Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Rift Opening (4)

Valak’s eyes widened as he instantly realized who the Beastfolk Corrupted Bodies were.

“How did you... obtain those Corrupted Bodies?”

“Hahahah! I knew you would be surprised. What do you think? If they are Corrupted Bodies containing this much Demonic Aura, summoning you, Lord Valak, should be nothing at all, correct?”

“You... foolish bastards!”

RUMBLE......

At Valak’s roar, the altar shook slightly.

“...Have you properly thought about how my Cult Leader will react if you offer those Corrupted Bodies as sacrifices?”

“Is that so important? Lord Valak is going to descend into this world. For that, Offerings of this level are cheap.”

“Ah, damn it....... You idiots really do not understand a thing.”

Valak was furious, but that body was merely an avatar containing the will of a demon. 

He could not exert any proper power over them.

“The ritual is almost complete anyway.”

The Fallen Cult Leader raised murky Demonic Aura from both hands, then sharpened its edges.

SCREECH......

The formulas engraved on the altar all turned red at once.

“I told you to stop!”

Valak roared, but the Fallen Cult Leader showed no sign of stopping.

Well, of course. 

If these were the sort of people who would obediently follow Valak’s words, they would never have become Defectors in the first place.

“For the great Lord Valak!”

CRACKLE!

The sharply honed Demonic Aura of the Fallen Cult Leader surged toward the Corrupted Bodies.

But it was fine.

TAP!

Because Yulia and I had already finished judging the situation and were rushing toward the Corrupted Bodies.

“What......?”

The Fallen Cult Leader’s eyes flew open, but we reacted faster.

WOOONG......

Yulia and I stretched one hand toward the Demonic Aura extending forward and raised an enormous amount of Holy Power.

Mid-Rank Holy Magic, Healing Wave.

PAAAAH......

A wave of healing surged from our palms.

But when it came to Demonic Aura or Black Magic, Holy Power boasted outstanding destructive force.

Even if that power was based on healing.

ROOOOAR......!

The Holy Power from Yulia and me intertwined, erasing the Demonic Aura fired by the Fallen Cult Leader while spreading golden haze over part of the altar.

***

Before Yulia and I leaped onto the altar, we had come up with a plan on the spot.

More precisely, Yulia had told me the plan she had thought up herself.

‘...My plan is this.’

To summarize the plan Yulia told me in order, it was as follows.

Stop the man from killing the Corrupted Bodies and prevent the demon summoning.

Use Holy Power to interfere with the formulas drawn on the altar and buy time.

When the time comes, escape from the altar with her Artifact.

Leave the barrier through the reed field, then inform the people outside about this place.

‘We must not kill the Corrupted Bodies over there. Killing the Corrupted Bodies is the trigger for the ritual.’

‘...So if we kill them recklessly, the ritual might activate instead?’

‘Yes. If we use Holy Power around those Corrupted Bodies to interfere with the formulas drawn on the altar... we should be able to buy some time.’

‘...Not bad. Let us go with that.’

It was a usable plan.

There was one part she had overlooked, but I considered it a minor problem, so I let it pass.

‘It is unfortunate that Aron is not here, though.......’

‘Ahem, yes, it really is.’

I quietly avoided her gaze.

‘Then......’

CLICK.

Yulia reached into her clothes and pressed the green button on the Artifact.

[5:00]

[4:59]

[4:58]

A sequence of numbers decreasing by the second appeared on the Artifact.

...After we made that plan, we timed our move and leaped onto the altar, which led to the current situation.

“Holy Power Awakeners......?”

The Fallen Cult Leader ground his teeth at Yulia and me.

The Defectors gathered at the altar also glared at us like beasts and let out monstrous cries.

SHING.

Even so, Yulia, who stood beside me, calmly drew her sword without wavering.

“You are certainly bold. To think you would dare try to summon a demon in Saengterminum, a Neutral Zone.”

She raised the tip of her sword and glared at the Fallen Cult Leader.

“As a member of the Holy Order, I cannot simply leave you be.”

“The Holy Order? Hah....... To think the barrier would be discovered. Did you sneak in during the ritual?”

Yulia and the Fallen Cult Leader glared at each other.

At the moment, she was continuously scattering Holy Power over the altar through ‘Healing Wave.’

Auto-Casting.

Healing Wave.

I was also constantly maintaining ‘Healing Wave,’ which I had learned through ‘Auto-Casting.’

Since its range of effect was wide, Holy Power was pouring out in chunks, but I was not worried about running out of Holy Magic.

WOOONG......

Because the Sacred Mark was continuously pouring Holy Power into my heart.

WOOONG......

The Sacred Mark engraved on the back of Yulia’s hand was also shining in the shape of a cross, continuing to cast ‘Healing Wave.’

Because of this, the formulas engraved into the altar floor with Demonic Aura were unable to function properly.

At this rate, that Fallen Cult Leader would no longer be able to proceed with the summoning ritual.

“How dare you interfere with our grand ritual......”

The Fallen Cult Leader’s face twisted beyond a mere frown.

THUD... SPLAT......

As a side effect of the ritual being halted, Valak’s body once again turned into pieces of corpses and collapsed.

“...What?”

Valak, who saw me over the Fallen Cult Leader’s shoulder, looked dumbfounded.

“Why are you ther......”

Before Valak could say anything more, his body turned into an ordinary lump of flesh.

That was according to plan. 

If Valak had acted like he knew me here, it would have become rather troublesome.

“Kiiiiii......!”

“Kyaaaaah......!”

The Beastfolk Corrupted Bodies within the range of ‘Healing Wave’ writhed and let out agonized groans.

Hmm... Well, that cannot be helped, can it?

