Ch.160Chapter 160 – The Root of Evil

– Wriggle, wriggle…

‘…What the hell is all this, shit.’

As I get closer to the mansion’s library, the scene before my eyes starts to become distorted.

The surrounding corridor has already been eroded by shadows, with tentacles wriggling and extending in all directions, and the doorknob on the distant library door is twisted so grotesquely that I can’t figure out how to turn it.

– Thud…

‘…Huh?’

As I move a bit closer, the library door suddenly flips 180 degrees.

In this state, it seems impossible to open that door with this cat’s body.

I guess I should transform back to human form to open it?

– Wriggle…

‘…Ugh.’

But I’m concerned about the tentacles wriggling all around.

If these obviously dangerous things are so docile because they can’t detect me in cat form, I don’t know what will happen when I transform back.

I have absolutely no desire to become the protagonist of a tentacle story after coming this far.

‘…But I can’t turn back either.’

However, if I turn back now, I won’t be able to find out why the erosion rate suddenly increased by 30 percent.

Even though I’ve obtained a return ticket to the original world, I’m still here to prevent the world’s destruction, so I can’t accept that.

‘Is there any way…’

While looking around with a serious expression, I soon discovered something new.

Upon careful observation of an area with notably fewer shadows and tentacles, I could see a window where red evening sunlight was leaking through.

‘…Are these things weak to light?’

Come to think of it, according to the London Police Department’s investigation results published in the newspaper, Gil the Reaper, who had a similar atmosphere to this area, also mainly operated at night.

If that’s the case, I might be able to resist to some extent if I can produce light.

– Poof…!

– Grrrk…?

Having realized this fact, there was no time to waste.

– Grrrk, grrrk…

“Ugh, disgusting…”

As I returned to my original body from the cat form that was about to run out of mana from maintaining it for so long, sure enough, the tentacles filling the surroundings began to wriggle and approach me.

– Crackle…

But that didn’t last long. When I started casting a light-emitting spell in my hand, the hesitating creatures began to retreat.

‘…That’s a relief.’

As the surroundings brightened, I frowned intensely at the increasingly visible disgustingness of these creatures and shifted my gaze forward.

“…Huh?”

I soon realized that the library door had returned to normal, and I tilted my head in confusion.

‘So from a human perspective, it looks like this?’

That means non-human beings see it in that grotesque form from earlier. It gives me an eerie feeling for some reason.

“…Phew.”

– Click…

So after shrinking back momentarily, I took several deep breaths, finally steeled myself, and grabbed the doorknob.

I thought I could just check inside from here where it’s relatively safe with sunlight coming in, without actually entering.

– Grrrk?

“…Huh.”

But the moment I fully turned the doorknob, I realized too late.

– Screech…

“Ah…..”

A tentacle that had carefully approached from behind was wrapped around my light-emitting hand.

– Grrrk, grrrrrk…

As soon as it threw itself to burn up and block the light emanating from my hand, the disgusting chorus of tentacles began to sound from all directions.

“Shit.”

In such a situation, there was only one choice I could make.

“Whatever happens, happens.”

– Crash…!!!

I threw myself into the library to avoid the tentacles extending toward me and hurriedly closed the door.

“……..”

After barely escaping the crisis, darkness and silence followed.

“Ugh…”

In that heavy atmosphere, I peeled off the tentacle wrapped around my arm and hand like seaweed with a disgusted expression and started emitting light from my hand again.

“………”

Then, seeing the situation before my eyes, I was left speechless.

– Grrrk, grrrk…

– Grrrk?

“…Damn it.”

Because several times more tentacles than those occupying the corridor were all turning their heads toward me.

.

.

.

.

.

“…Hmm.”

How much time had passed since then?

‘Where am I…’

Slowly opening my eyes, not knowing when I had fainted, I was still sitting in the library.

‘…Am I still intact?’

I checked my body with a shudder, but fortunately, no traces of tentacles remained.

Thankfully, the light in my hand that hadn’t gone out despite my fainting seemed to have protected me from those creatures.

“Phew…”

– Tap, tap…

“Eek!?”

As I was quietly trying to get up, someone tapped my shoulder from behind.

