CHAPTER 8

The Divine Blade’s Revenge

Xul Luxu, still standing on her hands, eerily cackles.

“Eeeeee. You must make a deal with the people of the underworld whenever you want something, for this is our way.”

As I stand in mute amazement, Uno suddenly jumps in.

“Ristarte, whenever you make a deal, you need to offer HP.”

“Um… So you need…my stamina? Is that what you mean?”

“No. It’s different in the underworld. To get straight to the point, you are about to be deeply humiliated.”

“What the…?! So this is the ‘deal’ that you and Due were talking about?!”

Uno nods solemnly. Xul Luxu then shouts:

“Eeeeee! There’s no time to waste! Let’s get started!”

Wh-what kind of humiliation is this? Don’t tell me they’re going to do something lewd to me!!

“Eee. Raise both of your hands high into the air!”

I’m so scared that I can’t do it, so Seiya says:

“Rista, we’re doing this to save the spirit world.”

“Er…”

There’s no way I can refuse when he puts it like that. B-besides, Xul Luxu’s standing on her hands anyway, so it’s not like she can really feel me up or anything…right?

Right as I timidly raise my hands into the air, Xul Luxu shouts:

“Reverse!”

Up and down suddenly switch places, and before I even realize it, Xul Luxu is smiling right at me! Everything around me looks upside-down… Wait! Am I standing on my hands?!

“Wh-what did you do to me?!”

I’m startled by the fact that I was forced into a handstand, but…is this supposed to be humiliating? If this is all it is, then—

Fwp.

The hem of my skirt suddenly falls toward my chest, and a nice, cool breeze brushes against my crotch. While I can’t see it myself, I know exactly what’s happening. My underpants are on display for all to see.

“…?! Don’t look! Don’t loooooooook!!”

Just imagining Seiya and Cerceus staring is so embarrassing that I scream! I try to get back to my feet, but I can’t move. This must be Xul Luxu’s special move. She and Uno watch, enraptured, as I freak out.

“Eeeeee! What a wonderful feeling!”

“I can feel the HP slowly filling my body… What great delight…!”

“Wh-what is going on?!”

I look up at Seiya while I’m still in a handstand, only to find him nodding with evident satisfaction.

“I see. It appears they receive energy from seeing deities humiliate themselves.”

“Th-they’re getting off on seeing me embarrassed?!”

After a few brief moments, Uno solemnly declares:

“Exactly. Here in the underworld, HP stands for Humiliation Points.”

“Humiliation what?!”

Why does my embarrassment give the people of the underworld energy?! This makes no sense! When I glance to my side, I notice Cerceus has been grinning at me.

“What do you think you’re lookin’ at!”

“Huh?! Nothing. I didn’t see your white panties.”

“What the…?! I can’t believe you!”

Xul Luxu suddenly waddles over to Cerceus, then…

“Reverse!”

Cerceus is forced into a handstand as well.

“M-m-me too?!”

“Eee. From now on, you two have to do as I say.”

I-is she going to humiliate me again?! Cerceus and I shudder when…

“Eeeeee! Now I want you to say twenty palindromes in a row while standing on your hands.”

“H-hold on! Why do I have to play this stupid game with my panties still on display?!”

“Eee. If you can’t do it, the deal is off.”

Seiya clears his throat with an “ahem,” then glares at me with a piercing gaze as if to say, “Do it.” Groan… I’d rather take a brick to the head than do this, but…it’s for the sake of the spirit world! I have to!

“All right, then… Uh… ‘Level.’”

“Eee. Good. You’re next.”

“…‘MAX.’”

“Eee. No. Start over.”

I am honestly struck dumb by Cerceus’s reply.

“Cerceus?! ‘MAX’?! What the hell was that?!”

“S-sorry, it was just the first thing that popped into my head when you said ‘level,’ and I can’t think straight, since all the blood’s rushing to my head…”

He does have a point. All the blood is slowly rushing to my head, too! It hurts…and my partner’s an idiot! Sigh. You can do this, Rista. Stay calm. Do it for the spirit world!

“Um… ‘Mom.’”

“Hm… I’ll go with ‘Dad.’”

“‘Stats!’”

“…‘B-banana’…?”

“That would be ‘ananab’ backward. Eee… Start over.”

Good lord! How stupid is this guy?! Discouraged, I ask Seiya:

“H-hey, Seiya? Do you want to give it a try?”

“Of course, I don’t mind helping, but—”

“But deities give so much more HPeeeeee.”

