Betrayal

A divine dragon's breath could even defeat the highest-ranking gods. Even in Nears, it was said to boast the highest attack power alongside the physical attacks from a dragon's fangs.

Its might was beyond comparison to nuclear weapons. The concentrated light pierced through the battlefield, evaporated a distant mountain, and reached beyond the atmosphere into outer space.

The earth and air decomposed, and with the intense pungent odor and heat haze, the five senses barely functioned. Amidst all this, Sora dropped to his knees, his breathing severely disrupted.

The summoning of a divine dragon. This was the trump card that Sora had used to defeat the Wicked God.

A strategy that succeeded only by squeezing out not just magical power but life force and stamina to their very limits.

While he could maintain consciousness now thanks to leveling up after defeating the Wicked God, when he had first defeated that god, he hadn't woken up for about a week.

"… Did I get them?"

The breath had disturbed the magical essence in the air, making detection magic unusable. He had no magical power left to begin with.

Sora took out a magic crystal from his space-time storage and tried to absorb magical power from it. Then he would heal his physical pain and recover his stamina. But his hands were unsteady.

That's why he was careless.

When you think you got them, usually, you haven't.

His reaction was delayed to what emerged from the liquefied ground.

It approached Sora and mercilessly kicked up his jaw with its toe.

His brain was rattled. In this state, a mage couldn't use magic.

Sora, who didn't even have magical power left for defense, had shown a fatal opening.

Sei stepped on the arm of Sora who had fallen spread-eagle, and thrust his katana at his nose.

"Still want to keep going?"

Though covered in dirt, Sei had taken no damage.

"Ah～, covered in dirt…"

While saying that, Mako also crawled out from beneath the ground.

And slowly descending from above were Lavi and the companions riding on her back.

When Sei learned of Sora's maximum attack method, he had given up on defending.

His magical barrier couldn't possibly defend against it completely, and even with immortality, if he was vaporized by the breath he couldn't escape death. He judged that offsetting it with Lavi's breath would also be difficult.

And if they couldn't defend, then all that remained was evasion. They had decided to teleport to the sky above or behind the opponent using Lavi's teleportation, but they had also considered being separated during combat.

As a second-best method in that case, they had decided to use magic to dig up the earth and take emergency shelter within it.

Mako hadn't acquired earth-digging magic, but they had prepared by inscribing a spell formula on her spear that would activate when magical power was passed through it.

Through such means, Sei had nullified the enemy's attack.

And after unleashing a big technique, most people become defenseless.

You should never say "Did I get them?" It seemed Sora had forgotten that common sense from Earth.

"Ah～, I look like this but, it's been a while, Aoi-kun. Have you been well?"

He must have been well since he could even defeat the Wicked God, but Mako's greeting was somehow languid.

"You… traitor!"

While Sora had shown a calm expression toward Sei, he raised a voice dripping with hatred toward Mako. Though since he was sprawled on the ground with Sei's katana pointed at him, that voice was small.

"Eh… Well, siding with them is one thing, but that's a difference in positions…"

"Don't play dumb! You went around killing our classmates! I know it!"

At those words, not just Mako but Sei also made a dubious face.

They had only killed one person. And that could even be called the opponent's own fault.

Since meeting Keita, Sei had neutralized opponents as much as possible and made them return, including through physical persuasion.

"I think there's some misunderstanding…"

Even at Sei's words, Sora didn't change his resentful expression.

"Don't play dumb! I had tracked the locations of all our classmates! I know their reactions disappeared each time you got close!"

I see, Sei understood.

In short, it was a misunderstanding.

Sora must have cast some kind of magic on the classmates scattered around the world that let him know their locations in advance. That's why he could notice Sei's approach and launch a preemptive attack.

But while he knew the hero reactions had disappeared, he apparently didn't know why they had disappeared.

"You see, this is going to be a long story…"

And so began Mako and Sei's lengthy explanation to Sora.

