The Colossus woman approached Cuatro, kicking aside the fleeing monsters and burning trees at her feet.
She was awe-inspiring, beautiful, and there was an aura of divinity around her entire body. If one didn't notice her size and the fact that the ground trembled with each step she took… no, even if they did, they would assume that she was a goddess.
"I am the Moon Giant Deeana. I am one of the children of Zerno, the Colossus god. I presume that you are the holy son of Vida, the new champion, and these are your companions?" the Colossus asked, standing on the edge of the burning forest.
Her tone was gentle, but Oniwaka, Kanako, Doug, Melissa and Cuatro shrank back, feeling overwhelmed.
But Vandalieu seemed very delighted at the fact that the Colossus had called him "champion" instead of "Demon King."
"Yes! I am that 'champion!' My name is Vandalieu! The champion!" he shouted, leaning out from Cuatro's deck.
He had even repeated the word 'champion' for emphasis.
"I can hear you even if you talk normally. You don't have to lean out of the boat and scream at me. It's dangerous, so stop that," said Deeana, warning Vandalieu so that he wouldn't fall into the poisonous sea, and then she cleared her throat and began speaking in her previous majestic tone once more. "I have heard news of you from Schneider and his companions, who are loyal disciples of Vida. We welcome you here from the bottom of our hearts."
After Kanako, Doug and Melissa had returned to Talosheim with Legion, Vandalieu, having equipped Leo and Cuatro, was sitting in Deeana's cupped palms with his companions.
"It would take months if I were to match your walking pace, after all," she said.
The size of her body was comparable to Gyubarzo, the evil god of dark seas. Boulders and trees were crushed beneath her feet, and the nearby monsters fled for their lives. Her steps were unfaltering no matter what kind of Devil's Nest environment she was crossing.
"It doesn't seem to be a simple matter of distance," Vandalieu remarked.
"Indeed. I heard from that guy and… Schneider and his companions that this place that you refer to as the Demon Continent is an assortment of Devil's Nests with far harsher environments compared to the continents that humans inhabit, and the monsters that roam about here are powerful, of the sort that would normally only appear in Dungeons," said Deeana. "This is the edge of the continent, so it is not really the case here, but the deeper reaches of the continent are swarming with Rank 10 monsters."
"Rank 10 monsters… swarming…" Oniwaka murmured in awe.
Even inside the Boundary Mountain Range, Rank 10 monsters outside Dungeons were rare, the only ones around being monsters like the Hurricane Dragons that inhabited the skies above the mountain range itself.
Deeana gave a bitter smile at her reaction. "The main cause of this is Ravovifard, the evil god of release. That evil god stimulated the monsters to increase their Ranks, using them in power struggles against the other evil gods and to attack us from time to time, and now this continent is more dangerous than any other land," she said. "But now that he is gone, the number of high-Rank monsters is gradually decreasing. Things should calm down in another hundred years… though they were going wild during the solar eclipse that occurred not long ago."
Ravovifard had defeated the other evil gods to take control over the Demon Continent, but the continent was apparently safer than it was before now that he was gone.
"However, this has caused a burden upon you," Deeana continued. "I have heard a rough recollection of events from that foolish Elder Dragon… I believe that Zantark will have his own words for you, but I shall apologize as well. I am sorry."
As a result of Ravovifard managing to escape the Demon Continent, Prince Bugitas of the Noble Orc nation that was an empire at the time had caused a large conflict inside the Boundary Mountain Range.
Of course, everything was a result of Ravovifard's actions, but it seemed that Deeana felt responsibility for the incident as one of the individuals who had allowed him to escape.
"Foolish Elder Dragon?" Vandalieu repeated. "… Those words alone are enough, please do not trouble yourself over it any further. More importantly, what do you mean when you say that the monsters went wild during the solar eclipse?"
"Under the influence of the solar eclipse that Alda caused… to be precise, the 'eclipse' that Alda brought about by loosening his control over the light and life attributes and darkening the sun, a number of seals on evil gods that are remnants of the Demon King's army also loosened," Deeana explained.
It seemed that Gyubarzo, the evil god of dark seas, was not the only god to have made a return.
"The Bahn Gaia Continent is under Alda's influence, so he should have been cautious even during the solar eclipse, but… perhaps some remained out of his sight, or perhaps it was a deliberate action by him. The seals placed by the gods have weakened," Deeana continued. "The divine authorities of multiple great gods were used when they sealed the evil gods away during the battle against the Demon King… However, this is a result of Alda being the only god who governs the world now."
It seemed that the seals had been loosened due to Alda loosening his control over the world in order to cause the solar eclipse. Of course, it wasn't as if the seals on every evil god had become undone.
However, on the Demon Continent and in the seas surrounding it, there were seals that the Demon King Guduranis had left intact, thinking that he had no use for weaklings that could be defeated and sealed away. Deeana and her allies had also placed seals on numerous evil gods that they had defeated themselves, as well as the ones that they had taken the opportunity to seal away while they were weakened from their power struggle against Ravovifard.
It seemed that all of these seals being loosened at once had caused large problems.
"As a result, we have been very busy. Many of them were not particularly powerful gods, so they did not cause great incidents, but… we were supposed to alternate shifts, night and day, to welcome you. However, Tiamat used all of her strength in sealing an evil god who attempted to escape, so she is now slumbering, and I have ended up making you wait until nightfall," said Deeana. "I do not know what intentions Alda had in bringing about this solar eclipse, but it has been of great nuisance to us."
"It is likely that this was one of Alda's goals," Gufadgarn said suddenly, having listened to Deeana in silence up until this point. "He has been careful to not cause any direct damage to the Bahn Gaia continent outside the Boundary Mountain Range, but he has exhausted your strength by forcing you to deal with the evil gods whose seals were undone. Even if it caused some human casualties, Alda and his gods would support his heroes to deal with them, gaining more believers and strengthening his heroes at the same time. It does not seem to have gone as well as he thought, however."
"You… Could it be you, Gufadgarn?" asked Deeana, her eyes opening wide.
"Yes. Did you not notice?"
It seemed that Deeana had only just noticed that the sweet, beautiful Elf girl was the vessel that contained Gufadgarn.
