Chapter 217: The Truth of the Cult
Following Aurora's footsteps, he had no idea how long they had been walking through this dark void.
The only thing he knew was that the rate of his magical energy depletion was accelerating.
Beyond that, he could perceive nothing.
Even the sensation of his feet touching the ground as he walked felt vague and indistinct, making it nearly impossible to distinguish up from down or left from right.
Until an orange-red light enveloped them.
"Oh... Is this also your memory?"
"..."
Aurora gave a slight nod.
They now found themselves on a battlefield bathed in the afterglow of sunset, where a blood-red sun shone brightly above the horizon.
At their feet lay countless corpses.
The ground was submerged under soldiers' bodies, the long-dried blood staining the earth black.
This grim landscape stretched all the way to the distant horizon.
"Let's go."
Aurora resumed walking as if she already knew their destination.
A mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
The description was not the slightest exaggeration.
And they were stepping over these corpses as they advanced.
After walking for a while, they saw a blood-soaked girl crying in the very center of the battlefield.
He and Aurora stopped before the girl.
"You really do love crying, don't you?"
"Because I used to be such a crybaby."
As she spoke, Aurora reached out her hand toward him.
"What do you mean?"
"Lend me your sword."
"Can't do that."
"?"
Just as Aurora was about to say something, the long sword in his hand suddenly transformed into a stream of light.
And this stream of light actually materialized into a beautiful girl with silver hair and jade-like skin!
"That's right, I am Mahiro's sword. No one else is allowed to use me."
Est stated expressionlessly, her voice completely flat, but the way she tightly clung to Mahiro's arm spoke volumes.
"This... Is she also an ancient artifact?"
Aurora's mouth fell open in shock, forming a perfect O shape that could have fit a small sausage.
"Emmm... I suppose you could say that."
After all, people in this world seemed to refer to Est as the Savillion Holy Sword.
"And judging by age, she might actually be older than you."
Mahiro explained it this way.
Meanwhile, Est stared at Aurora with her typically expressionless face, emanating a faint divine aura around her.
She was throwing a childish tantrum.
Watching this pair, the look of surprise on Aurora's face gradually transformed into a wry smile.
"You really are a remarkable person."
A Holy Sword that could transform into a human—this was her first time seeing such a thing. You really do live and learn...
But she didn't dwell on the matter too much, casually picking up a broken long sword from the ground and preparing to strike the crying girl.
"I told you, crying won't change anything."
This time, Aurora's tone was much colder, as if she deeply despised this version of herself.
But once again, Mahiro stopped her.
"And as I've said before, simply taking revenge on memories won't change anything either."
Mahiro spoke these words: "Besides, we already have guests coming to greet us."
"?"
Aurora immediately scanned her surroundings, only to see the corpses that had been lying on the ground moments ago now staggering to their feet!
It was almost like they were zombies.
"The Sanctuary is rejecting me... This is going to be troublesome."
Aurora's brow furrowed involuntarily.
"What's so troublesome about it? We just need to eliminate them all."
Mahiro simply extended his hand, and Est instantly understood his intention, transforming once again into the Demon King Killing Sacred Sword.
[As you wish.]
"Wait, what are you going to do? We're near the core of the Sanctuary here—we can't use magic!"
"Of course, I'll use sword techniques... Besides, who said we can't use magic?"
Mahiro's expression was matter-of-fact as a scornful smile reappeared on his face, while the Demon King Killing Sacred Sword in his hand began to gleam with a dazzling radiance.
"..."
"Tendō-ryū Battōjutsu Third Form, Eighth Style—"
Ignoring Aurora's cry, he positioned the blade at his waist again, gathering magical energy before suddenly unleashing a fierce forward slash.
"'Cloud-Crowned Peak Repels the Malevolent Star'—Race forth, Demon King Killing Sacred Sword!"
Clang—
The world froze in that instant.
Then, a violent tremor, like a magnitude-7 earthquake, swept through the entire Sanctuary!
Boom!
"Wh-what's happening?!"
The sudden shaking made the group, who had just breached the Sanctuary, nearly lose their footing. Alexia barely managed to steady herself by grabbing onto an iron railing.
As for the others, they stared ahead with grave expressions.
The reason was simple: the space they were in had become unstable, riddled with dense, web-like cracks all around.
It resembled a mirror on the verge of shattering.
At the end of these spiderweb fractures gaped a black hole.
It looked as though it had been torn open by some immense force.
From within the depths of that dark void, a pair of crimson eyes gleamed forth!
"How is this possible... The Sanctuary has been forcibly breached..."
Nelson, the balding, portly acting archbishop who had been forcibly dragged along, swallowed hard.
He knew better than anyone just how absurdly powerful the Sanctuary's defense mechanisms were. kds
They were capable of completely suppressing even the Calamity Witch Aurora and the Three Heroes!
