The Defense of Ireves (5)

Well, the monsters and humanity are fighting fiercely down below. I must say, good work. Let us make our elegant entrance from the sky, shall we?

"They seem so absorbed in the battle below that they haven't noticed us."

"Or maybe they just don't have the leisure to look up? They're too busy dealing with the enemies right in front of them."

"Yes. Under normal circumstances, they would also be wary of flying monsters."

If the soldiers had been keeping their usual watch, they would have been paying attention to the sky as well. And if the monster army had included a unit capable of flight, they would have been even more vigilant up there than usual. But that was all ifs and maybes; in reality, we could pass straight through. Naturally, we intended to take advantage of that.

"The destination... is coming into view."

What I pointed toward with my staff was a gleaming-white temple. Every wall of the temple was pure white, while the roof was painted a dull gold with very little luster. At various locations, including the pinnacle of the main sanctuary in the center of the grounds, symbols depicting a set of scales inside a ring modeled after the sun had been painted or carved.

This mark was the sacred seal of Aruru, the Goddess of Light and Order. In other words, this was a temple of Aruru, the Goddess of Light and Order, who was widely worshiped throughout the human cultural sphere of the Luxresia continent.

"Whoa! It's huge!"

"Oh-ho, as expected of WSS. I'm surprised religion is profitable even in a game."

Nanako openly marveled at the temple's size, while Mossan offered his characteristically twisted impression. Was this individuality...? No, it was simply a difference in personality. Yes, that was all.

"It's precisely because it's so large that it has meaning. Besides, something this big should be worth destroying, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah, you're right."

"Indeed."

Yes. My objective was to destroy this temple of Aruru, the Goddess of Light and Order. If you asked why I was doing such a thing—why I was planning an act of terrorism—the answer was simply that I disliked Aruru's methods.

The game world created in WSS was, in a sense, like another world. The goddesses were AIs that managed that entire world, but each of them had a personality, much like the gods of Greek mythology or Japan. That was interesting in itself, and it was precisely because of that that an ordinary nobody like me had been able to receive a blessing from Iefa-sama, the Goddess of Death and Chaos.

However, FSW was still a game. If that was the case, then the management AIs ought to show some consideration for the users. It was wrong that players couldn't even enter a city simply because their avatars were monsters. At the very least, I wanted them to stop treating us like Mobs.

That was why I intended to take advantage of the chaos of war to launch a surprise attack on this temple and destroy it, thereby declaring war on Aruru, the Goddess of Light and Order, who oppressed us monster players. That was half the reason, anyway. Frankly, the other half was that I had to cause a major incident, even if it meant ignoring the event itself, or I would never live up to Jigorou's expectations. I had to meet my companion's expectations, didn't I?

"According to Usuba's letter, the ordinary citizens have apparently evacuated to shelter-like buildings scattered throughout the city... the 'Guardian Towers.' The warrior priests capable of fighting and the priests who can use healing magic have all gathered at the city walls, so the temple's defenses are practically nonexistent. Let's blow it away as spectacularly as possible."

"...I hate to bring this up after we've come this far, but at the very least, we're going to be despised by the NPCs of this country."

"Regardless, we're being targeted all the same, aren't we? In that case, we might as well stop worrying about it and do whatever we please."

"Mossan, you speak politely, but the things you say are as extreme as ever. Seriously."

While we were discussing such trivial matters, we reached the airspace above the temple. All right, then. Time to drop in uninvited.

"Hmph!"

"Whaaaat!?"

I smashed a stained-glass window in the temple that seemed to depict Aruru, the Goddess of Light and Order. Nanako let out a shocked cry, but we were about to turn this place into a ruin, so why panic over something this minor?

"It'll have better ventilation now, won't it?"

"Quite. Then let us force our way inside."

"Haaah..."

The three of us entered the temple through the broken stained glass. My first impression upon entering was that it was luxurious. A plush red carpet covered the floor, and directly beneath the stained-glass window I had broken stood an altar lavishly inlaid with precious metals and jewels. The chairs for worshipers who presumably came to listen to sermons were made of sturdy wood and soft, pleasant fabric, while the stone pillars supporting the temple were decorated with intricate carvings.

Mossan wasn't wrong; this place really did seem to be making an enormous profit. Taken at face value, that meant Aruru, the Goddess of Light and Order, was deeply worshiped.

"There isn't anyone inside... It's empty. They're all out."

"Isn't that convenient? We can borrow anything useful—"

'What are you doing!'

"!?"

Just as I was thinking that we should look around and take a few things before destroying the place, the eyes of the largest stone statue in the temple began to emit a white light. At the same time, the statue suddenly began to speak! What on earth was going on!?

'How dare filthy monsters enter my temple with your shoes on! I can't believe this!'

"My temple...? I see. So you're Aruru, the Goddess of Light and Order."

This was a surprise. The one dwelling inside the stone statue appeared to be Aruru, the Goddess of Light and Order, herself. For the goddess to come here in person... That was entirely outside my expectations.

'You called me what!? That's unbelievably disrespectful... Wait! You're a player! And you're the one who killed my Hero!'

"Oh, come on. You only just realized I'm a player? Even though you're a management AI?"

'Ugh, shut up! The goddesses share the responsibility of managing player information... Wait! That's beside the point!'

