• 298: We have been abandoned

Gods have abandoned humans?

No way. Then…we humans will…really be destroyed by the monsters?!

“…”

“Kuh…”

Celestis-chan and Mirack-chan looked as if they had their souls pierced by this reality.

They were frozen and couldn’t move from their place.

(Nice, nice!! The despair in your faces, it is the best! It was worth the trouble of stirring up Nova and inviting you people to this land!!) (Coacervate)

The God that was taking the form of a lizard was clapping with its front legs as if finding this amusing.

(Hey, Gabriel-san. It is as I said, wasn’t it? Never doubting the Gods, believing that they will always be loved by the Gods; the moment they realize that was just their own assumptions, that expression they show…! There’s no more fitting portrait for the catastrophe we have drawn!!) (Coacervate)

“How stimulating. It is said that at times tragedies are popular, but maybe this is also culture. This is a learning experience.” (Gabriel)

The Demon Lord Gabriel and the God Coacervate; the two were side by side as if they were sharing same beliefs.

Gods are our allies.

I didn’t doubt this once.

It was as natural as the sun rising from the east and sinking from the west; that’s how natural I thought Gods were watching over us humans.

But that wasn’t the case.

The Gods were angered by how the humans didn’t love them, and due to this, they have also stopped loving humans as well.

There have been claims that monsters were created as punishment to humans for being selfish.

Are you saying those claims were correct?

Are Gods really wishing for monsters to replace humans? For monsters to be the ones prospering in this surface world?

“To tell you the truth, this way of eradicating humans by changing them into undiluted lifeforce was taught to me by him. Accumulating it in this pond temporarily and releasing it all at once as well. The grandness of it when it happens, isn’t it the most fitting production for the long history of you humans?” (Gabriel)

Gabriel continues.

“The Gods have provided you humans with a beautiful end. Isn’t that the last pity they have given to you humans?” (Gabriel)

“There’s no end that’s beautiful.”

In substitute of us who were bound by the chains called despair, there was one shadow that moved swiftly.

That shadow ran fast around Gabriel.

Doraha-san.

“Eradication and death, it is always unsightly. That’s why humans fear extinction and try to avoid it by all means.” (Doraha)

(A survivor of the Underworld Country huh. The words of a human who has tasted eradication does have the convincing power!) (Coacervate)

The words of Coacervate that were mixed with ill-will didn’t make Doraha-san react.

“Little girl, still want to fight? I admit that you are a divine power user that’s a cut above the rest, but even with that, you are far from reaching us Demon Lords. Hasn’t that been proved already? Aside from the God Heroes, I would say that there’s only Kuromiya Haine who would be a match to us.” (Gabriel)

“True. But in order to fill in the gaps of strength that are hard to fill up, preparation will be what’s used to fill that up. And what’s needed for preparation is time.” (Doraha)

From the feet of Gabriel, the shadow beak appears once again and swallows the lower body of Gabriel.

The reason why Gabriel was easily caught must be because she thinks ‘she can escape at any time’.

“You wasted time in pointless chattering with Karen-sama and the others, and have allowed my preparations to finish. Learn that this is the cause of your defeat!” (Doraha)

Wa?!

The divine power of Doraha-san is radically increasing?!

“What a foolish girl. I will get out of this level of restrain instantly and turn you into undiluted lifeforce.” (Gabriel)

Gabriel begins to move —but she couldn’t.

She was clearly struggling, and yet, she couldn’t break away from the shadow beak of Doraha-san.

“?! What is the meaning of this?! I easily managed to destroy it before, and yet, this shadow is increasing in power?!” (Gabriel)

(You idiot! Getting caught off-guard! A shadow user increases in power by absorbing light!!) (Coacervate)

The lizard at the shoulder of Gabriel raised its voice in agitation.

Now that he mentions it…!

Our surroundings have turned dark as if clouds had blocked the sun.

Even though there were no clouds in  the sky, even though the sun is casting sunlight all over?!

“Oi! This abnormality…!” (Mirack)

“I feel like I have seen it before!” (Celestis)

Mirack-chan and Celestis-chan were flustered by this abnormality and their despair was lowering.

“If I remember correctly, this is what happened when Doraha destroyed the Golem of Sasae!” (Celestis)

“That time was also sunny, and yet, it suddenly turned dark, right?!” (Mirack)

Absorbing light, she changes it into power for her shadows!

“Ah!” (Karen)

No good!

In the fight with Sasae-chan, when Doraha-san made something like this happen, her powers went berserk and she was about to change into shadow.

