Chapter 168
Chapter 168
Chapter 168
The Holy Relic of the Death King(3)
It was as if time had stopped.
Everyone stood with their mouths slightly agape, staring blankly at the cookie crumbs scattering glamorously through the air.
Just as Yev's pupils dilated several times over, and the emotion of rage was about to burst forth—
Spacetime Regression!
The Spacetime Regression that Rudian had used only once before against Rigos was now manifesting toward the cookie crumbs.
Since then, Rudian hadn't been able to use it due to insufficient power, but thanks to the psychic energy he had gained recently by reverse-rotating divinity, he could now use it again.
...Though it was somewhat pathetic to use such a mighty power just to restore a cookie bag to its original state.
As if time was rewinding... no, time truly did rewind, and the perfectly sealed cookie bag was placed back into Yev's hands.
"Nothing... happened at all!"
"......"
Even Yev seemed bewildered as she looked up at Rudian with astonished eyes, apparently not expecting her regression ability to be used in such a manner.
"What did you just do...?"
The most flustered among those present was Jereon, who had touched Yev's reverse scale.
For a moment, it seemed like tremendous power had been activated, but there was no particular change, and his own body remained free as well.
However, being quick-witted, Jereon thought this was his chance and tried to escape quickly, but...
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Gah!"
He was instantly subdued by Rowen, the warrior who always maintained his composure.
"Rowen Elaid! Weren't you dead!"
"So you're also from this world after all. Though your intelligence gathering seems rather poor."
Without even realizing he had nearly been annihilated, Jereon was dazedly slammed to the ground by Rowen's powerful grip.
"This bastard... if you want to die, die alone."
You almost made Lu Gloria disappear, you bastard.
Rudian glared at Jereon with a menacing smile, veins bulging on his forehead.
"I won't waste words. The key to the secret temple—will you hand it over obediently?"
"Ha, so that was your goal after all!"
Jereon sneered as if finding it ridiculous.
"Kill me or torture me as you please! My faith in the goddess is like an indestructible steel fortress!"
"Oh, is that so?"
Indeed, the steel-like faith worthy of being called North's first servant, an apostle.
Unlike Britian, who had bowed his head begging for his life, Jereon showed a dignified appearance.
But that was that, and Rudian, pressed for time, cracked his knuckles and spoke in a chilling tone.
"Even steel fortresses melt before ultra-high temperature flames."
I'll let you actually experience what "separating muscles and dislocating bones" means.
Just as Rudian was about to use force to beat up Jereon—
"Rudian."
GASP!
"Yes, Yev?"
Before he knew it, Yev had released her personality restrictions and was glaring with her eyes blazing while emanating Outer Force.
It seemed her anger hadn't completely subsided.
"Leave that bastard to me."
"...Oh, really?"
"You need the key, don't you? Just wait a moment. I'll take responsibility and bring it to you."
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
GULP!
Just the power slightly leaking from Yev began to shake all of Lu Gloria.
Ordinary holy knights and soldiers began trembling from inexplicable chills, and citizens were either fainting outright or suddenly vomiting, creating an ominous scene.
"Contain your power!"
"......"
If they left the enraged Yev as she was, the sacred city of Lu Gloria would transform into a city of the dead.
At Rudian's restraint, Yev gathered the power that had been leaking out and smiled brightly.
"I'll be right back."
Yev grabbed Jereon by the scruff of his neck and opened a spatial movement gate.
"W-wait! Ne-negotiation! Let's have something called a negotiation...!"
Feeling the terrifying ominousness that had befallen his fate, Jereon cried out desperately, but before he could say anything to stop her, he was dragged through the gate by Yev's grip.
"Uh..."
No matter how he thought about it, the place Yev had taken Jereon wasn't somewhere on this planet, but most likely another world.
Among those possibilities, the highest probability was that she had taken him directly to her own temple.
'She should just blow up and be done with it...'
Yev's temple, while not as extreme as Shub's temple, would certainly be a place no human could endure.
'Hmm, but there's something that doesn't add up...'
If North knew about Rudian, he would naturally have thoroughly investigated the members of his party.
'I'd understand if he had targeted Evangeline instead...'
While North might have missed information about Evangeline and Rowen, who had joined recently, it was somewhat questionable that Jereon, who had been with them from the beginning, didn't recognize Yev and attacked her.
WHOOSH!
Not long after Rudian became lost in thought—
Yev, who had disappeared with Jereon, opened a dimensional door and reappeared.
"Here."
In the hands of Yev, who had returned to her brief responses after applying personality restrictions, was a crystal of power emitting a subtle black light.
"A Stigmata."
...Rather than obtaining the key, had she just ripped out the key that was embedded in Jereon's soul?
Realizing this fact, Rudian received the crystal with slightly trembling eyes.
'...Only someone like Yev could pull off such a brutish act.'
Originally, Stigmata isn't a power that can be materialized like this.
It's a power close to a concept that's usually engraved on the soul and can only be passed on by dying and returning to the god, or by transferring it to the next apostle...
Yev had ignored all those laws and materialized the concept itself.
"What about Jereon?"
"Don't know."
"...Bring him back."
"...Why?"
"No matter what, he didn't do anything deserving death, did he?"
If there was any sin, it was just serving North, but he hadn't really committed any mortal sin.
