Chapter 138

The passageway was dark, but the square beyond the door was illuminated by lights.

Four men and a woman stood in the center of the square.

Of the four men, three were probably beastmen, and the other was a human with different abilities.

Kazehana had told me that the closer a beastman looks like a human, the greater the power he possesses.

Rikka, who looks just like a human, is more talented than Kazehana, who has the ears and tail of a beast.

The three men who were probably beastmen were the same as humans in appearance, regardless of what was inside. In other words, they are the same type as Rikka. And unlike her, they are big and muscular.

They look strong, if only in appearance.

"It's been a while since I've seen you. Isn't it a little earlier than the appointed time?"

A non-beast man called out to Tamamushi as she entered the square.

Tamamushi, who was holding hands with me, squeezed my hand tightly――

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"Tamamushi?"

Something seemed wrong with Tamamushi.

Her eyes were shaking impatiently, her body was trembling slightly, and her breathing was rapidly becoming rough. Along with her rough breathing, her heart is beating wildly.

What's going on all of a sudden? She has been the usual Tamamushi until just now.

――How stupid! Why? Why is that man here? Oh, no!

I tried to "see" on Tamamushi's mind, but I couldn't. There were so many mixed emotions that I couldn't "see" properly.

Anyway, I'm sure that it's abnormal.

And the reason is probably the man who approached Tamamushi.

I tried to look into the minds of the man, the three beasts, and the woman, but I couldn't understand what they were thinking.

"What's that thing with her? What's that guy with you? He looks like a normal human being to me."

The smirking man asked, looking at me.

Tamamushi didn't respond. No, her eyes are shaking, her body is trembling, and her breathing and heartbeat are getting more intense.

This is not good.

No matter how you look at it, Tamamushi is in no condition to fight.

If she doesn't respond to the man's question and he thinks she's suspicious.

It will turns into a fight, the "weak" me won't be able to handle it.

I have to buy some time for Tamamushi to recover her mental state.

"I'm Tamamushi's servant. The barrier has brought me back to myself, but it doesn't change my loyalty to her. If you disrespect my master, I will turn myself into you and strike you down."

I thought about taking it safely, but I dared to provoke him.

I am a servant who has been brainwashed by Tamamushi. If my master is having problems and I humble myself to him, that would be more suspicious.

In addition, thanks to the barrier, the power of different abilities is no longer a threat.

Then, if I'm "weak", and I bark, they'll think I'm a loser dog, and they'll get even more carried away.

"Ah, a brainwashed person. How boring."

The man who seemed to have bought into my plan spat out a few words as he looked down at me.

He's a rather simple guy.

It's not just the man.

Not only the man, but the three beastmen and Alice, too, seem weak to me.

Am I crazy, or what.......

"I don't care about the servants. So, Tamamushi, you're in my way and I'm going to ask you to leave."

The man who seemed to have lost interest in me smirked as he looked at Tamamushi and raised his voice.

I knew he was going to get rid of Tamamushi.

Alice is on the man's side. Does she think he hasn't found out that she's a spy yet?

The man is probably going to eliminate Tamamushi first with the three beastmen and Alice, and then take care of Alice.

"Kukuku, you're stuck. Well, there you have it. I'm the one who ruined your life."

The man's words made Tamamushi tremble, and she fell on the ground.

Tamamushi had said that she had met the liaison several times, but her reaction was strange. Besides, the man's words were tricky.

The source of the mess in her life?

"Oh, no, that's ridiculous. Why? Why are you here?"

Tamamushi shouted tremblingly, her eyes shaking violently.

Why are you here? Does that mean the man is not the one who should be here?

He's not the liaison she was supposed to be meet?

A trap. A trap to shake Tamamushi's spirit.

Damn, this is an unplanned development.

I have to somehow buy some time before Rikka comes in.

"Why are you here!? Why are you here, you who judged me unsuitable when I came to the door of the protection organization and tried to get rid of me when I used the forbidden art?"

Tamamushi, who had been trembling until then, glared at the man with shooting eyes and shouted angrily.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute. He judged Tamamushi, who had knocked on the door of the protection organization, as unsuitable and tried to get rid of her?

That means he's a member of the Protection Organization, right?

But he's here.

Does that mean he's a spy, too?

"That's enough, Gard. You said that you wanted her to leave this world with as little pain as possible, without letting us know anything, right?" (*ED : Garudo -> Gard)

The woman, who had been silent until now, spoke up while glaring at the man.

Although she looked young, her tone was cunning.

The woman I saw in the documents.

She is a spy from the Protection Organization, and she has the ability to manipulate water.

Alice Melt. Also known as Undine.

