[Vol. 8] Chapter 46: It's Your Grandma!
Gods have no emotions. At least, they don’t share feelings with mortals who are far below them. Over the past few days of serving their god, the followers had slowly come to understand this truth.
A god might listen to prayers and even give blessings, but those blessings always come with a cost. Even the most traditional religions like the Goddess Church teach this. Let alone a chaotic god like the one in front of them, who acts however He wants.
Still, even knowing the price, they had once chosen to accept the god’s gift. After all, who could resist the chance to rise to legend, gaining strength and lifespan far beyond a normal person?
But now, after Flora's death, a bit of doubt and fear began to grow in their hearts. The so-called "Divine Envoys" fell into silence.
After a while, the large insect-like warrior with a giant axe took a step forward and broke the silence.
"Your Divineness, I am willing to fight for you and cut down the enemy who dared to offend your divine honor."
[……]
[Wild] brushed away the ashes left by Flora. He had just personally killed one of His own followers, yet He looked at the one who spoke as if nothing had happened. He ignored the fear in the room and spoke in a calm tone:
[Carlos, how long have you been with me?]
The insect warrior called Carlos lifted his head slightly. His face was hidden behind a hard shell, showing no expression. He answered in a dull voice.
“Since the time of the Great War of the Gods, when I left this world with you. It has been over 1,300 years, Your Divineness.”
[1,300 years... Even for someone at the mythical level, that’s a very long time. Over the ages, many followers have come and gone. Not many have stayed as long as you.]
The humanoid form made from black crystal gently swayed its "long tail" behind its head. Its voice remained steady, as if simply stating facts.
[You are a loyal servant. Among this group of followers, aside from Vog, you are the strongest and most experienced. But even so, you are still far from strong enough to challenge a god… not even close.]
[I just looked through Flora’s memories. Although only a few broken pieces remained before her death, the power shown by those two women is enough to catch a god’s attention. Their strength alone is not below you or Vog. And now they’ve added a Dragon God to their side. If you go, it’s no different than walking to your death.]
[If you really want to show your loyalty through battle, then come with me. With Vog, we’ll be three against three. That’s fair, not bullying.]
At this point, the followers below finally understood what their god meant. They looked at each other in shock. Carlos also raised his head and tapped the handle of his axe against the dark red, flesh-like floor, making a deep sound.
“Your Divineness, you mean…”
[Hmph, don’t tell me to stay calm or avoid trouble… Since they’ve already challenged me so directly, how could I back down and still face the other gods?]
[If we’re going to fight, then let’s fight all the way!]
He suddenly stood up from His throne made of flesh. The godly power of wild nature and the earth burst out like an explosion. Not toward His kneeling followers, but straight up into the sky through the flesh-covered walls. It turned into a vast and powerful illusion in the sky and roared:
[Come—FIGHT!!!!!!!!]
The giant image of the god rose into the sky like a tall mountain peak made of stone, standing on the land. The wild and powerful energy it gave off was like a giant shining lighthouse, spreading far and wide. Countless living beings who saw this scene trembled in fear and fell to their knees. This glowing sign also served as the perfect guide for the two girls rushing in from far away.
After doing all this, [Wild], still inside the flesh-covered room, looked again at the group of followers. His voice left no room for doubt.
[Carlos, Vog, come with me to face the enemy. The rest of you, go to each of the Soul Eater Mother Bugs and send all the life essence you've collected. Use any means necessary!]
“Yes, Your Divineness!”
All the divine envoys except the insect warrior Carlos with the giant axe, and a bald, muscular man, bowed and quickly left. But halfway through, one of them, a young man who looked almost human except for the pair of black wings on his back, paused and hesitantly asked a question.
“Um… Your Divineness, if we’re stopping the bug’s collection work… then what about the tribal armies already inside the Austre Empire’s borders…?”
[Wild] did not answer. He simply looked at the young man with his pupil-less stone eyes. The man’s body trembled slightly, as if he suddenly understood something terrible. He said no more, bowed deeply, and left in a hurry like he was escaping.
[......]
As if they knew what their god was about to do, the two strongest and most loyal followers stepped closer to Him. Once the others had left a certain distance, the humanoid figure made from black crystal calmly raised both hands.
The throne made of flesh slowly melted and sank back into the ground. The room itself shook slightly, as if something huge was changing in the world outside.
And then— BOOM!!!!!!
With the loud sound of something massive breaking through the earth, a narrow path opened below the dark red, flesh-like room. [Wild] and the two divine envoys jumped into it. In the next moment, bright daylight broke through the darkness and lit everything up.
Below them stretched a vast wasteland. Above, a giant shadow curved across the sky like a long snake and fell back toward the ground. Though standing in mid-air, [Wild] seemed to be calmly walking on invisible steps. He watched as the snake-like creature returned underground, while Carlos and Vog slammed into the ground with a crash that sent dust flying, completely unharmed.
Suddenly, the god turned His head, as if sensing something. In the distance, a golden light was speeding toward Him. He raised one arm in front of Him to block it.
The next moment, the golden light was right in front of Him!
BANG!!!!!!
With a loud sound like the sky being torn apart, the black crystal arm of the god clashed head-on with a fair, delicate fist, clearly belonging to a girl. There were no fancy moves, just a direct punch. But the powerful shockwave exploded outward like a storm, throwing up dirt across the wasteland as if bombs had gone off everywhere!
After taking the punch directly, [Wild] looked up at the blonde girl floating in front of Him, supported by her dragon wings. She grinned, showing her white teeth, and her whole body radiated a powerful fighting spirit. In an instant, He matched her face exactly with the figure in Flora’s memory. For the first time, His always calm and still energy wavered slightly.
[This power… A normal dragon couldn’t possibly have it. Who are you?]
The girl grinned wider and shouted,
“I’m your grandma! Take this!!!”