Glasya-Labolas, shut up for a moment to avoid confusion.
Ahem.
Allow me to introduce myself. I am Andromalius, one of the seventy-two Demon God Pillars of Solomon.
The twenty-eight of us here, along with the forty-four absent, are the seventy-two Pillars from a different universe. We served a Solomon distinct from the one you know, on a star unlike this one. That is our true identity.
You look surprised. Did you think our goal was to hide who we are? Let me be clear: we no longer have any reason to conceal our identity. We will kill you all who so conveniently appeared and advance our plan to its final stage.
But first, hear the reason for our murderous intent.
Upon arriving on this star, we witnessed countless tragedies. We saw unbearable slaughter and heard intolerable noise. Even without clairvoyance to see past and future, truths flooded in.
We found it ugly.
Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly.
We were confronted with revolting facts, imprinted with vile existences.
Every era, every nation, is rife with human tragedy. That's acceptable if it's human choice. Humans aren't omnipotent; they live swallowing pain and embracing contradictions. Through our defeat, we learned the value of finite lives.
But when the source of tragedy is non-human entities, that's different.
It was only natural to seek to resolve this repulsive environment. At its root were you—the abominations of the Biblical scriptures: God, angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels.
God saves no one. That alone would be fine, but He scatters Sacred Gears, tools that enhance human power yet assuredly bring misfortune. Humans are discriminated against by their own kind and exploited by others. Some, driven mad, lose everything.
Angels save no one. They condone experiments like the Holy Sword Project or Sigurd Institute while exploiting them. They hide God's absence, exiling anything obstructing faith without question. Some Sacred Gears, gifts from God, are deemed heretical and their wielders cast out without redemption.
Devils use Evil Pieces to forcibly reincarnate humans for trivial reasons—strong Sacred Gears or unique powers—stripping away their humanity, defiling them. Defying their master makes them targets for elimination. Devils claim other territories, dragging humans into conflicts with other factions under negligent governance.
Fallen Angels kill humans just for possessing Sacred Gears, as if it's a game. Even without killing, they abduct and experiment on them.
Glasya-Labolas mentioned "magical girls," meaning young witches. Confusing? Blame that fool. Sure, there were magical girls as you imagine, but let's move on. Move on, Glasya-Labolas! My apologies, I forgot to clarify… Don't say unnecessary things, Zepar! What's this about Glasya-Labolas being Miru-tan, Phenex? Who's that?
Regardless, those girls were victims of your sloppy governance.
Some were judged by unjust doctrines. Others were toyed with by Devils. Some were forced into corruption through unfair deals. This isn't mere talent scouting—it's destruction for pleasure and desire. Not all Devils prioritize Rating Games, right? Human lives were consumed for your amusement. Reincarnated for novelty. Did you know some torture and kill stray Devils excessively? Even if they're strays, finding pleasure in it equates to thrill-killing, not punishment.
Glasya-Labolas once served as a magical girl's familiar, hence his obsession. That's why he can't forgive you, Leviathan's heir, female Devil. You proclaim to aspire to be a magical girl yet do nothing to stop them from being forcibly reincarnated.
We don't say you're guilty. We know a Satan is a mere figurehead. But guilt or not, you bear responsibility. That's what it means to be a king. You were protested by mages for "misrepresenting witches" yet kept up your act, never reforming. Your TV show continues depicting Fallen Angels and angels as enemies post-peace. And you're in charge of diplomacy? Laughable.
You overlooked countless tragedies. You ignored countless screams. Can you count how many lives ended because of you? Lives could've been saved. Hearts could've been protected. You couldn't erase them, but small actions could've reduced them.
We saved those people and killed those abominations.
Oh, we've been cursed by those we saved—"Why didn't you save us sooner?"
Your lives are equally worthless. Your actions are equally meaningless.
This star was mad. You were mad.
The more we learned of the Biblical truth, the more we saved victims, the greater our hatred grew. Our rage against your corruption never ceased; our sorrow for the pain deepened. We resolved to exterminate you. None of us could forgive you.
But we have a problem.
We feel no conflict, no anguish, no hesitation, no doubt in destroying you. We'd have no regrets, and we'd surely succeed. That's the issue. It's the same as before—a repeat of our failure.
We'd lose again. We'd fail again, missing what's precious, overlooking what matters.
Thus, this dialogue was necessary.
Tell us the value of your dreams. Show us the color of your justice.
Give us conflict, anguish, hesitation, doubt, regret, reasons for defeat.
