"How interesting..."
Standing at the center of everyone's attention, the elegant, gentlemanly youth wore a faint smile. Every movement he made seemed to tug at their heartstrings as he met their gazes and spoke softly.
"Isn't it? You've certainly found me a very interesting toy..."
It was somewhat humiliating, but Giada, Serafall, and the others all breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing those words.
At the very least, the World's Strongest, the man who currently held the lives of everyone present in his hands, seemed to be in a good mood. No matter how bad things became, he probably would not suddenly slaughter them all just because something displeased him.
As for whether calling them "interesting" was meant as an insult... they could hardly complain.
He had just saved the world. Anyone capable of saving the world was equally capable of destroying it. Who could possibly stop him?
Unless they were extraordinarily unlucky, most people in this world did not need to worry about being murdered while casually walking down the street. The strongest members of the major factions needed a stable world, so they had established rules and used them to restrain others on their own level.
The "World's Five Strongest," however, were five beings who existed outside the game board those factions had created. Any one of them could walk over and overturn the entire table whenever they pleased.
The major factions feared and despised them, yet also envied and resented them.
Among the "World's Five Strongest," Roland Augustus was the only one confirmed to be alive and willing to participate in the game they had created. Even if he had accomplished nothing at all, he would still naturally enjoy privileges far beyond those of the people who had written the rules.
The simplest example was changing those rules.
If they wanted to make even a minor revision, they first had to notify the rule-makers of the other factions, endure endless arguments, pay the necessary price, and then deal with the troublemakers who opposed everything simply for the sake of opposing it.
The man before them, on the other hand, could do whatever he wanted as long as he did not immediately sever the lifeline of some major faction. Everyone would tacitly accept it and treat any losses as the price of avoiding a greater disaster.
Why else would the world have tolerated Netheril's rise?
None of the factions across the three worlds were weak. The size of the pie had not increased, yet another giant had appeared to claim a share, and that share naturally came from everyone else.
They endured it because they could not defeat him. At the time, there had not even been anyone capable of keeping him in check.
Cid discreetly observed the emotional fluctuations coming from the people before him. Once he confirmed that they had indeed relaxed, the smile on his lips curled slightly higher, taking on a faintly malicious edge.
"But..."
The formally dressed youth deliberately lowered his voice as he slowly uttered those words.
It sounded as though he were merely changing the subject during an ordinary conversation, yet everyone watching him flinched. Their hearts, which had only just begun to settle, nearly leaped from their chests.
Still too inexperienced!
Cid inwardly smiled with malicious delight as he took in their reactions.
He loved watching people jump at every little thing, especially when they wore such serious expressions while analyzing settings he had casually invented.
"It's interesting enough to become troublesome. And once something becomes too troublesome, it stops being interesting and becomes disgusting."
That was the truth, so the revulsion in his voice was entirely genuine.
Surely, as long as Serafall and the others possessed even the slightest emotional awareness, they would understand that he was in a terrible mood.
Given a choice, Cid wanted to fight a humanoid boss with absurdly high attributes, unbelievable combat skill, and enough intelligence to use feints, adapt to changing circumstances, and give him the thrill of technique clashing against technique.
He did not want to fight a revolting mechanic-based boss with atrocious combat skills that relied entirely on overwhelming attributes. Its signature gimmick was, "It doesn't matter whether I die, because the world will be destroyed regardless."
Worse still, it was so enormous that he could not even engage it in close combat without transforming into Ultraman.
How could such a disgusting boss exist?
If it appeared in a game, the players would flood the developers with complaints.
The limited number of attempts he had to test his moves made it even worse.
In a straightforward battle, even if his opponent's raw attributes surpassed his own, Cid could happily overcome strength through technique. But against such underhanded mechanics, designed solely because the enemy could not win normally, there was little he could do.
He had nearly failed and been forced to flee.
As he recalled his battle with the Seated Angel, complaints and disgust welled up inside Cid once more.
Without him realizing it, a terrifying wave of resentment formed from highly concentrated Magical Power and radiated from his body, pressing heavily upon everyone's shoulders.
