Shota's Isekai NTR Adventure Chapter 1966: Skittering

Even though the Mark of God had manifested upon my hand, its presence alone wasn't enough to clarify the situation. I realized, however, that this development was undeniably linked to the messenger of the gods.

The Mark of God was likely responding to the proximity of such a messenger, given how it had suddenly appeared on my skin. Yet, despite this reaction, the mark failed to pinpoint their exact location for me.

Furthermore, the mere activation of the Mark of God didn't guarantee a magical solution or an immediate event. There was no absolute certainty that current events were even directly caused by the god’s messenger.

"Stay put for a moment and let’s observe," I instructed.

Klein and the royal guards looked at me with traces of skepticism, yet they obeyed my command without delay. They swiftly moved into a defensive circle, positioning themselves to shield me from any threat. Meanwhile, I held myself in readiness, prepared to manifest a barrier the instant danger appeared.

But nothing happened.

The environment remained stubbornly unchanged even after the mark surfaced. It felt as though whatever force had imprisoned us here had no intention of granting us an exit. A new thought began to take root in my mind: "Could it be that the entity residing here is hostile toward other gods?"

I hadn't considered this possibility before. Generally, messengers of the gods weren't supposed to harbor animosity toward one another. Even though Aestum and the kraken had displayed aggression toward Aquaron, they were outliers. According to what I had learned from Zeldir and Lupus, these messengers should have been open to an encounter with me.

Consequently, I began to suspect that we had walked into a trap. Perhaps the messenger was in jeopardy, serving as nothing more than bait to lure me in. Such a scheme smacked of the forces of Destruction.

"But how could they have located the messenger so easily?" I wondered. However, I pushed the thought aside; finding an escape route was my primary concern. No matter how I analyzed the situation, there seemed to be no obvious way out. To break the stalemate, I decided on a direct approach.

"I have come to meet the messenger of the gods. There is no need for such hostility, is there?" I called out.

The royal guards and Klein looked slightly startled, though they had likely guessed my intentions since I had been so adamant about coming here. They remained vigilant, waiting tensely for any sign of life.

This time, my words elicited a response—though it wasn't the one I had anticipated. A faint "skitter, skitter" sound echoed through the air. These noises were quiet but seemed to originate from every direction, suggesting we were being encircled by a multitude of unseen things.

Despite the sound, our eyes could discern nothing in the shadows. Then, after a tense interval, it felt as though a hidden pressure had been lifted. A wave of relief washed over us, making us realize just how much mental strain we had been under without even knowing it. This was far from a comforting sign; it meant an entity had been influencing us the entire time without our knowledge. Even without physical injuries, the implications were grim.

We had no time to dwell on it, as the sources of the skittering noises finally began to emerge. It became immediately clear that we weren't dealing with just a few creatures. While the sounds had prepared us for a group, the sheer volume of entities appearing at once was overwhelming.

They poured out from tunnels carved into the surrounding cliffs. Individually, they weren't particularly large, but their numbers were staggering. Their uniform coloration allowed them to blend into a massive, shifting carpet as they swarmed the area. Seeing so many of them congregating was a chilling sight.

A single one of these creatures would be enough to unsettle a human, but this massive gathering was something else entirely. They didn't halt at the tunnel exits; instead, they surged forward until we were entirely hemmed in. Under the weight of their numbers, the ground around us was swallowed by a sea of uniform black.

Upon closer inspection, one could spot patches of different hues scattered within the mass. For any human, it was a nauseating spectacle. We stood helpless against this biological tide as the swarm of insects completely cut off our path, leaving our group trapped in their midst.