Well, Rudian himself hadn't planned to do more than "separating muscles and dislocating bones," at least initially.
If Jereon really wouldn't talk, Rudian had planned to just summon the Death King's avatar and repeatedly kill and revive him.
...That would have been thousands of times more painful than just killing him, but well, since things ended well, he'd let it slide.
Anyway, although Yev expressed dissatisfaction with Rudian's words, she obediently brought Jereon back.
So Jereon returned unconscious, but...
"...He doesn't look to be in very good condition, does he?"
"......"
What on earth had he been put through that both his body and soul had become tattered rags...
Rudian was reminded once again that while Yev listened obediently to his words, her nature itself wasn't good.
Judging by the fact that it took some time to bring Jereon back, it seemed she had ripped out the Stigmata and dumped him somewhere in outer space...
"Heal him."
"...Tch!"
Yev rarely frowned and clicked her tongue.
But when Rudian stared at her intently, she had no choice but to restore Jereon to his original state.
After carelessly throwing the healed Jereon into a corner, Rudian looked at his companions and smiled brightly.
"Well, now that the cleanup is finished, let's get going."
"...Is it okay to leave that person like that?"
At Rowen's question, Rudian nodded cheerfully.
"Since we've removed the Stigmata, which was his connection to the god, he's now just slightly stronger than an ordinary person. I've arranged for him to wake up in about three or four days, so his life won't be in danger."
'When he wakes up, he'll probably ask why I left him alive instead of just killing him...'
For someone who had lived for hundreds of years with pride in serving North, having that pride torn out would make him no different from a living corpse.
Well, Rowen didn't view North, who sought to destroy humanity, very favorably either, so while he felt momentary sympathy, he wasn't particularly moved.
***
The entrance to North's secret temple was truly in a place where "the bottom of the lamp is dark."
It was hidden in the southern recreational garden of the Lula Curia Papal Court, where only high-ranking priests could stay.
'Considering when it was built, it's natural... but they've hidden it well for hundreds of years.'
Just 200 meters from the central temple wrapped in Luura's divinity.
Naturally, the Pope and Cardinals were shocked to learn this fact.
It was natural since there was an enemy stronghold right under their noses.
But leaving them behind, Rudian and his party activated the Stigmata and made their way to North's secret temple.
"No one's here."
North's secret temple, hidden in subspace, was a desolate space where not even a single person's presence could be felt, separate from the dark divine power that filled it.
"It's a secret temple, after all."
Jereon had probably been managing it alone for hundreds of years.
At most, he might have had a few subordinates under him, but this place was more like a fortress for preserving North's influence on earth rather than for developing the cult's power.
"That's it."
In the center of a small temple built with stones stacked in a style reminiscent of ancient Greece, two holy relics were floating in the air, suspended by divine power.
One was a one-handed sword with skull decorations on the crossguard.
The other was a holy grail with elaborate patterns engraved on it.
'Both emit dark energy, but...'
Since the one-handed sword emanated a dense aura of death, this must be The Holy Relic of the Death King.
'I was planning to take both anyway.'
Since they had attacked Britian and interfered with his work, it would be fine to take this much loot.
Rudian picked up the one-handed sword, which was The Holy Relic of the Death King, and tried reciting "that line."
"The Holy Relic of the Death Kinghungers..."
"What are you talking about?"
"No, it just seemed like something I should say once with this design..."
"...?"
Rowen tilted his head, not understanding Rudian's joke.
Well, it wasn't something he had done expecting to be understood anyway.
"Anyway, now we transfer this holy relic to the Death King and ask Miss Evangeline for a contract, and we'll have put out the immediate fire. Let's consider this holy grail a bonus."
Later, the North cult would attack Rudian with full force to retrieve North's holy relic, but that was a problem to think about when the time came.
'The real problem is...'
Rudian looked alternately at the sword and grail, frowning slightly.
"This is too easy...?"
"What is?"
"The process of obtaining the holy relic is too easy."
Of course, Rudian knew exactly how to get to the secret temple and had actively used information from the original work to reach this place in a short time, but...
'Even though Luuren is sweeping the North cult within his territory, the Garganta cult, who should clearly be their allies, isn't budging at all...'
The fact that Jereon, who was supposed to be an apostle, didn't know about Yev was also strange.
From the beginning, why North and Garganta had gone out of their way to touch Britian and provoke Luura had been an unresolved question.
The subtle sense of unease he had felt since arriving in Luuren continued to tickle his body.
"It's like they're saying, 'Take this and get lost'..."
"You mean there's something more... hidden?"
"There's no physical evidence. I only have circumstantial evidence."
Still, since he had obtained the holy relic, ignoring the fire before his eyes would be putting the cart before the horse.
After escaping from North's secret temple, Rudian moved to a deserted place, set up a powerful barrier, and summoned the Death King's avatar.
If he didn't set up a barrier, all the surrounding life forms would certainly be sucked into the Death King's avatar...
—Hehehe, have you been well? It seems you've kept your promise well?
Thus appeared the Death King, Tartian Lil.
The Death King appeared in the form of a boy with a gloomy impression, just as when Rudian had seen him before.
Seeing the boy's appearance, Rudian naturally bowed his head.
"It's been a few days since we last met, Helmas... no, Death King."
—It feels like you were about to say something nonsensical and then took it back?
"You're mistaken."
Rudian firmly denied the Death King's words.