Ch.103Chapter 103 – Catalyst (2)

Peter Godhand was known as the “Rising Sun of the Vatican,” considered the most promising Holy Knight of his time. Even he thought so himself. Having matched the Holy Power of His Holiness the Pope at the mere age of twenty, he had every reason to be proud.

His extensive combat experience, comparable to veteran Holy Knights, added to his confidence. Though still developing as the Vatican’s secret weapon, he was often deployed to the battlefield. Such was the era when demons frequently attacked castles and villages. With his vast Holy Power, rich repertoire of sacred spells, and excellent combat skills, Peter gained valuable experience in every battle he joined.

Thus, Peter was accustomed to facing demons and prided himself on being able to handle even high-ranking ones with ease.

However…

‘What are these… creatures?’

What blackened the sky wasn’t storm clouds but swarms of flying insects. Some resembled locusts, flies, and mosquitoes, while others took bizarre forms like flying centipedes, frogs, and scorpions. Their common traits were that each contained an ominous magical energy and was the size of a wild dog.

“Son of a bitch.”

Someone cursed beside him. Unsure whether it was profanity or a literal description, Peter didn’t bother to reprimand them. He had no time for that. The blood streaming down his head reminded him that his own condition was far from normal.

These unfamiliar demons acted cunningly. They meticulously maintained air superiority, waiting for the priests’ Holy Power to be depleted before attacking. Each insect possessed strength comparable to a high-ranking demon, and their collective movement was incredibly intelligent—as if they weren’t individual entities but a hive mind with a single consciousness.

Even Peter, the strongest among those remaining at the Vatican, couldn’t eliminate these swarms. The others stood no chance. The Godhands were helplessly pushed back in every engagement. With the Vatican’s elite force in such dire straits, the survival of other priests and Holy Knights remained uncertain…

‘Fortunately, there are no casualties among the Godhands yet. Iscariot’s laboratory is hidden in the most remote area of the Vatican, so Longinus should be safe…’

There was no need to face such enemies head-on. The battle’s objective wasn’t annihilation but defense. They just needed to hold out until His Holiness the Pope returned with the main force. Peter decided to abandon offense and focus on defense.

‘This follows the emergency protocol anyway…’

This was a directive from the higher-ups long ago. Since the Godhands were created using the Holy Blood, the church’s most sacred relic, they had a duty to protect themselves. They were extremely valuable assets.

The protocol for uncontrollable emergency situations mandated that the Godhands, as the Vatican’s secret weapons, must survive at all costs. It ordered them to raise defensive barriers and ensure their survival, disregarding the safety of other church members. With their renowned abundance of Holy Power, the Godhands could maintain a perfect defense by taking turns casting protective barriers…

“The Lord is faithful, who will establish me and guard this soul from the evil one!”

As Peter chanted the spell, a celestial barrier expanded, enveloping the exhausted Godhands and protecting their bodies and souls from the demons.

‘…Yes, now is the time to endure. We must survive to avenge the others.’

As he turned his eyes away in guilt, trying to appease his conscience, something unexpected happened. Someone pointed outside the barrier and shouted in surprise:

“L-look, over there!”

Peter’s gaze shifted, and he discovered something he would have preferred not to see.

The “youngest” was desperately hiding from the swarm of insects in the sky, clutching a Holy Knight manual tightly to his chest.

“Ha…”

For the first time, Peter uttered a sincere curse at his stubbornly disobedient youngest brother.

“Son of a bitch.”

Peter observed the demons’ movements. Now that he, the strongest in the Vatican, had abandoned offense for defense, they immediately dispersed to attack those outside the protective barrier. Soon, Longinus would join their ranks of victims.

Peter Godhand let out a hollow laugh. So it comes to this. He had never been comfortable with the idea of raising a barrier to save only themselves while demons were present.

Without hesitation, he commanded:

“Prepare for battle.”

***

Longinus rode his horse at full gallop. He fled, turning his back on his brothers and sisters who fought for him, those who had been like family.

The Godhands, who normally paid no attention to Longinus, desperately shouted while fighting the swarm:

-Escape through the west gate! Keep riding until you reach His Holiness’s main force!

-Run! Hurry and bring the adults!

-Aaagh! Run away!

Run away, run away, run away.

The screams of those barely older than himself echoed in his ears. Longinus couldn’t understand. Why would those who had always insisted he had no talent, who had told him not to become a Holy Knight, now sacrifice themselves for him?

Fortunately, the swarm didn’t pursue the fleeing young Godhand. They were too busy feasting on the banquet before them. Compared to the twenty-nine Godhands containing massive amounts of Holy Blood, the boy’s Holy Power was barely noticeable.

As he fled, surrendering to fear, Longinus was extremely confused. The knightly duty to fight demons and his survival instinct clashed violently in his mind. Caught between them, Longinus experienced severe turmoil. The final voices echoed in his ears: Run away, run away.

To block out the voices, Longinus tightly closed his eyes and covered his ears. To erase the persistent voices, he recited the Holy Knight manual. Having read it countless times, the passages were vivid in his mind. The manual began by reaffirming a Holy Knight’s duties:

“A Holy Knight is one who protects from the front, a Holy Knight is one who sacrifices first, a Holy Knight is one who never turns his back on evil, a Holy Knight is one who never abandons comrades…”

The passage made him reflect on his actions. The words became sharp daggers, axes under his tongue, accelerating the confusion in his mind. Is this right? Is this befitting a Holy Knight? To flee alone, turning his back on demons and comrades?

