Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Miracle (1)
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“Ugh, this is killing me. It's so potent. At this rate, no one from the outside will be able to get in.”
Even though I had killed Victor Braak, the demonic energy filling Granok showed no signs of dissipating.
“I need to get this out of here first.”
The demonic energy that had erupted inside the lord's castle was trapped, unable to escape.
“The owner’s gone now, anyway.”
“Who goes there!”
“What? Huh? Wait a minute. You guys…?”
Just as I was about to destroy the building to vent the demonic energy, someone walked down from the direction of the lord's office and met my gaze.
Though they weren't wearing the priestly robes I remembered, their faces were very familiar. They were the priests from the Raelian Church, whose whereabouts I had wondered about since Lagaris.
Their appearances were subtly different, but their faces matched my memory perfectly.
“The Raelian Church? No way. It was you? The Stones of the Seven Deadly Sins.”
“Kill him!”
The moment their identities were exposed, their benevolent expressions from Lagaris twisted into demonic masks, as if to silence me. They began unleashing what I had once thought was divine power.
“Ah. I see. So that’s how it was. That’s what it was. I get it now.”
Seeing their faces, I felt the puzzle pieces finally falling into place—pieces of a conspiracy far larger than I had imagined.
Demonic energy, the Empire, the nobility, a new religion, test subjects. It was all connected.
“Sorry, but that won’t work on me. No, I’m not sorry. You bastards!”
I fired my spiritual power like bullets.
“Kugh—!”
“You do all sorts of filthy things in the name of God. What a bunch of jokes.”
The lord’s castle began to crumble. I dragged the priests, whose limbs were pierced and immobilized, outside the castle, then placed a massive boulder on top of them to keep them from escaping.
“Aaargh—! You cruel bastard—!”
“I’ll deal with you two later. I think we have a lot to talk about.”
First, I had to deal with the demonic energy in the castle. The priests and the mercenaries outside needed to get in to rescue people.
***
The situation outside the town was just as dire.
“Seamus! Bring the people we rescued from the research facility here. There are many who need treatment there, too.”
“Yes, sir!”
Peri Batoni gave the order and turned to head back to where Kratos was fighting.
Rumble—
A massive surge of demonic energy erupted from the center of the city, now so thick that it blocked out the daylight, leaving the ground in darkness.
“O, Lord. Please help this world.”
“Fall back! Further back! Evacuate the people!”
As Peri Batoni took a step toward Granok, he let out an involuntary groan as the demonic energy pierced his body. Just a moment ago, it hadn't affected him!
After that dense cloud of demonic energy had formed, its concentration had become unimaginably thick. So much so that even he, a Sword Master, could not easily step forward.
“Ugh—! Dammit—! Kratos!”
He frantically called for the priests, but they weren't in a position to pour divine power into the city either.
The people who had regained consciousness were groaning from the demonic energy that had seeped into their bodies, and the priests were busy expending their divine power to heal them.
The one remaining priest was focusing all his strength on containing the demonic energy, preventing it from spreading outside the city.
Normally, this would be impossible, but the wooden tablet Kratos had given him was just barely allowing him to perform this minimal role.
And then.
“It’s the Holy Kingdom!”
“Reinforcements! Reinforcements are here!”
At the edge of the town, a group of priests came to an urgent halt. The priest who had called for them brightened and waved.
“By God. To think something like this could happen.”
The priests from the Holy Kingdom who had arrived as reinforcements let out gasps at the sight of Granok. The demonic energy was so thick it naturally stirred their fury.
“What in the world happened here?”
“It’s the Stone of the Seven Deadly Sins, the demonic energy of Wrath. If you go in, you’ll be overcome with bloodlust.”
The priests urgently pleaded for help from the reinforcements.
“Brother Kratos of the White Mercenary Corps stayed behind to face a demon tainted by demonic energy. We have to go save him.”
“Good heavens, in that miasma…”
To remain in a place like that meant he was prepared to sacrifice himself. The priests who had seen Kratos's wooden tablet murmured prayers for his noble sacrifice.
They couldn't let such a man die in a place like that, tainted by demonic energy and filled with suffering. Especially not priests whose duty was to believe in God and punish evil!
The Kratos inside was a man who, despite not being a member of the Holy Kingdom, cried out for the punishment of evil through his actions!
