On a Godless Planet:Volume3B Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Undead Line

–Need any help?

●

Victorious Empress’s high-speed senses weren’t enough for Athena to predict its appearance.

“Huh!?”

She definitely thought this was absurd. After all, all of the enemy’s actions had been measured by the OS and she had responded to it all based on her past experience.

She had done everything she needed to and she still hadn’t let her guard down.

So why was there an enemy in the location where she had supposedly eliminated the enemy?

She thought she had eliminated them all, so she hadn’t been ready for this. She could rework her actions now, but even if her high-speed senses gave her sufficient reaction speed, the actual actions would be too much.

“––––”

The enemy was already swinging down its right arm. So her best option was to pull back her left arm which had just swung Prota – Phloga Basileus and use the elbow to block.

She would be blocking, but the attack would still hit the god of war, sending an impact through its entire frame. Repeat that often enough and it would have an influence later. But…

…Not blocking this unknown would be the greater risk.

This enemy had suddenly appeared. Almost as if…

“It teleported?”

Had the pilgrim sea learned that technique as a countermeasure for her?

But the answer came from elsewhere.

“It’s manga!!”

Those words were accompanied by a counterattack.

Seito leaped onto her shoulder and attacked the unexpected giant.

“I’ve read the manga Funto owns! Enemies are constantly appearing in places where there wasn’t an enemy before!”

Constantly!?

●

“Yeah, that happens a lot. And they’ll say ‘I’m over here’.”

“Yeah, it happens all the time. While saying ‘over here’.”

“But it seems wrong for a grunt enemy to do it.”

“Yes, I need to get after Souko-san for that when I see her.”

“How about you get after her before she makes a mess like this!?”

●

Athena saw Seito’s counterattack. But…

…This is bad!

She felt something that sealed away her high-speed senses. She had dealt with opponents who used teleportation Auth Spells during the Gigantomachy, but this enemy had done it in the middle of a crowd.

Yes. And now that she thought about it…

…Where does the pilgrim sea come from and how do they appear?

She had thought of them as “welling up” from the ground, but she had never confirmed that idea.

If the enemy was a creator god, could they be indicating points for the pilgrim sea to appear in order to obstruct the other gods’ approach? Furthermore…

“If she used the ‘sudden appearance of a powerful foe’ presentation just so she wouldn’t have to draw them welling up from the ground, I do have to praise her creativity.”

But if that was true, then Athena wasn’t the one in trouble.

“Seito!”

She had moved out ahead to support Athena.

●

Seito sensed a sudden silhouette.

After kicking and shattering the giant attempting to attack Athena, she landed.

And just as she was about to hurry back…

“Eh?”

A silhouette stood between her and Athena.

Two, even.

One of them Athena could defeat since she was behind it. But the other was aiming for Seito in her landing pose.

“…!”

Just as the thought “oh, no” entered her mind, she heard a voice from far to the right.

It was speaking to the giant.

“Over here, you stupid giant! Hey! Over here!!”

●

It was Funto. He was clapping his hands and running. Running forward.

He likely intended to draw the enemy’s attention. The giant was indeed facing his way and falling for the diversion, but…

“Funto, you idiot!”

“I know!”

He currently had no power. He had lost it for a certain reason. But…

“That’s why this is my job!”

He was acting as the decoy.

●

We still can’t contact Team Two on Tokyo Bay, thought Raidou as he looked toward the bay from Tokyo Station’s roof.

“It’s sunny there.”

“Does that mean they have been taken into something like a spell field?”

“So if we went to help, we’d just get dragged in too?”

“They should be fine since they have Posei-chan with them.”

“But what’s all that about the husband guard god having lost his power?”

“Oh, that,” said Raidou.

“I don’t know the details myself, but I can make some good guesses.”

“He’s a god of the people, right? Then he’s probably run afoul of the activation condition for his authority.”

Eshita stared down at a box of Potalong and…

“Open it!!”

You can’t even open that on your own?

●

“You grab it here and then go like this. Do you get it?”

“…”

“Eh!? What the hell!? That’s all you do!? I was trying to tear off the side!”

