Chapter 21: Let’s Bring Down an Almighty God, Part 4
「I have to say though, the word 「Omnipotent」 does seem like a kind of an overexpression to me.」
Any arrow aimed towards him didn’t even reach him and fire and ice based attacks were also utterly useless.
「They were strong enemies, the two of them. And fighting them was all the more inconvenient because of that pesky barrier of yours.」
Hoderi’s sword bounced off of an invisible force field around him, same as Hoseli’s shurikens.
「But I know that you don’t have any more people like them at your disposal, Demon Lord Aur.」
He said so innocently as Aur was shaking in his knees.
「What utter foolishness that was, really. If you just listened to what the Ice Queen was saying, you and everyone you hold dear would have been able to live peacefully.」
「Peacefully tucked under the heel of your boot you mean.」
Aur throws these hateful words back at him.
「Certainly that would have been better than what is going to happen to you now that I have taken control of your best people. Take this Yunis girl for example. Thanks to her…」
The Sun God moves his fingers as if he was cutting something and with that action, Ceres’ head fell from her shoulders and hit the floor, killing her on the spot.
「… I can do this kind of handy trick now.」
Looking at it as if it was happening somewhere far away, Mari was too stunned to do anything.
Never once in her entire, albeit short life she has doubted Aur. And it’s not that she thought he never lied to her. No matter what happened, she knew that he will be the absolute existence to protect her and those around him.
So even when Sofia was transformed into the Sun God, Mari was not worried. Because she had absolute confidence that Aur will be able to do something about it, just like he always did.
But now, for the first time, she began to lose her faith in him. She was brutally reminded that there are things that even Aur cannot do.
「Master! Run…!」
Zana tried to urge Aur to flee, but she soon perished, swallowed up by a wave of lava that flooded the room.
「Ghh! I refuse to…!」
Rames launched fireball after fireball, only to be crushed into a bloody paste by two rock walls erected from the ground.
「Khh…!」
「Kha, haaa!」
Hoderi and Hoseli fell down, struck by the Sun Gods finger. Now that they have lost Zana, it was impossible to create more icy walls, meaning that they were now in the domain of the Sun God, his absolute territory.
Mari just drops to her knees, unable to comprehend the reality around her. She was overcome by the feeling of helplessness and the fear and despair so great that she thought her very soul was going to crumble. It was the first time she felt like that, so it hit her that much harder.
「Now, what shall I do with you…? Oh, I know.」
A voice reached Mari’s ears. So now it’s Aur’s turn? She slowly lifted her eyes…
Only to see that the entire room was being filled with petals of flames in such quantities that it dyed the whole surroundings crimson red.
「…..p, please.」
Then she heard a thin, trembling voice.
「Stand up…. And run, please!」
It was a plea directed towards Mari, who was too scared to do anything.
「El… dav?」
Eldav just stares at her, trembling with pale expression and shedding tears.
「I… I want to run. But…」
Mari looks at Aur. His empty expression told her that he has lost all faith now. Just like the Sun God said, it was all over for them.
「I… I have no self-confidence at all. I can’t… believe in myself, even if my life… depended on it.」
Eldav continues her monologue while still trying to produce some flames.
「But… if there’s one person I would chose to believe, it would be him.」
They weren’t as elaborate or beautiful as Sakuya’s, but they burned just as strongly to protect Mari.
「My sister and Rames … are the same. A lonely people that no one believed in. A lonely people that no one could believe in. But when they finally found someone who decided to believe in them, look how far they’ve gotten thanks to it.」
Eldav puts her hand on Mari’s chest. At the same time, a flame wrapped itself around her.
「It’s a weak flame that doesn’t hold a candle to that of Rames… but right now this is all I can do.」
Instead of burning like a real flame, it gradually warmed her body up like the soothing rays of sunlight.
「How cunning!」
The Sun God screamed as he tried to break through Eldav’s flame, but even though it was so small, it was just as strong as Rames’ sacred flame. Seeing that it won’t bring him anywhere, he summoned a torrent of boiling magma from beyond the wall, swallowing Eldav entirely in an instant.
「Eldav-san!」
Not even a bone was left of her. She wanted to mourn and lament, but there was no time for that. She ran to Aur’s side as fast as she could.
「Aur! We have to run away!」
「You say that, but what are we going to do after that? Also…」
Even though the surrounding area was still covered with Eldav’s flames, the Sun God was blocking the only way out of the chamber. They literally had nowhere left to run.
「We can always do this!」
Mari draws a symbol in the air and releases her magic.
「You! What are…!」
But before Aur could protest, the two of them disappeared.
「Why have you used something so dangerous?!」
「What does it matter now?! It worked so it’s fine!」
Mari has never used Metastasis before. It is a technique that allows for traversing great distances in an instant, sure, but at the same time it requires extremely sophisticated calculations to be made. That is because if they were even the slightest bit wrong, they would end up being transported high into the air on in the middle of the earth. It was totally different from simple teleportation spells that cold be used by anyone and still succeed hundred percent of the time.
