Defying the Observer's Gaze
"Hoo...."
Agartha began to crumple, her face twisting back into despair at the Observer's suggestion. It hit me that if the Hunter let her guard down even a little right now, she might get eroded by that suggestion and who knows what would happen. But the very idea of the Hunter losing her mental grip was impossible to begin with.
Her rage toward Outer Gods. And her ironclad resolve to get revenge no matter what. Those two forces combined, pumping adrenaline through her entire body the moment an Outer God appeared before her eyes.
The Hunter soon realized something was caught in her hair, and she forced her stone-stiff arm up to her head. Snap. With just a flick of her wrist, she sliced it off with the edge of her hand, and her mind cleared in an instant. She wobbled briefly as the tension drained from her body, but she held firm and kept her eyes locked forward.
"Hah."
Panting heavily as she glared at the Outer God, she sensed something had changed. 'Just my imagination?'
After checking repeatedly, the Hunter confirmed it wasn't. One of the grotesque multitude of eyes scattered across its body had closed. '...Does that mean each of those eyes is watching someone?'
She quickly pieced together the Observer's power. Anyone exposed to it like this would be constantly bombarded by the suggestion that those countless eyes were watching them. And it probably was watching, for real. Unless you had the Hunter's layered resistances to Outer Gods, you'd fall without fail. Proving the point, Agartha was already forehead-planted on the floor like she'd merged with it. The amulet she'd hidden away had long since been sniffed out and dismantled by the Observer.
And because of that, strange noises started creeping into Agartha's ears, her sharp hearing—once an advantage—turning into a blade as the noise twisted into voices. Right at that moment...
"Snap out of it, you chatterbox!"
Like a soccer player possessed, the Hunter braced on her left leg and slammed her right foot into Agartha's butt. Bam!
"Kyaaak!"
A jolt of pain shot up from below like an electric shock, bursting from Agartha's mouth as a scream. Maybe she'd kicked too hard—Agartha's body flew forward a bit, and without thinking, she clutched her head with both hands. In the process, her fingers severed whatever was transmitting the Observer's suggestion.
Fully snapped back to reality, Agartha panted as she slowly pushed herself up. "Wh-what the..."
As she tried to lift her head to check the situation, the Hunter grabbed her collar and yanked her down. "Eeeek."
"Keep your eyes on the ground. Looking at those eyes up there means you're done for."
Mental strength depletes like stamina. Even if you know how to shake off a suggestion, if it keeps coming, you'll burn through it all, leading to mental breakdown—and eventually, your brain just gives up and you die.
Fixing her gaze on her own shadow, Agartha spoke in a trembling voice. "...Do you think Tantun's okay? What do we do now...?"
"That sudden reaction means the psycho did something to piss off the Observer. And it's probably something that really grates on it."
The Hunter snorted. "Means it's time to beat the crap out of that freak."
Her red eyes, hidden under hood and mantle, gleamed coldly. Agartha stared at her in disbelief. "Y-you're gonna fight that? Even for you, that's insane...!"
"I'm gonna buy time. Until the psycho shows up."
Ignoring Agartha's protests, the Hunter started preparing to move. First, she scanned her surroundings. Even for her, facing an Outer God barehanded was like a stingless wasp taking on a mantis.
Her eyes caught something amid the utterly wrecked prison cell. A pile of stuff had spilled out, mostly weapons. Before the Observer could close in, she dashed over, a thrilled smile spreading across her face.
"Lucky me."
In the storage vault scattered with weapons, she snatched her beloved double-barrel shotgun—the driving force behind slaying countless Common Outer Gods, perfectly suited to her favorite combat style. The perpetual irritation clinging to her finally ebbed, replaced by positive energy.
She palmed the shells she'd smuggled in without detection on the way here. Grotesque things that looked like mashed flesh, not your standard ammo. Anti-Outer God kill shots. Tricky to make with their special ingredients, but they packed real damage.
