I Became an Ancient All-Host Lifeform - Chapter 31

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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031 The Way to Save Everyone

I’d committed to stepping in myself with bold confidence, but the situation now is far from favorable.
The Holy Knight stands at the vanguard while the two priests—male and female—provide support from the rear.
If we can’t break their formation, that crude Iron Mace will pound us into paste.
So then, what on earth can we do?
How am I supposed to shatter their line when that hulking brute stands there fortified with buffs?
Unless that thick-necked bastard chooses to step aside of his own accord….
Wait. Of his own accord?
That’s it! That’s exactly it—I just need to make them retreat of their own volition!
I moved into action at once.

‘Bok-gu, charge in first and draw his attention! Gyu-shik, slip around the side and spit at the female priest!’
[Parasitism on the host has been deactivated.]
Kyuuu?!

Gyu-shik let out a confused cry, but the creature understood my intent perfectly at once.
At the same moment, Bok-gu rushed at the Holy Knight.

Grrroowwwl… Howl!
“I told you it’s useless!”

The Holy Knight pivoted his body to face the charging Bok-gu.
In that same instant, he momentarily lost sight of Gyu-shik hurtling in from the opposite direction.
Seizing this fleeting gap, Gyu-shik unleashed a spray of venom at the priestess with maximum force.

Splat!
“Eep?”

Startled, the priestess turned her head—and I slipped safely to the side of her temple.
Yes, exactly! The hair was actually perfect.
Wait—ahem. Now that I think about it, that sounded rather strange….
In any case, that’s not what I meant!

The point is, Gyu-shik’s venom didn’t hit her face, so her lips won’t be paralyzed. Which means…. Eh?
Never mind. I slipped directly into the curve of her right ear.

[Using skill “Parasitism lv 3” on target.]

Zzzt!
That familiar, electric sensation of neural linkage.
Checkmate again!

* * *

Splat!
“Eep?”

A spray of ghost-mouse secretion struck suddenly, and Elina reflexively turned her head.
The Demon-Exorcising Priest beside her spoke with concern in his expression.

“Oh? Priestess, are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Just a bit of spittle, that’s all.”

It was the very moment Elina waved her hand reassuringly.

Zzzt!

A strange and electric sensation—her mind suddenly linking with something else.
Moments later, a strange and unfamiliar voice echoed through her mind with a sharp, ringing clarity.

‘A priest of the Central Church. Your name is… Elina, yes?’

A mysterious voice calling out her name without warning.

“What—what is this?”

Faced with a phenomenon she had never encountered in her entire life, she fell into confusion.
The voice came again.

‘Priest Elina, can you hear me?’

She asked carefully.

“W-who are you?”

Elina glanced about frantically to see if anyone else was near.
But all she could see was the Holy Knight locked in frantic combat and the Demon-Exorcising Priest lending him support.

‘Do not be afraid. I am… well, that is to say….’

The voice paused for a moment before revealing its identity.

‘I am a messenger sent by the Goddess of Light… or rather, an angel.’

Elina’s eyes widened in astonishment, and she tilted her head in bewilderment.
Sent by the Goddess of Light, just now?
At first she found the vague manner of speech peculiar, but she soon understood it in her own way.
The scriptures of the Holy Palace were full of such expressions.
The angels in those holy texts called themselves “servants of the Lord” or “messengers,” speaking humbly of their own nature.
Surely this angel too was lowering itself before the Lord, speaking of its own existence with humility.

“Sent by the Lord? Then… are you saying you are an angel?”

The voice hesitated for a moment at her question, then answered.

‘Yes, that’s right. I am an angel, an angel indeed.’
“Oh…!”

In that instant, Elina’s heart swelled with an indescribable surge of emotion.
All her life she had served the Goddess of Light, Lumina, offering earnest prayers every single day, yet never once had she received such a clear response directly in her mind.
Other priests sometimes claimed to hear answers to their prayers, but she—who had prayed with more sincerity than anyone—had always been met with silence from the goddess.
Yet now, in this very moment, her fervent faith had at last received an answer!

