“Black Hole?!” (Karen)

The ultimate destruction method of Haine-san.

Are you telling me Lucifer can also utilize that?!

“Kuh!” (Karen)

I immediately release a ‘Holy Light Line’ towards the Black Hole.

But the line of light couldn’t even arrive at the Black Hole, was bended by an invisible strength, and was sent to who knows where.

“It is pointless. With that measly light power of yours, it will be caught by the gravity barrier, and won’t reach the Black Hole’s core.” (Ates)

“No way…!” (Karen)

Even though I heard that darkness is the only method to go against darkness!

“The only Black Hole you have seen must have been the one at Ishtar Blaze that erased Mantle, right?!” (Ates)

“Ugh…”

“The Black Hole that’s being created by Lucifer right now is on a different level from that one. It is a standard Black Hole. It is the original scale used to destroy the world, that is.” (Ates)

Destroying…the world…

“That’s the true purpose of a Black Hole. And yet, that personage was so attached to this world that he only used the minimum size of the Black Hole when creating it… How saddening.” (Ates)

Ates’ expression distorts.

“That personage that holds the ultimate power in the world had restricted his own almightiness for the sake of stupid living beings like humans. To not be able to use his all as he wished. Just by looking at that point, you humans are all sinful!!” (Ates)

She directed a gaze filled with hatred.

“But that’s all over now. I was thinking of playing around with you all before crushing you, but I don’t feel like it anymore. Disappear inside the Black Hole altogether with the world!!” (Ates)

“Why?!” (Celestis)

Celestis-chan refutes as if biting.

“We know about your objective! In order to live eternity together with your beloved Dark God, you wanted to create a new world with that Lucifer, and shut inside there with only you two, right?!” (Celestis)

Ignoring the other party’s will.

That may simply be how the wicked Light Goddess does things though.

“In that case, as long as you create the new world, there’s no need to care about the old world. The existence of this world should have nothing to do with your objective! How about just leaving us alone and you go to your Eden?!” (Celestis)

“That’s not it.” (Ates)

Ates promptly denies her.

“For me, destroying this world holds as much priority as making Lucifer into a new world.” (Ates)

“W-What?!” (Celestis)

“You paltry humans, when moving to another house, you would clean the old house, right? After refreshing yourself in this way, you can move to your new home with a clear mind, right? It is the same as that.” (Ates)

Old house…cleaning?!

“You humans are the trash that deceived my beloved Dark God. There’s the need to erase every single speck of trash. Without doing that, that personage wouldn’t be able to cut ties with his old world, and my revenge wouldn’t dissipate.” (Ates)

“This woman!! What crazy stuff is she spewing!!” (Celestis)

“Also, who knows what the four Base Elements and the other Inflation would do if left alone. It is fine to just erase them together with this world. And then, after squaring all accounts, Entropy and I can fully enjoy our own Eden.” (Ates)

This person…this God…is crazy!!

As long as she and her loved one are there, there’s no need for anything more. No, there cannot be anything more.

That’s why her ultimate selfishness of erasing everything without leaving anything behind is the worse kind of selfishness.

“And so, please properly disappear as well, okay? This is the order of the God that created you people. You will obviously obey, right?” (Ates)

“We refuse!” (Karen)

I spoke.

“Even if you are a God, we will not allow you to decide our fate arbitrarily. There’s no one but ourselves who can decide our own fate.” (Karen)

“How selfish. Since when did humans become so prideful?” (Ates)

“From the very beginning.” (Karen)

Since the moment the humans were born in this world by the hands of the Gods.

“The Gods that created us had blessed us humans. They acknowledged that we have splendid strength and potential. That blessing is the foundation of our pride.” (Karen)

We have seen it.

At that Underworld Country, when we went to the consciousness world, we experienced the Genesis era with our eyes, with our senses.

That’s why we know.

Since the very moment we humans were born, the Dark God was happier than anyone.

And that God provided us with pride, blessings, potential, and also protected us from a variety of unfairness.

“The blessing that the Dark God gave to us humans, we ourselves can’t put it to waste!! Doing that would mean betraying the Gods, and betraying ourselves!” (Karen)

“Kh!!” (Ates)

Ates’ expression distorts into a scary countenance.

“Ates! No, Wicked Light Goddess! Your actions itself are the same as stepping on the blessing of the Dark God and smearing mud at it! The one who goes against the Dark God the most is you! You are the one that’s the furthest from the Dark God!” (Karen)

Someone like you…!

“We won’t lose! As the children of the Gods!!” (Karen)

“Indeed!” “Just as Karen-chi says!” “Right outta mah mouth-dasu!!” “Sound reasoning!”

