Chapter 164 – Spider

000

When Sasha and Cleon carefully walk through the forest, they soon find themselves in a forest full of vitality with sparkling blue leaves.

At some point, the ground turned grayish-brown, and the cries of animals and the chirping of birds were not audible, and only light purple plants were visible.

“Has it been corrupted by magic?”

Cleon stretches out her hand and touches the grass by the side of the road. The texture was no different from other ordinary plants, but the color alone seemed to be wither or contain poison.

“No. It’s Utu’s barrier. It’s creating a good environment for spiders to live in.”

The one who answered Cleon’s words were, of course, Ruben.

“Since the spiders belonging to Utu are weak to sunlight, it must be to create a dark forest that does not reflect light.”

“I know you well.”

When Cleon said that, Ruben only shrugged his shoulders.

“That’s right, it’s more than Cleon-sama. She has a lot in common with me, so when she was in her prime, there were constant fights among her followers of her.”

The sense of touch of the stars, born as a spirit of the natural world, borrowed the form of an animal and gained faith. At one time, they gathered enough faith to command the continent.

At the same time, two groups worshiping opposite gods. It was strange that there was no fight.

“It won, but neither side.”

In the middle of a war that took place under the flag of faith, in an age of war that can be called a trial for mankind, a savior appears.

At that time, the Church of the Holy Spirit’s Protection was exactly that position.

Objects of faith in the easy-to-understand trinity of saints, warriors, and saints, with a sense of rebellion against gods who compete for territory with human lives.

The era was slowly moving away from the era of humans worshiping gods, and the era of humans worshiping humans.

Ultimately, the outcome of the war is defeat for both sides. Having lost many believers and faith, Ruben went to the mountains near Sasha’s hometown, now the Marang Forest, and never came back to the continent.

“Do you miss the old days?”

Sasha, who had been listening to Ruben, interjected of her own will and asked her her Ruben.

“I miss you? Kufufu… It would be a lie if I said I didn’t miss it. As a god of hunting, expanding my territory is an instinct. My proud claws and molars broke then and haven’t grown Until now. It’s just a mountain that I can’t get enough of. It’s true.”

Saying that, Ruben looked down at his—no, Sasha’s hand his.

However, he soon smiles and looks back at Cleon.

“But. The body may think so, but as a spirit, I have no complaints as it is now. If I borrow the girl’s body, I can go to places I miss. Most of all, because Cleon-sama is here.”

It seemed to be the first time she showed a pure smile like Sasha borrowed her body from her, different from her usual mischievous laugh from her.

“Is it…”

The moment Cleon tried to smile at her face without realizing it.

Once again, with a rustling sound, this time a clump of cobwebs flew towards Sasha.

“Mana Shock!”

When Cleon quickly waved her hand and fired chanted magic, the spider’s web in her air collided with her black magic lightning and exploded in all directions.

Of course, the one who fired it was the brown-haired Arachne I had met earlier.

“…Humans. Why don’t you listen to me?”

As if resentful, she narrowed her eyes and looked at Cleon and Sasha.

“Woman… You. I feel a bad vibe. Utu inside me. That’s what you’re talking about.”

Sasha winced as she spoke as she let out her hard, broken words.

[I’m not talking about you, I’m talking about me. Female.]

[That’s right. Go, no, it’s the same after all… !?]

“Wait, Arachne. We’re here to talk to you. The humans are going to hunt you down and get rid of this forest.”

When Cleon opened her mouth to calm Arachne, Arachne’s expression her grew more stern.

Sharp fangs are visible from the corners of her mouth her, and the legs of a giant spider hurl her body her in rage.

“If you’re willing to try it, tell them to do it. I will. Protect this place. I will not lose to humans.”

At the same time, the magical pressure emanating from her body was certainly incomparably stronger than that of the monsters and beasts of the area.

Sasha involuntarily flinched, as if overwhelmed by her magic pressure her, she involuntarily clutched her bow.

“If we fight against humans, more and more soldiers and adventurers will be dispatched. If that happens, even you will not be able to endure it.”

When Cleon talks to her with a worried expression on her face her, Arachne tilts her head at her as if she is amazed that Cleon does not succumb to her own magic pressure her.

“…Humans. Can you withstand my coercion?”

Are there strong people like that? And Arachne strangely seemed to understand.