Sora was a boy with a brilliant mind. He understood the logic of things and had adapted to this world.

So first, he showed understanding about killing the duplicate hero.

Then standing up properly, Sei took out a chair from his folder and sat down to begin the explanation.

Though occasional questions arose, Sora mostly accepted Sei and Mako's explanations. What effect Kukuri singing poetry at key moments had was unclear.

"I see… So heroes are no longer needed in this world…"

He accepted that the existence of heroes would rather bring harm to the world.

And showing him a map made him understand that only Mako hadn't returned exceptionally.

They had also defeated one of the problematic evil gods.

"Well then, I suppose I'll head back."

Sora stood up and turned his gaze to the sky.

White clouds drifted leisurely in the blue sky, with part of them showing traces of being vaporized by the breath.

"Don't you need to say something to your acquaintances in this world?"

Sei asked, but Sora let out a dry sigh.

"My companions all died in the battle against the Wicked God."

The forces of the southern gods had already been thoroughly crushed by Sora. It wasn't that he had no concerns, but he couldn't stay in this world forever.

The people of this world should decide matters of this world. Heroes were the exception.

It was ironic that the exceptional exception remaining at the end was Sora.

And so the Magic Creation hero returned.

Sei's role was over.

"It's over…"

Mako's murmur was small, yet filled with a myriad of emotions.

"Yeah, it's over…"

Sei felt the same way as Mako.

"Almost two years now. When I get back to Earth, I'll have to study."

"Whoa, is Sei being a good student?"

"Don't tease me. There's no loss in studying. Besides, I wonder how much my physical abilities will drop when I return to Earth. That's a bit depressing."

"Ah～, that's true. But anyway, we're going back to the dwarven village, right?"

When they contacted Ria, she answered that she was waiting with a lavish meal prepared.

They would eat their fill there, sleep for one night, and then say goodbye to this world.

"… If I die of old age after returning to Earth, reincarnating here might not be so bad."

"That's right. At least I think I'll still be alive."

Laila interjected. As a long-lived elf, she could easily live for 100 years.

"If you're going to reincarnate, I'll compose lots of poetry by then. Poetry about the divine dragon's knight who traveled the world. It'll be sung across the world, I bet."

Kukuri also laughed happily. Considering a halfling's lifespan, he and Gantz should also live about 100 years. The lifespan of the high orc Bungol was a bit uncertain though.

Time flowed differently between worlds. Sei knew this, but deliberately didn't mention it.

Whether memories would remain after reincarnation was also uncertain, but he didn't mention that either.

Right now, he just wanted to cherish the parting with the companions he had traveled and fought with. That was his mood.

"Let's head back to the dwarven village for now."

Sei took out the Transfer Stone, and Lavi also returned to human form. Everyone gathered in one place.

No, there was one person who didn't move from their spot.

"? Mako?"

Sei called out. But Mako didn't move. Her eyes were unfocused and she didn't respond to Sei's voice.

Her hand went into her breast pocket and took something out.

It looked like several black threads.

Something was happening. Sei, having gained experience through their journey, could tell that much. However, he didn't know what was happening.

Mako slowly lifted the black threads and brought them to her mouth.

Then Sei realized. Those weren't threads.

It was hair. And black at that.

Sei instinctively moved to stop it, but Mako's movements were faster.

The Gluttony Hero took the heroes' hair into herself.

Mako's condition was clearly abnormal. That was obvious from using Identify on her.

Status: Possessed—through the effects of Gluttony, by taking in part of the heroes—their hair—Mako had also taken in their powers.

(What's going on!?)

Sei drew his katana. The other companions had also sensed something had happened. However, they didn't immediately shift to an attack stance.

While Mako's abnormality was clear, she wasn't committing any hostile acts toward them.

But that was a bad move.

When they noticed the abnormal situation, they should have moved immediately.

A smile unlike any Mako had ever made appeared on her face.

"First, congratulations, servant of the divine dragon. You've done well to return all the heroes who received the gods' Gifts."

