The Pope, his eyes wild with madness, charged toward me without warning.
It was obvious that he was being consumed by the powers of darkness.
If it were the previous Pope, no matter how enraged he was, he wouldn't have been this passionate.
I grinned and raised my shield high.
In the previous two attacks, the Pope's hands had pierced through my shield and reached in.
At first, I thought I had made a mistake, but that wasn't the case.
It was definitely his divine power.
The process of the punch being thrown disappeared, and only the beginning and end remained.
If I knew what the opponent was doing, wouldn't it be hard to counter?
Because I have the power of purification.
I infused the shield that Gerad gave me with the powers of purification and embrace.
The power of embrace I possess doesn't simply hug the opponent.
It's a selfish embrace that only accepts what I desire.
So, if I decide to reject the opponent's power, I can certainly resist it.
The shock that flowed through the shield and the heavy sound.
I failed to parry, but that's fine.
I confirmed that I could block the divine power.
As the shock faded, I immediately cast healing magic and gritted my teeth.
Another punch was thrown, but I didn't move the shield.
Because I saw Frey’s sword strike.
To prevent the Pope from regenerating immediately, the divine power of the Pope was shattered by hundreds of sword strikes.
“Two lousy ones! Are you ready?!”
“The design is complete! We just need to recreate the erased magic!”
“That’s enough!”
You’re saying we just need to hold out, right? Well, that’s easy! It’s easier to hold out than to win!
“Not bad for a failure, huh?♡ Lousy♡”
In response to my provocation, the Pope disappeared from the world for a moment.
But his divine power still lingered.
As I turned my gaze following him, I saw Fabi and Joy.
Even in this state of madness, do they think they can target them instead of me? Is this what makes the final boss the final boss?
In a hurry, I moved toward Fabi and Joy, but a cold sensation brushed past me.
As I sensed it and turned my head, Asher was there, holding his shield and absorbing the shock.
“I’ll cover the rear! Focus on what you need to do!”
I wish I could, but it's not that easy! I adapted to the fairy's line of sight, but once it disappeared, I couldn't see anything around me!
I need the fairies! Frowning in thought, I recalled the time when the fairies had called me back to the land.
I didn’t know what they had done, but they brought me back to the ground once again.
Then, wouldn't I be able to call them too!?
At the moment I decided to summon them with the power of embrace, I felt the connection that existed between the fairies and me.
Even though we hadn't made a contract.
Pulling that connection, I heard loud voices around me.
As I shared my divine power with them, the fairies' wings were bathed in light, and at the same time, my vision shifted back to a third-person perspective.
Grinning in satisfaction, I thrust my shield toward the Pope, who appeared from behind.
The moment the punch connected, a refreshing sound rang out.
The sound proving that I had succeeded in the parry.
A sound indicating a gap had opened in the opponent's defense.
Hearing that, I grinned widely and struck the Pope's head with my mace.
The sensation of his bones breaking was the most delightful I've ever felt.
The Pope, seeing my grin as his head shattered, let out a roar filled with fury.
“This can’t be!”
“Huh?♡ What’s that?♡”
“You should not be saved by others! As an apostle of the gods, I must carry all burdens on my own!”
“Well, I’m not like you, so I don’t have to play along with the whining of a loner!♡”
“I must fix this. No, I will fix it. I will definitely fix it.”
The Pope once again unleashed his divine power, but I wasn’t foolish enough to fall for the same trick twice.
Now, I’m used to using divine power. This is ultimately a battle of who can force their will better.
And there’s no one more stubborn than a mesugaki in this world.
Unless they’re some extreme trash, that is.
“Get lost! You trash!”
“Why don’t you get lost first?♡ Dummy♡”
As I pulled my friends into my embrace with my divine power, the darkness could no longer hold onto their ankles.
In fact, the light I spread seemed to scare them, and they slowly retreated.
No matter how crazy they act, they can’t outdo my stubbornness, huh?
Hm?
Hm?
Lousy bastards!
Wait? Now that I think about it, his recovery is also part of his divine power!
Then, if I grant him purification, wouldn't his recovery be impossible!?
Of course, simply granting divine power won’t work, but if I place him in the space of purification...
I took a deep breath and stepped lightly.
The fairy's dance, filled with divinity at my feet.
“Puhahaha♡ You can't even do anything right~♡ Loser♡ Scrap♡ Trash♡ Has-been♡”
I moved my feet, powered by divine magic symbolizing purification.
The Pope might notice, but in his state of madness, he didn’t even realize the divine magic at play.
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“Are you angry?♡ You’re not doing anything though?♡”
I danced with the Pope.
