Chapter 365: Kingdom of Rot
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 365: Kingdom of Rot
The twisted monster gave Muen no further chance to linger. After a brief moment of regrouping, it surged forward again, bringing with it a foul, cold wind.
More limbs sprouted from the quivering mass of fat and flesh, flailing wildly. These newborn appendages were still slick with white fat and red fascia.
The pale face, which wore an expression of eerie contentment, moved its lips in a blurred murmur. Its eyes were a chaotic mix of rage and joy, radiating a singular brand of ferocity.
Muen instinctively started to take a deep breath, but the rotting stench—which tore at his olfactory nerves every second—made him abandon the idea immediately.
Let’s end this quickly.
Muen’s gaze grew colder.
Keeping Liya behind him for the moment, Muen took a step forward to meet the monster head-on.
However, he did not swing his blade.
Instead, he reached out, his long fingers opening and then curling into a strange, claw-like grip... like the talons of a wild beast.
The long-awaited Thunder Roar 1.0!
A boom of thunder erupted!
The violent shockwave nearly distorted the air, colliding directly with the massive ball of flesh that was charging like a juggernaut.
Squelch.
It was the bizarre sound of something solid being bounced back. The dozen or so limbs on the monster's front were forcibly shoved back into the mass. The fat-filled body caved in, and the skin covered in red fascia rippled like waves, pressing into layer upon layer of folds.
Muen’s brow furrowed slightly. Competing with raw strength was not his forte, and the monster’s frontal impact sent a jolt through his internal energy.
But his brow soon smoothed out.
He felt two warm, soft hands firmly supporting his back.
A gentle curve touched the corner of his mouth. Without a moment's hesitation, Muen drew his blade with his other hand and slashed!
A sharp arc of blade-light split the night. It swept down from above, but it didn't aim for the monster's front. Instead, it carved a smooth, rounded gash along its flank.
Pfft.
Under the immense pressure of the monster's own weight, it was like a balloon pricked by a needle. A massive amount of fat and flesh erupted from the opening.
It was like a fountain—a truly grotesque spectacle.
The erupting flesh and fat hung in mid-air for a moment before curling back as if summoned, defying all common sense in an attempt to return to the main body.
Muen, naturally, would not give it the chance.
"Liya."
As he called out—or perhaps even before the words left his lips—a sacred Holy Light flared to life.
A barrier constructed of Holy Light blocked the path of the returning flesh with pinpoint accuracy.
Sizzle.
The sound of searing meat filled the air.
Deprived of the main body's support, the flesh and fat were incinerated by the Holy Light at a rate far exceeding before. The acrid smell of burning briefly overpowered the stench of rot.
"ROAR—"
Having rapidly lost the support of its mass, the monster finally stopped its nonsensical murmuring and let out a frenzied howl.
That pale face still wore its hair-raising expression of happiness and contentment, but its features began to twist, as if something was about to...
Chink...
A pure white blade pierced the very center of the face.
The distorted features froze instantly. But only for a second; soon, that agony transformed into a ferocious snarl, and newborn limbs reached for Muen...
Chink...
A second blade pierced through.
Muen studied the twisted face. He said nothing, but a flicker of disdain crossed his eyes.
What are you screaming for?
You’re this weak and you dare call yourself an Evil God’s corruption?
Have you no shame?
Faint golden runes suddenly lit up on the white blades.
A pure Holy Light, no less potent than Liya’s—perhaps even superior—poured out from the blades.
"AAAAH—"
The roar turned into a pathetic wail. Every inch of the monster's skin writhed violently. Its misshapen limbs clawed frantically at Muen, but before they could reach him, they suddenly retracted, sinking rapidly into the increasingly hollowed-out body.
It was like a broken ship sailing the high seas that had run out of fuel; it could only dismantle its own hull to keep moving forward.
"Muen."
Muen shifted his gaze slightly.
Not far away, the clumps of fat and flesh that had been battering the Holy Light barrier suddenly twitched. Small limbs sprouted from beneath the fascia as they tried to scurry away.
But they didn't get far. The flesh that had fled the main body began to rot and collapse at a visible rate, eventually losing all signs of life.
It rotted on its own?
Muen didn't overthink it.
Sensing it was almost over, his eyes flickered. He turned his head sharply, gripped his blades, and slashed again.
The monster's skin was easily torn open by the blades. This time, no disgusting fat or flesh flowed out.
At the jagged wound, tiny granulations of flesh writhed, trying to force the skin to heal. But the moment they made the slightest connection, the entire monster jerked violently.
"So hungry..."
Bloody tears flowed.
The monster collapsed limply to the ground.
All that remained was a single layer of wrinkled skin.
...
"Is... is it over?"
