Chapter 72 - Aoranam Village Defense (Patreon)

"[Rangi, what will you do now?]" Tahiri mutters to the giant as we look up the hill behind the village. A company of at least a hundred light cavalry is readying itself for a charge into the village.

Despite all that, Tahiri seems really relaxed. Same for Rangi and his family, actually. Well, I'm not too concerned, either. I mean, I alone could take them all, but having one more or less universal god with us means this should be a piece of cake. Provided all of these riders are normal humans. With someone proclaiming himself the God King and decreeing the eradication of all other gods, it's safe to assume that he has some powerful people under him. Most likely, he has minor gods working for him or humans with magic or weapons that can kill gods.

I'm a wildcard, though. Nobody here should have an idea of what I'm really capable of - not even Tahiri. I mean, I did use all kinds of powers to physically attack her, including magic and elongating my limbs, but I haven't shown my ability to expand to a massive size or my true appearance to anyone here. Not even to my own children, who should be fine with seeing it, since they themselves are the same.

In the worst case scenario I can just swallow the entire army by expanding to my full size, which should easily cover this entire village at this point. It would be an irreversible revelation before these people, but I don't intend to stay here after this anyway. I'll capture one of those soldiers alive and make them lead me back to where they came from. At the end of that path, I'll surely find a way back to the Demon Continent somehow.

"[I will crush them.]" Rangi replies and walks forward. The cavalry moves into formation and readies its wall of spears, to ride down every single person in this village.

"AAA-aik etir, e et iwi iti! Akát om ot etám!

EEE-ereáh iam ik uahá, e et iwi iti! Ak utaakáhw uahá ik a eok i ot agnutúm!"

I'm only seeing him from behind, but even I can feel a sense of awe. His voice and mannerisms are completely different from usual, as he strikes one stance after another, each a display of martial prowess. He chants some words I have never heard before, most likely reserved for occasions such as this. It must be a war dance, meant to intimidate the opponents before the battle commences.

The horses whinny and some of them buck, as their riders are barely able to control them in the face of this fierce challenge. The animals understand instinctively that they will not survive a direct confrontation, but the humans are still somewhat confident in their victory.

"[Impressive as always, Rangi.]" Tahiri praises him with a smile, before turning her attention to the soldiers on top of the hill. They are gathering their resolve once again, thinking that it's only a single man who's stepping forward to meet them in battle. The advantage in numbers is evident, and this should be a quick slaughter.

"[Charge!]" I hear someone shout, and the cavalry begins to descend the slope, gaining speed with every step. Rangi stands like a boulder, not a hint of trying to avoid them, as they come closer and closer, a row of spears pointed straight at him.

The first spear connects with his chest, bends and then shatters, causing the tip to fly off and stab into another rider's chest. Then the horse runs straight into Rangi's body and comes to an abrupt halt, as if it charged straight into a wall.

Within an instant, a multi-horse collision has occurred and riders are flung off the saddles and through the air, as the land god stands firmly without giving any way despite the wave crashing into him. Truly, a steadfast existence like the very earth we stand on. The villagers watching the spectacle cheer as their patron god and chief single-handedly stems the momentum of the entire company.

Atop the hill I spot two riders who have not followed the charge, standing at the front of a company of foot soldiers. They look completely different from the others around them. The one to the left is female and the right male, albeit with a very flamboyant appearance. And one thing I've learned from all the games I've played is that the flamboyant ones are either very weak or deceptively strong. Focusing my eyes, I try to discern which type this one is, but obviously, I can't tell how powerful he is from appearance alone.

He is dressed completely in orange and red, wearing a feathered headdress that seems to blend into his flaming red hair seamlessly. A tan face which features bright orange facial paint on the cheeks, and reddish brown eyes that peer down at the battle below with a curious glint. His lips are dyed red, as they're parted and curved up into a wide, excited grin. The cape draped over his shoulders is also feathered and leaves his lean upper body exposed.

The woman is wearing armor but it looks different in design from the one worn by that envoy, who came to the village and whose head was crushed by Rangi. Although her hair is covered by a bandanna, her piercing blue eyes and white skin stand out among these people just like Tahiri and I do. But there's a heart-shaped brand on her left cheek. What could that mean? In either case, it's likely that she or the flamboyant guy beside her is the commander of this company.

"[Here they come.]" Tahiri says and points at the cavalry that has charged past Rangi and is stampeding towards us. "[Who will go first?]"

"[I will.]" Awhina steps forward and lowers herself into a stance similar to her father's. Then she lifts a leg and stomps on the ground, much like a sumo wrestler would before the match begins.

With a short delay, a row of spikes shoots out of the ground. No, to say they form from the ground up would be more correct. They impale the first wave of the cavalry and causes the following riders to brake hard or quickly steer away. Some audacious ones jump over the spiked barricade and continue to ride at us. Really, no fear of these strange powers at all?

