Chapter 1304: Evil God's Innocence

「｢｢｢｢ You can do it! ｣｣｣｣」

Countless cheers reached our ears, and I could even hear a song. Unlike our time in Gordicia, this song had no magical effect, but their thoughts and feelings reached us all the same.

Among them, there were a few that contained much more power than the rest: the divine sword wielders such as Mea and Sophie. It seems even their divine swords were lending us a portion of their power.

It was so heartwarming that I felt like I was about to cry.

「So much power!」

Indeed, a vortex of immense energy was swirling around Fran’s body.

Despite standing in the middle of the storm, Fran remained unharmed.

Naturally so, because this power came from those praying for Fran’s safety. How could it possibly hurt her?

Of course, our nearby friends like Jean and Amanda were also contributing to this flow.

「Fuhaha! Use my power as much as you want!」

「Fran-chan, this is amazing!」

But it wasn’t only them. The mages of Belioth, the Red Knights, and the Northern Knights had opened their hearts to Fran too.

We were now backed by my power as a new divine sword, the fragment of the Evil God sleeping within me, as well as the prayers of countless allies.

In this state, Fran could be called a transcendent existence. She was more than a match for the Evil God Fragment in front of us.

Trail of Bonds can only be activated when fighting the Evil God, but in exchange, its effects were truly extraordinary.

What’s more, this was not the only power we gained today.

Fran placed a hand above her heart and took a deep breath. It’s as if she was focusing on her own blood, speaking to it.

No, perhaps she was quite literally calling out to the potential hidden within.

「…I can feel it!」

Fran suddenly opened her eyes and shouted. Her heightened senses had perceived something that I couldn’t.

「O raging might of the godly beast lying dormant in my blood… Awaken now! Divine Beast Form!」

A dense cloak of black lightning surrounded Fran like the buds of a flower. I had seen this sight before. The form that lays beyond evolution. The pinnacle of all beastmen. She had reached the apex once again.

The petals of black lightning burst open, revealing a Fran with slightly longer hair. Despite her appearance remaining mostly the same, her mana had undergone a significant transformation.

Fran glanced around to observe the intensity of her own divine aura, then put on a fierce smile.

The imposing presence of the one standing there was truly a divine beast. Wild, but majestic.

That said, it was simply too much for mortal hands. Fran could barely stand earlier, so even attempting to control this incredible power would eat away at her physical body. Or so it should have been. For whatever reason, Fran showed no signs of pain.

Fran had received a boost far beyond what Potential Release is capable of achieving, yet the burden on her was astonishingly light. Why? Because I took on all the recoil for her.

No, to be more precise, the Evil God Fragment within me was shouldering the entire burden. It could be considered an essential part of me, so we live and we die together.

〈――!〉

The fragment within me was apparently delighted to be able to help out Fran. It took some time, but I finally had a good grasp on its true identity.

Ages ago, Fenrir-san devoured several Evil God Fragments, which merged together. However, fragments related to mental aspects are more dominant than physical ones, so one fragment stood out among the others.

This was the fragment that had been trying to communicate with me… the Evil God’s Innocence.

Yes, a fragment of the Evil God representing the pure and childish side of its heart. That said, its immaturity sometimes causes it to mistake the difference between good and evil. When influenced by the other Evil God Fragments, it can easily become just as cruel as them.

〈――!〉

But this one had wanted nothing more than to play with Fran the entire time. When the chance finally arrived, it was simply delighted.

「Thank you too, Evil God Fragment.」

〈――!〉

Oh, come on, isn’t that a bit of an overreaction? It reminded me of when a dog is about to pee itself with excitement. I felt the evil energy starting to leak from my blade.

『What the…』

H-Huh? I just manifested a new ability: “Evil God’s Shadow”. I kinda feel like I shouldn’t use it.

〈――!〉

『F-Fine, I get it! I get it! So stop crying, okay!』

Ugh, crying until you get your way is incredibly dirty! How can I refuse if you bawl in my head like that?

Apparently, this ability can only be activated when we’re up against a fragment of the Evil God.

『Inner god of mine! My wicked, yet reliable friend! Manifest in this empty vessel and aid our princess! Evil God’s Shadow!』

In response to my words, the dense evil energy overflowing from me began to gather and take on a humanoid form.

Within seconds, a girl had appeared in front of us. She looked close to a dragonkin at first glance.

The girl’s hair consisted of long indigo-colored twintails, and bangs reminiscent of a princess cut covering her antennae. Her skin was incredibly pale and her eyes sparkled with all the colors of the rainbow. Despite having a petite, childlike form, she was cloaked in layers of evil-divinity that took the form of something similar to a black gothic lolita dress.

Two horns curved backwards from her head, with big scales on the area around her temples. Her forearms were disproportionately large and also covered in scales. For the final touch, there was a long tail extending from her lower back.

Clasped in her dragon-like hands was a halberd made completely from compressed evil-divinity. A massive weapon which should be a complete mismatch for the petite girl, but for some reason, it looked oddly fitting in her hands.

She exuded a captivating presence, reminding me of the three goddesses I met when I first came to this world. As if they had something in common that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

〈Following the manifestation of the Evil God’s Innocence, the following skills have been temporarily removed from provisional name Master: Earth Dragon Magic, Dragon Cry, Dragonscale Hardening, Dragonblood Pulse, Flame Dragon Magic, Dragon Roar, Dragonscale Flames, Dragonscale Boost, and Divine Dragon Form.〉

Of course, this girl had to be the Evil God’s Innocence! Honestly, I thought she would look a lot creepier!

It seems the addition of those few dragonic features had something to do with my skills.

「Fuhahaha! I’m reborn! It’s been forever since I was freed!」

「Who are you?」

「Fran! Allow me to introduce myself since this is our first time speaking in person! I am the Evil God’s Innocence! Though this body is temporary, I will lend you my power!」

「Whoa.」

No way, she’s really the “ancient loli” type! I admit, I’ve joked about calling her “Jashin-chan” a couple times, but she’s the real deal!

How can Fran remain calm in this situation?!

「You may refer to me as Jashin-chan!」

「Got it.」

Holy shit! She just literally called herself “Jashin-chan”! My image of the Evil God must be influencing her! I’m gonna roll over and die if Fran starts thinking I’m into lolis or something! I’m innocent! This is all the fault of otaku culture from Earth! I definitely don’t think an ancient loli Jashin-chan is cool! Really!

As I could do nothing but tremble, Jashin-chan took a step forward besides Fran.

She was practically the same height as Fran, but her body radiated a terrifying amount of evil-divinity.

Anyone aside from Fran would be immediately dominated if they approached her.

Perhaps that’s why the Evil God’s Innocence was so attached to us.

Now that I think about it, Jashin-chan had no openings in her stance. She clearly possessed high-level martial skills, perhaps even at the king level.

〈The Evil God possesses the aspect of the War God, allowing her to perform at the highest level in all matters related to combat.〉

『Now that you mention it… She must govern over some other domains as well, right?』

〈Affirmative. She was originally the Human God. Thus, she rules over various areas that humans have thrived in as the War God, the Data God, the Entertainment God, and the Comprehension God. Lastly, as the embodiment of destruction and victory that humans have fantasized about since time immemorial, the Dragon God.〉

The Dragon God! That’s why she can use dragon-related skills!

「Jashin-chan, let’s do this.」

「Very well!」