Chapter 151

Level Up Heresy Inquisitor – Episode 151 (151/227)

Episode 151: Sacred Artifact

“That’s the last one.”

Whoosh!

Fierce flames engulfed the lined-up stakes.

Screams echoed from the water church believers tied up by Ail.

The Blackburn guild members who fought alongside him still looked pale, struggling to adjust.

[Heresy has been punished!]

[Heresy has been punished!]

But these weren’t mere rivals—they were heretics who’d thrown the entire region into chaos without justification.

Ail began looting items from the hanging bodies of heretics strung up on trees.

“I’m starting to get desensitized to this sight, and that scares me more than anything.”

“Ugh, me too.”

The party members watched the burning believers calmly.

Even Alisa and Roden, along with Ria who was temporarily away, seemed somewhat accustomed to Ail’s executions by now.

“Well, at least we’ve successfully secured this base. The long battle is almost over… Honestly, I never thought we’d be able to turn this situation around.”

Roden spoke casually.

Despite the numerous disadvantages they faced, the defense in this world event was progressing successfully. The situation had turned around, and they were nearing completion.

Unless something major happened, it was practically set in stone that they would receive the defense rewards.

“It’s all thanks to Master Ail. Who would have thought you could flip the Blood Alliance guild to our side like that?”

“No, really, you guys just gave me a little push.”

Thud!

Having finished looting, Ail descended to the ground.

One body hung a bit higher, giving him some trouble.

“Besides, the situation isn’t completely over yet.”

“Yeah, true enough,” Roden nodded in agreement.

There was a significant difference between “essentially over” and “completely finished,” something everyone standing there understood well.

Just then, Ria, who had logged into Warode moments ago, hurriedly ran up to them.

“You came quickly.”

“Ah, sorry for the delay. I was feeding the cat…”

“Took a smoke break, didn’t you?”

“That’s not funny at all.”

Ria snapped back sharply.

After being constantly teased by Roden while hunting in Eltris, even the usually passive Ria had grown accustomed to retaliating.

“Anyway, since everything went smoothly, you don’t need to worry about it.”

“Hmph, thank goodness.”

Ria smiled in relief at Ail’s words.

“Hey, Lady Ria. We’re out of poison. Could you make another batch?”

“Poison? Aren’t you assuming too confidently that we’ll fail?”

“That’s…”

Roden hesitated, averting his gaze.

During their time hunting together in Eltris, Ria had attempted cooking four times.

And every single result was the same—deadly poison filled with various lethal side effects.

“Alright, just watch me this time. I’ll make such an amazing dish that one of us might die before realizing how good it is!”

“Dying sounds awfully ominous.”

Lisa, who had seen her cook alongside Roden, muttered under her breath.

Fortunately, it seemed Ria hadn’t heard Lisa’s comment as she prepared to cook with determined focus.

“I’ll help too.”

Though her intention was to create a magnificent dish, ultimately, it was always about making poison. So Roden joined in, assisting her preparations.

“Still… the ingredients she’s choosing are far from ordinary.”

Just looking at the bizarre food materials Ria pulled out made it clear what kind of terrible recipe awaited.

Her innate cooking sense was beyond the comprehension of any normal person.

Of course, he planned to follow Ria’s expertise as the master of poison-making, aiming for the strongest possible venom.

While they each worked toward different goals in cooking, Ail took the opportunity to speak privately with Lisa.

“Things are going well enough that we can definitively say it’s tilting entirely in our favor. But… do you feel it too, Lisa?”

“The Water Church holding on?”

“Yes.”

Ail nodded.

This world event was practically over.

Yet, the Church side wasn’t backing down, and Ail couldn’t understand why.

“It’s definitely strange. From the Church’s perspective, retreating now would minimize losses, but there’s no sign of them stepping back. They aren’t showing any other strategies either, only continuing meaningless battles, which is hard to explain even considering the importance of the world event.”

It wasn’t just that.

Considering the influence of deities, which Lisa didn’t fully grasp, the situation became even harder to comprehend.

If they retreated now, they could recover part of the influence spent on activating the world event.

“If Lu were in charge, she would have stuck to her principles and beliefs even if it meant total annihilation. That’s the nature of her deity of ‘Justice.'”

But Bahamut wasn’t like that.

The god of destruction moved solely for his own benefit, without stubbornness or mercy.

In fact, his nickname as the “ruthless tyrant” wasn’t unfounded—he wouldn’t hesitate to use even his loyal followers.

“Moreover, when he appeared before me…”

Bahamut had shown excessive confidence.

Claiming that his divine servants ascending to the mortal realm rendered other deities’ interference useless.

It could be empty boasting born from wounded pride, but there was another odd point that didn’t add up.

[Under the command of Archbishop ‘Melia,’ all believers blessed by the divine will have gathered.]