“At last the Lord has answered my prayer!”

And the timing—innocents were dying before her eyes, their blood spilling across the ground.
An angel descending precisely when the goddess’s aid was most desperately needed!
The Lord had not abandoned her after all.
Overcome with rapture, Elina began to speak loudly, her voice rising in exultation.

“Oh! With the Lord’s angel descending, my heart is filled with joy and thanksgiving….”

As she suddenly began reciting verses from scripture, the Demon-Exorcising Priest standing beside her turned his head.

“Priestess, what on earth has gotten into you?”

Elina turned to face him, her eyes bright and luminous.
With an expression overflowing with emotion, she spread her arms wide.

“The Lord’s angel has just visited me! I am speaking with them even now!”
“I beg your pardon?”

The Demon-Exorcising Priest startled at her sudden declaration, though he quickly gathered himself and pressed on.

“Ahem. Truly? Yet I sense no Divine Power emanating from you whatsoever….”
“They speak through a power that transcends human magic. Does that not make it all the more miraculous?”
“A power, you say….”

Even at her explanation, doubt lingered in the Demon-Exorcising Priest’s expression.

“Sister, forgive me, but I must take precautions. You may be under the thrall of a malevolent spirit.”

Without hesitation, the Demon-Exorcising Priest raised his staff and unleashed Holy Magic upon Elina.

Wheeeee—!

A sacred blue radiance poured forth, engulfing Elina’s entire form.
It was Purification Magic—a force meant to strip away demonic hexes and dark sorcery alike.

“Hmm?”

Yet it had no effect on Elina whatsoever.
The ancient creature’s Parasitism operated through biological means rather than sorcery or dark magic, so purification proved useless.
In that moment, taking the spell’s failure as proof of genuine celestial presence, Elina’s voice rang out with even greater conviction.

“You see? There is no taint of dark sorcery, no touch of a profane spirit. A true angel has descended upon me!”
“Ahem….”

The Demon-Exorcising Priest’s gaze wavered.
Could an angel truly have descended into her?
While the priest wrestled with doubt, Elina began reciting scripture passages in an ever-louder voice.

“O radiant Goddess of Light! Your wings, piercing the darkness, have at last touched the lowest of places, and this humble servant finally finds salvation beneath your dazzling mercy! By the Lord’s tender compassion….”

At her fervent words, the so-called angel cleared its throat in quiet admonition.

‘Ahem. Enough, enough. And when speaking with me, there is no need to voice your words aloud. I am bound to you alone through the spiritual connection.’

At the angel’s correction, Elina’s awe deepened.

‘Oh! Of course! Forgive me. I failed to grasp the full measure of your power.’

The moment she closed her mouth and began speaking only in her mind, the angel issued its commands with solemn authority.

‘Now, have everyone lay down their weapons at once! The Goddess wishes no more blood to be spilled.’
‘Yes, angel!’

Having received the command, Elina’s face hardened with resolve as she cried out.

“The angel of the Goddess commands it—cast down your weapons at once! This is the Goddess’s will to end this senseless slaughter!”
“What?”

All present froze at Elina’s sudden outburst.
The Holy Knight in the front ranks turned to the Demon-Exorcising Priest, bewildered.

“W-what do we do? Sister Elina has suddenly….”
“Ahem….”

The Demon-Exorcising Priest clenched his teeth, lost in anguish.
An orthodox priest of the Church was openly proclaiming an angelic descent before countless witnesses.
Seeing that Purification Magic had no effect suggested it wasn’t caused by malevolent forces, at least.
Which meant there was no choice but to follow the procedures laid out in Ecclesiastical Law.
He lowered the Staff he’d been holding and opened his mouth heavily.

