Chapter 39

It was close. Despite running as fast as I could, I was still a little late.

Without a proper foothold, it might have been tough.

The square was still in chaos.

Medusa’s severed head had rolled and stopped, with snake corpses scattered around it.

Beyond that, the professors and heroes were watching me. Their gazes were mixed with surprise and caution.

It was surprising indeed.

Medusa was no easy opponent.

-Uuuuung

The Harp in my hand began to resonate微微 and gradually started to lose its light.

‘Is this the end?’

Previously, it was said that the Harp was practically a one-time use weapon.

This is the reason. The sleeping artifact, after lying dormant in stone for a long time, loses its power once used.

It was that potent a weapon; it was only thanks to this that I could sever Medusa’s head in a single stroke.

I should probably acquire a new weapon soon.

I straightened my posture while sheathing the Harp at my waist.

This isn’t the end. In fact, it’s only the beginning.

I looked around.

And walked towards the most familiar figure.

It was Do Han-seong, the instructor of Class B, to which I belonged.

“Instructor.”

He was tidying up the battlefield and giving orders to various heroes.

Evacuating the wounded and discussing strategies to regroup the remaining forces.

As I approached, he immediately looked at me and inquired.

“Hae-in student. Just how…?”

I interrupted him and got straight to the point.

“It’s a diversion. Medusa was merely bait.”

Do Han-seong’s expression briefly stiffened.

“…What?”

And as he mulled over my words, he quietly responded.

I didn’t have the time to wait for his reaction.

“Moments ago, a demon visited me.”

I hurried to continue.

“The fiend delved into my desires and whispered. ‘I can give you everything.'”

His eyes widened momentarily.

He then murmured.

“…Moras.”

He knew too. Moras was indeed a well-known demon.

“If that’s true, all of us here should go.”

He’s right. The fiend uses many projections. Catching numerous projections wouldn’t matter unless we catch the main body.

“Just a moment!”

A hurried voice came from behind.

I turned my head.

A man was approaching quickly.

On his collar, there was the emblem of some guild.

He declared firmly.

“If Moras really came, then catching him is undoubtedly necessary.”

He stated resolutely.

“However, we can’t move all at once. The priority is retracing those who summoned Medusa.”

“If the ones hiding summon another monster, we won’t be able to respond.”

I thought about it. His words aren’t wrong.

The monster is Medusa alone. There are no prepared monsters ready for them to summon any more.

But it’s strange that I know this fact. There’s no proof, and my reasoning isn’t convincing enough.

‘What should I do?’

I thought briefly.

It would be ideal for everyone to chase Moras. But since the other’s words aren’t entirely wrong, perhaps it would be best to compromise and move quickly…

Right then.

“The pursuit of puppeteers will be left to us.”

A calm voice.

And at the same moment, the atmosphere changed.

I instinctively turned my gaze.

And confirmed the figures standing there.

A silver-armored woman.

And the priests following her.

Another force from the Cathedral.

The Paladins.

Whereas the ‘Crusaders’ follow the hero, the ‘Paladins’ follow the saint.

A smile spread across my lips.

She calmly looked at us.

And said again.

“We will pursue the puppeteers.”

“So the rest of you, please chase Moras.”

Her words silenced the man who had been protesting. Truthfully, finding Moras is easier than retracing the puppeteers.

Besides, the Paladins were specialized in demon tracking. Even for him, there was no reason to reject.

As the situation settled, Do Han-seong looked at the other heroes.

He resolutely issued commands.

“Evacuate the wounded to the medical ward as quickly as possible, and the combat-ready forces should disband immediately to chase Moras.”

He turned his gaze towards me.

“Hae-in student…”

His eyes wavered for a moment.

Following his short sigh, a heavy voice continued.

“Would it even make sense for me to ask you not to go after seeing what just happened?”

Then he emphasized again.

“But please be careful.”

I briefly nodded.

Now, it was time to move.

Kill Moras and find the main body. That would be the best scenario.

*

Unlike the noisy outside, this place was immersed in sacred silence.

The moist air inside, the faint candlelight flickering on the cold marble floor.

At the center stood a statue of the goddess with a benevolent expression.

She looked downwards with a gentle smile, her gaze seemingly embracing everyone present.

It was the church of Arcadia within the Realm.

Cheon Yeoul exhaled quietly.

She was kneeling on the cold marble floor that sent a cool sensation across her skin.

Holding her hands together.

In them was a cross tightly clasped, given to her by someone.

“O Goddess…”

With a peaceful heart, she slowly prayed.

Through the stained glass, soft light diffused, painting the interior with various hues.

The sacred scent filled the space.

The subtle aroma of a slowly burning incense stick, the heavy atmosphere emanating from the aged wooden structures.

How much time had passed?

The outside grew quieter, and the church interior sank into a deeper stillness.

And—

– Tock, Tock.

An unfamiliar sound.

No.

