Episode 406

Araxad was the role model who had the greatest influence on Luzard's character, and he was a reliable senior from Corrupted. I recalled a conversation I'd had with him in the north.

"Once it comes time to take on a mission as a hero, each hero assumes their own role, whether by choice or circumstance.

"Since their roles are different, each person has to perform different tasks. There is bound to be a difference in difficulty. However, I don't believe that any given role is more or less important than another."

The moment I heard Araxad's smooth baritone voice, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over me. I didn't dwell on the feeling at first and simply listened to what he said next. Somehow, if I stayed quiet and listened carefully, understanding would come naturally.

"If a mission is a single machine, we are the parts that make up that machine. The larger and more precise the mechanism, the easier it is to break if even the smallest part is missing. Some people would likely sneer and call this a simple task, a coward's mission where no lives need to be sacrificed, but it is those very pieces stacked up together that support us. It is thanks to their hard work that we can fight for our lives... Ramon must've known that."

I finally realized what was familiar about this.

Araxad resembled Senior Brother Arang. He looked completely different, but his vibe, tone, and way of thinking were similar to Senior Brother Arang's.

The reason I had liked him from our first meeting and I considered him trustworthy was that he had a mindset similar to my senior, and this alone made him someone I could respect. Naturally, this also meant I trusted and liked him.

"So the reason Ramon died was that the role he was given this time was to risk his life?" I asked.

"I don't know. Only he knew what his final mission was. Of course, he was also the only one who could decide whether to risk his life or not. Then, the mission in the north was successful. Now, we are finally in a position to evaluate Ramon." Araxad looked at me. "What do you think? Judging by the last time you saw him, Ramon fulfilled his role."

"Of course." Before I could think about it, my mouth opened on its own. "He carried it out perfectly."

***

I looked at Verita.

Why had the image of my goblin senior appeared over her face now? I already knew that Verita was someone who didn't talk nonsense. She wasn't a great person who would impulsively say that she would sacrifice her life. She probably thought about it constantly before coming to a decision.

Even so, I had the right to know because I was also going to risk my life for this operation. After all, it was difficult to completely believe in Verita's strategy without knowing her thoughts.

"Let me hear it first. What kind of special constitution do you have?" I asked.

"That..." Verita hesitated for a moment, opening and closing her lips repeatedly. In a way, this sight was refreshing.

Had she ever hesitated when speaking to me before?

Just as Verita hesitated for a moment, screams rang out all over the punishment building. The screams moved beyond the seventh floor and reached the eighth floor. The top floor was the twentieth floor. Based on the speed of the advance, this definitely wasn't a situation that would allow me to relax.

Verita also seemed to realize this. She sighed gently and said, "To talk about this, I must first explain about my eye."

"Are you talking about the left eye? The one that shines like gold?"

"That's right. It is Uriel's Eye."

I narrowed my eyes at the name Uriel. "Isn't that the name of a sword?"

"I think you confused it with Michael. Its formal name is Michael's Hand, and it is a treasure sword famous for being a Badniker heirloom. Black Fairy Kuset achieved many things with it in the past, and this sword played a large role in that."

I hadn't known that. I had just assumed it was another divine relic passed down through the family. It turned out to have a far more mysterious origin than I had expected. I had never expected that I would hear about its origin from Verita.

"Of course, Uriel's Eye was once a divine relic in the form of a gemstone, despite what its name suggests." Verita spoke while covering her left eye with her palm, as if it was a habit. "Now, it is no longer in a figurative state. It has truly become an eye."

"Does that mean there are more of them in this world?"

"That's right. Besides those two, there are also Gabriel's Skull and Raphael's Heart. Together, they are known as the relics of the archangels. But the whereabouts of the remaining two relics are currently unknown."

"Archangels," I muttered.

Why was the feeling of this word rolling around my tongue so unfamiliar? Demons clearly existed in this world, but there were few records of angels. They were beings that couldn't be found in mere legends. One had to step into the realm of myth itself. In this era, the word angel was just a symbol.

At the same time, I realized one more thing. This was why it was such a mystery that Verita, a Colorless believer, possessed the ability to sense Dark Qi. This was more like the trait of a demon's natural enemy.

"Angels are a symbol of exorcism. These days, when we hear that word, it is difficult for anyone to picture a specific image. But ironically, there was a nation that studied angels deeply in the past."

"Where?"

"Setitus."

"Ah..." A sound escaped me. I couldn't tell if it was a sigh or something else.

Setitus was called the empire of evil. The nation that had been destroyed by Senior Brother He Lou while he'd been researching other worlds seemed to have ventured into more fields than I'd thought.

Is that why Leone called for me?

If I had nothing else to do, I'd have to go straight to the land of Setitus. Leone could have been wandering through the ancient ruins, uncovering the hidden truths of this world.

