Chapter 257
Chapter 257
Chapter 257
Demon God (1)
"...The Demon God has Shambhala?"
At Rudian's question, Haniel nodded.
"Yes, an absolute seal that no one can violate. One of those places is in the Demon God's embrace."
"Something doesn't make sense to me."
Rudian frowned, expressing his confusion.
"You just said that Adi's last two terminals must never fall into the hands of a deity."
"......"
Haniel quietly nodded.
"Eden actually fell into Berus' hands and caused all this trouble. But what about the Demon God? The Demon God is also a deity, isn't he? If Shambhala is in his hands, wouldn't that also be dangerous?"
"Yes, that's a valid concern."
Haniel answered Rudian's question.
"But the Demon God, Machine God, and Outer God have different circumstances from Berus or general deities."
"...Different circumstances?"
"Those four survivors and losers from the previous Genesis had to make a choice when entering the new Genesis."
A setting not seen in the original work was revealed through Haniel's words.
"Whether to wield hegemony in the forefront of this era and lose all power at the end times, or be greatly constrained by the bonds of causality but maintain that power until the moment the end times finish..."
"Wait, that means..."
"Yes, Berus chose the former, and the other three chose the latter."
Outer God Shub, Machine God Deus, and the Demon God.
This was why they remained as MacGuffins in the original work or had such minimal presence.
"In the case of the Outer God, she has lived through dozens of Genesis cycles already. Longer than the time it took for ecosystems capable of supporting life to naturally develop through the flow of time, rather than being created by divine power or authority..."
"But even so, if they could twist causality like Berus, wouldn't it not matter? If possessing Eden made that possible, then Shambhala could also sufficiently..."
Haniel shook her head.
"That's not the case. The constraints placed on them are restrictions directly imposed by the Creator God descending during Genesis. They're not the kind that can be easily shaken off. And... the Demon God isn't an entity with such ambitions either."
"...Is that so?"
If Haniel was saying this much, he had no choice but to believe it.
In the current situation, even if he doubted it, there wasn't much he could do about it...
"So, how do I get to the Demon God?"
"You need to meet someone who can communicate directly with the Demon God. Preferably someone of the Demon God's direct bloodline."
"...Direct bloodline? According to Berus, they're all dead."
Since even Diablo, who was the last remaining one, had fallen to Berus, by his statement, none of the Demon God's direct bloodline remained.
"Of course the direct bloodline is extinct, but... there's still one being alive who can communicate with the Demon God."
If they were still alive despite the world being in this state, they wouldn't be an ordinary powerhouse.
Rudian asked with some curiosity.
"...Who is that?"
"That would be me."
"...!"
For some reason, the answer came immediately.
"Hahaha, having four people crammed into this narrow space is quite suffocating. Well, just being able to maintain substance within imaginary space is something to be grateful for..."
A languid-looking young man with red hair.
Rudian immediately recognized his identity and shouted with wide eyes.
"You... Baal!"
"It's been a while, Lord Rudian."
One of the Seven Seats, Demon King Baal.
He who was presumed to have been annihilated had returned alive and well!
"You were definitely defeated by Abel..."
"Hmm... it's not a pleasant memory, but yes. I honestly took quite a beating."
Baal frowned slightly as that memory wasn't particularly pleasant.
"Why haven't you appeared until now?"
"I barely managed to preserve my life. If I hadn't returned to the Demon God, I would have been annihilated long ago."
Abel's group power exceeded Baal's expectations.
Even though the adjustment wasn't completely finished, Berus' power to twist the laws was somewhat applied.
"Rebecca, that child... hmm, it's unfortunate. If there had been just 10 more years, she would have become a truly complete form..."
Ten years.
The moment he heard those words, Rudian felt his chest tighten.
If he had properly managed time to flow completely according to the original work, he could have filled those 10 years.
"Well, what's done is done."
"Your plan has completely failed... yet you seem quite relaxed."
Treating Rebecca's death as if it were nothing made his insides burn with rage.
But Baal smiled and said:
"Because... we can still turn it back."
"Turn it... back?"
Even when his mind was in a daze, Adi had also said it wasn't too late yet.
"This current destruction isn't due to natural order. It's just what Berus twisted through expedients... yes, it's merely an IF world."
"...!"
When the word "IF" came from Baal's mouth, Rudian's shoulders jerked greatly.
"But even if we eliminate Berus, we can't restore this already collapsed world."
The concept of turning back time was the same.
In the end, it would be a future where they'd face Berus head-on again.
In other words, they'd be trapped in an infinite loop.
"It's possible."
Baal spoke with a confident voice.
"Because we have Eden."
"......"
6th generation restoration-type artificial intelligence, Eden.
True to its name as "restoration-type," it showed truly transcendent performance within the scope of restoration.
It had even restored Abel's group from a future that shouldn't have existed to this era, so its performance was undoubtedly beyond question.
"But even Eden... would it be possible to restore this entire world?"
