The next day, I visited God Almighty. I brought along a few cakes that Crea
had made, along with some of Lu's homemade meals.
"Sorry for the trouble again..."
"I told you it was no bother, do not worry yourself. All I did was make a phone
call and look around for you a little. However, I will accept your gifts with
gratitude." He smiled a little as he took the meals and put them in a small,
compact refrigerator. I wouldn't have been surprised to learn that the fridge he
was using was some kind of sacred treasure...
"Traveling to other worlds is not all that unusual in the grand scheme of
things. There are those in other worlds who can even summon people from
across space and time. Plus, there are even people who are born with the ability
to move across worlds."
The whole being summoned to another world thing kind of sounds like a
trashy light novel premise... Still, I guess that means there are other people like
Ende out there too.
"By the way, that world I went to... Do you know anything about it?"
"That one? Well, to put it in simple terms, it exists adjacent to the world you
currently reside in. Because of that, it has a lot of features that make it similar
to your current world. That being said, it is not a situation where there are
mirrored versions of people you know or anything."
So I guess the resemblance only goes so far as it having a similarly shaped
world map, having monsters roam around, and magic as well... I'm glad it isn't
some weird inverse world where there's a female version of me running around
or anything.
"That world was also ravaged by a great war, once."
"Wait, really? Was it the Phrase?"
"It was not. It was just a simple world war. Their technology escalated to the
point where it was inevitable. Their civilization was ruined. That happens to
many worlds, actually."
Even back home we had myths and legends like Noah's Ark, and Ragnarok. A
lot of worlds probably died and then were reborn from the ashes.
"Is it forbidden for me or anyone else to visit that world again?"
"Hm? Not at all. I do not see a reason to prevent you from investigating that
world further. There might have been an issue if you had taken some of those
crystal pests, but you have taken care of that for now. There is no issue with it,
it is only one of many worlds in the end."
So going back to the Reverse World is fine? Guess I can tell the islanders if they
decide to make that choice.
"...By the way, my sister told me I could use something called Spatial
Translocation. Can I use that ability to go to worlds beyond that adjacent one?"
"Spatial Translocation, you say... Ordinarily, you cannot use regular
teleportation magic to go between worlds. This is because of the world
boundary that wraps each world, which is near impossible to penetrate."
According to god, it was most unusual that I could use [Gate] to access the
divine realm to begin with. He was pretty curious about how I'd managed to do
it in the first place, but wanted to play it cool the first time. Or something like
that... Still, the fact that the god of worlds didn't even notice was a little
worrying... If their security was so lax, no wonder that servile god got out.
But maybe that was another god's jurisdiction, and it was he who needed to
pull up the slack.
"Still, Spatial Translocation is different to typical transportation or
teleportation magic. It is a divine technique that allows one to bypass the
boundary."
"In that case... couldn't I use it to return to my former world?"
"It is possible, yes. But I would like it if you did not entertain that train of
thought. You have already died in that world, after all. It would be most
troubling if you were to suddenly appear, resurrected.
That made sense, I didn't really want to cause mass panic by coming back
from the dead. Returning to my old world would just cause a bunch of trouble
for the people who lived there.
Still, I wondered if there wasn't some way I could get a look at my old world
again... Through people's dreams, perhaps...
"By the time you can use Spatial Translocation, you would be a fully-fledged
god. I have told you that I think it would be best if you did not join our ranks so
quickly. It will happen eventually, no matter what, so I think you should enjoy
the leeway of your current situation for a little while longer."
He was right. I currently had the powers of the divine, but I wasn't limited by
their rules. There were things that only I could do due to my status as a demigod. It was probably better to stay in my current grey area for a little longer.
If I could come and go from that world freely, then perhaps the doc would be
able to figure something out. She had already used [Analyze] on the portal's
structure, so I wondered if she'd be able to build another Door in Brunhild using
the workshop.
I pondered quietly as I enjoyed a nice cup of tea with God.
◇ ◇ ◇
"A tank of reserve magic...? It should be possible, I suppose. I'll make the tank
while I build the Dimension Disruptor. They'll share functions, after all, given
they're both meant to store vast amounts of magic."
"The Dimension what now? Are you seriously building another Door here?"
