Chapter 83

"Cut it out already! I told you I won't be your subordinate!"

Ah, I said it. Because he's so persistent.

The evil god, who seemed about to fly into a rage, spoke calmly.

"Admin code activation—halt the target in this space."

As I was about to ask what he was planning to do, I realized my mouth wouldn't move.

Not just my mouth, but my hands, feet, and even my eyeballs wouldn't move.

Patrick and No. 2, who were at the edge of my vision, didn't move either. They probably couldn't move, just like me.

My last hope was Remun, who was in my shadow.

"Can't move, can you? This is the power of a god. You four... four? ...Ah, I see, in the shadow. Remun... was it? To me, you're on the same level as humans."

Eh, Remun can't move either? This is hopeless.

The evil god, looking at us who couldn't move a muscle, continued.

"Let me show you what it means to defy me—"

As he was about to speak at length, he was swallowed by a black pillar descending from the sky.

The delayed explosion roared past my ears. This... is Ryu's breath.

The dark dragon's breath has the effect of melting its target. Whether it's stone or metal, it will dissolve without a doubt. Even if he's an evil god, he won't come out unscathed.

"...A dragon, huh? Admin code activation—halt the target."

The evil god, who emerged from the breath, calmly spoke in his usual wobbly mosaic form.

There was no sign that it had any effect. Moreover, it seemed Ryu's movements were also halted.

I couldn't confirm because I couldn't move my eyes, but from the fact that Ryu didn't breathe or roar, it was certain he couldn't move.

I still couldn't move. No matter how much I tried, my body wouldn't budge.

What should I do? Think, think.

"What's going on!? I heard a huge noise!"

Bad things happen in a chain.

Hearing the sound of the breath, Eleonora came out of the mansion.

That's why I wanted to change the location. I blame No. 2.

"More and more troublesome... Admin code activation—halt the target."

Ah, Eleonora's movements were also halted after Ryu.

We lost another combatant... but it doesn't affect the battle at all. Eleonora's movements were halted.

No, I can't turn around to confirm, but I, Patrick, and Ryu couldn't resist the mysterious power, so there's no way Eleonora could—

"Whoa! I couldn't move for a moment! What is this?"

"...What!?"

...What!?

I muttered the same exclamation as the evil god.

Why can Eleonora move? Could her hidden power have blossomed...? As I was thinking, a voice came from my ear.

"Putting Eleonora in danger again... We need to have a serious talk later. Admin code activation—release the target's restrictions."

"Whoa! Ah, I can move."

Turning around, I saw a woman with white hair and a shining forehead.

If Eleonora was in danger, it made sense that she would join the fight.

"You came, Dekochan!"

"Stop calling me Dekochan! It's Sannon! Anyway, we need to teleport immediately. Get ready!"

Come to think of it, Sannon can teleport anywhere as long as the sun is up. Remun had tried to use her as a taxi, but she refused.

Probably, she just wants to get Eleonora away from the battlefield, but it's a welcome offer.

Without waiting for a response, Sannon took action. Blinding light flooded my vision... Wait, this light is really painful.

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts."

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts."

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts."

Me, No. 2, and probably Remun. There are too many members who take a lot of damage from light attributes.

When the light faded, the scenery around us had completely changed.

This is... the place where I first met Sannon. An empty plain. No need to worry about collateral damage.

I confirmed the next person to teleport. Me, No. 2, and Remun were there. Looking to the side, Patrick was there, and Sannon, who had managed to teleport multiple people, was there too.

And of course, the mysterious mist, the evil god Kugelshreiber, was there.

"Hmm, a spatial teleport. It's impossible to resist when the entire phase is specified."

He didn't seem fazed by the sudden teleport.

We secured a place where we don't need to worry about the surroundings. Now, we just need to defeat the evil god.

How to fight against the evil god with his mysterious binding ability depends on Sannon, who has a countermeasure.

The goddess of light, my last hope, leaned close to my ear.

"By releasing your restrictions and teleporting, I've used most of my power. The rest is up to you."

"...Eh?"