"If you did not, then I should be happy about it. It means that my vessel is complete enough to fool the eyes of a god," Gufadgarn said. "It seems that I am able to act in accordance with the will of Zakkart, who desired a beautiful Elf girl."
"… No, I did notice that there was something strange that resembles an Elf girl… However, I do not mean to be rude in saying this, but many of you are strange in my eyes."
There was the half-Noble Orc Pauvina, the Ghosts whose Ranks had increased in strange ways, Bone Man who was rational and conscious despite being an Undead, and Vandalieu, who had a stranger presence and aura than anyone. It seemed that Gufadgarn, who had remained silent until just a few moments ago, had been forgotten among such a strange group.
"I am very glad that Gufadgarn is… Wait, what did you mean by the 'will of Zakkart?'" asked Deeana, not even trying to hide her bewilderment.
"Ah, please don't touch on that topic yet," said Vandalieu, stopping her. "I'll explain everything when we meet Zantark and the others."
There would be other gods that would be surprised by Gufadgarn's current appearance, so he wanted to save the effort of having to repeat his explanation.
"More importantly, are you related in some way to the Sun Giant Talos?" Vandalieu asked. "Your name isn't written anywhere in Talosheim's records, so we haven't heard of you."
He wanted to change the topic, but he had also been curious about this ever since he had heard Deeana's title of 'Moon Giant.'
"Indeed. I am the twin sister of the Sun Giant Talos," Deeana said, not seeming particularly hesitant to answer Vandalieu's question. "The Colossi created during the age of the gods, including myself, were the children of the Colossus god Zerno, but Talos and I were born at the same time. Zerno took the warmth of the sun and the light of the moon and gave each of us twins one each," she said, giving a tender smile towards Princess Levia, who was floating behind Vandalieu. "Thus, I am the aunt of all Titans. Talos and I fought together during the battle that occurred a hundred thousand years ago, but… you have gone through many hardships because we lacked strength."
Princess Levia, who was now a Satan Prometheus Ghost after her latest Rank increase, hastily materialized into a visible form and lowered her black-red-flame-covered head. "N-no, we are not worthy of such words! But… I am sure that everyone would be delighted if you graced Talosheim with your presence one day."
"Yes, I certainly will one day. It seems that by becoming a Ghost, you have become closer to my brother. Blessings upon you and your brethren," said Deeana, smiling deeply at the flames that enveloped Princess Levia like robes.
The place that Deeana brought Vandalieu and his companions appeared, at first glance, to be a vast, sinister land of death, filled with lava and boulders.
But somehow, it seemed that the air did not contain any toxic volcanic gases. It was hot, of course, but not unbearably so.
With a few Demon Fires, which were cold flames that absorbed heat energy, it would become a reasonable temperature.
Just as Vandalieu was wondering about this environment, Gufadgarn voiced her thoughts.
"It is likely that the surrounding lava is not the result of volcanic activity, but the result of Zantark's presence," she said.
"I see… So, this is the power of a great god. But that doesn't seem to be all," said Vandalieu.
"Indeed. This place has partially turned into Zantark's Divine Realm. I heard a hundred thousand years ago that by fusing with evil gods, he has become a different being and his Divine Realm can no longer return to what it was. Now, he is likely turning a part of the Demon Continent into his Divine Realm… though it seems that he is making a reckless effort to do so," Gufadgarn murmured.
She suspected that this was something that Zantark could only do because the entire continent was as contaminated with Mana as the inside of a Dungeon, and because two-thirds of his being were now evil.
"Hmm. This is a great historic discovery," said Luciliano, his entire body drenched with sweat as he furiously scribbled notes as if his life depended on it.
Even he was so overwhelmed with nervousness that he couldn't stop sweating, because there were so many great beings gathered here.
The mountain-queen Elder Dragon god Tiamat, who had the appearance of an enormous female Drakonid. The bird beast-king Lafaz, who had the appearance of an enormous, two-headed bird. The ancestors of the Kijin and Majin races.
The Kijin ancestor was a being so huge that he might be mistaken for a Colossus, wearing a fur cloak and a mask. In contrast, the Majin ancestor was about as small as a human, but emanated a tremendous presence.
There were also numerous other gods and their followers gathered here.
There were two that stood out among them. One was a man who looked like an adventurer emitting a pale glow from his entire body. The other a male god who looked like he had fused with a rocky mountain, sitting with a grave look on his face, his eyes firmly shut.
… There was also another that stood out in another way – for some reason, there was a being with the appearance of a slightly larger-than-normal Wyvern next to the man with an adventurer's appearance, its entire body trembling.
What could that be? Vandalieu wondered.
All of his companions were curious about this out-of-place Wyvern as well. However, they didn't get a chance to express their curiosity.
The male god, whose right body half was covered in a black, iron-sand-like substance and whose left body half was enshrouded by a black mist… Zantark, the war-god of fire and destruction, suddenly opened his eyes and widened his jaws, revealing rows of sharp teeth.
He let out a ferocious, storm-like roar that contained a physical pressure, causing even Vandalieu to stiffen.
However, even with the force of the roar bearing down of them, nobody could discern its meaning.
"M-my apologies!" said Luciliano, immediately stopping his note-taking and instinctively falling prostrate.
"Boss, maybe you should've kneeled or prayed or offered him something first?!" Kimberley shouted in panic.
"Van, why is he angry at you?" asked Pauvina, bewildered.
"Bocchan, what shall we do?!" asked Sam.
"Should we offer him the fatty cuts of Gyubarzo's meat?!" suggested Saria.
"Everyone, calm down. Saria, put the fatty meat cuts away, you're shocking everyone," said Vandalieu, hastily trying to calm his companions down. However, even he was confused. "Is he even angry at us to begin with?" he wondered.
He was accustomed to seeing evil gods with bizarre forms, and he did not feel any anger from Zantark.
However, the others could only tell that Zantark was frowning and that his voice was loud.
But they didn't know the meaning of his roar.
The Majin ancestor scowled and slapped the shoulder of the nervous, stiff-faced man who looked like an adventurer.
"A-ah, right. The old man… Zantark says, 'Welcome, Holy Son of Vida who carries the fragments of the champions' souls,'" said the man… the heroic god Farmaun.
