The Inquisitor struggled as she looked at the demon stepping on her neck. The barrier she had tried to maintain no matter what was already shattered.

Whether it was to stop the demon flying toward the city, or to help her collaborator who was probably a slacker.

All of it.

"Keugh."

The reason her life was still attached was, ironically, because the barrier had shattered. Thanks to the power she had been using on those things returning to her, she was able to prevent her neck from snapping.

Well, it seemed even that would end soon.

"Oh, God."

Would she die like this? Would she die without being able to save anyone?

"Please..."

But that was fine too. Because someone, someone might have saved their life thanks to her desperate struggle.

"Have mercy..."

So all she wished for now was a little bit of luck. The luck that the lives saved because of her would not fade away again.

The time that would allow them to regroup and stand against the demon once more...

["No!"]

Then, the moment a streak of light covered one side of her vision, the moment it collided with something and massively shook the earth. The force pressing down on her neck weakened, and it was repelled by her divine power.

Given that it was a situation where the opponent withdrew their power due to an external variable, it might be more accurate to say it allowed itself to be repelled.

Regardless, being freed was being freed. She immediately replenished her lacking breath and coughed endlessly. Unfortunately, no strength entered her body.

CRUNCH.

Instead, a sound that tickled one side of her ear was added. It was the sound of rock crumbling down. THUMP. Perhaps it was the sound of a heart plummeting.

THUMP.

THUMP.

Every time the sound of the heartbeat echoed through the world, the demonic energy grew stronger.

The Inquisitor's eyelids shot wide open. A massive demonic energy gathered like a whirlpool, encroaching upon the spot where the Demon Knight had been bound.

["What the hell did those damn petty bastards do!"]

THUMP.

It was like a storm. The visible currents of demonic energy concentrating and clumping into a single point was truly a storm on earth.

["Damn it...!"]

But was there anyone who could do anything about it?

THUMP.

There was no one. Neither she, nor even the demon that had tried to kill her, had any choice but to wait helplessly before that flow.

THUMP.

The demonic energy, sharp like a single blade, was a weapon in itself, and the power clinging to the ground and pooling like a swamp was a clear warning.

THUMP.

The increasingly loud sound of the heartbeat echoed like the stomping feet of an army, or like a drum beaten to boost morale.

It was a sound that was orderly and strictly restrained, yet harbored an earth-shattering heat.

BOOM!

And when that sound finally came to an end. SPLASH! Along with an inaudible sound, a hand rose from the pit of demonic energy.

CRACKLE.

The right hand, black as if painted over with demonic energy, grabbed the earth and pulled up the connected body. Like a corpse buried underground raising its body, like someone drowning in a lake making their final struggle, in such a form.

["Ah, finally."]

The one wearing a goat's skull let his white hair hang down long.

["I finally get to use my power properly."]

The scene the Inquisitor's mind remembered was exactly up to there.

With the heat tormenting her breath disappearing as her only comfort, she lost consciousness.

* * *

CRACKLE. CRACK.

Mephistopheles tried moving the body that had been ruined by the demonic energy covering his entire body.

The hem of the clothes stuck to his skin vanished as if seeping into his skin. The parts that weren't stuck did the same.

They only had the shape of clothes, but in human terms, they were mere crumbs akin to fingernails. Getting rid of them and creating them anew was not an issue.

CRUNCH.

The same went for his wounds. The eyeball that had cooked and burst grew back in the order of the optic nerve, muscles, sclera, vitreous body, lens, iris, and cornea, pushing out the remnants of what used to be the eyeball. The fragments that slipped out instead of tears vanished as if melting right into the empty air.

CRUNCH.

The broken leg also slowly turned back to return to its original shape. In that process, the muscles that had been baked crisp and shriveled all melted away. SWISH. The newly grown muscles covered the empty space. The skin and internal organs were the same.

The body that returned from death straightened its frame, which had been contorted by muscle contractions. The body, reorganized several times during the regeneration process, was quite similar to the body Mephistopheles originally used.

... It wasn't perfectly identical, so discomfort still lay scattered about.

But if he changed it any more than this, turning it back later would be a problem. It would be a different story if he was in a state of completely dominating the body, but in the current situation, which was closer to a rental, this was the limit of what he could change.

Clicking his tongue in regret, he stood crookedly with a more slender physique.

CLACK. His symbol covering his face, the goat's skull, rattled slightly. The ruined clothes disappeared during the body's regeneration process and were now wrapping his entire body in a new form.

The traces of a hometown he didn't even remember covered most of his body in black.

["My, my, how thankful."]

Now he was completely ready. With a languid voice, Mephistopheles adjusted his sleeves with a hand gesture.

