Chapter 221 Those Who Defying the Evil God
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The Demon God seemed to have no interest in lending a hand. At this rate, I thought the matter would be settled in an instant. But my prediction was wide of the mark. The Demon God’s servant, Giri, was fighting a desperate, brilliant battle against all three of them.
My sister and the others hadn’t specifically trained to coordinate as a trio, but each was a powerhouse representing the Empire. I could see them maintaining a distance that ensured they didn’t foul one another, yet they moved in concert to cover their gaps and ensure the enemy was cornered. It was the kind of movement that would leave even someone like me, who has never had a day of combat training, utterly entranced.
Despite their skill, Giri was parrying my sister’s attacks, weaving through the steel, and launching sharp, calculated counterstrikes. They weren’t being given enough of a window to land a blow with their full weight behind it, but they still managed to slip in low-power retorts. Giri alone seemed to possess the raw combat power of an entire Beastman Knight Order¹.
(But…) Things were definitely different than before. While a quick victory was out of the question, the scales were clearly tilting in favor of my sister’s side.
”Hah!” my sister shouted. She and Belius-dono pinned Giri’s movements, buying a crucial moment for Glazheim-dono to build their momentum. As the two of them vaulted away from Giri’s front simultaneously, Glazheim-dono unleashed a strike with their entire soul behind it.
”—!” Giri’s plate armor didn’t shatter, but a deep, diagonal rent appeared across their chest. The force sent them reeling back. It seemed they had retreated at the exact moment of impact, narrowly avoiding the full, devastating brunt of Glazheim-dono’s blow. To be able to make a life-or-death judgment like that in a fraction of a second… it was terrifying.
”Did I miss the finishing blow…?” my sister muttered.
”Maybe, but we’ve got them on the ropes now!” Belius-dono shouted.
”I despise a three-on-one, but needs must,” Glazheim-dono added.
Despite her grumbling, my sister clearly intended to stay in formation. The Demon God and their servant had to be cut down here and now. She understood the weight of that necessity better than anyone.
”Hoh… you entertain me more than I anticipated. To think you can hold your own this long against my servant,” the Demon God said.
”Hah! Aren’t you worried? Or are you just going to watch your precious dog get put down?” my sister taunted.
”Heh… there is no need. Giri, I have enjoyed this sufficiently. A little… yes, just a little. Show them a fraction more of your true power,” the Demon God commanded.
”What…?” I whispered. I couldn’t grasp the meaning of the Demon God’s words. But in the next heartbeat—
”Gaaah!” Belius-dono screamed.
Giri, who should have been paces away, was suddenly right there—buried in Belius-dono’s shadow. Their fist was driven deep into the knight’s stomach.
”Wha–!?” my sister gasped.
My sister and Glazheim-dono reacted instantly, their blades whistling toward the blur that was Giri. But their movements had accelerated beyond anything we had seen before. They were moving at a blur themselves, their faces taut with the strain of giving their absolute everything. Yet, against two of the Empire’s finest, Giri moved with a speed my eyes couldn’t even follow, landing a series of brutal, precise counters.
”Ugh!” Glazheim-dono groaned.
”Unbelievable…!” I had never seen Glazheim-dono look so panicked. To think Giri had been “playing” with three Beastman Knights until this moment… the realization sent a cold shiver down my spine.
I dropped my altitude slightly, calling out to Clary-san and Tianic, who were standing by as my personal guard.
”You two! Please, you have to support my sister and the others!” I cried out.
”Lady Listarte…! B-but…” Clary-san stammered.
”Clary-san, you have your sorcery², and Tianic, use the Secret Treasure Orb³! Right now, Giri isn’t looking at you. You can take them by surprise desu-no!”
We were out of time. If this continued, my sister and the others would fall—and if they fell, we were all dead. Besides, the Demon God still seemed to be recovering their full strength. If we were to strike that monster down, it had to be now! This was our only window!
”U-understood! Let’s do this, Clary-san…!” Tianic said.
”Right. Lady Listarte, we are moving in,” Clary-san added.
