Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: The Devil's Flesh
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Archbishop Fabian didn't immediately understand what Loan was saying.
Why would a group that worships a demon keep it captive?
-Could it be that they covet the demon's power?
-That seems plausible.
The demon twitched sensitively, endlessly spewing out a thick, dark mana.
The reason was unclear, but it was certain that the magic circle on the floor was forcibly restraining the demon.
While Loan and Fabian, looking remarkably composed, mulled over the situation.
The black mages' chanting grew deeper and more intense.
At the same time, the unsuspecting pilgrims who had followed along began to sway their bodies to the music.
Their souls were already deeply intoxicated by the darkness.
Perhaps the hideous demon before them actually looked beautiful, or maybe they truly believed they were meeting a god.
They even stepped forward, reaching out their hands to touch the demon.
The black mages struggled to hold them back, their movements merging as if in a dance.
The frenzied atmosphere filling the hall was steadily escalating.
Then, at a certain moment.
The chanting stopped and the commotion ceased all at once as someone made their appearance.
*Shhk-*
A black mage walked past Loan and Fabian, heading toward the demon.
The dark space was filled with the dark mana emanating from the demon, but the dense magical power of the black mage was no less potent.
To Loan, it felt like a particularly dark and dense orb. This was likely the leader of the black mages here.
He took his place before the demon, then turned to face the pilgrims.
Deep wrinkles and dark circles clustered around his eyes, giving him a sinister and eerie aura despite his smile.
If not for his petty-looking goatee, one might have mistaken him for a demon.
“Ooooh...”
With a low exclamation.
From his thin, slender torso, which seemed to be the very embodiment of cloying darkness, two twig-like arms were raised.
His wrinkled palms opened toward the pilgrims.
“Welcome, chosen ones. Today is your festival. The time of suffering under a false god is over. Now is the time to be liberated from the tangles of your hearts.”
Did his grating voice, like scraping metal, sound like a heavenly chorus to the pilgrims?
Some threw their arms high, some stomped their feet, and others, unable to contain their excitement, punched the person next to them.
“How can a god be one who persecutes and torments the body and mind? A god must bestow mercy. They must offer their own flesh, their own blood, to fatten their servants. There is no longer a need to chase the light. You will feel the hand of your god in the darkness.”
The black mages surrounding him applauded fanatically, praising the pilgrims.
The pilgrims let out shrill screams.
“If you accept the essence of Lord Dekara, you will immediately enjoy the power of a god. You are now the apostles of darkness.”
The demon's name was likely Dekara.
This ritual was meant to bestow the demon's power upon the pilgrims, turning them into corrupt acolytes.
Loan and Fabian stared blankly at the backs of the pilgrims, who were now trying to surge forward.
They also read the face of the black mage, who watched the pilgrims with a look of profound emotion.
His mouth opened again.
“I, Ube, Commander of the Brien, declare it. You, at the very front. You shall be the first to receive our god.”
He extended a hand to one who was foaming at the mouth and thrashing wildly.
The man was led forward by that hand, his movements surprisingly natural.
His frantic movements quieted for a moment. A purplish-black smoke rose above his head, likely a form of black magic used to control his actions.
As the man stood obediently before the demon.
Commander Ube now made his move.
He turned and slowly approached the demon, Dekara.
The demon's haphazardly placed ears, hands, mouths, feet, and eyes shifted chaotically, as if it detested or feared Ube.
*Shk-*
With a smooth, fluid motion, Ube knelt on one knee before Dekara.
Then he drew a dagger from his waist and carved out a chunk of flesh.
Another black mage approached as if on cue.
Ube placed the quivering piece of flesh onto the plate in the man's hands.
“This is the divine essence that will guide you to the path of an apostle.”
The pilgrim bowed deeply several times, expressing his awe and gratitude, then reached out with both hands to accept the piece of flesh.
And shoved it into his mouth.
As the squirming flesh was swallowed, thick dark mana spread through the pilgrim's body. With each passing moment, he trembled violently, as if struck by lightning.
Loan and Fabian were left speechless by the shocking sight.
As the second pilgrim's turn began, Fabian opened a mental channel.
-So that's how it works.
-It doesn't seem to be the effect of any special magic. I can't sense any materialization or manifestation.
-Then is it purely the act of eating the demon that's causing this?
-Yes. I don't know if it's specific to this demon, but for now, that seems to be the case.
The ritual continued.
As those who swallowed the demon's flesh trembled and transformed, the black mages would congratulate them, and they would leave the ritual chamber as a group.
One by one, they received and ate the flesh.
Soon, it was time for Loan and Fabian to leave the chamber with the last pilgrim.
-What does the Orthodox Church do in cases like this?
-Rehabilitation seems difficult. We would have no choice but to return them to nature. What does the Union do?
-We make an independent judgment when the situation arises and confirm it after the fact.
-And in your judgment, Loan.
-Annihilation, followed by facility shutdown.
They were in agreement.
-It seems we're caught in the middle.
-Then let's have each other's backs.
Loan accepted Fabian's proposal and made a request.
-In that case, may I take the ones in front?
The powerful-looking black mage. And the demon.
Fabian recalled the eager expression Loan hadn't bothered to hide when they spoke of the black mages.
There seemed to be no cause for concern.
The caution he had shown so far was enough to know he wouldn't do anything reckless.
-Very well. I'll be facing greater numbers, but as the elder, I suppose I must endure it.
-...
-A jest. I feel rather apologetic, as it seems I'm only handling the easy opponents.
