Chapter 51
Chapter 51
Episode 51.
The Elohimderk had been nothing more than an artifact useful only for exploring Arhan's ruins.
At least, that was what Aiden had believed—but he'd been mistaken.
He couldn't help but feel frustrated. He'd left it behind in the north.
In one route of the original story, he'd heard that Kadak's legacy had played a significant role in the conquest of the Grand Duchy.
Now it seemed the Church had used the Elohimderk—stolen from the Saint—to enter Kadak's secret chamber.
As Aiden let out a deep sigh, Siron approached and asked,
"Something didn't go as planned, I see. Should we look around a bit more?"
It was pointless. Without the key, no one could unlock Kadak's seal.
To come all this way only to turn back for such a ridiculous reason—Aiden swallowed his frustration.
Just as he was about to shake his head, something shattered the window and flew inside.
The Holy Guards immediately reacted, assuming combat stances, but it wasn't an enemy.
It was a blue gemstone—the Elohimderk, floating gently in the air before circling Aiden. A disbelieving laugh escaped him, caught between shock and relief.
This stroke of luck was completely unexpected. He hadn't even known it had this function.
Aiden slowly traced his fingers through the air. To the Holy Guards, it looked as though he were reading invisible text.
The words "Permanently Bound" were inscribed at the bottom—a detail that hadn't been there before.
It wasn't certain, but it seemed this trait had been added after unlocking Arhan's palace.
Whatever the case, he felt like kissing the pendant. He restrained himself.
As Aiden carefully grasped the key, Jude gave him a puzzled look.
"Was that what you needed?"
When Aiden nodded, Jude clicked his tongue and laughed.
"Truly, the gods must always be watching over you. Hah."
There was no need to correct him. Let him interpret it however he wanted.
Aiden gestured for the Holy Guards to gather closer. Setting aside his joy, he spoke calmly—they needed to stay alert.
"I don't know exactly what's about to happen. If things go as expected, we'll enter Kadak's secret chamber. But they might not. Either way, stay sharp."
The Grand Magus had been an eccentric among eccentrics. There was no telling what strange tricks he might have left behind.
The Holy Guards nodded.
Aiden inserted the Elohimderk into the indentation on the study's wall.
A blue radiance spilled forth, enveloping them all. An irresistible force seized them, and the surroundings slowly faded.
He was certain this wasn't the secret chamber. A splitting headache jolted him awake, piece by piece.
His vision blurred, spinning violently as dizziness assaulted his mind.
Aiden shut one eye, narrowing his brows to force his focus back.
Slowly, his surroundings came into view.
A long corridor with blackened walls and ceiling—this was where he had awakened.
He slapped his own cheek hard, snapping fully alert. Immediately, he scanned the area.
The Holy Guards, like him, were sprawled on the ground, groaning from vertigo.
"Snap out of it."
Keeping his guard up, Aiden pulled them to their feet.
Siron groaned as she spoke.
"......Where... is this?"
Aiden didn't know either, but one thing was certain—they had been transported somewhere entirely different.
"This isn't Kadak's mansion."
The headache and muscle spasms were backlash from translocation magic.
High-tier sorcery. At this point in time, no one but Kadak could wield it.
If Kadak had designated this place as a translocation point, there had to be a reason.
Of course, Aiden didn't fully understand Kadak's character, so he couldn't fathom his intentions.
But one thing was certain—this place had played a major role in the conquest of the Grand Duchy.
They needed to investigate.
As the Holy Guards regained their senses, they began surveying their surroundings.
Jude muttered under his breath.
"Not exactly a welcoming place."
The blackened space reeked of demons, and the mana density in the air was thick enough to choke on.
The purple light illuminating the corridor only deepened the eerie atmosphere.
Aiden turned to the Holy Guards.
"First, let's figure out where we are."
Unlike before, this wasn't a place where they could rely on prior knowledge.
Siron, who had been running her hands along the wall, answered.
"This sort of thing is more our expertise. I've already found one clue."
She showed Aiden the residue on her fingers.
"Mana crystals. High-grade ones, at that. The entire wall is made of them. Only one organization could supply this much. This must be a facility connected to the Demon God Cult."
The highest-quality mana crystals could only be mined in the Demon Realm.
Aside from a select few in the Demon God Cult, no human could freely traverse the Demon Realm.
Aiden agreed with Siron's assessment.
"First, let's get out of this corridor."
A straight, wide passage. If someone came walking down it, they'd be in trouble.
No sooner had he spoken than footsteps echoed—Aiden, with his keen hearing, was the only one who noticed.
He signaled for the Holy Guards to stay silent, then pointed upward with his index finger.
They nodded in understanding.
They scaled the wall swiftly, hiding in the gap between the ceiling and the pipes. Something slimy slithered past inside the ducts.
