Ch.44Ep.44: Clashing Beliefs

Whoooooosh.

The clear sky suddenly filled with dark clouds, and raindrops began to fall.

It quickly turned into a downpour heavy enough to wash everything away.

But the man didn’t even think about moving as he stood in the torrential rain.

“How… how could you just leave like this…”

What? She liked him? She liked him so she couldn’t kill him?

What nonsense was this? Why would Veichel like him?

Why would she like a man who always disrespected her god and stubbornly insisted on his own way?

No, that wasn’t even the point.

“We could have… talked… we could have… communicated…”

They could have resolved this amicably.

She could have cut ties with the Outer God cult and together they could have witnessed the downfall of both Olympus and the Outer Gods.

But Veichel had firmly severed that possibility.

“Why… WHYYYYY! Why must I survive to feel such miserable emotions?! WHYYYYY!”

His thunderous roar made the earth tremble.

It showed just how abnormally much anguish had built up inside Radios.

As he stared down at the cold corpse.

He lifted his head to look at the sky.

Rain was falling. Droplets hit his face and began to stream down.

It was pathetic. Pathetic, but Radios had no desire to escape from this rain.

His chest felt tight.

There’s that saying, isn’t there?

When water streams down your face, can you tell if it’s raindrops or your own tears?

Right now, he couldn’t tell.

He could only use the raindrops as cover to sob uncontrollably.

“I thought I’d cut ties too. I thought I’d end it all… so why…”

For what purpose had she saved his life?

She had succeeded in awakening her Order by herself.

Unlike Radios.

Her connection with Yog-Sothoth would have been completely severed, and the life force that was forcibly being consumed would have stabilized.

Yet she deliberately burned her life force using her Order.

Why did she do that?

Why did she go to such lengths to save him?

“Tell me… please… tell me…”

He brushed Veichel’s hair aside.

The ground where she lay was soaked with dark red blood.

He wanted to stop the bleeding, but he couldn’t summon the courage.

Someone who had been a comrade became an enemy, and after fighting to the death, they ultimately reached the conclusion that they were comrades.

But reaching that conclusion cost someone’s life.

Was this truly the right outcome?

Tap.

Just then, a familiar presence arrived beside Radios.

“Captain…”

It was Arsia Cromwell.

Normally, Radios would have snapped at her, asking why she came, but he couldn’t do that now.

This was the first time Arsia had directly faced Veichel since her fall.

Even though it was just her corpse.

She could roughly guess the situation.

“Veichel… she wasn’t completely our enemy after all.”

“She was a fool… an idiot… someone who wouldn’t listen…”

“Just like you, Captain.”

“Yeah… she was just like me, that one.”

Arsia embraced Radios with a sympathetic expression.

“It’s okay. If it’s Veichel, she must have thought this was the best path.”

“Arsia… I—”

“Whatever she said, don’t worry about it. Veichel saved you, Captain. Now you carry her burden too.”

“..!”

“I don’t know everything, but her will. You must carry it on. So she can rest in peace.”

Once again, he was being comforted by Arsia.

Like before, and like now, Arsia was always there to encourage him in difficult times.

Radios could fully establish his feelings toward her.

Yes.

He loved Arsia.

She quietly walked her own path, always looking out for him, and cleaning up after him.

For Radios, she was the only perfect woman.

Perhaps that’s why.

These words impulsively came out.

“…Veichel said she liked me.”

“What? S-suddenly?”

“But I like you.”

“..!!!!! C-Captain?”

Arsia, who had been quietly contemplating the meaning, jumped back in surprise.

What did she just hear?

“W-what did you just say?”

“I said I like you.”

“…”

At this point, he might as well be direct.

There was no turning back.

“You’ve always been by my side, in front of me, behind me. In difficult moments, happy moments, and angry moments, you were with me.”

“…”

“Arsia Cromwell. I like you, no… I love you.”

A confession filled with sincerity.

Radios didn’t know how Arsia would respond.

But he was prepared to accept whatever answer she gave.

After a brief silence enveloped them both.

Arsia answered with a trembling voice.

“I… love you too… Captain.”

When someone you’ve secretly loved for a long time finally recognizes your feelings.

How joyful that must be, could the other person understand?

“Then…”

“Mmph?!”

Having heard Arsia’s confirmation, Radios approached her without hesitation and pressed his lips against hers.

She was startled by his sudden advance but soon surrendered to the mood.

They explored each other, tongues intertwining.

For this moment, they forgot everything except each other.

After confirming their feelings for about a minute.

