The Ground of Fanaticism 3

“Hmm, quite a distance.”

“I-I apologize. To avoid- provoking the residents- the executor outpost- and Alice’s mission- location are- somewhat far apart.”

Marlang and I left the executor outpost and headed towards the surveillance zone.

The surveillance zone is, of course, the place where “the priestess who gives birth to insects and death” resides.

I guessed that “priestess” was highly likely to be a person, not a phenomenon or a building, and since this place was said to be contracted with hell, a creepy feeling, as if swarms of insects were crawling between my toes, was already creeping up.

All sorts of ominous imaginations come to mind.

What on earth does the priestess give birth to?

It was also amazing that a priestess remained in a cyberpunk high-tech magic world, but the problem was that here, the priestess didn’t worship superstitions, but existed for something with a real, enormous energy.

-Splat!

Blood splattered on the window.

It’s not a war.

Abandoned alleyways, untouched by anyone, were where fanatic gangs with different beliefs clashed, killing and sacrificing each other.

Someone shouted a desperate prayer, their body swelling up like a cloud and exploding in all directions, and there were also fanatics who summoned swarms of rats and flies as if to reward their twisted beliefs.

“Ew.”

Fortunately, Marlang and I had enough power to protect ourselves, but if we were powerless civilians, we would be immediately dragged away by fanatics to become living sacrifices, or, if lucky, be consumed by fanaticism and ruin our homes, property, and families.

In any case, a ‘normal person’ who comes here is inevitably doomed to destruction.

Those who are doomed to destruction naturally have no choice but to rely on various religions or groups parasitizing the Enchantment of the Fallen layer. Those who have completely devoted their bodies and minds to religion become the most active bait to attract new victims.

For the reference, there were many who used their own bodies as bait for proselytization.

Did the god want abundance and fertility?

There were even people who approached me and Marlang, who were young, regardless of gender.

“Marlang… car, car, car?”

“Car? Ah, why aren’t we flying?”

“Yes, yes. Marlang…”

Come to think of it, not only cars but also drones are included, so there isn’t even a drone in charge of the minimum administration here.

“Vehicles- here are- prohibited from- floating in the air- unlike other- layers.”

Valet, the executor in charge of driving in the front, answered instead, as I was also curious.

“Prohibited? Why?”

The Ark is basically a cramped space with an absurdly high population density.

Even in this small world, vehicles are basically strictly regulated to increase space utilization as much as possible, and the transportation that is released can only float in the air on fixed routes, but the vehicles here can only move on fixed ground roads like 20th-century Earth vehicles.

“If you fly too high- they will say, ‘How dare you try to approach- the place where God resides! How impudent!’- and the fanatics- are likely to get- excited. In addition- for religious reasons, and various- reasons related to the beliefs of the residents- technology and magic are prohibited, so many- live here- as if it were- ancient- times.”

“Oh my god.”

Perhaps those who are confident in their own power wouldn’t care if the fanatics went crazy, but those who are confident in their power in the Enchantment of the Fallen are either executors secretly dispatched from the central administration, including me, or Awakened who are consumed by fanaticism.

The latter wouldn’t be that rare.

If you’re the leader of a cult that performs human sacrifices somewhere, you’re bound to accumulate power and karma, whether you like it or not.

Anyway, what’s important in the Enchantment of the Fallen layer is that there is no administrative base or peacekeeping force here, and rather, the central administration is openly setting up a place for cults and fanatics to run wild.

“This blood is the property that our master has determined, and those who interfere with it will be judged as parasites gnaw at trees, and as knives defeat the prodigal’s people!”

“Accept my blood!”

“Me too! Me too!”

“I offer my baby’s blood!”

Hmm~ How can a feast of blood and flesh unfold as soon as we leave the executor outpost?

Even the lower layer and the Abyss, which are said to be terribly messed up, weren’t like this, but here, things like murder and living sacrifices seem to happen on a daily basis as if they were virtues.

“Executor, is that kind of thing common here?”

“I was- surprised at first… But now- it’s everyday- life. In the first place, the mission of our- executor- corps is not- to maintain public order, but- to stop those who try to leave the layer without- following the procedure, and- those who try to- smuggle in.”

“Smugglers? Are there people who try to sneak into this kind of layer?”

“Apart from- criminals and vagrants- there are also- mega corp- subcontractors. Since there is- a population and a large land- you can use it- somehow. If not, there are also- reporters full of- a sense of duty.”

“Ah, but if they’re trying to come in here directly, they must be pretty good reporters?”

“It depends- on the case. There are also- those who are commissioned by mega corps or the wealthy- to come here for a tour- to do a preliminary survey.”

“Tour.. here?”

Ugh, they come here for a tour?

Come to think of it… I heard that there are often rich people who come to the lower layer to tour the poor life?

