11. The Taste of the First Kiss was Bitter.
[1/100]
Above Yudahee’s head, an alarm symbolizing the 1st place was displayed, but the match showed no sign of ending.
The cause was probably because of that great ancient existence.
[Long time no see, Yudahee.]
Even with just one leg, the Atlaq Nacha, covering the entire world, bowed, and instantly, shadows fell upon the ground.
With its enormous eight pupils filling the sky, its radiant appearance was the epitome of surrealism.
The remaining legs that couldn’t stretch out were floating in the vast cosmos.
[This isn’t the Earth you described as you spoke… It’s vastly different from the Earth you explained. It’s a separate space that reflects your existence… a place endowed with an odd form of sanctity.]
The black eyes moved around, examining the ruined arena.
[Using the entire planet as a catalyst… But it seems difficult to continue, as you just casually pierced through the planet in your joy.]
Actions on a scale of manipulating planets… No, it was more of a nuisance than anything.
Originally, Yudahee intended to briefly project the image of Atlaq Nacha to instantly crush the minds of all participants…
He never expected it to be physically crushed in this way.
Success or failure as a gambler, the situation had become awkwardly indecisive.
If he had known it would turn out like this… summoning a different entity might have been better in hindsight. But regrets always come too late.
It couldn’t be undone.
“Um… but do you really have no intention of going back…”
[Long time no see, Yudahee. Do you really want to easily enter my domain after seeing such a nostalgic face?]
Ugh, Yudahee’s eyes dropped.
Summoning someone who was relatively favorable to him, and yet facing such strong resistance, it was a defeat.
Summoned due to various incidents they experienced together in the outer space, he thought there was some camaraderie, but maybe it was just his own imagination!
How to handle the aftermath, Yudahee’s mind was dizzy.
…Nothing seemed to make sense.
[It might be nice to take a stroll in this universe after such a long time, though…]
“The cosmic war… The cosmic war is raging…!”
The gaze of the colossal spider, drifting through space, turned darkly towards Yudahee.
“Ugh…”
Looking at Yudahee, who was holding her head, it was really easy to see how vulnerable she was.
At that, At’urak Nacha chuckled, finding her utterly adorable. Chuckle… chuckle…
In space, sound is not supposed to be heard, but in the realm controlled by At’urak Nacha, it was natural for space to reverberate with sound, transcending space and quivering lightly.
To her own eyes, humans were nothing more than a tiny speck of dust, yet being able to boast about giving this human a drink to other beings seemed like a good thing.
Moreover, it wouldn’t be bad to owe Yudahee a favor.
[…Please withdraw, especially considering the kindness shown thus far.]
“…. Huh? Really…?”
Old beings were not ones to back down easily, but Yudahee shot them a defiant look as they obediently retreated.
If it had been any other insignificant beings, she would have incinerated them with a disdainful glance, but unfortunately, not only was Yudahee prohibited from hostile actions, but…
Claiming to have the only being in this universe who understood them was akin to denying oneself, so why would they do such a thing?
With a smile, At’urak Nacha lightly touched the ring of blood wriggling around her finger.
She may have used what she learned from her teacher, but it was ridiculous to confine herself to just three beings like her.
Maybe if they were her own children, she could forcibly summon them for a very short period of time, but for At’urak Nacha, it was nothing more than an alarm saying, “Please… return in 0.2 seconds… please, Sensei…!”
As her physical form slowly began to disperse along the ring, At’urak Nacha gazed at the bodies of the contractors scattered around her.
Just by glancing at them, she roughly understood how things were unfolding.
Playing with these toys, even the gods of her universe seemed quite hungry for entertainment.
The bodies turned to dust in an instant, only to reassemble in the next moment.
And there, revealed in that place, was a nude woman with long red hair cascading down.
Just as the gods descended to the earth by creating divine bodies, Atlaq Nacha similarly repurposed corpses scattered in a similar way to create the human form.
Not a normal divine body created through the passage of time and exchange, but a kind of makeshift product that could fulfill its role well enough.
With her endlessly crimson hair and vacant eye sockets, the woman gently stroked Yudahee’s cheek.
“Geee…!”
Perhaps recalling memories of the past, Yudahee twitched slightly, but such a sight was acceptable.
No matter what expression she made, it seemed quite acceptable to Atlaq Nacha.
Why, isn’t there a saying on Earth like that?
In the shape of a bean skin, they said.
A bold child who, long ago, came to herself, tucked away in a corner of an extraterrestrial place, asking to be dressed in a spiderweb.
Without knowing what her spiderweb meant, just rummaging through the necronomicon in her mind –
“Uh… um… So, does this mean you want your wish granted…? No, this is a twinskin… Seriously, if you’re going to teach, teach properly…!”
Muttered Yudahee overlapped with the current scene.
Whether then or now, the appearance didn’t change much on the surface, but to a being living through infinite time, Yudahee was always a child.
A child who understood creatures like herself.
[Instead, would you like to receive something else?]
It was a sudden attack.
Atlaq Nacha grabbed Yudahee’s head with both hands and pressed their faces together.
“Ugh-! Ugh!”
An emotion that was not mutual but a one-way street poured down on Yudahee.
