After our battle with Ars, we continued heading toward the castle.
……Slowly, but surely. We're getting closer.
To the final destination.
Not just in terms of distance.
I can feel it.
As I ran, I exchanged words with Seras.
Behind was Munin, followed by Gio.
At the rear, I positioned Eve, who had keen "ears", to guard against ambushes from behind.
Seras asked.
[Is sothing bothering you?]
[Hm? Oh…… a little.]
After fighting Ars, I had a particular concern.
I was debating whether or not to share it with Seras again.
It wasn't yet a certainty.
And right now, would telling Seras about it really be beneficial?
Seras had said she would move according to my judgnt.
Then———— perhaps, for now, this was sothing I should carry alone.
"It's not good to keep things to yourself."
That line of thinking is correct.
But it's not always the right approach in every situation.
If telling soone wouldn't provide a aningful benefit and might only cause unnecessary distractions……
Then sotis, it's better to keep it to yourself.
Right now, I want Seras to focus on combat.
So I should eliminate any distractions———– any impurities from her mind as much as possible.
Besides, I had already shared this concern with her shortly after we reunited.
We've already discussed it once.
So there’s no point in bringing it up again now.
[…………………]
Besides.
There aren't many counterasures I could take in advance for this concern.
When we fought Ars, Eve engaged him directly, and from that, we gathered information.
This would be the sa.
In other words……
When we encounter an enemy, how quickly can we piece together our thoughts?
Quick thinking.
Adaptability.
Certainty.
Flexibility in battle is likely the culmination of all these factors.
Seras seed to sense sothing from my deanor.
She didn’t press further about what was "bothering" .
That was likely because———- she trusted .
And I must live up to that trust.
Just then———– a Sacrant attacked.
[———Seras.]
[Yes.]
Seras dealt with it effortlessly.
With minimal movent.
With this team, we wouldn't struggle against ordinary Sacrants.
Especially with Seras, who far outclassed the rest of us in pure combat ability.
———-However.
There was still the concern I had before the fight with Ars——–
"If we face an opponent whose sheer combat ability is on another level…… then my Abnormal State Skill, which could neutralize them without a direct confrontation, would beco crucial." ṙ𝓪ℕ∅βЁS
If my own words back then were accurate……
No——— this wasn't just about combat ability.
Ars repeatedly "evolved" during battle.
If the other Divine Servants or Vysis had undergone a similar evolution———-
Would we be able to win with brute force alone?
Even with our Anti-Deity resources……
Could a re human…… really go head-to-head with a Divine Servant and win?
The concern that sprouted after our battle with Ars……
It had now grown into a troubling, massive doubt.
Ars had even shrugged off my Abnormal State Skill.
They worked———– but at the sa ti, they didn’t.
For now, I had managed to neutralize him with the last remaining use of .
But if we encountered the other two Divine Servants, we'd have to fight without .
If they were of the sa caliber and nature as Ars……
Then we would need a different strategy for the next battle.
Given that, the key to our victory might be……
Or rather, soone who might hold the decisive factor in their hands even more than I do———-
[……Asagi huh.]
In that case.
On the assumption that Asagi remains "on our side"——–
I can only hope she's already t up with Sogou and the Takao sisters……
[Pi?]
[What is it, Pigimaru?]
[Pimumu……? Pipii!]
Then——–
[Touka!]
[Touka-dono.]
A mont after Pigimaru, Seras and Eve also called out to .
I——— noticed it as well.
Munin and Gio, however, still seed unaware.
[A- Ara? What's going on?]
[What is it?]
But since everyone else had stopped, Munin and Gio followed suit.
[………………….]
In the shadows of an eroded building, sothing was there.
But, this faint presence……
Could it be————
[Ohhh!? I was feeling anxious being all alone, but now I've suddenly reunited with a group of safe and familiar faces!]
After voicing her joy, she placed a hand on her chest and let out a sigh of relief.
[Haah, thank goodness…… I thought I might not be able to et up with anyone……]
The one hiding behind the building was Loqierra.
The small goddess approached.
[You've been hiding the whole ti?]
[With how weak I am right now, I'd even lose against the weakest Sacrant in this labyrinth…… I had no choice but to use this small body of mine to stay hidden and sneak around. By the way, is the black leopard guy okay?]