This woman is having a normal conversation with a man who is supposed to be in the protection organization.

No way, are they both spies?

There is nothing unusual about the three beastmen, even after hearing their words. In other words, they must "know".

So this whole thing is a plot to get rid of Tamamushi, who knows the guy.

This is not good.

There's no way out.

Then we'll have to buy ourselves some time, but how?

"Oh, Undine, you're right. The pure girl who dreamed of justice and came to the door of the protection organization is now in that state. She is a pitiful woman who has fallen to the point of despair. That's why it's important to teach her everything before she dies."

"Oi."

The man speaks with a smirk and a sly smile on his face. Alice, who heard the words, glared at the man.

"Oh, yeah, Alice, I wanted to talk to you, too."

With that, the man looked at the three beastmen and indicated them with his chin.

One of the three beastmen reacted by pulling out "something" from a bag with his hand and tossing it.

"It" is look like parabolic shape, and it hits the ground with a heavy thud and rolls.

It was the raw head of a human being, a woman.

Alice's eyes shook when she saw the head.

What the heck is going on here? I really don't understand.

"She was a spy from the Protection Organization, named Clelia Saura. Alice's boss, the woman you adored as your sister. Isn't that right?"

The man asks Alice with a smirk on her face.

Alice's eyes wavered for a moment, but then she let out a faint breath and looked at the man with a straight face.

"Yes, she's my former boss. But she's a traitor to the protection organization. It's none of my business what happens to Clelia."

Alice spoke with a straight face. But she can't fool my "eyes".

Her eyes are shaking slightly, and her breathing is ragged.

On the surface, she is desperately trying to keep her composure, but inside she is in an uproar.

It's a strange turn of events, but it's good for us.

If we can just keep quiet, we can buy ourselves some time.

"Clelia Saura. She was even called the right-hand woman of the General Protection Organization. She's under my command. She was trying to carry out her duties faithfully, and was desperately trying to play the role of my subordinate. Without knowing anything about it."

The man then laughed heartily and happily.

Suddenly, Alice's heart skipped a beat as she heard the man's words.

I see. I'm beginning to understand.

That man is a double agent.

He pretended to have betrayed the Protection Organization and infiltrated Kudan's organization.

Alice and the murdered woman were just pretending, but the man really betrayed them.

In other words, Alice and the murdered woman were framed. And the man plotted this time to get rid of Alice and Tamamushi who knew the man's true identity.

This is stupid. It's just an internal dispute, isn't it? We're just involved in it.

If that's the case, it means that Kudan's organization and the protection organization have no idea that we exist.

So, if we destroy them, then no one will know about our existence.

But the most important thing is Tamamushi.

Hmmm. I wonder what to do.

"I see. So, Clelia was a spy. What a foolish woman. How dare she defy our Feenis, who is headed by Lord Kudan. She deserves to be killed."

Trying desperately to keep her composure, Alice coldly looked down at her boss, who was now a fresh head, and raised her voice.

"Oh, Alice. Did you really betray the Protection Organization?"

The man asks Alice with a smirk.

The man knows. He knows that Alice is loyal to the Protection Organization.

He knows and he's playing along.

The man doesn't pay any attention to Tamamushi, but is fixated on Alice.

He thinks he can get rid of Tamamushi anytime he wants. So he's going to leave it alone and play with Alice.

Good, good, good, keep rubbing it in.

It seems that Alice has the ability to control water, but just as Tamamushi can no longer control insects, Alice must no longer be able to control water. The same would be true for the man, but there are three beastmen. He have no doubt that he have an overwhelming advantage.

There are only about fifteen minutes left until Rikka comes in.

If we do nothing and just watch the internal struggle, we will win.

"If you're loyal to Feenis, Alice, you should stomp Clelia's face in. Can you do that? Hmm? Don't tell me you can't?"

The man, who sounded as if he was truly enjoying himself, looked down at the raw head lying on the ground with a grin, and then looked at Alice.

Alice's body tensed up for a moment, but then she looked at the man with a straight face.

"It's a silly game."

"Can't you?"

"I don't want to be suspected of something like this. I'm loyal to Feenis. Clelia was my boss in the past, which is an unpleasant past for me now.

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After answering the smirking man, Alice stepped tobarrier the head.

The situation is worse for Alice.

She is a Category D psychic, but because of the barriers, she cannot use her vital abilities. Even so, if it came to a battle, she would have to deal with three beastmen who could use their abilities to the fullest even inside the barriers.

The chances of winning would be close to zero.

Then, in order to survive, she must show that she was loyal to Kudan's organization and stick to man's act.

But this is a game.

No matter how much Alice shows her loyalty to the organization, that man is going to kill her in the end.

