Chapter 723: The Visitors
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 723: The Visitors
"O Goddess, please cast your gaze upon this place..."
Fei’er prayed with deep devotion, then opened her eyes.
From the moment she had accepted this mission, her eyes had remained tightly shut. Now, finally, they opened.
But what appeared within them were not the beautiful eyes that would leave countless people breathless in admiration. Instead... there was only a holy, sanctified radiance.
An infinite, boundless light seemed to be stored within her sockets. At that moment, it felt as if a supreme gaze was truly, slowly looking down upon this land through her eyes.
*
Divine Will suddenly looked up.
The sky blazed with light.
For the first time in a thousand years, the perpetually dim sky of the Abyss was illuminated so brightly. The holy light was like a rising sun, shining upon all things with absolute impartiality.
Throughout Gutons Fortress, every demon was drawn to that warmth. They looked up instinctively, staring into the radiance. Even as the stinging light brought tears streaming down their faces, they refused to look away.
"Is this... salvation?"
The demons raised their hands in hope.
"No."
A cold voice answered them:
"This is judgment!"
From a rift constructed of heavenly light, a slender, pale hand slowly reached out. On the middle finger sat an Authority Ring engraved with a majestic Holy Light Cross. Her vivid, flowing sleeves fluttered like a surging river of blood.
That hand pressed down slowly.
The grand tolling of a bell thundered, announcing the judgment of sinners. The swirling holy radiance transformed into spears meant to cleanse the souls of the guilty, descending upon this ancient, mighty city like a torrential rain.
The warmth turned into a bone-eroding heat.
Even before the spears landed, the weaker demons were already screaming, perishing in the flames of judgment.
"The Church of Human Life?"
Divine Will’s gaze narrowed, but a kind, gentle smile remained on his aged face.
He was not angry, nor was he panicked. He even ignored the provocative expression of the loathsome Son of the Lion King beside him, who looked as though he had finally found a backer.
It was as if he were welcoming an old friend.
"Judging by these methods, Your Excellency must be the renowned Judgment Archbishop."
Divine Will’s figure appeared high in the sky. His shadow stretched out, shrouding the entire city, and the spears of Holy Light were instantly neutralized by the gloom.
"A distinguished guest arrives from afar, and I have failed to greet you properly. Why not sit with me for a moment first?"
Divine Will smiled and extended a hand. "Though my humble abode is barren and simple, I still have a few local specialties fit for a guest."
"No need."
The voice within the Holy Light was exquisite—a gentle, feminine tone. Yet, within that gentleness lay a terrifying, cruel chill.
"I did not come here to make friends."
"Oh? Then what is your purpose?" Divine Will asked, appearing genuinely interested.
"Why play the hypocrite?"
The Judgment Archbishop said:
"Since I have come, I naturally act upon the will of the Goddess to bring the sword of war upon you all."
"To bring the sword... It sounds like the Goddess you worship isn't a very merciful one," Divine Will sighed.
"The Goddess is, of course, merciful. But the actions of your Demon Race have threatened the safety of the entire continent. Thus, even the merciful and compassionate Goddess must descend with thunderous wrath."
The Judgment Archbishop spoke softly:
"Turn back now, accept judgment, and wash away your sins. There is still a chance. Divine Will, you have crossed the line."
"It seems your Life Church... no, all of humanity, really..."
Divine Will said, "Is as hypocritical as ever."
"Whether we are hypocritical or not is not for a sinner to define."
The hand reaching out from the Holy Light slowly clenched into a fist.
It was a hand so slender and pale, appearing so fragile that even when clenched, it carried no sense of threat. Like a young girl throwing a petulant tantrum, her fist seemed to lack any lethal force.
Yet, as that fist slowly descended, the entire Sea of Holy Light erupted into a boil.
The ocean of light surged. Chants praising the Goddess echoed, and the trumpets of the apocalypse sounded simultaneously.
The entire city of Gutons Fortress trembled beneath that small fist.
Because that was not a fist.
It was judgment.
It was the sword of war.
Divine Will’s expression finally grew solemn. He took a step forward, and the shadows flowing behind him gathered in his palm.
They became a single point of deep gray.
"￥%……%"
Difficult, obscure words spilled from his thin lips. That deep gray point expanded rapidly—from a point to a line, then into a plane.
Finally, it covered nearly the entire city. With a sudden upward thrust of Divine Will’s palm, it met the fist and the Holy Light.
Deep gray and brilliant light collided.
Everything in the world seemed to vanish for a heartbeat.
An absolute silence fell between heaven and earth, as if all the air had been sucked away, leaving a vacuum.
But this lasted only a fleeting moment.
Soon, sound returned, and the world reappeared. It was as if nothing had happened.
Yet, in this world where it seemed nothing had changed, some things had indeed shifted.
For instance, the traces of blood on Divine Will’s palm.
And for instance, the slender hand in the sky that now hung limp—no longer pale, but stained a vivid red with blood.
"It seems the sword of that Goddess of Life—whom I had never even heard of a thousand years ago—is still lacking."
