12-27. The Whereabouts of the Prophecy

 

Satou's here. I feel that the accuracy rate of the thing called prophecy increases the fuzzier it is. I feel that it can reveal any kind of answer later depending on its allowances and the people interpreting it.
Then, the prophecy in a world where gods exist is--


◇


While drawing blue afterglow, I go through the Royal Capital's sky fast with Flash Drive.

--Found him.

I land before the man in black clothing who's jumping through roofs--the high level scout belonging to [Light of Liberty].
Landing while crossing my arms and with both legs straight, I want to retort myself who do you think you are.

I call out to the scout who turns around going to run away after seeing me.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Arisa retorted me, "You should've said 『Where are you going huh』 there!" through [Tactic Talk], but I'm not interested in making a joke now, so I ignore her. <TLN: Apparently it's a Castle in the Sky's reference?>

"Would you return the things you've stolen in the royal castle, thief-kun?"
"■ Item Box"

The scout obediently opens his Item Box and takes out a small bag out of it.
I thought he was just faking it, but since the marker I've put on my [Chant] orb reappears, it seems to be the real thing.

"Good prudence. I'll stop myself from tearing you limb from limb."

While still being silent, the scout throws the small bag with my [Chant] orb inside, high in the air. It's probably for making a chance.
I fire around 10 [Short Stun] toward the scout, and approach the small bag with Flash Drive.

Yosh, got it--

『Return』

--the small bag disappears just before I'm about to catch it.

The scout who's using shadow as his shield below me is currently entering his own shadow while holding the small bag on his hand.

--Tsk, shadow magic huh.
No, this guy should only have light magic and holy magic.
Then, this must be an ability of his item.

"I won't let you!"

I dive into the indefinite shadow that the scout has made.
I intrude the sub-space created by the shadow vigorously.

I can't see anything since there's no light, but the AR reading and the radar are different.
The markers I've put on the scout and the [Chant] orb tell me his location.

I couldn't do anything when I went into the shadow created by the [No-Life King] during Mia's kidnapping, but it's different now.
I fly with Flash Drive in the shadow space, snatch the small bag from the scout and put it into my Storage.
And then, I immediately put all the orbs inside in a special folder.

Safe. I feel relieved now.

Next, I just have to escape.
I was able to go out before by yelling fiercely.

I can probably do the same now.

"Retrieval complete!"

The black space is broken, and I'm back at the Royal Capital.

"I-impossible. Who are you bastard! It's too nonsensical. Interfering the space not with magic but yell....

--LWEEENN.

I heard a sound like someone's strumming glass.
What is that sound?

"D-don't tell me, you're not a hero? Y-you bastard, are you god, no, that kind of stupid thing shouldn't be."

Red rope-like patterns appear on the skin of the scout who's begun talking in slur.
His back is transforming.

Apparently, this guy is a fiend drug habitual user.
I don't know the cause, but perhaps, his monster element is stimulated when his mind gets disturbed, it's probably the same reason as a reincarnated person changing into demon lord.

I don't have any duty to save him, but I'll be sparing myself from seeing splatter film-like scene before my eyes.
The fiend transformation probably stops if his magic power is drained.

As if obstructing me from invoking [Mana Drain], several sakura-colored feelers fall from the sky.

I invoke the magic as is, create Holy Edge on my hand and cut away the feelers.
The scout's marker disappears after he was swallowed by the sakuramochi demon.

I open the map to check, but the scout hasn't died yet.
His current location is in a place where map doesn't exist.

--I might have misunderstood something.

I move to the sky above the sakuramochi demon with Flash Drive.
Its remaining health is only at 20%.

"Liza, beat it."
"Understood."

While leaving blue light tracks, Liza charges at the sakuramochi demon.
Behemoth that's controlled by Mia blocks the feelers that are trying to attack her, while Arisa uses space magic to reflect the advanced magic shot by the demon's chanting head.

And then Liza who's approached the sakuramochi demon by combining the golden armor's Aerial Step and Flickering Movement pierces the sakura-colored body with her white spear.
Defensive magic walls repeatedly stack in front of the sakuramochi demon to block Liza's white spear.

However, those are meaningless.

Liza's white spear penetrates the sakuramochi demon's defensive walls as if ripping a thin film.

--Dragon fang penetrates all that exist.

The fang is effective even when it's separated from the dragon's body.

--Dragon fang ruins even demon lords, it's the ultimate blade.

In that case, no matter what defensive walls, there is no way that it won't penetrate the defense of a mere greater demon.

Liza's dragon spear, Heiron, pierces the sakuramochi demon's body, shaving its remaining health completely.

"That spear is unfair poyoooo"

While leaving that scream, the sakuramochi demon disappears into sakura-colored mist.


◇


So it's really like that--

I'm not looking at the sakuramochi demon, but the marker I've put on it.
During the time before it's revived, the demon's location is like with the scout, [Space without map].

Looks like I misunderstood what Ten-chan said.

The way to defeat the sakuramochi demon is not by [Using forbidden magic that has enough power to destroy the surrounding space], but using forbidden magic that can [destroy the surrounding space], otherwise the demon can't be defeated.

Right about then, the shout of Mito whom I've almost forgotten echoes.

"....■■■■■■ Divine Destruction!!!"

The sound of rain like it's from countless wind-bells reverberate in the royal capital sky.
The next moment, Mito's magic destroys the magic circle that was covering the whole Royal Capital.

