Chapter 352: A goddess descends into the chaos of the city
Chapter 352: A goddess descends into the chaos of the city
The command Rikudou had shouted to the monsters after awakening Guduranis’s instinct struck fear into the hearts of the people of Orbaume who were close enough to hear it but not close enough to make out what he was saying.
It was possible that this was an instinctual fear possessed by all people in Lambda, who had been exposed to the danger of monsters for a hundred thousand years since Guduranis’s arrival in this world.
But there was a being other than the monsters and people who felt this instinctual fear.
Luvesfol, known as the ‘Raging Evil Dragon God’ and as ‘Pauvina’s Pet,’ let out a terrified scream.
“W-what is the matter, Luves-dono?!” exclaimed Reinhardt, one of the people who were accompanying him.
“Is there a powerful enemy somewhere?! Is it the one who let out that fearsome shout?!” asked another.
“I-It is nothing! Do not concern yourself, Reinhardt…kun,” Luvesfol said.
He was currently working with Pauvina’s party members to guide and protect people as they evacuated along the main street where multiple churches, the Adventurers’ Guild, and the Tamers’ Guild were.
That terror and dread, that sensation that feels like my brain is freezing… there is no mistaking it. It is Guduranis! And it is not just ordinary fragments that have been resurrected… Could it be fragments of his soul?! I don’t know if it is Alda or Rodcorte that is responsible, but what have they done!
Over a hundred thousand years ago, despite being an Elder Dragon, Luvesfol had betrayed the world of Lambda and served Guduranis, but he had no loyalty for Guduranis. This was also true for the evil gods of the Demon King’s army, with only a few exceptions.
Indeed, even among the surviving remnants of the Demon King’s army, there were none who truly wished for Guduranis’s resurrection.
There were many who used fragments of the Demon King by gathering them for themselves or removing their seals to make them infest their worshipers. In many cases, their worshipers preached that Guduranis should be resurrected and actively worked towards that goal.
But almost none of the evil gods who had belonged to the Demon King’s army truly possessed a heartfelt wish for Guduranis’s resurrection. Some had an ambition to replace Guduranis as the Demon King to rule over this world, as Ravovifard and Zerzoregin had attempted to do.
The reason for this was that Alda, the God of Law and Fate, and Rodcorte, were the ones who had sealed the fragments of Guduranis’s soul. The evil gods had believed that resurrecting Guduranis would be impossible, as they would only be able to obtain the fragments of Guduranis’s body.
It would be extremely difficult to obtain the fragments of Guduranis’s soul that were kept by Alda, but not completely impossible – though one would need to plot and successfully carry out a clever conspiracy spanning tens of thousands of years.
But there was nothing to be done regarding the fragments possessed by Rodcorte. After all, Rodcorte’s Divine Realm existed outside the world of Lambda. The evil gods who were the remnants of the Demon King’s army were incapable of traveling to other worlds on their own, so they could not reach Rodcorte.
Even if they miraculously succeeded in carrying out a conspiracy to seize all of the soul fragments possessed by Alda, and gathered the body fragments that were scattered all across the world, the Demon King Guduranis would never be fully resurrected. If Guduranis was capable of traveling between worlds even with only half of his soul, he would be able to invade Rodcorte’s Divine Realm, but there was no telling whether this was possible unless it was actually tried.
However, if this was the only barrier to the Demon King Guduranis’s resurrection, then there would have been some evil gods from his army working towards it. The fact that there weren’t was a testament to Guduranis’s complete lack of virtue, and the fear he struck in them.
Guduranis had ruled his army with his overwhelming power and the weapon of fear, which he had not hesitated in wielding, even upon his own subordinates. Even if one were to go to the effort of resurrecting him, none believed that he would reward that effort.
In fact, he even possessed the ability to break souls… the ability to completely destroy gods. The evil gods feared the resurrection of a being with such an ability.
That was why many of the remnants of the Demon King’s army used the fragments of Guduranis’s body as items to power up their followers or as tools to try to forget the despair of being used by the Demon King in the past.
