For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

“This is insane.”

A birthing chamber for the Grotesque Proliferation.

To fully understand this, one needs to know how each Evil God was sealed and how they are released from their seals.

Essentially, sealing involved suppressing and confining an opponent with power. However, the Evil Gods of the late Great War were beings with divine power greater than that of the Good Gods.

No matter how great Rahim’s party was, sealing them by normal means was impossible.

Thus, they opted for an unconventional sealing method, one that used the nature of each god for a conceptual seal.

For instance, the Tainted Unity was confined in a place where there was nothing to consume, while the Reckless Roar was imprisoned where there was no one, including themself, to get angry at.

This technique was supposedly developed using parts of the sanctuaries of the Good Gods and Rebecca’s space magic.

Because of this kind of sealing, the seal on the Grotesque Proliferation was one that negated their very nature.

A world where nothing new is born. Thus, a space where, despite being vile, proliferation could not occur.

To escape this, what must one do? The Grotesque Proliferation answered this question with a method that was both simple and complex.

They could be reborn from outside.

Projecting power from within the seal while sealed would be extremely inefficient but not impossible.

With enough divine power, it was believed this could be achieved. Indeed, in H& A, the Grotesque Proliferation successfully revived.

But now, the situation is different, isn’t it?

I’d managed to crush the plans of the Evil Gods, though with some difficulty. They’d been revealed to the world without securing enough divine power to break free from their seals, leading to this hasty war.

Although the Grotesque Proliferation hadn’t directly suffered from me like the other Evil Gods, the lack of time to gather divine power would be the same.

How did they gather the power necessary for rebirth?

According to Solari, who rushed up after discovering the birthing chamber of the Grotesque Proliferation, the reason the Boiling Silence was quietly gathering bodies was for this purpose.

“That’s human sacrifice!”

“What?”

“The corpses of cultists and the living captives stuck in there! They were all offered as human sacrifices!”

“…The captives, sure, but we killed the cultists and monsters ourselves.”

“But from their perspective, they died fighting in a holy war. The very act of dying gloriously in battle, followed by offering their bodies, serves as a sacrifice!”

Solari explained that while it wouldn’t work without preparation, with the right setup, it could be done, though less efficiently.

“This was a misstep on our part. So, we’re not the only ones making plans, huh? Is there any way to stop it?”

“Yes! It’s not too late! If we destroy it now, all this will be for nothing!”

“Then our task is set.”

I pulled out the crystal ball connected to Milone from my inventory, explained the situation, and gathered all the party members, including Faye.

Soon, those who had been fighting outside returned. They entrusted the defense to the barrier while preparing something else.

With the location of the birthing chamber exposed and us openly on guard, the Grotesque Proliferation changed their strategy.

They withdrew all the followers who were aggressively trying to bring down Yggdrasil and began absorbing all but their senior officials into the birthing chamber.

Riiiiiippp.

The sickening sound of flesh being torn and joined. The living, the dead, the captives screaming in horror, and the cultists who threw themselves in with a smile.

Different individuals began to merge into one around the Grotesque Proliferation.

“Our bodies are uniting… this is an orgy!”

“No, no! I did everything you said! Save me! Please save me!”

“Oh God! I offer this body! Let there be more proliferation!”

Some offered themselves with ecstatic devotion, while others were forcibly dragged in by these cultists.

Grinding my teeth at the sight, I briefly explained the situation and our plan to the party, excluding Faye.

“…This is what we’ll do. I’ve already discussed it with Chancellor Milone. They will coordinate once we start.”

Everyone nodded with tense expressions. Indeed, who could remain calm when an Evil God was about to descend?

However, that didn’t mean they were afraid.

“Leave the vanguard to me, Brother.”

“Divine power is vulnerable to another God’s divine power. So we need to go first and shake things up.”

Helena and Solari growled, ready to charge at any moment.

The others, while tense and grim, showed no signs of fear. Perhaps they instinctively knew.

That running away here would be meaningless. That it was better to charge in and finish it.

If we’d been on defense until now, they would have to stop us this time.

After a brief discussion due to the lack of time, everyone started preparing their most powerful spells. The only exception was Helena, who jumped off the wall.

She blessed the knights of the Levantin Empire and the swordsmen from Alfheim who were waiting, then took the lead as she promised.

Helena gripped her mace, beginning to draw out her holy power.

A white fur cloak naturally draped over her shoulders, a holy relic given only to saints, began to glow, significantly enhancing her presence.

She must have fully summoned Solari into her body.

A blinding white light spread from her, filling the entire field of vision, but it slowly condensed until it became a gentle halo around Helena.

With all preparations complete, Helena raised her mace high, shouting with a resounding voice as she stomped the ground.

“The cultists shall be eradicated…!”

Waaahhhhhhhh!!!

