Chapter 132
A room with curtains drawn.
Beyond the calmly spread darkness, a white-haired old man was sitting at a desk.
It was none other than the dean, Gaston Galimar.
He had his eyes closed as if concentrating on something.
The teacup caught on his fingertips was just cooling down.
"......"
Not even a trace of movement.
A particularly heavy atmosphere.
Though it was silence to express in words, if one looked through the surface, it was close to chaos or pandemonium.
The old man was standing amid fragments of the future shattering fiercely.
Afterwards.
"...Has it begun."
The prophet muttered.
An ominousness felt from deep underground.
Fear, anger, despair, sadness... the beast's howl containing all those omens.
He sensed the sticky awakening of evil.
It seemed.
The story was flowing unchanged.
In the end, it couldn't escape the prophecy.
The clock hands turning following predetermined fate are like the execution falling on a death row inmate.
The old man set down the teacup filled with black tea beside him.
For a moment, the shaking red surface resembled himself sprawled before duty.
His old lips spoke.
"Traitor."
To a certain boy.
The prophet recited a request that wouldn't reach.
With feelings dyed complicatedly.
"Please... I entrust that child to you."
A voice scattering ephemerally.
The dean sank into silence again as if swallowed by waves.
***
Academy underground.
Blood and corpses were rolling around.
It was a space where pitch darkness had settled.
A ceiling so deep its height couldn't be gauged, humid air as if adding to that eerie atmosphere, and finally the terrible stench wafting.
The temple's scenery seemed to contain human depravity as it was.
Truly the bottom of sin.
We were standing at its center.
Kwaaaang-!
The ceiling shook along with an exploding noise.
A flow of magical energy sweeping strongly.
It was firepower as if causing a storm throughout the underground.
Broken magic, blood, flesh... those fragments splattered in all directions.
Enemies swarmed.
"Lambs, repay the Lord with slaughter!!!"
Intruders rushing in while chanting in unison.
They were all shedding blood tears.
If a nightmare were expressed in a picture, wouldn't it feel like this?
I swung my sword lightly while furrowing my brow.
"Hmm."
Screech-!
I cut down an arrow that had flown right in front of my nose.
The characteristic vibration transmitted to my fingertips.
It was a sensation of cutting a lump of protein rather than the characteristic hardness of metal or wood.
Well, it was a weapon made by stripping human bones and flesh.
'Offering... using life as a medium?'
It was a disgusting method.
Muscles and organs still writhing alive.
Plus perhaps because they were contaminated with magical energy, corrosion was even progressing where blood splattered.
It was wretchedness stimulating unpleasant emotions in various ways.
I raised my sword.
"This is troublesome."
For my part, I was in a position to save output.
Magic cracked by the injection of magical energy.
I had to restore the seal said to have been left by the ancient star.
As I didn't know how much output would be needed in that process, it was a situation where I had to put more restrictions on lies than usual.
An annoying constraint.
Of course.
"You're all being annoying."
That didn't mean it was overwhelming.
It was just a complaint that it was bothersome.
I had even received personal lessons from the sword saint, so how could I be powerless even barehanded?
I had experienced muddy fights several times even at the bottom.
Thickly accumulated experience.
I took a step.
Clang-!!
The sword strike I swung lightly collided with the spear of a robe at the vanguard.
Sparks flying instantly.
I roughly broke through the defense and pressed the guy.
Kang!! Kik, keugeugeugeuk...!
At the moment when a test of strength was taking place with our blades touching.
Another robe that had dug into the side at some point launched a stabbing attack aiming for my neck.
It was a natural link like flowing water.
Of course.
It was out at the point of being seen through.
I lightly flicked my finger.
Tak-!
Slightly.
A faint lie to the extent it wasn't even marked as output.
Thin shadows covered the enemies' eyes.
Vision blocked as if caught in a blindfold.
Their postures wavered.
"...?!"
Just 1 second.
But that instant scattered the sword path.
Swish-!
It was an attack that missed.
The sensation of lukewarm bone fragments remained on my cheek that was barely grazed.
Perhaps because of the misaligned posture, the opponent's stance collapsed.
I didn't miss that gap.
I pushed away the robe confronting me from the front, and snatched the guy's long flowing hair.