Soon, she shook her head and answered.

“But. It’s meaningless. Humans. Can’t enter this forest. Soon. In this forest. Utu-sama will descend.”

“…Under?”

It was Ruben who opened her mouth as if she was dumbfounded.

“This is a warning. Just as you warned me not to exercise power on me. Leave the forest. Never come back. Tell the humans. Soon. The goddess of fate. She will go to reclaim her realm. That it would .”

Arachne said so, and once again she disappeared, hiding in the shadows of the dark forest.

Sasha quickly uses the Hunter’s Imprint to follow her trail her, but-

“That, that… Disappearing without leaving a trace.”

“…It must mean that she is also the owner of this forest. Rather, the fact that Utu descended…”

Cleon looked at Sasha as if he was bothered by what she had just said.

Perhaps feeling that gaze, when Sasha turned to Cleon, she could see that her ears her, which could be said to be Ruben’s part her, had gone down her shaft her.

“… Ruben-sama?”

[…

Ruben does n’t even answer Sasha’s calls and does n’t try to take over her body her. If Cleon finds Ruben strange and tries to get closer to him-

“GIRGA GIGIGAGO”

A black mass slowly leaked out of the ground and appeared like a golem half the size of Sasha’s.

A body and head made of black stones, and limbs formed as if stones were attached to them.

The eyes were round yellow, like the moon floating in the dark.

Their expressions were made up of only their eyes, so at first glance they looked stupid, but at the same time, they were such little guys with a cute side.

“This, this…?”

It wasn’t just one thing that appeared, but several objects. One of them looked at Sasha, tilted her head, and then moved closer to touch her leg.

Bang! When he hears a sound, Cleon swings his magic sword and smashes it down from his head.

“Hey, Mr. Cleon!?”

Watching it shatter and disappear into dust, Cleon answered Sasha with a stern expression.

“Be careful, Sasha. These are ‘evil spirits’ of the earth.”

Spirits of the natural world contaminated by black magic. Although it is still connected to the natural world, there is a high probability that it will transform into a monster over time.

If left unattended, the runaway spirits would cause natural disasters, so the best way was to destroy their bodies, restore them to magical power, and then purify them and reincarnate them.

The spirits surround Cleon and Sasha, screaming high-pitched crackling sounds and elemental words, as if they were stimulated by the reduction of their kind to magical power right in front of their eyes.

“Isn’t it contaminated with dark magic?!”

“Ruben! Mr. Cleon is asking a question!”

But when Ruben still refuses to come out of Sasha’s body, Cleon injects magic into Galatea while kicking her tongue in her.

There are many of them, but all of them are spirits who maintain the minimum physical body without being assigned a rank such as low or intermediate.

If you push with an area attack, you should be able to break through easily.

“I’ll go at once…!”

“Yes!”

001

“Okay. This is my victory again.”

“Kuh… Kwaaaaagh!”

When a woman wearing a white silk robe made a decisive move, a girl with an appearance mixed with a beast screamed and overturned her plate.

This is the 30th time already.

The game on the board, in which dozens of human lives move with each move, often ended with the victory of ‘Wutu’, the god of fate clad in silk, from the beginning of this endlessly repeated match.

The spirit realm, beyond human consciousness. In the realm of the wild gods, the two were fighting using human lives as ‘words’.

“Why~! Why can’t I beat you!”

Reuben, the god of hunting and aggression mixed with beasts, is lying on the ground and wielding his limbs at will, managing his herd.

Utu looked at Ruben and smiled lightly.

The trigger for the war was a conflict between humans.

As the tribute to Ruben slowly became scarce, his followers turned their attention to other countries.

He started the war by asking Ruben to bless the fight.

The fight in the border area was a victory for the followers of Rubens, who were eating war and hunting.

At first, Ruben was also a war that started without his own will his, but he was winning, so he stood by and thought, what was going on?

However, Utu came to the place where she lived.

Saying that she could n’t watch her followers of her, who were suddenly invaded, perish like this, she touched Ruben’s pride and turned human warfare into a game of gods. On top of that, she even staked her oath not to intervene in the war.

Of course, Ruben was also well versed in this game, so he had no intention of losing, but Utu was a goddess who surpassed Ruben’s skills in his defense.

