The God of Offerings had ambitions. And he had the power to fulfill those ambitions. The reason he challenged the Human King was not simply to defeat the Human King and protect himself.
‘If only I could obtain the Human King's body! If I succeed this time!’
He challenged the Human King out of the desire to become stronger and more complete.
The only problem was that his power was insufficient; he fled to survive, and hid out of fear. That was the essence of the God of Offerings. It was simply a desire that broke against the wall of reality.
But what if he realized that the Human King had become much weaker? Would he hold back to save his life this time, or would he repeat what he attempted in ancient times at this opportunity?
Well, the answer was out.
[My followers! Kill that thing and offer it upon my altar. To the one who does so, I shall bestow my heart!]
Twitch. A change occurred in those who had just received the divine body transplant. They should have coaxed the immortal body by eating the food offered as sacrifice for nearly a year, but the flesh of the God of Offerings that was transplanted twitched and gradually burrowed into their bodies.
"Ugh, aaagh!"
"Aaagh! What is this!"
"God of Offerings! What is... aaargh!"
With the divine body not yet fully adapted, the power of the God of Offerings burrowing into their bodies was destruction and invasion. The immortals accept it gradually over a longer period, but those who had just received the transplant suffered from the immortal power taking over their bodies.
Well, if you drink it over a long time it's medicine, and if you drink it rapidly it's doping. There's no good or bad. It's all the power of the God of Offerings anyway. Both are the same immortals.
[Uphold me with your blood and flesh!]
"Keuuuu...!"
The God of Offerings' will was firm. To kill me.
The barbarians who had just become immortals, and the shrine maidens of the God of Offerings. They didn't know why they were doing this, but they acted according to his will for now. They approached me to avoid the pain.
...I just threw it out there, but I didn't expect the opponent to go this wild too.
"Oh my. What are you doing, Mr. Ankhra?"
[I shall make your body mine and sever these bitter shackles! I shall become a complete god!]
"Are you 'challenging' me right now?"
I tried to stimulate the trauma in his memories to intimidate him, but empty threats could only stop the God of Offerings for a moment.
[Yes! I shall challenge you! To escape the long time of humiliation, and to stand in the world again!!]
Well, if you're willing to risk your life once more for your desire. I'll root for you.
But that doesn't mean I can let you kill me.
I immediately kicked off the ground and ran. At the same time, the barbarians who had just become immortals began to chase after me. They staggered under the power that hadn't fully settled yet, but they were also a barbarian tribe that survived in this dense jungle. Feeling the presences instantly catching up behind me, I ran towards the large stone door.
The 'Mouth' shouted on behalf of the God of Offerings.
"The door will not open. Chase him, immortals!"
The tightly closed stone door could only be opened by the power of the shrine maidens. Therefore, without making any meaningless attempts to open the door, I pulled out a card, inserted it into the gap of the door, and scratched it.
The door instantly turned into cards. I squeezed through the gap and flung my body forward.
The shrine maidens panicked at the sight of the fluttering cards.
YW9peUx5cktZYXhyU2hzY1VsMkQ0ZlFYUmRZVytLQm9iRFFFUm5FSTNDbTdXaGIzdERxOURSSll3a2xvbGZDMQ
"What kind of power is that? A druid's power?"
"It's different. A power I've never seen. If I had to categorize it, it's similar to a witch's curse!"
"If it's transmutation, it won't work on us who possess strong vitality. Don't be afraid!"
Behind me as I groped my way up through the darkness, barbarian warriors under the command of the shrine maidens clung on. If I wasted time in this cave, I would become food for the God of Offerings.
"Set, Ri! Lux!"
I activated the formulaic magic to create light. Illuminating the dark cave, I quickly climbed up the cave.
I'm not exactly fast, but I'm not slow enough to be caught by barbarians who had just become immortals. Collapsing the cave ceiling from time to time, I easily shook them off. The immortal candidates were knocked down without even knowing what hit them in the darkness.
That was easy. Once I get out of the cave, I should just collapse it entirely with earth magic. Just as I stepped toward the almost-reached exit.
A powerful impact struck my side.
Bones broke, and the shock shook my body. I flew through the air, bouncing off the ground several times with my body twisted. As I staggered to my feet, at the end of my gaze stood an immortal I had seen somewhere before.
"Left Leg?"
"My, my. I used my hand as a greeting. So you're a Piu? You should have been a little careful. I didn't recognize you because you weren't wearing a Piu's armband."
Left Leg approached, casually dusting off his shoulder.
"Of course, you had no intention of being careful either! The God of Offerings was so enraged that He specifically gave a decree regarding you! He said it doesn't matter what you do as long as you don't destroy his physical body!"
"...And so you just attack me out of nowhere? You're just going all out, aren't you?"
"That's what I should be saying. The God of Offerings is a merciful god who promised us immortality. But what crime did you commit that the God of Offerings ordered a mere Piu to be killed?"
