<91. The Hell of Distrust (19)>

<91. The Hell of Distrust (19)>

"Talents are mined from there?" Joachim found his own voice sounding unfamiliar as he asked this.

=Indeed. Elahu-Praga, the place where the gods sleep, buried in dreams of their own making, and immersed in the blood they themselves have shed.=

"Blood?"

He repeated the word.

"They shed blood? I've never read anything like that in the Book of Asiph."

The heretic inquisitor responded with a telepathic tone that now even sounded somber.

= Where priests from other dimensions are allowed only up to chapter 57 of that scripture, what I am about to tell you is written from chapter 58 onward. =

The prophet who descended from the heavens spoke to the ancestors of the natives of Dimension #77-102.

= 'When the primordial races were bound in blissful dreams, hard to awaken from, cunning beasts bit into their napes. As the flesh of the most vulnerable and weak spot was torn and blood flowed, it became the source of all potential and a force that allowed no limitations.' =

Listening to the unfamiliar verses, Joachim's mind began to conjure up a vision.

Elahu-Praga, often translated as the World of Dreams. The primordial races slumbering there, happy in their dreams, unaware of the blood flowing from their torn napes. They neither felt pain nor woke from their false bliss. Was the floor they laid on filling up with their blood?

The mere thought of it sent shivers down his spine.

= Long ago, our church's doctrinal scholars agreed to define the primordial races as deities and referred to their blood as divine blood. However, the committee and other races call it by another name. =

A word that had been mentioned multiple times today slipped out of Joachim's mouth.

"Talents!? But you said it was blood. How can blood be currency…"

= The divine blood boils, disperses, and evaporates the moment it touches the mortal world. Therefore, few realize its true nature as blood. But the prophet said it was indeed blood, a holy relic that exists at the boundary of material and immaterial, the most beautiful light in the universe. =

Then the prophet instructed the first believers.

= 'The blood they shed contains the power to make anything possible, and it is also the key to awakening those who sleep.' =

At this point, the specific method for carrying out the church's earthly task is mentioned. They had to work continuously to blend nightmares into the dreams and prepare for the future.

Waiting for the cycle when their sleep would lighten.

= We were gathering the divine blood while waiting for that time. In ways that even the committee did not know. =

It is said that the prophet pulled out a dagger in front of the villagers. The heretic inquisitor recited the words.

= 'The prophet said, this is a blade drenched in their blood, and you will make it as I instruct.' =

= 'The villager asked, what will we do with it?' =

= 'The prophet replied, feel the pain that the primordial races have forgotten and lost. You, too, shall tear the flesh of your most vulnerable and weak spot, and let the blood flow.' =

What followed was the first baptism in the history of the church.

The prophet stabbed each of their napes with the dagger.

It was a wound that would have been fatal for a human, but due to the physical characteristics of their race, they survived.

= 'The prophet taught, this blade cuts through flesh and touches the soul, leaving an indelible mark. You will now be able to bear their blood.' =

= 'The villager hesitated and asked, but how will we reach where they are?' =

As he recited this far, the heretic inquisitor suddenly fell silent. Joachim, who had been listening in a daze to the story that stretched beyond his imagination, returned to his senses and questioned him with a determined gaze.

"Why? Are you reluctant to tell me more after getting this far?"

= … No, it's not that. =

He hesitated before speaking.

= The method to reach Elahu-Praga alive is only possible for our race. The real problem isn't even getting to that stage but the baptism itself… =

The fire that had been burning in Joachim's eyes began to blaze again. As he tightened his grip on his head, the inquisitor hastily continued.

= Please, hear me out! It's not too late to choose and act after listening! =

He quickly poured out his thoughts telepathically.

= Alright, the method is to send your soul to Elahu-Praga while still alive, and after touching the divine blood, to call your soul back to your body. =

"?!"

