Chapter 928 Exorcists
"I see… Alright then Arak. Why don't you show me where everyone is? I can deal with the bad people if you want." Shiro smiled but Arak furrowed his brows.
"But there are lots of people there that will try to attack you." He cautioned with worry as Shiro only laughed.
"It's fine. If you're that worried I'll bring someone else with me. We've pretty much got all of the people outside so we're fine. Lyrica, are you able to come with me? We're going to deal with the people taking advantage of everything. Their exp won't be any use to me." Shiro called out as Lyrica nodded her head.
"Yeah I can do that. The average level of people here are only 300 to 400 no?" Lyrica walked over.
"Erm… some of them are 450 to 500." Arak corrected as Lyrica raised an eyebrow.
"That should be fine then. Plus, Shiro is here." Lyrica smiled as she checked her equipment and put on her gas mask.
"In that case then I shall watch by the side like always. Unless it's something you can't handle, I'll just be sitting on your shoulder." Shiro chuckled.
Shrinking herself down, she sat on Lyrica's shoulder and Arak could only look at Shiro in surprise.
"Here's a gas mask. Put it on and the miasma won't affect you. We'll protect you so show us to the shelter." Shiro smiled.
"What about the people here then? Won't the ghosts find everyone?" He asked while glancing at everyone in the shop.
"Don't worry, we have someone that can mask our presence so unless the ghosts see us with their eyes, they won't know that we're here. Plus, we have a few capable fighters that can drive them away as well as someone that can control souls." Shiro reassured as Lyrica opened the door and gestured for the kid to follow her.
Tightening his grip around his gasmask, Arak put it on and dashed out of the store.
"The entrance to the shelter isn't too far away. There are multiple entrances and this is one of them. I only know about four entrances and I'm not sure if the exorcists know about anymore. If they heard a commotion, they might choose to leave if they understand they might not win." Arak frowned as he ran towards the alleyways.
"Hou… is that so? I might have to set down a barrier to stop them from running them." Shiro muttered with a smile. It'll be a barrier that allows for people to enter but not leave.
"Also, you might want to give up on this shelter. The people inside aren't good people. They will easily give you up for their own benefit. No one here is willing to stand up for one another and people become arrogant once they're favoured by those at the top." Arak slowed down into a walk as he looked back at the two with seriousness.
"There's no point helping people like that." He warned.
Hearing this, Shiro only chuckled.
"Perhaps. But we'll see what happens." Shiro shrugged.
IF they were indeed trash that she shouldn't bother about then she'll eliminate them should it come down to it. Just because she wanted to help people doesn't mean she gave up on killing.
"Will you be alright with that?" Shiro glanced at Lyrica who only nodded.
"Mn, I'm fine. Things are difficult now which means people need to band together to survive. For people to take advantage of one another in a time like this, there's no point giving them mercy. Asharia doesn't have space for this kind of people." Lyrica nodded as she unsheathed her sword. Twisting her body, a wave of fire exploded out as it evaporated a ghost that wanted to drop down from the rooftop in order to eat Arak.
"Don't blame me for what happens then." Arak scratched his head and led them to the first entrance. Knocking on the wall a few times in a rhythmic pattern, Shiro could sense the movement of mana as the wall opened to show a tunnel leading down. Two guards stood at either side of the door and they glanced at the three that had knocked on the wall. Surprised to see that two of them had gas masks, the guards were tempted to take them but even with gas masks, if they can't fight the ghosts, there was no point.
"Are you finished with your run?" They asked while observing Lyrica since someone with a body like that would have been claimed by one of the exorcists long ago.
"Ah yes I have." Arak nodded, showing his bad of rations.
"What about that woman? I don't think she's from this shelter." One of the guards pointed at Lyrica who had a mini Shiro sitting on her shoulder.
Before Arak could say anything, Lyrica walked up.
"Sorry, I was surviving in a different part of the city. I found two gas masks that covered me from the miasma and came across Arak when resting in one of the safe areas where ghosts can't find me." Lyrica explained while acting on guard.
"I see… you must have come across one of the zones that the exorcists set up." The guard nodded. It wasn't strange to see people that have survived by luck since it's only been a few days.
"You might need to meet the exorcists first though since you're new. Arak, you go report your earnings and we'll lead from here. Also, you might want to hide the mask in your inventory. Don't let the exorcists take them." The guard warned. Even though they were selfish, they still had hatred towards the exorcists that exploited them.
Looking back at Lyrica with a worried expression, Arak sighed when she gave him a reassuring nod.
As the walls closed up once more, Arak stored his mask away.
While Arak walked towards the area where he reported his earnings, one of the guards started to lead Lyrica towards the exorcists.
Looking at the underground shelter, Shiro narrowed her eyes since the conditions here were awful. Everything here was even shabbier than the slums, there was barely any cloth that could be used as a bed. Everyone slept on the cold hard ground with guards around the place keeping a watch on them.
Seeing Lyrica, they were surprised to see such a healthy person here but they didn't dare look for more than a second since the exorcists would probably gouge their eyes out for looking at something that would become their property.
"We're here. The exorcists are just beyond this door." The guard stated as he returned to his post.
Looking at the door, Lyrica was frowning since she could already smell the scene of perfume and luxury items. Compared to the place where other survivors are, it's clear that the exorcists thought themselves to be kings.
Pushing open the door, Lyrica was immediately greeted with a corridor that had two heavily armoured guards protecting a door.
"State your business."
"I'm here to see the exorcists. I'm new." Lyrica stated coldly as the guards nodded.
"To meet the exorcists, you must wear this or we cannot let you meet them." The guards stated as he pulled out a chained bracelet.
[Cursed Bracelet of Barcon]
Once equipped, user cannot utilise any form of mana.
Physical strength is weakened.
Can only be equipped if the user accepts.
Once equipped, it binds to the user until the creator is dead or allows it to be removed.
Reading this, Shiro smirked and tapped the back of Lyrica's neck.
Discreetly transferring some divine energy, Shiro gave Lyrica a knowing wink.
If this bracelet cut off the mana, something higher like divine energy was going to work like a charm.
Nodding her head, Lyrica grabbed the bracelet and equipped it onto her wrist. Flinching slightly, she started to walk towards the door but they stopped her once more.
"Your little companion has to stay." They pointed at Shiro who shrugged.
Leaving a small nanotech eye on Lyrica Shiro jumped off and floated to one of the pillars within the corridor and waited there.
Seeing this, they finally allowed her in.
Pushing open the door, Lyrica was assaulted by the smell of scented candles and roses. There was a faint pink veil of mist that blocked her sight. Walking through this mist, she saw 6 people sat in separate chambers surrounded by either handsome men or beautiful women wearing skimpy outfits.
Already feeling her rage increase, Lyrica narrowed her eyes.
"There's a newcomer. State your bui- oh my." One of the exorcists paused after seeing Lyrica's appearance.
"Well hello there. What brings someone like you here." He smirked.
"There's a way to bring everyone out of the city. There's no need to live under the fear of the ghosts. If you bring everyone out, we can treat their poisoning by the miasma." Lyrica decided to just get to the point since staying here only grossed her out.
"Oh I already know of a way out. But why should we go out when life is amazing here? People serve us like gods and resources are plenty for us." He grinned.
"If you enter my harem, I can give you the same benefits. If not, you can just die since you heard too much. Honestly, why would you even accept wearing a bracelet that makes you useless." He snickered.
Pausing for a moment, Lyrica looked up at the exorcists.
"How unfortunate, a demi goddess has just sentenced you to death."