Chapter 126: Tour
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 126: Tour
“Do you know the fundamental difference between gods and demons?”
The creature, who had been glaring at the statue as if to kill it for mocking him, whipped its head around.
Even as the hairy monster—over three meters tall, built like a gorilla, with blazing red eyes—stared daggers at him, the Archbishop’s face remained serene.
“What are you trying to say!”
When the beast roared, the temple shook as if struck by an earthquake. But it wasn’t enough to change the Archbishop’s expression.
“Demons cannot empathize with human emotions. Of course, that doesn’t mean they have no feelings. The way they treat humans as toys is proof of that. It’s just that, to a demon, humans aren’t valuable enough to warrant emotion. For example… yes, can a human empathize with an ant?”
“To a demon… humans are like ants?”
“You must have done it as a child. Stepped on ants, poured water into their nests. At that moment, to the ants, wasn't the human like a demon?”
The Archbishop was right. To the Old Gods, humans were not much different from NPCs in a life-simulation game.
That’s why they could pour all their devotion into caring for them one moment, only to play a cruel, unbearable prank the next. And then they would look down upon the despairing humans and laugh sadistically.
This was why the Old Gods were treated as demons despite granting special powers, and why religions that believed in a single, monotheistic god gained popular appeal.
CRASH.
“He’s far better than a false god who offers no help at all!”
The altar shattered under the beast’s fist. A flying stone fragment grazed the Archbishop’s cheek.
A faint cut welled with a bit of blood. Had the fragment been slightly larger, or its trajectory a little closer, he would have been seriously injured, yet the Archbishop’s expression remained unchanged.
“The Lord always watches over his little lambs. We are simply unable to comprehend His grand design.”
“Hmph! You’re good at making excuses! You believers of a false god have always been the same. If something bad happens, it’s because you didn’t pray. If something good happens, it’s all thanks to your false god! What a convenient method! That is proof that the god you believe in is nothing but an illusion!”
“How foolish. Even if the Lord granted you power, what would you do but harm innocent believers? So why would the Lord grant you strength? Thus, by not helping you, the Lord has helped you. In contrast, the demon who claimed to help you has turned you into a monster.”
In the end, the one who had screwed him over was the Old God he believed in. It just went to show that sometimes, doing nothing is the best course of action.
“You…!”
The beast growled, glaring at the Archbishop as if to kill him. It had been a foolish decision from the start to get into an argument with a man whose specialty was rhetoric and persuasion.
I subtly shifted my position, blocking the beast’s line of sight to the Archbishop.
“To me, that looks more like a curse than a blessing.”
The conclusion had been set from the moment he realized he could never return to being human.
The beast had merely been clinging to a sliver of hope, refusing to let go. But now, it was time to admit it: he’d been royally backstabbed by the Old God he trusted.
Perhaps the Old God who turned him into a monster was watching this very situation from the heavens above, with snacks and a drink in hand.
The beast gritted its teeth and looked up at the statue that seemed to mock him.
“Aaargh!!! This can’t be happening!! You can’t betray me!!!”
Finally facing reality, the beast erupted in fury. His target was the statue that had made him a monster.
CRASH! CRASH!
Each time his fist struck the statue, it sounded like a bomb exploding. In an instant, the shattered remains of the statue littered the temple floor.
After stomping a large piece of debris into dust, the beast looked back down at me, breathing heavily. Even the whites of his eyes were bloodshot, making them entirely red.
“The god who did this to me! And you! I’ll kill you all!”
The beast lowered its stance, its upper body leaning slightly forward. It was a posture that suggested it would kick off the ground and charge at me at any moment.
“You shouldn’t do that…”
“What?”
Perhaps it still had a shred of reason left, as it seemed puzzled that I hadn’t drawn my sword. Its gaze naturally followed mine.
I was looking at the remains of the statue it had just destroyed. The moment it saw what I saw, I spoke.
“The Archbishop already explained it. To a demon, humans are no different from ants. And they aren’t without emotion. If an ant were to bite your foot, what would you do?”
The Old God answered the question. Black mist began to seep from the shattered remains of the statue. It soon crawled up the beast’s legs and began to swallow its entire body.
“N-no…!”
The beast struggled to fend off the mist, but there was no way to stop something so intangible. Watching the creature become enveloped in the black mist, I clicked my tongue.
“Foolish to the very end.”
