Chapter 3: Roar of the Evil God——Providence, Hail of the Finale

Revenge is built upon contradictions; therefore, it also carries the inevitable elements of evil.

Humans are not born as Avengers. The only ones that give up being human and become monsters under the name of Avenger are not “those who have nothing to lose”, but “those who have lost something”.

To some, it is wealth; to others, it is honor; and to the rest, it is faith——something that those who grew up normally under the sunlight have obtained throughout their entire lives. When one suddenly and permanently loses that which could be called their soul, the whispers of darkness creep into that void——if it is impossible for them to regain what they lost, then they destroy as much as possible——and they become Avengers.

The darkness that exists inside the vessel of the Avenger Azrad, hollowness that assumes a human form——

Her name was “Uarda”.

Uarda.

Her eyes sparkled with keen intelligence. Her voice resounded like a cheerful poem.

Her warm, dark brown body bathed in the moonlight.

Her petal-like lips emanated with the scent of roses.

Uarda.

She was the only treasure that Azrad, who was just an ordinary young man, had gained. Her name used to satisfy his heart with joy whenever he put it into words, but one day, it turned into a word that cursed his soul.

——Uarda’s uncle, Wahhāb, was a wealthy Tehran merchant and an antique collector. Chinese pots, African masks, Eastern European automaton clocks——with the assistance of his intelligent niece, he scooped up strange antiques from the East and West.

“My uncle really looks like a child.”

Uarda mused while laughing like a bell.

“Today as well, he was showing his treasures off to a customer, but as soon as he was told to ‘sell them’ he hastily put them all away.”

“They’re worth quite a fortune, surely.”

Azrad expressed what he had in mind with hesitation.

“……I don’t know much about the value of antiques, though.”

“Then why not study?”

Saying that, Uarda thrust out the object she had been hiding behind her back before Azrad’s eyes with both hands.

It was a single book that could fit in a grown man’s arms. The sticky luster on its crimson leather cover looked as if it had been smeared with fresh blood.

“This is……?”

“Hehe…… Because my uncle is such a coward, I decided to play a little prank and bring this over. Besides, you like weird books, don’t you?”

Truthfully, Azrad did not have any particular hobbies, but he loved reading foreign books. He had such a talent for vaguely grasping the entire meaning of their contents by just looking at the incomprehensible pagan symbols. For that reason, he had been allowed to read Wahhāb’s personal library since he was a child, he naturally memorized several foreign languages and became important at a young age.

Wahhāb appreciated this young man’s talent, and Uarda loved his humble sincerity.

On top of being his master’s relative and five years older than him, Uarda was a heavenly existence to him, one he could do naught but admire, but Wahhab said as he laughed:

“All things are done according to Allah’s plan and decision. The Prophet Muhammad’s first wife^[1] was fifteen years older than him!”

The orphaned Azrad was accepted by the childless Wahhāb as his son-in-law, and then he married his step-cousin Uarda. Many were jealous of the power and fortune he would inherit, but all Azrad really wanted was a beautiful wife.

To Azrad, who still had juvenile looks, Uarda acted as his mother, his older sister, even his playful younger sister at times. Azrad loved all those aspects of her deeply and silently.

His life was peaceful and happy.

Yet, there are things in this world that such people should never lay their hands on.

The [Book of Bloodshed Prayer] that Uarda had taken out was the best example of this.

Usually, he would have returned it to its owner during the day. Yet Azrad kept the book with him——perhaps one could say he had been tempted by it. After finishing his work that day, he read it underneath the lamplight.

On the bound pages of aged parchment was something written in a deep red pigment reminiscent of fresh blood. He had never seen any symbols like these before. They looked different from Eastern Chinese characters…… No, were they even letters at all?

While Azrad was concentrating on the grotesque tome, the light from his lamp flickered, likely because of a faulty lamp wick.

The rotting parchment momentarily twitched. The entangled crimson lines flowed in spirals and wriggled like a living creature before coiling around Azrad’s fingers.

“——!?”

Azrad pulled his hand away.

……No, it was an illusion.

The ruggedness of the paper’s surface and condition of the light caused the shadows to subtly change, causing the characters to appear to be moving.

Azrad’s common sense came to such a conclusion——though the other part of him, the portion that constituted the core of his talent, had perceived an even more ominous and unspeakable feeling.

(……Maybe I'm a little tired today.)

At any rate, Azrad was a sensible and steady man. He cautiously——perhaps a little too cautiously——closed the book and tightly wrapped it in a piece of fabric, then inserted it into a locked bag. He then placed the bag on a corner of the floor, recited Allah’s name, and vowed to never touch it again.

That night, there was no one in the bedroom that Azrad visited, but after he waited for a brief moment, Uarda came in and started preparing her bedtime cosmetics behind a curtain.

“Sorry. That afternoon customer revisited us and asked again if we could sell it to him or not——Hey honey, where did you put the book?”

“I’ll return it tomorrow.”

Azrad responded.

“We’d better not touch that thing.”

“I felt a little anxious…… that man was kind of creeping me out.”

Uarda said as she clung to his shoulders.

“……Did you place that book in your room?”

Azrad replied while embracing his wife’s slender body.

“I’ll discuss it with my father-in-law and deal with it properly.”

——That night, Uarda was more intense than usual. A sensation unlike any he’d felt before twined around his flesh, leaving him dazed.

As she was panting on her husband’s body, she asked.

“I’m worried after all……. Hey, have you put it somewhere safe……?”

“It’s alright; I’ve left it in my bag and locked it away……”

“I see…… Glad to hear that…… Eheheh——”

At that moment, a never-before-seen smile twisted upon Uarda's lips. Azrad’s consciousness rapidly sank into darkness before he could comprehend it.

——The next morning, Wahhāb and Uarda’s corpses were found. They were murdered side by side in the drawing room where a negotiation was taking place until at least midnight. Their bodies were split open at the temporal region, and their brains were neatly scraped out.

He did not know who would have done such a horrific thing and for what reason.

Azrad was also under suspicion in this case, as he was set to inherit Wahhāb’s fortune, but they concluded that it was done by a burglar due to the damage in the antiques storage room.

……What on earth happened, and why had something like this befallen me?

Azrad could not understand.

He shut down his business and crammed himself in a corner of his residence.

On that last day, the client that visited Wahhāb——who was a petite old man according to an employee——called himself “Raoul Loveday”. After hiring somebody to investigate him, he found out the man named Loveday was the leader of a British secret society called [Darkness Dawn].

But that was all.

Azrad lost the trail of Loveday afterward. Where is he now, and what is he doing? Why did he visit Wahhāb? He could not know.

What destroyed his happiness?

What in the world was the red book that was stolen along with his bag that day?

And who was it that shared their bed with Azrad on their final night?

In the end, he was at a loss.

“——Of course, you wouldn’t know.”

The dark-skinned man said.

Half a year after the incident——by that time, not even the employees approached Azrad, who spent his meaningless days like a corpse—but when he heard this visitor that came from Egypt mention the name “Raoul Loveday”, he brought himself to see him.

The black man continued.

“Your enemy is a magus who can’t be comprehended by human rationality. Moreover, in his hand now is the abhorrent [Book of Bloodshed Prayer]——an extremely powerful Grimoire that worships the Evil God Zs-awia and draws out its power.”

“So what?”

Azrad said. A new flame began to light up deep in his cloudy eyes.

“I will…… capture Raoul Loveday…… and…… kill him…………!”

“Hahaha, that’s the spirit. But how? At this rate, your wrath-infatuated brain will just be served as the dinner of that inhuman monster.”

The words from the man in black were pure mockery and not necessarily friendly towards Azrad. Yet at the same time, Azrad’s instinct told him what this man was saying was the truth beyond ordinary reason. Azrad fell silent, and the man continued.

“If you don’t know, I’ll tell you. An eye for an eye, a Grimoire for a Grimoire——all you have to do is acquire a Grimoire and become a magus yourself. Fortunately, you have a natural talent for it. With the ‘strongest Grimoire’ at your command, you could even become the most powerful sorcerer…… Indeed, even the ‘Master of Necronomicon’.”

The black man stood up.

“Anyhow, first you must seek a Grimoire and step into the unholy path to belong to the same world as Loveday. That is the basic premise of your revenge. ——This is all I can tell you.”

“Wait.”

Azrad called out to the man from behind.

“Who are you? You are not his…… Raoul Loveday’s accomplice?”

“I am nobody’s accomplice. If anything, I’d say——I am the minister of a game.”

“Game……?”

“Yes, a game.”

The man in black turned around and grinned. It was the smile of a monster.

——And so, Azrad started to act.

The first step was searching for a Grimoire.

Azrad contacted every single one of Wahhab’s acquaintances that were involved in antiques. Among them were people who knew the circumstances lurking on the other side of this world, especially the rumors of strange books hidden in libraries or treasure vaults. Whenever he found those that bore resemblance to them, Azrad would throw away his fortune to purchase it. If money could not buy the items, he proposed to exchange them with the antiques left by Wahhāb, and if that did not work either, he would get them by threatening, extorting, or deceiving.

It was also the reenactment of his arch nemesis, Raoul Loveday’s, behaviors.

Grimoires turned people into demons——rather, what that man in black had told him might be the opposite.

Those who had become demons stumbled upon the Grimoires.

After filling the empty hole that pierced his soul with a fury of vengeance, Azrad ran wild. His spirit was transforming into that of a demon before his encounter with a Grimoire.

In the past, he wished for just one thing.

And now, what he desired was only one.

His beloved woman, yet his worst enemy.

Her tanned beauty looked back at him as he pursued her.

In his clouded mind, he could no longer see the difference between the two.

+

“Uarda……!!”

Azrad sat upright. An excessive amount of blood seeped out of the bandages wrapped around his chest.

It was the voice of a girl calling him that brought him back from his nightmarish world.

“Azrad——can you understand what I’m saying, Azrad?”

“U, a, r…… da…………?”

Azrad breathed heavily as he glanced around.

The girl peering at his face——Al Azif—hugged Azrad’s torso, not minding that her own clothes were getting stainted by his blood as well.   

“Relax, Azrad——focus your spirit and control your body.”

“……Yeah……………… I understand, Al Azif.”

Eventually, Azrad steadied his breathing, and life returned to his cheeks and eyes. He restored his physical condition by casting a revitalization spell on his body.

“Are you feeling alright, sir……?”

Crawford addressed him, and Azrad nodded silently.

The existence known as a magus is nearly immortal so long as they can retain their consciousness. However, that is as perilous as a spinning top narrowly maintaining its balance. He was still severely wounded, so even a brief moment of carelessness could be fatal.

“Um…… Mr. Azrad……?”

Ada, who was sitting next to his bed, spoke to him timidly.

“I…… um…… it was my fault…………”

Azrad turned his attention to the faltering Ada for just a moment before looking around the room.

The guest room wasn’t so spacious. Aside from the bed Azrad was lying on, chairs and medical equipment were brought in, turning it into an improvised medical ward.

“Where am I……?”

“Hadou Mansion in Arkham.”

Al Azif answered.

“Hadou——where is Hadou?”

Pushing both hands against the bed, Azrad sat up. His movements were so firm that nobody would think he was a wounded man, but blood was gradually oozing from his bandages.

Ada stood up in a panic and tried to support Azrad. However——

“Back off, little girl!”

“……Okay.”

Al Azif’s yelling forced her to sit down.

“This is all your——!”

Azrad held back Al Azif, who was intent on rubbing salt in the wound, and interjected.

“Don’t mind her, Derleth. ……You had nothing to do with this from the beginning.”

