Ch.251Otherworldly Beam Projector

I had no time to feel guilt or consider my words.

If they charged again, there would truly be nothing left but catastrophe.

Judging by how they trembled yet gritted their teeth while looking my way, it wouldn’t take long.

What is the reason? What drives you to rush into the fire pit?

I extinguished my Karma and shouted loudly.

“Why are you fighting! What meaning does this war have for you! It’s a battle you can’t win, and even if you did, you’d fall into hell! Put down your weapons and surrender! On my name, I guarantee the safety of those who surrender! Return to your original lives!”

“What are you doing! Charge! It’s just one person. There’s no way they can stop all of us…!”

The dagger I threw split his head open like a watermelon.

Someone inciting thousands to their deaths. He couldn’t possibly be innocent.

“Ugh…!”

Several soldiers who were splattered with brain matter trembled in horror.

Seeing their reaction, it didn’t seem like they were drugged or had their reason impaired. Then why?

“Why! I asked why you’re fighting!! You who are neither warriors nor even proper soldiers!”

I stomped the ground with enough force to pulverize it.

Like a bomb rather than a boot, the earth exploded with a deafening boom.

“Answer me—!”

The surroundings shook as if an earthquake had struck.

The conscripts, unable to withstand the shockwave and tremors, lost their balance and fell.

And then.

“Why are you so angry?”

An impossible voice answered.

—-

This voice, could it be…!

A sultry laugh dripping with thick sensuality like viscous sugar.

I couldn’t forget it. How could I possibly forget!

“Isabella…!”

“I wondered why you came out alone, only to find you curious about such things. Did you think knowing the reason would make them stop fighting?”

The witch, Isabella Benes.

She was speaking directly to me, borrowing the mouth of one of the soldiers.

This soldier was probably meant for this purpose from the beginning.

His eyes were unfocused, and he had been standing still with an expressionless face.

Even the skin around his nape was constantly writhing as if something was about to burst out.

I could guess what was happening—a parasitic worm had eaten through his vocal cords and was now producing the voice.

“Hehe… you’re acting like a saint, which is unlike you.”

“You whore—no, you worm, acting like the insect you are…!”

My blood boiled to the top of my head as this source of evil spewed such nonsense.

I remained still only because slashing the parasitized soldier here would be meaningless.

“Just as you follow Elpinel’s nonsense, I faithfully serve my god. Aren’t we similar?”

How could we be similar?

Is theft just unlicensed transportation? What absurd nonsense.

“…Stop spreading your rotten stench and stay quietly in your den. Soon I’ll put you in a position where you’ll need permission even to open your mouth.”

“How crude, befitting a barbarian. I came specially to teach you since you were curious about the reason. Here, look.”

With a cracking sound, the man’s neck bent backward.

Black dark mana flowed like smoke from his mouth, stretched open to the point of tearing.

“This dark mana…! So you were a witch after all, Isabella Benes!”

“Elpinel! Grant me the strength to destroy this evil!”

“In the name of Astraea, the scales of justice!”

The paladins who had just joined exclaimed in shock and took battle positions.

Five-colored holy light enveloped and illuminated their bodies.

“What are you trying to do, Isabella!”

“No need to be so surprised. I’m just showing you something.”

Isabella laughed lightly and murmured as if singing.

Speculum.

Mirror.

Saltare, Saltare.

Dance, dance.

Inclina et salta sicut fumus.

Undulate and dance like smoke.

Somnia tua terribilia mitte illic.

Terrible dreams to the beyond.

luceant umbrae et dispersae.

Shine shadows and scatter.

An incomprehensible language. With each phrase, the flow of dark mana writhed and formed geometric patterns.

A shadow unfolded in midair.

“How dare you!”

I hurriedly threw a dagger that pierced the soldier’s throat.

Through the torn throat, the shattered insect corpse leaked bodily fluids.

“Hu…hu… use…less, ac…tion…”

Like a broken radio full of static.

Despite the insect that was transmitting the words already being dead, the witch’s song didn’t stop.

“Paladin Order! Alert! Deploy the anti-magic barrier!”

The holy barrier hastily deployed by the paladins spread before us.

The sacred light barrier meant to block mana was also effective against magic deployed with dark mana.

Isabella had said it wasn’t an attack spell, but no one believed a witch’s words.

But… it wasn’t an attack spell.

The shadow of dark mana became transparent like a mirror and reflected something.

As if a giant projector had been suspended in midair.

What it showed was,

“Good heavens… Saulite!”

“How could you do such a thing…! Do you not fear heaven’s punishment!”

“Vile witch! Elpinel’s holy fire will burn you eternally!”

Rage, shock, hatred.

The paladins, furious like flames, hurled curses at Isabella.

So this was it…!

This is why the conscripts charged to their deaths…!

A scene from hell unfolding silently.

In a cave-like dim space, a temple-like building stood alone.

—-

Inside the cave that writhed strangely like waves. Tens of thousands… perhaps hundreds of thousands of insects filled the cave, crawling everywhere.

