Arifureta : King Of Demons

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"...Huh?"

Whose lips did that word escape from? Everyone present looked up at the sky, dumbfounded by the pitch-black sky.

...Night sky? That's impossible. It was almost noon. Even if regeneration magic were used, it wouldn't be able to advance the time of the world itself.

Besides, the pitch-black sky looked more like black paint had been splattered across it than a night sky, and most importantly, despite no light shining through, they could all clearly see each other.

A clear abnormality. Aldias immediately connected to Cattleya in the royal capital via "Thought Transmission."

"Cattleya, what's the situation there?"

"A-Aldias-sama!? Uh, the sky suddenly turned dark...! The people in the royal capital are in quite a panic too!!"

"So it's the same there. It's the same situation here. The reason is unknown, but I have a bad feeling. Maintain your vigilance."

"Hmph!!"

Aldias ended the "Thought Transmission" and conveyed the situation in the royal capital to Freed and Aletia, who were beside him.

"The royal capital seems to be in the same situation."

"A power that can interfere with such a wide area... It's not something ordinary."

"Then, this is..."

"Ah, he's here."

Freed and Aletia's gazes sharpened at Aldias's words.

Hajime asked them if they knew something about this.

"Hey, do you know what this is? I kind of get that it's not your doing, but..."

"...I have no definitive proof, but it must be. Such a phenomenon beyond human comprehension. It's safe to assume it's literally God's doing."

"What!? Wait a minute!! You killed Ehit, didn't you...!!"

"Ehit, yes... but Ehit and Alv aren't the only gods in this world. Ehit was originally an artificial god created by that God, and like the inhabitants of this world, he was merely a pawn on his chessboard."

" " "Tch!?" " "

At those words, Hajime and the people around him who had been listening to their conversation were speechless. They could never have imagined that the "God" who was lauded as the Creator God and worshipped was in the same position as "humanity," being used.

"Tch!!"

"Aldias?"

At that moment, Aldias suddenly looked up and glared at a single point.

Aletia tilted her head at his reaction, but a possibility flashed through her mind as he didn't even look at her, and she followed Aldias's gaze.

Perhaps it was inevitable that Aldias was the first to notice. There was no one else but Aldias who had felt Alv's presence so closely since birth and, more than anything, had harbored Ehit within his own body.

That's why he noticed faster than anyone else. There was no way he wouldn't notice. That abominably "divine presence."

—Crack!

At the point Aldias was staring at, a corner of the pitch-black sky. It suddenly cracked.

As everyone watched, the cracks spread sideways with a continuous cracking sound. And then, when the cracks had spread about three meters horizontally, they stopped.

—And then, the sky opened.

"Fufu, we've finally met."

Beyond the opened sky, against a backdrop of pure white light, contrasting with the pitch-black sky, an old man appeared.

At first glance, he seemed like a kindly old man with a gentle demeanor. But a tremendous chill ran through Hajime and the others who saw him.

He wasn't directing killing intent at them. In fact, the old man's gaze was directed at Aldias, and he hadn't even made eye contact with them. Nevertheless, their bodies unconsciously trembled, and they felt an urge to turn their backs and flee immediately.

This was no longer a difference in strength; it was a difference in species. Their biological instincts screamed that they couldn't win. They warned them to flee.

Especially Liliana and Aiko, who had little involvement in combat, had pale faces and looked like they might collapse at any moment. Their responsibility as royalty. Their responsibility as a teacher. Without that, they might have easily fled.

However, even so, they couldn't endure it. Just as their consciousness was about to fade, having finally exceeded their limits.

Requiem

A faint light emanated from Aldias, enveloping the people around him. Bathed in that light, the ominous chill Hajime and the others had felt earlier lessened, and warmth returned to their expressions.

Aldias glanced at them to confirm, then immediately returned his gaze to the old man in front of him.

"Are you the true God of this world?"

"Yes, that's right. Nice to meet you, Aldias-kun. My name is Spaß. Please be good to me from now on."

Aldias frowned openly at Spaß, who smiled gleefully.

