Keller's abilities were omnipotent.
"External Sense" was an organ that could interfere with any existence and physically move it, while simultaneously serving as a sensory organ that received information. Its power spread freely—even interfering within dreams—and was one form of omniscience and omnipotence. At his peak, Keller could perceive a target hundreds of kilometers away and annihilate it with pinpoint precision.
Once he had become proficient enough with his abilities, there was nothing he couldn't do.
But even to Keller, the current situation was incomprehensible.
No—he understood. Upon reconfirming it this way, Klye Andrich was the very embodiment of incompetence.
He had absorbed almost no Mana Material and possessed no power that could harm Keller. His words were frivolous, devoid of any strong will, and from that coy expression, nothing meaningful came across. The man had no strategy, and all his External Sense could detect was a lukewarm resignation.
That was precisely why he couldn't understand.
How such an extraordinarily dull hero could produce the unexpected, over and over again.
At the instant he launched his attack, lightning struck. And from within it—something emerged.
A phantom. Not one created by the Source Temple. A phantom.
But this phantom was draped in a scent similar to what Keller's followers wore.
"Divine aura... The kin of a different god, then... Interesting."
Keller had once triumphed in every battle, ultimately slaying even a god, and had himself become a being called a god.
Strength was the most valued quality among the group of Mask Gods, with Keller at their apex.
The Mourning Specter was powerful, but still far from matching Keller. He hadn't fought the kin of another god in a long time, but god's kin would serve as just the right warm-up for his return to the mortal world.
He didn't know why they had appeared here, but if Keller were to claim supremacy in the mortal world, the greatest obstacle would undoubtedly be another god.
He manipulated his divine organ and cleared away the dust and debris.
Standing there were the god's kin—a fox incarnation, and the man supporting it.
He hadn't held back. The attack, launched with every free domain of his abilities, was powerful enough to kill tens of thousands of weak humans with ease.
Even against a god's kin, it was a blow that could kill if taken unguarded.
"Wh... what... just what...?"
The fox incarnation let out a dazed voice.
The fox incarnation was battered. Its face, its body—scraped away, revealing red beneath.
But it was far from dissipating.
What Keller's blow had scraped away was only the surface. The gouged surface recovered in an instant, returning to normal.
A fox mask. White robes. And a white tail extending from its hindquarters.
Keller perceived everything that had happened.
A barrier. The powerful barrier that Klye had deployed had reduced the damage.
Since he still couldn't feel any power from the man himself, he likely possessed a Treasure Weapon that could deploy barriers. The activation of that ability had already been confirmed when Keller had crushed the tree house Klye had been peeking out of.
Nothing could escape observation through External Sense.
A barrier that protected an extremely narrow range. The range was probably just Klye Andrich himself and whatever he was touching.
The reason the fox incarnation had taken even slight damage was that at the instant the attack reached it, the fox incarnation hadn't yet been within the barrier's range.
When it took the hit and stepped back one pace, it had touched Klye and entered the barrier's protective range—so the remainder of the attack hadn't gotten through.
The barrier's strength was immense. It likely achieved the power to deflect even a god's blow at the cost of duration and a narrow range.
But either way, it couldn't be used that many times.
Keller concentrated the power he had been dispersing to stop Klye's companions.
He didn't know what relationship existed between the fox incarnation and that man. If they stood before Keller, he would simply destroy them.
--- The field was filled with the tense atmosphere unique to a battlefield. The buildings that had been around were already obliterated by the aftershock of Keller's attack. The only ones still maintaining any semblance of form, aside from me and Little Fox, were Mimi-kun.
Keller showed not a trace of agitation even after his attack had been blocked. He looked at me (and Little Fox standing in front of me) and spoke in a dark voice.
"From the start, I should have chosen hostility. Had I never proposed a contract, this tiresome bother would never have arisen. The incompetent are unnecessary. For you, death is the greatest means of demonstrating loyalty to me, Keller."
What a terrible thing to say. Well, there was no denying that I was incompetent, but death as a means of showing loyalty... what had I ever done?
...Ah, was the problem that I hadn't done anything at all?!
Little Fox was silent. She'd just landed on the ground and been attacked without warning—couldn't be helped.
I'd touched her the instant the attack hit, so I think she barely made it into the Barrier Ring's range—but well, I also think it was pretty awful of you to show up so suddenly.
