Chapter 224 — The World Is (9)
The Inquisitor strained desperately as she stared at the demon stepping on her throat.
The barrier she had struggled so hard to maintain had already shattered.
The one meant to stop the demons flying toward the city.
The one meant to help the ally who was probably that slick bastard.
All of it.
“Ghk.”
Ironically, the reason she was still alive was because the barrier had broken. The power she had been pouring into it had returned to her, allowing her to keep her neck from snapping.
Though even that probably wouldn’t last much longer.
“O God.”
Would she die like this?
Would she die without managing to save anyone?
“Please…….”
But even that was fine.
Someone—someone might have survived because of her desperate struggle.
“Have mercy…….”
So all she asked for now was a little luck.
Luck enough that the lives preserved because of her would not simply be extinguished again.
Enough time for them to regroup and oppose the demons once more……
[No!]
Then a beam of light covered one side of her vision.
The instant it collided with something and shook the earth tremendously, the force crushing her throat weakened and was repelled by her Divine Power.
Since the opponent had withdrawn some of its strength because of an outside variable, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she had merely managed to knock it away.
Either way, she was free.
The Inquisitor immediately began replenishing her starved lungs, coughing without end.
Unfortunately, she still had no strength in her body.
Rustle.
Instead, another sound began tickling one side of her hearing.
The sound of rock crumbling apart.
Thump.
Or perhaps it was the sound of a heart falling.
Thump.
Thump.
Each time that pulse rang through the world, the Demonic Energy grew stronger.
The Inquisitor’s eyelids peeled wide open.
An enormous mass of Demonic Energy gathered like a vortex, consuming the place where the Demon Knight had been restrained.
[What the hell did those worthless bastards do?!]
Thump.
It resembled a storm.
Visible currents of Demonic Energy converged upon a single point, gathering together into what could only be called a storm upon the earth.
[Damn it……!]
But was there anyone capable of interfering with it?
Thump.
No.
Neither she nor even the demon that had been trying to kill her could do anything but helplessly wait before that flow.
Thump.
The Demonic Energy was sharp as a single blade, a weapon in and of itself.
The power clinging to the ground and pooling like a swamp was an unmistakable warning.
Thump.
The ever-louder pounding echoed like the synchronized stamping of an army, or like drums beaten to raise morale.
Orderly.
Strictly restrained.
And yet holding enough heat to shake heaven and earth.
THOOOM!
And when that sound finally reached its end—
Shhk!
With a noise that could not be heard, a hand rose from the pit of Demonic Energy.
Crk-crk-crk.
A right hand black as though painted over with Demonic Energy pressed against the earth and pulled the attached body upward.
Like a corpse buried underground rising from its grave.
Like someone drowning beneath a lake making one final desperate struggle.
In precisely that manner.
[Ah, finally.]
The figure wearing a mountain goat’s skull let long white hair spill down.
[Now I can finally use some real strength.]
That was the last scene the Inquisitor’s mind remembered.
With the disappearance of the heat tormenting her breathing as her only comfort, she lost consciousness.
* * *
Crack. Crunch.
Mephistopheles moved the ruined body covered from head to toe in Demonic Energy.
The clothing fused to the skin vanished as though sinking directly into it.
The portions that had not fused disappeared as well.
They merely had the shape of clothing.
To a human, they would have amounted to little more than scraps equivalent to fingernails.
Erasing them and creating new ones was no problem.
Crk.
The same was true of the wounds.
The eyeball that had cooked and burst began growing again, starting from the optic nerve and proceeding through muscle, sclera, vitreous body, lens, iris, and cornea, pushing aside the remains of what had once been the eye.
The fragments that escaped outward in place of tears dissolved into nothing in midair.
Crk-crk.
The broken leg also slowly rotated back toward its original shape.
During the process, the muscles that had been roasted dry and shriveled melted away entirely.
Srrrk.
Newly grown muscle covered the empty spaces.
The skin and internal organs were the same.
