Chapter 59

Evil God Beliar (3)

After rising to the rank of a mid-high god, Beliar had devised several victory plans of his own. The World of Stars contained an immense variety of worlds, so any god who managed his worlds through conquest, as he did, naturally needed such plans.

The plan Beliar employed most frequently went as follows:

First, he would dispatch reconnaissance units that included kobolds. After gathering intelligence about the opposing world, he would send in the most suitable legion and secure victory. Then, using the conquered region as a foothold, he would station his main force there and gradually push forward.

When that happened, half of his opponents would request [Negotiation] and express their willingness to surrender, while the other half would struggle desperately to defend whatever land they still possessed. If they chose the former, Beliar would simply extract whatever benefits he could. If they chose the latter, he would crush them beneath his heel.

The strength of the [World of Chains and Shackles] lay in the fact that it was a multiracial world composed of numerous species capable of responding to any situation and any opponent. Such diversity was impossible for an ordinary mid-high world. The number of colonial worlds under Beliar’s control was comparable even to that of high gods.

It would be more accurate to say that his territory had grown far beyond what could normally be managed. Had he not suppressed everyone with the doctrine of [Submission], and had he not possessed a small but elite population of Iron Men, a [Colonial Independence] event or [Rebellion] event would have occurred long ago and shaken the very foundations of his world.

For the moment, however, there were no problems. Through this grotesquely structured military world, Beliar had reaped considerable rewards and risen to become a mid-high god.

The decisive moment had come when he colonized a world of [Dragons] around the time he became a middle god. Dragons were an asymmetric force capable of devastating the worlds of most middle gods.

He had gained nothing less than one of the highest-ranking species as soldiers.

Iron Men and dragons.

With those two races—both boasting overwhelming combat power compared to others of the same level—at the forefront, he commanded massive legions. In a sense, he looked less like an Evil God and more like a god operating a conventional [Military World].

Although his methods of governance were unmistakably those of an Evil God.

Objectively speaking, Beliar was no pushover. His forces were powerful enough to destroy the worlds of most gods.

Lee Shin’s world was simply far beyond all conventional standards.

During the preparation period, Lee Shin had used [Druids] to conduct acts of terrorism. Despite being only a lower god, he had constructed a defensive fortress capable of annihilating an entire army belonging to a mid-high god. He even possessed a necromancer who was practically an army unto himself, as well as dragons.

Lee Shin was the abnormal one.

But there was no point debating that now.

The World Collision had already begun.

Therefore, instead of using the victory plan he had favored recently, Beliar decided to return to the methods of an Evil God—methods he had used only in his early days and had rarely employed since becoming a mid-high god.

One might call it a return to his roots.

「Using the skill [Apocalypse].」

It was an authority that distinguished normal gods from Evil Gods.

Its power was described by a simple yet devastating sentence:

It brings about the apocalypse.

There was only one reason Beliar had not actively used this authority in recent times, despite it being practically synonymous with Evil Gods.

Even if he achieved victory through [Apocalypse], there would be little profit left for him to claim. Forget making a profit—he might even end up suffering nothing but losses.

But that no longer mattered.

「All currently possessed divine power will be consumed.」

At this point, why should profits or losses matter?

If Beliar had possessed the temperament to calculate such things so meticulously, he would never have walked the path of an Evil God in the first place.

A greedy god who would never release anything he had grasped.

A prideful god who feared defeat more than annihilation.

Beliar’s true nature was that of an Evil God.

As long as he could secure the victory before him, nothing else mattered. Even if his entire world vanished, even if the creations he had personally made—beings no different from his own children—suffered and died, he did not care.

Victory was all that mattered.

And through that victory, he would prove that he had been right.

That was his sole purpose.

「“What form of apocalypse do you desire?”」

“Perhaps the enemy is concealing the truth. They might claim that the dwarves weren’t the ones who destroyed the Iron Men’s bodies and that something else was responsible....”

Hephaestus had been right.

After observing that the Iron Men showed no fear at all, Hephaestus proposed a hard-line solution. He would personally cross over into the opposing world and show them exactly how he could tear apart an Iron Man’s body.