Those with wings were flying around.

There were only two types of creatures there. Insects, or people.

Thousands of people, buried in a lake of insects, screaming as their bodies were devoured.

With no young adults or women, only very young boys and old men.

A centipede-like monster burrowed into eyeballs to gnaw on brains, and thousands of moth-like insects clung to a child of about three or four, tearing off flesh.

Countless holes opened in the trembling body of a young boy, and finger-sized maggots emerged from each hole, wriggling.

Monster insects resembling stag beetles, praying mantises, and countless other giant insects tore people apart and carried the pieces to their mouths as if playing.

It was truly a banquet of insects.

—-

“You, crazy, bug bitch…!”

Words failed me.

The sight of such explicit hell seemed to freeze even my thoughts.

“The women are doing other things… shall I show you that too?”

Somehow regenerated, the insect mimicking vocal cords mocked with a normal voice.

The next moment, the screen in the air flickered and changed. From feeding to breeding.

It was hell in a different direction.

Insect monsters, dogs, pigs, horses. All kinds of beasts.

In a pen containing every male creature except humans, a frenzied feast was taking place.

A breeding ground where conception to birth took less than five minutes.

Violated, bellies swelling instantly, giving birth, then violated again.

And monsters that tore through the mother’s belly and devoured her.

Whether their minds were broken by drugs or magic, the women all had expressions of ecstasy, but… it was a sight that made one nauseous just to witness.

Even the paladins who had endured the sight of people being devoured bent over and vomited.

“It might be a bit embarrassing for a virgin… how do you like it?”

“Isabellaaaaa! You dog of a whore!”

I’ll kill her.

No. No!

I was planning to kill her anyway. But now that’s not enough.

Death alone is insufficient, far from enough!

“I’ll make that fishy mouth of yours beg for death!”

Limitless rage wells up.

Emotions buried deep, very deep, all burst forth, dyeing my vision red.

The power of Murder Karma spread around with tremendous force.

“I kindly answered your curiosity, yet you get so angry. How rude. Well, it doesn’t matter. Go ahead and try your best.”

Yes, I was planning to do that anyway!

Keep smiling so shamelessly.

You think you’re invincible because you have near-immortality?

I’ll prove what a big mistake that is…!

“And what are you all doing? Why are you standing still? You should fight. Otherwise, your families will join those feeds over there…”

“Stop your bullshit-!”

The Murder Karma rising like a tidal wave engulfed the conscript parasitized by the insect.

With a crushing sound, the man’s body was erased from existence.

“Ugh… uuugh…!”

The conscripts with half-rolled eyes glared at me, gritting their teeth.

Looking ready to charge again at any moment.

“Come to your senses! Are you believing the words of such a crazy demon! If you fight, there’s no way your families will be safe!”

Right. They can’t be alive.

If Isabella’s method of moving the conscripts was to take hostages and treat them cruelly, the effect of the hostages ended the moment these men were sent to the battlefield.

Afterward, would she have left them alone?

Nearly 80,000 people. A number too annoying to manage and difficult to gather in one place?

No way.

She probably killed them all. As sacrifices to her evil god.

“That’s, that’s not certain! There’s no way my mother is dead!”

A tear-stained boy jumped up and ran toward me.

His angry shout was sharp.

“Right. Damn it! They’re alive! They must still be alive!”

“Hans. Reimi. Anna…!”

Following the boy, more and more people began to rush forward.

Like flames, like waves.

Yes. This was already a flow that couldn’t be persuaded with words.

They weren’t failing to realize the truth, but rather denying it despite knowing.

The moment they accepted my words and stopped would be the moment they acknowledged their families’ miserable end, so they would never stop.

“Lord Median! It’s already too late! Regrettably, we must retreat and regroup with the main force to suppress them…!”

The paladins, recognizing the irreversible situation, urged retreat.

Yes, while one person might be manageable, that many people rushing at once couldn’t be stopped by the paladins alone.

“Son of a…”

My clenched molars ground together.

Clear hatred heated my mind.

“Isabella… Isabellaaaaaaaa!”

Power burst forth with my roar, tearing through the surroundings.

Catastrophe was imminent—

[Calm yourself! No, perhaps it’s better not to calm down…?! Anyway, listen to me! If you can control this level of killing intent, you can stop them! ]

Just before it reached the point of no return, Hersella urgently shouted.

With a voice full of confidence, saying there was still a way.

‘…What?’

[They dare to charge because you haven’t harbored even a shred of killing intent toward them! Fill yourself with the desire to kill them, and instead of compressing the power of Murder Karma, spread it widely! Until only the killing intent remains without substance! Remember those who fainted upon seeing my face? The power of Murder Karma originally brings fear and pressure, so with such intense power, you can subdue all these weak farmers!]

A violent and simple method.

However, it was certainly worth trying.

I followed her words. Holding onto the last hope.

Dense killing intent covered the battlefield.