Chapter 25: No one wants to rescue, they all want to steal

End of the World

Caila was quite excited when she saw the first group performing the strange ritual. It was the first time she had seen anything like it, and it looked really powerful.

But then, when she saw how it destroyed two houses and even killed something, she became both scared and angry. She immediately checked the number of her worshippers, and her heart dropped when she saw that one light had disappeared.

She raised her hand and rubbed her forehead. She felt bad; instead of doing something, she just watched the show. She could only justify it by saying that she was still uneducated about the workings of this world and couldn't quite gauge what was strong and what was weak.

From her perspective, the prayer was impressive, but she felt no sense of threat. Moreover, Team Fear was led by Mara, who seemed quite confident. Just to be sure, she called him, and he answered immediately. "My Liege?"

"One of my worshippers died. What are you doing there?" Caila frowned as she asked.

"Ah. I'm sorry, my Liege. It's my fault. I underestimated the strength of my opponents. The combination of their forces was unexpectedly strong. But it was only a weak Spectre, no loss."

Caila was annoyed by that statement. "So you're saying my worshippers are weak, and so it doesn't matter if they die? So even your death won't matter then?"

Mara didn't answer for a moment. "No, no, no! I wouldn't dare say that at all, my Liege! Of course, it's a shame! A great loss! I could never say that..."

Caila sighed. "Stop fooling around. Kill them or capture them. Don't allow any more casualties." As soon as she finished, she stopped touching the golden light that belonged to Mara and rubbed her temple. She could clearly feel that Mara didn't care about the losses and just wanted to play. She was beginning to feel like a parent.

***** 

South part of End of the World

Mara wiped the non-existent sweat from his brow and sighed as his goddess left again. He hadn't expected her to call him. Did that mean she was watching him? He felt both honored and worried because she had seen his negligence. He just wanted to toy with his victims for a while, but the woman was a tough nut to crack. Her heart barely moved.

He lifted himself from the stone he was sitting on and walked over to the dirty mirror hanging on the wall. Mara was currently in one of the hallways of their labyrinth. This corridor looked like an abandoned drain; lichen grew here, a river of stinking water ran down the center, and the whole place was drowning in darkness.

Mara had the size and build of a bear standing on its hind legs. He had short legs, but long, large arms that reached his knees without any problem. He was dressed in white ceremonial clothes with gold embroidery. His entire head was covered with white fur that flowed smoothly into a thick mane of white hair that waved of its own accord as if it were made of mist from which grew two curled white horns to the sides. His eyes were yellow, without pupils, and his mouth was covered with a piece of white cloth.

Mara knocked on the frame of the hanging mirror and waited a moment before a dark figure appeared in the frame. "What's... hey..." A youthful voice echoed and began to lean from side to side before snapping in annoyance. "Can you wipe the mirror down a bit? I can't see anything through the dirt!"

Mara snorted, grabbed his sleeve, and began wiping the glass. "You have to see when all we need to do is talk?"

"Do you want me to gouge your eyes out to test it?" A young man in tattered robes appeared in the glass, black skin covered in bright points like a starry sky. He looked at Mara. "Why did you call me? I'm getting ready for my show. They'll be in my hallway soon."

"Let's wait for Miss Kira so I don't have to repeat myself," Mara replied.

"Oh. Miss Kira is coming too? So a war meeting?" The young man quickly began adjusting his tattered robes and smoothing his hair.

"D'anal, just relax. You can't look any more sinister than that," Mara watched the young man's actions and shook his head.

"Echm! It's not... it's just... Miss Kira has exquisite taste! If I look shabby in her eyes, how will she take me seriously?" D'anal defended himself, denying the fact that he wanted to please Miss Kira.

"Few people look appropriate in my eyes, gentlemen," a female voice echoed, and a dark shadow emerged from the wall. It clattered to the ground, and then a dark figure emerged, devoid of any features whether feminine or masculine.

Mara looked at Miss Kira. "Well done in welcoming our victims. Turns out the woman will be harder to handle."

Kira nodded. "Indeed. The other one is easier. It's a delightful one."

