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Chapter 43 – Descent of Evil (7)

Chapter 43 – Descent of Evil (7)

A long, long time ago,

Great gods created humans.

Humans were foolish and ignorant, acting solely on instinct without any intelligence.

They were practically no different from animals.

The gods did not intervene and left humans to their own devices.

But beings from beyond took an interest in the middle world.

They crossed into the middle world, treating humans as playthings and slaughtering them for sport.

Unable to bear watching this any longer, the gods descended.

The gods declared these beings from beyond to be demons, proclaiming them as entities that should not exist in this world.

After countless clashes between good and evil,

They finally managed to banish evil from this world.

Humans began to revere the great gods who saved them, remembering and serving their names.

Those who did so formed religious orders.

Under the guidance of the gods, humans made tremendous advancements.

Time passed, and now, we are in the present.

“Ho.”

Ketal stroked his chin, seemingly intrigued.

Aquaz couldn’t help but be surprised.

The story she was telling was a very old myth.

It was a tale so tedious that some children dozed off during the teachings in the religious order.

But Ketal listened intently, his face full of interest.

Slightly moved by his attitude, Aquaz continued speaking.

“The demons were banished from the middle world. The great ones erected a barrier, denying demons the ability to remain in the middle world.”

But the passage had already been opened.

No matter how strong the barrier, demons could still interfere with the middle world.

The gods needed to help, but they couldn’t constantly watch over the middle world.

Therefore, the gods chose those who served them and bestowed their powers upon them.

Humans came to possess divine miracles.

Through this process, the religious order grew even stronger, eventually exerting influence over the entire continent.

“Is that how it went?”

This was the history as told by those who worshipped the gods of this world.

“Is it because they are beings from another dimension that they cannot be killed?”

“Because they didn’t originally belong to this world. They cannot be dealt with using the concepts of this world. But with a divine miracle, such demons can be defeated.”

Aquaz’s eyes sparkled.

Her face was that of a devout believer.

“Is that so?”

Ketal smiled.

“Then I have one question. Divine miracles can defeat demons, right? They have the upper hand against them.”

“Yes.”

“Then do divine miracles also have the upper hand against mysteries?”

Aquaz nodded as if it were obvious.

“The great miracles of the gods. They created humans. They have the upper hand over all the powers humans wield.”

“I see.”

“The Sun God I serve is at the pinnacle among these many gods.”

Of course, he wasn’t truly at the pinnacle.

There were countless gods, and some were undoubtedly more powerful than the Sun God.

It was a cute lie of a devout follower.

But even so, the Sun God was indeed a powerful deity.

Among the gods influencing the middle world, he was one of the most significant.

“I see.”

Ketal’s face showed signs of interest.

Seeing this, a possibility arose in Aquaz’s mind.

‘…Perhaps.’

If it were this barbarian, couldn’t he be converted to the Sun God’s order?

Unlike other barbarians, he did not have a strong aversion to gods.

He was even interested enough to listen attentively to a dull historical story.

The conversion of a barbarian.

For Aquaz, a devout follower of the Sun God, this would be a great joy.

While she wasn’t very interested in political matters, from the perspective of the order, it was also advantageous.

Having someone who could overpower demons join the order meant strengthening its power.

“If you ever wish to join, please feel free to tell me. I will make arrangements.”

“Hmm?”

Ketal’s face showed another kind of interest.

But it was different from what Aquaz expected.

“…If I join, will I be able to use divine miracles too?”

“Ah, no.”

Aquaz shook her head.

“Divine miracles can only be used by those chosen by the Sun God. I cannot guarantee it.”

“Is that so? I’ll think about it positively then.”

“Yes!”

Aquaz nodded with a smile.

Thinking about it positively!

That was very good news.

She hoped to discuss the teachings of the Sun God with Ketal.

Of course, Ketal was thinking differently.

Ketal did not believe Aquaz’s words.

The part about creating humans was a common lie to enhance the dignity of the gods.

But the conflict between gods and demons seemed to be true.

Demons were defeated and banished by the gods.

‘Demons are beings from another dimension.’

They are entities that did not originally exist in this world.

Therefore, if they fully descend, they cannot be defeated by the powers of this world.

However, it is possible with the power of the gods.

And the power of the gods holds a superior affinity over the powers of this world.

If that’s the case,

Couldn’t gods also share the same origin as demons?

He didn’t say this out loud.

It would be a denial of the very foundation of the gods.

Aquaz might raise her mace and kill him on the spot if he did.

So Ketal brought up another topic that interested him.

“Divine power is wielding the power of the gods, right?”

