Lucifer, Who Guides Evil – 5

Could all the demons in Hell possess enough power to demand immense sacrifices from humans? The answer was no.

This was because the very caliber of demons capable of appearing in the human world was fundamentally different.

In Hell, where only greater power was truth and law, a being capable of receiving and claiming the offerings raised by demon worshipers could not possibly be weak. If they were weak, they wouldn’t even get such an opportunity.

And demons, too, had to be prepared for permanent annihilation by divine power the moment they stepped into the human world, so only demons confident in their abilities would respond to a summons.

Furthermore, in most cases, they appeared having received live sacrifices, their power at its peak, and even gained more power from nearby humans as soon as they were summoned.

These various facts combined meant that a demon appearing in the human world became a being that even the Holy Kingdom had to endure significant damage to deal with.

ㅡKieeeeeek!

Conversely, this meant that the majority of them were insignificant.

The screams of demons covered the heavens and earth. It was, of course, impossible for such weak demons to withstand the Holy Kingdom’s elite forces, who had deliberately launched an invasion.

The sun rose, tearing through the blood-red sky. A golden flash spread across the blood-stained heavens. The entire land blazed brightly, casting a sacred and brilliant radiance.

Hundreds of demons, engulfed in sunlight, shrieked in agony, flailing like fish out of water. Eyes, heads, torsos, arms, legs. Everything the light touched melted and vanished.

The Holy Knights, with the scorching sunlight at their backs, moved with even greater vigor. Blessed weapons slaughtered the flailing demons that collapsed on the spot.

Beside the sun, a round moon had also risen. A silver veil unfurled amidst the golden light that covered the sky. A chilling aura pierced through the radiance and settled in between.

Hundreds of demons, bathed in moonlight, froze stiff on the spot. Unlike the demons flailing madly and screaming while engulfed in sunlight, the demons affected by moonlight did not scream or thrash wildly.

They simply, quietly, collapsed one after another, remaining in their stiff, frozen postures. The demons who fell in this manner could never rise to their feet again.

Battle nuns, with the cold moonlight at their backs, crushed the heads of the fallen demons on the ground one by one.

“If the Sun embraces us, what should we do?”

“We must show the faith we possess!”

“Exactly.”

Hearing the voices reverberating across the battlefield, Stella smiled contentedly and raised her war hammer.

A weight heavier than a human head slammed into the crown of a demon’s head. The creature was vertically compressed and driven into the ground without even a squeak. Blood and flesh burst from the mass of meat that was once a demon.

Behind Stella, battle nuns, armed with shields and war hammers, followed, letting out powerful shouts.

“Heaven is for the faithful.”

“Grant Hell to those who do not believe.”

“Now, there will be no place left for them to set foot even in Hell.”

Selene, who had added a line of prayer in a chilling voice to the battle cry of the Inquisitors she originally used, raised her rapier.

The sharp, awl-like tip of the blade entered the demon’s right ear canal, thoroughly churning its brain. Then, with not an inch of error, it emerged from the left ear canal.

Behind Selene, the battle nuns melted and scattered like shadows.

While the faithful, bathed in sunlight and moonlight, personally carried out their righteous cause, Floretta and Luna slowly walked across the battlefield, illuminating it with holy relics.

The small sun held by the Pope of the Sun. The small moon held by the Pope of the Moon. These alone were enough to endlessly boost morale.

“Sister.”

“Yes, Evangelina.”

“They’re weaker than what’s recorded in the scriptures, aren’t they?”

“You felt it too?”

The sisters exchanged glances and smiled faintly. The scriptures recorded that upon entering Hell, demons instinctively sensed the threat and swarmed “like grains of sand on a beach.”

But now it was different. Although their numbers were far greater than their opponents’, it was clear that there were gaps here and there, and crucially, not a single demon that could pose a significant threat was visible.

If there had been such a demon, the Pope would have personally stepped forward.

“Could Honored Guest-nim and the Emperor have dealt with them?”

“They might have.”

Naturally, their thoughts turned to Delta and Kaikilia. To the two who had fallen into Hell a few steps ahead of them.

