The stone floor collapsed neatly to the extent of the space I would pass through.
I covered my nose against the horrific stench that emanated from below.
Damn it!
Dalbi didn’t come down. To him, this place was dirtier than a cesspit filled with filth.
Originally, the monastery’s basement was used as a warehouse for storing wine, but it seemed like the devil had turned it into his own hobby room.
I endured the disgust as I looked around the basement. It was full of skulls. Judging by the quantity, they belonged to the faithful who had come seeking the monastery. In the basement, filled with piled-up skulls, there was a well. But it wasn’t filled with water; it was filled with blood. I checked the ‘inscription’ drawn near the well.
“This must be the third time already.”
Whenever there were rumors of a devil’s presence, it always turned out to be true.
Furthermore, this time, the situation was particularly serious.
Evidence surfaced. Evidence that the devil worshiped another devil.
It was revealed that even among devils, there was a hierarchy.
“Damn it.”
Moreover, the devil had been disguised as a priest of Azhibita Church. This time, he was a fool who got caught easily, but if he had been smarter, he might not have been discovered. This was not just a matter of the devil masquerading as nobility; it was a dimensionally different problem.
“I need to meet Wooshas.”
***
A devil disguised as a priest of Azhibita Church.
If Azhibita Church had already fallen into the devil’s hands, they wouldn’t even receive help from a Priests.
This matter must not be revealed lightly.
This time, I had no choice but to seek Wooshas’s help.
As I emerged from the basement, I met Priest. He gasped in horror as I tore off the door panel.
“What on earth are you doing! Ugh, the smell of blood…”
“Could you lend me some paper and a pen?”
“T-they’re by the d-desk. But, Priest, what happened? What’s broken?”
“Here’s a piece of advice. Take off your robes immediately and leave the mountains to the north without stopping, ignore anyone who talks to you, stick to crowded paths. Oh, and never go down to the basement, and don’t look at any holes in the ground.”
When the Priest hesitated, I shouted. He was a feeble old man. Startled, he hurriedly fled from the room, making thumping sounds as he descended the stairs. A moment later, screams echoed. I shrugged my shoulders. I had warned him not to look. Soon, the rusty latch made a loud noise. I hoped he would safely escape to the village.
“Let’s see.”
I dipped the pen in ink and wrote three letters on the paper.
Then, I folded it neatly and lit it on the candle.
The dry paper quickly caught fire, emitting black smoke.
As if the wind were blowing, although there was no wind.
“Magic is quite convenient.”
Is this more like magic or closer to ‘sorcery’?
***
Two nights later.
A guest arrived at the cursed Kaklyang Monastery.
“Is the whispering over?”
As soon as Wooshas saw me, she mentioned the ‘brothers’ fight.’ I just nodded. A fight that had lasted for two months. It wasn’t over yet, but the ‘remaining’ ones were no longer the ones who could win by simply rushing in.
“I smell something fragrant.”
“It’s the smell of blood.”
“That’s right.”
Melissa and Ranista had come to understand to some extent. But Wooshas still felt like a strange presence with an unknown identity. Wooshas descended into the basement confidently. She casually wandered around the filthy place piled with white bones and looked with interest at the well filled with blood.
“A devil’s ritual.”
“Do devils worship other devils?”
“It’s not surprising. Even ‘gods’ have hierarchies.”
She speaks as if she knows the gods?
The sister’s face was a mockery.
She laughed innocently, like a child who had found a toy.
“I smell a devil in the monastery. Isn’t it suspicious?”
Wooshas said.
“The Pope hadn’t even sent Priests, let alone raise concerns.”
Stretching out her hand, the nun touched the white bones. In that moment, as if weathered over many years, the white bones turned into dust in an instant. Dozens of white bones scattered in an instant, and the blood in the well bubbled and evaporated.
“I’ve been watching Azhibita Church for years. It’s clear that among the senior clergy above the level of bishops, there are devils or devil worshipers.”
Wooshas whispered her plan in a secretive tone.
“In ten days, there will be a ceremony to celebrate the creation of the world according to the decree of the Pope. Archbishops, cardinals, and even the Pope will gather. That day, ‘we’ will know. Who among them is a devil in the guise of a priest.”
“…And once we know? What then?”
When she laughed, I felt a lump in my throat. Now that I understood my siblings’ way of thinking to some extent, I anticipated an event so horrific that it couldn’t be found in the history of the continent on that day Wooshas set out to achieve.
“Is this serious?”
