The Might of This Form is Immense.

The magnitude of this power is astonishing.

Originally, it was unknown where this tremendous power came from, but now it’s clear that the Goddess has poured all her 'plausibility' into it, making it abnormally strong.

The power is immense.

This fact does not merely enhance the original strength but plays a crucial role in allowing one to surpass the limits inherent to their form.

However, it wasn't without its drawbacks.

'It's also the reason I can't transform into a human.'

This so-called power is like a gust of wind.

Imagine a fierce wind trapped within an endlessly thin balloon.

If this power exists, the balloon might immediately begin to expand, swelling beyond its original size and inflating even further, growing larger and larger.

It would be great if this wind could be controlled.

But what if, instead of being controlled, this wind started to surge wildly on its own?

No matter how much you try to control it, if the force inflating the balloon exceeds a critical threshold, the balloon might just pop with a bang.

That was my current situation.

Naturally, the enormous vessel I was born with, and the body, more solid than any material, wouldn’t sustain even a scratch no matter how wildly this power raged.

'But it's different for humans.'

A human body is delicate.

The skin is so soft that it can be injured by mere scratches from a tree, and the more they walk, the more their spine gets damaged. Their muscles also have low limits.

Moreover, it's intricately delicate.

The entire system is as precise as a finely tuned machine, with everything moving in an orderly structure.

If one were to recklessly accept this immense power, they might not be able to withstand it and could burst apart.

Therefore, until this newly acquired divinity stabilizes further, and until I gain a deeper understanding of humans, polymorphing into a human form is impossible.

'Perhaps it will be possible in the distant future, but now is not the time.'

Hence, I chose this form.

Usually, my original form is 300 meters in size.

That was the minimum size required to accommodate this power.

It was the very minimum size that could fully contain this immense amount of power.

Therefore, I could live without any problems, without needing to alter my form or increase my size.

But it’s a different story if I shrink.

Of course, my sturdy body wouldn’t just burst open, but it would feel stifling and unstable, as though I were trapped in a constricting shell.

And if the size shrunk to the point where I was as small as the palm of a human hand, it would be even worse.

"Kyaaah! So cute!"

So I chose this appearance.

Unlike my original sharp eyes, the dark, subtly glossy scales, and the sleek body.

I grew whiskers on my face.

And ears sprouted from my head.

The whiskers were meant to dissipate my overflowing divinity. They would spread out thinly, allowing the divine power that was pressuring my body, as though it could burst at any moment, to scatter into the environment.

Thus, I would harmonize with nature.

There’s no need to worry much since the divinity I disperse into the environment would be reabsorbed by my main body when it returns.

As for the ears, they were organs designed to receive sensory input.

They would make me far more sensitive to my surroundings, allowing me to constantly optimize my body to the natural conditions around me.

By doing this, I could transform into this smaller form without needing to maintain a 300-meter-long body.

So you see, every element that might seem merely cute serves a crucial purpose.

When Jörmungandr nodded.

[……?]

Suddenly, his body was lifted.

Gradually, his field of vision rose higher until, before he knew it, he was staring into a pair of blue eyes that resembled his own.

Those blue eyes looked down at Jörmungandr, then curved gently like a crescent moon.

"You're so adorable, Lord Jörmungandr!"

[Urgh…?]

Then she began rubbing her cheek against his.

It was as if she couldn’t resist the urge, overwhelmed by how cute he was. Her soft cheek pressed against his smooth, cold scales. Jörmungandr sighed briefly, then decided to let it be.

He could feel the emotions coming from Ellie.

He had no idea what was so great about this form that made her so happy.

In his opinion, nothing had changed significantly except for his size. He looked at Belial with an expression that seemed to ask whether she felt the same, but she was staring blankly at him.

"So… so cute… I want to bite you…."

Hmm.

He decided to ignore the soft whisper he heard in the background.

Holy Empire, Eiros.

