Chapter 315: The Descent of Angels (XII)
"May the Lord watch over you, brothers and sisters."
The figure hovering in the air spoke softly.
He was tall and thin, and every movement he made perfectly matched the etiquette of the Church.
"That's the attire of a Holy Land Attendant…"
Calvis stared coldly at him.
"Who exactly are you?"
Holy Land Attendants were clergy specifically responsible for serving the Church's Holy Bloodline families.
They were raised within the Church from childhood and were essentially treated as the private property of the Holy Bloodlines.
"My apologies. I think you misunderstand."
The man smiled faintly.
"I only wore these robes because they made it easier to obtain a teleportation stone."
"After all, this place isn't exactly suitable for living."
"As for me…"
He casually tossed the severed head dripping with blood into the barrier.
The moment it entered, a surge of evil energy devoured it completely.
Everyone present fell silent.
Then the man slowly descended from the sky.
"My name…"
"…is Lucifer."
"That's impossible!"
Rolcie frowned deeply.
"The power flowing through your body is clearly Holy Light."
"You're correct, Nun of House Zadok."
Lucifer took out a cross and began reciting scripture with a devout expression.
"In the name of the Father and the Son…"
As the voice of scripture echoed through the air, pure white radiance bloomed across his body.
At the same time—
Gideon suddenly realized the reversal formation was spiraling out of control.
His brows tightened as he tried to regain control, but his holy power was being completely rejected.
"Your formation was arranged flawlessly."
"And your holy power is impressive."
Lucifer looked directly at Gideon.
"But what happened during the memorial…"
"…will never happen again."
The instant he finished speaking, the ground shook violently once more.
Five crimson pillars of light shot straight into the heavens.
Viewed from high above, the blood-red pillars perfectly aligned with the five points of the pentagram ritual formation—
And completely enveloped the seven white pillars of Gideon's reversal formation.
"A summoning ritual is different from a sacrifice ritual."
Lucifer smiled calmly.
"Besides sacrifices, it requires an unimaginable quantity of evil energy."
"A scale far beyond your understanding."
Nobody spoke.
Everyone simply stared at him.
"And that…"
"…is precisely why we chose the Holy War Lands."
"For the countless souls who died here a thousand years ago?"
Gideon was the first to respond.
He still hadn't fully understood the current situation, so since the man was willing to talk, he naturally intended to extract as much information as possible.
"Correct."
Lucifer nodded.
"Many clergy died during that war."
"Countless evil spirits and demons were also left behind."
"But haven't you noticed something strange…"
His tone shifted slightly.
"From the territory controlled by the evil spirit all the way here…"
"…there actually aren't that many undead."
Gideon frowned.
He looked around.
There were indeed many undead soldiers here—
But considering the scale of that legendary Holy War…
And considering that these people had risked everything, even assaulting holy ground itself just to reach this place—
Something truly didn't add up.
"Heh…"
"Allow me to reveal the answer for everyone."
Lucifer smiled.
He took out a small glass bottle.
Inside it floated a single drop of crimson liquid.
"Could that be…"
"…the Blood of the Holy Son?!"
Haggai widened his eyes in shock.
"Your dedication to scholarship truly lives up to the Holy Bloodline name."
Lucifer did not deny it.
"What?! The Blood of the Holy Son?!"
"How could you possibly obtain something like that?!"
The crowd erupted in disbelief.
Gideon narrowed his eyes.
Whether Lucifer was telling the truth or not remained uncertain—
But through his abilities, he could clearly sense that the substance inside the bottle was extraordinary.
"Compared to the holy blood itself…"
"You should be more concerned with what I intend to do."
Lucifer gently shook the bottle.
"The so-called Holy War Lands…"
"…are actually a sealing ground."
"After the war ended, this entire region had already been thoroughly corrupted by evil."
"If left within the mortal world, it would inevitably become a territory ruled by evil beings."
He looked toward the gathered Church members.
"So the Church at that time made a bold decision."
"They abandoned this place."
The Holy Bloodline members exchanged glances.
None of them had ever heard such a secret before.
Lucifer continued calmly:
"They abandoned the warriors who had bled for the Church…"
"…and left their souls to wander eternally within this land."
"And in order to ensure that evil beings could never claim this territory…"
"…the Church used an extraordinarily precious holy relic to seal away the evil energy."
"That relic…"
"…is the very target of your mission this time."
"The Stone of the Ten Commandments."
Everyone present except Gideon widened their eyes in shock.
Lucifer curled his lips upward, clearly satisfied with their reaction.
"What exactly does the Stone of the Ten Commandments do?" Gideon asked. He had been curious about this question for a long time.
Unexpectedly, Lucifer answered directly.
"The Stone of the Ten Commandments symbolizes the will of God. It can indeed purify evil."
"But its true purpose…"
"…is to open a new Source Power Channel."
"Source Power…"
"What's that?"
"A Source Power Channel connects to unknowable dimensions. It is the origin of all supernatural power," Haggai explained.
