Chapter 344: Acknowledged by an Evil God (4)
Chapter 344: Acknowledged by an Evil God (4)
Boiling Silence was in a rough spot. After the beating he took in the Levantine Empire, appointing an Apostle or breaking his seal to descend had become a monumental task.
He was essentially a washed-up has-been, but because the bastard couldn't stop sticking his nose into everyone’s business, my entire operation had been thrown into disarray.
If I had known the forces of Ugly Prosperity would be gathered in such numbers, I would have summoned all the elves living along the march route to Yggdrasil first.
Then, I would have diverted all the spirit power—which was currently being supplied to various places to maintain infrastructure—and concentrated it entirely on Yggdrasil’s defenses.
With the full protection of the World Tree, Yggdrasil becomes an impregnable iron fortress that will never fall unless the enemy brings an Apostle or the spirit power runs dry.
And why wouldn't it? It’s a place protected by a god, even if that god can't leave the tree's confines.
Furthermore, while elves might not match the beastkin in raw strength, their basic physical abilities are superior to humans, and their long lifespans mean they’ve usually mastered a variety of skills.
Few reach the highest tiers of power, but most are capable of basic magic or aura manipulation.
With that foundation, they could easily pull their weight with just a bit of basic military training.
Finally, now that I knew the troops had completely pulled out of Crassius, I would have requested reinforcements from the beastkin as well.
While we stubbornly held the line at Yggdrasil to block the army of Ugly Prosperity, the knights of the Levantine Empire and the warriors of Crassius could have struck them from the rear.
If the enemy consists of individuals capable of toppling a nation single-handedly, then we simply need to mobilize every bit of corresponding military might we have.
An army of an Evil God without the asymmetrical power of an Apostle is bizarre, but manageable.
Of course, we would inevitably lose in a war of attrition… but that’s the case even now, so things couldn't really get much worse.
Having listened that far, Grimhill tilted his head.
“But haven't we already missed our window? Why bring this up now?”
“Because it’s not too late yet.”
“Hmm?”
“To be precise, I have to make sure it’s not too late.”
The core plan remains the same as what I just described. Our elite forces aren't enough; we need the strength of entire nations, so there’s no other way.
The only problem is the lack of time… but if we lack time, we just have to buy some.
“I don't know if it’s a blessing or a curse, but Ugly Prosperity is obsessed with me. I don't know if he’s serious, but he even said he’d withdraw from this world entirely if I willingly became his Apostle.”
“M-Master! Surely you don't mean…!”
Carla, who had been kneading and relaxing my shoulders from behind, started trembling in shock. There was really no need for her to worry about that.
“Even if I became an Apostle, there’s no guarantee he’d keep his word. And even if he did, I have no intention of entertaining the idea. …However, the enemy wants me very badly.”
That makes things simple. There’s no better way to draw aggro than being something just barely out of reach.
“I’ll act as the bait and buy us some time. In the meantime, head back to Yggdrasil and finish all the preparations.”
“That is….”
“Oh, I’m not saying I’ll stay behind alone, of course. Sir Grimhill and Cardinal Tumila, please stay and help me. Two of our high magicians and the Saintess will stay as well.”
Intermediate magicians are strong. They’re on par with the executives of most magic towers, so their prowess is beyond doubt.
But if you asked if they could flee from the army of Ugly Prosperity without taking any damage, the answer would be no.
So, this was the right call.
“…Then we should have no problem staying on the run for a few days.”
“Please leave the healing to me.”
I thanked the two as they nodded, then gathered my women.
“You all heard the gist of it, right? So, Carla and Elisha, you two head back first with the others.”
“Master, I…”
“…….”
Carla hesitated, unable to find the words. Elisha, however, seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before looking me straight in the eye with a serious expression.
“I understand that we aren't much help in the current situation.”
“On the flip side, you’re plenty of help when things aren't like this, so don't worry about it.”
“…Hmph! I’ll be reaching the rank of high magician soon enough, so I’m not worried about that. Instead, let’s talk about something more realistic.”
“Like what?”
“You. How many days can you hold out?”
Ah, that is indeed important.
I ran several simulations in my head. Fortunately, I had dealt with the army of Ugly Prosperity until I was sick of them in H&A, so gauging the situation wasn't difficult.
“Five days. Anything beyond that will be pushing it.”
Stamina and mana can be restored with potions. Sleep can be managed somehow through vitality potions and the power of divine arts.
But there’s no helping the 'lust debuff' that keeps stacking up.
While Helena and Tumila’s divine arts could alleviate it to some extent, they wouldn't be able to purge it completely in such a short time. After all, it was still the Authority of a god.
This isn't something that can be resolved through masturbation or sex. In fact, those would only accelerate it. It’s an Authority designed to keep one eternally craving, so that’s only natural.
The only ways to remove it are to neutralize it over a long period or to become a follower of Ugly Prosperity and turn the debuff into a buff.
I, with my high resistance, and Iona, whose sexual structure was different, could hold out without issue, but the others were a different story.
Furthermore, Iris was a High Elf, and Grimhill and Tumila were elves.