The heroes gathered here felt the same way as me.

What we saw at the Underworld Country, it told us of our past history, as well as gave us pride.

That pride pushed our retreating legs…and made us walk forward.

History. What we inherited from the past was granting us pride!

“What did you say?!” (Ates)

Ates was groaning silently.

It was like a trembling that came from the bottom of the earth. A groan that came straight from hell.

“Me…going against Entropy-sama? That I am the one that is the furthest from Entropy-sama, you say?!” (Ates)

Ates screamed like a vengeful ghost.

“You have said what you shouldn’t have! You mere humans, how dare you insult me, the Light Goddess!!” (Ates)

“You are not the true Light Goddess! The true Light Goddess is…!” (Karen)

The one who has always been watching over us.

The one who watched over us in place of the absent Dark God with regret that would drive her to tears.

So pitiful, filled with deep love that would make you want to hug her; the true Light Goddess.

“For the sake of that person, I will defeat you! With the strength of everyone here!!” (Karen)

Light!

“Fire!” “Water!” “Earth-dasu!” “Wind!”

A combined element mixing all five elements.

With this concentration, we will crush Lucifer’s darkness!

“Fools! This is what you call getting way too ahead of yourselves! It is true that combining elements is an effective tactic. I will acknowledge that. But what point does it have in front of darkness!?!” (Ates)

Ates says with ridicule.

“It is presumptuous that humans are able to combine elements to create new ones which even Gods can’t manage to, but…no matter what combined element it is, it is powerless against darkness!! Just obediently get swallowed by the Black Hole!” (Ates)

That’s not it.

We know.

When we learned of the beginning of the world, we had already learned that the Dark God was the very beginning of this world.

That God was born first, and from that God himself, the idea of creating a world was reached.

In order to create a world with bountiful colors, Entropy understood that just the black color wouldn’t be enough. He separated himself in many parts, and created Gods aside from himself.

That is the Light Goddess.

Those are the Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind Gods.

“If we return the power of those Gods to one again…!” (Karen)

We five heroes with our five combined elements.

Reaching out to the past, we learned of the answer, so we were able to find a path to this conclusion.

“Let’s go, everyone!” (Karen)

““““YEAAAAH!!”””” “-Dasu!!”

Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Light; five elements combined…!

“Manifest! [Dark Matter]!!!”

• 402: Heroes of Darkness

“That’s impossible!!” (Ates)

Ates saw the dark matter that we created and was shocked.

From the hands that we five were holding, there was a dark swirl we were used to seeing.

“Dark matter?! The most precious and grand power…to think that humans would be able to wield it!!” (Ates)

Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Light; by combining all those elements, what comes after is ‘Darkness’.

The world was born from darkness to begin with.

That’s why, if we were to put together everything that shapes this world, it will reach to the source that is darkness.

“If we hadn’t seen the beginning of the world, we wouldn’t have been able to arrive to this power.” (Karen)

“Controlling divine power comes from the image you have after all. Even if we were to mix five elements, if we can’t imagine something clear coming out of it, we wouldn’t have arrived at darkness!” (Mirack)

“We did see the darkness of Haine-chi a number of times, but with only that, we would brush it off as just a phenomenon. There’s no way we would be able to see through its true nature.” (Celestis)

“Seeing the beginning of the world, we learned about how darkness gave everything to the world-dasu!” (Sasae)

“It is exactly now that we have learned about how much the Dark God loved this world and its humans that we are able to use the darkness!” (Hyue)

Dark matter comes out from us at an ever greater pace.

By using this power, we can fight against Lucifer.

“Let’s go, everyone. Before Lucifer can finish the Black Hole, we will crush it with our darkness!!” (Karen)

“““Yes!!”””” “-Dasu!”

A torrent of dark matter comes from our linked hands.

It was not inferior at all to the power that Haine-san normally wields.

The black matter of Lucifer was already about to turn into a Black Hole.

The gravity barrier it was creating was easily being negated by our dark matter wave, and got swallowed into the compressed core.

“Damn you!!” (Ates)

Ates’ shrilling voice was proof enough that this was a valid tactic.

“Swallowing all elements and erasing them; that’s the first property of dark matter!” (Karen)

Haine-san’s words.

“Just what would happen if dark matter clashes?!” (Karen)

“Wouldn’t this be the first time it has happened in history?” (Celestis)

Our dark matter against Lucifer’s dark matter.

