kscans

Chapter 194 - Deicide

"My, isn't this one on quite the rampage."

"It's a pathetic sight when they get like this."

"Putting it out of its misery is probably the kindest thing we can do."

That night, Chika, Suzuki, and Takahashi were on a job from the Mutual Aid Society to subjugate a vengeful god. Before them was something like a mountain-sized black slime, endlessly spewing curses. Though it was hard to believe, it was a genuine deity. Fallen gods, for the most part, tend to lose their form. It was originally a mountain god enshrined on a certain peak, but a combination of factors, such as declining faith and environmental pollution, had led it to this state. Countless withered trees jutting from its body only added to the pitiful sight.

"Still, it's amazing it swelled up to this size."

"Yeah, this is definitely too much for an ordinary member to handle."

Fallen gods often possess terrifying power. This is because even a deity that was not particularly strong to begin with can absorb the negative energy drifting through the mortal world after falling, thus increasing its power.

"Just askin', Saionji, can't you do somethin' about it with your power?"

Chika was the Star Priestess. Her affinity with the Earth, with nature itself, was second to none. If this was a god that personified nature, couldn't she excise only the corrupt parts? In response to Takahashi's question, Chika shook her head.

"If it were only starting to fall, I might be able to do something, but once it's progressed this far, it's helpless."

"I see."

"This isn't pleasant, but shall we begin. Ah, I'm sure you already know, but."

"We won't go all out."

"The collateral damage would be too great if we did."

When a fallen deity clashes with those powerful enough to face it, the battle is naturally fierce. The only ones who could erect a barrier strong enough to completely contain a full-powered battle between these three and the god would be the top experts in that field. That, or assembling a large number of specialists in barrier magic. But the Mutual Aid Society had a budget to consider. They had been unable to prepare a barrier capable of fully suppressing their fight.

If the three of them went all out, the subjugation would be over in a short time. However, the damage to the surrounding area would be immense. Being deep in the mountains, they did not have to worry much about human casualties, but restoring an environment that had been polluted and utterly destroyed would cost a significant amount of money. If left alone, it would become a breeding ground for Aberrations, and the contamination would spread endlessly. From a cost perspective, the cheapest option was for the three of them to combine their powers moderately within the barrier and take a reasonable amount of time to subjugate the god.

"The sealing chains are breaking. Are you ready?"

"Of course."

"Yeah."

The moment the two nodded, the seal binding the vengeful god burst apart. They could have actively dispelled the seal themselves, but there was a reason they had chosen not to, instead chatting away right in front of it.

"Looks like its attention is firmly fixed on us."

The goal was to build hate. One of the reasons the mountain god had fallen was humanity. Therefore, this vengeful god despised humans from the bottom of its heart. If it prioritized escaping this place to kill as many humans as possible, things would get a little troublesome. So the three of them had chattered away in its presence, continuously emitting a subtly irritating aura to draw the vengeful god's hatred. For a human, it would be like having someone chew disgustingly right next to your ear.

"Whoa!"

While slicing through the black tentacles raining down on him with blades of repulsion, Suzuki sharpened his senses. He was searching for the core of its being, the quickest way to kill a deity.

"Takahashi-kun, any luck on your end?"

"No good! I can't find it!"

Everything was obscured by the roiling miasma of curses. Takahashi turned to Chika, who was incinerating tentacles with her flames.

"Saionji, can't you dive into its body and look for it?"

Even twisted as it was, nature was still nature. If so, Chika might be able to merge with its body using her powers. But Chika herself scowled in disgust and replied.

"I could, but it's like diving into a muddy, heavily polluted river. I'd rather not."

It was not just a matter of feeling.

"Besides, if a foreign object like me entered its body, it would probably just move the core, don't you think?"

The inside of its body was the vengeful god's domain. Given its massive size, Chika would likely be unable to keep up with a moving core.

"So we have no choice but to chip away at it for a while."

Suzuki's grim expression was understandable. As a nature deity, it could absorb the power of nature to strengthen and heal itself. They were currently in the mountains, on its home turf. It was not hard to imagine it would be incredibly tough.

"Dammit, what a pain of a job this is!"

"It would have been easier if Satou-kun were here."

He could put up a perfect barrier and finish any repairs in an instant. Or rather, he could just paint over the space itself so nothing would be affected at all.

"No use complaining. Let's get to it."

A battle of attrition began, to wear down the vengeful god's massive form.

The three of them said nothing.

It had been about thirty minutes since the battle of attrition began. They were making steady progress chipping it away, but the expressions on all three of their faces were as grim as could be. Why? Because for the last twenty minutes, notification sounds had been blaring nonstop from Takahashi's and Suzuki's smartphones.

"SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!!!!"

The two of them snapped.

"You should know we're busy when we're not responding this much! Knock it off for a bit!"

"This has to be Satou-kun, right? This exquisitely annoying behavior is definitely Satou-kun!"

The two of them simultaneously took out their phones, tapped the notifications, and launched their messaging app. It was Satou, just as they thought. Annoying messages and photos were being uploaded one after another without end.

"Is he some needy girl looking for attention?!"

"Wait, didn't that guy go on a business trip? Who are these kids?"

Satou had only said he was going on a short trip for company business. They had assumed it was a business trip, but the photos he was sending suggested otherwise. There was a photo of him with some elementary school-aged kids against a backdrop of autumn leaves, and another of them washing each other's backs like monkeys in what looked like an open-air bath. There was no way this was a business trip.



While dealing with the vengeful god's attacks, Takahashi called Satou and immediately switched to speakerphone. Satou on the other end of the line sounded extremely cheerful, and was probably a little drunk. That only further irritated Takahashi and Suzuki.



"...the hell," the two muttered.

"DO YOU WANT TO GET KILLED WHEN WE'RE THIS DAMN BUSY?!"

The two of them unleashed a storm of curses on the slightly camp Satou.

"Read the room! If we're not replying, it means we're busy, you moron!!"

"We're in the middle of a deicide right now! You get it? DE. I. CIDE!!"

"IF 'I DIDN'T KNOW' WAS A GOOD ENOUGH EXCUSE, WE WOULDN'T NEED COPS, YOU IDIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!"

Chika, who had been watching the scene unfold, muttered to herself.

"Hiro is at fault too, but aren't the two of them also to blame for not putting their phones on silent or airplane mode?"

After that, they deicided super hard.