"Honestly, I think you went about this the wrong way."
Azazel frowned slightly, voicing his dissatisfaction. "It's true Indra colluded with the Khaos Brigade, but he's still one of the top ten beings in the world and the head of a major pantheon. Killing someone like him so abruptly without explanation will stir up massive trouble. You should've at least left him alive, so we could formally convict him."
Jeanne simply snorted disdainfully.
"Heh! Causing trouble if he's dead? That's hilarious. As if he wouldn't cause more trouble alive. If he's a threat whether alive or dead, I'll choose whichever is more satisfying. Why keep a fool like him alive? To ruin the holidays?"
Although she spoke this way, Jeanne did understand Azazel's concerns.
If a powerful ruler abruptly died, their empire would plunge into chaos. Nobles would vie for dominance, neighboring enemies would invade, and order would collapse. If Indra died suddenly, Mount Sumeru's vast territories would descend into turmoil, emboldening evil forces previously held at bay.
Fortunately, it was only the god of thunder and war, Indra. Had it been someone like Hades, the disruption of life and death's balance would cause even worse consequences.
"Alright, I admit my actions were somewhat reckless. So, if this does cause trouble later, I'll leave it to you guys."
Jeanne casually handed the responsibility to Azazel and Sirzechs.
You could count on Jeanne's combat power, but never expect her to handle political fallout.
"Hey, are you serious? Dumping such a massive headache on us without hesitation?"
Azazel was stunned. "Aren't you planning to lift a finger at all? Just standing around doing nothing?"
"Not exactly," Jeanne replied casually. "I did kill Indra for a good reason. If real trouble arises, I can just pull an Otto. Think of it this way: those gods lost their revered leader, but they still have me. I can easily replace Indra, guiding them on the right path through their confusion, right?"
Unfortunately, Azazel and Sirzechs didn't know who Otto was, so they missed Jeanne's dry humor. Still, the self-satisfied smirk on her face made both feel thoroughly uncomfortable.
Her statement was utterly shameless—even a Maou and the Governor-General of Fallen Angels struggled to cope with such brazen arrogance.
Of course, Jeanne didn't actually plan to lead Mount Sumeru. It was merely a choice she'd offer them—either obey or surrender their heads.
After all, she'd already killed Indra. Destroying an entire pantheon wasn't out of the question for her. If enough were smart, few would have to die. Conversely, the deaths of fools who failed to grasp reality would only make the world a quieter place.
Jeanne felt entirely at ease, while Azazel and Sirzechs bore immense pressure.
They didn't doubt Jeanne's ability to destroy an entire pantheon. Her personal strength wasn't overwhelming, but with the world's strongest being, Ophis, fully obedient to her, plus countless divine weapons at her command, even if all the world's powerhouses united against her, the outcome would be uncertain.
Jeanne lounged lazily on the sofa, arrogantly crossing her legs and munching on an apple. Watching her, Azazel and Sirzechs exchanged complicated glances.
When no enemies were around, Jeanne appeared deceptively harmless—just a carefree girl easily mistaken for an ordinary human. Yet, their evaluation of her power kept being rewritten with each incredible feat she displayed.
Curious, they asked Jeanne exactly how she had defeated Indra.
Jeanne casually revealed [Vasavi Shakti], allowing them to examine the divine weapon closely. She wasn't worried about it being targeted, as her [Savior Blade] held innumerable divine artifacts. Losing secrecy over a few meant nothing to her.
"Another divine weapon, as expected."
Azazel's face turned complicated as he stepped back, unnerved by the sun-like divine radiance. "First [Gleipnir], then [Gungnir], followed by [Laevateinn]—I've almost grown numb to this. How many divine weapons do you actually have?"
"Huh? Counting them would be meaningless," Jeanne scoffed. "Do you deliberately count how many bread rolls you've eaten?"
"...But why exactly do you possess so many?"
Azazel struggled to understand, deeply puzzled.
Jeanne controlling flames made sense, given how the historical Jeanne d'Arc had perished by fire. Her dominance over dragons was equally logical: as she'd explained before, since the original God despised and hunted dragons, Jeanne's inverse existence naturally granted her unrivaled affinity toward them.
But these divine weapons? That didn't add up. There was no legend of Jeanne d'Arc involving such treasures, much less from mythologies around the world.
His curiosity deepened.
"What exactly is this spear? Why am I sensing Indra's power from it?"
Azazel now understood why they'd only found traces of Indra's energy at Mount Sumeru—the other party had wielded Indra's own power against him.
