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

#198Reader Mode

#198

“Fuck.”

「Pandomonium: Fuck, just die. 」

「Pandomonium: Die, you fucking bastard.」

…I told him not to respond to anything on his own.

But honestly? Faced with a request that fucking ridiculous, I probably would’ve cursed them out too. So, I let it slide.

「Nyapoleon: My, what a quick response. You really hate the idea that much?」

「Nyapoleon: Did you even think to ask ‘Fabio’ about it?」

Why is my name suddenly part of this conversation?

Does he think I’d be crazy enough to agree to a deal like that?

We’d be signing our own death warrant.

Handing over a finger would be one thing. But giving away a complete copy of Pandomonium’s Trait? That’s not just a loss, that’s an outright catastrophe waiting to happen. A future where every last one of Mother God’s units would be running wild with Restoration, wreaking havoc everywhere they went? Just thinking about it gave me a headache.

“…Hyung. You wouldn’t actually… do that, right?”

The look on his face.

I stared right back at him. Why are you looking at me like that??

Honestly, I’m a little insulted.

Did he really forget? Every choice I’ve made, every risk I’ve taken, it’s all been because I want nothing to do with this game. To leave this madness behind entirely.

“If I could actually force you to do things against your will, I’d have started by shutting down all your whining and bullshit ages ago.”

“…So the only reason you’re not forcing me is because you physically can’t? What if I were just some NPC, hardwired to follow orders?”

“Then the second Mother God looked like she was about to rob you of your chastity, I’d have ordered you to kill yourself immediately and make sure no trace of your corpse was left behind. Actually, no. Scratch that. I’d have taken precautions to make sure you never ended up in that situation in the first place.”

“Precautions?”

“Yeah. Mother God’s faction recently got their hands on something called the Blessing of Mating or whatever. It lets them extract Traits straight from reproductive cells. And, well, male reproductive cells? Those aren’t exactly hard to get.”

“…Not hard to get?”

“Compared to eggs? Definitely not. Plus, I’m pretty sure that blessing comes packed with extras like pheromones, heat cycles, all sorts of nonsense to make ‘mating’ easier. If I wanted to make absolutely sure none of my male units ever got caught in that honey trap, the cleanest solution would be removing the testicles in advance.”

“…You mean you’d castrate us?”

“If this were a game, yeah.”

I noticed the horrified look building on Pandomonium’s face and quickly added,

“But it’s not a game. And you’re not an NPC.”

“Me… a eunuch…?”

Now Pandomonium was staring into the void. His brain had clearly checked out. I smacked him across the back.

“Snap out of it. Hey. Are you listening to what I’m saying here? The whole point is, even if I were some kind of psycho min-maxing control freak, I’d have said no to that proposal immediately. So my question is… why the hell did that bastard make an offer he had to know would be rejected?”

“…To piss us off?”

“No. He wanted to see how you’d react. Figure out which one of us is actually in charge and outranks the other.”

Pandomonium blinked at me, looking genuinely lost.

“…How would he figure that out? And besides, it’s not like we ever decided who’s on top here. I mean, I’ve always seen myself as the one, personally, but—”

Stop. I need you to explain to me, given everything that is currently happening, how you are above me.”

“Huh?”

“Think, you idiot. If someone makes a condition you can’t ever accept, but instead of refusing it outright, you tell them you need to check with someone else first—what does that say? It tells them exactly who has the real authority. The one who makes the final decision is, by definition, the one in charge.” I fixed him with a sharp look. “You really couldn’t figure something that simple out?”

Perhaps embarrassed after being called stupid, Pandomonium’s cheeks slowly turned red, and he averted his gaze.

I sighed slowly.

“For now, we ignore him. Act like he’s not even worth responding to.”

“Mm.”

A new message popped up.

「 Nyapoleon: Silent treatment, huh. : ( 」

「Nyapoleon: Okay, fine. I’ll come clean. The person I really want to work with is ‘Fabio.’」

「Nyapoleon: Fabio, would you like to mate with me?」

Pandomonium instantly exploded.

「Pandomonium: WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?! 」

「 Pandomonium: This bastard’s got a death wish! 」

「Pandomonium: Actually, you know what? Fine. You want to mate? Sure. Let’s do it. Drop your location now.」

「Pandomonium: Send the coordinates. I’ll come kill you properly.」

…Is he really this stupid?

“Hey. I said ignore him.”

