Chapter 99: Accept the Change
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 99: Accept the Change
“They say there are three elite soldiers by the Apostle’s side. Apparently, they’re ‘Ability Bestowers.’”
“So there are three converts who stole adventurers' abilities through the Ability Extraction Ritual.”
“Yes. Their minds are half-gone due to the aftermath of excessive ability injections, but they follow the Apostle’s orders implicitly.”
“Good. Well done, Sasaro.”
The cultist, whose eyes had been gouged out, was mumbling under his breath, begging to be killed.
In just fifteen minutes, Sasaro had extracted all the necessary information from the cultist, leaving the man in a state where he desperately craved death.
The stench of blood and filth wafted from the spot where Sasaro had performed the torture.
“Old man, we don’t need this guy anymore, right?”
“Yeah. You can kill him.”
“Hehe. Safe travels!”
Raphael brought his axe down onto the head of the cultist who yearned for death.
Crunch. After the sound of something splitting, the cultist’s head was cleaved in two.
It was a truly violent scene, but perhaps because I had seen so many like it since entering the Labyrinth, I felt indifferent.
I must be getting used to it. Having witnessed the deaths of countless people, the death of a single cultist didn't cause much of a stir in my heart.
Maybe I’m gradually turning into a monster, just like them.
‘Moira was right.’
I recalled Moira’s advice not to let the inquisitors and the Saintess influence me.
So that’s what she meant. It wasn't just about being assimilated into their ideology.
I was being tainted by this very atmosphere where slaughter was taken for granted. Now, even when a cultist’s skull was crushed, I didn't feel horrified or disgusted. I had reached a point where I could sleep even while hearing their screams.
In the end, there I was, nonchalantly picking up the corpse and putting it into my Subspace Pocket.
To think I could become this indifferent even after seeing a horribly mutilated corpse.
I hadn't thought much of it when I wasn't conscious of it, but once I realized it, this change in myself felt somewhat alien and frightening.
I was afraid I might lose my humanity.
“Mr. Porter.”
“Yes?! Ah. Yes, Ms. Rosier. Did you call me?”
“Your expression is dark. Your eyes look quite cloudy, too. What were you thinking about?”
“Ah, that. Just... it’s nothing much.”
“Are you having negative thoughts?”
“Pardon? Uh. Negative thoughts.”
I was indeed having negative thoughts.
Could Rosier tell just by looking at someone’s expression?
“The Labyrinth sometimes changes many things. Not just a person’s life, but the fate of a noble family... even the survival of a group can be twisted by the Labyrinth.”
“Uh, yes.”
“It is more important than anything else not to lose yourself in the midst of such stormy misfortune. But don't try too hard to just endure it, either. Change is like an inevitable current. It is also important to accept your changing self as you are. Cognitive dissonance eventually becomes the starting point of self-destruction.”
“...I see.”
I nodded at Rosier’s advice.
Do not be afraid of change. It wasn't an easy thing to do, but her words were true.
‘Right, it can’t be helped. I just have to accept it.’
I shouldn't dwell on the fact that I was becoming indifferent to their cruel acts.
If I wanted to keep heading down toward the 7th Floor, I would have to see things much worse than this.
“Let’s get moving.”
“Yes.”
The Saintess set the direction.
She tracked the Blue Apostle’s location, and I suggested the path forward.
The combination of Map Creation and tracking skills was formidable, and we set foot in the Blue Apostle’s territory just an hour and a half after descending below the layer division.
Splash.
“It’s a submerged land.”
Below the layer division of the Lake Section.
After quickly exiting the maze, the place we reached was a submerged area where the water rose to our shins.
This was the area below the Underground City where the Blue Apostle had taken up residence.
The air was much more humid than in the Lake Section, and an absurdly large number of insects greeted us.
“Begone.”
Paramel quickly cast the Bug Repelling Blessing.
It was a place so humid and infested with insects that one couldn't walk around without the blessing.
They would probably try to enter one's ears or nose to lay eggs. And among those things, there would likely be Skinwalker larvae.
If we didn't take quick countermeasures, we were bound to meet with disaster.
“Shh.”
“....”
After driving away the insects and advancing for a long time, Raphael sensed something.
A faint light flickered at the end of the path.
“...It’s a detection unit. Looks like a cultist’s summon.”
It was a glowing stick that the cultists had placed throughout the maze.
If a person came near, it would make a humming sound that vibrated in one's skull.
“Porter, can you handle it?”
“I’ll try.”
At Sasaro’s words, I pulled out my sling.
One rotation, two rotations—I kept spinning the sling to maximize its power.
‘If I fail, the cultists will swarm us.’
