Ch.93Chapter 93. How the Devil Has Been Scheming

Angria, who nearly fell victim to the wrath of a despairing goddess, barely managed to disconnect the link and gasped for breath.

[Justini…! How could you do this to your own sister!]

She had almost been annihilated—just a moment later would have been too late.

Creating an infinite regression zone and having most of her power restricted by causality, yet still wielding this much strength.

Feeling the power difference once again, Angria bit her fingernails.

[Damn it…! No, she’s still much weaker than before.]

If the goddess hadn’t been under restrictions, she could have erased the dragon knights from existence with a single gesture.

And Angria herself would have been at least mortally wounded.

Even that would only be possible with good luck.

[Still, I didn’t expect her to go this insane. Directly challenging causality and recklessly pushing things forward.]

Think.

To defeat that overwhelmingly powerful goddess, she needed to constantly devise strategies.

For those without power, cunning is their weapon.

Angria suppressed her inferiority complex and tried to keep her mind cool.

[First, I’ve mostly avoided punishment from causality.]

Causality.

The first restriction binding both goddess and demon god.

The rule of causality was simple.

Do not directly interfere with the opposing faction.

But even this was something the demon god had learned through painful experience.

After her first interference—corrupting the first hero—the demon god instantly had nearly half her power restricted by causality.

[My sister even created the hero system! It’s unfair that I can’t do the same!]

She tried to protest, but having corrupted a figure chosen by the goddess herself, she was punished without being able to do anything about it.

She could feel the power.

She could sense that her original power was still there.

But when she tried to exert it as she normally would, the output wasn’t there.

The already weak demon god had to grit her teeth and get used to the forcibly reduced output.

Having power but unable to use it.

While the goddess could create heroes and craft exclusive items with a single breath, Angria struggled to do even that.

Moreover, her primary race, the demon folk, could only increase in number by corrupting the goddess’s primary race.

What kind of situation was this?

A direct approach would never work.

It was never a winnable fight to begin with.

After losing considerable power in exchange for securing a single demon lord, the demon god chose another method: internal division and corruption through trickery.

[While causality activated when I directly tortured Tiana into corruption, there were no restrictions when I maximized negative emotions to corrupt others before that.]

Desperate to increase the demon folk, Angria had infiltrated the human world before heroes appeared, whispering simple suggestions to provoke them and amplify negative emotions to corrupt them.

[Ha! The conditions for causality activation differ between direct and indirect interference? What kind of simplistic, idiotic logic is that?]

She immediately put it to the test.

The result was a great success.

Just by inciting thieves, the second hero’s party completely fell apart.

Although she couldn’t achieve Guerrero’s corruption, it was a major success achieved without triggering causality.

Cause and effect.

[So as long as I’m not the direct cause or the main actor, it’s fine?]

A rule as shallow and twisted as herself.

A loophole that seemed allowed for someone’s amusement.

[How dare they try to use me.]

The thoughts of those above were beyond even the demon god’s understanding, but this was a truly perverse taste.

Whoever they were.

[Well, since I’m dancing for them anyway, I’ll make it a dance with blades.]

The demon god used any means necessary.

No matter how it was justified, simply stimulating the primal desires of humans and other races brought results beyond expectations.

[Even if demon lords are difficult, lower demons are simple.]

Just by instilling a desire for glory, the third hero’s party easily charged toward the demon army and disappeared without a trace.

Ah, perhaps they left behind a finger or two.

Disposed of in such an immature state, they weren’t even worth a meal for the monsters.

Based on this experience, enticing the fourth hero’s party members was easily accomplished.

“I want to be a guardian of balance. A world without either good or evil would be abnormal.”

She seduced the naive shield knight first.

How foolish—balance isn’t about equalizing, but about interlocking.

Then, one by one, she targeted the moment right after they received their exclusive items from the goddess, strengthening their desires.

It was simple.

Just make them newly aware of what they truly wanted.

Whether it was greed or a dream, making people focus solely on their goal caused them to ignore everything else.

That way, she was able to cut off even the fourth hero Luciana’s arms and legs.

Quite easily.

The problem was that everything reset again.

[Huh? Wait a minute?]

At first, she didn’t understand what was happening.

Around the third time, the demon god noticed that the story of the fourth hero’s party was repeating, and eventually discovered that the goddess had created a simulation game and distributed it to other dimensions.

She couldn’t afford to be caught off guard.

The demon god was different from the goddess.

After all, she was the one who had been scheming behind the innocent goddess’s back all along.

[Just one…? Have I become this weak?]

It was just a game, a simulation calculator, but the demon god could only create one for her build patch.

Extending influence across dimensions was that difficult.

If her power hadn’t been restricted, Angria could have distributed at least ten, if not as many as the goddess.

But her worries were unfounded.

[This soul’s feeling…!]

The person who played the demon god’s only limited edition was none other than someone with Guerrero’s soul.

