"Fufufufufu...! Ahahahahahahaha!"
"What are these things?! Is it some kind of magic?!"
"Hypno’s been defeated, so this isn't hypnosis! This is Dogma’s own power!"
Amidst Dogma’s eerie, echoing laughter, the crowd cried out as they fought back against the black figures—entities that could only be described as Shadow Soldiers—crawling incessantly from the black swamp she had manifested.
While the individual combat strength of these soldiers wasn't particularly high, the people felt a mounting sense of dread at their sheer numbers; they seemed to emerge in an endless stream. As the chaos unfolded, Dogma continued to laugh.
"No matter how righteous a god's teachings are, they are rarely understood and often persecuted. However, there are certainly those whose hearts were truly moved by my words. To protect me, now that I am cornered and persecuted by you all, they have crossed the threshold of life and death to return."
"The threshold of life and death...?"
"Yes. After all, they were my most obedient believers."
Hugo watched Dogma, her lips twisted into a wicked, distorted grin. He gasped as he turned his gaze back toward the Shadow Soldiers.
Looking closer, he realized that even among the pitch-black figures, their physiques varied. Then, his eyes fell upon a small shadow, its stature undeniably that of a child. A simmering rage began to boil over within him.
"Did you kill them...? These people... were they all murdered by you?!"
"Please, do not use such foul language. They simply offered up their lives for my sake. It was nothing more than that."
"Guh...!"
The true identities of the Shadow Soldiers, appearing in inexhaustible numbers, were the humans whose lives Dogma had stolen.
As the realization dawned on them, Hugo and the others choked back gasps of horror.
Melt shook her head in disbelief as she watched the soldiers emerge at a speed that showed no sign of slowing. Her face was a mask of mingled terror and fury as she screamed at Dogma.
"Just how many have you murdered?! How many people did you have to kill to amass an army like this?!"
"I told you, I didn't murder anyone. They are pious believers who threw away their lives and offered their souls for my sake. Please, do not use such a terrifying word as 'murder' in my presence."
It was a blatant lie. Among these Shadow Soldiers, there were indeed some who had belonged to her cult, just as she claimed.
However, the vast majority of them were nothing more than pitiful victims—people slaughtered by her own hand or by those committing atrocities under her direct command.
Dogma considered anyone who lost their life as a result of her actions to be a follower who revered her.
Deep down, she understood the truth, but to her, a self-proclaimed god, the actual thoughts of humans—beings she viewed as lesser—were irrelevant.
Whether they had willingly sacrificed themselves out of faith, died in an incident sparked by her fanatical orders, or had never even heard of her, it made no difference.
If a person died because of her influence, she believed she had the divine right to claim their soul and use it until it was utterly exhausted. That was her privilege as a god.
(It’s not just one world! This isn't a number you could reach by running rampant in a single world. You mean she’s been doing this across countless worlds?!)
As noted, the Shadow Soldiers' individual strength was relatively low. Trained soldiers or the students of Luminous Academy could likely strike them down without much trouble.
However, for every soldier they cut down, ten more rose to take its place.
The overflowing numbers quickly surpassed a hundred and were on track to easily reach a thousand.
Sensing the sheer scale and the unrelenting pressure of the spirits, Hugo realized that Dogma had been tormenting people across many worlds, not just this one.
Gritting his teeth, Hugo struck down a small, child-like shadow that lunged at him. He glared at Dogma, his voice trembling with a roar of pure, unadulterated rage.
"Dogma! You're out of your mind! Not only did you take their lives, but you're even enslaving their souls?! You... you're the one person who shouldn't exist! Not in this world! Not in any world!"
"Hahaha! But I am not a person. I am a god, worshipped by many. Besides, Hugo Clay... aren't you forgetting something important?"
She spoke calmly to Hugo, who burned with a righteous fury at her nonchalant evil—at how she took lives and bound the souls of the fallen.
Following her chilling words, a desperate scream tore through the battlefield.
"Brother! Brooother!!"