Hearing the words from Shiomi's mouth, Goetia let out a scornful chuckle.
"The Tree of Kabbalah? So in the end, you're still chasing the power hidden within the Ten Rings?"
As he spoke, golden lines of mana linked the rings together, forming a pattern that symbolized the Tree of Kabbalah.
"The so-called Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil... they're nothing but fabrications by Yahweh," Shiomi said calmly. "Something that came into existence who knows how many years after my mother—what right does it have to claim the title of Creator?"
"Arrogant fool! Using the rings' power and the authority of life—are you trying to recreate the Tree of Life here?" Goetia still couldn't grasp Shiomi's intentions. "Even if that's your aim, you don't have the means—"
His words cut off as Shiomi moved.
"I never said I was doing that." With a light motion of his hand, the formation built from the Ten Rings inverted.
What appeared was the antithesis of the Tree of Kabbalah—ten sephirot still, but each one a manifestation of a vice, each aligned with a demon.
To Goetia, it was the ultimate heresy. Rebellion beyond rebellion.
"You bastard... to use the Lord's Gift like this—" Rage overtook him.
And with good reason.
No matter how far he had come, he couldn't deny the origin of his existence—the power that burned through human history and turned all into fuel.
"Beast I, Demon King Goetia. Since you are the one chosen by Yahweh, then I will take my stand on the opposite side of God. Even if I must become a demon to stop you."
Shiomi opened his arms wide.
The reversed formation of the Ten Rings still radiated light. The power remained undiminished.
"The Tree of Qliphoth." He spoke its name in a quiet voice, then whispered an apology to the one who had given him the rings. "Forgive me, Doctor."
This was the deepest blasphemy—even the faithful dared not approach it.
"For a man like you who's conquered death, maybe dying once is the only way you'll understand," Goetia said, voice heavy with disappointment. "You've turned your back on the Lord's mercy and now wield power fit for a demon. A being like you must not be allowed to exist—even if you've become a god—"
Before he could finish, Shiomi's fist drove straight into the eye on Goetia's chest.
It punched clean through his torso, nearly bursting out of his back.
"Tenth Ring, Qimranut."
The explosion erupted from within.
Blown away by the blast, Goetia collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest in disbelief.
The attack had been nothing more than an immense concentration of mana—but it hadn't come from Shiomi himself. It came from one of the Ten Rings over which he'd seized control.
By releasing all the power within, he transformed the ring's internal force into overwhelming vice—to deny Goetia's very existence.
More importantly, the Ten Rings were the catalysts Solomon used when he established Magecraft as a technique for manipulating phenomena.
"This... power..."
Goetia had underestimated the damage Shiomi could inflict. In agony, he clenched his fists, fingers digging into the rock beneath him.
"I'm not all that interested in why you chose to incinerate humanity. The reason's probably the usual—after witnessing too much ugliness and sorrow, you started seeing humanity as worthless beings bound by limited lifespans, right?" Shiomi flicked the blood off his hand.
He'd read the Tablet of Destinies. He understood Goetia's motives. That's exactly why he was here—to completely deny everything Goetia stood for.
"So that's why you chose an even uglier form of vice... turning your source of power into absolute negation?" Goetia slowly rose, the gaping wound in his chest gradually closing.
It looked like the attack had done nothing.
But only Goetia knew the truth—just that one blow had left him severely wounded.
He couldn't let Shiomi get close again.
"...What's wrong? Not coming?" Goetia noticed Shiomi faltering.
No matter how he used them, the man was still relying on the Ten Rings.
If he had to endure divine punishment either way, then he might as well burn through the rings as expendable ammo to bring Goetia down.
Goetia caught on to Shiomi's intent.
At once, the Demon Pillars stationed at the heart of the Temple of Time launched their assault.
"Attack, Demon Pillars! He's just a human under divine punishment! Use our power to carry out the final execution in our master's name!"
At Goetia's command, the eyes of the Demon Pillars began to writhe, locking onto Shiomi as they opened fire.
Beams of high-density mana capable of melting rock tore through the air like a net.
Now was the moment—to activate the third Noble Phantasm.
But when Goetia attempted to resume the third Noble Phantasm's activation, he found the flow of mana stalling. The light bands wouldn't respond as they should.
"Too slow."
Shiomi's voice rang out from behind.
Goetia whirled around, only to see Shiomi standing dozens of meters away, hands raised in the form of a drawn bow.
Mana condensed into a longbow of light.
"Ninth Ring, Aiyatsbus'."
The arrow of light flew the moment the string was loosed, forcing Goetia to abandon the Noble Phantasm activation and raise a defense.
But just as Shiomi had planned—he was using the Ten Rings as ammunition. Each strike came at the cost of a ring, fired off like a disposable weapon.
Goetia couldn't block it.
Not only was there a conceptual counter at play—there was a gulf between their wills.
His confidence came from nearly three millennia of preparation, the completion of the Incineration of Humanity, and a power that rivaled even other Beasts.
There should have been no life capable of threatening him.
But now that reality was crumbling, Goetia began to show cracks.
Shiomi, however, wasn't holding up well either.
Before he could follow up and destroy Goetia's Spirit Origin again, blood burst from his throat uncontrollably.
His right leg felt like it was chained to the ground. Blood seeped from his eyes, staining his eyeballs and half his face red.
Shiomi had never yearned for the power he once feared more than he did now.
As long as it meant he could defeat the enemy before him.
God or demon—it didn't matter to him.
He raised a hand and wiped the blood from his face.
"Can't move anymore, Goetia?"
Shiomi expanded his mana barrier, shielding himself from the Demon Pillars' attacks.
"That's what I want to ask you. Even if you use the Ten Rings as ammo, how long can that body of yours endure the constant divine punishment?"
"Then let's see who breaks first—you or me!"
The barrier that had been protecting him suddenly shifted, transforming into an enormous attack spell.
"Eighth Ring, 'Chemdah'!"