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

#172Reader Mode

T/N: 2/2

#172

A lump of anxiety rose in my throat.

Is this all your doing, House Lizard? Did you manipulate Reyes too?

House Lizard shook his head.

“No,” he said, his voice disturbingly calm. “I bear you no ill will. There’s no reason to be afraid. I exist solely to assist you.”

He moved to walk beside Pandomonium, so close their shoulders nearly touched. The kind of closeness that would make anyone flinch. It was uncomfortably intimate, undeniably deliberate. But Pandomonium didn’t even glance his way.

He really can’t see him… can he?

“What did you do to him?” I demanded.

“I’ve done nothing,” House Lizard replied. “Pandomonium is consciously choosing to ignore me. It’s his way of avoiding the Ultimate Answer.”

So that was his countermeasure against contamination. A trait from the God of War, like some divine ad-blocking software, that made Pandomonium utterly incapable of perceiving House Lizard.

At first glance, it was clever. But then the logic snagged.

But House Lizard isn’t a ghost.

If someone can’t perceive a physical threat, how are they supposed to defend against it? What if House Lizard just pulled a knife and stabbed him? Would Pandomonium even flinch?

The God of War really hadn’t thought this through. It was like deleting your System32 folder to free up space, an act of pure, glorious idiocy.

“For the record, it was not I who compelled him to bring you here.” House Lizard said.

“…Then who?”

“Athanas-anata-ga-suki-desu. Reyes Floren. The distortion placed upon Pandomonium—the one gifted by the Distorted One’s chosen—has activated.”

“You’re saying you had nothing to do with it?”

“Correct.”

Then why show up at the Main Building now, of all times? You do realize this timing makes you look suspicious as hell, right?

“My replica remained here. Our last conversation ended rather abruptly, did it not? I sensed your arrival and came to find you.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Stop answering questions I’m only thinking. It’s beyond creepy.

“Then perhaps you shouldn’t think so loudly.”

Okay, now you’re just trying to piss me off.

I didn’t trust House Lizard, but this little mind-reading trick of his? I could work with that. If he was eavesdropping, I’d feed him something worth answering.

“Fine. Then tell me why you tried to contaminate the world.”

“I did no such thing. I merely offered a simplified explanation of the Ultimate Answer, one accessible to all.”

“And now everyone who heard it is lying on the floor like corpses!” I gestured at the collapsed bodies around us. “That’s what your ‘explanation’ did. Undo it.”

“And how, exactly, should I do that?”

“That’s your problem, not mine!”

“No,” he said, as if correcting a particularly dense child. “I am not asking for a method. I am asking for a definition. What do you mean by ‘normal’?”

I blinked at him. “What?”

“Do you consider the continuation of this game ‘normal’? Is the System itself your definition of normalcy?”

“Don’t you dare play word games with me.”

“Hmm. I see.” House Lizard tilted his head, musing aloud. “Perhaps my explanation was lacking. Let’s try a different approach. Do you truly believe that a person can go insane… simply from understanding a truth?”

“Obviously! Just look at them!”

“No. Think logically,” he pressed, his voice calm but firm. “Can knowledge, pure knowledge stripped of context, really destroy a mind? One might argue that a disturbing revelation could trigger latent conditions in someone predisposed to mental illness. Schizophrenia, perhaps. But such cases are exceedingly rare. It isn’t the knowing that breaks them.”

Oh, he wants to talk logic? Here? In the Dark Realm?

The sheer absurdity of it nearly made me laugh.

“Consider this,” House Lizard continued, slipping effortlessly into a lecturing tone. “Most people live their lives without ever confronting the deeper truths. That we are not divine creations. That there is no grand cosmic order. No loving deity watching over us. That life has no inherent meaning, and our world is a speck adrift in an uncaring void.”

He gestured casually to the collapsed bodies. “To some, such revelations can shatter their worldview. But have you ever heard of someone going catatonic just because their beliefs were proven false? No matter how shocking, knowledge alone isn’t enough to break a person like this.”

“Then what the hell happened to them?”

