Axis Cult Mayhem Climax
By the next morning, Arcanretia had officially gone insane. Kazuma realized it the moment he opened the lodging door and immediately got shoved back inside by a running Axis follower screaming about heresy, purification, and something involving soap and holy water.
Another group ran past chanting Aqua's name, while a third group chased them with brooms. Kazuma slammed the door shut. "Nope. Absolutely not. This city is definitely broken." Aqua peeked through the window, eyes sparkling. "Wow… they're really fired up today!"
"That's because YOU and Ruko basically split their religion in half," Kazuma snapped. Ruko sat on the bed, calmly tightening the straps on his boots. His body still ached, but he was functional. "Augh it's been four days since we do this correction bullshit. They split themselves becausethere aristocratly stupid."
Megumin crossed her arms. "It's loud. I don't like loud before i even got my breakfast." Darkness, peering out another window, looked strangely flushed. "There are people being restrained in the square… and others arguing about freedom and punishment. It's very intense."
Kazuma groaned. "Of course you'd say that." A knock suddenly slammed against the door. "OPEN UP IN THE NAME OF AXIS FREEDOM!" Kazuma pointed at the door. "See? That sentence shouldn't exist and i shouldn'thave come here in the first place."
Aqua puffed up her chest. "Calm down! I'll handle this!" She flung the door open dramatically. "Your goddess is—" "LADY AQUA!" several cultists shouted at once. "You must choose a side!" Aqua blinked. "A side of what?"
"The TRUE Axis belief!"
"No, the NEW Axis belief!"
"The belief with rules!"
"The belief without rules!"
Aqua's smile slowly faded. "Why are there so many sides?" Kazuma slapped his forehead. "Unbelievable." One cultist pointed directly at Ruko. "It's because of him! He insulted absolute faith!" Ruko stood up, calm. "I said you shitty ass people shouldn't hurt each other over this crap of shit."
"That's WORSE!" Megumin leaned toward Kazuma. "They're idiots." Kazuma nodded. "Yep." The argument exploded instantly. Shouting turned into pushing. Pushing turned into spellcasting. Someone slipped on holy water and knocked over a stall. A priest got stuck in a barrel.
Aqua raised her staff. "STOP IT! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" Half the cultists froze. The other half yelled louder. "This is why gods shouldn't visit their own churches," Kazuma muttered. Suddenly, a loud crack echoed through the square. A magical barrier flared up, separating the crowd into two sides. Elder Axis priests stood at the center, faces red with anger.
"This chaos must end now!" one shouted. "The heretic and his influence must be removed at once!" Kazuma stepped forward instantly. "Oh hell no."
Megumin grinned. "Explosion?" "No explosions!" Kazuma yelled. Darkness stepped in front of Aqua, sword drawn. "If you intend to harm Lady Aqua or her companions, you'll have to go through me."
Several cultists hesitated. Others looked excited. Ruko moved beside Kazuma. "This is turning into violent zombie parade." Kazuma snapped back, "You think?!" Aqua's voice suddenly rang out again, louder than before, infused with divine pressure. "ENOUGH!"
The square went silent. Aqua floated slightly off the ground, water swirling around her feet. Her expression wasn't playful this time. It was angry. Genuinely angry. "I didn't come here to watch you tear each other apart!" she shouted. "You argue about freedom but can't even respect each other! That's not faith—that's just selfishness!"
The elders stiffened. Aqua pointed at them. "And YOU! Hiding behind belief to control people!" Some cultists looked away. Others looked shocked. Kazuma stared. "Wow… she's actually being competent for once." Megumin nodded. "And Scary." Aqua landed and huffed. "I'm disappointed in all of you!"
That did it. The crowd collapsed into confusion. Some cultists dropped their banners. Others started apologizing. A few tried to sneak away. One elder clenched his staff. "Lady Aqua… you can't just—" "Yes I can!" Aqua snapped. "Since I'm the goddess of water!"
Silence. Finally, the elder bowed stiffly. "We… will reflect." Kazuma whispered to Ruko, "That's cult leader language for 'we'll pretend this never happened.'" Ruko replied quietly, "At least the fighting stopped even though it's disappointing." By evening, Arcanretia was exhausted. The plaza was a mess. Broken stalls, spilled water, bruised egos.
Back at the lodging, the group collapsed. Kazuma dropped onto a chair. "I officially hate religious tourism."
Megumin yawned. "At least I exploded no one." Darkness sighed, disappointed. "I was prepared for getting…" Aqua plopped down dramatically. "Why is being worshipped is so hard?!"
Ruko sat against the wall, eyes closed for a moment. The noise was gone, but the fatigue remained. Not just physical—mental. Emotional. Kazuma looked at him. "You okay? Ruko nodded slowly. "Yeah. Just tired." Aqua glanced at him. "You didn't do anything wrong, you know."
Ruko gave a small shrug. "I know."
Outside, Arcanretia quieted—for now. But the cracks remained. Faith shaken. Order strained. And far away, something watched with interest. The Axis Cult Mayhem had ended—but consequences were already forming.