Chapter 101 – Meeting must Part

The so-called final operation, meant to escape Hell and gather energy, was utterly crushed.

Puss and Seire were stopped by Luciel, Nefertiti, and Yurishia (though Deus delivered the final blow, he confirmed their contribution as undeniable). Amdusias was blocked by Shabel and Etendard, failing to advance.

Of course, even the lowest ranking devil was still a devil. A monster beyond comparison to mere monsters.

“Master is seriously injured, and confined to the hospital room for a while, it seems. The Guardian General, thankfully, isn’t quite as badly injured, but he used his abilities to their limit, so he’ll need at least a few days of rest.”

Luciel, lying on the bed, relayed the news to Deus, who sat beside her.

“In any case, with this, the existence of devils is erased entirely, wouldn’t you agree, junior?”

“Well, to be precise, two still remain, though.”

“…Um, please, even as a joke, don’t say things like that. Do you know how much Astaroth and Jarvis freak out every time they hear something like that?”

Not as a joke or a prank, but genuinely. Whenever Deus said anything similar, the two devils would spasm, shrieking about how they had already surrendered.

So much so, that whenever they found the opportunity, they would approach Luciel and ask several times, “We are still part of the Empire, right? Your Highness?”

The image was still vivid. Deus, smiling, folding a devil and killing it.

No metaphor or exaggeration involved. Simply, genuinely, folding it up all crinkled to kill it.

So skilled in the folding, it turned into something like a ball, all rolled up.

‘And even handing it over to the Empire’s Special Forces division, telling them to use it as proof of our victory.’

If Astaroth and Jarvis *weren’t* terrified, that would be more suspicious.

If she herself had been a devil, she was certain she would be performing tricks in front of Deus.

Terrifying appearance aside, who could stand upright, knowing they could be folded?

“Senior, you’ve worked so hard as well.”

“Just doing what I always do, you know.”

Hard work. Actually, that was a little off, too. She, Nefertiti, and Yurishia fought with all their might, but this man before her simply smiled and ended it with his two hands.

‘Perhaps we weren’t so useful after all―’

—*Thwack!*

“Gahh!!”

Stars burst before her eyes in an instant. Her forehead throbbed to the point of burning.

Wondering what sort of thunderbolt this was, she looked up to see Deus slowly retracting his hand.

“Junior!”

“Yes, Senior?”

“Are you trying to kill me?! Junior, your strength is too much!”

“I was holding back.”

If that was holding back, how strong was he, really? He could probably kill a devil with a flick on the forehead.

While Luciel rubbed her forehead, which had turned red in an instant, Deus clicked his tongue lightly and spoke.

“Don’t think like that.”

“Huh?”

“That it’s pointless for Senior to put in effort, or that you’re useless with me around. Senior, you weren’t perhaps thinking of handing over all the duty, romance, and sin to me, were you?”

“What….”

Luciel, about to ask what he meant, soon bit her lip.

Yes. Though it was only for a moment, I had such a foolish thought.

Why was it all for naught? Why was it all so useless? It was my greatest triumph, even.

Recall. Even in the incident at the very start of the semester, I couldn’t even wound the enemy.

The demon Jagan was, back then, a monster I couldn’t hope to withstand.

But now? What has a demon become for Luciel himself?

No longer an insurmountable mountain, but an opponent I might overcome with a little more effort.

No longer an invincible foe, but a fortress I could conquer.

“And this isn’t the end of it. As I said, gates are still being created, and monsters still target the Empire and its people. What does that tell you?”

“That someday, more demons will appear here,”

The reply came not from Luciel, but from the opposite bed.

“Why are you suddenly like this, Luciel-senpai? If you act like this, this student council president, who has always trusted you the most, will be very troubled.”

“…Ahem. Forgive me, my juniors. It seems I had a moment of softness.”

Yes. Exactly that. A truly absurd, pathetic sentiment.

It’s not the end. In fact, it’s only just beginning.

The calamities we’ve known were just mere preludes to what is coming.

And I dared to have such a foolish thought, now that I’m only just starting to fight the true menace.

—Knock knock.

“Everyone. It’s Jarvis. I’m coming in.”

