Ch.176Chapter 176

BANG!

I wrapped myself around the Princess to protect her from the shockwave that accompanied the thunderous boom.

The snow frozen on the ground shattered against the ice and scattered in all directions, and I could hear the pieces hitting my protective gear.

Oko, who was relatively far away, stared blankly at the scene.

Even after the ice had fallen, fragments that had shot up into the air made it look as if smoke was rising.

“T-Tanthyn…”

“Ah.”

If it had been any other physical impact, I might have reacted differently.

If it had simply been building debris falling and crushing Aghartha, I might have laughed it off and told her to hurry out.

But all the ice in this area was under the influence of the Princess.

That meant it wasn’t ordinary matter.

Such an object had fallen vertically onto Aghartha’s head, and Aghartha, who took a direct hit…

I gritted my teeth.

I felt all the strength drain from my body.

Because I hadn’t properly surveyed the surroundings…

With an agonized heart and desperate hope, I screamed as if in pain.

“AGHARTHA!!!”

“Yes?”

Startled by the sudden voice, I looked in its direction with a shocked expression.

And as Aghartha peeked out her face while clearing away the ice like someone pulling back a blanket, I collapsed where I stood.

It was because of her expression, which looked infinitely calm for someone who should have been injured.

Aghartha tilted her head as if genuinely confused by my reaction.

“Aghartha, are you okay?”

Somehow I’d wondered why Oko didn’t look alarmed at all.

I sighed as I watched Aghartha nod in response to Oko’s question.

“Are you really okay?”

“Yes. I just defined that ‘this ice cannot affect me’…”

Ah, right.

That’s it.

The two Outer Gods before me were insane beings capable of manipulating reality.

Why was I trembling with worry?

The sudden feeling of emptiness turned into needless irritation.

“Hey, you Outer God! If you’re fine, you should have jumped out right away!”

“Somehow being buried under this ice felt comfortable, like the weight was soothing…”

“Please do that sort of thing when you’re alone, not in urgent situations like this! I was worried.”

I spoke to Aghartha as if having a fit.

Hearing my words, Aghartha lowered her gaze slightly.

Ah.

Maybe I was too harsh.

Seeing her somehow deflated appearance, I felt a pang of conscience.

Right.

What am I saying to someone who threw herself in harm’s way to save me?

I took a deep breath and was about to open my mouth to apologize to her when—

“Then…”

Aghartha spoke before I could.

Somehow with a blush on her face.

“…would Raedan like to provide that weight for me later…?”

…?

Was I denying reality, or was it because I truly lacked the relevant knowledge in my head?

I couldn’t immediately process what Aghartha had said.

It seemed the other two were in the same boat, as they were staring at Aghartha with somewhat foolish expressions.

Given that Aghartha alone was making a strange expression as if she’d said something extraordinary, I felt I should address this right away.

Then Oko, as if suddenly reaching some realization, made a surprised face before turning bright red as if her face might explode at any moment.

Then she shouted with an extremely angry expression.

“A.GHAR.THA!!!!”

The Princess also seemed to realize something, as her face began to redden.

“Ah, aah.”

The Princess uttered a single sound and hung her head low, which made it clear that something significant had been said.

But wait, why are only you two understanding?

Tell me too!

And so, I never got to hear what Aghartha’s words actually meant.

#

In conclusion, Aghartha decided to stay buried there.

Apparently because she couldn’t be of any more help from this point on.

I thought it was somewhat reasonable, as the statue that seemed modeled after the Princess was long but not very wide, so it was obvious that having too many people inside would restrict movement.

And given my characteristics of relying on agility, limited space to move meant the same as being at a disadvantage.

“You and I really need to talk after this is over.”

“Hmm…?”

“Don’t make that expression like you don’t understand!”

“But when Oko is alone, she says even worse things…”

“Aaaah! Please be quiet, Aghartha!”

Though I couldn’t hear exactly what they were saying from a distance, I could tell that Oko was very troubled.

As I always felt, when it came to psychological warfare, Aghartha might be superior to Oko.

Having somehow wrapped up their conversation, Oko came walking toward us, huffing.

“Fine! Let’s go now.”

“Y-yes.”

Since she seemed quite angry, I just nodded and followed behind her without saying anything.

The Princess, lost in whatever thoughts she was having, had been shaking her head vigorously with a red face.

Aren’t there any Outer Gods who can read minds?

I wished I could borrow that power.

Anyway, I started to quickly circle around the statue following Oko.

Judging by how intently she was looking at something, she seemed to be searching for a passage to enter the statue.

No matter how I looked, I couldn’t see any area that appeared to be an entrance.

But as if she had some idea, Oko continued circling around the statue for quite some time.

After following behind Oko like chicks following a mother hen along with the Princess—

“Hmm, here it is.”

