A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

"..." Rector was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground and couldn't get up for a long time.

For some reason, Rector is now a little afraid of Bray.

Is this even a normal person? Or are all those powerful adventurers capable of doing this?

S-rank is definitely capable of breaching city walls... S-rank? Rector is a little unsure about Brey's level.

But if Bray knew what he was thinking, he would tell him properly that in this era, it is meaningless to distinguish between the strong and the weak by class.

Regardless of level, anyone who is weak will be crushed by a demigod.

Unless you can stand upright before God, rank is meaningless.

"What are you doing? Aren't you coming in?" Noticing that Rector wasn't behind him, Bray turned around and urged the terrified Rector to hurry up and catch up.

"Okay, okay," Rector stammered, giving a stiff reply.

He struggled to his feet and jogged to Bray's side.

Lector, covered in cold sweat, stared at the shattered gate, wondering what kind of monster he had brought as a temporary guard.

Inside this building, which should be an altar, a magic lamp that is still in use is preserved.

However, these lights flickered on and off, as if they were about to go out at any moment.

A magic lamp that can last for a thousand years would surely cause a stir if it were placed in the world of the Black Iron race.

However, this technique is probably lost.

The Bronze Age civilization had already experienced a break in continuity, and the same will happen after the Iron Age civilization, as seen in Brecchai.

The post-apocalyptic wasteland is a sign that a once-great civilization is beginning to decline and be forgotten.

The two sides of the stone wall are covered with numerous patterns, including murals depicting giant centipedes.

At first, Bray and Rector saw black mist at the outermost edge, but here it was clearly revealed that it was a centipede.

Of course, although the mural is very abstract, it is still possible to see that the "Great Centipede" is very different from a normal centipede.

It can only be said that it retains the most prominent features of a centipede, but it is more in line with the structure of an aragami.

What constitutes the structure of an Aragami? It would probably be a twisted body, hard armor, and overflowing energy.

All of this tells others that the Aragami is an entity that is in the process of self-destruction.

They don't need anyone else's help; they just need time to be punished.

"As expected, there are no more Aragami." Bray murmured, looking at the huge box in front of him.

The enormous box was destroyed from the inside, one side completely shattered.

This box was probably used to lock up that "great centipede".

This box might be even more secure than the outer door, and even a mine might not be able to cut it open.

Long ago, that ara-god broke through the angels' blockade and escaped from suppression.

But He died shortly afterward.

The evidence was the incongruous pile of dust around the box.

After an Aragami dies, it leaves no trace in this world.

The world is merciless to these broken monsters, leaving nothing but ashes.

Others might not be able to discern the traces left by the Aragami's death... but Bray can.

Perhaps even the Silver Seeds don't understand the Wild Gods as well as Bray does.

Because Bray killed many Aragami, some unfamiliar and some familiar.

Some deserved to die, while others were unwilling to be killed.

"Why?" Rector, of course, could not see any trace of the existence of the Aragami, so he was very curious about Bray's assertion.

“That ash only remains after the death of the Aragami.” Bray didn’t think there was anything to hide about the knowledge about the Aragami.

"Even without being killed by others, the Aragami will disappear on its own."

"And their final moments of disappearance are the most terrifying."

"I guess the angels don't know this."

Bray could even picture the scene.

The desolate god, on the verge of collapse, broke through containment and then turned into dust.

Bray had no idea where the centipedes that covered the entire underground city came from.

If it were a product of a concept, Bray would have realized it long ago.

But those parasites have nothing to do with the concept; they are completely normal organisms.

While it's not quite right to say it's normal, it certainly doesn't reach the level of a silver-grade item.

The birth of the Aragami is absurd in itself, and no one can say for sure what their ecology is like.

Not to mention that the "Great Centipede" might actually have evolved from an ordinary centipede that had activated its divine source.

It's possible that those parasites really were "born" from birth.

“Mr. Bray, there are so many books here!” Rector, who was still in awe of the huge box in front of him, suddenly noticed that there were many bookshelves around him.

Before he knew it, Rector was also led astray by Bray and started calling the stone tablet a "book".

Bray was very satisfied with this.

Within this altar, there were neither parasitized angels nor centipedes.

It was completely different from the chaotic world outside, like a true holy land.

Rector began to struggle with the bookshelf, for there were many stone slabs, and he had to decide which ones to take back.

Bray, who had the magical fanny pack nearby, showed absolutely no intention of helping.

He doesn't want his wallet stuffed with other people's things; it just feels weird.

The bookshelves were arranged around the box, so Rector walked around them as well.

When he came to the back of the box, he was surprised to find a figure.

It was a slender figure from behind, the owner of which was tightly holding the box with a pattern protruding from it, its head and wings drooping heavily.

