Chapter 917: Why Don't You Go to Heaven?
He had actually treated him as a lower-level demon before? Even punched and kicked him? Deceived and swindled him?
But even if he were a Grand Duke of Hell, it wouldn't matter anymore.
Surrounded by two deities, both of whom had discovered his weakness—no matter how you looked at it, there was no way to escape, let alone take him along.
With this thought, Aldarp's face turned ashen.
"Enough from you all, I say!"
Just as the unknown war god was getting more and more enthusiastic with his slashing, a voice filled with suppressed anger suddenly rang out.
A young man wearing a stark black-and-white mask walked into the cathedral.
"Barnier! Sacred—"
"Hold on, don't just act like Aqua all the time, alright?"
Eris instinctively moved to attack, but the Demon King quickly grabbed her hand.
These goddesses seemed to have some kind of grudge against demons, always wanting to fight to the death upon meeting them.
Despite Eris's soft, little-sister-like appearance, her hostility toward demons surpassed even Aqua's. The moment she saw Barnier appear, she wanted to unleash her skills—it was as if she wasn't thinking at all.
"Tch."
Eris pouted with clear dissatisfaction and ran to the corner, pretending not to see them.
"Um... Excuse me, are you the goddess Eris, my lady?"
Darkness hesitated for a long while, her face full of unspoken words.
She glanced at the Demon King—he seemed to have something to discuss with Barnier. After a moment's thought, she decided to approach the goddess first.
"Dark... Ah, no, I mean, yes, I am indeed called Eris."
Eris almost called out Darkness's name but quickly covered her mouth, putting on a dignified smile.
"It really is Goddess Eris!"
Darkness was instantly overcome with excitement, nearly moved to tears.
"Though there are many things I'd like to confirm, I beg of you, Goddess, please save my father! If you can save my father, I'll do anything!"
"Hey, hey, hey, get up, don't kneel! Dark... Alright, alright, I'll definitely save your father, so don't worry!"
Eris hurriedly pulled up Darkness, who had knelt on the spot, her face full of embarrassment.
"Actually, I've already been asked to do this by someone. Once we finish dealing with Maxwell, I'll pay a visit to your residence."
"Thank you so much, Lady Eris!"
Darkness immediately felt a wave of relief, her eyes slightly stinging as she clumsily wiped away her tears.
"...You said someone already asked you? Who was it?"
"Uh, you'd better ask him yourself later."
Eris glanced at the Demon King not far away and, after some thought, decided not to make the decision for him.
Darkness fell silent.
She quietly watched the Demon King, clad in shining silver armor and acting utterly arrogant. The more she looked, the more the figure in her heart seemed to overlap perfectly with his.
Thinking about it this way, many of her doubts seemed to be resolved, as if all the different shadows in her heart could merge into one person.
On the other side.
"Barnier, are you here to save Maxwell?"
The unknown war god looked at Barnier with clear hostility.
"Have you not killed enough? He has died over a dozen times—enough to break his bones and sinews!"
"Gods and demons are natural enemies. There is no such thing as 'enough' when it comes to killing!"
"So, you wish to ignite a full-scale war?"
Barnier's voice turned icy, brimming with fury.
"If you seek battle, I shall oblige! As the foremost of the Archdukes of Hell, I command all archdukes and legions of the underworld. But can you rally all the deities of the celestial realm?"
The unnamed war god faltered, his imposing aura waning slightly.
Compared to the celestial realm, Hell was far weaker.
After all, there were only seven archdukes, while the heavenly host numbered not in the dozens, but far more!
Yet, this very disparity made the archdukes of Hell far more united than the celestial gods. At the command of Barnier, their leader, all archdukes would respond without hesitation—a compromise forged to counter the threat from the heavens.
Barnier, capable of piercing through the schemes of the celestial realm and safeguarding Hell's grand interests, had thus been elevated to lead the archdukes.
The celestial gods, however, were different. Among them were hardliners bent on crushing Hell, as well as pacifists who believed in coexistence.
The war faction was small, comprising only about a dozen deities—gods whose domains revolved around conflict, growing stronger with each war they incited.
A full-scale war between Heaven and Hell would inevitably spill over into the mortal worlds under their sway.
Countless worlds would be plunged into suffering and carnage! Many gods would lose their followers and faith!
This was a burden no single deity could bear!
"Alright, it's about time you returned."
At that moment, the Demon King interjected.
Clearly aligned with Barnier, he urged the unnamed war god to retreat to the celestial realm.
"A mere human dares to order me around?"
"So, you must be eager for another beating from this 'mere human,' then?"
The Demon King sneered, drawing the demonic sword Gram.
The war god's face darkened instantly.
Before arriving, he had already clashed with this Demon King, disgusted that a human would presume to rule as a demon lord and even seek cooperation with the gods.
The result had been a thorough thrashing.
A god, utterly helpless from start to finish against a human, beaten into submission without a shred of dignity!
He shot a cold glare at Barnier, then a resentful stare at the Demon King, before vanishing in a blaze of holy light.
"Allow me to express my gratitude, Demon King."
Barnier visibly relaxed with a sigh of relief.
"Maxwell, my old friend, you've really stirred up trouble this time!"
He stepped forward and helped Maxwell to his feet.
Maxwell, the reality-warper, had just endured a brutal slaughter, his accumulated lives nearly halved. These were lives gathered over centuries—lives that would have taken years to deplete in a divine war, yet here they were squandered so recklessly.
"Who are you?"
Maxwell regarded him curiously, utterly unconcerned about his diminished lives.
He was heartless—no, rather, he lacked the very nerves for such concerns.
"I am Barnier, your friend from Hell."
"Barnier... rings a bell."
Maxwell pensively believed his words.
"Had you simply remained quietly in hell, allowing your servants to attend to you, you would not have encountered this great calamity—all of this is because of him, this foolish pig of a lord!"
Barnier's icy gaze fell upon the trembling Arudapu on the ground.
Eiji almost felt like giving this pig a thumbs-up.
You've managed to offend the goddess, a demon, and me, the Demon King, all at once—why don't you just ascend to the heavens?