Liya poked her head out cautiously from behind Muen. Though she had been prepared, she was still startled by the sight of that disgusting hide.
The rhythmic rise and fall of her chest as she caught her breath made Muen’s heart, which had just settled down, start racing again.
"It should be fine now."
Struggling to keep his straying gaze from being noticed, Muen smiled.
"There wasn't even a source of pollution. It was just a monster corrupted by rot. Nothing major."
"Is that so? Then..."
Liya was about to breathe a sigh of relief when her pretty face suddenly froze.
She tilted her head slightly, as if listening to something.
"What's wrong?"
"Shh, listen—"
"Listen?"
Muen strained his ears.
"I don't hear anything."
Aside from the wind and the distant sounds of battle. But those sounds shouldn't have made Liya react like this.
"The crying... you can't hear it?"
Liya’s tone was urgent, her eyes scanning the surroundings rapidly.
Muen was about to speak when he saw her movements stop abruptly. Her gaze fixed on a specific spot.
Muen froze as well, because in that moment, he heard it too.
Crying.
"Uuu..."
It was incredibly wretched, incredibly sorrowful, as if it were echoing from the depths of a soul.
The hair on Muen’s arms stood on end. He instinctively gripped his sword hilt and followed Liya’s gaze.
Not far away.
Right next to the monster that had just died.
A blurry shadow was kneeling on the ground, constantly digging and gnawing at something.
As if sensing their gaze, the shadow looked up blankly, revealing a face... identical to the monster's.
"It’s still not dead?"
Muen’s scalp tingled. He raised his blade to strike...
"Wait, stop!"
Liya suddenly blocked him.
"He seems... he's not a monster anymore."
"Hmm?"
Liya didn't explain further. Instead, she walked toward the shadow.
Muen frowned but didn't stop her. He simply heightened his vigilance in secret.
He trusted Liya.
...
Liya reached the shadow and slowly crouched down.
The figure before her was small, only reaching her waist. Kneeling, he didn't even reach her knees.
He didn't run, nor did he make any aggressive moves. He simply looked up, watching blankly as Liya approached.
That pale face, identical to the one from before, no longer held happiness or contentment.
Instead, there was... pain and sorrow.
Suffocating pain and sorrow.
Just by being near him, Liya felt as though she could share the unspeakable torture inflicted upon him. It felt as if a hand were squeezing her own heart.
"You..."
Liya’s expression turned compassionate. She asked gently, "What happened to you... and to this kingdom? Can you tell me?"
"..."
The figure stared straight at Liya. He opened his mouth, and blood-red tears flowed from the corners of his eyes once more.
"Save me..."
A dry, ethereal voice emerged from his throat.
It sounded familiar to Liya, as if... she had heard it before.
"Save me..."
"Please... save me."
The figure murmured numbly, neither fleeing nor reaching out.
"..."
Liya bit her lip and shook her head.
"I'm sorry. I can't save you."
"Because..."
"You are already dead."
The moonlight was cold, falling like a thin mist, but it passed directly through his figure, casting no shadow on the ground.
Yes, he was dead.
What stood before Liya now was only a soul.
A broken soul.
For some reason, this soul, which had completely lost its physical form, continued to wander here.
"Though I cannot save you... according to the way of a future Saintess..."
Liya suddenly reached out. In her palm, the most purified Holy Light began to condense.
She pressed her hands together, closed her eyes, and prayed devoutly:
"O Merciful Goddess, please forgive his sins and grant him... rest."
[Holy Prayer Purification]
Countless particles of light drifted from the girl, like a swarm of tiny fireflies, landing upon the broken, lost soul.
The soul stiffened slightly. He stopped his mindless murmuring and swallowing. The pain and sorrow on his face gradually subsided.
His tears continued to flow, but they had become clear and crystalline.
"Thank you."
When Liya opened her eyes, she saw only a faint outline of a shadow, which vanished completely into the holy glimmer.
His final expression was a smile through tears.
"Rest in peace," Liya prayed softly once more.
...
"Was that a purification?"
"In a way. It’s similar to the usual purification of filth, just a bit more advanced," Liya said, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "It’s a purification ritual specifically for souls. It’s highly effective against most spiritual entities in the world."
"What happens after they're purified? Reincarnation?" Muen asked curiously.
"I don't know." Liya shook her head. "Reincarnation can't be proven. There are no records of it in the scriptures of the Life Church."
There’s a reincarnated person standing right in front of you, and he’s from another world.
Wait, 'transmigrated' is probably a more accurate term for me.
Muen twitched his lips and continued, "So, the Church set the location for the Holy Ceremony here just so you Saintess candidates could help purify these monsters?"
