Chapter 088: The Revenge of Billions Summoned from Millions of Years of Human History
The energy required to switch to the Goetia state had to be prepared by himself, so he expanded the hole connected to the Root until it merged with his entire body.
He had become a human-shaped void.
But this was different from the complete Goetia state. He couldn't unleash the same level of power as Goetia described in the Type-Moon world, primarily due to the difference in magical energy capacity.
Though he was directly connected to the source, seemingly with infinite mana, this human-shaped output had a limited lifespan and durability.
Until that durability was exhausted, the amount of magical energy he could output still fell far short of the Goetia described—who had converted all of human history from 1000 BC to 2016 AD into magical energy.
To achieve that state, he would have to be equally ruthless.
For now, he could only maintain this form for a brief time. His body—or more accurately, his soul—had reached its limit and was beginning to collapse.
The only reason he dared to let his soul be eroded like this was that he was still within history, able to move into the next role and escape certain death.
Had this been the future, where his roleplay had already reached 100%, he wouldn't have dared to act so recklessly.
So, at this moment, he would make a spectacular exit.
He needed those hiding in the shadows to believe he had truly turned to cosmic dust. Otherwise, they might remain cautious, hesitating to act and burrowing even deeper into hiding—which would be troublesome.
Moreover, Renji knew Satan's true identity, which was why the Demon Gods had answered his summons—to seek vengeance.
As for whether Satan was in league with those hidden away, that remains unclear.
But there seems to be some connection.
What does human despair feel like?
If a god could experience it, they could endure far more of it than any human, given their divine capacity.
But what if it were millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions, or even billions of times that despair?
Could a god still endure?
The answer is no, because one god was now experiencing the despair of countless humans.
And that despair was tied to him.
Since ancient times, haven't there often been trials and judgments imposed upon humanity?
Though not enough to wipe them out, these so-called trials still caused massive casualties.
Take, for example, the Great Flood and Noah's Ark—that too was a trial, and those who survived carried on the human race.
The despair being experienced now belonged to those who had failed to survive such trials.
And these trials were not a one-time occurrence—over humanity's millions of years of history, they had accumulated a considerable number.
Every pantheon had them to some degree.
But his pantheon had conducted the most, hence the staggering number of humans now weighing upon him.
And so, the humans who had suffered despair from his trials were now taking revenge, linking their anguish to him.
Making him feel what countless humans had felt.
Making him experience the deaths of countless humans.
And so, he was losing his mind, desperately trying to sever his consciousness—only to find himself cut off.
No, more accurately, the sudden severance had split his soul in two.
This wasn't like remotely controlling something only for the signal to be lost, leaving the other end silent.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—!!!"
His agonized screams echoed endlessly, striking terror into the hearts of the countless gods and humans who witnessed it.
After all, the scene before them made one question—which side was truly the dark lord who brought ruin?
Perhaps both.
But what kind of torment was Satan enduring? It seemed to be mental in nature.
Namely, what King Solomon had described—the despair of billions of humans.
"Seems he's reached his limit," Zeus remarked with a raised brow.
King Solomon's body had already reached its breaking point under the erosion of the cosmic origin and was now crumbling into oblivion.
So, Zeus let out a sigh of relief.
To wield such power, King Solomon had paid an immense price—his own life.
Still, Zeus couldn't help but feel regret. He had truly wanted to fight him.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The sound of shattering came from the eerie space, and through the fissures, Zeus sensed something familiar—the aura of the Heavenly Realm.
CRASH!
The starry sky above shattered, revealing the heavens beyond.
As the cracks spread, more familiar sights came into view.
"Seems we were dragged into a separate dimension," Zeus mused.
This space had clearly been constructed by King Solomon, and now that he was fading, the space itself was collapsing.
The seventy-two tentacle pillars also began to change—suddenly disintegrating.
The faint black glow that had once enveloped countless humans vanished, replaced instead by a shimmering golden light—as if their wishes had been fulfilled, and they were now ascending to enlightenment.
One by one, they all turned in the same direction, performing a solemn salute of gratitude before vanishing.
They returned to the annals of history that had long passed.
These were the souls of humans who had died over the course of millions of years.
The confirmation came from Heimdallr, who had managed to establish a connection with the Akashic System, thereby verifying the origins of these individuals.
Their origins, in essence, revealed that these were the souls of a portion of humanity who had died over millions of years, summoned here for this moment.
As for which souls belonged to which era or who they specifically were, Heimdall had no way of knowing—nor was it possible to ascertain, given the sheer, overwhelming volume of information involved.
In other words, humanity has not perished in the present.
Then why do they express gratitude to King Solomon?
After being treated so harshly by him, used like mere batteries, shouldn't they feel hatred instead?
And why do they harbor such an irreconcilable hatred toward Satan?
Could it be that all of them were killed by Satan?
"Sister Brunhilde, it seems we misunderstood."
Göll's voice was thick with remorse.
The scene before them was the complete opposite. The figure seated upon the throne was no demon king—he was a true god, one sincerely revered and loved by humanity.
Otherwise, why would this vast multitude of billions offer him such heartfelt gratitude?
They were not coerced by King Solomon. They acted willingly—all for the sake of exacting revenge upon Satan!
If that were the case, then Satan, who caused the deaths of such an enormous number of humans, should not have gone unrecorded in history. Such a thing could not possibly have been concealed.
So, what is the truth?
The only one who knew the truth was King Solomon, but he had no intention of speaking.
He simply sat there quietly, smiling as he watched everything unfold, before dissipating like mist.
Somewhere in a vast, otherworldly temple.
The screen before them flickered—the vanished arena was returning from the shattered dimension.
What had happened during its disappearance?
Soon, through Heimdall's commentary and reports from their allies, they came to understand.
"Is that really something a human could achieve?"
"Thankfully, that guy was completely eroded by the Root, vanishing entirely from the universe."
"But what about Satan? He must be connected to that guy too. Seems like a lot was hidden from us."
"Ask him."
In the end, they received this news—their collaborator had gone mad?
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