Chapter 156: China getting its skull smashed (3)
by fnovelpia
“No, this damn Saintess cracks skulls at the drop of a hat.”
“What’s going on?”
Looks like the other returnees came running after hearing the skull-cracking sound.
Especially Battle mage and Cheonma, they seemed shocked when they saw the corpses.
“Look at this. This is the secret order these Chinese Hunter bastards got from the Zhuxi Palace.”
“Huh. They planned to kill us?”
“So, while pretending to just dump us in the South, they were ready to trample us the moment they got the chance.”
There’s no way the Kanora Church should be pushed around by bastards like this.
So I made a decision.
“What? Don’t tell me… you’re trying to start a fight with this?”
“No. But I thought, since the Namgung clan has split off for now, this is a good time to try something. Let me explain. Even if North China sends us to the South, do you really think they’ll just leave us alone? They’ll probably just use us and then frame us as criminals and kick us out.”
Of course, I plan to spread the faith first, but I always have to remember — this is China, not Korea.
Who knows what that Zhang Guohe guy might try to pin on us.
Unless we brainwash him directly — but doing that would really get our religion labeled as dangerous.
For now, it’s better to spread things slowly.
“We’re headed south, right?”
“Yeah, but it’ll be the same down there. So here’s what I decided: we’re going to stage a ‘Kanora Church Disappearance Incident.’ We’ll vanish. Pretend to go missing.”
“Huh? Is that even possible?”
Why not?
I’ve got just the item for it.
“Alright, watch carefully!”
“Wait, what are you pulling out now?”
I fumbled around inside my nun’s habit, looking for the item.
Found it.
It’s a Dungeon Core.
A Dungeon Core.
One of those I once used to torture some pathetic Korean Hunter whose name I don’t even remember anymore.
I showed it off to the returnees.
“Tada~ Dungeon~ Core~! I always keep it handy in a pocket inside my habit.”
“I thought you stuffed it between those ridiculously big boobs.”
Battle mage immediately took a jab at my chest.
“No, putting it there would be uncomfortable, okay?”
Even if I jammed this round Dungeon Core into my plump chest, what good would it do?
And Battle mage’s glare at my chest right now is anything but friendly.
“You’ve tried it before, haven’t you?”
“That’s not important right now. What matters is using this.”
Battle mage pouted.
Maybe she’s bitter because her chest is too small for that trick.
Poor thing.
Her modest chest is rather sweet, really.
Honestly, small is more convenient, isn’t it?
Swinging axes and stuff gets tricky when you’re too big.
But I gave up on saying that out loud — she’d probably murder me with her eyes.
Anyway, I set up the Dungeon Core.
In an instant, the surrounding terrain shifted.
The ruined wasteland expanded into a complex maze.
Spsshhhh!
Before we knew it, the area had transformed into a complete labyrinth — my personal dungeon, with me as the master.
We’re probably near the Yangtze River by now.
Perfect timing for the Kanora Church disappearance to make headlines.
“Dungeon activated.”
“You’re planning to bash some Chinese skulls now?”
“They’re Hunters anyway. They beat up Korean ones too — no way they’d let Chinese ones off easy, right? Hey, Young girl, draw us a map.”
At my words, the Young girl pouted.
“Man, what am I, some kind of living cheat map?”
“Well, isn’t life always like that?”
Wherever we go, there are bastards to bash.
But it’s more fun when you know where they are.
This isn’t our fault.
It’s those Chinese bastards who tried to tie us down.
In front of our goddess, all skulls are equal!
— Are you going to use the Respawn Field?
Respawn Field?
Nah.
No plans.
Unless it’s to help allies, it just gets in the way by blocking soul absorption and wasting time.
Unless I’m dealing with a really worthy opponent.
For random nobodies?
Who cares.
Before long, it seems Young girl’s map-reading skill leveled up — she handed me a magic map showing our location and the patrol routes of Chinese Hunters.
Wow.
Amazing.
Our Young girl really pulled off some high-tier stuff here.
“Alright, let’s split up. I’ll take the south. You guys go your own ways.”
I picked the southern area, while the others each chose their directions.
Hmm.
They’ll probably wipe out their groups in one go, but I have a different plan.
From what I can tell, about a hundred Chinese soldiers and Hunters got trapped in this dungeon.
“What if they call for backup? Isn’t that risky?”
“Risky? Not at all. Why? Because this place is outside comms range. Besides, who knows if North China’s network is even working right now?”
It’s a dungeon, after all.
Phones and radios don’t work here.
So, no one will know what happens in here.
The corpses will just get buried with the dungeon.
“So basically, it’s fine to kill them all.”
“Yep, exactly. Alright, time to start the slaughter.”
The deed’s already done, and that Zhuxi bastard was plotting dirty tricks anyway — no point hesitating now. Let the hunt begin.
There were plenty of Chinese soldiers in my zone too. I spotted two nearby and slowly approached.
“Ugh… what the hell is going on?”
