Episode 39: The Demonic humans (3)
It was a close call. I ran as fast as I could, but I was slightly late.
If there hadn’t been a proper foothold, things could have been difficult.
The plaza was still in chaos.
Medusa’s severed head had rolled across the ground before coming to a stop, and the bodies of snakes lay scattered around it.
Beyond that, professors and heroes were watching me. Their gazes were a mixture of shock and wariness.
It was understandable.
Medusa was by no means an easy opponent.
—Wooong.
The Harpe in my hand let out a faint vibration as its glow gradually faded.
‘Is it over?’
I had been told before that Harpe was practically a one-time-use weapon.
This was the reason why. Having slumbered in stone for so long, it lost its power after a single use.
That was how powerful it was. Without it, cutting off Medusa’s head in one strike would have been impossible.
I should find a new weapon soon.
I fastened Harpe to my waist and composed myself.
It wasn’t over yet. In fact, this was just the beginning.
I scanned my surroundings.
Then, I walked toward the person I was most familiar with.
My class instructor from Class B—Do Han-seong.
“Instructor.”
He was organizing the battlefield, issuing orders to various heroes.
Evacuating the wounded, regrouping the remaining forces, and discussing countermeasures.
When I approached, he immediately turned to look at me.
Then, as if asking for an explanation, he spoke.
“Haein, just how did you…?”
I cut him off and got straight to the point.
“It was a diversion. Medusa was nothing more than bait.”
His expression hardened instantly.
“…What?”
As he processed my words, he muttered quietly.
I didn’t have time to wait for his reaction.
“Just moments ago, a Demonic human approached me.”
I quickly continued.
“He saw through my desires and whispered to me—‘I can give you everything.’”
His eyes widened sharply.
Then, in a low voice, he murmured,
“…Moras.”
He knew.
Moras was a well-known Demonic human.
“If that’s true, then we’ll need everyone here.”
He was right. Moras could create clones.
Even if we defeated many of them, it wouldn’t matter unless we took down the original.
“Wait!”
A desperate voice called out from behind.
I turned my head.
A man was approaching with quick steps.
A guild emblem was engraved on his epaulet.
He spoke firmly.
“If Moras really showed up, then yes, we must capture him.”
His tone was resolute.
“But we can’t send everyone. Tracking down those who summoned Medusa takes priority.”
“If they’re still hiding and summon another monster, we won’t be able to respond.”
I hesitated. He wasn’t wrong.
Medusa was the only monster.
There weren’t any other creatures prepared for summoning.
However, the fact that I knew this was suspicious.
I had no evidence, and my reasoning was weak.
‘What should I do?’
The best option was to have everyone pursue Moras.
But his argument wasn’t invalid either, so I needed a compromise—quickly…
Then, it happened.
“We will handle the puppeteer’s pursuit.”
A calm voice.
At the same time, the atmosphere shifted.
I instinctively turned my gaze.
And there, I saw them.
A woman clad in silver armor.
And the priests who followed her.
Another armed force of the Church.
Paladin
If the hero has the Crusaders who follow him, then the saintess has the Paladins who serve her.
A smile spread across my lips.
She gazed at us calmly and spoke once more.
“We will track down the puppeteers.”
“So, the rest of you, please pursue Moras.”
The man who had been arguing against her nodded. In truth, finding Moras was easier than tracing back the puppeteers.
Besides, the Paladins were a group specialized in hunting demonic humans. He had no reason to refuse.
Once the situation was settled, Do Han-seong turned to the other heroes.
With unwavering resolve, he issued his orders.
“Quickly transport the injured to the medical ward, and all combat-capable personnel will immediately disperse and track Moras.”
Then, he shifted his gaze toward me.
“Haein…”
His eyes wavered slightly.
After a brief sigh, he spoke in a heavy tone.
“Telling you not to go after witnessing what just happened… would be meaningless, wouldn’t it?”
Then, as if to emphasize his point, he added,
“But please, be careful.”
I gave a small nod.
It was time to move.
Kill Moras and track down the true mastermind. That was the best possible scenario.
***
Unlike the chaotic outside world, this place was enveloped in sacred silence.
The air inside was damp, and the dim candlelight flickered over the cold marble floor.
At the center stood a statue of the goddess, her expression kind and compassionate.
She looked down with a gentle smile, as if embracing everyone in her gaze.
This was the church of Arcadia, located within the Gaon.
Cheon Yeoul let out a quiet breath.
She knelt on the ground.
The chill of the marble floor brushed against her skin, sending a cool sensation through her body.
She folded her hands neatly together.
In her grasp was a cross, given to her by someone.
“…Goddess.”
With a calm heart, she slowly offered her prayer.
Soft light filtered through the stained glass, painting the church interior in hues of color.
A sacred fragrance filled the air—
The faint scent of burning incense, the deep, aged aroma of old wood.
Time passed unnoticed.
The world outside grew silent, and within the church, an even deeper stillness took hold.
And then—
—Click, click.
Unfamiliar footsteps.
No.
Footsteps she had expected.
Cheon Yeoul kept her gaze fixed on the goddess statue and slowly opened her eyes.
Then, she spoke.
“Have you lost your way?”
Her voice was kind and warm.
