Chapter 220 – The Temple of the Nephilim (3)
XTgHVThe saint Yu Sein watched the hero.x4rjU
eqPpYNA face carved like a sculpture and a personality without edges. Was it only his appearance and character? He was also the only one in the current era to manifest a spiritual-grade blessing — the “Blessing of the Miracle.” Moreover, he was the bearer of “Balmung,” the sacred and demonic sword at once.3I4Ja
dEagkMHe appropriated all the fortunes and opportunities this world could offer. They say everyone is the protagonist of their own life, but the true protagonists, chosen by destiny, are few.49R
9N7ysavA young man favored by the world, the hero who carried the fate of humanity on his shoulders. A being born to be loved, without need for reasons or explanations. That was Leon van Reinhardt.2Au
rPNrsBut.3rh
ZyNDvThose eyes. Two blue dots floating in the darkness. Leon was approaching like a wolf, casting a sharp gaze. He didn’t look like a hero, but a monstrous assassin.bKzPSx
sVDLIf anyone else had been present, they would have wondered if that guy was really a hero. The aura of a hungry beast enveloped him, as if he were about to devour his prey.nVirl05
IkisjtAFuuuu.KVlVYv
QQNGowJThe wind blew in the closed space. It didn’t seem like a natural current.ig7DiBy
jVm8The hero roared the name of the saint, and just by hearing it, Se-in felt her eardrums tremble.HZRwO
xHK47“Saint Yu Sein.”vby
rsVitThe golden mane of the wild monster became disheveled. Leon bared his teeth and spoke fiercely.RGzn
FTuGUF“I don’t care which god you serve. I’m not interested in why you pray for Kang Geom-Ma or what your plans are.”vpYsY
RlwvSe-in felt her body freeze. As if icy water flowed through her veins, her temperature plummeted.J0iEr
F1Fay“But if you ever reveal my secret to anyone, I won’t hesitate to cut your throat.”XkH
NeYSe-in brought a hand to her chest, feeling the wrinkles marked into the fabric wet with sweat. She was scared. She knew who Leon really was. As his steps drew nearer, her fear grew.oXahO
kUsMHowever, Se-in smiled resolutely. Though sweat beaded her forehead, she did not waver. If she feared threats, she would have never accepted the fate of being a saint.NEYU24
kvLbK“If you want to kill me, do it whenever you want. But Leon, you know it too, don’t you? If you kill me, this world will end at that very instant.”96sZ1y
by5r7p“……”Y8wX
eKjC“A world destroyed by the hero’s own hand. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? I’m sure everyone would love it.”vN89
Cg1abMLeon faltered in his steps. Sein continued speaking.IEkDM4H
KCJKr“You’re also afraid of yourself, aren’t you? You don’t know where you’re headed. You don’t know if the path you follow is the right one, or when that thing inside you will lose control. So every day, you repeat to yourself I am human, I am human.”kwL4ugF
1SqQzLeon’s blue eyes grew cloudy.yQwyy7l
pnw7“But you know what? You’re not human. You’re not a demon either. You are something that can be both and yet neither. Poor Leon. Why do you deny so much what you are?”EG4g
gvWI4US“……”MJMPUrt
o0TDdJ“Leon’s destiny, the Nephilim — to be a human who must defeat the Demon King and, at the same time, become the demon who defies God.”pLY8vY6
m3Q1fn“Shut up! I’m not a demon!”16X8dC
SbwVLeon roared with all his strength. The flames of the candles trembled, and the windows vibrated. But instead of weakening, the light of the church intensified.T0Uqqsy
FquFwoosh.OyzoX
Lw6Dw2Golden flames erupted all around. It was the sacred fire, the saint’s healing power. These divine flames sealed the movements of those with corrupt hearts.8oX
0iKp0PNLeon’s eyes trembled. He couldn’t move. He could barely wiggle his fingers.MgA17
SiqSe-in staggered to her feet. A thread of blood ran down her face, staining her white robe red.6M8F
8HN4h9She smiled bitterly as she advanced, leaning against the walls and the backs of the chairs. The flames protected her on all sides.wtq
INdWLeon couldn’t take a single step. He only gripped the hilt of Balmung tightly. In his hand, good and evil clashed violently.2vG
kCP“Try harder, Leon.”eGo
9hKxJThe saint spoke to him, turning her back.qWchjc