The message that appeared when the world event started… Yet, Melia, that NPC, had never been seen.

As Archbishop, she held a position equivalent to the Light Church’s Executive Officer.

Though the Water Church had twelve appointed Archbishops compared to the Light Church’s fewer numbers, each member was individually strong.

Still, despite that, they were a formidable force.

However, this Archbishop involved in the world event had never appeared once.

“There must be some hidden plan…”

Caw caw!

A crow pushed through the trees and landed on Ail’s arm.

“What’s this…?”

“That’s from him.”

Recognizing the emblem drawn on the crow’s side, Ail spoke.

The symbol of the Shadow Church meant this crow was sent by Nesha, the silent believer.

Since he couldn’t speak directly, adding friends for messenger use was impossible.

Using the mailbox method also had location restrictions, so using homing crows was the most convenient way to convey his meaning.

Swish!

Ail pulled the letter tied to its leg, and the crow dispersed like a shadow, fading away.

A one-time-use magic crow purchased from the contribution shop, though small, indicated urgent news worth spending contribution points on.

“Did he find something during his separate investigation?”

Ail opened the letter sent by him.

* * *

Banan Fortress.

One of the territories targeted in this world event belonging to the Blackburn Guild.

With excellent defensive facilities and a considerable number of troops stationed there at the time, it was believed that, among others, this fortress would never fall.

However, Bahamut’s believers chose to attack here rather than other points, enduring excessive damage as they forced their way through.

Thus, Banan Fortress was the first to fall among all the bases.

The fortress, completely burned to ashes, became a barren ruin with nothing left.

“Is there something here?”

“Yes.”

Ail and Nesha walked through the charred fortress.

The ruined stronghold was beyond restoration, a place where no one had reason to visit.

But Nesha had brought word that Bahamut’s true scheme lay here, prompting Ail to rush over without hesitation.

“But why insist on coming alone?”

“Follow me.”

Nesha, scribbling on parchment, led the way forward.

Pushing through the chaotic ruins, he headed towards a deep pit at the center of the fortress.

Though similar pits were abundant in the destroyed fortress, this one looked entirely unremarkable.

But Nesha immediately leaped down into it.

Thud!

Following after, Ail found himself facing an unknown entrance.

Its appearance offered no clues about what kind of passage it might be, and he tried to enter.

Crack!

Ail was repelled by a powerful barrier and stepped back.

“Useless. Even regular解除 items didn’t work,” Nesha wrote.

“So what do you plan to do?”

Nesha then produced an item without hesitation.

‘Blessing of Shadows.’

An upper-tier item allowing passage through barriers without triggering them, obtainable only from the Shadow Church for considerable contribution points.

However, he carried not one but two items.

“Why…?”

“One is better than none,” Nesha replied simply, tossing the item to Ail.

Based on years of experience, Nesha instinctively knew solo exploration wouldn’t be easy, so he chose to bring Ail along.

Stunned, Ail accepted it and followed Nesha in using the item.

Paah!

Stepping forward, they passed through the translucent barrier safely.

The entrance’s sturdy barrier failed to stop them.

“This is…”

Ail’s imagination of a terrifying dungeon was completely off the mark.

Inside the barrier was a sacred sanctuary filled with holy energy.

Not particularly large and somewhat aged, but every structure and decoration was intact, impressive in its entirety.

Even Nesha, who had discovered this place first, wore a surprised expression.

“Amazing.”

This was absolutely not a hastily constructed facility made after the fortress fell.

It was a place that had existed for a very long time.

“There’s been no mention of such a place.”

No information site mentioned anything about such a sanctuary existing within Banan Fortress, not even rumors.

Before Ail could finish pondering, walking through the sanctuary’s passage, they heard a woman’s voice reciting prayers nearby.

“Seek the ancient blood. Cough up crimson blood and accept the old blood. Within the fear you feel, a fervent wish shines brightly.”

Following the sound, Ail and Nesha entered the room.

There, they encountered Archbishop Melia.

The white-hooded woman knelt in prayer, her long hair flowing down.

Her figure, hands clasped devoutly and head bowed to the floor, resembled that of a fanatical believer.

“Embrace new birth within suffering. This will quench your eternal thirst for divinity.”

Drip drip!

Blood dripped from Melia’s entire body as she prayed.

The floor, already soaked in red blood, spread widely, the amount unbelievably coming from one person.

“Your death shall go unmourned. Die in glory to gain true life.”

Swoosh!

An ominous aura enveloped Melia from somewhere.

Her body twisted violently as the transformation began.

Her bones cracked and bent, her flesh swelling, filling the room with the chilling sound of crunching bones.

Kraaaa!

The room filled with screams.

The enormous beast she transformed into slowly rose.

The glowing name in dark gray light appeared.

It wasn’t an elite monster or an epic boss monster.

[A servant of the deity ‘Bahamut’ has descended!]