“Yes . I am Scala . Goddess of Destruction . ”


  “De-destruction!?”


  The word ‘Destruction’ had quite the impact . Miki was surprised and Tenjouin gulped .

  “I’m surprised you’re so open about that . ”


  “It would be stupid to hide when people already know of the existence of gods . Besides, you’re the one who asked . ”


  Tenjouin had assumed she would hide it, and so he was a little surprised .

  “Now that you know, hurry up and give it to me . ”


  She was already irritated over having to come here .

  Scala pointed at the sword angrily .

  Now that he knew who she was and her demands, Tenjouin felt that she probably would leave quietly if he gave her the sword . And yet he did not .

  He looked at Scala . He could not help but wonder about something, now that there was a god in front of him .

  It seemed like a waste to have it end so simply .

  “.……Could I ask you something first?”


  “Huh? What?”


  Tenjouin was still sitting on the ground as he looked up at Scala .

  “Would you fight me?”


  ―――――――――――――――――


  He knew how it would end even before it began .

  “Hah……ha……”


  “What? Over already?”


  But he hadn’t expected to be toyed with so much .

  His hands and knees were on the ground as he tried to catch his breath . Tenjouin was overwhelmed by the difference in power .

  Miki was the same . She stood in a corner and looked shocked .

  “Hold yourself together . I haven’t even taken a single step . ”


  Scala said tauntingly as she folded her arms .

  It was true . She had not taken a step since the beginning of the fight .

  It wasn’t something they had decided on . She had just decided that there was no need for it .

  He had used the sword from Korola, but it barely even mattered when the difference in power was so wide .

  As evidence, Scala did not have a single scratch . She wasn’t even sweating .

  So this was the power of a god……

  As for gods, Tenjouin had only ever seen Korola and Metron up until now . And so it was a moment where he was reminded of just how great they were .

  “I heard that you were from the same world as Yato and had high expectations . But no, someone like that is clearly rare . ”


  Scala said in a disappointed voice . Tenjouin twitched at the mention of the name Yato .

  “You know Yato……Kamiya?”


  “Yes . We even had a fight to the death once . ”


  It was a little confusing what she meant by that, but it had nothing to do with Tenjouin .

  “So-so, who won?”


  Tenjouin asked hesitantly . Scala muttered something and tried to remember .

  “Well, someone got in the way and we never finished it . But had we continued, well, even I am not sure . ”


  She thought about it for a while and then said, ‘No, I would probably have won in the end . But Tenjouin didn’t hear her .

  They fought and it was an even match?

  If that was true, it meant Kamiya was as strong as a god, or even stronger……

  This fact was the most shocking for Tenjouin .

  He had thought that defeat was something that couldn’t be helped against a god, but the person who was his goal was in the same spot as the gods .

  He had seen Kamiya’s level once, but had it been this high……?

  “.……Goddess of Destruction . ”


  “Hmm?”


  “You may have the sword back . Thank you for fighting me . ”


  He said in a weak voice . Tenjouin then put the sword down in front of him .

  “I shouldn’t be so surprised, seeing as you’re a god and all . I was completely defeated . ”


  Tenjouin closed his eyes and took in a deep breath as if he were surrendering .

  This wasn’t just an enemy he could not beat .

  He wasn’t even fit as a diversion for her . Had Kamiya thought the same about him?

  “I will try to become stronger . ”


  He stood up and returned to his calm self .

  This was what it felt like to give up……

  They were going to defeat a demon lord, not a god or Yato .

  Thankfully, there were no demon lords that were stronger than a god .

  He could do it just as he was .

  At this point, he had to admit it .

  He would not be able to surpass Yato .

  “.……Well, if you’re really going to give it back . ”


  Scala seemed a little surprised at his sudden lack of spirit, but she picked up the sword anyway .

  “Uh, how did you get so strong, Goddess of Destruction?”


  Tenjouin suddenly asked as she picked up the sword .

  He simply wanted to know how she had reached this point .

  ‘Ah, yes……’ Scala seemed to hesitate as she searched for an answer .

  “I just kept fighting . ”


  That was her answer after much thought .

  “What? That’s it?”


  “What else could there be?”


  Tenjouin had been sure that there was more to it . But Scala’s expression suggested it was the most obvious thing in the world .

  He was confused at first, but then it dawned on him .

  They were fundamentally different from him .

  Like training with the sword or practicing with magic .

  They were satisfied as long as they could train in a warm location . But these gods had different values .

  They didn’t see danger as danger . They would do anything to get stronger .

  That’s why they were so different .

  “Yes, I could never do that . ”


  Tenjouin said with a weak laugh .

  He might have had a chance when he was first summoned .

  But now the gap was too wide to fill .

  After all, even Yato was still growing stronger by the day .

  The gap between us will never be filled now .

  At least, in his current situation, there was nothing that would help elevate him .

  It was as if the fiery spirit had started to die within him . His feelings were sinking . Scala just stared at him .

  “You . You want to get stronger?”


  She said suddenly .

  “I do . ”


  He had worked so hard .

  “Then you should become stronger . ”


  It was not that simple .

  “I mean to . ”


  He could still defeat a demon lord .

  He hadn’t given up becoming stronger . But he knew there were limits .

  In the first place, it was only his own pride that led him to want to defeat Kamiya . There was no actual need for it .

  He knew about this difference already .

  It was not something he should feel bad about .

  He told himself this . And then something came to him .

  Why had he wanted to defeat Yato so bad?