The Priest of Corruption

Kirna, in the midst of her fervent prayer, abruptly turned to her companions.

"Hey! Did you guys feel that too?”

Rhutum and Felm nodded in agreement. A divine power they had never experienced before had burst forth in a brilliant display, only to vanish as if it had never existed. Someone was hiding in their midst. Perhaps this individual was responsible for summoning the ominous giant.

Unbeknownst to Kirna, Rhutum, and Felm, Marnak was a devotee of an evil god. In fact, Pearly was the only one aware of Marnak's true allegiance, having remained silent about

what she had witnessed in Eradico.

They were aware that a priest named Marnak, renowned as the Great Enemy of the Evil Gods, had joined Aurelius's group. However, they only knew him as a priest who worshipped

the Goddess of Maintenance. It was common knowledge that priests of the Goddess of Maintenance were incapable of summoning such a giant. Therefore, Kima's deductions, based on

this information, did not lead her to suspect Marnak as the one who had summoned the giant.

She merely assumed that an unexpected intruder had caused the disruption.

[I'm going to kill you!!!]

Moreover, she had to find a way to pacify the irate Golden Man. Kima's brow furrowed. She was beyond caring and was ready to tear them apart.

"Kirna!''

"What! Can't you see I'm occupied?”

The giant was barely holding off their attack. Rhutum, believing they had the upper hand, responded while managing the beasts.

"We've got this! I think I can handle it alone! lust aim what you prepared for the giant at the Golden Man!”

Kima's white teeth flashed in a smile.

"Finally, some good news! Felm, I need you! We're linking up!”

"Understood.”

As the bushy-haired man moved, black hands emerged from Aurelius' shadow.

[Do you think I'll fall for the same trick twice?]

Bang!

The metallic horse sprang from the ground, sending the metal knight soaring into the sky. As he ascended, the hands rising from his shadow failed to grasp his ankles.

He calmly gauged the distance to the blue-haired woman, knowing it was within reach. He leapt without hesitation, aware that this would be the decisive moment.

Aurelius drew back his lance, ready for an instantaneous release. At the peak of his ascent, he channeled all his power into a single point and descended. The woman's face rapidly approached, but he waited for the perfect moment.

And that moment finally came.

Aurelius hurled his lance. The plummeting metal mass propelled forward with explosive velocity.

He saw the woman smiling. Her slender fingers pointed at Aurelius' face like a sharp spearhead. Kirna spread her palm and invoked her deity.

"Oh, Stuck Ice.”

She prayed for a miracle. The space around Aurelius froze solid.

Boom.

The ice shattered on impact with Aurelius' body. Kirna watched, her eyes a mix of exhilaration and exhaustion.

"Even after all this, he won't die unless I destroy the core myself, huh? Should I have been born a Golden Woman?”

"Anyone might wish for the choice to select their race.”

"I'm just expressing how I feel right now. Don't nitpick over one comment, it's petty!”

Felm responded, letting Kima's reprimand slide off him.

"The situation over there is almost resolved too. Rhutum is performing admirably.”

Kirna brushed back her flowing hair.

"Despite being a bit of a loser and a chatterbox, he has his merits. That's why we tolerate him.”

"Gaaaaaaaaah...”

The giant was on the brink of death. The snow bats relentlessly tore into his flesh. Although the giant's body was gradually healing, the ceaseless onslaught inflicted new wounds before the old ones could mend.

The giant's left arm was finally torn off.

Kyeeeeeeeh! ! !

The Capel, having ripped off the giant's arm, roared in triumph. Rhutum calmed the excited Capel and urged it to return to the giant. The celebration would have to wait until after the giant's demise.

Kirna sauntered closer, nudging Rhutum's shoulder.

"Let's finish this quickly and rest. We've done enough today. I thought the avalanche would have ended it...”

Suddenly, the divinity that composed the giant's flesh transformed into a dark green light, emanating from its wounds. The holes in its body spewed out a massive wave of divinity.

Something was happening.

"Huh? Huh?! What the hell is that?!”

Rhutum's expression hardened. Should he attack? Or should he retreat for a moment and resume the attack after the transformation? After a brief moment of contemplation, he made a swift decision.

The giant was on the brink of death. Waiting idly was a choice only a fool would make. Rhutum commanded the snow bats and the Capels to dismember the giant's body. The snow bats charged at the giant, claws bared.

Crash!

The moment their claws grazed the giant's skin, the dark green divinity morphed into metal and enveloped the giant's body. It was soon encased in full body armor, riddled with holes and rust.

The giant, now clad in corroded armor, raised its restored hands into the air. Space warped and swallowed the giant's arms. But when it pulled them free, it had retrieved something.

