EP.134 The Slanted Ceiling and the Mountain of Smiling Corpses - 6
The corpse in loose-fitting clothes looked accustomed to carrying human figures on its shoulders. Even as a corpse, it still did.
Having carried me up the mountain like that, the Earth Mother cultist's corpse set me down before the Grand Master's remains. I patted the corpse's shoulder and stood before the remains.
I untied my bag and took out some alcohol.
Baekhwa Hongju, a wine said to turn one's face as red as a flower with just a single cup. It was the most expensive liquor among those brought by the Returner, and simultaneously the first one I hoarded.
It's a waste, but if it's for the Grand Master's remains, this level of liquor is fitting.
I poured the Baekhwa Hongju into a cup and sprinkled it beside the remains.
Once to the left, once to the right. Once to the back.
Having sprinkled the wine, I knelt before her with the empty cup in hand. I set the cup at her feet and slightly tilted the wine bottle.
The first pour for the sound.
The second for the fragrance.
The third for the taste.
After pouring the cup in three divided portions like that, I placed it before her, clasped my hands together, stood up, and bowed to the Grand Master.
Once to pray for her time among the living.
Once to mourn her passing.
And then I knelt again, picked up the cup placed before her, and drank it.
The heavily intoxicating wine flowed down my throat.
And my consciousness blurred as well.
It is exceedingly arrogant.
That rivers are the blood vessels of the Great Earth Mother, and soil and rocks are her flesh?
Outrageous nonsense.
Because they serve the Earth Mother as a mother, they act stubbornly like a whining youngest child.
Rivers are nothing more than sweat droplets flowing over the skin, and soil and rocks are merely chafed flesh.
Mountains are merely tiny boils on the body, and the Earth Mother's blood only occasionally reveals itself from the deepest parts of those hideous wounds.
Because we drink the river water and cultivate the land, because it is so necessary and important to us, we harbor the delusion that it must be important to the Earth Mother as well.
In truth, compared to Mother Earth Mother, we are trivial existences not even equal to ants.
The Earth Mother's blood is the lava flowing beneath the volcanoes. The Earth Mother's flesh is the sea of steel containing that scorching lava.
Never seen it? Ha, of course you haven't.
Just as a mite crawling on the skin considers the tip of a finger to be the horizon, we too would not dare witness the Earth Mother's true flesh.
Probably down there. At the center, there must be the Earth Mother's heart. However, its appearance will be entirely different from what everyone imagines.
Disciples of the Earth Mother, remember. Mother Earth Mother is merciful, but we are far more insignificant than her expectations.
Humans are merely trifling existences that scratch at the Earth Mother's chafed skin to find food, and drink the sweat droplets flowing from her body.
Those who serve the Earth Mother must know humility. They must realize their own insignificance.
Whether the great and vast Earth Mother looks down upon us with care, or treats us with indifference, is unknown.
We, who parasitize upon her.
How utterly absurd.
We are likely not the great existences we believe ourselves to be.
The highest mountain in the world, Mount Buluo.
With even the clouds beneath its feet, the extreme edge of the earth capable of holding one-tenth of the world in its gaze.
The Grand Master knelt at its summit.
"...It was I, the petty one, who was arrogant."
Just as things too far away cannot be seen, things too close cannot be seen either.
Thus, the Earth Mother Church made them climb mountains as asceticism. They believed the higher the mountain climbed, the more valuable the asceticism.
Among them, countless people challenged to conquer the highest Mount Buluo, and proportionately, countless people died.
The thin-aired summit could not be reached by strength alone. Those with light bodies, small statures, and simultaneously high-level Qi Gong were at an advantage.
A girl who had just awakened to the teachings and satisfied all these conditions conquered the summit of Mount Buluo.
Thus, she achieved the earnest desire of all Earth Mother cultists, but.
What shook the girl's heart was not their praise, but merely her awe for this world.
Having witnessed the greatness of the world and realizing her own humility, the girl refused the position of Priest and wandered the world. To learn more about Mother Earth Mother, she communicated, traveled, and threw herself into trials.
She even submerged her body in lava, and scooped it up to put it into a furnace.
Some priests condemned her. They pressured her to stop immediately and return, saying that the act of uncovering the Earth Mother's secrets would only bring about arrogance.
The girl, thus summoned, stood before the priests.
She split the earth right before the priests' eyes, proving that she was right.
From that day on, the girl was called the Grand Master. Teaching all the Earth Mother cultists.
"...One as lowly as I, was not in a position to teach anyone."
Looking at the mental image speaking to me like that, I scratched my head.
"Lately, corpses keep doing unexpected things, so it's a real problem, seriously. You're dead, yet you're talking to me through a mental image."
An Inherent Magic Tool manifests an individual's mental image.
Among those who manifested such Inherent Magic Tools, those with deep-seated grudges temper their mental images right before death and leave them as heirlooms. And they test the one who grasps the heirloom.