A far greater number of cultists than the groups of five we had been encountering would crawl out.
This was their home base, after all.
‘I have to hit it.’
I held my breath and focused on the target.
Over the past six months, I had invested more time in this sling than in my sword.
I was confident in my aim.
“Hup!”
Exhaling my held breath, I fired the sling shot toward the detection unit.
The flying stone accurately smashed through the detection unit.
“Marvelous marksmanship.”
“Hah. You hit that with a sling from this distance? Your eyes must be exceptionally good.”
“Why don't you try learning the bow?”
“The bow is a bit...”
I hadn't even thought about learning the bow because arrows were expensive.
Above all, maintaining a bow was a hassle, so it wasn't something I considered.
‘But now, it might be worth seriously learning.’
Because I now had the money to buy arrows in bulk.
Wait a minute, since I have a Subspace Pocket, can't I store an infinite number of arrows?
‘The arrow limit, which is the chronic problem for archers, disappears?’
That meant infinite ammunition was possible.
‘Should I practice the bow and buy a repeating crossbow too?’
Once I get out of the Labyrinth this time, I should seriously consider long-range weapons.
Swords and axes are good, but it’s even better to know how to handle long-range weapons.
“Since a detection unit appeared, it seems cultists will show up soon. Everyone, put on your masks.”
“Yes.”
“Dressing up as a cultist... Hah... I’ve lived long enough to see everything.”
“Indeed.”
We put on the cultists' robes and masks.
Since we couldn't walk around openly advertising that we were the Saintess’s party, we wore outfits appropriate for the location.
“Everyone, hide your divine power well. From now on, we go with only physical combat.”
“Yes, understood.”
Since a detection unit had appeared, if we used divine power ahead of us, all the nearby cultists would notice.
So, from now on, we had to seal our divine power and fight with pure martial force.
The only silver lining was that the Blue Apostle was nearby.
—AAAAAAAGH!!!!
“A scream...”
“An offering ritual must be in progress. Everyone, stay sharp.”
A cultist must be performing a human sacrifice on another cultist.
Since there was one who could revive cultists with a mysterious Authority.
Trusting in that, the Blue Apostle would sacrifice his own kind.
And he would be trying to draw up monsters from below using the sacrificed cultists.
We moved toward the direction of the sound.
After advancing as quietly as possible, we reached a ritual site where blue flames were writhing.
‘Crazy bastards.’
It was a fairly large hollow, about the size of a school playground.
There, cultists were gathered, bowing toward a man and a woman tied to pillars.
‘It’s full of corpses.’
They had sacrificed dozens of people before we arrived, tossing their bodies next to the altar.
Furthermore, every single corpse had its chest cavity opened, and the extracted hearts were piled neatly on the altar.
They must be offering those to pull out the monsters.
“As Arha’s will guides us, listen! Hata’s servant is watching us! Behold! The moment of revelation has come. Wolves who have recognized the time, the time has come to rise and fight!!! Let us burn the world and spread Her will!”
At the center of this chaos was a tall man draped in a pitch-black robe.
That man was the being designated as the Blue Apostle.
A fisherman who used human sacrifice as bait to pull up monsters from the depths of the Labyrinth.
He held a dagger with a wavy blade and babbled words that were difficult to understand.
“We offer ourselves!!! To the side of God!!!”
“Ahhh!!! The blessing of resurrection!!! The joy of subjugation!!!!”
The two men and women tied naked to the pillars shouted with expressions that made it unclear whether they were crying or laughing.
They were shouting in excitement at the fact that they were being sacrificed.
“Raphael. Numbers?”
“Sniff sniff... Thirty-two. About that many.”
“Any dangerous ones?”
“Those three standing next to the Apostle. At least Gold Badge level. Those seem to be the ones who received the abilities and strength of adventurers through the Ability Extraction Ritual.”
“Understood. I’ll take the Apostle. Raphael, Rosier, and Sasaro, handle those Ability Bestowers next to him.”
“Understood.”
“Yes.”
“Paramel, hunt down the remaining cultist remnants. There are 28 of them, excluding the ones tied to the pillars. You can handle them all, right?”
“Yes... I will do my best...”
“You mustn't let any escape.”
At the Saintess’s words, Paramel nodded vigorously.
We couldn't let them escape. We had to wipe them out and disguise ourselves as the Blue Apostle without anyone knowing we had attacked.
“Um, what should I do?”
“Mr. Porter, just hide and watch the situation, and when I take down the Apostle, you can take over his body.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Now, let’s end this swiftly.”
The Saintess dashed into the battlefield without waiting for the others' replies.
Simultaneously, Raphael, Sasaro, and Rosier sprang forward like fired arrows.
