I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

Thunk!

I saw my upright body standing before me.

The sensation of dirt soiling my hair and face was profoundly unpleasant.

“…….”

Even though I wanted to say something, a severed head could not speak. After all, my lungs, which I needed to inhale and exhale air to talk, were still attached to the body.

“An apostle of an unfamiliar faith, but… nothing special.”

Albeka’s foot moved toward my head, aiming to crush it.

“You’re just trash.”

“Look who’s talking.”

I did the impossible effortlessly. When I responded with my severed head, Albeka’s startled movements froze. At that exact moment, something struck Albeka’s body with tremendous speed, sending him flying.

Bang!

His body crashed into a tree with a thunderous sound, followed by a pained groan from Albeka.

“My, my God! Priest… what is that? Is that the monster you mentioned?”

“No, it is not.”

Voices of a novice knight and a priest reached me. Despite the situation, the priest seemed remarkably composed.

“Until now, it had been a chaotic monster that seemed a mix between beast and human. But I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

My body picked up my severed head. Only then did I notice the dark mass protruding from the severed neck.

‘I can see the cut surface of my body, yet I feel nothing. My emotions seem dulled.’

The cut surface bulged and shifted like an formless residue, forming a revolting, formless shape. As I brought my head to the mass, the gooey texture melded my neck back together to its original form.

“How… how can this be?”

It was understandable why Albeka was so stunned. Most monsters would be finished if their head were cut off.

“What in the world—”

“What, you ask? It’s obviously another miracle.”

〈Forbidden Transformation〉.

It was a miracle I had used before the knights arrived. Only those who were granted permission could recite the prayer for this miracle. Those unauthorized would be crushed by the formless residue.

“And to think it would be this effective.”

〈Forbidden Transformation〉 was a miracle granting powerful regenerative abilities, allowing the user to heal even from decapitation or burning.

‘In essence, it also strengthens you. It really feels like becoming closer to an formless residue.’

Despite that, considering my neck had been cut, Albeka’s abilities and the 〈Radiant Strike〉** used by the priest must have been powerful. The recovery was a bit slower, leaving an uncomfortable foreign sensation in my neck.

“We should retreat. We can’t handle this with our current numbers.”

Albeka said, staggering. Though it was a rational decision, the priest seemed to have a different opinion.

“What are you talking about, brother Albeka! We must stop it here!”

Albeka shook his head, but the priest gritted his teeth, refusing to concede.

“If injuries are the issue, I’ll heal you! Grant your grace to those injured and sick under the light. **〈Radiant Heal〉!**”

Yet another intermediate miracle. The priest was as strong as Albeka. Albeka, seemingly recovered, cracked his neck with a popping sound and did some light stretching. But their difference in opinion remained unresolved.

“Even beheading it doesn’t kill it. That last attack would have instantly killed an ordinary knight.”

“That’s all the more reason why we need to eliminate it!”

The priest stubbornly insisted on his point. Their concern was more about recovering the 『Scripture of O’tak』 and the money than dealing with me.

“With just one novice knight and a supporting priest, we lack the manpower.”

The priest gritted his teeth and clutched the golden relic necklace in his hand.

He spoke grandly about stopping things here and now, but in the end, it was clear what he truly wanted.

“We need the church’s approval and proper equipment. With the right items, we can handle this without much trouble”, Albeka said, looking down at his sword.

Though it was a decent weapon, it was just a regular sword devoid of any special abilities. Truly, it would be difficult to face me with that.

“That man’s abilities are unknown. Fighting without accurate information and preparation is akin to suicide.”

“Are you telling me to just leave this scripture behind?”

The priest ground his teeth and then, unable to hold back his temper, burst out, “This is why those from Stigmata…! Even when shown grace and given heavy responsibilities, their lowly birth can’t be changed!”

Internal strife was welcome. In truth, I wasn’t that leisurely either. 〈Forbidden Transformation〉 was a powerful enhancement miracle, but it came at a cost. The more I recovered, the more I became less human and more monster. In the end, I’d transform into a formless residue.

‘I definitely don’t want to turn into that.’

Even after the black rain ceased, the formless residue created by my miracle continued to squirm. Perhaps it had intelligence, as it just kept a watchful eye, waiting for an attack.

“The Stigmata will withdraw. If you insist, priest, you still have ‘that’, don’t you?”

“Are you telling me to waste such a precious artifact in this situation?”

Damn, did they have another trick up their sleeve?

“Isn’t it better than losing the scripture? The higher-ups won’t know about this, will they?”

“You think well for one of low birth.”

Silenced and thinking over several calculations, the priest fell into a brief silence.

“Very well. Get out of here. By the authority of a Priest of Hayat, I forbid any mention of what happened here.”

“I understand. Let’s go, novice!”

Albeka, without lowering his sword, backed away, glaring at me.

“Next time, I will surely dispose of you, wretched heretic.”

Albeka and the novice took out what looked like parchment scrolls.

‘A scroll…? A teleportation scroll?’ Those were incredibly expensive.