The effect was undeniable.

The morale of the once-fearless Iron Men plummeted so visibly that anyone could see it.

Hephaestus was delighted that his prediction had proven correct, but for some reason, Lee Shin did not share his pleasure.

This is horrible.

Every living being in the world had something it feared.

Exploiting the fears of enemies who intended to harm them was a wise strategy. But dragging those fears into reality and exposing them without restraint was not something Lee Shin could enjoy.

The spreading fear.

The screams.

The trembling.

Lee Shin despised the entire atmosphere.

If he could, he would have ended the World Collision immediately and allowed both sides to go their separate ways.

Of course, the residents of his own worlds were more precious to Lee Shin than the residents of the opposing world.

But those people, too, must have been loved by someone.

They, too, must have lived lives of their own.

[God, they’re definitely afraid. I knew I was right! I think taking those Iron Men prisoner and threatening the others could also work. Then they wouldn’t be able to charge at us recklessly....]

The dwarves were fighting to survive.

They would do anything to protect one another and defend their world. Lee Shin also wanted to protect those small, precious people who belonged to him.

But even if the inhabitants of a world were willing to do anything, was it truly right for the god who ruled them to behave the same way?

Was doing absolutely anything, without regard for means or methods... truly the best answer?

As he watched the war unfold, that thought suddenly entered Lee Shin’s mind.

Was that truly what it meant to be great...?

「TIP: The opposing world’s faith is falling!」

「TIP: Jude is also wreaking havoc throughout the colonies!」

「TIP: At this rate, we’ll win without much difficulty. Wow! A lower god defeating a mid-high god? That’s an incredible achievement! The entire World of Stars is going to be buzzing about this!」

Even the status-window messages sounded excited.

Yet for some reason, Lee Shin remained deep in thought.

Then he asked a question.

“I’m curious about something. Making your enemy tremble in fear while destroying their world... Is a god who can drown any world in terror considered a great god here in the World of Stars?”

「TIP: Excuse me?」

“The thought just occurred to me.”

The status window could not readily answer Lee Shin’s question.

Lee Shin continued.

“If I achieve victory through this process, does that prove that my worlds are greater? Do all gods live their lives thinking about how to terrify their opponents’ worlds and how to ensure their complete destruction?”

His voice was calm.

The status window still could not answer his dispassionate question.

Lee Shin wondered—

If gods were truly such beings...

If every world was like that...

Could these stars really be said to shine?

「TIP: You are different.」

The status window finally sent a message in response to Lee Shin’s words.

「TIP: As expected, the destiny you were born with is—」

But before the message could finish—

「[Beliar] is using the skill [Apocalypse].」

「The apocalypse will now begin.」

「Prepare for the apocalypse.」

It happened.

[Cough!]

[Urgh....]

The dwarves guarding the fortress were the first to begin coughing repeatedly. Their coughs continued for an unnaturally long time. Then an elderly dwarf suddenly vomited blood and collapsed to the ground.

[Why, cough, is this suddenly....]

The other dwarves nearby were no different.

It was clearly a supernatural phenomenon.

They soon discovered why it was happening.

「The First Apocalypse」

「“All things made of blood and flesh shall perish.”」

It was not limited to the dwarves.

The dinosaurs tending the vegetation could not stop coughing either. Even in Beliar’s world, which Lee Shin could see through [World Observation], the same thing was happening.

In fact, the situation in the opposing world was even worse.

The various races inhabiting the World of Chains and Shackles were not merely vomiting blood. Dark crimson blood poured from their eyes, ears, and noses as they collapsed and convulsed on the ground.

Soon, the skies over both worlds turned pitch-black.

It was a deeply ominous color.

Then, on the outskirts of the fortress, one of the Iron Men who had tormented the dwarves until now appeared.

Mars, the Iron Man.

[Charge.]

The Great One could rain down lightning.

But His most terrifying authority was something else entirely.

Whenever the Great One dyed the heavens black, all things made of blood and flesh would struggle desperately before finally succumbing to death.