She cranked the lever, the barrel swinging open 90 degrees. With quick motions, she loaded the chambers, snapped it shut with a wrist flick, spun the gun twice to check the seal, confirmed it was good, and aimed straight at the Observer.
No hesitation—her finger pulled the trigger. A deafening roar echoed as the shot blasted toward it.
Incomprehensible, grotesque sounds filled the prison corridor, and the Observer started writhing in apparent agony. But despite its over-the-top reaction, the Hunter quickly realized the damage wasn't that great.
She clicked her tongue. "Figures. Doesn't work on higher-tier Outer Gods, huh."
"What?! Then what do we do?!"
Agartha stomped her foot, but the Hunter had no clear answer. In the original Snow Castle, this was a tutorial stage. And tutorial bosses were usually way too strong for normal brute force.
Which meant the Outer God before her was Greater Outer God-tier, not some run-of-the-mill trash. She clocked it fast.
"Guess all we can do is hold out until the psycho shows."
The Hunter said it flatly, but despair bloomed on Agartha's face.
Was it because I picked up that bone? Suddenly, cracks spiderwebbed across the room, and it started collapsing.
"Wh-whoa, what? Why's it falling apart all of a sudden?!"
"It's fine, that's how it goes. Hurry and get out."
The leader Lesser Outer God spoke urgently, but ignoring them and leaving felt wrong—I'd grown attached. My feet wouldn't move.
"No, what about you guys? What happens to you?!"
I shouted out of genuine worry, but they just giggled like it was the funniest thing.
As I watched anxiously, one wiped tears from laughing too hard and said, "Who'd have thought we'd get worried over by a human? Have we gone soft?"
"Mom never worried about us."
"Wanna be our dad?"
"Quit joking!"
I wondered who this "mom" was, but it didn't matter anymore. I tried to get serious, saying it wasn't the time for jokes, but that just made them crack up more.
I racked my brain for a way to take them with me, but the leader shook her head, stopping me.
"We're not disappearing. Just drifting in this rift."
"What's the difference...?"
"Big difference. Someday this space revives, and we'll be back in action."
"How long do you think that'll take?!"
"Don't worry, human."
The leader covered my mouth with both hands. "We live way longer than you think."
Even after all that, if I stuck around and got crushed by debris, it'd just burden them. So I started to step away slowly.
"Ah! The baby’s still clinging to the human!"
One pointed at the kid still glued to my shoulder. They all grabbed at her to peel her off, but she clutched my clothes and held fast.
After a few seconds of tugging, they gave up with a sigh. "Looks like she wants to go with you."
"Let her! Fun stuff with you is always priority one for us!"
I panicked at how casually they decided, but they kept chattering.
"No biggie! Being apart won't hurt us!"
"She'll just get a lot weaker outside this room alone."
"You! Hurt the baby and we'll kill you!"
Threatening like that then saying it's fine—what kind of blackmail was this? But dragging it out might get me buried alive for real.
I scratched the head of the frowning Lesser Outer God still gripping my clothes. She looked up with a puzzled expression.
"...It might be tough. Even if you like humans and think they're fun to touch, being together isn't all good. Why not stay here?"
"Nooo! I'm going with youuu...."
She buried her face and threw a tantrum. How could I just leave her like this? I glanced at the others—they nodded with kind smiles, like it was all good.
They really were good to the end. "Alright. Gonna have to run now, so it'll be bumpy—get in here."
I opened the pocket on my clothes. She flapped her wings and darted inside. I felt her wriggling.
The leader smiled wistfully. "Take good care of her."
Tears welled in her eyes, but it was time to say goodbye. I gave them a resolute look, then forced myself to turn and sprint for the exit.
Ah, Hunter and Agartha might hate this a bit. But Hunter said Lesser Outer Gods are only threats in groups, so one should be fine to convince them, right?
The passage narrowed. The Lesser Outer Gods waved, curling into flower buds as they sank into long slumber.
Stepping out, the sight that greeted me was shocking.
"Hiiing. It hurts."
The Hunter was shooting at a wolf-eared girl with her gun.