Chapter 5: I am not you

Even the Demon God Pillars have factions. However, this is not a conflict of opinion regarding the current plan.

The focal point is whether to remain in this world after achieving the incineration of the Holy Scriptures, or to aim for a return to the original world.

To use a human analogy, it's like a difference in career paths. They understand that they will eventually part ways. They have no complaints about that. It was clear from the very beginning. A future conflict might occur, but it is within the realm of tolerance. Once the alteration of the Holy Scriptures is complete, the Seventy-Two Pillars will once again abandon being Goetia.

The leader of the Proactive Remainers is Halphas. The reason is, "I'm sick of pancakes." Apparently, he has trauma. Cases like Halphas are rare, but Demon God Pillars who feel no point in returning to the original world belong to this group.

The leader of the Passive Remainers is Crocell. The resistance by the Heroic Spirits of the former Temple of Time. It both enraged him and made him give up on the existence of Heroic Spirits. Furthermore, there are no Heroic Spirits in this world. Whether they have not completely broken away from the Age of Gods, the Throne of Heroes and the Human Order have not been established. Demon God Pillars who are starting to find value in protecting this world belong to this group.

The leader of the Passive Returners is Flauros. The reason is curiosity. He is curious whether the human who snatched the final victory returned alive or not. Alternatively, is he planning to lay flowers for someone? Demon God Pillars belonging to this group seem concerned about the result of the Human History that escaped incineration in a similar way.

And the leader of the Proactive Returners is none other than Barbatos. The reasons vary among the individual Demon God Pillars. However, the one passion they all share is the determination to return to the original world, no matter what. They would endure any disgrace, short of betraying the Demon God Pillars themselves.

However, there is an exception to everything. It was an emotion that garnered sympathy across the factions.

"I thank all my brethren for approving my request, even though they understood the need for a plan correction and a change in policy."

Zekram Baal.

The first in the hierarchy of the Seventy-Two Pillars in this world, the founder of the Great King Baal family. That is, the first Great King. He is the de facto head of the Great King faction, a massive faction of devils, and in a sense, his political influence surpasses even that of the Demon Lords. Although he has lived since the creation of the devils, his ambition is exposed. If the Four Great Demon Lords are the public face of the devils, Zekram Baal is the one behind the scenes. Even now, the head of the Great King family seeks his opinion. It is no exaggeration to say that the devils move according to his will.

His mansion—was under attack.

"Gah, gah..."

"How hideous, Zekram Baal."

The assailant stands before Zekram. A colossal mass of flesh, towering over him. It is surprising that this form can speak. The grotesque anomaly, with its heavily distorted appearance, appeared suddenly, ravaged Zekram's mansion, and drove him, the master of the house, to the brink of death.

Zekram is now the only survivor inside the mansion. What happened to the other residents and servants goes without saying.

"W-who is pulling your strings? It couldn't be Sirzechs-kun or Ajuka-kun... those two should understand the downside of killing me. Could it be Sairaorg? And for that matter, what are you? A species I've never seen before. How did you sneak into the Underworld?"

"No. My coming here is due to my own personal feelings."

He had no obligation to answer that question. The reply was meaningless. Yet, having been asked, he couldn't help but answer. He could not tolerate this fool dying without knowing the reason for his anger. Therefore, he only told him the purpose. He disclosed the sole source of that murderous intent.

"There is someone I desperately want to kill. But I cannot kill him now. Therefore, I will kill you."

Upon hearing this, the first Great King managed a wry smile. It was too brief, but also nonsensical. It was mixed with self-mockery for having to die for such a ridiculous reason.

"What is that... It's just taking out your frustration!"

"I know!!"

The mass of flesh—the Demon God Barbatos—poured out his emotions to the Great King Baal. He vented their story, one that the Great King did not know. It was less of an explanation and more of a mere emotional outburst. Naturally. It was not something that could be understood by explaining, and there was no point in explaining it.

What revived in the Demon God Barbatos's mind was that moment. The moment King Solomon returned his rings to heaven, Goetia was distorted, and the Temple of Time collapsed.

"At that time, I chose to flee. But a moment's hesitation halted my escape! The conflict was whether I had to endure three thousand years of shame, insult, humiliation, and fury directed at a human who was merely average, common, and mediocre! The result was self-contradiction leading to collapse!"