"I couldn't bring the dragon because I didn't have enough power. I'm sorry."

"Such a dangerous place! There's no way I could bring Ryu!"

"Eh, ah, yes."

Ryu and Eleonora are beings that need to be protected. They shouldn't get involved with an unknown evil god.

But this is troublesome. The evil god's power can't be avoided even if we know it's coming.

I want to calmly discuss a strategy, but the evil god won't allow it.

"Hah... Should we start over? It's troublesome. Admin code—"

Ah, this is bad. If this continues, we'll be immobilized again.

Well, in situations like this, a good punch usually does the trick.

I approached the evil god Kugelshreiber, or rather, the mysterious mist, and punched with all my might.

My full-force Yumera punch hit the evil god's head. I did it. And... my fist went through.

...Huh? It should have hit. I felt the impact. But it went through. It wasn't like mist or anything... What is this?

"It's useless. Our phases are different. You can't touch something you can't clearly see."

The logic is unclear, but physical attacks seem ineffective.

Then, magic. Ryu's breath didn't work, but let's see...

The evil god was about to use his power again, so I hurriedly cast a spell.

"Admin—"

"Black Hole."

The misty mosaic was covered by a black sphere.

The Black Hole is a spell that erases space. Since it was affected by Sannon's teleportation, it's likely to be effective.

After a few moments, the black sphere "did" shrink and disappear towards the center.

Yes, the sphere disappeared. The air around it probably disappeared too. But the key person was standing there completely unharmed.

"...What..."

"I told you it's useless. That spell is powerful, but it only erases matter in your phase."

This is hopeless.

I've never fought someone stronger. Recently, I've only fought opponents that I could finish with a single Black Hole. Somewhere in my mind, I was overconfident that I could win with magic if things got tough.

Physical attacks don't work. Magic doesn't work. It's too late to try to resolve it through negotiation.

Ah, this time it's hopeless. I'm a bug-level strong character, but the evil god is a real cheat user.

I let all the strength out of my body and said,

"All options are exhausted."

"That honesty is commendable. Admin code—"

"Don't give up!"

The evil god's body was pierced by a stone spear that grew from the ground.

No, Patrick, it's not working at all.

"Still not giving up... Admin—"

"He has a weakness! You just haven't noticed, Yumera!"

Patrick slashed at the evil god. The sword passed through. The mist only wavered slightly.

Actually, the evil god has been interrupted every time he tries to speak... Ah!

"Admin code—"

"Dark Flame"

"Admin—"

"Black Hole"

"Ad—"

"Yumera Punch!"

I see! Thanks, Patrick!

I sent a grateful look, and he nodded firmly.

This guy, he can't activate his power unless he says "Admin code" or something... and we can interrupt him by attacking. If we attack when he says "ka," we can completely stop him.

Just remember, the evil god has no shadow. We can't use shadow-based attacks like Shadow Lance.

The evil god, clearly irritated, said,

"How long do you plan to keep up this petty trick?"

"If one punch doesn't work, I'll punch a hundred times. If a hundred punches don't work, I'll punch a thousand times. I'll keep going until I defeat you."

"Stupid—"

"Black Hole... Ah, that was the 'ka' for 'stupid.' I made a mistake. It's confusing, so don't say 'ka.'"

Alright, I'm back in the game.

There are many ways to defeat an invincible enemy. Like learning a special breathing technique from a mysterious old man, getting the concept of death added by a mysterious old man, or hitting it with purple Pikmin.

I ended up relying on others, but there are many other ways. Let's try them one by one.

After being negated by the Black Hole, I turned blue, which is rare. Let's start a hellish endurance battle. Hahaha.

All of this is thanks to Patrick. A lover who rushes to your side when you're down, the best.

"Thank you, Patrick."

"Yeah, the 'one punch doesn't work' part was the best."

"Eh? Don't suddenly hit on me like that!"

"I love that about you, Yumera."

Eh, wait, huh? Isn't this the part where I should point out that he's not hitting on me?

Eh? Eh? Wait, what's going on?

