"Tia de Mezelia."

Elhaen, who had been pushed back, righted his posture and his eyes shot up.

"Have you too decided to go against providence?"

"No."

Tia said, holding a sword of blazing red light.

"I have only decided to follow the proper providence."

The proper providence.

That was to reject the standard that Elhaen should reign as the one and only god of this world.

"How foolish."

Elhaen stared intently at Tia.

"I gave you the opportunity to follow my teachings, yet you receive the power of a wicked thing and try to defy me?"

"It is the power of another outer god, not so different from you."

Tia swung her sword of light.

"It belongs to another being who bestows light upon this world."

"You mention a light that cannot compare to me."

Elhaen showed his displeasure.

"I am a light of a size that reverses the darkness outside this world."

"You should say it the other way around."

Tia answered softly.

"That your power is proportional to that darkness."

"What did you say?"

"And yet, in reality, you are nothing but a light of a size that falls far short of the size of that darkness."

In an instant, Elhaen came right in front of Tia and swung his sword of light.

"You dare to spout such nonsense."

Elhaen's sword plunged into the spot where the retreating Tia had been.

Elhaen, not dwelling on his missed attack, immediately swung his sword again and swept the ground.

The roughly scraped ground rose up and pushed forward as if to cover Tia.

Tia raised the ground in the same way to defend against the attack, and soon clashed with Elhaen, exchanging blows.

"...You."

Beatrice opened her mouth, looking back at the one who was helping her sit up from where she had fallen.

"Nael."

"Don't be impressed."

Nael said with an expressionless face.

"I just want to get Clay back. It's only for that."

"Is that so."

"For now, we have to get rid of that guy who is only trying to use Clay as a vessel."

"Can we do that?"

Beatrice had experienced Elhaen's power firsthand.

'It was an immense power.'

A power that overwhelmed her, a Dragonoid.

'And yet, can she stand against it?'

Elhaen, who had activated the divine circuit, was receiving the support of the power hidden beneath this city and was displaying a might truly befitting a god.

And yet, Tia was clearly responding to such an Elhaen. In a manner close to being on equal footing.

"Tia can do it."

Nael answered, as if to resolve Beatrice's doubts.

"Though I don't know how much she can do."

However, her voice was also trembling with anxiety. And indeed, Tia was slowly being pushed back by Elhaen.

In the end, she was pushed back by Elhaen's blow and was sent flying towards a ruined building.

"Huu."

Whether it should be called a relief, Elhaen was not without damage either.

"Insolent, bastard...!"

His face contorted viciously. It was not a look that someone who claimed to be a great god should show.

"I will annihilate you right here!"

It was when Elhaen was about to run at Tia again.

"!"

A giant magic circle was drawn beneath Elhaen. He immediately jumped high, but the speed at which the magic circle caused an explosion was too fast.

KWAAAAAAAAANG!

An explosion close to a storm. Elhaen's body was tossed and turned repeatedly before he barely found his balance.

"What is this...!"

"Elhaen."

There was someone floating in the air with blue magic circles.

"You seem to be trying quite hard in Neville's body, huh?"

"Yuru...!"

Yuru.

The greatest mage of this world, who had reached Origin, was looking down at Elhaen.

"You look a bit pathetic for a god, don't you?"

He didn't even answer. Elhaen flew up to Yuru.

"Don't get cocky."

As he swung his sword of light, a blue magic circle blocked the attack.

"You're the one who shouldn't get cocky."

Yuru's eyes shone fiercely.

"This is not a place for you to be."

"This is the place where I will reside. Clay is the body I will reside in."

"Don't even think about touching my brother."

The halo floating above Yuru's head began to spin.

"You can just fall into hell."

At the same time, a giant sphere that enveloped him and her was created. Elhaen hurriedly tried to get away from the sphere, but,

"?!"

The sphere was already swallowing Elhaen's body.

"You can't escape."

Yuru said, immersing her body in the sphere just like him.

"I will finish you in a place where you can't even touch my brother."

"Uwaaaaaaaah!"

Although Elhaen stretched out his hand as if struggling, in the end, he and she were swallowed by the same sphere and disappeared in an instant.

"......"

Silence.

As if to mock the tremendous battle that had been taking place until just a moment ago, the surroundings became quiet.

"Nael."

Beatrice turned her head with difficulty.

"Was that also within your range of expectations?"

"It was not."

Nael answered softly.

"I didn't know how Yuru would move either."

"What are you going to do now?"

"You have to help."

At those words, Beatrice's eyes widened.

"Me?"

"While Tia was drawing Elhaen's attention, you were supposed to get rid of the shadow of the moon that is covering the sun."

That was the plan, Nael said.

"The power that the Sun God has bestowed upon Tia is also being limited because of that, but more than anything, if we just end Elhaen's time, everything will be resolved."