Divine Will gave a casual wave, and the specks of blood on his palm dissipated into the wind.
In this head-on collision, he had suffered only a minor superficial wound. However, the Judgment Archbishop’s entire hand was nearly crippled.
The victor was clear.
"As expected," the Judgment Archbishop sighed softly. "As His Holiness the Pope said, though you are but a shackled sinner, you are a remnant who survived from a thousand years ago. You are not so easily defeated."
The world knew of the First Grand Duke of the Demon Race, but few likely knew that Grand Duke Divine Will was one of the rare old monsters who had survived from that ancient era.
Over the millennium, the Grand Dukes of the Demon Race had changed generation after generation, but only Divine Will... had always been there. He had always been the First Grand Duke.
"Does that not prove you lack the qualification to judge me?" Divine Will chuckled. "Perhaps it would be better if that Pope you mentioned came in person?"
"His Holiness is occupied with a myriad of affairs. He has no time to personally deal with sinners like you. However, you should be glad he didn't come. Otherwise, this game would end too quickly, and that would be quite boring."
The holy radiance surged again, constructing a massive golden gate.
Clad in deep red divine robes, the Judgment Archbishop gently pushed the gate open. Passing through the passage of the Sanctuary, she fully descended into this realm.
This caused Divine Will a slight moment of bewilderment.
"Knowing you are no match... you still come in person to seek death?"
"My apologies, but I am not as bold as a certain golden-haired brat who cross-dresses, flirts around, chases skirts, and doesn't know what's good for him... even daring to be lovey-dovey with other women right under the Saintess's gaze."
While a certain blond-haired youth’s expression stiffened elsewhere, the Judgment Archbishop smiled faintly.
"I simply know that certain restless rats will surely not pass up such a good opportunity. They won't be able to resist sticking their noses in."
*
Julia opened her eyes.
The ceiling was very white; the lights were very bright.
Pink gauze curtains swayed gently. After careful arrangement, the sensual atmosphere of this room was enough to make anyone’s heart flutter.
But it still could not dispel the terror in her heart.
"So scary... so scary..."
Julia rose from the bathtub. Her gaze swept across the room, and she realized the other girls who had been locked in here with her had disappeared.
It was strange.
But she didn't care much. Fear occupied her entire mind. For someone as cowardly as her, she had no room to think about whether things were strange or not.
"So scary... so scary..."
She only thought: I am so afraid. What should I do?
What can I do to make this fear go away?
"Ah, right."
Julia suddenly had an idea.
"I'll just kill myself."
Yes.
Suicide.
Once she was dead, she wouldn't be afraid anymore.
Without hesitation, she smashed the mirror on the dressing table, grabbed a shard of glass, and plunged it through her own neck.
Blood flowed incessantly. Julia slowly slumped to the floor, but a smile appeared on her lips.
"Ha... not... not afraid anymore... finally not afraid... good..."
Julia’s life force quickly faded.
But the blood continued to flow.
Eventually, it gathered into a small pool. The pool rippled, and the sound of footsteps echoed. It seemed as if someone was slowly walking out from within the blood.
It was... a skinny, middle-aged man.
His skin was deathly pale, like a ghoul that had never seen the sun. Yet, he possessed none of the ferocity associated with such legendary monsters. On the contrary, he wore a tailcoat and a top hat, leaning on a cane with an air of refined elegance.
He stepped out of the pool of blood, removed his hat, and pressed it to his chest, bowing gracefully to the old man who had appeared before him at some unknown point.
"Greetings, esteemed Grand Duke Divine Will."
The middle-aged man introduced himself politely.
"My humble name is hardly worth mentioning, but you may call me Black Jazz. Second Seat of the Salvation Society, Black Jazz... I have come to borrow something from you."
*
Beneath Gutons Fortress, at the towering mountain of corpses where Muen had once stayed.
The accumulation of bodies over the years was a spectacular, if horrifying, sight. Most had turned to bone or even dust, but a small portion—bodies discarded by the Grand Duke of Bewitchment or other demons—were still rotting.
This should have been the quietest place in all of Gutons Fortress. In a place with no living souls, how could there be any noise?
But...
Creeeak... crunch...
A strange sound suddenly rang out.
Atop the mountain of corpses, at its very peak, a body that had only recently been discarded began to slowly sit up.
It was the corpse of a succubus.
Not long ago, she had been pleasuring the Grand Duke of Bewitchment in his bed. Thus, aside from a few livor mortis spots appearing over time, she looked no different from a living person.
Creeeak... crunch...
But her movements were bizarre. As she stood and walked, every joint ground together. She moved in a twisted, jerky fashion, like a puppet controlled by invisible strings.
It seemed the entity currently within her body did not know how a "human" was supposed to walk.
Creeeak... crunch...
The succubus’s corpse wobbled and rolled down the mountain of corpses, then began to move along the dark path.
But she didn't go far before she stopped.
She had to stop.
The succubus’s cheek suddenly split open, and a hideous eyeball rolled around, staring at the old man blocking the way.
"Move... human..."