episode_0164

000

As Sasha and Kleon carefully walk through the forest, they soon leave behind a forest brimming with life, where blue leaves shimmered.

Before they knew it, the ground had turned grayish-brown, and the sounds of animals and birds were gone, replaced by a scene dominated by purplish plants.

“Is it contaminated by magic?”

Kleon reaches out and touches the grass growing by the roadside. The texture feels no different from other ordinary plants, but the color makes them look wilted or poisonous.

“No. It’s Utu’s barrier. It’s creating an environment suitable for spiders.”

It was Ruben who answered Kleon’s words.

“Spiders, being Utu’s kin, are weak against sunlight, so they must be creating a dark forest that doesn’t reflect light.”

“You know that well.”

When Kleon says that, Ruben just shrugs.

“Well, more than Kleon-nim. She and I are so similar that there were constant fights among believers even during our prime.”

Born as the tentacle of a star, a spirit of the natural world, borrowing the form of an animal to gain faith. At one time, she gathered such a large following that she could dominate the continent.

Two groups worshiping gods with opposing tendencies at the same time. It would have been strange if a fight hadn’t broken out.

“The winner was, neither side though.”

In the midst of a war waged under the banner of faith, a savior appears during an era of strife that could be called a trial for humanity.

The Order of the Saint’s Blessing was exactly in that position at the time.

A backlash against gods fighting over territory with human lives, and an easily understandable trinity of faith objects: a saint, a hero, and a saintess.

The era was slowly shifting from one where humans worshiped gods to one where humans worshiped humans.

In the end, the result of the war was a double defeat. Ruben, who lost a large number of followers and faith, went to the mountain near Sasha’s hometown, which is now Marang’s Forest, and never returned to the continent.

“Do you miss the old days?”

Sasha, who had been listening to Ruben, interjects with her own will and asks Ruben.

“Miss them? Kuhuhu…. It would be a lie to say I don’t. As a hunting god, expanding my territory is instinct. My proud claws and fangs were broken back then and haven’t grown back since. The truth is, just one mountain isn’t enough.”

Ruben says that, looking down at his—no, Sasha’s—hands.

But then, he smiles and turns to Kleon.

“But. Even if the main body thinks so, I, as a spirit, am satisfied as I am now. Borrowing the girl’s body allows me to go to places I miss. And more than anything, Kleon-nim is here.”

It seemed to be the first time she showed such a pure smile like Sasha, who borrowed the body, different from her usual playful smile.

“I see…”

Kleon, looking at her face, was about to smile without realizing it, when.

Once again, with a rustling sound, this time a clump of spiderwebs flew toward Sasha.

“Mana Shock!”

Kleon quickly waves his hand and fires the magic he chanted, and the spiderweb collides with black magic lightning in mid-air and explodes in all directions.

Of course, it was the brown-haired arachne she had encountered earlier who fired it.

“…Humans. Why don’t you listen to me?”

She narrowed her eyes, looking at Kleon and Sasha as if resentful.

“Woman… you. I sense a bad aura. Utu-nim inside me. Is saying that.”

As she speaks in stiff, fragmented words, Sasha shrinks back.

[It’s not talking about you, it’s talking about me. Girl.]

[Th, that’s right. N, not that, but, it’s the same thing in the end…!?]

“Wait, Arachne. We came to talk to you. The humans are planning to eliminate you from this forest, even if they have to hunt you down.”

As Kleon opens his mouth to calm Arachne, Arachne’s expression becomes even more fierce.

Sharp fangs are visible from the corners of her mouth, and her huge spider legs crouch down as if in anger.

“Try. If you want. I. Will definitely. Protect this place. I won’t. Lose. To humans.”

At the same time, the magical pressure emanating from her body was certainly powerful enough to be unmatched by the monsters or beasts in the area.

Sasha winces without realizing it, seemingly overwhelmed by the magical pressure, and clutches her bow tightly without realizing it.

“If you fight the humans, more and more soldiers and adventurers will be dispatched. Even you won’t be able to withstand it then.”

As Kleon tells her with a worried expression, Arachne tilts her head, looking at Kleon as if wondering how she can withstand her magical pressure.

“…Human. Can you withstand my pressure?”

Are there such strong people? Arachne seemed to understand somehow, but.

Soon, she shakes her head and answers.

