Hierarchy Among the Outer Deities
Among the Outer Deities, a certain “rank” exists. Rank is a secondary physical quantity determined by synthesizing a black hole’s lifespan, diameter, intensity, charge, angular momentum, and other factors. From that perspective, Cartesia possessed a formidable rank.
The rank of the constellation God of Wisdom and Curiosity overwhelms the rank of the avatar “Yoodel.”
Blink overwritten by Identity Transformation
The teleportation that had been cast on Rustila was sealed. To be exact, Rustila did teleport. Yet the coordinates before and after the jump remained identical. Cartesia had crushed the effect beneath her superior rank.
“Wh-what!”
All of it had happened in less than a single second.
“Haaaaah!”
Rustila drove her blade forward. I charged in from her blind spot to support her.
Thud!
At the exact same instant, Rustila’s sword and my caliper sank home. She pierced the right shoulder, I the left temple.
EX-Rank Conversion: Multi-Star Sword Energy
EX-Rank Conversion: Total Mental Destruction
The twin strikes slammed into Yoodel simultaneously.
“K-Kuaaaaaaaaagh!”
Oil jetted from Yoodel’s eyes. Steam erupted from its mouth like a geyser.
“…Only two insignificant pests!”
“Insignificant? Hardly.”
If Rustila and I were mere pests, the Outer Deities would have been exterminated from this universe long ago.
“Eidel!”
An urgent cry reached me. I flicked a glance sideways. Rustila’s body was beginning to glow with a soft light.
“This is…”
I doubted my own eyes. No way.
Rustila Kersil has entered the Constellar State!
It was already happening. I had assumed she would need to take several blows before awakening. A tremendous boom shook the air.
Rustila’s sword split into twin blades of pure white and jet black. One rose like an ascending ion, the other sank like settling ether.
I grinned. Seeing my expression, Rustila’s own lips—previously tight with tension—slowly curved upward.
The Pure and Persistent God is astonished.
The God of Wisdom and Curiosity strokes her chin with keen interest.
The real assault began now.
“Uwaaaaaaaaagh!”
The avatar “Yoodel” has sustained a direct hit.
Once a swordsman entered the Constellar State, they could inflict real harm on an avatar. That was the line separating S-class from EX-rank. And Rustila had reached that realm in only a few months. I was once again forced to acknowledge the sheer unfairness of talent.
Yet I also knew that such talent was always underpinned by relentless effort. The harmony of effort and genius had just manifested as the Constellar State.
“Haaaaah!”
Rustila roared again. At this moment she was a star, and the star was her. The plasma that eradicated evil belched white-hot flames.
The avatar “Yoodel” has suffered a fatal blow!
Yoodel twisted its slender, branch-like body and vomited bodily fluids. Then its form began to swell grotesquely. Rustila and I retrieved our weapons and retreated.
An indescribable horror takes root.
My instincts screamed danger.
“…Eidel, get behind me.”
Her will to protect others flared once more. Rustila was barely maintaining her Constellar State; the previous strike seemed to have consumed most of her ether. Yet an avatar was still an avatar. It had not died from her blow.
Instead, it was now on the verge of death—and cornered creatures do anything to survive. Like a rat biting a cat.
The avatar “Yoodel” activates the wide-area annihilation technique Pillar of the Void.
The entire space transformed into pillars. The world inverted as if we had been swallowed by an Outer Deity’s black hole. I had never encountered this phenomenon before, yet instinct told me one thing clearly: we would die. Not even the Constellar State or my caliper could block this maximum-output madness.
“You forced me to show such disgrace against a mere fledgling. Still, this is the end. Whatever trick you used, accept your rest.”
Rustila swung her sword, but it passed through the pillars without resistance. Illusion? Something else? In any case, physical attacks seemed useless.
“This… what is this…”
Rustila’s hands began to tremble. She was still young at heart. Sudden irregularities like this could break her quickly. She was, after all, still a student. Not that I had any brilliant countermeasures. In short, we were screwed.
Even so, I let out a small chuckle. The situation was critical, yet I laughed.
“I’ve bought enough time.”
“What?”
A low rumble echoed from beyond. The orbital elevator was activating—in the direction of the second ship. I had calculated this possibility from the very beginning of the fight. Would reinforcements arrive? My conclusion had been yes.
…!
