God and the Demon God

Pulling out a common card, I cast the encounter-up spell.

A rigid magic circle unfolded beneath my feet, and after a moment, a massive, brawny giant appeared.

Throo—once a formidable monster I’d struggled against.

"Goooooooooo!"

He roared, swinging his massive arm at me.

"Slavetana, Olga."

I thrust my left side forward, calling out their names.

Inside my head, the mother-daughter slaves responded.

The wind armor shifted—whirlwind shield formed in front of my shoulder.

It deflected the punch.

"Nice deflection... No impact at all."

Absorbed it? Or just redirected? Either way, nothing reached me—no damage, no jolt.

Normally, clashing with swords would send shock through me. Not a matter of what *happens*, just the shock itself.

But there’s none.

"Feels good."

Cutting through Trowi in one stroke with True Eternal Slave.

The resistance felt about the same as before—no real change in attack power.

The biggest difference was the wind armor born from absorbing mother and daughter.

That’s enough.

From now on, using them as a pair is optimal.

The next Trowi appeared.

(Master, I’d like to try something—)

"Go ahead."

I didn’t wait to hear the rest. I gave permission right away.

I don’t know what Sveta is up to, but my slave won’t do anything harmful to me.

(Using magic.)

"Yeah."

(Olga.)

(I understand.)

The rough, blunt voices of the mother-daughter pair echoing in my head.

Right after, a magic circle formed beneath my feet.

The curving, signature design of DORECA.

Then, a wooden house materialized above me.

The wind armor reshaped further—twisting like arms—then flung the wooden house into the air.

A massive object arcing through the sky— the wooden house shot toward Troi, then launched it into the air.

“Was that what you wanted to test?”

(Yes. Somehow, I thought I could use the slave card even inside the sword.)

(I could even lift it. No weight at all.)

Mother and daughter answered. So that’s how it is— even inside the sword, it’s possible now.

I returned Olga from the blade.

Only Sveta, and the True Eternal Slave.

“How about this? Try it, Sveta.”

I commanded. After a pause.

(…Can’t do it.)

The slave cried out.

A sense of having tried and failed, over and over.

Hearing that, I pulled Olga back into the sword again. Both mother and daughter now coexisting inside the blade.

Wind sword. Wind armor.

Without a command, a magic circle formed beneath our feet.

This time, the universal remedy was produced.

"Ah, so it really does take two of us?"

(Not sure, but probably.)

My abilities just grew again.

I paused right there, trying to sort it out.

The power to admire slaves through DORECA and craft things.

The magic to manipulate phenomena using Common Cards.

The technique to hammer magic into oneself using True Eternal Slave.

Previously, that was all I needed—just bring both mother and daughter slaves into the same space, and the slave card would activate.

I still don’t get what using DORECA in battle would even help, but I’ll keep it in mind.

"Alright, test’s over. Time to get the materials."

I pulled out a Common Card and chanted, "Encounter Up."

This time, a black thrall appeared.

The magic circle’s arrow pointed straight at it. The black body was glowing.

"About time."

I used the Common Card again. This time, I stacked "Luck Up" ten times over.

I prayed for it to work on the first try.

☆

On the way back, following the glowing arrow, we headed toward the incineration furnace site.

The slave mother and daughter walked beside me.

Svetlana ran one hand through her daughter’s hair, the other brushing her own collar.

Both motions gentle—like she was touching precious treasures.

“Thank goodness I found my master.”

“Is that so.”

“My master is my god. Not only did they give me a new life… they gave me the happiest life possible. My master is not just my master. They are equal to a god.”

“Just doing what I want, really.”

I shrugged.

That’s all it was—fondling a brave slave however I pleased.

That the Eternal Slave mother and daughter both wanted to be slaves to the same master? No downside for me.

In fact, I’m happy about it. So it’s all upside.

So I did it. That’s all.

And still, Svetlana calls me her god.

"God? The gods in this world are never the decent kind."

From what I know, there's the Goddess and the Demigod.

Yeah, neither of them are decent.

I'd rather not be one—though, I suppose it's fine if Svetlana thinks that way.

She's happy. She's satisfied.

If a slave is happy, being a god isn't so bad.

Thinking that, I pulled back through the wasteland.

Suddenly, Schreivju appeared before me.

"Master."

"Ah."

Nodding, I drew my slave sword.

"Kill it and return it to human form. Get ready—clothes, Pshiny, and water."

"Understood. Olga."

"Yep!"

The slave mother and daughter fumbled with their slave cards, preparing.

I stepped forward, sword in hand, ready to bring down the ape—just as the ape split in two right before my eyes.

Something black came down from above and sliced it clean through.

I stare, frozen, at the mother and daughter.

They shook their heads.

Not them. Not me either.

Then who?

“Ah!”

Svetlana cried out as she tried to look up.

“What is it?”

“Holkina.”

“What?”

I followed Svetlana’s wide eyes.

The ape had turned back into a human.

Silver hair. Black skin. Pointed ears—classic dark elf look.

Svetlana’s acquaintance. Regret Holkina.

What the hell is going on?

“Kukuku… hahaha…”

A laugh echoed from above.

I looked up—black mist was falling.

