The Serpent Church (5)
The Serpent Church (5)
Two groups that had rejected each other were suddenly forced to coexist.
As expected, it did not go smoothly.
"Cross the line and you're dead."
"Shut up and hand over the food!"
They drew a line in the ground, and the Serpent Church and the inquisitors snarled at each other. The other side had the overwhelming advantage in numbers, but in terms of quality, our side was far better.
I took charge of the snarling groups myself. No one else was going to step up, and the more people we had for this raid, the easier it would be.
"Just looking at your face disgusts me."
"Quiet, Serpent Church."
I wedged myself between Radatok and Isabella, who were in each other's faces and growling.
"Let's stop showing off and talk about practical matters."
First, we gathered the food.
The total food supply was just enough to last a week. Considering we had to hold out for at least two weeks, it was nowhere near enough. On top of that, firewood was also in short supply.
"This is ours."
I scowled at Isabella as she openly threw her weight around on her own turf.
"Give us half."
"Absolutely not."
"Give it. Right now. Do you all want to die together? If blood gets spilled here, it won't stop until one side is wiped out. Are you trying to let all your subordinates die?"
"But this was originally ours."
"Bullshit, Scales. That’s tribute you stole from the Sun God Church."
"It's goods we seized from incompetents."
"This is why coexistence with heretics is imposs—"
"Enough!"
What a bunch of battle maniacs. I understood why seeing heretics put them on edge, but please, just hold it in.
"Hey, Isabella."
"What?"
"I understand your situation, but let's handle this amicably. Didn't you agree to a temporary alliance? I'm not asking you to hand over everything. Half. No, how about a third? You can give that much, can't you?"
"......"
"Think about survival. The moment anyone gets cut down by a sword, all that's left is war. And right now we're underground. We're being devoured by the Snow Demon in real time, so there's no need to waste energy, is there?"
I slammed the floor.
"We have a common enemy right in front of us, so cooperate for now. If you can't even give a third, I'd like you to understand that we can't hold back either."
"...Fine. But we won't give any firewood. We're short on that too."
"Do as you like. We don't need it anyway."
We had Ember, a Holy Art unique to the Sun God Church. Unlike them, who couldn't start fires, we could produce our own flames.
"Brother, what kind of ridiculous deal is that...?"
"Radatok. Why are you acting like you don't understand? The most important objective is right in front of us. We can go out and beat those heretics later. But if the Snow Demon gets loose here, people will die in droves."
I kept Radatok in line with the carrot and the stick.
"Think about Divine Judge Dimona. Without you, Radatok, who would assist her? We have to survive this place. We have to kill the Snow Demon and get outside. Besides, the inquisitors we left behind will definitely request support from church headquarters if they lose contact with us."
"...So once we get out of here, the odds favor us?"
"Exactly. So let's keep quiet for now. We brought a fair amount of our own food anyway, right? If we take a third from them and hold out on that, we'll manage for a while."
"You're right, Brother."
Radatok rose to his full, massive height.
"I nearly forgot the greater cause because of the heretics before my eyes. Thank you."
"Hey. No need for thanks between us, Radatok. We're in this together, aren't we?"
"Well said."
The vast ice cavern split in two. The inquisitors and the Serpent Church.
An uncomfortable atmosphere hung in the air, but they treated each other as if the other didn't exist. It was thanks to Isabella and Radatok managing their subordinates separately.
But what could I do? If all we had to do was sit around in this cold place and endure, it would hardly be a raid.
I got up from the floor. The ground shuddered again and sank another level. The space was narrowing little by little, and cracks had begun spreading across the walls.
I deliberately raised my voice. I spoke loudly, as if for everyone to hear.
"Strange! I think I can see something beyond the cracks in the wall!"
"What? Brother Zahard. Is that true?"
"What do you see?"
The inquisitors swarmed over. The Serpent Church members, who had been pretending not to look while sneaking glances this way, also quietly pressed close to the wall.
There was nothing beyond the cracks but ice and snow. One of the inquisitors spoke up.
"Maybe you saw it wrong?"
"No. I saw it clearly."
It was about time for them to show up. Vagueness's parasites.
When Vagueness became active, its parasites moved as well. Because they got the first taste before Vagueness swallowed everything, they were called wine tasters—Sommeliers.
Why wine tasters, of all things?
Because humans were their favorite food. Drenched in red blood, they looked as though they had swallowed wine; hence the name Sommelier.
Something wriggled, and a pincer popped out of a crack in the wall.
"Wh-what is that?!"
"What the hell is this...!"
"They're the Snow Demon's familiars."
They were mere parasites, but that word would feel more familiar.
A massive pincer shattered the ice. A creature the size of an adult human, resembling a crab, turned to look at the inquisitors.
Radatok was the first to move. His sword split the thick carapace.
