Volume 10 Chapter 18 Toxic Fog
Toxy's eyes widened in surprise as he saw the devil turn into a salt crystal. "Whoa What did you do, Ice-chan?!"
"Huh? I didn't do anything, though...?"
"But, yeah... This is salt, after all. It has nothing to do with Ice-chan's magic, right?"
Mudi had said that when a demon's desires are completely erased, it turns into a salt crystal, losing all its memories and desires, and is reborn.
In other words, it seemed that the lingering attachment from their last conversation with Ice had disappeared.
Without fully understanding, Toxy smiled at Ice.
"Well, we did it! Now we can move on to Clay, and we've got 2 wins! Next, Wade will take down Don Fen, and I'll collect the Hygieia..."
As Toxy spoke, she slumped her shoulders. What a mess. Nothing was going according to plan.
Ice, however, forced a smile and encouraged Toxy. "Cheer up, Toxy-chan... I'll help you, okay?"
"Thanks, Ice-chan... Oh, by the way, where's Rollo? I thought she was with you."
When Toxy asked, Ice tilted her head in confusion.
"Huh? Wasn't she...? Yeah, I don't know..."
"Okay, I guess that's fine then."
Toxy must have misseen things. She decided to just go with it and flapped her wings to take off.
"Then, Ice-chan, you should go hide somewhere! If you're going to help, do it from a safe distance!"
"Yeah... Thanks, Toxy-chan. I'll leave this kid with you, okay?"
Ice sent a small ice bird flying, which perched on Toxy's shoulder. "Thanks Let's do our best together!" Toxy exclaimed, flying even higher into the sky.
As she rose to mid-air, Toxy gazed out at the disaster.
The toxic fog that had polluted the gods, a catastrophe.
"...So, what am I supposed to do about that?"
The massive toxic fog hung low over the second residential district, and the gods and demons that had dissolved into the fog.
About a third of the damage range of Poseidon. However, on the other hand, there was something that couldn't be dealt with, something beyond Poseidon's power.
"Well, I guess I have no choice but to take a chance... Ugh..."
Toxy boasts high poison resistance, but there's a question about whether it's an absolute defense. If she charges in recklessly and dies instantly, it'd be a total loss.
As she hesitated, Hydra scolded Toxy.
'You're such a coward, little girl. As the king of poison, I'm with you, so you don't need to worry about that level of poison.'
"What if I die after you big-talk like that?"
Toxy shot back, her face scowling, and Hydra laughed, saying, 'Hahaha, what a foolish thing to say.'
'No matter how much I've become a wicked god and my powers have warped, the god of medicine, Hygieia, wouldn't have a toxicity surpassing mine, the symbol of poison. And you, little girl, are a woman who has resisted my poison.'
"...I believe you."
Toxy pouted, but still jumped into the poisonous mist.
She landed. Suddenly, a nasty atmosphere enveloped Toxy. "Ugh"――Toxy scrunched up her face.
But that was it. Toxy felt a nasty sensation in the poisonous mist, furrowing her brow, but nothing more. She just didn't want to take a deep breath, that's all.
'Did you see that? Little girl. I am the strongest poison king in this world. No one can invade you as long as I use my poison.'
"Eh, but it's not like it doesn't work at all, right? I mean, even Hydra's poison will come back around and be effective."
'As long as my poison is a luxury, any other thing is just trash before you, little girl.'
"Yeah, yeah. I get it."
Toxy pouted a bit, walking through the poisonous mist.
Inside the mist, there was an eerie lack of any presence. Was there anything that could survive in this mist? Certainly, she had seen it dissolve with her own eyes, but...
As she thought that, her shoulder's ice bird let out a tiny cry. "Ice-chan, what's wrong?" she asked, and was shocked.
The ice bird was melting. The color of the poison was mixing in, dissolving, and trembling.
"Chi..."
The ice bird let out a pitiful cry, as if apologizing, and fell from Toxy's shoulder. The lump of melted ice on the ground crumbled with a plop.
Toxy's face turned blue as she broke out in a cold sweat.
"...Hydra. Maybe it's just me, but this poison, anyone else..."
'You'd need incredible regenerative abilities just to get close. One whiff of that mist and your whole body would melt into a puddle of sludge.'
"Hy..."
Toxy's words trailed off as she continued to move forward, her feet making a "thud thud" sound.
If Hydra's story was true, then only someone like Toxy or Wade could take on Hygieia.
But personally, Toxy didn't want to rely on Wade's power. She was aware that she was the weaker one in Wade's party, and that's why she wanted to do it on her own.
"...I'll get stronger. I won't rely on Wade's protection, that's no good."
Toxy steeled herself and pressed on.
―――If it was just a matter of destroying the city, then Poseidon would be enough.
That's why she had called out Hygieia. Or rather, it was an insurance policy to use when Poseidon failed...
But the truth was, Toxy wanted to kill Hygieia and steal her powers.
Clay had probably done the same thing with Poseidon's powers after his recent victory. So Toxy had to do the same. She couldn't clear it any other way.
"I'm sorry, but I don't care. I'll call you out, kill you, and take your powers. 'Lack of respect' doesn't even begin to describe it."
But she couldn't choose her methods. She didn't have that kind of luxury.
She couldn't be left behind by Wade. She couldn't let Wade get ahead of her.
"I have to do it. I'll kill the gods and get their powers."
As she walked on, Toxy realized something was off.
"...Hey, Hydra. How long do I have to walk before I reach that guy?"
She asked, but Hydra didn't respond.
"Hydra?"
She turned around, but Hydra was nowhere to be seen. "Eh?" Toxy's words caught in her throat.
"Hydra? What's going on? What happened to you? Why is Hydra gone? Why―――."
