95 – A Cascade of Grief

[Bloody hell……son of a b*tch!]

Leviathan, at last, could no longer maintain her interference and was ejected.

The authority to freely manipulate time once again reverted from her to Asmodeus.

It was merely a fragment of Asmodeus’s power, a level that a single mortal could withstand within their own body.

And yet, even maintaining interference with that sliver was becoming increasingly difficult.

It was a moment to truly grasp the scale of Asmodeus’s expanded divinity, transcending dimensions.

Leviathan slowly turned to gaze upon Satan and Belphegor.

Belphegor remained expressionless, while Satan’s steel body was glowing red-hot across its majority.

[What in damnation were you doing? While I was interfering, you should have finished it! What were you doing?!]

At Leviathan’s furious outburst, Satan finally lost control and unleashed a colossal roar.

The echoing reverberations shook the entire spirit realm, but to Leviathan, it was merely a foolish display.

[The followers of the Lord of Wrath are past their prime, it seems. Unable to even handle a single Chosen of Lust, and then swept away.]

[Watch your tongue, Envy. Before I tear it from your head.]

Satan snarled, but Envy only chuckled.

[Why don’t you take that righteous fury and unleash it on Asmodeus? You can’t even deal with her, yet you come here to b*tch at me.]

[You damned b*tch!!]

Finally, Satan drew his greatsword, a weapon that was like an extension of his very self.

Valtaruk, a demonic blade forged from the collected grudges and rage offered by Satan’s followers.

But Envy only scoffed at the sight, drawing her own whip.

[You think weapons are exclusive to you? Fine. Let’s take this to the bitter end. You empty-headed, imbecilic moron!!]

At this rate, they would self-destruct through internal strife.

Finally, the ever-weary Sloth, having seen enough, intervened to stop the two Demon Lords.

[Enough!! Asmodeus is still standing, and you’re going to destroy yourselves with infighting?]

[Don’t stop me, Sloth. I’ll kill this…]

[The entire human realm will be consumed by Asmodeus!! Are you going to let that b*stard devour everything you’ve spent 300 years building? Lucifer was right! Seeing it firsthand has made that abundantly clear! If we don’t stop it now, we never will! Why can’t you see that!!]

Belphegor’s outburst finally subdued the Lord of Wrath and the Lord of Envy.

Or rather…

[That damned b*stard isn’t going to devour *everything* I have.]

Satan regained his composure, driven by a fury greater than his anger towards the Lord of Envy.

[That harlot won’t swallow up all my investments.]

Leviathan’s fury toward Satan was eclipsed by the realization that she could not stomach the success of the one she envied most after so long.

[The Saint proved to be far too powerful in this affair, that much is certain. And Kanya. It’s clear she’s not someone to be underestimated either. What are we going to do now? We need a plan.]

Belphegor’s words prompted Satan to seethe.

[We’ll deploy more followers. If a hundred wasn’t enough, we’ll send a thousand. No. Let’s deploy ten thousand. If I send all my followers, we can win.]

[There isn’t room for that, you bloody idiot. The space I can influence and expand is limited. There isn’t enough space for ten thousand.]

Leviathan’s words were seconded by Belphegor.

[Moreover, deploying too many weakens our own divinity. We confirmed in this affair that the Saint is capable of wide-area attacks, right? We could fight, sure, but we don’t know how many followers we’ll lose. Even if we regain possession of Velia, our chances of defeating Asmodeus will only decrease further.]

Belphegor’s words caused Satan’s armor, which had been smoldering, to flare with intense light.

[Why can’t I manifest directly, like that Mammon fool?! That way, I wouldn’t risk losing followers, and no matter how strong that saint is, he couldn’t possibly win!]

Leviathan scoffed at that.

[Don’t you know? Mammon tried that, and Asmodeus devoured his main body. Our core essence is far safer in the spirit realm.]

[Then what in damnation are we supposed to do?!]

Satan’s roar was met with a sudden, heavy silence.

What to do?

Fighting in the spirit realm was no guarantee of victory.

In the worst case, Asmodeus could devour all three Divine Aspects and become an unassailable behemoth.

Fighting among the followers in the human realm was safest, but the problem lay with the saint and that monster, Kanya, and their freakish combat abilities.

Again, no guarantee of victory. In fact, a grave mistake could result in the massive loss of followers, weakening the Divine Aspects of all three Demon Lords.

This won’t work. That won’t either.

The frustration was maddening.

Eventually.

[The three of us alone are not enough.]

A cold diagnosis of reality dripped from Leviathan’s lips.

[We have to ask Lucifer for help. There is no other variable. At best, we’re looking at a fifty-fifty chance of winning against Asmodeus, or we continue to lose followers. That’s it.]

There was no opposition.

Experience had taught them this was no time to be stubborn.

Asmodeus had become monstrously powerful after consuming Mammon, and at this rate, he might swallow the human realm whole.

The three Demon Lords returned to Hell.

And sought out Lucifer.

[So… you need my assistance?]

[Yes, Lucifer.]

Belphegor’s words prompted a hollow laugh from Lucifer.

[Damnation. Nothing ever comes easy, does it?]

Another chain materialized in Lucifer’s hand.

