Chapter 900 Omen – 4 (Prisoner of the Massacre)
In the Luas Religion, which worships the goddess Luas, and in the Luas Kingdom, its home, there exist great believers who represent the sacred light before all people.Their number varies slightly from era to era, but in the present era, there were 13.
Saint, Pope, Holy Spirit.
Cardinal of Samjeong.
Seven Archbishops.
Among these, the Archbishop oversees all bishops and, as the hands and feet carrying out the will of God, man, and the Cardinals throughout the world, handles all practical matters.
With the exception of world conferences, the archbishop is the limit of the highest-ranking cleric whom most powerful figures can formally meet.Simply put, they are practically the face of the Luas religion.
“Archbishop!! Look here! Look here!”“Luas!!”
The citizens of Gold Hill, young and old alike, enthusiastically welcomed Archbishop Joseph’s visit while wearing golden crosses around their necks.Although it was the season just beginning spring with occasional chills, the faith of the believers burned as hot as the sun.
The paladins and clerics, acting on Paladin’s orders, controlled the distance to a minimum.This was to prevent unnecessary chaos in advance.
Endless cheers.
Archbishop Joseph, holding a staff in one hand, slowly waved to the people.Bishop Lena, who was undergoing the advanced course for senior bishops—a mandatory requirement for one to become an archbishop—also waved her arms excitedly beside him.
“Wow, if I became an Archbishop, would people like me this much?”“If you strive to be upright and willingly serve as a model of faith before becoming an Archbishop, they will love you, Bishop Lena, regardless of your title. If I may offer just one piece of advice, I think it would be best for you to gradually curb your personal greed for money.”“Ahaha…….”
Bishop Lena smiled awkwardly and rolled her pink eyes to the side.It was excellent advice, but even so, she had no intention of living a financially apathetic life like the average archbishop.
Do Luas not collect offerings whenever they perform miracles at the request of others?
You need money to eat, gain strength, and work hard at missionary work. After all, the more you reduce stress through slightly expensive hobbies, the more vigorously you can work as a senior bishop.
Bishop Lena’s belief is that abundance helps more people than poverty.Her goal is to make many donations, accumulate a massive amount of money sufficient for herself, and rise to a high position.
“Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to society to buy one more loaf rather than eating one less? After all, if I’m hungry, the bakery is hungry too.”“So, if I donate the bread I bought to someone else in need, I can help two people in total: the bakery owner and the person who receives it.”“Then how about buying three loaves instead? If I work hard so I don’t go hungry, I might have another opportunity to share bread later, right? I have to eat to live, too.”“What I meant was… *Sigh*, never mind.”
Archbishop Joseph ultimately intended to discuss self-sacrifice, but Bishop Lena considered the situation strictly from a realistic perspective.
It would be pointless to say more, as we would just go astray.
I have absolutely no intention of denying her fundamental ideology in the first place. It is only natural. After all, if there are ten thousand people, ten thousand thoughts must be respected.Rather, I became inwardly curious about what kind of archbishop such a person would become.
“Bishop Lena, I cannot guarantee that your character will be an example to everyone, but your faith and abilities are excellent. However, that alone is not enough to become one of the Seven Archbishops. Live your life always concretizing your motives and what you wish to do. Your faith will deepen in proportion to the time you spend in anguish.”“Yes, I will keep that in mind!”
Bishop Lena answered spiritedly, her pink hair swaying.
As expected, your confidence is second to none.
Before long, Archbishop Joseph and his party stood in the central square of Gold Hill. He ascended the platform prepared by the Mayor of Gold Hill and looked around. Hesaw pitiful believers who wanted to hear his voice.
Speeches must be different every time,because the venue and audience are different.
Archbishop Joseph studied what kind of city Gold Hill was and what kind of people lived there.Faith is the heart.To move that one and only heart without making even the slightest effort to find out who the other person was was a disqualification for an archbishop.
thud.
Paladin Shane struck the ground with the blade sheathed in a precise motion. He looked majestic as he gripped the hilt with both hands, as if holding a Holy Grail.In an instant, the square fell silent, and only the sound of breathing filled the air.
Archbishop Joseph stared straight ahead.
“Dear Goldhill—”
It was then.
An ominous shadow fell at the very back of the crowd, where no one paid attention. Taller than an average adult male,with a massive physique.Wrapped in a robe that covered his entire body, the back of which protruded abnormally. Anyone could tell that the figure concealing his identity behind the robe was not a pure human being.
The new model blurring in an instant.
The unidentified being was gone, leaving only the robe fluttering in the air. Immediately afterwards, Archbishop Joseph, with his eyes wide open, stretched out his arm.
