Chapter 32: The Zealot
What kind of person would carry out a terrorist attack within a heavily fortified area that has half of the defense forces concentrated in it?
The answer is a lunatic.
What kind of person is the most deranged?
The answer is ignorant and fanatical zealots.
In fact, this world is not lacking in fanatical zealots.
As is well-known, the country with the highest proportion of believers in the world is not the Sacred Kingdom of Europa, which is a religious authority nation, but rather Goryeo.
This country, almost completely eroded by the influence of religion on the political power and the masses, is rampant with missionaries who act without restraint. Religious beliefs have become a means for the lower classes to vent their grievances. As a result, more than ninety percent of the lower-class population adheres to a form of religious faith. However, this kind of religion may not necessarily be legitimate or compliant with regulations. Numerous religions that are considered cults or heresies in other countries gather an alarming number of followers in this particular location.
Naturally, it has become the favored nation of a certain existence.
The origin of this existence is mysterious, and its form is difficult to describe, as it doesn't belong to the primordial creation.
It is known as the extradimensional demon in the East and referred to as the malevolent deity by Europa, being the adversary of civilization and living beings.
More than seventy percent of the followers of malevolent deities worldwide originate from the Goryeo, and nine out of ten proselytizing missionaries of malevolent deities also hail from Goryeo.
Today, the influence of malevolent deities continues to persist on the historical stage, and the religious beliefs of Goryeo play an indispensable role.
Through such means, this diminutive peninsula nation has unexpectedly attained the coveted "mystique" that numerous small nations yearn for.
This unknown mystery from the outer realms is indeed an uncontrollable danger, which, if unleashed, may engulf half of the world.
Yingzhou, being the country that has suffered the most severe calamities from the invasion of malevolent deities.
Because they were simply too close in proximity.
Also because their defensive efforts always fell behind, resulting in heavy casualties.
Therefore, the people of Yingzhou harbor the deepest abhorrence towards malevolent deities and possess the most profound understanding of their terrifying nature.
They are the enemies of civilization, the enemies of humanity, deserving of divine retribution and relentless extermination.
…
Today is a splendid day.
The sunlight at noon is just perfect.
It is not glaring, nor scorching; during the autumn afternoon, it makes one yearn for a peaceful nap or a stroll along the path adorned with maple leaves, savoring the abundant transformation of the season.
A gust of wind swept through, lifting the fallen leaves off the ground and brushing against the girl's cheeks. However, her gaze remained motionless, laziness fading from the depths of her eyes. Her breath, like air passing through a preheated furnace, struggled to release warm currents.
Today is a splendid day, perhaps suitable for a heroic sacrifice.
Saki Jingūji's gaze dared not shift, tightly fixated on the figure just a few steps away.
Merely walking around a corner, merely catching a fleeting glimpse by chance.
Perhaps she truly wished she hadn't seen, hadn't noticed the staggering figure, so as to preserve the blissful afternoon mood.
Unfortunately, she still saw it.
She distinctly saw and remembered how beneath the pale skin, veins coursed with a vibrant shade of deep, dark black.
She could sense that perilous aura, and could smell the putrid scent of flesh rotting in a filthy gutter for months, fermenting into decay.
It is not merely a foul stench, but one that accompanies the corruption of life.
Corruption is the most prominent characteristic among the qualities of the sinister deity factor.
She didn't let out a scream immediately, nor did she lose consciousness for an extended period of time.
Saki Jingūji pressed her chest and took a deep breath.
She removed her backpack and took out a small bag the size of a baby's fist, which she hung around her wrist. She clenched three folded talisman papers into triangles in the palm of her hand, and only then did she grasp the wooden sword from her backpack. She didn't have time to properly store the other items, so she simply threw the backpack into the nearby bushes. With steady and unhurried steps, she followed the figure ahead.
A pigeon landed on her arm, and then swiftly took off as if electrified.
Saki Jingūji poured out pure white grains of rice from the bag, swallowing half of them uncooked, while slowly chewing the other half between her lips and teeth.
Inari Ōkami is the deity who governs bountiful harvests.
Rice blessed by the Inari God possesses extraordinary qualities that ordinary rice lacks, making it a sacred item widely used by shrine witches as a spiritual consumable.
Direct consumption can restore spiritual energy.
The crowd is being dispersed.
Even though only three minutes had passed, Jingūji still found it to be excessively lengthy.
"Hurry up."
"Faster."
With these thoughts in mind, she maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far, while secretly observing the other person.
The other person was staggering, appearing like a frail and feeble person who had been drained by vices, as if they could be easily dealt with by a single blow.
