Chapter 179

“The world ruled by the Fire Architect! Do you truly see it perishing so simply through fire?!”

With a body barely holding on, burning in flames.

Yet still managing to roar with all its might.

When the lamb’s cry rang out once more, the gods of war cloaked in their avatars surged forth anew with strength.

The firebird dives into the black flame, swallowing the inferno whole.

Each avatar stands firm against it.

“My name is the fire that triumphs!”

From the boy’s form rises a white blaze, a White Fire.

It was… yes, the same kind I saw long ago. When Ellie blocked me, but this flame feels… different somehow.

This pure white fire seemed to latch onto the black flames and attempt to swallow them back.

But it’s not enough.

The black flames now carve through the sky itself, threatening to engulf the entire world.

A calamity.

An annihilation.

Beyond destruction lies mega-destruction.

“You… should return now.”

Heeba, who had been supporting Carriel while sitting low to the ground, spoke with effort.

“I don’t fully understand, but this isn’t your place to stay, right?”

“…….”

Correct words.

Absolutely correct. But…

“You?”

“We won’t die. We can’t die.”

Probably.

In this world consumed by flames, we’ll burn endlessly, suffer endlessly, and somehow survive…

…somehow.

“There are many people living in this world. You’ve turned them all into ash and dust. This is the fitting punishment, don’t you think?”

“…….”

On that point, even I have no intention of defending or consoling him.

It’s the truth.

An undeniable fact.

Just…

“They cornered the rat, so take that into account.”

“Your consolation… leaves much to be desired.”

Heeba manages a weak smile.

Her sand-colored presence seemed brighter than before, but behind it lay deep self-loathing.

“Go. This isn’t reality for you.”

The repetition of the same words.

“The one who sees the future, the one who glimpses the past, and the one who awakened me… You, who reminded us again in this moment…”

She couldn’t continue.

Suddenly, as if foreseeing something abruptly, her expression twisted.

“It… can’t be.”

She stares into the void.

I glance in the direction she gazes at from my half-reclined position.

In the sky, a black hole opens wide.

And from there—

A crimson girl clad in black armor shoots down like lightning.

BOOM!

The height made the impact shockwave immediate upon hitting the ground.

-…Huh.

I’ve seen her before.

Different this time, but her appearance seems somewhat familiar.

Definitely the same person.

Her blood-red eyes lock onto mine unwaveringly.

Though they differ slightly from the star-filled gaze I once saw, it’s unmistakably her.

“The Demon King…”

“Hm?”

At that moment—

-Things have become rather troublesome.

The Demon King from the former era appeared beside me with a smirking face, alternating his gaze between the current Demon King and myself.

-But everything is part of the grand harmony.

Carriel, do you know who rules this age?

“…Huh?”

The Demon King governing wisdom.

Yet also known as the Golden Demon King.

She throws another cryptic question my way, almost nonsensical.

“The immortal creator god. The master of light and wisdom. That’s right, he wouldn’t just sit idly by and watch this crisis unfold.”

Even though she couldn’t possibly have heard the previous Demon King’s words,

she mentioned it beforehand as if she had.

The eternal impurity.

He is the lord of holy fire.

Even the victorious flames are under his command.

The one created without being created, the god who existed from the very beginning.

That is light.

That is wisdom.

The primordial Brightness God.

The omnipotent divine ancestor.

The original Sun God.

That is none other than…

The Primeval Flame.

“But… this isn’t something that can be stopped. It can’t be suppressed…”

Suddenly.

I meet the red eyes of the current Demon King.

Amidst this chaos, the young girl’s eyes were eerily calm.

However, that calm was akin to the calm before the storm.

Thus making it all the more alien.

Also.

When she suddenly hurled herself into the pillar of black flames, we all thought she’d lost her mind—even I did.

“What is she doing?!”

Heeba gasps in shock.

A distant scream echoes across the land.

“What madness is this?! Does she wish to die?! What reckless bravery, girl!”

Still burning, the boy Bereratragena watched as the figure dove into the pillar of flames, astonished for an entirely different reason.

That was when—

-I shall! Burn! This entire world!

So heed my words! Obey my command!

-Laevateinn!

With that shout.

Suddenly, the black flames covering the sky began to wane.

Suddenly, the world was freed from the inferno.

Truly, a miraculous situation.

As if all of this had been nothing but a dream.

…All that remained in this world were scattered remnants of black embers, scorching the surroundings—a desolate scene.

“Eh, how…?”

Even though the pillar of flames disappeared.

The figure engulfed in black fire looked utterly consumed.

Somehow, the current Demon King clutched the source of the fiery eruption tightly in her hands.

-Krrrgh! Aaaahhh!

Pain!

Since ancient times, the agony of being burned alive has been regarded as the utmost suffering, unparalleled torment.

And just as proof of that, the girl screamed in anguish.

Yet… despite the pain, she didn’t collapse, kneel, thrash about, or struggle.

The girl accepted every ounce of it, enduring it all until the end.

-This too shall pass. This too shall surely pass.

From afar, such faint words reached my ears.

-Pain may have no end, but it will pass. It will surely pass.

The voice, repeating like a mantra, carried a tone of enduring belief.

-…

Finally.

The dark cane in her hand.

The current Demon King gripped it tightly and—

CRUNCH!

forced its tip into her own torso.

“What are you doing?! Why such an act?!”

Heeba panics.

Even I, watching this, broke out in cold sweat at the strangeness of her actions, but—

“Stop it!”

The war god rushes forward.

More accurately, the boar avatar charges in, but—

-Get lost.

Suddenly, red butterflies, grasshoppers, moths, bees, and flies swarm around, causing the boar to roll around on the ground in distress.

A phoenix engulfs itself in flames and dives toward her like a hawk, but—

-Foolish!

