Chapter 26: Punishment

"Stop! Just stop!"

Bang! Bang!

The filthy sludge kept surging forward.

I flew quickly, blocking or dodging all the attacks.

But with each attack it unleashed, the divine power within me kept diminishing.

Is there... is there no way?

The more I respond to its attacks, the more my remaining power disappears, but if I don't block or dodge, I'll be hit.

And I can't contact Lady Constellation to receive more power either.

I'm caught between a rock and a hard place.

While I was somehow able to recover from the initial piercing wound using divine power, there's no guarantee I could heal if I get hit again.

Just as I was continuing to dodge while unable to find any solution to the current situation.

Woong-

[This will catch you.]

Suddenly it appeared in front of me.

!!!

It was already behind me!

I've been had.

It deceived me about its position using a fire net and lured me in.

[Eliminate interference.]

Hundreds of sharp filthy sludge spikes erupted from it and rushed toward me.

I can't dodge.

I have to block this...

I hurriedly hit the brakes and raised my arms to defend myself.

With no time to spare, the colorless force I erected in front of me wasn't very strong.

Crack! Crack!

That weakness was far from enough to block its spikes.

I'm going to be pierced...!

I could only helplessly watch the spikes rushing madly toward me.

Kwaaang!

Suddenly, a storm of black demonic energy swept away all the filthy sludge.

"Kuh!"

[What is this?]

[What is this really?]

"Are you alright, Dream Apostle?"

As the smoke cleared, a black-glowing woman floated between me and it.

After briefly checking my condition, she glared at the filthy sludge creature with a terrifying intensity.

"The sin of causing my master to face death by my own hands. I shall pass judgment myself."

It was Demon God Havnis.

...Did she figure out my identity?

[Pride has disappeared.]

[T-That's impossible......]

The Demon God charged at it.

Her tyrannical demonic energy and divinity raged around her like a storm.

It struggled desperately, spewing out filthy sludge.

Hiss- Hiss- Hiss-

Such filthy and dirty acts just trying to buy time to survive a little longer.

The Demon God advanced forward, crushing all its desperate struggles with overwhelming power.

The sin of [Pride] is called the greatest among all sins.

Even the first original sin stemmed from [Pride], and other sins derived from it.

As such, [Pride] was not a sin that just anyone could bear.

Pride - a sin that only the capable and strong could possess, those who had the ability to be proud and arrogant of themselves.

That was [Pride].

The first Demon King to establish peace and harmony between humans and demons after defeating the worst mass murderer and properly inheriting the position of Demon King.

The King of All Demons who ascended beyond the position of Demon King to reach above even Demon God.

She was not an existence that could be bound by a mere title like one of the Five Great Rulers.

Bang! Bang!

Kwaaang!

[Im-Impossible!]

[This is impossible!]

The Demon God shattered all the defensive formations the filthy sludge hastily created head-on.

She was such a terrifying existence when she was an enemy, but now that I think of her as an ally, I couldn't feel more reassured.

[Cancel! Cancel! Cancel!]

Its bizarre power that had neutralized my and Lady Constellation's divine power kept activating.

The unpleasant light shone on the Demon God multiple times.

Bang! Bang!

But the Demon God's advance didn't slow down.

Could it be that its ability has no effect on the Demon God?

I observed the Demon God carefully.

That wasn't it.

Each time its light touched the Demon God, the demonic energy flowing from her kept decreasing.

Its power was definitely neutralizing and weakening the Demon God's divine power.

Yet the reason the Demon God's power wasn't weakening was because she possessed such vast power and was in such an emotional state that she wasn't holding back at all.

[Dream Storyteller asks if you can hear her! Pleeeease! she screams in panic.]

"...Lady Constellation?"

[Dream Storyteller acquiesces! We're connected! Wh-what should I do! Are you safe, my apostle? She says while flustering.]

"Yes. I'm safe."

The connection with Lady Constellation was restored.

It seems the filthy sludge creature had to use all its power, including what was nullifying our Lady Constellation's divine power, to focus on stopping the Demon God.