Using the scrolls, they vanished, leaving me and the priest consumed by greed.

“Ugh… I brought them for their combat skills, but they’re frustrating idiots”, the priest spat and then looked at me.

“You. Can we still talk?”

“Yes.”

“Though it’s late, let me introduce myself. I am Admon, a priest from the Church of Hayat’s Department of Exotic Mysteries.”

Where was that? By the name, it seemed related to studies on foreign faiths. So that’s why he possessed the scripture of an Outer God.

“Though I don’t expect a heretical priest like you to hand over that scripture… how about this?”

Admon began to propose with a smile.

“I’ll bring you a sacrificial lamb. You must want to offer a sacrifice to your god, too?”

Priests, indeed… I barely suppressed a laugh.

“If we share the offering, I’ll gladly protect and hide you.”

“Quite generous to a heretic, aren’t you?”

“I can even baptize you if you wish. You don’t want to be chased by Stigmata or others stronger, do you?”

Others stronger… Indeed, I remembered a few. The Inquisitors, who interrogated and executed heretics. The Luminaries, composed of powerful paladins. The Stigmatas were strong for an initial encounter but weaker compared to the rest.

“Do you truly think I’d accept such a vile proposal?”

Still, my answer had already been determined.

“You’re foolish”, I replied.

Admon frowned with displeasure and lifted the corners of his mouth as if mocking.

What he pulled out this time was also a scroll.

Of course, it did not seem to be a teleportation scroll.

From the start, it was not a parchment but an elegant scroll made of clean, sturdy white cloth.

“‘Grand Call’ scroll, using it in a place like this…”

So that’s what it was.

I knew what that item was.

I also knew how rare and powerful it was.

“Answer this call! Your opportunity has come!”

As the priest shouted resoundingly, the scroll vanished as if burned by fire, and a magic circle emerged.

From that magic circle, people began to appear, around tens of them.

They looked like a ragtag bunch, but with the effect of the ‘Grand Call’, they were all armed.

“A spell to summon and arm pledged individuals at once… Why does a priest have a war scroll?”

No, maybe it wasn’t so surprising.

They use the scriptures of heretics, so it wouldn’t be strange for them to use magical scrolls too.

“The target is that man! Despite appearances, he is a monster. Cutting off his head won’t kill him! But if my miracles are added to these numbers, there is nothing to fear!”

The summoned people turned to look at me.

Their eyes were filled with a certain fervor.

“If we kill that guy, will you keep your promise, Priest Admon?”

“Yes, as promised, I will grant you offerings and baptism!”

At the priest’s cry, the people raised their weapons and cheered.

Like the orphans, these people had not received baptism.

But these were not like the orphans.

Many had the mark of criminals, and none hesitated at the order to kill.

“Fanatics without even receiving baptism.”

“Because they have not received it, their faith is even stronger. It’s too late to regret!”

Admon pulled out something like a potion and quickly drank it down.

His eyes soon turned bloodshot, and his body began to shake.

‘It doesn’t seem to be a simple mana potion.’

“Hayat!”

Shouting the name of his god, Admon began to recite a series of strengthening miracles.

‘If he overuses it like that, his mind should be depleted… but he seems fine? Is it the effect of that drug he took?’

The ragtag bunch, who looked no better than bandits, turned into a formidable army through numerous miracles.

“Your miracles were certainly great, but they must have consumed a vast amount of mana. No matter how absurdly strong you are, handling this many people—”

“I don’t know what misunderstanding you’re under, but deploying a swarm attack is a big mistake.”

A cruel smile spread across my face.

A dark impulse inside me was provoking me.

It was anger, the madness I felt as I transformed, the execution of justice, and simultaneously, a craving for slaughter.

Having already used two miracles today, my mind was beginning to crave ruin.

“For the Great Sleeper…”

As I recited the prayer, the enemies gradually retreated.

They knew well that approaching too close or attacking first could be dangerous.

Changes began to occur among them.

“What… What’s this strength I feel?”

“This lunatic is enhancing the enemy.”

“Such tremendous power… It’s unimaginable…”

They started to grow stronger.

This too was a miracle that strengthened the group, similar to what Priest Admon had used.

“Wh… Why has ‘Divine Protection’ been breached? There should be protective miracles on the armor they are wearing too!”

Panicking, Admon frantically recited the prayers he knew, using miracles in rapid succession.

He seemed desperate to counter my miracle, but it was futile.

Enhancing miracles were beneficial effects, and thus could not be blocked by such defensive miracles.

“Let the desire of the Great One be fulfilled…”

“My strength… it’s surging!”

“Amazing! I feel like a beast!”

“… Behold the tide of frenzy and defilement! 〈Black Blood of Frenzy〉!”

And then, hell unfolded.

Unrestrained by distinction between friend or foe, they began to kill and maul, releasing primal violence.

Each of them bled black and, undying, continued their frenzy.

Laughter was heard.

Sadly, only I had the luxury of laughing at that moment.

TL’s Corner:
The Great Sleeper and Slumbering One are probably the same god, but the characters used were different.