Hmm?
Lucifer felt a strange aura and slightly furrowed one eyebrow.
What is this unusually unsettling and irritating feeling? It feels somewhat familiar.
“Your Holiness?”
A nearby priest tilted his head and called out to him.
“What’s the matter? You look worried.”
Ignoring the priest’s words, Lucifer slowly raised his gaze and looked at the people around him.
Those dressed in spotless white priest robes were waiting for Lucifer to speak at the large round table.
Lucifer, with the face of a pope, slowly blinked.
“Out of the thirty gathered here, twenty-two are not human.”
“…..…What?”
The priest, who was initially worried about Lucifer’s well-being, widened his eyes in shock.
Twenty-two are not human?
Did he talking about Demons?
He instinctively moved backward, trying to distance himself from the table.
But,
Shing!
Someone beside him drew a sword faster.
“What the…!”
“Aaargh!”
Chaos ensued.
Twenty-two angels versus eight humans. The outcome was clear.
The once pristine conference room was soon drenched in blood, but Lucifer remained unfazed. As soon as he touched his cheek with his palm, the face of the old pope disappeared, revealing his true face. He brushed back his long hair and nodded.
“I told you not to cut their heads off. It’s hard to reattach them.”
“….…I’m sorry.”
“What can I expect from you?”
Lucifer clicked his tongue and stretched his neck, his eyes sparkling as he looked at the fallen bodies.
These humans were dead.
But he planned to revive them.
To be precise, he intended to bring back the angels who died in the Celestial-Demon War using these human bodies.
However, the downside was that not many humans were suitable to serve as vessels for the angels. Even killing ten might not yield one useful body.
But he couldn’t just leave the other nine corpses. While he desired to exterminate all humans, doing so would arouse suspicion among other humans, potentially hindering his plans.
Thus, Lucifer made the remaining nine corpses appear ‘alive.’
“Make the rest seem like they’re still at their usual tasks.”
“Do you mean to summon the monsters?”
“Yes.”
He intended to do this by infusing them with demons from the demon realm.
This was quite an effective method.
Even if, by some rare chance, this plan was exposed, he could shift the blame onto the demons, avoiding responsibility.
Moreover, reviving them with demonic power made them immensely strong, becoming Lucifer’s forces, which was beneficial.
Lucifer smiled and wrinkled his nose.
“You’re still too slow.”
“……….”
“You still haven’t dealt with all the humans in the central temple.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, no. It’s not your fault. It’s the humans who don’t listen to orders.”
He stomped on a corpse’s hand and lifted his head.
“What should I do? What should I…?”
“………..”
“Should I just kill them all? Huh?”
The one beside him didn’t answer. Lucifer didn’t seem to expect an answer, muttering repeatedly.
“I have to deal with the ridiculous demons, the stupid humans, and make sure the world flows as it should… Even if I had ten bodies, it wouldn’t be enough.”
Despite his complaints, Lucifer’s face was exceptionally radiant.
He seemed more alive than ever, as if he had been revived for this purpose.
“But isn’t it wonderful to have so much to do? It’s much better than being trapped while dead.”
He remembered the moment he was pierced by the demon king’s spear.
But that was in the past.
The future changes based on his choices.
“Nothing will stand in our way now.”
With this conviction, Lucifer laughed heartily and strode across the conference room.
The demons had lost their power, and the god who governed the world had been driven out.
Lucifer had mastered dark magic and became the proxy of the god who governed the world.
Could there be anything more perfect?
He was certain that nothing could stop him, and nothing would exist to challenge him.
“…….Hmm?”
But why did he keep feeling that strange aura?
A disturbing and irritating feeling.
He couldn’t identify it clearly, but it felt ominous… no, that wasn’t it.
‘It must be my imagination.’
Lucifer deliberately ignored it. He didn’t want to admit that his choice was wrong.
***
[SYSTEM]
Ta-da! The system has returned stronger than ever! Please welcome it with applause!
“What nonsense, really.”