Toxy's eyes darted around, searching her surroundings in confusion.
That's when she heard a faint sound coming from behind her.
"...Eh..."
The sound was familiar, and it brought back a terrible memory, freezing Toxy in place.
As she gasps for air, she slowly, slowly turns around. But a faint, flickering shadow catches her eye, and... ah, ah, ahhhh.
She sees a priest's attire, with its white base tone stained with filth, and a rope tied around the neck, making a "squeaking" sound as it sways.
It's that worst possible sight she saw that day. When she realized it, Toxy had become even younger, and her father, with a rope around his neck, was swaying in front of her.
"No, no, no, why, what's going on, this is a lie, Father, it can't be, this isn't reality!"
Toxy shakes her head strongly. She averts her eyes and starts running away like she's escaping.
What's happening? She doesn't understand. This is supposed to be Nilfheim, the underworld at the bottom of the great dungeon.
So, this can't be Toxy's home from back then. This isn't Karditsa. Toxy isn't a powerless girl.
But, why...?
"Why is everything just like my memories?! Where is this place?! Why is the city of Karditsa spread out here?!"
The people walking around her stare at her with strange eyes as she shouts. Then, someone grabs her body and pulls her.
"What?! Who?!"
"Toxy! Where are you going?! And what about your father in that room?!"
"..."
The one holding my hand is my mother. That's right, she thinks. Toxy tried to escape back then, and got caught by her mother.
"No, no, no, let go! Let go!"
"Explain Why did your father end up like that?! Is it because of you?! Is it because of that unknown drink you gave him?!"
Toxy tries to shake off her mother's hand and escape, but somehow, her mother's grip is too strong, and she can't shake it off.
It's painful. Toxy thinks. The guilt and forgotten memories come flooding back.
That's right. Toxy is like that. She saw her father, who moved for her sake, get deceived and lose a large sum of money. Even in her rebellious phase, she tried to cheer him up, and gave him a drink mixed with a drug.
Back then, it was good. It looked enjoyable. The depressed atmosphere seemed to have disappeared. But that was due to the drug's effects. The rebound occurred, and Father, in deep despair―――
"It's your fault!"
"Ah!"
A voice that didn't sound like Mother's echoed, and Toxy saw her own hand being grasped.
It wasn't Mother. Father, with his neck stretched out, face blue-purple and swollen, was grasping Toxy's hand, his body covered in filth.
"You're the one who made me take that thing, and I died. The strong drug's side effects drove me to deep despair, and I hanged myself, flying out of my chair!"
"Stop, stop, Father! I'm sorry. I didn't think it would come to this. I just thought it was not a bad magic, not that toxic, and I wanted to cheer you up..."
"But I died because of that. And yet, you're still living like this, without a care..."
"A, u, uu, uuuuuuuu...!"
Toxy covered her head. The guilt was swelling up inside her chest, unbearable.
"Why didn't you die? Why didn't you follow me to the afterlife? How can you love people? Do you think you have the value to do so, after killing Father like that?"
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry...!"
"Is that all you can do, apologize? Do you think apologizing will make it okay? Do you think that will erase the shame of killing Father?"
"What can I do... ."
At that moment, something fell out of Toxy's pocket. It was something Toxy couldn't hold onto back then.
The Cursed Thirteen Blades of Victory, the black death sword Nergal, which she received from Wade.
"Use it. Now's the time to atone for your sin. Follow me to the afterlife. Then, forgiveness will be granted."
"Ah, ah, ahh...!"
Toxy grasped the black death sword Nergal, crying. Then, she turned it around and raised it high, as if to stab herself in the abdomen.
"Come on, die. Your sin can only be atoned for by death. Come on, die. ―――Die, die, die!"
"U, a, ahh, ahhhhhhhhh!"
Toxy swung down with all her might, striking Nelgar. Nelgar's dark magic began to consume Toxy's body.
It was just a moment ago.
"Thunderbolt Burst Out."
A fierce lightning bolt crashed down in front of Toxy. It scorched the ground, burned the air, and dispelled the toxic mist.
"A, eh...?"
Suddenly, Toxy's vision returned to normal.
The hand that had been restraining Toxy, her father's hand, was now holding Hydra's head. Toxy had tried to run towards it, but Hygieia's filthy sludge was accumulating in front of her.
And right before her eyes, Sandra, who had dispelled the toxic mist, was taking Nelgar away from Toxy's hand, her golden side-tail swaying.
'You're back to normal, little girl!'
"E, eh."
"Toxy, are you okay?"
"E, a, yeah..."
The two of them said it simultaneously, and Toxy finally understood.
So, what she had seen until now was an illusion.
Toxy had been shown an illusion by Hygieia's toxic mist.
"That was close. I didn't know what to do or where to go, so I came to ask Toxy and got the right answer. Who would have thought that Toxy's poison resistance would be pierced, and an illusion would be triggered?"
'Little girl, I apologize too. I never thought that Hygieia would devour demons and increase its power this much.'
"..., ..., ..."
Toxy was still confused, staring up at Sandra with a blank expression.
"Anyway, let's retreat for now. Let's go."
"U, yeah..."
Sandra carried Toxy and turned into lightning, speeding through the sky.
As they flew, Toxy gazed at Hygieia's mist, thinking to herself.
"...So what? Was I shown such a vision just because of a simple poison attack?"
Was it possible that a simple attack had exposed the darker, more hidden past within Toxy, and made her feel this way?
Toxy gazed fixedly at the toxic mist. She saw the filthy sludge accumulating within it.
And then, Toxy muttered.
"I won't forgive."
Hygieia. I'll give you the same pain as now, or even more, and then kill you.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)