Chapter 152 – The Targeted Aharthern

“Well said, Zeshia. You did excellently.”

Eleonore gave Zeshia a tight hug while patting her on the head.

She beamed in a jubilant manner.

“I did… my best…”

“Yeah, here’s a reward for being a good girl.”

Eleonore presents her with a Holy Light candy.

Zeshia took the stick and bit into it.

“Even so, this era’s inhabitants are remarkable after all. Even though they were suppressing their magic power completely, those two people earlier were extremely formidable.”

“…They are… strong…”

Zeshia said, licking the candy.

“They are Reno and Shin. Despite being two thousand years ago, there aren’t many who can parallel them.”

I approach Eleonore and address her question.

“Wow… so that was Shin and Reno… come to think of it, she said idiot Shin or something like that…? That startled me…”

Eleonore stares in the direction they left, as if in amazement.

Even though the mask he was donning was different, I am sure he would have noticed our presence.

“They are probably on their way back to Aharthern. Let’s follow them. But don’t approach too closely. Shin will behead you.”

I say as I make my way toward the gate.

“Are all your subordinates like that?”

Sasha inquires.

“What do you mean by ‘like that’?”

“He’s powerful, but he seems to be a bit difficult to communicate with…”

“Shin is different. Well, he’s not a bad guy, just a little inflexible.”

“A little…”

Sasha was eyeing me with an incredulous expression.

“Lina!”

I called out to the girl who has been walking without saying anything since a while ago.

“The masked man earlier is Shin. Do you recall anything about the Spirit King you wanted to meet?”

“…I am… still not clear on that…”

Lina cast her eyes downward.

“But I have a feeling that something is about to unfold.”

After a brief pause, she lifted her head.

“Something horrendous will arise.”

It was as if she were prophesying the future.

Perhaps her lost memory contains something that will transpire in the future.

“I see.”

I also cast magic on Zeshia and Eleonore and conceals them from view.

In this state, we pa.s.sed through the castle gate of Gairadite and emerged at Lake Seimei.

After heading out into the deserted area, a faint voice can be heard.

“I’m back, t.i.ti. I bought you some souvenirs.”

In the distance, Reno and Shin could be spotted.

A mist is drifting in the area, and small fairies have surfaced from the mist.

However, things were different from usual.

t.i.ti and the others seem to have fallen into a state of turmoil and are flying around aimlessly.

“Reno, you’re back!”

“Something’s gone haywire.”

“Aharthern has been in deep trouble!”

“Liniyon has been killed!”

Reno’s expression grows stern.

Liniyon, the eight-necked water dragon, is the guardian deity of Aharthern as well. If Liniyon has been vanquished, it means that someone has attacked the Spirit Forest.

“Who was behind the attack?”

t.i.ti and the others answered Reno’s question.

“The silver beast.”

“The hound of the divine.”

“Gwen, the divine beast.”

“We’re all going to be devoured!”

“Everyone is going to be eaten!”

Reno held out her hand toward the mist, and the Great Spirit Forest Aharthern made its appearance.

A black aurora envelope the place like a wall.

It is magic.

The wall that separates the spirit world is functioning. Nevertheless, the divine beast has invaded the forest.

Both she and Shin are clad in anti-magic. Shin draws his demon sword and slashes at the wall with all his magical power.

Within a fraction of a second, a narrow path is established, and the two of them cross over .

The wall soon reverts back to its original state.

While it may seem like a trivial endeavor, the two of them are expending a great deal of magical power.

Can the divine beast really overcome them?

“What do we do?”

Misha ask.

“We have no choice but to proceed. Otherwise, we will never learn what transpired.”

“…Um, are we crossing this thing?”

Sasha cast a dazed glance at the black aurora in front of her.

“Don’t worry. It’s my magic.”

I send magic power to and control it. After creating a seemingly invisible pa.s.sageway in the jet-black aurora, we pa.s.sed through it.

Before our eyes lay a transformed spectacle.

The lush vegetation of Aharthern is withering away.

The screams of fleeing spirits could be heard.

What was roaming around Aharthern were beasts with silver fur and huge, acute fangs. And they were not limited to just one or two. These beasts sink their fangs into the trees in Aharthern and devour them. Within a heartbeat, the vegetation begins to wither and die.

