CHAPTER 78 - Edgar, the Incubus. Part 1.
(POV - Angel.)
"Doesn't Slim find men disgusting?"
"She has breasts and a hole, that's enough for her, I suppose."
My head is spinning. Hangover because of Slim, who got drunk with the prostitutes using my body. She had sex with 5 prostitutes, and among them there's a woman with a penis instead of a vagina. I wonder if she used to be a man or used some spell to create a fake penis. I've seen men dressed as women in this world, but it's the first time I've seen a possible man with breasts... My butt hurts a little... Ah, whatever, I was already used to that. It doesn't count as rape because Slim was controlling my body, I gave her total sexual freedom.
I got up from the bed and Sol sighed.
"A piece of trash wants to talk to you."
Trash?
"Good morning, my friend!!"
The door opened and the shield hero entered the room without asking for permission. Is he coming to fight...? No, I don't feel that in him. It's more like... happiness? Does he feel happy to see me?
"Oh. Fufu. You had a long night of passion, huh, you rascal? You're insatiable, tiger. Wow, wow! Are you that happy to see me?! I feel flattered, but I love women, especially single mothers over 40. So don't point your rifle at me! Hahahahahaha!"
Rifle...? I see.
"It's a natural body reaction upon waking up, don't worry."
"B-better put on some pants first." Sol said, covering her eyes, or at least almost. I can feel her gaze on my private part.
I've gotten so used to being seen naked that it doesn't embarrass me anymore.
I put on my clothes and the shield hero sat in a chair.
"I suppose you're wondering why I'm here."
"Revenge?"
"Pffff. Nah, I'm not that cliché! Besides, I can't see myself defeating you. You seem to be the isekai protagonist of this story and not Edgar, Dulce, or Alejandro."
Edgar, the most powerful hero. Dulce, the hero hunter, a girl who was sacrificed to the great labyrinth for being summoned to this world without obtaining any divine power.
In this world, power is distributed among the living heroes, meaning if a hero dies, the others become more powerful. Dulce was sacrificed along with another girl named Paola, for not obtaining any divine power, becoming burdens. And, for some reason, Dulce survived and obtained great power, which she uses to kill her former classmates for not trying to save her.
From what I know, sacrifices are offered to the great labyrinth to obtain "good luck," and they thought sacrificing two useless heroes would bring them the best luck. How mysterious life is, right? Because now, instead of good luck, they lost several heroes. I always prevented Slim from killing any hero, so as not to become enemies of humanity, but Dulce has killed 10 heroes, leaving 11 in total, including her.
And Alejandro is simply a womanizer who uses his fame to have a large harem. The last I heard of him is that he took over an entire city and filled it with women. Meaning, he has thousands of women in his harem, Slim's dream. I'll allow Slim to kill that one if he tries to take Sol. From what I heard, he has a big fetish for demon women, so I won't let my guard down with him.
"And what are you doing here?"
"I want you to protect me!"
"Okay."
"Please, I beg you, I still have many things to do in life! I still haven't managed to fall in love with a curvy single mother and...! Huh? You accepted?!"
"It's the least I can do for you after what happened with that dog girl."
My trust in love declined because of that girl. She preferred sexual pleasure over love. What stupidity.
"Thanks, brother! No, not brother, you're my bro, my bro!"
He tried to hug me, but Sol put her hand on his face, preventing him from hugging me. Huh? It wasn't necessary, I don't feel like he's planning anything bad.
"Are you seriously going to trust this useless small-dick so easily?"
"Uwaaaah! It's average size!"
Slim ruins the heroes' reputation out of revenge, and his desperate reaction confirms how traumatized he is. His cheerful and energetic personality must be his way of feeling a little better and forgetting his problems... Or he simply went crazy.
"I have nothing against him and I freed him from his girlfriends who were taking advantage of his good heart. I don't think he hates me, or at least not that much."
"You know what they say, those who hate each other, love each other, and I'm so heterosexual that I refuse to hate you so as not to give you illusions. I know I'm an irresistible hunk. Wink, wink, handsome. Uwaaaah!"
Sol grabs him by the neck and shakes him quickly from side to side, as if he were a simple dirty rag. Does she still hate him for what happened?
