The Cult Leader in the Clergy Academy-Chapter 214

When Han Dae-Ho landed, and his shout echoed throughout the building, the light radiating from his body grew and intensified instantly. It eventually engulfed the entirety of the first floor. It was as if Han Dae-Ho had unleashed a massive wave of light.

The men in black approaching Han Dae-Ho with their daggers drawn couldn’t help but take a few steps back upon witnessing the wave of light. Han Dae-Ho's appearance resembled that of an angel that had descended with a flash of light. Due to his massive build and booming voice, his appearance seemed even more divine.

"Well done, Yu-Hyun!" Han Dae-Ho to Yu-Hyun, who was most likely watching him from somewhere.

The massive wave of light surrounding Han Dae-Ho was Yu-Hyun's creation. Yu-Hyun was manipulating the light of blessing flowing out from a fusion blessing spell and directing it all toward Han Dae-Ho.

The light instilled fear in Han Dae-Ho's enemies and also allowed him to detect their positions by illuminating the darkness. Yu-Hyun waved his hand like a skilled conductor and controlled the light.

Lowering her body, Jin-Seo stared at the enemies illuminated by the light. Her eyes moved incessantly. She relied on the light that could fade away at any moment to capture the enemies' positions with her eyes quickly. Her busy eyes stopped at one place.

"Wait, why is that...?” Jin-Seo muttered, tightly gripping the portable spear she was holding.

She released divine power and directed it into the portable spear, instantly extending its length. She held the spear with her right hand and drew a blessing array with her left hand. The light that flowed out wrapped around her body.

Bang—!

With a sound resembling a gunshot, Jin-Seo propelled herself forward with the condensed power of the blessing. Her body had moved before she could even think. It was because she had seen Sun-Woo's figure in the darkness.

He was standing alone in the midst of enemy lines.

In situations like this, he would always act alone and try and solve everything alone. So, she was not surprised at all. She was not in a position to worry about him either. If it were Sun-Woo, he would survive on his own, and maybe he could even subdue all the men in black with Han Dae-Ho.

The one she had to worry about was probably not him but the other students. Nonetheless, Jin-Seo was running toward Sun-Woo. It was due to an unknown emotion that she was feeling. It wasn't an obvious feeling like worry or sympathy. What boiled inside her was a strong emotion similar to wrath.

"Takb─!"

Splurt!

While stabilizing her breathing, Jin-Seo stabbed the spear into a man in black who was blocking her way. The chant coming out of the man’s mouth turned into a scream.

Through her palm, she vividly felt the sensation of the spear piercing flesh. However, the man stabbed by the spear only rolled his eyes and fainted. He didn't die, and no blood flowed out either. She knew that what she was holding was not a real spear. She also knew that a spear wound didn’t mean death. Therefore, she didn't hesitate.

While stepping on the fallen enemy, she looked toward Sun-Woo and said, "Hey."

Sun-Woo remained silent, his gaze directed elsewhere as usual. It was a constant habit of his. Though she couldn't discern the object of his focus, one thing was certain—he wasn’t looking at her. It finally dawned on her what emotion she felt whenever she observed him. She didn't want to become a person who was superior to him, nor did she want to follow him blindly.

"...Let's go together."

She just wanted to be equal to him. She wanted to be someone who had the right to be with him. That would be the only way he would look in her direction.

The men in black were approaching them stealthily like moths chasing light. Han Dae-Ho lowered his stance and prepared for battle. Jin-Seo tightened her grip on the spear.

* * *

"Wow, man. Ha... ah, these guys are really crazy. Are there only crazy bastards in Florence Academy...." Min-Seo muttered as she watched Jin-Seo run toward the enemy.

She had actually been thinking about running away the moment an opportunity presented itself. However, due to Han Dae-Ho, Sun-Woo, and Jin-Seo engaging in a full-on battle with the men in black, she couldn't escape.

If she had rashly tried to escape, there was the possibility that she might get captured and become a hostage. Or, if she was unlucky, she could get wrapped up in the battle and get injured. There was also the option of running away after breaking through the location of the battle, but she didn’t dare to do so. That was how intense the battle was.

Creak—!

Han Dae-Ho caught the enemy’s dagger with his bare hands and bent it. Then, he struck the enemy's solar plexus with his shining fist.

The enemy, hit by his fist, gasped and soon collapsed. His comrades retreated upon seeing such a sight.

Splurt!

Jin-Seo stabbed the enemies with her spear. The enemies stabbed by the spear lost focus in their eyes and became unconscious. Occasionally, she swung the spear to strike the enemy's head. Jin-Seo handled the spear skillfully as if she had been born to swing the spear.

Crack!

Sun-Woo caught an enemy off guard and slammed them to the ground. Every time he did that, a huge rift appeared on the floor. It was an incredible display of strength. The Blessing of Superhuman Strength was indeed on a different level.

But no matter how powerful the Blessing of Superhuman Strength was, was it really powerful enough to bestow such a large amount of strength? She wasn't sure. Anyway, everyone was a menace on the battlefield.

