a brave policeman.¡±

    But that was wrong. Compared to mes which could scorch an entire, which he had seen far too many times in the other world, he did not feel threatened in the slightest by a burning house.

    When he negotiated alone with an offender who was holed up in a building pointing a firearm at him, everyone said, ¡°What a sense of strong justice despite being so young.¡±

    But that was wrong. To begin with, he simply could not even see the firearm as anything more than a toy. He was by no means negotiating with his life on the line.

    ¡°¡­ Something is¡­ wrong.¡±

    Walking down the road in ordinary clothing, Sei muttered while carrying his shopping bag.

    Today was his day off, and he was in the middle of going home after finishing his shopping.

    Living together with his mother, he would go grocery shopping in his mother¡¯s ce on his days off.

    He was worried about the powers which he had acquired.

    He by no means regretted it.

    The fact that he had managed to help others¡­ made him feel that it was a good thing.

    But something was wrong. Was his goal to be a policeman so that it could be like this?

    With how things were, he was always in a position where he was safe regardless of the situation. The feats that he had achieved up until this point were only possible because he had the power that he had acquired in the other world.

    But what if he did not have those powers? Would he have been able to achieve the same things if he did not have the powers which he currently had?

    Would he have been able to charge into a rampaging fire for the sake of saving a child? Would he have been able to stand in front of an armed criminal with a firearm and sessfully negotiate with them?

    He felt as if he had been cheating using a power that he had gained through a windfall¡­ Could it be that all he amounted to was just being such a shameful man?

    ¡°¡­ I wonder what they would say to me.¡±

    With great poweres great responsibility. Power without responsibility was no different from a dangerous weapon.

    When he had unwittingly used his power in the other world, he had not thought much about it.

    That was because the power which he had was no different from not having any.

    From Ruphas Mafahl and Alovenus¡¯s point of view, there would not be any difference between a random viger and Sei.

    If they so wished, both the viger and Sei could be squished without any effort.

    That was why it had not felt all too real to him back then. He hadn¡¯t realised that he would be bringing back such a preposterous power to his world.

    But after getting back home, he finally understood.

    He understood¡­ and realised how absurd of an unfair person he had turned into.

    ¡°If it¡¯s her¡­¡±

    The person he was recalling was a young girl with pink hair.

    Back then, he had still been young. No, even now, at twenty-three years old, he was still young.

    Having gotten to this point, he was wondering if it would have been better for him to have said something back then.

    Although it seemed as if he had gotten past his lingering attachments when he ran through the gate, perhaps there were things he could and should have said.

    And he always wondered¡­ What would she say if she saw him the way he currently was?

    ¡°Worrying about things as usual¡­ Is what she¡¯d say.¡±

    At first, he thought that he was having an auditory hallucination.

    After all, there was no way he would have been able to hear her voice on Earth.

    Which was why he thought that it was him hearing things. Things that he conveniently wanted to hear.

    Even while thinking that, he naturally turned his head around.

    When he did, just as he had expected¡­ there was the young girl, who he had most wanted to meet at that moment, there in front of him, looking exactly the same as she had five years ago.

    In front of Sei, who was standing there dumbfounded, she became bashful and then spoke as if she was a young child who had been busted after havingmitted some mischief.

    ¡°¨C I wanted to see you, so I came over.¡±

    This happened in a small town outside the outskirts of the kingdom of Laevateinn.

    Usually, it was a peaceful location. But in any age existed scum who were unable to get used to peace and wanted to prey upon the weak.

    The three dirty and despicable adventurers who had just set foot in this quiet town were such people.

    The three of them were by no means strong adventurers, but they liked to parade themselves as strong by picking on people who were weaker than themselves.

    Unfortunately, this small town did not have the means to oppose the three of them.

    ¡°Hyaha¡ª! Hurry up and bring out all the food that you have!¡±

    ¡°And women too! Bring out the young women!¡±

    ¡°Hyahahaha! I¡¯ve taken a liking to this town! We¡¯re going to live here for a while just for you, so be grateful!¡±

    Although these Mohican viins looked like they hade straight out of a temte somewhere, these kinds of people were surprisingly abundant in the world.

    Regardless of the age, there were idiots who liked to go against order, act pretentious and be under the misunderstanding that it was the cool thing to do.

    These three men were the type who had fallen so far along that line of thought that they had degenerated to the lowest possible point.

    As such, the current scene was by no means a rare sight.

    If anything could be said to be rare¡­ it was that, today, these three¡¯s luck was so horribly bad that they could end up dead.

    ¡°Oi, you lot. You look like you¡¯re enjoying yourselves quite a lot. Would you mind if I joined in?¡±

    ¡°Huh!?¡±

    A woman¡¯s voice spoke towards these men. When the three of them turned around, they all simultaneously copsed on the spot.

    They were under so much pressure that it felt as if the sky had dropped down on them. They were unable to do anything at all.

    While grovelling on the ground, those men saw¡­

    A crimson red overcoat fluttering in the wind.

    ¡°Honestly¡­ to think that you¡¯d show me some unpleasant things on my way back from visiting my mother¡¯s grave. So, you lot¡­¡±

    Her shining gold-coloured hair was dyed crimson red from the middle and her face was as symmetrical as could be.

    The colour of her eyes was also crimson, like that of a me.

    Above all else, what drew the three men¡¯s line of sight was her pair ofrge jet ck wings, the very representation of ominousness.

    Those wings were the symbol of the monster who had once destroyed the world, the dictionary definition of fear on Midgard.

    The name of that monster was Ruphas Mafahl.

    ¡°Do you want to die here?¡±

    Those men could no longer even raise their voices.

    As a result of their fear, all they could do was involuntarily gush out tears, snot and drool.

    Eventually, they fainted from theck of oxygen, causing Ruphas to turn off her Coercion.

    To think that they would end up like this even though I only nned to scare them a little bit¡­ I suppose the more one preys on the weak, the more fragile they are when they¡¯re cornered.

    ¡°U, umm¡­ you are¡­¡±

    ¡°Ohh, sorry for the intrusion, elder.¡±

    Ruphas casually apologised to the vige elder who was shaking in fear, grabbed the three men and walked away from that ce.

    All of her actions were truly befitting of a king. It was as if she was the personification of power.

    Worse yet, this terrifying walking aberration could appear at any time, anywhere, and it would not be strange.

    Just like now, there were times when she would whimsically walk into a small town that no one was paying attention to.

    At such times, if one were to encounter such bad luck unawares, they would end up cursing their own misfortune.

    The world was still at peace today.

    But¡­ the representation of despair and irrationality could still show up anywhere at any time.

    One should not forget about that.

    If one does forget, then perhaps that would be when despair (thest boss) would appear.

    After the whole incident, it was said that the vige chief said the following to the knight¡¯s order, who arrivedter.

    ¨C A Wild Last Boss Appeared!

    __

    (Author note)

    Ruphas¡¯s avatar: Over twenty years old but still jobless. Addicted to gaming while working a side job.

    Sei: A policeman at twenty-three years old.

    Ruphas: ¡°My avatar¡­¡±

    * Because I didn¡¯t realise there was a minimum age limit to when you could be admitted for a job, I¡¯ve changed the timeframe from three years to five years. Sei¡¯s age has also been changed to twenty-two. (TLN: our version has no changes)

    £¨¡¡¡ä?`£©ÈË Thank you very much, everyone. This concludes the series, A Wild Last Boss Appeared!

    In an action battle series, it¡¯s a widely known development that enemies which show upter are stronger than the ones prior. Unfortunately, because there¡¯s no enemies who are stronger than Alovenus, I¡¯m not able to stretch it out anymore.

    Going forward, I suppose that, when I feel like it, I will publish an epilogue chapter.

    Regarding Sei and Virgo¡¯s rtionship and their future, I purposefully left it ambiguous. Having said that, I doubt that they¡¯ll have a bad ending.

    My future series is still in a nning phase. How should I go about it, I wonder.

    I¡¯m thinking something along the lines of a group of TRPG friends who had created their own little script being sent away into the TRPG world as their high-level characters, or a story where the main character is sent away into a world where the future Earth is being assaulted by weird invaders and the main character gets turned into a giant robot that rampages about, or a story where the main character has been transmigrated into a vampire.

    The story I want to write the most is the one with the giant robot, but the problem is, I¡¯m not very good at designing things, so if I do end up writing about a robot, it¡¯s sure toe out looking like a robot we¡¯ve seen somece somewhere.

