C491
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—What's going on!
Why are you suddenly getting shy?
You missed me? A lot?
Hearing the Demon God's voice speaking timidly and carefully made Cale's hair stand on end.
—What's wrong with him? —muttered the Sky Eating Water (her), showing her displeasure.
Then the Demon God's voice was heard again.
—…Only… I have waited for you… desperately…
This time he spoke shyly again. Cale's expression turned serious.
'Should I just go back?'
That gray energy that caused no side effects and even improved and enhanced ancient forces. He came to see if he could get some of that. Suddenly, he felt like going back home.
At that moment...
—As expected.
The priest of the gray tree tribe spoke with sharp eyes towards Cale, although his voice remained cautious.
—So you can hear the voice?
Cale did not respond aloud.
—…Ah… I have waited for you… come to me soon…
Idiot.
Really, that voice was so annoying. He had never encountered such a perverse-sounding voice.
Cale couldn't tell the priest that the voice sounded like a pervert. However, his silence already gave the priest the answer without needing to hear it.
The priest had a grave expression, as if immersed in a serious dilemma. He recalled the gray energy that sprouted in the Demon God's ruins and how that gray energy had fought against the immense sea of the Third Emperor and overcome it.
That magnificent scene. And the person who saved everyone, who coughed up blood and fainted a thousand times, and upon waking, went to visit the Demon God's ruins…
Yes, that human. Even though he wasn't a resident of the Demon World, he had sacrificed so much for this world; the priest's heart swelled with emotion and he couldn't hide it.
—It seems the savior can hear the Demon God's voice, said the priest.
—Is this voice… the Demon God's? —asked Cale (him) with a serious expression.
The priest pointed with his hand towards the center of the Demon God's ruins, protected by four wooden towers.
—Probably, yes. Actually, I have never heard it. I don't hear it right now. But if you hear it, it is very likely the Demon God's voice.
The priest indicated that the ruins had been waiting for the savior. Despite the late hour, a faint gray glow emanated from the ruins.
—Furthermore, for the first time, water has filled the ruin —he said, looking up at the sky—. And on the surface of that lake, the full moon is reflected.
Tonight was not a full moon.
—Go ahead —said the priest, and some demons stepped forward to guide Cale (him).
Cale glanced back at the Demon King who was following behind. The priest had greeted the Demon King at the beginning but didn't speak to him further. Somehow the atmosphere between them was different from before. Midishi, Mikashi, and the Demon God's ruins: before they were against the current Demon King, but after everything with the Dragon King and the gray disease, it seemed the relationship wasn't so tense. At least now there seemed to be a mutual awareness that they were comrades facing a common threat.
—I suppose there's a shared enemy now —thought Cale.
Everyone had recognized the existence of an enemy that threatened even the Demon World; that enemy included gods; even the Heavenly World seemed to be siding with them. The Demon World was almost left alone. In the face of that, internal dangers paled in comparison to the external threat.
On the stairs leading inside the temple, the priest stopped and turned.
Cale understood the reason immediately.
—I'll have to get up from the wheelchair.
Before, his strength was insufficient and he needed the chair; now his digestion was fine and his body was in good condition.
—I think I'm stronger —said the Sky Eating Water (her) in a low voice, and Cale pretended not to hear.
—Even if she got stronger, I'm still the same —thought Cale. If he used all the water's power, he didn't know what would happen to him; perhaps he would suffer something worse than fainting.
Cale placed his hands on the armrests of the chair and, gathering strength, prepared to stand up.
At that instant, a back appeared in front of him.
—Ha, ha —Clopeh Sekka, who had decided to accompany this visit to the ruins, was heard laughing; because it was late, they let the boy who looks ten years old rest and told the others to sleep.
—Allow me to serve you —said Clopeh Sekka courteously.
Cale (him) looked at Clopeh Sekka's back. Although he didn't dislike the intention, he wasn't keen on being carried.
—No, I can stand up by myself.
Cale tried to brush off Clopeh Sekka and stand up. Even so, Clopeh Sekka diligently stepped forward and supported him as he stood.
—You shouldn't exert yourself; even so, you maintain formalities —murmured Clopeh Sekka in a gentle voice. The demons present looked moved; Cale looked at the priest.
Cale realized that the priest had stopped the entourage not because of him, but for another reason.
—Your Majesty Demon King —said the priest calmly—. From here, you cannot accompany us.
Cale immediately sensed that the demons accompanying the priest were warriors. Their faces showed resolve and emanated the energy of someone prepared to protect the priest and the savior at all times.
The Demon King looked at him in silence.
—There is no place on earth that I cannot set foot —said the Demon King.
The priest hesitated at those words, but the Demon King was faster.
—I do not covet the power left by the Demon God.
The priest showed surprise, as if he had discovered something inside the Demon King.
Cale (him) exhaled. Just at that moment, he understood why the priest had asked the Demon King not to continue. The priest spoke with a cold and decisive tone.
—Your Majesty desired to become the Demon God. You were willing to do anything to achieve it.
Despite the priest's courtesy, his voice did not hide the suspicion. The Demon King (him) replied calmly.
—Me? Which Demon King are you referring to?
—Priest —said the Demon King serenely—.
—I do not fear the blood forged on my own path. I am not afraid of death. Those things do not move me.
The current Demon King feared neither blood nor war; he walked without feeling them. Furthermore, he said he would not follow paths others traced for him.
—That is my Demon King —he added.
