Ch.77. Sacrifice (2)

-Gulp…

A tense swallow from someone unknown.

In the midst of various factions facing off before the holy war, only two beings were in motion.

One of the main forces from the Father God’s faction who had arrived to eliminate the Black Sun.

And a mysterious man who suddenly descended from the sky.

Everyone present was confused by this unexpected visitor.

Who on earth was this man?

Who could he possibly be, to so casually deflect a vampire’s attack?

No one knew the answer.

‘I’m a fan.’

Only the excited man himself concealed his secretly pounding heart while facing his devotee.

#

Belladis Rocheria.

The brightest star of the legion and the absolved vampire.

Her top priority was naturally finding the whereabouts of the missing Father God.

For the order, and for herself.

Nothing else could stop this endless thirst and grant her true happiness.

Even if that being was still shrouded in many veils, she was confident she could live receiving only the love given to her.

And now.

“Either die or step aside.”

She was truly irritated by this mysterious man standing before her.

This inexplicable sense of discomfort had been tickling her insides from the beginning.

What could it be?

‘Mental interference?’

The moment their eyes met, her entire body nearly collapsed as her strength drained away.

Belladis couldn’t accept what was happening to her. So she attacked him with everything she had.

-Clang! Claaang!

But the man deflected all her attacks and looked down at her with an infuriating composure.

His gentle smile remained unwavering.

He continued speaking incomprehensible words, trying to converse with her.

She never suspected this was due to the schemes of someone who had descended specifically for a fan meeting.

“Who are you, really?”

The more they conversed, the more the discomfort she’d been feeling continued to torment her.

The situation intensified as time passed.

As Belladis’s patience wore thin and she prepared to launch a greater attack—

“…!”

Her body froze at the distinct killing intent she sensed from somewhere.

A chill ran down her spine, her senses sharpening.

The familiar presence she so despised was approaching.

The Black Sun.

The divine power that had plunged Belladis’s life into hell suddenly appeared between them.

The half-crazed priest moved at a speed difficult to follow with the naked eye, foaming at the mouth.

The apostle of the Black Sun, a priest, had been granted absolute power.

The Black Sun’s priestly robes fluttering in the void, the fierce sound of air being cut.

“…!”

Belladis tried to react and counter, but the man before her was distracting.

The confusion that descended in that split second interfered with her judgment.

And so.

The apostle, backed by the Black Sun’s divine power, broke into her attack range.

A slash wrapped in black flames tore through the veil and seeped into the man’s body.

The mysterious barrier that had withstood all her attacks was easily breached by the apostle’s strike.

-Splat!

The man’s blood splattered onto Belladis’s cheek.

She was considerably shocked by this brutal development.

How could this be?

Were they not of the same faction? Was the man truly unrelated to the Black Sun as he had claimed?

‘Then why?’

Why had he tried to stop them?

As these questions arose, a cold sensation invaded Belladis’s mind.

“Blood Memory (A)”

Her inherent characteristic activated, drawing out familiar memories from the past.

“…Huh?”

Belladis wiped her cheek with a puzzled expression.

From the warm, still-wet substance on her fingers, she faced an unbelievable reality.

The familiar scent entering her nostrils, the sensation, the memory.

The saving hand that had rescued her from the hell unfolding in the Black Sun Order’s basement in the past.

The divine being who had opposed her alongside the goddess who had come at his behest.

The rushing memories tormented Belladis.

Every cell in her body awakened, pointing to her master’s presence here on this land.

The man who had taken the apostle’s attack in her place.

It was impossible.

It shouldn’t be possible.

‘Why?’

Why did he carry the same scent as her god?

She knew well that such questioning was foolish.

In truth, she couldn’t accept it.

“…Huff.”

Blood-soaked wings gently folded.

The man’s body began to collapse, as if it could no longer endure.

It was a strike imbued with the power of a constellation.

A mere human cannot harm a higher being, but it’s different when they are of the same rank.

Before reason could catch up, instinct pushed her forward.

Belladis leaped toward the falling man with a startled cry.

-Thud.

And caught him.

Belladis supported the man’s frame, still bleeding.

“Ah, why, no.”

Her trembling lips betrayed her confusion.

Belladis had fallen into a great panic.

Her crimson eyes shook violently as she carefully examined the man she held in her arms.

The man was beautiful.

As if her god’s existence had been painted and brought to this world, he couldn’t have looked more perfect.

He was captivating even as his life ebbed away, elevating this to the realm of decadence.

Belladis’s body was responding to the man.

That she surely knew this man. That she couldn’t reject him.

“Vera.”

The nickname she had so desperately longed for flowed from the man’s lips.

“How happy I am to meet you like this.”

His face, drained of a considerable amount of blood, was quite gaunt.

As if his breath might stop at any moment, the man pitifully took in Belladis’s presence with his eyes.