“Stop being a wild animal and read the printed instructions.”

“Wow! I’m being lectured by a former wild man! How cute can I get!?”

Kidou immediately struck Eshita on the head, making a nice sound.

●

“So anyway. Eshita-chan? What do you think happened?”

“It happens a lot with people’s gods. They control festivals and enter people’s houses to protect them, so there’s one troublesome condition for their existence, or at least for their authority.”

What was that?

“ ‘This god is a friend of humanity.’

“Do you see what that means?” asked Eshita.

“This isn’t an issue for your independent and super major gods. It isn’t for me either since I’m so cute humanity will stick with me even if I ignore them.”

“Yeah, cause who knows what trouble you’ll get into if they don’t keep an eye on you.”

“But in that case, how did those guard gods come to this divine world from their virtual manifestations?”

“Oh,” replied Shifu.

“TJ said that, if anything, Seito-chan dragged Beisu-chan here.”

“Because with Sumeragi here, there’s a chance Beisu can get his authority back. Seito is the female version of Beisu, so she’s a lot like a duplicate of him as he is when he has his power and thus doesn’t have the same conditions as him. That allows her to use her power like normal. But if Beisu wants to use his authority like we do and to increase or preserve his base abilities, he probably needs to be friends with Sumeragi.”

“Then why did he recently lose his power?”

“Because of summer break. During the first term, they would have met each other at school and become friends even if Sumeragi-chan rolled back, but Sumeragi-chan kept rolling back during summer break when they aren’t meeting each other. That must have erased Beisu-chan and the others from Sumeragi-chan’s memories.”

“Come to think of it, we would hang out at the arcade together during the first term.”

“Tooruuu.”

“Hmmm, sorry. If I’d been certain, I would have invited Sumeragi to the arcade or called them both over to our place to show them the 68 even during the break.”

“Well, you can start doing that from now on.”

“Yes. An apology leading into an explanation. Well done.”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“But,” said a voice.

“Couldn’t the guard god just say that? I can do anything, so I could have helped out those of you who can’t do everything but can still do a lot. Just come to me and ask for help making friends with the human. Why wouldn’t he do that?”

●

Kidou saw the thunder god and her own partner exchange a glance.

…Yeah, I used to be a guy, so I kind of get it.

And the thunder god held a hand to his forehead.

“I’m only asking because I already know the answer, but…Bilgamesh, could you say that?”

“Politically, I could. And if it really was the truth, then I think I could say it. But if we weren’t already, I don’t think I could ask to make us friends for my own convenience.”

“Yeah,” said the thunder god. And he turned toward Eshtar.

“See, it might work as a joke, but people like us can’t just ask ‘we’re friends, aren’t we?’ It’s against our personalities.”

“In fact, saying it could mean it isn’t true. Asking for confirmation is the same as saying you doubt your friendship and need to find out.”

“I’d rather not get into this…but wow, that sounds annoying.”

Shifu waved at the thunder god.

“Tooru, do you love me?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“That’s what I thought,” said Shifu and then turned Kidou’s way.

“So it doesn’t just work like that!?”

“Wait! But we say stuff like that all the time! Don’t we, Enkidu!? We’re friends, aren’t we!?”

“Huh?”

“Hee hee! Right!? You didn’t say no, so that’s a yes! It’s so funny how you make me read between the lines! …See! That’s how it works!”

“I see. So you have to put up with that.”

“I am so sorry…”

“Anyway,” said Shifu.

“Since it has to do with this authority, we do need to think of a way to get him hanging out with Sumeragi-chan.”

“This probably means the guard god refused to become his ‘friend’ for selfish and self-interested reasons.”

Kidou nodded.

“Let’s help him out. But are things on the scene alright?”

●

Things are definitely not alright! thought Beisu as he ran.

…Damn!

I look pathetic. What am I even doing?

●

I was powerless and I was worrying Seito, but when I was dragged to this divine world, I had secretly hoped my power might come back. While outwardly pretending I wasn’t doing anything so self-interested.

I was so pathetic.

…But.

I had managed to get fairly close to the human at school.

I thought it was going well.