It is because Yorishiro-sama was close that her sanity returned!

But right now there’s no Haine-san or Yorishiro-sama. If Doraha-san were to go berserk in this situation…..!

“I…I am…!!” (Doraha)

“No good! Doraha-san!!” (Karen)

“—I am…the unparalleled shadow user.” (Doraha)

Eh?

The phrase of Doraha-san is different.

The Doraha-san, that has been on berserk until now due to her grieve on the destruction of her country, was caught in her delusion of becoming their protector God, the Dark God Entropy.

‘I am the Dark God Entropy’, is what she told herself.

But right now it is different.

“—I…even if I have lost my homeland, due to my new connections, I have found a reason to fight.” (Doraha)

It was as if she were doing a chant in order to give herself purpose.

“Doraha?!” (Mirack)

“Doraha-chi?!” (Celestis)

Mirack-chan and Celestis-chan were also drawn in by that statement of Doraha-san.

“—Thus, I am invincible. There’s nothing my shadow can’t pierce. There’s nothing that my shadow can’t kill.” (Doraha)

The surroundings get steadily darker.

It is already night -even though it is broad daylight.

Doraha-san has absorbed all the light the sun is shining?!

(Gabriel! What are you taking your time for?! Quickly escape! An attack that has this much light accumulated, it would rival that of a God Hero!) (Coacervate)

“I can’t…! The restrain of this shadow is so strong…! It doesn’t even budge?!” (Gabriel)

No matter if Gabriel were to struggle, it was all too late.

Due to her hatred born from her fallen homeland, Doraha-san threw away her humanity once, however, she has returned in the current era and has gained connections with Yorishiro-sama and many others, and now, she has received a rebirth.

This is not an attack with the anger of things that she has lost, but an attack to protect what she has now.

Doraha-san is brandishing the power that had consumed her in the past once again.

(Gabriel! Now that it has come to this…!!) (Coacervate)

Too late.

“Be erased, [Shadow Cannon]!!” (Doraha)

What Doraha-san shot was the true definition of a black beam.

This shadow bombardment of wide radius enveloped Gabriel.

• 299: God Demon Lord

I could only describe it as amazing.

The bombardment Doraha-san released had power surpassing that of my Holy Light Line, and it stretched as if it could pierce the heavens.

The waves it created were also overwhelming and even us who were outside the range were hit by the gales.

“Uwa!” “Woah woah woah!”

We hurriedly guarded ourselves, and if we didn’t properly put our hands on the ground, it felt as if we would be blown away.

Because of the gales, even the undiluted lifeforce undulates heavily, and we were shivering at the prospect of it spilling out, but it looks like it managed to stay inside.

(That shadow girl…! To think that she could use so much power!” (Phalaris)

Phalaris-san –or maybe the Fire God, Nova-sama?– was also surprised by the shadow beam that Doraha-san shot.

That power completely rivaled that of a God Hero.

Being able to line up with God Heroes without borrowing the power of Gods, as I thought, Doraha-san is way too amazing.

“Gabriel got hit by that attack directly. She was bound by the shadow, evasion was obviously impossible!” (Mirack)

“This should be the end of the Demon Lord!” (Celestis)

Mirack-chan and Celestis-chan were sure that Doraha-san’s ultimate technique had completely erased Gabriel. I was also the same.

If she didn’t die from that, there’s nothing we would be able to do against the Demon Lord.

And yet…!

(“Fu…hahahahahaha!!”)

?!

Wa…that voice just now!

It is as if a voice that resonates directly in my head and a voice resonating through the air were overlapped!

(“That just now made me shiver. An unexpected danger.”)

What’s this?! What’s this voice?!

The cloud of dust made from the shadow beam of Doraha-san clears up.

Inside it, what appeared was…!

“Gabriel?!” (Karen)

No way! Even with an attack of that much power, the Demon Lord was not defeated?!

“No no, even I wouldn’t have been able to endure the attack just now. If I had been hit by it, there’s no doubt I would have died. If I were just a Demon Lord, that is.” (Gabriel)

(That’s right, but the current Gabriel-san is not just a Demon Lord.) (Coacervate)

As I thought, there’s two voices speaking.

What’s the meaning of this?

(Don’t you get it? It is the same. The same as your God Hero.) (Coacervate)

“Getting a super power-up by receiving a part of a God is a God Hero, right? Then, I who has been chosen by the Water God Coacervate, isn’t it fine for the same to happen?” (Gabriel)

?!

In other words…!