"I refuse to help him!"
"Then don't help him. I won't force you to do something you don't want."
"Fufu. I knew you'd come to your senses."
She released the shield hero, whose head is wobbling, dizzy. I hope he doesn't vomit, I don't want to pay extra.
"You heard him, you wretch. Get out of here." Sol said, with a big smile.
"... Yes... Sorry for bothering you."
He bows his head and turns around. I suppose Sol will stay to sleep or something like that.
Slim, take care of Sol for me.
"At your command, daddy!"
She came out of me through my mouth and I left the room, along with the hero.
"Chale, ya valí verga." How should I spend my last moments alive?
"Don't be pessimistic and tell me who wants to kill you."
"... Huh?"
He stopped and started caressing my face. What? I don't understand.
"Am I not hallucinating because of my depression and lack of sleep?! Are you real?!"
"I suppose so. What's wrong with you now?"
"I thought you wouldn't help me!"
"But... I told you I would help you. Why did you think I wouldn't?"
"Angel, what are you doing?!" Sol said, pulling me by the arm.
Huh? What happened now?
"You said we wouldn't help him!"
"We?"
"You said you wouldn't force me to do something I don't want!"
"Well... I'm not forcing you. I'll help him on my own."
"But..."
"Thanks, brother!"
The hero hugged me with his right arm and started running while carrying me with his arm. Sol stood still, with an expression... surprised? Why? Ah, I don't understand anything anymore.
We left the brothel.
"Come back soon, love!"
"I'll wait for you tonight!"
The prostitutes say goodbye to me, or rather, to Slim. Slim's charm, all women end up becoming addicted to her... To me? It's complicated.
"Hehe. I'm so envious of you, bro. Give me some of your luck!"
"Let's not talk about that and tell me who wants to kill you."
"It's Dulce, she's set her eye on me, and not in the nice way!"
I see...
"Huh?"
"Angel!"
... What?
A blue portal appeared in front of us and a tentacle, which came out of the portal, grabbed me and pulled me inside by force. It was so sudden, in less than a second, that I didn't even have time to react.
I didn't feel like I was in danger, I didn't feel anything at all. How strange.
"Where are we?" Said the hero.
He managed to grab my hand to try to help me, but the tentacle's strength overcame him and he ended up entering the portal with me.
It's no longer possible to go back through the portal, it disappeared, just like the tentacle. Could it be an attack from Dulce? How odd, I usually notice the murderous intentions of the attacks I receive and from my surroundings. Why didn't I feel anything this time?
We're in a desert place, there's only orange dirt, rocks, and the occasional small mountain.
I'd worry about Slim and Sol, but Slim is powerful, she can take care of herself and protect Sol. The heroes are no match for her. For now, I'll take my time to analyze the situation we're in.
"What heaaaaaat! I'm thiiiiiiiirsty!" Said the hero, taking off his clothes until he was in his underwear.
He's really changed a lot, he's very different from the polite boy I met a year ago.
And yes, it's hot. How long will it take us to reach a city or town?
"Well, well, well. The boy from the prophecy is here, although you look different from the vision. Fufu. I understand now."
A child?
A being the size of a child, with a completely black body, appeared in front of us. He looks very evil, but I don't feel any of that in him, only amusement. What does he find so funny?
So far, my premonitions about feelings haven't failed me, this being doesn't want to harm us, but what is he?
A completely black being, without a face, without private parts, without nipples, but with a navel, represented by a small white circle. I don't know this race. I thought I had already memorized all existing races. Could he be a modified monster or an alien?
"Behind me!"
The hero activated his shield and stood in front of me, to protect me. Wow... It feels good that he doesn't hate me for what happened, he even wants to protect me.
"There's no need to be scared, I didn't come to fight. And finally you get away from those two girls, they never separate from you, even that fairy girl always bathes with you! Aren't you tired of the lack of privacy?"
He knows Slim. Who is this being? Can I trust him...? Ah, I think I don't have many options really. Besides, talking to him won't affect me much, I think.
"Slim always takes my body to have sex, so I'm already used to it."
"Pffff. I'm so envious, right, Leobard?"
