The Sea Moon Jellyfish (7)
"..."
"..."
A chilly silence hung in the air.
Both Adelia and Isaac Berilof stared at me in silence. Their expressions looked as if they had just heard a very bad joke.
After a long silence, Adelia finally managed to open her mouth.
"Are you... serious?"
"I am."
Hearing my reply, Adelia pressed further.
"Is this... also the will of the Great Ones?"
"..."
Well, not exactly.
The ancient gods had never explicitly told me to form a temporary alliance with one of the Five Nightmares.
'But they did ask me to save this world.'
Joining hands with Doricco Shiro was ultimately a choice made to achieve that goal. So, in the grand scheme of things, it could be considered the will of the Elder.
Reaching that conclusion, I nodded quietly and replied,
"Yes. This, too, is the will of the Great Ones."
"..."
Adelia shut her mouth tight. Though she seemed to accept it on the surface, she couldn't hide the anxiety clouding her face.
'It's only natural.'
It must have been hard enough for her to accept joining hands with the Shadow Society, but an alliance with one of the Five Nightmares? Even if it was the will of the Elder, it was not something easily understood.
The Shadow Society merely differed in doctrine from Midtemple; at their core, they still served the Elder. In contrast, the Five Nightmares were fanatics who openly worshipped evil gods.
Furthermore, the atrocities they committed were incomparably heinous. It was only natural that Adelia found this hard to swallow.
But what could I do?
Whatever the case, I needed to cooperate with Doricco Shiro for the sake of the future. Sleeping with the enemy was inevitable. Having fallen into the world of Lost Elder, such situations would only repeat themselves.
'And honestly, Doricco Shiro is one of the better ones.'
She might be a lunatic, but she was relatively easy to handle.
"Doricco Shiro."
Anyway, having finished my thoughts, I called out to her. It was time to hatch our first conspiracy together.
"Now, cast the Soul Partition Barrier."
"...Huh?"
Doricco Shiro flinched. She looked genuinely flustered, just like when I had seen through her illusion.
"W-W-What? How do you know about that barrier?"
How did I know?
I had played this damn game two hundred times. I'd be an idiot not to know.
Not only did I know about the Soul Partition Barrier, but I also knew all of Doricco Shiro's numerous abilities, attack patterns, weaknesses, and even her past.
But there was no need to explain all of that to her. Keeping a calm expression, I got straight to the point.
"Just answer my question. Can you cast the barrier or not?"
"Uh..."
Doricco Shiro hesitated.
"But to cast the Soul Partition Barrier right now is a bit..."
"So you're saying you can't do it right now?"
"...Y-Yeah. I'm sorry."
"Understood. Then the alliance is off."
"What?"
Ignoring the panicked Doricco Shiro, I turned my gaze toward Adelia.
"Adelia, I will leave the execution to you. Enjoy the honor of personally slaying one of the Five Nightmares."
"Yes. Thank you, Sir Gaon."
Screeech—!
Adelia raised her sword in a disciplined motion.
A turquoise aura wrapped around the blade, flashing like frost. Just as Adelia was about to bring her sword down toward Doricco Shiro's neck—
"Aaack! Aaaagh! Wait a minute!"
Doricco Shiro squirmed with all her might, screaming urgently.
"I was wrong! I'll do whatever you say! So please save my Jelly! And save me too!"
Adelia stopped her sword just before slicing Doricco Shiro.
"I'll cast it! I'll cast the Soul Partition Barrier! But... I have a few demands too!"
"Demands?"
When I asked back in a cold voice, Doricco Shiro quickly added,
"I-I know I'm in no position to demand anything!"
"..."
"But if you don't grant me at least this, I really can't cast the Soul Partition Barrier! I'm serious!"
After pausing for a moment, I nodded as if reluctantly giving in.
"Speak."
"F-First, untie me. I can't do anything while bound like this. I'll only deploy the Soul Partition Barrier and won't try anything funny, so..."
"Ha."
Adelia let out a dry laugh, cutting Doricco Shiro off.
"Sir Gaon, you must never be deceived by the wicked tongue of that evil god worshipper. It is all a lie."
"Hey!"
Doricco Shiro shrieked.
"You stay out of this! Can't you see the two of us are talking? Why do you keep interfering since earlier..."
Screeech—!
"...I'm sorry. Please spare my life."
As Adelia raised her sword threateningly, Doricco Shiro's attitude instantly became much more submissive.
She began to continue her demands in a slightly tearful voice.
"I-It's really... not a difficult request..."
We listened to Doricco Shiro in silence. Just as she said, the request wasn't very difficult.
It was a plea to guarantee the safety of Jelly—that is, the Sea Moon Jellyfish—as promised at the very beginning, and to spare her own life.
"The Soul Partition Barrier is an extremely complex spell. I have to pour all of my remaining cursed energy into it to barely succeed."
"..."
"Once I cast the barrier, I'll collapse from exhaustion. I already used up a significant amount of cursed energy in my fight with you. So..."
Doricco Shiro trailed off.
I understood what she was trying to say. In short, she would be defenseless for a while, so she wanted me to protect her during that time. It was an extension of her plea to spare her life.
Without a moment's hesitation, I nodded and accepted Doricco Shiro's request.
"Understood. Do not worry about that."
"...!"
Doricco Shiro's mouth fell open. She seemed surprised that I had agreed so easily.
"R-Really? You promise?"
"If you don't believe me, I will swear by the names of the Great Ones again."
"No! No need for that! I believe you! I fully understand your sincerity!"
Doricco Shiro shouted in a much brighter voice.
"Then untie me now! I'll cast the barrier!"
Adelia and Isaac Berilof watched me with eyes full of suspicion. Adelia, in particular, bit her lip tightly, though she didn't dare dispute my decision.
