Chapter 65: Pitiful Cultists
“Flora, try to enter the room behind you and see if you can comfort the victims. If any of them are injured or sick, please tend to them,” Abyss said, turning to Flora while stepping on a fish-man’s back and dusting off his hands.
Flora immediately nodded. “Yes! I understand. I’ll find a way!”
“Alright, now you can answer my questions – those of you who are still alive and conscious.”
Abyss and Leona had subdued all the fish-men. As Abyss had stated, even without magic, his physical strength was enough to overpower them, let alone Leona, whose combat prowess was unmatched.
After knocking out the fish-man leader, Abyss questioned the others. They seemed afraid of him, but none dared to be the first to answer. Abyss, showing no mercy to these murderers who performed human sacrifices, attacked with Leona.
Abyss controlled his strength carefully, his blows breaking only a few ribs. Leona, however, wasn’t so gentle; she had already kicked one fish-man to death against the wall. For a knight, encountering such villains warranted immediate execution. Leona was already showing restraint, knowing Abyss needed them alive for now.
“Please spare us! We won’t do it again!”
“We’re just ordinary followers. The High Priest, the one you knocked out, was in charge of the rituals. We didn’t kill those peasants!”
“The High Priest’s life doesn’t matter. Please, Your Excellency, have mercy and let us small fries go!”
The fish-men trembled and pleaded for mercy. Abyss frowned, his voice flat. “Oh? So energetic now, begging for mercy? I suppose you’ll answer any question I ask?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” The fish-men glanced at two of their companions lying dead against the wall, blood spreading from their mouths, clearly killed by Leona’s kicks. They eagerly agreed.
“Good. Now it’s quiz time. How did you become like this?”
“We worship the Lord of Bullying! If we receive his favor and consume the crystals of specific animals, we can evolve into higher beings!” One fish-man, seemingly trying to curry favor, blurted out. “We used the crystals of marine creatures to become capable of living in the sea and using magic within the Stormy Sea’s chaotic magic… Ow… my head hurts…”
The fish-man suddenly clutched his head in pain.
Abyss frowned, sensing something was wrong.
“My head… Ah… It hurts! It hurts so much!” The fish-man writhed in agony, emitting high-pitched screams.
The other fish-men trembled, terrified, not daring to speak.
Pop—
After writhing for a while, a soft popping sound came from the fish-man’s head. His struggling body straightened, convulsed violently, then went still. Bubbles gurgled from his ears, rising to the temple’s ceiling.
“I see. These crystals also ensure you can’t betray your master,” Abyss nodded. “It seems your master anticipated that people like you would switch sides if you encountered a stronger enemy. It’s rather sad; you worship him, but he doesn’t care for your reverence. If I’m not mistaken, you offered those poor people to him as well? No need to answer; I know you won’t tell the truth now.”
The fish-men were terrified. These pathetic creatures had believed that worshipping the Lord of Bullying would grant them power, allowing them to wield magic and become invincible. But Abyss’s appearance had shattered their dreams of omnipotence. They dared not defy Abyss, yet they couldn’t betray Ghanakleba, who held their lives in his hands. Despair spread among them.
“Abyss, I’m going in,” Flora’s voice came through the spell link.
Abyss glanced back. Flora seemed to have found a way to enter the fish-men’s barrier. She nodded at Abyss, then, chanting a prayer, walked unhindered through the barrier that had previously blocked all matter.
As Flora entered, a wave of wails reached them through her shared senses. The barrier seemed to prevent those inside from seeing out, so the elderly, children, and women screamed in terror at the sight of someone entering.
But Flora’s gentle nature and the faint divinity she exuded quickly calmed them. After their initial despair, they realized it wasn’t one of the ugly fish-men but a girl radiating holy light.
Flora, controlling her emotions, kept her expression neutral. She dried her clothes instantly with a Divine Art, then walked to the cages, addressing the prisoners with concern. “Don’t be afraid, I’m here to rescue you. The fish-men who kidnapped you are being dealt with by my companions outside. You’re safe now.”
“Kind lady, please take us away from here! We’ve been imprisoned for two days!” An elderly woman reached out from a cage, tears streaming down her face.
“Don’t worry!” Flora grasped the old woman’s hand, reassuring her. “The fish-men have been defeated by my companions. We’ll find a way to get you out!”
“They killed my sister…” a child cried loudly.
The child’s grief infected the others, filling the room with sorrow.
Flora chanted a prayer, using Divine Arts to soothe them, calming their panic.
Just then, the fish-man leader, whom Abyss had knocked out, suddenly awoke.
He looked around, then, without hesitation, spewed a cloud of black ink from his mouth and gills, desperately trying to escape.
Thud!
He slammed into an invisible barrier, his head spinning, nearly losing consciousness again.
“You think you’re the only ones who can use barriers? Sorry, but I sealed your temple the moment I entered,” Abyss chuckled. “I was conserving magic, not lacking it. Don’t be in such a hurry; we have much to discuss.”
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