Ch.160Chapter 160 – Paradise Cult (1)

Kwak Tae-woo’s spatial movement scroll allowed Shin Jae-hyuk to safely return to Seoul. Soon after meeting Satan and Kwak Tae-woo, Shin Jae-hyuk received updates on their progress along with some shocking news.

“So Kim Jae-min finally…”

He had briefly heard from Satan in Hell about Kim Jae-min’s fall from grace, but learning that he had been killed was utterly devastating.

The grief was even greater because he had been acquainted with the mother of the assassinated Kim Jae-min. After quietly praying for the peace of both their souls, Shin Jae-hyuk explained what had happened in Heaven.

Satan burst into satisfied laughter. They had succeeded in destroying the water tank, which would significantly delay Elohim’s recovery. Moreover, they had eliminated all those troublesome archangels in the process—truly remarkable results.

“That bastard who always spoke disrespectfully to his senior like me. Kukukuku, just imagining Michael dead makes me laugh.”

“What is the Sage doing now?”

“He’s probably monitoring Heaven’s movements. If the water tank was destroyed, Elohim must have awakened. But judging by the lack of response, Elohim still thinks he has time. He doesn’t know the Holy Grail has already been used.”

The Holy Grail—the world’s only artifact capable of turning back time. Originally, it was a device created by Elohim to restart everything if his plans became irreparably damaged. Due to its overwhelming power, even Elohim could only create one, as it required immense energy to produce.

The Holy Grail could only be used once across all timelines, and this opportunity had already been consumed by Kwak Tae-woo. However, Satan explained that Elohim, whose memories were erased when time rewound, would not know this.

“So everything is proceeding according to the Sage’s plan. Good, very good. He truly deserves his title—his intellect is remarkable.”

“So what should we do now?”

Kwak Tae-woo asked the humming Satan, who pondered before answering.

“There is one important task related to the Holy Grail for our plan, but it’s not something we need to execute immediately. To blind Heaven’s eyes, we need to wait for the Demon King’s arrival. I’ll tell you about that later.”

As Satan opened a gate to disappear, he said lightly:

“I don’t have any immediate tasks for you. For now, just train, rest, or spend your time freely while preparing for the next Four Heavenly King’s descent.”

“Then I’ll focus on training. I’ve made some progress recently and need time to refine it.”

True to his training-obsessed nature, Kwak Tae-woo left to push his body to the limits again, despite having just recovered. Left alone, Shin Jae-hyuk savored his rare freedom by secluding himself at home.

‘Nothing to do… Might as well browse the internet for a while.’

With familiar movements, he scrolled through news portals. These days, articles were pouring out daily. Having had no opportunity to catch up on world news recently, Shin Jae-hyuk had plenty to read.

Cities destroyed by Lucifer, analyses of angels’ appearances and patrol routes, estimated damages from Kim Jae-min’s rampage…

Articles about the Paradise Church were particularly numerous. Besides proselytizing advertisements, most content promoted how large and powerful the church’s Holy Knight Order was and how well they were replacing the Hunter Association.

After the Hunter Association’s collapse, the Paradise Church had rapidly grown as a military force by absorbing the association’s remnants. What was once merely a religious group now wielded influence everywhere, achieving a status comparable to an international organization.

Strangely, people showed little resistance to this, for several reasons. First, the Paradise Church had become a universal religion found among many people’s acquaintances. Even if not devout believers, nearly 65% of humanity had visited their church at least once—making it undoubtedly larger than any previous religion.

There was also a widespread perception that it was a unified religion that had absorbed various religious groups. Even the Pope of the Vatican, who had resisted until the end, approved the merger of Christianity with the Paradise Church in exchange for support in rebuilding the Vatican. Under the framework that religious factions that had fought over scriptural interpretations had finally united in the face of crisis, the public accepted the Paradise Church as a symbol of human peace and unity.

Finally, people truly came to believe in the existence of God. The decisive moment was when angels emerged from the “Gates of Heaven.” While the existence of Hell had been inferred through demons, the presence of angels confirmed these beliefs. If demons and angels exist, then surely the God who created them must exist too. The Paradise Church’s doctrines best explained these circumstances, and with the Holy Knight Order even conducting joint operations with angels, people couldn’t help but be convinced.

“Even so, how could a cult religion capture over half of humanity…”

Since many skeptics like Shin Jae-hyuk still existed, the Paradise Church worked to shed its cult origins by acquiring the International Red Cross and conducting various charitable and relief activities. As a result, many people viewed the Paradise Church favorably, even if they weren’t believers.

‘But this is all Elohim’s scam.’

Shin Jae-hyuk felt somewhat uncomfortable. Watching people being manipulated in a game orchestrated by angels and demons reminded him of his past life—when he blindly worshipped Eloah without knowing the truth of the world.

“While most Paradise Church members are probably being used without knowing anything, the upper echelons must be closely connected to Elohim.”

He recalled Michael’s mention of a “Holy Maiden.” Though he hadn’t specified which Holy Maiden, it undoubtedly referred to the Paradise Church’s Holy Maiden.

‘Holy Maiden… There’s no information?’

When he searched for news with the keywords “Holy Maiden” and “Paradise Church,” no articles appeared. Finding this strange, he checked the Paradise Church’s website and discovered that the title “Holy Maiden” didn’t officially exist within the church.

‘Something smells fishy.’

