Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 23



Only Noblemtl

Episode 23. sanctuary purification

“Sanctuary purification?”

We already know about the purification of the sanctuary. Even when playing Nameless Chaos, when several important ‘bases’ were captured, the occupier’s faith became more powerful in those areas. That place is the sanctuary.

And purification of the sanctuary involved erasing the original faith of the sanctuary and establishing a new faith.

Isaac had just devoured a being in the Sanctuary that was neither an ordinary monster nor a beast, but a fallen but once godlike being. So, he expected that a different message would come out this time, but he had no idea that nameless chaos would demand purification of the sanctuary.

‘Of course I have to return it to the Code of Light, right?’

As if anticipating Isaac’s confusion, a message appeared.

[This sanctuary is polluted by ‘Modest Rats’.]

[The Contaminated Sanctuary can be dedicated to any faith.]

[Erases the remnants of the old gods remaining in the sanctuary and grants new blessings to the area.]

[The blessings of faith become even stronger within the sanctuary.]

Although he didn’t say it out loud, it means that he wants nameless Chaos to follow in Zihillet’s footsteps.

Isaac was troubled.

The tentacles are an obstacle to Isaac, but they are also his secret weapon. Without Nameless Chaos, dealing with Zihilet would have been much more difficult. Perhaps, as soon as he saw Zihilet, he went crazy because he was not protected by the divinity. No, she wouldn’t have even survived this far before she did.

As you sacrifice, the blessings of Nameless Chaos become stronger.

‘It will definitely be beneficial to me, but… … .’

Is that really the right thing to do in this world?

Isaac saw the tentacles protruding from his body slaughtering and devouring all the creatures around him. Even Isaac didn’t want the whole world to go through something like that because of this sanctuary.

“What if we don’t purify the sanctuary?”

[If the sanctuary is not purified, the old gods can be resurrected at any time.]

Isaac, who was thinking of just pretending not to know anything, showed a shocked expression. He has figured it out now, but if Hylet is resurrected in his absence, the monks may be massacred.

Of course, it was unlikely that a tentacle monster would come out and turn the world upside down just because of offering sanctuary. This is because Isaac understood the game system.

In this world, it is difficult for God to do something alone.

They simply perform miracles and provide directions through believers, priests, and paladins. Even if Nameless Chaos had evil intentions, it would be difficult to carry them out if Isaac was the only believer to act as a medium.

‘So, I heard that evil spirits control the mind or corrupt it… … .’

At least the nameless chaos never gnawed at Isaac’s brain or spoke strange whispers. There have been times when I made Isaac carry out quests with half-pleading or whining, but I never put Isaac in any needless danger or caused any damage.

After much thought, Isaac decided.

“This sanctuary… … “Dedicated to nameless chaos.”

The sanctuary must be purified. In order to erase the traces of Jihylet, it was necessary to overwrite it with nameless chaos. Above all, it is better for him to have a sanctuary so that he can survive.

***

Guuuuung.

The moment Isaac declared, a strange vibration was felt echoing through the sanctuary. A sweet smell wafted from somewhere. The tentacles in my hand stretched out and dug into the center of the altar.

The tentacles that dug into the center of the altar began to spread out everywhere, as if covering the surrounding area. The stone altar clattered, breaking, crushing, and twisting. The sight of the walls and floor writhing was unreal.

And finally, the huge heart swelled as it destroyed the altar.

Excited.

The moment the heart of the altar pulsed, Isaac felt his whole body uplifted. His pulse continued to beat and rang through the basement. Isaac could feel his heart gaining strength with each beat.

Not only that. Isaac felt like the area around the monastery, which had been declared a ‘sanctuary’, was his own skin. I was able to figure out how many plague beasts Jihillet had left on the mountain behind, how polluted the grass and trees were, where the people in the monastery were, and even how strong and weak they were.

In other words, Isaac was able to have a sense of omnipotence, even in the monastery area.

Isaac staggered back, feeling a distant sensation rushing in. As soon as he stepped off the altar, Isaac felt the rush of sensation fading away.

‘Does the omnipotent sense that can check the conditions around the sanctuary only occur near the altar?’

