Chapter 265: The Terror Live (4)

“It’s been a long time, Lord Leon.”

The woman, Herya, bowed her head respectfully. She was a subordinate of Kuarne—and also a homunculus.

She had been created from the corpse of Gregory, who had been annihilated. Kuarne gathered the remains, pieced them together, and brought forth this creature. Thus, Herya was born.

Sending someone like her—an artificial creation—as an emissary to Metatron’s son, Leon, was nothing short of an insult.

Of course, since they were in the human world, specifically within the cradle of heroes, Joaquin Academy, this was not her original body but an avatar.

Even so, for Leon, it was enough to feel insulted. And he didn’t hide his contempt.

“How dare you show yourself here, Herya? Do you have a death wish?”

He spat the words with a fierce expression.

“Wasn’t it a condition of entering the academy to sever all ties with the Demon Realm?”

“It was.”

Herya looked up. Her face, pale as a ghost, resembled Kuarne’s.

“But the situation has changed. Even the brilliant Kuarne didn’t foresee the deaths of three Corps Commanders. Naturally, the plan needs a few adjustments, Lord Leon.”

The more Herya spoke, the darker Leon’s expression grew. His hand, gripping the hilt of Balmung, trembled.

He wanted to draw and kill her right there. But he couldn’t. He was in a position that didn’t allow it.

He shut his eyes tightly. A thousand thoughts assailed him.

‘If someone sees this…’

Should he kill Herya? Or the witness? Just imagining a “hero” like him entertaining such thoughts disgusted him.

‘I’d like to use this sword to slit my own throat.’

But even that, he couldn’t do. If he died, the world would fall into ruin. Though he knew that, there were times when he just wanted to look away.

In those moments, his late father appeared in his dreams. He would gently pat his head and say.

— You are the only one who can save this world.

With such a burden, Leon was only allowed the bare minimum. He couldn’t share anything with anyone. No one could understand. That was what it meant to be a hero, his father always said.

At first, he felt proud. But when he discovered what lay beneath, all that remained was revulsion.

‘I’m just a tool to pull this world out of the mud.’

Leon sensed it. He was being manipulated by “a nameless entity.”

A mere puppet with a single purpose. This world was as artificial as he was—just another piece on the board.

“That’s why you must return to the Demon Realm with me, Lord Leon. You know it yourself. There’s no point staying in the academy. It even seems your growth has stalled.”

“……”

Herya spoke in a persuasive tone. Leon kept his lips sealed.

“Tsk.”

A dry sigh.

“You’ve gone soft among humans. What a shame.”

Herya rubbed her forehead, shaking her head as if disappointed.

“If you insist on refusing me, I’ll have no choice.”

“And if you have no choice?”

“Then I’ll take you by force.”

Click.

Both turned toward the sound. Silvery hair fluttered softly. Yu Sein walked into the sanctuary.

“I smelled something awful in this sacred place—and it turns out it was just a pest.”

Herya’s eyebrows arched. This human seemed to know her identity.

“Maintaining this place is the saint’s duty, you know?”

Fwoosh.

Sacred flames rose in a circle from the edges of the sanctuary, rising like bars.

Herya looked at the barrier and scoffed.

“Sacred flames that bind the wicked? So what? I’m a celestial by-product. Look how free I am.”

“I have eyes too, you know?”

Herya sneered. Yu Sein responded with indifference.

“But your goal was to take the boy behind you, wasn’t it? Doesn’t look like he’s in any shape to go.”

The smile vanished from Herya’s face. She quickly turned around.

Leon was clutching his chest and gasping for air.

Nephilim possess both divine and demonic natures. When their surroundings skew too far toward one side, the other reacts violently.

That’s why Leon couldn’t breathe properly.

Herya looked back at Yu Sein. Her eyes gleamed like glass.

“You’re making things difficult, huh? But if I kill you, this sacred flame will vanish too.”

Snap.

As she snapped her fingers, the space quivered. Void-attribute magic. That was how she, an entity of the Demon Realm, had bypassed the academy’s defenses.

“Kuarne told us to stay discreet, but seeing this, I’m sure he’ll understand.”

Yu Sein covered her nose with a handkerchief. A trickle of blood ran down from it.

Frowning, she muttered.

“That breath so foul…”

In a nasal voice.

“…Disgusting.”

A vein popped on Herya’s temple. Her eyes glowed with danger.

“You damned fly!”

This time, it wasn’t feigned emotion. It was genuine rage.

***

We set out to find Leon. The search turned out to be easier than expected, thanks to a message from Sein.

[Sein: Come to the chapel. Hurry.]

She was in such a rush that she only used initials in the postscript.

In any case, we changed course and headed directly toward the chapel.

‘Better to go there than waste time searching aimlessly around the academy.’

That was my initial thought, but as we approached the chapel, what had been just a guess became certainty.

