Chapter 276

I stared back at the giant eyes staring at me with my head held high. I felt a strange sense of stickiness from that gaze. It felt like a captivating gaze that could suck me in at any moment, but I did not look away.

I had killed the man by using Bossou's power to pull out his heart, but the black magic remained intact. It meant that the man I had killed was not the one who had cast the black magic spell. So, perhaps the owner of the eyes staring at me had cast the black magic spell.

And that person would be the real Satanist executive, Envy.

—Ah,

Envy

. I understand why that guy told me not to mess with you.

A seductive voice echoed in my ears. It sounded familiar as if I had heard it somewhere before. It was quite similar to Damballa’s seductive and alluring voice. The eyes that were looking at me narrowed.

—It's such a tempting spirit. A mind that doesn’t leave room for a single inch... Therefore, it’s like a flower on a cliff that can never be possessed.

It was the voice of Lust, the true Satanist executive. I raised my head and stared into those eyes. I pondered how I would be able to attack them. At first glance, it seemed like the eyes were located in a place that was too high to reach, so it seemed impossible to attack them using ordinary methods.

Thud, thud.

"Krrrr...!"

"Ah, ah. Ah, ah...."

But the biggest reason why I couldn't attack those eyes was because of the demons and demonic beasts that existed within this space. Counting the number of demons and demonic beasts in this pitch-black darkness was impossible. However, judging by the sound of the approaching footsteps, the howls of the demonic beasts, and the eerie voices of the demons, their numbers were definitely vast.

To test the waters, I called upon the troublemaking trio.

"Sobo, Bade, Dan Wedo."

[No! There are no clouds here!]

[That's right! It's a strange world! It's a different world from ours in the first place!]

[I... acknowledge...]

I heard a series of voices. However, neither rain, thunder, lightning, nor wind appeared at all.

As the Loa had mentioned, they could not activate their powers due to the absence of clouds. Or perhaps it was because we were inside a space that was created using black magic, or maybe it was for some other reason unknown to me that I could not activate my powers.

Whatever the reason, I could not use the power of some of the Loa that were under my control. However, I could still use the power of some of the Loa, just like how I had used Bossou's power earlier. Since there were no plants, I wouldn't be able to use Granbwa's power, and as for the other Loa...

The first Loa that came to mind was Marinette.

"Marinette."

Whoosh!

Flames spewed out from my hands. The flames attached to my hands suddenly detached and moved as if they had a will of their own. They soon took on the form of a giant dragon and wrapped around my body. As the fire devoured the darkness, the demons and demonic beasts hiding in the shadows were all revealed. There were countless of them, just as I had expected.

"Good thing I decided not to count them earlier."

Swish!

I muttered some meaningless words, unleashed my Voodoo magic power, and drew a spell array.

I cast the replication spell, Executioner's Sword.

In an instant, dozens of spell arrays were drawn, each summoning dozens of Executioner's Swords. The screams of the swords merged together, drowning out the cries of the demonic beasts and demons.

I grasped one of the swords. The other dozens of Executioner's Swords remained behind me.

"Bossou."

[You’re summoning me a lot today!]

"Any complaints?"

[None at all.]

Thwack!

Using Bossou's power, I hurled the Executioner's Sword in my hand toward an approaching demon. The Executioner's Sword precisely pierced the demon’s heart.

The demon’s body recoiled backward. I grasped one of the Executioner's Swords behind me and threw it once again. Another demon fell.

I continued to throw the Executioner's Swords like so, and once I ran out, I would replenish the supply by casting a spell once again. The Satanist executive named Lust had created this space. No one would be able to come to my rescue, and no one would be able to see me either.

Thus, this place was rather comfortable for me. The gazes of the Romanican clergymen were like shackles to me.

The eyes watching over me from above blinked. At the same time, the voice I had heard earlier echoed in my mind.

—Voodoo Cult.

Whoosh!

Meanwhile, Marinette’s flames diligently engulfed the approaching demonic beast and demons. Upon seeing the flames, the demonic beasts slowly retreated. The demonic beasts brave enough to charge into the flames all vanished into ashes. Some demons were unfazed by the fire, so I simply pierced their hearts with the Executioner's Swords.