The body returned from death unfolded itself from the curled posture caused by muscular contraction.
After undergoing several alterations throughout its regeneration, the resulting body looked fairly similar to the one Mephistopheles had originally used.
…Not perfectly identical, meaning plenty of discomfort remained.
But altering it any further would create problems when it came time to return it later.
If Mephistopheles had completely dominated the body, that would have been one thing.
In the present situation, which was closer to borrowing it, this was the limit of what could safely be changed.
Clicking their tongue in dissatisfaction, Mephistopheles stood crookedly in the now slimmer body.
Clack.
The mountain goat skull covering the face—Mephistopheles’s symbol—rattled faintly.
The ruined clothes had vanished during the regeneration of the body, and new garments now wrapped around the entirety of it.
Traces of a homeland Mephistopheles could no longer even remember covered most of the body in black.
[Well, how nice. Thank you.]
Everything was ready now.
With a languid voice and a lazy gesture, Mephistopheles adjusted one sleeve.
[You kindly stood there and watched, so I got to recover in peace.]
The wrist could hardly be seen under the clothing anyway, yet Mephistopheles pulled the black glove even farther over it.
Rather than ridiculous, the gesture was closer to provocation.
A provocation hoping the opponent might lose their temper and attack.
[…I know how you killed Asmodeus. You really think I’d ever give you that kind of opening?]
But Pandemonium—
Mammon—
did not take the bait.
Whether one called it wisdom or cunning, it was the correct decision.
Had Mammon tried to ambush Mephistopheles during the restoration process, Mephistopheles would have severed that head in one stroke.
But that opportunity was already gone.
After Mammon had said that much, there was no chance of baiting them now.
[Smart.]
So Mephisto cleanly abandoned that particular desire and brought up another subject.
There were still cards available for mocking Mammon.
A lukewarm smile appeared on the lower half of Mephistopheles’s face, the only part not hidden by the goat skull.
[Still, the world really is worth living in, isn’t it? Who knew there would ever come a day when a human actually proved useful? If it hadn’t been for that, breaking the seal would’ve taken me a while.]
Mephistopheles did not believe the human had known what they were doing.
Even so, the result was that the human had allowed Mephistopheles to conserve the strength needed to shatter the barrier while also avoiding an attack from Mammon.
Of course.
If that beam had not broken the seal in a single shot, how could Mephistopheles possibly have escaped this easily?
Mammon was not stupid enough to fail to notice Mephistopheles trying to break the seal—
and certainly not foolish enough to simply allow it!
[Isn’t that right?]
[Damn it… I was the idiot for hoping you wouldn’t wake up.]
[Hmm. Can it really be summarized as simple idiocy?]
In the end, the human who had fired the cannon from far away had contributed enormously.
Though that human was probably trembling by now, not knowing what exactly they had unleashed—
still!
The human had accomplished something significant enough to make Mephistopheles consider sparing their life once.
[I think it’d be more accurate to say you’re an idiot who claims not to underestimate anyone or let your guard down, but ends up being just as careless as everyone else.]
Of course, even after saying that, Mephistopheles had no intention of putting the human’s fears to rest.
Sure, Mephistopheles would avoid putting them inside the attack radius.
That degree of consideration was more than enough repayment for releasing the seal and, as a bonus, screwing Mammon over.
Anything beyond that was none of Mephistopheles’s concern.
Human lives—life itself—were not values that mattered much.
「Keep your promise.」
…Still.
This once, apparently there would have to be some concern.
Damn it.
[…I really don’t want to hear that from someone who spent all this time sealed away because they couldn’t beat one human.]
Mammon’s jab drove Mephisto’s previously pleasant mood straight into the abyss.
The words had struck precisely at a raw nerve.
Mephistopheles twisted their lips farther.
The long, winding horns extending from the head swept dramatically through the air with even the smallest movement.
[Actually, I’m the one who’s surprised. I thought you’d run away.]
[That’s a strange thing to say. Why would I run away and leave you here?]
