Chapter 405: [405] Dr. Roman, Welcome Back to Chaldea! And the Showdown with the King of Humans, Goetia [2]
In the living room.
Roya’s eyes widened as she watched the scene. "How is He still alive?!"
It was horrifying.
He had been beheaded by Nameless’s sword—yet He still wasn’t dead!
In the video, the resurrected Demon God King was in terrible shape, but He clung stubbornly to life.
Clearly, He was hellbent on revenge—no matter the cost!
Even in death, He would drag Nameless down with Him!
"He’s the Demon King of Demons. Of course He’d have one last chance to struggle."
Illya took a deep breath, her entire body trembling.
This guy was just too monstrous.
Even after having his heart shattered and his head severed, He still refused to die.
An enemy like this... was the stuff of nightmares.
Miyu spoke calmly. "Unfortunately, it’s pointless. His body is already collapsing."
She had absolute faith in her brother.
The resurrected Demon God King’s body was in dire straits.
Half of it was already crumbling away, dissolving into pure magical energy.
Even if Nameless didn’t attack, He wouldn’t survive much longer.
Obviously.
This guy just wanted to stall Nameless.
If He could delay until the entire Reality Marble collapsed, everything would be destroyed—dragging Nameless down with Him!
What a terrifying enemy.
"But this is completely useless! Even if Nameless dies and goes to hell, he’s got friends everywhere."
Roya blinked, puzzled. "Is He just stupid or something?"
Forget whether He could even kill Nameless.
Even if He succeeded, Nameless would just be visiting old friends in the underworld.
Ereshkigal, the sweet angel of Uruk’s underworld.
Persephone, Queen of the Greek underworld, and Hades himself.
Then there’s China’s underworld—folks like Lady Mengpo would probably be his acquaintances too.
Going to the underworld would just be like dropping by for a visit!
"He really is stupid!" Souma answered without hesitation.
Unless it was a self-sacrifice like Romani’s—erasing himself completely—
Even if he did die, his Spirit Origin would still be preserved by [Alaya].
That pink-haired, black-hearted little gremlin would never let him go.
How could she bear to release such a perfect guardian of human history (a 24/7 overtime worker)?
Roya frowned slightly: "It seems like a final struggle, but I feel there might be more to come..."
Something felt slightly off.
The Demon God King Goetia shouldn’t just disappear after a final struggle like this.
It seemed some miracle would intervene, making him even stronger!
What kind of miracle could it be?
Could it be related to Doctor Roman?
Or had God intervened?
"Perhaps. Given the Demon God King’s power, he clearly shouldn’t vanish so easily," Souma said calmly, watching her.
Only then would they learn the truth behind the world’s reboot.
Everything would be completely revealed!
...
In the video.
The Demon God King, now transformed into a new human form, was collapsing.
Yet he wore a faint smile: "You’re right. I can’t possibly let you return alive!"
"In your current form, you can no longer be called the Demon God King. Perhaps ’Human King Goetia’ would suit you now."
Nameless saw through the transformation at a glance and said indifferently, "Pity. No matter what form you take, you can’t stop me."
"My grand undertaking has failed! Three thousand years of effort have lost all meaning!"
Goetia’s smile faded as he gazed at him with complex emotions. "Yes, I’ve lost! No matter what I do, I can’t change the fate of defeat."
"Even if I kill you, the outcome won’t change. The me from before wouldn’t have even bothered to fight."
After Solomon chose to sacrifice himself, everything had irreversibly collapsed.
All previous resistance was merely a final death throes.
He was no longer the collective of the 72 Demon Gods—not even a remnant remained.
"Then what’s your reason for fighting?" Nameless frowned at him.
All combat had become meaningless.
His existence was destined to end.
The purely rational Demon God King from before would never have continued fighting.
"Because... I’ve gained ambition. Yes, the ambition unique to humans!"
Goetia’s face was full of emotion. "The limited lifespan I gained from our battle has finally made me understand humanity."
Humans, who fear death yet desire survival, must inevitably face death.
As an immortal Demon God King, he could never comprehend them.
For three thousand long years, he had secluded himself in his bounded field, trying to fully understand humans.
Yet he never succeeded.
Only endless ugliness and disgust remained.
But now.
With just five minutes of life left, he finally understood the will of these fleeting yet brilliant creatures.
"My resistance now is simply the last bit of fighting spirit remaining in someone who’s reached this point!"
Goetia strode forward without hesitation. "I fight for my pride, while you fight for survival."
Though his body crumbled wildly, his demise imminent.
Yet.
With this brief lifespan, he had gained human pride and wrath.
Never before had the Demon God King Goetia understood humanity as he did now.
"For the Grand Order enacted by the Incineration of Humanity. O Master who traversed seven singularities across seven worlds."
Goetia made his final declaration: "I am Goetia! I burn human history to reach an eternal future!"
"Such a fleeting life, yet one that stirs longing—this is my true existence."
"My foes, my hatred, my destiny!"
"Come then, let us settle this with life or death!"
Without hesitation, he launched his attack.
