C115: The Evil Side, the Lord God Side, and me

Once I gave up on the streamers, I decided to defeat the boss of this capture point first. There was no need to be depressed, since this was my main goal. I’ll just have to take my time and think about the trouble afterwards.

They’re all looking at me, waiting for instructions. The leader of this team is supposed to be Gams, but it seems that my position as a follower of God has given me the authority to make decisions.

“Mr. Niles, do you sense any huge, evil presence?”

“I can use magic to detect evil, but the distance is limited. Would you like me to give it a try?”

“Well, yes..”

I thought I’d ask him to probe just to be sure.

“That won’t be necessary.” Suddenly, I hear a quiet, solemn, yet intonationless voice. The voice resonated in my core, even though it was only speaking plainly. Instantly, the villagers and hunters look around, but cannot find the owner of the voice.

“Up there!”

I followed the sharp warning gaze of Gams and saw a single object floating in the sky.

historical

“What the hell is that?”

I heard someone’s startled murmur. I didn’t have time to see who it was, but I couldn’t take my eyes off a spot in the sky. There was something oddly shaped floating there. There is a white square....cage in the sky, but it is not made of iron or wood.

“Is it made of bones?”

Gams was right. Those are bones. A huge cage made of human bones. And crammed inside is a wriggling mass of flesh. Blood vessels that repeatedly pulsate and make unpleasant noises are stretched across the surface of the lump, and blood occasionally spurts out from these vessels.

There are many eyes and noses on the surface of the lump of flesh, but only one mouth. The huge mouth, with the corners of its mouth split open like a crescent moon, was full of sharp blades like the fangs of a shark. Every time the saliva dripping from its mouth hit the ground, the ground sores and white smoke billowed out.

Just looking at him made me sweat all over my body. The reason why my vision has been blurred since a while ago is because my body is unconsciously shaking.

“I can’t believe a monster like that exists.....”

The strange shape and the odor that wafted in the air made the others, including Chem, shrink back completely. When I looked at their faces, they looked pale, and the weapons they were holding slipped from their hands and lay on the ground.

I can assure you that if I had been here alone, I would have run away without even looking over my shoulder. My instincts were telling me that I couldn’t do that, but my heart was screaming at me to run, run, run.

Even so, as a follower of....god, a god destined to protect the villagers, I had no choice but to summon up what little courage I had. I’ve chosen not to run from reality anymore! I clench my hands and grit my teeth. Hold on, hold on, don’t slouch, and don’t look away! You’ve....stopped running away from reality, and you’ve stopped looking away!

“What’s that?”

I heard the sound of breath leaking from next to me. When I turned my gaze slightly to the side, I saw Chem in a praying outfit, tears streaming down her face. The other men were similar, but with strength in their eyes, some of them were supporting their bodies and enduring, using their weapons as canes. Unlike the others, Niles was the only one with a large bead of sweat on his forehead, but instead of distorting his face in fear, he seemed to be thinking about something.

“If that’s the God of....Desire?”

While everyone was confused and unable to move, Niels spoke the name. Everyone in the room reacted to the words with a look of despair.

“Is that the....God of Desire?”

Niles nodded broadly in response to my question and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

”Yes, a follower of the Evil God....the God of Desire. They say it enters the crevices of the mind, seduces and fascinates. Its form is a bloated, skinless mass of flesh. A large mouth and countless eyes and noses. He covers his false body with a cage of bones and keeps it that way. Or so the legend goes.”

I gulped as I listened to what he said with a face devoid of blood. I was prepared for a strong opponent because it was the boss of the capture point, but of all people, he was a subordinate of the Evil God!

“Is there anyone who knows me? Yes, I am a god. I am one of the evil gods, sealed in the depths of the earth. Bare your ugly heart. Give in to your desires.”

“Gagga!”

My head wobbles and my heart beats faster just listening to the voices falling from above. Our weak mind whispers, “Give up, give up everything,” but we shake our heads violently and struggle to escape the sweet words. There was an invisible force from above that was tormenting us. If we let our guard down even a little, we would fall to our knees.