Mars’s world was no exception.

Only the Iron Men always survived.

Because their bodies were made of steel.

That was why the Iron Men considered beings of blood and flesh inferior. They believed that if the Great One ever became enraged, the fate of such beings was already sealed. They lived with pride, convinced that the Iron Men alone were truly loved by Him.

“Charge.”

Eight other Iron Men surrounded Mars after he crossed into the opposing world. Considering the clashes thus far, it was a pitifully small force. However, since they could no longer deploy a single soldier from the other races, it could not be helped.

And in truth, they were not needed.

Once things reached this stage, the Iron Men reigned as invincible beings. There was no need to bring even eight more of them. Mars alone could likely have brought this world to an end.

In fact, he had done so before.

“Cough! Cough!”

“No... Please....”

Painful coughing came from inside the fortress.

He could hear pleading voices as well.

Mars ignored them.

Then he thought to himself.

...They’re all going to die again. Every last one of them.

No one would remain.

Once again, only the Iron Men would be left.

The Great One had said that all beings made of blood and flesh were inferior. They were destined to disappear one day, so the Iron Men must never grow close to them.

But... that was not as easy as it sounded.

They’ll all vanish without leaving anything behind.

Even soldiers conscripted from the colonies ultimately became comrades.

Mars had commanded hundreds of soldiers and trained thousands more. He remembered the many soldiers with whom he had shared barracks. He had listened to their stories and learned what lives they had led before coming here.

A body made of steel did not make the soul steel as well.

Even if one’s outer shell was made of steel, it was difficult to make everything within equally hard. When even falling raindrops sometimes slipped through the gaps in one’s armor, how could the feelings of one’s comrades fail to seep inside?

In the end, we’re returning to the beginning.

Everything the world had built until now would disappear.

What would remain after they crushed these people and claimed victory?

Everything made of blood and flesh would die. Who among them could possibly be saved?

Chains could not be fastened around ashes, nor could shackles be placed on corpses.

Everything would return to its starting point.

Only one thing would remain.

Glory.

Every victory is glorious.

Mars recalled the Great One’s words.

But was the life that followed a glorious victory also glorious?

Mars found it increasingly difficult to suppress those irreverent thoughts, especially now that they had reached the same conclusion yet again.

And then—

『Begone, all of you.』

Clang—!

With a deafening sound, Mars and the other Iron Men were lifted into the air.

It was World Interference. The opposing god had used his interference power to expel them.

...He never intervened before.

Had he finally used the resources he had been conserving?

Did he believe they were truly in danger?

Was he trying to protect his dying believers?

Mars pushed himself up from the ground.

His own god had also used World Interference.

『Fight. Trample every last one of those dying creatures.』

『Fight for glory. Stain your bodies with the blood of your enemies.』

The voice continued without end.

Several of the Iron Men had already lost themselves. Their god’s will had consumed their minds and driven them mad.

Perhaps it would be better if I could go mad too.

A faint smile appeared on Mars’s face.

It was a god’s voice capable of driving anyone insane....

Yet strangely, Mars had never once felt himself strongly drawn by it. Nor had his mind ever been clouded by its influence.

Mars had merely fought because he had to fight.

Because he did not want this world to disappear.

A world once filled with nothing but desolate expanses of metal had become filled with all manner of life. He had loved watching it change with every passing day.

He had loved the fact that he could protect that world with his own hands.

He had loved knowing that he could contribute something to it.

Lately, however, doubts had begun to trouble him.

What was war for?

What awaited them at its end?

What did it mean to be great?

『Fight!』

Of course, he could not voice those questions aloud.

His comrades were already charging ahead.

If he left them alone, there was no telling what foolish thing they might do.

Mars placed a hand against the ground and rose, then began following them.

His expressionless face raised high.

“Is this the apocalypse?”

Lee Shin narrowed his eyes.

「TIP: Yes, it is.」

The apocalypse invoked by Beliar was absurdly unfair. Before they had any chance to respond, most of the dwarves in the small world had been incapacitated.

Only apostles such as Eve and Hephaestus were barely managing to endure it.

