34. Intimidated?
For the first time while asleep, Ahpum could see something other than flames and the burning earth.
Cold seawater.
Of course, upon appearing, it was immediately engulfed in the planet’s flames and evaporated… But on the second appearance, it didn’t remain still.
Simultaneously emerging, it was embraced within oneself and frozen as is.
Nevertheless, due to the excessively rapid vaporization rate, only a minuscule amount was preserved.
A sea ice crystal, about the size of a fingernail.
Judahee cherished it within the embrace of his being.
Witnessing this, Judahee hesitated for a moment, then reached out towards himself not to stroke but rather to caress.
[Cherish… Cherish it…]
It was an unusual touch.
While other flames had all rejected him… this human not only didn’t push him away but instead caressed him with that hand.
Though the hand wasn’t burning, it emitted a warm sensation.
A strange feeling as if the coldness within Cherish was gently melting away.
Cherish knew somewhat how humans looked.
Unlike the formless entities, they were beings with bodies.
Intellectual life forms with a torso and two sets of arms and legs.
However, when rumors spread among the Great Old Ones, Judahee had thought of his father, K’tu, as the closest to an outsider. Yet, it seemed not to be the case.
Rumors of a three-headed six-armed creature.
One head devours everything, another sees through everything, and finally, with the last head’s utterance, everything meets its demise.
Moreover, wielding six different weapons with six hands to tear apart opponents.
However, the being before Cherish now was just an ordinary human… perhaps?
When she made contact with herself, even the leader of the Fire Spirits, Futo, would often freeze…
However, Yudahee, on the contrary, seemed to feel refreshed, even flashing a pleasant smile… It was somehow good.
She was the first Aphem to rejoice.
She also believed that she could be of help to others.
But this happiness didn’t last long.
[…What on earth are you doing?]
An enraged Kuto, with a powerful aura, appeared in front of Yudahee.
[Why on earth are you spitting those impure things on my land!]
Yudahee looked around at the scattered things and scratched her head slightly.
She should have sent them back, but she forgot and skipped the return procedure.
“Um… Homework quest in progress?”
Rocks from the Earth Mountains scattered everywhere due to the summoning ritual were vaporizing in real-time, and the seawater was evaporating.
The affected fires were emitting various colored metal flames.
Ivory, green, yellow, white, turquoise, blue, navy….
Uh, well.
“No, it just looks good. Why react so nervously?”
Wanting to incinerate Yudahee, who stretched out her hands and pouted her lips as if to say, “What can you do?”… but the foolish command of her father, Azathos, blocked it.
Although Kuto was a raging fire from head to toe, he still couldn’t break the law.
Instead of Yudahee, he burned down all the foreign substances that dirtied his own planet.
In the fiercely burning Kuto, the last foreign substance caught the attention of his gaze.
From Noble mtl dot com
Frozen seawater crystals within the embrace of the Azure Lord.
[Release it.]
Normally, the Azure Lord would have spat it out without any hesitation, but for some reason, he shook his body, refusing the command of Koutu.
The Azure Lord thought.
This… was the first precious thing he could have in his embrace.
So, he couldn’t give it up.
The Azure Lord stubbornly rejected spitting out the seawater crystals, crouching down.
But that didn’t mean Koutu would let it pass.
His planet must be forever filled with pristine flames.
It was his proof, destiny, and those hindering it were nothing but waste to be burned entirely.
Even his child, the Azure Lord, was no exception.
If he doesn’t release it, he’ll burn it just the same.
Flames surrounding Koutu flared up fiercely, revealing hostility toward the Azure Lord.
At the same time, a pain as if the soul was torn apart engulfed the Azure Lord, but… it quickly disappeared as if it were a lie.
“I don’t like this kid. What’s the big deal when you grow up?”
Because Yudahee embraced the Azure Lord.
Following the command, the flames couldn’t touch him and only swayed around him.
[Don’t interfere, Yudahee. You have no right to be involved in this.]
“Why don’t I have the right? This is something I gave. Are you saying you have the right to burn it as you please? I have more than enough qualification, don’t I?”
Yudahee smirked and flicked her fingers towards Koutu.
—
I’m already fed up with just dealing with unsolved homework for a long time.
It’s like a damn die, why can’t I roll it at least ten times?
“If you’ve got balls, step up.”
Thunk.
It was a dice roll that no one had expected… but anyway, Yudahee would return after Yog Sothoth’s work was done.
Even if he handled everything after that, it wouldn’t be too late… or so he thought. But would Yudahee let him off that easily?
“Scared?”
[Krrraaah!]
Ketu, who had lost his sanity, lunged at Yudahee.
