The shocking words that echoed in my head were undoubtedly a Thought Transmission from the giant beast before us. Apparently, it wasn't a monster at all.
Are you certain you are a kin of Asheraska?
Garna, who had jumped down from Halfa’s arms, questioned the beast while looking up at it.
Nu...? Are you... Garnalava? No, Lady Garnalava.
You may simply call me Garna. So, what is your answer?
Indeed. I am the Holy Beast Zeubros, a kin of the Earth God, Lady Asheraska.
Just as Garna had suspected, he was a Holy Beast. Shiroru and Garna had sensed his presence the moment we entered the Dungeon, and given that he could use Thought Transmission, I had a feeling that might be the case.
Zeubros! I remember you! You feel different now!
I could say the same to you. You’ve shrunk quite a bit, haven't you?
That's right! Because of that, I can't eat as much as I want even when there's delicious food, which is a real problem. But if I use Giantization, I can eat plenty, so it's fine!
...I see. It seems more than just your physical build has changed, but you appear to be in good health.
It looked like Zeubros and Shiroru were old acquaintances. He seemed to have known Shiroru before she met us and was clearly surprised by her transformation. Even with his lizard-like face, his expressions were surprisingly easy to read.
But now wasn't the time for a casual reunion. I had to confirm the meaning behind his previous words.
"Um, you said 'kill me' just a moment ago..."
You are the Apostle of Lady Lamuyadas. Yes, that is correct. Right now, I am being eroded by something. If this continues, I will be completely overtaken before long. I want you to kill me before that happens.
According to Zeubros, his encounter with this foreign erosion began a few days ago.
I spotted a human of suspicious appearance. While I watched to see what he was up to, the man actually created this Dungeon. Since I did not believe him to be a kin of Lady Garna, I interrogated him. He began shouting nonsense and attacked me, so I had no choice but to tear him apart, but—
At that moment, he felt something enter through his right front leg—the one he had used to strike. Although it was a tiny foreign object when it first entered, it had been slowly eroding his body ever since. He reported that the erosion had already reached the middle of his leg.
"That... suspicious person. What did he look like?"
Umu. I am poor at distinguishing humans, but I knew immediately that he was not normal. After all, silver scars were carved all over his body.
Silver scars. In other words, a part of his body had undergone Silverization. Seemingly arriving at the same conclusion, Badis-san’s face went pale.
"The Eld Caldia Order!"
"I believe so."
I had heard from Jester that the high-ranking members of the Order had parts of their bodies turned to silver. Since it also matched the reports that they possessed techniques to create Dungeons, the man Zeubros killed must have been a member of the cult.
That meant the "something" eroding Zeubros was likely the invaders from the Outer World—the Silver Abominations. The monsters we had encountered previously had also been infested by them. He was likely in the exact same situation.
"Garna?"
Umu... unfortunately, there is no mistake. This fellow is suffering from erosion by an Abomination.
When I looked at Garna for confirmation, she answered in a bitter tone. The alien presence she had felt earlier must have been the sign of this infection.
"Hey, Garna, can't you do something?"
Halfa looked at Garna with pleading eyes. Even if she was currently in the form of a cat, she was still a god. Halfa likely hoped she could use her divine power to eliminate the foreign substance.
However, Garna shook her head regretfully.
Currently, my power is severely restricted. To begin with, it is difficult to interfere with the kin of another god. Only Asheraska could aid him now, but...
...Since the erosion began, my connection with Lady Asheraska has been severed.
I thought as much...
Unfortunately, it seemed there was no easy way to stop the spread. I had thought we might be able to call out to the Earth God through Garna, but apparently, it wasn't that simple. Because he was being eroded by a Silver Abomination, his very nature as a kin of the Earth God was being corrupted.
If there is a possibility, it would be Tort.
"Me?"
That is right. You were purifying my power left and right back then, were you not? You might be able to do the same here.
Garna was likely referring to my special Clean magic. It was true that I could dispel Malice by visualizing it as something unnecessary and "cleaning" it away... but I couldn't quite wrap my head around how to visualize an Abomination.
By any chance, do you think of those silver things as living creatures? If so, you are greatly mistaken. As I have mentioned before, the true bodies of the Abominations remain in the Outer World. What invades this world is merely a part of their power manifested in a physical form. See, it is no different from my own power.
Noticing my confusion, Garna offered that piece of advice. Perhaps I had been looking at the Abominations too much like biological organisms. Because the first ones I saw were moving around on their own, I had been stuck with that image.
"So they're just a part of a power..."
Precisely. And to the host, it is something entirely unnecessary... yes, a foreign object.
"They're foreign objects..."
Exactly. And I believe it would be best to cleanly remove such things, wouldn't it?
"You're right!"
For some reason, I felt like I really could Clean it!