Chapter 335

As people began to worry about a possible Holy War and escalation of conflict with the Voodoo Cult, the Romanican Church clergymen set up many strategies to resist the Voodoo Cult.

What they were most wary of were the Voodoo Cult's spells and the power of the Loa.

Resisting the spells to some extent through anti-Voodoo masks was possible. Another method was to borrow the power of the members of the Purification Clan. Also, although not yet proven, many believed that mental strength could overcome Voodoo spells.

The problem was the Loa’s powers. Through the power of the Loa, people would choose to commit suicide after entering the Crossroads, and at times, giant flames, living plants, and gusts of wind that ripped apart the flesh were summoned.

Unlike the vague danger of spells, the power of the Loa was a visible power and threat. And the most threatening among the powers of the Loa was undoubtedly lightning—a deadly attack that could instantly kill with just one strike. The Cult Leader could summon lightning with a single gesture.

Above all, the lightning flash and thunder that accompanied the lightning could instill fear in the Romanicans and make them lose their composure.

They had to find a method to avoid lightning summoned by the Cult Leader, and they arrived at one hypothesis—the lightning would only strike at the coordinates designated by the Cult Leader and would not pursue the target.

According to the hypothesis, there was a method to avoid the lightning summoned by the Cult Leader.

Zzzap—!!

The lightning struck above Simon's head. However, Simon moved faster than that. He focused on the Cult Leader's gaze and gestures. When the Cult Leader's gaze and gestures intersected at one point, Simon rolled away.

"..."

He just barely avoided the lightning. The problem was what came next. The Cult Leader's finger moved, once again pointing toward Simon.

Zzzap—!!

The lightning that struck again was even stronger than before. The rumbling thunder made his ears ring, and the light flashing in front of his eyes caused his vision to turn pitch black.

Simon once again narrowly avoided the lightning using the same method. However, the Cult Leader's finger moved again. The lightning did not stop. Since he was wearing an anti-Voodoo mask, Simon’s breathing was restricted. His body also felt heavy, drenched in rain. The fear of being killed instantly by a single lightning strike instilled significant psychological fatigue. With all these adversities piling up, Simon was getting exhausted. Moreover, he could not approach the Cult Leader as he was busy dodging the lightning.

At one moment, he wondered,

‘What am I doing right now?’

Simon wanted to kill the Cult Leader. That was his initial intention. However, he became engrossed in avoiding the lightning, and later, he could not think of anything else other than avoiding the lightning. He was unable to swing the sword he was holding.

"..."

As Simon stared into the Cult Leader’s eyes to avoid the lightning, Simon suddenly saw the Cult Leader’s facial expression.

The Cult Leader was smiling, clearly mocking Simon. At that moment, Simon realized that the Cult Leader was not sincerely engaging in this battle. He was just toying with Simon.

Boom!

The lightning stopped. Instead, the wind blew. Simon's body floated in the air. Because the ground was too far below him, Simon could do nothing but flail in the air like a young child unable to swim in the sea.

"Ugh, ugh!"

Simon struggled with all his might, trying to break free from the wind enveloping his body. However, all his futile struggles were in vain. The Cult Leader approached Simon.

Simon raised his head and shouted, "Han Sol!"

Simon looked at Han Sol. She was on the rooftop of a nearby building, aiming a gun at the Cult Leader. Han Sol had run away while Simon was dodging the lightning strikes, and she had climbed up the rooftop of a nearby building.

While Simon was stalling for time, she calmly waited until the Cult Leader let his guard down. Now was the perfect opportunity. She aimed her gun at his head and pulled the trigger.

Bang—!

Gunshots resounded in the sky.

"Ogun."

However, the bullet didn't even reach the Cult Leader. The bullet heading toward the Cult Leader lost its momentum halfway and dropped to the ground.

Simon's face stiffened. His body was still suspended in the air by the wind that the Cult Leader had summoned. He couldn't do anything, and neither could Han Sol. The Cult Leader embraced Jin-Seo.

Whoosh!

With the help of the wind, the Cult Leader rose up, and Simon's body crashed to the ground. The Cult Leader carried Jin-Seo and flew away into the sky. Simon had no strength to pursue him. Guns were useless, and his sharp blade hadn’t even reached the Cult Leader. Jin-Seo, the person he had so admired, was also defeated by the Cult Leader.

Simon slumped down and drowned in helplessness and despair. It was only for a moment, but he felt disgustingly repulsed by himself for being so terrified in the face of the Cult Leader’s overwhelming power.

***

Soo-Yeong watched everything from beginning to end—the crude brawl between Joseph and Han Dae-Ho, and the Romanican Church paladins falling to her spell.

It was also the first time she had used a spell against a person. Until now, she had only used spells when learning magic from Sun-Woo or alone during training sessions. Now, the results of those training sessions were unfolding before her eyes.

The people were unable to resist the Voodoo mist and fell lifelessly on the floor. Only Joseph and Han Dae-Ho were left standing. Their eyes were rolled back and their legs were trembling, but they were still reaching out to each other with fists.

"..."

Soo-Yeong could not understand why they were fighting so fiercely. Truthfully, Soo-Yeong wasn’t quite sure why she was fighting either.