A faint, concerned smile appeared on his brown, sad face. It was the first time Ada witnessed him forming a human expression.

Crawford took out Azrad’s coat.

“I was ordered to guide you to my master’s location as soon as you’ve awoken, sir.”

“Ah, please do.”

Azrad slid his arms through his unfolded coat and headed towards the door together with Al Azif.

Then,

“Please, milady, you should come along——”

Crawford encouraged her, but Ada remained seated on her chair, motionless.

“……I’ll go later…………”

She stated while keeping her head down, Crawford nodded slowly and left the chamber.

In the room, only Ada was left.

At least until Azrad regained consciousness——that’s what she said when she was stationed in this guest room; but now, her being in this mansion no longer had any meaning.

No——there was no place in the entire world where she belonged anymore.

Half a year ago, when she exultantly left London, she thought that she would change the world as well. But now, she found the weight of this world——rather, the darkness contained deep within it——was crushing her.

Ada realized.

——Ever since the night she cried next to her father’s corpse, she had never made any progress.

Before long, Ada laid her face on the bed and began to sob.

+

“Based on our investigation so far, the presumed location of ‘Zs-awia Temple’ is around here——”

Armitage pointed his finger at one spot on the huge South American map spread on Hadou’s office desk. It was southwest of the Guiana Highlands.

Then, he briefly dragged his finger over the Atlantic Ocean from the map’s northern edge and placed it in the heart of the continent at the Amazon River’s estuary. Next, Armitage continued speaking as he shifted his fingertip towards the position he had first indicated in a circular manner.

“It would take us three days from Arkham to Manaus with a submarine or a high-speed steamer and four days with a launch boat to go up the Rio Negro–Blanco and its branches, then seven days to traverse the jungle on foot——assuming our trip goes smoothly, it’ll take us about two weeks to get there.”

“That would be too late.”

Hadou shook his head.

“With the ‘Manaus Statue’ now in his possession, Loveday will ride his pterosaur and return to the temple immediately to resume the ritual of the Evil God’s resurrection. We must chase after him as fast as possible.”

“But this is the shortest route that we can take——”

Interrupting Armitage’s words, Hadou ran his finger on the map directly to the location of the temple from the northern edge.

“We’re already behind them by two full days, but if we use an airship we can head straight to them in approximately 50 hours. We can arrive at about the same time as them.”

“That’s reckless, Mr. Hadou.”

“The airship is vulnerable to aerial attacks. As long as the enemy’s formation has the pterosaurs——”

“……I’ll take care of them.”

Azrad interrupted their conversation while carrying Al Azif and pulling his coat over his bandages. Crawford, his guide, stood behind him.

“Hey, you’re finally awake.”

Azrad raised his hand and stared straight at Hadou as he spoke.

“Hadou, take me to the heart of the battlefield. I cannot guarantee anything beyond that, but until then, I will protect you all——do you have any objection to this condition?”

“Not at all.”

Hadou shrugged his shoulders.

“I was also thinking of suggesting the same thing.”

“But Azrad, you’re not in a good condition for battle——”

Hadou stopped Armitage and said.

“Even if you say so, he’s not the type of man to back down. We will take the utmost liberty of utilizing the power of the strongest magus to the fullest——are you okay with that?”

Azrad suppressed the pouting Al Azif before she retorted and nodded.

“——Good, it’s settled.”

Hadou turned around.

“Armitage, prepare the airship——”

[Please wait!]

A thunderous voice echoed through the office.

A grotesque giant resembling a gorilla wearing a diving suit stood beyond the double doors.

It was Augusta Ada Derleth dressed in her motor suit.

“Young lady……!?”

[Mr. Hadou, please let me go with yo——]

Ada broke into the room with big steps as an insect-like motor sounded from her entire body. Then——the top of her knapsack hit the door frame and she toppled over onto her back.

[——Kyaaargh!?]

The impact of her fall made the balloon pop out from her backpack, and it automatically began to fill with gas.

*Shaaaa*~~!

[Pfft~~~~!?]

Crawford assisted in picking up Ada, who was struggling and writhing while half-buried by the balloon, which had begun to inflate on the spot.

Azrad frowned slightly, and Al Azif grimaced unpleasantly.

“——Mr. Hadou?”

When Armitage looked back,

“Ah…… Umm…”

Hadou scratched his head.

When Ada touched around her own neck——thanks to the newly improvised model of metal fittings——her motor suit’s helmet sprang up with a pop.

“Phew!”

Her face was flushed bright red, and her eyes were swollen from crying. However, those eyes were shining with a resolute will that she kept hidden.

“I won’t give up even if you tell me to, Mr. Hadou! For the only path the ‘Knight of Science’ should tread is one that leads forward!!!”

——As depicted earlier, Augusta Ada Derleth’s appearance was a depressed, weak, and miserable one.

But at the same time, it was also the source of her explosive drive.

+

Approximately fifty hours later——

Four Neue Zeppelin-type airships were flying in formation above the vast, lush forest that stretched into the horizon.

About 4500 kilometers away from Arkham in a straight line, the Hadou Enterprise’s airship fleet was passing over the Bermuda Sea in the Atlantic Ocean and eastern Caribbean Sea; they soon arrived in the southwestern Guiana Highlands directly under the equator. There had been no obstacles up until that point, but in the last few hours of their journey, a fierce attack from D∴D∴(Darkness Dawn) began.

A flock of dozens of pterosaurs swooped in from beyond the jungle, converging on the fleet like a rustling cloud. This was their third attack since they had reached the South American continent.

Soon after, Gatling guns from the airships’ gondola started to fire; however, their firing angle was limited to avoid their bullets hitting the hulls of their own or their allies. The pterosaurs approached the fleet from the sky outside of their firing range, and with a cry, they all came flying in at once. Their sharp claws would easily tear apart the hulls and gas bags of the rigid airships.

At that moment——a small, dark shadow leapt out of the lead airship. It was Azrad, clad in his Magius Style’s aviation form. Azrad leapt out of the center of the fleet and into the high altitude, then——

“Aeon!”

He summoned the Deus Machina Aeon in mid-air.

A giant of steel manifested and burst into the atmosphere; in an instant, it expanded its steel wings and hovered, thrusting both hands into the space of both sides of its waist to draw out two masses of steel. They were long-barreled revolvers that appeared to be tailor-made for a giant——their shape closely resembled the handgun carried by Hadou Kouzou.

Just until a few days ago, Azrad had never wielded a firearm; hence the image of his attacks was limited to sword fighting with a Scimitar. He would brandish his long magic blade and either charge or throw it——but against flying enemies, such usage of power was very inefficient.

But right now——

“Ooh!!”

Aeon aimed both pistols forward and fired in rapid succession. These giant-sized pistol bullets worthy of being called “cannonballs” were shot with the force of a Gatling gun. The rune-enchanted bullets that were generated directly inside the violently rotating chambers(cylinders) would never run out so long as Azrad’s spiritual power and concentration lasted.

Prior to the departure of the fleet, Hadou had given Azrad his pistol to test fire several dozen rounds. Just from that alone, Azrad was able to intuitively grasp the gun’s structure and used the “Magic Blade Forging” spell to craft his own magical gun. His adaptability was exceptional, to say the least.

Dozens of large rounds were fired into a crowded section of the pterosaur herd in one go and turned several into lumps of mucus, causing the flock to fly apart and lose their rhythm. Azrad = Aeon ceased firing and sniped each one that had lost their momentum, killing them with certainty.

Eventually, after about tens of pterosaurs had been brought down, the horde scattered and flew away. D∴D∴’s pterosaurs did not attempt to decide the battle all at once, but rather their attacks were executed sporadically and in waves.

After the group of pterosaurs had vanished from sight, Aeon’s gigantic body disintegrated. Azrad emerged from within and jumped onto the lead airship and into the cabin. He undid his Magius Style and coughed up a glob of blood as he collapsed to the floor.

“Azrad, stay focused!!”

Al Azif, currently in the form of a young girl, embraced Azrad’s head.

“If you lose consciousness, you’ll die!”

Crawford rushed over and injected Azrad in the arm with a highly concentrated cardiac stimulant. Azrad’s body jumped twice, then three times as fresh blood gushed out from the wounds all over his body.

The momentary mental numbness that came as a result of using the ultimate spell, “Machine God Summoning”, which utilized all of his body and soul, was like a fatal blow to Azrad——who only partially maintained his life through sheer willpower. This was the result of the “wave attack” by the swarm of pterosaurs.

“Mr. Azrad, Mr. Azrad, stay strong!!”

Ada took hold of Azrad’s hand and cried out to him in desperation.

“Little girl! If you want to be useful, then shut the hell up!”

“But……!”

“——Azrad.”

Hadou Kouzou’s voice called out to Azrad.

Azrad, with his eyes rolling back, regained his consciousness, and his bloodless lips cast a revitalization spell on his body. Taking a deep breath, Azrad straightened up.

Looking out the window with binoculars in one hand, Hadou asked.

“——How many more times can you summon Aeon, Azrad?”

“No more than——”

Azrad stopped Al Azif, who began speaking, and answered.

“Maybe one more…… No, I can only call it out two more times.”

“I see. The final call was to finish Raoul Loveday off with all your strength…… right? In that case, let’s get it done in one go if possible.”

“——That’s not for you to decide.”

Azrad said as he wiped the blood off with a towel. Hadou turned around with a grin on his face.

“It’s better compared to your own judgment.”

Al Azif frowned, but Azrad paid her no attention and silently wiped his mouth.

Then, Hadou shouted out to everyone inside the gondola so they could hear him.

“Let’s carry out ‘Operation Dandelion’ during our next assault!”

+

The pterosaurs’ fourth attack took place half an hour later.

Their base, the Zs-awia Temple, was just ten kilometers away. There was no turning back for them. They were determined to stop the Hadou Faction——especially the Deus Machina Aeon—even if that meant their own annihilation.

But Aeon, which was their only means of resistance against the flooding pterosaurs, hadn’t sortied.

Instead, an airship had increased its speed and emerged from the fleet. The flock of pterosaurs leapt at it in reflex.

Then——the airship suddenly self-destructed. A gas bag filled with hydrogen exploded, taking down several pterosaurs along with it, and the remnants of the hull itself fell to the jungle, burning down as it did.

Three of the four airships were unmanned ships controlled by radio.

Another one of the airships advanced from the fleet.

The pterosaurs watched from afar with caution——but as the airship slowly broke through the encirclement, they could no longer afford to ignore it and swooped down on it.

However, this, too, was a decoy. Not only was it a decoy, but it was a flying bomb loaded with explosives around the gas sack. The airship then self-destructed and took down several more pterosaurs; all that remained were less than ten.

And then there was another one.

Could this one have been yet another decoy——?

Under their cautious gazes, the third airship spewed smoke from several places in its hull, and the pterosaurs let out a scream before flying away. 

However, there was no explosion. It was a smoke screen.

Trailing its long grey tail, a giant smoky serpent with the airship’s bow as its head, it wound its way through the sky above the jungle. From its head fell a small chunk.

A stocky figure hung from wires attached to a balloon roughly two meters in diameter. It was a replica based on Ada’s motor suit.

This was what Hadou referred to as “Operation Dandelion”——thirty motor suits would blend in with the smoke screen and descend to the jungle one by one, as if they were being blown by the wind like dandelion fluff.

Ada was at the forefront of the parachute force, participating as the base designer of the motor suits as well as being an experienced operator.

[Kyaaaaargh~~~~!]

The ground was rapidly closing in under their feet——suddenly, a radial urban structure began to display through the gaps of the dense jungle.