    Well, anyway, if I do make up my mind, I¡¯ll start writing, so I¡¯ll see you when that happens.

    Now then, everyone, until we next meet.

    (Author note end)

    Tp¡¯s afternote: It¡¯s been a long journey, but with this chapter, the main storyline has concluded. As of now, there are eight afterstories, which I will be tranting on a weekly schedule. The first of the afterstory will be released on Nov 8th. I would just like to say thank you to everyone who came along for a ride as well as to Va and Keii, who had to put up with my draft. I originally read this series as it was being released raw and enjoyed it very much.

    During my university break, I noticed that it wasn¡¯t being actively tranted so I contacted Shurim for permission and picked it up as a side hobby with the intention of keeping my Japanese and improving my English. I posted my first chapter (chapter 17) back in November 2018 with a lot of errors. It¡¯s still not perfect and I still have a lot to improve, but I hope that things got easier to read as I gained experience. Thanks to everyone¡¯s patience and advice on how to improve along the way, I was able to persist this far. I hope everyone has enjoyed it.

    Va¡¯s afternote: Afternote at the end of chapter 189.

    Shurim¡¯s afternote: Sup

    (Tp: Just ¡°Sup¡±? || Shurim: LOL. Yeah.)

    Kei¡¯s afternote: Tp was actually the one who introduced me to this series and I¡¯m really d that I was able to work as the editor for Tp and Va for this series. It was a great opportunity for me as this is the first time I¡¯ve been an editor for a trantion like this and I really appreciate the experience that it¡¯s given me over the past year or so, I¡¯ve honestly learned a lot. Thank you so much to everyone for apanying us on our journey, and also, thank you to Tp and Va for putting up with my amateur editing skills, haha.

    __

    [1] ¡°God is dead¡± is a widely quoted statement made by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who used the phrase to express his idea that the Enlightenment had eliminated the possibility of the existence of God.

 Afterstory 1 â€“ A Wild Melon Appeared!

    Tp: ¡­ I have no idea what I¡¯m tranting this chapter¡­

    __

    (Author note)

    This chapter is nothing but a dumb story following the conclusion of the main story.

    Please empty your head before you read this.

    (Author note end)

    __

    (TLN: From my memory, generally, when a Japanese person talks about a melon, they¡¯re referring to a honeydew melon and not a rockmelon/cantaloupe.)

    It was a great shock to Karkinos

    The discovery of a great unknown. A bolt of lightning out of the blue.

    That bolt of lightning which ran through his heart might have been a passionate inspiration, but it could have also been an intense fear.

    Whichever it was, the one thing he was sure of was that it was a sh of insight that Karkinos had never once thought of before.

    Karkinos was holding onto a book that Ruphas had given him.

    It was a cooking book, which listed dishes that were not of his world. For Karkinos, it was essentially a sacred scripture.

    Ruphas, who would routinely go and have fun in the ¡°other¡± world, had brought the book home to him as a souvenir. Notwithstanding that the one in his hand was the twelfth cooking book which he had received, Karkinos had yet to be disinterested, but instead, he continued to feel wonder and excitement.

    But had anything ever been as impactful as what he was currently feeling?

    :

    :

    ¨C Prosciutto e Melone.[1]

    That was the reason behind Karkinos¡¯s petrification.

    An entire page of the book showed a very refined picture that depicted a dish where ayer of pink meat was ced on top of a green fruit that had a refreshing shine. For Karkinos, the sight of it alone was dangerous.

    It had an overwhelming sense of existence.

    A thin slice of meat that was ced on top of another world¡¯s fruit, which was called a melon, was blowing Karkinos¡¯s imagination through the roof.

    Fruit and meat¡­ it was a seeminglymon but was actually an umonbination.

    One might have served a fruit as a follow-up to a meat dish, such as in the case of a dessert.

    But a dish where a vegetable was wrapped in meat¡­ or alternatively, a dish where meat was wrapped around by a vegetable could seldom be found.

    But to eat a sweet fruit together with salted meat at the same time was very strange, indeed.

    Thus, Karkinos pondered. What would it taste like if he poured fruit juice over salted meat and tried eating it?

    No, it wasn¡¯t as if such abination had never existed before.

    For example, he knew that when it came to a certain deep-fried food that he had recently learnt, it went quite well with lemon juice.

    But that was because lemons were sour. That was why they worked well together. It emphasised the meat¡¯s vour.

    Or perhaps, this fruit called a melon is sour just like how lemons are?

    ¡­ He couldn¡¯t understand. After all, there was no such thing as a fruit known as a melon on Midgard.

    At the very least, it was not something that Karkinos, who was known as the Cooking King, could recall ever seeing before.

    As such, Karkinos promptly tried asking Ruphas.

    ¡°A melon? Hmm, yeah, now that you mention it, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen them in this world. If I recall correctly, it needs to be grown in a greenhouse¡­ it¡¯s hard to grow, and even over in the other world, it¡¯s ssified as somewhat of a high-ss fruit. Because Midgard was generally in strife due to war, I suppose that none of the countries had enough leisure to be growing fruit like that.¡±

    :

    :

    Ruphas conjectured that the reason why Midgard did not have a fruit called a melon was no one had enough leisure to grow it.

    In general, melons were a difficult fruit to cultivate.

    A greenhouse was necessary to grow one. All in all, because the associatedbor and overhead costs were ridiculously high, even in the ¡°other¡± world, melons were expensive. Absurdly expensive.

    Even a box containing five or so non-premium ordinary melons cost approximately 4000 to 5000 yen.[2]

    If it was something like a muskmelon, a single one could cost over 5000 yen. In fact, the cost of a muskmelon with a lot ofting could even exceed 20 000 yen.

    Worse yet, the only difference between those two was literally just the number ofting, and there was no difference in their tastes. Truly, such a distinction only existed because people had the luxury to spare. The difference between their costs could even be described as a taste of a nobility.

    It felt more high ss if it had moreting. Therefore, people would pay four times the price even though there was no difference in taste.

    If such a business was running in Midgard, the more expensive one would never sell.

    Perhaps, an expensive muskmelon was the result of leisure.

    It would not have been wrong to call it a symbol of peace and prosperity. It was amazing. What a noble fruit it was.

    But, honestly, who really cared about the number of mesh? If people were going to buy it, they should buy the one that has lessting.

    Oh, and for reference, berries and citrus fruits were the mostmonly consumed fruits in Midgard.

    Having said that, the mostmon type of fruit in the market was no doubt the Eir fruit.

    It was a type of fruit which was exclusive to Midgard and did not exist in the other world. Frankly, it was a ridiculously convenient and cheat-like fruit which grew very abundantly even in a barren wastnd and had high nutrition and liquid content.

    It was not even picky about when it would grow as it grew all year round. As such, it was said that as long as a town had even a single Eir tree, it could sustain itself.

    With how things were, wasn¡¯t it just a magical beast and not a tree?

    ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m guessing you want a melon?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Besides, I¡¯m also curious what it tastes like.¡±

    ¡°I see. I guess it¡¯s not that hard to buy one if I go over to the other world¡­ but since it¡¯s this kind of asion, it might be interesting to try growing Midgard¡¯s very own melon.¡±

    :

    :

    After saying that, Ruphas casually reached her right arm into a crack in the space-time continuum.

    She probed around inside for a while before pulling out Alovenus from inside the X-Gate.

    As this most powerful deity was busy being addicted to mobile games and passionately summoning her gacha while being a prime victim of the business scheme of the developers, she was surprised by this sudden event.

    ¡°Eek!? Wh, what is with you all of a sudden!?¡±

    ¡°I have something to ask you. I haven¡¯t seen this kind of fruit over in this world, but have you ever brought it over?¡±

    The roots for a majority of the nts and living things on Midgard were things from Earth that Alovenus had brought over before mutating them in peculiar ways.

    As such, typically, regardless of what creature or fruit it was, it would usually somewhat resemble things on Earth to some degree.

    In all likelihood, even the Eir fruit was sure to have been a fruit which was altered in some way.

    Alovenus thought about the question a little, then a lightbulb appeared on top of her head as if she was indicating that she had just recalled something.

    By the way, that was not a metaphor, but quite literally happened. She was using her godly powers for something so pointless.

    ¡°Ahh, if it¡¯s melons, then they¡¯re also somewhere in this world. But because it was so troublesome to cultivate them, no one could be bothered to grow them. So they were chucked away to some remote region, and have kind of turned into monsters by this point.¡±

    ¡°Turned into monsters, huh¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes. They don¡¯t move by themselves and don¡¯t attack others on their own ord too, so they¡¯re quite tame magical creatures. They¡¯re very rarely encountered by people, so they¡¯re extremely insignificant monsters.¡±

    It seemed that melons technically existed in this world as well.

