Excannibal's nickname is the Cannibal Sword.
However, it's actually a sword that indiscriminately devours anything. Its name comes from its previous owner, the Fallen King, who was obsessed with cannibalism.
'In any case, it remains a demonic sword.'
It actively tries to corrupt the user's mind, making it a particularly malicious Ego Sword.
It's unclear whether it was always like this or if it became this way due to meeting the wrong owner...
Regardless, this sword can, in principle, devour 'anything'. Starting with arrows, it could even consume magic and, in the game, it was crazy enough to eat through castle walls.
Could it possibly eat that magic barrier as well?
With this idea, I took it out, but there's no way I can charge at those flies holding this sword. My swordsmanship is too poor to trust in this blade alone and achieve a feat of unparalleled heroism...
Nor can I hand over such a demonic sword to my precious subordinates.
Ultimately, my choice is:
"Bodybag! Throw this for me."
A no-touch, nose-blowing solution!
Bodybag, hesitantly approaching at my call, shivered with her chubby cheeks trembling.
"Uh, this sword, you mean...?"
"Yes. Use your psychokinesis on those flies. Swiftly pick it up and throw it. Can you?"
"It's possible... Yes, it's possible, but..."
Bodybag looked at Excannibal with slightly fearful eyes tinged with terror.
The longsword, wrapped in a dark aura and blood-red blade, shivered as if possessed by a ghost... Even to me, it seemed a bit much.
But if I've drawn the sword, I might as well slash at some flies!
"Ugh..."
Carefully lifting Excannibal with psychokinesis, Bodybag squeezed her eyes shut and threw it haphazardly.
Screeeeech!
Despite the careless gesture, Excannibal flew at the flies with ferocious speed.
The mutant flies calmly raised their barrier to defend,
Swoooosh!
But as soon as the tip of Excannibal touched it, the magic barrier was sucked into the sword and vanished.
With no guard and wide open, Excannibal plunged into the embrace of a mutant fly and...
Crunch! Crack! Crizzle!
Devoured the fly as if crushing it.
Like being sucked into a vacuum cleaner, the fly pierced by Excannibal was completely shattered and compressed, disappearing somewhere inside the sword.
"...Ugh."
It wasn't a pleasant sight. Immediately afterward, a sinister voice of the demonic sword echoed in my mind.
'Tastes awful-'
Shut it, you cannibalistic brat. You'll receive punishment by eating flies, as much as the sins you've committed.
Anyway, the effect was clear. I nodded to Bodybag, who quickly retrieved Excannibal with psychokinesis and threw it again.
Crunch! Crackle! Crunch-!
With consecutive throws, the mutant flies were swiftly devoured.
Once hit by Excannibal, they were all swallowed into the sword. Despite complaining about the taste, the sword kept devouring as if it was hungry.
"...This battle is especially filled with gruesome sights."
Junior muttered with a pale complexion. I quietly responded.
"You'll see more in the future."
Not just this defense battle. All upcoming battles will be brutal and terrifying.
This 'game', staking the fate of the world, is now steadily heading towards its endgame.
Lately, encountering monsters that kidnap, devour, and steal strength in succession.
If the enemies have deemed this as my weakness, it's no surprise that monsters targeting my vulnerabilities keep appearing.
'Can't help it.'
Resolved, I grit my teeth and continue to fight.
Crackle!
After Excannibal was thrown, capturing more than a dozen mutant flies,
Perhaps due to the rapidly deteriorating situation, the flies collectively retreated and swarmed out through the ceiling.
"What, are they running away...?"
Given that we were fairly struggling, I secretly felt relieved.
The magic walls were half-demolished, and most of the captured beasts had sustained various injuries. There were also quite a few deaths.
Although the heroes weren't severely injured, they were considerably exhausted. Rest was desperately needed.
Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief and slightly relaxed,
"Ash."
A buzzing voice suddenly resonated heavily in the vast belly of a fly.
Startled, everyone raised their weapons and became alert. I, too, sharply scanned the surroundings as the voice slowly continued.
"How about we pause the fight and talk?"
Immediately after,
Ding!
[The enemy legion commander 'Beelzebub' has requested a 'Commander's Meeting'.]
A system window popped up before me.
Occasionally used for dialogue under a non-aggression declaration between enemy legion commanders. The request came from the side of the King of Flies.
"..."
I hesitated for a moment upon seeing this message.
Was White Night successful?
If not...?
"Hah."
What can I do, I'm already in the tiger's den.
I'll have to go and see for myself.
"Everyone, prepare to retreat."
I nodded to my subordinates.
"I'll be back shortly."
***
After calming my worried subordinates, I accepted the commander's meeting.
The meeting itself was a conversation in a state of non-aggression, as had often been done before. It wouldn't be dangerous.
'I'm just worried about the outcome of deploying White Night...'
As soon as I accepted the commander's meeting, my consciousness was transferred to a brand-new, stark white space.
I instinctively knew.
This was the collective consciousness of the flies.