It seemed that he was able to understand the meaning of Zantark's roar.
Zantark roared once more, but this time, Farmaun interpreted it for Vandalieu and his companions right away. Apparently, ever since fusing with the evil god of dark dust and the evil god of evil darkness, Zantark had become unable to communicate his thoughts like before, so he needed other gods to interpret for him.
"'I welcome you… With that said, there's nothing much to be done in this land that has nothing but rocks and lava…'"
Suddenly, Farmaun's interpreting was interrupted by the Majin ancestor hitting him.
"Ouch! Those are Zantark's words, not mine!" Farmaun protested.
"I know that, but I am hearing the words from your mouth, so my hand moved instinctively in that direction. I am sorry for interrupting the conversation, Oyaji-dono, honored guests," said the Majin ancestor, apologizing to everyone except Farmaun.
With that, he took two steps back, behind the place where he had been originally standing. The other gods looked disapprovingly at the Majin ancestor, but they did not seem to feel sorry for Farmaun at all.
This exchange made it clear that Farmaun had not made amends with them; they had simply called a truce.
Of course, considering the discord between them that had continued ever since the battle between Vida's faction and Alda's forces, perhaps even a truce was more than reasonable.
To the Majin ancestor and the rest of the gods, Farmaun was an enemy who had been among those who had wounded their parents and siblings, and killed many of their children. He had mostly fought against Zantark during that battle, so the ones he had wounded and defeated directly were few compared to the other two battle-oriented champions.
However, how would things have turned out if he had remained an ally of Zantark, the god who had chosen him, or even simply not participated in the battle? With thoughts like these, it was likely impossible to forget the chains of the past.
Vandalieu felt like he noticed a bitter smile on Zantark's face as he looked at the other gods, but perhaps he was just imagining things.
Zantark began roaring once more.
"'I wish to face Alda in battle once more alongside you, but unfortunately, we will be unable to move from this place for some time. There are the weakened seals on some of the Demon King's remnants due to the recent solar eclipse, but there is also the fact that if we abandon the Demon Continent, monsters will continue multiplying and the Devil's Nest will spread endlessly, eventually crossing the ocean and reaching Bahn Gaia in as little as just a few years,'" said Farmaun, interpreting. "Zantark, slow down your pace a little. If you don't put a little less meaning in each of your words, I can't keep up!"
It seemed that each of Zantark's roars contained a densely-compressed amount of information, and Farmaun was struggling to interpret them.
"I see, I understand the situation. To speak of the situation on our end, I have destroyed Alda's divine authority that was used to seal Vida," said Vandalieu.
At his words, the gods began making a commotion.
"Mother has been revived… no, she has regained her consciousness?!"
"I had missed her and wanted to meet her again one day. It will really come true!"
"KUEEEH!"
The Majin and Kijin ancestors, who were Vida's own children, trembled in astonishment and joy. Tiamat's tail twirled about to express her happiness, and Lafaz spread his wings and let out a squawk.
Zantark looked up at the sky and let out… not a roar, but happy laughter.
"'You have brought news that is more joyful than we could have imagined. I thank you for freeing my sister, the mother of all of our children…' I can't understand you either if you talk that fast," said Farmaun. "… I don't know if it's of any value to you, but please accept my heartfelt gratitude as well," he said to Vandalieu, his shoulders loosening in relief as he lowered his head.
"I am humbled by your gratitude," said Vandalieu, lowering his head politely as well.
Farmaun raised his head again, an expression of surprise on his face.
But Vandalieu was really curious about that Wyvern. The other gods were overjoyed, but the Wyvern was not.
"This is it… It's over…" the Wyvern murmured to itself, tears flowing from its dead-looking eyes.
It could speak, so perhaps it was a superior race of Wyvern?
Could it be that it's not a Wyvern? It looks a bit like Shashuja, Vandalieu thought.
The great marshlands south of Talosheim were currently inhabited by Lizardmen, the Armans that were a mutant variant of Lizardmen and the Scylla. Looking at the Wyvern, Vandalieu was reminded of Shashuja, the Lizardmen's representative, whose crying, puppy-like eyes had once caused Vandalieu to yield.
Come to think of it, I haven't seen him even once this year. I should visit the marshlands to see the Armans' growth and the Capricorn farms, he thought.
"Vandalieu, Zantark seems to be saying, 'However, that only further limits our ability to act, unless Alda has come to attack us as he did a hundred thousand years ago,'" said Gufadgarn, taking over for Farmaun, who finally seemed to have become unable to keep up with the interpreting.
"By 'limiting' their ability to act, does he mean that it would be problematic if Alda detects their actions and things gradually develop into a war between gods?" Vandalieu asked.
"It can be assumed that this is part of it, but I believe that this is a matter of the world's maintenance. Even if we could defeat Alda and his allies, the world would be devastated and could even be destroyed if we cannot maintain the attributes after the battle," Gufadgarn said, explaining the gods' situation without needing to interpret Zantark's words.
The world of Lambda's existence was maintained by the gods governing the attributes of earth, water, fire, wind, time, space, life and light. If problems arose with governing these attributes, the world would come undone and eventually be destroyed if the attributes were to remain unmanaged for too long.
Alda, the god of law and fate, currently ruled over the life attribute that had once been governed by Vida as well as the light attribute. The heroic god Nineroad was governing the wind attribute in place of Shizarion, the god of wind and art, who had been destroyed by the Demon King. The heroic god Farmaun Gold was governing the fire attribute in place of Zantark, with the support of Zantark's subordinate gods.
As for the other four attributes, time and space were managed by the subordinate gods left behind by Ricklent and Zuruwarn. However, the earth and water attributes were being maintained by the subordinate gods who had survived the war against the Demon King as well as those whom Alda had turned into gods after the war.
Even excluding the fire attribute that was being governed by Farmaun, five attributes were currently being maintained by gods belonging to Alda's forces.
"I see. Even if we were victorious against Alda's forces, with things as they are now, it is uncertain as to whether we would be able to manage to maintain the attributes afterwards," said Vandalieu, understanding the dilemma that Zantark faced.
Vida and Ricklent believed that they could manage by borrowing the power of the evil gods who joined Vida's faction and were not currently governing the attributes, but Zantark suspected that this would not be enough.
