Chapter 72

Chapter 72. The Performance Begins (1)

"Just wait a little longer. I'll be there soon."

Michael was certainly furious because of what had happened to Mikhail, but he didn't let his anger show. For now, he needed to swallow his rage.

"What the hell? A human? When did you get in here?!"

"What happened to the guys guarding the path?"

"They're all dead! Wait, those piles of ash... Don't tell me?!"

The sudden appearance of the demons brought Michael's increasingly intense emotions under control.

"That's right. Don't keep hiding. Come out like this instead. It'll save me the trouble of looking for you."

Michael looked over the demons before turning his gaze back toward Marbas. However, Marbas had already disappeared.

"Try everything you can. That way, destroying it all will actually mean something."

Michael turned his attention to the demons again. His cold, merciless gaze held not even the slightest trace of sympathy. He clenched his fist and gathered his aura.

FWOOOOOSH!

White flames erupted with enough force to engulf the entrance to Namsan. The enormous, ferocious flames reflected Michael's anger as they swallowed the demons.

"AAAAAARGH!"

The screams of demons whose skin was being burned away erupted from every direction.

After confirming that Michael was making his way up, Marbas descended beneath the tree. Four deep pits had been prepared there.

"The curtain has risen, so it's time for the performance to begin."

Within the shadow of the enormous tree, four of Marbas's kin knelt on one knee with their heads lowered. They looked as though they intended to remain in that position until they received new orders.

"Insect. Move the sacrifices."

At Marbas's command, Insect stepped out of the shadows.

Insect wore a hooded cape covered in all kinds of insects. A pure-white mask concealed his face, but through the gaps in the mask, his lifeless left human eye and his right insect compound eye could be seen. He looked like a creature that was half human and half insect. A long, fly-like mouth extended from beneath his mask.

"Brrrrrrrr!"

A sound resembling a vibrating mobile phone came from Insect's mouth. In response, the insects that had been crawling around his hood as though it were their home retreated inside, and countless tiny ants emerged instead.

Rustle, rustle.

The ants swarmed toward a place where sacrifices had been piled up like a mountain and began sorting them into separate groups.

"First, those driven mad by Raum."

At Marbas's words, the ants pushed the first group of sacrifices into a pit. The corpses being pushed inside had the deranged expressions of people who had lost their minds through gambling.

"Those brought from Japan, consumed by despair."

Corpses covered in purple bruises were placed inside the neighboring pit. Their lifeless eyes were filled with despair as they fell.

"Foras... Well, I suppose I'll overlook it since he completed his task."

Marbas snorted when he saw the next group of sacrifices.

Foras had suddenly sent only the sacrifices before disappearing without a trace. He had always been reluctant to involve himself actively in anything. He had probably been equally reluctant to become a vassal in the first place. Knowing his personality, Marbas decided to let the matter go since Foras had at least finished his assignment.

"I'm letting my mind wander too much before the performance."

Marbas waved his hand to clear away his unnecessary thoughts. Then he turned his attention toward the sacrifices Foras had brought.

"Those brought from Sweden, consumed by sadism."

The third pit was filled with corpses covered in wounds.

"Lastly, those consumed by ecstasy."

At Marbas's words, another group of corpses was pushed into the final pit. Every one of them was smiling.

"They were Hagenti's children, weren't they? The ones who were imprisoned by the Exorcism Association."

The smiling sacrifices were the laughing believers from the Golden Bull Monastery. Jungon had confined them while searching for a way to reverse their demonization.

Unlike the previous sacrifices, these were demons rather than humans. However, the greedy pit accepted sacrifices without distinguishing between humans and demons.

"Yes. They were offerings personally presented by an insignificant creature who wished to become a worshipper."

Infection turned toward Marbas and explained. Marbas looked over his kin.

"Where is the child who wanted to become a worshipper?"

Marbas wanted to identify the traitor within the Exorcism Association, but he couldn't see anyone other than his kin.

"It seems he's planning to work from among the priests so that nothing interferes with our upcoming operation."

It was a degree of loyalty that seemed almost excessive.

To an outsider, it might have looked like nothing more than an insignificant creature trying to flatter someone more powerful.

"Hmm. How strange."

That was precisely what bothered Marbas.

When he had been selected as a vassal of the White Horseman, he had been told about the seedling. As soon as he began searching for it, a man who wanted to become a worshipper had appeared, almost as though guided by fate, and revealed its location.

Even in Cheche's memories, the display case had been deliberately left open, almost as though someone wanted us to take it.

Marbas had examined the memories of Cheche, the fly that had been underground at the time, and his suspicions had continued growing. Not only had information about the seedling practically fallen into his lap, but it had also seemed as though someone was inviting him to take it.

He felt as though he were being made to play a game on someone else's board.

"What is it, my lord?"

Whenever Marbas became troubled by something, his eyes had a habit of sinking slightly. Noticing this, Infection cautiously asked what was wrong.

Realizing that his subordinate was worried, Marbas gave a faint smile.

"The location of the seedling, the sacrifices... How could a mere human possibly know all these things?"

Understanding Marbas's concern, Infection's eyes filled with murderous intent.

"...Shall I investigate him?"

He looked ready to hunt the man down and kill him immediately if Marbas gave the order.

"That seems like a good idea. Personality."

However, this wasn't a task Marbas intended to give Infection. A figure called Personality turned around within the shadows.

"Capture that worshipper and interrogate him."

Personality answered without speaking, simply bending at the waist in a bow.

"And Radiation."

"Yes, my lord."

"The opening act is finished. From this point onward, you'll be responsible for developing the story and leading it toward its climax."