——The day before, inside the airship, Hadou Kouzou had unrolled a map to explain the landing operation. This roughly hand-drawn map was devised from notes that were left behind by a scholar who once roamed the jungle temple.

“Oh my, this is——?”

Ada muttered while looking at the map.

This arrangement of rivers, hills, and radial pathways centered on the temple——

“Yes.”

Hadou nodded.

“It closely resembles the framework of Arkham City. This tributary is the Miskatonic River, this group of stone pillars is old Arkham, and these lines here are the old and new Arkham Highways. As for the temple itself, it corresponds with the Hadou Mansion.”

“……Is it possible for this to be such a coincidence?”

“It’s not a coincidence, young lady. To them, they have the Evil God Zs-awia; to us, we have Demonbane——”

Hadou moved his finger to the temple on the map.

“This is the necessary structure for the Feng Shui system whose purpose is to materialize their ‘God’.”

——And now.

[Kyah, ah, ah, ah!]

CRA-CRASH!

Ada screamed as she descended, landing on a broad stone-paved road, then she kept running for about ten meters to parry her ground speed, where she tripped on her feet and spun forward before finally coming to a halt.

“——Are you hurt, young lady?”

Hadou Kouzou, also in a motor suit, called out to Ada while pulling her upright.

Ada flipped her helmet up and answered.

“Yes, um, I’m already used to it!”

“That’s excellent——by the way, do you know where we are?”

Ada recalled the assembling point they had arranged upon the day before, and replied while comparing it with the “street” she had seen from the sky just prior to her landing.

“Umm, we’re in the ‘Old Town’——”

“That’s right, the ‘Peabody Square’. Just two or three kilometers to our destination.”

Hadou nodded in satisfaction.

Soon after, a group of people descending in their motor suits appeared all over the street. Each of them was carrying a Gatling gun that had been modified to be handheld.

Following their alignment and roll call, Hadou switched on his loudspeaker.

[From here we’ll now head to the “Hadou Mansion” through the “Old Arkham Highway”. Anyone who was injured during the descent shall remain in this place and await recovery——]

The heavily armed motor suit troops, the pinnacle of cutting-edge science, began to swiftly march their way towards the center of the ancient stone ruins.

As Ada trotted alongside Hadou, she released her helmet and strained her ears. Amidst the hums of the electrical motors and the rattling noises of their equipment, the faint cries of strange birds and animals——the sounds of the jungle—could be heard.

——But what about the situation in this “town”?

The “town” was supposed to be abandoned for hundreds of years, yet it hadn’t been engulfed by the jungle and stood there in tranquility. It was as though the land was refusing the intrusion of life. 

Just as she thought so——

BA-DUMP——

A vibration that appeared to be resonating from the depths of the earth——possibly even the entirety of the ruins——resounded all throughout.

BA-DUMP——

“What is this……?”

“——It’s finally started.”

Hadou muttered.

“This is the heartbeat of the Evil God.”

+

“——Ia!”

“——Ia!”

“Ia! Zs-awia!”

At the center of the ruins surrounding the stone circle, which was the nucleus of the temple in many layers, the “servants” of Zs-awia chanted their thunderous cries of rejoice.

Standing on the high altar in the heart of the stone circle, accepting the voice as if it was the God Zs-awia itself, was a woman clad in her crimson Magius Style——the Grimoire [Book of Bloodshed Prayer]—the magus Raoul Loveday.

Loveday installed an angular stone pillar——no, a stone statue that was about an armful on the center of the altar. Ten years after being stolen from this land, the “Manaus Statue” had finally returned to its rightful place.

“——Ia! Ia!”

The cries of the “servants” became louder.

Loveday knelt down in front of the statue and spread his arms wide. His crimson Magius Style melted gooily and pooled at his feet like tar. Loveday hugged the statue with his dark brown naked body exposed. The stone pillar, which had been sandwiched between his stretched thighs, resembled a phallus made of mineral.

“——Ia! Ia!”

“Ia! Zs-awia!”

“Ia! Zs-awia!”

“Ia! Zs-awia——”

“Haah…… heheh……”

Amidst the rising cheers, Loveday began rubbing his breasts and hips against the divine statue as he gasped roughly with his cheeks flushed. The dissolved Magus Suit became bloody tentacles, crawling around the surface of the black stone and his tanned skin. It was like an act of union with the Evil God itself.

This was the resurrection ritual of the God Zs-awia.

The long-cherished ambition of the evil magus Raoul Loveday, or perhaps the hundred million-year longing of the Evil God itself, who was sealed in this land before humanity was born——Once unleashed from the depths of the earth, the god Zs-awia would consume this planet in the blink of an eye and reshape the laws of this universe.

That would spell the end of the world.

What was being carried out right now was a ritual to herald the apocalypse on this world.

“Ia! Zs-awia!”

“Ia! Zs-awia!”

“Ia! Zs-awia!”

“Ia——”

Shortly after, the “servants” cast away their human forms and turned into beasts before they started violating and consuming each other. A swirl of wordless groans and howls circulated around the ring of stones, forming a chaotic vortex.

If anyone who had studied sorcery based on logic——like Hadou Kouzou or Armitage—saw this scene, they would realize that this primitive ritual had the same structure as Arkham’s “Keeper of the Silver Key”. The tornado of frenzied spiritual energy rotated around the altar, stimulating the statue at the center of the stone circle.

And just as one thought——

From around the statue’s chest, a shining rainbow-colored and bubble-like substance immediately seeped out. It momentarily stayed in the air and then disappeared as if getting sucked into Loveday’s chest.

“Argh——!”

Loveday threw his head back, his hair disheveled.

Next, two, three, four——the bubbles were born in succession and similarly settled themselves into his dark brown flesh.

“Ah——Ah——!!”

Loveday bent himself back to the point where the back of his head reached the ground; his body convulsed as he massaged his breasts and rubbed his abdomen against the statue. Filled with mighty arcane power, the tentacles of blood soaked into the rifts carved on the altar floor.

BA-DUMP——

BA-DUMP——

The heartbeat of the god Zs-awia could be heard from the bottom of the earth.

The stone circle resonated with the vibrations and began to vibrate space itself.

“Haaa——aah——”

BA-DUMP——

“Aah——!!”

BA-DUMP——!!

As Loveday’s madness swelled, so did the Evil God’s heartbeat in unison.

“Aaaah……!!”

Eventually, when Loveday was about to reach his climax——

BANG——!!

A pillar of fire rose from a corner of the temple, and the movements of the “servants” were disturbed.

[Howdy, Raoul Loveday!]

Hadou Kouzou’s voice reverberated through a megaphone.

[Sorry, did I spoil your fun time?]

At the same time, a troop of motor suits stormed into the crowd of “servants”.

As the beastmen lost control and ran frantically, the “Order of the Knights of Science” opened the breach with dynamite, mowed down the surrounding area with their Gatling guns, and rushed to the altar.

“Curse you——Hadou!”

Loveday created scorching projectiles in both hands and fired them at a motor suit running as the lead.

One of the two stones knocked down the Gatling gun he was holding in his hand, and the other struck right in his motor suit’s chest.

However, his momentum did not stop. He made an astounding leap and took a deep plunge at the altar before him. Then——the motor suit split open from the inside, and a man in his Magius Style outfit jumped out.

“You are——!?”

Before he could finish speaking, the “Scimitar of Barzai” had pierced his brown chest.

The gloomy eyes of the man in his Magius Style——Azrad—were focused on Loveday.

——The magus Raoul Loveday was finally dead.

Things would turn out differently if it was an ordinary sword, but since the “Master of Necronomicon” had received a magic blade imbued with a lethal spell, even the horror Raoul Loveday could do nothing but be liquefied and disintegrated.

When everyone thought so——

(Not yet, Azrad!)

Al Azif shouted.

Loveday was smiling as the Scimitar’s handle grew from his plump breasts.

“……It’s you, Azrad.”

It was not the usual husky voice of an old man but the attractive voice of a young woman——Uarda.

(——He has already fused with the Evil God!)

Indeed.

In the prior ritual, the “Blood Magius Style”, which could be called a part of Loveday’s body, had a part reach deep underground to make contact with the god Zs-awia. The current Loveday had undeniably become a being known as the Evil God’s terminal.

The Scimitar on Loveday’s chest disappeared. The blade composed of magic power was forcefully dispelled. Not a single scratch was left on his chest where the magic blade had been stabbed into. Loveday took a step forward. ——No, that expression, that mannerism, they completely belonged to his wife, Uarda.

“I’m happy that you came here.”

Uarda smiled like a flower.

Azrad tried to jump away from her. However, the blood that was accumulating under his feet grew long tentacles and entangled Azrad’s legs, then his whole body.

Given that the enemy had gained the inexhaustible life force of the Evil God, there was only one way to kill him——

“Aeo——”

But as he was about to invoke the name of his Deus Machina, Uarda’s lips blocked his mouth.

 

  (……It has been painful for you until now hasn’t it, Azrad?)

 

Uarda’s voice resounded directly inside Azrad’s body.

 

  (But you don’t have to suffer anymore.)

(You no longer need to fight.)

 

“Stop fooling with me, Loveday——don’t you dare pretend to be my wife!”

 

   (Eheheh……)

 

Uarda laughed. It was the exact same smile from the blissful days when she gently teased the stubborn Azrad.

 

(Oh, but I’m not messing around.)

   (In the first place, I am not Loveday; I am nothing.)

  (I took Raoul Loveday’s face just for the sake of convenience.)

(If you wish, I shall stay as Uarda.)

    (Forever…… until the end of the world.)

 

“Kuh——Aeon!”

Azrad tried to summon Aeon once more. But the Machine God that was supposed to be his alter ego did not respond. The determination to attack, the will of destruction——right now Azrad was lacking the decisive factor to activate the Deus Machina. That was because——

 

   (Because you are extremely satisfied now.)

      (For you only wanted me again.)

  (No, it is no use pretending to be tough. I know all about you.)

    (……Even if you kill me and save the world, there won’t be any place for you there.)

(Before that, you can’t bear losing me again.)

      (So…… let’s just get this done already.)

   (Come to me, Azrad. Become one with me.)

(The blood and soul of the “Master of Necronomicon” shall be the greatest impetus for Zs-awia’s resurrection.)

 

“You just blew your cover——”

Azrad said.

“You are not Uarda…… You are an Evil God plotting your resurrection on this Earth……!”

 

    (Yes, so?)

  (That doesn’t mean I cannot become Uarda.)

   (Think carefully. Our goal is the same.)

(What you really want to destroy is “the world without Uarda”. Am I right?)

 

——Azrad, what’s wrong, Azrad——

——Pull yourself together, Azrad——

Someone was calling his own name in the distance——but he could not hear them clearly.

Instead, he ruminated over Uarda’s words.

“The world…… without Uarda……”

For the past five years, the place that he had wandered about was a dark and hollow world akin to the underworld itself.

Uarda hugged Azrad’s head into her warm breasts.

 

   (That’s right, Azrad.)

  (You don’t need such a world anymore.)

    (Because you have me……)

“Uarda……”

Azrad closed his eyes. He was too tired.

——Let’s take a short break, then.

That’s what he thought.

However——

[——Stop this instant!]

A loud, spirited voice rumbled throughout the surroundings.

Beneath the altar, a motor suit struck a daunting pose. There was only one person armed with an electrode-attached pole in place of a Gatling gun, and that was Augusta Ada Derleth.

[It’s useless trying to seduce him with lewd behaviors! Because——Kyah!]

Ada struck a black leopard that attacked her flank with her electric spear while yelling, [Eek! Enough!] and looked up at the altar for a second time as she puffed out her chest.