Their awkward kiss, without interlocking fingers or closing eyes, was filled with nothing but clumsiness.
The sensation of the kiss with Atlock Nacha… rather than sweetness, it was bitter and filled with the taste of mingled pain and blood.
“Eh, eek!”
…No, really, the taste of blood!
Yudahee hastily pushed Atlock Nacha away and stuck out his tongue.
The tip was slightly cut, and blood was spurting out.
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As Atlock Nacha gazed at him with a look of endearment, her smile was a mess of Yudahee’s blood.
“eeek, eeek!”
Yudahee was holding his tongue in sudden agony, unable to speak.
This crazy spider.
[Hmm… couldn’t resist tasting a bit.]
Gulp, Atlock Nacha swallowed the blood filling her mouth and wiped her lips.
In truth, from an outsider’s perspective, it was a chilling sight, but for some reason, Yudahee thought that their appearance… suited each other very well, even forgetting the pain in his tongue.
…The crimson-stained Atlock Nacha was so beautiful.
[Then, it’s a brief farewell, Yudahee.]
As the colossal figure that covered the universe slowly disappeared, the divine body also dispersed like an illusion.
[Until we meet again.]
When the warmth of the hand that caressed his cheek slowly faded, the inscription in the sky changed.
[1/100-＞Winner: Yudahee, the contractor of Dike Astraea! Congratulations!]
The universe momentarily went dark.
Every view that illuminated the arena was extinguished by an unknown shockwave.
In an instant, the waiting room was filled with darkness, an occurrence not witnessed since the inception of the arena.
Up until now, the U.R.F mode had occurred only once or twice, and even if the contractors dropped dozens of meteors, the vision sharing setup was configured to broadcast without any disruption.
What on earth was happening?
Contrary to the still unrecovered screen, the alarm counting the number of people in the arena was functioning perfectly.
In the darkness, the numbers changed.
[19/100]
More than half eliminated in one go.
“What the hell! Instant death? My contractor got disqualified…!”
Amidst the shock that didn’t penetrate the divine beings, another change occurred.
[1/100]
Static flowed.
“…Is it over?”
“Is this a lie?”
“Hey, you crazy bastards! Why isn’t the screen coming back? All personal screens went blank!”
“You lazy bastards in the management, sponging off divine power and not doing your job, fix it right away! Why neglect the tasks!”
“No, then, who on earth won the victory…!”
The usual message that appears when there’s one person left was continuously delayed.
As the impatient divine beings couldn’t bear this situation and were about to rise towards the management in chaos, the alarm was updated.
[1/100-＞Winner: Yudahee, the Contract Holder of Dike Astraea! Congratulations!]
As Dike stood there in a daze, countless flowers began to bloom around him in the arena, and their petals started to flutter down.
The traditional victory ceremony of the arena.
Normally, everyone would have been applauding and cheering at that sight…
“W-Winner…? Yudahee is the winner…?”
As if the management hadn’t let go, the screens started to broadcast normally at just the right moment.
However, it was from a viewpoint far away in space, not the close-up shot of the contract holders.
It seemed like they had hastily put it together.
And the state of the arena that they saw… It was truly shocking.
An endless abyss covered the arena.
No, the situation was that a massive hole had been pierced in the very planet that served as the stage.
A planet blessed and empowered by various gods was slowly crumbling.
“What is this…”
The video recordings of the arena, which had survived until the very end, played again.
The sight of Yudahee surrounded by countless contract holders, but it seemed like he paid no attention and was looking beyond them.
[…I promised I would never use it… This is all your fault.]
[That… Dike… Astraea… Cha…!]
His quiet mutterings were barely audible.
Yudahee, who had closed his eyes and formed a pact, opened his eyes-
And simultaneously, on all screens, -NO SIGNAL- appeared.
Sparse but undeniable, Podji was the victorious champion… They were not revered by the gods for what that meant.
“…”
A monster that shattered the planet, the foundation of the arena, with just one blow.
Can that be simply called a contractor?
A debut with a flawless record in the arena, committed by a novice contractor who received such a formidable penalty, is that it?
Everyone wanted to ask if this was a bad joke right now… but the atmosphere was not at all conducive to that.
As Podji descended, below, the surviving champion, Yudahee, revealed himself.
“Oh, coming back to the waiting room? Looks like the dead guys were all bounced back to Earth?”
Yudahee, grimacing and rolling his tongue uncomfortably, spoke.
It seemed like nothing would come out if he wasn’t uncomfortable, and all the gods in the waiting room had the same thought.
…Except for one.
“Kyaaah! W-We won! Victory! Dahee, our Yudahee won, he’s the champion!”
Overjoyed, Deke rushed over to grab Yudahee and tried to kiss him on the cheek, but…
“This J.O.A.T goddess damn it, do you have any idea what I’ve been through… Go over there and raise your hand, won’t you stand still?!”
“D-Dikeyaaah!”
Yudahee ruthlessly twisted Deke’s Adams apple, who couldn’t resist.
So, with a bitter taste of blood, the first match came to an end.
Okay this is really good. I love the portrayal of the great old ones here. They truly feel otherworldly hahaha