Chapter 414: [Tales of the Gods 15] Mochulchi, the Rice God
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This is a side story related to Arc 8.
A pale blue sky, an endless golden sea.
Hearing those words alone, many would assume it to be a idyllic farmland, welcoming the harvest season.
However, they're wrong.
In truth, this place is a battlefield.
This golden sea, at first glance, seems to be only swaying gently in the wind, but upon closer inspection, its state is constantly changing.
What does this mean? This golden sea is divided into two crops, with a central line as the boundary.
One is wheat.
And the other is rice.
When wheat gains power, the rice instantly withers, and wheat sprouts from there.
Conversely, when rice gains power, the wheat instantly withers, and rice sprouts from there.
Such exchanges are endlessly taking place at the line where the wheat and rice fields meet.
This back-and-forth battle has been going on for a while now, with no sign of a conclusion.
Now, you may have already realized that the sight of 'wheat and rice instantly withering and sprouting repeatedly, fighting to expand their cultivated land' could not possibly happen in the real world.
Yes, this is a battle taking place in the world of the gods... the divine realm of the Harvest God.
Leading the wheat is a god named Muwidgi.
He was once the Wheat God, but now he has taken root in the body of the Harvest God, Shuhavekmeg, and continues to absorb her divine energy, increasing his power, calling himself the Harvest God.
His appearance, in a word, is a super giant wheat stalk, towering high in the sky.
And leading the rice is a god named Mochulchi.
He was a lower god who served under Shuhavekmeg alongside Muwidgi. When Muwidgi staged his coup, unlike the Bean God and the Potato God, this god alone saved his life by escaping from the divine realm.
And since then, he has been waiting for an opportunity to strike back, biding his time.
His appearance, in a word, is a super giant brown rice grain, floating in the air.
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Wheat withering and rice sprouting, rice withering and wheat sprouting.
Such a silent back-and-forth was being repeated on the ground level of the Harvest God's divine realm, but in the sky above, a head-on clash between gods continued.
<<< [ Trillion Bread ] .>>>
As Muwidgi muttered those words, countless golden magic circles appeared in the air... and giant loaves of bread were summoned from them.
The breads, spinning like drills, shot towards Mochulchi like missiles!
<<< [ Rice Shower ] .>>>
Of course, Mochulchi isn't just going to take it.
He rained down rice from high in the sky, shooting down the bread missiles one after another!
The white, shimmering [Rice Shower]... If a human on the ground saw it, they would mistake it for a meteor shower!
But this [Rice Shower] couldn't intercept all the bread missiles.
Several breads slipped through the rain of rice and hit Mochulchi's elliptical body.
<<<I... I-ne!>>>
TL Note: "Ine" means rice plant.
Mochulchi involuntarily let out a groan of pain.
But!
<<<Ii-ne... Ii-ne!!>>>
Mochulchi isn't giving up!
He continues to utter defiant words!
To stop the former Wheat God who has gone mad... the rain of rice intensifies...!
<<<Grow... WHEAT.>>>
Muwidgi scoffed at Mochulchi's resistance.
Because he is the one who has taken in the power of Shuhavekmeg, the de facto Harvest God.
No matter how much Mochulchi, a mere lower god, resists, he can't win against him.
See?
A bread missile that slipped through the rain of rice hit Mochulchi again... and the crack in his light brown outer shell widened.
<<<I-I-ne, i-ne... !?>>>
Mochulchi faltered.
The rain of rice stopped.
Seeing this as an opportunity, Muwidgi summoned more bread missiles and fired them at Mochulchi!
PAN!
PAPAN!!
PAPAPAPAPAAN!!!
And then, all those bread missiles hit Mochulchi directly, and Mochulchi exploded!
<<<INEEEEEEE ーーー !!!>>>
Mochulchi's scream echoed through the divine realm!
<<<GROW THE WHEAT! GROW THE WHEEEAT!!!>>>
With this!
There's no crop left to defy him!
All that's left is to steadily increase the wheat cultivation area on the ground... and cover the entire earth with wheat!
Muwidgi, convinced of his victory, laughed triumphantly!
But, however, the next moment!
Whizz!!
With such a sharp sound, cutting through the wind...
...Breaking through the wall of wheat flour smoke...
...A particularly large grain of rice flew straight towards Muwidgi... and hit him directly!
<<<MUGIOOOOH!?>>>
Muwidgi, completely off guard, couldn't dodge it.
It was a powerful blow, as if his stem would break!
Could it be that Mochulchi... still had enough strength left to unleash such an attack!?
<<<Oh dear... I didn't really want to show you this side of me, but...>>>
An overly dramatic voice reached the astonished Muwidgi.
That voice... is clearly Mochulchi's.
But unlike before... he's speaking fluently!
What's going on!?
Muwidgi's question was quickly answered when the wind blew away all the wheat flour that was dancing in the air.
Floating in the air, where the wheat flour had vanished, was...
...Not the light brown Mochulchi from before.
Mochulchi had shed his outer shell... and was exposing his pure white skin.
In other words, Mochulchi!
...Had transformed... into white rice!!
<<<This is... my second form!>>>
Mochulchi, his entire body glistening in the light of the pseudo-sun in the sky of the divine realm, declared, with his divine energy, which he had been conserving until now, overflowing from his body!
<<<Now, prepare yourself, Muwidgi! It's harvest season! Time to pay your tribute!!!>>>
Ah, this story will be continued in the .