“But this bastard just—”

「Nyapoleon: Great! I’m at the Temple of Egus right now.」

I stopped mid-thought.

He gave up his location that quickly?

「Nyapoleon: Oh, and also the Hall of Apostles, the Pantheon, the Grand Cathedral, the Third Chapel, the Temple of Ledeia, the Courthouse, and the Office of Heresy Inquisition! I’m everywhere, really. So just pick whichever works best for you! 」

…I knew it.

Nyapoleon’s main body wasn’t at any of those places. That much was obvious.

Not like it would even matter if it was. He’d almost certainly have some kind of backup plan in place. A revival method tucked neatly up his sleeve, ready to go the moment we did anything.

“Type this back:‘You keep talking about cooperation, but what’s with this attitude? You think throwing out a wishlist counts as negotiating? If you’re serious, bring something real to the table. Then we can talk.’”

「Pandomonium: My asking price is fucking high. What are you planning to pay with?」

「Nyapoleon: Anything you want. Name your price.」

「Pandomonium: You’re the one who should be offering something here.」

「Nyapoleon: Hmm… House Teres still needs an heir, doesn’t it? I could arrange for you to have a child with ‘Divine Blood.’ What do you think?」

I frowned, my brow furrowing.

…Is he saying he can replicate Divine Bloodlines?

That shouldn’t be possible. Sperm doesn’t transfer cellular organelles. At least, not in any significant way. There are some mitochondria clinging to the tail section, since they need the energy to swim, but all of that gets shed during fertilization. None of it actually contributes to the embryo.

If even that tiny amount of cellular material was enough to pass on a Divine Bloodline Trait… that would be ridiculous. Insanely overpowered, even. With one good, high-quality ‘biological data-collection’ unit, you could seduce as many nobles as you’d need, harvesting every Divine Bloodline on the continent.

I glanced at Pandomonium. “He’s basically just told you outright he’s after your Divine Bloodline Trait. And worse, he’s trying to frame it as the payment.”

「Pandomonium: You’re shitting me. So what, now you’re after my Telekinesis too?」

「Nyapoleon: No, actually. Divine Bloodline Traits can’t be acquired that way. You’ve heard of the ‘Divine-Organelle Hypothesis,’ haven’t you?」

「Pandomonium: The hell is that, you nerd?」

「Nyapoleon: …Divine Bloodlines are exclusively passed through the maternal line, you see. Even with something like the Blessing of Mating, you can’t extract them through reproductive cells alone. A shame, really.」

…So, he’s already tested this on someone?

“Then how’s he planning to get a child with a Divine Bloodline?”

「Pandomonium: Then where is this supposed ‘Divine Bloodline child’ coming from?」

「Nyapoleon: Oh, that’s simple. You’ll have to give birth to it yourself.」

「Pandomonium: ???」

「Nyapoleon: I mean, I’m going to get you pregnant. : ) 」

「Pandomonium: I AM GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!!! 」

“WHICH LOCATION IS CLOSEST?!” Pandomonium spun toward me, something wild behind his eyes. “The Third Chapel, right? That’s the nearest one, isn’t it?! I’m heading there right now! I swear, I’ll find him and rip him apart with my fucking hands—”

“Calm down.”

「Nyapoleon: Wow. I’m offering to bestow a powerful blessing on you, and this is the thanks I get? Do you even know how many people would give anything for the privilege of experiencing the miracle of motherhood? I don’t make this offer lightly.」

「Pandomonium: Rot in hell, you disgusting piece of shit.」

「Nyapoleon: That’s strange. Don’t you need to keep your Telekinesis Trait? It would be such a shame if something happened to it. For example, say you became an Apostle and lost it in the process. That would be terribly inconvenient, wouldn’t it?」

「Pandomonium: Just die. Seriously, kill yourself.」

「Nyapoleon: Oh? So you’ve already secured it, then? That must be why the Council Hall was nothing but bloodstains when I got there. Messy work, by the way.」

I froze, chest tightening.

What if he hadn’t secured it, though?

Was he planning to devour that later?

Just to obtain Telekinesis?

“How many people did he loot?”

「Pandomonium: How many did you gobble up?」

「Nyapoleon: Fewer than I would’ve liked, honestly. If someone hadn’t gone on a killing spree and slaughtered all my children, the count would’ve been far more satisfying.」

「Nyapoleon: That said, I did manage to grab a few decent units.」

「Nyapoleon: For example, the Order Commander of the Inquisition Knights…」

…Casimir.