It was better to block the Worshippers from approaching them like this than to let them die as Offerings.

To begin with, they were Corrupted Bodies that had lasted for more than five years. 

There was no way they would die just from coming into contact with this level of Holy Power.

I rolled my eyes and quickly scanned the surroundings.

Still, the situation was not the worst.

“It is Holy Power!”

“Kill them! Kill them!”

Thanks to the Holy Power spreading with Yulia and me as catalysts, the nearby Defectors could not bring themselves to come close and were hesitating in their approach.

Enduring for five minutes until the Artifact activated from here....... That was not too difficult.

As long as the Fallen Cult Leader’s abilities that I knew were the same as in the previous timeline, that is.

The number of Defectors had increased by nearly ten times compared to the previous timeline.

The timing of the Fallen Cult Leader’s ritual had been moved up by two whole weeks.

With the future having changed this much, would the Fallen Cult Leader’s abilities really be exactly the same as what I remembered?

Hah. 

There was no way.

Auto-Casting.

Grace of Agility.

After increasing my agility by casting an additional Mid-Rank Holy Magic, I gripped Holy Light Daggers in both hands.

“Do not think you will die peacefully.”

When the Fallen Cult Leader swung his right arm horizontally through the air, the Worshippers near us twisted their entire bodies and let out screams.

CRACK! CRUNCH! SNAP!

The bones inside the Worshippers’ bodies were grotesquely reassembled, and black scales rose over their skin.

Their lower bodies were like snakes, while their upper bodies retained a human shape.

On top of that, their heads were distorted into reptilian faces resembling snake heads, complete with sharp fangs.

Valak’s Authority, Reptile Transmutation.

Originally, he had not been able to use that Authority on such a wide scale......

The power the Fallen Cult Leader had obtained was far greater than I had expected.

“Grrr......”

“Kyaaaah!”

Not even the slightest trace of reason could be felt in the eyes of those screaming monsters.

However, the physical abilities of the Worshippers had become strong enough to withstand Holy Power.

The Worshippers whose bodies had been distorted into Mutants broke through ‘Healing Wave’ and approached us.

Front and back, left and right.

The Mutants slid their snake-like lower bodies with agility and surged in from every direction.

Yulia and I formed a stance with the bound Corrupted Bodies between us, leaving our backs to each other.

“Whew....... Brother, let us endure this somehow.”

Yulia’s voice, which came from behind me like a whisper, held a slight tension.

Well, that was understandable.

At the boundary where ‘Healing Wave’ was being cast, the Worshippers were flashing madness-filled eyes, ready to rush in at any moment.

Their numbers were at least one thousand, even with a conservative estimate.

On top of that, the Worshippers whose bodies had been distorted were approaching to take our lives.

It was a tight time attack where we had to withstand the Mutants’ attacks for five minutes.

No matter how talented she was, she was still only seventeen years old. 

It was only natural for her to feel anxious.

Even so.

Pfft.

I let out a small, hollow laugh.

“...This brings back memories.”

“Pardon?”

“It is nothing.”

Of course. The current you would not know.

Because this was not the first time we had fought back-to-back like this.

“Kyaaaaaah!”

The Mutants, who had already approached right in front of us, let out beast-like shrieks.

***

PING!

I drove a Holy Light Spear into the maw of a Mutant baring its fangs.

WHOOSH!

Two Mutants approached from my right and left at the same time.

One opened its maw, and the other raised its claws.

‘Damn it......’

They were too fast for me to block both attacks perfectly.

In that case.

Holy Light Forging.

Holy Light Shield, Single Forging.

Holding the Holy Light Shield, I charged forward and blocked the maw of the one baring its fangs.

“Kyaaaak!”

The face of the Mutant that came into contact with Holy Power convulsed, then failed to withstand the Holy Power and oxidized into ash.

I then spun the shield once and threw it at the Mutant on the left like a rotating disc.

THUD!

A heavy cracking sound struck the Mutant’s head, but perhaps my physical strength had been weak, because it did not lose momentum and charged at me.

SHNK!

I somehow twisted my body to avoid a fatal wound and pierced a vital point, but as a result, a long, thin wound appeared on my forearm from the Mutant’s claw.

Whew, have I sent about thirty of them to their graves with this?

When I glanced toward Yulia, she was also sharpening the Holy Power along her blade and swiftly cutting down the vital points of the approaching Mutants, such as their hearts and napes.

Already, nearly fifty Mutant corpses were scattered around her.

As expected, even if she was young, she was still a Grade 1 License holder and a Sacred Mark Successor. 

Her skills were unchanged.

PAAAAH......

The place where the wound had formed tried to become corrupted by Demonic Aura, but it immediately healed because of the Holy Power, and new flesh grew over it.

“This Holy Power is incredible.”

Thanks to constantly casting ‘Healing Wave,’ even the slightest wound healed right away.

Moreover, no matter how strong the Mutants were, as long as they had been contaminated by Demonic Aura, their physical abilities inevitably dropped the moment they entered the range of the Holy Magic we had cast.

Thanks to that, ordinary Worshippers, excluding the Mutants the Cult Leader was creating, could not even dare to step inside ‘Healing Wave.’

But that did not mean the situation could be called favorable.

The Fallen Cult Leader standing firmly behind those Worshippers had not even shown his true strength yet.

He was clearly conserving his strength because he thought he had already caught us.

Well, realistically speaking, how could the two of us break through that encirclement made of one thousand Worshippers?

He must have thought we would struggle like this until our strength ran out.

He could never have dreamed that we were trying to escape with the Artifact.

...It should be about time by now.

“Brother!”

Yulia, who hurriedly turned toward me, pulled the Artifact from within her clothes.