Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Chapter 73
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: S2. Grudge Brushing the Stars -4
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The white hood symbolized praising His greatness while repeatedly reminding oneself of one's own ignorance. Laughable things like morality or legal principles held no value. Compared to His infinite wisdom, how fleeting were the thousands of years of human civilization?
The world revolves around the superior ones. No one places the impoverished and powerless weak at the center of the world. Most humans look up to and follow those who know much and can do much.
That was the instinct of this shabby, herding species called humanity.
Then why not serve Him?
He was the being with the supreme wisdom even in this vast universe. Unbound by space or time, He could erase the Earth with a mere gesture. In the fleeting terms of humans, He was the emperor, and humanity mere beggars.
Serving Him was only natural. For a diamond radiating brilliant light, discarding useless rocks was right. The scales of the universe tipped clearly toward Him.
The fanatic paced the library in religious ecstasy. He kicked over bookshelves and burned books with cigarette embers. Astronomy, geography—all useless, vain knowledge.
Thus, failing to get into Miskatonic University, and the trivial mistake of killing his parents out of annoyance at their nagging—they were as if they never happened from a cosmic perspective.
He looked at those sharing his faith.
Some gazed at the sky in prayer, some preached truth to the unenlightened humans left in the library, and others struggled to pry open the vault of the vile heretic.
Abraham.
The Leader had said that wretched old man's research could disrupt His path. If the great One truly willed to descend, a mere old man couldn't stop it.
But we were in a position to beg, "Please look our way." For a beggar pleading to the emperor, having a mad old man chattering nonsense nearby wouldn't do.
It was almost time. The sacred ritual to implore and yearn for Him was right around the corner. Four days later, on the auspicious day of July 14. The Leader and the Saintess would offer countless humans as sacrifices to ignite a massive bonfire.
His heart pounded madly. His body trembled, cold sweat pouring down. The fanatic couldn't tell if the emotion surging through him was ecstasy or terror.
Then.
A blue light flashed from the library ceiling.
A divine revelation? Had He recognized their devoted service and sent a blue star as a blessing? If so, it would truly be blessed...
A shadow writhed from the blue light. And it soon became the shadow of a person. Not one. Three.
Three people appeared from the ceiling and dropped down.
A man with a scar like half his face had been slashed drew his longsword midair. The white light reflected on the blade was so dazzling that the fanatic was momentarily entranced. This was... something... wrong...
That was the last chemical reaction in the fanatic's brain.
Slash-!
Bennett cleaved the fanatic in one stroke as he landed. He had already assessed the situation upon being summoned from above the ceiling. He shouted,
"I'll kill from the left!"
Right! Niore indicated with her body.
Tara wrapped mana around her fist, Niore opened her grimoire. Bennett accelerated with fully recovered mana, scattering sword flashes.
The fanatics, caught off-guard by the sudden assault, fell into panic and died one by one. One of them, seeing their faces, screamed in shock as if his eyes would pop out.
"...You, you definitely! Died by the Leader's power—!"
"Defying death! Defying death—!!"
Tara whirled, her saintess robes fluttering, and delivered a roundhouse kick to a fanatic slow to react. The excessively high slit in her skirt flared, fully exposing her lower body.
Bennett, who was on his fifth kill, flicked his gaze toward Tara. The image of black lingerie panties lingered like an afterimage in his mind.
Crack-!
The fanatic's neck snapped as he crumpled. Tara roared triumphantly, stepping on the corpse.
"Yeah, you bastards! Back from hell to avenge Abraham—!"
"......"
"...What, why that face, Bennett! Bad to say I'll avenge?!"
"No, it means realize our outfits are back to normal. We did an emergency escape and re-entered."
Tara's mind blanked for a moment. Come to think of it, there'd been no fluttering resistance when she kicked. Isaac's clothes she'd changed into would've been restrictive.
Glancing down, it was the custom-made, risqué saintess outfit. She'd done that kick wearing this...?
Tara's face flushed crimson as she shrieked.
"...W-where you looking!!"
"Trying to assist, trying to assist!"
Pew-! Psssh-!
Twice the sound of projectiles slicing air. Two grotesque spears of bone and flesh impaled fanatics to the wall. As Tara and Bennett whipped their heads around, Niore pressed her index finger to her lips.
"...You got me scolded, Bennett!"
"Ridiculous... Incoming magic soon, focus!"
Crunch, crunch.
"Gaaahhh—!"
The fanatics' main attack: invisible projectiles launched by self-immolation. First sighted, only instinctual block or dodge possible, but now after regrouping, countermeasures prepared.
Bennett reached toward the projectiles.
"Space Expansion!"
The space expansion spell used to craft artifacts on backpacks and such. Not his main specialty, low proficiency, output pitiful—temporarily swelling a finger joint to two joint lengths.
Vmmm-!
With Niore's sharp eyes added, plenty to deflect space spell trajectories. Impart slight curvature to space, bend direction. A magical parry, so to speak.
The invisible projectile's path bent, piercing the ceiling and vanishing.
"Worth pulling an all-nighter learning..."
With counters even for their main attack, ordinary fanatics couldn't stop the three. The library was cleared in an instant, without a single casualty.
Tara, hands bloodied, stretched languidly. Walking toward Abraham's vault, she praised Niore.
"Good work, Niore. That parry was cool!"
"I cast the spell."
"What, wanna hear cool too?"
"...Not that."
"Then what is it...?"
The group arrived at the vault. Dents everywhere from fanatics' attempts. Bennett crouched, input the code. '0714'.
Click. The vault door opened.
A thick bundle of research materials lay scattered but undamaged. Bennett gathered and tidied them, handing to Tara.