Could it be that the passage of the "Black Rose" had been opened?
As Nelson pondered this, the crimson eyes finally emerged from the black hole, revealing their owner.
"How can it be you?!"
"Lord Mahiro!"
"Yotsuba-sensei?!"
Their reactions varied: Nelson was shocked, the members of Shadow Garden and Rose were overjoyed, while Alexia looked as if she had seen a ghost.
Originally, they had followed Mahiro in. 1kds
But not only were they assigned to the outer regions of the Sanctuary, it took considerable effort—and the "kind" assistance of Bishop Nelson—to reach this area.
And now, this space had been forcibly shattered...
"Hey, so this is where you all are."
Emerging from the black hole, Mahiro greeted the group before him with a smile.
Alpha and the others initially moved to join him, but they halted in their tracks upon seeing the person following behind him.
"Wait... wait for me..."
Aurora stumbled out of the black hole, gasping for breath.
This was the most outrageous man she had ever encountered since birth. Not only were the Sanctuary's restrictions completely ineffective against him, but his magical power was so absurd that he could casually shatter the very space of the Sanctuary!
And all with just a single strike!
Like demolishing a house, he broke through wall after wall until finally arriving here directly.
Aurora felt as if she couldn't quite keep up with the times anymore.
"Calamity Witch... Aurora."
"Huh? Who's calling me?"
Aurora looked up to find a group of girls in black combat attire standing opposite her, their expressions grave and vigilant as they stared at her.
Moreover, the beast girl among them had already bristled completely, baring her teeth at Aurora with a fierce snarl.
"Alright, Aurora isn't an enemy. No need to bare your fangs anymore."
Mahiro stepped forward to calm the dog girl Delta, along with the others.
Not an enemy?
The members of Shadow Garden didn't understand what this meant, but if Mahiro said it, they would trust him unconditionally.
No explanations or reasons were needed.
"These children really listen to you, don't they?"
Aurora approached with elegant steps, then teased lightly.
"Well, I did raise them after all."
Mahiro responded with a half-joking smile.
But just then, an untimely voice suddenly rang out.
"...You actually brought Aurora out!"
The speaker was the bald Nelson, his expression strange as he spoke—seemingly surprised, yet also somewhat contemptuous.
"Hey Aurora, looks like this baldy knows you."
"Hmm... but I don't know him. Though, my memories aren't complete, so maybe we've met somewhere before."
Aurora whispered back to him.
"You must have met—after all, this esteemed gentleman is a noble Knight of Round from the cult, and the research-oriented type at that, right?"
The moment these words were spoken, the air fell into dead silence.
Even the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
Aurora's gaze toward Nelson revealed shock and hatred.
Meanwhile, Nelson let out a guttural chuckle, his eyes gradually turning sinister.
"You truly never cease to amaze me. Possessing power rivaling Olivier's and exposing my identity with a single remark..."
"That's right, I am the Eleventh Seat of the Knight of Round, Nelson of 'Greed'... Gah!"
Nelson's eyes glowed with red light, but before he could finish speaking, a pale hand suddenly pierced through his chest.
The dog girl tasked with guarding Nelson had taken his life in the blink of an eye.
Nelson's body slumped powerlessly to the ground.
"Sorry, Master, Alpha-sama. But Delta thought it'd be better to take care of this guy."
Delta scratched her head somewhat sheepishly.
"It's fine."
Mahiro stepped forward and patted the dog girl's head, comforting her, "But next time, Delta, make sure you confirm your prey properly."
"How could that happen! Delta is really good at hunting!"
"Really? Then take a look at the corpse at your feet."
"?"
Delta lowered her head and saw Nelson, whose heart had been torn out, first split into several pieces, then gradually crumbled and disintegrated from the edges, before finally vanishing completely.
This wasn't how normal people died.
It looked almost like shattering glass...
"Delta, this is your first lesson. From now on, you must confirm that your prey is dead beyond any doubt before considering it dealt with."
Mahiro suddenly raised the Demon King Killing Sacred Sword and swung it to the side.
Rip—
A figure was abruptly torn in half.
It was none other than Nelson, who had just vanished as a corpse!
But after being split in two, the body didn't die. Instead, it divided into two individuals, becoming two Nelsons!
"Delta, I'll leave the rest to you. Have fun."
"Understood!"
Delta grinned, revealing a bloodthirsty smile, then dropped to all fours and lunged fiercely toward Nelson.
"Just like a wild beast..."
Nelson gritted his teeth, resisting Delta's attacks.
Originally, he had planned to shatter this corridor and drag everyone directly near the core of the Sanctuary, which would have significantly increased his chances of victory.
But to his surprise, he couldn't control it—he was unable to break this corridor!
"Idiot."
Mahiro sneered, offering the most accurate assessment.