"Correct," Lucifer continued.
"In recent years, the increasing frequency of evil incidents has placed enormous pressure on the Church."
"And if they wish to solve that problem, they must cultivate more clergy. But the power available in the mortal world is ultimately limited."
He only said half of it, but everyone already understood the implication.
"So our goals are not actually in conflict," Lucifer said calmly.
"You need the Stone of the Ten Commandments to complete your mission."
"And my goal…"
"…is the evil power sealed behind it."
"And after achieving your goal, you intend to let us leave safely?" Gideon asked in return.
"Oh? Why not?"
Gideon smiled faintly.
"In that case, perhaps you should surrender instead."
"Once we return to the Church, these Holy Bloodline members can jointly submit a petition approving your use of the sealed evil energy."
"Heh…"
Lucifer stared deeply at him before abandoning that line of conversation altogether.
"I still have another question," Gideon continued.
"You've revealed your entire plan so openly. Aren't you afraid of failing?"
The moment he said that, everyone from the Holy Bloodlines, the Priest Corps, and Gideon's own team pricked up their ears.
They were curious too.
"You mean…"
"Why am I not afraid of you stopping me?"
Lucifer smiled.
Gideon shrugged.
"The descent ritual is destined by fate itself. No one can stop it."
"But the ritual does require time to activate."
Gideon's eyes flickered slightly.
He suddenly sensed something.
"Sacrifices. Accumulation of power. None of those are particularly complicated."
"From beginning to end…"
"…the greatest obstacle to the ritual has always been all of you."
Lucifer smiled calmly.
"That is why I needed to keep you occupied here."
The crowd looked confused.
"The Holy Bloodlines. The Priest Corps. And you, Father Gideon Black."
"Your performance during the Memorial Day incident left a deep impression on us. Mashal talks about you quite often."
Nearby, Mashal clenched his teeth.
Only moments ago, he had realized he'd been tricked yet again.
Yet being praised by an enemy only made Gideon more uneasy.
"You are all among the people within the Church most likely to reach the final stage," Lucifer continued.
"People like you are not easily deceived."
As he spoke, he pulled the cork from the glass vial.
"So if I wanted to keep all of you obediently occupied…"
"…the bait had to be tempting enough."
Gideon's eyes sharpened.
If the enemy was deliberately stalling for time, then it had to be for a specific purpose.
And at this point, there was only one possibility left—
"The ritual is still missing something…"
Suddenly, his brows rose.
"He's waiting for the seal to break!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the clergy instantly understood.
Lucifer laughed softly.
"As expected. A simple hint is enough for all of you to understand."
"But…"
"…it's already too late."
He raised the vial containing the holy blood.
Slowly, it floated into the air.
At the same time, one half of his body erupted with dense evil energy, forming a black-and-white pattern together with the holy light flowing through the other half.
The two opposing powers sank into the ground.
Immediately afterward, the crimson pillars and the reversal formation began rotating in the same direction.
The evil energy that had originally been converted by the holy light gradually separated away—
While all remaining holy power converged toward the holy blood.
Boom!
The seven pillars of light bypassed the ritual formation entirely and shot straight toward the mist vortex in the sky.
The two forces collided violently.
A deafening hum echoed across heaven and earth.
The fog in the sky slowly dispersed—
Revealing an incomprehensibly massive stone tablet.
Ancient runes were carved across its surface, every single symbol radiating terrifying power.
Boom!
An ancient wave of holy power descended from above.
More than a dozen undead soldiers were instantly annihilated.
Most of the clergy present collapsed unconscious the moment they came into contact with that force.
Only Gideon and the others remained unaffected, protected beneath the crimson pentagram barrier.
Then—
A single drop of scarlet blood landed upon the tablet.
Instantly, dazzling golden light erupted.
The terrifying holy power gradually faded away.
"He…"
"…he's using the reversal formation to undo the seal!"
Haggai stared in disbelief.
Lucifer smiled.
"The Church's seal…"
"…naturally requires the Church's own methods to break it, does it not?"
Gideon narrowed his eyes.
To draw all their attention, this lunatic had actually used his own plan as bait.
What a complete madman.
Soon, the colossal stone tablet rapidly shrank before crashing toward the ground.
Boom!
The tablet landed near the ritual formation, throwing up clouds of dust.
Just as everyone hesitated over whether to investigate—
Another change occurred.
The sky, which had still been relatively bright moments ago, suddenly darkened.
Then horrifying roars echoed from above.
Drip… drip…
Haggai suddenly felt something cold land on his face.
He wiped it away—
Only to discover his hand covered in crimson.
"This is…"
He lifted his hand beneath his nose and caught the thick scent of blood.
Slowly, Haggai raised his head.
The entire sky had turned blood-red.
Countless spirits surged out from the mist.
Screams.
Moans.
Curses.
It resembled the gates of hell thrown open.
