Chapter 86
Chapter 86: Scorched Earth (3)
"You made me believe in your words, and now the Church's reputation has hit rock bottom. What in the world are we supposed to do?"
The Religious Leader of the Almanism Church was going mad.
It was one of the three religions that divided the world, yet now its public image had been utterly destroyed.
"That Erik bastard was apparently blessed by the divine, being a possessor and all. On top of that, he became a Saint and headed toward the Eastern Great Forest, I hear."
About thirty years ago, a man came to the Almanism Church.
He called himself a Prophet and informed them that possessors would appear in the world.
"Indeed... I never imagined I would be appointed as a Saint myself."
The man lowering his head before the Religious Leader spoke calmly.
“Is this so-called Prophet not a con artist?”
Such a thought crossed the Religious Leader's mind.
"Then Riferoze, who raised that Erik bastard, must be a possessor..."
"What?"
The Religious Leader's words caught in his throat.
"Riferoze, that crazy woman is absolutely not a possessor. She's over a hundred years old."
"Then Ruelle? No, that's not right either... Ahem. Anyway, it's not Ruelle, so who in the world is it?"
"Exactly why do you claim there's a possessor around that Erik bastard?"
At the Religious Leader's urging, the masked man lifted his head.
Above the blank white mask, as if someone had scrawled on it, were crude drawings of eyes, nose, and mouth.
"Well, it's about the tithe..."
"We also collect membership fees at the Church. Isn't a tithe of 10% of one's salary reasonable?"
"No, these are real possessors"
"To my eyes, you look more like a possessor."
Kwuung!
A massive holy circle erupted with light at the man's feet.
The Religious Leader had suddenly unleashed his power.
Fierce divine power constricted the Prophet in his pure white robes.
"Religious Leader, I'm not a possessor, and why would I be affected by such divinity?"
The man scoffed.
The twist of lips behind the mask was deeply irritating.
"You're not even a real possessor. Tsk..."
The Religious Leader was at a loss for words.
Every word from this bastard exhibited traits of a possessor, yet the results proved otherwise.
The Religious Leader recalled the Prophet's advice.
"How about going to meet the Third Prince personally? While you're there, could you confirm a few things for me?"
The Second Empress is the Archbishop's daughter.
Strictly speaking, it should have been the Archbishop himself, the biological father, who stepped forward. However, the Religious Leader went to the Empire himself, following the Prophet's counsel.
What were the results?
"Because of you, I've been branded a pathetic Religious Leader, and we've completely severed relations with the Astia Religious Order."
The Almanism Church's Religious Leader glared fiercely at the masked Prophet.
The mask twisted into another smile in response.
"Wasn't that situation created because you all had been taking the Astia Religious Order for fools for a long time?"
"How dare you speak so carelessly!"
"You never tried to achieve harmony among fellow believers, only to take them for fools. That's just karma reaping what you sowed..."
Once again, a massive divine power constricted the masked man.
This time, physical force accompanied the divinity.
Zzzt!
The mask cracked.
"Cough! Ugh, that actually hurts quite a bit."
Blood trickled from between the mask and face.
"Mind you, the divine power of the three deities are fundamentally different forces, and their doctrines are also distinct laws! They are merely grouped together because divinity burns black mages and monsters."
The Religious Leader pulled out a scripture and imparted teachings to the masked Prophet.
As the words of scripture were recited, the masked face gradually faded away.
It wasn't until about two hours later that the prayer finally ended.
The Prophet slowly opened his mouth.
"The Astia Religious Order are ignorant fools, aren't they?"
The Religious Leader nodded with satisfaction and continued speaking.
"That's right! They brutally smash things and try to solve everything with their bodies—what do they know about divinity?"
The Astia Religious Order handles divinity in a manner optimized for 'physical strength.'
This power doesn't merely mean destruction.
It manifests as recovery, reinforcement, and sometimes even miracles of teleportation or wide-area blessings.
However, the source of all power is the person wielding the divine power.
"Just as our holy circles do, one must master the systematized usage of divine power for it to be proper."
In contrast, the Almanism Church uses power in a manner similar to magic circles.
Their characteristic is projecting the divinity they possess using 'holy circles.'
They necessarily employ consumables such as armor and scrolls.
In other words, they were clergy who relied on equipment.
Thus, they would inevitably be obsessed with money.
"Besides, it's expensive, isn't it?"
"Yet it's worth every coin."
The Religious Leader's procession scattering gold paradoxically demonstrated how much the Almanism Church valued finances.
"But... did you really read that long scripture just to say this?"
Black lines were drawn across the mask.
It was an expression of displeasure.
"Shouldn't the main point come from you, who came as a guest?"