Among the great gods who had not been destroyed, Vida, Ricklent and Zuruwarn had recovered, but it could not be called a complete recovery. Furthermore, Peria and Botin still had not returned yet.
He had considered governing other attributes like Alda was doing now, but he was a significant part of Vida's fighting forces. The enemy was wary of him, and it was possible that he would be forced to expend more of his strength in battle than he expected.
There would be no point in winning a harsh battle if the result was the world being ruined and destroyed.
"It's a difficult problem, isn't it? Van, can you do something about it?" asked Pauvina.
"Pauvina, even I wouldn't be able to do anything about the circumstances of gods," said Vandalieu. "I can barely manage removing seals and curses, and spreading the word as a religious figure for Vida."
"My lord, perhaps you could mass-produce Undead, order them to worship the gods of Vida's faction and accelerate the process of gathering followers for them?" suggested Bone Man.
"It's something that you've been doing up to this point anyway, and even though it probably won't change the situation too drastically, they say that persistence pays off," said Rita.
The maintenance of the entire world was a problem that was on a scale that would seem enormous to any individual, especially to the people of this world, where efficient methods of communication had not been developed. Vandalieu's companions did not understand the circumstances surrounding this issue fully, but they offered suggestions based on what they were now aware of.
Vandalieu himself was a mortal, so he didn't have an understanding of how difficult it was to "govern an attribute," or how many gods and what amount of power was required to do so. He could only vaguely imagine that it wasn't a simple task.
However, he had already been told these things by Tristan, the god of the seas, so he had decided to simply try to be aware that gods had their own circumstances.
However, Vandalieu and his companions were talking amongst themselves like this because Zantark and the other gods had remained silent for a while. Perhaps they were deep in thought; Vandalieu had assumed that they were whispering amongst themselves, but that wasn't the case.
"Could that be you, Gufadgarn?"
"That form… I was certain that evil god was male, but was it a goddess?"
It seemed that they had fallen silent with shock upon realizing that the girl interpreting Zantark's words was actually Gufadgarn. Zantark appeared so surprised that it seemed as if his jaw would fall off.
"Deeana did not recognize me at first either, but… it seems that this vessel is far more complete than I expected. To think that it would fool even the eyes of Zantark," said Gufadgarn, nodding multiple times in satisfaction.
"Ah, I'll explain the circumstances around that. There was a bit of a misunderstanding, and –" Vandalieu began, intending to explain things so that Zakkart's intentions would not be misunderstood.
But at that moment, the Wyvern approached Vandalieu with stumbling steps.
"P-please… I'm begging you…" it said.
Saria and Rita reflexively stepped in front of Vandalieu. The Wyvern squeezed out a cry that sounded so frail that even they hesitated. It kneeled on the ground, which must have been difficult due to its skeletal structure, and lowered its head towards Vandalieu.
"Please spare me from being devoured… Please spare me from the destruction of my soul," it said.
"I'm not really hungry, and I'm not hurting for food supplies so I'm not going to eat you," said Vandalieu. "Actually, who are you?"
"Lu… Luvesfol. I'm… I am Luvesfol, the raging evil dragon god."
Of course, this Wyvern's identity was that of Luvesfol. After his spirit clone was destroyed by Vandalieu, he encountered the Storm of Tyranny led by Schneider as he tried to escape the Boundary Mountain Range, and sealed into this Wyvern form after suffering a large beating. His fear and anxiety had reached their limits, leading him to beg Vandalieu to not destroy his soul.
Schneider's party had left him behind on the Demon Continent, where he was reprimanded and lectured by Tiamat. Now, Vandalieu had come to this place, straight after having defeated Gyubarzo and turning his meat into food supplies, with the news that Vida had been revived.
Now that Vida's faction was regaining its strength, Luvesfol could only imagine that his soul would be eaten so that his body could be used as food, as his own strength was of little value.
Fidirg, the dragon god of five sins who had been sealed and had his Lizardman followers stolen from him by Luvesfol, was not an important figure in Vida's faction.
However, Fidirg was an ally to Vida, and Luvesfol was a traitor.
Even if he were to swear obedience here, he couldn't imagine that he would be allowed to live. That was why he was begging Vandalieu to merely be sealed away.
"… Ah, now that you mention it… Well, that's not something for me to decide," said Vandalieu. "I'll leave that decision to Fidirg and Shashuja."
"So, it is my fate to be devoured after all… Wait, huh? Fidirg and Shashu-?" Luvesfol repeated, his eyes opening wide at the fact that Vandalieu was not passing judgment and did not seem to be particularly angry.
"Yes, they are the ones you harmed directly. If we want to talk about the past, the ones you betrayed were Marduke, Tiamat, Lioen and the other gods, right?"
However, Vandalieu did not feel a particular hatred towards Luvesfol. Luvesfol had not left such a large impression on him. If Dalton hadn't told him that Luvesfol was on the Demon Continent, he might have forgotten about him completely.
And looking at his current weak form, Vandalieu felt more pity for him than anger or contempt, though perhaps he might not have felt that way if Luvesfol was in his original form and not the form of a Rank 5 Wyvern.
Even so, if Fidirg and Shashuja who had suffered directly at Luvesfol's hands insisted that Vandalieu should consume his soul, then he probably would.
"That's how it is," said Vandalieu. "Do you understand? Now then, excuse me but there is something important that I have to explain –"
"Eh?! Zakkart wanted a beautiful girl?! … But… he was so well-mannered…"
"Ah, I might be a little too late," Vandalieu sighed.
A tremendously powerful voice echoed out on an ancient battlefield that was a floor in the Dungeon created by Alda, the god of law and fate.
"What's wrong?! You can't even hope to defeat the new Demon King with skills like that! Or do you intend to give up on your ideal of peace with Vida's races?!" boomed the voice, which belonged to a knight in glowing armor with pure-white wings emerging from his back… one of Alda's heroic spirits.
"I… No, we, will never give up!" said the Blue-flamed Sword Heinz, standing in front of his companions, raising his sword.
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.
Several months had passed since the Five-colored Blades gave up on conquering the Trial of Zakkart and entered the mysterious Dungeon that had appeared before them.