When I let go of the hand I'd been using to support her, Little Fox staggered but managed to stand on two legs. Keller looked at Little Fox and snorted.
"To use a beast's divinity... Amusing. The most amusing of all your actions, Klye Andrich."
What is this god talking about... Use? What does that mean?
And, uh, you were watching, right? This girl fell from the sky together with the lightning! And the lightning struck me! Without the Barrier Ring, I'd be dead! What kind of stage direction is that!
But at those words—the Little Fox, who had been silent until then, reacted.
"Huh? Use... ? Kikankun used... us?"
An irritable voice. And there was power behind that voice.
The supple tail extending from her hindquarters bristled.
There were—two of them. A large tail and a small tail. Flickers of flame began to float around Little Fox.
When we'd met before, I was pretty sure she only had one tail... maybe she'd grown.
Little Fox glared at Keller and spat out her words.
"Launching a sudden attack like that is terribly rude! I... I only came to collect Kikankun's smartphone from the terribly, terribly rude person who keeps sending nothing but rude messages!"
"!? We're... friends, aren't we? I was just casually texting because I thought we were friends..."
Well, there was also the fact that I only knew Little Fox and Brother Fox's contact info.
The last call had admittedly been a bit rude of me. But there was no malice in it... if someone asked whether I'd do something like that without malice, I'd have no choice but to bow my head and apologize.
Little Fox slapped the ground with her long tail and declared loudly.
"You are rude, but I will not let you benefit Kikankun any further!"
"But come on, I did put up a barrier for you..."
"It didn't make it in time! Look at how my surface turned out."
When Little Fox turned toward me, her surface crumbled grotesquely. Pretty disgusting.
Seriously... but you really can do all sorts of things, can't you?
She quickly restored her original face, and Little Fox spoke.
"Once I collect the smartphone, I'm leaving immediately! Kikankun, where's the smartphone?"
"Over there."
"!?"
I pointed toward Keller. Unfortunately, the smartphone was still in Keller's possession. I'd really prefer not to have it confiscated either, but setting that aside, even if I asked him to return it, he wouldn't.
Little Fox was stunned for a moment, then immediately faced Keller.
Two phantoms with terrifying abilities. But even if they were both phantoms born from Treasure Halls of equal rank, one was a god's phantom and the other was the kin of a god's phantom. Surely there was a difference in power—but— Little Fox extended her hand and spoke quietly.
"...Give it back. God of the mortal world. For now, I have no intention of harming you."
Keller lifted the smartphone he was holding and stared at it.
Then, for some reason, he let out a suppressed laugh.
"Heh heh... This is... poorly made. Its power level is clear. It was just right for a poorly made human, I suppose."
"Excuse me!?"
Keller tucked the object back into his garments and spoke in a tone that made no effort to hide his contempt.
"If there is something you desire, try taking it by force. Now that you've gained some power, you pathetic youkai."
"Truly! Rude! After Kikankun, the rudest!"
What do you mean I was rude... but if Little Fox didn't win here, I'd have no future.
On impulse, I flattered Little Fox.
"If you win, I'll give you Inari sushi, so do your best!"
"You always do that!!"
Little Fox's larger tail suddenly extended. It closed in on Keller with irregular, whip-like movements.
At the last possible moment before impact, Keller leaped high into the air. The tail, having missed its target, lightly shattered the ground and swung wide in the direction Keller had dodged.
Simultaneously, the flames that had been floating around were fired toward Keller. This was actually the first time I'd seen Little Fox fight.
"...You weren't just a fried tofu lover, were you?"
"!? Guh!!"
The tail persistently pursued Keller as he flew through the air. An incredibly convenient tail. Could Lucia's tail do the same things?
But Keller had completely read the high-speed tail. Neither the one approaching from behind, nor the barrage of strikes lashed out in every direction, nor the flames dancing through the air—not a single one connected.
Keller landed on the ground. The tail, swung down from above, stopped just before hitting something. Little Fox's shoulder twitched.
"Is this all...? In the end, you're just a two-tailed. Now it's my turn. I know your weakness."
The ground peeled upward. Chunks of earth floated up and changed shape like clay.
What was formed was—a gun. A sleek, long-barreled hunting rifle.
