Wasn’t This a Night Game

Die For Me, Please

I am truly an unlucky wretch.

The moment happiness seems to approach, it flees at once.

Whenever things seem to improve even a little, they immediately worsen again.

My life has always been like this.

So now, I don’t even have the energy to be angry.

I simply… resign myself.

When the Goddess declared she would cast me into Hell.

And shatter both my soul and the power within it.

My first thought was that this was inevitable.

Yes.

As if I were some otherworldly harem king.

With no talent. Dim-witted. A fool so ignorant of the world that I only ever suffered losses, what happy ending could there possibly be for a wretch like me?

Besides, if I think about the things the previous owner of the power inside me did with those powers, things the Goddess herself showed me…

It’s better for the world if I just vanish.

Erpha.

Iomene.

For Almenes’ sake, too.

Wouldn’t it be so much better, I think.

A short-lived harem king life.

Even that is satisfying enough.

When would a guy like me ever get to live so extravagantly, surrounded by three women?

If I was happy for a few days, that’s enough.

“Hurry and destroy my soul before I change my mind!!”

Still, it stings. It really stings.

Where does it say you can give something, then take it away?

I was just starting to feel a little better, so why, all of a sudden, here…

And so, without realizing it, tears started flowing.

Sobbing, I begged them to destroy my soul.

Soul destruction?

I’m not scared.

If I were one of the people of this world, it would be terrifying, but for me, soul destruction?

It’s just a ticket back to Korea.

So this is right.

Rather than have everyone become unhappy because of my powers, it’s better that just I am unhappy, and it ends here.

Iomene and Almenes.

Erpa.

Everyone suffered so much.

I don’t want my power to devour faith and go berserk, turning this world into those horrible scenes I saw.

So let’s just go back to Korea.

My isekai reincarnation of 20 years, short if you consider it so, long if you don’t, ends so anticlimactically, in a completely boring fashion.

It’s unfair, and I’m furious, but this is the best option.

“Now! Destroy me now! Now!!”

As I wailed and screamed like that, the goddess didn’t answer for a long time.

What is this?

Weren’t you going to throw me into hell? And destroy my soul and power along with it?

Then do it right now.

[I cannot do so at this moment, Amael.]

At those words, I gaped, utterly dumbfounded.

“You want me to live in fear my whole life, never knowing when I’ll fall into hell, only to die?! That’s too cruel!! It’s better for you, Goddess, to deal with me right now!! So please, deal with me now!”

The goddess sighs heavily at my outburst.

[To do so, I am too wounded, Amael.]

“Huh?”

[300 years ago. As you just witnessed, the celestial realm, hell, and the abyssal god of the bottomless pit joined together in a heavenly war. The wounds I sustained then have not yet healed. Therefore, it is impossible to destroy your soul immediately.]

Wow……

Then what does that mean?

“Killing me right now, you can’t, is that it?

So, I live my life on Earth, trembling with unease and fear, and then you toss me into Hell after I die?

Are you a demon?

You call yourself a goddess, but your actions are no different from a demon’s!

“I truly… truly hate you. I resent you so much!! It’s not like I wanted this power!! I don’t even know why it’s in my soul!! And because of it, I’m hurting people… damn it…”

I choked back sobs for a long while before finally rising from my spot.

“If you won’t do it, then I’ll destroy my own soul myself.”

Yes.

If you can’t, then I’ll take care of it.

High-level curse.

Didn’t you say it could shatter a soul if it hit?

I’ll take that hit and destroy my soul on my own.

“I truly, truly hate and resent you… but for your sake. For the sake of the gods of the Pantheon. And for the sake of the humans of this world, and the women I love.”

I clenched my fist tightly.

I prayed for this not to be the end.

But now that I knew the nature of my ability.

Now that I knew that ability could grow stronger by feeding on the worship directed at me.

I now had no choice but to destroy my soul and leave this world.

I was going to destroy my soul and return to Korea anyway.

It’s just that the reason is a little different now.”

No longer only for myself.

For the women I love.

For the countless humans who suffered, who were hurt and in pain.

To prevent even greater suffering for the many, many humans I healed, the ones who were hurting, in pain, who struggled.

“I’ll martyr myself. If I’m martyred, it all ends, doesn’t it? Right?”

I muttered, a self-deprecating smile playing on my lips.

*

The evil god felt like he would die from repressed rage.

This wasn’t supposed to happen?

