The Era of Struggle (4)
The moment people saw the man melting bread like juice and eating it, they knew.
"This is real."
Surprisingly many, according to the palace's code of conduct, had saved alcohol for last—and many knew the man was one of them.
Seeing him happily eat bread like that, there was nothing left to restrain them.
"I repent!"
People dropped to their knees and cried out.
"O true God, grant me rest. Life is so hard."
"Please grant my wish. I ask for nothing else. I just want to eat my fill!"
The priest watched them with a pleased expression.
"Those who were mocked by a false god—look, our Lord now weeps tears of joy. Go. Fulfill your desires. You are the true lambs who put God's words into action."
"Waaaah!" Empowered, people leapt outward and began snatching from passersby.
They stripped clothing, grabbed food, looted every coin and possession.
"It's real! It doesn't hurt!"
Their hearts soared as they reclaimed the lives they'd been forced to give up under the code.
"Yes, that's it! This is God! An omniscient, omnipotent God would have no reason to give us pain!"
The starving devoured the stolen food in huge handfuls.
The emotion sickness did not manifest.
"Paimon's emotion sickness manifests when someone tries to protect what is precious to them. But—"
The priest let a faint, fishy smile cross his face.
"Something taken from someone else isn't precious."
A fact humanity had overlooked. Or perhaps it had been analyzed already—something that could never be announced.
The square turned into an inferno.
Simply reversing the wiring of their logic was enough to make humans frighteningly strong.
"That is our God," the priest said.
"Satan."
"Mr. Giyorugi."
The man from the tavern who'd been watching the scene moved toward the priest.
"Gultan?"
When the tavern man lowered his hood, a red-skinned face with pointed ears was revealed.
"There has been a complication."
"I see."
Giyorugi wasn't surprised because he understood Yahweh better than anyone.
Gultan reported, "The one who approached Maya is human. We'll have to move—"
"Yahweh is here."
One who truly preached universal love wouldn't be foolish enough to use a person as bait.
"Besides, you can smell it. There's only one being in the universe who reeks like that."
Gultan sniffed.
"...Anyway. What shall we do? It sounds like a chain-of-command issue, but you're the overall commander, Giyorugi."
The organization was called Catacomb.
A covert unit born from Hell's army, made up of seven division commanders entrusted with the special order to assassinate Shirone. Among many commanders they were chosen because their abilities were tailored for the operation against Yahweh.
Giyorugi in particular was Shirone's counterpoint—he worked on hearts and minds.
"To kill Yahweh, you must shake his heart first. Even if it's with rage. Send Miyo to Maya. She can deliver the utmost misery."
Miyo was a succubus—a dream-demon among succubi, most lecherous and most powerful, possessed of a profoundly carnal power.
"Send her. And Yahweh?"
Giyorugi took in the scene of violence spreading beyond the square.
"The mood is ripe…"
He slipped an inverted-cross pendant into his palm, sniffed the air, and checked directions.
"Shall I greet him?"
Gultan raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I know your skill, Mr. Giyorugi, but the opponent is Yahweh."
"Evil prevails."
Holding the Hell Bible, Giyorugi stepped out of the square and added, "It's always been wrapped in the name of good, but the victor has always been evil. It will be so again."
He vanished into the looting crowd.
"God is Satan."
Kaiden knocked at the inn door where Maya lodged.
"Maya! Maya!"
There was no answer, but he confirmed her presence through the Spirit Zone.
"It's me, Kaiden! Open up!"
"Go away."
Maya's voice was thick with sobs.
"I don't want to see anyone. Not you, not Shirone. Just leave me alone. Please."
"I can make you sing again!"
No reply came, but the air's temperament had shifted—he felt it.
"Shirone said he'll cure your emotion sickness. So come. You don't have to stay here anymore."
"Why?"
Maya asked.
"Why would Shirone cure my sickness?"
Maya wasn't magically gifted, but she could think rationally.
"If he could cure everyone, he'd do it—Shirone's that kind of person. So why find me?"
Kaiden answered honestly. "Shirone wants your help. He wants you to fight for the world." After a long pause she spoke.
"I can't help Shirone. No—I don't want to. So go away."
"Maya! The emotion sickness can be cured! You won't have to hurt anymore!"
"That would hurt more!"
Her sudden shout shut Kaiden up.
"I can endure dancing like this, people groping me—because Shirone doesn't see it, I can bear it. But if Shirone sees me—"
She started to cry.
"No matter what I do, no matter how much I love him, Shirone will never love me—"
Kaiden realized then.
Perhaps the fate of the Red-Cross Star settles, in one way or another, on everyone.
"Maya."
His heart pounding, teeth chattering with fear, he forced the words out despite reason.
"I love you. I've always loved you… from the first time I saw you, my feelings never changed."
It wouldn't work.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
His whole body burned as if fevered, his mind screaming.
"Maya, whatever you think—hate me or love me—I just want to stay by your side—"
A wall exploded inward.
"Kyah!"