    Having said that, since they had turned into magical creatures of some kind, they probably couldn¡¯t be called melons anymore.

    Ruphas randomly threw Alovenus into some nearby chair and then turned to look towards Karkinos.

    ¡°You heard her. It¡¯s unfortunate, but since they¡¯ve turned into monsters, we can¡¯t use it as an ingredient.¡±

    :

    :

    ¡°No, it¡¯s too early to give up, Ruphas-sama. Me is thinking to go and have a look at them first.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a curious one, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°If it looks like it won¡¯t work out after I have a look at them, then I¡¯ll give up.¡±

    ¡°So, that¡¯s where wee in?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Simple battles aside, finding things like this is the specialty of adventurers after all.¡±

    They were inside a forest in Midgard.

    Karkinos and the adventurer group, Hawkeye, were advancing through the trees.

    There were six people in total. There was the person who had made the request, Karkinos, as well as Hawkeye¡¯s Jean and Ricardo.

    Apparently, the other two members of the group, Nick and Shu, were away on another quest.

    Other than those three, there was Gants, who had coincidently been with Jean at the time, and the demi-human dryad, who was familiar with the forest.

    Last but not least, there was the one who was tagging along because she was interested, Alovenus.

    Honestly, what a random and chaotic group it was.

    ¡°Or more like, the others aside, are we fine bringing that alone? You know, umm¡­ technically, err, she¡¯s Midgard¡¯s deity and all that. I don¡¯t really have a belief or anything, but do I have to worship or something?¡±

    Jean spoke exasperatedly while looking at Alovenus.

    Although Alovenus did not seem dignified at all, even one did not want to admit it, she was still a deity.

    She was still the most powerful existence in the universe.

    In response to that question, Karkinos replied quite casually.

    ¡°Not really. Even Ruphas-sama was saying that it¡¯s alright to handle Alovenus-sama roughly. So feel free to act as you usually do. If anything, Ruphas-sama was saying that it¡¯s best to not let Alovenus-sama get too cocky.¡±

    :

    :

    ¡°Is it even fine to treat the Goddess of Creation that way¡­?¡±

    ¡°Right? Aren¡¯t they horrible?¡±

    There was unlikely to be any other world where the highest-ranked deity was treated so badly.

    While they were having an almost pstickedy-like exchange, the dryad spoke up from the side.

    ¡°Hey, guys. There¡¯s a weird green thing rolling around over there, isn¡¯t that the melon thing or whatever it¡¯s called?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Green with a design. The characteristics match up.¡±

    The dryad was indeed pointing at a random green thing rolling around, which resembled the one in the photograph.

    Ricardo also looked at the thing, but while doing so, his face was twitching.

    It was because, no matter how he looked at it, this melon-looking thing in front of his eyes¡­ was well over 10 meters tall.[3]

    ¡°It definitely resembles it. Everything except for the size, that is. But¡­ that has to be wrong, right¡­?¡±

    I don¡¯t want to think of that strange and gigantic thing as a fruit.

    When Gants voiced such a thought out loud, the dryad inted her cheeks with a hmph.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s definitely it. The features all match up, don¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°Everything except for the size, yeah. As if I can ept such a big fruit!¡±

    ¡°It just grew up a little too much! I¡¯ve even seen apples that were unusually big before!¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t at the level of ¡®unusually big¡¯. It has to be something different that just merely looks like what we¡¯re looking for.¡±

    The dryad and Gants bickered with one another, but it seemed their argument was heard by the melon(?).

    :

    :

    The melon(?) turned its head towards the two of them.

    ¡°I am a big melon. Have youe to harvest me, humans?¡±

    It spoke.

    Despite not having a mouth or vocal cords, it spoke as if it was the most natural thing to do.

    Furthermore, it called itself a melon.

    ¡°Hey, look, it even called itself a melon. So it definitely has to be one.¡±

    ¡°¡­ How could this be?¡±

    It looked like the fruit in question and it even called itself a melon.

    With how things were, it was fair to say that things were set in stone.

    Gants sighed out loud but braced himself by telling himself that it was just part of his quest.

    Passing by his side, the first one to jump in was, as expected, Jean.

    But as if it was purposely timing its counterattack, the big melon started firing fruit juice and sent Jean flying back.

    ¡°Guwaaa!?¡±

    ¡°The melon¡¯s strong!?¡±

    Jean was no doubt a first-ss adventurer.

    In modern-day Midgard, there were not that many magical beasts which could toss him around this easily.

    Gants was surprised, as he had not imagined that it would be this strong despite how ridiculous it looked. At the same time, Alovenus was checking the melon¡¯s status.

    ¡°Hmm, big melon¡­ level, 99. HP, 18 000. Hmm, it¡¯s unexpectedly strong, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Why is a melon that strong!?¡±

    :

    :

    ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s because it¡¯s a high-ss fruit?¡±

    ¡°As if that¡¯s a good enough reason!¡±

    In response to Alovenus, who was calmly analysing the situation, Gants retorted back like a straight man. It was indeed tough being a normal and sensible person.

    But Alovenus simply smiled back at him warmly and then spoke with confidence.

    ¡°Haha¡­ don¡¯t worry about it. Who do you think I am? A mere fruit like that could never even be considered an enemy to me.¡±

    Alovenus then raised her hand.

    As soon as she did, the whole scene around them changed, and the melon was banished into a vast outer space.

    They were now surrounded by a countless number of shining stars.

    Stars, numbering enough to make up a gxy, moved ording to Alovenus¡¯s arm movement. First, they were raised up, then in the next instant, they came roaring down onto the enemy as an endless stream of shooting stars.

    ¡°Dawn Star!¡±

    Dawn Star was the strongest Metal-attribute arcane magic that Dina had also previously used.

    But because the user this time was the one and only Alovenus, the scale of the attack was different.

    True, it was not Alovenus¡¯s real body, but the Goddess was still the Goddess. As such, her power was absolute and without equal.

    Each individual hit from each falling star dealt hundreds of billions of damage to the melon, and this was multiplied by the number of stars there were.

    In other words, the damage dealt by that arcane magic was¡­ 999,999,999 x (approximately) 200,000,000,000!

    What could be described as a terrifyingly overkill amount of damage was dealt to the melon. However one thought about it, it was not an amount of damage that one would have had to deal against a melon.

    After the attack ended, Alovenus returned the space around them back to normal.

    :

    :

    ¡°Anyways¡­ how¡¯s that for a problem solved?¡±

    Alovenus was giving off thecency of an absolutely strong being as she swept her hair back.

    Her pose, where she had one foot ced on a tform that had shown up who knows when and how, and her proud look made it seem as if she was about to start saying, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be scared of now.¡±

    Although she was normally stupid and her current body was nothing more than an avatar, a god was still a god.

    It was an indisputable fact that there was no existence that was stronger than her in the entire multiverse.

    ¡°¡­ No, umm¡­ It¡¯s a bit of a problem if you defeat it. To begin with, me and the others came here to obtain that thing, and¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But a fool was still a fool too.

    Leaving the useless Goddess behind in that ce, Karkinos and the rest continued with their search.

    Honestly, because of that idiot, we have to put in double the effort.

    What¡¯s the point of overkilling a fruit that we were trying to get our hands on?

    In the end, this was just howpetent Alovenus was.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After being left behind, Alovenus became petrified, still in her pose with a proud look, and felt very lonely.

    ¡°So, this is the final product?¡±

    :

    :

    The following day.

    After sessfully obtaining another big melon, Karkinos and the others returned to the restaurant and quickly started cooking up a new recipe.

    Needless to say, because it couldn¡¯t be eaten in its original size, Karkinos properly cut the big melon up into bite-sized portions.

    He then wrapped it with a strongly salted piece of raw ham, making the dish look very impactful.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look very tasty though.¡±

    Pollux looked at the Prosciutto e Melone with a bit of hesitation.

    If one were to be blunt and speak honestly, the dish in front of them did not look very appealing.

    While the melon looked appealing on its own, because of the ham that was ced on top of it, it felt a little ruined.

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t say that yet. We can reserve the criticisms for after we actually have a taste.¡±

    Ruphas stabbed one of them with a fork without any qualms and then put it into her mouth.

