Volume 7, Chapter 62 – Tide of Death

A spacious tunnel, wide enough for two carriages to pass side-by-side.

The damp scent of earth lingered in the air, along with the faint smell of blood left behind by dead animals. Water trickled down from the ceiling and walls. If one were to disregard the strange sight on the ceiling, anyone would assume this was an ordinary cave. But if one were to look up, they would discover a whole new world.

The ceiling above was not pitch black, but the bottom of a lake.

Turbid water, through which nothing could be seen, and a bit of silt formed the ceiling of this tunnel. At first glance, it gave the illusion that the lake water was about to pour into the tunnel at any moment. But upon closer inspection, one would find that between the lake and the tunnel, a translucent membrane separated the two. It was certain that no one would want to stay in such a dangerous place. Once the translucent membrane above could no longer hold, the tunnel would be flooded by the water from the deep pool.

A short distance from the tunnel, its creators were gathered together.

“Everything is ready, Lord Bishop. With just your command, we can let the lake water flood into the labyrinth. In at most three days, the monsters in the labyrinth will be driven to the surface by the water.”

Glancing at the subordinate kneeling on one knee, the Bishop’s hand, hidden under his robe, couldn’t help but tremble. He knew what this meant—countless residents of Gota would lose their lives in this incident. If he were a third party, he would surely stand up and even go so far as to kill the perpetrators to stop the disaster from happening.

But he was guided by the Gospel, and the Gospel would not make the wrong choice. And he had no other path but to believe in it. This was not something he was forced into; he had stepped onto this path of his own volition. Since he was doing it for the greater good of humanity, sacrificing the happiness of a small number of people was unavoidable. To hesitate in a dilemma would only lead to a more unacceptable outcome than making a choice. The Divine Religion had repeated such mistakes countless times in the past, and for that, it had also emphasized countless times not to alter the will of the Gospel based on one’s own sense of good and evil. As a Bishop, he understood this deeply.

“Even so… when it comes time to actually do it, I still feel hesitant.”

“Lord Bishop, let me do it.”

A subordinate volunteered.

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“You?”

The Bishop’s tone rose an octave. If he remembered correctly, he had ordered this subordinate to roll out of the tunnel when the last mission had failed.

“Yes. If the public were to find out in the future that you, Lord Bishop, had threatened the angel with the lives of the residents of Gota, even if you were guided by the Gospel, you would still be condemned. So, it is better to let a small figure like me take your place. As the Bishop, you have more important decisions awaiting you in the future.”

The Bishop fell silent for a moment. What his subordinate said was very correct. The Gospel had not specified that he had to be the one to break the barrier separating the tunnel and the lake. As a Bishop, his future was also brighter than this subordinate’s. But to evade once would lead to another time. The reason he had become a member of the Church was not for fame and power, but to seek a future for humanity.

In that case, there was only one option left.

He shook his head.

“This must be done by me. Return to your post.” The Bishop shifted his gaze to the person on the other side. “Has the letter been delivered to the angel?”

“It has been delivered into the angel’s hands, just as the Gospel described.”

As if to spit out something stuck in his throat, the Bishop let out a long breath.

“…Hmph. Then, open the barrier. If we don’t let the angel see the consequences of refusing us, a mere verbal threat will have no effect.”

“Yes.”

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A subordinate took out a magic scroll that exuded an ancient smell. Inscribed within was a spell called [Mana Draining Cage – Release]. The [Mana Draining Cage] was originally used to imprison powerful magic chanters. It would construct a translucent magic barrier that, in addition to isolating a person from the outside world, would also create a space devoid of any magic elements. Even the most powerful magic chanter could not use elemental magic without the surrounding elements, and mental magic was even less likely to break through. And as times developed, due to its element-isolating properties, it was now often used as a means of escape by sealing off passages.

“As long as you tear this scroll, Lord Bishop, the barrier separating the lake and the tunnel will be broken.”

Following his subordinate’s explanation, the Bishop tore the magic scroll.

Pop.

The sound of a bubble bursting came from the far end of the tunnel. Immediately after, the dull roar of flowing water began to echo between the tunnels. The rumbling sound and the slight tremor of the floor gave the illusion of an earthquake.

“Lord Bishop, let’s go quickly. The [Blessing of Water Repulsion] won’t last long.”

“Yes.”

“Gah!!”

Just as the people of the Divine Religion were fleeing with the limping Bishop on their backs, a human scream echoed through the tunnel. Including the Bishop, all of them subconsciously looked towards the source of the sound.

“An enemy attack?”

“No, we checked the passage. There was no one inside. The sound came from behind us. Someone must have been swept away by the flood. You don’t need to worry, Lord Bishop. We have the [Blessing of Water Repulsion]; we can breathe even in the water.”

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“Is that so.”

“M-monster! Lord Bishop, help!”

“What?”

The heart that had just been put at ease was now in his throat again. And this time, the Bishop saw what had attacked his follower.

It was a light green, slimy body, riding the rushing torrent. Although they were not conspicuous under the cover of the water flow, the Gospel book in the Bishop’s chest, which was emitting a high heat, was telling him that the amount of magic power the other party possessed was not that of an ordinary monster. The Gospel could detect the magic power within nearby living beings. When an individual with strong magic power appeared, it would warn its holder by heating up, telling them to stay away from danger. And now, the high heat emanating from the Gospel was equivalent to a powerhouse of over level 40. With the strength of his group, there was no way they could win.

What made the Bishop despair even more was that there was not just one of them. There were thousands, tens of thousands, enough to dye the entire lake green.

When such a monster attacked his follower, the black robe that shrouded him was quickly burned through. Immediately after, his skin also turned the color of charcoal. Even in this environment full of water vapor, the smell of burnt meat was still clearly discernible.

From the scream to being turned into charcoal, only a few seconds had passed.

The cruel scene gradually twisted the Bishop’s face. He muttered in a low, trembling voice.

“…Run.”

Because his voice was too low, the person carrying him did not hear.

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“Lord Bishop, it’s a monster!”

“Ugh! H-help me!”

Another follower was swept away by the monster hidden in the water. The Bishop finally couldn’t help but shout.

“Run! Get out of here with all your might! We must tell the Cardinal!”

“I kn—Gahk!”

Before he could finish, the follower carrying the Bishop lost his balance and fell. He struggled to get up before the current could wash him away, but his legs would not obey him. Subconsciously, he looked back.

—His legs were being devoured by the light green slime.

Gradually, his features contorted.

“Eee… eee… eeeaaaaaaaaah!!!”

Before he could even feel the pain, the torrent swallowed his voice.

The tide of death continued its advance.