Act 1: Chapter 62: 《God of Fear; Zorophilia》
TN : A Cliche, true final boss come after final boss
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「I-Impossible… aah, even though the new world is right around the corner… even though I am the last descendant of Nigredo…」
Notes fell on all fours. He raised his face, looking at me while breathing shakily.
「… Surely, I won’t be so kind as to just capture you. Though I’ve no idea what you’re up to… you’re going to die in this place.」
I readied my 《Hero Sword: Gilgamesh》.
Notes was far too dangerous of a person to be left alive. Not only did he plan to kill everyone within Aarburg city with 《Sacrifice》, it also seems like he has another plan in mind.
「My goal, is it… fu, fufufufufu…」
Notes laughed in a low, creepy voice.
「You… don’t tell me…」「Though I feel bad for being unable to fulfill my duty as a priest since I’m going to die in this place… I think my life is cheap compared to what will come next. I used 《Sacrifice》 to gather mana in order to perform an even higher ranked magic which still beyond my reach…」
Notes’ words indicated that he didn’t care about losing his life. Or maybe it’s just a bluff?
No, I don’t think that Notes is that kind of person.
「Before… you come to this place, I used the mana that I gathered with 《Sacrifice》 to activate 《Nirvana(Seal God Release’s Ceremony》. Thanks to your clump of mana and the fact that you came to the center of the barrier, the mana I needed has been filled faster than my expectations. Zorophilia who’d been sealed by those foolish humans… will return to this world again.」
Notes’ eyes opened wide as a creepy smile formed on his face. It was an expression filled with malice and hatred.
So the 《Sacrifice》 barrier wasn’t being used to attack the humans in this city. It seems that his real goal is to use the gathered mana in order to activate 《Nirvana》 and unseal his God, Zoro-whatever its name is.
「Now, no one can stop this… Zorophilia will paint this world with fear. Not a single blade of grass will be spared. Fu, fufufufu… soon, Zorophilia will be released from its seal… and awaken in this world!!! Haa, haa, I’ve finally accomplished the dearest wish of our clan from time immemorial! The world is going to change from this point! My life… is but a cheap of a price to accomplish our clan’s goal!」
At that moment, the entire basement shook violently.
The ominous presence that I’d felt when I’d arrived at the basement wasn’t coming from Notes. It was something that had already been in this place.
「OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! COMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOMECOME!!! OUR GOD, ZOROPHILIA IS COMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!」
Notes started laughing maniacally in his fit of craze.
「… So, bo.」
That voice… something was coming… Whoever it is, its presence was coming up towards me right from below my feet.
「Let’s…-lay」
Something appeared right behind me.
I calmly confirmed the presence with a glance over my shoulder. There was a giant mask colored with intertwined red and green colors that ran in a spiral pattern. The spiral pattern swirled into the empty openings of the mask where its eyes should have been but all that was visible was a pitch black of empty nothingness. The mask was around three metres high and several flesh tentacles with an eerie color that looked like a combination between animal and plant flesh coming out from behind the mask. While the tentacles resembled that of plants, the way the tentacles were around the mask somehow resembled that of human arms. Overall, the most suitable way to address the shape would be “green colored entrails.”
「S-Such a monster…」
I felt a chill running down my spine.
「OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! ZOROPHILIA! OUR GOD! SUCH, MAGNIFICENCE! TO THINK THAT THESE EYES HAVE BEEN GIVEN A CHANCE TO BEAR THE WITNESS TO YOUR MAGNIFICENT FIGURE! FATHER, MOTHER, DEAR ANCESTORS WHO WERE KILLED DUE TO INJUSTICE IN OUR LONG FORGOTTEN PAST!! I’VE… ACCOMPLISHED OUR DUTY!」
Notes rose up to his feet, clasping his hands in front of his chest with tears streaming down his face as though praying earnestly to that grotesque monster.
So this grotesque being was the one they called their god, Zorophilia, huh.
As I was feeling dumbfounded upon seeing that grotesque form and Notes was crying at seeing his God, Zorophilia’s tentacles were starting to close in on me.
「GUH!」
My reaction was delayed thanks to being distracted by Zorophilia’s appearance.
I quickly leaped back and severed Zorophilia’s tentacles with the 《Hero Sword; Gilgamesh》 as I bent my body back. But, my feet were caught by another tentacle that shot out before I could react.
「Le…..t… l, a, y….」
「Urgh…」
Zorophilia swung my body around with its tentacle with ease before crashing me against the wall. Even though the impact shaved away at the wall, Zorophilia kept swinging around my body unceasingly.
「!!」
Zorophilia’s body spun in circles too as it used my body to break down the walls.
As I regained my bearings, I twisted my body to sever its tentable with the 《Hero Sword; Gilgamesh》 and got out of its grasp.
Numerous cracks had now formed on the wall and were crumbling like an avalanche all around me.
「AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THAT WAS CLOSE BUT, I’M SAVED! OOH, ZOROPHILIA, OUR DEAREST GOD OF FEAR! I, I’M BORN TO WITNESS THIS MOMENT! ZOROPHILIA, PLEASE GUIDE THIS DISTORTED WORLD TO IT’S PROPER PATH! AHAHAHAHA.」
Notes’ laugh was caught by my wars.
I swiftly repelled the collapsed wall and stepped outside through the rubble.
「Let’s… p-…-lay」
Zorophilia’s giant mask had already approached right in front of me.
「… Around level 2000 huh.」
I brandished the 《Hero Sword; Gilgamesh》 with my full strength. The blade ran across the surface of the mask and dug into Zorophilia’s gutter-like flesh and tore off its tentacles.
「AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!」
Zorophilia let out a hair-raising warcry as it flew upwards due to my attack. Its body crashed against the ceiling and created a huge hole in it. The wreckage of Zorophilia’s flesh and tentacles were splattered around that hole.
「AHAHAHAHAH— HAH?」
Notes, who was looking up at the ceiling as his eyes followed after Zorophilia, suddenly stopped laughing and looked at me with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
Its appearance had caught of off-guard, but that’s all there was to it. It didn’t change the fact that Zorophilia was far weaker than me. It was just surprising to see such a grotesque appearance outside of the 《Distorted World of Cursed Mirror》. But besides that, it was barely qualified to be called a God of Fear.
「I’ve met more powerful monsters than this one several times in 《Cocytus》. You think that kind of power is enough to rule over this world? Appearance wise, it’s not even scary enough to scare me.」
I looked up at Zorophilia who was wriggling in pain.
「P-P-P-P, LA… Y…」
Regardless of how I felt about it, it was still a threatening existence for the citizens of Aarburg city. If I’d left the city back then, this city might have been destroyed by this monster. I need to finish it off as soon as possible.