Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku (WN)- Book 17 - 17-21. Imaginary Fears

Satou here. There's this word imaginary fears, but it's not so imaginary when it comes to fictional worlds. I mean, space stations or colonies in SF worlds, or castles or islands in the sky in fantasy worlds falling down are not that rare after all.

◇

"Aze-san!"

Once I heard that Aze-san needed help from Blue Territory's trees, I teleported to Boruenan Forest with Unit Arrangement.

Aze-san who was usually in the tree house is nowhere to be seen.

She's not displayed on the Radar either.

Looking at Map, it seems she's at the base of World Tree.

I moved there with Unit Arrangement once again.

"Aze-san--"

The scene of Aze-san laying on the ground with her head getting trampled down by a yellow haired man came into my view.

"--What are you doing!"

I had moved in with Flash Drive before I could finish talking, and kicked the man away without holding back.

The moment the sound of air getting split reached my ears, the man had already gone beyond sea of trees after drawing an arc in the sky.

"Are you alright, Aze-san."

"Satou"

I lifted the teary-eyed Aze-san and frantically hugged her.

Fortunately, she doesn't seem to be hurt anywhere.

"Sa-Satou-san--what have you done..."

Miko Lua-san who was nearby ran up to me and asked that with a pale face.

"Have I done anything wrong?"

I don't think there's any need to hold back against someone who trampled down my beloved.

"T-that man is--"

『You mongrel! Know your place!』

Before Miko Lua-san could finish her speech, the yellow haired man earlier came back while looking furious.

The yellow-haired man who's approaching us at Ground Shrink-like speed swings down a great sword that emits yellow lights toward me.

He fully intends to cut both me and Aze-san in two.

The yellow-haired man's AR readings show UNKNOWN.

I produced a split-body with ninjutsu to guard Aze-san, and kicked away the man who was swinging his great sword at great speed, this time at full power without holding back.

The yellow-haired man who exceeded the speed of sound in an instant disappeared beyond the horizon like it were a gag manga.

According to Map info, the dot that indicates the yellow-haired man hasn't disappeared.

Mere physical attacks probably don't work on him.

"--Nothing less to expect from a god. Quite sturdy this guy."

"Sa-Satou-san, were you aware who you were up against?"

"No, I only noticed right before the second kick."

I answered the shaken Miko Lua-san.

Judging from the color of his hair and great sword, it's probably god Zaikuon.

Coming immediately right after the demon god raised the flag, what a needlessly industrious guy.

"Before the second kick--you mean you knew when you kicked him the second time?"

"The sole of my shoes is fitting for someone who was going to harm Aze-san."

I do think that I'm being reckless here, but I mean, I've kicked him once already anyway, no point in holding back with the second one.

"By any chance, are you angry?"

I only realized after Miko Lua-san pointed it out.

I'm angry enough to lose my composure.

Seems like I couldn't control my emotion well since I usually rarely ever got angry.

Oops, more importantly--.

"So what's his excuse to rough up Aze-san like that?"

I ask Aze-san who's being carried in my split-body's arms.

Kinda envious of my split-body right now.

"T-that's--"

In place of the stammering Aze-san, God Zaikuon who made his come back answered instead.

『She should have done as she was told and surrendered her Memory Bank to me.』

Blood is seeping out from various holes on the tattered toga God Zaikuon is wearing. Apparently gods shed red blood as well.

He seemed to have dropped his great sword somewhere, he spread out both his hands open and produced magic circles in the air.

He's going for magic battle this time huh.

『Be trampled down under God's Army.』

Innumerable magic circles manifested behind god Zaikuon--and vanished.

『W-what?!』

Looks like the forbidden spell [Divine Destruction] I chantlessly cast worked on it.

This forbidden spell was the one Hikaru used to destroy the magic circle that covered the capital during the [Demon God Offshots] incident, and despite having learned it early after I got Chant skill, I never had the opportunity to use it until now.

『It appears that the God's Army is currently on their off days.』

Since the other party is a god for once, I'll at least use polite speech.

『Damn you, you dare mock a god I am!』

God Zaikuon picked up a branch on the ground below him and proceeded to remake it into a yellow sword.

It's probably Primeval Magic.

...Too slow.

I mimicked him and turned a branch I picked into a sword.

I did and all, but this sword is not really that strong.

『H-how could you use God Works!』

Maybe the fact that I used Primeval Magic shocked him, the sword God Zaikuon was making disappeared into nothingness.

Well I mean, with Primeval Magic, you'd fail at it the moment you lost concentration.

『I had the privilege to study under Ancient Dragon-dono.』

『Those damn detestable dragons...』

Gununu expression fits God Zaikuon really well.

