Became an Apostle of an Ancient God

Chapter 17

The structure of the rite.

The entity lending the power.

One's own origin.

A vow that reduces the rite's power consumption or Divine Power cost by revealing these things to the enemy, a [geas].

It's a method to greatly enhance a priest's abilities with just a few words without external help, but this geas is a double-edged sword.

It's akin to revealing one's own cards to the enemy.

Furthermore, although Luther didn't mention it separately, if the structure of one's rite revealed through the geas differs from the structure of the rite actually used, the geas can backfire.

At this very moment, Lee Haru declared he would summon an Alien God to this place. If Haru's declaration had been a bluff, he would surely face divine punishment from the Void he serves.

Luther sincerely hoped Haru's words were mere bravado, a bluff.

[Mother of Life, Shub-Niggurath.]

That entity was definitely sealed long ago, before Lusis unified the other six nations, by six Heroes borrowing the power of a great being.

There was no way the seal could be broken now.

Indeed, right after Haru shouted, 'Manifest! [Shub-Niggurath].', nothing happened.

Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, Luther sneered at Haru, who seemed to be trying to get through the situation with a young child's recklessness and bravado, and said.

"As expected. There's no way you could summon her. [Shub-Niggurath], you say. That's ridicu..."

However, Luther couldn't finish his next words.

A cold flame of purple Divine Power erupted around Haru, who had called for Shub's manifestation.

Luther's face turned pale. The uncontrollable chaos of Divine Power now flowing beside the Chosen Child was not human, but that of a 'god'.

"To think the thing I feared most would actually happen."

Tensely, Luther gathered his Divine Power. It was cowardly, but he intended to finish Haru before [Shub-Niggurath]'s manifestation was complete.

"[Lightning Blade.]"

Crackle!!

Golden lightning once again streaked across Luther's office. The blade of lightning, carving the ground in two as it struck, was immensely more powerful than the one he had just unleashed.

That meant it consumed a significant amount of Divine Power. He had adjusted the output to prevent it from being deflected by the protective rite [Spatial Refraction] that Haru had showcased until now.

However.

Haru, finally lifting his head, casually swatted aside the lightning rushing towards him with his right hand. Faced with such an unimaginable counter, Luther's eyes widened as he glared at Haru.

"He swatted away lightning?"

[Yes.]

Then, the words flowing from Haru's mouth were not those of a young boy in his early teens. It was the charismatic voice of a much more mature woman.

And upon hearing that voice, Luther immediately recognized its owner.

"Shu... Shub. Ni. Niggurath...!"

[In the name of the vow, I have answered my child's call.]

"Po. Possessing a believer as a vessel! It's blasphemy! A god, a god interfering directly in the human world through a mortal's body!"

[Oh, really?]

Shub, borrowing Haru's body, tilted her head as if Luther's words were annoying and stared straight at him. Haru's eyes, once black as obsidian, were now dyed a deep purple.

[Blasphemy. You are the ones who create such words and judge by them. Not gods. How foolish. Do you think only your own common sense is absolute? That's why you fail.]

Luther briefly flinched at Shub's words. But he quickly regained his original attitude, his composure.

Although startled by Shub's sudden descent, the situation was still advantageous for Luther.

Per... Perhaps that might be true. [Mother of Life]. But do you know? This is my territory. And the child you love currently has restraints on his neck. I even possess a holy relic.

Besides, your power isn't complete, is it? The power of a divinity descended using a mortal as a vessel is less than 1% of the original, right? Do you still think you can beat me?

[Certainly, I have weakened considerably. The seal of the supreme beings still binds me, and the bodies of my incarnations are scattered. But Luther.]

Shub glared fiercely at Luther, gathering Divine Power in her right hand. This Divine Power was not Shub's, but that of Lee Haru, the body's owner.

[No matter how weak I've become. That doesn't mean you are stronger than me, does it? First, how about you lower that stiff neck you hold so proudly before a god, mortal.]

"...!"

Luther couldn't resist Shub's command to lower his head. This wasn't a rite or anything like that. These were words imbued with the divinity of [Shub-Niggurath], the origin of all life and ruler of consciousness.

There was no way an ordinary living being could resist it.

"Nnngh!!"

His shoulders, neck, and back felt crushed by the heavy Divine Power. Luther strained, blood vessels bulging in his eyes, trying desperately to resist with his own Divine Power, with the blessing of his god.

[Portal.]

Shub lightly released the Haru's Divine Power gathered in her right hand and shouted. A circular purple dimensional hole opened in the middle of Luther's office.

