Chapter 564: Is Tradition a Sign of a Good Civilization?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 564: Is Tradition a Sign of a Good Civilization?
The Sacrificial Vessel had ambition. And it had the power to achieve it. Its challenge to the King of Humans wasn't merely to defeat him and protect itself.
If this god can obtain the body of the King of Humans! If I succeed this time!
It had challenged the King of Humans out of a desire to become stronger, more complete.
The problem was that its power had been insufficient. It had fled to survive, felt fear, and hidden itself. That was the essence of the Sacrificial Vessel—a simple ambition that had been broken against the wall of reality.
But what would happen if it realized the King of Humans had grown much weaker? Would it play it safe to save its own skin, or would it seize this chance to repeat its ancient attempt?
Well, the answer was clear.
[My kindred! Slay that being and offer it upon my altar. To the one who does, I shall grant my very heart!]
Twitch. A change occurred in those who had just received their new bodies. They were supposed to soothe their undying flesh by consuming consecrated food for nearly a year, but the transplanted flesh of the Sacrificial Vessel squirmed, burrowing deeper into their bodies.
“Gack, ghaaak!”
“Aargh! What is this?!”
“O, Sacrificial Vessel! What is happening… Aaaaaargh!”
For bodies that had not yet fully adapted, the Sacrificial Vessel’s power was an invasion, a force of destruction. The long-time Undying had accepted it gradually over a long period, but these newly transplanted individuals writhed in agony as the immortal power seized control of their bodies.
Well, it’s a tonic if you drink it slowly, but it’s doping if you chug it. There’s no good or bad here. It’s all the power of the Sacrificial Vessel, after all. Both are the same kind of Undying.
[Uphold this god with your blood and flesh!]
“Grrrrr…!”
The Sacrificial Vessel’s will was absolute: kill me.
The barbarians who had just become Undying, and the priestesses of the Sacrificial Vessel—none of them knew why this was happening, but they moved according to its will. They advanced on me to escape the pain.
…I had just been winging it, but I didn’t expect my opponent to go all out like this, too.
“My, my. What is all this, Mr. Ankra?”
[I shall make you my body and sever this wretched cycle! This god shall become whole!]
“Are you ‘challenging’ me right now?”
I tried to stimulate the trauma in its memory to frighten it, but a verbal threat could only hold back the Sacrificial Vessel for a moment.
[Yes! This god challenges you! To cast off this long age of humiliation and stand in the world once more!]
Well, if you’re willing to bet your life again for your ambition, I can cheer you on.
But I can’t let you kill me.
I kicked off the ground and ran. At the same time, the newly-made Undying barbarians began to chase me. Their bodies creaked under the strain of their unsettled power, but they were still barbarians who had survived in this jungle. Feeling their presence closing in behind me, I sprinted toward the massive stone door.
The ‘Mouth’ shouted in place of the Sacrificial Vessel.
“The door will not open. Chase him, Undying!”
The sealed stone door could only be opened by the power of a priestess. So, I didn’t bother with a futile attempt to open it. Instead, I drew a card, slid it into the crack of the door, and scraped.
The door momentarily transformed into cards. I threw myself through the gap.
The priestesses stared in bewilderment at the scattering cards.
“What power is that? The power of a druid?”
“It’s different. A power I’ve never seen before. If I had to compare, it’s similar to a witch’s curse!”
“If it’s a transformation art, it won’t work on us, who possess tenacious life force. Do not be afraid!”
The barbarian warriors, commanded by the priestesses, followed me as I scrambled up through the darkness. If I wasted time in this cavern, I’d end up as food for the Sacrificial Vessel.
“Set, Re! Lux!”
I activated a Standard Magic spell to create light. Illuminating the dark cave, I quickly climbed upward.
I’m not particularly fast, but I’m not so slow that I’d be caught by newly-made Undying. I occasionally collapsed the cave ceiling, easily shaking them off. The Undying-wannabes were knocked out in the darkness, not even knowing what hit them.
Easy enough. Once I’m out of the cave, I should probably use Earth Art to collapse it entirely. Just as I took a step toward the exit, which was nearly within reach…
A powerful impact slammed into my side.
Bones broke as the shock rattled my body. I was sent flying, tumbling and bouncing off the ground several times. As I staggered to my feet, my eyes fell upon an Undying I had seen somewhere before.
“Left Leg?”
“Oh, my. I was just offering a greeting. It’s you, Piu? You should have been more careful. Without the Piu armband, I didn’t recognize you.”
Left Leg casually patted his shoulder as he approached.
“Of course, I suppose you had no intention of being careful either! The Sacrificial Vessel was so enraged, it sent a revelation specifically about you! As long as your body isn’t destroyed, it said anything goes!”
“…And you just attack me like that? You’re really going all out, aren’t you?”
“I could say the same to you. The Sacrificial Vessel is a merciful god who promised us immortality. What sin did you commit to make it order the death of a mere Piu?”
So it didn’t have to issue commands only through the priestesses. The priestesses were merely agents. It could convey its will to its kindred as well.
