Chapter 1478

<Paladin: A Journey of Evil's Demise - Chapter 1478>

Before my very eyes, a blood-soaked young man trembled violently. I observed him with keen attention.

“He’s not a fallen one… He’s human.”

“Is that so…”

The Heresy Inquisitor then drew a dagger from his robes and stabbed the man’s heart without hesitation.

I calmly inquired, “Why did you kill him?”

“He was a blasphemous soul. He doubted the existence of Lady Heryanne and insulted the Church, thus being brought here. Though not a fallen one, he was indeed a heretic. For the survival of the Church, heretics must be eradicated.”

“I see…”

“…Is that all?”

“What do you expect from me?”

“Our predecessors, the former Paladins, would have scolded us severely. They would’ve berated us for our sins.”

“I am not like the former Paladins. Your sins are yours to bear alone.”

“Aye. We have made all preparations. Whatever judgment Lady Heryanne decrees, we shall accept it fully—for the sake of the Goddess and the Church.”

The Heresy Inquisitors continued to bring forth more heretics—a total of twenty-three. Only two were not corrupted ones. I slaughtered every single fallen individual. The Inquisitors watched me with eyes filled with admiration.

“To take the lead in executing the fallen… You are truly remarkable. You alone serve as an exemplary model for all of us.”

I wiped my blood-stained sword with a cloth. They seem to misunderstand something—I only killed the fallen ones for the experience points. There was no other reason. And there was no need to enlighten the Inquisitors about this fact.

“What do you plan to do about the cockroaches hiding in the city?”

“Please assist us. Walk among the city alongside us, identifying the heretics so we can capture them and bring them here.”

“Is that really necessary? It’s fine to slay them on sight. Let the holy knights seal off the city.”

“There is a sacred barrier here that suppresses the powers of the fallen. We will interrogate them to uncover the root of their corruption.”

“…Indeed. Very well. But there is a condition.”

“Speak your terms.”

“The execution of the fallen ones falls to me. Killing them is proof of my unwavering faith.”

There was no way I could let those experience points slip away.

The Inquisitor blinked in awe, muttering praises.

“Truly, a Paladin… You are the epitome of what we should strive to become.”

I wandered through the city with the Heresy Inquisitors, disguised as a traveler. Instead of armor, I wore leather clothing and pulled my cloak low over my face to conceal my Divine Eyes. My task was simple: find hidden fallen ones and report them to the Inquisitors. Then they would document the fallen, who would be abducted under the cover of night and dragged into the cathedral’s underground chambers.

The Inquisitors interrogated them while I waited, ready to execute the ones deemed guilty once the questioning concluded.

And so, for ten days…


The month had passed. Since Valentinear City had a substantial population, it also had its fair share of fallen souls.

“The little buggers were easily taken care of thanks to the Inquisitors, giving me some quick XP.”

[Name: Eugene


Origin: Paladin


Level: 30


Strength: 20 Agility: 10 Stamina: 10 Spirit Power: 11


Skills: Gender Light (Master Level), Holy Aura (Lv.1), Divine Blade (Lv.3)]

I leveled up three times.

Sure, just three levels, but what can you do? The higher your level, the more EXP you need. I used the accumulated blessings to enhance my Divine Blade.

I went to the shrine and met the Holy Maiden.

“I’ve been waiting for you. The Elixir of Life is complete.”

“Thanks.”

“It was merely my duty.”

I took the vial of blue liquid she handed me and drank the elixir without hesitation.

[Stamina increased by 1.]

My stats rose—just like leveling up once. Satisfied, I set down the empty vial. There was no limit to the elixir’s power. If anything, the only downside was needing high-quality materials.

“Paladin, the Inquisitors have discovered the source of corruption.”

“What’s the cause?”

Truthfully, I already knew from the original story. I stayed back and observed partly because I wanted the experience points. I needed to become stronger than anyone else to face the Great Demon.

“Mice.”

“Mice?”

“Demonic mice are roaming through the sewers, spreading corrupt energy and luring people into depravity. It’s suspected that there’s a demon controlling these mice in the sewer system. Paladin, hunt down and destroy this demon.”

“I understand. Destroying demons is my duty and mission.”

I led the paladins toward the underground sewers. Unlike in games, I didn’t have to handle everything alone.

It was dark and foul-smelling in the sewers. Human and animal carcasses were scattered everywhere—leftovers devoured by the demon.

“How horrifying…”

“Who would’ve thought a demon lurked beneath the city…”

“We cannot forgive this!”

The paladins burned with determination.

Squeak squeak.

The sound of baby mice echoed. We froze as hundreds of red eyes emerged from the darkness, staring at us.