“Oh, you poor, weak brother. When will you realize that recklessness is our blessing? Chaos is not an enemy. What we need to be cautious of is ignorance. What is there to fear when we know?”
Blood ties, power, and religion.
The most forbidden territories to tread upon.
But Wooshas was unhesitant and eager to transgress the forbidden.
“Hmm.”
Recklessness as a blessing.
How arrogant a statement?
Confidence that they could bear the consequences of recklessness.
“It’s because of you.”
“Hmm?”
“After all, when I think about it, this side might be better. At least you don’t blame me, do you?”
It’s quite amusing. In my past life, I realized that I was just as reckless as them.
I said to the nun.
“Tell me your plan.”
If I were to look in the mirror now, my face probably wouldn’t be much different from Wooshas’.
The worrying part is that my father’s plans are being disrupted. On the national holiday that comes every 15 years, when most nobles gather, my father intended to carry out his work. Was it wise to preemptively root out the demons of the Azhibita faith? No, anyway, we cannot receive help from the black priests in the current situation.
Wooshas said that this time it would be a prelude to war.
“Libera’s plan was based on the experience of the Great War. But things are different now. We have your eyes. The initiative lies with you, not the demons.”
All the nobles of the empire gather in the imperial palace on the national holiday.
Then comes my way of distinguishing who the demon is.
It was a plan my father was secretly pushing forward.
But Wooshas had a different idea.
The addition of ‘letting them know in advance.’
Declare openly that demons will be identified on the national holiday.
Those nobles who do not gather will be judged as demons.
What my father feared was that impostors would hide and take advantage of the empire.
But Sister had more faith in my strength than my father expected. Wooshas insisted that with ‘us,’ the latter’s plan would be a more certain way to eradicate demons.
“Will the Emperor and other dukes really approve of this plan?”
The problem is politics. The Rainberg family leads this plan. Even if the Puppet Emperor does, other dukes are likely to oppose it.
“Don’t worry. They’ll just follow along with ‘this matter.'”
Wooshas had all the plans, didn’t she?
***
Come to think of it, there’s no better place for demons to hide than in the Papal Decree.
Having power that transcends separated powers and the royal family. Since the black priests are guarding, one cannot even think that demons are hiding. As they say, the darkest place is under the candlelight, damn it. But still, it’s like that.
With Wooshas’s help, I easily concealed my identity and participated in the ritual of the “Day of the Trinity.” It is the greatest festival of the Azhibita faith, commemorating the day when the three gods worshipped by Azhibita created the world we live in atop the demon’s defeated stronghold.
Not only the high priests of the Azhibita faith, including the Pope, but also the Emperor and representatives of the empire attended.
However, the ‘pillars’ of the empire, the dukes, did not participate, sending only a delegation.
You can see the power structure of the empire.
The current Emperor has the weakest royal authority in imperial history. He’s not just called the Puppet Emperor for nothing. The dukes, the backbone of the empire, did not attend the religious ceremony attended by the royal family.
In other words, while the dukes can restrain the power of the Azhibita faith, the Emperor cannot.
The religious ceremony took place in the square of the Papal Decree. At the center of the square, offerings to the Trinity are piled high on the altar. Below the altar is a stage for the dignitaries.
The Pope and the Archbishops sat on the high seats, while the Emperor and his entourage sat relatively far away. It wasn’t as open as the Earth’s Easter festival. It was a solemn religious ceremony.
The priests and invited worshippers watched the ritual from below the stage. The ritual of the Trinity was simple. It involved burning the offerings piled on the altar, such as silk, gold coins, grains, and precious wood. There was no fuss about money.
Boom!
As the drums resounded, people prayed. There was no one else but me who looked around in surprise. In the midst of the crowd, I remembered my mission. It was to find demons among the high priests of the Azhibita faith. I pushed through the crowd and approached the stage. With flashing eyes, I observed the high priests sitting on the stage.
“…Damn it.”
Who is the demon, who is human?
From the start,
There was no need to distinguish.
As soon as I confirmed the demons, my body stiffened. I had never doubted the Cardinals before. But this time, as if to doubt, I looked at them again. There was no mistake. The back of my head felt stiff. The truth in my eyes was not easily believable.
“Have you confirmed?”
Wooshas, wearing a robe inside out, was suddenly by my side.
I calmed my surprised mind and said calmly.
“They are many of them.”
“Hmm?”
“Not just one or two.”
I looked around the stage again.
Bishops, Archbishops, and
An old man with white hair praying with a benevolent smile.
Matteo III.
I barely suppressed my disgust.
“All of them.”
“All of them?”
