Crimson spark surged in the underground workshop of Nagumo house.
The many tools placed on the wall, nurous materials stuffed into the steel shelves, and then the unknown things forming huge mound on the floor. *Mojo* (TN: So kind of jiggling sound effect)
「Chih. The way to use it is too lacking in utility. The replenishnt rate is also slow. Perhaps I should rethink it from the beginning……」
The one who muttered that was the master of this workshop――Haji. He took off his goggle and let it dangled from his neck while he dropped himself on the chair with a thud.
*Mojori*
In front of Haji, there was an orb that was placed above the working table. Yes, it was the orb that was filled with spirit elent that he received from star tree Lutria, a god of another world.
「Although there wasn’t any ti, it still hurt that I don’t really know about the technique or theory of that world.」
Haji scratched his head. It was fine and all to get chard by an unknown power and received what could be received thoroughly, but because it was an energy that was inherent to that world, Haji currently had reached the limit of the thod to use that energy.
He tried mixing it with magic power, or used it as energy source of artifact, or experinting whether it could be converted into electricity or magic power, etc. He experinted various things repeatedly, but it didn’t really go well.
The orb itself was producing spirit elent. If the content was reduced, it had the power to resupply after so ti passed. It seed that a small foliage of the star tree was inserted into the orb.
And so, it could activate spirit tool and divine spirit armant but……put in another word, he couldn’t find another use for it other than that.
The conclusion.
Right now there wasn’t really any way to use it.
As an engineer, he wished to work out a thod to use it effectively by all ans but……
*Mojorun*
Since then Haji continued to rack his brains over this problem for a while, trying this and that.
*Mojomojo~. Mojo! Mojo!*
「DAAAAAAAH, you’re irritating since so ti ago!」
Haji stood up from his chair and seized the green sli that climbed on the chair’s hand rest and attacked him with poking tentacle. And then without delay he threw it with all his strength.
*Splat~* The green sli got stuck on the wall, and then it slid down to the floor. It jiggled back to its comrades position. Yes, back to its comrades――the yellow, ashen, red, black, transparent, light blue sli comrades.
「They said that it’s a soul fragnt of a divine spirit, so I completely thought that it would have clear consciousness, and yet. Really, they’re just slis aren’t they?」
Haji made a long sigh while his hand reached toward the twitching sli. The green sli whose atmosphere seed to clearly say 『That guy is angry! He threw , horrible!』 went 『……Eh? He isn’t angry?』 and dragged itself toward Haji with jiggling motion.
The divine spirit’s soul fragnt――an existence that was like the other half that was created by the other world’s gods who governed the nature by shaving off their own soul.
The yellow sli was “divine spirit of lightning cloud Udar”, the ashen colored sli was “divine spirit of earth Oros”, the red sli was “divine spirit of fire circle Soare”, the black sli was “divine spirit of dusk Laila”, the transparent sli was “divine spirit of ice and snow Barahu”, the light blue sli was “divine spirit of sea current rees”, and then the green sli was the soul fragnt of “divine spirit of flowing sky Enti”.
Haji completely thought that they would be like a clone with the will and personality of the original dwelling inside them, and he would be able to communicate with them just like with their main body, but in reality it was like this.
They could only communicate using gesture, and their movent also often gave the childish impression. On top of that, although they properly inherited the authority of the original, their handling was really poor.
The soul fragnt slis, especially Soare sli were separated from Shia and stayed in this underground that was spatially isolated from the outside also because the risk of them accidentally discharging their power.
After all, at the first day lightning cloud was generated at the sky above Nagumo house, then wind and rain and ice and snow blew violently, and yet the temperature continued to climb, earthquake occurred, and so on. Everything happened because the power of the soul fragnt slis was accidentally disharged.
It was a complete miscalculation of Haji who thought he would be able to ask them how to use spirit elent anyti.
The green sli who got on his palm――the main body was a teenage beautiful girl wearing clothes that looked like dancer outfit and her hair done into twintail――went *mojo?*, most likely it was focusing on Haji with an upward gaze.
For so reason Haji tried poking it with his finger. It pushed back by stretching out a small sli hand as though to say『Stop that!』.
Then, at that ti a voice「Haji-sa~n」 resounded from outside the workshop.
The one who entered was Shia. Instantly Soare sli and Udar sli leaped toward Shia……lightning and fla surged midair. They blew away each other and went *Splat!* on the walls of opposing side before falling to beco a stain on the floor.