The black mist began to invade every orifice of its body. Blood streamed from its eyes and nose, and white foam frothed at its mouth. Its entire body convulsed violently.
Watching the scene unfold, I slowly drew my sword. Just as I aimed it at the beast, it happened.
“Graaaaargh!!”
Having absorbed all the black mist into its body, the beast beat its chest with its fists and roared. Its red eyes were so savage they could no longer be considered human.
Now, even its mind had turned into that of a monster. The end of those who made deals with the Old Gods was always tragic.
“I guess I should call you a Yeti now.”
It was the advent of a powerful monster, somewhere between an ogre and a troll.
“Archbishop, step back…”
I stopped mid-sentence. The Archbishop, who should have been behind me, was gone. Expanding my vision, I could see him already fleeing toward the temple entrance.
He had preached so boldly to the Yeti, but the moment things took a turn, he had bolted.
Should I be glad to be rid of the troublesome baggage…?
There was no more time to think.
“Grrraaaah-!”
The Yeti kicked off the ground and charged. The temple shook with each step as if an earthquake had struck. The distance between us closed in an instant.
It was faster than when it was human. So fast that for a moment, I thought my eyes, which see the world in slow motion, were broken.
A normal person wouldn’t even be able to perceive it.
Closing the distance, the beast reached out. Its hand was wide open, clearly aiming for my face or neck.
I lowered my stance and moved diagonally outward. The beast’s hand shot past the space between my shoulder and head. The sheer wind pressure made my ear ache as if it would tear.
It was proof of the immense power and speed behind the attack. As I slipped past its side, I turned my sword sideways and swung it upward from below.
It was a strike meant to slice open its abdomen and flank.
What is this hide made of?!
The feedback from the blade felt wrong. It was a dull sensation, like striking armor back when I hadn’t yet obtained my transcendent strength.
Pushing my confusion aside, I twisted my body and sword. The blade, which had been soaring toward the sky, was naturally redirected toward the nape of the beast’s neck.
“Grraah!”
The beast twisted its body and raised an arm to block. Almost simultaneously, its foot shot out toward my abdomen.
Pulling the sword back, I gripped it for half-swording. I placed the flat of the blade between my hands in the path of the kick to block it.
A colossal force slammed into me upon impact. Is this what it feels like to be hit by a truck? I reflexively launched my body into the air to dissipate the shock, sliding backward as if on skis.
Its strength is at least on par with mine.
Even if the Trollsverd’s blade was dull, my superhuman strength should have been enough to tear through its flesh. Yet the long gash from its abdomen to its flank was shallow.
Even that was healing rapidly. Its regeneration was comparable to a troll’s.
I processed the information gathered from our brief exchange. Strength on par with mine, superior speed and agility, durability to spare, and regeneration that could ignore minor wounds.
Its specs were slightly higher than in the game. I could almost hear the Old God’s laughter echoing in my ears. It seemed angry that I had broken its favorite toy.
Its overall specs surpass mine.
It had been a while since I’d faced an opponent stronger than me. My body thrilled with tension. My nerves twisted like rope, becoming so sensitive that I wouldn’t miss a single detail.
The sound of its charge was like thunder. Its roar felt loud enough to deafen me.
“Graaaaargh!!”
The beast’s fist, as large as a pot lid, grew larger and larger. A direct hit would make my head explode like a watermelon.
I calmly lowered my stance. The fist grazed my hair and struck the stone pillar behind me.
With a loud crash, the pillar crumbled. I ignored the debris pelting my body and swung my sword, because the moment I’d lowered my stance, the beast had lifted its foot as if it had been waiting.
I slashed the exposed inner thigh. The skin there seemed thinner, and a deep gash appeared. There was no time to celebrate. The blood was already starting to bubble as the wound tried to heal.
Which means it has to support its massive body on one leg until then.
This was a Yeti that stood a full three meters tall, with an upper body as massive as a gorilla’s.
It was difficult enough to maintain balance with its huge frame on two legs, let alone one.
I didn’t miss the opening and charged, shoulder-first. The beast hastily swung its other arm to block, but my shoulder had already slammed into its abdomen.
“Kaak!”
The massive body teetered and fell backward. I immediately switched to a high stance. Twisting my body, I brought the raised sword down with all my might.
Whoosh.
The sword cut through the air with a fierce sound, aiming for the Yeti’s neck. The beast desperately raised one arm to block it. In exchange, its arm was deeply wounded, left dangling uselessly.
