Campione: Strongest# 411: I'm Good with Anything

“Nyarlathotep? What’s that?” The single silver cowlick on the girl’s head seemed to come alive, twisting into a large question mark. She blinked her emerald-green eyes—clear as a forest pool—and filled them with a pure, curious light.

She stared at Haru with an inquisitive expression, the very picture of an innocent girl so naive you could probably lead her anywhere with a piece of candy.

A keen intuition told him that if he actually tried to lure her with candy, the success rate would be one hundred percent.

Faced with this strange premonition, Haru felt a chill crawl up his spine, the hair on his arms standing on end, as if he were being stalked by a predator.

His suspicion that she was the great and terrible Nyarlathotep was only reinforced by her appearance, which was a perfect match for a cutesy anime-girl version of the entity he remembered.

But the real one was not cute at all.

She was one of the three great Outer Gods of the Cthulhu mythos, known as the ‘Crawling Chaos.’ She possessed a thousand avatars and delighted in deceiving and seducing humans, taking the highest pleasure in plunging them into terror and despair—a great evil god that embodied humanity's every conception of a demon.

Her name was terrifying. Deception and lies were her stock-in-trade, and luring people into madness before twisting them into something unrecognizable was her specialty.

He even suspected his own intuition had been influenced by her. According to the mythos, the Outer Gods were strange manifestations of the universe’s rules and were especially adept at mental manipulation. For them, such a feat was likely a trivial matter.

Besides, even if he did act on his intuition and sleep with this cosmic horror, he couldn't get the image out of his head of what lay beneath that beautiful appearance… her indescribable true form.

Sorry, Haru felt he should just stick to pursuing human girls. The tentacled aesthetic of the Cthulhu mythos did not suit his tastes.

———

“Nyarlathotep? I was wondering what that multi-faceted crystal the old True Magic User had dropped was. Now it seems it’s your divine artifact: the Shining Trapezohedron.”

Haru looked at the dazed, cute girl before him with a grave expression. The more she played dumb, the more his vigilance grew.

Such unprompted kindness was always a sign of ill intent.

The moment she appeared, his perception had been constantly probing her. But her aura was identical to the egg’s aura in his soul, and he couldn't detect anything abnormal.

'Her mastery over the soul is greater than mine,' was Haru’s first impression of Nyarlathotep.

Most perception-based abilities were rooted in the soul. Since she was in his soul space, yet he had no way to deal with her, it wasn't difficult to reach such a conclusion.

Though he didn't know her true strength, her ability to silently invade his soul space and take over the Dirac Heart was enough to prove she was not to be trifled with. This strange, unknown variable was enough to make him extremely wary.

“What are you talking about, my Master? I’m a system familiar,” she chirped, blinking playfully. As she moved, the silver cowlick on her head twisted into the shape of a heart.

Faced with this act, Haru said nothing. His deep gray pupils were gradually overtaken by gold, and an iridescent color overflowed from them.

In an instant, he had completely seized control of the soul space, including the girl's body—or rather, the remains of the egg. It was all under his command.

Though it pained him, he decisively gave his greatest asset a self-destruct command.

There was nothing more reassuring than holding the power of life and death over your own special ability. But now that it had been compromised, he refused to allow this thing, which contained almost all his secrets, to continue to exist.

Destroying the egg was a security measure and, at the same time, a test to see how deeply Nyarlathotep had infiltrated it. If it was completely controlled, his only option was a final, desperate battle.

When cornered, he never lacked the courage for an all-or-nothing fight. After all, he'd earned his initial power by gambling with his life.

A God-Slayer does not lack courage.

Hum—!

The self-annihilation program instantly began. The silver-haired girl’s body started to become illusory. He could clearly feel the process in his soul space, an incomparable, sharp pain rising from its depths.

After dozens of years, the egg had long since become one with his soul. His actions were no different from destroying his own soul with his bare hands.

He silently endured the agony of his soul being torn apart, his bloodshot, rainbow-colored eyes fixed on the girl before him.

“Gah—! This isn't scientific! Not scientific at all! A protagonist with a system ability destroying it at the first sign of trouble? You're not following the script at all!”

Feeling her body dissipate, the silver-haired girl suddenly went ballistic. As if witnessing something incomprehensible, she pulled on her cowlick, bit it, and stomped her feet in frustration.

With each stomp, the pain in his soul lessened. In just a few seconds, the agony vanished, replaced by a feeling of wholeness.

“Such a drain… such a drain on my power. To restore a micro-universe that has initiated self-destruction… all the energy I’ve stored…” The silver-haired girl took out a white silk handkerchief and, with tears streaming down her face, bit down on it as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Any unsuspecting person would have rushed to comfort the tear-streaked, beautiful girl.

Haru’s face, however, grew even darker. She had even stopped the self-destruction of his soul. His only remaining means to fight her were his Four Great Rules. As for his other abilities, they likely couldn't even scratch her defenses.

He feared even the power of the rules was not a safe bet. So, should he burn them for one last gamble?

Just as he resolved to risk his life, a pair of pale, slender arms wrapped around his right leg.

“I give up, Master, I give up! Just tell me what you want! Whips, candles, a chastity belt—I’m good with anything!” she wailed.