Chapter 6: Rampage
Thump!
I could see my body, standing upright as a rock. The sensation of dirt and grime staining my hair and face was profoundly unpleasant.
"......"
Even if I wanted to say something, a severed head cannot speak. The lungs required to inhale and exhale air for speech remained in the torso, after all.
"A messenger for a rare Outer God... but nothing special, it seems." Alvega’s foot moved toward my head, as if to crush it. "You scum."
"Look who’s talking."
I performed the impossible nonchalantly. When I answered with my severed head, the stunned Alvega froze. And in that moment, something slammed into Alvega’s body with incredible speed, sending him flying.
Smash!
His body hit a tree with a deafening thud, followed by a groan of pain from Alvega.
"M-My God. Father... what in the world is this? Is this the abomination you spoke of?"
"It is not." I heard the voices of the novice knight and the priest. Even in this situation, the priest seemed perfectly calm. "Until now, it was just a chaotic abomination, a mix of monster and human. I can say with certainty that I have never seen anything like this before."
My body picked up my severed head. Only then did I see the black mass protruding from my severed neck.
‘I can see the cross-section of my severed neck, yet I feel nothing. It’s as if my emotions have been numbed.’
The cross-section swelled and moved as if it were from the Formless Creations, forming a nauseating and formless mass. When I brought my head close to that mass, with a viscous sensation, my neck fused and returned to its original state.
"I cut off his head, how is he...?" Alvega’s reaction was understandable. Most abominations end their lives once their heads are severed. "What in the hell—"
"What do you think? This, too, is a miracle, of course."
<Forbidden Transformation>. It was the miracle I had used before the knights arrived. Only those truly permitted can recite the prayer for this miracle; the unauthorized are crushed to death by the Formless Creations.
"Still, I didn't know it would be this effective." <Forbidden Transformation> is a miracle that grants powerful regenerative abilities, allowing one to recover whether their head is severed or they are burned to a crisp.
‘It makes you fundamentally more durable, too. I feel like I’m truly becoming closer to being one of the Formless Creations.’
Even so, the fact that my neck was severed shows how powerful Alvega’s skill and the priest's <White Light of Annihilation> were. My recovery was a bit slow, and a strange, unpleasant sensation remained in my neck.
"We must withdraw. We cannot face that thing with our current numbers," Alvega said, swaying. It was a cold and rational judgment, but the priest seemed to think differently.
"What are you saying, Brother Alvega! We must stop him here!"
Alvega shook his head, but the priest gritted his teeth, refusing to back down.
"If a wound like that is the problem, I will heal you! Let the wounded, and the sick, stand under the light and receive Your grace. <White Light of Healing>!"
Another intermediate miracle. The priest was just as strong as Alvega. His body seemed to have recovered, so Alvega cracked his neck sharply and performed some light stretching movements. But their difference in opinion wasn't so easily settled.
"He doesn't die even when his neck is severed. Besides, that last attack would have been immediately fatal for an ordinary knight."
"And because he is such a dangerous being, isn't that all the more reason to eliminate him!" The priest stubbornly refused to retreat. Of course, he was probably more interested in recovering the scripture and the money than in dealing with me.
"Our forces are insufficient with only one novice and a support priest."
The priest gritted his teeth and gripped the golden holy symbol around his neck. He spoke grandly about the necessity of stopping me here, but it was clear what he really wanted.
"We need to get permission from the order and equip ourselves with proper gear. If we receive the relevant tools, we can handle him without much difficulty," Alvega said, looking at his sword. It wasn't a bad sword, but it was just a regular blade with no special abilities. It would certainly be hard to face me with only that. "That thing's abilities are unknown. Fighting without solid information and preparation is suicide."
"Are you telling me to simply walk away with that scripture right in front of us?" The priest made a grinding sound with his teeth, and then finally exploded. "This is why you bastards from the Knights of the Stigma...! Even when you receive grace and are granted great responsibility, you cannot escape your lowly origin!"
Internal strife is always welcome. Honestly, I wasn't in a very comfortable position myself. <Forbidden Transformation> is a powerful enhancement miracle, but it comes at a price. The more I regenerated, the more my insides shifted from human to abomination. Eventually, I’d likely turn into one of the Formless Creations.
‘No matter what, I don't want to become like that.’
Even after the black rain stopped, the Formless Creations born from my miracle were still writhing. They seemed to possess some intelligence... seeing that the enemy wasn't attacking, they stayed in a state of alert.
"The Knights of the Stigma will withdraw. If you insist... don't you have 'that thing,' Father?"
"Are you telling me to waste that precious item in a situation like this?" Damn it, does he have another trick up his sleeve?
"Isn't that better than losing that scripture? The higher-ups don't know about this, do they?"
"......For someone of lowly origin, you have a sharp mind." The priest, having been struck in a sensitive spot, went silent for a moment, making various calculations in his head.
"Fine. Get the hell out of here. By the authority of a priest of the Church of Life, I forbid you from speaking of what happened here."
"I'll keep that in mind. Novice, let's go!" Without lowering his sword, Alvega glared at me as he slowly backed away. "Next time, I will definitely execute you. You disgusting heretic."
