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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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Our Heart Church was a rather infamous cult in the neighborhood. And like all such cults, it was incredibly wealthy, having siphoned off all of its followers’ money. And such wealthy churches were invariably large.
It had a large building that could easily accommodate hundreds of people with high walls as if to block the gazes of outsiders.
And for reasons unknown, it also had hidden rooms and a basement.
In a world ravaged by a zombie apocalypse, it was a building with highly advantageous features.
“Alright! Everyone! Open your scriptures! Now! We will begin Pastor Moon Geun-o’s morning service!!”
At the young man’s call, those gathered in the auditorium opened the scriptures published by the Our Heart Church and looked towards the podium with anticipation.
“Ah, ah. Everyone. Greetings. A new morning greets us once again.”
The young follower who had been stirring up the atmosphere stepped back, and a middle-aged man with a thick beard stood before the podium bearing the inscription ‘New Commandments.’
He was Moon Geun-o, the religious expert and pastor of the Central Association, a union of alumni, veteran, and church groups.
Originally the general secretary of the alumni association, he had somehow become the pastor of the Demon Church upon Awakening as a Demagogue.
“Everyone! The world has crumbled so tragically! It has been three weeks since Jesus abandoned us! Yet we still live!”
The pastor’s voice held power. Charisma. A demonic charm that captivated people, drawing them in.
It was all thanks to his skills related to agitation and crowd control. Those who lacked sufficient Magic stats were easily swayed by his words.
And naturally, those gathered here were unaware of this fact. Before they even realized it, they had already fallen under Pastor Moon Geun-o’s skills, becoming fools who blindly followed his every word.
They were becoming puppets who laughed and cried at his command, living and dying at his whim.
“Now, everyone! Before we begin, let us all shout together!!! To the one who bestows upon us faith! Love! Hope! And wisdom!!! The savior of the new world!! Our messiah!!! Long live Saint Park Daniel!!!”
Moon Geun-o heightened the emotions of the crowd, idolizing Park Daniel the Demonist, the new saint and the living deity of the Demon Church.
A hundred or so people, manipulated by his voice that was infused with magic, a voice akin to hypnosis, roared with ecstatic cheers at Pastor Moon Geun-o’s words.
“Long live!!! Long live!!!”
“Long live Saint Daniel!! Long live Pastor Moon!!”
“Protect us!!!”
The cries of the fanatics echoed throughout the auditorium, threatening to tear it apart.
Of course, with the soundproofing, their cries wouldn’t reach the outside world.
The sound simply reverberated within the auditorium, further intensifying the fervent atmosphere.
“Everyone, look! In this apocalyptic era where everyone cries out in agony! The reason we can live such abundant! And fulfilling lives! Is all thanks to! Our new lord!! The one who grants us, the powerless, great strength! And divine power!!! Thanks to Saint Park Daniel!!!!”
“That’s right!!”
“That’s right!!!”
The pastor calmed the excited crowd slightly and continued speaking.
“But you see, everyone. To us, who desire peace and stability, the well-being of the future, they dare, they daaaare!!! To threaten us with their filthy blades!!! To intimidate and!!! Plunder us!!! Such ruthless individuals have appeared!!!”
At Moon Geun-o’s cry, the assembled followers stirred, falling into confusion.
The pastor quickly continued before their unease could spread and turn into full-blown fear.
“Therefore!!! We!! Must stand against our enemies!!! We will recruit a holy army to fight alongside us!! We desperately need your help!! Those with the courage!! To bring down the hammer of justice upon these wicked individuals!! Raise your hands now!!! We need your voluntary participation!! To protect our territory! Our domain! This peace and prosperity!! Are there any among you who will bravely step forward?!”
“M-me!! I want to help!!!”
“I want to fight for our church!!!”
As the actors within the crowd began raising their hands one by one, the others followed suit.
When most of those in the auditorium raised their hands, Pastor Moon Geun-o smiled faintly.
