Black Summoner – Chapter 417

“Heart of the Evil God”

“Oops, are you letting your guard down just because you were about to defeat them? That won’t do. Caution is paramount in all things; if you’re too complacent, you won’t win even what you could have.”

Mudd Farak was truly weary of Tristan’s overly dramatic gestures and expressions. He was always like this, speaking in an exaggerated, theatrical tone to try and dominate the atmosphere. Of course, Mudd Farak had no intention of playing along with Tristan and, following Efil’s example, planned to defeat him with indifference.

“It seems the survivors have returned safely. To escape two Dragon Kings and emerge alive is quite something. Don’t you agree?”

While the theatrics on stage continued, Mudd and Boga showed no reaction to Tristan’s words. They weren’t looking at Tristan, but at his subordinates, the God Insect Lengerange and the God Snake Anra.

“It’s troublesome if we get involved in their conversation. From here on, let’s switch to telepathy. It will also reduce the time needed for understanding.”
“Understood. So, it seems our opponent is a low-ranking god, but what’s the plan?”
“Plan? Against a wounded inferior, we don’t need a plan. A brute-force approach, which our master prefers, is sufficient.”
“That’s what I’m talking about! Alright, let’s go with that – a unanimous decision! Let’s make a grand spectacle before that Tristan causes any more trouble!”
“Understood. Our masters should arrive soon. Let’s greet them with a grand display of fireworks.”

Having finished their telepathic exchange, the great Dragon Kings began their act. Boga, with his mountain-like colossal body, moved forward, while Mudd Farak retreated behind him. Black smoke constantly rose from Boga’s dark, rocky form, resembling a volcano on the verge of eruption. In front of Mudd’s three mouths, multi-colored breaths were beginning to compress.

“…Hmm. Just like that Maid, they seem well-trained. It’s different from our time in the Dragon Rider Corps.”
“Hah! Even back then, your Mixed Beast Corps wasn’t much! After Brother Azgrad established the Dragon Rider Corps, you lowered the military’s combat power, didn’t you, Mr. Tristan!”
“Boga, no idle talk. Though, it is the truth.”

Boga and Mudd’s taunts were based on facts. In the past, Azgrad had disagreed with Tristan’s policies and transferred members of the Mixed Beast Corps and dragons to separate units, establishing the Dragon Rider Corps. Naturally, the Mixed Beast Corps, having lost personnel, lost its authority. Although reinforcements were later provided through Tristan’s arrangement, they were once even called the weakest combat unit. This was a rare, shining blemish on Tristan’s otherwise illustrious life.

“Ah, indeed, that was a distressing and difficult time. My subordinates and monsters who remained for me must have been worried. However, having overcome those hardships, we have nothing to fear. People achieve further growth by overcoming trials!”
“……”

But if they were shaken by that, Tristan would not have been a person who warranted such caution. He showed no sign of being bothered at all; rather, he intensified his performance as if orchestrating a tragicomedy.

