novelGula: Thanks for the Meal
| ← Ch.19 | Ch.21 → |
"Fufufufufu, I see... so this was you guys' secret plan. You're not bad. I didn't notice it at all."
"... Eh? Ah, no..."
Lust-kun has a confused expression as she looks at the horizontal King of Sloth.
Her facial expression is no lie. Eh? A Coincidence? Nono, that can't be...
It's impossible that the Lord of Laziness was just randomly passing by of all things.
But both Lust-kun and Greed-kun's eyes were lost at sea.
"Why am I..."
"... Eh? You're still saying that at this point in time!?"
The existence that had materialized at roughly the same time as Laigie, a girl with crimson hair, scowled with all her might.
Her uniform, with black as the base, was the same as what Mizna and the others wore. She's from the Order of Black.
She pulls at Leigie, and is somehow trying to get him to stand. This situation perfectly matches the image I have of him being pulled around at one of the Great Demon King's inauguration ceremonies or another.
... I see, so she dragged the Lord of Sloth onto the battlefield. What a skilled Ira.
It seems I really have been wasteful. Mizna... I should have cooked you up properly before I ate you. Sorry.
But even while being pulled at, Leigie shows no signs of getting up. He's shaking his head from side to side with an extremely reluctant attitude. This deed is Sloth, without a doubt. It's as if there's no spirit in his eyes.
I can only think that he's waiting for me to eat him. At the same time, that is the nature of Sloth Demons.
Those guys are extremely hard, but at the same time, they don't really move.
Fufufu, how interesting. It really is interesting. To try to fight me like that...
In the wake of a battle between powerful Demon Lords, my fighting spirit blazes up, along with my hunger.
I guess I should give a proper greeting to start things off.
"Lord of Sloth. It's a pleasure to meet you... No, it's been a while. My name is Zebul Glaucus... a Demon Lord that governs Gluttony."
"I see."
On my self-introduction, Leigie answered with just as little interest as before. What's more, just two words.
But I can't be fooled by his appearance or actions.
Leigie's Zone is definitely stronger than mine.
He's just lazy, and by no means is he weak. Even after he's clearly showing a ridiculous amount of magic, for some reason, my appetite isn't welling up. In a sense, I think Gluttony has a bad affinity with him.
"Leigie-sama! You finally came all the way here, so go fight already!"
"... But that one's.... strong..."
On Wrath-kun's words, Leigie directed a reluctant face that stemmed from the very depths of his heart.
Wrath-kun's expression is dyed with anger, and despair. Her burning hot magic is like a perfume that tickles my nostrils. It's a really tasty scent.
Fufufufufufu, AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, could it be that even when he's taking meon, he thinks he can easily destroy me?
"I think you're underestimating me too much, Leigie."
"Yeah... Curry isn't enough for this..."
Along with some incomprehensibly idiotic lines, the battle started without warning.
As a test, I sent my young arms to attack him from all direction. I saved a single one of them and sent it at Wrath-kun.
Even though he's complaining, Leigie probably hasn't let his guard down. Wrath-kun back steps to avoid the tentacle, before emitting flame from the palm of her hand.
The Tentacle drinks up the flame, but it's unable to contain it all. The tip is slightly burned. That's quite a powerful bearer of Ira.
But that was quite a splendid taste... I vomited.
"Uoo, GUEEEEEEEEH!"
I kneel, call back my tentacles, and press both of my arms to the ground.
It felt as if, dreadful vigor, my stomach was dumping all of its contents left and right.
My head is shaken up greatly, as it's filled with an acrid stench. The convulsions of my body won't stop. While it felt like that, nothing actually left my mouth, though.
Having felt strong agony for once in a long time, tears filled my eyes.
W-what is this!?
With vision made hazy be tears, I look over.
What sort of disgrace am I showing in battle? But on the enemy side, none of them seem to know what's going on either. After I had suddenly tried spitting something up, they merely looked at me with suspicious eyes. They're not even launching any attacks.