“Because, Mr. Azrad——our magus, is a man of justice who fights for a righteous world! Get it now!? If you do, then hurry up and put some pants on!]

For a moment, Azrad was dumbstruck.

It was like he could picture the face of a girl with a displeased look in her helmet.

Her image was as dazzling as morning light, enough to disturb his slumber.

Next, he could hear several other voices.

[Azrad, what happened!?]

(——Get away from that woman, Azrad!!)

Uarda put more strength in her arms as she embraced Azrad. The red ivy-like tentacles tightly restrained their bodies as one.

“It’s no use; this person is my——”

WHACK——!!

Before she could finish saying, a gigantic fist of steel seized her body.

Aeon was summoned between the bodies of the two, which were pressed closely together.

The iron fist broke through as it shredded the bloody tentacles to pieces, sending Uarda’s figure flying into the air.

+

The motor suit formation cleared the horde of wild beasts that had lost their commander. Leopards, gorillas, and carnivorous dinosaurs were all penetrated by bullets and turned into dark red lumps of tar, crumbling onto the stone pavement.

Azrad looked down at the ground as he heard the hysteria behind him. Right on the spot was the thing that previously took the form of Uarda.

After taking a hit from Aeon, and not to mention being slammed against the ground——from within the lump of blood and tar that had lost half of its body’s features, Uarda’s face looked up at Azrad like a mask dropped into muddy water.

“A, z, ra…… d……”

*Slump*……——

A huge metal hand appeared above Azrad’s head. Just like a minute ago, it was the right arm of Aeon via Partial Summoning.

“……Uarda, you’re already dead. To everyone…… and even to me.”

Contrary to his calm tone, the fist of steel that he raised overhead was red hot and enveloped in heat haze.

“……Farewell.”

The scorching fist swung downward towards the ground, then——

A rock palm burst forth, ripping through the cobblestone, and caught the steel fist.

“——!?”

Shortly after Azrad leapt back reflexively, another stone pillar-like arm sprang out and pursued him through the air. Aeon’s left hand was summoned in an instant and grabbed its wrist to stop the blow.

BA-DUMP——

The heartbeat of the Evil God shook the entire temple.

BA-DUMP——

BA-DUMP——

“““Grroowrech!!”””

The horde of wild beasts evaporated all together as they uttered bizarre howls and turned into a living crimson wave that flooded the altar.

The ritual was not over yet.

[W-W-What is happening!?]

When Ada looked around in panic, fragments of the collapsing temple fell nonstop on her head.

Hadou pushed Ada’s back and yelled.

[——Retreat! Everybody, move to “Peabody Square”!!]

BA-DUMP——

BA-DUMP——

The land trembled, accompanied by a rumble, and two stone arms extended from beneath the altar——the ones that were gripping Aeon’s—rose even higher. Next, the owner of the arms threw off the stone floors and lifted its upper body. It was a colossal stone idol, its size rivaling Aeon’s.

“There’s something like this under the earth……!?”

(No…… That’s not it, Azrad!)

Correct, it was not stored underground. The altar, the stone pillars, and the rocks that made up the temple’s floors and walls were being reconstructed into a giant human form.

Head, torso, waist——the gigantic statue bent over Azrad as it grew out to break free from the ground. At this rate, it would squash him with its chest that looked like a castle wall.

Azrad gathered supernatural strength in both of Aeon’s arms as they held the enormous weight. In return, the magical protection for his external wounds weakened, and his body started bleeding all over.

His Magius Wings came undone and scattered before taking a ring-shaped “Chanting Form”.

“A…… e…… on……!”

BOOM——!

In a flash, a steel giant was formed and absorbed Azrad’s body into its breast as it pushed back the colossus. Due to the shockwaves resulting from it, the surrounding stone pillars were brought down, and the colossus’ trunk swayed like a wooden block tower.

——Yet, the giant did not collapse. A garnet, tar-like substance filled the gaps between the stone blocks and provided solid support for its large build.

BA-DUMP——

BA-DUMP——

The colossus rose up and created two legs below its midsection. The liquefied “Zs-awia’s Servants” that washed up around its feet were absorbed by the colossus, causing its body to expand even more.

Eventually, the stone giant was completed while grappling with Aeon. Its massive form, composed of black stones and ruddy tar, was almost as tall as Aeon, and its angular torso and limbs, which gave off a solemn impression, became twice as large as Aeon’s.

“This is……”

(A Deus Machina!?)

[That’s right……!]

Hadou shouted from the ground as if to answer the Azrad group’s question.

[This is an “Image of a Titan God” created to harness the Evil God’s power——it’s the most primordial Deus Machina!!]

“Exactly……”

A deathmask-like face emerged from the colossus’ rock-and-tar-filled chest. It was the face of an ugly old man akin to a twisted old tree.

“Now that I have gained the power of the god Zs-awia, I shall obtain everything.”

The old man spoke in a husky voice, and,

“——Let’s make it, Azrad…… our world.”

In the blink of an eye, his face became that of a woman’s, with a seductive smile.

(Azrad…… calm yourself.)

“……Yeah.”

Azrad responded to Al Azif’s call with composure. There was no longer intense hatred within him, only a heartbroken feeling.

“Uarda…… It’s time to finish this.”

Azrad = Aeon poured strength into both arms. His right fist crushed the colossus’ palm, while his left hand squeezed its stone wrist.

ROOAR——!

Having both of its wrists destroyed simultaneously, the behemoth wailed like a beast. Then——the stone parts of its arms rearranged themselves, creating new wrists along with the reddish tar.

Meanwhile, Aeon knitted the Voorish Sign with its free hand and pulled out two Scimitars from the air; next, it sliced off the colossus’ pair of arms as it began to grasp at it once more.

However, the colossus grew new arms from the center of its chest and gripped Aeon’s shoulders.

(Tch——there’s no end to this!)

In a short-lived fight, the titan would not be a match for Aeon. But due to its seemingly limitless regenerative ability, Aeon would end up destroying itself if they got into a battle of attrition due to its limited stamina.

At that moment——

[Azrad!]

Hadou cried out from below.

[Separate the “Manaus Statue”——“Heart of Infinity” from its body!]

“I see……”

Azrad remembered the experiment that Hadou performed in Arkham. The statue was activated by a ritual and called forth otherworldly energy…… Was that the source of this monstrosity’s strength?

Aeon aimed for the colossus’ stomach with one foot and kicked it away with full force. The colossus staggered and moved three steps backwards while dropping the tattered fingers that were digging into Aeon’s shoulders.

Next, Aeon discarded the Scimitars and summoned its revolvers in both hands.

“OOH——!!”

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG——!!

Dozens of arcane bullets were fired in one go——into its chest, stomach, arms, and face, shattering the crag. However, as the colossus was on the brink of collapse, it instantly regenerated, causing its dark red shapeless parts to quiver.

Aeon’s eyes calmly observed the situation.

Surrounding the entirety of the colossus was an ominous vortex of regenerative energy. Its source was——

The metal arm took an overarm stance and thrust towards the center of the colossus’ chest——towards where Uarda’s face was protruding.

——Uarda…….

The fist of steel stuck out of the giant’s back, scattering its stones. A rainbow-colored light leaked out from between its fingers.

BAM……——

Suddenly, the wine-colored tar lost its viscosity and dissolved. Without its magical reinforcement, the rock giant was reduced to a mere tower of stone, crumbling from its instability.

The spell that maintained Aeon also dispelled, leaving Azrad in the sky as it disappeared without a trace.

Hadou dashed up to the chunk of stone that had fallen from the steel palm and plummeted to the ground——the “Manaus Statue” that had tumbled out of the altar’s shards. As the thing continued to groan in a low tone while still spitting out rainbow-colored “otherdimensional bubbles”, he recited a sealing mantra and concealed it with a black fabric before tying it with a rope.

[Alright——well done.]

Hadou commended Azrad as he opened his Magius Wings and descended next to him.

Yet——

BA-DUMP——

The heartbeat of the Evil God had yet to stop.

BA-DUMP——

[……Let’s move!!]

Hadou carried the “Manaus Statue” on his right shoulder, and helped the bloodied and kneeling Azrad stand up with his left arm. Then, he started running in the direction where Ada and his crew had fled.

After taking the form of a young girl, Al Azif spoke as she supported Azrad from the opposite side.

“Are you going to abandon this place? ——The Evil God will awaken any moment now!”

[Which is why we must hurry!]

Hadou replied.

[Even if we wanted to perform a sealing ritual, the temple is already beyond repair. There’s no choice but to bring it to Arkham’s facility.]

The whole site of the temple shook violently, and the stone steps caved in widely.

[Ooh!?]

Hadou reflexively pulled out the cord attached to his motor suit’s chest.

Whoosh——!

The balloon that popped out of the backpack rapidly filled with gas. It was a balloon meant for escaping, with greater buoyancy than the one used for the drop.

[——Hold on!]

With Azrad and Al Azif remaining under his arms, the motor suited Hadou slowly began to rise.

Beneath their feet, the land fell apart like an avalanche.

What appeared afterwards was a “hole”——no, a “mouth”. It was a vast mouth that suggested a coelenterate about thirty meters in diameter at most. This temple——no, this entire ruin—was built upon an undefined entity resting underground like an ore deposit.

“This is…… the so-called Evil God Zs-awia……!?”

When Al Azif murmured this——

RrrLooOooOooooooooohh——!!

The Evil God devoured the center of the temple whole and unleashed a strange roar as if to announce it had yet to satisfy its hunger.

“Kuh——!!”

Al Azif quickly invoked a magic-powered barrier. Otherwise, apart from Hadou Kouzou, a weakened Azrad would die from the sheer madness received from a direct hit of the Evil God’s howl.

In the vicinity of the Evil God’s “mouth”, dark red tentacles sprouted with a rustling sound; they wriggled and stretched their tips. The tentacles’ target was the balloon——no, the “Manaus Statue” that Hadou was carrying.

“Hadou——move faster!”

The movements of Zs-awia’s tentacles were quite sluggish, but they seemed to be somewhat faster than the ascending speed of the balloon. At this rate, as Al Azif feared, they would be captured and engulfed along with the statue.

“Hadou——”

Azrad uttered as he clung to Hadou.

“Put me down…… I’ll fly by myself.”

[I can’t do that.]

Hadou replied without hesitation.

[Right now you can’t even concentrate enough to put on your Magius Style.]

“Still, you can lessen the burden. You and Al Azif might be able to live.”

“——Don’t be foolish, Azrad!”

[Good grief…… Azrad, there are two things that you lack.]

Hadou said.

[“Planning” and “tenacity”. The important thing is mental endurance. If you ask me, those who give up too soon are just plain lazy, period.]

“……What do you mean by that?”

[In other words, before leaving on a trip, you should prepare your return flight——look, here they come.]

Two zeppelins quickly approached from the direction Hadou pointed towards.

“——Mister Hadou! Mr. Azrad!”

Ada waved and dropped a hooked rope from the gondola window.

After Hadou had safely entered the gondola with everyone, he issued a command to fly up at full speed.

The Evil God reached out its tentacles to the utmost as the presence of the “Manaus Statue” rapidly faded away, yet it had already risen to a region out of the reach of its “arms”.

But,

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE——!

The jungle rose up like a small mountain in addition to the sonorous quaking. A great “maelstrom” of dusky-red mucus and tentacles came into sight, mowing down and swallowing up rocks and trees.

“Oh……!?”

Even Hadou Kouzou involuntarily exclaimed the moment he saw it.

Its size was a hundred meters, two hundred meters in diameter——no, it was more than that. It was a geological and meteorological phenomenon that far exceeded the ordinary scale of life.