We immediately prepared for battle. The mice charged all at once.

“The center of the sewer is close. The demon must be there. Don’t retreat; push forward!”

“Yes, Paladin!”

“For the Goddess!”

The paladins shouted, enveloping their swords in golden Holy Auras as they swung at the demonic mice.

These weren’t ordinary mice. They were about the size of small dogs, with fangs sharper than wolves’. These were mice empowered by demonic forces.

Squeak squeak!

The mice kept charging endlessly. No matter how many we killed, more came.

“Paladin, leave this to us!”

“Find and destroy the demon controlling the mice!”

“I trust you.”

Using Sprint, I dashed ahead. The mice formed a wall to block me, clustering together. Without stopping, I rammed forward with Shoulder Tackle.

BOOM!

I shattered their wall and continued advancing. Still, the mice relentlessly blocked my path. I pulled out an Explosive Holy Water and hurled it.

KABOOM! KABOOM!

The Explosive Holy Water cleanly wiped out waves of mice, but more surged in like a tide.

‘I still have Explosive Holy Water left!’

Gritting my teeth, I threw another one. After using up all my Explosive Holy Waters, I finally reached the demon.

“Heheheh… So you made it here after all?”

The demon clung to the ceiling. Its head was that of a mouse, while its body resembled a maggot cocoon. It hung like a slab of meat from the ceiling…


Something was being expelled through a small hole. Splash splash. I stared at the things that had fallen into the ankle-deep waterway. Rats. The rats wriggled and scurried toward the pile of human corpses. Newly born rats feasted on the bodies, brought by the fallen ones.

It was a disgusting sight. But far worse was the putrid stench that pierced my nose. If I let my guard down even for a moment, this foul smell would make me gag.

The demon clinging to the ceiling swept its gaze over my body, hunger gleaming in its eyes.

“You must taste divine… Demons who’ve eaten paladins say there’s no human more exceptional in flavor than a paladin. Especially the innards—three could eat, and four might die without knowing why!”

“Ridiculous.”

I leaped toward it. A limb suddenly burst from its body. Its arm, skeletal like a tree branch, stretched over two meters in length. Using the Blessing of Sprint, I twisted mid-air and dodged its attack, then kicked off the ceiling and swung my sword as I landed.

“KRAAAAAAAAAAAH!!”

The demon screamed. Nearby rats began charging at me like mad. I glanced down. My ankles were submerged in water, and there was no ally in sight.

‘Lightning.’

Golden electricity surged through the water in all directions. The charging rats were electrocuted, wiped out instantly. The demon still hanging from the ceiling looked startled. It opened its mouth wide and spat acid.

I evaded the acid and raised my left hand.

‘Holy Blade.’

Golden holy energy gathered in my hand, forming the shape of a sword. With a blade in each hand, I leapt and slashed continuously at the demon.

“KREEEEEEEEEEK?!”

Its torso, dangling from the ceiling, fell to the ground. For the finishing blow, I raised my sword high.

“Is this where you think it ends??!”

The demon’s bloated cocoon-like body exploded. A torrent of acidic liquid drenched me. The acid melted my Stormbreaker armor and began eating away at my skin. In the midst of the smoke, I struggled to regain focus.

“Kekeke… You took it head-on, fool… My little ones. Come here. Quickly, become my flesh and blood.”

The demon, now reduced to a rat’s head and skeletal arms, crawled grotesquely across the underground sewer floor. Its newly hatched minions gathered around it. The demon devoured the squealing creatures, and its body slowly began to regenerate.

‘Not enough, not nearly enough. More. I need more to devour…’

The demon moved through the underground sewer, intending to hunt and consume the righteous knights who dared to come here after the paladin had been dissolved.

Splash.

A sound of water came from behind.

The demon froze.

With wide eyes, it slowly turned its head.

A human, half-melted, stood defiantly. His sturdy armor and massive greatsword were more than halfway corroded, unable to retain their proper form. Worse yet, his body—the side of his head had melted away, revealing his brain. Liquid entrails oozed from his abdomen.

A fatal injury.

Being alive was absurd.

To the demon, the paladin standing before him didn’t look human anymore—it seemed like something else entirely.

The paladin raised his half-melted greatsword. Golden light gathered along the blade, forming an edge to replace the broken steel. The demon hesitated, flailing its limbs desperately to distance itself from the paladin.

“Perish here.”

“Hateful paladin!! Die! Stay back! Get away from me…!!”

The demon’s final roar echoed through the sewer, but the paladin’s holy blade showed no mercy, severing its head cleanly.

Splash!

The paladin collapsed.

And then…

The paladin rose again.