Chapter 31
Emptiness.
Emptiness.
I tilted my head slightly to look in the direction the spear had come from. Sajita was diving back into the crowd of madmen.
So it was Sajita.
I stood blankly, staring at the headless torso.
I’d read somewhere that revenge brings emptiness, but could it really be this hollow?
I hadn’t expected an epic tale, but I never imagined such a meaningless conclusion either.
But did he really die?
A sudden thought struck me. I swiftly reached out, grabbed Riverkel’s corpse, and shouted:
"Mother! I offer this corpse to you!"
As always, I prayed, but Riverkel’s body didn’t transform into divinity. So he’s still alive...
A torrent of mixed divinity began erupting from Riverkel’s corpse like a bursting dam.
'Kill!!!'
Mother’s scream urged me to throw it away immediately. But I couldn’t just let go.
The Rune of Decay pushed my physical limits once more. Calmly assessing the overflowing divinity, I activated the Butcher’s ignition.
Whiiiiirrr!
Flying limbs. The screeching Butcher began butchering Riverkel’s corpse.
'Kill!!!'
Though I wanted to bisect the body completely, I grabbed Santus’s right arm and retreated at Mother’s urgent warning of real danger.
The headless torso floated upward, spewing blended divinity. The red-haired woman screamed when she saw this:
"We’re ruined! Completely ruined! Everything’s destroyed! I told you we should’ve talked instead of fighting!"
Crash!
The purple-haired woman was smashed by the giant’s fist, bounced off the ground, then sprang up shouting:
"What?! Me?! You didn’t see?! You! What the hell did you do?! Do it again! Again!"
Hundreds of white threads burst from Riverkel’s torso. Like living creatures, the threads instantly extended and began probing surrounding corpses.
Each strand overflowed with blended divinity – quantities far beyond any normal priest’s capacity.
'Kill!'
Mother kept urging me to flee. Scanning my surroundings, I saw the red-haired woman fleeing while carrying the squirming purple-haired one.
"We need to run! When she gets like this, she can’t tell friend from foe!"
"Let me go! Let go or I’ll kill you! I’ll really kill you!"
"Shut up! Just shut up!"
I shouted at the Giant of Decay:
"Throw me over there! Then you may depart!"
With slight concern, I glanced toward Sajita’s last location, but only found screaming madmen. Confirming I wasn’t being observed, I leapt onto the giant’s hand.
Gaaaaaah!!!
The giant hurled me with a roar. Harsh winds battered my face and body. The Rune of Decay glowed vivid dark green again.
My target was the fleeing red-haired woman. The purple-haired one seemed too deranged for coherent answers.
The ground rushed up.
Crash!
I rolled on impact to cushion the blow. My pounding head screamed at me to stop this madness. Ignoring the protest, I sprang up and drew the Butcher.
The whirling metal blades roared before the red-haired woman’s face. Staring into her green eyes, I demanded:
"What happens now?"
The answer came from an unexpected source. The purple-haired woman trapped under her companion’s arm babbled:
"Me! Me! I’ll tell! Let me explain!"
The flustered red-haired woman shouted:
"What are you blabbering about?! Quiet! Stay quiet!"
"But! But! She’s our kind of priest! We should recruit her! Especially since Riverkel who hated her is already wrecked!"
In the distance, Riverkel’s floating torso writhed as corpses merged into a massive flesh lump.
The red-haired woman studied me with a peculiar expression.
"Now that you mention it..."
She immediately shook her head.
"No! She’d never listen! You’ve heard the rumors – heroes who save people always hate us!"
"I’ll try! Let me try!"
I sheathed the Butcher with a smile. Whether I listened then cut their throats later didn’t matter.
"Go ahead with that story."
The red-haired woman gaped in disbelief.
"This is actually working...?"
"Me! I’ll explain! I’m Pelli! She’s Benna!"
The purple-haired Pelli chattered rapidly while dangling from Benna’s side:
"We’re from Liberatio! The secret society of evil god worshippers! You killed our members in Kelton!"
"Yes."
"They were all Liberatio! That’s why we waited here for you!"
A secret society of evil worshippers. The idea that these solitary beings could organize was absurd yet terrifying. Gears were turning in hidden parts of the world.
This had to relate to the main quest.
I needed more information. The coming chaos would engulf the world, and survival required preparation.
"How many evil god worshippers belong to Liberatio?"
"Hmm..."