So what is the meaning of this?! Why have fragments of his soul been resurrected?! A reincarnated individual is involved, so was it Rodcorte?! Does he intend to destroy this entire world along with Vandalieu?! Luvesfol thought frantically. But Gufadgarn and Fidirg are with Vandalieu. And I am sure the Five-colored Blades have come. I’m sure they will be able to defeat Guduranis before he is fully resurrected. Right now, what’s more important is…
“More importantly, that shout will have stimulated the monsters’ instincts. How are the familiars of the Tamers’ Guild?!” Luvesfol shouted.
Guduranis’s resurrection was not something that he would welcome. But right now, he had to prioritize carrying out the orders that Pauvina and Vandalieu had given him. Leading and protecting the humans as they evacuated – If he failed these tasks because he was terrified by Guduranis’s roar, he would never be forgiven… or so he believed.
He was currently on a main road that connected the central plaza where many people had gathered to the Dungeon that had been created as an emergency shelter, the official story for which was that the Tamers’ Guild had built it in a facility that it owned.
The tamers of the Tamers’ Guild were also fighting the monsters and leading the people as they evacuated, even though Vandalieu hadn’t made prior arrangements for them to do so. Naturally, there were many familiars around.
The shout of Guduranis, the one who had created the system that reincarnated the souls of monsters, would sway the instincts of even monsters that had become familiars.
“What?! Then you might be affected too, Luvesfol-san! Should we call Pauvina-sama?!” one of the party’s members exclaimed.
“I-I am fine, as I am highly intelligent! Do not hinder Pauvina-sama!” said Luvesfol indignantly.
He was unaffected, as he had originally been an Elder Dragon, but he couldn’t tell Reinhardt and the others that, so he attempted to convince them that his high intelligence was the reason instead.
“Pay attention to see if the familiars other than myself are showing any strange behavior!” he said.
“I think you’re acting quite strangely yourself,” said a large man with a warrior’s body, the head of a lion, four arms, and gray-brown skin.
At a glance, he looked like a monster, but he was not.
“Vigaro! May I suggest that you be silent and concentrate on fighting the monsters?!” shouted Luvesfol.
“… You were talking strangely for a bit and looked frightened, got lost in thought for a few moments, and now you’re shouting all of a sudden. It’s a fact that you’re acting strangely,” Vigaro said.
“Y-you’re right!” Reinhardt exclaimed, shaken by this realization.
“I’m going to go and get Pauvina-sama!” said one of his companions.
“Stop! My tone of speech is always like this! I am in a perfectly ordinary state!” Luvesfol insisted.
He was currently helping children while in the form of a Wyvern. Could this really be called a ‘perfectly ordinary state’ for a being who was an Elder Dragon and a lower-ranking evil god? This thought flashed through Luvesfol’s mind for a moment, but with all of his mental strength, he forced it into the corner of his consciousness and looked around at Vigaro and the familiars of the nearby tamers.
Many of the tamers’ familiars were indeed shaken, but none of them were obeying Guduranis’s command. And Cuatro and Knochen, who were in the sky overhead, seemed to be unaffected.
“I suppose the command did not have the power to compel monsters to obey it without question, other than the monsters coming from the gates. Or perhaps it does not affect those who have been guided?” Luvesfol wondered. “Either way, it works in our favor.”
It would have been nothing less than a nightmare if allies suddenly turned into enemies in this already chaotic situation.
“More importantly, it seems that it has had no effect on members of Vida’s races,” he said, looking at Vigaro, who seemed entirely unaffected.
“I don’t know what you’re so worried about, but are you guys alright?” Vigaro asked.
“What?! Do you really think that I would betray you?!” Luvesfol almost screamed, moving away so as to not hit Reinhardt and the others and slamming his tail against the ground.
His mind was thinking desperately to figure out a way to clear up this misunderstanding.
“No, I mean, the monsters suddenly became more ferocious, didn’t they? I was just asking if you guys will be alright on your own,” said Vigaro as he produced a spirit-form arm from his back to strike down a crab-like monster that had approached him.