Yoodel never even had time to register its own death. Sparks erupted across the entire space, and its head fell instantly.
Pillar of the Void has been dispelled.
A dark hemispherical curtain descended. Isaac Clark, fully suited in heavy armor, stood over Yoodel, having just ripped out its core and slammed it down.
“Instructor!”
“You two held out well.”
He approached us with a relieved expression. Since I could not return to the ship, I immediately asked Isaac about the number of monsters that had appeared and the casualty count. Nearly a thousand S-class monsters had emerged, yet not a single person aboard the vessel had been injured or killed.
“Haa…”
The moment she heard the situation had resolved, Rustila collapsed. She leaned her head on my shoulder.
“Let me borrow your shoulder for a bit.”
“…”
“I-it’s not what you think. I just used up all my ether. I worked hard to protect you, you know? Okay?”
Rustila rattled off excuses even though I had said nothing. The sight of her talking to herself was incredibly cute.
“Haha, you two really get along, don’t you?”
“That’s why I told you—she’s taken.”
“…Eep!”
I chuckled and opened my status window to tidy up the logs.
By cooperating to defeat the avatar “Yoodel,” you have earned 80,000 Fron.
Since I had not landed the final blow, only the cooperative experience had been awarded. Still, the amount was substantial. Yoodel had probably been stronger than Ruzlaktia.
Bond has been severed.
You can no longer form a Bond using the same method.
The moment the conditions ended, Cartesia had taken measures to prevent any further fraudulent contracts. Even so, the benefits I had gained this time did not disappear.
The Pure and Persistent God expresses gratitude toward you.
You have received 30,000 coins as sponsorship.
Coins—unlike Fron—were stellar energy bestowed by constellations. There was no limit to how many one could gather, and they could even be invested into various stats such as stamina or strength. Roughly one hundred coins raised a stat by one level. However, I had no need to spend them on myself.
The God of Wisdom and Curiosity shows interest in your coins.
Outer Deities adored coins; they provided the energy the deities needed to live and evolve. In fact, the reason they invaded the universe, slaughtered constellations, and devoured stars was for these very coins.
“Cartesia, don’t be mad.”
I spoke gently and handed over all thirty thousand coins.
The God of Wisdom and Curiosity is greatly surprised.
Vega would probably clutch the back of her neck in shock, but oh well.
Cartesia feels profound gratitude for your gift. She will forgive the atrocities you committed moments ago. In accordance with the laws of Contract and Compensation, she will refrain from issuing any penalty-bearing quests for the time being.
See? Everything had wrapped up nicely in the end.
I looked down at Rustila, who had already fallen asleep against my chest. Isaac approached with his adjutant, Kibel.
“She must have exhausted every last drop of ether. What a reckless child. I’ve told her dozens of times in class that she must ration it, not dump it all at once. It puts a terrible strain on the body.”
“Still, reaching the Constellar State is incredible, isn’t it? Once this girl graduates from Academia, shall we kidnap her for our unit?”
“I’ve already prepared a letter of recommendation. If she wishes, I can have her enlist immediately next year.”
“Wow, Commander, you’re even more ruthless than I am.”
Early military enlistment… Just imagining it was horrifying. Still, some people were suited for it. After all, I never understood why anyone would ask me why I went to graduate school.
“By the way, we’ve cleared ships one and two. Shouldn’t we head straight to ship three?”
“Ship four has also gone silent. Damn it, my wife is over there.”
“Madam is incredibly strong. She’ll finish quickly and return soon.”
Ah, right. Seti. I needed to learn her situation as soon as possible.
I gently leaned Rustila against the wall and stood. Isaac could handle ship three. I would search for the location of ship four.
At that moment, my status window chimed.
The God of Wisdom and Curiosity has updated the current quest information.
The avatar “Oligos” on ship four has been erased from existence by the Unfathomable Domain.
The God of Wisdom and Curiosity has gifted you 150,000 Fron!
What was this?
“Haa… haa…”
Zernya spat out saliva mixed with blood. Right in front of her, a colossal serpent-like monster that seemed forged from solid gold flicked its tongue.
Sensation was rapidly leaving her hands. Beneath the two puncture wounds, her fingers had gone ice-cold; she could no longer wield her sword freely.
Regret your own incompetence. Heh heh heh heh.
Clinging to her fading consciousness, Zernya thought: How on earth did it come to this?