Dark Fantasy: Super Coward Mode

Chapter 176




**Bang!**

I wrapped around the princess to protect her from the shockwave that accompanied the thunderous sound.

The snow frozen on the ground shattered upon hitting the ice and scattered everywhere, the noise of it colliding against my protective gear echoed around us.

Oko, who was relatively far away, stared blankly at the scene.

Even after the ice fell, the chunks that shot straight into the air made it look as if smoke was rising.

“T-Tanton….”

“Oh.”

If it was just any physical shock, I wouldn’t have cared much. I might have even chuckled and told Apta to hurry up if it was just debris from the building crashing down on her.

But all the ice in this area was influenced by the Second Princess.

That meant it wasn’t just ordinary material.

That kind of object fell vertically right above Apta’s head, and when she was hit directly—

Her teeth gritted.

I felt a wave of energy drain out of my entire body.

Because I hadn’t been paying proper attention to my surroundings…

In a tormented heart, driven by panic, I cried out like I was desperate.

“Apta!!!”

“Yes.”

Then, surprised by the sudden voice, I looked in the direction of the sound.

Along with Apta, who poked her face out as if lifting a blanket, I stumbled back.

Her expression was too nonchalant to say she was hurt.

Apta tilted her head as if she truly didn’t understand my actions.

“Apta, are you okay?”

Now I understood why Oko didn’t look flustered at all.

I sighed as I watched Apta nod at Oko’s words.

“Are you really fine?”

“Yeah. Just define it as, ‘This ice cannot affect me.’…”

Ah, right.

These two divine beings right in front of me—powerful divine beings who could manipulate reality.

What was I getting all worked up for?

The sudden sense of relief turned into irritation.

“Hey, you divine being! If you’re okay, you should’ve popped out right away!”

“When something heavy falls on me, it feels comfortable, so….”

“Please save that for moments when you’re alone, not in a crisis! It’s worrying!”

I spoke to Apta as if I were about to have a fit.

Upon hearing my words, Apta lowered her gaze a bit.

Ah, maybe I was a bit too harsh.

Seeing her look oddly dejected made me feel guilty.

After all, what did I think I was saying to someone who threw themselves in harm’s way to save me?

Taking a deep breath, I was about to open my mouth to apologize when…

“Then….”

Apta spoke before me.

For some reason, her face was flushed.

“…Is Leydan going to take that weight for me later…?”

…?

Was she denying reality, or was it just that she really had no relevant knowledge?

I couldn’t quite grasp what Apta said right away.

It seemed the other two felt the same way, staring blankly at Apta with somewhat foolish expressions.

Because Apta had made what seemed like a huge statement, it felt like I should contest her right away.

Then Oko, seemingly reaching some realization, had a shocked expression as her face turned bright red.

With an expression full of anger, she shouted.

“A.P.T.A!!!!”

Upon seeing Oko’s reaction, the princess also seemed to realize something and began to redden.

“Ah, ahh.”

With a gasp, the princess lowered her head, indicating she understood she said something huge.

But, why did only they get it?

I wanted to know too!

I didn’t catch what Apta said until the very end.

**

In conclusion, Apta decided to spend her time here, buried.

Since there was nothing more she could involve herself in from now on, I guess she reasoned it would be more helpful that way.

I thought it was somehow reasonable, as the statue seemed to replicate the Second Princess and was long but not very wide, making it obvious that if too many people were crammed in, their movements would be restricted.

And given my specialty is agility, a cramped space meant unfavorable conditions for me.

“You really should’ve just spoken up after this.”

“Uh…?”

“Don’t give me that ‘I don’t understand’ look!”

“But Oko also says much worse when she’s alone…”

“Ahhh! Stop with the nonsense and just please be quiet, Apta!”

I could tell from afar that Oko was very distressed, but I didn’t catch the whole conversation.

It always crossed my mind, but when it came to a battle of wits, didn’t Apta seem superior to Oko?

Somehow, Oko managed to wrap things up and walked briskly toward us, puffing.

“Alright! Let’s hurry up.”

“Y-yes.”

With an obvious scowl on her face, I silently nodded and followed behind her.

What was the princess thinking? She’s been shaking her head, her face flushed for some time now.

Didn’t any of the divine beings have mind-reading abilities?

I wished I could have that power just for a moment.

Anyway, I began to quickly circle around the statue, following Oko.

She seemed to be intently looking for something, likely searching for a way into the statue.

Yet everywhere I looked, there didn’t seem to be any place that led inside.

But Oko appeared to find something as she continued to wander around the statue.

Finally, like a chick following its mother hen, I had been trailing behind Oko and the princess until…

“Here it is.”

