#367
Doomsday
The ruins floating above the sky looked like a massive fortress made of solid rock.
Beneath the Earth’s surface, the source of the Meridian slumbered, a resting ground for the transcendent energy known as mana. This was the Broken World.
Finally revealed to the world, the Broken World unleashed an overwhelming pulse of mana shockwave due to the Messiah’s Golden Magic, Reverse Heaven.
Pachutsutsutsutsutsutsu!
The mana shockwave that erupted from the ruins struck like mana lightning, battering everything around.
Whiioooooooo!
A gray mana storm formed a barrier around the Broken World, preventing any human from approaching.
“Ahhh…”
Seeing this, the Messiah’s hand trembled with excitement.
His eyes sparkled with ecstasy.
It was a force so intense, reminiscent of the sun descending upon the earth.
The wave of dense mana energy sent shivers across his skin.
That overwhelming energy was the ultimate power that would guide humanity into the New World.
Yet, it also held the cursed power that tainted the Old World.
Turning curses into blessings.
To annihilate the Old World, tainted by phenomena and mana, and to create a clean New World where only humans prosper.
The salvation of all of humanity was at hand.
“Dokta Shinahel.”
[Yes, my Master.]
“I will now head to the Broken World.”
The Messiah’s words reached Dokta Shinahel, who was in the Ark.
[…While I proceed with salvation, command our troops to block enemy forces’ access to the Broken World.]
Hearing the Savior’s words, Dokta Shinahel’s hands trembled.
Tears flowed down his face, visible past the beak mask.
“Understood. My Master.”
[Then I leave the rest to you, Dokta. A utopia where neither gods nor demons exist, only humans. We shall meet again in the New World.]
Snap!
With that command, the Messiah’s figure vanished into thin air, accompanied by a black flash.
Boom-woosh!
Almost simultaneously, a black beam sliced through the mana storm surrounding the Broken World and entered within.
As Dokta Shinahel confirmed the Messiah had entered the Broken World, laughter escaped his lips.
He leaped into action.
Through the opened hatch of the battleship, Dokta Shinahel’s eyes caught sight of the allied forces rising into the sky.
In the field of vision of Dokta Shinahel, the allied forces came into view.
The Soviet military’s combat planes, transport aircraft, and the countless otherworldly troops pouring out from the gates darkened the blue night sky of Tokyo.
Flash! Flash!
With bursts of colorful light, heroes clad in full body armor appeared beside Dokta Shinahel, exuding a formidable aura.
The elite special forces of the Soviet Army, Spetsnaz, which selectively picked the monsters among monsters.
Among them, the Spetsnaz squad leaders, who could only comprise ranks of EX or higher, started to gather one by one beside Dokta Shinahel.
From Spetsnaz Squad 1 to Squad 10.
Excluding Ivan Antonov, the captain of Squad 3 who became vacant due to the Deserted Island incident, nine EX-rank heroes, the squad leaders of Spetsnaz, assembled behind them along with a multitude of villains and heroes affiliated with Spetsnaz.
Dokta Shinahel’s gaze turned to the front.
There were the forces of the old world.
Self-Defense Forces widely dispersed on the ground and the US military forces that had just arrived in Tokyo after receiving a request for support.
And the heroes gathered from all over Japan were glaring in this direction.
At the forefront were two heroes.
President of the Japan Hero Association, Shinozaki Ichiro.
And the Son of the Sword Master, Kurosawa Yuji.
Seeing the pinnacle of the old world, the Sword Demon Shinozaki Ichiro and the heir of the Sword Master, Kurosawa Yuji, a smile broke out on Dokta Shinahel’s lips.
Swoosh.
Dokta Shinahel lifted the staff-like artifact, Caduceus, adorned with two snakes and wings.
Shooting!!!
The two snakes entwined around the shaft of Caduceus opened their eyes and emitted purple magical energy.
“Proud servants of the League and the forces of our ally, the Soviet Union…”
In response to Dokta Shinahel’s words, the otherworldly troops that passed through the gate howled in response.
“Today, a war that will decide the fate of the world begins right here in Tokyo. Everyone…”
At the same time as Dokta Shinahel’s speech, Ichiro quietly spoke.
The voices of the two, charged with magic, echoed throughout the vast expanse of Tokyo.
Zing.
The eyes of Dokta Shinahel and Ichiro met.
“Annihilate the remnants of the false old world! Turn Tokyo to ashes! On the day when the Master opens the New World, both the living and the dead shall arrive in the utopia; I, Dokta Shinahel, the Master’s first servant, promise this! Charge towards the New World!!”
“Protect the world from those fanatic terrorists who desire the end! All forces! Defend against the enemy’s attacks! Protect the world, your family, your friends, and acquaintances with your own hands!”
In the moment when the shouts of Dokta Shinahel and Ichiro crossed,
Boom! Bang! Boom!
The anti-aircraft guns installed on the rooftops roared to life with explosions.
Along with that, the Soviet VDV began to jump from transport planes in combat mode.
[KYAAAAAA!!!]
The otherworldly Drake, struck by the anti-air fire, howled as it unleashed its breath.
Kaboom-!
With an explosion, the anti-air positions and buildings were obliterated.
While tanking the anti-air fire with their massive bodies and magical barriers, the flying otherworldly creatures bombarded with their breaths, as the Soviet VDV and Spetsnaz, composed entirely of enhanced capabilities, along with airborne tanks and armored vehicles, rained down on Tokyo like a storm of steel.
Swooping down towards Tokyo.
“Stop them! Protect your family and friends! Protect Tokyo! Protect the world!”
