[V8EX3] Great God

There was a man running through the dense forest. He appeared to be young with short black hair, wearing a black robe adorned with decorative cords.

Exhausted, the man leaned against a nearby tree to catch his breath. During this short break, he was approached by a black cat with odd eyes, one blue, one green.

The man crouched down, picked up the black cat, and muttered with a wry smile.

“Why are you here, Nero? You really wanted to tag along?”

The cat simply gave a soft meow in response. The man stroked the black cat’s fur and held it securely in his arms.

“Make sure you stay quiet. She won’t spare even a cute little cat like you.”

At that moment, a rustling came from a nearby thicket. The man chanted rapidly under his breath.

Something thin shot out from the thicket. It looked like a slender snake, but this was a rose vine, armed with sharp thorns——five of them.

Without uttering a word of surprise at this attack, the man completed his incantation and directed his fingertips toward the rose vines.

A small flame ignited at the tip of the man’s fingers. It was a flame of minimal size, tinged with a slight purplish-black hue.

“Incinerate them.”

The black flame expanded despite the lack of a breeze, becoming big enough to consume all the rose vines, leaving not a trace of them behind.

These vines possessed the ability to regenerate if severed. However, anything burned by these black flames simply crumbled to dust, consumed by the darkness.

From the same direction as the rose vines, there came footsteps crunching on dried leaves. Although the sound was the light steps of a dainty lady, it carried a chilling pressure.

Eventually, a woman clad in a pitch-black dress emerged through the gaps in the trees.

She had vivid curls the color of crimson roses, and eyes reflecting the vibrant greenery of the deep forest. Yet her terrifyingly perfect face bore a disdainful smirk that looked down upon everything before her.

Even that wicked smile was overwhelmingly beautiful. This was a woman so intense and distinct that once seen, she could never be forgotten.

“Yo, Thorn Witch. Still as beautiful as ever I see,” the man teased.

Without responding to the man’s jest, the enchanting beauty——the Thorn Witch——looked down at the rose vines burning to the man’s black flames.

Her vivid crimson lips added a melodic rhythm as she spoke.

“Black… I like black. But I hate you and that ugly cat of yours.”

“What? Nero here is the cutest creature ever.”

At his claim, the black cat in his arms meowed indifferently. Such a nonchalant attitude also made it, in the man’s opinion, the cutest.

While making light banter, the man shifted his awareness to his surroundings. The Rose Fortress of the Thorn Witch already covered the entire region. At this rate, there would likely be rose soldiers or dragons lying in wait even if he were to escape the forest.

“Hey, we’re fellow black flame users, right? Let me go.” the man pleaded, asking to be ‘let go’ rather than ‘spared’.

Currently, the man’s village was under attack by the temple’s holy knights, who had labeled them as heretics and would never accept their faith.

The temple intended to thoroughly annihilate them. The clock was ticking, and he had little time left.

Fortunately, the witch before him was no agent of the temple. Her serving the temple was less imaginable than the world suddenly turning upside down. She was so powerful that even the king meant nothing to her.

“It wasn’t only the holy knights attacking us. They brought mages of the Lethe faction who sided with the temple,” he explained.

“I know. There’s no path to survival for the Kujura Tribe,” the Thorn Witch responded.

The temple had allied with a major school of mages called the Lethe faction, and they were determined to annihilate both the Kujura Tribe and the so-called ‘God’ they worshiped.

Despite boasting many elite mages, the Kujura Tribe had only around five hundred people, including non-combatants. They stood no chance against the overwhelming forces of the temple, which numbered in the tens of thousands. Sooner or later, the Kujura Tribe was doomed to complete annihilation.

“That’s why I gotta visit God.”

For the Kujura Tribe, the black flame was believed to be a power borrowed from God.

Therefore, when a black flame user was born among the Kujura Tribe, that individual was to rule as the representative of God. Then, at the moment of their death, they would offer themselves to God and return the black flame.

“I gotta return the black flame to Him.”

“What utter nonsense.”

The Thorn Witch scoffed and waved her slender fingers. The rose vines lurking nearby all moved simultaneously, as if that gesture had infused them with life.

“I’d rather take you for myself than give you to that so-called god,” she continued.

“I thought you hated me though?”

As the man grinned mockingly, the Thorn Witch’s beautiful face twisted into a wicked smile.

“Indeed I do. So, I’ll turn you into a bed of roses. Your mana will surely bloom a lovely set of black ones.”

