Even the most powerful 'Fiend', the renowned Seldra Queen Fillion, was hardened.
That fact showed the danger of the 'Blood Demon Beast' in a simple way.
That was a product of the Research Institute a thousand years ago, and everyone spoke of it as 'outcasts'.
Even if it was as lovable as a pet to me, to a decent creature, it would be the exact opposite. Just by looking at them, my body trembles as I am exposed to a vindictive emotion that is too thick.
The natural enemy of those living beings was now trying to grab the most recent quunnel with its deformed arm (or so it seemed).
The moment I understood the situation, my body was in motion.
As a staff member, is it a sense of duty to protect the customer? Or was it another sense of justice? I slammed my body into Kounel and fell to the ground in an entangled mess.
Then, as he quickly looked up to move on to his next action -
Distance mute.
I could see Kanami's back.
She had already finished thrusting that purple, pale glowing arm into the 'Blood Demon Beast'.
By creating a 'connection' with the soul and sharing its life, it would reduce the opponent's will to fight without question.
The surprise attack made me break out in a cold sweat, but this was a relief - and it was only for a short time that I thought so.
After a few moments of silence, Kanami's panicked voice resounds.
''Kuku ......! We are one soul, but we are not alone. ......! I knew you were attached to it: ......!
He turned his gaze to me as if to confirm, and I quickly nodded back.
As you may have guessed, this 'Blood Demon Beast' was one of the failed works I saw when I 'looked past' my life.
In an attempt to create something that would steal the logic of the soul, the researchers surgically connected the "monsters" that had undergone endurance and modification experiments and played with them over and over again, and as a result, they were born into this world.
There is probably no other existence that has been artificially complicated like this in the soul.
No matter how much of a Kanami - no, it's precisely because they make a 'connection' with their souls that they are at a disadvantage when dealing with this 'blood demon beast'.
Having intuitively understood this, I hurriedly threw a reunion greeting to that familiar friend.
''-- Everyone (...)!
I could communicate with them.
I had that confidence.
Since I can't talk to Kounel, Serdra and the others, there would be no point in me being here if I wasn't useful. I appealed to my 'blood puppet' with a quiver in my own 'blood puppet' throat, trying to talk to him again in a friendly manner, just like a thousand years ago.
Its voice is reachable.
I don't know where the organ responsible for hearing is located, but my eyeballs moved in unison in response to the call.
Giddy.
They catch sight of me again and stop.
It was a familiar gaze.
I'm sure the reason it stopped now was because it was able to recognize me as me.
Unlike the hastily created 'connection' with the Saviour there, I feel a strong bond from the 'Blood Demon Beast' that hasn't changed even after the passage of a thousand years.
Ah. The feeling of nostalgia intensifies.
Not only the environment and smells, but being able to reunite with my old friends as well, my heart is filled with emotion.
I even felt as if tears were suddenly welling up with nostalgia.
'There's something I want to tell you: ....... There is something I really need to tell you guys--'
My mouth was moving on its own, as well as my tear glands.
There is so much I want to talk about in celebration of our reunion. I couldn't stop the thoughts and words from pouring out of this throat.
Naturally, my feet were also headed to hug the 'Blood Demon Beasts'.
However, on the way to do so--
"------! ---------- ... Phew!
It was a thin, inarticulate voice.
It wasn't Kanami or me.
I could tell from the scene in front of me that it was the voice of the "Blood Demon Beast".
All of the countless eyeballs were trembling in small increments.
The entire body was being used as a vocal organ, emitting an awkward but voice-like sound.
It's common for failures and 'blood monsters' to have no throat.
I'm used to all sorts of things, and I get even closer, trying to have a conversation with the 'Blood Demon Beast'
--But I was the only one who wanted to have a conversation with him.
The "Blood Monster" looked at me, trembling and expanding its volume again.
It was as if it was pumping blood from underneath my feet, making my eyeballs grow and increase one after another like fruit. The number of eyes finally exceeded a hundred. In addition, the trunk, which serves as its limbs, also began to split apart, and the minimal human form of "two arms and two legs" also crumbled.
Following that, its many red, thin arms wavered in the air like smoke.
The tips of the arms were sharp like blades - suddenly, my vision was filled with countless dots.