    The first thing she noticed was the sweetness of the melon. Melon was normally plenty sweet enough, but because of the ham¡¯s strong salty vour, its sweetness was further heightened.

    I see, so in thisbination, the melon is the main deal, and the ham is just there to bring out its vour.

    The sweetness and saltiness unexpectedly match up quite well.

    Pickled apples were by no means rare, and one would often hear about people sprinkling a little bit of salt on top of a watermelon.

    In a way, it was the same thing. This particrbination was there so that the ham could bring out the sweet vour of the melon.

    ¡­ Digressing a little, the opposite of thisbination, adding melon juice or sugar on ham before eating it, is not rmended.

    :

    :

    ¡°But this is¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve eaten this dish a few times over in the other world, but this one feels a bit sweeterpared to how it is in the other world. If we don¡¯t tone the sweetness down a little, then the bnce feels a little off.¡±

    Dina, who simrly had knowledge of the ¡°other¡± world just like Ruphas, also ate the melon without any hesitation.

    There was no reluctance to eat a fruit which had turned into a monster.

    In the first ce, if people felt reluctant about doing something like that, then they would not be able to survive in this world.

    If it was something like an orc, then people would especially not feel any reluctance.

    Having said that, because Dina was a half-elf, she had no urge to eat meat.

    After eating one, perhaps having been fulfilled by that experience, Dina started stripping away the ham from the Prosciutto e Melone and started eating just the melons.

    As expected, elves and meat did not match up too well.

    ¡°The inside isn¡¯t too bad, but the outside is still better.¡±

    On the other hand, Aigokeros started eating the melon¡¯s shell instead, as if it was the most normal thing in the world to do.

    In the end, a goat was still a goat.

    In the end, the newly introduced dish, Prosciutto e Melone, owing to the rarity of the fruit known as a melon, became a popr dessert in the King Crab restaurant that Karkinos ran.

    However, there was no reason other merchants and restaurants would not pay attention to this new melon thing. As a result, the melon hunt began here and there in Midgard. Unfortunately, because of the big melon¡¯s unnatural strength, obtaining one was difficult. Due to the supply for it not being able to keep up with the demand, the price for it took a steep hike.

    Ultimately, melons suffered the same fate as they did on Earth and became a high-ss fruit.

    __

    :

    :

    (Author note)

    Hello everyone, it has been a while.

    Well, I tried writing an after-story as an epilogue to the final chapter.

    Having said that, because the main story has already concluded, it pretty much felt like I was writing a postscript to everything.

    It¡¯s essentially a bonus stage that people might see after they clear the final stage in a game.

    Because of that, I was even able to include someone like Alovenus, who was the final boss in the main storyline, as a party member in this fight.

    Also, I¡¯ve been adding rough drafts of the characters which appeared in volume five of the publication to my activity timeline, so if you¡¯re free, please take a look.

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] Aka Melon con jamon. From the look of it, it looks like a ham on/around melon? ¡°https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%94%9F%E3%83%8F%E3%83%A0%E3%83%A1%E3%83%AD%E3%83%B3¡±.

    [2] Currency is kind of vtile right now, but long story short, think of 1 Japanese Yen as 1 US cent. As of 5 Nov 2020, 4000 yen = 3857 US cents = $38.57.

    [3] 10m = 32.8ft.

 Afterstory 2 â€“ Congratulations, Prosciutto e Melone Has Evolved!

    (Author note)

    This chapter is slightly shorter than usual.

    But then again, afterstories are basically like four-panelics, so they¡¯ll be like this every once in a while.

    (Author note end)

    __

    One day, something happened.

    A certain man arrived at the King Crab chain restaurant in Laevateinn that Karkinos was running.

    He was wearing a suit, which was rare in Midgard. He had slightly yellowish skin as well as ck hair and eyes, just like Sei.

    Although it only became apparent after the fact, the after-effects of the battle between Alovenus and Ruphas were still persisting up to this point, and there were still distortions in the space-time continuum.

    This man had unfortunately been caught up in it and hade wandering into Midgard from Earth.

    When he saw Prosciutto e Melone, a food from Earth, despite being in a fantastic world, he was greatly moved and decided to order it.

    But the moment he put it in his mouth, he froze and then gave some blunt criticisms about it to Karkinos, who just so happened to be at the store as part of his asional inspections.

    ¡°This Prosciutto e Melone is fake. I can¡¯t eat this.¡±

    :

    :

    ording to the man, Prosciutto e Melone was created because the melons that once grew in Ennd had a grassy smell, so people started eating it together with ham in order to mask that smell.

    As such, if one were tobine ham with melon and make it as close to the original product as possible, one had to use a slightly smelly melon which had its sweetness suppressed. This was the sophistry used by the man.

    But in the end, because the man did not have any money with him, he ended up running away from the restaurant after eating everything and was subsequently apprehended by the knights. After that, he ended up meeting Ruphas and was sent back to Earth. However, the man¡¯s words still struck a chord within Karkinos.

    ¡°The Prosciutto e Melone that me made was¡­ fake¡­!?¡±

    Serving a customer a fake product¡­ was something that should not be allowed to happen.

    In practice, customers did not care that it was fake and were just ordering the dish with the intention of eating a melon. In fact, 70% of customers removed the ham before they started eating it. Unfortunately, Karkinos was so shocked by this revtion that he did not even realise that was actually happening.

    As such, Karkinos made a decision.

    Let¡¯s selectively breed them ¨C this was the decision that he made.

    Midgard¡¯s melons were too sweet. Therefore, they did not pair well with ham.

    But selective breeding was not something that could be aplished overnight. It required a lot of time. In fact, it required a number of years.

    But the ce that Karkinos was in was Midgard. In this world, there were ways to change things very quickly.

    Thus Karkinos quickly took matters into his own hands and decided to employ those methods.

    ¡°Deform and mutate ording to my devilish powers¡­ the power of darkness, gather at the roots of this melon!¡±

    Karkinos first decided to rely on Aigokeros.

    But no matter how one looked at it, from the very start, Karkinos had definitely made a mistake picking who to ask for help.

    Needless to say, a miracle did not happen. The melon, which absorbed the power of darkness, mutated into something grotesque.

    :

    :

    ¡°The big melon warp mutation! Devil melon!¡±

    The oue was this unfortunate thing.

    The big melon had mutated into a devil melon, a strange and creepy purple mysterious thing.

    Its level had increased to 150 and, in terms of battle prowess, it was a big sess. Unfortunately, it was meant to be consumed as food. What good was it to have strengthened a food?

    But Karkinos did not give up. After learning that it was pointless to mutate it using mana, he decided to try using alchemy next and headed towards Ruphas.

    ¡°You can leave it to me! Alright¡­ alchemy!¡±

    Ruphas activated a skill and then applied alchemy to the melon.

    Alchemy and cooking were very much alike. In essence, they both used something as an ingredient and changed it into something else.

    For example, suppose there was a bean. That bean could be turned into soy milk or even into cheese.

    One could say that doing something like this was smack-dab in the middle of the field of alchemy.

    After having an alchemical skill applied to it, the devil melon shone and mutated further.

    ¡°Devil melon, ultimate mutation! Metal devil melon!¡±

    The oue was this unfortunate thing.

    The melon was now enclosed in steel, and it even had a bazooka equipped for some reason.

    There was a w at the bottom of its body, and it looked like something that would fit right into a space war that would continue all year round.

    Needless to say, something like this could not be eaten. One should not turn food into a metallic substance.

    As opposed to Ruphas, who was looking satisfied for some reason, Karkinos was depressed and disappointed.

    :

    :

    ¡°No, but¡­ this isn¡¯t even a melon anymore, is it? How did it be like this¡­?¡±

    The next person that Karkinos decided to rely on was Dina.

    When he thought about it properly, time was what was needed to selectively breed something, and that was something that could be solved by her.

    One should not forget. This cheating strategist was able to manipte time to her will.

    Dina, despite saying, ¡°It¡¯ll definitely get weirder¡±, reluctantly activated her time maniption skill.

    She sped up the metal devil melon¡¯s time.

    Dina, you¡¯re wrong. That¡¯s not how selective breeding is done.

    ¡°This is super melon 3. Sorry that it took up some time¡­ I¡¯m not used to the new changes yet.¡±

    The oue was this unfortunate thing.

    The melon had elongated.

    Its body, which used to be round, had greatly elongated. At this point, it was not even shaped like a melon anymore.

    Furthermore, it shone a bright golden colour and was shooting off sparks by itself.

    Not only that, its level, now at 300, rivalled that of the Seven Luminaries.

