chapter 8
8. [Next]
One minute after the arena commenced.
Folding the twelve shining wings behind her, Micaela, who had entered alone, had to frown and step aside as an unexpected figure lunged at her from behind.
Then, as if not expecting it, a woman who had fallen on the floor with a thump! protruded her tongue and complained.
“Ouch…! It’s too much, Ella! You don’t even hug me anymore…!”
“Did I not explicitly advise you, Gabriel, to refrain from excessive contact.”
“But our Ella, your wings… they’re so fluffy…!”
Turning away won’t do anything, this time Gabriel came closer, firmly grabbed and playfully slapped her cheek.
Unusually attached to her own wings, comrade and fanatic worshiper, it was Gabriel.
“Wings are big, chest is big and pretty~ And this pelvis too…!”
With a sly smile and an impure gaze spreading all over her body, Micaela’s forehead slightly furrowed.
Inevitably, sighing deeply, Gabriel reversed his wings and once again, with a metallic flapping sound, pressed his face against the ground.
“Ugh.”
Gabriel, as if completely unexpected, was rubbing his crushed nose against the floor.
Ignoring such Gabriel, Michael flicked her fingers, bringing up the arena screen.
Not the typical screen broadcasted externally, but the view from a point only the All-Arena Management Bureau could handle.
Among them, Michael’s focus was on only one place.
Juda, was it?
“The sun will rise from the west. Did Ella Jean watch the entire arena?”
Normally, Michael, who casually dismissed the arena as meaningless actions to fill the gods’ leisurely lives, was now different.
“…I have something I want to check.”
“Huh… What’s that? A man~ Is it a man?”
Gabriel, who pressed his face next to Michael, looked at her with a meaningful gaze.
“Our Ella Jean has finally… opened his eyes…? But it’s not allowed! If I want to take Ella Jean away, being the one Gabriel guards, I must defeat you first! I will never give in! Kek!”
Having given a nonsense speech to Gabriel’s head, Michael stared intently at Juda displayed on her screen.
She had thought he was just an ordinary human.
Entering the arena for the first time, he was one of the common humans unable to control his strength and rampaging.
That’s why she gave him a fairly strong penalty.
She told him to be careful in the future, but…
“Gabriel, my omnipotence didn’t work on this human.”
“What?”
“Nothing but the name is visible. What they’re thinking, what their abilities are… their origins, and everything else about the subject.”
The story of a human who avoids the gaze of Michaela, a significant figure in the Exorcism Management Bureau, may sound like nonsense, but…
“…Really?”
“Yes. Really.”
Gabriel couldn’t easily dismiss those words.
If Michaela had been joking, the Bureau wouldn’t have become so rigid.
“Trying to see beyond the name creates visual noise. If I had forced my way in, there would have been nothing I couldn’t see, but honestly…”
Michaela hesitated for a moment on whether to speak those words aloud, then swallowed them.
[Because she was afraid.]
It was like seeing a Pandora’s box that should never be touched or opened. It felt like if she opened it, there would be an irreversible sensation, so she just held back and accepted the penalty.
“…No, it’s nothing.”
“Hmm… then, should I take a look into the future for once?”
Gabriel, responsible for prophecies and revelations, thought it might work, but…
“What’s wrong with this kid?”
As Gabriel frowned, he tried to use his abilities, but…
“Wow, really. I can’t see a thing. In cases like this, it’s usually a deceased person or maybe I…”
“It was an uncontrollable divine being behind this.”
“But the divine being this kid made a contract with is nothing special, right?”
When they checked the registration information, the result was the Goddess of Justice, Dike Astraea.
The contract date was just the day before, in a situation where even the health department couldn’t provide proper support for the possessed power.
On top of that, an enormous debt to the Dimension Credit Safe.
[Yes! Yes! Well done, well done, our Dahee! Stay strong, stay strong! Let’s go for 50th place!]
“….”
Looking at the hologram in front of me, cheering loudly, it was clear that Dike’s involvement was highly unlikely.
“Is the possessed ability just outstanding? Is it in the blocking category? Even though SSR looks just too easy, it’s definitely strange in that direction… Should I take separate measures?”
Gabriel, with a serious expression, was contemplating with his chin in his hands. But… Micaela sighed and waved her hand, bringing down the screen.
“Excessive interference with the personnel in the arena goes against our principles.”
“Principles, principles, principles, when will that word be fixed-“
But Gabriel, as if he didn’t mind Micaela’s attitude, sat next to her, leaning on her shoulder.
“Then shall we just watch without interfering~”
“Again, excessive interference-“
“Sure sure~ Just watch, we’ll just watch~”
Smiling, Gabriel, while lightly tapping Micaela’s back, still had his gaze on Yudahee’s individual screen.
