Paladin of the Dead God

‘They look suspiciously intriguing.’

The two were wearing masks, just like the Claire gang, but they briefly lifted their masks and shared a kiss in a secluded corner of the wall. It was evidence that even within this secret cult, love could blossom.

Showing their faces without masks was also a significant sign of trust.

However, Isaac’s mace interrupted their midnight romance simply because they appeared suspicious.

Isaac swiftly subdued the pair and hid them in the bushes. To avoid causing a commotion, he had knocked them out; they were ordinary people with no special powers. They didn’t even seem to be at the priest level.

“Take this. Your wings stand out too much.”

Isaac handed one of the robes to Hesabel. Although Hesabel would move around unnoticed anyway, it was entirely different to blend into the crowd. Isaac wore the mask of ‘Crawling Terror’ that he had acquired recently instead of the one he found.

Just then, a bell rang somewhere, and the scattered people began to gather again. The crowd in crimson robes all wore masks, mostly of animals like cats, rabbits, and owls. They occasionally made eye contact with Isaac but quickly looked away, startled by his mask.

‘This is definitely related to Camille’s research.’

Although there was no sign or evidence directly linking to the Nameless Chaos, many aspects were similar to Claire’s activities.

They descended further until they reached the entrance of a limestone cave adorned with intricate patterns. The hot spring’s heat and the smell of sulfur wafted up from within. Despite the fear of suffocation, those ahead seemed fine as they steadily entered.

“Hold on, you.”

A man wearing a lion mask at the cave entrance stopped Isaac.

“A mask I’ve never seen before. Who are you…”

The lion mask paused, tongue-tied, as if he had forgotten his words. Isaac had only stared at him directly, yet he seemed to have lost his next words as if his tongue had frozen.

The fear instinctively felt by the lion mask was mistaken for intimidation.

The charisma unique to Nephilim radiated power from Isaac’s demeanor and presence, even with his face covered. The mask itself was a relic of the Nameless Chaos, naturally exuding a superior intimidation.

“Ah, are you from above?”

Silence was the answer at such times. The other person would fill in the blanks themselves.

“Ah, I apologize. I heard someone important was coming for the ceremony today, but I wasn’t informed about the mask. I’ll be careful.”

The lion mask bowed repeatedly and guided Isaac inside.

‘Seeing how lax the security is, these guys are on Claire’s level.’

Isaac roughly gauged their combat abilities—probably at the level of graduate students at best.

As Isaac stepped into the cave, even with his mask on, the sudden rush of heat and steam enveloped him. Those ahead of him trembled momentarily. The sudden hot air made their own body heat feel cold, causing them to shiver. It wasn’t unbearable but staying for long might cause dizziness.

Then, Isaac saw what Camille the Cardinal had been hiding here.

A vast cavern, almost as large as the village above, spread out beneath Baelbaden. Sulfur springs bubbled and steamed, with steam bursting forth sporadically. The intertwined miracles of the Codex of Light created an eerie illumination.

Intricately carved tentacles wrapped around pillars, supporting the ceiling, while grotesque creatures were sculpted into columns, glaring down at this man-made hell.

‘Hell, yes. This is hell. This is the hell envisioned by the Codex of Light.’

Isaac realized how eerily similar this place was to the hell described in the Codex of Light. It was indeed a relic site of the Nameless Chaos. Isaac could tell from the architectural styles carved here. But it was clear that the Codex of Light had interfered afterward.

The reason was unclear. To implant the notion that ‘the Nameless Chaos is hell’? It seemed plausible. Or perhaps some unimaginative priest had attempted to revive the architectural style of the Nameless Chaos and failed miserably.

In his personal opinion, it was like ‘a well-themed amusement park hell.’

However, a threatening piece of evidence soon appeared before Isaac’s eyes, proving it wasn’t just a theme park.

It was a gigantic egg.

***

A gigantic egg, roughly the size of an adult man, lay on the central altar of this profane relic site.

The perfect oval of the egg stood out strangely in the otherwise twisted and perverse temple of the Nameless Chaos.

It couldn’t simply be considered a sculpture, because the moment Isaac saw it, he felt a strange and inexplicable attraction.

‘What on earth is that…’

His stomach churned, forcing him to avert his gaze. He didn’t know what it was, but he was certain it was related to the Nameless Chaos.

[Are you alright?]

Though she wasn’t visible, Hesabel, somehow watching from somewhere, asked. Isaac, surprised that he had shown enough agitation to be noticed, forced himself to calm down.

As they moved towards the temple’s center, the heat began to cool, dropping to an average indoor temperature. No, it felt slightly cold, as if the egg was absorbing the heat. This must have allowed people to survive even in this underground environment.

‘Is that the relic of the Nameless Chaos the cult wanted to hide?’

He decided to keep watching. He didn’t know how deeply involved the people here were.

If blood were to be shed, it would be better to expose their crimes on the surface and kill them rather than conducting a massacre in this cave. Otherwise, Isaac could be labeled a mass murderer by the cult concealing their sins.

‘But if they are committing atrocities on the same scale as Camille’s research…’

Then, regardless of their involvement with the cult, none would leave this place alive.

