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

#192Reader Mode

#192

Except for my Callister, every Holy Flesh Container unit is connected to the others.

Calling it a “connection,” though, doesn’t really do it justice. It’s less like a connection and more like a single living organism, split across thousands of bodies.

Think of it like this: ten thousand phones are somehow running on a single SIM card. If you call the number, all ten thousand start ringing at once. One phone sends a message, and it appears in the chat history of every single device. Someone takes a selfie, and suddenly the photo floods every gallery at the same time.

That’s how the contamination tore through the Dark Realm so quickly. With that kind of instant synchronization, there wasn’t even time to understand what was going on, much less mount a defense.

If there were a command structure, with one main unit in charge of the rest, you might be able to destroy the central unit and stop the rest from functioning. But that’s not the case here. Each unit is both a copy and an original. Every single one is the source.

Which brings us to…

“Oh gross. That’s disgusting.”

We hadn’t even entered the lab yet. The hallway was already cluttered with these… heaps. They vaguely resembled Callister, if you squinted, or maybe if someone had left him out in the sun until he started melting. These lumpy, shivering clumps of what could only be described as paralyzed maggots, twitching without direction, incapable of crawling anywhere. It was like someone had tried to sculpt modern art out of puke.

I pointed at one of the piles.

“Gross or not, that slime is about to be your new hand.”

“…Can’t I just wait for my natural regen?”

“Sure, if you’re cool with getting vaporized by Divine Punishment and speedrunning your way to Order’s hell.”

I crouched down and prodded one of the still piles. The rescue system was active here, which meant this Contaminated Holy Flesh still counted as part of Order’s Domain.

“Hey, Callister. Think you can manipulate this stuff? Don’t absorb it, just try using it like a Servant. Something that’ll follow basic commands.”

“…I can try.”

Sweat started gathering on Callister’s pale forehead as he focused. After a long moment, the pile gave a slight twitch. A small cluster of maggots split off and began crawling around. Maybe a handful, at most.

“All that sweat for a tablespoon of goo? That’s pathetic.”

“Good job, Callister.”

I gave him a pat on the head.

To be fair, the guy had only been reborn a couple hours ago. This was decent progress, especially considering I hadn’t assigned him any stat points yet. Expecting more right now would’ve been pushing it.

“…I think I can handle more.”

“This is enough.”

I scooped the wriggling clump onto a random shirt lying nearby and shut my eyes.

Research Director Colomba has already been influenced by me once.

And since Colomba was connected to every single Holy Flesh Container unit, that meant I should be able to use Forced Persuasion on anyone I’d influenced before.

“…Colomba. Research Director Colomba. If you can hear my voice, give me a sign. Twitch three times fast, then three times slow.”

“……”

No response. The maggots just kept chewing on the shirt, clearly more invested in their snack than in sending an SOS.

“…Fabio. You do realize you’re talking to maggots, right?”

“Yeah, I know. I’m testing something.”

Even a failed experiment gives you an answer. Just because things don’t go your way doesn’t mean the results are useless. According to the System, these maggots were technically “Colomba,” but they weren’t reacting to me at all.

And that told me exactly what I needed to know: Forced Persuasion works under what’s called Reception Theory.

Basically, the skill only activates if the target can actually hear me.

Which, when you think about it, makes perfect sense.

Say Pandomonium writes in his diary, “If Fabio doesn’t object within 24 hours, he agrees to lend me 100 million, interest-free.” Then he shows up the next day with his hand out.

Am I supposed to just hand it over?

Obviously not. I’d laugh in his face and maybe smack him with the diary for good measure.

You can’t be bound by terms you never even heard. Both parties need to understand that a deal is being made for it to mean anything.

And that same rule applies even when you’re dealing with Othergods.

Of course, there’s always someone looking to exploit the rules.

Take those scammers who ghost you completely, then pop up months later pretending they never got the message. “What notice? I didn’t see any notice!” All just a ploy to dodge their responsibilities. That’s exactly why legal systems came up with “public notice of intent.”

Here’s how it works: if you can’t reach someone directly, you make it public. After that, “I didn’t know” stops being a valid excuse. It’s on them for not paying attention.

