At my words, the Demi-God trembles.
It was from extreme rage.
He turned his bloodshot eyes toward me and forced a voice from the depths of his throat.
"A mission... world peace is the mission of the Demon King? Spare me the jokes. What are you saying?"
"There is no great difference between your will and mine. Our thoughts are similar. Only, there is a decisive difference. That is resolve."
I continue speaking.
The Demi-God does not launch an attack.
He must be interested in the continuation of the conversation.
Because he values peace and justice, he is curious about what the Demon King, who stands at the opposite pole, has to say.
"You said that after disbanding the Demon King's Army, you would take your own life. That your very existence could invite new chaos."
That is certainly true.
I am imagining a similar future.
The Demi-God is an extraordinary being who can freely manipulate spatial magic.
In a world where the Demon King's Army has been annihilated, no one can oppose him.
If that happens, conflict will erupt with the Demi-God at the center.
Every nation will want to bring him under their wing.
Some will find him an eyesore and think to assassinate him.
Conflict will inevitably arise.
Sacrifice will pile upon sacrifice, and things could become irrecoverable.
Therefore, dying before such chaos erupts is one strategy.
It would lead to removing the root cause.
The great problem would be avoided.
"However, who will maintain peace in the world after that? Humans repeat the same mistakes over and over. Even if ritual magic is obliterated, they will seek power through other means. Then conflict will still erupt."
"Humanity can reflect on its mistakes and grow from them. Even if conflict arises, the people of that era will resolve it—"
"That's naive."
I cut in sharply.
The Demigod flinched.
His hands were still holding the spatial distortion.
Undeterred, I pressed on.
"If you possessed immense power and aspired to change the world, you should have seen it through. Why choose death and leave it to others?"
"Th-that is..."
"If you truly wish for peace, then continue saving the world eternally. As absolute justice, you should persist in eradicating evil."
Our stances are diametrically opposed, but it's the same reason I became the Demon Lord. To become an indomitable justice, forever sweeping away the undying evil.
That, too, might be one answer.
I didn't choose it, but I can show a degree of empathy.
Still, it's completely at odds with the Demigod's principles and policies.
It's fair to say we are in direct opposition.
"If you lack the resolve to live eternally as justice, then your life ends here. You will become nourishment for the Demon Lord."
I advance, closing the distance until the Demigod is within my sword's reach.
All that remained was to step in and strike at the same time, enabling a kill in the blink of an eye.
Even if he escaped via teleportation, a portion of his body should be severable.
This time, I would dice him to pieces before he could reattach.
By repeating this, I could kill a demigod.
"..."
The silent demigod, though cornered, remained composed.
He stared intently at me.
When his gaze shifted to another color, the demigod spoke.
"...Are your idle threats finished? You may wish to confuse me, but my mind will not change. I do not possess a heart so fragile as to be shaken by pointless preaching."
Suddenly, the demigod charged.
Grasping a distortion in his palm, he thrust it forward like pressing it against me.
I deflected it with my free hand.
My forearm from the wrist onward vanished.
The demigod's palm also tore deeply.
Despite spraying blood, he stepped in further.
"To destroy evil by continually sacrificing oneself is optimal? Impossible. It lies outside what an individual can achieve. No matter how you speak of idealism, the world will not improve."
Sensing a distortion behind me, I performed a backflip.
It narrowly avoided the teleporting demigod passing through where I had been.
His hand, as before, held a distortion.
The wound on his palm twisted, spewing blood and flesh.
The subgod's form flickered unnaturally.
Agony twisted across his features.
Gritting his teeth against it, the subgod leaped up to press his attack.
"The dominance of power by individuals is trivial compared to the world's current. It will be weeded out eventually. Then shouldn't I refrain from over-interference, leaving things to this moment's turning point?"
I took flight.
The subgod pursued by kicking through space.
He fired distortions at high frequency, making extensive use of teleportation as well.
He launched irregular consecutive strikes from above, below, left, and right.
I focused solely on evasion.
When hard-pressed, I severed the distortions with my heirloom sword.
Though gradually worn down, I avoided fatal damage.
The subgod's onslaught did not stop; it intensified.
"Justice is woven in the name of the many! It is never, for the, demon lord, to, speak of!"
With a mighty cry, his distortion-gripping hand touched my torso head-on.
With a grinding crunch, it dug in, instantly annihilating black bone.
Starting from that point, my body began to collapse.
The subgod's face confirmed victory.
He raised his other hand, ready to deliver a finishing blow.
I whirled, flashing my sword.
Severing the hand that pierced me.
Without breaking momentum, I cleaved diagonally through the demigod's torso, then swept the returning blade across his face.
The slash split open his right eye.
"Ga—ha...!?"
The demigod lurched backward, coughing up blood.
He attempted to rejoin his severed hand.
I sliced it to ribbons before he could.
Clutching his own flesh, the demigod staggered and plummeted.
Unable to break his fall, he slammed into the ground.
"—Half-assed. Everything about this is half-assed."
I murmured.
Rain began to fall from above.
My entire body grew wet.
Sensing the cold seeping into me, I descended toward the earth.