“Well, you heard her. Sorry.”

Ack! Why do we have to be the clowns?! I’ve gotten past my embarrassment and now only feel frustration and anger. Seiya, standing over my head, suddenly says:

“You can do it, Rista. I believe in you.”

“Huh…?!”

Th-this has to be some kind of sick joke, right?! Seiya would never cheer me on…!

“O-okay! I’ve got this!”

The conditions couldn’t be any lousier. My panties are on display like a carnival sideshow, and all my blood is rushing to my head. Nevertheless, I continue to push forward thanks to Seiya’s encouragement, and I start the game back up.

“‘Sagas!’”

“‘Wow.’”

“‘Noon!’”

“‘Night.’ …Oops! Sorry, Rista…”

“Cerceus?! Stop screwing up!”

Cerceus keeps holding us back with all his mistakes, and we’re getting nowhere fast. Unoporta turns to me and says:

“Ristarte, is it just me, or have you lost quite a bit of HP since you started?”

“Um… I can’t tell if I’ve lost or gained any Humiliation Points.”

“Oh, my apologies. I was talking about your Health Points. I was worried you were getting exhausted.”

“Ugh!! I’ve had enough of these confusing abbreviations! Yes, I am running out of stamina! How long do you think I’ve been standing on my hands for?!”

“Th-that’s what I thought. Xul Luxu, how about we take a break?”

“Fine. I already have eeenough anyway.”

Phew! Thank goodness! We can finally rest! Or so I think until Seiya suddenly suggests to Xul Luxu:

“No. That’d be a waste of time. You need to continue until you get it right.”

““Wh-what?!””

Cerceus and I scream, but Seiya looks back at me with a cold glare.

“Guys. I’m counting on you two.”

N-now I get it! He’s not cheering us on! He’s torturing us under the guise of support! We end up continuing without any rest after that… It takes fifteen whole minutes, but we somehow manage to say twenty palindromes in a row. And yet, I feel no sense of accomplishment. Only sadness. I feel like I lost something important as a goddess. But contrary to my depression…

“Eee. I haven’t had that much HP in forever.”

“Yes, it has been a while since I have felt this full.”

Both Xul Luxu and Uno seem really happy. Cerceus and I are finally freed from our handstands as well, so I deeply exhale and sink to the floor.

“So are you going to teach us how to become demons now or what?”

“Hm? What are you talking about? Eee… You have alreadyyy completed the ritual for Type: Opposite.”

“What?!”

“Eee… Not only was that humiliation, but it was also training to inherit the aura and move as well.”

“Does that mean we can turn into demons now?!”

“Eee. Get back into a handstand and chant your name backward.”

I get into a handstand like she suggests. My panties are still on display, but I don’t care anymore!

Um… If I say my name backward, it should be…

“Etratsir!”

Poof! I am suddenly engulfed in smoke, and when it finally clears, I’m startled by my appearance. My pure white dress has transformed into black leather, and my arms and legs are slightly tan! I look like I’ve been lying out on the beach!

“Wh-wh-what happened to me?!”

“Ristarte, there is a full-length mirror over here if you would like to see yourself.”

When I look into the mirror Uno is motioning to, I freeze. It’s a black leather dress with a gap for my cleavage, and my exposed skin is a little darker than usual. My lips look a lot more provocative as well. But what’s most surprising are the bat-like wings growing out of my back! I even have a tail sprouting out of my lower back! I look kind of like a pixie!

“S-so this is what it’s like to be a demon! This is actually kind of sexy…!”

I was actually worried about what was going to happen, but I like this. It makes all that time doing a handstand seem worth it!

“Hey, Seiya! Look! I’m a demon! What do you want me to do first?”

“I don’t need you for anything. Go to sleep.”

“What was the point of working so hard if you’re just going to ignore me like you usually do?!”

“Just because your stats increased a little, it still doesn’t make you a fighter.”

“I-I guess, but…!”

“This will be my main focus for now.”

Cerceus breathes heavily as he stares at my new form.

“O-okay! Let’s do this! …Suecrec!”

Poof! A puff of smoke swallows his body, and when it finally clears, Cerceus is standing completely still. However, this isn’t the usual Divine Blade.

While he also has slightly tanned skin, what really stands out is the fact that he’s even more ripped than usual. Plus, for some reason he’s wearing a black leather jacket, dangling silver chains, and a skull pendant. What surprises me the most, however, are the bull-like horns growing from his head.

