Chapter 124
Thud, thud, thud.
Dozens of paladins armed with full combat equipment designed for riot control marched down the street in formation. Leading the procession were two individuals: Director Han Dae-Ho and religious scholar Oh Hee-Jin. The eyes of the onlookers were filled with fear and curiosity as they watched them. The fearful ones quickened their pace, while the curious ones took out their phones to take pictures.
Oh Hee-Jin, fully armed from head to toe, asked Han Dae-Ho, "...Director, are you sure this is okay?"
Her notebook, which she always carried with her, was tucked in her armpit. Han Dae-Ho walked silently while looking in the direction of Florence Academy.
"It's fine."
"After all this, if it turns out to be nothing...you won't be able to avoid getting fired."
"Is that so? I can handle it if I get fired. It’s better than being executed," Han Dae-Ho said while chuckling as if it was not a big deal.
However, just like Oh Hee-Jin, he was also plagued by anxiety. Walking the streets in full combat equipment could scare the citizens. From the Holy See's perspective, depending on the situation, it could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings and excessive damage to the Romanican Church’s image.
If they arrived at Florence Academy and it turned out that they didn’t need full combat equipment, Han Dae-Ho would be held responsible. At the very least, he would be punished through suspension, and even the possibility of getting fired was on the table.
"Director, even now, if you were to relax the level of armament to threat alert status—"
"I will take responsibility regardless. This was a decision I made because I was confident. Don't worry any further, and don't interfere."
"...I interfered too much. I apologize." Oh Hee-Jin bowed her head.
The paladins continued to walk forward. When Han Dae-Ho's left foot moved forward, the paladins' left foot moved forward as well. The steps of the procession were perfectly synchronized. Their faces were not visible because their helmets covered them. However, beyond their helmets, their faces were filled with a sense of pride and enthusiasm.
As a result of the ongoing events, Han Dae-Ho had been particularly focused on combat training for the paladins, and as a result, the paladins were fully alert.
Thud, thud, thud...
The sound of their synchronized footsteps ceased when the walls of Florence Academy became visible to the naked eye.
"Demonic energy..."
Unusual demonic energy flowed around the walls. As if threatening the paladins, the mist swirled, but it never crossed over the wall, much like a barrier.
"It seems like it won’t cross over the walls," Oh Hee-Jin said.
"Yeah. We’re in a situation where we don’t know what black magic spell the demonic energy came from...”
"Yes, there's a possibility that it is a Contract spell or Corruption spell."
Since they couldn't identify which spell the demonic energy was coming from, they couldn't rashly cross over the wall. If Han Dae-Ho turned into a humanoid demonic beast or a demon due to a Contract spell, things would become very complicated. If he became incapacitated due to the Corruption spell, it would also be a problem.
"At times like this, we need an anti-demon mask."
"Do we have any in stock?"
"No, I was just saying it for the heck of it. After all, they say that even a mask can't stop the Corruption spell, right? We'll have to make do."
"Yes. The particles of demonic energy released from Corruption are smaller than those released from other black magic spells, so even a mask can't stop it," Oh Hee-Jin explained while droning on in a low voice. She was knowledgeable about Satanists’ black magic as well.
"Thank you. It's very useful and hopeful information," Han Dae-Ho said sarcastically while sighing.
"Come to think of it, isn't black magic just completely hacks? After all, at best, blessings give you greater strength and clarity of mind."
"You shouldn’t say such sacrilegious things. There aren't many believers of Satanism, so it’s a small elite group. Moreover, even elite Satanists can’t use Contract and Corruption frequently either."
"Yeah... I'm just saying that for the heck of it as well," Han Dae-Ho said.
He then nodded and took a step forward. Judging by the demonic energy flowing around the wall, it seemed like something had happened. While inwardly feeling relieved that they had arrived with full combat equipment, Han Dae-Ho headed toward the gate. The paladins also followed Han Dae-Ho and arrived at the Florence Academy gate.
Strangely enough, there was no one around. There were no security guards, students, or teachers. Only a quiet silence and an eerie, gloomy atmosphere lingered near the gate.
Han Dae-Ho expressed his doubts. "Aren’t security guards supposed to be at the gate? Back in my day, I remember there were security guards. And I don't see any students either."
"I wonder..." Oh Hee-Jin said as she peered at the gate like a meerkat.
The gate was enveloped in silence. It was so silent that it almost felt creepy. The fact that the demonic energy had spread to the wall meant that an incident related to Satanists had definitely occurred inside the school. However, there was not a single student that was evacuating.