Marbas turned his palm upward. His personal insignia appeared in the air, and a small box fell from it.

"Take this. Michael will be your responsibility. Delay him for as long as possible, until the fruit begins to grow. The moment the White Horseman descends will be the climax."

"Then I'll take the children with me."

The children Radiation referred to were the elite forces he had personally raised. They were children who had been exposed to radiation and then transformed into mutated monsters with Cell's assistance. Each of them could be considered equivalent to a high-ranking demon.

Hearing Radiation's answer, Marbas nodded, concluding the discussion.

Step, step.

Marbas approached the tree now that the sacrifices had been sorted. He placed his hand against it and poured demonic energy into it.

RUMBLE!

The ground began rising in several places before splitting apart. Thick roots emerged through the cracks.

"Behold! This is the new fish trap!"

The stems continued extending without end, and the vines spread alongside them. It seemed as though they would never stop until they had wrapped themselves around the entirety of Seoul.

BOOOOOOM!

Marbas looked at the resurrected tree with overwhelming emotion.

"The seed of the Hungry Tree, personally cultivated by the one 'whose god is his belly,' has finally manifested in this world."

The true identity of the seedling was a seed from a tree personally cultivated by Gluttony, one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

The endlessly hungry tree was constantly searching for food. It consumed anything without discrimination, whether it was demonic energy, aura, blood, or filth. Now that it had awakened, it would once again need to satisfy its starving belly.

"Once the tree has tasted blood, it will begin its activities in earnest. Infection."

At Marbas's call, Infection knelt on one knee and lowered his head.

"Release the children. The performance begins."

"Nobody panic! Establish the barrier according to the plan! Begin the Grand Exorcism Ritual!!"

At Jungon's command, the priests began moving busily. They formed a complete circle of blessed salt around Namsan Tower and placed holy water, incense burners, and open Bibles at designated points.

"Ahem, ahem. You certainly have your work cut out for you."

Chief Nam, who had arrived at some point, was wiping the sweat dripping from his face with a handkerchief.

"Well, something like that has appeared."

The tree had firmly established itself around Namsan Tower, and the vines spreading from it were incredibly filthy.

Furthermore, the stems had begun breaking through the ground as though they were alive. Although they hadn't yet begun moving in earnest, their mere presence was enough to put the priests on the highest level of alert.

"Chief Nam, could I ask you to take responsibility for evacuating the civilians?"

There were still people in the process of fleeing the disaster that had appeared at Namsan Tower.

"Ahem, ahem. Of course. We've already received authorization from my superiors, and we've mobilized regular police officers to assist with the evacuation. I only stopped by to give you an update, so please don't worry."

"Thank you."

With that, Chief Nam left to resume directing the ESP personnel.

Not long after Chief Nam departed,

Step, step.

"Uhhhh..."

"Infected ones. Lord Marbas desires it. Spread the plague throughout this city!"

People with saliva dripping from their mouths stretched out their arms in search of prey, resembling zombies from a movie.

Behind them, demons whose bodies were covered in purple bruises had appeared from somewhere and were leading the infected people forward.

"AAAAARGH!"

A civilian whose legs had become too weak with fear to move was caught by one of the infected.

CRAAACK.

The infected person grabbed the civilian's head and opened his mouth.

BLEEEARGH!

He vomited a stream of filth directly onto the civilian.

"GUAAAAARGH!"

The civilian, now covered in filth, began suffering mild convulsions. He didn't die. Instead, purple spots started appearing all over his body.

"Ghk! I, I can't breathe!"

The purple spots spread across his entire body in an instant. Overwhelmed by pain, the civilian grabbed his throat and struggled against the agony of approaching death.

"Take him away."

The infected carried the fallen civilian off to an unknown location.

The priests who witnessed the scene froze. Even those who had spent many years serving as priests had never seen demons belonging to Marbas attack in such a manner.

"It's already too late. Everyone, keep your distance and establish protective barriers! If you aren't careful, you'll become infected!"

At that moment, a powerful voice snapped the frozen priests back to their senses. It belonged to Jungon, who was commanding them.

"The barrier team will continue working on the barrier. Any priests who are available must stop the demons! Use your sacred objects to fight against them!"

Under Jungon's organized leadership, the priests were able to respond in an orderly manner without panicking.

"Sprinkle holy water and strengthen your power to destroy evil!"

SHAAAAA!

Following his instructions, the priests sprinkled holy water into the air.

As droplets of holy water fell upon the priests, the aura flowing from their bodies became more sacred.

"Ring the bells and silence their ears."

DONG! DONG!

The younger priests held their bells and shook them.

"Grrrr..."

The ringing bells disturbed the demons' hearing.

The demons covered their ears and cried out in pain.

"Those who can recite the archangels' prayers, drive out the evil!"

Exorcism, which possessed the power to protect civilians from wicked evil and drive away demons, allowed priests to purify demons with aura by reciting prayers.

The scriptures dedicated specifically to subduing and exorcising demons had advanced to the point where priests could borrow the power of the three great archangels through prayer.

Not every priest was capable of doing this. Only those who had reached a sufficiently high level through spiritual training could wield such power. Middle-aged priests wearing white stoles around their necks clasped their hands together and began reciting their prayers.

"Saint Michael the Archangel, commander of the heavenly armies, by the power given to you by God, cast Satan and the other demons who roam this world seeking the ruin of souls into Hell. Amen!"

The middle-aged priests recited the Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel, who protected people from demonic attacks and possessed the power to destroy evil.

Strengthened by the sacred objects, the priests' aura transformed into powerful waves of energy and rushed toward the demons.