Chapter 130.2
With the help of the light that had poured down from the skies, the tide of the battle completely shifted. The scouting team handcuffed the fallen mercenaries, and the rifle squad loaded rubber bullets and aimed at the remaining mercenaries who had not yet been subdued.
"Oh Hee-Jin! Did you request support from the rescue team?"
"Yes, they will be here soon!"
Waaaaanng—!
A siren rang as a vehicle from the Paladin Order arrived promptly, and the rescue team flooded out of the vehicle. The assault team loaded the subdued mercenaries into the vehicle while the rescue team loaded the injured paladins who were not yet healed by the light that had poured down from the sky.
The movements of the paladins were strict and disciplined. Han Dae-Ho's training sessions, which had not yielded any results in battle, were finally coming to light.
One of the rescue team members carrying the wounded shouted urgently, "Director! Over here...!"
Han Dae-Ho quickly regained his senses and approached the rescue team member. A middle-aged man was kneeling on the ground and vomiting blood. His nose was bleeding, and tears of blood were streaming down his face. Blood was pouring out of every orifice in his body, including his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.
"...Chairman!"
The middle-aged man was Chang-Won. He had held the position of director of the Central Priest Order as an archbishop-level priest, but due to health reasons, he suddenly announced his retirement. The unused divine power in Chang-Won's fingertips emitted light as it dissipated.
Han Dae-Ho belatedly realized that the light that poured down from the sky during the battle was from the blessing arrays and healing arrays that Chang-Won had drawn.
"Cough, wheeze...."
"Rescue team! Gather personnel capable of providing emergency treatment! There is a critically ill patient!"
"Ah, no. It's okay, I'm fine. Send the students... to the hos- hospital...!" Chang-Won said as blood continued to pour out.
"Yes, understood! Everything is fine, so please leave the rest to us!" Han Dae-Ho said while nodding his head.
What he was trying to say was that they needed to prioritize taking care of the students and patients at the hospital over taking care of him. Two rescue team members rushed over and put Chang-Won in the car, which immediately headed to the hospital.
Chang-Won had a constitution where the drawbacks of excessively using divine power were much greater than other people. It was also because of this damned constitution that he had to step down from his position as the head of the Central Priest Order. While Chang-Won was being taken to the hospital by car, he lamented and immersed himself in self-loathing for being unable to protect the school until the end.
After roughly completing the arrest of the mercenaries and the treatment of the injured, Han Dae-Ho looked towards Florence Academy. Dark clouds loomed over the tall spire that was in the main building. A storm raged, and thunder and lightning filled the air. Florence Academy was a school that shone brightly under the light but looked gloomy under the darkness.
"Rescue team, go to the hospital. Recon team, search the wall and escort any injured individuals found at the gate. There may be people who have been affected by the demonic energy that is lurking at the wall. Rifle squad, protect the rescue team. Assault team, come with me."
Paladins lined up at Han Dae-Ho's command. Within their eyes that were filled with fear was a faint ray of light.
As all the paladins looked toward Han Dae-Ho with determination, Han Dae-Ho said, "Forward."
***
"Do-Jin," Bok-Dong said.
No, to be more precise, it was a taxidermied creature that was in the form of Bok-Dong that spoke. Do-Jin’s face contained a smile that was covered in blood as he lifted up his sword and looked down at the fallen taxidermied creature. His smile of resignation and despair sank down and faded away, just like the blood that dripped down his face.
"Do-Jin. I made a mistake. Please save me."
"Save you... Haha..."
The voice of the taxidermied creature speaking sorrowfully was exactly the same as Bok-Dong's voice, without a single difference in pitch, tone, or manner of speaking. However, the contents of the words were different.
Do-Jin raised his sword and stabbed the fallen taxidermied creature's head.
Crack!
A hole was pierced through the taxidermied creature's head. Sawdust sprayed out onto Do-Jin's face, and bits of cotton popped out through the gap and trickled out. Do-Jin had an indifferent expression on his face as he killed the taxidermied creature that resembled his long-time friend.
While stabbing and poking the taxidermied creature's head, Do-Jin did not feel discomfort. Instead, he felt wrath.
