Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Burning Monastery
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'Why did it turn out like this?'
Seeing the flames from the dormitory spread to the monastery in an instant, Yoll panicked.
He had thought the fierce sandstorm would fan the flames rather than hinder them. But burning wooden planks were carried by the wind and fell onto the main building, igniting its wooden doors and windows. Since they were oiled wood, the fire spread in a flash.
The monks in the main building, startled by the blaze, rushed outside. They ran around in panic, trying to put out the fire.
Abbot Manoli was also in a frenzy, barking useless orders for firefighting.
"Put it out over here first! No, go fetch water! You, go that way; you, this way! Hurry up, move faster!"
Yoll had already given up on the monastery and ignored Manoli's commands.
He looked up at the annex roof.
'It's not the wind. It's not bad luck either. There's something on the roof.'
Upon closer inspection, a red-headed kid was tearing off parts of the roof and cleverly directing the flames. Occasionally, the kid would hurl a plank, which the wind carried through the air to land on the main building.
The kid was engulfed in flames bigger than itself yet didn't flinch—in fact, it was laughing gleefully, its red hair whipping like fire in the blaze.
'It was that thing's doing. I should have known...'
Yoll shouted at it.
"You there! Ruby! Get down here."
The other monks were busy fighting the fire, and the wind was still strong, so they couldn't hear Yoll's voice. But the kid, much farther away, understood and leaped down from the roof.
Abbot Manoli, standing beside Yoll, saw Ruby jump and hurriedly backed away.
"Ugh, w-what in the world is this?"
From the abbot's perspective, Ruby must have looked like it dropped straight from the sky. Yoll approached it.
"Who are you?"
Yoll glared with bloodshot eyes as he demanded.
Ruby placed its hands on its hips and cackled wickedly.
"I'm Ruby, you flower-picking double-cotton bastard. Can't even remember my name..."
Before Ruby could finish answering, Yoll drew a dagger from his robes and stabbed at its chest.
Yoll had killed over thirty people with this simple motion alone. Even the greatest swordsman would be helpless against a thrust with no wind-up. He was accustomed to using his blade without the opponent reading his intent.
He also hid the dagger in his sleeve so it looked like he had no weapon. Even if the foe spotted the ambush, they'd block the sleeve, not the blade.
It had never failed once, yet he always prepared with layers of redundancy. But all his predictions and precautions crumbled effortlessly.
Ruby not only saw through the hidden blade but grabbed Yoll's wrist, twisted it aside, and flipped him over.
Yoll rolled on the ground and sprang up immediately. In that instant, the dagger was in Ruby's hand.
Like he was possessed, Yoll stared alternately at his own hand and Ruby's.
"I even considered letting you stab me once."
Ruby said as it tossed Yoll's dagger into the air. It spun wildly in the air before landing perfectly back in its hand.
"This little knife couldn't even scratch me. But my reflexes are so good, I counterattacked without thinking."
Ruby cackled again.
Abbot Manoli pointed at Ruby with a trembling finger and asked,
"You... you're... fr-from which hell did you cr-crawl, d-demon?"
"You're the one locking people up and trying to burn them alive, and now you're calling me a demon?"
Ruby shot back.
Gathering courage, the abbot yelled,
"You're the one who spread the fire, you monster!"
"I don't really feel like making excuses, but to state the facts as they are: the fire spread on its own, Abbot Manoli. I was just tearing off the collapsing ceiling to protect the two trapped in the dormitory. Honestly, I did worry it might fly toward the main building, but those two are more precious to me than your twenty lives."
"In the name of your angel, I curse you, demon."
"You're picking flowers! Fine, then I'll report this to the Rom Priesthood, the Rapal Priesthood, Cardinal Pietro, and Bishop Davit. When the investigation team arrives and asks about the cause of this fire, have your excuses ready."
The abbot froze in place, struck harder than by any insult.
'That thing overheard us. It knows Manoli's weakness exactly.'
Yoll hurriedly shouted at the abbot.
"Don't listen, Abbot. It's a demon that confuses the heart."
But Yoll's advice did little good.
The abbot retreated with eyes full of resentment and regret.
"What I accomplished... everything here..."