“That’s right. I’ll disappear if I lose.”

Utu answered lightly and stood up from her seat her. In the case of these deities who have been promoted from spirits, the faith that the followers send is their life and strength at the same time.

If Utu’s followers were defeated by Ruben’s followers and were forcibly converted or even annihilated, Utu would disappear.

“That’s it for today. As long as humans don’t let it rest.”

“Damn it…! We’ll definitely win tomorrow, so be prepared!”

“Kufufu… I’m looking forward to it. But, how long will this war last… Your followers are quite tenacious. After losing a battle like this, it’s worth admitting defeat.”

When Utu said that, Ruben snorted and replied.

“That’s right. Hunting is a battle of perseverance between the prey and the hunter. Those guys won’t stop hunting no matter how great the sacrifice.”

Utu fell silent at her answer her, then turned around.

“This fight. It certainly started with humans, but it might have been possible just by ourselves to end it.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

When Ruben asks as if he’s not sure, Utu answers with her sigh.

“It’s just that humans who sacrifice their lives for God… I feel sorry for them.”

“…Isn’t that what a believer is originally?”

Ruben talks as if he does n’t understand Utu’s answer to her. Utu briefly replies, ‘Yes…’Before returning to her own domain her.

Ruben watched Utu’s back for a while, then she looked at Yu-hee’s fallen horses and laughed happily.

002

“Meteor shower in the blue sky!”

“Chain Mana Shock!”

The voices of the two resonated through the forest as if they were crossing each other.

Originally, there was nothing as effective as Laila’s flame magic to deal with enemies flocking to this amount, but since the battlefield was a forest of virtues, I couldn’t bear it and used magic other than flame to wipe it out.

Sasha’s bow skills have also improved, and her attacks her, pouring down like a shower from a single arrow shot into the sky by hanging an arrow made of her magical power her, were enough to wipe out all the ejaculation spirits in her area her.

Not a single speck of dust rose, and when the attacks swept among the spirits, they broke down their bodies one by one, turned into pure magic and scattered.

Soon after, Cleon felt that the bizarre sound of the spirit fish that had been echoing in all directions had calmed down, and she took a deep breath and relaxed.

“Is this the end…?”

“…Yes. I think so. Seeing that I no longer feel the same presence as before.”

She was relieved that the situation was over when Sasha pricked her ears two or three times to concentrate and check her surroundings her.

“…Why did the ejaculation spirit appear in a place where there is no dark magic?”

“Maybe, maybe, there is a contaminated place deeper in the forest?”

At Sasha’s words, Cleon looked in the direction where Arachne disappeared.

In this place where the two of them were standing now, the aura of dark magic was not felt.

“If so, Arachne would have noticed.”

“…That’s right. Then what the hell…”

“Including that, I want to ask Ruben. Lou-“

The moment Cleon tried to talk to Ruben once more, just as he thought the ground shook, something like a huge hand came out from under it and grabbed Sasha’s ankle her.

“Kyaaak!?”

“Sasha!”

When he tried to swing Galatea towards it, which looked like a finger made of rock, Cleon, who confirmed that something like it had appeared under his feet her, clicked his tongue and distanced himself for the time being.

Passing through the land like water, the owner of the hand appeared. Holding Sasha in her huge hands her.

Black rock. And, mud. Like the upper body of a giant golem, it had a black body like the ejaculatory spirit he defeated earlier.

The difference is that a girl with a slime-like body was controlling the rocks.

“The land control spirit… A higher level spirit!”

Cleon’s expression crumpled in an instant. The appearance of a high-ranking spirit takes the form of a girl.

The higher the class, the more heavily polluted by the dark magic, and take different forms depending on which one absorbs the dark magic.

For example, if it is contaminated with the dark magic of ordinary demons, it will take on a vicious form like them.

It takes the form of a sword when it is contaminated with the black magic of a magic sword.

If so, what influenced this in front of me right now?

If you look carefully, the girl has a small horn on her head and bat wings on her back. And from the side of her hips, a tail with an arrowhead tip protruded.

And the pattern visible on the abdomen of her.

“Succubus…!”

No matter how you think about it, what influenced her was that of Inma.

Not only on the royal road, but also in this forest.

“Sasha!”

The next moment, what Cleon saw was the spirit pushing Sasha into her own liquid body her.