["Thanks to you sitting back and watching, I recovered comfortably."]

Pulling the black gloves to cover up his wrists even more, which were already barely visible due to the clothes anyway, looked closer to a provocation than something funny. A provocation hoping the opponent might lose their temper and attack him.

["... I know how you killed Asmodeus, so there's no way I would do something like giving you distance."]

However, Pandemonium, Mammon, did not fall for it. It was a wise judgment if one called it wise, and a shrewd judgment if one called it shrewd. If he had aimed for the opening during recovery and ambushed him, he would have cut off that head in a single stroke.

But it was already a failed endeavor. There was no way Mammon would fall for it after saying that much.

["You're smart."]

So Mephisto cleanly abandoned his desire and brought up another topic. There were still cards left to mock Mammon with.

A lukewarm smile floated over his lower face, which wasn't fully covered by the goat skull.

["On a separate note, isn't it true that you have to live long enough to see everything? To think there's a time when humans are actually helpful. If it wasn't for that, it would have taken some time to break the seal."]

He didn't think the human did it knowing anything. But as a result, thanks to that, it was true that he saved the power to break the barrier and avoided being attacked by Mammon.

Of course, if that light hadn't broken the seal in one go, how could he have been freed so easily? Mammon wasn't an idiot who wouldn't notice him trying to break the seal, and he was even less of a fool who would leave it alone!

["Right?"]

["Damn it... I was the idiot for hoping you wouldn't wake up."]

["Well. Can that really be summarized simply as an idiot?"]

Ultimately, the contribution of the human who fired the cannon from afar was immense. Although that human was probably trembling right about now, not knowing what they had unleashed, anyway! That human had done something so great that he felt like sparing their life just this once.

["You say you don't underestimate, you don't let your guard down, but in the end, it seems more accurate to call you a half-wit who acts just as negligently."]

Of course, even saying this wouldn't make him end the anxiety of a mere human. Sure, he wouldn't include them in his attack range. That level of consideration should be enough as repayment for freeing him and as a reward for screwing Mammon over, shouldn't it?

What happened after that was none of his business. Human life, life itself, was not a value he deemed important.

「Keep the promise.」

... However, he would have to care just this once. Damn it.

["... I don't want to hear that from you, the guy who was locked up until now because you couldn't beat a single human?"]

The provocation from Mammon that came in amidst this thrust Mephisto, who had been in a good mood, further into the abyss.

At Mammon's words that accurately sniped his reverse scale, he twisted his lips even more. The long, winding horns on his head deeply stirred the empty air even with a small movement.

["Actually, I'm the one who finds this surprising. I thought you would run away."]

["That's a very strange thing to say. Why would I leave you and run away?"]

["Naturally, because that's beneficial for you. No matter how few vessels are suited for you... it shouldn't be to the extent of risking the threat of being eaten by me, right?"]

["Just because the vessel breaks doesn't mean I'm so incompetent that I can't escape from you."]

Just because the vessel broke didn't mean his soul would die too. As long as he ran away the moment it broke, he could escape his grasp as much as he wanted. Of course, because the impact of the vessel breaking would reach him as well, he would have to spend about a hundred years recovering his soul even after escaping.

["Oh, normally that would be the case. Mephisto. But you know who's backing me right now. Would He miss this opportunity?"]

Right. That was definitely a problem. If he were to abandon it and run away first before the vessel broke, there wouldn't be the risk of being captured in his soul state, nor the need to recover for a hundred years after that. As for the vessel, he could just wander and look for one again in that state.

However...

["That's right. He wouldn't miss it. But will there ever be a chance to receive that opportunity in the first place?"]

That wasn't among the options. Mephisto didn't let that show and deliberately only raised the corners of his mouth.

["The one who's going to die is you!"]

Instead of eyes hidden and unseen by the goat's skull, a red light shone from the orbits of the goat bone. Mammon's body flinched greatly.

["... Don't be like that, why don't you come back to this side instead? Since it's not like you're going to lose control to the human again, there's no more reason for us to fight. It'll only benefit Lee Shin."]

["Ha, are you scared?"]

["Yeah. Honestly, I don't want to clash with you. It would be one thing if you were powerless, but now that you're properly resurrected... it's just a loss for me."]

["You're brazenly beating around the bush saying you'll betray me the moment I get weak."]

["That's just how we all are, anyway."]

["Satan won't like that."]

["No way. He will welcome you too if you come back. Even though our side suffered quite a bit of damage because you couldn't manage your vessel properly... they are things that can be restored if you put your strength into it anyway. If you just blow away a few cities, He will probably forget all past faults."]