Loqierra asked while looking at Gio's arm.
Gio snorted.
[I ain't gonna slow you down.]
[Ohh, that's reassuring.]
[Loqierra-dono.]
[You must be glad you finally reunited with your beloved Touka, Seras.]
[L- Loqierra-dono…… ——–No, um…… yes.]
Eve crossed her arms, looking deeply moved.
[Hmmm…… It seems that in the ti I haven't seen her, Seras has beco even more head over heels for Touka than before.]
Seras twirled the ends of her hair with her fingers, looking embarrassed.
[H- Head over heels…… Do I really look that way……]
Eve nodded firmly.
[I'm glad to see Munin is safe too!]
Loqierra called out to Munin, who answered while slightly hunching forward.
[The sa goes for you…… phew…… I'm glad you're safe too, Loqierra-san.]
Munin's shoulders moved faintly up and down.
After chatting with everyone for a bit, Loqierra returned to my side.
[Hm———- Alright, looks like Munin's breathing has settled. Ready to move, Munin?]
[Y- Yes……. I'm sorry, everyone, it's just that my stamina couldn't keep up……]
Seras imdiately stepped in to reassure her.
[Munin-dono, please don't worry. You trained as hard as you could with . You've put in all the effort you could, so there's no need to be ashad.]
Munin placed a hand on her cheek and let out a sigh, looking slightly lancholic.
[……Haaah…… Maybe it's my age after all……]
For Munin's sake, I figured it was about ti we took a break.
It seed like Loqierra had been keeping an eye on Munin's condition as well.
……Despite her carefree way of speaking, she was actually quite considerate.
Unlike a certain sh*tty goddess.
Once again———— we moved forward.
As we proceeded, I shared the information we'd gathered so far with Loqierra.
[———-I see……]
[What do you think?]
Reuniting with Loqierra was a big deal.
I had planned to think through that particular concern on my own.
However, as a Deity, Loqierra possessed knowledge about Deities and Divine Servants.
With her perspective, I might be able to get so useful insights based on what we'd learned.
[It's certainly possible that Wormungandr and Yomibito have similar evolutionary abilities. But…… from what I gather, Ars seems like a Hero from an incredibly long ti ago. Back when Vysis was first dispatched to this world, she provided fairly detailed reports. My mory isn't the most reliable since it was so long ago, but…… I think the Hero who asked to be killed after defeating the Root of All Evil huh…… If I rember correctly, wasn't that the First Hero……? If that's the case…… then Ars might have been a Hero from an era even before Wormungandr was "disposed of"……]
[In other words?]
[Unlike Demi-Godification, the "manufacturing" of Divine Servants takes a long ti. That process results in greater power compared to Demi-Godification……]
Apparently, Demi-Godification didn’t provide as dramatic a power boost.
On the other hand, unlike Divine Servants, Demi-Godified individuals didn't undergo any major physical transformations.
[Additionally, Divine Servants tend to grow stronger the longer the manufacturing process takes.]
[So basically…… Ars could have had the longest manufacturing period among all Divine Servants————- aning he might have been the strongest of them?]
[Unn.]
This———- could be good news.
[Now that he's been neutralized, I can only hope that Ars was the toughest opponent among the Divine Servants……]
[When I saw him, he had Divine Factor that made him a natural counter against Divine Servants, so he probably never even needed to evolve. I doubt he was showing his full power. However……]
[There's sothing else?]
[It's about Wormungandr.]
[That forr Deity huh.]
[……Unn.]
[Is he strong?]
[Very.]
Loqierra answered without hesitation.
[Back then, the power hierarchy in Heaven went like this: at the top was the Chief God, Origin-sama, followed by the Pillar God, Thesis-sama. Then there was the Wolf God, Vanargadia, and finally, the Serpent God, Wormungandr.]
[So in terms of ranking, Wormungandr was fourth?]
[Unn. But Wormungandr wasn’t the aggressive type, so he never actually fought Vanargadia…… Even when he was disposed of, it was Thesis-sama and Vanargadia who were sent to deal with him. But apparently, the actual fight was mostly between Thesis-sama and Wormungandr.]
