No matter how I looked at it, the scene appeared to be nothing but one-sided violence from the Hunter. As I stood there dumbfounded, the Hunter reloaded his gun, aimed at the Warden again, and fired.
"Wait!"
I tried to stop him, but the already-fired round seemed to hit the Warden, causing it to shudder violently.
Perhaps it was hit on the arm; it brought the spot to its mouth and began licking it with its tongue.
"Kyauung..."
...It let out a whimper that strangely sounded like a puppy's.
But I saw the bullet not embedding itself but bouncing off. My gaze followed it, and soon I saw it rolling on the floor, leaving me utterly speechless.
"...A BB pellet?"
It looked just like a white plastic pellet.
Wait a minute, there's no way the Hunter would use such a childish toy against an Outer God, no matter what.
That means that bullet must be related to the Outer God...
"Damn it, it's happening again."
Meanwhile, the Hunter clicked his tongue, put another round into the gun, and began aiming at the Warden once more.
Hold on.
If the Hunter is using it, that means it's a weapon capable of defeating an Outer God.
Which means...
"Ah."
"Among the recently known methods, it's said that you can 'defeat Outer Gods' by using weapons made from their flesh, but from here on, even I'm not sure;;"
The phrase written on the wall came to mind, and I quickly deduced the true nature of that bullet.
It must be made from the flesh of an Outer God.
So that's why it looks like a plastic BB pellet to me!
As I gradually grasped the situation, someone started slapping my shoulder repeatedly. I turned my head to see Argarta with a pale, horrified expression.
"Mr. Tanton, you're too late!"
"What exactly is going on?"
From my perspective, I didn't know the exact situation, so I could only ask in return.
Argarta made a frustrated face as if asking how I couldn't tell, then let out a sigh and spoke.
"The Warden appeared and started destroying everything, and the Hunter is holding it off!"
It was true that the entire surrounding area was destroyed...
But from what I could see right now, the Warden was just standing there while the Hunter was the one unilaterally beating on it!
Although, looking more closely, the Hunter also seemed to be showing signs of fatigue, as if he was being pushed back.
As if to prove Argarta's words, the Warden suddenly started running and charged toward the Hunter.
"Woof!"
"Ugh."
The Hunter was hit in the stomach by the Warden's charge, making a cute thud sound.
Contrary to the sound, the Hunter was sent flying at a terrifying speed, crashing into the opposite wall and completely shattering it.
...It was hard to simply blame the Warden, as its expression was that of a terribly wronged puppy.
"What do we do! The Hunter is in danger!"
I was starting to experience cognitive dissonance, but it certainly looked dangerous.
Argarta stomped her feet in frustration, then seemed to have an idea and looked at me.
"Hurry, Mr. Tanton! You brought something to defeat that thing, right?"
"Ah, yes. It's this, but..."
I held up the dog bone that the Lesser Outer Gods had sacrificed themselves for me to take.
Ah, looking at this makes me want to cry again.
As I sniffled, feeling touched, Argarta screamed and backed away.
"Kyaak! D-don't point that thing at me!"
Uh.
Hmm.
What on earth does she see this as?
I hadn't played the game this far, so I had no way of knowing what this originally was.
Since it's a weapon related to an Outer God, it must look disgusting, right?
Just seeing this weapon seemed to make Argarta nauseous; she covered her mouth with one hand and waved the other hand frantically toward the Warden.
"Just give it to the Hunter, or throw it over there, or do something, quickly!"
Hmm.
Does it look like a pointy weapon to her?
I nodded at Argarta's words and took a stance like someone throwing a spear, something I'd seen often on the internet.
"Take this!"
Shifting my weight forward, I leaned my body and simultaneously threw the dog bone I was holding forward.
"Eat this!"
Whether by luck or good timing, the dog bone drew a gentle parabolic curve and began surging toward the Warden at high speed.
The decisive moment.
The world seemed to slow down.
The dog bone was gradually approaching the Warden when the Warden noticed and shifted its gaze.
Damn it.
Did I underestimate the Outer God too much?
The Warden then ignored the Hunter, turned its body toward the dog bone, and began to move slowly.