He gripped that spot tightly with both hands, as if it were something extremely important.

These angel's wings are different from those of the monsters outside; they are pure white and spotless.

That magnificent dress, adorned with countless thick and intricate sacred fabrics, was the attire worn only by clergy.

Despite her divine status, her smooth, short, golden hair still evoked a sense of wonder and longing.

This is the angel in Rector's mind, an incomparably divine being.

Although he couldn't see His face clearly, Rector was certain that He must be very beautiful.

Unconsciously, his breathing became much more rapid as he took small steps closer to the other person.

When facing Him, Rector felt somewhat ashamed and had to muster all his courage just to get close to Him.

His fingertips touched the fair skin on the angel's back.

But soon his finger was firmly grasped by a slender hand.

"Inferior beings, do not touch other people's bodies without permission." A cold voice came from the mouth of the angel who should have been asleep.

"Aaaaaaahhhhh!" In the next second, Rector let out a scream.

His fingers were snapped off in an instant.

There was no time for Rector to react; his finger snapped off with a "crack."

The distance was so close, no one could have stopped it from happening.

Do you really think that if you awaken a holy angel, He will speak to you in a gentle, ethereal voice and be grateful to you?

Wake up, stop dreaming. To angels, lower species are inferior.

This idea is so deeply ingrained that it's hard for anyone to accept that pigs can be treated as equals.

Moreover, this angel with the icy voice didn't just want to break one of Rex's fingers.

He also wanted to kill this audacious inferior being who had touched him.

However, His idea was excessive, and He completely ignored Bray, who was nearby.

Before the divine magic could be fully formed, a sword shaved off some stray hairs from the angel who hadn't had a haircut in a thousand years.

“I also think it’s wrong to touch girls casually, but it’s also wrong to break someone’s finger casually.” Bray stared at the angel expressionlessly.

The cold, sharp edge of the sword was pressed against the angel's cheek.

Don't worry, the angel's defenses aren't so weak that they can be easily breached by Bray.

This is just a warning.

“I think without a bodyguard like me, you’d be the kind of guy who would die very easily.” Bray said, glancing helplessly at the pained Rector.

As expected, there's no shortage of people courting death in this world. This angel, who has been feigning sleep for nearly a thousand years, is constantly waiting for the day when he will be awakened by his companions.

I was awakened, but unfortunately, it was not someone of my own kind who awakened me.

It is not a common, lower species.

On that day, the Aragami broke free from his prison, plunging the entire city into endless fear.

They had always used the offspring of the centipede god to enhance their own power, but they never imagined that after the god went mad, the centipede's offspring would act out of character and begin to try to seize control of the angels' bodies.

Of course, angels are not something that this kind of insect can easily control.

Even though the parasite's control was unprecedentedly strong after the Great Centipede broke through the suppression, it still couldn't control the angel for a while.

But... it's only a matter of time before it's eventually brought under control.

He is the priest of this altar. When the great centipede went berserk, He used all his strength to keep the abomination in this altar.

As a result, the underground city's buildings were largely undamaged.

After that, the Aragami collapsed on its own, and the angel priest was fortunate enough to survive.

Although he survived, his weakened state gave parasites an opportunity to take advantage of him.

In order to avoid being controlled by the parasites inside her body, she chose to go into a deep sleep along with the parasites.

As for what happened to the city afterward, He had no idea.

But in any case, He really didn't expect to be touched by the dirty hands of a lower species.

I never imagined that I would be cornered against a wall by a sword from a lower species.

At this moment, the angel priest felt that the scene before him was absurd.

It's estimated that no angel from that era could have imagined such a scene could occur.

"..." Feeling the coldness from the blade, the angel priest narrowed his eyes.

He moved his unbound hands, and a centipede appeared without warning from behind him, then pounced up his arm toward the sword-wielding Bray.

This centipede was much more ferocious than the one we killed before, and even its hundred legs were specially designed to resemble blades.

It was large enough to wrap around the angel priest.

But its speed was disproportionate to its size; it was as fast as an arrow shot out.

A good conversation requires equality between both parties.

Unfortunately, in the eyes of angels, such equality is impossible. Even if He understands that Bray's sword is extremely dangerous, it is not enough for Him to take the inferior species seriously.

If angels are so stubborn a thousand years later, how much more so would angels be a thousand years ago?

"Clang—" The longsword was taken from the angel priest's neck and then pinned the centipede to the ground.

"Fool." The angel priest revealed a disdainful smile.

This parasite, born from the gods, possesses an unbelievable tenacity.

Even angels struggle to completely kill a parasite.

These are monsters that can be cut in two and both pieces can continue to live.