「It will be dinner soon~, eh, what are you doing with Enti-san on your hand?」
Haji and Enti sli were touching their fingertip together and pushed at each other. Seeing that Shia tilted her head while ignoring everything else.
「No, I’m reaching a dead end about how to handle spirit elent. So I observed these guys once more but……」
「Isn’t she really hating it?」
Haji was pushing and rubbing with his finger tip even now. The Enti sli lightly hopped to run away. But, Haji tightly grasped it and didn’t let go.
Laila sli tackled him looking like it was saying『This outrageous persooon!』. Haji ignored it and also ignored what Shia pointed out while saying.
「Based from what I observed from the reaction of the red and yellow sli, it’s certain that it’s not the case they don’t inherit the inside of the original at all. A soul fragnt is shaved from the soul after all, so perhaps existentially they’re inferior in quality?」
Haji pinched Enti sli with both hands and stretched it while tilting his head. Barahu sli also joined with the tackling. It seed that it couldn’t bear to see Enti sli jiggling in resistance.
‘Hm~m’ Haji groaned. Shia tilted her head.
「You said inferior……they were just born, so isn’t it natural that they cannot communicate and their control of their power isn’t going well?」
「……」
‘If they’re baby then it’s normal right?’ Shia said. Haji’s mouth opened wide in astonishnt.
「The scale has fallen from my eyes.」
「I, is that so?」
「Because, they’re still god even like this you know? Treating them as baby isn’t normal.」
Haji’s expression turned really conflicted at Shia who solved the question in one go.
He sighed once.
「Well, in that case, I can only wait for these guys to grow until we can communicate, or quickly establish a thod to co and go to that world in order to master the spirit art theory. At this point it’s difficult to handle the spirit elent well enough……」
「I wonder how fast the growth rate of god? After growing will Soaresan’s consciousness sprout? ……Can’t we correctly raise her starting from now to beco a pure and proper divine spirit of fire circle?」
「Hm~……」
Soare sli who drew close below Shia with jiggling motion, it also threw a ball of fla to Udar sli at the sa ti. Shia looked down at that while saying so. Haji showed a pondering face.
And then,
「Yosh, I’ll suspend the research for spirit elent’s use for now. In exchange, Shia, I’m thinking to strengthen your Vire Drucken.」
「Strengthening Drucken?」
「Yeah. You told that Udar once attempted to turn it into divine spirit armant right?」
They already had the full line-up of soul fragnts along with many divine spirit armants as example. If Vire Drucken could be turned into divine spirit armant using soul fragnt’s power, Shia’s battle strength would be increased. Furthermore it might also quicken the growth of the soul fragnts. At the very least that was better rather than getting confined in the underground workshop.
「Oo! That’ll be nice! From the incident this ti, I painfully felt how lacking I am in annihilation power! Even if I can dodge lightning by sight, it’s difficult to do that while protecting soone behind !」
「O, ou, yeah. ……Yeah. You now can dodge railgun bullet by sight huh……」
‘Could it be, I’m making this bugged rabbit to be even more bugged? I’m trying to make her dash to an absurd direction? Am I being rash…….’ Haji thought with cold sweat.
Although, there was also the situation with the sudden summoning this ti. No matter how much he strengthened his family, there was no such thing as overdoing it. Besides,
「I’m really looking forward to it desuu~. My new partner! Haji-san Haji-san! When is it going to be finished!?」
Shia hopped around and waved around her rabbit ears while sending hopeful gaze to Haji. In front of that sparkling bright gaze, Haji-san who was completely spoiling his bunny wife could only answer「I’ll do my best to finish it ASAP」 with a wry smile.
Ti passed.
Haji and Shia who went to an oversea travel date unexpectedly discovered an ancient ruin and through so chain of events they threw various jobs to Kousuke. After that,
The two of them visited a forest in Britain at their date to search for fantasy on earth.
「This forest is really quite and lovely isn’t it~. The atmosphere is different from Japan’s forest.」
「You’re right. Britain’s forest might be the forest with closest atmosphere to sea of tree Haltina.」
Shia breathed in the clear and air of the forest that was damp like after a rain. They were quite deep inside the forest and there was no one around them, so she didn’t hide her rabbit ears. It wasn’t like it felt uncomfortable using the camouflage, even so felt relaxed as though there was this feeling of liberation.
The two of them advanced even further inside the forest feeling that it wouldn’t be bad to just camp inside the forest like this.
As expected perhaps because she was a forest bunny, Shia’s footsteps was more springy compared to when she was in a middle of city. Haji’s footstep also naturally beca more lively seeing Shia having fun like that.