“Excellent!!! I! Moon Geun-o, pastor of the Our Heart Church..! Am deeply moved by your enthusiasm!! And courage!!!”
As the pastor tapped the podium, the young follower who had stepped back and the other Central Association executives brought in a cart laden with jars filled with a red liquid.
“Now, everyone. Before we drive out our approaching enemies!! Let us drink!! A sip of His holy blood!!! Prepared by our Saint!!! For a righteous future!! And a bright tomorrow!!! Those who wish to receive this grace!!! Those who wish to forge the future with us!!! Step forward and take a sip of this holy blood!!!”
The people in the auditorium lined up, each receiving a small paper cup filled with the unknown red liquid from the jars.
“Now, by drinking this!! You are considered to have ‘consented’!! To join us in our cause forever!!! Now!! To our hopeful lives!!!”
“Cheers!!!”
“Long live!!! Long live!!!”
Thus, Moon Geun-o obtained the ‘consent’ of all those who received the red liquid he called holy blood.
Those who received the holy blood cheered joyfully and began drinking from their paper cups.
Meanwhile, the pastor on the podium quickly slipped out of the auditorium.
“Phew. Damn. I’m getting used to this.”
“Good work, Pastor.”
“Cut it out. What kind of pastor is a neighborhood representative? Let’s hurry. I’ve done what I was told, so I’m going to get some rest. My throat is killing me.”
“Shall we set up the table?”
“Good idea. Call all the executives. Let’s eat and drink ourselves to death today. Once we demonify all these fools in the auditorium, we’ll have nothing to fear. Right?”
“Hehe. Right. It’s been a while since we had a company dinner.”
Moon Geun-o and his closest aides hurried out of the auditorium while indulging in pleasant fantasies.
Those currently gathered in the auditorium were all non-Awakened. Awakened individuals couldn’t be demonified.
Moreover, any non-Awakened deemed useful had been notified and removed the previous day.
“But… doesn’t this taste a bit fishy?”
“Really? I don’t know. But… I’m feeling hot…”
Those who drank the red liquid, whatever it was, gradually felt their excitement heighten.
Soon, heated moans echoed through the auditorium, and some began vomiting blood.
“Um, are you alright… You look pale…”
“I-it’s… my stomach… Kuh… Cough… Kuh…!”
“Uaaah!!!! What’s happening!!!”
“Hey!! Why are you suddenly vomiting blood?! Hey… Uh, uh…”
“Kyaaaaa!!!!”
Only then did those remaining in the auditorium realize something was wrong.
The pastor had disappeared, and the drink they had just received had a fishy, bloody smell.
Moreover, the auditorium doors wouldn’t open.
“W-wait!!! Kyaaaaa!!!!!”
Suddenly, a scream erupted, and red blood splattered everywhere.
One of those who drank the liquid, their eyes now bloodshot, had bitten into the neck of the man next to them.
The auditorium was divided into those collapsing and vomiting blood and those rampaging madly.
Those who hadn’t yet drunk or received the liquid were killed by the frenzied individuals.
“Y-you bastard!!! Get off!!!”
“Kyaaaaa!!! Stop!!! It hurts!!!”
“M-mommy!!!”
The auditorium quickly became stained with blood.
The Awakened blocking the entrance to the auditorium ignored the screams coming from inside.
They were sacrifices.
It was the fault of those who blindly ‘consented.’
No, it was the fault of the cowards who hadn’t ‘consented.’
This tragedy was all the fault of the sinners who were about to attack this place.
Those blocking the entrance repeated this to themselves, believing they were blameless.
They too were already half-controlled by the Demagogue’s rhetoric.
Or perhaps, even without being controlled, they were the type who would abandon their own parents if it meant survival through the sacrifice of others.
After a while, not even screams remained in the auditorium.
