Chapter 331: What just happened!?

Returning with interest? Or poisoning the well?

『So, that is what happened, now do your best.』

......What? "That is what happened", huh. What!?

I'm right in the midst of battle here yet I can't help but think that being flabbergasted is a perfectly normal reaction. I mean, here I am in the middle of a shootout with Kuro and all of a sudden D starts speaking right inside my head, okay! On top of that, it's real serious stuff.

Eh, Taboo was installed on all of humanity? Eh, prayer can send power to Kuro or myself? Eh, the Demon King and Pope had a public speaking battle over their principles?

....Just whaaat?

Just when we're having this real intense battle, how did things end up like that huh? No, the cause is totally clear! D, it's you, it's totally you! What the heck have you been up to while I was away! Nai wa. If you're going to call yourself an outsider then please stay an outsider to the end, okay. You've been intervening to the max....

It was so serious that Kuro also stopped moving about the same time. It's a chance for me to attack, but I also feel like I want to clutch my head, so for now let's have a little ceasefire.

『But, I am sure that it would be hard to immediately accept what I said, so if you have any questions then I shall accept them.』

Perhaps it was because Kuro and I both froze, but D showed us a fragment of kindness. I'd rather you have taken that kindness, and used it in a way that didn't make things worse.

「You said that Taboo was handed out to the whole of humanity, right?」 『Yes.』

Ah, Kuro clutched his head. Well yeah, that would make you want to clutch your head. Even for me Taboo was quite painful mentally, so wouldn't that mean that out in the world things have gone to hell by now?

「Taboo is a type of skill as well, so where did the energy for that come from?」

Ah! Now that you mention it, that's right! Taboo is a type of skill after all, so an appropriate amount of energy should be required for it. To actually distribute it to the whole of humanity, should require a colossal amount of energy. The energy remaining in this world can't be used on something like that, surely!

『Rest assured. It is something that I provided myself.』

Phew. That's a relief for now.... A relief? Provided myself? D of all people, intentionally used her energy, for the sake of this world?

『Then again, while I said that I provided it, this energy originally came from this world though.』

While resolving my doubt, D made a bombshell announcement. It was energy that was from this world originally? Where the heck did that energy come from?

『It was from the explosion that led to the creation of the reincarnators.』

......She's able to read my thoughts after all, isn't she? She herself said in the past that she could no longer read my thoughts after I became a god, but...... Well, nevermind. What's more important, is the origin of that energy. Talking of the explosion that led to the creation of the reincarnators, must be referring to the one that occurred in the classroom on Earth. The one perpetrated by the Hero from two generations ago and the Demon King from one generation ago. Due to that the amount of energy in this world plunged, and the reincarnators who got caught up in it all ended up reincarnated in this world. However, it was an attack launched in order to kill D, or to be precise an administrator. Wouldn't all of that energy have been consumed by the attack itself?

『Do you not find it strange that an attack intended to kill an administrator, who was in fact a god, only had enough force to blow away a single classroom?』

......Now that you mention it. It was an attack designed to kill god, an administrator. If you were told that such a thing merely had enough force to blow up a single classroom, it would indeed feel odd. That much force, couldn't even kill a Alaba class dragon for example, let alone a god. Yet at the same time, because of that attack the amount of energy stored in this world drastically decreased. The force of the attack and the amount of energy consumed are out of proportion.

『In other words, I collected the energy that made up the difference, and preserved it.』

Ah, Kuro just stumbled. Well, it's understandable that he'd feel a bit dizzy you know. It's regarding the attack on D perpetrated by the Hero from two generations ago and the Demon King from one generation ago. Originally that was intended to reach Kuro though, but because the Goddess Sariel redirected it at D, various things like the reincarnators being born in this world and the huge slump in energy occurred. And guess what, regarding all that, Kuro sure seemed to feel profusely responsible for it. And so it'd be no surprise for him to be shocked at being told - guess what, D secretly collected all that energy.

However, this is quite good news. Okay it might not be all of it, but still a portion of the lost energy has been returned back to this world. Let's just... ignore the bit about it turning into Taboo. At that moment, Kuro suddenly gasped as if he'd realised something.

「Wait! You said the whole of humanity right!? If the System collapsed in this state, what would happen to humanity!? Taboo is also a skill, right!?」

Ah. Yeah, there's that. Taboo is a skill. The moment the System collapses, the skills of not just humanity, but all the living creatures in this world will be ripped out. We had calculated that approximately half of all humanity would then die from the shock from that. Those who simply die might be the fortunate ones, as some of them will experience the collapse of their soul as well. And finally, the more skills a person has the higher their chance of dying becomes. With Taboo also being a skill, the added extra burden means that......

『Naturally, more humans will end up dying.』

Naturally! Ah, Kuro fell on his knees. Yeah... well, umm, live strong.

『There is nothing to worry about, all you have to do is win and prevent the System from collapsing.』

Wait. That basically means I would lose though. If you say that then wouldn't Kuro be going all gung-ho!

『Ahh, that's right. Supposing that you do in fact win, please rest assured that I shall not retaliate.』

Kuro suddenly raises his head.

「But, what about the fact that you would never forgive someone who harms your kin.」 『While I might have said that I will make her my kin, a formal pledge on that has not been made. In short, although she is tentatively my kin, she is not actually my kin.』

Er, mm. Well, yeah. There is no relationship between D and myself at all yet.

『If she dies in obscurity here, that is the end of it. It would simply mean, that she was not worthy of being my kin.』

SNAP! ...No, huh? As if I, huh? Particularly, huh? Wanted to become, huh? D's kin, huh? I never, huh? Yeah, never, huh! Said anything like that, huh? So, huh? That's why I'm pissed off, huh? Heh, heheheh. Now you've said it. Heh-hohohoh.... In conclusion, I absolutely cannot lose.

So now we both have more reasons why we absolutely cannot lose. Once again I square off against Kuro.

「My future concerns have gone. I have nothing against you personally. Rather, I have more things to be grateful to you about. However, even so, I must defeat you.」

Opposing Kuro who has renewed his declaration of intent, I silently beckon him to come at me.

「Here I come!」

And so, our battle has resumed.

『Make sure to entertain me.』

...with a certain Evil God watching over us as a spectator. Awkward!