episode_0012

The Pope, Afrahnz.

A demon hunter who has defeated countless undead and hunted many demons.

His authority is a suppressant that prevents numerous heretics from rising up and the reason why demons cannot invade this land right now.

The owner of immense divine power, the greatest and highest mountain.

“Master, it seems like you have aged a lot now. You are weaker than expected.”

Every swing of his hammer shakes the Holy Sanctuary vigorously, and every emission of divine power purifies all evil beings.

What nonsense is this?

“Master, time indeed cannot be hidden. His lifespan diminishes every time he uses divine power. It seems he will weaken further as we go into a prolonged battle.”

It is clearly visible.

Scenes where his fierce flames gradually fade away.

…Key figure, the Pope, Afrahnz.

Your end is near.

“So it has come to this.”

I approached him step by step with mana in my right hand.

The noble embodiment of resistance and struggle.

The emperor who created the current saint, a tyrant and holy warrior.

The Pope, who possessed both human depravity and nobility, arrogance and villainy.

It is time to bid farewell to that sun.

“Depart peacefully, Afrahnz.”

“Pff, pffft, you are Lucia. So this was all your doing. In the end, these long years of mine were just a joke of a scarecrow.”

He tightly gripped the hammer with both hands.

The final resistance of burning life.

The last resistance, not even comparable to a firefly in front of the sun, is ultimately consumed and extinguished in vain.

“You… are… a devil…”

His flames faded away without even being able to utter his final words easily.

A demon, Damian.

In the end, I lead the demise of a key figure with my own hands.

“He departed peacefully. Master, if it were me…”

“Forget about those already sent off, let’s focus on what needs to be done.”

A key figure, the culprit who ruined the saint, the one who matured the saint.

An arrogant tyrant and holy warrior.

The Pope, who held conflicting titles of arrogance and holiness, took his last breath here.

Now… the Divine Empire is truly coming to an end.

Less than a day has passed, but due to a sudden turn of events, the Pope dies immediately.

With the Divine Empire losing its focal point, the Holy Kingdom cannot endure for long.

“…Master, since we killed the Pope, it would be best to join the main force now.”

“Just wait a moment, there are some things to discuss with the saint before that.”

“Surely, since there are matters to discuss with the saint, you asked us not to kill her. Please return soon.”

“I’ll be back shortly.”

I moved to the room where the saint was.

It was noisy behind me.

Perhaps the Pope’s body had been discovered.

Fortunately, I had cast a concealment spell so others couldn’t see me.

But still, a concealment spell strong enough that even the Archbishop couldn’t detect it.

Indeed, is it true that Teresia is a mage surpassing the Tower Masters?

If so, manipulating someone like the saint should have been easy for her. Why didn’t she do it?

“Saint, may I come in?”

As I knocked on her door and spoke, a voice came from inside.

“Adolf, please come in.”

The saint, Rebecca.

Another pillar of the Celestial Church, a woman who is more popular than the Pope in practice.

She is a political tool for the Pope to rule the Divine Empire and a powerless means to eliminate threats to the Divine Empire.

“Rebecca, as the Pope of the Demon Church, I greet you. I am Damian.”

“As the saint of the Celestial Church, I greet you. I am Rebecca, the Pope of the Demon Church.”

We exchanged simple greetings about each other.

I came here as the Pope of the Demon Church, and she faced me as the saint of the Celestial Church.

“The Pope of the Cult of Evil has long been said to be a vacancy only for evil spirits. I didn’t know if that was true… I really didn’t know that God could come down to earth directly.”

She said that while pouring black tea.

She quietly did what she had to do without any hesitation.

Then, she took out an item from the cabinet next to her and placed it on the table.

“Please open it, it’s a small gift I can give you.”

When she opened the box she gave, there was a small pendant inside.

Upon opening the pendant, there was a burnt photograph inside.

As she touched the photo, the hologram system came up again.

It was a hologram she hadn’t seen in a long time.

[Obtained the relic of evil, [Pendant of Genesis].]

How could there be a pendant at the beginning?

Perhaps the craftsman who made this… Oh well, since it’s a god, they could have made it as they pleased.

Maybe even the idea of the pendant shape was quite brilliant.

“As for the relic…”

“It was an item hidden in the innermost part of the cult’s treasure vault.”

She didn’t care about the messy items.

From the start, even the Pope wouldn’t have known about such items, so how did she know?

“I have seen the good and evil of people, the truths they hide, since I was born. For example, this item was a thing even the Pope didn’t know why it was there in the treasure vault, but I saw it all at once.”

“How could the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Faith carry such heretical items?”

“I heard Lady Lucia’s voice. She said that if you have this item, someday you will realize the truth. And the moment I realized the truth was when I first saw Lord Damian.”

“Did you notice anything about Therasia then?”

“I can uncover all hidden truths. It was impossible not to know that you came from the Cult of Evil. From the moment I first saw Lord Damian, I could understand the truth Lady Lucia spoke of.”

She knew the truth.

The meaning of those words could encompass many things.

It could range from simply knowing I am evil, knowing about the past of evil, or knowing about Damian’s plan that Lucia mentioned earlier.

At its core, it could even mean that I am possessing Damian’s body.

“Lord Damian, you must need me to achieve your goal. That’s why you are still keeping me alive. Perhaps Lady Success has already left.”

She really seemed unaffected.

While she did have emotions, she excelled at hiding them and not revealing them.

That’s why she continued her words calmly, like someone with no emotions.

“Lady Lucia wishes for Lord Damian to achieve his purpose. You cannot tell anyone else about your goal due to its taboo nature, so rest assured.”

So, what exactly is that purpose?

I’m not sure if it’s related to me possessing Damian’s body or not.

Furthermore, Lucia’s favor was also highly suspicious.

She knows I’ve possessed someone, that it’s a relationship contrary to Damian’s, and that she is the Creator who created the world.

In contrast, I, as an evil spirit, have killed countless of her followers, even Success herself.

“Then follow me, kidnap the Holy Maiden Rebecca as a hostage for the Cult of Evil.”

“If you wish, I shall do so.”

Feeling no need for further conversation, I used my power to move her into a room within the Cult of Evil in one go.

Right after that, I used my abilities to ensure she couldn’t leave my room.

“Indeed, are the followers increasing? They seem to be getting stronger as time goes by.”

When I first possessed this body, I felt immense omnipotence.

It felt like I could do anything, and indeed, I was able to use the same magic that the main characters on TV used.

At that time, there was a slight limit to my power, but now it feels like I can literally do anything.

As expected, as the number of believers increases, the god gains power, and if the number decreases, it weakens.

…Suddenly feeling sorry for the Creator.

In the end, as the number of believers decreases, the god loses power, and if there are no believers at all, it will eventually perish.

“We’re done here, let’s go now.”

“Teacher, should we say that the saint has disappeared?”

“No, it’s fine. Since I’ve already moved her to my room, I plan to tell the children when I visit the temple.”

“Hmm… in that case, we might have been found out already. There are many eyes watching over your room, Teacher.”

Come to think of it, when I returned from the continental conference before, I heard that Teresia had been mentioned.

If someone hears something, it means someone told them.

Well, even if they are demons and pontiffs, they probably assigned one or two guards.

Still, if I couldn’t detect them, they must be exceptional guards.

“Sigh, Teacher. I understand what you’re thinking, but try not to intervene too much. I also gain a lot of information from her, so apart from a few hints, let her speak freely.”

Her.

That must be the hint that Teresia mentioned.

It seems it wasn’t Abel.

I thought it was Abel since they assigned guards for me.

“Well then, join the main force…. No, it seems we’re almost arriving already.”

Already?

It’s only been 6 hours since the Holy War started, hasn’t it?

“It seems Adel has destroyed everything in the form of a dragon. If we stay still, she might come, so let’s wait.”

And so, the final moments of the Holy War approached.

…But is it really already the end?