But he was stupider than I had thought and his main god was also an idiot.

There was no self-interest there.

It made me wonder what I was doing, but…

“Why does the human get lonely so easily!?”

We had gathered at the arcade like it was a festival and, by playing an air hockey game with our leftover coins, we had made friends.

I was relieved that it had happened naturally instead of some calculated plan on my part.

…But then the date reverted.

He rolled back.

Everything had to be redone.

The human’s main god agreed to redo everything out of the goodness of her heart.

But what about me?

…That’s the question.

Would it be too calculating to wait for him at the arcade? But playing air hockey over and over would be a waste.

And so I ended up spending my time after school in the arcade.

If that was my usual routine, then it wasn’t calculated.

I was confident the human would eventually come to the arcade and I would eventually begin to regain my power.

…Because I would be friends with humanity just like I was so long ago.

I didn’t even need to say it out loud.

But summer break stood in my way. After the human rolled back, there was no set schedule and “after school” became “normal time”, ruining my plans.

So I had thought the second term would change something, but now look at me.

“Damn!”

I was running. To draw the enemy away from Seito and the others.

“Follow me!”

●

I could tell the giants were rapidly appearing all around.

I ran while clapping my hands and shouting at them.

That was all I could do. But…

“I just have to draw the enemies this way!”

Then the enemy would turn their backs on Seito and Athena. One of those flashy spear attacks was sure to clear a path all at once. Yes…

“Assuming I’m not caught in the blast!”

That required effort on my part. But first I had to run like this and act as a diversion.

“Eh?”

I noticed something as I ran.

The enemy giants weren’t pursuing me.

●

“No way…”

When I looked back, they were all there.

So many giants – twice as many as when I passed by, if not several times as many – were there.

But none of them were looking my way.

They appeared and attacked from every direction. The ones who had started to follow me must have been the ones who just so happened to be coming this way.

…They weren’t even interested in me.

I knew why. Even the enemy could tell I had no power.

A diversion needed power. I didn’t have the power to make my sphere of influence quake like Raidou and the Mesopotamians had. But…

“Funto!”

I gave a shout when I saw the god of war and Seito being swallowed up by the group of giants.

“–––––!”

●

Was that a roar of anger or of regret? Was it directed at me, or at the enemy? I couldn’t tell.

I simply faced forward.

“Damn!”

I had lost count how many times I had said that. But I only knew one thing at the moment.

The Anguipede giant was repairing its destroyed legs out in front of me.

If we could get past her, we could reach Makuhari Messe. And then…

“…!”

Then what? I didn’t know. What would happen to the story?

I didn’t know anything. I just knew we had to get TJ to Makuhari.

But TJ must have also been swallowed up by the group of enemies behind me.

Then what was I doing? Shouldn’t I have gone back before? Had I been wrong to continue on like this?

“I don’t know!”

The human wasn’t here.

I had no power as a god.

I simply stood here in an empty wasteland.

If this was all meaningless and futile…

“Then it won’t bother anyone if I do what I want to do!!”

And just as I started forward again…

“––––!!”

A horizontal strike flew my way.

●

I roared.

“…!”

Take that. You’re so big and unbeatable, but you still couldn’t ignore a powerless god like me.

All because I continued forward. So…

“Don’t fall back!”

If I did, it would all become a lie.

I came here based on self-interested calculations, but I had quit that and now wasn’t sure I could even become friends with the human again.

…Yeah.

I wasn’t going to let a story like this reject all of that.

So move forward. Don’t chicken out. Move. First your ankles. No, first your knees. No, first your shoulders. No, first your head.

“–––––!”

As I moved forward, a giant snake leg struck me.

●

It was destroyed by a hand.

Beisu looked up to see a tanned feminine arm sticking out over his head.

“Why, you’re in the way.”

Those words were all that were needed to smash that high-speed attack.

“––––!?”

The sound of its breaking was like the crashing of a great wave and the scattering ether light shards lit up his surroundings like daylight.

But something other than all that was on his mind.

“What are you doing here!?”

The question was answered by quiet laughter from Poseidon overhead.

He showed no pride in what he had done.

