I smiled at them—Nilou's worried eyes, Lumine's sharpened determination, Paimon's jittery hovering, and Nahida's steady calm. For the first time in this entire storm, I felt the warmth of their trust, even if none of them knew exactly what I was about to do. Nahida though… she caught it. Her gaze softened, and a faint smile curved her lips. She knew.
A chuckle slipped from me, low and unbothered, though my chest was hammering like a drum. "Anywaaaays," I said, dragging the word out with fake nonchalance, "I kinda want to do this my way for now. Improvisation, baby."
That earned me three confused looks and one knowing nod. Lumine tilted her head, frowning. "What do you mean by that—"
Before she could finish, I lifted my hand. A surge of energy burst outward, wrapping around them in a shimmering sphere. A barrier so dense even Lumine's blade, if she tried, would shatter before scratching it. The sound of her fists pounding on it echoed instantly.
"Shigeru!" she shouted, voice laced with anger and fear. "Don't you dare shut us out!"
Nilou pressed her hands against the wall of light, her voice breaking. "No! Don't do this alone! You don't have to anymore!"
Paimon's shrill panic followed. "Hey! Hey! Don't just lock us up like snacks in a lunchbox! Shigeru! Paimon is not emergency rations, okay?!" She flailed against the barrier like a moth.
I winced. "Sorry, Paimon. But you'd only end up screaming in my ear while I'm fighting, and honestly, I'd prefer to die with dignity, thank you very much."
Her gasp was loud enough to make even Greg flick his tail in amusement. "How DARE you—!"
But Nahida floated calmly within, her voice soft but firm. "It's alright. Trust him." She touched Nilou's trembling hand gently. "This is his choice."
Nilou's shoulders shook, tears threatening to fall, but she nodded slowly under Nahida's soothing gaze. Lumine clenched her teeth, furious but helpless, while Paimon still bounced from one side of the barrier to the other like a trapped fly. I sighed, forcing my grin to stay steady. Inside, every part of me wanted to break that barrier myself and run back to them.
The Balladeer laughed, the sound grating like metal grinding on stone. "How amusing. A puny human pretending at divinity. You think hiding your friends makes you stronger? You're still nothing."
I straightened, my grin sharp as I stared up at him. "Didn't I already tell you? Your divine punishment is coming. And when it hits…" I lifted a finger at him, voice dropping into a growl, "…it won't be from heaven—it'll be from me."
The words rang louder inside me than out. Finally. It's time.
I turned back toward the barrier one last time. Nilou's tears, Lumine's rage, Paimon's panic, Nahida's smile—they anchored me. I grinned, a little softer now. "Watch me, okay? I'll show you how much I've grown. That I'm worthy of you guys now. And Lumine, try not to murder me after this, alright?"
Greg, silent until now, flicked his tail and tilted his head like he was judging me. I raised a brow at him. "Hey? You ready, buddy?"
He let out a deep rumble, body glowing suddenly, scales stretching and reshaping. In a rush of light and thunder, my little lizard perched on my shoulder unfurled into his true form: the serpent dragon. His voice, deep and resonant, shook the ground beneath us. "Let's do it, Master."
Paimon's scream nearly cracked the barrier. "Gaaah! Since when was Greg a dragon?! And since when can he TALK?! Shigeru he's gonna eat Paimon, she just KNOWS it!" She plastered herself to Lumine, trembling like a leaf.
I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me. "Relax, Paimon. He's only eaten… uh, what was it again, Greg? Three, four dozen pigeons? You're safe. Probably."
Greg's massive head turned toward the barrier, his slitted eyes narrowing at Paimon, and he bared a grin full of fangs. She shrieked louder, hugging Lumine's head like a helmet. "That is NOT funny!"
Nilou pressed closer to the barrier, her tears streaking down her cheeks. "Shigeru… come back to us, alright? Promise me."
I winked at her, though my chest ached. "You got it. A promise from me and Greg, sealed in dragon fire."
Nahida's voice carried across the barrier, quiet but steady. "Remember… balance, not wrath." Her eyes locked on mine, reminding me of the weight I carried.
I leapt onto Greg's back, standing tall as the serpent dragon coiled beneath me. My eyes locked on the false god towering before us. My voice cut through the roar of the shrine. "You call yourself divine? You're nothing but a broken doll with stolen power. And I'm here to take you down."
A whisper echoed in my mind—my master's voice from the Adepti trials. Retribution is not wrath. It is balance restored.
My chest tightened, but my grin widened. I looked the Balladeer dead in the eyes. "It's time for retribution. Now… face the Mortal Sage of the Adepti, the changer of fate."