But Mammon wasn't such an incompetent merchant that he would give up on a deal just because he was scared. Mephisto chuckled at the offer to return that he calmly presented.

A horizontal pupil, pitch-black and bottomless like the abyss, wickedly positioned itself right in the middle of the red light that arose instead of an eyeball.

["He probably would. That guy probably would."]

It was ominous. Mammon calmly stepped back, and Mephistopheles's hair began to flutter and fluctuate. The boiling demonic energy kicked up a wind in all directions.

["But what do we do? I'm someone whose hobby is screwing Satan over."]

A clear sign of hostility. Left with no choice, Mammon raised his power to match.

["... Are you really going to betray us?"]

Even so, the attitude of trying to negotiate until the very end was fitting for the Avarice who extremely looked after his own safety and profit. Although his choice of words was completely wrong.

["Pfft, pu-hahaha! Betrayal? Me? Betrayal??"]

At the truly unimaginable choice of words, Mephistopheles spat out laughter in an endlessly exaggerated and rough manner.

["This isn't betrayal! That thing and I were never on the same side to begin with, so why would this be a betrayal!?"]

The hand waving around in that process had long joints, making the fingers slightly longer than the palm. CLATTER. The demonic energy gathered over them gleamed sharply like fingernails, like finger guards.

["Right? Satan! Speak up, you're here too!"]

He was finally asking for punishment...

["Oh, King of Hell. Are you pissed off? Do you hate that I'm acting up like this? Then go ahead and break the contract! Try attacking my body right now! So that I can throw away this spare vessel and return to my original body!!"]

...

["With my original body, let's clash one more time!!"]

The madness-laced shout mocked Satan.

But there was no one on this earth to push back against such blatant sarcasm. That was true for Satan, who was trapped in that intermediate land and only capable of talking because he used himself as a wedge, and even for Mammon, who existed right in front of him.

They didn't even show a hot-tempered reaction to the words Mephisto was spouting half-impulsively and half-calculatingly. It was also at that moment that Wrath, who used to freely explode his temper, threw away the ferocity he was feigning and smiled broadly.

["Coward."]

At the calm ridicule, a pitch-black current formed behind Mammon's back.

Kill him, if you want all the gold in Hell.

["I want to say that won't be enough, but. Sure. Since I'm on the verge of dying too."]

With that, Mammon's demonic energy swelled a bit more. Satan had probably taken some additional measure. It was an expected result, if one could call it expected.

["Good. With this much, it won't be easy even for you, Wrath."]

["Well. Care to make a bet?"]

But was that a big problem for him? It wasn't.

Mephistopheles twisted the corners of his mouth and aligned, inflated, and refined his demonic energy.

It was possible thanks to this area temporarily turning into a demonic territory. He was a demon, and although it would piss Satan off, the benefits brought by the demonic territoryification could be enjoyed by all the demons around it.

Well, even so, it was only his soul, and with Gretchen having used power previously, plus having consumed a considerable amount of power recovering the vessel, he would be lucky if his true power was even at one-fifth...

["I'm going to bet on you dying...!"]

That wouldn't make him an easy target.

Finally, black fire explosively reached out in all directions. It was a fire that ate away at everything in the world, one that wouldn't extinguish unless its master wished it to.

["Die! Damn Wrath!"]

The black fire burned away even lava. Knowing that, Mammon immediately stepped back.

BANG, BOOM! The lava exploding from all sides was a power he hadn't shown even when facing the Vessel of Wrath or the Hero.

The lightning summoned by offering Leviathan's tears endlessly flew toward the opponent.

["Where are you going, Mammon. You have to play with me. Hmm?"]

But the moment Mephisto ignited fire in a spiral near himself, all of it became useless.

The torrent of demonic energy protected its master and burned away the enemy's attacks.

FLARE!

And, the one positioned in the middle of that space drew a sword with his pure white hair fluttering.

It was the sword he had made by personally pulling out his rib, forging it himself, and imprinting it onto his soul in the days before he fell victim to the contract and had his body stolen.

A sword he could summon no matter what vessel he entered, call forth in any form, and contain any power. Ratel.

Gretchen, who had actually been using it instead of him, only used it as a mere sword... but its true value did not lie in being hard and unbreakable.

["Ratel says it wants to play with you too."]

The sword, which had taken the shape of a Zweihander to deceive humans, Ratel, melted and seeped into the soil before soaring up again.

SLIDE. A sculpture that merely took the form of a human stood next to him. It was a doll that would elaborately match his moves.

["Since I'm going this far, you have to play with me!!"]

["Tch!"]

Mammon clicked his tongue at the appearance of the infamous sword.

