This Isn't an E*otic Game?-Chapter 111: Explain it to me

[In the beginning, Grace created mankind.]

– Book of Grace, Chapter 1, Verse 1

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It was just human artillery.

If she still held her full power as a Demon Lord, these attacks wouldn’t have been hard to block.

The problem was that this bombardment struck Belphegor at her weakest and most fragile moment.

Let it be said again—manifesting in the mortal realm by creating a vessel for her divine essence had been her biggest mistake.

Her physical body, already melted by Asmodeus’s divine power.

Her divine essence, weakened from losing so many followers in real time.

And the divine powers of the Pantheon, clinging to her essence like vines and relentlessly interfering.

“[Dulanea. You bastard!!]”

The 155mm high-explosive shells tore open Belphegor’s body with serious damage.

She needed to heal.

She needed to draw on her divinity to regroup her followers and restore her body.

But at this critical moment, Belphegor couldn’t draw out her power properly.

Dulanea, still in the Spirit Realm, was literally shrieking and doing everything to interfere.

As if she couldn’t forgive the corruption of her Chosen and countless Ketraltus, Dulanea was violently blocking the release of Belphegor’s powers.

And not just her—

Other gods of the Pantheon, long denied from interfering in the mortal world, now took the chance to retaliate, piling on disruptions against both Leviathan’s and Belphegor’s manifested divine essences.

Belphegor was now experiencing exactly what Asmodeus had gone through—restrained by Lucifer’s chains and dragged down by interference.

“[...No. No, this can't be.]”

There weren’t many followers left alive.

The ordinary cultists had already been shredded into something more like meat than human beings by the previous barrage.

The few high-ranking followers who survived—

Even the priest-class acolytes—were trembling, staring down at their own hands.

“M-my magic won’t cast!!”

“O Lord of Sloth! Lord of Sloth! Grant us your power!!”

Despite their panicked cries, Belphegor couldn’t do anything.

Power?

Of course she wanted to give it.

But her physical body and the divine essence inside it were already on the verge of collapse.

She had to protect her followers—if only for her own survival.

But the interference from Dulanea and the Pantheon made that impossible.

They were probably straining themselves too, sure.

Lucifer would never just sit by and let the Pantheon pull this off without resistance.

But still—it was worth the risk.

Because if things kept going like this, even Leviathan and Belphegor themselves would end up fully exposed in the mortal world, defenseless.

“[Heavenly bastards. Disgusting... disgusting motherfuckers!!]”

Belphegor spat curses and forced herself to her feet—but it didn’t change anything.

“Load it! Hurry!!”

“Charge the round!! Charge it!!”

“Dual-shot cannon firing protocol ready!!”

The 40 imperial tow cannons stationed in the distance had already prepared for another barrage.

One more salvo, and Leviathan’s body wouldn’t survive.

“[Lucifer!! Lucifer!! LUCIFER!! PLEASE!!!!!]”

In her final moment, the only name Belphegor screamed—desperately, helplessly—was Lucifer.

“[Do something!! Do anything, damn it!! Right now!!]”

If things kept going like this, the balance that had held for three hundred years would collapse.

And not just any collapse—it would be the worst-case outcome from Hell’s perspective:

The Pantheon’s victory.

For a moment—

The entire Spirit Realm surged with divine power from the Pantheon’s gods.

Lucifer... stopped fighting.

He halted his struggle against them.

And then Lucifer, pouring all of his power into it, reached out his hand toward Belphegor.

The sky split open, and Lucifer’s intense divine force stretched out toward Belphegor’s broken body.

It was a gate to the Spirit Realm.

Belphegor raised her hand, trembling with gratitude.

“[Please! Please, quickly... L-Lucifer?! Lucifer!!]”

She thought she was being saved—

But the very next moment, Lucifer’s hand plunged into her chest, seized her divine essence, and began tearing it out—

[The Moon Goddess. The Goddess of Wisdom. The War Goddess. And even Satan.

Four divine essences have already fallen into the Pantheon’s hands.]

“[D-Don’t!! Don’t do this! Please, stop!!]”

[There’s no time to prepare a proper ascension. This is the only way.]

With horrifying pain, Belphegor’s divine essence was forcefully ripped out of her body.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

Even descending from the Spirit Realm to the mortal world required long, complex preparation.

Returning—ascending—required even more delicate rituals.

But her essence was torn out abruptly, violently—and began breaking apart.

Belphegor screamed in agony.

It was unbearable pain.

But worse than the pain was the realization of what Lucifer was trying to do.

“[Y-you’re trying to EAT me!! LUCIFER!! YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!!]”