Which ans……
[There’s a chance Wormungandr was actually stronger than Vanargadia?]
[Exactly…… In our battle before, Vanargadia was defeated and erased by Wormungandr, who had received Anti-Deity Enhancents…… But it's possible that even before that, Wormungandr was already stronger than Vanargadia.]
Compared to the casual chatting earlier———– Loqierra now had a bitter expression.
[Our Chief God is undeniably the strongest, but he's not exactly a combat type. When it cos to fighting, Thesis-sama is effectively the strongest. However, their power interferes with concepts themselves———– frankly, they're like a walking cheat code. But because their power is so absurdly strong, it cos with major drawbacks. So, in a way, their strength is a double-edged sword…… Basically, the top two Deities are in a category of their own. But getting back to the point…… If Wormungandr was already stronger than Vanargadia back then……]
[Then in terms of pure combat ability, Wormungandr might have been the strongest in Heaven?]
[That's right.]
Loqierra looked troubled.
[……Like I said before, Worm have always been an enigma. But he had this strange fondness for humans. At the sa ti——— I think he resented them too. When was it again……? He said that we Deities should intervene more and take control over humans. That the Deities should conduct selection———— that our divine hand should remove the bad seeds. That if we didn’t actively manage them and just left them be, the potential of the humans would only continue to fade away.]
[………………………]
[The maturation of society, the refinent of technology and ideas, these things do not bring happiness to humanity as a whole…… I think that’s what he said. Humans are creatures that will repeat the sa mistakes over and over unless they are governed by an absolute being beyond themselves.]
[I'm on the side of bad seeds myself, so strictly speaking, I'd probably be a target for elimination…… Still, I can't deny that I kind of get what he ant, and that’s what makes it complicated.]
[Touka isn't outright denying him huh.]
[If I think about it in the context of the world I ca from, I can’t say I don’t see where he's coming from. That said…… I don’t know if this "Wormungandr" guy’s way of doing things is absolutely right either.]
I won’t deny it———- but I can’t affirm it either.
Besides.
Who guarantees the "legitimacy" that Wormungandr’s so-called absolute being establishes?
Does that an that the judgnt of the Deities———- of God is "correct"?
That can’t be.
At the very least, I can’t possibly believe that that sh*tty goddess calling herself "God" is in the right.
Loqierra continued, wearing a complicated smile.
[That guy always had such a lighthearted attitude, you know? As ti went on, he stopped talking about it altogether…… So no one ever imagined he’d actually start a rebellion to bring those ideas to life. Even I had forgotten about his thoughts on humanity until the mont he rebelled. That’s how long Worm kept silent about it. So long that everyone forgot he ever said such things…… Or maybe…… he kept quiet and simply observed for a long ti, trying to judge for himself…… the collective existence that is humanity.]
As if lost in mories, Loqierra lowered his gaze.
[……The real problem is that, depending on the circumstances, his logic can almost sound convincing. So much so…… that even Touka can kind of see where he’s coming from.]
[But———–]
To begin with, this was all far too large in scale for .
Mimori Touka was not soone who could influence humanity as a whole.
The only things I could do sothing about were myself and those around .
And what consud my mind———— was the completion of my revenge.
[If he’s standing in our way as part of Vysis’ side, that’s a different story.]
[Yeah.]
Wormungandr, a forr Deity turned Divine Servant.
He might turn out to be yet another troubleso foe.
Brushing aside his sentintality, Loqierra continued.
[Divine Servants are like the children of the Deities who gave them their Factor. And all the Divine Servants have received Factors from Vysis. That ans, ultimately, they cannot defy Vysis’ will———– her commands. Naturally, they cannot harm her, and if she orders them to die, they will vanish.]
Vysis, Loqierra went on.
[She must have ordered her Divine Servants to eliminate any enemies they encountered.]
[………………..]
Suddenly.
An image surfaced in my mind————- Ars, wielding Armia’s sword and shield.
[This might be harsh to hear but……]
With that preface, Loqierra spoke.
[You should probably be prepared for the fact that a considerable number of our allies have already been killed by Wormungandr———- by the Divine Servants sowhere in this labyrinth.]
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