“A formal cleric of our Church is now claiming a Mysterious Phenomenon. This is not something we can judge arbitrarily.”
“I… beg your pardon?”

As the Holy Knight tilted his head in confusion, the Demon-Exorcising Priest paused briefly before offering a more detailed explanation.

“Ecclesiastical Law, Chapter Four, Article Twelve clearly states: ‘When a priest claims a Miracle, revelation, or divine oracle and other Mysterious Phenomena, the bishop presiding over that region shall make a preliminary judgment and report to the Holy Palace.’ In other words, the truth of this situation will be determined by His Excellency the Bishop. For now, let us follow what Priest Elina says.”

At his explanation, the Holy Knight gazed down at the Iron Mace with blood dripping from it, and smacked his lips with clear reluctance.

“Hmm… if that’s what the law demands, there’s nothing for it.”
“Indeed. Let us set down our weapons for now.”
Thud.

Finally, the Demon-Exorcising Priest and the Holy Knight set down their weapons without hesitation and raised both hands in the air.

* * *

Good. This is going smoothly.
I’ve settled them down—now I just need to calm the villagers.
Elina stepped forward and cried out.

“Everyone, put down your weapons now! This is the Lord’s command!”

But the villagers’ fury did not abate so easily.

“What are you saying? They beat us savagely! And they insulted the Forest Goddess herself!”
“You beat us half to death and now you want us to stop? Are you mocking us?”

‘If this keeps going, there won’t be any of your skulls left intact.’
Talking sense to them now—worked into a frenzy by hallucinations and violence—was futile from the start.

“Ah, please… calm down….”

Seeing Elina flustered by the villagers’ fierce response, I quickly turned my mind to the problem.

‘How can I get these mad fools to settle down?’

If words won’t work, then I’ll have to show them overwhelming power.
And power comes in many forms.

“They’re trying to run because they’re losing! Seize those who defamed the Forest Goddess!”

In that moment, my gaze landed on the small child thrashing about at the very front of the villagers.
Yes. This little one was the root of it all.
I whispered to Elina.

‘That small child raising hell at the front there—do you know his name?’
‘What? No, I don’t. The people were calling him the Forest Child….’
‘His name is Jimmy. I saved him when he was dying in the forest.’

At my hushed whisper, Elina’s eyes widened. She sparkled as she addressed Jimmy.

“There… are you perhaps named Jimmy?”

At that, the excited villagers startled and began murmuring among themselves.

“Wait? How do you know the forest child’s name…!”

Jimmy himself went rigid, his eyes wide as saucers.
Good. Time to work this angle.

‘This is all the will of the Goddess of Light. She commands that you save this child and aid you all.’
“Ohhh!”

Then Elina cried out in an awed, trembling voice.

“It was not the Forest Goddess who saved Jimmy in the woods — it was an angel sent by the Goddess of Light herself! Just now, the angel revealed this child’s name directly to us!”
“Ah…!”

Her words sent a tremor through the crowd.
Perfect. Now for the climax of the show.
Your assistance, if you please, old one!

– Hmph. So this old body is to be used as a mere prop in such theatrics….
Poof. Poof. Poof.

At that very moment, Resurrection Mushrooms began sprouting around Elina.
The mushrooms encircled her protectively in a perfect ring.
The villagers responded with fervent emotion to Morgul’s dramatic flourish.

“Ohhh! The mushrooms bestowed by the Forest Goddess!”
“The Forest Goddess was truly an angel sent by the Goddess of Light!”

Elina herself, having just witnessed this miraculous sight, spoke with even greater conviction.

“So now, all of you — cast down your weapons and reconcile with one another! This is the will of the Goddess!”
“Ohhh!”
Thud. Clang.

At last, the villagers one by one lowered their farm tools to the ground.
The bloodshed between the two groups had finally come to an end.

“Exhale….”

But the crisis was far from over.
The Holy Knights’ merciless Iron Maces had already left several villagers with cracked skulls, now sprawled across the courtyard bleeding.
Just then, a young man burst from one of the houses.