[This is the best option. If you were like Mammon, and had left behind some backup power to escape to the Spirit Realm, I wouldn’t need to do this.

But you didn’t.

And there’s no time or method left to send your divine essence back properly.

It’s going to break anyway...

So it’s better if I consume it.]

“[No! You can’t—!!...]”

That was Belphegor’s final word.

Her divine essence, torn from her flesh, crushed into a mangled, unsalvageable mess.

She couldn’t speak another word.

As the broken fragments of her essence convulsed and shuddered, ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) Lucifer’s power devoured every last piece—without leaving a single speck behind.

And the exact same thing—

Was happening to Leviathan.

Her divine essence, too, was ripped out and devoured by Lucifer.

Once he finished absorbing both of them, Lucifer hastily closed the portal between the mortal and spirit worlds.

[Beelzebub!!]

Arrogance had brought Gluttony.

And Lucifer flung the wrecked, barely-held-together divine essence of Leviathan straight to Gluttony.

[Eat it. Swallow it quickly, and help me stop the Pantheon.

We can’t let the humans’ faith grow any stronger than this.]

Lucifer could no longer stop the Pantheon alone.

Only with Beelzebub’s help could they even hope to hold it back.

Soon, the Pantheon would once again be muzzled—unable to unleash divine speech or grant powers at will.

But the same would now apply to Lucifer and the demon lords.

Lucifer ground his teeth.

[Abaddon...]

The balance would hold.

But the only one who would gain anything from this balance—

Was that insect from the Pit.

With the Pantheon and Hell locked in a stalemate, endlessly countering each other, the evil god—free from interference—could expand his forces at leisure and devour the mortal world.

Lucifer knew this.

And yet—he had to stop the Pantheon.

If they were allowed to interfere with the mortal world unchecked, the explosion in faith would make them unstoppable.

If they grew that large and crushed both Arrogance’s and Gluttony’s followers—

Then Hell would be finished.

[Fine, Abaddon. I’ll play the game your way.]

Lucifer chose to swallow his pride—and wait.

One day, Abaddon and the Saint would collide.

And when that day came—

Lucifer would repay everything he suffered today.

Taking sides in a balanced tug-of-war.

Destroying one side by backing the other.

That was what Abaddon had done to him today—

And Lucifer would return it in full.

[I will never forget this grudge.]

And so, Lucifer once again began working to sever the link between the Pantheon and the mortal realm.

****

I hated passing out.

Whenever I came to, all the important shit had already happened.

And I’d still be here, left behind in this world, knowing absolutely nothing.

What the hell even was Asmodeus, really?

Why was the Pantheon so utterly useless, and yet so viciously hostile toward me?

I never had time to ask a single damn thing.

That’s why I hated passing out.

But today—

Today I finally understood why I’d just stayed unconscious all this time.

And that maybe—

Maybe I’d been better off that way.

[Amayel!! Amayel!! I’m scared! I’m really scared!!]

As Kon’s all-too-familiar scream rang out, I opened my eyes.

And immediately curled up on the ground, clutching my ears.

“Ghhh—Aaaagh!!”

It was massive.

There was no other way to describe it.

The shrieking and roaring of divine beings—completely unfiltered, without restraint—was something no human should ever have to hear.

They say when whales fight, shrimp get crushed.

But this?

This was more like a krill trapped between Great Old Ones.

“Please... please!!”

I didn’t want to hear these godawful howls anymore.

I lay there writhing like an insect, until finally—the thunderous noise faded.

[Amayel.]

A voice spoke to me.

It was a strange harmony of human speech and divine resonance.

When I turned my head, I saw an angel with the face of the Goddess Lilia, gently covering my ears.

Four pairs of wings spread wide and radiant—

Three of the ones on the left were dyed pitch black.

[Ughhh!! N-No! Please!! Amayel!! Shut the rocket lid!! I’m scared! It hurts!!]

The pendant around my neck was vibrating like crazy.

I understood Kon.

Even for someone who wasn’t that sensitive to psychic energy—

I was on the floor, just from the noise.

It had to be a deafening roar—

powerful enough that even Kon, whose psychic sensitivity was stronger than mine, couldn’t withstand the shockwaves rippling between divine beings.

I closed the lid on my necklace.

The trembling finally stopped.

The world fell into silence.

No sounds of gods clashing.

No voices shouting.

Nothing remained—only the angel with Lilia’s face, and me.

Just the two of us, alone atop the mountain peak.

“...Who are you?”

That was the first question I managed to squeeze out after long hesitation.