“When a dark matter of a different party clashes, will they erase each other?!” (Karen)

“If that’s the case, then that’s fine! If we continue releasing dark matter, it would also mean that Lucifer won’t be able to add more dark matter to finish the Black Hole-de gozaru!” (Hyue)

It is just as Hyue-chan says.

For now, even if we are to drain ourselves, we have to continue releasing dark matter, and prevent Lucifer from finishing the Black Hole!

“If the Black Hole is finished, the world is done for! Think of this as us being in the brink of death and wring out all the strength you have!!” (Mirack)

Our darkness and Lucifer’s darkness.

The two darknesses are currently fighting each other, and it doesn’t look as if either side is in an advantage, but…

“Fools! Lucifer’s power is not only darkness!!” (Ates)

Ates had regained her composure.

“Lucifer is a perfect being that has obtained all elements. Moreover, its true essence is the Light Demon Lord! On top of that, the Light divine power is the only peerless way to defeat darkness!” (Ates)

“This is bad!” (Karen)

“With Lucifer’s light power, I will destroy your darkness!!” (Ates)

No good!

If it does that, we will be pushed aside in an instant!

But…Lucifer’s light attack didn’t come no matter how long we waited.

“?”

“…Tch! Can’t do it. The darkness of Lucifer and the light would be coming from the same source. If it were to release a different power, the Black Hole Lucifer is forming would also be erased as well…” (Ates)

Darkness can’t win against light.

Looks like that law is working even inside Lucifer.

And even if Ates were to use her light, at her range, it would simply be sucked into the Black Hole as well.

“The other four base elements as well can’t be used while the dark power is activated?! Lucifer is supposed to be perfect, and yet, to think there was such a restriction to its powers…!” (Ates)

“It is because you got greedy and tried taking everything! You are definitely the type that would fail in a diet and get crazy fat instead!!” (Celestis)

The strongest power in the world; darkness.

The usage of it is, as expected, difficult.

“Ha! Then, it is just a matter of pushing by force!” (Ates)

Lucifer stopped being at a loss and puts its all in pouring dark matter.

“Guaaaaaa?!”

“Dasuuuuuu!!”

The pressure we were receiving increased in an instant!!

“Even in a pure strength contest, it is impossible for a giant monster like Lucifer to lose against just five humans! Now then, let’s wait until you people run out of steam!!” (Ates)

Isn’t that the worse kind of situation?!

A giant monster and humans. Even if we were to just include the stamina, we are all just girls in our teens! We don’t hold that much stamina in ourselves!

Our secret plan that’s the dark matter, in the end, is only serving as buying time.

Moreover, once our stamina is gone, we will be one-sidedly pushed.

We have to think of a new plan, or things will just gradually worsen.

“…Can you please…leave it to me?” (Hyue)

Hyue-chan?

While continuing to release dark matter, Hyue-chan says this.

“If it goes well, we could break this stalemate. Of course, to our advantage. Can you please believe in me?” (Hyue)

“I will!” (Karen)

I answered immediately.

“Hyue-chan is a splendid wind hero after all! If Hyue-chan says she has a good idea, it will definitely go well! Isn’t that right?!” (Karen)

“Of course. There’s no ally I would trust as much with my back as Hyue after all!” (Mirack)

“In this party, Hyue-chi is the second most intelligent after me! I will be looking forward to what you bring out!!” (Celestis)

“I will leave it ta Hyue-neechan-dasu!!” (Sasae)

Mirack-chan, Celestis-chan, and Sasae-chan also quickly decided on trusting her.

Hyue-chan takes out some sort of cube embedded with what seems to be small jewels of different colors. Red, blue, yellow, green, and white.

“…Hngh!!” (Hyue)

Hyue-chan released a great amount of wind divine power as if hardening her resolve.

Then, she placed it at the hilt’s side and somehow it stuck onto it.

“This is a device that came about from researching the jewels and Lucifer itself. It is still a prototype, but it allows the same ability to change an element to other elements. The conversion rate is not that good yet and requires a lot of energy to bring it to a decent output. But as God Heroes, it is at an useable level.” (Hyue)

Hyue began explaining as she finishes what seemed to be her pouring divine power to it.

“Right now I have imbued as much wind divine power into the device as possible-de gozaru. The sync with other people is only required in the beginning of the combination, so as long as the element is present, you can still continue releasing it. With this, the five element combination will continue for a while more, and the dark matter won’t be cut off for now!” (Hyue)

“Meaning that, In that time, you will be settling your plan, right?” (Karen)

Hyue-chan silently nods, releases her hand, and flies off.

The individual enterprise of the Wind God Hero, Hyue-chan, was about to begin.