They are feasting on the spirits.

“Be careful.”

“Rumor and lore will be consumed.”

“We’re going to die!

“Even spirits would die!”

t.i.ti and the others fly around Reno.

She glared at the divine beasts.

“Come here, Gigadeas, Gennul!”

The ma.s.sive, hidden wolf, Gennul, abruptly appears beside Reno.

On his back stood Gigadeas, a dwarf elf with a mallet.

“I’ll save you all!”

Reno draws a magic circle in the palm of her hand.

“Spirit magic――”

Gigadeas swings down his mallet, and lightning strikes the divine beast Gwen.

The figure of Gennul disappeared and then transformed into a myriad of thunder wolves.

“.”

The thunder dropped by Gigadeal reinforces the innumerable arrows of lightning released by Reno, and together with the thunder wolves, they a.s.sail Gwen, the divine beast.

One after another, the silver beasts were struck by lightning arrows.

But they were not intimidated at all.

On the contrary, with each lightning arrow, the divine beasts are growing in volume and size.

“…They are eating… …?”

The divine beast Gwen pounces on the thunder wolves and sets his fangs on them.

With each thunder wolf that was devoured, the divine beast also became more gigantic.

“Save me…!”

“I will be eaten…!”

“I’m scaredー”

“This is dreadful!”

t.i.ti and the others were being pursued by the divine beast Gwen.

Reno quickly attempts to unleash her spirit magic, but she stops herself in the nick of time.

Spirit magic only empowers the divine beasts.

“…What should I do…?”

Reno focuses her attention on the masked demon who is standing by her side.

“I apologize. Thank you for waiting.”

After saying this, Shin placed his hand in the center of the magic circle he has drawn.

The magic power is overflowing.

When he pulls out his hand, a rusty magic sword is revealed.

Shin holds one of a thousand swords, the G.o.d-Slashing Sword Guneodros.

It is a G.o.d-killing demon sword that slays only G.o.ds.

The divine beast is a messenger of the G.o.ds, possessing power akin to that of a G.o.d. They cannot be destroyed by mere force.

Hence, he has taken the most effective weapon against the G.o.ds among his own demon swords.

“Now then.”

At the moment Shin uttered these words, about a hundred of the divine beasts, Gwen, were split in half.

It is so swift that it seems like a flash of light.

“We are saved!”

“Thank you.”

“Thanks, uncle with the sword!”

“You’re very strong, uncle with the sword.”

Shin removed his mask and stepped forward.

“Do you know what you have done?”

As if to rebuke Gwen, the divine beast, Shin releases his words.

Taking a step forward, he saw the body of Gwen, the divine beast, lying on the ground.

“My master sought after peace,” he said..”

His voice is icy, br.i.m.m.i.n.g with murderous intent.

“To allow an animal like you to tarnish that great ambition is tantamount to spitting in the face of the heavens.”

In an instant, Shin disposed of all the divine beasts that had been chomping on the thunder wolves and the silver beasts that had been latching on to the fallen eight-necked water dragon, Liniyon.

“The divine beast deserved to die.”

Shin walks slowly through the Spirit Forest.

With each step he takes, 100 corpses of the divine beast Gwen tumble to the ground.

In succession, Shin rescued the fleeing spirits.

Even so, there are many divine beasts. Slaying them all would require considerable time.

“…Anos…”

Misha mutters.

”I’m watching.”

Misha turned her magic eyes toward a few divine beasts, Gwen.

They are flexing their ferocious muscles and eyeing us as if they were about to charge at us at any moment.

“…Why all of a sudden? Even though they were targeting the spirits just a moment ago…?”

“Hmm. As expected of the hounds of G.o.d, they have a sharp nose. Watch out for them. They seem to have recognized us as the enemy.”

The moment I spoke, the divine beasts leaped at us.

“…W-What should we do…?”

“It won’t be a problem if we kill one or two of them. In any case, they are just small fry to be discarded by Shin. But don’t use any flamboyant magic. Destroy them quietly.”

“How am I supposed to defeat them… without using flashy magic… in the first place?”

