The Island of Believers
“Do you know anything about Norse mythology?”
“No.”
At Halordale’s question, Do-ha shook his head. He had never been religious, even before crossing into another dimension. He believed in no gods, and mythology was even more foreign to him.
“I know a little about Greek mythology. There used to be a comic about it.”
“Then you don’t know the story of the wolf that eats gods?”
“Huh? That one I know.”
Do-ha nodded. He had heard the tale of the god-devouring wolf. He couldn’t recall the wolf’s name, but he knew such a being had existed.
“Fen… Fendas?”
“It’s Fenrir.”
Halordale corrected him. The god-eating wolf bore the name Fenrir.
“Right, Fenrir. What does that have to do with Anubis?”
“The story of him devouring a god spread because he swallowed Anubis.”
To be precise, he had swallowed him, only for Anubis to burst out through Fenrir’s throat. And those who witnessed their battle had given Fenrir the moniker of the god-devouring wolf.
“So he was swallowed, but managed to escape.”
“Exactly. And in the process, Anubis lost something extremely important.”
“Something important?”
“The Book of the Dead. He lost it.”
It was a book absolutely essential for guiding the dead. Filled with all manner of magical spells, records, and laws, it was a divine artifact that must never be lost.
“Don’t tell me… the reason Anubis contracted with the cult…”
“Your guess is correct. Anubis joined hands with the cult to recover the Book of the Dead. The reason he tried to emerge into the middle realm before was so he could search for the book himself. As a divine artifact containing critical magic, he couldn’t very well have it handed over through human intermediaries.”
“It’s inside Fenrir’s belly?”
“That’s what we currently believe.”
“Then don’t we have to fight Fenrir again?”
“Impossible. Fenrir is long dead—only his remains are left.”
In the distant past, Fenrir had died fighting another god. Because of that, records stated that only his remains lay somewhere in Northern Europe.
“But does he really need to find the Book of the Dead? Can’t he just get a new one issued?”
“…”
When Do-ha tilted his head, Halordale’s face went blank for a moment. It was a divine artifact, for heaven’s sake—and he was talking about it like checking out a library book.
“He could obtain another, yes. But he would be held accountable for the mistake of losing the Book of the Dead.”
While the gods’ actions couldn’t be predicted, the Demon God Cult had roughly calculated the punishment: either a trip to Hell, or the stripping of his qualifications. He wouldn’t die. But one of those two was certain.
“Seeing how Anubis is trying to come to the middle realm himself… I suspect it would be the stripping of his qualifications.”
If he lost his status as a god of death, Anubis would plummet in an instant. That was why he was pouring everything into recovering the Book of the Dead.
“What did the cult get promised in return for recovering the Book of the Dead for Anubis?”
“Well… even I don’t know that. But it certainly wouldn’t be anything trivial. After all, it’s a matter involving a god.”
“Then the place where they’re trying to summon Anubis…”
“Iceland. Judging by the remaining records and the Pope’s movements, that’s the most likely location.”
“Is it possible to summon Anubis even in Northern Europe?”
“It is. The previous attempt in Egypt was simply because there was a large population nearby to use as sacrifices. Nothing more complicated than that.”
“When do you think the summoning will happen?”
“Given how frequently they’ve been visiting Northern Europe… my estimate is that the summoning will begin soon.”
“Hmm, I see. That’s a satisfactory answer.”
“W-what should we do?”
Han Jeong-soo, who had been listening quietly, looked at Do-ha with a worried expression. News of a god’s appearance was astonishing and mysterious. But if that god was an enemy, it was a different story entirely. The Demon God Cult was already expanding its power and influence; if a god joined them now, there would truly be no answer.
“We stop it.”
Truthfully, he would have liked to fight Anubis as well, but his own power was still insufficient. Moreover, having seen the power of gods, he had no idea how strong Anubis might be. As a god of death, his power would be immense.
No point creating dangerous variables for no reason.
Do-ha turned his head to look at Halordale sitting inside the prison.
“You didn’t think this would get you out, did you?”
“I never expected it. Just… give me food.”
Halordale turned his head, his face going expressionless. Having already grasped Baek Do-ha’s personality to some degree, he held no expectations of him. He simply wanted to escape his hunger.
“Han Jeong-soo.”
“Yes.”
“From now on, make sure this guy gets three meals a day. With a variety of dishes.”
“Understood.”
Han Jeong-soo nodded at Do-ha’s order. In truth, he had expected Do-ha to say something like this once they obtained information here.
“And…”
Do-ha looked toward the ceiling area and used Finger Bullet Technique to punch a hole through part of the wall. It was only about the size of a baseball. Yet the light pouring through it was blindingly bright.
“…”
Halordale stared wordlessly at the light coming through the hole. How long had it been since he last felt sunlight? It was warm.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Seeing Halordale quietly close his eyes as he felt the light, Do-ha smirked and turned his back, leaving the building.
“In about two days, seal that hole—say bugs are getting in.”
“Excuse me??”
Seal the hole all of a sudden…? Then why bother making it in the first place? Hadn’t he done it so the man could feel the sunlight?
“Once that warm sunlight he’s feeling disappears again, he’ll be swallowed by darkness once more. Then he’ll gradually come to regret joining the cult and fall into despair. He’ll think he never should have joined and ended up like this.”