The voices grew loud enough for the Holy Guards to hear, and soon, their owners came into view.
"This batch is completely useless. This one barely lasted a month."
"The specimens aren't great, but the real problem is the facility director. He pushes the schedule too hard—no wonder they can't hold up."
"Still, the results speak for themselves, don't they? Better to have one success like Subject 32 than a bunch of worthless failures."
"The issue is that after over a year, Subject 32 is still the only one. And it's barely controllable."
Two men in black priest robes pushed a large cart draped in white cloth toward them.
The attire of Demon God Cultists. And emblazoned on their hoods was the Grand Duchy's symbol—the horns of an ox.
Watching them approach, Aiden considered their options.
Judging from their conversation, this was some kind of experimental facility, likely located within the Grand Duchy.
Only cultists could freely move around here. Walking around in normal attire would be too risky.
If they could make skin masks, that would be ideal—but the situation didn't allow for it. They'd have to work with what they had, and that carried too much risk.
Aiden glanced at Siron, who nodded in understanding.
Just as the cultists drew near, the two lunged.
Each took one, snapping their necks—no death cries escaped them.
Aiden pulled back the white cloth covering the cart.
A single corpse lay inside.
Half its face had grotesquely shriveled, and its lower body was covered in black fur.
A half-demon.
Siron frowned.
"What in the world...?"
Aiden could roughly piece it together.
An experimental facility researching artificial half-demons—something the original story hadn't explored in detail. He didn't know the specifics, but its purpose was clear.
Jude and Gott descended to examine the corpse.
Their expressions twisted.
At this point, the Church's intelligence network didn't reach deep into the Demon God Cult's inner workings. Even the Holy Guards were unaware such experiments were being conducted.
Aiden pointed at the stunned Siron and Gott.
"Get in."
Only two of them could disguise themselves—the others had to hide in the cart.
Since they also needed to transport the cultists' bodies, the smaller Gott and Siron were better suited than the bulkier Aiden and Jude.
Though reluctant, the two climbed in without complaint.
Aiden folded the cultists' bodies and stuffed them into the remaining space.
He covered everything with the white cloth and changed into the priest robes.
For Aiden, it was better to move in the direction the cultists had been heading rather than the way they'd come.
Their comrades might question why they were returning, and the difference in physique and voice would be suspicious.
Jude and Aiden pulled up their hoods and pushed the cart forward. Just as they were nearing the end of the corridor, commotion erupted inside.
"His Excellency has been assassinated—!"
Alarm artifacts embedded in the walls blared as panicked voices followed.
"Hurry, open the gates!"
"What about Subject 32?"
"Still restrained!"
Nearly two hours had passed since the Duke's assassination—they were only now receiving the news.
Jude murmured,
"We must be in an isolated facility on the outskirts."
Aiden nodded, cracking open the door at the corridor's end.
Noise flooded in.
The screech of wheels, urgent voices, beast-like roars, the sound of running footsteps.
Through the gap, he glimpsed a massive oval hall resembling a coliseum.
The ceiling was just barely visible, and a spiral ramp winding around each tier was swarming with cultists.
They looked frantic.
A deafening roar echoed through the space.
Jude, listening intently, turned to Aiden.
"They're preparing to move out. If we wait a little longer, the place will empty. That's our best chance."
Things were falling into place. With the culprit right in front of them, the cultists would be searching in all the wrong places.
Aiden nodded and closed the door.
Just as they waited for the commotion to die down, a heavy metallic pounding shook the ground.
Cultists screamed as if being torn apart.
Something felt off—Aiden pressed his ear to the door.
Amidst the beast's roar, something crashed into the metal door with enough force to dent it inward. BANG! The impact warped the steel.
Aiden immediately stepped back.
He couldn't tell what had hit it, but the protruding shape was far larger than a human skull.
Jude gripped his scripture, ready.
Aiden thought it better to retreat and hide.
Just as he was about to speak, an overwhelming presence rapidly approached.
There was no time to react.
A moment later, a shriek-like roar erupted as the door crumpled with a deafening crash. It tore apart like paper, and a massive hand burst through the gap.
It clawed at the air as if searching for something—then ripped the entire door away. KWAANG! A face the size of a human torso emerged.
Wild black hair whipped around as baleful eyes locked onto the Holy Guards.
The giant's soul, drawn to the strong, thirsted madly for battle with Aiden.
The Slayer of Evil trembled. A half-demon, it seemed. Aiden's blood boiled.
But one misstep here, and everything could fall apart.
The cultists stretched their palms forward and began chanting incantations.
They were likely trying to control the half-demon—Aiden had no choice but to trust them.
To avoid suspicion, Aiden mimicked their actions, murmuring meaningless spells.
The giant slowly approached Aiden, leaning its face in.
Soon, it was right in front of him, exhaling hot breath—taunting him.