CH 111.4

"As the report mentioned, this should be the entrance to the next room..."

The internal investigation report of the "Collapsed Mountain's Mayoiga," which had been conducted several times in the past, or more precisely, the unauthorized copy of it that Botan had read before. If she remembered correctly, one of the survivors had passed through this room...

"If we handle this well and pass through a few more rooms, we should be able to get out...!! Genbu!!"

Muttering to herself until that point, Botan suddenly shouted towards Genbu, who was now carrying her. The bear responded immediately and retreated with her in its arms. Just a moment later, sharp scars were etched into the floor where the bear had been standing moments ago.

"What...!? W-what is it!?"

"Tamaki, prepare your weapon!! ...I have a bad feeling about this. Did you just rob a grave or something!?"

"What do you take me for? I wouldn't do something so reckless!"

Tamaki, shaken, and Shishimai, who was scolding her, aimed her naginata at Botan. The young girl from the Matsushige clan, in turn, denied it, seemingly offended by the accusation. To be suspected of carelessly tampering with a nobleman's coffin and triggering traps and curses without investigating was a direct insult to her as an exorcist.

'Graaahhh!!'

While exchanging such conversation, dry groans echoed from the other side of the room. Miasma filled the air, carrying a putrid stench. A figure emerged.

The withered remains of the king rose from the coffin.

"One crisis after another, huh? And this time is troublesome..."

Tsking at her own misfortune, Botan mustered the little strength she had left and assumed a combat stance, facing the being that was standing between her and the gate, the elusive and intangible "Nyarlathotep (Crawling Chaos)" and its fragments that were part of it.

* * *

Long ago, centered around the Dark Continent and the Western Empire, an old evil god and supernatural entity known as the "Nyarlathotep" interfered in the human realm, causing continuous chaos. Allegedly, it was sealed forever in a faraway land by the Seven Witches and the "Sage" during the late period of the Western Empire.

However, that was just part of the story. The concept of the Nyarlathotep was becoming infinite, and many terminals, fragments, and substitutes of the same origin continued to wreak havoc in various places.

As was the case with the Senbiki ōkami, high-ranking gods and monsters had very little resistance to creating terminals or substitutions due to the total amount of their souls or their peculiar mental structures.

Nevertheless, what made the "Nyarlathotep" particularly troublesome was the great variety of its fragments. Just before its sealing, the fallen god, of course, produced terminals not only in the form of wicked gods but also as youkai, beasts, humans, words, curses, and even further, it transcended time, transferring part of its soul to the past and the future. This was one of the reasons why "Heterodox Inquiries" began to be conducted in various places during the middle and later stages of the Western Empire.

...In the Dark Continent, one of its fragments had once ruled as an evil king.

"No luck at all...!!"

Based on the inscriptions on the wall map and the decorative items in front of her, Botan determined its origin and quickly released more than ten talismans. Each of them was a high-ranking curses of the Hondo style (main style), capable of dealing with medium youkai.

'Kakkakkakk...!!'

Mocking with a jaw devoid of any moisture, the mummy raised the staff it held. The successive fireballs of karma flames burned and killed the youkai and monsters that had turned into puppets.

...Unnoticed, the demon bear that had changed places with a temporary shapeshifting technique had been silently closing in on the mummy king from behind.

'Guoo! Oooohhhhh!!'

As the mummy turned around, it was met with a swift strike from a sharp claw infused with youkai power. The strike held the power to cleave a heavy armor into eight pieces, yet at that moment, the mummy raised its hand to reveal numerous rings adorned with countless precious gemstones. As one of the rings glimmered, an invisible barrier intercepted the bear's fist.

'Grrrrrrrr!!'

Undeterred, the great youkai unleashed another ten strikes, but even then, it couldn't breach the unseen wall.

"Step back!"

One of the mummy's shadowed rings shone, and Botan shouted while the bear leaped back into a defensive position. A flash was released, and the bear's left hand, which had tried to intercept the attack, was torn apart.

'Guaaaahhh!?'

