The Great Spirit of Light, Akashital

* * *

The Great Spirit of Light.

A large sphere of light... her form, which could be seen as simply a magnified version of a lesser spirit, was modeled after the sun.

During the day, that form which illuminates all living things on the earth universally is befitting of her body as a spirit of light.

At that time, when she was still a young lesser spirit whose form was not yet fixed... she believed so from the bottom of her heart.

Without realizing even a speck of the arrogance lurking in that thought.

◇　◇　◇

The opportunity for her first setback... ironically, was when she came to stand as the General Manager of the Great Spirits in the Spirit Forest.

Initially, she felt neither joy nor sorrow regarding her appointment as General Manager.

Because she thought it was only natural.

The incarnation of the sun that illuminates everything.

She thought that was who she was.

Serving as the right hand of the Forest Spirit King, who fulfills his duties as a servant of the precious god, and managing and controlling the spirits.

She thought that would be nothing difficult.

After all, she had managed to climb to the rank of Great Spirit despite her young age.

She had that much talent, the capacity of soul, and had also accumulated effort.

To arrange everything according to her will.

...She thought there was no way she couldn't do it.

◇　◇　◇

<<<Weeding? Why does Pii have to do such a thing, PIIIIIIIIII!?>>>

For example, a certain spirit cut corners on the job of exterminating non-native plants that had invaded and were increasing in the Spirit Forest.

The plants native to the Spirit Forest, which absorb magical power and release it into the air, are essential existences for the management of this land performed by the Forest Spirit King.

It was an important job necessary to protect them.

Even though the Great Spirit of Light explained it logically.

<<<I don't think patrolling the outer edge of the forest is a job I should be doing. Great Spirit-sama, since it's a good opportunity, I want you to listen! I'm confident in my brain! Won't you promote me? Planning, and drafting! Whatever you do, you need a brain, right? I should become Great Spirit-sama's brain! If we do that, this forest will become even better! Patrols and such can be left to the other guys! This job is not a job I should be doing!>>>

For example, a certain spirit refused the job of patrolling when a dangerous monster was wandering near the forest in the past.

That monster was a giant land-dwelling whale with four legs that usually lives in the adjacent area of the Spirit Forest called the "Plateau of Behemoths", and it was a terrifying opponent... difficult to deal with even for Gauugabu.

In other words, it was an opponent that had to be somehow returned to its original habitat before it invaded the Spirit Forest without fighting, an opponent for whom discovery and dealing with it in advance was essential.

However, due to its giant body, discovery is easy, and that is precisely why patrolling is an important job.

Even though the Great Spirit of Light explained it logically.

Both of them slacked off on their work based on their own selfish judgments.

Because of that, the forest was one step away from falling into a critical situation.

And yet, the two pillars who were the cause showed no sign of remorse.

The Great Spirit of Light was shocked.

That her subordinates did not follow her arrangements.

Even though she, who had sufficient ability, was giving the correct instructions, it didn't work.

That experience was a major setback for the Great Spirit of Light, who had never really experienced failure until then.

That setback created a small wound in her heart.

◇　◇　◇

There was an even bigger setback.

That was the departure of her beloved child.

The Great Spirit of Light's beloved child was a Dark Spirit born around the same time as her.

Unlike herself, she loved the carefree and noisy Dark Spirit.

Undoubtedly, the Dark Spirit was the Great Spirit of Light's beloved child.

This is a rare thing.

For a spirit's beloved child to be another spirit.

And, the Great Spirit of Light thought that it was also surely fortunate.

After all, they are the same spirit.

They have the same values, and they can live for a long time together.

Yes, a long time.

Spirits have long lifespans.

So...

The Great Spirit of Light inadvertently kept postponing confessing her heart to the Dark Spirit.

Thinking she would confess tomorrow.

But when that day came, thinking, well, maybe tomorrow again.

She lingered and couldn't make the confession.

Because spirits have long lifespans.

There is still plenty of time left...

Or so she thought.

The Dark Spirit ran away from the Spirit Forest.

To her surprise, the Dark Spirit had found his own beloved child.

And that beloved child was a human man who had been visiting the Spirit Forest.

The Great Spirit of Light, as the General Manager of the Great Spirits, received a portrait of that man in an after-the-fact report later.

Seeing that portrait, she remembers feeling that the man had a somewhat shady smile, was actually possessive and clingy... and seemed black-hearted.

On the other hand, she doesn't remember that man's name very well.

Because it was just too long a name.

It was a name that seemed to have been given to a pet randomly, thinking "it sounds cool" without any thought.