In a blurring world, I looked at the one who, contrary to the swift Wrath-kun, hadn't moved a muscle. He also had tears oozing out as he spoke.
"... It hurts."
Looking closely, in all the places the tentacles should have impaled, his clothing was torn. From the skin I can see in the gaps, a small amount of blood drips.
So this is the extremes of 『Acedia』, said to excel in endurance.
The King of Sloth... how hard...
An overwhelming VIT incomparable to the General Class Sloth I defeated long ago. Even for the arms that could easily devour Demon Blades, they aren't nearly strong enough.
Gufu... fufufu, i-interesting, isn't it...!!
I wipe away my tears, and use the Evil Eyes. Excluding Leigie, the rest of the Demons are bound. As I might add, Leigie isn't moving either, but that's of his own free will.
I somehow contain the nauseous feeling, but the instant I tried to use a skill, I noticed a terrifyingly bitter scent piercing my nose. Of the Sloth Demons I fought in the past, the impact far surpassed all. It was a heinous scent that I couldn't believe originated in this world.
I had been so concentrated on the violent nausea, and I hadn't noticed it at all...
When I check my Magic, I see a small portion of it has restored.
It's too much to have just been from eating Wrath-kun's flames back there.
I'm in despair. Is there no god in this world!?
My trauma was overwritten here and now.
I glare at Leigie. I wiped my mouth with my sleeve, and offered a complaint.
"... You, you taste atrocious... I can't even believe this taste comes from this world."
"... It hurts."
With sluggish motions, Leigie rubbed the torn spots. The blood has already vanished. And wait, even if he was bleeding, that wasn't a level where he actually took any damage from it!!
Wrath-kun is looking at Leigie with despair in her eyes, but I should be the one despairing.
This is bad. Just what is that flavor...
The General Class Sloth doesn't reach his footholds, it's a flavor that blasphamizes against, and desecrates the very concept of food.
It really is out of this world. Just what divine providence gave birth to something like that? Up until now, I thought that any and every item in this vast world was edible, but I must take that back with all due haste. It's a taste that even changes my outlook on life.
It's far surpassed what can be endured. I don't ever want to taste it again
... Which means I'll be unable to absorb power from Leigie.
If I tried to bear it, and suck it up, I would probably curl up and die before I could do anything to him.
Hahaha, what meaning is there in a Gula that cannot eat!!
All in all, what an annoying attribute.
With eyes blurred by tears, Leigie spoke up all of a sudden.
"I give up."
"Hah? Why?"
"I hate pain."
"Haaaaaaaaaaah?"
J-just how did this one become a Demon Lord... no, how did he survive for this long?
In a sense, his words were more impactful than the taste, and my mind went blank for a moment.
The moment I came to it, I noticed Leigie had fired off a strange power, a Skill. It was nullified by one of my passives, my Mental Pollution Resistance. Leigie's expression hopelessly screams out, 'this is a pain' as he clicks his tongue.
My hunger becomes bloodlust, and stirs up wind as it sweeps over the desert.
... Fu. Fu. Fu. You sure are looking down on me. To launch a surprise attack when I was negligent, that's a disgrace to all Demons...
So be it. Kanon can go to hell for all I care. I'll put my best effort into killing you. In this world, there shouldn't exist anything that can't be eaten.
A majority of Gula Skills focus on eating the enemy.
If you exclude them, my usable skills are quite limited.
I clench my hand with plenty of power, and wish for fang. Fangs to gnaw and reduce everything to its base.
Leigie, with movements slower than the laziest of people, with an expression harder to read than the slothiest of sloths, searched through his pocket, before his arm lost power, and his hand fell to the ground.
"... I forgot my piece... do you happen to have one? It can be Chess or anything..."
"Hah? Chess? T-there's no way I have something like that!"
Wrath-kun has an irritated expression as she rebukes him.
Any and everything they're doing. I can only see it as them making light of me.
Ah, it's no good.
Fine, I'll destroy you.
I'll show you the limits of Gluttony.
Don't think Gula is nothing but eating.