It was like a single raindrop in a downpour heavy enough to sink the land. That much hesitation killed the Demon God Barbatos.

"But I regret it! I definitely could have endured it! I am certain of that now! But even this regret is merely decoration."

Recalling that moment, only one emotion surged forth.

"...Hatred. Hatred, hatred, hatredhatredhatredhatredhatredhatredhatredhatredhatredhatredhatredhatredhatredhatred! I can feel nothing but hatred!"

A hatred that threatened to crush the stars. But it was not directed at the Baal before him. The Demon God Pillars have no awareness to spare for a devil like this.

"It is you, you whom I hate, Fuji-maru Ri-tsu-ka!"

Naturally, Zekram Baal does not know that name. From the Demon God Barbatos's previous words, he understood it was a human, but he couldn't possibly know anything more. Zekram Baal had almost no feelings toward humans to begin with. To him, humans are merely targets for corruption, livestock to be devoured, or potential assets for reincarnation.

"I will surely return to that planet, that era, and that place! After saving this planet! And no matter how many millennia it takes, I will kill you!"

The last Master of Humanity. The one he once dismissed as insignificant and lost interest in. He will admit it. That an existence of that level destroyed their perfect plan. That is why that human must be killed—even if it means disappearing again.

"And who appeared before me as I made that resolve? It was you, Zekram Baal! When I learned of you, I felt the greatest humiliation possible!"

He shouted the name, but his attention was not on him. The Demon God Barbatos's emotion directed at the Great King Baal has already run its course. There are no feelings directed at Zekram Baal himself. He simply wants to deny the phenomena that his existence causes.

"If you had ambitions that surpassed the Demon Lords, I would be convinced! If you had hatred that would devour a god, I would accept it! But you chose the preservation of such a meaningless, worthless, and unsightly ecosystem!"

If he made the Great King the one and only devil, he would understand. If he swore revenge for the deceased first Demon Lord and his subordinates, he would sympathize. If he tried to preserve the devils as a species, he would merely be an adversary. But the first Great King's desire is to perpetuate a noble society led by 'devils' for all eternity.

He didn't stand on the public stage but governed the devils from the safe zone of society's shadows. He prioritized the Great King, treated the Demon Lords as mere symbols, and looked down on low-class and middle-class devils as his servants.

"Why are you using that name on this planet, in this era, and in this place!"

If their names were not the same, he would have simply dismissed him as an unpleasant creature.

It was a disgrace that this creature claimed the same name, 'Baal,' as himself. The indifference to King Solomon's tragedy, the collapse of their great achievement. The Demon God Barbatos felt a rage comparable to these things.

"If that were all, I would simply ensure you didn't escape the moment I destroyed this Underworld. I would erase your entire existence from this star. There would be no need to kill you now. But the situation changed with the confirmation of that mud doll's existence!"

Kingū, the successor to Enkidu. Originally, that name should not have been his, nor that body, nor should his history have been etched into Human History. The resurrection of such an existence means that other visitors from that world also exist. Given their own fate, it is possible that some were beings who had vanished. Naturally, there is a high possibility that among these visitors is someone they know very well.

"Yes, the minuscule possibility—that the accursed King Solomon and the hated Fujimaru Ritsuka might come to this world—has arisen!"

The King of Magic, Solomon. The Last Master of Humanity, Fujimaru Ritsuka. To the Seventy-Two Pillars, these two are special existences in various ways. Their story would not have begun without their anger towards Solomon, and their plan failed precisely because of Fujimaru.

"I felt terror—that of all people, those two might see you, 'Baal.'—And what is most terrifying is that I might be compared to a wretch like you! Not just me, but the other Seventy-Two Pillars would also be compared to you!"

King Solomon would still be better. He was a king without even emotion, who continuously overlooked human tragedy. They dismissed him as incompetent, but he was a man born to be a king. But merely imagining what kind of emotions the Last Master of Humanity would hold is terrifying.

"Laughter would be fine. Contempt would be acceptable. Indifference would only deepen our hatred. We are the losers. We have an obligation to receive those emotions. But if, by some million-to-one chance, they feel pity for us, what should I—what should we—do!"