"Everyone, prepare for battle."
One after another, Sommeliers emerged from the broken walls. I spread Ember across my hand.
Now. Let's do this.
The Snow Demon subjugation operation!
And a chance to power-level while I'm at it!
. . .
Day one.
The fighting was somewhat rough. Everyone except Radatok failed to break through the thick carapaces in a single blow. The inquisitors and the Serpent Church alike struggled.
But before long, a countermeasure became clear. The Sommeliers, which made icy terrain their home, feared fire.
In other words, the Sun God Church’s inquisitors were their natural enemy.
"What the hell are these bastards!"
"They're weaker than I thought!"
The inquisitors gleefully cut down the Sommeliers. I slipped in among them as well. I picked up a sword dropped by one of the Serpent Church members who had been devoured and fought hard against a massive pincer.
Skill proficiency and levels grow quickly in battles that cross the line between life and death.
In short, this was basically a free leveling ground for me! I could use Ember, which made me about the worst possible matchup for these things!
"Wahahaha!!"
"Brother Zahard! You're on fire!"
"I can't lose!"
"Evil is purified by flame!"
We threw a Sommelier party. But in contrast, the Serpent Church was not faring so well.
"What the shit?!"
"Why are they so damn hard!"
The Serpent Church was fighting desperately. Their Holy Arts were mainly specialized in ambushes and backstabbing. The exact opposite of the Sun God Church, which wielded flame and specialized in frontal combat.
Their blades were sharp, but against the Sommeliers, blunt weapons were more effective than swords. Even when they pierced the thick shells, most failed to inflict fatal wounds.
"What are you all doing?! Get it together!"
The only reason the front line held at all was thanks to the Serpent Church's paladins. Under Isabella's command, whenever their swords flashed, the Sommeliers let out grotesque shrieks and spilled bodily fluids.
But compared to the numbers pouring in, it was nothing more than a candle before the sun.
I spoke firmly.
"We have to help them."
"Brother. That's not possible."
Radatok flatly refused. Flames flickered along his massive greatsword. With a simple swing, a Sommelier's legs were utterly shattered and scattered.
Damn. He's strong. Really.
"We called it a temporary alliance, but it's better not to reach out rashly. They're all heretics anyway. It would be better for them to die to those monsters."
"Why?"
"Even if we get out of here, all that awaits them is the Sun God Church's Sword of Judgment. And with food running short, if they die to the monsters, most of their food will fall into our hands."
"Getting what we want without lifting a finger. That’s exactly what this is."
"Correct."
"He's right, Brother."
"There's no need for us to reach out."
"They're filthy heretics anyway. If they get torn apart by monsters, that's exactly what we wanted."
No.
That won't do. It absolutely won't. I don't care whether those bastards live or die, but I need the numbers for the boss stage.
I puffed out my chest and raised Ember, then cut down an approaching Sommelier with a savage slash.
"I'm going to help them."
"Huh? Brother. Did you not understand what I—"
"No. I understood. But listen, Radatok. We made a temporary alliance with them. It may be temporary, but it's as good as a promise to fight back-to-back together."
"......"
"Every word we speak is being watched by the Sun God Ra. I think we should show her nothing but the truth!"
Ra muttered.
—I can see one shameless bastard hiding his true feelings right now.
Shut up. This is an important moment.
"As long as we act in her name, I think every word we speak should carry that weight. Besides, hasn’t judging heretics always been the duty of inquisitors and Divine Judges?"
"......"
"Are you going to hand over the judgment of heretics—something only you can do—to those monsters? Are you going to surrender that noble honor and achievement to a bunch of damn crabs?!"
I launched into an impassioned speech.
"Heretics! Fine! Judging heretics is good! But we’re the only ones allowed to do it!"
—You are not even an inquisitor.
"We—and only we—must judge the heretics! If you hand that burden and glory over to mere monsters, who will trust the inquisitors? Who will support you?!"
"But no one is watching..."
"You all know. Don't look away. Wherever we are, whatever we do."
I raised my sword. I took a step forward.
"We are always with Ra."
—......
"The sun is with me, and her flame shall settle upon my body."
I boldly crossed the line the Serpent Church bastards had drawn.
"I won’t hand our sacred task over to monsters. Judging heretics is the duty of the inquisitors alone."
"...He's right."
"We can't hand our task over to those damn monsters."
"It's something only we must do."
"Something only we can do."
"Dying to monsters is a meaningless death."
"But dying by our hands is true repentance."
"Ra is watching."
"Even if no one else is watching, she is with us."
The inquisitors crossed the line with me. Radatok stood beside me. Flames blazed fiercely in his eyes.
"I was wrong, Brother. We will not hand over our task to those monsters."
Ra sighed.
—You should just join the Serpent Church. That tongue of yours is truly a serpent's tongue.