* * *

With a light pa-kiin sound, the fragments of the Whistle Medium Spirit scattered in all directions.

For all his big talk, he went down so easily.

He was just a small fry.

"Fuuu..."

To calm my heightened killing intent and destructive urges, I took a deep breath, and exhaled.

I also released a bit of the magical power raging inside me.

A dark black haze, as if oozing from my entire body, appeared, drifted through the beautiful Spirit Forest, and defiled it.

I was completely convinced that this battle was over.

I was completely off guard.

That's why...

<<<Pihyuuuuuu!>>>

"!?"

I couldn't react to the fragments of the Whistle Medium Spirit, which suddenly started moving, making a faint sound, and clinging to my body!

<<<Hyuooooooo! You were careless, hyuuuuu! A Medium Spirit doesn't die just by being broken into pieces! Hyuhyuhyu!>>>

The many fragments of the Whistle Medium Spirit stuck tightly to my body, laughed eerily...!

<<<However, the damage is immense! To heal Pii's body... you piece of trash! I will make use of the magical power of you, an inferior creature, pihyuuuuuu! Now, give me your magical power, hyuooooooo!>>>

Saying that... it started to absorb my magical power with great force...!

<<<UGYOBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!?>>>

Just like the lesser spirits, unable to withstand the large amount of magical power flowing from me, it inflated like a balloon and exploded...!

Seriously, how stupid are spirits.

<Spirits have long lifespans and are skilled in manipulating magical power. As a result of their arrogance, looking down on other races, this is what happens.>

<<<Hi, hihyuh... hihyuh...>>>

"!!"

However, the Whistle Medium Spirit, being a medium spirit, was different from the lesser spirits.

It was not yet dead, even after being blown to pieces!

<<<A Medium Spirit, hihyuh, don't underestimate it, hihyuh...! Pii can be resurrected... as long as even a single fragment of familiar magical power remains, hihyuh...!>>>

With that voice echoing, the fragments of the Whistle Medium Spirit gathered in the air and fused together.

And a few seconds later, there was the figure of the Whistle Medium Spirit, a size smaller, dyed a dark black... full of patches!

It's persistent!

<<<You piece of trash human! I-I'll never forgive you, Pii! Prepare yourself, hihyuh!>>>

And this guy, while glaring at me with its beady eyes, is shouting such things.

I couldn't help but scoff at it.

"Hah. You won't forgive me? What can you do in that state?"

...Come to think of it, that was a reflection of my own arrogance.

<<<...【Great Spirit Whistle】!!! Hyupipipipiiiiiiiiii!!!>>>

The next moment!

The Whistle Medium Spirit, with a volume incomparably greater than before, screamed!

"!"

<<<Pihyoooooooo! With this, the spirits living in this Spirit Forest... will recognize you as a hostile existence that must be defeated, hyuooooooo! And you've already been 【marked】 with Pii's magical power... all the spirits, including the Great Spirit-sama, will continue to hunt for your life, hyuh! No matter where you run... even if you run from the Spirit Forest! We'll chase you to the ends of the world and kill you, hyuh! Serves you right, hyuooooooo!>>>

Frantically, it rattled that off... and the Whistle Medium Spirit turned its back to me.

...It's trying to escape!

"That's a nuisance."

<<<Hihyuh!?>>>

I extended my 【Black Tentacle】, wrapped it around the Whistle Medium Spirit, and pulled it closer.

"Correct that. I am not an enemy."

<<<Hihyuhyuh! That's impossible now, hyuh! The only one who can do that... is the Forest Spirit King-sama! And his dwelling is in the depths of this forest, protected by the Great Spirit-sama! A piece of trash human like you... could never reach such a deep place, hyuh! Hyuhyuhyuh!>>>

The Whistle Medium Spirit, despite being caught in my 【Black Tentacle】, laughed as if to provoke me.

My tentacles involuntarily tightened, and the Whistle Medium Spirit's body began to creak.

<<<Ah, it hurts, ouch...! But if you're going to crush me, then do it, hyuh! That won't kill Pii, hyuuuuuu!>>>

Even so, the Whistle Medium Spirit continued to laugh.