It was that the tip of the 'Blood Demon Beast''s wavering arm was pointed at me.
By the time I understood, the countless dots had already grown in size.
In an attempt to make me full of holes, the needle mountain approached me--
"'Rowen,'
Kanami muttered that, and before he knew it, he was standing in front of me.
Furthermore, all of the countless trunks had also been cut into fine pieces.
From the fact that a beautiful sword was held in the hand of the standing Kanami, it could be seen that he had solved the problem with 'swordsmanship'. However, how he wielded the sword in this small hut was not visible.
''------ ts!!!''
The 'Blood Demon Beast' trembled and squealed.
To be honest, it was a bit of a shock that he refused to talk to me and attacked me.
But I guess it can't be helped.
Before Kanami made me "Distance Mute", I was also going around attacking the living, just like the current "Blood Monster". So I sorted myself out, saying that this was unavoidable ......, but unlike me, there were some who didn't have the luxury of time at all.
'----? Shut up!
It was Seldra in the corner of the room, trying to spread out one wing with a partial 'dragonization'.
Her eyes were glowing red and she looked as if she was in a rage.
''It's at its limit! -- 'Dragon Wind', crush that thing!
He flapped his wings.
As a result, a blast occurs inside the hut.
Of course, it was a controlled wind, attacking only the 'Blood Demon Beast' as if it had a will. But in this too small space, it was far too enormous a wind.
When I recognized it as tasteless, my vision turned black.
The wind entered my eyes and closed my eyelids (a slightly unreliable membrane of flesh to say the least).
Then the sound of the wood and dirt that the hut is made of being destroyed.
It was, indeed, an explosion and an explosion.
The impact was more than enough to put me in the same defensive stance as the quunnel at my feet as soon as it hit me.
After the shock of the slap on my back passed, my ears were ringing in my head.
Surprisingly, being a 'blood puppet' is no different from being a human, I was a little disappointed, so I raised my bent body and opened my eyelids to check out my surroundings.
The hut we were in had burst like a balloon with too much air in it, and we had all been forced outdoors. And the red city was in shambles, as if it had been hit by a disaster such as a typhoon or an earthquake. Massive amounts of debris that seemed to be the remnants of buildings were floating in the shallow water of blood.
The 'safe zone' that Kounel had created had collapsed.
There were only two people standing in the city with a better view of the city.
Kanami, who was at the center of the explosion but unharmed, holding her sword at the ready.
Serdra, the one who had caused the explosion.
Unlike the scene he had seen before the explosion, Serdra's right arm had also been partially 'dragonized'.
And it raised its arm, which was enlarged to three times its size, and supported the bottom of the bed with the palm of its hand. In that bed, the Sith was still sleeping adorably. ...... I was sure of it, but this guy. He's the type of person who, once he's slept soundly, has a hard time waking people up.
There was a lot to say, but successfully Serdra protected her friends and fought off the 'Blood Demon Beast'.
That was what the scene looked like.
However, the reality seems to be different, and Serdra continues to stare at the surface of the blood with grim eyes.
It's the remnants of the 'Blood Demon Beast' mixed in with the floating debris.
Its scattered eyeballs gyrated again.
Then, as if repeating the scene just before, the eyeballs split apart again.
With supernormal speed, the demon grapes grew.
Moreover, the scattered eyeballs were used as seeds, and in each place--
I took a quick look and saw that about thirty new 'Blood Demon Beasts' were about to grow around us.
''So this is just what happens when you defeat them halfway through ......?''
Even as the threat orders of magnitude tried to increase, Serdra remained calm.
The splintering monster looked like it was used to fighting and was about to move on to its next attack.
But before they could do so, the party leader shouted to stop them.
''Serdra! 'Fear'?!
The words Kanami uttered were two letters in an otherworldly language.
It doesn't mean what it is.
The appearance of the horrific 'Blood Demon Beast' stimulates the creatures' survival instincts to a bizarre degree.
Even if you're used to seeing any more deformities, there's no question.
It's as if it's the reason for the world, making the opponents fall into "fear".
Some researchers rejoiced at that phenomenon as "the world's first artificial 'curse'".
However, Serdra had easily overcome it.