    After seeing what had happened, one of the Seven Luminaries of the demons, Luna, muttered, ¡°Could it be that we¡¯re actually really weak¡­?¡± having lost her self-confidence.

    Even after this attempt, Karkinos kept trying and failing, but he did not give up on it.

    In truth, it was smarter for him to give up, but he still did not give up.

    There were those who thought that he should have at least prepared a new big melon and restarted from the beginning, but he still did not give up.

    Hey, I¡¯m telling you as an author to just give up already!

    :

    :

    And the following day.

    ¡°¡­ So, this thing¡­ what are you nning to do with it?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ what is¡­ this?¡±

    What exactly was the thing that Scorpius and Aries were exasperatedly looking up at?

    At the very least, it was no longer a melon.

    It had managed to reach a height of 30m.

    Near the bottom, numerous steel legs were growing out of it, and it was walking around with a gashungashun sound.

    It also now had an arm, and there were two bazookas on what would be considered its shoulders.

    Because there were streams of fire being sted out of its back, it could even take flight.

    Its body also shone a bright gold colour.

    As a side note, its level was now 400. Its strength now made it truly befitting to be called the ultimate evolution avable to a melon.

    This was the oue after Karkinos continued to try despite those prior mistakes and went to seek Mizar¡¯s, Pollux¡¯s and Alovenus¡¯s help.

    ¡°My name is Ultimate Prosciutto e Melone.¡±

    ¡°Prosciutto e¡­ where is the ham even¡­?¡±

    There was not even a trace of what could be called a melon left. There was also no ham on it.

    Yet the individual (?) decided to call itself a melon.

    No, it was a mistake to say that there was no ham on it.

    After being questioned by Scorpius, the melon showed her a small slice of ham on top of its head. ¡­ Then ate it.

    ¡°My name is Ultimate Melon.¡±

    ¡°Fine, be whatever you want to be¡­¡±

    :

    :

    Scorpius muttered, after bing as exasperated as she could possibly be.

    Afterwards, the Ultimate Prosciutto e Melone was added to King Crab restaurant¡¯s menu, but the number of customers who ordered it suddenly went down to zero.

    On the other hand, thanks to how ridiculous it looked and its unexpectedly reliable battle prowess, the Ultimate Prosciutto e Melone ended up bing King Crab¡¯s mascot and was adored by the people.

    __

    (Author note)

    By the way, the first people on Earth have no particr rtion to Oishinbo.

    Maybe someone just saw the book and was influenced by it.

    (Author note end)

 Afterstory 3 â€“ Ruphaskart

    Notice 1: Apologies for the dy, we¡¯ve been busytely and will be even busier over the next few weeks, so it doesn¡¯t look like I¡¯ll be able to follow through with 1 after-story every Sunday. The remaining 5 after-stories wille out whenever they¡¯re ready.

    __

    (Author note)

    This is the result of me wanting to write a story about how the Thirteen Stars would act in a game of Ma__o Kart.

    Let¡¯s pour in a Kakyoin-tier amount of ¡°soul¡± into this race![1]

    Please enjoy volume 2 and 3 of the manga as well.

    (Author note end)

    __

    Near the Mafahl Tower.

    On that day, for some reason, there was a well-maintained¡­ yet, at the same time, meaninglessly and overly swirly road prepared.

    If one were to describe it using the ¡°other world¡¯s¡± terms, then they might say that the road was very simr to a racing circuit. As a matter of fact, there were even thirteen race car-like golems standing by near what could be thought of as a starting line.

    There was even an audience stand set in ce. Although there was not much of an audience there, it was still undoubtedly a racing track.

    Needless to say, the one who had created all of this was Ruphas.

    They were products manufactured as a result of Ruphas utilising her avatar¡¯s knowledge with the intention of recing the pseudo-dragon vehicles on the Moon as a new means of transportation and bing goods which could be exported to Midgard.

    In other words, they were the next-generation golems which would seed Suzuki and Tanaka. For the all-important mobility of the golems, Megrez brand mana engine was utilised. Additionally, as opposed to before, Ruphas had made these while reading and following specialised books on how to make cars. Therefore, these golems were not like Suzuki and Tanaka, which only imitated the outer appearance of cars. In fact, these were manufactured to be quite simr to real cars that one might see on Earth.

    Furthermore, Suzuki and Tanaka¡¯s auto-pilot features had beenpletely removed from these newly-made golems. They were designed so that passengers would have to control the vehicles themselves.

    At the end of all of this, the thirteen vehicles lined up at the starting line were the result of Ruphas cing them there with the intention of test running the cars in a light race.

    If everything went well, she figured that she might even be able to turn it into a source of entertainment or recreational activity.

    The members of the Imperial Thirteen Heavenly Stars were already on board those cars, waiting for the starting signal.

    While that was the case, as it was not practical for two individuals to be racing in one car, for the seats of the Twins and Serpent Bearer, Pollux and Dina respectively decided to sit out and observe the race from the audience stand.

    Simrly, as Aquarius could not board the car while in her water pitcher, it was decided that Ganymedes would drive on her behalf.

    ¡°So, should we start now?¡±

    Ruphas gave a signal.

    When she did, the panels set above the starting line lit up.

    The panels were being used to count down to the start of the race. A few people¡¯s cars started revving their engines as they saw it light up.

    It was a precursor to a starting dash.

    Start!

    As soon as the countdown finished, all thirteen vehicles simultaneously sted forward.

    The specifications of the cars were all the same. Their maximum speed was 1200km/h.

    The amount of time required to reach that highest possible speed was five seconds on full throttle.

    One might say that it was a very violent and murderous car, as any ordinary person who tried to drive this machine and attempted to reach the maximum speed as quickly as possible would end up dying. However, for the Thirteen Stars, this kind of speed was still far too slow.

    Needless to say, when the time came to sell the actual product on Midgard, its specifications would be reduced to less than half of what it was right now, but since it was currently being test run, Ruphas did not mind the finer details.

    ¡°Tsk! Even if I end up getting first with this thing that¡¯s slower than myself, I can¡¯t even brag about it¡­ but I also don¡¯t feel like losing!¡±

    The vehicle that took the lead first was a car coated in red paint.

    The one driving that car was Leon. Because even his humanoid form wasrge and bulky, he seemed to be quite cramped inside the vehicle.

    After seeding with the starting dash, he charged straight to the front of the pack while disregarding the damage that would be done to his car when body mming other cars in the race.

    But from right behind him, a green car daringly spun around and bumped Leon¡¯s car away.

    On top of that, it seemed that the driver of the green car had even calcted what the car behind them would do, as they got in front of them and utilised the momentum from the resulting collision to elerate itself into the first ce.

    ¡°Hey, you. You¡¯re in the way, Libra!¡±

    ¡°I appreciate you pushing me forward, Scorpius.¡±

    The green car ¨C Libra¡¯s car managed to obstruct both Leon¡¯s and Scorpius¡¯s vehicles at the same time and was now driving at the foremost of the group.

    As a golem, Libra never made a mistake while manoeuvring her car.

    It was very obvious to any onlookers that she would maintain first ce ande first in the race as long as someone else did not do something to her.

    ¡°Oh¡­ is the winner already decided?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s calcting and turning every corner with the best possible timing and speed. Not to mention she¡¯s perfectly blocking the people behind her. Though, we already knew Libra was going to end uping in first.¡±

    Dina and Ruphas were casually analysing the situation, unsurprised.

    Libraing in first ce was just as expected.

    In terms of precision, there was no one who was superior to her as a golem.

    However, a voice aside the two of them cut in from the side.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. I won¡¯t let things be one-sided. I¡¯ve properly set up some item panels on the road!¡±

    ¡°Wha¡­ when did you do such an unnecessary thing¡­?¡±

    The one who set up an unnecessary mechanic was, as usual, the good-for-nothing goddess who never did anything except unnecessary things, Alovenus.

    What do you even mean by ¡°item panels¡±, it¡¯s not like this is Ma__o Kart¡­

    Thinking that, Dina turned to look at Ruphas, but she was betrayed by her reaction.

    ¡°I see, that¡¯s interesting. Good job.¡±

    Aah! She¡¯s also a lost cause. Thinking about it, she might also be in the same category as Alovenus-sama.

    Even while Dina held her head with her hands, the race continued on.

    In second ce was Sagittarius¡¯s car, which, for some strange reason, suddenly shot out a blue shell. In the face of such an unexpected circumstance, Libra¡¯s car was unable to react to the situation and spun out of control.