—
The unique strike in mid-air, lifting the gravitational field to its limit.
With just one collision, the ground trembled, and shockwaves shook the forest, causing all the leaves to fall.
The trees nearby were uprooted, and a massive shockwave swept through the surroundings.
Is this Penelope’s true power?
Certainly, the more gravity accumulates, the scarier it becomes – Yudahee muttered, hiding himself smoothly amidst the dust raised by Penelope.
While Penelope held on for 10 minutes… there was something he had to do.
Among them was one thing…
“I found him, this bastard.”
Finding those who were watching Penelope and Shub’s clash without going too far.
[14/100]
The remaining participants gathered around and watched the scene.
Even though it wasn’t strange for them to fight each other, they all kept their distance and observed the scene.
The intent was clear from the gazes, the fidgeting, and the gear adjustments.
If Penelope seemed likely to capture the demon king, they would strike her from behind.
If an individual were to capture the demon king alone, they would become the sole winner… one of the new rules of the arena.
[If the demon king is defeated by a group rather than an individual, rankings will be determined based on damage contribution.]
If they managed to eliminate Penelope, who had been relentlessly pursuing the demon king, through a coordinated attack or by contributing substantial damage together… they might have a chance to rank within the top 3 if luck was on their side.
It wouldn’t matter if Penelope wasn’t captured.
In that case, they would either gather to attack the weakened demon king or…
[If the demon king is not defeated, all participants except the final 3 will receive a -1 point penalty.]
If they could eliminate the others gathered here and be among the final 3, that would be enough.
Excluding Yudahee and Penelope, there were 12 people gathered, so if only 10 of them died here, they would definitely secure a top-ranking position.
The gathered participants had their own understanding of the relationships based on their calculated considerations.
Of course, outside observers were shouting, “Damn campers! This is so boring! Did I come here to see this sh*t? Give me a refund!” But for the contractees, what mattered was not their reputation but their rankings, so they silently waited.
And among the 12 gathered, the one Yudahee had been hoping to see alive was there.
The bastard who had cast a tracking spell on her in the last match.
The guy who had sworn to find and kill her while handing her a collar before the match.
“Well… Hisashiburi.”
As Yudahee revealed herself with Parashu in hand, everyone’s faces were filled with astonishment.
It was shocking how no one had noticed until someone came so close.
“Is this for real…?”
“Yeah, it is.”
Behind them, a tense atmosphere lingered, and a bastard of a dog was already sweating profusely, as if it was about to break free from the leash and make a run for it. But it wouldn’t be that easy to let it go.
Yudahee had already checked all the escape routes.
Not a single ant could leave this place right now.
“I will find you.”
…
“And I will kill you.”
“Seriously, damn it.”
In addition to the grudge from the last match, all of them were destined to become precious offerings to the ritual.
It’s not that there were no personal emotions… in fact, they were overflowing, but they all had to die here.
They had blocked the exits, but just in case all 12 of them started running in all directions, it would be troublesome. So, they didn’t forget to provoke as much as possible with clear taunts.
A universal, irresistible word for any man.
Even the Great Old One couldn’t help but get angry.
“Scared?”
At the same time, a parachute was thrust into the face of the closest guy, signaling yet another phase of the battle.
[13/100]
It was the beginning from now on.
—–
“Ah.”
Why did I provoke Ktuga for no reason?
It was Yudahee, stuck in the rocky terrain like a frog hit by a stone.
According to Azathoth’s command, he hadn’t suffered any damage… but still, he wasn’t in perfect shape.
Because an overwhelming sense of defeat enveloped his body.
Indeed, the Great Old One… Ktuga was certainly making a strong impression.
Not content with just putting himself in this position, he continued to press on.
Although he had an overwhelming penalty that prevented him from harming Yudahee, he was skillfully avoiding that rule, attempting to throw him into the lava or bind his limbs to steal his physical freedom.
Moreover, with numerous fire spirits assisting Ktuga, he was unmatched in both quality and quantity.
But does that mean Yudahee will give up??
Never say die.
There’s no choice.
If the opponent brings a rifle, call in a tank.
If the opponent brings an anti-tank gun, call in air support.
Wishing for a fair game in a fight is something only fools do.
So-
“Ah~ I didn’t want to use this here!”
Opening a small space, Yudahee shouted as if urging something.
“Look closely! And don’t tell anyone!”
From Yudahee’s fingertips, the black isosceles triangle emitted light.
“…Come out.”
Then, contrary to her previous words, Yudahee spoke towards the isosceles entity with a slightly polite demeanor.
[…If I may ask, Lord Niallatotepp?]
[hehehehe-! Finally calling me?]
The impending chaos descended upon Formalhaut.
Lol