Belladis could no longer pretend not to know.

“My… Lord…?”

“Do you recognize me?”

Belladis’s breath stopped for a moment.

“How… is this possible…?”

It’s easier for constellations to take human form than to bestow blessings.

This is a well-known fact, and throughout long history, there have even been cases where constellations directly became human.

However, it rarely happened because taking the form of a mere creation would lower their authority too much.

Such a rare event had occurred right before her.

And it was her god, whom she had wanted to love with her life, who had descended directly.

Belladis’s despair didn’t end there.

Her god had been severely injured by an outside force.

This reality alone made Belladis’s insides feel like they were being torn apart.

“Ah, ah…”

Looking at her god’s blood pooled in her arms, Belladis felt a certain impulse.

Even in this situation, I’m revealing such base desires.

“I couldn’t bear to see you suffering anymore.”

Belladis’s god, Ron, willingly opened his mouth to convey his intentions.

“To see you hating each other, hurting each other, casting yourselves into hell…”

Huff, hoo.

Breathing as if about to break, he stroked Vera’s cheek with his hand.

Since there was blood on it, he was actually making her face dirtier, but the warmth was definitely conveyed.

“Kraaaah!!”

The Black Sun’s priest, failing to read the atmosphere, charged in a frenzy, but Belladis’s fierce gaze fell upon him.

-Boom!

Magic power, carefully controlled to not affect her god, sent the unwelcome guest flying far away.

The unconscious apostle showed no signs of getting up again.

“‘Incarnation of the Black Sun’ screams at the sight of his devotee.”

Setting aside the message window ringing from somewhere, Ron focused on his devotee.

‘Wow.’

So damn charismatic.

Seeing her expression change in an instant up close was like watching a masterful actor perform.

The face full of anger returned to him, becoming like a rain-soaked puppy watching his reactions.

The entire process was so admirable and lovely that Ron wanted to break character and do backflips.

‘Hold back.’

The sense of discomfort, and the dramatic meeting.

The atmosphere was heating up.

Sacrifice is a proper virtue of a constellation.

These things come together to form leadership, which returns to me.

In the form of the precious resource called ‘faith points.’

“Would you like to use holy blood on your devotee, ‘Belladis’?”

Yes.

Though it won’t have any effect now, what matters is selling the memories.

Belladis showed another surprised reaction as she sensed the change.

It was the moment that drove home her near-certain suspicion.

“This, this is…”

“Vera. My love, my child.”

As a final step, Ron decided to give his devotee a gift.

The gift was self-love.

Even at this moment, Ron felt something for her as she blamed herself for her desire for blood.

Now that the game had become reality.

Ron, who had been a player of the game, wanted his devotee to be happy.

Because that way, the order and everyone could be happy.

But there was one problem.

‘So what do I do now?’

While he had successfully created a dramatic life-or-death moment, he had missed the timing to recover and get up.

Ron had inadvertently become a dying constellation in his devotee’s arms.

‘Still, I have to do what needs to be done.’

“Will you make one promise to me?”

“My Lord.”

“Promise me that you will no longer hate yourself.”

Ron decided to just speak and then gently close his eyes.

“‘Incarnation of the Black Sun’ asks what about him.”

Oh right.

He opened his eyes again after almost closing them.

If he just left like this, the Black Sun Order would disintegrate.

“…And one more thing, please stop the holy war. I’ll be fine.”

“Ah, I understand my Lord, I will follow everything you wish. So please…!”

Seeing Ron’s serious condition, Belladis acted as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

“Huff, you don’t need to worry. I’m slowly recovering anyway.”

Ron showed his wound to reassure Belladis.

Indeed, the bleeding had stopped, and the wound was healing on its own.

“So.”

Ron said that much, and then truly closed his eyes, pretending to lose consciousness.

One reason was that Belladis’s embrace was more comfortable than expected.

Having descended to the mortal realm as a constellation, nothing could frighten him.

Ron was simply enjoying himself throughout.

Holding the unconscious Ron, Belladis lifted his body in a princess carry.

‘Ah, this is a bit…’

Ron felt embarrassed by the unexpected position, but it was too late to take it back.

The fortunate thing was that she obediently followed his words and started heading back.

-Step. Step.

In the silence that had fallen over the gathering, Belladis quietly spoke.

“Let’s return, with our Lord.”

“Aah…! Father God…!”

“Sob…!”

Sniffling sounds could be heard from all around.

Though Ron didn’t see it with his eyes, he could be certain that everyone gathered here was moved.

With this, the fan meeting was completely successful.

‘Is that enough now?’

“‘Incarnation of the Black Sun’ nods glumly.”

‘Huh? You’re not satisfied?’

“‘Incarnation of the Black Sun’ hastily gives applause.”

With everyone winning, the situation was successfully concluded.