Eiros, generally characterized by its warm climate, was quite distant from the comparatively cooler Kingdom of Trelinia.

Of course, the climate on this planet wasn’t simply determined by the equator or the influence of sunlight, but the difference in climate still implied a significant distance.

Therefore, it would take several days to reach the Holy Kingdom.

Though he wished he could use his powers to get there in an instant, doing so would make it highly likely that the remnants of the Demon God would notice.

Especially now, when they were likely on high alert due to the Goddess’s actions, the main mission was to infiltrate secretly, so they couldn’t afford to be detected by the Demon God.

The unavoidable journey was necessary.

Fortunately, thanks to Ellie being a princess of a kingdom, they had all the support they needed. A small but practical and self-moving carriage, tools for camping whenever necessary, and ample provisions.

The king, upon hearing Ellie’s request.

Had insisted on assigning her a group of escort knights, but Ellie had firmly refused.

"No, Lord Jörmungandr said so, remember? The Demon God could detect us."

"That may be true, but…."

"Besides, we have Lord Jörmungandr, don't we?"

The king's gaze turned to Jörmungandr.

To be exact, to the small snake coiled like a cobra on her shoulder.

The king wanted to ask what on earth that form was, but he held back. Surely, there was a reason why he had taken on such a form. The king was certain that there must be some grand purpose that a mere human couldn’t understand.

"Indeed…."

Even though he was currently small.

There wasn’t a single person in the Kingdom of Trelinia who wasn’t aware of Jörmungandr’s grandeur.

The massive serpent that shattered the sky.

As the king recalled that majestic figure, he nodded his head.

"Then… I leave it to you."

The king bowed his head while reflecting on his current situation.

He had offered his daughter as a sacrifice.

He had come to express gratitude to what he had thought was a dragon he had loathed, and even declared him the god his nation would worship.

He realized once again that life was unpredictable.

What would have happened if he had been told this a few months ago?

He probably would have slapped himself and called it a lie.

[Don't worry.]

Jörmungandr nodded.

She was his one and only priestess.

Even if the god of death tried to take her, he was prepared to devour death itself.

Perhaps understanding Jörmungandr’s thoughts, the king nodded. After all, this was all for the world. Although the idea of the Demon God trying to invade the planet didn’t quite sink in, he could grasp how heavy the burden Jörmungandr carried was.

He wished them well.

May they successfully eradicate the remnants of the Demon God.

May they plant the Goddess’s token deep within the Holy Kingdom and save it from the corruption of the demonic energy.

"Then, please, come back safely."

The king sincerely wished for it.

A pitch-black darkness lurks.

The dark underside of the Holy Kingdom, which had once been so bright.

This remnant, which grows in size as it devours the horrifying, self-destructive, and ruinous desires, has deeply rooted itself in the center of the Holy Kingdom.

[…….]

The pitch-black demonic energy spreads like black ink, staining the holy water.

The holy water, which had once been pure white, resisted the dark energy but eventually flickered intermittently, losing its light.

The holy water, rippling in the darkness.

The amorphous black form used this holy water as its nourishment, growing larger.

[More, more, more, more….]

What remained was instinct.

Only the instinct to destroy and shatter everything in the world remained.

The remnants of the Demon God.

It no longer possessed coherent thoughts.

Was this also due to the Goddess’s influence?

Just before disappearing, the Goddess had fed it divinity, causing it to lose its original purpose.

To consume the Holy Kingdom.

To manifest one of its true forms.

It had lost its sense of reason.

Originally, it would have cautiously built up its power, wary of other enemies that might arrive, but beneath the Holy Kingdom.

There, the creature stirred.

To devour more, to corrupt more, to lead everything to ruin.

Its pitch-black tendrils stretched out.

Its tendrils, stained with black slime, reached toward the vast water supply that flowed through the Holy Kingdom.

Drip, drop.

The pitch-black slime.

One drop, two drops.

Began to stain the water supply.

[Devour everything.]

The remnant murmured.