Yoll ignored the old man, grabbed a large scythe propped against the dormitory wall, and swung it at Ruby's neck. But Ruby stood still and took the blow on its neck.
For some reason, a metallic clang rang out on impact, and the scythe shattered. Yoll was flung back instead.
"You swung a scythe at a person's neck without a hint of hesitation? Are you really a monk?"
Ruby touched its nape where the scythe had struck. A shackle that hadn't been visible before appeared there.
"This thing knows magic."
Yoll said.
Ruby fiddled with the shackle and replied,
"This hardly counts as magic."
As it spoke, the shackle vanished again.
"More importantly, about this knife."
Ruby sniffed Yoll's confiscated dagger and continued.
"It reeks of blood. How many people have you killed?"
"None of your business."
"Fair enough. Compared to the demons I've killed, it's nothing."
Ruby crushed Yoll's dagger in its fist. Blade shards clattered to the ground.
Seeing this, Manoli turned and fled without looking back.
"Uwaaak!"
Ruby watched the old man waddle away and laughed loudly.
"Hurry and write a good report to show the investigation team, Brother Manoli!"
'The time has finally come.'
Yoll thought to himself, but the words slipped out.
"The time has come."
"What time?"
Ruby asked.
Yoll, since he'd spoken, continued.
"The one who granted me this power said so. He'd give me great power, and when the time came, use it without hesitation. Now is that time."
"Oh ho. I'm curious who gave you that power."
Yoll raised both hands to the sky.
"You'll meet Him soon too. In hell after death."
A white flame, visible only to Yoll's eyes, fell onto his hands.
Ruby looked up at the sky Yoll was staring at and said,
"There's nothing there. What are you looking at?"
At that moment, Yoll punched Ruby in the face. Ruby flew back over ten steps, crashing through the wall of the warehouse on the left side of the annex and landing inside.
Bluish smoke rose from Yoll's fist, trailing up his forearm to his shoulder.
"Today, the gates of hell shall open."
Yoll bellowed.
Amid the chaos of wind and fire, the monks who heard him stopped what they were doing and turned. They were so shocked they dropped their water buckets.
'They've seen my true form. Yes, I knew it would change. But why are they so surprised? How did it change?'
Ruby rose from the rubble in the shattered warehouse. Its red hair whipped to one side in the wind, stone dust and sand vanishing with it. It rubbed its nape lightly, showing no real pain.
'Even a decent demon would have lost its head... As expected, killing it with a punch won't work.'
Yoll raised his right hand, blazing with blue flames. Piercing the sandstorm, a spear of light descended from the sky. To him, it was a truly beautiful sight.
Yoll grasped the spear from the heavens. It was twice his height but weighed almost nothing. Holding it made him feel like he possessed all the power in the world.
Yoll hurled the spear at Ruby. After it flew, a ground-shaking impact echoed, parting the sandstorm in a circle for a moment.
Ruby twisted its body slightly to dodge, and the spear shot into the night sky.
"That's a pretty good weapon. Is it okay to just throw it like that?"
Ruby asked energetically.
Yoll caught his breath briefly, then reached for the sky again. Another angel's spear appeared in his hand.
"Huh? Another one?"
Ruby said with a disappointed look.
"Try blocking this one barehanded."
Yoll taunted.
"That might actually hurt if it hits."
Ruby chuckled and spread its hands. Shackles that hadn't been visible before appeared, with chains extending long.
'So that's what was making that sound. It was hiding those.'
Yoll charged at Ruby and swung the spear. The kid dodged like a flea, hopping about, and Yoll pursued at the same speed, swinging relentlessly.
The monastery walls crumbled, the ground split, and fences shattered under his spear swings. He threw the spear once more in a surprise move. It pierced the wind, embedded in a wall, and exploded. But it missed Ruby again.
Yoll reached to the sky and drew another spear. He felt he could summon a hundred more, and swing them for a century without tiring.
Ruby leaped onto the roof of the burning monastery wall.
Normally, Yoll wouldn't see that far, but with his power unleashed, everything was clear.
Ruby crouched on the roof like a quadruped, hands and feet planted, looking down at him.