Ichiro shouted as he witnessed the scene.
Alongside him, the heroes from the defense forces soared into the sky.
Bang!
Kaboom!
Colorful flashes erupted and explosions went off endlessly in the air.
Even at this moment, through the seemingly endless gates opening above Tokyo, otherworldly creatures, Soviet forces, villains, and terrorists poured in like snow.
Judgment Day.
It was the moment when the final war, determining the fate of the world, began in Tokyo.
*
Inside the Broken World.
True to its name, the interior of the ruins looked like a world that had been sliced apart.
A sky shimmering a startling green that was hard to believe was indoors.
Below, remnants of ancient stone ruins reminiscent of ancient Greece sprawled out.
There, it was.
Floating above a round altar was a gigantic sphere etched with geometric patterns.
That, which sent tingling energy just by being close, was the source of the meridian.
The origin of the mana veins that supplied magical energy to the entire planet.
The setting from the final episode of the original anime.
I stood before it.
Bang! Bang!
The sound of shock waves echoed in my ears from afar.
It seemed the war had truly begun outside.
But I remained still.
Both I and the Messiah knew.
The battle outside was merely to block each other’s reinforcements from accessing this source of the meridian.
The true stage for deciding fate was here.
Well, it would be great if we could defeat the enemy forces and have our allies come to help, but the Messiah wasn’t foolish either; he had brought a massive army to cut off that possibility.
[Partner, are you trembling?]
The Black Prince spoke in my head.
Am I trembling? If I said I wasn’t, it’d be a lie.
But I had to do it.
Ultimately, unless Yuji awakened his latent abilities, I was the only one who could stop the Messiah.
Still, I wish they could quickly deal with the enemy forces and rush over here to support us.
Just as I was thinking that.
Crackle crackle crackle!
Bang!
A deafening noise ripped apart the sky overhead, showering the ruins in a bright blue light.
Only one existence could cut through the defense barrier of the ruins capable of withstanding Omega Rank otherworldly beings: the Messiah.
Between the torn sky, he appeared.
Black hair, black eyes.
A handsome man with a friendly demeanor, wearing black full-body gloves, holding a blade without an edge.
The Messiah landed silently on the ground.
Slither.
As the ruins’ self-repair function activated, the ripped sky returned to its original state.
“As expected, you were here······.”
The Messiah smiled while looking at me, who guarded the source of mana.
“The specter of the false old world, my adversary, the disruptor of the new era, my Satan, my Mara Papiyas, the Black Beast.”
With an overly kind voice, the Messiah spoke.
It’s ridiculous.
The Black Beast?
I had thought so before, but it was absurd.
“Hey, you jerk! Everything’s fine, but you calling yourself the final boss and then saying ‘Black Beast’—come on. Every time you say that cringe-inducing nickname with that syrupy voice, don’t you feel embarrassed?”
“What is this? Black Beast? Every time that cheesy, cringy nickname rolls off your tongue in that sickly sweet voice, aren’t you embarrassed?”
I pointed at Messiah with the tip of Durandal.
Just like in the original, Messiah’s voice was unnecessarily sweet and sleazy.
Just hearing it sent chills all over my body.
Him constantly calling me Black Beast made me wanna hurl.
And it’s not like he’s even a pretty girl—he’s just some dark-skinned dude.
What is he, a gay or something? Ugh, I think my breakfast is about to come back up.
“Are you seriously worried about titles at this point? I find it absolutely ridiculous. Black Beast, I thought it was a pretty cool nickname. It’s a sacred battle that defines the fate of the world, fighting for the existence of both the old world and the new world… and here you are, with such undignified words and actions…”
Just then, while Messiah was shaking his head in disapproval…
“Who the hell do you think cares about the nonsense coming out of a madman like you? Shut up and attack everyone!”
I really hate novel villains.
Especially Messiah, the embodiment of everything that’s insane in this crazy world.
How much pain has that guy caused me up till now?
I had no intention to engage in wordplay with Messiah before a fight, just like in the original.
I cut him off and shouted.
As I did, the heroines hiding in the bushes and ruins soared into the sky.
Watching that, I raised Durandal.
[Partner, now’s the time!]
The Black Prince shouted in my head.
I opened my eyes.
The heroines charged towards Messiah at my command.
And there stood Messiah, confidently smiling, with that annoying, smug expression still plastered on his face.
His sleazy eyes turned towards me.
Of course, I still couldn’t stand that damn gaze.
Thinking that, I uttered the words of the mind’s development.
[Reality that saves everyone]
【Break The Fourth Wall】
Boom!
The Black Stone in my chest vibrated.
Brrrrr!
Something felt off, and the Black Stone vibrated even harder than usual, explosively releasing magic power.
Thump, thump, thump.
My heart raced like crazy. The Magic Core, stimulated by the Black Stone, continuously spewed out magic.
An explosive amount of magic surged through my magic circuits.
The swirling magic was unleashed into the world through Durandal.
Pzzzt!
Gooooooo!
The incantation inscribed on the world, a symbol of my belief, resonated throughout the ruins.
The clear sky above the ruins turned a dark hue.
Shining stars, nebulae, and galaxies rose endlessly in the sky.
Finally, a massive Earth floated above.
The infinitely expanding universe sent shivers of magic and awareness coursing through me.
I declared to the still-smiling Messiah.
“Baptism of the Stars.”
Brrrrr!
The skill name I uttered became an incantation, shaking the fabric of the universe.
The starlight pouring down from the stars, galaxies, planets, and nebulae in the universe crashed down upon the heroines like a tidal wave with infinite power.
At last, the beginning of the final battle.
