Chapter 60
[You have witnessed ■■■.■■■.]
[You can become a follower of ■■■.■■■.]
[Will you accept?]
[YES / NO]
An incomprehensible message window overwhelmed me.
Suddenly, a message window like this just pops up?
This is a first.
And I can become a follower...?
I don't know what that being spreading that red halo is, but if it can gather followers, it really does seem to be some kind of religious entity.
A strange thing.
A ghost story.
A paranormal phenomenon.
In a world where such things are rampant, an actual religious being with substance.
ㅡShaa...
A shiver ran up my spine.
A powerful chill washed over my whole body. I could feel fear seizing my heart.
Could it be the reason the Bureau told us to stay away from religion? Then what about the Vatican? Islam? Could Jesus and Allah maybe be beings like that too...?
More than anything, the unreadable words ■■■.■■■ made me insanely terrified.
What in the world am I supposed to do...
"Hoo!"
Pull yourself together!
ㅡPaaat!
I was already running.
The message window was still floating before my eyes. There's a good chance this is a proposal from that religious aberration over there.
If that's the case, maybe I'll be safe while this message window is up!
Even that reliable Mr. Curas had his head blown apart and died in a single hit. If I refuse to become a follower, my head will definitely explode too.
"Kuh...!"
But.
More than anything...!
Jinseop!
Jinseop is dead!
I wanted to save him, I was trying to save him!
That crazy monster killed Jinseop in the most pitiful way possible!
[YES / NO]
The message window still hadn't disappeared, and my head still hadn't exploded.
For now, refusing is the obvious choice.
I can't even imagine what it means to become a follower of that insane religious aberration. And joining the same side as the bastard who killed Jinseop? I'd never do that even if the heavens were torn apart.
What the hell is that bastard...!
Come to think of it, those fake Bureau bastards had been misunderstanding something. They said something about us trying to use or control something.
I think it's that thing.
Maybe the fake Bureau guys knew about its existence in advance and were trying to stop it? But then we showed up, and they may have mistaken us for people trying to seize that insane religious aberration.
I mean, our Bureau really does collect aberrations, quarantine them, and use them, doesn't it? From the fake Bureau's perspective, it's a reasonable suspicion.
ㅡChichichik!
Then.
"Oh!"
Static crackled through the status window. Then, as if it were collapsing, the edges began to blur.
N-no way...!
Is the status window getting messed up because of that aberration's power?!
No more. My instincts were screaming that I couldn't keep this window open any longer. I quickly selected NO. Only then did the abnormality in the status window stop, and a new message appeared.
[You have refused to become a follower of ■■■.■■■.]
"My head!"
My head...!
It's still intact.
Because I ran so far, I can't see it anymore. Did it flee beyond my line of sight, so I can't target it? Or did it just let me live?
ㅡThump-thump!
My heart feels like it's about to burst.
"Haah, haah...!"
It can interfere with my status window.
That realization was far too terrifying.
I pressed my back against the wall and took quick breaths.
And then.
"Ah...!"
The sky brightened. More precisely, red radiance poured down from the heavens. Because of it, the whole scene looked as if a crimson sunset had descended.
A scene I would have thought beautiful if I knew nothing.
I knew that religious aberration had taken root in the sky.
And then.
"Krrk...!"
"Geeeeh."
"Kek! Kek!"
The ghoul corpses began to rise again.
"What?!"
The ghouls whose heads had exploded and whose bodies had been torn apart were getting back up.
Revived?! Or are they regenerating because they're undead?!
I don't know exactly, but it has to be because of that red light!
Now the religious aberration isn't the only danger. If all the ghouls have come back to life, just avoiding them will be a challenge.
"Keheeeek!"
"This fucking hell!"
ㅡTaang!
I shoved a bullet into the forehead of the charging ghoul and ran again. Now I had no choice but to flee while avoiding the ghouls.
Memories of the Giant Apocalypse came back.
A world overflowing with fear and chaos, but my body remembers what it went through. I was moving more coolly than ever. For the sake of survival. Right now, I am Grong, the leader of the survivor group.
