EP.30 Resistance - 5
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It is terrifying.
This place is a land cursed by the Earth Mother Goddess, an abyss beyond the reach of the Heavenly God's eyes. Dying did not frighten her, but the possibility that even in death her soul might not find salvation filled her with terror.
Beta, no—the devout girl whose real name was Seraphina, tightly gripped the cross she always kept in her bosom.
"No. The Heavenly God is in our hearts. He will always watch the world through our eyes..."
Her father was a pastor. A devout believer, he led his flock every Sunday. People offered prayers every Sunday, finding small comfort to endure the week.
However, after the Military Empire defined all forms of religion as a 'hobby', blasphemously, God became subject to taxation.
It was nonsense. How could the Heavenly God, the master of this world and the parent of all creation, pay taxes? Naturally, there was backlash. Her faithful father, too, stood at the forefront in opposing that policy.
And naturally, after being dragged away by the Military Empire, he never returned. Ever again.
Revisiting her hatred, her fear subsided significantly. Beta let out a deep breath and headed toward the underground armory.
"May God's iron hammer strike the blasphemous, unjust, and wicked Military Empire."
If it came down to it, she would become the hammer herself. Even if she crumbled miserably after punishing the Empire.
It was when she took a step forward while praying.
It was then. Suddenly, the door to the underground armory opened on its own. Beta was startled by the sudden change, but thinking that the Heavenly God had opened the way for her, she clamped her mouth shut and took a bold step forward. With her faith, she could move forward.
Inside was pitch-black, impossible to see even an inch ahead. Beta patted her elbow, brushed up to her wrist, and gathered all the mana in her body into her fingers. After fidgeting for a while, Beta whispered.
"Lux."
Light flickered from her fingertips.
Lux, the Military Empire's standard magic for illuminating light. It was the only spell she could use out of the dozens of standard spells she had learned at school, but she was perfectly satisfied with it. How convenient and wonderful it is to be able to shine a light and find the way whenever it's dark.
Of course, she couldn't help but feel a sense of contradiction whenever she remembered that this magic was developed by the hateful Military Empire. But light originally belongs to the Heavenly God. The Empire is merely borrowing the light, the blasphemous wretches who dare to tax it. Beta made that excuse and raised her finger high.
The darkness inside did not disappear even when illuminated. It only temporarily, slowly recoiled. Beta barely managed to illuminate just her feet, stepping deeper and deeper. Without knowing where she was heading....
Then.
A candle flame burned. A sinister light bloomed in the darkness.
Beta hastily raised her head.
The surroundings were drenched in blood. It looked as if someone had cursed the entire world with blood. Bright red blood flowed through the sunken gaps of the stone walls that once held beautiful carvings, and blood-stained monsters were superimposed over the sacred paintings.
A scene that seemed to blaspheme the Heavenly God. However, Beta felt fear before the insult of it.
Blood, redness, darkness, and the unknown.
Just as the primal fear began to overwhelm her.
[Are you the one? The insolent one who dared to offer a prayer to the Heavenly God in my palace.]
Beta took a deep breath. She hurriedly gripped her cross and raised her gun.
Then, a hardened voice echoed from the darkness.
[A cross... Hehe. It's been a while. I didn't know I would see one even here...]
At that moment, the cross glowed red and became dyed with blood. Startled by its ominous appearance, Beta hastily let go, and the red cross, freed from its bindings, bounced into the air.
Beta chased its trajectory with trembling eyes. The blood-drenched red cross stood upside down and flew toward the wooden coffin in the middle of the room.
Right after. A pale white arm appeared from inside the coffin. A gentle hand reached for the cross. Beta's cross, now a red inverted cross, rested on the pale hand.
A pitch-black painted coffin, a blood-drenched inverted cross.
Realizing the identity of her opponent, Beta raised the muzzle of her gun and shouted.
"Damned vampire! You fiend who abandoned humanity to defy the natural order, you kin of demons!"
The white hand paused. Armed with faith, Beta kept her gun aimed at the coffin without cowering even in the pitch-black darkness.
"You have no right to desecrate it! Put it down right now, you monster!"
[...Oh-ho.]
Crunch.
The blood-drenched cross crumpled in an instant. Before she could even feel anger at the desecration of her faith, Beta was instinctively terrified by the irresistible power she felt from it.
[I have no right? I abandoned humanity to defy the natural order?]
A question came from the coffin. God is far, and the devil is near. As if to prove it, malice and mana that seemed to test Beta looked down on her.
