Chapter 103

"... Is that really something that can be called the Holy Grail?"

Sigma swallowed hard at the sight of the swirling Red and Black Od before him, for this Od, which resembled tangled earth, exuded a chilling aura.

A natural, Great Hollow —perhaps the deepest part of the Dragon Vein where the soil created a massive vortex, more like a Hell cave that can suck in everything than a cup.

"It seems unlikely to function as a proper wish-granting device."

Staring with disgust at the Holy Grail, one Watcher Sigma's Servant, a boy-like figure holding a cane, continued, his eyes narrowed Sorrow.

"This is the same kind of stuff as the mud that polluted Alcides... Could it be that the Francesca you're talking about wants to do that kind of thing?"

"What's the meaning?"

"Deceiving the Holy Grail."

"Impossible. Even if it's an illusion, it's impossible to deceive people by pretending that something malicious doesn't exist. Among Servant, only a few have died so far. There's definitely not enough energy."

"The energy has been more than enough since the moment Novia appeared." The shadowy figure resembling the boy with the cane raised his head. "I... have already sensed the possibility that 'I,' everyone on the ship, and that one in the sky, will arrive soon."

"Anyway, I want to find a way to destroy this Greater Grail... but if I get the steps wrong, will the mud spill onto the ground?"

"If it were the stage where the Lesser Grail is completed, it would be hard to say, but right now, there's absolutely no problem."

"Okay, then I--"

However, just as Sigma was about to touch the Holy Grail entangled in Red and Black 'mud', he suddenly discovered that there was actually nothing there. In other words, the Holy Grail was merely an illusion created by Francesca.

Seeing this, the shadowy figure of the boy with the cane standing beside Sigma said expressionlessly:

"This is truly... an unparalleled and terrifying illusion Humanoid Ate, what exactly do you want Alcides to swallow?"

This one's real name is Asclepius, who is revered as the Greece god of medicine and was also a member of the Argo.

As the God of Healing murmured, a huge circle appeared in the sky above Snowfield City, as if Compass had cut the sky into a beautiful circle, where the pitch-black darkness could be seen.

What's even stranger is that in the center of the pitch-black circle, there is a circle, or perhaps a sphere, of a completely different color.

A giant sphere, several kilometers in diameter, floats 150 meters above the ground. It slowly rotates in place without moving, just like a miniature moon suddenly appearing and moving in an orbit that perfectly matches the Earth's rotation and revolution.

At first glance, this sphere gives the impression of being man-made, appearing to be based on the color of dried bricks, covered with beautiful blue and gold decorations that are geometrically reminiscent of Glazed Stone.

It resembles a giant egg that could give birth to gods or demons, or an unknown celestial body that suddenly appears.

After the ornate decorations are removed, it resembles a fly egg about to be born.

187: Hey, really? I bet... I've been the Lord of the Flies for ages! (5k)

"... That's Beelzebub."

As Kihara walked out of the hospital with Novia, he subconsciously looked up at the giant egg in the dark sky.

This short sentence carries a mixture of nostalgia and resentment.

Perhaps he was recalling the days that tormented Francesca for over a hundred years.

"It's time for me to make my move again." Novia withdrew her hand from the girl's and patted her shoulder. "Just follow the directions I'll give you."

Then, he disappeared, and those around him seemed unaware, continuing their normal lives as always.

High above, an eternal rainbow of light flowed continuously and soared into the sky.

Listen attentively.

A silence followed.

In the distant past, all humankind worshipped gods and prayed for protection.

Because at that time, the world belonged to the Deity, and the rules of the Planet were determined by the gods' understanding. Even if we consider 'resurrection' as a miracle today, it was just a common occurrence back then.

So, what about the Deity who have been abandoned by humanity?

Where did the origin god of the Canaan region go after being forgotten by humankind?

"Ah, I have finally returned."

Breath, a mixture of red and black Od, stirred the surface of the eggshell's interior.

The surface displays a beautiful interplay of blue and gold, befitting humanity's perception of the birth of Deity.

The patterns became increasingly shimmering and gradually overflowed.

Then, whether it was magic or Magecraft, as the dark space flowed, the overflowing patterns transformed into smaller eggs, which floated around the egg. One by one, they broke open, and countless flies flapped their wings in the air, making a chilling buzzing sound.

As the flies' wings fluttered faster and faster, the fluorescence on the cocoon became brighter and brighter, as if a flame was burning inside. The enormous egg, so striking in the pure darkness, could hardly be described as a 'crevice'.