"Tara, you keep them."
"Me?"
"You're best at defense here. Holy magic. Highest solo survival odds in emergency."
"...No, not me. You keep."
"......?"
"Anyway, you do it!"
Bennett stared straight into Tara's eyes. She averted hers, as if hiding something. Why? Couldn't force on refuser, so Bennett took the materials.
"Move first. Back to Carter Street safehouse."
Bennett led. Tara followed, Niore brought up rear, gazing intently at Tara's back.
Tara felt uneasy and jittery. From the moment she'd doubted the gods after Abraham's death, her holy power had steadily waned. That was why only basic body enhancement.
Worst case, it might vanish entirely.
Without holy power, Tara was just the clothing shop girl. No regrets losing saintess title, but hated being discarded. Just a bit more, a bit more certain, then confess... Once more, Tara put it off.
You were on the way back to Carter Street. No proper clothes available, so Tara remained in her overly stimulating saintess outfit.
For some reason her mood had changed; she'd brazenly strolled crowded academy streets in it before. Now she snapped at Bennett for just glancing back.
"...Can shame be learned later?"
"Bennett, I can hear you—?!"
"Said it so you hear. Don't get it."
"...?"
Questioning as you walked. The city's atmosphere differed slightly from before. After Abraham's mansion was devoured like sliced out.
Monsters had been unleashed throughout the city.
Thus, listening closely, city's bustle easily heard.
People screaming into phones to police about sighted monsters.
Fanatics luring: repent now to protect from monsters.
Someone's severed arm left in deserted alleys.
Watching worsening security and rising chaos evoked odd feelings. Like meticulously built house of cards collapsing—strange futility and loss.
Sense of individual lives cheapening.
Perhaps the city now resembled a battlefield.
Passing an apartment complex, you spotted bloodstains dragging into alley shadows. Blood not yet clotted—recent attack.
Might still save.
"...Niore?"
"......"
Niore cut it off. Heart stung, but ignoring own feelings didn't hurt that much. Couldn't afford another mistake.
Then Tara chimed in.
"If we're fighting anyway, better handle now, right?"
Tara wanted to exact as much revenge as possible while holy power remained. Mixed hope that saving people with active use might restore goddess's favor.
Niore and Tara's gazes turned to Bennett. He chose.
"Save them."
"Tara's got a point. Need to whittle their forces when chance arises. And you wanted to save them, Niore."
"Don't lose yourself, he said."
Bennett lightly patted Niore's back and entered the alley shadows. Brief silence, then the two followed.
15 minutes later.
The group cleared two monsters and three fanatics, rescuing three civilians.
In exchange, fanatics swarmed, starting another chase.
Someone watched from afar, filming with a camera.
Shouldn't have saved them, if I'd somehow stopped it...
Niore ran with a gloomy expression from such thoughts. Bennett, running beside, read her face and blurted,
"Can't fathom why you'd regret my decision. Which way here?"
Right.
At Niore's direction, the group sharply curved. Tara panted, grinding her teeth.
"Crazy fanatics...! How long they chase?!"
"Woulda been nice if you used reinforcement magic!"
"...Didn't feel like it!"
"Space Expansion!"
Vrrr-!
Invisible projectile clips building corner, ricochets skyward.
Chase steadily draining stamina. To shake persistent pursuit, maybe one big fight. As Bennett fiddled with his longsword hilt, ahead suddenly—a hand popped up.
"...Enemy?!"
"No, wait."
A woman waved frantically.
Familiar face. Reporter saved from fanatics before. Sally from New Life Newspaper. She'd said the paper was on Carter Street.
"Here! Come in! I'll hide you!"
"Not a trick?!"
"...Take the help. Inside!"
Trusting the reporter, you dashed into the building. Fanatics chasing lost the trail and left.
Entrance had stairs going straight up, crude barricade at the bend.
"Super chaotic these days. Especially since Silver Twilight Cult targeted me..."
Sally grunted pushing barricade aside. Looked like 5 minutes alone, so Bennett stepped up.
Screech.
"Strong, huh? Sliced that monster in one go."
"...Saw?"
"Telephoto from rooftop. Saw you save people too. That's why I called you in. Seemed trustworthy. Saved me last time..."
Sally gave thumbs up.
Bennett patted Niore's shoulder. See, person you saved.
Up the stairs, glass door with 'New Life Newspaper' logo printed. Inside, windows curtained and boarded dark.
No light sources, pitch black.
Sally fumbled, lit candle with lighter. Dim for room, but enough for faces.
"Can't turn lights on, gives away presence. Dark okay?"
"Fine."
"Thanks anyway. For hiding."
"Just repaying my life. Wanted to treat to meal... Good handmade burgers nearby? But chef got nabbed by monster."
Reporter Sally sighed deeply.
"World's a total madhouse. Thought cult was scams, money grabs, assaults. Who knew our lives'd turn horror flick."
"...Must've been shocked."
"But no one deserves death! And right here, good superpowered folks saving people. Gov secret super mutants?"
At her baffling words, Tara cocked her head.
"No idea what you're on about?"
"Secret, won't pry. But wanna show something? Found infiltrating."
Sally rummaged dark, bumped corner yelping, pulled notebook, returned with crucial cult info.
"Silver Twilight Cult issued full mobilization. July 14, four days from now. Planning 'Calling Assembly' all members attend, actively secure mountain sacrifices."
"...July 14."
"Yep. Definitely plotting something horrific. No clue myself... but you'd know, right?"
As Sally said, Bennett grasped the info's meaning. This was—their summoning ritual execution date.
In various ways, the time was approaching.
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