I ascended again to watch the chaos unfold. Belius-dono was down on one knee, clutching their side. Their ribs had to be shattered. My sister and Glazheim-dono were forced entirely onto the defensive, but then, twin streaks of light tore through the air toward Giri’s flanks. One was Clary-san’s sorcery; the other, a lightning spear conjured by Tianic.
Understanding the intent instantly, my sister and Glazheim-dono swept at Giri’s legs, forcing their center of gravity to waver for a fraction of a second. In that moment, the twin magical strikes slammed into them.
”Haaaah!” “Rrrgh!”
My sister and Glazheim-dono didn’t waste the opening, following through with a desperate, coordinated slash. Giri was blasted backward toward the Demon God, smoke billowing from the cracks in their armor. They hit the dirt and tumbled, coming to a dead stop. They didn’t move.
”Haa… haa… haa…!” my sister gasped.
”That… that felt like a solid hit…!” Glazheim-dono panted.
”Princess!” Clary-san called out.
”Are you safe!?” Tianic asked.
They rushed to my sister’s side.
W-we did it. We actually managed to take down the Demon God’s servant…!
”How do you like that, you gods-damned monster…!” my sister spat.
Even battered and breathless, their fighting spirit hadn’t dimmed. Belius-dono forced themself up, hand pressed against their ribs, while Glazheim-dono leveled their sword at the Demon God.
”Hoh… those souls of yours. It seems they haven’t been stained by despair just yet,” the Demon God observed.
”You’re damn right!” my sister shouted.
”You should be honored we even bothered to entertain you, but don’t forget—this land is teeming with the Empire’s finest. Don’t think you can break our spirits so easily,” Glazheim-dono said.
Yes… it was true. The other knights were already closing the circle. We had the numbers. We had the momentum. If my sister and the others could just focus on the Demon God while the rest handled the remaining servant…!
”You still think you have a path to victory… is that it?” the Demon God asked. They spoke as if they were reading my very thoughts. My tail gave an involuntary twitch.
”Terror is a dish best served right after a glimpse of hope. It makes the trembling so much more violent… You are nothing more than cattle, here to offer me the most exquisite of souls.”
”Huh…? What the hell are you… talking about…?” my sister asked, their voice trembling.
”Giri. Enough with the acting,” the Demon God commanded.
At the word, the “fallen” Giri suddenly sprang into the air as if they were made of coils. They landed with effortless grace, casually rolling their shoulders.
”……!?”
There wasn’t a trace of a fatal wound on them. Despite the strikes that had clearly connected, they moved with a fluid ease that mocked their efforts. They were completely unharmed.
”It… it can’t be…” my sister whispered.
”Heh… hahahahahaha! Yes, truly… that was an exquisite diversion! I must reward the sacrifices who amused me so… indeed. I shall grant you a glimpse of my true power,” the Demon God said.
The Demon God, who until that moment had not moved a single inch, stepped several paces forward and thrust out their right arm. They began to mutter in a low, hollow voice.
”Magna Is Belluna… Come forth, white resonating star of the four poles. I am he who unseals the gate within the abyss of time; I engrave here the fire-quake of the end and the beginning. The hour is at hand. Cruz Arc End!”
In that instant—with no hint of hyperbole—the world turned blinding white. My vision went so pale I couldn’t even tell what was happening as an intense, searing heat wave crashed down upon us.
”Kyaaaaa!” Listarte screamed.
”Uooooo!” the others roared.
It was a frantic, terrifying riot of sound and light. But because I was positioned higher than the others, I was forced to witness exactly what was happening through the white-out. A lance of pure white radiance was lashing out straight from the Demon God’s right arm.
That flash was of such impossible proportions that it was literally gouging the earth away. It tore through the landscape, surging toward the northeast.
”Ah…”
”Hi… a…”
The white flash persisted for several seconds. When the light finally died away, an unbelievable sight lay sprawled beneath my eyes. There was nothing left. The white flash unleashed by the Demon God had cleanly erased every single thing in the town.
”What… is this…” one soldier whispered.
”This… can’t be…” another replied.
