Chapter 5 Underworld
CHAPTER 5
Underworld
“I-I can summon him! I can summon Seiya!”
I scream with joy in the dilapidated building. Cerceus, on the other hand, furrows his brow.
“But wouldn’t his level be reset to level one again? I don’t think summoning him like that is really going to help us right now…”
“So you’re going to get us out of this, then?!”
“Argh! My gastritis, pneumonitis, and nephritis…! Sorry, I wanna help, but…!”
“…?! Even a level-one Seiya would be a thousand times more useful than you! Just go keep an eye out for dragonewts while I summon him!”
After forcing Cerceus to keep watch at the window, I make preparations for the Hero summoning. I grab the summoning chalk from under my lapel and begin drawing a magic circle on the dirty floor. Maybe summoning Seiya with all of his stats reset isn’t going to help us. Not only that, but I’d be putting Seiya in danger as well. Nevertheless, I continue frantically drawing the magic circle on the ground because what I want the most right now is to see him.
I don’t deserve to be a high-ranking goddess anymore…
The instant I say Seiya’s name aloud, the magic circle glows, illuminating the dim room until a Hero emerges from the light.
This is the third time I’ve summoned Seiya. As always, Seiya Ryuuguuin has the body of a model, which is complemented by his gallant features and—
What the…?!
That’s when I notice his attire is different from usual. Seiya is usually wearing clothes you’d wear around the house, like a T-shirt, but this time he’s wearing a camouflage uniform. He looks just like a military solider.
“Um… Seiya…! I know this is sudden and all, but what’s up with your clothes?”
“Body armor. This is a bulletproof vest. Incidentally, I’m also wearing a stab-proof vest underneath. I realized that when you summon me, I can only bring what I’m wearing with me to the spirit world and other parallel worlds, so I’ve been wearing this body armor every day, twenty-four/seven, in preparation for my summoning.”
“Y-you were wearing all that?! You seriously spent every day of your normal life in Japan wearing heavy body armor?!”
“Yes. The police did question me from time to time, though.”
Y-yeah, I’m sure he must have looked suspicious! But…it’s perfect! This cautiousness of his is exactly what we need! While he may be only level 1, it’s still a huge relief.
Seiya surveys the area, looks at Cerceus, then knits his brow.
“Oh. Hello, Seiya, good sir! Long time no see! How have you been?”
Seiya ignores the man lowering his head to him and says to me:
“This isn’t the spirit world, is it? I assume it’s a parallel world.”
“Yes, Seiya! Actually, we’re in big trouble! We’re—”
But Seiya holds his hand to my face.
“I’ve already figured out what’s going on. You can’t return to the spirit world, which is why you summoned me to a parallel world instead of the usual chamber, and you’re in danger. I can easily imagine what led to this as well.”
That’s Seiya for you! Not only did he come prepared with body armor, but it sounds like he already figured out that Mersais attacked us! Ha-ha! He’s like a detective!
But as I stare at him in admiration, he looks back at me with reproach.
“Rista, you messed up again and angered the gods of the heart, didn’t you? They must have sent you to this parallel world as punishment.”
“What the…?! No!!”
“Then you must have run off to this parallel world to elope with Cerceus. Am I right?”
“What?! No! In fact, you couldn’t be more wrong!”
“Hm… Hold on. Is that even the real Cerceus?”
““What?!””
Cerceus and I are taken aback.
“You’re almost certainly Rista, since you’re the one who summoned me, but this Cerceus could be an impostor.”
“Wh-what?! No! I’m the real Cerceus!”
“Exactly what an impostor would say. Prove you’re really him in twenty words or less.”
“I’m the owner of Café du Cerceus! I took care of Jonde and Kiriko! Please believe me!”
I listen to their exchange in utter amazement.
He’s nothing like a detective! All he’s doing is imagining every possibility! There goes not being worried!
“S-Seiya, no! Mersais finally attacked the spirit world—you know, the thing you were really worried about?!”
“Oh. I didn’t think you’d still be in one piece if that happened, so… Hm… I guess we can forget about Cerceus being an impostor for now.”
“I keep telling him I’m the real Cerceus… Why doesn’t he believe me…?”
Ignoring the disheartened Divine Blade, Seiya says:
“Rista, I need you to explain to me everything that happened. Down to the last detail. But make sure to keep it concise. You have ten seconds.”
“Y-you’ve gotta be kidding me!”
I end up explaining things while Cerceus continues to keep watch at the window.
…I tell him about how Mersais, Zet, and a woman who claimed to be a former Hero attacked us.
…I tell him about how Cerceus and I found ourselves in Gaeabrande after waking up.
…I tell him about how the gates I make only connect us to the underworld and not the spirit world.
Although I couldn’t do it within ten seconds, I explained the situation as quickly as I could.
“So now we’re hiding from some dragonewts who are carrying weapons imbued with Chain Destruction!”
