Regulus was in a hurry.

(I must get this over with as soon as possible.)

First he was upset to hear that the same creatures were appearing in town.

That implied that Mary and Shannon were in danger.

He didn't trust Russell so he couldn't entrust their safety to him.

Now it got worse, Zartras became a super monster after wiping out the other Lahmu.

Among them Zald, the cause of all this.

For him, Nero was an existence that he didn't know how to categorize as an enemy or not.

He didn't attack him, in fact, he saved him unintentionally.

But he is responsible for what is happening.

(I don't care about that now!)

He didn't care about Nero's situation, if not that of his current enemy.

Zartras approached with his spider legs to attack.

His tentacle-like fingers manifested different magic circles in the air.

Each was of a different element.

Multiple magical attacks were coming.

From large fireballs to rock missiles.

Regulus used his magic sword and with fire magic slashed each attack.

The rock missiles were easily destroyed.

But wind arrows capable of piercing mountains hit him.

"Puah!"

Like an angry swarm of bees, the wind arrows heavily impacted on him.

The armor began to crack and repair itself at the same time.

No matter how much Regulus suffered, the armor would protect him.

But he did not understand that even an object of its caliber would sooner or later be destroyed by expending all its power.

The magic stone in the center is made of Alice's blood.

It can withstand blows, but sooner or later it will be destroyed.

"Don't fuck with meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Regulus stood up and ran to Zartras.

The spider legs try to attack him, but using his high speed he manages to repel them all.

Or so it seems.

*Pierce*

One of the giant legs pierced Regulus' thigh.

The pain was intense.

But Mary and Shannon's safety was ringing like alarm bells in his head.

He ripped the leg off and then pulled out the part that was embedded in his flesh.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

A cringing sound he made as he pulled it out and threw it away.

The armor began to repair itself.

Thanks to the lines of blood running through the armor like arteries, Regulus' wound could be treated without any problems.

But it was for that reason that it was a lousy idea to keep taking damage.

"I'm not going to lose! Uwooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!"

With a war cry sent to the heavens, Regulus resumed his attack on Zartras.

Paws moved rhythmically in an attempt to pierce him.

His tentacle fingers casting spells to strengthen the attacks of his paws and strike him from behind.

The armor was cracking more and more.

◇◇◇

"Umm..."

"What happened?"

Luvia woke up from her long nap.

Beside her was Lidvia who was stroking her head.

"Huh? You?"

"What happened with the theocracy guys?"

"Emm, well..."

Lidvia didn't know how to explain the situation to Luvia.

"Just look straight ahead and you'll understand."

Alice said in a subdued tone.

Luvia looked straight ahead and saw a surreal image.

"What the hell is that!"

She could see Zartras attacking Regulus in a more dangerous way than before.

Tentacles were rising into the sky and these were generating spears of different mixed elements.

His armor was beginning to shatter.

The helmet was split in half.

Blood was dripping from almost all over his body.

His magic sword was shattering with every blow he took.

Regulus' victory was so far away that anyone would beg for him to stop.

But he wouldn't want to.

"Hey! Why don't you help him?"

Luvia shouted at Alice after grabbing her shoulders.

Alice didn't respond.

"Why are you being quiet!"

"Weren't you our ally?"

"Try to do something against that thing!"

"Why don't you do it then?"

Alice said in a low tone.

Her look was subdued like her voice.

Lidvia reassured Luvia and told her the situation.

"Emm, Alice-sama got up before you. She wanted to go help Master, but her magic power is depleted."

Luvia remembered that Alice being a vampire, she must feed on blood to use her powers.

Alice used all her power to regenerate.

She can't help, even if she wanted to.

Luvia checked her pulse, she couldn't feel magic power flowing inside her.

Lidvia is not a warrior to attack.

Therefore, the three of them were useless.

"All we can do is watch?"

"I'm afraid so."

Alice replied placing her chin on her knees.

"Curious. The princess of the vampires and a dryad, the women with the highest magical power here are a pair of useless bimbos who can't do a damn thing."

"But..."

"What can you do without your magic power?"

"Just like me. Nothing, we can't do anything."

Luvia wanted to protest.

But she understood that Alice's negativity was due to the realism of the situation.

Alice already lost everything once by being weak, that weakness was affecting her once again.

They couldn't do a thing other than watch and wait for the terrible outcome.

◇◇◇

"How long do you plan to keep this up?"

Nero asked who was making a sad expression as he watched Regulus being bludgeoned.

The magic sword was shattering into pieces.

The armor was breaking apart.

Blood was falling in piles and Regulus was still standing.

His hair was red from his own blood.

Zartras had stopped for a while now.

"Same here."

"Now that I've discovered my true God, my goal is not to kill you."

"I only want you to experience despair and frustration before you can obtain real happiness."

"Pain will bring real peace to the world. You must not die for this."

"I'm not even touching you and you're just standing there avoiding falling to the ground."

It's like Zartras was saying.

Regulus was shaking, keeping himself from collapsing.

The girls were curious as to why he wouldn't give up.

The desperation was clear.

The defeat as well.

Victory for Regulus was as distant as trying to touch the sun for an ant.

So...

What was keeping him from collapsing?

Spitting blood as he grinned, Regulus told them his reason.

"You guys talk crap about the God of Despair or I don't know what the fuck."

"You also talked about the God of theocracy."

"But there's something you don't know, you idiots."

*Smile*

"I know a real God. And the one you guys mention must be some piece of shit from the pile."

Those sharp words caused both worshippers of the Dark God, to scowl in irritation.

The smiling Nero showed an expression of growing anger.

While Zartras showed revulsion at the revelation that his new, real God, was one of the bunch.