A massive scar ran from the center of the town toward the northeast, as if some gargantuan entity had simply trampled through it. White embers flickered here and there in the ruins. The evacuated residents had been gathered in the northwest. If that flash had been aimed just a bit further west…
”I am the Demon God of Flames,” they declared. “Though I harbor countless blazes within this form, what you saw just now was but a single spark. My white flame returns all of existence to the void; it is the ultimate purification. You sacrifices are nothing more than dust and ash before my pyre.”
Just as everyone stood paralyzed by the Demon God’s atrocity, my sister and Glazheim-dono were already moving with Weapons in hand. They must have seen this moment, where both friend and foe were frozen, as their only opening. Even in the face of a catastrophe that defied all reason, I was struck with awe that they still possessed the will to fight.
”Guaaaa!”
The two couldn’t even close the distance. A pillar of fire erupted directly in their path. They both managed to use their Weapons as makeshift shields to avoid a direct hit, but the force of the blast sent them tumbling back.
”Princess!”
”Judy-sama!”
”Ruman-chan, now!” I shouted.
I gave a command to Ruman-chan and scrambled toward my sister’s side. Sliding off Ruman-chan’s back, I reached out to them as they lay on the ground.
”Gu…”
They were alive, but I could see burns covering their skin. Despite their injuries, my sister was still glaring at the Demon God and their ilk.
”Dammit…” they hissed.
”Have you finally begun to realize the sheer futility of your reckless little dreams?” the Demon God asked.
Flanked by their two servants, the Demon God began to walk toward us.
”Kuhaha… yes. I can feel it. I can practically taste your souls becoming saturated with the sweet nectar of despair.”
”Shut your mouth… as if we’d ever give up!” my sister spat.
”Are you truly so lacking in self-awareness? I can see the terror etched into your very being… hm?”
The Demon God stopped in their tracks as they neared us. It was hard to tell through their helmet, but I had the unsettling sensation that they were staring directly at me and my sister.
”You two… could it be? Are you the owners of the ¹Holy Womb?”
”What…?” I asked, trembling.
The Demon God uttered a term I had never heard. I glanced at those around us, but no one else seemed to recognize the word either.
”This is a revelation! To think you are of such a noble, ancient lineage!”
”What are you talking about?” I asked.
”The vessel that can bring forth an existence capable of destroying those of the demonic realm… that is the Holy Womb,” the Demon God explained.
”Eh…?”
A vessel that can give birth to one who destroys demons?
”Of course, it is meaningless if the father is a mere commoner,” they continued. “Unless he is a man of such caliber that he can cross blades with me, even a child conceived within a Holy Womb is worthless. And…!”
”Ngh!”
The Demon God spread their clawed hands. A blue flame flickered into existence between them, condensing into a fireball that swelled in size with every passing second.
”No matter how magnificent your Holy Wombs may be, there is no man here capable of standing against me! Furthermore, if I extinguish you here, your potential is rendered moot! Now, burn within my flames and embrace your despair!”
”Ku…!”
”Sister!” I cried.
It really was the end. I never imagined the Demon God would be such an incomprehensible monster. They were the kind of nightmare that would likely require the total mobilization of the Empire’s military just to have a prayer of defeating. Soon, there would be no one left in this land. The Altar of Sacrifice would live up to its name and consume every last one of us.
I’ve been so busy lately, I never even got to go back to the castle of the King of the Magic Labyrinth for a proper meal, I thought. If I’d known it would end like this, I would have eaten way more hamburgers. What will become of this world once we’re gone?
”Sorry, Lista,” my sister whispered.
”Sister…?”
”I was naive. I hate to admit it… but I can’t take down the Demon God, let alone those servants of theirs,” they said.
For them to admit defeat so candidly… they must realize these are our final moments.
”I was just as naive as you were,” I replied. “But you know… I still have that flower crown you made for me when we were little.”
”Why the hell are you bringing that up now?” they muttered. “That’s ancient history. I’d long since forgotten about that.”
I don’t even know why I said it myself. I suppose I just wanted our final moment to be defined by our bond as sisters, not as soldiers.
”Ah…”
The Demon God unleashed the blue fireball. It would incinerate us in a heartbeat. I’m still so terrified of dying.
”No…!”
