Ch.129Chapter 129. Breaking the Seal (2)

# Chapter 129. Dojo Storming (2)

“Why do you think I don’t trust you?”

I thought I hadn’t shown it.

“There was a man following me around for ten days.”

Hmm.

It wasn’t me who got caught, but Dodo. Ah, this milk carton bastard.

Actually, from the moment we arrived at the Tribal Federation, I assigned Dodo to mark the Holy Maiden.

I ordered him to report immediately if she did anything suspicious or chanted strange spells. Well, she was a person of interest.

Between rescuing the Basement Chosen One and the Pope, preventing the Holy Maiden from falling into the hands of Charon and the Evolutionist faction, finding the Evolutionist faction’s headquarters, and alerting the Tribal Federation about the zombie archdemon attack…

Until we killed the half-human half-demon controlled by Charon through the Pope’s sacrifice and rescued the Holy Maiden, I hadn’t given it much thought.

I was just focused on somehow saving my people and getting back.

After spending a week with the Ashen Mist tribe preparing to go to Symphonia, my brain finally started working again.

Holy Maiden. Blind. Name unknown. Age unknown.

When asked, she never answered anything about personal information. She just smiled sweetly and said “I’ve forgotten everything.”

She’s not just some poor blind girl with amnesia. She’s supposedly Ishtania’s representative.

The representative of the psychopathic pervert who summons possessed people to this world and treats everything as entertainment.

How could she not be suspicious? All kinds of thoughts crossed my mind.

What if the Holy Maiden is Ishtania’s alt account?

What if Ishtania is spying on me through the Holy Maiden?

What if she incites the goddess worshippers within the Tribal Federation to cause internal strife to mess with me?

What if she’s being controlled by something like Charon’s soul manipulation to interfere with my plans at a critical moment?

What if she’s actually squinting because she can fire amazing laser beams that destroy my totem?

She might even say something like “You thought you had me completely fooled~! Haa, now that it’s come to this… I can’t let you live?” while giggling.

I was honestly startled when she said she had something to tell me. I didn’t know what she might do when we were alone.

I was relieved when Lakye said he’d come along.

Anyway, I had many thoughts besides these. Thoughts about whether I could trust the Holy Maiden.

It was the same when she gave me information about where an archdemon lived.

At first, I was happy thinking “Ah, if I defeat archdemons one by one, I can soon achieve divine manifestation,” but after thinking about it, I realized it could be a trap.

What if she passed false information to make Lakye fight powerful archdemons and get killed?

Then everything would be over. No matter how much I invest in Kanto or Paya, they probably couldn’t become as strong as Lakye.

And I can’t use the divine giant often because of the mana stone problem.

Anyway, because of these risks, I couldn’t figure out what to do next.

That’s when the Holy Maiden spoke to me.

“Although Ishtania calls it entertainment, she continues to send paladins. It may be terrible for the possessed… but for us, it’s an indispensable, necessary power.

At least I have no reason to be hostile to her. Because we need any power we can get in these times.”

Is she saying “I’m not Ishtania’s spy, and we’re closer to using each other because we need to”?

Hmm. I understand. She’s prioritizing this world’s survival over the possessed people’s circumstances.

The Holy Maiden is also a resident here. She must desperately want salvation for the surface.

So she’s saying she trusts Ishtania for now, so don’t misunderstand.

The Holy Maiden spoke again.

“I just had this thought. The god who needs humanity and the god humanity wants are different.”

Honestly, I’m not sure what she means. It seems like she’s talking about the difference between me and Ishtania.

Well, I think I’m quite a decent god.

Since I was originally human, I understand what people want. I often hold festivals and occasionally give speeches to take care of the Tribal Federation’s mental health.

And because I lost my memories (not really), I have a bit of innocence, or rather, humanity.

I’m a god with a human touch, that’s what I am. Yep.

The Holy Maiden standing before the altar slowly knelt down and put her hands together. She was about to offer a prayer to me.

[XXX XXXX has become your vassal.]

Maybe because she has special powers, she became my vassal rather than an ordinary believer.

Is her name displayed as X’s because it’s forgotten? Interesting. Maybe it’s not just forgotten but completely erased.

“I shall trust you.”

I’ve heard her reason for cooperation (saving the surface), and she’s become my vassal, so I should trust her.

