The Devil Does Not Need to Be Defeated

Chapter 753: “Do You Understand?”

“…This…”

This sudden, shocking truth startled Shien.

He knew that although the people of Omnipotence correctly recognized the worlds he came from, even ordinary people knowing of their existence, they were generally considered ordinary worlds without power or mystery. Therefore, people believed those worlds were unrelated to the Supreme God who created Omnipotence. A world created by the Supreme God shouldn’t be so ordinary and devoid of any mysterious power. So, in the eyes of the people of Omnipotence, the countless other worlds where Heroes came from were simply naturally occurring, scattered worlds, unconnected to Omnipotence. Only Omnis, the Supreme God, had the power to transcend worlds, interfere with those other worlds, and create the magic ritual to summon Heroes.

But now, Nien told Shien that the creator of those worlds was also Omnis.

And Omnis’s purpose in creating those worlds was to serve as a breeding ground for Heroes.

“To ensure the smooth birth of Heroes, that goddess imposed strict limitations on those other worlds, preventing the emergence of mysterious powers,” Nien explained.

“Just like in Omnipotence, where a third being on par with the Supreme God and the Demon King couldn’t be born, so, to allow life to be born smoothly, the Supreme God added the concept of the limits of life to Logic, reducing the difficulty of life’s creation.”

In other words, to ensure the smooth birth of Heroes, the Supreme God set the “limits of life” in countless other worlds to level one, or even level zero, preventing the emergence of mysterious powers. This meant all the resources of those other worlds were dedicated to cultivating Heroes, creating incredibly favorable conditions.

Thus, every once in a while, a human with the potential to become a Hero would be born in one of those countless other worlds, becoming a vessel for the concept of “Hero.” They would live ordinary lives in those other worlds until their death, after which they would be summoned to Omnipotence by the Hero Summoning Grand Ritual, awakening their exclusive Holy Sword and Unique Skill.

“The omnipotent Goddess’s plan succeeded, using countless other worlds to cultivate the ‘third person,’ the Hero.”

“And these humans who became Heroes, as the Goddess foresaw, did possess the power to counter and defeat the Demon King.”

“Under such circumstances, the first Hero was summoned to this world.”

Speaking of this, Nien’s tone became somber, no longer calm and indifferent, nor her usual holy and playful self, but rather melancholic, filled with a faint sadness.

“I believe you’ve already heard about the fate of the first Hero, right?” she said sympathetically, “She was killed by the Demon King before she could fully mature.”

Nadue had indeed told Shien about this.

However…

“The first Hero wasn’t killed by the Demon King because she rushed into battle unprepared, but because the Demon King sought her out,” Nien revealed.

“Before facing the Demon King, the first Hero had been with the Supreme God.”

“That period was very short.”

“At least, compared to the incredibly long lives of the Supreme God and the Demon King, those few years were but a fleeting memory.”

“But during those few years, the companionship of Nien, the Hero, made the aloof Supreme God feel emotions for the first time.”

“A strange relationship called ‘friendship’ was thus recognized by the aloof and omnipotent Goddess, making the Hero and the Goddess the first two beings in Omnipotence who needed, cherished, and accompanied each other.”

“That was probably the first and last time Omnis, the Supreme God, possessed something called a ‘heart’.”

“Until the appearance of Claudis, the Demon King.”

Nien looked directly at Shien, her emotions unreadable.

But Shien knew what she wanted to say.

“Just like that, the first Hero was killed.”

“Because she was killed by the Demon King, the Supreme God, whose power couldn’t overcome the Demon King’s, couldn’t resurrect her only friend, falling into despair.”

“That day, the world was filled with the Goddess’s wails, and it rained for years, flooding the entire world.”

“Then, the Supreme God completely closed off her heart, becoming a truly indifferent and aloof god, seeing the Demon King as her nemesis.”

Nien’s voice was slow and soft. Shien could barely hear her tone. Because, for some reason, hearing this story made his heart ache.

Vaguely, a strange conversation appeared in his mind.

—”You’re spacing out again. Can you focus?” This was his voice.

—”Oh dear, you caught me again,” a gentle voice, unfamiliar yet somehow incredibly familiar, replied.

—”I’m all grown up now, and you’re still like a little girl, always spacing out. Don’t tell anyone you know me, I’m embarrassed.” This was Shien’s voice, filled with exasperation.

—”You brat, you want me to pull your ear again, don’t you?” This was the gentle voice, scolding him angrily.

Then, the conversation continued.

—”After all these years, you should at least tell me what you’re thinking about when you space out, right?”

—”…Nothing, just thinking about a friend.”

—”A friend… ?”

—”Yes, a friend.”

—”Are you close to her?”

—”…Yes, she’s my best friend.”

—”Do I know her?”

—”…Perhaps you’ll have a chance to meet her one day.”

—”So, I don’t know her now?”

—”Well, something like that.”

—”If you miss her so much, why don’t you go find her?”