“Hee hee. I decided to butt in. Cause I’m nosy like that.”

●

Athena moved to strike back.

She used her high-speed senses, reactions, and automation.

…This is actually easier when I’m surrounded!!

The sudden appearances did not occur within this great concentration.

And so she and Victorious Empress’s OS managed to calculate around a dozen response patterns.

She made sure she could switch between them at any time while also keeping an eye behind her.

Far behind, in safe waters that were bathed in sunlight, Triaina Steno had been left behind without its owner. And…

“––––”

In her telescope spell, Athena saw Anne nodding repeatedly at her.

Did that mean Poseidon had left his post, but she should leave it to them? If so…

“Seito! Bear with it!”

She began a pressure attack, but then she looked down at the ground.

The guard god wife didn’t have the strength to keep up, but she was simply facing forward at the moment.

She was simply “looking” at her partner who had to be past the enemies even if he wasn’t actually visible.

She had to bear with it.

“Even if this is the first time I have tasked myself with simply enduring as a form of justice!”

●

Poseidon finally understood a number of things.

He honestly wasn’t the sharpest god. Which was why he tried to be so considerate.

But even he had found some things odd.

…Like this guard god couple.

The husband had lost his power and had a complex about it.

The wife had power, but while she tried to push her husband to act, she couldn’t commit to it.

Why was that?

“Of course I’m going to be curious about that.”

And with all his connections to other gods, he was familiar with the trouble gods of the people had to deal with.

Most people’s gods were friends of humanity, but for some reason these two appeared to be keeping their distance. However…

…Last night was different.

●

You looked so happy when you were playing that video game thing with the human in the clubroom.

●

Poseidon tossed some words to the people’s god. Who had fallen to his knees at some point.

“Well? Can you stand?”

“I can, but you…you need to go!”

“Oh? What makes you say that?”

“Because I won’t be any help!”

“You won’t? What an odd thing to say.”

“It isn’t odd at all! You know what happened. When we first met, you were trying to get into the courtyard and we couldn’t stop you at all and I got in Seito’s way!”

“What does that have to do with anything? Besides. How about you look out head?”

Poseidon pointed out front and the people’s god turned around to see what that was about.

Something was floating there.

“That’s a Revelation Board. You’re receiving a divine transmission from someone. Yes, that’s right. Because you’re the closest one to the other side.”

Meaning…

“You fought back against the story and crossed the critical point.”

●

Sumeragi could see the end of the line.

“I’m finally at the halfway point!”

The route this time passed through the front event hall that acted as an entrance to the Makuhari Messe international exhibition hall. After making a circuit of the entire place, he was already sweaty. He had consumed two of the 500mL bottles of barley tea he had brought with him. But once inside, the air conditioning helped keep him cool.

“That changes everything! …Oh?”

A Revelation Board suddenly started up. Curious, he found it was a notice that a divine transmission option had recovered. Everyone had been out of range before, but now…

“Who can I talk with? Is it Senpai or Kido-senpai?”

But no. It was Beisu. The Egyptian guard god he had gotten to know yesterday. He was a classmate, wasn’t he?

Sumeragi wasn’t certain, but he was probably here to interfere with the story.

So Sumeragi approved the divine transmission. He made a call, thinking it would be nice to talk with someone since it had been a while, and it connected right away.

Oh, he thought as an unexpected voice came from the other end.

“Hiii! It’s me.”

“Seaweed Man Lady!”

●

Incredible, thought Poseidon.

…He can tell I’m in my female form right now.

That hit him right in the heart. I can see why Echidna…no, Kido is so protective of him, he realized anew.

Then he asked a question while viewing the people’s god who had gone entirely motionless.

“Hey? Can I bring Beisu-chan there to see you?”

“Eh? Beisu? Oh, that guy from yesterday.”

Hearing that, the people’s god looked to Poseidon and shook his head vigorously.

He was saying to stop this.

But Poseidon said it anyway.

“But should I really do this? I’ve taken Kido’s side and you’re her son, so I won’t bring someone to meet you if he isn’t your friend. …So is he a friend or not?”

Below, the people’s god was staring down at the ground. As if to say it was all over.