Greg reared back, coils glowing with energy. I pointed forward, my voice ringing with everything I was. "Face your end!"
And we charged.
The storm of energy in me built higher, higher, until I swore my skin might split apart. Anemo howled in my lungs, every breath like a gale. Electro tingled and burned along my veins, a thousand storms trying to break free. Geo locked into my bones like armor, heavy but steady. And Dendro—it surged in my blood, pulsing wild and alive. For once, I didn't feel like I was juggling four forces too stubborn to get along. No—they were mine. Not as strangers, but as partners.
Greg's roar shook the air, a bass note that made the foundry tremble. His serpent-dragon body glowed with molten power, scales shifting like rivers of gold. He hurled boulders laced with Geo, molten with Pyro, and the ground itself shuddered. I whistled low, muttering, "Show-off." He flicked his tail and smacked my shoulder, nearly sending me spinning off. Nilou gasped behind the barrier, half horrified, half amused.
I rubbed the sore spot on my shoulder, glaring. "Alright, alright! I get it—you're the flashy one. Geez, Greg, ever heard of subtlety?" He smirked—or as much as a giant dragon can smirk—his eye narrowing with smug delight.
I drew Haran. The blade sang as I poured everything into it—Anemo whipping sharp winds around the edge, Electro crawling in arcs, Geo solidifying the spine, and Dendro burning green fire through the seams. My grin widened. Perfect. "Time to dance," I muttered, vaulting from Greg's back.
The Balladeer lifted one arm, swiping like I was a fly. "Insolent insect."
I twisted midair, blade flashing. Sparks and shrieks of metal tore through the chamber as I carved his limb. He staggered, his laugh still grating. "Is that all?!"
I landed, rolled, and leapt again, every strike flowing into the next. The false god was massive, yes, but to me he was just a target with too much ego. Bigger they are, harder they fall, right?
"Though if I die, someone please carve that on my tombstone," I muttered between swings. "Sounds way cooler than 'tripped and fell into lava.'"
Nahida's voice spread across the Akasha, soft yet ringing. "Let the people of Sumeru witness this… the fight of the Mortal Sage of the Adepti."
I blinked, almost tripping on my own foot. "Wait—you're broadcasting me?! Could've told me, cute Archon!" My heart hammered worse. Great. Whole nation watching me trip over my shoelaces. Greg huffed a laugh that sounded suspiciously like a snort. I pointed at him mid-swing. "Don't you dare laugh at me on live TV!"
Paimon shrieked, "He's like a shiny monster! A scary, flashy monster!"
Nilou pressed her hands together, whispering shakily, "No… he's fighting for us. He's not a monster."
Lumine's eyes never left me, locked tight, whispering, "Shigeru…"
I landed on top of Greg, slid Haran into its sheath, and in the same motion, I pulled Thundering Pulse, arrows of pure elements forming as I drew. "Let's see how you like a little variety pack!" Arrows flew—wind-blades, lightning bolts, jagged stone, and vines that wrapped mid-flight. They slammed into him one after the other, lighting up his body in explosions of every color.
His roar shook the air, and in desperation he slammed the ground. The platform crumbled beneath us, chunks of stone plummeting away, and his full form rose in the chaos. The puppet shell cracked, the false god's body revealed in its monstrous glory. A monstrous frame, glowing with false divinity.
"Finally," I breathed, standing on Greg's back again. "The real fight."
Greg's huge eye glanced at me, slitted pupil narrowing in amusement. He dipped his head like a knight bowing. "At last. Let's do it, Master."
"Look at you," I muttered to the Balladeer, spinning Haran lazily in my grip. "All shiny, all dressed up. Shame your personality still sucks."
He roared, voice like screeching metal. "Wretch! You are but a crawling insect—"
"Yeah, yeah, fly, insect, worm, mortal—you really need new material." I grinned. "Here's mine: you're nothing but a puppet with Mommy issues."
Greg nearly choked on his own roar, coughing out a plume of smoke like laughter. His tail thumped the ground twice, like applause.
I rode a slab of conjured Geo like a claymore surfboard, diving across collapsing stone. "Surf's up, loser!" I yelled, sparks cutting the air.
Greg coiled around the other side, his maw glowing. "Face the wrath of the Hero's first familiar!" he bellowed, blasting Pyro and Geo together, raining fire and gold.
I conjured spears of Geo, each one crackling with Anemo winds, Electro sparks, and vines of Dendro. One by one, I hurled them like thunderbolts, each strike breaking the Balladeer further. His voice, bitter and warped, echoed through the chamber. The puppet shrieked, flailing. "Insolent cur! You CANNOT DEFEAT A GOD!"
