Who would represent humanity?
Could they withstand this cursed Dark God? Would they not be swallowed by his darkness?
"To think they'd let Beelzebub, the embodiment of sin, represent the gods!"
"What are they thinking?"
"Does this guy even qualify?"
Though the Lord of Heaven was not physically present at the venue, angels from Heaven were in attendance.
"Silence!"
At the calm command of the Vice-Regent, the complaining angels fell quiet.
Their gazes turned toward the entrance where the human representative would emerge, wondering what kind of person would appear this time.
However, the Lord had hinted that it might very well be the man who had eaten the forbidden fruit.
At the thought of that man, the Vice-Regent's expressionless face twisted slightly in disgust.
Hmm? It didn't seem to be him.
Because of the viewing angle from above, the figure walking out was first visible from the lower half—and this person was fully clothed. That other man was always naked.
When the upper body of the emerging figure came into view, the Vice-Regent's expression shifted.
"Why him?"
Could this also be the Lord's arrangement? It wasn't impossible.
"Who is this?"
Ares, the God of War from the Twelve Olympians, muttered in confusion.
"No idea."
"But he's probably connected to that pantheon."
Loki smirked with interest, noticing the stunned expressions on the faces of Heaven's representatives.
Meanwhile, Heimdall was about to announce the identity of the human champion.
"The representative for humanity is—this man!"
With a dramatic flourish, Heimdall pointed toward the human side, where a handsome, refined young man stood, exuding an air of gentle elegance.
Stepping forward, the man smiled faintly and waved lightly at the audience.
"He is the one who established and built the sacred temple in the holy land connected to Heaven in the human world."
This additional proclamation immediately made some among both the human and divine spectators realize who he was.
"You've likely guessed his identity by now. That's right—he is King Solomon!"
The moment this was announced, the venue erupted in noise.
Tales of this man were widely known among humans, inspiring countless fantasy novels, films, and other stories.
The most famous legend was that of King Solomon and the Seventy-Two Demon Gods.
Now that he had been summoned as a representative, it lent even more credibility to those stories.
With someone of his caliber stepping forward, humanity felt more at ease.
It had to be said—this matchup was fascinating.
On the opposing side stood Beelzebub, the Lord of the Flies, who was once said to be a trusted angel of the Lord of Heaven before his fall. After turning into a demon, he slaughtered several archangels and the goddess Lilith.
Later, he became a Great Demon King of Hell, leading the forces of demons against Heaven.
Then, on the human side, King Solomon was also rumored to be called the Son of God, possibly possessing special powers similar to Adam.
The fact that these two were about to face off on this arena was truly something to look forward to.
"According to the book The Key of Solomon, King Solomon was a magician proficient in magic. Could this be true?"
Heimdall had also read about this book—a Western mystical work from the Renaissance period of the 14th to 15th centuries.
By that time, King Solomon had long since vanished from history.
Thus, this book on summoning rules and spells was certainly not written by King Solomon but by medieval sorcerers.
As for the spells recorded in it, they were all nonsensical and fake.
Those so-called sorcerers were, in reality, nothing more than charlatans and frauds.
However, in that era, these individuals possessed slightly more knowledge than ordinary people. They could deceive the masses through scientific means or visual tricks, making them believe they were genuine sorcerers.
The story written in The Key of Solomon is nothing more than a tale spun to satisfy human vanity.
Yet, it would be wrong to say it's entirely false. For instance, it is said that King Solomon obtained the Book of Raziel, written by angels, and thus gained the ability to freely summon and command demonic spirits. This might not be entirely fabricated.
After all, if this King Solomon has appeared before us, the likelihood that he is the Son of God becomes all the more plausible.
"On one side stands the cursed, swallowed by darkness; on the other, the blessed, embraced by light. When these two clash, will darkness shroud the heavens, or will light illuminate the skies?"
Heimdallr, the announcer, raised his voice with provocative words, stirring the crowd.
And the gods and people, swept up in the fervor, roared in anticipation.
"Now then, the final battle between man and god—the second round of fate—BEGINS!!!"
The moment the declaration fell, Heimdall swiftly moved aside to avoid being caught in the immediate eruption of attacks from both sides.
Incidentally, the arena had been expanded tenfold for this match, as the previous battle had proven far more explosive than anticipated, rendering the original stage too cramped for such a spectacle.
". . . It seems Beelzebub is making the first move. What magic will he unleash? Hmm? Is that a summoning circle?"
One might have expected Beelzebub to attack directly, but instead, countless magic circles materialized around him, something rising from within.
"What—what is this?!"
"Some kind of monster!"
"A demon?"
"No way, I've never seen demons like this before!"
Many among the divine spectators paled at the sight.
The creatures emerging from the magic circles could indeed be called demons—after all, aren't demons supposed to be hideous monsters?
But the problem was, these abominations were unlike anything seen before, deviating drastically from conventional depictions of demons, appearing far more grotesque and terrifying.
Upon closer inspection, some recognized traces of familiar demonic traits in these monstrosities.
These demonic horrors were essentially chimeras—amalgamations of multiple creatures.
Most likely, these were demons personally modified by Beelzebub himself.
In the blink of an eye, a horde of nightmarish demonic beasts had gathered around Beelzebub.
"Ah? Exactly seventy-two of them?"
"So, aren't you the so-called King Solomon, ruler of the seventy-two demon gods? Won't you summon them to protect yourself?"
Beelzebub's voice was icy as he addressed the man across from him.
As for whether this man could truly summon the seventy-two demon gods—Beelzebub didn't believe it.
Correction—perhaps he could summon them, but at a cost, through some kind of transaction.
And even then, it was unlikely he could summon all of them.
What Beelzebub refused to believe was that this man could command all seventy-two demon gods—command!
Command and transaction were two entirely different things.
"Well then, since the Lord of the Flies so desires their presence, it would be a shame to disappoint you~"
With these amiable words, King Solomon gave a slight bow before raising a single hand.
And with that, he lifted the lid of Hell.
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