"...Phew."

Min-Seo took a deep breath and pondered. Honestly, it didn't seem like she could escape from this situation. In that case, she only had two options. One was to stay here and endure everything with Dae-Man until the situation was resolved, and the other was to join the battle.

Hiding here would be the safest option, but considering various possibilities, joining the battle didn't seem like a bad idea either.

She could get a commendation for something along the lines of being a brave and proud Florence Academy student.

Min-Seo was currently in a situation where she couldn't receive a scholarship because she had messed up on the exam. She urgently needed a commendation or recommendation letter at the moment.

"Wow, I must be crazy too."

Min-Seo was amazed by her tendency to calculate money and profit even in such a situation. However, she was not disappointed in herself. She believed that her calculating nature was good for making rational judgments.

"Fuck, screw it," she muttered as she unleashed divine power with her hands.

Then she jumped into the fray that Han Dae-Ho, Jin-Seo, Sun-Woo, and the men in black were entangled in.

"..."

Meanwhile, Dae-Man continued to crouch.

Back when he was young and small, Dae-Man had been trapped in a collapsed, poorly constructed building. At the time, he didn’t have the strength to escape the building alone, and his family was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he might have died after being crushed under the debris of the collapsed building.

Dae-Man crouched down and closed his eyes to not get crushed by the slowly collapsing building.

At the time, Han Dae-Ho had come to rescue Dae-Man.

‘Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.’

He had muttered those cryptic words and rescued Dae-Man from the collapsed building. The way Han Dae-Ho easily cleared the debris, paved a path, and strode forward to save people was truly heroic.

As Dae-Man grew up, he learned that what he was muttering was a verse from the Book of Proverbs. From a young age, he had a poor memory, but he memorized that verse from the Book of Proverbs and carried it with him. He also started exercising. He wanted to become a big person like Han Dae-Ho. He wanted to become a strong person.

As time passed, he became a truly big person. He became so strong that he wouldn't hear anyone say he was weak.

With his eyes closed, Dae-Man sighed, "Ah..."

The sound of Han Dae-Ho, Jin-Seo, Sun-Woo, and Min-Seo engaging in battle could be heard. It was chaotic. On the other hand, this place was so quiet. The fact he had the nerve to stand alongside them made him feel pathetic and miserable.

He could pretend to be brave during practical training or practical exams. He could act like a brave warrior who was not afraid of death. Because during training and exams, no matter what he did, he wouldn't die. It was because the teachers guaranteed the students' lives.

However, right now, it was a situation where he could really die. Dae-Man crouched down and cowered because he was afraid of death. His body had grown bigger, but he still remained weak. He appeared tough on the outside, but inside, he was still soft.

Dae-Man evaluated himself as a person who amounted to nothing more than a poorly constructed building.

At that moment, someone called out to Dae-Man.

"Dae-Man."

Dae-Man raised his head and opened his eyes. Su-Ryeon was looking down at Dae-Man with her hands on her knees.

"...Su-Ryeon, why are you here?"

"Huh? I just came down," Su-Ryeon replied nonchalantly.

"The stairs must have been littered with enemies."

"No, you just have to jump from here to there. Then come down straight from there to here," Su-Ryeon said as she pointed here and there with her finger.

It appeared as though she had reached this place by navigating from the second-floor railing to one pillar, then moving from that pillar to another, and finally descending by riding one of the pillars down.

It was Su-Ryeon's unique route that no one else could imitate. Su-Ryeon sat next to Dae-Man. She raised her knees and rested her chin on her hand. Then, tilting her head slightly, she looked at Dae-Man.

"Everyone is fighting. I’m too scared to do anything, though."

"Me too," Dae-Man said with a nod.

He understood Su-Ryeon's fear better than anyone else.

"...I must look pathetic," he said, wiping his face with his hand.

Su-Ryeon tilted her head.

"No? This is normal."

"..."

"Isn’t it people like Sun-Woo who are special? Logically speaking, the fact that they are getting involved in a situation like this...” Su-Ryeon said.

The word ‘special’ resonated deep within Dae-Man.

"Yeah, you're right," he said.

Dae-Man was ordinary. He had always been in a position where he envied and admired those who were special. He tried harder than others so that he too could be special. Eventually, he obtained the special quality of putting in more effort than anyone else.

"They are special," he said.

Dae-Man envied Sun-Woo's courage. His courage, which overcame even the fear of death, was stronger and more unique than anything else. For Dae-Man, who was ordinary, he had to put in several times more effort in order to possess such special qualities. He needed to have much stronger determination than others. If he continued to couch like this, he wouldn’t be able to achieve what he desired.

"The truth is, I must have envied Sun-Woo."

Dae-Man straightened his crouched body. He stood up from his seat.

"If I just stay still like this, I will just feel inferior forever.”