But Beta had not yet lost her faith. Faith was firmly rooted in her heart, and she had a gun in her hand. Right now, Beta had nothing to fear.
Beta shouted.
"Yes!"
[Nonsense.]
Creak.
The lid of the coffin opens.
A cedar coffin. Wood beloved by librarians and undertakers for its moisture and odor-absorbing properties. The lid of the coffin that had held her for over a thousand years opened. Darkness flowed like oil. An abyss, so dense it had turned into liquid, spilled out.
"Fear me if you must. As a predator, I am a terrifying existence to you."
A pale white hand emerged from there. An ancient elegance exuded from the small, gentle movement. A distant fragrance wafted. With blood filling the area, the scent of blood should be thick, but the scent rising now smelled like old books. The smell of the cedar coffin.
While Beta was disoriented by the alien fragrance.
From inside the coffin.
"Despise me if you must. As a vampire, I am an existence that sucks your lifeblood."
She appeared.
She was a girl with a pale white impression, as if the light itself had faded. Her pale white skin lacked any trace of blood, like a well-polished pearl. Her silver hair falling down to her waist gleamed, proving it wasn't born from an absence of color. Her eyes were eerily red, yet so captivating that one couldn't easily look away. Sliding down from her prominent nose, her small, cute lips stood out. Her facial features, beautifully connected as if crafted with great effort by a god, made one dizzy just looking at them. The pitch-black dress hanging from her shoulder straps looked solemn and neat, making her appear like a noble bride.
Even the darkness surrounding them couldn't hide the softly glowing light of the girl. Without prior knowledge, one would have mistaken her for an angel.
"However, if you bring up the name of that accursed god and treat me as unholy. If those who abandoned me shamelessly act as if I abandoned them."
It clashes.
Perception, and faith.
An evil and bizarre existence that sucks human blood is beautiful enough to be compared to an angel.
They said she was a thousand-year-old vampire, but her appearance was merely that of a blooming young girl.
In a space filled with blood, the ambiance of old books wafted.
The madness and ferocity she had only heard of in rumors were nowhere to be seen. Her gentle movements held a distant elegance, and her small face contained a dizzying beauty.
A completely different appearance of a vampire from what she had learned.
"I shall send you to the side of the god you revere so much."
The reality she faced was so different from what she had learned.
Right now, there was no common sense surrounding Beta. There wasn't even a single powerful word from a renowned priest.
She was alone.
It was her first trial. Would she follow her faith, or would she submit to the power that had descended before her eyes?
Beta decided.
Not out of faith, but out of the inertia of her belief up until now.
"Lord! Guide me!"
Bang.
The bullet burrowed into the vampire's eye. The girl's head snapped back as if it had bounced. Blood splattered, and the sound of tearing flesh was heard. Although she felt a sense of guilt, as if she had shattered a work of art with her own hands, she also felt a strange euphoria at having overcome the temptation and followed her faith.
"I, I did it. I didn't fall for the devil's temptation... I, I defeated the vampire!"
However.
Naturally.
"...So that was your will."
The splattered blood floated back up. As if the world was rewinding, her neck returned. The bullet that had pierced her eye was pushed out from the inside and dropped to the ground with a thud.
Her eyes were still red. No, they were even redder than before.
The moment she met those red irises, her body froze like a mouse before a snake. As if her body was no longer her own. Neither her hands nor her feet could easily move.
In a world where everything had stopped, the white girl raised her pale hand.
"Then die for your Lord."
Neigh.
An ominous neigh. When she turned her head, a giant blood-red horse was glaring with wide eyes. A bright red glare flashed from its eyes.
When did it approach? How could such a massive existence be in this underground?
Such questions had long since vanished.
Beta groaned in terror.
"Ah, Ah!!"
She tried to shoot the gun. But her fingers wouldn't move. As if even the gun rejected her, it didn't budge no matter how much she pulled.
Looking down frantically, the gun was already soaked in blood and bright red. Blood seeped from the grip to the muzzle, dominating the barrel.
That wasn't all. Beta realized that even her body wasn't obeying her commands. Blood vessels like spider webs protruded on her skin. The vampire's blood stained on her skin bound Beta's arms and forced them to move.
The blood of the Progenitor Tirkanjaka is dominance. In the distant past, she ruled half the world with this power. Five nations and seventy-two territories fell into her hands before the people could even notice.
The Brand of Fresh Blood. The proof that one has become a part of her, hands and feet that move according to her will.