『Don't think this is over yet!』

God Zaikuon's body disappeared into yellow particles as he said that.

Since the marker I secretly put on him has disappeared as well, he must have gone back to God's Realm after leaving that parting threat.

"Satou, I'm sorry. Because of me you're..."

"Oh there's absolutely nothing to apologize about."

I smile at Aze-san who was about to cry.

I erase my split-body and carry Aze-san in my arms.

There might have been better ways to go about it, but there's no point crying over spilt milk.

Let's postpone introspections and stuff for later and just be happy that I've managed to protect my most precious.

"So God Zaikuon apparently was asking for Memory Bank or something, but what was he going to use it for though?"

"He was demanding about the full details of the events when World Trees got cleansed of 『Evil Jelly』..."

Evil Jelly--those jellyfish huh.

Come to think of it, those gods were saying that they're maintaining a barrier that protects the entire world from outside invaders.

"You mean the matter with jellyfish? He didn't say anything about the spear squid--the white-ball and the grey space creatures?"

They were the bunches I exterminated by a request from Birowanan Clan right after I learned Chant skill.

"You must mean the flame in space event. He didn't say anything regarding that, but it seemed that was included in the matters he wanted to know as well."

Miko Lua-san who was present then affirmed.

By doing that, Aze-san did keep my handiworks a secret, but I'd hate it if it meant she would get hurt because of me.

"I don't really mind, so please just tell them the next time they ask."

Aze-san averted her face when she heard me.

--Well now?

"B-but. It's so embarrassing..."

"Is it?"

The blushing abashed Aze-san is the cutest ever.

I'm even hit by the urge to take her home right here and now.

"Isn't she just against the idea of having you two lovey dovey scenes be seen by someone else?"

Miko Lua-san sighed as she said that.

Did we really flirt that much?

"Then I guess we just have to refuse and refer them to Birowanan Clan who knows better about--"

I noticed something after saying that and asked.

"--Why did he go to Boruenan?"

The matter with Jellyfish are universal amongst all clans, and Birowanan Clan should have more details about the matter with spear squids.

"I think that's because Boruenan is the clan with Aze-sama as the sole high-elf."

"...Is it because the high elves would raise an objection if he went to other clans?"

God Zaikuon kinda seems like a small time villain somehow.

"I don't think that's it. Since to gods, high elves-sama exist solely to carry out their commands."

Well if that isn't haughty.

"I had a chance to an audience with Slispuze-sama before, according to her, withdrawing information from Memory Banks bears heavy load to even Gods. As such, he probably chose Boruenan because he could finish it by checking only one high elf."

This is the first I heard Slispuze name, but judging from her wordings she's probably one of the seven high elves sleeping in Boruenan Forest's World Tree.

--No, rather than that.

If what Miko Lua-san said is right, God Zaikuon is surely coming back to Boruenan Forest.

"Then, I'll stay at Boruenan Forest for a while."

After I said that, I asked Aze-san, "Do you mind?" just in case.

"Un, of course no. Thank you, Satou."

"No worries, it's just an excuse to stay close to Aze-san."

I stare at Aze-san's eyes after saying that.

"Umm, how long do you plan to hold Aze-sama in your arms?"

Miko Lua-san who looked like she was about to vomit sugar said something superfluous.

"A, awawawawa--this is, you're wrong! It's not like I forgot cause it felt so comfortable, umm, err--"

Since Aze-san's eyes and hands started to bashfully go round and round, I had no choice to let her down.

Right at that point, Crisis Perception skill alerted me a faint signal of danger.

--Above?

Yellow lights twinkled in the sky as I looked above.

Looks like the second round against God Zaikuon would come quicker than expected.

◇

『Fuhahahaha! Let me to teach you what it means to have an abundance of divinity!』

A golden ship wrapped in yellow aura is floating in the sky. Not a sailing ship, its shape more resembles a space ship like that of Boruenan's Light Ship.

Magic circles with fractal patterns, similar to ones I saw in God's Realms, are appearing and disappearing on the golden ship's main body.

A voice that sounded like God Zaikuon's came out of the ship.

While I was watching, magic circles manifested in the sky, and several boats shaped like toy bamboo leaf boats came out of those.

Those boats look small next to the golden ship, but they're actually as big as World Tree's Light Ships. The golden ship itself is a huge ship whose size rivaling a small island.

『Yield your head lest the army of gods burn you down along with World Tree.』

The quick-tempered guy went ahead and declared war.

I guess we're fortunate the Divine Punishment that befell Weasel Empire wasn't one that indiscriminately turned everyone into salt.

Since I want to avoid turning Boruenan Forest into a battlefield myself, this is convenient for me.

