Words could never convey feelings as powerfully as images.
Though Zeroy had explained the state of this world to Patchouli from the start, the impact on her could not compare to the two comic-like pictures Zeroy had shown.
The aloof magician had no interest in learning about the plight of children and the wretched; however, when such reality was placed before her eyes, she was shaken. Not cold-blooded, after all.
"So, as you said before, most people in this world are like that?" Patchouli slowly removed her nightcap, lamplight giving her violet hair a soft sheen.
"Mm. Though it's unbelievable. Normally, such people should be a tiny minority in society." Zeroy dismissed Shizuku-Kū's armor, making the images vanish. She would never have drawn them if not to help Patchouli feel her conviction. She herself couldn't bear to see them.
Patchouli was silent for a moment, then set her cap on the bedstand and pulled a softly glowing potion from her magic space. She drank it down.
"Let's go. The sooner it's done, the sooner we rest." Her tone was calm.
"—!" Zeroy's eyes lit up, like fireworks in the night sky. She nearly leapt onto Patchouli, hugging her tight. "Patchi!" Her voice brimmed with joy.
Patchouli stiffened, caught off guard. She tried to push her away, but Zeroy was too thrilled to notice. "You…" Resigned, she sighed. "Why do you always grab me so suddenly…"
That night, the hunt continued!
The battles weren't difficult, only exhausting in body and Mana. With magic, such fatigue could be suppressed. In theory, Zeroy and Patchouli could fight nonstop for a month—so long as they kept taking potions. Eventually, they would need rest; although three days and nights were enough to finish the purge.
And so they slaughtered ceaselessly, until the pests were no more. Zeroy remained the main force, Patchouli assisting—setting alchemy circles, transporting innocents and corpses, calming those suddenly relocated. Simple words could not soothe terror; only her magic could.
These spells alone saved Zeroy a third of her time and effort.
"What are you doing?"
With the last pest dead, Patchouli stared in puzzlement at Zeroy's actions. Their plan was to finish the extermination, then gather survivors in one city, rebuild order, and return people to stability. Not simple, since most survivors had lost loved ones to Zeroy's hand. Yet people cluster with their kind, and most survivors had no close ties with pests—unless they didn't know their true nature.
That said, Zeroy wasn't moving on to that. Instead, she was building a mountain of corpses. One city's dead piled high, then another, and another. By now, four cities' worth. She showed no sign of stopping, even deploying H.A.M.P. to move bodies.
"Making a spectacle," Zeroy answered as she dumped corpses onto the pile. "A tower of pests' bodies, reaching the heavens."
"…What kind of fetish is this?" Patchouli frowned, unsettled. Yet, knowing Zeroy, it wasn't truly about playing with corpses.
"It's not a fetish. Corpses are ugly… I like beauty. Anyway, such a tower will mean something to the future. Anyone who dares crime or rebellion will be crushed by its warning."
She flew back, surveying the tower. Satisfied, she nodded. Eight hundred eighty-eight meters. At that height, in clear weather, the tower could be seen from a hundred kilometers away. Its sheer bulk made it not just tall, but monumental.
"What do you think, Patchi?"
"…If this world had monsters, I don't know what kind such a tower would spawn. Albeit, in this world, I agree with you."
"Hehe. Let's handle the aftermath—time to gather the survivors."
Once more, they boarded H.A.M.P. Zeroy loved piloting it now, and showing up in such form helped craft an almost divine image, smoothing the work ahead.
Abruptly, as H.A.M.P. moved, a cry rang in the cockpit.
"What is this—ah! The Main God's hand strikes again!"
"?"
"Slander, pure slander! What did I do wrong?!"
"???"
[Title Acquired: Heaven-Dimming Demon]
‣ Condition: Σ～βζЪ5℃jix
‣ Effect: 87Ω0 …gφ Your power inspires greater fear. You will more easily receive the favor of terror, destruction, chaos, and madness.
—The shadow of your fear shall blot out the sun, no matter how many suns there are.
┗ O growing abyss, thrive and deepen. One day, you will become the abyss itself.]
"Patchi! It's slandering me!"
...
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