First Outer World Story Series: The Black Mist that Devours - Chapter 98

Translator: MadHatter Editor: MadHatter

(Ryo POV)

“Our name is the ‘Mercenary of the Mist’. We are not interested in the Holy Land, nor in you. So could you please let us through?” I said to the men who were gradually encircling us.

“‘Mercenary of the Mist’? Ah, I see, a group of mercenaries under the leadership of a ruler who is in league with our bitter enemy, the Demon King. If that’s the story, we should kill you all before we even trust your words.”

The men took heed of my words and commenced to arm themselves. We, on the other hand, did not even take a fighting stance.

“So, are you proposing that we shall become the rust of justice’s blade with grace? If that is the way it is, even the devil’s pawns will not suffer…”

“What a shocking thing to say.”

Interrupting the men’s representative with my head in my hands, I remarked, “It is not too late. Draw your swords and let us through peacefully, or you will be punished.”

The men laughed vulgarly in response and shot us looks that indicated, “What the hell are you even talking about?”

But we cannot afford to fight them here.

“The devil’s pawns are talking about divine punishment, what a joke! Death to you!”

The man charged at me with his sword lifted. However, just before the sword landed on me, several bolts of lightning struck, utterly destroying the sword and charring the man in a split second.

And if anyone checked their surroundings, they will discover that majority of the men were lying on the ground convulsing, and none of them were unharmed.

“Oh, I knew it would end up this way.”

“Indeed.”

“Just as I expected.”

“They reap what they sow…”

“It can’t be helped.”

“Self defense?self defense?”

[[Yeah.]]

With puzzled expressions on their faces, the entire “Mercenary of the Mist” exchanged their impressions of the scene around them.

Well, you’re wondering how did this happen?

As a matter of fact, the mechanism was simple: the “Priest of Absolute Peace” had deployed a mobile dungeon area around the “Magic Holy Land,” and we, the “Mercenary of the Mist,” had been moving around, trying to stay inside the perimeter of the dungeon territory as much as possible. The men attacked us in the midst of this, resulting in divine punishment. That was all there was to it.

Though it was unexpected that the men were extinguished by a single infliction of divine punishment.

Now that we were moving again, there was one drawback to this method of transportation.

“Oh, the territory we are in now is moving to the north. I guess the next stop will be that way…”

The speed and direction of movement were dependent on the territory, and since we were inside the dungeon, communication with the outside world was not possible. As a result, I hadn’t been able to get in touch with Kurokiri for the past few days.

Plus, only Shigan, who possessed ?Special Area Vision?, can determine where a dungeon was located and the extent of a dungeon.

Even so, Shigan carried a number of unusual skills, including ?Automatic Escape? and ?Special Area Vision?. They were, nonetheless, useful.

“Ah…”

As we moved to the next dungeon territory following Shigan’s guidance, Izumi noticed something and raised her voice.

When I looked at it, something was approaching us with a cloud of dust and smoke.

“Oh, is it happening again?”

“What a hassle?”

While Shigan and I were saying this, the thing that was emitting a cloud of smoke is advancing towards our direction.

Well, since we were now unfortunately outside of the “Magic Holy Land,” we must deal with it.

“Wait… that’s…”

Izumi restrained us with her hand.

If Izumi was restraining us in this way, then perhaps it meant that…

“Ichiko nee-chan!!”

I can see the person who is sending up a cloud of smoke.

I knew it…

“Get away from Lady Ryo! You monsterrrrrr!”

“Oops.”

Eh?

That figure slashed at Shigan, who was standing next to me, in a straight line with a long sword in her hand.

In response, Shigan leaped to the side with ?Automatic Escape? and fled.

I tried to grasp the situation in a panic.

Ichiko was most likely the one who just assailed Shigan, based on Izumi’s reaction and my faint impression of her.

But why would she assault Shigan?

And why did she call Shigan a monster…

I hurriedly looked at their faces.

The expression on the face of the attacker, presumably Ichiko, was one of wrath and fear.

“Oh well, it’s been a long time since we met, but you greeted me in a very rough manner. Specimen number 667?”

In contrast, the expression on Shigan’s visage, who was speaking in a totally different manner than before, carried a… smile…?

