How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game Chapter 686: Frost Queen 5

He concluded nearly at once that they weren't followers of Erebil.

A subtle yet true wave of relief washed over him from that insight.

Handling devotees proved seldom difficult due to their limited power.

Against foes at the caliber of Riley and Snow, those zealots amounted to mere minor hurdles.

The true headache emerged afterward.

Slaughter sufficient numbers of such followers, and the entity they revered would inevitably take notice.

Once deities or fiends became aware... repercussions were sure to ensue.

Riley breathed out steadily, his gaze fixed firmly on the cloaked silhouettes.

Thus, no matter whose servants you are... you've got the audacity to venture this deep into the northern reaches.

"I’ll handle them. Snow, proceed on your own."

Snow halted in her tracks and glanced back at him.

"Are you certain?"

Riley gave a firm nod without pause.

"Yes. I couldn't trail you further in regardless. Might as well assist by saving your strength for the ordeal awaiting you."

Snow examined his features closely.

Even absent any detection of his mana, she recognized it—these hooded individuals were no typical fanatics.

Their aura hung heavy, twisted, and adhered oddly to the icy atmosphere.

Yet... this was Riley.

"I know you're strong," she murmured gently, "and capable... but take care, alright?"

Riley released a soft laugh, casual and unconcerned.

"No need to fret. They're hardly a danger."

That assured poise—serene and natural—ultimately soothed her concerns.

Snow offered a smile, then pivoted and resumed her advance, her pale cloak drifting lightly over the frosty terrain.

"Oh my... oh my~!"

The elderly man's voice boomed with theatrical flair as he flung his arms apart.

"What a splendid show of faith and fondness! Even as your remarks diminish our menace, I find myself stirred by this poignant romance unveiled in our midst!"

He clutched his chest with dramatic flair.

"To imagine the youth permitting his beloved to face peril solitary—such sorrow! Such splendor! Pray, continue your path, sorrowful protagonist!"

With overblown respect, he inclined his head.

His followers mimicked him, dividing like a ritual escort.

Snow paused just a moment, a flash of astonishment crossing her face—then she dismissed them completely and pressed on, her steps slowly vanishing into the glacial heart of the labyrinth.

As soon as her form faded from sight, the elder rose straight.

Gradually... purposefully... he directed his stare at Riley.

A smirk widened on his weathered visage.

"Oh, youth brimming with assurance and resolve!" he declared. "Such belief! Such assurance! A spirit like yours might well be led to revere our mighty deity—care to align with our cause?"

Riley's look remained unchanged.

"You spout plenty of rubbish."

The elder stiffened briefly—then erupted in joyful cackles.

"Rubbish? Rubbish, you claim?" he echoed with delight. "Ah, how I cherish that term! Indeed, indeed—I utter rubbish!"

He lifted his arms anew, his gaze alight with frenzied zeal.

"For that defines our creed! Erratic oddities! Realities that scorn reason! Ignorance that spawns insight!"

He bent ahead a touch, his tone shifting to a pious murmur.

"Amid disorder... divinity awaits."

Riley's azure eyes narrowed keenly.

The moment lethal intent flared inside him, the elder responded purely on reflex.

The sacred might he had commandeered—plundered—from his vile patron burst forth, crafting a shadowy, foreboding haze that wavered like a fading ember.

Yet it proved far too delayed.

[Hidden Blade Technique: First Form]

[Blue Moon]

Flash.

A lone streak of azure brilliance slashed across the chilled chamber.

For the briefest instant, all appeared unaltered.

Then—

Siiissshhh—

Crimson sprays burst forth like scarlet geysers.

One after another, the hooded underlings' heads detached smoothly from their necks, their forms crumpling into limp piles as the whisper of blade through air at last aligned with the scene.

The elder remained rigid, hot blood spraying over his features and garments.

Drip.

Drip.

Time reassembled for him in fragments.

"M-my... lambs..." he whispered, his tone quivering—not from sorrow, but from wonder.

Riley advanced, traversing the sprawled remains as though they were mere roadside clutter.

His sword had vanished already, concealed again, as if it had never emerged.

"Hey, old man," Riley stated evenly, "I’ve wanted to inquire—who’s the malevolent deity you serve?"

The motive for sparing the fellow was straightforward.

This one retained the ability to converse.

And he appeared the most exploitable.

The elder raised his head gradually... and then chuckled.

"Haha... hahah... HUahahahaha!"

His guffaws resounded madly down the frosty hallway, rebounding off the glacial barriers.

The spark in his eyes had transcended humanity—it was the wild fervor of one who had forsaken sanity ages ago.

"Oh, how our deity has favored us!" he proclaimed. "To grant my lambs such swift union with him in their youth! Oh, what pure envy it stirs!"

Riley's demeanor stayed steady.