Despite that, Heinz and his companions had not even managed to clear thirty floors yet. The trials imposed upon them by this Dungeon were, in a way, more difficult than those in the Trial of Zakkart.
A glowing knight stood before them… Joshua Arkum, a loyal knight who, in his past, had avenged his master who had been killed in a rebellion.
"You will never give up, you say? Then become the embodiment of your words!" the knight declared, swinging his magic sword at Heinz.
The blade of his sword produced a sharp shockwave that assaulted Heinz and his companions.
"Kuh!" groaned Delizah, the Dwarf shieldbearer, as she stepped forward and deflected the enormous shockwave.
"Aurora Rapid Reaction!"
"Super Rapid Reaction!"
Behind Delizah, Heinz activated a Holy Light Armor Technique martial skill while the female martial artist Jennifer activated an Armor Technique one. With their reaction speeds improved, they leapt forward at Joshua, whose sword had finished its swing.
Both of them were so fast that the eyes of an average adventurer wouldn't be able to keep up with their movements, but a black shadow appeared behind Jennifer.
"That was close!" said the scout Edgar, deflecting the scimitar thrust by the shadow with his heavy knife.
The shadow was Luke, a heroic spirit of Niltark, the god of judgment.
"You must be finding this quite easy, for a scout to be focused on defense," said Luke, taking its distance from Edgar.
"Shit, does this guy only ever make sarcastic comments?!" Edgar cursed.
"You're our successors who slew a Pure-breed Vampire, something that even we could not accomplish. We came to test your character and found that you only amount to this much. It's only natural for a dozen or two sarcastic comments to come out, isn't it?"
In his previous life, Luke had almost been executed for a crime that he had no knowledge of. Receiving a Divine Message from Niltark, he had broken out from prison, escaped the law and gone on to judge a thousand evils. For such a heroic spirit, he was unexpectedly talkative.
However, the words of a heroic spirit could be communicated in an instant, so conversations took almost no time at all. Using the opening that Edgar had given them by stopping Luke, Heinz and Jennifer were closing in on Joshua – or at least, they should have been.
"Inexperienced! Inexperienced! You are overwhelmingly inexperienced!" shouted the man who was standing in front of Jennifer, stopping her.
"Gah! This guy… He's so fast but heavy at the same time," Jennifer groaned.
Her martial skill, using Unarmed Fighting Technique which mainly relied on her fists, was parried by the man's own Unarmed Fighting Technique martial skill, allowing him to put in a counter-attack.
"At this rate, not only will you be unable to defeat the Demon King, but you will become corpses in an instant! You inexperienced fools!" the man shouted.
This man was Gorsh. He was a heroic spirit of the heroic god Bellwood, having given his life to protect Bellwood during the war against the Demon King Guduranis.
Meanwhile, Heinz was unable to even reach Joshua as well.
"To think that you're not even budging. What a solid defense," he muttered, his blade having been stopped by an Elf woman.
"To possess Radiant God Swordsmanship and Holy Light Armor Technique, only to amount to merely this much… Your abilities truly fail to live up to your Skill names. In the face of the Demon King, what you call light will be but the faint flicker of a firefly. It will be snuffed out in an instant," said the Elf. "You should know that as you are now, you will not conquer the Trial of the Champion, even if you spend a thousand years here."
The Elf was Firlietta. She was a heroic spirit of Nineroad; she had served at her side during the battle between Alda and Vida that had taken place a hundred thousand years ago.
And there was a female mage guarding Joshua's back… She was Porla, a heroic spirit of Forgan, the god of dancing flames.
"Let us put this to an end. It seems that your priestess is almost out of Mana, and you will be unable to escape this spell," she declared mercilessly.
Flames erupted from her staff, dancing through the air in a complicated pattern, and rapidly flooded in towards Heinz and his companions.
The moment Heinz felt his consciousness slip away, a hard impact on his back woke him up.
"Gah! … So, we only managed to clear thirty floors again…" he muttered in frustration.
His sweat-drenched fringe was stuck to his forehead, but other than that, nothing suggested that he had been in a fierce battle just a moment ago.
His wounds, including his burns, and even the damage to his equipment was gone. His body was tired, but even when he checked his Status, his Vitality had not decreased. If it weren't for the fact that his Mana was still drained, the whole thing might have been a dream.
Heinz turned around to see that his companions were nearby. Of course, they were unharmed, just like him.
Diana's Mana was completely empty, but even Delizah's shield, which had been deeply damaged and on the verge of breaking, was back to normal.
"To think that we would have to continue fighting heroic spirits… I mis-allocated my Mana," said Diana.
"Diana, it's not something you should be concerned about. The one who needs to apologize is me, the leader who gives the instructions," said Heinz.
"Nah, neither of you should worry about it," said Edgar, giving the two of them a weak smile. "Three consecutive battles against heroic spirits… And the first battle was only one heroic spirit, the second was two, and then the third one suddenly had five. Nobody could have expected that. And our party formation is clearly coming together. It's just a matter of whether we can win."
Heroic spirits… these were souls who had been turned into heroic spirits by the gods after performing worthy heroic deeds while alive. They were generally similar in nature to familiar spirits, but they had a different role. If familiar spirits were civil officials who served the gods, then heroic spirits were the military officers.
They had the same duties of supporting the gods and guiding the people, but heroic spirits also had the tasks of protecting the Divine Realms and, in times of emergency, descending upon the world in order to vanquish evil.
As most heroic spirits were chosen from among exceptional fighters, it wasn't uncommon for them to be more able in combat than gods who were not skilled in battle.
Thus, in many cases, the Heroic Spirit Descent Skill was considered a superior version of the Familiar Spirit Descent Skill, as it summoned a heroic spirit onto the user's body.
If their strength was converted to a Rank it was said that they would be at least Rank 12, but having actually fought them, Heinz and his companions couldn't help but think that this was an underestimated value.
Almost all of the heroic spirits had awakened superior Skills, and they used them masterfully in coordination with each other.
During the battle against the single heroic spirit, Heinz and his companions had been able to push through by relying on their numbers and coordination. This had also been possible during the battle against two heroic spirits. But against five, they had been overwhelmed.