So he didn't necessarily have to give orders only through the shrine maidens. The shrine maidens were merely proxies. Can he convey his will to his followers as well?
"I found out about your god's past. When I mentioned it, he suddenly tried to kill me. My, trying to kill someone just for bringing up his dark past. How merciful. Right?"
"You blasphemed the God of Offerings. One from beyond the grasslands. Tsk. You lot can never drop your bad habits either."
"Habits? We haven't known each other long enough to show my habits."
"I've met others from beyond the grasslands a few times besides you. They were all arrogant and rude. They pointed fingers at the God of Offerings and made disrespectful remarks. Yet when their own gods were blasphemed, they would flare up in anger."
Left Leg recalled an unpleasant memory. After the destruction of all nations, in the jungle that changed drastically day by day, only the immortal village remained, maintaining its history and traditions. Adventurers who came from beyond the grasslands would often stay in the generous and kind village of the immortals.
However, the price of kindness did not always lead to kindness. Adventurers were mostly people trying to uncover something, and they tried to study the mysterious power of the immortals and the existence of the God of Offerings. The identity, source, and limits of the attractive power of immortality.
It was a very displeasing thing for the immortals who worshipped the God of Offerings as a god. Left Leg frowned and asked.
"So. What did you say about our god?"
"Ah. I said that the God of Offerings is a remnant forged by the power of Ankhra, who died in the distant past."
"Did you enjoy it?"
"Pardon?"
"I asked if you found it amusing to dismiss our god as an evil ruler from the past."
Immortals are gentle and kind. Because nothing can harm them. Since they don't die, they can welcome guests without harboring wariness toward blades or strangers.
However, if their honor and faith are attacked, immortals become more violent than anything else. Left Leg denounced me with deep disappointment and contempt.
"This is why I was worried about Right Arm's marriage. Right Arm's partner. That woman who used the devil's dark arts and led the Piu village was quiet, but she couldn't be one of us. Because she was an arrogant human from outside the grasslands who didn't respect the God of Offerings."
"The God of Offerings allowed it, though?"
"Yes. How merciful He was. I thought that too was the grace of the God of Offerings and followed without complaint. But that woman eventually brought other Piu at her whim, recruited and trained soldiers, and burned the forest imbued with the God of Offerings' essence. Since she had the God of Offerings' permission, I overlooked it... but in the end, she even brought you and incurred the God of Offerings' wrath."
Beyond the murmuring 'Left Leg', the immortals began to appear. Led by the shrine maidens who came out of the God of Offerings' sanctuary, the immortals with various body parts transplanted surrounded me with all their gentleness gone from their faces.
Left Leg, representing everyone, unleashed his resentment toward me.
"To dare step into the God of Offerings' sanctuary without permission... You arrogant bastard. According to the God of Offerings' will, I shall offer your body upon His altar."
Well, I have nothing to say. I invaded the secret space of the being they consider a god. It's only natural for them to be angry.
But still.
"Arrogant? Give me a break. Calling other barbarians Piu, and you're telling me who's arrogant?"
There's one thing I'd like to ask. I straightened my waist, feeling a dizzying pain, and stood up.
"You immortals are kind to other barbarian tribes. Because you know they can't harm you. You don't hesitate to care for them as if you're being kind to small dogs or cats."
"Maybe so. But we treated you with kindness."
"That's right. But that's a manifestation of arrogance. If you truly considered them equals, there wouldn't be such a thing as a red armband indicating they are Piu."
"That is also a consideration for the Piu. We immortals have a tradition of greeting with fists. It's a sign to prevent frail Piu from getting caught up in that tradition and being killed. Or are you telling us to let the Piu be killed at random?"
Left Leg asked back as if I were an idiot. Right. Considering the tradition, the treatment of the Piu village or the Piu is truly rational. However.
"The very existence of such a tradition is strange in the first place."
I don't know everything either. But I do know what is strange. The tradition of beating each other up, it can be simply dismissed as a tradition, but there are too many oddities to just gloss over with such words.
"Your tribe couldn't have been immortals from the very beginning. Naturally, such a tradition wouldn't have existed at first. Clearly, the tradition was also artificially created. So then. Why do you think such a tradition came about?"
Left Leg frowned as if he had never thought of such a thing. It was because he never bothered to question the reason for following the custom. I told him why the God of Offerings created such a custom, for his sake.
"To filter out those who are not immortals, right? Because only immortals are fine even if they are suddenly attacked. To kill or drive out those who are not fine. Tribesmen who refused to accept the power of the immortals because they didn't want to hurt their bodies, or outsiders who sneaked in coveting the power. Or immortals who are too old to endure the divine body anymore. It's a means to naturally drive them out."
Now that the majority of immortals have accepted their fate, offered their bodies, and gained the power of immortality. That exclusive action has been disguised as some primitive tribal tradition. But the essence is no different. Because it's being used to drive the Piu into the Piu village.