"But I'm afraid we have to stop playing games. Our Liege has spoken up, and she's not happy with us." Mara groaned, Kira straightened when she heard that, and D'anal swore softly.

"Why? What's wrong?" Kira asked.

"She doesn't like the fact that one of her worshippers died," Mara explained.

"Huh? Wasn't it just Spectre? Even with the blessing, she didn't become very strong, and her intelligence was limited. The likes of her are only fit to be cannon fodder at most." D'anal protested, leaning against the mirror frame.

"Yes, but that doesn't matter. Liege has spoken, so we must follow her orders. But she's right that we should stop playing games and start taking things seriously. The woman who walked in is quite strong and resistant to fear. We'll have to raise the level to deadly."

"Ah. Yes. Archbishop. She's strong, brave, and smart. She saw through my ruse easily, but it's true that I was careless. I wondered what she said. Do you understand she classed me with lesser creatures like Ghosts and Poltergeist? In her defense, however, her analysis of my species was correct," Kira spoke up, telling them what she had learned.

"This new world is completely innocent. They said no one has seen the Shadows in hundreds of years. From what she said, I get the impression that the outside world has only dealt with lesser creatures and ghosts for a long time. Do you know what that means?" Kira's voice quivered a little with excitement.

D'anal leaned a little out of the mirror frame. "Does it mean there are free territories?"

Kira nodded. "Yes. And even if they are occupied, they are only occupied by weak beings who can easily be killed and have the territory taken out of their hands."

Mara looked from one to the other. "Do you plan on becoming Adepts?" He asked.

Kira nodded. "Yes. I'd like a nice, dark swamp."

D'anal hesitated. "Well. Not me directly. Too much work and responsibility that I don't have the stamina for. But my mother has toyed with the idea. I hope she turns back soon. She'll definitely be interested in this."

Mara raised his big hands and clapped to interrupt the lengthening conversation that was off the original topic. "We can discuss that another time. We'll go to a bar or something later. Now back to the issue at hand. D'anal. You need to up the intensity. Miss Kira finish your work and prepare the next hallway. I'll try to herd more of these people in."

***** 

Meanwhile, Libertia and Vicar had almost reached the end of the hallway. The last part was the hardest, due to the skeletons increasingly obstructing the passage. Fortunately, Libertia didn't bother with the remains and had no problem guarding them to the side or outright breaking them.

The poor Vicar breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the door and wanted to get out of this hallway of death quickly.

Rattling, rattling.

Suddenly, a large number of sounds echoed behind his back, causing the Vicar to turn around.

Suddenly, all the skeletons and corpses began to move, rushing towards them like an undead wave. Skeletal hands and claws began to reach for them in an attempt to tear them apart.

"Archbishop!" The Vicar called out and flinched as the skeletal fingers tried to grab his neck, but his silver protection flashed, and the skeletal hand was knocked aside.

"Egh!" The Vicar didn't have time to utter a prayer as his cloak tightened around his neck. The Vicar panicked for a moment before being thrown backward by brute force, only to see that it was Archbishop Libertia who had grabbed his cloak and thrown him through the door she had already managed to open.

She immediately jumped after him and slammed the door behind them. The door shook a little as the force of the skeletons' heat hit it, but it stayed shut.

Libertia watched the door for a moment before she walked over to it and chanted a prayer, placing her hand on the door. The door was framed in silver light, and it did not go out. The banging stopped immediately, and she could look around.

Again, they were in another corridor, but this one looked more tidy. Luxurious, in fact, if it weren't for the fact that every inch of the walls was covered with large mirrors with hand-carved frames.

Libertia took two steps; the sudden appearance of someone next to her startled her a little, but she immediately realized it was just her own reflection. She frowned. She had an idea what this place would be used for, and she didn't feel good about it. The hallway next door didn't bother her as much as this one did.

She turned her head sharply, thinking she had caught a glimpse of a figure at the far end of the bowl, but as soon as she looked there, it was gone.

"Ahem. Archbishop, are we safe?" The Vicar cleared his throat as he pulled himself together, but his voice sounded like he knew it was a slim hope.

