I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

Chapter 139 The Endurance(4)

Once the situation settled, I took some time to discuss with my companions.

“I think the only thing to be wary of is them attacking from behind. They might exploit the exhaustion that follows after using large-scale miracles and Outer Magic.”

As I initiated the conversation, everyone nodded in agreement.

“Although I’ll try to conserve as much energy as possible for battle, it would be wise for everyone to brace themselves.”

“But…”

Lyla asked cautiously.

“Didn’t we act too aggressively? What if that priest, Cahon, holds a grudge?”

It hadn’t been long since she’d suggested shooting first and asking questions later, yet now she seemed uneasy.

“Don’t worry about Cahon. We acted aggressively on purpose, keeping him in mind.”

Eldritch looked puzzled and asked, “What do you mean by that?”

“There are two types of people like Cahon who enjoy competition: those who must always win and those who relish the contest itself. Cahon is the latter.”

If he were the former type, it would have been troublesome.

“So when dealing with Cahon, you mustn’t appear as someone weak. If I had approached the Dwellers with subservience, he would have been tremendously disappointed.”

And he might have considered me unworthy to compete with, and tried to kill me immediately.

The declaration of war could come from their side first.

I had grown stronger, but since Cahon might still hold the upper hand, this part required caution.

“I’m not worried about residents swarming us. If they harbor grudges and act recklessly, we can just annihilate them.”

As Gluttony twitched, seemingly influenced by my emotions, the others were startled and stepped back.

“Were you always this aggressive? Calm down, it’s frightening.”

“How can you not be angry looking at those bastards?”

Just seeing those trash-like beings made my blood boil.

“What about the crew? If they went through such seas, they’d be affected.”

“The crew and the ship need to take a detour. I’ll go into the waters alone.”

With Lyla, Eldritch, and even Mary, they would be more than capable of protecting the ship.

“Are you sure about that? Going alone into the middle of the open sea seems too dangerous.”

“Don’t worry.”

I asserted confidently. There were concerns, but I’d prepared countermeasures for them all.

“What if you exhaust your mana?”

I retrieved a glowing blue bundle of spider silk from the subspace.

These were mana recovery tools made using the blessing of Preservation.

I had also prepared life-recovery silk bundles, so there was no downside.

“I’ve prepared for everything. But this is what worries me.”

Three at the third rank. Honestly, it was a considerable force, but it was still the heart of enemy territory, so I was anxious.

“We’ll at least ensure not to hold Sir Ethnos back, so don’t worry.”

“I don’t like either the Dwellers or the residues. I won’t lose against filthy things.”

Eldritch and Mary spoke reassuringly. The problem was Lyla.

“I-I’m a third-rank mage too, so I can-”

“No, you absolutely must not engage in direct combat. Focus solely on piloting and managing the ship.”

She seemed unnervingly confused about her duties, showing severe signs of anxiety.

“Guard the ship, Lyla. If the ship isn’t safe, nothing can be done.”

“Okay, got it.”

Lyla clenched her fists tightly as if grounding herself.

“Relax until we reach the vicinity of the seas. I’ll keep an eye on things personally.”

Afterward, I went outside and took out the Golden Blood Elixir to drink.

‘It’s impressively fast.’

The vessel pulled by the Dwellers of the Abyss felt like a speedboat from my previous world.

The surroundings showed nothing but clear blue skies and calm seas. The absence of anything unusual felt oddly peculiar.

Just when I began to suspect some trickery from them, the problematic waters came into view.

‘This is insane.’

The Dwellers hadn’t exaggerated.

Waves and turbulent currents seemed to clash with intent, towering high enough to block the sky.

The sea split open deep into the abyss, colliding with the currents to rejoin.

‘I didn’t expect it to be on such a scale.’

Wondering at Cahon’s intentions, thinking I could manage such chaos.

“Are we there?”

『Yes, we have arrived.』

“Then guide the ship to its destination by taking a detour.”

I jumped into the water.

The Dwellers were in a frantic panic, fearing being devoured again.

Ignoring them, I utilized Gluttony’s transformation ability.

With all the entities consumed, I could replicate the specifications of a third-rank Dweller faithfully.

『How are you able to take on a form similar to ours?!』
『What is this…?』

The Dwellers looked at my form, seemingly terrified.

『Truly a bizarre existence beyond our expectations. To do so without even the approval of the Great Being…』

Seeing something so unsettling that they turned their heads away, avoiding looking at me.

『Quiet. Just guide me.』
『A-all right.』

In a body incomparable to a human’s within water, I rapidly traversed through to the heart of the troubled seas.

‘A world beyond human comprehension.’

Drinking the Golden Blood Elixir had been a wise choice.

Dark pillars extended to the ocean floor, writhing, and dead sea creatures floated around. Residues emerged, crawling from cleaved corpses.

‘The Dweller’s body indeed makes detection easier.’