He gripped the black chain firmly and tugged.

[I’ve placed one more restriction on Asmodeus. The saint will no longer be able to use his time-stop ability. I have forbidden his most potent power. Is that sufficient?]

The three Demon Lords’ faces brightened at his words.

But Lucifer’s expression remained grim.

His hand gripping the chain twitched ever so slightly.

A symptom of the unexpected expenditure of power.

[I can’t maintain it for long. The resistance of the Pantheon grows stronger by the day. Controlling Asmodeus on top of that is proving difficult even for me. Seven days is all the time I can grant you.]

[That will be enough.]

Leviathan laughed.

[My followers haven’t suffered any losses. If I mobilize them, we can easily separate the two.]

[I shall trust you. If you fail after I have gone to such lengths… you will pay the price.]

Lucifer’s voice was calm, as always, but the resonance within was anything but.

A chilling dread washed over the three Demon Lords, and they hastily returned to the spirit realm.

The center of the operation was no longer Satan, nor Belphegor, but Leviathan.

She hadn’t lost her followers, not yet.

“[I’ll get my followers moving. But that alone won’t be enough. I need both of your help.]”

“[Speak.]”

“[What is it you need?]”

Leviathan looked to Belphegor.

“[You possess a treasure, the next most precious thing to you after Belia, no? I require that thing from you.]”

Belphegor’s face twisted, a mask of utter refusal. She did not want to part with it.

But the answer that came forth bore no resemblance to her expression.

“[…It must be a success. A guarantee of such.]”

“[Of course. And, Satan, your sword. Valtaruq is needed.]”

“[Valtaruq?]”

“[That sword will be given to Belphegor’s treasure. It will handle the Saint, while my followers deal with Canya.]”

Satan’s face, too, contorted in displeasure.

Yet, with a trembling hand, he could only offer his sword.

“[That sword is far too strong for a mortal to wield. Its power must be somewhat diminished before it is entrusted to them.]”

“[I am aware. Worry not.]”

Leviathan, with a gleeful grin, accepted Belphegor’s most cherished possession—Belia’s lesser—and Satan’s cursed blade.

Slowly, she gazed down upon the Saint below.

A warped smile twisted the lips of Envy.

“[This will be *most* amusing. Amael. Do anticipate.]”

*

The bodies of Satan and the slothful followers, now dead, soon began to melt away.

Reduced to a puddle of blood without so much as a bone remaining, there was no need for digging or burying.

Meanwhile.

Canya was seizing the firearms of the fallen followers, arming herself.

“With my limbs as they are, I had difficulty wielding cold steel properly, but these guns, they solve that problem.”

Revolvers.

Bolt-action rifles.

And across her chest and waist, she wore bandoliers filled with ammunition.

I chuckled, watching Canya expertly inspecting the weapons.

“I never imagined you were so adept with firearms.”

“It is my goddess’s blessing. She grants proficiency with all manner of weapons. I couldn’t remain a burden forever, could I?”

“Reassuring. Shall we proceed then?”

I knelt, offering Canya my back.

Canya climbed onto my back.

“How long until we arrive?”

“It won’t be long.”

At my words, Canya hugged me tightly around the back of my neck.

“…Thank you.”

“This is for my own sake. There’s no need for thanks. Ready? We move?”

“Aye.”

I made sure Kania was pressed tight against my back, ready to bolt.

[WARNING!!]

[Ability Usage Restricted!]

[Time Stop Unavailable!]

If that sudden red warning hadn’t flashed before my eyes, I probably would have sped off already.

Suddenly, I started to hear the wind.

I could feel the chill.

The world’s frozen time abruptly began to flow again.

[What? What’s going on? Time Stop just vanished?]

I was just as bewildered as Kon’s panicked voice.

[Skill Unavailable!]

[Skill Unavailable!]

I tried to use it again and again, but the response was always the same.

I couldn’t use it anymore.

“W-what is it? Why’s time…?”

“I don’t know either. This is bad.”

The all-purpose armor and weapon had vanished.

[…This feels like a set-up, doesn’t it?]

I agreed.

This situation was impossible to explain unless it was something the three Demon Lords had deliberately orchestrated.

[If the three Demon Lords aren’t fools, they won’t miss this timing. Amael, let’s move! If we don’t hurry…]

Just as Kon was speaking frantically, the space in front of us ripped apart, vertically. As if they waited for it.

And from within, a figure slowly began to walk out.

My eyes widened.

Kania started to tremble.

Kon, well…

[Shit, I think we’re fucked? What is *that*?]

A crude, but devastatingly accurate one-liner.

My fists clenched.

This didn’t look like an easy opponent.

And for good reason.

“…Legiones Ketratu?”

The being who had stood guard beside Iomene, emerged from the rift.

The difference being…

Unlike the Ketratu soldiers who wore pure white armor, the entity before me was clad in armor dyed pitch black.

Instead of Dullanere’s insignia, it bore the mark of the Sloth Demon Lord engraved upon its armor.

It held a burning sword, radiating immense danger.

And through the gaps in the armor’s helmet, a malevolent red glow pulsed.

And then.

The fact that he was aiming a cannon-like pistol at me from his hip.