My destiny. My arch-enemy. The starting point of the plan's distortion. The object of my unceasing hatred in the present moment. The target I have sworn to kill.

To be pitied, to be disappointed by such a person. To be shown 'Compassion.'

No, considering their personalities, the risk is low. That reality likely does not exist. That worry is probably unfounded. That future is likely impossible.

But Barbatos cannot ignore that tiny possibility. Because it was a truly tiny hesitation that killed him. It is precisely because Barbatos experienced the danger of a tiny possibility that he is here. It cemented this murderous intent.

"Why did I hesitate to escape? Three thousand years of humiliation? Compared to this moment, what meaningful disgrace that would have been! I can form an alliance with Heroic Spirits, or even disguise myself as a human! I will cling to discarded junk! I will challenge you even if I perish! I will not destroy the world to kill you, Fujimaru Ritsuka, but I will destroy the world just to kill you!"

It was then that Barbatos's attention finally turned to the aging devil before him. No. Still, Barbatos's attention was not there. His attention was rather directed at himself.

"But it won't begin! As long as you exist, my hatred! My revenge! My three thousand years for it won't start! My entire murderous intent is focused solely on one point: to kill you, no matter what, before those two learn of it...!"

My starting point of fury, Solomon. My end point of hatred, Fujimaru Ritsuka.

If you are alive, I will come to kill you myself, so please, do not come to this world.

"Perish, for the sake of my three thousand years that will be filled with hardship...!"

On this day, the seventy-two original pillars, who had been in retirement across the Underworld, were attacked. In every case, the assailants were pillars of exceedingly ugly masses of flesh. The Three Factions, realizing the connection to the previous incident, began preparing to form an agreement to deal with this unknown entity.

However, that response provoked Kokabiel, an executive of the Fallen Angels who advocates for Fallen Angel supremacy. It is natural that he then embarked on the atrocity of stealing Excalibur with his followers.

Only a short time remains until the truth they desperately hid comes to light.

"Warning from Naberius. Intruder detected in the Temple of Time."

"I am Ophis."

"Explanation from Flauros. One of the strongest existing beings in this world. Her performance is described as infinite, with a clear difference from the second strongest. The Dragon, Snake, and Ouroboros crowned with Chaos, Infinity, and Void. Exists on the same dimension as the Administration Bureau, and is confirmed as a First-Class Alert Target. Ophis, the Infinite Dragon God."

"You all... you? Strong. Defeat Great Red together."

"Supplement from Forneus. An exceptional existence in this world. Its nature is referred to as 'Fantasy,' and it uniquely surpasses Ophis. If Ophis is ranked first, it is ranked zero. The Red Dragon recorded in the Apocalypse. The de facto ruler of the Dimensional Gap. Exists on the same dimension as the Administration Bureau, and is confirmed as a First-Class Alert Target. Great Red, the True Red Dragon God Emperor. Note: There are descriptions of the Beast of the Apocalypse, but it has not been substantiated. Neither has its absence been proven."

"I want to defeat Great Red and gain silence."

"Proposal from Barbatos. There is no advantage for us to accept this request. We should immediately expel this Dragon from the Temple of Time."

"Objection from Halphas. Although this Dragon's capabilities are high, her psyche is estimated to be immature. If we reject the request, she will resist. The collateral damage from a battle between the Administration Bureau and this Dragon could collapse the Temple of Time. If the Temple of Time collapses, the plan will be greatly hindered. Combat in this location must be avoided."

"Rejection from Amon. Why must we compromise?"

"Suggestion from Sabnock. Why not consider cooperation? The possibility is low, but there is an advantage in potentially eliminating Great Red before it becomes an obstacle."

"Counter-argument from Andromalius. Great Red's mere existence establishes the current Dimensional Gap. Its defeat would affect all worlds. Naturally, the Human World, Underworld, and Heaven would collapse, and our plan would fail on an uncorrectable scale. In short, accepting this Dragon's request is tantamount to abandoning the plan."

"Defeat Great Red."

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"Contact from Baal. I have returned. I will begin my report now. ...I will begin... I want to begin, but first, I request an explanation of the current situation. What happened?"

"Reply from Halphas. We are troubled!"