Chapter 372: Boiling Silence
Chapter 372: Boiling Silence
As planned, as soon as we left the Great Forest, I used teleportation to head to the southeastern part of the continent. My goal was to find the sealing site of Boiling Silence.
And Iona’s uneasy gut feeling turned out to be right.
…Albeit in a slightly strange way.
“The entrance is the cliff you see past this point. It looks like nothing more than a slab of rock, but it’s actually a cave hidden by the Power of Concealment—”
“Ah! Master, are you talking about that over there?”
“…What? Why isn’t it hidden?”
Because the sealing site of Boiling Silence had been cast away at random, it was buried deep beneath a cliff.
The cultists had been ordered to dig a cave to reach it.
Even though this was a remote area, it wasn't completely devoid of people. They should have hidden it to prevent anyone from getting suspicious about a cave suddenly appearing.
Regardless, it saved us some trouble, so I pushed my doubts aside for a moment and stepped inside.
A long flight of stairs followed. The slope was so steep that I had to focus all my attention on my footing.
“Everyone, stop. Right ahead, there’s a trap where toxic mist pours from the ceiling. The Power of Concealment is applied here too, making it colorless and odorless, but the effect is still there. Drink your antidotes first. After that…”
“Darling? You mean this foul-smelling green smoke right here?”
“It… should be?”
Why is it visible? Wasn't this supposed to be the trap where you suddenly get poisoned while off-guard, and then cultists swarm you from both sides in the confusion?
It was absurd, but the poison wasn't hidden, and there was no cultist ambush. Had they been stripped so bare that they truly had nothing left?
No. This was still Boiling Silence. Even this could be a ploy to make us lower our guard.
…But similar situations continued to occur.
“Everyone, stop. This entrance itself is a trap. Just as you finish the long stairs and let your guard down thinking you’ve reached the base, you’ll see an empty room. When you feel that sense of relief, the door suddenly slams shut and monsters swarm from all directions!”
“The door is already closed, Master.”
“Huh?”
The trap that almost made me throw my keyboard back when I played H&A was already blocked off.
“Once we pass through the side door, there will be a room filled with absolute darkness. Torches and light magic won't work, and your five senses will be restricted, so we have to move with our hands on each other's shoulders.”
“Light!”
Flash!
“What’s this? The light magic is working just fine, Student Yandel?”
“Wh-what?”
The annoying but effective Authority that separated party members had long since lost its power.
“The next room looks ordinary, but it’s actually under an illusion. You have to step exactly where I step to find the right path.”
“Um… Junior? This is a maze, but it’s just… an obvious maze? Also, I don’t know what was originally inside these walls, but they’re hollow now. I think they’ll just crumble if we push them.”
“……”
I wasn't even surprised anymore.
I simply smashed through the traps that once forced me to undergo a memory test and descended deeper.
“This is the last part. It’s more of a treasure hunt than a trap. They figured anyone who made it this far would be difficult to handle, so they focused entirely on hiding the location of the seal…”
“Brother! Look here! I struck this suspicious floor, and a path leading underground has opened!”
“…I suppose so. It seems the Authority isn't working in this room either.”
I didn't know whether to be happy about this or not.
A powerful adversary who had screwed me over multiple times, and whom I had screwed over in return. A tricky Evil God I could never be careless around, despite my overwhelming advantage of knowing the future.
That was Boiling Silence in my mind. Because he possessed power beyond mere brute force, I had tried to crush his influence as quickly as possible.
But looking at the state of this sealing site now, it seemed I might have stripped him a bit too thoroughly. The final dagger he squeezed out must have been the descent of Ugly Prosperity.
The downfall of a formidable foe left me with a bittersweet, subtle feeling.
“Well, whatever. It’s time to settle this old grudge.”
Boiling Silence was right below us.
*
The first thing I noticed was a thick stench.
“What the hell is…?”
The cavern, which should have been empty, was covered in a foul odor beyond imagination.
Splat.
As soon as I took a step, I felt a lukewarm, viscous liquid. Just as I was about to look closer to see what it was.
Iona, who had realized it a step faster, spoke with a frown.
“This. It’s the smell of blood.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Not just blood. The smell of corpses soaked in blood, rotting away. It’s the kind of scent you usually only find on abandoned battlefields or in the castles of fallen vampires.”
I didn't ask why that smell was here. I had a hunch. Instead of answering, I cast a spell.
“Light.”
The cavern, which had been dark as if trying to live up to the name 'Boiling Silence,' became as bright as midday.
It was a testament to the high output of the Light spell… and also proof that even this place was no longer within Boiling Silence’s domain.
The bare face of the cavern was exactly as expected.
The corpses of cultists and monsters filled the vast room. The blood of various races had tangled into one, rising to ankle height, rotting slowly.
Just like their master, who was slowly crumbling away.
“It is a human sacrifice, Brother.”
“And a massive one at that, Husband.”
“It seems so. Everyone, stay on guard just in case.”
Helena and Solari, who were essentially experts in this field, confirmed it. Preparing for any potential situation, we each drew upon our mana and holy power as we slowly advanced.
…But again, nothing happened. Only the pungent smell and the unpleasant texture of the rotting blood clinging to our ankles bothered us.
Just as the silence was becoming uncomfortable, I saw a mass of white crystal floating loftily alone in the reddish-black cavern.