"Are you implying that the Dark God is false?"

"No. I'm saying that your Black God or whatever the fuck he is, is a piece of crap."

"I know a real God."

"A truly wonderful one of pure love."

"Your God is crap compared to mine."

"It's more. My God brought me into this world under the mission to convey his name on this planet."

"I can't die."

"I don't intend to die until I do."

"I refuse to die until I have become─"

"The only thing you'll become is dead meat, you insolent bastaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard!"

Zartras couldn't take Regulus' blasphemy any longer, he quickened his pace to finish him off.

From his lower half, a mouth opened.

Regulus wanted to stop him, but his weak body couldn't take it anymore.

"I will not give you salvation! I will give you the worst despair to die in it without knowing the glory of love!"

"Dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Regulus was unable to move except to be grabbed by the tentacles and then thrown inside Zartras.

"Reguluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuus!"

Luvia shouted crying seeing Regulus' death.

◇

It smells like shit in here.

That idiot Zartras attacked me and devoured me.

I've got to get out of here.

I can't stay here waiting to be digested and become excrement of whatever he is now.

But I can't move.

It's dark and it stinks.

I want to go home.

I want to hug Mary and Shannon.

I want to make fun of Russell.

I want Jessica to keep smiling at me every time she gives me an assignment.

And most of all...

I want to do My Creator's will.

I can't die here.

I can't...

(I guess I'll give you a little help in light of your situation. But, this is a test you must pass on your own.)

(...!)

Someone spoke to me.

There is no way that could have happened.

Besides, it was the voice of a mature woman.

Zartras is a guy, so a woman's voice on him would be weird.

(I'll give you enough power to be able to defeat him, but, you won't be able to use magic power until after a while.)

(Who are you?)

(That's not important now. What's important is that you survive and after this go find the first part of "that sword" and then the "seven jewels.")

(Huh? What the hell are you talking about? Explain yourself better!)

(Goodbye~)

The voice said goodbye and suddenly started to glow this dark place.

No, it's me who was glowing.

A strange warm feeling was emanating inside me.

The white light was intensifying and I could see how my broken sword generated an edge made of light.

I don't understand what's going on, but I'll use this!

"Here I go, you damn spider octopus!"

"Uwoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!"

◇◇◇

Zartras spoke to Nero after devouring Regulus.

"I'm sorry about that, Nero-dono."

"I wanted to save him by showing him how wonderful despair is. But he said something he shouldn't have and I had to kill him."

"No, it's okay."

Nero was feeling strange.

(For some reason, I feel a tingle.)

For Nero, tingles are signs of something important in his life.

But this tingling shouldn't represent anything.

But still, it just seemed strange to him.

Zartras turned to the girls who realized they were now his target.

"Ladies, it's your turn now."

"I will show you the greatest of despair so that you may attain real love."

"Tell me, who should I start with?"

Luvia was frightened like Lidvia.

Alice couldn't move.

They couldn't be saved by someone.

"I guess I should start with the cause of it all, the vampi─"

"What happened?"

Nero asked intrigued by Zartras' sudden pause.

"..."

"What's wrong?"

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

A strange sound from beyond the grave, Zartras suddenly made.

"My entrails!"

"It's in my guts!"

Zartras clutched his head, aching from the pain in his guts.

Nero didn't understand what was happening to him until he realized something.

Inside Zartras' stomach a lump was forming and trying to get out.

The lump was writhing inside, causing Zartras to feel extreme pain.

But that seemed strange to Nero.

(Shouldn't there be any pain that could hurt a Lahmu?)

Or so he thought.

*Scratch*

From inside his belly, a strange object protruded so far out as to leave his body visible.

It was a sword, a glowing sword protruded from his stomach.

"I want."

A voice came from inside.

The girls as Nero heard that voice.

"Impossible."

Nero said in a cold sweat.

The light saber that was horizontal turned around and began to climb tearing everything apart.

Zartras pain increased each time it went up.

"Get it out of me!"

"It hurts! It hurts!"

"I don't want to suffer this pain! Help me Azathoth-sama!"

Black tears streamed down his cheeks, nose and mouth.

The voice cried out loudly as it rose up tearing at his insides.

"I want to. No, I must..."

His stomach was ripped apart and rose up into his abdomen.

"Turn me..."

Zartras used his tentacles to stop the sword.

"I do not plan to die now when I have discovered absolute happiness!"

"My happiness will not be taken away by someone like you!"

The strength of the tentacles stopped the sword cutting inside him to the outside.

It had stopped at last.

... It made him believe it.

"You idiot! I don't give a shit about your happiness compared to mine!"

"And that's...!"

The sword of light ripped through Zartras chest approaching his neck and finally shattering his face and coming out like a volcano bursting his skull... there was Regulus.

"Become the Sword God!"

Everyone watched as Regulus emerged from Zartras' gut to the outside, shattering everything.

Zartras quickly turned to ash and was carried away by the wind.

He fell to the ground, Luvia without thinking ran to him.

"Regulus!"

With tears on her cheeks she called out to him.

Lidvia went after her.

Alice stared at him.

She touched her chest.

"What is this I feel?"

She commented with her pink cheeks.

Then she realized something.

"Wonderful."

Nero was clapping his hands as he cried.

"I never imagined I would find one of the 'keys' here."

"It really is wonderful, chaos theory. It moves the world so that everything goes according to its destiny."

He wiped his eyes and turned away.

"I hope we'll meet again when I've found more keys."

"After all, the 'heaven' isn't going anywhere."

He walked into the forest to be swallowed up by the darkness.

Alice returned her gaze to Regulus.

"I see, this really was fate's doing."

With those words, the black clouds began to disperse.

And just like that, the danger of that day was over.