Chapter 16: Chapter 16 - Hunters of Dead Gods

Chapter 16 — Hunters of Dead Gods

The moment the prophet said those words, the atmosphere in Erald changed completely.

"The hunters of dead gods."

Nobody moved.

Nobody even spoke.

The rain continued falling softly across the village, but suddenly every sound felt distant.

Muted.

Like the world itself had gone quiet.

I looked toward the eastern mountains beyond the village walls.

Dark silhouettes beneath storm clouds.

Nothing visible.

And yet—

the old prophet’s fear felt real.

Terrifyingly real.

Elena stepped forward immediately.

"Are you certain?"

The prophet’s silver eyes remained locked on the mountains.

"Yes."

One word.

Absolute certainty.

Dorian cursed softly under his breath.

Honestly?

That worried me more than the prophecy itself.

The merchant had remained calm through everything so far.

Lucien.

Divine politics.

My authority.

Even revelations about the original Technology God.

But this?

This visibly shook him.

I frowned slightly.

"Alright. Someone finally explain what exactly these hunters are."

Nobody answered immediately.

Chief Rowan looked completely lost now.

The villagers nearby had begun whispering fearfully among themselves.

Several people already started backing away toward their homes.

Fear spread quickly.

Especially religious fear.

Finally, Elena spoke quietly.

"They are executioners."

Straight to the point.

I crossed my arms.

"Executioners of what?"

The saintess looked directly into my eyes.

"Gods."

Silence.

Complete silence.

The rain suddenly felt much colder.

The prophet slowly lowered her hand from the shrine.

"The ancient pantheons created them during the Age of Divine Collapse."

Dorian finally stepped closer again.

His expression unusually serious now.

"They hunt unstable divine authorities."

"Unstable?" I repeated carefully.

Nobody answered.

Then all three of them slowly looked at me.

Ah.

Wonderful.

Fantastic.

I sighed deeply.

"So basically..."

I gestured toward myself.

"...they exist specifically to murder people like me."

Dorian nodded immediately.

"Yes."

At least honesty remained consistent in this world.

The villagers became more frightened after hearing that.

Several gasped quietly.

One older man whispered a prayer under his breath while staring at me nervously.

Interesting.

Fear changes faith quickly.

Useful thing to remember.

Elena noticed the villagers’ reactions too.

Her expression darkened slightly.

"The hunters rarely move unless major divine factions agree someone is dangerous."

The prophet laughed softly.

Dry.

Unpleasant.

"They already fear him."

Her silver eyes landed directly on me again.

"The forgotten authority has returned."

The blue divine core inside my chest pulsed heavily.

Warm energy spread through my body instinctively.

Almost defensive.

Interesting.

My authority reacted strongly whenever danger approached.

Like a living thing.

Honestly?

That realization was becoming increasingly unsettling.

Dorian looked toward the eastern mountains carefully.

"How long until they arrive?"

The prophet became silent.

Then softly answered—

"They’re already close."

Cold wind swept across the village immediately afterward.

The shrine lights flickered violently.

Some villagers screamed quietly.

The atmosphere felt wrong again.

Heavy.

Like invisible pressure was descending from the mountains themselves.

Elena immediately turned toward Chief Rowan.

"Get everyone inside their homes."

The chief nodded frantically before rushing off.

Villagers scattered quickly through the rain.

Fear spread faster than fire.

Within minutes, the village square emptied almost completely.

Only the four of us remained near the shrine.

Me.

Elena.

Dorian.

The prophet.

Thunder echoed again overhead.

I looked toward the prophet carefully.

"You said they hunt unstable authorities."

The old woman nodded slowly.

"So what qualifies as unstable?"

Her silver eyes narrowed slightly.

"Authorities capable of disrupting divine balance."

Again with the balance.

Everyone in this world seemed obsessed with balance.

Probably because gods here functioned like political superpowers.

Too much change threatened entire systems.

Dorian crossed his arms thoughtfully.

"Technology is uniquely dangerous."

The prophet looked toward him briefly.

"Because it evolves."

Exactly.

That again.

The endless evolution.

Unlike fire or water or war—

technology constantly changed civilization itself.

And if divine authorities evolved through belief...

then technology possessed nearly limitless growth potential.

Honestly?

Even I was starting to understand why ancient gods panicked.

The prophet suddenly asked me something unexpected.

"Do you know why the old Technology God became feared?"

I hesitated briefly.

"Because he grew too powerful?"

"Wrong."

Her silver eyes glowed brighter.

"Because humanity stopped worshipping other gods first."

Silence.

The realization hit instantly.

Oh.

Oh no.

Technology replaced religion.

Not through force.

Through usefulness.

Machines.

Medicine.

Communication.

Progress.

Humans naturally relied more on technological systems over time.

Meaning faith shifted unconsciously toward the concept of technology itself.

That was horrifying.

Because unlike traditional gods—

technology integrated into daily life constantly.

And dependence creates faith naturally.

The prophet watched my expression carefully.

"You understand now."

Unfortunately yes.

Yes I did.

The old Technology God didn’t conquer Earth violently.

