Ch.9232. New Fire (1)

Soso’s expression hardened.

“What happened? Were the priests attacked by someone?”

The priests were supposed to guard the area around this Ash Forest while I obtained Parma’s Sacred Flame.

‘They all seemed like skilled priests. What could have happened?’

They weren’t just ordinary priests, but included Inquisitors who specialized in combat.

But this didn’t seem like an ordinary attack. The words I heard over the radio just now were unmistakably about internal conflict.

“Father Romeo was the leader of those priests. To think he was a traitor all along.”

“Betrayal? That’s right. Someone was screaming for help. What on earth could have…”

I couldn’t understand the full situation either. But I could sense that something was very wrong in the Ash Forest.

“The demonic energy in the area is churning violently. It feels similar to when we were at the epicenter where Crosel was awakening.”

“Crosel? Could it be that an archdemon…”

But summoning an archdemon isn’t that simple. Like with Crosel, a wide area becomes completely territorialized. That’s the precursor to an archdemon’s appearance.

‘This feels somewhat different from that time.’

However, now was the time to act rather than think. Soso and I completely exited the cathedral.

“Let’s hurry to where the priests are.”

Soso nodded. Outside, it was still afternoon with the sun up, but dark clouds covered everything, making the surroundings colorless.

‘Truly ashen.’

The original Hong-ok has always been a sacred object that reacts to the demonic energy of monsters or demons.

And now that I had obtained the sacred object of the White Cross Society, my sensitivity to ominous energy had been greatly enhanced.

Without a doubt, the demonic energy throughout the forest was changing. Even if not an archdemon, I had a persistent feeling that something was about to appear.

The two of us retraced the path we had taken to the cathedral. Soso, using her Heavenly Demon Divine Technique in earnest, moved at an unbelievable speed.

“Should I slow down a bit?”

“No, keep going. I can keep up.”

At this pace, we could probably cover 100 meters in under 3 seconds. But I was following Soso without difficulty.

It was the agility enhancement effect of the Wind Cutter. Like a sailing ship catching a favorable wind, I moved quickly with the Wind Cutter’s assistance.

After moving like that, we finally detected signs of people.

“Ugh… filthy… villain…”

A severely injured priest was fleeing. Only two priests remained, both Inquisitors. Soso and I joined them.

“What happened?”

“Y-you’re from Flame. Ugh… Father Romeo betrayed us. He was a villain!”

One Inquisitor said.

“And not just an ordinary villain, but a demon contractor!”

The other Inquisitor’s expression turned desperate. Soso also looked surprised.

“A demon contractor… how could a priest of the White Cross Society?”

But Soso soon fell silent.

After all, she had seen Cha Min-ah—once a promising nun of the White Cross Society—become an archdemon’s contractor right before her eyes.

The other Inquisitor explained the situation in more detail.

At the moment we obtained Parma’s Sacred Flame, Father Romeo suddenly transformed.

Black eyes and black horns. Black demonic energy rising instead of holy power. He changed into his true form as a demon contractor and suddenly began attacking the priests.

“Our group was an elite party with not only regular clergy skilled in healing and buff spells, but also Inquisitors. Yet five of us were killed by Father Romeo and the traitors.”

Father Romeo was a high-ranking clergyman, but reportedly not skilled enough in combat to face Inquisitors.

‘But a contract with a demon rewards one with tremendous demonic energy and physical enhancement.’

And there were two more traitors among the priests who had allied with Romeo.

‘Since the Archbishop personally assigned this mission, the Inquisitors must have been elites. For them to be killed like this…’

I asked the Inquisitor:

“So where did those three traitors go?”

“After failing to eliminate us three, they headed somewhere in the forest. Romeo shouted something about claiming the remnant of the archdemon that would awaken here…”

His words made Romeo’s objective clear. The epicenter where the archdemon was summoned. This place where Parma’s Sacred Flame was containing the aftershocks and residual thoughts of that summoning.

‘So that was the feeling that something was about to appear.’

At that moment, I saw pitch-black fog gathering in the distant sky. It seemed like the unsealed thoughts were absorbing the forest’s energy and materializing.

I distributed emergency healing potions from my backpack to the two of them. Both seemed to have barely avoided fatal wounds, but engaging in combat in their condition seemed impossible.

“Please recover here. The two of us will pursue those traitors.”

“They are… especially Father Romeo is dangerous! If he absorbs those thoughts, he’ll become a demon itself…”

But the two soon directed their gaze to my palm. The stigmata that was glowing in response to the demonic thoughts.

The two made the sign of the cross with reverent expressions as they looked at me.

“So you successfully obtained Parma’s Sacred Flame…”

They spoke with expressions of great surprise. I nodded.

“So please leave this to us two.”

“Understood. But those three are demon contractors… extremely dangerous individuals!”

“We’ll be careful. Don’t worry too much.”

After saying that, I left my backpack with them, and Soso and I hurried toward the place where the thoughts were being summoned.

***

Finding Romeo wasn’t difficult.

At the place where the thoughts were being summoned, where the stigmata was reacting, we found him and his companions.

“Well, well. You’ve finally arrived. We were about to come looking for you, so you’ve saved us the trouble.”

Romeo smiled at us. When he first guided us, he was a kind-looking middle-aged priest.

But now, with pitch-black eyes, strange brown skin that didn’t feel human, and grown black horns…

He stood before us in the complete form of a demon.

