Chapter 9: The Banquet of the Gods

What thing is this, verily?

A dreadful phantom that appeareth before me in my path.

――――Is this, then, that which is called conscience?

– Chamberlain Faronita

"Haaaaaah!!!"

The sweeping strike of the Biting Edge cleaved through the approaching Aragami.

Without flinching in the slightest at the ferocious monsters bearing down on him, he connected the grips, switched to Glaive Form, slipped through the throng of enemies, and slashed them apart one after another in all directions.

The horde of Aragami expired, crashing to the ground with heavy thuds.

"Phew... It seems my dulled body has finally gotten back into shape."

The AGE man, Werner, disengaged his connected twin-blade God Arc and exhaled a breath.

He could feel that his power had increased far beyond what it was before—even more so than when he led Crimson Queen.

Coupled with the fact that his body moved as freely as he willed it, despite being in a highly concentrated Ashland.

"............Is this also thanks to Bell?"

The power of a non-human girl, her blood, shared with him when he was on the verge of death. There was no doubt that it had strengthened his body.

Besides, he had definitely passed the administration period for Bias Factor. He had long since reached his operational limit, yet his Aragami cells showed no signs of going out of control and remained perfectly stable.

And then────

"Werner!"

Raising a cheerful and lovely voice, the girl in question called his name.

She had two dark red horns on her forehead, and her glossy, flowing silver-purple hair fluttered in the wind.

She wore pale-black purple crystalline carapace scales scattered across her fresh brown skin, with a majestic tail extending from her smooth, curved rear.

As she swung the elaborately designed large gauntlet on her left arm, her long tail swung vigorously along with it.

Her appearance was beautiful but not of human form; it possessed a ferocity reminiscent of an Aragami—specifically, a dragon-type Hannibal variant.

However, this beautiful girl with a bright, blossoming smile befitting her apparent age was unmistakably an Aragami, and he knew she harbored terrifying power within. And sorrow, too. There was no telling when she might bare her fangs at humanity.

In her right arm, which was fused with a vicious, pale-black Variant Scythe of the same color as her body's scales, she tightly grasped a large Aragami she had likely just defeated, dragging it heavily along the ground.

"I caught dinner! Let's eat, Werner!!"

A grotesque Aragami girl. Her name was Bell. I named her.

The girl smiled as she effortlessly dragged the massive body of an Aragami several times her own size with her slender frame.

To an outsider, it would be an utterly terrifying spectacle, but to me, she just looked like a puppy playing with a toy, bringing a wry smile to my face.

She had to be watched over. So that she could remain herself.

"Come on, let's not play around forever and eat, Bell. Before other Aragami catch the scent and start a fight."

"Yay! Dinner! Dinner!"

And so, since they obviously couldn't carry the whole thing, they carved out the necessary materials and edible parts, and the Aragami girl and the God Eater returned to their usual den.

"Yum, yum!"

The Aragami girl hurriedly stuffed the roasted Aragami meat into her small mouth.

"Bell. You don't have to rush like that. There's still plenty of Aragami meat left."

Sitting on a makeshift crystal chair, the man roasted pieces of Aragami meat over a crackling fire.

"Seconds! Werner!"

"............That was fast. Make sure you chew your food thoroughly."

Smiling wryly at the girl who eagerly devoured the meat as soon as it was cooked, Werner also took a bite of the Aragami meat.

He had been hesitant at first, but upon trying it, he found it to be quite flavorful. One might wonder if it's safe for a human to eat an Aragami, but since God Eaters harbor Oracle Cells in their bodies just like Aragami do, their dietary preferences might have been altered by some influence. AGEs in particular are administered a much stronger Bias Factor than previous generations.

The fact that he was adapting to these influences without rejection was undoubtedly a blessing from this girl. It was likely that his biological structure had changed to become closer to that of an Aragami. Yet, it was strange that he didn't actually become ferocious like an Aragami or suffer from predatory urges to Devour. Physically enhanced, yet retaining his human reason. As a former researcher, it was a truly fascinating phenomenon.

He looked with an affectionate gaze at the extraordinary girl, Bell, who held Aragami meat in both hands, taking large bites from each alternately with all her might.

Humanoid Aragami.

Special variants that evolved into a human-like form.

They have a human outward appearance (it is currently unknown if male types exist), but they have grotesque parts here and there, such as horns or wings. Perhaps because their brains are highly developed, their minds are also close to humans; they possess a strong ego and high learning capabilities. Furthermore, they also possess human reason. In other words, their awareness as an "individual" is stronger than their instincts as an Aragami, and they generally do not Devour humans... or so it seems.

He remembered reading a paper stating as much in the past. If he recalled correctly, it was by an authority on Aragami cell academic theory named Paylor Sakaki.

Had he actually ever encountered a Humanoid Aragami...? Yes, once. The little girl protected by the fierce god of Chrysanthemum. Comparing that child with this girl, they weren't entirely dissimilar. Perhaps there was some commonality after all...

No, no, he was getting lost in thought, a habit from his days as a researcher.

He had forced a cruel choice upon them. He thought about it now, even if it was too late. At the time, he had judged it to be the best course of action, but...

"Dinner is yummy! Werner, eat more!"

If he were told to offer this innocent girl in front of him as a foundation, a sacrifice for world peace, would he really be able to obediently comply?

"Yeah. You're right. Let's eat."

No, the answer was no. Impossible. There was no way such a thing could be allowed.

He could understand it now. They had followed their precious feelings. No one had the right to criticize them.

Sacrificing the few to save the many... wouldn't that make him no different from the father he rebelled against? But his past self would have thought the exact same way as his father.

If this girl hadn't saved his life──────

Just then, a massive tremor that shook the Ashlands echoed out.

The mechanical sound of gears turning, a heavy bass rumbling as it trod across the earth.

"Hmm? Do you hear a weird noise?"

"Is this............ an Ash Crawler?"

Below the gaze of the two who were watching from near their elevated base, a massive caravan hull passed by with a roar.

They couldn't tell which Port it belonged to, but they could see it was on a massive scale. Furthermore, the hull was armed, fitted with heavy weaponry.

It was just like a battleship.

"............Even for keeping Aragami in check, firearms are mostly meaningless... It's too heavily armed for that. Do they plan on going to war with someone?"

Werner wondered suspiciously.

Back when he led Crimson Queen, Aragami weren't his only enemies, making that armed ship all the more concerning.

"A ship! A ship! It's so big! Amazing!"

The girl, Bell, grew excited at the giant Ash Crawler leisurely passing by.

"............It certainly piques my interest. Where is that ship heading..."

He couldn't say there was no risk. He had been the leader of a terrorist organization, after all. He was probably already presumed dead. Still, he was strangely curious about the ship's destination. He couldn't just silently let it pass.

".........Shall we follow it?"

Werner muttered, watching the direction the Ash Crawler was leaving.

"Ooh! Werner, are we chasing that ship? I wanna chase the big ship too!"

"Yeah, let's chase after it. We'll head out once we're prepared, Bell."

Soothing the hyperactive girl, Werner began preparations to pursue the Ash Crawler.