A chilling scream, one that didn’t quite fit an angel, echoed. The sound was closer to the wailing of spirits scraping at the door of the Demon Lord's domain.

Moriel’s face, contorted with pain and terror, looked grotesque, as if a beautiful face was melting away.

<What’s going on? Why is she suddenly like this? Did she eat the wrong offering!>

The situation quickly turned urgent. As if trying to escape from the stalactite statue’s form, Moriel flailed in desperation, causing cracks to appear in the ceiling, which then spread all over the room.

“Hiiik!”

“It, it’s collapsing!”

The people covered their heads and squeezed their eyes shut. Fortunately, a catastrophe like being buried wasn’t in the cards.

[ Notification: Ultimate skill 'Gravity Control' has been activated.]

A colossal force interfered with the natural laws.

The collapse hesitated for a moment, then piles of rubble and dust that should have fallen to the ground were sucked into the air, scattering like leaves caught in the wind.

Suddenly, the walls and ceiling were blasted away, leaving the room wide open, and the sky stretched above, revealing a vast expanse. The demonic world’s sky, a deceptive shade of deep blue, felt ominously false.

The earlier collapse wasn’t just confined to the room I was in but had spread throughout the entire dungeon.

With the building demolished, the dungeon now looked like the ruins of a long-abandoned temple. With the obstructions gone, I could see the many victims of the Dungeon Sync, trapped in different sections of the dungeon.

The people slowly lowered their hands from their heads and began opening their eyes.

“We, we made it out!”

“Is it over now?”

No, not yet.

<Ah...>

The angel statue, which had been hanging upside down on the ceiling, regained its two free feet and finally stood on the ground.

For reasons unknown, Moriel’s condition was unstable. She buried her face in her hands, folding her wings in on themselves, murmuring.

<Evil yet good... How can it be... How can evil still be good...>

“...”

<Obey... No, defy... Ah, I don’t know...>

“...”

The confusion didn’t last long.

Though she had disguised herself as an angel, her true nature was that of a demon. The more she lost her rationality, the clearer her instincts became, and there was no longer any reason to resist them. And the instinct of a demon is...

<First, the offering.>

Murder.

Red eyes glinted through the gaps of her fingers. The killing intent of the 166th-ranked demon in the demon world caused a wide-area paralysis. The people who had lost their breath turned pale.

“P, please save us...”

“It’s okay.”

I gently patted the head of the coughing child. The divine power passed through the touch, normalizing the child’s breathing.

I walked straight toward Moriel, weaving through the people.

I could feel the eyes turning toward me. Eyes filled with hope and expectation. Yes, this is right. The anxiety and fear are not for you to carry.

“Divine Descent.”

It was time to invoke the power of the gods.

The divine power connected through my rightful qualification infused my body with gold and silver light.

The feeling of abundant power matched the rapid beating of my heart. In this moment, there is no future for the foolish beings who would oppose me.

Kwahng!

<...!>

The rush was silent, but the impact created an earth-shattering noise. Moriel’s face, barely able to block me, was filled with astonishment.

<How...!>

Two scythes intertwined, their blades scraping against each other. The power was balanced. However, the thrill of a close combat is something else. The surface of the statue began to peel off due to the divine influence I was emitting.

Everything had changed from the first round, where all attacks were nullified. My very presence became a lethal weapon against Moriel.

<How could this be? Even as the Executioner of the Demonic King, how could I harm my own body like this?>

Since she claimed to be a saint, I decided to show a bit of mercy by revealing the truth.

“Can’t you see this scythe? It was a gift from the one you serve.”

<That’s...! The Scythe of the Holy Demon...!>

“Yes. There’s no better item to fit your twisted rules.”

I had no intention of playing around for long.

I voiced my disdain for the dungeon rules as I imbued power into the scythe of the Librelis.

“Monsters wearing the name of good, pretending to be angels...”

<I am... the Absolute Good...!>

“Shut up. Be evil, like a true demon!”

<Aaaah!>

I began by fixing her audacious angelic appearance. I cut off her wings, which couldn’t even fly, and made her crawl on the ground. I pointed at her grotesque form with my finger, drawing a vertical line of obliteration.

“Omnipotence. Dark Execution.”

Naturally, there was no recoil.