"I don't know who Slim or that fairy girl you're talking about is, but yes, that part about the sex sounded good. Why did I have to be a secondary character condemned to be the comic relief, whose death will be epic and sad?! I wanted to be the protagonist!"
"Well, Angel, now that we're finally alone, we can talk."
"Hey, I'm here too, don't ignore me!" Said the hero.
"You don't matter."
"I'm used to it. Sniff, sniff."
The hero put his arm and head on my shoulder.
"And what are you, kid? A Demon King? The God of this world? A new 'waifu' for Angel?"
Waifu? What's that?
"I'm not a God, but at the same time, I am. Let me introduce myself, I'm God, the creator of this world."
"Noooooo! I wanted a busty mature Goddess! Fulfill the clichés and turn into a mature woman over 10,000 years old, and who is still a virgin to satisfy otakus like me!"
"... What if we just ignore this idiot?"
Don't judge him, the pain of betrayal traumatized him a lot and that's why he acts like this, so as not to feel more pain.
"As I was saying, I'm God. And my purpose? Easy: to fulfill the prophecy."
Prophecy? It sounds very important. Does it have something to do with the eternal battle between demons and humans? It already seemed strange to me that this would be entertaining for the Gods. I knew there had to be another reason.
"What's that prophecy?" Said the hero.
"A human is destined to defeat the legendary ghosts number 98 and 99, saving this world and preventing the return of the Goddess of ghosts."
"Goddess of ghosts?" Said the hero.
Legendary ghosts? 98 and 99?
I think Slim told me something about that... Yes, I remember now, she mentioned them when she told me about the Gods of demons and humans. That's what they're called. "For some reason they have number names. The God of demons is called 'Number 99,' and the God of humans is called 'Number 98.'"
Are they ghosts and not Gods? Were there more of them in the past? What is a legendary ghost? I have too many doubts right now, but the most important one...
"Am I the boy from the prophecy or what do I have to do with that?"
He must have a reason for wanting to talk to me. It would be too egocentric of me to assume I'm that boy, but if he really is the creator of this world, the fact that he wants to talk to me must have some purpose.
"Yes, maybe. Your soul is almost identical to the one in the vision I had, only yours is somewhat inferior, it's missing several improvements, meaning you're destined to reincarnate several times to truly become the boy from the prophecy. And when that happens, you'll defeat number 98 and 99, thus preventing the return of the Goddess of ghosts."
"Who is that woman? And most importantly, is she single...? Hmmmmh!"
God covered the hero's mouth with his hand.
"Please, leave the nonsense for later, this is important."
He nodded and God removed his hand.
"Ooh, Goddy is so sensitive."
"How annoying. And answering your question, the Goddess of ghosts was a Goddess so powerful that she was about to conquer all existing worlds, and even the world of the Gods."
"And no one could defeat her?" I asked.
"You see, spiritual power directly affects the soul, and magical power only affects the physical body. Damage from magical attacks can be avoided or reduced using some protection spell, armor, or even with your body's resistance. But spiritual attacks can only be avoided with spiritual power, something not everyone is capable of using, not even the Gods. Spiritual power could only be used by ghosts, who used it unconsciously, as they forced their soul to have a human appearance and stay in the world, refusing to go to hell or paradise."
So, have ghosts always existed in my world...? It sounds uncomfortable. I don't want beings I can't see spying on me while I bathe.
"And the Goddess of ghosts knew how to use that power? Was she the only one who could?" Said the hero.
"Yes, because there was no need for other Gods to be able to manipulate souls. She was granted that power so she could control ghosts. No one worried or feared her, because spiritual power, in their eyes, only served for the soul to live without a physical body, to be a ghost, they never saw it as something useful, but the Goddess of ghosts saw something they didn't see. She saw in that power the perfect weapon to be invincible."
"They underestimated a power that can directly damage the soul?" I asked.
"At that time, they didn't know that the spiritual power of ghosts could damage a soul. Ghosts couldn't be touched, nor could they touch anything, not even other ghosts. They were condemned to never feel anything again while being ghosts."
"And how did they discover that they could damage the soul?" Said the hero.