“Every priest on stage is a demon. Even the Archbishop and the Pope. All, and quite… terrible demons.”
It was a shocking fact even for me, who didn’t believe in gods.
The Azhibita faith, which grew in power while curbing demons, turned out to be a hotbed of demons.
When did they become ‘demons’? The Azhibita faith, the state religion of the empire that led millions of believers. The leaders of the religion were impostors who devoured humans.
“I see.”
Unlike me, Wooshas was indifferent.
“Were you not surprised? Did you expect this?”
She even smirked.
“They were waiting for the ‘right time.'”
“What…?”
“Hehehe.”
For a moment, I felt unbearable rage and turned my head. Just looking at Wooshas made my eyes feel like they were tearing apart. I barely endured it and looked at her. Sister laughed with a mad face.
“For decades, hehehe! You must have endured. Hehe! Like an adult’s ordeal. But they didn’t bear fruit.”
It was the first time. It seemed as if the Puppet warned me. Don’t look, turn your head, don’t dare to look at her.
“All.”
Wooshas took off her robe.
“Here.”
Behind her, I saw nine pairs of dazzling white wings.
“They shall be exterminated.”
That figure might be her true form. Unlike the usual appearance that resembled a corpse, she fluttered holy wings, her flesh shining like light, and her pupils rising like the sun. I felt like I was facing the sun. I felt like I would go blind.
“An angel…?”
At that moment, thousands of priests and worshippers gathered in the square collapsed simultaneously. Even strong ones like the Knights of the Azhibita, fell lifeless. Both the Emperor and his entourage, the Imperial Guards protecting the Emperor, regardless of rank and ability, were all equal. The bustling square fell silent in an instant. There were only me and the demon on stage. I hurriedly checked the people around me. They didn’t breathe. They were all dead.
Wooshas’s wings shone even brighter.
“Don’t worry.”
I feared her the most. It wasn’t just because of her appearance that resembled a corpse. It was because of what the ‘Puppet’ showed. Even without a strong body like Ranista or exceptional magic like Melissa, Wooshas, without a doubt, was the most fearsome being.
“I just ‘borrowed’ it for a moment.”
Life and death.
Humans possess the greatest fear and the forbidden power that dare not be touched.
“Heaven’s…”
Four years ago, the absurd words she uttered came to mind.
“Angels.”
As the “sun” rose on the earth.
The impostors could not conceal their identities and each revealed their true form.
The demons were terrifying beings personified by fear. The demons who had ruled in hiding in the Azhibita were each as strong as nightmares. But I believed without doubt. Darkness would never dare to touch the sun.
“I’ll lend it to you just this once.”
My sister placed her hand on my shoulder. Amidst the burning pain, I felt a powerful force filling my body. Nature’s energy, the wind and water surging within me, the power of the earth. No, this was the power of the sun. It is the overwhelming power that nurtures all things and scorches the world.
Roar!
Even Dalbi was affected by the power of the sun.
His body grew in an instant. From a young deer to maturity.
“It’s a power that doesn’t suit her. But she might be able to mimic some of her ‘former power.'”
“What? You know Dalbi?”
Wooshas laughed.
“The demons are fleeing, go and kill them.”
I quickly turned around. Powerful demons chose to “flee.” I wanted to “rush in” and kill. But the moment I decided to run, my body was suddenly beside a demon. This body, it’s like… just like Ranista.
Sssk-!
I slashed. I had decided to slash once, but I was too slow, so I slashed dozens of times.
The demon remained in pieces and died. Demons fleeing. Dalbi leaped forward. He trampled the demon with his hooves. With each swing of his leg, he emitted a brilliant light, incinerating the demon.
At this moment, demons felt insignificant.
Only once have I seen such a thing at the Abyss of Demonic Power.
“Meaningless time.”
Ranista’s swordsmanship, which easily surpassed the limit of the information the Heavenly Sky Eye could perceive.
Time became meaningless, as he wielded his sword thousands of times in a short period, cutting through the collapsing ceiling and debris of stones. Ranista had told me to “watch carefully.” But back then, I thought I could never follow him.
“I place the sword as I wish.”
But me now.
I was sure it was possible.
Sluggish time.
I slashed, slashed, and slashed again.
Endless.
It was only when I stopped the sword that time flowed again.
I looked at the seventeen dead demons.
“Damn, that was amazing.”
My vision blurred.
I didn’t want to let go, but it was inevitable.
As soon as I closed my eyes, I knew I would faint.
With all my strength, just before fainting, I raised my thumb towards Wooshas.
