Demon King and Goddess - (2)
—BOOM! KABOOM!!!! Thunderous explosions ripped through the sky from beyond the heavens, crimson and azure beams of light slamming down relentlessly. Everything touched by those descending pillars of light vanished in an instant, the earth's crust flipping over in a heartbeat. If that barrage had hit a bustling metropolis full of people, it would've erased the city without a trace. No, forget the city—entire mountain ranges and oceans would've evaporated, leaving nothing behind.
—KABOOOM!!!
The avatars had evacuated via ultra-long-range spatial jumps, but I kept my gaze fixed on the Demon King. The god enduring a fleet's orbital bombardment single-handedly from the edge of the atmosphere. Even as the searing heat of the barrage incinerated all into nothingness, the demonic deity held firm. Though he had no room to even groan amid the all-out defense.
—BOOM! BOOM!!! THUD! He was definitely holding out.
Shifting my view through the AI info-body to one warship's bridge, I saw the crew scrambling in panic. The ship interior brimmed with shocked expressions and pallid faces drained of color.
"Prepare fifth salvo. Authorize deployment of Fail Naid gravity chains and Leviathan micro-nukes."
"Twelve Typhloux plasma lances inbound! Blocked by the shield! No damage to target!"
"Maintain firing intervals and keep pouring it on. What we're facing is a constellation."
"Eighth salvo prep. Aurora Thunder orbital light-lance at the ready. Follow with Erebos pulverizers."
"Understood, Captain."
"Coordinate with the other ships—no gaps in the assault. Keep slamming space anchors. Target's energy readings?"
"Slowly declining, but..."
"Deploy reverse fields the instant any desperate counter comes."
Mortals, terrified by the constellation weathering three space battleships' firepower alone. Pride, fear, and horror flickered across their faces.
The AI info-body's feed also showed the immortal's expression as he barely blocked the fleet's onslaught. The Demon King, pouring every ounce of power into defense, was stunned by the pinnacle of mortal science. To a deity, each individual mortal was like an insect. Yet here they were, wielding their tool called "science" to bare fangs even at gods.
"Target's energy readings dropping sharply."
"Three military vessels in focused assault. A perfect ambush at that. Holding out solo for minutes... So this is a constellation?!"
"It's true then—we need those horrific planet-killers just to threaten a Planet Spirit constellation. And that's just a Single Planet Restricted Spirit Body..."
And those fangs were plenty sharp.
"...Target's life signs extinguished."
"Confirmed: Single Planet Restricted Spirit Body fully silenced."
Sharp enough to reach even a god.
From afar, the avatars could clearly see the fleet's concentrated barrage. The world-shattering roar and the light beams piercing the heavens carried an overwhelming presence.
And before them appeared the goddess, her face pale with dread. Her body formed of pristine white light, yet her expression betrayed faint terror.
"Performer of Heavenly Splendor, the wicked constellation has been purged."
"......"
"As promised, the Federation upholds the treaty."
A brief silence, then the goddess spoke.
"...Truly a terrifying sight."
"Mm. No need for concern. The Federation respects constellations friendly to humanity."
"'Welcoming' constellations favorable to a single mortal race. Is that it?"
Her face remained rigidly stiff. Perhaps from witnessing a near-equal deity obliterated in minutes. As the avatar dispatch commander hemmed and hawed, Beatrix spoke up.
"Ehem! No need to worry-wa yo, O Goddess! The goddess of my home planet received autonomy from the Federation-wa yo! Our political structure remains intact, so I still hold my title as princess-wa yo..."
Her somewhat comical speech lightened the mood. The AI translation into my "ears" rendered Beatrix's -wa yo style as ancient courtly etiquette.
"A princess, you say? I understand you're an apostle of a deity, but you mean the imperial house endures?"
"Thanks to guarantees of planetary autonomy and political form-wa yo! The old empire might've been different, but the current Federation isn't a bad group-wa yo!"
"Mm... Then for our world's mortals as well."
"Of course, civilization will progress gradually, but no inhuman acts will occur-wa yo!"
Her firm assurance softened the goddess's rigid expression bit by bit. Lingering in her eyes seemed a mix of relief and emptiness from her ancient rival's pathetic end...
"Very well. I'll issue an oracle through my temple. Please convey it well to the imperial house."
"Worry not-wa yo."
