Dark Fantasy: Super Coward Mode-Chapter 172

Gaia Appears.

The moment she showed up and saved my life, I felt a fleeting sense of gratitude, but once I calmed down, she only seemed like a strange and eccentric being who had matured in a bizarre way.

That peculiar impression came with a lingering question.

Demeter had stayed by the dead emperor’s side, so it made sense she hadn’t shown up. But what the hell had Gaia been doing this whole time?

If scholars classified her as one of the Greater Divines connected to the conceptual plane, even the slightest movement should’ve left a trace in the records.

Noticing the puzzled expression on my face, Gaia scratched her head with one finger and spoke.

“Well, if the Second Princess had been left to move freely, humanity would’ve been in danger, so I was sort of... keeping her tied down here, I guess?”

Hmm.

So, after hearing me out, she supposedly had a revelation and decided to start containing the Second Princess’s power—at least, that’s the impression she gave.

Still, ten years or so wasn’t much time for a Greater Divine, but even so, she’d done nothing all this time, just sitting through tedious days until I showed up.

Hmm.

“That’s what you get.”

“Ugh.”

Oh, damn.

I’d meant to keep that thought in my head, but it slipped out.

Well, I wasn’t wrong, was I?

Considering the kind of mess she’d caused, I was being pretty mild about it.

Even so, her expression didn’t show any signs of being offended, just a bit of awkwardness, as if she was trying to trust my words.

“Tanthan!”

“Hey! Are you okay, human?!”

That’s when the other Greater Divines rushed over to me.

Seeing how close I’d come to danger must’ve rattled them, as their faces were filled with concern.

It had been a moment of carelessness, so I twisted my lips in embarrassment and nodded.

Once they confirmed I was fine, their gazes shifted to Gaia, who was standing behind me.

Fiore’s expression contorted into something downright murderous, while Aphta’s usually calm eyes had taken on a cold sharpness.

“What’s she doing here?”

“Apparently, she’s been holding the Second Princess back this whole time.”

“Her?!”

Fiore openly sneered at Gaia, her disdain clear as day.

I couldn’t recall her ever showing this much disgust toward another living being before.

Gaia, who had shown emotions earlier, had already slipped back into her blank, neutral expression.

Was that side of her something only I got to see?

“Well, I’ve done what I needed to, so I’ll be heading back. Otherwise, she’ll definitely cause another uproar.”

Was she referring to the Second Princess causing chaos again?

“Wait! Take us with you if you’re leaving!”

“That’s not an option. I’m barely suppressing your presence as it is. If I have to carry you on top of that, your presence will be detected immediately.”

With that, Gaia shot me a playful look, sticking her tongue out as if to mock me, and then flew away.

Seriously?

She’d been acting all mature, but that was clearly an act.

Once all this was over, I was going to smack her so hard she’d wobble like a spinning top.

Grinding my teeth, I noticed the sound of approaching footsteps.

“Tanthan, are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine. What about you, Vice Commander? Are you injured?”

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

“Thanks to you.”

The Vice Commander gave a faint smile, which helped ease my worries.

From a distance, the situation had looked dangerously dire.

“But judging by the number of Lesser Divines climbing the walls, what just happened seems like only the beginning.”

“Phew.”

The Vice Commander let out a heavy sigh, clearly burdened by the situation.

This was why I had summoned those four Greater Divines.

“Bell, Fiore, Zumya.”

The three turned to face me simultaneously at my call.

I’d already briefed them beforehand, but I called out again to make sure the Vice Commander knew.

“Vice Commander.”

“Don’t tell me...”

“Yes. They’re going to be our reliable allies.”

The Vice Commander seemed uneasy, her expression slightly grim, but after letting out a deep breath, she finally nodded.

I wondered what these beings must have looked like from her perspective.

I couldn’t help but feel a sudden urge to drag Oko out and let her see it for herself, even just for a moment.

Alright.

There was no more time to waste.

“Aphta, come here.”

“Yes.”

I gestured to Aphta, who had been standing alone, and she nodded before walking over slowly.

By then, the Hunter and Asti had also finished their preparations and approached.

Now there were four of us gathered.

I couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

“Why are you smiling?”

The Hunter asked, her tone sharp as usual. I responded with a soft smile.

“It’s just... we’ve basically got the original team back together.”