"It was the Goddess of ghosts who managed to evolve that power. Every day, she interacted with ghosts, she was always surrounded by them, and over the years, she discovered that yes, they could be touched. A tiny part of them, the size of a grain of... Mmm... Not rice, it was something smaller... Like a grain of sand. A small part of them, that size, could be touched, and once she realized that, she spent more than 480 years playing with ghosts, hiding her true intentions: learning to touch them completely. And she succeeded."
"Just by playing?" I asked.
"Once she identified what it feels like to touch that small part of the ghost, she spent all those years training, learning to extend that small part. I don't know exactly how it works, but I'll tell you about the rumors I've heard. She managed to get her body used to the sensation of touching that part of the ghosts, and she forced herself to mentalize and feel that she feels that in other parts of the ghosts where that part wasn't, and by doing so, her spiritual power evolved and allowed her to really touch the ghosts in the parts she was mentalized to be touching. That is, if the part that could be felt was in the throat, if she wanted to touch that in the chest, she forced herself to remember what it felt like to touch the throat, while touching the chest."
"Ow, my head is about to explode! It's too complicated!" Said the hero.
It's true, but I think I already understand a bit about how that power works. She got used to feeling a ghost, and when her power evolved, she managed to really touch a ghost in the part she wanted to touch.
"First she managed to touch a ghost as if she were touching a living person, she shook their hand, felt their nails, their skin, and finally, she went from feet to head, feeling everything as if the ghosts really had a physical body."
"And how did she learn to use that as a weapon?" Said the hero.
"When she managed to modify her body. Once her spiritual power evolved, she realized that not only could she control ghosts at will, she could also control her own soul, and once she learned to use it, she created a new technique: the spiritual body. She managed to modify her body and now she could transform into a kind of ghost as many times as she wanted."
"And why did she become evil?" I asked.
"Ghosts were considered unimportant beings, just like her, since they considered her an unimportant Goddess for destiny. It was more envy on her part than anything else, because all the fun and admiration went to the main Gods, like the God of hell and the protector Gods of the worlds. By having greater responsibility, they obtained more power, and with more power, they indulged in doing whatever they wanted, no one dared to challenge them for fear of dying, unlike her, who was weak for having a job without much importance and had many limitations. Despite that and the envy she felt, that didn't change her, she didn't become evil for those trivialities."
"Wait, wait, let me guess! Please, let me guess!" Said the hero, raising his hand and jumping from side to side.
A Goddess considered inferior, and very important Gods who probably took advantage of their status... Mmm... I bet she was raped or they killed a loved one.
"Tsk. Whatever. Guess, then."
"They wanted to eliminate the ghosts for being unnecessary!"
"Tsk. Of course... yes? Wow... You're not as stupid as I imagined."
Did he get it right?
"Hehe. 'I'm the real deal, I know.'"
What did he say?
"As he said, yes, the Gods gathered to celebrate the millennium anniversary of the creation of humans, the last race to be created. They gathered to analyze the results, to know if it was necessary to make some changes to them."
"Make changes to us? Like an evolution?" I asked.
"The first generation of humans had tails, but since they didn't use them for anything other than sexual purposes, it was decided to remove them. Originally, tails were given to them so they wouldn't be identical to the Gods, but finally it was decided that they should resemble them."
"In a millennium they decided to change humans? What stupidity. 50,000 years ago we barely learned to use language, and we barely reached the technology of mass media, the internet and things like that. Wasn't it too hasty?" Said the hero.
"You say something very intelligent. Yes, maybe for you 100,000 years ago the first modern humans appeared, but for the Gods, only one day passed. Let me explain. The Gods only care about the modern humans of today, those with cities, technology, internet, things like that. Once the worlds stop being useful, when humans go extinct, the worlds are restarted and become worlds full of life and civilized again. Humans who are just learning to use fire are not useful to them for two reasons. Number 1: they're boring to watch. Number 2: they don't provide enough energy that the world of the Gods requires to continue existing."
"Energy?" I asked.
"Did you think you were created just because the Gods are good? Not at all. The existence of humans serves to generate energy, and that energy is used for the world of the Gods to continue existing."
"Like a simple battery. Ah, what crap." Said the hero.
Well, look on the bright side, all humans are born with a purpose in life: to generate energy for the Gods... like slaves... Ah, yes, what crap.
