Chapter 189

INTERLUDE The True God and the Evil God’s Resignation The flow of time is slightly upstream. Alvarto Egzex stood beside Lizer Bellphoenix. By colluding with the former Demon Lord, the pair had transformed the world. Ard Meteor and his allies floundered in the center of the vortex. The Evil God Mephisto stood alone, observing. The monster, once free to go where he pleased and sow chaos in his wake, had been confined to a single mountain range after his defeat during the final battle in the ancient era. His prison was an eternal dungeon forged by the Demon Lord. Within, Mephisto would taste endless anguish until his very soul collapsed. At least, that’s how the story was supposed to go. “Gee, Lizer, that was awfully lazy of you. Did you think a little magic seal would be enough to finish this? I wouldn’t underestimate my sweetheart’s powers if I were you.” There wasn’t a hint of displeasure on Mephisto’s face as he sat confined in the stone room. He’d remodeled what should have been a revolting dungeon cell into a cozy living space. All the spells Varvatos had cast to inflict pain upon the devil had been casually undone by Mephisto because he found them kind of annoying. “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ooh, I just love the way Sylphy fights! So much funnier than any dumb comedy show! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” Mephisto lay on the sofa, munching on snacks while spectating through the giant mirror he had summoned with vista magic. The tableau was reminiscent of a middle-aged woman gleefully indulging in an awards show. “This episode’s just as good as the last one! But…I still can’t give it a perfect score.” I could have done better, Mephisto thought. He sighed melodramatically. “I wanna go outside!” He was more than capable of resisting the Torture spells meant to bind and torment him. However, the means of breaking the Sealing spell—the final barrier—still eluded him. “Ugh, I sure messed up big time. I should’ve made a contingency plan so I wouldn’t be stuck here.” Despite the devil’s upset tone, there was a brightness in his voice. And that was because he believed in himself. Leaving his cell was impossible, a dream that couldn’t be granted. However, if he had faith in himself and worked hard, he’d reach his goal someday. While he mused on that optimistic idea… “Your wish…shall be granted indirectly.” …a second voice echoed from somewhere in the cell. The moment he heard it, Mephisto narrowed one eye. “Wow…these plot twists are so extreme.” His words quavered slightly. Mephisto turned his gaze from the giant mirror to the intruder. The blue-haired boy was dressed in white. He ignored Mephisto’s remark, preferring to continue from where he’d left off. “In the near future…Lizer Bellphoenix will come here…to use you…as a last resort…” “Ohhh. Well, if you say so, then it must be true.” Any who knew Mephisto would’ve recognized that he seemed very out of character in that moment. “So…what do you want with me?” He was nervous. The Evil God was clearly nervous. The feeling was perfectly understandable. After all, he was in the presence of the True God. The one who’d once trapped him in solitude. “So, why are you here?” he asked, face contorting into a sneer. “I highly doubt you came all this way just to give me a forecast of the distant future.” The boy in white answered the question with utter lifelessness. “To us…you are a special existence… The only one who was able to change a predestined outcome.… That is why…we have decided…to give you…the power of…choice.” “The power of choice?” The boy nodded lightly. “In the near future, Lizer Bellphoenix…will come here… You will be freed, albeit indirectly… And then, after many twists and turns…it will come…to an end. The story will end for good.” The boy’s prophecy brooked no disagreement and left Mephisto in a speechless daze. The white-clad boy answered the devil’s silence by continuing, “After this battle…our kind will observe this world…no longer. We will weave the threads of fate…no more. We will create new creatures…nevermore.” Mephisto remained silent, glaring at the boy. Then he finally said, “Gee… Ironic, isn’t it, that I, who spent my life forcing others to make the ultimate choice, would in the very end have to suffer at the hand of another forcing me to do just that? Now that’s what you’d call a dooming prophecy.” A smile returned to his face. But it was not his usual aloof smile. His smile, abundant with resignation, was the smile of a weakling who had just been crushed by an unavoidable reality. “Either we shall end the story…or you shall end the story yourself… Give us your answer with your actions.” It would seem that the god had completed his mission. The moment he closed his mouth, he vanished. Mephisto, alone once more, clenched his fists, stared up at the ceiling, and said, “If he lived in the former world…or if it were you, my sweet…neither of you would choose to give up. But I…” He closed his eyes and retraced his memories back to the end of another world. To the end of the home where he was born and raised. “There is no such thing as eternal play. Parents take away the toys eventually. Inevitably, the time will always come…when we must face what we don’t want to do. And that time is now.” Mephisto made up his mind. “My love, at least let you and I…”