"Do you realize you've hurt your own comrades now?"
Yoll looked up at Ruby, prepared to throw, but glanced around at its words. Several monks caught in the fight had legs and arms severed.
"Once they've seen this form, they're not worth sparing anyway."
"Is that your true self?"
"Not yet. I hold back greater power because even I don't know how vast it might grow."
"That's not what I asked. Simply put: you're a demon, right? Hiding in a monastery pretending to be a monk?"
"Indeed. I am the Dark Lord destined to rule this Red Desert, vanguard of the hell legions."
"Haha, yeah, yeah, sure."
Ruby's eyes glowed red as it continued.
"So I can kill you then?"
"You bastard!"
Yoll roared and threw the spear. It streaked like lightning, ripping through the air with a deafening boom.
For a split second, it looked like Ruby couldn't dodge, but no—it caught the spear barehanded. The impact shattered part of the roof, yet Ruby stood unfazed.
"In situations like this, I always wanted to say one thing."
Ruby adjusted its grip on Yoll's spear lightly and continued.
"Feel the wrath of the angel!"
Ruby threw the spear faster than Yoll had. It pierced Yoll's shoulder in an instant, slammed into the ground, and exploded.
Yoll was hurled far by the spear's impact and the blast.
He lay on the ground, gazing at the sand-obscured night sky. Breathing only filled his lungs with grit. Vomiting blood coated his face.
'Wait, did that thing just call itself an angel? No way!'
Suddenly, all of Yoll's lingering doubts cleared.
Father Danel's secret, Lorenzo's worries, the countless plans that veered from his calculations...
When he first received this power, Yoll thought it excessive—like a general given a million-strong army to govern a village.
Suppressing the explosive force in his chest was sometimes a hassle. Letting loose in central Rom would be like a great demon suddenly descending upon it.
'Danel, was that thing the gift you meant for Jade? Lorenzo, did you know about something like that? Did "Him" grant me this power knowing I'd face such a foe?'
As Yoll staggered to rise, a whispering voice echoed from somewhere. He turned left, and it came from the right; turned right, and it came from the left.
Alternating directions to find the source, he realized the voice was inside his head.
'Open the hellgate. That's the only way.'
Yoll responded to the other Yoll within him.
'No. I haven't been permitted yet.'
'You're going to die here meekly without permission? That kid will kill you. If it's an angel, your current power is worthless.'
'That's true, but I'm not ready yet...'
'You said the time had come. It has. Open the hellgate.'
'I might not be able to handle it.'
'And if you can't? Afraid of dying? Then die. You'll die anyway at this rate.'
Ruby had already descended from the roof and stood before him. Against the backdrop of the monastery fire, with red hair whipping in the wind, it looked like an incarnation of flame.
"Where do I have to smash you to kill you, demon? Neck? Gut?"
Ruby asked, twirling its chain. The chain grew longer with each spin.
'I need time. Time to gain my true power.'
Yoll raised both hands to the sky. At the same time, Ruby swung the chain.
Yoll blocked the incoming chain hastily, but its force tore his forearm like a blade had severed it. If he hadn't blocked, his head would have flown.
Yoll ignored his bleeding arm and raised his remaining hand.
Nine spears blazing with blue flames formed in the sky.
"Think more spears will hit me?"
Ruby said.
"Do these look like weapons meant to hit you?"
Yoll lowered his raised hand. The nine spears fell toward the annex.
"That!"
Ruby rushed toward the annex, swinging its chain. The falling spears shattered against it. But a few pierced the annex and exploded. Explosions potent enough to kill Jade and Saf if they were lucky.
Of course, it wouldn't kill Ruby, so Yoll used the opening to flee.
'Run.'
Two thick, curling horns like a ram's sprouted from Yoll's head.
'...To where the hellgate is.'
His toes vanished, replaced by hooves.
'...And open the hellgate.'
Long claws like a beast's grew on his hands.
Yoll smashed through the monastery fence with his shoulder. Each step dug into the ground, leaving goat-like hoofprints.
'When the hellgate opens, the power He granted me will grow even greater.'
Yoll ran toward the black rocky mountain.
'...And today, the Red Desert shall become the gateway to hell.'