Chapter 508: The Statue
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 508: The Statue
The atmosphere of the entire Temple City seemed to shift. The pious prayers from moments before felt like a lie. The moment Baek Ahyeon’s cry echoed—no, to be precise, the moment the city’s symbol shattered—the mood completely inverted.
Fury now blazed in the eyes of the once-quiet and blissful believers. There was no need to strain one's ears; the wails of the faithful erupted from every direction.
“Aghhhhh…”
“O, Savior…”
“Please forgive us…”
From the believers who stared blankly at the statue with tears streaming down their faces,
“Kill them! Seize those bastards right now! Drag them here and kill them!”
“Gouge out their filthy eyes! Now!”
“Tear off their wings! The bull! The bull!”
to the believers who drew their weapons and charged toward the self-proclaimed apostles of the Savior.
In an instant, the entire Temple City was engulfed in madness. The resident elves and even the lay members who had been quietly going about their duties all poured into the streets, and suddenly the Temple City felt completely packed.
‘Were there always this many?’
It was no wonder she thought so. The number of believers pouring out of every building was impossible to gauge by eye.
The sight of the city, now swarming with believers running amok, was like something out of a movie.
“…”
“Kill them!!!”
“Judgment upon the wicked who toppled our Savior's statue! Judgment!!!”
“Kill them!!!! The divine mace upon these false heretics!!”
Even for Choi Seulgi, it was disconcerting to watch as the frenzied voices of an uncountable number of people merged into one. The crowd was so dense that people began to trip and fall over one another. Injuries seemed inevitable, but a vast wave of holy power washed over them, refusing to let the sacred army come to harm. Even as they fell, were trampled, and suffered broken bones—some looking as if they would be crushed to death—the temple’s followers surged on, endlessly, relentlessly, toward their target.
Every single believer could wield holy power. They seemed to pay no mind to broken bones or injuries. No, the look on their faces, one that defied even death, was downright terrifying. The entire population of the Temple City was charging toward eight people. Just eight.
“Aaaaaaaah!!!!”
“…!!!”
“…”
Watching Baek Ahyeon, who was still trembling with rage and flooding the entire city with holy power, Choi Seulgi couldn't help but wonder whether she should move or not.
“Seulgi, you stay put and watch. You have to think about the baby. I’d rather… tell you not to look, but…”
“Ah! Yes… Eunju. I’ll stay inside.”
“And it seems I’ll have to report this matter.”
As Choi Eunju finished muttering, Baek Ahyeon grabbed her sleeve.
“N-No! Choi Eunju. You can’t. I-I can’t let the Savior see this. At least! At least wait until after I’ve punished those wicked villains… after that!”
From Ahyeon’s perspective, there was no way she would want him to see this. Her great symbol had been shattered, and the entire city had been utterly humiliated by a group of unknown charlatans. If he found out, she wouldn’t be able to face him. Even Seulgi herself wouldn’t have wanted to tell Kim Taesung. That said, she could understand Eunju’s position. Most of the people in the Temple City were priests; though they had the numerical advantage, she was surely worried about whether they could win without casualties.
“Alright. But if I think this is dragging on, I’ll summon him immediately…”
“It won’t drag on, Choi Eunju. That’s right. It won’t. It can’t possibly take this long to clean up this trash. I’ll make them regret coming here… no, I’ll make them regret being alive. Hehehehet…”
“Huu… Seulgi, don’t even think about getting involved.”
“Yes, I understand, Eunju.”
If Choi Eunju joined in, catching them wouldn’t be impossible. But the scene outside the window soon made her realize she had greatly underestimated the power of the Temple City. A divine power, far stronger than she had expected, radiated from the crowd—and not just from Baek Ahyeon or Saintess Jane. She had known the Inquisitors were strong, but it wasn't just them; countless others were also emitting immense holy power. It was a sight that would make even the most renowned priests on the continent gasp in disbelief.
“Judgment! They are trash unworthy of purification! Judgment! Judgment!”
“Judgment!!!”
Choi Eunju and Baek Ahyeon vanished from her sight, only to reappear outside moments later. There were eight invaders. Since they had wings, it seemed Choi Eunju's first move was to erect a barrier around the Temple City. Soon, a translucent sphere enveloped the city. It was Choi Eunju’s work.
She still didn't know what kind of power the enemies possessed. But judging by the force that had shattered the solid statue, she assessed that they were quite powerful. Given time, the translucent barrier might not last long.
However…
“They’re running.”
She would have made the same choice. The city's atmosphere was just that surreal. Was this the look people got when they saw something incomprehensible? The face of the angel rising into the air was undeniably etched with fear.
It wasn't their individual strength or the overwhelming divine power that caused such an expression. It was the raw killing intent radiating from tens of thousands of people, an emotion so palpable it was taking physical form. The atmosphere of madness and fervor shook the very foundations of the city; it was no wonder the invaders were panicking.
“For the Savior!!!”
“D-Damn it!!”
The sight of a believer leaping from a rooftop was a spectacle in itself.