"Isn't that obvious? I don't want to have to admit to borrowing the old man's
design, but it has some interesting applications."
According to Doc Babylon, the new doorway... or Dimensional Disruptor...
would be ready in a mere three days. That was absurdly fast, even for the
workshop. Then again, all the hard work in regards to getting it to work was
actually done. She was just duplicating it based on existing results.
I shrugged and decided to entrust her with it. I had my own matters to deal
with, after all. Specifically, the problems contained in the report on the nearby
coffee table.
The Soul Eater was back at it again. Or, to be more specific, Crystal Skeletons
had been spotted again. This time it was in Refreese, in a port city.
It was a commercial city which had various traders coming and going at all
hours of the day. Naturally, there were upstanding merchants and unscrupulous
ones as well. But the corruption outweighed fairness in this case, from what I
was told. It was a city dominated by the corrupt merchants and their moneymakes-right philosophy.
I couldn't exactly use that to say that Refreese's government was wrong,
however. Greed was a driving force, an energy that could lead one to prosper. It
just so happened that the force driving the prosperity was steeped in negativity
enough to attract something terrible.
It felt more like the Soul Eater was simply being drawn close by negative
emotions at large. It wouldn't necessarily appear in the places where those
feelings were concentrated, it simply appeared in places nearby.
It seemed to be moving at random. I could only hope that future attack sites
would get in contact with us before it was too late.
"The lack of Phrase attacks lately is a little unsettling..."
"There's nothing we can do for now."
"I just wish we could find that thing before it's too late..." Yumina and Lu
sighed quietly as they expressed their concerns.
Kousaka took care of most domestic issues, but there were also areas where
some of my fiancees could chip in with their advice.
Yumina and Lu were royalty, so they helped out with foreign diplomacy and
domestic issues now and then. Still, I didn't want to overwork them or anything.
Everyone else was at the seaside today, Karen had invited them over. I
wanted to go too, but I had this stuff to attend to. If I skipped it, I'd regret it
later when more harm came to innocent people.
"Where will it appear next...?"
"Not Regulus, I hope... Ah, I mean... I hope it doesn't appear anywhere! SSorry, I don't want you to think I was prioritizing my birthplace..."
"It's okay. Regulus is still recovering its military since the coup. It'd be bad if
they were hit now." As I pondered, my smartphone suddenly started vibrating.
It was Relisha. I wondered if something was going on with the guild.
"'Sup, Relisha?"
"Your Highness! The creature, the soul-devouring one! It's appeared in
Yulong! It's in Changyung, a southern city!"
"What?!"
Speak of the damn devil. Apparently, individuals from the Roadmare guild
branch had gone to Changyung in order to establish a new guild. Their timing
was a blessing and a curse, because of the horrors they discovered there.
I couldn't afford to let it go. I opened up my map and checked where
Changyung was on the map.
"It's there... Alright, I'll be back!"
"I'll come with you!"
"Me too!" I opened up a portal to head out, but Yumina and Lu called and
asked to join me.
In all honesty, I was hesitant to take them to such a horrible and dangerous
place, but they'd also trained under my sister. I couldn't shelter them or take
them lightly.
It could become too difficult for one person alone. It was possible that the
tables could be turned on me. It was possible that I'd have to sacrifice people,
or something could go wrong... But...
"It's okay. We'll listen to whatever you say, and we won't overdo it."
"...Fine, then. I'll be counting on you guys."
Yumina smiled softly. It seemed she'd noticed my hesitation. She could see
right through me...
"Kohaku! Luli!" I channeled my magic and called two of my summons toward
me.
It was late, so it seemed like Kohaku had been sleeping. Luli, on the other
hand, seemed to be leisurely tossing grapes into her mouth straight from the
vine. Good grief...
"I'm going to face the Wicked God. Kohaku, you protect Yumina. Luli, you
protect Lu. Got it?"
"Y-Yep! Of course, at once!"
"Mmm... Mhm...!" Kohaku flailed around in a half-asleep stupor, while Luli
answered with a mouth full of grapes. It was all good.
I couldn't catch either of my sisters on the phone, for whatever reason... They
were probably swimming and hadn't taken their phones to prevent damage. It
was a shame, but unavoidable. I sent them a text instead.