Though their vision returned as the shadows lifted belatedly.
It was already too late.
"Ta-da."
Screech-!
A silver line drawn in midair.
Right after.
A cleanly severed head was held in my hand.
The body with its neck cut off soon collapsed.
As I slightly stepped back, the robe I had pushed away earlier rushed in again.
Only madness filled the pupils shedding blood tears.
A scream-like prayer.
"!!Drol eht ot efil ruoy reffo"
The robe swung its spear along with a shout.
I raised my sword blade diagonally.
While smoothly deflecting the falling attack, with my other hand I grasped the severed head.
I grabbed the long tied hair and swung it like I was handling an iron mace.
Shweeek... Thud!!
A dull impact sound spread.
As the head that flew with full force struck the temple, the rushing robe lost balance and staggered.
I stabbed my sword into the guy's heart without delay.
Rotten blood splattered.
Squelch-!
'That makes five.'
A calm deep breath.
Though I said I had to save output, that didn't mean complete inability.
If I used lies to this extent to get a little help in battle, I could utilize them within a range that wasn't burdensome.
I clapped my hands.
Jjak-!
Following that, my vision blinked.
The golden afterimage that had disappeared instantly appeared again in the middle of enemy lines.
It was a short-distance teleportation lightly leaping.
I formed a hidden blade with my fingertips.
"Where are you looking?"
Pububupeok-!
I didn't even give the guys time to turn around.
Pitch black fragments shooting in all directions.
The flower spread in dozens of directions pierced between the enemies' brows. It was blood and flesh swept away like leaves before the wind.
I sheath my sword amid slightly rising breathing.
As expected, barehanded wasn't good for stamina efficiency.
There was no strain yet as it was just small fry but.
'The problem is.'
There was no end to their numbers.
Evil rushing in fiercely.
Even though their bodies were pierced, cut, and even limbs were cut off, the dolls continued rushing in.
Such blind movements were even unnatural.
As expected, it meant they weren't easy opponents.
I glared at the man seated at the center of the blood-dyed temple.
It was a familiar face.
'Puppeteer.'
Occasionally mutants appear even among heretics.
Katasto.
Performance, singing, painting, description, etc... it was a phenomenon where magical energy mixed with originally possessed talents and broke basic frameworks.
A concept as rare as [Star] if only counting numbers.
As they all possessed powers comparable to disasters.
In the original work too, they appeared in roles leading the world's destruction, such as hunting faculty members or important figures, or destroying cathedrals that could be considered church headquarters.
That man was one of them.
'He appeared.'
Puppeteer.
Commonly called Marionnette.
In the original work, he was a villain appearing from the middle.
While being a force counted among the top in the heretics, he was also a grim reaper producing countless corpses.
The small fry visible now were all his subordinates.
"As expected... a troublesome ability."
Forces that didn't seem to have any intention of decreasing.
Dolls carrying out their master's will.
The guy wasn't stopping at manipulating chimeras or humans, now he was even moving the corpses sprawled on the floor.
Because of that, the battlefield was only adding to the confusion rather than being cleaned up.
Breath rising along with fierce battle.
It seemed difficult without consuming output.
'Of course.'
If I wasn't alone, the story would be different.
I signaled.
Towards the fox who had dyed her hair bright red before I knew it.
It was a call pronouncing incineration on sin.
"Miss Irene."
"Yeah."
"Blow them away."
"Leave it to me."
Right after.
A streak of flame crossed the air in a straight line.
Following that, exploding flames swallowed the surroundings.
Hot heat exploded and shattered corpses and dolls into a handful of ashes.
Only a roar remained in my ears.
Kwaaaaa-!!
Firepower with momentum to collapse the temple.
I brushed off the flames touching my cheek, then conveyed a call to the imperial princess too.
The girl stabbed her sword into the floor as if she had been waiting.
"Your Highness."
"I've been waiting."
Those lips recited.
An activation word to overturn the board.
"Sword, be dyed."
-Charlotte-style Domain Swordsmanship Five Techniques-
'Gray Garden'
Kugugugugu-!
Cracks formed in the floor covered with marble, and vines made of steel sprouted one by one.