“Even so. It’s meaningless. Humans. Can’t enter this forest. Soon. Utu-nim. Will descend on this forest.”

“… Huh?”

It was Ruben who opened his mouth as if dumbfounded.

“This is. A warning. Just like. You didn’t exert your power on me. And warned me. Leave the forest. And never return. And tell the humans. Soon. The goddess of fate. Will go to reclaim her territory.”

Arachne said that, then once again hid in the shadows of the dark forest and disappeared.

Sasha quickly tries to track her down using the hunter’s mark, but—

“H, how…. She disappeared without leaving a single trace.”

“…She must be the master of this forest. More than that, Utu is descending…”

Kleon looks at Sasha as if worried about what she had said a little while ago.

Perhaps sensing that gaze, Sasha turns to Kleon, and sees that the ears, which could be said to be Ruben’s part, were drooping down.

“…Ruben-nim?”

[… …]

Ruben doesn’t answer Sasha’s call and doesn’t try to take over the body. Kleon finds Ruben strange and tries to get closer, when—

“GIRGA GIGIGAGO”

A black mass that had been seeping out of the ground transforms and appears like a golem about half the size of Sasha.

A body and head made of black stone, and limbs formed as if pebbles were attached.

The eyes are round and yellow, like the moon floating in the darkness.

Since the expression is made up only of the eyes, at first glance, it gives a dumb impression, but at the same time, it also shows a cute side, those little guys.

“Wh, what is this…?”

Not just one, but several individuals appeared. One of them looks at Sasha and tilts its head, and the next moment it tries to touch her leg as it approaches.

Bang! A sound is heard, and Kleon swings his magic sword, smashing it from the head.

“K, Kleon-ssi!?”

Looking at it being shattered and disappearing into dust, Kleon answers Sasha with a stern expression.

“Be careful, Sasha. These are `evil spirits` of the earth.”

Natural spirits contaminated by black magic. They are still connected to the natural world, but there is a high probability that they will transform into monsters over time.

If rampaging, monsterized spirits are left alone, they will cause natural disasters, so the best way is to destroy the constructed body, return it to magic power once, purify it, and have it reincarnated.

The evil spirits seem to be stimulated by the fact that their kin were returned to magic power in front of their eyes, and surround Kleon and Sasha, crying out in high-pitched, grating sounds and spirit language.

“Wasn’t it that it wasn’t contaminated by black magic?!”

“Ruben-nim! Kleon-ssi is asking a question!”

But since Ruben still doesn’t think about coming out of Sasha’s body, Kleon clicks his tongue and injects magic power into Galatea.

There are many, but these are all spirits that maintain the minimum body without even a grade like lower or middle grade.

If they are pushed through with a range attack, they will be easily pierced through.

“I’m going in one go…!”

“Yes!”

001

“Alright. That’s another victory for me.”

“Kuk… Kkuaaaak!”

When a woman wearing a white silk robe makes a decisive move, a girl with a mixed beast appearance screams and overturns the board.

This is already the thirty-somethingth time.

Each time a move is made, the game on the board, where the lives of dozens of humans move, often ends with the victory of `Utu`, the goddess of fate in silk clothes, from the time this endlessly repeating match began.

In the spirit world, beyond the reach of human consciousness, two people were fighting with human lives as `pieces`.

“Why~! Why can’t I ever beat you!”

Ruben, the god of hunting and invasion mixed with a beast, lies on the ground, flailing his arms and legs wildly.

Utu just smiles faintly, looking at Ruben.

The reason for starting the war was a conflict between humans.

As the tributes offered to Ruben gradually decreased, his followers turned their eyes to other countries.

They asked Ruben to bless their battles and started a war.

The battles in the border area were victories for Ruben’s followers, who ate war and hunting like meals.

Ruben initially disregarded the war that started without his will, thinking that it was okay as long as they were winning.

Then, Utu came to visit her residence.

She said that she could not stand by and watch her followers, who had been suddenly invaded, perish, and she touched Ruben’s pride and changed the human war into a board game for the gods. Moreover, she even made a covenant not to intervene in the war separately.

Of course, Ruben was also well-versed in this game, so he had no intention of losing, but Utu was a goddess who surpassed Ruben’s skills in defensive battles.

“Well. I’ll disappear if I lose.”