He unleashed divine power. The blessing array he drew was crude, and the light was dim. However, the light of blessing gradually intensified as it enveloped Dae-Man's body. Dae-Man couldn't handle blessings well, but he had a strong physique that could maximize the efficiency of blessings.

"But if I choose to move, then I can turn that feeling of inferiority into a desire to improve myself.”

He filled his entire body with the strength of the blessing and walked forward. His footsteps quickened. Dae-Man charged forward and threw himself into the battlefield.

"Free yourself—!"

Smack!

His massive body collided with one of the men in black. The man flew into the wall. Dae-Man's steps were more confident than ever, and his chest stood broad and firm.

* * *

I grabbed a man in black who was approaching me by the head and slammed him into the ground. A chilling sound echoed out.

Crunch.

Thanks to Bossou's power, my body was overflowing with strength. Even though I was trying to hold back my strength, the men in black fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"Huh."

The problem was that no matter how many men in black I subdued and defeated, their numbers didn't decrease. Just when I thought I had finished them off, more men in black appeared, brandishing daggers and launching attacks toward us.

I collected my breath. Although I was using Bossou's power, it was still exhausting. No, to be precise, it was tedious rather than exhausting.

A shout came from somewhere at that precise moment, and one of the men in black threw a dagger my way.

"Takbīr!"

I didn't dodge it. Instead, I used Bade's power.

Whoosh─!

The dagger flying toward me lost momentum and fell to the ground when it encountered the wind. Using Bade's wind, I located the enemy who had thrown the dagger at me. However, I didn't need to intervene.

Splurt.

"How cowardly."

It was because Jin-Seo had already stepped forward and subdued them for me. She skillfully handled the spear and effortlessly subdued the enemies.

"Although we are fighting, safety is the priority! If it seems dangerous, retreat immediately!” Han Dae-Ho shouted.

He twisted and shattered a dagger with his bare hands, then struck an enemy's solar plexus with his fist. He only hit them hard enough to just barely keep them alive.

"Go, Dae-Man!" Min-Seo shouted.

"Roaaar─!" Dae-Man shouted.

"Yes, you need to go on a rampage so that I can take a break!" Min-Seo said.

Min-Seo and Dae-Man joined the battle late, but they fought quite well. At first glance, Min-Seo appeared to be doing nothing, but she was actually very important in double-tapping the enemies that Dae-Man or Han Dae-Ho hadn't completely subdued.

Only five of us were fighting, and there were countless enemies. Nonetheless, it didn't seem like we would lose. Han Dae-Ho and Jin-Seo’s presence was significant. The enemies were starting to feel fear, as they were hesitating and taking steps back.

"Don't advance too far! If one of us has to get hurt, it’s best if I get—!”

Han Dae-Ho stopped speaking midway, his eyes fixed on one point. I followed his gaze. Something faintly glowed in the darkness—the light was dreary and ominous.

It was a goat symbol. The goat symbol on the man's neck was emitting light. The red and eerie light scattered in a circular shape.

Soon, a Pentagram was completed. It didn't seem like the man was directly using black magic. It seemed like he was being used as a tool for activating black magic.

Saaaa...

Demonic energy flowed out from the Pentagram. However, for some reason, the concentration of demonic energy was not strong. It was much thinner and fainter than what I had seen during my fight with Jun-Hyuk.

"It’s demonic energy! Everyone, cover your mouths!” Han Dae-Ho shouted.

However, the demonic energy wasn’t something that could simply be blocked by covering one’s mouth. It was impossible to block an activated black magic spell without a Blessing of Purification. The time for using the Blessing of Purification was now. I lifted the Burning Bush Twig.

I immediately signaled to Ha-Yeon, "Ha-Yeon, now!"

—!

At that moment, a brilliant light flowed out from the corner of the museum and pierced through the darkness. The light was much more radiant and pure than the light of a normal blessing array. It was the Blessing of Purification.

The light of blessing drove away the demonic energy threatening to surround us, retreating and vanishing into nothingness.

"..."

The movement of the man commanding the men in black came to a halt.

Ogun's power had rendered all the guns useless and destroyed them. There was no chance of winning an all-out battle. Even the black magic spell, which was supposed to be the last resort, disappeared into nothingness due to Ha-Yeon's blessing of purification. They no longer had any chance of winning. The men in black, who had been charging forward without hesitation, also lost their momentum.

They just stared blankly at us with their daggers and didn’t initiate an attack. Silence filled the air.

"?XXXXhu ?akbar—!"

At that moment, the man leading the men in black broke the silence, his voice echoing through the museum.

"?XXXXhu ?akbar─!"

"?XXXXhu ?akbar─!"

"?XXXXhu ?akbar─!"

Starting with the man's rallying cry, all the other enemies began shouting in unison. They looked like primitive men conducting a ritual.

They put down their daggers and tossed the guns they carried onto the ground.

Flutter.

Then, they took off their clothes. Something was wrapped tightly around their bodies. In the darkness, they vaguely resembled bandages and seemed like bulletproof vests.

I belatedly realized what they were wearing.

They were wearing bombs.

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