Am I fulfilling my duty as a Holy Knight?

Longinus hoped the manual would provide an answer. The more confused he became, the more desperately he recited it. The manual instructed the opposite of what he was doing. Fulfill your duty.

Fulfill your duty.

After reciting the book about eleven times, Longinus managed to rendezvous with the main force led by the Pope. Hearing the shocking news from the panic-stricken Longinus, the main force hastily returned to the Vatican. However, by the time they arrived, it was already too late, and the “Rising Sun of the Vatican” had permanently set.

***

Returning to the half-ruined Vatican, Longinus faced a horrific truth. The horrific truth consisted of twenty-nine corpses, drained of all blood. The Godhands who had sacrificed their lives for Longinus alone.

“…Those insects, presumably minions or manifestations of Beelzebub. As if targeting the Godhands from the beginning, they sucked all their blood and immediately disappeared.”

Iscariot, somehow surviving the chaos unscathed, testified. He comforted Longinus, who was shocked by the death of those who had been like family.

“…I know well the pain of losing loved ones.”

Longinus, clutching his crumpled Holy Knight manual, stared unblinkingly at one particular corpse. Carefully, he removed the helmet concealing the face. Just days ago, this person had despised and insulted him. Now he lay there with a face contorted by the fear of death. He had hidden his fear from his comrades until the end, not wanting to cause them confusion.

“Why did Peter… for me?”

“…He was truly heroic. More befitting of a Holy Knight than anyone.”

Though meant as comfort, these words pierced Longinus’s heart like a dagger.

“I… failed to fulfill my duty as a Holy Knight.”

Longinus had abandoned his comrades.

Longinus had turned his back on demons.

Longinus had fled from the rear.

He had failed to sacrifice himself.

Unlike the other Godhands.

The unfulfilled duty shackled Longinus like a curse.

“Peter Godhand… though he was unlucky, he was braver, stronger, and a more excellent Holy Knight than anyone I knew. Truly deserving of the title Master Paladin…”

Longinus stroked Peter’s face and closed his eyes. A subtle, spiritual golden light transferred from Peter to Longinus, visible to Iscariot’s spirit-sensing eyes. The faint golden light emanating from Longinus intensified. What was this phenomenon? Iscariot’s eyes widened.

“I no longer deserve the name Godhand. From now on, I am just Longinus, simply Longinus.”

Thinking he might have seen wrong, Iscariot observed the same phenomenon each time Longinus closed the eyes of the other twenty-eight corpses. The spiritual golden light radiating from Longinus grew increasingly brilliant as he absorbed their aura.

“But I have a responsibility. The responsibility to fulfill the duties of the Godhands who sacrificed themselves to save my life.”

Witnessing this majestic and mysterious scene, Iscariot recalled a secret message from his contractor days earlier.

‘In a few days, the Four Heavenly Kings’ Beelzebub himself, or his minions, will attack the Vatican targeting the Holy Blood.’

‘But don’t worry. Everything is in the palm of my hand. He thinks himself clever, but he’s incredibly stupid, mistaking the Holy Blood for something physical. He’ll just suck the blood and happily return.’

‘You hide and observe, just prevent the complete annihilation of the Godhands. Only one needs to survive.’

‘Why? You’ll see. Like small droplets on a leaf drawn to merge with surrounding droplets, unabsorbed Holy Blood has a property of wanting to combine with nearby Holy Blood…’

Beelzebub believed the “Holy Blood” was mixed in the Godhands’ actual blood. That’s why he sucked their blood and triumphantly returned to hell. But Holy Blood isn’t physical. It mixes with the soul. The Holy Blood remained in the corpses whose souls had not yet departed.

And now, at this moment, the Holy Blood mixed with the spirits of the dead was being absorbed by Longinus, the only remaining Holy Blood bearer, according to its nature.

‘Wrath, you predicted even this…! The plan was to combine several failures to create one complete success!’

A newborn baby in a laboratory couldn’t handle large amounts of Holy Blood. The blood contained in the Holy Blood was too powerful, causing the soul to collapse. That’s why Iscariot had no choice but to divide the Holy Blood and create thirty test subjects.

‘With this miraculous substance, even my lost son’s body could…!’

Before the emotional Iscariot, a single, complete Godhand was born, inheriting the power of twenty-nine. One who would wield and brandish the power of God. The true Godhand that the Vatican, Iscariot, and the contractor had wanted to create.

The first and last Godhand solemnly declared:

“I will… become a Master Paladin.”

A perfect Holy Knight whom all would idealize.

One who would destroy evil from the front and sacrifice himself.

An idol who would become what those who died in his place should have been.

That vow was the first cry of a child finally born.

Longinus pressed Peter Godhand’s platinum helmet deep onto his head. The ornate visor concealed Longinus’s expression. What expression lay beneath that helmet, no one would ever know.

After that day, Longinus grew rapidly with explosive talent and potential. He traversed countless battlefields and achieved innumerable merits. Eventually, he received the title of “Master Paladin” that Peter Godhand never did.

Even after reaching the highest position where he needed not mind others’ opinions, Longinus remained obsessed with the ideal image of a Holy Knight. He never turned his back on evil.

As if the duty of a Holy Knight were strangling him.

***

As if having shown everything it needed to, the vision shattered completely. Shin Jaehyuk returned to the land of eternal darkness where he had been suffering.

“…So, why did you show me this memory, ‘Master’?”