Chapter 111: Gragos (1)
The Priestess, Oteon, looked at the four humans in front of her with a cold expression.
She wanted to rip them apart and that would be befitting but the current status of their race was not very well-off for her to deal with things based on her emotions.
So she left them alive.
In order to make them work for their race.
The ones who drank the liquid which was pa.s.sed down through the Priestesses will lose all control of their bodies and get controlled by the scent the Priestess let out.
A result of the holy powers of a Priestess who was talented in this field and the liquid which came from researching the Gragos.
It couldn’t control them completely but if they used the seven different scents which controlled enmity, loyalty, bloodthirst and other sensations then it wasn’t hard to use them like an army.
And the priest had already handed over all those scents to Hansoo as a symbol of their alliance.
“Though I want to keep them under me and use them as slaves until they die, this is a gift for saving our race. Take it. Letting them go or dragging them around is all up to you.”
‘Not bad.’
Hansoo slightly released the scents and controlled them.
“Puhaaa!”
Then the people who had their mouths blocked by the priestess breathed roughly as they glared at Hansoo.
Hansoo spoke to them.
“Speak comfortably. Since I don’t have thoughts of limiting your speech,”
“…d.a.m.ned b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Just kill us instead.”
The result was clear if they were to act like dolls like this.
They would get killed after being controlled by the one in front of their eyes like hunting dogs.
Though it was a bit too much to say it with his mouth, it was too frightening for them to stay alive.
But Hansoo shrugged his shoulders.
“Really? Though I’m going to let you go after I finish my work?”
“…?”
As it seemed this scent only worked in the Orange Zone.
He was going to release them after the work here finished.
“That’s why I told you let’s get along.”
“…”
Hansoo turned around, leaving these four who wondered what Hansoo was thinking, as he looked at Sofía walking towards them after coming out from the tank.
“…”
Hansoo, who looked at Sofía with a strange look, asked Taruhol standing next to him.
“Isn’t this a bit s.e.xist? It doesn’t seem like Sofía changed much physically.”
Taruhol nodded his head:
“Of course. We can control the physique the way we want as well.”
“…”
“You see, you seemed a bit too scrawny so we specially made you as manly as possible. That was the limit due to your human body sadly. We wanted to make you around 3m tall.”
“…That’s a relief.”
It’ll be troublesome if his appearance diverted away from the humans that much.
Since there may be people sticking behind him in order to kill him after thinking that he is a monster.
At that moment the roar of a successful hunt resonated from the distance.
Kouuu! Kouuu!
Taruhol spoke with a cold expression after hearing that sound.
“They’ve been caught. You two stay here. Since the flaming altar is only for warriors. I’ll be right back.”
Taruhol then rushed into the distance.
………………………………
The six males and females were dragged in front of Taruhol after getting reprimanded by the Akaron warriors.
Taruhol looked at the six, who had their entire bodies bound, as she spoke:
“We are going to offer you as sacrifices on the flaming altar.”
“…”
Flaming altar.
It was simple.
Place them on the flaming altar after filling them up with the silvery enhancing fluid.
It was painful enough with the silver liquid alone but a fire will burn them from the outside.
They will face the pain of their innards getting destroyed by the silver liquids and their outsides getting burnt off.
The worst part was that they won’t die.
Since the silver liquid did its job even without having to attach itself.
The liquid will constantly give them pain as it heals their body at the same time.
And it takes 7 days for them to die an excruciating death while that liquid loses its power slowly.
It would be amazing if it ended there but if they decided that the sin was so huge then they would heal them back up, dump them in the silver liquid and then offer them again.
“There are countless Akarons who died by your hands. Your sins are too great but… We don’t have the time to look after you since we’re busy, be thankful. Being able to die in 7 days is a great blessing.”
Mirian made a cold expression from Taruhol’s words.
Though they had done wrong, they still couldn’t look at the person who wanted to kill them with a good expression.
Taruhol looked at those eyes, pondered for a moment and then spoke.
“But, there is a way to not get offered on the flaming altar. Since this punishment is very cruel we will give you a chance to live.”
“!”
“It’s simple. If there is a single Akaron here that wants you to live. If there is a single one then this punishment will be pushed back.”
“…”
“One day per one Akaron.”
With this they would usually beg the Akarons in order to live.
And the number of Akarons who wanted to forgive them rose as they saw their actions.
If they act properly then the Akarons who wanted to save them will come out and if they don’t then the ones who wanted to may change their mind.
Taruhol finished speaking and then looked at the six with a still expression.
“10 minutes. If a single person comes out then you will at least buy some time.”
Tares hurriedly looked towards Ailen from those words.
The other Akarons wouldn’t even budge.
Since all of them were looking at Tares with eyes that wanted to kill.
Actually the Priestess was already confidently preparing the Altar.
Ailen was their only hope.
“Ailen! Please! Give me a chance! I’ll do anything you ask!”
Ailen made a bitter expression.
Hundreds of her race had died because of these people.
But on the other hand, if these people didn’t exist then she wouldn’t have been able to come back safely from her mission.
Since their intentions back then were at least real.
Ailen slowly spoke out.
“The thing I can save. Is One. My one vote is one day. I can push back one person.”
“…”
“Choose between you guys. I will push back one person.”
The six looked at each other from those words.
They were all friends.
Others might betray each other and stab each other in the back but these six didn’t even have a single thought like that in 5 years.
Betraying the Akaron and then pleading to the Akaron here to save themselves.
Tares made an expression of despair.
‘It’ll be better to die together than doing this.’
The thought of all six dying and one surviving clashed inside his head after weighing them both.
Mirian made an annoyed expression as she spoke.
“I don’t care. Even if I live it’ll mean that I’ll have to lick their a.s.ses for my whole life. I’m done.”