But anyway.

What was important to the Great Spirit of Light was that the Dark Spirit had stuck to a human and left the Spirit Forest without a word of refusal to her.

That the Dark Spirit had chosen one of the rabble, a human man.

Not... herself...

The Great Spirit of Light was deeply hurt.

And she regretted not revealing her inner heart to the Dark Spirit.

Even though there was no guarantee that her beloved child's beloved child would be her, she blamed herself for doing nothing.

While she was lingering, her precious partner was snatched away by some unknown human.

There was no way she wouldn't be hurt.

Even if she wanted to chase after them, her position did not allow it.

The General Manager of the Great Spirits is not allowed to leave the Spirit Forest.

She resented humans.

Here, for the first time, she clearly came to hate the inferior creatures she had thought didn't matter.

◇　◇　◇

Having gone through various experiences.

Before she knew it, the Great Spirit of Light could no longer be the sun completely.

Her heart had been reduced to just a large sphere of light.

But the lesser spirits and medium spirits innocently did not allow that.

The Great Spirit of Light is now the General Manager of the Great Spirits of this Spirit Forest.

The right hand of the Forest Spirit King.

Being just a sphere of light was not allowed.

That is why she...

Continued to behave aloofly as the sun of the forest.

While blaming and rebuking her own pettiness in her heart, still aloof, and cool-headed.

Such days of continuing to sigh in her heart.

Are now about to end.

◇　◇　◇

<<<<<<<<<UGYOBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!?>>>>>>>>>

Saying that, the ones who exploded and scattered in front of the Great Spirit of Light were the Armor Medium Spirits.

There were three pillars of them, gray, black, and white, and they can combine to transform into a combat form with three faces, six arms, and six legs.

Once they transform, they are actually strong enough to rival a Great Spirit.

However, they lost.

They received a tremendous blow from a human girl clad in dark black miasma, and were blown apart in a single strike.

"...What is the point of having six legs...?"

While pecking at the scattered fragments of the Armor Medium Spirits with the tips of her tentacles, the gruesome girl tilts her head expressionlessly.

She's a psychopath.

The Great Spirit of Light thought.

In peaceful times, that question would be extremely reasonable.

If arms increase... the number of attacks might increase, but just because legs increase, is there any meaning...?

Does it give better footing, or something...?

This was something all the spirits of the Spirit Forest always thought, and actually pointed out verbally.

Because it was troublesome to be retorted to every time, the Armor Medium Spirits usually didn't expose their combined form in public.

But.

Is that something to say right after killing them?

Moreover, with a nonchalant look.

In other words, surely for this girl, death is an everyday occurrence, and she has that little hesitation in killing.

A terrifying human.

"...So."

While thinking about such things idly.

The evil human called out to the Great Spirit of Light, who was standing at the root of the giant tree where the Spirit King resides... in the center of the flower garden... the sanctuary of the Spirit Forest.

"Are you the important spirit?"

<<<Hmm... It is a truly rude attitude, but I shall answer. I am not familiar with the social structure of humans, so there may be a slight discrepancy with what you are trying to say, but... I am the General Manager of the Great Spirits of this forest. Certainly, it could be said that I am important.>>>

The Great Spirit of Light answered aloofly as usual.

Words are spun idly in a voice with little inflection, from which emotions cannot be read.

"Then, I have a request."

<<<...?>>>

"Don't attack me anymore. Leave me alone."

<<<...?>>>

"If you promise, I'll quietly leave the forest. How about it?"

<<<........................>>>

The Great Spirit of Light fell silent, and silence continued for a while.

The sanctuary of the spirits is now silent, with not even the wind blowing.

Enveloped in the star-filled sky and the brilliance of the flowers at their feet, only silence fills the air.

Why did the Great Spirit of Light fall silent?

It was because the request of the obviously evil human wrapped in miasma in front of her was truly ridiculous.

...Having massacred almost all the spirits and reached the sanctuary, her wish is 'Please let me go', of all things.

<<<...Are you telling a joke?>>>

"?"

Even when asked in a trembling voice, the human in front of her only tilted her head.

...She is serious.

The Great Spirit of Light was speechless again.

That is, that is.

What a mockery.

<<<There is no way... such a wish would be granted, is there?>>>

The Great Spirit of Light squeezed out the words as if groaning.

<<<Do you think you, who have killed this many of my brethren, will be forgiven?>>>

She is... the Great Spirit of Light is the right hand of the Forest Spirit King.

The general manager of the forest spirits.

