【Tales of the Gods 34】 The Monster God Enemiliga and the Technology God Skillui

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"Now then, in any case, my goal is to further invigorate the Isekai Reincarnation Streaming industry and devote myself to promoting the widespread adoption of the Status and Skill systems! Well, that is how I'm thinking about it!"

Chatter, chatter... the man continued to speak with a fluency like water flowing over a board.

The man's name was Skillui.

He had a stocky, muscular build forced into a tight suit, and a suspicious smile plastered onto a face that should have been stern; he was the Technology God of this world, Ardyst.

One of the gods.

"............"

And the woman listening to Skillui's long-winded speech while lying lazily and yawning was also a god.

Her name was the Monster God, Enemiliga.

She was a goddess whose form consisted of the body of a lioness larger than a house, with the upper body of a giant human woman growing from the neck, mostly covered in lion's mane.

Incidentally, the two of them were currently in Enemiliga's divine realm, a space modeled after ruined ruins standing atop a hill.

"To that end! I would very much like the Monster God Enemiliga to participate in Isekai Reincarnation Streaming! That is why I have come today!"

The long preamble finally ended, and Skillui got to the main point.

...Well, she had only been half-listening... but based on the flow, Enemiliga understood what this suspicious man was after.

Therefore, she had already decided on the answer she would give.

"I refuse."

"Actually, I have the perfect plan for the Monster God Enemiliga... huh? What was that?"

"I am the Monster God, art thou not? The god of monsters. To wound and kill the children of men... that is the mission bestowed upon me by the Creator God, is it not?"

In Ardyst, monsters are the "enemies of humanity."

From the perspective of the gods, they are necessary "organs" to give humanity trials, temper their souls, absorb the magicules drifting in the void, and expand the world.

The symbol of such monsters, the being who governs their management and cultivation... that was the Monster God, Enemiliga.

Therefore.

"As for Isekai Reincarnation Streaming, is it not a farce where the children of men wield so-called 'cheats' and run amok? Why must I do such a thing? What I must do is kill the children of men. It is the exact opposite of what one does in Isekai Re reincarnation Streaming."

As Enemiliga spoke, she let out a bored yawn.

Whether by her words or her attitude, it was a complete rejection of Skillui.

...However.

"No, no, no, no, no! Please wait, Monster God Enemiliga! It appears you are laboring under a grave misconception!"

Skillui had anticipated that Enemiliga would answer this way.

Though he was the Technology God, he was a male god who didn't mind handling sales duties.

In other words, he was experienced!

"A misconception, thou sayest?"

Sighing, Enemiliga felt exasperated by Skillui, who clearly had no intention of stopping.

"Isekai Reincarnation Streaming doesn't necessarily require a human to be the protagonist! There is a genre called 'Monster Reincarnation'! Wolves, goblins... and even species that don't exist in this world, like slimes! Many works are created with a wide variety of monsters as the protagonists!"

"So thou art telling me to do that? But the inside is the soul of a child of man, is it not? If so, would that not create a monster that does not oppose humans?"

"Well... yes. I suppose so... That really depends on the specific case."

"Then it is a non-starter. 'Monsters harm humans.' That is the fundamental law of this world."

Saying so, Enemiliga put strength into her limbs and stood up.

In reality, there were many instances in this world where monsters and humans coexisted, led by the profession of "Monster Tamer," and Enemiliga tacitly permitted it.

In short, what she had just said was merely a matter of principle... she was simply trying to cut the conversation short!

"No, no, no, no, no! In that case, we can simply remove things like 'aversion to killing humans' or 'ethics' before reincarnating the protagonist, so there is no problem at all! 'A protagonist who reincarnates as a monster and, while possessing human thought, follows monster instincts to massacre humans'... that too is a 'story'! There are gods who prefer that kind of 'darkness,' you see. In other words, there is demand!"

"How utterly immoral..."

Enemiliga frowned at Skillui, who continued to push back despite her repeated rejections.

She had been listening to Skillui's talk, which she considered nothing more than idle chatter, for three days already.

Frankly, her patience was wearing thin.

That said, Skillui was also a god.

Even if he were of a lower rank, he wasn't someone she could just eat and kill on a whim.

"Now, what do you think, Monster God Enemiliga! I have prepared a plan perfectly suited for you! In short, it's this, right? It's a hassle, isn't it? The preparations for streaming and all that!"

"............"