"Respond," he commanded bluntly, "and I'll grant you the identical merciful end as your 'enviable' lackeys."

The elder placed a palm on his chest and inclined mockingly.

"Ahh, such compassion from a being of such might! A alluring proposition truly," he intoned with feigned piety. "Yet I must graciously decline, oh luminous irregularity."

His grin contorted broader.

"I yet bear a duty—to disseminate our deity's doctrine, to proclaim his sanctity! I cannot perish now, for I serve as his sole herald!"

Quiet ensued.

Riley cocked his head a fraction.

"Is that the case?"

He recognized that debating deranged zealots yielded only senseless prattle, yet he persisted.

Knowledge held value—particularly regarding enigmatic dark gods.

Since it’s not Erebil... I can manage the fallout afterward.

Should eliminating them attract some overlooked, ancient entity's gaze, the instant that divinity probed him, Riley would sense it.

His inherent sacred essence ensured such detection.

Scant entities in this realm could confront him head-on any longer—whether in the game or the actual world, the distinction mattered little.

Besides Erebil... Liyana... and the White Queen...

Truly, few posed a risk to him at his present strength.

...This could prove an ideal chance.

A means to gauge himself versus another divinity.

With that resolve fixed, Riley started infusing mana into his weapon again, the accustomed thrum of energy encircling his limb—

And then an odd occurrence unfolded.

SIIISHHH!!!

Dark fumes started ascending from the cadavers.

Not vapor.

Not mana fading.

Something different.

The murky mist twisted skyward like animated vines, squirming with muffled wails and warped sentiments that grated on Riley’s perceptions.

His flesh crawled, an eerie itch slithering along his back.

"Ohhh!!!" the elder exclaimed, his eyes fluttering in ecstasy. "Our deity at last bestows favor on these lambs! Such privilege—to be devoured!"

Riley’s attention whipped to the remains.

He anticipated the force would funnel further into the depths.

Toward a shrine.

A ritual array.

Whatever form.

But rather—

The ebony haze altered course.

Its path curved bizarrely... and streamed directly at him.

"...What?"

Ere he could respond, the shadowy essence rushed ahead and merged into his form as though it were native—no barrier, no defiance, no taint.

[Congratulations. You have acquired a follower’s divine energy!]

[Divinity +10,000]

"Huh?"

...I was their god?

The elder crumpled to his knees, tears streaming down his face as he stared at Riley in a stupor.

…

Within the icy weave of the labyrinth, Snow proceeded solitary.

Her footfalls resounded faintly along the vast corridor, each one sharp and distinct despite the surface consisting solely of frost and packed snow.

The noise hung in the air unduly, as though the dungeon were eavesdropping.

Surrounding her, immense barriers of iced rock and gem soared like chiseled columns, their faces inscribed with elaborate, seemingly intentional designs.

They lacked randomness.

An artistry graced them—sweeping arcs and balanced emblems preserved eternally, like a sculptor's work on the dungeon prior to time's eternal freeze.

Even the path underfoot seemed less rugged wilderness and more a deliberate route... a trail designed for traversal.

"Hoh..."

Pale vapor drifted from her mouth, vanishing swiftly in the frigid breeze.

She'd deceive herself by denying any fear.

Or anxiety.

The lack of beasts unnerved her deeply.

No growls. No stirrings. No sudden assaults.

Merely quiet—dense, suffocating quiet that weighed on her awareness more oppressively than any foe.

Nevertheless... she pressed onward.

Stride by stride, cautious and measured, her hold firming on her staff as she delved further into the depths.

With each elapsed instant, the chill deepened—not the sharp nip of frost, but a profound sort.

Weightier.

As though the atmosphere thickened, infiltrating her very core.

Still, amid it, her thoughts stayed keen.

Far too keen for ease.

Beasts might lurk in any crevice.

Or worse—some cunning presence might observe.

Her vision swept each gloom, each twist in the iced barriers, her instincts strained like a taut cord.

And then, afar, she spotted it.

A soft azure luminescence.

It gleamed gently at the passage's terminus, emanating from a vast, rounded portal hewn straight from the glacier.

The entry resembled a hollow, yet bore an eerie resemblance—almost identical scale and contour to the gateway beyond.

Her pace slackened.

Her countenance toughened.

As she neared, the glow brightened, enveloping her silhouette in a mild cerulean sheen that danced on her pale attire and silvery locks.

The atmosphere here seemed... altered.

Not aggressive.

Inviting.

And then—

’You’re finally here...’

The words resonated straight within her psyche.

Lovely.

Crisp.

Icy as drifting flakes.

Snow halted abruptly, her inhalation snagging in her chest.

Ere she could respond—ere she could utter or lift her staff—the azure radiance swelled outward, unfurling like a blooming flower.

In a flash, it engulfed her entirely.

And the labyrinth hushed anew.