"In my case, I created this world because I was given the opportunity and it sounded fun, meaning it gave me the chance to have fun. And getting back to the main topic, the Gods thought the existence of ghosts was unnecessary and wanted to eliminate them. Obviously, the Goddess of ghosts didn't want that, she had grown fond of them and didn't want them to be eliminated just for being considered unnecessary. She gave them many reasons. A ghost mother had the chance to see her children grow up. A grandfather could continue seeing his grandchildren. Those who never went on vacation could travel the world as ghosts. Being a ghost gave them a second chance at life, but that didn't matter to the Gods, they only cared about entertainment and energy. 'Ghosts are boring and unnecessary. Stop complaining, you'll be given another job.' That's what they told her, and that's what ended up condemning them. Almost all voted in favor of eliminating the ghosts, except her."
"The epic moment is coming!" The hero shouted, getting really into the story.
"And what did she do?" I asked.
"She said: 'Boring, you say? Does this seem boring to you?!' And immediately after, she eliminated that God, destroying his soul using her spiritual power."
"Awesome! Although a bit predictable, to be honest. I give it an 8 out of 10, and that's me being generous." Said the hero.
"And? Did they kill her?"
"No. After killing more than 19 Gods, the supreme God appeared, so she immediately resigned from being a Goddess and traveled to a world as a human."
"Supreme God? Aweeeesome! Let me guess, let me guess! He didn't kill her because he can't intervene much or because he finds it fun to see what she'll do!"
"The second one probably. As far as I know, she's been the only Goddess to resign, so I don't know how he normally reacts in those cases. She, now being a human, could still use her spiritual power, and she used it quite well. It's said that she created the legendary ghosts to attack the world of the Gods, but it's also said that they were created by the supreme God at the request of the Gods, to use them as weapons against her, because no one could defeat her, being incapable of using spiritual power. What is known is that she became the core of spiritual power. How did she do it? Being practically the being with the greatest spiritual power, she must have reached a point where she understood how to generate spiritual energy, and that allowed her to become the center of the ghosts' life. She connected her existence to the world of the Gods, thus preventing the world's restart from affecting her."
"Why didn't it affect her? Was it impossible to detect only her?" I asked.
"By also being part of the world of the Gods, the restart doesn't detect her for not being 100% from that world, and since the Gods can't touch her and the supreme God doesn't want to intervene, she remains connected to the world of the Gods still, feeding the existence of the ghosts with her energy, preventing them from being destroyed. That's why there isn't a new Goddess of ghosts, because the Gods are afraid of the danger that spiritual power represents."
"And how did she connect her existence to the world of the Gods?" I asked.
"I don't know, no one knows. Most likely, she learned to use her spiritual power to travel to paradise or hell, and from there she connected to the world of the Gods."
"And do you think she'll return?" Said the hero.
"At least that's what the prophecy says. I don't know what will happen from here on, but remember this, Angel. The Goddess of ghosts had children with a human, and those children had more children. Be careful when you return to your original world, because there are humans with the power to use spiritual power. They are the descendants of the Goddess of ghosts, and they'll do whatever it takes for her to return. Find a way to face them."
"And how? I don't have spiritual power."
"Just be patient, I'll keep searching. Goodbye."
Huh? Everything around me is spinning and... Huh?
"Dulce is going to kill me! I just told her I loved flat girls like her! She wants to kill me for being a boy honest with his feelings!"
"Calling a girl flat will never be good."
How strange, I feel weird. My head hurts.
I looked around. I'm still in the city, but... I don't understand. Why do I feel like a second ago I was in a different place? Ah, I think I'm just tired.
•
•
God observes Angel through a crystal sphere, sitting on the hot desert ground.
"The memories were erased, but the ideas were implanted successfully. Now..."
A stone tablet appeared in front of him, where there was a drawing of a boy, standing on numbers 98 and 99, with text next to it.
"'The Goddess of ghosts will not return, if the hero defeats 98 and 99, without allowing the shadow to prevent it.' Shadow... What does that metaphor mean? The shadow of his past? The darkness of his soul? If I don't decipher this in time, the whole plan will be ruined."