Ch.150150. Ranch

After falling to the ground, Bjorn looked around.

The underground space, well-reinforced with pillars and bricks beyond just being dug out, was incredibly vast—almost unnervingly so, as he could sense through his intuition.

At first, he thought it might be a place for storing smuggled goods to evade taxes, but…

It was too spacious to be just a smuggling warehouse, and the items stored there seemed strange for contraband.

Low-quality grain flour, old salted meat, drinking water, and cheap fabric. Each element stimulated Bjorn’s imagination.

Moreover, this underground space was quite dry and cool, making it unsuitable for growing drugs.

Due to the underground environment, drug mushrooms might be the limit of what could be cultivated here, but even for those, this place was a dangerous environment.

Therefore, Bjorn briefly questioned the purpose of this place but decided that moving toward where the divine presence was located should be his priority.

So, while proceeding forward with some caution…

Suddenly, his senses detected multiple living beings—specifically, the distinctive presence of humans, and strongly so, in the direction he was heading.

‘………’

Of all things, multiple humans here?

Based on the circumstantial evidence, Bjorn thought this place was likely a slave distribution center, specifically for trading and storing illegal slaves.

The low-quality food supplies were probably to keep the slaves barely alive, and the vast space was needed to store and distribute large numbers of slaves.

Under such a “reasonable” assessment, Bjorn felt a quiet rage.

Thinking about it, his own tribespeople must have suffered all kinds of humiliation in underground places like this before being sold off and “used” in various ways.

Moreover, considering that the flesh of various sentient beings, especially humans, had been fashionable among the nobles of the Rom Empire…..

Perhaps Bjorn was actually trying his best to maintain his composure.

Anyway, as Bjorn continued forward……

His senses detected something unbelievable.

First, the scent—the fragrance of this purple smoke permeating the air was something Bjorn had smelled before, something fragrant yet disgusting.

It was the same as what had been burning in the bedroom when a certain overweight middle-aged widow had ranted about buying his night during his gladiator days.

Of course, that woman had been personally crushed by Bjorn, and thanks to the Revenge Order’s cleanup, it was as if nothing had happened….

The important thing was that the fragrance contained in this purple smoke was an aphrodisiac—one dozens of times more potent than what Bjorn had smelled before.

Naturally, such a poison would have no effect on Bjorn, who had killed and absorbed five gods, and would certainly be ineffective against anyone at a quasi-divine level.

However, the fact that this fragrance was rising from this underground space, and that he began to hear voices infused with heat and pleasure from the distance…

Feeling an indescribable unease at these strange signs, Bjorn opened the door to that place, from which moans were now audible.

“———!!!”

Bjorn froze at the sight inside.

Inside hundreds of rooms separated by iron bars along a long corridor, dozens of naked men and women had lost their minds and were coupling like beasts.

The naked people were bound by restraints that fixed hooks into various parts of their bodies, connected to chains attached to the ceiling.

Obviously, these restraints would cause unimaginable pain, but those coupling inside the iron bars seemed unable to feel it.

In this horrific scene where humans were treated like animals, ironically, Bjorn’s brain and senses were unconsciously interpreting the sight.

This place was, presumably, a human farm.

It appeared to operate by capturing humans from various places, breeding them like livestock, and then selling them as slaves.

They seemed to be using drugs for easy control, and the interior was managed by golems instead of staff.

Also, the people treated as livestock here were already beyond rescue.

Most of the women were physically broken from endless pregnancies and childbirths, and the men were no exception—having a limb rotting away was considered relatively mild.

Add to that the mind-shattering aphrodisiacs and drugs administered just short of lethal doses, and some of them even had their souls half-shattered—

“———??!”

Among those pitiful figures, there were people Bjorn had seen a few times before.

Some were people who had come to watch matches during his gladiator days.

They probably had their own circumstances—kidnapped on the street or sold due to debt.

And that woman among them.

Approaching her because of her distinctive Nordic hair, Bjorn realized she had once been Rael’s maid and his own relative.

“———.”

Eventually, Bjorn’s anger reached a critical point and paradoxically became calm.

Bjorn made a rational judgment.

His relative had not only suffered all kinds of humiliation but was also damaged beyond recovery, both physically and mentally.

This was true for all the people being treated as livestock here.

‘…Eternal Bleeding God of Vengeance… please save them…’

Therefore, Bjorn, praying inwardly to the Bleeding God of Vengeance, began to grant painless deaths to the imprisoned people.

Praying that their souls would walk the path of salvation, he gave them peaceful rest without pain, even if it took some time.

And after some time had passed.

[……..Burn.]

After using magic to create holy fire to burn the corpses, he strode forward beyond the white flames.

《Oh? You’re quite late?》

There stood Hermecus—an evil being wearing a beautiful mask in the form of a beautiful blond boy, speaking with a sweet voice befitting his appearance.

[…..You, it was you who did this.]

The moment Bjorn saw Hermecus, he openly displayed his rage—partly because of the people he had just seen, but more because of the god’s current appearance.

Those seemingly sorrowful blue eyes were filled with mockery and contempt, and his seemingly ordinary clothes were actually made of human skin.

He was even mounted on a naked woman like some riding beast, whose condition was so miserable that she would look like a corpse if not for her faint life signs.

《Hmm? What did you say?》

Therefore, Bjorn did not respond to Hermecus, who was giggling and mocking him.

In his mind, rather than saying anything to that thing—

———Whoosh!!!

Simply swinging his sword at its head would be more effective.

※ ※ ※

The first target of the extended greatsword was, naturally, Hermecus’s head.

Hermecus, guardian deity of the commercial district, god of wanderers, travel, and economy.

As Bjorn had guessed, he wasn’t particularly strong in direct combat, and even if he used force, it would mainly be through his divine authorities.

Clank-clank-clank-clank!!!

Hermecus summoned golden orichalcum divine chains from all directions and used them like whips or tentacles to attack Bjorn.

Slash! Slash!!

Of course, Bjorn, who had absorbed the souls of five gods, skillfully cut down the chains flying at him from all directions at supersonic speed.

Hermecus, whose head-spinning cunning was truly disgusting, used vile tricks befitting his epithet “The Vile One.”

《Hahah!! Now, hero of justice!! Take this!!》

Hermecus threw the women attending to him around him—pregnant women with swollen bellies.

He had pulled some trigger in their souls, turning dozens of women into human bombs as their souls exploded.

《How do you like my pregnancy bombs?!!》

Hermecus shouted provocatively with a voice tinged with madness, thinking Bjorn would hesitate to cut down these women.

Judging from Bjorn’s earlier behavior, he seemed like a firm believer in good, so even if he steeled his resolve, he would be psychologically shocked.

With that thought, Hermecus kept throwing those carrying his seed—

[……..Disgusting.]

Contrary to such expectations, Bjorn simply uttered that one word and cut down the bombs with a single stroke.

Unlike what Hermecus thought, Bjorn was neither a hero of justice nor anything of the sort, but a Chosen of Vengeance who desperately desired the empire’s destruction.

When everyone except those devoted to the Bleeding God of Vengeance was a target for elimination, Bjorn had no reason to whine about innocent victims.

So after cutting down the bombs and absorbing even their souls, when Hermecus saw the crazed Bjorn throwing himself forward—

《—Die!!》

With a frozen expression and a voice tinged with desperation, he continued his attack using the chains.