The world has already ended. At those words, Shei sprang up.
"Demon King...! You knew about the destruction too!"
"You are greatly mistaken. Destruction does not occur from a single person's deviation. Pride? The Floating Castle? That is merely a trigger at best."
The Demon King is also aware of the Saintess's prophecy. The reason he did not answer Shei's voice claiming the world would perish if 'Pride' fell was not because he ignored it out of disbelief.
"The fundamental cause is power."
He simply did not respond because he already knew.
"Humans gaining power beyond their means, failing to control it, wielding it, and leading to the extinction of their entire race. That is destruction. Magic, alchemy, blood arts, divine power. If any of those powers goes even slightly astray, the world will perish. Any Demon God could effortlessly bring about the world's end."
The thoughts read from Ruel came to mind. The crises that had occurred time and again as the Demon God awakened. The unactualized destructions recorded in the prophetic book. Some were preemptively blocked, others barely cleaned up afterward, but all of them left massive scars on this world.
If destruction were to occur, whose fault would it be? The Demon God who dared to uncover forbidden knowledge? The rulers who sought to use the Demon God? The ordinary people caught up in it? The Saintess who read the prophecy but failed to prevent it?
Is it everyone's fault? Or is it no one's fault?
"Blue Tower Master. You said it yourself. Even if one were to fairly gift a sharp sword to everyone, those foolish humans would wield it to kill one another."
"Yes. That was in the context of black magic, though."
"It is not limited to black magic. Knowledge is a sharper sword than anything else, and the nations of the lower realm will sharpen that knowledge to wield it against one another. They will handle power beyond their capacity to control and cause disasters."
The Demon King is undeniably a human superior to all others. The conclusion the Blue Tower Master reached was also a realm he had arrived at long ago.
"To overcome that, intellect is required. Like the chosen people of this Floating Castle, there must be those who clearly understand the destructive power and limits of their own strength, can calculate the repercussions, and possess the intellect to judge and endure. If only the chosen people existed in the world, destruction would not visit. Even if it did, it would merely be the destruction of the ignorant masses."
He was a survivalist. Preparing for the destruction that would eventually come, he reached a conclusion on his own and found his answer. As the master of the Floating Castle, he will not perish. For he can live in the sky, harboring the seeds of civilization.
"It might even be better for the lower realm to be erased. It would be safer to eliminate the variables that are riddled with madness and foolishness, devoid of intellectual advancement."
The path the Blue Tower Master seeks to choose. At its extreme stands the Demon King. A god of cold logic, who distributes power and knowledge to the chosen people while offering no faith to the ignorant masses, is extending his hand.
Their intentions are the same, yet she cannot easily take his hand. Because she knows how wretched those abandoned by that cold logic would become.
Yet, standing in opposition is me. I, who say that a sword must be handed to everyone. The Blue Tower Master knows the inferiority of others just as well as she knows her own excellence. She knows they will not be able to wield power they cannot handle with wisdom.
'It feels as if my body is being torn in two.'
Morality and knowledge, emotion and reason clash. The Blue Tower Master, possessing both, likely wished to walk the middle path, but that is the most difficult thing in the world.
Amidst all that.
"No."
Shei butted in again, completely oblivious to the mood.
"We can do it."
This is the Shei I know. Yet, something feels different. While my intuition sensed a faint sense of discord, Shei looked straight at the Blue Tower Master and spoke.
"One by one. We fix. We prevent. We stop. If we keep making the effort. If we find every cause of destruction, persuade others, and continuously warn them of the danger... the world will not perish. Effort brings its reward."
"Do you believe that will happen?"
"Yes. It will. We've survived until now, haven't we?"
Shei tightly gripped Cheonaeng, which was planted next to the apple tree. Cheonaeng, having reached its limits from devouring 'Pride', resonated with a peculiar tremor.
"No one wants to die. No one desires destruction. Even the Demon God, and Saint Lene, sought to prevent it. Demon King, you are the same—you want to avoid destruction, don't you? If everyone's heart is the same, we can do it."
It was an irresponsible statement. Without any basis or proof, she was merely spouting vague optimism. It was exactly the kind of words the Demon King would intensely detest.
"It is merely talk."
"It's not just talk. There is proof. Right here."
Shei looked around, meeting the eyes of everyone left one by one. The Blue Tower Master, me, Cheonaeng and Jijan, and even the Demon King. Having taken everyone into her gaze, Shei spoke with conviction.
"You said it wouldn't be strange if the world ended at any moment, right? But it hasn't ended yet. In the end, we even stopped 'Pride' like this. We are still alive. We, who survived like a miracle, are the very proof."
