To be perfectly frank, though Nitocris had borrowed Spirit Origins from over a dozen Chaldean Servants by now, her experience in this world was especially unusual.
Being a god... she'd been one before—like the time she had been Artoria as a Ruler during the Holy Grail War in Romania, or as Artoria Alter in the world of Campione! Wait... thinking back now, wasn't she always Artoria when playing the role of a deity?
Habit was truly a terrifying thing. After her third time being a god, she'd gradually become accustomed to both the benefits and drawbacks of divinity. Finally, her true personality wasn't as violently suppressed by divine nature as it had been previously.
However, this time was unlike the other two. This time, Nitocris wasn't descending in her own form; instead, she inhabited the body of a girl, Hirai Yukari, exercising her divine power through Yukari's flesh.
The result was that she no longer had the freedom she had before. After all, she wasn't an evil god or a demonic cultivator—her moral standards were simply too high to perform something as heinous as taking over someone else's body and instantly annihilating the original owner's soul. That sort of twisted plot belonged in doujinshi, not in a proper novel like this.
Still, she wasn't dissatisfied. Viewing the world from another person's perspective was a rare experience. Watching Yukari attend classes, play dodgeball, eat lunch with her classmates, stroll around the shopping street or snack stalls after school with her friends, and even enjoying the small, cozy moments with her parents at night—occasionally seeing Yukari's cute, troubled expression when stumped by schoolwork—all of it was pleasant in its own way.
EX-rank divinity, although unable to completely suppress Nitocris's personality, still made her somewhat indifferent toward her surroundings, unable to summon much interest. Yet, experiencing life through Yukari's perspective allowed her to feel gentle ripples within her heart, preventing it from freezing solid.
To sum up... there were pros and cons to this current state.
Because Yukari's capacity as a vessel was limited, Nitocris couldn't use her full power to instantly send every Crimson Denizen in the world straight to the Underworld. Moreover, this world itself probably wouldn't permit Nitocris to do something like that. After all, humanity here had suffered too long under the ravages of the Crimson Denizens, unable to withstand her casual whims.
Therefore, Nitocris could only do as she was doing now—slaying Crimson Denizens while using their remaining Power of Existence to restore humans who had been turned into Torches.
She also tried her best not to disrupt Yukari's everyday life when borrowing her body. Thankfully, Yukari was a considerate person who cooperated with her well, saving Nitocris a good deal of trouble.
Like today, for instance...
"Eh? Kami-sama, you're saying you sense a Denizen nearby?!"
School had just ended, and Yukari had plans to visit the shopping street with friends today. Unexpectedly, she'd received this sudden piece of news from Nitocris as soon as class ended.
"Indeed. That Denizen is just about to enter Misaki City. Lately, it seems more Denizens have been coming to this small nation of Japan, as if they're being drawn by something..."
The voice, audible only to Yukari, resonated from the pendant. "However, the thoughts and desires of those Denizens are none of our concern. Simply judge them, convict them, and deliver them to the Underworld. Before my golden eyes, no evil or impurity can hide—not even gods can escape my judgment."
Nitocris's voice was soft, yet it felt as though she were reciting a decree etched into the stars themselves. That casual calmness was more chilling than any thunderclap, the very air falling silent, as if even the dust conceded her words were absolute truth.
But soon, Nitocris's tone softened slightly. "Still, you made plans with friends today, did you not? Breaking promises is itself a crime. Wouldn't you prefer going to enjoy yourself with them and relax a bit? If you're worried about innocent people being attacked by Denizens, my Authority can restore them, so there's no need to worry excessively."
Even after Nitocris said this, Yukari still remained silent.
Eventually, her classmate noticed Yukari sitting unmoving at her desk after school, slowly approaching with a puzzled expression.
"Hirai-san, school's over. Are you ready? Ogata-san and the others have already finished packing."
Facing Yoshida Kazumi, Yukari quickly controlled her expression, putting on a smile to avoid appearing strange in front of her classmates.