“Bishop Lena!!”“Yes? Aaaah!”
Bishop Lena, suddenly pushed hard, slumped onto the square floor. Startled, she snapped her head up before she could even feel the pain.
Pfft───!
An arm encased in an exoskeleton pierced Archbishop Joseph’s back and abdomen. Blood spurted out far away along with fragments of organs.A divine power, unleashed belatedly, relieved the pain and held him conscious.
“Ugh, hic….”“Quite. You have good intuition, befitting a member of a world religion.”
It is an unfamiliar voice.
Archbishop Joseph turned his gaze with difficulty to see a prisoner he had never seen before.
Two streamlined horns with tips pointing toward the sky.Skin covered in a dark carapace.Pitch-black wings.A noseless face.A long, slit mouth with sharp teeth.Vividly glowing dark purple eyes.
I don’t know much about the beastkin race, but including the Beast King, he gave the most ferocious impression among all the beastkin I have seen so far.
Sob!
Blood gushed out and struck my Adam’s apple. My teeth turned red. Feeling the metallic smell of blood lingering on the tip of my tongue, I opened my mouth with difficulty.
“Judging by the looks of it, you don’t seem to have come from the Great Beastmen…!”“The Great Beastmen Tribe? Ah, I hear that Beastmen tribes live together these days. Just like humans. It seems their wild nature has faded considerably over time.”“Your Holiness the Archbishop!!”
Paladin Railver and Paladin Shane drew their maces and swords, but they could not approach rashly. The Archbishop had been taken hostage.
“More than that, we get along well. Indeed. It was worth eating souls. At least I don’t have to go through the hassle of learning modern language again.”
soul?
The prisoner of the massacre laughed softly as he read Archbishop Joseph’s expression.
“Don’t try too hard to understand. This is a ‘taboo,’ after all.”“A taboo… *Cough*?!”
As Suin pulled his arm away, Archbishop Joseph fell to the floor. Thud, thud. The Archbishop’s blood flowed down the exoskeleton of his arm.
now.
“Shane!”
He shouted at Archbishop Joseph, sweating profusely like crazy.
“No……! Step back!!”“To the innocent light!”
Paladin Railber charged forward, shielding himself and swinging his mace. The paladins followed behind, and the bishops supported them with high miracles.The summoned servants of Luas attempted to subdue the beastmen with weapons of light.
Meanwhile, Paladin Shane quickly secured Bishop Lena and Archbishop Joseph and moved away from the podium to avoid getting caught up in the engagement.
“no!!!!”
The prisoner of the massacre moved.
Crunch!
He grabbed Railber’s mace with his hand, smashed it, and struck the shield. As the shield snapped, Railber’s body bounced onto the square floor.As his fully spread pitch-black wings circled, a sharp gust of wind raged, slicing the paladins and bishops into pieces along with the miracles.
Even the citizens.
… … Splat.
A diagonal line shot up from the upper bodies of the parents holding their child’s hands on both sides. As the severed body fell downward, the organs spilled out.Citizens near the center of the square died instantly on the spot.
The surprise vanished, andfear took its place.
“W-Waaaaaaah!!”“Oh Luas, oh Luas…….”“Mom……? Dad……?”“Kyaaaaaaah!”
The streets were in chaos as people fled desperately. The beastman of the massacre felt a great sense of satisfaction as a predator and was lost in the afterglow.
Bishop Lena’s shoulders trembled.
My mind went blank at the suddenness of the situation. So much so that I couldn’t think of anything.
Archbishop Joseph held her arm while healing the penetrating wound.
“Bishop Lena, survive at all costs and report this situation to the main church. Otherwise, countless people will be sacrificed.”“Archbishop…?”“Paladin Shane. I entrust her protection to you.”
Shane gritted his teeth, realizing the difference in power between himself and his opponent. The tide of the battle wouldn’t change just because he helped.
“Yes, I will definitely return.”“W-what do you mean… I’ll help too. Just like in the Beldirn Republic, then somehow a way will come…..”
A powerful divine energy surged within Archbishop Joseph as he wore a gentle smile.His eyes flashed with a holy light.
Protect them.
Tteong.
Paladin Shane and Bishop Lena, surrounded by a divine shield, flew far into the sky and instantly escaped Goldhill.
Amidst screams coming from all directions, the prisoner of the massacre asked.
Did you say goodbye?
Archbishop Joseph rose to his feet. His completely healed body was visible through his blood-stained clothes.