「I’ve always been lucky when it comes to such things!」
「Being lucky is nothing to be proud of!」
Shouting at Mari, Aur felt that all the strength was leaving him.
「Luck won’t get you anywhere against an enemy who can hijack the bodies of your allies.」
The Sun God was right. There is nothing they can do anymore.
「But we are still alive.」
Mari Takes Aur’s hand and places it on her chest.
「The Aur whom I know would never give up after encountering such a minor setback.」
Aur opened his eyes and stared at her face in awe. Just when did this innocent child matured so much?
「If you can say something like that so confidently, then you really are an utter fool.」
Even though Aur said that, he still smiled slightly.
「Very well. Good job getting us out of there.」
Saying that, he looks around. They were currently in the Wind Dungeon just before the entrance to the volcano. The ice wall made by Zana has not disappeared yet, probably because the valley is filled with snow.
「We’re in luck you managed to get us onto the sold ground even though it was your first time using such magic. Also, I think we won’t be followed here, and we have those flames to thank for that.」
Aur points to Eldav’s flame that wraps around Mari’s body. Even after Eldav died, it was still burning.
「I think it can function as a kind of boundary. That means that the flame is defined as my Dungeon, meaning that whenever you’ll go, the Sun God won’t be able to follow.」
「Fumum, that’s good to know!」
Aur had trouble standing up, so Mari lets him use her shoulder.
「Yes, we can definitely use that to our advantage.」
「But first things first, we need to call for reinforcements. Can you make another leather bag like the one that got destroyed?」
「It’s impossible. To connect it to the Dungeon, you have to go back to the Dungeon itself. It’s impossible to make one on the spot.」
Unlike the travelling method used by Yunis or Misha, transfer magic is determined by the distance. Even when using the magic power of the Dungeon, transferring something between two continents was impossible.
「Isn’t there any other way?」
「There isn’t… no, wait….」
Suddenly Aur remembers that there actually might be a way. A kind of a sorcery which he has forgotten about because he has never used it, as there was never a need for him to do so. But now it might be just the thing they need, so Aur straightens his back and invokes the spell.
「In the name of Ain Soph Aur, I order you, as based on our contract.」
That was not a transfer, but a summon magic.
「Come to my side, Lilushiana!」
It was a spell to call a familiar to ones side. Immediately, a shape bulges out of Aur’s shadow and wraps itself around him with its slender fingers.
「Heave-ho!」
Lilu glued herself to Aur, burying his face in her rich breasts.
「Yahoo everyone! Aur’s right hand and first familiar, magnificently sexy Lilu-chan reporting for sexual duty!」
Aur and Mari exchanged glances, not knowing whether they’ll need to fill her in on what was going on or not.
「Hmm, I see. Things are certainly shaping up to be more than a little troublesome.」
Lilu looked at Aur’s tired face, held it with both her hands and gave him a passionate kiss.
「What are you doing so suddenly…!」
At that moment, he remembered everything.
「The Sun god is probably able to read the minds of others.」
「If he truly is almighty then I guess something like that should be possible.」
It was the memory right after he revived Rames, shortly before they left.
「The real problem here is that there apparently is no way to prevent it. Unlike with magical mind-reading, it cannot be countered.」
「Yeah, right. So… I guess you have a plan on how to beat that, right?」
But Aur just shook his head.
「When faced with such an opponent, having such a plan in my head would be too dangerous.」
「So what are you…?」
「That’s why I leave the plan to our victory in your hands.」
「In my hands?」
Lilu blinked for a few times.
「Yes. I will give it to you in the form of a sealed memory. When the right time will come I will call upon you and you will give that memory back to me. That way, he can read my mind as many times as he wants and he will still find nothing.」
「But what if you want call me when your memory will be sealed?」
「Who knows?」
Aur shrugged Lilu’s question off with pretty irresponsible words.
「To be totally honest, I cannot know for sure. What do you think? Will I ask for your help in the hour of the most dire need?」
Thinking about it for a while, Lilu finally answers.
「You’ll call me. You’ll definitely call me. No matter how hopeless the situation, I am always the one who you call to be by your side.」
「Good.」
And just like that, Aur left his real memories with Lilu and thought a substitute plan on how to beat the Sun God.
「Now do you remember?」
Lilu asks while separating her lips from his, tickling his neck with her hot breath.
「…I guess it was the right thing to do after all.」
「You mean giving your memories to me?」
That kiss lifted the spell and gave Aur his memories back. But that was not what he was talking about.
「No, the other thing.」
Aur shook his head and said while looking Lilu straight in the eyes.
「Leaving the job of believing in me to you.」
「…Right. I believe in you. Always.」
Lilu returned his gaze and smiled. Like that, Aur made another declaration.
「Now we are going to start our counterattack.」