“Then what about the meals you mentioned earlier?”
“Give him three meals a day for about a week. Then gradually reduce them as each week passes. Cut down the menu options and the number of deliveries. If he complains, just brush it off saying you forgot.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Oh, right—I saw a sink near the entrance earlier. Does the water work?”
“Yes. We don’t use it, but water does come out.”
“Good. After you seal the sunlight hole, leave the faucet slightly open so water drips one drop at a time.”
“Why…?”
“In the quiet darkness, if all he hears is the constant drip of water, he’ll gradually go mad.”
“…”
As Do-ha finished speaking and walked on, goosebumps rose on Han Jeong-soo’s arms. Truly terrifying, cruel, and thorough. Apparently Do-ha considered Halordale useful. And to make full use of a useful Halordale, he intended to completely shatter the man’s faith and spirit.
“Do you plan to use Halordale?”
“Wow, hanging around me has made you quick on the uptake. That’s right.”
Do-ha patted Jeong-soo’s shoulder. Halordale’s combat power was weak, but his summoning ability was outstanding. The reason he’d kept him alive in the first place was to have him summon other demons. So he planned to keep using Halordale.
“Last time I saw him open a gate to the Demon Realm too…”
“What?! Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Perfect. If I want to go raise hell every now and then, I need someone who can open the door.”
“…”
Hearing the words “raise hell,” Han Jeong-soo’s legs nearly buckled. The Demon Realm wasn’t some neighboring town—and he was talking about raising hell there… But knowing Do-ha was more than capable of actually doing so, he was worried.
Whoosh…
“Whoa, Canteas. The scenery is killer, right?”
Vast plains and a wide-open sky. Plus the small waterfalls nearby. It was the kind of landscape that looked like it could heal you just by living there for a few days.
“This is the country where you can see the aurora, right?”
“Yeah, it’s famous for that. Don’t tell me you said you’d come along just because you wanted to see the aurora?”
Do-ha tilted his head at Canteas. Before he had even suggested going, Canteas had come to him first and said he would follow to Iceland. He had planned to bring him along anyway and agreed, but he still didn’t know why the guy wanted to tag along.
“Come on, there’s no way I came just because I wanted to see the aurora.”
Canteas waved his staff once, and an aurora unfurled across the clear sky. It was faint because of the daylight, but it was unmistakably an aurora.
“I can make something like this myself.”
“You have no sense of romance, you bastard. Natural occurrences and artificially created ones are different.”
“What you see with your eyes is the same either way! Ask any tourist who visits here! What’s different between the aurora I just made and a natural one?!”
“Not ‘wrong’—different, you stupid skeleton.”
“Don’t call me a skeleton!”
“Ugh.”
Watching the two bicker, Baal let out a sigh. They had come to stop Anubis’s summoning, yet here he was watching their farce. Didn’t they ever get tired of arguing like that every single day?
“Looking at you, Canteas, you’re pretty immature yourself.”
“Why bring up maturity here? You go play with Metatron over there, standing with his arms crossed acting all solemn.”
“I’m not acting solemn—I’m surveying the surroundings!”
At Canteas’s words, Metatron flared up. Anyone listening would think he was just posing. He was on guard because a god of the underworld might descend at any moment.
“Hmph. I’d rather go back to where I was imprisoned than play with that pigeon.”
“You’re right. So how about I bind you again?”
“Try it if you can.”
“And who’s calling who immature…”
Watching Metatron and Baal start fighting, Canteas shook his head. The moment the word “immature” left his mouth, the two of them were suddenly at it.
“Do-ha.”
“?”
“Any word from the other sides?”
“Not yet.”
Do-ha shook his head. In truth, only four of them hadn’t come here alone. Since Iceland was an island nation, they had deployed forces to the north, south, east, and west. Selenia and Han Jeong-soo to the north. Woo Shin, Kang Ji-hwan, and Han Se-ah to the south. And the Heavenly Demon and two True Dragons to the east. The rest were positioned to the west.
“What are we looking for?”
“Suspicious movements.”
The words were rather broad, but they really were searching for suspicious movements. As mentioned, Iceland was a small island nation, so most people had set patterns—the neighbors they saw every day, their behaviors, speech patterns, and so on. Traits that had solidified through constant repetition. But if cultists were hiding here, they would definitely give off a different vibe.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!
A massive explosion erupted from the north, where Selenia and Han Jeong-soo were.
“That way?!”
“Wait.”
As Canteas prepared to launch himself, Do-ha grabbed his shoulder. Just now, some strange energy…
WHOOSH!
BOOOOOOM!
As Do-ha tilted his head, massive explosions rose from the east and south as well, with the north as the starting point. Only the western region where they currently stood remained quiet.
“What the hell?! The cult was hiding this many people?? How did we miss them?!”
Canteas was thoroughly flustered. Normally, to cause simultaneous explosions like this, enemies would need to be in multiple places. Yet the four of them here had all missed it. Did that make any sense?
“…What if they weren’t hiding in the first place?”
Do-ha spoke with a hardened expression.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
As Canteas tilted his head, Do-ha immediately sent a telepathic message to everyone.
That was it. The island of Iceland had already fallen into the Pope’s grasp.