Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Rift Opening (3)

The first thing that greeted us as soon as we entered the barrier was a reed field that reached up to my shoulders.

RUSTLE......

The reed field was quite wide, so we were able to hide ourselves among the reeds and move smoothly toward the center of the barrier.

SHAAAA......

The closer we drew to the center of the barrier, the thicker the Demonic Aura hanging in the air became, making goosebumps rise instinctively over my skin.

“Hmm... Wait a moment. I think it would be better to use it here.”

Yulia stopped walking for a moment and took something out of her small bag.

It was a blue Crystal Body about the size of a fist.

There were two small buttons attached to the corners of the Crystal Body.

“An Artifact?”

“Yes. I obtained it during yesterday’s Joint Class. It matched the Points I had received exactly, so I thought it would be useful.”

When Yulia pressed the red button on the right, the Crystal Body blinked briefly.

“They said that if I press the green button from here, I can Teleport back to this location where I pressed the red button.”

That Artifact had high utility in many ways. 

Artifacts that allowed one to leap through space without any troublesome procedures were not common.

That did not mean it was omnipotent.

Its maximum movement range was limited to five kilometers, and even if the green button was pressed, the delay before Teleport activated was quite long, around five minutes.

On top of that, once it was used, it could only be used again after an hour.

There was one more disappointing flaw besides those......

“Hehe, I did not suggest we come in without thinking, you know? If worse comes to worst, we can endure for five minutes with this and run away together.”

Judging from Yulia’s attitude... it seemed she did not know about that flaw.

Hmm, that actually works out. For now, it is better if she does not know about that drawback.

“Oh, that is reassuring.”

“Right?”

As we exchanged light conversation to ease the tension, we soon reached the edge of the reed field.

RUSTLE.

When I brushed aside the reeds growing in front of me, the center of the barrier came directly into view.

“Good heavens... What is that......?”

Yulia, who had been following beside me, trailed off.

It was no wonder she was shocked.

“...Why are there so many?”

The number of Defectors in the center of the barrier was several times greater than I had expected.

If I recalled my memories from the previous timeline... the number of Defectors who should originally have been here was around one hundred.

But the number of Defectors here now was not merely at the level of one hundred, even at a rough glance.

There seemed to be at least one thousand of them......

Roughly ten times more Defectors than I had expected had gathered inside this barrier.

No wonder the barrier seemed larger than what I remembered.

At this scale... it would not be an exaggeration to say that most of the Defectors who had been inside Saengterminum had gathered here.

On top of that, every last one of them was looking up at the altar erected at the center of the barrier, chanting an incomprehensible incantation with one heart and one mind.

My brow furrowed on its own.

What are these bastards doing, gathering here in droves?

Originally, my plan had been to eliminate all the Defectors inside this barrier by myself.

But now that the situation had changed from the previous timeline, it would be difficult for me to wipe them all out alone according to the original plan.

RUMBLE......

Because all the Demonic Aura these bastards were emitting was gathering at the altar erected in the center of the barrier.

There were too many Defectors gathered around the altar, so from here, I could not see the inside of the altar at all.

I needed to confirm properly what kind of ritual they were carrying out at the altar.

“You are going over there, right?”

“Of course. That is why we came here.”

Yulia smiled boldly.

“Do not worry too much. I am from the Holy Order, so I have done plenty of things like this, you know?”

“Your life must have been pretty eventful too.”

“Well... yes.”

I did not think that was something she should bring up with such a bright smile......

Forget it. 

That was not important right now.

“Do not use Holy Power until we get there. Probably... even if you use just a little Holy Power, the Worshippers over there will react immediately.”

Yulia and I nodded at each other and pulled the black robes over our heads.

After leaving the reed field, we slowly walked toward the altar.

The closer we drew, the more Worshippers there were, but fortunately, none of them paid us any attention.

Every Worshipper here had become so absorbed in the ritual unfolding at the altar that they were utterly distracted. 

You could say our timing was good.

Just a few more steps, and we would be able to see inside the altar.

Yulia rolled her eyes and scanned the Worshippers whose bodies were blackened here and there by Corruption.

However, the amber eyes glimpsed beneath her robe were calm.

Well, it meant this one had not lived a peaceful life either.

Since she had been in the Holy Order since childhood, she must have dealt with many Demon Worshippers of this sort even before coming here.

Just as I was thinking about Yulia.

THUMP... THUMP... THUMP......

My thoughts were cut off by a vibrating sound striking the air.

Thinking I might have misheard, I listened again.

THUMP... THUMP... THUMP......!

Huh, it was not my imagination.

The altar before us was pulsing like a beating heart.

Step, step.

I quickened my pace a little and reached the edge near where the inside of the altar came into view.

‘...Tsk.’

The moment I saw what was on the altar, my expression furrowed on its own.

At the very center of the altar, a red cocoon was writhing as if it were a beating heart.

That cocoon was familiar.

It was the medium that directly summoned a demon, the same kind I had seen at Valak’s base in this timeline.

Grip.

Yulia, who had followed me, lightly grabbed my wrist and quietly shook her head.

It meant that we should keep watching for now.

...As expected of a member of the Holy Order.

After all, the only things currently on the altar were the corpses of reptile-type monsters.

With an Offering of that level... even if they summoned a demon, they would only be able to summon an avatar imbued with his will.

RIIIP.

Before long, the red cocoon opened, and a familiar boy stepped onto the floor.

The avatar of the Reptilian Demon, Valak.

“...What? This is not the Underground Waterway?”