"I... I'm sorry, Yoshida-san. I just remembered something urgent today... I'm really sorry! Please apologize to Ogata-san and everyone else for me too. This is really important, something I absolutely can't put off. Let's go out together another time..."
In the end, Yukari declined Nitocris's suggestion, leaving the classroom and school by herself instead of joining Yoshida Kazumi and the others.
"I'm sorry, Kami-sama. I ignored your good intentions."
Yes, good intentions.
Having spent quite some time with Nitocris, Yukari had gradually figured out the deity's true personality.
Since their communication depended entirely on the golden pendant, Yukari couldn't see Nitocris's face or judge her emotions from expressions. The only clue she had was Nitocris's tone when speaking.
Most of the time, Nitocris spoke harshly, even somewhat coldly, as if completely devoid of human emotions. At first, Yukari had indeed been intimidated by the deity's imposing presence.
But eventually, Yukari began to sense the kindness hidden beneath Nitocris's severe words.
Like just now—how could a gentle deity like Nitocris truly let a Denizen devour humans in this city? Even if she could revive them afterward, it couldn't erase the fact they'd already died once. Clearly, Nitocris was indulging her, unwilling to let Yukari's ordinary life be disrupted because of her presence.
That earlier phrase, "Breaking promises is itself a crime," was indeed true—but it was also mostly intended to scare her.
Having arrived in a deserted corner, Yukari wore a faint smile.
"But Kami-sama… when I imagine myself smiling and playing with friends at the very moment someone else is enduring the tragedy I once faced—being eaten by monsters without knowing anything at all—I couldn't enjoy myself even if I were with my friends."
Yukari's voice was similarly quiet, like a feather carried by the breeze, yet there was an unshakable resolve within it, determination blazing like a flame.
Seeing Yukari's expression, Nitocris, who already understood the girl's true feelings, didn't speak further to persuade her.
"Very well. If your resolve is firm, move forward. Gods lavish their fondness upon those who forge their will into blades, tipping the scales in their favor. We gods have never been stingy with rewards in such matters."
Yukari closed her eyes, reopening them to find herself standing amid a sea of flames.
Gray flames flickered and rose, filling every corner of her vision. Only absolute tranquility remained, like the momentary stillness before death itself descended.
She stood in flames, yet felt neither scorching heat nor icy cold—only warmth and contentment, like being gently embraced by a mother.
Before her stood a sacred, majestic figure; her eyes naturally gravitated toward it, as though it were the pillar of the world, the center of all existence.
"Then lend me your body once more."
Nitocris spoke, extending her hand toward Yukari.
Without hesitation, the girl took Nitocris's hand.
"Cough-cough!"
Suddenly, Nitocris cleared her throat. Her solemn expression cracked slightly, revealing faint embarrassment barely perceptible to ordinary eyes.
"Also… I haven't the slightest idea what you meant by 'good intentions.' I am a god of the Underworld, death incarnate—the most ruthless and coldhearted deity, showing favor to no one. Mortals need only fear and revere me."
Indeed, Nitocris was somewhat of a tsundere.
In reality, Yukari's figure vanished into gray flames, replaced entirely by the divine form of Nitocris.
Golden pupils flashing with divine radiance, Nitocris quickly pinpointed the location of the Denizen who had entered Misaki City, teleporting there instantly.
Each Crimson Denizen had unique powers and talents. Some might be weaker in raw strength than Crimson Lords yet more troublesome in combat—like Leanan-sidhe, the world's strongest Unrestricted Spell caster. Many powerful Lords coveted her abilities, which was precisely why the Crimson Lord responsible for Mathilde's death had kidnapped and imprisoned her.
The Denizen in Misaki City now wasn't a Crimson Lord. Its strength was far inferior to Friagne—who ranked in the top five modern Lords—yet Friagne had died without even glimpsing Nitocris's face. Strangely, however, this Denizen survived her initial strike.