While that tone certainly contained praise, it also somehow included mockery and unconscious malice.

"What… are you? What did you do to Mako?"

To Sei who had firmly readied his katana, the thing that had taken over Mako responded in an inappropriately light tone.

"Haven't you ever wondered? Who gave Gifts to the heroes summoned from another world?"

"… The gods, right? I've heard that even while sealed, the higher gods have such power."

That was correct, but not everything.

"Yes. But the gods who gave Gifts weren't just the good gods and neutral gods—evil gods did too."

Being told that much, Sei also noticed. The types of Gifts the heroes possessed.

Destruction, Gluttony, Instant Death Eyes, Wrath, Poison—these gave a different impression from what you'd expect from the term "good gods."

"… The evil gods gave Gifts to heroes who were supposed to defeat them?"

Sei thought that didn't add up, but the thing in Mako's form applauded as if that was correct.

"The power of heroes can even kill gods. Guiding their thoughts to use them to defeat the good gods and their servants is surprisingly easy. But the real purpose is…"

Cutting off their words there, she smiled brightly.

"Killing time."

The evil god said so without showing a shred of malice.

The evil god of calamity had clearly given Gifts to heroes to strengthen their own faction. But the Evil God and demon god were different.

"Oh right, I haven't introduced myself—the one inside this girl."

The Evil God and demon god, especially the demon god, weren't originally evil gods. And the Evil God detested the arrogant gods calling themselves good gods.

"My name is Bug. I'm the existence you call the Evil God."

The strongest existence among the evil gods—that's what Ria had taught Sei.

She had told him not to fight and to avoid contact.

"… What does that Evil God want now? Are you going to take Mako away?"

If she planned to take Mako as a fighting force, he would absolutely stop that. Sei glared at the Evil God with fighting spirit.

"No no, actually I was making a bet with the demon god. Which hero we gave Gifts to would remain until the end—we've been quite entertained. I thought I'd temporarily borrow this girl's body to give my thanks, but…"

Mako's face smiled cheerfully.

"Wouldn't it be more interesting if there was one more trial?"

"Meaning?"

"Try fighting this hero I've taken over. Stories are more interesting when there's a last-minute twist, after all."

Kukuri inadvertently nodded, but for everyone else it was no joke.

While Sei was indignant at the Evil God's malice, his calm side was comparing their forces.

Namely, their six people versus Mako alone.

What Mako had absorbed through Gluttony wasn't all the heroes' abilities. For instance, Keita—apparently there was no timing to obtain his hair, as Identify showed no Instant Death Eyes.

(But Infinite Magic Power, Destruction, Duplication, Awakening…)

Gluttony. The more you eat, the stronger you become.

And you could even steal the Gifts and skills of those you ate. In a sense, it was certainly the most powerful Gift.

"Since when have you been possessing Mako?"

"Once when she was summoned, and again when she nearly died of starvation—I placed her under my control."

So with two contacts, she had lurked in the depths of Mako's heart.

And up until now, her behavior hadn't been suspected at all. Perhaps truly, observing their situation had been the initial purpose.

However, deliberately emerging at this final moment felt calculated.

Sei clicked his tongue inwardly while analyzing their respective forces.

"Hey Mako! Are you really being controlled!? Can't you do something about it!?"

To Sei's call, Mako pointed her spear at him.

"Most of the accumulated power is under the influence of my Gift, after all. I think it's unreasonable for this girl to resist."

In other words, they had to do it.

"Mako is immortal… Piercing her heart won't kill her…"

Sei muttered as if telling himself.

"Ane-deshi, we have to do this."

Bungol said so and lined up next to Sei along with Gantz. Laila was in the rear guard, and Lavi was still in dragon form. Lavi in human form couldn't match Mako's techniques to begin with.

"No choice. Let's do this."

Sei's body relaxed for an instant.

The next moment, he was within range of Mako's spear.

Katana and spear clashed in confusion.

The truly final battle had begun.