The spirit, realizing that it was impossible to push the rocks with Sasha’s strength and therefore unable to escape, tried to absorb Sasha.

The weakest part of this type of spirit was the core, and this guy’s core was, of course, the part in the form of a succubus.

In other words, this guy held her hostage and compensated for her weakness by putting Sasha inside her her.

A spirit of pure nature was an idea that would be impossible for humans or demons to do.

“Galatea…!”

Cleon’s eyes widened with anger.

When you call your partner’s name, the dark magic that flows from him gradually covers Cleon’s body with her.

“You dare, in front of me. Take my comrades hostage…!”

As soon as it changed into a vicious black armor and spread throughout the body of hers, the remaining black magic remained in Galatea’s sword body of hers, and Galatea’s sword body became huge like a great sword.

Perhaps considering it dangerous, the evil spirit picked up a hand made of rock and stretched it out toward Cleon, and from the tips of his fingers his fired fragments of rock like cannonballs.

However, just before the shells hit Cleon’s armor, they were pulverized by the powerful magic pressure generated from the armor.

Whenever magic pressure was generated, the black magic powers around him were whipped like a whip, like tentacles.

[Because this consumes a lot of mana. Finish quickly.]

When Galatea speaks quietly, Cleon immediately runs straight toward the ejaculation spirit.

When the magic power of the sword was converted into propulsion, it reached the speed of lightning and touched her in front of her before the ejaculation spirit reacted.

Next moment.

Awesome! With a sound, Cleon’s greatsword swung.

The moment when even the ejaculatory spirit doubts whether he has been cut or not.

What split as she cracked was the body of the huge rock she was manipulating.

“GI,GIGI?!”

Although she panics when a rock with the strength she boasted would never be cut with her sword shatters.

Cleon immediately stretched out his hand her, grabbed Sasha’s hand her, which was submerged in the soft body her, and forcibly pulled it.

Due to its strong power her, Sasha’s body her, which would not have been dragged out originally, was separated from the body of the ejaculation spirit.

What was revealed was the core of the hard spirit hidden behind the pattern on the abdomen.

“Ah…”

The ejaculation spirit, who let out her exclamation her and confirmed her own fate her, looked at Cleon, who the next moment pierced her own abdomen and shattered the core of her body her with the grip of her hand her.

Like other ejaculation spirits, it was reconciled with her magic fog and disappeared.

“Collock… Keheuk…!”

Sasha took a rough deep breath in her Cleon’s arms her, regaining her choked breath. The time she was confined was short-lived, but she was forcibly obstructed from breathing.

The fear she felt was obviously not small.

Cleon untied the armor of her magic her from all over her body and stroked Sasha’s back her so that she could reassure her.

“Haha…”

“It’s okay. Sasha. You can rest assured. I’m fine.”

At Cleon’s words her, Sasha quietly nodded and buried her face in Cleon’s shoulder her.

“Yes, yes… Gwa, it’s okay. I’m sorry that I can’t feel your presence anymore…”

[Sorry. I was thinking a little bit.]

“Lu, Mr. Ruben.”

This time, it was telepathy that could be heard by both Sasha and Cleon.

[I heard nonsense about the advent of Utu. The accident stopped for a while… By the way, is it a judgment order?]

“Yes. Do you think you can tell something with your senses?”

At Cleon’s words, Ruben was silent for a while, then continued.

[…Thanks to the guy who jumped out a while ago and left a trace. There is something underground. The contamination of black magic is coming from there. No wonder. I guess that’s also why I can’t feel any abnormalities on the ground.]

Cleon’s and Sasha’s gazes simultaneously turned to the ground.

“Is it underground… Do I have to dig into the ground?”

[No, there will be Arachne’s den. I usually head underground, so maybe she knows something about her.]

Finally. The need to chase Arachne hasn’t changed.

“Sasha. Are you okay?”

“Yes. I can still go further. Let me go.”

Cleon looked at Sasha for a moment and then nodded.

[…Female.]

[I saw Ruben-sama’s memories when I lost consciousness for a moment.]

[…Is it.]

Sasha and Ruben took deep breaths.

Then, her animal ears her, which had been folded up a moment ago, unfolded and her tail her swayed.

“Let’s go. Cleon-sama. We need to tell the stupid spider the truth.”