Alas, his body was already on the verge of collapse, his combat strength reduced to less than a ten-thousandth of its former glory—nothing more than a futile last struggle.
A brilliant sword light flashed, severing his remaining arm.
Staggering and unsteady, he approached his inevitable end.
"Is this lifespan? Is this what life is?"
Goetia lifted his gaze to the crumbling heavens above.
Truly, it was unimaginably brief.
Unfathomably short, yet brimming with fascination.
The spectators watched the enemy’s death throes, their expressions a mix of complex emotions—
[Muda muda muda! All your struggles are utterly pointless!]
[Goetia, the King of Humans? In the end, he abandoned his identity as the Demon God King!]
[Using human order to destroy human order, seeking mankind’s extinction yet dying in a human way—is this the true meaning of "mercy"?]
[Tch. Rather than a final boss, he seems more like a protagonist driven by unshakable conviction!]
[Gaining human emotions—perhaps this was the sole and greatest reward for his three-thousand-year grand design...]
...
In Academy City.
Tamamo-no-Mae curled her lips disdainfully: "All that grand talk, yet in the end, he struggled just like any human."
Everyone claimed he was the mightiest of human evils.
So strong it was despair-inducing.
Earlier, he had even used the authority of [Anti-Summoning] to banish all heroic spirits.
Yet, at the final moment of his life, he willingly became human.
"Becoming human was His ultimate metamorphosis," Merlin remarked, looking at him with disdain.
The Demon God King Goetia, who failed to understand the brevity and preciousness of life, sought only eternity.
As the Beast of [Pity], he nonetheless brought ruin without restraint.
All of this destined his fate to end in defeat.
Merlin had not descended earlier to assist Nameless because, deep down, he had already grasped this truth.
It wasn’t because he was a coward afraid of death!
Now.
Stripped of his omnipotent power, stripped of his ageless and deathless body, with only five minutes of life remaining—
Goetia, whose very thoughts had become human, had truly undergone the ultimate metamorphosis.
He had completed the sublimation of his existence.
Reaching a height that the Demon God King Goetia, despite three thousand years of effort, had never attained—"transcending Solomon."
Yes, now He had truly surpassed King Solomon.
If He survived, He would become genuinely invincible, without a single flaw!
Tamamo-no-Mae rolled her eyes. "Too bad it’s useless. This guy’s body is already collapsing—how could he possibly defeat Nameless?"
This was nothing more than a final, futile death throes!
If he really wanted to defeat Nameless, he’d have to surpass the Evils of Humanity and reach an unprecedented height.
But the problem was—you’re about to die. How could you possibly achieve that?
"There should still be a twist later. It can’t be this simple to defeat him, otherwise Nameless’s reason for restarting the world wouldn’t make sense," Merlin said calmly.
For Goetia, who had already achieved sublimation, further metamorphosis clearly required a catalyst.
And Nameless’s earlier words about bringing Dr. Roman back might very well become that catalyst!
Compared to that, Merlin was far more curious about how Dr. Roman had even managed to return.
It was completely incomprehensible.
After activating his first Noble Phantasm, that man had reached the absolute state of [Nothingness].
Nothing existed, nothing had meaning.
He would vanish from the world, from human history, from the memories of all people.
As if he had never existed at all!
Even his father, King David, would forget him entirely, believing he had never had such a child!
No—not just forgetting. It was conceptual erasure.
If he was never born, how could he exist?
...
Under Merlin’s curious gaze—
On the screen.
Goetia swallowed down the emptiness of having lost everything and launched an attack against his strongest foe.
After King Solomon’s self-sacrifice, his victory had already become impossible.
That incompetent king, at the very end, cast aside his usual cowardice and faced death like a hero.
Was this the meaning of life’s existence?
Then—
Goetia suddenly halted his assault, eyes widening. "He... actually returned?"
An unbelievable miracle!
How could he return after reaching the ultimate [Nothingness]?
"I made a decision that defies my ancestors."
Nameless spread his hands helplessly. "For the first time, I prayed to a certain existence."
As someone from China, who believed only in man’s triumph over fate, praying to a certain [Lord] was truly a decision that went against his ancestors.
But there was no other way.
"Whoever tied the bell must untie it."
To save a certain dear friend, he had no choice but to plead with that great procrastinator.
"Impossible, the Lord cares not for humanity. Why would He respond to you?" Goetia grew increasingly astonished.
That existence had long transcended the entire world, utterly indifferent to all human reactions.
Even the ten rings bestowed upon King Solomon were merely a whim of passing fancy.
The life and death of humanity held no meaning to Him.
The Lord does not care!
But now,
He had truly answered the call, intervening in fate with unimaginable, majestic power!
No further words were needed for explanation.
Before the two of them, a mysterious and vast power descended.
A will surpassing all living beings, surpassing planetary constraints, projected itself.
As if a pair of eyes were watching over everyone.
Hum~
Golden specks of light, like fireflies, flew in from all directions before them, converging into a human silhouette.
The familiar figure that had vanished reappeared before everyone.
Nameless smiled and greeted: "Welcome back to Chaldea, Dr. Roman~"