vVd3y“If you keep going like this, you’ll never be able to kill the Demon King. And you know that better than anyone.”oR5Pn
QSlMTb9***Gmv2
Phh5NNThe Nephilim Temple.fjBmG
hiFmgRMDid they say it was a place where good and evil coexisted? Maybe that’s why, inside the temple, darkness and light shared the space equally.syqUJA9
ih5The atmosphere was solemn. A grayish mist floated in the air, and the strong scent of aromatic oils made everything even heavier.T5D
SPzaSteps, steps.ntOP
ksu9hpAs I walked, I looked around. The floor, the walls, and the ceiling were made of the usual white limestone one would imagine in a temple. However, everything that filled that immaculate space was overwhelmingly monstrous.OgbkSI
86YnHvAn altar with a statue of a goat-headed, human-bodied demon, in front of which some hooded beings, surely demons, incessantly bowed. Beside them, other demons repeated the same acts before different statues, over and over, again and again.y5t
CLQDecadent acts in a place that should be sacred. The shadows cast inside the temple writhed as if they were living entrails.JV9UBrK
U0HSome demons glanced at us sideways, but most were absorbed in their religious rituals. Though calling it a “ritual” was…Ldj2C
NykJust watching it already made me feel like my mind was being contaminated, and I frowned. To them, these might be religious ceremonies, but to my eyes, it was nothing but a demonic cult.2ptP
BswW4V‘Just as the Sword Master said, there’s not a single human here.’Ife
J4DComing in person, I understood immediately. This was not a place a human could visit without nerves of steel. Although, actually, it seemed to affect others too.2i5h
m2xyo5“Sir Geom-Ma…”LZFYJS
S6kJrBehind me, Horn gently tugged on my sleeve. She was clinging to my back with a nervous expression. Not even a dragon, one of the highest-ranked beings among demons, could feel comfortable in this place of corruption.QMBkV
LPS“Don’t worry, Horn.”RfFE
MoqRI squeezed her small hand tightly. She seemed to calm down a little. On the other hand, the old elf walked relatively calmly, as if he were used to it.huOpEY7
Jsh8l5Although, of course, his face remained tense after everything that had happened before entering the temple. He had had a direct confrontation with the Second Corps Commander of the Demon King, Kuarne.ZEhmc
P5sxIt wouldn’t be strange if his life were in danger at any moment. Even in a neutral place like this temple, for him every step was like walking on thin ice.KDV
1gMBThat’s why the old elf advanced with extreme caution, as if crossing a fragile bridge, without taking his eyes off the white figure walking a few steps ahead. If he sensed the slightest danger, he was ready to flee or hide behind me.OOrM
opINfI‘What kind of demons hide behind a human?’s45xFU
uXlUXAA dragon and a dark elf, members of the most feared races, using me as a shield. It was ridiculous. Was I supposed to be a human breakwater?BiHqTQ1
fh3ZiAt that moment, Kuarne stopped. The old elf let out a big sigh, and Horn also trembled slightly.vUORJ
nmHKuarne slowly turned his body, like a wind-up doll, and spoke with a slight smile.hvmQkf
lOO“This is it.”o9xo
vAYn9ATThe place he brought us to was a large altar. A huge statue almost touched the ceiling. A human figure with both hands resting on the hilt of a sword. Unlike the other demonic statues, this one was completely different.TIo6
Tdoz5Kuarne spoke.VWlzCz
WB66RwI“The god worshiped in the Nephilim Temple. It’s this one.”dCOe
bX0D6With a peculiar gaze, Kuarne looked up at the statue’s face. The interior light of the temple seemed to illuminate only the statue and Kuarne.fJxFHW
pqNT“The truth is, this form does not represent its true appearance. This appearance is only a shell, a limited form for us mortals. The true god can take any shape.”aDjK
pwrI“Stop talking nonsense and tell me why you brought us here and what’s so important that you had to say.”Hto6E
0nTlkUI warned him, in a dry tone. Kuarne smiled silently and nodded.qXrT
BE7“You’re very impatient. Very well.”XygvFan
uQYp6obHe looked at me directly. His eyes and eyelashes, white as frost, curved in a faint gesture.R4y
yOm7Z“Do you know? When this world was born, there was no distinction between good and evil. There was only chaos. White could be evil, and black could be goodness. A world like you and me, Geom-Ma.”LqHujq
