Chapter 246

The message from the Nameless Chaos reached Isaac's ears even as he kept his eyes closed. His consciousness had left Urbansus just before the door closed. Isaac knew that the Praying Whitewood had completely fallen, so he examined his reward for victory with his eyes still shut.

[Offspring of Chaos / Requires the 'Parasite from Beyond' ability. The parasite immediately devours the host and explosively grows, transforming into the 'Offspring of Chaos.']

This was the original description of the Offspring of Chaos ability. However, the enhanced version had something new added.

[Additionally, you can summon or dismiss chaos minions already created in the world through a sacrifice. However, the summoning site must have a sacrifice infected by the 'Parasite from Beyond.']

"So, I can summon and reverse summon minions now."

No matter how far Isaac was, he could call upon or send back his minions. This was extremely useful since it was hard for him to drag conspicuous minions around. He had left Hecatli in the Elil Kingdom because he couldn't find a way to bring her along on his ship.

"I need to confirm the definition of 'minion.'"

Broadly speaking, even Kyle or Hesabel, who were currently governing the Isaacrea territory, were minions of Chaos. More broadly, those followers Isaac had unknowingly influenced were also minions of the Nameless Chaos, but not all of them could be summoned. Given the need for a sacrifice, the 'summoning process' was likely very grotesque and shocking.

Isaac opened his eyes and immediately met the gaze of Hesabel, who was right in front of him.

He reflexively slapped her forehead.

Hesabel was knocked back, leaving a red handprint on her forehead.

"Hey, what the hell! You scared me!"

Hesabel rubbed her forehead, grumbling.

"Do you hit someone who risked their life to protect you?"

"If I see you on the ceiling when I wake up, my heart races in fear. I've wanted to hit you every time, but I couldn't reach you. Keep your distance if you don't want to get hit again."

Isaac didn't think Hesabel had any strange thoughts. Those people were naturally attracted to Nephilim-like appearances. Isaac wouldn't be surprised if she followed him because of his face rather than victory. Her uncle had died in a similar manner.

Isaac looked around.

Hesabel hadn't exaggerated; the aftermath of a fierce battle was evident. The number of monsters skewered to death on the walls and floor exceeded double digits.

Below the cliff, the Praying Whitewood, severed completely in half, dangled all the way to the ground. The blood-drained Praying Whitewood would soon turn to white sand, just like it had in the capital.

Isaac felt it was a pity.

Although he had received his reward, he needed to replenish the faith he had expended during the ritual. The minions of Nameless Chaos were rich in useful faith.

"Leaving food behind is wasteful."

Isaac placed his hand on the body of the Praying Whitewood and inserted a tentacle.

Amidst the still-warm flesh, various inexplicable internal organs were chaotically arranged. Ignoring the unnecessary parts, Isaac sought the core of the flow. He sensed the heart, firmly lodged at the center.

Isaac's tentacle grasped it, crushed it, and consumed the fragments in one go.

Even from that single heart, he felt both satiation and a massive accumulation of divine power.

[Dark Eucharist / You can devour a target with a tentacle or treat it as 'Eucharist.' Faith increases proportionally to the quality of the Eucharist. Enemies who witness the Eucharist fall into fear or chaos, while your followers experience religious ecstasy.]

The Dark Eucharist activated just in time. As Isaac calmly surveyed his surroundings, he noticed the silence and saw Neria and self-proclaimed followers of Nameless Chaos cautiously emerging from hiding. To them, the sight of a masked man with his hand on the Praying Whitewood's corpse appeared like a sacred religious painting.

They shed tears and prostrated themselves. Neria crawled towards Isaac but stopped a short distance away, unable to muster the courage to get closer. The sins and foolishness of the past years surged up her spine.

"Prophet, oh Prophet, please..."

The ignorant followers, witnessing the true advent of a god, bowed their heads and begged for mercy. However, their eyes were now clear, and their minds were sharp.

"Please, tell us how we can atone for our sins."

Isaac looked at Neria and the followers. These were people abandoned or excommunicated by the Codex of Light or other faiths, effectively barbarians. They could have come out of curiosity or truly resented the world enough to wish for its destruction.

'What should I do with these hopeless lives?'

A paladin would have slaughtered them without a second thought, but Isaac knew they were merely ignorant.

Isaac recalled a friend from his previous world who habitually said, "I want to die." But Isaac knew he didn't mean it literally.

It meant he wanted to go somewhere warm and peaceful, free from worries, to relax. If these people wished for destruction, it was because the world that made them desire it was flawed. And now, Isaac had the sturdy edges needed to smooth out such a rough world.

Isaac extended his hand towards them.

[I will give you new commandments.]

The thought wave echoed through his mask, reaching everyone. They bowed their heads, awaiting the new commandments of a new prophet heralding a new era.

[Eat plenty of vegetables, get enough sleep, work honestly, and don't torment animals for no reason.]

***

Thud, thud, thud, crash...

With a loud rumble, the debris blocking the stairs collapsed. Rottenhammer and the paladins were descending to the underground to uncover what had transpired there.

