The Possessor Mistook the Genre for 20 Years

27 – The Cult of Destruction (3)

Yuna’s mother and brother had already become victims of the biological experiments conducted by the cult.

If Yuna found out about this, she would surely become a villain.

The world saved by the hero’s power would be destroyed by the hero’s power.

But the problem didn’t end there.

The wine that the Duke of Ishtar presented to the cult leader. If the identity of that unpleasant sensation was related to the scene unfolding before his eyes, the cult leader’s hall would become a den of terrible monstrous creatures.

It was truly the worst situation.

‘Damn it…’

Even if he tried not to curse, he couldn’t help it.

It was then.

[Master of the Tower, Duke Ishtar has business with the hero.]

Arian’s telepathic message arrived.

It seemed that Duke Ishtar was slowly starting to plot something.

‘What on earth is he planning?’

Is he dreaming of world domination using the hero?

Or is it to fulfill the long-cherished wish of the cult?

No, no. This was not the time to be worrying about such things.

“Arian, try to buy as much time as possible.”

[I’ll try to do that.]

Franz needed time.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t come up with a sharp solution to resolve this situation.

‘First, I need to save this side.’

If he couldn’t rescue the kidnapped family, Yuna would end up becoming a villainess.

That was the worst-case scenario.

And if he could save them, he could somehow deal with the cult leader.

After all, it was the cult’s doing.

Knowing that, but not being able to come up with a method, was even more frustrating.

‘Wait a minute…’

At that moment, a thought suddenly came to Franz’s mind.

The Saintess.

Could it be possible for the Saintess to save them?

The unpleasant energy emanating from them was definitely demonic, and the Saintess was someone who purified such demonic energy.

It might just be a guess, but it was worth a try.

No, there was nothing else to rely on.

The world was on the brink of destruction, so whether it was a rotten rope or a sturdy one, he had to grab it.

He felt a little sorry for the Saintess who would suddenly have to go through this.

But in a way, it was also the business of the Goddess Church, so she would understand.

Franz hoped that Arian and Yuna would buy him enough time as he used teleportation.

A magic circle formed beneath his feet, and with a flash of light, Franz’s figure disappeared.

Soon, Franz appeared in the Saint Serpia Cathedral.

To be precise, it was a small room within the cathedral where the saintess resided.

He was aware that barging in so suddenly was impolite, but there was no time to worry about such things.

‘She’s asleep.’

Perhaps she had fallen asleep while reading, as a book lay open on the desk, and Eustia was slumped over it.

“Eustia.”

“Ugh…?!”

When Franz shook her shoulder to wake her, Eustia jolted awake and sat up.

Her gaze slowly turned to Franz.

“W-What…! Why are you here…!”

Eustia’s eyes widened as she crossed her arms over her chest.

She seemed embarrassed to be in her pajamas.

While he fully understood her feelings, there was no time for that now.

“Let’s go. It’s urgent.”

“W-What’s going on…?”

“I’ll explain on the way.”

A magic circle began to form beneath Franz’s feet, and seeing this, Eustia hurriedly stood up.

“W-Wait! At least let me grab a coat…!”

Before she could finish her sentence, the light flashed briefly.

In an instant, they both disappeared from the room.

Soon, Franz and Eustia appeared in the underground of the Ishtar Duke’s mansion.

The dimly lit underground was illuminated by magic stones, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

“Franz…! This is too sudden…”

Eustia, who had been glaring at Franz with wide eyes, couldn’t finish her sentence this time either.

The scene before her was too shocking.

“W-What is this…?”

“Can you purify it?”

“P-Purify?! I’ve never seen anything like this before…”

Eustia bit her lower lip in frustration.

But that also meant there was a possibility of success.

It was just that they hadn’t tried yet.

“Justia, please.”

“Yes, I’ll do my best.”

Nodding with determination, Justia knelt on the spot and brought her hands together in front of her chest.

Franz, looking down at her from above, turned his head slightly.

Then he took off his coat and draped it over Justia’s shoulders.

Because her loose pajamas revealed her cleavage.

He had hurriedly searched for his coat, realizing the reason belatedly.

“Oh goddess who loves all things, punish those who cause chaos in the world….”

Justia began to recite the prayer.

Then, a brilliant golden divine power spread from her body like mist.

“Ugh, ah, it hurts… save me, save me….”

A dry voice came from beyond the cold iron bars.

They writhed in agony, groaning in pain.

Justia bit her lower lip and closed her eyes tightly.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

She was the very image of a saint, sharing in the suffering of others and caring for the afflicted.

‘The effect is….’

There.

The dark, murky mass of magic that had bound their bodies began to melt away, and their grotesquely twisted bodies slowly started to return to normal.

But the recovery was not very fast, so it seemed it would take some time.

It was then.