Utu answers lightly and gets up from her seat. In the case of gods promoted from spirits like her, the faith sent by the believers is both life and power.

If Utu’s followers were defeated by Ruben’s followers and forcibly converted, or even annihilated, Utu would disappear.

“That’s all for today. I have to let the humans rest too.”

“Damn…! I’ll definitely win tomorrow, so be prepared!”

“Kuhuhu… I’m looking forward to it. But, how long will this war last… Your followers are quite persistent too. They should admit defeat after so many defeats.”

When Utu says that, Ruben snorts and answers.

“Of course. Hunting is a perseverance competition between the hunter and the prey. Those guys won’t stop hunting, no matter how much sacrifice they have to make?”

Utu closes her mouth a little at her answer and turns her body.

“This fight. Certainly, the beginning was humans, but maybe we could have ended it just between ourselves.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

When Ruben asks as if he doesn’t understand well, Utu sighs and answers.

“Humans who give their lives for God… It’s just. A little pitiful.”

“…Isn’t that what believers are supposed to be?”

Even to Utu’s answer, Ruben still says as if he doesn’t understand. Utu briefly answers `That’s right…` and then returns to her territory.

Ruben watches Utu’s back for a while, looks at the fallen game pieces, and then snorts and scoffs.

002

“Celestial Meteor Shower!”

“Chain Mana Shock!”

The voices of the two people echoed through the forest as if they were crossing each other.

Originally, there was nothing as effective as Lyra’s fire magic for dealing with enemies swarming in such numbers, but since the battlefield was the Forest of Virtue, she couldn’t bring herself to do that and used magic other than fire to wipe them out.

Sasha also shot a stream of arrows made of magic power into the sky with her even more advanced archery skills, and the attack that poured down like a shower was enough to sweep away the evil spirits in the area.

Without a single speck of dust rising, when the attacks swept through the evil spirits, they crumbled their bodies one by one and turned into pure magic power and scattered.

Soon, Kleon, who felt that the bizarre sounds of spirit language that had been echoing from all directions had subsided, took a deep breath and released his posture.

“Is this the end…?”

“… …Yes. I think so. Judging from the fact that I don’t feel the same presence as before.”

Sasha pricks her ears two or three times and concentrates to check the surroundings, so she can be relieved that the situation is over.

“…Why did an evil spirit appear in a place without black magic?”

“Maybe, just maybe, there’s a contaminated place deeper in the forest?”

Kleon looks in the direction where Arachne had disappeared at Sasha’s words.

The aura of black magic could not be felt here where the two people were standing now.

“If that’s the case, Arachne would have noticed it too.”

“…Th, that’s right. Then what on earth…”

“Including that, I want to ask Ruben. Ru-”

The next moment Kleon tries to talk to Ruben again, the ground shakes, and thinking that something like a huge hand pops out from below and grabs Sasha’s ankle.

“Kyaak!?”

“Sasha!”

When she tries to swing Galatea towards it, which is like a hand made of rocks, Kleon clicks her tongue, confirming that something similar has appeared under her feet as well, and creates some distance for the time being.

Passing through the ground like a water surface, the owner of that hand reveals his appearance. With Sasha grabbed in his huge hand.

Black rock. And, mud. That huge golem-like upper body had a black body like the evil spirit they had just defeated.

The difference was that a girl with a slimy texture, like slime, was controlling those rocks.

“An upper spirit of the earth’s evil spirits…!”

Kleon’s expression instantly contorts. The fact that the upper spirit is taking the form of a girl.

The higher the grade of the evil spirits, the more strongly contaminated they are with black magic, and they take on different forms depending on what they absorb black magic from.

For example, if they are contaminated with black magic from ordinary demons, they will take on a hideous form like them.

If they are contaminated with the black magic of magic swords, they will take the form of a sword.

Then, what was this one in front of her influenced by?

If you look closely, the girl has small horns on her head, bat wings on her back. And from the buttocks, a tail with the tip of an arrowhead protrudes.

And the pattern visible on the abdomen.

“Succubus…!”

No matter how you think about it, what she was influenced by was the succubus’s.

Not only the royal capital, but even this forest has been touched by those guys.

“Sasha!”

The next moment, what Kleon saw was the spirit pushing Sasha into its liquid body.