XYR9HWKuarne’s voice, wrapped in the aroma of oils, had something drowsy about it.Tbh
GWop“Black has always been considered the color of demons. But look at you, the strongest of humans, you have black hair and black eyes. I, on the other hand, am completely covered in white.”KEkZ5O2
tyHWith a slight movement of his fingers, the grayish smoke in the air traced a circle in the void.yavU
FRRzHP“This gray was, in truth, the color of chaos that united demons and humans. However.”9pg
gnsSZk3With his long finger, he cut the circle into a curve, separating it into white and black.o9GalV
bzP“We were forced to divide because of false gods. Like water and oil, we could no longer mix. Wonder why? It’s simple. They just sought entertainment. For those false gods, watching demons and humans spill blood and self-destruct was simple fun.”WjeJCgF
4RVRxKuarne extended his hand and squeezed the smoke circle. The symbol of yin and yang scattered into nothingness.KYK
9Cfp5h“How do we know that’s true? It could just be a fantasy of yours.”8QgJPU
u9WOVYI retorted. Kuarne smiled.VvHCr
VhaEnPK“It can’t be otherwise. I was one of the wings that protected those false gods.”67R4rb
Jps65So it was true… The assumption I had when I first saw him was confirmed.kFS2VLh
iC0yVL5Kuarne himself had said it — he was one of the guardian wings of the false gods. In other words, an angel, one of those damned birds I had exterminated.MVjb
cke8“I was the second brightest wing among them. Although I have abandoned that name, back then they called me ‘Azazel.’ More than any other radiant wing, I killed countless lives on Earth. I pride myself on having killed more than anyone.”bVNm
zVlSo he was second among those damned beings. Although the angels I killed in the past weren’t weak, Kuarne was on a completely different level. Even his mere avatar had an overwhelming aura.e5Yz1yM
eHyAxjBBetter not to imagine how much stronger his true body was, or even the strongest angel of all. That didn’t matter now.guI1q
3UY“After thousands of years serving those false gods, finally ‘He’ appeared.”Q3e4M48
X92For the first time, Kuarne showed a genuine emotion. Until now, he had only faked smiles.Fwi
cWaE“They were transcendental, yes. But ‘He’ alone, with a single sword, annihilated all spiritual entities. Ah, how beautiful and majestic it was!”Qy8lEDH
cc5zXHKuarne’s voice filled with fervor. Horn and the old elf took a few steps back, as if it were hard to breathe.eCH
e0S“It was then that I understood. Only ‘He’ could break this false chain of white and black, of good and evil. Only He could return the world to true chaos.”AN0IQs
UPX0pKuarne’s fervor was already bordering on madness. He caressed his face like a lunatic.Kknrhf
iH1dn“But what irony… Instead of remaking the world, ‘He’ punished the false gods and then, with His own sword, ended His life.”fvL
XMQakhFinally, I knew who this “He” that Kuarne worshiped was.WKSW9S
OhsXtLI had already suspected it since the Sword Master gave me a clue.wYm2oIs
44Y4VbiThe Sword God.TNRqf
uPV“But the time is near. Soon ‘He’ will return and plunge this hypocritical world into chaos once more.”oKaH0Pi
VXarb04Finally, Kuarne pronounced the name of his deity. But it wasn’t the one I expected.GdvKb
8GjAR“The Demon King.”QTqJ
OIV0EDarkness covered my face. All light disappeared, and absolute night swallowed the temple.lk6RU
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Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaSword god ended his own life by stabbing himself with a sword its just so absurd and shocking.
Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaWho’s “he” ?
Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaI’m also thinking the same.
Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaI don’t expect anything from him anyway.
Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaBefore you could do that Kang geom will cut it pieces.
Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaHow does he know she’s praying for Kang geom?
Avichal
Qi RefinementNeed more lore on Sword God ngl, and finnally some talk on the Demon King