"Alright, let's go!"
"Yes!"
"Okay!"
We went through the [Gate] and came out in the ruins of Yulong's former
capital. The place was as ruined as ever. If anything, it looked worse than the
last time. Now all that was left was to use [Fly] and whoosh off to Changyung.
"...Will you two be okay flying?"
"Ah, yes. I-It's a little scary but I'm sure we can do it. Right, Lu?"
"O-Of course! Let's just fly as quick as we can!"
They were both scared by how unstable it was when I used [Levitation] on
them whenever I flew around. I didn't have much time, though. So they'd have
to bear with it.
I grabbed them both tightly and pulled their bodies close against mine, one
arm around each of their backs.
"T-Touya?!"
"A-Ah, Touya?!"
"Hold on tight you two. We'll be there in a flash."
I used [Levitation] to pick up Kohaku and Luli. Luli was a little annoyed
because she had her own wings, but I didn't care. I could fly faster than her at
this point, and time was of the essence.
I launched into the air and zoomed toward my destination. I could fly at full
speed and not feel any wind resistance thanks to the protective barriers I'd
erected. Despite that, the two girls fearfully clung to my side.
It would take only five minutes to reach Changyung at that speed.
My eyes were immediately drawn to the signs of death and carnage on the
street, rather than the beautiful architecture and red rooftops.
We landed on the ground and found corpses here and there. They grew little
crystals from their bodies, and their faces were all contorted in agony.
"How awful..."
"Terrible...!" Yumina and Lu looked on at the disaster with horror on their
faces.
I used my divinity to check the bodies, and their souls were gone. There was
no doubt. The Soul Eater was here.
"Gyaaaaaaugh?!" A horrific shriek resonated through the streets. It wasn't far
from me. It felt like agony given audible form.
"Let's go!"
Kohaku turned into her full tiger form, and Luli converted into a size more
suitable for urban navigation.
Yumina sat on Kohaku's back, and Lu straddled Luli. Kohaku began walking
around the area, and Luli flapped her wings.
We turned the corner and came to the source of the sound. What we found
was an enormous monster ripping a man's throat out.
It had a golden mane and what looked like an unrealistically hard coat of fur,
its radiance somewhat muddied. It resembled a dog or a large wolf, but aspects
of it were also similar to a lion. An unsettling mist emanated from the creature.
It was like divinity, but somehow dirtier.
"Is that the wicked god?"
It was four meters tall. When it noticed my presence, it turned two
glimmering red eyes in my direction. Its dark gold mane bristled with a
malignant force, only intensifying the danger I could feel in the atmosphere.
This... wicked godbeast... dropped the man on the ground before leaping up
to a rooftop. The man's neck wound immediately sealed itself shut as his body
shriveled and dried. A crystal flower then bloomed right out of his neck.
"This is it..."
The beast wasted no time and jumped straight from the rooftop toward me. I
pulled Brunhild out of [Storage] and switched it to Blade Mode, then jumped
toward it myself. I struck it as we passed each other. But... with a clang, a loud,
metallic noise reverberated through the air as I touched it.
"It's that tough?!" My arm tensed up and I felt the impact ring through my
body. My attack did nothing at all. I looked down at Brunhild in awe and found
that the phrasium blade actually had a chip in it.
That's impossible!
The beast turned around and charged toward me.
Gah!
"Come forth, Earth! Barrier of the Mother Soil: [Earthwall]!"
"Whoa!"
The ground between me and the godbeast rose up, causing the creature to
smack its face into hardened soil.
"Are you okay, Touya?!"
"Thanks, Yumina!" The godbeast stared at Yumina and Kohaku before making
a run toward them, only to be intercepted by Lu, who had Luli spew a rain of
fireballs from her mouth.
The creature was staggered by the attack, but not much. It clambered to its
feet and jumped back.
Good job!
"Gun Mode!" I switched Brunhild's form and quickly aimed it at my enemy.
I fired off a few shots at the godbeast and it was suddenly wrapped in a
torrent of flames.
I'd loaded it with specialized bullets. More specifically, ones enchanted with
[Fire Storm].
The flames quickly dissipated, flowing into the beast's body. Its lumbering
form shimmered as it consumed the magic entirely.
