**Ch-36.**
—
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The approaching sound was so loud and earth-shaking that it could hardly be called footsteps.
Was this what the tread of a dragon from legend sounded like?
The tremor, almost like an earthquake, shook the annex.
“So you’re quite angry.”
The man in the bright crimson robe spoke.
There were hardly any wrinkles on him, yet his eyes were like a bottomless abyss—too deep to give the impression of youth.
He sat comfortably as if this annex were his own living room, a cup of liquor resting in his hand.
Thud. Thud. Thud…
As the steps drew closer, the vibrations intensified, but the man’s body did not sway in the slightest. The liquor in his cup remained perfectly still.
“Still got that fiery temper?”
He raised the cup to his lips as he asked.
The old man seated opposite him said nothing, his lips pressed shut.
The High Priest of the Church of Order.
With the Goddess in deep slumber, this old man was the one leading the Order.
“No need to ask, I suppose.”
After emptying his drink, the man’s gaze shifted.
Right beside him, another figure in the same red robe knelt. The person’s body occasionally staggered, unable to withstand the tremors.
The man clicked his tongue.
“My cup’s empty.”
Without a word, a bottle was lifted. The bottle shook. The pouring liquor trembled. But fortunately, not a drop spilled.
The man glanced down at the precariously filled cup and nodded.
“Care for a drink as well?”
—BOOM!
The annex shook violently.
Chuckling, the man turned his head.
The window stood wide open.
A woman in white clerical robes stood perched on the sill.
“Was I supposed to use the door?”
Lorellia glanced at the High Priest as she asked.
The High Priest sighed softly.
“I don’t think that’s a question that requires answering.”
“As expected of you, High Priest. Very wise. Lorellia has already entered through the window. A window is just another kind of door, after all!”
Her voice was bright, yet her face bore no smile.
Blood-red light seeped from her eyes as her gaze left the High Priest and fixed on the man.
“Old man.”
Her lips twisted coldly.
“Did you come looking for your grave site?”
“I heard you committed a crime and got locked up. Seems prison life suited you well enough.”
The man—
The **Heavenly Demon**—
chuckled and raised his cup again.
“I didn’t come to fight. Put that killing intent away. It ruins the taste of the liquor.”
“If you love drinking that much, why don’t you drink in your own room instead of here?”
Lorellia spat the words and jumped down from the window. She strode past the Heavenly Demon and flopped down beside the High Priest.
“How did you even find this place?”
“If I wish to go somewhere, I can go anywhere.”
He answered with a laugh.
At that, a bloody gleam flashed in Lorellia’s eyes.
It had already been twenty years since the Order had been expelled from the Union and secluded themselves in this sanctuary.
Food was self-sufficient from the land, but other supplies were scarce.
Problems involving possessors. The slumbering Goddess. A string of misfortunes.
The Order’s finances were always poor.
No new believers came. Most old ones had turned away.
The only reason they could still live here in seclusion was—
Because some believers hadn’t abandoned their faith. They hid their identities outside and sent offerings. Even those who weren’t believers sent donations out of old ties.
Had someone among them leaked the sanctuary’s location to the Demonic Cult?
Who?
She didn’t want to suspect the faithful, but everything entering the sanctuary was thoroughly screened.
“Which rat sold out the home of my brothers and sisters?”
“Am I obligated to answer?”
“If you refuse, Lorellia will simply fulfill her duty as the Order’s violence!”
“You think you can get the answer from me by force? With your level, that’s impossible.”
The Heavenly Demon set down his cup.
“You’ve improved since the last time I saw you, but you’re still not strong enough to kill me. You know that, don’t you?”
“What if we die together?”
“Worth trying. Still unlikely.”
“Even if mutual destruction fails, if I rip off your arm before I die, that wouldn’t be a worthless death.”
“My arm for your life? The scale doesn’t balance. But if you want to try, go ahead.”
He smiled lightly at her.
Her blazing blood-red aura could not swallow the abyss in his eyes.
But Lorellia didn’t care.
She was the fire that carried out heaven’s punishment.
The asura who destroyed evil.
The apostle who corrected heaven’s laws.
Crack…
Her fingers slowly curled.
A killing intent vast enough to burn the entire world focused solely on the Heavenly Demon.
“Hm.”
He tilted his head, intrigued.
“Your divine art has reached an impressive level. But you still haven’t severed your attachments.”
