Chapter 168

What the heck is going on here?

The flames raging as if to burn the world, the malevolence, and the violence—

To me, they’re nothing more than faint ripples, like foam created when water collides with obstacles. It all feels so distant.

The fact that Heeba even reacted to me is something I keep realizing over and over again—it’s extremely rare and special.

Even when I just stared blankly, not a single one of them showed any interest or paid attention to my composed demeanor.

Not even the armed soldiers suspected to be invaders did so.

‘Is this an invasion?’

From far away, the cries of birds tearing apart echoed through the air.

There was also the sight of a massive ox ramming into buildings.

For some reason, there were scenes of huge wild boars rushing into the ranks of resistance forces, greedily consuming crushed corpses.

And then.

A dazzlingly armored boy riding a white horse galloped around, urging his troops forward.

-That guy over there? He’s Vera, once a symbol of the Solar God Religion in that country, the subject of worship.

“…Solar God Religion?”

In Jeupse, where his son, known locally as the God of War Mars, took over his authority, Vera still embraced various religions despite being an empire that revered polytheism.

Among them was the Solar God Religion, which even the emperor believed in, once becoming the dominant faith.

The Brightness God.

It represents light, goodness, wisdom, justice, and power—all encapsulated in victory itself, a lofty and sacred god of brightness standing closest to triumph.

-He is the war deity beloved by that god, a military deity, and the overseer of victory. The right-hand man and vanguard.

Bahram Yashich.

He is the one who smashes barriers.

He is the one who crushes resistance.

He himself is the embodiment of victory.

-He is also Ares, the son of Jeupse, half-human and half-god, later known as the Hero God. He is also another name for Heracles (Ἡρακλῆς).

Verethragna (vərəθraγna).

Passing by the girl on the white horse, the warrior wielding a golden sword cleaves through the torso of a soldier charging at him.

A fierce wind tears across the area, while a large crow leading a flock descends from the sky, stirring up chaos around them.

Thanks to the gaping hole larger than a door, I could observe everything.

On this vast land, their overwhelming presence and achievements are unstoppable, unhindered.

Right then.

…Gigantic pillars of fire erupted, and giants began to rise.

The tide has turned.

While the extraordinary ones continued to fight valiantly, ordinary soldiers were utterly helpless against the giants’ every move.

That was when…

As the prolonged bleating of a sheep echoed somewhere,

Soldiers who had fallen or were near death started regaining their footing.

“Is that boy responsible for this?”

-No. Each and every one of those over there is both “it” and its followers, its avatars, its rivals, blood relatives, and kin.

“…….”

This explanation is really hard to grasp.

So, does it mean that instead of one god, we’re talking about multiple gods sharing the same name?

-The divine name doesn’t refer to an individual. As you go further back into ancient times, this becomes clearer. That one is merely representative.

Originally, they should have been absorbed into one, unified entity—but because each is unique and distinct, with firm personalities, they can’t merge.

However, it doesn’t matter.

All of them, possessing immense strength, resilience, and the ability to shatter obstacles and crush resistance, ultimately point to a solution—a resolution to the problem.

Victory in war.

Victory in survival.

Victory through wisdom.

Victory through perseverance.

“…Is this punishment? Or an invasion?”

-I’ll tell you.

The Demon King let out a snort.

-It could be both, or maybe an entirely different reason. But does it really matter? The war has already begun, and what remains is who will win and who will lose. In the end, that’s all that matters.

“…….”

People desperately fight against the rising giants.

But it’s clear that not everyone in this city is a giant.

Or, perhaps they possess the potential or qualification but haven’t realized it yet.

However, the invaders’ momentum isn’t normal.

The boy on the white horse races across the battlefield, eventually leaping off buildings as if flying, encouraging and rallying his surroundings.

His own physical prowess aside, he commands and leads the battlefield, influencing morale, and makes sound judgments to resolve situations.

That boy appears to be an exceptionally talented military commander.

Meanwhile, the warrior wielding the golden sword, despite being small compared to a giant’s finger, was relentlessly pressuring the giants.

Though the golden warrior is quite large for a regular human, the giants make him look small in comparison.

Nevertheless, the golden sword was inflicting unbearable pain and unavoidable wounds even on the supposedly immortal giants.

