Final Battle ㉒

Shun's perspective

"Win...? "

Yagoha's body shattered into fragments.

After being revived by my Compassion Power, Reise immediately lunged at Yagoha while missing his lower body—biting down.

Even though revived by Compassion Power, he could not survive in such a state.

Immediately after being thrown off by Yagoha, Reise expired once more.

And in that moment—when Reise was about to assist—I could not afford to miss it.

I did not leap forward with intent.

Only instinct told me: now or never. I raised my sword and charged.

Katie's barrier deflected Yagoha's counter-magic.

Surely, countless coincidences aligned—my sword reached Yagoha.

'Don't dawdle! Boy! Hurry to the door! Move to the system core!'

Guen's voice roared through mental transmission.

That's right! No time to hesitate!

Now that Waka has fallen, the path to the door is clear.

"Cannot let you pass!"

No—this one remains.

The Demon King himself rose from the chair and stood before us.

Yet his complexion was poor. The strain was obvious.

The power he projected was feeble.

He must have once been far stronger than us.

But for reasons unknown, he has severely weakened.

Then perhaps we can still prevail.

"We press forward!"

"Never allow it—ahh!"

The Demon King screamed as if summoning every last ounce of strength.

Immediately afterward, the previously frail presence surged violently.

The pressure it exerted far surpassed that of Queen Talatekt.

M—much...?

Still... capable of such power...!?

"Ga—!?"

Yet the Demon King collapsed instantly to the ground.

The intense, overwhelming presence that had flared up moments ago dissipates instantly.

“U—ggh!”

The Demon King attempts to push himself up with his arms, but only convulses violently—unable to rise.

He has exhausted his final reserves, reduced to a state where even standing is impossible.

“C—can’t… we… lose… like this!?”

The effort of speaking is painful. The volume of his voice is low.

Yet the resolve, the willpower—immense.

Too immense.

This is the Demon King’s willpower—the force that has driven him to battle across the world, against all opposition.

Katiea is overwhelmed by it.

“Let’s go.”

I clap her shoulder, then stride past the Demon King’s side.

“W—wait! Wait—!”

I keep moving, without stopping, leaving behind the Demon King’s agonized cry.

Just as the Demon King made his resolve and entered this battle, I cannot stop here.

Katie and I reach the door.

Touching the door causes it to glow, then open automatically.

Beyond the door lies a scene entirely different from what came before.

Not a cave. A magic array covers the floor, walls, and ceiling—no gaps, no breaks.

"Beautiful..."

Katie murmurs it, as if surprised.

As Katie says, the room filled with magic arrays is beautiful.

But that impression changes upon seeing the person at the center.

"Proficiency has reached threshold."

"Level has increased."

The same voice echoes in countless repetitions.

It matches the divine language I have grown accustomed to in this life.

The source of the voice is undoubtedly the woman floating at the center of the room, suspended as if crucified.

The woman’s lower body did not exist.

Yet she remained alive, forced here to utter divine words continuously.

She was not merely a woman. She was the goddess Syriel.

This was the treatment afforded to the goddess… was this truly the way?

Had the goddess, here alone for so long, so very long, sustained the world by enduring the slow erosion of her own body?

The room, which moments ago seemed beautiful, now appeared as a grotesque prison.

…Even more grotesque was humanity—abandoning the goddess, seeking only to survive.

The reason the demon had struggled so desperately to liberate the goddess became clear.

A single sight surpasses a hundred hearsay.

No matter how many times one is told of humanity’s injustice toward the goddess, the horror cannot be grasped without witnessing it firsthand.

I had seen it with my own eyes.

"Still... I apologize. I have no choice but to proceed."

He deliberately opens his mouth, articulating resolve as a declaration.

For those who have already fallen along this path.

He cannot falter here.

He intends to halt the system collapse immediately, but how?

Now that he has arrived, he does not know what to do.

Perhaps the Pope would know what to do, but he is likely unable to act at this moment.

The Pope used his powerful counter-skill, Harmony, to protect him from Yotsuba's attack.

A skill so potent it leaves one's body drenched in blood after a single use—now twice employed.

He may already be dead...

This is not solely the Pope's fate.

Earlier, Gen also launched a final strike at him, having endured multiple attacks from Yotsuba prior, collapsing to the ground.

Hyuwan and Nia, and even Sue—are still battling a mythic-class monster known as Queen Talatect.

No one’s safe from dying at any moment, even now, while we hesitate here.

There’s nothing to do but try whatever comes to hand.

First, the goddess figure in plain sight.

Touching her form might reveal something.

The system core might refer to the goddess herself—literally.

Thinking this, I took a step forward.

Then, something fell from the ceiling.

It was a white spider.

About one meter in length.

Size-wise, similar to a young Talatect, a small Talatect.

Its front legs, like scythes, swung.

“Gah!?”

I blocked with my sword—but the sheer force was overwhelming.

I was thrown back, Katia and I both— and lost consciousness without resistance.

Sorry for the wait.

21:00. Will update again at midnight.