Chapter 86

As time passed, pretending to wake up naturally, I immediately began to talk about monsters.

As soon as I woke up and suddenly started discussing the topic of monsters, at first, they expressed doubt seeing me, but soon they listened seriously to the words of the Saint.

And the expression on Arhen’s face after hearing all my words was…

“How do we catch that thing…?”

It was completely frozen.

It wasn’t just Arhen.

Everyone here was listening to my story.

It was only natural.

This wasn’t just anyone talking; it was the Saint personally sharing information while invoking the name of her god.

If I had spoken as if I were just presenting what I knew, they would have doubted me, asking where I got such information.

Even I thought that the girl named Aria had never encountered the End’s monster in her life, and searching through many books, all that could be found would be that it possessed incredible power befitting of its name.

Moreover, it was understandable that she would react like this, especially considering she was a girl with disabilities in sight and hearing, claiming to know both its weaknesses and methods of attack.

But what could be done?

I wasn’t just anyone; I was invoking the name of a god.

The fact that I could speak like this meant there was no one who could criticize me for it, and it would be even stranger not to believe it when a Saint herself was personally sharing her god’s name.

In reality, everyone was listening seriously to my words.

I don’t know how it came to this point, but now, I must ensure that no one gets hurt and that it ends definitively.

And, as should be expected, I know a way for everyone to be happy.

Rather than a method, I should view it as me sacrificing myself.

However, what could I do if I couldn’t come up with any other way to defeat that monster without anyone getting hurt?

I was relieved that I was able to think of even this method.

Even if I did it my way, I would only face a bit of pain—in fact, I would almost feel pleasure from it—so it would create a world where no one else would be hurt.

How beautiful and wonderful a thing this is.

“Vulnerable to the Divine Power of Purification…?”

If all that I had said is put together, that would be the conclusion.

The monster is weak against the Divine Power of Purification.

Since I had to push forward with the impression of it being a weakness revealed by the god, I twisted my words around using figurative language one might expect from a deity, and fortunately, Arhen understood everything I said.

Almost perfectly.

“[Correct. Then there is only one conclusion to be drawn.]”

Weak against the Divine Power of Purification.

And I have a holy relic that amplifies the Divine Power of Purification, making it stronger than usual.

However, simply having this and firing the divine power at the monster wouldn’t guarantee it would weaken.

If that were the case, no one would fear that monster.

Naturally, standing outside while being bombarded with amplified Divine Power all day wouldn’t change anything.

But haven’t people often said?

Why do techniques to crush from the inside exist in martial arts?

Attacking from the inside to make an opponent collapse from within is far more lethal than attacking the outer surface.

And that fact remains true even if the opponent is a monster that brings about the end.

In the end, if it collapses from below, no matter how much of an End’s monster it is, it cannot do a thing.

“[There is only one way to bring it down from within.]”

To defeat that monster, it must be attacked from the inside.

So where can we find a way to attack from within?

Of course, there is only one way.

The person attacking must go inside that enormous monster.

In other words…

“[I will allow myself to be eaten by the monster.]”

I would be eaten by that monster.

There was no other way.

*

As expected, everyone who listened to my story was opposed to my method.

What if I got eaten by the monster and couldn’t regenerate, dying right there? Even if I survived, I would have to endure the torment of melting within it; would that be okay?

Though they didn’t ask directly, everyone seemed to wonder that.

Is it really okay… that sort of thing.

To be honest, I was more than okay; I even found myself curious about what it would feel like to be consumed by that huge monster.

So, it didn’t matter much to me, but…

That didn’t mean I could straightforwardly share such a crazy story.

It was time for my acting skills that I had honed all this while to shine.

I nodded resolutely and answered.

“[I am prepared.]”

I said this while nodding with a serious expression.

So don’t try to stop me, as if I was trying to imply so.

“…”.

Everyone, including Arhen, looked at me as if they had lost their words.

Who would find it amusing that a Saint was publicly declaring her willingness to sacrifice herself?

I felt bad for everyone, but this method was the most comfortable for me.

Not only was it comfortable for me, but it was indeed the most reliable method as well.

As someone with the worst affinity for demons, it made sense to weaken them by entering their very bodies.

So, I hoped they wouldn’t say anything further.

No, they wouldn’t attempt to say anything more after I went this far.

Telling me not to do it would be akin to disregarding my will.

But even if we tried looking for another method, none would come to mind.

“… All right. Let’s do it that way.”

Eventually, the answer that returned from Arhen, who had been silent for quite a while, was a positive one.

.

.

.

After finishing our discussion about the monster with Aria, I excused myself to step outside, and a silence enveloped those present.

When we heard that the monster had some weakness, there had been hope.

However, after we learned what Aria had to sacrifice to grasp that hope, everyone wore shocked expressions, lost for words.

It was only natural.

Understanding what Aria has to do to catch that monster, no one could carelessly agree to use that method.

We had never imagined it.

When we heard that the Divine Power of Purification was a weakness, we couldn’t have possibly envisioned this.

Was there truly no other way?

We six gathered and thought deeply, but apart from the method Aria suggested, we couldn’t come up with anything else.

How could we spread the Divine Power of Purification from within the monster’s body without actually entering?

It was understandable that Aria had said there was no other way.

There was simply no other method that came to mind to catch that monster apart from what Aria suggested.

“Is there really no way…?”

“…”

No one could answer Evan’s question.

We couldn’t think of any other methods.

Serious… there was no other way that was as solid and safe to defeat the monster as what Aria said.

“It seems there is none…”

Finally, the answer that returned from Arhen, who had been pondering for a long time, was…

“Ah…”

“…”

It was enough to bring despair to everyone.

The burden we had been carrying until now was already far too heavy for that girl to bear, and now, we were demanding sacrifice on top of that.

Although it was Aria who spoke of directly entering the monster’s body to weaken it with Divine Power, ultimately, it was the goddess who imposed the sacrifice upon her.

No, it was the world itself.

It was as if the colossal burden of the World Tree that should be borne by many was being shouldered solely by the Hero and the Saint, with no one else taking responsibility for this world.

How could one not feel anxious in such a situation?

For Arhen, who remembered the past when he was part of the Hero party, the current state must have felt incredibly frustrating.

‘Goddess…’

Why was this happening?

As if it were intentional…

What is this feeling that makes it seem as if the world is trying to subject that girl to trials?

Anyway, this wasn’t a good situation.

“First… I’ll try to set up as strong of a barrier as I can.”

He would create a barrier capable of protecting against the monster’s interior.

How long it would last was uncertain, but it was better than nothing.

Arhen said this, letting out a sigh.