Chapter 219: Nephilim Shrine (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 219: Nephilim Shrine (2)
For a moment, I doubted my ears.
The name introduced by that white-robed entity. I was not the only one shocked to hear it.
“K-K-Kuarne...!”
Edward, coming to his senses late, turned deathly pale. Hon, who had been standing dazed, felt her brows twitch in shock.
Even as we froze, the white entity stepped lightly down the stairs.
The 2nd Corps Commander, Kuarne. A chieftain of the Demon King’s Army and the absolute ruler of the Demon Realm Gehenna. That being had just introduced himself as humanity's great evil.
My thoughts tangled into a chaotic mess. The 2nd Corps Commander, Kuarne? Really? If it's true, why is he here in the Human Realm? Masquerading as a priest, no less? Could this all have been the Dark Elf Elder's plan?
I snapped my head toward the elder. He was twitching as if struck by static electricity, plunged into utter shock.
“W-Why are you here?! A Corps Commander-level demon shouldn't be able to enter the Human Realm!” the elder shrieked. Every negative emotion imaginable surfaced on his face: terror, anxiety, panic, shock.
That made one thing clear: at least in this moment, the elder was innocent. And that white-robed man really was the 2nd Corps Commander.
The white entity, Kuarne, chuckled softly and responded.
“Calm yourself, Elder of the Dark Elves. This body is not my true self. It is merely an avatar created by severing a fraction of my power.”
Kuarne spoke clearly, as if trying to soothe us. Yet that infinitely benevolent voice felt like it was clawing at our very souls.
Halting halfway down the staircase, Kuarne stopped. Only now did his face come clearly into view—an androgynous appearance that made it impossible to tell whether he was male or female. Only by his voice could one guess he was a man.
At first glance, he looked like a human male. However, from head to toe, his entire body was stark white, as though completely bleached.
Furthermore, the pure white glow radiating from his eyes and those inorganic, shimmering pupils etched the fact deep into our minds that he was a non-human entity.
His uncanny resemblance to a human actually aroused revulsion. To put it into words, it was like watching a walking wax figure—bizarre and eerie.
And I had encountered beings similar to him before.
The angels that had tried to eradicate the Ancients in the past. Kuarne's appearance was remarkably similar to those bastards. Sprout a pair of flapping wings instead of those white robes, and he'd be identical to those oversized pigeons.
Kuarne spoke in a refined voice.
“Besides, the original priest is currently away, so I am merely filling in. As the Dark Elf Elder surely knows, the original priest is a human woman, is she not? She vanished suddenly one day, and since the shrine must always have a guardian, I am simply fulfilling that role.”
“Regardless of your reason, a Corps Commander invading the Human Realm!”
Edward, dripping with cold sweat, drew the greatsword from his back. The blunt tip pointed straight at the 2nd Corps Commander.
“This is a clear violation of the Human-Demon Accord!”
The fierce cry of Edward the Black Bear. Faced with an imminent crisis, the human summoned his formidable strength and took up his weapon. Truly worthy of a Warrior-rank hero's spirit.
“As I mentioned just now, this body is not my true self. Therefore, it is no violation of the accord,” Kuarne replied, his indifferent eyes oozing boredom. Even the aura of a Warrior-rank hero provided not the slightest stimulation to Kuarne.
“Furthermore, I possess not a single shred of combat power. I can swear it before God right here and now.”
Kuarne asserted his harmlessness.
“Is that bullshit for real?” I asked Hon softly.
She swallowed hard and gave a heavy nod.
“…Yes, it's true. I've been detecting magic power since earlier, and I really can't sense any. He's not hiding it, either. That body is truly nothing more than an empty shell.”
Kuarne pulled the corners of his lips into a gentle smile.
“Will you believe me now, valiant hero?”
“Valiant hero...?”
Edward blinked. A leader of the Demon King’s Army was personally commending him. He felt a strange sensation. Should he be happy about this?
“However, personal goodwill aside, I offer my deepest condolences. In this Nephilim Shrine, you have committed a fatal transgression.”
Upon hearing Kuarne's words, Edward froze. Then, his face instantly drained of all color.
“W-W-Wait a minute!”
A desperate final cry. A black vortex erupted in Edward's chest, sucking his body inward like a spiraling black hole.
Screams, shrieks, tearing flesh, and the stench of blood.
Only the lingering echo of death remained where Edward had stood. The Warrior-rank hero vanished, leaving behind not a single trace of his existence.
Without a chance to intervene, the disaster struck in the blink of an eye.
The Nephilim Shrine was a space that made no distinction between good and evil. Whether human or Majin, anyone who broke its laws was severely punished.
Kuarne shook his head as though genuinely regretting it.
“The first rule of the shrine: 'No matter what happens, you must never draw a weapon.' To break such a fundamental rule... I sincerely hope the rest of you do not follow his example.”
Kuarne hadn't interfered at all. Losing his composure, Edward had brought death upon himself.
“...Fuck.”
I had come to the shrine to find the Fifth Fragment. That was my sole purpose.
Yet now, humanity's greatest enemy had suddenly appeared. And I couldn't even twitch my hand toward my hilt. What would happen if I rashly drew my sashimi knife was proven by Edward's death.
I glanced sideways at the elder. He was shaking like an aspen leaf. His expression was far more miserable than Hon's. After all, he'd been caught acting as a pawn for humans by a top leader of the demons. A future soaked in blood must be flashing before his eyes.
