Ch.16855. Everything Was Burning (2)

What could be happening?

The flames that rage as if to burn the world, the malice, the violence.

To me, they’re merely traces of what I’ve already experienced, like foam created when water currents collide—all of this feels vague.

I repeatedly realize that Heba’s reaction to me was an extremely unusual and special occurrence.

Even when I stared blankly, not one of them showed any interest or attention to my nonchalant behavior.

Even the armed soldiers suspected of being invaders were the same.

‘Has it been invaded?’

In the distance, the sound of birds shrieking echoed.

The sight of a massive bull ramming into a building.

For some reason, a giant boar throwing itself among the resistance forces, greedily devouring the crushed corpses.

And.

The sight of a boy in splendid armor, mounted on a white horse, galloping around and reprimanding his troops.

-The author is Vera, whom you know. The one who was once the symbol and subject of the steadfast Sun Religion in that country.

“…The Sun Religion?”

In Jephs, the hegemony passed to his son, Mars (MARS), the god of war in their language, but true to being an empire that worshipped polytheism, Vera embraced various religions.

One of them was the Sun Religion, which even the emperor believed in and which once became the mainstream.

The God of Light.

It is light, goodness, wisdom, justice, and power.

A lofty and sublime bright deity that encompasses all these things, closest to victory, and even embodies victory itself.

-He is the War God favored by the God of Light, the God of Armies, and the Ruler of Victory. His right arm and vanguard.

Bahram Yasht.

He is the one who breaks down barriers.

He is the being who crushes resistance.

He is victory by his very name.

-He is also known as Ares, the son of Jephs, half human and half god, later called a hero-god. Another name for the great hero Heracles (Ἡρακλῆς).

Verethragna (vərəθraγna).

Passing by the girl on the white horse, a warrior with a golden sword slices through the body of a soldier charging at him.

A strong wind cuts through the area, and a flock of ravens, led by what seems to be a large raven, pours down from the sky, stirring the surroundings.

I could observe everything because the opening was larger than a door.

On this vast land, their might and achievements were truly unstoppable and unhindered.

Just then.

…As a massive pillar of fire erupted, giants began to emerge.

At that moment, the tide of battle reversed.

The extraordinary ones still performed well, but ordinary soldiers were helpless against the giants’ movements.

It was then.

From somewhere, the sound of sheep bleating softly and persistently echoed.

Fallen soldiers and those on the verge of death began to regain their composure.

“Are you saying that boy is him?”

-No. Each one of those there is entirely that being, its retinue, its incarnation, its match, its blood relation, and its kin.

“……”

This was truly a difficult explanation to understand.

Does this mean it’s not a single god but a multiple deity (多衆神) bearing that name?

-A divine name doesn’t refer to an individual. This becomes clearer the further back into ancient times you go. That’s the representative figure.

Originally, they should have been absorbed, unified as one, but.

Each one is unique and special. Because their individuality is firm, they do not merge.

However, it doesn’t matter.

As those who all possess mighty power, strong force, victory, crushing resistance, and breaking down barriers…

…Their power ultimately presents a solution to resolve these issues.

Victory in war.

Victory in survival.

Victory through wisdom.

Victory through endurance.

“…Is this punishment? Or is it invasion?”

-How would I know?

The Demon King snorted.

-It could be both, or it could be for an entirely different reason. But does that matter? War has broken out, and what remains is who will win and who will lose. That’s all that will remain in the end.

“……”

The emerged giants struggle desperately.

But it was clear that not everyone living in this city was a giant.

Or, even if they had such qualities or qualifications, they might not have been aware of them.

However, the momentum of the invaders is alarming.

The boy on the white horse gallops across the battlefield, eventually almost flying, kicking off buildings and leaping around, encouraging and urging those around him.

Rather than relying on his own force, he stirs and commands those around him, manipulating the morale of both friend and foe, and resolving situations with appropriate judgments.

The boy seemed exceptionally capable as a military commander.

On the other hand, the warrior with the golden sword, despite being only the size of a giant’s finger, was one-sidedly pushing back the giant.

By normal human standards, the golden warrior was quite large, but appeared relatively small due to the giant.

However, as if size isn’t everything, the golden sword was inflicting terrible pain and unavoidable wounds even on the seemingly immortal giants.