The souls of the dead would be collected by Yang Ji-sang, the Wisp Warlock and the Devil Summoner, and the surviving ‘Fallen’ would be saved by Park Daniel, who would bind them to demons.
Meanwhile, in the Gospel Room at the basement of the church.
The place where the original pastor of this building, the leader of Our Heart Church, used to bring female followers for his rituals.
In the center of the room, a man with a pale, white face devoid of all hair and with strange symbols carved into his skin as if from self-harm sat cross-legged.
And on either side of him, four demon-possessed individuals, having abandoned their weak human forms, were devouring what were clearly living humans just moments ago.
“Saint…”
A man approached Park Daniel, who was meditating.
He was the young man who had distributed the red liquid, the so-called ‘Corruption Liquid’ disguised as holy blood, in the auditorium.
Park Daniel naturally asked him.
“It seems to be over, right?”
The arrival of this errand boy meant that new demonification candidates had been created in the auditorium.
“Yes, almost everyone ‘consented’ of their own free will and drank the holy blood.”
Those who drank the holy blood, the Corruption Liquid, would either become Fallen or die vomiting blood with a fifty-fifty chance.
The Fallen would then face demons through the Demonist’s skill, sell their souls, and become demon-possessed.
“Where is Yang Ji-sang?”
“He is currently collecting the overflowing spirits. He said that at this rate, he’ll soon be able to control the captured named individuals.”
“I see. Alright. I’ll be up soon.”
“Yes!”
The young follower bowed his head and left the Gospel Room.
“Haa… I’m tired.”
Park Daniel had been having the same dream for the past three days.
A nightmare where a monster covered in writhing tentacles and flickering darkness was coming to capture him.
In that nightmare, his army was reduced to ashes, and he died in agonizing pain.
After having the same dream for several days, he realized that it wasn’t just a dream.
It was a premonition. A warning of his impending end.
Moreover, something unusual had happened yesterday.
One of the demon-possessed sent to search for survivors hadn’t returned.
He quickly sent three more demon-possessed, but they didn’t return either. The Devil Summoner, Yang Ji-sang, had reported that the zombies possessed by his devils were all dead.
Park Daniel had also sensed the presence of something strange in the neighboring area.
In the end, he abandoned his original plan of gradually increasing the number of demon-possessed and instead recklessly demonified many people at once to alleviate his anxiety.
To be prepared to face whatever might come.
“I should get going. Stay put.”
Just as he stepped out of the Gospel Room to demonify the Fallen who had survived drinking the holy blood…
Rumble!!!
The building shook with the sound of an explosion.
“Could it be…?!”
Boom!!!
Rumble!!!
Two more explosions followed, and only then did Park Daniel realize that they were under attack.
Someone had infiltrated the building. And with explosives.
‘They said modern firearms were gone… Then was that a skill?’
Daniel hurriedly ran up the remaining stairs.
He had an ominous feeling he couldn’t describe.
A sinister, unsettling, and even slightly fearful feeling that the one he had seen in his nightmare, the one who wielded unholy tentacles and darkness, might have already arrived.
‘What in the world is going on?’
The area around the church building was supposed to be patrolled by Awakened members of the Central Association, demon-possessed individuals, and zombies possessed by Yang Ji-sang’s devils.
So if someone had approached them, Yang Ji-sang should have been the first to know.
“There…!”
Flames were rising from the executive meeting room.
And the windows of the main building’s fourth floor, where Yang Ji-sang was holed up, were all shattered.
“Hey!”
“Ah!! Saint!!!”
Park Daniel grabbed an Awakened member of the Central Association who was rushing towards the flames.
“What?! What the hell is going on?!”
“I don’t know!! The executive room suddenly exploded… I don’t see any signs of intrusion… Everyone at the entrance was a Central Association Awakened…!”
“This… is crazy. Then what in the world…?”
Daniel hurriedly tried to go back down to the Gospel Room. It was dangerous to be alone without knowing what had attacked them. Moon Geun-o and Yang Ji-sang might already be dead.