“I’ll pass on that. This body belongs to God. You can’t have it.”

The man shrugged, maintaining a light tone.

Despite bracing for his imminent death, he didn’t want to lose composure in front of this woman. If he was to remain in the corners of her memory, he preferred to be the same as always.

“Sorry, but I’ll be passing through whether you like it or not, Thorn Witch.”

The expression vanished from the Thorn Witch’s face, and her emerald eyes glowed eerily. The most powerful and wicked witch in all of Ridill began singing in a melodic tone.

“Young men are fertilizer for my flowers, young women are my cosmetics, and everything else is dog food… Now, let the slaughter begin.”

＊　＊　＊

On a sunlit rock at the summit of a certain mountain, He lay there sprawled. Although the mountain had little greenery, the area around Him was abundant in mana, as evidenced by the spirits of wind or fire constantly floating nearby.

Spirits were merely clusters of mana. The weaker ones appeared as particles of light, which might burst and disappear if startled by His mighty yawns. Then, they would reappear a bit further away with a slight sparkle.

Lying there surrounded by spirits was the entity known as ‘God’ to the people below.

The concept of ‘God’ remained unclear to Him, but according to the occasional visitor, ‘God’ was an incredibly important and distinguished entity.

Would that human come today, the sprawled figure wondered while stifling another yawn.

‘That human’ being the black-haired individual often seen holding a black cat, who seemed to be the leader of the tribe living at the foot of the mountain. The human had introduced himself several times, but his name was too long to remember.

The man often begged, “Please remember my name already, God,” but since the only human who visited this mountain was him, the figure thought it was fine to simply refer to him as “Human”.

The man always referred to Him as “God,” but he neither feared nor respected Him much.

Although the man supposedly climbed the mountain for the purpose of prayer, the figure had never seen him actually praying. Usually, he would bring the cat and chat about trivial matters, then leave.

For example, he told stories about a woman who wielded the same black flames as himself, or how he loved mathematics and admired foreign mathematicians, or the assertion that cats were the cutest creatures in existence.

Even these trivial stories were not wholly unenjoyable. Thus, He awaited the arrival of the human while napping through another day.

——”Human, cat.”

——”Scent, blood.”

——”Human, approach.”

The spirits began whispering quietly to each other. Their fragmented thoughts proved that they were only slightly more advanced than lesser spirits.

Feeling something ominous in those whispers, He slowly rose and squinted His eyes. With a range of vision far exceeding any human, He spotted a figure walking on blood-soaked legs: that human.

His position was around halfway up the mountain. Given his feeble pace, he wouldn’t reach the summit anytime soon. Thus, He spread His wings and leapt into the air, reaching the human in no time via flight.

The human below looked up with wide gray eyes as He descended slowly from the sky. His face, though enduring severe pain, was colored with surprise. However, he soon covered that up with a smile.

“Never thought God would ever come to see me. Saved me there. That witch, seems she laced her thorns with poison… Man, it’s tough being a popular guy.”

Despite his visible injuries, his tone remained as frivolous as ever.

The man slowly exhaled and gently stroked the entity he held in his arms. It was the black cat he always carried. Its front paws were soaked in blood, and it lay limp and unmoving.

“They always say cats have no loyalty, but this one stayed with me until the end. What a dumbass. I tried to let him go, but he came right back… You’re the best partner I could ask for, Nero.”

He laughed as if exhaling a sigh and, still holding the cat, collapsed on the spot.

The man was covered in wounds all over, especially his legs which seemed to have been the primary target. His torn and tattered boots were entwined with something that looked like plant vines.

Covered in wounds and poisoned, the man expended his last ounce of strength to turn over and lay on his back, looking proudly up at his God.

“God… I came to return the black flame. Eat me, will you?”

＊　＊　＊

(At long last, I’m freed from the duties of my clan.)

The man closed his eyes, finally at peace.

Since being born as a black flame user, his life had been filled with constraints.

How many times had he dreamed of a future traveling freely with his cat partner, drinking and exchanging silly stories with that fearsome and beautiful witch?

Even so, he couldn’t abandon the Kujura Tribe——he couldn’t abandon his faith.

(Everything is starting to get blurry.)

The sky above was a pale aqua, and as if blocking that screen of blue, the large black body of God appeared.

God opened His huge maw, and an inhuman voice shook the air.

——”Is that your desire?”