Like that, they had a great fun with their forest date.
「Eh?」
「Hm?」
The instant they took that one step, Shia and Haji raised their voices at the sa ti and stopped walking.
「Haji-san too?」
「That ans Shia too huh. Then, this doesn’t seem to be just my imagination.」
Shia’s rabbit ears twitched in wonder. Haji made a face that said 「Seriously……」 while he changed the direction of his body. Toward the direction he thought to advance to from the beginning.
「Aa, as I thought. Our focus got directed toward the north.」
「Even though we were going east, our step was changing direction really naturally toward the north.」
Shia took a step forward toward the east and she got flustered, saying 「Oo, when I’m aware of it, it feels really uncomfortable!」.
「Haji-san! This is!」
Shia’s eyes shined bright with excitent. Her heart throbbed hard and her rabbit ears and tail shook.
「Seriouslyy~, I was half joking coming here though. After an ancient ruin it’s a forest labyrinth huh. Just how fantasy earth can be huh.」
Haji looked up to the sky feeling a bit of headache. The sun would co down soon, in addition, there was also the dense vegetation, obstructing the light of the sky from reaching down here as consolation to them.
「Is this good luck or bad luck」
「Obviously it’s a good luck!」
「……It’s only vaguely but, this guidance, I’m feeling malice from it you know?」
「Isn’t that right!」
The bugged rabbit-chan of the forest couldn’t be stop with re malice. Haji smiled slightly saying 「Of course you’re, I knew it」 and took the path to the north.
He felt really complicated at the height of his encounter rate with fantasy……or rather with trouble, even so he was a boy. If he switched his feeling, as expected his heart danced when an adventure was in front of him.
Within the air that felt like coiling around them stickily sohow, Shia advanced forward in a good mood with skipping footsteps. It made Haji’s footsteps to beco light too.
After a while, mist descended. It rapidly turned gloomy and even the trees with strange shape increased in number, it even felt like stepping into the jaw of a gigantic beast――normal people would surely feel that.
「The atmosphere is really amazing isn’t it~. Ah, we’ll have to show this to Yue-san and others too later.」
「I’ve prepared a glasses with cara function installed thinking that sothing like this might happen. Verdandi Glass. In short Vel Glass.」
Shia who was handed a beautiful sunglasses with glittery decorative illumination for use of clubbers thought 「Do you want to wear a sparkling glasses no matter what?」 with a conflicted face while putting it on obediently.
The sunglasses shined radiantly in seven colors inside the deep eerie forest. Haji-san’s expression looked really satisfied.
Like that they advanced for a bit further and ca out to an opened place. The empty plot of land with an unnaturally perfect circle shape didn’t even have weed growing on it. The mist beca thicker and enshrouded above their head.
Haji stepped into there while making a thinking face.
「If there is a place with unnatural lack of vegetation like this inside a forest, normally it will be so kind of famous place or a mysterious place that will beco a popular topic……」
「Mysterious place of the world! The TV will make a show like that for this kind of place isn’t it」
Of course, they had never heard anything like that. In this era where satellite had been invented, there should be almost no place in the world that couldn’t be observed but……
Haji crouched and tried touching the ground’s soil. He tried appraising it. The ground couldn’t be said to have humus like other spot. It had really dry quality but it was still a normal soil.
「The circle’s diater is around fifteen or sixteen ter……just what is this place――」
Haji stood up and tilted his head, but he suddenly cut off his words.
――Sacri, fice
Because of that eerie voice.
「Haji-san!」
「Ou」
Shia took out Vire Drucken, while Haji took out Donner and they stood back to back.
――Sacri, fice. Offe……
「Sacrifice? Sacrifice it said? Offer a sacrifice? To who?」
It was a first eting, so although he raised his voice, Haji-san asked with a polite way of speaking. The reply to that was really rude. The surrounding trees wriggle and branches swiftly stretched from the crazily twisting trees, turning into spear from all direction.
「Oi oi, there’s no talking with this guy.」
「We have no hostility! Let’s talk calmly!」
Haji and Shia said that while accurately shooting or swinging the war hamr to pulverize the attacking branches.
The ground bulged up, and right after that roots flew out from the ground and approached like a wall of spear.
Haji and Shia separated to left and right with Haji tossing an explosion grenade. Crimson shockwave burst out at the sa ti with the explosion, turning the countless roots that were wriggling like tentacle into small pieces.