[Obviously because it would benefit you. No matter how few vessels are compatible with you… surely they aren’t scarce enough to justify risking being devoured by me?]
[Breaking the vessel wouldn’t make me incompetent enough to be unable to escape from you.]
Even if the vessel broke, the soul itself would not die.
The moment it shattered, Mephistopheles could flee and escape Mammon’s grasp.
Of course, damage to the vessel would also inflict a blow on Mephistopheles, so even after fleeing, perhaps a hundred years would have to be spent recovering the soul.
[Oh, under ordinary circumstances, sure. Mephisto. But you know who’s backing me right now. Do you think that person would let this opportunity slip away?]
Yes.
That was certainly a problem.
If Mephistopheles abandoned the vessel and fled before it shattered, there would be neither the risk of being captured while in soul form nor the need to spend a century recovering afterward.
Mephistopheles could simply search for another vessel later.
But……
[True. That opportunity wouldn’t be missed. But would that opportunity ever come in the first place?]
That was not among the available options.
Mephistopheles concealed the fact and deliberately raised one corner of their mouth.
[You’re the one who’s going to die!]
Instead of eyes, hidden beneath the mountain goat skull, crimson light flared inside its sockets.
Mammon’s body flinched hard.
[…Rather than this, how about coming back to our side? Unless you’re going to lose control to the human again, there’s no longer any reason for us to fight each other. It only benefits the other god.]
[Ha. Are you scared?]
[Yes. Frankly, I don’t want to clash with you. If you were helpless, that would be different, but now that you’ve properly revived… well. I’d be the only one losing out.]
[You’re shamelessly finding a roundabout way to say you’ll betray me the instant I weaken.]
[That’s how all of us are.]
[Satan won’t like it.]
[No way. That one would welcome you back if you returned. Sure, we suffered considerable losses because you failed to manage your vessel properly… but once you start using your power properly, all of that can be restored. Blow away a few cities and every past mistake will probably be forgotten.]
Mammon was not such an incompetent merchant that fear alone would make them abandon a deal.
Mephistopheles chuckled at the calmly offered proposal to return.
Inside the crimson glow replacing the eyes, pitch-black horizontal pupils appeared, bottomless as an abyss and eerily seductive.
[Right. That bastard probably would.]
Ominous.
Mammon retreated carefully, while Mephistopheles’s hair began fluttering wildly.
Boiling Demonic Energy stirred winds in every direction.
[But what can I do? Screwing Satan over is one of my hobbies.]
It was an unmistakable declaration of hostility.
Mammon had no choice but to raise their own power in response.
[…You really intend to betray us?]
Yet even now Mammon continued negotiating to the very end.
That was perfectly in character for Greed, forever obsessing over personal safety and profit.
Though the choice of words was wrong.
[Puh—Puhahahaha! Betrayal? Me? Betrayal??]
The word was so completely unexpected that Mephistopheles burst into laughter that was outrageously exaggerated and violently rough.
[This isn’t betrayal! It was never on the same side as me to begin with, so how could this possibly be betrayal?!]
The hand sweeping through the air had unusually long joints, the fingers a little longer than the palm itself.
Chrrrk.
Demonic Energy gathered over them and shone sharply like finger guards—
like claws.
[Isn’t that right, Satan?! Say something! You’re here too, aren’t you?!]
You insist on drinking the cup of punishment at last……
[Oh, King of Hell. Are you angry? Do you hate seeing me mouth off like this? Then hurry up and break the contract! Attack my body right now! Let me throw away this spare vessel and return to my original body!!]
……
[Let’s go at it again in our original bodies!!]
The mad shout openly mocked Satan.
Yet there was no one upon this earth who would rise to such obvious ridicule.
Not Satan, trapped in that intermediate realm after using themself as a wedge and capable only of speaking.
Not even Mammon standing directly in front of Mephistopheles.
Neither reacted in anger even to words that were half impulsive and half calculated.
