Excalbren was the sword of the Hero.

It was made only for that, and it had lived only for that.

It had not harbored a single doubt about it. Because it thought that was the sacred duty given to it.

But the words it heard after regaining its consciousness were nothing short of shocking.

—It is natural for a superior being to regulate the living grounds of an inferior being.

That was not something Elhaen, whom it had considered an absolute truth until now, would say.

『Those are the words of a ruler, not a god.』

The Elhaen that Excalbren had thought of was a being who loved peace. That was why it believed he was trying to stop the demons who were leading this world to ruin, no matter what.

『What in the world have I pierced?』

Excalbren was lost in confusion. About Clay, who had poured a vast amount of divine power to release the restraints on its ego, and about this being called a god before its eyes, who had made it so it had no choice but to help such a Clay.

"A lie."

Clay said to such an Excalbren.

"You have now pierced a lie."

The main culprit who had freely molded the history of this world and started a real war.

"How absurd."

Elhaen said, faltering.

"It was I who granted you history."

"I never asked for a history like this."

"Then are you planning to overturn that history again?"

Elhaen's gaze turned to Clay's eyes.

"Are you saying you will kill me, tell the demons the truth, and annihilate all humans?"

"That is for those who remain to decide."

Clay did not know what would become of history. He just wanted to end all of this.

"It is the act of cutting a knot that has already been twisted as much as it can be."

Clay pushed Excalbren, which had jumped out on its own and pierced Elhaen's chest, forward with his own strength.

"Just get lost to where you belong."

"!"

Elhaen's expression crumpled completely. Cracks began to form on his body.

"Keuleok!"

Blood flowed from his mouth. He grabbed the blade of Excalbren.

He tried to pull out Excalbren. Clay gritted his teeth and tried to stop it.

"...How utterly foolish."

Clay's hand began to be pushed back.

"I am your god."

Although Clay had awakened Excalbren's ego and dealt a blow to Elhaen, he still possessed an incredibly strong power.

"If I were to retreat from just this much, I would not have descended in the first place."

Finally, he pulled Excalbren out of his chest.

"Now, it can't be helped."

A brilliant light filled the empty air.

"I tried to take your body without damage as much as possible."

Hundreds of spears of light appeared in that empty air.

"So I must take it even like this."

Elhaen, who had no choice but to regulate his power to destroy only the soul, gave up his loftiness.

"Traitor, meet your ugly end."

The spears of light poured down on him like a downpour.

『!』

Excalbren reflexively struck down the first spear that flew at it.

And it protected Clay from the spears that flew at him several more times.

"That's a relief."

Clay also said, pouring divine power into such an Excalbren.

"It seems you've decided quickly which side to be on."

『It is closer to instinct than a choice.』

Excalbren answered, as if its emotions were not completely sorted out.

『In battle, that instinct often decides life and death.』

However, there was a clear reason for its action. Clay let out a bitter smile.

"You've had a lot of trouble because of an unreliable master."

There was no answer from Excalbren. Clay just swung it again and again.

But he couldn't block all the spears. A spear grazed his body, and his soul recoiled as if throbbing.

"Keuk?!"

The feeling of the bond between his soul and body breaking. In that moment, more spears headed towards him.

But he was not to be hit by all the spears of light just like that. The waves Athanasia sent, the magic Lin created, the mana bullets from the defensive facilities fired by the demons, all poured onto those spears.

Elhaen, who could no longer maintain his composure, immediately skipped past Clay and rushed at the demons.

And he spread blades of light at the demons, trampled on Lin and the magic circles, and grabbed Athanasia and threw her to a place unseen from Barungenia.

When he had thus cleared all obstructions and reached Clay,

His body, which was about to swing the sword of light, froze in place.

"...!"

Freezing.

His body had been frozen.

What was reflected in his surprised eyes was the form of Aium, the ancient god who represented this world.

Excalbren, thrust by Clay, pierced his chest once again. Right into the same spot where the sword had been thrust before.

"You..."

Although he belatedly broke the freezing and kicked Clay away, his body was already in a state of considerable cracking.

He contorted his brow.

"......"

Then he suddenly wore a calm expression.

"Did you think you had succeeded?"

As he said that, he asked the sprawled-out Clay. When there was no answer, he looked back at Aium.

"Aium."

"Call me Selimia."

Aium, no, Selimia, looked at him with a cold expression.

"Because that is my name now."

"Alright."

Elhaen said, with his cracking body.

"Whatever your name is, the fact that you will be watching this ending will not change."

Light poured into his body.

"Struggle as much as you want."

In a flash, he disappeared from that spot.

"......"

Selimia looked at the spot where Elhaen, who had gone somewhere, had been, then looked up at the sky.

The shadow of the moon was still covering the sun.

