Published: September 4, 2025
Satou here. At the end of the 20th century, many light novels and games often portrayed religious organizations as antagonists, but nowadays, it feels like that’s not seen as much.
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“Hey, you’re late! The ritual has already started. I’m opening the door, so be careful of any noise and get into your assigned positions.”
At the door to the ritual hall, a person who seemed like the group leader was being scolded by a gruff voice. The scolding ended quickly, and the group I had sneaked into was sent inside the door.
I thought this earlier too, but this group is really careless.
They don’t seem like a bunch capable of summoning items from the Demon World or doing anything grandiose. Something about them feels off. Could someone be pulling the strings behind the scenes?
Well, whatever.
Places suitable for rituals are probably rare, so if I destroy this one, anyone with unholy intentions will be on alert and keep quiet.
The ritual hall is huge. It’s 200 meters wide, 20 meters tall, and nearly a kilometer deep. Of course, there are many pillars standing inside, but it’s amazing how they can support such a massive weight. Is this some kind of “fixation magic”?
My thoughts drifted for a moment.
Around 200 men and women are inside the ritual hall, repeatedly reciting phrases like poetry. It doesn’t seem like they’re chanting spells.
In the altar room, three stone beds are lined up, and three girls are lying on them. Their bare skin has something like paint drawn on it, resembling magic circles. It looks like they aren’t dressed.
“Here, offering pure maidens as a sacrifice for the summoning of the Holy Relic!”
“““Summon!”””
It seems I arrived a bit late. Responding to the shout from the most commanding man, three executives standing beside the girls raised ritual daggers and brought them down onto the girls’ hearts.
This might not be like the usual me.
The moment I saw the executives raise their daggers, I had already bolted from the spot.
I felt the members behind me being blown against the walls. They must have taken the full brunt of the recoil from the accelerated skystride.
Running at arrow-like speed, I knew I wouldn't make it in time like this.
Short stun is good, but skystride is faster. The demon gun’s range is 200 meters. Still too far.
“Ma-a-ni-a-a-e-e!”
I shouted as if telling myself this.
It was only a split second before the executives brought down the daggers—in fact, I might have only managed to say “ma”—but it wasn’t wasted.
The next moment, I felt a strange sensation as if running through water, and realized I had kicked the daggers out of the three executives’ hands.
] “Obtained instant movement skill.”
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“Who are you!”
The leader of the group probably wanted to say that.
But before he could finish, I knocked him out with a counterattack. Using my newly acquired instant movement skill, I must have appeared to them like I had multiplied.
Thanks to that, I didn’t need much time to neutralize nearly 200 members.
First, I’ll recover the short horns, but I should deal with the possessed maidens first.
“How rude, interfering with the ritual, you uncultured scum.”
“Indeed, typical of the lowly human tribe.”
Two demons burst through the bodies of the members lying on the ground, as if shedding them like clothes.
These aren’t short horns.
They’re high-rank demons on par with me.
The demon with the “-ojaru” ending has red skin, deer-like horns, and no wings. The one with the “-nari” ending has bronze skin, water buffalo-like horns, and two pairs of wings. Both are level 63.
“Really, to interfere with my rebirth ritual, you are utterly foolish, I tell you.”
There, sitting on one of the stone beds, was a girl. Or rather, the one possessing her had not yet revealed their true nature.
Regardless of the members’ survival, I want to save the sacrificial girl.
Using instant movement skill, I retrieved the two demons and carried them toward the exit.
“Don’t let them escape, ojaru.”