"You did well Mito. I'll leave this body to you, just leave him to me."

Ten-chan who had even less presence shouts out joyfully, and loses her strength as if her battery's been cut off.
--What is this guy doing?

"....Connection Lost. Confirming the user's log-out. Restoring the right for avatar's control. Shifting to autonomous mode. Mito, please order me."
"Acchaa, victims would likely appear if Ten-chan's real body comes."

If I'm to believe Ten-chan's robotic words, until just now, the real Ten-chan was controlling this homonculus from some place away.

And, judging from what Mito has just said, Ten-chan's identity is--

"Alrightt! Defeated it for the seventh time!"

Arisa's energetic words interrupt my train of thought.

Just like earlier, the sakuramochi demon is disappearing into sakura-colored mist.
If the secret to its revival is just as I've guessed, then--

I turn off all the AR readings and sharpen my mind.

--There!

The slight odd sensation when the demon is appearing in the normal space--I've caught the gap.
That gap might be as small as a single molecule.

--However, a gap is a gap.

If I can break the shadow subspace, then there's no reason for it to not work on the same subspace.

"Woooooo!"

With a loud scream that doesn't sound like me, I wrench open the gap in space with both my hands.

"Outrageous poyo! If it isn't Origin Magic--"

I heard some interesting words, but destroying the demon takes precedence now.
I strike the 90 small sakuramochi demons lurking in the subspace with [Condense] and [Laser] combo, infringing them.

--The poyo poyo is noisy, but I won't leave even one of them remain.

After destroying the last one, the log displays that I've defeated a greater demon.
The jet black mist disappears into the sky together with the crumbling space.


◇


The radar displays the scout man once again.
I thought that he was killed together with the sakuramochi demon, but he seems to be fine.

The scout who's sitting on the ground with his back facing me is muttering something like he's delirious.
The stimulation of the pattern on his body has stopped, it's blackened, so it seems the worst case scenario has been avoided.
It'd be troubling if his muttering is a spell, so I strike him with three [Short Stun].

I move next to the scout with Sky Drive while carrying the [Thorn Foot] ivy for binding him on one hand.

--Something is bothering me.

When I rotate my thought to grasp whether I've overlooked something, the real nature of the odd feeling is revealed.

--That's right. It's the feeler of the sakuramochi demon.

Why did the sakuramochi demon save the scout?
From the demon's point of view, men are nothing more than toys.

The [Short Stun] magic is blocked by the scout's body.
The sakuramochi demon's parting gift huh!

Then--.

".....■ Invoke Deity"

The scout who's holding a huge magic core on his stomach, holds it up to the sky, and then the next moment, intense white light engulfs.
It might be too late, but I immediately invokes [Laser] and bisect the core that the scout is holding.

--It was for the sake of buying time for chanting this spell huh.

But there's nothing happening even after I've readied myself.
The scout who's finished the spell has become mummy-like and falls to the ground.
I wonder if the core he was holding evaporated at the last moment, I don't see it anywhere.

....Maybe, the chanting failed?

"Hey? What was that just now?"
"It seems he was trying to make god descend..."

Arisa absentmindedly asked.

"Satou! It's dangerous, the spirits are clamoring, they seem like they'll cry. Every child is trying to dive into the ground. The above seems to be scary, the above you know."

In accordance to Mia's warning in unusually long sentences, I look up to the sky.

--I see three black lines with the moon on their back.

The instant I saw those lines, I was caught in chilly fear as if icicles had gouged out my body from inside.
Even though my Fear Resistance is at maximum, it's no use.

The fear cannot be completely removed.

Tama slips behind my mantle and holds onto my leg while trembling.
Mia is holding tightly on my other leg.

At present, it seems only me, and these two can perceive the dreadfulness of those black lines.

"Nana, activate 『Castle』! I allow the release of the limiter so use it!"
"Yes, Master. 『Castle』 Mode Start."
"Everyone gathers near Nana! Lulu, activate 『Fortress』 too."
"Y-yes!"

I also catch Mito and Ten-chan's cast-off with [Magic Hand], and gather them with everyone together.
Following Nana, I also activate [Castle] mode like hers.
This is the superior version of the [Fortress] that was used in the fight against the floormaster, it has more than three times the defensive power.

"Eh? What's this magic? It's the same level as the Holy Shield and the Holy Armor, but the magic power is knitted strangely. It's too precise. Humans shouldn't be able to knit magic power like this...."

Mito who sees the defensive wall of [Castle] that our golden armor created mutters such things like she in delirium.
However, I don't have the leeway to keep her company right now.

Even though it should have been fine with this, my Crisis Perception doesn't stop.

--Right, I've forgotten.

"Arisa, please get ready with your space magic."

--The prophecy that Sera told me was [Nightmare visits the Royal Capital, Black Calamity alight from the heaven].

"Eh? It'll interfere with Nana's defense you know?"
"Use it when the defense created by the three of us are broken through. When the time comes, escape from the Royal Capital."

--The former was probably about the sakuramochi demon. Then what about the later?

Everyone is surprised at my words and turns around.
Arisa asks on behalf of everyone.

"Are those three lines falling from the sky that dangerous?"
"Ah, if my guess is correct then--"


I take out the Divine Sword from the my Storage.


--The enemy this time is god.
<TLN: The author doesn't specify quantity, so I'll leave it ambiguous.>







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