An expected sound.

Cheon Yeoul opened her eyes without moving her gaze from the statue.

Then, she spoke.

“Are you lost?”

Her voice was warm and compassionate, yet without a trace of wavering.

“This place is restricted to saints and bishops and above. External visitors are not allowed, so could you please leave?”

However, the intruder did not reply.

And came closer.

-Tock.

The footsteps stopped.

And, at that moment.

“Hahaha…”

A low, unpleasant laughter that seemed to break the church’s silence.

A strange reverberation as if whispered near the ear.

“O Saint, there’s no need to hide from me.”

She slowly turned her head.

A masked man stood there.

His black robe blended into the darkness, the contours of the mask faintly glowing in the candlelight.

It was Moras.

He wore a subtle smile, softly whispering mockingly from behind the mask.

“People all have desires.”

He took a step forward.

“And Saint, you are no exception, right?”

Cheon Yeoul redirected her gaze to the statue.

And muttered quietly.

“I will call the paladins.”

However, Moras gently shook his head, as if he already knew.

“It’s useless.”

He chuckled softly.

“Outside, there’s Medusa.”

At that moment, Cheon Yeoul’s shoulders trembled slightly. Moras didn’t miss the movement.

And stretched his lips into a grin as if it were about to split.

“Well then, why don’t you show me your desires?”

Behind the mask, black pupils turned red.

In an instant, the space wavered.

Moras’s ability— The Opening of Desires.

It was a skill that delved deep into one’s mind to extract genuine desires.

Even desires one hadn’t realized themselves.

The red glow spread toward Cheon Yeoul.

-The air grew heavy.

And, at that moment,

Moras stiffened.

“…?”

His laughter stopped.

The pupils behind his mask began to tremble.

“…What is it?”

What he had seen.

Not wavered faith.

Not desire for power.

Not any worldly aspirations.

Deep down in Cheon Yeoul’s psyche lay two primal desires.

One of them was…

Too “impure” a desire.

A physical union with a person named Jung Hae-in. But it was not just a simple connection.

Beyond that, vivid and intense— too vivid to put into words— a fervent desire.

And the other one was…

Too “pure” a desire.

The unconditional obliteration of the evil god.

So pure, it seemed almost mad in its own right.

The sacred will, so earnest and close to devotion, caused Moras’s lips to stiffen.

“This is…”

He felt a chill crawl up his spine for an instant.

He, who manipulates and tempts others’ desires.

The resurrection of the evil god was knowledge mankind must never possess.

Even so.

Cheon Yeoul already knew.

Moras began to step backward.

‘This must be reported.’

He thought.

Cheon Yeoul remained composed. No,

She was smiling.

Then,

-Swish…

The cross she held disintegrated into powder and disappeared.

“Finally.”

She murmured softly.

The power of Iano.

For a long time, she contained the sacred energy within her now absorbed it completely.

And simultaneously—

– BOOM.

Space distorted.

The interior of the church began to breathe as if it were alive.

-Creak.

The wooden doors closed by themselves.

The stained glass windows turned red as the former soft light violently swayed.

Soon, the light transformed into a blue hue.

The divine blue light enveloped the space.

Moras instinctively realized.

Space wasn’t simply changing; it was being “restructured” around her.

“…What is this?”

He stepped back.

This energy was something that a demon was never meant to approach.

“What is this!!”

But no one responded.

Only the master of the space.

Slowly rising, she only declared her identity.

“The Holy Shrine has opened.”

The moment her voice resounded,

The church floor glowed blue as divine patterns illuminated.

Moras’s body was forcibly restrained.

Gravity twisted.

Space itself was transforming around her.

In some future,

The “Holy Shrine” that once bound and burned thousands of demons—

Was being recreated here.

Her fingertips moved.

And dazzling curtains floated in the air around Cheon Yeoul.

It was as if they had been fated long ago to envelop her.

Cheon Yeoul’s attire began to change.

No longer wearing a nun’s habit.

Instead, her body was clad in—

A celestial maiden’s robe, as if an envoy of the divine.

Thin cloth of white and blue draped over her body.

Moras’s body involuntarily knelt,

As if forced to bow before the divine.

She whispered softly.

“Here, your god does not exist.”

– Whoosh!

The blue light enveloped the shrine.

This light was fundamentally different from traditional divine power.

It did not stem from long-held faith,

But rather,

From an absolute trust in one human being.

The deity she now worships in this space is not a goddess,

But the one-and-only being in this world.

“Therefore, kneel. To the god I serve.”

And Cheon Yeoul lowered her hands.

Momentarily,

– CRACK!

The body of Moras shattered instantly. Not even a scream escaped him.

His projection disappeared completely without transferring any memories to the main body, erased by an unyielding “Rule of the Divine.”

She slowly closed her eyes and knelt once again.

Clasping her hands,

To the only deity she serves.

To the person she loves.

She began to pray again.

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