Chapter 788: The End
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 788: The End
Muen felt like he was truly at his wit's end.
Fine, he had an Innate Workhorse Sacred Constitution—he could blame that on his unscrupulous, sub-human excuse for a teacher.
And fine, he had an Evil God Attraction Constitution—after all, he was the unlikable yellow-haired villain of this story.
But he never expected that after struggling for so long, rising from a lowly first or second-tier martial artist to a "macho man" who could finally squeeze into the ranks of the powerful... the one he would share the deepest, most inescapable fate with would be this guy!
"The Love God... why is it always you?!"
Muen stowed the metal container holding the Demon God’s blood into his storage space and reached back to grasp An’s hand.
Her palm was cold, even trembling slightly. To her, the Love God was more than just a shadow; He was the source of her greatest hatred.
The incident in her small village remained a traumatic, indelible memory. Even now, Eluka’s face would occasionally flash before her eyes the moment she closed them.
"It’s okay," Muen said softly. "I’m here."
"Mm." An nodded slightly. "I’m not afraid. I’m just angry."
【Muen Campbell...】
Seeing the metal container vanish from Muen’s hand, the Love God erupted with a palpable, crystalline hatred. The tears in the Grand Duke of Bewitchment’s rotting flesh grew wider, and more eyeballs and jagged mouthparts sprouted from the gashes.
【Give me... the Demon God’s blood!】
"Your human speech has improved quite a bit, I see," Muen sneered. "You can actually finish a whole sentence now without losing your breath."
【Give it... to me...】
"Sorry, I’m not charitable enough to give handouts to a disgusting thing like you."
Muen silently drew Elizabeth, while An forged a scythe from molten steel. The two stood ready, side by side.
Though neither of them was in peak condition, and they had no idea how much power the Grand Duke of Bewitchment could exert under the Love God’s control... they could back down from anyone else, but they would never cower before this Corrupted Love God!
【You... seek... death!】
The Love God roared again.
A terrifying, oppressive aura washed over them. Above the head of the deceased Grand Duke of Bewitchment, a tattered, broken crown—visibly corrupted and covered in tumors and pulsating veins—slowly began to rise.
The patterns of the sun, moon, and stars upon the crown had been completely eroded, replaced by a dim, eerie light that radiated a sense of ruin. Yet, the power of a Crown Bearer was unmistakable. Just looking at it made one’s eyes sting with pain.
Muen’s eyelids twitched, and his heart sank to rock bottom.
The worst-case scenario had manifested: the Love God could actually draw upon the Grand Duke’s power.
This was trouble. Even if he and An combined their strength and multiplied it by ten, they were currently no match for a Crown Bearer. The chasm between them was not something he could bridge at his current level.
"What do we do?" Muen glanced tentatively at Mela. "Should we run for it?"
"Who was the one saying they wouldn't back down just now?" Mela rolled her eyes, sounding utterly exasperated.
However, she didn't seem panicked in the slightest. She merely lowered her eyelids, spared the Grand Duke a casual glance, and said lazily, "It’s getting so lively. What are you afraid of?"
"Lively?" Muen was stunned.
What did she mean by lively? Was there someone else...
"Yo."
Just as Muen was wondering, a cheerful, flippant voice rang out.
"Looks pretty lively indeed. Are we having a party?"
With long hair fluttering and eyes like stars under sword-like brows, the man had a few stray whiskers on his chin that gave him a mature air. Yet, the way he leaned against the wall with such effortless grace suggested a soul that was wildly unconventional.
The man, who had appeared out of nowhere, stood there cradling a longsword as if he had been watching the farce for a long time. If it weren't for the fact that his unbundled hair wasn't the only thing fluttering—specifically, the conspicuous and flamboyant women's dress he was wearing—his current style might have been enough to make many young girls' hearts skip a beat.
"Since it’s a party, how could you leave out yours truly, the one known as the Little Prince of Banquets?" The man flicked his bangs and smiled.
"Paul?"
Muen’s lip twitched. He could handle the Love God—that was an old recurring actor—but he never expected to run into Paul in a place like this.
And looking at him now... had he completely adapted? Did he really not care about the cross-dressing anymore? It was truly an eye-searing sight.
"What are you doing here?"
"That’s what we should be asking."
A massive figure landed, kicking up a cloud of dust. It was Reta, with the haughty loli on his back.
Annie crossed her arms, looking incredibly arrogant. "Muen Campbell, what are you doing here? There was such a huge commotion just now, and the entire Demon Race suddenly ascended to the heavens. Do you have any clue what’s going on? Also, who’s that loli-head next to you? She’s kind of annoying to look at."
"...Miss Annie, I suggest you watch your mouth, or your great-grandfather is going to spank you when you get home."