Just like Friagne, Nitocris appeared before the wolf-man Denizen, severing his lupine head in a single strike.
Yet, Nitocris felt clearly—his presence hardly weakened at all. Immediately afterward, the headless body dissolved into a dense fog, swiftly spreading over a hundred meters.
"Kami-sama! The Denizen disappeared!" Yukari anxiously called out from within. "There's fog everywhere... Was that just a fake? Did he escape?"
"He won't get away."
Nitocris spoke with calm certainty, as if no one and nothing could ever escape the palm of her hand.
The fog surged around her, yet her golden pupils gleamed vividly, molten gold whipped into a searing blaze by fierce winds.
"No sinner can evade judgment once weighed upon my scales."
The mist surrounding her wasn't a decoy or mere illusion—the werewolf Denizen's aura was evenly dispersed within the fog. Clearly, he hadn't fled; this mist was his actual body.
"Foolish. I am the deathly wind that freezes the desert night, the moon that gleams within endless darkness. Did you truly think that turning into mist would allow you to escape death and the judgment of the Underworld?"
Nitocris tilted her chin slightly upward, her gaze cold as a frosty moon looking down on mortal beings, her voice devoid of even the faintest warmth.
In that instant, Nitocris's magical energy sharply surged. Magic as vast as the sky and as heavy as the ocean poured forth, nearly tangible, forming a torrent of gray flames that screamed and tore through the air itself.
"The scales lie within my grasp—beyond lies only the Underworld. Now, let judgment be passed upon your sins!"
Nitocris's hair and tattered cloak began lengthening and expanding, their interior shimmering with countless pinpoints of starlight.
That was the starry sky, the cosmos itself—the end of science, the apex of mystery.
It seemed slow, yet in truth, within the briefest moment, all of the pervasive fog had been entirely enveloped within that starry domain.
The werewolf Denizen's figure suddenly emerged again, utterly terrified to discover... he could no longer transform back into mist?!
And when he looked up, he saw himself standing at the heart of the stellar sea, upon one side of a golden scale.
On the other side of the scale rested a single white feather. Without even a moment's hesitation, the scale tilted toward him.
Danger—danger—danger—danger—!
His instincts screamed sharply in alarm, as terror surged like an icy gray tide, swallowing him whole.
It was as if he had personally witnessed the most terrifying thing in the world, as if some indescribable entity had fixed its gaze upon him, chilling his spine with a sudden burst of dread.
When that grand figure appeared among the cluster of stars, he understood for the first time... what it truly meant to behold a god.
The golden scales, already colossal enough in his eyes to measure the heavens, appeared as nothing but a trivial plaything within the palm of that deity.
"[My beautiful Underworld, open forth that road]!"
At first, there was only a single lotus blossom of gray flame, quietly resting there.
But swiftly—far too swiftly—everything around was swept into it. The werewolf Denizen, the golden scales, even the stars and boundless cosmos—all instantly ignited.
At last, they faded into ash, perishing within those very ashes.
Having regained control of her body, Hirai Yukari walked alone amidst the crowds in the shopping street.
The battle with the werewolf Denizen had seemed lengthy, yet in reality, it hadn't even taken three minutes. Yukari could even have rejoined her friends without missing anything at all.
Nitocris had suggested exactly that.
But still...
"Forget it. After everything I said, it'd be pretty awkward to find them now..." Yukari murmured helplessly. "I'll just head home early today."
"Suit yourself," Nitocris responded indifferently.
Neither the bakery, nor the arcade, nor the karaoke lounge, nor even the bookstore attracted Yukari's attention; she showed no intention of stopping at all.
However, she suddenly halted in her tracks... because someone had grabbed her arm.
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
Two startled voices rang out simultaneously.
Yukari was puzzled—wondering who would suddenly grab her, and why.
And the black-haired, dark-eyed girl who had grabbed Yukari was equally bewildered—wondering why she'd suddenly reached out to hold onto this girl.
---
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl