Chapter 263

“Th-This can’t be…”

“Are you saying the Archbishop himself—?”

The priests of the fanatical cult, now unable to deny the truth, wore expressions of utter shock.

Seizing the moment, Chris raised his voice with solemn authority.

“The Holy Seat has revealed it: the original Archbishop was overthrown by that devil’s pawn!”

“!!”

“What are you waiting for?! If you won’t purge that devil’s pawn, how can you still claim to serve the Holy Seat?!”

A brilliant light burst forth from Chris’s hand.

Intertwined with the radiant mana was the fierce energy of righteous wrath.

To any onlooker, he appeared as a sacred saint, shaking the hearts of the cult’s priests.

At last, the butcher Ektar stepped forward, sword drawn.

“Everyone, ready your blades! We will exterminate that demon!”

“As you command! In the name of the Holy Seat!”

As the battle erupted, Chris and Evan quietly stepped back.

“Are we not joining the fight?”

“Why would we?”

“Well…”

“They’ll handle the cleanup themselves. No need for us to get involved.”

Not only the Archbishop but the fanatics beneath him were a headache.

‘Those underlings are just as extreme, wreaking havoc on the world.’

Chris intended to let them tear each other apart, weakening their forces.

[Snap out of it! This is all that cunning devil’s doing!]

The Archbishop’s cry caused some to hesitate, but Chris intervened each time.

‘No way!’

Using the dominion of dark mana, he continued to reveal the demon’s true aura.

Not stopping there, Chris scattered holy energy infused with radiant mana and righteous wrath, shouting again and again.

“That fiend is the Archbishop’s mortal enemy! The Holy Seat weeps in Heaven! Avenge the Archbishop!”

His rallying cry reignited the priests’ fighting spirit, and a fierce battle ensued.

Eventually, the demon could no longer hold back and revealed its true form.

[You… fiends…! How dare you!!]

With a roar, the demon withdrew its disguise of the Holy Seat’s aura and unleashed its full demonic power.

A high-ranking priest of the Mystic Mana, its presence was overwhelming—far more intense than before.

“…A terrifying evil instrument. Do we even stand a chance?”

Evan asked, and Chris nodded.

“Of course.”

Chris glanced around at the fanatical cult.

“These guys are just as crazy.”

Even more unhinged than the Maen.

That was the cult’s reputation.

When the priests saw the demon’s true form, their resolve shifted dramatically.

“Prepare yourselves for martyrdom!”

“Annihilate the demon!”

They charged as one.

Like running headlong into flames, countless fell in an instant, but none hesitated.

Their fierce sacrifice forced the demon to falter.

[These fools…!]

Ektar’s ferocity was especially dazzling.

Known for ruthlessly eradicating anyone suspected of demonic ties, his fury at being deceived unleashed a berserker’s rage.

“GRAAAH!!! Don’t stop! Holy Seat, watch over us!!”

“Holy Seat!!”

After the cult’s relentless assault, the demon began to stagger.

Chris subtly stepped into the fray.

‘Not all cultists are insane maniacs.’

There were a few reasonable ones—the minority “Dove Faction” within the cult.

Chris had obtained their names through Ruina and discreetly intervened whenever they were in danger, pulling them back from the brink.

‘Now’s the time.’

“Evan, get ready.”

At that moment—

Flames of demonic energy flickered and roared around the demon.

It bared its bloodshot eyes to the sky and cried out.

[Great One! I offer these as sacrifices to you, along with my soul!]

The Mystic Mana priest was as fanatical as the cultists.

He intended to sacrifice his own soul, offering his enemies to the demon.

A thick, ominous mist began to spread across the demon’s domain, swirling like a vortex.

It was a horrifying whirlpool that would snatch souls and drag them straight to Gehenna.

Sensing the grave danger, Ektar’s face went pale.

“Everyone, draw upon the Holy Seat’s blessing!”

A sacred light enveloped the priests.

But it was not enough to withstand the raging demonic energy; if this continued, terrible losses were inevitable.

“We must abandon the temple and retreat immediately!”

“Silence! You would turn your back with the demon’s pawn before us? The Holy Seat is with us!”

“But—!”

“Shut your mouth!”

Thud!

Some clear-headed voices called for retreat, but it was useless.

Chris shook his head and stepped forward.

‘It’d be bad if the cult completely collapsed.’

He glanced at the remaining cult forces.

Thanks to their reckless charges, the damage was already immense.

Their strength was greatly diminished, making it harder for them to harm the alliance.

‘This is just the right level to exploit going forward.’

It was time to end the fight.

“Ruina. It’s our turn.”

“Ahhh! I can’t do this! I just can’t!”

“Why so scared? Nail this, and you get ten million rupees.”

“What do you want me to do? Bark like a dog? Just give me the orders… wait, that’s not it!”

At the mention of ten million rupees, Ruina instinctively crouched like a dog, then screamed again.

“Lady Ruina, stop whining and pull yourself together. Aren’t you ashamed to disappoint Chris, who’s working for the world’s sake?”

“Ugh! Evan, I hate you the most!!”

Still, she steeled herself and did what needed doing.

She pulled out the sacred relic, the Shield of Agios.

It protected its bearer from Gehenna’s energy for a brief moment.

The problem was that Ruina had to stand at the front, facing Gehenna’s power head-on.

“Ahhh! This relic has limited uses! Using it now will seriously degrade its value! My money!!”

“…So it really is about the money. I’ll give you the ten million rupees once this is over.”

“Really? Really?! Yay! Let’s do this!!”

Under the relic’s protection, Chris and Evan stepped into the demon’s raging domain.

“Evan, you have to handle this. There’s only one chance. I’ll support you—can you do it?”

Evan glanced at Chris and nodded.

“I’ll do it.”

“Good.”

Chris placed a hand on Evan’s back.

“Time to make your debut as a hero.”

Chris planned to make Evan the alliance’s hero starting with this mission.

‘Before the age of ruin arrives, I have to unite the alliance. Evan will be my hero, and I’ll use him thoroughly!’

The more Evan struggled, the easier Chris’s life would become.

Unaware of Chris’s thoughts, Evan closed his eyes.

‘He trusts me like this…’

When Chris first told him the plan, Evan thought it was impossible.

But—

“Evan, you can do it.”

Hearing those words filled with trust, determination surged within him.

‘I have to succeed. I can’t be the one to hold Chris back.’

Images of Chris flashed through Evan’s mind.

A Maen, yet hiding a profound nobility, silently fighting alone for the world.

‘The true hero isn’t me—it’s Chris.’

A brilliant light flared!

Evan summoned radiant mana.

In Chris’s previous life, Evan’s spirit weapon was the “Sword of Deathly Darkness,” a powerful weapon against evil.

But now, Evan’s spirit weapon had changed.

It was influenced by Chris’s steadfast path of quietly serving the world.

The “Sword of the Boundless Sea.”

Chris’s unwavering integrity and nobility blended into Evan’s blade of light.

…If Chris knew the truth, he’d be baffled, but thanks to this misunderstanding, Evan’s spirit weapon gained not only power against evil but an unbreakable will.

“Spirit weapon, receive the Holy Seat’s blessing.”

A low hum.

The blessings of the Holy Seat infused Evan’s spirit weapon.

The priests of the fanatical cult gasped at the sword’s sublime radiance.

‘But it’s not enough.’

Evan gritted his teeth and stared at the swirling Gehenna energy.

He had to extinguish it with his light, but it wasn’t enough.

Then Chris moved.

Eyes closed, he sensed Evan’s energy.

By the way, Chris and Evan had a master-servant bond.

Their previous subordination contract was still in effect.

So Chris could feel and analyze Evan’s energy as if it were his own.

‘This makes this possible.’

He unfolded the “Peach Blossom Mirror” and, within his thoughts, unleashed his spirit weapon.

The “Sword of Annihilating Light.”

Within his mind, Chris’s spirit weapon merged with Evan’s.

A brilliant blaze erupted!!

Evan’s sword was bathed in the most sublime light.

Chris then transformed his will…

“To drive out the taint of Gehenna, it’s not enough to simply grow stronger. The key lies in a sublime purity that cleanses all evil.”

Fortunately, Chris had the rare ability to artificially infuse his will with that very sublimity.

He recalled the many saints he had witnessed in the past.

The noble spirit they radiated blossomed within his chest, summoned by sheer force of will.

It was a clever shortcut, made possible by his exceptional skill in shaping his own resolve.

Though unorthodox, it worked.

The sublime light dwelling within the Sword of Annihilation shone even more brilliantly.

And this unorthodox method of Chris’s had an unexpected effect.

It stirred something deep within Evan.

“This brilliance contained in Christian’s will… there’s no comparison to someone like me.”

Evan squeezed his eyes shut.

He mistook the artificial sublimity Chris had conjured for something genuine.

“All I want is revenge, nothing more.”

In truth, Evan’s greatest motivation was vengeance against the swordsmanship clan that had cast him out.

He had accepted the hero’s fate from the celestial order precisely to gain the power needed to avenge his family.

But why?

Every time he saw Christian’s unwavering, radiant sublimity, he felt a deep shame.

“I don’t like this.”

Yes.

Christian’s unfathomable purity was so dazzling it stirred a lump in his throat.

One thought took hold.

“I won’t fall behind.”

Evan’s resolve as a hero sharpened further.

As his own sublimity deepened, the celestial blessing within his sword grew stronger.

Then, with a sharp shing—

Evan’s blade cleaved through the taint of Gehenna.

A brilliant, blinding light erupted, flooding the world.

This was the moment Evan was first revealed to the world as a true hero.