It could be said to be a kind of vengeful spirit with immense attachment.
Well, there aren't many mental images that survive the ravages of time and remain this clear.
It's probably because it was at the bottom of the Bottomless Chasm, so it was well-preserved.
"Whatever. If you're going to test me, do it quickly."
As if replying to my words, the Grand Master slowly continued speaking.
"However, I only wish to ask one thing of the guest who has visited this place."
Transparent, sorrowful eyes met mine.
What I'm reading now isn't a thought. This is closer to a book in the truest sense. A mental image written down with the author's own intentions.
I might read it better than others, but there probably won't be much difference.
"Regarding my lingering attachments."
Immediately after. The scene changed.
Hell was right before my eyes.
The world viewed from the farthest distance was so beautiful, yet the land viewed up close was hideous and horrific.
Up to 300,000 humans were dead, dying, or waiting for death. Screams and shrieks echoed throughout the pit. Even more groans and death rattles drowned out the screams.
Most cursed the Hegemon, but a few, driven to malice, cried out in resentment toward all things in the world. Naturally, that resentment was directed at this pit, the Grand Master who made it, and her master, the Earth Mother.
Even though the Earth Mother she served was being insulted, not even anger arose in the Grand Master. Rather, their anger seemed justified.
As the Grand Master cast such a dismal gaze, a handsome man with a dignified physique approached her.
"Hahaha! What tremendous power! To dig a pit of this size all by yourself!"
The Hegemon.
Sporting a well-groomed beard and possessing the Herculean strength to crush Mount Tai. The hegemon of this era.
Donned in armor, he rejoiced greatly and made a proposal to the Grand Master.
"Hey, Grand Master! Have you any thought of serving in our army?"
After creating this very atrocity.
He's telling her to serve in the army?
Contempt, disgust, and anger surged up. However, the Grand Master, having undergone high cultivation, had the restraint not to reveal such emotions.
The Grand Master replied.
"...I, who serve the Earth Mother, how could I involve myself in killing."
"Who said anything about using this to defeat enemies? I don't even expect that! And power to dig the earth is useless for defeating enemies!"
The strongest man of this era confidently waved his hand, saying that miscellaneous powers would only be a hindrance in defeating enemies.
"The reason I hated those bastards swaggering around as Burial Priests was because they made a damn fuss every time they cleaned up corpses! Because of that, I and my precious soldiers had to waste time digging the earth! Thanks to that, there's more than one or two routed armies I couldn't chase down or victories I missed!"
Not a single ounce of malice could be felt from the Hegemon.
What could be felt from him was purity.
It was filled only with world unification, and the pure desire running madly toward it. Without caring the slightest bit about those trampled under his hooves.
"But, if the Grand Master is here, digging the earth and holding funerals for corpses would become much easier! Then we wouldn't need to insult the Burial Priests either! The Grand Master gets to keep her honor! It's a win-win, isn't it!"
If it's a win-win.
Then, what about those who will die by his hand?
What about the commoners who will be trampled to death by the Hegemon's pursuit during the time she saves him?
In the first place.
"In the first place, if you didn't kill them, there would be no need to bury them, would there?"
"What? Not to kill the rebels?"
"That is correct. If perhaps the Hegemon were to stop the killing..."
"Even the Grand Master says petty things. I thought you were a bigger person."
The Hegemon, with a scowl, replied as if unwilling to hear any more.
"Those who raise rebellions are executed as an example. This is common sense, isn't it! If you don't want to die, you shouldn't have rebelled in the first place, you must let everyone know this! The Grand Master knows nothing about war and monarchs!"
How could I say I don't know?
How many corpses has she buried during this war? In battlefields with no strength left to clean up, in villages attacked by bandits, in lands where warlords massacred and passed through.
How many deaths has she buried?
"Anyway, since I'm still working, I won't bother you anymore! Once it's all over, think about it!"
I will think about it.
This power received from the Earth Mother. With the power to tilt mountains and split the earth.
Whether I should drop the Hegemon and his army to the bottom of the Bottomless Chasm, or not...
The scene stopped. Before me lay a pitch-black cane. The Sword of the Earth, Jizan.
I had to choose.
Whether to grasp this cane here, and merely honor the spirits of the dead as a Burial Priest.
Or to draw it as a sword, and punish the Hegemon as the Earth Mother's proxy.
"Give me a break."
A single moment in history. Within it.
"Do not test me, deserter."
I turned the page.
The stopped world moves again. I force my way in and read the past she tried to hide. The mental image creaked, seemingly flustered by the unintended situation.
What happened after that.
A dark night when even clueless beasts kept their mouths shut.
Replaying the atrocity she had created, and to finish the funeral, the Grand Master stood before the pit again. The pit had become quieter than before.
But was it because it was dark? Or because there were no other senses or noises to disturb her ears? The groans and screams were heard much more clearly than before.
The agony was long. Truly long.