Finally the opponent seed to notice that the two weren’t normal lost people.
――That power……are you two Vatican’s people?
It was a woman’s voice. The voice was beautiful and broadcasted as though it resounded through the whole area like before. It smoothly entered into their ear. However, at the sa ti, it was a repulsive voice that was boiling with malice.
「Vatican? That place again……」
――You aren’t? Then, what are you two?
「Just a traveler. It’s you who invited us right? First can’t you introduce yourself as the host?」
Beside him, Shia said 「Oo~, even though he is attacked, Haji-san is holding a proper talk!」 with an expression of admiration and shock.
――Impossible. That woman’s ears……are genuine? Don’t tell , there is still survivor in this era?
「Oi~, will you play ball with the conversation?」
Now that the voice ntioned it, Shia’s rabbit ears weren’t concealed since they entered the forest. Haji clicked his tongue inside his heart while attempting further discussion. As a civilized person, he should always began with talk and ended it with talk. War is no good, absolutely!
――A man with power who isn’t affiliated with Vatican, and a survivor of the age of god, no, atavism?
「Hello? Miss? Is my voice reaching you?」
――Interesting. You two are the most interesting things in this one thousand of years. It will be a waste to use you two as sacrifice
「It’s great that you have a good ti. Will you make “conversation” soon in order to have even more fun?」
The answer ca from inside the forest. *Slither slither* the sound of sothing crawling was approaching. *Splat splat*, there was also a sickening voice that fanned up the visceral disgust in their guts.
「……Haji-san. I already know from the start but, as I thought the malice of this voice’s owner isn’t half-baked.」
「So this is what she an as sacrifice huh.」
What showed up was a terribly blasphemous sothing. If they had to describe it in few words, they would call it a “at lump”. The cluster of flesh crawled and squird on the ground while digesting the soil, the twisting trees, and also the animals. Limbs of various sizes were jutting out from everywhere on its body. Countless eyes were rolling around restlessly like a DodokiHundred-eyed demon yokai.
It wouldn’t be strange for normal people to go crazy seeing the repulsive thing there.
――IIaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
A shriek that rubbed human nerves the wrong way and disturbed the mind shook the air. Right after that, countless tentacles flew out from the at lump. Those tentacles branched further in midair and approached Haji and Shia like thin wires.
Shia moved between Haji and the tentacles.
「Funnuh! Desuu!」
*BANGG* Her speed broke the sound barrier, in exchange it created a wall of shockwave. The tentacles were simultaneously deflected, and instantly, Haji leaped up and sniped through between Shia’s rabbit ears.
A defense by the vanguard and an offense by the rearguard were done in harmony. The result, Donner’s shot splendidly hit the center of the at lump. The exploding bullet released its might and crimson ripple burst from within the at lump.
There was one result. In front of the destruction that couldn’t be resisted, the at lump was blown away as though from getting hit by explosion.
「It’s like the super inferior version of Ehito.」
Haji muttered with a low voice. Shia was going to reply――but before she could,
――IIaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
――IIaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
――IIaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
at lumps poured out from all directions.
「No way」
「A type of enemy that crowd with number huh」
It was a sight like a cylinder wall of at had been ford. After the open space was surrounded with at wall, it made one didn’t want to think about what would happen to what was inside at all.
――Welco to the forest of the immortal witch
The woman voice――the so called witch’s voice echoed with overflowing scorn and malice.
――Don’t worry. I won’t turn you two into sacrifice. I’ll make you into prisoner of my sorcery
A laughing voice that was really offensive to the ear echoed.
Inside the at wall that covered even the sky, Haji opened his mouth without any unease at all.
「Shia. It looks like this woman is only putting her consciousness inside that at lump. With that this disgusting at lump assimilate with the surrounding forest area with this place as the center.」
――!?
「In other words, this open space is the core? Like a monster.」
「No, I don’t understand the reason why this spot is the center. But, well, this woman’s territory is around the diater of half kiloter. It’s likely she searched for immortal life and ended up like this.」
「She invited human into forest, absorbed them as sacrifice, and continued to prolong her life, and this is the compensation for that……it’s really ugly.」
――How……
That single word eloquently indicated that they hit the bull’s eye. She would never imaging that soone would use magic eye stone to follow the flow of power and used the compass to investigate.
At the sa ti, it was also completely outside of her imagination that the people she lured would be monster that far surpassed herself.
Unreasonableness was always the closest neighbor for those living in this world.