Did he really think he could control a memory corridor constructed of magical power right in front of him?
It was nothing but a pipe dream!
"Shouldn't we help?"
Watching Delta reveling freely, Alpha grew somewhat concerned.
"Unnecessary. Leave it to Delta."
Mahiro replied casually, "Rather, I'm curious about what's going on with Epsilon. Why does she seem so unhappy?"
"Um... Let me explain about Mr. Yotsuba."
Beta raised her hand, stepped forward, and spoke softly and timidly.
She was still maintaining her alter ego as the bestselling author Natsume.
But after Beta whispered in his ear, Mahiro nearly burst out laughing.
"So that's what happened..."
"My Lord, don't listen to that woman's nonsense! I didn't!"
"Ara, I didn't say anything at all."
"..."
Epsilon and Beta immediately started bickering, clashing like needle against thorn.
What Beta had just told him was simple: there was someone called the Executioner near Nelson who had accidentally sliced off Epsilon's chest.
Although it was made of slime and had promptly regenerated, fooling Alexia and Rose, how could it possibly escape the notice of other Shadow Garden members?
No wonder she was sulking.
After all, Epsilon's personality was quite proud.
Born into nobility, with a beautiful face, a sharp mind, considerable martial talent, and strong self-esteem.
Even among elves, she could be considered perfect.
However, this perfection was shattered upon joining Shadow Garden.
Her pride in her martial arts talent was utterly crushed, landing her in second-to-last place!
Ranking last was mainly because she was a complete klutz with zero athletic talent!
Comparing faces, while she had some advantage, among the Seven Shadows of Shadow Garden, she could only tie with a few others, let alone surpass Alpha.
It was simply impossible.
As for her figure, that was even more rock bottom.
Simply because, in Epsilon's family lineage, every woman was petite and flat-chested—this was engraved deep in their bloodline.
So she became obsessed with using slime to improve her figure, day after day engaging in deception until even she herself believed it was real.
This was how she managed to tie with Beta.
She did have something slightly advantageous in Shadow Garden.
But this advantage was actually exposed by a damned bastard, and in her shame and anger, she tore that guy to pieces.
Yet even that wasn't enough to quell her fury, especially when she saw the real goods hanging on Beta's chest...
It made her even angrier!
"Alright, alright, small has its advantages too. Being petite can be quite cute."
Mahiro comforted Epsilon.
But for some reason, Alexia's face turned red.
Meanwhile, Epsilon looked at him with teary eyes.
"..."
"Alright, how about I tell you, and all of you, a story? About this research institute and the Cult of Diablos."
Hearing this, Epsilon immediately wiped away her tears.
Even Beta pulled out the small notebook she always carried, ready to take notes.
The others also prepared to listen attentively, even Aurora wore the same expression.
Mahiro: "..."
"Is it really that captivating?"
"And Aurora, aren't you the one who transformed into a demon here?!"
Mahiro sighed slightly, then looked at Alpha and asked, "Since you were able to come here, you must have met 'her,' right?"
"Yes, I met her. 'She' is right there."
The "she" they referred to was Olivier. Alpha had long understood her own origins, and today it was finally confirmed.
She was indeed the direct descendant of Olivier, possessing the exact same face as the legendary Olivier.
At this moment, Olivier stood not far away, as if waiting for them.
Only after making eye contact with Mahiro did she gradually begin to walk forward.
However, with each step she took, her mature appearance began to shrink, gradually transitioning from mature to childish.
Before anyone realized it, she had transformed into the form of a young girl.
Little Olivier directly passed through the iron bars and curled up in a cell.
Moreover, after little Olivier entered the cell, varying numbers of children appeared in the surrounding cells.
They were all wearing identical white robes.
Boys, girls, humans, elves, beastfolk.
Aside from their youth and clothing, they had almost no other common characteristics.
And they were the subjects of the institute's research—the cult gathered these homeless children to conduct Diablos's demonization experiments.
The Order once collected the blood of the Fourth Otherworld's Demon King Diablos, discovering within it the secret of immortality. They then sought to recreate Diablos using these children, aiming to achieve eternal life.
However, tragically, these children had extremely low compatibility—especially the males. Almost all who came into contact with the Blood of Diablos would die.
In girls, blackened, festering patches would appear, and they would lose their minds—smashing their heads violently against walls, clawing incessantly at surfaces, and writhing wildly on the ground.
It seemed they were trying to escape the agony through these actions.
"They are... Demon Possessors..."
"Yes, indeed. This is the truth and origin of the Demon Possessors."
Any being unable to adapt to this power, whose mana spiraled into chaos, would ultimately become a mass of rotting flesh.
That was the inevitable end.
Yet, just as the researchers were at their wits' end, the first successful adaptor emerged.
One of the legendary Three Heroes—the beautiful golden-haired elf maiden—
Olivier.