The Church couldn't possibly be unaware of these monsters. Furthermore, this was the first time Muen had seen a monster born from Evil God corruption that had a "follow-up plot" after being killed. This led him to his current theory.
"I'm not sure..."
Liya was about to shake her head when she paused. She raised her hand, and the crystal symbolizing her status as a Saintess candidate appeared in her palm.
The once crystal-clear stone now had a strand of light, thin as a hair, drifting within it. It was exceptionally beautiful.
It looked as though the light would eventually fill the entire crystal if she kept accumulating it.
Liya looked at the spot where the soul had vanished, then at the crystal, and finally met Muen’s eyes.
"It... it seems that's exactly it."
"...Fuck."
Muen held it in for a long time before finally swearing.
"The Church has some nerve. This is Evil God corruption we're talking about, and they're using it as a trial? Aren't they afraid of things spiraling out of control?"
Though Muen hadn't found the medium or the source of the pollution yet, anything associated with the words "Evil God" meant extreme danger and unpredictability.
This wasn't the Church raising venomous insects to find a king; this was like herding a bunch of chicks into Jurassic Park and telling the poor, helpless things to sing, dance, and rap while playing basketball as they passed under the noses of prehistoric monsters.
"The Church specifically issued spatial magic scrolls that let us withdraw at critical moments. It shouldn't be as dangerous as you think, Muen," Liya said, blinking.
She was, after all, a candidate for the Church. Her heart was still with them, believing they wouldn't intentionally send them to their deaths and must have their reasons.
Of course, Muen’s point was also very valid!
"I suppose that's the only way to look at it."
Muen looked up at the moon and sighed.
"I've had my fair share of encounters with Evil Gods. To be honest, that monster just now was far weaker than I expected. It looked scary, but in my eyes, it was just a ball of meat with decent regenerative abilities..."
It died after only a few slashes. It was pathetic. Compared to its "predecessors" with maxed-out vitality—the kind of heroes who wouldn't even grunt if their heads were cut off and could still chat and laugh with you—it was nothing.
"Thinking about it that way, maybe everything is still under the Church's control. The major threats here were likely cleared out long ago, leaving only some scraps for us to use as a trial."
Muen rubbed his chin.
Though this theory completely contradicted the intel that the Church had only recently opened the entrance to these ruins.
But for now, it was the only logical conclusion. He had to take it one step at a time. Muen didn't think the Church was truly crazy enough to send the most precious talents of various factions into a death trap.
"Mm-hmm, it must be so."
Liya nodded vigorously. She didn't want to believe the Church had any ill intentions either.
She stood up, intending to walk over to Muen, but after only a few steps, she suddenly stumbled and nearly fell.
"What's wrong? Legs gone numb from crouching?" Muen teased with a smile.
"No, it's not that." Liya’s cheeks flushed slightly. "It's just... the ground is a bit soft. I almost lost my footing."
"Be careful."
Muen reached out to steady her.
But after taking two steps, he also paused. He looked down, a trace of confusion appearing on his face.
"Liya."
"Yes?"
"Have you noticed something?"
"What?"
"The surroundings... why is it still so stinking?"
Liya froze, then suddenly covered her nose.
She hadn't noticed until Muen mentioned it. Even though the monster was dead, the stench of rotting corpses hadn't diminished in the slightest.
Moreover, the stench didn't seem to be coming from any one direction. It was coming from everywhere, carried by the night wind, enveloping everything.
Liya silently summoned her Holy Light to purify the filth and the smell, then locked eyes with Muen, whose expression was becoming increasingly grim.
Light began to gather in Muen’s hand.
"I'm going to take a look," Muen said.
"Okay," Liya replied. "Look."
Muen raised his hand. Unlike the dim moonlight or the aloof Holy Light, a simple, brilliant beam of light rose, completely illuminating the area.
The ground was soil, very soft, and it was flowing with a thick, black liquid that looked like blood.
On the walls of the houses, the plants that had looked lush during the day were now shriveled into clumps. Their stems and leaves were black, also oozing that same thick, black liquid.
The flowers by the roadside had long since withered. The fruits of those strange plants had fallen to the ground; half were solid, while the other half had long since turned into a semi-liquid state. Bleached bones could be seen poking through them.
A bit further away was the river of milk that ran through the town.
It was still milk.
But it was a pale, sickly yellow. As it churned, one could see what looked like countless maggots.
"Dammit."
Muen’s face was grim.
Liya crouched down, covering her mouth tightly to keep from losing her composure.
Yes, the Church might have hidden many things.
But there was one thing they hadn't lied about.
These ancient ruins, known as the Lost Homeland, were already on the brink of collapse.
Because this was... a kingdom that was gradually rotting away.