Divine power from Lady Constellation flowed into me again.

Unlike before when I was desperately hanging on with about 1% battery left, fully charged divine power filled me with omnipotence.

[Impossible.]

[Impossible.]

[Impossible.]

[Impossible.]

Though the cornered filthy sludge creature kept spewing out filthy sludge, the Demon God shattered it all.

The seemingly endless size of its filthy sludge was gradually decreasing.

And finally.

*Crack-*

"Try some more why don't you."

The Demon God's hand grabbed its neck area.

[P-Pride's seed was cultivat-]

The Demon God lifted its neck slightly.

And then.

Kwang!

She slammed it hard into the ground.

The dream world disappeared as the Demon God's divine power spread.

Large cracks formed as the filthy sludge was slammed into the ground beneath that empty void.

"As King of All Demons, I pass sentence. Death."

The Demon God's power began flowing into it.

I rushed toward the Demon God using as much power as I could draw from Lady Constellation.

"Wait a moment! Lady Demon God!"

The Demon God who was about to fill it with demonic energy and make it explode turned to look at me.

"...Dream Apostle. Surely you're not going to make the absurd request of asking me to spare this sinner."

The Demon God's burning eyes stared directly at me.

Then her thoughts flowed into me as well.

So she did notice my identity.

...I hope she's not planning to beat me up like that too for deceiving her?

"I understand what you did for me and your sacrifice. You are my benefactor. However, that's that and this is this. If you've come to speak of forgiveness and mercy, you've come to the wrong place."

I could feel her strong determination to tear apart and kill the monster before her eyes no matter what.

In contrast to that, the word she used to address me - benefactor.

She misunderstood my actions as being part of a plan to remove her [Pride].

...Well, I suppose it's not completely a misunderstanding?

I did try to give her a second chance after all.

"Please hear me out first, Lady Demon God. Annihilation is too easy and simple a punishment."

Obviously, I have no desire to save this thing either.

Why would I want to defend something that was excitedly trying to kill me just moments ago?

However, annihilation is too easy an escape.

I don't want to give it such a comfortable and beautiful ending.

The Demon God will like this alternative too.

"...I understand. So you're saying that if we put this thing in that weekly? boss? framework, all the continentals will beat it up?"

"Exactly."

The weekly boss battle in [Akashic Archive] that can be cleared once per week.

Currently due to content development speed issues, there was only one weekly boss - the Monster Queen who appeared in the tutorial.

Even the Monster Queen was put in for our investor, Goddess Ren.

To honor the Ten Heroes, and to make the Monster Queen suffer eternally.

-Ah just die already and give me my items why are you struggling

-Hey guys I beat that guy's record, check out my speedrun

-Any help for a newbie killing the weekly boss! Help!

-Isn't the Monster Queen too easy these days, want to kill something new

-Just did a naked run with 1 HP lol?

Weekly bosses were essential content for character progression while also being content for hardcore users who could challenge it infinitely until cleared.

As a result, the Monster Queen kept getting slaughtered by countless players from newbies just starting out to bored old-timers.

She ended up in a state of eternal suffering, unable to die through endless repeated deaths.

"...There could be no more fitting end for this sinner."

The Demon God continued beating the filthy sludge creature until it could no longer resist, then handed it over to me.

I completely sealed and imprisoned it using dream power.

Having divine power injected while unconscious, it would no longer be able to use its nullification power.

After everything was over, the Demon God looked up at the sky.

Though only empty darkness filled the void after the dream world disappeared, she had a wistful expression as if reminiscing about someone.

Feeling uncomfortable at the sadness emanating from her, I quickly searched through the [Akashic Archive] server logs.

A command I had input in advance in case something went wrong with imprisoning the Demon God.

Backup.

"Found it."

It seems the work was completed safely even amidst the filthy sludge spraying its nullification power.

...Though even a backup can't contain the resurrected Demon King that the Demon God longs to see.

But she should at least be able to see the Demon King born from the false world again.

I could only hope it would be enough to comfort the heartbroken Demon God.