Swinging her arm again, black flames lash out like a whip of fire, striking the phoenix not only with heat but physical force, binding it completely.

Even the charging bull gets caught in the fiery whip, bellowing in pain as its legs are bound, collapsing helplessly onto the ground. Surrounding buildings and scenery are swept away by the chaos.

“Are you trying to absorb the Sacred Grand Tree’s branches into your body?! If you keep this up, your soul won’t remain intact! Stop immediately!”

Baretragna, who seems to know something, warns her.

But the current Demon King pays no heed.

Already half of the staff has been absorbed into her upper body.

By now, it should have protruded from her back, but there’s no sign of it.

-The Sacred Grand Tree.

The Demon King looks genuinely intrigued.

-Hearing tales of it always felt distant, but it seems there really is one. I thought I’d never encounter it in this lifetime, but life goes on, doesn’t it?

“…”

Why don’t you stop chattering alone and say something already? Wouldn’t that be better?

-Whenever there’s time, right? But do you really have the leisure for that now?

“…”

You leave no room for words.

Though it’s good that she understands my inner thoughts without needing explanation…

“Could it be… all this time, keeping this thing was… for this? For something like this?”

Apparently, Heeba is deeply shocked by the current situation.

Her gaze and complexion upon looking at the current Demon King are far from ordinary.

“This can’t be! This can’t happen! How could this…? Then all my worries! All my concerns! They mean nothing… nothing at all!”

“…”

I thought about saying something, but gave up.

What words could possibly matter here?

“Carriel? Do you know who this is? A Demon King? You said Demon King, right? Is it Ahrieman? Or something else? If it’s not Ahrieman, then what is it?!”

“I’m confused too.”

The current Demon King.

Even our former Demon King Lord seems clueless about her identity.

Though he appears to be gauging something, he hasn’t revealed anything to me yet.

We know she’s connected to the Sacred Tree of the Demon Realm, but that’s it.

The Knights of Glory.

That is, the lineage of my father, whom she despises above all others, as confirmed last time.

…Confusing.

Caw! Caw!

A flock of crows descends upon and attacks the current Demon King.

But when a single explosion of black—now crimson-tinted—flames erupts from her body, sweeping through the area,

the attacking crows burst mid-air, scattering across the ground and instantly turning to ashes.

“She’s already… made it her own?”

Heeba is even more shocked.

Then, towards us.

A crow suddenly flew down and landed in front of us, blinking twice.

Flapping its wings ceremoniously a few times and pecking at its own feathers several times, the crow—

-Need some help?

opened its beak.

No, it wasn’t spoken aloud.

The words echoed in my mind instead.

“Wh-who are you?”

Heeba asked first.

-Who am I? Any guesses?

“…There’s no way.”

After all, it can’t possibly be this war god addressing her directly.

Besides, wasn’t the crow originally one of Baretragna’s avatars?

At that moment, the former Demon King standing beside us snorted and offered a hint.

-Many have used crows as avatars, messengers, and extensions of themselves throughout history.

And the most famous among them?

“…”

I’ve heard something about this before.

Not long ago either.

“Odin?”

Impossible as it may seem.

Let me ask anyway.

Then—

-Correct answer, kiddo.

Revealing his identity cheerfully and readily.

“What do you mean? Odin? Are you talking about Odin?”

“…Wodanaz, right? Didn’t Baretragna mention it to you earlier? Or Weda? Wuotan? Wodans? Botan?”

There are quite a few expressions associated with Odin’s name.

Even without hearing it specifically from anyone, they came to mind effortlessly.

“Wodanaz? Th-that… Could it be the Supreme God eaten by wolves?”

-Being devoured means death for perishable creations, sure. Correct. I was devoured. Yeah, devoured indeed. As foretold by prophecy.

But here’s the thing.

-Does that count as my death? Shouldn’t it rather be seen as my protection from Ragnarok? Inside the wolf’s belly, it was surprisingly warm and cozy.

“H, but your world, your realm of gods… it fell, didn’t it?”

-If it fell, then it fell. That doesn’t signify my demise. Isn’t that right? Why would I fret over something trivial like that? Victory and defeat are part of the process. Coming into the world empty-handed, trying to claim it, then leaving empty-handed—that’s the journey, isn’t it? Isn’t that life?

…An existence beyond imagination.

“The herald of gods. The landmark pile named Creek Twelve Gods. Hermes, the deity of travelers and shepherds, rhetoric and commerce, thievery and deception, liars and cunning, right?”

-Indeed. You’re definitely different. Karriel, I’m thoroughly impressed by you. Our ways of thinking don’t align well, but you’re too rigid. How can you live wisely in this world like that?

“…”

-Aren’t you criticizing me now too? Don’t take it personally, alright?

Carefree.

But what if this carefreeness is all an act, a facade?

“…You seem closer to being the Trickster God yourself.”

-Hverrung! It was me who brought Loki into our group. Did I not foresee that he’d stir trouble and worsen situations? I knew everything! Everything! But it was necessary work. Oh, did I talk too much?

Meanwhile.

Time around us flows slowly, noticeably manipulated by the existence pretending to be a crow in front of us.

How is this even possible?

-So, what’ll you do? Want to make a contract with me?

“…”

-Don’t worry, Karriel. This isn’t directed at you. You’re already sweating bullets dealing with the contract you have, aren’t you? I’m not that cruel.

-That silver-tongued bastard who ruined countless lives, whether gods or mortals.

-You insolent woman! If I wished, I’d gladly pluck out my own eyes! Gladly strangle my own neck! My purpose has always been my top priority! So speak wisely and don’t spout nonsense without thought.

What is this? Could it be… Odin is also perceived as the Golden Demon King… Can I hear her properly? Is her voice reaching me correctly?

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