Now, what if I took that idea and applied it to Forced Persuasion?

My skill already forces people to listen, even when they don’t want to.

So why not push the definition of “unwilling” just a little?

Maybe they’re deaf. Maybe they’re miles away. Maybe they don’t speak my language, or maybe they’re knocked out cold. Doesn’t matter. If they’ve been under my influence before, I can treat their silence as a refusal to listen.

Which means, technically, they’re agreeing to my terms. At least until they wake up and say otherwise.

Sounds ridiculously overpowered, right? But it’s not.

For starters, trying to influence someone who can’t even understand me is basically impossible. So no, I can’t go around manipulating random people. And even if I do manage to “persuade” someone who’s unconscious, they’re still unconscious. They can’t exactly follow orders in that state.

Honestly, compared to powers like Distortion, which can bend perception and literally fuse separate locations together, this barely even counts. At best, it’s a low-tier utility skill.

But with all the divinity I’ve been stacking, shouldn’t I have enough points for something this minor?

Hey, System.

Cut me some slack. Just one skill. That’s all I’m asking for.

[SYSTEM: Congratulations! You have created the new Authority, ‘Last Comment Wins!’]

[SYSTEM: ‘Last Comment Wins’ activates when an opponent fails to refute your final statement due to an inability to listen. Once they regain the capacity to communicate, they will become aware of your ‘declaration.’ If they refuse to ratify it (retroactively accepting the claim as fact), the agreement is voided.]

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me with this name.”

“Hyung? Everything okay?”

“…Yeah. It’s nothing.”

I pulled up the system window and started hunting for any option to rename the skill.

There was nothing. No rename button. No hidden menu. No settings tab.

A horrible realization crept over me.

…I really can’t change the name?

Does the System just sit around lurking on forums all day?

That’s the only explanation for a naming sense this aggressively bad.

[SYSTEM: Skill names are auto-generated from the player’s personal vocabulary database. Consider reflecting on your typical speech patterns.]

Excuse me? My vocabulary has way better material than that.

Give me five seconds. I could come up with a dozen names off the top of my head.

Public Notice Delivery, Victory by Default , Transmission Principle, Absentee Clause…

[SYSTEM: Skill names are selected based on the ‘most precise and essential expression’ found within the player’s vocabulary database.]

You piece-of-shit system.

[SYSTEM: Acknowledged. Per user input, the ‘System User’ trait has been updated to ‘Piece-of-Shit System User.’ This title will be visible only on the player’s personal status window.]

“……”

I dragged both hands down my face.

“Fabio, what happened? Did I mess something up? Was it not enough?”

“No, you’re fine. Everything’s fine. You did amazing, Callister. Absolutely the best.”

I gave teary-eyed Callister a few more reassuring pats, then gently set Palbio down beside the twitching pile of maggots.

I was just about to activate ‘Last Comment Wins’ when—

“Hyung, are you insane? You think I nearly died for that thing just so you could toss it to some maggots?”

A telekinetic thread ripped Palbio out of my hands before I could blink.

“…Pandomonium. I’m trying really hard to keep us both out of hell. Work with me.”

“Then explain why the halo came out first. Until you do, this stays with me.”

So activating ‘Last Comment Wins’ generates a visible halo?

That’s a problem. I’ll need to be careful about that.

I let out a slow breath and laid it out for him.

“The plan is to use my new authority to temporarily bind these contaminated chunks of Ledeia’s Holy Flesh as my Servants.”

“…That’s it?”

“I need to see if it’s even possible. If it works, we might actually have a shot at screwing over Roklem for good.”

“Seriously?”

“No promises. But we have to try everything.”

Pandomonium hesitated, then handed Palbio back with visible reluctance.

I set it down beside the maggots and made my declaration to the writhing mass:

“Research Director Colomba. By eating my flesh and blood, you consent to becoming my Servants.”

The maggots, obviously having zero comprehension of human language, prodded at Palbio with mild curiosity before finally digging in.

With numbers this low, just getting through the outer layer was going to take a while.

