Chapter 86: Formed from Countless People
The Underworld's Taboo No. 13?
"Sister Brunhilde, what is the Underworld's Taboo No. 13?"
Göll asked in an uneasy voice.
Though she didn't fully understand, Satan's words—"Beelzebub is also known as the Demon Who Brings Disease"—gave her some idea.
"I don't know."
She didn't know the specifics, but it was likely some kind of cursed virus or something similar. One thing was certain—Satan intended to spread it far and wide.
With so many of them flying toward every corner of the heavens, who knew what kind of horrific plague or curse it would unleash?
Therefore, to prevent the dire situation from worsening, it was necessary to eliminate all these filthy pests.
The problem was, these creatures were incredibly fast. As they flew, their fluttering wings seemed to scatter some kind of mist, indicating that the virus was already spreading.
Some gods attempted to eradicate them, but—
"Dammit, what's going on?"
"Is this one infected?"
"Has it mutated already?"
Chaos erupted among the spectators, causing Brunhilde's expression to darken instantly.
At the same time, Hades' voice echoed through the arena, ordering immediate containment and isolation of the infected individuals, emphasizing that no one should allow themselves to be touched or injured by them.
For the moment, there was no spare capacity to deal with the swarming pests flying out of the arena.
In truth, the chief gods also wanted to act—to unleash their most powerful attacks before the insects could escape the arena and spread into the wider sky, hoping to eliminate as many as possible in one strike.
But they hesitated, fearing that their actions might inadvertently affect the [False God—Chaos], potentially triggering its detonation, which would lead to even worse consequences.
Thus, they could only watch helplessly.
The only option was to wait until the flying insects left the arena and dispersed into a larger space before dealing with them.
But that approach risked letting some escape.
So, Brunhilde could only hope that King Solomon would once again perform a miracle and eliminate those foul creatures before they could flee.
Speaking of which, when Satan released the [False God—Chaos], King Solomon had uttered an incomprehensible phrase:
"The time for coronation has come, thus enlightening all creation."
Was this some kind of incantation? A summoning spell for that abominable monstrosity?
At that moment, the screens flickered back to life—the same ones used to broadcast the final battle between humans and gods.
Earlier, the transmission had been completely lost due to the aftermath of the [False God—Chaos].
Now, the footage had been restored, and the camera was tracking the swarm of foul insects flying out of the arena.
Just as these pests were about to scatter in all directions after leaving the arena, they suddenly froze mid-flight.
What was happening?
Had King Solomon used some kind of spell to immobilize them?
The camera zoomed in, magnifying the swarm. Though the insects had no faces, they seemed to be paralyzed with terror, as if they had seen something horrifying.
What was outside the arena?
"It appears something has frightened Satan's plague-bearing insects. Let us witness—"
Heimdall, still dutifully performing his role, was speaking while riding a flying device when his voice abruptly choked off.
His gaping mouth trembled uncontrollably.
What he saw was so shocking that it robbed him of speech.
"Huh? Sister Brunhilde, wh-what's going on? The world outside the arena wasn't like this before..."
Göll, watching the broadcast through Heimdall's feed, exclaimed in astonishment.
The world outside the arena was unlike anything they had ever seen—a bizarre, surreal landscape that resembled outer space itself.
There was ground, yes, but it looked like something out of hell.
Moreover, countless stone pillars—no, not pillars, but tentacles with eyes—burst from the earth, stretching straight into the sky.
This time, the tentacles could be seen somewhat clearly on the surface.
Were those... people?
Was the surface densely covered with people?
Was her vision blurring, creating illusions?
"Sister Brunhilde, am I seeing things? Th-those tentacles seem to be covered with people..."
Göll asked with a trembling voice, but the sister beside her didn't respond. A glance from the corner of her eye revealed her sister staring ahead, face covered in cold sweat, swallowing slightly...
"Am I mistaken?"
"Are those tentacles really made of people?"
"It's as if the tentacles are pieced together from countless humans?"
Panicked murmurs spread through the spectator stands.
At that moment, the massive black sphere—[False God—Chaos]—finally stilled, dissolving into dust-like particles as it vanished.
With its disappearance, the distorted light gradually returned to normal, fully exposing the appearance of the eight colossal tentacles that had restrained it.
The moment their true form became clear—!
"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence—!
Every human and god who witnessed it felt an icy chill crawl up their spines.
Though the coliseum's temperature was perfectly comfortable, it now felt as frigid as the polar regions, leaving many shivering uncontrollably.
Thud—!
"Oww!"
Göll's pained cry snapped her back to awareness.
She, too, had been overwhelmed by the unimaginably horrifying sight before her, her eyes rolling back as she collapsed backward—only to hit her head against the wall and jolt back awake.
Then, her vision refocused on the soul-freezing nightmare before her, and her eyes threatened to roll back again.
She was on the verge of fainting, yet this time, she couldn't pass out.
Is... is this hell?
No, even hell couldn't be this terrifying.
She wanted to shut her eyes, but fear had robbed her of control over her eyelids, forcing her to keep witnessing the scene.
"B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-Brunhilde, p-please knock me out! I-I'm begging you!"
Better yet, make her lose her memory too.
Otherwise, she would never forget this sight—it would haunt her for the rest of her life.
----------
For advance chapters join my Patreon.
[email protected]/Aarvan