In my ear.
"Where do you think you're going...?"
That unforgettable voice reached me.
"Vampire!"
The vampire, that mosquito bitch's voice!
The very same woman who killed me and killed my parents!
ㅡFlap.
The vampire landed in front of me, her red dress fluttering. Her vertically slit pupils were glowing blood-red, and she was covered in wounds all over. Her clothes were torn too, making her look utterly grotesque.
"So I finally found you...?"
I can feel it on my skin.
The murderous intent directed at me.
It was the same last time too.
The vampire wants to kill me.
"Hey, it's been a while, hasn't it?"
It's not that long.
That bitch had only recently used hypnosis on me and awakened me. Now then, let's see. Judging by her attitude right now... so she really doesn't know anything about what happened then?
"Yeah. It's been insanely long. You know how much I've missed you?"
Fighting spirit and anger surged up.
Unlike back in the subway, I have a weapon in my hand now. A showdown with the vampire? If I can fight, I don't care if I die here. No, I'll kill her right here.
"Same here. We really do think alike."
The vampire grins.
Her exposed fangs are downright murderous.
The hideously smiling vampire is now even laughing out loud.
"Ahaha, it's all over now. All of it, everything is over. How could this happen..."
"What?"
What is she talking about.
With that, my concentration snapped into razor focus. Every tiny detail of the vampire's behavior stood out in my eyes. Giving up? Despair? Something like that. Saying it's all over means whatever she had planned has fallen apart and gone to ruin, right?
Then that religious aberration wasn't something the vampire had schemed up?
"But... if I can kill you here, even that would be pretty good."
"You bastard... you think I'll go down that easily..."
Her obsession with me is very strong.
Conveniently, I'm in a state of just as strong an obsession with you.
We'll make a good match.
On the stage where we kill each other.
"Think you can resist it?"
ㅡWhooosh!
The instant the vampire's eyes flew wide open, waves burst from her and my world turned red. Hypnosis—it's hypnosis! The power of hypnosis is tightening around me...!
At that moment.
"A-ah?"
The vampire's face went blank.
"W-what is this... what is this thing!"
Ah, right.
So there was some kind of reaction after all?
Her confused expression, she'd been the same last time too. Terrified, she told me to wake up. Could it be the same this time? Am I going to wake up in the Bureau's basement again?
"Y-you! You! What are you? What the hell are you doing?!"
"What, me? What about me?"
"How could this...! N-no way?! I-it was all because of you?! Ah, ah! It was because of you, because of you!"
A cry full of confusion.
"What?"
What did I do?
"Aaaaaaagh!"
It was the instant the vampire screamed.
ㅡKWAANG!
A cross of light fell from the sky.
Narrowly dodging the cross, the vampire shot me a fierce glare and then kicked off the ground and fled.
"What the hell is that bastard...! Hey!"
I'm not letting her get away!
ㅡTaang!
I aimed quickly and fired, hitting the vampire in the torso. And yet, she remained focused on escaping. Click—I'd run out of bullets.
"Damn it!"
The moment I was about to reload.
"Stop! Calm down!"
A woman in a nun's habit stopped me.
"Sister?"
A nun.
With a very frantic look on her face.
"Stop firing silver bullets! You're drawing aggro!"
"Huh?"
The nun lightly grabbed my arm and started pulling me along as she ran.
"For now, this way!"
"The vampire right now!"
"That vampire bitch isn't the problem right now!"
Is there anything more important than killing a vampire in this world...
"Can't you see that thing in the sky!"
"Ah."
So consumed by fierce hatred and fighting spirit was I that I'd forgotten about that religious aberration in the sky.
"Sister! What is that?! Is it some kind of vampire king?! Don't tell me that's Count Dracula!"
"Please just shut up for now!"
"I'll run! Please let go of me!"
The nun let go of me. No need to think any further. She's the one who would know more about a situation like this.
I sprinted after her.
* * *
"Where is this?"
"One of the church buildings. It has a bit of defensive power, so catch your breath for now."
"Yes."
Come to think of it.
During the Giant Apocalypse, I raised a ruined church building and summoned crusaders there.
