CHAPTER 195: CHAPTER 191: TRUTH OF A THOUSAND TEMPLES

"Tell me, who is the God of Decay, and what is your tribe planning to do!"

In the dark room, only the stench of blood and screams of the tortured remained. The Solia Kingdom had acted faster than Blaze had expected.

While he just sent Fester to infect the nearest city of the kingdom, the kingdom’s intelligence agency had already made their move and captured one of the Deca (Blaze’s) tribesmen.

It was the only way Solia could get any information about the tribe and Blaze without risking death. Unfortunately for them, most people they captured were absolute fanatics.

Even after their fingers and entire limbs were severed, they refused to speak of anything that could harm their ’god’.

Humra was in the same position after his right leg was cut off. Yet, he didn’t betray his god.

The interrogator, Jiska, a broad-shouldered man of small stature, was getting restless.

"Tell me what that heretic god is after!" Jiska roared, pressing the edge of the blade against Humra’s neck.

"You think I know what goes in the Great One’s mind?" Humra scoffed, fighting against the stinging pain after losing his leg. "He is a true god, unlike the fools you pray to! When he turns his gaze on your kind, you will regret ever going against him!"

"You insolent cur!"

Jiska’s anger flared momentarily after hearing such heinous words.

That was the moment Humra had been waiting for, as he shoved his head towards the blade with all his strength. However, Jiska was faster and withdrew the blade, thwarting the tribal’s suicide attempt.

If Jiska had been delayed for a moment, Humra would have sliced his neck on the blade. Honestly, it was scary how fanatical the heretic god’s followers were.

Not only they didn’t buckle even under constant torture, they readily gave their lives up for the honor of their god.

Such devotion was... worthy of respect. Stories of miracles weren’t enough to invoke such loyalty among the people. Humra must have seen countless miracles within the tribe to respect a heretic to such an extent.

It’s a shame we didn’t force them into our ranks before.

The Solia kingdom had been aware of the hardships the former Deca tribe faced due to their hedonistic lifestyle and hailing a heretic god. The latter was the reason the kingdom supported the surrounding tribes from the shadows to eliminate them.

After all, they had done it to countless other tribes and small dukedoms. On the surface, it seemed they were the kind and noble ones who accepted everyone.

However, beneath the surface, for every god they had accepted, over a dozen were eradicated from the history of their world. The Adjudicators, like Jiska, were the ones who dealt with the ’evil’ or heretic gods.

It was supposed to be the same with the Deca tribe. At first, their plans were resoundingly successful. The tribe was teetering on the edge of extinction.

Then... it arrived.

A flaming ball fell from the sky near the Deca tribe. The Solia thought it was the god’s will to end the tribe themselves. However, it was the opposite.

The tribe that was about to die out, blossomed. Instead of the Deca tribe, the tribes around them were the ones to die out first. That’s when the Solia kingdom realized a prophecy was coming true.

Throughout the centuries of slaughtering others, the Solia kingdom had been cursed innumerable times. But one specific curse, or prophecy, seemed to be coming true.

The end of their days would start with a ball of fire flying through the night sky and would end with their souls being discarded by the very gods they praised!

Over time, the kingdom had deciphered the true meaning of the curse, which pointed towards a disease destroying the kingdom.

Because of this curse, falling ill was deemed a crime worthy of capital punishment. Even letting as much as a sneeze would lead the person, their family, and even their neighbors into ’seclusion’.

This seclusion was nothing but a term used to cover up the killing of their people. Naturally, the people would begin questioning if too many people disappeared and never returned.

To counter this, the story was spun that the secluded ones had obtained enlightenment and had become one with their gods.

This led to people reporting even mild illnesses to the guards and priests, hoping to gain enlightenment. It worked in the kingdom’s favor as people self-reported, and the guards didn’t have to risk their lives looking for the ill.

Moreover, whenever their population declines drastically, they could simply accept a new god in their temples and gain more people to work for them.

That was the truth behind the kingdom of a thousand temples.

Now that a god of decay had materialized on their planet, they obviously had to eliminate everyone related to such an entity.

But they were having little to no success in that venture.

"If your god is so mighty, why doesn’t he come and save you?" Jiska scoffed. "You’re bleeding out. Without our aid, you’ll die soon. So tell me, who is the greater god, one that lets his people perish or the one who forgives their enemies and saves them?"

Humra’s smile faded upon hearing those words. Meanwhile, Jiska smiled inwardly.

When dealing with fanatics, the best method was to let their own doubts destroy their faith. That’s what he was doing with Humra and sowing seeds of doubt within his mind.

Jiska had seen many fanatics lose their faith and spill their deepest secrets for the sake of ’forgiveness’. This time wasn’t supposed to be any different. However, it was.

"Why will my god protect me?" Humra scoffed. "I am but an insignificant insect before him. Just be accepting my faith, the god of decay has blessed me with the greatest gift of all! HAHAHA!"

Jiska clicked his tongue before punching the fanatic, yet his laughter didn’t cease.

"Keep torturing him until we become the only gods he prays to," Jiska instructed his subordinates before stepping out of the bloodied cell.

The walls that usually echoed painful cries of the unfortunate were now booming with the sound of fanatical laughter.

"...these fools!"