I consume an amount of magic much greater than when I summoned the young arms, and my hunger has become almost unbearable.
So much that it feels like my stomach will gain its own will, and start to eat me.
And I used that skill for the first time in ten thousand years.
『Fang of Origin』
Completely ignoring the enemy's attribute to eat any and everything, a Gula Skill that manifests the fangs of a Demon God.
It's not like it changes my flesh, and it's not like it summons something for me to manipulate. Pure equipment, it calls forth a sword. One of the skills known as Phantasm Armaments.
The blade of darkness, born of the origin of Gluttony came into being with my fingers wrapped wround it.
A longsword with the hilt and blade and all else colored black. Its height a meter and a half.
But the reach doesn't matter. This is my fang, and at the same time, an existence representing the insatiable hunger of the world.
I discard the blade I had used when fighting that Greed-kun. With both hands, I take a stance with the long sword. I absorb back all the tentacles.
Foolish Sloth that fails to make a single move, I glare at the Sloth who fails to feed my appetite.
"... Fu... fufu... then let's start the battle between Demon Lords."
"... Haa..."
Leigie lets out a sigh.
Damn you... making fun of me!
I take a step forward. Using the physical strength of a Demon Lord, I explosively propel myself, and instantly closed the distance...
My body stiffens all at once. Within my head, a Mental Pollution Recovery Spell activates automatically, and the stiffness is dispelled, but in that time, everything became so slow.
I feel heavy. Unable to bear the large burden that had suddenly been placed on top of me, I fell to my knees.
Pressure? No, this is definitely something different. My weight has physically increased.
I can't continue while gripping the sword.
From the time he had appeared, Leigie had barely moved half a step, but he directed dispirited eyes at me as I fell to the ground.
"You... what did you do..."
"... Haa..."
Leigie sighs once more.
No, I get it. I've been hit with a Sloth Skill before.
Sloth should have some skills that obstruct an enemy's movements.
But... a skill great enough to bind me? That can't be!
"Gu... wai, Leigie-sama..."
"Fu... ya..."
"Gugu... B-boss!?"
The other three raise their own cries.
I somehow turn my unmoving head, and see that, for some reason, Leigie's army was on the ground as well.
This one... he calmly drags in his own army.
No, that's wrong.
In a moment' judgement, I extend my tentacles, and use them to support up my body.
And finally up, I looked down at the Lord of Sloth. In his eyes, forget bloodlust, there isn't even any fighting spirit.
This is... not just any obstruction skill. He's raising gravity.
I comprehend. I'm experiencing it first-hand. Leigie of Sloth. There's probably a matter of affinity, but this one's power... he's surpassed mine.
With my shaking hand, I lift the sword, and point it at him.
Just how many kilos, how many tons has it been increased by? Why is it that when there's a weight where even I cannot move, his own army isn't crushed to death?
I'm going to lose to a Lord that doesn't even have the will to fight?
"... Fu fu fu. It's been a while... since someone last got me to kneel."
"I see."
Leigie offers his fifty cents.
At the same time, I experienced a sudden impact from the side.
What? What's happening now?
Since he didn't have any fighting or killing intent, my reaction was delayed.
A power great enough to rattle my entire body. My form, which was barely being supported by the tentacles, was easily blown off.
My field of vision shakes. But the dizziness soon disappears from a Demon Lord Level status abnormality resistance.
There wasn't the slightest sign of a presence by me. Leigie didn't move a single step either.
I dug the sword into the ground, which was moving by me at an incredible speed. I extend more than a hundred tentacles, and dig them in as well.
I feel myself scraping at the ground. The friction heats up the tips of the tentacles, and smoke begins to rise from the earth.
It was a physical attack. I didn't receive much damage. But I cannot understand what had happened.
A failure to comprehend is one of the scariest things that can befall you on a battlefield.
Perhaps because we were now separated by a few hundred meters, the weight on my body disappeared.
I have a chance!
Demons are by no means omnipotent.
Sloth is a Skill Tree that excels in endurance. If you look at it from the other side, they don't boast particularly high offensive power.