“What is this?! I’ve never felt such power! Is this really my body…?!”

“Hmph. It appears your stats are now somewhat deserving of your title. All right, let’s head back to Unoporta’s place and start training.”

T-training?! After all that?!

We just completed our handstand torture. All I want to do is rest. But Cerceus, to my surprise, audaciously curls his lips.

“Sure thing. Let’s get this training started.”

We immediately return to Unoporta’s house after retiring from Xul Luxu’s residence. Despite it being night, the spacious garden is faintly illuminated by the glowstone lamps. Cerceus and Seiya each grab a wooden sword that Dueporta prepared for them.

“Don’t let your guard down, Seiya. Cerceus’s stats as a demon are ten times higher than they used to be.”

“When Hathies was speaking, when we were walking through the underworld, and when you two were playing with the upside-down woman, I was secretly training, so I’ve leveled up a few times as well.”

“O-oh… Wait! We weren’t playing with her, you know!”

Ignoring my shouting, Seiya gets into a battle stance with his wooden sword and faces the savage-looking Divine Blade.

“All right, Cerceus. Come at me with everything you’ve got.”

“…Okay.”

Cerceus mutters…before instantly vanishing out of sight! A dull sound reverberates, and in the very next moment, Cerceus is standing with his wooden sword fully swung while Seiya is clutching his stomach and crouching.

“C-Cerceus?! Seiya’s still at a very low level! Don’t you think you sh—”

“He told me not to hold back, so I didn’t.”

At any rate, I still can’t believe Cerceus hit him! Seiya stands back up, still clutching his stomach.

“Nice, Cerceus. Continue.”

“Heh. I don’t mind fighting barehanded if you’d prefer.”

…It turns into a one-sided beatdown after that. Cerceus effortlessly dodges Seiya’s wooden sword while landing vicious blows on his body. Seiya’s body is bent at the waist, opening him up for a barrage of punches, which knock him from side to side.

N-no…! What is going on?! Seiya is getting his ass handed to him by Cerceus! I decide to intervene, unable to watch any longer.

“That’s enough, Cerceus!”

“What’s wrong, Rista? I’m just helping him train.”

“No, this is you getting revenge for everything he’s done to you!”

“…Rista, move.”

But Seiya staggers back to his feet. He spits blood onto the garden with his bruised, swollen lips.

“Keep going, Cerceus.”

“Oh? I admire your courage.”

But that’s when I notice a dark red aura enveloping Seiya’s body.

“Berserk…”

Oh! He’s going to double his stats! He should be able to handle Cerceus in Demon Mode now! Berserker Seiya raises his sword into a high guard, then swings! …And Cerceus effortlessly stops the wooden blade with his index finger.

“Hm? Was that supposed to hurt?”

Cerceus smirks while raising his fist into the air.

“Feel the tremendous power of a demon god!”

He then lands a punch square in the middle of Seiya’s face. A dull blow echoes before Seiya is sent flying back a few meters.

Th-this is the complete opposite of what usually happens when they spar! I get that Seiya’s at an extremely low level right now, but…I had no idea Cerceus’s Demon Mode would be so powerful!

Cerceus shakes the blood off his fist, then says:

“I’m getting sleepy, so you’re free to go play now. We’ll pick up where we left off tomorrow.”

After Cerceus leisurely returns to the house, Seiya collapses in the garden like he’s making a snow angel.

“What is wrong with him, suddenly getting cocky the moment he got stronger! What a loser!”

I rest Seiya’s head in my lap while healing him with my magic. His wounds are terrible. It looks like he was brutally beaten by a powerful monster, and it’s taking a while for my magic to heal him, since I can’t use Order.

“I’m sorry about all of this.”

It’s weird seeing Seiya hurt so badly. I feel terrible. After a moment of silence, Seiya quietly mutters:

“The training is going smoothly. Besides, when has it ever not been difficult?”

“B-but this time it isn’t really about saving a parallel world. I dragged you into the spirit world’s mess…”

“I’ve got a stake in this, too.”

“…?!”

“I don’t know why Mersais was banished from the spirit world, and there objectively seems to be a problem with the innermost plane’s methods as well. Regardless…”

Although riddled with wounds and bruises, Seiya’s eyes are sharp.

“I have unfinished business from last time. I’m gonna defeat Mersais.”

“S-Seiya…!”

Seiya then slowly stands back up and begins to drag his feet forward. I tightly grip Kiriko’s pendant while watching him walk away.