A mere gun wouldn't work on a phantom of Little Fox's caliber. But Little Fox trembled at the sight of the weapon.
Keller raised the hunting rifle with practiced ease. A single-shot hunting rifle that wouldn't even have enough power against a mere magical beast.
"Lead bullets that make beast incarnations tremble. You no longer need your mask. Cast off your bones—I'll have your pelt made into a coat."
"How rude... Keller, you're far ruder than I am! Way too rude! Lead bullets can't possibly work on Little Fox, right!? Besides, Little Fox doesn't even have a pelt!!"
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!"
Little Fox growled, and at the same moment, Keller fired.
A short gunshot. Little Fox's extended tail snapped back in an instant to intercept the lead bullet.
A Phantom from a Level 10 Treasure Hall should have been unharmed even taking it head-on, but perhaps as a precaution? Before my eyes—which had by now shifted mostly to spectator mode—blood splattered.
"Huh?"
A small sound of anguish escaped Little Fox.
The tail that had deflected the bullet had a red stain on it. The crimson spread visibly across what had been snow-white just moments ago.
The flames she'd been floating had also vanished at some point.
Impossible. Little Fox's tail was hard enough to shatter the ground. A lead bullet that wouldn't even have enough power against run-of-the-magical beasts shouldn't have gotten through.
Keller raised the gun again. Not only did he have strange abilities, but he was also skilled with weapons... though he really didn't seem very god-like.
"I'll admit I exploited your weakness, but to be stopped by such a minor wound—you lack battle experience. Disappear."
This was bad. At this rate, Little Fox was going to be taken out. Time to reset.
I rushed in front of Little Fox. If Little Fox was taken out, things would really go south.
"Time out! Stop! Time! Let's take a little break!"
Keller's gaze turned toward me for a moment, and he clicked his tongue.
"...Tch. Got away, did she... To vanish from my perception range in an instant—she's not a beast to let your guard down around."
I looked behind me. Little Fox, who should have been crouching there, was nowhere to be seen.
I'd only taken my eyes off Little Fox for a split second, and in that time, she'd apparently fled.
And Keller had apparently decided to ignore me from now on. Being noticed was a problem, but being ignored was its own kind of lonely.
But Little Fox... if she could escape, there was no need for me to shield her in the first place. Good grief, how embarrassing.
I let out a big sigh and dusted off my shoulders. I flashed a hardboiled grin at Keller, who was slinging the hunting rifle over his shoulder.
"Good work. This should be the end of everything now. See ya."
"Don't move!!"
I turned around naturally and tried to leave, but my body had been immobilized in an instant.
Something invisible was pinning me down. A restraint attack that dealt no damage was one of the few attacks the Barrier Ring couldn't counter.
I'd thought I might be able to slip away by atmosphere alone since he'd decided to ignore me, but he wasn't that easy an opponent.
I took a deep breath. Little Fox had escaped somewhere. There was no sign of the Mourning Specter or Selen and the others arriving. The only thing I could do now was... grovel, probably. Stall for time after that...? Truly, nothing good.
For the time being, since my body was locked in place, I just turned my head to face Keller and flashed a grin.
"You'd better stop. Unless you want to see my power (prostrating) that once drove back a god."
"What a pointless bluff, Klye Andrich. My External Sense sees through everything. You are thoroughly, completely devoid of power. You're so empty it's unbelievable. There was never anyone this incompetent even in my era."
What a terrible thing to say. Well, I'd sort of sensed as much. I'm weak—couldn't you at least cut me some slack?
A few meters away, Mimi-kun was trembling. If only I could evacuate in there, but my legs wouldn't move a single step. I was done for.
For an instant the restraint was released, and the Barrier Ring activated. It seemed I'd been attacked. But there was nowhere near enough time to run to Mimi-kun.
While this was happening, the Barrier Ring activated again. A second time, a third time—I couldn't see the attacks. I had no idea what was going on, but I was currently being attacked!!
Moreover, it wasn't random or indiscriminate—the attacks were carefully timed to the barrier's duration, using minimal force to wear down the Barrier Ring.
My life was being chipped away, little by little. There was nothing I could do anymore. If I'd known it would come to this, I should have at least worn "Perfect Vacation." Damn it—if only I'd gotten it back from Selen!!
