The legend of the Crimson Demon clan started from Suqing.

Chapter 608 The Only God Venerable

Rick could proudly declare this a victory for humanity. A blissful smile graced his face, as if all his efforts had been for this moment—and indeed, they had.

The wooden stake, far exceeding his own height, seemed to be absorbing all the power of heaven and earth, with intense force flowing into the massive spear shaft.

The cannon, stuck in the ground, instantly emitted a burst of light.

The power that burned the continent to ashes and even turned planets into scorched earth condensed into a beam of light, piercing the earth and the core of the planet like a needle, and even destroying the Elven Corridor.

The entire Earth's crust was ripped up, spewing forth the primordial current from the pierced star core—the Elf Corridor—its immense energy was awe-inspiring.

It was as if the force just now was merely a prick with a needle, but once this thin membrane called 'continent' was pierced, the power that could constitute a world and also easily destroy it was completely released.

Along with the surging power, a pentagram polyhedron, a star-shaped regular dodecahedron, appeared like a ray of light.

—Star Cup.

Everyone knows this naturally.

The thing before me represents the throne of the One God, a combination of wisdom, power, honor, and status. Whoever obtains it will instantly become the master of this planet.

Seeing that it wasn't in a hurry to take it, Zun Zun smiled and said to Rick, "Want to try it?"

"what?"

"Although the human race is physically weak and would be dispersed by the enormous energy when it touches the Star Grail, that is only my side of the story. There is no reason to try to obtain the one and only God's throne that is within our grasp. Don't worry, even if Riku is dispersed, I will restore you in the second before he is dispersed."

"...I don't want to. You just want to see me make a fool of myself, right? Or do you think I'm a competitor and want to beat me? I'm not giving you that chance!"

Rick stuck his tongue out at him mischievously.

"Tch, have we been exposed?"

Zun Zun curled his lip.

Everything was done by Rick. Although he had some help, whether it was secretly implementing the plan, gathering the major races, or even the final scene, it was all Rick's doing.

All he did was assist and defeat Altshu.

Isn't this just saying, 'Look, I've arranged everything. You just need to follow my orders and be a puppet, and peacefully become the one and only god'?

Anyone else would be overjoyed, but Zun Zun, with his ridiculously strong sense of pride, felt that he had lost.

When he wanted Rick to touch the Star Grail, he simply wanted to make him realize his own incompetence and to make him laugh at him, so that he could "reluctantly" and "justifiably" sit on the throne of the One God.

But Rick saw through this.

"The true victor is the one who escapes after winning, giving the opponent no chance to retaliate!"

"As expected of...Riku...I like it."

The couple chose to win and run.

Or, to put it another way, should one know when to stop while one's gains are in hand?
As for the option of making the Machina the only god, it was rejected from the beginning because Riku did not want the world to become cold—presumably even if Horo, the creator god of the Machina, appeared, he would not be allowed to touch the Star Grail, since the Machina had already taken Riku's form.

"Besides, wouldn't it be great if Venerable Zun became the one and only god?"

It would be truly unreasonable to doubt someone who has helped the human race from beginning to end.

"Is that so? In that case..."

In the end, Zun Zun reluctantly accepted the Star Cup.

"and many more."

But instead of touching the Star Cup, he grasped someone else's hand, stopping him before he could touch it.

"Those who haven't even stepped onto the chessboard can't greedily claim the spoils of victory, or do you want to be a thief?"

"...Tch, we've been found out."

The boy who tried to steal the chicken didn't feel ashamed or embarrassed after being caught; instead, he just shrugged it off nonchalantly.

Rick then got a clear look at the boy in front of him.

Wearing a large hat, with eyes that read diamonds and spades, he was a boy I had never seen before.

But he knew who it was.

I still lose to him, I keep losing and losing, until I'm fed up with it. Because when I see him in the depths of darkness, I always see a confident smile on his face.

Rick stared wide-eyed in disbelief, his finger trembling as he pointed at the boy.

"You...could it be!?"

"Tetu. I've been keeping an eye on you, Rick."

The boy gave him a big smile.

The so-called essence is born from human belief. In a sense, he—Tetu—is the child of Rick and Shubi, and he is also the weakest divine species born from the belief of the two.

Even so, you are not qualified to touch the Star Cup.

No pain, no gain.

This is an eternal truth.

Even Riku had no intention of giving the Star Cup to Tet. After all, compared to the God of Games whose stance was unknown, Zun was still better—most importantly, the planet was currently collapsing, and there was no time to investigate.

"So--"

Zun Zun was well aware of this, and then he grabbed the Star Cup.

Everyone in the world witnessed that scene.

First, light enveloped the world.

