Rise of the OtherGod Apostle: Not a Cult Leader, but a Serf?!

#140Reader Mode

T/N: Heyyy! Double upload today! Huge thanks for all the coffee and reviews on NU! You guys are the best! (≧∇≦)ﾉ 1/2

#140

Pandemonium’s face crumbled after hearing about the reliquary’s tracking function.

Flustered, I rushed into an explanation. I told him about how I’d discovered Bishop Andrea was a servant of the Distorted One, and how Athanas, worried about my safety, had given me the reliquary to protect me during those private doctrine lessons.

“And you couldn’t only wear it during the lessons?” Pandemonium challenged. “Why the need for constant location tracking? Better yet, why not avoid the situation entirely? What’s the worst that could happen if you skipped a few doctrine lessons? It wouldn’t kill you.”

Yeah, there’s no talking my way out of this one.

“Listen, he’s gaslighting you! Whether or not you and the Heretic Slayer are actually dating—which, by the way, is the worst idea ever—this whole setup is beyond creepy.”

Great. Now he’s questioning my judgment, too.

Seriously, this bastard was unbelievable. If something didn’t perfectly align with his worldview, you might as well have been brain-dead. To him, Athanas was obviously one of Insanity’s lackeys, and I was just a gullible idiot defending him without realizing it.

The more I tried to justify it, the harder he dug in his heels. To him, I was hopelessly enthralled, blind to Athanas’s supposed manipulation. I could have tap-danced on the table singing the merits of the tracking reliquary, and it wouldn’t have mattered.

Eventually, I gave up and kept my mouth shut. Pandemonium responded with an over-the-top sigh, clearly at his wit’s end.

“Basically, you’re terrified Athanas is going to interrogate you if you hand it over, right? Fine. Just tell him you lost it. Say it got stolen. I’ll figure out how to disable the tracker.”

“Stolen?” I repeated, dumbfounded. “You can’t be serious.”

“What other choice do you have? Someone swiped it. End of story. If he doesn’t buy it, he’ll come after me, not you. Which means I’ll be the one to risk my life here. Got it?”

How do you even reason with someone like this?

If this keeps up, he’s going to try and take the reliquary by any means necessary.

Should I trust him not to do something reckless and just hand it over? But then again…

“…You’re still hung up on something, aren’t you?”

The reliquary felt slick with cold sweat in my clenched fist.

Pandemonium’s a coward…

And that’s precisely what makes him so dangerous.

He’s the type of guy who, if he can’t tell if that’s a zombie or a person shuffling towards him, just thinks, ‘Better to shoot first.’ Because in his mind, getting bitten and screaming, “Shit, it was a zombie!” is a worse outcome than staring down at the body afterward and muttering, “Shit! It was actually just some dude!”

And the way he keeps referring to Athanas only as “the Heretic Slayer”…

It was obvious he wouldn’t even bother with a conversation if he ran into Athanas. He’d go straight for the kill.

Not that Athanas would waste his breath either.

I thought back to that time Athanas put a bolt into Reyes’s head the instant the door opened. Athanas was… how do I put this delicately?

A bit trigger-happy sometimes. Overly cautious, to put it mildly.

Two people who subscribed to the “best defense is a scorched earth policy” philosophy? That’s a five-alarm disaster waiting to happen. Especially when their “scorched earth” tactics were so different. When it came down to it, despite his flaws, Athanas would at least try to simply incapacitate someone. Never outright kill, if he could help it.

Pandemonium, though? He had zero qualms about going for the kill and mopping up the blood later. Which made this whole situation a nightmare waiting to happen.

“Look, I’m sorry, but we just met, and I can’t exactly trust you with this yet. I understand that you’re saying all this because you’re concerned, and I appreciate that, I really do. But I can’t just hand over the reliquary,” I said, trying to sound reasonable.

“…Alright, then. Let’s make this simple. I won’t take it away. I’ll just smash it right here, right now. Fair enough? Hm? See? I’m being incredibly generous here.”

Generous? With my stuff? Give me a break.

This bastard and his “generosity.” It was probably one of the most infuriating things about him.

If I said no now, I knew exactly how this would play out—he’d use his passive-aggressive tactics. Things would escalate from “mildly annoying” to “full-blown headache” in record time.

One time, I turned down going out for drinks with him, and he insisted he was “being generous” by suggesting we order in, drink in our own spaces, and hop on a video call instead.