“Allow me to answer with a question of my own,” he said, gaze sharpening. “Why did you assume the logic of our world wouldn’t apply here, in the Dark Realm?”

Because—

The answer hit me all at once. Stark. Obvious.

Because miracles are real here. Because gods and impossible forces are just… facts of life.

“Precisely.”

“…What do you mean, precisely?”

“This is the absolute limit of what I can explain in a censored space. You must think carefully.”

Think carefully?

What the hell did that even mean?

“But,” House Lizard continued, shattering any hope of clarity, “no matter how long you think, you will never reach the truth. Not while you remain under the System’s influence.”

“…You’re saying the System is messing with my mind?”

“No. The System’s methods are far simpler.”

“What methods?”

“That, too—”

“I know,” I cut in, weariness dragging every word. “Another thing you can’t say in a censored space. Got it. Forget it.”

What was the point? Even if I did uncover the truth, it would only lead to contamination because my System-shackled brain would never be able to comprehend it.

The whole thing was a rigged from the start.

Just then, Pandomonium, who had been steadily descending the main staircase, stopped. Without a word, he turned a full 180 degrees and began walking back up.

For a split second, my perception faltered. But it wasn’t him. It was the staircase. The familiar marble grain had vanished, replaced by smooth, dark stone.

A distortion.

“Correct. Athanas-anata-ga-suki-desu has looped the space. Whether you go up or down, you’ll just walk in circles endlessly.”

But Reyes’s message said he’d be waiting on the fourth basement level.

So what was this? A trap at the entrance? Something deadly? No… that wouldn’t create major disappointment. This was something else.

Pandomonium came to a stop. A sharp floral scent filled the air, heady and sudden.

“This is my study,” he declared.

No, it isn’t, you absolute moron.

He set me down carefully, then pulled up a chair between the towering bookshelves and sat like he’d done it a thousand times.

I rubbed my wrists, newly freed, my mind spinning.

Maybe… maybe if I point out the obvious, it’ll snap him out of it.

“Pandomonium. Is this really your home? Think about it.”

“Ah, good,” he said with a smug smile, completely missing the tone. “Bringing you to my study was the right move. You’ve stopped crying and you’re already admiring the books.”

My jaw clenched. “Do you even remember how we got here?”

“You can take any of them, hyung,” he said, gesturing generously to the shelves. “I don’t read them much anyway.”

Talking to him is like shouting into a brick wall.

An urge welled up to punch that dumb, smiling face.

House Lizard noted dryly. “Striking him would only injure your own fist. Pandomonium’s durability is 775, after all.”

“Fuck.”

A gap of over 30 times. He probably wouldn’t even notice the hit.

Why the hell hadn’t he put any points into Mental Power? All that durability, and his brain’s this easy to break? What an idiot.

Meanwhile, Reyes’s plan gnawed at the edges of my thoughts… persistent, cloying, like the floral scent thickening in the air, tugging at me from somewhere deeper within the shelves.

A lure. A trap.

Yeah. No thanks.

I turned toward the stairs, but I didn’t even reach the first step before a calm voice stopped me cold.

“I never said you could leave. Just stay here and relax.”

My blood pressure spiked. “Hey. You fucking psycho. Do you not realize how strange this situation is?”

Pandomonium tilted his head, visibly puzzled. “Hyung, did you just swear at me? Your face looks like you’re swearing.”

“You goddamn bastard, turn that stupid trait off! Please!”

“It’s better to vent now, while we’re alone,” he said soothingly. “It’d be awkward if you used that kind of language around other people.”

“You lunatic, this isn’t your house!”

“If you want to go outside, I’ll give you a tour after dinner. For now, just stay put.”

“Why should I stay put?!”

His gaze drifted past me, unfocused. “Hm. So that’s what a skylark sounds like. Pretty annoying, honestly. Why do people even like that? They say good singers are ‘like skylarks,’ but this just sounds like noise.”

I stared at him. “It’s… it’s nightingales, you idiot.”

“Huh,” Pandomonium murmured, a faint smile playing at his lips. “Now that I’m really listening, it’s not so bad.”