「TIP: Apocalypse is a power that gives physical form to the malice possessed by the Evil God who invokes it.」

「TIP: Its manifestation varies depending on the nature of that Evil God’s malice. Furthermore, Apocalypse affects both the god’s own world and the opposing god’s world.」

“It won’t affect the Iron Men at all.”

「TIP: Correct. It’s unfair.」

It was even more powerful than Lee Shin had anticipated.

Then again, it suited the name Apocalypse perfectly.

There was no such thing as a fair apocalypse.

「TIP: There are two ways to counter an apocalypse.」

“What are they?”

「TIP: The first is to invest divine power.」

“Can divine power stop it?”

「TIP: You can reduce the apocalypse’s intensity. If you invest more divine power than the opposing god did, you may even stop the apocalypse completely.」

That was impossible.

Things might have been different if the Lord’s Day had arrived, but Lee Shin currently had almost no divine power remaining. He had invested most of it in gifting Hephaestus a sacred relic and constructing the fortress zone.

“What’s the second method?”

「TIP: ...The most influential soul in the opposing world must betray their god.」

“What does that mean?”

「TIP: Exactly what it sounds like. If the most powerful Iron Man in the opposing world declares that this is wrong and that this is not greatness, rejects his god, and completely abandons his faith... the apocalypse will end immediately, and that god will completely lose all influence over his own world. This is mandated by the laws of the World of Stars.」

「TIP: Who would call a god great after he committed an act that caused even the soul closest to him to turn away? It is also a condition perfectly suited to this [World Collision], where the greatness of each side is being judged.」

He would completely lose his influence.

That was practically the same as losing his qualifications as a god.

“First, I need to make sure no one dies.”

Lee Shin poured all his remaining divine power into reducing the apocalypse’s intensity.

Soon, some of the fallen dwarves regained consciousness and began rising. Their complexions were still poor, however.

[God! God, what in the world is happening...?]

“Eve, treat everyone and make sure no one dies.”

Lee Shin did not know exactly what kind of phenomenon this was, but judging by appearances, it resembled a disease.

If this apocalypse killed its victims gradually, Eve should be able to buy them some time.

Hearing Lee Shin’s words, Eve nodded and immediately ran off without hesitation.

I still have a fair amount of interference power left.

He had been unable to use it effectively before because there had been far too many enemies, but this time was different.

The apocalypse had struck the opposing world as well, which meant that only the Iron Men could still move.

For the moment, Lee Shin should be able to stop them with [World Interference].

Although it consumes quite a lot.

Direct interference that expelled residents of the opposing world consumed a substantial amount of interference power.

Judging by how much he had just spent, he would likely be able to use it three more times at most.

Then—

「The final puzzle piece for a ruined world falls into place.」

A status window appeared before Lee Shin.

「The Evil God Beliar has exploited and destroyed countless worlds by governing them through twisted methods. Those twisted methods have also corrupted his own world.

That twisted god has no interest whatsoever in caring for his creations or becoming a great god. He desires only to prove that he was never wrong.

Beliar is unworthy of being a god.

But does the same apply to the children born from him?

Those pitiful souls have lived their entire lives obeying their creator’s commands, never having been taught how to distinguish right from wrong....

Having spent their whole lives as mere tools, they remain driven by their god’s commands, racing toward a brutal end.

And now, the faith of the Evil God’s most loyal servant—a servant who has never once tasted defeat—is beginning to waver.

“What could possibly await us at the end of all this?”

This pitiful soul does not know right from wrong. No one has ever taught him, and no one has ever become a light to guide him.

In the dark and boundless ocean that is the World of Stars, there has always been only one kind of being capable of becoming a light and showing the way to those who wander lost.

The worlds call such beings stars.

And they call them gods.」

Prove that you are a great god.

The sentence felt like an abstract and difficult task.

But—

...That’s what a god should do.

It felt far more deserving of the name god than the joyless course of this war—digging into the enemy’s weaknesses to make them tremble in fear and pouring every effort into making one another suffer and succumb to terror.