The Case of Being Reincarnated as a Heretic Mob Character in an Eroge Where Everyone is Extremely Determined - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The tragedy of the prequel.

As a ‘Zombie Bomb’ detonates and a peaceful town falls into hell, five hundred Heretics break through into the city.

Of course, there are limits to Pork’s abilities, but in this situation without the orthodox Executives, they are practically invincible.

Ignoring the Heretics sliding down the mountain slope, three Executives take flight into the dark night. The leader himself leads the way, with two Executives following close behind.

The morale of the mob skyrockets.

Once we descend from the mountain to the town, we spread out and begin attacking the townspeople.

However, I only pretend to attack the terrified townspeople… and head straight for the protagonist’s house.

My plan is to ensure the protagonist’s escape from this hell and hand them over to the people on the side of the Orthodoxy.

If the protagonist dies by some fluke, we can’t hope for the true official route of the Heretic’s annihilation.

Without the protagonist, who is even more determined than the Executive, this country will be swallowed by Aaros’s madness.

That must be prevented at all costs. If we can at least evacuate him safely from the Metashim region, then Celestia or someone similar should be able to take care of the rest.

The strong zombies, explosively multiplied by the ‘zombie bomb,’ were quickly increasing their numbers at the edge of my field of vision.

The townspeople who rushed over upon hearing the collapse of the garrison were the first to be attacked, and only after seeing others being assaulted did the rest begin to grasp the situation.

“Uwaaaaaaaah!!”

“Run awaaaaay!!”

I can see people being devoured alive by zombies.

Humans are surprisingly sturdy creatures, and won’t die from just a part of their body being bitten off. Even in the face of extreme agony, they have no choice but to live until their hearts stop.

The zombies created by the ‘zombie bomb.’ When a human bitten by them succumbs to the poison and dies, a new zombie is born.

Like a rat’s multiplication, they increase without limit under the clear blue sky.

The city lights flicker. Great screams arise seemingly both from the heavens and the earth.

People who have noticed not only the zombies but also the arrival of the Heretics fall into even greater terror.

Women and children are captured, and all others are killed.

The Heretics following me faithfully repeat their sophisticated movements.

(The ‘zombie bomb’ by Joanne and Pork is too effective as a method of attack against the people. Especially Pork… The magic she alone handles is just too despicable.)

Contrary to her appearance as a ‘handsome’ (man clothing) woman, everything she does is utterly ruthless.

The zombies she controls look just like the living and faithfully carry out various commands.

As a result, the Orthodox soldiers who become zombie are also thoroughly carrying out actions such as ‘attack people except for women and children’ and ‘do not attack those belonging to the Aaros Temple Order.’

One might think they lack human hearts, but it’s precisely because they have them that they understand what is unpleasant to endure. They know that this is the fastest and most effective way to deal with the fleeing populace.

It is said that during the World War that once occurred, there was a sentiment of ‘let’s not use inhumane weapons,’ but unfortunately, the Heretics have no such brakes.

If there is a way to kill people efficiently, they will not hesitate to adopt it. The madness of wanting to win the religious war at any cost is what drives their tactics.

Looking around, I noticed that the figures of the prophet Aaros and Joanne were nowhere to be seen.

I hope they haven’t headed to the protagonist’s house. I steal a glance at Pork, who is nearby.

“Oakley Mercury. Don’t make any unnecessary moves.”

“Uh…?”

“Because I’m watching.”

Had she noticed my gaze?

Leaving those words behind, she headed towards the direction of the tallest building in the city.

(Un-unnecessary moves…? What does she mean? Could it be that Pork has realized what I’m trying to do—No, wait. That can’t be right. I’m just a mob Believer, without the capacity or power for schemes and plots. And it’s not like Pork has her eyes on the original protagonist either. After all, the protagonist is born into an utterly ordinary family… not of a hero’s lineage, nor awakening to the power of dragons or something like that.)

A throbbing in the blood vessels behind my eyes made a pounding sound, and I felt a nauseating sway in my vision.

What is going on?

Not only Joanne and Juanquiro, but now Pork too has set her sights on me…!

“I was surprised, Oakley, to think that you were acquainted with Joanne-sama and Pork-sama.”

“Ah, well, a little bit…”

I said to Steve, who had come along with me, in a clipped tone, and then started running back towards the protagonist’s house.