"[Let us take care of these.]" My two cute little kids rush forward and transform their arms into blades. I taught them quite a bit about the abilities of a Crawling Chaos, and they still choose the simplest of ways to utilize their tools. I'll tell them off later.

Cutting their ways through horses and men alike, the two decimate the survivors who came this far. Seeing their comrades being slaughtered by two children with blades for arms, the soldiers on the other side of the spikes begin to show first signs of reluctance and fear. But it's too late for that now.

One rider, who made it through all obstacles, seems to have missed the memo and continues to charge right at us, his spear at the ready. Tahiri motions to step forward, but I hold her back by raising my arm. Then I swing it around and extend it into a whip with a bladed end. It cuts into the soldier's side but is stopped by the light armor he wears underneath. He is knocked off the horse, which avoids us and continues to run towards the beach beyond the village.

Damn, I wanted to act cool and behead him in one move, but obviously I'm not a trained martial artist and don't have perfect aim with such a wide swing. The guy is still alive, although the fall knocked all the air out of his lungs, as he coughs while trying to get back onto his feet. I could almost pity him, if it wasn't for the fact that he was coming straight at me with the intention to impale me on his spear. Walking towards him slowly, I watch as he catches his breath and draws his sword.

"[I'll give you one attack. If you can bring me down, I'll let you live.]" Huh, what am I saying?! This must be the influence of this body...

The man seems confused at first, but then anger shows on his face. I guess he's the oblivious type, and didn't notice that I was the one who knocked him off his horse. Rushing at me with his sword, he brings it down on my shoulder and cuts all the way to my abdomen.

"[My, you went so deep, you almost hit my womb.]" Smiling at him suggestively, the wound closes itself around the sword. Fear finally enters his expressions as he tries to pull his weapon out. Ahhh, this is so nice, to be feared like this! "[Don't be shy, go deeper.]"

I impale myself on his sword and grab him with both hands, bringing him towards my chest. At this point, he must be like a deer staring into the headlights of an oncoming car, because he's completely frozen in fear. But what comes after causes him to scream at the top of his lungs.

His hands sink into my chest, followed by his arms, before I begin to swallow his entire body like a bog draws in a careless traveler. He keeps screaming until his mouth is covered by my body, and shortly after, he disappears completely. I savor his despair to the fullest and feel rejuvenated. It's been a while since I've had a meal this way.

He had a star-shaped brand on his face and I think I'm onto something...

"[You...]" Tahiri looks at me with a hint of disgust and it interrupts my thoughts. "[You're not a goddess of nature. You must be an aspect of Mataku, The Primordial Terror.]"

"[What are you saying? I'm just me, Chaos.]" This is the first time I'm hearing about Mataku, but maybe Primordial Terror could be a pretty nice title for me, too.

"[Well, I don't care either way.]" Shrugging, Tahiri turns her hair into something of a floating chair, and leans back on it, letting her feet leave the ground. She's too relaxed in the middle of an enemy attack!

Rangi is surrounded by enemies that try to stab him with their spears, but there's not a single wound on him. Grabbing soldiers and tossing them around as if they're ragdolls, he steadily decimates their numbers. However, even then, the commanders on top of the hill don't move the foot soldiers and keep on watching as their troops get slaughtered. It seems they expected as much, and this wave of cavalry was used as a sacrifice to gauge our strength.

"[Retreat!]" Someone among the cavalry screams and the survivors begin to scatter and move to run away.

Suddenly, the flamboyant man next to the female commander swings his arm and a line of small explosions occur on the ground halfway up the hill. He motions his horse forward a few steps and looks down on the cavalry that has stopped dead in its tracks from this turn of events.

"[Those who pass this line shall be treated as deserters.]" His voice is loud and obnoxious, just as I expected from his appearance. Behind him, the foot soldiers make way for a company of archers, who ready their bows. Even from here I can feel their fear, most likely of punishment if they should disobey the order to shoot their own comrades. But that of the riders below, who just realized their situation, is much more delicious.

It was hard to see before because of their tan skin, but every single one of these men have brands on their faces. They didn't stand out as much as the heart-shaped one on the woman does, but at this point it finally dawns on me.

They're an army of slaves.

"That leaves a bad aftertaste in my mouth." I spit out the remains of the soldier I just swallowed, causing Tahiri to look at me in obvious disgust. Awhina doesn't seem to be judging me, but even her expression shows that she didn't expect this side to me. Too bad, if you can't accept it, love can't blossom between us, my dear. "Uten, Saten!"

"Yes, mama!" They immediately return to my side.

"Protect Awhina and the villagers." Even then, it's not like I'd just up and abandon her, if she really showed that she can't accept it. "I have to take care of something."