"The marriage custom is the same. You tell them to spend nearly a month buried underground? That's the same as telling non-immortals to just die. It's the same as telling immortals to marry among themselves, and it's a custom created for that. What sacred and pure custom?"
The number of immortals is equal to the number of times the God of Offerings divided His body. Therefore, it is difficult to increase the number of immortals until the God of Offerings multiplies His body. So the God of Offerings had to control the number of the immortal tribe, and the marriage custom was one of the means.
I chuckled and mocked them.
"It's all like that. Tradition, faith, whatever. They all came into being for a reason, and have been passed down. They are all just tools, and while you believe they are special, they are actually simple, trivial, and even childish. They're nothing special."
The true identity of the God of Offerings is Ankhra. An ancient evil ruler who became a god by dividing and spreading his power to survive.
The unique customs and culture of the immortals are means to maintain the tribe's immortality and prevent the God of Offerings' power from being dispersed.
"Human life is all the same. It's just a matter of degree. If you peel back a layer, it's all simple and childish. No matter how much you try to package it grandly, it's just an extension of instinct. It's just, everyone's like that. All desires start from instinct."
Even the attack on me right now was carried out simply because of the God of Offerings' primal desire, without needing to attach any reasons.
Tradition, customs, faith, they're all tools. Excuses that humans arbitrarily picked up to survive.
It's absurd to be swayed by what you created yourself.
"...I wondered what you were talking about. You're just like the others from beyond the grasslands. You're treating our traditions and faith as foolish."
"Pardon? I'm not treating your traditions and faith as foolish. I'm saying they are nothing but tools. Your territorial behavior is an extremely natural behavior that all animals do. There's no need to be ashamed of it."
I've said it a few times, but humans are merely beasts. Even if you wrap and package it in several layers, its essence doesn't change. Whether it's tradition or customs, they're just things that have been repeated until now. There is no meaning beyond that.
"Punching people passing by under the name of tradition, and gaining a sense of superiority by looking down on the Piu who can't endure it. Preventing the mixing of blood with the bizarre custom of burying the bride and groom together. It's nothing that grand."
"You act so high and mighty just because you came from beyond the grasslands!"
"Pardon? I've never acted high and mighty even once. How is crying out that we are all the same beasts acting high and mighty? I'm saying let's fall to being beasts together."
"We are the tribe directly chosen by the God of Offerings!"
"God of Offerings? Ah, are you talking about that meat doll underground? A pathetic beast that hid deep in a cave out of fear, and now that an opportunity arose, immediately tries to devour my body?"
The enraged immortals shouted something. I spoke, casually brushing off their emotions.
"Well, I don't know if it's a god. But I rather prefer a simple human like that. Eating to survive, to become stronger. Isn't that like a beast?"
How simple and easy to understand is that desire? It's just a shame I can't grant it.
Left Leg shook his head and glared at me.
"...You're crazy. I've never seen anyone as crazy as you among those who came from beyond the grasslands. At least the other bastards had fear of us. Can't you feel the fear of death? Or, are you certain you won't die?"
"Haha. Well, I'm similar to you."
I shook my perfectly fine body this way and that. The regeneration speed is faster than I thought. While we were talking, I had already returned to perfect condition.
Seeing me lightly hopping, Left Leg looked puzzled.
‘What? I definitely felt bones breaking. Was he not a druid?’
"An immortal body isn't that special, is it? Well, I do think it's rare."
It's weak compared to vampires. That is eternal youth and immortality. Here, if you die, you return to the embrace of the God of Offerings.
"Now, everyone. Actually, I am also an immortal like you. How about it? Can you still kill me even like this?"
"One from beyond the grasslands! Did you have a hidden trick!"
Left Leg, who had let his guard down thinking he had incapacitated me, rushed in to finish me off.
"But immortality without power is just pain! Don't think that will save you!"
If I don't die, I don't need to block, right? Instead of taking a defensive stance, I grabbed a skewer and jumped toward his log-like left leg.
The charging log inflicts fatal wounds even if it grazes you. Jumping into that is no different from just wanting to die. Left Leg was flustered by my momentum of rushing in to die, but soon put more force into kicking my body.
Even among the immortals, the warrior who inherited the Left Leg was powerful. My body couldn't even withstand a brief collision and broke. Broken bones pierced my organs, and blood splattered inside and out. I felt terrible pain and flew far away.
‘If you have the power of immortality, I just have to keep pressing you so you can't regenerate! We've fought immortals more times than you!’
Left Leg tried to chase me with the same momentum he had attacked with. As he tried to kick off the ground with his solid left leg, he suddenly felt a sense of incongruity.
Left Leg belatedly looked down at his left leg. There was a small hole I made with the skewer, and red blood flowing from it was spreading out.
While discoloring the flesh black.
"This is... a Vampire's...?"
A vampire's dominance is almost a curse to the immortals. Because vampire blood cannot dominate immortal blood, but it can corrupt it.
I asked Left Leg once again.
"Can you still kill me even like this?"