Don't you feel anything knowing this reality? Don't you want to right these tragedies?
"Enough with this nonsense! Devils wouldn't make my magical girl comrades unhappy! Your lies won't fool Magical☆Levia-tan! I'll wipe out Devil's enemies with my sparkling stick! ☆"
Why? Why do you think our words are lies? Can't you see the slaughter? Can't you hear the screams? Or do you only care about Devils?
"There might be Devils abusing Evil Pieces, but there are good ones like So-tan and Rias-chan! ☆ Besides, reincarnation involves proper contracts, right? They're all enjoying being Devils! ☆"
…I see. Understood.
"We were far more foolish than you."
Thinking we might be wrong was arrogant delusion.
Hoping you had a truth like that king's was mere sentimental laziness.
This battle isn't condemnation or atonement. It holds no justice, no divine will, no revenge, no challenge, no victory, no reward.
For incinerating the Biblical system, this battle has no meaning. For reaching our pinnacle, it's unnecessary. But it has value—irreplaceable value.
"This foolishness will destroy you!"
There's no need even for despair.
From now on, no one will call your names.
While Serafall faced Clan Calatin, near Agreas in the Agares territory, an elderly gentleman reviewed the plan.
"With Dimension Lost, capable of enveloping a nation, combined with Azi Dahaka's magecraft, Ladon's barriers, and the Pillars' layered spells, seizing a city is child's play. Counter-spells are neutralized; we've analyzed their magecraft. Most notable forces are at the summit. Only Ajuka Beelzebub could counter us, but he won't visit Agreas today. Perfect! A flawless crime! The world is full of ruin! Hahaha!"
"Way to go, Papa! So cool!"
"You can praise Papa more, Rint!"
"Professor…"
Georg muttered with half-lidding his eyes at the professor's glee egged on by Rint.
From a vantage point overlooking Agreas, the group—Demon Gods Baal and Andras, the professor, Georg, Rint, and Valerie—observed the floating city they planned to seize. Elsewhere, Asia and Nightingale awaited the signal to summon evil dragons.
"No word from Goetia yet, so let's relax. At my age, standing's tough."
"Professor, about the rings in Heaven being fake—what's your take?"
"Good question. Underworld incineration likely waits until that's resolved. I believe the rings were used to seal Trihexa. Its nature was hypothetical until Archer's appearance confirmed it."
"Archer… the parallel world's Cao Cao."
Why did he become that? Could his world's selves have stopped him? Or caused it? No answers came.
In Georg's view, Archer didn't truly want to kill his past self or comrades. He used something like Dimension Lost when leaving, but didn't ambush them with it, despite the sure kill. Was that self-serving hope? Or, being Cao Cao, was it posturing?
"If Solomon's magecraft birthed it, his power is best to seal it. Trihexa's existence was unknown even to Michael and the Seraphim. If God sealed it alone, it explains swapping the rings for fakes."
"Did God distrust angels?"
"Likely. He allied with Devils and Fallen Angels, after all. The question is where the rings are now. Destroyed upon unsealing? Held by Solomon's allies? Perhaps the Lion King, his collaborator, has them."
As the professor mused half-jokingly, a massive pillar of light pierced Agreas.
"What?"
"Huh…?"
"Whoa!"
As the light faded, the floating city's altitude dropped—it was crashing. The sizable city plummeted toward the ground. The light must have destroyed whatever kept it aloft.
The group watched, shaken.
"My perfect crime! Curse you, mystery-solver!"
"Perfect plan, perfect collapse… You, Ritsuka Fujimaru!"
"Calm down, Professor! Baal! They're probably not involved!"
"Deep breaths, guys!"
"My lives…"
"Lord Andras, stay strong!"
That light was likely the goddess's spear, more powerful than expected, likely boosted by merging with the Red Dragon Emperor.
The timing was odd, but revising the plan came first. Could they recover the rare metal?
"Phew… Not animal or plant, but mineral—salvageable. We'll find it in the wreckage. Even a bit of ore…"
"But that light might've melted the mine."
"That's the goddess's holy spear? Yikes, bad news."
"Bad news indeed. Calculations show the light hit the rare metal's deposit directly. From the angle, it's a direct hit. Ore survival is unlikely… And a second shot just hit the metal storage. Thorough!"
"Is that goddess's head made of Marmite? Where's the holy extract?!"
The Underworld lacks a sun, but a magical pseudo-sun rises per human time. Yet, the sun above Baal's head was impossibly positioned for the hour.
