Chapter 169 - Volume 8, Chapter 27 (2/2)
After what felt like several minutes.
Even though time and space weren’t quite meaningful in this space, but Sefira inclined her neck as they walked toward their target.
“………where are the spirits?”
There were always [Lesser Spirits] and [Middle Spirits] who were interested in the material world, who she had chatted to the last time she was here, and while they were annoying, they were always here.
“I wonder if a Greater Spirit came……”
Even Sefira had rarely seen a [Greater Spirit].
If it appeared in this world, there would be cataclysmic results. As one of the [Greater Spirits] that controlled the phenomena of the material world, other spirits would naturally hide in fear.
“……there”
As Sefira arrived at the brightest place within this realm, the original [Skill Use Contract], that was carved into an enormous crystal, appeared.
This was the true body of the [Skill Use Agreement] that the great wizards of the past had burned their lives to make with the [Greater Spirits], and was the “system” behind allowing all things in this world to use [Skills].
“fufu…… Now, Sir Kyoji, let’s make your wish a reality. With this, you can become the God the New World that you so dream of…… Sorry to say, though, your soul will be absorbed by this crystal, and you’ll become a puppet to the system with no consciousness.
Ufufu………AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Your dream will finally come true! As long as all of the people in this world are forced to attain the [Controlled Skill], all people will be equal, and a truly peaceful world will be created!!!”
Sefira aimed to eliminate all differences between everyone and create a world where everyone was equal.
If everyone was equal, then there would be no conflict, and a truly peaceful world would be created.
After her previous failures, Sefira no longer believed that it could be done without a sacrifice. As something to completely control the world, the strong soul of the [Hero] would be built into the system, and her goals would be achieved through the trivial sacrifice of the free will of all humanity.
“Hahaha, ……eh?”
And then, Sefira noticed something that looked like a small crystal plate hanging off the corner of the enormous crystal.
That wasn’t there before. She might not have noticed it before, but Sefira noticed it now because it was so incredibly eye-catching.
As she took it in her hands, she noticed something written in the language of the spirits.
To be able to touch this area at all…… was this left behind by the [Great Spirit of Light]? There was only one sentence written there………
[We’ve made a Strategic Withdrawal]
“……………”
Sefira reflexively fell silent. She thought that it was some sort of joke, but would [Spirits] make jokes in the first place?
And speaking of the [Great Spirit of Light], it was revered as a [God], a pillar of existence holding up the world. Was there a threat that would make such a being withdraw? In the first place, a threat like that wouldn’t even been able to come to this place where spirits gathered alone.
“……… Well, that’s that.”
Even as she got an eerie feeling she couldn’t quite pin down, Sefira tried to make the unmoving Kyoji touch the crystal.
“Sir Kyoji, all you need to do is touch this. Pure magic power will be drawn out automatically……”
Sefira noticed that Kyoji had gotten slightly lighter, that despite everything, his frightened gaze looked behind her, and so she turned to follow his gaze.
“…………”
“…………”
And there, smiling pleasantly at her, was the golden-haired girl, kindly lifting up Kyoji’s legs and cooperating with Sefira.
“Yu-Yurushia-sama!?”
“Ah, you noticed!”
That was the girl who had been drawn into this world because of her purity, and should have been turned into the true [Demon Lord], the Saint from another world: Yurushia.
“Why are you here!”
“Eh, I’ve been here this whole time, you know.”
“W-w-When!?”
“Since you were kicking Keiji in the basement of the castle……?”
She hadn’t noticed the girl at all. On the contrary, Sefira couldn’t even imagine that Kyoji had become suddenly afraid, or that he had become suddenly very light, because Yurushia had been carrying him from behind.
She just thought that the sounds she had heard along the way was just spirits whispering.
“Kuh”
Sefira discarded Kyoji, taking her distance.
“You, how did you break free of the curse of the Demon Lord? That evil presence…… there’s no way that you could have faked it.”
“Eh……? Ah, yes.”
Yurushia scratched her cheeks with her fingers lightly as Sefira spoke.
“Ah~ …… Well, the [True Demon Lord] is one of the [Laws of the World], unlike a “self-proclaimed demon lord”. It’s there to “reset” the world that’s gone off in the wrong direction, and when it appears, humanity will have no choice, you know?”
“………”
She didn’t understand what Yurushia was saying, but understood that Yurushia had been interfering with her plans by pretending to be a Demon Lord.
“Is that so……You…… You irregular from another world. My intuition was right to have tried to get rid of you first.”
“Nn?”
As Yurushia tilted her head sideways in feigned ignorance, Sefira bared her teeth.
“As you might have imagined, I am the savior of the world, this world’s [First Hero].”
“…………Eh?”
““…………””
There was an awkward atmosphere.
“……Why did you have to obstruct me?”
“Uh………for development?”
“…………”
“………I- I’m sorry.”
And so, the battle for the fate of the world began between the [First Hero] and the [Demon] of another world in this world.
Author’s Notes:
The Demons are in charge.
Now please re-read it imagining Yuru behind it this whole time.
Next time, will Sefira save the world from the tyrannical Demons?