The priest changed his expression. Then he bowed his head in apology.
—Please forgive my discourtesy —he said—.
The Demon King observed, and then spoke:
—The Demon God is not a god.
The priest and those of the gray tree tribe were astonished. Through the advisor, they already knew something about the Demon God and the law of the hunt. It wasn't public information for all demons, but they were central figures in the tribe, so they must have known.
—The Demon God does not exist —said the Demon King.
The warriors shuddered; until now the entity they worshipped had presented itself as the Demon God. But the Demon King's (him) next phrase changed their faces.
—But there did exist a demon who killed gods.
The Demon King's mouth formed a half-smile.
—And that interests me more.
The priest's gaze deepened; not with dismay, but with an expectation he tried to hide.
—That is me as the Demon King —declared the Demon King (him) in a calm voice.
As he said that, a tremor ran through the temple from the top of the stairs, as if the place celebrated those words.
One of the warriors exhaled in admiration and the priest smiled and climbed one step.
—Let's go —he said—. Accompany him.
He spoke thus to everyone, including the Demon King and Cale.
The Demon King accepted naturally and took a step forward. Cale did not move immediately; when his eyes met the Demon King's, he smiled awkwardly and slowly made his way.
The temple's tremor wasn't solely a reaction to the Demon King's words; Cale noticed something else, though he didn't say anything. He preferred not to comment on it.
—…Come, come, come closer…
—I missed you… only you… I wanted to see you…
—Even the memory of that scene is vivid when I close my eyes… it's beautiful, truly beautiful… understand it, my heart…
The voice stopped being shy; its breaths were now more agitated. It seemed the voice wasn't speaking to him, but to something else.
—What a crazy demon! —grumbled the Sky Eating Water (her), irritated, though at the same time with gluttony for the strength that enhanced without side effects.
—I missed you… an existence like yours… the talent of killing gods is so beautiful to see…
Footsteps echoed. Cale, ignoring the perverse voice for the moment, advanced towards the temple.
—We are here —someone said.
Upon reaching the top of the stairs, the temple showed no statues or altars. In the center, there was only a small lake.
—Originally that lake had no water. Only the trace of a lake remained —said the priest—. But when that gray energy appeared last time, water filled the basin.
The water was ordinary and dark, matching the night; it reflected the moon. Strangely, a full moon was visible on the surface, even though that night was a new moon.
—Records say that the last Demon God was like the moon —explained the priest—. The moon and the night always appear as terms linked to the Demon God.
They said that priests received visions through dreams, something related to that symbolism.
—Come —said the priest.
Cale (him) didn't wait to be accompanied and stepped forward alone towards the lake. Clopeh Sekka tried to help, but as soon as he took a step, he felt the temple vibrate and the entrance refused to let him continue; Cale was the only one who could approach the center of the pond.
The lake emitted a faint gray glow; it wasn't very large, more like a wide pond. Cale glanced sideways at those remaining at the entrance and spoke to the water in a low voice.
—Hello.
He spoke courteously this time. The previous time he had been too agitated to respect formalities; this time he opted for deference.
—…Ah… The one who possesses the talent to sacrifice life… —responded the voice with contained emotion—.
—Yes. I know you wanted to see me, and it makes me happy and flattered —replied Cale with a distracted air—. But I'm busy. Tomorrow I start the purification tour all over the Demon World and I would like to sleep well tonight.
Acting according to his purpose, he added:
—I'm busy, so hand over that gray energy. You called me for this, right? Won't you give it to me? You said it has no adverse effects.
—…Eh… Busy? No-, I called you to give it to you… eh…
—You said it had no side effects —retorted Cale.
—Well yes… more or less… this force is like an enhancer I left before dying…
—Then give it to me now. If it's to give it to me, give it —insisted Cale cheekily.
Cale wasn't shameless without measure, but he spoke frankly:
—You know I'm saving the Demon World, and I still have to face the God of Chaos who has turned the Demon World into chaos and devours people. Pass me the power. If there's a transmission ritual, we can skip it and do it quickly and simply. That's better, isn't it? Come on, quickly.
Cale sat at the edge of the pond with a bright smile while the full moon on the surface swayed.
—Were you only looking at me? —asked the voice.
—No. I also wanted to see this. So give me the power.
Cale extended his hand towards the pond and towards the reflected moon with a decisive attitude, like someone about to collect something that belongs to him.
—Give it to me.
—…
—Please.
The Demon God spoke shyly.
—…That would be… inelegant.
—Huh?
—…It should have style.
Style? Cale felt that the Demon God seemed to care about appearances. That the one with the talent to kill gods must be elegant? The idea seemed absurd to him.
—…Do you really think the one with the talent to kill gods doesn't understand style? That beautiful water barrier… it had to look stylish…
Cale (him) felt a bad premonition.
The vibration stopped for an instant.
—…I will test you…
Suddenly the water of the pond rose. The dark night water, still imbued with that galaxy-like gray energy, ascended forming a veil. The gray that reminded him of the galaxy Cale (him) had created with his purification ritual moved following the stream.
- ...If you pass the test, I will give you my power, I, Jenyuste, the God Slayer...!
The veil of black water, with the gray galaxy within it, rushed towards Cale.
—Create the moment of the transmission ritual that I recognize as valid… with style. Very elegant. Very magnificent. Very beautiful.
At that instant, Cale thought to himself and barely let a phrase escape.
—Ah. What a pain.
The Demon God's voice and the watery veil trembled.