The empire of evil... I now understood that Setitus was a nation rotting from within, teetering on the brink of collapse. Given how events had unfolded, there was a strong possibility it also had deep ties to the Dark Church. If they truly worshipped demons, then studying the concept of angels in depth would hardly be surprising for them. After all, the first step to defeating a natural enemy was to understand them thoroughly.

Then what types of things must Verita have gone through to have an angel's eye implanted within her while living in a nation of demon worshipers?

I finally started to understand why she had followed Senior Brother He Lou and why she placed such faith in me, the Colorless priest. I felt like I had caught a glimpse of the source of that unknown trust.

"Tantata has been steadily ingesting lesser races. It is only the identity of a god of disaster that allowed him to withstand such side effects. His body must be in such a state that quite a lot of toxins have accumulated. In such a state, Uriel's Eye and I will be the final blow," Verita elaborated.

"Then why don't you just take out the eyeball and feed it to him?"

"That is impossible. Uriel's Eye is already fused with me. Didn't you notice? My eyes regenerate."

"I see."

That was true. It was an image I'd wanted to forget about so much that I had actually forgotten about it for a while.

"Oho, ohuhuhu..."

At that moment, unpleasant laughter was heard again. Tantata was now on the fourteenth floor. Time was running out.

The sand in the hourglass kept pouring down, but no ideas came to mind. Should I go along with her plan then? I didn't want to do that either.

Just as I was about to open my mouth, Araxad's voice flashed through my mind.

"Only he knew what his final mission was... Of course, he was also the only one who could decide whether to risk his life or not."

What right did I have to blindly oppose her opinion? The best I could do was respect her resolve.

At the same time, this thought felt like an excuse. If Verita's death meant the Demon King could be destroyed, then it was the most rational choice. It wasn't as though I had forced her into it. She had volunteered to sacrifice herself. I only had to pretend I hadn't seen anything.

Shit. My mouth felt bitter. It felt like a dirty aftertaste was lingering on the tip of my tongue.

"Brother, this is my choice," Verita said, as if to relieve my hesitation.

My head felt a bit light the moment I heard this. In the end, she was the only one who could decide what to do with her life. In that case, wouldn't I be overstepping my authority to infringe on her rights?

"I understand." I nodded, causing Verita to smile.

"There is no time to spare, so let's go quickly."

She was talking about throwing away her life, but her voice was casual, as if she was heading out for a walk.

"Hey, Verita."

"Huh?"

I reached out to stop Verita before she could leave, only to slowly shake my head. It didn't feel right to say anything to someone who was already ready to die. "Nothing. I will tell you later."

Verita nodded, looking a bit startled. "Ah, yes."

Even if I were someone who spoke harsh words without thinking, I couldn't say anything like that to a person who was resolved to die. I wanted to say something along the lines of, "I don't think I will ever understand you."

***

Verita chose the nineteenth floor as the venue for the showdown.

I decided to wait on the top floor, which was right above it.

There was no time to plan the operation in detail, so I only made a rough outline. Verita would fight Tantata, hit him as hard as possible, and drag him toward the hole if she could. I mean, toward the hole that the demon king would make when he fell over. The moment Tantata ate Verita, I would throw myself into the hole and attack Tantata.

There would be more victims, but I couldn't afford to worry about that. The only thing I could do was hope that whoever heard the broadcast would know to shout freeze.

There is still some time left.

The lower floors were strangely quiet, so I decided to use this moment to take a look around the top floor.

Thanks to Jisal's directions, I quickly found the chimney that led outside. I peered into the dark interior and immediately frowned. I had no idea when it had last been cleaned, but the inside of it was far worse than I had expected.

There was a foul stench mixed with dust, rust, and soot. Structurally, a chimney was never going to be clean, but this was excessive. The biggest problem was that the chimney seemed much narrower than I had anticipated.

There is no way I can fit in there, even if I split myself in half.

Even someone of Luan's size, let alone Luzard's, wouldn't be able to squeeze through. Out of everyone I knew, Mir was likely the only one who could manage it.

Is this why Tantata is so relaxed? Is that why I didn't see anyone trying to get out of the only exit?

Then, I suddenly realized that the top floor was too quiet. Of course, the surviving guards and prisoners had sensed something was wrong and were lying low like mice, but up here on the top floor, there should have been someone who had no reason to hide.

I scanned the unusually silent top floor, and a sudden impulse came over me. I walked to the nearest confinement cell and stepped inside. The prisoner was someone I had spoken with not long ago. It was the room where the Dark Pope, Nebellik, was being held.

I opened the deactivated iron door and stepped inside. My footsteps echoed dully through the room's sterile air. There, I found Nebellik in the middle of the cell.

Nebellik was tied up in the same place as the last time I had seen him. If there was a difference, it was that he was kneeling with his head bowed low. Spreading out from his body was a dark red mark, just like a blooming red flower. It was far too much blood to merely be the result of coughing up blood.

I approached Nebellik and checked his pulse. It wasn't long before I was forced to face the truth. The Dark Pope was already dead.