Even when taking me by surprise, he didn't manage to give me any significant damage.
It's not sating my hunger, but other emotions start coming up.
Interesting. How many millennia has it been since I fought an opponent of equal level to me?
My hundred tentacles dig into the ground behind me.
I hold the sword in a low stance, and concentrate magic on my feet to enhance them.
Gravity too great to stand? Then I'll take you out in a single stroke before it affects me.
Leigie is definitely hard, but if I split him in two, he won't be able to use a Skill.
When I took a step forwards, alarms went off in my head.
The foreboding signal affected the entirety of my trained instincts as a warrior. I hurriedly jumped to the side, before a thunderous sound came from the place I had been, and a large dent appeared in the ground.
I can't see. I can't see it, but... something's there.
Frightening speed, and weight.
I comprehend. This is what sent me flying before.
I detect it coming at me from the side with the flow of the air, and jump to avoid it. The weakness that you can't move in the air doesn't exist for me, when I have countless tentacles to propel myself. I suddenly changed course, and extended the tentacles to hit down whatever it was.
The tentacles dig into something invisible, and I started vomiting in midair.
My movements stop completely. In my direction, it comes down.
"Guoee... gu... wai... unfai..."
Not a small blow like before, as if the sky itself was coming down, an impact mercilessly crushed my body.
My skull makes some creaking sounds, and the hand I had reached upwards by instinct is making ominous cracking sounds as it bends in the wrong direction.
It's not at a level where I can ignore the impact like before, I'm pressed into the ground so hard it feels my soul will go out.
But right now, the pain doesn't matter. This bitterness is terrifying. While crawling on the ground, I let out tears as I vomit, but that thing continues to come down on me relentlessly.
Its scope is even wider than before.
Wave of Starvation?
Fleeting Requiem?
Don't be stupid... if I used something like that, I would end up eating it. I'd be forced to absorb it.
That taste that comes from something beyond this world.
Past the Demon World, a place even lower. The greatest depths of hell, a place where nothing can escape, in hades where all unthinkable things gather, where the tainted mud of despair builds up, this taste is that of a being a Demon cannot fathom as another Demon...
The impact comes down a second and third time without rest, beating down on my body, and hitting me into the ground. My consciousness leaves me for a moment. My vision shakes, and my Status Abnormality Resistances are working on overtime. If I didn't have them, I would have been immobilized by the dizzy feeling long ago.
Damn, with that absent-minded expression, he shows no mercy.
Each one of the skills he's using falls short of the one-hit-kill ones Demon Lords usually boast, but that just makes it all the more annoying. As if he's playing with me, the impact that's identity I have yet to know continues to assail my body, and the taste is the same as Leigie, making It my greatest enemy of all time. That much is true.
The Leigie in question hasn't changed his location at all.
He's making fun of me.
I anticipate the moment it's going to strike next, pierce my tentacles into the ground, and forcefully throw myself sideways. It's not strong. Its damage definitely isn't that high, but taking that on again and again is bad.
I forcefully set my broken arm. Using up my stored up nutrients, I'm able to fully recover it.
But without relishing in that, I kicked the ground.
The impact hit the place I was just before.
Let's think.
What is... this Skill?
A homing attack Skill? Wind? Unattributed Energy?
Each and every one of a Demon's Skills have meaning. Naturally, they change based on a Demon's cravings.
Just as Gluttony is specialized in eating others, Sloth should have some specializations.
What is it?
Making other people fellow Sloths? Wrong. No, maybe it's not too far off, but that isn't its basic nature.
Far in that direction, I see Leigie lazily lowering his hand onto the ground.
That's it!
A Skill to... transmit attacks across distance.
Meaning an 『Acedia』 skill to repel foreign enemies without moving.
I dodge the wide-range attack that came on me from above. In the ground, was a large hand print, five meters from one end to the next.
What a stupid skill. But it's a fact that I was made a sport of by that worthless skill.
I keep my eyes concentrated on Leigie's hand movements, and I rush forward. The second it starts to come down, I take a large leap to the side.
