Chapter 347: Head Gatekeeper Apostle of Light Evil Catiza
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The peaks of the mountains of the Sea of Trees were colored in a faint orange color. They looked like the arms of giants striving to be first in their attempt to catch the setting sun. The grove of golden trees extending to the right swayed like a flower field teased by gusts of wind. The white and black ma.s.ses of rocks on the left, which were shaped after candles or white, high-cla.s.s flowers, seemed to squirm thanks to the golden trees.
If you looked at that from a certain angle, it might look like G.o.ds and angels, colored by the evening sun and moonlight, were peacefully dancing atop the mountains with evil spirits to a musical performance where the mountains played the orchestra’s instruments and the conductor stood at the foot while holding a crown in a hand.
The gorges illuminated by the moons, which lost their vividness to the evening sun, glittered like the backs of silver wolves. Rapid currents ran past those gorges, and strong winds blew down into the valley like the ferocious howling of wolves.
The water that continued to fall off the big waterfalls at the end of the currents turned into water vapor and was carried across the Sea of Trees by the winds blowing from the mountains.
Moreover, as a result of multidimensional, peculiar mana, which gushed out of a part of the Sea of Trees as light particles, being added, it transformed the plateau into fertile land that would even grow the rare Phantasmagoric Spirit Moon Herb and an environment rearing special and unique monsters as well as unusual trees where each had its own shape.
This was the dangerous Sea of Trees, infested with huge numbers of monsters.
At the end of a narrow path, adjoining a small mountain which could be described as an unexplored region of the Sea of Trees, was a single village. It was located in a spot where people would definitely get lost in the natural environment of overlapping forests and mountains, if they didn’t know the route to Hekatrail.
The name of that village was Cydale. Shuuya’s friend Quiche had built it from scratch together with orphaned children.
Quiche had been putting a lot of effort into this every day. But, Cydale still had lots of room to develop.
There was a single hill within Cydale which was also a symbol of historic ruins. However, that symbol was in a wretched state since it had been cruelly destroyed by a certain ancient dragon. The top of that hill was plastered with holes resembling those at the Bewitching Valaydaz Palace.
Those holes were connected to caves which were part of the Pel-Heka-Line and also led to a certain sanctuary…
On the other side, Cydale had a light brown, wooden gate as entrance. It had been built by inserting several cypresses into holes in the rock walls. However, the newly made gate was riddled with cuts and scratches.
After all, it was under constant attack by orcs. It was a simple gate with the countless damages it suffered from the orcs attacking with spears, swords, axes, magic, and arrows standing out like medals for having served its duty.
Atop the gate stood a single girl. She had a lovely appearance with her long, silver hair and her darkish skin. In the past she had been the third apostle of Evil G.o.d Nicross. And to be more precise, she was a golden caterpillar who was capable of evolving into a demon king species.
Nowadays she had been reborn into a special housing three souls after having been created by Shuuya Kagari, holder of the t.i.tle Emissary of Light Evil.
For her, Shuuya registered as an absolute and peerless being. Even right now…she was thinking, Emissary-sama is so amazing… I mean, just his combat occupation Spirit Spear Blood Chain Master sounds already dreamy! It even has attached to it, just like the b.o.o.bs Spirit-sama is always proudly swaying around! Emissary-sama is d.a.m.n powerfuuuuuuul!’
The current figure of the thinking such things was smaller in height than the one created by Shuuya as a new life-form at first. Whether it was her characteristic whim or inherited from her emissary, she must have shrunken down to match with the many children around her.
As a matter of fact, she was playing a lot with the children whenever there were no attacks by orcs.
“Let’s all dance together～♪ Fufuun, dance with everyone to 『Emissary-sama’s Marching Song』♪”
At some point she had started to march while taking the children along…and then they started to dance and sing, truly creating a song called 『Emissary-sama’s Marching Song』. It was such an amazing dance that it’d put the Death b.u.t.terfly women to shame.
“Lulufu～～un♪ Emissary-sama is strong, yay♪ Emissary-sama is cool, yay♪ Emissary-sama i～is a spearmaster, bu～ut also a divine beast use～er fufufu～un, fuu～un♪”
“Fufufu～un, fuu～un♪”
The children continued imitating her.
“I a～am, I a～am the new a～arm of Great Emissary-samaa～～～♪”
“Great Emissary-samaa～～～♪”
The children joined the girl with the choco-milky skin, shook their hands, and kept walking.
“He defea～ats enemies with a baa～ang and boo～om♪”
“He defea～ats enemies with a baa～ang and boo～om♪”
The girl danced while changing her silver hair into the shape of a sharp sword blade. Naturally, the children couldn’t copy that, but they imitated it by swinging their arms while laughing cheerfully.
“Ye～～eah♪ That’s why～y I a～m greater than Tsu～uan and Pu～urin! Grea～～ater♪ Fufufu～～～n♪”
“Grea～～ater♪ Fufufu～～～n♪”
Just like the Millennium Plant danced and sung…in short, she performed a weird dance and song.
However, although she acted like this, the girl properly did her job in regards to the orc attacks. Even right now, as she spotted orcs suddenly appearing from the other side of the cliff…
“Enemy attack! The pigs have shown u～p♪ Children, escape into the house right no～w♪”
“Okaaay.”
After the jovial girl confirmed that all children had run into the house, she said as if holding a speech, “…Right now Spirit-sama and Commander-in-Chief Quiche have gone out on the opposite side! Moreover, Ado-chan and Zeme-chan are doing their best in scouting the enemy forces! Thus, I must do my utmost here, don’t I♪? Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!”
She jumped with both her legs pressed together while suddenly accelerating…then again, if Shuuya saw her movements, he’d bluntly call them slow.