It is not a 'state of isolation' such as day and night, light and darkness, but a 'state of harmony' based on standing on the same ground.

Although it doesn't distinguish between Magecraft and True Magic, it is a watershed that separates beings from those even more alien than humans and beasts.

In other words, it's like an ambiguous Underworld Realm the colors of Twilight and dawn mingle. Rather than a deliberate division, it's more like a pitch-black center point created by the convergence of mixed pigments.

If we were to give an example, it would be like a realm existing between prosperity and poverty, between Hell and the human world, between happiness and pain, and between darkness and light—an ambiguous place.

The flies, symbols of disease, seem to be roaring and baring their fangs at this very moment.

Boiling germs.

A frenzied Desire.

A disease of proliferation.

Hundreds of meters above the city, which is intended to be the battlefield of the Holy Grail, lies a body that is born from disease and harbors Desire that can be described as hatred for humanity itself.

Once existing as a god, now existing as Demon, yet it is also something that will eventually rise from the bottomless abyss and return.

Some things, even if long forgotten by humanity and the Planet, are truly etched into the world.

Deity born from the ancient land of Canaan, the so-called king of the world who possesses power over all things, the supreme god who rules over everything, who walks on the clouds—

Baal.

The term "Canaan" refers to a group of ancient peoples and mythologies in the Palestine region of Western Asia, conventionally known by the name "Canaan" from the Bible.

Its mythology encompasses Palestine, Nicky, Syria, northern Mesopotamia, Tyre, Sidon, Byblos, and other regions, including Jews, Canaanites, Aramaeans, Amorites, and Phoenicians.

In Canaan, Baal means "Lord," the god to be Faith. There is more than one Baal; different Baal exist in different regions, including the Lord of the Jews. The most powerful of the Baal is Baal-Hadad, and the Baal in the Old Testament refers to Baal -Hadad. Baal- Hadad is the Sun God, the god of agriculture, the god of fertility, and the god of thunder.

Its legend spread to the Mediterranean Sea and Greece through the commercial activities of the Phoenicians, gradually evolving into the Pales is one of the Prototype of Zeus, the Greek God- king.

In the New Covenant of the Bible, there is no trace of Baal, only Beelzebub, the king of demons.

Beelzebub, also known as 'Baal -Zeb,' means prince. Some say he was the son of Baal- hadad, while others say he was Beelzebub -Baal Zeb. In any case, their lineage is deep. Beelzebub's titles of Lord of the Dung Heap and Lord of the Flies stem from Baal- hadad's role as the god of agriculture, whose act of piling up dung as fertilizer symbolized abundance. Extending from this lineage, the Greek God Zeus also had the nickname of the one who avoided flies.

It can be said that this Heterodox Faith god-king, who was on the periphery of the Church, had his infamy spread widely in the Christ world and became famous throughout the world. His existence is the most powerful manifestation of monotheism's denigration, stigmatization, and Demon of Heterodox Faith gods.

"The calamity is in my anger, the black smoke punishes me, jubilation, desire, depravity, are etched upon me— the Wrath of the Seven Deadly Sins."

"Enter the City of Endless Pain, enter the pit of eternal misery, enter the Multitude of the Damned, to propel that sublime creation, the crystallization of Divine Authority, Divine Will, and Divine Love, which has no eternal form; I shall endure forever with heaven and earth—"

It was a terrifying sound, a mixture of all the dirty, unpleasant sounds in the world.

Yet, it is also a beautiful sound, as if it were Divine Comedy composed by bringing together the world's best instruments and performers.

This voice, which harmonizes two extremes without contradiction, is a deadly Poison in the form of sound; it seems that as long as one listens to it, one's reason will be shattered and one's soul will collapse.

It spreads through the atmosphere, eroding and corroding everything in the world.

In that instant, the buzzing of flies, like a black sea, seemed to emanate from countless formed "lips," emitting alien screams that transformed into Od waves that eroded space, shattering it.

This is tantamount to a declaration that there will be no more sleep, no more swaying, no more waiting—an imminent 'Revenge' operation.

Immediately afterwards, a sharp and piercing cracking sound rang out, and a small crack appeared on the eggshell, from which a hand emerged from the green filth.

Soon, a woman who looked like Francesca emerged from the enormous eggshell. The only difference was that she wore gorgeous blue and gold clothing and had green eyes that resembled the compound eyes of a fly.