A sharp wave of dizziness hit me. The room swayed.

Casimir. Right now, she was…

「Pandomonium: …You ate Casimir?」

「Pandomonium: Hey. Answer me.」

「Nyapoleon: Oh, absolutely. She didn’t disappoint. Her stats were exceptional across the board. Most of the other units I could take or leave, but her? I specifically hunted her down.」

“Hyung.”

“Quiet.”

「Pandomonium: Then hand her over as payment. I’ll give you something worth your while. Let’s make a deal.」

「Pandomonium: And don’t even think about refusing. If you don’t hand her over, I’ll hunt you down myself and gut you myself.」

「Nyapoleon: Oh dear, what a dilemma… If I bring Casimir out now, she’ll be premature. : ( 」

“…Fuck.”

My stomach churned, twisting itself into knots.

I was starting to understand, on a visceral level, why heretics got struck down by Divine Punishment.

There was a category of things so irredeemably vile, that they deserve instant obliteration. No trial. No deliberation. Just fire from the heavens to wipe them out.

Him. This. Whatever Nyapoleon was.

And yet, Order lets a lunatic like him run free.

Order looked at everything Nyapoleon’s ever done, all of this unholy shit, and somehow decided to waste Divine Punishment on my Pandomonium.

「Nyapoleon: Oh, one more thing before I forget. About those arms you created…」

「Nyapoleon: You’re really not going to tell me why you made them, are you?」

「Nyapoleon: Fine. I guess I’ll just take them. Use them however I see fit.」

「Nyapoleon: Aren’t you even a little curious what I might do with them?」

Nobody typed anything back. Nyapoleon kept going anyway.

「Nyapoleon: Ledeia and Mother have a lot in common, don’t they?」

「Nyapoleon: I’m still not entirely sure what happened to Ledeia, but it does seem her god-position is vacant now.」

「Nyapoleon: Which got me thinking, this might just be the perfect chance to create a new God of Healing!」

「Nyapoleon: Oh, and full disclosure, I had no idea Ledeia’s contaminated Holy Flesh were all part of one large, interconnected whole. I have you to thank for that particular revelation.」

「Nyapoleon: So, in theory, if I were to take control of even a fraction of them, the rest of the collective would obey my commands. That’s how it works, right?」

「Pandomonium: …Why are you telling me this?」

「Pandomonium: What, are you asking me to stop you?」

「Nyapoleon: No, not at all. I just thought it was a good idea.」

「Nyapoleon: And I wanted your feedback.」

「Nyapoleon: After all, I greatly admire Qwerasdf, you see.」

…Admire?

「Nyapoleon: Qwerasdf. Or ‘Fabio,’ as you go by now.」

「Nyapoleon: This world is drowning in darkness. Someone will become its god. That much feels inevitable.」

「Nyapoleon: And if that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better if the one who ruled it was the benevolent Mother?」

「Nyapoleon: Under Mother’s rule, there would be no Hell. No punishment for those who’ve sinned. Instead, Mother offers rebirth. A chance to be guided away from whatever darkness led them to sin in the first place.」

「Nyapoleon: And as for Heaven? Heaven would be redundant. Because the world itself would be Heaven.」

Bullshit.

「Nyapoleon: We’re going to end up working together anyway. Why waste all this energy fighting each other now?」

「Pandomonium: Alright. Then hand the Cult Leader position over to me.」

「Pandomonium: Do that, and I’ll consider working together.」

「Pandomonium: You’re aware, aren’t you? Mother God chose me first.」

The rest went unsaid, but the shape of it was obvious. You were the backup plan. The consolation prize. Hand over what was mine from the beginning.

I thought those words would needle Nyapoleon’s pride, at least a little.

But the reply I got was nothing like what I expected.

「Nyapoleon: I’m well aware. Finding you was the mission Mother gave me.」

“…What?”

「Nyapoleon: Have you really forgotten? Mother’s last words to you?」

「Nyapoleon: ‘My beloved child.’」

「Nyapoleon: ‘No matter whom you choose, I will find you.’」

「Nyapoleon: ‘And I will be with you.’」

「Nyapoleon: You are Mother’s firstborn.」

「Nyapoleon: The position of Cult Leader was never anyone else’s. It was always yours from the very beginning.」