Chapter 345: Crush the Mad Cult! 1
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The second stage begins.
(Seriously, how did I get caught up in this mess...?)
The man's face was pale. He reflexively reached for his mustache, a nervous habit, but then... remembering he couldn't, he let out a long, shaky breath.
Why couldn't he?
Because he was currently bound and restrained, his upper body tightly wrapped in ropes.
'Restrained'.
Hearing that word might make one imagine this man as a criminal, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
He was a perfectly ordinary citizen of the royal capital.
A merchant who ran a small clothing store, his business was doing well.
He had a wife and a young daughter, and they were a happy family.
By the way, his wife was currently pregnant.
So why was this ordinary, good man restrained like a criminal?
Because.
"...Death is an equality granted to all living beings. Why do we kill? It is, of course, to offer souls to our noble god, but this act also has the side effect of bringing equality to the world, that is, correcting the world's irrationality, injustice, and wickedness. The more we kill, the more this world will be reborn into a wonderful place... I have explained this to you all several times, and I believe you have already understood and accepted it."
He had been kidnapped and confined by the cult calling themselves 'Purple Dual Rings', who were currently spouting incomprehensible sermons in front of him.
He used the past tense 'had been' because he, along with a dozen other victims, had been brought out of the unknown underground facility they were confined in and led to the Second Plaza of the royal capital.
Of course, as mentioned before, they were all restrained, and several cultists were guarding them, so even though they were outside, escape was impossible.
Speaking of which, these cultists... All these creepy people, dressed in dirty, smelly robes, seemed to be combat professionals, not someone an amateur like him could handle.
Just earlier, another middle-aged man tried to escape, seizing an opportunity, but he was swiftly knocked unconscious by the cultists with blinding speed. Now he was sitting quietly on the plaza's cobblestones, blood trickling from his mouth, trembling.
Furthermore, at a glance, there was no one among the people restrained by the cultists who looked capable of fighting.
A young girl, about the same age as his daughter, a middle-aged woman, a man with white-rimmed glasses...
All the victims tied with ropes, sitting on the cobblestones, forced to listen to the sermon, looked like ordinary citizens like him.
The white-rimmed glasses man even looked quite pale and unwell.
After all, they had all been confined in a dark and cold basement for at least a day.
It wouldn't be strange if they caught a cold.
"Now, let's get to the main topic. Why have we brought you all here...? Allow me, Dark Believer, to explain... Please look at this."
The cultist Dark Believer, who had been continuing his sermon with a creepy, wide grin and shining eyes, said that and pulled off the white cloth covering a mysterious object placed in the center of the plaza.
What appeared was...... a giant cup, about the size of a bathtub, decorated with a distasteful and grotesque design of countless human bones intertwined in agony.
The victims couldn't help but scream at the sheer ugliness and eeriness of the cup.
"Isn't it beautiful? But this is not just a beautiful piece of art... It's our Holy Grail!"
But Dark Believer, as if oblivious to their reaction, continued his explanation with a dreamy look on his face.
"Actually, this Holy Grail is a Divine Artifact from a dungeon, and its name is 'Blood Grail of Carnage'! It's a magic tool with advanced functions!"
"G......"
"Blood Grail, of Carnage......!?"
"No way, I've seen that name in the newspaper..."
"Me too! Isn't that the name of the super dangerous weapon that was stolen by someone a few years ago!?
"Was that theft incident their doing!?"
The Blood Grail of Carnage.
Hearing that name, the victims erupted in an uproar.
Dark Believer looked at them with a satisfied smile, and then.
"Shut up, you garbageーーー!!"
He suddenly changed his previously gentle demeanor, releasing [Intimidation] in all directions!
At the same time, bam!
He stomped hard on the cobblestones beneath his feet.
And the cobblestones cracked with a crunching sound!
Silence fell over the Second Plaza.
Dark Believer, with a creepy smile once again, resumed his explanation.
"Well, it seems you all already know the name of this Holy Grail! Splendid, splendid! Then, you might also know its effects and how to use it, but... let me explain just in case."
Dark Believer continued, caressing the Blood Grail of Carnage with an ecstatic expression.
"The effect is, as its name suggests, carnage. Once the power of this Holy Grail is activated, its terrifying curse will kill all humans within a certain range, centered around this Holy Grail, at once, inflicting great suffering upon them! And that range is vast, it can cover almost the entire royal capital! Do you understand? We can kill that many people and offer their souls to our noble god! Oh, how wonderful!"
Perhaps overwhelmed with emotion as he spoke, Dark Believer's cheeks flushed, and he began shedding tears.
While crying, he repeatedly made a sign in front of his chest, expressing his gratitude to their god.
"And it's also easy to use. Fill this Holy Grail with blood. Then the curse will be activated... With that being said, you all should already understand. Why we brought you here."
Dark Believer sniffed, wiped his tears with a handkerchief, and once again, smiled broadly.
"We will now behead you all, one by one. And by pouring your blood into it, the Blood Grail of Carnage will be activated! In other words, you will become the nourishment to offer more souls to our noble god! Be proud!"
"This is our ritual of slaughter!"
"Oh, our noble god Alogoros-sama...... We offer you many new sacrifices. Please accept them......!!"
"Please accept them......!!"
After Dark Believer finished his explanation, the cultists surrounding the victims all began chanting an evil prayer in unison.
The victims just watched them with pale faces, trembling in fear, unable to do anything else......