How the Cult Saves the World

"Leviathan, what is going on here? And what is that white mist?"

Arhen looked at me with fearful eyes, worried that the white mist might harm the people again.

"Calm down, Princess."

I explained to her calmly.

"I found some mandrake roots in the Palace, and I put them in the device that was creating the black mist. That should stop the monsterization from happening anymore. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do for those who have already turned into monsters."

"Really? Then... I can relax a bit."

"Yes. And I also captured Celos."

I nodded at Troy, who threw Celos on the ground.

"How is this possible? You two really took care of Celos?"

Arhen looked at me and Troy with disbelief, as if she couldn't trust her eyes.

"To be precise, the Master did it by himself."

Troy added the explanation.

"My goodness! Celos is a master of poison. How did you manage to defeat him so easily...?"

"I'm a bit resistant to poison."

I shrugged my shoulders, and Zain, who was watching me from the side, chuckled. Ugh.

"Master, you seem to be resistant to poison, but your clothes are not?"

Oh, right. I quickly lowered my head. My robe and shirt were melted and torn by the poison, exposing my stomach.

"Well, it's not too bad, right?"

Zain said as if to comfort me. That made me feel worse. I opened my inventory and took out a spare robe to change into.

"Ahem, anyway."

I cleared my throat and spoke to Arhen again.

"By mixing the mandrake roots, I prevented any further monsterization, but it was too late for the royal castle, the center of the black mist."

At that, Arhen's eyes widened.

"Don't tell me... my Father too...?"

I nodded my head instead of answering.

"No, it can't be. I have to see it for myself."

She turned her body hastily. Arhen must have wanted to cling to any hope, but sadly, King Hebius was already a monster.

But I followed Arhen. I had no choice. I had to deal with the monster King.

"Where is His Majesty the King?"

"He should be in the main palace."

Then the main Palace must be in a terrible state.

I hurried along with Arhen, Zain, and Troy. Some soldiers who had turned into monsters popped out along the way, but it was easy to handle them with more people.

Before long, we reached the main Palace, the largest and most beautiful building in the royal castle.

"Aaah!"

"Sa, save me!"

Screams erupted from inside the main palace. Arhen started to run. I ran after her.

The door of the main palace was wide open. Between the door, I could see the corpses of those who couldn't escape and died.

We passed the red puddles and entered inside. A large hall appeared. And from the spacious staircase in the center of the hall, something surrounded by a black shape was coming down.

"Kruk."

It had a huge claw that gripped a soldier's waist. With a squishy sound, the soldier's body stretched out.

Thud-

It threw the corpse away. It was King Bahano, surrounded by black energy, Hebius Bahano.

"Ah, Father...?"

Arhen called him with a terrified voice. Then the King's gaze turned to us.

King Hebius, who had a greedy face in his mid-forties. His body, except for his face, looked like it was all lumped together by black energy. Even his face was blackened, so that it looked like a black sphere from a distance.

"Wh, why... Father..."

Tears flowed from Arhen's eyes. Soon, her legs gave way and she collapsed on the floor.

I stared at her quietly, then took a step forward.

"Kruk."

The monster King came down the stairs one by one. Every time, black fluid dripped down. At the same time, a terrible stench filled my nose, and I frowned.

'How much Happy did he consume to smell so bad? I don't think it was that bad before.'

Those who consumed Happy and turned into monsters had a stronger smell depending on how much they were eroded by magic. But the stench from King Hebius was like a mixture of sewer and rotten corpse.

"Master, that's... already a monster, right?"

"Yeah. And a pretty strong one."

I turned my gaze from King Hebius and looked around. There were corpses of servants, maids, and soldiers everywhere on the stairs where he came down.

I narrowed my eyes and whispered to Zain and Troy behind me.

"...Back off. I'll handle it myself."

King Hebius also used poison like Celos. So it was easier for me to fight alone than with Zain and Troy.

Besides, I got the immunity to poison effect for this.

But I couldn't move my feet rashly. I knew in my head that I had to kill King Hebius, but I was mindful of Arhen.

No matter how bad the relationship between Arhen and the King was, it would be a sight of killing her father in front of his daughter.

So I just clenched my holy relic mace and waited.

"Leviathan."

Arhen's voice reached me. Unlike before, it was a clear voice without tears. I turned my head and looked at Arhen. She had already gotten up from her seat.

And then she said to me with determined eyes.

"Even if he is my Father, I can't let him live. He has lost his mind and killed his own people with his hands."

The trembling in her hand stopped.

"So don't hesitate. While you hesitate, my people are dying somewhere."

I nodded slowly. Arhen Bahano, the capable ruler I only saw in text and graphics, was a really strong person.