“Yes, it’s a great miracle.”

“Is the scripture you used also similar to that?”

“That’s correct.”

Aquaz nodded.

The divine scripture.

A great book written by someone who directly witnessed the Sun God’s descent to the earth.

It was a precious relic that only a select few in the religious order were permitted to read.

“If it were my former self, I wouldn’t have been able to stand against the demon like that.”

In fact, Aquaz was overwhelmed by the demon at first.

But she began to gain the upper hand after using the scripture.

“A scripture is a record of the god’s journey. By reciting it, one can directly wield his miracles. I was granted permission to read the scripture because my faith in the Sun God was acknowledged. It was a great blessing.”

Of course, it wasn’t without risks.

Receiving such a great power directly put a significant burden on both body and mind.

Even someone as gifted as Aquaz found it difficult to read more than five passages.

“A book detailing the journey.”

Ketal muttered.

He had read many scriptures in the real world as well.

“I’d like to read it myself.”

“Haha… That might be difficult. Even within the order, only a very few are allowed. I was able to do so because the High Priestess favored me.”

“I understand. It’s just curiosity. In that case, I’m also curious about the demons. You mentioned that Ashetiar is a demon with a name. Is it the strongest?”

“No, it’s not.”

Aquaz shook her head.

A named demon signifies it has reached a certain level of power.

But there are countless demons stronger than the named ones.

“Ashetiar is one of the lower-ranked named demons.”

“Ho?”

Ketal’s eyes lit up with interest.

“There are many demons stronger than it?”

“Demons have their own hierarchy. Ashetiar is a common demon without any title.”

But even so, a named demon.

It cannot be opposed unless one is a superhuman warrior capable of handling aura.

In other words, without such a powerful warrior, there is no way to confront it.

“Is such a being appearing in this remote place? It’s quite a dangerous world.”

“No, it isn’t.”

Aquaz refuted Ketal’s words.

“Normally, a named demon cannot appear like this.”

The stronger the demon, the harder it is to descend.

It requires a significant sacrifice and time.

The omens of this would be detected by the religious order through divine revelations.

Many dark sorcerers attempt to summon demons, but most are caught by the gods’ gaze and fail.

An occurrence of a named demon descending might happen once in ten years, and each time it involves continent-wide movements.

If it were that easy for such demons to appear, this world would have long become their domain.

“But this time, it was different.”

Even though the gods had given a revelation, it was too late.

By the time Aquaz arrived, the demon had already descended.

And there was no sign of the dark sorcerer who had summoned it.

As if the demon had descended by its own power.

Moreover, the possibility of it establishing territory?

Such things happening so quickly was impossible.

It couldn’t be.

“Something is happening in the world.”

Aquaz bit her lip tightly.

This wasn’t the first time something strange had occurred.

For some time now, an unusual atmosphere had been spreading across the world, and it wasn’t in humanity’s favor.

“Originally, the demons should have been contained, but they are starting to affect the world. Dungeons are appearing abnormally frequently. Numerous evil entities are gradually revealing themselves.”

This started about a year ago.

“A year ago?”

Ketal tilted his head.

A year ago was when he was undertaking his last quest.

But that was strictly within the confines of the White Snowfield.

This place was a fantasy world, entirely separate from it.

“The conversation seems to have taken a different turn. First, let me express my gratitude once again.”

Aquaz bowed respectfully.

“If it weren’t for you, I would have become a plaything of evil. I will not forget this favor. Should you ever visit the Order of the Sun God, you will be warmly welcomed.”

“That sounds good.”

Ketal grinned widely.

* * *

A few hours later,

Aquaz was in a carriage.

Her entire body still ached, but she couldn’t afford to delay any longer.

She needed to return to the Holy Land as quickly as possible.

She had informed the lord about what had happened, so he would take care of it.

She had to relay this information to the Holy Land swiftly.

‘I must tell the High Priestess.’

The High Priestess of the Great Sun God.

The human closest to the Sun God.

What would she think of this?

Aquaz gave a bitter smile.

‘…But still.’

One question lingered in Aquaz’s mind.

The eyes of the gods observe this world.

That’s why they could foresee the descent of evil and take action.

This time, the Sun God had given a proper revelation, but Aquaz had simply failed to act quickly enough.

There was no issue with the revelation itself.

Usually, revelations included information about allies.

They often indicated that if one found a certain person, they would be on the path to vanquishing evil.

This time, Ketal played a crucial role in defeating the demon.

Without him, it would have been impossible.

Thus, Aquaz couldn’t help but wonder.

‘…Why didn’t the Sun God give a revelation about that barbarian?’