Keller whispered a threat in a soft voice.
"Ending? No—this is a beginning. Killing you would bring me no pride whatsoever—but at least you may serve as a cornerstone for my reign."
I couldn't say anything more. The level of contempt was staggering.
At least let me prostrate—let me prostrate! At this rate, I was going to die without having done anything, becoming someone who died in a way no one would understand!
Actually, wait—would serving as a cornerstone for his reign be a pretty impressive achievement?
As I floundered in confusion in this hopeless situation, a voice reached me from somewhere.
*'No, it's over, you ancient god newly manifested upon this star. As that human with no sense of crisis over there says—this is the end. We do not desire battle, but when lead bullets are pointed at us, we cannot simply look the other way.'* "What!?"
The attacks stopped. Keller, who had been at close range, glided backward through the air to put distance between them.
Even freed from the restraint, I couldn't move.
A wondrous voice that carried clearly even through the pounding rain. A voice I recognized. Could this voice be— Flames began to flicker around me once more, one by one. Their number dwarfed what Little Fox had summoned.
*'Good grief—to think I'd come to retrieve a smartphone only to be used yet again. And to be shielded, no less—this is the greatest humiliation since the Lost Haven was born.'* *'...I wasn't shielded. Even without Kikankun there, it wouldn't have changed much.'* *'And furthermore, you were protected by a barrier.'* *'It didn't make it in time!'* The flames wavered and, rising like figures taking shape, Phantoms appeared.
Phantoms wearing fox masks. The legendary Treasure Hall that traverses the entire world. The residents of the Lost Haven. And not just one or two of them.
Countless Phantoms, lined up in formation.
Walking through the gap between their parted ranks was the tall phantom I had once met and conversed with at the Lost Haven—Brother Fox. At his side was Little Fox, who had fled earlier.
Brother Fox spoke as if admonishing.
"The problem is—that you were shielded. You understand, don't you? Our rules. We are not human. A debt of protection must be repaid with a debt of protection. We deceive all things, but we cannot deceive ourselves."
"..."
Little Fox lowered her eyes dejectedly. I mean, she had shielded him... but was that actually a problem?
...I should probably step in and smooth things over. Little Fox had looked after me, after all.
"I object! I didn't shield anyone! I didn't protect anyone with my barrier! Little Fox isn't that weak!"
"Kikankun, be quiet."
"Ah, yes ma'am."
A voice completely cold compared to what had been directed at me.
I quietly backed away so as not to get in the way.
Before the large group of kin from another god that had appeared, Keller spoke with a hint of bewilderment.
"Impossible... External Sense... detected nothing. There should be nothing here."
"You can sense that much, can you? I was watching from above. External Sense... a terrifying ability, not one I'd expect from a former human."
Brother Fox tucked his hands into his sleeves, nodded, and said with admiration.
"An ancient god born at the center of the world. Perhaps you were once stronger than even we."
Keller swept his arms wide and clenched his fists.
Space warped, and Brother Fox along with all the Lost Haven Phantoms lined up were crushed flat as if pressed by something immense.
But Brother Fox's voice didn't stop. Crushed flat, it continued to speak.
"If your power is an invisible organ—then my mother's power is a lie that deceives the stars. Your words are correct. There is nothing here. But this world—this world believes we exist here."
Flames rose from where Brother Fox had been and moved. The crushed Phantoms transformed into fire.
No—those were paths. Roads outlined in flame. They stretched upward, toward the sky blanketed in black clouds.
Standing rigid, Keller heard Brother Fox's voice.
"The stage is set. Today, Mother is in a foul mood because her daughter was toyed with by humans again. At this rate, she might devour someone to vent her frustration. Entertain us, god of the mortal world."
My body, my soul—trembling with the presence of the one about to descend here.
It seemed "they" had come in full force from the Treasure Hall. They were probably inside those black clouds.
I suddenly recalled something Selen had once said.
"Those who can halt calamity, wreathed in storm and lightning, shall arrive..."
Keller showed no sign of fleeing. Even behind his mask, it was clear.
Keller was—smiling. He intended to fight.
The Mask God versus the Fox God.
I had absolutely no idea which was stronger, but there was one thing I understood.
I was no longer needed.
I crept up to Mimi-kun, who was trembling nearby, and slipped inside without hesitation.