“You are in the presence of the God of Desire. Prostrate yourselves, mortals.”

The pressure increased in an attempt to crush us, and we all fell to our knees on the spot. I was told that the Followers were sent to Japan and lost most of their power, but what is this pressure? This is nothing like when I met Sedo-san, the God of Destiny. In the first place, it’s a foul thing to not have a human form.

The ugly and horrible appearance, the texture is real, not CG. It’s a monster of a strange shape. My instincts, not my logic, are frightened. A sense of despair washed over me, as if I could not even resist. Still, I try to resist somehow, but it’s all I can do not to be crushed. I don’t even have time to think about anything else.

None of my friends showed any signs of moving. Is there nothing we can do but wait to be crushed like this? Most of the villagers and hunters distorted their faces in despair, and not a few of them were shedding large tears of fear.

You can rest now. You can give in now. A sweet temptation that shakes the heart tries to sneak into the cracks of the weak heart. I’m not as strong or as gutsy as the people in the other world, but I’ve done well.

I gathered up what little courage I had left and glared at the God of Desire. The villagers are closer to the god than I am. It’s been ingrained in their minds from an early age as an enemy they will never be able to defeat. They wouldn’t even think of defeating the god.

But I was different, wasn’t I? Not only did I not believe in God, but I even cursed God for my misfortune, putting my own disappointment on the shelf. I put my hands on my knees and put all my strength into my body. I hear something creak and feel pain, but I ignore it!

“Yoshio, sir?”

Chem stares at me with a dumbfounded look on her face. In response to her words, everyone else turns to look at me. Faces stained with despair are lined up in a row. I know, I’m worried, I’m scared. For those who believe in God, the existence of God is absolute, right?

I smiled as much as I could at my precious friends. I’ve been pampered and protected my whole life while many of my classmates have gone from being protected by their families to protecting their families.

“Gu....ooh, ooh, ooh.”

My joints and bones are screaming. I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to endure the biggest pain of your life with me for a little while longer!

In one fell swoop, I stand tall and heroic. I was really happy to be able to protect someone, even if it was just for a game, and to be able to be pampered and relied on by someone. Even if I’m like this, I can be of use to someone. That’s why I can’t show my pathetic appearance in front of them. I want to continue to be their idol, even if this is just a trivial pride.

“God of Desire, I will not be defeated! I can’t give in!”

“Scramble, foolish player!”

The countless eyes stuck to the lump of flesh stared at me. This is the only thing that can take away what little courage I have left. But when I think of the villagers around me....I can find any amount of courage I want!

There is no way to recover from this, on the contrary, I was at the limit of my ability. I can barely move my hands and feet. But still, I’m not going to avert my gaze.

Would he say something, or would he attack us without question? I had prepared myself for this, but my opponent didn’t make any move at all. For some reason, he was just staring at me. What broke through the tense atmosphere was a song with a cheerful rhythm that was too out of place. The song came from my chest. This is....the ringtone of the God of Destiny!

“What the hell is that noise?”

That dumbfounded voice I just heard is the God of Desire, right? I didn’t feel any greatness in this voice, even though it had been an unemotional and indifferent voice earlier. Whether it was the effect of the song or the result of being caught off guard, the power that had been restraining my entire body disappeared, so I hurriedly took out my phone from my breast pocket.

“Whoa, bright!”

The screen of my phone was flooded with a dazzling light. It should be showing the name of the incoming caller, but the white light is too bright to see anything.

“Hello, are you connected?”

I knew this voice was the God of Destiny!

“Yes, I can hear you!”

The white light on my phone went out, and I checked the screen to see a close-up of the face of the God of Destiny, Ms. Sedo.

“Oh, good. That was a really impressive performance. Now, I’ve got some work to do. I know you’re there, God of Desire.”

She called the other person by name, so I extended my arm as I thrust my phone into the air above me.

“You are....God of Destiny.”

You two know each other.

“What are you trying to dress up as? You’re downstairs working on your computer.”

“....”

Downstairs, so the God of Desire works in the same building too!

I had heard that both the subordinate deities on the Lord God’s side and the subordinate deities on the Evil God’s side were equally fallen in Hokkaido, but I didn’t realize that even this God of Desire was a colleague who worked in the same office building.