-Thank you. But are you really alright? Your face is quite wet.
Aul, nestled in Fabian's hair, had woken upon seeing the band of black mages and the demon, and had been drooling ever since.
Even now, saliva trickled down, pooling on the archbishop's eyelids and nose before dripping off, looking much like sticky sweat.
It knew Loan was worried and wouldn't cause trouble right away, but its appetite was already whetted, and it had no intention of leaving.
-I will be sure to have another talk with my friend about this later.
-It's fine. It's quite invigorating, actually. I'll consider it a form of training and asceticism.
Winking, Fabian discreetly turned his body.
Now, he had no choice but to drop his Convection.
Loan was worried for a moment about what would happen.
*Woooooong-*
But when he saw Fabian's pure mana radiate outwards in all directions like a sun driving away the darkness, he set his worries aside.
There was absolutely no chance of him being dominated by the dark mana.
However, it was, of course, extremely conspicuous.
Especially to those with a certain level of skill, who would have noticed it instantly.
“An intruder?”
The moment one of the black mages shouted.
Fabian slammed the large iron door leading into the black building completely shut.
Startled by the *thud*, the others turned to look toward Loan.
It was the very moment the last pilgrim had just put the piece of flesh into his mouth.
A few black mages, finding the closed door strange, started to approach it, but Loan didn't let them.
“Kuh!”
Two of them collapsed with a short scream. Two Shevilles hovered in the air.
With that, Loan looked at the black mages and began to shed his leather clothes.
His movements were quite slow, but no one moved.
Having dispatched two of them in an instant, they were unable to act immediately, regardless of what he did next.
Watching Loan, now back in his original attire, adjust his clothes, Ube spoke.
“Union.”
“That's right.”
“Kill him.”
Just as a dozen black mages raised their arms.
Loan glanced up at the ceiling.
*'It's enough.'*
In fact, from Loan's perspective, he was grateful for the demon generating all this dark mana.
The mass of mana, which had grown exponentially since he entered this place, was already spread wide across the ceiling.
Because the mana in the space was so dense, no one had noticed it.
Loan had used a spell befitting the spatial sense of White Peak Mountain, and now, hundreds of sharp icicles hung from the black ceiling.
Of course, they weren't simple icicles.
The ice crystals were condensed to their utmost, their hardness and sharpness surpassing that of most weapons.
Add a speed correction to this, and quite obviously—
“Gah!”
“Aargh!”
—they would be killed by the sudden downpour of hidden weapons.
Of course, this only applied to those who couldn't mount a minimal self-defense.
*BOOM—!*
The survivors numbered eight, including Commander Ube.
All of them had a transparent barrier covering their skin to block external impacts.
He had seen the seniors of the Honor Division use it. Loan himself didn't use it, as his Convection served the same purpose.
After he had killed two in the blink of an eye and slaughtered more with large-scale magic, the enemy's reaction was a bit more cautious.
Only the commander had not lost his initial momentum.
“I've heard about you. So you're the kid who's been giving Le Tell a headache.”
“Now I'll be your headache, too.”
Not expecting Loan to banter back, a strange curiosity flickered across the man's face.
“Just like a mage. You enjoy a good chat, don't you.”
“Only if the conversation is worthwhile. I have a lot I could learn from you. I don't know much about the Brien.”
“You talk a good game. But I know your little scheme. How could a mage not see through another mage's ploy?”
“My scheme?”
“That spell from before was new to me, but seeing as it couldn't break our barriers, I'd say it's a unique magic of about the 3rd class.”
“Hmm... is that so?”
“A wide-range attack, carefully planned to thin our numbers. Of course, after casting a spell on that scale, your mana must be depleted.”
“So you think I'm stalling for time to recover my mana?”
Loan asked back with a faint smile.
It was amusing to watch his shallow scheme unfold.
In truth, the one stalling for time wasn't Loan, but the commander.
While talking to Loan, he was busily doing something with his hands behind his back.
Loan could tell from the flow of mana originating behind him that he was amplifying the power of the magic circle tormenting the demon.
The demon was writhing violently, but silently.
It spewed out a far more noxious amount of dark mana than before.
He asked.
“One thing I'm curious about is how you're managing to stay sane in here.”
Loan nodded slightly, as if in understanding.
“I suppose... witnessing such a vile scene would surely wound the heart of a noble soul with a righteous character.”
“...”
“Fortunately, thanks to the early education you Graves provided since I was young, I've built up a tolerance.”
Loan thought it was a good thing he'd engaged the man in conversation.
He even felt a sense of gratitude toward him.
The dark mana that filled the air.
Perhaps its purpose was to drive Loan mad.
Or perhaps it was a condition for some spell they were preparing.
But they had no way of knowing that the sudden, drastic increase in dark mana had been a great help to Loan.
With mana pouring into him as if in an explosion, Loan steadily increased the speed of his circulation.
Since entering this place, the horizontal mana pathways had begun to widen considerably.
And now, thanks to the man's 'consideration'.
*Woooooong-*
The path of circulation had opened completely.
From top to bottom, from bottom around the sides, and back to the top.
There was no awkwardness in the intersecting movements. It was smooth and powerful.
His spirits soared as magical power spread throughout his entire body. His mind, too, felt infinitely uplifted.
The power extending to his lower body, in particular, made him want to test something out right away.
*'Perhaps even swift movements like the Archbishop's...'*
The moment the thought finished.
A clear light flickered in Loan's eyes.
A sea-blue lightning bolt instantly struck the black mages.