Oko muttered as if she had found something and stood in front of a certain area.

It was near the left foot of the statue.

But to me, it didn’t look any different from the other areas we had been examining.

“Oko.”

“Yes?”

“It still looks sealed to me?”

“Well, I suppose it would. This child has used her tricks well.”

Saying that, Oko grabbed my hand and the Princess’s hand and suddenly started running straight toward the wall.

“Uh, Oko?!”

“Don’t worry, just trust me.”

I don’t care about trusting, but the wall is getting closer!

With the wall now right in front of us, my facial muscles contorted into a ridiculous shape, bracing for impact.

We’re going to crash!

….

….

….

Huh?

Despite it being time to collide, no impact came to my face, and Oko had let go of my hand.

I slowly opened my eyes to look around and made a dumbfounded expression at the unexpected sight.

Ice crystals were sparkling like diamonds.

They were reflecting the faint light coming from outside, gently illuminating the interior.

Still feeling bewildered, I looked at Oko, but she had left me alone and was discussing something with the Princess.

“Once we go up, you need to be careful of Gaia. If she tries anything, you must stay close to me immediately.”

“U-yes.”

It seemed she was explaining what to do when we went up.

But if she had time for that, she should have told me that nothing was wrong!

As I stared at Oko with eyes full of discontent, she soon noticed my expression and tilted her head.

“What?”

“…Why are you leaving me hanging like this? It’s embarrassing.”

“I thought you looked cute, that’s all. Can you move now?”

Oh, seriously.

When it’s not about her appearance, she says such things so casually that it makes me sigh.

“…Yes, let’s go up.”

And so we began climbing the stairs upward.

#

We didn’t speak while climbing the stairs.

We were just quietly preparing our hearts for the final battle that was about to come.

Click, click.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs echoed in my ears.

This silence, this atmosphere, this sound.

Thinking that this was the final gateway leading us to the end, I felt an intense shiver run down my spine.

The diamond-like light illuminated the faces of myself, Oko, and the Princess.

The sound of blizzard winds colliding could be heard faintly.

After walking for a long time, feeling the atmosphere with our entire bodies.

We finally arrived in front of a door.

It was a door made of ice.

Even though it was probably a door that had never been opened before, I couldn’t help but think that its atmosphere and appearance were very sophisticated.

“I’ll open it.”

Both Oko and the Princess nodded at my words.

I take a deep breath.

My wildly beating heart seemed to instill fear, as if telling me not to open this door.

But we must move forward.

For the future of humanity, to clear the false accusations against innocent Outer Gods.

Creeeeak.

I pushed open the door with a chilling sound, and as soon as it opened, we rushed into the room as if launching a surprise attack.

As we continued to run forward, we stopped in our tracks at the sight of the being before us.

There it was.

A being with infinitely empty eyes, sitting on a throne and looking down at us.

And Gaia, standing beside that being, quietly watching us.

“Phew, you finally came. I was getting tired of waiting.”

“Tired of waiting?”

“I told you. I’m not your enemy.”

After saying that, Gaia lifted her body into the air.

“I think I’ve atoned enough by now. So I’ll be taking my leave… ugh?!”

Gaia, who was moving toward what appeared to be a window, was suddenly hit by something and bound to the wall.

It was ice.

“Y-you! What are you doing… kyaah!”

“What the?!”

Gaia, who was about to protest to the Princess with an incredulous expression, suddenly looked startled.

And her face gradually turned pale.

“N-no way. You, from me… You’re insane?! Your vessel can’t handle…”

“Shut up.”

The Princess’s voice, which I was hearing for the first time.

The words uttered in a voice as cold as her appearance were enough to dismiss Gaia’s words.

“If you’ve stood in my way so many times, you should have been prepared for this.”

“Nnngh! Stop it! No, I’m going to disappear…”

I wasn’t sure what was happening, but it was clear that we couldn’t leave things as they were.

So I immediately picked up a piece of ice from the floor and threw it at the Princess.

BANG!

Though she was looking at Gaia, the Princess easily avoided my stone, but it seemed to have disrupted whatever she was doing to Gaia.

Gaia, who had been wearing a desperate expression as if she was about to die, was now gasping for breath with a slightly improved expression.

How.

How could she, who wasn’t a vessel for an Outer God, do such a thing?

The reason was simple.

The reason why the Advisor had been collecting pain.

The pain he had gathered, nearly reaching The Four Preeminent Ones.

The Princess had probably been stealing energy for much longer than the Advisor had been collecting pain.

Warmth, their abilities, and love.

So now, the Princess had reached a level where she could directly harm even The Four Preeminent Ones.

“You…”

The Princess’s bleak voice was directed at me.

“Are in the way.”

The final battle.

It begins now.