GrrAooooOoooorroohh——!!

With a rumble, the “whirlpool” turned a majority of the mucus that composed its body into one whip-like tentacle and began striking into the upper air like a venomous snake hunting down its prey.

“Starboard!”

At Hadou’s indication, the zeppelin strayed from its course; the scarlet serpent grazed the hull by a slight margin and dived into the ground.

The zeppelin escalated further. It would no longer be able to reach this high even if the same attack occurred. Unless it grew something like wings and flew——

Then, Zs-awia’s body once again became a mass of squirming tentacles, coiling itself on the ground before a large pair of wings sprouted from its body.

Dripping dark red liquid——with each drop knocking down a huge tree——the Evil God caused the Earth to tremble as it took flight. It vigorously beat its immense leathery wings and drew closer to the zeppelins. A two-hundred-meter-long super zeppelin was no more than a mouthful of fodder for this flying monster.

Among the densely growing tentacles, a humongous mouth opened.

At that time——a zeppelin exploded. This one was also a decoy “airship bomb”.

The Evil God was stalled after taking a direct hit from the massive bomb. One of its giant leather wings was torn off in half, and huge chunks of meat came down drop by drop, yet——

“It…… It doesn’t fall!”

Ada shouted.

The Evil God regenerated the wing in the middle of its fall and rose up. The distance between them was shortening yet again.

However,

“……No, we’ll be fine.”

Hadou said as he looked through the binoculars.

“Its wing movements are weakening…… It’s getting tired.”

For a split second, they thought it would surely catch up with them again. The Evil God immediately slowed its acceleration and soon plummeted to the jungle below.

+

As thousands of years passed, more than ten or twenty sorcerers owned the Grimoire [Al Azif].

In each era, people from various viewpoints had worn the title of “Master of Necronomicon”. There were men. There were women. There were youths and even elders. Thus, each person had their own motives: some were for their dissolute desires, some were for their firm convictions, and some picked up the forbidden tome and stepped into the path of heresy for the sake of their fiery vengeance.

While the goals of each magus varied, the Grimoire’s purpose was always the same.

——To incinerate the evil that resented mankind by burning the souls of the magi who had formed a contract with herself.

The Grimoire [Al Azif] was written for such a purpose and has steadily accomplished her mission.

One exhausted their soul within only a few months, another died as they wore out after decades of roaming, and others who could not handle the surge of explosive power and died right away——each time Al Azif used up a sorcerer, she would burn their existence as a compressed description of several lines into her own body.

Those few lines were a heavy burden on her.

The ultimate Grimoire [Al Azif] stored all forbidden knowledge within her body, from spells and prophecies, to information about groups of Evil Gods and Deus Machina’s composition spell. However, she was suffering from the weight of many meager lives that accumulated on her body like dust. It was a fundamental pain that emanated from the contradiction inherent in her very existence: the enormous inhuman power and the heart of a lone maiden.

Every time she recorded a new paragraph onto herself, her own soul became heavily shackled and unable to move by her will right after——unbeknownst to her, she was reduced to being like a plain, lifeless book.

Hence, when someone picked her, who was covered with dust in a corner of a collector’s library, up, the Grimoire [Al Azif] did not feel, think, or even show any reaction.

Even when the locked binding strip was easily undone with an incantation and her pages were opened, she could only understand it as a shallow dream.

The young man’s elegant, yet powerful, fingers repeatedly traced along her pages several times as he read and exposed the remaining secrets hidden inside her.

Before long, she was standing next to the man and gazing at him.

——She felt as though something like this had also happened sometime in the remote past.

The man at that time was not a young man, but an old man.

The old man was not reading the book, he was writing it.

His name was Abdul Alhazred, the mad poet. He was her “father”.

The young man in front of her eyes did not bear any resemblance to Alhazred. His appearance and mannerisms were all different. But still, there was something unseen yet somehow identical——like a lingering scent of madness that clung to him.

Several hours and days…… No, a few weeks might have even passed. After going through every page, the young man gently called her name.

“‘Al Azif’.”

*Rattle*——

The pages of the Grimoire [Al Azif] unraveled, formed a tornado, and became a young girl who watched him from nearby.

——Who art thou?

Al Azif did not put her question into words.

Needless to say, they both understood each other. The one who could open the Grimoire, understand its content, and summon the spirit that dwelled in the book——he was the new “Master of Necronomicon” prescribed by fate.

Azrad looked down at Al Azif’s face.

“——My name is Azrad.”

In the depths of his gloomy eyes drifted a tranquil madness.

“Grimoire [Al Azif]…… I shall make a pact with you.”

Azrad tipped Al Azif’s face up and kissed her on the lips.

Al Azif thought as she closed her eyes and accepted the act.

——People with eyes like these die quickly.

For Azrad’s were the eyes of someone who quietly, yet madly, sought a place to die.

+

Only four and a half days after their departure, the group had recovered the “Manaus Statue” with their lightning speed and skills; currently they were on the final stretch of their return to Arkham.

Trade winds and westerlies caused their return route to Arkham to take an arcing course, following the East Coast of North America. With the Narragansett Bay expected to be on their right, the zeppelin in which the group was on board passed Long Island and landed in Rhode Island state.

Soon, the street of Providence came into view as Hadou brought the binoculars to his eyes.

“Good——we’ll arrive in 30 minutes. Let’s get in touch with Arkham.”

“Understood, sir.”

Crawford headed towards the wireless telegraphy equipment and sent a transmission in Morse code to Armitage, who was waiting in Arkham.

Shortly thereafter, they received an instructive reply from Armitage, stating that they had prepared to activate the “Keeper of the Silver Key” and were waiting for them.

If the still-active “Manaus Statue” could be swiftly calmed down by the “Keeper of the Silver Key”, the Evil God Zs-awia, whose power source had been cut off, would be unable to prolong its existence in this world and perish.

“……We managed to escape somehow.”

Hadou relaxed his shoulders slightly.

It was a narrow victory, but with this, humanity could survive for a short while longer. Although they had lost three airships and had several casualties, this was likely the best outcome.

The greatest contributor, Azrad, was lying down on the floor and covered with a blanket.

“Um, it’s about time to prepare for landing——”

Saying that, Ada peeked at Azrad’s face——but there was no response.

“Kyaah, he’s dead!?”

“Look carefully, fool.”

Al Azif, at his bedside, turned around.

“Hadou said he is out of the woods. He’s just sleeping at the moment.”

“Ah, I was startled.”

Ada sat down beside Al Azif.

“I mean, the man who wore such a difficult expression all year round looks so peaceful now.”

“Yeah……”

Giving a half-hearted reply, Al Azif turned her attention back to Azrad’s face.

Azrad’s body was totally covered in injuries, but just as Ada mentioned, he was sleeping soundly now.

——Azrad…… your battle is finally over.

Al Azif thought.

——That should be enough.

He who stepped into the world of darkness, fought through his own battles, and returned to the light of day…… It was good to have someone like that once in a while.

“……Thank you.”

Al Azif murmured.

“Yes?”

Ada unconsciously turned her head around and then pointed at the tip of her own nose.

“‘Thank you’…… to me?”

“Who else is there?”

“Eh, but I actually didn’t do anything——”

“No…… the reason he didn’t end up burning himself out is probably because of you.”

Al Azif said.

“You have peeked into the abyss of darkness and yet are able to stand strong in the world of light——it is something that I, who was born in the dark, couldn’t accomplish. People like you and Hadou Kouzou might be the ones who helped Azrad retain his soul in this world.”

“Huh.”

“As soon as we arrive at Arkham, I shall return Azrad——my master—to your world. I must live in mine, and you should stay in yours.”

“Oh my, you don’t need to do that, Al Azif.”

“What……?”

“If you said that you live in a world of darkness, then let me illuminate it for you. Whether it be a Grimoire or a Deus Machina, Mr. Hadou is already achieving their technological reproduction. Soon, that place where you belong will change into a ‘world of light’ brightened by the radiance of logic.”

To Ada’s triumphant tone, Al Azif responded with a dumbfounded look on her face.

“What silly thing are you talking about……”

“No…… Surprisingly, it may be possible.”

Saying that, Azrad rose up.

“Hadou——my business is done.”

“Your execution was anything but perfect, though.”

Hadou replied, sitting by the window.

Azrad ignored Hadou’s sarcastic remark and continued speaking.

“Since I’ve got time off…… I want to see more of your performance.”

“As an entertainer, I’m proud to hear that.”

Hadou grinned,

“See?”

Ada said.

Azrad addressed the frowning Al Azif.

“Al Azif. Let’s stay in Arkham for now.”

“……Roger, my master.”

Al Azif snorted, curled her back, and buried her cheeks in her knees. After that——she smiled just a bit without anyone noticing.

Then,

“——Hey hey hey.”

A woman appeared from the interior of the gondola, clapping her hands to draw their attention.

It was a bespectacled, dark-skinned woman dressed as a maid.

“As much as I’d love to say things have ended on a happy note——it’s still too early to celebrate, everyone.”

“——You are!?”

Al Azif held out her palm packed with magical energy.

“……Nyala!?”

“Wait, Ada!”

Hadou stopped Ada from running up to her.

“What are you showing up here for, Nyarlathotep?”

When her name was called, the woman’s body expanded, morphed into a grotesque monster——yet in the next moment, she returned to her previous form as if a motion picture was played in reverse.

The woman——Nyarlathotep——lifted the corners of her mouth into a smile.

“Well, you don’t have to treat me that coldly. I came here just to observe the biggest final battle in this century.”

“Battle, you say……?”

“There, speak of the devil. The challenger has arrived.”

Nyarlathotep looked to the outside of the gondola.

On the right, one could see many freighters were actively moving in the vast Narragansett Bay below.

Then——a giant whip-like tentacle sprung from the water and struck the deck of a cargo ship. With that blow, the ship split in two and sank to the bottom. Next, several more tentacles rose in the same manner on both sides and sank other nearby ships.

“What……!?”

Hadou was speechless.

The tentacles rose from the water’s surface and then retracted as they crossed the sea level with speed comparable to a steam train——they were coming for the airship, the “Manaus Statue” itself.

Eventually, perhaps because the water was no longer deep enough, its main body rose to the surface. Its amorphous body, comprised of tentacles and mucus, stretched out into a long thin shape, but remained several meters thick.

“Is that…… the Evil God……!?”

Azrad was speechless.

The Evil God Zs-awia, whom they had left behind in the jungle of South America, did not have the cruising ability to chase the zeppelin. However, it twisted its lengthy and enlarged body, akin to a sea serpent, and spun like a screw as it chased its aerial prey.

The Evil God plunged itself to the mouth of the river and began to swim up the Providence River. The dark red tentacles that blocked and pushed back the flow of the river were reminiscent of the tidal bore(pororoca) from the Amazon River.

And now——the Evil God had made its way to land again.

Its body, which had been inflated with nutrients from the sea, swelled up dozens of times, unlike what they saw back in South America. The mass of crimson tar slid onto the river bank like an amoeba.

It appeared to be slow-moving because of its tremendous enormity, yet its presence also carried a force and mass comparable to a tsunami, crashing onto the port and city of Providence. As it drowned, engulfed, and swallowed buildings, trees, people, and vehicles, the Evil God spiraled over the city and created a fierce maelstrom on the land.

“——Up!!”

At nearly the same time the command was given, a thick and long tentacle struck out and pierced the sky from inside the vortex. If Hadou had been late to give his order by only a few seconds, their zeppelin would have been captured.

The tip of the tentacle that had risen vertically like a tower swelled and opened its gaping mouth.

