Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Idol Jejeok #8
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[You have witnessed ■■.■■■.]
[You can become a follower of ■■.■■■.]
[Will you accept?]
[YES / NO]
A message window with incomprehensible meaning overwhelms me.
A message window like this popping up out of nowhere?
This is a first.
On top of that, becoming a follower...?
I don't know what that entity spreading the red halo is, but if it's something that can have followers, it seems highly likely to be some kind of real religious being.
Eerie.
A ghost story.
An anomaly.
In a world teeming with such things, a religious entity with actual substance.
—Ssshhh.
Goosebumps rise.
An intense chill sweeps through my entire body. I could feel my heart seized by fear.
Could this be why the Management Bureau tells us to stay away from religion? Then what about the Vatican? Islam? Even Jesus or Allah might be something like that...?
Above all, those unreadable words ■■.■■■ terrify me like crazy.
What the hell am I supposed to do...?
"Hoo!"
Snap out of it!
—Flash!
I was already running.
The message window was still floating in front of my eyes. This is most likely that religious anomaly over there making an offer.
If so, I might be safe as long as this message window is up!
That reliable Quras got his head blown off in one hit. The moment I refuse to become a follower, my head will probably explode too.
"Urk...!"
But.
More than that...!
Jinseop!
Jinseop is dead!
I wanted to save him, I tried to save him!
That crazy monster bastard killed Jinseop so pathetically!
[YES / NO]
The message window hadn't disappeared yet, and my head hadn't exploded.
For now, I'm obviously planning to refuse.
I can't even imagine what it means to become a follower of that insane religious anomaly. Besides, siding with the bastard who killed Jinseop? That's something I couldn't do even if the heavens split open.
What the hell is that thing...!
Come to think of it, the Fake Management Bureau guys were misunderstanding something. They said we were trying to summon something or other.
I think that's it.
The Fake Management Bureau probably knew about its existence in advance and were trying to stop it. But we showed up right then, so they might've thought we were trying to get our hands on that insane religious anomaly.
You know, our actual Management Bureau collects and contains anomalies for use. From the Fake Management Bureau's perspective, it's a reasonable suspicion.
—Zzzt!
At that moment.
"Huh?!"
Noise appeared on the Status Window. Then, like it was collapsing, the edges started to blur.
N-No way...!
Is the Status Window glitching because of that anomaly's power?!
I can't take this anymore. My instincts screamed that I couldn't keep this window open any longer. I quickly selected NO. Only then did the Status Window's anomaly stop, and a new message appeared.
"My head!"
My head...!
It still hasn't exploded.
I've run so far that I can't see it anymore. Did I escape its targeting range? Or did it just let me live?
—Thump thump!
My heart feels like it's going to burst.
"Haa, haa...!"
It can interfere with my Status Window.
That realization hits me with overwhelming terror.
I leaned against the wall and took quick deep breaths.
That was when it happened.
"Ah...!"
The sky brightened. More precisely, red radiance poured down from that sky. It made it look like a red sunset had descended.
A scene I would've thought beautiful if I knew nothing.
I realized that religious anomaly had taken position in the sky.
And.
"Gruk...!"
"Geeek."
"Kek! Kek!"
The ghouls' corpses started rising again.
"What?!"
Ghouls with their heads blown off and bodies chopped up were rising again.
Resurrecting?! Or undead regeneration?!
Whatever it is, it's definitely because of that red light!
Now it's not just that religious anomaly that's dangerous. If all the ghouls have come back to life, dodging them alone will be overwhelming.
"Keheek!"
"You fucking—!"
—Bang!
I slammed a bullet into the forehead of a charging ghoul and ran again. Now I have to dodge the ghouls while fleeing.
Memories from the Giant Apocalypse resurface. Escaping from skinwalkers swarming from all sides? I'd done it countless times.
It was a world overflowing with fear and chaos, but my body remembers those times. I was moving more cool-headedly than ever. For the goal of survival. Right now, I am Grong, the leader of the survivor group.
In my ear then.
"Where do you think you're going...?"
An unforgettable voice rings out.
"Vampire!"
The vampire, that mosquito bitch's voice!
The one who killed me and my parents!
—Flutter.
The vampire lands in front of me, her red dress fluttering. Her appearance was a total mess. Her vertically slit pupils glowed blood-red, and wounds covered her body here and there. Her clothes were torn, making her look utterly menacing.
"Finally found you...?"
I can feel it on my skin.
The killing intent directed at me.
It was the same last time.
The vampire wants to kill me.
"Hey, it's been a while, hasn't it?"
Not that long.
It was just a little while ago that this bitch hypnotized me to wake me up. Alright, let's see. Judging by her attitude now... She really doesn't know about that incident?
"Yeah. It's been insanely long. Do you know how much I've missed you?"
Fighting spirit and rage surge up.
Unlike in the subway back then, I have a weapon in my hand now. A final showdown with the vampire? If I can fight, I don't care if I die here. No, I'll kill her right here.
"Same here. Our hearts are connected."
The vampire grins.
Her exposed fangs look murderously sharp.
The vampire, smiling uglily, now laughs out loud.
"Ahaha, it's all over now. Everything, everything is done for. How could this happen..."
"What?"
What does that mean?
With the question, my focus explodes. Every little detail of the vampire's attitude enters my eyes. Resignation? Despair? Something like that. "All over" means whatever she planned went completely awry and failed?
Then that religious anomaly in the sky isn't the vampire's doing?
"But... if I can at least kill you here, that might not be so bad."
"You bitch... You think I'll go down easy..."
Her obsession with me is intense.
Perfect, since I'm obsessed with you to a similar degree.
We'll make a good pair.
On the stage where we kill each other.
"Can you even resist?"