Regardless of the perspective from which one observes, that is simply an ordinary person.
Indeed, ordinary people. The followers of the dark deity, almost all of them are ordinary people, but the madness and calamity they bring, leave a profound impression.
Jingūji noticed that the other party suddenly stopped, so she immediately refrained from getting closer and swiftly moved to the rear of the building. She took out her portable vanity mirror and observed through the reflective surface.
In the mirror, the young man turned his head stiffly, clutching the leather suitcase in his hands.
His eyes, tinged with red within the darkness, underwent a transition from numbness to madness. The muscles on his face tightened, revealing a wide grin, as his body faced forward while his neck contorted nearly 180 degrees to gaze backwards.
"Why…"
"Follow me!"
He hoarsely roared, his voice generating a substantial impact that ravaged the vegetation along the path, crashing into the walls of the building and shattering bricks and stones.
I have been discovered!
Saki Jingūji felt a tingling sensation on her scalp, causing her to drop the vanity mirror from her hand. The shattered glass cut into her fingertips, sending a wave of pain through her body. In response, she immediately clenched her fist.
At that moment, a pigeon perched on her shoulder, and a familiar voice echoed out.
"It's alright, eight minutes have already passed! He can hardly escape even if he sprouts wings now!"
"You have found the target, and you have done well. Immediately retreat, prioritize ensuring your own safety."
Jingūji peered out and saw that undercover agents and security forces from Far East University had already gathered together.
The originally large crowd has quietly gathered here, whether they are from the Police Department, Onmyoryou, or even the shrine, regardless of which organization they come from, under the coordination of information, they have encircled the cult of the evil deity.
Ordinary people and students have already been evacuated, while the personnel of these defense agencies have shed their disguises, and the members of the Police Department brandish their firearms in warning.
"Release the items in your hands and prostrate yourself on the ground!"
"Raise your hands in surrender, otherwise you will be immediately shot dead!"
The sound of reprimands echoed continuously.
The expression of the young student contorted, black veins swelling beneath the skin, resembling venomous creatures. Some veins were unable to withstand the pressure and burst open, leaving his hand's back covered in pitch-black blood.
"Ha, ha…" he gasped, bending over, drool dribbling from his mouth. "You, you, hurry, save…"
Bang!
After multiple consecutive warnings proved ineffective, someone decisively fired the first shot, followed swiftly by the second and third shots.
In an instant, the merciless bullets turned the human body into a blood-drenched torn sack.
The young student collapsed onto the ground, powerless, his wounds bleeding profusely. With both hands clutching onto the box, in his dying moments, his eyes held a mixture of confusion and despair.
In truth, he wasn't a follower of the dark deity, but rather consumed by self-interest and manipulated. He still yearned to live, but sadly, no one had the patience to hear what he wanted to say.
"No one will save me…"
The young man let out a hoarse cry, shedding tears of inky darkness, his expression instantly contorted with ferocity. "Then let's die together."
He despairingly opened the suitcase, and the moment the leather case was unlocked, there was a crisp cracking sound. Something had shattered, and a blood-red mist emerged from the container, billowing out like swirling dust and sand, rapidly engulfing everything within a hundred-meter radius.
The sharpshooting special police of the Metropolitan Police Department, the confident Onmyoji, and the others who failed to evade in time were all enveloped in a thick, blood-red mist.
The Onmyoji, who had already set up their protective barriers, thought they had everything under control. However, they were taken aback as they witnessed the crimson mist piercing through their spiritual barriers and rushing towards them.
"Barrier, ineffective?" Their expressions turned to astonishment as they looked at each other, but within a matter of seconds, they collapsed onto the ground, their eyes turned lifeless like those of dead fish.
Saki Jingūji covered her mouth and nose, coughing violently, her eyes becoming intensely crimson.
"This, this is…"
"Filthy Blood… We're in trouble. If we don't purify it quickly… everyone will undergo mutation."
As the lungs, skin, and the red mist made contact, a burning pain spread throughout Jingūji, who pressed against the wall, unable to support herself, and fell to her knees.
She was unable to channel spiritual energy, feeling her body gradually numb and weakened. Unconsciously, thoughts like 'Am I going to die?' surfaced in her mind.
In the fleeting moment when her consciousness was almost severed, in a daze, it felt as if illusions were spinning before her eyes, and from within a realm of transience and illusion, a sigh escaped.
--stupid fox…
PS1: Volume 5 has been published on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3L4x0ok).
PS2: Volume 6 will be finished within two weeks.
