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What came into my view was a scene completely different from the Kyokuto region I had imagined.
The first thing I saw after teleporting was trees and ground dyed jet-black, along with jet-black rain pouring down from the sky.
The next thing that reached my ears were the distant screams of people.
There was no mistake.
Something terrible was already happening in this land.
"…What the hell is this…?"
Hart stood frozen in place, murmuring in a hoarse voice.
"Luna, Hart! First, check the surroundings!"
While giving instructions, I myself used Aerial Perspective to survey the area.
The view from above was nothing short of "abnormal."
What covered the sky was not something as mild as dark clouds.
It was as if black ink had been spilled across the overcast sky—the entire expanse was dyed a deep black.
"This isn't normal rain."
Shion, looking up at the sky, murmured quietly.
The amount of rain wasn't quite a downpour, but it continued falling with a steady density.
My clothes, which should have been completely soaked by now, felt neither heavy nor cold.
The jet-black rain slid off my clothes as if repelled by waterproof fabric.
It neither soaked the cloth nor transmitted any coldness.
It resembled rain, yet it was something entirely different.
"…This is magical power."
Oliver stared at the drops falling on the back of his hand and spoke in a low voice.
"Yeah. And not just any magical power. —It's very close to the evil god's magical power."
""—!?""
At my words, everyone gasped.
It felt similar to the ominous magical power of evil god origin that Belia had manipulated when I fought him in the royal capital of the Nohitant Kingdom several months ago.
"Shion, Oliver, Telsche—I'd like the three of you to scout the surrounding area."
"Understood. We'll go."
Receiving my instructions, the three of them left the area.
It was at that moment.
"N-no… stay away!"
A girl's scream came from nearby.
The instant I heard it, Fuuka moved immediately.
At the place she rushed to, there was a monster I had never seen before.
The bipedal monster was formed entirely of jet-black magical power and was slowly reaching its hand toward the girl.
Perhaps paralyzed by fear, the girl had collapsed on the spot and could do nothing but shed tears.
Fuuka slipped between the girl and the monster, drew her blade, and in the same motion sliced off the monster's arm.
With a returning slash, she severed its head, and the monster instantly crumbled to the ground.
…As expected of Fuuka. She took it down in an instant.
I was about to admire her graceful swordsmanship when—
"!"
Fuuka scooped up the girl and leaped away from the monster.
Immediately afterward, the monster's other arm—which should have been severed—came swinging down.
The impact gouged the ground, leaving a crater where the two had been standing.
Furthermore, from the severed surfaces of the arm and head that had been flying through the air, jet-black magical power began to crawl out like tentacles.
The extending magical power reconnected the cut surfaces, and the monster's form restored itself as if nothing had happened.
(Immortal… no, that's not it. If its body is composed of magical power—)
I closed the distance to the monster in an instant using Shrinking Ground.
I wrapped ki around the blade of Schwarzhause that I had manifested and bisected the monster.
Then, like a water balloon bursting, liquid-like jet-black magical power scattered everywhere.
I remained on guard for several seconds, but the monster did not revive.
"Phew…"
After confirming the monster's disappearance, I turned around.
The girl Fuuka had saved was crying but repeatedly expressing her gratitude.
Katina and Huey were staying close to her, trying to calm her down.
I decided to leave questioning the girl to the two of them.
As I was thinking about how we should move from here, Fuuka approached.
"You used Hakai?"
"No, just regular ki. If you use ki, you can defeat those monsters."
"I see. Good. Then I'll go cut down all of them. From the looks of it, there are still plenty more."
Fuuka's expression remained her usual blank one, but the atmosphere around her was wrapped in anger, making it clear she was quite furious.
"Fuuka, I understand how you feel, but wait a moment."
As I stopped her, Luna and Hart arrived.
"How did it go for you two?"
I asked the two of them, but neither looked bright.
"Sorry. I tried various things, but I couldn't confirm the surroundings with my ability like usual."
"Same for me. My connection with Pixie seems weakened, and I can't use Sense Connect."
The reports from the two were exactly what I had expected.
I had also tried using Aerial Perspective to check the area, but the information I could obtain was limited.
That said, my Aerial Perspective was only a recreation using my ability.
It couldn't compare to the original.
I had hoped Hart might be able to do something, but the situation seemed similar for him.
"Probably because of this rain. It's making the magical power in this area unstable."
"It was the evil god's magical power, huh? This is as troublesome as it gets."
"Orun, I heard from the girl."
Just as we realized we couldn't gather information about the surroundings with our abilities, Katina called out to me.
"Please tell me."
I listened to the girl's story through Katina.
According to the girl, a little while ago something jet-black had erupted from the Sacred Mountain and covered the sky.
Soon after, this rain began to fall, and monsters started roaming around.
"Something jet-black erupted from the Sacred Mountain… There's no doubt that the 'jet-black something' is the evil god's magical power, but why would something like that erupt from the Sacred Mountain in the first place?"
"That's not strange. The Sacred Mountain is the place where dead magic beasts ultimately head to."
Fuuka spoke in her usual flat tone, stating it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"…What do you mean?"
Even at my question, her expression didn't change.
"When magic beasts die, the black mist-like stuff that comes out eventually gathers at the Sacred Mountain."
She slightly raised her gaze and looked toward the direction of the Sacred Mountain as she continued.
"I was taught that the Spirit Dance Festival, held once a year, is a ritual to purify that."
She spoke quietly, simply laying out the facts.
It was probably something she had been taught since she was a child, something taken for granted.
"I didn't know it was the evil god's magical power, though."
As she spoke, she slightly lowered her eyes.
"So that's what it is…"
When magic beasts die, their bodies basically turn into black mist, leaving only magic stones behind.
Thinking about it now, that black mist was none other than the evil god's magical power in diluted form.
In the otherworld, the Hero of the Fairy Tales, August, had told me that magic beasts were his vanguard created by the evil god.
The evil god's magical power is close to the "magical power from the outside world."
In other words, it is poisonous to humans.
It is only natural that the system of laws would have a mechanism to deal with it.
"Sorry. I thought Orun already knew. I should have told you sooner."
Fuuka apologized.
"…No, it's not something you need to apologize for. There was enough material to reach that conclusion. It was just that my thinking was too shallow."
If that's the case, the current situation might be even more urgent than I thought.
"We're heading to the Sacred Mountain right away."
After regrouping with Shion and the others who had been scouting the area, we began moving toward the Sacred Mountain.