However, for her this was a very fast movement only achievable when she did her very best.
It sure feels like this could speed up my mind♪
『It’s a feeling like Who—-os.h.!.+ Whi—-iz!♪』
While entertaining such thoughts where it was unclear whether she actually got influenced by Tsuan or Purin, she heartily landed on the ground with a loud thud, and slowly lifted her head. The girl’s unique, broad grin formed itself on her lips.
After changing the shape of her hair, she stopped grinning. And after knitting her eyebrows, which looked like they had been painted with a fine brush on her forehead, she checked the monsters approaching from the cliff on the other side once more.
The name of that girl, who was currently squinting her eyes, was Catiza. With her hair style transformed, Catiza spread her hands to the sides while fiercely running down the cliff. Then she pointed her bent elbows upwards, and quickly drew many magic crests in the air with her gleaming fingers.
As she lightly tapped the cute magic crests floating in the air with her fingertips, as if plucking the string of an instrument, a huge bone fish came out of the crest she had hit with a shloop. Following that, she tapped one crest after the other, all accompanied by dance movements, summoning more demonic bone fish, each having its own shape and size.
“――Let’s goo～o, my darling demonic bone fis.h.i.+e～es.” She ordered the fish she had summoned.
At the same time, she entwined the black nails extending from the fingers of both her hands in a spiral, making them transform into a single, thick flamberge. Thanks to that blackish sword blade, Catiza’s arms seemed to have grown long.
In such a state, she slowly but cheerfully kept walking onwards. Next to Catiza, the demonic bone fish swam through the air at a low alt.i.tude as if gently swaying in the ocean.
“You’re such good children～” While gently praising her fish, she lightly caressed the skeleton head of the one next to her.
While flas.h.i.+ng a broad smile, she jumped, and flopped her small b.u.m on the back of the biggest fish. Then she pointed the tip of her flamberge at the orcs.
“We’re going to kill those pigs～♪”
Riding the spine which was soft for a bone fish, she declared that they’d kill the orcs. In response, the fish she rode raised its speed.
An orc who saw the actions of Catiza and her demonic bone fish squealed,
“Captain! A woman riding a skeletal fish and bones – I think? – are approaching from atop the cliff in front.”
“――Bones, you say? No doubt, those are small fry! Don’t get fl.u.s.tered over the likes of a single woman! We’ll match our attack with that of Hexa Ghul Gungh-sama! Just as ordered, we’re going to attack that village from the front and trample it to the ground!”
“Yes, sir.”
The orc had a horn growing on its head. Powerfully brandis.h.i.+ng its two-handed ax, it gave instructions to the other orcs holding swords and s.h.i.+elds.
Catiza, who was closing in on those orcs, thought, ‘Fufu, I guess I’ll show those stupid pigs the power of a ♪
――Purin, lend me your strength.
『Okay, just a bit though』
――Tsuan, you too～♪
『Sure, but will I get a turn as well?』
――Hmm, no clue!
『Tsk! It’s just going to be a bit, got it?』
――Oki♪
Yay, I’m overflowing with power!
――
Catiza got in contact with Purin and Tsuan, and they started a team skill as apostle.
She touched the big fish below her, pouring mana into it. Reacting to Catiza’s mana, the interior of the fish’s eye sockets glowed up deep within. It was a light similar to electricity with a somewhat round shape. You wouldn’t think of it as an eyeball, but rather a sudden sparkling as if a soul dwelt within the fish.
As the light gained in intensity, it became so bright that you could call it an electrical phosph.o.r.escence. It made the bone fish s.h.i.+ne like a flare.
When the glow had covered its entire body, the light was released outwards like a corona while transforming into a thin chain. That phosph.o.r.escent chain linked up with the other bone fish. All of them got connected while they acted as if they got numbed by an electric shock.
“My dear, rattling fis.h.i.+es～ You’re free to have some fun and eat all of them～♪”
The fish, who were now all emitting a phosph.o.r.escence, opened their mouths wide and extended bone pipes from within in response to Catiza’s voice. The pipes resembled the ones used by Purin.
Flashes emanated from the holes at the pipes’ tips. Piercing through the air, those flashes penetrated the orcs.
The orcs didn’t feel any impacts. Though, what they saw were the big holes gaping in their torsos, and what they experienced was the electric discharge traveling across their entire bodies like a lightning strike.
One after the other, the demonic bone fish, which had transformed into while being clad in a phosph.o.r.escence, fired flashes from the bone pipes in their mouths at the orcs.
Even the body of the orc captain with the horn had a big windhole opened in his torso, and turned into a blazing column.
“…There’s still so many pigs around. Alright, next I’m going to try out the s.h.i.+ning claw blades that mostly use Tsuan’s power♪”
『Purin, should we stop lending that girl our power?』
『Good idea. Our turn…』
――Can you hear?
――I’m the host body, so it’s fine! Fufuun♪
――I want to see Emissary-sama～ I want to fight as his new arm～ I love him～ I wonder whether those feelings are going to reach him～
『Bah, she started with her weird songs again…』
『But, I feel the same towards Emissary-sama♪ It might be kinda tough for you though, Tsuan-san…』
『Humph, I’ve got Vivian!』
Catiza had turned into the new Chief Gatekeeper of Cydale. She freely used , a part of her power as apostle. Transforming her into weapons, she ripped through the orcs.
Once she changed her hair into the weapons favored by Purin and Tsuan, she overran the orcs with a terrifying force by attacking them from close, middle and long range. She kept ma.s.sacring the orcs as if a small storm was raging within the Sea of Trees.
The great, hidden efforts put forth by Catiza in such a way weren’t noticed by Shuuya and the others. However, a certain G.o.d noticed how she had driven a mid-sized orc company into annihilation.