Chapter 10: Too Many Abysses Part 3

Released:

It hadn’t been difficult for Kriel to realize that the place he had drifted into was the world of Tirnanog RPG. First, the roaming monsters around him were all creatures he had seen at least once in the game.

Next was his own appearance. It was as if the graphic of the last character he had created in the game had been transformed into his new reality.

He wasn’t too happy about the fact that his character belonged to the Dark Knight class, a class that grew more mad the more its skills were used. Still, he held onto a sliver of hope.

In the countless game-transmigration novels he’d read, wasn’t the goal usually to defeat the original story’s final boss? Since there was even a system-like mechanism that engraved skills into his mind, he believed that one day, after defeating the Demon King, he might find a way to return home.

That belief didn’t take long to shatter. He soon learned that the Demon King Balor had already been vanquished long ago by the heroes.

“Heroes” was the title used for the player characters in the game.

Kriel had attempted to track down the heroes, in the hope of finding a clue for his return, but their whereabouts had grown unclear after the Demon King’s defeat.

There were many rumors about the heroes’ disappearance. However, Kriel believed that none of those rumors were true.

They must’ve just gone home.

Kriel let out a hollow laugh, and from that moment on he had decided to focus on a new goal. To survive with a healthy mind and body.

[How many of the Seven Demon Weapons are currently missing?]

“It’s pointless to look for the ones that are missing since they keep trying to escape even when sealed. You’d save time by counting the ones that are properly sealed.”

Caught between a unicorn head ghost and a self-proclaimed witch, Kriel was left questioning whether his life could truly be called healthy.

They kept arguing about “Why the Holy Kingdom is so poorly managed,” and “It’s because they’re too busy fixing corrupted spirits like you,” yet neither side made any meaningful points.

“Instead of bickering between yourselves, why don’t you just gather all the other saints and hold a debate?”

Kriel half-jokingly tried to put an end to their quarrel. He couldn’t understand why the two were so eager to tear each other apart.

[Oh.]

“Well, since we’re all heading there together anyway… it might actually be worth a try.”

But Orishin and Morgina took his joke seriously.

***

Kriel stood in a corner of the debate hall, sipping water. Unlike discussions based on intuition or instinct to locate the Abyss, this logical conference based on decades of accumulated Abyss observation data was far beyond his level to get involved in.

Morgina, who had been passionately debating terms like spearhead and blade edge just moments ago, quietly approached him.

“What’s this? Done with the debate already?”

“It’s in a lull. Come to think of it, your major concession means there’s no need for us to act on our own now.”

Originally, the first task would have been locating the site where the relic’s main body was hidden. The Priest King had gathered many saints with the intent of scattering them to search for the relic’s concealed location.

But thanks to Kriel, they were now able to head straight for the relic’s main body while skipping the tedious exploration process.

“So, we decided to prepare individually for whatever we think the relic’s powers might be.”

Kriel let out a dry laugh. After hours of endless discussion, they still hadn’t reached an agreement.

“Even saints can’t come to an agreement? Do they at least manage to hold decent dinner parties when the churches gather?”

“Have you ever been to the Festival of Light’s Birth? After all the events are over, just deciding on what to eat can turn into a huge fight. It starts with whether fish or meat is better, and then there are those people insisting we should abstain and only eat plants—”

Morgina’s complaints eventually circled back to boasting about the Eve Kaha Church.

“But our church doesn’t have any of those annoying restrictions. Drink as much as you want, eat as much meat as you like! If you join now, you can even keep your title as Grand Warrior.”

“Stop doing missionary work.”

Kriel brushed off Morgina’s rambling. The first time he’d heard a similar spiel from her had been on the battlefield.

Even then, blood-soaked mace in hand, she’d gone around telling soldiers, “Join our church and you’ll get free strawberry jam bread every weekend!” From that moment on, it was clear that Morgina had no talent for evangelism.

***

Grykenkos’ vanguard. The devil Satranak gazed at the constellation map spread out in the void.

The constellations glowing within the darkness were unlike those of the real world. The stars embroidered across the void represented the equivalent of the Abyssal Power Map.

The six constellations, each occupying the sky with its unique color, stood as clear proof.

They were the symbols of the Archdevils.