No one else could interject between the two, who wore expressions that were polar opposites. However, in that atmosphere, a girl's voice, unfitting for the scene, was heard.

"Hey, Spaß-sama!? Don't just go off on your own! I can't tell left from right in this space by myself!!"

"Ah, I'm sorry. I completely forgot."

"This damn old man...!!"

A girl suddenly appeared from behind Spaß. The moment Kaori, Shizuku, and Suzu caught sight of her, their eyes widened. Her hair and eye color had changed, but there was no mistaking her. Especially for Suzu, she was her best friend, whose whereabouts had been unknown since the night before they were confined in the church, and whom she had worried about constantly.

"......Erilin?"

"Oh? It's Suzu. Long time no see~"

Eri, who had overheard Suzu's murmur, waved to Suzu with a smile. She was relieved that her best friend, whose whereabouts had been unknown, was alive. However, she was even more confused. Where had she been all this time? Why had her appearance changed? Why... was she there?

"Erilin! I was so worried about you!! I thought the church people might have killed you...!"

"Hmm? There's no way I'd be defeated by those lowlifes. Are you still empty-headed?"

"Eh? Eh, Eri...?"

Not only Suzu, but also Kaori and Shizuku froze at Eri's sudden insulting remark towards Suzu.

"Eri!! Suzu has been worried about you all this time!? You shouldn't say such things!?"

"Ah, geez, you're noisy. I never said I wanted you to worry about me. It's just meddling."

" "What!?" "

The two were dumbfounded by Eri's words, which were unimaginable from their memories. Ignoring them, Aldias questioned Spaß.

"...To put it bluntly. Why have you come?"

Aldias's stern expression was met with a friendly smile as he replied.

"Firstly, I wanted to meet you. Although he was elevated from a human, there's no doubt Ehit-kun possessed divine power. And you are a being capable of killing him. Without a doubt, you are arguably the strongest human in all the history I know."

"That's an honor... So, that's the first reason. There are others, aren't there?"

"Yes. The other is... I've come to declare war on this world."

Aldias's brows furrowed at the casually delivered words. Just from that exchange, the worst possible scenario he could imagine had surfaced.

"Declare war... for what purpose? Are you, like Ehit, the type who only sees us as pawns on a chessboard?"

Aldias asked, wondering if Spasswas perhaps better than Ehit, who came brazenly head-on. But Spasshimself widened his eyes and looked dumbfounded, as if he didn't understand why he was being asked such a question.

"Pawns? No, no, not at all. Humanity-kun is like a child to me, God. It's natural for a parent to care for their child, isn't it? I merely wish for your happiness."

"Then why declare war? What is the meaning of us fighting?"

"It's a simple matter. To promote further evolution in humanity and to bestow peace. There is no greater reason than that."

Aldias's gaze sharpened at Spaß's explanation. Perhaps unaware of the change in his expression, Spasscontinued speaking without a care.

"Yes... Let's tell an old story."

—The story of a foolish deity, brimming with hope, who dreamed of a glorious future...

Once upon a time, there was a God. Even God did not know when God came into existence. Without doing anything, God simply continued to drift in some unknown place, perhaps for hundreds of millions, trillions of years. No, in a world where the concept of time itself did not exist, even that was unknown.

One day, God realized that God had the power to create something. From then on, God acted quickly.

God created the entire world.

God drew ideal trajectories in the sky for the world.

God filled the empty world with life in the sea.

God connected the hopeful world with will on land.

—And then... God gave birth to humanity, God's children.

Before long, humanity multiplied, built nations, and flourished to the extreme. In that nation, everyone smiled. There was no discontent. Because they had God.

When hungry, God created food. When technology was needed, God taught knowledge. When power was desired, God shared divine power.

There was nothing that could not be obtained. A world without danger, where everyone could be equally happy.

God was undoubtedly satisfied. For God, the happiness of God's children was everything.

—And the nation that continued to receive God's blessings perished within a thousand years.

"....Huh!? No, no, no, wait a minute!? I don't get it! Why did it suddenly perish!?"