It meant that either the situation was not urgent enough to require evacuation or the situation was so serious that evacuation was not possible. If it was the former, it would be fortunate, but if it was the latter...
Han Dae-Ho felt a sense of foreboding as he gestured toward the inside of the school gate. It was a signal to enter.
"Scout team, go ahead."
The five paladins at the front of the formation bowed toward Han Dae-Ho. Then, they took out shields that were barely large enough to cover their faces and walked in unison toward the school gate.
There was one reason why they had to send a scout team before the main force.
From the perspective of the Satanists, the first thing they needed to do before causing an incident was to seal off the school gate. They had to prevent students and teachers from escaping, and they had to prevent paladins or crusaders from entering and rescuing the people inside the school. However, the school gate, which should have been sealed off, was wide open. It didn’t make sense that the wall was sealed off but the main entrance was completely fine.
Han Dae-Ho suspected that there were traps or ambushes set up at the school gate, and that was why he sent a scouting team to confirm the danger.
Bang! Crack!
And his prediction was correct. Iron balls flew toward the heads of the five members of the scouting team who had crossed the gate with cautious steps and lowered postures. Some were lucky enough to block them with shields, but others were not so fortunate. Although they were wearing helmets, the impact of being hit on the head with a first-sized iron ball was significant.
Two out of the five members of the reconnaissance team collapsed onto the ground without even having an opportunity to let out a scream.
"Assault team, gear up and guard the reconnaissance team! I'll take the lead!"
Han Dae-Ho quickly signaled with his hands and rushed toward the fallen reconnaissance team. The members of the assault team each held their own weapons and holy artifacts as they followed behind. They swiftly surrounded the fallen reconnaissance team with fast and disciplined movements.
Han Dae-Ho scanned the area. The enemy's position had not yet been identified. However, he was sure that the enemy was watching them. They couldn't see the enemy, but the enemy could see them... It was the worst situation.
Han Dae-Ho gave orders for the rifle squad at the rear of the formation to stand by. He intended to decide whether to give permission to fire based on the situation.
"This is the Eastern Paladin Order! Drop your weapons and surrender!" Han Dae-Ho shouted toward the unseen enemy.
There was no response. Han Dae-Ho put more strength into his voice and shouted again, "If you don't surrender, we will have no choice but to forcefully arrest you for obstructing official duties! Drop your weapons and surrender! If you do, your sins will not be──!"
Thud.
Before Han Dae-Ho could finish speaking, a tall man appeared in front of him. The man seemed to have suddenly dropped down from the sky. The man’s eyes were pale and unfocused. His partially open lips were dry, and his face was covered in scars. He held a pitchfork in his right hand.
The man spat out a warning to Han Dae-Ho. "Leave."
"Who do you think you are, telling me to leave... Are you a mercenary? Which faction do you belong to?"
"There's no need for me to tell you. Leave," he said.
Oh Hee-Jin murmured quietly, “...Ravens.”
Han Dae-Ho's face distorted. Ravens was the name of the mercenary group operating in Incheon. They were famous for their illegal activities and money laundering, and the Paladin Order was in conflict with them.
"A pitchfork...the blind man of the Ravens..." Oh Hee-Jin murmured with a pale face as she looked at the pitchfork in the man's hand. Her voice was trembling.
Most of the Ravens had unknown identities because they always covered their faces with hoods. There was no information about the leader. However, the deputy leader of the Ravens Mercenary Group was well-known. The first reason was because of his unique combat style of utilizing farming tools, and the second reason was that he was blind.
Tap.
Han Dae-Ho put his hand on Oh Hee-Jin's shoulder. She felt the trembling subside.
Han Dae-Ho stared daggers at the man's face and said, "Why did you guys from Incheon come all the way here...? What was the request, and who is the client?"
"The request was to ensure that no one enters or exits through the gate. The client cannot be revealed. Leave now. If you don't leave within the count of three..."
The man stared at them with unfocused white eyes as he raised the pitchfork he had been dragging on the ground above his head.
"I will forcefully have you all leave. One."
Han Dae-Ho laughed mockingly as he glared at the man. How dare a mere mercenary intimidate a paladin?
He then gave the order to the waiting marksmen to prepare to fire.
Click.
The marksmen’s guns made heavy and chilling sounds. Unfortunately, the loaded rounds were rubber bullets and not live rounds, but they were enough to deal with a mere mercenary.
"Two."
"I'll say this one last time. Drop your weapons and surrender. If you don't, we will classify you as a rioter and subdue you by force. And if it turns out that Satanists hired you..."