“We can’t delay. Move out immediately!”
“Paladins to the front! Priests, purify the demonic energy and follow the paladins!”
“Mercenaries! Dig up the ground and collect all those damn stones!”
The reinforcing priests from the Holy Kingdom unleashed a visibly sacred divine power, purifying the demonic energy to secure a perimeter. The mercenaries dug into the ground, collecting the stones that contained the demonic energy of Wrath.
As the stones, embedded densely along the main road, were dug up one by one, the concentration of demonic energy thinned ever so slightly.
However, it was like scooping a single spoonful of water from a massive tank.
“Rescue the people! Move them out of the town! Neutralize the demonic energy! Move quickly!”
“This is so vile…”
The situation in Granok, once they fully entered, was more serious than they had imagined. People moaned, poisoned by the demonic energy. The corpses of those who had killed each other were strewn across the streets, a sight that made them grimace.
“Horrible. Absolutely horrible.”
The ground was stained crimson, and it was hard to even imagine how much time and divine power would be needed to purify this miasma.
“Over there! Follow the signs of battle!”
Following the trail of destruction, they arrived at the very center of the city. There, Kratos sat perfectly still in a cross-legged position, as if in meditation.
“Kratos—!”
“Don’t touch him—!”
Peri Batoni and the priests urgently stopped Seamus, who was about to rush toward Kratos.
It was the scene of a fierce battle, where not a single thing in the vicinity was left intact.
“What in the…”
At its center was Kratos, surrounded by a thick demonic energy that seemed to move as if breathing.
Outwardly, he showed none of the changes that came with exposure to demonic energy. He was simply breathing peacefully.
But given the intensity of the battle, no one knew how the demonic energy might have affected him. And if he had been influenced by it, it would be no small problem.
Peri Batoni gripped the hilt of his sword, ready to draw at any moment, while the priests gathered their divine power.
A few seconds passed.
Kratos’s eyes, which had been closed, slowly opened.
“Sss— Hah—”
At the end of a deep breath.
With his exhale, his spiritual power spread throughout the entire city.
The spiritual power that spread across the city expanded its domain as if purifying the vile demonic energy, and the sky slowly returned to its natural color. Sunlight once again shone upon the earth, and those with minor injuries regained their senses.
It wasn't a complete purification. But the fact that the demonic energy's concentration had been lowered this much meant that more people could enter Granok, and the time and divine power needed to restore the town would be significantly reduced.
It was a sight too incredible to believe it was the work of a single person. But it was undeniably real.
In the midst of it all.
“This is a miracle! A miracle. To purify demonic energy!”
Someone knelt on one knee before Kratos, murmuring in reverence. The sight was the very definition of sublime.
“To completely purify demonic energy. This is a miracle.”
A feat that even a bishop-level priest could not easily accomplish was unfolding before their eyes. How could they not show their reverence?
.
.
.
.
.
Ah, damn. It's not being absorbed. What’s the problem? I thought my spiritual power stat would get a nice boost.
I had tried to absorb the demonic energy to increase my spiritual power stat, but it didn't go as planned. For some reason, instead of purifying and absorbing the demonic energy, my spiritual power just kept pouring out, only purifying it.
The problem was, I had no idea why. The demonic energy I absorbed from the antenna and other sources had definitely raised my spiritual power stat.
Still, I confirmed one thing for sure. Spiritual power could purify demonic energy. And with an efficiency far beyond my imagination.
The amount of demonic energy I could feel was significantly less than before the purification.
“Huh…?”
As I finished my breathing and opened my eyes, I was quite taken aback by the sight of numerous people kneeling on one knee before me.
What in the world was going on?
“Kratos—! Are you alright?”
On top of that, Peri Batoni, Seamus, and even the priests from the Holy Kingdom were rushing toward me.
“Pour divine power into him!”
“To purify demonic energy with his own body! That madman! Pour it in! Erase every last trace of demonic energy!”
“Uh… uh-uh—!”
The priests began to pour an insane amount of divine power into me without warning, and even the slight stiffness in my body completely vanished.
“What’s going on? What is this?”
“Is there anything wrong with your body? Do you feel unwell, or have the urge to kill someone?”
“No, what are you talking about all of a sudden? Kill who—! Ah, right!”
