Chapter 264: "Believers"
What Iwanaga Kotoko did not expect was that both Yuuki Asuna and Kato Megumi looked surprised when they heard her description.
"Huh? Aren't those just spheres of flame?" Yuuki Asuna asked.
Kotoko frowned slightly, then turned to Asagiri at her side.
"Leader, what do you see?"
Asagiri answered softly, "Three people wearing cloaks made of burning fire."
"I see..."
A wary look appeared in Kotoko's yellow violet eyes as she stared at the three mysterious figures slowly approaching the Hotel entrance through the darkness.
"They possess some kind of illusion or mental interference ability. Even Violet can't see their true forms, which means their power is no joke."
Compared to her physical abilities, Yuuki Asuna's mental strength was indeed slightly weaker, but that was only by her own standards. Compared with most Players at this stage, including Warlocks and mage type Players, her mental strength was already far above average.
And yet even Yuuki Asuna could not see through the true appearance of those three figures. That meant their illusion ability was extremely powerful, a problem none of them could afford to ignore.
Fighting enemies with human forms was completely different from fighting what looked like floating fireballs. Against humanoid opponents, Players could read movement, watch for openings, and instinctively target vital points. But against a mass of flame, even if you knew it was an illusion, your body would still hesitate for an instant.
And in combat, an instant was often all it took to die.
"You three hide first," Asagiri said softly.
He glanced at Kato Megumi. "Phantom, use your special skill on the two of them. Then the three of you hide nearby and let my 'Shadow' meet them."
...
When the three mysterious figures draped in cloaks of flame passed through the revolving door and entered the Hotel lobby, the only person they saw was Asagiri, standing there quietly in a long black trench coat and dark gray mask.
"Hm? A human? Wait... is that really a human?"
One of them slowly raised his head. Beneath the cloak was a face marked by strange red patterns, with wounds that seemed to burn from within. He stared at Asagiri and spoke in a low voice.
"Are you... a parasite?"
Just from that opening line alone, Asagiri had already gathered quite a bit of information.
These three knew about the Thousand Faced Cursed Entity inside the Hotel and the parasites it controlled, but they clearly did not know it had already been destroyed. In other words, they had not appeared because Asagiri eliminated it. They had originally been meant to arrive when the Dungeon reached the thirty six hour mark.
"No," Asagiri said, shaking his head calmly. "I'm not."
Then he asked, "Who are you people?"
Unexpectedly, the three flame cloaked figures immediately revealed fervent expressions, like zealots receiving divine revelation. The one who had spoken took two excited steps forward, his voice rising with fanatical delight.
"So it is a human. A fresh, living human. Excellent. Join our cult, become a believer of the Fire God, and serve Him."
"Oh, so you're missionaries."
Asagiri replied with a smile, then asked, "What if I don't join?"
"You will join. This world is full of danger. Mortals are powerless before death. Only by dedicating your body and soul to God can you—"
"What if I still don't join?"
The moment Asagiri said that, the expressions on the three believers turned savage. Their flame cloaks blazed brighter, crackling as they burned, and the surrounding air began to distort from the sudden rise in temperature.
"Then we will have no choice but to kill you. Anyone unwilling to belong to God is evil."
"Wait, wait."
Just as the three fiery believers were about to act, Asagiri suddenly raised a hand to stop them, then changed his tone completely.
"Then I'll join."
"Hm?"
The three flame clad believers froze, clearly caught off guard by how quickly he had changed his tune.
"Didn't you just say you wouldn't?"
Asagiri shrugged with perfect confidence.
"Well, if you'd said earlier that you'd kill me if I refused, I would've agreed immediately. This is really your fault for not explaining yourselves clearly. Your missionary skills are painfully unprofessional. Once I join, I'll have to train the three of you properly so you stop embarrassing the Fire God cult."
"Stop. Stop talking."
One of the believers interrupted him at once, his face twisting.
"If you've chosen to join, then do it now."
Asagiri answered just as loudly, as if refusing to lose in momentum alone.