"Ah, right. Well, shouldn't we not invite the Archbishop's daughter? Given the Emperor's personality, I don't think he'll let it slide."
"I asked the Archbishop, and he said it's fine since he only has thirteen daughters."
The mask's eyes became perfectly round.
"Hah! The Archbishop has more than ten sons as well, doesn't he?"
"For a clergyman, children are a blessing—the more the better."
"Wow... it's really surprising that religious figures use political marriage as a weapon."
The man calling himself a Prophet was frivolous.
He only visited the Almanism Church when he needed something.
That need was a transaction disguised as information exchange.
Of course, it was a deal that brought considerable profit to the Almanism Church.
Thus, he asked:
"What do you want, and what will you give?"
"I need information about the Empire. Specifically, whether there's an unidentified possessor around Erik, or if there's some unusual existence."
"That Erik again? You're obsessing over him..."
The mask's eyes drew an enigmatic line.
"But you still have the Second Empress. Surely you know something?"
"A mage wielding divine power has appeared."
"Oh ho... How so?"
"How would I know?"
The mask's eyes became perfectly round and gleaming.
"What's their name?"
"Someone with the surname Jang, called Du-sik. Common naming for the poor, but also the kind of name possessors have."
"That's vague, isn't it?"
"He's been with that Erik since childhood, I'm told. Before coming to the Empire, I mean. Something about a bond from conflict zones?"
The mask's eyes narrowed considerably.
"Eastern Great Forest... That Jang Du-sik. This time, I should see him myself."
***
"Buster Call..."
Park Chang-ho trailed off.
Nishida Ryo had made otaku-like comments that ruined the mood several times, but this time he couldn't help but agree.
Kwaaaaaang!!!
As if an intense sun had risen.
A massive flame erupted in the middle of the great forest.
The surrounding area had been incinerated into a barren wasteland by holy spears.
[Buster Call Direct Vision]
[Throwing spears like missiles, an entire kingdom-sized area is vanishing.]
[Photo]
"So, um, sister Pung-ho. A Buster Call is"
"Even a woman like me knows about a Buster Call! And... please don't call me ‘sister’?"
As Nishida Ryo tried to explain, Kang Pung-ho covered her mouth and cried out in surprise.
At that sight, Park Chang-ho's expression became complicated.
“Nishida's going to post on the community again, and Pung-ho is... ugh.”
Park Chang-ho deliberately turned his gaze away and looked into the sea of fire.
And he spotted red eyes.
"Those are definitely Siuron's eyes."
The spear Erik threw had turned the demon realm into a sea of fire, and then it snapped a massive black tower cleanly in half.
Above the collapsing tower, red eyes were distinctly visible.
It was like a scene from a movie he'd seen in childhood.
"That's the real deal."
With Nishida's assurance, Siuron's descent became a certainty.
"So a possessor black mage can do something like that?"
The rumors had been endless, but seeing it in person was shocking.
No, did it even make sense to summon monsters from Earth's fiction into this world?
Then...
"If Thanos descends, wouldn't half the population vanish with a single finger snap?"
"Damn it, even if you speak, why say something so shitty..."
It sounded like a funny joke, but no one present could take those words lightly.
And for good reason.
We originally died.
They knew well that they couldn't return to Earth.
In other words, they had to survive here.
"Eek! W-what do we do?"
As Kang Pung-ho cried out in despair, a shadow fell over her.
Short hair fluttered.
In Kang Pung-ho's eyes looking up at the sky, a radiant existence was reflected.
"To summon such a ridiculous existence that could erase half the continent's population, even sacrificing all the continent's lifeforms would be impossible."
An overwhelmingly large physique.
A heavy, deep voice.
Wow...
It was Erik, who had erected a holy war in the Eastern Great Forest.
The three possessors were startled and straightened their bodies.
It's like he's wearing a new skin.
Erik, who had spread his giant wings.
But above those wings, the flames of the sun flickered.
It was like a game character equipped with fancy cosmetic avatar items purchased with cash.
Would it be called something like [Flame Wings]?
Toward the startled possessors, Erik recited his instructions.
"Everyone, focus and watch that tower."
Erik bestowed divine power and granted the three possessors a miracle.
A type of enhanced blessing that improved eyesight and extended vision range.
The interior of the tower became clearly visible to their eyes.
"That's an office."
"Fluorescent lights? No, that... Th-that looks like a real company?"
"Huh? Isn't that a VR capsule? I saw it in anime."
The three possessors each shared their impressions.
The [Spear of Lu-Solace] that Erik threw had shattered the Black Mage Group's new headquarters.
In the process, one wall of the black tower crumbled.
Inside the building were offices filled with bright fluorescent lights resembling Earth companies, or rooms packed with long sleep capsules.
