The fierce battle continued.
In the sky, the hands of the Outer Gods simultaneously clenched into fists, then fell to the ground in an instant.
Then the hands grasped each other and rotated, striking the ground like swords or whips.
The hands of the Outer Gods tried to destroy our sky fortress using various methods and overwhelming numbers.
In the face of the Outer Gods' intensifying offensive, we struggled but…
We were still holding on.
As the Outer Gods' attacks increased, so did our defensive forces.
New reinforcements were joining one after another.
Kung-!
The racial gods of the 4 major heterogeneous races who had gone to burn their guardian trees joined our defense line. The giant beings fought against the Outer Gods, exhaling formless roars.
And following them…
"…!"
Countless racial gods of other races began to appear from all over the spirit realm and stand with us.
In the distant past.
The Outer Gods conducted another game of destruction on this world stage — the 'Racial War'.
They planted guardian trees for their chosen races and incited wars where each race tried to burn the others' guardian trees… watching and enjoying as they killed each other.
There were countless races that were used as toys then, but were defeated and had their guardian trees burned. Their racial gods had been buried and sleeping under the sands of this spirit realm.
And now, at this final and first rebellion shaking the spirit realm…
They too bared their teeth against those beings in the sky who had used and abandoned them as toys.
Under my brightly shining and fluttering flag, all the sleeping racial gods awoke and united. The giants participated in the battle, burning the last of their remaining strength.
"…"
I suddenly observed the World Guardian Front engaging in a truly mythical battle here in the spirit realm.
An army composed entirely of racial gods, led by the racial gods of the 4 major heterogeneous races.
The world's last red dragons, and the three daughters who inherited their will.
Humanity's strongest knight and greatest mage.
The Emperor who had fought in the spirit realm all his life, and his royal guard.
And me, commanding all of them.
I waved my flag. Immediately, everyone who understood my intentions changed formation in perfect unison to block the Outer Gods' attacks.
"Let's fight!"
We resist all oppression imposed on our world.
Because we are not toys.
Because we are players, not pieces.
Because we are the sole masters of our fate!
"Don't give up, fight-!"
Commanding the endless battle with optimal efficiency, I shouted until my voice was hoarse.
How long had the battle continued in this state of selflessness?
Suddenly, the air changed.Upstodatee from n(0)/v𝒆/lbIn/.(co/m
Feeling an ominous premonition, I quickly looked up at the sky.
"…!"
The eyes of the Outer Gods staring at us.
Some of them were tinged with an eerie purple color.
'What are they trying to do?'
It wasn't the 'blink' that was trying to crush and kill us in one strike.
The purple gazes shot by the eyes intertwined with each other, unfolding chaotic patterns and magical formulas in the air. As countless eyes simultaneously drew in the sky, the diagram was completed in an instant.
"Kugh?!"
Just looking at it made my head throb and my stomach churn.
An illusion, or rather something closer to a curse… a mental attack from a higher being.
As their direct attacks continued to be thwarted, the Outer Gods had changed their method of attack. Towards destroying our minds…!
I hurriedly averted my gaze, but the completed illusion was already covering the entire spirit realm and affecting all beings within it.
My [Unyielding Commander] was having an effect on the entire area, but there were too many casters of this illusion and their level was too high.
I felt my mental barriers melt away and evaporate in an instant.
'I have to block it!'
And the moment my mental barriers were completely worn away, everyone in the resistance force who was barely holding on would fall victim to that illusion.
'Somehow, I have to endure…!'
My vision burns white.
But I resisted with all my might, holding back my screams.
Did they think I would fall here?
After coming this far, how could I…!
'I must, endure…!'
The next moment, as the Outer Gods' gazes turned from purple to blood red-
Jjeoeoeoeoek!
The mental pressure exerted on me multiplied several times.
I couldn't breathe. The critical point approached in an instant.
Sensing that I could no longer endure, I squeezed my eyes shut and…
-Click.
For some reason familiar. And a little nostalgic.
The sound of an umbrella opening was heard beside me.
At the same time, the pressure that had been exerted on me disappeared all at once.
'Huh?'
I looked to the side in surprise.
Someone had approached and was now standing next to me, holding an umbrella over my head. Their appearance was hidden by the umbrella.
The color of the umbrella was dazzling, confident, and brazenly — pink.
A soft and sweet scent wafted over.
To me, who was blinking in surprise, the someone who had covered me with the umbrella… whispered in a voice that seemed to be holding back laughter.
"Hello, honey?"
This light, cheerful and quirky voice.
I muttered blankly without realizing it.
"Salome…?"
Then, from the other side of the umbrella, she laughed.
"Correct!"
The pink umbrella twirled around like a fan, pushing away all the mental attacks.
The sky in the area cleared instantly, the headache and nausea disappeared, and I regained my breath in one go.
As I caught my breath and turned to the side-
"Ash!"
She — Salome — jumped up and hugged me as she pleased.
"Ta-da! I've come to save you!"
"Salome, you…!"
Normally, I should have avoided or pushed her away.
But because I was happy for this unexpected reunion. And grateful for the helping hand she had given me.
I let her hug me as she pleased and rub her cheek against my chest.
"You, you're alive! I'm so glad…"
"Hehe."
Salome looked the same as before.
Glossy pink hair. Horns sprouting between it. A tail wagging frantically like a dog's.