What the Warden did next made me doubt my eyes.
I thought it had turned to block the weapon, but instead, the Warden leaped toward the dog bone, twisting its body sideways just before the bone could hit it.
And then.
"Arf!"
It caught the bone in its mouth.
"Huh?"
During that series of events, the Hunter, Argarta, and I could only stare blankly at the Warden, as if our breath had been taken away.
It landed on all fours with the bone in its mouth, then tilted its head.
Then, it shifted its gaze toward me.
"Damn it!"
Before the Hunter could even react, the Warden instantly started running toward me.
I was so stunned I couldn't even make a sound, let alone react. The Warden leaped at me.
Ah.
Am I going to die like this?
It has many eyes all over its body, but still, if I'm going to be crushed to death by a beautiful girl, it might not have been a bad life. With that thought, I closed my eyes.
A little time passed.
Just as I was bewildered that nothing was happening, I heard something tapping on my hand.
I opened my eyes and looked ahead. What I saw were the Hunter and Argarta.
They were both looking at me with shocked expressions. As I was trying to read the meaning of those looks, I suddenly heard a panting sound from somewhere.
I looked around for the source of the sound and realized it was coming from right below me.
I looked down.
"Pant, pant, pant."
The Warden was wearing a very bright smile and, like a puppy tapping its owner with its front paws, was tapping my hand with its hand.
It had placed the dog bone I threw earlier on the floor.
"Uh?"
As I stared blankly at the Warden, it paused for a moment as if realizing something, then picked up the dog bone with its mouth again and started pushing it into my hand.
My brain was receiving too much unfamiliar information, slowing down my ability to interpret the situation.
So.
The Warden is a dog.
I threw a bone.
The dog caught the bone and brought it back to me, pushing it into my hand.
Finally, I understood what the Warden wanted.
The game you play with a dog, where you throw something like a boomerang or a frisbee and tell it to fetch it.
The Warden seemed to be asking me to do that with it now.
"Uh..."
When I took the dog bone from its mouth, the Warden, seemingly excited at the prospect of another round of the game, started wagging its tail all over the place.
Is what I'm about to do really the right decision?
I felt the last vestiges of my human morality crumbling.
I mean, seriously.
Based on my perspective, what's the difference between treating a pretty girl like a dog right now?!
But unaware of my inner turmoil, the Warden started whining, as if asking why I wasn't doing it faster.
"Whi, whine."
Sigh.
Looking at those earnest eyes, I felt like I'd be the bad guy if I didn't comply, so I finally put strength into my arm.
I threw the dog bone a short distance away. The Warden scurried over with light steps, picked up the bone again, and came back, panting with a radiant smile.
I felt my sanity snap.
I thought, 'I've come this far, might as well go all the way.'
"Paw."
"Woof!"
It raised its paw.
"Sit."
"Woof!"
It sat.
"Spin."
"Woof!"
It spun.
"Aw, good job."
"Grrrrowl."
When I praised it and petted it for doing well, it closed its eyes contentedly and wagged its tail.
Hmm.
...Feeling more and more like trash, I decided to stop now.
"Woo-hoo~!"
But the Warden, seemingly satisfied, started running around me cheerfully, barking.
"Good human! Like!"
Squish, squish, squish.
The jelly-like pads on its feet made sounds.
"Human, I no hit! Good human!"
"Uh, yeah. I'm a good human, so..."
Just as I was about to say 'That's enough,' for some reason the Warden's movement path suddenly changed. It turned and charged at me.
This time, it charged right on top of me!
"Uwaaak!"
I tried to turn and run away, but it must have anticipated that too, as I was tackled and pinned down by the Warden.
I was afraid of what it might do, but then I felt something wet and moist on the arm I was using to shield myself.
Startled, I lifted my head to see what the sensation was. The Warden had its tongue out, tilting its head with a questioning expression.
Uh.
Wait a second.
This is...
Nah, it can't be.
Right?
I looked at the Warden with an awkward smile. It seemed to take it as permission to continue, as it started smiling again and wiggling its tongue.
"Lick, lick!"
"Uheeeeeeek!"
And so, for a long while, I had to endure being pinned down and licked by the Warden.