The boar, now swelling in size, rammed into a giant and was voraciously devouring the giant’s thigh flesh, which wouldn’t be chewed.

“Even the power of giants isn’t enough.”

Even I, who had struggled against giants who had lost their reason.

Yet they were one-sidedly pushing back giants who were firmly rational and full of will.

Seeing this, the giants changed their objective, avoiding them or interfering, and began targeting the boy and the forces under his command.

Moreover, the number of giants continued to increase.

“……”

But I couldn’t grasp the whole situation from here.

Looking around inside, the invading forces that had entered here were attacking those who were fleeing.

Even here, giants rushed in, trampling and crushing them, trying desperately to protect the few citizens.

Some giants, having lost their reason to hatred rather than protection, were thoroughly killing their opponents.

And when innocent people were about to be swept up, other giants protected them and scolded the rampaging giants.

…When they had their reason, they were certainly extraordinary.

At least, if it weren’t for that… Bahram Yasht? Verethragna?

Anyway, without that, the invasion seemed like it would be quickly eliminated.

However.

When the sound of sheep bleating was heard again, except for those whose limbs were broken, bodies crushed, or torsos burst open beyond repair.

Most were getting back up as if nothing had happened.

At this point, the giants began focusing all their efforts on shattering, crushing, and pulverizing the physical bodies.

…Could such a crazed war really exist?

At that moment.

Far outside, in the distance, a pillar of fire as tall as a tower reaching to the sky erupted.

I’m not sure, but this was somehow different.

That flame chased and burned the giant raven and its flock.

And as if to confront it, a massive phoenix threw itself toward the pillar of fire.

In other words, that rising pillar of fire must have been unleashed by someone opposing the invaders.

-A sword that burns everything once drawn. Its heat and momentum are so powerful that even drawing it briefly would thoroughly burn heaven and earth.

“…What are you talking about?”

-A magic sword forged by the god of lies and deception. The fire sword. That’s what I’m talking about. The imitator. The shapeshifter. The one who gives birth to itself by eating until full. The creator of divine objects. The one who will close destruction. Actually, the opener. The preparer. The soul permanently banished from truth.

“……”

Speaking like that doesn’t help me understand at all.

-Look. At that pillar of fire. Drawing that out means they intend to settle the score.

But there’s no aftermath.

That will burn the world all day long as soon as it spreads.

Kieeek!

Rather, the massive phoenix seemed to be desperately suppressing the spread of the flames.

As the flames spread, even the invaders’ forces were completely reduced to ash and melting away.

While the initial flames that burned and scorched the surroundings must have been created by the invaders’ will.

The flames that have now emerged are the harbingers of destruction and pioneers of ruin, impartially burning the entire world without malice or benevolence.

And once, it had burned the world once before.

So, in some myths, it spread to even the world tree, eventually burning all connected worlds.

-But how curious. The existing rulers wouldn’t have allowed such a thing to be possessed. Then in the end, there’s only one answer?

“So they were invaders after all.”

Like those we’ve been facing.

Like the Demon King and his forces.

If it had been divine punishment or execution, the scene would have been completely different.

Because it should have been one-sided.

But these people are resisting.

-Looking at the structure of the buildings, their buildings aren’t made of materials or compositions that would catch fire.

“…?”

-This is a civilization that has developed to this extent. There’s no reason they wouldn’t have taken precautions.

Precautions would have been taken in various ways.

However, as always, when vigilance disappears, and people become careless and lax.

Precautions become useless.

But the plan of the one who initially established this city and raised this civilization must still remain.

-The king of fire giants who burned the world also met his end, led to destruction.

But they don’t die or disappear easily.

Just as someone formed the sky and earth, mountains and seas with the body of a giant.

The divine objects and weapons they handled would be the same.

“But these people didn’t know they were giants, did they?”

-Yes. But who clumsily told them that?

Who did that?

…Who else? It’s obvious.

A sense of self-reproach and a kind of relief that isn’t relief awakens a sensation like a bone being pierced.

I am now witnessing how my actions and words have influenced things in some way.

The rising pillar of fire.

As a result, a violent storm of intense flames began to slash across the city.

Those exposed to it are completely burned to ash and scattered, without a single body remaining.

The only one intact amid this… the deity considered a multiple god.

Only the victorious one of light.

The sheep bleats, but no one revives.