"If you're going to copy him, then at least do it properly, you damned idiot..."
Bok-Dong may be foolishly merciful, but he would never beg for his life from an enemy. He would probably resist until the moment of his death while shouting the name of Adonai. However, the taxidermied creature had pleaded to the enemy for its life and had given up resistance when it realized that defeat was inevitable.
Do-Jin did not believe that the taxidermied creature was the same as Bok-Dong. He could not equate the taxidermied creature, a mere imitation that pathetically begged the enemy for its life, with Bok-Dong. It was because it was a taxidermied creature that was disguised as Bok-Dong that Do-Jin could swing his sword more decisively and kill the taxidermied.
Splutter!
Do-Jin roughly pulled out the sword embedded in the head of the taxidermied creature and muttered, "Look, brothers and sisters..."
It was a hymn that Kim Bok-Dong used to enjoy singing. Do-Jin didn't know the exact pitch or lyrics, but he recited the hymn, spitting out the lyrics as they came to mind. He felt like he would lose consciousness and collapse immediately if he didn’t do so.
"Heavenly King, Glorious King."
When he looked up at the ceiling, he saw that the Pentagram had disappeared. It was the result of slaying all the demonic beasts and demons that had poured out. The surroundings were filled with the corpses of taxidermied creatures and demonic beasts.
Do-Jin's fingers still remained severed, and the bandages wrapped around to hold the sword were soaked with blood. His steps were faltering. It felt like both his left and right ankles were completely shattered. Every time he took a breath, a sharp pain pierced his chest. He couldn’t tell if his ribs were broken.
"Huff, huff..."
He collected his breathing and moved his steps toward the sacred training ground. It was painful but not unbearable. He couldn’t tell if this would be enough to kill him or not. For now, he was just grateful that he could still move. If he could hold on to the sword and move, it meant that it was also possible to kill the Satanists.
- Alright, keep hustling. Good luck.
Well done. Do-Jin clenched his teeth as he recalled the voice of the Satanist that had echoed from beyond the Branch of the Burning Bush.
It was a familiar voice. Whose voice was it? At first, it hadn’t easily come to mind. But back when he was cutting apart demonic beasts and taxidermied creatures, Do-Jin finally remembered who the owner of the voice was.
"I think the number of dogs was 216, perhaps around 200."
On the day when the demonic beasts appeared in the barn, he had been the first one to report it.
"It feels like I’ve resurrected from death..." Do-Jin laughed.
His face was scruffy due to being covered in blood and sawdust, but his smile was clear. He stepped out of the sacred training ground. It was raining. Do-Jin walked briskly while getting soaked in the rain. The blood that was on his sword was getting washed away by the rain.
***
"It’s been two years since you transferred here, right?"
"Huh? Well... yeah, because I came here in the spring two years ago."
He had come here two years ago, in the spring of the previous year.
"When I lived in Incheon, my nickname was Lonely Wolf—"
"I felt like it’s been a while since I've been to the beach. I used to go all the time because it was right in front of my house...”
"He hasn't changed his address recently, and there's nothing particularly suspicious about him..."
Until two years ago, he lived in Incheon. However, he did not tell that to the people around him.
[They infiltrated Korea during the chaos that occurred due to the Holy War seven years ago and covered up their tracks after causing the Tower of Corpses incident in Incheon two years ago.]
It was because he didn’t want to announce it and because he couldn’t announce it.
The Satanist had concealed himself after causing the Tower of Corpses incident in Incheon two years ago, and he had just happened to come here around that time. He must have wanted to hide this fact, but I didn't forget about his slip of the tongue.
"I want stocks or crypto, too. Ah, and I would do the lottery too."
"You know, the one dressed in white. Sung, Sung... Sung Myung-Jun?”
When asked about what he would like to do if he could go back to the past, he gave a predictable answer. He couldn't remember other people's names well. I was the same.
"Since you are both in the same position, you will inevitably have some things in common in your manner of speech and habits."
It must’ve been because we were both outcasts. We were outcasts that were hiding amongst other people. We had no choice but to give predictable answers in order to hide the fact that we were outcasts, and as outcasts, we didn't need to individually remember the names of the other people.
