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It swiftly shattered the lights as it descended.

Like a flood pouring down from above, it turned the ground to mush, crushing stones and snapping trees, resembling a giant beast that walked over everything in its path. It was like an army that marched forward, mercilessly breaking everything in its way, and the varied patterns of the breaking sounds scattered throughout revealed their might.

What could that army be?

How could they descend so quickly?

What makes them see the lights as mere obstacles to destroy?

What on earth is the identity of that army?

Could they be a swarm of locusts that lightly leap over barriers, devouring crops and laying waste to everything?

Or could it be the unclean things that leap out from sulfurous flames, gathering and moving as if so?

If not, is it the wicked horde that wanders the world, marching together to flaunt their power?

Kenneth, the shaman, used magic to protect himself while gazing at the hotel.

To uncover what was happening inside and what the shaman within was up to.

Aaaaaargh—!

And finally, the evidence was revealed.

It had wings.

Yet it was not a bird; it had legs but was not a land creature; it could momentarily survive off putrid liquid, but it was not a water creature.

It was a filthy entity that thrived on decaying flesh, clearly a spawn of some desert demon that fell into hell after leading people to vile acts worshipped as idols.

Flies.

Those filthy flies.

What a horrendous swarm that brings to mind black smoke!

“Is this magic related to Beelzebub?”

Kenneth muttered as he looked at what was disgusting to behold.

Ah, those black flies.

And those white maggots hanging from the flies or nestled in their rear ends!

Even without experiencing it, one can imagine.

In the moment those flies would reach him,

those loathsome creatures would tear at his skin, making tiny holes and trying to push the maggots inside.

As if making his body into rotting flesh, they’d force maggots into him, consuming his living flesh and causing him to writhe in horrible pain.

Ah, how disgusting and dreadful!

“Oh! Foolish and weak! You cannot drive away demons without the power of Beelzebub, the lord of demons!”

But just because the pain they brought was unbearable, does that mean he would disobey the Lord’s words?

Could they ever compare to even a speck of the Lord’s great authority?

Threatening though they might be, they were mere insects, and evil though they may be, they were in His grasp!

Ah!

I truly think I understand.

The Lord’s power is here, and I know I am being protected from that pest!

“עַזַּז! O arrogant one! The Lord’s power is here, and you dare not extend your filthy hand towards me!”

Poooow—!

As Kenneth proclaimed the invocation, a divine light began to surge forth from his necklace.

The silver cross, receiving the moonlight, softly emitted a radiant glow, enveloping his body, while the diamond rosary around his wrist emitted multiple colors reminiscent of a rainbow, circling around him.

The light thus created became a barrier, and the flies daring to taint his body began to turn to dust.

Poooow—!

Poooow—!

As the flies touched the light, they burst open.

They returned to dust as if that’s what they were always meant to be, stopping their worthless lives with the sound of tiny explosions.

Thus, the massive snake made up of flies vanished, and its mouth, torn to shreds, turned to dust, piling up on the ground.

Ah, that much dust.

That is the remains of the flies, the traces of a wicked and loathsome serpent.

Kenneth realized that he had shattered the shaman’s trick which had been countering him from within the hotel.

* *

Sssss.

“I will leave behind this record to pass down through the ages; I saw a river flowing at night. When the darkness of the black jungle deepened even in the day, and finally the green leaves turned to black, I beheld it.”

Ssss-uuup.

“When the cries of insects abruptly stopped and the paw prints of the stalking beast ceased. It flowed. It twisted between the trees, moving and flowing, tearing soft things and crushing hard things. It overflowed. It was a wave, it was violence, yet it wasn’t water; it was a running river.”

Ssssss.

“The river had color, but it was different from that of regular river water; it was red and black, flowing without moisture. It climbed over stones, tore and crushed wood, devoured animals without leaving bones, turning insects to dust—it continued to flow. It was a river flowing at night, a frightful current that would leave you dead if you dared to step into it.”

Sssss.

“Behold. This is the river flowing at night.”

Look closely.

That is not dust.

Open your eyes wide and see it well.

Even in the settled darkness, you must see it clearly.

How can that which reveals its presence in the darkness be merely dust?

How can those things, standing out in the gloom, be mere piles of soil?

Twist.

Behold their wriggling.

See how those dust piles move as one.

Like river water flowing at night, they make waves.

As they wave and are trying to flow, how can it not exist?

They are shadows yet three-dimensional, shadows that can be touched.

Look!

This is the river flowing at night.

* * *

“What’s that…?”

Kenneth frowned as he saw the once-flies.

By his magic, the flies had turned to dust that piled on the floor, and it should be normal for all danger to evaporate, leaving only debris…

Strangely, the dust began to move.

Not merely fluttering in the night wind, but clearly starting to swell like corn popping into popcorn.

The dust that was embarrassingly small, barely speaking of size, grew larger, comparable to a child’s fingernail, showing it had taken on a compact shape.

Though the darkness made it hard to see precisely, he could tell it was certainly different from before.

Kenneth quickly realized that the shaman had used the flies as a stepping stone for another spell.

Churrrk.

As Kenneth understood this, he undid the diamond rosary on his wrist and held it in one hand, unfastening the loop to let it dangle long. He lifted the dangling rosary into the air as if it were a whip and, using the cross as a weight, struck it hard against the ground while shouting.

PAAAAW—!

“You wicked creature! Thing born of a viper’s womb! How dare you try to tarnish the brilliance of the Almighty?!”

The cross struck the ground with force, creating a massive impact.

As if a strong man threw a punch with all his might, the dust was crushed, and the surrounding things were blown away by the pressure. Moreover, a rainbow trajectory remained in place to keep them from daring to invade again.

But it was only for a moment.

Scrape.

Scrape, scrape, scrape.

Hard things rubbed against one another, making their unique sound, and the place where Kenneth struck was quickly filled.

And then.

Sssssss.

The dust began to flow.

As if it were one body, just like the black snake made of flies had floated in the air, this time it crawled on the ground like a black snake, moving toward Kenneth.

And it accomplished what the flies had once failed to do.

Crackle.

The dust began to use its pincers to peel away the light that surrounded Kenneth’s body and pass that torn piece to its fellows, shredding it until it was almost unrecognizable.

Crackle.

With the damage left by the peeling light, they crowded toward the wound, realizing they couldn’t do it alone, and they began to twist and bind together, forming something sharp like a spear.

In that situation, Kenneth could understand their true identity.

They were army ants, the kind seen in North America.

The kind that exaggerates a little in movies, swarming in massive numbers.

“Marabunta…?”

Army ants.

The dust left from the dead flies had become army ants.

 

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