Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 242



Only Krnovel

Episode 242. Awesome Hell (4)

Perhaps because they were lazy because they thought the Knights were watching them, surveillance was lax. Even if the security had been tight, it would have been difficult to spot the two people climbing over the wall in the middle of the night, which had turned into a bloody fog.

The garden, which resembled a nobleman’s mansion, had nothing unusual except that the walls were strangely high. Isaac, who had expected to see strange statues, blood-spattered altars, and paintings with moving eyes, was disappointed. Fortunately, however, he was able to find a man and a woman moving around in crimson robes.

‘I like your suspicious appearance.’

The two were wearing masks like Claire’s gang, but they lifted their masks slightly and kissed on the other side of the dark wall. It was proof that love could bloom even in this secretive cult.

Showing yourself without your mask would also be a significant proof of trust.

But the one-night romance was met with Isaac’s hammer simply for being suspicious.

Isaac subdued the two men in one breath and hid them in the bushes. He knocked them out to prevent them from causing a commotion, but they were as weak as ordinary people. They didn’t even seem to be at the level of priests.

“You wear this. The wings are too noticeable.”

Isaac handed Hesabel one of the robes the man and woman were wearing. Hesabel would probably be able to hide herself from view anyway, but it was completely different from being able to blend in with the crowd. Instead of the mask he had picked up, Isaac put on the Creeping Terror mask he had recently acquired.

At that moment, a bell rang somewhere, and the scattered people began to gather again one by one. The crowd wearing crimson robes were all wearing masks. They were mostly animal masks, such as cats, rabbits, and owls. They occasionally met Isaac’s eyes, but when they saw the masks, they flinched and looked away.

‘It’s definitely related to the research Camille was doing.’

Although there is no evidence or ritual related to the Nameless Chaos yet, the circumstances are similar to what Claire was doing.

How far down did I go? The entrance to a limestone cave with elaborately carved patterns appeared. Inside, the heat of the hot spring and the smell of sulfur were already creeping up. I was worried that I would suffocate, but seeing that I was slowly making my way inside, it seemed okay.

“Wait a minute, you.”

At that moment, a man wearing a lion mask standing at the entrance to the cave called out to Isaac and stopped him.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen this mask. Who are you…?”

The lion mask stopped talking as if his tongue had become stiff as he was about to point out something to Isaac. Isaac simply looked straight at him, but he stood there as if he had completely forgotten what to say next.

The instinctive feeling of fear was mistaken for a feeling of intimidation by the lion mask.

The charisma unique to Nephilim was even more powerful in his actions, demeanor, and atmosphere, even though his face was not visible. This mask was originally a nameless Chaos Relic. It was only natural that it would give off a far greater sense of intimidation than other masks.

“Are you, ah, the one from above?”

In such cases, the right answer is to remain silent. Then the other person will figure out the answer.

“Oh, sorry, sorry. I heard that an important person was coming for a ceremony today, but I didn’t get to know what kind of mask he was wearing. I’ll be careful.”

The lion mask nodded several times and guided Isaac inside.

‘Seeing how lax the border is, I guess these guys are also Claire-level.’

I get it, your fighting skills… … are at the level of graduate students at best.

The moment Isaac stepped into the cave, the heat and steam rushed in, even though he was wearing a mask. The people walking ahead of him shivered for a moment. When hot air suddenly rushes in, your own body temperature feels colder, and you shiver. It wasn’t so hard to bear, but if you stayed for too long, you would feel dizzy.

And Isaac could see what Cardinal Camille was hiding here.

Underneath Baelbaden, a vast hollow as vast as the town above lay. Sulphuric hot springs bubbled and boiled here and there, and steam burst out, writhing. Meanwhile, the miracles of the light code planted here and there were strangely intertwined, creating a dazzling light.

Intricately carved tentacles wrapped around the pillars and supported the ceiling, and stone columns carved with all sorts of deformed monsters looked out over this artificial hell.

‘Hell, yes. Hell. This is the hell imagined by the Code of Light.’

Isaac noticed that this place was strangely similar to the hellscape described in the Code of Light. It was indeed a nameless ruin of chaos. Isaac could tell instinctively from the architectural styles carved into it. However, it was clear that the Code of Light had been artificially tampered with since then.

I couldn’t figure out why. To instill the idea that ‘Nameless Chaos is Hell’? It seemed plausible. Or maybe it was just a poorly-imagined priest trying to recreate the architectural style of the Nameless Chaos Cult and messing it up.

In my personal opinion, it was a ‘wonderful hell that could rival any theme park’.

But soon, Isaac was faced with threatening evidence that could not be called a simple theme park.

It was a huge egg.

***

A giant egg, roughly the size of a grown man, rested on the central altar of this profane site.

In the nameless Temple of Chaos, where everything was inaccurate and twisted, a perfectly oval egg seemed strangely out of place.

He couldn’t just think of it as a piece of art, because Isaac had felt a strange and inexplicable attraction to the egg the moment he saw it.

‘What the… what the…?’

I couldn’t help but look away because I felt a strange rumbling inside. I didn’t know what it was, but it was definitely related to the nameless chaos.

[Are you okay?]

Hesabel asked if he was being watched from somewhere, though he couldn’t see anything around him. Isaac was surprised that he had shown signs of being visibly agitated, and forced himself to remain calm.

As we approached the center of the temple, the heat began to cool down and dropped to the level of normal room temperature. No, it even felt a little cold. It was as if the egg was sucking up the heat. Thanks to this, it seems that people were able to survive even in this underground area.

‘Is that the nameless relic of chaos that the sect wanted to hide?’

It was still something to watch. I didn’t know how entangled the authors here were.