It was at that moment that Wrath, who had always hidden behind the pretense of an uncontrollable temper, abandoned the ferocious act and smiled.
[Coward.]
At the calm mockery, a pitch-black current formed behind Mammon.
Kill them, if you desire all the gold in Hell.
[I’d like to say that still isn’t enough. But fine. I’m the one whose life is on the line here too.]
Mammon’s Demonic Energy swelled further.
Satan had probably done something additional.
It was an expected result, if anything.
[Good. Even you, Wrath, won’t have an easy time with this.]
[Hmm. Want to bet?]
But was that truly a serious problem?
No.
Mephistopheles twisted their lips while aligning, swelling, and refining their Demonic Energy.
It was possible because this entire region had temporarily become a demonic domain.
Mephistopheles was a demon, and although the situation was enough to make Satan furious, the advantages brought by the demonic transformation of the territory were enjoyed by every demon nearby.
Granted, only the soul was truly Mephistopheles’s.
On top of that, Gretchen had already expended power, and restoring the vessel had also consumed a considerable amount.
It would be fortunate if even one-fifth of Mephistopheles’s original power remained……
[I’m betting on you dropping dead……!]
But that still did not make Mephistopheles easy prey.
At last, black flames erupted explosively in every direction.
Flames that would not go out unless their master wished it—
flames that gnawed away at everything in the world.
Read only on MUGEX
[Die! Damn Wrath!]
Even lava was consumed by those black flames.
Mammon knew that, and immediately retreated.
Boom! B-Boom!
Exploding lava erupted from all sides with power that had not been displayed even when Mammon had fought Wrath’s vessel or the Hero.
Lightning summoned through the sacrifice of Leviathan’s Tears flew endlessly toward the enemy.
[Where are you going, Mammon? You have to play with me. Hmm?]
But the moment Mephistopheles raised spiraling flames around themself, all of it became useless.
The torrent of Demonic Energy protected its master and burned away the enemy attacks.
FWOOSH!
And at the center of that space, the figure with fluttering white hair drew a sword.
It was the sword Mephistopheles had created before losing the body through the contract—
personally pulling out one of their own ribs, forging it by hand, and engraving it directly into the soul.
A sword that could be summoned no matter what vessel Mephistopheles occupied.
A sword that could take any form.
A sword capable of containing any power.
Ratel.
Gretchen, who had used it in Mephistopheles’s place, had treated it as nothing more than a sword……
But Ratel’s true worth did not lie merely in being hard and unbreakable.
[Ratel says it wants to play with you too.]
The sword that had taken the form of a Zweihander to deceive humans melted down into the earth and rose again.
Srrrk.
A construct merely resembling a human stood beside Mephistopheles.
A puppet that would coordinate with them precisely.
[I’m going this far for you, so you’d better play!!]
[Tch!]
Mammon clicked their tongue at the appearance of the infamous sword.
[Then……!]
「Before that, fulfill the promise. Save the Hero. And those two humans over there as well.」
[…Of course, of course. I must obey your command.]
But the situation was not comfortable for Mephistopheles either.
The instant the freedom they had believed complete was restricted, their teeth ground together.
Still, they could not break the promise.
The moment they did, even this hard-won opportunity would disappear.
[If it means killing that bastard, do you think I can’t spare a pathetic human or two?!]
At the command, Ratel—Mephistopheles’s double—shot away in another direction.
Its target was the Hero lying unconscious and abandoned.
[Ah. Since I’m going to rescue them anyway, perhaps collecting payment on the way back wouldn’t be such a bad idea.]
The lesser demons trying to block it were sliced into pieces the instant it extended its claws.
It possessed no ego and therefore required Mephistopheles to designate everything one by one, but at times like this it was reasonably useful.
[You!]
[Hahaha! Aren’t you happy, Mammon?! You’ve been given a little more time to live!]
After eliminating all the worthless obstacles, the double hoisted the Hero onto its back and flew away.