Erik also examined the sight carefully.
The office is obvious enough.
Humans placed on desks in an office.
It was bizarre, but with Lucifer's tendencies factored in, the purpose could be inferred.
He treats inspecting test subjects like reviewing documents.
Lucifer was a madman obsessed with recreating Earth's culture in black magic fashion.
But he'd never seen such capsules before.
"What are those capsules?"
"Boss, ahem. Well, those are..."
Nishida Ryo, well-versed in subculture, launched into an explanation.
At length, how this work became a hit, how that work was the origin, how it derived from there and frequently appears in Korean game adaptation web novels...
"Simply."
"So, basically. If you go in there, you go to a virtual reality world! It's like that movie where you choose the red pill or blue pill!"
Erik had only enjoyed games during his Park Ji-hun days, so he wasn't familiar with this type of content.
That's why he was receiving help from the possessors.
Whether dream or virtual reality, implementation should be possible.
The metaphor of red and blue pills was very fitting.
Erik understood immediately.
Full comprehension was achieved.
"Using dream-form power to create infinite dreams, or... creating virtual reality with magic"
"Stop."
Cutting off Nishida's endless words, Erik gave the next instruction to the possessors.
"All three of you, head to the front lines."
The demon realm, now a barren wasteland from the holy spear.
In the demon realm, there was a dark tunnel called the Abyss—the very core of the demon realm.
Beside the Abyss stood the black tower split in two, where various possessors and black mages would be lying in wait.
"Us... us?"
"Going there?"
"Ugh..."
The three possessors turned deathly pale.
At that moment, a change occurred in the demon realm.
"They're not sitting idle either."
Kyieeeeeek!!!
A massive wyvern and a black knight spreading terror.
Furthermore, above the black tower, a colossal shadow rose like a protective barrier.
The relentless bombardment finally ceased, and in that gap, they began their response.
"Charge forward, all of you!!!"
Between the golden divine power of the Astia Religious Order and the blazing flames of Lu-Solace, black magic power surged.
The Order's knights charged toward the only black tower that maintained its form in the Eastern Great Forest.
"Don't worry. Look at Jang Du-sik over there. Janson too. You'll all become like that."
Crushed and pulverized by monsters.
Or torn to pieces—a hell of mutilation unfolded.
"They'll regenerate easily anyway, so don't worry."
***
Whoosh!
Jang Du-sik's body created afterimages.
Magic circles engraved like tattoos across his entire body emitted light.
It was the power granted by the Imperial Magic Tower Master.
With a club in hand, Jang Du-sik accelerated in an instant and leaped onto the enormous dragon's head.
Whiizzz!
The club struck the dragon's head at tremendous speed.
Concentrated magic power mixed with divine power collided, creating a fierce explosion.
Bang!
The massive dragon's head exploded.
Jang Du-sik fell through the scattering flesh.
Thump! Squelch!
His legs shattered from jumping down with magic-reinforced strength.
"Brother Du-sik, seems like you're regenerating more than me."
Janson, receiving synergy from his all-rounder stats and skills, rarely sustained wounds.
Though occasionally something would burst.
The likelihood of that being Ruelle's fault was high.
Whoosh!
"So War-Mage really is the future of mages, huh."
Jang Du-sik recovered instantly.
He was genuinely astonished by the absurdity of the War-Mage class.
"That's because of infinite regeneration, right?"
"Well, if that's how I am, then that's how it is..."
It was when Jang Du-sik was confidently moving toward the next monster.
Why does my head feel tingly?
Jang Du-sik looked behind him, and there was Erik with his wings spread.
"Brother, you arrived?"
"Did you catch a lot?"
"Brother, I've slaughtered around a thousand!"
Jang Du-sik grinned and welcomed Erik.
"Ooh—! Boss, your wings are on fire!"
Janson, seeing the evolved wings, made a fuss.
Erik played along nonchalantly.
"It's nothing. Just the power of Lu-Solace mixed in."
"Ooh... So it's not just a visual effect but an actual function?"
"The divine power of the Sun God. It's a bit different from the Order's divinity."
Since becoming an [Unnamed God], his understanding of divinity had dramatically increased.
Now that he'd been promoted to [Boss], the difference became even clearer.
"What's different about it?"
"Lu-Solace's divinity is similar to natural phenomena."
Whoosh.
Erik's hand transformed into flames.
Then he pushed his other hand through the flame.
"Huh... What?!"
His unscathed hand passed through the flaming hand.
It was bizarre.
"The source of divine power is similar, but the implementation method is completely different."
Having finished speaking up to this point.
Perhaps... a new method—
An intense realization struck Erik's mind.
Fwoom!
[The Divine Edifice has become more distinct.]