Shei said those words with unwavering belief. It was bizarre. Having already gone through thirteen regressions and witnessed the end multiple times, she should be the last person to trust in anything.
Yet, Shei still held onto her faith. As absurd and foolish as it was.
The Demon King asked.
"So, what are you asking me to do?"
"Trust Elisha. She isn't trying to throw anything away. Justice, morality, reason, knowledge. She is trying to hold onto everything and let none of it slip."
"That merely means she is indecisive."
"Perhaps. But that's not what matters. What matters is her heart. We need humanity."
Humanity.
Such a hollow word. As long as humans exist, so too does humanity. Just as physical objects possess material properties, it is only natural that humans possess their own nature.
However, no one can explain what humanity actually is. Unless one is merely describing the biological traits of a human, those characteristics vary wildly, making them difficult to define as a single concept. Only in the sense that it is irreplaceable could one argue the word 'humanity' holds any meaning.
...In that sense.
The Blue Tower Master was the most human.
"Hughes chose you. He believed that if it were in your hands, the Demon God would be used solely for the sake of humanity. Hughes trusts you. And of course, I trust you too."
Shei looked squarely at the Blue Tower Master. Reminded of Elisha Celsius, her friend and colleague from the distant past.
That trust has nothing to do with this current iteration, yet it still remains in Shei's heart.
"It's okay to make mistakes. None of us are perfect anyway. As long as your heart is in the right place, you will definitely overcome this destruction someday."
The Blue Tower Master did not know where Shei's baseless faith came from. They were words the Blue Tower Master could never say, and could never bring herself to believe.
Yet, the faith reached her. Perhaps it was because these were the words of someone who had died over a dozen times, yet never truly abandoned that faith.
"Master. As you said. The ignorant masses of the lower realm are far too foolish. They will freely abuse the knowledge uncovered by the mages, completely ignorant of how dangerous that power is, and will die by their own reckless hands."
The Demon King was undeniably superior to the Blue Tower Master. However, that was not a reason for the Blue Tower Master to yield to the Demon King's will.
"But I was not outstanding from the very beginning either. I was young, arrogant, and narrow-minded. It was only after I learned that I came to understand power and responsibility, and I still have much left to learn. No matter how gifted I may be, there are undoubtedly people in this world who are superior to me."
She had filled in her shortcomings to become who she was today. It was the same for others. No being is perfect from birth.
"That is why I will teach them as well. So that those foolish, pitiful humans do not just die off recklessly where we cannot see."
The Blue Tower Master directly confronted her own inadequacies. Upon realizing that no one, including herself, was perfect, her heart grew considerably lighter. There is comfort in seeing each other's flaws; it proves that one is not the only one who falls short.
"Leaving dangerous power unattended will only lead to greater problems. One by one, I will properly inform and explain it to everyone. I will make certain they clearly understand what they are capable of."
The Blue Tower Master spoke, her resolve hardened. At her disciple's sudden shift in attitude, the Demon King actually grew concerned.
"Ignorance is a disease. An incurable genetic one, at that. No matter how much you believe in them, not everyone will possess a normal intellect."
"It's fine. I cannot abandon them anyway. If that is the case, I will teach them, no matter what it takes."
"Determination alone won't solve this, but..."
The Demon King scratched his head.
He was a survivalist. A mage so brilliant that he could foresee destruction even without prophecy. From his perspective, the Blue Tower Master's actions would be a futile endeavor, offering no help whatsoever.
However, he was also a rationalist.
"Well, do as you please."
He did not bother to lecture someone on wasting their own energy. He also stopped explaining. He knew that this kind of resolve could not be swayed by explanations.
"From a diversity perspective, having two Floating Castles wouldn't be a bad thing. If you wish to build your nest on the surface, you may do so. I consider black magic to be a power lacking in scalability, much like Qi Gong, but..."
"If more people survive, they will give rise to more mages."
"I will hold you to that. But keep this in mind: knowledge that cannot be passed on to others holds no value whatsoever."
The Demon King would rebuild the Floating Castle. He possessed near-omnipotent power. What he set out to do could not be stopped.
However, the Floating Castle had already fallen once. I had shattered that myth with my own hands. I had declared that the Floating Castle could descend to the earth at any time, that it was merely a tool, not some sacred idol.
So be it. My intended purpose was achieved. The humans of the lower realm, who had vaguely looked up to the Floating Castle, would welcome this mystical visit. They might be a little disappointed that the myth was shattered, but one becomes an adult when illusions are broken.