“Is anyone out there? Wait. This signal’s dead…”
“Huh? What’s that behind— huh?”
Zap!
First, I smashed one guy’s skull.
His companion, who seemed to be nearby, couldn’t quite grasp what had happened—it was dark, and he couldn’t see properly.
The corpse was then dragged away by strange black hands that rose from the dungeon floor.
With even the body gone, that comrade of his must’ve been seriously freaked out.
“What the hell? What’s going on? Where’d he go? And this blood trail…?”
Ah, that dumb look on his face. I love it. Idiot.
He probably thought we were helpless little birds in a cage when he got his orders from that Zhu Xi guy.
It’s almost amusing that Zhang Guohe set up this kind of backup plan, but thanks to that, I now get to hunt these guys down.
A line from an old song pops into my head.
“This head looks tasty~”
“What the—what is that voice? Hey, where are you? Stop messing around!”
Yeah, he must be really confused.
Watching him flail around like that just made me grin.
“Wait, hey! Is anyone there? Somebody answer me!”
“This head looks tasty~”
“What the hell is this nonsense? Hold on… That voice… it kinda sounds like that chick’s…”
“This head looks tasty~ Look, it’s right in front of you~”
Now he finally realized.
And our Chinese hunter?
He started crying like a baby.
“A-ah… you… Who the hell are you? This… this is so wrong…”
“Alright, let’s have a little fun chat, shall we?”
“What the hell are you talking about, you crazy bitch! You think you’re getting out of this alive?!”
Alive?
Please.
He should be worrying about his own head right now.
No way he’s escaping alive.
“Do you have family? If you answer honestly, maybe I’ll go find another head instead.”
“N-no! No, I don’t! Almost none of us Beijing hunters have family left! I swear I’m telling the truth! Now let me go!”
So, Beijing hunters mostly have no family left?
That tells me the Great Cataclysm must’ve hit Beijing pretty hard.
Guess the others are the same.
If they had family, my fellow returnees might feel a little guilty about this.
Crack!
Anyway, I smashed his skull.
Yeah, I know, it’s pretty psychopathic.
But I can’t just vanish alone here, can I?
Besides, he said he had no family.
That makes him perfect prey.
“Hiiiiek! A-agh! Crazy nun!”
“Oh dear, you saw that, didn’t you? Well, not like I planned to let you live anyway.”
“You psycho bitch! Die!”
“Ugh, would you idiots stop overestimating yourselves? You’re all so stupid, it’s painful.”
Crack!
The Chinese soldier who charged me with a knife just dropped dead.
Though I have to admit, he moved pretty well.
— Oh? You finished him in one blow?
Our dear goddess chimed in with a bored tone.
Ah, I can’t forget—this damn goddess isn’t some benevolent being.
She’s a demon god. Literally the type who enjoys this stuff.
Guess I should cook up a more entertaining plan for her.
“Fine, let’s use the Respawn Field. [Respawn Field]”
I crept up to another Chinese guy who was lurking nearby after hearing all the skull-cracking.
I shoved him from behind, knocking him down.
This one looked like a real idiot—perfect for using the Respawn Field.
“W-wait, wait, what’s going on—”
Crack!
Zap!
I smashed his skull without mercy.
With a wet pop, like smashing a watermelon, the soldier who dared to mess with Kanora Church had his head broken and lay still.
But a moment later, he let out a hideous scream and rose up again.
“GAAAAAHHH!”
“Wow. Haven’t seen someone actually come back to life like that in a while.”
“What the hell?! Why am I alive?!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll just kill you again.”
Crack! Smash!
Well, since it’s come to this, might as well enjoy the feel of it and crack his skull again.
— Wait a minute. Something’s weird. I see more souls gathering.
“Huh? More souls?”
— Yeah. Each time you break their skull, their soul enters. And when they respawn, it happens again.
“You mean I can repeat this?”
— Exactly. Keep going and confirm.
“Poor guy. Caught by a demon god. Tsk tsk.”
“What the hell are you babbling about?! You crazy bitch—GAAAAAHHH!”
Crunch!
“Oh? A soul just popped out. And look—it’s even chained up. What the heck?”
— Ah, now I get it. This place traps souls here. It doesn’t let them escape.
Yeah, I see it now too.
Those chains are binding the souls tight, squeezing them like wringing water from a rag, forcing the energy into me.
“What happens if I keep draining souls?”
— The souls of these dead Chinese guys are being slowly absorbed by our angel. That’s what’s happening.
Now that she mentions it, I do feel kinda hot.
Like my body is burning up from inside.
This warmth rising from within, the tingling sensation, and this sudden rush—
It feels… euphoric.
My body, especially my lower half, is trembling.
It’s like this dungeon is the soil, stuffed with souls, and I’m the tree sucking up its nutrients.
Those chains are squeezing the souls dry and funneling everything straight into me.
Yeah, no doubt about it now.
This goddess of mine?
She’s totally a demon god.
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