Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy-Chapter 692: Four (5)

"Young Lady?!"

Ignoring Fabi's shock, I stood up, pulling her into a tight embrace as I retreated.

I could feel the Pope following behind me, but I chose to ignore him.

Because I’m not alone. Arthur, Frey, and the Swordmaster, having read my intent, swung their swords at the Pope.

Though he desperately tried to regenerate his severed limbs, it was impossible for him to close the distance with the continuous sword strikes.

"It ends here!"

The Pope, seemingly frustrated, even used his divine power, but in that moment, an effigy appeared, blocking my path with its shield.

Unlike my shield, the heavy weight of the effigy absorbed the shock, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

"Do you think you can hold on?!"

"Yeah! Pathetic!"

At this point, stopping Agras’s resurrection was impossible.

Now that Agras had been consumed by the Pope, he would naturally replace the evil god’s position.

And in the end, the Pope would become the foundation to bring about the age of myth.

That’s the moment I’m waiting for.

The moment the Pope reaches the position of the evil god.

The moment he is overwhelmed by the power granted by the final divine will.

The moment someone of his caliber fails to control himself.

This holy relic was prepared for that moment.

Only for the time when the Pope is powerless.

"Let’s finish this."

Just as I was about to channel energy into the holy relic, holding Fabi's hand, the Pope raised his voice.

At that moment, those who had rushed towards the Pope seemed to be pushed back, as if on cue.

It was as though they were not even permitted to approach.

I thought that Frey and the Swordmaster would strike, but even they only trembled, their hands shaking around their swords without making a move.

It must be proof that the evil god’s power was interfering with their will. Damn it.

"What are you doing,♡ pathetic fools♡ Do you feel sorry for that trash?♡ Puhahaha♡ it’s so pathetic!"

Releasing my grip on Fabi, I spread the purifying divine power with a mocking laugh. Only then did people start moving forward, one by one.

The evil god’s power is stronger than I expected.

Is this backlash due to me and that pathetic god receiving more praise than expected?

If things continue like this, the front lines won’t be able to hold without me. What should I do?

As I clicked my tongue in frustration, my grandfather urgently raised his voice.

<Lucy! You don’t need to control it yourself!>

‘Details! Quickly!’

<You haven’t received divine power from the god! You’ve been chosen for the power! That means you can share it like the gods do!>

‘...What?’

Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.

Wait, what?

If you put it like that, it sounds like I’m some kind of god!

For a moment, I was taken aback by such an absurd statement, but now wasn’t the time to hesitate.

God or whatever, I don’t care.

If I can seize the advantage right now, I’ll gladly take on whatever nonsensical role I need to!

"You pathetic fools♡ If you want to impress me, you better watch your friends!♡ With your pathetic selves, you’ll never win my heart♡ Try harder!♡ Now!♡"

As I grabbed Fabi and commanded the divine power, a part of the light I possessed flowed into Fabi.

"Pathetic Fabi."

"Yes! Young Lady! I believe I understand what you want to say!"

...Huh? I didn’t say anything! I haven’t even explained what I just did yet.

I blinked in surprise, and Fabi captured the light inside the holy relic.

It was definitely the purifying divine power I wielded.

Is divine power really something you can handle so easily?

I remember spending days trying to master it properly.

"Young Lady! Please share the divine power with Joy too! If we have Joy, we can create an even more perfect miracle!"

While others were stalling, Fabi did as instructed and shared the divine power with Joy.

"...Indeed. That holy relic is an amplifier."

You. You get it right away?

Why?!

This is why talent-hungry people are so frustrating!

"If you keep acting like an idiot, I’ll torment you for the rest of your life."

"Even if I don’t act like an idiot, you’ll do that for the rest of my life, won’t you?"

I shrugged at Joy’s laughter and turned my head forward again.

I could feel it didn’t quite suit me.

My roots are more aligned with being a knight than a priest.

Handling divinity or casting magic circles was difficult for me.

But for Fabi and Joy, it was different.

For Fabi, the saint who effortlessly controls the holy relic that contains hundreds of divinities, and for Joy, the genius acknowledged by Erginus, they could certainly create a cleaner and more stable miracle than the one I had in mind.

So all I needed to do was stall.

Stand in front of everyone until everything is complete.

Like a tank.

Belief in the two of them guided me forward.

With my shield raised, enveloping myself in divinity and spreading the purifying power with each step, I drove the darkness away.

"Come at me♡ I’ll play with you♡ Pathetic♡"

"Hmm. I will gladly do so."