The wild boar has now grown to ram into giants, gnawing ferociously on their thighs that it couldn’t chew through and greedily devouring the flesh.

“The giants’ strength isn’t enough either, huh.”

Even against giants losing their sanity, we struggled.

Yet these guys were overpowering the giants who were still rational and full of willpower.

Thus, the giants changed their objective, trying to evade or hinder them while targeting the boy and his troops.

Moreover, the number of giants keeps increasing.

“…….”

I couldn’t grasp the whole situation here.

Looking inside, the invading forces were attacking those evacuating.

Even here, giants rushed in, trampling and crushing the few remaining citizens trying to protect them.

Some giants, driven purely by hatred, lost their minds and mercilessly slaughtered their opponents.

But then other giants protected innocent bystanders caught in the chaos and reprimanded the rampaging ones.

When they were sane, they were undoubtedly extraordinary.

At least, outside where that… Bahram Yashich? Verethragna?

Anyway, without them, the invasion would’ve been wiped out in no time.

However.

Once again, the bleating of a sheep rang out, and except for those whose limbs were broken, bodies crushed, or torsos torn apart beyond repair,

Most people were getting back up as if nothing happened.

By this point, the giants focused solely on smashing and destroying bodies, reducing them to rubble.

…Is there such madness in war?

Then, far off in the distance, a colossal pillar of fire rose into the sky like a towering spire.

It wasn’t clear, but something seemed different about this.

That flame chased after the giant crows and the flock, burning them to ashes.

And as if confronting it head-on, a massive firebird hurled itself toward the pillar of fire.

So, that towering pillar of fire must’ve been unleashed by someone resisting the invaders.

-A sword that, once drawn, burns everything. Its heat and might are so overwhelming that merely drawing it for a moment would thoroughly incinerate heaven and earth.

“…What are you talking about?”

-The sword of falsehood and deception crafted by the god of lies. The flaming sword. The imitator. The shape-shifter. The glutton who gave birth to itself. The creator of divine artifacts. The closer of destruction. Actually, the opener. The preparer. A soul permanently exiled from the truth.

“…….”

Even if you explain it like this, I can’t possibly understand.

-Look at that pillar of fire. Pulling it out means they intend to settle the score.

But there won’t be anything left afterward.

Because once it spreads, it will relentlessly burn the world for days on end.

Kiiiiieeeeek!

Rather, the massive firebird seemed to desperately suppress the flame’s expansion.

After all, the invading forces were melting into ash the moment they touched the spreading fire.

The initial flames surrounding and burning everything likely stemmed from the invaders’ will.

But the flames appearing now are impartial, indiscriminately consuming the world—heralds of annihilation and guides to destruction.

And once, long ago, they burned the world.

So much so that in some myths, the world tree caught fire, eventually burning all connected worlds to ashes.

-But how curious. The previous rulers wouldn’t have allowed such a thing to fall into anyone’s hands. So, logically, there’s only one answer, isn’t there?

“So, they were the invaders after all.”

Just like the ones we’ve faced before.

Like the Demon King and its army.

If this were truly divine punishment or execution, the scene would be completely different.

It would have been one-sided.

But they resist.

-The structure of these buildings suggests they aren’t made of materials prone to catching fire.

“……?”

-With such an advanced civilization, there’d be no reason not to prepare.

Preparations would have been made in various ways.

But as always, when vigilance fades, complacency and excess set in.

And preparation becomes meaningless.

However, the plans of whoever originally founded this city and advanced this civilization must surely remain.

-The fiery giant king who once burned the world met his end in ruin.

But they don’t disappear or die easily.

Just as someone formed the heavens and earth, mountains and seas from a giant’s body,

The divine artifacts and weapons they wielded must similarly endure.

“But didn’t these people not know they were giants?”

-Yeah. But didn’t someone clumsily inform them?

Who did it?

…Who indeed? Obvious, isn’t it?

A sense of self-reproach mixed with relief pierces deep into my bones.

My actions, my deeds, are affecting things in ways I never anticipated, and I’m witnessing it unfold right now.

The pillar of fire rises.

Its aftermath begins to unleash intense flames across the entire downtown area, slashing and scorching the city.

Anyone exposed is reduced to ashes, their bodies completely consumed and scattered in the wind.

The only things left unscathed are… the beings considered gods, the multiple deities.

Only the victorious beacon of light remains.