How I, a human, could enter here, the principle is unknown... but perhaps I was invited in by the King of Flies?
"You've arrived."
Then, a voice came from behind. I quickly turned around.
"...!"
There was a mountain.
A mountain of bodies piled up to a daunting height. Most of the bodies were flies, all headless, with only their bodies remaining.
In front of that grotesque mountain of bodies, an old fly, seemingly hunched over, was sitting cross-legged.
"I've been waiting, Ash."
The fly whispered in a peculiarly unpleasant, giggling voice.
"One of the imps I devoured highly praised you. The guardian of humanity and the undefeated commander. You even managed to uncover my existence within the unconsciousness of my species while contemplating how to defeat me."
"..."
"So I wanted to meet you."
The elderly fly's compound eyes emitted a sinister red glow.
"But somehow, to me, you seem... not much different from other weak humans."
"..."
"You look just like a piece of meat that will soon rot and become maggot fodder."
I, standing at a distance, gestured with my chin.
"Are you the King of Flies?"
"I could be referred to as 'I' or 'we'. I represent the collective consciousness of my species. Anyway, yes. I am Beelzebub, what you call the King of Flies in your language."
The King of Flies gazed at me intently. I looked around.
"Nice to meet you, fly. By the way, have you seen my friend? A magician named White Night."
"White Night...? Ah, the lich sorceress who invaded the bodies of my kin."
The King of Flies sneered.
"I cleanly devoured her. She has already been digested and become one with me."
"...!"
"She thought she could devour me, but she was mistaken. I am not simply the sum of the flies gathered here."
Hehehe... A low laughter from the King of Flies filled the air. I asked, sweating coldly.
"If you're not simply the sum, then what?"
"The souls and bodies of the species known as flies, their spirit and flesh, to put it another way, even the souls of the flies that have died. All of it comprises 'us'."
I frowned.
"What kind of nonsense is that...?"
"Literally."
The King of Flies pointed at himself with his hairy, grotesque legs.
"I am a being sealed as the guardian deity of the fly species. I can twist the fate of my species to my will."
I swallowed dryly.
Is this creature also a being that gained divinity as a representative of its species?
"And I have broken the cycle of reincarnation granted to my species with my own hands."
"What?"
"For our grand purpose of killing everything in this world and reincarnating them as flies. By stopping the cycle, once someone becomes a fly, they will continue to be a fly in the afterlife. If this process is repeated, eventually, all three thousand worlds will be filled with flies."
Although I didn't fully understand this nonsense, summarizing it roughly meant,
This guy is forcibly keeping the souls of his dead kin?
"Are you insane?"
Hehehe...
Despite my curse, the King of Flies let out a creepy laugh, seemingly not offended.
"There were those among my kin who did not agree with this."
The King of Flies pointed at the mountain of bodies behind him.
"But resistance was fleeting, the will to go against the group is naturally digested."
I looked up at the mountain of bodies within the collective consciousness.
"Sounds nice to say digested, but you're basically saying you devoured them, right?"
"It wouldn't be too different to see it that way."
Could it really be that all these... were devoured by the King of Flies himself?
"And thus, using the bodies and souls of those who have perished, I used them as bricks to form this body."
"So, the flies that make up your massive body... they are all your kin that you killed with your own hands."
"In human understanding, that would be correct."
In the name of the 'group'.
Killing those who opposed his will and even taking their souls to use as the structure of his body.
And only letting those who follow his will live to feed and breed as his subordinates.
Only then did I understand the insane size of the King of Flies.
If he was using the spirits of all the flies that were born and died in the world as structure, he could maintain this scale.
"I thought you were some unique monster."
And as I understood this structure, an inexplicable sense of emptiness swept through me.
I muttered with a smirk.
Though I couldn't understand everything the King of Flies said, one thing was within my grasp.
"In the end, you're no different from other monster lords, just another common mad monster."
This monster, which had felt endlessly incomprehensible, suddenly fell into the realm of my understanding.
I glared at the King of Flies and spat out.
"In the end, you're just a despicable monarch who exploited and used even the souls of your citizens who didn't align with your will."
"..."
"Essentially a king who regards his people's lives as no more than those of flies."
There's such trash everywhere.
Such trashy kings.
As I criticized, displeasure crossed the King of Flies's voice.
"You speak interestingly. What you have perceived of me is merely a fragment. The truth I have realized, and the grand purpose I intend to..."
"I'm not interested in your so-called grand purpose."
Cutting him off, I pointed at the King of Flies.
"While you claim to represent the collective will of your species, you actually annihilate the will of your kin in pursuit of your own greed, a common tyrant."
"No! The profound and endless law of the universe that I wish to spread in this world is-"
"Save your breath and shut up. From what I see, you are..."
I returned to the King of Flies the words he had used on me.
"Not much different from other delusional, foolish tyrants who believe themselves to be unique and special."
I shot each word at the King of Flies, who was incredulously staring back at me.
"Merely a summer fly that will soon be eradicated, forgotten, and disappear. You piece of trash."
--TL Notes--
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