The Academy’s Weapon Replicator - Chapter 417 Part 2 - The Academy’s Weapon Replicator

“I doubt I can create anything substantial with my demonic energy…”

As I spoke, I raised my hand and aimed it at Athena, shaping it like a gun, just as I did with Baal.

“But narrowing it down should be possible.”

“…What in the world are you-!”

Whoosh!

The next instant…

A hole appeared in Athena’s left shoulder.

There was no sound of impact, just a simple scene like a candle being snuffed out.

A god’s shoulder, effortlessly pierced.

“?!”

Athena stared at her shoulder in shock, touching it with her hand. She probably felt no pain. In fact, the very notion of something “existing” there seemed impossible.

“H-How… Me, this, this is…!”

Athena appeared dumbfounded by the fact that she couldn’t dodge, couldn’t block, and felt no pain.

But from my perspective, what truly shocked her the most was…

“Why?”

I pressed, seeking confirmation.

“Can’t you regenerate?”

“….!”

Just as I had pulled out the root and healed my wound, Athena must have been attempting something similar.

But it didn’t seem to be going well.

“Well, it’s not a physical wound, so the method is a bit tricky.”

It probably wasn’t impossible. This was a battle of minds, even if my abilities were a bit unique. A stronger mind should be able to recover somehow.

It just required a different way of thinking.

“Try… believing that it’s not real.”

“W-What nonsense are you spouting?!”

Athena yelled in frustration, as if I was mocking her. But I couldn’t explain it any simpler.

‘Baal, the King of Hell. Athena, from Greek mythology…’

Even Baal, one of the most powerful of the 72 demons, was at a significant disadvantage against me in this battle.

Athena was a prominent deity in Greek mythology, but gods weren’t necessarily above demons. The Seven Deadly Sins, like Belphegor, were said to surpass most gods in power.

It was difficult to judge who was greater in terms of fame and influence, Baal or Athena.

Hmm, this was tricky.

“Well, let’s find out.”

This time, I spread my hand and swiped it down towards Athena.

Slap!

She understood what it meant and swiftly dodged to the left.

And then…

“…Huh…!”

The world to Athena’s right vanished into darkness.

The forest, the birds, the night—it was as if they had never existed.

“Hmm, so the world on the unguarded side disappears. I was wondering what would happen if the world she dodged into vanished.”

“You, you…!”

Athena stared at me with a bewildered expression.

As if she couldn’t believe what she had just witnessed.

But honestly, I felt nothing. No sense of accomplishment, no grand realization.

‘It’s all fake anyway.’

What was so great about erasing a fake world? No matter how much content it held, a game could be deleted with a simple drag to the recycle bin.

I looked at Athena. Was she finally ready to talk?

“Athena, you shrouded this world in darkness to frighten me, right?”

“….!”

The remaining forest rustled ominously. The birds took flight, leaving Athena’s side. The trees swayed and groaned in the wind, and I walked steadily through it all.

“It was a good idea. Darkness instills fear in humans. Especially in a forest.”

“…Ugh!”

Athena extended both hands. A spear and a shield materialized in her grasp. Weapons. Of course, the closer Athena came to her true divine form, the more powerful she would become in this place. A wise choice.

“But you should be fine, knowing all of this. What difference does it make, whether it’s the night you created or the darkness I created?”

Whoosh—

Thud!

Athena’s spear flew towards me, embedding itself in my shoulder. Was she trying to avenge her own injury?

Even though she had thrown the spear, it remained firmly in her grasp.

It seemed she still wasn’t interested in talking, even after all my efforts to communicate.

Thwack!

I pulled out the spear and tossed it aside.

“But honestly, it’s a bit underwhelming.”

I glanced at the part of the world I had erased.

Just darkness. An empty void devoid of even a speck of dust. No matter how I tried to perceive it, it remained simply black.

“Why is there still ‘black’ even though I erased the world?”

“…?”

“If I truly erased it, shouldn’t even ‘blackness’ disappear? Both black and white should cease to exist. It’s a bit disappointing, don’t you think?”

Athena’s face contorted as if she were looking at something bizarre. Her fighting spirit seemed to dwindle, her eyes blinking repeatedly, and the power emanating from the spear and shield in her hands faded.

Oh, had my sincerity finally reached her? Was she starting to understand my desire for conversation?

“Maybe my power is the same.”

I sighed.

“Acting all high and mighty like an eraser that can erase anything and everything…”

I shrugged, forcing a smile to appear more human.

“…But even the act of erasing is fake.”

“…”

Athena lowered her hands at my words. As expected, a god understood my heart.

“See, even if I do this…”

With a swish—

This time, I erased everything except Athena and the single tree behind her.

“Even though it appears erased, the darkness remains. It’s proof that it wasn’t truly erased.”

I was trying my best to show her that she didn’t need to be afraid.

And then…

Step.

Athena slowly turned, her back to the remaining tree trunk.

Thump.

She sat down.

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