Human civilization empowered him willingly until every other divine authority weakened by comparison.

Holy crap.

That was terrifying.

Elena quietly stepped beside me again.

Closer than necessary.

Again not helping concentration.

"The hunters fear history repeating itself."

I rubbed my forehead slowly.

"Honestly? Fair concern."

Dorian looked almost surprised.

"You admit that easily?"

"I’m not stupid."

Maybe reckless sometimes.

Maybe improvising constantly.

But not stupid.

If my authority continued evolving alongside modern knowledge...

eventually entire kingdoms could become dependent on technological systems.

And dependence becomes control frighteningly fast.

The rain suddenly stopped.

Abruptly.

Completely.

Every one of us froze.

No transition.

No gradual weakening.

One moment rain fell across the village.

The next—

absolute stillness.

The prophet’s expression hardened instantly.

"They’re here."

Cold pressure spread across Erald.

Not divine pressure exactly.

Something different.

Sharper.

Predatory.

The blue core inside my chest reacted violently.

Like an alarm.

Then—

footsteps echoed from the village entrance.

Slow.

Measured.

Three figures walked through the empty streets beneath the dark sky.

Black cloaks.

Silver masks.

No visible weapons.

But every instinct inside me screamed danger immediately.

The air around them felt dead.

Not corrupted.

Not evil.

Just empty.

Like spiritual energy itself disappeared near them.

The prophet quietly whispered—

"God killers."

The three masked figures stopped near the center of the square.

Completely silent.

Then the tallest one slowly raised their head.

Silver eyes glowed behind the mask.

Artificial eyes.

Or divine ones.

Hard to tell.

When the figure spoke, the voice sounded distorted.

Genderless.

"We seek the awakened authority."

Straight to the point.

No introduction.

No diplomacy.

Interesting.

Elena immediately stepped forward.

"This village stands under Lady Seraphine’s protection."

The masked figure looked toward her.

"Not relevant."

Rude.

Very rude.

The second hunter stepped slightly forward now.

Smaller build.

Calmer posture.

Their voice sounded softer.

"We do not seek conflict."

Ah yes.

People saying that usually create conflict within minutes.

Dorian subtly moved closer to me.

"Do not provoke them."

Honestly?

That advice felt extremely important.

The tallest hunter spoke again.

"The authority known as Technology must come willingly."

Well.

That sounded suspiciously threatening.

I crossed my arms slowly.

"And if I don’t?"

Silence.

The masked figures observed me carefully.

Then the third hunter finally spoke for the first time.

A woman’s voice.

Cold.

Precise.

"Then probability of village survival decreases significantly."

Ah.

There it is.

Threat confirmed.

Elena’s silver symbol ignited immediately.

Divine light spread around her body sharply.

"Enough."

The hunters didn’t react at all.

Interesting.

No fear.

No intimidation.

The woman hunter tilted her head slightly toward me.

"You are inexperienced."

Fair.

"Emotionally unstable."

Rude.

Again accurate somehow.

"Yet your authority growth rate exceeds acceptable limits."

Okay honestly hearing yourself described like a malfunctioning nuclear reactor feels unpleasant.

I looked toward them carefully.

"And who decides what’s acceptable?"

The tallest hunter answered instantly.

"History."

Cryptic organizations really loved dramatic answers.

The prophet suddenly laughed softly nearby.

"You fear him already."

The hunters ignored her completely.

Interesting.

Either discipline or caution.

Possibly both.

The smaller hunter stepped forward now.

"We monitored divine fluctuations following your awakening."

Monitored?

My eyes narrowed slightly.

"How long?"

"Since the first manifestation."

The torch miracle?

Holy crap.

These people tracked me almost immediately.

The hunter continued calmly—

"Your authority demonstrates adaptive synchronization with spiritual systems."

Even Elena looked confused now.

Apparently their terminology differed from normal divine language.

The hunter’s silver eyes fixed on my chest.

"Uncontrolled evolution presents catastrophic future scenarios."

Dorian quietly muttered—

"They’re treating him like a disaster classification."

Honestly?

That sounded about right.

I took a slow breath.

Then asked the important question.

"What exactly do you want?"

Silence followed briefly.

Then the tallest hunter answered—

"Containment."

Cold wind swept through the village again.

The shrine lights flickered violently.

Containment.

Not negotiation.

Not alliance.

Containment.

Like I was a dangerous weapon instead of a person.

Anger stirred unexpectedly inside my chest.

The blue core pulsed harder instantly.

The hunters noticed.

All three shifted slightly.

Alert.

Interesting.

The woman hunter spoke calmly—

"Emotional fluctuation detected."

Oh, I already hated these people.

Very much.

Elena stepped directly in front of me now.

Protective again.

"Lady Seraphine will never allow forced containment."

The hunters remained silent briefly.

Then the tallest one answered—

"Probability models predict otherwise."

The prophet suddenly whispered softly—

"They’ve already decided."

Dorian’s expression darkened.

"What does that mean?"

The old woman’s silver eyes narrowed toward the hunters.

"It means..."

Her voice became quieter.

"...they never came here expecting peace."