GuirrAooooEEEoorroohh——!!

The Evil God Zs-awia unleashed a fierce outcry and stretched its long tongue from between the rows of sharp fangs while rustling its other small tentacles.

December 22^nd, 1897, 1:42 PM.

It was an awe-inspiring call that cited the end of the Age of Humanity and the beginning of the Age of Monsters.

 

+

 

That day.

A nightmare engulfed the world.

To normal people’s senses, it was merely a depressing and heavy atmosphere, but for those who were greatly attuned to supernatural phenomena——mediums, poets, painters, sculptors, and the like——they exhibited abnormal behaviors in response to the black waves of negativity, with the most extreme cases descending into madness.

 

That day.

Tens of thousands of pregnant women across the entire North American continent had miscarriages in unison, and over the next six months, an almost equal amount of deformed infants were born. Most of those “Children of the End of Century” did not survive to adulthood, but the remaining few developed superhuman abilities as they grew up.

Moreover, this phenomenon also affected cattle and wildlife; the livestock and fishing industries suffered a devastating blow in the same year, and people were tormented by the rampant presence of monstrous creatures for several decades thereafter.

 

That day.

A strange roar echoed throughout the region of New England in the United States of America, which cast the hundreds and thousands of people who heard it into physical and mental disarray. Some began speaking in an unknown language fluently, while others became hideous life forms and vanished. Cities such as Boston, Kingsport, Hartford, and Springfield experienced chaos of a magnitude never seen before.

The only exceptions were Arkham City and Providence. Arkham City only experienced a little more chaos than usual, and Providence experienced none at all.

 

Because that day.

Providence, the largest city of Rhode Island——a port city that, much like Kingsport and Boston in neighboring states, was being developed together with Arkham City and supposed to become part of an interstate megalopolis—was swallowed and completely destroyed by a living, dark red tsunami.

 

And on that day——

“It’s time.”

Nyarlathotep pinched her skirt and put one leg on the window frame of the gondola while still looking at the shrieking Evil God below.

“I will be watching from thereabouts, so do your best everyone.”

“……Wait, Nyala!”

Ada took a step forward and called Nyala, who was about to take her steps into the air.

“Tell me——who are you? ……Are you really an inhuman monster like Mr. Hadou said?”

“Well, who knows?”

Nyarlathotep answered in the same innocent manner as always.

“It’s all depending on individual perspective, isn’t that right?”

“Meaning…… you have to judge for yourselves.”

“Well, it’s as simple as that.”

The vague anxiety on Ada’s face was then replaced with a determined expression.

“……You’re right, Nyala. Your advice is always spot-on.”

“Don’t be swayed, Ada.”

Al Azif interrupted their conversation and thrust her palm at Nyarlathotep.

“This being is the worst among the family of Evil Gods——begone, [The Crawling Chaos], Nyarlathotep!”

“My my, it seems I’m really hated.”

Nyarlathotep’s body underwent a shivering transformation.

In her inhuman form, which had wings, claws, and a three-lobed burning eye——yet with an obvious sneer on her face—Nyarlathotep spoke.

“Even so, I do love you very much. ……In my own way, of course.”

Nyarlathotep slid her swollen body out of the window and threw herself into the air.

“Well then, milady and everyone, remember to stay healthy until your death——ahahahahahahahaha!”

Leaving behind only a hideously echoing laughter, Nyarlathotep beat her black wings with all her might and disappeared into the clouds in the blink of an eye.

“What do we do…… Hadou?”

Azrad asked.

“Can we escape to Arkham at this rate?”

Below, the body of Evil God Zs-awia was similar to a large, garnet river that stretched on without end. Though they could see spire-shaped structures here and there, they quickly collapsed and were swallowed by the muddy current of its sticky body.

“……That won’t happen.”

Hadou answered.

From what they observed, the speed of Zs-awia crawling on the land was like mercury, and would exceed the speed of an airship cruising in the sky. Normal monsters could be banished if they escaped to Arkham’s barrier, but this gigantic Evil God would chase them and destroy the city that generated the barrier. If they let the Evil God follow them into Arkham as things were, the city would be thoroughly overrun, just like Providence beneath them.

That said, if the “Manaus Statue” was taken from here, then it would be the worst outcome. Once the Evil God absorbed the infinite power released from the statue, it would expand faster than ever and cover the entire Earth in an instant.

“Then, what should we do? Even Aeon cannot defeat that——”

“Don’t be reckless——if you summon Aeon in your current state, you will die for sure!”

“I’m not going to die in vain.”

Azrad spoke quietly with his hand placed on Al Azif’s shoulder.

“Tell me, Hadou. Tell me how to make the best use of my life.”

 

+

 

“——What on earth is going on!?”

In the underground basement of Hadou Mansion in Arkham, Armitage, who was known for his calm demeanor, suddenly raised his voice.

A few minutes ago, alongside the sound that was not sound——the roar of the Evil God—a wave of magic power as dense as miasma struck Arkham, accompanied by a great earthquake. At the Magic Research Institute, a number of sealing devices were destroyed from the inside, and several staff members died in madness as they were engulfed by the influence of the released cursed objects.

Even Arkham, which was protected by a massive barrier, was in a similar state. Imagine the kind of chaos in nearby cities, such as Boston or Providence, that were windswept by the curse——

Armitage ordered the branches in major cities to report their status and then rushed to the underground facility. This place, where the embryo of hope is being safeguarded, must be protected at all costs.

“Is Demonbane intact!?”

In front of him, the crane’s chain broke and Demonbane slammed down onto its knees, causing a thunderous tremor. Dozens of parts attached to the frame had been scattered because of the impact. A piece of its armor dropped to the floor, creating a huge crack only a few steps ahead of Armitage. The torn chain snapped wildly like a whip, grazed the tip of his nose, and struck the floor, kicking up dust.

Then, a staff member jumped into the hall. In his hand, he grasped a stenographic memo.

“We’ve received a telegraph from President Hadou himself, chief!”

“Content!?”

“[Permission to transfer Demonbane coordinates are——].”

“Transfer——?”

Armitage looked up at Demonbane. Following its knees, its towering upper body slowly collapsed, and with a booming roar that reverberated across the hall, it hit the ground with its palms. It looks as though it barely held out against the prospect of becoming a pile of scrap.

“Tell him it is [impossible]!”

Armitage said, but at that moment.

Gooh——

The giant of steel uttered a low growl, and its entire body creaked as it began to move.

“No way…… It shouldn’t have any power!”

Indeed. The frame of steel was as cold as a corpse, without a shred of life or a sign of vitality.

……No, that was not the case. The magic engine that acted as Demonbane’s muscles, the magic device that converted massive magic power into mechanical motion energy, was producing a tiny bit of output to respond to someone’s weak will.

The source of that will was the “Analytical Engine” built into Demonbane’s head. It was the geared brain that held its very soul. Demonbane was a thinking machine, a blade with a will, and that will was the origin of its power.

The head of the Machine God pointed upwards resolutely, and the Analytical Engine inside it defined its existence by making a gearing noise and punching on the output cards.

 

I am the innocent rage

I am the innocent hatred

I am the innocent blade

I am

.

.

.

The Smiter of Evil(Demonbane)

 

Creak, creak, creak——

Demonbane staggered and stood up while emitting a sound like the creak of an iron bridge. The unborn body of steel was about to make its own way towards the ground of the final battle.

Armitage gazed up at the scene in amazement.

——Impossible, he thought.

Yet this happened because it was impossible.

Only the unreasonable could counter another. A demon to destroy demons. This was the nature of Demonbane.

“Chief——?”

“[Five minutes].”

Armitage said with a wide-open hand.

“Tell him to [Wait five minutes].”

Armitage then rushed to a microphone on the wall, and commanded the hall through a speaker.

[The process to transfer Demonbane will begin now!]

——The torn chains were replaced, and the frame of Demonbane was hooked again.

The steel giant was held in a posture resembling that of a fetus as it was transferred to a corner of the factory. Below it was a large rock engraved with a magic formation. Demonbane’s exclusive teleportation device, the “Imaginary Number Expansion Device(Catapult)”——it was the very core of the magic device that transmuted Demonbane, a Deus Machina with a physical state——into a metaphysical state which allowed itself to be summoned.

On the gondola-shaped scaffolding above the rock and suspended around Demonbane, the workers were diligently performing their duties in haste. In tandem with emergency repairs to the damaged parts, the built-in steam engine that acted as an auxiliary power was ignited, and dozens of punch cards that had the codes to control the unit were being read by the “Analytical Engine” in its head.

The flame of life began to kindle within the “corpse of steel”.

Now that Hadou Kouzou was absent, it was impossible to activate Demonbane’s magic power core, the “Keeper of the Silver Key”. However, they could at least redirect the body of steel in an activated state to the level of suspended death.

Then——

[Everyone evacuate!] 

Supplement tubes were disconnected one after another, and the gondola carrying the workers left the frame of Demonbane.

[Prepare to initiate the teleportation device!]

[Confirm the coordination——Target: above Providence!]

[Telegraph line connects!]

[Accept the summoning spell!]

Hadou Kouzou’s wireless telegraph summoning spell echoed throughout the hall from a speaker connected to a telegraph wire drawn from the ground.

 

(Coming from the hate-scorched sky. With righteous anger burning in our hearts. We draw forth the sword that smites evil.)

••    −•−•  •−  −−  •   ••−•  •−•  −−−  −−  

−  ••••  •    •••  −•−  −•−−    −−−  ••−•    •−•

•−  −•  −•−•  −−−  •−•  −−••−−    ••    ••••  •−

•••−  •    −•−  •  •−−•  −    −  ••••  •    •−

−•  −−•  •  •−•    −−−  ••−•    •−−−  ••−  •••

−  ••  −•−•  •    ••  −•    −−  −•−−    ••••  •

•−  •−•  −  −−••−−    −•  −−−  •−−  −−••−−  

••    −  •−  −•−  •    −  ••••  •    •••  •−−

−−−  •−•  −••    ••−•  −−−  •−•    −•−  ••  •−••

•−••  ••  −•  −−•    −  ••••  •    •  •••−  ••  •−••  

−−−  −•  •  •••  •−•−•−

 

The rock activated and began to vibrate as it was stimulated by the Morse code imbued with sacred words.

 

(Thou art the innocent blade——Demonbane!)

−•−−  −−−  ••−  −−••−−    ••  −•  −•  −−−

−•−•  •  −•  −    −•••  •−••  •−  −••  •  −••••−

−•••−  −••  •  −−  −−−  −•  −•••  •−  −•  •

•−•−•−

 

BOOM——!!

As though it was the Gate of Heaven or the Furnace of Hell——the magic formation floating on the surface of the rock unleashed an intense light, and opened a floating hyperdimensional gate directly above.

From the other side of the gate, inside the rock, there was a glimpse of a space that was not space swirling in a flood of light far larger than the volume of this very rock.

[——Demonbane, teleport!!]

Alongside Armitage’s command, the fixed bolt of the hooks that supported the unit was pulled out.

Now there was nothing left binding the giant of steel.

As if the God of Heaven had fallen to Earth.

Or as if a baby had left the womb of its mother to be born on earth——

As its curled body rotated into a straight position, the incomplete Machine God fell into the non-space beyond the gate.

 

+

 

OrrAoooowwoorrooh——!!

The Evil God let out a war cry and raised its tentacles again. Even though it could not reach the zeppelin that had risen to its altitude limit, the droplets of mucus coming from its tentacles shaped into pterosaurs in the air and flapped their wings, rising even higher.

Similarly, from the countless swinging tentacles, several pterosaurs were born all at once, and now a horde of dozens or even hundreds were attacking the zeppelin.