Seiya cautiously approaches the window and peeks outside. Then, after using the rotting furniture in the room to create a barricade in front of the door, he approaches me once more and…
Bonk!
“Ouch!”
He suddenly hits me on the head!
“Could you have possibly summoned me at a worse time? If a dragonewt finds us, I’m going to be killed on the spot. It’s like you want this body armor to go to waste.”
“I-I’m sorry!”
“See? What did I tell you? You made him angry.”
Bonk! Seiya’s fist rains down on the smug Divine Blade’s head as well.
“Ow! What did you hit me for?!”
“Just felt like it… Anyway, Rista, open a gate. We have to get out of here.”
“B-but I told you already! I can only open a gate to the underworld! And there was some creepy weirdo there with a hollow face that tried to eat Cerceus!”
“Yeah! That place is dangerous!”
But Seiya’s expression doesn’t change. He stoops before the window and focuses his attention on what’s happening outside while saying:
“That won’t be a problem. I’ll come up with a plan while Cerceus is being eaten.”
“What?! How is me being eaten not a problem?!”
“At any rate, that underworld place is probably still preferable to this one. That person you ran into didn’t have Chain Destruction, right?”
“Oh yeah! Now that you mention it, she didn’t!”
“We won’t have to worry about dying in the underworld, which already makes it safer than here.”
“A-are you sure about this? I’d rather not go back…”
I’ve never seen Cerceus look more discontent, but Seiya has a point. All of a sudden, Seiya, who’s looking out the window, lowers his voice.
“A dragonewt’s coming. Rista, hurry.”
“O-okay!”
We swiftly slip through the gate right as the dragonewt approaches the door.
“…Hmph. So this is the underworld. Foggy.”
Seiya nonchalantly mutters. While we may have gotten away from the dragonewts, we still have to deal with all of this fog. Plus…
“Sluuuuuurp.”
I suddenly hear the eerie sound of some creature licking its lips, only to discover that the hollow-faced individual is slowly walking this way.
“I-it’s her!”
She throws herself at Cerceus as a long, grotesque tongue crawls out of her jet-black hole.
“Eek! Seiya, help me!”
Cerceus screams before hiding behind the level-1 Hero. Seiya, however, doesn’t even flinch as he calmly asks:
“What do you want?”
“I want to lick, lick, lick the god.”
“Okay. Knock yourself out.”
Seiya then kicks Cerceus over!
“Gwah?!”
Cerceus groans as he tumbles across the ground until he stops right in front of the hollow-faced creature with the long tongue.
Lick, lick, lick, lick lick lick lick lick.
“Ooooooeeeeeeeee! Heeeeeeeelp meeeeeeee!”
“S-S-Seiya?! Is Cerceus going to be okay?!”
“Gods don’t die. He’ll be fine.”
“B-but—gag. This is just d-disgusting!”
Lick lick, lick. Liiick. Lick lick. Liiick.
Cerceus shouts and cries as the creature relentlessly licks his body. Seiya crosses his arms while observing him with a cold gaze.
…After a few minutes, Cerceus’s entire body is dripping with saliva. He looks like a shivering fawn that was just born.
“Hey, uh… You okay, Cerceus?”
“Sniffle! I’m sticky…and feel gross…and… Sniffle!”
“Seiya! Cerceus is crying, but I think he’s okay!”
“That’s good.”
“Do I look okay to you?! I’m all gross now!”
Cerceus angrily cries, but…
“Ah, I’m satisfied. Satisfied, satisfied, satisfied.”
The creature gleefully retracts her long tongue.
“Hm? She just wanted to lick him? I guess she really didn’t have any intention of killing us, unlike those dragonewts.”
“She even repeats herself two or three times, so we don’t have to worry about missing anything she says. While I can’t say for certain yet, she probably isn’t a threat.”
“I-I really hope you’re right…”
Just then…
“Excuse me? I apologize for Hohzuo.”
I hear a well-projected, feminine voice. When I turn around, I see a woman with violet hair. She has double-edged eyelids and a defined nose. Other than the jewel on her forehead, she appears to be an ordinary, beautiful woman. She lifts the hem of her gray dress and bows to Seiya and me.
“Ristarte and Seiya Ryuuguuin, correct? I appreciate all you have done for us.”
“…?! How do you know our names?!”
A-and “I appreciate all you have done for us”? I’m pretty sure this is the first time we’ve ever met…
She breaks into a smile and pulls a hand towel out from her dress’s breast pocket.
“Cerceus, please use this to wipe the saliva off your body.”
“Th-thanks.”
She even appears to know Cerceus’s name. After giving him the hand towel, she turns around and looks at the hollow-faced individual.
“You were drawn to his blinding divine aura and lost control of yourself. Isn’t that right, Hohzuo?”
The hollow-faced creature then bashfully scratches her head. I approach the woman.
“H-hey, uh… You are…?”
“I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. I am Unoporta. Our Lord Hathies asked me to bring you to the Shrine of the Six Realms.”
“Your Lord…? The Lord of the Underworld?”
