Chapter 179
The moment the cultist’s breath ceased, the world began to shake as if an earthquake had struck.
At first, he thought it was just an illusion. An earthquake happening right at that moment was too contrived a situation.
But seeing the stone dust falling from the ceiling, he had no choice but to admit it.
Either an earthquake had occurred…
Or some kind of dangerous event was taking place.
One thing was certain: something was about to happen.
“Guys, let’s get out of here quickly.”
Franz immediately escaped from the Temple with Yuna and Hera.
He didn’t know when the Temple, which had no seismic design, would collapse.
Of course, the Temple collapsing wouldn’t put them in danger, but wanting to avoid it was human nature.
When Franz had gotten some distance away from the Temple,
Ruuuumble-!
The Temple collapsed, kicking up a cloud of grayish-white dust.
Watching the sight, Franz felt a sense of despondency.
'That’s a shame…'
Wasn’t there an unknown inside that Temple that couldn’t be explained by magic?
If he had investigated and researched the body of the Seven Great Evils, he might have been able to magically interpret the separation of body and soul spoken of in shamanism.
Not only that, but he hadn’t been able to investigate anything else inside the Temple either, so it was truly a pity.
However, there was no reason to obsess over what was already lost, so Franz’s thoughts immediately flowed in a different direction.
“Anyway, what exactly did that guy mean…”
The guy had definitely mentioned the word plan. And he had said it was incomplete.
What exactly was that plan, and what did it mean that it would bring ruin to the world?
Because there was too little information, the puzzle pieces wouldn’t fit together and kept scattering.
If I had known this would happen, I would have used divine power to keep him alive a little longer…
As Franz was regretting it inwardly,
“Shaman! The Temple has collapsed!”
“What in the world is this earth tremor-!”
Ru Deli and Gar Pa were riding over on horseback.
As their intentions were clearly conveyed even from quite a distance, their voices seemed incredibly booming.
Anyway, they sure are impatient. They could just come closer and ask for an answer right away.
While he was thinking that, they arrived right in front of him.
“Shaman-!”
“Your voice is too loud.”
“S-Sorry.”
When Franz pointed it out firmly, Gar Pa immediately apologized. He was now clearly aware of who the strong one was.
“I killed that guy, and I don’t know why this earthquake is happening right now. The Temple collapsed because of the earthquake too.”
“You remembered all those questions?!”
“As expected, the shaman is smart.”
At the unexpected praise, Franz let out a hollow laugh.
I’ve never met a barbarian shaman, but I definitely want to meet one someday.
I wonder to what extent I could communicate with them.
“Anyway, everything we had to do is done. Now all that’s left is for you guys to…”
The moment Franz was about to wrap up the conversation.
Ruuuumble-.
Suddenly, the ground began to shake like crazy. If it were an earthquake, it would be approaching a magnitude of 10.
The horses that had been standing perfectly fine fell over, and the surrounding buildings began to collapse.
“F-Franz, what in the world is this…”
Yuna, who was using the holy sword as a cane to keep her balance, asked.
“I don’t know either. But it’s definitely not something ordinary.”
“Then wouldn’t it be better to get out of here first? It won’t be too late to investigate after the situation calms down.”
Hera’s words were definitely right.
It would be better to watch the situation from a little further away…
It was then.
The ground began to sink, centered around the Temple, as if a large hole had opened up underneath.
“I will return to where our comrades are for now-!”
“I will go too! I am absolutely not running away!”
Ru Deli and Gar Pa abandoned their horses and ran back the way they came.
Not running away, just how strong is your pride…
Snap-.
Franz snapped his fingers. Then, a Transparent Sphere wrapped around their bodies.
The targets of the magic were Hera, Yuna, the two horses…
And the two barbarians were included as well.
“W-What is happening! I cannot move forward!”
“Me neither! We have definitely been cursed by a spell!”
The two barbarians trapped in the Transparent Sphere struggled this way and that.
But mere physical force was not enough to break Franz’s sphere.