After brief deliberation, Pelli grinned brightly:
"No idea! Benna doesn’t know either! I joined for the chaos! Benna was sent by her cult leaders! Riverkel probably knew – he was directly dispatched from Liberatio!"
Since the flesh lump couldn’t answer, I tried another question:
"What’s Liberatio’s purpose?"
"I’ll answer that."
Benna smoothed her red hair.
"Simple – create a world where no one’s persecuted for their faith."
"You create this?" I gestured at the screaming city.
Benna continued calmly:
"I didn’t want this. Riverkel started it, saying he needed to collect something."
Riverkel again.
"Then why seek me? Earlier, you seemed to want something from me."
"Correct. We waited to retrieve an item. Though I don’t know how things escalated."
"What item?"
Benna stared directly.
"The orb-shaped relic from the avatar’s body. You have it."
Ah, the vessel containing Mother’s sealed divinity. But it was already destroyed.
"That orb shattered."
"What?! Impossible! That relic can’t be destroyed! Because–"
Benna bit her tongue.
I knew why they thought it indestructible – Mother’s power in the sealed relics maintained their integrity against accidents.
My previous suspicions were confirmed – they wanted to use Mother’s sealed relics.
Feigning calm, I continued:
"It truly broke. I left the fragments in Kelton. Was it Liberatio’s only relic?"
"Four! Four more exist!"
Pelli intercepted before Benna could respond.
Four?
'Kill!!!'
Mother thrashed in rightful fury as the sealed power’s owner.
"Why’d you reveal everything?!"
"Because she’ll learn anyway if she joins! Don’t be stingy!"
"That’s not decided yet!!"
'Kill!'
Mother warned we needed to flee immediately. The amalgamated divinity mass was nearing completion.
I smiled amiably:
"Whose power drove the citizens mad?"
"Not me! I can’t do that!" Pelli answered cheerfully.
Benna glared.
"Why are you so eager to–"
Thwick.
Benna’s head hit the floor. Having learned enough, I couldn’t delay – my comrades needed extraction.
Without pause, I swung my Froststeel sword at Pelli’s neck. Calmly, she raised a hand to block, unconcerned about losing limbs.
I pushed harder. The blade cleaved through her hand toward her throat.
Before the final cut, Pelli grinned:
"See you again!"
A new head hit the ground. I extended my hand:
"I offer this to Mother."
Only Benna’s corpse transformed into divinity flowing into me.
[Divinity: 3023]
Still alive, somehow. Tenacious indeed.
As I absorbed Benna’s divinity, the city’s rampant energy gradually faded.
The mad cries ceased. Silence fell.
Time to find my comrades.
I trusted they’d survived – all three were capable fighters.
Heading to Sajita’s last location, I found them recuperating in the corpse-strewn square. All safe.
Carmen spotted me first:
"Here! Marnak! Did you do this? Everyone just collapsed!"
I nodded.
"Yes. I eliminated the evil priest creating the mad ones."
Sajita, sitting quietly, spoke:
"Was my spear helpful?"
Had he noticed the Giant of Decay aiding me? If so, I’d need to kill him. But his eyes showed no suspicion – he wasn’t one to hide emotions.
Likely hadn’t noticed. For now.
I smiled brightly.
"Extremely helpful. Almost alarmingly so."
Sajita gave a small smile.
"Glad to assist, Priest."
"We should move. Something big’s about to awaken."
"What kind of–"
Carmen’s question was answered by a roar from the city gates:
–Kyaaaaaaak!!!
I smirked.
"That."
A colossal ragdoll giant rose slowly, its body squirming with reanimated corpses.
A masterpiece of grotesquery – exactly like its master’s style.
I hurriedly pulled up Darcia. The noblewoman had been gloomily surveying her handiwork.
"Lady Darcia! I’ll console you properly later, but focus now!"
She chuckled at my urgency.
"How will you console me?"
"We’ll discuss that later! We need to buy time to save survivors. Move even if you won’t help!"
Carmen asked quickly:
"Who’s coming if we stall?"
"Him."
Riverkel’s corpse-play couldn’t have gone unnoticed.
"Um..."
Sajita spoke cautiously.
"Yes?"
"I think... he’s already here."
Turning, we saw countless undead swarming the ragdoll giant. It roared while crushing the attacking corpses:
–Kyaaaaaak!!!
Amid the carnage, I spotted him.
White mask. Overlong black robes. Silent trumpet.
The ‘Herald of Repose’ raised his pale trumpet, beginning a soundless dirge.