Despite crying out in pain from the wound on its left hand, the bear successfully retreated with Botan in its embrace. Botan, held by the shapeshifting bear, gritted her teeth in frustration over her main force's injury.

"A mere fragment of a fragment...!! Indeed, the source is a creature from ancient times."

She couldn't sense any divine aura. Even if it was a calamity youkai, it had become a subordinate of the "Mayoiga." It was likely a low-level fragment that had separated from the sealed original... or perhaps even another fragment that had broken off from there. Regardless, dealing with it wouldn't be easy.

'Kakkakkakk!!'

Seeing Botan's frustration, the mummy king sneered and released something from his bosom.

"What!? A mirror...?"

Tamaki, who had unsheathed her sword and come to Botan's side, muttered in surprise. What the mummy had drawn from its attire was a rusted mirror with a copper frame—a small hand mirror.

"Don't let your guard down! There's no way it's just an ordinary mirror!!"

"Don't get distracted. It's coming...!!"

Shishimai urged the puzzled Tamaki, who was flustered, to focus on the enemy before them. And from within the mirror itself, something emerged.

"What... is that...!!?"

The appearance of the creature that seemed to be pushed out from the depths of the mirror sent literal shivers down Tamaki's spine.

'Clip-clop...! Clip-clop!!'

'Clip-clop clip-clop clip-clop...!!'

Its elastic body momentarily reminded one of Warabimochi. The issue, however, lay in its color—a murky black like ditch water—and the tentacle-like appendages protruding from various parts, perhaps eye-like structures? Spherical red lights glowed from all over its body. To top it off, it made eerie chirping noises, attempting to mimic bird calls. The summoning of such a blasphemous and repugnant entity from the mirror was completed, totaling five of them.

"I remember reading about this in a book. However, it's probably just a replica..."

A mirror said to have been used by the queen of the Dark Continent to summon and control monsters. There was no reason for the real deal to be here, as it would be treated as a special-grade curse tool if captured by the court. The fact that only five had been summoned indicated that it was likely just a temporary container used to imprison pre-captured entities.

'Agagagaa!!'

'Clip-clop! Clop!'

'Clip-clop!!'

As the mummy pointed, the amorphous masses launched a coordinated attack, extending their tentacles to assault.

"Don't get close, you disgusting!!"

Botan shouted while unleashing her talismans. As the tentacles approached, the talismans adhered to them, causing the entities to convulse and collapse as if they were struck by a lightning bolt.

Unfortunately, the number of talismans released was far too few compared to the number of tentacles.

"Uwaa!? Ghhh!!?"

Tamaki swiftly severed the approaching tentacles of the viscous entity. One after another, she cut them off as they extended towards her. Fortunately, they moved slower than the Mayoiga's vines, which worked in her favor.

However, Tamaki was unaware of the nature of the amorphous entity, unlike the vines. Its ability to alter its form like a liquid was something she couldn't foresee.

"Hyaa!!?"

In an instant, the tentacle that had been stretching from the gap between bricks merged together to form a thick vine, entangling Tamaki's white leg. The cold and sticky sensation caused her to let out an involuntary yelp.

"Tamaki!? Damn it, these things are surprisingly tough...!!?"

Shishimai swung her naginata at the reddish-black thick tentacle, attempting to free Tamaki. With a squelching sound, the blade plunged into the tentacle, reaching halfway inside. But that was all it did. The tentacle spewed out a poisonous liquid and clung tightly to the naginata, as if trying not to let it escape.

"It won't come out...!? Ugh!!? What are you touching me with!?"

Shishimai struggled desperately to pull her naginata out, but other tentacles quickly closed in from behind. They coiled around her legs, sides, and even slipped beneath her sleeves. Shishimai shivered at the eerie sensation but couldn't break free.

"Shishimai-san!? Uwah...hyaaah...!?"

Tamaki, witnessing Shishimai's capture in shock, struggled even harder, but her efforts were in vain. The sticky monsters played with Tamaki's entire body using their extended tentacles, subjecting various parts of her body with rough and delicate stimulation.

"No... haaah...nngh!? Stop it!!"