[Master of the Tower, something’s wrong. Black liquid is coming out of people’s mouths…. The hero seems strange too! Is it not done yet?!]

It was a telepathic message from Arian.

‘Damn….’

It seemed that Duke Ishtar had finally started to move in earnest.

“Justia, I’ll send Hera here. Wait a little longer with her.”

Franz spoke softly to Justia.

The magic circle and teleportation.

Franz’s new form had disappeared.

* * * * *

It was before Franz brought Justia.

As Yuna and Arian were waiting for Franz, Duke Ishtar suddenly approached them.

“Lady, may I have a word with the hero?”

“We’re in the middle of an important conversation. If you don’t mind, could you spend some time elsewhere?”

“It’s quite important for me as well. By the way, don’t you enjoy wine? I’ve prepared some excellent ones.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I don’t have a hobby of enjoying alcohol.”

“Ha ha, that’s quite unfortunate.”

Arian felt like she was going to vomit at his friendly laugh.

How could he shamelessly offer wine after doing something suspicious to it?

Indeed, cultists shouldn’t be treated as humans. They’re devils, devils.

“Well, it can’t be helped. Since the lady says it’s important, I’ll step back.”

Duke Ishtar said so and passed by Yuna.

Haah-.

Arian sighed, thinking the situation was over.

But then, Yuna’s eyes suddenly started to shake violently.

She turned her body towards Duke Ishtar.

Arian was startled by Yuna’s actions.

Franz had asked them to buy some time, but at this rate, they would only cause trouble instead of buying time.

“The Tower Master asked us to buy some time. So you have to move carefully.”

Arian whispered softly into Yuna’s ear, covering her mouth with her hand.

Yuna nodded slightly.

‘What on earth is this…’

Arian felt it was all unfair no matter how much she thought about it.

She thought she would have a date with Franz at the social gathering, but he brought another woman.

And then he left that other woman with her and disappeared.

It was a situation that would make any woman angry.

‘I must get compensation for this later.’

Thinking so, Arian gently stroked her lower abdomen.

But unlike Arian’s happy imagination, the situation was urgent.

“Everyone, please look this way!”

On the second floor of the social hall, Duke Ishtar drew everyone’s attention.

Arian and Yuna’s gazes naturally turned that way.

“Everyone, it seems it’s time to bring the social gathering to a close.”

Bring it to a close?

Arian couldn’t understand his words.

She had never heard of a social gathering ending so abruptly.

But who could have known?

That the end of the social gathering was a signal for a new beginning.

Snap.

Duke Ishtar snapped his fingers.

Then, as if on cue, the nobles attending the social gathering clutched their throats.

“Ugh, ack… ugh…”

“Ugh…!”

They let out sounds filled with pain, and something poured out of their mouths.

It was a dark, sticky liquid.

The unpleasant liquid that spilled onto the floor slowly began to cling to the nobles’ bodies.

“Ugh…!”

Yuna collapsed to the floor, clutching her chest.

Her expression was stained with pain.

Arian, who witnessed the entire situation with her own eyes, quickly sent a telepathic message to Franz.

“Ma, Master of the Tower, something’s wrong. Black liquid is coming out of people’s mouths… The hero seems strange too! How much longer?!”

Her voice trembled as it flowed from her mouth.

Moreover, her hands and feet were shaking so much that she felt like she might collapse at any moment.

“Hmm, as expected of the hero? To endure even after consuming such a large amount.”

Arian’s gaze turned back to the second floor.

There, Duke Ishtar still stood.

With eyes as red as if blood had pooled in them.

Those eyes were eerily similar to those of a demon.

“Well, it’s fine. After all, you won’t be able to do anything.”

With that, he jumped over the railing and landed on the first floor.

Then he slowly began to approach Arian and Yuna.

Eventually, he reached Yuna and let out a small laugh.

“Do you know, hero? Your family is already dead. No, to be precise, they are alive. Twisted and in a terrible state. If you had cut my neck when you first came to kill me, they would have lived.”

At Ishtar’s taunt, the light faded from Yuna’s eyes.

The golden pupils that had shone brilliantly were now shrouded in darkness.

Yuna staggered and stood up.

Her hands were clenched into fists, trembling.

A grinding sound, as if her teeth were breaking, could be heard.

Soon, a golden aura began to flow from her body.

The hero’s power pushed away the dark energy and purified her body.

At that moment, light flickered and Franz appeared in the hall.

Dozens of translucent displays floated before his eyes.

＜Warning!＞

＜You are on the verge of a bad ending! Your choices greatly affect the fate of the world!＞

A display window announcing the bad ending.

The red-eyed Duke Ishtar and Yuna, already driven to her limit.

Even the nobles who were becoming grotesque.

Franz, grasping the situation, raised his hand to his forehead.

This is really bad….