Avalon's Dungeon

The God stepped from his throne, placed the cup in the hem of his robe, and then re-gripped his huge staff in both hands and waved it.

The staff, with its burning-hot-colored stamen attached to its shaft, rumbled and rumbled as it struck.

At this attack, Alexis managed to catch the attack with his shield.

（We can fight...?!）

Alexis couldn't believe the situation.

Wasn't God supposed to be something more overwhelming? No, it can't be. Then the magical civilization wouldn't have nearly ruined it in the past.

（We can do it...!）

Alexis wielded the weapon in his hand with a fighting spirit in his eyes.

But God easily dispatches it with his staff.

「You used a stone from the living to that spear...? But that's not all... What is that? That strange spear and shield...」

God has a grim look on his face.

But then, someone cuts him down. It was Fransisca.

「—Haaa!」

「Too naive!」

God points one palm toward Fransisca, keeping his staff in contact with Alexis' spear.

There is an explosion, and Fransisca is blown away by a burst of flames.

「Aah—!?」

「Fransisca!」

Quickly, Alexis looks back at Fransisca.

「Don't you dare look away!!」

God waves his staff again.

This time, the staff swings toward Alexis, surrounded by blue light.

With a crack, sounding like the shattering of metal and ice, Alexis caught it with his shield.

「You son of a bitch...」

To Alexis, whose face turned pale with anger, God said, "What? Well, I'll give the others a fight!"

God laughs and raises his staff toward the ceiling.

Then black circles appeared on the floor here and there around the members behind them, and skeletal soldiers sprouted from them.

They wore armour and held swords, axes, bows, and spears in their hands.

「We'll take care of this one here! Alexis-sama, please hold him back!」

Valencia said as she held up her sword.

The battle started immediately, with Valencia moving around to protect the rear guard, Fatima using offensive magic and Sara using auxiliary magic while wielding a big mace.

「I'll lead the way! Sara, please heal Her Highness first!」

「Yes, I know!」

「I'll put up a protective coating while I'm at it!」

「Thank you, Ane-sama!」

As they exchange these words, they seem to have helped Fransisca.

Seeing so, Alexis patted his chest and said, "Let's have some fun too," but God just laughed.

「Your shield and your spear... they interest me. How did you, a non-mage, come to possess such a work of art?」

「I don't owe you an answer!」

Alexis gritted his teeth in response to his opponent's display of composure as he cut in.

God wields his staff again. This time, a gust of freezing wind blows toward Alexis, and Alexis stares at the God while blocking it with his shield.

The wind from the staff causes the robe he wears to flutter.

（Where is the cup of dispel... Where is it? Where is it?）

He searches quickly with his eyes, but before the gust of wind dies, God pulls out his staff.

「Tsak!」

A sharp voice emerges, and Alexis takes the thrust head-on with his shield.

There is a dull thud, and Alexis' stomping footfalls back about a meter. His skinny arms were so heavy that one wondered where he could have such strength. The shield, however, did not seem to be damaged in the slightest.

"As expected," God's face is grim.

「That shield can stop God's blow... then! How about this!?」

God wields his staff and strikes Alexis' spear sword this time.

There is a sharp sound as if he had been hit by a heavy iron block.

At the same time, sparks fly around the area.

「Ggh...!」

Alexis tightened his grip on the sword, trying to keep it from slipping out of his hand.

His arm was thrown out to the right side with the weapon, but it did not fall out of his hand. But he felt a numbness in his hand.

Still, the Gods were more concerned that his armor was not damaged than that Alexis was able to hold on.

「Hmph, you stubborn prey!」

He spits out disgustedly.

Indeed, the attacks are too heavy. Shields and swords are indeed no match for them.

（Lorenzo... I've got to admit you...!）

Alexis takes a step back to distance himself and readjusts his stance.

I thought it was just a weird weapon, but Sara is correct. It is powerful.

（And Dorothea's skill is good, too）

It is difficult to make such a strong material for the armor. It is difficult unless one is very skilled.

「It seems that God is a very arrogant being...!」

Alexis exclaimed.

"What?" God's eyes become stern.

「You only care about authority, faith, and prestige. You are overconfident in your absolute power!」

「Overconfident? But this is the truth!」

With a shout, God raised his staff again.

Another earth-shattering rumble.

The black heat of the explosion struck Alexis again.

「That's not true! That's why your faith is dying, isn't it?」

Alexis held his ground with both feet.

Instead, he slowly takes one or two steps forward, keeping his shield at the ready.

「What...—」

God changes color.

「What... is that shield? What the hell are those eyes?」

Perhaps this was the first time he had ever received such a repulsive look from the other side.

God flapped his robes and waved his staff again. And the intensity of the black hot wind increased so much that it finally reached the others fighting at a distance.

「Ggh... "Protection"!! Overlay it!!」

Sara shouted, and Fatima answered.

「No way, the barrier's breaking! Stay close to each other! We'll make the wall thicker!」

The others obey Sara's voice.

Meanwhile, the summoned objects of the gods, which have no way to put up a barrier, are turned into black sand as if they were dissolving one after another and blown away by the rushing hot wind.

「Ughh—」

Fatima groans in pain, holding her staff.

On the other hand, Sara looks pale.

「It's no good... Alex-kun, we can't go on like this...!」

「Return!!」 Alexis shouted with his shield at the ready.

「All of you, return. Fransisca's pendant will get you home! I'll take this place alone!」

Hearing Alexis' words, the group is stunned, while God smiles.

「What can you do by yourself? Even if you have the best armor, don't you realize that your arrogance will kill you? If I summon the dead spirit again, you will be a rat in a bag」

For once, Fransisca shook her head in agreement with God.

「Yes, that's right, Alexis-sama!」

Alexis was smiling. But he knew full well that it was a bluff.

But now, he had to say this to God.

「Then I'll say those words right back at you. It's your arrogance that tells me you're doomed!」

「You fool! It is God who brings mercy to humans...!」

God waves his staff again, and the jet of jet-black heat increases power.

（I wonder if he can do better than this...!!）

Alexis grits his teeth and shouts.

「Just go, you'll die!」

There was no time to look back.

He himself now had to hold his shield firmly with both hands, or he would be blown away in a flash.

「And the same goes for you!!」

He hears Fransisca's reply.

「Are you going to stand against immortals with only your shield and spear sword?」

It's been a long time since he's heard her speak without honorifics. Alexis thought.

And it had been a long time since she had spoken to him like that.

「If we return, how will Sagrado recover without you?」

Before they know it, they are blinded by the blackness of the heatwave. The whole area is covered by the blackness of the heatwave.

「It's too late, you weaklings!!」

God shouted.

「Those who died in the winds of the "underworld" will come back to life as my people! —But next time as a monster!! Hahahaha... Hahahahahahahahahaha!」

God's laughter echoed around them, mingling with the rumbling of the wind.

There is no more humanity in his voice. It seemed as if many voices had crawled up from the world of the dead. The low, multiple voices were distorted and blended into a single voice.