It chewed it did.. leisurely at that... savoring every morsel.
Thus, time slipped by.
One day, a prayer echoed once more in its ears.
"Mighty Four Great Gods, bear witness. I, Caspond, am the only true sovereign of the Holy Kingdom!"
A thread of absolute darkness tore through the void and sank into the 'God's' body.
Heeeh~~
All four of its mouths grinned at once. They turned toward the horizon like a demon about to feast.
S-so… it is going to eat people?
The nobles' legs buckled as they clawed frantically at the black threads clinging to their bodies.
They had watched in horror as the 'God' ground a fat noble's soul between its teeth and swallowed.
The 'God' tilted one of its faces toward Caspond and the rest.
Inside that mouth, tens of thousands of black strands, each tethered to the nobles' private troops, writhed like living shadows.
The nobles stared at the sky, now pitch-black from the threads blotting out every scrap of blue. A nameless dread rose in their hearts.
"No, no! I do not want to die!"
"Help! Someone help me!"
In an instant, the threads snapped taut. They slowly reeled something out of the armored ranks.
At the end of each line, translucent souls twisted in panic and terror.
"Arg—!"
"N-No—!"
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Rank after rank of soldiers collapsed as their souls were ripped free. They convulsed once and lay still.
The nobles watched, chilled to the bone, as tens of thousands of souls were dragged through the air and into the 'God's' maw.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch…
It propped its cheek contentedly, crunching the sweet souls between its teeth.
With every bite, those still linked by the black threads could hear countless souls shrieking inside its mouth.
"This is no god. It is a fiend!"
Even Quaiesse could not stop the fear that crawled up his spine.
To him, this 'God' was more terrifying than the Lich King had ever been.
The Lich King's might at least followed rules. This thing had devoured tens of thousands without even casting a spell, using only those threads.
His gaze swept over the others on the wall. Every one of them was bound by a strand.
"Are we all just livestock waiting for the slaughter?"
The ordinary guards, unlike Quaiesse, had already broken.
"Tens of thousands… eaten just like that?"
"That is no god. It is a demon, a devil!"
"No, no! Do not kill me!"
Hearing the guards' terrified screams, Caspond threw back his head and laughed. "Bahahaha! Now you understand, right?!! Tremble, you mongrels! This is the power of a god!"
Caspond's mind was muddled, yet one thought remained clear. No one could stand against a god.
"Your Majesty…?"
The nobles huddled together, barely concealing the looks they gave him as if he were a madman. "The enemy is over there!"
"If you want to show your might, aim at them, not at your own!"
"Our finest troops… gone!"
"Killed by our own leader!"
The Satyr glanced pityingly at the nobles, too afraid to speak. Without their army, they were tigers with their fangs pulled. Harmless.
Though terror gnawed at him, the hundred-meter 'God' before him could not erase the confidence the Satyr felt.
Hmph. I wonder if this so-called god could stand against that lord… Unlikely. Still, it is more than enough to wipe out these fools.
His eyes slid to Helant, and he sneered. Once Caspond clears away the troublesome ones, that lord will come and sweep up this 'God.' Then the Holy Kingdom will truly belong to the Demi-humans!
High above, the Platinum Dragon Lord sighed and shook his head at the sight of a god devouring its own allies. "A monster born of accident. Nothing more…"
He had seen many Players and their NPCs, yet none as dim-witted and twisted as this 'God'.
On the wall, Zesshi Zetsumei drew her scythe. Caution filled her eyes. "Helant, when the fight starts, do not try too hard to protect the city. We may not be able to save everyone…"
Last night, Clementine and Quaiesse had told her about Helant's nature.
A righteous, kind, equal-loving fool.
When battle came, Diborne City would become a battlefield.
And this 'God' could pluck souls in ways they did not understand.
Saving the civilians would be nearly impossible.
"We do not want to die!"
"Please, lords, save us!"
"Holy Queen, we beg you. Spare us!"
Zesshi's words reached every ear. People wept, their faces streaked with tears and snot.
No one wished to die a pointless, agonizing death.
Calca looked at the terror on the guards' faces and hesitated.
Gathering her mana, she said firmly, "When the time comes, fight with everything you have. I will cast a life-burning barrier. It should buy us time."
"Your Highness, that spell will kill you!"
Remedios seized Calca's arm and shook her head. "My sister told me. At this scale, you will die the instant you finish it!"
Calca patted Remedios' shoulder gently. "I am the Holy Queen. Protecting my people is my duty."
"Your Highness…"
The guards knelt, tears streaming down their faces.
"The Holy Kingdom needs you. Do not die here!"
Someone choked out the words.
Calca smiled gently. "Right now, you need me more."
Quaiesse bowed deeply. Admiration shone in his eyes. "That is the resolve of a sovereign. The face a true leader of mankind should wear!"
Zesshi gave her a respectful glance, then hardened her heart. "Very well. Begin!"
Calca clasped Helant's hand. Tears glimmered in her eyes. "Sir Helant.. We have known each other only two days, yet I truly like you. We share the same dream of a happy realm for our people. We walk the same path.
"So… when I die, would you take the Holy Kingdom in my stead?"
"No."
Calca's resolute expression froze. Her lips parted as she stared at Helant.
Helant brushed the tears from her eyes and smiled. "Stop talking about dying. A false god like this? The Holy Domain God Lord can erase it with a wave of the hand..."
____
15 Advance chapters:
Patreon.com/CorruptElf