“So you were a traitor from the beginning.”

He nodded at my words.

“I’ve been hiding my true self in that disgusting Temple of Ayel for a long time. Pretending to pray devoutly every day nearly drove me insane. Though being a high priest of Ayel is quite a good position for tasting human women, heh heh.”

His subordinates joined in with equally disgusting laughter. Like Romeo, they had already transformed into demonic forms.

They were the worst kind of villains—those who had contracted with demons.

At that moment, Romeo’s gaze turned to my hand.

“Oh. The stigmata’s reaction has grown stronger. So you’ve obtained Parma’s Sacred Flame.”

“What if I have?”

“Good. Since you’ve done the hard work, we should express our gratitude.”

With exaggerated gestures, like a stage actor, he bowed to me.

“Thanks to you breaking the seal of the Sacred Flame, we can now take these great thoughts for ourselves. I should thank you a hundred times over! Hahaha!”

As if high on drugs, the three couldn’t stop laughing. Just as he said, the thoughts that had formed into a pitch-black sphere were now being absorbed into Romeo.

“Ahhh… such great power flowing into me. Indeed… as humans, you could never feel this joy and strength. Just as lowly insects cannot comprehend the pleasures of higher animals.”

Romeo’s aura changed. Even Soso, who had been looking disgusted, became serious.

“Incredible killing intent. That Romeo guy is at least equivalent to an S-rank villain, or maybe even beyond.”

As Soso said, the forest’s thoughts were strengthening the three of them. They must know I possess the Sacred Flame, but they showed no fear at all.

One of his subordinate priests shouted at us:

“Heh. Parma’s Sacred Flame isn’t much after all.”

“Right? If that flame were real, it would have already destroyed these great thoughts. It’s not Parma’s Sacred Flame but Parma’s Candle, isn’t it?”

They mocked. But they weren’t entirely wrong.

‘The original Sacred Flame could only suppress the thoughts, not completely destroy them.’

Now I understand why. A Sacred Flame without an owner would have limitations in maintaining its power.

“Wait. I heard those two are A-rank and B-rank hunters? One is supposedly the daughter of the Five Great Celestial Families, but they don’t look like much. Though her face is pretty decent. Anyway, since the great power has chosen us, you should just crawl! Though your fate of death won’t change. Hahaha!”

Another priest continued:

“Hold on. We absolutely can’t just kill those two!”

“Why not? The one with that blasphemous Sacred Flame should have his limbs cut off…”

“Yeah, that’s it. Especially that woman with the decent face and excellent figure—shouldn’t we have a taste first?”

“Hahaha! That’s exactly what I meant. Wait, I actually prefer the man over the woman!”

“Ugh! A former priest making such filthy jokes. Hehehe.”

“Either way, both would be good to play with before killing. We’re demon contractors, so any pleasure is intensified, you know! Hahaha!”

Soso fell silent. Her eyes became lifeless. Her hands were trembling.

“Did… did they just say that about you, Minsu…?”

It seemed she was more upset by their disgusting remarks about me than their lewd comments about her.

‘I’m disgusted too.’

But I maintained my composure. These weren’t ordinary corrupt priests.

Information about Parma’s Sacred Flame, and knowledge that breaking its seal would summon an archdemon’s thoughts like this—a high-ranking priest whose true identity was a villain, and the worst kind at that: a demon contractor.

‘There must be someone behind all this.’

I whispered to Soso:

“Stay calm. This is a typical demonic tactic. If your mind wavers, you might fall prey to their curses or illusions, so be careful.”

Soso bit her lip hard. She looked unable to contain her anger, but thankfully my words calmed her down.

‘And I need to extract more information from those guys.’

Fortunately, like villains dominated by lustful thoughts, they couldn’t stop running their mouths.

Empowered by the archdemon’s thoughts, they were flaunting their perceived superiority.

Father Romeo said:

“Wait. I get to taste that woman first. And that man must be captured alive and brought to the Holy Maiden, so don’t harm him carelessly.”

“R-really? Damn, it’s been a while since I’ve had a man!”

“This guy was serious. Hehehe. A priest who’s gay… Hahaha!”

The villains’ manic behavior didn’t stop for a moment. But more than their reactions, I focused on Romeo’s mention of a “Holy Maiden.”

“Holy Maiden? Who are you talking about?”

Romeo answered my question with a smile:

“The contractor of the great archdemon. The Holy Maiden who will physically receive the Red Lord. You two must have seen her recently? She was quite disappointed that she couldn’t properly talk with you during your brief meeting.”

From his words, I immediately realized who this “Holy Maiden” was.

‘So these guys are villains connected to Cha Min-ah.’

If that’s the case, I can guess their identities. Undercover priests planted in the Far East Diocese by the Red Lake. Demons who concealed their demonic nature with holiness. Villains of the same kind as Cha Min-ah.

‘And their objective is undoubtedly that.’

Romeo was absorbing the pitch-black thoughts into his body. Powerful demonic energy that made me break into a cold sweat just by looking at it.

It seemed they were trying to recover those thoughts through Romeo’s body. If those thoughts fell into the hands of the Red Lake, it would cause serious problems.

‘Time to make a move.’

Now that I knew their objective and that Cha Min-ah was behind this, it was time to end listening to their disgusting voices.

“Are you done talking?”

With my words, Parma’s Sacred Flame ignited on the bodies of the two subordinates.