Chapter 81
Ritual of Succession.
It referred to the ceremony where one inherited the power left by the previous Cult Leader. By offering the remains of my grandfather, the first-generation Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, Do Jun-Gil, I would receive his power.
[Just one question. Do you have any regrets about your choice?] Baron Samedi asked.
He was crossing his legs and looking down at me with a condescending posture as if he were scrutinizing me.
"No, I don't."
[Really?]
I nodded without hesitation. I had absolute confidence that I wouldn't regret my decision. No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I wouldn’t even have a future where I could regret anything if I didn’t undergo the Ritual of Succession.
Sitting in his chair, Baron Samedi looked down at me and smirked.
[However... there is a problem.]
"A problem?"
[As you may know, your father, Do Myung-Jun, did not undergo the Ritual of Succession. This is a very serious issue. Do you understand what that means?] The initial posting of this chapter occurred via Ñøv€l-B!n.
Baron Samedi stood up abruptly and approached me with determined steps. With a gesture from him, a glass filled with rum appeared out of thin air. Baron Samedi drank it in one gulp.
Crash!
The glass of rum that he threw toward the temple's pillar shattered into pieces. The glass fragments rolled on the floor and reflected the violet light of the temple. Baron Samedi nonchalantly stepped on the glass shards and approached me. His red gaze was soon right in front of me. An indescribably deep gaze of death coldly scanned through me.
[In only two generations, the Tradition of Succession was broken because of your father's negligence.]
"...Is that my fault?"
[Of course, it's not your fault. That said, it's not my fault either. No, perhaps it’s no one's fault. It’s not your father's fault, nor your mother's fault. However...]
Baron Samedi took out a cigar from his pocket. He flicked his finger and ignited the cigar.
With a seemingly satisfied expression, Baron Samedi took a sip of the cigar and emitted thick and heavy purple smoke. The sticky smoke stuck to my face.
[The problem is that the trust has been broken. The trust between the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult and me, the Loa of Death.]
"What’s your point?"
[The point is that I have no reason to conduct the Ritual of Succession for you. In the future, you might end up dying without even leaving a speck of dust like Do Myung-Jun.]
Baron Samedi rubbed the cigar against the temple pillar, extinguishing it. A black mark remained on the purple wall. Then he casually threw away the cigar that was over half unused. While executing this series of actions, Baron Samedi was glancing at me with narrowed eyes as if he was expecting something from me.
What he wanted from me was clear.
“Alright. It should be fine if you include me in the ‘loop.’ If I do that, then I can restore the broken trust as well, right?”
At my response, Baron Samedi laughed. It sounded like he was laughing his head off, but it also sounded like he was sneering at me. It was a peculiar laughter that couldn't be interpreted in any particular way as if he were mocking me.
[That was the answer I wanted.]
Shhhhhh–!
As soon as Baron Samedi finished speaking, a dark and murky violet glow enveloped me. The magnificent scenery of the temple disappeared behind the violet glow. Beyond the glow, Baron Samedi's red gaze shone vividly.
[In exchange for the remains of the previous Cult Leader, Do Jun-Gil, I appoint Sun-Woo, who is present here, as the successor,] Baron Samedi said.
[And in exchange, Sun-Woo must pass on his remains onto his descendants. The descendants must dedicate Sun-Woo's remains to me, the Loa of Death, through the Ritual of Succession. This is a contract of death.]
A breeze blew from an unknown place. The violet mist and light swayed and fluttered in the wind. Baron Samedi continued speaking within the storm.
[With this, the third-generation Cult Leader, Sun-Woo, is now included in the loop of death and circulation.]
I nodded. Gradually, the mist dissipated, and the temple disappeared. Then the chilling reality once again appeared before me.
The taxidermied humans surrounding me and the pervert watching the situation nonchalantly from a distance were still there. The pain that I had forgotten about also returned. The pain was so immense that I couldn't even twitch my fingertips.
"I think this is enough. It's fortunate that it's not too late. By any chance, if that person comes, it'll be a big problem..."
Thud, thud.
A headless taxidermied human with three arms and three legs approached me and aggressively grabbed me. They lifted me and placed me on the back of a taxidermied human that resembled a spider. The taxidermied human carried me on their back, and then their eight legs crawled like a spider and transported me toward the pervert.
Thud!
The spider-like taxidermied human dropped me roughly on the ground. Due to the impact, the pain that was already severe became even more intense.
"Are you still alive? Hello?" the pervert teased while sitting down in front of me and chuckling. He tapped my forehead with his finger.
His finger was so exceedingly long and dry that it was more like a twig rather than a finger. The pervert rolled my head around, playfully lifted my limp arms, and toyed with my body.
"Well, it seems like you’re still alive. Then—"
Puff...
The pervert grabbed me by the hair to take me somewhere when his words came to a halt. Mist was flowing out. The source was the spell array I had just drawn. The mist that flowed out was thicker and more pungent than usual. The pervert looked at the spell array that was emitting the mist and let out a hollow laugh.
"It doesn't work. About half of my body isn't human."
"I know."
I stood up from my seat. The spell I used was 'intoxication.' The target of the spell was neither the taxidermized humans nor the pervert, but myself. My body, which was deeply infused with the Voodoo mist, no longer felt pain. It was just a dizzying pleasure that tingled my mind. The pain that tormented my body had disappeared.
It worked. The spell worked on my body.
"As expected."
The reason why the spell had no effect on him was because the pervert wasn't completely human. He was half-human, but the other half was a taxidermied human, so the spell only had half the intended effect.
It was meaningless to dwell on it now.