    ¡°Hahaha! I¡¯m going to take this opportunity to overtake you! Sorry!¡±

    Seeing what was happening, Karkinos, who was in third ce, attempted to take the lead by forcibly body-mming the other vehicles.

    Unfortunately, Libra¡¯s car was still spinning around at the front of the group.

    As a consequence, Karkinos idiotically got caught up with her, and they started spinning together.

    In fact, even Sagittarius was caught up in it, and the three of them spun around merrily like best friends.

    ¡°Oh! My god!¡±

    ¡°What did you evene to do!?¡±

    ¡°The only thing I can say is that this was a miscalction.¡±

    It would most likely be some time before the three of them could recover and set themselves back up.

    During this time, they were overtaken one after another. Ultimately, the one who took the lead was Pisces. Aigokeros had also managed to drive up right next to him.

    ¡°The time hase! Now is the time I shall shine! If I don¡¯t start standing out anytime soon, I might even start getting called ¡®the Real Background Character¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Oi, the Real Background Character, what happened to ruling the seas?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve ditched them behind! And don¡¯t call me the Real Background Character!¡±

    Pisces fervently screamed those lines. He had wanted to have a role so much that he had abandoned ruling the seas so he could participate in this race. Even though he was the king of the seas, seeing his current appearance, Aigokeros could not help but be exasperated.

    Dina had aplicated expression as she listened to him scream out loud from the audience stand.

    ¡°How keen. Anyways, as his predecessor, you should give him some advice, former Background Character.¡±

    ¡°I was only being a background character because it was my role!! I wasn¡¯t actually a real background character!¡±

    In response to Ruphas¡¯s teasing words, Dina¡¯s cheeks puffed up as she replied with a sulky look.

    At this point, the time when she had beenbelled as a background character was nothing but a nostalgic part of the past.

    Furthermore, she had indeed only been a background character because her role required her to be one and not because she wished to do so, thus it was dissimr in circumstance to Pisces.

    Pisces, who so earnestly wanted to stand out yet did not have any presence whatsoever, was the one who was most worthy to be called the real background character.

    Keep working at it Eros, I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be another opportunity for you to get some action in the future. Although¡­ the main storyline has already finished, but whatever.

    ¡°Well, if we¡¯re talking about how little of a role we had to y, we¡¯re pretty much also in the same boat.¡±

    ¡°I guess so. I don¡¯t really mind it though.¡±

    Parthenos and Aquarius, who were also in the audience seats, spoke as if they were not bothered by it.

    Parthenos had already passed on the baton to her sessor. Furthermore, because she was already dead, there was no reason for her to worry about having roles to y.

    Aquarius, on the other hand, was someone who did not want to stand out from the very beginning, thus she did not mind it in the slightest.

    But Pisces was different. He had always been waiting for a time when he could shine.

    Pisces demonstrated amazing skill at handling his car, creating some distance between himself and Aigokeros. Furthermore, he passed over a speed boost panel which was set up on the ground for some reason, and momentarily elerated to 2000km/h.

    Would he be heads above the rest and run solo this time¡­?

    While some might have had such a thought, Pisces somehow collided with a car that was driving towards his direction.

    ¨C That car was driving in the opposite direction!

    ¡°Wha, whaaaattttt!?¡±

    ¡°Guaaaa!!¡±

    It was a blue car ¨C Castor¡¯s car ¨C that collided with Pisces¡¯s car.

    As if he had finally recalled at this point of the story that his character was set to be terrible at figuring out directions, Castor had been driving his car in the opposite direction ever since the race had started. In this way, he had ultimately ended up colliding with Pisces.

    Pollux unconsciously drooped down upon seeing his pathetic state.

    ¡°¡­ Older brother¡­¡±

    The two cars burst into mes, and Pisces and Castor were both thrown out from the cars as if they were best friends and were forced to retire.

    As if aiming for this mishap, the one who took the lead at this point was Aries¡¯s rainbow-coloured car.

    Neck-to-neck with him was Aigokeros¡¯s purple car, creating a dead-heat situation.[2]

    With this, the firstp of the race waspleted. There were twops left until the end.

    The two cars overtook a ck car which had yet to start driving as they passed the starting line, continuing their neck-and-neck race.

    ¡°¡­ Eh? Isn¡¯t that Orm¡¯s car? Why has he been waiting at the start this whole time?¡±

    Pollux spoke exasperatedly, but there was no way she could have predicted the actual reason.

    After all, how could she have predicted that Orm, even in his position as the Demon King, could not even figure out how to drive a car and was endlessly pressing his foot down on the brake pedal?

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m pushing down this thing called an elerator the way they exined it to me, but this thing isn¡¯t moving at all¡­ are they sure it¡¯s not just a faulty product?¡±

    Notice it, Orm! That¡¯s the brake, not the elerator.

    Leaving the overly dense Orm behind, Aries and Aigokeros continued their fierce battle, even passing by Virgo, who was so slow that she gotpped by them.

    Then they both stepped on the item panel.

    ¡°It¡¯s time!¡±

    ¡°With this!¡±

    Aigokeros¡¯s car slowed down ever so slightly and allowed Aries to take the lead before firing a missile from behind.

    But Aries elerated as if he was trying to shake it off. The item that Aigokeros had obtained was a missile that could be used to destroy another contestant¡¯s car, while Aries had obtained a mushroom that was used to boost one¡¯s speed.

    As for why a mushroom would boost one¡¯s speed, I don¡¯t know either. It¡¯s just that kind of a thing, you know? Here we go![3]

    Aries shook the missile off with his overwhelming speed and then turned the corner.

    The missile was unable to catch up in time and was destroyed upon colliding with the corner post.

    With this, the distance between first and second ce was clear to see. Unexpectedly, Aries was driving solo at the very front.

    ¡°What do you know? Perhaps we¡¯ll get to see an upset?¡±

    ¡°Aries is in the lead, eh? He¡¯s unexpectedly pretty good.¡±

    I¡¯ll take first just like this. ¨C With that in mind, Aries turned the corner.

    Unfortunately, there was a trap right there.

    Beyond the corner, for some reason, there was a car which was parked sideways, as if it was blocking the road.

    No, that was wrong. Looking closer, it was trying to drive.

    However, the handling of the car was so poor that it kept mming into the walls.

    ¡°That¡¯s Taurus, huh¡­¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s been mming left and right into the walls since quite a while ago¡­¡±

    It was not as if Taurus was not taking things seriously, nor was he attempting to interfere with Aries.

    He just simply sucked at driving to this extent.

    As expected of a man who specialised solely in attack power. It seemed that corners were not his strong suit.

    ¡°Hey, Taurus, get out of the way! I can¡¯t pass!¡±

    ¡°Uuu¡­¡±

    Ariesined, but if Taurus had been able to do something about it, he would have done it already.

    But Taurus¡¯s car, as before, continued to m into the walls: front, back, left, right and centre.

    The ones who reached the location at this point were Aigokeros and Scorpius.

    ¡°You¡¯re in the way! Get out already!¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re going to get in my way, then the only option I have left is to remove you!¡±

    Scorpius and Aigokeros both fired missiles simultaneously, causing even Aries¡¯s car, which was right next to Taurus¡¯s car, to be caught up in the resulting explosion.

    Aries¡¯s car started spinning because of the impact, whereas Taurus¡¯s car refreshingly burst into pieces.

    Taurus, who was thrown out of the car, was sted right out of the racetrack,nding back down on the ground with his legs crossed.

    Even though the car itself had exploded into pieces, the individual himself had taken zero damage. It was exactly because the Imperial Thirteen Heavenly Stars had such extraordinary battle prowess that they were able to do such crazy things.

    With this, the secondp of the race had concluded. They were now on the finalp.

    The race had taken approximately a little over a minute at this point, but this finalp would be the decider.

    Yet, even at this point, Orm had yet to start moving from the starting line. He was clearly a lost cause.

    ¡°The distance between us and third ce is quite big¡­ looks like it¡¯s going to be between this mistress and you.¡±

    ¡°Interesting. I¡¯ll blow you away.¡±

    Scorpius and Aigokeros stared down at each other right as they tried to make the race just between themselves.

    But there, Libra, who had fallen behind quite a bit during the firstp, closed in on them.

    ¡°Libra!? Howe you were able to catch up to us!?¡±

    ¡°I decided to keep picking up nothing but speed boost mushrooms.¡±

    ¡°Huh!? Isn¡¯t that thing supposed to have been random!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called random number maniption.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t even make any sense!¡±

    It seemed that thepetition for the top spot would be between Aigokeros, Libra and Scorpius.