Not only the residues, but the sea itself felt wrong. Currents, temperature, and pressure were all in chaos.

A fish swimming normally was suddenly crushed to death beside me.

『If you’ve simply mimicked our appearance, you’ll end up like that.』

One Dweller gave a warning.

『So if you need guidance-』
『I am perfectly like your kind, so don’t concern yourself.』
『Ah, understood.』

I advanced towards a part of the sea where unimaginable pressure existed, heading towards the sea’s core.

As I proceeded, the sea’s condition worsened to the point where distinguishing up from down became hard. All senses were fading.

『We can’t proceed any further.』

The Resident spoke, its voice filled with pain. They no longer advanced.

『As you’re likely aware, there is too intense an energy clash here that will also ruin our minds.』

Was it that severe? Indeed, the Dwellers, even with their robust bodies, seemed to struggle, wincing. Thanks to the Golden Blood Elixir, I withstood quite well.

『In that case, you all stay back.』

The Dwellers stayed far away, just watching me. Whether they were simply watching or seeking an opportunity to strike, I didn’t know.

‘Regardless, I can’t leave the sea in this state.’

I could assure that this bizarre calamity would only spread further. With Ancient Gods related to the sea having left this world, there was no one to intervene.

‘First, I’ll try this.’

I formed a seal and employed Outer Magic.

『〈Deluge of Annihilation〉.』

Water that annihilates all it touches spread forth.

It efficiently extinguished residues it came into contact with, but this disaster’s scale was too vast to resolve with just that.

Moreover, they increased as much as they vanished.

‘If that’s the case, I have to try this.’

I took out the Red Dragon’s gate. Overexerting slightly to heighten its output, a blood-boiling heat spread throughout my body.

『Engulf everything with living flames. 〈Storm of Living Flames〉.』

The storm of flames lit up the dark sea. Unquenchable within the seawater, it burned actively, immolating residues and counteracting Cahon’s miracle.

Even as the one wielding it, I couldn’t fathom the vast expanse of the flame storm.

‘Burn… Burn even brighter.’

Amplifying with all the strength from the Dragon Crown, I made the flame burn more extravagantly.

The flames shining across the entire sea would surely consume every life, but they would also conclusively end this bizarre ailment.

Was there no other way I could utilize this immense flame?

‘Could I absorb this flame to empower myself… No, I can’t withstand it in this form.’

It’s rare to have flames and targets of such scale to incinerate.

It felt wasteful to merely burn and end it here…

『I’ll help you.』

That mysterious voice again. How is it possible, here at the bottom of the deep sea?

『Who are you, always following me around? Reveal your identity!』
『Ah… Ahhh…』

This time, a response came. Like a voice struggling hard to answer.

‘All around is just fire… It couldn’t be the fire itself speaking, right?’

I considered all sorts of thoughts.

『Ah… Can you hear me? Can you?』

That childlike voice sounded again.

『Yes, I hear you. Who are you?』
『Why don’t you know? I’ve always been with you!』
『What…?』

The statement that it had always been with me felt quite eerie.

Tap-tap.

Feeling a touch on my shoulder, I turned around. There was nothing except Gluttony’s tendrils squirming like a cloak.

『No way… Is it you, Gluttony?』
『Yes, it’s me!』

Gluttony trembled with what seemed to feel like jubilation.

‘Indeed, this creature has always been beside me, but…’

Though I recognized its sentience, I never expected it to initiate conversation like this.

『How are you speaking? Were you always capable?』
『I’ve kept growing. So, I learned to speak too.』

Even though I’d been encouraging Gluttony’s growth, I’d never aimed for this kind of outcome, hence my utter bafflement.

‘If it grows further, what will happen? Could it end up mimicking a human…’

In the unprecedented circumstance, I chose to continue conversing with Gluttony. At least it didn’t emit hostility or insidiousness.

Rather, its voice felt quite unexpectedly endearing.

『Why speak with so many pauses? Had you clarified yourself from the start, there’d have been no needless worry.』
『I tried talking continuously. But it was hard to connect.』
『Connect?』
『I can’t yet speak vocally. So I delivered directly to the brain. But since it was difficult, I kept failing.』

This was why others hadn’t heard the voice. Gluttony, eternally linked to me, directly transmitted to my brain. Finally, it succeeded here.

『Anyway, I’ll help!』
『How’re you offering?』
『What you’re contemplating now! I’ll swallow all those flames!』

A sense of manic impulse and aberrant appetite radiated from Gluttony.

『They look too delicious. I want to keep devouring endlessly. I wish to consume it, grow, and continue consuming.』
『No, what exactly will you-』
『All those things hindering us.』

Gluttony slowly encircled me as if embracing me with its tendrils.

『From now on, I’ll devour it all for you, dad.』

TL’s Corner:
Hey, we got a kid!!!