Hajime involuntarily interjected at the sudden demise of the nation. Undoubtedly, that "God" was the old man in front of them. The other members had similar expressions. However, Aldias, Aletia, Freed, and Liliana remained silent, their expressions unwavering. Having been deeply involved in running their nations, they understood why that nation had perished.

"It's a simple story. I was a foolish being who knew nothing. Do you understand, Nagumo Hajime-kun, why humanity has been able to prosper so much?"

"Well... because they have intelligence, I guess."

"Of course, that's part of it. But more than that, humanity is, above all else, a greedy creature."

The reason the nation perished... it was simply because humanity desired even greater wealth and fame.

Even God's blessings, if continually enjoyed, gradually became commonplace, and people began to desire more. Just as the grass is always greener on the other side, if someone gained more power, they would demand even more.

It was only when this situation arose that Spassfinally noticed the anomaly and decided to leave the nation for a while. By doing so, he hoped that people would forge their own future without relying on God's power, using the strength they inherently possessed...

Without considering that it would be the undoing of the world.

People who lost God's blessings mourned and grieved. A certain number of them began to grope their way forward on their own, but they despaired at the difference from before and gradually dwindled in number.

"And what began was a struggle among humans for the miracles I had left behind. It couldn't even be called a war... a hideous struggle where all of humanity in the nation took each other's lives for their own sake. A battle solely to satisfy their own desires."

If nothing new was created, then they would just take what already existed. They killed their own kind just to grasp past glory in their hands. What began as a small ripple, involving its surroundings, eventually transformed into a massive tsunami that led the world to ruin.

"Realizing my own failure, I decided to regenerate the ruined world and start anew. However, no matter how many times I tried, the result was the same..."

He was not so foolish as to repeat past mistakes.

At times, while guiding people as a god, he did not exercise his power. As a result, countless people died from illness, accidents, or war without living out their full lives.

At times, while watching over humanity, he did not reveal himself. As a result, people who lost resources due to natural disasters fought over limited resources, and much misfortune befell many people.

No matter how much effort he put in, no matter how much strategy he devised, humanity always started conflicts.

"That's when I thought. That an abnormal greed is the origin and original sin of humanity. It is because of desire that humanity seeks love, and as a means to obtain it, desires wisdom and power. You are the same."

He said, looking at Aldias.

"You want to protect your people. You want to save your comrades. These are certainly righteous emotions. However, they too are born from the murky karma of human desire."

"Tch!? You bastard!! If I just listen silently—Tch!!"

Freed, whose master had been insulted, flew into a rage and raised his voice, but Aldias held up a hand to stop him. He managed to suppress his anger, but his clenched fist spoke volumes about his emotions.

Magical power was subtly leaking from Aletia, who stood beside him. If Aldias weren't there, she might have unleashed magic at any moment.

"So? What do you ultimately want?"

"Humanity has followed the path of destruction countless times, but there was only one instance where they consistently joined hands and progressed on the path of evolution."

—That was the moment a common enemy of humanity appeared.

" " "Tch!?" " "

With those words, they all understood everything. The purpose and method of the God before them...

"A 'God' is not a being that guides humanity and bestows blessings. It is a permanent hostile existence as a wall for humanity. An absolute natural enemy that destroys humanity to promote its survival and evolution. That is the conclusion I reached."

Everyone stood stunned, unable to utter a word. They couldn't understand or empathize. It was as if they were told that humanity must eternally continue to fight to maintain peace.

"Don't speak such nonsense. Then how do you explain Ehit? He was worshipped in this world as a being who bestowed blessings and instigated conflicts among humans. That contradicts what you're saying."

"No, it doesn't? Certainly, wars among humans occurred, but that was merely for a few thousand years, wasn't it? In that process, Liberators were born to oppose Ehit-kun, and their power is now inherited by you. Their existence, and your existence, can undoubtedly be called a great step forward in the evolution of humanity."

"How many sacrifices do you think were made during those thousands of years...!"

"They were necessary sacrifices for evolution. A few thousand years is not a significant amount of time."

Aldias unconsciously clenched his fist.

He understood well. The "God" in front of him had fundamentally different values than they did. A human life, though it might seem long, was short. With some exceptions, most humans could not live for a thousand years. Whether it was due to lifespan, illness, or war... the reasons varied, but humans died quickly.