“If you let them go, it will be a meaningful farewell.”“Rest assured. I intended to leave a messenger behind.”
messenger.
Is it that he wants to make himself known to the world rather than concealing information? I can’t even guess what his purpose is.
The blood of the people flowed and soaked the ground beneath Archbishop Joseph’s feet.
Who on earth are you?
The wings wrapped around the beastman.
Varkhazel.
The prisoner of the massacre—Barcazel—has finally revealed his name to this world.
Whoosh.
Paladin Railber, having received divine healing, staggered and picked up a sword lying on the floor. He tossed his broken shield aside.
“I am sorry I could not protect you, Archbishop.”“It is not over yet.”
A huge ring of light appeared behind Archbishop Joseph.
Great light.
A proof of holy faith that only a very small number of believers can attain.
“Fulfill your duty to the very end. With the innocent light.”“I uphold the light.”
Paladin Railber, endowed with all manner of miracles, let out a shout and confidently took charge of the vanguard, while Archbishop Joseph, without regard for the rear, mobilized all his divine power and focused on defense and support.
Kaang! Kang! Kagagagak!
Sparks flew between the exoskeleton and the sword. Even though he was slashing downwards with a sword imbued with divine power, not a single scratch remained on the creature.Barcazel stood there motionless, without even counterattacking as if it were a pastime.
Shhh, click!
It is not something we can handle.
Archbishop Joseph bound his limbs with dozens of sacred chains and judged his faintly felt strength.
Transcendent, and beyond.
The ferocity that made even the Archbishop’s faith tremble was reminiscent of the Beast King of the era. If so, was it a monster comparable to him?Ordinary means and methods would not suffice to defeat this beastman. The most powerful cleric flashed through the Archbishop’s mind.
Crunch crunch!
As Barcazel passed the two before they could even perceive it, Paladin Railber’s arm and Archbishop Joseph’s arm were torn off simultaneously.The holy sword energy and chains lost their form and turned back into light.
“……Oh, Lord Luas.”
The wings split the horizontal.
The Archbishop’s divine shield shattered, and Paladin Railver died instantly. A shattered staff. Archbishop Joseph lay sprawled on the ground with his legs severed.
It was a not bad touch, Archbishop.
Boom.
Barcasel kicked off Goldhill Square and soared upward at tremendous speed. Looking down at Goldhill from the distant sky, he grinned.He could clearly see the people fleeing or hiding away from the square.
A bug is a bug, then and now.
The moment he kicked off the air, a shockwave erupted.Its path was vertical.Barcazel’s body turned red due to friction with the atmosphere. The pressure was soon transmitted to the ground, and the city began to tremble.
“Haa, haa…….”
A red dot, resembling a meteorite, is growing larger in the eyes of Archbishop Joseph, who has barely managed to turn his body while lying on the ground.
“My…… Goddess.”
Archbishop Joseph muttered softly.
“Please, look upon us,”
Barcazel thrust his right leg toward Goldhill Square while maintaining his speed.A fall into the sky.The concentrated leg force struck the heart of the city.
Bang───
A momentary silence descended.
A vortex of pressure surged from the spot where Barcazel struck. Buildings, corpses, and the living were dragged underground.Eventually, the power condensed in the underground exploded, engulfing Goldhill from below upward.
Kugugugung, Kwagwagwagwagwagwagwang!
Barcazel, having somehow escaped the explosion radius and returned to the sky, crossed his arms and watched the scene of the massacre he had created.
Next, he turned his head toward the direction where the two people the archbishop had helped escape were.
“You said that at this distance, it would take a few days for the news to reach the homeland of the Luas Church in the Western Continent.”
Barcazel licked his teeth.
“You are just as calculating and calculating in life and death. You crazy dwarf. Well, it might be a bit boring in the meantime, but it can’t be helped.”
The next goal has already been set.
“The strongest saint of all time. I’d like her to be at least on the level of the old dwarves.”
Barcazel, who had enjoyed slaughter for the first time in a long while, let out a maniacal laugh filled with anticipation. Beyond his laughter, the noise of a collapsing city echoed.
32,533 deaths.2 survivors.
The Kingdom of Din-el, located on the central continent, and its southern frontier city of Goldhill—destroyed.
* * *
A terrible roar was heard from afar.
Bishop Lena ran and ran with Paladin Shane without looking back. As for what happened to Archbishop Joseph, Paladin Railver, and the citizens of Goldhill…
“Please help me, Saint. Please help me, Pope.”
The tears wouldn’t stop.
“Please help me, Lord Verden… …!”
Bishop Lena anxiously called out to the strong people she knew in her heart.