= For a race like yours, it's an impossible task. Astral projection is not something you can reach through artificially induced ecstasy by drugs. And if you really die, you won't be able to return here, which is also a problem. =

As he spoke, the inquisitor began to tell an old story again.

But Joachim didn't miss the part he had subtly skipped over. Not just anyone could go to Elahu-Praga through astral projection. There must be another condition.

Could it be related to the effects of the 'baptism'?

= Anyway, after that, our entire race received the baptism. They even imitated the dagger following the prophet's instructions and made it into a holy relic. Those who earned the qualification of priests crossed over to Elahu-Praga and returned with a bit of divine blood. =

It is said that the Talents they brought back were stored in a shrine managed by the council instead of being held personally.

= No one was allowed to absorb too much at once. It was discovered that doing so would cause the divine power to go out of control. Absorbing too much in a short time was also forbidden. If that happened, the ancient races gathering the divine blood outside would suddenly notice the reduced amount. =

This was why the amount the committee obtained was always slightly less than expected.

The priests were siphoning off small amounts, deep within a place far beyond the mint's mining site, somewhere the committee couldn't even think of entering or see.

= After gathering it for so many years, the time finally came. The time when the gods' sleep would lighten. =

The main council in Dreamland began preparing in earnest to awaken the gods. However, they couldn't fully focus on this task with the committee and other races constantly coming and going from that world.

So, they made a decision.

= We suddenly closed the entire dimension. Without any warning. =

The lockdown happened quickly because if they had given prior notice, the committee would have become suspicious and desperately tried to dig into it.

Even those who had gone to other worlds for missionary work or trade were unable to return.

Of course, high-ranking priests and nobles were secretly contacted and allowed to return. But they were a minority, and most were left stranded outside the dimension. This was an effort to control information as much as possible.

The heretic inquisitor pointed to the severed head.

= That's why he was left behind here. =

"… My father, who at the time was neither a high-ranking priest nor a noble, was abandoned."

The inquisitor's face was marked with an expression difficult to interpret.

= There was no other choice. =

"Then why did my father desperately try to return just before he died? I remember him saying he had to come back before the next cycle."

= I suspect he wanted to participate directly in the ritual to awaken the gods. =

As a priest, Joachim understood the meaning of those words.

= He believed that serving in the final ritual would ensure that he would be remembered more clearly in the awakened god's memory. He wanted the blessing of living forever within that memory. =

He could not bear the thought of missing the glorious moment, being left behind.

According to official doctrine, even if one didn't participate in the ritual, one could still join in the true world if they had done their best to attract the 'gaze of the gods' beforehand. But the grand archbishop wanted more. He wanted to be a more vivid memory.

=You must understand, our species can control the neurochemicals that induce pleasure and happiness. Just before he met his end here, he likely unleashed them in a surge.=

Joachim recalled the state of the Grand Archbishop at that time. The third eye embedded in his forehead had opened, red blood-foam was bubbling, and strange, tentacle-like protrusions were writhing.

=Because he timed it so precisely, the soul that left his body wasn't released for salvation but was instead sent to Elahu-Praga. His body would have grown cold shortly afterward.=

The inquisitor's face twisted as he explained what happened next.

=Do you understand now how that man died and then came back to life? He somehow made it to the sanctuary in that state and absorbed an absurd amount of divine blood into his soul! An amount so massive that even the Committee would notice!=

His telepathic communication became more intense.

=Luckily, we found out just a bit earlier, thanks to a priest who had gone to the sanctuary to receive the blessing of the divine blood. That brother noticed a significant decrease in the amount of divine blood flowing in the sanctuary. Someone had broken the taboo!=

They turned their attention to the priests outside the dimension when they couldn't find a suspect through internal investigation.

=There must be chaos among those beasts by now! There's no turning back. We must proceed with the final ritual immediately. That man must have anticipated this outcome.=

"Wait a moment."

Joachim's voice was sharp as he pointed out.