Just as the fireball reached us, it suddenly shattered, erupting in a violent flare right before our eyes.
”What!?”
”It’s… it’s not hot…” I whispered.
”This is…!”
The blue flames were being held back by an invisible wall. Not a single spark reached us. As the fire dissipated, even the Demon God flinched.
”To think… my flames were halted…” they growled.
It seemed this development was a shock even to them. In the midst of my confusion, I heard a man’s voice—one I hadn’t heard in far too long—right beside me.
”Ah… good. It seems I made it just in time,” the man said.
”Eh…?”
Before I knew it, a masked man was standing there. I didn’t recognize them at first, but seeing Eme-rald and Sardonyx standing at attention right behind them, it finally clicked.
”The… King of the Magic Labyrinth-dono!?”
”It has been a while, Listarte-sama,” they said calmly. “I sensed a foul presence and came to investigate. It seems I arrived not a moment too soon.”
—
Summary:
Listarte watches as her sister and the elite knights Belius and Glazheim battle the Demon God’s servant, Giri. After a desperate pincer attack involving backup magic from Clary and Tianic, Giri is seemingly defeated. However, the Demon God reveals it was all an act, and Giri rises perfectly unharmed, plunging the heroes into deeper despair.
The Demon God unleashes a devastating attack that erases part of the town. He targets Listarte and Judy, revealing they possess the ‘Holy Womb,’ a rare lineage capable of bearing children who can slay demons. Just as he prepares to incinerate them, the King of the Magic Labyrinth arrives with his subordinates to block the attack.
—
Trivia:
- Giri was taking on three elite combatants simultaneously even while ‘playing’.
- Listarte is observing from the air and directing her personal guards to intervene.
- The Demon God hasn’t even entered the fight personally yet.
- The knights believe numerical superiority and the Empire’s pride will save them
- The white flash didn’t just burn; it ‘cleanly erased’ the town.
- Judy and Glazheim were the only ones brave enough to attack during the white-out.
- The Demon God claims his white flame is ‘purification.’
- Listarte’s mundane regret about hamburgers highlights her psychological state.
- The ‘Holy Womb’ requires a powerful father to produce a hero, according to the Demon God
—
Character Insight:
Listarte shows strategic growth by realizing she cannot remain a passive observer and must deploy her guards. The Demon God exhibits a sadistic mastery of psychological warfare, intentionally allowing ‘hope’ to bloom before crushing it.
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Behind the Scenes:
The use of ‘desu-no’ by Listarte is a classic linguistic marker for high-born or noble-sounding female characters in Japanese light novels.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Giri – A servant of the Demon God wearing plate armor.
• Glazheim – Member of the Imperial Heaven Eight Swords. Known as the ‘Castle Slasher.’
• Belius – Leader of the Black Dragon Knight Order. A battle-hardened beastman.
• Tianic – A promising new recruit and follower of Judiette. Despite a timid and stuttering demeanor, she has a sharp, dignified face. She has silky grey short-cut hair and wears modest, military-style clothing.
• Clary – A rare beastman sorceress and follower of Judiette. Older than Judiette, she speaks bluntly despite the princess’s status. She has light purple hair split in the middle and reaching down to her waist. She is described as having a large bust and wears dresses with loose necklines.
• Listarte – Judiette’s younger half-sister. A fox beastman sorceress and the only Imperial citizen capable of riding the Skygoon. Have long dark hair. Wearing ornate Imperial princess robes with gold trim. A cup.
• Lista – Judiette’s younger half-sister. A fox beastman sorceress and the only Imperial citizen capable of riding the Skygoon. Have long dark hair. Wearing ornate Imperial princess robes with gold trim. A cup.
• Judy – An Imperial Princess of the Egdia Empire and leader of the Purple Dragon Knights. A beastman with orange hair styled in an outward-pointing short cut. She has a brave, fierce face, visible abdominal muscles, and a powerful build. Usually wears a midriff-baring tank top and hot pants in private. She is extremely confident in her physical abilities and her second-grade Secret Treasure Orb.
• Sard – Magical Girl version of Liliarette. A-cup, wolf cut hair, class guardian knight. Yellowish-red vibe.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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