“P-Priest! The Village Chief has lost consciousness!”
“What? Where?”

Elina and the Demon-Exorcising Priest rushed over at the panicked cry.
The Village Chief, his head grievously wounded, lay covered in blood at death’s threshold.

“Goddess of Light, I beseech your mercy…!”

The two priests raised their staves in unison and poured forth Healing Magic.
A dazzling sacred light enveloped the Village Chief’s body, but the blood streaming from his fractured skull would not cease.

“H-hack… hack….”

The wound was already too severe, and too much time had passed — his condition was critical.
Even as the two priests gave their all, the spark of life continued to fade, dimmer with each passing moment.

“No, no! Please, Village Chief!”
“You can’t leave us like this…. Oh, gods….”

This wasn’t going to work.
If the Village Chief died now, the fragile peace I’d stitched between the two factions would tear open all over again.
I had no choice but to act.

‘Sigh. There’s really no rest for anyone.’

I slipped out of Elina’s ear immediately.
While the crowd wailed, I moved into the Village Chief—still clinging to his last breaths.

[Activating Skill “Parasitism Lv 3” on target.]
[Activating Skill “Regeneration.”]

My mana flowed through the Village Chief’s veins, forcefully awakening cells that were dying.

“Cough, cough… Ahhh….”

Gradually, breath returned to the Village Chief’s body.
The biological restoration of the Regeneration skill I’d triggered synergized with the Healing Magic the two priests poured into him.
And the effect was extraordinary.

“What…? What is this?”
“The wounds—they’re closing!”

The Village Chief’s condition improved rapidly.

“Where… am I…?”

Soon the Village Chief drew a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes.
The villagers erupted in cheers.

“Oh! The Village Chief has risen!”
“A Miracle! A Miracle has come to pass!”

In that moment, the Demon-Exorcising Priest’s eyes widened.

“Even with a high-grade potion, I thought there was no hope…. How can this be…! Has a true angel descended upon us?”
“Oh, thank you, Lumina. Thank you….”

The moment the Village Chief stirred to life, Elina burst into tears—overwhelmed by gratitude.
The blood-covered villagers, the Holy Knight who’d been cracking their skulls, the priests who’d dealt the blow and then offered the cure—
Everyone in the courtyard clasped their hands together as one, witnessing the Miracle unfolding before their eyes.

“Oh, let all people praise Lumina, the benevolent Goddess of Light!”

And in that instant—her spirit seeming distant, tears streaming down her cheeks, her eyes hollow yet radiating warmth upon all—
She was the embodiment of ‘goddess-tier beauty’—
The very image of a ‘noble Saint.’
In that moment, the villagers began crying out from every direction.

“Oh! She is a Saint! The Saint has brought the Village Chief back to life!”
“Oh—! The Goddess of Light has sent us a Saint to save us!”

The mushroom’s hallucinogenic effect, the fervor from the battle just moments before, and the Miracle that erupted at such a dramatic moment—
All the pieces fit. All that remained was for myth to be born.

“Oh! Forest Saint…!”
“The Saint has come to save us!”

Caught in a whirlwind of hallucination and fervor, the villagers began to grow ecstatic, one and all.
Of course, the woman at the center of it all was utterly bewildered.

“Oh! A, a Saint? Me?”

Elina’s face flushed crimson as she glanced around, but the die was already cast.
And the moment Jimmy, the “Child of the Forest,” clasped his hands together reverently before her and dropped to his knees, it was as good as official.

“Behold the great Saint of the Forest!”

Jimmy’s Mother followed suit, prostrating herself on the ground and wiping away tears.

“Oh, Saint of the Forest… look kindly upon us….”
“Wh-what?”

As Elina stood dumbfounded, every villager in sight began to offer their reverence.
The bloodstained chaos of Debri Village transformed in that instant into a sacred sanctuary.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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