“W-who…”

– Grrrk?

Turning my head with a pale face, I saw a tentacle that had emerged from the floor gently swaying its body in front of my face.

– Grrrk…

‘…W-what should I do?’

As it slowly lowered its body and started wrapping around my foot, cold sweat began to flow all over my body.

‘Should I burn it with light? No, if the light goes out like before…’

– Grrrk…

‘…Then should I just stay still? No, that’s definitely not right. I should get up now and…’

All kinds of thoughts began to race through my mind in that split second.

– Grrrrrr…!!!

“…….?”

While I was staring blankly, the creature wrapping around my foot suddenly started trembling and making noises.

“………”

Even though I found it disgusting, why did I unconsciously reach out and start tapping it?

– Squeeze…

“Looking at it this way, it’s actually cute…”

After staring blankly for a while, the creature swaying its head in front of me started to look rather cute.

What if I cut off a small piece and carried it with me?

[Snap out of it!!!]

“…Wait a moment.”

Thinking it was quite a good idea, I prepared to tear off a piece of the tentacle that had already wrapped up to my leg.

[I’m sorry. I won’t make you do things like this anymore.]

“Hehe…”

[Please snap out of it…..]

But why do I keep seeing something appear before my eyes?

– That’s a false prophet interfering between you and us.

“…I see.”

– So don’t be deceived and become one with us to enjoy infinite pleasure.

“Yes…”

Relievingmychestatthetoughtthatimightnothavebeenabletoenjoythepleasureofbecomingone,ireachedoutandpushedawaythefalseprophetinfrontinmewhowasspewingallsortsofcolors.

Comingherewasindeedfortunateimightnothavebeenabletoenjoythepleasureofbecomingoneotherwise.

Butwhatisthepleasureofbecomingoneisomehowfeeluneasybutthatdoesntmatterbecauseeverythingwillbecomfortablewhenweareonewithit.

{Case: Crawling ■■}

{END}

{Press confirm to end the world.}

Letusacceptthetruerevelationappearingbeforeusaccordingtotheguidanceofthetrueprophet.

.

.

.

.

.

“No, it won’t happen that way.”

It was the moment when Adler, with his body half-wrapped in tentacles, reached out to the system window with a completely different design than before, while showing a faint smile.

“Having already been defeated and gone into hiding once, you dare to raise your head before me again.”

– Crunch…

– Grrrk!? Grrrk…

The tentacle that was wrapping around Adler as if to devour him began to twist and deflate with a familiar voice.

“Ah…”

As it withered and twisted from the top down, Adler, whose mind had slightly returned, muttered while blankly staring at the figure who had appeared by breaking down the library door.

“Pro… fessor.”

“…Mr. Adler.”

Jane Moriarty, with uncharacteristic injuries all over her body, was holding her bleeding head with one hand while emitting gray mana in all directions with the other.

“Don’t worry…”

– Grrrrrk… Grrrk…

“I’m here…”

With the sound of tentacles’ howls from all around the library and the professor’s voice trembling with concern more than ever before, Adler’s consciousness faded away.

.

.

.

.

.

“Failed again… again…”

By the time everything had ended.

“…I even summoned a fairly high-level being this time, but that damn professor again.”

In some unknown dark room, a very young-looking girl was crumpling a page filled with dense writing while muttering irritably.

“Should I just summon the true form…?”

– Crunch…

“No, no, that would turn England into hell. I can’t destroy such a beautiful country…”

After throwing it into a trash can already full of other crumpled pages, she picked up her pen again with eyes full of dark circles.

“…It would be better to move the monsters here.”

– Scribble, scribble…

“This time, Gil the Reaper, Arsène Lupin… I’ll make these two join forces…”

Eventually, she began filling the page again with a gloomy smile.

“…If only I could meet him again.”

– Rebecca, dinner time!

“Ah, I said I’m not eating!”

Startled by the voice from outside the door, the girl shrank back and hurriedly pushed the page into a drawer.

– Are you writing that horror novel or whatever again?

“I told you it’s not that!”

The signature engraved on the pen that fell to the floor and started rolling gleamed faintly in the dim light of the room.

<Rebecca Phillips Lovecraft>