Shin Jae-hyuk immediately hacked into the Paradise Church’s server. Though it had been a while since he’d hacked anything, it wasn’t difficult. In fact, his skills seemed to have improved.

‘This is unusually easy. Am I in good form today?’

He found the term “Holy Maiden” in some top-security documents accessible only to high-ranking insiders. However, he couldn’t determine who the Holy Maiden was or what abilities she possessed.

All Shin Jae-hyuk could discover was that the Paradise Church’s Pope was merely a figurehead, and the real power controlling the church from behind the scenes was the “Holy Maiden.”

‘Certainly… if Michael knew about her, she must be one of Elohim’s closest confidants.’

Unable to find more information about the Holy Maiden, Shin Jae-hyuk continued investigating the Paradise Church’s future movements. Since the Paradise Church was undoubtedly Elohim’s puppet, monitoring their activities was necessary.

While there were many developments—such as acquiring potion manufacturing companies and joint training between the Holy Knight Order and hunter guilds—the most recent major event was the news of their headquarters relocation. After Pyongyang was devastated by Belphegor, the Paradise Church had been supporting its restoration with substantial funds.

They had purchased large tracts of land that had transferred to the South Korean government after Pyongyang citizens died, and were planning to establish a religious city like the Vatican in Pyongyang as part of their redevelopment project.

Pyongyang contained the Eden Gate, which would allow them to quickly deploy Holy Knights worldwide without using air or sea routes.

For South Korea, having a powerful allied army stationed in Pyongyang that could be called upon in emergencies was most welcome. Moreover, as South Korea had been struggling with North Korean refugees, they readily accepted the establishment of the Paradise Church headquarters, which promised to manage these refugees.

Various projects were underway in Pyongyang to attract residents and revitalize the local economy, including resident relocation policies. While checking the list of beneficiaries, Shin Jae-hyuk’s expression hardened when he spotted a particular name.

<Child Welfare Project Beneficiaries>

-….

-Happy Orphanage

-….

Happy Orphanage—where Shin Jae-hyuk was born and raised. Why was this name on the list? He immediately called Sister Grace.

“Jae-hyuk? What a surprise! Why haven’t you been in touch? I thought you were dead!”

“Sister, I’m calling because I saw something strange online. Is our orphanage really moving to Pyongyang? Is that true?”

“Yes. The Paradise Church acquired both the parish and the orphanage, and we’re moving to a better facility in Pyongyang. Since they’ll manage it at the headquarters level, we won’t have to worry about funding for the children anymore. Isn’t that wonderful news!”

With the economic downturn caused by the gates and people becoming less charitable, support for the orphanage had been gradually drying up. For Sister Grace, who had been losing sleep over budget concerns, the Paradise Church’s decision was like rain in a drought.

Sister Grace continued praising the charitable work, explaining how the Pope himself had directed it, how they were selected from among hundreds of applicants, and how each child would receive a monthly stipend of 300,000 won.

But for Shin Jae-hyuk, this was not good news at all. The timing was too suspicious—such a “fortunate” event occurring just as he returned from Heaven.

“…Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you? You’re the one who didn’t answer your phone! Well, this is perfect timing. Come help us move that day. Seong-ha is coming too.”

After hanging up, Shin Jae-hyuk clutched his head.

“Damn it.”

This was a silent threat from the Paradise Church. Their intention to indirectly control Shin Jae-hyuk by taking the orphanage—his Achilles’ heel—hostage was obvious.

‘They took advantage while I was in Hell to pull this stunt…’

Of course, this might just be Shin Jae-hyuk’s paranoia, and it would be better if it were, but with the safety of those he considered family at stake, he couldn’t ignore even a one percent possibility.

He wanted to cancel the relocation altogether as the most definitive solution, but once the orphanage’s move had been decided, there was no room for Shin Jae-hyuk to intervene. An individual couldn’t overturn such a policy.

‘…Really no way?’

There was just one method. Suddenly, one person came to mind—the figure who controlled everything in the Paradise Church and likely ordered this threat.

“I need to meet the Holy Maiden and settle this directly.”

***

[My King. The causality required for your descent is almost prepared. Now that the hero has died and humans are in confusion, this is the perfect time… Please grant me permission to deploy.]

“I deny your request, Beelzebub. You have a different role to play. It will benefit you as well, as it concerns the human you are obsessed with.”

[But the constraints of the status window… No, you were once a deity yourself. Surely you can bypass such rules…]

Beelzebub suppressed the jealousy that momentarily surged within him. There was no need to rush. He had made a contract with the Demon King—the throne would be his in exchange for unwavering loyalty. The throne would soon be his regardless, and that human holy knight as well…

Whatever Beelzebub’s reaction, the Demon King’s will remained firm.

The gate power received from Elohim came with various protocols. One was sending the Four Heavenly Kings to Earth one by one as causality filled up—Elohim’s measure to prevent humans from being annihilated by all Four Kings descending simultaneously.

Though sending the Four Kings separately was strategically disadvantageous, Mara Papiyas had played along until now. After all, the Demon King didn’t particularly care about the Four Kings’ survival. However, this time, the Demon King intended to directly violate that rule.

“I have received welcome news from a celestial being. They have finally found a clue about him.”

[You mean…!]

It had been a long wait. Excitement filled Mara Papiyas’s gaunt voice.

“This time, I shall personally take charge.”