“Callister, could you grab me some more of this…”

I trailed off as I caught the look on his face.

Callister was staring at me, eyes shimmering with tears, wearing the most betrayed expression imaginable.

“But… I’m Fabio’s only Holy Flesh Container unit…”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Am I running a daycare?

Do I seriously have to deliver two pep talks just to get one task done?

I rubbed at my left eye. It had started stinging for no reason.

“Callister. You’re not a Holy Flesh Container unit. You’re Callister. My Callister. Completely one of a kind and irreplaceable.”

“…If I’m really that special, then prove it. Actions. Not words.”

“Fine. What do you want? Want me to carry you on my shoulders?”

Callister glanced nervously at Pandomonium, then wrapped himself around my leg.

“Fabio, can I ask you something privately?”

Suppressing a sigh, I lifted him into my arms. He squirmed a little, then leaned in close. His voice came out so soft I barely caught it.

“I…”

“What is it, my Callister?”

“…I want Fabio to lick me. With your tongue. All over.”

“……”

What am I, a mother cat?

Well… I guess I could rationalize it if I really tried.

Technically, most of my power comes from my voice and my tongue. That’s what built my “status”, what created my skills, what earned me divine authority. Like how a legendary swordsman’s dominant hand becomes a holy relic after death, sealed in a shrine so pilgrims can touch it for blessings.

So really, if you stretch the logic far enough, my tongue might just be the greatest gift I can give.

Pandomonium scowled. “Huh?? Lick you? The hell kind of request is that?”

“Mind your own business, you nosy, ill-mannered brute!”

“You practically shouted it! What am I supposed to do, pretend I’m deaf? My hearing’s too good for that.”

“Fine, whatever. I’ll do it.”

“Hyung, you can’t be serious!”

I put Callister back down and ran my tongue across the back of my left hand.

“…Fabio, could you also bite my fingers? Softly, with your back teeth?”

Why does he always ask for the weirdest things?

Still, I went along with it and gently nibbled my fingers. Then Callister suddenly erupted:

“There! Stop right there!”

“Here?”

“Yes! Fabio, that tooth has a cavity. Hold still. I’ll fix it.”

“Oh… thanks, I guess?”

Huh. Didn’t even know I had one.

When I finally pulled my finger out, my entire mouth felt strangely fresh. Minty, almost.

So this high-performance biomass processor comes with dental cleaning included. Good to know.

Honestly, I could probably just use my fingers as a toothbrush going forward.

Real toothbrushes don’t exist yet. I’ve been scrubbing with coarse linen and salt this entire time.

This is a serious upgrade.

Not bad at all.

“…….”

“Why the face? I just fixed your cavity.”

“…Hyung, you’re such an idiot.”

Pretty sure the real idiot is the one who doesn’t grasp how incredible pain-free cavity treatment is.

Anyway, once properly motivated, Callister bounced back and activated five times as many maggots as before. They tore through Palbio in no time.

[SYSTEM: ‘Colomba? (Contaminated Ledeia’s Holy Flesh)’ has become your Servant.]

Good.

They’d eaten enough to make it work.

Part of me had been expecting this to fail completely…

“Holy shit! What the fuck! Why are these things suddenly moving?!”

“Because they’re my Servants now.”

Anything outside of Order’s domain can move freely, even when the Tutorial’s Emergency Rescue System is active. Andrea could do it as a Servant of the Distorted One. Callister can do it as mine.

And now that the contaminated units have been bound as my Servants, they’re no longer stuck in the time dilation.

Just one tiny problem though…

“…Can someone explain why they’re all fusing into one big blob?”

“Gah! This is already nightmare fuel! Could you at least act like you saw this coming? Just lie to me and say it was part of the plan!”

Hm… shouldn’t Colomba still be locked in the ‘isolated’ state?

No, hold on. This doesn’t feel like Colomba at all. This behavior is…

“…They’re mimicking you. Fabio, you fed them your arm.”

“Come again?”

“Now that they’ve lost their connection to Ledeia, all they’ve got left are basic insect instincts. They want to eat, imitate, and reproduce.”

“Well, shit.”