The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned
Chapter 291

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Chapter 291: Demon God Dale (8)

"What the hell is…?"

Pope Marianne gaped in shock, unable to comprehend the situation unfolding before her eyes.

Even if the negotiations hadn’t gone smoothly, she never imagined someone would launch a direct attack with all the Masters gathered in one place.

"A-Are you insane?!"

"Well, that’s what I’d like to ask you."

With a nonchalant shrug, my calm expression only made Pope Marianne's face twist in fury.

“Johann!”

“Grrrk…!”

Johann sprang to his feet, drawing his sword.

"You bastard!!!"

Even so, a Master is still a Master.

Despite smashing his head through a solid oak table—so tough it could dent steel thanks to special magical processing—he only had a minor scratch on his forehead, no serious injury.

Shing!

His blade shimmered with a brilliant white aura as it sliced through the air.

Fwoosh!

Was this what you'd get if you polished "fundamentals" to the extreme?

There was no dazzling flair, no flashy tricks.

But the arc of his blade was so graceful it evoked spontaneous awe.

‘Still, it's pointless.’

Watching the sword come at me, I smirked.

Johann's swordsmanship was so complete it deserved the title "Sword of the Holy Kingdom."

‘But that’s all it is.’

Ashen flames ignited and wrapped around my body.

A tremendous surge of mana burst from my stigma, flooding my body.

Fwoooosh!

“Ugh!”

I didn’t even need to draw a weapon.

Just releasing raw mana was enough to visibly slow down Johann’s once-fierce sword strike.

The difference in mana alone made comparison meaningless.

If mana among heroes is like a weight class, then the difference between me and Johann was greater than that between a five-year-old child and a grown man.

‘It wasn’t always this lopsided, though.’

High risk, high reward.

By absorbing the remnants of the Demon God, I had taken on the risk of possibly turning the world to ashes.

But in return, I had gained fitting power.

“Johann!”

Pope Marianne suddenly erupted with radiant white light.

Brilliant waves of light surged from her and flowed into Johann’s body.

“Haaaaah!”

Just receiving her blessing caused Johann’s mana to multiply two- or threefold in an instant.

It now made sense why Marianne, a support-type with no straightforward combat ability, still held the rank of Master #2.

‘Multiplying someone’s mana two or three times just by blessing them…’

Still.

“Bloom.”

Even then, that only turned a five-year-old into a ten-year-old.

BOOOOOOOM!

A thunderous roar rocked the entire office.

The blazing ashes greedily devoured the radiant light, growing stronger with every gulp.

"You insane bastard…!"

Johann stared in disbelief as his mana was consumed by the flames.

He had known Dale’s mana was beyond normal ever since he opened a warp gate.

But this was even more extreme than back then.

‘And he’s not even struggling this time!’

Back then, he had looked ready to collapse at any moment from the effort of unleashing so much mana.

Now, he wasn’t even showing signs of strain.

As if this overwhelming mana output was completely natural to him.

“Dale!”

At that moment, Empress Camellia shot up from her seat.

Johann held onto a brief hope that the Empress might help de-escalate this madness.

“I shall fight alongside thee!”

“You insane—!”

At her bold declaration of support, Johann couldn’t help but blurt out an unholy curse unbefitting a priest.

He already couldn’t see a path to victory against Dale alone—and now the Empress was joining him?

Gritting his teeth, Johann turned to Marianne.

If he had been alone, he would’ve fought to the death.

But behind him stood Marianne.

The Pope who bore the future of the Holy Kingdom and the Seven Star Church.

“…We’ve lost.”

Johann lowered his sword and dropped his head.

“At least we can communicate through force, if not words.”

“You…!”

“So, do you understand now?”

“…Understand what?”

“Reality.”

Clunk.

I set an overturned chair upright and sat down.

“I don’t know exactly how powerful the Cult Leader of Eternity is.”

But.

“He was strong enough to kill the Demon God 500 years ago. A feat that even the Five Great Heroes couldn’t accomplish.”

Slowly, I turned my head to look at the five Masters in the room.

“So let me ask—does anyone here believe they are stronger than the Five Great Heroes?”

“Hmph. What kind of question is that? Of course, I am more magnificent than those ‘Five Great Heroes.’”

“…Ah. Right.”

Well, if anyone had the right to say that, it was probably Camellia.

“What about the rest of you? Anyone think they’re stronger than the Five Great Heroes?”

“……”

“……”

Silence filled the room.

“The Cult Leader of Eternity’s goal is to bring about the end of the world.”

“…The end?”

“Yes. Literally. It’s the most eloquent way of saying ‘we’re all fucked and going to die together.’”

“……”

“If I’m a bomb that might explode, then he’s a bomb that will.”

Dale looked around at the Masters, his eyes deep and somber.

“Do any of you truly believe you can stop him without me? Someone who did what the Five Great Heroes never could?”