And to the Celsius family. I kept my promise. I gave you the Floating Castle. It sustained some damage from the fall, but you'll forgive that much.
Was this the conclusion of the Floating Castle affair? I had stopped 'Pride' and found the Demon God. I took a quick glance at the Spade card. Spade 5. The Apple of Universal Gravitation. It likely pertained to gravity, but there seemed to be something more to it. I needed to properly verify the scale and effects of its power...
It happened then. A subtle tremor was felt. At the same time, the Green Tower Master's shrill cry was carried over the fierce wind.
"Master!"
It was a sound magic utilizing wind magic. The vibration resonated through the entire meteorite, transmitting the sound. It was a fairly large-scale spell; was there some news that needed to be conveyed this urgently now that everything was over? Just how urgent was it...?
"Dodge! The monster...!"
"Splitting firewood."
That voice was 'severed' by something.
*Cleaaave.*
It sounded like the noise made when an axe cleanly splits a piece of firewood. The sound alone was refreshing. Simultaneously, a crisp breeze blew into the interior of 'Pride'.
"Hughes! Watch out!"
Swept up in that bizarre sense of exhilaration, I snapped back to my senses at Shei's frantic voice. I quickly grabbed whatever was within reach.
*Cleaaaave.*
'Pride' split down the middle and collapsed to either side.
Massive, solid, heavy, and imbued with mana. It was 'Pride', which even Shei and the Blue Tower Master had no choice but to dig into like moles. I had breathed a sigh of relief that such a grotesque thing hadn't plummeted to the earth.
Yet the meteorite that had been a disaster for the entire world had been sliced in half in a single stroke, like firewood placed on a chopping block.
"Determinism!"
Fearing the bisected meteorite might crash into the residential areas, the Blue Tower Master created supports out of ice. The collapsing meteorite barely came to a halt.
The cross-section of the bisected meteorite was incredibly smooth. Thanks to being cut in a single stroke. It was unnervingly clean. I could have been sliced along with it if things had gone awry, but as I was intoxicated by the inexplicable sense of exhilaration, a sudden feeling of discord washed over me.
These aren't my emotions.
Someone else's mental imagery was filling the space. The imagery of someone feeling pure exhilaration from slicing the meteorite in half.
"It's not over yet. Like it or not, 'Pride' posed a substantial threat to the Empire! The timing may be different from before, but he will come!"
I recalled the sword slash that had brushed past my eyes when we were blocking the falling meteorite. I couldn't read or sense it, but a slash that erupted from somewhere had severed both the Floating Castle and 'Pride' simultaneously.
Shei had claimed it was the Sword Saint's slash, but that wasn't information I had read. I had merely guessed vaguely that it was a slash that transcended space.
However. He has come here in person. Now that I am reading his thoughts directly, I understand.
That thing.
Is a monster.
"The Sword Saint!"
"The leader of the Mado Federation. The Demon King."
Sword Saint.
He bore nothing that proved who he was. His appearance was so ordinary he could have been a commoner walking down the street. His posture was upright, his jaw lean. His slicked-back hair fully exposed his forehead. His frame was large, but it didn't stand out particularly at a glance.
However, what caught the eye was the single sword. I couldn't tear my eyes away from it.
"The meteor fall caused by you constitutes an act of rebellion targeting the Empire. It has inflicted property and human casualties upon several vassal states, and posed a threat to the order and peace of the Empire."
It was a straight sword. It lacked anything resembling a handguard. A sword that extended straight without any ornamentation. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't exceptional either. It could be called a sword strictly faithful to its purpose.
And yet, the world resided within it.
"That is sufficient reason to cut you down."
And the Sword Saint smoothly swung his sword down. At a distance far out of reach.
Yet.
"Single-Layer Slash."
*Spurt*, blood splattered.
That blood did not flow. Because the Demon King's surroundings were partitioned by an invisible space. He was draped in an unreachable space, like armor, that even my telepathy could not reach.
"It is far. But I have already done it once before."
The principle transcended space, precisely severing one layer of the Demon King's body. Following the tip of the sword, the meteorite was destroyed. A fissure was etched into the world.
Li.
If the Innate Demonic Path is the imagery of the world, then Li is the imagery of a single human. A human who observes, experiences, and defines the world, conversely twisting it to turn the unreal into reality.
What he slashes is not physical matter. It is the principle. By severing worldly logic, he turns the impossible into the possible. He shatters the rules and rebels against the world.
"Master!!"
Along with a piercing scream.
The Demon King's upper half, his eyes wide open, slipped from his waist.