It seemed to have the spell absorbing properties that the Phrase did... It made
sense, the muddy-gold color and fur-like coating had thrown me off but it was
unmistakably made of the same material the Phrase were made of. I wondered
if it was some kind of modified subspecies.
"Grauuugh!" A dark golden aura began to emanate from the creature and
gradually concentrated around it, before dispersing in a wide burst.
Wait, that's... divinity!
"Yumina, Lu! Are you two okay?!"
"W-We're okay! I don't know what this thing is, but we're managing!"
"I-I'm okay, yes!"
Yumina and Lu had divine protection from me and my sisters. If an ordinary
person had been hit by that blast of divinity, they'd have been knocked
unconscious, or at the very least forced to kneel.
Tsk... Then there was no mistaking it, this monster held something divine
inside it... Even if it was caused by that stupid NEET god.
"Try to keep your distance from it!"
For the first time in a long while, I triggered my Apotheosis. My hair grew
outward in an instant, and divinity wrapped around my body. In a flash, my
platinum aura surrounded the battlefield.
The wicked godbeast stopped in its tracks, and suddenly I heard a dull laugh
ring out from somewhere. I recognized that voice!
"Kukuku... I know this divinity... It's you, isn't it, boy?"
A muddy-gold swirl in space appeared beside the godbeast, and it gradually
morphed into the form of a skinny old man. I was wondering when he'd show
up.
"You sure have a lot of free time, but I guess that's natural for a NEET god."
"What a rude mouth you have... Still, thank you for coming. I'm sure with a
soul like yours in its belly, my little pet here will evolve far faster."
"So you created this wicked godbeast? You'd even go so far as to use aspects
of the Phrase in its design?!"
It was definitely at least as hard as the crystal monsters. This guy was a real
pain in the ass, and I wanted him done with already. He'd gone too far. This
monster devoured souls and slowly empowered itself. That was just plain
wrong. No god should ever do that in a mortal realm... Though, this man was no
god to me.
"That's all thanks to my benefactor... Don't you worry about that. It was all
thanks to them that I managed to create such a magnificent wicked god. Now
we won't have any trouble ravaging this world together."
"...Excuse me?"
"Oh, you don't know? Any world destroyed by a wicked god no longer falls
under the god of worlds' jurisdiction. He'd no longer observe or manage it,
understand? I intend to completely wipe out everything in this stupid little
world, and then I will ascend as its new god, unimpeded by stupid superiors!
Kuhuhuhu... Nice plan, right?"
What, his plan is to make God Almighty forsake this world entirely and then
rule over it? Is this guy an idiot? Does he really think he can do that?
Still, he had a point. Wicked gods were things that were born in the mortal
realm. That meant gods were prohibited from interfering in their ascension.
That's why heroes or chosen ones in the stories were granted sacred treasures
to deal with them...
If those heroes fell, then the world would end up forsaken. That made sense
enough. Then the world would be abandoned by the gods and slowly meet its
demise. So ultimately, the NEET god's plan was to become the new ruler of this
world once it was forsaken... He was truly wretched.
"Now I understand why you've been a servile god for so long. You're
pathetic."
"Silence, cretin! How dare you speak so highly when you aren't even a real
god! You aren't even a servile god... Tsk! You'll become fodder for my pet, and
together we will ruin this place!"
The godbeast, on its master's call, opened its maw and spewed forth several
blasts of black flame.
"Gah!" I repelled one of the black blasts with a divinity-clad punch. It wasn't
hot, but the impact shook me down to my wrist.
Holy crap! If I wasn't using my god-stuff right now, then that would've
shattered my arm!
I was tempted to clad Brunhild in divinity and use it to deflect the blasts, but I
didn't want to run the risk. If the blasts were enough to shake me during my
Apotheosis, then my weapon would probably break entirely. I tried to block
another one of the blasts with my bare hands, but just touching it for more than
a second hurt like hell! I just deflected it again with my fist. The deflected black
blasts landed far away from the town, creating a massive torrent of flames on
each impact with the ground. I had serious trouble to deal with here. This
godbeast was clearly leagues stronger than the NEET god himself!
