An Answer

They were all 72 Demons summoned by the Magic King who once wanted to guide humanity forward. Long ago, they may have had various different forms, just like the ones recorded in the epic.

But once they make a certain decision, the appearance (shell) they were once given completely disappears, leaving only that ugly appearance that seems to mock or commemorate civilization.

Although these enormous pillars of flesh still exist in this temple that carries countless memories, and remain here forever in different forms, the solitary, indifferent figure of the Judge who had always looked down and watched over everything is no longer on the empty throne in the very center.

It was also because of the disappearance of that figure that the atmosphere and discussion here became lively again. After all, they had never been so lively in front of the king.

"Intelligence Room, Andras; Observation Star, Baal, requests to initiate a discussion."

"Explain."

The other Demon God Pillars collectively gave this answer.

"What should we do now? Although Goetia was the mastermind Humanity Incineration, we were also accomplices. Can these things really be so easily forgotten? And are our actions right? I believe in the King's choice, but I do not believe in humanity."

"..."

The other demon gods didn't say anything about their opinions, but they each had their own thoughts on them.

"If we look at it from Goetia's perspective as a whole, the human race is indeed full of selfishness, betrayal, and all sorts of other factors. The reason we were persuaded by Goetia to participate in his plan was not just because the king suddenly disappeared and we had nothing to do, so we participated. I think some of us at the time agreed with this view, right?"

"--"

This time, some of the Demon God Pillars remained silent because some of them did indeed help Goetia with this intention, but they weren't as persistent as Goetia. Later, due to the constant commotion caused by Goetia, Flauros, Barbatos, and others, they hadn't been able to sort out their thoughts and were following the main force in a daze. Now that this matter had been brought up again, they naturally felt somewhat confused.

"Hmph, you mean you're going to continue with that incredibly stupid plan even after the king has returned?"

In the end, it was Lev's words that ruthlessly shattered this pointless meeting once again.

He is now a loyal subject, unlike these traitors. He has been praised by the king and is destined to be a right-hand man in the future. So he elevates his status and speaks without any politeness.

"Instead of wasting time thinking about these trivial matters, you should be thinking about how to better serve the King. One after another, you're all incompetent and now you're even plotting something wicked. If any of you still want to continue that plan, then go ahead and do it yourselves. I will always stand firmly on the King's side."

"Flauros is right. We once thought humanity was worthless, focusing only on the vast numbers and neglecting the shining individuals within them. Perhaps the King's return is also meant to remind us of this."

Then another Demon God Pillars's voice echoed, another traitor, Barbatos. He had gone to atone for his sins and become a familiar face, so he was naturally on the same side as Lev. At this moment, another Demon God Pillars's words caused wave after wave of criticism and irritation.

"The value of the individual is meaningless; the future we observe is a blank slate, even if it's Wang Guilai. That kind of ending must be stopped! Stopped!"

"Since we are called 'Human Order Correction Formula,' why should we doubt ourselves? That future simply does not exist, and what does not exist, no matter how you look at it, does not exist."

So you mean the king was wrong?

"I wouldn't dare..."

Upon being asked this question, one of the Demon God Pillars was immediately speechless.

"So what do you mean?"

"We would never betray the King, but some things cannot be resolved by emotions alone, so I would like to initiate a vote--"

"What?"

"Although it is extremely rude and disloyal to say this, it is not about abandoning humanity or betraying the King. Rather, I want to try to make the King prove to us that his choice was right, and to let me see a future that is no longer a blank slate."

"Traitor! You actually dared to make Wang prove something to you! I'll kick you to death!"

"Don't hit anyone, don't lay a hand on them, Flauros, calm down. These things need to be discussed calmly. There must be some misunderstanding here. I believe we can all figure it out, so of course the King can't possibly miss it, right?"

Ultimately, the two sides seemed unable to reach an agreement, so they began to request outside help. Only one person suddenly realized that something seemed to be missing from their group of Demon God Pillars.

Suddenly, someone brought up a question.

"Um... what about Jiepai? How long has he been gone?"

For a moment, the Demon God Pillars present stopped tearing each other apart and looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

The next moment--

The space seemed to vibrate, like a door, or more like a crack that had appeared due to compression.

Click!

Accompanied by a sound like shattering glass, a colossal dragon with a massive body and a ferocious face, yet possessing a chaotic beauty, appeared at the end of this peculiar space—its appearance was like someone throwing a stone into a tranquil pond, breaking the stillness and creating ripples that shook the heavens and the earth.

"You're here!"