Because there is an exploration part in the Metashim region in the flashback episode of the original game, I was approaching his house without losing my way.

Ah, I remember every nook and cranny of this town’s structure. Who lives in the protagonist’s hometown and how they live.

I know everything.

In the flashback episode in the middle of the original story, we players have to control the protagonist as a boy, knowing the fate of destruction that awaits.

Even though we know we will lose the battle of Metashim, we can’t do anything. Knowing that all the friends and family we are now getting along with will die, we can only watch the impending attack with our hands tied… How empty and sad it is to wander through a hometown whose fate of ruin is sealed.

Of course, this flashback episode is a storyline set up by the creators to make players empathize with the protagonist’s hatred for the Heretic.

However, unbelievably, the protagonist is still controllable during the Heretic’s ravaging, so we can experience the tragedy up close. And many players were left speechless by the sheer harshness of the protagonist’s past.

I remember being taken aback myself, thinking, ‘Isn’t this going too far…’

This is a well-known story, but there’s an anecdote about a famous live streamer who heard about the reputation of ‘The Seeker of Yumei’ and decided to play the all-ages version (intended for those fifteen and older) on a live broadcast.

During the protagonist’s flashback episode, the streamer became so emotionally invested that they ended up having their heart broken.

Of course, that’s what happened. I myself was so devastated by the harshness that I literally fell ill.

The friendly old man from the neighborhood who played with the protagonist died gruesomely with his brains splattered right in front of him, protecting him from a flying rock.

Now that I think about it, it was probably Joanne’s fault—and the childhood friend who said she would marry the protagonist got caught in a fire and turned into a charred corpse, while the protagonist’s parents, who hid him under the floor, were devoured alive, their organs torn apart as he watched.

…The all-ages version is more bearable since the gore and erotic grotesque CGs are either completely cut or replaced, but the R18 version is merciless.

This is a spoiler, but there’s also a scene where the grown-up protagonist has a tearful reunion with his parents!

Thanks to Pork, he can talk to his parents who were supposed to be dead!

They’ve become zombies, but they retain their original personalities and memories, so they can even reminisce! Pork-sama is kind!

You heartless devil bastard…

By the way, the protagonist’s childhood friend has CGs with different facial expressions prepared—her casual clothes even change depending on the weather, showing the effort put into her character.

Because of this, fans who wanted to save the childhood friend from the tragedy of Metashim created time-leap fan fiction, and fan art of her grown-up self was also made.

It’s such a sad story that if I ever find the childhood friend, I’d want to save her properly… If I’m going to save the protagonist, the more the merrier, right?

(If I get through this street, I’ll reach the childhood friend’s house—)

The moment I approached the street leading to my childhood friend’s house, I noticed a surge of heat and smoke rising up, making my feet freeze in place.

The source seemed to be a few dozen meters ahead—right where her house should have been.

Stunned, I ran through the town. It seemed that many of the townspeople had already evacuated, as only piles of rubble and gouged cobblestones spread around me.

That’s right, the childhood friend was good at playing tag, she could run fast.

The evacuation must be over by now. She’s probably hiding somewhere well. If not—

“Ah?”

—Around the corner.

There was a familiar looking burnt corpse.

That corpse was identical to the one in the illustration that had appeared on the display back then—

“…”

An overpowering stench that seemed to twist the nose was wafting through the air.

Countless cloths fluttered like butterflies, taking off into the sky.

“Oakley, what are you doing!? Leave that corpse alone!”

Steve’s voice snapped me back to sanity.

Seeing my suspicious behavior, Steve asks with a strained voice,

“…Someone you know?”

“…No… I don’t have a single acquaintance from the outside world…”

Steve nodded, ‘I figured as much.’

My earliest memory in this world begins within the stronghold of the Aaros Temple Order.

There’s no way I have friends in the outside world.

I avert my eyes from the corpses and run through the streets echoing with screams.

The fires are burning more fiercely than they ever did in the game.

There’s nowhere to hide. I couldn’t imagine a child surviving in this chaos.

In fact, it might be better if you die early because you won’t feel the terror.

(I’m sure there was a hole leading to the sewers just a few hundred meters from the protagonist’s house. That’s the only way for them to escape.)

The protagonist’s house is close now.

Despite my body screaming from the full sprint, I continue running, having spotted the distinctive single-family home in the distance.