Then maybe it'll be the same this time? Are they going to summon crusaders and declare a holy war against that insane Count Dracula? Back then the world was so ruined that hardly any crusaders came out, but this time, who knows.
"Sister. That thing in the sky. What is it? Is it really Count Dracula? There's even a religious halo blazing behind its head?"
"You're the one asking that? Aren't you from the Bureau? You didn't figure it out?"
The nun frowned and asked me back in irritation.
"Ah, I'm still a rookie."
"Haah... for a Bureau agent, you're not very reliable."
"I'll show you a better side of myself next time. For now, please tell me what you know. That bastard is a serious one. He even blew people's heads apart and brought the ghouls back to life."
"..."
The nun, arms crossed, sat down on a chair.
"That's not a vampire."
"Then what is it?"
"Something above a vampire."
Something above it.
"At first, I thought it was just a normal vampire uprising. But that wasn't it."
I swallowed hard and listened to her explanation.
"I only realized it after coming here. This isn't a normal city."
"What? You mean it's not a normal city?"
"No. To put it simply, it's a city consumed by a cult. A false religion. Something like that."
"No, what the hell...!"
"It looks like there were a lot of fanatics steeped in some strange faith. To the point that even a saint like that emerged."
"A saint?! You're saying a cult saint appeared in a city full of bizarre fanatics?!"
So that thing in the sky was a saint!
"For now, yes."
What the hell kind of insane thing is that!
"My guess is this: the vampires knew this city had been contaminated by twisted faith and fanaticism. So they launched an uprising."
"Why? Was there some special reason for targeting a cult?"
"Whatever it was, corrupting people with strong faith into inhuman beings and desecrating them is right up their alley. But they didn't know their own saint had been born."
The nun's words.
I compared them with what the vampire had muttered.
That vampire bitch had said something had gone wrong and everything was ruined. In that sense, the nun's explanation did fit in some places.
"Hold on a second, Sister. Let's say a saint appeared. But is a saint really something like that? Just by appearing, it can spew a halo, blow people's heads apart, and revive ghouls?"
If that's a saint, it's basically no different from a necromancer. If a saint were really like that, the Earth wouldn't be intact.
"Of course not. Naturally, that isn't an ordinary saint. Though it's truly dreadful... it seems some unknown being has descended upon that saint's body."
"Descended...?"
"Yes. An unknown... being. Something sinister enough to create a halo, too... some unknown thing from who knows where."
"Are you saying it's a god?"
"Don't casually say that word."
I flinched at her suddenly sharp reaction.
"A demon?"
"For now, let's call it that. All right, good. Let's summarize. A powerful demon has inhabited the body of a cult saint. That's how this situation came to be. So what happens next? Explain it concretely."
"Well... since it's a demon, won't it run wild?"
"Running wild is obvious."
The nun, legs crossed, stroked the cross.
Its followers, surprisingly, are already all vampires or ghouls. So, yes, it'll act as the vampire's angel. Since all its believers are those kinds of beings. I don't know whether that makes it higher or lower rank, but it's truly amazing. A vampire's angel... If you're not a vampire or a ghoul, you couldn't even join the religion.
The vampire's angel...!
"Th-then! You're saying that thing is stronger than the progenitor?"
"Who knows? The roles of an angel and a pope are different. I can't say for sure, but it's definitely more dangerous than the progenitor. Anyway, Bureau agent. What are you going to do now?"
"What do you mean, what am I going to do! Sister, what do we do now?! How are we supposed to stop that demon?! Can't the Vatican do something with its power?!"
"Yes...?"
The nun looked flustered.
"W-well, let me explain first. The Vatican is very far away. And I'm here alone. It doesn't make sense for me to resolve this situation by myself. Besides, this isn't something that can be stopped by normal means in the first place."
"Then what?"
"Not 'then what.' You're a Bureau agent, aren't you? You people should have a method. What kind of nonsense is that? Don't you run the country?!"
In the end, the nun raised her voice and scolded me.
"Ah!"
Right!
That's exactly what the Bureau is supposed to do!