None of the Demon God Pillars present were surprised to see the dragon's appearance, because not long ago, their rescue team of seventy-one Demon God Pillars had been wiped out one by one by Tiamat in this state, which is why they had gathered together as soon as they returned to the Temple of Time.

"Let's put the Jiepai's matter aside for now. Although we don't know what exactly happened to him, as one of our 72 Demons, there are very few in this world who can threaten him, not to mention that since his life is bound to the Temple of Time, he can be reborn even if he dies."

Upon seeing the enormous dragon plummeting towards the Exhaust Port, the seventy-one demons of the Demon Jiepai, who had been intensely discussing the future of humanity and the missing Demon God Pillars, immediately fell silent, shifting their attention to the falling Tiamat and completely ignoring their previous eloquent discourse.

It's like having roommates who, after lights out, transform into great military strategists and politicians, pontificating about everything. When no one's around, they can boast with their buddies, but when you actually ask them to speak in front of the parties involved or in public, they all fall silent.

However, this happened shortly after Tiamat's enormous dragon body fell into the Exhaust Port.

Baal, belonging to the Observation Star, suddenly frowned and looked up in another direction. This surprised the Demon God Pillars were setting off ahead. They turned around and spoke to Baal.

"What happened, Baal? Hurry up and let's go! The king is still waiting for us over there."

"No, something just broke in."

Baal said with a serious expression.

These words earned Lev a look as if he were looking at a fool. The commotion when Tiamat fell here had shaken the entire Temple of Time; how could they not have noticed something entering? Did they really need to remind them?

However, in response to Lev's words, the other Demon God Pillars of the Observation Star also spoke up at this moment.

"Indeed, something else came in besides Tiamat."

"How is this possible?"

Lev found it somewhat unbelievable.

Although the Temple of Time was their home, a place they could come and go as they pleased before it was Temple of Time, that didn't mean anyone could just enter. No one could infiltrate it without a king's Noble Phantasm.

But now this...

"What should we do? Should we go and see who these intruders are?"

Morax raised a question, but it was quickly dismissed by his lackey number one, Lev, who lowered his voice and said, "The Temple of Time is only so big, and everything inside is only related to the Humanity Incineration. Now that the King doesn't care, why should we? We should be helping the King instead of some insignificant fellows."

That makes sense.

I second that.

"Then let's do as you say."

At times, the Demon God Pillars can make decisions very quickly; in just a few seconds, they can formulate a strategy. First, deal with Tiamat, and then determine who the infiltrator is.

At the same time--

Inside the Exhaust Port.

A human figure and a giant dragon stood in a pit that was even deeper than the Underworld.

Although the quagmire of the Land of Shadows was gone and the suppression of the Underworld lightning was no longer present, Tiamat, whose wings had been torn due to being hit by several top-tier Noble Phantasm, began to repair her wings at an extremely fast speed. Just as she was about to take off, she was struck down by a blinding golden beam of light, and even her body fell into the huge Exhaust Port.

He could only glare resentfully at the person who had brought him here, the one who had caused all this trouble.

"Aaaaaa--!!"

A deafening roar erupted from Tiamat's mouth, followed by a terrifying power—a force known as Nega-Genesis— that spread outwards from her, attempting to erase the Exhaust Port.

However, having anticipated Tiamat's most troublesome power, Rovey was already prepared. The golden Holy Grail in his hand shimmered slightly, unleashing another force of the same origin as Tiamat's Nega-Genesis power, which collided with it and instantly neutralized it.

"I won't let you succeed."

Holding the golden cup, having completed all preparations so far, Rovey spoke coldly, his gaze falling to meet Tiamat's dragon eyes. Though those were enormous dragon eyes filled with despair and rage, when Rovey looked directly into them, he saw within them an emotion only a rational being could possess: [fear].

But before he could see clearly, Tiamat, whose Nega-Genesis had completely failed, resorted to her old trick again, letting out a loud roar. Instantly, a black wave rose from the Exhaust Port, and the power known as the Sea of Life surged forth. However, this time, Rovey did not rush to dodge, nor did he use magic to evaporate it. He simply stepped onto this black tide and began to walk slowly within it. His body seemed to be rejecting the Black Mud's engulfment, repelling the Sea of Life's infection, just as it had when they first met.

"It seems you really have forgotten..."

Rovey said softly, his tone tinged with a hint of helplessness.

"Aaaaaaaa!!"

Although they were right in front of each other, it was Tiamat who kept roaring. She was the returning beast that could infect and destroy this world, and she had the absolute advantage from the very beginning, but now she had fallen to this state, and she felt uneasy because of the humans she regarded as her prey.