Desire… Desire…? What was his true desire?

Returning the black flame to God? No, that was his duty, not a desire.

The man thought about his small partner in his arms and mumbled vaguely.

“…I want to become a cat, one that is free from all binds. You know, God, cats are the cutest and strongest creatures… ever…”

With those words as the last, the man’s consciousness faded to black.

＊　＊　＊

The Thorn Witch observed the tip of one of her vines.

The black flames that had been devouring them at a speed surpassing their regenerative power disappeared like the flame of a blown-out candle, silently and unceremoniously.

The purplish-black fire had been the black flames summoned by that man. Understanding the meaning of their disappearance, the Thorn Witch bit her red lips.

“…What a foolish man.”

The Thorn Witch shifted her gaze forward to find a group approaching her. Their robes were familiar to her: the mages of the Lethe faction allied with the temple.

The middle-aged mage leading the group noticed her and paused his march.

“Excuse me, I take it you are the Thorn Witch. Would you permit us a question?”

She turned to them without a word, and the middle-aged mage continued speaking.

“We are acting under the Pope’s orders, on a mission to eliminate the heretics. Have you seen any surviving heretics around here? There is one capable of using the same black flames as yourself.”

The Thorn Witch glanced over the mages with an expressionless face, before raising her right hand. The nearby vines gathered to surround the mages and prevent all escape.

“Thorn Witch-sama?! What in the world are you——!?”

The mages of the Lethe faction went pale as the Thorn Witch put on a bewitching smile. With one wave of her slender fingertips, the rose vines promptly entwined them.

Though a few of the more skilled ones tried to retaliate with offensive magic like flaming spears and ice arrows, everything was blocked by the wall of vines. The only flames capable of burning these vines to ashes were the black flames of that man.

Amidst the violent screams, the Thorn Witch murmured in a chilling, song-like voice.

“I want red roses to dedicate to that man. Suck their blood and dye the roses a vivid red.”

The rose vines constricted the mages, absorbing their blood and mana to dye the white roses with the color of fresh blood.

“Devour them, Rose Fortress. Bloom with their lives as your nourishment.”

The dying mages cursed the master of the Rose Fortress with their last breaths: What had they done to deserve such a cruel fate? Smite the sinful witch hindering their sacred duty. Surely, God’s judgment will descend upon her after this.

In response, however, the Thorn Witch only smirked in condescending mockery.

“You took him from me. Now you must pay the price.”

“You dare to make enemies of the temple!? I-If you back down now, I can put in a good word with the High Priest…”

The Thorn Witch laughed heartily at the mage’s words.

Indeed, if their blood-drained corpses were discovered, anyone would suspect the Thorn Witch’s doing.

With the sound of her laughter still echoing in the background, the Thorn Witch began a chant.

In all of Ridill, there was now only one practitioner who could invoke the magic of black flames.

“You will leave no bodies.”

Balls of black flame rose around the vines. Unlike the black flames of that man, these had a slight reddish tint, tinged with the color of congealed blood. The sparks they scattered resembled the petals of black roses.

“It will be recorded in history like this: The mages of the Lethe faction who raided Kujura were burned to ashes by the black flames of Kujura’s leader… Now, let the slaughter begin.”

Her enchanting lips announced their fate as if singing.

＊　＊　＊

There was a man walking the mountain path alone. He appeared to be young, with black hair and golden eyes, dressed in a black robe.

For some reason, he descended the mountain with unsteady steps, as if walking for the first time in his life.

“Walking with a human body is pretty tough.”

The man muttered to himself, practicing his vocalizations.

“Hmm, doesn’t feel quite right. After all, God is super important… Yeah, that’s right. I’m God.”

The man squatted down as if exhausted. Suddenly, his figure was enveloped in black mist, which contracted tightly to take the form of a cat.

By the time the black mist cleared, the man had disappeared, leaving only a black cat with golden eyes. The cat wiggled its tail from side to side and murmured with satisfaction.

“I see, so this is the cutest creature in existence. I was already the strongest and now I’m the cutest too. Feels like I’m unbeatable now. Nyahaha.”

After letting out a triumphant meow, the black cat started walking on all fours. This form made it much easier to walk than the human one.

“Now, where to go? Not that I really care. The west seems pretty noisy, so maybe I’ll head east.”

While muttering to himself, the nameless God descended the mountain.

I hope I find someone as interesting as that human again, he thought in the back of his mind.

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