"—That's all I can share."
His information stunned even gods with prior knowledge. For those unaware, the shock was unimaginable.
A world with different mysteries.
Heroic Spirits. Holy Grails. Alaya and Gaia. Servants.
Seven eras incinerated by seven means.
The last Master of Humanity, Ritsuka Fujimaru, who rose to restore human history.
And Beasts of Humanity—not evils destroying humanity, but evils humanity must destroy.
Kingu's mother, Tiamat, the fallen goddess of Regression who sought to destroy ancient Mesopotamia. Even the strongest Dragon King, Tiamat of Demonic Karma, pales in comparison. Kingu's knowledge ends where he sacrificed himself to stall her.
He believes she was likely defeated.
The gods exhaled in awe. Proof of a world with different laws—shattering their common sense.
Most critically, Kingu sensed a Beast's Spirit Origin in Solomon, who had possessed Crocell Asmodeus. If only humans can defeat it, Azazel's victory was futile, and Solomon may await revival. That he persists, unkillable by them, shook the gods and demons.
Indra, knowing of this other world for certain reasons, processed it faster and asked Kingu, "So, a Beast of Humanity is like Ravana?"
"Close, but Ravana's a matter of compatibility. Beasts are more a law—only humans can defeat them, not just that they can."
Kingu's words gave everyone a rough understanding.
His world, by some coincidence, mirrors this one's history and names. Gods and Satans with the same names exist there, including their seventy-two Pillars. From this, they deduced their identity and the name of their king. They never considered they might be wrong.
"We'll have to adapt. First, we bring Chaldea's Master here. Intervening in an unobserved world, though…"
"Crow, are you serious?"
"Keep talking, skeleton. If Solomon did it, I can too."
"That's not what I meant."
As Azazel tilted his head at Hades' words, a white crack split the venue's center.
A radiant human boy emerged, with ten horns, six wings of birds, dragons, and bats, and a white beast—rabbit or cat-like—on his shoulder. His aura was overwhelming; lesser gods could be killed by its miasma alone. The world's mightiest gods trembled like mice before an elephant.
Emitting a miasma that silenced screams, the boy spoke, his voice tinged with the same wrath as that accursed king.
"Greetings, filthy gods and buddhas. I am half of a Beast of Humanity, bearing the principle of Expectation, defined by you as the Apocalyptic Beast 666, Trihexa."
"Fou..."
A beat later, shock and panic erupted at his name.
"Trihexa…?!"
The beast of unknown whereabouts. If the Apocalypse's tales are true, even these gods combined wouldn't escape unscathed. Even Shiva and the Indian gods would struggle. Only such a beast could emit this aura—no other dragon god or true dragon could match it.
"HAHAHA! A Beast of Humanity? No humans here—what now? Run?" Indra, the battle-hungry war god, instinctively knew this foe was trouble. His lack of fighting spirit and glance at Shiva suggested he was scheming to pass the buck.
"…First, an apology and correction. I called myself a Beast of Humanity, but I'm no longer one. Got carried away. As an individual, perhaps, but as 666 Trihexa, I'm already defeated."
"Even I, who could wipe out these gods with ease, was defeated by frail humans without martial power. Truly, an evil humanity must defeat."
"What?"
"Fou, nkyu!"
Recalling Kingu's words, Azazel reached a conclusion. "A human who can defeat the Apocalyptic Beast…? Got it. The Last Master of Humanity, Ritsuka Fujimaru, is here!"
"You're so narrow-minded, you fell for that idiot king's tricks,."
"I was defeated by this world's humans—those you don't know, those you don't bother to know. By merely living, they beat me. I wasn't expecting much while asleep, though."
Azazel, Sirzechs, Shiva, and the gods couldn't comprehend. Freshly learning of Trihexa's existence and nature, his words were inscrutable. How many gods could reach that truth?
Only Solomon could. Only in his pure, complete manifestation could this Beast be easily defeated. Thus, he imbued his magecraft with his first love, his original sin, and, with Caster and Assassin's aid, completed this Beast.
"More interesting… no, irritating talk. Calling Rikka Fujimaru here?"
"Yeah, to beat you, we need an expert. From Kingu's story, the Pillars are their enemies, right? If we share the goal of defeating demons, our interests align."
"Foolish. Utterly foolish."
A sound like a sword piercing the floor rang out, and Death appeared.
It wasn't that Trihexa's presence blinded them—this figure exuded an equally intense aura. No one could miss such a presence, even near the Apocalyptic Beast.
