Chapter 1486

<Chapter 1486> 1486. Paladin: The Journey of Evil Annihilation

I slowly surveyed the altar where the ritual had been taking place. There were no demons around the altar, just a blood-stained altar and an ominous evil aura swirling above it. This magic power was far beyond anything I’d ever experienced before—intense, overwhelming, and utterly malevolent.

I strode confidently toward the altar without a trace of fear, driven solely by the conviction that I could slay this Great Demon.

*Crunch.*

As I passed, I stomped hard on Barbaroyax’s corpse with deliberate force. There was no way I’d shy away from the Necromancer’s remains out of fear—it wasn’t an option.

Before reaching the altar, something began to shift. The gathered magic power coalesced into a lump of flesh, which then fell heavily to the ground. The fleshy mass squirmed like a living thing and started multiplying, growing larger at an alarming rate. It reached three meters tall in less than five seconds.

“Ah, yes… this feeling of rebirth! Only those like me can truly understand it.”

A deep voice emanated from the writhing mass of flesh.

The shape shifted again.

Fingers.

Countless fingers twisted and intertwined with each other. There were no eyes, no legs, no arms—just fingers. Tiny ones, big ones, thumbs, index fingers, middle fingers, ring fingers, pinkies. Thousands upon thousands of them formed what vaguely resembled a humanoid figure, complete with wings made entirely of fingers.

Great Demon Suthon.

He had been resurrected here.

I pulled my Holy Lance from my inventory.

Suthon’s attention—or rather, his consciousness—turned toward me.

“Are you the new Paladin of Valentiere?”

“You must be Great Demon Suthon.”

“I’ve heard that a new Paladin appeared in Valentiere less than a year ago. Yet you’ve already achieved such power… impressive indeed.”

“Guess your hearing is sharp even when dead.”

“Even in death, my senses remain active.”

“Without eyes or ears?”

“Do you think one needs eyes to see the world, ears to hear sounds, or a mouth to speak? That is the limitation of mortals bound by their own preconceptions.”

I stepped closer to the Great Demon.

The demon stood still and spoke.

“I have a proposition for you.”

“What is it?”

“Become a demon and serve me. I will grant you power, the chance to transcend your mortal form. You are too precious to waste on that goddess.”

“If killing you helps me consider it, I might think about it.”

“A flat refusal, huh? Very well. Die here, servant of the goddess. You’re far too dangerous to leave alive.”

Suthon unfurled his finger-composed wings, unleashing an overwhelming wave of magic power centered around him.

‘His attack aside, I need to stop him from ascending into the air.’

Dealing with airborne enemies was always a pain.

‘Instantaneous Movement.

[Using Instantaneous Movement (刹那). Remaining stacks: 3]

I hurled my Holy Lance, Rotis.

He didn’t react at all—not even a flinch. Using Instantaneous Movement hadn’t prepared me for his total lack of response.

‘He must not be in a normal state since he just revived moments ago.’

Let me restate this clearly…


“Damn, I’m on a roll.”

Seung-Chang not only shredded its wings but also severed the chaotic flow of magic power that was about to rage like a storm. And even after pulling off such an impressive feat, he still had a massive amount of divine energy left in reserve.

“Reverse summon. Summon.”

I summoned Seung-Chang back into my hand from where it was embedded in the wall.

UUUUNG.

Seung-Chang resonated with power. Simultaneously, a colossal wave of divine energy surged into me.

Seung-Chang’s will was crystal clear: it wanted to kill the Great Demon standing before us.

“My wings are torn… damn, my strength is fading and I can’t recover immediately… you’ve started by pissing me off.”

“Do I have to care about your mood?”

The demon flicked his fingers.

The space in front of me warped. Reacting as swiftly as a cat sensing danger, I dodged just in time. Long fingers burst out of the distorted space—if I hadn’t moved, they would’ve pierced straight through my heart.

“You’re fast.”

His attacks continued relentlessly—front, right, above. The space twisted simultaneously.

[Using Acceleration. Duration: 10 minutes. Remaining stacks: 2]

I began running, evading the fingers emerging from the warped space. When I couldn’t dodge, I used Seung-Chang to knock them away. KA-CHING! The fingers that emerged were harder than steel.

SNAP.

Suton clapped his hands.

Fingers shot out from the ground, encircling me.

“No way to evade this.”

Holy Aura!

Divine energy spread, shaking off the fingers.

“That Seung-Chang has been bugging me since the start.”

Suton swung his arm, which stretched like a whip and struck me down. Rolling across the floor, I saw my Stormbreaker armor tear apart from just one hit.

‘One more hit and I’m dead.’

In other words, I just need to avoid being hit.

[Using Instantaneous Movement. Remaining stacks: 1]

I sprang up and leaped toward Suton.

“Let there be light.”

A brilliant light erupted from Seung-Chang. It devoured everything around, instantly taking control of the space previously saturated with Suton’s magic power.

Two hundred years’ worth of divine energy stored within Seung-Chang temporarily blocked the Great Demon’s power.

I could see Suton panic as he tried to respond but couldn’t use magic anymore—it was only natural.