[Haha! So that’s where you sent him, sister. The soul isn’t complete.]

Still, it was appetizing enough.

Once again, the demon god squeezed out her power.

Because a DLC had been released.

Unable to prevent the fourth hero’s death, the goddess had created another DLC in that state.

Angria’s teeth chattered as she stuck out her tongue.

That stupid sister had blatantly created an infinite regression zone and was continuously receiving causality’s punishments and restrictions.

Her power was already reduced to less than a tenth, and in that state, she still created a DLC.

[See? If I hadn’t used my brain, this fight would have ended long ago.]

With every ounce of her strength, she distributed a demon god special DLC to Mr. Lee’s IP.

And Lee didn’t disappoint her expectations.

Lee saved Luci and successfully cleared the DLC to the end.

When the demon god learned that the goddess had summoned Lee back to this world, she was ecstatic.

[This time I can finally make Guerrero mine.]

It was the natural progression and predestined harmony.

Because,

In reality, the porter was strangely mistreated and abused by the hero’s party.

That was the only reason the demon god had followed the goddess’s will when she had considered twisting the game’s story.

In the game, she had masked the porter’s treatment as mere neglect rather than the actual abuse.

Seeing the hero party’s attitude in the only clear route simulation, the demon god had temporarily stopped interfering with the goddess beyond what she usually did.

If left alone, Lin would naturally become a demon.

And a very pure one at that.

It would have been impossible with Guerrero’s complete soul, but it was possible now with only a fragment remaining.

However, strangely, this cycle’s goddess wasn’t so accommodating.

[She sealed negative emotions?!]

Moreover, since Lin was still human, she didn’t receive any causality penalty for interfering with her own race.

[Sister, you are truly im.press.ive.]

The game was merely a calculation of possibilities that could occur.

Reality was distinctly different.

This was cheating.

[By rights, he should have become mine, shouldn’t he?]

He was the only person the demon god, who had no one else to care for, had ever wanted.

[Yet you dare… covet what’s mine?]

With his gentle nature, if she could just keep him by her side, he would have served her wholeheartedly.

The demon god, lost in fantasies of defeating the goddess with Lin and ruling this world together, lost her reason due to unbearable feelings of betrayal and rage.

That’s what led to the recent Church Purification episode possession.

Though she should have waited until the final chapter to claim Lin, the demon god became impatient.

She brought two dragon knights excluding Ravin and even possessed that disgusting meat slime.

Her nemesis also received causality’s approval to directly purify her church and descended in person.

She gained nothing and ended up with the pathetic result of injuring two dragon knights.

[Damn it, they were actually useful pieces.]

She was maximizing their magical recovery, but having been directly hit by the goddess’s divine power, they needed time.

Especially the illusionist, who had sustained damage throughout his body and was barely clinging to life.

‘My demon god.’

Unaware of the situation, the shield knight was casually calling for Angria.

‘When will my exclusive item be completed?’

Is this bastard joking right now?

[You… do you know nothing?]

‘What do you mean?’

[The church operation failed. No, it was completely purified. The goddess descended in person.]

‘What?!’

His shocked expression was utterly pathetic.

He usually acted like he knew everything, but in the end, he was just a child.

[In the process, she even interfered with demon folk, so the goddess’s power will be further reduced.]

‘Oh my, it seems my responsibility has grown larger.’

Talking about responsibility.

A mere human, you’re not even a proper substitute for Lin.

You’re just a transfer point to pass through.

[How much has your body recovered?]

‘I can run without difficulty now, but combat is still impossible.’

[Start preparing. Both the goddess and I made moves at the church, so we’ve exchanged blows and both sides need rest.]

That was a lie.

The demon god had been one-sidedly thrashed.

The demon god lies as naturally as breathing.

[When the time comes, return to the empire and regain control of the nobles and public opinion.]

‘Public opinion about me has also soured due to the Crown Princess’s rash actions before I came here.’

[Then there’s a method that has always worked well.]

Angria spoke nonchalantly.

[I’ll slowly gather demon forces at the front. When an external enemy appears, internal forces have no choice but to unite.]

‘You’re telling me to stand at the center of that unity.’

[Yes.]

At least he understands.

Good.

Not being able to get Lin was a bitter regret that pierced to her core, but she consoled herself that her sister would receive another penalty because of this incident.

Then she would have more cards to play. With this thought, Angria focused on creating Rainford’s exclusive item.

[Huh?]

She tilted her head at the power output that was even worse than yesterday.

[No way…?]

That can’t be right?

She hadn’t done anything to deserve punishment from causality.

She hadn’t directly touched anything…

[Ah.]

She had.

[Lin.]

In the excitement of finally being able to talk to him, she had poked his shoulder.

Him, who was still human.

[You… fucking… really-!!!!!!!!!!!]

Rainford’s exclusive item was still far from completion.

No, the time needed had actually increased.