“Nonsense.”
“I didn’t come to fight you. I just thought I’d see your face after a long time.”
“Lorellia has no intention of conversing with you.”
“Is that so? What a shame.”
Just as her killing intent continued to rise—
The High Priest, who had been silent with closed eyes, let out a long sigh.
“It was me.”
The sudden declaration startled Lorellia.
Without opening his eyes, he continued.
“I contacted the Heavenly Demonic Cult myself.”
“High Priest? Lorelia does not understand what you’re saying!”
“I requested aid.”
His eyes opened and met hers.
“The War Church and several others are searching for us. Not only that—the cultists of the Evil God are hunting us too. Among them are possessors who were once guided by your brothers and sisters… and then killed them.”
“….”
“Many who lost loved ones to possessors resent us as well. Some still support us, yes. But when all that killing intent reaches here, how many will gladly draw their swords to protect us? Until now, the sanctuary’s barrier has hidden us. But we must prepare.”
Lorellia said nothing.
Her killing intent remained, but the High Priest didn’t back down.
His words were painfully realistic.
The Order’s situation was so dire they had no choice but to seek help from the Demonic Cult.
Enemies targeting them were countless.
“A realistic compromise, isn’t it?”
The Heavenly Demon chuckled and lifted his cup again.
“I bear no particular grudge against the Order. If you bow your heads and enter, there’s no reason I wouldn’t take you in.”
Liquor rose from the bottle and poured itself into his cup like rain.
“Lorelia cannot accept that.”
She glared at the High Priest.
“You know what the Demonic Cult is! There are fiends who kill for fun! Perverts who lust after children’s blood! Cannibals who chew flesh and drink blood to improve their **blood arts**!”
She knew.
The Demonic Cult was a group of madmen seeking godhood through demonic paths—paths beyond human morality.
Most so-called Demon Heads were inhuman lunatics.
“The Demonic Cult’s very existence disrupts order and spreads chaos! And we, who must protect order, are to be protected by them? What kind of contradiction is that?!”
“Lorellia.”
The High Priest sighed deeply.
“Who do you think is closest to **god-slaying** right now?”
“….”
“I know the answer. It’s not the Sword Emperor. Not you. Not the War Church’s champion. Not the Martial Zeniths. Not Black Night. Not Heaven Thunder. Not the Radiant Wheel Dharma King.”
His gaze moved forward.
“It’s the Heavenly Demon.”
“….”
“I don’t deny your claims. I too believe the Demonic Path is evil. But the one closest to killing the Evil God… is him.”
Now it was Lorellia who closed her eyes.
“The Goddess of Order wished for the Evil God’s death. She devoted herself to the possessors and fell into slumber. We guided them in her place. And because of that, the Order has fallen.”
“….”
“I… do not resent the Goddess. But I cannot stand by and watch our brothers and sisters be cursed and die.”
“Lorellia will prevent that.”
“One hand cannot block ten.”
“If it becomes known that we’re protected by the Demonic Cult, the world will laugh at the Order.”
“If the Evil God dies and the Goddess awakens… I will stand on the War Church’s gallows.”
Lorelia’s eyes snapped open.
The High Priest’s face was calm.
“My neck alone won’t erase all blame… but it will serve as a symbol of responsibility.”
“I’ll build a training ground.”
The Heavenly Demon, who had been drinking alone while listening, finally spoke.
“The most convenient solution would be for all of you to relocate to the Demonic Domain. But I hear you cannot leave this sanctuary?”
“…”
“The mountains around here look quite suitable. If I place the young ones who aspire to become the future of the Heavenly Demonic Cult into those mountains to live and train… perhaps a dragon will be born among them.”
If a Demonic Cult training ground were established in the nearby hills, the enemies of the Church of Order would not dare approach. And unless information leaked, no one would know the Order was under the Cult’s protection.
In the end, the Order would survive by sheltering under the Demonic Cult.
Though she was called the Calamity Saint, her devotion to the Order and her faith in the Goddess were unquestionable. In this matter, Lorellia had no choice.
—A training ground…
“A dragon?”
Lorellia’s lips twisted.
“A poisonous insect pit, more like.”
At her mutter, the Heavenly Demon smiled quietly.
She glared at that smile and asked,
“…And what do you demand in return for this aid?”
“I ask nothing of the Order.”
