Ch.345Gravity Bomb (3)

Elvin continued explaining about a woman named Tarpiel.

“Though small in terms of power scale, she’s famous as a High Priestess with highly loyal followers.”

On the first day, Elvin had forgotten he was affiliated with the religious order. As time passed, his memories seemed to be gradually returning. Thanks to this, he was very helpful in providing information about the reorganized religious order.

“I remember she wasn’t particularly intelligent. Still, you should be careful. That woman is quite action-oriented.”

Elvin was right. Tarpiel had turned the followers into an outraged state. She seemed skilled at inciting people.

It took only a moment for citizens to transform into a mob. They broke through the science college building with their bare hands. They seemed to have lost all fear and reason.

“Stop them! We must stop them!”

“Protect the doctors!”

“Don’t shoot! Just block them without using weapons!”

Her method of controlling the crowd was different from Elvin’s. Not completely violent, but not planned either.

Her impulsive character reminded me of how Renatus manipulated people.

Bang!

Someone kicked open the door and entered. It was Sonia.

“Young master.”

“You’re back? How did the lawsuit go?”

“We should be able to extract at least several million credits. But that’s not the issue right now, is it?”

Sonia looked out the window and clicked her tongue.

“This time we should really run away.”

That’s when it happened.

“Who says so?”

Swish!

There was a slicing sound. Sonia quickly ducked her head. A dark whip swept through where her head had been.

“You arrived quickly.”

Tarpiel. The High Priestess Elvin had mentioned revealed herself.

Thump, thump.

Tarpiel took exactly two steps forward. If she threw her whip, it would wrap around my neck.

“Elvin, how dare you betray us?”

“Betrayal?”

“Have you forgotten our grand goal of saving this world from the apocalypse and going to Idea? Have you forgotten your mission to save the Holy Woman?”

Whip!

The whip rose into the air. It was aimed at Elvin. But the whip didn’t wrap around Elvin’s neck.

Clash!

Sonia drew her calipers and struck. Unlike its appearance, it made a sharp metallic sound. Hearing that sound sent chills down my spine.

That thing seems more dangerous than it looks.

“Huh?”

Thud.

Elvin collapsed backward. I helped him up. Tarpiel gritted her teeth and pointed accusingly.

“So you did betray us! You bastard with no business ethics!”

“Betrayal? Betrayal? Me? No, I, for Idea!”

“That man’s research is blocking our path to Idea! Can’t you see that?”

“Stop lying! Then what about all the money I’ve been giving, ugh!”

“You crazy fool, don’t tell me you’ve been giving our donations to him?”

This is a bad sign. If Elvin returns to the religious order here, my funding will be cut off.

“Teacher.”

I grabbed Elvin’s shoulders and reasoned with him.

“You shouldn’t be deceived by the words of such a heretical sect. Humanity’s Idea lies only in the graviton bomb.”

“You!”

Tarpiel turned her accusatory finger toward me.

“Yes, now I understand clearly. You seduced Elvin, didn’t you?”

“Such a deceitful woman. How dare you confuse our Teacher Elvin with your rotten tongue?”

“Give me back my boyfriend candidate!”

“Teacher, please step back behind me. I will expel this heretic.”

I drew my calipers and stepped forward. Ah, it’s been a while. This cool yet heavy sensation.

“How did you get in here? There should have been layers of inspectors outside.”

“Oh, those weaklings? Ukman and Morgan are dealing with them.”

“Ukman? Morgan?”

“Those two are former soldiers. They’re among the top-tier EX-grade inspectors.”

Tarpiel stroked her whip and smiled coldly.

“Well, grades only matter when fighting monsters. In human combat, those guys won’t lose even against Omega grades. They actually dominate them.”

Tarpiel, Ukman, and Morgan.

Names that neither I nor Ireh knew were emerging one after another. The world is vast, and there are many skilled individuals. More would continue to appear.

“You’d need to bring the 12 Zodiacs to defeat them. But, oh my?”

Tarpiel smiled sinisterly.

“There are no inspectors around you? Is the chief director of the most important project only accompanied by such meager protection? Just two women?”

She was referring to Sonia and Ireh. Tarpiel burst into laughter.

“How stupid! Truly incredibly stupid! I absolutely hate fools like you! What good is a doctoral degree? You can’t even realize you’re going to die today! I hate men who are dumber than me the most!”

“Oh, is that so?”

Since Tarpiel was laughing, I laughed along with her.

“I also can’t stand brainless women.”

“Hmm, then I must be quite charming.”

“Do you know what this is?”

I asked, raising my calipers.

“What is that? A spanner?”

“It’s a gift from my girlfriend.”

“You crazy bastard, who would give such a thing as a gift… huh?”

By the time Tarpiel finished speaking, I was right in front of her. She swung her whip in panic.

Crack!

The whip wrapped around my calipers. I used that rotational force to pull Tarpiel toward me. But she didn’t come easily.

Whirl!

The wrapped whip unwound in the opposite direction. The direction of force changed. I rotated my weapon accordingly, maintaining tense muscles.

Whip, thud!

Tarpiel stomped her foot. She changed the rotation direction again and instead closed the distance. She reached into her cleavage and pulled something out.

“Ha!”

It was a sharp dagger. The gap was narrow.

“Die!”

My future vision sounded an alarm. If she thrust the dagger straight, my heart would be pierced.

Of course, that’s only if there was no external intervention.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out. Tarpiel screamed and dropped the dagger. The fallen dagger had a circular hole in it.

It was Ireh. She continued firing silently.

Bang! Bang!

Plasma bullets hit both of Tarpiel’s thighs.

“Kyaaak!”