'I'm getting used to this 'horror' (・・・・・・・・・). ...... I've already tasted it a few times, you know. Unlike before, it's partly because I prepped a lot of stuff in the 'Other World' books.
Even just one "Blood Demon Beast" could turn an entire city into a sea of blood in a single night.
An ordinary person would go crazy at the first sight and scream to death.
It seems that they have gotten used to that "fear".
Hearing that, Kanami seemed relieved and took a breath.
The two of them also checked each other's next moves before the 'Blood Demon Beasts' limbs were fully grown.
''So, what do you want to do with this guy from now on? Our leader.
''I feel like the amount of things that Seldora has divided us up has diluted things. This time, the "Distance Mute" might pass. To this 'Blood Demon Beast': ......
Kanami glanced at me.
Apparently, she's going to officially adopt the name I've decided on.
''This guy is called 'Blood Demon Beast'? In any case, I don't recommend it. As a former commander-in-chief, I would advise you. Obviously, this is a development that was not in our prior 'future vision'. You shouldn't do that.
No, this future didn't exist at all. So I don't want to give up on it yet. ...... I want Serdra to continue to protect Kounel and the others.
...... We will follow the instructions of our leader.
After a hesitation, Serdra nodded.
She was clearly unhappy that her own advice had been ignored.
''Thank you for the advice, Serdra. But if I retreat here, I will surely 'regret' it later. So--
So, I'll do my best (・・・・・・).
With a look of determination, Kanami put the beautiful sword in her hand into her own body as if she was putting it back into its sheath.
At that time, the thirty 'Blood Demon Beasts' in the surrounding area had already completed their limbs and started to move.
Immediately, Serdra leaped to my side with her strong legs, holding up the bed and leaping to my side with her mighty legs.
''--'Hitaki.''
And Kanami didn't move to be a decoy, but uttered the name in a small voice.
It was 'Chanting' to use 'Thread' instead of 'Sword'.
Once, Hitaki created a magical 'snowfield' in the garden of Hoozeyer's Castle a thousand years ago by swirling the 'White Thread' like a stream of water.
In the same way, the purple thread extends from Kanami's knees.
A dark purple line was carved into the bright red water surface.
It was as swift as a rush of lightning, spiderweb-like - no, it grew as if it were to make a crack in the Blood Land. Perhaps because of the coloration, it seemed a little more disastrous than the original.
Unlike the Hitaki, it's probably a matter of quantity that doesn't allow it to leisurely swirl around.
It's a degraded version of the 'thread' that has been forged for two months, but Kanami still seems to be trying to keep the number of threads to a minimum.
The 'Blood Demon Beasts' who touched that 'Purple Thread' made their bodies jump.
''-- 《Distance Mute》''
The moment the "connection" was made by the "massless nerves", the example foul magic crawled out.
The "Blood Demon Beasts" sensed the intrusion of the enemy's magic and all at once pointed their eyes at Kanami.
However, it seems that they bypassed that Kanami at that time, and looked into his eyes and looked into his eyes.
Just like with me, the 'Blood Demon Beasts' stiffened in front of those absorbing eyes.
''----?''
The 'Blood Demon Beasts' were clearly upset and slowed down.
Even though they knew that they should attack the Purple Thread Surgeon Kanami as soon as possible, their steps were slow, awkward and weak, as if they were wearing thick armor.
Nevertheless, the 'Blood Demon Beasts' managed to summon up their courage and raised their arms and tried to pierce Kanami with their red thin arms.
But it was too late.
It was too late against an enemy that should have been spared even a moment's time.
Just before that sharp point reached Kanami - the arm lost its shape like a burning paper, spewing out a mist of blood.
The red limbs of the nearby 'Blood Demon Beast' crumbled to pieces, as if they were attacked by rapid aging and weathering.
Naturally, all the eyeballs that had been growing on its body also fell into the shallows of blood.
Watching the scene, Kanami speaks softly and warmly, as if in prayer.
''A little soul mixed and distorted ...... but it doesn't change anything. I know, because I'm the same way. Your souls aren't any different from ours--
It was as if he completely understood the 'Blood Demon Beasts' in front of him.
If spoken by an ordinary person, it would sound like an arrogant "superior view".