"I understand."

Now that she had made up her mind, I had nothing more to worry about. I turned my gaze back to King Hebius. He was staring blankly at me, then he stretched his body. Then he grew two arms and two legs.

At the same time, the black energy that surrounded him scattered on the floor and turned into small monsters. They looked like goblins.

"Kire!"

As the King reached out his hand to me, the five goblins rushed at me.

"Kyak!"

Splat-!

I chopped off one of their heads. But I couldn't stop the other four from charging at me.

Squeak-!

A goblin clung to my leg. Soon, it melted into poison and flowed down.

Oh, my pants.

[The effect of the hidden item 'Thousand-Year-Old Genie's Lining' nullifies the Pavis poison.]

I sighed at the lost hem and walked forward. I killed three goblins with my mace.

"Kire!"

The last remaining goblin also stuck to my left arm. I moved my body, afraid that the poison might splash on my comrades behind me.

Squeak-!

My robe and shirt melted away, revealing my left arm. Ugh, how annoying.

But this was not the time to be annoyed. I quickly moved my feet. I dodged nimbly and ran straight toward the King.

Swish-!

Six tentacles whipped at me at the same time. I dodged three and cut two. One of the tentacles hit my right shoulder.

It didn't hurt much, but my robe and shirt melted away again, exposing my body.

'I hate this...'

It was a good thing that I always carried spare clothes and robes. Otherwise, I would have almost saved the Kingdom naked.

Thud!

I fended off the tentacles that came at me and faced the King.

"Kruk!"

The King, who finally realized that his poison didn't work on me, lunged at me directly.

Thud, thwack!

I swung my mace at the King's elongated arms.

Zap-!

At the same time, I released holy power from my other hand. The laser-like holy power sliced through the King's waist.

'Now's the time.'

I leaped into the air. When the King's body tilted as his waist was cut off.

Thud!

I smashed his head hard.

Splash-!

A burst of black liquid splashed and melted everything around. My robe was also torn again.

But, finally, the King's body turned into ash and disappeared.

"Haa."

I calmed down my rough breath and stepped back from the King.

"Father..."

I heard Arhen's sobbing voice from behind, but I didn't have time to look back.

Now that I killed the King, it was time for 'that thing' to appear.

Where the King had disappeared.

Crackle-

The air started to crack. As if a 'rift' was opening. But the size was different from what I had seen before.

Only big enough for one person to come out.

"Ma-Master! What is that... Is that a rift?!"

"No, no way!"

Zain and Troy shouted in surprise. I couldn't explain to them. What was about to appear was one of the 'children' of the Demon God.

"Ooh, come!"

When did he regain his senses? I heard Celos's shrill voice from behind. I ignored his voice and stared at the rift.

The gap widened, and a foot came out first. A foot with blue skin, unlike humans. Above it, I could see the muscular thigh.

Gulp, I swallowed nervously and gripped my holy relic mace with both hands.

'Wait.'

Suddenly, confusion filled my head. The 'child' of the Demon God that the High Priest of Bahano served was supposed to have no feet, or legs...

'What's going on?'

But in the midst of the confusion, the thing was coming out of the rift.

"Come quickly! Save us!"

Celos screamed in frenzy. Then a man appeared from the torn rift.

I stepped back without realizing it. I couldn't believe my eyes.

The 'child' of the Demon God that came out of the rift.

He had a blue lower body full of muscles and a black upper body that was solid. A gray face and black hair that reached his waist.

And his eyes were the opposite of humans, with black whites and white pupils. The only emotion in his white eyes was mockery toward humans.

'This can't be...'

Why, why.

"Ooh! The great Zarkel!"

Zarkel.

I heard his name clearly from Celos's voice. And even if I hadn't heard his name, I knew his face.

I had no choice.

The 'children' of the Demon God had their strength determined by the order they were born. The first one born was not as powerful as the Demon God, but he was not far behind. In other words, the lower the number, the stronger they were.

But the 'child' of the Demon God that communicated with Celos, the High Priest of Bahano, was the 66th. But Zarkel was not the 66th.

Zarkel, he was the 'second' child of the Demon God, who only appeared in the latter part of the Superior Law.

My hands holding the holy relic mace trembled involuntarily.

I couldn't win. Never.

I knew it in my head from the beginning, but my instinct warned me more strongly.

Run, escape.

I couldn't match the power of the Demon God that I felt from him.

Should I call the kids? No, that would be impossible. What if I called Terdius? Maybe he could do it? Troy? No, impossible. Not yet.

But my thoughts ended there.

"...Ugh!"

When did it happen? Before I knew it, Zarkel's hand pierced through my chest.