“I found out about your god’s past. The moment I mentioned it, it suddenly tried to kill me. My, trying to kill someone for bringing up a bit of their embarrassing past. So merciful, isn’t it?”
“You blasphemed the Sacrificial Vessel, you who came from beyond the plains. Tsk. You people never change.”
“Change? We haven’t known each other long enough for you to see my habits.”
“I’ve met others from beyond the plains before you. They were all arrogant and rude. They’d point fingers at the Sacrificial Vessel and speak disrespectfully, yet fly into a rage if their own gods were insulted.”
Left Leg recalled an unpleasant memory. After the fall of Manguo, in a jungle that changed daily, the village of the Undying was one of the few places that had maintained its history and traditions. Adventurers from beyond the plains would often stay in the generous and kind village of the Undying.
But kindness was not always repaid with kindness. Most adventurers were investigators at heart, seeking to study the mysterious power of the Undying and the entity known as the Sacrificial Vessel—the nature of their alluring immortality, its source, and its limits.
To the Undying, who worshipped the Sacrificial Vessel as a god, this was deeply offensive. Left Leg’s face soured as he asked.
“So. What did you say to our god?”
“Ah. I said that the Sacrificial Vessel is a remnant created by the power of Ankra, who died long ago.”
“Was it amusing?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked if it was amusing to dismiss our god as a wicked ruler from the past.”
The Undying are gentle and kind. That is because nothing can harm them. Because they do not die, they can welcome guests without suspicion of blades or strangers.
But if their honor and faith are attacked, the Undying become more violent than anything else. Left Leg condemned me with deep disappointment and contempt.
“This is why I was worried about Right Arm’s marriage. The partner Right Arm brought back… that woman who led the Piu village using demonic arts was quiet, but she could never become one of us. She was an arrogant human from beyond the plains who did not respect the Sacrificial Vessel.”
“But the Sacrificial Vessel gave its permission, didn’t it?”
“Yes. Such is its mercy. I thought that, too, was a grace from the Sacrificial Vessel, so I followed without complaint. But that woman ended up bringing in other Piu as she pleased, raising and training soldiers, and burning the forest that held the Sacrificial Vessel’s essence. I endured it because she had the Sacrificial Vessel’s permission… but in the end, you were brought here, and now you’ve incurred its wrath.”
Beyond the muttering Left Leg, other Undying began to appear. Led by the priestesses from the Sacrificial Vessel’s private quarters, the Undying, each with a different transplanted body part, surrounded me, their faces devoid of all gentleness.
Left Leg voiced the resentment of them all.
“And to top it all off, you trespassed in the Sacrificial Vessel’s private quarters… You arrogant fool. By the will of the Sacrificial Vessel, I will offer your body upon its altar.”
Well, I had nothing to say to that. I had invaded the secret space of a being they considered a god. It was only natural for them to be angry.
But still.
“Arrogant? Seriously. Look who’s talking, calling other barbarians ‘Piu’.”
There was one thing I wanted to ask. I straightened my back, ignoring the dizzying pain in my side, and stood up.
“You Undying are kind to other barbarian tribes. Because you know they can’t harm you. You don’t hesitate to care for them, like being kind to small dogs or cats.”
“Perhaps. But we treated you with kindness.”
“You did. But that stems from arrogance. If you truly saw them as equals, there would be no red armbands to mark them as Piu.”
“That is also a consideration for the Piu. We Undying have a tradition of greeting each other with our fists. It’s a mark to prevent the fragile Piu from getting caught up in that tradition and being killed. Or are you saying we should just let the Piu be killed as we please?”
Left Leg asked as if I were an idiot. Yes. Considering their tradition, the treatment of the Piu and their village was perfectly rational. But.
“The very existence of a tradition like that is strange in the first place.”
I don’t know everything. But I know what’s strange. A tradition of beating each other up—one could dismiss it as just a tradition, but there are too many oddities to let it slide with such a simple explanation.
“Your tribe wasn’t always Undying. Naturally, a tradition like that wouldn’t have existed at first. It was clearly created artificially. Now, here’s the question. Why would such a tradition come to be?”
Left Leg scowled, as if he’d never considered it. He had never bothered to question the reasons for following a custom. For his sake, I explained why the Sacrificial Vessel had created such a practice.
“To weed out those who aren’t Undying, right? Only the Undying are fine after being suddenly attacked. It’s to kill or drive away those who aren’t. The tribe members who refused to accept the power of the Undying because they didn’t want to harm their bodies, or outsiders who snuck in coveting that power. Or even the old Undying whose bodies could no longer endure. It’s a means to naturally pressure them.”
Now that the majority of the Undying have accepted their fate, offered their bodies, and gained immortality, that exclusive practice has been disguised as some primitive tribal tradition. But its essence hasn’t changed. It’s being used to herd the Piu into their village.
“The marriage custom is the same. Spend nearly a month buried underground? For anyone who isn’t Undying, that’s a death sentence, isn’t it? It’s the same as saying the Undying must marry the Undying, a custom created for that very purpose. Is that some sacred and pure custom?”
