"You have changed so much that I can't recognize you at the beginning."
Lord Indra spoke, his booming voice cutting effortlessly through the oppressive silence of the battlefield. The King of the Hindu Gods floated amidst the crackling storm, his eyes narrowing as he took in the horrifying, majestic metamorphosis of Finn's face and aura.
Despite the sheer, world-ending gravity radiating from the newly ascended Demon King, Indra's decision remained absolute. He still needed Cao Cao as a vital pawn on his cosmic chessboard—at least for now. Cao Cao had undoubtedly made a reckless mess that would make any sane entity want to execute him, but to Indra, the human hero retained a specific, irreplaceable value.
As for the rest of the Hero Faction? Indra couldn't care less. They were weak.
"I have no interest in the remnants of the Hero Faction," Indra stated arrogantly, resting a hand on his hip. "You may keep the rest of those Longinuses for your lovers as compensation."
It was a slight shame to lose absolute, reality-warping weapons like Dimension Lost and Annihilation Maker; they would have been highly useful in Indra's future holy wars. But their wielders had perished, and offering the artifacts to Finn served a dual purpose. It functioned as capital to ease the diplomatic tension, and it was a cautious peace offering to a being whose power had just skyrocketed beyond comprehension.
It is as if he isn't even standing there, Indra thought, a rare prickle of unease crawling up his spine.
If there was one absolute trait that placed Indra at the pinnacle of the pantheons as the King of Gods, it was his peerless clairvoyance. Nothing in the universe could hide from his gaze. He could read the past, the present, and the potential futures. He could see through organic flesh, inorganic matter, and gaze directly into the hearts and intentions of all living beings. His divine sight was as absolute and far-reaching as the lightning he commanded.
Yet, looking at Finn was like staring into a cosmic void.
Finn's presence completely eclipsed the light. Where he stood, absolute darkness reigned. Indra's infallible clairvoyance completely slid off the young Devil, utterly failing to read a single thought, past event, or future outcome. Finn was like a sentient black hole that had perfectly assimilated into the environment—an anomaly capable of destroying the world, yet entirely undetectable by divine senses.
Finn's eerie, abyssal existence made the King of Gods deeply uncomfortable. Yet, Indra was used to standing at the absolute top of the food chain. He had never entertained the thought that his commands might be rejected.
He was Indra! The Emperor of the Heavens!
In his mind, stepping down from his throne to personally ask Finn to "give him some face" and letting Finn keep two top-tier Longinuses was an act of unfathomable, divine generosity.
Hearing the god's decree, Cao Cao finally let out a ragged, trembling sigh of relief. He slumped against his spear, his body battered and broken. I am saved. In front of Indra, who would ever dare to raise a blade? Unless the Devils actively wished for the planet to be split in two, they had to swallow their pride and forgive him.
It is truly good to have a powerful backer, Cao Cao thought bitterly.
"Oi, oi! Hold on a second!"
Azazel stepped forward from the crimson barrier, his twelve black wings flaring aggressively. "Is that really how you're going to play this? You just waltz in here and take away the prime criminal who nearly destroyed our peace treaty?!"
"I am speaking to the Balam boy, you little crow," Indra sneered, looking down at the Governor of the Grigori with undisguised contempt. "Do you honestly believe you have the right to address me with your puny, insignificant power?"
"Is that how you talk after actively funding a terrorist attack?!" Azazel barked, his eyes flashing with raw anger. "You are deeply involved with the Khaos Brigade, aren't you, Indra?!"
The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere violently shifted. Sirzechs Lucifer and Michael instantly stepped up beside Azazel, their respective demonic and holy auras flaring to life. If Indra was genuinely backing the Khaos Brigade, he wasn't just a rude deity—he was the active enemy of the Three Factions!
Indra frowned. If it had just been Sirzechs, he wouldn't have cared. But looking at the united front of the Crimson Satan, the Archangel, the Grigori Governor, and—most importantly—the terrifying abyss that was Finn Balam... Indra knew he couldn't simply dismiss them.
How had Azazel uncovered his shadow involvement so quickly?
The answer lay shivering on the sidelines. Katarea Leviathan. To save her own miserable life after being captured, the fake Maou had spilled every single dirty secret the Khaos Brigade held.
"Very well. I will officially acknowledge your little peace treaty," Indra conceded smoothly, his voice echoing with divine authority. "You may consider me a passive sponsor of your unified alliance from this day forward."
Indra would be lying if he claimed ignorance regarding the Khaos Brigade. He had actively guided the Hero Faction from the shadows. Without his divine patronage, Cao Cao never would have reached his current heights.
"Is that concession enough?" Indra asked, crossing his arms.
It was a massive, unprecedented diplomatic victory. The leaders of the Three Factions—Azazel, Michael, and Sirzechs—exchanged stunned glances. They fully realized that the only reason a supreme, arrogant deity like Indra was backing down and validating their treaty was because of the terrifying, absolute deterrence standing silently in the courtyard: Finn Balam.
Having the Hindu Pantheon officially acknowledge their alliance secured a peaceful, incredibly bright future for the Angels, Fallen, and Devils.
Everyone collectively sighed in relief, the tension finally leaving their shoulders. The war was over.
RIP!
"Guh...!"
A sickening, wet tearing sound violently shattered the peace.
Blood suddenly geysered from Cao Cao's mouth, ears, and eyes. The human hero let out a choked, gurgling gasp as he was violently lifted off his feet.
Finn had moved faster than light itself. His hand was buried deep inside Cao Cao's chest. With a brutal, merciless yank, Finn completely ripped the glowing, golden essence of the True Longinus right out of the hero's soul.
"Asia, heal him," Finn commanded, his voice utterly devoid of emotion.
"Ah... Y-Yes!"
Asia reacted purely on instinct. She pointed a trembling hand, and a brilliant, emerald beam of Twilight Healing washed over the collapsing hero. The massive hole in Cao Cao's chest violently stitched itself closed. His fading heartbeat steadied.
He didn't die. But as Cao Cao collapsed onto the blood-soaked concrete, twitching and coughing up blood, he was utterly, permanently stripped of his divine power. He was now nothing but a frail, broken human.
"I didn't kill him," Finn said lazily, holding the violently vibrating, blinding core of the True Longinus in his hand. He looked up directly into the raging storm. "I gave you face by letting him live. Now, you should give me face. Because this belongs to me."
The holy Will within the True Longinus screamed, unleashing a blinding, searing heat that tried to burn Finn's arm to ash. Finn simply ignored it. His right eye flashed gold. Utilizing the assimilation authority of his Etymologist skill, the blinding holy light was instantly devoured and sealed deep within his abyssal core, waiting to be fully digested later.
Despite Indra having lent Finn his divine army to crush the Shinto pantheon previously, the King of Gods was not a being who tolerated technicalities or blatant disrespect.
The heavens above Kuoh Academy literally cracked. The thunder didn't just roar; it screamed with apocalyptic fury. The sheer, unadulterated killing intent of a Chief God crashed down upon the courtyard.
"Did you honestly think I wouldn't kill you for that, you insolent brat?!" Indra roared, the sky splitting open with divine wrath.