With my hand cast with thrust into Gwen, the divine beast that had lunged at me, I deliver a kick to him. Without even leaving a corpse, I crushed him and extinguished him.

“Do it like this.”

“…That’s impossible for me…”

I grasped Sasha’s hand.

“…What…? U-Um…?”

Sasha glanced at me with her magic eyes, her cheeks reddening.

“Let me show you how it’s done. Even 2,000 years ago, I was the only one who could perform , but I think it would work well with you. With your current magical power, you should be able to control the technique.”

Aligning my wavelength with Sasha’s magical power, I construct the magic technique of as if I were teaching her.

“Breathe along with me. Peek deeper and deeper into the abyss.”

As if tracing the magic circle I drew, Sasha draws the same magic circle with her own magic power.

“Hmm. For a first time, you did well. Give it a try.”

Before her eyes, Sasha softly dips her fingertip into the magic circle that floats in front of her.

Although it does not encompa.s.s her entire hand, her index finger is stained black.

“Let’s give it a try.”

Gwen, the divine beast that pounced on her, is sent hurtling in Sasha’s direction.

“…Ei…!”

Notwithstanding her cute voice, the fingertip of the has made a brilliant penetration into the source of the divine beast Gwen, ending his life.

“…Ah… I’ve managed to do it…!”

With her cheeks revealing a smile, Sasha gouges out the body of the divine beast with and annihilates him.

“Hmm…”

She gazed gleefully at her black fingertip.

“A matching pair?”

Misha popped up and stared into Sasha’s eyes.

“Oh, we have the same magic, so it’s only natural…”

As if to elude Misha’s eyes, she abruptly turned away.

“…The sword isn’t… there…”

Zeshia says.

“Speaking of which, I can’t even get out my Spirit G.o.d Human Sword and my Unique Sword.”

“Ah, I forgot to mention that you can’t bring any kind of magical equipment into the past. Well, even if we can’t defeat them, Shin will take care of it if we run away.”

Sasha glares at the divine beast with her .

The divine beast was frightened slightly, but the messenger of G.o.d will not be exterminated by that degree of fear.

Lay and the others spread out and run away from the divine beast.

“Hmm, this is the last of them.”

I sneakily wiped out all of the several divine beasts that had a.s.sailed me.

As I swept my eyes over the area, I noticed that they no longer seemed to be in the vicinity.

“…Huh, where’s Lay-kun?”

Eleonore remarked.

Misha, Sasha, Zeshia, and Lina are nearby.

“He’s unarmed. He must be struggling to deal with the divine beast.”

Well, Lay would have no problem.

If he wanted to, he could probably finish them off with his bare hands.

“Who’s there?”

A piercing voice shot out.

“This is the Great Spirit Forest. You cannot deceive my eyes.”

Hmm. I must have caused a bit too much commotion.

But Reno must not have had a clear grasp of the situation either.

After a few moments of holding my breath, her expression became grim.

She is probably fooling me into revealing myself to her.

But even if we kept laying low and keeping an eye on those two, how could we be there for them at the critical moment?

If they suspect that we are p.a.w.ns of the G.o.ds, they will be on the lookout for us.

In that case――

[Hmm. I have a good idea.]

I’m going to send everyone messages with .

[What’s your good idea?]

Sasha asked.

[If we stay out of sight, we’ll look suspicious. It is extremely difficult to get close to Shin and Reno and not be noticed. On the other hand, it is easier to approach them if someone shows up and speaks to them openly.]

[S-Speak to them… How are you even going to do that…? If you go there, you will be completely exposed as the Demon King of Tyranny.]

[The root of the problem can be hidden by Lay’s magic. As long as I change my appearance, there will be no problem. As a mere pa.s.sing demon, the past will not change so much when we meet.]

Once more, Reno’s words are heard.

“…I will give you three seconds to show up and tell me your name and your purpose. If you don’t, I will regard you as hostile…”

“I have no hostile intent. Let’s go now.”

I deactivated everyone’s and stepped in front of Reno.

“What…?”

Reno looks astonished and directs her gaze downwards.

My current height is much shorter than hers.

By using the magic of , I shrunk my body to that of a six-year-old child.

“My name is Anosh. Anosh Porticollo. I came here because I am interested in spirits.”