The Heavenly Demon replied, finishing his drink.
“As for what I desire from you, Lorellia… hm. I’m not sure.”
He stroked his chin with a faint smile.
“I hear that if a possessor kills the Evil God, the Goddess of Order grants a wish. May I make one as well?”
“…”
“I’ve considered it, but it doesn’t tempt me much. I can already achieve anything I wish. But who knows? Perhaps in the distant future I’ll desire something beyond even my own power.”
He set down the empty cup.
“That day may never come. Still, it’s good to leave possibilities open.”
He wanted nothing now—but would offer aid.
That was the Heavenly Demon’s intent.
Lorellia stared at him silently, then shifted her gaze to the kneeling figure beside him.
“Is that your disciple?”
The build suggested a woman, but a white mask obscured her face.
“There are rumors she’s a possessor. Is that why she hides her face? Pointless nonsense. Even bare-faced, your assigned priest wouldn’t have revealed her identity.”
“She may not be a possessor.”
The Heavenly Demon answered in place of his silent disciple.
“She wears the mask because her face bears severe burn scars.”
“My name is Bi-yeon.”
The voice that came through the mask was hoarse. Upon closer inspection, burn scars marked her skin. Her voice, too, seemed damaged by fire.
“I hear possessors who join the Demonic Cult capture other possessors, grind them down, and turn them into elixirs.”
Lorellia looked down at Bi-yeon.
“Did you feed such an elixir to your disciple?”
“I said she may not be a possessor.”
“I have no intention of playing word games with you.”
“If you want answers from me, offer something entertaining in exchange. What crime did you commit to be confined to the Punishment Hall?”
It was a question she could not answer.
Even if she could, she had no desire to.
Lorellia smiled brightly. The Heavenly Demon laughed as if he’d expected nothing less.
“Do you still possess our Cult’s sacred relic?”
“So that’s why you summoned me. You wish to reclaim what was taken? Planning to gift it to your disciple?”
“No. I have no intention of taking it back. Nor of giving it to her.”
“Good. I already destroyed it.”
“Then it is not in your possession now.”
“Think what you like.”
The Heavenly Demon regarded her smiling face with amusement.
After a moment, he rose.
“There’s no need to continue this conversation. I’ll be going.”
Bi-yeon stood as well.
The empty bottle and cup silently crumbled into dust and vanished.
“Why summon Lorellia at all?”
“I wanted to see you.”
Standing with his hands behind his back, the Heavenly Demon looked down at her.
“I wished to see how much stronger you’ve become since the last time. As I said—your divine art has advanced splendidly. But you still haven’t cast off your delusion. Am I wrong?”
“Nonsense.”
“Lorellia. We share old ties, so I’ll offer advice.”
His abyssal eyes curved.
“Faith is of no help in casting off mortal shackles and challenging divinity.”
“…”
“You know the answer best. What you cannot abandon. What binds you. What makes you hesitate. What makes you doubt…”
He extended a finger into the air.
Rip—rrrip…
As his finger slowly descended, space itself tore open. The widening tear became a black doorway.
“Awaken from delusion, Lorellia. Discard and burn away what binds you. Temper and forge yourself anew. Advice from an elder brother to his junior.”
“Perhaps you truly have grown old.”
Lorellia’s red gaze gleamed dangerously.
“Spouting such ridiculous advice. Has the time come for you to die?”
“Who could kill me?”
The Heavenly Demon laughed softly and stepped into the doorway. Only after Bi-yeon was swallowed by it did space knit itself shut.
He was gone.
Yet Lorellia continued staring at where he had stood for a long time.
“I am but a mere priest. I must follow the High Priest’s decision.”
The silence broke.
Lorelia rose and turned to the High Priest.
“So Lorelia will say nothing further for now! But if one day you stand upon the War Church’s gallows, I shall shed tears of regret for you.”
“You speak cruelly.”
“You made me this way.”
With that, she strode to the window and placed a foot on the sill.
“Will you return to the Punishment Hall?”
“It is true that Lorellia committed a crime. I lack your courage to mount a gallows, but I will return to the Punishment Hall and repent while staring at its walls.”
“He.”
The High Priest’s voice stopped her.
“Do you believe he can kill the Evil God?”
“You know that information regarding possessors cannot be spoken.”
“I ask your heart.”
The meeting half a year ago.
Lorelia smiled.
“I only follow divine will.”