    Now that they had already finished two and a halfps, overturning the result was no longer possible.

    In other words, the first ce winner would be the individual who won the battle amongst these three.

    While they were lined up neck-to-neck, Scorpius pondered a little.

    It¡¯s vexing to admit it, but it¡¯s going to be impossible to legitimately win against Libra in this race¡­ But she¡¯s the one person I can¡¯t lose to in front of Ruphas-sama. Or more like, even if Ruphas-sama is not looking, I can¡¯t afford to lose to her¡­ So the only option is¡­

    Aigokeros, who was on the other side of Libra, also pondered a little.

    This stalemate is probably going to copse soon¡­ Libra¡¯s definitely going to take the lead. Before that happens, I have to crush her¡­

    While being sandwiched by the two of them, Libra carefully deliberated.

    The atmosphere changed¡­ they¡¯re going to do something.

    The moment they turned the corner and entered the final long stretch, Aigokeros and Scorpius simultaneously closed the distance on Libra¡¯s vehicle, as if to tightly sandwich her.

    It seemed that they had both judged Libra to be a threat and opted to coborate and crush her first.

    But as if she had predicted what would happen, Libra decreased her speed and fell back a little, making Scorpius and Aigokeros crash into one another.

    Not only that, when the two of them slowed down due to the collision, she passed by them from the side.

    ¡°Oh. No. You. Didn¡¯t! I¡¯m not going to be picky with my methods anymore!¡±

    Scorpius¡¯s temper quickly red up as she shattered the car¡¯s floor with a stomp.

    She then used her own feet and closed the distance between them with a speedpletely iparable to before.

    While the whole scene looked quite surreal, as it looked as if the car had suddenly grown legs, the speed was unquestionable.

    At the end of it all, it was much faster for her to run with her own feet as opposed to riding on a car.

    ¡°Scorpius, isn¡¯t that cheating!? Aaah, whatever, it can¡¯t be helped!¡±

    In response to Scorpius¡¯s actions, Aigokeros also reverted back into his goat form, picked up the car and started flying.

    ¡°Your actions are also within my predictions.¡±

    Once she verified what the two of them were doing, Libra also jumped out of the car, picked it up and started running.

    Oi, you guys, you¡¯re supposed to race while driving a car.

    As if prompted by their actions, the other members of the Thirteen Stars and Ganymedes also stuck their feet out from underneath their cars, or alternatively, picked them up and started running.

    The only ones who were still properly riding on their cars were Orm, who had yet to take off from the starting line, and Virgo, who was driving leisurely.

    Aries had cracked the ss at the back of his car and was sting mes out of it to elerate himself. Karkinos¡¯s car, which was unluckily hit by those mes, exploded.

    By the time one noticed it, everyone except for Orm and Virgo had started running towards the goal using their abilities.

    Orm was the only one who was still reading the instruction manual while sitting in his car.

    ¡°Goal!¡±

    The Thirteen Stars charged past the goal like an avnche, finally ending the race.

    The distance between themselves up until the middle of the race had no relevance. Once they started running on their own, they could all cover that distance in an instant.

    As such, in order to ascertain who passed the goal first, an individual needed to have quite an amazing sense of kic vision.

    Fortunately, Ruphas¡¯s kic vision was more than sufficient to make that determination.

    And the judgement that she made was¡­

    ¡°So, all of you are disqualified for cheating.¡±

    ¨C Subsequently, it became a one-on-one race between Virgo, who continued to drive slowly, and Orm, who just simply did not move. After 30 minutes, Virgo was dered the winner.

    __

    (Author note)

    Virgo: ¡°Sei-kun was saying that you have to drive a car with safety first in mind.¡±

    Q: By the way, why didn¡¯t Ruphas participate?

    A: If she participated, some of the Thirteen Stars would have restrained themselves and wouldn¡¯t have raced properly.

    (Author note end)

    __

    [1] ¡°https://jojo.fandom/wiki/Noriaki_Kakyoin¡±.

    [2] ¡°https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_heat¡±.

 Afterstory 4 â€“ An Out-of-Season Swimsuit Event

    Notice 1: Again, apologies for the massive dy. I¡¯ve been really busy in real life these days and haven¡¯t had the chance to get around to it.

    This is probably the weirdest side story we¡¯ve had so far. At this point, the author¡¯s probably drunk and just writing whatever pops into his mind (for the first half of the chapter)¡­

    __

    (Author note)

    Originally, I had been nning to publish this chapter during the summer, but I procrastinated so much here and there that by the time I noticed it, the summer had already ended.

    So this chapter is a bit of an out-of-season beach episode.

    (Author note end)

    __

    On that day, the ¡°Fish¡± Pisces felt extremely excited.

    To rify, he wasn¡¯t jumping or screaming in excitement like a monkey. He simply felt very excited.

    It was midsummer. Under the pretext of it being hot day in and day out, he had taken the opportunity to invite Ruphas and the others toe have a dip in the sea.

    Although there was no such thing as the four seasons on the Moon, because he had received a positive reply back from them, he believed that they were probably going toe.

    Putting the personalities of Ruphas and the other members of the Imperial Thirteen Heavenly Stars aside, in terms of looks alone, they were a brilliant line-up of beautiful women.

    Just imagining them wearing swimsuits that exposed a lot of skin made him drool with happiness.

    Needless to say, his preparations to receive them were wless.

    He hadpletely rented out an entire beach, along with a line-up of stores that sold refreshments.

    He had even prepared finely shattered ice covered in various kinds of syrup ¨C apparently, this was known as shaved ice in another world.[1]

    Yeah! My preparations are wless. Come whenever you want.

    Just as Pisces thought that, hisrades came down from the Moon through an X-Gate.

    ¡°We¡¯re here, Pisces!¡±

    ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡±

    The first person to speak up was Castor, who was already wearing board shorts.

    The individual next to him was Sagittarius, who, as usual, was not wearing anything to cover his bottom half.

    Looking aside, Pisces also saw¡­ Leon, Taurus, Aigokeros, Karkinos, Orm, Mercurius and Terra.

    In fact, he even saw Phoenix, Hydrus and the Three Winged Knights there.

    ¡°Yo, so we¡¯re at the right ce?¡±

    ¡°Grrr¡­¡±

    Following them was the former hero¡¯s party, whom Pisces had not intended to invite in the first ce.

    Apparently, after being invited by Pisces, Ruphas had figured that she might as well also invite them over too.

    The people who had arrived as part of that group were Jean, Ricardo, Nick and Shu. There were also Gants, Friedrich, Kaineko, Sarjes and the merfolk.[2]

    Behind them, the ranger squad, which had supported the hero¡¯s party from the shadows, was posing.

    ¡°Oh, so this is the ce. I guess it¡¯s not too bad to forget about work every once in a while and take a swim.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Megrez and Merak wereing by from the opposite direction.

    Almost as if purely to mock Pisces, Bnash had note with them.

    As a matter of fact, even though Aquarius had note, Ganymedes hade here on his own.

    ¡°¨C¡±

    Crack. Just like that, something inside Pisces shattered, creating a crack that ran all the way through him.

    What shattered might have been his expectations. Or perhaps, it might have been his ambitions or desires.

    Regardless of what it was, Pisces had a strong sense that something was about to shatter and scatter into bits and pieces.

    ¡°¡­¡­ Oi¡­¡­ whatabout Ruphas-sama? Wh, what about all thedies¡­?¡±

    ¡°Ruphas-sama said seawater makes her wings sticky and it¡¯s too much of a hassle to wash it afterwards, so she decided not toe. Dina¡¯s busy working. Alovenus-sama spent one million on a gacha game, so she ended up getting her smartphone confiscated by Dina and is currently depressed.

    I don¡¯t think I need to mention Scorpius, but she said she was going to pass because Ruphas-sama wasn¡¯t going. Libra never had any interest in ying around to begin with. Pollux and Parthenos also said it was too much of a hassle, so they decided not toe.

    As for Virgo, she¡¯s gone ¡®over there¡¯. Oh, and Aries was sleeping.¡±

    After being shot with that despair-inducing exnation that was fired out of Castor¡¯s mouth, Pisces¡¯s face looked as if the world was about to end at any moment.

    It seemed that the Moon¡¯s forces had been annihted for many different reasons.

    No, it was not just the forces from the Moon. Looking at the other factions, Pisces felt as if the entire female gender had been annihted.