The air here was filled with a pungent, sour smell mixed with blood and chemicals, along with the smell of rotting flesh. It smelled like spoiled food that had been left untouched for months. I quickly left the room.
I walked through a corridor that contained strange-shaped taxidermied humans that stood like statues and eventually reached the underground fourth floor. The dim light of the parking lot felt exceptionally bright. My clothes were soaked in blood. It was my blood that had dripped from the back of my head and my mouth. It didn't seem like it could be wiped away easily.
Boom, boom, boom...
At that moment, an explosion resounded from behind. The sound was faint and distant as if it was being heard through multiple layers of soundproof walls, but the sounds were undoubtedly getting closer.
I suppressed the sudden surge of anxiety that welled up in me and headed toward the elevator. Even though I pressed the button, the elevator didn't come down. It remained on the first floor.
[Don't just stand there. Take the stairs!]
Boom, boom, boom─!
The sound of explosions and collapsing structures gradually approached, and before I knew it, the sounds resounded from right in front of me. The pillars supporting the parking lot were shaking from the impact. Soon, my anxiety grew into a feeling of certainty.
This building was collapsing.
Leaving the non-functioning elevator behind, I ran toward the stairs. I quickly climbed the stairs, skipping two or three steps at a time. Dust fell from the ceiling with a precarious noise.
My legs, which felt fine just moments ago, were now trembling. It meant that the effects of the intoxication spell were wearing off. The pain that I had forgotten began to slowly return. It was clear that I would collapse under the pain if this continued.
Flash─!
I unleashed Voodoo magic. It was much stronger and purer than before I had received the Ritual of Succession. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the vivid purple color was brilliant.
The spell array I drew with the unleashed Voodoo magic was, of course, the intoxication spell.
[Don’t do it. You won't die, but your body and mind will crumble.]
At Legba's warning, my hand that was drawing the spell halted.
"If I don't use it right now, I'll die for sure."
[If you think of the long term, it’s much better if you don’t use it. If you just go up one more floor, you’ll reach the ground floor. Persevere.]
The spell array was already over half done. I just had to draw one more stroke, and then the spell would be complete. Without stopping my legs, which were climbing up the staircase, I sank into thought.
Legba's words that it was better not to use it were true from a long-term standpoint. There was a high possibility of becoming addicted to the intoxication spell if I abused it.
No, but if I didn’t use it now, I would die.
Starting from the center of my abdomen, the pain was gradually spreading throughout my body, reaching every corner. It was a certainty, not speculation, that I would collapse soon if I didn't rely on the power of the intoxication spell.
Puff...
In the end, I drew the final stroke and activated the spell. As soon as I sniffed the mist, the pain washed away immediately. Perhaps because I had used the intoxication spell consecutively, an electrifying pleasure that was so great that it felt as if I could lose consciousness at any moment coursed through my body.
[You crazy bastard! You really don't listen to a damn word I say!]
"Heh, heh... Ah, I'm sorry. Really."
Legba scolded me while I stifled my laughter and just barely managed to apologize. Even in this urgent situation, laughter was inexplicably coming out.
I hurriedly left the building. The pungent smell unique to the underground disappeared, and the refreshing air of the surface greeted me. Several fire trucks were parked in front of the building, and paladins were gathered together while looking at the building. Apart from the fact that the fire trucks were here, the situation seemed peaceful at first glance.
Booooom─!!
Not long after, the peace was shattered by the explosion that occurred from the building. The paladins quickly took out their equipment and prepared to enter while citizens chatting idly in the midst of the chaos began screaming.
I turned my head and looked at the building.
"Ah..."
The building was tilting. It seemed like the explosion that occurred underground had caused the building’s foundation to collapse. All the visible windows were shattered, and the countless signs that had been attached to the building fell down. The explosion sparked a fire, and the fire caused smoke to billow up into the sky, creating a hazy cloud. Screams echoed out everywhere.
In the face of such a tragedy, the paladins simply stood there, gawking at the swaying building. Only one paladin quickly analyzed the situation and attempted to enter the building. The rest of the paladins were still in a daze.
As I exited the building, I tightly closed my eyes. The screams haunted my ears. Someone was screaming due to the explosion that was caused by me. Yet, only one paladin was determined to enter the building and save people. Just one person couldn't possibly rescue all the trapped individuals in that massive building.
[Don't even think about going in and saving people. You'll definitely suffocate from the smoke and die.]
"..."
[You don't have the appropriate equipment, and your body is already battered. If you go in, you'll die.]
Legba's words were true. At this moment, I was barely holding on to my consciousness thanks to the combination of the restoration spell, intoxication spell, and Bossou's power. Jumping into the flames with my bare body in this situation would be sheer madness. Instead of rescuing people, it would be fortunate if I didn't pass out from inhaling the smoke.
That would be the case if I went in without any protective gear.
"Hey! Get into your firefighting gear quickly! The director has already gone in!"
"Did you guys even receive training? Why aren't you putting on the gear?"
"I-I'm sorry!"
I noticed that the paladins were hurriedly putting on their equipment in front of the fire trucks lined up in front of the burning building. There was a full array of firefighting gear beside them.
As I silently stared at the gear, Legba's flustered voice reached me.
[...Wait, now that I think about it, even with the gear, it seems like death is inevitable. I misspoke.]
"Legba wouldn't make such a mistake. You're not Legba, are you?"
[Right now, you're intoxicated by the spell and unable to make rational decisions. Come to your senses... Where are you going, yo-you crazy bastard! Sun-Woo! Stop! Do-Sun... Hey!] Legba shouted.
My steps were headed toward the scattered equipment arranged beside the fire truck.