Helant glanced at Caspond, then turned toward the four-faced 'God'.
Its shrill scream still rang in his ears, making Helant frown. To appear furious and righteous, he roared, "In the name of the Holy Domain God Lord, I sentence you to death!"
As his words fell, the Holy Domain God Lord's phantom raised its hand again. Fingers splayed wide.
Woom!
Countless white-gold motes of light appeared around the 'God'. They illuminated its panic-stricken faces in a blinding glow. A faint ozone tang filled the air as the motes hummed with restrained power.
The 'God' cowered as though terrified of touching those motes.
"As expected of the God Lord!" Calca felt a surge of delight. Her pretty face alight with joy. "Hurry and kill that monster that wanted to devour our people's souls!"
Unlike Calca's excitement, Caspond's heart was in his throat. He panted heavily. One thought looped in his mind. The god is afraid?
Impossible. Weren't gods invincible?
Judging the moment ripe, Helant focused his will. Behind him, the Holy Domain God Lord's phantom clenched its outstretched fingers.
Time seemed to freeze. Then the motes of light rushed at the 'God' from every direction.
Boom!
The countless motes converged on the 'God' and erupted in blazing radiance.
The entire world turned blinding white.
"Aaaargh!!!"
A piercing wail tore through the clouds.
Everyone's vision slowly returned.
The hundred-meter-tall 'God' was now riddled with holes. Wisps of black smoke rose from its body. Its four faces were twisted in agony, glaring at Helant with raw hatred.
Its spindly hand reached toward him.
Tch, only the most basic survival instincts… Helant was faintly disappointed. I had planned to gift you to Momonga for his collection, but there is no need now.
With a slight motion of his finger, he detonated the holy light within the 'God'.
In an instant, the battered deity collapsed from within. The black smoke melted away.
Moments later, the hundred-meter 'God' had vanished entirely.
"Huh..? We.. we are saved..?!!"
"L-Long live the Holy Domain God Lord!"
"Yeah! Long live the Holy Domain God Lord!"
"Long live the Holy Domain God Lord!!!"
The soldiers on the wall flung aside their weapons and ran to the other side to look into the city.
"We survived. The monster is dead!"
Cheers then erupted inside the city.
"Wonderful. Long live the Holy Domain God Lord!!"
"One strike and it is over!?" Remedios stared at the scattered motes the 'God' had left behind. Her jaw hung open. "Easier than a father spanking his son."
Clementine rolled her eyes. "That impressed you? When the Holy Domain God Lord's true form descends, you will probably die of fright."
Quaiesse looked up. His gaze settled on Helant. "Once Zinedine's plan succeeds, humanity will have a god of its own."
Zesshi Zetsumei's mismatched eyes reflected Helant's figure. Her pretty face showed open admiration. Only someone who can summon a god is worthy of me.
To her, the Holy Domain God Lord, visible yet intangible, mattered less than Helant, who was right there and solid.
High above, the Platinum Dragon Lord's heart surged. He could not calm himself.
He had just cast Wild Magic and, without revealing himself, judged that the Holy Domain God Lord's mere phantom rivaled a True Dragon Lord.
"Hard to imagine how mighty the Holy Domain God Lord's true form must be!"
Still… his gaze shifted back to Helant, and he relaxed slightly.
"If my guess is right, the key to summoning the Holy Domain God Lord lies with him. If I can remove Plah-yers and the NPCs' resurrection, perhaps I can bar the Holy Domain God Lord from this world forever."
From what he had heard in E-Rantel and the snippets about Faith Power, the Platinum Dragon Lord concluded that Helant was clearly a special NPC on a unique mission.
He inferred that some kind of seal might rest upon the Holy Domain God Lord.
Otherwise, with Players' temperament, they would have copied the Eight Greed Kings and conquered the world long ago.
Was it wary of us?
Possible. If Players stood alone, that would make sense.
After all, apart from the Dragon Emperor's doomsday research, dragonkind boasted True Dragon Lords whose strength matched the top fighters among Players.
With that, the Platinum Dragon Lord's mind settled on an answer. A lone, possibly sealed, top-tier Player fighter.
His draconic eyes shone as he looked downward.
That answer still needed proof.
...
Helant had just landed on the wall when a soft, fragrant body slammed into him.
He patted Calca's back with a laugh. "See? Not a single person had to die."
Calca stepped back, smiling gently. "Several tens of thousands did die."
The private army elites of those nobles had been wiped out, while her own gentle subjects were safe.
That left Calca in excellent spirits. She turned toward the base of the wall, where Caspond and the nobles stood amid the corpses of their soldiers.
"Now it is time to deal with the chief culprit."
"Impossible. The god did not even have the power to resist!" Caspond clutched his saddle, spinning in disbelief toward the Satyr. "The god is dead?!"
The Satyr's hand shook so badly while stroking his beard that he tore several hairs out. "Your god is dead. I am finished alongside you."
With the strongest fighter gone, he doubted he could escape.
"As expected…"
Swoosh!
A hand of light appeared before him. It dazzled him to tears and blurred his sight.
The Satyr felt the fat bodies of the panic-stricken nobles pressing around him.
Bang!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Caspond, the Satyr, and the nobles were flung against the wall by the giant hand. They collapsed before the soldiers.
"Arrg!"
Calca regarded these parasites of the nation with an icy expression. "Now we settle accounts."
The nobles turned deathly pale. They kowtowed frantically. "Your Highness the Holy Queen, spare us! We were coerced by Caspond!"
As they kowtowed, they sneaked glances at Helant, thinking, My respected Holy Queen, if only you had told us you knew such a mighty man!
Had we known, we would have been your loyal supporters, the nobles who loved the people most!
Now that fool Caspond has lost his entire army, and we are prisoners.
It feels as if someone planned it all…
The more they thought, the harder they knocked their heads. Their fat faces jiggled with each impact.
Calca looked away in disgust and turned to her foolish brother.
____
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