Well, the gloomy atmosphere and the sunset beyond it combine with the blood-stained cityscape to make it look like the whole world is hell.

Did Valet say that?

That it’s a place connected to the real hell, not a story in a book.

The rich must have an urge to see it at least once.

The rich bastards in the Ark have too much money and time, so they can’t be satisfied with ordinary things.

I felt that quite a bit in the Ruincrest layer.

I went to the Academy and stuff, but I heard that kids who don’t have any intention of power or strength just spend their money like crazy.

-Splat!

“Waaaaah, Teacher… here, it’s full of… pouring sauce…”

“…”

Marlang’s expression continued to be bad, as if she was about to throw up at the scenery outside the window.

I pulled Marlang into my arms and covered her eyes with one hand.

It’s not good for a child to keep watching.

Marlang doesn’t usually react like this to blood splattering.

Marlang and the immortal girl usually play hunting games and engage in combat and killing without hesitation, but ironically, these girls were quite vulnerable to human malice.

In fact, Marlang recognizes hunting and combat as a kind of ‘game’, so it’s not that strange that she’s shocked to see a scene of fanaticism where malice is so openly felt.

“Okay, shhh. Do you want to close your eyes and sleep until we arrive?”

“Waaaaah… Alice Teacher… your chest isn’t as soft as Sohi guild leader’s…”

I don’t really want my chest to get bigger, but it feels strangely bad to be compared.

“Okay, okay, I’ll touch your thighs, so go to sleep.”

“Hng, hng…”

I pressed down on Marlang’s head and thighs and forced her to close her eyes.

-Thud!

Someone’s blood, flesh, and entrails splattered on the window.

When I turned my gaze there, I saw guys offering their limbs to makeshift altars, calling a minor god a savior and praying.

“…I don’t like it.”

I’m also an Overseer who has to listen to the central administration’s orders…

But I really don’t like this scenery.

I was thinking that these sacrifices were inevitable in order for the Ark to be maintained and for more people and humanity to survive, but the sight of a fanatic layer of malice stained with blood from broad daylight is…

Ugh, it sucks.

I’m not a good person.

I try to avoid killing as much as possible and use it as a last resort, but if necessary, I can use my strength as much as I want, and it’s not a big deal to blow up the head of that fanatic who’s picking a fight with me right now.

Nevertheless, this layer was just uncomfortable.

The ending where humans who have lost their hearts, have nowhere to go, and have no one to rely on are finally deluded, enchanted, and cling to the false belief of fanaticism.

If I were a saint, I might have tried to save them one by one and heal their exhausted and withering minds and souls, but unfortunately, I don’t have such gentle and angelic talents. Rather, I only have talents related to demonic destruction.

I want to destroy all the fanatic altars and cult hideouts here, but the mission I came down with is not destruction or reform, but just ‘surveillance’…

‘Beliefs and religions are… after all, each person’s escape and a place for their hearts to rely on, but what’s the point of hurting themselves and those around them and shedding blood to achieve fanaticism?’

It’s a truly strange sight.

A sight where belief is distorted and distorts reality, and people run away from reality and don’t take care of themselves and those around them.

Fanatics who believe in minor gods or trivial things as saviors prioritize their beliefs over their lives.

I felt a sense of déjà vu, as if I had seen it somewhere before.

Did I see a similar sight during my Demon King days?

I closed my eyes at the unpleasant feeling, as if a headache was gnawing at my head.

How pathetic.

I stopped thinking.

‘But Theresa? Why are you so quiet?’

【-】

‘Normally, you should be nitpicking and saying it’s inefficient or something, right?’

【-】

‘Theresa?’

【—】

Theresa?

Are you okay?

【…I apologize. I was slow to respond because I was uploading information and organizing layer information.】

‘Ah, no. I was just worried that our Theresa might have suffered a huge mental blow or shock from seeing the hell layer.’

【I am an auxiliary personality. Huge mental blows and shocks are not applicable to me.】

‘Ah, yes. I guess so.’

I’m glad you seem okay.

No, did you pretend to be okay?

I don’t know what shocked our lovely Theresa so much.

“We have- arrived. Overseer.”

“Ah, okay.”

I picked up the sleeping Marlang with my mechanical tendril and got out of the car.

What I saw was a dense forest and a ruined city.

It was a hideous sight, as if a war had taken place.

Blood-made branches and roots were stretched out long and dried up all over the buildings and roads, and smog, which was incomparably thicker than fog, filled the horizon and the city mountains.

The dampness and ominousness that even the light of the Artificial Sun couldn’t reach here.

But my neural sensors confirmed that many people were living even in this place.

Even though there was a huge ruined city, it felt like a closed-off rural horror story.

I felt a gloomy feeling, as if I had become the protagonist of a horror story or a scary story.

-Clatter clatter clatter…

From somewhere.

I heard the sound of insects and spiders’ legs crawling all over the place.