But for "God," a thousand years was probably a fleeting moment, passing in the blink of an eye.

Unlike humans who struggled desperately to live another day, this "God" saw a scene of the distant future.

There was no way they could understand each other.

"Then, what do you plan to do with Hajime and the others? They were merely forcibly brought to this world by Ehit."

"They were unexpected, even for me. I only wish for the evolution of humanity in this world. I have no intention of making them join in. If it's only them, who are not from this world, I can send them back immediately."

At those words, the Earth returnees involuntarily exchanged glances. The sudden possibility of returning to their original world brought a surge of joy, but also a great anxiety.

There was also the question of whether they could even trust the God in front of them, but the dire situation of the world, and the thought of leaving Liliana, who had become a close friend, left a knot in Kaori and the others' hearts.

Kaori looked at Hajime with an anxious expression. Considering Hajime's personality, regardless of the story's credibility, she thought he would choose to return without caring about Liliana and the others if it were truly possible.

However, Hajime himself was glaring at Spaß, his brows furrowed.

For Hajime, it didn't matter if the story was true or false. Because he had noticed a major flaw in Spaß's proposal.

"Only those who are not from this world... huh. In other words, you won't allow us to bring those who are from this world?"

"Eh? Does that mean..."

Only those who are not from this world—meaning, they cannot take Shia and the others, who are from this world.

"Yes, that's right. They are inhabitants of this world. Therefore, they have a duty to participate in this war, or at least witness it."

Even if the result leads to death. Hajime's gaze sharpened even further at Spaß, who continued.

"Then, I have no intention of going back... I promised, after all, that I'd take them to my world."

"Hajime-san...!"

Not only Shia, but also, though annoying, Tio was a precious comrade, and more than anything, he had a promise with Myuu. Hajime had no intention of breaking that promise to return.

"Are you sure? If the war begins, I have no intention of showing mercy. I have also observed your battles until now. I thought I could lend you power because of you, but..."

Spasswas implicitly saying that he had no intention of expending effort to send only the others back, but Hajime's mind remained unchanged. In the first place, if he weighed Shia and the others against his other classmates, the scales would never tip towards the classmates.

"I see. It will be very interesting to see what you, an inhabitant of another world, will show in this battle."

"You don't need to see Hajime's battle. I just need to strike you down here and now."

The next moment, magical power raged from Aldias, and behind him, six spears of shining red lightning, three meters long, appeared. The spears, wrapped in dazzling lightning, would surely pierce through their enemies and their very lives.

However, there was a girl who stopped Aldias.

"W-wait a minute!? Eri is there, my friend is there!?"

Suzu, who had been frozen in shock, regained her senses from the lightning's light and hastily called out to stop Aldias.

If the spears were launched as they were, Eri, who was right next to them, could also be caught in the collateral damage.

Suzu desperately cried out to protect Eri, but Aldias only glanced at her for a moment before immediately turning his gaze back.

"Friend, huh. At the very least, that's not the look you give a friend. It's safe to assume she's sided with God's faction."

"Eh? Eh, Eri? It's not true, is it? But, that person is..."

Suzu asked Eri, trembling. She wanted her to deny it. To say it wasn't true. That she wouldn't side with someone who was trying to destroy them...

In response to Suzu's almost pleading question, Eri smiled brightly.

That smile was completely different from anything Suzu had seen before, filled with a sickening madness.

"Ahahaha, as expected, the Demon Lord is different from those other fools; you're very understanding. That's right? I'm on this side. I've sided with Lord Spaß."

"W-why...!?"

"It's simple. To get kouki-kun. That's all."

"Huh? kouki?"

Why did kouki's name come up there...? Eri shook her head at the confused classmates, saying, "You're still so slow to understand, aren't you?" then began to explain patiently. Eri acted like a bard telling a passionate love story, but her words were the monologue of a mad girl that no one could understand.

Even Aldias and the others, who had only recognized Eri as one of the summoned, involuntarily furrowed their brows at her words.