"You know, the thing about wicked gods is they eat souls and gradually evolve
based on how they live during the gestation period. That Yula fellow did a lot of
tinkering with my pet here. It's quite interesting, really. The final result is most
impressive. It's evolved to this point in barely any time at all, you know?"
Yula?! Damn it, this bastard really has been spending time with a Dominant
Construct!
"Now, if you don't mind I'd like to wrap this up quickly. If the sword broad and
the love lady get here, I might actually be in trouble... That's why I need to take
care of you right now!"
"Hmph... The feeling's mutual, buddy. [Power Rise], [Teleport]!"
I warped right next to the godbeast and drove an empowered fist into its
abdomen. Its entire body crumpled like a bent noodle and blasted off.
"GRAUWAUUUGH!"
It flew into the sky and smashed into a tall building, collapsing the structure
on impact. It fell to the ground and found itself trapped beneath the freshlycreated rubble.
"Wh—?!" The servile god stared, bewildered, as he turned to look at his pet. I
used that opportunity to clad Brunhild in divinity and shoot two bullets straight
into that pathetic NEET's legs.
"Gaugh! Wh-What?! How?! You aren't even a full god! How could you
penetrate my divinity?!"
"Does that matter? I have a blessing from the god of worlds himself."
"You what?!" He screamed in pain as he fell to his knees. The wounds in his
legs were dribbling a golden mist instead of blood.
"How can this be?! How can you have an aura like that?! You're already on
the level of a senior god, but you aren't in the pantheon! That's impossible!"
"Unlike you, I have some humility. Unlike you, I work hard and I don't sully
myself with wicked deeds. I also know shame, unlike you."
I would take no joy in taking up a high-ranking position just because of the
body I was born into. I didn't want to inconvenience the other gods, not until I
was ready to accept the responsibility of the job.
Now, all I had to do was figure out what to do with this stupid NEET. If I
disposed of him here and now, I'd end up doing Karen and Moroha's job for
them... Though they'd have probably sensed our divinity at this point and were
likely en route.
Suddenly, the debris from the wrecked building rumbled, and the wicked
godbeast broke out from beneath it. It growled as if it was waiting for my
hesitation, and jumped my way.
It landed between me and the servile god before launching three more black
flame barrages at me.
Not again!
I would've been fine to dodge it, but there was a chance of survivors in the
city. I didn't want them getting hurt. Not to mention the fact that Yumina and
Lu were right behind me.
I had no choice but to punch the blasts away from the city again. This time I
made sure to massively bolster my hands with excess divinity, as I didn't want
to hurt myself too badly again.
Unfortunately, it didn't work out, and each smack caused me considerable
pain in my limbs.
"Ow, damn it! Stupid animal!"
As I winced in pain, I noticed the servile god dragging himself over to the
godbeast.
"Kuku... Kuhuhu... I think that's enough for one day! But mark my words,
boy... Next time..."
He was planning to escape before my sisters arrived. I couldn't let that
happen.
But, before I could make a step forward to stop him, the godbeast slowly
turned its head toward the servile god.
What is it doing...?
The godbeast slowly opened its mouth. I stared at it, uncertain of what was
happening, but... it moved forward and brought its maw down upon the servile
god's throat.
"Ngh... Gh-Ghah! Whah... Wh...y...?!" The servile god's eyes went wide with
shock. He stared at the golden godbeast as it began to devour his soul. Even I
found myself too shocked to move.
"I... Kh... I see... n-now... Gh... God... damn... Y-Yu...la... You did... gngh... this?!
Ghah...! Bastarrrd...!" The servile god slowly began to turn into black sand,
starting with his legs. He was being eaten up, along with his divinity. After a
short while, he exploded into flashes of muddied light, and only the godbeast
remained.
"Did... Did he just eat him? Did... Is he dead?" I stared on in horror as the
wicked godbeast released a pulse of divinity from within its body. The divinity
slowly coalesced until it turned into a soft, cotton-like material. It began to
snare and wrap itself around the godbeast, almost like a silkworm's cocoon.
The godbeast was slowly but surely obscured by this Divinity-laced cotton
until it was entirely cocooned. Gradually, the cocoon rose one meter into the air
and began to flicker and pulse with a dirty-gold light.
