Chapter 20: The Priest of Corruption's New Power
A new power.
A new power.
Arghhhhhhhh!!!
The scream of the Incarnation, filled with divinity, forced its way into the deepest recesses of my mind, scratching at my emotions.
Blood flowed from my ears.
My sense of balance wavered. The chilling fear of a living being. The proper reverence due from an inferior lifeform.
I lost my footing. I tumbled to the ground, coughing from the nauseating dust and smoke I inhaled.
Cough
Lumps of vile emotions tangled together, voraciously swallowing me. It wouldn't be easy to get back up...
'Kill!'
A voice rang out for a moment. My mind, steeped in chaos, quickly awakened.
I pushed myself up again and ran.
"Thanks, Mother. I almost bought the farm back there."
Arghhhhhhhh!!!
That creature, the so-called Incarnation, was a walking disaster.
Just now, the divinity in its scream almost devoured me. At first, it was bearable, but as I continued to be exposed to it while fleeing, its divinity was gradually eating away at my mind.
If the Mother of Corruption hadn't awakened me, I would have lost the will to get up from where I fell just now and would have been devoured as I was.
A corpse to absorb. I quickly reached out and shouted.
"Mother! I offer this to you!"
As the corpse decayed, it spat out another divinity.
[Divinity: 9237]
Arghhhhhhhh!!!
I quickly twisted my shoulder, and a blood-red tentacle grazed my collar and pierced the ground.
Hiyah!
My Froststeel Sword reflected the flickering light as it sliced through the tentacle.
Argh! Argh! Argh! Argh! Argh!!!
The amount of divinity contained in the scream increased even further. It was clear that my counterattack had further enraged the Incarnation. But that's none of my concern.
I sprinted through Kelton, using the Gate of Corruption activated to its limit.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The noise created by the Incarnation chasing me gradually grew closer. The monster continued to adapt, even in the midst of this bloody chase.
Faster, stronger, sharper.
It was being reborn as a true predator.
On the other hand, I was already giving it my all from the start. Naturally, the distance between me and that monster was constantly closing.
I gritted my teeth and looked towards my destination.
The manor of the Lord of Kelton. Right there, I'd have a much better chance of finding corpses with more divinity than by searching the town at random.
Arghhhhhhhh!!!
I ducked my head. Two blood-red tentacles pierced the space where my head had just been. Pushing my muscles to their limits, I swung the Froststeel Sword. Two chunks of flesh fell to the ground.
Losing my balance from the recoil of swinging the sword, I rolled on the ground and sprang back up like a spring.
The crimson, fleshy monster glared at me with the single eye protruding from its split forehead, brimming with hateful bloodlust.
Arghhhhhhhh!!!
Had it finally caught up? But I had a card saved for this moment.
"Mother! Please help me!"
Grraaaaaahhhh!!!
The Giant of Corruption tore through the air and appeared, slamming its massive fist down on the Incarnation.
Arghhhhhhhh!!!
Crimson tentacles pierced through the giant's hand and tore apart the massive fist.
As I thought, the Giant of Corruption isn't strong enough. Without hesitation, I turned my back and ran, shouting.
"Don't strain yourself! I'll be back soon!"
Grraaaaaahhhh!!!
The Giant of Corruption roared again and charged towards the Incarnation.
I had to make the most of this golden moment of respite that the Giant of Corruption had bought me.
Cutting through the thick air, I leaped into the burning manor. Corpses. I needed corpses. At least the corpses of knights or well-trained elite soldiers.
But the corpses near the entrance of the manor were already too far gone to absorb.
If I'd known, I should have harvested their divinity first. Did I prioritize stopping the cultists' plan too much?
Belated regret washed over me, but there was no time to leisurely regret anything. I roughly ran through the flickering flames.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Corpses, already too late to harvest.
'Kill!'
At Mother's cry, I turned my head and saw a corpse in armor leaning against the wall. One for now.
"Mother!"
The flesh inside the armor decayed and spat out divinity. One hundred divinity. Worth two fingers.