She lowered her head again and ran to Clay. He was getting up, his face contorted in pain.

"Elhaen is..."

"I think he moved."

"Moved?"

"Yes, to a place where he can repair his body."

At those words, Clay's eyes widened.

"Elhaen...!"

Remembering where he might have gone, Clay gritted his teeth and stood up.

***

♧

"Lady Beatrice!"

Beatrice, who was guarding the capital of Krata, turned her head at the cry of a subordinate demon.

"A light in the sky...!"

Light.

Beatrice looked up at the sky in surprise.

As if seeping through the clouds, a single stream of light was shining down.

"Everyone, take co..."

Before Beatrice could shout, seeing that, the light struck the ground.

"Kuaaak!"

"Kieeeek!"

The demons nearby were sent flying by the explosion, and,

"Uwaaaak!"

"Kyaaaaaa!"

"Keuaaaaaa!"

The citizens of Krata who were rebuilding the city were also sent flying to the ground, their limbs twisted.

At the center.

Something transmitted through the light.

"Heok, heok..."

Although it had the appearance of Neville, the one who was definitely not Neville was staggering, his hands on the ground.

"That's!"

Beatrice, realizing that he had descended, kicked off the ground and went out.

"Elhaen!"

She quickly rushed at him, but he was faster in activating the divine circuit hidden in the ground of Krata.

Her fist reached Elhaen's face. However,

"Beatrice."

"!"

Without being pushed back at all, Elhaen, who had already repaired his cracking body, said.

"I have seen through Neville's eyes. You, the ringleader of the sin that has distanced Clay from me."

"I don't need such a grand name."

While flustered by the unmoving Elhaen, Beatrice did not back down and sneered.

"Did you fly all the way here after fighting with Clay?"

"A fight."

Elhaen curled his fingers and brought them up to Beatrice's forehead.

"There's no need to call it something so grand."

In an instant, Beatrice was sent flying as if she had ridden on light.

"Keuk?!"

Although she tried to somehow regain her balance and land, Beatrice couldn't reduce her speed and directly hit a building.

Beatrice, who had gone right through the building and stopped only after a long while, let out the breath she had been holding.

"Keo, heok."

It was a tremendous impact.

'Th-this.'

She had only been hit by a flicked finger.

"Was it different from what you thought?"

Elhaen had appeared in front of her eyes at some point.

"Everyone seems to misunderstand that I appeared without any preparation. Even though I had humans prepare everything with ample time."

A grand divine circuit solely for Elhaen. A device that could forcibly draw out the power of this world for a short while with his divine power, created over a long period of time.

"With this, I was able to adjust this body to my divine rank for a short while. As long as it can withstand my vast divine power, I can use the power that I can only produce in my true form."

"Yes, it seems I, underestimated you too much."

Beatrice managed to open her mouth and answer.

"I may have been, too optimistic."

"That is correct."

Elhaen looked down at her as if she was pitiful.

"A Dragonoid, you said? Though you may have a name worthy of it, you have committed an act too presumptuous for someone who was at most in charge of one axis of the Demon King's army in this world."

"A presumptuous, act?"

"Clay is mine. A garment that suits me as it is, without needing to rely on anyone."

Elhaen stomped on Beatrice's leg.

"Aahh!?"

"In the plan set by a god, your joys and sorrows are no different from a single line drawn by ants crawling on the ground. It is trivial, and meaningless."

He was quietly enraged.

"And yet you run wild as you please and just howl like beasts, it feels like my ears are rotting."

"Are you hoping for an apology?"

Beatrice answered with a face contorted in pain, yet with a hollow laugh.

"Clay was hurt. I too, lived like that. Leaning on each other, once, was that so displeasing to you, a god?"

"Shut your mouth. You lowly race, whose very existence is impure."

Elhaen pressed down on her leg even more strongly. In the pain of her muscles being destroyed, she let out a scream.

"I feel no need to explain further to you. Do not prattle on any more about your emotions, which I have no interest in."

What was important to him was only the one and only system that would exist in this world, where he reigned.

"All beings are given a task from birth, but I am different. I am the one who gives the task. I was born that way. Your role, unfortunately, is only to be disposed of as the dregs of this world. Accept it. That is what destiny is."

Elhaen raised his sword of light.

"You were simply born as a mere shadow cast behind when light exists."

As he said that and emitted light, ironically, a very large and black shadow was cast behind Elhaen.

"If you understand, then disappear now."

In an instant, Elhaen's sword plunged down. Towards Beatrice's neck.

If another sword of light, glowing red, had not deflected it, Beatrice's head would have fallen right off.

"?!"

In Elhaen's eyes, as he turned his head, a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes came into view.

"Stop."

It was Tia de Mezelia.

"Evil god."

She had appeared, denying him.

(End of Chapter)