The sand and gravel on the ground began moving without wind, slowly drifting away from Cid on invisible currents. The ground, which had only just collapsed beneath the earlier gravitational pressure, began trembling again.
"Guh..."
Someone unconsciously let out a muffled groan.
The pressure from that immense resentment, so dense it was almost visible, struck everyone indiscriminately.
There was no longer any need for emotional awareness. Anyone with even a shred of reason could tell that the being who held their lives in his hands was in an extremely foul mood.
We're finished...
Serafall silently mourned her fate before exchanging glances with Giada and Azazel.
Clearly, none of them wanted to die here.
Judging by the situation, however, Roland had no intention of letting them leave.
That left only one option.
Attack together and run!
They understood one another without speaking.
No warrior powerful enough to reach their level possessed the will to simply stand still and wait for death. Since they had all reached the same conclusion, there was nothing more to discuss.
They would attack at the same time and flee at the same time. Whoever managed to escape would have to rely on their own ability.
Of course, their sudden unspoken plan depended on one crucial condition.
They needed to be able to move.
Move! Hurry up and move! Why won't my body move?!
They desperately tried to act, yet their bodies refused to respond.
It felt as though a mountain had been dropped onto each of them, forcing them to remain where they stood. Their bodies trembled faintly, but not one of them could utter a word.
Only now did these top-class warriors, who ranked among the strongest in the world, realize that they could not move beneath this pressure.
Their bodies' instinct for self-preservation had completely overwhelmed their will.
This was especially true for Giada, the Third Primogenitor.
To her astonishment, the Primogenitor's Beast Vassals inside her, which normally raged without pause from morning until night, had fallen completely silent.
They remained still, obedient as newborn kittens. Cute, docile, and harmless.
Under ordinary circumstances, if the Beast Vassals within her ever became this quiet, Giada would have given all her subordinates a holiday and declared a worldwide celebration.
But now, despite the heat, she felt as though she had plunged into an icy cavern. The chill in her heart instantly cleared her mind.
She would rather have her Beast Vassals become agitated, tear at her body, and approach a frenzy as they lashed out wildly.
At least that would prove she still possessed the ability to fight.
Seeing them behave like harmless kittens meant something entirely different.
At last, she understood why the First Primogenitor, after winning his resurrection match, had not sought out her or the Second Primogenitor to reclaim his dignity. Instead, he had warned them to run as far as they possibly could if they ever encountered Roland.
Giada wished she had never understood.
After dying and returning to life so many times over the years, she had never expected to truly die now.
How humiliating.
She would actually become the first of the Three Primogenitors to be permanently killed. Would her old friends laugh at her once she joined them below?
Cain certainly would...
No, forget it. Whether that man was alive or dead was still uncertain.
As Giada silently composed her final words, she dug up memories from ancient times that she had buried deep within herself over thousands of years. One by one, she recalled the friends she had known.
Ah... I regret it so much.
If I'd known I was going to die so soon, why did I care about deals or dignity? I should've thrown everything aside and taken a sip!
I'm going to die without ever tasting a single drop! Aaaah!
At the very end, someone unexpected appeared in Giada's memories.
It was a little one she had met only recently.
At that moment, the little one's alluring fragrance seemed to linger directly before her, richer and more tempting than ever.
After fighting for so many years, I never imagined I'd die in such a ridiculous way.
This is nothing like the death a magical girl like me deserves...
Compared to Giada, who had lived for thousands of years and valued entertainment so highly because of her boredom, Serafall's thoughts seemed relatively normal.
Then again, she was not normal either.
Aaaah!!! Sona-chan, how are you supposed to live without your Nee-san after I die?
Please, let my soul be reincarnated as Sona-chan's child so I can keep protecting her!
My Sona-chan is so innocent and pure. Without her Nee-san's protection, she'll definitely be bullied by the enemies of magical girls...
As though suddenly remembering something, Serafall glanced sideways.
Sona Sitri stood nearby, equally unable to move and covered in wounds.
Sona-chan, you're going to die too?!
My Sona-chan is going to die! Waaaaah!!!
Wait.