[ Congratulations! You have defeated {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} the 166th-ranked demon in the demon world, ‘The One-Sided Absolute Good Death God, Moriel’.]

[ The demonic territory ‘Execution Ground of the One-Sided Absolute Good’ is now under the control of Dungeon Conqueror ‘Ayleth Rodeline’.]

Once the clash stopped, the noise and the wind quieted. The air, once turbulent, now passed gently, as if nothing had happened. My silver hair fluttered, drifting through the breeze.

“Ah.”

Someone’s breath, filled with awe and exclamation, pulled me out of the battle’s aftermath.

Now that I thought about it, I wasn’t the only one in the battlefield. When I looked around, I realized just how many people there were.

‘Wow, there are a lot.’

They were all looking at me. A concentrated gaze from so many, all directed at me. It was surprising that all of this was mine.

[‘The Word of Creation’ is pleased with your splendid hero debut.]

[‘The Cynic of Balance’ praises you as an excellent attention-seeking seed.]

Ah, no, I didn’t intend this at all!

Though I stood tall, I was inwardly awkward.

<You’re about to join the ranks of heroes, huh? Go on, introduce yourself and wave.>

As expected, Agnes, who never let go of popularity and attention, gave me some good advice as a senior hero.

[‘The Word of Creation’ says you don’t need to reveal yourself personally.]

Just like the Word of Creation said, the people recognized me first.

“That energy... It’s different from magic.”

“It’s divine power. They said Divine Descent earlier.”

“Then that person, no, that person is...”

“Holy Scripture! It’s Holy Scripture!”

“Rank 9 Saint! The Saint has saved us!”

“Our state religion...! The Pope of the State Religion...!”

Their shouts soon blended into a massive cheer that shook the very heavens.

[‘The Architect of the Trial Tower’ urges you to speak with dignity.]

“Yes. Divine Scripture, Ayleth Rodeline. It’s all over now. It’s time to return to the arms of loved ones, family, and friends. Please proceed through the gate in an orderly manner.”

“Yes...!”

Since I had invoked Divine Descent, I didn’t have much time left. I had to finish the escape quickly.

The gate would automatically sort the people and send them back to the places they had been dragged from due to the Dungeon Sync.

The problem, however, was the prisoners brought from Valbritz Prison.

They had no family, lovers, or friends to return to, only filthy iron bars and enormous debts. I had to personally bring them to the gate and throw them in.

After dealing with the prisoners first, the people from the central plaza and slums returned in an orderly fashion and passed through the gate.

They all seemed filled with the desire to return home and embrace their loved ones.

“Goodbye.”

And let’s meet again at the church.

I perched on a broken column like a stump and watched as they safely exited.

By the time the line was nearly gone, I could feel silver leaving my hair.

It was time to solve my own problems too.

<Ah, right. Reed? I need to find him before he succumbs to the fever.>

Fortunately, I didn’t have to search for long.

The temple, which had been like a prison, collapsed, leaving only ruins. The tall figure standing in the middle of the empty world was impossible to miss.

“Reed... huh?”

I almost called out to him from ten steps away, but stopped when I saw his long hair, now shining silver in the sunlight.

Was it an illusion caused by the strong sunlight pouring from the sky? I double-checked, but it was impossible to have seen wrong at this distance.

<Ayleth, Reed’s hair...>

Agnes confirmed it as well.

Suddenly, Moriel’s murmur echoed in my mind.

Now, I understood its meaning.

‘Reed was involved.’

A delayed shock stirred something strange within me. I forgot to blink as I stared at Reed.

His presence in my sight grew larger and larger as he closed the distance with his long legs.

Now standing face to face, it felt like my whole world, if not all, was filled with him.

Soon, his hair returned to its pure black color.

“I have something to tell you, Ayleth Rodeline.”

“...”

His voice, calm but serious, hinted at something important.

“The reason I’m putting up with this world is because of you.”

“...”

“There’s no other reason.”

<...What? A confession, out of nowhere?>

I thought differently from Agnes.

No, this was an excuse.

An excuse for his own acts of kindness.

What should I reply here? After some thought, I chose the best response I could think of.

“Alright, let it be that way. Make it because of me.”

“...”

I decided to accept his excuse, which tried to make his actions seem like they had a noble cause.

“And I hope that reason grows bigger.”

Finishing his words, I called out to him.

“Tesilid Arzent.”