The muzzle turned toward Beta's eyes. Her own weapon aimed at her most vulnerable spot. She couldn't stop it even if she tried. It was the power of the vampire who had been called a calamity for a thousand years. Devout faith alone could not resist it. Beta's hands and eyes trembled violently, but her body faithfully aimed the muzzle at its master.
She could see the cold iron circle and the darkness trapped within it. The smell of gunpowder lingered. It smelled just like the scent of sulfur burning in hell.
The cold, dark abyss right now would burn red and spit out an iron bullet the moment she snapped her fingers. The foolish iron bullet, unable to even recognize its master, would shatter her soft eyes and ransack her brain.
Despairingly, humans had the ability to imagine the terrible things that would befall them in the future.
Even her devout faith couldn't stop the leaking terror. Her teeth chattered. Her eyes, facing destruction, shook. Faith was invisible and intangible, so it couldn't protect her from that iron bullet. It only guarded her soul.
"P-Please, spare me."
God was far, and the gun had betrayed her. All that was left was a young girl.
Therefore. It couldn't be helped. Expecting something beyond life from an ordinary person would be cruel.
However, sadly.
The cruel trials that demand lives come far too often compared to their cruelty.
"No manners, no elegance, not even a shred of spirit. How pathetic. If you had cried out to your god until the very end, I would have personally corrupted you."
The vampire let out a sigh. A short, decisive sigh. At the same time, it was a remark that cut off a human's fate.
A beautiful gesture fluttered in the air like a butterfly.
"Begone."
Click.
The trigger was pulled. Beta, foreseeing her death, tightly closed her eyes.
But no bullet was fired.
The sound of the trigger being pulled in vain rang out. The Brand of Fresh Blood had pulled the trigger, but it hadn't pulled the slide to eject the casing inside and load a new bullet.
"Ha, haha."
She survived. Just as Beta smiled faintly.
The Blood Mare took a step.
That was the end.
Like the weeds trampled by horses that had been everywhere.
Like a bug crushed by a human's finger without a second thought.
A single human turned into a handful of blood.
Not even a corpse remained. Just as the crushed corpse of a bug on a rock remains only as a squashed fragment, the human trampled by the Blood Mare Rallion became part of the wall and the floor.
Tirkanjaka waved her hand. The surging blood swept away even that trace.
After that, nothing remained.
The vampire cleaned up the insolent intruder. From the world, and from her memory.
To even remember a handful of blood, the sea of blood was far too vast.
However, the iron bullet that had slightly wounded her body remained. Tirkanjaka lifted the bullet with her white hand.
How long had it been since metal had pierced her body. She would have to trace back through countless days and nights. Although this kind of attack couldn't harm the Vampire Progenitor at all... it was still an achievement that renowned knights of the past had attempted and only a very few had succeeded.
For such an ordinary-looking girl to accomplish it.
"It stings a little... It seems people these days all have at least one trick up their sleeves."
Even when Tirkanjaka pulled the trigger, it didn't fire. It seemed there was something special that recognized its user.
It would be necessary to be wary.
The ancient one, who had seen a gun for the first time and been hit by one for the first time, muttered so.
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Today is the best day ever!
Human! The human made me delicious food! It was meat, but it also tasted like beans, and it was super delicious!
And we played catch! Human, the ball you threw was so slow it was a bit boring! But it was still good! Playing catch is fun because it's a game!
And, and!
"Woof!"
New humans! So many! With that many humans making noise, it's so exciting!
Ah! Maybe among those humans, there's someone who will honor the pact?
"Woof woof!"
If I approach them with a smile, they'll like me!
If we play catch together, we'll get closer!
It's okay even if they don't honor the pact! Humans are still humans!
One appeared! Talked to me! Let's play! Joy! It's going to be fun!
Joy!
Joy.
Fun...
Bang.
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I understand.
You're afraid of me.
You fear me.
Everyone is scared. Trembling. Wanting to run away.
The only reason they don't is that there's nowhere to run.
Sad.
It's not as much as I hoped. I feel like I'm going to collapse. Anxious.
But if I smile, if I keep leaning on them, won't they eventually lean on me too?
Let's play a little more. Just a little, just a little more.
...
Everyone left. Afraid of me, they ran away without even making eye contact. Monster, someone muttered as they passed by.
I'm not a monster. I'm a puppy.
A good puppy who listens well and knows how to wait!
I listened to the humans and came to this dark, stuffy place. I waited here for a long time. Even when there was no answer, I kept, kept waiting. Even when humans were terrifyingly killing each other, even when the smell of blood was unpleasant, I kept my eyes tightly shut and endured it.