Isaac suppressed his rising killing intent and thought.

Ding—a bell rang from the north of the temple, drawing the wandering cultists towards it.

Isaac naturally blended into the crowd.

They seemed to be preparing for a ritual around the egg, but the cultists ignored it and stood facing a large altar to the north. On the altar stood a woman in an owl mask, draped in a yellow robe adorned with numerous ornaments, unlike the others.

Isaac’s eyes widened at her attire.

It was identical to the yellow robes worn by the man who occasionally appeared in his dreams.

Isaac realized that her outfit signified some sort of priestly role.

“Pope Neria.”

“Your Holiness, it’s been a while.”

“Cardinal Las, it has been a while. I will be leading the ceremony today.”

Isaac was stunned by the exchanges between the woman and the crowd. The woman before him was being addressed as Pope, while others were called Cardinals and Bishops.

Naturally, the Pope of the Codex of Light was Horma Kmuel, an old man.

Isaac, curious, activated the Eye of Chaos to examine them, but they were all ordinary people. The woman called Pope Neria was slightly above average, but nothing special.

According to the titles mentioned, there were six Cardinals and about twenty Bishops present. In terms of hierarchy, they surpassed the Codex of Light. Even the lion mask who had questioned Isaac earlier was called the Grandmaster of the Paladin Order.

The eerie scene passed, and the atmosphere settled.

Pope Neria spoke.

“Faithful of the Nameless Chaos, welcome to today’s service.”

‘Faithful of the Nameless Chaos?’

Isaac found the title awkward. He sensed no faith from them, nor did it seem the Nameless Chaos was watching over them.

“Some of you may already know, but a tragic event has occurred recently. Cardinal Camille Sarea, who supported our research in Ultenheim, died in a tragic accident while studying forbidden rites.”

Sighs and gasps echoed around.

Isaac found their reaction perplexing. Weren’t they supposed to be persecuted by the Codex of Light? Instead of celebrating the death of a Cardinal, they mourned?

Pope Neria raised her voice to the murmuring crowd.

“But! Cardinal Camille Sarea, anticipating such a tragic event, entrusted us with preparations for her afterlife.”

“Oh, indeed!”

“If this ritual succeeds, Cardinal Camille will return from death to reveal the true mysteries of Urbansus and the secrets of the Nameless Chaos buried in the Forest of Oblivion! Furthermore, the advent of the Millennium Kingdom will hasten!”

Isaac felt a chill.

“Then, as servants of the Codex of Light, we can proudly act as the Church of the Nameless Chaos!”

The cheers continued.

Amidst the cheers, Isaac realized their true nature.

They were not true followers of the Nameless Chaos. They were a bunch of pretenders, moths drawn to the power and authority of the Nameless Chaos. Rather than serving a grand cult, they enjoyed playing at being Pope, Cardinal, and Bishop in a smaller one.

In a way, they were genuine charlatans. Camille had exploited their vanity to experiment with the miracles of the Nameless Chaos.

***

‘…So I could become the leader of these idiots?’

Isaac felt a dizzying sensation.

He didn’t want to be associated with these people, so he decided to observe their ritual.

‘Resurrecting from death by the miracle of the Nameless Chaos? Camille?’

It was a simple task for the Immortal Order, but not for the Codex of Light. It wasn’t impossible, but it required someone on the level of a Pope. But if they obeyed prohibitions, the Immortal Order wouldn’t be as prosperous as it was now.

Miracles of the Codex of Light were not to be used recklessly, and the Immortal Order was considered heresy.

But what if they secretly borrowed the miracles of another faith?

If Camille had discovered a resurrection miracle while studying the Nameless Chaos and left it as a last resort for herself? It wasn’t entirely implausible. This place was a much larger-scale laboratory exploring the miracles of the Nameless Chaos, compared to what was happening beneath Ultenheim.

“Let us proceed with the ritual! Recite the prepared prayer!”

Neria raised items from the altar: tattered Cardinal robes, a few sacred ornaments, and a glass jar containing what seemed to be some of Camille’s remains. The gathered cultists began chanting prayers after her.

Isaac quickly realized that their prayer was a poorly restored mess. Neria’s ritual wasn’t much different from what Claire had done.

Listening to their prayers, Isaac felt even more certain that he was the only true follower of the Nameless Chaos in this world. These people claimed to be followers, but they didn’t know the name of Chaos, had received no qualifications, and weren’t under any observation.

The Nameless Chaos didn’t care about them. How could it, when it didn’t even know it was being called?

It was no different from watching a group of ants circling in a corner of the kitchen.

But miracles were the embodiment of people’s will.

Their voices wandered in the void, occasionally touching the tentacles at the fringes, accidentally pulling in fragments. Exposed to great power, they would just be swept away and die.

There was no malice, no hope.

They simply named the occurrences miracles.

Pitiful followers and a lonely god.

[The Nameless Chaos watches you.]

Isaac decided to show these ignorant fools the true god. To reveal the reality of the entity they were praying to, and how deep an abyss they were reaching into.

Isaac quietly began to recite the prayer they were chanting.

Crack.

The wall above the northern altar began to twist and split.

_____________

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