And as if she had just been tanning at some resort, her skin was a healthy brown color, clearly visible in her sleeveless shirt and short shorts, topped with a hooded jumper and cap, and slippers…
"…?"
Wait.
Wait wait wait.
She doesn't look the same as before at all.
Rather, hasn't she skipped over several worldviews with this ridiculous appearance?!
"Th-This is outrageous! Get off me!"
I hurriedly pushed away this succubus who was trying to slyly wrap her arms around my neck. The dormant Confucian boy inside me screamed. Men and women should not sit together after the age of seven, good heavens!
I pointed at Salome.
"You, you…! What's with that appearance?!"
"Aahn? Is the boy not ready to handle this succubus sister's healthy sexy version yet?"
Salome smiled lasciviously, then twirled around on the spot and shouted.
"Let me introduce! 'Your own pink sun', in short…"
In short?
"It's the 'Pink Sun' version of Salome!"
"I-Insane…"
I felt dizzy even though it wasn't a mental attack. I clutched my forehead.
No matter how I look at it, she's wearing Earth culture clothes and using Earth culture jokes. She did peek at my memories before, or more precisely, the memories of the retro addict, is that why?
What the hell happened to this one in the meantime?
"After absorbing Raven back then, I was able to escape to this spirit realm. Raven only had pure evil left, but well, evil is also a mind… So for me who feeds on minds, it was as good as power."
Salome had always used the spirit realm as a hideout. That's why she had saved me when I was drifting in the spirit realm before.
It seems she managed to escape to the spirit realm even after defeating Raven back then.
"Ugh, but this Raven's malice was extraordinarily vicious. It kept trying to infect and rot even my soul, which is my mental body. I had quite a hard time."
Then Salome patted her belly visible under her short shirt.
"But, who am I? The Succubus Queen! Daughter of the Succubi! The universe's greatest femme fatale! I am Salome. There's no mind I can't devour! In the end, it took a while, but I completely digested Raven's malice and the essence of the plague…"
Then Salome muttered with a slightly gloomy expression.
"And became this Pink Sun…"
"What exactly is a Pink Sun…?"
"To be specific, I guess you could say I received some of Raven's traits. Now I can easily spread any emotion, and devour any malice whole."
Then Salome urgently grabbed my shoulders and said with trembling hands.
"No, I'll be honest. Malice tastes the best. Please, can you let me eat some malice…?"
This one has completely lost it!
"Anyway, through this process, I was able to break my existing specifications and be reborn as a being of the next level."
"Yeah. You seem to have… been reborn quite a lot…"
"Now I'm a somewhat amazing being who can go anywhere there is a 'mind' and do anything…"
Then Salome put her hand in a V-sign next to her large eyes, winked, and shouted.
"I've become the legendary strongest succubus! The Succubus Empress-!"
"…No, you're the Pink Sun."
No matter how I look at it, you're just a pink-haired tanned delinquent.
"Ah, anyway, I really wanted to do this! An old comrade joining at the last moment of the final battle to provide crucial help!"
Salome lightly looked around at the scenery of the spirit realm where the final battle was taking place, then smiled brightly at me.
"How about it, Ash! Aren't you happy I came? Aren't you relieved? Aren't you moved?"
"…Yeah."
I answered honestly.
"Thank you, Salome. For being alive. And for coming to help me."
"…"
Surprised that I honestly acknowledged it, Salome stared at me with wide eyes, and then.
"I'm the one who should thank you, Ash."
She smiled broadly with slightly flushed cheeks.
"For coming this far. For fighting without losing your heart… without giving up until now."
That smile, which was not the confident and seductive smile she had been wearing until just now, but somehow awkward and clumsy, looked…
More human than any expression I had seen on Salome so far.
"…"
"…"
By the way, even if we suddenly try to turn the atmosphere warm and fuzzy, it doesn't suit me and her… Look how awkward the air has become in an instant…
"Ahem! Anyway, that's how it is!"
Salome twirled her umbrella and rested it on her shoulder, then licked her lips with the tip of her tongue.
"Leave those bulging-eyed friends' mental attacks to me. I'll take care of all of them."
"Will you be alright? It was powerful enough to melt my mental barriers."
"Of course. Teeming with constant malice, it's really…"
Salome's pink eyes flashed dangerously.
"All my special dish!"
Then, she kicked off the ground and soared into the sky in an instant-
And absorbed all the purple mental attacks pouring down from the Outer Gods.
Through Salome's horns, which glowed with the same purple light, all the Outer Gods' mental attacks were sucked in and disappeared. Salome emitted a dazzling pink flash and laughed arrogantly, "Muhahaha!"
"…As always."
Still dumbfounded, but always grateful, I watched my reinforcements with a wry smile.
The Outer Gods continued to attack us with even stronger blinks, fingertips, and curses, but we were holding firm.
And then-
"…!"
Sensing something, I hurriedly turned my head.
Kuguguung…
The black thorn tree, Everblack, standing next to our fortress…
As if moving on its own, it began to rise, opening huge cracks around it.
Reality, the human world.
In front of the main castle of Crossroad.
The last line of defense against the Great Monster Invasion.
The airship Blue Pearl, which had been fighting in the sky until the very end-
Kuwagwagwagwang!
Crashed into the middle of the battlefield teeming with monsters.