If Sona-chan and I die together, does that count as Sona-chan committing double suicide with me?
Setting aside Serafall's incomprehensible train of thought, perhaps the Fallen Angel Governor General, Azazel, would seem relatively normal by comparison.
No!
I don't want to die fighting a powerful enemy instead of dying against Gabriel's chest!
I don't want to be killed like this!
At least give me another few thousand years!
Given a choice, I want to die with Gabriel's breasts smothering my face until I suffocate...
Never mind.
He was insane too.
Perhaps it would be better to look at Rias...
No. The scenery in the distance was far more beautiful.
Just as everyone's lives flashed before their eyes and they began composing increasingly bizarre final messages, the immense pressure weighing upon their shoulders abruptly vanished.
Caught off guard, several people stumbled and nearly fell.
A few of them nervously raised their heads toward the youth in the silver white formal suit.
The invisible pressure on their bodies had disappeared, but the weight upon their hearts remained.
As long as the man before them was dissatisfied, their lives still rested in the hands of this great being.
Some wanted to speak and test his intentions, yet feared they might walk directly into danger and be casually killed. The terrifying pressure Roland had released moments earlier could not have been faked.
They could only exchange hopeful looks, silently wishing that someone else would be brave enough to speak first.
Yet from beginning to end, not a single person dared to open their mouth.
Everyone instead tried to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible, and the scene gradually fell silent.
Did something important just happen?
Cid was puzzled by the eerie, silent, and awkward atmosphere around him, along with the countless bizarre emotions that had appeared on another plane during those few brief seconds.
He had only complained inwardly for a while, grumbled about that absurd and infuriating monster mechanic, and let his mind wander.
Why had everyone's emotions changed so drastically, as though he had almost transported them into another world?
As for why his mind had wandered, that was perfectly normal.
He could stare intently at two ants tangled together in battle. But if he watched two ants moving their nest, while he could still watch, his mind might drift for a moment and stage an entire battle between Optimus Prime and Godzilla.
By the time he returned to his senses, the ants would have vanished.
That was more or less what had happened.
Still, what exactly had occurred just now?
Everything had seemed perfectly normal before.
"I hate trouble, and I hate it when someone uses something I despise to disgust me. So if a person manages to do both at once, I suppose I would naturally hate that person as well."
The man in the silver white formal suit spoke with mild confusion. His voice was gentle and refined, warm as a spring breeze, yet no one dared respond.
Seeing this, the black-haired youth said nothing more. He merely shrugged as though he had expected their silence, then slowly walked toward Katerea, who remained pinned to the ground.
"What are you planning to do?!"
Katerea had been conscious the entire time.
She had merely pretended not to hear or speak, waiting for someone to return her to the Underworld so she could be rescued.
When she saw the most terrifying being present walking toward her, however, she could no longer stop herself from screaming.
"Kill you."
His voice was calm and matter-of-fact.
Katerea shrieked and twisted desperately, struggling to escape, but a Magic Circle descended from above and pinned her firmly in place.
"No! You can't kill me! I'm an ancient noble of the Underworld and an heir to the Leviathan bloodline! Only the Underworld has the authority to judge me! By doing this, you're making an enemy of the entire Underworld!"
Her hysterical shouting seemed to make the youth stop.
His gaze turned cold as he looked toward Serafall, who had opened her mouth several times but failed to speak.
"The Underworld... wishes to become the true underworld?"
That single sentence completely erased Serafall's desire to negotiate.
She shook her head like a rattle, firmly denying any connection to Katerea. Then she made a courteous gesture, inviting Cid to do as he pleased.
"Wait! Don't kill me! Please don't kill me! I can be useful to you! I can tell you most of the Underworld's secrets! I also know the secrets of the Hero Faction! I really can help you! Stop! Please stop..."
Ignoring her screams, the youth stopped in front of Katerea.
One Magic Circle after another lit up in the air, illuminating her deathly pale face.
"Stop! Stop! Please stop!"
There was no helping it.
The mood had already been set. Unless someone died, no one would feel at ease.
For everyone's sake, so they could finally have a normal conversation, she would have to die.
With that thought, Cid struck.