Chapter 145: He-llo (5)

Chapter 145: He-llo (5)

Naru liked Molumolu.Molumolu was soft, squishy, and smelled nice.

Sleeping with Molumolu as a pillow brought sweet dreams, and using it as a blanket made waking up so refreshing.

Molumolu often helped Naru with her science homework.In return, it ate lots of Naru's strawberries, and sometimes it would run away to avoid being brushed, but Molumolu was Naru's friend.And then, Molumolu appeared from the shadows.

━Meow.

It was a familiar cry.

“Oh, holy shh...! Molumolu...!”

Naru exclaimed in surprise and delight at the sight of the warm, soft, squishy ball of fur.Molumolu jumped into Naru's arms and gently rubbed her face with its soft fur to dry her tears.

Molumolu didn't like to see the children cry.Soon, Molumolu jumped onto Cecily and Hina too, sharing its warm warmth with the girls.It felt like a tiny hearth had been lit deep inside their hearts.It could have been courage too.

“What's that...”“What's with that ball of fur...?”

The holy knights couldn't understand what was happening.

But Judas, who had just been fiercely slaughtering people, now stood still like a tiger that had spotted an unknown rival, on guard.

His whole body bristled in a threatening posture.Judas, no, Nocturne was wary of the furry Molumolu.

Of course, Molumolu simply showed its joy by snuggling into the children's arms, climbing onto their shoulders, or sliding down their backs.

It looked like a puppy excited to see its mother, or conversely, a large mother dog caring for her newly born puppies.

Calm again, Naru said,

“Molumolu...! Help Dad...!”

She felt sad again after saying it, but Naru had no doubt that Molumolu could help their mom and dad.Molumolu was an incredibly amazing creature.

Naru was curious if it could even be called a creature since she usually slept through science class and had Molumolu do her homework, so she wasn't exactly sure about the category of 'creature'.

The important thing was that Molumolu could help Dad.But now, Naru thought that Molumolu seemed smaller than usual.

Sometimes, when brushed, Molumolu would shed fur and become smaller, and the shed fur could be rolled into another small Molumolu.

Conversely, if you tousled Molumolu's fluffy body with your hands instead of brushing it, Molumolu would inflate like disheveled, puffed-up sheep's wool.

When Molumolu became that big, Brigitte and Salome would scold, “Don't make Molumolu bigger. Brush it to make it smaller,”.

Being large can inconvenience life in many ways.

As Naru thought this, she couldn't just sit still.

"Let's all mess up Molumolu!"

Naru said.Cecily and Hina quickly grasped what Naru was about to do. Being sisters who shared the same blood, they didn't need words to understand each other.

Tywin also quickly understood what Naru intended to do.For Tywin was like Naru's new Molumolu, so Naru's thoughts and feelings were well communicated to her.And Tywin admired the method as being exceptionally brilliant and extraordinary.

'Molumolu might seem gentle but he is a Demiurge. Though it might be weaker than Nocturne, who is said to have existed since the beginning of the universe... it will be a formidable force...!'

If someone asked how the soft-looking Molumolu could possibly confront the formidable Nocturne, Tywin wouldn't have been able to answer precisely...

"......"

Judas-Nocturne and the shadows he summoned seemed wary of Molumolu's appearance, unable to attack easily, indicating that Molumolu was certainly a significant threat to Nocturne.

━Meow.

Molumolu cried softly.That was the signal for Naru, Cecily, and Hina to mess up Molumolu's fur as if on purpose, stroking it.Every time the children's hands touched the black fur with affection, Molumolu's body puffed up as if it was filled with static electricity.

━Meow.

It soon grew from the size of a soccer ball to that of a basketball.

━Meow.

From a basketball to the size of a large dog.

The Saint turned her head.Despite being blind, she was curious about what would happen inside that dome.

* * *

"Damn it, this son of a bitch is Jack the Ripper! This bastard is Jack the Ripper's shadow! He was supposed to be dead, why has his shadow appeared, you motherfucker!"

The Principality of Freesia had become one massive battlefield.

Shadows emerging from the ground were attacking the living, and soldiers and heroes gathered from all around desperately fought them off.

"Cariote, that one is Epitharos of the Seven Demon Generals. Look at the four bat wings!"

Astarosa pointed at a shadow and exclaimed.Cariote and Astarosa were rushing towards the center to join the fight with Nocturne after evacuating the people.A formidable demon shadow appeared in front of them, blocking their way.

Although it was just a shadow of a demon, it was not an adversary to be taken lightly. They had overcome the fear of death, making them more diabolical than when they were alive.

"Epitharos of the demon generals... he has the ability to connect threads of magic to living people and control them like puppets! Be careful and aim for the puppet strings!"

Astarosa, being one of the three demon lords of Pandemonium, was thoroughly familiar with the demons' names and actions.

As she said, the demon shadow with two pairs of bat wings soared into the sky, reaching its hands towards the people. The humans, controlled by its hands, were in agony, moving their bodies against their will.

"M-My arm...!""My body is moving on its own...! Get out of the way! Before I attack you!"

Utter madness.Cariote felt as if she had been transported back to the battlefield from two years ago.The days of fierce fighting against demons.The smell of blood.Blazing flames.The fluttering of flags.The screams of widows.

"......"

For Cariote, such a place was familiar territory. Yet, at this moment, Cariote felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity.

It was as if she had trespassed into someone else's garden without permission.Could a few months of comfort have pushed her body away from the battlefield?

"No, my homeland is this hunting ground."

Swish—Cariote drew her serpent-slaying blade and lightly leaped into the air.Swoosh— Swoosh—. With two slashes in midair, the magic chamber controlling people by Epitharos was severed.And the shadow of Epitharos also scattered like dust as its neck fell.Of course, it wasn't truly annihilated but had merely lost its form, and it would take at least a week to regain its original shape.

It was then she recalled Judas saying, "What happens if my shadow dies? I can't summon it again for about a week."While Cariote reminisced about Judas, Astarosa gasped in amazement.

"To have sliced and killed such a strong demon as Epitharos in one go? Why have you become so powerful?"

Astarosa's question was pure curiosity.Soon Cariote casually replied.

"This blade is for revenge. The Seven Demon Generals? I couldn't afford to waste my time on such whelps."

"Revenge?"

"I despise all demons. They took my sister and killed my mother. But it's impossible to kill all demons. Therefore..."

Cariote desired to complete her revenge by killing 'something'.She did not know what would come after her revenge, but the single-minded determination to avenge was the driving force that moved Cariote.

At least until two years ago.Saying so, Cariote looked at her sister... Astarosa.It wouldn't have been surprising if that creature, being a demon, had betrayed Cariote by siding with the shadowy demons.

Of course, Astarosa did not.

"These are just shadows. They're fakes. And my loyalty lies only with the Demon King."

"......"

Indeed.Astarosa's loyalty was not towards the demons, but to Demon King Sabernak.Truthfully, it was closer to repaying a debt of gratitude than loyalty, but she had no desire to explain that to her sister.Then, something peculiar caught her eye.

Tap— Tap— Tap— Tap—The sound of a staff tapping.Soon, a shadow holding two staffs appeared before Cariote.

No, to be precise, Cariote had advanced towards the shadow.Cariote could remarkably accurately pursue the prey that she sought to hunt.Her goal was the same as it had been two years ago.

"Demon King Sabernak, I will kill you and complete my revenge."

━......

Like the other shadows, the Demon King's shadow did not open its mouth.However, Astarosa was horrified.

"W-What is this─? Why would the Demon /genesisforsaken