The rite of space presumed to be the Chosen Child's origin.

But the method of use was completely different.

The Chosen Child used space to deflect attacks, or twisted and ruptured space itself, moving like a typical ranged caster.

But a portal in this situation? What was she planning? Just as Luther pondered this question.

[Advance. My legion.]

Shub commanded.

From the purple dimensional rift, an ominous vortex of the Void leading to who knows where, hundreds of 'life forms' began to pour out.

They had the form of fish. However, unlike ordinary fish that can only swim in water, these swam through the empty air, the sky.

Life forms born from the Void.

If they could navigate within the Void.

It wasn't so strange that they could navigate the sky.

Truly life forms that defied the laws of physics, of ordinary living beings. But that wasn't the important part.

All those fish possessed mouths, jaws, and teeth roughly three times the size of their own bodies. Their purpose needed no explanation.

The Void Fish, pouring out from the Void through the portal, simultaneously swam through the air and charged fiercely towards Luther.

Like beasts starved for days, they rushed to mercilessly bite, tear apart, and devour Luther at Shub's single command.

"[Holy Barrier!]"

Luther tried to block the approach of the dozens of man-eating fish Shub had summoned with a rite of protection. But Shub saw right through the thought processes of lowly mortals.

[Pierce through.]

Thwack!!!

Sharp, thorny tentacles erupted from the office floor, precisely piercing the barrier Luther had erected.

Although it was a protective rite performed with proper chanting and hand seals, Shub's tentacles mercilessly shattered the barrier.

"Ugh...!"

[Do you like them? I call them Legion Sharks. If they get you, not even your bones will remain.]

Shub gently stroked one of the monsters she had summoned through the portal moments ago, glancing at Luther. It was a signal. A signal that 'Now, you may eat.'

"Kk. Aaaargh!!!"

The Legion Sharks tore through Luther's clothes, lunging through the gaps to bite him. Arms, legs, neck, and even his face. The sharks attacking from all sides fiercely 'devoured' Luther.

"[Lightning Radian... ce!]"

Emitting a short burst of lightning around him, Luther hastily electrocuted the Legion Sharks to detach them. However, another creature born of the void greeted Luther in front of him.

It was a giant purple jellyfish. Roughly the size of Luther, who was larger than most adult men, the jellyfish stabbed Luther with its long tentacles extending downwards.

At the tip of the tentacle was a black stinger. Busy dealing with the Legion Sharks' surprise attack, Luther couldn't react to the jellyfish in time and was inevitably stung.

The problem came next.

Upon being stung by the jellyfish, the affected area slowly began to turn a deep purple.

It was rotting. The stung area.

And at a terrifying speed.

"Detoxifi... cation."

Luther tried to use a detoxification rite, but Shub wouldn't miss the opening. A large black puddle had formed beneath the ground Luther stood on.

"Ah."

A giant maw was summoned from the puddle. Its form was impossible to compare or contrast with any monster or life form existing in this world.

Chomp!

[I heard that priests of the cosmic rank can easily restore or regenerate lost limbs.]

Shub, inside Haru's body, sneered at Luther and said.

[Losing an arm must be regrettable, right?]

Spitting, the maw that rose from the puddle casually ejected it.

Mixed with copious amounts of red blood and the puddle's purple mud, it was.

None other than Luther's left arm.

'Dangerous... Dangerous, dangerous... This... is really dangerous...!'

Losing his composure for the first time, Bishop Luther first tried to staunch the blood flowing from his left shoulder while glaring at Haru, no, at Shub.

He was already pouring out Divine Power just resisting the [Command].

With the little Divine Power he had left, he had to deal with the creatures from the void summoned by Shub.

And he had to restore his lost arm with a Restoration rite.

"Kuh... Ugh!"

Luther's Divine Power began to run dry, and the feedback was swift. Suddenly, bright red blood started pouring from Luther's eyes, nose, and ears.

His body could no longer handle the consumption of Divine Power.

In contrast, Shub/Haru's Divine Power showed no signs of depletion yet. From Luther's perspective, as long as he couldn't somehow deal with that overflowing, almost exploding, Divine Power, there was no chance of victory.

Pushed this far, there was no other way.

He had no choice but to use 'that'.

"Fine... then."

Luther composed himself and coughed.

"[Mother of Life]."

Luther, with eyes shining gold, looked at Haru.

No, he glared at the soul of Shub dwelling within that body and shouted.

"To you. I shall show you heaven."