『Milord-sama, you would get scolded by Head-sama and Kindness-sama if a World Tree got burned down.』

『Hmph, even a foolish human must know the meaning of sacrificing a World Tree.』

They seemed to forget turning off speaker out switch or something, a conversation between a shrill voice who seemed to be a nymph and God Zaikuon could be heard.

Sorry but there's only a few people in the whole world who knows that World Trees suck up mana from outer space and circulate it into the world via Earth Veins.

"I'm heading off for a bit."

I walked into the air with Sky Drive, and got into a self-made Dimensional Ship I took out of Storage.

I went out of my way to bring out the ship like this to attract God Zaikuon's attention.

I waved at Aze-san who looked worried as I closed the boarding hatch, and moved my self-made ship right before God Zaikuon's golden ship with Unit Arrangement.

『Taste god's judgment.』

Whoops, no room for argument it seems.

A yellow beam pierced the spot where my ship was.

I don't intend to forgive God Zaikuon for what he did to Aze-san, but I was thinking of at least apologizing for kicking him all of of a sudden, but it appears his mind is fully preoccupied in punishing me.

『We won't let you run.』

『Die.』

Leaf boats boarded by nymphs were already waiting for me at the spot my Dimensional Ship teleported to.

Apparently these leaf boats could see my ship even when it's cruising the dimension.

Tentacles split out of the leaf boats, the tips of those tentacles spread open like flowers and shot out beams.

Their forms are similar to stuff I saw in older robot anime.

Since I can't let them damage the ground, I dodge while leading their attacks upward.

I'm also luring these God Zaikuon's troupe to the sea south of Boruenan Forest.

It's not as easy as it sounds though.

"Foresight huh--"

The nymphs' leaf boats that were giving chase like hounds went round and cut in my path as if they knew where I was going.

Their flower beams posses offensive power unbefitting of their fantasy-like appearance, gradually wearing down my Dimensional Ship's barrier walls.

Crisis Perception blared really hard.

『Perish, mongrel!』

Looks like I've been led by the nose by these leaf boats.

The tip of golden ship split into four parts, then a super thick beam was shot out of the center.

--Geh.

The super thick beam diffused.

I moved above with Unit Arrangement.

Had a hunch that my Dimensional Ship probably could not dodge that.

One of the countless rays of light that diffused from the beam landed on the sea, creating steam explosion and raising an island-sized water column.

Another ray sent several uninhabited islands to their watery graves.

Since it looked like it would cause a tsunami, I used an advanced level water spell [Erase Tidal Wave] I created after the Divine Punishment.

Still, that's some power befitting of a God's Ark.

However--.

I recalled my fight against the Mysterious Creatures in space.

These golden ship and leaf boat would be more than a match against the jellyfish and spear squids.

Against the black octopus, it's probably impossible but I'm sure they can go against it if all seven gods combine their strength.

--Which means, there are even more dangerous things than the black octopus in space?

『You little!』

Spheres of light changed their trajectory as they headed toward my ship.

Since these spheres kept persistently going after me no matter how many times I dodge them, I made a decoy packed with dense mass and mana to erase those light spheres. Since normal decoys will stop working after the first time.

It's becoming bothersome to keep dodging, but it also looks like they'll go down fast if I counterattack, which is also bothersome.

--Right.

With the support of Trap Usage skill, I adjust my position to match with the leaf boat's assaults.

『Nuoooooo! Nymphs, where are you aiming!』

『KYAAAAAAAA』

『NYUOOOOOOO』

I tried going for friendly fires, but I got too much into it and ended up sinking two leaf boats, while the golden ship whose main gun suffered a direct hit began descending raising black smoke all the while.

That's what happens when I don't even attack nor block and dedicate everything into dodging.

Additionally, two lights who seemed to be nymphs got out of the two sinking leaf boats and were rescued by the other leaf boats.

A Greek temple-like structure on top of the golden ship that had landed on water detached.

I could see a human clad in yellow lights inside the temple which consisted of only pillars.

Unlike the man in toga earlier, the light was too intense I could only make out his silhouette,

『A mere mortal dared to shoot down God's Ark...』

No uh, that was your friend doing the fire though.

『Know that mortal sin sees no forgiveness!』

Shouldn't he be more angrier at the fact that I kicked him though?

My view blackened out while my mind was quipping him.

Looking over the cockpit's canopy above me, I saw the sun darkening at quick pace.

--It's a solar eclipse.

An artificial solar eclipse at that, caused by God Zaikuon.

『I'll show you the forbidden power deprived from demon god!』

God Zaikuon shouted as he raised his arms heavenward.

Looks like he's not done with futile struggle yet.