Chapter 16

"Aura? You mean Aura...?"

"I've never heard of a god like that."

"But it's definitely a mark, isn't it?"

The Zoans present were perplexed.

The faintly glowing mark on Sōma's forehead was undoubtedly the mark of a divine child. However, the shape of the mark was not that of the Seven Pillar Gods, whom everyone knew.

Moreover, the mention of Aura, the goddess of death and destruction, was something they had never heard of.

They thought it might be a fairy tale or a fabrication, but the way Shemul was so intensely disturbed made all the Zoans present feel that this was no ordinary matter.

"Aura is an ancient great god, older than the Seven Pillar Gods."

It was the old woman who spoke.

Gathering the attention of all the Zoans present, the old woman, leaning on her cane, hobbled over to Sōma.

"The goddess who oversees the end of all living beings. The goddess who stands at the end of everything. The sister and mother of the Seven Pillar Gods, the only one they fear and revere. The goddess who killed the Creator God and gave birth to the Seven Pillar Gods."

The Zoans were astonished to hear of a goddess they had never heard of before.

Until now, the gods to them were only the Seven Pillar Gods, including the beast gods they worshiped, and the Creator God who no longer existed. To overturn this common knowledge and even speak of a goddess who killed the Creator God was beyond their comprehension.

"Is that true, old woman...?"

Garam asked, his voice filled with shock.

Even Garam had never heard of such a god. However, the one speaking was the old woman, the storyteller and priestess of the clan. It was not surprising that she might possess knowledge unknown to the rest of the tribe, but the content was so far removed from their common knowledge that he could not help but seek confirmation.

The old woman, having reached Sōma, pointed at his forehead with the tip of her cane.

"The previous storyteller taught me this: 'The emblem of two snakes entwined, biting each other's tails, and writhing as if in agony. This is the emblem of the goddess Aura. You must not praise Aura. You must not denigrate Aura. You must not speak of Aura. You must not touch Aura. You must not know Aura. For she is the goddess of death and destruction.'"

The old woman turned to the clan members and, with a wicked smile, spoke as if telling a ghost story.

"The goddess who scatters death at the end of time, who dances on countless bones, and sings in the ruins. She is the goddess of death and destruction, Aura. This child is her divine child."

Unlike modern Japan, in this world, gods truly exist, and various superstitions are also believed. Moreover, the old woman, with her wrinkled, aged appearance, looked like a mummified monkey, and her realistic performance made the weaker women and children scream.

"It's his fault! He's the one who brought destruction upon us!"

One person shouted in a panic.

Hearing this, the Zoans pulled back with a sound, their faces filled with fear at the unknown goddess Aura and her divine child, Sōma.

However, fear turned to rejection, and rejection turned to anger.

They believed that all the disasters befalling the 'Clan of Fangs' were due to Sōma. With no solution in sight and no direction for their anger, the warriors drew their machetes and, after a quick exchange of glances, prepared to attack.

"Stop! I told you. This is the divine child of the goddess of death and destruction. If you kill him, who knows what disaster might befall us?"

The warriors, hearing the old woman's words, stepped back with frightened expressions.

The old woman turned to Sōma and grinned. Then, in a voice only Sōma and the nearby Shemul could hear, she whispered,

"Hehehe. Maybe I scared you a bit too much."

"Old woman..."

Shemul was exasperated by the old woman, who showed no remorse for her mischief.

However, thanks to her, an atmosphere of overestimating Sōma had indeed been created among the Zoans.

Though they didn't quite understand, they thought he must be something extraordinary because he was the divine child of a great goddess.

There was no concrete basis for this, but the ambiguity only fueled everyone's imagination, and in their minds, Sōma had become a monstrous being.

"Boy. Are you really the divine child of the goddess of death and destruction...?"

In response to Garam's question, Sōma nodded firmly.

"Can we win?"

"If you are the true, proud warriors Shemul speaks of."

"Really, if we follow what you say, can we win...?"

"We can win!"

Sōma declared.

It was unclear whether it was just a coincidence or a small blessing from the goddess to her divine child, but at that moment, a strong north wind suddenly blew, causing the bonfire to burn fiercely and shoot up in a pillar of flame. The shadow stretching from Sōma's feet swayed like a giant, frenzied monster.