He’ll martyr himself?

Was that the correct response?

This guy must be mentally deficient.

There was no way he would choose martyrdom here otherwise.

Shouldn’t he be blaming the goddess at this moment?

He just found women to love, and was just about to finally find some happiness, only to have the goddess curse him, saying he could never be happy.

He should resent her, curse her, become twisted and corrupted.

That’s the normal reaction…

‘What is this guy? What in the world is wrong with his head?!’

It was such an absurd situation, completely absent from the script, that the evil god was momentarily speechless.

He desperately racked his brain.

‘Think. My objective is to make the benevolent gods of the Pantheon, who coddle this one, and the demons of Hell, collide. This dimwit is offering himself up as a sacrifice. How can I use this to trigger a clash?’

The evil god, racking his brain desperately, finally.

Has a brilliant idea.

[If such is your wish, then I shall aid you.]

The evil god lowered his voice, mimicking the goddess’s tone once more.

[The authority of an evil god can never truly destroy your soul. You know this, having experienced it once before.]

Amael nodded somberly.

“When a fragment of an evil god entered my body, it was simply destroyed and vanished.”

[That is because the power of Hell residing within you is far stronger. But that does not mean there is no way to destroy it. Anything can be destroyed where it was made, after all.]

“You mean…?”

[Not the curse of an evil god, but the power of Hell. A powerful dark magic, a potent curse, could destroy the power and your soul within you together. So, if you truly intend to martyr yourself for the sake of all, there are now two things you must do.]

The evil god held up two fingers.

[First, you must prevent the power within you from growing any stronger. Separate yourself from those who worship you. Be it Hell, the Abyss, or the Pantheon. Deities grow stronger by consuming faith and adoration. Your power is no different. Therefore, you must avoid it.]

It was true that power grew by consuming faith. The evil god needed to prevent Asmodeus’s power from becoming unnecessarily strong.

Furthermore, he couldn’t allow this naive, overly kind fool to amplify the faith given to the gods of the Pantheon.

And if he fell outside of the Pantheon’s influence, disposing of him would be easier should the need arise.

Thus, the words were spoken.

[Second. Seek out demon followers powerful enough to destroy your soul and the power contained within. Have them try to destroy your soul with their dark magic and curses. And thus, martyr yourself for the sake of all humanity. For the sake of myself and the gods of the Pantheon.]

He was demanding he die for the sake of complete strangers and gods.

If such words were spoken, it would be normal to feel anger and hatred…

“I was already preparing to depart, and so, depart I shall. Very well. I shall leave those who would worship me. And I shall strive to let black magic and sorcery destroy my soul.”

But this witless fool was saying he would obediently die, a look of sorrow etched on his face.

A hollow laugh bursts forth, beyond mere bewilderment.

What sort of creature is *this*?

However diverse humans may be, this crosses into an otherworldliness, *no*?

Is it foolishness taken to such an extreme that it appears sublime?

Or is he simply *that* good, that inherently kind, that even an evil god struggles to discern?

As the evil god stood there, dumbfounded…

…an attempt to forcibly intrude upon his domain could be felt from outside.

Undoubtedly, the good deities of the pantheon.

Unable to stand idly by, they expend their strength to interfere, even knowing the chaotic state of the celestial realm.

The evil god felt irritation at their actions.

The aftermath of the celestial war still weighed heavily upon him.

He was in no condition to wield the power he possessed in his prime.

In his prime, he could have forcibly brainwashed Amael, or peered directly into the depths of his soul; but now, simply meeting and speaking was all he could manage.

Of course, he wouldn’t be able to withstand the interference of the good deities for long.

The conversation was already done with.

Just as he was about to leave…

“Goddess. Is it truly impossible for you to simply destroy my soul now? No matter how I think on it, instead of waiting for me to conveniently martyr myself, wouldn’t it be faster for you to just be done with it now?”

The low-intelligence fellow hurls one last line, enough to make one die from frustration.

With a mind as black as pitch, he wished he could simply obliterate the fool.

The only worth of this one was as a pawn, stirring up conflict between the Pantheon and the demon lords of Hell, as originally planned. A naive simpleton spouting martyrdom like that… who knew what chaos he might unleash?

Though extinguishing one of Hell’s authorities permanently wouldn’t be a terrible outcome…

*Damned Pantheon b*stards!*

As he had said, the Celestial War had left his own powers in tatters.

