Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Descent of the Calamity God
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The Dark Cult did not have just one Minor Lord.
Not even the High Priest knew exactly how many of them existed.
Juan knew of only one Minor Lord: Evan Helvin.
- Harvest Evan Helvin.
Obeying the Lord of the Cult's command, Juan thought.
The word "harvest" was indeed quite fitting.
A seed of evil sown hundreds of years ago.
Only the Lord of the Cult could perceive its germination, and the harvest was the High Priest's duty.
Of course, he personally found the timing for revealing his true colors to be unfortunate.
The Bednickers were one of the cult's worst enemies.
That a figure as important as a High Priest had infiltrated such enemy territory, and had not even been discovered, was highly significant.
In the great war that would one day come, he could have been the trump card that turned the tide of battle.
- That will not happen.
But the Lord of the Cult curtly refuted Juan’s prediction.
- No matter how much longer you stay with the Bednickers, they will never truly accept you.
- My Lord, what do you mean by that?
- I mean that the very position of Grand Master Teacher could have been a trap set by the Bednickers from the start.
- …
Juan could not deny it.
The Iron-Blooded Duke, as he had seen him up close, was more than capable of such a thing.
He was the only one on the continent who treated the cult not as an enemy, but as prey.
From then on, Juan cast aside his lingering attachments without hesitation and resolved to make this training retreat the stage for the birth of a Minor Lord.
And when he finally saw Evan Helvin at the retreat…
Juan felt an uncontrollable rage.
Evan Helvin's skill was abysmal.
‘Is this for real?’
Was this person truly the heir to the Lord of the Cult?
Even knowing that his outward appearance was a false persona, it was disappointing.
But what enraged Juan the most was seeing Evan’s swordsmanship.
Raven, the secret sword art of the Helvin family.
Its execution was dreadful.
It was embarrassing to even call it swordsmanship.
Although Juan recognized his true identity as a High Priest, he also held a certain fondness for his role as a martial arts teacher.
He certainly possessed pride and self-respect when it came to martial arts.
And from a martial arts teacher's perspective, Evan's martial arts was a problem that could not be overlooked.
Feeling as if his revered Minor Lord had been sullied, Juan momentarily forgot his duty as a High Priest and berated Evan.
Not that it mattered now, since he wouldn't be using such swordsmanship after his rebirth anyway.
“…”
Juan looked down at the forest.
Doctrine Teacher Junian was, as expected, tenacious.
She thoroughly demonstrated why the cult found the existence of Inquisitors so bothersome.
The rest were Seren Goodspring, who was conserving her strength with her eyes closed, and—
‘…Ruan Bednicker?’
This was unexpected.
He had predicted that if any of the Young Masters were to be the last one standing, it would be either Karon or Hector.
Of course, superior skill does not always guarantee survival.
In a situation like this, survival was half dependent on luck.
If an outstanding Young Master had joined the fray from the start, it wouldn't be incomprehensible for them to have survived this long.
In other words.
The sight of Ruan Bednicker fighting against dozens of demons was a scene that went far beyond Juan's expectations.
- I am keeping an eye on Ruan Bednicker.
- Mark my words. The Great Warrior of the Plains does not lie when evaluating a warrior.
The words of the deceased Hunting Master Teacher suddenly came to mind.
‘Was I mistaken?’
Juan had never given the Young Master named Ruan much thought.
Of course, he knew the boy wasn't the hopeless delinquent rumors made him out to be.
He knew, but the caliber of the Young Masters gathered at this training retreat was too high for him to warrant special attention.
If there were any to be wary of among the Young Masters, it was Karon and Hector, and perhaps Seren if he had to add one more.
The rest were still too immature to be considered enemies.
That thought had now changed.
Ruan Bednicker was not falling.
At some point, Ruan had begun to fight as much as, if not more than, Junian.
He had started using a sword, not just his fists, and his once-disorderly swordsmanship was gradually taking form.
And just as Ruan's demon-slaughtering form began to overlap with that of the Iron-Blooded Duke…
‘…’
Juan decided to stop being a bystander.
Those still alive.
He had thought their despair would be a great aid not only to the birth of the Minor Lord but also to the descent of the Calamity God.
That was why he had stood by, even knowing Seren was up to something.
But a mere three people—
Excluding Seren, who wasn't actively participating in combat, he was failing to decisively kill even two of them.
This was a clear anomaly, and in the ritual for the Calamity God's descent, not even the slightest error could be permitted.
Having made his decision, Juan immediately focused his assault on Ruan.
*Squish.*
He personally used his Authority to sever Ruan's right arm.
‘I intended to end his life.’
But he knew how important an arm was to a martial artist.
The precarious balance shattered, and Ruan's body was soon completely buried among the demons.
Hearing the sound of flesh being crushed, Juan turned his gaze to the next target.
Seren Goodspring.
A Blessing at the level of a mere Young Master couldn't possibly turn this situation around, but it was right to be wary of the Goodspring bloodline.
‘I must avoid using my Authority as much as possible, but…’
It would be better to be certain, even if it meant overexerting himself a little.
*Zzzzzzt….*
A dark wave of energy shot from Juan's hand and struck Seren's defenseless body directly.