A banquet of swords and roses continuing as if opening a path.
It was a garden unfolding splendidly.
When her delicate hand twisted the sword stabbed into the floor, thousands of flower petals fluttered as blades.
The scattered fragments pierced the dolls' hearts.
Blood spread even to the flowers.
I muttered while watching.
'The flow isn't bad.'
I calmly examined the situation.
Two helpers.
They were each checking the dolls well.
Of course, given who the opponent was, it seemed difficult to handle completely, but it felt like the small fry at least were being cleaned up.
The continuing chorus of flames and vines created a straight path.
None other than the path towards the altar.
"Now I can see."
Beyond the smell of burning flesh and remnants, the puppeteer was visible.
He was in the appearance of placing his hand on the seal.
He was staring at this side with cold pupils.
As if recognizing our existence.
'Looking at the altar's state... the progress is still less than 50%?'
It seemed there was quite some time leeway too.
For now, I intended to prioritize cleaning up the vicinity.
I wrapped pitch black around my hand.
The opponent wasn't easy.
Though not as much as the 'Conductor' known to have reached [Star], he was still among the top tier among villains.
He wasn't an opponent to face lightly in a situation with limited output.
I compressed the thinly deployed lies.
As I was preparing to leap while revealing killing intent like that.
"Yes... I understand."
Suddenly the other side opened his mouth.
Pupils fixed in direction.
Only the golden snake was reflected in eyes dyed with madness.
The man threw words as if he had realized.
"About the existence that has been blocking our will all along."
Though I tried to ignore it roughly.
The following words involuntarily made my steps stiffen.
"It was you, ■■■■."
Words referring to myself.
I halted.
How does that guy... know that name?
My brain hit the brakes for a moment.
"Wait, what did you just..."
"I can't win against you."
That's right.
How could a mere lowly creature challenge the vessel of God?
But
This plan cannot fail.
For His will.
"Therefore... I'll offer everything."
Crunch-!
Following that, the puppeteer showed a sudden action.
Perhaps because I was distracted by the fact that [Name] was called for a moment, I missed the suspicious signs unlike myself.
The guy bit his own tongue while scattering magical energy around at the same time.
Dark red light rose stealthily from the altar.
'Suicide offering...!'
He had offered his own life.
A Katasto possessing unique talent, the soul of one of the continent's top strongest, it was enough to completely break the seal that had already cracked.
In an instant.
Crash-!
A noise like glass shattering rang out.
The seal shattered into pieces.
At the same time, pitch black light spurted from the temple floor, then soon magical energy enough to completely block vision swept through the area.
It was difficult to even keep balance amid fragments of blood and corpses fluttering here and there.
I protected the group by creating a curtain with shadows.
Kwaaaaa-!
A merciless storm of magical energy.
The temple was already close to being scorched.
The puppeteer's body that had broken the seal was torn to shreds, and even the surrounding dolls had melted without a trace.
I endured the fierce wind while gradually adding to the output of lies.
How much time passed?
As the ferocious flow gradually subsided.
The full-fledged disaster appeared.
"...Oh my."
I clicked my tongue.
The scenery reflected before my eyes was truly terrible.
I slowly raised my head and looked up.
Krrrrrr-.
A noise like scratching eardrums.
Some creature's head was barely touching the ceiling that must have been at least 50 meters high.
Huge wings and tail covered the broken temple as it was.
Black flames flickered between its jaws.
Though it was clearly a living being... it didn't match the word vitality at all.
Because its heart and flesh were rotting here and there.
[EP23. Evil Awakening]
-Life crying out death amid seething blood and malice-
The episode's boss monster.
Specified in the setting as [Death] meaning death... an ancient dragon dyed in chimera form.
Translated into modern terms, it was a death dragon or death dragon.
We were facing disaster.
Kuooooo-!!
A cry as if shaking the entire underground.
Feeling the chills running down my spine, I muttered one complaint.
"It can't be helped."
I clenched my fist again.
What I grasped with both hands was a sword carved from shadows.
My closed eyelids slowly opened.
The fully revealed white pupils were shining dangerously.
The snake declared.
"Though hunting isn't my preference, I have no choice."
It seemed.
I would have to bring out the second plan.