Shekina sighed deeply, brushing her hair back. She looked around.
Yuriel, Dehan, Arthur, the twins, Han. They were all frozen, not even breathing. Time had stopped.
“Are you kidding me?”
Shekina ground her teeth.
“After hiding all this time, you suddenly appear and stop time?”
Ring!
[SYSTEM]
You wouldn’t notice me otherwise! This is my way of courting you.
“Seriously, I just want to punch you once.”
Shekina was annoyed.
The system, which had suddenly appeared, seemed to be blocking her path. No, she had almost forgotten about the system since it rarely showed up.
Why think about something that didn’t protect her in dangerous moments?
And now it appears out of nowhere in this situation?
Shekina’s eyes narrowed.
“If you have something to say, say it quickly and get lost. I’m busy.”
Ring!
[SYSTEM]
You say that, but I know you missed me. I understand your feelings, so… okay, stop glaring at me.
[SYSTEM]
You have uncovered the ‘Secret of the World!’ Allow me to explain further!
Immediately, Shekina’s vision turned white, and with a buzzing sound, a hologram unfolded before her.
Shekina watched the unfolding vision without surprise. The hologram revealed things she had anticipated.
Han appeared in the vision, killing the emperor with a single stroke and leaving with a sad expression.
Then the crown prince appeared, laughing over the emperor’s corpse and opening the window to welcome a new presence.
‘…….As I thought.’
It was Lucifer who entered the room. They exchanged silent communication and then began actions Shekina had expected. Yes, it was dark magic.
‘The crown prince was pretending to be the emperor with Lucifer’s help.’
Although she had suspicions and circumstantial evidence, she now had confirmation. Sekina clenched her small fists tightly.
“So what?”
Shekina glared into the empty space.
“I knew Lucifer was using dark magic. So what? What is this ‘Scenario 2’ about?”
Ring!
[SYSTEM]
The original plan was to thwart Lucifer’s plot, but you did such a great job!
[SYSTEM]
I have a new scenario for you.
Would you like to accept it? Y/Y
Are you kidding me? There’s only ‘Yes’ as an option.
This bastard is pulling this crap again.
Shekina gritted her teeth.
“I’m not doing it.”
A new scenario, my ass.
I’ve been through hell because of this system.
I don’t want to go through that hell again. Shekina shook her head.
“Why should I listen to you? I’ll do what I want.”
The air slightly distorted, and then large letters appeared.
[SYSTEM]
Then you can stay trapped in this moment forever!
No one can move, no one can enter, no one can exert power in this frozen time!
[SYSTEM]
This spell is my secret weapon!
No other being can break this spell. So, give up!
It probably was true.
Stopping time itself was an incredibly impressive feat.
Since the system was presumed to be ‘God,’ and it claimed to have become stronger, there was likely no one who could undo this spell. Not even the Demon King.
[SYSTEM]
Oh, should I let the bodies of others’ time flow? Then you can watch them age and die while being unable to do anything!
“You crazy…! Hey!”
Is that lunatic for real?
[SYSTEM]
Will you accept the new scenario? Y/Y
Haaa…
Shekina bowed her head, running her hand down her face.
This damned system.
To think it would blackmail someone like this.
I don’t want to give in to threats.
But what choice do I have? Time has stopped, there’s no way out, and no one can come to save me.
As much as I hated and was annoyed by this damn system, there was no choice. Accepting the scenario was a hundred times better than being trapped forever.
‘……There’s no one to help me anyway.’
Shekina smiled bitterly and slowly lifted her head.
‘There’s no other choice.’
Just as Shekina was about to open her mouth,
Boom!
Something broke with a loud crash, and the door burst open. No, it shattered into pieces.
[SYSTEM]
…Huh?
“Huh?”
Shekina and the system both said the same thing at the same time, looking at the broken door.
And they saw the same thing.
“…Boss?”
It was the Demon King, Lucart, with an angrier face than ever before.
[SYSTEM]
Oh, no. It wasn’t supposed to be broken like this…