It was as if Isaac had become nameless chaos itself. I’ve played as a paladin or priest before, but I’ve never experienced an event like this in Sanctuary. Perhaps it is an effect unique to nameless chaos.

Isaac saw tentacle appendages extending in all directions around the heart of the altar.

Bundles of muscles and nerves wriggled between the collapsed cracks in the old-style stone wall, and blood vessels extending like tree roots twitched in time with the pulsating heart. Subtle red and purple colors glistened gloomily on the wall. The basement of the monastery, once an old temple, now looked like the entrails of an unholy monster.

‘The monks will faint when they see this.’

However, unless Isaac decides to overthrow the monastery, they will be able to continue serving the Code of Light in the future. Without even knowing what is beneath their feet.

As soon as the altar was completed, the tentacle returned to Isaac’s left hand. Isaac felt the life force in the tentacles throbbing more powerfully than ever before. With this power, it seemed possible to unilaterally suppress Jihillet, who had fought earlier.

[Nameless Chaos is watching you.]

I also felt satisfaction in the message I heard from the nameless Chaos. Isaac still had doubts about whether this was the right thing to do, but it had already been done. Although he was a little confused, Isaac was confident that with this he would at least not be killed in or around the monastery.

[A Chaos reward was given for ‘sanctuary purification.’]

[Choose one of the following three rewards.]

[Gnawing Harvester / Fangs appear on the tentacles, allowing you to attack or consume enemies more effectively.]

[Eyes of Chaos / You can understand the other person’s psychology and state. If you are on guard or try to cover your mind, reading becomes difficult.]

[Geared Chaos / By offering a sacrifice, you can summon powerful monsters belonging to the realm of chaos.]

Anyway, these were the three compensation plans I had seen in a long time. Isaac couldn’t help but be troubled because all three options seemed attractive.

It was clear that the ‘Gnawing Harvester’ would greatly double the attack power of the powerful tentacles. In the hallucination that came to mind as a reward card, I saw fangs sprouting like gears from tentacles.

‘Gearing Chaos’ was also an expected ability as a result of using the Descendants of Chaos perk this time. Because of the prominent shape of his tentacles, Isaac will almost always have to move alone, so he will always lack limbs to provide support. It would be helpful to have powerful summons to replace your limbs.

However, after much deliberation, what Isaac chose was ‘Eyes of Chaos’.

It was none other than the Heretic Questioner.

‘Understand the condition and psychology… … .’

This ability was exactly what Isaac needed. Isaac’s race, the Nephilim, are hated by the gods anyway. If so, you need to gain favor with humans, and the Eye of Chaos will be useful in increasing the Nephilim’s charm.

Manipulation and instigation of public opinion, seduction, domination, intimidation, persuasion, and lies. Everything could be Isaac’s tool. This ability was especially necessary considering the heretic inquisitor who was visiting the monastery.

‘Now that we have defeated Zihillet, the plague will disappear from the monastery. The Heretic Questioner will also recover soon. Then we have to find out what she was thinking when she came here and what purpose she has.’

Isaac had no intention of becoming the king of monsters and ruling the world. What he wants is to become successful and not feel strange among people. If you want to avoid trouble like the Heretic Questioner in the future, the ability to read other people’s minds will be useful.

The moment he chose the Eye of Chaos, Isaac felt his right eye becoming sore and painful. Isaac, frightened by the feeling of something slippery passing over his cornea, quickly took out his sword and aimed it at it. Above the smooth blade, strands of red tentacles were visible covering the surface of the eye.

“… … ?!”

As the tentacle settled on the cornea, Isaac’s eyes, which were originally dark gray, suddenly changed to have red pupils. Luckily, there wasn’t anything that stood out about her except that she was odd-eyed.

‘Now the final procedure remains.’

Isaac turned his attention to the remaining body of Jihilet.

The tentacles feasted on Jihilet’s body for a long time, but most of the meat remained uneaten. Isaac wanted to eat Jihilet’s corpse and absorb its powers, but the tentacle seemed reluctant to do so.

‘Are there any parts left that shouldn’t be eaten?’

Isaac stared at the remaining body of Zihillet.

Soon he thought of a way to use the remaining corpses.