"...What the hell is this?" It was a cocoon. A massive cocoon. Floating in the
air, pulsing and flickering with an ominous light...
I didn't understand what it was, but I recognized that it was no good. I wanted
to get rid of it as quickly as possible.
I switched Brunhild to Blade Mode and clad it in divinity. Then, I attempted to
cleave the cocoon in half.
However, my effort proved fruitless. Nothing happened. My attack just didn't
work. The cocoon deformed slightly, but simply squished back into place like a
memory foam pillow.
Tsk...
I thought I could use [Icebind] on it in order to immobilize it so I could kill it
more easily, but that proved pointless as well.
The moment I prepared the spell, the cocoon began to shimmer and shake,
and its very form began to fade away from existence. It was fading, it got to the
point where I could partially see through it.
"Wait, crap! Is that the recoil phenomenon that the Phrase are affected by?!"
Big enough creatures that came through the world boundary would
eventually be recalled through the recoil effect. It was an automated defense
system that made it so those that forced their way through couldn't stay. If a
wave came into the beach, it would always have to recede.
I was always thankful that something like that existed, but now it was working
against me.
"Entwine thus, Ice! Frozen Curse: [Icebind]!" I hastily recited the incantation
in a last-ditch attempt to seize it, but the icy bindings failed to capture the
cocoon.
The golden cocoon had already vanished, and the divine aura it was emitting
was now gone as well.
"...It got away." I sighed quietly and cut off my Apotheosis.
And, just a moment too late, Karen and Moroha appeared from the sky.
"You're late."
"I'm sorry. Karen was asleep."
"Shush, shush! Don't tell him that!"
...Seriously? That's why? I glared over at Karen, who had the imprint of a
towel on her cheek.
Well, it wasn't like either of my sisters would've been able to stop the
godbeast from eating the servile god.
Yumina and I explained the situation to my sisters.
"Wait... seriously? A wicked god did something like that...?"
"A mortal existence gaining divinity is nothing new, but this is quite
troubling..."
So that confirmed wicked gods were mortal creations and were likely born
separately from the actual gods themselves.
Either way, there was no way we could've countered this. A wicked god taking
in the powers of an actual god was unprecedented. There was no way a human
could stand against it. If this world was forsaken and nobody was left to watch
over it, it would end up just like how the servile god wanted it. Ironic, that his
death would likely be the fuel toward letting that ideal live.
The wicked god would still be confined to this world, and nothing nor anyone
would interfere with it. It would simply stay on the barren world that it ruined
until it died. That was how things would work under normal circumstances.
Though, these weren't normal circumstances. I was a man who held the power
of the gods, but I was not yet a full god. I wasn't held accountable to their rules.
"...So I'm gonna have to kill the godbeast, aren't I?"
"I'm afraid so, bucko. Sorry, you have to do our job now."
"We'll still stay put and support you as best as we can. It's the least we can
do, you know?"
That stupid NEET god had ruined everything. I didn't want to have to deal
with that kind of crap!
"The cocoon is likely building a new body for the godbeast from the ground
up. In your case, Touya, God Almighty rebuilt you in a similar way. But this
creature's body will undergo a transformation and it should come out even
more powerful than before." That made sense, as the cocoon definitely seemed
like something to protect a growing creature. I wanted to destroy it before
whatever the hell was inside ended up hatching out.
"Well, that aside we need to see if there any survivors."
"Let me help, then."
"Yes, I'll help too."
"M-Me and Yumina will help, too!"
There were likely unaffected people in this town, since we'd arrived midattack. The Crystal Zombies were probably going to rise up soon enough, so we
had to make sure we got to the innocents before the monsters did.
Now that the wicked godbeast was a cocoon, things would be calmer for a
while. But I didn't feel calm at all.
I sighed quietly to myself, knowing full well that a very difficult battle was
ahead.
"It's okay. It's you, Touya. We'll survive."
"That's right. We're with you, Touya."
"...Yeah, you're right. We haven't got any other choice."
Ultimately, that was what it boiled down to. We had no choice but to win. No
matter what enemies appeared before us, we had to protect this world. Upon
realizing that, I walked faster into town, my resolve bolstered by the
encouragement of Yumina and Lu.