Oko seemed to have found something, standing in front of a certain area.

It was near the left foot of the statue.

To me, it didn’t look markedly different from the spots I had seen previously.

“Oko.”

“Yeah?”

“To me, this looks blocked off too.”

“Well, it probably is. This little one’s quite clever.”

So saying, Oko suddenly grabbed our hands and dashed straight toward the wall.

“Uh, Oko?!”

“Don’t worry, just trust me.”

I wasn’t sure what ‘trusting’ meant when the wall was approaching fast!

As the wall came right before my nose, my facial muscles twisted in anticipation of the impact.

We were going to crash!

….

….

….

Huh?

Just as we were about to collide, there was no impact at all, and Oko had let go of my hand.

Slowly opening my eyes and glancing around, I was left dumbstruck by the sight before me.

The ice sparkled like diamonds.

Coated in delicate reflections of the dim light seeping through from outside, it illuminated the interior softly.

Staring at Oko in a daze, I noticed she was engaged in conversation with the princess, leaving me behind.

“First, be careful of Gaia once we get up there. If she does anything, you should stick to me immediately.”

“Y-yes.”

It seemed she was explaining what we should do once we got up there.

But if she had that much leisure, she should have told me that nothing would happen!

I shot a displeased look at Oko, who quickly noticed my expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Why leave me hanging like this? It’s embarrassing.”

“Honestly, it was just cute. Now, can you move?”

Ugh, seriously.

Hearing her say that with such ease when it didn’t concern her own appearance made me sigh without realizing it.

“…Yeah, let’s go up.”

With that, we began walking up the stairs.

**

While walking on the stairs, not a word was exchanged between us.

We merely stayed quiet, mentally preparing ourselves for the impending final battle.

*Clack, clack.*

The sound of our steps echoed ominously.

Thinking of how this silence, this atmosphere, this noise leads us to our final gateway sent a shiver down my spine.

The diamond light illuminated the princess’s and Oko’s faces.

Sounds of snowstorms crashing in gradually reached our ears.

While soaking in the tense atmosphere, we eventually arrived in front of a certain door.

It was a door made of ice.

Even though it had likely never been opened before, it somehow emanated an elegant aura.

“I’ll open it.”

At my words, Oko and the princess nodded simultaneously.

I took a deep breath.

My heart raced wildly, a mix of excitement and fear, as if warning me not to open this door.

But we had to move forward.

For the future of humanity, to clear the innocent divine beings’ names.

*Creek…*

With a chilling sound, I pushed the door open, and the moment it swung wide, we rushed into the room as if it were an ambush.

Just as we were about to bolt again, the presence before us made us stop dead in our tracks.

There it was.

Sitting on a throne, looking down at us with an expression of endless emptiness, was some kind of being.

And beside that being was Gaia, silently observing us.

“Phew, you finally made it. I thought I might grow tired waiting.”

“You mean you grew tired waiting for us?”

“I told you, I’m not your enemy.”

Saying that, Gaia levitated into the air.

“I think I’ve done enough to atone now. So I’ll just take my leave… Ugh?!”

As Gaia attempted to move through what appeared to be a window, she suddenly was hit by something and crashed against the wall.

It was ice.

“D-Did you just do that… Gahh!”

“What?!”

Gaia, who had been initially confused and about to protest toward the Second Princess, suddenly displayed a shocked expression.

And that expression soon turned pale.

“N-No way. You, you’re not really… are you insane?! You can’t handle…!”

“Shut up.”

The Second Princess’s voice, a first for me.

The words spoken in a voice as cold as her appearance were enough to dismiss Gaia’s claims.

“You should have expected this after blocking me time and again.”

“Ggghhh! Stop it! Don’t let me… disappear…!”

I didn’t know what was happening there, but one thing was certain: we couldn’t let it proceed like this.

So, I quickly grabbed a piece of ice from the ground and threw it towards the Second Princess.

**Bang!**

Despite staring at Gaia, the Second Princess effortlessly dodged my thrown shard, using it as a distraction for what she was doing to Gaia.

The look on Gaia’s face, which had been filled with despair, transformed into one of relief as she caught her breath.

How…

How could she, not being the elite outsider, do this?

The reason was simple.

It was the interrogator’s accumulation of pain.

The agonizing pain they had gathered, almost reaching the realm of the elite outsider.

While the interrogator had been collecting pain, I bet the Second Princess had been stealing energy for a long time.

The warmth, their abilities, and their affection.

Thus, the current Second Princess would likely be capable of directly inflicting harm even on the elite outsider.

“You….”

The chill in the Second Princess’s voice directed itself at me.

“Get back.”

The final showdown.

It was about to begin now.

 

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