Then came the response. In the human’s voice.

“Yeah! No problem there! He’s a friend all right. But if he’s coming here, tell him he’ll have to wait in line!”

●

Beisu heard the voices from overhead.

“Oh, he is? Hee hee. But when did you become friends? Can you tell me that?”

“Sure,” came the response.

“Last night! We played games together and had a ton of fun! Listen, Seaweed Man Lady! For gamers, getting worked up playing games together or spending time together at the arcade is all it takes!!”

●

“Then when you see the game cartridge or title, you think ‘oh, I had so much fun playing that game with them’, it’s a relief to be with them at the arcade, but even if they aren’t there, you can look at the empty seat and wonder if they’ll show up tomorrow!”

So…

“He’s a friend! Oh, but this is embarrassing, so don’t tell him. Um, what was he called again? Not the Beisu name, um…oh, right. I remember. It was BES. That’s what he uses for his high score name.”

●

“That’s weird.”

Kuwajiri relayed her memory as she listened to the exchange held via divine transmission.

“None of the games we played in the clubroom last night had that arcade-style three letter name entry.”

●

Beisu knew those three letters.

A high score name was the three letters you entered when you got a high score in a game. It only lasted the day because it would be gone once the power was shut off at closing time.

But it still let you know who had been there that day.

…Oh.

So aside from meeting him and spending time together, something he had left behind had remained in the human’s memory.

Almost like…

…Like how ruins and myths remain in the modern day.

But it was enough. The divine transmission overhead ended and Poseidon placed a hand on his head.

“You know what? You’re the only one who didn’t know.”

Really? Maybe so. He thought it sounded likely. In that case…

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. I’m just nosy is all. And because of how I look, I do have a fondness for the weak part of boys and the courageous part of girls.”

Then Poseidon’s physical form collapsed.

He turned to water.

He must have controlled the water to send a temporary form here. For that to be enough to destroy the enemy’s serpent legs showed just how ultra major a god he was. But…

“––––”

Beisu managed to look out ahead this time.

The enemy was there. A colossal adversary. But…

“Ohh!”

●

Athena sensed a sudden lightness.

“Huh?”

Oddly enough, Victorious Empress’s functions had suddenly improved.

No, that couldn’t possibly happen. Gods of war did have full mobility modes, but their functions couldn’t rise above their designs and specifications.

But hers had.

The power system’s speed, the endurance, and especially the cooling system had been boosted.

“What is this?

Then she noticed it.

A lion.

On her right shoulder. The miniature lion was small but made of golden light and it rode her shoulder as if clinging to it.

“That is a divine protection. From the people’s god.”

●

TJ moved out ahead.

Glowing lions were appearing all over. They surrounded Athena’s god of war, they covered and surrounded the giants, and one was riding on her head. Most of them were fighting.

“–––––!”

“…!!”

The lions on the giants roared and, while a few were crushed, they bit down.

This caused the giants to shrink, thin out, or shatter.

“–––––!”

More came. But the lions persistently continued forward. And…

“Seito-san, you take care of this.”

Seito was similarly wrapped in light.

“Wow…”

“We can’t do a released manifestation since Sumeragi-shi doesn’t worship us. But you can still draw on your authority, can’t you?”

TJ looked out to see a pride of lions. And running among them was…

“Ohh!!”

●

Beisu danced.

The lions were the form his authority as a “protector of the people” manifested itself in.

And they were controlled by…

…A festival!

So he danced. He clapped his hands, whooped, and stomped his feet to make noise.

It was a primitive dance.

He placed the rhythms of his breathing and pulse in his roars, accelerating and making himself leap and twirl as he moved out ahead.

He danced like an animal.

The lions ran, playfully leaped, and protected the people.

…I know how this works!

This was the Shinto divine world. In Shinto, the local god was the protector of the local people, so anyone, no matter who or what they were, was considered one of the local god’s “people” if they lived in the land ruled by that god.

So in this divine world, even the most major god likely counted as one of the Senpai god’s people. And if they were the people…

“My protection will affect them and anyone who would harm the people is my enemy!!”

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