—”…Because I can’t go back anymore.”

—”…You’re an old woman now, and you’re still acting like a little girl, wallowing in self-pity?”

—”You brat, you really need a beating… forget it, you wouldn’t understand. Just remember one thing.”

—”What?”

The conversation ended there.

Replaced by a face.

A woman’s face, gentle yet stern, appeared in his mind, smiling at him and saying,

“Truly worthy of being my…”

Shien didn’t hear the rest. He shook his head, his mind clearing.

Nien was staring at him intently.

“Are you alright?” she asked, her expression unreadable.

“I’m fine,” Shien said, suppressing the strange emotions in his heart, “What’s the purpose of telling me this story?”

“To tell you how I was born,” Nien replied indifferently, “You’ve probably guessed it, haven’t you?”

“…A little,” Shien said after a moment of silence, “After all, you said yourself that you were born from the Supreme God Omnis’s obsession with the first Hero, right?”

This statement, combined with the story and the name “Nien,” gave Shien a bold guess.

“Don’t tell me you’re a goddess created by the Supreme God using the deceased first Hero?”

Nien both shook and nodded her head.

“Your guess is only half right,” she said, “I’ve already said, I am the Hero Summoning Grand Ritual itself, existing even before the first Hero was summoned, not created using her body after her death. Don’t compare me to that ‘Demon King Prototype’ beside you.”

“Then you…?” Shien frowned.

Seeing this, Nien no longer hid it.

“The Hero Summoning Grand Ritual was originally just a ritual, although a large-scale one, it was just a combination of runes, not a living being.”

“It wasn’t until the first Hero died, and the Supreme God Omnis wailed for three years, that her sadness and pain, along with the world’s turmoil, merged into the [Hero Summoning].”

“Then, I was born.”

She was born from Omnis’s obsession with the first Hero.

She was a being born from pain and despair.

Everyone thought that Lildas, the Goddess of Fate, was the third being born in Omnipotence after the Supreme God and the Demon King.

This wasn’t true.

The third being born in this world wasn’t Lildas, nor the first Hero from another world, but her—the [Hero Summoning].

“Born from the omnipotent Goddess, yet embodying all her pain and sadness, the goddess who governs the concept of summoning.”

“This is me,” Nien’s voice clearly reached Shien’s ears.

“I named myself Nien because this name holds great significance within my existence.”

“I have the same appearance as Omnis because I am her pain, her sadness, the embodiment of all her emotions towards the first Hero.”

“This is the greatest tragedy of my existence.”

“Do you understand?”

Her voice, filled with sadness, echoed in Shien’s mind, silencing him completely.

Chapter 754: One Person’s Hero

Nien’s identity was a closely guarded secret.

The God Race didn’t know of her existence.

Neither did the Demon Race.

The world was unaware of this goddess, let alone that she was the [Hero Summoning] itself, a large-scale, cross-world magic ritual, her power of summoning not only calling Heroes from other worlds, but also able to connect with and summon them to her side at any time.

And her true origin wasn’t just the [Hero Summoning] ritual, but also the embodiment of the Supreme God Omnis’s obsession with the first Hero.

She had existed in secrecy for an unknown amount of time, until now.

Shien looked at this goddess with complex emotions, finally understanding something.

“You resent Omnis because she burdened you with all her pain and despair?” he asked hesitantly.

But Nien shook her head.

“Although I was born from pain and sadness, she is still my mother. I wouldn’t resent her for that,” she said, her hand clenching unconsciously.

“What I truly can’t accept is that after the first Hero’s death, that goddess seemed to lose interest in everything, only wanting revenge against the Demon King, disregarding my feelings and treating me like a tool for summoning Heroes.”

Nien’s voice trembled slightly.

“Can you imagine the feeling of never seeing your mother after being born, being discarded like a tool in a corner of the world, unnoticed and uncared for for countless years?”

“Can you imagine the feeling of having the runes within me forcibly activated and used by the Goddesses of the God Race for summoning whenever someone with the potential to become a Hero appears in another world, without any regard for my feelings, unable to even participate?”

“I haven’t even seen Mother again. Since my birth, I’ve been alone in a corner of the world, forcibly transformed back into the ritual’s main body whenever my power is needed, unable to even speak, never seeing that Goddess’s face, used by the Goddesses of the God Race who don’t even know I exist to summon Heroes.”

“And after the summoning, the Hero is taken away by the Goddesses, the power acting on me disappears, and I’m discarded again, like a useless tool, alone.”

“Always alone…”

As she spoke, Nien bit her lip.

“And the most hateful thing is, after the war ended, the God Race no longer needed Heroes. And you know what they did to me?”

“They sealed me!”

“Before I could even react, I was forcibly transferred to the edge of the Divine Realm and sealed here!”

Nien’s body trembled with power.

“From that moment on, I knew that my purpose was over, that I would be abandoned here forever, unnoticed and uncared for.”

“I would be alone in this temple until the world’s end.”

