15. The Secret to Threatening Demons
The cathedral of Vaitas was located on the Temple of the Gods street in the city of Gloridaine. The city’s military forces were hesitating, unable to dare enter the Temple of the Gods.
“So, what’s going on? Heretics or Inquisition Officers?”
“Doesn’t seem like there’s much difference…”
“Shh! You wanna die?”
The soldiers had surrounded the Temple of the Gods street. Each parish had officially declared ‘silence until the central military forces are dispatched’ and entered a state of lockdown.
Intruding into the locked temples could cause serious problems under religious, international, and kingdom laws. Therefore, the mayor of Gloridaine had no choice but to wait.
*
The cathedral’s prayer room was dimly lit by candles. Fernandez, with tired eyes, limped and barely managed to open the sanctuary door and enter.
“Stop, brother.”
“Wow, were you resting here? I thought I’d have to flip the city upside down to find you.”
“Hahaha.”
Zephis sensed the lingering aura of a demon from Fernandez. However, there was no sign of corruption in his eyes or actions. Zephis finally relaxed his expression.
“The operation name was really well chosen. Whose idea was it?”
“It was my idea. How was the real sewer cleaning?”
“It was fun.”
Seeing a demon after a long time, and exploring a dungeon after a long time, were all enjoyable memories in their own way.
At the moment of facing a demon, some lose themselves,
At the moment of confronting a demon, some gain a nightmare that will last a lifetime,
At the moment of contact with a demon, some even become minions of hell.
But to Fernandez, demons were like bad friends. Long, and bad friends. It wasn’t so much a sense of familiarity as it was just being used to them.
“What did you see?”
“I killed a bishop of the Cult of Demdrizard. And the demon they worshipped.”
“Was it Demidrako?”
“A real one. A four-headed bastard.”
“Did you defeat him?”
“No?”
Zephis swallowed hard. If Fernandez hadn’t killed him, the mission as Diemonica wasn’t over. He grabbed his sword and stood up.
“I brought him with me.”
Fernandez took out a green blade fragment wrapped in a rosary from his pocket. He carefully placed the blade on the table. The wooden table began to rot with a sizzling sound.
“How?”
“Magno Superlaudo (Praise with all your heart).”
“…Alright. I won’t ask how. What do you plan to do with that?”
“Understanding the enemy completely is the same as destroying them completely, right?”
Fernandez grinned and tapped the blade fragment.
“I want to conduct an experiment.”
“The Liber Maleficarum (Book of Demons) will be enriched. Well done.”
The Demidrako of Gloridaine was destroyed, and all related individuals were dead. Cleaning up the remaining remnants wasn’t Diemonica’s job. Heretica and Enmagika would be dispatched here.
Gloridaine will now submit to the influence of the Vaitas Church. The mayor and city magistrates will now be judged as heretics by the Church and replaced.
So, Diemonica’s mission is over. The Inquisition Officers, always deployed to the most intense places, have no reason to stay in a battlefield that has now relaxed.
*
[Operation Report: Sewer Cleaning]
Operation Area: Gloridaine City Slave Market
Operation Summary: Identification of heretic cults in slave supply sources, tracking and rescue of local Inquisition Officers, purification of suspected demon areas, handling of related individuals and witnesses.
Operation Progress:
1) Destruction and annihilation of the cult group [Cult of Demdrizard]
2) Elimination of medium-sized demon entity [Demidrako]
3) Execution of demon worshipper Bailer Sebastian, patrol captain
4) Heretic judgment by the city administration, request for Heretica support.
Operation Task Force Team:
1) Diemonica, Zephis Siravast – Returned
2) Diemonica, Fernandez Sernerd – Returned
3) Heretica, Laurencio Devecini – Presumed dead, missing
Burn the demons, heretics, and witches.
Operation Leader: Diemonica Zephis Siravast.
*
The spirit messenger summoned by Zephis flew out the window, carrying Zephis’s report in its mouth. Fernandez became interested in the magic technique that left no trace of magical energy.
“Can I learn that?”
“It’s not a personal technique.”
Zephis took out a small thurible. It was a small bead rosary that could be worn on the wrist.
“It’s a sacred artifact issued to the alpha of the task force. Seeing how you’re doing, you’ll get one soon.”
A relic that allows magic to be cast without magical energy, semi-permanently. Fernandez licked his lips. He wanted to take it apart. But there was something he had to do right now.
‘Do you know what I like most about being an Inquisition Officer, Faijashi?’
-What?
‘That I can experiment on demons.’
Fernandez chuckled as he wrapped the rosary around the blade fragment. Faijashi laughed along with him. The blade fragment trembled slightly.
*
Inquisition Keep. Dragonspine Fortress. St. Bartholomew Monastery. Not [No Entry for Unauthorized Personnel], but [Heretic for Unauthorized Entry], a deep and dark fortress…
Located in the most gloomy valley of the Dragonspine Mountains. The cradle of modern-day Inquisition Officers in the cold city.
-Whoosh!
“Again! You can do it!”
“Gloryyyy!!”
