Turning to look behind him, Kuta finally realized that the passage he had descended through was an enormous root. Here, that massive root branched out, connecting to countless smaller roots.
No, they were not connected to it. These roots were branches of the main root itself.
"What do I need to do?"
Looking at the constantly churning mass of seven-colored energy surrounded by countless roots, Kuta spoke in his mind.
He could sense that these roots were already too weak to hold back the mass of seven-colored energy.
"This mass of demonic energy was left behind by the demon who wounded me. He was an adult demon, and his power had long since reached the point where it could survive forever without his physical body. So even after tens of thousands of years, I haven't been able to erase any of it."
Other Shore's solemn voice rang out in Kuta's mind. "Actually, when I first called you here, I only sensed that you were different. Though you're still very weak in my eyes, I couldn't see through you at all. At the time, I only wanted to seize that sliver of hope and see whether you could really help me. The chance was incredibly slim, but I had no other choice. You were the first being of my kind whose presence I had sensed in all these years."
"As you can see, if you hadn't come, then after some more time—perhaps decades, perhaps centuries—I would have been unable to hold out any longer. This energy would have invaded me, turning me into another kind of demon. I might even have become an anchor for a gate, allowing them to descend upon this world again."
At this point, Other Shore's tone suddenly lightened.
"When I finally met you, and you used