However, with Kanami, who can relive her life through the past, she is forced to look at the past equally.
This is because in just a few seconds, Kanami has seen hundreds of years of the lives of the Blood Monster Beasts.
And, for the first time, the souls are deprived of the core to maintain their bodies - the unskillfulness of this world - when they have a sympathizer who understands their pain from the 'same perspective'.
Just before touching Kanami, the 'blood demon beasts' crumble one by one.
''Little by little, I'm beginning to understand. If the souls are fused together, then we can carefully re-surgery (・・・・・・) them one by one (・・・・・). What we'll do after that is the same as the 'blood puppets': ......!
I see.
They say that the problem of souls being attached to each other should be analyzed perfectly with the outrageous experiments and modifications done a thousand years ago, and then operated on to rewind them backwards.
To be honest, I don't know what he's talking about.
However, even if I couldn't understand Kanami's words, the reality was overwhelming.
As if to prove that demonic beasts and dolls were not much different, the order from the 'blood demon beast' that had been traced to Kanami, they were unable to retain their shape.
The total time required was about ten or so seconds.
With just that much, the "Blood Demon Beasts" were already choked up.
However, the battle still seems to be going on as new Blood Demon Beasts are born from the spilled eyeballs and are attacking back.
-- but it was clearly decreasing.
He could be sure that the 'Blood Demon Beast' that was just moments ago contained over a thousand unrewarded souls.
However, the pressure of the 'Blood Demon Beast' that was now attacking Kanami was thin.
That thin "Blood Demon Beast" attacked Kanami many times, and when it was close to reaching her, it would break apart. It quickly reorganized its body and headed towards it, but there was no way it could reach it when it was even thinner. The soul is further disassembled, understood, and rewarded with a soul - only to be reduced.
'...... Boring'
It was boring.
Kanami is so strong and foul that it's ridiculous to even think about it seriously.
Kanami was bound to keep a margin of magic, not to hurt herself, not to hurt her opponent, not to hurt her friends, and then to save them instead of defeating them.
Still, it didn't even develop into a fight.
The work continues to be like reaping rice.
'Fuuah ......'
After about three minutes, I yawned.
However, in contrast to me, an impatient voice came from below.
'Ce, Lady Serdra, ....... This, even if it's steadily decreasing, it's not good .......
Kounel, who had been lying face down under my crotch, looked up a bit.
Then he looked at Seldra (・・・・・・・・・), whose mouth was suspended (・・・・・・・) to the limit next to him, and shouted.
''--Seldra-sama!
Serdra turned her face to Kounel when he called her over.
They immediately understood what he meant by being angry, and after the smile disappeared, they went over the situation with each other.
''Ah. I can kind of see that the enemy is diminishing, too. But how much of it is stuck inside? I thought it would be over soon, but how many seconds have passed already ......?
After lagging behind me, now the two of them finally seemed to understand the current situation.
Two hundred seconds have already passed since I unfolded the 'Purple Thread'.
From the outside looking in, all the time the "Blood Demon Beast" was just bursting and reducing the number inside. It was really simple, but from Kanami's point of view - always 'seeing past' and reliving the miserable life of the unrewarding souls - that a total of about 2000 years had passed by now! Id.
Kounel and Serdra's faces paled even more than they had been caught off guard by the 'Blood Demon Beast' earlier. It was because they had come to the conclusion that an enormous number of years had passed in Kanami even while they were currently stunned.
Unable to bear it, Serdra shouted.
'-- Kanami, too many! Pull the magic stone and make it die instantly! This is completely a trap aimed at 'The One Who Steals the Reason of Dimension' Kanami!
Even Kounel nodded to that advice.
It seems that the current situation is unacceptable to the extent that two people who don't get along with each other collude with each other.
''Kounel Shulus was right, we've been sensed! Evidence that a natural enemy has seeped out of the basement (・・・・), the only place where you can escape the "thread" and "future vision"! Fafner is trying to reverse your good intentions and mentally puncture you! Stop playing around like an idiot! If you're crippled in any way, it's all over!
He must be genuinely worried.
Roughly, he put a stop to Kanami.
