Chapter 81: The Cultists’ Ritual
The sewers reeked with a stench so foul it felt almost visible. After taking down what appeared to be a Cultist lookout and proceeding deeper, I saw an exceptionally bright space glowing purple. From there, I could hear something like an incantation being recited. There was no doubt the Cultists were performing some kind of ritual.
I made eye contact with Bach, and we moved closer to the eerie purple light.
“?!”
Bach suddenly stopped, his body trembling. Was it a warrior’s tremor?
But, in the next instant, Bach sprinted into the purple light without any signal.
What in the world?
The moment I wondered, I got my answer.
Blood. The thick scent of blood wafted over, strong enough to overpower the sewer’s stench.
Looking closer, I saw a female Cultist about to run a knife across the throat of a child bound by ropes.
So that’s why Bach had charged in.
“You damn fool!”
As Bach ran, both his arms became wreathed in roaring flames. It was the power from Bach’s Gift. Bach raised his fist and punched the stunned female Cultist in the face.
CRACK! THUD!
The female Cultist’s body was sent flying lightly, slammed against the wall, and she seemed to have lost consciousness.
Clang, clang!
The knife that slipped from the female Cultist’s hand fell with a sharp, metallic sound.
“W-Who are you?!”
“How did you find this place?!”
“What was the lookout doing?!”
“Shut up! I’m gonna send all of you flying!”
While Bach was shouting his defiance, I surveyed our surroundings.
This area seemed to be a dead end in the sewer. I didn’t know the principle behind it, but purple flames flickered from candles set in candelabras.
The number of remaining Cultists was twelve.
“This is…”
A magic circle was carved into the sewer floor. A viscous, red liquid filled the magic circle.
It was blood.
Looking closely at the edge of the magic circle, I saw a child, bound by ropes, lying limply face down. And blood was oozing from the child.
Their throat had probably been slit. How cruel…
“Heal, Heal, Heal, Heal, Heal, Heal…”
I cast Heal twelve times. Only five of them, less than half, responded. No response meant they were already dead.
If only we’d arrived a little sooner… Dammit!
“That light?! There’s another one! Kill him!”
The sound of the Cultists drawing their weapons, shing, overlapped.
“Uraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
However, paying no heed to the Cultists readying their weapons, Bach charged at them.
CRUNCH!
Bach dodged a Cultist’s swinging sword and slammed his fist into their face.
“Dorya!”
Bach depleted a Cultist’s life with a single blow, dodged a sword, and landed a roundhouse kick.
Bach took down another Cultist. But then—
“Guh?! Goha?!”
The power of numbers is a brutal thing. No matter how much Bach’s skill surpassed individual Cultists, in a one-versus-many fight, he was clearly outnumbered.
A slight opening inevitably appeared when Bach launched an attack. A Cultist’s sword exploited that opening and slashed Bach.
Bach, who took the hit directly without being able to defend, was practically dead—if I weren’t here, that is.
“Heal.”
Particles of faint green light instantly healed Bach’s injured body.
“Darya!”
And then, his injuries healed, Bach started rampaging against the Cultists again.
“Damn it! Crush him first!”
At the words of a man who seemed to be the Cultists’ leader, the Cultists turned towards me.
“Danna-sama?!” Bach’s pained cry echoed.
If I were just an ordinary healer, this would indeed be a huge crisis. But…!
“Un-Limited!”
I’m no ordinary healer, you know?
“Seya!”
I slid my sword along its scabbard to accelerate it, swinging with power beyond my limits!
“Gah?!”
The body of the Cultist approaching me split vertically in two. I had bisected him.
“What the?!”
“No way…!”
“W-w-what’s going on…?!”
The Cultist’s body slowly separated to the left and right.
They must have never seen a person bisected before. Fear spread across the Cultists’ faces.
“I’m fine, Bach! Finish off the rest!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Now then, gentlemen Cultists. Shall we dance?”
“You monster! Kill him!”
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
This is a dead end in the sewer. I’ve secured the entrance/exit. To escape from here, they have to defeat me. The Cultists charged with desperate fury.
However, Bach attacked those Cultists from behind.
The Cultists, caught between us, were easily defeated.
Except for the Cultists’ leader.
“Impossible! There were twelve of us! Why can’t we defeat a mere two intruders?!”
“Isn’t it simply because you’re weak?”
“Bach, if you hit him with such a ‘truth punch,’ he might actually cry, you know?”
“Hehe, my apologies, Danna-sama.”
“Don’t mess with me! Very well, I shall dispose of you myself!”
The Cultist leader seemed to be a dual-wielder. He held a sword in one hand and a twisted staff in the other.
I recognized that staff.
Is this… a jackpot?
The Cultist leader and Bach glared at each other.
“I see! You bastards, look at this!”
The Cultist leader seemed to have noticed the child lying at his feet. He picked up the child and pressed his sword against their neck.
“If you value this child’s life, then let me go!”
Where did his earlier bravado go? The Cultist leader actually said something like that.