"Since you're a princess from elsewhere, revealing that should make talks easier. I'll cooperate as well, naturally."
The beautiful goddess tore open space and vanished. The two avatars beside Beatrix gave her thumbs-up gestures of approval.
Constellation, Whispering Star Cluster smiles contentedly.
Yeah. That's my avatar.
The empire ruling part of Nemesia Planet. The sole nation clinging to survival amid the Demon King and goddess's feud. Its people believed the world split into eastern and western continents. The empire held the vastest territory and populace on the western continent. Goddess temples dotted the land, and many wielded her bestowed supernatural blessings.
Of course, they paled against systematically trained avatars battle-hardened in countless superhuman clashes.
"Hah. So you're the heroes our goddess spoke of? From another world, she said?"
"Correct. To be precise, not another world but another planet."
The Demon King who threatened the world and massacred humans has been slain by the goddess's heroes!
The medieval imperial court naturally held a modest banquet, scrutinizing these "heroes" closely.
"Wh-what?! The world is truly round?! Not flat?"
"Planets are round due to gravity. From space, it looks like this."
"Hmph...! The goddess proclaimed you heroes via oracle, so we can't dismiss it as lies."
True to medieval folk, their knowledge had inevitable limits. Emperors, royals, nobles—expressions rippled with agitation, sighs, and head-shakes aplenty.
"No, even with the goddess's endorsement, aren't they treating us fools?"
"You saw those pillars of destruction too, Count."
"Mm...!"
"The Demon King vanished under them—highly credible. Beams from beyond the heavens... No human power, but if science advances..."
When Federation folk and avatars demoed nano-coats or micro-laser weapons, gasps escaped unbidden. The goddess they'd revered as sole deity's guarantee. The all-erasing light pillars. The heroes' wondrous powers and gadgets. Even with heaps of evidence, only half fully bought the truth.
"Could be illusions? The goddess deploying fake heroes to control us..."
"Western continent wiped out, half the east scoured—and we never glimpsed the Demon King. Then overnight, he's dead. Hm."
Terror of the Demon King ran deep till now. Why else would the goddess humble herself to beg Federation aid?
"That bad?"
"Indeed. Mutated animals into chimera abominations with strange powers, stuffing in human corpses...!"
"Still hard to believe, honestly."
A female avatar whispered to Beatrix as nobles spoke.
"That chimera they mention—is it those ragtag homunculi from the old Galactic Empire days?"
"From what I saw earlier, probably-wa yo. Deformed via constellation power, not science."
Constellation, Whispering Star Cluster remarks that they used to hold human life pretty cheap back in the day.
---
The lighthearted banquet of mutual discovery ended. Beatrix fielded questions from crowds.
"So, Princess Beatrix... That's the address?!"
"Before princess, I'm a Federation citizen, so just Beatrix is fine-wa yo!"
"But how can we address a foreign princess so casually..."
Among the three dispatched avatars, Beatrix—farthest from cultural mismatch—took the lead in mingling.
"You're apostles serving other gods, I hear."
"Yes-wa yo. We call them constellations-wa yo."
"We have goddess-empowered folk too, but if no offense—might we know which deity?"
Interest piqued in multiple deities beyond goddess and Demon King. She sipped tea gracefully amid the query.
"Ahem! The god I serve is a mighty one visiting from another dimension-wa yo!"
"Another dimension?! A god from other realms, then?"
"Indeed-wa yo! The Whispering Star Cluster-wa yo! Watching over us even now..."
Beatrix's boasting yielded unexpected fruit.
"Wait, stars are whole worlds, right? Star... cluster?"
"If constellation names reflect essence, 'star cluster' means conqueror of countless worlds?"
"Subjugated all other realms and invaded here?"
Suddenly, I'd become a tentacled terror spanning dimensions. But it didn't end there.
With all nations save the empire crumbled by the Demon King, some distrusted the goddess. Sure, she'd summoned the Federation to slay him, meriting thanks—but minds aren't so simple. Especially not among the powerful.
"Truly multiple gods exist? And this Federation empire guarantees freedom of faith?"
"Goddess-empowered ones got crushed by the Demon King, no?"
"In the gods' world, our goddess ranks low..."
"Not in the goddess cult, but switching faiths—won't there be reprisals...?"
Faith. Denominations. If I created mortals here, would I gain such worship? Too soon to tell.