The stars representing Grykenkos gathered to form the shape of a scale. The scale-shaped constellation held unrivaled authority, unmatched by any nameless stars. But when compared to the other five constellations, its presence seemed somewhat lacking.

Like all devils, Grykenkos sought to upset the balance of the Abyss stars in order to become the unrivaled supreme ruler.

Satranak had offered a bold strategy to fulfill his master’s will. It was a method to mass-produce Apostles of the Abyss using the Demon King’s Legacy.

According to the plan, the fragments of the Seven Demon Weapons were meant to slowly take root in the world, feeding off it, and eventually bloom atop the soil of corpses.

But things had gone wrong. Despite scattering so many fragments, not a single being had ascended to the rank of a devil like himself, nor had anyone even reached the level of a demon.

There were only two possibilities to consider. Either the humans he had so carefully selected were utterly incompetent, pathetic fools incapable of even killing their own families, or…

The fragments had been discovered by the mindless fools who worshipped soulless machines.

Satranak flicked his fingers, and the constellation map disappeared. It was replaced by several screens illuminating the world from various angles.

The screens were connected to his worshippers, those who served him. They all reported the same thing. The Holy Kingdom had “discreetly” summoned saints.

Humans are creatures endlessly curious about each other’s secrets.

Satranak’s worshippers were unaware of who they truly served, or perhaps they were willfully ignoring it. But they delivered these secrets to him. They did so because the secrets they received in exchange were far too sweet to resist.

The summons to the saints. Satranak immediately realized that they had been mobilized to thwart his plans.

However, even saints would find themselves at a loss. When Satranak had scattered the fragments of the Seven Demon Weapons, he had made sure no discernible pattern could be traced. He spread them evenly across the corners of the world.

The saints who pursued him might be able to reach a few branches, perhaps even the trunk of the tree. But they would never touch the roots.

Satranak turned his gaze to the mummy with a blade embedded in its chest. The sword’s blade, lodged in the mummy, appeared as brittle as bone. However, with careful observation, one could see the blade slowly regenerating, as though it were being restored like flesh growing anew.

For years, he had been restoring the sword using the mummy as a medium, but the process was reaching its limit. Even now, the regeneration of the blade had noticeably slowed.

Satranak had already decided to abandon this hideout without hesitation once the sword consumed the last remnants of the soul lingering in the corpse.

Even if the saints’ subjugation team discovered this place, there would be nothing left for them to find.

“… But it would be better to put a little more effort into the disguise.”

Satranak selected those among his worshippers who were worthless as anything but sacrificial pawns. He planned to summon them to this location, implant false memories, and then vanish.

By replenishing the supply of sacrificial lambs and leaving the saints satisfied, they would eventually forget the incident. When that time came, he would resume his plans in another place. Only this time with more capable worshipers and even greater secrecy.

***

“There lies the core of the Abyss Seed.”

Kriel was pointing a finger at the stone structure delicately perched on the edge of the cliff.

Kriel led the saints and saintesses deep into the rugged mountains. It was a place so remote that few people could easily reach it. Yet a location difficult for people to access didn’t necessarily mean it was ideal for the Abyss spawns to hide in.

In this world, which had been at war with the Abyss for ages, most secluded mountain ranges housed at least one monastery or cathedral.

When demons or devils emerged from a mountain peak, monasteries were often established to purify the area after burying the demon and burning its corpse.

The place Kriel pointed to was one of those very monasteries. The saints’ expressions hardened.

Monasteries like this one, nestled in the mountains, regularly sent reports of their designated surveillance areas to the Holy City of Temlis. Still, the fact that traces of the Abyss could be felt from the monastery meant one of two things. Either the Abyss had seeped into the very marrow of the monks, or every single person inside had already perished.

Either possibility was no small matter. Whether it was the collective corruption of the monks or a mysterious enemy who had isolated the monastery and wiped out its inhabitants without a trace.

“I will go first—”

“I’ll go with you.”

Before Kriel could even finish his sentence, Morgina added her piece. Kriel shot her a sharp glance before continuing.

“…We will disguise ourselves as wandering priests and scout the place. If thirty minutes pass after we enter and you hear nothing from us, then storm in together.”

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