Even after half a day, the Grand Master could not reach a conclusion, and thus she came to do what she must do first. To hold a funeral, covering the pit and honoring the spirits of the dead.
However, there was a problem.
The fallen had not died.
The Hegemon had even grudged the oil to wipe his swords, and therefore he had pushed them in alive. After throwing all 300,000 of them in, he ordered the Grand Master to bury them now.
Burial Priests are those who bury the dead.
But they cannot bury those who have not died.
Now, half a day after burying all the rest, though most were dying.
There were still many who had not yet died.
'They're no different from corpses from the moment they fell in there! Just bury them! That'll be easier! For the Grand Master, and for the prisoners!'
The words from the Hegemon's mouth still lingered in her ears. He was in the middle of a banquet.
The Grand Master clenched her teeth and knelt before them.
The agony was long. Too long.
Yet the Grand Master still could not reach a conclusion.
Whether to bury the still-living prisoners, or to kill the Hegemon who was throwing a banquet.
The Hegemon was the strongest warrior of this era.
Even if her power was the power to flip heaven and earth and split the ground, to kill the Hegemon, she would have to flip this entire land.
Surely, not only the Hegemon would die. The majority of his soldiers would be swept up in it.
Then, is it truly right to cover death with more death?
No conclusion was reached. The Grand Master placed both hands on her knees and prayed.
Ah. Earth Mother. Why do You lead me into temptation.
Rather, if only I could agonize no more. If only time would just stop like this—.
"I apologize."
*Stab.*
Her wish came true.
Because the Grand Master's time had stopped with this.
"I will take away your sin."
Piercing through her back and coming out through her stomach, was an awl-like sharp wedge.
Behind the Grand Master, who gasped and vomited blood, a voice sorrowfully sinking was heard.
"This death must become a stepping stone. The Hegemon's sin must bring about his downfall. People must revere the Victorious King's victory, praise his virtue, and distinguish sin."
Apart from the pain, her mind cleared. Her clear mind precisely grasped the other's intention.
This was an excuse.
The one who stabbed her back was making excuses, engulfed in guilt.
"However, the Grand Master has become a Demon God. Just as no one questions the sin of the storm that swept through the village, just as no one can question the sin of the fire demon that swallowed homes and lives. Humans will merely tremble in fear before you."
Only after hearing that far did the Grand Master realize who had stabbed her in the back.
"Pro...phet..."
The apostles of the Celestial God.
Those who, because their god was too far away, did not enjoy a holy prosperity, but barely managed to maintain their lineage centered around the Prophet. It was said that recently they were trying to expand their influence by moving between the Victorious King and the Hegemon...
It might be their conspiracy. The Grand Master should have felt anger and betrayal.
However.
Why was she so joyful?
At this moment of choice, reaching death inevitably.
Thanks to dying soon, only one path remained for the Grand Master.
"There is... one... wish..."
The Grand Master spoke as if breaking apart. The Prophet replied in bewilderment.
"I do not have the right."
"I... beseech you. That you... bury me... just like this... down below."
She had to do the unfinished work.
She had to comfort the still-living, and bury the dead.
Right before death, for she was neither the Grand Master nor the Earth Mother's proxy, but a single Burial Priest.
"What pierced you is our symbol and treasure. If you pull it out, you will die before long, and if you don't, our traces will be revealed."
"...Please... could you not...?"
The Prophet spoke in bewilderment, but the request of one facing death was heavier than a hundred words. Even the Prophet dithered, unable to do this or that.
"Ah. I can't. Really, I can't..."
It was around the time the Prophet was agonizing over it. Someone holding a torch walked from over there. It was a guard stationed to prevent anyone from crawling up.
The guard, greatly angered by not being able to participate in the banquet, would not forgive the intruders.
There was no time. The Prophet made a decision.
"Do not forgive me, the first holy saint who blessed me. Ugly I have betrayed your expectations..."
With a short prayer, the Prophet pushed the Grand Master into the pit like that.
She fell amidst the corpses, but strangely, her heart felt much more at ease in the midst of death. Death was easier for her than murder.
Tens of thousands of eyes sparkled before her as she staggered to her feet. Eyes filled with only the traces of fading life, whether in anger or in resignation.
She could not save them.
She could not relieve their indignation.
She could not even take revenge for them.
The only thing she could do, having returned as a Burial Priest, was to bury them in the Earth Mother's bosom.
"Great Earth Mother. I, too, am buried in your bosom. Please, I pray. Us..."
The Grand Master clasped her hands together and exerted her authority.
The first in the world to see the Earth Mother's true form, and to uncover even its depths, the Grand Master.
She cast her final magic.
Inherent Magic Tool. Gaia Ego.
"...Embrace us in your bosom."
The Earth Mother did not love humans. Until one person's magic reached her.
Now, the Earth Mother came to cherish humans.
That day, the Bottomless Chasm was created in the world, and
Humanity gained Earth Arts.