If they ended the eclipse, they could break Elhaen's descent. In short, it meant they could drive him out of this world.

"...Will just driving him out be enough?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it doesn't seem like that alone will be a big blow to Elhaen."

Beatrice said, swallowing dryly.

"If Elhaen can come back again, then this kind of thing will happen again..."

She contorted her face at the sudden pain she felt in her leg. Nael looked at her and was silent for a moment, then spoke again.

"Still, do it. If you don't want to lose Clay right now."

"Is there a guarantee that I won't lose Clay even if I finish this?"

"What do you mean?"

"You..."

Beatrice let out a hollow laugh.

"After this is over, you might kill me and try to take Clay with Tia."

"What..."

Nael sighed.

"Honestly, I'd like to, but I probably won't be able to."

"Why is that?"

"Because I don't want to be rejected by Clay."

She looked at the place where Tia had been sent flying.

"In my own thoughts, I want to get rid of you. Because you also told us to die."

"That's..."

"But Tia said we shouldn't hurt Clay anymore."

If they did, they would lose even the current Clay.

"I don't know what to do either. I'm just trying to do one thing."

"One thing?"

"That I have to let Clay live."

Nael lowered her head.

"I failed to do that and made things this way."

She couldn't prevent Clay's death. No, she didn't. With a moment's hesitation, she had stopped at his execution site.

Because of that, she couldn't turn anything back. The more she moved with Tia and suppressed her excitement, the more she was forced to realize that cruel reality.

There was the fact that she had regained some of her reason, but she also felt something after seeing Tia's appearance.

She was just trying to make even the current Clay live. She was trying to do just that, abandoning her own desires that were riddled with regret.

Nael could only sigh as she looked at Tia's appearance.

That's the best we can do, she was forced to be consumed by a sense of futility.

But on the contrary, because of that, what she had to do could become clear, albeit belatedly.

"I have to be, in the place where Clay will live, Beatrice."

Looking at the surprised Beatrice, Nael was speaking with a face already smeared with tears.

"I think it has to be that way."

Looking at that sight, Beatrice couldn't say anything.

Beatrice thought that everyone who had been by Clay's side and had betrayed him had to disappear.

So she had recommended death. Because she thought that was the path for Clay.

Nevertheless, she was not happy at all to see Nael, who was trying to go down that path. That feeling was like,

'Just like...'

It resembled something of the previous Demon King who had lost his loved one.

'I...'

A feeling that could not be described.

Beatrice sat there blankly for a moment.

"...I understand."

And not long after, she raised her arm towards the sky.

"I'm injured, so I don't know if it will work well. Still, since the opportunity has come, I will do my best."

"Beatrice."

"You go and check on Tia."

Even if Yuru had dragged him somewhere, she didn't know when Elhaen would return again.

"Tell her to use all the methods she has found."

Beatrice said to Nael.

"Quickly."

At that, Nael moved sluggishly and headed to where Tia was. Beatrice held her breath as she looked at the place where Elhaen and Yuru had disappeared, the place that was now suddenly shimmering.

'Because it has to be that way.'

While Beatrice was using all her mana to end the eclipse, the sphere that had swallowed Elhaen and Yuru earlier reappeared.

What Beatrice saw at that time was the figure of Elhaen extending his arm from that sphere.

***

♧

"Is there a way?"

While flying on top of the gargoyle, Goe, Athanasia, who was riding behind, asked Clay, who was sitting in front.

"If he really went to Krata, it seems he's hiding something."

"Even if there is, we have no choice but to go."

Beatrice would be buying as much time as possible.

"Just a little, just a little longer."

Clay said, as if casting a spell.

"I can do it."

"......"

Looking at him, Athanasia turned her head to the side. On another gargoyle, Selimia was riding with Syltanaro.

'Aium of Eternity.'

To think that Selimia was Aium.

Aium, Selimia, looked at her.

Athanasia avoided that gaze and turned her eyes back to Clay.

"Clay."

Athanasia held her breath for a moment and then said.

"It will be the last battle."

"......"

"Literally."

The last battle.

For a moment, Clay did not answer.

"Athanasia."

"Yes?"

"It might not be enough to just banish him."

At his words, Athanasia flinched.

"...But getting rid of him is a problem on a different level."

"Yes, it probably is."

"Don't think of anything else, just in case. If you act recklessly, even banishing Elhaen could be difficult."

Clay closed his mouth. As if he knew, but didn't want to answer. Perhaps as if he knew nothing.

Athanasia did not speak to him anymore. To him, who could not easily escape his tragic fate, she had nothing more to say.

Just,

'May this truly be the last battle.'

The blessing she could give him was none other than that.

(End of Chapter)