CHAPTER 81.2: AWAKENED BODY

“Hey, Kure! Don’t die!” (Shuu)

 

 

　Just as I thought, the arm that was wrapped around my back was unexpectedly strong, and Kure buried his face in my chest and kept sniffing.

 

　I pull him off forcefully and stand up while creating [Holy Healing]. Giran is alone with Arato.

 

 

　It seems that even if she is a demon, she cannot instantly repair a destroyed knee. Her balance is shaky and her sharpness is dulled. She is being pushed by Gillan’s deadly attacks.

 

 

　I crouched to join in. Arato’s attention is slightly diverted as she is wary of my [Leaping].

 

 

　At that moment—in my eyes, I see the shadow of a warrior maiden standing on the other side.

 

　Lacking her right arm, she leaps at her, clutching her [War Spear] in her left hand. It is Midori the older Shishikaba.

 

 

“Annaaa!!!” (Midori)

 

 

　Why is she yelling when she is doing a surprise attack? Just as I thought, the [War Spear] was easily repelled by a swing of a hypha arm. But the next moment, the tip of the spear ripples through the air. A tremendous impact and thunderbolts are scattered.

 

 

“Hyaha! I hit jackpot!” (Midori)

 

 

　Midori was overjoyed while being blown away. It is that technique, she’s shown that to me once a few days ago. Midori’s [War Spear] was wrapped in [Sticky Thread] by Aoi, a combination technique in which hypha balls such as [Thunderball] were abundantly sprinkled on top of it. Its name is “boba soft serve”. By the way, it seems that it is still popular in Akabane. [T/N: Yep, it’s a real sundae with boba.]

 

 

　As expected of Arato, she was unable to resist or dodge. She sticks a [Katana] of her mycelial arm into the ground to support one of her legs.

 

 

“…Guh…” (Arato)

 

 

　Her hair is charred and blood is dripping from her forehead.

 

　The body is battered and shaking, is it due to the damage, no—-

 

 

“I to do this on a weak lady… That’s why humans…” (Arato)

 

“It’s not human, but there’s another one.” (Shuu)

 

 

　A huge shadow covers Arato who turned around.

 

 

　—-A Golem.

 

　A golem with only the upper half of its body, pieced together from the surrounding rubble, raises its huge tree-like arms.

 

 

　I gues it was when Arato was going trigger-happy with [White Bullet]. My [Sensory Spores] caught the fact that the main body of the golem, Rook, was still moving. I blocked Arato’s eyes with [Smokeball] and threw [Holy Healing] at Rook.

 

 

　It was a high-stakes gamble. I had hoped that his Mama, whom he had once identified as an enemy, would be his target again, but if it turned against me and my companions, our chance of winning would be completely destroyed.

 

　But in any case, the odds of winning were slim. So, I gambled on its “absurd actions.” The result was….

 

 

“Smash her, use your rebellious hammer.” (Shuu)

 

 

　The words that spilled out of Arato’s mouth as her eyes widen at the moment the stone hammer was about to strike down did not reach my ears.

 

　But her lips looked like she murmured, “Wonderful.”

 

 

　The impact and ground shook as if it were a bomb. The wind pressure blew away Giran, who was closest.

 

　In the center of the sunken ground, blood slowly oozes from a crushed lump of flesh.

　

 

 

 

　The golem is still in the posture of a hammer striking the ground and has stopped moving.

 

　In the meantime, I rushed to Giran’s side, who is crouching down.

 

 

“Are you okay?” (Shuu)

 

“…Oh, thanks to your stupid bet. If it had backfired, I would have beaten you up, but for now, I’m grateful.” (Giran)

 

“Thanks.” (Shuu)

 

 

　Taking Giran’s hand and helping him stand. He is still unsteady, so I lend him my shoulder.

 

 

“Let’s go away immediately. I’m not sure how the golem will react to us.” (Shuu)

 

“… wait. Is the demon really dead?” (Giran)

 

“Could you please not raise any strange flags?” (Shuu)

 

 

　There is no change in the golem. My [Sensory Spores] show that there is no figure inside.

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“She was definitely crushed or something, I feel like we’re done.” (Shuu)

 

“…Then that’s good. We’ve won. We’ve done well for each other, Abe.” (Giran)

 

“Thanks to the fact that the other side beat our asses all over the place…” (Shuu)

 

 

　If we had challenged her without schemes or having her guard down, We wouldn’t have had a chance of winning. I the end it took everyone to finish her off, and in the end, we even took advantage of the enemy’s carelessness, and with that, we finally grabbed the narrow victory. It’ was pathetic, but it’s the best we could all do.

 

 

“She was probably… a just a juvenile.” (Giran)

 

“Juvenile?” (Shuu)

 

“It was a young individual. We could barely handle it. It was probably not even close to the level of the real demons that raged in the war fifty years ago.” (Giran)

 

“Are you serious…” (Shuu)

 

 

　With that ridiculous strength, is that really a young demon?

 

 

“More importantly… In the end, it never showed it. Perhaps she was aware that she couldn’t control the power of her awakened body—” (Giran)

 

 

　There is a dry crack.

 

　The golem’s arm cracked and dropped pieces. The cracks instantly spread throughout the body, turning it into a mountain of rubble.

 

 

“……eh?” (Shuu)

 

 

　At the top of the pile, countless threads dance.

 

　They are different from the familiar white mycelium.

 

　It was black. Black mycelium.

 

　They are interlinked, tangled, overlapped, and bundled. They swell up and take shape.

 

 

“…an awakened… body…” (Giran)

 

“…Haa, I thought I was going to die.” (Arato)

 

 

　The voice sounds eerie, neither male nor female.

 

 

“Well, if one of me could die at the hands of a golem, I was about to accept it.” (Arato)

 

 

　That thing must be more than two meters tall.

 

　Its slimy, dull, shimmering body is gray with black spots. Its abdomen swelled up like a balloon.

 

　Its supporting limbs are made up of countless intertwined tentacles. On its back are wings that are also bundles of tentacles.

 

 

“But… That was not me. I am not Jirou. I am not Anna, Junhei, or the nameless beast.” (Arato)

 

 

　A horn resembling a knob grows randomly on its head, and pus-like mucus drips down from the tips.

 

　The face is reminiscent of a skeleton, with blackened, sunken eyes and nose, and a huge mouth that hangs from side to side like a crescent moon.

 

 

“…This hideous figure that is so repulsive is the real me. I am Arato… the demon who will bring chaos and rejoices at the destruction of the world of man. It is I, a demon reborn!” (Arato)

 

 

　Arato’s month pops open. I can only see an unparalleled darkness and terror in the depths.

 

 

“It’s been a pleasure, People of the Thread, and Master Threadweaver. But let’s put an end to the sideshow. This is my true self, and this is the end of you.” (Arato)

 

　

 

 

　On the edge of the battlefield, a girl wakes up.

 

 

“…Noa, Noa! Are you okay, squeak!?” (Tamiko)

 

 

　The girl vaguely looks at the carbuncle tribe beside her, listens to the noises around her, and then rises up with a jerk.

 

 

“You should still be sleeping, squeak!” (Tamiko)

 

“…it’s okay Ta-mi-ko~” (Noa)

 

“……Noa?” (Tamiko)

 

 

　The girl’s eyes soften. She caresses Tamiko’s forehead with her index finger and nods.

 

 

“…I have to go. Shuu—to protect my-s-p-a-r-k-l-e~” (Noa)

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