Chapter 157  : Palladium

The moment Seiya fell to his knees another presence descended from the sky.

The pose was almost identical to when Seiya had come down…but their intimidating presence was on a completely different level.

A beautiful and handsome face with body wrapped in dark red lightning.

An appearance more sinister and Divine than Seiya’s.

I didn’t know this person. This was our first meeting.

However…I already understood.

「You’re the Evil God.」

「That’s right.」

Man or woman, old or young…a voice which couldn’t be categorized.

But even so, it sent shivers down my spine.

「E-evil God!? That can’t b-uwa!」

The Evil God held their hand out——and Seiya’s body was ripped in half.

His body collapsed as his eyes stared outwards in fear and shock.

One blow.

Seiya was defeated in a single blow.

Seiya’s broken body began leaking white particles of light. The Evil God raised their hand once more and began to draw them in.

「As if I’ll let you!」

I held my DORECA and made 100 swords directly inside the Evil God’s body!

Shiin

Nothing happened.

「Onii-chan!?」

「Why? Why aren’t they being made!?」

「Just wait a little bit.」

The Evil God said and continued to draw in the light.

「Ah, ahh……」

The amnesiac Goddess began to shake as she remained collapsed on the ground.

Her reaction broke me out of my stupor.

「Ku crap! If making it directly inside doesn’t work then I’ll…!」

I opened my DORECA menu and created a stone house!

I grabbed it to throw…or I tried to.

「Why…why can’t I?」

「I said…to wait a bit didn’t I?」

「Like we’ll wait for you desuno!」

「Papa-sama’s enemy dano!」

Mother and Daughter took out their Gradiks.

They pulled back and shot arrows at the Evil God.

The arrows split up in midair and became several arrows of light.

The shotgun bow Gradik. It was the weapon I had made fro my slaves using my DORECA.

「Fufu」

The Evil God didn’t dodge. It took the arrows with its body.

The moment they hit they disappeared as if they’d been sucked inside the Evil God’s body.

「That can’t be……」

「Not yet dano!」

Lilia was dumbfounded but Arisa continued shooting.

But it didn’t work. The arrows didn’t work on the Evil God at all.

「…in that case!」

I closed my DORECA grabbed a sharp arrow from Lilia’s quiver and charged at the Evil God.

「Ara~ how fast.」

「Haaa!」

I held it as close to the base as possible so it wouldn’t break and stabbed at the Evil God with all my strength.

It hit……but I didn’t feel any feedback.

「That kind of thing won’t work~」

「Then!」

I let go of the arrow and attacked with my bare hands.

I strengthened my blow and struck with my elbow.

「Didn’t I ask you not to bother me?」

「——ku!」

The Evil God simply reached out and grabbed my elbow, stopping it. Then it started to tighten its grip.

My bones groaned and my joint screamed in agony.

「Onii-chan!」

Lilia leapt forward and aimed the Gradik at point blank.

「Don’t come Lilia!」

「Eei!」

「What a bad child to play with toys like that.」

The Evil God pointed their hand out once more and the dark red lightning crackled with power.

Its hand was pointed right at Lilia.

「Here’s your punishment!」

「——I won’t let you!」

I shook off the Evil God’s hand and squeezed the power of my body into a punch aimed straight at the hand pointed at Lilia.

This time I could feel the impact, the Evil God’s hand was forced in a different direction.

At that moment a black ball shot out of its hand.

It was around the size of a marble and completely enveloped in lightning. An ominous orb.

It shot into the ground and created a 3 meter diameter crater!

「Hii!」

「Fall back Lilia!」

「But Onii-chan!」

「Just get back! It’s an order!」

Hearing the word ‘order’ she finally took her distance. She grouped with Arisa and backed away.

After making sure they did I confronted the Evil God again.

「You’re not attacking anymore?」

「You’re……taking in the Goddess’s power right?」

「Answering a question with a question…what a bad child.」

「I don’t know if you’ve been alive all this time or you’ve revived…but you used Seiya right? Since you could never reach the Goddess with your own power you had to use Seiya who had a connection to her.」

「I like smart kids.」

「Then you went on to kill Seiya who had stolen the Goddess’s powers and now you are taking them. Everything is going according to plan.」

「Yes indeed.」

The light flowing from Seiya’s body finally stopped.

The Evil God finished taking in the light and dropped its hand. It then turned to face me completely.

I could somehow see the satisfaction it felt.

「You did well to come this far boy. Your tenacity caused me some worries but it was a good way to kill time.」

「The fighting between me and Seiya was a way to kill time huh?」

「I also enjoyed your country building. I honestly thought that humans reviving to such a degree was impossible. Allowing me to see such miraculous progress was the highest form of enjoyment.」

「I didn’t do it for your enjoyment.」

「Then why did you do it at all?」

「Eh?」

「What a strange child. Who did you do all this for? Why did you work so hard to restore the world?」

「That’s……」

For who did I do so?