The sheep bleats, but no one rises this time.

However, the bleating seems to benefit them somehow, as the faltering firebird suddenly reverses its descent, taking flight again and hurling itself into the pillar of fire.

And then.

The infernal storm of flames eventually reaches my vicinity.

And then.

Only now do I realize why the giants’ darkened skin blended so well with the shadows, despite being bathed in darkness.

The giants are burning.

They writhe and thrash in agony, over and over.

But they don’t die.

In the place where evacuees disappeared, leaving only enemies and themselves behind,

The giants resolved to bind their foes with their final stand.

Yet, in the end, victory belongs to the victor.

The boy on the white horse dives into the pillar of fire as if flying into the sky.

Soon, thunderbolts crash into the pillar, tearing the surroundings apart.

The column shatters, disperses, collapses.

Like a great tower falling.

Even the fiery pillar succumbs to the relentless barrage of lightning and dissipates.

-The victor is synonymous with the ultimate thunder and holy flames. That is his divinity, his origin. Clearly, it wasn’t compatible with the flames of destruction.

Given that the name itself signifies victorious flames, there’s no avoiding it.

-And the victor is also the unbeatable one—the one who never loses.

“…So, does that mean his enemy is guaranteed to lose?”

-Exactly. That’s the most potent power, authority, and foundation held by that deity.

So, to defeat that…

-One must devise a strategy to lose yet ultimately win. Or, better yet, make opposing impossible from the start.

“This is ridiculous.”

While there are constantly defeated war gods among humans, there are also undefeated ones, huh?

-Don’t we call them something among humans? What was it again?

Heroes.

Warriors.

-Even among the gods, there are such disparities.

Take that victor, for example, a god among gods, undefeated in battle—a war deity, right?

“If that’s the case, shouldn’t he have become the supreme deity, the king of gods?”

-How naive.

Victors and the strong aren’t automatically rulers.

-Some destinies ensure that victory inevitably leads to inevitable defeat.

The Demon King spoke.

That existence, which defeats even those it shouldn’t, to those who are losers, weak, clumsy, and frail…

How utterly devastating and malevolent must it be?

“…I don’t get it at all.”

-Don’t worry. For now, ignorance is fine.

The conflagration that covered the city has vanished.

What remains is only the brutal struggle of violence and bloodshed.

The giants resist and flail.

The invincible victor subdues them, bringing the world to its knees.

-To you, newly awakened to divinity, several choices may present themselves.

You.

-Could be one of them, or something else entirely.

If you can seize, absorb, and consume their mythology and divinity…

-You too could become Jeupse, Marduk, Verethragna.

And.

-The woman searching for you. Athena. Or Astarte. You could become that too, perhaps.

Well, in her case, it’d be more like resonance and partnership rather than absorption.

-A wise god requesting restructuring to be absorbed? How absurd.

The Demon King laughed, clearly amused by his own words.

Eventually, the giants were pushed into the building we were in.

The exterior of the building was sealed shut thoroughly and cruelly, without a single gap.

Thus.

Inside, the pitch-black darkness and stale air lingered just as I had seen in reality.

No wind stirred as the giants simply breathed and existed there for what felt like an eternity.

The citizens who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with them were long gone, either dragged away or killed.

And so, they faced their destiny as losers.

Time passed unnoticed.

Despite many attempts to escape or find new solutions, it amounted to nothing more.

All that remained for them was suffering, regret, frustration, and despair.

Not a speck of hope remained.

And thus, they reached a state where they neither lived nor died forever.

-But. This place is still intact.

The Demon King pointed to his own forehead as he spoke.

-It’s not over yet.

Indeed, it wasn’t.

As the massive doors opened,

They were given a new opportunity.

Aeshma (aēšma).

-This term should sound somewhat familiar to you.

Asmodeus (Asmodeus).

The adversary of the Brightness God.

The beings demoted from heavenly gods to demons.

Daeva (daēva).

-Everything comes full circle.

The giants were granted another chance.

A choice that would later lead to their souls being separated as punishment.

An opportunity to confront their enemies once more.

By seeking redemption and aligning with their foes.

And then.

I saw a woman standing beside the hirsute giant.

Draped in dull cloth, her lifeless eyes caught mine.

Suddenly.

She locked eyes with me and widened hers in surprise.

Heeba.

There she was.

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