kscans

Chapter 123 - Remember Who You Are

This all happened while I was formally accepting King Enma's request and we were discussing the exercises. A question about his plan suddenly occurred to me. For a discussion about what to do if the afterlife were attacked, wasn't the focus leaning too heavily toward Hell? It wasn't that Paradise was being ignored. He did say they would be reinforcing its defenses as well. Still, I felt that the conversation was weighted heavily in Hell's favor.

Logically, I understood. Between Hell and Paradise, an attack on the former would be overwhelmingly more fatal. For an invading force, there honestly wasn't much to be gained by conquering Paradise. In fact, the disadvantages would likely be greater. To use a real-world war as an analogy, it would be like attacking a place inhabited only by unrelated civilians instead of a military facility. In a real war, that could... and it's a disgusting thought, but it could potentially stir up war-weariness or reduce the number of future soldiers.

However, the inhabitants of the afterlife are the dead, and those in Paradise are good souls. This isn't Valhalla, so no matter how cornered they become, the gods and buddhas would never mobilize good souls for a fight. Even if the good souls pleaded for the war to stop, the gods would likely not heed their voices if battle was necessary. Furthermore, there are circumstances unique to the gods. Between the good and the wicked, which do you think are more devout in their faith? Faith is extremely important to the gods, so there is no advantage in harming good souls who might become their followers.

What about evil and wicked gods?

Well, their personalities would probably lead them to consider using Paradise for their schemes. But this too offers little benefit due to circumstances unique to the supernatural. Paradise is a haven where good souls arrive after death. Sanctuaries of that nature reject wicked beings. Forcing one's way in would result in a debuff. This is a fairly significant performance drop, so there is little to be gained by targeting it.

However, there are ways to circumvent the rules that block evil. The easiest to understand would be to use humans. Not every human who goes to Paradise is a saint without a single blemish. Everyone has a dark side to their heart. That is why humans alone are excluded from the rule. So it is possible to use humans to cause trouble.

Despite that, there's little concern for Paradise because they seem to be underestimating what humans are capable of. And they're not wrong. A human strong enough to cause trouble in Paradise would need to be quite powerful. Strong people tend to have egos to match their power. Few who reached a level where they could rampage through Paradise would be willing to become a mere errand boy for an evil or wicked god. I think that's why, especially since this was an exercise, they simply wrote it off as an exception.

And yet, Lord King Enma-sama desired malice from us.

For this exercise, Takahashi and Suzuki have no restrictions, but my own power is severely limited. To be specific, if Takahashi and Suzuki are around level 90, I'm at 95. The upper echelon of humanity, I suppose. It would be impossible for the three of us to take all of Paradise. We lack both the power and the numbers. But depending on how we do it, we can certainly use Paradise to stir things up. That's why, during our discussion, I steered Enma's focus even further away from Paradise and made him concentrate on an attack on Hell. Given the operational demands of Hell, a complete surprise attack for the exercise is difficult. The jailers and security forces have already been notified about the drill. That's why they're on high alert... too bad for them.

"Well, how was that? Did I show you the malice you desired? If it's not enough, don't worry."

I spoke to Enma through the Kushoujin, telling him this was just the opening act. This time, Enma is purely a spectator. The exercise is based on the premise that some scoundrel has neutralized him. The other Ten Kings are in command, which is why this broadcast is even connected.

Alright, the opening move went well... but I can't let my guard down yet.

Catching the enemy off guard. It's a fundamental tactic in both single combat and group battles. To that end, Suzuki and I used transformation magic to sneak into Paradise. We went to a place with no security, discreetly made an incision in the ground, and planted Suzuki's repulsion mines. After repeating this multiple times and finishing most of the setup, we detonated them, launching the land of Paradise down into Hell below. The fall of Paradise must have made quite an impact.

"Now then... it should be about time, right?"

I'm deliberately advertising my presence. There's no way they don't know where I am. An enemy practically yelling "Here I am!" is obviously a trap. They must know that too. But they have to come. Right now, I'm the only one whose location is known. They're probably searching for Suzuki and Takahashi, but they have no choice but to commit more forces to me, the most troublesome one whose position has been compromised.

"Found you! Surrender and be bound!!"

"That's a line I've only ever heard in historical dramas... Not a chance!!"

I turned tail and ran. Naturally, they gave chase. The ones sent after me were all quite strong. I could probably beat them in a fight, but with my current limitations, it would drain me considerably. In other words, this pursuit is meant to wear me down... and they probably know I've figured that out. That's how the tactical game of battle works. To some extent, both sides know what the other is trying to do. A battle is won by out-reading your opponent and steadily accumulating advantages on top of that.

"This direction... a human shield!?"

"You guessed it."

It seems the opening gambit is still having an effect. The evacuation of the residents is delayed. I successfully fled into a city... or a place like it, teeming with inhabitants. That said, if I dawdle, they'll take my shields away. The moment I entered the city, I shouted at the top of my lungs.

"TAKE ME DOWN WITH ALL OF THEM!!!!!!!!!"

In that moment, what appeared over the city was no thunderhead, but a storm cloud of pure repulsion. Yes, after the setup was complete, I had instructed Suzuki to hide here and wait.

"Do not falter! Attack him..."

"It's just an exercise, after all."

I cut him off and sneered.

"You're allowed to abandon them, you know?"

"Ugh... Raise the barrier with all your might! Become a shield for the people!!!"

For this exercise, a special mechanism has been applied to us. If a participant takes any action, direct or indirect, that would lead to a lethal outcome, the would-be victims are isolated. So Suzuki's repulsion force won't reach the residents of Paradise. They'll be pushed away just before impact. But does that mean they can be ignored? That's another story. They had been hit with one opening move after another, so their minds hadn't caught up to that detail. So I reminded them. I reminded them of who they are.

"My goal was to wear you down. Same as you."

It was a reflexive action. They won't be able to block it completely. They might be able to protect the residents, but many of the pursuers will suffer considerable damage.

"A summoning circle...!?"

Just as the repulsion force was about to crush their barrier, a summoning circle unfolded at my feet.

"Bye-byeee♪"

Answering the summons, I left the scene. I arrived in a corner of Hell.

"Yo. Looks like you pulled it off."

"More or less. But the real show is just beginning."

Takahashi chuckled, so I smiled back at him.

"No idea how far we can take this, but."

"Yeah, let's just raise as much hell as we can."