Chapter 162 - The Final Element

"Earth-Water-Fire-Wind-Earth-Water-Fire-Wind-Earth-Water-Fire-Wind-Earth-Water-Fire-Wind-Earth-Water-Fire-Wind-Earth-Water-Fire-Wind!!"

The execution rush showed no signs of stopping.

The properties of the four elemental spirits were packed into every single punch. With hundreds of hits being hammered in at super-high speeds, not even a fellow spirit could expect to walk away unscathed after taking that kind of heat.

"Earth-Water-Fire-Wind-Earth-Water-Fire-Wind-Earth-Water-Fire-Wind-Earth-Water-Fire-Wind-Earth-Water-Fire-Wind-Earth-Water-Fire-Wind-Earth-Water-Fire-Wind!!"

The Spirit of Light had initially maintained a humanoid silhouette, but after being subjected to such a relentless pummeling, it had been reduced to a wretched, unrecognizable heap, like a lump of clay mauled by a toddler.

But I didn't let up. As a finishing touch, I decided to treat it to the power of the "Light Stigma" I had just received from it.

"LIGHT!!—"

And immediately, the four-element rush resumed!

"Earth-Water-Fire-Wind-Earth-Water-Fire-Wind-Earth-Water-Fire-Wind-Earth-Water-Fire-Wind-Earth-Water-Fire-Wind-Earth-Water-Fire-Wind!!" 

"Yadda-baaaaa-gyaaaaaa—!?"

The target was screaming nonsensical death throes from the sheer volume of trauma.

Alright, I’m starting to get bored. Time for the final blow! Take this—one last hit with every fiber of my being.

"Drop dead!!" 

"Gu-bugh!"

I slammed a final punch, infused with all the spirit power I possessed plus my own skills, and sent it flying.

It soared like a home-run ball, eventually colliding with the wall and making a disgusting splat sound.

Execution time: over.

"What was that...?" 

"The God of Light? No way...!"

The naked women present watched the scene unfold, completely dazed. They were the priestesses and followers of the Photon Cult. After demanding my conversion, they had been hit by a counter-offensive that turned them into my personal pleasure-slaves—hence their current lack of clothing.

I’d almost forgotten, but the Spirit of Light had descended right after our harem session. Most of them had been knocked out by the intense pleasure, but they were starting to wake up now, realizing the gravity of the situation.

Yes, ladies, that glowing pile of mincemeat over there is your god.

"Curse you... such tyranny against a god...!"

Oh, it's still alive. The Spirit of Light struggled to its feet, looking like a discarded rag.

"I thought I could rule the surface in a single stroke by using you, but I cannot leave such a dangerous existence unchecked... I cannot permit someone who wields the spirits' power and harbors clear rebellion against me to exist...!"

It muttered its villainous tropes under its breath.

"So be it! I shall use my full power to erase you! Even if the world is destroyed as collateral! First, with a Big Bang, this world and everything in it shall v—guebu!?"

It was saying some pretty high-stakes stuff, but the speech was never finished.

Because a massive mass of darkness crushed the light into the floor.

That might sound confusing, but I’m just describing exactly what happened. To be more specific: a single black point appeared in mid-air, expanded instantly, and manifested as a colossal block of pure shadow.

The light had no defense. It was swallowed and crushed instantly. The Spirit of Light was pinned down like Sun Wukong under the Five Elements Mountain... yet it still managed to shriek pathetically.

"Gueeee!? No... you!? Why here, why now!?" 

"You speak of folly. It is ordained that I manifest in this world when a King of the World is born."

The expanding darkness contracted, stopping once it had formed a humanoid shape.

A man of pure black.

His appearance, and that majestic aura I’d felt so many times before, gave it away instantly.

"The Dark Spirit...!?" 

"Indeed. Having met the others, your intuition is sharp. I am the leader and ruler of the Six Spirits: the Dark Spirit, Dark Matter."

The man of shadow spoke. To have another spirit show up while I was mid-fight with the first one... what brings you to my neck of the woods?

"I am Darkness. Darkness is the source from which all is born and the end to which all returns. Thus, I have no business in this manifest world where all things boast of life. There is no reason for me to appear here, save for an extremely rare exception." 

"But you're here right now, aren't you?" 

"Precisely because that rare exception has occurred. Five spirits, excluding myself, have granted their crests to a single individual."

... Oh, that's me.

"Therefore, I must judge for myself. Whether a hero has appeared who is worthy of receiving my final crest, the 'Origin Stigma,' and thus obtaining the crests of all spirits. Whether a hero has appeared who can have the world at his feet and change the very nature of existence." "W-wait, my brother! This man is not fit to be King!"

The Spirit of Light, still pinned by the darkness, pleaded desperately.

"He lacks respect for us spirits! He beat me—the incarnation of Light—to a pulp! If you give someone like that the authority of a King, our very existence will be at risk!" "That is only because you are evil." "GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!!"

The darkness expanded, crushing the Spirit of Light even further.

"For a spirit to be consumed by greed and seek to influence the world of men is the height of vulgarity. To block and stop such a thing is a heroic act. He merely exercised the rights of a living being. It just so happens that the evil to be struck down was you." 

"No! Ugehhhhh!?" 