Maya screamed as Kaiden smashed through the door and stared at the bed, wide-eyed.
"Who… are you?"
A woman stood behind Maya, black bandages crossed in an X over her eyes.
"Me? A beast drunk on lust—Miyo."
A succubus.
Kaiden sensed it immediately, but she was nothing like the average depiction taught at the Magic Academy.
She flaunted a terrifyingly functional beauty—an instrument perfected for purpose.
"Kaiden—ugh!"
Miyo gripped the nape of Maya's neck.
"Save the throat. Soon that beautiful voice will sing my hymn for me."
"Let her go."
Kaiden leveled his sword, but his arms shook so badly he could barely hold it.
"Damn."
He couldn't give up on Maya.
"Aren't those trembling arms concerning? Rather than fight like that… how about this?" Miyo's blood-red tongue writhed like jelly along Maya's nape.
"Play with me? I'll finish you."
"You bastard!"
Even without strength behind it, Kaiden hurled himself and swung his blade.
"Magic won't cast."
He couldn't trigger a spell.
Miyo easily sidestepped the thrust of an ordinary youth, seized Maya, and launched out of the building.
"Hohoho! Want to chase? Come if you can."
"Stop!"
Kaiden could cast Fly only because of the mind techniques he'd trained since birth.
He couldn't keep up with a division commander, of course, but Miyo moderated her speed.
"Your heart's racing."
Miyo kissed Maya on the cheek.
"Don't worry. Once you entrust yourself to me, you won't even know you exist anymore."
Maya's eyes widened.
"Ugh!"
A sensation crawled up her spine and consciousness seemed to be forced out of her.
"Shirone—"
Everything went black.
"Kaiden is late."
Shirone waited for Kaiden at an alley café with a table by the window.
"Aren't you taking too long?" Amy said. Given the messy circumstances, it was reasonable, but Shirone had a bad feeling.
"This won't do. Let's go."
As Amy paid and followed, Shirone raised his hand to block further approach.
"Wait."
A strange tone in the voice made him turn. A man in priestly robes with a desperate stare was walking toward them.
"A demon."
He looked human on the surface, but he couldn't hide the demonic aura.
'Or is he not even trying to hide it?' The surreal atmosphere made Shirone's expression harden.
"Who are you?"
"Giyorugi."
He answered, then stopped and opened the Hell Bible.
"I am God's emissary and the head of the Yahweh assassination organization. One of my men has taken Maya."
"Where is she now?"
"On the mountain. Miyo excels at manipulating senses. By now she may have lost her personality."
Miracle Stream bloomed from Shirone's body, and Giyorugi stepped aside.
"Leave."
"What?"
"If someone precious to you is there, you should save them. That too would be in line with God's will. However—"
A abyssal look filled Giyorugi's eyes.
"If you leave this place, I will kill everyone in the village. The choice is yours."
Amy clenched her fist. "Are you mistaken? If we kill you and save Maya, it ends."
"Impossible."
He slammed the Hell Bible shut and turned to block Shirone.
"Yahweh, you can never defeat me. You already know that, don't you?"
"If you keep spouting nonsense—"
Amy opened her mouth to argue, then realized Shirone remained silent and turned to him.
"Shirone, what's wrong?"
"Ma."
Shirone's face was grave.
"Ma is human emotion. Extreme emotions gather and take on a particular form."
"That's suddenly… obvious—"
Amy blinked, then spun around in shock.
"You don't mean—"
"Yes. That demon is a being formed from the emotions I discarded. In other words, Yahweh's darkness."
Giyorugi said, "There's a nuance lost in saying 'discarded.' It's not that Yahweh discarded me—it's that I left Yahweh."
Black smoke billowed from his body, forming a stark contrast with Miracle Stream.
"Repent, Yahweh. Cease mocking humans in the name of false gods."
"Amy, take care of Maya for me."
"But—"
"This might be rougher than usual."
Amy swallowed, nodded, and shot into the sky.
"Don't worry! I'll bring her back!"
The roar of spatial travel was deafening, but Shirone had already filtered out unnecessary information.
"…Move the location."
"To avoid harming innocents?"
"Yes."
Giyorugi nodded. "That's right, Yahweh."
Black smoke surged from his body as he pushed off the ground.
"That's why I win."
Light and darkness collided, creating a taiji effect, and a desaturated domain spread over the city.
Citizens screamed. "Aaah! What's happening to my body!?"
Gravity collapsed—objects began to float, and the order of time knotted into chaos.
"Rae-i wha i-mom nae! Yawha! Aaah—!"
The uncanny cries, unlike any human inflection, sent chills up Shirone's spine.
"O-geh ji-ear ddeo-rai! Ryeo-sal jwo!"
Even more astonishing, the Ultima System couldn't perfectly restore causality.
"Raha-won-gu eul-sinja neo seo-e-siljin han jjik-kkeum. Rama ji-mit do-geot mu-a. Da it-go ha-si-ju reul-neo i-deul-geu."