As if reading his mind, Kuarne smirked at the elder.
“Ah... Ah...”
The elder's breathing turned ragged. His upper teeth bit hard into his aged lower lip until the taste of blood filled his mouth.
The elder thought to himself. What was the reason he had endured all kinds of disgrace and humiliation to come all the way here?
Wasn't all of this to ensure the survival of the Dark Elves?!
Though they had nearly been wiped out at the hands of this black devil, Kang Geomma, around twenty elves still survived. Those few had to be kept alive. That was the elder's sole, desperate wish.
The old Majin worked his brain. He quickly calculated his immediate self-interest, searching for a brilliant move to navigate this crisis. He was Log, who had served as elder for hundreds of years among the Dark Elves, a race famous for their cunning.
Which side must he cling to in order to survive? Upon reaching his conclusion, the elder took position right behind Kang Geomma without a moment's hesitation.
Kuarne narrowed his brows, his white eyebrows knitting together. Soon, he let out a scoff of disbelief.
“Betraying your own kin to side with a human... You won't regret that choice, will you?”
“I will not.”
It was a lie. Log knew the terrifying strength of the 2nd Corps Commander all too well. The Spatial-Attribute Magic he wielded was nothing short of catastrophic.
No matter how much Kang Geomma struggled or soared, he was still no match for that transcendent being. It was a miracle beyond miracles that they had encountered Kuarne in the Nephilim Shrine. Had this been the Demon Realm, all of them would have burst like flies.
However.
Even though he was the cursed human who had slaughtered most of his clan, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The elder staked the fate of the Dark Elves on Kang Geomma.
Strictly speaking, it was a gamble on Kang Geomma's potential.
If he could draw out that latent power? Not only the 2nd Corps Commander, but even the 1st Corps Commander would fall beneath his feet. Kuarne surely knew this as well. Presumably, that demon had appeared in this shrine for that very reason.
To prevent that catastrophe in advance, he must have killed the real priest somewhere and masqueraded as an impostor. If so... Kuarne was a vicious piece of work beyond redemption.
The crime of murdering a priest was enough to lose the trust and faith of all demons—no matter how grand the 2nd Corps Commander was.
“I can practically hear the gears turning in your head from here.”
At that moment, a chilling glow flared in Kuarne's eyes. The elder felt his body shrink back in instant terror.
“Still, I am glad you do not regret your choice.” Kuarne spat out through twisted lips. “Because later, I will be able to wipe out the Dark Elves without an ounce of hesitation.”
I wondered what the hell was going on. They were putting on their own little drama, and the Dark Elf Elder had taken shelter behind my back. Come to think of it, except for me, everyone here was a demon. Well, Hon was practically human, so maybe she was an exception.
What a shitshow.
Now that the shock had worn off, I reminded myself of my purpose in coming to the shrine. I spoke with an annoyed glare.
“2nd Corps Commander or whatever—you said you’re acting as priest right now. Stop flexing and stick to your day job.”
The important thing wasn't that Kuarne had shown up. It was that he had no intention of fighting.
Who knows? Maybe he really was acting as priest.
Even if he wasn't, what did I care? I just needed to finish my business and leave.
Of course, I intended to make him pay proper retribution for Edward. Not now, but saving it for next time.
“I've kept you waiting too long, haven't I?” Kuarne gave a cold smile. Then he turned around and gestured for us to follow. “Follow me. I shall relieve at least a few of your curiosities.”
Still speaking in that benevolent tone. Right before following him, I probed him once.
“Kuarne, I take it you know full well that your brother lost his head by my hand.”
“I know all too well.” Kuarne uttered words steeped in suppressed emotion. “However, I am not sad in the slightest. In fact, I am glad that such useless fools became your nourishment. Let us discuss the rest inside the Nephilim Shrine.”
* * *
At that time, in a dark auditorium.
A silver-haired woman, Yoo Se-in, was praying with her hands clasped together.
The carpet beneath Se-in's kneeling legs was damp with sweat. Her pure white vestments were soaked through, rendered half-transparent.
Soon, Se-in's tightly closed eyes snapped open. She quietly shifted her gaze.
Where her eyes landed, a blonde-haired man was leaning his back against a marble pillar. His upper body, submerged in darkness, sat above tightly folded arms.
Se-in glared at the blonde man coldly.
“What are you even doing here?”
The blonde man shrugged with his arms still crossed.
“Just because. I dropped by out of curiosity about what the Saintess does.”
A neat, composed voice. But to Se-in's ears, it sounded purely provocative. In the first place, Se-in loathed the very fact that this hypocrite had set foot in this sacred sanctuary.
Se-in barked, “I guess praying for someone else must seem pretty strange to someone from the Demon Realm.”
A faint tremor stirred across the blonde man's expression. Though hidden in the shadows, Se-in could feel it—he was clearly furious.
“...I believe I told you not to speak of where my hometown is...?”
Despite the blonde man's threatening tone, Se-in didn't even bat an eye. She retorted with a sneer.
“I think keeping your true identity and origin a secret is already doing you plenty of favors.”
“...”
The blonde man uncrossed his arms and stepped heavily out of the darkness. Beneath hair that looked dusted with gold, his pupils gleamed with a deep blue light.
As the pitch darkness parted, the man revealed his face.
“Isn't that right?”
Se-in stared straight back at him.
“Leon von Reinhardt.”