*****
At the same time, one guy’s head turned into something like Adikia, and the sound of grasshoppers in the forest ceased.
Even though there was no wind, the bushes rustled, tree branches broke or moved, and other abnormalities began to be visibly apparent.
Did the participants start moving in earnest?
…Or are they snipers aiming for themselves?
Since staying in one place was of no benefit, Yudahee farmed her dagger and immediately set out.
The sensation of something firmly coiling around the hand, at its end, there seemed to be some venom applied.
While running across the forest, the gazes from behind fiercely pierced the back of the head.
“Hmm…”
Considering the sound and direction, about five people.
But it seemed they hadn’t completely united, keeping a certain distance while moving.
“Three, one, one.”
That was somewhat fortunate; it would be troublesome if they all rushed at once.
Yoo Da-hee stopped fleeing, reversing the dagger in her hand and leaped backward.
Towards one who was particularly isolated.
Then, instead of attacking the person coming from behind with the dagger, she threw it as if passing it over.
Along with a shout commanding everyone to listen.
“Enough! She’s alone! Let’s deal with her quickly!”
Eyes focused on the one who unexpectedly received the dagger, caution surged.
“Is it a trap!”
The first one to rush forward, shocked, turned his gaze and body to the back, and that choice led to the worst outcome.
Taking advantage of the blind spot created by the turning loner, Yoo Da-hee easily approached.
“You lying bastard.”
The axe mercilessly struck the side.
“Ku, kuh-“
Despite being clad in leather armor, Parašu effortlessly pierced through it, seemingly unconcerned about such things.
The strike that deeply reached the thorax took away the right to breathe, crumbling the body of one person.
The lad who had taken the dagger was also taken aback by the sudden situation.
“What the…”
As he attempted to dodge the corpse flying at him belatedly, he found himself immobilized as the heavy body grabbed his ankle, losing mobility and freezing in place. It was only natural that something would happen after losing mobility.
An axe unexpectedly flew from the square, heading straight for his head.
“S-Shield!”
He barely managed to cast a spell to block the axe, but…
“I’ll take this back.”
With a flash in his eyes, his chest burned.
Suddenly, the dagger snatched away was deeply embedded in Yoo Da-hee’s chest.
“Da-damn…!”
As the dagger pierced his heart, the venom on it spread deeply through his body, turning his skin red and causing him to pass out.
The venom was so effective, almost like a curse. If it had brushed against him at the beginning of the match, it would have been troublesome~ Yoo Da-hee thought.
The two bodies that appeared in an instant and the figure of Yoo Da-hee standing over them left the three latecomers speechless.
What on earth was happening?
It was a catastrophe that occurred in less than 5 seconds.
“Next.”
Yoo Da-hee’s words echoed coldly.
*****
“Niceee!!! Well done, our Yoo Da-heee!”
Dikey clenched his fist, bursting into admiration.
“Kkuuuhhh, Ju-moooo! Bring me another axe here!”
In an instant, Yoo Da-hee’s handling of the two guys made a deep impression on Dikey, surpassing even his previous contract partner, Malcolm, in overwhelming strength.
It was a sizzling start, regrettable enough to make his persistence with the Johnber Meta, trying to earn points somehow, seem foolish.
His manner of counting the approaching pursuers, as if snubbing the uselessness of sniping, was truly sensational.
Achieving a quick triple kill, he soared to the forefront.
Everyone in the arena buzzed as Yoo Da-hee’s footage replayed on the largest scoreboard.
“Did that guy really exist?”
“Looking at the record… first appearance…? What’s going on from the beginning?”
“Considering the sniper focus, is there a huge bounty on him?”
Even in the U.R.F mode, it was extremely rare for kills to explode so early. It was standard to retrieve scattered equipment, rapidly strengthen, and overpower opponents with growth devices.
In a typical match, combat usually didn’t intensify until at least 5 minutes had passed, making this an exceptional situation.
The grand battle unfolding with powerful magic had its own charm, but the early-ground warfare also had its unique appeal. The divine beings, too, seemed satisfied, gazing at the screen with equally intriguing eyes.
[Next]
Without even considering wiping off the blood splattered on his forehead, Yoo Da-hee spoke towards the three contractees in front of him, leaving the goddesses of the arena in awe.
“Kyaaah~!”
Oh my, oh my, what do I do? Is it just me trembling in excitement right now?
As Dikey watched the goddesses making a fuss, an overwhelming sense of superiority emanated from his chest!
“Hmm.”
So this is my contractor… Yoo Dahee!
His eyes were not mistaken. Ah, Yoo Dahee was the SSR-level contractor who would save him… no, the SSSSSR-level contractor!
“Next!”
Dike exclaimed with a wide smile.