I quickly stood up and moved to check on the priests I had trapped at the lord’s castle, and the others followed me in a crowd.
Why are they being so overbearing?
Beneath the massive pile of rocks lay two corpses. They were so badly burned they were unrecognizable, but Kratos’s expression as he looked at them was grim.
“What corpses are those?”
He focused on examining the bodies without touching them. When did this happen?
The time I had spent purifying the demonic energy was less than ten minutes.
And it wasn't far from here. A few dozen meters at most. That meant someone had been watching this battle.
I quickly spread my spiritual power wide, but my senses picked up nothing. They had either already left, or they had been watching from a place my spiritual power couldn't reach.
“Well, this screws things up.”
Those priests were the link that could have revealed the connection between the Stones of the Seven Deadly Sins, the Empire, and the Raelian Church.
“No, no. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”
It was actually better this way. Even if those priests had survived, the Raelian Church would have surely dismissed it as the rogue actions of corrupt priests.
They would claim it had nothing to do with them. That they were victims, too. That they were working to eradicate the demonic energy on this continent.
If they came out with that, it would actually make the investigation harder. It might even cause unnecessary backlash.
In a case like this, it was better to have only testimony. Besides, my testimony wasn't without weight. In fact, a situation where I could push forward with just my testimony alone was much more effective.
Yeah, whoever you are, thank you. You did me a favor by killing them. This is better. Much better.
“Whatever happened, you should receive treatment first.”
“Ah, I feel fine.”
“That's not how demonic energy works. Even the slightest potential aftereffect must be dealt with.”
I was half-forced to sit on a pile of rubble outside the town. It felt awkward to sit still while everyone else was busy with the rescue efforts, but they made such a fuss every time I tried to move.
On top of that, the priests periodically infused me with divine power, claiming they had to drive out every last speck of demonic energy. They even marveled at my body's reaction to the divine power.
It was like being an animal in a zoo.
Beep— Beep— Beep—
A blue device I took out from my inventory beeped three times.
It was a signal of sorts. A signal from Hattie Shaw. It meant the intelligence network in the capital was now somewhat usable.
I needed to contact Hattie Shaw.
***
On a mountainside overlooking Granok, the situation inside the city wasn't clearly visible through the thick demonic energy, but the experiment had been a success. Even if it wasn't 100%.
A few problems had been identified, but they could be improved upon later.
“The experiment was only a partial success. We have confirmed the research facility has been destroyed.”
— Tsk. To think they brought in such strange fellows. That’s good enough. It’s not the only facility we have. The test subjects?
“All have been disposed of. The subjects that escaped to Granok were disposed of as well.”
— Good. It's a shame, but a dog that tries to bite its master isn't worth keeping alive. As long as we have the research data, someone else can continue the work.
“Additionally, I have personally dealt with the priests who were on a mission in Lagaris.”
— That’s enough. We have no need for failures who couldn't complete their mission.
With the priests of the Holy Kingdom and the White Mercenary Corps entering the city, Granok no longer resembled its former self.
The brilliant starting point of magitech engineering was engulfed in flames, and everything was slowly crumbling like a sandcastle.
— What about Da Vinci’s research data?
“Unfortunately, it seems to have been lost when the research facility collapsed. I was unable to confirm its status.”
— Tsk. So it ended without us ever opening it. A pity.
“It was an object of unknown origin. I believe it would have been better to move it rather than leave it at the facility.”
— What’s done is done. We left it there because it was discovered in that region, thinking there might be something to it. Make sure to erase any potential traces. Not a single link can be left behind.
“Understood.”
— The time is coming. When it does, we will no longer have to witness such sights. All according to His will.
“All according to His will.”
The communication ended, and the man fixed his gaze on the mercenary sitting cross-legged in the center of the town. A warrior skilled enough to fight a demon-infested test subject alone.
The White Mercenary Corps was a strange place. Just when you thought you had broken them, a new talent would appear.
He didn't know if that mercenary could survive to the end in the middle of that thick demonic energy.
But his mission today was only to shut down the research facility, destroy any potential evidence, and ensure the deaths of the test subjects and priests. One must only carry out their assigned mission. It was a shame, really.
He would have made for excellent material as a test subject.
“Interesting. Very interesting. But that, too, will soon come to an end.”
The man who had appeared out of nowhere vanished from his spot just as suddenly.