The snow bats attacking it were reduced to chunks of flesh by the two massive square cleavers it held. The giant roared through its rusty iron muzzle.

"Gaaaaaaaaaah!!!”

The enormous cleavers sliced through the air once more, annihilating the remaining snow bats.

The giant didn't stop there. As if to retaliate for the humiliation it had endured, it swung its cleaver down. The Capels, now fleeing in terror, were bisected, their organs spilling out.

The Giant of Corruption showed no mercy to the Capels.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...”

The giant's gaze shifted to the evil god worshippers. Only then did Kirna speak.

"L-Let's run! Felm! Felm! The shadow, quickly!”

"R-Right.”

Crash.

Bright red blood and flesh splattered across the once-white snow.

"Kyah?!”

Kirna gasped. Before Felm could react, the giant's blade crushed him. It threw it! Threw it! It had held it as if it were precious! But it threw it?!

The giant lifted its other cleaver, preparing to throw it again. Kirna attempted to flee, ready to throw herself to the side if it launched the cleaver.

Thud.

But as she was about to run, something grabbed her ankle, causing her to fall.

[I-I can't let you go...]

The Golden Man, with only one arm remaining, clung to her ankle.

"Get off! I said get off!!!”

The hands of the Golden Man, already at his limit, could not withstand her struggles and shattered. While she was fighting, Rhutum had already fled far away.

Kima's desperate cry echoed in the air.

"H-Help me! Rhutum!”

Rhutum sprinted away, not daring to look back.

Crash!

He was crushed, his bone fragments scattering around the cleaver.

Both! He threw both! Kirna bolted across the snowfield, running faster than she ever had.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The thunderous roars grew louder and closer with each heavy thud.

"Gaaaaaaah!!!”

The Giant of Corruption scooped up Kirna in its hand. She screamed.

"Noooooo!”

The Giant of Corruption slammed its raised hand down. Kirna was crushed before she could even register the pain.

The giant let out a triumphant roar.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaah! ! !”

The giant's roar filled the air with a sorrowful atmosphere. As the sound echoed around him, Aurelius passed out.

*

I had strengthened the Giant of Corruption as per our unspoken agreement. The giant trusted me, and I knew it would be upset if I didn't reciprocate that trust.

The results of reinforcing the Giant of Corruption surpassed expectations. The giant, now a warrior in corroded armor, single-handedly defeated three evil god worshippers. After killing them, the giant knelt and began to pray. The divinity from the crushed bodies seeped into me.

[Divinity: 6379]

Was it even harvesting for me?

"I'm glad I strengthened this.”

'Kill?!'

She was surprised it could do something like that. I hugged Mother, who had stepped out in her girl's body.

"Isn't this the power you gave him? Why are you surprised?”

'Kill!'

She didn't know what to say when I asked why she was surprised. I was genuinely perplexed.

"Mother.”

Mother tilted her head.

'Kill?'

"You seem to have become more eloquent! Does your brain improve as the seals are unlocked?!”

She yelled.

'KILL!!!'

She punched my chest with her cotton fists, asking if I was still treating her as an idiot. It was clear now. Mother's understanding improved with each broken seal.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that Mother, who previously looked about ten years old, had grown a bit. She now appeared to be about 12.

I hugged Mother tightly and patted her on the back.

"Treat you like an idiot? That's ridiculous. I've always admired you, Mother. Don't you know how much I value you?”

As I comforted her, Mother opened her fists and hugged me back.

'Kill...?'

When asked if it hurt, I smiled. She'd be angry again if I told her that her cotton punches didn't hurt.

"I'm fine. Don't worry too much.”

Dachia, standing next to me, narrowed her eyes, looked at Mother and me in turn, and asked.

"She's not your hidden daughter instead of a god, right?”

'Kill!!!'

Her angry cry indicated that was extremely rude. Unable to contain her anger, Mother extended the middle finger of both her hands toward Dachia. Dachia tilted her head and asked me.

"What does that mean?”

"...Just that she's a little upset. By the way, Mother.”

'Kill?'

Mother tilted her head without retracting her hands.

A girl tilting her head while giving the double birds. For a moment, I wondered if I was teaching her something wrong, but after thinking about it, I realized it was a gentler way to express one's anger than going on a rampage. I was the only one who understood the meaning of that gesture anyway.

That would go on hold for now. After sorting out my thoughts, I smiled.

"Can you speak some new words?”

After thinking for a while, tapping her chin, Mother opened her eyes, smiled broadly, and nodded.

'Kill!'

"What is it?”

Mother stretched out her thumb, tapped her own chest, and shouted.

'Me!! !'