-Whooosh!
Here, Diemonica members are enthusiastically practicing deadlifts! Fernandez passed by them with a large wooden sword on his shoulder.
“Ah, brother, aren’t you joining the morning hymn?”
“I have an appointment with Heretica brother.”
“Oh, diligent. Sword training?”
Fabiano threw down the barbell and stood up, brushing off his hands. The heavy barbell dug into the ground.
“Ah, yes. Since it’s come to this, I might as well learn something properly.”
“A role model for the brothers!”
“Magno (Praise).”
“Magno Superlaudo (Praise with all your heart).”
Fernandez nodded to Fabiano and quickly left. The [Practical Hymn Hall] in the sanctuary of Religiosa Diemonica (Demon Hunters) seemed to bring about a kind of mental pollution.
‘I must not become like that…’
It had been two weeks since Fernandez started learning swordsmanship from Heretica Allen.
*
Allen was a 2nd-class Inquisition Officer. That is, he had risen to the point where he could step back from the duties of training or educating newcomers.
But when the higher-ups say jump, you jump. If they say teach, you teach… Allen frowned as he recalled Zephis’s request.
Recently, he had a concern.
-Crash!
‘Diemonica Fernandez’ is a person who achieved a tremendous feat of defeating, no, capturing a demon from his very first mission.
There are occasionally people like this. Like Zephis, Marco, Beorn. People who seem born to hunt demons and heretics.
Moreover, this young man is currently the center of attention in the entire Church. ‘Saint Fernandez’ is the first person to be canonized in 30 years since the Temple of the Gods was sealed.
“Good, much better.”
Allen crossed his arms and nodded. The power distribution was quite even, and the offense had gained elasticity. Though I don’t know why he insists on using a two-handed greatsword.
“A two-handed greatsword is not a weapon wielded by strength, Brother Fernandez. It requires a higher understanding of swordsmanship than even longsword techniques. Watch.”
Allen took Fernandez’s wooden sword and quickly spun it around. From top to bottom, the wooden sword drew a smooth curve as it fell. Without hesitation, the trajectory of the wooden sword now slid horizontally.
“Watch the change in the wrist. Hold the hilt crosswise and spin it, the greatsword is a weapon that kills the enemy with strength…”
“It’s not about attacking, but about deflecting the enemy’s strikes and countering using the length and rotational force of the blade.”
“Thank you for the teachings, brother.”
Fernandez wiped his sweat-soaked forehead and took the sword back from Allen. He soon swung it through the air again.
“Hey, put less force into it! Relax your shoulders a bit more, lower!”
Allen tapped Fernandez’s shoulder with a thin wand, correcting his posture. Indeed, he was a promising talent.
Fernandez was a student eager to learn and a swordsman who understood the teachings.
-I never thought I’d be learning swordsmanship.
‘You’ve learned it before, though.’
The basics of a mage are close to physical combat. The foundation of magical combat is sealing the opponent’s magic, and if the gap isn’t too wide to reverse the spell, then throwing a dagger or stabbing with a sword was the mage’s way of dueling.
And Fernandez was someone who had spent half his life as a Wildcast (Wandering Mage).
Even though he had returned to a boy’s body, the survival skills he had accumulated throughout his life weren’t forgotten.
Just one thing. The lack of systematic teaching was regrettable. In this life, he wouldn’t miss even the smallest detail. With that resolve, Fernandez swung his sword. Whether it was swordsmanship or anything else, if he could learn it, it was all good.
Even before his previous self intervened, humanity was a species destined for extinction. He had merely punctuated humanity’s downfall. To prevent the destined doom, there was no time to rest.
“Brother Fernandez. We’re ready.”
An Enmagika Inquisition Officer slowly walked towards him. Fernandez smiled as he looked at him.
Now, it’s time to piece together the puzzle.
*
Deep within the Inquisition Office, there is a place surrounded by strict protective spells and blessings.
(1) Relic Hall
(2) Sealed Sanctuary
(3) Keyblade Sanctuary
Now, Fernandez was preparing to enter the Sealed Sanctuary, fully equipped with protective gear. It was a place where demonic relics destroyed by Diemonica and weapons sealed with demons were collected.
In this heavily guarded sanctuary, where entry was only permitted with the accompaniment of at least two second-class Enmagika Inquisition Officers, Fernandez was grinning from ear to ear.
“Remember, brother, if you didn’t have a Stigma or hadn’t sealed a demon in your first mission, you wouldn’t be allowed to enter this place at your rank.”
“Don’t worry. With such excellent priests like you brothers accompanying me, how could there be any danger?”
“Demons gnaw at the weaknesses of the heart. Don’t let your guard down.”
Even for the veteran Enmagika officers who had risen through numerous incidents, this place was extremely unsettling. They made the sign of the cross and anointed Fernandez’s forehead, chin, and both shoulders with holy oil.
“The Lord is with you, the chains are broken. Be saved.”
“May the Lord protect you.”
As Fernandez nodded, they made the sign of the cross once more, and the Enmagika brother opened the door.