And just before entering the protagonist’s house.

?

I suddenly found it weird that Steve had been following me all this time.

“…Steve. Why are you following me? We should split up and search for the townspeople.”

As long as Steve is watching, I can’t meet the original protagonist. ‘Why do you let that kid go?’ they’ll press me, and the punchline is that I’ll have no choice but to kidnap the protagonist and let him fall into heresy.

Anyway, I have to separate them. No matter how much rebellious spirit he has for Aaros, excessive trust is forbidden.
No, Steve is actually someone I want to trust… but he might be the kind of person like me, someone who would rather kill others to survive than die himself.

As I carefully watch his reaction, Steve says with a serious face,

“…I have a question too. Where has Oakley been heading since a while ago? Come to think of it, Oakley seemed to be searching for something ever since the operation started. It looked like he had a destination in mind. We’re not supposed to know the outside world, yet you choose your path without any hesitation…”

Steve’s remark hits me like a blunt object to the head.

A chill runs down my spine, seeping into my stomach.

This must be what they call a sinking feeling.

This guy…Don’t suddenly ask such sharp questions.

“…I’m close with Joanne. I was getting information about this place through her.”

“Hmm. So, where are you headed?”

“The outer gate. The townspeople will try to flee in the opposite direction from where we came, right? I’m trying to close the gate and trap them all inside.”

“I see.”

After stroking his chin, Steve declared as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“It’ll be tough on your own. I’ll come with you.”

“Ah… o-okay. That helps.”

(Damn it…! There’s no time for this! While we’re doing this, the fire could spread, and the protagonist might burn to death!!)

―Steve was like the first friend I made in this cult.

He’s also like someone worthy of connecting hearts with.

But, but…

No matter what, he’s too much of an interference.

He inevitably becomes an obstacle for my purpose.

( I… I am…)

Right now, I’m being forced to make a choice.

To give up on contacting the protagonist and leave everything to fate—

Or to make contact with the protagonist, ensure his rescue, and then assist in his escape—

It is impossible to choose both options.

The former choice means leaving the protagonist’s life or death to fate.

As for the latter, there is a possibility that I must make contact with the protagonist, even if it means killing Steve.

Choosing to invite Steve to join me is definitely not an option.

Try explaining that I have memories from a past life… or that the original protagonist is supposed to become a heroic figure on the side of the orthodox church.

I’d be labeled as crazy, reported, and tied up as a consequence.

In the first place, we are not close enough to share such significant secrets of the world.

Even if we were to become that close, it would be much later. I would be happy if that day comes, but the decision must be made here and now.

There is no time left. Zombies and Believers alike will soon swarm in.

(…I can’t leave the protagonist’s life to chance. I’ll knock Steve unconscious and save the protagonist.)

—I chose to rescue the protagonist with my own hands.

It would be foolish not to act now that I’ve come this far. I owe Steve an apology, but he’ll have to sleep for just a little while.

(Sorry, Steve…)

There’s a method to knock someone unconscious by striking the back of their neck with the edge of a hand.

This feat is possible only with extraordinary muscles and technique.

Raised as a Heretic, I mastered this skill, and the success rate of my hand chop is so high it’s almost one hundred percent.

Steve took his eyes off for a moment, and I circled around to his back.

After making sure no one was around, I put strength into my raised right hand…

-Chop

Then, I struck a pinpoint on the back of his head. A thud sound was heard, and a perfect sensation was transmitted to my hand.

Perfect.

“Okay, it’s time to go.”

After making sure Steve had collapsed, I turned on my heel.

That’s when it happened.

“What are you doing?”

“―!?”

Steve, who should have been taken down perfectly, stood up clutching his neck and aimed his crossbow at me.

“W-wait, you misunderstand―”

“Oakley. You tricked me.”

“I-I’m not…I’m not tricking you. Steve, it’s not like that! You have to believe me!”

“I trusted you, but you tried to kill me, you traitor.”

“―”

Amidst the rising flames, I stood face to face with Steve.

His eyes were not joking. He completely regarded me as his enemy.

(Do I really have to do this…!)

I suppressed my heart.

To save the world, I must kill the only person with whom I’ve ever connected…

There’s no other choice now that we’ve become enemies.

Tormented by for what felt like the umpteenth time regret, I kicked off the ground and rush at him with all my might.