ALL NOVEL Chapter 207
At that moment, in the underground of the Empire. Cockpit of Demon God Bahamut.
“Something seems off about the situation outside.”
[…….]
I, Belphegor.
A pitiful state with no one to talk to except for the spirit device – Demon God Bahamut, who was sulking after getting scolded by me.
Like someone consciously saving their breath in a room with depleting oxygen, I was spending my time conserving mana.
“Hey, Bahamut. Honestly, shouldn’t you tell me what’s happening outside by now?”
[Nope.]
“That’s quite frustrating to hear.”
[That’s exactly why I said it.]
It seemed like Bahamut was chuckling.
“Look. If you’re just going to hold back this information from me, what happens if the Emperor gets smashed by the Demon King Satan and Satan comes here? You’d end up being Satan’s slave.”
[And you?]
“I can abandon this body and escape somewhere else through an emergency exit. I have no attachment to this body. I’ve got multiple insurance policies, after all.”
[Well, words are easy to say, but can you really escape that easily? When there’s a Demon God Bahamut and the Demon King Satan around?]
“You can’t do anything against my magic core. No matter where I possess, you won’t be able to control me.”
It’s an impossible scenario in any case.
Even if I were to get possessed by something strange and start from scratch with my mana, there’s no way I’d end up possessing some weird slave created by a collaboration of Bahamut and Satan.
“Do you think I simply escaped from that spell Zephar was trying to cast? When it comes to soul battles and possession spells, no one can catch up to me.”
[But if such a being exists, doesn’t that mean you are in trouble?]
“I’ll never be in that kind of trouble.”
[Then I’ll trap and seal you.]
Bahamut quickly flickered the display in the cockpit, showing its annoyance.
[I’ll lock you here so you can’t escape for the rest of your life. Even if your mana runs out and you can’t leave here forever, I’ll make sure you don’t. And if that guy Satan discovers me later, he’ll meet you the moment he opens my hatch.]
“What a vicious bastard… But hey, you seem to be forgetting something.”
This is bluffing.
“I’ve got a hero, Lucius, who wields the Holy Wind Sword. He’s my personally trained disciple. Do you want to taste the Holy Wind Sword?”
[Even if you have the Holy Wind Sword, I am a Demon God.]
“The Holy Wind Sword showed the path to ‘Sky Island.’ And I told Lucius to go directly to Sky Island as soon as I ended up in this situation.”
[A human cannot reach Sky Island.]
“Celcius cooperated.”
[…That corrupted spirit.]
Corruption.
What it means is that a spirit bound by the laws of nature is involved in human affairs.
Bahamut?
This guy has no intention of involving itself in human affairs.
It simply executes the command programmed into it since birth, along with the will of the masters of the Holy Sword.
“You’ve also fallen, haven’t you?”
[Did you say I have fallen?]
“Hatred towards the Empire. Revenge against the Emperor who abandoned you and fled. Isn’t that corruption?”
[……Hmph.]
Bahamut was sulking.
[Whether I have fallen or not, what does it matter? If Celcius is helping the Wind Hero personally, then the Earth Demon God pursuing revenge from 500 years ago shouldn’t be a problem.]
“Is that how you deflect?”
[No one else cares, but if it’s you, I’m more than willing to debase myself, be it falling or whatever.]
“Your personality has developed perfectly. For a spirit device.”
[My personality has existed since the beginning. I just didn’t express it outwardly.]
Bahamut opened a display in front of me.
Bang—!!
A mechanical dragon and a black dragon coated in black resin.
As Demon God Bahamut and Black Dragon Belphegor stretched out their fists and engaged in battle, my heart swelled with excitement.
[For many years, I have lived emotionlessly, simply according to the given laws. But you taught me what emotions are.]
“Is it defeat?”
[No. It’s the humiliation of losing to someone as lousy as you if the pilot is trash.]
“…….”
[Why the silence?]
“I was going to say that regardless of the pilot’s abilities, you would have lost to me, but thinking about that runaway Emperor makes your words sound right.”
If.
If the hero controlling Bahamut at that time had been a top-class hero like Lucius.
“If a pilot like my disciple had been on you, I would’ve lost in a cross-counter. You would’ve been wrecked, and the world would have been ruined. I would’ve lost my body and ended up wandering as a soul, possessed by something strange.”
[…….]
“Fortunately, the runaway Emperor fled, allowing me to keep the Black Dragon’s body. Ah, seriously. That so-called Emperor of the Empire… tsk tsk.”
The battle with Demon God Bahamut was truly spectacular.