At that moment, the tightly closed doors of the cathedral opened.

Thud!

"All members of the Central Priesthood, prepare the blessing array!"

Ha-Yeon and many priests of the Central Priesthood appeared beyond the door. They collectively unleashed divine power and drew blessing and healing arrays.

In a matter of seconds, they completely an incredibly massive blessing array. From the center, Ha-Yeon drew out a dagger and traced her palm.

Swish!

Blood splattered over the blessing array. Ha-Yeon had cast the blessing of purification. A particularly bright and clear light began to spread throughout the cathedral. The paladins who had lost consciousness from the Voodoo spell opened their eyes. They were initially dazed, but the paladins' eyes gradually regained focus.

Soo-Yeong felt a chill run down her back because everything had been within Sun-Woo's predictions.

Bang!

Soo-Yeong fired a flashbang into the sky, creating a gunshot sound. The priests felt threatened, which distorted the blessing array that was waking up the paladins.

"Aaah!"

"It-it's the Voodoo Cult! The Voodoo Cult is still here!"

The priests screamed in terror and fled in a chaotic manner. Soo-Hyun and Yuk Eun-Hyung's mercenary corps attacked the Central Priesthood that had appeared with Ha-Yeon. They surrounded Ha-Yeon and the Central Priesthood.

They used Voodoo spells. Those who did not wear the anti-Voodoo masks lost consciousness on the spot. Some people who wore anti-Voodoo masks did not lose consciousness. However, it didn't matter.

Soo-Hyun and Yuk Eun-Hyung captured them forcefully. Ha-Yeon and the priests, whose hands and feet were tied with cables and ropes, were dragged away without any resistance in the face of the overwhelming power of Soo-Hyun and Yuk Eun-Hyung's mercenary corps.

"..."

Soo-Yeong watched them depart, then escaped out of the cathedral through the window. Sun-Woo was waiting outside.

He was riding the wind with a woman in his arms. She seemed to be the same woman he had spoken to before the battle. He gestured toward Soo-Yeong.

Whoosh!

Soo-Yeong's body lifted into the air with the help of the wind. That way, the two of them were completely separated from the cathedral, or more precisely, the Festival of Light.

The priests of the Central Priesthood, Soo-Hyun, who had kidnapped Ha-Yeon, and Yuk Eun-Hyung’s mercenary corps quickly moved away from the cathedral.

Sun-Woo rode the wind to a tall building near the cathedral and settled on the rooftop. He gently placed the woman he was holding on the ground for a moment and raised his staff.

"Sobo," Sun-Woo muttered as he pointed toward the cathedral.

He pointed at the cathedral with his staff, not his finger. The already loud thunder grew even louder. Flashes of lightning burst through the dark clouds, and the scattered flashes soon converged into one point. As they merged, the lightning gradually grew larger.

Booooom—!

With a deafening roar, a massive lightning bolt eventually turned into a single beam and struck the cathedral. A lightning bolt that could aptly be described as divine retribution hit the cathedral, taking out all the electricity in nearby buildings.

Crumble...

And then the cathedral began to crumble. Soo-Yeong looked at Sun-Woo. He was as expressionless as usual.

***

Dae-Man opened his eyes. His memory had been cut off at some point. He had run forward to help Han Dae-Ho while he was fighting Joseph. However, a strike so swift that it was practically been invisible had hit him and shattered his anti-Voodoo mask.

Voodoo mist had spread, and Dae-Man had inhaled the mist. He had no memory of what happened after that, as he had probably lost consciousness. Dae-Man suddenly got up from his seat and looked around. The cathedral had collapsed.

The ceiling seemed to have fallen down completely. The paladins of the Eastern Paladin Order, in other words, Dae-Man's comrades, were trapped under the collapsed debris. Some had already died, and some were still groaning, not yet dead.

The memories came flooding back. His heart pounded. He searched for Han Dae-Ho, as he firmly believed that Han Dae-Ho would still be alive. Dae-Man quickly found Han Dae-Ho.

"Director Han Dae-Ho."

Dae-Man called out to Han Dae-Ho, but he did not respond. Han Dae-Ho's massive body was pinned under an even larger pillar.

Dae-Man was no longer weak. He was not the young Dae-Man helplessly crying in a collapsed building. He now had the strength to lift the debris of collapsed buildings. He had the strength to rescue children and colleagues trapped in the collapsed building. He had worked so hard to exercise and train his body in order to have the power to save people.

Dae-Man used a blessing. He lifted the pillar that pinned down Han Dae-Ho.

"Director Han Dae-Ho," Dae-Man said.

Han Dae-Ho did not respond. His body, crushed under the pillar, was flattened. His eyes, once full of vigor, now had no focus.

Dae-Man remembered the brave and Han Dae-Ho’s strong figure when he rescued Dae-Man from the collapsed building. Dae-Man became a paladin after seeing that image of Han Dae-Ho. He wanted to become as strong as Han Dae-Ho and rescue many people like him. It was a simple yet firm belief.

"It’s me, Dae-Man. Director Han Dae-Ho, please wake up. Director Han Dae-Ho..."

Han Dae-Ho did not respond because he was dead. Dae-Man cried on his knees in front of the collapsed building and his deceased teacher.