Hampered by the meddling of the Pantheon gods, obliterating a demon lord’s authority was beyond the Dark God’s grasp.

[As I said, I am wounded. Ergo, obliterating your soul and authority is impossible. I had planned to drag you down to Hell after I’d healed. But, if you insist on martyrdom, you’ll lighten my burden considerably. Die for my sake.]

The Dark God, with his last breath, provoked the Saint.

It was a statement that could be called the height of selfishness.

*Die for my sake?*

If any other Saint, Priestess, or Hero had heard such words directed towards Lilia, it would have been enough to cause them to curse her, fall from grace, and descend into darkness.

The Dark God prayed and prayed that Amael would succumb to the same darkness, but the foolish, witless b*stard betrayed his hopes to the bitter end.

“Yes. I will do as you wish.”

With a wry, self-deprecating smile, Amael responded thus.

The Dark God felt a genuine desire to crack open that man’s skull and peek inside.

Yet, such an act could very well backfire, exposing him to the Demon Lord’s power himself, and so he had to abandon the thought.

[Martyr yourself. For all of mankind, and every god in the Pantheon.]

With those words, the Dark God withdrew from Amael.

Furious, he declared that, in all his existence, he’d never encountered such a hopelessly ignorant fool.

As the Dark God pulled away, he spotted, far off in the heavens, the gods of the Pantheon, gazing down upon him.

[That godforsaken son of a b*tch!! What in damnation did you say to the treasure that amplifies our faith?! If only the Celestial Realm wasn’t in such disarray, if only we could communicate more smoothly with the human realm, I would tear you apart myself and lick up your blood and guts!! You maggot crawling through the Abyss!]

Dulanear, comparatively the most intact of the Pantheon’s gods, and recently generous enough to bestow a Chosen One upon the world, roared with his usual barbarian fury, raining curses upon the Evil God.

[The day of righteous retribution will fall upon your head. Worm of the Abyss.]

Lopus, God of Justice, wreathed in an aura like the sun, declared in a low, chilling voice.

All the other gods, too.

Each spat a curse, an ill wish aimed at the Evil God.

It was a scene so familiar to him that there was little to be surprised about.

[Fools.]

Do those dolts even realize that the entity amplifying their faith is none other than one wielding the power of the Demon King of Lust?

Probably not.

Even the Evil God himself only realized it after a portion of himself was obliterated within Amael.

The Demon King of Lust’s overwhelmingly potent power + that fellow Amael’s almost moronically virtuous nature… it was clear they wouldn’t even begin to suspect the true nature of the power within Amael.

But, uniquely among the Pantheon gods, two beings at least had a chance of realizing the truth.

The Evil God turned his gaze towards those two.

A goddess, covered in blood, so injured that it wouldn’t be strange if her divinity were to vanish at any moment.

Lilia of Grace.

And another god, silently supporting Lilia at her side.

Lupiel, the God of the Future.

Especially Lupiel.

That one… he is dangerous.

Lupiel, he might have discerned what power resided within the Saint.

[Amael will be dead soon enough. The one who amplified your faith will be gone. Serves you right, whores and rent-boys. I telegraphed my moves so blatantly, yet the Celestial Realm is so broken it can barely interfere with the human one!!]

[I’ll flay the skin from that b*stard’s skull and devour it!! I’ll rip out his liver and lick it clean!!]

Dullanear roared, voice booming, but the Evil God only chuckled, mocking them all.

[Thanks to your prophecy, Future God. Amael… he was afraid. I merely tapped into that fear. He won’t last long. You’ll never gain another advantage. A magnificent blunder! Ha ha!!]

At those words, Lupiel, who had been supporting Lilia, stepped forward silently.

As he always did.

A subtle, almost imperceptible smile played on his lips as he gazed at the Evil God.

[Will he?]

A voice low and calm.

But all the more terrifying for its quietude.

Lupiel, the Future God.

He was, as always, a god whose thoughts were impossible to decipher.

[Just you wait. You disgusting, filthy birds playing in the heavens. And you, the hideous demons of hell. Someday, all of you will vanish. And I!! Only I will remain, to devour everything. The Abyss always awaits you.]

The Evil God chuckled and disappeared into his domain.

The gods of the Pantheon, seeing the Evil God gone, likewise returned to their own realms.

Only one remained.

Lupiel alone, his strange smile lingering as he watched the Evil God’s back.