Chapter 418: Chapter 418

The concentrated energy, which had taken the form of a massive sword, dissipated, its power fading.

Hella, still slightly… dazed from the aftereffects, looked down at her hand.

The hand that had just held the entire Demon World, a world, in its grasp.

‘…This is… incredible.’

Having wielded that power herself, she could now understand.

This power, a network of interconnected energies, amplified by her status as the Demon King, her followers’ loyalty, and the countless causal connections… it was practically a divine power, an authority granted only to gods.

‘…It’s probably only possible because demons are magical lifeforms, similar to spirits.’

Perhaps the reason why the Demon World’s inhabitants were generally stronger than those in Auterica was because of this system.

‘…Of course, that’s impossible.’

She chuckled softly, a self-deprecating sound.

Even a Demon King couldn’t just… use this power as she pleased.

After all, it was a power entrusted to her by the Demon God, a tool for managing the Demon World.

‘…There’s no way it would be unrestricted.’

It was a divine authority, a power that was absolute within the Demon World… but it came with limitations and restrictions.

Krushaior, and the being he had tried to summon, had been eliminated because they violated those rules.

“Ugh, I feel… stiff. It takes a toll on the body, doesn’t it?”

She grumbled softly, stretching her shoulders, her lips pouting slightly.

Considering her level, the strain on her body must have been… significant.

Of course, looking at the scene before her, it seemed like a minor complaint.

The Abandoned Lands, once a barren wasteland, were now covered in craters, as if they had been bombarded.

…Well, they had been bombarded, but that wasn't the point.

“Hmm, did I… overdo it?”

A thin, straight line, extending from a single point on the ground to the horizon, a scar on the earth.

And above, a similar scar, a dark, jagged line across the purplish sky.

Hella, looking at it, awkwardly scratched her cheek.

‘…Well, it was my first time, so I didn’t have time to… adjust the output…’

And it had been a critical moment. She couldn't afford to hesitate.

‘…But it looks… better this way, doesn’t it?’

She shrugged, admiring the cross-shaped scar on the sky, the Milky Way shining brightly through the gap.

She wasn’t just being… flippant.

The scar, wider and more prominent than before, made the Milky Way even more visible, enhancing the… aesthetic appeal of the Demon World’s sky.

Even she, who had often looked up at the sky, couldn't help but be mesmerized by its beauty.

‘…Now then, time to clean up.’

She looked around, smacking her lips slightly.

There wasn't anything to clean up, actually.

The Abandoned Lands were… empty to begin with, and Krushaior, her target, had been completely vaporized by her attack.

‘…Even if there were any remains, there wouldn’t be anything to salvage.’

Her gaze shifted towards her companions.

A dark mage in a black robe, a vampire in an opera mask, a three-headed dog scratching the back of its neck with its hind leg, a blond boy sniffling and wiping his nose,

…and a man in a metal suit, still hovering in the sky above.

As they began to disappear, one by one, their tasks completed, she licked her lips, her gaze fixed on the… other one, the one who hadn’t participated in the battle.

“…If your dog causes trouble, it’s your responsibility to… compensate the victims, isn’t it?”

He had to pay for the damages.

He couldn’t just… leave without a word.

She looked up at the Milky Way, her gaze fixed on a single, brightly shining star, and then, with a sinister smile, turned and walked away.

Her… other friend would handle the… bill.

Her priority was to return to her rightful place.

She was going to be very busy.

As the 16th Demon King, the sole ruler of the Demon World.

Heinrich, flapping his wings of radiance, muttered softly.

His holy aura, like a beacon in the darkness, repelled the Demon World’s negative energy, attracting the attention of the surrounding demons… but he didn’t care.

He was in a place where few could reach, a location hidden from ordinary senses.

“So, you were hiding here.”

High above the battlefield, far above where Hesperon had been unleashing his aerial bombardment, at the very edge of this world.

‘…I wouldn’t have been able to reach this place without “Grand Blessing: Wings of Radiance”.’

The Demon World was a sub-dimension, a… branch of Auterica.

It wasn't a world where the universe or the Milky Way could exist.

‘…It’s even more impressive up close. All those…’

This was the limit of the Demon World, its boundary.

The Milky Way beyond, visible through the cracks in the… veil, was a remnant of the Main God’s creation, its light shining through the void, its true form obscured by the dense magical energy that filled the Demon World’s sky, appearing as… stars from below.

“You’re quite resourceful. I wouldn’t have found this without you.”

And there, at the edge of the world,

The door to the Human God’s temple, which had vanished from the Dark Nest’s underground ritual chamber.

‘…You’re not giving up so easily, are you?’

As soon as he joined the search for Krushaior,

…he had focused on finding this, sensing a… connection, a… resonance that the others hadn't detected.

After all, they had more than enough firepower without him.

‘…I was worried that it might have disappeared along with Krushaior…’

But the Demon World was under a different god’s jurisdiction.

It wouldn’t be easy to install a door to his own temple here!