"Not a chance. Things are just now starting to get dangerous," she replied harshly.

***** 

Western part of the End of the World

Bishop Archie Cameron chose the western route and led his team along the outskirts of town. His approach was similar to the other groups; he sent forward scouts, and they slowly advanced. Unlike the Libertii group, he was more forceful. He struck first and then asked questions, taking things more directly. Until proven otherwise, everything and anything were enemies, and he didn't think of things like diplomacy.

But like the others, he couldn't help but admire the city. Tasteful, clean, functional. They were currently in a section where there were residential homes. He didn't see a single sign of poverty. This place was prosperous in every way.

But he wasn't going to be fooled. The abandonment of this whole place reeked of trouble.

They moved forward, the explorers not paying attention, but Archie noticed. A pile of battered old newspapers lay on the ground, already dampened by the sea air. Archie noticed it mostly because it was the first significant mess he'd seen here so far. Archie didn't look it, but he had quite an eye for aesthetics and ironically didn't like a mess.

He paused by a pile of newspapers and knelt down on one knee before picking one up with two fingers and tilting his head to look at the headlines.

The three brothers had quarreled and declared war on each other!

The Three Brothers, well known to all, were deadlocked in a quarrel over the inheritance of their grandmother, Jezebel. The quarrel arose over the Living Cauldron, which was owned by...

Archie stopped reading because most of the text was waterlogged and, more importantly, it made no sense to him. The Three Brothers? Jezebel and the Living Cauldron? He tried another article he could still read, but he wasn't much wiser.

Our most esteemed Liege had announced that a vacancy had opened up for a new Adept for the Under the Mountain territory.

Archie shook his head and tried to pick up another newspaper.

Don't miss the exclusive interview with the most popular man in all the End of the World in tomorrow's newspaper 'Scream.' The right hand of our Liege and role model for all of us, Hellcage!

Lady Midday was looking for Sunbeam for a platonic relationship with reproductive purposes. Assuming successful conception, Sunbeam had no further obligations or commitments. The requirements included an Official Fertility Certificate, frauds would be killed (as approved by the Department of Public Affairs).

Interested candidates could find Lady Midday at 106 End of the World Street, House number 8.

Archie stared at the last advertisement, which stood out clearly from the blurry expanse of the newspaper, as if protected from the water. Archie's expression was blank because, even though he understood the gist of the ad, he was completely stunned. What a strange advertisement!

Archie snorted and threw the paper back down. None of it made any sense to him. Only one seemed normal. However, one word caught his attention. Liege? Who's that? It sounded like a local leader, but who kept calling themselves Liege?

The group either walked over or around the pile of newspapers. The last member of the group crossed over the newspapers and soon caught a peculiar smell. He looked down and noticed that one of the newspaper sheets was stuck to his shoe. Initially attempting to shake it off, the paper clung stubbornly to the sole of his shoe.

He groaned before pausing to bend down and pick the sheet of paper off, tossing it away. Stepping forward again, he remained oblivious to the fact that the discarded paper returned like a boomerang, striking him in the back of the head with a wolfish masquerade, wrapping around his face like a wet towel.

"Hmph!" The man emitted a muffled, surprised sound and staggered, but none of the others noticed, focused as they were on the road ahead. The man lagged a bit behind.

The pile of newspapers on the ground suddenly sank and crept towards the confused man, now attempting to blindly retrieve his talisman. A skinny white hand emerged from under the newspapers, gripping his ankle tightly, jerking his leg so forcefully that he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

The remaining walkers in the group heard a noise and began to turn.

At that moment, a hand reached out, pulling the man back, and, almost magically, he vanished under a pile of newspapers in an instant.

When the last of the group turned completely around, they saw nothing but an empty street. Perhaps, if they hadn't been wearing masks and looking identical, they might have noticed someone was missing.

They turned away again and caught up with the others. The pile of newspapers moved once more, revealing for a moment a face that was extremely pale, with red eyes and a jagged mouth that stretched across half of his face, constantly bloody from the way his sawtooth teeth consistently irritated his gums.

