Chapter 176
"There are devil worshippers around here?!"
Whistle exclaimed in shock.
She stood still for a moment with her eyes closed, then tilted her head quizzically.
"I'm not sure. Even with my celestial eye I can't see any devil worshippers."
Whistle had recovered about half of the power of the sky.
Yet, even with her strength, she failed to find the group of devil worshippers right below the territory of Traverse.
At that, Luca stroked his chin and said,
"They said they created a devil idol using a lower god's divine relic."
"!"
At Luca's words, Whistle's eyes shot open.
"What a profane act! Even if it's a lower god, that artifact must once have belonged to a god who sacrificed himself to protect humans... Ah! So that's why! By using the corrupted god's blessing..."
When Whistle started to spill TMI, Luca's eyes seemed to lose focus for a moment.
After several seconds of extra information, Whistle finally got to the point.
"That's why beings sensitive to devilish power like me can't sense it at all!"
"... So that's why even Heaven's Door couldn't find it."
"A woman blessed by that god definitely wouldn't be able to find it either. I wonder how many places like this exist on the continent... But master, how did you find them?"
Whistle asked, tilting her head as if truly perplexed.
Without expression, Luca pulled out his phone and waved it.
"Well... It's something containing the power of a god that the master checks from time to time... But even with divine power, it shouldn't be possible to locate devil worshippers whom even I couldn't find..."
Whistle was the only one on the continent who could see Luca's phone.
It was assumed she had some experience related to gods in her previous life.
'As I thought. Revealing this sort of information must require a huge amount of what's called divine power.'
Even simple searches were restricted by subscription, and one had to complete hints to obtain information.
But this Treasure Hunt allowed one to see all the secrets hidden in the desired area and gave a free pass to fully reveal one.
The reward for the likability MAX quest was on another level.
'It's good for me, but is this really all right?'
Luca glanced at his phone and put it away in his pocket as he spoke.
"Anyway, I've found their location, but can Ottbo and I take care of them alone or not? That's the question."
"They don't know you're coming, do they?"
"Does it make a difference?"
At Luca's question, Whistle flapped her wings.
"If they're really devil worshippers, and you ambush them with enough prep time, master, you'll definitely win."
"Definitely?"
"The idol was made from a lower god, not a higher one. Then it's certain."
Whistle sounded brimming with confidence.
Luca slowly licked his lips.
'The risk level is 7, and Whistle says 'definitely.' If the information search rating and risk are similar, then risk 7 is just below Shadow Over the Academy... It won't be easy.'
He thought about it a long time.
But he was itching to test his own strength with this opportunity.
'Right now, there's the masked swordsman W right nearby, and the new headmaster is a bit more relaxed thanks to the vacation period.'
It wasn't a surprise encounter, but an ambush using advanced information about the enemy.
Plus, the environment allowed for sufficient support.
It was a perfect chance to test his power.
"What exactly does 'enough prep' mean?"
Luca looked to Whistle. Whistle waved her beak slightly.
"It's a shame there's no 'wind,' but 'downpour' will be enough to wash away those dirty things."
The endlessly pouring rain would purify evil.
* * *
A perfectly clear day with not a cloud in the sky.
Just the right amount of sunlight—vital for the farmers of Hebro Viscount's territory to live without want.
― Power of the Clouds
Chchch—
Suddenly, in the clear sky, clouds began to bloom.
Storm clouds gradually stretched out, covering the area around the storage barns in the fields.
The first to react to the threatening change were the birds.
Tweet tweet tweet!
Birds pecking at grains on the ground scattered and flew away.
Before long, rabbits and field mice disappeared as well.
― Power of Rain
Swoooosh!
Moments after the small animals had vanished, rain began to fall.
At first it seemed a brief shower, but the rain thickened quickly until it was pouring like a waterfall.
― Power of Lightning
Rumble! Crack!
Then the sky began to roar.
Inside the storm clouds, lightning flashed.
"W-wow..."
Seeing the *scene*, Ottbo was aghast.
'Changing the weather with magic is at least 7th-tier magic... No, changing it like this is nearly 8th-tier!'
Luca wasn't using magic, but if you measured it, what he'd just done was on the level of 8th-tier magic, above even the 7th-tier level required to teach at the academy.
"Phew..."
Having conjured the 'downpour,' Luca exhaled heavily.
'Not easy.'
As Whistle had said, changing the weather truly wasn't easy.
Through the power of space, he had drawn out the utmost of the sky's power several times.
He activated the power of the clouds at its maximum, shrouding the sky, then filled it with the max power of rain and lightning.
'I'm already tired.'
He was as fatigued as after sprinting at full speed several times.
His body was all right since he drew power through space, but his mind was exhausted.
"Master! Amazing! I didn't think you'd pull this off so perfectly!"
Staring at the downpour, Whistle shouted in excitement.
"With rain like this, there's nothing to worry about! You'll definitely win!"
"That so."
Luca replied flatly but felt secretly pleased.
'I did pretty well.'
Even he was surprised by how accurately he manifested the downpour.
To cause a miracle and change the weather as a human—he was in awe.
'This is the power of the sky.'
He found himself admiring the power of the sky that had allowed him to do this.
"Now then, Ottbo. Fire the celebratory shot, will you?"
"Celebratory shot?"
When Ottbo echoed back, celestial wings appeared on Luca's back.