How the hell am I supposed to break through this?

My eyes scanned the bookshelves for anything I could use. A letter opener, a shard of glass. But there was nothing.

Then my gaze dropped to my right hand.

I could cut off a finger, I thought, cold logic creeping into the edges of my panic. But an entire arm? Alone?

And what if it didn’t even work?

What if losing a limb didn’t break the distortion?

Then I’d just be another casualty. Besides, Athanas had already proven that losing a finger changed nothing.

“Removing Pandomonium’s distortion is simple.”

The voice whispered right beside my ear. I flinched hard.

Fuck! Don’t do that.

“What do you mean?” I asked, turning to face House Lizard.

“You can use the item Reyes Floren left behind.”

“…What item?”

“The one hidden back there,” he said, gesturing toward the perfume-thick shadows. “It’s called FabiosRedHeartRedHeart. When Athanas-anata-ga-suki-desu is unconscious, it temporarily grants partial System authority to the wielder.”

Good god, what a stupid name.

“That authority includes full command over a ‘Servant of the Distorted One.’ And as a holy relic of the Distorted One, the item itself contains the power of distortion. You could use it to neutralize the effect on player Pandomonium.”

“…Bullshit.”

“I do not lie.”

“Then there’s a catch. A curse. A hidden drawback. Something.”

“The only restriction is that it can be used solely by the player designated ‘Happy War Evangelist.’ There are no other limitations or curses attached.”

I frowned. The pieces clicked into place, and not in a good way.

This is it. This is the trap.

There’s no way Reyes would leave something that powerful lying around, unguarded. Maybe Athanasuki wanted to give it to me, but his master, the Distorted One’s helper? He’d never approve an item that could be turned so easily against them.

The moment I use it… that’s when it’ll trigger. The “major disappointment” the Distorted One promised.

“Indeed. That scenario seems highly likely.”

“…So there is a trap.”

“No,” House Lizard said calmly. “I meant your logic is sound. The essence of the Distorted One is disappointment and despair, after all. I can explain the item’s location and abilities, but how It intends to extract disappointment from your actions… that, I cannot predict.”

“I thought you were supposed to answer anything!” I snarled.

“I am not omniscient. If I were, your free will would be an illusion.”

I switched tactics. “Could the Distorted One have tampered with the item’s description? Tricked you?”

“I am immune to distortion. The information I provided is accurate.”

But could I trust him? How could I trust someone when I didn’t even know what his endgame was?

“My goal is to help you.”

“Yeah, I’m not buying it.”

“Hyung, you talk to yourself a lot,” Pandomonium called from his chair. “Are you trying to help me enjoy the birds in peace? If so, thanks.”

“Why don’t you go outside and watch paint dry?! I’m sure the God of War would be thrilled.”

“You know, this is actually very healing. Just sitting here. Listening to birds yapping.”

“Fuck me,” I muttered, exhaling a long, ragged breath. It was hopeless.

I gave it one last shot. “…Athanas-anata-ga-suki-desu.”

[SYSTEM: アタナスあなたがすきです (I love you Athanas) is currently unable to receive messages.]

[SYSTEM: アタナスあなたがすきです (I love you Athanas) has sent you an automated reply.]

I glared at the notification.

What the hell does he want from me?

Thud.

I glanced over. A single book had fallen to the floor. I ignored it.

Thud. Thud-thud. Thud-thud-thud.

More books began tumbling from the shelves. one after another, like lemmings hurling themselves off a cliff. One landed open, its pages scrawled with large, frantic handwriting.

[Fabio, won’t you accept the gift Reyes left for you? He prepared it just for you!]

[I’ll show you the way!]

[Follow the books!]

My brow furrowed in disgust.

Absolutely not. I’m getting the hell out of here.

I risked a glance at Pandomonium. Eyes closed. Breathing steady. He looked like he’d nodded off.

This is my shot. If I can just slip out quietly—

Something clamped around my throat like a steel trap, cutting off my air.

“Ugh!”

From the chair came a low, quiet voice.

“…Hyung. You really don’t know how to listen, do you?”