The knights responded in kind, drawing their swords and following closely behind Helena.

Their energy was so overwhelming that, despite the ground being solid, their every step left behind a clear mark.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

Though they were merely running, their charge produced a sound akin to galloping hooves as they surged forward at an incredible speed.

Anything that stood in their way—whether cultists or monsters—had their skulls crushed and their bodies cleaved in two as the knights advanced with a terrifying ferocity.

They were nothing short of human weapons.

However, no matter how fierce their momentum, it was impossible to break through such a vast army entirely.

As the senior priests began to join the fray from behind, the speed of their charge noticeably slowed down.

But it didn’t matter. Their role wasn’t to smash every cultist’s head or destroy the birthing chamber anyway.

“Oh Lord! Grant me your presence! Let this humble servant borrow your justice!”

With Solari also fully present in her, Helena shouted the prayer that didn’t need to be spoken aloud, gripping her mace dripping with blood, and then… swung it down towards the sky.

At the same time, the clouds filling the sky parted slightly, allowing sunlight to seep through the gap.

The light soon took the shape of a giant lion’s paw, swiping its claws towards the ground.

Rumble!

Solari’s paw clashed with the Grotesque Proliferation’s defensive barrier. The result was a draw.

The barrier rippled like a curtain, clearly showing its damage but not breaking, and the strike shaped like Solari’s paw dissipated in midair as its power ran out.

But that was enough.

As the knights and swordsmen engaged the cultists and monsters, and Helena’s strike shook the barrier around the birthing chamber…

As if waiting for this very moment, the Circulating Life summoned the roots of the World Tree.

Crash.

The roots broke through the ground, rising high into the sky, then fell directly towards the birthing chamber of the Grotesque Proliferation.

Sharpened like giant spears, they rained down.

The barrier, already weakened from blocking Helena’s attack, finally reached its limit, shattering with a sound like breaking glass.

Shatter!

“Now is the time! Pour everything you have without holding back!”

Milone’s voice, amplified by magical devices, echoed loudly. Not long after, immense energy flow could be felt.

First to fly were arrows imbued with plenty of aura.

Like lasers, these arrows shot straight and fast, targeting the exposed flesh of the birthing chamber.

And what about the colorful spells flying right behind those arrows?

Led by the high-level magic of Iris and Iona, various mid- and low-level spells swam through the air like a school of fish.

With this, even the largest mass of flesh would be torn apart in an instant.

At this point, the assassins of the Boiling Silence could no longer remain hidden and began to show themselves.

Their numbers were surprisingly large. Perhaps they brought all their main forces.

Despite their valiant efforts, they couldn’t block all the attacks.

They managed to deflect or disperse most of the arrows, but against the subsequent spells, even using the power of Silence to dissipate magic was not enough to counter everything.

After all, with two high-level spells in the mix and only one cardinal from the Boiling Silence left, it was inevitable.

Iona’s spell was blocked when they threw themselves into the path, but Iris’s Elemental Burst couldn’t be stopped, leading to the death of most of the other assassins.

The remaining mid- and low-level spells then struck the unprotected mass of flesh.

Boom! Crush! Splash!

The birthing chamber burst, crushed, and tore, spewing red blood.

Although it hastily absorbed nearby followers with its tentacles to heal its wounds, this meant it had no other means except for regeneration.

In other words, it was time to push, even if it seemed excessive.

“[You who walk the winding, dark path, you who lurk in the gloomy valleys. By the authority of the sun, I command you. This is the flame of purification, the light of judgment. It is time to be crushed by your own karma.]”

I felt pain like my nerves burning and melting. My heart, which always supplied mana reliably, was now beating so hard it seemed ready to stop.

Indeed, using this twice in one day was too much of a strain on my body.

But I didn’t stop. I knew too well that there wouldn’t be another chance if not now.

Grabbing the reins of the mana trying to go wild, I forced out the trigger word.

“[Punishment!]”

As a gigantic magic circle was drawn in the sky, a chilling sense of loss came from my chest.

Feeling the precursor to mana exhaustion for the first time, I staggered, but Elisha beside me held me to keep me upright.

Half-leaning on her, I looked up to see a blazing greatsword falling from the sky.

It was a majestic sight, even for the second time. This should certainly deal significant damage.

…Or so I thought.

Crack.

The birthing chamber of the Grotesque Proliferation split wide, and from the gap, an elegant arm emerged.

An arm large enough to catch the falling greatsword.

Boom!

The sword twisted and shattered in the white hand. While it did cause an explosion due to the unstable combination… that explosion only managed to give the giant hand a slight scratch.

[Hmm. That was quite sharp.]

A voice both cozy and seductive, compelling one to face their inner desires regardless of gender.

Recognizing that familiar voice, I realized we were a bit too late.

The scales had already tipped.