I didn’t miss this opportunity and struck her right hand with my calipers. The whip fell limply to the floor.

It was over. I kicked the whip away. Ireh approached slowly with her gun aimed.

“Put your hands on your head.”

“Ha, haha.”

Tarpiel laughed weakly. She raised her hands.

“Tell us everything you know. How you infiltrated this place, what plans your religious order is currently executing.”

“Do you think I’ll talk just because you tell me to?”

Click.

Ireh pointed her gun at Tarpiel’s head. She warned in a cold tone.

“Talk.”

“Sorry, but threatening me won’t work. Even if I die, Morgan will turn back time. Your nightmare is just beginning.”

Tarpiel faced Ireh directly. Madness gleamed in her eyes.

“Can you really handle Morgan and Ukman? They’re on a completely different level from me. Even if you somehow win, you’ll return to a previous time without even remembering it!”

“Oh, is that so?”

“What? Aren’t you afraid?”

The information just obtained was useful. That someone named Morgan could turn back time like the Holy Woman. And that we wouldn’t remember their regression, while the High Priests would.

Also, that they hadn’t turned back time yet.

“Lucky us.”

“…What?”

“I was wondering if this might happen, so I sent someone out the moment you came in. I ordered them to do this.”

Take down the strongest one first and come back.

“It should be over by now.”

“Nonsense has its limits. I guarantee no inspector below EX-grade can stop those two. How could you possibly…”

Clap, clap.

Sounds came from beyond the corridor.

The surrounding scenery transformed. A gentle darkness descended. Paradoxically, starlight also overflowed.

It was an eerie atmosphere. And in this air, a woman with dark blue hair forcibly opened the laboratory door.

Creeeeak.

Tarpiel slowly turned around. She began to sweat.

Slither.

A tentacle draped itself over Tarpiel’s head. Against her white hair, it looked like octopus sushi.

“How dare you.”

“Uh, uhhh?”

Tarpiel froze.

“To intrude into my and my little one’s nest, you’ve got guts.”

Cartesia.

She had returned.

***

Tarpiel’s world turned upside down. She merely blinked, and suddenly she was flying through the air.

‘Huh?’

Splash!

Her body fell. Pain followed immediately. Tarpiel, sprawled on the floor, rolled around screaming pathetically.

“Aaaaargh!”

Of all ways to fall, she landed on her side. There was a cracking sound from her right arm. No doubt about it. It was fractured.

Splash, splash.

Hearing the sound of mud lumps rolling around, Tarpiel raised her head. Dozens of tentacles were coiling around her.

“Those who interfere with research must all die.”

A calm tone. Yet just hearing it made her head ring. It felt like a demon stirring her brain.

This feeling, Tarpiel knew it well. It was the pain experienced when hearing the voice of an outer god.

Then, the being before her eyes was…

“…An outer god?”

“I’m also a constellation.”

Outer god? Constellation?

Tarpiel’s mind spun. An outer god, yet a constellation? Were those terms compatible?

The outer god lifted its foot and forcibly raised Tarpiel’s chin as she lay prone. Only then could Tarpiel see the being that had thrown her.

It was a pitch-black, formless monster. Its overall silhouette was like fog, indicating it was from the Descartes system.

[— The ‘God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ is looking at you.]

The God of Wisdom and Curiosity.

She had heard of it.

Tarpiel had been baptized by the ‘Crawling Chaos.’ That outer god had mentioned it. Cartesia. That there was a half-formed outer god by that name, who was both its daughter and enemy.

‘Could this outer god be helping Rheinland? Why?’

She hadn’t heard that far. Even though she had been baptized by an outer god, she hadn’t shared emotional exchanges with them.

“Woman, you’ve made me upset. Now it’s time to pay the price.”

Tarpiel felt a chill down her spine. At this rate, she would die. No, she would suffer something even more terrible than death.

“Morgan! Ukman! Where are you! Quickly, turn back time!”

“Hmm?”

Cartesia kicked Tarpiel, making her lie on her side.

“Come to think of it, there were some strong humans.”

“You, you…! What did you do to those two?”

“Let’s see. Where did I put them?”

Cartesia grabbed Tarpiel by the nape of her neck. She dragged Tarpiel somewhere.

A gloomy place without sunlight. At the end of the corridor, Cartesia threw Tarpiel carelessly and wiggled her foot.

“Perhaps you’re talking about those guys?”

Tarpiel’s thoughts froze. Her pupils trembled as she examined the faces of the two men.

Morgan, Ukman.

The two High Priests she knew. They were naked, their bodies overlapping.

“…Ah? Kyaaaaaaak!”

Tarpiel screamed hysterically and squeezed her eyes shut. Her eyeballs felt like they would burst. As her intraocular pressure increased, something hot trickled between her tear ducts.

Tears of blood. Tarpiel clutched her head and shook it wildly. After taking several deep breaths, she confronted Cartesia.

“Y-you monster! What have you done to Morgan and Ukman!”

“I wonder?”

“Answer me!”

Cartesia giggled. It was somewhat amusing that a mere human dared to confront her so fearlessly. A rather fresh reaction.

So she decided to answer specially.

“That guy over there was trying to turn back time? So I… tweaked his head a little.”

“What?”

“By the way, when this is over, one of them will be pregnant. Watch carefully.”

[— You cannot close your eyes.]

[— You cannot lose consciousness.]

Cartesia stirred Tarpiel’s brain like stew. Her mind reached its limit.

“No! Please! I don’t want to see this! Aaaaargh…!”

And so, Tarpiel was forced to watch her comrades lose their humanity for several minutes.

The reason it was only a few minutes, not hours, was because Eidel rushed over immediately.