In contrast——

“Aeon!”

GOOH——

Aeon was hovering in the air and readying its dual pistols,

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG——

The revolvers’ bullets were fired in rapid succession, turning twelve pterosaurs per second into bursting mucus.

The flock’s size was halved in a blink of an eye, but some of the survivors were densely packed, intertwining in the air and combining into a single giant form. It was the evil dragon itself that appeared in mythology and boasted a wingspan several times that of Aeon.

The armor-like scales on the giant dragon’s skin deflected Aeon’s bullets. Azrad = Aeon abandoned the pistol in its right hand and pulled the “Scimitar of Barzai” out of the air.

In its right hand was a magic blade, and in its left hand was a magic gun. It crossed its arms and took a low-waist stance as it readied the two weapons.

(Don’t be hasty, Azrad.)

“I know.”

He did not mean to die in vain.

——He would survive for as long as he could to protect this world and use this power properly.

Thinking about it, he felt a much greater power dwelling in himself than he did when wielding said power in half-desperation. No——it was the quality of the power rather than its size.

This power was more controlled and complete than ever before; it ran down through the limbs of steel as it crushed the demonic dragon swarm. The magic blade was sharper and the magic bullets were faster——perhaps wielding power with a purpose was what made it this powerful?

The “Lamp of Alhazred” that was activated deep in its chest gave more vitality to the entire body of steel than ever. Right now, Aeon’s frame had turned into a magic power furnace, far more powerful than the partially sealed “Manaus Statue”.

The Evil God’s consciousness was attracted to Aeon as it was dominated by its infinite hunger. A swarm of pterosaurs that centered on the giant dragon ducked from the air, while dozens of tentacles reached out synchronously from underneath, trying to engulf Aeon from both sides.

Aeon threw the Scimitar between the brows of the giant dragon approaching from overhead, but it rapidly melted and crumbled, as it was halfway engulfed by the colossal body that had turned into a sticky mass, causing it to stall and fall several hundred meters before getting swallowed by the dark red sea while being coiled up by the tentacles on the ground.

“——Mr. Azrad!”

Ada screamed, leaning out on the gondola.

“I-If it has come to this, then only I can go and help him……!”

Ada walked towards the exit with a clatter, already clad in her motor suit, just as Hadou had instructed her to.

“Wait, Ada!”

Hadou, who was on his way towards the telegraph device with Crawford, looked back.

“Aeon is still there! We have to believe in Azrad!”

“B-But——”

Then.

A golden light beamed from the point in the dark red maelstrom that Ada was looking down at.

“Oooh——!!”

With a boom, the body of the Deus Machina shone like the sun. As though to avoid that heat and light, the viscous body of the Evil God retreated a great distance, and a circular gap formed around Aeon, which had turned into a small star.

The tips of those tentacles thrust into the space reminiscent of an arena from all directions.

Aeon stabbed the Scimitar into the ground at its foot. Then, the magic blade split up and encircled the unit as it scraped the ground. It was a defensive formation created by its magic blade.

BAM——!

When its steel feet stomped the ground, ten magic blades leapt up from the ground as if they had a will of their own, and began to engage the attacking tentacles. Ten, a hundred, a thousand of the living whips had their tips cut off, tumbling to the ground and diffusing into sludge.

In the midst of the giant whirlpool of chaos, he continued swinging his blade for the sake of not being devoured by them——the scene that seemed so hopeless reminded one of the fate that Azrad, Hadou, and humanity themselves had to be burdened with.

Yet, even so——

He was on fire.

He was burning.

Azrad’s mind, soul, and every nerve in his body were ablaze.

“——Give us five minutes.”

Just a moment ago——Hadou Kouzou said this to Azrad just before the sortie.

“Just five minutes is good enough. After that, we will do what we can.”

Those five minutes were like an eternity, but Azrad kept fighting to the bitter end.

——Not yet?

Azrad thought as his whole body burned from the inside and the heat erupted outwards.

——Not yet, Hadou……!?

What you call the “last hope”——when will Demonbane arrive!?

Eventually, the Evil God’s movements changed——perhaps judging that its aimless attacks were proven to be ineffective——though it was not by the means of rational sense. The crimson whirlpool of chaos began to converge into one point and convolved its own atomic structure hyperdimensionally.

The colossal mass, which could swallow entire cities, condensed itself to about the size of a high tower——particularly about the size of a Deus Machina. Its body, which consisted of loose mucus, solidified into a super-solid with a density surpassing steel, just like gas condensing into liquid.

If the new “phase” assumed by the Evil God could be expressed in human words——

It had human-like limbs.

It had wings that reminded one of a dragon.

It mirrored the monster that was carved into the “Manaus Statue”.

Most of all, its gigantic body closely resembled a Deus Machina itself.

The stone statue that appeared in the “Zs-awia Temple” merely utilized a portion of the Evil God Zs-awia’s power, but what presented itself in front of Aeon right now was a new form chosen by Zs-awia to slaughter the aforementioned Deus Machina; the Evil God itself was but a form that manifested into a “Mechanical God”.

(This is——)

Al Azif knew the name of the monster that she was seeing for the first time. The name that had been imprinted on her body since her birth, just like her very fate.

It was a Deus Machina of crimson, as though its whole body was soaked in blood. Its name was——

(——“Liber Legis”!?)

The Evil God was still starving. That hunger was clearly manifested in the new body of the Evil God Zs-awia. A huge cavity was in the chest of its super-steel body, which was reminiscent of a human and a dragon, where the magic power furnace that acted as Deus Machina’s core would normally be located.

The heartless, lifeless Techno-Evil God advanced towards Aeon, eager to sate the hunger of its very existence.

(Not good——Retreat, Azrad!!)

Azrad = Aeon charged his magic power to its steel wings and leapt up to the sky. Then he brought down the ten floating magic blades against Zs-awia all at once. Those magic blades were capable of slashing apart all existing matter in this world, yet they shattered like glass without leaving a single scratch on the out-of-this-world super metal.

Next, Azrad = Aeon equipped the dual revolvers and let loose dozens of bullets at Zs-awia in a single breath. But Zs-awia spread its crimson wings and leapt after Aeon, paying no mind to the spraying rain of bullets.

——So fast!

In an instant, Zs-awia closed in on Aeon and ripped both pistol-readied arms off its shoulders with a single swipe of its claw.

“……!!”

A sprinkle of blood gushed out from both of Azrad’s shoulders in Aeon’s cockpit.

(Azrad!!)

“——Not yet!!”

Aeon’s steel wings, whose wingtips had become sharp blades, struck at the Evil God. However——

*Snap*!

Zs-awia’s hands seized Aeon’s both wings and then tore them off both sides in one motion.

Having lost both of its arms and wings, Aeon plunged to the ground, slamming against it on its back. Zs-awia’s gigantic body landed as if stepping through its abdomen.

“Kuh……!”

Azrad vomited a lump of blood.

Zs-awia’s eyes glowed red as it looked down on the steel giant. With a face akin to a mask, its crack-like mouth opened wide.

RrrrrwwwWooooooowwwh——!!

Zs-awia looked up towards the heavens and roared. It was an abominable cry of joy.

Azrad watched the scene through Aeon’s eyes, but muttered with hope.

“Did it come……!?”

A spiral of light that paralleled a tornado was generating six hundred meters above the howling Evil God.

It was a flow of magic power similar to the Machine God Summoning of Aeon. At the epicenter of the vortex, the matter that had been magically decomposed elsewhere and became omnipresent were being reconstructed.

Materializing at the epicenter of the whirlpool of light was an embryo of steel.

The unborn god of steel. The innocent blade——Deus Machina Demonbane.

A gargantuan god of steel, with an infinite output surpassing Aeon’s, was being born onto the ground at this very moment.

Then.

Up above, farther than the whirlpool of light, on the zeppelin drifting at an altitude of a thousand meters,

“Sir. Demonbane has manifested.”

Crawford said while holding binoculars up to his eyes.

“Alright!”

With the leather-covered Grimoire——the [Machine Language Manuscript]—in his hand, Hadou rose.

“Let’s go, young lady!”

[Yes!]

Ada walked out into the air from the gondola’s exit as Hadou held onto the handle that was fixed on the back of her motor suit.

[Tooh——————!]

——Hadou had given instructions via radiotelegraphy to Armitage, who was in Arkham, to summon the unfinished Demonbane. And now they were trying to board Demonbane, using Ada’s motor suit as a descent balloon.

“Lemuria Impact”—a sure-kill annihilation technique that induces an infinite amount of heat generated by Demonbane’s magic power core, the “Cor Leonis”, and slams it against the enemy. It was their only method to defeat the Evil God Zs-awia.

But——

Perhaps the Evil God, too, might have known. That Deus Machina, the “God-Slaying Blade”, is the natural enemy of the Outer Gods. Or perhaps the Liber Legis’ form that Zs-awia took on might have remembered this fact. That Demonbane is its eternal archenemy.

With instinctive hatred, Zs-awia glared at the skies and soared up.

And then, after ascending six hundred meters in the blink of an eye, it thrust its clawed hand into the vortex of light and pulled out an object as large as its own. Demonbane’s machine body bore a resemblance to a giant corpse of steel. Once it finished its start-up prep state, it materialized as the magic engines clamored all over its body, but in the next moment——

It was torn into pieces by Zs-awia’s claws.

“——Wha……!?

Hadou was speechless,

[Eeh~~!?]

Ada shouted.

“——Ahahahahahahaha! That’s that!”

Nyarlathotep, who was observing the whole thing from far above the sky, twisted her deformed body and convulsed while laughing out loud.

“No matter how many times I’ve seen it, the moment when hope has been lost is just so irresistible!!”

 

+

 

Demonbane’s dismantled unit plummeted around the fallen Aeon. Screws, gears, tubes, frames, and conducting wires flooded out like a steel avalanche. The exposed magic engines were still rotating violently, scattering dirt and sand in random directions.

Next to Aeon’s head was a remarkably large boiler-like part that fell with an earth-shattering noise. It was the Heart of Demonbane, the “Keeper of the Silver Key”. Slowly, it emitted a rainbow-colored light as it bounced on the ground two, three times, and then there was silence.

Zs-awia landed at Aeon’s feet. Its hungry eyes locked on the chest of the Deus Machina, the “Lamp of Alhazred”, which was the core of the flow of its magic power.

On the other hand——Ada’s motor suit, driven by the raging winds, was still descending above Zs-awia’s head.

[W-W-What should we do, Mr. Hadou!?]

“Um……”

Hadou fell silent.

——Should they go to rescue Azrad and flee? But then what? For Zs-awia, a being that had obtained the same power as a Deus Machina, seizing Hadou’s zeppelin and stealing the “Manaus Statue” would be a walk in the park.

Right now, it was still distracted by Aeon, yet that Aeon, too, was unable to maintain its frame as it began to disintegrate from the tip of its feet.

Hadou no longer had the means to hold back the Evil God’s power.

——This again?

Hadou clenched his back teeth.

——Am I going to lose this world again?

Zs-awia opened its bright red mouth and bellowed towards the heavens. Its sinister howl echoed as though rewriting the principles of this world.

Would it take five years, ten years, or even just a few days? Was mankind able to do nothing but succumb to fear and despair in the time left?

[……Mister?]

“……I’m sorry.”

[Huh?]

“I’m sorry, young lady. There’s nothing more…… we can do.”

[It can’t be——Kyaaah!]

Ada screamed halfway through talking.

Zs-awia’s eyes caught sight of the falling motor suit, its giant hand sticking out as if trying to pick some dandelion fluff. Just as the approaching claws filled her field of vision with the sound of a rolling wind——

THUD——!

