Complete resolution.
DORECA, Paradium Card.
The card in my hand glowed with a radiance I’d never seen before.
"New card?"
"Such a pity. Just changing the card doesn’t mean a thing. I’ve sealed all its power."
"Is that so?"
I opened the card’s menu and selected from the list.
Payment: magic only.
In an instant, countless magic circles surrounded the demon god, converging into a blade of iron.
An iron sword materialized at the same coordinates as his body. The demon god turned into a hedgehog in an instant.
"What—?!"
The demon god stared, stunned. Utterly unexpected.
"Looks like the power’s working. And…?"
The attack just now—zero magic consumption.
Emergency production using magic—normally ten times the magic required. But here, it cost nothing.
Is this the Paradium Card’s ability? Or something else?
No… that’s not the point right now.
"Why can you use it?"
"Because it wasn’t my power that sealed it. That’s what’s backfiring now."
"Strange child. Your power—compared to what the Goddess gave you—is nothing at all."
"That’s why only DORECA was sealed."
"Exactly."
"That’s what I’m saying. This isn’t that card anymore."
Holding up the Paradium Card.
"Two cards fused into something entirely new. So sealing it? Pointless now."
"Damn it."
"Shall I try sealing it again? Just like before?"
"Brother!?!"
"Daddy!?!"
Smiling at the two, giving the unspoken reassurance: it’ll be fine.
Yeah. Probably fine.
Just a hunch. But close to certainty.
Even a Demon God can’t keep sealing DORECA over and over like a damn ping-pong ball.
DORECA’s origin is the Goddess’s power. And the Demon God couldn’t reach the Goddess on his own.
Yeah, using Holy Night like this finally works.
Probably that’s why DORECA’s power was sealed—through Holy Night.
So it can’t be sealed again here.
If I fully absorb the Goddess’s power, maybe I could seal it again. But I haven’t done that yet.
I said myself I’d put off digesting and taking it in.
So the Demon God can’t interfere with this card.
I’m almost certain of that.
And I was right.
The Demon God let out a quiet laugh, almost impressed.
“Clever girl. And annoying too. Pretending to understand everything.”
“Just guessing.”
“Either way. But aren’t you missing something? Just because you can use the card now, think you can beat me?”
“Planning to win. If I let you loose again, you’ll wreck this world all over, right?”
Then all our effort would’ve been for nothing.
No—worse.
I glanced briefly at Rirya and Arisa.
Eternal Slave, my slave.
Even something as spirited and precious as this could be erased.
That couldn’t be overlooked.
“Shall we settle this here?”
“…Let’s not do anything that doesn’t benefit both sides. If those girls mean so much to you, I’ll guarantee your safety—and theirs.”
“Feels like you’re offering me half the world.”
“Scary girl. You really think those girls are worth half the world?”
“Ah.”
Nodding.
“Eternal Slave, my slaves are worth half this world to me.”
“Onii-chan…”
“Papa-sama!”
Rirya weeping, Arisa clinging to my waist from behind.
—— Magic power charged: 10,000,000.
—— Magic power charged: 10,000,000.
“…”
And the demon god, face twisted like he’d swallowed something bitter.
“So the answer’s already decided. No.”
“Foolish child. Then die.”
The demon god raises a hand.
In an instant, the card flares to life.
The glowing palladium card—reflexively, the menu snaps open.
“—!?”
For a split second, I thought I saw a familiar face.
A man’s face. The one who came to this world with us.
Just a flash. A trick of the light. A moment so brief it felt like a delusion.
Immediately after, a choice appeared in the list.
Something demanding twenty million units of magic power.
“Activate!”
I read only the first line of the description, watched the video clip for a heartbeat—then understood. I activated it without hesitation.
A massive surge of magic vanished in an instant. The spell array enveloped the demon god.
“Waste of effort. No matter what you do…”
Still, the demon god raises a hand—nothing happens.
The attack that should have come… doesn’t.
“W-what’s going on?”
“Your power’s been interfered with. Sealed.”
“What?!”
“The power you hold—your demonic force, and the Goddess’s power. Both were the powers that Shunya possessed. And—”
Holding up DORECA, showing it to the demon god.
“There’s Shunya’s power inside this.”
“So that’s what sealed me?”
“That’s right. Now, what’ll it be?”
I ask the demon god.
She looks utterly furious—but makes no move. Can’t move.
Seeing that, I’m certain my guess was correct.
She can’t release the Goddess’s power she absorbed. And this seal will last forever.
Which means the demon god…
is almost permanently sealed away from that power.