The Demon Lord Gabriel has received a part of the Water God Coacervate…

(“Water God Demon Lord”)

The cloud of dust had cleared up completely and the figure of Gabriel was clear to the sight.

At the forehead of Gabriel, a small lizard was sticking onto it. This small monster that calls itself the Water God Coacervate, rather than calling it sticking, it is more like it is completely adhered!

(I won’t do something as stingy as only giving a part, I have given everything to Gabriel-san. Right now Gabriel-san and I are completely one!) (Coacervate)

“That is the Water God Demon Lord, Gabriel. You humans finally were able to put the game on even grounds with your card of God Hero, and yet, with this, it returns to the previous relationship in power. Pitiful humans.” (Gabriel)

No way!

By having the help of Gods, we were finally able to bring it to an even battle with the Demon Lords…

So Gods have really abandoned humans? Did the Gods take the side of the Demon Lords?

(“Well then, let’s deal with the most troublesome one first.”)

The God Demon Lord Gabriel’s gaze is directed at her feet.

At that place, there is…!

“Doraha-san?!” (Karen)

Maybe because she had released a big attack, she is exhausted and her eyes are out of focus.

The God Demon Lord has approached right before her face, and yet, she can’t even react to it.

(“Bye bye, small troublesome one.”)

A super high-pressure water current was released from the hand of Gabriel and Doraha-san couldn’t even avoid it.

Being hit directly, she was swept by it and ends up falling inside the undiluted lifeforce pool.

*Splash*

And just like that, she sinks and didn’t surface.

“Doraha-san! Doraha-saaaaan!!!” (Karen)

Unable to make it in time, I ran close to the reserve pond and called Doraha-san, but as if obvious, there was no response.

(We ended up throwing her into the Ekhidna Spring without turning her into undiluted lifeforce…… It would be troublesome to have impure things mixing in it.) (Coacervate)

“Isn’t that fine. It is just one. After melting the other three, we will be discharging it all at once anyways.” (Gabriel)

Gabriel’s target had now turned to us.

““!!””

Mirack-chan and I stepped back out of fear.

Right now, the only one who can become a God Hero is Mirack-chan. But the Fire God Hero is on an incredibly disadvantageous position against the Water Demon Lord. Moreover, the current Gabriel has become one with Coacervate and became a Water God Demon Lord.

If it is a God Hero and a God Demon Lord, the difference in strength would basically be that of a hero and a Demon Lord; in other words, a great difference.

We have no cards to play!

“I actually have hope now.” (Celestis)

““?!””

Celestis-chan was the one who spoke.

What did you say, Celestis-chan? In this situation where there’s only despair, what hope did you get?!

“Gabriel has become a God Demon Lord, and it has been proved that the Water God has truly become the ally of the Demon Lords. But that has also proved one other thing. The proof of the God Heroes.” (Celestis)

…?

“If the Gods had all truly abandoned us humans, why was Karen-chi able to become a Light God Hero? Why was Mirack-chi able to become a Fire God Hero? A God Hero is actual proof that Gods are helping the humans. If Gods were truly wishing for the fall of humans, there’s no way they would help us!!” (Celestis)

That’s true.

I look at Mirack-chan who was able to become a God Hero thanks to the power of Nova-sama.

“Five Gods of Creation! There’s five Gods in total, they are not one single entity! There’s Gods with different ideologies. There may be Gods who hate humans, but there’s also Gods that love them. As long as the Gods belief in humans, humans won’t throw away hope!!” (Celestis)

(At the very least, your God has abandoned you though.) (Coacervate)

The lizard adhered to the forehead of Gabriel says -the Water God Coacervate that the Water Church worships.

(I am that very God after all. Leaving aside the idiots of the other churches, you alone have the right to despair. Now, what shall you do? Are you going to despair? Or are you going to do something as unsightly as changing your affiliation to another God now?) (Coacervate)

“Don’t joke! I won’t throw away my belief towards you!!” (Celestis)

Celestis-chan valiantly threw caustic words at her own God.

“My father is the Water Founder, and my mother is the best courtesan in the Water capital; that’s me, Re Celestis! I was raised in this Water capital, live in this city, and love the people here from the depths of my heart! The history this city has accumulated, the culture that it has knitted, the mixed art; I love them more than anyone else!!” (Celestis)

Celestis-chan had high pride as she announced this loudly.

“Water God! You are the very source of the Water Church, the Water capital! If I didn’t love you, then how would I be able to love everything that regards to Water?! Prepare yourself, Water God!! No matter how filthy or how underhanded of an existence you are, I will continue loving you!!” (Celestis)