And when I turned that down, he started spamming my inbox with online articles like, ‘Did you know alone drinking increases your chances of alcoholism?’

“I’ll handle it myself,” I said, trying to shut down the conversation.

But as soon as the words left my mouth, the air shifted. A faint pressure wrapped around my neck, like an invisible noose tightening ever so slightly.

Pandemonium’s eyes narrowed, his voice dropping to a low, unsettling rumble. “So, this is a no, and that’s a no…” He paused, gaze sharpening. “Tell me, then—what exactly am I supposed to do?”

With a snap of his fingers, the thread on the reliquary tightened abruptly, snapping with a sharp, echoing pop.

I swallowed, throat suddenly dry.

Is this his way of threatening me? Is he about to strangle me with telekinesis if I keep saying no?

My hand flew to my neck, fingers scrabbling at empty air.

That was the truly terrifying thing about telekinesis.

If he tightens that invisible noose even a little…

It takes, what, less than five seconds to black out if the blood supply to your brain gets cut off?

Even if the holy relic kept me alive, it wouldn’t stop me from blacking out. And if I lost consciousness, who would stop him from taking the reliquary and using it to find Athanas?

“…You know, I have to kill Insanity,” Pandemonium said suddenly.

I blinked, blindsided. What the hell? Where did that even come from?

Just use your damn words. Like a normal person!

Desperate to change the subject before the situation escalated further, I said, “What exactly did Insanity do, anyway? I’ve never heard the full story about why he’s so dangerous…”

Pandemonium’s expression darkened. “What did he do?” he repeated, his tone icy. “It doesn’t matter. He’s simply a being that shouldn’t exist in this world.”

…Wait, weren’t you just convinced that I was Insanity?

Wasn’t that his working theory this entire time?

The sting of betrayal flickered through me, only to be drowned out as an invisible force slammed into my chest, stealing my breath in a choked gasp.

“Ugh…!”

I thrashed wildly as my body was lifted off the ground. My feet kicked uselessly through empty air while I clawed at my chest, desperate to find the source of the crushing pressure. The invisible force only squeezed tighter, hoisting me higher into the air.

Shit.

Pandemonium stood below, watching with an unnervingly calm expression.

“To win against insanity, you can’t afford to have any weaknesses.”

[SYSTEM: The effect of ‘The Whole World Is Beneath Oneself’ makes it impossible to sense any ‘Murderous Intent.’]

I didn’t even blink at the system window as I struggled to breathe. I could feel it now: an invisible noose tightening around my neck, and another, thicker and heavier, constricting my chest, suspending me midair like a safety harness for a bungee jump.

If that one around my chest snaps…

“If you’re going to let Insanity’s servant cloud your judgment and refuse to come to your senses… then I’ll have to kill you here. Before I grow too attached.”

What the actual f*ck is this lunatic talking about?

I really, really wanted to slap a solid smack on the back of his head.

Does he really have to go this far just because I’m not listening to him?

But Pandemonium wouldn’t actually kill me.

This was the same bastard who always mocked dumb villains for monologuing before killing someone. If he really meant to kill me, he would’ve gone for the kill shot without any warning.

No, this had to be a scare tactic. A way to force me into submission by making me feel the weight of his power. He wanted me to imagine the fall, the noose tightening, the darkness closing in—and to break before it ever happened. He wanted me to be terrified.

“If you attack me, the Saint will—”

“He’ll come. I know.”

“…You know that, so why are you doing this? You don’t seem like a fool. If you stop now, I’ll let this go.”

“It’s because I’m not an idiot. That’s why I’m killing you now.”

The noose around my neck tightened just enough to make breathing really uncomfortable, the pressure sinking in like a warning.

“If I kill you during the tutorial, I can escape the Saint. Makes sense to do this now, doesn’t it?”

He’s bluffing… right? He has to be.

Cold sweat prickled down my spine.

“You’re not serious, are you?”

“I should be asking you that. Why would you assume I’m not serious?”

Pandemonium tilted his head, genuine confusion flickering across his face, as if I were the one spouting nonsense.

“Ah, that’s right. You said you were a serf, didn’t you? Just farming your days away? That explains it. No wonder you don’t know.”

“Know what…?”