Of course, I didn’t let my guard down. Even though he couldn’t use magic, his physical abilities were still formidable enough to kill me without it.

Suton pointed at me, and I could feel the condensed magic power gathering at the tip of his finger.

[Using Instantaneous Movement. Remaining stacks: 0]

I evaded using Instantaneous Movement. Though Full Recovery remained available, there was no reason to take unnecessary damage.

“Divine Sword.”

All of Seung-Chang’s divine energy was consumed.

A golden divine energy gathered on the blade, forming a sword that quickly grew over 10 meters long. The spear shaft of Seung-Chang transformed into the hilt of the sword. Despite its size, the Divine Sword felt weightless as I swung it toward Suton.

Both his body and gender were cleanly sliced in one stroke.

“How dare I fall to something like this…!”

Suton struggled not to collapse. His halved body forcibly stuck together, attempting to regenerate. But it was futile. The divine energy from the Divine Sword wasn’t some mere form—it was two hundred years’ worth of accumulated divine energy. No matter how powerful a Great Demon might be, this was beyond their capacity to endure.

Suton’s body began to crumble as the divine energy started melting him away.

“Don’t think… this is the end…! I am immortal! This world will welcome me again!”

“No, it won’t.”

[Level Up.]

[Level Up.]

[Level Up.]

The soul of the Great Demon Suton latched onto me.

There was no escaping it, so I accepted the Great Demon’s soul.

An excruciating pain surged through me, as if my body were breaking apart. The agony raged wildly through my body before surging upward toward my head—an invasion of my mind. But the remaining divine energy within me blocked the corruptive influence.

“Hmph.”

A sigh.


I exhaled. The Grand Demon’s soul… it was impressive, as expected. It wasn’t ordinary.

As I was about to leave my spot, I caught sight of the Grand Demon’s corpse. The corpse was melting away due to holy power. Before it melted completely, I extracted the Grand Demon’s heart. I already had plans for its use.

“The Holy Spear has returned to a normal state…”

All the holy power accumulated over 200 years was depleted. The Holy Spear had reverted to just a sturdy spear. It would take several decades for it to regain its former glory.

Before leaving the Grand Hall, I looked up at the ceiling.

The demon souls etched into the ceiling stretched all the way to the heavens. The clouds floating peacefully in the sky were split in two, as if the heavens themselves were fractured.

“Two hundred years of holy power… quite impressive.”

Enough with the admiration.

I turned around and left the Grand Hall.

Today, one Grand Demon had fallen. Only one remains.

I entered the city of Valentier.

The citizens had all gathered on the main road. They cheered loudly as they saw me walking proudly on a white horse. Word had spread that the resurrected Grand Demon Suton was dead.

They sprinkled flower petals in front of me like a blessing. The paladins and inquisitors following behind me stood tall with pride.

“Thank you! Thank you, Paladin!”

“Glory to the Paladin!”

“Praise to Lady Herianne!”

The citizens began celebrating joyfully among themselves. Some young women even blatantly flirted with me. I considered scolding them for being irreverent but decided against it.

“One Grand Demon is dead, so the world may be slightly more peaceful.”

Grand Demon Suton.

He was the biggest thorn in the side of Valentier. He relentlessly targeted this great city. That fiend is now dead, and it will take him decades to resurrect—if his soul ever escapes from me.

“Will the world truly find peace once all the Grand Demons are gone?”

I can guarantee that won’t happen.

Humans will still conflict with each other. Perhaps the Church and the nobility might even turn their swords against one another.

“After all the Grand Demons die, it’s no longer my problem.”

My goal is to exterminate all the Grand Demons.

That’s all.

As soon as I arrived at the shrine, I submerged myself in the sacred pond.

The corrupting energy that sought to devour my body and drag down my spirit began to purify.

The purification ritual lasted three days.

It took a lot of time since we were dealing with the purification of a Grand Demon’s soul. Even so, it couldn’t be fully purified. After all, Grand Demons are immortal.

“The purification ritual is complete. We will now begin the Spirit-Sealing Ritual.”

“What do I need to do?”

“Just place your hand on my back.”

She knelt before the statue of the Goddess.

Her outfit always fascinated me. It exposed her back entirely—it could almost seem provocative.

I approached her from behind. Her attire, which revealed her back, felt somewhat sensual.

I extended my hand toward the sacred mark on her back. As my palm touched her skin, it felt soft and warm. At the same time, I could distinctly feel the beat of her heart.

Her sacred mark began to glow.

The Grand Demon’s soul clinging to me transferred into her back.

A winged cross.

Below the cross, the Grand Demon’s soul was sealed—a symbol of crossed fingers.

“Paladin, you have worked hard. The soul of Grand Demon Suton has been sealed within me.”

“It’s the soul of a Grand Demon. Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Please don’t worry about me. I will always purify my body here in the shrine. The Grand Demon’s soul cannot corrupt me.”

I nodded.

The Grand Demon’s soul had been sealed within her. Once sealed, it would be difficult for it to exert any influence. In the game, there are cases where paladins fall to corruption, but there has never been a single instance of a saint falling.

“So now it’s time to settle accounts.”