Chchch!
"It'd be a waste to shoot off all that lightning, so instead, punch a hole in the ceiling for me, please."
"Oh! Got it! Leave it to me!"
Ottbo drew Rivik, while Luca soared into the air.
"Well then, let's see what my strength can do."
The most powerful anti-devil force: the power of the sky.
It was time to see just how well it would work against the devil worshippers.
* * *
Crackkkk!
The full power of the lightning he'd stored in the clouds.
In a single release, the barrage of lightning bolts held a destructive might comparable to what had been used when synchronizing against White Noise in the past.
'To think it would be like this.'
Watching the huge bolt engulf the entire chapel, even Luca—the one who'd released it—was shocked.
Pssshhhh!
The chapel stricken by lightning had been reduced to ashes.
The only thing left inside was something shrouded in a blood-red mist.
Sizzle! Ssssssss!
Every time the rain touched it, a sound like something evaporating filled the air, suggesting it was something composed of devil power.
Narrowing his eyes, Luca observed it.
'That's...'
Through his clear blue eyes, the inside of the mist became faintly visible.
The apostle Larbhim, carving out his own heart with a dagger.
He was placing it into the mouth of the skull hanging on the cross.
'What on earth...'
Luca made a sour face, then, as if recalling something, quickly raised his sword.
Buzz!
He reached out again to charge lightning power into the sky.
But before he could, the skull on the cross bit into the apostle's heart.
Chomp! Squelch!
The heart burst, and blood poured out like flooding from a breached dam.
The blood enveloped the skull, forming a new body.
"Whistle! Should we really just let that go?!"
Luca quickly searched for Whistle.
But there was no answer.
"Whistle?"
He tried again but stopped and looked down.
"..."
There was no blood-red mist down there.
All that remained was a revolting, red-skinned skeleton.
It was staring straight at Luca.
"..."
Time seemed to freeze for an instant.
Looking into the hollow eye sockets, Luca twisted his lips.
"Nice to meet you, devil."
Whoosh!
In a heartbeat, the Devil of Hunger appeared before Luca, leaping from where it stood.
It grabbed Luca's arms and opened its mouth wide.
Ripp—
The devil's jaw stretched grotesquely wide.
Just then, a bolt of lightning fell from the sky.
Crackkkk!
The lightning Luca had earlier sent into the clouds fell back down, amplified, thanks to the clouds.
The power of lightning did Luca no harm, but roasted the Devil of Hunger.
― Keeeeeeeeek!
"!"
The Devil of Hunger shrieked horribly and released Luca.
Clapping his hands over his ears, Luca looked at his opponent with a distasteful expression.
'It's... weaker than I thought...?'
Devils in the original story had shown absurd, overwhelming power.
Especially the Serpent Devil, the protagonist's first encounter, which required the hero to expend almost all the power he had in storage to finally defeat.
Yet the devil before his eyes wasn't overwhelming at all and had fallen to a single bolt of lightning.
'Is this the sky's power, which has extreme affinity against devilish power?'
The power of the sky that the Demonz had desperately tried to obtain in advance.
Now he could understand why.
― Grrrrr... so... hungry...
"?"
At that moment, Luca sensed a will from the Devil of Hunger.
It wasn't actually speaking; it was some kind of telepathic communication.
That unfamiliar sensation made Luca briefly shudder.
"Master! That guy's called the Devil of Hunger!"
Suddenly, Whistle, who had been nowhere to be seen, popped up.
Luca looked at her, demanding an explanation.
"Hm? Ah~ I just took your friend to a safe place. It looked like the devil would resurrect, and since we couldn't stop it anyway, at least your friend should be safe."
"... I see."
Indeed, he no longer sensed Ottbo's presence.
Luca admired Whistle's quick judgment.
"The more the Devil of Hunger eats, the stronger his hunger gets. And he gets stronger as well. Luckily, there's nothing for him to eat here..."
"Nothing to eat?"
"Yeah! Living creatures with strong vitality... Wait, huh?"
Luca frowned in confusion.
This was a farm.
There was food.
Realizing it at the same time, Luca and Whistle whirled toward the Devil of Hunger.
He was already devouring the not-yet-mature crops.
"Isn't that dangerous?"
"Hmm... It'll be fine."
Whistle remained unconcerned.
Luca wondered about her confidence, but soon caught on.
Swooooosh!
"This rain is the rain of the sky that purifies. If the Devil of Hunger eats grain soaked with it, no matter what..."
Before Whistle could finish, the Devil of Hunger began to melt.
Sss! Ssssss!
Every raindrop burned its body as if struck by acid.
Yet, whether the devil noticed its body dissolving or not, it just kept eating.
― So... hungry... hungry... so... hun... gry...
It just kept repeating its hunger while slowly dissolving as it ate, until it finally vanished.
All that remained was a golden heart bound by black thorn bushes.
Chchch—
At the same time, the rain stopped and the sky cleared.
Sunshine burst through the clouds as Luca approached the golden heart.
"Master, be careful. That's a divine relic corrupted by the curse of a devil."
Whistle perched on Luca's shoulder and warned him.
Luca drew on the power of the clouds to shield his hand as he picked it up.
Zap!
[You have successfully defeated the Devil of Hunger.]
[God's blessing has returned to this land, unlocking a new application.]
[Application Chat-GOD has been unlocked.]