Chapter 119
When a clear goal emerges, even those on the verge of death can display astonishing vitality.
If that's true for people, how much more so for the Empire?
Lady Velia's last words upon her ascension spread rapidly throughout the Empire, and the Imperial Citizens, from Nobles to the impoverished who lived hand-to-mouth, understood their meaning.
All became united in purpose.
“If you desire peace, prepare for war?”
“The incident at Talahaim's Rocky Mountain, the Princess being infected by an Evil God's Fragment, the Scrap Yard incident, and so on...”
“Doesn't this mean the Demon Followers and Evil God Worshippers will openly rise up soon?”
Demon Followers and Evil God Worshippers.
Those disgusting wretches who, from the moment the Empire was founded until now, never stayed still, committing all sorts of atrocities and evil deeds.
The hatred and rage accumulated over more than 300 years of experience finally erupted due to the recent series of incidents and Goddess Velia's final words.
“We must stop them. We must stop them no matter what.”
“I don't want the Empire to fall. I'd rather die than see that happen.”
Young people began enlisting in the Imperial Army.
“Today's poetry reading was held to raise funds to prepare for the war to come.”
In the social circles frequently attended by noblewomen and young ladies, a competition even arose over who could raise more funds.
Perhaps it was the first time in social circles that one's pride could be boosted by something other than lavish dresses and ornaments.
“Train properly! The evil we must destroy is coming soon!! A disgustingly massive evil is coming! We must be armed to prepare!! We must kill far more than those girls from the Cult of War to save Lady Dulanere's honor!!”
The White Order began collecting massive donations from Temples across the Empire, investing the funds into new weapon development and the training of Paladins and Ketratuss.
Naturally, Iomene, the Saintess of the White Order, also became busy.
“If it's for use in the war, Karma Company's elixirs can be provided free of charge. What good would all the wealth I've accumulated be if the Empire falls?”
The Mage Tower Temple also began producing elixirs at an unprecedented rate, and Jonathan Karma truly showed what a real-life 'Show me the money' cheat code was, supporting war preparations with immense financial power.
The Cult of Grace?
“We shall now have a time for offerings for the Saint and His Imperial Majesty...”
The Southern Region is the land of the Cult of Grace.
And from that Southern Region, immense amounts of offerings poured in, sponsored and sent to the Capital.
The offering baskets were so overflowing that recently, they were reportedly circulating three baskets per Temple.
The Scrap Yard also became busy.
As you know, the Scrap Yard owed a great debt to the White Order and the Empire.
“Comrades. If the Empire falls, there will be no Workers. Do you remember what Mammon did to this city?”
The moment Kal Renaro visited the Scrap Yard and uttered those words, the productivity of the Empire's largest steel Production Site exploded.
“Overtime!”
“Let's show them what kind of crazy bastards the Workers of the Scrap Yard are!!”
Voluntary overtime piled up, and molten iron, red-hot, began pouring out in abundance from the high-quality, large-capacity blast furnaces built with Karma Company's overwhelming funds.
And their voluntary overtime was thoroughly compensated.
“Karma Company is paying double for all overtime worked until the war comes!!”
“If you have perfect attendance for over a week, they say they'll give you vegetables and meat from the Southern Region? And hefty cash bonuses too!!”
“Hahahaha!! Now this is work worth doing!! Money sure tastes good!!”
While Jonathan Karma was leading the Labor Advocates with money like that.
[Let's achieve over 200% production with overtime!]
[Workers of the Scrap Yard, awaken!]
[Comrade Workers! The steel forged by your hands will save the Empire!]
The Labor Advocates spurred on the Workers with all sorts of slogans and familiar crimson-colored posters.
Kal Renaro and Jonathan Karma.
Thanks to the amusing combination of the utterly crimson Labor Advocates and the utterly blue capitalists, the Scrap Yard was demonstrating fearsome productivity.
Everyone was busy like that.
And naturally, I became busy too.
So, what was I doing?
“So, Body Modification and Absolute Hypnosis were abilities needed to create life. And Time Stop and Sensitivity 3000x were...”
“[Time Stop and Sensitivity 3000x are abilities that Lucifer and I created together. He desired the power to remain undetected by anyone and the ability to kill any being in a single blow.]”