The light, spreading from a distant place, dyed the red sky and blue earth white, stealing the boundary between heaven and earth.

When the silent, spreading light stopped, the world instantly lost its color.

Looking out at the sky and the earth, everyone was bewildered, then a moment later realized what was happening. The ash drifting in the sky remained suspended in the air, the flames of war forgot to flicker, and everything came to a standstill.

Even time is an example.

Everything ceased to exist except for those with life. All creatures, bewildered by the scene, were left behind, and moments later, the impact engulfed the world.

Clearly different from destruction, the power of gentleness travels like a gentle caress, licking the world.

The red clouds that had been obscuring the sky were blown away, and the blue and blackish-gray that covered the earth gradually dissipated.

Light and earth reappeared.

A clear blue sky, plains covered with green grass, verdant mountains, and crystal-clear lakes.

Those gazing up at the sky and the earth stared wide-eyed, utterly bewildered by this extraordinary spectacle. Only the machine race and the human race… no, the 179 ghosts and Chronie knew what had happened.

They won the Star Cup, and from then on, they no longer had to endure the ravages of war.

Then, everyone in the world heard this sentence.

No one was born standing in the heavens, neither you nor I, not even God, but this unbearable vacancy on the throne is about to end. From this day forward, I shall stand at the top!

[Above and below heaven, I alone am supreme!]

He has the right to say that, right? After all, he personally defeated the strongest god and obtained the throne of the one and only god. He can definitely say that.

Zun Zun showed no signs of anything amiss.

He's still the same person.

His appearance and clothing were exactly the same as before, except for the star cup that kept turning in front of him, which symbolized the throne of the one God.

"Your Excellency...?"

Rick spoke softly.

Zun Zun nodded to him, as if he understood what he meant, and once again used the Star Cup as a megaphone to announce the new world's rules to all races.

[Not created by anyone, not expected by anyone, not prayed for by anyone, but solely by their own will, evolving from beasts to stand on two legs, and thus gaining intelligence—the only race—human beings! I, as the one and only God, bestow upon you the name—the human race!]

It was originally a miniature garden... no, it belonged to the nobles of Disbord.

However, Rick rejected this, arguing that since humanity had found a strength that was second to none... no, it had acquired the intelligence that would allow them to stand as the dominant species on the planet, then whether or not they were nobles was irrelevant.

Seeing Rick looking at her with expectant eyes, Zun Zun knew what he was thinking.

This world is a simple game world, a world where there is no need for killing and death. Therefore, as a reward for the human race—a new race—Zun Zun granted his request.

So……

Raise the star cup in your hand, so that your voice may reach every person in heaven and on earth.

[Sixteen races that claim to possess intelligence—]

【1】This world prohibits all killing, war and plunder.

【2】All disputes shall be resolved based on the outcome of the game.

【3】The game must be played with stakes that are judged to be equal by both parties.

[4] Without violating [3], there are no restrictions on game content or betting.

【5】The challenged party has the right to decide the content of the game.

[6] All bets made under the "Pledge to the Covenant" must be strictly observed.

【VII】A full-power agent should be appointed to resolve disputes between groups.

【8】If any improper behavior occurs during the game, it will be considered as a defeat once it is discovered.

[9] I declare in the name of God that the above rules are immutable.

[10] Let's all play peacefully together!
Then the myths that were not sung aloud evolved into myths that were passed down orally, that is—

A ceremony to acknowledge the legacy of those who carry on the family tradition.

Ignoring the consent of the sixteen races, based on the ten covenants of the throne of the one God.

Come, admire!

Today, from this day forward, the world has changed.

Swear to the covenant!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Sink Barbara gazed at the sky, his long ears listening to the rustling of the grass, his six diamond-shaped eyes reflecting the celestial radiance—a blue light that seemed to draw one in.

As if waking from a dream, I suddenly realized that this was the true color of the sky.

After the long war ended, the world has become so beautiful. She smiled as if in a dream, and at the same time, she understood something.

She lost.

Once again, we lost completely.

Although this outcome was something Alteshu already knew during his battle with the unknown... no, the Venerable One, it still left him feeling somewhat unwilling when it actually happened.

Why was the throne of the One God decided so easily? Even if it wasn't an earth-shattering battle, it should have been more intense!

At least……

They should at least have their own place, instead of being just bystanders!
"The One and Only God...?"

Sink Barbalen let out a deep breath.

"It's not over yet, I haven't lost yet!"

"senior……?"

"Nina, go now and recruit talented people. We're going to create a forest elf kingdom."

"Okay... Eh, the kingdom? W-why?"

Because this is a way to challenge the one true God.

Sink Barbal answered in his mind.

(End of this chapter)