Alvega and the novice used something that looked like a parchment scroll.
‘A scroll...? A teleportation scroll?’ Those things are incredibly expensive. The two used the scroll to vanish from the spot, leaving behind only me and the greed-obsessed priest.
"Hmph... I brought them along because their combat skills were useful, but what a disappointing bunch." The priest spat on the ground, then turned to look at me. "You. You can still hold a conversation, can’t you?"
"Yes."
"I’m late, but let me introduce myself. I am Admon, a priest from the 'Secret Mutated Analysis Society' of the Church of Life."
Where in the hell is this from? Judging by the name, it sounded like a place that researched heresies. Was that why he had an Outer God's holy book?
"I don’t expect you, a messenger of an Outer God, to hand over that scripture... but how about this?" Admon began to propose a deal with a smile. "I will provide the sacrificial lambs. You must want to offer sacrifices to your god too, don't you?"
Those damn priests... I barely managed to suppress a scoff.
"If you share the spoils with me, I will gladly protect and hide you."
"You're very generous to a heretic."
"I can even grant you baptism if you wish. You don't want to be hunted by the Knights of the Stigma... or those who are worse than them, do you?"
Worse than them... I recalled some of them from my memories. The 'Inquisitors,' who interrogate and execute heresy. The 'Luminaries,' composed of powerful paladins. The Knights of the Stigma were strong for a first encounter, but they were weak compared to those two.
"Do you seriously think I’d accept such a disgusting offer?" But my answer was already decided. "......How foolish."
Admon’s gaze narrowed in displeasure, but the corners of his mouth twisted into a superior smile. What he took out this time was also a scroll. Of course, it didn't look like a teleportation scroll. First off, it wasn't made of parchment, but a luxurious scroll made of clean, sturdy white cloth.
"To think I’d have to use the <Great Summoning> scroll in a place like this..."
So that was what it was. I knew that thing. And I knew how rare and powerful it was.
"Answer this call! Your chance has come!" As the priest shouted in a booming voice, the scroll vanished as if burned, and a magic circle appeared. From that magic circle, dozens of people began to emerge. They looked like a rabble, but due to the effect of <Great Summoning>, they were all fully armed.
"A spell that arms and summons a group of contracted individuals all at once... why does a priest have a war scroll?" No, is there any reason to be surprised? These are people who use a heretical god’s holy book; it’s not like they’d shy away from using a magic scroll.
"The target is that one man! Unlike his appearance, that man is an abomination. He won't die from having his head cut off! But with this many people and my miracles, there is nothing to fear!"
The summoned people stared at me. Their eyes were filled with a kind of longing. "If we kill him, will you keep your promise, Father Admon?"
"Yes, I will grant you the promised riches and baptism!" At the priest's cry, the people raised their weapons and let out a cheer. So he’s exploiting people who haven't received baptism again, just like the orphans. But these people were different from the orphans. Many of them were branded as criminals, and they showed no hesitation in the matter of killing someone.
"They haven't even been baptized, yet they’re so fanatical."
"It’s because they haven't received it that they’ve become more faithful. It’s too late for regret!" Admon took out something that looked like a potion and swallowed it in one gulp. Shortly after, his eyes became bloodshot, and his body began to tremble.
‘That doesn't look like a simple mana potion.’
"O Life!" Shouting his god's name, Admon began to recite a series of support miracles.
‘Unleashing them like this should drain his mental strength... but he’s fine? Is that the effect of the potion he just drank?’ The rabble, who at best looked like bandits, were transformed into a grand army by the numerous miracles.
"The miracle you used was impressive, but it must have consumed a massive amount of mana. No matter how unnaturally strong you are, against this many people—"
"I don't know what you're misunderstanding, but using human wave tactics was a big mistake." A cruel smile spread across my lips. A black impulse was moving within me, egging me on. It was rage, the madness I felt as I changed, the execution of justice, and at the same time, a craving for slaughter. Having used two miracles already today, my mind began to crave ruin.
"For the Great Sleeper..." As I recited the prayer, the enemies began to back away. They knew full well that it would be dangerous to approach or attack first. Then, a change began to occur in them.
"What is this...? I feel strong."
"He’s crazy. He’s strengthening his enemies."
"This power is incredible. It’s unbelievable..."
They began to grow stronger. This, too, was a miracle that strengthens a group, just like the ones Admon used.
"H-How was <Holy Protection> breached? The armor they’re wearing should have a protective miracle on it too!" The panicked Admon began to unleash every prayer he knew, casting miracles at random. He seemed to be trying to block the miracle I was casting, but it was useless. A support miracle is a beneficial effect; it cannot be blocked by such defensive miracles.
"Until his desires are fulfilled..."
"Strength... Power is flowing through me!"
"Amazing! It feels like I've become a monster!"
"......Let there be a wave of frenzy and desecration! <Black Frenzy Blood>!"
Then, hell was unleashed. They began to kill and mangle each other with no distinction between friend or foe, unleashing a torrent of primal violence. Bleeding black blood, they all began to rampage, refusing to die. Someone’s laughter was heard. Unfortunately, I was the only one who could afford the cost of it.
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