"Funny," I called back, swinging my surfboard-claymore down. "Didn't ask. Don't care." The strike smashed into his chest, spiderwebbing cracks through him. I fell—Greg swooped under, catching me.
"Good catch," I muttered, patting his snout. "Solid ten out of ten. Docking one point for style, though."
Greg gave a low laugh, his deep voice echoing through the foundry. "Style? Please. I could've caught you in my sleep."
I squinted at him. "Yeah, yeah, Mr. Perfect. Next time, try catching me with a little more flair, alright?"
Greg's massive tail slapped the air with smug finality. "Flair costs extra."
We shared a grin. "So... Finish him?"
"Gladly," Greg rumbled.
I drew Haran again, infused myself with Anemo, and braced in front of Greg. We moved as one. Greg blasted me with his energy, not to destroy, but to fuel me. My body surged. Haran blazed with Anemo's freedom, Electro's rage, Geo's strength, and Dendro's wild pulse. Greg's power wrapped over mine, twisting the blade into something colossal. A sword brighter than the false god's own core.
He saw it. His eyes widened. "NO—"
"Face retribution!" I roared, slashing. The impact tore him apart. His scream shook the heavens as light burst from the wound. The false god crumbled.
Behind the barrier, Nilou sobbed into her hands, smiling through tears. Lumine's fury eased into a fierce grin. Paimon clutched her cheeks, screeching, "HE JUST ONE-SHOTTED A GOD!!"
Nahida's voice, steady and calm, carried through. "No. He has finally faced himself… and cast away his mask."
I turned to them, chest heaving, then lifted two fingers in a peace sign. My grin felt stupidly wide. "Told you. I got this. Even livestreamed it."
Greg lowered his massive head beside me, giving me the side-eye. I jabbed a thumb toward him. "And of course—with my co-star."
Lumine's lips curved, almost a laugh in her voice. "Glad he's still like himself."
***
My chest was still heaving from the fight, every muscle in me trembling with leftover energy, but the silence that followed felt heavier than all the chaos before it. The false god had fallen. The chamber was cracked, broken, but still standing—and so was I.
Greg shrank back down, scales curling in on themselves until he was once again the smug little lizard I'd come to know. He perched proudly on top of my head, his tiny claws tapping against my hair like a victory drum. If lizards could smirk, he was doing it.
"Really milking the moment, huh?" I muttered up at him. Greg flicked his tongue, smug as ever, then gave my head a tiny pat with his tail, like he was knighting me.
Nilou's voice cracked through the silence first. "Shigeru!"
Then she was running at me, her eyes wide, tears trembling in them. Lumine wasn't far behind, her jaw tight with a mix of anger and relief. Paimon zipped forward like a comet. Before I could react, all three of them slammed into me, nearly knocking me backward.
"You're reckless!" Nilou cried, burying her face against my chest.
"You could have died!" Lumine's voice was sharp, almost scolding, but her hands gripped me tightly as if she didn't dare let go.
Paimon was flailing in the middle of the hug, her voice shrill. "You looked like you were about to explode! What were you even thinking?!"
I laughed weakly and wrapped my arms around them anyway. My ribs ached, but honestly, this was the kind of pain I could live with. "Told you, didn't I? I can do it. Piece of cake."
"Cake?!" Paimon yelped. "That looked like suicide with extra steps!"
Nilou pulled back just enough to look at me, tears streaking her cheeks, but her lips curved upward. "You… you really did."
Lumine shook her head, a sigh escaping her as if she didn't know whether to strangle me or thank me. "You're impossible."
Greg flicked his tongue, puffing his tiny chest out as if to say, don't forget me in the praise, I did half the work. He gave a dramatic flick of his tail and tapped my forehead with it, demanding recognition.
I tapped him lightly with a finger. "Yeah, yeah, buddy. You were cool too."
Greg raised his head high, striking a pose like a miniature statue of glory, before curling his tail smugly around himself.
Nilou actually laughed through her tears, brushing her eyes. "He… he really acts like you."
"Don't lump me in with him," I muttered. "I'm way less smug."
Greg flicked his tail against my head again in protest.
Nahida's presence drew our attention then. She walked forward, her small figure glowing faintly in the ruined light of the battlefield. Her gaze was steady as she floated upward, rising toward Shouki no Kami's core.
The Balladeer's voice rasped, broken yet defiant. "Humans… filthy humans…!"
I muttered under my breath, "Still running your mouth? Guy really doesn't know when to quit."