However, the bleating seems to have efficacy for themselves as well, as the phoenix that was falling powerlessly suddenly reverses and shoots itself back into the pillar of fire.

And.

The fiery storm eventually affects the area around where I am.

And.

Only then did I…

Although I was in a dark place, I finally understood why the giants’ bodies were so dark, why they blended so well into the darkness.

The giants are burning.

Writhing and thrashing in agony.

But they don’t die.

From where they had sent the evacuees, where only the enemy and themselves remained.

The giants tried to bind them there with their own resolve and dedication.

Yet victory ultimately belongs to the victor.

The boy on the white horse throws himself into the pillar of fire as if flying through the sky.

Eventually, thunder and lightning flood into the pillar of fire, tearing apart the surroundings.

The pillar is shattered, scattered, and collapses.

Like a massive tower falling.

The pillar of fire also dissipates under the successive barrage of lightning.

-The victor is referred to as the supreme lightning and sacred flame. That is his divinity and his source. It seems the compatibility with the flames of destruction wasn’t good in many ways.

As his very name means victorious flame, that’s unavoidable.

-And victor means invincible. It means one who does not lose.

“…So does that mean his enemies are doomed to defeat?”

-Yes. That’s the most powerful force, authority, and foundation that this deity possesses.

So if you want to win against that.

-You must devise a strategy to win while losing. Or make confrontation impossible from the start.

“That’s absurd.”

So there’s a war god who loses day after day, and there’s also a war god who never loses?

-Aren’t there such people among humans too? What did we call them?

Heroes.

Warriors.

-Among gods too, such gaps exist.

So that victor is a god among gods, a war god who wins and never loses?

“Then he should have become the main deity and reigned as king of the gods.”

-How naive.

The victor, the strong one, doesn’t necessarily become the ruler.

-In the world, there’s also a fate where one can only be utterly defeated by winning.

The Demon King said.

That being who ends up winning even against those who should not be defeated…

…For the defeated, the weak, the frail, the clumsy, the feeble.

How… miserable and vicious a being is he?

“…I don’t understand any of this.”

-Just accept it. For now. You don’t need to know yet.

The inferno that covered the city has disappeared.

What remains is only the struggle of violence against violence, bathed in bloodshed.

The giants resist and struggle.

The victor, who neutralizes these immortal beings, ultimately brings the world to its knees.

-Having just awakened to divinity, you’ll likely be given various choices.

You.

-Could become that, or something else entirely.

If only you could seize, absorb, and devour their myths and divinity.

-You too could become Jephs, Marduk, Verethragna.

And.

-That woman searching for you. Athena. Or Astarte. You could become that too.

Well, in her case, rather than absorption, it would be more like synchronization and companionship.

-A goddess of wisdom requesting help to be absorbed. Could there be anything more foolish?

The Demon King laughs.

As if what he just said was utterly absurd.

Eventually, the giants are driven into this building where we are.

The exterior of the building is thoroughly and cruelly sealed without a single gap.

And so.

Inside, as I had seen in reality, only pitch-black darkness and stale air linger.

Not a breath of wind blows… and the giants have been living there for a long time… merely breathing.

The citizens who once stood shoulder to shoulder with them had long been dragged away or killed.

And so they faced their fate as the defeated, in defeat.

I don’t know how much time has passed.

Not a few among them struggled to escape or find new solutions.

But that was all.

What remained for them was pain, regret, frustration… and despair.

Not a speck of hope remained.

And so they reached a state where they could neither die nor truly live.

-But. This place is still intact.

The Demon King said, pointing to his brow.

-It’s not over yet.

Indeed, it wasn’t.

As a massive door opened.

A new opportunity was given to them.

Aeshma (aēšma).

-This should be quite familiar to you too.

Asmodeus (Asmodeus).

Those who uphold the adversary of the God of Light.

Beings degraded from heavenly gods to demons.

Daeva (daēva).

-Everything goes around like this.

The giants were given another chance.

The punishment that would later separate their spirits.

They once again acquired the opportunity to confront their enemies.

By being rescued by and aligning with their enemies.

And.

I saw a woman standing next to a massive, hairy being.

The woman, wrapped in drab cloth with extinguished eyes.

Suddenly.

She caught my eye and widened her eyes.

Heba.

There she was.