[Divinity: 9337]
Starting with this corpse, corpses that could still be harvested appeared one after another. The dismembered, crushed, and torn-apart corpses were a testament to how desperate the resistance here had been.
Righteous revenge. Just retribution. Blood for blood.
The only thing I could do for these wronged souls was this.
[Divinity: 9357]
[Divinity: 9467]
[Divinity: 9488]
[Divinity: 9639]
[Divinity: 9897]
Just a little more. Just a little more.
Finally, I'd absorbed every corpse I could in the area.
[Divinity: 9991]
But it was not enough. Just a little bit short. I ran through the manor, searching and searching again.
The giant's roar from outside stopped. And something was approaching this place. Screaming a chilling scream.
Arghhhhhhhh!!!
'Kill!!!'
Mother's earnest plea to just run away from here. I clenched the Froststeel Sword and gritted my teeth.
"Not yet, Mother. I just remembered where the most recently deceased corpse should be."
I ran again. The collapsing manor. Wooden pillars collapsed with a crack. Acrid smoke. The flames had already devoured almost the entire manor. Hot heat scorched my skin. My brain screamed in pain as my flesh burned.
And finally, I found it. A human worth only one finger. The corpse of Stren Plkore, Lord of Kelton, his neck broken.
Thwack!
The Incarnation broke through the wall and appeared. Its body, once just a lump of flesh, now resembled human muscles and writhed.
Had it grown stronger again, even in this short time?
Its mouth split open, and thick murderous intent, carrying divinity, burst out.
Arghhhhhhhh!!!
The Lord's corpse was behind it.
Scorching divinity of corruption seeped into my skin, making my muscles clench.
Just once. I just need to evade it once.
I pushed off the ground. Seven tentacles approaching to tear me apart. I started up the Butcher, which I'd been saving to avoid provoking it with unnecessary noise.
Wheeeeeeee!
The metal saw blade, spinning violently and screaming. Gripping the Butcher's handle, I swung it upwards. One tentacle was severed, and the monster let out a rough scream.
One down for now.
I forced the Butcher's trajectory. My arm muscles, pushed to their limits, tore. I cut. Again, two more tentacles flew into the air.
Now, four tentacles remained.
I squeezed my eyes shut. Three was the maximum I could cut with my ability. Then, I had no choice but to endure the rest with my body.
Thwack.
One in the shoulder. As if mocking me, it plunged a tentacle back into the wound I'd barely managed to cauterize. The other three tentacles, as if on cue, pierced my thigh, waist, and stomach. All carefully avoiding instantly fatal spots.
'Kill!!!'
Mother screamed.
Guh.
Pain that I couldn't endure in the end became a groan and burst out of my throat.
The monster was laughing. Yes, it was playing with me. Without killing me right away, even though it could. Like a newborn baby playing with a bug.
But thanks to that arrogance, I reached it.
"Mother."
The divinity that burst out from the decaying Lord's body seeped into my body.
[Divinity: 10001]
"I offer this divinity. Your son earnestly beseeches you. Grant me a new power."
There was no answer.
[Divinity: 1]
The divinity disappeared. And new power seeped into my body.
The monster bared its white teeth at me and smiled.
"Does it hurt?"
I grinned, quickly reached out, grabbed the monster's unguarded face, and whispered.
"Let's fall. Together."
The new power, 'Pit of Corruption,' opened its black mouth and swallowed me and it.
And so, we fell.
Thud.
The impact of falling without cushioning struck my spine. I quickly got up and stepped back. Blood flowed incessantly from the wounds left by its tentacles. I cauterized the wounds with the Froststeel Sword, heated in the flames, and glared at the monster.
In the dark pit, it was smiling.
As if to ask, 'Is that all you've got?'
"Does it hurt?"
I smiled.
"It hurts. It really does. It's agonizing. Enduring the pain of my skin being seared in the fire as I chased after divinity, running through the flames to collect corpses...it's all excruciating. Enough to make me want to give up and run away. But, you know what?"
Wheeeeeeee!
The Butcher let out a rough starting sound. I moved my hand, which wasn't moving well, and raised the Butcher.
The monster tilted its head, mocking me. Looking at its damn brat-like attitude, I just smiled generously.
