The Sleeping Pointy-Eared Princess (6) Subordinate Deity
A subordinate deity. A concept where an independent god enters under the dominion of another. In truth, such cases were not uncommon among the local folk religions scattered across the continent. Whether through direct warfare or conversion by religious miracles, there were clear instances of smaller religious groups being absorbed into larger ones. Hinduism and the Dangun myth of Earth followed a similar context. However, Yohan had only recently learned that this concept applied not just to the religions themselves, but directly to the deities leading those groups.
"Hmph..." Hearing the Goddess's proposal, the guardian deity let out a hum, her expression unreadable.
"Think carefully. This is the only way to end this meaningless conflict and achieve both of our goals at the same time," the Goddess said.
Yeah. Our Goddess is absolutely right. Yohan silently hoped the guardian deity would accept the offer.
"So, what my esteemed senior is saying is... if I become your subordinate deity, Peony can receive both of our blessings without any issue, and I'll get believers again, allowing me to survive?"
Fortunately, the guardian deity grasped the Goddess's meaning quickly.
"Indeed," the Goddess replied.
The guardian deity fell silent. She merely twirled a lock of her hair around her finger, wearing a smile that masked her true thoughts. A brief silence stretched between them.
"Well, now," the guardian deity said, her voice dropping low.
Rumble—
Instantly, the surrounding air froze icy cold, and the wind rustling through the massive trees died down. A bizarre sensation washed over them, as if the space within a certain radius of the guardian deity had suddenly transformed into another world.
"You want me to become a subordinate to a deity whose apostle is nothing but a primitive, short-lived mortal?"
Her gentle tone from moments ago vanished, replaced by a booming voice laced with pure rage and resentment.
"Are you out of your mind—?"
The fury and murderous intent radiating from the divine being felt like thousands of needles pricking his skin. Yohan, standing closest to her, grimaced deeply and cursed.
"Ugh..."
A few meters behind Yohan, his two companions groaned in agony.
If they had brought their horses here, the beasts would have collapsed the moment they heard that voice, or thrown Falco off and bolted. Yohan sighed as the situation took a turn for the worse.
Despite her mischievous but relatively mild attitude earlier, the guardian deity was now openly displaying raw hostility toward Yohan and the Goddess.
"Considering the circumstances, I was going to let things slide generously, but not anymore."
As she spoke, a dark blue aura surged from her body. It was putrid. The aura she radiated practically reeked. Though it was emitted by a deity, any trace of divine energy was gone, replaced entirely by dense malice and terror. It felt exactly like the energy radiated by the two demons they had encountered in the wasteland not long ago.
The Goddess was right. This guardian deity... had long since lost her mind.
"Hey, everyone, run for—urk!"
Crash!
Yohan shouted to the other two. But before he could even finish his sentence, a violent gust of wind blasted from the front, slamming him hard against a massive tree.
"Son of a—"
His entire body, especially his spine, throbbed with pain. Yohan barely managed to pull himself together. Glancing behind him, he saw that the wind had been so powerful it had left a deep, circular crater in the trunk of the giant tree.
If an ordinary human had taken that hit, their bones would have shattered or their internal organs would have ruptured upon impact, killing them instantly.
"Ahahaha! Where do you think you're going? You're not going anywhere!" the guardian deity shrieked, bursting into manic laughter.
Negotiations had failed. Yohan channeled his divine power, preparing to summon his Light Sword.
"You insolent child, you have finally crossed the line."
A chilling voice cut between Yohan and the guardian deity.
"How dare you strike my Apostle?"
The Goddess's face was filled with more fury than Yohan had ever seen, momentarily catching him off guard.
"You..."
Well, look at that. She actually knows how to step up and take responsibility when it counts. Looking at the Goddess's back, Yohan felt a sudden wave of genuine touch.
"I am the guardian deity who guides the Dawn Dew Tribe! Do you truly think I would subject myself to a god worshipped by lowly, short-lived mortals?" the guardian deity spat back, refusing to back down.
"You are utterly consumed by your duty as a guardian deity... No, you are shackled by it. How pitiful," the Goddess murmured.
While the two deities clashed, Yohan checked on his companions.
"Hey, you guys okay? Still breathing?"
"Yes. Billy got swept up by the wind and fell, but other than that, we're fine," Falco replied.
"Ugh... I'm alright too, so please don't worry," Billy added.
Fortunately, they were unharmed. Yohan nodded at them, then turned his attention back to the two deities. The air between them remained suffocatingly tense.
"If you had just handed over the last child of my tribe, I would have let you leave in peace... But you, you dare...!"
Boom!
The moment she finished speaking, a violent explosion erupted around the guardian deity. Yohan swiftly summoned his Shield of Light, shielding the two behind him from the blast.
Clatter, clatter!
Countless clumps of dirt, stones, and wooden splinters pelted the surface of the shield before sliding off. No one was hurt, but the explosion had completely devastated the surrounding forest.
"The... the forest..." Falco stammered, staring at the splintered trees. Her eyes trembled with profound shock and a sense of loss.
The very deity born to protect the forest elves was now destroying the forest itself. For Falco, who had been born and raised in these woods, this was an incredibly devastating sight.
"...I can't believe this."
"Damn it, she's planning to tear this whole forest apart."
