Ch.157Chapter 157. Paya’s Bizarre Adventure (1)

Chapter 157. Paya’s Bizarre Adventure (1)

[UltraSansMadWithMoonlightMassacreMode: Today’s Capital Reconnaissance]

I controlled a Sans zombie today to observe the outskirts of the capital before returning. Creating a Sans alibi was just a bonus; the main purpose was to scout the demon forces.

[OneSlice: I really can’t do this anymore. One wrong move and I might die. Sorry]

The user “OneSlice” who had been doing reconnaissance for us informed me that he can no longer go outside. He said there were several close calls where he almost got caught by demons.

[UltraSansMadWithMoonlightMassacreMode: It’s ok. No need to apologize. Malak asked me to tell you thanks for everything so far. Stay hidden]

We’re just grateful that he’s been risking his life to help us until now. I should properly thank him if we ever meet.

[UltraSansMadWithMoonlightMassacreMode: Leave the scouting to me from now on]

It’s fine. I can use zombie bodies for reconnaissance while creating a Sans alibi.

I also wanted to check out the capital directly. Relying solely on the photos OneSlice sent had been quite limiting for understanding the scale of the demons and the capital.

Plus, I had a somewhat brilliant plan of my own.

Let’s assume the Seven-Headed Dragon Demon, drawn by the aggro from the evil god’s idol, leads its entire army toward Symphonia. Then only a small garrison force and the evil god would remain in the capital.

What if I summoned powerful fighters like Lakye, MeleeSpy, and Dina near the capital, had them lie in ambush, and then headed for the capital once the Seven-Headed Dragon Demon was far enough away?

I could even bring a large totem and use divine manifestation, making the evil god no match for us. Then we could destroy the dimensional gate.

…or so I thought at one point. Before I came here, that is.

As soon as I approached the capital, I understood why OneSlice only took photos from atop the Skeleton Mountains.

Strange magic circles were spread all around the capital.

While I was watching and wondering what they were, an infected creature drooling saliva approached one of the magic circles. Immediately, an alarm sounded and the creature was instantly roasted.

Pzzzt!

“Tch. A barrier, is it?”

These words came out automatically in my zombie Sans voice. A dragon demon that looked like a scout flew over to my location.

That bastard was easily over 50 meters long. It was like a 15-story building flying through the air. I acted like a mindless zombie, so it just glanced at me and left.

In OneSlice’s photos, there were dozens of these dragon demons. We have to kill all of them and then the Seven-Headed Dragon Demon too? I couldn’t help but shudder.

That’s not all. From the mountaintop, I looked down at the capital and confirmed how thoroughly the demons had prepared for battle.

Grrrr…

High-rise buildings covered in something like thickets made bizarre noises while twitching. Building demons, or rather, installation-type demons. The buildings themselves had transformed into demons.

Every building in the capital had become a demon. The reason OneSlice hadn’t mentioned this fact until now—or more accurately, hadn’t known—was because the capital was covered in some kind of green smoke-like substance.

Shhhk-! Shhhk-! Shhhk-!

Tentacles attached to the buildings swayed gently, spewing out some unknown special smoke. That’s what was concealing the capital.

I suppose I can see through that smoke because I’m a being borrowing divine power.

This demonstrates how formidable the capital’s defenses are.

Even if I led an elite team to attack the capital, could we finish everything before the Seven-Headed Dragon Demon returns after receiving the evil god’s help call?

Even if the evil god couldn’t send a help call, another problem would arise. Our tribal federation headquarters would inevitably be annihilated by the Seven-Headed Dragon Demon.

The purpose of driving demons to the surface is to save my believers and this world, but what’s the point of closing the dimensional gate and killing the evil god if the natives are massacred?

We can’t just leave the idol in Symphonia and evacuate everyone either. The demons aren’t fools. They send flying intermediate demons several times a day to monitor our tribal federation’s movements.

Even if we kill them on sight, they keep coming. They’re using intermediate demons as disposables. The moment they see the tribal federation moving, they’d obviously use something like coordinate transmission to alert the evil god and the Seven-Headed Dragon Demon.

For these reasons, I had no choice but to wait for the Seven-Headed Dragon Demon to come to the tribal federation headquarters, Symphonia Castle. It’s right not to take dangerous gambles.

As I had been doing for the past few days, I was waiting for the demon forces’ reaction today.