This time, even Valak seemed bewildered, and his expression twisted sharply as he looked around.

Of course he would. 

Even if he was a High-Rank Demon, he could not have expected to be summoned here instead of at his base.

“Aaaah......!”

“Valak!”

“We meet you again, Lord Demon......!”

The Defectors who beheld Valak let out cheers mixed with madness.

As cries of praise rang out from every direction without pause, loud enough to make my ears go numb.

SWISH.

The Defectors gathered on one side split left and right like the miracle of Moses, and a young man walked toward where Valak stood.

“It truly is a pleasure to see you again like this, Valak.”

The people around him had also progressed considerably in their Corruption, but that man was even worse.

Half of his face had been dyed blackish by the influence of Demonic Aura.

The distance was too great for me to see his facial features properly, but that alone was enough for me to recognize who he was immediately.

“...That person seems to be the Cult Leader of this Order.”

Yulia and I whispered quietly enough that only we could hear each other.

“Looks that way.”

He was not the official Cult Leader, but strictly speaking, he was indeed a Cult Leader.

He was the leader who commanded the Defectors of the Valak Order in Saengterminum, including the Defectors here.

And he was the ‘Fallen Cult Leader’ who would pull the trigger that sent Lucia into Rampage.

“Whew....... At least that is a relief. They were only able to summon the demon as an avatar.”

Yulia let out a small sigh of relief, but I was not so sure.

There was no way these Defector bastards would have gone through all this damn nonsense just to summon one mere avatar.

“You insolent bastard. You are not even the Cult Leader, yet you dare summon me?”

Valak’s expression twisted even further, and he glared venomously at the man.

Valak did not look kindly upon his Defectors. 

Even if these bastards summoned Valak as an avatar, there was no reason Valak would treat them favorably.

“...Huh? Wait? That man is not the Cult Leader?”

Yulia became confused at the unexpected situation, but I remained silent.

“That hurts me, Valak. How can you hate us so much when we have offered everything to you?”

“You left the Order as you pleased and holed yourselves up here, and you expect kind words from me?”

“...Well, that is fine. Even if it is you, Lord Valak, you will recognize us again.”

“I will recognize you?”

“Of course.”

The corners of the man’s mouth twisted upward strangely.

“Because from this moment on, we will bring Lord Valak’s body down into this present world.”

Valak’s brow narrowed, and Yulia, who was beside me, even held her breath.

“Heh, how could you, someone who is not even the Cult Leader, possibly do that? You do not even have an Offering or a medium sufficient to summon me properly, do you?”

“Kuhuhu....... No Offering? What a disappointing thing to say.”

When the man jerked his chin, the Worshippers behind him walked forward to the altar and placed the two sacks they had been carrying on their shoulders on top of it.

The sacks were densely covered in all kinds of formulas.

Those formulas... were definitely control formulas meant to block the Demonic Aura leaking from within.

But despite how densely the formulas had been drawn, Demonic Aura was still leaking from the sacks.

Damn it.

My expression twisted on its own.

If they had simply been trying to summon Valak as an avatar, I would not have been this annoyed.

If my memory was correct, what was inside those sacks was definitely......

“If we offer these two Corrupted Bodies as sacrifices, should that not be enough?”

RIIIP......

When the Defectors opened the sacks, the Demonic Aura that had been clotted inside instantly rose around the altar.

What was inside them was......

“Grrrk......”

“Krrrk......”

Two Beastfolk Corrupted Bodies tightly bound in chains.

-Sob......

Just then, Lucia’s Voice Transmission, sent through her Authority, rang inside my head.

...Honestly, I did not know whether to call the timing perfect or terrible.

-They are not there....... Why are they not there......?

Her voice trembled as if she might collapse at any moment.

Was it because the distance of the Voice Transmission was so far? 

Or was it because her only support had suddenly disappeared, plunging her into grief?

It was probably both.

-What do I do....... Where did they go......?

Half sobbing.

Half numb.

Unlike her usual self, her voice had sunk heavily.

Even though only her voice was being transmitted, I could see it.

What kind of expression she must be making right now.

-Aron... They are not there....... They are... not there....... My parents are not inside the barrier.........

“Grrrk......!”

“Graaaah......!”

The Beastfolk Corrupted Bodies... no, Lucia’s parents thrashed on the altar hard enough to tear their own skin, but there was no way the chains binding them would come undone so easily.

...Hah, seriously.

This was exactly the sort of awful feeling I did not want to experience again, which was why I had tried to come quickly.

I raised one hand and sent Lucia a Voice Transmission.

Based on the price I had offered Valak, this was the final Voice Transmission I could send to Lucia right now.

SWAY.

Dizziness struck me again, but I clenched my teeth and endured it.

-Senior Lucia, I cannot send any more Voice Transmissions after this, so listen carefully.

-...Huh?

-If you want to find your parents again, gather as many Believers as you can right now and wait on top of the altar at the base. Right now, your parents are in front of m......

With those words, the Voice Transmission with Lucia was completely cut off.

Had I already used up the entire price?

Whew....... Well, fine. 

In any case, I had conveyed everything I needed to convey.

Since her parents had suddenly disappeared, the current Lucia would follow my words as if clutching at the last straw.

“Prepare yourself, Brother.”

Yulia placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, looking ready to rush out at any moment.

“I do not know exactly how this situation is unfolding, but... it seems we will have to step in when the time is right.”

“...Yeah, let us do that.”

I stroked the Sacred Mark engraved on the back of my right hand.