Crack.
The tree branch made a dry sound as it snapped. The sound spread through the trees and resounded out. The mountains were filled with demonic energy. Every time I inhaled, my throat felt scratchy, and my head became dizzy. I was running through Eiden Hill.
"That box is the objective of the Satanists and also the objective of the Elders."
When I had used Granbwa's power on Eiden Hill, I had seen a box that was buried deep within Eiden Hill.
Baron Samedi had said that the box was the objective of Satanists and the elders. I had no idea what was inside the box. I just had a strong feeling that he would be where the box was.
The screams that had echoed through the sacred training ground and the collapsed training center. And the broadcast that had threatened to blow up the hospital. The mercenaries that had been blocking the gate.
The sacred training ground, training center, and hospital were buildings completely opposite Eiden Hill. He had been luring me away so that I wouldn’t be able to disturb him.
I recalled the location of the box from my memories. Occasionally, there were taxidermied creatures nailed to the trees on display. Some depicted the images of a child and a mother or the grotesque depiction of a newborn being born. There were also taxidermied creatures with ropes around their necks as if inciting people to commit suicide. Thanks to the taxidermied creatures, finding the way was actually easier.
As I neared my destination, I recalled Ha-Yeon's words.
"That person came directly to our house two days ago at night. They came to say thank you for that incident."
"...What time was it?"
"Around eight o'clock... I think."
Yesterday evening, he treated us to a meal and headed toward Ha-Yeon's residence. Ha-Yeon had said that she had been taken aback and had failed to hide her scars in time due to the sudden visit to her house. She added that he may have seen her scars that time.
Rather than the fact that he may have seen it, he definitely saw it for sure. He knew what clothes In-Ah usually wore. It was obvious. After all, he had been friends with her for two years, and they had been classmates.
He hadn’t encountered Jin-Seo, so he didn’t figure out that she had been wearing the rosary that I had given her. After the training center burned down and disappeared, they didn't have any more sparring sessions.
"..."
Within the dark and heavy demonic energy, we faced each other and recognized each other clearly, even from a significant distance.
The gaze in his eyes as he looked at me was dimmer and hazier than usual. The school uniform he casually wore had lost its original color and turned completely black as if soaked in demonic energy.
It was Jun-Hyuk.
"Ah..." he sighed.
With black tears streaming down from his eyes, he raised his finger. A sharp and elongated index finger that didn’t look human was pointed towards me.
Thunder and lightning struck down sporadically, and a storm raged. The taxidermied creatures hanging from the trees chewed through the ropes with their teeth.
Thump, thump...
The wet sound of the taxidermied creature's footsteps on the mountain that was soaked by rain was familiar. They revealed their sharp teeth as they approached me. All of them had twisted and broken necks that were dangling loosely. Jun-Hyuk directed the taxidermied creatures coming toward me with a cold expression on his face.
The image that I had seen until now of him smiling foolishly and cheerfully whenever he greeted me had all been a lie.
Surrounded by a pitch-black demonic energy, he stared at me with eyes even darker than the demonic energy. He was not a student of Florence Academy but a Satanist—a Satanist who held two of the Seven Deadly Sins of Envy and Pride.
[Cult leader of the Voodoo Cult or a student of Florence Academy.]
Despite not meaning to do so, I recalled Ogun’s voice. The taxidermied creatures approached me, and I approached Jun-Hyuk.
"Ogun, Loa of Iron and War, please reside within me."
As I called out Ogun’s name, vibrations spread out in all directions. As Ogun arrived, the speakers and scattered iron pieces installed throughout Eiden Hill vibrated as if trembling in fear.
Clang, clang, clang!
The iron pieces screamed in agony. The sky roared out after a flash of lightning, but the wailing of the iron pieces that were spread across the land drowned the sound out.
Grateful for the rain, I forcefully opened my stubbornly closed mouth. Looking toward Ogun, who was surely watching me from somewhere, I said, "As the Cult Leader and Prophet of the Voodoo Cult, I implore you."
For the first time in this place, we faced each other as our true selves.
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