The Light of Extermination
The Light of Extermination, as expected, had to get off near the square this time too, pushed back by the crowd. “Aren! Look over there!” Yeriel stretched out her arm and pointed somewhere far ahead. Huh. That’s… “The Church of Light sent people.”
The robes of the resident priests, easily seen at the cathedral, and the heavy paladin armor like what Georg wore. Seeing those unmistakable distinctive outfits, I roughly grasped the situation. Lately, because of the evil gods, the city had been turned upside down, and soldiers running around on patrol were a common sight. Now it seemed the Church had decided to lend a direct hand, all the way to the square where the labyrinth entrance portal opened once a month.
‘What are they planning? Did they bring something to detect the evil god’s energy separately? Or are they using a special trait to find them?’
“Let’s just get in line. Standing around here won’t do any good.” I led the party members to the end of the long queue.
“Aww. I liked how people used to shout and laugh energetically. This time it’s way too stiff.”
“Yeah.” Listening to Yeriel and Lumia chatting in small voices, I wholeheartedly agreed. Crowds of other races like elves and dwarves, adventurers from distant countries or the East far away. The thrill I first felt watching those diverse groups of people chattering noisily still lingered deep in my chest, unforgettable. But now… Anyway, those evil god bastards were absolutely no help at all.
‘Damn it. Those evil god motherfuckers.’
While cursing inwardly and waiting for entry to begin, a group of paladins started walking over from afar. Thud, thud. Led by a man who seemed to be the commander, carrying a massive white cross on his back, the paladins scanned each adventurer one by one. Their casual glances, as if looking at stones, might have annoyed high-ranking adventurers, but whether it was because the action came from righteous intent or because of the solemn atmosphere they exuded, no adventurer stepped forward to protest.
It was when the paladins reached about the middle of the line. Vwooom—!
‘W-what?!’
From the cross the lead commander carried, a blinding holy radiance burst forth.
“S-shit! There was no mention of this!!!”
Was he one of the evil god’s people? I immediately focused on him.
Traits Possessed (expand)
Basic Swordsmanship
Poison Blade
Low-Grade Brand
Writhing Malice
One Language
Could that be the “slave” mentioned in Sophia’s arrangement?
Writhing Malice [P]
The authority of the Plague God Aktur was forcibly implanted into his heart along with terrible pain. His blood and scattering flesh are acid that melts anything they touch, and deadly poison that kills enemies.
— Permanently converts bodily fluids into weak acidic poison.
— Can concentrate mana into one part of the body to use “Plague Explosion.” Upon use, flesh explodes, dealing damage and inflicting a random disease status ailment on the target.
— When the user reaches death, all possessed mana and the heart’s authority mix, automatically triggering “Plague Cataclysm” over a wide radius. Those caught in the “Plague Cataclysm” acquire high-grade random disease status ailments and negative traits.
…Crazy.
“I-I don’t want to die like this… Damn it!!!”
Pababak! The evil god’s slave pushed aside nearby adventurers and desperately tried to flee.
“They said if I just settle in the city and enter the labyrinth, they’d erase the brand!!”
But aside from a few, neither the paladins nor the adventurers were foolish enough to stand by and watch. “Where do you think you’re going!” “Stay still, you vile one!”
Kagarok casts “Grasping Hand.”
Eindinar casts “Great Nature’s Binding.”
[…]
[…]
“Kgh… Kk… Aaaagh!!!” The air distorted, Dumerin’s legs twisted, and vines sprouting from the ground bound his entire body. On top of that, a bear summon over three meters tall crushed him, and chunks of metal and ice spears flew in to pin his wrists to the ground. A festival of all kinds of traits and skills unfolded. Even if they were suppression skills, dozens of attacks from surrounding adventurers poured in at once. Dumerin, hit by all of them, was already on the verge of death.
…The problem was the trait embedded in his heart.
“I-I don’t want to die like this… Kk. Keck.”
The “Writhing Malice” embedded in Dumerin’s heart reacts to life-threatening attacks.
As the user reaches death, “Plague Cataclysm” activates.
“…Hyejin.”
As if realizing he could never escape the word “death” no matter what, he spoke a single name with a detached expression. Gurgle. “Something’s wrong. Everyone, get back!!” “F-fall back!” The area around Dumerin’s heart turned black and pulsed, then his entire body swelled and burst in an instant. Puh-ung— —Paaat! At that moment, a pure white barrier appeared before everyone’s eyes. No, given its appearance, it would be more accurate to call it a barrier field.
