Icelis had already been sent back through a bug-like exploit, but that did not mean Fire of Decay could ignore this ant. On the contrary, it had become even more violent. It was because it was just one step away from completely taking over this domain.
It was like a player filling in a coloring map and seeing a single mismatched block still moving around. No matter what it did, the completion stayed stuck at 99.9. That one block existed because Phil and Icelis had swapped places.
That was why Fire of Decay outside was chasing her like a mad thing. Fei'er Li glanced at the Holy Light around her and knew she could not hold on much longer. Without it, in a domain so heavily corroded by an Evil God, she would lose her mind in seconds.
"Sigh… looks like I am done for."
"Well, at least I lived a bit longer and saw a lot of things that used to exist only in imagination. That makes this worth it."
"…Yeah, really."
Did she regret doing this? Fei'er Li could not say anymore, since she would probably be gone soon anyway. No amount of complaining would change anything, and even Goddess could not fish her back out now.
Another roar echoed from outside.
"…So it really worked?"
The miserable howl of Fire of Decay drifted in, and Fei'er Li realized that her half-joking plan might have actually succeeded through Icelis. That kind of plan could only make an Evil God suffer, not truly stop its descent. Still, even delaying it a little was a win for a human trick.
When she was gone, at least she would have something to brag about for days wherever she ended up. She told herself she would really brag properly. With that thought, she sat down in a small corner of the ruins, hugged her knees, and counted her remaining time one second at a time while listening to the screams.
"Do not worry…"
"It is coming soon…"
The voice of a goddess seemed to sound again in her heart, though Fei'er Li could no longer tell if it was comfort or real. She listened to the wailing of Fire of Decay outside and quietly judged how long this little trick could make it suffer. After a while, confusion crept in instead.
"…Why do those screams sound louder instead of weaker?"
What had once been powerful roars had turned into pitiful howls, like a beaten stray dog. She also noticed that the ever-burning flames of Fire of Decay around her were starting to fall and even go out. White, crystal-like diamond pillars began to push up from the ground, faintly glowing, even growing inside the ruins where she hid.
"What is going on? What are these things?"
Fei'er Li could not understand how such crystal structures could appear in a domain of an Evil God. She looked closely but found nothing familiar. Listening again, she thought she heard other sounds mixed into Fire of Decay's cries, as if something else was happening outside.
"What is actually happening out there…?"
Gathering her courage, Fei'er Li stepped out of the ruined tunnel. The sight before her left her stunned. Flames still covered the area, but white crystal spires were rising everywhere and continuing to grow, dimming the fire beneath their shadows.
Clusters of crystal expanded outward, and more flames faded as they spread. Most striking of all was Fire of Decay itself, rolling on the ground in agony as black shapes flashed around it. Each flash struck it like a heavy blow.
Wounds had appeared on its body, savage claw marks and tearing bites like Rend. Its massive frame even seemed to be shrinking. Fei'er Li could only stare in disbelief.
"…Huh?"
"Can not heal anymore, right? Just die already!"
Another heavy punch slammed down, and the outward form of Belial began to change in small details. At last, he had gained the power to damage the enemy's real health. His strikes now mattered.
The dark God of Destruction was, in essence, a collection of vengeful souls forgotten from the Pacific War, and the only Godzilla born from mysticism. Physical destruction alone could never fully erase it, since even self-destruction would leave parts behind to revive. That trait was its most frightening aspect.
Even so, among monsters with absurd advantages, its size and strength were not outstanding. Its height was only around fifty meters, and its mass was far below that of its space-born counterpart. These limits now worked against it.
Before this, Belial's attacks could badly damage the icy body of the monstrous bird, but it always absorbed nearby elements to recover. Even using Energy Field made it hard to suppress. Something had fixed its state so that it always regenerated.
At a higher level, Fire of Decay's mental will had already taken over that body. But once the God of Destruction template loaded, the core vengeful soul nature was added to Belial as well. That dragged both sides onto the same level.
This meant Belial could now strike souls directly, and the damage was natural and irreversible. After understanding why the thing kept recovering at the brink of death, he attacked with unrestrained joy. Trading blows where only his own health dropped had been far too unfair.
"I just picked God of Destruction. Do you think I would take that kind of loss? The health I lost today, you are paying it back!"
With that thought, Belial opened his jaws and tore off a huge chunk of ice from the enemy. Along with it, he ripped away a large piece of Fire of Decay's attached mental will. The pain drew out a truly real roar from the Evil God.
Another opening appeared, and using his crystallized tail spear and wings, Belial restrained the giant bird. His claws dug into one side of its wing, piercing deep into the ice. With the added template, the sg muscle bound to crystal bone exploded with power and ripped the entire wing off.
Black-red flames like blood gushed from the torn surface. Even that was not enough for Great Dragon, who clamped the severed wing in his mouth. He followed with another crushing blow.
Faced with the punch, Fire of Decay raised its remaining wing to block. The power enhanced by God of Destruction shattered it outright, scattering ice and fire. Belial spoke calmly as the enemy faltered.
"You should be on your way now. The mission is still with you."
His face looked different from before, more brutal and twisted, almost evil. When he bared his teeth with Rend, thick fangs showed clearly. With both wings ruined, Fire of Decay struggled in vain and spewed black-red flames even more violently than before.
Flames burst not only from its mouth but also from the wounds along its body, turning them into vents. The blockbuster heat sent the canyon temperature soaring, melting vast amounts of ice into steam. Taking all of that head-on would still hurt Belial badly, so he snapped his crystallized tail into its head to interrupt it.
Then came the execution. With the front completely open, Belial drove Space Claw straight through Fire of Decay's chest. Amid its screams, he tore out an ice core glowing with black-red light and a single point of pure white at the center.
That was the mission target and the vessel allowing Fire of Decay to descend into the world. To Belial in his vengeful soul state, its energy was a perfect feast. Without hesitation, he crushed it and used Energy Field to forcibly drain every trace of power and remaining will.
With its core gone, the massive, battered body of Fire of Decay collapsed. Even then, Belial did not intend to let it rest. He believed in finishing blows as a sacred tradition.
Icelis suddenly popped out of Phil's body and tumbled across the ground. She stared blankly at the equally stunned Fei'er Li. The moment felt unreal to both of them.
"Y-you woke up?"
Icelis's small face showed shock.
"Y-yeah… yeah, haha."
"What are you laughing for? Where did you get the nerve to hold back an Evil God all by yourself?"
Icelis grabbed Fei'er Li by the ear, scolding her loudly with a mix of worry and petty revenge. Fei'er Li quickly played dumb, knowing it came from concern. She also knew she had acted recklessly this time.
If she had died inside, an Evil God fully occupying the mental domain would have caused consequences she did not even want to imagine. The worst case would have been a repeat of the original ending. Still, it seemed she had won the gamble.
"Wait, I do not even know how I got out. Do you know what happened outside…?"
"It was Black Dragon."
"Huh?"
Icelis awkwardly turned her head and pointed into the distance. "The Black Dragon that swallowed me did something. Go look for yourself. It just finished, and that is why you could come out."
"So Black Dragon really exists. I thought that was just…" Fei'er Li turned to look toward the inside of the Canyon. Steam filled the area after Fire of Decay's final outburst evaporated huge amounts of ice and snow.
The dense vapor blocked her view, so she stepped closer. A deep vibration suddenly rose from the ground, followed by a growing, urgent humming sound. She had heard something like it before, both in the mental domain and in her past life.