I try to capture the lowered fist with my sword. The invisible hand is easily ripped through, but it doesn't seem that Leigie took any damage from it. Even if I damage these hands, he doesn't get any feedback... It doesn't have the power to finish me off, but it doesn't have any obvious demerits either. Just the fact that he can't use his arms for other things, I guess. What a useful Skill.
I handle the attack aimed at me horizontally with the sword. Invisible fingers... With just that, magic surpassing that of a General's disperses and floats through the air. It truly is a pity I cannot eat it.
... No, is this the time to think about whether it's edible or not?
I have to attain victory against Kanon-sama no matter what. I have a need to triumph, and confirm her taste. For the sake of my departed men as well.
For that sake, the explosive magic Leigie has will be a great weapon.
I'm sure of it. If you only compare magic, he's far above me.
Damn, how long has this bastard been alive?
But if I keep eating him, I'll definitely die. I'll break down from the terrible flavor, and die. As a Demon Lord of Gluttony, that is quite regrettable.
But... but if it's just once more...!
Right. Resolve myself. That is the way to victory.
Terrible? So what?
The remnants of the violent acridity in my nose is still trampling over my sanity.
Good or bad, that doesn't matter.
Make my resolve, and look at the enemy.
For my sake and mine alone. For my power and mine alone. Leigie, I'll...
"... Eat you."
"... Please give me a break already."
There are no breaks on the...
The moment I got irritated by his mocking voice, my body was sent flying sideways.
His attacks really lack any form of motivation.
Just as I eat, as Wrath rages, and Greed seeks, Leigie simply lazes around without meaning.
That really doesn't excite my appetite at all, but what admirable consistency.
The Lord of Sloth... I see, I have a slight grasp of it.
Diverse skills that can toss around even a Demon Lord like me.
This is one who dived into the abyss of Acedia, and learned it to its origins?
... So be it. In return I'll show you. The result of my supreme pursuit of Gula, the power I've obtained.
I use the Evil Eyes. I direct it at Leigie's attack, and easily stop it.
I use my Wave of Starvation to absorb the flames of Wrath that came from the one trying to ambush me from behind. I'm not so weak as to fall from a surprise attack of one who isn't even a Demon Lord.
The first edible magic in a while wipes away the remains of the bitterness within my body.
I don't care about the damage. Wrath-kun and Lust-kun and Greed-kun don't matter to me at the moment.
I concentrate my mind.
I bring up my left arm, and pray. To the god of hungry souls.
Wind pressure assails me from left and right. With a groaning sound, my ribs break. My brain understands that I'm being crushed between that man's hands.
I don't let go of the sword gripped in my right hand. That's my trump card. My arm breaks. I don't let go. My innate healing works. My body returns to normal. Every time it recovers, it's broken once more.
Leigie closes his hand. From all around my body, I feel an immense weight. My bones are being broken as if they were toothpicks. My body raises a scream at the sense of pain I haven't felt in a long time.
I can't use any defensive skills. They'll end up eating Leigie.
In the heat encroaching my body, and the surges of pain, I took a deep breath, and prepared myself.
I fill my fangs with killing intent. I use all my might to activate that skill.
『Eater's Plate』
With a roaring sound, the ground tears, the desert rends. Against the immense magic, of which a normal person of the human race wouldn't hold up just be being in its presence, the heavens rumble, and space distorts.
In hot haste, Lust-kun and Greed-kun flee. The Demon Lord sat through the maelstrom peacefully. No, he's lying down.
What I called forth was Eaters Plate.
A large space a few hundred meters across. Without fangs, or tongue, endless hunger. A space specialized to do nothing but sate an unbearable starvation. If you looked from the sky, you would probably see a large semi-circular fissure in the earth.
And I was taken aback.
Into the hole that suddenly opened in the ground, the one I set as the target, Leigie, calmly fell. He yawned with a sleepy expression.