“I plan to subjugate an archdemon. Could you choose one of the locations you mentioned before?”

I asked for her opinion as a sign of trust. Actually, I asked because I didn’t know where to go.

I’d prefer if she recommended the place where the weakest one lives.

“I recommend Castle Grua.”

The Holy Maiden smiled sweetly.

***

A ruined street. A red shadow covered with countless specters moved.

It was Charon’s spirit body, which had become an evil spirit.

“Kyaaaah!”

The specters bound to him screamed and thrashed about, but Charon paid no attention.

“Someone…”

He just mumbled.

Although no one could see him, Charon asked for help. Even though he wasn’t in a sane state and couldn’t properly finish his sentences, he tried hard.

“Someone please…”

After the battle with the dark cloud demon, Charon lost all his zombies along with Rinojohnnson’s body, which he had used as his main body, and barely escaped alive.

Before losing consciousness and disappearing, he tried to find a new body, but there were no living creatures nearby.

He endured with superhuman mental strength, but the end was approaching. He was in a situation where he was completely incapacitated, just waiting for the day of his extinction.

In his hazy consciousness, Charon recalled something from long ago.

It was a memory from when he was human.

“Aah…!”

The scene when the Imperial Army attacked the Autumn Leaf tribe unfolded vividly. Not satisfied with destroying the tribe, they set fire to the mountain.

In the acrid smoke, he held the cold bodies of three children and wept.

He gritted his teeth in anger at the cruel civilized people, the gods who didn’t respond, and his own powerlessness. He would definitely have his revenge.

Only after the flames that had burned the mountain for two days died down could Charon move again.

He couldn’t go far. The foot of the mountain was full of Imperial Army barracks. They were still having a feast, drinking alcohol and tearing into meat, with no intention of leaving.

Soon hunger came. A nightmarish hunger.

He tried to eat tree fruits or animals, but they were all burned black and inedible.

There was something he could eat. The three pieces of meat he was preciously holding.

He had no choice. Die or live.

To have revenge, he had to survive.

By any means necessary, he had to survive.

What he had to do was the last thing he wanted.

“I was so, so hungry.”

He had to go mad. He couldn’t endure otherwise.

He had to hate the gods and the world. He couldn’t hate himself.

He had to turn his eyes away from this terrible truth. Despite trying hard to forget, as soon as he lost control, the memories returned.

“I had no choice…”

The red shadow that had been staggering suddenly went limp.

“Chance! It’s our chance!”

“Take control! Take control!”

The specters writhing inside Charon’s spirit body began their attack. Small white energies tore at the evil spirit’s body.

Charon’s spirit body was about to be torn and split into several pieces.

Was it a coincidence? An inevitable result? Or a curse of fate?

“Ugh…!”

The tremendous spiritual pain made Charon regain consciousness. He quickly gathered and merged his splitting spirit body, but he couldn’t return to his original state.

“Control. Control.”

“One.”

“The only way.”

The specters he had been controlling and suppressing fused with his soul. They had squeezed through the small gap in his consciousness.

It was the result of learning and using the abilities of evil beings that transcend dimensions, beyond his capacity.

“…Who am I?”

Multiple selves writhed in Charon’s consciousness. Various memories mixed and combined.

But the essence didn’t change.

The specters that had been trapped in Charon’s self for a long time had become entities no different from Charon. They were like Charon’s numerous alter egos.

Ironically, by losing control, Charon was able to break free from mortal limitations.

Countless specters merged around Charon’s soul. Their spiritual abilities combined with Charon’s and blossomed anew.

The mortal who had mastered transcendent beings’ abilities disappeared, and a strange entity was born.

“Who am I…?”

Charon asked himself.

“Priest of the Autumn Leaf tribe.”

“Betrayed by Roa.”

“One who mastered forbidden spells.”

“Father who ate his children.”

“Necromancer.”

“Soul devourer.”

“End of gods.”

“End of myths.”

“Charon.”

The specters that had become one with Charon giggled and whispered quietly.

“Charon. Charon.”

Hundreds of voices resonated simultaneously, centered on Charon’s voice.

“End of gods.”

“Find a host.”

The shadow that had been crackling with glitch effects moved again.

“End of myths.”

An evil spirit wanders the ruined streets. The evil spirit once called Charon.