Before I could rejoice, the beast’s other hand grabbed my ankle. I tried to bring my sword down again, but it threw me first.
“Ugh…”
Of all places, it was toward a stone pillar. The impact felt like being hit by a truck. The air was knocked out of my lungs. A moment later, my insides spasmed. My back was completely numb.
With no time to right myself, I threw my body to the side. The stone pillar had collapsed, and debris was raining down.
This is a losing battle.
My sword barely cut the Yeti, and even when it did, its regeneration healed the wound. On the other hand, I had to risk my life with every light attack. This meant I had to change my strategy.
I ignored my body’s screams and charged. As soon as I entered its range, a pot-lid-sized fist came out to greet me.
As if I’d been waiting for it, I took a step back. The fist grazed the tip of my nose and hit the stone pillar right next to me. Another pillar crumbled.
The beast’s movements became larger. It was an attack meant only to make me retreat. It was probably trying to buy time until its other arm regenerated.
I can use this.
Changing my position, I deliberately aimed for a vital point and thrust my sword. Once again, the beast’s overextended fist shattered another stone pillar.
When I feigned surprise and dodged, it attacked with its still-unhealed arm. It was just as you’d expect from a monster left with only instinct.
However, this was an enemy whose physical specs surpassed my own. Having given it the initiative, I was continuously pushed back.
When a situation arose where I had no choice but to block, my body was sent flying once more to meet a stone pillar.
“Keuk.”
Fortunately, the pillar didn’t break this time, so at least I didn’t have to worry about dodging debris.
Before I could recover, the beast was on me again.
“Graaaaargh!”
As if to end it, the beast swung its fist. Recognizing the downward blow, I immediately crouched.
Almost simultaneously, its fist struck the pillar behind where I had been. The beast snorted violently and was about to swing its other fist.
That was when it happened. The stone pillar, already weakened from my impact, snapped in two from the force of the beast’s monstrous punch. A chunk of debris the size of a man’s torso fell toward the beast’s head.
“Keoheong!”
The beast clutched its head and staggered back. It blinked and shook its head.
Its confusion was brief, and it tried to charge at me again to finish the job.
But I was looking up at the ceiling. Even a monster with only instinct seemed to find my action strange. It stopped its attack and looked up as well.
At that moment, the ceiling, having lost most of its supporting pillars, began to collapse.
*
“Get out of the way!”
Meanwhile, the Archbishop, who had swiftly fled the temple, turned pale. He had witnessed the ceiling caving in.
Even if Allen fought like a legendary hero against a tremendous monster, it was clear he wouldn’t be able to withstand that baptism of stone, a force like a natural disaster.
The Archbishop’s mind raced, torn between concern for Allen’s safety and what to do if the monster survived alone.
Then, the Archbishop blinked. He couldn’t see any possible way to escape, yet not a single stone was touching Allen.
It was as if the fragments from the ceiling were avoiding Allen on their own. To the Archbishop, it looked as if God himself were protecting Allen.
“Oh, Lord…”
In reality, Allen was using his eyes that see the world slowly to dodge, and parrying the unavoidable pieces with his sword. He had trusted his eyes and created a favorable situation.
Of course, from such a distance, through the thick snowfall and under the dark sky, it was normal not to see clearly.
And while a longer observation might have revealed the truth despite these conditions…
The ceiling’s collapse ended just before that could happen. And as the battered monster barely emerged from the rubble, Allen was waiting, and plunged his sword into its head.
It was at that moment. The sky, which had been dark and filled with flurries until just now, cleared as if it had all been an illusion.
Simultaneously, the sun appeared behind Allen, who stood tall amidst the ruins of the temple. But there wasn't just one sun.
Two smaller suns appeared to the left and right, as if guarding Allen. And a ring of light connected them, forming a circle.
“Oh, Lord… This humble servant believes in Your works…!”
Faced with a majestic sight that seemed like an angel descending from the heavens, the Archbishop couldn’t help but be filled with reverence.
It was a phenomenon created by tiny ice crystals in the atmosphere refracting and reflecting the sunlight, but the Archbishop, unaware of this, took it as a divine revelation.
A revelation to follow the messenger he himself had sent.
*
Meanwhile, oblivious to the Archbishop’s state, Allen was looking down at the temple ruins.
It was half of the statue’s face, which had been hidden in the shadows. But the remaining half looked quite familiar. Allen opened his mouth without thinking.
“Aenya…?”