The voice of Seldora seemed to have properly reached the ears of Kanami, who was lying face down, concentrating on the 'purple thread'.
Kanami reacted and slowly raised her face while poking her knees.
However, the expression on her face was contrary to Seldora's expectations--
Cripple? Serdra, I'm totally fine with it. I mean, it's about time (・・・・) I got used to it too (・・・・・・・). I've been at peace lately, but I feel like I'm finally getting back on track. Right now, my magic is going really well: ......!
He seemed to be enjoying himself.
The whole time she had a cheerful smile and kind eyes. Kanami, who had 'seen past' nearly a hundred miserable lives, was bright, as if she was finally feeling alive now.
Even Serdra and Kounel, who had a lot of life experience, were surprised and confused by her reaction.
'Oh, hey, Kanami ......!
"Mr. Chairman, you can go to .......
If they could afford to really enjoy themselves, fine.
But they weren't sure if their leader was really laughing or not.
Serdra hesitated and looked around.
First, she looked at Kounel and saw that they had the same expression on their faces, and then she shifted her gaze. Next, she looked at the bottom of the raised bed and shook her head repeatedly.
'............?'
It was a little uncomfortable.
If both Serdra and Kounel were 'insecure', why wouldn't they stop them, even if they were forced to?
Unlike me, a bystander, the two of you should have the strength to do that.
You can break in right now and attack the 'Blood Demon Beasts' instead of Kanami.
It doesn't matter if it's non-attribute magic, vampire abilities, or anything else.
So why are you not moving.
--Could it be that they can't disobey their leader, Kanami?
Just a few moments ago, Kanami and I had a heart-to-heart with each other and let each other read each other's lives.
However, Kanami's life was deliberately created with parts of her life that were painted over with the example ■■■ and that even she couldn't recognize well.
It was, for example, the story of the fight between Serdra and Kanami in The Original World two months ago.
The other story is the story in "The Original World" three days ago, after Kounel and Kanami shopped in "The Original World".
Both stories should have some kind of ending and some kind of "contract" is exchanged at the end - but, unnaturally, they are completely missing.
I felt that this unnaturalness was connected to this uncomfortable feeling.
If that 'contract' included something close to absolute obedience, then this situation could be explained. However, it's hard to imagine that from Kanami's warm (lukewarm) personality. ......
Yeah.
Whatever it is, it's getting interesting.
Apparently there isn't a single person in this party who can stop that runaway leader.
What will happen to Kanami if he continues to 'see past' the lives of others?
And that's all the 'unhappy' lives we've lived through this hell, for thousands of years.
How far does that life go (...) and where does the soul end up at the end of it?
Ah, it's a nostalgic feeling again.
Even when I was at the Institute, I used to watch these interesting experiments like this.
That's when I got a little greedy, beyond the confines of a bystander, and said, "I want to see this multi-layered soul experiment without being interrupted until the end - I want to see it too.
This time, an even more unidentified monstrous sound.
Even though I was used to all kinds of screams, it was very disturbing.
It wasn't the sound of some kind of animal.
It wasn't the kind of sound that could be produced naturally, nor was it the kind of sound that could be created artificially.
It was the closest thing I knew to the sound of a winged insect flying.
To the best of my canami knowledge, it sounds like scratching a blackboard.
Anyway, the common denominator is annoying, unpleasant, sickening, and unbearable.
I look backwards, as if hating the source of the sound.
At the end of the street, I spotted a single figure.
Just as I was moving my gaze, I had already found the source of the monstrous sound.
--a black line.
Before I knew it, a line had entered the empty air around my eye level, level with the surface of the blood.
Something like a 'black thread' stretched out from the shadow of the person I had found, and it was pinned up.
It was as unnatural as the prank writing that had entered the landscape painting of Blood Land.
The black thread seems to go all the way to the horizon, and from this black thread, a monstrous sound is echoing all the way to the horizon.
''Wha, this is my--! Kuunel, the janitor! Crouch down as much as you can!
Serdra seemed to notice, too.
Then, sensing what was about to happen before I did, he threw the bed he was holding up high in the air and grabbed me and Kounel's heads. He also forces me to lower it, along with his own head, to the surface of the blood.
My vision is moved downward in a big way.
