CH 74

“What!? That man is in the demon army!?”

The king’s voice resounded.

I was listening to him and was dumbfounded.

“How, for what reason?” my head was in chaos.

“Setsu… You…”

Betrayed us…?

Why are you on the enemy side?

I’m still in this country and yet…

Why?

“Is it the fault… of the demons?”

They’ve deceived you didn’t they?

Otherwise you, who said would come protect me, should never become my enemy.

The demons… are evil.

All of them, all of them I will

“Kill.”

The king and the others turned to look at me.

I wonder, what kind of eyes was the me at that time seen with?

“I will… kill everyone.”

I have to save Setsu――――――――――

“I guess I did it.”

Touma murmured while being a little out of breath.

The muzzles were spitting out fumes and the barrel had heat.

(I can’t attack for a while now that I’m like this… I’m glad this settled it)

A gigantic crater was made on the ground and clouds of dust came out from it.

The cloud was especially dense in the center, he could not confirm the Setsu’s figure who should be in the center.

However, Setsu’s magic power could no longer be felt.

He should not have died.

At the very least he should not have any magic power left.

Touma’s magic power was also exhausted, but it was not like he could not fight.

With this, Touma’s victory was clear.

(… First point is to confirm it I guess)

Touma slowly descended to the ground.

The movements of him who changed into a fortress was slow.

Just to be sure he moved with his feet off the ground and finally arrived at the center of the crater.

That time――――――――

“――――――――――Finally you’ve come inside my range for me eh?”

“Gh! Setsu!?”

The clouds cleared up

Inside the crater firmly stood Setsu.

His feet were stepping firmly on the ground.

“This is bad!”

“Open it much wider! Gluttony!”

Setsu thrusted <Hungry Fang> to the ground.

When doing so, the edge opened its mouth.

And then the ground too――――――――opened its mouth.

The time is finally here.

In order to not let Gluttony eat any more than this, I let it eat the beam on purpose and due to that it took nearly all my magic power, but that’s my problem now that it’s come to this.

“From the looks of it, you can’t attack for a while, so you shouldn’t have any way to avoid this anymore!”

An attack with all my might using Gluttony.

The ground got cracks and those tore the earth.

The fissure spread out larger than the crater Touma created.

“<Earth Eater>” (すべてを喰らうもの; One who eats all)

“Wha- what is this!?”

The ground began to spread like a large mouth.

The earth gradually began to be dyed black and before long it grew fangs.

This is a powerful technique that will eat up everything, a characteristic of Gluttony.

“Kuh!”

Touma ran up with <Air Walk> trying to run away, but he’s slow due to being burdened by that large body.

The large mouth made by the earth rose and went to close its mouth in a dome shape.

“I can’t let you escape now can I!?”

The size of its mouth spread out even further

“Wait! Setsu! Forgive me, okay!?”

“Too bad, I got no reason to forgive you”

“Ah――――――――――――――――”

The mouth was completely shut.

I could no longer hear Touma’s voice.

“It’s my win, you fucking idiot”

“Why are you… on their side, Setsu?”

“Touma…”

It was raining this day too.

Setsu and I were holding our swords and faced each other.

At the center of the battlefield, while our comrades from both countries were watching over.

“You too, why did you participate in killing demons and beastmen? These guys aren’t even evi――――――――”

“They tricked you didn’t they!? They’re plenty of evil!”

I yell.

Setsu doesn’t understand anything.

He most likely has been brainwashed by them.

“You’ve come to love me haven’t you Setsu!? And yet it shouldn’t be possible for you to become my enemy!”

“ …Wait what?”

He still doesn’t understand me.

“Setsu, I like you. I like you enough that I can give you my everything. That’s why, let’s go home together okay? Let’s find a place nobody can find with the two of us and become one, okay? If it’s us then we can become happy you see! I mean, you said you will protect me for the rest of my life, didn’t you!?”

Setsu is mine.

I won’t hand him over to anyone.

I’ll even massacre those who stand in our way.

I won’t let them split us up anymore!

“Come, let’s go together?”

“――――――――――You have a few screws loose, you”

Setsu took out his sacred sword.

It doesn’t look like words will undo their brainwashing.

Then, I have no choice but to turn him obedient.

I don’t want to do something violent.

But, if it’s for the sake of obtaining you, then――――――――

“I will hurt even you, okay?”

“Bring it on then, you big son of a bitch!”

That’s right… we began our fight like this.

“… Where am I…?”

“You woke up?”

Touma who I laid down on the ground finally woke up.

Incidentally the ground returned to how it was before… or actually the crater is still there, but we’re in the center of it.

“Why… am I aliv――――――――”

“What I let Gluttony eat was just your magic power and an hour of your consciousness. Because he gulped down the entire ground, Gluttony’s stomach nearly swelled up. I couldn’t afford him to eat any more than that anymore.”

It’s the truth.

He would not eat anything more than that.

I’m really glad it did not end up carelessly killing Touma.

“Leaving that aside. You, why didn’t make use of your <Cursed magic>?”

If that was used, then I probably would have lost.

If he applied even a curse that stops my movement, then I would be showered completely by that beam and annihilated.

“ …It’s not I didn’t use it, it’s I couldn’t use it.”

Said Touma and he looked through his pockets.

And what he took out was a gem.

It was a lovely white fist-sized gem.

This is the most important item for my objective. I applied my best curse on this one piece of gem. It’s for exploiting an existence that will appear when the blood of Desastre, Levia and Gaia is absorbed by the gem and then breaks.

“ … Why did Desas and Levia’s name come up? What is this gem?”

“This is… the gem that is sealing the god of creation. The god of hopes that will come destroying the “people” in this world you see.”

Touma said while showing a bitter smile.