If the Holy Sword wielder and the one blessed by God were traveling together, it would surely be an easy feat for just the two of them to accomplish such a great achievement.

Floretta and Luna walked along, chatting casually, completely unconcerned. Everywhere their feet touched turned into barren land under the sunlight and moonlight.

Holy power had no ability to devastate land, but due to the special environment of Hell, the holy power produced an effect akin to extreme poison.

Even after this purification, it still wouldn’t be a place for humans to live, but the same applied to demons.

Since they were all going to die anyway, what did it matter if they couldn’t live here?

“Your Holinesses? We’ve almost arrived at the designated location.”

“There were about a hundred minor injuries and thirty serious ones, but they have all recovered safely.”

Stella and Selene approached. The faces of the Popes brightened upon receiving the report that they had almost arrived.

The location where the transfer gate opened was not far from Lucifer’s castle. They had deliberately set the coordinates for a nearby place. To meet the Honored Guest-nim as quickly as possible.

As if Floretta and Luna’s wishes had reached them, the castle soon came into view. Their footsteps quickened slightly. The parched ground, trampled by their high heels, spewed dust.

This was especially true for Floretta, who had felt intense guilt after the explosion had engulfed the Honored Guest-nim. Every one of her movements exuded urgency.

Although God had assured them that the Honored Guest-nim was perfectly fine, she still wanted to see with her own eyes that they were safe.

Soon, the two arrived before a massive castle, comparable in size to the Holy Kingdom’s Grand Cathedral or the Empire’s Imperial Palace. The castle gate was firmly shut.

“Stand aside.”

Luna stepped forward, raising her holy relic. The battle nuns and Holy Knights who had arrived earlier and gathered split to the left and right. The full moon floating at the tip of her staff emitted a brilliant light.

The castle gate melted entirely.

Originally, it would have merely been broken, not melted. Since it was a structure built in Hell, it was naturally filled with demonic energy, and this incident occurred because it was greatly affected by holy power.

Floretta and Luna stepped into the castle without hesitation. None of those around them said they would go first to prepare for any potential danger, even though it could be dangerous.

Why would they, when even the entire group here combined couldn’t defeat a single Pope? It was a needless worry.

“……What happened?”

“……I don’t know either, Sister.”

A path made of demon blood greeted the Popes. Unlike when Kaikilia and Delta visited, there was a difference: the blood had hardened slightly after some time had passed.

The Pope’s reaction was obvious. The dark red, hardened blood purified by holy power and melted away. Soon, the entire castle began to shake. This happened as the castle was purified along with it.

“It doesn’t seem like something Honored Guest-nim would have done.”

“Then, the Emperor…?”

“I don’t think so…”

Luna trailed off.

It would be rational to assume that since Honored Guest-nim entered first and there were no demons left, the people who came first had cleared everything. However, neither of them had the personality to do such a thing.

Floretta and Luna entered the inner castle, filled with questions.

“……Pope?”

They found Kaikilia staring blankly into the air.

Kaikilia, confirming the arrival of Luna and Floretta, opened her mouth with a slightly surprised expression.

“The question of ‘why are you here’… is unnecessary. If that woman escaped safely, she would surely have sought your help.”

“That’s right.”

“What are you doing here, Your Majesty, Emperor of the Empire?”

The Holy Sword pointed at the empty air.

“I am waiting for the audacious subordinate who dared to abandon me here.”

“I thought you were fighting to kill the King of Demons with Honored Guest-nim.”

“That insignificant wretch, who falsely claimed to be king, dragged Delta into another dimension. In my view, it was precisely the kind of behavior I expected. To dare bring me all the way here and then hunt the biggest one alone, is he not a truly disloyal subordinate? I shall punish him severely when he returns.”

Kaikilia scoffed. Floretta and Luna tilted their heads.

“Honored Guest-nim alone-“

Before the words could even finish, the entire castle shook with a chilling sound as if space itself was twisting.

Kaikilia frowned and gripped her Holy Sword, Floretta and Luna raised their holy relics, and the others became highly vigilant of their surroundings.

“……So that’s it.”

As the chilling sound echoed once more, an arm covered in tree roots burst through the tearing space.

The arm covered in tree roots slammed hard onto the floor.