The number of Undying is equal to the number of pieces the Sacrificial Vessel has divided itself into. Therefore, until the Sacrificial Vessel can increase its own mass, it’s difficult to increase the number of Undying. So, the Sacrificial Vessel had to control the population of the Undying tribe, and the marriage custom was one of its methods.
I chuckled, mocking them.
“It’s all like that. Tradition, faith, whatever. They all came into being for a reason and were passed down. They’re all just tools. You believe they’re special, but in reality, they’re simple, trivial, and even childish. Nothing grand at all.”
The Sacrificial Vessel’s true identity was Ankra. A wicked ruler from ancient times who became a god by dividing and spreading its power to survive.
The unique customs and culture of the Undying were merely means to maintain the tribe’s immortality and prevent the Sacrificial Vessel’s power from being dispersed.
“People are the same everywhere. There are only differences in degree. In the end, if you peel back one layer, it’s all simple and childish. No matter how grandly you try to package it, it’s just an extension of instinct. It’s just… all like that. All desires begin from instinct.”
Even this attack on me now is not for any grand reason, but simply because of the Sacrificial Vessel’s primal desire.
Tradition, customs, faith—all tools. Excuses that humans arbitrarily picked up to survive.
It’s ridiculous to be swayed by something you created yourself.
“…After all that, you’re just the same as the others from beyond the plains. You’re making a fool of our traditions and faith.”
“What? I’m not making a fool of your traditions and faith. I’m saying they’re nothing more than tools. You people being territorial is a perfectly natural act that all animals perform. There’s no need to be ashamed.”
As I’ve said many times, humans are merely animals. No matter how many layers you wrap around it, that essence doesn’t change. Tradition or customs, they are just things that have been repeated until now. They have no meaning beyond that.
“Punching passersby in the name of tradition, gaining a sense of superiority by looking down on the Piu who can’t withstand it. Preventing blood from mixing with a bizarre custom of burying a bride and groom together. None of it is anything grand.”
“Just because you’re from beyond the plains, you think you’re so high and mighty!”
“What? I’ve never once acted high and mighty. How is wailing that we’re all the same animals acting high and mighty? It’s an invitation to fall to the level of animals together.”
“We are the tribe chosen by the Sacrificial Vessel itself!”
“The Sacrificial Vessel? Ah, you mean that meat doll in the cavern? The pathetic beast that got scared and hid deep in a cave, only to try and devour its own body the moment an opportunity arose?”
The enraged Undying shouted something. I let their emotions wash over me and continued.
“Well, I don’t know if it’s a god, but I rather prefer such simple humans. Eating to survive, to become stronger. Isn’t that just like an animal?”
What a simple and easy-to-understand desire, isn’t it? It’s just a shame I can’t grant it.
Left Leg shook his head, glaring at me.
“…You’re insane. I’ve never seen anyone from beyond the plains as insane as you. At least the others had some fear of us. Do you not feel the fear of death? Or are you convinced you cannot die?”
“Haha. Well, I’m similar to you all.”
I moved my now-healed body here and there. The regeneration speed is faster than I thought. While we were talking, I had already returned to perfect condition.
Left Leg watched me do a light hop, looking puzzled.
What? I definitely felt it break. Was he not a druid?
“An undying body isn’t that special, is it? Well, I do think it’s rare, though.”
It’s weak compared to vampires. They’re truly immortal. These guys just return to the Sacrificial Vessel’s embrace when they die.
“Now, everyone. The truth is, I’m an Undying just like you. What do you think? Can you still kill me now?”
“You from beyond the plains! You had a hidden card!”
Left Leg, who had let his guard down thinking I was neutralized, charged forward to finish me off.
“But immortality without strength is just pain! Don’t think that will save you!”
If I can’t die, there’s no need to block, right? Instead of taking a defensive stance, I raised my skewer and lunged toward his log-like left leg.
The charging log would be fatal with a single graze. Rushing at it was no different from suicide. Left Leg was momentarily flustered by my charge, as if I were coming to die, but he soon put more force into his kick.
Even among the Undying, the warrior who had inherited the left leg was powerful. My body shattered, unable to withstand even a brief collision. Broken bones pierced my organs, and blood splattered inside and out. I flew far away, feeling excruciating pain.
If he has the power of the Undying, I just have to keep pressing him so he can’t regenerate! We have more experience fighting the Undying!
Left Leg tried to pursue me with the momentum of his attack. As he was about to kick off the ground with his sturdy left leg, he suddenly felt a sense of wrongness.
Belatedly, Left Leg looked down at his left leg. There was a small hole I had made with the skewer, and from it, red blood was spreading.
It was turning the flesh pitch black.
“This is… the Bloodfiend’s…?”
A vampire’s dominion is akin to a curse for the Undying. A vampire’s blood cannot control an Undying’s blood, but it can corrupt it.
I asked Left Leg once more.
“Can you still kill me now?”