331 What is this!?

'That is how it has come to be. Please do your best.'

...What is this?

Hey, what exactly does 'that' mean!?

Even if we're in the middle of combat, it's not like we can help it, right!

I mean, we're locked in battle with Black when suddenly D starts speaking in my head!

And the content is insane.

Wait, installing Taboo on all of humanity?

Wait, I can send power to either me or Black by praying?

Wait, a clash of ideologies between the Demon King and the Pope?

...What in the world is that?

While we're fighting as heroes and villains, how does that even happen?

No, the cause is clear!

It's you, D! You're the one!

You're meddling while we're distracted!

No way.

If you claim to be an outsider, stay an outsider until the end.

You're interfering recklessly...

Black, too, has stopped moving in response to this extreme situation.

A chance to attack, but I’m feeling like I need to clutch my head too, so let’s call a temporary truce for now.

‘You’d expect immediate acceptance, but I’ll allow questions.’

D shows a sliver of kindness, perhaps because both I and Black are frozen in place.

I wished that kindness had been used to keep the situation from growing more complicated.

‘You said you distributed Taboo to all of humanity, correct?’

‘Yes.’

Ah—Black is clutching his head.

That’s understandable.

Even I found that quite mentally taxing, and the surface world is probably now a scene of hellish chaos.

‘Taboo is, technically, a skill. But where does its energy originate?’

Ah!

That’s right!

Taboo is a type of skill, so it must contain a corresponding amount of energy.

Distributing this to all of humanity would require an immense amount of energy.

You shouldn’t be using the remaining energy in this world for something like that!

Do not worry. That matter is my own expense.

Hm.

For now, relief.

...安心？

Taking it out?

That D, deliberately channeling energy for this world?

—Though one might call it a withdrawal, the energy originally belonged to this world to begin with.

D makes the bomb statement, resolving my疑问.

Originally, something that was energy in this world?

Where on earth is that energy coming from?

The explosion that served as the catalyst for the creation of the reincarnated.

...Maybe this one can actually read my thoughts?

She claims that since I became a god, she can no longer read thoughts—something she mentioned before….

Never mind.

More pressing is the source of the energy.

The explosion that triggered the rebirth of reincarnates—surely that refers to the incident in the Earth classroom.

The one allegedly caused by the previous Hero and the prior Demon King.

Due to that, the world's energy diminished sharply, and the reincarnates caught in the aftermath were transmigrated into this world.

Yet that attack was directed at killing D—more precisely, the Administrator.

If energy was consumed entirely for the attack, then—

『Isn’t it inconsistent that an attack aimed at killing a god, the Administrator, could only destroy a single classroom?』

...On reflection.

An attack intended to kill a god, the Administrator.

To claim it only achieved the destruction of a single classroom—this lacks coherence.

Such power could not even kill a dragon of Alba-class, let alone a god.

Yet, due to it, the energy accumulated within this world diminished significantly.

The power output did not correlate with the amount of energy consumed.

『In other words, the discrepancy in energy was what I had been collecting and storing.』

Ah, the black one swayed slightly.

That would be expected—dizziness is natural under such circumstances.

The attack launched by the previous Hero and the previous Demon King against D.

That should have been directed at Black—yet the goddess Syriell forcibly redirected it toward D. As a result, reincarnations emerged in this world, and energy levels plummeted.

Black felt an excessive sense of responsibility regarding that event.

To be told that D had secretly been siphoning energy all along—no wonder the shock was overwhelming.

Still, this is highly significant news.

Not all of it, perhaps, but at least some portion of the lost energy has returned to this world.

...One can overlook the fact that it is now classified as a Taboo.

At that moment, Reston froze, as if struck by sudden realization.

"Wait! You said 'all of humanity'! If the system collapses under these conditions, what becomes of humanity!? A Taboo is still a skill, isn't it!?"

Ah.

Right, that's true.

A Taboo is a skill.

In the event of system collapse, skills would be forcibly removed—not just from humanity, but from every living being in this world.

We calculated that the shock would result in roughly half of all humanity perishing.

Even if they died only from that, some would suffer soul fragmentation.

And the more skills one possessed, the greater the likelihood of death.

Since a Taboo is a skill, the fact that it is amplified means...

"Of course, the number of human deaths would increase."

That’s right—!

Ah, the black figure knelt.

……Yeah, well, just keep living strong.

『No need to worry. You only need to win, and the system collapse will be prevented.』

Wait.

That means I’m supposed to lose, right?

If you say that, won’t Black get overly excited?

『Ah, yes. Even if you win, I will not retaliate. You may rest assured.』

Black suddenly lifts their face.

“But you will never forgive if your subordinate is harmed.”

『I did say I would make her a subordinate, but no formal contract has been made yet. That is to say, she is provisionally designated, but not yet a subordinate.』

U—uh.

Well, yes.

There’s still no connection between me and D.

『If you perish here, that’s it. Simply the fact that you failed to become my subordinate.』

Hmph!

……Well, not really?

Am I not? Not at all? Want to become D's subordinate? Never? Absolutely not? That’s not the case? When you put it that way? Well, this—annoying, isn’t it?

F—fufufu.

You know, don’t you?

Fuhohohoho…….

Conclusion: I cannot lose.

The reasons we cannot both lose have increased.

Once again, I face Black.

“Unburdened by past concerns. No personal grudge. In fact, more reasons to be grateful. Yet still, I must defeat you.”

Black declares resolve. I say nothing. I simply beckon with a hand.

“Let’s go.”

And we resume battle.

“Please entertain me.”

…Under the gaze of the demon god’s spectator.

This is frustrating!