"Therefore, my proposal! The preparation of the soul, the creation of the plot, the video editing, the posting of the work! I, Skillui, shall handle everything! The Monster God Enemiliga only needs to pay a tiny fraction of her vast mana as capital! Then, the Isekai Reincarnation will be streamed, and income will be generated through advertising fees!"

"............"

"And from that revenue, I'd simply take a small cut for myself—that's the idea! The Monster God Enemiliga is happy to receive advertising fees without doing anything! I am happy to spread the Status and Skill systems in this world through Isekai Reincarnation Streaming! In other words, a win-win relationship! Furthermore, the viewers are happy to see a new Isekai Reincarnation stream! Truly, a triple-win!"

"............"

"This is beyond a bargain; it's a super-bargain! How about it, Monster God Enemiliga! To add to that..."

"Agh, enough!! I get it, I get it, so shut up already!!"

At this point, Enemiliga finally reached her limit!

Directing genuine murderous intent, Enemiliga screamed at Skillui!

"In other words, if I pay thee mana, thou shalt vanish from here, yes!? Wonderful!! Let us contract quickly... and then BEGONE!!!"

Bathed in the murderous aura of a high god, Skillui broke into a cold sweat and his face twitching with fear... yet, somehow, he still managed to beam a wide, full-faced smile as he bowed his head.

"The contract is signed... Thank you very much!"

After that, perhaps because he was so terrified of Enemiliga's murderous intent, Skillui finished all the work related to the stream in an instant and immediately left her divine realm.

As expected of a god, his working speed transcended human knowledge.

◇ ◇ ◇

Several years passed.

"Sigh..."

Within the crumbling ruins, Enemiliga idly flipped through the booklets Skillui had left behind.

The contract, an introductory guide to Isekai Reincarnation Streaming, and the planning document Skillui had created for Enemiliga, among other things...

Even if she had no interest, she had plenty of time.

Since she was paying mana, she wanted to memorize every single word.

Contrary to her terrifying appearance and her role in the world, Enemiliga was fundamentally earnest.

If her current state of mind were to be expressed simply, it would be the regret of "I've done it now."

"............"

She glanced at the hollow of a great tree that had grown through the stone pavement.

There was no darkness there; instead, the image of a giant crow-like monster warming eggs was projected.

It was a vision of the lower world... and within one of the eggs that the parent bird was warming, the soul of Enemiliga's "protagonist" resided.

............To be honest, regarding the streaming project itself, Skillui had handled every single detail of the setup; consequently, Enemiliga had initially felt absolutely no personal attachment to it whatsoever...

"Even so... hmmm."

Enemiliga flipped through the story planning document.

On the cover, the title 【The Rise of the Ugly Monster】 was printed in a large, high-visibility bold font.

To summarize the contents of the plan: it was a story about a protagonist born as a weak, small, and ugly monster who defeats powerful enemies and grows strong.

"How pitiful..."

The stage Skillui had chosen for this story was the Plateau of Behemoths, Enemiliga's managed territory.

From Enemiliga's perspective, it was a place that made her sigh, thinking, "Of all places, why choose there?"

The Plateau of Behemoths was a breeding ground for creating and stocking tough monsters using kodoku.

To prevent a repeat of the "Day of Ruin" that happened in the past... it was a land meant for training "villains" who would destroy human civilization at the appropriate timing.

...It is, quite frankly, a wretchedly feeble place... Moreover, it is hardly an environment where a fledgling—one who was originally born of human stock—could hope to survive with any semblance of normalcy.

According to the notes in the planning document, thanks to the system Skillui built, the protagonist would never die halfway through the story... but.

Precisely because of that, wouldn't this protagonist endure a hell so severe he'd rather just die?

Actually, he would.

Such a development was written in the planning document Skillui had left.

...While Enemiliga was required by the world to be the enemy of humanity, she didn't actually hate humans.

She simply killed them because it was necessary for the world.

She had no hobby of finding pleasure in making people or monsters suffer.

That was why the life of the protagonist, destined for hardship... no, though his heart was human, technically his life was that of a monster... felt so pitiable to her.

In truth, the protagonist's body had been modified by Skillui's system, so unlike other monsters of the Plateau of Behemoths, he did not possess an "Kodoku Organ."

While the Kodoku Organ brought about growth beyond all limits, it bound its owner to the Plateau of Behemoths.

If giant monsters scattered across the world and rampaged as they pleased, humanity would suffer catastrophic damage not intended by the gods' plan.

It was a measure to prevent that.

Anyway, the point here was... a protagonist without an Kodoku Organ could freely leave the Plateau of Behemoths.