    Not even the gori hade.

    Well, I guess she doesn¡¯t really need toe.

    And Castor had just casually mentioned Aries, but he¡¯s a guy.

    ¡°Ga¡­ ga¡­ aa! Impossible¡­ something like this¡­ aa! Why¡­ why¡­! Only the men¡­ of all things¡­ there are only dudes here¡­! Something like this can¡¯t possibly¡­ something like this¡­ it¡¯s unfair¡­!¡±

    In response to the only-dudes-unexpectedly-appearing-all-at-once show (with the exception of Aries), Pisces¡¯s face distorted as if it was ice cream that was melting, and he fell down on his knees in despair.

    This is far too much.

    Even though we¡¯re at a beach, why are there only men here¡­? As if such a hell can be permitted in this world!

    Nobody benefits at all from this! This whole situation is no different from spitting at heaven after not being able to understand the wonderful things that were promised to you.

    It would be an understatement to say that Pisces¡¯s face looked ugly at that moment. There was a limit as to what qualified as foul.

    What was happening right now was a lot worse than Leon, Taurus, Gants, Sagittarius and Orm being together in one ce.

    But because all of them were very muscr, the atmosphere was just hot and stuffy either way.

    Even the others who had ended uping to the beach were looking around at each other and had expressions that said, ¡°How did things turn out like this¡­?¡±

    ¡°A, anyways¡­ shall we go for a swim now?¡±

    As nothing would change if things were left as is, Orm made a suggestion to the others, and they all stiffly nodded.

    A beach that waspletely rented out and full of stuffy men¡­ Such a bad dream would not have existed anywhere else.

    However, after having gone through the trouble ofing to the beach, it did not make sense to just go home without doing anything.

    As a result, everyone there ended up deciding to go into the water with a darkened expression.

    Even though there were no flowers here, the act of swimming in the sea was in itself still a fun activity.

    Although they had initially just been messing around with gloomy expressions, after a while, the atmosphere lightened up and everyone was able to enjoy their time.

    While the way they were ying around was a little out of norm, since they were doing activities such as dividing the sea up in a way simr to a certain The Ten Commandments, running on top of the seawater or diving to the bottom of the sea, they were certainly enjoying their time.

    As they were doing so, something huge appeared from the ocean.

    ¡°Hyahaha! I am the one who inhabits the sea, Tentacle Octopus! Now, where are the lovely kitty cats whose swimsuits I¡¯ll be stripping away!?¡±

    The thing that appeared in front of them was a giant octopus which embodied what it meant to be an erotic monster.

    It was squirming its tentacles unpleasantly while at the height of its mood.

    A beach meant beautiful women. Beautiful women meant lewd troubles. That was how the scripts usually flowed.

    If what you were reading right now was a nocturne novel, this octopus would have yed a big role.[3]

    Unfortunately¡­ yes¡­ how merciless. Was such a thing even allowed?

    Even though it had risen up from the bottom of the sea, the only thing that the octopus could see was hell.

    ¨C There were only stuffy bastards.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    The perverted octopus was petrified and looked around for the second time.

    Wherever it looked, it only saw men, men and more nightmare-inducing men.

    Every single one of them was far too muscr and far too hot and stuffy.

    As a matter of fact, when it came to Sagittarius, even before he could be forcibly stripped, he had already stripped. The entire thing was far too unsightly.

    Once the perverted octopus saw this, it withered. It quite literally withered and shrunk down.

    ¡°¡­¡­ Let me just say this¡­ are you guys idiots? This is a beach, why did you guys evene here if there were only going to be guys here? You know what a beach normally entails, right? Would you get what I mean if I say that what should be here right now are cute girls wearing flimsy swimsuits that are only a string away from revealing everything and are moments away from causing trouble? You know¡­ I showed up because I wanted to strip swimsuits from somedies and I was fully prepared to get beaten up by the protective male protagonists of the story, but what even is this¡­? Why are there only guys here, huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Umm, we¡¯re sorry about that, I guess?¡±

    ¡°¡­ I see¡­ so you¡¯re also a miserable man like me.¡±

    The one individual who could rte to the soulful cry of the perverted octopus the most was Eros.

    He too was shouldering the same misery that the perverted octopus was shouldering.

    Even though I¡¯m here at the beach, why am I swimming together with this all-star line up of hot and stuffy bastards? Right now, I just want to go back to heaven.

    Eros and the perverted octopus crossed their arms and tentacles together and embraced each other without saying anything more.

    Because the two of them shouldered the same pain and misery, they could understand each other and thus felt a sense of camaraderie.

    At approximately the same time, on Earth.

    On that day, Minami-Jyuji Sei and Virgo were walking down the beach.

    Swimming together in the sea¡­ unfortunately, was difficult.

    Although Virgo was wearing the stealth bandage that Ruphas had once used to hide her wings, if she were to enter the water, it would be undone.

    On this called Earth where science, rather than fantasy, dominated everything, Virgo¡¯s wings would stand out quite a lot.

    Despite that, they at least wanted to have the right atmosphere, so they were currently walking on the beach together.

    Sei was solidifying his resolve as he looked at Virgo, who was walking beside him.

    ¡­ It, it should be about time, right? It¡¯s fine for me to take one more step forward, right? If she tells me that she¡¯s actually not interested in me, or that we should just stay friends, I won¡¯t be able to recover though. I think that there¡¯s a thread¡­ or at least, there should be¡­ please let there be one¡­ I¡¯m going to say it. Today is the day¡­

    Sei and Virgo could be said to be dating each other. ¨C Sei believed that was the rtionship between the two of them.

    At the very least, he believed that they had passed the point of mere friendship.

    Unfortunately, human beings simply did not have enough time to let such a fleeting rtionship continue on indefinitely.

    Even though it had already been over five years since the incident, Virgo still looked the same. In all likelihood, she would continue to look the same far into the future.

    But that was not the case for Sei. In the past, his facial features had the traits of a young man, but after merely five years, he now looked like a mature man.

    He had grown taller and his body now looked a lot stronger and sturdier.

    By now, he had finished growing. From now on, he could only grow old and start to decline.

    Which was why¡­ while he was strong and young, he had to take a step forward and bridge the gap.

    ¡°Umm¡­ Virgo. There¡¯s something important that I want to talk to you about. Can you hear me out for a bit?¡±

    In response to Sei¡¯s words, Virgo simply smiled back without saying anything.

    She was also waiting for it. For those words toe from Sei¡¯s mouth.

    Interpreting the situation as such, Sei ced his hands on Virgo¡¯s slender shoulders.

    ¡°My¡­ lifespan is different from yours. Sometime in the future, I¡¯m going to leave you behind and pass on. But if you¡¯re fine with someone like me¡­ would you¨C¡°

    In the middle of Sei making a once-in-a-lifetime confession, the sea abruptly swelled up.

    When the two of them turned to look at what was happening, they saw the top half of a giant grotesque monster sticking out of the water.

    It was an embodiment of insanity. A god sent away from another world.

    The Mutant God, Thulhu.

    That monster had appeared next to them at the worst possible timing¡­ It looked at the two of them and sensed that it had appeared at a bad moment.

    ¡°¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡­¡±

    Oh. Don¡¯t mind me, feel free to continue.

    As if it was saying such a thing, Thulhu shook its arms, then sunk back into the ocean.

    What did you evene here for?

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    The atmosphere that they had established had been ruined. While it might have just been their imagination, the ocean that had been sparkling under the setting sun since just a moment ago now appeared to be dark and stale.

    Although Sei and Virgo were ring at the sea, half in anger and half in exasperation, there was unfortunately no sign of Thulhuing back up.

    ¡°¡­ Sei-kun, shall we go home?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Yeah.¡±

    If he were to confess despite the mood having beenpletely ruined, it would not have been a good moment.

    While it was unfortunate, Sei¡¯s once-in-a-lifetime confession would have to be postponed until the next time.

    __

    (Author note)

    Q: What did you evene here for¡­?

    A: Thulhu: ¡°¡ö¡ö¡­¡±

    Reason: Taking a stroll.

    (Author note end)

    TpstT: Poor Sei, even in an after-story, he can¡¯t catch a break.

    __

    [1] ¡°https://.nippon/en/guide-to-japan/fnn20180727001/¡±.

    [2] I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve ever been given a name for this merfolk.

    [3] Nocturne novels (¥Î¥¯¥¿©`¥ó¥Î¥Ù¥ë¥º) refers to R-18 novels. ¡°http://noc.syosetu/¡±.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!