Human.
A dreadful silence, like the deceptive tranquility of a sea awaiting a tempest, hung over the room. Beneath that calm surface, anger vast enough to shatter the heavens brewed silently.
Jalter's words had gone far beyond mere provocation; they were an unmistakable act of contempt.
A human—daring to disdain gods?
Every major mythology in the world had gathered here, their representatives assembled at this very table. Yet the one openly scorning them now wasn't a fellow deity, nor even a mighty dragon, but a mere—
—Human.
Such arrogance was unimaginable to these proud gods, a preposterous event not seen once in thousands of years and one they'd never expected to witness. Wide-eyed and disoriented, the gods felt as though they'd slipped into a bizarre dream, their minds briefly ceasing to function.
But when the reality sank in—that this was no dream—terrifying divine pressure surged outward, saturating every inch of the chamber, space itself groaning from the overwhelming force.
Almost every deity leapt from their seats simultaneously, unleashing devastating waves of divine might, eyes shining with divine wrath locked squarely onto Jalter.
Even Shiva, Odin, Zeus, and Poseidon—the supreme gods present—rose silently, their expressions darkening rapidly.
Even Odin, who had already allied with the Biblical factions, and Zeus, whose temperament leaned toward benevolence, couldn't ignore this blatant insult.
"Human. You endured our divine presence, and now you mistakenly believe yourself special?" Zeus's face grew grim, divine radiance blazing fiercely around him like a blazing sun.
"Miss Witch, I understand your recent experience left you in a foul mood," Odin said heavily, eyes narrowed, "but you've gone too far."
"Little girl, surely you know the saying: trouble follows careless words," Zeus's voice, though thunderous, hinted at mercy. "You still have time to withdraw your words."
"I admire your courage, admittedly," Shiva shrugged nonchalantly, but no mirth reached his eyes. "However, no deity can pretend not to have heard your insult."
Hades remained silent, head lowered. True, Jalter's disrespect angered him, but more than rage, he felt delight. He had plotted tirelessly to set her up as everyone's target, but she'd willingly thrown herself into the fire. If circumstances permitted, he might even have laughed aloud.
Meanwhile, Azazel, Sirzechs, Michael, and the rest of the Biblical representatives wore bitter expressions. They understood that the situation had escalated beyond salvaging.
Yet Jalter spoke again, as if completely oblivious to the powder keg she'd ignited:
"I've said my piece about the first matter. Now, regarding the second—"
Only then did the gods recall that Jalter intended to discuss two points—though the first had stirred such a storm they'd forgotten the second entirely.
"It's been some time since the Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils signed their treaty—I witnessed it myself," Jalter spoke coldly, her golden eyes devoid of emotion as they swept across the gathered gods. "Ever since, Azazel and the others have been tirelessly advocating peace, attempting to reach agreements with each mythology. Yet even now, you refuse to give them a clear response."
"I fully understand this matter can't be rushed. Forging alliances requires deliberation, and most mythologies are exceedingly xenophobic, hesitant even to consider treaties. Forcing the issue openly in this setting would only close that door permanently, doing more harm than good."
She continued as if unaware that every godly representative was right before her, listening carefully to every word.
"But frankly, I'm already out of patience."
Jalter rose to her feet, gaze sharper than any blade, piercing straight into the gods' hearts.
"I don't care what your opinions are. Before I met Rias and the others, all I wanted was a peaceful school life. That's why I couldn't be bothered dealing with you or your petty squabbles."
"However, my patience seems to have been mistaken for weakness. Malice toward me and those I care for has grown steadily. Blind fools keep popping up like summer mosquitoes, endless and irritating..."
Suddenly, massive torrents of mana surged around Jalter, tangible, vast, and mighty enough to push back the oppressive divine pressure filling the hall.
"Hades, Loki, Indra... Every mythology harbors worthless gods like you—selfish fools who despise peaceful coexistence, thirsting only for chaos and death."
Her sudden mention of Indra caused confusion to flicker through the gods' eyes.