So naturally that he didn’t even realize he was dancing with me.
To the fairy's sight, it was breathtakingly beautiful.
“Here~♡ Here~♡ Are your joints creaking from age?♡ You're not moving well, huh?♡”
Before long, a magic circle, created with divinity and power, appeared on the ground.
The base formed by the fairy’s dance, completed with an aesthetic touch, emitted a faint light, even in the darkness.
“...Wait.”
“Too late♡ Dummy♡”
The moment I stamped on the magic circle, a divine domain formed around me.
It was a domain that had been the gods’ but now belonged to me.
Above that domain, the fairies took shape clearly.
“It’s warm.”
“I’m happy.”
“This is Lady’s domain.”
“It feels like we can do anything.”
My friends gained willpower.
The surrounding darkness lost its place, and I couldn’t help but grin at the power rising from deep within my body.
“...God.”
And the Pope’s sanity returned to his eyes.
Ah. Crazy.
“Is this also considered some sort of righteousness?”
No. It’s okay. In this place, even the Pope can’t regenerate recklessly.
So, if we push, he won’t be able to do the same reckless things as before.
Now, let’s push forward.
“Fool!”
“Yeah!”
Frey’s sword easily sliced through the Pope’s arm.
Without the power of the evil god, the Pope’s body was just human.
His previous strength couldn’t be found anymore.
It shouldn’t have been there.
The strange regeneration power.
The evil god’s power.
The incomplete evil god that was the Pope had to lose everything to be normal.
“This is a good place.”
But reality was different.
The Pope casually restored his broken arm and began to cast divine magic.
Divine magic?
“Why are you so surprised? You know my status, don’t you?”
Even in this situation, he can still use divine magic?
Not just having the power of an evil god, but the Pope was practically the evil god itself?
Lousy god! Aren’t you supposed to manage your divinity properly!?
How much do you want me to insult you before you stop this madness?!
I cursed at the disgusting god and desperately rushed toward the Pope, who was trying to interfere with the purification domain.
But the wall of light around him pushed us back.
“I understand. What you want to do to me. To stop him, I’ll have to cause a disaster in this world.”
“You won’t be able to do anything!”
Gradually, as control over the domain slipped, Fabi and Joy intervened. The two, unmatched in magic ability, easily fought for dominance against the Pope.
“Do you know?”
At that moment, the Pope nonchalantly endured our three attacks.
The battle unfolded, with him blocking the fatal blows but unable to avoid death.
“The reason so many dungeons that shouldn’t exist in this land remain is solely because of my divine power.”
So much pointless chatter!
As I cursed both inwardly and outwardly, I suddenly recalled the Pope’s words.
And I realized the fundamental problem behind them. If that statement was true...
“Crazy!”
In my haste to dispel the purification domain, it didn’t vanish as I intended.
The domain that Joy and Fabi had been forcibly maintaining against the Pope remained intact.
Only then did I try to shout at them in desperation, but it was already too late. The darkness split open beneath us, and from there, countless monsters emerged.
Not just one, but countless.
The monsters from Soul Academy, ones I remembered, were bursting forth from the darkness.
The Pope’s divine power crumbled, leading to the dungeon’s rampage. This was something I hadn’t predicted.
I was thrown off by the sudden appearance of the dungeon, but how was I supposed to anticipate its rampage?
“Lady! A miracle!”
“Not yet!”
Not yet. Not yet. We must not activate the holy relic yet.
Especially now that the Pope has regained his sanity.
If I perform a miracle now, we might stop the undead legion, but then there’s no future!
“This isn’t the time! If this continues, we’ll die!”
“Still!”
“Listen to Lucy! Do your best! Lousy prince!”
“We have to do everything we can!”
That’s something we need to save as a last resort.
For now!
“Lucy Allen.”
As I felt the confusion of facing the undead legion, I sensed a man’s presence behind me.
“Focus on the front.”
Erginus’s darkness surged, swallowing all the monsters rushing toward us.
Seeing him, the Pope unleashed his divine power to block the darkness, but almost simultaneously, a knight emerged from the wave of monsters, aiming to crush the Pope’s body.
“Lucy! I’ve come to help!”
Benedict’s armor was torn from the intense battle, but the power in his eyes was clearer than ever.
“Do you think you can handle this entire army by yourself?”
“Do I look like I’m alone?!”
As soon as he shouted, an army of humans appeared from behind him.
Arlan’s knights. Kingdom soldiers. Priests and holy knights of the sanctuary. Wizards of the Mage Tower. Gladiators of the Empire. Fairies that should have been in the forest. Those who should protect the forest.
Facing the army of monsters.
“We will save the world with our strength!”