The revolting black fog slowly took human form.

It was… a face I recognized.

“Saint Night…”

“Long time no see, Akihito!”

“You… what the hell is that form? And you were supposed to be dead…”

Yeah. Saint Night was dead. Mayia told me so herself.

She said it was her doing—told me so herself.

Mia trusted her—trusted that she’d done it herself.

So Saint Night was definitely dead.

And yet here I am, standing here like this.

Even so... that form.

Gross. That’s all it really is.

The thing standing in front of me has its upper body bare, and strange black patterns run from its face down its body.

Don’t know what it means—but it’s not right.

That much is certain.

"Relax, now. Today I came to thank you."

"Thank you?"

That’s right. Thanks to you killing me, I’m able to grab the power of the Demon God like this.

“The power of the evil god!?”

Shock. The unthinkable power of the heretic god.

Even as I stood there, Saint Night raised a hand toward me.

The black pattern writhed, gathering at her fingertips.

Tasteless—thought the moment, and the attack came flying.

Black mist coalesced into a lump and was hurled through the air.

She instinctively pulled mother and daughter into the True Eternal Slave.

Raised her sword, transformed her armor.

Defended with both powers.

A jolt hit her body.

Not pain—like being socked hard through a thick quilt—but the impact was unmistakable.

Dust rose in a cloud across the entire area.

Eventually, it settled.

What emerged was a ground torn wide open.

Only the spot where she’d defended remained intact—a lone island floating atop a crater.

One strike… Her breath caught.

She looked at Seiya. Seiya’s lips curled into a satisfied smirk.

“Thanks to you, Akihito. Thanks to you, I’ve gained this mighty power.”

“Seiya… power alone won’t save you from repeating history.”

“Power alone? Is that what you think?”

“What?”

“Look there.”

She followed Seiya’s pointed direction.

There she was—Holkina. Her neck bent at a direction that made no sense—obviously a fatal wound.

Holkina, just returned to human form, had been caught in that one strike—transformed, no less, into a Shrebyju.

Killed. Turned into a monkey.

I’d heard it in testimony before, but seeing it with my own eyes… for the first time.

“Not just power, see? I’ve taken hold of all the force that binds to the Demon God. What do you think, Seiya?! Now I can make something (,,,) too, huh?!”

Excited, Shun’ya cleaved the fleeing monkey in two from behind.

And then—there she was again, the monkey turning back into Regret Holkina.

He killed her once more—transforming her into Shrebyju once more.

“Kukuku… aha-hahahaha…”

“Don’t toy with humans!”

Furious, she lunged at Shun’ya with her slave sword.

Blocked with her arm—then a counterattack flew in.

A sharp, black mist—blade of darkness.

“Is that all?!”

(Not happening!)

(Protecting.)

The mother and daughter slaves made their wind armor flow like liquid, deflecting the blade of darkness.

I swung my slave sword—cut into Shun’ya’s arm.

The slave sword, raised high—Shun’ya’s right arm flew off.

“Gh—!”

The severed arm arcing through the air—Shun’ya’s face twisted, just for a moment, in agony.

Stepping back—step, step—while regenerating the limb.

Not working, though.

“Stop it, Shun’ya! I don’t know what that power is, but it’s the kind that destroyed a god of ruin. It can’t be anything normal.”

Shun’ya laughed.

“Scared now, Akito?”

“No! I’m saying—”

“Trembling? Hmm? Then let me tell you one thing.”

Shun’ya’s body began to fade.

Grew thinner—thinner—until you could see through it. Vanishing somewhere?

"I’m still fresh from fusing with the Demon God—can’t even tap a tenth of my power yet. You get what I’m saying, right?"

"..."

Frowning. I get it. Clearly.

Truthfully... this is serious.

"Kukuku. We’ll meet again, Akito. Next time, I’ll show you my full strength."

With that, Seiya dissolved into the air like mist.

...Never thought it’d come to this.

Seiya coming back to life. And of all things, absorbing the power of a Demon God.

"I’ve gotta do something about this."

I thought that, and brought mother and daughter back.

"Holkina!"

Svetlana, restored to her original form, immediately lunged at Schreivju.

The monkey was awake. Claws flashing, slashing at Svetlana.

But missed.

The weakest monster—Schreivju. Svetlana dodged past it, grabbed its arm.

Grasped tightly by Eternal Slave Holkina’s slender arms.

“Svetlana, hold her. At least bring her back to regret.”

“Please…”

Nodding as if pleading, Svetlana gripped her best friend tight.

I apologized to Holkina.

“…Sorry. Dragged you into my mess with that thing.”

Then I severed the monkey’s head.

Sheathed the blade.

Well, if the Holy Night has risen again as a demon god, then we’ve got a lot to think about.

First—.

“Master!”

Svetlana’s shocked voice rang out.

What’s wrong? I looked up—and froze.

The creature that emerged from the monkey was pale-skinned, golden-haired—elf-like in appearance.

Eternal Slave Holkina.

What the hell is this?

“Because you’re my master?”

Oliga murmured.

Hearing her daughter’s remark, Svetlana jolted.

“Same thing happened to me.”

And she remembered her past self.