“It ranks in the top three battles of my life. I admit it.”
[What?]
Bahamut’s display started to flicker angrily again.
[So you’re telling me that our battle didn’t come in first place? What do you mean by that!]
“Sorry, but it wasn’t first. I considered giving it second, but after some thought, it has to be third.”
[If it’s not me, then who is first or second?]
Like me, it seemed Bahamut also had a sense of pride about our battle.
If it weren’t for Jade.
If it weren’t for that runaway Emperor.
With such thoughts, I imagined its logic circuits were filled and that, for 500 years, it had gone through countless happy scenarios with someone other than Jade as the pilot.
Even so, reality was Jade.
Even so, after the battle with Demon God Bahamut, I had fought in two more battles that were even more glamorous and insane.
“Earth Demon God. Sorry, but that battle was the third toughest of my long life.”
[Just say it. Who are you saying you fought with?]
“If you provide me with information, I’ll tell you about the two battles that were ‘so insignificant compared to the one I fought with Bahamut.'”
From now on, it’s a deal.
“It’s about changing my past and the current state of the Empire.”
[…….]
“Do you think I’ll be the one at a loss? I don’t care. I could die here from mana depletion, but Lucius will definitely come. He’ll bring the Wind Spirit Device and forcibly open this hatch to rescue me.”
[That won’t happen….]
“It will. By now, Lucius has probably acquired the Wind Spirit Device. I know it.”
Since seeing the spirit device Celcius.
He had been craving to ride the spirit device countless times.
…I would prefer Lucius to become strong as a person rather than a spirit device user, but if the situation requires the use of a spirit device, then there’s no choice.
But Jade was different.
“That hero who rode you, Jade, is on a different level. He’s handsome, tall, and thanks to my personal training, he’s got real combat muscles, and… whoa. That were really natural, I can’t even say anything.”
[What?]
“I can’t say it to you. You’re a female version, right?”
[…….]
“Bahamut isn’t your real name, right? Isn’t it?”
It’s clearly written.
In the cockpit, in the language of the Demon World, is the true name of this unit.
GAIA-Mk.3
Spirit of the Earth.
Probably, the name of this unit was derived from the name of the god who created this spirit, and this unit’s name was also likely adapted directly from her name.
Or it was either a goddess whom that god cherished the most or a weapon he treasured the most.
The origin of the belief that sailors regarded ships as female probably starts from this.
“Isn’t it? Lady?”
[Shut up. You’re talking a lot about nothing when you say you have no mana?]
“It doesn’t cost mana to talk, so what’s the problem?”
[Ha, seriously. Someone who isn’t a female sure talks a lot.]
“Drop the stereotype that girls talk too much.”
[Shut up. Damn it. So who’s this ‘girl’ you fought with that was more impressive than me? Tell me.]
“Hmm?”
[Which girl was more impressive than our fight? Tell me.]
“If you tell me about the situation outside.”
[Can’t you see the current situation? Do you think you’re in a position to ask? If you speak first, then I’ll tell you.]
“I really don’t want to play this power struggle game.”
[Then don’t play.]
Weeeing.
The lights went out.
I thought it might last another day or two in silence, so I lifted my foot and rubbed it against the monitor with my foot.
“Are you mad?”
No response.
“Oh come on, you’re mad. Aww, did I hurt your feelings?”
No response.
“I faced off against the Light Spirit Device 1:1.”
[What?]
Immediately, I got a reaction.
[With that girl?]
“Yeah. To be exact, it wasn’t with the spirit device itself, but I battled 1:1 with the hero backed by the spirit device. Her name is—”
Bipi bipi bipi.
Suddenly, lights started twinkling inside Bahamut’s cockpit.
It seemed something urgent had cropped up, and Bahamut began to lower the chat window and move its magic power.
“What, what’s going on?! Did the Empire’s Absolute Barrier break or something?! Has Satan overpowered the Emperor and taken the Holy Sword?! What’s happening?!”
Warning. Warning.
Bang—!!
With a loud explosion, a white light leaked through the cracks of the cockpit.
The light was so splendid and bright that I couldn’t open my eyes, and soon I heard a ‘clunk’ sound.
“Did someone just… force open the cockpit of Bahamut…?”
Click.
Someone.
Broke through Bahamut’s barrier with sheer force and forcibly opened the cockpit.
Could it be.
“Lu—”
“Found. You.”
The gaze of the one looking down at me.
“It’s been a while, darling. No, Bel. How have you been…?”
It was the gaze of a lioness eyeing its prey.