Tiamat's voice could no longer be called speech; she could only vent her panic and anger through screams.

To a normal person, even Tiamat's roar in her terror would be the howl of the primordial dragon. Just a slight approach would crush their body under the sonic waves, causing them to collapse under its oppressive power. For this was, after all, a god of creation. However—

Such common sense is somewhat inappropriate for Rovey, who doesn't play by the rules, and who himself is no longer sure if he's even human anymore.

"It's been a while, Tiamat."

He stepped closer, Tiamat's pupils contracted. She tried to fly away with her newly repaired wings, but was commanded by Rovey to slightly raise his hand, opening the Exhaust Port beneath her feet. This caused her body to be controlled by a powerful force, and she gradually sank down, preventing her from escaping.

"I told you I would come to pick you up, and now I'm here, so aren't you going to come out and see me? How long are you going to sleep?"

"To get to this point, I've endured far more hardship than expected, and everyone has given it their all. In that case, shouldn't you also curb your morning grumpiness and put in some effort?"

"Aaaaaaa--!!!"

--Whoosh!!

A crimson beam of light instantly engulfed Rovey's body, attempting to vaporize him. However, the main body of the Light Wheel above the Temple of Time also rotated at that moment, unleashing an even more powerful golden beam of light that neutralized the attack.

This is the Temple of Time, Solomon's home turf. The source of power that exists here is not the insignificant magical source of the Holy Grail, but the entire heat of the Humanity Incineration. Even Tiamat can no longer exert the same dominance she had in Mesopotamia here.

"Aaaaa! Aaaaaaaa!!"

Seeing that her attack was ineffective, Tiamat unleashed rays from her pupils and roared with a sound that shook the ground, intending to destroy the damned Exhaust Port and the figure in front of her together. In the end, she even used her mouth, trying to devour him.

But whatever she did was in vain; at this point, nothing could stop the person in front of her from moving forward.

He continued walking towards Tiamat as if nothing had happened.

"Let's end this childish play. What do you think I've been through to get here? You think you can just crush me like this? Don't be ridiculous..."

Rovey raised his right hand, and with his other hand, he channeled his magic to crush the golden Holy Grail, turning it into a shower of starlight that condensed towards his right hand. A colorful cone of light, which looked more like a pure white cone, condensed and took shape in his right hand.

"Aaaaa!!"

Seeing the tiny, palm-sized cone of colorful light materialize, Tiamat writhed wildly, and in the final moment, she used her massive, steel-like teeth—powerful enough to easily crush mountains—to bite down hard on Rovey.

Clang!!

It was the sound of metal clashing, a piercing noise that echoed throughout half of the Temple of Time, as a pair of enormous fists clamped down on Tiamat's teeth.

"Hey! Are you crazy?! You didn't even dodge that kind of attack!"

Goetia, lurking in Rovey -air, blocked Tiamat's attack with his massive hands, while Tiamat's jaws were held down by his own hands as she lunged to bite.

"Because you're here."

Rovey gave Goetia a smile.

When releasing the temple, to prevent others from being in danger, he only chose Tiamat as his target. However, Goetia also activated teleportation at the last moment and rushed back in her own way, hiding by his side. He vaguely sensed all of this.

And indeed, that's exactly what happened; Goetia was right there.

"Honestly... how did your personality become like this? Or is this just your true personality? It's really worrying."

"Forget it, this guy is incredibly strong. The Ten Commandments aren't in my hands, and I can't keep her occupied for long until the other Demon God Pillars arrive. If you want to do something, you'd better finish this quickly."

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you."

Rovey smiled and replied, then slowly raised his right hand, gently lifting the suspended cone of light, and began to continuously pour the Holy Grail's magic into it.

"Take this, Tiamat, this is my final Magecraft."

" --Fairy Transformation."

Chapter 309 An Answer

Rumble rumble rumble--!!!

Blinding light and a series of explosions echoed outside the Exhaust Port, the terrifying impact of which could be heard even from a great distance.

And from time to time, there are also rumors like --

"Muda muda muda muda muda muda--!! Demon God Pillars, your attacks are the most useless!"

That kind of incredibly energetic sound.

Therefore--

Why did things turn out this way?

This is a situation that no one could have predicted.

On the way to the Exhaust Port, two groups of people, though from different places but with the same goal, had been fighting to the death for half a day.

Lev's eyelids twitched uncontrollably as he watched the enormous pyramid rising from the Temple of Time, especially when he saw the guy standing on his grave striking a flamboyant pose; his anger only intensified.