It would probably collect the two unconscious humans as well and carry them all the way to where the humans had gathered.
One of the conditions allowing Mephistopheles to run wild was that all three of those people keep their heads attached to their necks, after all.
[Ha, listen to yourself. You think clinging to the Hero is going to free you from your seal?! How stupid! You’re nothing but a mangy dog fawning over the hunter who’ll eventually boil and eat you!]
Mocking the sight, Mammon moved the lava giant that had been waiting off to one side.
It possessed no special abilities, relying solely on its enormous size and overwhelming mass as weapons.
The giant swung a hand.
[That’s right. Maybe I am. But at least I can kill you, can’t I?!]
But if Mephistopheles were defeated by a mere lava puppet, wouldn’t that disgrace the name that had once shaken all of Hell?
Cheerfully ignoring Mammon’s words, Mephistopheles temporarily forged a sword from Demonic Energy.
SLASH!
And swung it.
The Demonic Energy extended instantaneously like a whip and cut through the lava puppet.
The blade, compressed to the absolute limit without even a trace of waste, was so sharp that it left no visible scar upon the lava giant.
But the core controlling it had undoubtedly been severed.
The sword strikes appearing half a beat later from both sides did the same.
They precisely severed what could essentially be called its “cores.”
BOOM!
The instant the Demonic Energy supporting the enormous mass of lava was cut away, it exploded, spraying molten rock in every direction.
The remainder melted downward, engulfing and dissolving buildings beneath it.
KABOOM!
Meanwhile, Mephistopheles thrust an arm forward.
A tremendous pillar of fire fired from the fingertips and aimed straight for Mammon’s body.
[Damn it!]
Splash!
Mammon cursed while escaping by sinking into the lava and moving rapidly through it.
BOOM!
A delayed explosion erupted where the pillar of fire struck, burning away every trace of lava.
Black flames stuck to the ground crackled like dying embers.
[That’s terrifying!]
Mammon muttered an irritated laugh while staring at the sight.
Around the body that had just emerged from the lava were flames Mephistopheles had scattered in every direction at the beginning of the battle.
[Explode.]
At their master’s command, the flames swelled into spheres and tried to burst.
[What a petty trick……!]
Rather than panicking at the process, Mammon smothered them under lava saturated with even denser Demonic Energy.
Then, taking advantage of the newly created distance, Mammon drew out still more power.
Chunks of stone closer to meteors than volcanic bombs flew toward Mephistopheles, while countless spikes erupted from every pool of lava.
[Fine, let’s fight dirty! Mephisto!]
There was plenty of Demonic Energy available anyway.
While at it, Mammon spread lava across the earth with every step Mephistopheles took.
Erupting lava dyed the surroundings red, while newly leaking gas and ash transformed the scenery into something resembling a world after its destruction.
[I’m the one holding more cards!]
At that, Mephistopheles, who had raised a wall of black fire to block the attacks, frowned slightly.
The amount of Demonic Energy available.
Under ordinary circumstances it might have been different, but right now Mephistopheles was unmistakably and severely disadvantaged.
[Yeah. That part is a little irritating……]
But so what?
Mephistopheles did not imagine defeat.
If anything, the disparity fed their anger, making it grow even greater.
Anger toward Satan.
The body stolen as the price of losing to that damned thing.
The existence of endlessly wandering in search of vessels.
The present situation, where a mere human had refused to surrender control so stubbornly that Mephistopheles had eventually been forced into a contract.
Another soul that was far too distant from Wrath, regardless of the conditions of that contract.
A body that had to be returned the moment the promise ended.
There were so many things to be angry about.
[Enough to genuinely piss me off.]
The black flames fueled by anger surged even more fiercely and wrapped around Mephistopheles’s entire body.
Fwoosh.
And blooming between them was a crimson red brighter than anything else in the world.
[I’ll erase you.]
At that moment, the sword that had completed its assigned duty returned to Mephistopheles’s hand.
And that sword was swung.