["Then...!"]

「Before that, fulfill the promise first. Save the Hero. And the two humans over there too.」

["... Of course, of course. I must do as you command."]

But it wasn't a comfortable situation for Mephistopheles either. He gritted his teeth the moment the freedom he thought was perfect became restricted.

But even so, he couldn't break the 'promise'. Because the moment he broke the promise, even this hard-earned opportunity would fly away.

["Just to kill that guy, you think I can't save a mere human!"]

At his command, Ratel, his clone, sprang out in a different direction. The target was the Hero lying abandoned.

["Ah, while it's gone to save them, it wouldn't be bad to collect a price as well."]

The petty demons trying to block it were chopped into pieces the moment it raised its claws. It lacked an ego, so he had to direct it one by one, but in times like this, it was somewhat useful.

["You!"]

["Haha, aren't you glad, Mammon?! Your time to live has increased a bit!"]

The clone, having dealt with all the petty bastards, put the Hero on its back and flew off to the other side. It would probably gather the two humans who were likely unconscious as well and make a trip to where the humans were.

Because among the conditions for him to run wild was 'those three must have their heads attached to their necks'.

["Ha, you're the one. Do you think your seal will be broken just because you leech off the Hero?! How stupid! You're nothing but a dog fawning over the hunter who's going to boil and eat you!"]

At that sight, Mammon mocked his actions and moved the lava giant he had kept waiting to one side.

Having no special abilities, the thing that relied solely on its massive weight class and heavy mass as its weapons swung its hand.

["Right, maybe that's the case. But at least I can kill you. Right?!"]

But wouldn't his name, which had once made Hell tremble, be put to shame if he were defeated by a mere lava doll?

Refreshingly ignoring Mammon's words, Mephisto used demonic energy to temporarily mold a sword.

SLICE!

And he swung it. The demonic energy momentarily stretched out and sliced the lava doll like a whip.

Without a single bit of waste, the blade compressed to the extreme was truly sharp, leaving not even a scar on the lava doll.

But the central nerve controlling it was definitively cut. The sword strikes that appeared from both sides half a beat later were the same. They precisely cut down what could be called its 'cores'.

BOOM!

The moment the demonic energy supporting the massive lava was cut off, it exploded right then and there, splashing lava in all directions. The rest melted down, melting and covering the buildings below.

CRASH!

Meanwhile, Mephistopheles's arm pointed forward. A massive pillar of fire shot from his fingertips, aiming for Mammon's body.

["Damn it!"]

SPLASH!

The one who dodged by quickly moving and falling into the lava swallowed a curse.

BOOM!

An explosion erupted half a beat later at the spot touched by the pillar of fire, burning all the lava. The black flames stuck to the chunk of earth crackled and popped like embers.

["How terrifying!"]

Mammon let out an irritated laugh as he looked at that sight. Around his body that had just risen from the lava were the flames Mephisto had spread everywhere at the beginning of the fight.

["Explode."]

At the master's command, the flames swelled roundly and tried to explode right then and there.

["Such a ridiculous trick...!"]

Instead of panicking at its form of progression, Mammon covered it with lava containing even more demonic energy.

Then, he used the widened distance to draw out more power. Boulders closer to meteors than volcanic bombs flew toward Mephisto, and thorns densely shot up from all the lava.

["Yeah, let's fight dirty! Mephisto!"]

He had plenty of demonic energy anyway. While he was at it, he spread lava over the earth with every step Mephisto took.

The erupted lava dyed the surroundings red, and the additionally leaking gas and piles of ash changed the picture as if it were a ruined world.

["Because I have more cards in my hand!"]

At that, Mephisto, who was blocking the attacks by creating a wall of black fire, slightly furrowed his brows.

The amount of demonic energy he had. It would be different if it was a normal situation, but right now, it was because he was definitely being significantly pushed back.

["Yeah, that is a bit annoying..."]

But so what? Mephistopheles did not picture his own defeat. Rather, this difference fueled his wrath more, even more.

Wrath toward Satan. His body taken away as the price for losing to that damn thing. His situation of having to aimlessly wander looking only for vessels. The current situation where he eventually had to even make a contract because a mere human wouldn't easily give up control. Another soul completely far removed from wrath, even if it was a condition of the contract. The body he had to return the moment the promise ended.

He had this many reasons to be angry.

["To the point where it genuinely makes me angry."]

The black fire, using wrath as its fuel, grew its momentum even more and wrapped around his entire body. WHOOSH. What bloomed through it was a crimson redder than anything else in the world.

["I will erase you."]

The sword, having just finished its assigned duty, returned to his hand, and that sword was swung right then and there.