Han Dae-Ho's and the man's gazes met. The man's pitchfork gleamed sharply as if it could strike the ground at any moment.
The rifle squad aimed their guns at the man. The depth of the darkness of each barrel was like the abyss. A chilling silence and tension flowed between the man and Han Dae-Ho.
"I will judge you in the name of Adonai."
"...Three."
Bang—!
As the man shouted three, the sound of an explosion echoed. It didn't come from where Han Dae-Ho was. The sound of the explosion was coming from inside the school.
Thump!
Within the echoes left by the explosion, the sounds of gunfire resounded. A rubber bullet hit the man's thigh. The area turned red and formed a bruise, but the man didn’t flinch and swung his pitchfork down.
Clang!
With that as a signal, the mercenaries from the Ravens popped out from their hiding spots. Some loaded iron balls into their slingshots, some held clubs, some held sickles, and some held spears. Their weapons were all different. All their faces were covered with hoods.
Those holding clubs and sickles were the first to get targeted by the rifle squad. It happened instantly.
"I clearly warned you. Just think of it as reaping what you sow."
Bang! Bang!
Iron balls struck the heads of the paladins. Those holding spears pulled their arms behind their heads and prepared to throw. Their movements were very systematic. It seemed like they had been trained very well. However, the movements of the paladins were just as quick as the Ravens.
"Rifle squad, aim for the slingshots and the spear throwers! Scouting squad, defend the rifle squad! Assault squad, into formation!"
Before Han Dae-Ho had finished shouting, the scouts who had been lying down all stood up in unison and started running. Soon, the mercenaries aiming for the rifle squad were once again facing the scouting squad.
The scouting squad was composed of elite members who had exceptional combat skills and agility. With the protection of the scouts, the rifle squad raised their barrels.
Bang! Bang!
Rubber bullets were fired. Some of the mercenaries on top of the trees aiming at the paladins with their crossbows were hit by rubber bullets and fell to the ground. However, the rubber bullets did not hit them all. The spear throwers who had not been subdued simultaneously hurled their spears toward Han Dae-Ho. The mercenaries instinctively realized that Han Dae-Ho was the most threatening and powerful among the paladins.
Whack!
Han Dae-Ho smashed apart all three spears flying toward him with his fists. Contrary to how it appeared, his muscular body was unbelievably quick. The light of blessing was circulating around his body.
"...Pray to Adonai. So that I may not kill you."
"I do not believe in gods."
Boom!
Han Dae-Ho's fist flew toward the man's jaw, while the man's pitchfork swung toward Han Dae-Ho's forehead. Smoke from the explosion and the mysterious demonic energy billowed up into the sky. The sky was turning dark.
***
Min-Seo's sharp shout echoed through the principal's office.
"Get down!"
The principal's body was trembling and swelling. It was a sign that it was about to explode. Whenever a taxidermied creature exploded, flesh and bone fragments would fly out and embed themselves all over. In enclosed spaces, the risk of injury was particularly high. Fortunately, it was possible to minimize the damage by lying down.
Clang!
"Ah, arghh...!"
However, I couldn’t lie down because of the handcuffs. I focused my strength on my right arm with the Blessing of Superhuman Strength. Even so, I couldn’t properly put strength into my arm. Could I unlock these handcuffs by drawing a blessing array and adding strength?
No, I didn’t have enough time. I wasn’t particularly good at drawing blessing arrays in the first place. With the meager strength that a blessing provided, I wouldn’t be able to unlock these handcuffs.
"...Bossou."
[Oh! Is it a situation where I can pull out the pillar?!]
I nodded.
Bossou was strangely obsessed over pulling out pillars. It was said that since ancient times, causing buildings to collapse by pulling out pillars was a basic skill for superhumans, but I didn’t really know the details. In any case, whether I was going to pull out the pillar or not, I was in a situation where I needed Bossou's power.
[It might be a bit painful!]
"I understand. Hurry...!"
As I urged him, Bossou's power finally began to flow through my body. My head became dizzy, my vision blurred, and my body started to burn. My heartbeat and breathing became clear, and other sounds became faint.
My arms were filled with Bossou's power. I exerted strength on my right arm along with my weight and pushed as hard as I could. It was because I judged that breaking the handcuffs by pushing would be easier than breaking them by pulling. It was because most people could exert a stronger pushing force than a pulling force.
Crack, creak...
