"So where is that fellow now?"
Ithaqua spoke defiantly.
Although he was a Great Old One born very late, he was still over a hundred million years old!
Now he had heard that a junior of the Mysterious Lord, only a few thousand years old, could rival him in strength.
Ithaqua refused to believe it.
"Right here. Let me show you! Violet Thornflower!"
Faced with Ithaqua's doubts, the Mysterious Lord calmly raised his arm and pointed in a direction.
When Ithaqua followed the direction of that arm, a single finger of which was probably as large as his entire body, and looked over...
Ithaqua froze.
"A star!"
Ithaqua was rather bewildered.
It was not as though there were no Great Old Ones that took the form of stars or planets.
For example, the Dweller in the Flames, The Incandescent One, the Living Flame Cthugha, took the form of a supernova-the final stage of a violently active star.
And there was Gla'aki, the clamorous planet known as the messenger of the Great Old Ones.
They were all famous examples.
Generally, Great Old Ones did not judge by outward appearances. They sensed the intensity of another being's life and its primal instincts.
But the crucial point was that, in Ithaqua's perception, that aging star really was merely a celestial body with somewhat unstable energy!
There was no trace of an intelligent being whatsoever.
"Well..."
Although Ithaqua did not voice his hesitation, his doubtful gaze and mental thoughts conveyed one message without reservation.
"I don't believe you. You're lying to me."
The Mysterious Lord sighed helplessly and began explaining in detail.
When the Mysterious Lord brought up those past events, he himself showed little reaction, but the entire expanse of Purple Thorns supporting this world suddenly began trembling violently.
An inexplicable aura of