“Going by that logic, shouldn’t we leave out that maid over there?”

The Hunter scowled, but Asti ignored her completely, keeping her eyes closed.

“And we’ll need to do something about that look of hers too.”

The Hunter pointed at Aphta. Aphta tilted her head, then nodded and snapped her fingers.

In an instant, she reverted to a form so familiar and nostalgic that it felt like we were back to square one.

“So, Hunter, you’re acting like this, but you must’ve missed her quite a bit, huh?”

“...Was she always this chatty?”

“No. She didn’t act like this when she was in that divine state. Maybe it’s just part of this form’s personality?”

“Come on! Don’t be so uptight! This is the final battle—we’ve got to charge in without any nagging, right?”

Hearing Aphta, now in her Agartha form, the Hunter sighed and nodded begrudgingly.

“...Yeah. I guess this cursed team is the reason I stayed behind in Londan.”

“What?! What did you just say?!”

“Shut up! Move already.”

“No way! You’re not getting out of this! Tell me what you meant!”

...Wait.

Wasn’t this basically an entirely different personality?

What was that god called—the one with a thousand faces?

This whole situation felt like something straight out of one of those worlds created by that so-called Love Artisan.

Well, whatever the case, Aphta must’ve been fond of the Hunter to act like that.

With that thought, I spread my wings, ready to take flight.

Good.

This time, it was for real.

“Ta-Tanthan!”

A shaky, almost teary voice called out from behind us.

All four of us turned our heads simultaneously toward the sound, only to let out a collective, “Ah.”

“Don’t leave me behind…! I’m still here…!”

Right.

We’d left the princess stranded on that rooftop during the fight.

Looking absolutely pitiful, she pleaded with us, her expression a desperate cry for attention.

I flew over, scooped her up, and carried her along with us.

The distance to the Second Princess—

Approximately 180 kilometers.

*****

With the Greater Divines joining the Vice Commander’s team, their firepower had become overwhelmingly strong.

Proof of that strength lay in the fact that, even as we flew at a speed rivaling a high-speed train, the Vice Commander managed to keep up visibly.

It was all thanks to the wyverns Zumya had summoned.

Honestly, it felt refreshing—seeing Divines and humans working together to take down other Divines.

For the longest time, it seemed like something I’d never witness again.

Yet here we were, making it happen. That realization stirred something emotional in me.

We had now outpaced the Vice Commander’s group.

As a result, the Divines began to shift their attention toward us.

Of course, Asti and the Hunter intercepted them mid-air, keeping the Lesser Divines from getting too close.

“Hunter, you’ve definitely gotten stronger, haven’t you? You even seem more... relaxed somehow.”

“Instead of wasting your breath, why don’t you use some of that energy to help take down these damn things?”

“Sorry to disappoint, but interfering with human affairs is against the rules!”

“Then what about what you pulled back in the cave?”

“I didn’t kill anyone there! I just humiliated them a little!”

Listening to Aphta and the Hunter bicker as usual, I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. It reminded me of the time we were stuck in that underground prison.

Before I knew it, time had flown by.

We had covered about half the distance when I landed briefly in an area surrounded by buildings to let Asti off.

“Wait here and back up the Vice Commander once she gets here.”

“Got it.”

“Sorry for leaving you to handle things alone again.”

Hearing my apology, Asti lowered her gaze without changing her expression, then suddenly spread her arms wide.

“Then let me recharge with Raydan energy when you get back.”

Uh...

Wait.

I would never get used to lines like that, no matter how many times I heard them.

“Sure... Once all this is over, I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Heh.”

Asti gave a quiet chuckle before waving at me first.

I nodded silently in return, then grabbed the other three and took off again.

Maybe it was because our numbers had dropped, but the reduced weight made me feel noticeably faster than before.

Wait a second.

Come to think of it, did Aphta even need me to carry her?

“Aphta, can’t you just fly on your own?”

“What?! How could you say that? You carried the other two without complaint!”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit different in your case? Besides, this isn’t very efficient.”

I thought I’d made a perfectly reasonable argument, but Aphta just lowered her head in mock disappointment.

Then, without warning, her head transformed back into its original form—Agartha’s face—complete with wide, sparkling eyes.

“Carry me, Raydan.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Unbelievable.

Even with a straight face, she still found ways to pull this nonsense.

What a mischievous Divine.