However, the handcuffs didn't break. Instead, the wall was breaking apart. Part of the wall tore off, and a chunk of concrete came off along with the handcuffs. I was unable to break the handcuffs, but at least I was able to move for now. I shifted the force that I had used to break the handcuffs off the walls to my legs and leaped off the ground. And then I charged forward.
The principal's body had swelled up to such an extent that it was almost about to burst.
I swung my hefty right arm. The chunk of concrete attached to the handcuffs struck the principal’s enlarged body. Significant recoil resonated in my right arm. It felt as if I was wielding a mace.
Bang—!
The principal's body flew far away into a corner after the chunk of concrete struck him. The principal’s massive body collided with the wall and exploded. Flesh and bone fragments flew and pierced my body in a few places, but the distance was far enough that the wounds weren't too deep. The blood flowing out from the wounds stained my clothes.
"Cough...! Hah, ha..."
Immediately after, I collapsed onto the floor. Although the wounds weren't too deep, they were still wounds, and above all, due to excessively using Bossou's power, my whole body was suffering from muscle aches.
It was a pain that felt like every joint and muscle fiber in my body was being torn apart. My slumped shoulder felt limp and flimsy. It felt like my joints were dislocated.
[I told you that it might hurt a little...] Bossou's gloomy voice pierced through my clouded mind.
This wasn't just a little bit of pain. This was too much pain. However, if it weren't for Bossou's power, the taxidermied creature would have exploded, and the fragments would have pierced my whole body, turning me into a hedgehog and killing me in the process. Thus, I was grateful to Bossou.
"Huff, huff...!"
I took a deep breath and fought back the pain. Then, I pulled out the fragments embedded in my body with my fingers. Fortunately, the shrapnel wasn’t deeply embedded. It was at a level where I could remove them with my hands.
Thud.
Meanwhile, Chang-Won shifted backward with a stunned expression on his face and bumped into a chair. His legs were shaking precariously as if he could collapse at any moment. While grabbing onto the chair and just barely managing to support himself, he bowed his head with a face filled with despair.
"Since when...was I being manipulated..."
Ignoring Chang-Won for now, Yu-Hyun and Min-Seo briskly approached me. Yu-Hyun had a wide smile on his face as if he was having the time of his life, while Min-Seo casually threw the broken mop onto the floor as if she wasn’t particularly surprised or concerned.
"Wow, what the fuck. What is this? How did you do that? Is this the Blessing of Superhuman Strength? It's different from what Sung-Hyun used."
"Of course it's different. He’s always been strong. Yu-Hyun, please heal him."
"Huh? I don't know how to heal."
"What? Aren't you from the Department of Priests? How can a priest not know how to heal? Are you a retard? You’re seriously coming up with these stupid excuses that don't even make sense in this situation?"
"No, well... I really don't know how to heal, though?"
Min-Seo let out a sigh and rubbed her forehead.
"Ah, fuck... I don't have confidence in healing either..."
Chang-Won walked up behind Min-Seo and said, "...I'll do it."
Yu-Hyun squatted down while blinking his eyes and looked up at him. Chang-Won unleashed his divine power to quickly draw multiple blessing arrays and healing arrays.
His movements were so fast and organized that I couldn't even gauge his level.
"I'm sorry. I never imagined that Gabriel and the principal were all taxidermied creatures..."
"It's okay."
"No, I don’t feel okay about it at all. I'm really sorry. What on earth did I do... Vice-Principal, please give me the key to the handcuffs."
Chang-Won politely apologized while kneeling down and bowing his head. It seemed like he was apologizing for doubting me and putting handcuffs on my wrists.
Following Chang-Won's instructions, the vice-principal brought the key to the handcuffs, and my right arm was finally freed. The part of my wrist where the handcuffs had been was bruised dark blue.
As the light of healing and blessing enveloped my body, the pain faded, and the wounds healed. However, the onslaught of muscle pains that occurred due to the use of Bossou's power didn't completely disappear. With a solemn expression on his face, Chang-Won quietly drew blessing and healing arrays.
"I committed a great sin. I don't expect forgiveness..." he said.
"No, it's really okay."
"I'm truly sorry..."
Chang-Won was the chairman of Florence Academy, and if someone with such authority felt guilty toward me, then it was actually a good thing... However, that wasn’t something I had to say out loud, so I simply kept my mouth shut.
As Chang-Won continued to mechanically release divine power while drowning in regret, Min-Seo tapped on his shoulder and said, "Chairman, I think you can stop now."
"No, it's better to continue a little longer..."
"It’s fine if you just roughly heal the wounds. He has good recovery ability... Anyway, now is not the time to be doing this," Min-Seo said with a serious expression.