While my brain was processing the joke, Patrick was interfering with the evil god's actions.

No, no, no. It's not good to put all the burden on him, especially considering the long-term battle ahead.

I should join in soon. Together, we can... no, it's not just the two of us. There should be more people.

I understand the awkwardness of interrupting our romantic moment, but it's not okay to slack off, No. 2 and the gods.

Checking, I saw No. 2 and Sannon talking a little away from the battlefield. Seriously, don't slack off.

"Hey, you."

"It's Sannon."

"Your name doesn't matter. I have a question for you. Why didn't you resist even when you were about to be killed? You're much stronger than the god of darkness, right?"

"...The one who chose not to resist was the me from your world. I don't know why."

"But you're not me, so you should have a similar thought process, right? You should understand, right?"

I was about to speak up, but I couldn't help but listen to their conversation.

It was completely eavesdropping. But I was curious about why Sannon didn't resist... The conversation continued while I was thinking. No. 2 was confrontational, and Sannon was calm.

"I don't like getting involved with humans. Intervening in human conflicts is out of the question."

"Sure, I get that gods shouldn't interfere in wars... But you were the one who killed me?"

"Even so. Even if I die, a god killing a single human is unacceptable."

"Huh? Human? A monster that can control demons isn't human. No single human can destroy the world. You're a far worse monster than a demon king."

"......Yumera Dorkness, you are undoubtedly human. One of the humans I love."

"...You're an idiot."

No. 2 spat it out, turning away.

Sannon, on the other hand, seemed to be stating a fact, with a matter-of-fact tone.

I hadn't realized her impartiality until now. She considers even No. 2, who brought about the end of the world, as a human and won't interfere. Her self-restraint, not favoring any particular human, is so strong that she can't even act in her own crisis. Even Eleonora, who was among the victims of No. 2, was considered a human.

I missed my chance to speak up, and a voice came from my feet. Remun finally emerged.

"Really, Sannon is way too clumsy."

"Way too clumsy."

"Back in the day, a lot happened. I was surprised she came to help like this."

I think Sannon couldn't ignore Eleonora's crisis. She didn't help me or Remun, or even fight the evil god.

Regardless of her motives, the goddess of light is a lifesaver. She released us from the bindings and even teleported us. In contrast, Remun hasn't had many opportunities to shine.

But he looks like a kid, so it's understandable. He seemed to notice my gaze.

"You think I'm useless, don't you?"

"No, I wasn't thinking about why you were hiding in the shadow or that it wouldn't matter if we couldn't move together..."

"Can't help it! I knew he would use the code, but I didn't expect him to specify the entire space!"

"I don't know about that. And you call it a 'code'?"

"That guy is famous for holding back his power!?"

So, you're saying it's common knowledge. I don't know.

Anyway, let's give Remun a big task. This is a mission only he can do.

"We don't have time to talk. Get out the sword."

"...Ah, I was holding it. Here."

Remun quickly took out the sword from the shadow and handed it to me. So, so unceremoniously.

This isn't right. It was supposed to be a cool, dramatic moment. Without any flair, there's no point in giving it to him.

Feeling a bit let down, I took the pruning sword, and Sannon, who had been watching, sharply exclaimed,

"What are you holding!?"

"Ah, I know it's dangerous."

"It's far beyond dangerous! Such a terrible thing..."

Sannon doesn't seem to like the pruning sword. Is it because of the light and dark incompatibility? It's not like the sword will eat me or anything. I think she's overreacting.

Well, I have a lot of complaints about Remun's lack of flair, but as I said, time is precious. No. 2 has joined the saturation attack on the evil god and seems to have some leeway, but I should join in too.

Let's skip the dramatic draw today. I quickly pulled the black sword from its sheath.

"Come to my hand, the pruning sword that cuts the branches of the world."

"Eh? Did you say something?"

"I didn't say anything."

I pretended I didn't say the incantation, which Remun overheard.

In my mind, my love for such things and my embarrassment were battling. Before the battle was decided, I decided to quickly end the fight with the evil god.