"Is that everything? If that were truly the case, you wouldn't have urgently lifted the lockdown and rushed here. The real reason you're so desperate to get hold of this head... it's because you need the soul inside it, isn't it? More precisely, the divine blood that my father's soul has absorbed!"

The inquisitor fell silent for a moment, realizing Joachim had hit the mark.

Then he slowly nodded.

=That's exactly what he was aiming for. We need to perform the ritual soon, but we still lack enough divine blood. We don't know how much he absorbed, but we'll have to use whatever we can get from him!=

Before he died, the Grand Archbishop was certain.

No matter what they said about his excommunication, the main temple would eventually have to bring him back to the interdimensional altar. They needed to transfer the Talents he had gathered. He believed that contributing to the creation of the final nightmare would bring him closer to eternal life.

After explaining this much, the heretic inquisitor extended his hand and made an offer.

=Now that you know all these secrets, you're in danger too. How about it? It would be wise to come with me to our dimension.=

"..."

=You may not have the ability to absorb divine blood or undergo the baptism, but I can arrange for you to participate in the final ritual. You'll be closer to the eternal life you seek. Is there any reason to refuse?=

Joachim remained silent for a brief moment before speaking.

"I…"

Crash!

At that moment, a thunderous noise erupted.

=What's going on?!=

The three aliens and the one human looked up to see something that shouldn't have been there.

Clear starlight was streaming down through an atmosphere now devoid of pollution.

The hastily patched-up barrier was torn like a sheet of paper, and the roof of the house was completely blown away.

And what burst into the room was a black wind.

Crack!

"@#%@#@!"

One of the heretic inquisitors screamed and collapsed. His arm had been completely severed. The piercing shriek that had ripped through the air faded as blood-foam bubbled up from his forehead. Suppressing the pain through neurochemicals, the cleric immediately assumed a combat stance.

=Who goes there?!=

They each drew the sacred daggers from their belts.

The man cloaked in a seething shadow, Min-jun, clicked his tongue inwardly.

In his left hand, he held the inquisitor's severed arm, while in his right, he wielded a dagger. Unlike the sacred weapons of the priests, his blade seethed with dark magic.

His gaze turned towards the aliens, one by one.

'I intended to tear off all their limbs… What are these creatures?'

These were the kinds of beings who had to be extremely careful not to commit any sin that would catch the Committee's eye.

If captured, they would be exploited to the fullest extent of their abilities.

'But I can't let you take that head. And... you and I still need to have a conversation.'

Min-jun's spells had been unable to clearly hear the conversation the group had just had. They had created another shielding barrier inside to prevent anything from leaking out.

But after much effort, he managed to catch a few keywords. And the most crucial word was...

'They kept mentioning something called Talent!'

And then he saw the Grand Archbishop's head, emitting a brilliant light. No further proof was needed.

Anticipating a difficult battle, Min-jun sent a telepathic message to the dragon behind him.

=If any of them try to flee, breathe fire on them immediately! Not that it would kill them anyway!=

But there was no response.

Min-jun, focused on the situation ahead, didn't notice that Ha Eun-seong, riding the dragon, was making the most dramatic expression possible… one of sheer terror, unable to even reply.

Ha Eun-seong was also looking in the same direction as Min-jun, but his attention was on something else.

=This… this can't be.=

Ha Eun-seong felt his knees weaken. His lungs ached as if filled with wet mud, and his heart felt like it was about to burst.

What caught his attention were the daggers the aliens held in their hands.

He couldn't fail to recognize them.

A voice whispered to him, just before his death.

'You're more useful dead than alive, aren't you?'

No matter how hard he tried to forget, the memory surged up his throat. His vision turned white as he fled, with the murderer following him at a disturbingly calm pace.

And finally, the blade that had pierced his neck.

There was no mistaking it.

=Why… why?=

Those aliens were holding the exact same daggers that the one who killed him had wielded.

<91. Hell of Distrust (19)> End