Without any signal, they separated their lips simultaneously.

Radios silently carried Veichel’s body on his back and spoke.

“Let’s go back to Goblin Village, Arsia.”

“…Yes!”

Radios took the lead, and Arsia followed him.

The sudden confirmation of their feelings for each other.

They walked forward with slight smiles on their faces.

They were happy to have confirmed their feelings, but thinking of Veichel, they couldn’t smile freely.

Soon after, they arrived at Goblin Village.

“Please… prepare a funeral.”

“Understood.”

Kraud, who was the first to greet him at the entrance, was asked to prepare a funeral.

He looked over Veichel’s body and agreed without asking any questions.

At the same time, a light drizzle began to fall.

Arsia created a coffin with magic, and Radios carefully laid Veichel in it.

After closing her eyes one last time.

“…Let’s rest for a while and talk about the rest later.”

“Yes…”

Radios, now officially in a relationship, asked for time to think and disappeared into the distance.

***

Crash!

“Damn it! DAMN IT ALL! These fucking Olympians!”

“Great One, please calm—Gack.”

Crack!

As Yog-Sothoth, who had been sitting quietly on his throne, had a fit.

Dagon, one of the Great Old Ones, urgently tried to calm him down.

But he blew off Dagon’s head without even acknowledging his presence.

The Great Old One perished rather pathetically.

“Why!! Why do I feel that cursed bastard’s energy?!”

It wasn’t a mistake.

Just as he was about to possess Veichel Breate’s body.

He sensed a familiar energy and recoiled, but.

That familiar energy formed even more familiar chains that bound Yog-Sothoth.

Yes. The identity of that energy was the power of the Blind Idiot God, divided into fragments.

“How dare you!! A deposed king appointing a human as an apostle?!”

Yog-Sothoth’s eyes blazed with fire.

Clearly, the power Radios used was the Outer Devouring, the authority of the Blind Idiot God.

Considering that the power of the Outer Gods originated from the Blind Idiot God.

That authority was the most fatal to the forces of the Outer Gods.

“Damn it! The rest of the fragments aren’t ready for activation yet!”

Yog-Sothoth headed toward a gloomy warehouse, panting heavily.

Boom!

Normally, he would have disarmed the security devices before entering, but in his foul mood, he had no patience.

After entering the warehouse, Yog-Sothoth made his way to the lowest level.

There was a woman with deep navy blue hair reminiscent of the deep sea and emerald eyes.

One of the 12 Olympian gods and one of the three pillars supporting Olympus.

The sea goddess, Poseidon, was imprisoned there.

“Poseidon… I’m in a very bad mood right now.”

“…”

“You, no, you woman, even when you gave up guerrilla warfare, I felt like I was going crazy. But now I feel even more insane.”

Crash!

He pounded on the iron bars.

He wanted to torture her right away, but if he did, Olympus would discover Poseidon’s location.

If they knew Poseidon was being held captive.

They would definitely flee. Without fail.

That would make things more troublesome, so he had no choice but to keep her locked up like this.

The problem was that she was too taciturn and wouldn’t say a word.

“I declare here and now… I will invade the Underworld.”

“..!”

“You think you can escape to Erebos? Try it. I’ll destroy everything!”

A gleam appeared in Poseidon’s eyes.

It meant she was interested, but she still wouldn’t open her mouth.

She was just waiting for the moment to escape from this place.

***

“Hey! Move quickly!”

“Hey, rookie! Go get that guy who’s alone over there.”

The River Styx.

The gateway that the dead must pass through to enter the Underworld.

There were two judges who decided whether to send the dead to the Underworld or to Tartarus.

Recently, perhaps because of Radios’s rampage, the Underworld’s workload had increased dramatically.

Hades had assigned one more judge, bringing the total to three.

The most senior judge ordered the rookie to approach a hooded mysterious soul who was standing far away.

“I’ll begin the identification process. Please state your name.”

“…ate.”

“Pardon?”

It was a woman’s voice, but it was hard to hear.

As the rookie judge leaned in, confused.

The mysterious woman removed her hood and stated her name.

“I’m Veichel Breate.”

“Veichel Breate… Veichel Brea…te?”

As the judge was mulling over the name, about to realize something.

The woman curled her lips.

Smirk.

Slash!

The woman, no.

Veichel formed a magic spear and sliced the judge’s neck.

She also slaughtered the other two judges who came running in surprise.

“Now it begins…”

At the same time, she began to emit a terrifying energy.

“Olympus… I will erase you with my own hands…”

Veichel’s face contorted like a malevolent spirit.