“Long time no see, Fuetou Kouya-sama, the War-Inducing Weapon Creation. I’ve come to escort you.”
The man from the Demon Beast Cult, whom I’d met before, called out to me from above after my battle with the Machine God.
They probably know my race and name because of the analysis I underwent last time.
『I didn’t ask for an escort, though.』
“Now, now, don’t say that. If you come with us, you can serve the Demon Beast God, the Demon God-sama.”
『I’m not interested in religion… Besides, what’s a Demon God? The humans (you guys) are supposed to worship the “Demon Lord,” right?』
The Esperas Empire, which controls the entire continent, has the current emperor, Nova Esperas Order, as its founder and “Demon Lord.”
I heard from Ergo that he is revered as a living god, having lived for over a hundred years despite being human.
Well, even though he’s revered, it seems to be a pretty loose form of worship.
Everyone in the nation knows his name, but there aren’t any large-scale facilities like churches, and there aren’t any particular precepts either.
“You seem to be well-versed in human culture. However, you seem to have a misunderstanding. That ‘Demon Lord’ is just an ordinary person with a talent for magic, and is different from the Demon God-sama we worship.”
He cleared his throat and continued, as if singing.
“The Demon God-sama is the savior of this world. On the day of the coming judgment, he will descend upon this earth, which is full of irrationality and inequality, burn away the impure masses, and create a world of Demon Beasts.”
『Huh, but aren’t you human too? Won’t you be killed along with them?』
“The Demon God-sama is a merciful being. If you are a devout follower, you will be invited to paradise after death.”
『Is that so?』
I gave a casual nod, thinking how suspicious it sounded.
My reincarnation might have been done by a god, and if they exist, I’d like to meet them.
However, if a god were truly interfering in the mortal world, it should be widely known.
But in this world, no god other than the “Demon Lord” is generally known.
At that point, the existence of this so-called Demon God is doubtful, and according to the Demon Beast Cult man, this deity seems to be hostile to humanity.
Would such a being reincarnate a former human like me?
Moreover, the heaven pattern where you go to paradise after death and the reincarnation pattern where you are reborn seem to be different types of gods.
In conclusion, I don’t really believe what these guys are saying.
『I understand about the Demon God. But, what exactly are you guys doing?』
“The mission of the followers is to offer prayers to the Demon God-sama and to befriend the Demon Beasts-sama. In my case, I also have the role of seeking cooperation from powerful Demon Beasts-sama in various places.”
“(Seeking cooperation, huh?)”
I know from Fiss’s story that this guy manipulates Demon Beasts.
I have no idea how he does it, but maybe he’s actually negotiating and taming them.
Unlike me, who has memories of my past life, ordinary Demon Beasts could easily be lured with food.
It seems he also knows about the existence of Telepathy, so does he have a similar Skill?
…Well, it doesn’t really matter.
『Then let me ask you one last thing. For the sake of recruiting Demon Beasts… was it? Would you kill humans for that?』
“Of course.”
『I see, thanks for answering.』
“Is that all?”
『Yeah, I’ve heard what I wanted to hear—』
He was talking to me with a smile, but I had heard that he had tried to kill Fiss.
And that he had also killed some thug adventurers.
I had considered that it might be false or a misunderstanding… but now, that possibility is gone.
There’s nothing left to hear.
『—The conversation is over, I’m capturing you here, Leap!』
“Book Jump Out.”
“(Huh?)”
The moment I leaped towards the man on the paper carpet, a Feral Beast appeared.
There was no one else besides the Demon Beast Cult man, but after the book glowed, it was there in the next instant.
“Hyooou!”
“(Guh!?)”
It roared with a sound like the wind passing through a dead tree, and slammed its abnormally long arm into me.
It didn’t hurt. But there was a sensation of my strength leaving me.
I was blown back to my original position.
“On my way here, I stopped by Spiky Mountain, rumored to be where Hanji-sama resides. But unfortunately, Hanji-sama was not there.”
The Demon Beast Cult man spoke eloquently from the sky.
By the way, “Spiky Mountain” was just how Comprehension translated it; the actual nuance was more like “Arbitrary Demon’s Rivet.”
“Had he gone out hunting? Or was the rumor wrong? …No, no, I, of all people, understand that neither is the case. The wild remnants of Mana stretching from the summit to the neighboring mountain, that must be from when Zone Controls collided!”
His lips curled up more and more, and his voice grew louder, as if he was enjoying himself.
I tried firing a Mana-Absorbing Arrow. The first Feral Beast that appeared had fallen, and the line of fire was clear.
“Book Jump Out. Not only Flame Sea-sama, but also Hanji-sama! Fuetou Kouya-sama, you have made them your nourishment, haven’t you? And now even Colossus-sama. Ah, what greed! The ambition to endlessly improve yourself! You are the Feral Beast-sama we have been searching for!”
The Mana-Absorbing Arrow was blocked by the second Feral Beast.
Again, after the book glowed, it suddenly appeared in the sky.
I can assume that he’s summoning Feral Beasts from that book.
“And while that is a joyous thing, it is extremely difficult to recruit someone with such power. Therefore, I have decided to use a numerical advantage, though it is cowardly. Please forgive me, Book Jump Out.”
A third Feral Beast appeared. It was glaring at me while flying in the sky.
“Lastly, Book Jump Out – Doping Strength. I have buffed these Feral Beasts-sama. When facing Fuetou Kouya-sama, who has slaughtered many Feral Beasts, I’m worried that their base Stats won’t be enough.”
“(Wait, dammit.)”
He cast some kind of magic from the book onto the Feral Beasts, and then the man turned his back and flew away.
I tried to chase him, but I was blocked by a dragon-like Demon Beast flying in the sky.
I was scratched by its sharp claws, and part of my body was necrotized. I felt like my Toughness was ignored.
Even if I tried to attack from a distance, the first and second Demon Beasts were in positions where they could cover each other at any time.
It’s a very dedicated stance, but it’s clear from their behavior and Comprehension that these guys are being mind-controlled.
There shouldn’t be so many Demon Beasts with such weak wills.
“(I could consider the possibility that he’s controlling them with that book… but I should put that off for later.)”
I looked at the man who had landed in the mine at the edge of the plaza, and thought that.
Even if I could make them uncontrollable, it would be troublesome if the Feral Beasts scattered.
In addition, the Demon Beast Cult man’s flying speed isn’t that great.
I have an idea of how he escaped last time, and at this distance, I’ll have plenty of time to catch up after dealing with the Feral Beasts.
First, I need to focus on this, I glared at the Feral Beasts who were each expanding their Zone Control.
The first Feral Beast’s Zone Control was the center, and the other two were adjusting so that they wouldn’t collide by giving up their dominance.
“(It’s going to be tough to push back Zone Control with one against three. But the biggest problem is probably that they all have Toughness countermeasures, haha.)”
I calculated that I was in a pretty big pinch.
Three Feral Beasts with the means to break through my Toughness at the same time.
On the other hand, I had just fought the Machine God, and both my Life and Mana were slightly depleted.
This was definitely the biggest crisis, the worst match-up—,
“(—This is gonna be so much fun!)”