“I see. So Lucifer developed them. But were their names originally Sensitivity 3000x and Time Stop?”
“[They had different names originally.]”
“Then why did they appear that way to me? The skill names are a bit... too vulgar.”
“[My Authority is perceived by my Master in the form most familiar to them. You can understand it as those names being the most familiar forms to you, Master.]”
I had summoned Asmodeus and was having a conversation with her.
Compared to others, it wasn't anything grand.
To put it negatively, it was nothing more or less than a casual chat, but Iomene and Kanya, who were teaching me, unanimously emphasized that it was absolutely necessary.
They explained that if I didn't deepen my bond with the god who was the source of the Authority I wielded, nothing would come of it.
So, I was in my Room, idly chatting.
[*Sensitivity 3000x, Time Stop, Absolute Hypnosis, Body Modification. What kind of life did you live for these names to be the most familiar to you? Were you an incubus or something in your past life?*]
At Kon's absurd remark, I couldn't help but feel my face flush.
“Shut up, Kon.”
Kon obediently shut up.
I cleared my throat, suppressed my embarrassment, and continued my conversation with Asmodeus, who had been summoned before me.
“I heard that Lucifer, an Archangel, fell because of your Authority.”
[That is correct.]
“Then why... am I not falling?”
At my words, Asmodeus tilted her head and looked at me.
[I find it curious as well.]
“What?”
[It is an Authority far too great for a Human to wield. When a Human begins to wield me, it is normal for them to be subjugated or twisted. However, Master's control over me is excessively strong. Even I find it difficult to understand.]
*Is it because I'm an Otherworlder?*
It was a distinct possibility.
Since the Dimensional Realm I was born in is entirely different, I thought it might be why I'm unaffected, unlike the Humans here.
I looked at Asmodeus's Left Wing, manifested before me.
Of the three Black Wings, only two remained black.
As Velia ascended, one Black Wing disappeared.
“About those Black Wings. Is it only possible to restore them by finding a Deity? Can't you use your Authority to connect the Heavenly Realm and Human Realm like before, and then have the Gods of the Pantheon use their Authority to remove them? Or you can use powerful divine power too, right?”
[That is correct.]
“Can't you just burn away the Black Wings with that divine power? Isn't there an easier way to solve this?”
At my words, Asmodeus shook her head.
[There are only two ways to eliminate the Black Wings. Either Lucifer, another being who holds command over me, is permanently annihilated. Or, my Deity's size must be expanded even further.]
Asmodeus explained in more detail.
And after hearing her full explanation, this is what I realized.
*The way this works is incredibly similar to stock ownership percentages.*
When I first became Asmodeus's Master, Lucifer and I held exactly fifty-fifty ownership.
There were four Black Wings and four White Wings.
However, as Asmodeus's Deity absorbed faith through my actions, the proportion of the benevolent side grew, and that balance completely collapsed when Mammon was absorbed at the Scrap Yard.
[Normally, Mammon's Deity should have functioned to increase the Black Wings. But at that time, I was in the process of exploding all the accumulated faith to save Master. Mammon's Deity, lacking will, was entirely purified in that situation.]
“So Mammon's Deity was entirely converted to the White Wing's share?”
[Precisely. If Lucifer had still been controlling me at that time, Mammon's Deity would have acted to increase the number of Black Wings. Master, you were fortunate.]
“Then the way Velia made the wings white, surely it wasn't...”
[She purified Satan's absorbed Deity and directly transferred it to me. As long as it's impossible to kill Lucifer immediately, this is the only way to turn all my wings white. That's why the Pantheon cannot easily eliminate my remaining two Black Wings.]
Asmodeus explained that an immense amount of Deity, enough to completely cover the remaining two wings and then some, would need to be transferred, and doing so would instantly shatter the balance between the Pantheon, Hell, and the Abyss.
[Only Dulanere and Rophus possess the ability to transfer such a massive Deity, enough to eliminate two wings. I believe I don't need to explain what would happen the moment those two Deities, who are already performing beyond their assigned roles, are weakened.]
“So, to summarize, we need to find the God of Endurance and the God of Courage, who haven't been discovered by the Evil God. If we find those two Deities and absorb enough benevolent Deity from them to eliminate your remaining two Black Wings, we win. Is that it?”
