• 23: Fire God

The Fire God Nova is one of the five Gods of creation and the God that governs fire.

Burning everything, turning it into ashes, and from there, create new things; a God of destruction and rebirth.

This guy is also the one Mirack and the Fire Church follow.

Why am I hearing the voice of that Fire God…from this monster?

(…It has been long, Dark God Entropy. Since the time I joined forces with the others to seal you 1,600 years ago. I still remember your mortified face when you were about to be enclosed in that eternity, you know?) (Nova)

Karen-san and Mirack, who are farther away, showed no reaction.

It is probably a thought channel that only works between Gods and he is speaking directly to my head.

(I didn’t know you came back, moreover, to think you would reincarnate in a human. Looks like your bad habit of supporting this frail insects is still there.) (Nova)

In other words, you…reincarnated in a monster huh. Into that fire cow Phalaris.

That would explain a variety of things. This big frame and strength that overwhelms that of other monsters. Actions that don’t apply to the usual pattern.

If a God is dwelling inside that monster, it is obvious that it would be cheat-like in a lot of things.

(How did you come back? In our calculations, you should still be sealed for a while more.) (Nova)

(I was brought out, by the Light Goddess Inflation.) (Haine)

(Tch!! That fox woman, so she is scheming something again in a place we don’t know of!! Can’t lower my guard with her since 1,600 years ago!!) (Nova)

(Well, that’s fine. I have a lot of things to ask you guys. It is convenient for me that you have come yourself.) (Haine)

(You have been sleeping for 1,600 years so you have been left out from the flow of time and became a complete country bumpkin huh. Okay. We are both Gods. I will answer to a certain extent.) (Nova)

(First of all, it has to do with that interesting figure you have right now. Regarding monsters.) (Haine)

(Hah?) (Nova)

(Monsters. Before I was sealed, such monsters didn’t exist. But now, they are appearing here and there in this world and causing problems to the humans. Who was the one who created them?) (Haine)

(Who do you think?) (Nova)

(You guys. The five Gods of Creation. Even if they are warped, they are still a form of living being, and creating living beings is the act of Gods. In that case, there’s no other ones capable of doing this but you guys. You are Gods after all.

In the first place, it is suspicious that monsters have elements. There’s wind element monsters, fire element monsters.

There’s no doubt the ones who created those are the five Gods of their respective element.

The earth element monsters by the Mother Earth, Mantle; water element monsters by the Water God, Coacervate; wind element monsters by the Wind God, Quasar; and fire monsters by the Fire God Nova, in other words, you.

The children will resemble their parents. Hence, the monsters that were created by their Gods, hold the element of their respective creator.

As if it were a brand. ) (Haine)

(You said you wanted to ask questions, and yet, you already answered it all yourself. What are you trying to achieve here?) (Nova)

(There’s the need to check for the answer when deducing, right? You only have to answer with a Yes or No.) (Haine)

The Fire God that is wearing the skin of a monster makes a: ‘Gufufu’ sound inside this telepathic conversation, and answers,

(……Yes.) (Nova)

As I thought huh.

(Why are you doing something like that? Didn’t you five Gods already obtain total control rights after sealing me?

In this world that you could do whatever you wanted, why are you destroying it yourselves?) (Haine)

(…Because it couldn’t become ours.) (Nova)

(What?)

(Because it wouldn’t go as we wanted. Dark God Entropy, in the time you were asleep, the world has changed. Changed into something unsightly and distorted. Everything began…right, with the thing called ethereal.) (Nova)

• 24: The Truth of the World

(Ethereal? The new material that was discovered by humans around 100 years ago? The one that releases energy, powers machines, and advances civilization heavily?) (Haine)

(That’s right! That’s no good! Humans can’t advance!!) (Nova)

Hah?

(There’s no need for humans to evolve. They just have to stay stupid, weak, prostrate to us Gods and obey us. And yet, when that shit called ethereal was dug out, they used it to make running machines, machines that create fire, machines that purify water, machines that plow the earth; they created a variety of machines. As a result, humans began to think by themselves, and began to move on their own!) (Nova)

(…Isn’t that a splendid thing?) (Haine)

(No, it is not! Thanks to that, the children of those damn humans have stopped worshipping us!!) (Nova)

Ah.

It is exactly the same as what the Vice-captain Grades said at the Light Church.

With the birth of machines and the advance of civilization, people forget about God. It is still in the step where they are still on the verge of being forgotten.

(People forgetting about God is something that shouldn’t happen! Humans should be dependent of Gods for eternity! And yet, they are insolently trying to escape from our hands! That’s why we decided on bringing punishment to them!!) (Nova)

So that’s where the monsters come in play.

Creating atrocious monsters that are out from the natural order, you had them attack humans.

That became a big problem, and the humans that were forced to do such a needless fight have delayed the advance of human civilization.

(I see. I understand the reason why you guys created monsters. Accurately speaking, that sophism of yours.

Well then, one other question.

Why did you even create heroes? The heroes, the light knight corps, the fire militant corps; that divine power they utilize was something you Gods gave to them, right?

If you created monsters in order to punish humans, why did you go through the trouble of giving humans the power to go against it?) (Haine)

(That wasn’t my plan. Another guy said it. If the humans that have fallen into the threat of monsters are saved by the power of Gods, those fools would also remember their gratitude towards their God.) (Nova)

I see. This is something that’s more in the alley of the cunning and clever Coacervate.

To think they would utilize such an underhanded method to maintain the faith of humans…

In this 1,600 years, Gods have really fallen low.

(But I…thought that method was too lukewarm.) (Nova)

…..

(There’s no way a repeat of cornering and saving will get all the prayers back. What humans need is…fear. If their fear towards Gods is edged in them to the point that they can’t say no, everything will be fine. Gratitude, trust, reverence, and love are not needed. All that’s needed is for humans to fear God.) (Nova)

The God that has turned into a fire cow bellowed.

(Fear creates the purest of prayers. That’s why, I took action. Like hell I would go acting all leisure like the others. I will teach all the humans how sinful it is to forget about God!!) (Nova)

(Are you saying that’s why you reincarnated as a monster?) (Haine)

(That’s right! I created the strongest monster I could bring out with my power. This is the product of it! Dwelling in this thing that humans call fire cow Phalaris, I finished my preparations. Now it is only a matter of time. For the time when this body has grown to have plenty enough of my divine power!!) (Nova)

(Then!! The reason why the fire cow Phalaris acted differently from the other monsters and was staying in one place was because—!!) (Haine)

(I was waiting for its growth! But it may be time already. It would have been fine to get a bit bigger, but since you have come, this is a good chance!! Let’s begin, the Divine Punishment to the humans that grew conceited!!) (Nova)

“Haine-san! Haine-san!! What’s wrong, Haine-san?!”

I notice that Karen-san was shaking me by the shoulders.

Looks like I was immersed in the conversation with that guy.

“You suddenly stopped moving and was staring into the distance. The monster also suddenly stopped moving so that’s fine but…you are being too carefree in the middle of a fight!” (Karen)

“Karen-san! It is true that there’s already no time to waste!” (Haine)

“Eh?”

“That thing is also moving. To a point that it has never done before!!” (Haine)

It was at that same moment I said this…

The gigantic fire cow, a person would have to look up to see, stomped on the ground and walks while making the mountain tremble.

Until now, the most it has done was releasing heat, but now, it is stomping with all its legs and moving. Moreover, the direction it is headed to is…

“Impossible!!” (Mirack)

Mirack who was watching over the situation all this time, muttered with despair in it.

“The direction it is headed to is…the city where the Fire Church headquarters are located, Muspelheim!!” (Mirack)