260. The Method of Distinguishing Good and Evil (8)
The path in the cave gradually narrowed, and the heat and humidity became so dense that breathing was almost impossible. Fernandez frowned as he moved forward.
The only light sources were sporadic flows of magical energy. Of course, even such small light sources were enough for his night vision.
Soon, a door appeared. Carvings of spiders, centipedes, and other insects chasing each other were embossed on it. Above them, the language of Hell was roughly scrawled.
[We are the end of all things.]
[We are the beginning of creation.]
In the center of the circular arrangement of insect carvings was a small pattern depicting tumors and spores. Fernandez clenched his gauntleted fist and smashed the carving with all his might.
Bang! As the carving shattered, the magical formation embedded within activated. With a clanking sound, magical energy interlocked like gears and began to turn.
Soon, the carvings on the stone door began to change shape. A spider swallowed a centipede, the centipede chewed on a cockroach, and they twisted into complex knots. The inscription above them warped.
[All things run toward us.]
[We reach out to all things.]
[Call our name.]
It was a puzzle unique to a dungeon created by a High Demon. The door was sealed with riddles and metaphors. Solving it with magic would take too much time, and attempting to destroy it by force would be equally futile.
-Let’s play along.
Of course, he knew the inscription, but he didn’t want to utter the activation word needed to open the door. Fernandez clicked his tongue and said,
“Decay.”
-Clank!
From the destroyed carving, concentric circles spread out, and the stone door crumbled into dust. A wave of hot air rushed in. Almost simultaneously, sensation began to fade from the extremities of his limbs.
A simple yet cunning trap. To unlock the door’s seal, one must answer the riddle, and those who answer are cursed with a verbal curse.
Simple and cunning, but pathetic. Fernandez smirked and stepped forward. Emerging from the narrowing passage, the space beyond the stone door was a vast cavern.
The cavern was so large that the flow of air could be felt. Fluorescent mushrooms densely covered the high ceiling, and directly below them was a pile of dark red flesh.
Losing sensation made it difficult to maintain balance. Fernandez pulled the sword draped over his shoulder and glared ahead. Beyond the pile of flesh, red eyes glinted.
[Welcome to my garden, mortal.]
The demon whispered in a growling voice. Even though it spoke from a considerable distance, the sound echoed right in his ears.
[Are you startled? Or are you terrified, mortal? Is this your first time facing a god?]
Sssss, a sound like snakes slithering echoed from all directions. Beneath the faintly glowing mushrooms, a massive silhouette writhed.
It was a swarm of insects. Countless insects, rats, and snakes had coalesced into a moving form. Thud, thud, the creature’s appendages scattered along the walls and then regrouped repeatedly.
The entire cavern’s walls were lit with crimson eyes. The fluttering of insect wings and the clacking of mandibles created a bizarre dissonance.
[You priests dedicate your lives dreaming of welcoming a god. How pitiful. The god and cause you plead for cannot grant any aid in the face of true power. You’ve lived your entire life for an illusion.]
“At least that part is true.”
Fernandez stiffly loosened his neck and spoke. Due to the overlapping curses, even moving a finger required his full strength.
“I’ve lived my life for an illusion.”
But even if I were to live a thousand lives, I would do the same. Fernandez raised his blade.
“Are you afraid of me?”
[What?]
“Pathetic tricks and trivial traps. You’re afraid of me, Neharyphix.”
The silhouette in the darkness paused for a moment. Though it was impossible to read the demon’s emotions through its expression or voice, the emotion it felt was obvious. Panic. The demon was panicking.
[You know me……?]
“Of course. Neharyphix, Lord of Insects. The Defiled. The Untrustworthy. The Yellow-Green Calamity. Apostle of Decay. The Formless One. Did you think I only knew your name?”
[Who are you?]
“Wrong. The question you should have asked is not ‘who,’ but ‘why.’ And ‘how.’ Demon. And didn’t I already say it?”
The demon’s curse wasn’t physical. The curse responsible for sealing the stone chamber wasn’t powerful enough to exert physical influence.
Its curse was like what a frog experiences when facing a snake. It wasn’t the kind that directly affects the body or spirit. It was a curse of ‘perception.’
Its effect was singular. The body stiffens. And the atmosphere……. The simplest trick demons use to intimidate and corrupt mortals. ‘Atmosphere.’ Overwhelming presence, mixed with words. Even if you’re paralyzed and forced to watch helplessly……
What human could stand tall before that? This demon’s trap was cunning, but utterly vulgar. If Faijashi had witnessed this scene, he would’ve frowned and said:
-It lacks dignity.
A curse, by nature, should have dignity. No, magic should. A trap should be elegant. A meticulous scheme that doesn’t directly strike the enemy but overwhelms them should carry a corresponding nobility.
But this is lowly. This demon’s trap…… its tricks……. Its massive form? It’s like a pufferfish inflating itself in fear.
“My name is Flame.”
The conditions for a divine spell: prayer, invocation, miracle. Fernandez’s body was already imbued with invocation and miracle, so all that was needed was prayer. As Fernandez spoke, his stiffened heart pulsed once more.
-Thump.
The demon’s curse mixed into his bloodstream, along with the toxins emitted by the Ukrasia lineage of demons, gathered, scattered, and spread throughout his body. This was a plague of Hell, not easily purified.
But, it’s vulgar.
-Thump!
His heart beat strongly once more. Divine blood surged like a tidal wave, crushing the demon’s curse, shattering it into fragments that scattered across his skin, flesh, and veins.
[Foolish act……!]
The demon chuckled with a low laugh. Since it had cast the curse, it could clearly see what Fernandez was doing. Shattering the curse into fragments and scattering it across his body? That would only accelerate the curse’s effects.