But just as my face was about to hit the shallow end of the blood, I caught it on the edge of my vision.
The black lines of prank writing are moving.
Slowly and dully, circling in a circle.
With that distant figure at the center point, a pinging "black thread" passed through this wreckage covered city, as if using a compass, as if it were a drafting device.
On the way, I also saw that it touched the 'Blood Demon Beast'.
The moment the black thread touched it, its body trembled abnormally and dissolved into a sludge. The moment the black thread touched it, the entire structure that was still intact lost its shape.
From the outside, it's no different from the results of Kanami's purple thread.
However, it is clearly different.
Kanami was trying to save the souls of the "Blood Demon Beasts" with kindness, warmth and compassion.
On the other hand, that figure is mercilessly, coldly and brutally destroying the souls of the Blood Demon Beasts.
Ah, this is simple destruction.
That 'black thread' is a non-attribute magic that destroys souls through vibration and - no, I knew it was the old 'spellcraft'.
And when I found out, it was all over.
Everything above my eye level had disappeared and returned to blood.
The city, which had been red and beautiful just yesterday, was changing.
An intact bed falls from the sky onto that overlooked city.
Serdra took it softly and then set it down.
Then a figure that seemed a little farther away came closer and was clearly visible.
He was dressed in aristocratic clothes and had short red-copper hair.
It was a young man of the 'demon' with a soft face.
I know from information that he is not an ordinary 'magician'.
Originally, he was an ordinary human being.
Just like me, he had parents who were "Majinins" but was born with a perfect, immaculate body. However, that life of hardship forged his soul and as a result of absorbing the 'demon poison' continuously, he became a 'demon reverted'.
He's a mixture of insect strain monsters. However, not all of his body was deformed, and his 'demonization' seemed to be quite under control.
The only thing that showed the characteristics of a bee (Bee) was its left eye and left arm.
The left eye was filled with countless small eyes.
It's a compound eye, which is common in insect-type monsters.
The left arm was likewise hard and thin and long, characteristic of arthropods - no, it was a little strange if you looked closely. It's supposed to be an arm, but there's something like a needle sticking out at the elbow, and it looks like a thin wing-like thing covering it...
-- and in the middle of my observation, the young man covered his own 'demon' features with a gleaming, embroidered shoulder strap (cape).
'............. ...... Mr. Glenn.
Kanami, who was safe as a matter of course, had joined us next to us before we knew it, and called out the name of our bloody friend.
'Long time no see, Kanami-kun. You looked like you were having a hard time, so I helped you out ......, but from the look on your face, maybe it was superfluous?
As he replied, Glen Walker, the primary target of the "Primary Attack Force", smiled softly and scratched his head with his left arm with a plop.
Then he moved the eye patch he hadn't worn before (which also had gold embroidery on it and looked rather expensive) down from around his forehead to cover his compound eye.
'No, it's not. Thank goodness. Honestly, if I didn't, I was going to lose the sun: ......
Okay. Well, I'm glad to hear it. I'm glad my future brother-in-law doesn't hate me.
Both have a cheerful look on their faces and warm up to each other's old friendship.
Interrupting them was a Sis who was rolling her eyes on the bed that had been thrown high into the heavens just a moment ago.
''What, what! The current shaking: ......!
The noise was bearable, but the shock that assaulted his body seemed impossible.
Glenn looks around the Sith as he looks around with his best intentions, and Glenn watches him warmly.
It's a good thing you're here, Sith-sama. I knew you were there too.
Then, he moved his gaze to check out the other members of the 'Primary Attack Team' and--
'And Master Kounell and Master Serdra, too, ......,--?
Glenn gasped as he saw me, the last one, rise up from the shallow waters of blood.
The person who made a brilliant appearance earlier to annihilate the 'blood monsters' in an instant is violently upset by the 'blood puppet' unity that is me.
''Ki, you are ......, who are you?''
From the looks of it, even I could tell.
That even though Glenn could anticipate the existence of the 'Stealers of Reason', 'Apostles' and 'Bloodsucking Species', the existence of me was not planned at all.
'I'm one (1) cleaner everywhere. Don't mind me.
'The janitor ......? Wha, what ......?
And he could hear my introduction of myself firmly.