While Falco stood there devastated, Yohan merely shook his head, having expected as much.
The guardian deity was indeed a god meant to protect her tribe. However, the elves of the Great Forest had not always been a peaceful, forest-loving race. They had only recently become secularized and docile; historically, elves were a bloodthirsty race. They had utterly despised the short-lived mortals who lived fleeting lives compared to them. That was precisely why the Unnamed Goddess detested pointy-ears. In the past, the elves of the Great Forest had ventured into the outside world and waged countless wars. Yohan was well aware of this history.
"Whew." Yohan transformed his Shield of Light into his Light Sword. He stepped forward and stood right beside the Goddess.
"This one has already crossed the line," the Goddess said coldly, glancing at Yohan.
Driven mad by the sudden terror of fading away and her obsession with her duty, the guardian deity of the Dawn Dew Tribe had fallen into corruption.
"Tsk. Personally, I really hate the 'corrupted boss' trope," Yohan muttered, clicking his tongue.
"Yes, I won't give her up! She is my child! My tribe!"
The enraged guardian deity seemed completely beyond the point of reason. Her frantic muttering carried a sickening dread, sounding more like the screeching of a demon.
"Dialogue and compromise are impossible. Though it is regrettable, we have no choice but to fight," the Goddess said.
"Tell me about it."
Yohan and the Goddess exchanged a brief look. Even amidst the waves of madness radiating from the guardian deity, the Goddess did not lose her holy radiance.
"My Apostle."
The Goddess offered Yohan a gentle smile, and then...
Flash!
She dissolved into her spiritual form and vanished.
—I shall leave the rest to you!
"You crazy jerk!"
Of course. Just when the mood was getting dramatic, she bailed on him again.
—Keep in mind that it is far more efficient for you to channel my divine power alone than for me to manifest physically and fight alongside you.
"I know, I know!"
Yes, he knew. He was just annoyed. She was technically speaking the truth, but why did it always sound like a cheap excuse? Couldn't she at least give him a proper pep talk or some motivation? Grumbling inwardly, Yohan adjusted his grip on his sword.
"Unbelievable, seriously."
He had come here to cure his sick companion, and now he was about to commit deicide—something he had never planned on doing. Honestly, he didn't want to do this. After all, this deity hadn't chosen to end up like this. But he couldn't lower his sword. If he didn't defeat the rampaging guardian deity, his companions behind him would die.
—The entity before you is no longer a god. You must treat her as a powerful demon.
The Goddess seemed to read Yohan's inner conflict.
Get a grip. Yohan tightened his grip on his Light Sword and took a combat stance.
"I will never hand her over. She is my tribe. My children."
The guardian deity continued to mutter to herself, unleashing an ominous energy. Thanks to the Goddess's divine power, Yohan wasn't consumed by the dark aura, but the sickening sensation creeping over him was unavoidable.
"Hey. How do these kinds of bosses usually attack?"
The demons he had faced so far all fought differently. The one in the Undercity of Balifield swung and shot its own bones like weapons, while the man in the suit controlled low-level devils.
—I do not know.
"..."
—But it will certainly not be a fair or righteous method.
Ah, how incredibly helpful.
Well, it wasn't like he had expected a useful answer in the first place.
"Ah, whatever."
The golden rule of combat was to strike first. Intending to land a solid blow on the guardian deity, Yohan channeled the Goddess's divine power.
Crack!
"What the—?!"
Just as he was about to leap forward, the soil beneath his feet suddenly writhed. Startled, Yohan immediately leaped back several paces.
"Now, it is time for everyone to wake up. We must defeat the enemies of our tribe."
The guardian deity muttered in a contradictory voice—one still consumed by madness, yet carrying a trace of gentle affection.
Riiip!
The ground split open, and dirt erupted upward. From beneath the soil, countless skeletons began to rise.
—These skeletons...
"Aren't these the corpses of the pointy-ears from her tribe?"
—It appears so.
She had raised the deceased members of the Dawn Dew Tribe as undead. Realizing this, Yohan clicked his tongue. The guardian deity, who had wanted to protect her tribe at all costs, had technically achieved her goal. The only problem was that her methods were completely, utterly twisted.
Yohan finally understood the true nature of the shrine where the guardian deity resided. That wooden structure wasn't a shrine built to worship her. And this forest was no longer the village where the tribe had lived. From the very beginning, this place... had been a graveyard. And the guardian deity was merely a gravekeeper, dying alone as she watched over it.
"Hey, hey. Why are those skeletons holding weapons? Huh?"
—How should I know!
The skeletons of the Dawn Dew Tribe were armed with weapons like swords and bows. Perhaps the pointy-ears had a custom of burying their weapons alongside the deceased. Surveying the sea of skeletons surrounding them, Yohan let out a heavy sigh.
"Ha, well, at least this makes things easier."
Pointy-ears or not, these things were undead monsters now. And undead, along with all other evil creatures, were practically free game for Yohan.
—Go. Use the Apostle's Authority to grant eternal rest to those deceased souls bound by the guardian deity's madness.
"You got it."
With the Goddess's permission granted, Yohan gave a loud reply and swung his sword forward.
Whoosh!
The Divine Flame, capable of incinerating all things unholy, swept through the forest.