No matter how ferocious the monsters had become, he was capable of defeating Rank 6 monsters without even turning around to look at them. And Luvesfol, despite having his power sealed away, had increased his Rank numerous times, so he wouldn’t fall behind in dealing with the monsters, either.
But the same couldn’t be said for Reinhardt and the others. They were capable fighters who had received Vandalieu’s harsh training, and they were far stronger than other boys and girls of their age. But they could only reliably defeat monsters that were up to Rank 4. If they all worked together, they might manage a Rank 5 monster at best.
“W-we’re fine! Pauvina-sama is defeating the monsters that we can’t deal with. And Luvesfol-san, Legion-san, and the others are helping us as well,” said Reinhardt.
Reinhardt’s pride and notions of common sense had been shattered numerous times by Pauvina and Vandalieu thus far, and there was even a sense of worship in his gaze when he looked at Pauvina. Perhaps because of this, he was surprised but not utterly bewildered by the talking Wyvern, Vandalieu’s familiars who had grown rapidly in number, and the current situation of the city coming under attack, so he was still capable of doing what needed to be done.
Previously, he might have become offended by being spoken to by a Ghoul in such an informal tone, but that wasn’t happening now.
I’ve never seen this person before, but from the looks of him, he’s no ordinary Ghoul. The fact that he took down a powerful monster with a single attack without even turning around is proof of that, Reinhardt thought. And when he says Pauvina-sama’s name, there’s a friendliness in his voice. There’s no doubt that they’ve been acquainted for a long time.
Reinhardt was discerning things like this very quickly. Meeting Pauvina seemed to have given him the opportunity to learn much about worldly wisdom.
“Are Legion here as well?” Vigaro asked.
In response to this question, a sphere of flesh about two and a half meters in diameter pulverized a wall to make an appearance. It was Legion.
“Yes, we are here!” said Valkyrie with a triumphant laugh.
“We knew that this was a large city, but it’s more difficult to move around in than we thought. If only we could move around in a sub-dimension, too,” Isis lamented.
“That sounds like it would be rather difficult,” said Izanami. “Valkyrie, we’re counting on you to command the Yomotsuikusa.”
Behind Legion was a group of Yomotsuikusa who were carrying injured people on stretchers made from pieces of rubble and Legion’s own flesh.
Valkyrie laughed loudly once more. “Leave it to me! Yomotsuikusa, fierce warriors born from our flesh! Hold back your fangs and carry the living after capturing them alive! Take no pity on them! Do not discriminate between those who resist, those who run, and those who obey! Capture them alive and unharmed, and follow our lead!”
With Valkyrie’s commands, they had been protecting the civilians in a different area from Vigaro. Many were shocked and terrified by the sudden appearance of a talking mass of flesh and a swarm of bipedal, skinless humanoid creatures with fangs and claws, but they were taken away by force.
“I know it is rather late, but there is no need to tie up the people who obey us, is there?” said Izanami.
“Izanami, even with the surgery I performed on them, the Yomotsuikusa are not very intelligent, so we have no choice but to capture the people alive indiscriminately,” explained Isis.
Valkyrie laughed. “That is how it is! And those with the strength to resist the Yomotsuikusa are capable of escaping to safety on their own!”
Incidentally, it seemed that Legion were unaffected by Guduranis as well – though this was only to be expected as they were not monsters, despite the peculiar circumstances of their birth.
“I see. But haven’t you become rather small?” said Vigaro.
Ordinarily, even without the Skill that allowed them to increase their size, Legion were a sphere of flesh that was at least ten meters in diameter. And Valkyrie, Izanami, and Isis were the only ones who had been talking.
“Ah, Vigaro! Indeed, we are currently split up to accomplish our missions!” Valkyrie said proudly.
“Split up?” Vigaro repeated.
“Indeed! We are the rescue team! And–”
A new mass of flesh appeared, mid-way through Valkyrie’s sentence.
“Jack’s a part of the emergency rescue team,” said Jack.