"Will it really... be alright?"
"It is fine," I replied in a dry voice. "She isn't a particularly strong opponent anyway. Even if she runs wild again, I can just subdue her immediately."
"...!"
Adelia stared at me with wide eyes once more, and Isaac Berilof let out a small gasp. The claim that I could easily subdue one of the Five Nightmares seemed to shock them.
It might have sounded like a bluff, but since they had already witnessed me subduing Doricco Shiro without a single scratch, they couldn't easily raise any objections.
"Don't worry! I have no intention of doing anything funny! Because with my current strength, I can never beat him anyway!"
With Doricco Shiro herself admitting to that fact, there was no one left to object.
Snip!
I cut Doricco Shiro's talismans one by one with the Feather Sword. Every time the sharp blade sliced through a yellow talisman, the runic characters glowed faintly. Before long, Doricco Shiro was free.
"Phew!"
Doricco Shiro stretched, loosening her stiff body. She then pouted as she looked at the fragments of talismans scattered on the ground.
"Ugh, what a waste. I put so much effort into making those talismans..."
"Just cast the barrier already."
"...Alright, alright. Don't rush me so much."
Taking a deep breath, Doricco Shiro closed her eyes. She spread her hands and stretched them out toward the empty air.
"Never interrupt me until the spell is complete. Got it?"
With that final warning, she began to tense her entire body.
A dark red light flowed from her fingertips. What initially looked like faint smoke gradually transformed into vivid threads. The crimson mana flowed along her fingers, drawing strange patterns in the air.
"Soul-Soothing Barrier... Spirit Separation, Spirit Path..."
Doricco Shiro muttered the incantation in a low voice. Now, red smoke rose from her mouth as well. The spell, acting like a power word, merged with the mana at her fingertips to form an even more complex pattern.
Ring!
The sound of a bell echoed from somewhere. It was likely a ritual tool set up somewhere along the lakeshore. At the same time, the surface of the lake began to ripple slowly.
"Covenant Moon Comet... Soul Release Summoning..."
The cryptic incantation continued. Now, Doricco Shiro's entire body was enveloped in a red aura. The energy squirmed like a living creature, stretching toward the center of the lake.
And then...
Crash—!
The water's surface split open as if torn apart, revealing a massive silhouette.
Splash!
Long tentacles cascaded over the water.
The jellyfish's tentacles, which should have originally emitted a holy light, were now radiating an ominous blood-red hue due to the corrupt energy. A translucent body dyed red, and inside it, a core that pulsed faintly like a beating heart.
"...The Sea Moon Jellyfish."
Skreeeech—!
Along with Adelia's low murmur, the Sea Moon Jellyfish let out a horrific shriek. It was a terrible noise, sounding like the combined screams of multiple people.
"Ugh...!"
Doricco Shiro, who was maintaining the barrier, gritted her teeth. Blue veins began to bulge on her neck. As her cursed energy surged, dark red ripples spread across the water. The Sea Moon Jellyfish's massive body trembled and writhed violently.
"Jelly! Hang in there! This is all for your own good...!"
Doricco Shiro's face was filled with genuine worry. It was an absurd situation, but she truly seemed to care for the Sea Moon Jellyfish.
And then...
Rip! Tear—!
A sound like something being forcibly torn apart echoed through the air.
The Sea Moon Jellyfish's body began to split apart by force. Red slime splattered in all directions, and severed tentacles writhed in the air.
Skreeeech—!
And from within the torn main body, two jellyfish emerged.
One was a Divine Beast emitting a clear, pure blue light. The other was a hideous, blood-red monster harboring the energy of the evil god.
Doricco Shiro's Soul Partition Barrier had succeeded. The two souls that had been fused into a single body were now completely separated.
"I-I did it..."
Thud.
Confirming the barrier's success, Doricco Shiro collapsed onto the ground and fainted. She had completely exhausted her cursed energy.
However, no one had the luxury of tending to her. That was because a horrific scene was unfolding in real-time right before their eyes.
"S-Sir Gaon!"
Adelia's urgent voice rang out.
Skreeeech—!
The hideous, blood-red jellyfish began wrapping its tentacles around the Divine Beast, looking as if it would devour it at any moment. The Divine Beast was struggling desperately to shake it off.
They needed to help the Sea Moon Jellyfish. However, Adelia and Isaac Berilof only hesitated, unable to step forward easily. Because the bodies of the two jellyfish were completely tangled together, the Divine Beast might get caught in their attacks.
"Whew."
I let out a soft sigh. It was finally my turn to step in.
Gripping the hilt of the Feather Sword tightly, I saw the 12-star Mythic-tier skill shimmering in iridescent light.
Once again, the moment to use the Soul of the Sword Master had arrived.
'W-What on earth is...'
Isaac Berilof's eyes shook violently. It was a succession of shocking events. The encounter with Doricco Shiro, the appearance of the corrupted Sea Moon Jellyfish, and the sight of the creature splitting into two entities. The chaotic events unfolding one after another in such a short span made it impossible for him to collect his thoughts.
"Isaac Berilof."
"...!"
He flinched. At that very moment, Isaac Berilof shuddered at the sound of a man's voice calling his name.
The 13th Sword Master.
Gaon.
Holding his sword, he began to walk toward the two writhing Sea Moon Jellyfish.
"Keep your eyes wide open and watch closely."
"..."
"And."
Step.
Gaon stopped in his tracks.
Under the sky where the blue moon and red moon tangled together, his eyes flashed with a deep, sharp light, as if harboring falling stars.
"Tell the Empress clearly what you witness here."
Screeech—!
The pure white sword swept horizontally.