Gideon used his Holy Light Barrier to block the bloody rain, his brows tightly furrowed.
At that moment, the man called Lucifer slowly floated upward into the air.
His white robes were soaked red, yet he seemed utterly unconcerned.
Meanwhile, the five blood-red pillars rotated faster and faster.
Gradually, even the reversal formation shifted from white to crimson, tearing the sky-wide mist completely apart.
Like a floodgate bursting open—
An endless tide of souls poured from within, wrapped in bloody light as they descended toward the formation below.
Dense evil energy spread in every direction.
The temperature of the entire region plummeted rapidly.
At the center of the ritual formation, blood dripped onto the sacrifices.
Then, as though alive, it began spreading outward on its own.
One drop.
Two drops.
Thousands upon thousands.
The blood threads intertwined together.
Viewed from above, they formed the outline of a colossal flesh-and-blood body.
Lucifer tore away his robes, revealing a powerful muscular frame.
Muttering incomprehensible incantations, he slowly floated directly above the pentagram.
Then—
To everyone's shock—
He drew a dagger and plunged it straight into his own heart.
Splurt.
Blood burst outward.
"Cough… awaken… hff… my lord…"
He spoke with difficulty before falling directly into the ritual formation below.
The next instant—
Everyone present shuddered involuntarily.
A power beyond comprehension erupted from the center of the ritual formation and spread across the entire space in the blink of an eye.
Decay.
Death.
Endlessness.
Gideon slowly raised his hand.
His skin had become wrinkled and aged, like that of a dying old man.
Closing his eyes, he used the power of the Preacher to sense the world.
Immediately, he discovered countless black spiritual threads wrapped around his body.
Using holy power, he forcibly expelled them.
Only then did he return to normal.
"…Was that an illusion?"
Slowly, Gideon lifted his head—
And immediately saw a scene that shook him to his core.
A massive curtain of fog now enveloped the ritual formation.
Within it, blood-red lightning flashed endlessly, illuminating an enormous figure.
Its true form could not be seen.
Only six gigantic wings moved within the mist.
Half pure white.
Half absolute darkness.
"So this is…"
Gideon's expression turned grave.
Simply standing there caused his blood to boil violently, filling him with the urge to tear open his own flesh.
He immediately began reciting passages from the Gospel, forcibly suppressing the impulse.
But the others were not so fortunate.
Within a single minute, more than a dozen clergy rushed toward the area and slit their own throats with holy artifacts.
Blood instantly dyed the ground red.
Other than Gideon, only the Holy Bloodline members and the Priest Corps elites were still able to resist.
"How are we supposed to fight something like this…"
For the first time, Gideon felt genuine helplessness.
But soon, he noticed something strange.
Golden chains suddenly extended from the sky itself, piercing deep into the mist.
Sizzle… sizzle…
The two forces collided violently.
Using the perception granted by the Preacher ability, Gideon realized those chains were formed from golden spiritual threads.
A power completely separate from this world.
"Something like… spatial suppression?"
He quickly understood.
Even a being of this level could not descend freely into the mortal world.
However, the chains were trembling violently.
They clearly would not hold much longer.
"We have to do something before those chains break."
Gideon instantly realized—
This might be the final opportunity to stop the angel's complete descent.
Boom!
At that same moment, another massive explosion erupted in the distant sky.
A dazzling sphere of light rapidly approached.
When the radiance faded, the figures of Jolan and Hiss Roger appeared.
Jolan had several more sword wounds across his body and looked extremely battered.
Hiss Roger was in even worse condition.
His right leg bent at an unnatural angle, clearly broken, while a chunk of flesh was missing from his left hand.
"That thing is being suppressed by spatial power—it hasn't fully taken shape yet!"
"If we destroy the ritual now, there's still a chance!"
"Hurry!"
Jolan's voice was urgent.
Behind them, a streak of crimson light rapidly closed in—
A beautiful yet terrifying face emerging from within it.
Gideon immediately threw out three century-grade holy artifacts and activated Holy Step.
But the next second, his brows furrowed.
He hadn't moved at all.
"Heh…"
Mashal's voice sounded nearby.
"Lucifer specifically warned me about people like you."
"People who always pull something at the critical moment."
"So he told me to keep an eye on you."
In Mashal's hand was a pale blue teleportation stone.
Yet the power radiating from it felt deeply unnatural.
"Before God fully descends…"
"…you'll be accompanying me somewhere else for a little while."
"And while we're at it…"
"…we can settle the score between us."
Mashal sneered.
Then he tossed the teleportation stone into the air.
A crimson radiance instantly swallowed both of them whole.
"What kind of power is this… I can't break free."
Gideon frowned tightly.
The scenery around him rapidly retreated.
The colossal figure within the mist grew farther and farther away.
And just before he was completely removed from the ritual grounds—
He saw the chains in the sky finally snap apart.
The next instant—
An overwhelming wave of evil energy exploded outward from the mist, swallowing everything in its path.