“Jack has been teleporting the heavily injured people to Darcia-san,” said Hitomi.
“I feel like I’m going dizzy from all the consecutive teleportations…” said Ghost.
“Ghost, we don’t have inner ear canals or brains, so that’s just your imagination,” said Hitomi.
“Hitomi-chan is right. We’re just flesh, after all,” Jack.
Jack was capable of teleporting next to anyone who was on the verge of death or possessed death-attribute Mana. Using his ability, they were rescuing those who were trapped beneath the rubble or moments away from being killed by monsters, then teleporting them to Darcia.
Minuma Hitomi and Ghost were accompanying Jack as anti-monster fighters.
“There are other groups who are in charge of the fighting, like Baba Yaga’s group and Berserk!” Jack said.
“What about Pluto?” asked Vigaro.
“She’s acting as a marker for us to teleport to, next to Darcia-san.”
“I see.”
“… Pauvina-sama’s mother is incredible. There are so many masses of flesh,” Reinhardt murmured.
The sight of Legion’s sacrilegious appearance drained some of the life from his and his companions’ eyes. And from behind Jack and the others came the dying screams of monsters and the angry shouting and roars of what could only be assumed to be the groups of Legion who were doing the fighting. It was likely that Reinhardt and his companions would suffer even more mental damage as time went on.
Well, in that case, the people around Pauvina would become even more amazing in a way.
“Sorry to interrupt, but wouldn’t it be best to finish evacuating these lowly… I mean, these humans?” asked Luvesfol.
“The evacuation is almost complete, thanks to Knochen, Cuatro, the Gehenna Bees, and the Demons joining us in throwing our bodies at the enemy!” said Valkyrie.
Orbaume was a large city with a population of about five million. Rikudou had enveloped the entire city in this crisis. However, Vandalieu and his companions had chosen to respond to this crisis with all of their strength, paying no mind to the troublesome matters they would be forced to deal with afterwards. As a result, the people were being evacuated at a speed that would normally be considered impossible, and casualties were being kept to a minimum.
“Currently, there aren’t any injured people whose lives are in danger. But we’re not going to let our guard down, since there might be some later on,” said Jack.
“The only ones on the surface now are those fighting the monsters and those who have managed to get close to the emergency shelters on their own. Well, and those who have escaped the city on their own,” said Ghost.
“That, and the people who have gathered around the churches! I know how they feel, but they only just barely missed Duke Jahan’s emergency shelter! How troublesome!” said Valkyrie.
The first stage of the evacuation of Orbaume’s people was almost complete. The rate at which monsters were appearing from the gates was also falling, thanks to the Demon King Familiars who had charged into the gates and were rampaging inside.
However, because the panicking people were running towards the main road where the churches of Alda, Vida, and the other gods were, the evacuation was not yet complete.
And because the monsters chasing the people were gathering there, the area around the churches had turned into the site of a bloody battle… for the monsters, that is.
An enormous centipede emitting lightning from its horns hissed fiercely as it flew through the air, devouring the monsters that could fly.
There were also a countless number of Demons with twisted horns that were protecting the people as they fought off the monsters.
One of them cackled. “Run, run, little humans!”
“Hurry and run, humans! We’re weaker than we look!” another shouted.
A third Demon screamed in pain as it used its own body to block the charge of a rhino-like monster. “M-my wounds! Heal them, Luciliano!”
“Damn it, don’t go collapsing on me yet, my meat shield!” said Luciliano, gritting his teeth as he cast a healing spell on the Demon. “You ladies and gentlemen of the Church of Alda, come and lend a hand, will you?!”
But the clergymen of the Church of Alda showed no desire to offer their aid to the Demons.
“Silence!” one of them said haughtily. “Our power exists to save the people! Not filthy Demons and Undead!”
“Where is the proof that your so-called ‘emergency shelter’ is safe?! We don’t believe you. You’re gathering the people because you’re planning to do something nefarious to them, aren’t you?!” said another accusingly.