I want you to hold out as long as possible. Fifteen minutes, if possible.

"Oh, yes, yes. A spy needs to be punished, right? That's why I fucked her before I killed her. After I was done, I lent it to these guys. They don't stop shaking their hips even when her wombs are crushed."

The man speaks to Alice as she walks tobarriers a fresh head lying on the ground.

"The General's right-hand man. When I was at the Protection Organization, Clelia position was above me. Watching her being raped and destroyed by three beastmen was the best thing that ever happened to me. And then I slowly twisted her head off while she was still alive. She was screaming like a broken toy, and she even pissed and pooped. Hahahahahahahahahaha!"

He was probably trying to provoke Alice. The man smirks and talks to Alice, laughing hysterically. But it doesn't stop Alice from walking.

This is ridiculous. It's a farce. I feel ashamed of myself for scheming such a trivial thing.

But now that Tamamushi's mind is unstable, it's impossible for me to deal with them alone.

It's a convenient development to buy me some time before Rikka comes in.

Stopping in front of the raw head, Alice raised her right foot without hesitation.

And then――

"......Stop"

The voice I heard made me twitch involuntarily. It was the same for Alice.

The one who raised her voice was Tamamushi.

Hey, please don't say anything until Rikka comes in.

I thought so, but...

"Tamamushi, you......"

The emerald light rising from Tamamushi's body, who was sitting on the ground.

The emerald light that rises from Tamamushi's body quickly disappears, probably because of the barrier. But the light gets stronger and stronger.

I felt a chill run through my body and my skin flushed.

This was different. It was clearly different from the past Tamamushi.

The emerald light that was circulating inside Tamamushi's body was shining intensely and running around at a tremendous speed.

Hey, hey, hey, this is not good.

"Alice! Do not trample on that woman's pride! Look at her face! Look how she's been treated! But she has not given up! That noble one has not given up in death! Alice! Is it not because she has placed her hope on you!?"

Tamamushi sits on the ground, weeping and screaming. And the emerald light that rises from her body grows brighter and brighter.

Alice shuddered when she heard Tamamushi's shout, and lowered her right foot, which she had raised to stomp on the raw head, to the ground. Then she looked at Tamamushi and smiled.

A tears ran down on Tamamushi's smiling cheek.

"I'm done! I don't hold a grudge against that man! It was my weakness that made me fall into evil! But, now I have friends!"

With this shout, Tamamushi stood up.

The emerald light shining brighter and brighter drew a double spiral, as if in response to the powerful eyes of Tamamushi.

Kukuku, hey, hey, this is not good. No matter how you look at it, this is a bad idea.

Are you going to do it, Tamamushi? Yeah, let's do it.

You can do it, Tamamushi.

"Kukkukkukkukkukkukkukkukkukkuk. You guys are so stupid. You're much funnier than me."

I scratched my head, muttering to myself as I burst into laughter.

"Su, Suzuhara?"

When Tamamushi heard my mumbling, she looked up at me and raised her voice.

"I'm sorry, Suzuhara. I lost my temper and ruined everything......."

She lowered her eyebrows and apologized to me.

"Tamamushi."

"Hmm?"

"You can do it, Tamamushi. That's good, Tamamushi. You're the best now. It's okay to be honest with yourself. Go for it. Do it with all your might. Show those people who are looking down on you what you can do. I'll do my best to support you."

I grinned and spoke to Tamamushi, and a smile appeared on her face, which had looked apologetic.

"Umu!"

Tamamushi's expression tightened and she nodded her head, looking at the man with a face full of confidence, even though she had tearstains on her cheeks.

The man was stunned and Alice was stunned.

The beastmen stood still, as if they would not move without the man's instructions.

"Now"

I raised my voice, crossed my arms, looked down at the man and smirked.

I've got a pretty good idea of how these barriers work. I've already devised a plan.

"It seems that this barrier absorbs or dissipates the power of different abilities that have been released from the body. If that's the case, we should keep the power out of our bodies. Physical melee combat is the safest bet. But there's one thing I want to try. You control insects, don't you, Tamamushi? If you let go of the bug, it becomes inoperable, but what if you don't let go of it? For example, if you hold a string of insects in your hands and pass insect energy through the "inside" of the string, you might be able to control the insects at your will."

With my arms crossed, I instructed Tamamushi.

"Kuku, kukuku, kukukuku ......, Suzuhara, you are truly a terrifying man ♡"

Tamamushi smiled happily at my instructions and then shouted happily again.

"I see. Since I brought it, why don't I use "it" ?"

Tamamushi had a chain-like object wrapped around her naked body, inside her battle suit.