A cautious knock. And a polite voice.

To that, Luciel and Nefertiti whispered, “How could anyone mistake him for a demon?” (Yurisiah was fast asleep in the bed next to them.)

“Ah. Deus-sama is also here, I see.”

“You’ve arrived. I was just about to look for you and Astaroth next.”

Jarvis looked startled. The two female students were equally surprised.

“…If I may ask, what is the reason?”

“To finish cleaning up. Would that make you all panic?”

“Please don’t even joke about that.”

“Sorry. So, to answer your question, I have a few things I want to ask.”

“Ask here! I came just in time!”

Jarvis urgently stopped Astaroth, who had dramatically made entrance with a boisterous spirit.

There were still patients here, and one was sound asleep. Absolute silence was a must.

“Did you really wipe out hell completely?”

Sitting on a folding chair, Astaroth threw out the question.

“Yes. To be precise, I wiped out everyone in it.”

“…A bit anticlimactic, isn’t it? I never imagined it would end like this.”

Because the king who was supposed to descend and lead them had stabbed them in the back.

Deus couldn’t bring himself to say those words aloud. Explaining the details would take far too long.

“But you see, Astaroth, if hell itself really disappeared, you wouldn’t be able to be here either.”

“…Does it work like that?”

“You’re bound to that place. That’s why you open gates to come here and use energy. For now, you’re getting by with magic, but…”

“Well… I guess so?”

“So it is. Hell didn’t end, wasn’t erased, didn’t vanish. It merely retreated for a time.”

Retreated for a time. At those words, the two demons glanced at Deus, as if asking for confirmation.

“He said it was a preordained fate. The last one remaining.”

“The last one remaining, you say.”

“Belial.”

“…If it’s that b*stard saying it, it must be true.”

“When the time comes, beings like them will return in the same manner.”

Luciel and Nefertiti looked visibly strained at Deus’s confident pronouncement.

Does that mean the demons could return? Those fearsome entities?

Though they had triumphed, it wasn’t without cost, and now to face them again, someday in the unknown future?

“Which is why we truly must go then, seniors.”

“Hmm?”

“You don’t think they created the Helldivers for nothing, do you?”

“Huh? If we go, what about here—”

“By then, these two demons will be here. And you seniors can train more juniors in the meantime. It will all work out.”

“W-Where are we going?!”

Yuricia suddenly bolted upright from her sleep, flailing about.

She looked like a puppy, woken to the promise of treats.

“Junior Yuricia? It’s nothing. Go back to sleep. Sleep.”

“B-But! Just now, Deus said Helldiver!”

“Not yet, they say. So you can sleep more.”

Then, with a subtle glance, Jarvis quickly moved to put Yuricia back to sleep.

The scene was comical, but no one seated could bring themselves to laugh.

*‘They will return someday. Those demons.’*

*‘We absolutely cannot slacken in our training.’*

*‘What? Does that mean the dead ones are resurrected?’*

Each wore a noticeably complex expression.

“Now.”

But Deus cleared away all their worries with a single word.

“You’re not thinking of handing this world over to the demons now, are you?”

“Of course not, Junior.”

“Absolutely not.”

“And you two. You’re not thinking of betraying us again, are you?”

“Are you insane?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Then the answer is settled. Is there anything different or wrong?”

Everyone shook their heads. Because nothing, in truth, was wrong.

Except, to be honest, if anyone had dared to voice an objection there…

Deus would likely have chuckled and approached them, saying, ‘Say that again. What did you just say?’ It wasn’t as if that didn’t play a part in their agreement.

“And in truth, it won’t be long.”

“Not long at all, you say.”

“Two years at most. One year, if we’re lucky.”

“Ehhh? That’s, that’s so short, *hoobae*-nim?!”

“You speak the obvious, *hwejang*-nim.”

Obvious? Not in the slightest! At Nefertiti’s silent cry, Deus clicked his tongue.

Surely, a proper rest and training period should come before the next chapter, no?

“So, once everyone’s discharged, let’s all work even harder than before.”

Perhaps they hadn’t failed to eliminate Hell, but simply hadn’t wanted to?

The two female students and two demons shared, unknowingly, the same thought.