—Why do you, a member of the Voodoo Cult, help the Romanican Church?

"Ah, ahh!"

"Rawr, rawr!"

The demons and demonic beasts that approached me all either perished in the flames or had their hearts pierced.

—Ah, I see. You must have a crush. It's a forbidden yet beautiful love.

The voice kept speaking to me. I threw another Executioner's Sword. When I ran out of swords, I replenished my supply with a spell.

I grasped a fresh, piping hot Executioner's Sword and sought out my next target. Most of the demons and demonic beasts were already dead. The remaining ones hesitated to approach me, intimidated by the flames.

I wondered who I should throw my sword at, and then I decided to aim at one of the unpleasant eyes staring at me from the ceiling.

Thud!

The Executioner's Sword pierced an eye that was floating on the ceiling. Black blood flowed out from the eye and poured down like rain. The other eye that was not pierced by the sword trembled. It looked like it felt the pain. The voice that had been lingering in my head finally went silent.

"Now you're finally quiet."

I pulled out a new Executioner's Sword and gripped it, then aimed it at the remaining eye.

***

While everyone was looking around for Sun-Woo, the priesthood that Joseph had requested support from arrived at the cathedral.

Even the priests of the Central Priesthood who had not participated in the promotion ceremony hurriedly entered the cathedral. At first, they could not help but be shocked by the scene that unfolded before their eyes.

Some novice priests even vomited in the corner.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

However, some remained composed even after seeing the bodies of numerous clergymen. They were the priests who had accumulated a lot of experience. Death was familiar to them. These clergymen were accustomed to losing comrades or their lives in battles or wars. Instead of expressing shock or vomiting, they quietly prayed for their deceased comrades.

“...”

Chang-Won quietly prayed as he watched them.

While the priests who entered the cathedral were taking care of the aftermath, Joseph asked Sung Yu-Da, "Was Sun-Woo with us?"

Sung Yu-Da nodded anxiously.

"Yes, he came to the cathedral with us... Chairman Chang-Won also saw him. Perhaps..." Sung Yu-Da trailed off and stared at the giant black orb in the corner of the cathedral.

He didn't know what kind of black magic created it, but Sun-Woo might have been sucked into it. Sung Yu-Da knew that Sun-Woo was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, but he was still worried.

The Satanist executives were never easy opponents. Even considering that he was the Cult Leader, he could still lose his life. Sun-Woo could not die. He had to stay alive so that Sung Yu-Da could repent.

Ignoring Sung Yu-Da's worries, Joseph casually said, "Well, even if he went in there, he’ll still be alive."

He stared daggers at the black orb as if trying to gaze at Sun-Woo and the Satanist executive, along with the many demons and demonic beasts inside the orb.

And then Joseph continued, "No, on the contrary... If it's Sun-Woo, he might break out of the shell and come out on his own after defeating the executive."

‘More precisely, if Sun-Woo is the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult.’

Joseph swallowed the rest of his sentence. He did not have definite proof that Sun-Woo was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult. Although his suspicions were growing day by day, he still had not found confirmation that Sun-Woo was the Cult Leader.

Instead, Joseph looked suspiciously at Sung Yu-Da.

"So, how did you happen to come with Sun-Woo?"

Sung Yu-Da remained silent at Joseph's question. Sung Yu-Da belatedly realized that he had made a slip of the tongue.

Joseph was now suspicious about the relationship between Sun-Woo and the members of the purification clan. Sung Yu-Da coming to the cathedral with Sun-Woo was not something Joseph would appreciate knowing.

After some contemplation, Sung Yu-Da said, "By chance."

It was a desperate excuse that he hastily came up with due to fearing that Joseph's suspicions would deepen if he hesitated for too long. He also couldn’t come up with any better excuse.

Joseph smiled slyly at Sung Yu-Da. It was a strangely cold smile.

“...”