"Sure. Very spirited. So how do I join?"
The believer approached him slowly, now less than three meters away, and spoke in a lofty, condescending tone.
"You must let flame purify your body. Once you are reborn through fire, you will become a true believer."
Before the believer could take another step, Asagiri smiled and asked, "Let me confirm one thing first. Is the success rate for this rebirth through fire one hundred percent?"
"Of course not."
The believer was now close enough to strike.
"Those who fail to achieve rebirth through fire are simply unworthy of becoming believers. They can only become sacrifices for God. For mortals, offering up their lives to please God is only natural."
"Mhm. Sounds reasonable. In that case..."
Before the believer could move, a tall black shadow suddenly appeared beside Asagiri.
In the same instant, Asagiri and the Human Asura were already in front of him.
"You should just die."
The fire clad believer never even had time to react. The Human Asura seized his shoulders and ripped his body apart, while Asagiri's cursed Rope Dart pierced straight through his head. To make absolutely sure, Asagiri also condensed an Ice Spear and drove it through the broken remains.
"You...!"
Seeing that, the other two fire clad believers finally reacted. Their flame cloaks roared brighter, and the fire burning inside the wound like patterns on their faces surged outward.
Then a girl's voice rang out from nearby.
"Undead Touch."
Dozens of pale arms burst from the ground and reached toward the two believers. Yet before any of them could touch their targets, they were melted away by the intense heat surrounding the pair.
Kotoko did not hesitate for a moment.
"Be careful. The flames around them carry a holy attribute."
"Netherworld Grip."
"Stinger."
"Snipe."
As Kotoko, Yuuki Asuna, and Kato Megumi launched their attacks, Mr. Ichikawa's team and the other three Player teams hiding nearby also attacked at once.
But unexpectedly, the Pale Ghost Hand dissipated before it could even touch the two fire clad believers, just like the pale arms before it. The long range attacks from the other Players also failed to pierce their defenses.
Only Yuuki Asuna's Stinger and Kato Megumi's three arrows managed to hit one of them, but even then, the attacks failed to punch through cleanly. They only left several wounds.
And instead of bleeding, fire poured from those wounds, as if his veins themselves were filled with flame.
"You... who are you people...?"
The eyes of the two believers gradually melted away into pure fire as they stared at Asagiri and the corpse of their fallen companion.
"Can't you tell?"
Asagiri folded his arms and answered calmly.
"Fine. I'll spell it out for you. I am..."
He paused, then declared in a perfectly serious tone, "Blackwatch Commander, Lelouch Lamperouge."
"So it's you people..."
The way the two believers reacted told Asagiri something important.
"You blasphemers who show no reverence toward God... we will kill you ourselves and offer you up as sacrifices!"
The moment those words fell, one of them extended his right hand toward one of the Player teams farther back. A serpent of fire burst from his palm and shot toward them.
"Shield Spell!"
There was a mage in that team, and he reacted immediately, erecting a blue mana barrier in front of them.
It was meaningless.
The barrier melted the instant it made contact with the flaming serpent. In the next moment, the entire team of four, all of them designated cannon fodder, was engulfed by the fire and burned to ashes before they could even scream.
The other Players could not help but panic when they saw four people die that easily.
Even Asagiri and Yuuki Asuna understood at once how dangerous the situation had become.
These fire clad believers did not have the absurd vitality of the parasitic Players, but their control over flame was far more lethal. A field of intense heat surrounded their bodies. Unless someone had both the resolve to fight through severe burns and a weapon that would not simply melt on contact, close combat against them was nearly impossible.
And among everyone present, only Asagiri and Iwanaga Kotoko could see their true forms. To everyone else, they were still just two masses of flame. They could not even read the believers' casting motions.
Most importantly, Asagiri's team had never fought fire attribute enemies before.
That meant Asagiri had no flame resistance at all.
Then, in the middle of all that tension, Asagiri suddenly spoke in a relaxed tone.
"So that's all? For people who call themselves believers of God..."
He tilted his head slightly.
"You're weak."
.....
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