“How could I not hate her?”

A deep resentment filled Nien’s voice.

Her hatred made Shien fall silent again.

But the hatred was fleeting.

When Shien came to his senses, Nien was already standing before him, her gaze fixed on him.

“Haven’t you been wondering why I summoned you?” she asked, caressing his face.

Shien didn’t know how to answer. He had indeed been wondering about this. Although Nien said she summoned him because the Original Demon was trying to create a seventh Demon Lord, a second Demon King, to prevent the birth of another Demon King, this reason didn’t hold up.

Shien already knew that a second Demon King couldn’t be born in this world. Although Demon Lords were the closest to the Demon King, theoretically able to reach her level, that was just a theory. In reality, this world no longer had the conditions for a second Demon King to be born. There was only one, and there would only ever be one. The Original Demon could at most create another Demon Lord, not a Demon King.

And although a Demon Lord was a terrifying existence in this world, how much chaos could they truly cause? The God Race had the Three Goddesses, the Goddess of Justice, the strongest Evil God, and the Three Goddesses of Time. The Demon Race had six Demon Lords, each capable of dealing with a single Demon Lord. With over ten Transcendent Level beings guarding this world, including Lildas, the Goddess of Fate, and Sara, the Moon Demon, who could exert power surpassing even Demon Lords, what could a single Demon Lord do? Even if they caused trouble, they couldn’t be more dangerous than the Demon King, right?

Under such circumstances, there was no need for Nien to risk breaking the peace between the three races and summoning a Hero.

But she still did it.

The reason was simple.

“I am the Goddess of Summoning, the Hero Summoning ritual itself.”

“If my purpose is to summon Heroes, and I can do nothing else, then, no matter what, I want to perform a summoning of my own volition.”

“Not a forced summoning, but one decided by me.”

“As a result, after accumulating magic power for a thousand years, finally meeting the minimum requirements for summoning, I summoned you to this world.”

Nien stared intently at Shien, her gaze becoming more intense, even possessive.

“I was afraid that after finally being able to summon a Hero, there would be no one with the potential to be a Hero in the other worlds anymore.”

“Fortunately, you appeared.”

Therefore, Shien was a Hero who belonged only to Nien.

A Hero summoned not because he was needed by the world or anyone else, but solely because of this goddess with a tragic past.

“Although I didn’t expect this final summoning to have such unexpected consequences, you are still the one I’ve been waiting for for a thousand years. This will never change.”

Nien said these cryptic words with a strange tone, her obsession evident.

“No matter what others say, regardless of the truth, you are the Hero.”

“My Hero.”

“No one can doubt this.”

Her voice was filled with an almost morbid fanaticism. Normally, Shien would want to avoid her, but at this moment, he couldn’t bring himself to.

He understood why she was like this.

There were two main reasons why she summoned him.

One was to truly fulfill her purpose.

The other was that she had been alone for too long, too lonely, unable to bear it any longer, needing someone to find her, accompany her, and acknowledge her.

And that person was the Hero she summoned.

Shien was that person.

A thousand years?

No.

If this goddess had truly been alone, then the companion she sought was at least ten thousand years late, even tens or hundreds of thousands of years late.

A goddess who governed summoning, able to summon others, yet she spent almost her entire life alone.

This was ironic.

“Sigh…” Shien could only sigh, unable to say anything else.

Nien, however, returned to her usual demeanor.

“Are you feeling pressured?” she asked with a smile, “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to you.”

But her gaze, as if wanting to devour him, made him feel even more pressured.

Shien, however, was more concerned about something else.

“Why did you suddenly summon me here?” he asked, puzzled, “Didn’t you want to keep your existence a secret? Why risk exposing yourself to bring me here?”

Nien paused, then replied casually,

“There’s no point in hiding anymore. That Moon Demon has already noticed something amiss, sensed my existence. And a stray cat also stumbled in here last time and guessed my identity. My existence being exposed is only a matter of time.”

“In that case, let me see if the Demon King’s daughter can find me and come here.”

A playful smile appeared on Nien’s face, as if she had found a new amusement, similar to Shafney.

Shien, however, wasn’t distracted.

“You didn’t answer my question,” he said, narrowing his eyes.

“That’s not important,” Nien said, seemingly displeased, “What’s important is, now that you’re here, are you only going to ask such boring questions?”

Because of Sara and Anima’s investigations, Nien had painfully cut off contact with Shien for a while.

Having risked exposing herself this time, she was going all out.

“What do you want to do?” Shien asked, his expression strange. He had a premonition, not an ominous one like before, but a feeling that something good was about to happen.

Nien smiled at him, a seductive smile.

“Come, let me show you something,” she said, grabbing Shien’s hand and pulling him into a nearby room.

“Th-This is…!?”

Soon, Shien’s cry echoed through the temple.

“Ooh…! Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh…!”

Cries filled with excitement and joy echoed continuously.

That night, Shien experienced the greatest pleasure since coming to this world.