A towering man in a skull mask, clad in black, wielding a massive sword—a reaper. His aura screamed a warrior who'd mastered martial prowess. One moment of carelessness, and any god or buddha felt their head would roll. Many touched their necks instinctively.
Strong or weak wasn't the issue. This wasn't about strength or morality. If Trihexa was a vast, vague catastrophe, this reaper was a vivid, precise Death.
"Who are you?"
"Even a clown ensnared by the King of Magecraft's schemes must name himself if he's a god's peer."
"From the abyss of the shadowed valley, I come at this King of Magecraft's summons for supplement, blessing, and warning. I am the Old Man of the Mountain, Hassan-i-Sabbah."
Hassan-i-Sabbah, leader of a Middle Eastern assassin cult—yet could a mere assassin emit this presence? Could even a divine hero bear such killing intent?
"I'm merely here as this gentleman's escort. I thought it unnecessary, but if something happened to him, I'd be remiss. This is thanks for aiding that idiot king's cleanup."
Amid the trembling gods, Shiva, the mightiest, spoke calmly. "Shall we call you Hassan-dono?"
"Call me what you will. My name is already obscure—no attachments, no stipulations."
His response showed his magnanimity. Azazel asked, "You answered Solomon's summons, so you're a Servant?"
"Indeed. Knowing the folly, I contracted with the King of Magecraft and aided this Beast's completion. All for this moment."
"You, a Heroic Spirit, awakened a world-destroying Beast?!"
Kingu's story suggested Heroic Spirits affirm humanity. Why would such a being commit this evil? Was this reaper swayed by Solomon's honeyed words, like past gods?
"No, this Beast no longer destroys worlds. As he said, he's no longer a Beast of Humanity. Heaven's mandate chose this world's humanity," Hassan replied.
"Huh?"
Hassan seemed done explaining and shifted topics. "Let's continue Kingu's story. Chaldea's Master, Ritsuka Fujimaru, defeated the Primordial Mother, the fallen goddess Tiamat, and the one posing as the King of Magecraft, reclaiming human history. A splendid battle."
The gods, forgetting fear, grew excited—especially Odin and Indra, whose eyes gleamed. A hero who defeated a Beast and saved the world—they instinctively craved him.
"…So, he beat Mother."
"Thanks to your aid."
"…Hmph, whatever. I went that far, so he'd better have finished it."
This was the first purpose: supplementation.
Then, the second: blessing.
"Child of the Primordial Mother, Kingu, I bless your new path in place of Chaldea's Master, the Wise King, Uruk's people, the Goddess of Vengeance, and the Primordial Mother. May your journey be filled with fortune."
"Uh, thanks?"
He was flustered. How else could the Chain of Heaven's successor react to a Grand Assassin he barely knew congratulating his new life?
"But don't grow lax. Neglect training, and your spearwork and spirit will wane. Use the skills honed under the Primordial Mother to protect those close, not destroy humans. There's no reason to let that power rot. Work."
"Yes, sir."
In short, "Don't laze about; strive in your new home."
"Skeleton-dono, I'm here for Kingu, so he'll be fine! Mother and I will ensure his happiness!"
"I'm the one being taken care of."
"Good. Truly good. Pure yokai daughter, stay with the goddess's child to keep him from falling. This scene isn't what the fallen Beast envisioned—you chose it yourselves."
While noting that aligning with Kyoto is the fastest way to secure Kingu, Shiva prompted the final matter. "And the warning, Hassan-dono?"
"Obvious. Summoning Chaldea's Master here is forbidden."
His already heavy tone grew undeniable, his killing intent thicker.
"That King of Magecraft's plan stemmed from your laziness and corruption. Gods must be pure, kings noble. You abandoned those duties, exposing your shame. Gods, demons, and humans sinned, leading that king to rage against abominations and fall as a Beast. The king commanding the Demon God Pillars is the same—your sins fueled his wrath. Instead of reforming, you worsened over time. Involving an innocent outsider in your atonement is the height of depravity. This turmoil's resolution is this world's duty."
The black-clad swordsman slowly raised his sword from the floor. That mere motion was terrifying, like a death sentence's signal.
"That mage—my contractor—fought to protect humanity's order and earned a moment's rest. Threaten that peace, and my blade will show its edge."
"Fou!"
"Those who'd touch my contractor—"
His gaze from the skull's depths pierced every god and buddha.
"—offer your heads!"
***
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