The next morning, I’m sleeping in my room when, all of a sudden, I hear wooden swords clashing in the distance. Startled, I sit up and immediately head to the garden, where I unsurprisingly find Cerceus and Seiya sparring… No, actually, I feel like I’m witnessing a murder.

“Take this! Demon Slash!”

Cerceus’s wooden sword vanishes in a blur before reappearing as it buries itself into Seiya’s shoulder. Seiya’s bones creak, and he immediately collapses to the ground.

“That’s enough! Stop it!”

I hold out my arms in front of Seiya, but he pushes me out of the way.

“…Continue.”

“As you wish! Feel the tremendous power of a demon god to your heart’s content!”

Seiya, already a berserker, tries to dodge Cerceus’s next strike, but neither his eyes nor his body seem to be able to keep up. Cerceus is simply too powerful. While Seiya continues to rise after being knocked down, he suddenly takes a savage thrust to the solar plexus. His face twists as he collapses, unable to move. I rush over to his side.

“Seiya! There’s no reason for you to do this to yourself! Just take things slowly and get stronger like you always do!”

“Everything that’s happened until now can’t even compare to saving three warped worlds and defeating Mersais along with her Hero. I probably won’t be able to do it if I keep doing things the way I always have.”

“But…!”

Cerceus watches Seiya stagger to his feet and sighs.

“This is getting annoying. I’m just gonna knock him out and call it a day.”

A black aura overflows from Cerceus’s body. He draws his sword back before lunging right for Seiya!

“Mwah-ha-ha-ha! Demon Slash: Full Power!!”

Seiya…!!

I instinctively close my eyes, then slowly open them…and gasp! Seiya caught Cerceus’s wooden sword with one hand!

“H-huh…?”

Cerceus squeaks.

“Level fifty-eight. Good job, Cerceus. I was able to level up at an extremely quick pace thanks to you.”

The Divine Blade’s pupils contract as he slowly retreats. Seiya continues:

“I think it’s time I raise my berserker phase before we continue sparring.”

“What the…?! I thought you already raised it as high as you could?!”

“I’ve been maintaining Phase 1.1 up until now. This is what the real deal looks like.”

Immediately, Seiya’s hair turns red, and sharp fangs peek out from under his lips.

“Berserk: Phase Two.”

An aura even greater than Cerceus’s is expelled from Seiya’s entire body.

“Berserk: Phase 2.8…”

Seiya’s raising his berserker phase as high as he can, and his extraordinary drive causes my body to tingle.

“Here I come, Cerceus.”

“Huh?! Wait. I—”

A ray of crimson light shoots straight through Cerceus. Snap! A dry sound reverberates. I have no idea what just happened until…

“Ouuuuuuch!”

The demon pathetically screams. When I look closely, I notice that Cerceus is missing a horn. Seiya picks up the horn and observes it.

“Oh, hey, what’s this? Must be garbage.”

“That isn’t garbage! That’s my horn! Give it back!”

“Hmph.”

Seiya snorts, then tosses the horn into the bushes. He tightly clenches the fist that isn’t holding his wooden sword and cracks his knuckles.

“I was planning on staying in the underworld for a while, but it looks like I’m going to be done with training quicker than I thought.”

“O-oh. That’s…wonderful…”

Cerceus breaks down mentally along with his horn, and he assumes his usual, pathetic fake smile.

“Well, I’m glad I could help! Anyway, I think I’m going to go take a nap!”

“Is that some sort of joke only demons would get?”

“Uh… It wasn’t a joke?”

“It’s still early. From now on, you’re going to be helping me train until I reach max level. Sleeping and eating are both wastes of time, so we’ll keep those to a minimum.”

“B-but…!”

“Now, come. Show me the tremendous power of a ‘demon god.’”

“Oh, um… Now that I think about it, it’s not that tremendous. In fact, it’s rather small…”

And so their relationship returns to normal. To be honest…I don’t feel sorry for him at all! Enjoy your humble pie, Cerceus!

Anyway, Seiya purposely kept his berserker level low and had Cerceus beat him almost unconscious multiple times to enhance the effectiveness of the training. In a way, I feel like I can see how determined he is after witnessing him train differently than he ever has before.

And everything he does, he does in order to save the warped worlds and defeat Mersais!

However…

“Ow, ow, ow, ow! Please…! No more…! No mooooooooore!”

While watching Seiya, who is showing no emotion while relentlessly beating the screaming Divine Blade over the head with a wooden sword, I start to think he’s much more of a demon than Cerceus ever was.