“Ugh, what is this lineup…?”
“Heh, this is quite entertaining, isn’t it!”
“Wow, Fu-chan is here too!”
“Hey there, Rion. You look adorable as always~ Want to have some tea with me?”
Several hours passed since Serge’s pilfering incident, and Sera, Rion, and Dorothy arrived at the holy stake. Dorothy seemed to have been brought here in a hurry, dressed in her uniform and holding only her staff. Meanwhile, Sera was carrying a woman bound tightly with chains, looking like she could have been kidnapped moments before.
“So, you were defeated after all, Gloria.”
“Don’t worry, I’m alive and well! As you can see, I’m quite capable!”
“U-um…?”
Kelvum’s words confirmed the woman’s identity. Well, that made sense. She was unconscious and didn’t reply, but she appeared to be one of the Ten Authorities who attempted to attack Lumiest. According to Sera, she possessed an interesting ability to manipulate distance. My, my, with strong opponents appearing one after another, it’s becoming quite difficult for me to choose my opponents. Is this what they call happy troubles?
“Huh? By the way, where’s Bel? I thought she was coming with us. Did she stay at Lumiest?”
“No, she said she was going back to the Grellverelka Empire to talk to her father. You see, Kel-ni mentioned that Bel-chan’s father might be targeted by the Ten Authorities, so…”
“Ah, I see.”
The information I gathered from Kelvum was shared with my allies through the subordinate network. The cross-referencing with the Ten Authorities captured by Sera using ‘Blood Dye’ was also completed. As a result, Kelvum’s words were not a lie. The woman there, um, Gloria, was it? Under the influence of ‘Blood Dye’ and manipulated by Sera, she said the exact same thing.
And that information reached Bel, who had the doppelganger Kuro. It seems she urgently changed her plans to return home and warn them. Honestly, she’s quite the family-oriented person, despite her behavior.
“Hey, hey, is that chestnut-haired cutie the Divine Pillar Doroshiala-chan? Mmm~~…”
“Ah, um, what is it…?”
Serge circled Dorothy like a satellite, staring at her intently. While this would be an immediate no-go if their genders were different, Serge’s expression was one of utmost seriousness.
“…Brilliant! I see, this is a diamond in the rough! Worth polishing!”
“H-haah, thank you…?”
“Serge, step away from Dorothy for a moment. Your behavior is that of a complete creep. Dorothy is getting confused.”
“Wh-what?! To say such a thing to a beautiful girl!”
“There’s a sense of ethics you must uphold, even for beautiful girls. Now, disperse.”
“Che~”
Serge reluctantly backed away and sat down on the equipment inside the holy stake. It’s good that they’re strong, but I wish they’d learned some common sense.
“Ahem! …Divine Person Doroshiala, welcome. As promised, you will become one with the other Divine Pillars.”
“…? What are you talking about?”
“Ah, I’ll explain that later, so just be quiet for now.”
“Mmph…”
Next, I had Kelvum step aside. It might be my imagination, but things are getting rather busy.
“Currently, here at this holy stake, we have the Divine Bird Wild Grow captured by me, and the Divine Spirit De’ah Tot and the Divine Whale Zeval captured by Serge over there.”
“I captured them~ Oh, of course, they’re alive, so don’t worry~”
“…To so easily capture four of the remaining Divine Pillars, including myself, it seems that both you heroes and you women possess quite an unusual strength, wouldn’t you say?”
“I am honored by your compliment. However, we should hurry. If your preparations are complete, we can begin the ‘Divine Might’ ritual immediately. What do you say?”
“…I would like to speak with the other Divine Pillars, just for a little while.”
“Speak? Unlike you, the other Divine Pillars are in a state of rampage. I doubt such a thing would be possible, but…?”
“I understand. But even if we can’t talk… I believe we can still connect, so…!”
For Dorothy, the Divine Pillars are both allies and family. Her earnestness conveyed her strong desire to see them.
“Rukil, Dorothy says so. Even though they are in a state of rampage, the other Divine Pillars are restrained. There shouldn’t be any problem, should there?”
Mel, while munching on herring pie brought over via the doppelganger Kuro’s ‘Storage’, uttered words befitting a goddess.
“…Well, if Melphina-sama says so.”
And so, Dorothy was granted a meeting with the Divine Pillars.
A few tens of minutes later, Dorothy and Rion, who had accompanied her, returned. Somehow, there was an atmosphere as if a burden had been lifted.
“Alright, let’s begin. It’s a bit cramped here, so we’ll conduct the ritual outside.”
“Understood. Then, let’s head outside.”
“Ah, there’s no need to move. I will move this room itself.”
With that, Rukil began fiddling with some kind of control panel. As I watched, curious about what was happening, a loud bang suddenly echoed through the surroundings.
“Whoa, is this room itself moving?”
“Wow, it’s like a big Elevator!”
Just as Rion said, the room was ascending like an Elevator. While there was an Elevator at the Guild Headquarters due to Boss Shin’s taste, this was on a completely different scale.
“Rather than ‘like,’ it actually is. We’ll proceed to the very top of the holy stake— Ah, we’ve arrived.”
In an instant, the surroundings were bathed in blue. Above was the blue sky, and below lay the vast ocean, reaching out to the horizon in an endless blue outdoor space. It must be the peak of the stake-shaped holy stake. The three Divine Pillars must have moved with us, as they had been transported here at some point. They had been rampaging since their capture, but they seemed strangely calm now.
“Divine Person Doroshiala, please stand in the center of the Divine Pillars gathered there. And, try to clear your mind as much as possible. This is a sacred ritual to be reborn as a god. Do not let your thoughts wander to unnecessary matters.”
“I understand. …Rion-san, please don’t look so worried. Even if I become one with the Divine Pillars, I will still be me.”
“U-uh… Shi-chan, do your best!”
With Rion’s voice behind her, Dorothy stepped towards the center of the Divine Pillars. And thus, the ritual of merging the Divine Pillars began. Rukil chanted the ritual in a language completely unknown to us, while Dorothy and the others stood there with their eyes closed. Clouds obscured the sun, and the surroundings gradually darkened. Thunderclouds gathered from somewhere— The clear sky that had been there moments ago had completely vanished, replaced by an abundance of signs of an impending storm.
“…This might be more than I imagined.”
“What a coincidence, Kelvin. I have the exact same impression.”
“Wow, to think a single ritual could change things so much.”
What was happening before our eyes was truly a ritual to give birth to a new god. Precisely when the thunder roared overhead, an extremely intriguing pressure, similar to what I felt when confronting Kuromel in her Black Goddess form, enveloped me.
I have posted my new work, “The Otherworldly Camping Meals of the Black Cormorant Sisters.”
It is a fantasy work with elements of battle and gourmet.
I would appreciate it if you could also check it out…!