Rottenhammer wanted to jump into the gaping hole alone to investigate, but the paladins stopped him, fearing the number of monsters below. Instead, they used the paladins' strength and miracles to barely carve out a passage they could pass through. Upon finally reaching the underground chamber, Rottenhammer was left speechless by the devastation and the stench of blood.

"What in the world...?"

Even the fragments and reliefs remaining on the walls and pillars made it clear this place was unholy. The Praying Whitewood, extending through a huge hole connected to the ground above, was now melting into white sand, its massive form nearly intact.

And in the middle of the chamber stood a familiar face.

"Isaac!"

"Commander Rottenhammer. I've been waiting for you."

Although it was clear he had ignored orders and entered alone, Rottenhammer neither showed surprise nor anger. He wasn't foolish enough to waste time on such matters after Isaac's warnings had proven true.

Instead, he was filled with a different kind of self-reproach.

"Did the cultists truly perform an unholy ritual here? And I've been protecting them all this time?"

Though he had followed the orders of the Codex, it was tantamount to denying his life's work. He had spent his life smashing barbarians and heretics with his hammer, only to end up protecting those performing such heinous rituals.

As Rottenhammer bit his lips in anger and self-loathing, Isaac shook his head.

"No. They weren't cultists. Just half-witted fools sacrificed for an experiment."

"Half-witted fools?"

"Yes. It seems someone among the priests of the Codex was researching the miracles of the Nameless Chaos. The people here were merely those with nowhere else to go."

One of the Codex's tenets was to seek and study knowledge. It wasn't unusual for heretical studies to be part of that knowledge. However, performing the rituals and summoning unholy beings was crossing a line.

Rottenhammer had heard snippets about what happened in Ultenheim and Camille. After a long silence, he surveyed the blood-soaked surroundings. While there were no intact corpses, there were enough human fragments to be found.

"Are they all dead?"

"It seems so."

In truth, Isaac had sent his followers fleeing through a secret passage after declaring the new commandments. He even collapsed the passage after their escape, making it difficult to find them.

He was unsure how they would interpret the new commandments. However, given that their faith in him was at its peak, he expected the commandments to be deeply ingrained in them, akin to brainwashing. He had even implanted the 'Parasite from Beyond' in Neria.

Isaac hoped they wouldn't take the commandments lightly.

They might seem playful, but he had spoken them sincerely. He hoped they would reflect on their meaning and understand them.

"Did you kill that monster too?"

Rottenhammer asked, pointing to the remains of the Praying Whitewood.

He knew that he and the paladins hadn't inflicted enough damage to kill the monster. Given more time, perhaps they could have, but it had shown strange behavior and died on its own. A battle that could have resulted in countless casualties ended with only a few injuries.

Isaac nodded.

"I was lucky."

Rottenhammer exhaled deeply at Isaac's response and set his hammer down with a thud. Then he knelt on one knee before Isaac and bowed his head.

The paladins, shocked by Rottenhammer's actions, watched him.

"First, I must apologize. For not believing you and nearly causing a greater disaster. And thank you. Thanks to you, my subordinates were saved. Perhaps even my own life was saved. You might have saved thousands, tens of thousands, including those in Renheim Diocese."

"Please, don't do this."

Isaac tried to stop him in embarrassment. He felt undeserving of the apology and gratitude since he was the one who summoned the Praying Whitewood.

But Rottenhammer spoke firmly.

"From today, the Brient Paladins will take the Saint of Resurrection, Isaac Issacrea, as our patron saint. Our original patron saint was Saint Brient, but the deeds of the Saint of Resurrection are no less significant."

Isaac was beyond shocked. The paladins who accompanied him were equally astonished.

Every paladin order had a patron saint as their symbol. The deeds of the patron saint often shaped the order's character and identity. This event could transform the Brient Paladins into the Isaacrea Paladins.

Changing a patron saint wasn't a common occurrence and could cause internal dissent. Moreover, Isaac was a novice with a short tenure as a paladin.

"But shouldn't you get the opinions of your subordinates and the bishop of Renheim Cathedral..."

"My subordinates will agree. If they don't, I'll persuade them. And the Renheim Diocese doesn't matter. We're based there and receive support from the Renheim Cathedral, but we're not bound to it. If we relocate, the bishop can't dictate to me."

"But still..."

"If you refuse, I can't force you. You don't need to agree immediately. But think of it as my resolve and determination."

Isaac realized the depth of Rottenhammer's resolution.

He was deeply disillusioned with the Codex of Light. With the Codex that deceived him and its actions. And this disillusionment wasn't recent but built up over time. This incident was just the last drop.

Thus, he chose to serve a reliable saint over the Codex.

'Oh... this is troublesome.'

Isaac couldn't simply rejoice at having a loyal paladin order. He worried that Rottenhammer would be disheartened upon discovering his true identity as an Agent of Chaos.

However, Isaac understood his path.

Now, his good deeds must be genuine, not hypocritical.

For Rottenhammer, Isolde, Gebel, and Edelred.

Not merely to survive and succeed, but to avoid disappointing those who believed in him, even if his true nature was revealed.

Isaac had to prove that he, an Agent of the Nameless Chaos, was undeniably a force for good.

He reflected on his past actions.

'...Come to think of it, I don't think I was ever insincere.'