“—Boga, that’s enough. Let’s blast them.”
“Yeah…”

~~~

Having received prior notice from Mudd and Boga, it was around the time they arrived at the Heart of the Evil God. The Heart of the Evil God, surrounding the Great Cavern. We borrowed a transfer gate from my father-in-law and rushed up from the nearest point. My father-in-law, who had once nearly unified the Underworld, had, with thorough preparation, hidden emergency transfer gates in various locations. He had installed Gargoyle-type chargers at both ends of the gates, which automatically replenished mana for several uses, thus being prepared for any escape or surprise attack. The fact that none of them had been discovered yet astonished me with how meticulously he had prepared. Around the Heart of the Evil God itself, there were four such gates in the nearby north, south, east, and west.

Although he said it for that reason, I suspect he worked diligently for Sera and Bel’s sake. Thanks to him, we can relatively easily storm the Apostles’ stronghold, and I can’t help but be grateful to my father-in-law. Extreme doting can sometimes benefit the world.

“—It seems Mudd and Boga have engaged Tristan. The enemies are three Dragon, Insect, and Snake entities that appear to be Divine Pillars. All of them have power only slightly above the Divine Beasts we fought before. Well, for them now, they’re not even a match.”
“But, Older Brother, the Divine Pillars have a trait where they get stronger when their allies are defeated, right? We have to be careful about that!”
“I know. That’s why I’m sending Shutra as reinforcement. I’m counting on you.”
“Yes! I’ll teach Tristan a lesson!”

Through telepathy, Shutra’s cute voice tickled my ears. I had no intention of fighting Tristan head-on from the start, but I believe Shutra is the most suitable among us for a direct confrontation. Since there’s a past connection (I have one too), I want her to settle this old business here. Honestly, though, I don’t want to send Shutra, who is relatively non-combatant, into the heart of the Apostles’ stronghold. The true formidable enemy is likely in the core of the sanctuary.

“What about the diversion team?”
“They’re gathering Golems nicely!”
“I have a similar situation here. Do they resemble Shutra’s Golems?”
“Woon!”

Sera, Gerard, and Alex are rampaging around the Great Cavern. If Mudd and Boga are fighting Tristan on the east side, then Sera and the others are scattered across the north, west, and south. Their role is literally diversion, a smokescreen for us aiming to break into the sanctuary. The key here is their high individual combat power and the fact that they can be summoned to rejoin our main party later. The plan is to have them disengage at an appropriate time and then summon them again inside the sanctuary.

Once a certain level of safety is secured, Silvia and Touya’s two parties will sortie from the transfer gate as reinforcements. We will decide the transfer location based on the situation and inform Touya, who has the now-mobile pendant. Although it’s a short period, the training from Bel should have paid off. For some reason, my father-in-law also joined the training midway, but it should be fine. Yeah, probably.

Meanwhile, running alongside me are the three members of the main party plus one: Efil, Rion, and Ange. Melfina and the Kuro Combat Unit are on standby in case of an emergency, and currently, they are within my magic. Melfina, in particular, was a subject of great concern for the Apostles. We want to avoid her location being discovered as much as possible.

…What do you mean by the ‘+1’ in the main party plus one? Hahaha, what are you talking about? It’s undoubtedly our ultimate weapon, Colette! Since she couldn’t catch up if we ran like this, I’m carrying her in a princess hold.

“Haa, haa…!”

No, I’m not joking. Colette has been entrusted with a truly significant role. Even now, using the Shrine Maiden’s secret art, our presence is completely undetectable. It’s the same secret art Colette used when we had the wedding rehearsal with Mel at Delamis Cathedral. The transparent barrier cast upon us cannot be detected by any means other than visual observation and can be nullified even by those at Ange or Sera’s level. It’s a bit late, but I feel like the gods have given the Shrine Maidens of Delamis too much power. It’s no wonder the Shrine Maidens worship them blindly.

“Alright, this is where the Heart of the Evil God begins. It’s deep.”
“This is my first time gazing from the outside, too. A giant pit, no, a path to the underworld that connects to the netherworld?”

The Great Cavern stretched downwards, its bottom unseen, and its walls were covered in jagged rocks. By the time we reached this point, the miasma was tremendous, and each rock surface looked like a cursed sword. The hole was of an extraordinary size, and the opposite shore was invisible from here. It would be dangerous without some means, like flying down with flight.

“According to Bel, there are several entrances to the sanctuary. However, their locations change each time, and without the Holy Key, the correct route cannot be determined, nor can we enter the sanctuary. So, Colette, this is where you come in. As a Shrine Maiden of Delamis, you should sense any anomaly in places where secret arts have been applied. I will protect you from the miasma with magic, so please find the entrance during that time. …Can you do it?”
“Swoosh, haa— I can!”

Yes, I have high expectations. I trust her, but… if possible, I wish she wouldn’t take deep breaths in this miasma-filled Great Cavern.