"My great-grandfather would never—"
"Alright, alright, now isn't the time for this."
Before Anna’s brows could shoot up in anger, Muen quickly changed the subject.
The situation with the Demon Race was too complex to explain in a few words, and he didn't know how much of it was information Teacher Mela wanted to keep secret. At the very least, Muen felt it was better not to blabber to these "younger generation" folks for now.
Besides, the current situation didn't exactly allow for idle chatter.
"Setting aside why I’m here, you guys picked a really bad time to show up."
Muen had thought the "liveliness" Mela mentioned referred to some powerful external aid—like that Calamity in the sky who had disappeared to who-knows-where, coming down to personally crush the troublemaking Love God.
He hadn't expected it to be Paul, Annie, and the others who had also snuck in.
These guys were certainly strong, the cream of the crop among their peers, but as Muen had just thought...
Even ten of him and An combined were no match for the Love God-controlled Grand Duke. Adding a few more fourth or fifth-tier martial artists wouldn't change a thing. The gap of a Crown Bearer was simply...
"Ah, it’s the Love God!"
Paul acted as if he had only just noticed the rotting figure in the center of the room, feigning surprise. "To think He’d be in a place like this."
"See? I told you your timing was—"
"Dammit, we finally found Him!"
Paul suddenly punched the wall, cursing vehemently. "We spent so much time wandering around this Gutons Fortress just to find His location. We wasted so much time, and by the looks of it, we missed out on something huge because of it. How hateful."
"Huh?" Muen was stunned again.
"Finally?" What did that mean?
And looking at Paul, he actually seemed... happy to have found this literal Evil God?
"Yes, we finally found Him. My legs are practically broken from all the running. Everyone knows I’m not good at walking; what if my delicate, fair little feet get blisters?"
A melodious sigh drifted through the air.
After a faint glow of mana, space twisted, and the frail figure of the mage Fei'er appeared directly in the center of the room.
Her eyes were still closed, looking lazy and serene as if she had just woken up.
After giving a satisfying, graceful stretch, Fei'er gave Muen a small wave of greeting before turning to face the Love God-controlled Grand Duke.
At that moment, she used spatial transfer magic to place herself a mere step away from the Grand Duke.
【...】
The eyeballs on the Grand Duke’s cheeks froze. The aura of the crown stopped spreading. It seemed even the Love God controlling the body couldn't understand why this tiny human ant would stand before Him so brazenly.
Muen Campbell was one thing, but where did this human ant get the courage...
"Lord Love God, I know you’re confused, but the reason is actually quite simple."
Facing the Evil God, Fei'er had a smile playing on her lips. She showed no fear; instead, her tone was incredibly gentle.
"Someone asked me to... send their regards."
With that, Fei'er opened her eyes.
In an instant, under the shroud of night, all the darkness within this massive space was utterly dispelled.
An unimaginable brilliance surged forth from Fei'er’s open eyes.
It was a light that was holy, soft, and accompanied by the echoes of countless sacred, sublime hymns. Yet, to the Grand Duke of Bewitchment—and to the Love God hiding within—this holy light radiated the most agonizing, scorching heat in the world.
Because that was Holy Light. The merciful yet majestic Holy Light of the Goddess of Life!
【@#%#￥……！！！】
The Grand Duke’s physical body began to decompose instantly within that terrifying, supreme heat. Shrieks beyond human comprehension erupted from the vessel. Those trembling eyeballs were filled with resentment, but even the power of a Demon Grand Duke could not withstand the massive torrent of Holy Light flowing from Fei'er’s eyes.
"This is the Church’s... greeting and payback for what you did in the past."
Fei'er continued to smile, but the retribution and judgment from the Life Church were awe-inspiring. She had clearly come prepared; the Holy Light suppressed the Love God’s movements in a single heartbeat.
Under the Holy Light, the Love God couldn't mount any semblance of resistance. While the Grand Duke of Bewitchment was a decent puppet, a soulless, barely-preserved corpse could never compare to the original host.
Thus, after only a few seconds, the Grand Duke’s body—along with the corrupted crown—was reduced to ash within the scorching Holy Light.
Only a single, twitching mass of flesh remained, struggling desperately.
【No... #%#%... Not yet... ￥%￥... It’s not...】
The last remaining, hideous eyeball rolled frantically, scanning Fei'er, the crowd, and even Mela, before finally landing on Muen.
An unimaginable hatred erupted from that eye, carrying the fury of an Evil God:
【It’s not over yet!】
Muen was startled, then felt a bit bewildered.
Wait, the Church is the one burning you. Why are you glaring at me? I haven't even done anything yet!
But before Muen could react, there was the cold ring of steel. With a wet splat, the mass of flesh was crushed flat.
"It is over," An said coldly, her hand outstretched as she manipulated the steel.