Zs-awia was staggered by the impact of a side hit.

The wrecked Aeon kicked off the Evil God with its near-disassembled leg.

Zs-awia turned around and shrieked with hatred.

Aeon, who lost both of its arms and wings, stood up——but because its left leg crumbled beneath it, the Deus Machina fell to one knee.

However, with his ever-dwindling willpower, Azrad yelled——

“——Do not give up, Hadou Kouzou!”

Rrrrooooooohh——!!

Zs-awia swung its super-steel claw and drove it against Aeon.

Slump——!

From its right shoulder, the right arm that was wielding the Scimitar instantly regenerated and caught the blow from the claw.

At the same time, Aeon’s right knee disintegrated.

——There was not enough power.

Right now, Azrad did not have enough spiritual power to maintain Aeon’s frame.

And yet, even so——

“Ooh!!”

Azrad = Aeon kicked off the ground with his collapsing feet and crashed into Zs-awia’s shoulder.

The Evil God’s balance was greatly impaired, causing it to take a step back, then two.

At the same time, Aeon’s waist collapsed, and the upper half of its body gradually began to break down, like crumbling castle walls.

“Evil God Zs-awia…… The abominable monster that is mankind’s enemy…… The very destiny that robbed everything from me……”

Deep inside its steel chest, the “Lamp of Alhazred” was activated to its fullest, and the disintegrating frame glowed with a golden hue.

In Aeon’s cockpit, blood was spilling out of Azrad’s whole body.

“——But, there is something here that will crush you!”

(……!!)

Realizing her master’s intentions, Al Azif shouted out.

“——Stop, Azrad! It’s too reckless!”

“Oooooh!!’

Azrad = Aeon swapped the “Scimitar of Barzai” into his underhand grip and then stabbed it to the ground. 

The final power charged in the deteriorating Deus Machina’s body was concentrated onto the blade of the Scimitar.

What was at the tip of its blade was Demonbane’s “Keeper of the Silver Key”——

“Rise——Demonbane!!”

At that moment, Aeon’s frame burst open. Then, the remaining Scimitar in the air——the magic blade that radiated gold beyond the scorching heat—pierced through the heart of steel and poured all of its magic power that had been contained within the blade.

Demonbane’s “Keeper Engine”——the “Cor Leonis”, which was its very nucleus—let out a fierce howl and emitted rainbow-colored light, and the wreckage that scattered around resonated with the sound.

The radiant “Keeper Engine” flew up to a height of about forty meters above the ground and remained mid-air. Its steel materials rose and gathered together, forming the skeletal head and limbs, with the chest encasing the heart of steel and its supporting spinal cord. Hundreds of large and small magic engines acting as the muscles of the giant god growled and spun as they jumped before settling on a fixed place inside its frame, then connected to the flooding pipes and conducting wires like they were a swarm of snakes.

In a blink of an eye, a titan comparable to Zs-awia was reborn.

The naked frame was similar to a dissected corpse, but now within it dwelled a clear radiance of life. This was the entire soul and life of the magus Azrad, violently scattering sparks as it ran throughout the inside and outside of the unit.

And——

The regenerated steel palm scooped up the motor suit that descended near the ground surface.

“——Kyaah!?”

Ada fell onto her butt atop its palm,

“Azrad……!”

Hadou jumped from Demonbane’s palm to its chest and slipped into the exposed cockpit.

From the ravine of its skeletal frame, he could see Zs-awia was regaining its balance. It bent its body over to observe the situation as it kept glaring at Demonbane.

At this moment, the Evil God Zs-awia was clearly aware of it.

“The Smiter of Evil(DEMONBANE)”——the incomplete Machine God—is the natural enemy of all evil. Similarly, the “Heart of Infinity” pumping in its chest was the best food to satisfy the Evil God’s hunger.

Demonbane was also aware of this.

The crimson Deus Machina before its eyes is the eternal arch-nemesis that transcends time and space.

Hadou opened the [Machine Language Manuscript].

“First Melee Sublimation Spell!”

*Scatter*——

Dozens of punch cards streamed out from the leather cover and were swallowed by the “Analytical Engine” that occupied the head of Demonbane.

Naacal Code confirmation, spell decompression——the activation code, which had been binarized and woven into [Machine Language Manuscript], unlocked the seal of Demonbane’s greatest Melee Spell.

*Creakkk*…… *Clash*.

Leaving Ada settled on its left hand, Demonbane placed its open right hand on its waist.

*Clunk*——*Clang, clang, clang, clang*…….

Black smoke began to spew from Demonbane’s back with a heavy mechanical sound. The built-in steam engine used to accelerate the “Keeper of the Silver Key” was increasing its output.

*Clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank*——

The “Cor Leonis” that was activated inside the “Keeper Engine” had its rotation speed forcibly increased, and a wave of radiant magic power ran through the gaps of the peeling machine.

*Creakkkkk*——!!

The magic engines placed on its arms, legs, and whole body began to rotate loudly.

*Rushhhhh*——

Its cogwheel brain, the “Analytical Engine”, read and executed the forbidden spell. The ominous yet mighty spell flowed through the steel spinal cord like an electric shock, rolling into the howling magic engines of its whole body.

The brain, “Analytical Engine”, the Heart, “Keeper Engine”, and the magic engines throughout the body of the artificial giant god operated at each and every one of their fullest speeds; eventually, they turned the steel body into a mass of physical and magical energy.

For Zs-awia, the starving Evil God, this was like a ripe fruit with an irresistible aroma.

——There is only one chance. The Evil God could no longer resist; that's when it started to bite.

“Guh……”

A line of blood dripped from Hadou’s nose. His brain, which had become a part of Demonbane’s magic circuits, was exposed to a destructive stream of magic power.

Grrrrrrr——!!!

The magic engines’ rotation increased even further, with some of them popping off due to not being able to withstand the overload——

[——Here it comes!!]

Ada shouted as she leaned on its palm.

GrrrAooooooohh!!

The Evil God uttered a war cry and rushed head-on.

“Ooh——!”

Hadou pushed the lever in the cockpit.

BAM——!

Demonbane’s right palm was set forth, holding Zs-awia’s head in place.

The power of the two rivaled each other and created a momentary state of rest.

Hadou knitted a sign on his right hand as he recited the incantation.

 

In this world of light, there is no place for you beings of darkness.

Thirst not, hunger not, return to the void——!

 

Thanks to those words of power, the energy of the “Cor Leonis”, the center of the “Keeper of the Silver Key”, was unleashed, filling the entire body of steel. Hundreds of magic engines that had been set up all over its body resonated, raising a mighty roar.

WUOOOOOH——!!

It was the cry of triumph from the Artificial God that countered the call of the Evil God, declaring itself as the world’s champion and ruler of absolute logic.

BOOM——!

The magic engines on its right leg burst open.

Simultaneously, a flash of light like that of a dragon surged from both legs to the torso and to the arms.

BOOM, BOOBOOBOOBOOM——!

As the concentrated magic power reached its right forearm, sending the magic engines by the knees, thighs, hips, shoulders, and elbows flying one by one, the magic engine incorporated into its palm created a spherical barrier frontwards, directly connecting the inner space with its “Cor Leonis”.

Next, Hadou shouted. The final code, which would convert an otherworldly infinite amount of heat into a spell of absolute annihilation, the “name of that spell” was——

“Lemuria Impact!!”

——In the ruined city of Providence, a giant sphere of light manifested.

The Evil God let out a cry in anguish as the infinite power it always craved struck it head-on. Inside the barrier, which had turned into a space of absolute negation that could erase even gods and demons altogether, the super-steel body disintegrated as the hyper-high pressure spell eroded its very existence, turning it into a lump of wriggling tentacles and a sea of bubbling mucus, then——

“……!”

Hadou’s eyes widened. There was something else beyond his belief.

“You are……!!”

The next moment, Demonbane’s body creaked and began to fall apart like a collapsing steel tower.

“——Mr. Hadou!”

Ada, who had once again deployed the balloon, extended her hand toward the opening of the frame.

As the two slowly descended to the ground thanks to the buoyancy of the balloon, the giant of steel that had been assembled by the magus’ power returned to a pile of debris before their eyes.

 

+

 

The region once known as “Providence”, which boasted one of the oldest histories in the United States, had become a wasteland of death after being overran by the Evil God Zs-awia and devastated by Demonbane’s “Lemuria Impact”.

Even after the barrier of “Lemuria Impact” dissipated, the Evil God’s hatred remained semi-permanently. What reigned over this land now were corruption, madness, and the silence of death itself. ……This land had been cursed for all eternity.

Once the recovery of Demonbane’s parts finished, Hadou isolated the area completely by blocking all means of transportation leading to this land. Additionally, the Evil God’s existence in the great incident was concealed by a cover-up of Hadou Enterprise, and the land’s destruction was treated as a runaway accident by a magic power’s furnace.

Nobody called this place “Land of the Gods(Providence)” anymore.

People referred to this loathed land as “Closed Sector 13” or simply “Blasted Heath^[2]”.

 

+

 

Azrad died without being able to complete his short return trip to Arkham.

His bloodstained body was as withered as an old man’s. His death was due to exhaustion after he poured all his life force into Demonbane and the extremity of “Machine God Summoning” that exceeded his limits.

Inside the zeppelin, the crew silently gathered around his corpse.

“……H-Hey.”

When Ada, who could not stand the silence any longer, tried to speak to Al Azif, who was sitting down beside Azrad——

“Hahahahaha!”

All of a sudden, Al Azif burst into laughter.

It was like the accumulated emotions were bursting out of her petite body——despite that, it was a hollow and dry laugh.

Al Azif stood up and spoke, lashing out at her deceased master.

“Azrad, you fool! I, [Al Azif], the strongest Grimoire and the howling of demons, suck the blood of all those who take me into their possession, feed on their souls, and collect sinister power!! Azrad, oh my master! Despise me! Curse me! And then you can lament your own ignorance for touching the evil tome in hell!!”

“Al——”

Shrugging off Ada’s hand from her shoulder, Al Azif turned to Hadou and the others.

“Do you see it now!? This is the fate of those who get involved with evil! Bear this in mind, Hadou Kouzou! Bear this in mind, Augusta Ada Derleth! Sooner or later, death shall inevitably come for every single one of you——”

“……zi, f……”

“——!?”

Al Azif looked back.

Words were coming from the lips of Azrad, who was supposed to be dead.

“……Al…… Azif………… I’m……”

In the end, Azrad could not form his words.

However, his slight lip movement had certainly formed one word.

I’m sorry.

Al Azif’s face became distorted.

“Al——!?”

As if trying to escape Ada, who was calling out to her, and, above all else, her dead master, Al Azif ran to the gondola’s window and jumped out into the night sky.

“——Al Azif!”

Hadou pushed himself through the window and cried out across the darkness.

“Al Azif——you’re never alone! One day there will be someone who will walk and fight together with you till the bitter end! ……Absolutely!!”

Had Hadou’s words reached the avatar of the Grimoire?

The sound of the dancing sheets of paper was lost among the deafening howls and vanished.

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1 Refers to Khadija bint Khuwaylid, the first wife as well as the first follower of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. ↩

2 Originally from H. P. Lovecraft’s short story “The Colour out of Space”, the term refers to an area in the wild hills west of Arkham, Massachusetts. According to the narrator, a strange meteorite crashed in this place many years ago, draining the life force from every living organism nearby. The event caused vegetation to grow large, but tasteless; animals were driven mad and deformed into grotesque creatures, and the people went insane or died one by one. ↩