—Whoosh!
The moment the vampire's eyes widen, a wave emanates from her, turning my world red. Hypnosis, it's hypnosis! The hypnotic power tightens around me...!
At that instant.
"Ah, aah?"
The vampire's face goes blank.
"W-What's this... What the hell!"
Ah, right.
So there is some reaction?
That confused look—definitely the same as last time. She was terrified and told me to wake up. No way, not again? Am I going to open my eyes in the Management Bureau basement again?
"Y-You! What are you! What the hell are you!"
"Why? What's your problem with me?"
"How could this...! N-No way?! I-It was all because of you?! A-Aah! It was you, all because of you!"
A shout filled with confusion.
"What?"
What did I do?
"Aaaaaah!"
It was the moment the vampire screamed.
—Boom!
A cross of light fell from the sky.
The vampire dodged the cross by a hair and glared at me fiercely before kicking off the ground and fleeing.
"What the—! Hey!"
I won't let her escape!
—Bang!
I quickly aimed and fired, hitting the vampire in the torso. But even so, she focused on escaping. Click, out of bullets.
"You fucking—!"
The moment I tried to reload.
"Stop! Calm down!"
A woman in a nun's habit blocked me.
"Sister?"
A nun.
With a very urgent expression.
"Stop shooting the silver bullets! Don't draw aggro!"
"Huh!"
The nun lightly grabbed my body and ran.
"This way first!"
"The vampire right now—!"
"That vampire bitch isn't the problem right now!"
Is there anything more important than killing a vampire in this world...?
"You don't see that thing in the sky!"
"Oh."
I'd been so consumed by intense hatred and fighting spirit that I'd forgotten about that religious anomaly in the sky.
"Sister! What is that thing! Is it some Vampire King?! Dracula or something?!"
"Just shut up, please!"
"I'll run! Let me go!"
The nun let me go. No need to think more. She knows better about crises like this.
I sprinted after her.
"Where's this?"
"One of the church buildings. It has some defensive strength, so catch your breath here."
"Yes."
Come to think of it.
During the Giant Apocalypse, I rebuilt a collapsed church building and summoned Crusaders there.
So, gonna do the same this time? Summon Crusaders and declare a holy war against that crazy Dracula count? Back then, the world was so ruined that only a few Crusaders came out, but now who knows.
"Sister. That thing in the sky. What is it? Really Dracula? It's even emitting a religious halo from behind its head."
"You're asking me? Aren't you Management Bureau? Haven't you figured it out?"
The nun frowns and questions me accusingly.
"Ah, I'm still a newbie."
"Sigh... Not very reliable for a Management Bureau agent."
"I'll show better next time. For now, tell me what you know. That thing is insane. It blows up people's heads and resurrects ghouls."
"..."
The nun crossed her arms and sat on a chair.
"That's not a vampire."
"Then?"
"That... something up there."
Something up there.
"I thought it was just a normal vampire uprising at first. But it wasn't."
I swallowed as I listened to her explanation.
"I only realized after coming here. This isn't a normal city."
"Yes? Not a normal city?"
"Yes. Simply put, it's a cult. A city infiltrated by a cult."
"No way...!"
"Seems like there were a ton of zealots steeped in strange faith. Enough for a saint like that to emerge."
"A saint?! A cult saint appeared in a city full of deranged zealots?!"
That thing in the sky was a saint!
"For now, yeah."
What kind of madness is this!
"My theory is this. The vampires knew this city was corrupted by twisted faith and zealotry. That's why they rose up."
"Why? Any special reason to target a cult?"
"Whatever the case, defiling and turning people with strong faith into non-humans is prime feeding for them. But they didn't know a saint had been born."
The nun's words.
Comparing it to what the vampire muttered.
That vampire bitch talked like something went wrong and everything fell apart. In that sense, the nun's explanation fits.
"Wait. Sister. Say a saint appeared. But is a saint like that? Just appearing and emitting a halo, blowing up heads, resurrecting ghouls?"
That's not a saint, that's a necromancer. If saints were like that from the start, Earth wouldn't be intact.
"Of course not. Obviously, that's no ordinary saint. It's truly horrific, but... it seems some unknown entity has descended into that saint's body."
"Descended...?"
"Yes. Unknown. Some entity. One that can even create a halo... something ominous. An unknown something from who-knows-where."
"A god?"
"Don't say that word lightly."
Her sharp reaction startled me.
"A demon?"
"Better to call it that for now. Alright. Let's summarize. A powerful demon possessed the cult saint's body. That's the situation. So, what happens next? Explain specifically."
"Well... it's a demon, so it'll rampage?"
"Rampaging is a given."
The nun, legs crossed, strokes her cross.
"Its followers—surprisingly—are already all vampires and ghouls. So, yeah. It'll act as their angel. Since all its believers are those kinds. Not sure if that's lowering or raising its level, but amazing. A vampire angel. Unless you're a vampire or ghoul, you can't even join the religion."
Vampire angel...!
"T-Then! Is that stronger than a Pureblood?"
"Who knows? Angels and popes have different roles. Can't say for sure, but definitely more dangerous than a Pureblood. Anyway, Management Bureau agent. What now?"
"What do you mean what! Sister! What do we do now! How do you stop a demon like that! Can't the Vatican do something?!"
"Yes...?"
The nun looks flustered.
"I'll explain, but the Vatican is far away. I'm here alone. It doesn't make sense for me to resolve this. And it's not something you can normally stop anyway."
"Then what?"
"It's not 'then what.' You're the Management Bureau agent? You guys should have a way! What nonsense is this! Don't you manage the country?!"
By the end, the nun yelled and scolded me.
"Ah!"
Right!
This is exactly the Management Bureau's job!