The Signal (10)

A massive sword-shaped aura shot forward.

It was too late to dodge, and with the crossfire literally pressing in from all sides, blocking was impossible.

Belphegor had only one choice.

"Hmph!"

He channeled his aura throughout his body, armoring himself like a suit of steel.

The armor forged from the aura of a Seven Deadly Sins devil surpassed the strength of ordinary steel with ease, but...

KWAAAAAAA-!!

"Ugh, kugh, AAAAAARGH!!"

His opponent wielded the hammer of a god and a legendary sword.

Even in the hands of a human, they were not to be compared with mere steel.

Yet, Belphegor endured. Gritting his teeth, he ignited his aura and layered it upon himself.

The Devil of Sloth stood at the opposite end of perseverance. While the other Deadly Sins flitted about, inflicting their respective sins, he simply remained in place.

For that was sloth.

Sloth comparable to death meant sinking into oneself until the very moment of demise.

'...In the end.'

As Belphegor withstood the onslaught of sword aura from all directions, Frondier's hand fell heavily.

The weapons embroidered in the air vanished, and the rune of Menosorpo gradually faded.

'Exhausted, huh.'

The true value of Excalibur lay in its ability to amplify the user's mana.

Even such a simple ability, when its effect became so immense, deserved the title of legend.

Frondier had defeated countless formidable foes with Excalibur: Heldre, the rampaging Kora, and even fragments of Helheim.

The stronger the enemy he faced, the more mana was consumed.

Excalibur • Alpha was a monster that devoured the user's mana.

It offered rewards commensurate with the mana it received, but that was precisely why there was no reason to conserve mana against Belphegor.

...Therefore.

If Belphegor could withstand this blow...

"Kugh, ugh... Kuuugh..."

If the name of the Seven Deadly Sins remained untarnished even after enduring the crossfire of the sword aura 'Nail'...

"Frondier..."

"..."

The power of the sword aura dissipated, leaving Belphegor's body smoking, his clothes stained with wounds and blood.

But Belphegor did not crumble.

"I have no choice but to acknowledge it."

"..."

"You are the strongest human I have ever seen."

As if bothered by the flowing blood, Belphegor brushed his arm.

"And the most irritating one."

At those words, Frondier smiled.

Unlike other times, the smile was half a bluff.

'Thanks for the acknowledgment, but...'

What now?

Frondier wasn't like Azier or Ellen, who had reached the pinnacle of technique, nor was he like Elodie, who excelled in the art of magic.

He was the type who relied on his wits to wield weapons beyond his replicating abilities and ensure their accuracy.

So, most of his battles were determined by whether his attacks landed or not.

But if the fight didn't end even after landing a hit...

"...Hoo."

Belphegor's eyes gleamed.

"Seems like you're empty."

"...!"

Belphegor instantly realized. In fact, it was hard not to notice.

The weapons and runes that had been flying around had all disappeared, and their owner, Frondier, was barely keeping his eyes open with a dying look. Once he noticed, even Frondier's slowly trembling fingertips became visible.

"Frondier, killing you now would be an easy task for me."

"..."

Frondier remained silent.

"But before that."

However, Belphegor's murderous intent gradually subsided.

"To you, who still haven't figured out what you are, I'll ask you once more."

"What is it?"

"Why do you side with the Empire?"

As he asked, Belphegor reached out his hand. His staff, no longer restrained by the Obsidian, returned to his grasp.

"Why ask something so obvious? Manggot is my enemy, and the Empire is my foundation. I will stop anyone who threatens it."

"That's not an answer, Frondier. If you were a human who simply wanted to save his own life, you wouldn't ask such questions."

Belphegor extended his staff towards Frondier.

"You came to this land alone. To the most dangerous place, you walked into the jaws of death. For the sake of the Empire. That's something only someone who doesn't value their own life would do. The reason you conserved your strength and bought time against me was to wait for all the Shepherds of Manggot to be confirmed within the Empire's sight, wasn't it?"

What Frondier had been waiting for, even enduring the sin of Sloth...

It was to confirm the locations of all the Shepherds of Manggot. And above all, it was best for the human who shared vision with Malia to be the one to confirm it.

That's why Frondier waited. For the time of the clash between Zodiac, Aster and Sybil, Selena and Mei, the Roach Knights, Manggot, and Constel.

"When playing chess, the loneliest piece is not the pawn, but the one who controls them."

Belphegor spoke as if piercing through Frondier's inner thoughts.

"You moved for the Empire's victory. To minimize the damage, you made a dangerous gamble. Why?"

"...?"

Frondier's eyes momentarily wavered.

He found the question difficult to understand. Frondier was on the Empire's side. As a member of the Empire, he acted for its victory. To achieve that, sometimes dangerous gambles were necessary.

What was wrong with this line of reasoning? Why did Belphegor question it?

"If you can't understand this question, I'll ask again."

Belphegor shook his head once.

"Why don't you choose the side where 'the most humans survive'?"

"...What?"

"Why do you want to perpetuate the tragedy of humanity?"

At those words, Frondier's eyes slowly widened.

This reaction, in turn, caused Belphegor's brow to furrow.

"Frondier, with your level of intellect, having reached a position where you can even keep the gods in check..."

Belphegor's gaze turned cold.

"Just playing dumb and averting your eyes won't make it go away."

"...!"

"I am Sloth. A devil of the Seven Deadly Sins, one who stands in opposition to God."

Belphegor was the Devil of Sloth.

Naturally, devils opposed God.

Therefore, devils wouldn't do as God wished.

"Even if you don't know for sure, you must have guessed. No matter what path you've walked, once you reach your level, you can't help but know."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's getting boring to pretend you don't know, Frondier."

Belphegor sighed and briefly closed his eyes before opening them again.

"The truth of this world."

"...!"

"I am a devil. As a devil, I only have malice. Annihilating humanity is just an evil act for me. I will feed on the souls accumulated from countless corpses. I have no intention of denying that."

Belphegor spoke of devouring souls, yet his eyes held a strange lack of interest in the act.

"But for you, it could be an 'act of good,' couldn't it? Frondier, yes, I won't ask if you're the real Frondier or not. But you should know. You should have seen through how this world works. You should have observed the deeds God has inflicted upon humanity."

Belphegor's words were filled with omissions and leaps in logic, making them difficult to understand.

...Or so they should be.

For some reason, Frondier had already begun to comprehend Belphegor's words, and as if to prove it, his eyes trembled endlessly.

"Frondier, do you wish for humanity to continue living?"

This moment, as Belphegor posed this question to Frondier, was...

Far more unbearable than when he had bestowed the sin of Sloth.

"Do you truly believe that is humanity's happiness?"