"Read, read, read," he muttered softly to himself.

*****

There was a room somewhere in town filled with paper—old yellow paper, paper rolls, newsprint, even toilet paper. The floor, walls, ceiling, and the entire room were covered with paper, with stacks emerging from the ceiling resembling a blend of paper lamps and cocoons.

The papers in the middle of the floor stirred, and in a small geyser of paper, a man in black robes was propelled into the air.

The Dean of the Order of the Moon and Night God finally freed his face from the newspaper covering and gasped before quickly surveying the peculiar room. "What..." he muttered, already reaching for his talisman. However, he couldn't manage anything else. Suddenly, ribbons of paper rushed at him from all sides, binding and ensnaring him in a paper hood as he screamed. Subsequently, he was suspended from the ceiling for everyone else to see.

The cocoon writhed for a while before the movement gradually ceased, at which point all the other cocoons began to writhe, except for that one.

***** 

East End of the World

Abbess Gallia Nemand chose the eastern path. This area seemed predominantly filled with warehouses, likely housing fishermen given the faint smell of fish in the air.

Gallia observed the houses; some appeared peculiar, with water seeming to seep from under the doors, and one building was entirely covered in seaweed with sea cucumbers growing on it.

THUD!

A sudden sound startled them as a large pot fell from the sky in front of them. The group quickly regrouped, and their talismans began to glow as they activated their protections, all eyes fixed on the suspicious pot filled with golden liquid.

The golden surface wavered, and a cute little girl in green jumped out, waving her wand happily. She lightly stepped on the edge of the pot, spreading wide. "Greetings, visitors!" she exclaimed, showing her perfectly white teeth as she smiled.

Gallia eyed her suspiciously. She hadn't expected to encounter a resident of the town so soon, especially when it seemed so empty. Plus, the girl had appeared under rather strange circumstances. "Who are you?" she asked, her hand clenched, ready to attack.

"Nop. Nope. That's no way to say hello, dear visitors!" The girl raised a reproachful index finger at them and shook her head.

"Oh, all right. You've already illegally entered our home anyway, so more rudeness doesn't seem to matter." The girl put her hands on her hips again and nodded her head in agreement.

"Now you must answer this question for me. Are you here as friends or enemies?" She looked at them with a smile and curiosity.

Gallia felt uneasy about the situation. The child was strange, but she didn't feel threatened, and her instincts told her she could lower her guard. However, her experience screamed for alarm.

"We are not enemies. We came here by order of our lord and god of Moon and Night, Baa. The Evil God resides in your home, and your island may be in great danger. We are here to help," Gallia explained.

The girl looked them over and cocked her head to the side, but Gallia felt the girl's eyes grow cold as she spoke of their god of the Moon and Night. "Oh, an evil god? I don't know of any Evil God. But it sounds terrifying! I'm scared! I'm scared!" The girl slapped her cheeks with both hands, exaggerating her fear. The wand she had been holding before floated by itself beside her.

Gallia looked from the girl to the wand and back again, pushing away the feeling that made her calm down. Instead, she gave a secret sign behind her people's backs to get ready.

The girl stopped feigning fear. "What does the evil god look like?" She questioned.

"A woman, wrapped in a cloak. She wields blue flames," Gallia replied.

The girl stopped smiling, her expression unusually serious and adult. "Oh?" She mused, then snapped her fingers. Her wand suddenly glowed and quickly stretched and bent like a snake. One end of it connected to the pot, and the other end landed in the girl's hand. When the glow faded, the girl held a gold-plated fire hose.

"So you are enemies! Haha! Eat your gold!" The girl shouted in delight and malice before pointing the hose at them, unleashing a torrent of golden liquid.

"Now!" Gallia shouted, and everyone in her group raised their talismans, forming a silver dome around them. The golden liquid struck the dome violently, beginning to cover it. Smoke emanated from the liquid, and after a moment, it started to harden.

Gallia looked at it. "Is that... gold? Molten gold?" she muttered in a daze. Just the thought of it hitting them was horrible. They would end up with awful burns, and it would probably kill them quickly.