"To begin with… heroic spirits don't… Isn't it said that they don't descend upon the world even if a nation or two is destroyed? What are they doing in a Dungeon?" complained Jennifer, who was lying on the ground and still trying to catch her breath.
Indeed, heroic spirits descending upon the world and wielding their powers had only occurred a handful of times in the entire history of Lambda. They had not descended upon the world even when humans fought wars against each other, when monsters overflowed from Dungeons, when the Demon King's fragments appeared or when evil gods were scheming in the shadows.
It was said that heroic spirits depleted much of their strength by descending directly upon the world, causing them to fall into slumber for ten thousand years afterwards, but that wasn't the only reason.
If the gods sent heroic spirits to correct every evil in the world, the people would not develop. And since there was so much evil in the world, every heroic spirit would end up in slumber if they were sent so frequently.
If truly powerful evils were to make a move after that… such as the deranged Zantark, the Pure-breed Vampires that lurked in the Boundary Mountain Range or the hidden evil gods, the entire world would be put at risk.
Indeed, Heinz and his companions had been able to seal the Demon King's nose, corner the Pure-breed Ternecia… and deal the killing blow to her.
It was said that the 'Thunderclap' Schneider had personally defeated evil Elder Dragons and gods, and Randolf 'the True' had fought against the Demon King's fragments and the disciples of the evil gods when he was still active.
That was why the heroic spirits rarely descended upon the world, but… heroic spirits were constantly appearing on the thirtieth floor of this Dungeon, and they did not offer any blessings for Heinz and his companions.
"It's probably because it's a Dungeon, right?" said Delizah, wiping her sweat with her sleeve. "I don't know the circumstances that the gods and heroic spirits face, but this Dungeon seems to be special. Even on the previous floors, there were monsters that only appear in myths and legends, and they all vanished like fog without leaving a corpse when we defeated them, didn't they? Those heroic spirits might be the same."
Up until the thirtieth floor, Heinz and his companions had defeated strange monsters such as Ghoul Wizards, Ghoul Amazonesses and Bone Forts, but they had vanished like illusions after being defeated, their corpses leaving no materials or Magic Stones behind.
This had happened for the entirety of the 'Trial Dungeon.'
"Are you saying that they're like illusions as well? I can't really believe that, but…" Jennifer murmured.
Having exchanged fist-blows with Gorsh, Jennifer was inclined to believe that he was real. It wasn't just his appearance; the way he breathed and the smell of his sweat made her think that he had to be a living human.
The monsters that they had defeated up until that point had all had the same sense of presence that made it difficult to believe that they were illusions, but the heroic spirits had seemed even more real than that.
"Yeah, Luke's unpleasant comments, their coordination and ability in combat make it difficult to believe they're just illusions," said Edgar. "So then, aren't they in a state where they've descended upon bodies that are illusions? The superior Skill of Familiar Spirit Descent is Heroic Spirit Descent, which summons a heroic spirit onto the body, so that might be possible."
"Heroic spirits descended upon bodies created as illusions… Is something like that even possible, Edgar?" asked Heinz.
"Who knows. I just thought of this possibility and decided to say it out loud. You should know more about this than me, since you can actually summon heroic spirits with your Skill. Now then, let's cut the chatter and head back to 'town,'" said Edgar, standing up and walking towards the 'town.'
… Indeed, there was a 'town' in this 'Trial Dungeon.' It was the first thing that had greeted Heinz and his companions as they entered the Dungeon.
It was a town with an old-looking architectural style, filled with humans, Elves and Dwarves wearing strange clothing. There were inns, bars, blacksmiths that repaired equipment and second-hand stores, as well as a Church that Heinz and his companions had never seen before. It was a Church that worshipped all of the great gods equally. Alda was one of them, of course, but there was also Vida and Zantark, as well as the gods that had already perished, like the Colossus god Zerno.
The one thing that was out of place in this 'town' was the single Job-changing room. If it weren't for that, Heinz and his companions would have thought that this was a town that existed somewhere today.
From the corridor that was just outside this 'town,' Heinz and his companions would head for the floors that they had cleared so far. Every time they were defeated by the enemies, they would be returned to the town unharmed.
And they were unable to leave the Dungeon from the town.
"Still, you could have said this about the Trial of Zakkart, but the difficulty of this Dungeon is strange, in a weird way. There's no telling how many times we would have died if this was a normal Dungeon," said Edgar. "But at this rate, we have no idea when we'll be able to get out of here."
The enemies in this Dungeon were more powerful than the enemies that appeared in the Trial of Zakkart, but Heinz and his companions would never be killed by them. This was the perfect trial created by Alda to make them at least more powerful than heroic spirits without risking losing them.
"We're being held up on the thirtieth floor. I don't know how many floors this Dungeon has, but I can't imagine that it will stop after the thirty-first floor," said Jennifer. "It looks like it'll be a while before we can see Selen again."
Heinz thought of the Dhampir girl that had been left outside the Dungeon. She was like a younger sister or a daughter to him; even inside this Dungeon, there was not a single day where he did not think of her.
But there was something that concerned him even more than that.
"The 'new Demon King' that the heroic spirits mentioned… I wonder if Alda made this Dungeon appear before us so that we can defeat the 'main body' that the Demon King's nose was trying to join," he said.
Vandalieu explained the events that had led up to Gufadgarn creating and inhabiting a vessel in the shape of a beautiful girl. However, the misunderstanding that Zakkart wanted a beautiful girl had still not been entirely cleared up.
That was because there was no guarantee that it was entirely a misunderstanding.
The Moon Giant Deeana, the mountain-queen Elder Dragon god Tiamat, and the Kijin Ancestor seemed to show some understanding for Zakkart's complaints.
"Well, he was a man. It's normal for him to be interested in the opposite sex," said Deeana.
"Back then, nobody, not even me, had the time for anything," said Tiamat. "Meanwhile, Bellwood was walking around with women following him. Not that I think he was aware of it."
"It was a complaint that he voiced while drinking, and it's not surprising that he'd say things like that, since he hadn't had any relationships with anyone. Zakkart's physical age was reversed to his teenage years, too," added the Kijin ancestor.
"Gufadgarn, what surprised us is that you yourself are residing in the vessel, not a spirit clone. We knew that you were hermaphroditic or asexual, but… I think you were a little too decisive," said Deeana.