It was then that Chang-Won finally stopped unleashing divine power. Min-Seo sat down and folded her fingers one by one.
"So, we’ve discovered six taxidermied creatures, including the principal and Gabriel. These are just the ones we found, so there are probably more. Anyway, these taxidermied creatures are wandering around the school pretending to be human," she said.
"Oh dear... How do we tell the difference between taxidermied creatures and humans?"
"Yu-Hyun is good at distinguishing them. I don't understand the principle behind it, but in any case, his accuracy rate has been 100% so far. I think you can trust him," Min-Seo said and then glanced at Yu-Hyun.
Yu-Hyun smiled brightly. Min-Seo frowned and then calmed down.
"And, the training center exploded. Yu-Hyun and I ran away and came here after hearing the broadcast. By the way, Chairman, did the second-year students not attend school today?"
"The dispatched students should have gone to their workplaces, and the rest probably came to school. Since all the third-year students are at their workplaces, they won't be at school."
"Are there any black magic spells related to space?"
"...There is a black magic spell called Apollyon."
"Really? Then it seems like the second-year building was affected by black magic. When I looked around, the second-year building was completely empty."
Kim Chang Won's face visibly hardened as Min-Seo continued to explain the situation. Even I could tell that the situation was not just serious. Chang-Won turned his head toward the vice-principal, who still hadn’t regained his composure.
"Vice-principal, we need to go to the broadcasting room and immediately issue an evacuation order—"
Yu-Hyun interrupted Chang-Won. "Even if we issue an evacuation order, it wouldn't make much difference. The school gates are swarming with bouncers, you know? We can’t exactly parkour over the walls either cause it's swirling with demonic energy. Oh, Ha-Yeon might be able to jump over."
"When did you see all of that?" Min-Seo asked with her eyebrows furrowed.
Yu-Hyun laughed senselessly and said, "Well, things were going in a weird direction, so I was planning to go home and sleep. But there was no way to leave."
"...Alright. Anyway, Chairman, issuing an evacuation order now wouldn't make much difference. It might even make the situation more chaotic."
"Demonic energy around the walls... Then, should I contact Cardinal Sung Yu-Da right now..."
"Oh, by the way, communications have been cut off. Phones aren't working at the moment."
"..."
Chang-Won fell silent. Despair filled his eyes. On the other hand, Min-Seo's eyes burned with determination. It was a determination close to madness.
"With Yu-Hyun here, we can somehow find and eliminate the taxidermied creatures. The problem is, we don't know what the Satanist will do next. If they destroy all the buildings like they did with the training center, there could be significant casualties. Or they could release demonic beasts or demons."
"Then, what should we do..."
"There are three big problems at the moment," Min-Seo said while holding up three fingers.
"First, strange bouncers are blocking the school gate, making evacuation impossible. Judging by their appearance, they seem to be mercenaries. Let alone evacuation, we can’t even dream of lurking near the gate.”
"If we can't evacuate, the casualties will increase exponentially..."
"Yes, that's why it's the first problem. Then there is the second problem. As the chairman saw, the principal and Gabriel here were taxidermied creatures. So, where are the real principal and Gabriel located? From what I can see, it seems like the Satanists kidnapped them. There is a possibility that other people besides these two have also been kidnapped or gone missing. If we don't find them quickly, the problem might worsen."
"Hey, it ain’t that big of a deal just because one elder went missing," Yu-Hyun interjected.
Min-Seo briefly glared at Yu-Hyun before lightly sighing and continuing, "Third, we don't know what else the Satanists might do. Currently, there are no casualties. Thanks to Ye-Jin, I mean Miss Ye-Jin, everyone evacuated safely when the training center exploded. But this is just the situation at the moment. We don't know what’s going to happen in the near future."
Min-Seo had been rapidly explaining the situation, but took a breath to calm herself down.
"So, here are the solutions to these three problems. First, we need to drive out the mercenaries blocking the school gate. Second, we need to find the missing people. And third...”
"We need to find and kill the Satanist," I said in her stead.
Min-Seo stared at me with wide eyes.
"Yeah. The problem is how. How do we drive out the mercenaries? How do we find the missing person, and how do we locate the Satanist? And once we find the Satanist, how do we kill them?"
Crack.
While Min-Seo rambled on, I put my dislocated shoulder back into place.
Black smoke was emanating from the taxidermied creature that was disguised as Gabriel, who had died after Min-Seo stabbed him. A few strands of white hair remained on the sofa where the taxidermied creature lay.
"...I have a plan."
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