Subjugating the Evil God

Why was I here? That question arose amid the torment. In excruciating agony, I was half out of my mind. No one truly understood—no one had asked me to go this far. There was no reason to risk my life that anyone could justify. Even Riko-chan and the goddess had tried to stop me, yet here I was, walking in on my own two feet. I'd charged ahead without once looking back.

Squeezing out my last reserves of strength, just a bare-handed hero who'd run in with nothing special to his name. Twisting courage from thin air. If I accepted this reality now, it felt like there'd be no going back. Had I lived this desperately? I didn't know. Others watch and judge your life, but they can never fully grasp your heart.

Standing alone before the evil god, I felt my legs trembling as I straightened my back. A hero is a solitary figure—the symbol of hope facing the Demon King alone. I couldn't afford to collapse pointlessly here. I'd felt it viscerally when my sword bounced off because I had no mana left. If I threw everything I had at her in this state, I'd lose without a doubt.

Underestimate me. Mock me endlessly. Come at me without hiding that urge to crush me right now.

The succubus pheromones worked even on the evil god. She couldn't tear her eyes away from me. When she turned charmed adventurers into living weapons and hurled them, a chill had run down my spine—I'd thought I was done for. But all I'd lost was one arm. I still had the other. That meant I could fight.

Trembling, I forced my exposed-bone fingers to move. My thumb twitched—proof the goddess's blessing lingered, proof some luck remained. I gasped for breath. How much blood had I lost? Maybe there'd be time for a potion. Raising my head, the inverted landscape came into view: the completely collapsed night sky. Melkerset, crumbling everything with a mere gesture. The stars and moon in the night sky were tinged pink, twisting into mocking, sneering faces.

A being who could mold her domain at will. She'd reached the realm of gods. I doubted the other evil gods matched her. Like a conductor, she waved both arms, and floating rocks formed fists. They shot toward me like light jabs, warping space, ignoring distance.

I slashed the oncoming rock fist in half with my spirit sword, but the split chunks morphed into an iron maiden, charging from both sides to trap me. I kicked off the ground desperately, charging straight at Melkerset.

"【If that's what you want】"

Snap—a lion barred my way. A king of a nation, heir to 300 years of glorious history and noble high-race blood. His calluses shed and reformed as he swung his sword. What had he spent his time on? Protecting his people? Preserving his kingdom? For his family? The value of a life built over years can't be traded for anything. Every human life holds its own noble worth, its own potential value. That's what I believed when I threw myself in front of that car to save a child. No regrets in death, no lingering attachments. Even now, facing a god-like being with just a sword—like something from a screen—I felt no fear of death.

I gritted my teeth and charged the lion. He parried my one-armed spirit sword swing, but he was the one pushed back. The succubus lord's awakened divinity ensnared everything in her domain in blind adoration of beauty—not just intelligent life. Without Clear Mind, even I might have fallen. Even that Clear Mind creaked under the strain; the god's presence was sublime, majestic, shaking my body.

I clashed swords with her guardian lion, shoving forward. The earlier one-sided assault had flipped. My spirit sword, knowing no limits, grew exponentially stronger the longer this dragged on—like expanding at cosmic speeds—overwhelming the Master rank as I closed the distance. But he was a Master. He deflected my superior power effortlessly, pressuring my spacing.

Aura erupted. Blasted by his mana shockwave, I skidded back, scraping the ground. The air quivered. Just his mana output warped the world like heat haze. I tried to advance, but my legs wouldn't move. Spatial mire dragged at my feet. I swung my sword, but invisible force crushed my body. The air vibrated—no, space itself trembled.

Melkerset smirked lightly, flipping her palm. Gravity vanished in her domain; I alone rocketed skyward. "Can't fly, huh?" she taunted, looking up. She clenched her fist at the air—starlight beams plunged vertically from the heavens toward the castle. They veered diagonally just before impact, streaking toward weightless me in a meteor shower.

I swung my spirit sword, slashing with sword beams, but space twisted; my beams curved back at me. Clang! The rebound sent me plummeting. Another spirit sword beam hurtled at Melkerset.

The beam ringed her body, spinning like it refused to touch the beautiful god's flesh, then slashed my side. Starlight barrages poured in faster than I could react. My stats rose under the spirit sword's blessing, but the gap was too vast.

Thud—blood erupted from my side. The fall's impact tore the wound wider. Gritting my teeth, I measured the distance to Melkerset. I can win. Just don't give up. Heroes never break. This isn't unwinnable—there's hope.

I charged fiercely at Melkerset and her royal guard king. She looked bored at my monotonous attacks. Then, an arrow flew from an unexpected angle. It too curved, enchanted by her beauty, circling like a dancing bird before turning on me. Blood sprayed as it pierced my shoulder. The potion on the arrowhead healed my shattered arm slightly.

My running foot sank, collapsing my stance. In that instant, the king's sword flew at my neck. I cast Stone Skin and Recycle, tensing my neck. Crack! The impact bent my neck; shock like it snapped surged from chest to legs. Even with Metal Mimic Exoskeleton and Rubber, blood trickled from my neck—a true Master's strike. Breathless, I rammed his shoulder. But he didn't budge. Like pushing a mountain. His mere presence filled my head with visions of a colossal boulder.