“The number of people I’ve killed here is already in the four digits,” he said, as if it were nothing. “Do you really think adding one more would make a difference?”

Shit.

My heart lurched, hammering in my chest so loudly it drowned out everything else.

After being thrown into this brutal, medieval world and enduring everything I had, was it even possible for anyone to remain the same?

The Pandemonium I thought I knew… was he still that man? Or had this world twisted him into something unrecognizable?

I’m screwed.

Should I call for the Saint now?

No. It would take at least five minutes for him to get here. Five minutes is a lifetime when you’re dangling midair, an invisible noose tightening around your neck.

“I… I made a mistake. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“Yeah, you should’ve just handed it over when you had the chance.”

“I’ll give you the reliquary, anything you want! Just… please…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take it off your corpse.”

Goddamn it…

My mind raced, frantically searching for a way out. What could I do? Revealing that I was qwerasdf now would only backfire. Should I tell him I’d resurrect in the Mother God’s faction if he killed me? No, that would just confirm his suspicion that I was part of Insanity’s trap.

“Any last words?” he asked, his tone so casual it made my blood run cold.

I had to try something. Anything.

“Y-you can’t kill me! Even if you do, it won’t matter. I’ll just resurrect!”

A flicker of something crossed his face. Doubt? Hesitation?

“…Didn’t you say you didn’t have any help?”

“How could I trust someone I just met enough to tell them everything?” I shot back, forcing defiance into my voice even as panic started to claw at my chest. “It’s only natural to keep at least one trump card—”

“Urk!”

A mere flick of Pandemonium’s hand cut me off, and I was violently yanked upwards, jerking to a halt just before my head met the ceiling.”

“For someone dangling at my mercy, it’s impressive how boldly you can lie and act so smug.”

This bastard…

“But hey, good to know you can resurrect. Even I feel a bit bad killing a ‘player’ as helpless as you. Feels kinda… wrong, huh?”

It’s not ‘kinda wrong.’ It’s murder, you lunatic!

What the hell was wrong with this guy? Did being chosen by the God of War turn him into some kind of unhinged psycho, completely detached from the reality that killing someone is a serious crime, one people go to jail for?

“So, where’s your resurrection point?”

If I actually had one, do you think I’d just tell you, you bastard?

“It’s not the Cathedral, is it? Good. Once you resurrect, sit down and actually think for a change. Reflect until you’ve regained some damn sense.”

The one who needs to get a grip is you!

“When you finally realize there’s something off about the Heretic Slayer, it’ll send chills down your spine. You might even feel grateful to me then. Oh, no need to thank me, though.”

This guy’s completely insane…

Trying to reason with him felt like explaining calculus to a rabid dog—a dog already foaming at the mouth, its madness already at level 3.

Cold sweat clung to my skin, my clothes plastered uncomfortably to my back. I became painfully aware of a subtle shift in the pressure around my chest. The invisible noose that had been squeezing my chest was beginning to fray—not with a sudden snap, but with a slow, deliberate unraveling. It was like watching a hangman’s knot being picked apart, strand by strand, each moment dragging on to amplify the dread coiling in my gut.

“It… it was a lie!” I blurted out.

“What was?”

“That it’s pointless to kill me! I can’t resurrect! I’m cursed! It’s a curse from the Mother God! If I die, I’ll be reborn under her control, part of that insane faction! Please, I’m begging you!”

The unraveling didn’t stop. Another strand snapped, a sensation I could only feel, and my body dropped just enough to send a fresh wave of panic surging through me. The pressure around my chest eased just enough to make me scream, to say anything that might get this madman to stop.

“Aaahh! F*ck! I don’t want to meet that possibility-obsessed freak! Spare me!”

I’d rather fall into hell than be revived under Her control! Anything but that!

Pandemonium paused. “…You’ve met Bonaparte too?”

The unraveling stopped. Relief, sharp and sudden, flooded through me. “No! Never!” I answered quickly.

“Then when did you get cursed?”

“That was…” I hesitated, my brain working overtime trying to piece together a believable story. But before I could string two coherent thoughts together, another strand snapped, and I dropped another inch. The invisible pressure around my chest eased just slightly.

“Aaahh! F*ck! Okay, okay! I’ll talk! I was just trying to organize my thoughts!” I sputtered, the words tumbling out in a panic. “It was before I got isekai’d! When the pop-up window appeared! That’s when I got hit with the curse!”