He could escape, according to the specifications.

However, if asked whether that was actually possible... it would be extremely difficult.

After all, the theme of the story Skillui brought in was "Rising Up."

The protagonist starts out weak...

And the place where such a protagonist is born is almost the center of the Plateau of Behemoths.

Cross a vast forest while avoiding the eyes of monsters?

Impossible...

But at this point, it couldn't be undone.

The protagonist had been born as an egg, and several years had already passed.

That bird belonged to a species with a very long incubation period.

Killing a creature that had already existed in the lower world for years just out of "pity" would be a major rule violation.

Of course, she could tinker with things and find loopholes in the rules.

She could... but.

The faction of gods that Enemiliga got along poorly with was currently doing exactly that.

She had no desire to be tarred with the same brush as them.

Normally, she would have given him a blessing to raise his base abilities, but due to the contract with Skillui, who planned the "Rising Up" story, easy power-ups were forbidden.

"At the very least... I shall watch over him."

In the end, Enemiliga chose to remain a bystander.

Just because she wanted to get away from that noisy man as quickly as possible, Enemiliga had irresponsibly thrown the protagonist into the lower world.

Enemiliga had no means of clearing that guilt.

So, she decided to at least keep watching the suffering that her own rashness had created—suffering he didn't need to bear.

It was a self-satisfying and arrogant form of atonement that solved nothing.

But pretending not to know and forgetting... that was the one thing she could not do.

◇ ◇ ◇

"Kuku, haha... AHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

And yet, the Monster God Enemiliga.

Currently... she was laughing hysterically.

The image projected in the tree hollow showed the carcass of the Land Whale, which the protagonist Dokugegon and his owner Emi had joined forces to defeat.

Yes... the Land Whale.

Among the "enemies of humanity" created on the Plateau of Behemoths, it was the cream of the crop.

Even with the help of the Kodoku Organ, it was a monster whose soul's rank had been tempered into that of a demi-god.

And they had defeated such a monster!

For Enemiliga, this meant one of her highest-grade pawns had been crushed.

Naturally, there was some irritation, but more than that... it was a feat worthy of the highest praise!

Enemiliga laughed from the bottom of her heart, praising Dokugegon and Emi.

"Hahaha... phew."

After taking a breath, she snapped her fingers.

Golden light welled up from the Land Whale's carcass in the image and ascended to the heavens.

She recovered the magic power the Land Whale had accumulated, which was so vast it could have had a detrimental effect on the environment.

"...You did well, Dokugegon... truly."

Confirming that the Land Whale's magic power had reached her and slightly filled her own soul, Enemiliga let the words slip out unconsciously.

Dokugegon had become strong.

His body was still fragile.

But his poison, his magic... and above all, his spirit, had become strong.

In just over a year, he had shown this much growth.

This was a result that deviated significantly from the scenario Skillui had written.

In that male god's scenario, the protagonist was supposed to taste suffering for much, much longer.

And only after finally breaking, letting go of the last fragment of his humanity, and transforming in both body and soul into a monster... only then was his "Rise" scheduled to begin.

The image of the protagonist in the planning document—distorted, mocking the prey suffering from poison—was gruesome and heartbreaking.

Furthermore, the notes in the planning document contained nonsensical delusions like, "The sight of him finally gaining power but having lost 'something precious' was both grotesque and heartbreakingly tragic.

Skillui might have created this protagonist image by referencing Enemiliga's stance of opposing humanity... but she wanted to scream at him to stop messing around.

Who was it that overturned that predicted future colored by poison, death, and despair?

It was.

"Emi..."

Of course, it was Dokugegon's owner, the traveler Emi Rune.

This mysterious girl, who had suddenly appeared on the Plateau of Behemoths, had unintentionally twisted the Technology God's tasteless scenario and snapped the flags.

Thanks to her, Dokugegon was able to seize a future different from the scenario.

"Kuku... adorable... simply adorable... Oh, how utterly adorable..."

Enemiliga felt an attachment not only to Dokugegon, but to Emi as well.

Incredibly, this was despite the fact that, in terms of biological category, she was a child of man.

Despite possessing the appearance of a cursed child that those she disliked would designate, she was beautiful.

Above all, she possessed a strength that was off the charts, like a hero from the Age of Gods... back when the mechanisms of the world were still vague and full of bugs!

Emi did not hesitate in the slightest to exercise violence.

The same applied to the act of taking a life.

That decisive mentality was also to the Monster God Enemiliga's liking.