"In any case, it was inevitable that I would appear once the fifth crest was granted. You should have known you would be dealt with right then and there. You are a pitiable, short-sighted worldling." 

"Ugehhhhhh!!"

The light was further pulverized by the dark.

From the looks of it, the Dark Spirit wasn't our enemy. It was just the Spirit of Light that was a weird, humanity-hating outlier.

"This fool, Photon, is one of our kind. I apologize for his misconduct. I promise to take him back to the multi-dimension where I reside and ensure he never interferes with this world again." 

"I don't want to goooo! I'm going to turn this world into a utopia that praises meeeeee!!"

It seems both humans and spirits have their share of troublemakers.

"However, my reason for appearing is not to judge this idiot. I have come to the manifest world for the first time in tens of millions of years for a much more important task." 

"To give me your crest... right?" 

"More accurately, to judge whether I should give you the crest."

It seemed the Dark Spirit held a special position even among the Six. The "Spirit King"—that was the impression he gave.

"We spirits are nature itself... the embodiment of the world. To be granted our power means a human becomes one with nature and the world. To be recognized by all six spirits means a single personality can now bend the entire world to his will." 

"Isn't that... kind of a huge deal?" 

"You think so? It is preferable that the one who is to become King of the World takes the fact seriously."

He's talking about me, right!?

I already had five crests. And the sixth was standing right in front of me. This wasn't just a possibility anymore; I was one step away from ruling the world. Checkmate.

"The authority gained by completing the set of six crests far exceeds human imagination. Even the title 'King of the World' is too mild."

The Dark Spirit began to explain.

"You would control the world and nature. If you wished, you could dismantle this world and rebuild it from scratch. You could refresh the laws of nature. You could reconfigure the world exactly as you please."

So, less like a King and more like a Game Master. If I got this crest, I would become an absolute being capable of manipulating the world at will. That was why the King of Niosebuk and his son Gangastra had been so desperate to find the spirits.

I’m glad they never got the power. Though, considering the Spirit King comes down to judge the final candidate, they probably never would have passed the test anyway.

"Tell me, Sao. Do you not wish to complete the Six Crests and become the ruler of the world?"

He asked it point-blank.

"You like women, do you not? The omnipotence gained from the Six Crests is incomparable to royal power. You could erase every other man from this world and monopolize every woman for yourself."

I guess if you can do whatever you want as a Game Master, that’s a given.

"You could ignore distance and time, holding every woman in the world simultaneously. And every child born from you would be female. If you interfere with causality using spirit power, you can manipulate the gender of your children at will."

Then I could plow the girls born from me, get them pregnant, and plow the daughters born from them... a cycle that continues for eternity.

"Immortality is a given once you complete the crests. You would drown in a never-ending sea of carnal desire. Is that not the ultimate wish of man? My 'Origin Stigma' can make that ideal a reality. What will you do?"

"I refuse."

Seriously, this has "trap" written all over it. They say there's no such thing as a free lunch. It was obvious I was being tested to see if I’d be blinded by power and run off to satisfy my own greed.

Too bad for him. I know plenty of stories and manga from my previous life; I know exactly how greedy people end up. I’m not picking the big gift box, and I’m not playing the role of the mean old man!

"Besides, even if I could become omnipotent, I'd pass on the future you described." 

"Oh?"

One man in the world, monopolizing all women. If you spend eternity just having sex like that, it stops being sex—it just becomes a task or a natural phenomenon. Where's the fun in that?

Sex is ultimately a reproductive act to leave descendants, but as humans developed hearts and emotions through evolution, sex gained a variety of meanings. It's an act to confirm love, or to show off one's ability by winning over an exceptional woman. It can be a vent for twisted emotions, a form of communication, or a way to establish a relationship. The more complex society gets, the more meaning sex has.

If you don't enjoy all of that combined, it's not sex. I don't want to strip away the wonderful meaning of sex just to be driven by my beastly urges.

"Besides, to truly enjoy sex, everyone has to be happy." 

"What do you mean by that?"

If it's not "All Happy," I can't enjoy it. There's sex in the world that involves force or NTR, making someone miserable. But I can't enjoy that. If the thought that my sex is making someone else miserable flickers in my mind, I can't devote myself to it fully.

Setting aside the trash who deserve to be miserable, if the world is a place where honest, innocent people are rewarded, then I can enjoy sex without any hesitation. That was exactly why I destroyed Niosebuk.

"Using the crests the way you suggested wouldn't make anyone happy. If that's the case, there's no point in having omnipotent power."

If I were to obtain that power... I’d want to use it so everyone in this world could live with a smile. Fun sex only exists when there's a smile to go with it.

...Oh, but I'd still use a snap of my fingers to turn playboys, thugs, and creepy old men into dust.

"Hehe... interesting."

The Dark Spirit seemed satisfied with my answer.

"If you had sought only your own greed here, I would have confiscated all your crests. In the process, your personality would have been dragged out, leaving you a vegetable."

I knew it was a trap! Don't make me walk across such a dangerous bridge without telling me, you bastard.

"And your answer was quite intriguing. Very well. I shall grant you my 'Origin Stigma.' Use the power of the spirits to try and build a world where everyone can live with a smile."

Well, to be more accurate... a world where everyone can have sex with a smile.

Prev            TOC            Next