The cruel and inhuman witch who survived until this age by making sacrifice no matter what it was since far away in the past, from the age where human and mystique were living together, seed to have completely forgotten that truth through her long life.
Haji spoke with a gentle expression to the astonished witch.
「Witch-san, let’s calm down for the mont. Be cool. Speaking of witch, they are the synonym of coolness. ……No, well, recently there is also developnt of becoming magical girl in exchange of a wish, and in the end they despaired and beca witch that spread disaster though……」
「Haji-san, Haji-san. You’re getting out of topic.」
Haji got a faraway look recalling the recent magical girls who shook free from various things because of the severity of life, but Shia lightly slapped his cheek repeatedly, pulling him back to his senses. He coughed once and added more words.
「Cough-. Anyway, witch-san. We are also people who is knowledgeable of the mystique, in other words, we’re your comrade. Can’t we hold a communication here in order to know each other better?」
The witch spilled out concerning words. Or rather, she was a fairytale existence that existed for real in this modern era. There was a lot of information he wanted to wring out――not that, he wanted to talk out with her.
If the at lump was just a familiar then there would be no problem, but if the at lump that assimilated with the forest was this witch itself, then the available thod would be limited. So Haji-san did his best to make a smile. He also aid to project a calm atmosphere.
――You shouldn’t even compare yourself with the mystery that I contain
It was a bit dangerous atmosphere.
――The will of you two is unnecessary for the research
In other words,
――There is no need for reservation. You two can accept my hospitality to your heart’s content
That seed to be the case. Wall of at oozed out from the ground and started to cover the area until above.
Haji held his head saying 「Whether it’s this guy or that guy, everyone is trampling on my pure good will……」 on his wits’ end. Shia consoled him 「The day will co when Haji-san’s words will get through! ……Perhaps!」 with a wry smile.
Shia patted Haji’s shoulder consolingly. Haji said 「It will be great if that ti co」 to her while his eyes turned cold at the next mont.
「I have enough of your hospitality. We’re going ho now.」
A crimson light flashed bright.
――What are you-
「It’s my thanks for the hospitality. Take it without reservation.」
What appeared was rocket & missile launcher “Agni – Orcan”. At the sa ti, all the fired rockets were incendiary bomb that was filled plentifully with tar from another world.
As soon as the countless flying rockets hit the at wall, the wall was blown away by the impact, holes were opened, and hellfire was scattered grandly.
The forest itself was enemy? Then, he would dye the whole forest crimson.
And so, thinking rationally, it would be better to capture the witch alive seeing that she seed to have various fantasy information and interrogated her but……Haji didn’t want to expose Shia to this repulsive creature even more than this just for the sake of such information. Naturally, it was also out of the question to capture and brought it ho to his family.
Incidentally, Haji more or less also thought to not let this witch roam free so that no more victim would appear.
――Yo, u-, YOUUUUUUU-
「Ha, Haji-san, Haji-san. Is there no problem with the fire spreading?」
「I’m not going to make that kind of blunder. The area from that place where the mind manipulation started until here is half foreign world, this is the best way to sterilize filth.」
「We, well, thinking of how many people has beco sacrifice until now, this can’t be helped……isn’t it」
That was the conversation between the composed Haji who had quickly stayed inside the four point barrier of Cross Velt and Shia who went 「Awawa, this will absolutely beco news……」 with slightly twitching face.
Even during that conversation, heavy rain of tar was pouring through the variable chakram Orestes that was sent outside the barrier. And then, the witch of the forest was shrieking.
As expected she couldn’t win against the sticky 3000° Celcius hell fire.
The witch that was burned to ash in the blink of eye raised a cry of death agony while――
――Unforgivable-, you two can fall to hell!
She said such clichéd line. But, it seed that it wasn’t a simple parting threat.
「Ah?」
「Eh?」
Haji and Shia’s voice slipped out at the sa ti. Because under their feet, more accurately the whole open space was shining intensely.
――O dregs of the rotten world tree! Open the door toward the overlapping worlds!
Right after that, it was like the ground exploded with how explosively light was spreading……
「No good-」
「Wawawah!?」
Haji imdiately attempted to escape using crystal key to teleport, but he was obstructed by the madly frenzied space itself and he was a bit late in activating it.
Before he could make up for that delay, the two of them were enveloped in light.
An intense light completely filled the two’s field of vision while the shriek of death agony of the witch was echoing――
(? That’s……)
Haji held a question seeing the scene that he hallucinated for an instant while his figure vanished from above earth together with Shia.
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