At my words, the winged goddess in Lilia’s form smiled—and shifted her appearance.

[It’s me, Saint Spitty. This face... you’re more used to it, right?]

Gigachad looked down at me, speaking playfully.

But I shook my head.

I could feel my whole body trembling.

“What’s your real identity?”

At that, Gigachad returned to the form of the angel.

[I am the one who serves you.]

The vagueness of her answer made me clench my fists.

“Asmodeus. That’s your name, isn’t it? Demon Lord of Lust. That’s who you really are.”

[I was, once. But not anymore. Like I said—I am only someone who serves you.]

The Demon Lord of Lust was calm. Gentle, even.

It was hard to believe this being could ever destroy the human world.

“I don’t want the world to fall into danger. Never.”

[I know. Amayel.]

“You said you serve me. So if I ordered you to vanish—to annihilate yourself—would you obey?”

[I would. But if that happened, it would contradict your own conviction to protect the human world.]

“...Why?”

Asmodeus pointed to her left wing.

[I’m not completely yours yet, Amayel. Part of my command authority still belongs to Hell.

If you order my destruction, you relinquish all authority over me—

and then Hell becomes my sole master.]

My eyes widened.

Asmodeus nodded.

[I would become the Demon Lord of Lust again.

The very outcome you’re trying so hard to avoid.]

That statement made what I had to do crystal clear.

“I deserve the truth.

I have the right to know who you really are.

Why all of this is happening.

What’s behind it.

Everything.”

I carefully sat down on the ground.

Weeds and wildflowers brushed against my nose and skin.

I didn’t know when the mountain had grown so overrun with them, but... the feeling wasn’t unpleasant.

“Explain it to me.”

Asmodeus didn’t explain.

Instead, she said:

[It’s over, Amayel.]

I didn’t know why—

—but somehow, just from that, I understood what had ended.

When I turned slightly to look ahead, I saw the holy knights and mage tower wizards raising victorious cheers.

And among them—

the women I loved were standing there too.

Three Demon Lords.

Defeated by the Pantheon and humanity.

[That’s why you should hear the explanation not from me, but from the ones behind you.

That would be better.]

Once again, even though her answer was vague—

I understood her meaning.

I turned around.

And as expected, the beings I had assumed were there—stood before me.

Dulanea.

Rophus.

Lupiel.

Le-Neri.

The gods of the Pantheon revealed themselves before me.

And standing in front of them—representing them all—

Was a blood-soaked goddess, looking gravely wounded.

[Amayel.]

Lilia, Goddess of Grace, was looking straight at me.

I stood up.

A moment of silence passed.

I tried to steady my emotions—but it wasn’t easy.

“...Why?”

It was the only thing I could say—after everything.

“Why are you doing this to me? Why?”

I didn’t even realize how red my eyes had become.

I looked at the gods, tears falling.

“What the hell did I do wrong?

Why threaten me with prophecy?

Why come into my dreams and tell me I’ll be dragged to Hell?

And you call yourselves gods of grace?

Did tormenting a single human feel that good to you?

I didn’t ask to have Asmodeus buried in my soul!!

One day I just... woke up like this!!”

I cried, spilling every emotion I’d kept bottled inside.

“I just...

I just wanted to live a normal, happy life.

This isn’t the kind of fantasy rebirth I ever wanted!!

I don’t care what it takes—

Please, take this burden away from me.

Please.

If you’re really such great gods, then just—!”

I sobbed for a long time, like a child.

Then—

Something gently stroked my cheek.

Through my swollen eyes, I looked up.

The Goddess of Grace was touching my face.

[I’m sorry... but I can’t, Amayel.]

My face twisted.

“...So it only ends if you toss my soul into Hell?

Do I have to be martyred?

Do I have to die for this to be over?

Really? What kind of gods are you?

I hate you. All of you!! Every last one!!”

It was blasphemy—no different from cursing the heavens.

But not a single god among the Pantheon got angry.

Choked by rage and injustice, I began to cry like a child.

The Goddess of Grace pulled me into a hug.

I didn’t resist.

Her embrace was warm.

And in that warmth—I was finally able to calm down.

“Please explain.

Tell me what all this is.

Why this is happening to me.

What happened between Hell, the Pantheon, and the evil god.

I deserve to know.

So tell me.”

Once I had calmed, I spoke quietly.

The Goddess of Grace nodded.

[I’m not the Goddess of Grace, Amayel.]

And with that—

the explanation began.

And it was shocking from the very first line.

[I am Lilia, Goddess of Life.

In a time so far past that your people now call it “the beginning”...

Humans once called me that.]