“…That…”

Johann trailed off, unable to meet my gaze.

“This isn’t a matter of faith. Whether you trust me or not—frankly, I don’t give a damn.”

Yeah.

This isn’t about belief or trust.

It’s not the time for such naive sentiments.

“This is a matter of reality.”

“……”

“You asked if I was sane earlier. Let me ask you instead: Pope Marianne, what exactly were you thinking when you asked me to die?”

“I…”

“What happens after I die? Do you think the Masters gathered here could stop the Cult Leader of Eternity if they worked together? You're all struggling just to stop me right now.”

“Th-That’s…”

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“Justice without power is hypocrisy, and belief without strength is deception.”

I continued, locking eyes with Pope Marianne.

“Let me ask again. Can you stop the Cult Leader of Eternity with only your strength?”

“……”

Pope Marianne tightly closed her eyes.

To her, who had spent her entire life within the Seven Stars Church, the term “Demon God” was such a blasphemous concept that even uttering it made her stomach turn.

It was something that must never be compromised with.

Never be accepted.

Such an existence.

“I…”

And yet.

The harsh wall of reality looming before her was so overwhelming that she couldn’t even feel that blasphemy anymore.

It was vast, immense — enough to crush the very beliefs she had carved into her soul throughout her life.

“…I take back what I said earlier.”

Pope Marianne finally opened her trembling mouth.

“I will cooperate with you.”

“L-Lady Marianne! What are you saying…!”

“This is the Pope’s decision.”

“But…!”

“Johann!”

Boom!

Marianne stomped her foot forcefully.

“If you continue to defy my command… I will excommunicate you from the Seven Stars Church by the authority of the Pope.”

“……”

Johann clenched his lips hard and lowered his head.

“…Is this enough for you?”

Marianne turned to Dale with sad eyes.

If the Cult Leader of Eternity heralded the end, and the Demon God was the only hope of escaping that end...

Then she would willingly abandon her faith and join hands with the Demon God.

Because that was her responsibility and duty — as the Pope.

“Yes. I respect your decision, Your Holiness.”

Though Marianne’s expression still carried traces of conflict and hesitation, there was no need to press further.

‘Just this much already required a tremendous resolve from the Pope.’

There aren’t many people who can bend their beliefs for the sake of harsh reality.

Especially for someone who has lived their entire life grounded in faith — giving up that belief might feel like denying their very existence.

‘Even more so when the compromise is with the Demon God she has despised her entire life.’

That’s why, showing utmost respect, I reached out my hand to Marianne.

Marianne grasped my hand and offered a bitter smile.

“A Pope who joined hands with the Demon God… I might go down in history as the worst Pope in the history of the Seven Stars Church.”

“But if it weren’t for that decision, there wouldn’t even be a future to leave a name behind in.”

“…Cadet Dale, you’re quite a cruel speaker beneath that calm appearance.”

“And what do I appear to be on the surface?”

“Heh. Who knows? I’d say more, but there’s a rather scary woman glaring at me from over there.”

Pope Marianne glanced toward Camellia and shrugged before sitting down.

“Whew. So.”

Lionel Ryu looked around the now-chaotic office with a complicated expression and let out a deep sigh.

“What do you plan to do about the video? We’re willing to cooperate even knowing your identity… but I doubt the majority of heroes will feel the same.”

“I have someone who can help with that.”

“Someone who can help?”

“A cadet named Albert Hoover.”

“…You mean the son of the Hoover family? The ones who own the continent’s most powerful intelligence guild?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

Lionel Ryu furrowed his brow as he continued.

“Even if it’s the continent’s top intelligence guild, covering up an incident like this would be difficult….”

“We’re not going to cover it up. In fact, quite the opposite.”

“…What?”

Lionel stared at me as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard.

“In that case, I’d like to ask for a little ‘acting’ from you all.”

“……?”

As the other Masters gazed at me with puzzled eyes, I lifted the corners of my mouth into a sly grin.

* * *

A flower garden filled with pure white chrysanthemums.

A man in a white mask sat leisurely on a rocking chair, humming a tune.

“Now then… let’s see how you respond.”

Just then, a voice called out in a rush.

“C-Cult Leader!”

“What is it?”

“Th-the heroes’ community… there are these videos….”

On the screen brought by the follower, several similar videos were playing, differing only in the people featured.

Lionel Ryu… now, you are the Demon God.

Camellia Padsha… now, you are the Demon God.

Marianne… now, you are the Demon God.

Johann Basilio… now, you are the Demon God.

Khalid Han… now, you are the Demon God.

In each video, a figure engulfed in fierce flames — apparently Amon — pointed at the Masters one after another, shouting that they were the Demon God.

“Hah.”

The Cult Leader of Eternity let out a laugh as he watched the videos.

“This little bastard… huh?”

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