*BOOM!*
Seren flew like a puppet with its strings cut, slammed into a large tree, and collapsed.
But Juan could feel that Seren was still alive.
This time, with more power—
“High Priest—!”
Juan flinched at the thunderous roar.
He turned his head, a startled look on his face.
Ruan Bednicker was glaring this way with blazing eyes.
Was his forehead split open?
His face was drenched in blood, and thick blood was still dripping from his severed arm.
But even in that state, Ruan was tearing demons apart, his gaze fixed on Juan as if nailed in place.
“Are you calculating who to eliminate first? Is the Goodspring bloodline and that dying Inquisitor your greatest threat?”
Ruan sneered and let out a roar.
“Take a good look! Who seems to be your greatest enemy on this battlefield?”
Juan felt a chill run down his spine.
‘The blood of a Bednicker.’
The Iron-Blooded Duke.
He couldn't even remember how many times he had been overwhelmed by the man's presence.
Cult members who witnessed the Iron-Blooded Duke on the battlefield were sometimes reduced to broken shells.
They could no longer be deployed in any operation related to the Bednickers.
A ruthlessness that the word "cruel" couldn't begin to describe.
A terror so profound it could dull even one's faith.
High Priest Juan knew.
Considering the original meaning of the word "hunter," the only one in the empire qualified to be called a "Demon Hunter" was the Iron-Blooded Duke.
Ruan was making an obvious provocation right now.
It was a ploy to draw his attention and save the others who were still alive.
He knew.
He knew, and yet…
‘I’ll accept.’
Juan willingly accepted the provocation.
If he failed to crush this bud here and now, Ruan Bednicker would one day become a great enemy of the cult.
*Thud.*
Juan landed on the ground.
It was one of the cult's greatest secrets, but a High Priest could not use his full power during a ritual.
At most, only about thirty percent of his full strength was permitted.
That alone was not enough.
*Zzzzzzzzt…!*
So Juan focused his Authority and created a spear that looked as if it were forged from darkness.
Perhaps because he had overexerted himself a little.
He forcefully swallowed the blood that surged up his throat for a moment.
*Crackle.* Black sparks flew from the jet-black spear, and even then, Ruan was smiling.
*Stab…!*
And then Juan saw the blade that had burst through his own chest.
The blood he had barely swallowed down surged back up with great force.
“Cough…!”
He forced his head around to look behind him.
He saw a knight wearing a blood-soaked helmet.
But the face beneath the helmet was one he had never seen before, at least not at the training retreat.
This man was…
“Luke… Bednicker…”
“…A cowardly ambush like this might tarnish a knight's honor.”
Luke said with a deadpan expression.
“But if it means I can kill a High Priest, to hell with it.”
***
I didn't realize Luke Bednicker was there from the start.
The man had hidden his presence so well that he could deceive even my senses in their heightened state; at this point, he felt more like an assassin than a knight.
[Do you need help?]
Right after my arm was cut off, I heard Luke's voice.
It couldn't be magic, so was it a Blessing?
[Don't make it obvious. Just answer with your head. Do you need help?]
“…”
[If you can hold on just a little longer, I can kill the High Priest for certain. Not now. The success rate is still only fifty percent.]
Fifty percent at best, more like.
His opponent was currently high in the night sky.
No matter how skilled one was at concealing their presence, they couldn't help but be exposed in a sky with no cover.
I shook my head.
[…I see. Don't die.]
Luke replied in a clipped tone.
I then deliberately yelled to draw our opponent's attention.
And the moment Juan’s gaze was fixed on me, the moment he finally set foot on the ground…
Luke's sword pierced the High Priest's heart.
The instant Juan's eyes widened, a black figure appeared behind Luke and struck his body with great force.
Luke instantly drew his sword and defended, but he couldn't absorb the full impact and was sent flying.
‘Is that the Demon King's divine punishment?’
I'll be honest.
At my current level, I wouldn't be able to react to that speed.
My eyes might track it, but my body wouldn't respond before being turned to pulp.
“Keuk…”
Juan clutched the wound in his heart, but it was like trying to stop a flood from a broken dam with just two hands.
“So the Demon King’s intervention only occurs the moment you perceive it.”
Luke stood up from amidst the shattered trees and dust.
A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth, but a satisfied smile graced his lips.
“If you were a true demon, blowing out your heart wouldn't be enough to kill you, but you're not, are you? If you were that corrupted, you wouldn't have even been able to set foot on Bednicker land.”
“…”
“The ritual ends here, High Priest. The Demon King's descent has failed.”
Juan, who had been standing there blankly, suddenly dropped to his knees.
A laugh escaped his lips.
Had the shock of his plan's failure driven him mad?
I hoped so, but…
Things never turned out for the best in situations like this.
*“Your humble servant offers body and soul…”*
A chill ran down my spine at the eerie language I'd never heard before.
The blood-soaked High Priest looked up at the sky and cried out.
“Oh, Ahop, Calamity God of Despair!”
Luke and I had started running the moment Juan began his chant, but damn it.
It was too far.
“Descend upon this land!”
And the world was consumed by pitch-black darkness.