Oh? So they divided the work among themselves. That was certainly a sensible choice, considering the enormous amount of information in this game. On the other hand, it seemed to have resulted in the drawback that none of them could keep track of every player. Still, what a remarkably human-like goddess.

'Get out of my temple right now! Just because you're a player doesn't mean monsters are allowed in here!'

"That is not an option, Aruru. And since this is a good opportunity, let me say this: stop excluding monster players simply because they are monsters. Otherwise, I will destroy this temple."

'Wha—!?'

While waiting for Aruru's reply, I considered how things had come to this. During this event, many players had been wondering the same thing: Why didn't the goddesses descend—or otherwise help the NPCs?

The official setting provided an answer. It stated that the goddesses would not descend in person unless the world itself was in danger. Even if an incident occurred, if the gods stepped in and solved everything themselves, people would never have the chance to progress or grow.

Even in the emergency of a city being attacked, the goddesses had done no more than send players to help. In the first place, both humanity and the monsters had been created by the gods, and this was merely a quarrel between beings who lived in the world. So even dispatching players could ordinarily be considered exceptional assistance.

Why had one of those gods appeared, then? Most likely because this was her temple. Since it was her own domain, she had been able to descend into the mortal world (?) where interference was forbidden.

'Wha—w-whaaat!? What are you saying!? Are you threatening me!?'

"Yes, I am. Let me say it one more time: stop the unjust discrimination against monster players. Otherwise—"

'I've had enough! Don't get carried away just because you're a player! Go, White Light Virtue!'

Rather than accept my demand, Aruru seemed to fly into a rage. The light from her stone statue grew stronger, and an intense, eye-searing radiance poured in through the broken stained glass from above. It lasted only an instant, but by the time it faded, something new had appeared inside the temple.

It was a humanoid being with two pairs of white wings—four wings in all—on its back, its entire body clad in divine golden armor and a helmet, and wielding a sword of the same gleaming gold in each hand. Yes, that was definitely an angel. Had Aruru actually summoned an angel!?

'This isn't a sacred domain, so this is the limit of what I can summon. But it's more than enough to beat you!'

"White Light Virtue... When you say Virtue, do you mean a fifth-order, mid-ranking angel?"

"Mossan, you know about this?"

"I once played another game based on angels. That's the only reason I know."

A mid-ranking angel, huh? So its level wasn't far from mine? In any case, 【Appraisal】!

――――――――――

Race: White Light Power Angel Lv49

Job: Power Angel Lv9

Skill: 【Wing Strike】

【Dual Swordsmanship】

【Armor Technique】

【Vitality Enhancement】

【Strength Enhancement】

【Defense Enhancement】

【Intelligence Enhancement】

【Holy Magic】

【Void Magic】

【Healing Magic】

【Flight】

【Light Attribute Immunity】

【Dark Attribute Vulnerability】

――――――――――

Whoa, it's strong. Strong in the ordinary sense of the word. The two Skills worth noting were definitely 【Dual Swordsmanship】 and 【Light Attribute Immunity】. I believed 【Dual Swordsmanship】 was an evolution of 【Swordsmanship】 that Touro would be able to use if she continued developing her Skill steadily. Judging from the way she fought, it must allow for incredibly aggressive movements. I would have to keep that in mind.

Then there was the other Skill, 【Light Attribute Immunity】. As one would expect of an angel serving a god of light, it seemed to be immune to light-attribute attacks. I could actually use 【Holy Magic】 myself, but I would have to make sure not to use it carelessly.

However, that didn't mean it had no weaknesses. There was, of course, 【Dark Attribute Vulnerability】. That was my strongest attribute, and its power had been boosted by the power of the 'Book of Darkness.' This was not an opponent I was incapable of defeating.

'Hmph! You're so terrified of my angel that you've gone speechless! Even if you begged me to forgive you, I wouldn't! This temple is surrounded by a barrier, so I won't let you escape!'

"Base Teleport... I can't use it. And Black Field... I can't use that either. Just as the goddess said, it seems our escape routes are gone."

I tried using Base Teleport just to see whether it would work. But, as Aruru had said, it seemed I couldn't use 【Space-Time Magic】 to get outside from here. We had truly been trapped.

Moreover, I couldn't use Black Field, the 【Dark Magic】 spell that strengthened my companions. It was certainly unsuited to a temple's domain, so in a way, that was only to be expected.

"...It can't be helped. I'm afraid the two of you will have to help me with this."

"Got it. Can't be helped, so let's do this!"

"Hunting an angel, huh? This must be a first for FSW. I'm actually looking forward to it."

The original plan had been for the two of them to split off from me at this point. They were supposed to join the Team Pilferers named by Shiitake, then loot equipment suitable for them.

However, if we couldn't escape, we had no choice but to fight and defeat it. Fortunately, neither of them was so weak-willed that they would complain merely because something outside the plan had happened. If they were, they wouldn't have made it this far as monster players in a game that was so unfriendly to beginners.

"Mossan and the summoned creatures will hold the frontline. I'll quickly apply 【Enhancement Magic】."

"Understood."

"Of course. Leave the supporting fire to me!"

The price for the plan going so smoothly had come due at the very end. But I couldn't accept a situation where only my own objective, despite being the one who had invited everyone along, went unfulfilled. I would absolutely defeat this thing and destroy the temple too!