<<<Even if I lose the battle, this is Pii's victory, hyuuuuuu! Pii will escape and survive, and the higher-ranking spirits, who are stronger than Pii, will devour all your magical power, and you'll die, hyuuuuuu! Serves you right, hyuooooooo!>>>

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

I silently released my restraint of the Whistle Medium Spirit with my 【Black Tentacle】.

<<<Hyuhyuh! Finally, you've despaired, hyuh? Then, by all means, struggle. Goodbye, hyuooooooo!>>>

My heart broke.

The Whistle Medium Spirit, understanding that, mocked me until the very end... and flew unsteadily, trying to escape back into the depths of the Spirit Forest.

But.

That's impossible.

"...The one who will devour is me."

<<<Hyuh!?>>>

I no longer hid my killing intent and unleashed my 【Intimidation】 at full power!

BUSHUUUUUUU!!

Mishimishimishibishii!

The magical power gushing from my entire body dyed the shining Spirit Forest a dark black, and the space creaked as if screaming!

The faintly glowing undergrowth withered as if dead, one after another, with me at the center, and the jewel-like trees lost their shine and began to shed their leaves!

"And the one who will die... is you!!"

Furthermore, I... extended the 【Black Tentacle】 I had deployed... towards the Whistle Medium Spirit again!

<<<As expected of an inferior trash human, you don't learn, hihyuuuuuu! Even if Pii is shattered, he won't die, hyuh...!?>>>

The Whistle Medium Spirit, which had been sneering at that sight... but in ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ the middle of it, its smile froze!

Because...!

The 【Black Tentacle】 extending towards it... changed its form along the way...!

As if like a ferocious, fanged, carnivorous beast!

Pa-kari, it opened its "mouth"!!

<<<Hyuooooooo!?>>>

The panicked Whistle Medium Spirit tried to escape, but it was too late.

The next moment, without a single fragment remaining, it was "devoured" by my "mouth"...

And was crushed.

And died.

As proof of that, its magical power was absorbed into my soul through the tentacle...

<It's a new technique. Let's call it 【Black Extending Jaw】.>

Extending, jaw?

Not fang or mouth?

<I saw in a broadcast that a certain type of shark extends its jaw to prey. The association is from there. Of course, a shark's jaw doesn't extend as much as your tentacle.>

Hmm.

While having that conversation, I moved the 【Black Extending Jaw】 that had preyed on the Whistle Medium Spirit in front of me, and opened its "mouth".

The outside of the "mouth" is lined with rugged, jagged, painful-looking fangs, and the inside is pitch black.

...Already, the noisy Whistle Medium Spirit has vanished without a trace.

I devoured it all.

<...Um, what do we do from here, Emi?>

Now here, after I pulled the 【Black Extending Jaw】 back into my body, Omake-sama spoke to me, this time worriedly.

What do you mean, "what do we do"?

About the story of the spirits attacking?

<Yes. Spirits can easily teleport using their own unique methods. If they're after you, there's literally nowhere to run. They will chase you... even to the ends of the world.>

That's annoying.

Troublesome.

So.

...I have no choice but to go and tell them to stop.

By finding their boss... the Forest Spirit King.

<However, the Forest Spirit King is the boss of the spirits in this forest, who are strongly contemptuous of humans. Will he listen to Emi's story?>

...If he doesn't, then it can't be helped.

Anger.

The anger that had once subsided after the battle ended, welled up again.

What did I do?

I was just taking a walk.

And yet, "die"?

All the spirits will attack?

Why!?

"AAAARRGH!!!"

I, letting my irritation get the better of me, swung my right arm carelessly and violently.

GOOH!!

Then the magical power, roughly wrapped around that arm, but certainly filled with the will to destroy, was released like a storm in accordance with the arm's movement, and mowed down all the trees in the vicinity.

The trees broke, withered, and the water in the small streams and springs became cloudy with mud.

My surroundings are now a complete wasteland.

There is no shining, fantastical forest, only the stars shining above, just coldly beautiful.

"Fuuu..."

<Have you calmed down?>

A little.

Anyway.

I'm going to talk to the Forest Spirit King.

If spirits attack in the process.

They are my enemies.

"......I’LL KILL THEM ALL!!!"

I declared that in a loud voice, stomped on the ravaged ground, and started walking towards the depths of the forest... the direction from which the Whistle Medium Spirit came.

My destination is the depths of the Spirit Forest.

......The Forest Spirit King's lair.