“It’s against the rules to misbehave with a piece of yourself left in the other world, isn’t it? Do you know what you’re doing? Can I go downstairs now and spank you?”

The God of Desire, who keeps silent while the God of Destiny speaks rapidly. Although his appearance remains the same, the way he keeps his mouth tightly shut makes me feel sad. The sense of fear and oppression I felt earlier has faded considerably. This is changing the direction of the wind. If the negotiations....or rather the threats go well, we may be able to get through this.

“Oh, um, Yoshio-sama. Who is that voice coming from the board and what is it saying?”

Chem tugged on the sleeve of my dress and called out to me apologetically. The others seemed to feel the same way and looked at me with troubled faces. Oh, so this conversation wasn’t interpreted to people from other worlds? I was relieved because it was about the dignity of God.

“The owner of the voice is the God of Destiny.”

“Oh, my God.”

Chem and Niles were so surprised that their upper bodies fell over on their backs. The others were also surprised, their mouths wide open and their eyes wide.

“The Gods are negotiating right now. Please wait a moment.”

When I said that, he nodded his head so many times that I thought his neck would break. It’s not common to have the opportunity to witness a conversation between gods, so it’s only natural that they react this way.

“Why don’t you speak up and act like a big shot like you did before? You’re probably just holding a grudge because your player was beaten out of the game by Yoshio-kun, aren’t you? You’re a god, but you’re a little man.”

There are two people who fit the criteria. They are Yamamoto-san and the man who manipulated Seika. So this God of Desire was the God the band man was playing!

“The purpose of connecting the other world to Japan is also secondary to this one. It never occurred to me that your main goal was to lure Yoshio out and harm him.”

It wasn’t by chance that Iryu Mujin Village was in the Forbidden Forest, but rather that it had been set up knowing that it was my territory.

“By the way, your pay cut is final.”

The God of Desire, who has been silent since then without a response, is creepy.

“Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up! Bitch! Ahh!”

The air shook as the huge mouth rasped, and my whole body trembled from the vibrations of the voice. I’d been caught off guard by our earlier exchange, but that was a follower of the evil god. He’s a god.

“We’re all gods, but we’re all bound by human reason. What are the rules? If you’re going to give me a pay cut, then I’m going to go on a rampage!”

It’s easier to deal with him now that he’s lost the dignity he had earlier and has become more human. However, the current situation is still quite difficult. I heard that it’s a piece of God, but even with that, it must still have the power to defeat us. We who are facing it are feeling the difference in power firsthand.

“Oh, yeah. I’m going to go downstairs to knock you down, so be prepared. Yoshio, if they’re going to break the rules, we don’t need to follow them either. I’ll lend you my strength, so good luck! Okay, Mi-chan, Yaku-chan, and....we’re going to hit the bottom floor!”

“Got it!”

“Yeah!”

“I’ll go with you!”

The call was cut off after those words. I could hear other people’s voices, but was that an employee....or another god? I’m curious, but right now, my top priority is to deal with the current situation.

“Oh, shit, they really broke in. Damn it, stop it, man! You guys, stop watching and help! If this happens, I’m going to run an automated program called.....””

The God of Desire was ranting and raving and then suddenly fell silent. It would be great if he would just stop moving, but that’s not going to happen. The eyes of the God of Desire, who had only moved his mouth for a long time, had a red glow in them, and the blood vessels lining his body were pulsating more violently than before.

“I am the God of desire. Those who belong to the Lord God must be destroyed.”

The voice, spoken in one language, is of such poor quality that it could only be a voice synthesized by an old type of machine. He activated the automated program he was talking about earlier!

“Everyone, please be vigilant. The God of Destiny has weakened his strength, but he still has some power left. We have no choice but to fight him off ourselves!”

The conversation between the gods ruined the seriousness of the situation, but the battle with the God of Desire is inevitable. Even though that thing is a fragment of a god and not a complete body, and even though it has been weakened, it is definitely a powerful enemy.

“It’s the last boss fight. We’ll get through it.”