"You're about to be in far more pain than I am. Listen closely, you monster bastard."
Thwack!
The Gate of Corruption coursed through me, forcing my unresponsive body to move. My whole body was still creaking, and my arms and legs weren't listening to me.
A speed that was clearly slower than before. Even so, I charged towards it.
Arghhhhhhhh!!!
Nine tentacles bursting out. It was still growing, even now.
I gritted my teeth and swung the Butcher. The violently spinning saw blade ground all nine tentacles to shreds.
The Incarnation's single eye was filled with astonishment. I swung the Butcher upwards as it was. One of the Incarnation's arms flew into the air. Without stopping, I plunged the Butcher into the creature's side.
Wheeeeeeee!
The Incarnation's blood and flesh splattered and poured onto my face.
Arghhhhhhhh!!!
I put all my strength into pushing the Butcher into the monster's resisting torso. Even more blood and flesh splattered.
"Surprised? You must be! Hahaha! Are you wondering how I can cut down all your attacks even though I'm slower than before? I'll let you in on a little secret!"
I smiled more brightly than ever.
"How does it feel to rot alive? I'm pretty used to it, myself. You, on the other hand..."
New power, 'Pit of Corruption.'
All life that enters this massive pit rots alive. The target of this power's influence was not even an exception for me. However, I could use the Gate of Corruption to prioritize rotting away parts of my body that weren't essential for combat.
And like that, I closed the gap between me and the monster.
The monster struggled incessantly, trying to push me away. But its strength, rotting from both the inside and out, was not enough to push me away.
Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! St...op...it!!!!!
A new word burst from the monster's mouth. I laughed loudly.
"Thanks to me, you've learned two new words today! Maybe I should quit being a priest and become a monster tutor! Hahaha!"
I pulled the Butcher out of its body and raised it high.
Wheeeeeeee!
The eyes of the monster, rotting alive, were filled with fear.
Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop ittttttt!!!
I smiled gently.
"No."
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
The Butcher's blades tore greedily through the monster's neck. The head of the creature, born from devouring Kelton, rolled across the ground.
I reached out with my rotting hand, pulled a bead-shaped relic from the Incarnation's split chest, and smiled.
"Mother. I did it."
'Kill!'
A strange mix of joy and resentment flowed into me.
Dark green divinity of corruption flowed from the relic, seeping into my body and Mother's hand.
The light of divinity seeping into Mother's hand shone even brighter and vibrated. I hastily pulled the hand from my chest to check on Mother.
The hand of the Mother of Corruption, pulled from my chest, shone with a blinding dark green light.
The weight I'd felt on the hand disappeared.
"Mother?!"
Calming my trembling heart as much as possible, I hurriedly looked around, and a girl came into view.
Her hair, reaching down to her waist, was a beautiful wave of black and dark green mixed together. Her delicate features held the essence of abstract beauty, so perfect that even the most skilled artisan in the world would despair at the sight.
The girl touched her body all over, then widened her swirling green and black eyes and mouthed something at me. But no sound came from her throat.
The girl, slightly furrowing her fair brow, strode up to me and took my hand, and a single thought flowed into me.
'Kill?!'
I calmed my trembling heart at that familiar voice.
"So it was you, Mother. But why are you so young? Shouldn't you know that, not me? Anyway, Mother..."
Mother, pouting and grumbling to herself in my mind about her current body, looked up at me and tilted her head.
'Kill?'
"Can't you turn back into a hand now?"
'Kill!'
At the cry to wait just a moment, the girl instantly returned to being the familiar hand. I took Mother's hand, quickly tucked it back into my chest, and smiled.
"Mother, it's nice that you can move around on your own, but wouldn't it be better if you just stayed tucked away in my chest like this?"
'Kill!'
I was relieved to hear Mother say that she couldn't maintain that form for long anyway. I'm still too anxious to have her out of my chest; I need more time to prepare myself.
"I see. I understand."
I closed my eyes and focused inward.
[Divinity: 10001]
The divinity absorbed from the relic had properly settled. So now it was time to awaken another new power.