“Lord Malak.”

Paya, who’s been acting cold lately, came to the altar. She said she had used shared vision with Chunky to see a Loa’s altar and totem.

Shared vision is Paya’s new skill as her spirit medium abilities have improved significantly. It allows a spirit medium and a spirit to connect and share the same field of vision.

She improved a lot while I was hunting high-ranking demons with Lakye.

“It was definitely Lord Udan’s altar and totem, though I couldn’t see if the tribe was wiped out. It will be a great help for Lord Malak’s recovery.”

Udan. A bear-like Loa. I’ve heard that ferocious and violent warrior barbarians who know no fear favor him due to his aggressive tendencies.

Hmm. Just like how I previously used the hidden piece “Prayer Unreached” to breathe faith into the evil god’s idol and activate it, she’s planning to use the shamanic tools at the altar to earn points for me.

I appreciate her acting for my sake, but her expressionless face and matter-of-fact tone make me feel a bit awkward.

Does she have something against me?

…Actually, she might.

Let me use a mobile game analogy. I pushed through the main quest with Lakye and assigned sub-quests to Kanto and the warriors.

But what did I have Paya do? “Dispatch missions.” It’s like filling unused character slots and leaving them idle for 8 hours to collect items.

While Lakye was hunting high-ranking demons, and Kanto and the warriors were raiding villages, Paya was gathering herbs.

“Good. Let’s go together.”

This is a chance to repair my relationship with Paya and earn some points. I can manifest in Totem #2 and go with her.

“I’ll go too.”

Lakye, who had been leaning against Totem #1, stood up.

“It’s fine.”

I don’t need Lakye’s help. Even if we encounter a high-ranking demon, I can summon Lakye using “Believer Summoning.”

“Stay here and protect the tribal federation.”

Besides, Chunky’s efficiency drops dramatically when carrying more than two people. We had no choice but to ride three people during the rescue of BangGuSeokChoSeon, but this isn’t such a situation.

To fly fast, only Paya should ride.

“…Understood.”

And so I ended up on a sudden journey with just Paya. The demons are hardly visible except for those flying in to spy, and Chunky has stealth abilities, so we should be fine.

Kweek-!

With Chunky’s cry that I hadn’t heard in a while, we took to the sky. Now, let’s try to strike up a conversation.

***

Twenty minutes have passed since we left the tribal federation. I’ve tried talking to Paya a few times, but she only gave short answers, so the conversations didn’t continue.

Now I don’t have much to say either. If she doesn’t want to talk, it feels awkward to force it.

“…”

“…”

Hmm. How should I describe this? It feels like being a father who took his teenage daughter out, only to be met with silence.

To be more specific, it’s like having a daughter who used to say “Daddy! Kiss!” and follow you around when she was little, but after a few years in school starts saying things like “Don’t wash my clothes with yours!” or “I won’t kiss you anymore.” And now you’ve dragged her to an amusement park against her will, trying desperately to improve the relationship.

“We’ve arrived.”

Paya dismounted from Chunky’s back and entered a half-ruined tribe.

The tribe’s name is Starlight Harbor Tribe. It’s built near a river. In the early days of the tribal federation, I had Chunky deliver letters to them too, but no reply came.

They must have fallen to demons long ago.

“Ah, it’s over there.”

After looking around, Paya found the altar and moved toward it. There were shamanic tools in fairly good condition placed on the altar.

“Hmm.”

I can feel a mysterious energy. Indeed, with Paya’s help, I might be able to convert these into points for myself.

Some might ask what use points are now that I’ve achieved divine manifestation, but there are still quite a few blessings I haven’t maxed out.

Among them, the “Believer Summoning” blessing, which is useful in many ways, is still at intermediate level. If I raise it to advanced or master level, I might be able to summon 40-50 people simultaneously.

“Nawabarusatanoma…rasnibai…”

[You have earned points!]

As Paya finished her incantation, the shamanic tools withered, and points flowed in.

Oh. Not as much as killing a high-ranking demon, but quite a lot. I should be able to raise the “Believer Summoning” blessing to advanced level.

“…Something’s strange.”

Paya tilted her head while looking at Udan’s totem in front of the altar.

“Just a moment.”

Paya approached and touched Udan’s totem. Then she looked at me with a surprised expression.

“I can’t feel… Lord Udan’s energy.”