“Ugh..! I’m scared...”
Belatedly, Paramel also ran after the group.
It was a flawless ambush.
“Uh, uh?!”
The Apostle, who was holding a knife toward the man tied to the pillar, turned around in surprise at the sudden presence, but by then, a spear thrown by the Saintess had already pierced his stomach.
“Kyaaa!!!”
“A-An ambush!?”
Thud!!!!
The iron club in Paramel’s hand crushed the head of a cultist who was trying to signal the attack, collapsing his body.
At the same time, Sasaro and Rosier began their engagement with the Ability Bestowers who were trying to rush toward the Apostle, and Raphael pounced on an Ability Bestower who was trying to flee, taking him down from behind.
The battle had begun.
My job was to monitor the situation and move when necessary.
‘If I get caught, it’s over, so the best thing is to stay as safe as possible and step in at the right moment.’
If I were to get captured or killed by the cultists while trying to show off, the entire plan would go down the drain.
So, I had to play it as safe as possible.
In the first place, what they wanted from me wasn't combat power.
Since I was part of this party as a utility specialist and a supporter, I just had to fulfill my duty.
“AAAAAAAGH!!!!”
Sasaro parried an Ability Bestower’s attack and sliced off his wrist.
The Ability Bestower, having lost his right hand, was dazed with pain, and in that gap, Sasaro slit his throat, causing a spray of blood.
One elite cultist was dead.
Thud!!!!
Simultaneously, Rosier smashed the face of the Ability Bestower she was handling and then stepped on his neck as he fell, breaking it.
‘Raphael is finished too.’
Raphael had already dismembered the Ability Bestower he was responsible for.
Paramel was also smoothly catching and killing the remnants, and all that remained was the confrontation between the Apostle and the Saintess.
“Guh-heck... How did you get all the way—gaack!!!”
The Saintess did not speak with the Apostle.
Ignoring all his words, she carried out a merciless beating.
The Blue Apostle crawled on the floor with broken legs and shattered wrists.
As expected of someone specialized in rituals, his individual martial prowess was somewhat lacking.
In the first place, his opponent was just too much for him.
What use was an Apostle in front of a cultist-slaughtering expert?
“I think that’s enough.”
“Is it? You told me not to kill him, so I was just trying to keep him alive.”
“Whoa, that’s plenty.”
The Blue Apostle had been beaten into a bloody pulp.
He was barely conscious from the beating.
This was enough.
‘Helena. Please.’
—I understand. A man’s body... Haaa...
Soon, chains extended from my hand.
The Blue Apostle’s soul was bound by the chains and pulled into me, and Helena entered the body from which the soul had departed.
It was a success. Helena successfully took control of the Blue Apostle’s body. The soul swap was a success.
Thanks to the Spirit Chain, it was easier to take over the body.
“Is it done?”
“Yes. It’s a success. Hey? Are you awake?”
I shook the Apostle’s body that Helena had entered.
Soon, his fingers twitched and began to react.
“Ugh... It hurts like hell.”
Helena spoke through the Apostle’s throat.
She seemed unable to move properly due to the pain.
“It really worked... Did you say the soul that went in is a witch?”
“Yes. She’s a witch named Halcy.”
I hid Helena’s name because I didn't know what would happen if her identity as the Saintess’s mortal enemy was discovered.
“Let’s heal him first.”
“That would be best.”
Since we couldn't use divine power here, we used the potions and remedies we had to treat the Apostle’s body.
“Here, it’s a painkiller. Chew and swallow it.”
“Understood. Ugh... it’s bitter... I don't know how long it’s been since I’ve tasted anything... To think the taste I experience after so long is fishy blood and bitter medicine...”
“Stop complaining and swallow it quickly.”
“Blegh.”
Helena forced herself to chew and swallow the painkiller.
“That’s a bit better.”
“Right?”
“Is everything ready?”
“Yes. It’s finished, Saintess.”
“Good. Then let’s begin.”
From now on, we planned to lure cultists here and carry out a slaughter under the guise of an offering.
‘Let’s talk in detail.’
I planned to ask the soul of the Apostle I had just captured for a way to efficiently lure the cultists here.
—Damn it!!! What is this!!! Let me go!!! You lowly servant!!!
The Apostle’s soul, which had been pulled into me, was screaming.
I gradually tightened the chains, inflicting pain upon him.
You’re going to have to vomit up information for me.
Otherwise, I’ll torment you to death twenty-four hours a day.
‘She told me to accept the change.’
As Rosier said, it seemed that resisting change was against the natural order.
I planned to torture the Blue Apostle’s soul by adopting Sasaro’s methods.
For the sake of greater efficiency, I decided to accept the change in my heart.