The king's grasping hand, Melkerset watching impassively. Five steps away? "Page 1! Time Stop!" My shout grayed the world instantly. Gray overtook everything, halting it—but Melkerset retained her colors. Surprise flickered briefly before she brushed it off, shattering the spell. But in that gap, I bypassed the king, reaching point-blank at Melkerset.

"【Stop】" Her whispering command froze my body. My heartbeat slowed to near-stop—but I bit my tongue hard, stepping forward. Just before the king's sword pierced my back, the hero vanished from sight. His thrust halted inches from Melkerset.

'Gone?' The hero had blinked out. Like time rewound, he charged from behind the king.

'This trick—!' Radamu Dice roared inwardly, lunging. Using Time Rewind, he'd reset the "one second" before the blade touched. Riko-chan had explained, but it was stark: it truly rewound the target's time. The fatal flaw? I didn't remember the rewound second. The back wound suddenly registered after, blood spraying. It rewound time but not memory—and the body's record remained. Useful, but the penalty was huge. No resurrections possible.

Still, I'd landed an unexpected blow. My spirit sword beheaded the king in one stroke. His flying head swung its sword; headless body attacked. Melkerset absorbed his soul, manifesting his swordsmanship with her divine body—a Master of the blade pinning the hero sword-first. Clean vertical cleave, no frills needed. Raising my sword to block cost me: my blade buried in my shoulder.

The shoulder arrow snapped against the invading blade, shard grazing my eye. Eyes shut in that blink—Melkerset's heart-shaped tail stabbed my gut. Pink yin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mana flooded in, exploding me from inside. Thump—then she clenched her fist. Seeing her soft grip, confusion crossed her face again. Unaware, light burst from my glare.

Eye-searing pain, blood pouring from the socket.

Fucking status window blared as I gritted my teeth, pouring my last strength into my exposed-bone arm's fist. "【Touching a succubus body like an idiot?】" Her hand deformed like clay, crushing mine—but I'd long abandoned this hand. Our eyes met as I opened the closed one; she sensed something wrong. But the Black Cat Rune was already etched on her palm—handshake triggered dual fire explosions.

Blinded in the flash, I bit down on the spirit sword, rallying my ki. Outer God Fear! "Kyaaah!!" Melkerset screamed, face twisting. Her eyes wild, cold sweat pouring, face pale as death, teeth chattering in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠terror, glaring at me. As expected of divine rank—she sensed the Outer God more acutely! But her killing intent surged with yin mana, choking my breath as we clashed.

Her charm extended to causality manipulation, but it missed in that instant. Yin mana seeped to my bones; the spirit sword blazed hot enough to scorch my skin—like the sun itself.

Wounds tore open on their own. Blood streamed from my ruined eye, unfelt. Deadly Queen on my shattered arm brought full-body agony. "【Fall back】—!!" Her command ripped space—my bit-down spirit sword swung eternally through the void, tracing a futile light trail. Inches away, yet pushed back.

Her empty arm rose slowly. Clenched around the Bopal Weapon. Its blood-red blade emerged; Melkerset lost reason in terror, shrieking denial. No way you'd swing that—she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rejected reality, her commands shattering from fear, vision clearing briefly. In my mangled one-eyed view, spirit sword bit down, Bopal Weapon swung. Arm muscles twisted, skin split. Impossible with one arm.

"【Die】!" Desperate curse-laden charm. My heart stopped. But crimson bamboo erupted from my chest, piercing the retreating Melkerset. Roots spread everywhere, constricting her. Sensing the world tree guardian, she panicked: "【I surrender! Spare me! I'll be your minion, not the Demon King's!】"

The evil god begged, pride shattered. But opportunity had long passed. No stopping now. Drifting like in water, sword-god unity via the magic sword's skill alone, I swung one-armed, spirit sword clenched. Time crawled eternally; heavenly thunder crashed through her pink domain onto the blade.

"Raaaaagh—!!!" With my roar, the Bopal Weapon's stroke severed the evil god succubus lord's neck. Hair flying, her terrified head ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spun off, hovering before tumbling to the ground. Her flailing arms groped blindly for it, but soon she crumpled like a marionette with cut strings. Thud—the Bopal Weapon dropped. One swing had wrecked my arm. Gasping raggedly, blood poured.

"...Ah."

Beyond the ruined castle—over the horizon, light dawned at the sea's edge. My first sunrise. Solar radiance greeted my dazed stance. I turned slowly: skewered adventurers, the king turned sword. Evil god succubus lord's body melted away in sunlight. Further turning: adventurers—fled or frozen in fear?—stared with hot, teary eyes.

...I smiled at them. "You okay?"

...Not my line. Clear Mind kept my mind sharp despite exhaustion. Priests rushed, pouring potions as they checked me. Shouts rang, but burst eardrums muffled them. Surrounded by adventurers' shadows as they laid me down, I closed my eyes.

──We won. A clean, refreshing victory.