Everyone knew Indra—the supreme martial deity of Mount Sumeru, god of lightning, ranked fifth among the world's strongest. Apart from Shiva, no one in the room could confidently defeat Indra, not even Hades.
Yet recently, Mount Sumeru had been attacked. Indra, its supreme ruler, was presumed dead, and his home reduced to a molten sea impenetrable even to gods. The attacker's identity and motives remained unknown.
No faction had dared imagine that Indra—the fifth strongest being—could vanish so silently. They couldn't fathom the attacker's power. Gradually, with no further information, the matter faded from memory.
But now, Indra's name had resurfaced—from a human's mouth.
An appalling suspicion rose in several minds, vehemently denied by rational thought:
Could the one who annihilated Indra be…
"If it were before, I wouldn't have the leisure to interfere in your tedious disputes—I'm merely human, after all. It's far too troublesome," Jalter scoffed disdainfully.
"But now I've realized that unless this matter is decisively settled, those tedious idiots will keep appearing endlessly. My intention was always to seek peace, yet my patience only invites more trouble. So perhaps it's time I returned to my original methods."
Blazing fire erupted along Jalter's body, engulfing her in scorching flames.
"This body was born to carry vengeance, a God-slayer raising the banner of rebellion against divinity itself. I am the flame of destruction, the deadly poison that kills upon contact. Yet, I made a mistake—I allowed a fool who should've long died to survive."
She turned, directly confronting Hades, utterly ignoring every other deity in the room.
"You all can wait to answer me after I've corrected my past mistake."
Her stare, no longer sharp like before, now carried a freezing coldness from the depths of the abyss.
"Hades, God of the Underworld, one of the top ten strongest in the world. To seize Ophis's infinite power, you lent Samael to the Hero Faction, blatantly sending your Grim Reapers after us. Did you truly believe no one would dare touch you?!"
Instantly, the [Sword of Salvation] appeared in her grip, radiating a platinum brilliance akin to a dying star's final blaze.
The overwhelming divinity of the "Last King," the "Strongest Steel," erupted with ferocious heat and razor-sharpness, effortlessly shattering the gathered divine auras. As the platinum radiance exploded, every god present felt an unfamiliar shiver of primal fear.
Especially Hades—he'd already suffered once beneath this very sword. He understood better than anyone just how terrifying its power was.
None among the countless powerful gods present reacted in time—they never imagined Jalter, a mere human, would dare strike openly in front of them.
Even Hades himself was caught completely off-guard, only snapping awake as that concentrated brilliance bore down upon him. Furious and panicked, he summoned a thick wall of deathly black fog to block the attack.
BOOM—!!
At the heart of Lilith, the Devils' capital in the Underworld, the majestic building's roof exploded violently, debris instantly incinerated by the blazing divine flame.
A wave of terrifying, sacred pressure swept across Lilith, pressing every inhabitant helplessly onto the ground.
Within that radiant eruption, an aurora-like slash tore open the heavens, staining the entire sky an empty, blinding white for kilometers around.
Though silent, its impact shook the entire Underworld, instilling boundless dread in every living creature. From the massive rift in the sky gushed torrents of black deathly mist, howling with countless tormented souls.
"HUMAN—!!" Hades's voice rasped horridly, like fingernails scraping metal, piercing straight into the soul.
"You sound disgusting, bone-bag," Jalter mocked, landing before him, sword in hand, golden eyes blazing fiercely. Yet her lips twisted into a sadistic smirk.
"What bothers you more, that I attacked you in front of so many gods, or that your pathetic appearance is now exposed?"
Hades's robes, burned away by her strike, revealed his skeletal frame—cracked skull, shattered ribs, missing right arm.
"Human, DIE—!!" Hades roared, releasing an ocean of darkness, pouring his full might upon her.
But Jalter merely sighed, calmly stabbing the [Sword of Salvation] into the earth.
"I didn't want to go this far…but you leave me no choice."
As darkness swallowed her, she muttered quietly, eyes resolute.
"I suppose it's time for the world to remember what it truly means to fear."
The world itself shuddered as something ancient, terrible, and absolute opened its eyes.
And thus, the world's end began.