Among them, Suzu's face had turned past pale to an ashen color. At the fact that she was nothing more than a convenient tool to Eri...

"Lord Spasspromised me. If I cooperate, he'll create a world just for kouki-kun and me. A miniature garden just for us, with no one to bother us!!"

Eri spoke with flushed cheeks, as if she didn't even notice Suzu's state.

"Eri!! You!!"

Shizuku roared in anger at the trampling of Suzu's heart. Kaori, beside her, also glared at Eri with narrowed eyes.

However, Eri seemed completely unconcerned by their angry looks, as if it was just wind in her ears...

"—He was supposed to create it, but..."

" " "Huh?" " "

Suzu and the others widened their eyes as Eri suddenly shed her previous madness and began to regain her composure.

Her eyes, which should have been shining brightly, were now half-closed with an expression of annoyance, and she sighed deeply, as if her mind was elsewhere.

"Oh dear, if you keep sighing so much, your happiness will escape you, you know?"

"Whose fault do you think that is?"

"......Could it be me?"

"...Haah."

Spass, seeing his own face and being met with another deep sigh, was shocked.

Spassflustered for a while, but then, perhaps judging it useless to think further, clapped his hands and changed the atmosphere.

"Well, well, I believe we both have much to discuss, but perhaps we can save that for next time? I don't intend to stay long—"

"There will be no next time."

Lightning Spear - Crimson Glow

Interrupting Spaß's words, Aldias's magic was unleashed.

The blazing spears, leaving light and sound behind, even abandoning their own trajectories, shot straight towards Spaß's head, limbs, and heart.

No one in the area could even react. It was a godspeed attack, so fast that it could only be perceived as piercing the enemy's life force.

—Except for one deity...

World Rebirth: Re-Universe

The words spun from the mouth of God. For some reason, everyone present heard them clearly.

—The next moment, everything was enveloped in light.

The dazzling light swallowed everything.

The Heiligh Kingdom... the Hellschar Empire... Ferbergen... the Demon Country Garland... even beyond the continent... it illuminated the entire world.

On that day, at that moment. Humanity across the world witnessed it. The light of destruction and rebirth enveloping the world.

"W-what happened?"

As the blinding torrent of light, which felt like an instant, subsided, Hajime slowly opened his eyes to see the exact same scenery as before.

"Tch!?—Shia! Tio! Kaori! Are you alright!?"

"Y-yes, we're fine!"

"What was that, 'tis true...?"

"Th-that was surprising..."

Hajime stood stunned for a moment, but then realized Shia and the others were safe. He quickly looked behind him and confirmed that the three, though confused, were unharmed.

He sighed in relief, then calmly surveyed his surroundings again, but Aldias and the others showed no signs of injury.

(What was that? Just a diversion? Even so, something feels off...)

Hajime couldn't understand what had happened, but Aldias was in the same boat.

(My magic disappeared? It wasn't blocked, nor was it dodged. It's as if the magic itself vanished...)

The magic he had fired at Spassdisappeared just before it pierced Spaß's body. Even if his vision was obscured, it was his own magic. He could tell if it hit or was blocked... but it simply disappeared.

"....What did you do?"

"Oh, I just thought I'd set the stage, you see?"

"The stage...?"

"Yes. Didn't I tell you? A declaration of war. This war isn't between you and me. It's a war between us, the Gods, and you, humanity."

As Aldias frowned, unable to understand Spaß's words, a "Thought Transmission" from Cattleya reached him.

"A-Aldias-sama!! U-uh... outside, outside is... changed, changed...!?"

However, she was flustered, stammering and unable to articulate properly.

"Calm down, Cattleya. What happened?"

"Th-the dragoons who were on high alert contacted us... G-Garland is there!!"

"Huh?"

"About two kilometers south of the royal capital! Our country... the Demon Country Garland has appeared!!"

"What...!!"

For the first time, Aldias's expression showed panic. Aletia and Freed also sensed that something unexpected had happened, and a bad feeling crossed Hajime's mind at Aldias's outburst.

Aldias immediately expanded his perception range, and indeed, from the same direction as Cattleya's report, he felt the magic of demonkind... and not just soldiers, but many civilians.