Naturally, the head of the Church of Alda and the high priests opposed Vida’s faction. And some of the clergymen working at the church were potential heroes chosen by gods of Alda’s forces. Thus, they had enough fighting forces gathered to fend off the monsters on their own, and they had been reluctant to respond to the requests of Vandalieu’s allies to cooperate with them.
“Not only are there wicked Undead, there are also sinister masses of flesh, an enormous centipede, a venomous moth, as well as Ghouls, Majin, and even Demons… Does the house of Honorary Countess Zakkart intend to turn Orbaume into a Devil’s Nest?! What is the meaning of this, Head Priest?! Guild Master Orlock?!” the head of the Church of Alda demanded angrily.
The head priest of the Church of Vida was dismayed by this criticism, but could not produce any coherent response.
Meanwhile, Orlock, the Guild Master of the Tamers’ Guild, was busy at work. “You pass! You pass! You pass! Damn it, all monsters and members of Vida’s races related to the house of Honorary Countess Zakkart, you all pass! I declare you to be officially recognized familiars!”
It was a hailstorm of passed inspections. Orlock was handing out collars left and right to any who wanted them, whether they were a Demon or anything else.
“O-Orlock?! Have you lost your mind?!” the head of the Church of Alda exclaimed.
“You think we can survive without losing our minds?!” Orlock shouted back at him. “The survival of Orbaume is at stake! If you are not in desperation now, then when?!”
“W-what about the pride of the Tamers’ Guild?! Where are your rules?!” said the head priest.
“Let’s just say that these measures go beyond the rules!” Orlock replied. “Here, you pass too!” he said, handing out yet another collar.
“Thank you!” said the Empusa Myuze as she took it from him.
“Wait, what is that praying-mantis-like monster?! When did it get into the city?! Smuggling monsters into the city through unofficial methods like space-attribute magic is a serious crime!” the head of the Church of Alda screamed.
“We entered through the gate not long ago,” Myuze replied.
“We passed through without stopping, though, since there were no guards at the gate when we arrived,” added the Scylla Privel.
“I’m sure the city guards are not able to do their daily duties in a situation of emergency such as this. Please forgive them,” said the Arachne Gizania.
With every word they spoke, the face of the head of the Church of Alda grew redder with anger. “You filth! Speaking nothing but lies…!”
Because the city was in a state of emergency, with powerful monsters continuously appearing, the usual inspections of people wanting to enter the city were obviously not being carried out.
Thus, anyone was currently free to enter or leave. Members of Vida’s races and even Undead could enter the city without anyone trying to stop them.
However, nobody could blame the head of the Church of Alda for doubting that all of these adventurers, Ghouls, Undead, and Demons who were appearing one after another had all entered through the city’s gates.
But there was one voice who pointed out that now wasn’t the time for this.
“Calm down! Now isn’t the time to be saying such things! If everyone here doesn’t fight together, we won’t be able to protect the city!” said Asagi.
He was fighting to protect the people, despite already having helped those from the Birgitt Duchy evacuate to the shelters.
“You are a mere adventurer! Be silent and know your place!” the head of the Church of Alda retorted.
“Yes, how you feel about the matter has been noted. But could I please have you fight that monster over there? Ah, and you two, I’d be grateful if you come and help out over here,” said Luciliano.
“Huh?!” Asagi uttered, freezing in surprise at being rejected.
But to the head of the Church of Alda in Orbaume, he was nothing more than a single adventurer. And Luciliano knew that he was someone to be wary of, so he didn’t want to get involved with him, either.
“Asagi, I know how you feel, but giving our opinions when we’re just adventurers is only going to make things more troublesome,” said Tendou.
“Let’s just do what we can. Tendou and I will look for people who haven’t evacuated yet, so you go and help the Demons, Asagi,” said Shouko.
And so, they sent Asagi off in the direction where the Demons were fighting.
With an angry bellow, an enormous boar-like monster with horns on its head charged at a crowd of people, the ground trembling as the stone pavement was broken under its hooves.