While the two were having a psychological battle, Jin-Seo was frantically looking around. Her heart sank upon hearing that Sun-Woo had entered the cathedral together with Kim Chang-Won and Sung Yu-Da. She continued to search for Sun-Woo when she belatedly recalled something she had forgotten: the student who had come to the cathedral affiliated with the Central Priesthood for the promotion ceremony.

The student’s figure was nowhere to be found. They must have been there among the bodies and the injured scattered on the cathedral floor.

"Ah, Jin-Seo!"

Ignoring even Chang-Won's voice, Jin-Seo walked around the cathedral and meticulously checked the faces of the bodies and the injured. Some bodies were covered in blood or were so severely damaged that they were unrecognizable. She scrutinized those bodies even more closely to confirm if it was the student.

Her stomach churned. It wasn't because she had seen too much blood and bodies. Her heart pounded because of the thought that the student might be dead.

Crack!

At that moment, a sinister sound echoed from the corner of the cathedral. The clergymen, who had been relaxing, thinking the situation was over, turned their attention in the direction of the sound and prepared for battle.

The black orb in the corner of the cathedral had cracked. The rift gradually widened, and it soon completely enveloped the orb.

Crash—!

And then, as the black orb shattered, someone emerged.

"...As expected," Joseph murmured with a smile as he looked at the person who came out of the orb.

The one who emerged from the orb was Sun-Woo.

He was holding a handful of hair in one hand and dragging out the body of a man. It was the man who had fought Joseph at the Banquet. Sun-Woo was not the only one who had emerged from the orb after it shattered. All of the demonic beasts and demons that had been inside also emerged from the orb.

However, they were spewing black smoke as they disappeared, indicating that they were already dead. Sun-Woo emerged from the orb and casually looked around with a calm expression. He tried to assess the situation with a glance.

He slowly surveyed the scattered bodies and injured people on the cathedral floor. His eyes were extremely cold, without a hint of emotion on his face. He was just completely expressionless.

Thud!

With a grim face, Sun-Woo threw the body of the man he was holding in front of Joseph and Sung Yu-Da. The two were startled and took a step back.

The man's body had a hole in his chest, and there was nothing where his heart should have been.

"This is not one of the executives," Sun-Woo said, pointing to the body with a jerk of his chin.

Sung Yu-Da nodded as if he had expected that, and Joseph looked somewhat surprised. Joseph glanced back and forth between the body and Sun-Woo and then said, "How do you know that?"

"It's too weak to be an executive," Sun-Woo replied.

Joseph thought Sun-Woo's answer was too brief, but now was not the time to question that.

He nodded as if he was convinced. During the battle with the man at the Banquet, Joseph had the same thought as Sun-Woo. He had also thought that he was too weak for an executive.

However, at the same time, other doubts arose. The scale of black magic that had been cast was too large to attribute it to an ordinary Satanist who was not an executive.

Puff...

At that moment, the black smoke that was left behind by the demonic beasts and demons as they died, and the residual demonic energy that was flowing out of the shattered black orb began to gather in one spot.

Smoke even emerged from the mouths of the corpses on the cathedral floor. The priests who were cleaning up hastily stepped back and distanced themselves from the smoke.

The black smoke stretched out and moved somewhere. The spot where the smoke stopped was in front of Oh Hee-Jin.

He had been standing there, lost in thought and staring at something after everyone had escaped from the Banquet. He stood frozen stiff, mouth agape, as tears streamed down his face.

The black smoke continued to swirl and twist in front of Oh Hee-Jin until it eventually took on the form of a human. When the smoke disappeared, a beautiful naked woman appeared. The woman wrapped her arms around Oh Hee-Jin's neck.

—Ah, ah.

Her voice was small, but it seemed to fill the cathedral for some strange reason. Everyone in the cathedral listened to the woman's voice and had vacant expressions as if their souls had left their bodies. Men and women alike were all captivated by the woman.

—Rise, my child.

Krrk, creak—!

Along with the woman's voice, Oh Hee-Jin's body underwent a strange transformation. New flesh emerged from his body and pierced through his skin.

The newly emerged flesh was neither that of a demon nor that of a demonic beast. He was being reborn as a new type of humanoid creature.