Because I'm a good puppy. A good puppy who stays strong and waits even when she's bored or lonely!
...Still. It seems everyone is afraid of me.
"Bite them!"
Except for this good human.
The good human's hand, I like it. Pet me often. Scratch my head and chin.
But I'm still glad there's a good human!
After petting me like that, the good human walked toward the bad human. Raised a hand with a bright smile. Something white and square popped out of the back of the hand! Muttering something constantly, moving the white square around!
Huh?
Stab.
Blood came out. The human fell. And didn't move.
"Woof?"
Died.
Yeah, died.
A human killed a human. Blood is flowing. It won't stop. Died.
They did that last time too, it seems humans killing each other is a normal thing.
No, rather. For humans, death might be... something that comes in the form of another human, rather than starvation, disease, or predators.
"Huu."
The human who killed closed their eyes.
A good human who made me delicious food, played catch with me, and petted me often. Even though they get annoyed sometimes, even though they've tried to hit me. They're not afraid of me. A good human.
That good human killed another human.
They are a good human to me, but it seems they're not a good human to other humans.
But.
Just maybe.
"Woof."
Are you afraid of me too?
When I approached, the good human scowled. Suddenly I got scared. Are they afraid of me?
"Ugh. Why are you coming here. Are you hungry? Don't even think about eating the corpse. If you get a taste for human meat, I'll be in danger—no, people will hate it."
I know. I won't eat it. Human meat doesn't really appeal to me. I also know you'd be scared if I did.
So I won't eat it. I'm a good puppy.
"Huh? Hey, I don't have time to pet you right now, okay? I have things to do, so go away for a sec."
I want to get closer. I don't want to be feared.
But if you're scared, I wish you'd tell me from the start.
"I said go! I told you I don't have time to pet you!"
If you're scared, I'll just leave.
"Ugh. Whatever. I have no idea what you're thinking."
The human clicked their tongue and firmly pressed my head. It wasn't heavy at all, but I moved. Taking a couple of steps back, the human hugged me and roughly petted me.
It was rough, but it felt good.
If they were afraid of me, they wouldn't hug me this tightly.
"Are you done? You're done, right? I petted you plenty, right? I'm going to go dunk a person, okay? Since you can't kill people, just go to the cafeteria and lick some pots! Shoo! Shoo!"
I will.
I can't fight humans.
If that's what fighting humans is, I can't help the good human.
But, still.
I want the good human to live.
If you die, I'll cry from sadness. I'll cry all day long. I might even forget to eat for about two days.
So.
Slurp.
Aji licked my cheek once, then plodded into the cafeteria. I wiped my saliva-dampened cheek with my hand.
What a truly strange guy. Going from happy to depressed.
I still can't read a dog's thoughts well. I'm a Great Speaker born to communicate with humans, yet I can't understand its thoughts at all.
Is it natural not to know? The King of Dogs is fundamentally the representative of all dogs—no, the representative hound. If it could read their thoughts, that would be more of a problem.
"Now, anyway. I found them."
My head hurt from using telepathy too much, but I still got results.
The ones who died so far are just cannon fodder filling the numbers. The real main force, Kanisen and the technician, are still inside the control room. It seems they found something, as they aren't moving.
The vampire is in the underground armory. The regressor is fighting an enemy wearing military boots.
Both possess the ability to deal with their enemies in an instant and come help me.
The problem is, neither of them has any intention of doing so.
The vampire doesn't care about the outside situation, and the regressor is deliberately controlling his power while fighting, believing I can handle it myself.
"Damn it. Handle it myself, my ass."
Running there right now, explaining the situation to the regressor, getting him to defeat the enemy quickly, and then stopping Kanisen who's trying to blow up Tantalus.
It's possible, but it would take too much time. Moreover, the regressor, whose wariness toward me has reached its peak, might not believe me.
Do I have to handle it somehow with my own hands? Ugh, I'm not confident I can win.
'I found it!'
Huh? Is this thought from the technician named Gamma? Why is this thought suddenly exploding so loudly? I can hear everything.
'I figured out the secret of Tantalus! I never expected it to have this kind of structure! If the basement of the control room hadn't been dug up, I would never have known!'
Huh? What is it? You found out the secret?
'Haha! With this structure... I don't even need much explosives to destroy it! Collapsing it will take a moment! I need to report to the captain right away!'
No, wait! Really?
There's no time. I urgently ran toward the control room.