"Aura... Aura!"

"The goddess of death and destruction, Aura!"

The superstitious elders began to pray in fear. The warriors, too, involuntarily took a step back from Sōma.

Garam closed his eyes and looked up to the sky.

Great beast gods! Is this your will?

Ancestors of our clan! Is this your guidance?

In response to Garam's silent question, Shemul's voice could be faintly heard.

"Brother..."

Though he had told her to call him 'brother' in front of the clan to maintain a clear distinction between public and private, she must have been very shaken. Thinking this, a smile appeared on his lips.

He found it interesting.

This was the first man his sister had become so attached to. A sister who, to be the proudest of all, had never let anyone close, was now willing to risk her life to help this man.

Though it didn't seem to be out of romantic love, this man had achieved the great feat of winning his sister's heart, something no one else had managed to do.

If so, it would be interesting to share in his good fortune.

With this resolve, Garam opened his eyes wide.

"Alright, boy! In the name of the twelve clans of Zoans, and as the son of Garguz, Garam, I will follow what you say!"

A shout, almost a scream, rose from the Zoans.

"Chief, please reconsider!"

"That's right, proud Zoan warriors should not follow a human!"

As the warriors tried to persuade the chief to change his mind, Garam asked in return,

"Then, my warriors. Is there anyone among you who can boast of taking back the village like that boy?"

The adult warriors, and even the young ones who had been boasting until yesterday, turned their faces away in embarrassment.

"There is no one. But this boy says he can do it."

Garam, shedding the mask of the chief, smiled like a fierce beast, the strongest warrior of the 'Clan of Fangs,' and said to Sōma,

"But, boy! If we do not win, be prepared! I will tear off your limbs and spill your entrails myself!"

Despite the overwhelming killing intent from the Zoan warriors, which made Sōma feel as if his consciousness was about to be blown away, he managed to nod firmly.

◆◇◆◇◆

Garam gathered the warriors to listen to Sōma's plan around the bonfire.

Most of the warriors who feared Sōma did not want to get close to him, and Shemul, trying to protect Sōma from the warriors, stuck closely to him. This made it look as if Sōma and Shemul were facing off against Garam and the other warriors.

Under the attention of the Zoans, Sōma carefully chose his words to convey his thoughts.

Naturally, the warriors resisted Sōma's ideas. They were almost enraged. Sōma's proposal contradicted their warrior's pride.

However, it was Shemul who helped him.

"If that will lead to victory, I will do it."

When the most proud of the 'Clan of Fangs,' the 'Noble Fang,' said this, it was difficult for the warriors to argue. However, some still hesitated.

"Can I do such a dishonorable thing? I'd rather die."

Suddenly, something was thrown at the face of the young warrior who said this.

"Ugh! What, what are you doing?!"

When he wiped his face, it was a piece of black cloth. Looking to see who had thrown it, it was the old woman.

"If you'd rather die, then cover your mouth with this."

This cloth was used in Zoan custom to cover the mouths of the dead. In Zoan belief, when a person dies, their soul leaves through the mouth and goes to the beast gods. However, if the soulless body is left alone, it is said that evil spirits in the form of insects would enter through the mouth and cause mischief. Therefore, the mouth of the dead was covered with a black cloth dyed with tree sap, which repelled insects.

In Japan, a common image of old ghosts is the white triangular headband (called a hitaikakushi or shikigami) worn during cremation. Similarly, in Zoan, covering the mouth with a black cloth is a common image of ghosts and spirits.

"I see. If dying is better, then you should die and become a ghost from the start."

The first to react to the old woman's mischief was Shemul. Covering her mouth with the black cloth, she showed it to Sōma, asking, "Does it suit me?" Sōma, not knowing the common image of Zoan ghosts, was at a loss for how to react, and the Zoans present, not wanting to criticize the divine child, looked to Garam for help.

"You can't do anything about it just by saying something. Give up."

Hearing this, Shemul retorted,

"Fierce Fang. Then I seem like a fool, don't I?"

"Yes, Noble Fang. As a chief and a brother, I am very worried about you. You should see the faces of your fellow clansmen after hearing your words."

When Garam said this seriously, the fellow clansmen present all turned their faces away from Shemul.