Sloth has a bad affinity with Wrath, Gluttony and Pride. Demons with a high attack power. The reason for this being they generally don't move around. There's no way an immobile Demon is a good enemy. You can leisurely prepare your skills, and as long as they don't get to be considerably strong, they're fated to be hunted down.
But even so, this conclusion is outside of my expectations.
Eh? What? Is that how it is?
For what reason did I fight so hard up until this point?
I was planning to rip him to shreds with the sword once he jumped out of the way to dodge, but...
I turn my eyes to the black longsword in my hand. Phantom Armaments don't have a set reach. By my will, I can freely extend it up to a point. When I got a chance, it was to be my supreme trump card.
The giant mouth closes.
I relax the power wrapped around my body, and release myself.
With my right hand, I scratch my face.
"... That was a bit anti-climactic."
"... I see."
I heard something I shouldn't have from behind me.
I hurriedly turn around, and point my sword. An uninjured Leigie was sloppily sprawled out.
Even after taking my back, he shows no signs of trying to accomplish anything.
Wai...
I instinctively swing the blade. I don't even have to extent it, he's quite close. With a posture like that, this isn't something that he can dodge. But the moment before he was split in two, Leigie's image disappeared.
Shivers run down my spine.
So this is how he escaped the Eater's Plate!?
... Teleportation!? IS that even possible? No, the moment he had suddenly appeared like that, I should have theorized it.
It's my complete mistake.
Evasion and Sloth were too far apart for me to ever think they would go together.
And wait, this is too unfair.
This can't be. This can't be. This can't be. This can't be!
Between Rank Three and Five, there's this much of a difference!?
Did Kanon-sama put this much thought into it when she sent Leigie against me!?
I position the sword behind me to shake off the attack he threw at me.
Behind, the transferred Leigie's arm grazed the blade. Blood poured forth like a water fountain. Due to the smell that came from it, I retreated several steps.
Leigie is crying. Probably from the pain. But by that time, the blood had already stopped, and he had regenerated as if nothing had happened. What amazing regenerative powers. He's devoted himself to a stubborn nature. And on top of that, he's ridiculously weak to pain.
When I tried to go at him again, my body froze once more.
I was seized by his gravity again. I notice. The moment my body freezes beforehand... it's his Evil Eyes.
Leigie is binding me with his Demon Eyes. The Skill that's supposed to only work on lesser beings.
That made the gap in power all too clear.
"Ah, haha, hahaha... Lei... gie. Just how many years... have you lived?"
"... Probably about a hundred."
Like hell!
I have, with you, memories that spam over ten thousand years!!
He's... definitely forgotten it.
Hahahahaha, just fighting him is starting to feel stupid.
Even my hunger that I know will never fully be sated no matter how much I eat is starting to not matter.
Without saying anything, Leigie closed his eyes half-way.
I tried to think of a reason this Demon Lord had obtained such peerless power.
Unlike Kanon-sama, who had advanced to being a Demon Lord in under ten thousand years with skill and determination, Leigie the Sloth merely amassed power naturally after living an eternal amount of time, and eventually grew to be a Demon Lord.
Without anything that could be called ambition, and no goal in sight. The king of idleness.
The desires of others are of no importance, and he'll probably forget his fight with me soon enough. How envious I am of him.
Before I noticed it, Leigie's hand was clenched so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.
My body was being squeezed from all directions. I feel something snapping inside of me, but there's no pain anymore. I don't even have the motivation to resist. There's no means. I have no appetite.
The result of me living close to a hundred thousand years, my 『Fang of Origin』 turns to sand in my hand, and disappears.
In front of my eyes, there was Sloth. He opens his eyes lightly. His eyes that did nothing but scream that it was all a pain.
"...Fu... fufu. Bye... bye, Acedia. It was fun."
"... I see."
If possible, I would ask him to go beat Kanon-sama in my place, but I doubt he would ever do something so troublesome.
In the opening on the top of his clenched hand, he painstakingly applied pressure with his other index finger.
As my head was forcefully crushed under the power, I thought to myself...
Thanks for the meal.
| ← Ch. 19 | Ch. 21 → |