Seeing the Pope charging at me, I raised my shield.

The Pope, having devoured the evil god, was faster and stronger than before, but for some reason, it seemed more difficult than the last time.

It must be because he hasn’t fully adapted to the evil god’s power yet.

I smiled and pushed my shield forward, and in that instant, the Pope’s fist was pushed back with a clear sound.

A brief opening.

Seizing that moment, others drew their weapons, and the Pope hummed cheerfully.

"However, Apostle. Are you sure about this? The land is closer to its end than its beginning."

The Pope raised a finger with a smile, and suddenly, the ground sank, revealing deep and vast darkness.

A dungeon. Was the evil god’s minions underground?

Such events never even existed in the game.

"Go to hell!♡ You disgusting bastard!♡"

Before we fell underground, I spread the purifying power, and in an instant, the darkness vanished, and the land returned.

The Pope, who had been watching with a satisfied expression, clapped with genuine admiration.

"Impressive. To think you could perform such a miracle when you haven’t even fully adapted to the divine power."

"Puhahaha♡ Do you think I care if you flatter me?♡ You’re still disgusting to me!♡"

"However, Apostle. Without that holy relic, your miracle would not have reached the entire land."

...Wait. Could it be?

"As you’ve already guessed, yes. All over the continent, this is happening. Every dungeon you’ve conquered will rise again, lost to time, but now uncovered by the land."

Panicking, I rushed forward, but the Pope easily blocked my mace.

"Now, Apostle. You may block me, but while you do so, many people on the continent will perish. What will you do? Will you really protect your holy relic until the very moment it’s needed?"

Has he figured out the purpose of the holy relic? Is he threatening me with it?

"Not just dungeons. Even the other evil gods will be affected by the final divine power, won’t they?"

Damn it.

Yeah. Fuck. If I use the amplification from the holy relic as he says, I could scatter purifying energy across the continent.

But then, many problems will arise in facing this bastard.

But...

But...

<It’s okay.>

‘...Grandfather?’

<Trust the people you’ve helped. I learned from Erginus too, but people are stronger than we thought.>

‘People?’

As my allies attacked, I took a step back and looked toward the fairies. As if they were reading my thoughts, they nodded.

That’s right!People are strong!Everyone is strong!

"...Was the resurrection of the evil god part of the script?"

"Absolutely. This was an unforeseen event."

Just like the fire god who had hardened like lava, the fire evil god reignited once more.

Those preparing for the final battle laughed in disbelief before setting their belongings down again.

"Isn’t it fine? We’re just repeating what we’ve done before."

"But it’s a god. We still need to be cautious."

"Hahaha. Well, to me, that fool looks like a little pawn who will elevate the young lady’s achievements."

Though Frete’s words were somewhat exaggerated, no other apostles or mages seemed particularly tense.

The overwhelming victories they had before had instilled confidence in them.

No matter how great the disaster that loomed, they were certain that as long as they did what needed to be done, victory would follow.

"Let’s go, everyone! For the salvation of the world!"

Did you think it would end like this? It’s not over! You, the mage destined to fall into hell!

"Ha. Really?"

Erginus, who had been leisurely watching the battle between me and the Pope, shook his head in annoyance before drawing another magic circle.

The magic, proposed by his disciple Joy Partlan and completed by Erginus, was dark magic that forced the truth upon everything in the world.

"Struggle all you want. It won’t change anything."

It’s different from when I faced the Void as a human.

With equal divinity, the outcome will be determined by our respective powers.

There could be no defeat when someone like Erginus, who had once aspired to godhood, was given the tactics and power to overcome his opponent.

"Your Majesty, how are the situations in other regions?"

As he continued to suppress the attacking evil gods, Erginus asked the Fairy Queen, who gave a soft smile.

"It seems the young lady’s efforts haven’t been in vain."

Lucy hadn’t merely conquered the dungeons.

She had prepared the worst-case scenarios and made sure everyone understood what to do if disaster struck.

Her efforts had led to today’s success.

No one was repeating past mistakes.

No one was greedily seeking excessive achievements.

Everyone acted immediately, doing what was necessary.

Considering how difficult it is to unite humans, this was truly a miracle.

"Please deliver that hope. They must be conflicted and troubled."

"Indeed."

The Fairy Queen used her power to deliver the message to Lucy.

The trust she spread throughout the world has brought about a miracle.

Upon receiving the message, Lucy shook off her hesitation and pointed her mace toward the Pope.

To repay the trust of those who believed in her.