“He will explain things to you once we arrive. Please, come this way.”
She begins to walk away, but I slightly hesitate and look at Seiya.
“Seiya! What should we do? She doesn’t seem like a bad person…”
“Usually, I’d want to train until I leveled up enough before going, but it’d be days before we could meet this Lord of the Underworld if I did that.”
“We can’t make him wait that long! Plus, we need to find out what’s going on!”
“All right. Don’t let your guard down, though.”
We begin following the woman named Unoporta. While walking, I notice the fog clearing up the farther we go.
“What the…? The fog is dissipating.”
“We only have fog during the day in the underworld.”
“Oh…”
But what becomes visible to us is a bloodred sky. And surrounding us as we walk down the gray stone pavement are wriggling plant-like individuals, giant rabbits, and people with only one giant eye instead of two normal-sized eyes. The monstrous creatures stare at us as they chat.
“I think that’s a god.”
“Ooo! Divine aura! It’s divine aura…! Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee!”
“Mm-hmm. I’d love to sink my teeth into that!”
I-is it just me, or are they saying some unsettling things?
I start to get scared, so I grab on to the hem of Seiya’s shirt. Unoporta looks back at me.
“There is no need to worry. They mean no harm. If anything, the people of the underworld feel a great deal of fondness for deities.”
I hope that’s true, because right now I feel like Unoporta is the only decent person in this bizarre world. All of a sudden, Cerceus approaches Unoporta, who is walking ahead of us, and returns the hand towel she lent him.
“Thanks for letting me use this! I really appreciate it!”
Cerceus flashes his pearly white teeth with a refreshing smile.
“I never expected to run into such a wonderful young lady like you in the underworld!”
What is wrong with this guy?! First, he was trembling in his boots because he was afraid to return to the underworld, and now he’s flirting with a local?!
Unoporta suddenly comes to a stop and faces Cerceus, who is pathetically trying to act smooth while blushing. Is she actually enjoying his company? Y-you’ve gotta be kidding me! Don’t tell me a beautiful woman like this has taken a liking to Cerceus!
But at the very next moment…
“Blooorgh!”
With a deep grunt, she regurgitates a tsunami of scarlet liquid onto Cerceus’s face, painting it red!
“Eeeeeeeeek!”
“I-I’m so sorry!”
Unoporta promptly apologizes while Cerceus screams.
“I have a habit of vomiting blood from time to time…”
“I don’t know if I’d call that a ‘habit’! Are you okay?!”
I ask in surprise, but Unoporta wipes the blood from the corners of her mouth while gracefully smiling.
“Yes, I’m perfectly healthy.”
Since when do healthy people randomly vomit blood?! What’s going on here?!
“Groan… First, saliva. Now, blood. Great…”
After handing Cerceus the towel back, she gazes at him with rapt attention as he wipes his face, on the verge of tears.
“Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee… Ah, how good it feels to be overflowing with HP again…”
“What the…?! Unoporta, what did you just say?!”
“O-oh, nothing! Come on, Ristarte! My Lord is waiting!”
She picks up her pace, trying to play it off. I turn to Seiya and whisper:
“H-hey, don’t you think she’s acting a little suspicious?”
“Extremely suspicious. However, Cerceus is the only one who’s suffering so far, so let’s use him as a meat shield while we keep an eye out for anything else suspicious.”
“Good idea.”
“Hey! I can hear you, you know!”
We ignore Cerceus as always and continue to follow Unoporta. Before long, we find ourselves in front of a massive building made of obsidian under the bloodred sky.
“This is the Shrine of the Six Realms, where the Lord of the Underworld resides.”
It reminds me of a tombstone, which sends a shiver down my spine. Seiya observes it in silence for a few moments, but he soon boldly strolls through the gate. Glowstones illuminate the interior like lamps, making it surprisingly bright. As we walk down the path behind Unoporta, I see unusual ornaments, sculptures, and even stuffed specimens of mysterious creatures I’ve never seen before. While an eerie sight, it still beats being outside where all those bizarre critters are. Eventually, Unoporta stops in front of a hinged double door. Hathies, the Lord of the Underworld, must be in there.
It feels almost like we’re about to battle a Demon Lord…
But before I can even brace myself for what comes next, Unoporta opens the door. He sits atop a throne made of animal bones at the end of a gray carpet with a presence no different from a Demon Lord.
“…Come forward.”
His voice is slightly higher than I expected, but I can feel it rumble in the pit of my stomach. My footsteps are timid as I follow Unoporta.
“I am the Lord of the Underworld, Hathies—he who passively observes this realm.”
Only when I get closer do I finally realize that Hathies’s face, slightly hidden behind the strands of beads dangling from his crown, is completely white. Cerceus and I exchange glances, then nod with evident satisfaction.
“I am glad you could make it, survivors of the ruined spirit world—Goddess of Healing, Ristarte, and God of Swords, Cerceus.”
What?! “R-ruined”?! As in destroyed?!