The ground that had begun to collapse gradually increased in speed, and it wasn’t long before it reached where the barbarians were.
“W-We’re falling-!”
“What a dishonorable death this is-!”
Thanks to the two of them putting on a comedic show right in front of his eyes, Franz had to try hard to suppress the corners of his mouth from rising.
How about trying out for a play instead of fighting? I think you’d do really well.
Anyway…
“What exactly is this situation.”
Franz’s gaze turned downward.
There was only pitch-black darkness in the giant pit, and nothing else could be seen.
Naturally, it was also impossible to guess its depth.
Continuing to ponder, Franz decided to move elsewhere for now.
There was absolutely no reason to stay above the hole.
He couldn’t deny the possibility that something might pop out.
Eventually stepping onto solid ground, Franz returned Ru Deli and Gar Pa to the group of barbarians.
“Stay quiet for a bit.”
“Making a loud noise gives you courage.”
“I agree. That was also written in the temple.”
If it was that kind of temple, it doesn’t seem worth investigating at all.
Thinking that, Franz shifted his gaze to the pit that had swallowed the temple.
Should he consider this a simple natural disaster, or something that happened artificially?
The possibility of the former wasn’t entirely zero. If there was a river nearby, the ground could have collapsed due to seeping water.
But it felt like it was the latter.
There was no particular basis for it; it was just a feeling.
However, Franz’s feelings were surprisingly accurate. Especially when it came to negative things, he was practically at the level of a fortune-teller.
And this time too, the fortune-teller surprisingly predicted his own fate.
“Franz, it looks like there’s a light shining inside…”
“I see it too. It’s blinking red…?”
Hera and Yuna, who were looking at the pit, said.
Franz was also looking at the pit, so he already knew.
Two red lights were blinking in the pit.
The moment he saw that, he naturally realized one fact. This was absolutely not a natural disaster.
“Yuna, Hera, get ready. You never know.”
Saying that, Franz drew up his magic power.
The surrounding air was pushed away by the spirit flowing from the bodies of the three.
The barbarians watching the sight were trembling without even realizing it. The fear engraved in their instincts had awakened.
It was then.
An invisible energy began to flow out of the pit like an explosion.
It was an immense energy that sent shivers through their bodies, and at the same time, an ominous, creepy energy.
Franz had felt something similar to this once before.
It was definitely when he faced leviathan in Ganiphus.
Eventually, the red lights in the pit became clearer, and something massive popped out.
Booooom-!
The moment its feet touched the ground, the earth trembled.
“I-It’s a god…”
“We have incurred the wrath of a god…”
“It is angry because the temple collapsed…”
Facing the creature, the barbarians spat out words without being able to move a single fingertip. They were so terrified that their bodies simply wouldn’t move.
Likewise, facing the creature, Franz thought.
'It’s understandable to think of it as a god…'
The creature looked exactly like the stone statue that had been in the Temple.
It had giant horns on its head, and its entire body was packed with muscles. Its tail was densely studded with vicious spikes.
It was similar to a bull, but something different.
If there was a difference from the stone statue, it would be that its size was incredibly massive.
If leviathan was a dragon that reached several miles in length on its own, this guy was a giant monster that rivaled it.
“Be-Behemoth has returned to the world…”
Hearing the barbarian’s muttering, Franz realized.
He was well aware of the name behemoth.
Like leviathan, it was a calamity of the Mythical Era created by the Demon God.
He didn’t know why such a guy was being treated as a god by the barbarians, but…
In fact, that wasn’t very important. If there was an enemy in front of him, he would just take them down.
Even if it was a calamity created by the Demon God, or the Demon God himself, that fact would not change.
[To think my brother was sleeping in a place like this…]
Leviathan muttered to himself, and at the same time, behemoth let out a booming roar.
──── !
It was a loud noise that couldn’t even be compared to that of the barbarians.
His ears ringing, Franz narrowed his brow and thought.
That he needed to shut that guy’s mouth first.
Snap-.
A giant magic circle was drawn in the air.