The Authority of Ugly Prosperity works more effectively on their race than others, so five days was the absolute limit. At least, according to my calculations.
After hearing my explanation, Elisha nodded.
“Understood. We’ll take that as our timeline and wait for you. Shall I relay what you just said to the others?”
“Yeah. I’d appreciate that.”
With those final words, Elisha grabbed the wrist of the still-hesitating Carla and headed toward the gathering group.
Carla let out a shrill cry as she was dragged away.
“Master! Don't overdo it, and make sure you come back safe!”
“If it looks dangerous, I’m pulling out immediately regardless of how much time I’ve bought, so it’ll be fine.”
I gave Carla a light wave and pulled a communication magical tool from my inventory.
It was the crystal orb connected to Milone that I had received beforehand. When I channeled mana into it, a voice thick with fatigue answered before long.
After I briefly explained the situation, she sent Nidhogg right away. Perhaps because it wasn't far from where we first disembarked, it arrived quickly.
I watched for a moment as the ship made of roots departed for Yggdrasil, carrying Carla, Elisha, and the intermediate magicians.
Grimhill sidled up to me and whispered in my ear.
“By the way.”
“Yes?”
“Is it true that you’re such a legendary powerhouse in the bedroom that even an Evil God acknowledged you?”
“Well, I suppose?”
“…What’s the secret?”
Right. I remembered the saying that if every elven woman is a potential ero-elf, then every elven man is a natural-born premature ejaculator.
If he was curious about that at a time like this, then despite his impressive elven physique, he must be quite desperate on the inside.
I shrugged and replied with a voice full of pride.
“Innate mana capacity?”
“…….”
Grimhill’s face contorted violently.
But no matter how much he glared, the truth was the truth.
*
After taking a brief rest, we rode another Nidhogg and disembarked at a suitable location to find the army of Ugly Prosperity once again.
Since there was no need for a stealthy approach this time, I used Iris’s wide-area detection without hesitation.
The bastards sensed the mana wavelength and came rushing toward us… but that was exactly what I wanted.
As soon as they were within range, I unleashed the magic I had prepared.
However, perhaps because they had almost been wiped out once before, the enemy had come properly prepared this time.
They were carrying the corpses of dead goblins tied to wooden planks like shields, and strangely, half of the corpses were covered in tentacles.
No, to be more precise, tentacles were bursting out from inside the bodies. Like birds hatching from eggs.
In a little more time, tentacle-type monsters would be born from there. It’s a quite twisted birth, but such things are the specialty of Ugly Prosperity.
For the record, tentacle monsters can mate with any kind of living creature.
The downsides are that the offspring are always more tentacle monsters, and if they attempt to breed with a male, the fetus tears through the abdomen, making it a one-time use…
Still, they are a favorite because they act as automatic minion production factories that spend twenty-four hours a day focused solely on breeding.
…I must never get caught.
No matter how broad my tastes are, being done in by tentacles is a bit much.
While I was thinking that, the magic I had fired arrived above their heads.
Now all that was left was to sweep them away. But as is often the case in the world, things didn't go quite as smoothly as planned.
The enemies raised the tentacle-goblin meat shields above their heads.
At the same time, the high priests, who had been watching from the rear last time, began to actively manifest their Authority.
“Get hard!”
“Grow bigger, presto!”
“Go, go, dicks!”
The shouts were varied and uncoordinated, but the effect was the same.
The tentacles protruding halfway from the goblin corpses began to grow at a frantic pace under the high priests' blessings.
Creeeeeak—!
In an instant, the tentacles grew thick and rigid, intertwining to become one, and they used that massive bulk to intercept the magic we had fired.
BOOM!
A vibration that rattled my very bones. Flesh scattered in every direction. The massive mass of tentacles was torn to shreds in an instant.
But so what? We had merely struck the shield, not the main force.
Of course, magic cast with full power by a high magician is formidable. And weren't there three of us?
No matter how thick the wall of flesh was, it wouldn't be able to block it completely and would allow the aftershocks through, which would still be a decent result.
…Normally, that is.
Through the collapsing chunks of flesh, a familiar figure appeared.
A cute appearance and dainty bat wings. And, in stark contrast to those, the Cardinal of Ugly Prosperity who possessed a monstrous lower body.
Triana the Alluring.
A major character prominent enough to appear in H&A, she stepped forward accompanied by several other futanari succubi.
Triana reached out with a soft, contrasting movement toward the violent torrent of mana.
Following her lead, the various succubi reached their hands toward the sky.
So that’s how they’re playing it.
As I clicked my tongue inwardly, Triana licked her lips and shouted.
“Everyone! Make sure you swallow every drop!”
And then came the absorption of vitality… no, an Authority closer to Energy Drain. The magic, which had been close to a small typhoon from the aftershocks alone, was instantly silenced.
This is driving me crazy.
Before they could completely absorb it and strike back with an even stronger attack, I turned to the rest of the group.
“Let’s bolt!”
Whether it hit properly or not, my plan from the beginning was to land one hit and run.
And that was how I managed to survive the first day.