“Master? Is that…”
“Yeah. That’s the seal of Boiling Silence.”
It exuded a holy atmosphere unfitting for an Evil God… but that’s how seals usually were.
Since they were meant to imprison using opposing forces, the exterior was bound to look sacred.
Anyway, seeing as nothing had happened even after coming this far, was he really on the verge of death? Truly?
I was tilting my head inwardly, just one step away from the crystal.
—…So, you’ve finally made it here.
“I guess you weren't a mute after all?”
I replied casually and first took out Mystiltainn, pressing it against the crystal.
Then, Mystiltainn, which had looked like an ordinary branch until now, began to glow with a faint green light and started to squirm, wrapping itself around the crystal.
It was a bizarre sight, looking as if it were both binding the crystal and taking root within it.
—This is… I see. So this is how the seal is completed. Draining divine power to continuously weaken the target… a classic but always excellent method.
“For someone like you who’s lost most of their believers, it’s basically a death sentence.”
—Heh heh. You’re right. Since the amount being drained is greater than the amount being recovered, I will eventually lose even my godhood. I see. You lot aren't just trying to exile me from this world; you’re trying to erase me entirely.
“If you’ve done things worthy of death, you should die. Just like Ugly Prosperity.”
—I expected as much, but she has been extinguished as well. Unfortunately, I had no eyes to witness her final moments. Could you tell me what kind of end she met?
“You’ll experience it firsthand soon enough.”
—Don't be like that. Tell me. I’ll give you my Relic in exchange.
“Fuck off.”
—Then what about the plans of the other Evil Gods? Since I was involved in most of their operations, I have a rough idea of them all.
“……”
I already knew those. But this time, I chose not to answer. The way he kept trying to initiate conversation was strangely suspicious.
Even at this moment, Mystiltainn was pulsating, sucking away Boiling Silence’s divine power, but I had no intention of letting my guard down. I’d been caught off-guard too many times before.
But as if he had read even these thoughts, Boiling Silence snorted.
—Ha. You’ve finished your business, so you’ll pretend not to hear me. A wise choice, if a bit predictable.
The crystal, now more than half-covered by the mistletoe, vibrated with a sinister laughter that echoed throughout the cavern.
After cackling for a long while, he suddenly stopped and continued in a listless voice.
—Well, fine. It’s no fun when there’s no response, but I can just talk to myself. It’s unfortunate for you, but you won't be able to shut me up until you break this seal.
And then, leaving us who remained unresponsive, he continued his monologue.
—Let’s see. You’ve probably realized by now, but we weren't originally Evil Gods. Our godhood and our divine names were entirely different.
—You. Young god with the grand name of Righteous Light. How long do you think your current glory will last?
—It’s not only through our 'Fall from Grace' that godhood can be inverted. Take me, for example. I’ve lost my original name, but I remember clearly that I was worshipped as a God of Wisdom, not a god of schemes like I am now.
—Ugly Prosperity was the same. She was originally the Goddess of Beauty and Love. Confused Unity was the God of Prosperity, Narrow-minded Usurpation was a God of Justice like you, and Reckless Roar was a God of War.
—Ah, you should know Meandering Leisure best. She was originally the God of the Sea, known as Soaring Blue.
—Just so you know, even I don't know about Noble Reign. That one fell from grace much longer ago than I did.
—Anyway, back to the point. Righteous Light, you young thing. How long do you think you can remain a god?
—Just as a child becomes independent from their parents, humanity will one day leave the embrace of the gods. Do you know what happens to a god who is no longer needed?
—It’s one of two things. Either they calmly accept that their usefulness has ended, relinquish their godhood, and return to the original flow…
—Or they refuse extinction, cling on desperately, and eventually fall from grace by accepting a corrupted faith.
—You will soon find out. The moment will come when the priests who sang of love are treated as mere harlots, and those who revered wisdom are regarded as swindlers.
—No matter how bright the sunlight is, it will eventually be seen as nothing more than a natural phenomenon, and justice and rules will become so commonplace that there is no longer any need to sanctify them.
—It means that those who received our teachings will be the ones to drive us out. And they will say: this is the natural order.
—In truth, they aren't wrong. In a way, it can be called the growth of the human species as a whole.
—Above all, such things are actually happening somewhere in the universe even at this very moment, and there are quite a few gods who accepted this and vanished while blessing the future of their children.
—But. But! I could not accept it! We could not accept it!
—Is this not the same as being a pawn used and then discarded? What becomes of the affection and devotion I poured out all that time?
—Even if I am one thing, why must my believers endure such harsh times?
—I could not acknowledge it. I became an Evil God because I could not accept the providence of the world that drives transcendent beings toward extinction—the absolute flow that cannot be defied.
—The other Evil Gods probably have similar stories. Someone to kill the being that forced their fate upon them, someone just to survive, and someone else to prove they weren't wrong.
—But well… everything is too young to understand such stories. This world is still young, humans are young, and even the gods are young.
—It’s only natural that the young and brave do not listen to the words of the old, so I can't help it. So, let me change the subject for a moment.
—My adversary. The variable who ruined the long-cherished wish of the old gods. The child the world calls Yandel Lindelheit.
Boiling Silence, who had been pouring out his words incessantly, fell silent for a moment before continuing a beat later.
—You… you’ve caught a glimpse of the future, haven't you?