(No, that's not all! The surrounding terrain has changed!?)

Aldias's thoughts involuntarily stopped, but he quickly regained his composure and gave Cattleya instructions.

"Cattleya! Immediately send out a reconnaissance within a ten-kilometer radius of the royal capital!!"

"Eh? Y-yes! Understood!!"

Originally, due to Aldias's heightened alert, surveillance should have been conducted not only within the royal capital but also outside the city walls. Using dragons, it wouldn't take much time to confirm the situation.

Aldias, who had cut off the "Thought Transmission" with Cattleya, glared at Spaß.

"You bastard!"

"Fufu. It seems you've already noticed."

"Aldias, what happened?"

Aletia asked Aldias, representing everyone, and he answered, his gaze still fixed on Spaß.

"Cattleya reported. About two kilometers south of the royal capital, the Demon Country Garland suddenly appeared."

" "What!?" "

Aletia and Freed were speechless at that fact. Hajime and the others, who had been listening, didn't make a sound, but had similar reactions.

"That's not all. The terrain around the royal capital has clearly changed... And if my prediction is correct..."

Mid-sentence, Aldias pressed a finger to his temple, responding to something. It was probably a "Thought Transmission" from Cattleya.

"That was fast. As expected, it's not too far away... Ah, I see."

After cutting off the "Thought Transmission," Aldias, who muttered "As expected," with a hateful voice, resumed speaking.

"The Hellschar Empire, and even the Hartzina Sea of Trees, have appeared within a ten-kilometer radius of the royal capital. They've also discovered several cities, towns, and settlements that weren't there before."

" " "Tch!?" " "

No one could utter a sound anymore. In other words, if Aldias's words were correct, then nations and towns from all over the world had been transferred to the vicinity of the royal capital. No. This was already beyond the scope of mere transfer.

"He... remade the world...!?"

"Once, a great man said something like this: Behind destruction lies creation. Destruction and creation are two sides of the same coin. From my perspective, that is incorrect. One can create without destroying. One can destroy without creating. Destruction and creation are fundamentally the same concept. They are merely used differently based on individual values."

He continued,

"Didn't I say? This isn't just a battle between you and me. Can you unite humanity against me, an absolute enemy...? Show me. Your potential..."

"It's easy for you to say...!!"

They had prepared for a certain level of conflict to oppose God, but who could have imagined that nations would actually be moved closer together?

Then, the slowly cracking sky gradually began to close.

"Five days from now, when the sun rises high in the sky. That will be the hour of war."

"Bye-bye~"

"Eri! Wait!?"

Suzu desperately reached out to stop her, but Eri merely waved with a smile, showing no intention of responding.

"...One last thing, I'll ask."

"What is it?"

Even as he was already closed up to his waist, Aldias asked something he had felt since first seeing Spaß.

"You... have we met somewhere before?"

Even Freed and Aletia widened their eyes in astonishment at Aldias's remark.

"...? No, this should be the first time we've met directly...?"

However, Spasshimself, genuinely having no recollection, tilted his head and denied it. He had been watching Aldias for a long time, but it was purely one-sided observation; they had never met.

In the first place, it had been thousands, or even tens or hundreds of thousands of years since he last descended to the surface. Aldias hadn't even been born then.

"...I see."

Aldias remained silent for a while at that reply, then quickly nodded in return. It seemed even he didn't understand why he had asked such a question.

"I don't quite understand, but I have high expectations for you, Aldias-kun. I wish for happiness to befall humanity-kun."

With those final words, the sky completely closed.

As if in conjunction with that, the darkness that had covered the sky receded like clearing mist, and the blazing sun appeared, as if to warm the chilled ground.

While everyone stared blankly at the sky, speechless, Aldias alone distorted his expression in profound displeasure, and muttered quietly, to no one in particular.

"Wishes for our happiness to befall us... huh. Hmph, his guile seems inferior to Ehit's."

As if mocking Aldias's feelings, as dark clouds began to gather over a troublesome opponent, a cloudless blue sky looked down upon the kingdom.