"Understood, mama." Responding in a mirrored salute, the twins sound energetic. That's so cute! But really, their elation must come from the fact that they finally got to kill some people and are getting to feel the rush from it. After all, Crawling Chaoses seem to enjoy ending lives.

Our conversation was in the common language, so neither Tahiri nor Awhina understood us. Therefore, their expressions show surprise when Hestia's wings burst out from my back and I take off into the air accompanied by a small gale. They must be wondering what I intend to do, but of course, both of them should know that I would never die to these small fries over there, since the former was unable to kill me when she tried her best, and the latter witnessed that happening all the time for the past year.

Just as I pass over the riders, who look up at me in awe and fear, a rain of arrows comes down on me. Every single one of them sinks into me without causing any harm, as it doesn't even serve to slow me down. But a lot of them hit their own allies, whose death screams only serve to elate me further. It's the perfect entrance song for me.

As I land in front of the two riders atop the hill, shield bearers come forward and form a defensive wall against me. Really, it's like they didn't pay attention to anything I've done in the past few minutes. But through the gaps I can see their faces, and each one of them has a brand on their cheek, some star-shaped, others circles with differing symbols in them. But none have a heart like the woman on the horse.

Now that I'm this close, I can see that she's quite the looker, maybe around the age of Tahiri's appearance - which would put her around twenty. Considering she has that brand, she must be a slave, too. Or maybe a freed one, who has come to command an army of slaves. The fact that her flamboyant companion doesn't have such a brand means that he must have always been free, and most likely a god - in the understanding of the local people, that is.

"[Hey, what's your name?]" I ask the woman casually. Right at that moment, the shield wall charges forward and surrounds me. With perfect coordination, they plunge their spears into me, all the way down to the shafts. "[Ahn, so forceful~]" When they realize that I seem to be completely unharmed, confusion and fear fills their expressions.

Ahhh, every last drop of their fear is pouring into me and filling me up! This is ecstasy!

"[Are you deaf or mute?]" I continue to address the woman and ignore the soldiers. Some of them begin to realize that they can't pull their spears out no matter how hard they try. "[Oh, where are my manners? I'm Chaos. Nice to meet you.]"

With these words, I forcefully pull the spears into my body, causing all of the soldiers to let go of their weapons in shock. I don't feel like eating slaves. Even though they attacked me, I now have the leeway to choose whom to kill and whom to spare. If they were trying to kill me out of their free will, I wouldn't hesitate to swallow them all, though.

"[A slave has no name, even if it's a former one. Isn't that right?]" The flamingo man speaks in her stead, apparently still quite confident of his safety even after my display just now. His voice is even more annoying now that I hear it from up close and the way he disrespects her makes me want to kill him instantly. "[And what good does it do to learn of any names? You're going to die soon.]" He points his hand at me and with a short delay, I feel my forehead bubbling and bursting open from heat.

Ow. That actually hurt.

Well, nowhere near as much as when I got detonated from the inside by that instructor from the academy, though. And the wound closes itself up really quickly, since I have so much mass in my body that such a small explosion barely scratches the surface.

But was that all? Is this guy's power to make water boil and explode? It's somehow completely different from his flamboyant image of someone who can throw fireballs and create a whirlwind of flames. Oh well, I don't know and I don't care. If that's all he's capable of, I got fired up over nothing.

"[How are you still al-]" I interrupt him with a spike through his throat. Even though my aim with a swing might suck, I'm really accurate with this kind of attack. Last time I did it, it also pierced Basarab's throat on the first try. But this time, it happened so fast that to the untrained eye, it would have seemed like he was shot.

Coughing up blood, he brings a hand to his throat and realizes what happened with his last breath. His eyes roll back into his skull and he falls off his horse. I didn't even get to learn his name, that's how much of a small fry he was. And here I thought he might be powerful or something.

I turn my attention back to the woman, whose eyes are widened in shock, as she looks down at her fallen comrade. The sword she has drawn at one point, without me even noticing, leaves her hand as she loses her will to fight. Of course, if her "god" companion died without being able to do anything, what could a simple human do? Be smart and surrender.

She jumps off her horse and runs up to me.

Oh, you wanna go at it with your bare hands?

Then she drops onto her knees before me.

"[T-Thank you!]" Looking at me with upturned eyes as tears well up within them, she expresses her gratitude.

Huh?

The soldiers around me, some of whom had drawn their swords as well, drop their equipment and follow their leader's example. Kneeling down and lowering their heads, it's almost as if they're revering me.

"[Cease the fighting!]" She bellows the command to the soldiers in the village below, who haven't witnessed everything that happened up here and are still engaged in combat with Rangi and the others. "[The savior from the prophecy has arrived!]"

"Huh?"