Gallia couldn't see what was happening in front of her because of the gold and wondered how to escape this defensive position when she heard a man's voice.

"Now can I give them my gold?"

"Hehe. Of course, my golden boy."

***** 

Main Street End of the World

Primas Jason Drahed took the direct route towards the city center. The main street was the widest and naturally the most filled with shops or businesses to pass the time.

Today's people didn't exactly have many activities to pass the time, other than drinking alcohol, indulging in carnal pleasures, gambling, and attending the theater. That's where it ended as far as the entertainment industry was concerned. Resource constraints and economic instability were the biggest contributors to this situation; even middle-class people couldn't afford to splurge, and all it would take was a few days without an income to fall into poverty.

So most ordinary people worked even in their spare time to make financial reserves. Even if more activity options were created, they would probably be doomed to failure due to a lack of customers.

Primas Jason thought of this mainly because he had also seen strange businesses on the high street where he couldn't imagine what there would be to do. He kind of regretted at the moment that the town was deserted, his curiosity gnawing at him.

He was struck by the strange names and slogans, and he wasn't the only one who was curious.

Smokehouse

Every Tuesday we offer a limited supply of Angel Dust, brought straight from the Seventh Gate. Special Offer for Ash Rabbits!

Travel Office Gehenna

Reduced Price for an eight-day trip to all Twelve Regions. Don't miss a View of the Blood Fields, a Dip in the Sulfur Geysers, a Romantic Candlelight Dinner Under the Dead Tree, a Deep Relaxation Massage from the Nymphs at the Great Oak Resort, or a Cuddle Therapy session at the picturesque Village on the Edge of the End and many more.

The Hunting Planner

Are your hunting instincts getting to you? Do you want to hunt and kill? We'll plan a thrilling hunt that will satisfy you. We have a wide variety of prey.

Black Widow

Dating agency. Find your soulmate; we have an 80% success rate. Dating has never been easier!

Jason was a little shocked and a little excited by all the information. This town was highly developed, but some of the information was confusing.

However, besides the store, there were buildings that only bore the name but no other words. Like the Watchmen, which could mean they were some local law enforcement? Department of Public Affairs. Department of Health. Department of Diplomacy. Jason was more than indicative of why they had so many departments.

Jason rushed forward; in fact, he had his own plans and had sent the others on a detour mainly for one reason. He wanted to take the most credit in destroying the Evil God. Maybe if he were less greedy, things wouldn't have gone this way.

The more merit he gained, the closer he got to promotion, and the more rewards he received. In this case, he felt like he did the right thing when he saw this city. He had no interest in the fate of the citizens; all he cared about was the results and the rewards. Just because he's old doesn't mean he's not still ambitious.

They were still approaching the castle, and so far, they hadn't encountered any problems. However, Jason suspected it wouldn't last forever. He didn't believe that the Evil God had no protections. And he wasn't wrong.

Jason's instincts sounded the alarm, so he raised his hand and stopped his group. He looked around for danger, but the enemy wasn't hiding from him. A colossus nearly three meters tall stepped out of one of the alleyways in front of him.

It took the form of a muscular man wearing only a loincloth, but it was not human. Its entire body was a brownish color, clay plaques and small cracks were visible in some areas of its bare flesh. His head was bare with carvings in the skin, his beard and pointed ears, his neck was so thick that it was wider than his thigh, and some of his muscles were unnaturally huge. It was a creature made of... clay?

Jason had never seen such a creature in his long life, but he had an idea of what it was. He'd read about these creatures before.

"You are... A golem?" He spoke, looking at the creature. He motioned for his people to step back. He felt that this thing was beyond them, so he was only going to use them as a support force for himself.

"'Correct. I am the Watcher Golem. My name is *Josille." The Golem replied in a hollow voice.

"You entered our city without permission with dishonest intentions. The order is to kill you." Josille slammed his huge fists together, the blow echoing far away.

Jason rubbed his beard and then removed his glasses, which he put in his front pocket, revealing his mustard yellow eyes.

"Bring it." He challenged.