There would have been a price to pay, a sacrifice too valuable to abandon, even after his plans in the Demon World had failed.

So, he had hidden it here, in a place where no one could find it.

He approached the closed door and gripped the handle.

The door resisted, its surface crackling with energy…

…but it was no match for him.

He tore it open, his movements rough and forceful, and then flew inside.

The temple’s interior seemed to have been… rearranged, perhaps because its location had changed. The coordinates he had recorded in the basement were useless.

And if he moved it again, the new coordinates would also be useless.

But now that he was inside… it couldn’t escape.

He could feel the temple’s… anger, its resentment, its… rage, emanating from the distorted and fluctuating energy within.

As if it was asking him… how dare he set foot in this sacred place?

“I’ll be quick, so just… stay still.”

But Heinrich didn't care.

He simply flew deeper into the temple, his movements swift and decisive.

‘…It’s quite… lively. I can feel it… tingling…’

A temple was a special place, even for a god.

It could easily detect any intruders, even a fallen god.

That was why he had been hesitant to summon Hans inside.

“…Found it. The core.”

But what about an apostle of the Main God, a being far superior to the fallen god?

Heinrich, the Hero of Light, the champion of the Main God, the creator and judge of this world, the father of all gods…

‘…And the power I wield is derived from his blessings.’

And the fallen god was currently… weakened, having been expelled from the Demon World after his… partnership with Krushaior.

He wouldn't be able to do anything, not right away.

So, unlike before, this temple was… unguarded, its master absent.

The door, which had been sealed shut, resisting all his attempts to open it, suddenly swung open.

And beyond the massive hallway, its size more suited for giants than humans,

A large altar, its surface covered in a… damaged holy symbol.

“That’s it, the temple’s core.”

As if confirming his words, the energy within the temple surged, its intensity increasing.

If it could speak, it would probably be screaming obscenities at him.

But insults from an enemy were… compliments.

He smiled, his mood improving, and then descended, landing before the massive holy symbol, its size dwarfing even him.

‘…Is this his symbol?’

A massive structure, its original form unrecognizable, twisted and distorted, its surface scorched and melted, like a screaming face.

‘…It also contains a divine fragment. Well, it’s a reasonable investment, considering he’s been planning this for thousands of years. And it seems to be acting as a… relay to the Demon World.’

He should have examined it more closely when he first discovered the temple.

He had been too… cautious, too… methodical, and he had missed his chance.

‘…I can’t absorb the divine fragment directly, like my other avatars… but I’m a cleric. There’s a better way.’

How did a cleric gain power?

He placed his hands on the massive structure, its ominous aura tingling against his skin, and closed his eyes.

He began to pray, channeling his holy power, offering the corrupted symbol, a sacrilegious object that defied the Main God’s will, as a tribute.

…a brilliant, holy light, like a raging inferno, engulfed his body and the holy symbol.

The temple screamed, its energy fluctuating wildly.

It wasn’t the unstable flickering he had seen when he destroyed the Dragon Marquis’s barrier.

It was… collapsing, its structure twisting and distorting, its very existence… fading away.

Smoke, black and acrid, rose from his hands, where they touched the holy symbol, his palms burning.

And the holy light emanating from his wings intensified, far surpassing its usual limits.

The pathway to the Main God, expanding and widening, channeled an immense amount of divine power into him.

Not just the absence of sound…

…but the absence of… everything.

A void, a nothingness, a space where even the distinction between reality and illusion was… meaningless.

His consciousness soared, rising towards an unknown destination.

A grand and majestic being, a presence he had only glimpsed before, a fragment of its true form.

An overwhelming presence, a vast and incomprehensible will, the very essence of this world, its creator and sustainer.

Just a faint… awareness of its existence, and yet, it was enough to overload his 「Mind Hub」 and 「Soul Firewall」, pushing them to their limits.

And then, as its gaze, the Main God’s gaze, settled upon him…

…he suddenly felt like he was… falling.

…It wasn’t his imagination.

The wind whistling past his ears, the cold air cooling the sweat on his skin, the pressure against his face…

From the edge of the world, where he had almost touched the Milky Way,

…towards the earth far below.

The cross-shaped scar on the purplish sky, the Milky Way shining through the gap…

…they grew smaller and smaller as he fell.

“Ugh, this is… worse than usual…”

He had met the Main God a few times before, but it had never been this… intense.

His body was falling, but he couldn't move, his limbs unresponsive, his muscles limp and useless.

‘…The Creator… He’s different from the other gods I’ve met.’

He hadn't expected to… skydive in the Demon World.

Without a parachute, his body paralyzed!

“It can’t be helped…”

《The individual’s race has been changed to ‘Angel’. You have acquired the special skill “God’s Messenger”.》

《You have gained enlightenment after encountering a higher being. You have acquired the special skill “Great Mind”.》

…his very species had changed. It would be strange if he was… fine.

He hadn’t expected to actually become an angel, though.

And then, after a while,

…the newly appointed angel, falling from the Demon World’s sky, vanished without a trace.

As if he had never existed.