First Outer World Story Series: The Black Mist that Devours - Chapter 119
Translator: MadHatter Editor: MadHatter
Please note that violence is more prevalent in this chapter, so those who are not comfortable with it are advised to be cautious.
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(Izumi POV)
“Irregular…?”
I couldn’t help but question back.
“Ah, yeah. The fact that you could break into this place, even though I loosened it up a bit, is a piece of solid evidence. In addition, stepping in with a bonus is out of the ordinary.”
Loosened…? Bonus…?
Bonus is probably referring to Moyasuke. But what did you mean by loosened up…?
“That expression on your face says you don’t get it, huh? Hahaha. Very well. Since today has been full of unexpected events, my mood is on a positive streak, so I’ll go over all the strange things that you do not grasp one by one.”
The intimidating presence of the God of Calamity seated in the chair was amplified, leading both myself and Moyasuke to be physically slammed to the ground through physical pressure alone.
“First and foremost, let me provide some background information on this location. This is an area that was formerly restricted to only those who have been granted permission by me through the usage of barriers. Even though the barriers have been loosened a little this time, even an average Demon King would be unable to discover it.”
An average Demon King…. what?
“Nonetheless, you noticed and entered here quite naturally. Knowing my power, you would understand how abnormal this is, wouldn’t you?”
But that kind of power, I…
“The second point is this: Despite the fact that you had to rely on the might of that dog and the folks surrounding you throughout the confrontation with the Octopus King’s monsters, you were able to finish off the giant octopus practically singlehandedly.”
As she raised a second finger towards me, the God of Calamity said this.
“To tell you the truth, that giant octopus was either a powerful entity like the Demon King or it possessed extraordinary abilities, and the rest is, well, let’s put it this way. It’s a demon that is deemed necessary to be defeated by human wave tactic, which is supposed to result in dozens of casualties. And yet you finished it off.”
Isn’t that because… Otachi-san gave it his all?
“Hahaha, the most common reason for high casualties is the presence of a commander. This brings up the second anomaly: your combat capability.”
The God of Calamity put her hand over her mouth and chuckled.
Why is me being out of standard such a pleasure for her? I don’t grasp it.
“It is pleasurable.”
“Ugh… ah…”
The pressure on me was escalating.
“Now, we’ll go on to the third point. Ever since I was in the ‘Mercenary of the Mist’ as Manokami Shigan, you maintained a sort of vigilance towards me.”
Vigilance…? That was only natural, given that all I could detect from you were anomalies. But that was because of your power, wasn’t it?
“That was the erratic part. Back then, I was continuously deploying multiple layers of recognition disruption, interference, and other skills to evade any suspicions anyone might have had about me. On top of that, I was also mindful of my own behavior so that none of you would suspect me, and yet you did harbor doubt about me.”
Speaking of which, neither Ryo nee-chan nor Mugi nee-chan was on the alert against Shigan. So that was what was going on!?
“That is to say, my mental interference skills, which are my forte, are somehow ineffectual when it comes to you. I can read your thoughts even now, yet I can’t manipulate them. And it seems that the memory modification of the entire world, something I have been doing in conjunction with the transformation of an individual into a Demon King, has had minimal effect on you.”
The God of Calamity, like a reptile, glared at me with her yellow eyes.
“However, you have an irregularity which makes you seem to overshadow the non-standard so far.”
Rising from the chair, the God of Calamity approached me.
I furiously tried to flee, but I can’t move a single finger owing to the pressure on my entire body.
The God of Calamity seized my right arm and then…
Crack!
Accompanied by a sickening sound, my right arm was broken.
“???…!”
But before I can even raise a squeal, my body immediately regenerated the broken right arm and restored it to its original state.
“First of all, despite being at this level, it only takes a moment for you to recover.”
While saying that, the God of Calamity lightly kicked me in such a way that my abdomen was on the top, then raised one of her legs and tramped on me with all her might.
“Ah… ghh…!”
With that blow, I could see that my abdomen had been ruptured in several spots. Despite the absence of blood, a bizarre liquid emerged from my lips, followed by a cough.
But little by little, my wounds were healing undoubtedly, notwithstanding the fact that a normal human being would have died instantaneously, and within a few seconds, they were perfectly healed.
“And even at this level of yours, it completely heals in a few seconds. Not to mention.”
Having said that, the God of Calamity put her hand on the place where my heart was located and muttered a few words.
“?Death Hand?.”
At that moment, I could see how “Death” had drifted into me.
“Death” traversed my heart in the blink of an eye and brought my life to an end, as it should.
But…
“Even this won’t kill you.”
“…! Huh…!?”
My body denied “Death” as my heart was restored to its former state.
“Now, why can’t you die? Is it because you once died and were resurrected?”
Resurrected…? That thing is…
“Hahahaha. Well, let’s just leave it at that for now. Whatever it is, you’re a major irregularity. Up to a certain point, a living organism can reject death, but not beyond that point. It’s also nearly unattainable for them to return. Nonetheless, you have succeeded. In a sense, you are even more of a monster than I am. It will be fascinating to witness how you figure that out. Well then, I guess that’s enough for today.”
Leaving those words, the God of Calamity swept her arm and before long, Moyasuke and I were transported from the strange place we had been to the middle of a field near the port city.
Neither a shadow nor a figure of the God of Calamity could be spotted already.
I then fainted from the damage that I had not fully recovered yet.
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A/N:
After all, Izumi is strange!
Incidentally, all skills have a slight time delay between the time you want them to be activated and the time they are actually activated. However, since it is at the level of a few decimal points, no one has noticed it yet.