With a high-pitched shout, Pauvina, the three-meter-tall girl wielding a club and shield faced the monster, the pavement crumbling beneath her as well.
As the two collided, a thunderous noise and a violent shockwave struck the buildings around them. But the boar made a noise of surprise as it realized that its charge had been stopped.
Pauvina made a grunt of exertion. “‘Shield Tackle!’”
Now in close contact with the boar-like monster, she began her own charge in the direction it had come from. Pushed back by her shield and unable to withstand the force, the boar lost its balance.
“‘Roaring Club Blast!’ Die!”
Pauvina swung her club down at the boar’s head with no pity or mercy. She smashed its skull along with the horns protruding from it, putting an end to its life. The shockwave produced by the impact created a crater in the ground, and the buildings around her began collapsing.
“I’d expect no less from you, Pauvina-chan! But at this rate, you’re going to destroy every building in the city,” said Darcia, who was standing at the gate of the Church of Vida, using her ‘Demon Eyes of Healing’ to treat the injured as well as any allies in sight.
“I think the buildings are already quite thoroughly destroyed. Or rather, you should give up on trying to save them,” said Legion’s Pluto, who was on standby next to her.
The battle against the monsters had already caused significant damage to the buildings in the city of Orbaume. The stone pavement that Pauvina had broken underfoot and the damage she’d caused to the buildings from the shockwaves were negligible in comparison.
“More importantly, the rate at which the monsters are appearing has started to fall. And it seems that the people gathering here are the last to evacuate. I think it’s about time,” said Enma.
“I think so, too,” said Darcia. “Let’s go and evacuate the people who have refused to. Transform! ‘Goddess Descent!’”
She activated her transformation equipment and prayed for the goddess to descend upon her. A divine glow radiated from her body, causing the surviving monsters to freeze and tremble in fear, and even the people stood completely still, lost for words.
“Honorary Countess Darcia… No, that’s not her. That’s… Vida?” a nearby person said uncertainly.
“Is that Vida-sama?” asked another.
“The Goddess of Life and Love has descended…!” said a third in awe.
A teleportation gate leading to the evacuation shelter, created by Jane Doe, appeared in front of the people.
“My beloved children. Those who worship me, and those who do not, leave your lives in my hands now. I wish for you to safeguard yourselves by passing through this gate. Do not come to any more harm before my eyes,” Vida said.
Her voice was like that of an affectionate mother, reaching directly into the hearts of the people… Even the head of the Church of Alda could not disobey her, and they were all guided to the evacuation shelter.
And with that, there were no more people in Orbaume that Rikudou could take hostage.
Monster explanation (Written by Luciliano):
Death Emperor Flagship
The flagship of the emperor of death. In other words, he is the ship commanded by Master. But although he may be a ‘flagship,’ Cuatro is in fact the only warship in the Demon Empire of Vidal.
Perhaps because of his Rank increase, or perhaps because of his sense of rivalry with Sam, he has acquired the ‘Comfort Maintenance’ Skill, and his convenience as a ship has increased tremendously as well.
I’m sure the day he serves as a warship, a luxury cruise ship, and a high-speed transport ship all at once will come soon. It goes without saying, but he is a monster that has never been witnessed by human society.
Monster explanation (Written by Luciliano):
Bone Dystopia Dragigas
Knochen has gained the divine protection of Rojefifi, the Evil God of Bone Fangs, reached Rank 13, and taken in the bones of Marduke. He has now surpassed Fidirg in strength. He has shown tremendous growth, including the awakening of the ‘Spirit Form’ and ‘Parallel Thought Processing’ Skills into the ‘Soul Form’ and ‘Group Thought Processing’ Skills like Master.
When fully deployed, he is larger than a castle; the resulting facility is best described as a fortress city. As a moving fortress, he is capable of establishing a nation of bones at any location.
He has also become able to raise his strength in combat tremendously by taking the form of an Elder Dragon. At this point, it would be best to think of him as a demigod rather than a monster. At Rank 16, defeating him would be impossible even with dozens of A-class adventurers gathered.