The spirit knew that it was impossible for Sasha’s strength to push away the rocks and escape, so it was trying to absorb Sasha.

The weakest point for this type of spirit was the core, and the core of this guy was, needless to say, the part that was in the form of a succubus.

In other words, this guy was trying to take Sasha as a hostage and compensate for her weakness by putting her inside her.

It was an idea that was impossible for a pure natural spirit, but possible for humans or demons.

“Galatea…!”

Kleon’s eyes widened greatly with anger.

When she calls out the name of her partner, the black magic flowing out from it gradually covers Kleon’s body.

“How dare you, in front of me. Take my companion hostage…!”

When it transforms into the form of hideous black armor and spreads all over her body, the remaining black magic also remains on Galatea’s sword body, and Galatea’s sword body becomes huge like a greatsword.

Perhaps feeling dangerous about it, the evil spirit raises a hand made of rocks and reaches out towards Kleon, and then fires rock fragments like cannonballs from the tips of its fingers.

But those cannonballs are crushed by the powerful magic pressure generated from Kleon’s armor just before they touch the armor.

Each time the magic pressure is generated, black magic whips around her, like tentacles.

[This consumes a lot of magic power, so finish it quickly.]

When Galatea speaks quietly, Kleon immediately runs straight towards the evil spirit.

By spraying the magic power of the sword and converting it into propulsion, she reaches the speed of lightning and is in front of her before the evil spirit can even react.

The next moment.

With a swoosh! Kleon’s greatsword was swung.

Even the evil spirit doubts for a moment whether it was cut or not.

What cracked and split was the huge rock body that she was controlling.

“GI,GIGI?!”

When the rock, which she was proud of as having a strength that could never be cut by a sword, breaks, she panics.

Kleon immediately reaches out and grabs Sasha’s hand, which is submerged in the squishy body, and forcibly pulls her out.

Because that force is strong, Sasha’s body, which would not have been pulled out normally, is separated from the main body of the evil spirit.

What was revealed was the hard spirit core hidden behind the pattern on the abdomen.

“Ah…”

The evil spirit, which let out an exclamation and confirmed its fate, looks at Kleon, who pierces its own abdomen and smashes the core of its body with the grip of its hand, the next moment.

It dissolves and disappears into a mist of magic power, just like the other evil spirits.

“Cough… Keheuk…!”

Sasha regains the breath that had been blocked and takes a rough deep breath in Kleon’s arms. The time she was trapped was short, but her breathing was forcibly obstructed.

The fear she felt must have been considerable.

Kleon releases the magic armor that had been covering her entire body and strokes Sasha’s back to reassure her.

“Haa… haa…”

“It’s okay. Sasha. You can rest assured now. You’re safe.”

At Kleon’s words, Sasha quietly nods and buries her face in Kleon’s shoulder.

“Yes, yes… I’m, I’m okay. It’s, it’s my fault for saying that I didn’t feel any more presence…. I’m sorry.”

[I’m sorry. I was thinking a little.]

“Ru, Ruben-nim.”

This time, it was telepathy that could be heard by both Sasha and Kleon.

[I heard the nonsense about Utu’s descent. My thoughts were a little stopped…. Anyway, an evil spirit, huh.]

“Yeah. Can you tell anything with your sensing ability?”

At Kleon’s words, Ruben closes his mouth for a moment and then continues to speak.

[… …Thanks to the fact that the guy left a trace as he popped out a little while ago. There’s something underground. The contamination of black magic is coming from there. No wonder. The reason why I don’t feel anything particularly strange on the ground is that.]

Kleon and Sasha’s gazes simultaneously turn towards the ground.

“Underground, huh…. Should we dig into the ground?”

[No, there will be Arachne’s cave. It usually leads underground, so she must know something.]

In the end. Chasing Arachne hadn’t changed.

“Sasha. Are you okay?”

“Yes. I can still go further. Please let me go.”

Kleon looks at Sasha for a while at her words, then nods.

[… Girl.]

[Wh, when I lost consciousness for a moment, I saw Ruben-nim’s memories.]

[…Is that so.]

Sasha, Ruben takes a deep breath.

Then, her beast ears, which had been folded up until just now, spread out and her tail wagged.

“Let’s go. Kleon-nim. We need to tell the truth to that stupid spider.”