"This spear," Jeanne explained dryly, "is [Vasavi Shakti], the god-slaying spear Indra once gave to Karna in legend."
As a Maou and a Governor-General, Sirzechs and Azazel required no further explanation. They immediately recognized the mythological reference.
"Tch, incredible! To create so many divine weapons equal or superior to their original myths, and also the [Sacred Gear] system—was the Biblical God truly so terrifyingly powerful? Even after making these artifacts, he still had enough strength left to perish alongside the original Four Maous?"
Azazel assumed these weapons were created by the Biblical God himself—no one else possessed both the capability and motive. Jeanne didn't correct him, as clarifying the truth would be overly complicated. Letting him believe what he wanted posed no real harm.
As Azazel's mind raced, he recalled Jeanne's earlier comments about the true reason behind the Biblical God's death during the Kokabiel incident: the mysterious catastrophe capable of annihilating the world, something only beings like the Biblical God or Ophis could withstand. The Biblical God, unable to bear the world's destruction, suffered grievous injuries to seal this threat away, leaving himself vulnerable and eventually perishing with the original Four Maous.
Azazel, Michael, and even Sirzechs had carefully pondered Jeanne's claims. While Jeanne later denied everything, saying she'd lied just to torment Kokabiel, Azazel and Michael strongly suspected her story was genuine—it perfectly explained the mysterious circumstances surrounding God's death.
Staring intently at Jeanne holding Vasavi Shakti, Azazel's gaze grew deeper, more speculative.
What exactly does her existence imply?
Dominance over dragons, numerous divine weapons forged by the Biblical God, and knowledge of truths unknown even to Michael—Jeanne must undoubtedly share some profound link with the deceased God.
The critical question became: why?
The Biblical God had established the [Sacred Gear] and faith systems to ensure humans could survive among gods and devils. Azazel understood that. But why give so many powerful divine weapons to just one individual?
It surely wasn't a whimsical decision; there had to be a deeper purpose.
With dragon-controlling abilities strong enough to command even Ophis, countless divine artifacts, and vast reserves of mana to wield them all, Jeanne could easily disrupt the world order. Why would the Biblical God deliberately create such a potential threat?
Unless…he had no other choice.
A flash of realization suddenly sparked within Azazel's mind.
Could it be—the catastrophic event that severely injured the Biblical God was never fully resolved? Is it destined to return someday?
Yes, that made perfect sense…
Jeanne's dominance over dragons would be necessary because, should such a disaster reoccur, only Ophis and Great Red could survive and aid humanity. Her immense power and numerous divine weapons were meant to ensure her survival and increase their odds of overcoming the impending apocalypse—exactly something the Biblical God would have planned.
This reasoning made sense. Azazel felt excitement and tension build rapidly as he considered this scenario.
I finally understand everything!
"Azazel, what's with that creepy stare? You're not imagining something disgusting, are you?" Jeanne asked suspiciously.
"No, no, it's not what you think! I'm just…fascinated." He quickly hid his real thoughts behind a playful smile. "I have a small request. Could you spare a few divine weapons for my research?"
"Get lost! You wish!"
"Aww, come on! You have so many—it won't even matter!"
Jeanne refused instantly, leaving Azazel visibly disappointed, without betraying his true thoughts.
Since Jeanne is the Biblical God's ultimate contingency against a future catastrophe, I need to elevate her importance further and fully support her decisions.
Azazel realized dealing decisively with Mount Sumeru now was imperative. If an apocalypse truly awaited, they had no time to waste managing potential threats from foolish gods.
Suddenly, Jeanne's radical solution didn't seem unreasonable at all. After all, better to remove ticking time bombs now than have them explode during humanity's final crisis.
---
T/N:
"Looks like this is the last day you'll be hearing from me—for now, at least."
"Bonus chapters will be released tomorrow, so if you've been hoarding your patience, you won't have to for much longer."
"If you want to support the translator, there's still Patreon: patreon.com/wisetl. It's optional support—early access is just a side benefit, not an obligation."
"And don't forget the Powerstone deal: every 100 Powerstones = 1 bonus chapter (100ps = 1 chp, 200ps = 2 chp, 300ps = 3 chp, and so on). If you want more chapters after tomorrow… you know what to do."
"If you'd rather talk than throw stones, the Discord is open: discord.gg/wisetl. Go scream, speculate, or bully the translator about cliffhangers there instead of in your heart."
say bye bye and thank you to maomao!!