"I gave it some thought, and this was the best way to adhere to Zakkart's wishes. With that being the case, there was no reason to hesitate," said Gufadgarn.
"Even if that's true, I think that a god would normally allow him to meet a beautiful girl rather than become one himself. It is not as if you are a goddess from the age of the gods."
"… I did not think of that option," said Gufadgarn, clearly taken aback despite her face still being mask-like and expressionless. "Such deep thoughts… I can understand why the Demon King's army was defeated."
"No, it isn't anything special," said Deeana, giving a bitter smile. "I have heard that Zuruwarn advocated that we should at least do that much for the champions, as they were summoned into this world that they have no connection to. Ricklent also said that the champions' will would take root more firmly in this world if they had lovers and friends, and nobody objected to it."
It wasn't just Gufadgarn who was surprised by Deeana's words.
"I've never heard that before," said Tiamat.
"… I've never heard that either," said Farmaun.
"Of course you haven't. These conversations took place before you were summoned," said Deeana. "And since there was no time to form relationships as the war grew fiercer, the only ones who ended up being successful in that regard were apparently you and Bellwood."
It seems that the mythical tales of Bellwood left out these facts.
"Did Zakkart, Ark and Nineroad not do those kinds of things?" asked Vandalieu.
"Zakkart, Ark and the other creation-oriented champions didn't go onto the frontlines much; things apparently didn't go well for them because they spent a lot of time holed up in their workshops," said Deeana. "In other words, they didn't have any opportunities to meet people, even if Vida, Ricklent and the others who summoned them might have expected otherwise."
"As for Nineroad, it must have been misfortune," said Tiamat. "Shizarion and the other gods merely gave them the opportunities to form bonds with the opposite sex… to become more than friends. They did not set up marriage meetings. Well, we are not the ones who devised this scheme, so if you wish to know more, it would be best to ask those responsible directly."
It seemed that the gods' intervention was merely introducing people to the champions and then leaving the rest up to them.
"Could it be, that time…" Farmaun murmured, looking up at Zantark, but Zantark gave a vague smile and looked away.
"I apologize for my incompetence, Vandalieu," said Gufadgarn, moving to get on her knees.
"No, no, just stay as you are now," said Vandalieu as he stopped her; he had the feeling that if Gufadgarn had been 'competent,' the situation would have certainly been even more ridiculous than it was now. "By the way, do you have any seals on the Demon King's fragments and the remnants of the Demon King's army?" he asked, trying to change the topic. "If you do, I'll dispose of them for our mutual benefit."
The seals suppressing the Demon King's fragments that were directly maintained by the gods were more secure than Orichalcum Artifact seals, but they also placed a great burden on the gods.
"Yeah, please do. But the ones I was in charge of are managed by Churches in the Amid Empire and Orbaume Kingdom, and I wasn't able to bring them with me," said Farmaun.
"Please do something about that," said Vandalieu.
"Sorry, that's impossible," said Farmaun. "About 50,000 years ago, if I'd predicted that you would come, I would have forcibly brought some with me, but…"
Back when Farmaun left Alda's forces, the Demon King's fragments were still just dangerous objects to the gods, not things that would be suitable as an offering. He didn't know how to turn them into Demon King equipment, and even if he could, it was difficult to imagine that the Majin and Kijin would be able to use such dangerous items.
"If he had concealed such items on him back then, we would have certainly suspected that he was up to something and driven him away," said the Majin ancestor.
"And going to take them back now is impossible," said Farmaun. "Alda is letting me manage the fire attribute to maintain the world, but… if I were to return, he might do something so that I can do nothing other than maintain it."
"I see. That's unfortunate," said Vandalieu.
"A-are you going to devour me after all?! N-no! I don't want to be destroyed!" Luvesfol cried, thrashing about in terror at the words 'dispose of.'
"You don't have to be scared. Van told you that the decision is on hold until we go back to Talosheim and see what Fidirg and the others think, didn't he?" said Pauvina, gently embracing Luvesfol's wings… or rather, holding them down.
"That's right, calm down," said Oniwaka, wrapping her arms firmly around Luvesfol's head.
They were treating Luvesfol like a small animal, but due to the special seal on him, he had the appearance and the strength of a Wyvern. To everyone else present here, he really was as weak as a small animal.
"… Yes, I apologize for causing a fuss. I am alright now," said Luvesfol, immobilized by Pauvina's smile.
She was three meters tall and didn't weigh much less than Luvesfol; it was entirely possible for her to crush him to death right now.
"That's good," Pauvina said cheerfully.
… Thinking about things calmly, Luvesfol realized that if he resisted and accidentally injured anyone, Vandalieu really would dispose of him.
But why is my judgment 'on hold,' while the remnants of the Demon King's army that have been sealed by Zantark and the others will be 'disposed of?' Luvesfol wondered suspiciously. Unlike me, the other remnant evil gods haven't directly caused him any losses.
But the answer was this: The difference between Luvesfol and the Demon King's army was that Luvesfol had directly begged Vandalieu to spare him. In other words, Vandalieu had taken pity on him.
Considering that, one might feel pity for the sealed evil gods that would not have the opportunity to beg to be spared, but that was a result of their past actions.
There was no point in removing the seals and trying to convince them to become allies if they ended up trying to escape and causing damage to their surroundings.
Zantark gave a roar.
"Zantark is saying, 'We have several fragments sealed. However, we cannot acquire the fragments in the hands of Alda's forces in the current situation,'" said Gufadgarn, interpreting it. "Perhaps this cannot be helped, as Alda had three champions on his side when the Demon King was defeated, and their Divine Realms were compatible with the seals."
On the other hand, Zantark had been insane and unable to participate in battle when the Demon King Guduranis was defeated. The sealed Demon King fragments he and his allies possessed were those that were entrusted to them when they rejoined Vida and her allies.
"When we retreated here after being defeated a hundred thousand years ago, we were throwing them and stuff at Alda's hounds. Looking back, I was so naïve back then," said the Kijin ancestor.
"… Kijin boss, I'm the one you were throwing them at," Farmaun pointed out.
It seemed that the fragments had been used to slow down Zantark's pursuers.