In that case, he had to bring with him the ones that had contracted with higher demons, his strongest forces who only obeyed his commands.
Daniel believed that the four demon-possessed individuals feasting on human flesh in the Gospel Room could easily kill a level 15 Awakened.
“Saint!!!”
Someone ran towards him as he was rushing down the stairs.
He didn’t know the person’s name, but he recognized their face. They were one of the Central Association executives.
Thinking that the executive had something to report, Daniel stopped.
But the approaching executive was holding a firecracker.
A lit firecracker.
“Hey! What’s that in your hand—”
Boom!!!!
The running man exploded, engulfing Daniel in the blast.
The force of the explosion cracked the building and sent the Demonist flying. Half of his face was burned, and a metal rod from the shattered stair railing pierced his back and protruded from his stomach.
“Kraaaaaa!!!!”
He screamed in agony. It was the worst pain he had ever felt. The burning agony from his body being on fire was indescribable.
“Uaaah!! Uaaah!!! Damn it!!!”
Daniel had no choice.
He had never intended to summon a demon into his own body, but he would die at this rate if he didn’t.
“Damn it… Forneus-nim… Power… Power…!!!”
A demon possessed his body.
His burned skin was covered in blue scales, and his pupils turned reptilian.
A long tail sprouted from behind him, and he sensed something. A presence with an alien energy. Realizing it was the intruder, Daniel pulled out the metal rod from his stomach and threw it away. Then, he summoned the four demon-possessed individuals from the Gospel Room to kill the intruders.
Around that time, fifteen men and women had infiltrated the chaotic church.
They took advantage of the commotion and quickly entered the underground parking lot.
Naturally, the infiltrators were Jang Jo-joon and his group.
“These bastards were living so peacefully here. It was too easy to get in.”
“Some of us were struggling to survive because of the zombie waves… This place hasn’t been attacked even once. There aren’t many guards either…”
As they had expected, this place hadn’t been properly attacked by a zombie horde yet.
For some reason, the zombies were unusually attracted to Jo-joon’s location.
Moreover, Moon Geun-o, complacent due to the anticipated increase in demon-possessed individuals, had gathered the executives for a drinking party, making things even easier.
“I didn’t expect the firecrackers to be this powerful.”
“Me neither. Weren’t they just supposed to cause a distraction?”
Jo-joon nodded at Kang Hee-sun’s question.
“That’s right… But at this rate, they might all be dead.”
They had thoroughly searched the streets and enslaved all the Awakened members of the Central Association they could find.
They didn’t kill the zombies the Awakened were controlling, as that might alert the Awakened controlling them.
Jo-joon gave the captured Awakened the remaining firecrackers from the Zhang Qian army battle that he had acquired in the Black Market while searching for the exit.
Having already used the Dragon’s Breath firecracker, the remaining four were, of course, for suicide attacks.
Jo-joon ordered them to each find the executive room, the pastor, the Devil Summoner, and the Demonist and detonate the firecrackers.
He hadn’t been sure of the firecrackers’ power, so he intended to use them simply to create a distraction for easier infiltration, but they had accidentally turned into full-blown suicide bombings.
Thanks to this, things became even easier. The first explosion occurred where Yang Ji-sang was located, and since Moon Geun-o was drinking in the executive room, two firecrackers detonated there consecutively, killing most of those inside.
“Shall we go take care of the rest?”
“Yes!”
Just as Jang Jo-joon and his group were about to head up from the underground parking lot…
Boom!!!!
The entrance to the stairs leading to the ground level exploded, and five monstrous figures descended.
“Damn bastards… It’s you…”
It was the Demonist Park Daniel and the four demon-possessed individuals, already transformed.
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T/N – Well, a large fight is incoming in the next chapter. Like I said, I don’t see the Central Association winning this one. Too bad about the people at the start though. All those potential karma points, gone.
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
