Chapter 397: Devour the Wicked Great Evil Spirit! 3
* * *
"Wh-Who are you!?"
Engee panicked at the sudden encounter, but in contrast, the woman of blue light was calm.
She slowly bowed, and then, she spoke to Engee.
<I am the 'Vessel'. The 'Vessel of a Nameless God'... Created but without authority, merely an observer... that's how I used to introduce myself.>
And then, the woman straightened up.
<But now, ufufu... yes, now my name is 'Extra'. The companion of this girl, Emi, whose soul you so brazenly attempted to possess... that is me! Ufufu!>
She stared straight at Engee, smiling happily.
"'Vessel of a God'!?"
Hearing those words, hostility surged uncontrollably in Engee's heart!
He's a Great Evil Spirit whose existence is maintained by his resentment towards the gods.
He can't help but be hostile... towards anything related to gods!
<Ihihiーーー!>
Engee laughed triumphantly, transforming the red haze that constitutes his body into tentacles and firing them towards Extra-sama!
One, two, three... countless... so many!
But Extra-sama wasn't the least bit flustered, her demeanor composed.
Before Engee could even blink, she had vanished, and his tentacles sliced through empty air.
<Ufufu.>
"!?"
And then, a laugh... suddenly came from behind him!
Engee hurriedly turned around, and there stood Extra-sama.
"T-Teleportation!?"
Engee, flustered, hurriedly distanced himself from Extra-sama, but seeing that, she tilted her head.
<Oh my, don't you understand? What I just did... well, an evil spirit who's only existed for 5,000 years... ufufu, you're no match for me.>
"Don't underestimate meeee!!!"
Engee was enraged, and fired his tentacles at Extra-sama again, but it was an impulsive attack, fueled by anger.
Extra-sama easily dodged it, floating and keeping her distance from Engee, and then sighed.
<Now, Engee Albitt. I had some respect for you. After all, you were the first human to 'discover' the 'Divine Realm' and challenge those foolish gods... That was, in a sense, a great achievement. I can't deny that.>
"W-What...? "
And Extra-sama suddenly... praised Engee.
Engee, hearing those words, stopped moving.
He's weak to praise.
Whenever someone affirms him, he feels good!
<However.>
But Extra-sama's words naturally wouldn't end with just affirmation.
<You foolishly bared your fangs at Emi. At Emi... a fragment of 'that person's' soul... no, my precious, precious, precious, precious, precious, precious, precious, precious, PRECIOUS COMPANION!!!>
"Ihi!?"
And then Extra-sama suddenly shouted, her anger clear!
Engee, intimidated by the intensity of her anger, involuntarily backed away!
<Ufufu, I won't let you escape.>
Extra-sama, seeing that, chuckled coldly and snapped her fingers.
And then, a crack...
...Appeared in the giant blue sphere of light glowing in the center of this space.
What peeked out from that crack was... jet-black darkness.
A terrifying darkness... with occasional flashes of rusty red.
<Do you know, evil spirit? Emi is a glutton.>
Extra-sama, her voice cheerful and excited, floated towards the crack in the sphere of light... and lovingly caressed that terrifying darkness.
Engee couldn't move.
He was paralyzed, intimidated by the unknown darkness that had been hidden, enveloped in blue light.
<She's always hungry, poor thing... that's why I want to give her everything... Everything in this world... no, ufufu... everything...!>
Zzzzt...
Gradually, gradually...
...Darkness overflowed from the crack.
That terrifying darkness...
...Is the enemy... of the world!!
Engee instinctively understood that!
<I-Ihi, ihiiiiii!? >
No!
This is bad!
He has to get out of here!
He has to escape, now!!
The moment Engee, finally understanding that, turned his back on the darkness...
...Tentacles extended from the darkness and entwined almost his entire hazy body!
"IHIGYAAAAAAAHーーー!?"
Engee, caught in the tentacles, couldn't even put up a decent fight...
Plop!
With such a sound, rippling the surface of the darkness...
...He was dragged in.
And that was the end.
Engee Albitt, the former engineer...
The great sinner who pulled the trigger on the destruction of civilization...
The Great Evil Spirit who was recognized as one of the World's Calamities...
...Was easily annihilated.
...No.
Just a tiny fragment.
A tiny fragment of Engee, with almost no ego or memories...
...Had separated from the main body before being dragged into the darkness by the tentacles...
...And secretly escaped... to the outside world.
It fell deep into the earth.
Riding on the mana flowing beneath the ground...
...It began to move towards Sardisann.
But...
...What could that fragment, smaller than a gnat, possibly accomplish?
That... is something that no one knows... at this time.
* * *
<Ufufu, 5,000 years old, you know? Did you enjoy it, Emi?>
In this space, now quiet after the screaming evil spirit vanished...
...Extra-sama was still lovingly caressing the jet-black darkness.
Not enough...
As if pleading...
...A thin, small tentacle extended from the darkness and entwined Extra-sama's finger.
<Oh my, I'm sorry...>
Extra-sama, looking sad, gently shook off the tentacle, and snapped her fingers.
And then, Emi's jet-black soul, which had peeked out from the crack... was once again hidden, enveloped in Extra-sama's power... the blue light.
<If the smell leaks out too much, they'll notice...>
Extra-sama said that, chuckling.
The ominous aura completely disappeared with Emi's soul hidden, and this space, enveloped in pale blue light, was once again filled with a tranquil atmosphere.
<Now, Emi. Shall we wake up?>
Saying that, Extra-sama vanished, as if melting into the blue light enveloping Emi's soul.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Her soul's pulsations, slightly stronger and faster.
Emi... who had lost consciousness for a while from Engee's attack on her soul...
...Is waking up.