I don’t understand what he’s talking about, but the reason the black robes were after Desas and Levia seems to be caused by this gem.

What is this god of creation though?

“Well… I already lost, so I don’t need this anymore.”

He threw away the gem.

The gem fell at a slightly separated place and made a thump.

“I’ve had enough. I’ll be satisfied if I’m going to be killed by you. It doesn’t look like you will become mine in the end after all.”

“Of course I won’t. I’m not gonna love a guy. And also… I’m not gonna kill you.”

I said while scratching my head.

More like, I don’t have any ways to kill him either.

“Say, I want to ask you one thing. Why won’t you kill people, Setsu?”

“… I’m not sure about it. But, killing for me is bad. At least killing more than one person.”

Touma showed a face like he didn’t understand, but that can’t be helped.

Even I’m not sure about it after all.

“That’s why I won’t kill even you… at most, you’ll be making up for your crimes inside a cage the demons will guard.”

“ …hahah, that’s harsh”

Touma laughed.

It was a genuine smile I haven’t seen for a long time.

“Haa… the sky looks nice.”

That’s true.

The sky is cleared because of our fight, so a beautiful blue sky spread out.

I guess you can say it’s the sky of victory.

“Yuki-ku~n!”

“Ooh, Yuuhi. And the rest of you too.”

My group turned up in the distance.

They’re recovered from their injuries, so I’m feeling relieved for now.

“I’m so glad you’re safe~!”

“Woah, don’t jump at me so suddenly”

I embrace Yuuhi who came leaping into my chest.

When I did so, the somewhat angry looking Elka and Tia too came clinging to me from the side.

“Mhh, Master Setsu, be a little affectionate to me as well please!”

“I want to sit on your lap”

“Aah, I get it, I get it alright?”

I say and shake myself free from the three.

Upon doing that, next would be――――――――

“In that case, then pat me!”

“Pat me desu”

“Hey! Big sis and Ms Roa, you’re frolicking too much!”

Two cat girls came jumping onto me.

I splendidly sidestep that, let them lie on the ground and then stroke the stomach of the two at the same time.

“Uhih! Wai-! Setsu! Sto-! Aahahahahaha!”

“Uuh~! Setsu stop… desu! Kufuh!”

“You girls be happy with this”

It’s a full blown tickling attack.

They won’t move for a while with this.

“B- big sis… I’m sorry Mr Setsu, for my big sister troubling you again…”

“ … You’re really a good girl aren’t you”

“Heh!? Is that, is that really so…?”

The part of you being shy from being praised is cute too you know, Mineko.

Your stock right now is taking a sudden rise.

“Hahaha, you’ve become quite the amazing one haven’t you, Mr Setsu”

“ ‘Sup Glain. I’m glad you guys are safe too”

Glain, Brad and also Ides and lily.

Everyone’s safe.

Hm? Come to think of it, those two are――――――――

“Touma. Have you resigned yourself?”

Desastre asked Touma who was lying down.

“Yup. I understand what I’ve done myself. But, now that I’ve been rejected by Setsu, I don’t care about just about anything anymore. If you tell me to atone for my crimes then I will atone for it as much as you like. Dying is… a little impossible though.”

“Even if I were to be able to kill you, I will not let you die you see. Reflect inside the jails of mine country and properly reevaluate how evil the deeds you have committed for the rest of your life.”

“…”

After saying this much, Desastre stepped back.

Continuing on that, Levia went forward and called out to Touma.

“I don’t have that much resentment towards you, but there is one thing I want to ask. Answer me.”

“ …Go ahead”

“That <Seal stone>, where did you get your hands on it?”

Levia said, pointing at the gem Touma threw away.

“Aah, I’ve heard an adventurer discovered in an ancient ruin somewhere and I bought it when it was sold in an antique shop. Whether the adventurer really had discovered it is a mystery, but my opinion is something like that for the time being. Then afterwards I analysed it, investigated history and arrived at the god of creation”

“I get it… I guess”

Levia was racking her brains.

It was too convenient of a coincidence.

To begin with, that <Seal stone> was something that existed somewhere humans could not go to.

Who in the world carried that out from such place――――――――――――

“First, I have to collect that gem――――――――――wait, where is?”

Levia noticed the fact the <Seal stone> that should have been there until now was gone.

“What’s the matter?”

Concerned about her state, Desastre stood in line beside her.

It was that moment.

“ … huh?”

“Ga… ah…”

From Levia and Desastre’s abdomen, a knife protruded.

Behind her stood a mud-stained Gaia.

“Wh- why you…!”

“Aha… Ahahaha! Master Touma! I’ve done it!”

“Argh”

The stabbed knife was pulled out.

The blood dripping from the two knives was spilled onto the <Seal Stone> that was at Gaia’s feet before anyone became aware of it.

“Ehehe. With this, Master Touma’s wish will come true right!?”

“Stop it… Gaia. We lost…”

“Use my life with care, okay!?”

“Stop it… Gaia!”

Touma and Levia’s frantic voices unable to reach her, Gaia pushed the knife to her neck.

“With this… it will revive right!? Our hope for despair!”

Blood spurted out from Gaia’s neck.

The blood of the girl who collapsed with a smiling face, *splash splash* sprinkled on the <Seal Stone>.

In doing so, a disaster occured to the <Seal stone>.

“Yo- you can’t… the god of creation… is reviving!”

The <Seal Stone> floated up and sucked up the blood that fell on the ground without even a single drop remaining.

Before long, the stone, which took in enough blood until it became bright red, began to cast a dazzling light.

Enough luminescence to dazzle the eyes of Setsu and the others who noticed the disaster and rushed over.

The light soon dimmed and what was there――――――――――

“Hum… it smells of “mankind”, my natural enemy”

Was not a “person”, but “something” possessing a woman’s body.