Nahida extended her hand, the Electro Gnosis pulsing at the heart of the machine. Threads of power began to unravel.
The Balladeer screamed. "No! Wait! Please! Anything but the Gnosis! That's mine! Don't even try! I'll never… I'll never go back!"
I felt Nilou flinch against me, her grip tightening on my sleeve. Lumine stood straighter, her eyes hard, watching every movement. Paimon hid behind her but peeked out, her little fists clenched.
The last tether snapped. The Gnosis ripped free, glowing in Nahida's hands. The Balladeer's form plummeted, broken and heavy. Instinct moved me before thought could—I dashed forward, catching him before he could hit the ground. His body was weightless and fragile compared to before, more puppet than god now.
I knelt and set him down carefully. My voice came out rough, but certain. "He's not the enemy anymore. Just another victim."
Greg tilted his head, then gave a slow, deliberate nod, as if approving my words. He even placed a claw dramatically against his chest like he was saluting.
Nahida drifted back down, the Gnosis held close to her chest. Her expression was calm but resolute. "We haven't yet found the answer to the most important mystery. Irminsul is still waiting to be saved. With the power of another Gnosis, we may now finally understand the last memory of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata."
A soft light shimmered, and a knowledge capsule appeared before us.
Paimon gasped, wings flapping wildly. "This is…!"
Nahida gave the faintest smile. "That's right. This is the last memory of my predecessor."
I exhaled slowly, the weight of it all pressing on me. My fight might've been won, but the journey wasn't over yet. I glanced at Nilou, at Lumine, at Paimon, then at Greg perched smugly on my head. Their faces gave me strength, but also reminded me of what still needed to be done.
I managed a grin, though it felt heavier than before. "Alright… let's face the final trial now."
Lumine's eyes flickered, determination steadying her voice. "Then we'll face it together."
Nilou nodded quickly, her hands still clutching mine. "We've come this far—we won't let you carry it alone."
Paimon crossed her arms with a little huff, but her eyes were wet. "And you better not run off again, mister! We're sticking like glue this time."
Greg flicked his tail like a flag, puffing his throat out in mock-heroism.
I winced as my shoulder popped, forcing a crooked grin. "Final trial, huh? Yeah, that sounds like a terrible idea I'd definitely walk straight into."
____________
End of Chapter 150
Quests Completed:
*Seal away Lumine, Nilou, Paimon, and Nahida, carrying their fears, tears, and hopes on your back.
*Step into the storm alone, not because you don't need them—but because you want to prove you've finally grown.
*Unleash Greg's true form, ascending together as partners in both absurdity and glory.
*Taunt a false deity with jokes about hats, mommy issues, and pigeon diets while dodging death blows.
*Discover mid-swing that the entire nation is watching your fight. Trip once, but style it out.
*Hold Nahida's words in your chest, turning vengeance into retribution, fury into resolve.
*Fuse Anemo, Electro, Geo, and Dendro into one strike, fueled by Greg's power, and shatter the false god.
*Instead of leaving him to break, carry the Balladeer's body with unexpected gentleness.
*Stand before Nahida as she pulls free the Electro Gnosis, unlocking Rukkhadevata's final legacy.
Rewards:
*Mora × 1,000,000 (Livestream performance fee. Do NOT die, it's already taxed.)
*New Title Reveal: The Mortal Sage of the Adepti (finally official!)
*+1 Eternal Promise (Nilou's Tears Buff: Courage +50, Simp EXP +500)
*+1 Lumine's Trust Reinforced (Still paired with her patented Fury™)
*+1 Paimon Ear Damage (Passive: Constant Nagging)
*+1 National Embarrassment (Livestreamed your god fight to all of Sumeru)
*+1 Victim Carried (Balladeer spared with empathy instead of wrath)
*+1 Final Knowledge Capsule (Rukkhadevata's Last Memory)
*+1 Greg Smugness (Permanent, cannot be dispelled)
*Nilou Affection Points +500 (sealed with tears and promises)
*Lumine's Patience −200 (but secretly, her respect +300)
*Paimon's Panic +999 (still thinks Greg might eat her)
*Greg's Ego +1000 (now impossible to deflate)
*National Fame (Temporary): All of Sumeru now knows you as "the idiot who livestreamed god-slaying."
Achievement Unlocked:
"Gods Fall Too"-Defeat a false god while riding a dragon, wielding four elements, and making bad jokes on live broadcast.
"Broadcast Anxiety"-Trip mid-fight while realizing the entire nation is watching you.
"Greg's Co-Star"-Fight alongside Greg's true form. Spoiler: he steals the spotlight.