“I thought you said you only played Happy God on this account?”

“On my main account! The notification popped up on my main account! I logged on, aiming for the Happy God first clear, but Mother God cursed me for ignoring her!”

“…You’re telling me another Othergod contacted you on your main account? And it was Mother God Herself?”

I felt myself being lowered slowly, but my feet still didn’t touch the ground.

F*ck me. He stopped just at eye level, and now I’m dangling like some pathetic piñata.

“There’s only one player She’d reach out to before Bonaparte…” Pandemonium’s stare was like a laser, burning into me.

Shit.

“So… by any chance, is your main account…?”

I squeezed my eyes shut, cringing.

So, I’ve finally been found out.

“Yeah, you f*cking punk. It’s me.”

“…Why didn’t you just say so from the beginning?”

“Really? Would you admit it if you were me? Like hell I’d give you the satisfaction of laughing your ass off about how I got isekai’d into this! Damn it…”

“……”

“And then you go and mistake that psycho, Insanity, for me? Seriously? How could you? That stung! And now you’re dead set on killing that crazy bastard no matter what? What gives? Why do you want him dead so badly?”

He just stared at me, completely silent.

The silence dragged on and I could feel the sweat starting to prickle my forehead.

“I-is it because I asked you to play this game with me? Are you… blaming me for us getting trapped in this world?”

“Hah. Shit.”

Pandemonium roughly ran his fingers through his blue hair, making it even messier, as if tangling it further could somehow untangle his thoughts.

Was that seriously why he wanted to kill me?

“…What’s your alt account?”

“Happy War Evangelist.”

“Happy War Evangelist…”

His teal-green eyes unfocused for a moment, staring at something only he could see.

“That’s an actual player.”

Pandemonium muttered, irritation seeping into his voice.

“Unless Insanity’s somehow hacked my brain and is messing with my system window, then… you’re not him. You’re a different player.”

…Honestly, what the hell has Insanity been up to?

Even now, he was clearly suspicious, wondering if this was another one of Insanity’s traps.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m just going to take your word for it. I still need proof you’re someone I actually know.” Pandemonium shook his head, his expression hardening again.

“Wh-what do I have to do to convince you?”

“Tell me something. Anything only the two of us would know.”

Shit, is there even anything like that?

All we ever did was hang out, hit up PC cafes, and grab food. We weren’t exactly swapping deep secrets.

“…Anything’s fine. Like, remember when I visited you during your military service? What did I bring you to eat?”

“What the hell are you talking about, visiting me in the army? I was discharged before I even met you. It was the other way around!”

Pandemonium reached out and gently caressed my cheek, his touch surprisingly soft.

“…Do you remember what we ate the first time you came to see me?”

“I don’t know, chicken? Pizza? How the hell am I supposed to remember that?”

“It was the first day we met. You don’t remember?”

Seriously? Was I supposed to memorize the menu from the day I visited this inconsiderate, legendary jackass who decided our first in-person meeting should be during his military service?

“What are you, my f*cking girlfriend? Even if you were, I wouldn’t ask something like that. I’ve visited plenty of army buddies and juniors over the years. How am I supposed to keep track of all that? It’s always the same stuff anyway.”

“…You’re the only person who ever visited me, so I remember.”

“Is having zero friends and no social life something to brag about now?”

“Hyung.”

“If you’re going to call me hyung, at least put me down.”

“…Are you really my hyung?”

“I said, put me down.”

“No, not yet. I’m still not convinced. This isn’t enough.”

Goddamn it.

Can this bastard just listen for once?

“Reyes distorted my perception once… made me think you were my hyung.”

“What were the conditions? Someone trustworthy? Someone smart?”

“…But since it was actually Reyes, I figured out it was fake pretty fast.”

“So?”

“So, tell me one of those random ‘where did you even learn that’ facts he’d throw out—stuff I don’t really get, but only my hyung would know. Like something about dinosaurs.”

“Why the hell would dinosaurs be something only I’d know? Everyone loves dinosaurs. They’re universally popular.”

“No, no. Remember that time you told me about the dinosaur fossil they found with preserved skin tissue? I said we should check it out, and you said—”

“The Lystrosaurus is not a dinosaur, damn it.”

“…You really are my hyung.”

T/N: Poor Fabio’s harem of crazies grows again! haha