It was an act with no regard for the fall.
“Whoa…”
Dozens, no, hundreds of people were jumping from the rooftops. They were trying to catch the angels ascending into the sky. Most of them crashed into the ground with no success, but before they could die from the impact, holy power would pour into them. It wasn't from Baek Ahyeon. It was from all the other believers around them, channeling their energy.
“For the Savior! Drag that vile liar down from the sky right now! Now!”
“For the Savior!”
“Kill them!”
Most fell to the ground, but a few managed to cling to the feet and clothes of the angels flapping their wings in the air.
“L-Let go! You crazy bastards! Let go!”
Bewilderment crept onto the face of the angel who had seemed unflappable. Despite the weight, the angel still had the strength to ascend, trying to shake off the believers and fly out of their reach. But dislodging the clinging fanatics wouldn't be easy.
“Incredible…”
The image of them forming a human chain to drag the angel from the sky was somehow even majestic. Though the angel's spear sent limbs flying, the believers paid it no mind, stabbing at its body with small daggers.
“Die! Die! Die! Die! Hehehehehet! For the Savior!”
“Let… go! You primitive hu…mans! How dare you! Aaaaaaaargh!!”
The winged being began to descend slowly toward the ground, unable to handle the strength of the crowd pulling it down. The number of believers who had jumped from buildings and clung to its wings was already five or six. It wasn't a great success considering hundreds had jumped, but it was enough. The sight was incredible: believers pulling on other believers, pouring holy power into them, all to resist the angel's might.
“How dare you! How dare you! Aaaaaaaargh!”
It was slowly being buried under the tide of believers. Hundreds of them ran about, their eyes wild with madness. Those already clinging to it formed a human ladder, creating a path for others to reach the angel in the air.
“Ah…”
They scrambled up, biting at the wings, pulling at the feet, and plunging blades into its white skin.
“Aaaaaaaargh!!! P-Please!!! Aaaaaaaargh!”
“Die! You filthy heretic! Die!!!!”
“Glorious blood! It's a holy war! A holy war!”
Watching the first one fall, Choi Seulgi unconsciously muttered.
“Fuck…”
The problem was that the scene was repeating itself elsewhere. One angel was swarmed before it could even take flight, while another, unable to withstand the spears thrust from all sides, was left dangling in the air.
Even though a spear had pierced its body and was sticking out of its mouth, the creature was still breathing.
“Ah… ugh… eh… aaaaaah…”
They were deliberately keeping it alive.
Those without weapons were literally scraping off the tender flesh with their fingernails and teeth, while Inquisitors in grotesque masks swung their maces to punish the wicked who destroyed the statue.
The screams mixed with the cheers, but the angels' voices pierced through even louder.
It was over before they could even do anything. The angels should have had the upper hand in terms of power, yet they were being sucked into the crowd. The fear that any living being would naturally feel was clouding their judgment.
Instead of swinging their swords or launching attacks, they chose to back away, but they were already surrounded. Their fragile wings were torn apart, their skin peeled off by fingernails and teeth.
“Aghaaaaaaah….”
Stab! Rip! Plunge! Crack! Crunch!
It was a simple release of fury. Tens of thousands of hands reached into the air. The angel's face was a mask of bewilderment as its body was dragged about, completely out of its control. The skin of its beautiful face was peeled away, and its blood fell to the ground, but no one flinched.
On the contrary, they relentlessly carved away at the angel's body, as if seeking absolution for their sins.
“Ah… uh…”
“Aaaaaaaargh! Save me! Please!!! Please!!!”
“With those filthy hands and mouths, how dare you! How dare you!!!”
“We will never forgive you bastards! The ritual of purification is not needed!”
“The bull! Bring the bull!”
“Let go! Let gooooooargh!!!!! We are the Savior's apostles! The Savior's apostles… Eeiaaaaaargh!”
The sight was grotesque: they ripped out the tongue of the angel who had dared call itself an apostle of the Savior with their bare hands.
“That one…”
She remembered it was Lee Wanyong's wife, the Inquisitor Park Jihye.
She was crushing its lower jaw with a mace and reaching into its mouth to tear out the tongue herself. Other believers continuously thrust their daggers toward its wings. The white wings instantly turned red.
“W-What…”
It was like watching piranhas. The wings of the angels being dragged toward Baek Ahyeon could no longer be called wings. Soon, only bones remained. The sight of flesh dangling from them, chunks that could hardly be called organs, was like looking at the undead.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!! Please! Pleeeease! Lord Michael! Lord Michael!!!”
“Uweeeeeegh… Agh-uh-uh-uh-eh…”
“R-Run… Aaaaaah, where to! Where…”
All that was left was Eunju floating in the air and the angel with the strongest divine power. Of course, it wasn't long before the remaining angel's wings were twisted and it too plummeted to the ground.
Tens of thousands of believers once again moved toward the falling prey.
The most absurd part was how little time had passed from start to finish. Choi Seulgi turned her head away without realizing it.
It was a moment that made her once again question whether it was right to raise her child here.