"I see. Alda and his followers proclaim themselves to be on the side of justice, so they couldn't allow the fragments to go out of control. They were forced to retrieve and seal them, and so they were slowed down," Gufadgarn murmured.
"We did actually stop, but… come to think of it, are you guys alright looking at us?" asked Farmaun. "Apart from the Undead, you're humans… aren't you?"
"I think it is enough that their only reaction is sweating…" said Tiamat.
The gods gathered here were powerful figures, but most of them were gods of this world. Thus, looking at them would not cause damage to the mind like evil gods would… though weak-willed individuals would still lose consciousness.
But there were also gods that had fused with evil gods, like Zantark and the bird beast-king Lafaz.
"Farmaun, none of them could be considered ordinary people. If they were so weak as to lose their sanity by looking upon us, they would have lost their sanity long ago by looking upon the champion," said the Majin ancestor.
"Indeed. I apologize to you all, but Master has the stranger appearance," said Luciliano.
"… Isn't it rude to say it like that? Though it's not like I don't know what you're talking about," said Vandalieu.
Vandalieu's companions were not only accustomed to seeing Vandalieu in battle with the Demon King's fragments activated, but all of them had abilities beyond ordinary people, including Luciliano.
For the Undead, insanity was their sanity. With all of these factors, the only effect that everyone felt was that they were sweating.
Vandalieu had the feeling that Oniwaka was coping by avoiding reality, however.
"There, there, good boy," she said, focusing her attention on Luvesfol.
"Leaving the Demon King's fragments aside, is it really alright for you to eat the evil gods in one sitting?" asked Deeana. "All of the ones we have sealed are the same kind as Ravovifard, so isn't it better to devour them one at a time?"
"Now that you mention it, they might cause indigestion," said Vandalieu, imagining the fatty lumps of meat.
They had been quite delicious, but it certainly seemed like it would be bad for the stomach if he ate them continuously. If it were real meat, he could put it on skewers, fry the excess fat off or add lemon juice to give it a refreshing flavor, however.
"No, that's not what I meant. I was worried that it might have effects on your body or mind," said Deeana.
"There is no hurry, Your Majesty, so let's go with eating one evil god per day," said Princess Levia.
But Vandalieu wasn't very aware of this. He had once acquired the Body Extension: Tongue Skill after eating an evil god, allowing him to stretch his tongue.
It was decided that he would eat one a day, as everyone was worried that it might be problematic if such things happened multiple times at once.
However, there were no problems with the Demon King's fragments, so Vandalieu absorbed them one after another.
"Phew, it is nice to be free from the Demon King's fragments. It has been a while since I felt this good. It is truly moving to know that the one who has achieved this is the great-great-grandchild of Vida-sama… How about creating a race with me?" asked Tiamat.
"You're too casual in inviting me to create a new race…" said Vandalieu.
"Bocchan already has several previously-arranged engagements!" Saria protested.
"Even if you're a god, please wait your turn!" said Rita.
"Muh, if there are already arranged engagements, then it cannot be helped. I thought that I could create a third race, following the Kiryujin and Maryujin," Tiamat murmured, withdrawing her offer.
TLN: Kanji-wise, Kiryujin and Maryujin are a mix of Kijin/Drakonid and Majin/Drakonid respectively
It seemed that things were different for a goddess like her, who had created children with various Elder Dragons, Colossi and beast-kings since the age of the gods.
Vandalieu and Oniwaka glanced at the Kijin and Majin ancestors, who were looking away and scratching their heads awkwardly.
"Many of our children were protected by Garess, the god of warriors, and Xerxes, the god of battle flags, but… because of that, there were less of our children that could escape with us."
"Because of that, we thought that the gods would need more children to become their followers, so that they could recover their power… right?" said the Majin ancestor.
That was how it was. Apparently, near this land that had become Zantark's Divine Realm, there was a large town inhabited by Kiryujin who possessed the features of both the Kijin and Drakonids, and the Maryujin who possessed the features of both Majin and Drakonids.
"We didn't hear anything about this from Schneider, though?" said Vandalieu.
"We did not want our old friends Zorcodrio or Jurizanapipe to know about them," said Tiamat. "It is a naïve thought."
It seemed that the existence of the Kiryujin and Maryujin hadn't been told to Schneider and his companions, as these races were not in any particular need of help.
It seemed that the parents of these races very much wanted to keep them a secret.
"Are you alright with telling me?" asked Vandalieu. "I'm not an old friend, but I suppose I've been invited to Vida's Divine Realm before…"
"… It is regrettable, but we cannot keep silent about the matter forever because of our own embarrassment," said Tiamat. "Also, we wish to ask of you things that Schneider and his companions cannot do."
"I see. I understand… Well then, I will absorb your fragment, so please stay still," said Vandalieu.
"Incidentally, the fragment that I have sealed is the auxiliary brain. Will there be no problems?" Tiamat asked.
The auxiliary brain – from what Vandalieu knew, he vaguely had the feeling that it was an organ that controlled the body. If he recalled correctly, it was not where memories were stored. He didn't know whether there were any organisms that actually had auxiliary brains, though.
"Have you ever felt the Demon King's will or seen his memories from it?" Vandalieu asked.
"No, I have not," Tiamat replied.
"Then it should be fine."
"You have acquired the Demon King's retinas, lens, compound eyes, lips, tongue, gills, auxiliary brain, blood vessels and tumors!"
"The Demon King's retina and lens have been added to the Demon King's eyeballs, and the Demon King's lips have been added to the Demon King's jaws!"
Vandalieu absorbed numerous fragments including the auxiliary brain, but he couldn't feel any signs of the Demon King's will or his memories. However, the fragments began to clamor in an unusual manner.
We've reunited with the main body! We've reunited with the main body! We've finally reunited with the main body!
We will be resurrected, right here, right now!
"The Demon King Fusion Skill has awakened into the Demon King Skill!"
Before Vandalieu could stop them, the fragments let out shouts of joy and, in the next moment, Demon King Fusion awakened into a superior Skill.
It seemed that the fragments considered the Demon King to have been resurrected.
"… This might be a little problematic. Excuse me, I want to talk to you about something," said Vandalieu, worried about possible effects of the Demon King Skill on him and deciding to consult the gods around him.