“Urgh…”

An unbearable stench hit us head-on. Ryozo and Saki covered their noses, grimacing.

Shail and Karon simply furrowed their brows, but even they didn’t dare approach carelessly.

‘An incredible magical pressure.’

The energy emanating from the chapel halted us like an invisible barrier.

A place meant to be filled with holiness had been completely corrupted.

We moved closer to the door.

Then, shadows began to ripple and took human form.

They quickly positioned themselves as guards in front of the entrance.

Their steely presence was suffocating.

‘Damn it.’

I estimated each one to be between B+ and A class. Taking them down wouldn’t be a problem…

The real issue was how much time was left on my Blessing of Insensitivity to Pain.

‘Being generous, I have maybe ten seconds left.’

And without knowing what enemies awaited us inside, I couldn’t afford to waste the Blessing of the Sword God now.

The magical pressure inside was immense. Even my teammates had frozen in place.

This wasn’t an ordinary enemy. Every second mattered.

At that moment, Ryozo shot me a sidelong glance. Then, without warning, he slapped himself hard across the face.

Everyone was stunned.

Within seconds, his cheek swelled. He spoke through bleeding, split lips.

“You’re almost out of time on your active blessing, right?”

Abel understood too, and with a sudden motion, she tore one side of her dress. She revealed her leg without hesitation.

“We’ll clear a path for you. Get in there, Geom-Ma.”

She stood next to Ryozo. Her sword slipped from its sheath with a smooth draw.

Ching.

I blinked, staring at them.

‘Come to think of it, I did tell them about the weakness of the Blessing of the Sword God.’

That was why that awkward incident had happened.

But ironically, thanks to that, Abel and Ryozo instantly understood my situation.

‘If I hadn’t told them.’

We would have wasted precious time. Sharing that weakness had saved us the need to explain. This was the value of trust.

I nodded. The two of them gave me the slightest of smiles and exchanged a glance.

Then their golden and sky-blue eyes sparkled like sparks in the air.

Crack.

They instantly grew serious, and in a cold voice, warned each other.

“We’re not in subspace. Don’t tear off your leg by mistake.”

“Same to you. Ah, and I learned something new—ripping your skirt earns points.”

“……”

“At least you did it right. It’s not embarrassing.”

Their exchange made Karon and Shail stifle a laugh.

The icy morning air seemed perfectly in sync with them.

Both aligned themselves beside Ryozo and Abel. Shail spoke to me.

“We’ll risk our lives to protect the ladies.”

She bowed like a cannon aimed straight ahead.

Beside her, Karon clenched his fists tightly before opening them as if shaking something off.

Whoosh.

Wire cables unfurled like a carpet from my feet to the entrance of the chapel. They also formed barriers on the sides. It looked like a tunnel of wires.

“We’ll send you in all at once.”

Before I could respond, Karon moved his hand.

My body tilted, and my feet slipped.

“……!”

A silver current pushed me forcefully into the chapel. It felt like surfing a wave for the first time.

***

Herya’s magic rained down like a storm.

Statues, columns—everything in the sanctuary shattered with each explosion.

Boom boom boom…!

But nothing touched Sein. The holy fire shielded her like an unbreakable barrier.

Besides, this was the academy, and Herya was only an avatar. Her power was limited.

Even so, the roar was terrifying. Though weaker than the original, she was still a threat.

The line between life and death became blurred. If the holy fire were extinguished, Sein would be erased without a trace.

That’s why she clung to it with everything she had.

Her eyes were bloodshot, her mouth tasted of iron. Her body could take no more.

Creeeak.

The darkness tore open behind her.

The magical pressure filling the chapel began to dissipate.

Like sunlight drying stagnant water, light scattered the shadows.

The fragments of darkness crumbled to dust.

Sein felt a sudden surge of energy.

At the same time, a chill ran down her spine.

That presence made no distinction between friend or foe.

“Hurry,”

she said without turning around. Her lips trembled.

“I really feel like I’m going to die.”

Without responding, the Heavenly Sword moved forward.

A black flash shot past Sein. The shockwave and wind followed a second later.

It was an extraordinary speed.

Herya shifted to defense. She formed a magical barrier like a bubble.

She had heard of the Heavenly Sword a thousand times from Kuarne. What powers he used, how to counter him. She thought she knew it all.

But it took just one second for her to realize that all of it was arrogance.

The Heavenly Sword, crossing both arms, slashed in an X shape.

A wave of aura surged at the barrier.

Fwoosh!

Herya’s magic burst like a soap bubble.

And that was it.

Herya was instantly torn apart.

Her dark blue blood splattered on Leon, who stood beside her.

Leon raised his head. His deep navy eyes were dazed.

‘God-slayer, sword demon, the hero’s nemesis. And…’

The Demon King.

From above, he looked down at him with disdain.