The one who grasped the situation before anyone else was none other than Romani Archaman.
"The Ten Curses of Tetragrammaton… are you referring to the Plagues of Moses that were unleashed upon the land of Egypt?"
[Yes! Though to be precise, it wasn't just a curse; it was a sort of contest of Mystery between the Great Four Letters and the Egyptian gods.]
The Book of Exodus, the second chapter of the Bible, tells the story of the Israelites, who were enslaved in Egypt, being led out of the land of Egypt by their prophets, Moses and Aaron.
The Israelites, descendants of the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had over time become enslaved in Egypt. Their god, Yahweh—the Tetragrammaton—instructed His chosen prophet Moses to lead them out of that land.
However, the Pharaoh, the leader of Egypt, refused. Tetragrammaton, through Moses' hand, brought ten plagues upon the land. The Pharaoh resisted but eventually surrendered and let them go—that is the story of Exodus…
[That is the record, but the reality is slightly different. In this world, gods and Mystery truly exist, and Egypt possessed its own divine entities. Specifically, the Pharaoh was a deity so potent he was called a Living God. The Great Four Letters engaged in a contest of strength through calamities and blessings against those Egyptian divinities, including the Pharaoh… eventually forcing the Pharaoh to submit.]
Like a king of ancient Israel—a living witness to that very history—the former King of Magecraft began to detail exactly what those Ten Plagues entailed.
[The curse currently permeating this Singularity is not exactly the calamity unleashed by the Great Four Letters themselves. Rather, it is closer to Goetia subjectively adapting that disaster to fit his own ends. Of course, an astronomical amount of resources must have been poured into this…]
"A Holy Grail?"
[No, this is a disaster on a scale that cannot be resolved with just a Holy Grail. If it were a mere large-scale Magic Circuit array, perhaps, but this is a manifestation of divine calamity into reality… At the very least, it would require resources exceeding several Holy Grails.]
"…If that's the case, I have a suspicion."
A holy relic directly linked to the Hebrew people, which brings disaster upon touch and certain death upon those who dare gaze within.
"Goetia has claimed the Ark of the Covenant. He must be using it as a catalyst to summon these curses…"
[That sounds plausible. The Ark was the most vital object during the Exodus, along with the Stone Tablets of the Ten Commandments and the staves of Moses and Aaron.]
"Hey, you on the comms. If that's the case, what exactly do these curses entail?"
Jason stepped forward with a solemn expression.
[You are…]
"Never mind the introductions; I want an explanation immediately. Medea tried to analyze and dispel this curse, but she only managed to purify a tiny spring of water. If we can grasp the nature of this curse, can we not move beyond that?"
[To decode even a portion of that curse… you truly are as competent as the reports say. No, this isn't the time for that. At any rate… the enemy's goal is to recreate the plagues that Tetragrammaton, the god of the ancient Israelites, inflicted upon the gods of Egypt, including the Pharaoh. The water being dyed red with a curse likely originates from the tradition of the Nile and all the waters of Egypt being turned to blood.]
"…But this isn't blood; it's water infused with a curse, isn't it?"
[The concept of 'blood' is subject to interpretation. In Abrahamic religions, blood is used as a tool to mark doorposts so the Angel of Death will pass over…]
"Yet it is also classified as something 'unclean' that must not be consumed but poured out entirely."
[In any case, the enemy has subjectively interpreted and adjusted this curse. However, the fundamental framework of the Ten Plagues will remain the same.]
At that, an agitated Caenis swung her spear through the air and shouted.
"If it's the Ten Plagues, that means there are nine more of these shitty things left!"
[The only consolation is that whenever Yahweh sent a new plague, He would withdraw the previous one…]
"Snap out of it, Romani. The one unleashing these calamities upon us isn't Yahweh; it's a deranged Beast of Humanity."
"Regardless, I'd like a detailed explanation of those plagues."
As Hector calmly settled the situation, Romani, seemingly regaining his composure, began to explain the calamities in a low voice.
[The first plague was the turning of all the waters of Egypt into blood. Naturally, springs, oases, and even water held in vessels turned to blood, and all the fish in the Nile perished. This was essentially a skirmish against Khnum and Hapi, the gods who ruled over the Nile.]
"…This was only the opening move…"
[Next was the plague of frogs. After withdrawing the first plague of blood, swarms of frogs were sent into Egypt to torment them. This was a struggle against Heket, one of the Egyptian gods, who was depicted with the head of a frog. Then came the plague of lice; Moses struck the dust of the earth with his staff, and it all turned into lice to torment the people. This was an attack directed at Geb, the god of the earth and agriculture.]