To let a human who rampaged as she pleased go scot-free?

Her position... did not allow such a thing.

"The one who started it was you guys."

<<<Because you invaded our forest.>>>

"Instead of attacking first, you should have just said 'Get out'. Then I would have left immediately."

<<<Why?>>>

"What do you mean 'Why'?"

<<<...Why should we spirits!! Need to show consideration!! To a lower species like humans!!>>>

"!!"

Here, the Great Spirit of Light... became enraged!

Because her position forces her to do so!

As if synchronizing with her intense anger, the light she emitted explosively increased in intensity, causing Emi to narrow her eyes!

<<<Humans are... humans are!! Nothing more than monkeys that just speak words!! No, far from it... they defile sanctity with trickery and steal away precious things... they are pests that should properly be destroyed!!>>>

The Great Spirit of Light continued to scream!

Digging up the wounds in her heart herself, raising an angry voice, anyway... heightening her anger!

Then, suddenly... the girl in front of her overlapped with the portrait of the human man who had once stolen her beloved!

Because both have two arms, two legs, and a head on top of a neck!

It's not just a resemblance!

They're exactly the same!

FLASH——————!!

The sanctuary of the spirits is illuminated as if it were daytime by the light emitted by the Great Spirit of Light, which has intensified even further.

And that's not all.

Smoke began to rise from the surrounding flowers.

A burning smell is also drifting.

They are about to burst into flames due to the heat!

<<<I am... My name is the Great Spirit of Light, Akashital!! ...The sun of this Spirit Forest!!>>>

Amidst that, the Great Spirit of Light announced her name.

Even during that time, the light continues to grow stronger, and the surrounding temperature continues to rise.

Emi consciously expelled the dark black mist outside her body to clothe herself, preventing her body temperature from rising... and lowered her hips slightly, readying her fists.

It's not just the intensity of the light and the temperature that are continuing to rise.

The hostility emitted from Akashital is on the verge of explosion.

It is clear that she has no intention of negotiating.

<<<Now, human! While regretting the foolishness of opposing us spirits with the standing of a lower organism... be swallowed by the light and perish!!>>>

And, the next moment!

Akashital released lethal beams of light in all directions, burning the surroundings... and attacked Emi!

◇　◇　◇

She releases beams of light, and the human avoids them at supernatural speed.

Sometimes kicking the ground, sometimes dancing in the air, a super-high-speed battle that changes positions dizzyingly.

While continuing the fierce battle as if driven by anger... but in reality, in the midst of it, Akashital was looking at her rampaging self and the state of this battle from somewhat of a bird's-eye view.

(......I will lose this, won't I.)

And she was calmly convinced of the future of her own defeat.

After all, the opponent human easily avoids Akashital's light beams with her natural combat intuition... and even if they hit, the wounds are healed at high speed.

Furthermore, the dark black miasma that the human occasionally expels from her body spreads to the surroundings, hindering the progress of Akashital's light.

The more the battle progresses, the more the pollution by the miasma spreads... and a field disadvantageous to Akashital is formed.

(......Well, that's fine too. With the forest battered to this extent anyway, as the General Manager of the Great Spirits, I have no standing.)

Thinking so, Akashital exhaled a breath, *phew*, in her heart.

However, that breath was not the sigh she had continued to exhale for many years.

It was a sigh of relief.

(I see... it's finally over, isn't it?)

It's ironic that thinking so made her heart lighter.

In the end, the current position was nothing but a burden to Akashital.

Akashital was not the sun or anything.

She was just a sphere of light.

(I wonder if I was able to behave properly arrogantly... like the sun, until the end?)

Suddenly, such anxiety was born, and she stared intently at the human opponent.

Even though she is in the midst of a fierce battle, she is expressionless.

She has a cool face.

However, the flames of murderous intent seem to be burning in those dark black eyes, becoming the driving force to move her small body.

Akashital hates humans.

So she is unlikely to have a favorable impression of the girl in front of her.

But, she is..

Surely, the opponent who will end Akashital's gloomy days.

Thinking so, although she is a human... Akashital did not fail to harbor a little gratitude towards Emi.

(If I am reborn... Himetal. This time, I will, to you...)

The end of the battle that lasted for a long, long time.

As the fist of the human covered in something dark black approached her body, which had been sucked, whittled down, exhausted, and become completely small.

What Akashital recalled was, after all... the figure of her beloved child.

【A name that seemed to have been given to a pet randomly, thinking "it sounds cool" without any thought】

"Geistpfenanjeshiriard".

Appeared in Arc 13, etc.