-Creeeak…
The rusted hinges groaned as the door to the Sealed Sanctuary opened. At that moment, a sulfurous wind blew out the torches they were holding.
[Shaaace···X’iaaaa..···SSarKia···.Xia···]
It was immediately clear how malevolent it was. Fernandez smiled and lifted the censer. While the Enmagika hesitated, he stepped inside the sanctuary.
“So it’s Diemonica after all…”
“To be this bold.”
The Stigma embedded in Fernandez’s back began to glow. As the demonic aura approached, the spiritual elements mixed in his bloodline convulsed. His entire body’s blood vessels swelled as if about to burst, and heat surged through him.
‘Whoa, whoa. Calm down.’
Fernandez steadied himself and walked straight towards the shard of the blade where Tetragalan was sealed. The blade shard, surrounded by holy scriptures, seemed to notice Fernandez and rattled.
“Are you angry, demon?”
[….]
Fernandez took out a pair of tongs and holy water from his pocket.
“There’s something I’ve always been curious about.”
Carefully, he lifted the blade shard with the tongs.
“Aren’t demons spiritual beings? But at some point, they materialize. They feel pain, and they feel pleasure, right?”
Dealing with demons is just troublesome, but threatening them is almost impossible. Should I say I’ll show them the taste of hell? Or tell them I’ll send them to heaven?
But as a demonologist, Fernandez had a trump card that allowed him to threaten demons more effectively than anyone else.
“Demon blood is just a form of magic and spiritual fragments. That means a demon’s body is closer to a spiritual phenomenon than a physical entity. So how can a spiritual phenomenon project physical influence into the world?”
[You seek knowledge? How amusing, Inquisition Officer. Can you handle it…?]
Fernandez chuckled. He poured a bit of holy water onto the blade. The demon within the blade rattled, expressing its pain.
“How do you feel pain? Do demons have nerves in their flesh? Do spiritual beings need sensory organs?”
Fernandez dripped holy water onto the blade, drop by drop.
“Assuming demons exist somewhere between the spiritual and physical realms. The process of a spirit and spiritual fragments taking physical form. If we analyze the entire process of a demon manifesting in this world, couldn’t we also learn how to reverse it, to dismantle it?”
[What… what do you want…]
Tetragalan’s voice became very polite. Suddenly, the sounds from the demonic weapons in the Sealed Sanctuary quieted down.
They were listening intently to Fernandez’s words, tense. This guy is no ordinary Inquisition Officer. He’s truly… insane.
“I’ve always been personally curious. Can spirits and physical forms be interchanged? Can we dismantle the physical form and completely destroy the link before the demon reverts to the Sixth Realm… That process would be… fascinating.”
Tetragalan wanted to scream. This madman was talking about dissecting his soul to conduct biological experiments on the physical form of demons.
He looked into Fernandez’s eyes and realized he was serious. As a great demon of hell, he couldn’t let his physical form be destroyed so pitifully. If he couldn’t return to the Sixth Realm, his existence would vanish from this world.
[What… what do you desire…]
“Why Gloridaine?”
[What…?]
“It’s not a place you can call far, just a three-day walk from the Inquisition Office. There were those bold enough to summon a demon in such a place. You must have instigated it. Why Gloridaine?”
From his previous life, all he knew was a brief record that Dremdrizard succeeded later based on their failure in Gloridaine. The time he interacted with Dremdrizard as the chairman of the [Ashen Twilight Society] was after they had already conquered the Phaeirn Kingdom.
Tetragalan was silent for a moment. Fernandez shrugged and began dipping the blade shard into the holy water.
[Stop! Stop!! The, the Bronze Scales! I had a deal with the Bronze Scales!]
“The Bronze Scales?”
[Yes! After taking control of the slave supply, they said they’d tie up the Inquisition Officers for a while… They had a plan to bring down the entire kingdom in one fell swoop!]
“So you took over Gloridaine City to divert our attention?”
[Yes! Meanwhile, they were planning to take over the Phaeirn Kingdom in one go!]
Fernandez pondered for a moment. The information was tangled. In his previous life, Gloridaine City didn’t fall to Dremdrizard, and the Phaeirn Kingdom wasn’t brought down by the [Bronze Scales].
The Bronze Scales… A cult led by Dale Fertas. They were the main culprits behind spreading powerful plagues like the Walker Plague, destroying civilized society.
Their activities were at least 20 years later. That meant whatever they were planning in the Phaeirn Kingdom was bound to fail.
But to just stand by… It was a bit of a waste. The Bronze Scales were a powerful cult, and their [Bronze Throne] was an immensely valuable relic.
Fernandez lifted the blade shard and whispered.
“So. Where do I need to go to meet Dale Fertas?”
[You… are a demon…]
Tetragalan corroded in the holy water, letting out a weak sound. Fernandez laughed.
“To hear that from a demon. I’ll take it as a compliment.”
Inside the Sealed Sanctuary, the sealed demons fervently prayed for this madman to leave as soon as possible.
*
![[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/TS-Obsessed-Gamer-The-Ultimate-Return2.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return")