————–

(Ichiko POV)

As I continued running from Cairo, I began to spot figures in front of me.

With the distance drawing closer, it became clear to me from the contours of each face to the modeling.

Izumi is there. Mugi is there. Even Houki-san is present. There are people I don’t recognize… but they seem to be good people. Then there is Lady Ryo, who has become so strong that there is no comparison to what she was a decade ago.

However, I had heard from Kurokiri that “she” might be there.

But I had been hoping, if at all possible, that Kurokiri was mistaken, and that my fears would be unwarranted.

Yet…

“Get away from Lady Ryo! You monsterrrrrr!”

“Oops.”

That one was also there, just as Kurokiri said. She was also standing close to Lady Ryo.

An involuntary shriek escaped me with rage seeping into my head. I forcibly suppressed my quivering that had once been induced by fear as I attempted to slash at her. But that blow was effortlessly evaded by her.

While keeping Lady Ryo behind my back, I faced that thing… the God of Calamity.

“Oh well, it’s been a long time since we met, but you greeted me in a very rough manner. Specimen number 667?”

“Don’t call me by that name!”

The appearance of the God of Calamity had not changed in the slightest since that day ten years ago. As always, her eyes still eloquently conveyed that humans were mere guinea pigs… no, mere humans were nothing more than a speck of dust, and that we Demon Kings were simply experimental animals.

“Hahaha. Well, forget it, now that all the performers are here, let’s get started.”

“Begin, you say…?”

I questioned back, tensing up unconsciously.

Perhaps it was due to the threatening atmosphere that I was exuding and the demeanor of the God of Calamity, which had shifted drastically from how she would normally portray her attitude. The ordinary humans around us hastily moved away, following the directions of Mugi and a woman I did not recognize. Izumi had generated a weapon and was readying it, while Houki was taken aback by the situation and Lady Ryo seemed to be frantically trying to grasp the circumstances.

“Oh, yes.”

The God of Calamity disappeared in a heartbeat, and I searched for her whereabouts in a panic.

“Agghh!? W-Why…”

And within the following second, there was the God of Calamity, who was piercing Houki’s abdomen with her hand.

“Houki!?”

“Lady Ryo, no!”

At the sight of this, Lady Ryo unconsciously tried to rush towards her, but I pulled her hand away and compelled her to step back behind me.

“P-Please let go of my hand!”

“No, I can’t let Lady Ryo near that thing. Izumi!”

“Nn…”

I beckoned Izumi close to me, keeping a watchful eye on the God of Calamity.

“Take care of Lady Ryo.”

“Okay…”

“W-Wait!”

Izumi took Lady Ryo and led her away.

While Izumi was leaving, Houki’s overall body was still trembling, but with greasy perspiration, she was struggling to resist the God of Calamity, who was muttering… something.

I, on the other hand, was unable to approach the God of Calamity. Approaching her recklessly right now would lead to disastrous consequences.

“Well, let’s have an interim report, shall we? Show me the fruits of your ten years of endeavors.”

After saying this, the God of Calamity withdrew her bloody hand from Houki’s abdomen and her figure dissolved into the void.

And the moment the God of Calamity disappeared utterly, Houki, who had been crawling on the ground from pain without support, rose up as if something leaped up from the ground with blood flowing from her abdomen.

“Aa… ah… aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!”

At the same time as she screamed out, Houki’s figure expanded and distorted wildly, then contracted from there to adopt a single form.

It was a woman dressed in an inverted black and white maid’s uniform. Her visage was equal to Houki’s, and she wielded a massive bamboo broom that was as tall as she is.

Despite not being as intimidating as a Demon King, her entire body radiated an overwhelming sense of domination, signifying that this monster was unlike any other demonic entity.

And I can tell by her stance that she had hostile intentions as soon as she noticed me. Yet, her eyes were telling me something.

I understood that Houki’s mind was deliberately retained in this monster while maintaining a normal state of being.

That her body was now under the absolute control of the God of Calamity.

And that there was only one other thing that can be done to save Houki.

“Now, fight to your heart’s content. This guy is rather formidable. Hahahaha…”

Then, out of nowhere, the voice of the God of Calamity was heard, simultaneously with which Houki began to take action.