It is a humanoid creature, and at first glance, it is a cute girl who fits the human imagination.

But this is completely contrary to its true nature, and it is undoubtedly a scam.

Its essence is an abyss containing countless evil and disgusting things.

It was the Demon King of Hell who had taken on a human form.

"Then, what I must do—"

In that instant, the Lord of the Flies paused, instinctively realizing that something containing astonishing power was about to appear there.

At the same time, a dense burst of Od pierced the darkness, rushing towards the Lord of the Flies and passing through the sky shrouded in black.

It happened in a mere instant, almost at the speed of light, yet its traces lingered there indefinitely.

Meanwhile, in Enkidu, Forest outside the Snowfield City, they gazed at the sky where, after the light had faded, no trace of Od remained.

"So be it. I am now merely a servant who walks with my Master across the land."

The green-haired beauty stroked the sleeping silver wolf, and smiled serenely at the scene that seemed to be visible only to Servant and Master.

Enkidu knew that the reason he was now filled with endless Od was because of Novia.

That person seemed to be able to construct the entire world using only Od.

At this moment, cold sweat dripped down the Lord of the Flies' back, because a strange and inexplicable aura slowly approached.

"What..."

Indeed, those were signs we had sensed before.

However, there is a decisive difference.

To confirm the true nature of that sense of unease, in that instant—

"Time" has completely stopped. This doesn't mean accelerating one's consciousness to its limit and stopping the subjective world, but rather that this entire space has truly come to a standstill.

Who is this Divinity? Could it be Satan who got here first? But how could that thing possibly stop my time in an instant?

The Lord of the Flies harbored doubts; though it was now Demon, it had once been at the pinnacle of a pantheon.

In a corresponding form, the sound echoed in the darkness.

"Would you like to introduce yourself? But you really do look exactly like Francesca, why is that? You were summoned by her, weren't you?"

To the Lord of the Flies, the sound was like drawing her consciousness involuntarily into the sky, prompting Lord of the Flies to explain in a very proper manner:

"That's right, that guy was my avatar left in the human world, but due to some accident, he became the Humanoid of the Greek Goddess of Madness, Ate, who had already merged into human madness. And because of various events, the proportion of Baal in her body was relatively high..."

Now, Beelzebub is completely different from his initial frenzied state upon hatching; he is unusually gentle.

"According to human standards, the elements within her are Baal 6, Ate 2, Beelzebub 2, while I am Baal 2, Beelzebub 8, Ate 0. However, she has already offered her body as a sacrifice to summon my arrival."

What Kama and Mara?

"I see. In that case, could you please—"

The instant those words were spoken, Beelzebub's world was enveloped in a blinding flash of light.

As the flash of light appeared, Novia's figure materialized, accompanied by an immense, ever-expanding light that extended around him.

With a delay of a few seconds, the light fell like a waterfall of light, the radiance of death showering upon the swarm of flies surrounding Beelzebub.

"Go back to Hell."

"... Wow, how should I put it?"

Beelzebub showed no displeasure at Novia's obvious intention to expel him; on the contrary, he smiled as before.

"My current feeling towards you is like losing a business competition, being forced to work for a rival company, and then encountering a boss who disagrees with the big boss and leaves on his own. Although the big boss says that they've drawn a line and there's no need for further help, we employees just listen to those words. Who would really believe them? It's just something said in anger. If we actually believed it, we might get fired one day because our left foot is the first to step into Hell..."

You talk too much.

"Of course, it's not easy to meet you, so I should say a few more words of greeting. It will be convenient for the future. Ah, you are great, awe-inspiring."

"Is that so?" Novia smiled. "I'm afraid it's more than that."

"You're joking. How could I possibly have such a thought—"

Despite Beelzebub's smirking demeanor, the silver-haired youth remained unmoved, circulating high-density Od that distorted the surrounding space, combining it into multi-layered Ether Magecraft Cannon, which were displayed one by one around Beelzebub.

"Speak, what are you trying to achieve by stalling for time?"

"That won't do." Beelzebub shook his head seriously. "As Demon, the details of the contract cannot be exposed. We still have principles. Besides, the so-called Devil is actually a misunderstanding by humans. In the end, it's just an equivalent exchange."

"The plan is to have Alcides successfully make his wish on the Holy Grail, so that his true nature, 'Heracles,' will disappear from this Planet, right?"