If blood was to be shed, it would not have been in a cave like this where mass murder was committed, but their sins should have been exposed and killed on the surface. Otherwise, Isaac could have been accused of being a mass murderer by the cult that concealed the sin.

‘But if you’re doing something on the same level as the Camille stuff I saw… … .’

Then, no matter how entangled they are with the sect, not a single one of them will be able to get out of here alive.

Isaac thought, suppressing the urge to crawl up to him.

Dang─ At that moment, the bell sound that had been heard earlier was heard from the north of the temple. Then, the believers wandering around the inside of the temple and around the egg began to slowly approach it.

Isaac naturally joined the ranks.

It seemed like they were performing a ritual centered around an egg, but the believers ignored the egg and stood facing the large altar to the north. On top of the altar, a woman wearing an owl mask was standing, wearing a yellow robe and all sorts of ornaments, unlike the other believers.

Isaac glared at her outfit.

It was the same outfit as the man in yellow who still occasionally appeared in his dreams.

Isaac could tell that her attire indicated that she was some kind of priestess.

“Your Holiness Pope Neria.”

“Your Holiness, it’s been a long time.”

“Cardinal Las, it’s been a while. I have decided to conduct the ceremony today in a special way.”

Isaac was dumbfounded by the greetings exchanged between the woman and the rest of the crowd. The woman in front of him was the Pope, while the others were greeting cardinals and bishops.

Of course, the Pope of the Code of Light is Horma Khmuel, and he is an old man.

Isaac opened his eyes to look around, just in case, but they were all ordinary people with nothing special to offer. The woman named Pope Neria was only slightly better, but she was nothing special.

If we just listen to the titles mentioned, there are currently six cardinals and about 20 bishops in this place. In terms of rank alone, it was a scale that surpassed the Light Code Church. Even the lion mask that Isaac had pointed out earlier was called the Commander of the Knights Templar.

A bizarre scene that seemed like child’s play passed by, and the atmosphere became somewhat settled.

Pope Neria opened his mouth.

“Nameless Chaos Believers. Welcome to today’s service.”

‘Nameless Chaos Believer?’

Isaac felt awkward at the title. He felt no religious faith from them, and it did not seem like some nameless chaos was watching over them.

“As some of you may have heard, a tragic incident occurred recently. Cardinal Camille Sarea, who was supporting our research in Ultenheim, died in an unfortunate accident while studying the secrets.”

Sighs and shock came out here and there at Neria’s words.

Isaac felt momentarily dumbfounded by their reaction. Wasn’t the Code of Light the one that was oppressing them? Instead of cheering for the Cardinal’s death, they were mourning?

Neria shouted loudly before the tumultuous congregation.

“But! Cardinal Camille Sarea asked us to prepare for his afterlife in case of such a tragic event.”

“Oh, indeed!”

“If this ritual is successful, Cardinal Camille will return from the dead and reveal to us the true secrets of Urbanus, and even the nameless secrets of Chaos buried in the Forest of Forgetfulness! Furthermore, the coming of the Millennial Kingdom will be even more accelerated!”

Isaac felt a little embarrassed.

“Then we, the Nameless Cult of Chaos, will be able to proudly act as servants of the Light Code!”

The cheering continued for a long time.

Isaac realized their true identity amidst the cheers.

These are not the nameless believers of chaos. They are just a bunch of moths, deluded by the power and authority of nameless chaos. They are a group that enjoys petty power games as popes, cardinals, and bishops of small churches rather than serving as servants of large churches.

In a sense, it was a real cult. Camille was using their vanity to experiment with nameless miracles of chaos.

***

‘… … So, does that mean I could become the leader of these idiots?’

Somehow I felt dizzy.

Isaac didn’t want to be associated with these people, so he decided to just watch the ritual they were performing.

‘Camille, who came back from the dead by a nameless miracle of chaos?’

It is a simple matter for the Undead Order, but not for the Code of Light. It is not impossible, but it is impossible unless you are a pope. However, if you had listened to the prohibition, the Undead Order would not have prospered as much as it has now.

The miracles of the Code of Light cannot be used carelessly, and the Immortal Cult is an act of apostasy.

But what if you could secretly borrow a pagan miracle?

What if Camille had discovered the miracle of resurrection while researching the nameless miracle of chaos, and had saved it as a last resort for herself? It’s not impossible. This is a laboratory that is much larger than what was happening underground in Ultenheim, researching the nameless miracle of chaos.

“Then let’s proceed with the ceremony! Everyone, please recite the prepared prayer!”

Neria lifted the objects that had been placed on the altar. It was a torn cardinal’s cassock, a few ornaments, and a glass vial containing white sand that was probably part of Camille. The gathered congregation also began to recite a prayer following Neria.

Isaac could quickly see that their prayers were a poorly restored mess. The ritual Neria performed was not much different from what Claire had done.

As Isaac listened to their prayers, he realized even more that he was the only true believer in the nameless chaos in this world. They called themselves believers in the nameless chaos, but they did not know the name of chaos, did not receive any qualifications from it, and did not receive any attention.

Even the nameless chaos doesn’t care about them. How could it know that they are being called when they don’t even know what they are calling for in the first place?

It’s no different from a swarm of ants circling around in a corner of the kitchen.

But miracles are the result of people’s will.

Their voices wander through the void, and when they reach the tentacles at the end, they accidentally draw in fragments. If they are exposed to great power, they will only die in a disaster.

There is no malice or hope there.

They were just calling what was happening a miracle.

He was a poor believer and a lonely god.

[Nameless chaos watches you.]

Isaac decided to show these fools who couldn’t tell the difference between heaven and earth the real God. He wanted to show them what they were praying for and how deep into the abyss they were reaching.

Isaac quietly opened his mouth and began to recite the prayer they were reciting.

Damn.

The wall above the northern altar began to warp and crack.