Although the Plateau of Behemoths was Enemiliga's managed territory, she didn't usually monitor every detail twenty-four hours a day.

It was only because she cared about Dokugegon that Enemiliga noticed Emi's existence.

Based on that point alone, it had been worth putting up with Skillui.

...Anyway, that was how much Enemiliga liked Emi's existence.

But how, in the name of all that is holy—in such a stable era as this—did such an anomaly come into being?

She didn't know... but to Enemiliga, that didn't matter.

From the perspective of the gods who should protect the order of the human world, Emi's existence was probably a huge problem.

...But for Enemiliga, it wasn't.

Because Enemiliga was the Monster God.

Because she was the enemy of humanity.

Emi would eventually bring ruin to human society.

Whether that happened because of some reason, and on what scale, she didn't know.

But with that much power and a personality that showed no mercy to enemies.

There was no way nothing would happen.

Somewhere, it would explode.

If some god were to appoint Emi as an apostle and control her, that would be a different story.

But probably, that wouldn't happen.

Because for some reason... Emi did not accept blessings.

Even when Enemiliga, a high god, tried, it was impossible.

Whether it was due to the nature of her soul, or the intention of someone blocking the gods' blessings... she didn't know.

Anyway, Emi possessed a nature that made her difficult to interfere with directly by the gods.

For some reason, there were even times when it was difficult to recognize her unless she was being watched closely...

Digression aside.

Anyway, the Monster God Enemiliga liked Emi very much.

She undoubtedly possessed the highest-grade vessel as an enemy of humanity.

She couldn't wait.

She couldn't wait for the moment Emi directed that violence in full toward the children of men and brought ruin to the world!

At that time, countless children of men would surely perish.

They would grieve, they would despair.

And eventually, they would rise again, tempering their souls to be even more resilient.

Imagining that, Enemiliga's chest felt warm and cozy.

But at the same time, she tightened her resolve.

Such destruction must absolutely occur under the control of the gods.

"...By the way."

While gazing at the images of the lower world, Enemiliga suddenly had a thought.

She flipped through the introductory guide to Isekai Reincarnation Streaming.

"That disgusting black-haired, black-eyed cursed child system... I believe it was strictly kept confidential to the outside world..."

And then, she found it.

A description stating that "humans with black hair and black eyes are factors for deletion."

If such a person appeared even slightly, the video had to be edited to erase them.

"............"

However.

Emi had basically been acting together with Dokugegon the whole time.

Their contact had exceeded the level of "it can be handled by editing."

In other words.

"The videos of this Dokugegon... will have to be shelved, won't they?"

Well, the one to judge that would be Skillui, who would come to collect the recordings for editing in a while.

Honestly, even Enemiliga, who was unfamiliar with Isekai Reincarnation Streaming, realized that the possibility was high.

But.

"Kuku."

To Enemiliga, such a thing didn't matter.

The fact that it couldn't be streamed meant that advertising fees wouldn't come to Enemiliga.

In terms of mana balance, it was a deficit.

However, Enemiliga had met Dokugegon and Emi.

To her, that was something more wonderful than anything else.

After all, the Monster God Enemiliga was a high god.

The mana she had stored was immense.

A small deficit didn't bother her in the slightest.

...Unlike the Technology God, Skillui.

The Technology God, Skillui, seemed to have even taken out loans to prepare the mana for Enemiliga's stream.

If the videos couldn't be streamed, it meant he couldn't recover that capital mana.

When he learned of this fact, what kind of face would the Technology God, Skillui, make?

The Monster God Enemiliga imagined this... and let out a wicked laugh.

【Technology God Skillui】

First appeared in Arc 22.

Rather than filming Isekai Reincarnation Streams himself, he solicits other gods and accepts commissions for various duties related to the streams to earn mana.

Also, for some reason, he is attempting to introduce systems like the Status and Skill systems into the alternate world, Ardyst, which is the setting of this work.

【Monster God Enemiliga】

A monstrous goddess with the body of a lioness and the upper body of a human woman.

Fundamentally earnest and not inherently cruel, but a "bad god" from a human perspective who exercises tyranny when necessary.

She is fond of Emi and wishes to keep her under her management as much as possible.

However, Emi suddenly vanished from the Plateau of Behemoths after this.

Enemiliga was greatly flustered.

With this, Arc 29 concludes.

It took an unusually long time to finish writing... but I'd be happy if there are people who waited for it.

I will take some time to prepare before resuming Arc 30.

Thank you for your continued support.