Aster suddenly entered the battlefield.
The Gods were taken aback by his appearance, but they soon saw him confronting Frondier.
'That spear?'
And most of them had a similar thought.
'Ares!'
Enkephalos and Lynotoros. That set was unknown to none of the Gods.
However, as the battle progressed, they began to have doubts as they listened to him converse with Frondier.
His tone seemed to suggest he knew Frondier.
Moreover, his style of spearmanship differed from the Ares they knew.
The high-speed attack he initially displayed. Most of it didn't resemble Ares at all.
'...Could it be that he's not Ares?'
'Then who is he?'
And they soon realized.
"...Aster, it's Aster."
"Aster? Aster Evans?"
"The one called humanity's hope?"
Aster's appearance was so striking that there was no mistaking him once you recognized him.
That's why the scene before them was so impressive.
The man named Frondier, whom humanity's hope was attacking with the intent to kill.
Whether Frondier was human or devil didn't matter much anymore. That man had become humanity's enemy in a big way.
When he left the Empire, Frondier had been branded a devil by many. But to the truly strong, led by Aster, he remained an ally.
But at this moment, it meant that even those strong individuals had turned their backs on Frondier.
'That foolish human, calling himself the Devil King!'
That was the thought of most Gods, and they were certain of victory.
Humanity's hope was fighting the Devil King alongside the united Gods. This kind of classic story was something all Gods loved.
'...I'm watching. All of you.'
And Elodie, she read the situation.
As Aster and Frondier engaged in a fierce battle, the tension on the battlefield strangely loosened.
What seemed like a three-way battle between Gods, devils, and humans now appeared as if humans and Gods had joined forces with Aster's entrance.
At this point, those on Frondier's side, like Elodie and Selena, would be suspected of being devils, given their appearances. That was the weight and value of Aster Evans' name.
Frondier was desperately countering Aster's attacks, so the Gods didn't make a move. They didn't attack Elodie or anyone else. There was no God who would needlessly interfere when a hero had stepped forward.
'...It's the same as back then.'
The Manggot War.
It was a strange situation where the enemy was biding their time, but in reality, the allies were also waiting for the right moment.
When people think their plan is working, they don't doubt what comes after.
'...This is Frondier's strategy.'
Frondier's stalling tactic, which had become even more abhorrent.
If time continued to be wasted like this, what would happen?
Zeus, surpassing Poseidon in power, and more Gods would arrive, and on the other side, the 72 Devils would come flying in.
Frondier said it didn't matter which side came first.
'...Who will come first...?'
As Elodie raised her head towards the sky.
"...I wondered what insolence made you dare to pass me by."
Elodie saw him.
A man standing majestically high in the sky.
His appearance didn't matter. He was just a human who had been possessed.
What mattered was the lightning he held in one hand.
"Indeed, the hero of mankind."
He leisurely crossed his arms and looked down at the battlefield.
"Kill that devil, and I shall forgive you."
His voice reached everyone. The Gods, the devils, and even Aster and Frondier, who were currently fighting.
Frondier looked at Aster.
At Aster's eyes, who was currently exchanging fierce blows with him.
'Aster, you said you had good intuition.'
Frondier didn't have time to explain everything to Aster right now. In the first place, suddenly stopping this fight was suspicious in itself.
However, if Aster truly believed that Frondier was a huge obstacle he had to overcome.
If he believed that all of this was a well-crafted stage...
'I'll play along, Aster.'
Frondier reached out his hand.
The weapon that materialized in his hand was on a different level compared to before.
"!"
Aster flinched at the sight of the weapon in Frondier's hand.
'Excalibur...!'
A different Excalibur from the one Aster possessed, imbued with the legend of the rock.
It was clear that Frondier was trying to convey something. This was a clear signal. Of course, Aster had no idea what it meant.
But just one sentence.
"Keep your promise."
When Frondier uttered those words.
Thud!
Aster dropped his spear and shield.
His hand reached behind his back and drew a single sword.
It was also Excalibur.
Two swords, originally impossible to appear simultaneously, were now gathered in one place.
Vwoom!!
Excalibur Alpha pulsed fiercely, devouring all of Frondier's mana.
Excalibur Beta condensed Aster's aura into a single point and exuded a chilling frost.
Frondier uttered coldly.
"Give it your all. Aster."
"...!"
That's what they had agreed on.
—If it was necessary to save the world.
—Let us become each other's enemies, Frondier.
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