………for what reason was I working to restore the world?

The Goddess had told me to restore the world and become King…I followed that because it sounded good.

I became King. I made a country surpassing 10,000 people and got myself 12 slaves.

I went with the flow until I had nothing really left to do.

But why did I do all this?

I advanced without a true goal in mind.

Why had I continued to restore the world?

「Hey how can you say such things desuno?」

「I won’t forgive those who insult Papa-sama!」

I heard Lilia and Arisa cry out from behind me. They were completely agitated hearing what they considered an insult to my honor.

………fu.

「What strange children.」

「You like that line huh?」

「You’re the strangest one. They’re Eternal Slaves, slaves for eternity. Yet you don’t treat them as such. You’re the first one to work daily to allow them to smile you know?」

「Is that so? Having them smile is meaningful though. They work their hardest for their Master and hold his well-being high above their own. Why wouldn’t you want to reward such lovable slaves?」

「I really can’t understand you. A strange child. A child beyond understanding.」

「Strange…huh?」

「Things that you can’t understand are fearful. That’s right. I fear you.」

The Evil God said but I couldn’t hear a single iota of fear in its voice.

In fact it sounded like a joke.

But somehow…

In some way…

I wondered if that wasn’t the case.

「So that’s why you sealed my powers?」

I said and displayed my DORECA.

「That’s right. I interfered so you can’t use that power.」

「For an Evil God you sure are cautious.」

「I’m afraid of you after all.」

……It was most likely a different emotion than the one humans called 「fear」, but the Evil God was certainly treating me specially.

That’s why it jammed my DORECA.

So that I couldn’t use it.

「And then you took the Goddess’s powers.」

「This time I can end this world. The Hero is no longer here and the humans haven’t revived enough to resist. Your power has been sealed as well.」

「………」

「This time for sure…」

This was terrible.

I tried to make things once more with my DORECA but I couldn’t feel anything.

Around 90% of my power came from the DORECA. With that sealed I was almost just a human.

This was……incredibly bad.

「Ok then, how about you die? I can’t leave the root of the problem. I’ll have to erase you here.」

「………」

「Alright.」

The Evil God raised its hand.

At that moment two silhouettes appeared before me.

Arms spread my two slaves stood in front of me.

Lilia and Arisa…mother and child stood out to cover me.

「I won’t let you kill Onii-chan.」

「You can’t get him without getting through us dano.」

「Brave children.」

The Evil God fired the black orb without hesitation.

The same as before…the orb covered in lightning.

The power to destroy the ground flew at them, but Lilia and Arisa didn’t try to run.

They just stood protecting me.

「……fuu!」

I grabbed the backs of their dresses and threw them behind me with all my strength.

「Onii-chan?」

「Papa-sama?」

「Who said to cover me? You’re not allowed to die before me. It’s an order.」

「Onii-chan!」

「Papa-sama!」

The two of them shrieked at the sight of the black orb attacking me.

My memories flowed through my mind.

The summoning, the battles with monsters, the making of my country…

And the meetings with my slaves.

Ahh…this was my life flashing before my eyes.

I’m going to die.

The moment felt like an eternity…but it couldn’t last. Finally the black orb hit my body.

The shock pierced through my body and I felt like I was being torn apart.

「What a sturdy child…no wait it might be my fault. My power and the Goddess’s hasn’t completely melded.」

The Evil God muttered to itself.

「Whatever. I’ll digest the Goddess’s power later. Right now just my power alone is enough.」

It raised its hand once more. It would come again.

I held up my DORECA desperately. The DORECA that had seen me through every pinch I’d been in. I held up my last ray of hope.

But it remained silent.

「It’s impossible. I’m blocking it.」

「………」

I see…it’s impossible.

Then it can’t be helped.

I resigned myself. If I can’t use the DORECA then it can’t be helped.

I had a few regrets…if I had to say……I wish that at least all my slaves would be here with me……

Boom!

I felt a shock run through my body.

A shock that was weaker in comparison to the black orb.

What? I wondered when I saw the Goddess hugging me.

「You……why?」

She clung to me shivering and shaking her head.

「Then just die together.」

The Evil God raised its hand once more and I tried to shove the Goddess away.

Then something strange happened.

The Goddess’s bag lit up and suddenly my DORECA did as well.

What shone and floated up……was Seiya’s old card.

My second card.

The light strengthened and they melded into one.

After the light faded…only one card was left.

Palladium.

The name rose to the forefront of my mind.