Yet, within it, there was not the slightest tremor.
“This place is only accessible to the saintess or higher-ranking clergy. Outsiders are not permitted entry, so please leave.”
The intruder did not respond.
Instead, they stepped closer.
—Click.
The footsteps halted.
And in that moment—
“Hahaha…”
A low, unpleasant laugh shattered the silence of the church.
A bizarre resonance, like a whisper brushing against her ear.
“Saintess, there is no need to hide from me.”
She slowly turned her head.
A masked man stood there.
A black robe that blended into the darkness, the faint candlelight reflecting off the contours of his mask.
It was Moras.
He smiled faintly.
Beyond the lips of his mask, he whispered softly, almost mockingly.
“Everyone harbors desires.”
He took a step forward.
“And surely, Saintess, you are no exception.”
Cheon Yeoul turned her gaze back to the statue of the goddess.
And then, she murmured briefly.
“I will summon the Paladins.”
But Moras, as if he had already foreseen this, shook his head gently.
“It’s useless.”
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
“Outside… Medusa is waiting.”
At that moment, Cheon Yeoul’s shoulders trembled ever so slightly.
Moras did not miss it.
His lips curled into a wide, eerie grin.
“Then… would you show me? That desire of yours.”
Beyond his mask, his black pupils turned a deep crimson.
In an instant, the space around them trembled.
Moras’s ability—The Eye of Desire.
It was the power to unearth and reveal a person’s deepest, most hidden desires.
Even those they themselves were unaware of.
That red glow spread toward Cheon Yeoul.
—Ssshhh…
The air grew heavy.
And then—
Moras’s body stiffened.
“…?”
His laughter halted.
Beyond his mask, his trembling pupils widened.
“…What is this?”
What he saw was not—
A wavering faith.
Nor a lust for power.
Nor even worldly greed.
Deep within Cheon Yeoul’s soul, there were two fundamental desires.
The first was—
A desire so utterly impure.
A carnal longing for physical union with Jung Haein.
Yet, it was not merely an act of intimacy.
It was something far beyond, a desire so vividly explicit, so intensely raw that it defied words.
And the second—
A desire so utterly pure.
The absolute eradication of evil gods.
A desire so untainted, so unwavering in its conviction, that it bordered on madness itself.
A faith so pure and fervent that it was almost terrifying.
Moras’s lips stiffened.
“This is…”
A chill ran down his spine.
He was one who manipulated and tempted desires.
The resurrection of the evil gods was knowledge that no human should ever possess.
And yet—
Cheon Yeoul already knew.
Moras began to step back, retreating one step at a time.
‘I have to warn them.’
That thought flashed through his mind.
Cheon Yeoul remained unshaken.
No, she was… smiling.
And then—
—Fsssshhh…
The cross in her hands—
Silently crumbled into dust.
“…At last.”
She murmured softly.
The Holy Power of Iano.
The divine energy that had been stored within the relic for countless years—
At this moment, she had fully absorbed it.
And simultaneously—
—Boom.
Space itself warped.
The church’s interior began to breathe, as if it had come alive.
—Clatter…
The wooden doors shut on their own.
The stained glass windows were dyed red, and the once-gentle light trembled violently.
But soon, that light shifted—turning into a brilliant blue.
A sacred blue radiance spread throughout the space.
Moras instinctively realized it.
This space was changing.
No—rather than simply changing, it was being restructured.
“…What is this?”
He stumbled backward.
This energy—this was something no demonic human should ever come near.
“What the hell is this?!”
But no one answered.
Only—
The master of this space slowly rose to her feet, declaring her name.
“The Holy Sanctuary has opened.”
The moment her voice rang out,
The church’s floor glowed with blue light, sacred inscriptions etching themselves into the stone.
Moras’s body was forcibly bound.
The direction of gravity twisted.
The very fabric of space itself was reshaping around her.
Someday in the future,
Tens of thousands of demonic humans would be bound and burned within this Holy Sanctuary.
And now, in this very place, that same power was manifesting once again.
Her fingertips moved.
Radiant veils emerged from the air,
Floating around Cheon Yeoul, wrapping around her as if this moment had been destined since ancient times.
Her attire began to change.
No longer the robes of a nun.
Instead, what now adorned her was—
The garb of a celestial maiden, a divine emissary.
A delicate fabric of white and blue wrapped around her body,
Graceful, ethereal, exuding an aura of absolute sanctity.
Moras’s body fell to its knees of its own accord.
As if compelled to bow before a god.
She whispered.
“In this place, your god does not exist.”
—Shaaah.
The blue radiance engulfed the sanctuary.
But this light was fundamentally different from ordinary divine power.
It was not born from centuries of faith.
It stemmed from a singular, unwavering devotion—
Not to a goddess.
But to one person.
The only one in this world.
“So bow. Before the god I serve.”
And as Cheon Yeoul lowered her hand—
—Crack!
Moras’s body shattered in an instant.
Not even a scream was permitted.
His avatar was obliterated by the absolute laws of divinity
Before it could even transmit its memories to the original body.
She slowly closed her eyes.
And once more, she knelt.
Folding her hands together—
She resumed her prayer.
To the one and only god she served.
To the one she loved.
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