I keep my gaze fixed on the Great Spirit.
Since the appearance of the beasts, the main body had begun showing itself.
This was because the conditions for the defensive mechanism's manifestation had been met.
Possessing the clone Yura was, in principle, something that mostly occurred when the main body could not act.
Therefore, this contradicted the current situation.
When I raised this point, the Great Spirit added a supplementary explanation.
"The main body is fighting elsewhere. Right now, I have split my consciousness to possess Yura."
Hearing this, I was genuinely impressed.
I thought it quite the skillful feat, but if anyone could manage such a thing, it would be her.
Satisfied with that answer, I steered the conversation back.
"You said there are no gods. What exactly did you mean by that?"
"It means precisely what it sounds like. The god that descended upon another continent is also a fake. In truth, it is most likely a beast from the outer world."
"As I suspected."
I had more or less anticipated this.
My detection magic had been tracking the entity calling itself a god.
That entity contained a special power within it.
The response was like holy aura, but it was unquestionably miasma.
In other words, the opponent was a beast.
It had simply disguised itself skillfully, acting as though it were a god.
That realization raised a question.
"The false god is killing its fellow beasts?"
"Yes. It seems to have shifted its strategy to earning humans' trust by using weaker beasts as examples."
"I see."
The great spirit's assessment followed a natural line of reasoning.
The beast faction was far from monolithic. They likely tolerated some losses, making a calculated choice for the long term. By framing the conflict as a clash between humans allied with a god and an evil demon lord, they sought to draw humanity into that very confrontation.
But why seek humans' trust and an alliance? To the beasts, humans were frail. It seemed unlikely they would want to ally with them at such cost.
If that were the case, the benefits of recruiting humanity were limited.
An insight struck me, and I murmured my conclusion.
"—They're after the world's will."
"That is probable. They must have understood the mechanism and sought to gather popular support to receive its backing."
I recalled my conversation with Gwen in the spiritual realm. The beasts in the outside world seemed to know of the world's will, hinting repeatedly that they had clashed with it. Considering my own power this time, they had likely decided to turn that very mechanism against itself.
I inquired about another point that had been nagging at me.
"How about the other defense mechanisms?"
"It seems they are currently only exterminating dangerous beasts. There is no sign they intend to interfere with the False God."
This was strangely passive.
I had expected them to respond immediately if they were defense mechanisms.
"Why is that?"
"Because the False God's target was explicitly stated as you alone. As it does not directly concern the continuation of the world, the annihilation obligation does not apply."
The Great Spirit's answer was utterly unacceptable.
Therefore, I pressed further with more questions.
"After I die, the beasts that gain power will become a threat to the world. Will you still remain idle then?"
"Most defense mechanisms have worn down their emotions over immense spans of time. Many consider themselves mere apparatus and are incapable of flexible action."
What the Great Spirit revealed was an acknowledgment of her own flaws.
Whatever her inner feelings, it certainly wasn't something to be pleased about.
Falling silent, I felt a trace of awkwardness as I confirmed.
"...So, in other words, I cannot count on the help of the other defense mechanisms."
"That is correct. You have no choice but to handle it with the Demon Lord Army's forces."
"Understood."
I nodded, gathering my thoughts.
I had a rough grasp of the overall situation.
In any case, the False God was the target that had to be defeated.
Judging by the magical sensing reaction, it was the strongest beast of all.
Having once proudly reigned at the pinnacle of humanity, he now raises the banner of demon lord slaying despite being an invader himself.
I don't know what he intends with my miasma, but it's sure to be nothing good.
I must stop him here.
The course of action is decided.
Now it's just a matter of moving when the time and situation are right.
The moment of decisive battle draws ever closer.