It must be some kind of insect hidden in normal sight, to be used in case of emergency.

"What the hell, guys? What are you talking about? Don't you understand the situation? You're going to die here."

The stunned man came to his senses and shouted at us.

Don't you understand the situation? That's you, isn't it?

Oh, no, you understand a little bit, don't you?

Your voice is shaking. Your eyeballs are twitching, and your heart is beating rapidly.

You're probably freaked out by the freaky light coming out from Tamamushi's body.

"Sei!"

With a shout, Tamamushi vigorously stretches out both hands horizontally. At the same time, there was a metallic sound, and chain-like objects jumped out from the cuffs of Tamamushi's battle suit.

The chains stretched out with a loud clinking sound, swirled like a snake, and flung its sickles.

The chain did not fall to the ground, but twisted like a snake.

It is possible to manipulate insects even within the results if you keep the insects close to her body and pass insect energy inside it.

"That's great, Suzuhara! I can control the insects without any problems if I keep them close to my body and let them pass through my internal insect-energy!" ("ED : mushiki -> insect energy)

At the same time as Tamamushi's shout, the chains, which used to be one, cracked with a cracking sound. Or should I say, splitting branch?

The chains split one after another with a cracking sound. It was like a countless number of whips. And each one of them twisted as it had its onw will.

"What the hell? Why are there so many branches! I'll never be able to handle this many branches!"

Tamamushi became impatient when she saw the countless branches of the chain. What the hell is this guy talking about after doing it herself?

That's why Tamamushi is.......

I sigh as I gaze into her eyes, but then I notice something strange.

Each one of the countless chains had a solid emerald light running through it. Moreover, I could only assume that there was still plenty of room in the spiral of insect energy inside Tamamushi's body.

Is her total amount of insect energy drastically increased?

"Tamamushi, are you using the infinite generation of insect energy?"

When I asked Tamamushi, she looked back at me, smiled, and tilted her head.

Oh, she doesn't use it.

"If you use the infinite generation of insect energy, you can handle any number of branches in the chain, right? I'm sure you'll be able to handle it. You seem to have a lot of energy, don't you?

When I asked Tamamushi that, she looked at her own body, her eyes dotting and her mouth forming a triangle. Then she looked at me again.

"What's with all this spare? I just realized it. I'm getting an endless supply of energy."

"Right?"

"You know, I'm starting to feel like I'm getting really strong......."

"Yeah, I've felt it too. But I thought it was just my imagination, but it seems I wasn't imagining things."

The three beastmen, as well as the man, were all in a state of shock.

The three beastmen, the man, and Alice all seem like small fry compared to the current Tamamushi.

Is it the influence of the earth eye? Even if it is, the difference in strength is too great.

Could it be that the less time I have, the greater the impact will be?

If that's the case, how much stronger will the current Rikka be?

Curiosity rose in my heart.

There's still some time, but I want to give it a try.

I'm sure that she, Rikka, will be able to hear my voice, no matter what the situation is.

If I call her, she will come. She will surely come.

Confidence without any connection springs up without limit.

If I call out, she'll surely come.

"Tamamushi, our opponent seems to be a small fish. But anyway, let's give it our all power. We need to start the war with a "bang"."

Then I tapped Tamamushi's shoulder.

Tamamushi's eyes widened and she nodded her head.

The man was staring at us, dumbfounded.

The chain that Tamamushi produced branched out into an unusually large number of branches, all of which were floating and undulating in the air, and he seemed to be confused.

He was confused to see them all floating in the air. But something impossible is actually happening right in front of his eyes.

It was natural for them to be confused.

The beasts were just standing there.

They've probably been brainwashed.

They can't move unless the man tells them to.

Oh, crap. It's fucking bullshit.

"She'll come. I know you'll come. If I call you, you'll come."

I muttered with a chuckle and held up my right hand.

"It seems that we've become stronger than we thought. Hey, Rikka, that guy made Tamamushi cry. You were happy to have someone you could fight with as an equal, weren't you? Tamamushi is your irreplaceable "friend", isn't it? Then come here. Come with all your might."

He muttered and clenched his raised right hand.

"Rikka! Come to me――"

Before I could say everything, a white flash of light passed in front of me.

A blast of air followed, the sound of shattering echoed through the air, and the walls collapsed with a rattle.

The smell of burning drifted through the air.

Smoke rose from a black path in the ground.

And at the end of the road is....

"I'm sorry, Master. I felt as if I had been summoned, so I rushed in without permission."

Rikka, who was crouched at the end of the black path, stood up, looked at me and raised her voice.

"I called you."

I grinned at her, and Rikka, with her cheeks dyed, smiled at me.

***