"Mmm…"
Romani took a quick sip of water to moisten his throat before continuing with the plague of flies.
[Among the Egyptian gods are Khepri, with the head of a scarab, and Hatcock, the god of flies. Swarms of flies covered the entire land of Egypt, and a pestilence was spread among the livestock, bringing the bull-god Apis and the cow-horned goddess Hathor to their knees.]
"It's getting to the point of being terrifying. Is it really possible for a single god to wage an all-out war against such a massive pantheon…?"
"The Israelites were monotheistic, so perhaps the prana was concentrated into a single focal point."
[Ahem. Next was the boils. Malignant boils and skin diseases spread throughout Egypt; this was likely retribution against Imhotep, who was deified as a great physician and soldier. Following that was the seventh plague, hail. In this instance, Yahweh's victory signified His dominance over Nut, goddess of the sky, Isis, goddess of magic, and Tefnut, goddess of moisture. The locust swarm that followed was likely a punishment directed at Serapis, the god of grain and harvest…]
"…The next two plagues were practically the killing blows."
"I'm surprised there's anything left of them by this point."
[Darkness covered the land of Egypt. In Egyptian terms, this was the submission of the sun god Ra… or more broadly, it was as if Apollo and Helios were brought to their knees.]
"…"
[The final plague was the slaughter of the firstborn… I assume I don't need to explain what that signifies.]
As Romani's explanation ended, Medea, who had been wearing a dazed expression, barely gathered her wits and spoke.
"So… starting with the curse of blood, followed by frogs covering the land, lice, flies, pestilence killing livestock, boils spreading among the people, thunder and hail falling from the sky, swarms of locusts… and finally, a darkness where you can't see an inch ahead, and… a curse that carries the very concept of 'Death' itself?"
[…Yes.]
"Isn't this insane?!"
[…I can't deny that.]
"No, 'insane' doesn't even begin to describe it. Honestly, look at who we have here! How many Heroic Spirits present weren't born as the 'firstborn'? Even Chaldea's Master technically belongs to the 'firstborn'!"
As Medea cried out in despair, the atmosphere among the group plummeted instantly.
While everyone sat with their heads hung in gloom, a small croaking sound began to echo from somewhere.
Caenis was the first to react. Leveling her spear, she slowly rose from her seat.
"…Hey, it doesn't look like we have time to mope around. You said the second plague was frogs?"
[To be precise, it was a calamity where frogs covered the entirety of Egypt.]
"If the next thing coming is just frogs, it shouldn't be an issue. Jason! Let's get the ship ready for departure! In the worst case, we might have to abandon this island entirely!"
"…Yeah, we should at least have things ready. Medea! Set up a magical array on the ship and cast an animal-repelling ward to keep the beasts away… Hector and Caenis, guard Medea so nothing gets on the ship!"
At that moment, the blood-dyed water surface bubbled, and a single, squat frog popped out.
The frog, its body as red as the water with obsidian eyes, let out a single 'ribbit' before lunging toward Caenis.
"Not a chance!"
With a effortless swing of her spear, she ground the frog to pieces and laughed boisterously.
"What's this? It's pathetic."
[They are about to swarm in numbers enough to cover the entire island.]
"…Ugh, that's going to be disgusting."
"But we've learned one thing. These plagues are occurring in 24-hour cycles."
"Oh! Come to think of it, Scorpio has returned to its position… Does that mean it's been 24 hours since the sea turned red?"
"It's exactly 12:15 PM local time… The plagues are updating at midnight."
At that very moment, small bubbles began to hiss and spread across the water.
What began as tiny bubbles soon surged into a massive pillar of water, creating violent ripples… and then, we saw it.
A grotesque 'Frog' form, woven together with tangled tentacles like several Demon God Pillars fused into one…
With legs as long as a small apartment building and a size rivaling 'Lord Dagon,' the frog shook off the cursed water, opened its maw, and let out a thunderous bellow.
[◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎!!!!]
"…Dammit, don't tell me you're planning to call that a 'frog' too? What a cursed disaster this is!"
"Caenis, Hector! Kill that damn monster, but stay as far from the water as possible! Medea, postpone the ship repairs—activate the Bounded Field workshop on this island first!"
"That won't solve it. It's not going to be that simple… I told you, according to the tradition in the scriptures, the frogs 'covered all the land'!"
The moment I screamed in frustration,
We saw them.
In every direction, across the sea surrounding the island, massive ripples of water were surging upward.
—Ribbit.
—Ribbit, ribbit.
RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT
[Escape now! We have to leave this island before we are completely surrounded!!]
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