It wasn't just one or two simple planets, but truly all dimensions.
Including the Middle Realm, all dimensions—Heaven, Demon Realm, Spirit Realm, Underworld—had been destroyed.
Was it really possible for Eden alone to cover such a vast world?
Baal nodded slightly at Rudian's question.
"Certainly, this would be more a matter of output than diversity of functions, so that might be the case."
"Hey, if you're saying that..."
Before those words could finish, he heard these words from Haniel beside him:
"You don't need to worry about that part. If we can recover all terminals and release the main body of Machine God Deus sealed in an external dimension... it's a problem that can naturally be solved."
"...!"
Adi's main body.
No, to call it a main body, Adi was also just one of Machine God Deus' seven terminals.
Just the terminal with the highest authority among all terminals, called the 'main program.'
—...Why are you doing that, Master?
"No, it's nothing."
Adi rolled his eyes, sensing the anxious gaze Rudian suddenly cast.
Rudian couldn't bring out the words inside him.
If Adi became Machine God Deus... wouldn't that be the day he'd have to part with Adi...?
***
"Getting back to the main point... setting aside receiving Shambhala from the Demon God... I don't know where to go. And how can I meet him?"
"Haha, you're impatient."
"...Don't I look urgent? How much power is being consumed right now just maintaining this space!"
In the worst current situation, there were two fortunate points.
First, although Adi's terminals had lost their functions, they had somehow managed to extract the A.I. itself.
Second, there was more power accumulated inside Adi's terminal than expected.
—I've been steadily accumulating power derived from the resonance of the Seven-Colored World and contracts with Diablo.
'Isn't that... embezzlement?'
—It's all being used for Master's sake. It's absolutely not for my personal gain.
Well... anyway, they had avoided the situation of losing all power and being unable to do anything while groveling.
Baal said:
"The path to meet the Demon God is not easy. The Demon God doesn't involve himself in the affairs of the world, let alone the Demon Realm he created."
"What does not getting involved have to do with being difficult to meet?"
"It's causality. To have an audience with the Demon God, you need to acquire the materials necessary for the audience itself... that is, the causality of 'meeting.'"
"...The causality of meeting?"
"Originally, not influencing this world means that the other party is equally detached from this world. It means meeting itself isn't easy."
"...That's true."
In the case of Outer God Shub, without the guidance of Nug and Yev, her direct bloodline, it would have been nearly impossible to meet her.
Machine God Deus also required surpassing an impossible quest of collecting 7 Adi terminals—something even deities couldn't achieve.
If it was the Demon God on the same level as them... what kind of trial would need to be overcome?
"How do I acquire that causality?"
"You must prove your personal strength and will through trials."
"...Strength and will?"
Rudian's eyes widened slightly at the completely unexpected words.
As if he expected this, Baal smiled faintly and said:
"The Demon God... fundamentally likes the strong. However, this 'strength' is relative, including not just force but also the abstract concept of 'will' that cannot be quantified."
"Hmm..."
"And for your current situation, it's quite a difficult mission..."
Baal's eyes grew slightly cold.
"To acquire this causality, you must accomplish it 'alone' with your own power, without anyone's help."
"...What?"
"In other words, you cannot use the power of that fragment of Deus, nor any of the artifacts or divine objects you've accumulated through expedients until now."
"...!"
"Whether acquiring that Machine God's terminal will be treated as an 'achievement' is unknown, but the Demon God won't acknowledge it as purely your own power."
That meant:
Didn't it mean he had to take the test with all of Adi's terminal and all related powers sealed?
"For someone like you who has achieved goals by borrowing others' hands and power... it could be called a virtually impossible task."
"......"
A task that directly denied the policy Rudian had established so far.
Rudian asked Baal with a slightly trembling voice:
"What if I fail?"
"You die. Why are you asking something so obvious?"
If there were no risks in going to meet an entity called the Demon God, that would certainly be more likely a trap.
—Master, there's no need to take such risks. Even without Shambhala, if we find another method...
"There isn't time to find that other method."
He felt it instinctively—there was no other way besides this method.
Adi might say that since protecting Master was his top priority, but Adi himself would know too.
"I'll take the challenge."
"Good. That's how you should respond."
Baal smiled unexpectedly warmly, which didn't suit him.
"Even so, it won't be the absolute worst."
"What does that mean?"
"The Demon God also quite likes the word 'growth.' Of course, since that's not the main focus, it will be very difficult for you."
"...Is he some god of training?"
"Hahaha, you'll know once you experience it."
Baal extended his hand toward Rudian.
Then with a bitter expression, he muttered as if complaining:
"There was some worth in extending my life a little..."
"Wait, what are you doing now...!"
"If you meet Rebecca again, please tell her this:"
CRACK!
Cracks began to form on Baal's hand, face, and torso.
"Please take good care of the Demon Realm."
SNAP!
With those words, Rudian's vision went dark.