[Precisely.]
“Let's say we find the God of Endurance and the God of Courage. But what if, like Velia, they've both weakened over 300 years and don't have enough Deity to eliminate your two wings? Wouldn't finding them still be a failure?”
Asmodeus shook her head.
[That will not happen.]
“Why?”
[Before the Heavenly War. Those two Gods were the ones who formed the largest Cults on the Mortal Realm. Although they fell to the Mortal Realm after losing the war, the fact that they haven't been discovered by the Evil God yet indicates they must possess enough Deity to spare some for me.]
At her words, I had to let out a long sigh.
“Why haven't two such powerful Deities been found yet? If they had enough Deity to avoid being discovered by the Evil God for 300 years, why haven't they returned to the Heavenly Realm already?”
The entire Empire was being searched thoroughly, but there was still no news of the God of Endurance or the God of Courage being found.
[I do not know that either. I, too, was dormant for over 300 years before residing in Master's body. There is a significant information gap for me as well. Please forgive me for not being able to answer all questions.]
The two Deities who fell to the Mortal Realm.
They must have been a delicious prey for Hell and the Evil God.
The Pantheon was incompetent, and those two Deities must have had to survive alone on the Mortal Realm, evading Hell and the Evil God.
And at the same time, they would have prepared to ascend and return to the Heavenly Realm.
In conclusion, the God of Endurance and the God of Courage had neither succeeded in returning to the Heavenly Realm nor been captured by the Evil God.
“This is driving me crazy. It's not even a riddle.”
Just as I sighed.
[Amael. This is getting to be my limit. It's hard to maintain the summoning any longer.]
Kon conveyed his disgruntled voice to me.
Summoning Asmodeus's massive Deity and wielding her Authority would damage my body.
To minimize that burden, Kon was still necessary.
Kon bore a portion of that burden with his Psychic Power.
Of course, even so, there was a clear limit.
Two hours.
That was the maximum time Kon's Psychic Power and my body could sustain Asmodeus's summoning.
“Thanks, Asmodeus. You can go now.”
At my words, the eight-winged angel bowed to me and then vanished from my Room like a mirage.
After she disappeared, I realized my body was drenched as if I'd taken a bath in sweat.
*It really puts a strain on my body.*
Without Kon, it would be much harder to wield Asmodeus's Deity.
“Thanks, Kon.”
[No need to thank me. Keep your promise. When all this is over, you have to reincarnate me into a super cool Unicorn body, right?]
Kon was closer to a spiritual entity, formed by devouring fragments of Deity that flowed out when Asmodeus consumed Mammon.
According to Magic Tower Lord Oergen.
He said that Kon was the only one on the Mortal Realm currently capable of bearing the burden of Deity Summoning.
Therefore, it meant that this guy and I were stuck seeing each other's faces for the foreseeable future.
I slumped onto the Floor.
“Once Lady Lilia regains her Authority, what *can't* she do? She's the Goddess of Life, after all. Right?”
[I'm tired of living in this pathetic Pony-like form. I need to mate with a Mare. *Damn it.*]
I chuckled at Kon's grumbling.
“Oh right. You were a virgin, weren't you, Kon?”
[Please don't spread that story around. Do you know how incredibly shameful it is for a Male Unicorn to be a virgin?]
“If you perform your role properly, then I'll have no reason to spread it. I'm counting on you.”
Kon sighed heavily, much like me, at my words.
[Bearing the burden required to summon or use a Goddess's Authority, I can do that anytime. But what's the point then? I'll only be useful if we find the God of Endurance and the God of Courage, won't I? Those two. Can you even find them?]
His words made me feel a bit helpless, but I shook my head.
“They'll be somewhere. I'm sure of it. The Cult of Heroes is searching with all their might, so they're bound to be found somewhere.”
[If they're found outside the Empire's Territory, like in the Great Labyrinth of the North or the Eastern Desert Region, we're truly screwed. How are we supposed to get to those brutal areas?]
Kon said that jokingly.
***
...And bad predictions always came true with astonishing accuracy.
Three days later.
“The God of Courage has been found in the Great Labyrinth of the North!!”
The Empire had pinpointed the location of one of the two Deities on the Mortal Realm.