Orion casts “Holy Barrier Glamidum.”
“It’s nothing serious, so everyone please calm down.” The moment Dumerin’s body burst, the commander extended both hands and activated his trait. An intricate hexagonal barrier of light sealed the splattering blood and flesh so none could escape outward. ‘Ugh. Makes me want to puke.’ Maybe because it was a barrier made of light, the horrific scene inside wasn’t hidden at all. Black blood and chunks of flesh clung grotesquely to the barrier walls, and the longer I looked, the more nauseous I felt.
“Uweeek.” “Uurp.” Several adventurers with weak stomachs were already retching or vomiting on the ground.
Advanced Purification
Regardless, the commander continued using holy arts to erase the traces of the explosion and the vomit. Then he shouted loudly. “The minions of the evil gods! Whether they were forcibly dragged here as transmigrators or fanatics from outside the city! Once they’ve entered Labyrinth City, not a single one will leave alive!!”
Kuung! With a foot stomp that shook the ground, he continued. “Rest assured. The Church of Light will always stand by your side! My First Paladin Order will do our utmost to eradicate the evil gods’ apostles, followers, and everything beneath them, so I ask that you adventurers fulfill your duties and explore the labyrinth!!!”
Damn it. This wasn’t some politician’s campaign speech. Contrary to my lukewarm impression, quite a few of the thousands of adventurers gathered in the square cheered and responded.
“That’s right! We just need to go into the labyrinth to adventure and explore. No need to worry about evil gods or anything like that!” “He’s got a point. That’s why we have armed groups like the Paladin Order—to take down those vile bastards sneaking into the city, right?” “Waaah!”
Amid the thunderous applause and cheers directed at the commander, I tried to hide my stiff expression. ‘Hyejin… So the guy who just died was just another modern person who missed his younger sister or lover after clearing the game.’ The only difference between him and me was luck and which god had taken notice. What if I had lived an ordinary life without two billion won? What if the god who watched me with interest hadn’t been Ceres, but an evil god like Tehelum or Aktur? I knew full well that making such pathetic assumptions was pointless, but seeing a transmigrator used as a suicide bomb by an evil god and exploding right before my eyes sent a chill down my spine.
Chaos says that was merely a victim of those disgusting evil gods. Think only good thoughts.
Chaos encourages you, as party leader, to maintain composure even before entering the labyrinth.
Hearing that, I snapped back to my senses. ‘If I waver over something like this, the party members who trust and follow me will be swept up in the unrest too.’ Right. Even if someone cried out for their parents or murmured their lover’s name, their unfortunate stories were none of my business. Whoever it was, if they stood in my way bearing the label of transmigrator, I had no choice but to strike without hesitation. Hadn’t I already killed Isaac for revenge? Crack!! I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek. The metallic taste spread across my tongue, but I paid it no mind.
“Aren, are you okay…?” “Pii.” “Haha! What’s there to be not okay about? Man, the Paladin Order is no joke either.” Laughing and waving my hand dismissively, I made light of it to reassure them. “Aaaagh!!!” In the meantime, another evil god transmigrator was identified and tried to flee immediately, but of course met the exact same fate as before.
“Looks like they were serious this time and opened a path somewhere in the city. They said the numbers were small, but how many did they actually send in?” “Exactly. Tsk. I wonder how the world is going to turn out.” While listening to the worried conversation of a party ahead, the signs of the portal opening appeared without warning. Vwooom. Hwaak—! Light erupted from the portal whose surface had been swirling black. “Please don’t push and keep your order! It’ll be over soon!” With the guards’ control, the long line began to shrink rapidly. “Halt! Take out your tokens and wait a moment.” Wait? When I handed my token to the guard, a priest approached and used a holy art.
Purification
As light bathed my body, the guard returned the token and said, “They say that when holy power is concentrated for a short time, those harboring evil energy will resist nine times out of ten.” Just as the other side had sharpened their blades and sent people in, this side was also thoroughly filtering them out in layers. Well, I didn’t know how long this large-scale alert would last, but for now, I could feel at ease. “Pass! Enter!” This guard’s spirit was certainly fired up. Holding hands or grabbing arms for physical contact, we stepped forward. ‘Remember. This time, stopping at just the fourth floor won’t do.’ With that firm resolve, I entered the portal. Vwooom—
I swung my sword lightly. Swish! Monsters swept away by sword strikes and wide-area magic. Even a reliable vanguard that never allowed the allies in the rear to fall into danger. …This is too easy?