Takuya muttered as well.
“I’m done too. Even if that happened, if no one else than Ailen allows us to live then I’ll have to die anyway. I’m tired of this.”
As Tares heard this he stayed resolute and spoke out.
He was the leader and all the fault lay on him who had decided to do this.
“I’m done too. The remaining people are…”
Takuya shook his head at those words.
“No, you need to live no matter what. And I have a very important favor for you to do, please. Only you can do it.”
Tares realized what he meant and clenched his teeth.
……………………………………
While Taruhol was solving the problem, Hansoo and Oteon were discussing about what’s to come.
“Are you going to go solve the Gragos problem right away?”
Hansoo nodded his head.
‘I’m almost there.’
Once he solved the Gragos problem and created the cure by killing the Tiradus then everything he would need to do on this cow-shaped Gragos would be over.
‘…My current pain can only be solved by killing the Tiradus anyway.’
So he needed to ask him a favor now.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it?”
Hansoo whispered to Oteon.
“While I solve the Gragos problem, lure this Gragos to your Holy Land, to Lazar the White Lion.”
Oteon’s expression brightened up as she spoke.
“Are you thinking of curing the White Lion?”
Hansoo nodded.
The strongest beast of all the Gragos who had completely been suppressed by the Calamity of Death and had fallen to the bottom of the lava sea.
Though it had the shape of a lion, it was sublime and benign and didn’t attack the other Gragos easily. The Lazar was a symbol of their race and a holy land where only their Great Patriarchs and Great Priests could live on.
But the white lion can stand up again if they had the cure.
To that prideful look of the past.
“This is why I need your help.”
This was why Hansoo had to save the Akaron priestess no matter what.
Priestess.
The person who had the power to communicate to the Gragos.
Though the Priestess didn’t have any power like controlling the Gragos, they could use a special material with their holy power to make their Gragos head towards another Gragos.
‘Well, it’s actually stimulating their s.e.xual desire.’
The only method in order to control the Gragos which acted following its own wishes.
Though it didn’t seem like much, it was a precious power to the Akaron who lived upon it which could flip at any time and they could use this to save their race.
This was why the power of the priestess, which could communicate with the Gragos, was always precious and revered more than the Patriarch who fought at the very frontline.
The color on Oteon’s face changed from Hansoo’s words.
‘Could he really…’
If they can retrieve that place then they will be able to acquire a vast and safe territory.
Since Lazar, the white tiger, was the most powerful Gragos that nothing else could threaten.
But Tekilon made a strange expression as he heard the story next to them.
‘…He shouldn’t be able to acquire s.p.a.ce for the humans to live with the Lazar alone, what is he thinking of?’
Anyways, the conversation proceeded quickly.
“Then we will take our race and go ahead to control the Divine Beast.”
Their locations had been found already.
Since there was no guarantee that these guys wouldn’t have said anything even if they invaded immediately after getting called.
Hansoo nodded.
He had to move on his own now.
‘Tsk. Though it’ll be better if the Akarons helped…’
Hansoo clicked his tongue.
It would be better the more forces he had but the Akarons wouldn’t have much to spare either.
Since getting through the forest which was swarming with Margoths in order to control the Gragos wasn’t a simple task.
At that moment a red carrier pigeon flew to Hansoo.
The hurried carrier pigeon blew apart as it transmitted the message.
“Hmm.”
On the message there was the reason for the lack of body fluids that Sangjin had found out.
Hansoo clicked his tongue as he read the news about the origin of the reason.
‘…Rerorerore clan. These guys were the problem? Anyways I should start off right away. The location is a bit awkward.’
Though Sangjin was quite strong, it seemed like he has clashed with a Margoth level.
Hansoo spoke towards Oteon.
“I will see you later. Please clean this place off well.”
Hansoo then took Sofía and the other clansmen as he started to quickly head somewhere through the hole on the ceiling.
‘I wish you well. If you do this properly then… We will really be thankful to you.’
Maybe even to the point where they would fight with the humans alongside Hansoo.
Oteon looked at Taruhol walking towards her with a complex expression after sending Hansoo off.
“How did it go?”
Taruhol spoke with a strange expression.
“Ailen excused one person.”
“Then the other five get to live? We have to move now. Send the other five to the Flaming Altar and move out.”
The scenes of Akarons dying off to the invading humans could still be seen in her head.
7 days were far from enough but they had no leisure when they had to move.
But Taruhol shook his head.
“There’s no one to get on the flaming altar.”
“What?”
Taruhol then thought of what happened earlier.
“…The guy called Tares cut off the necks of the five the moment he got released.”
“You couldn’t stop it?”
Taruhol nodded.
“They were too close and it might’ve been different for somebody else but he used a strange technique. It didn’t seem like the skills humans spoke of.”
“Is it the thing called a trait?”
Oteon made a surprised expression.
‘Does this mean that we have to take him?’
Oteon frowned.
Her most and least favorite humans had come in at the same time.
Since one has left it was now time for them to take care of the other one.
If they take him with them then they will place a simplified formation on him.
One day per one Akaron.
The moment he doesn’t get the approval of an Akaron then the silver liquid will pour into his body from the formation and will light him on fire.
He will then become a flaming altar on that spot.
‘If you are really trying to repay the sins you have caused against us then you might live but… The chance of such a thing happening is slim.’
Though the chances of that guy living was low anyway even if they took him but she didn’t want to leave a single thing to chance during the work that would decide the fate of their race.
Though the rules were important, there wouldn’t be rules if the race didn’t exist.
‘I should kill him.’
Oteon finished her thoughts, gave a signal and then shouted towards the nearby Akarons loudly.
“We move too. There’s not much time.”
Then they started to head towards the Horn Forest that was located between the two horns.