The Cult Leader in the Clergy Academy

Chapter 333

The light flowing out from the object pushed away the fog. Jin-Seo's consciousness briefly returned. It returned for only a brief moment, but that was enough.

Jin-Seo quickly sent a signal to Simon using the communicator in her pocket. She gripped her sword, flexed her arms and legs, and then rushed toward Sun-Woo.

Jin-Seo intended to knock Sun-Woo unconscious by hitting his head with the side of her sword. She couldn't bring herself to cut Sun-Woo after all. If she tried to cut him, she would end up hesitating once again, and he would use that opportunity to cast a Voodoo spell.

Thus, she decided to knock him out instead. That way, she wouldn't hesitate to attack Sun-Woo anymore.

Swish!

She swung her sword. However, Sun-Woo easily dodged it. Jin-Seo had trained her swordsmanship to deal with demons and demonic beasts. In other words, her swordsmanship was designed to kill the opponent. She had never properly trained in swordsmanship intended to knock the opponent out.

Therefore, Jin-Seo's swing was slower than usual. As a result, Sun-Woo easily dodged her sword.

Jin-Seo used a blessing, which enveloped her legs. She compressed the power of the blessing, increasing the potency.

Bang!

Jin-Seo kicked the ground and rushed toward Sun-Woo and swung her sword. This time, Sun-Woo did not dodge. He did not bow his head or twist his body. Instead, he raised his left arm and said, "Bossou."

Smash!

Sun-Woo grabbed and twisted Jin-Seo's sword with his left hand. The blade that had remained intact even after cutting down dozens, hundreds of demons, shattered into pieces.

Jin-Seo could not face Sun-Woo with a broken blade. She stepped back for the time being.

Clang.

Then she dropped her broken sword on the ground and belatedly put on her anti-Voodoo mask that she had been unable to wear due to not having the opportunity to do so.

She lifted her head and looked at Sun-Woo. Blood flowed profusely from his left hand. However, Sun-Woo did not show any signs of pain.

He acted as if he was completely fine as he unleashed his Voodoo magic power and drew a spell array. Mist flowed out and wrapped around Sun-Woo's palm. The bleeding stopped, and the wounds healed instantly.

"Disgusting," Jin-Seo said.

Sun-Woo smirked. "That’s harsh.”

Meanwhile, Jin-Seo loosened her body by twisting her wrists. Her sword was useless now. She didn't feel like it, and she didn't have much confidence, but she had to engage in close combat. It would be best to avoid Sun-Woo’s blows since he had enough strength to break her sword with one hand. Obviously, she would lose in a direct confrontation with him.

Since that was the case, she had no other choice than to subdue him by targeting his joints. However, it didn’t seem like Sun-Woo would willingly let her do that. Jin-Seo sharply glared at Sun-Woo and said, "Let's fight fair and square with our bodies."

"I’ve heard of something like that before. Why am I getting a sense of déjà vu?" Sun-Woo replied nonchalantly.

Jin-Seo used a blessing. She then lunged at Sun-Woo again, this time without a sword. Instead, she swung her fist. Sun-Woo did not dodge.

“...”

Sun-Woo grabbed Jin-Seo's fist and did not let go. Jin-Seo tried to pull her hand out of Sun-Woo's grip but couldn't. His strength was greater than she had anticipated.

Nevertheless, Jin-Seo smiled. That was her plan all along.

Swish!

Jin-Seo floated up into the air. She pulled Sun-Woo's arm and wrapped his neck with it, forming a triangle choke.

The tide of the battle turned in an instant. Jin-Seo squeezed her legs and choked Sun-Woo's neck. If she continued to press on his carotid artery for a few more seconds, Sun-Woo would lose consciousness.

Even if he didn't lose consciousness and resisted until the end, it wouldn’t matter. Jin-Seo had already sent a signal to Simon through her communicator.

If she could just buy some time, Simon would arrive soon, and then she could subdue Sun-Woo. That was her plan.

However, Jin-Seo's plan completely crumbled after Sun-Woo muttered, "Granbwa."

Rumble, rumble―!

The ground shook. Thin plant stems pierced through the marble floor of the cathedral and shot upward. The plant stems wrapped around Jin-Seo's body.

Jin-Seo had been winning the battle, but she suddenly found herself unable to move a single finger. Sun-Woo touched his neck and stood up. Jin-Seo looked up at Sun-Woo and said, "This is cheating. We agreed to fight fair and square."

"I never agreed," Sun-Woo said as he unleashed Voodoo magic and drew a spell array.

It was an intoxication spell. Voodoo mist enveloped their faces.

Sun-Woo's eyes, which had been cloudy, regained clarity. On the other hand, Jin-Seo's pupils dilated. She was experiencing a provocative and unfamiliar pleasure that she could not bear. Jin-Seo's consciousness gradually blurred.

At that moment, a familiar voice echoed in the alley.

"Deputy Director?"

“...”

Simon left the cathedral after receiving a signal, and looked back and forth at the two people in the alley. Jin-Seo, whom he admired and deeply cherished, was losing consciousness due to the plant stems that tied her up.

While she was in that state, a stranger was looking down at her. Simon immediately realized why Jin-Seo ended up like that and who the man was.

"The Cult Leader."

Simon gripped his sword and he glared at Sun-Woo. He felt a burning anger that was stronger than anything he had felt before toward the Cult Leader.

***

The cathedral was in chaos because of the mysterious old man who had suddenly appeared on stage during the ceremony.

Smash―!

The old man swiftly knocked down the paladins advancing up the stairs. The prelates watching the ceremony were initially calm, but as they saw everyone ranging from apprentice paladins to elite paladins falling lifelessly into the old man's hands, they felt terror.

The procession of paladins rushing toward the old man and the procession of prelates fleeing from him collided, creating chaos. The screams of the people and the shouts of the paladins intertwined.

Amidst all the chaos, a booming voice echoed in the cathedral.

"I speak to all members of the Eastern Paladin Order―!!"

It was Han Dae-Ho, the director of the Eastern Paladin Order, a giant of a man with one arm.

After hearing his shout, people immediately halted and stood in place. His voice carried a commanding tone that overwhelmed the entire area.

"Teams A and B, focus on evacuating! Teams C and D, come with me to fight the terrorists—!" Han Dae-Ho said.

The paladins recklessly charging toward the old man, regardless of their teams, finally came to their senses.

The teams had been temporarily assigned to the security mission. Teams A and B followed Han Dae-Ho's orders and focused on evacuating the civilians inside the cathedral. Meanwhile, Teams C and D lined up in a formation.

Thanks to Han Dae-Ho, everyone inside the cathedral was now aware of the situation. This was not just a sudden outburst from a crazy old man, but a planned terrorist attack.

"Everyone, do not take off your anti-Voodoo masks under any circumstances!" Han Dae-Ho shouted again.

They adjusted their masks and readied their weapons. From clubs to holy artifacts, the weapons they carried were diverse.

They approached the old man while maintaining their formation. At that moment, the old man's posture changed.

The old man seemed to have been standing still, but he suddenly lowered his center of gravity and extended his arms forward. It was a strange posture. At first glance, it seemed full of openings, but in reality, it was a solid stance with no room to penetrate.

"The Eastern Paladin Order has grown a lot," the old man muttered.

The old man had only been attacking paladins who had been approaching him, but then he began to move.

The old man moved his finger, and light enveloped him. It was clearly divine power and a blessing array. What enveloped the old man's body was none other than the light of blessing.

Confusion spread on the faces of those who assumed that the old man to be a member of the Voodoo Cult or even a terrorist of some cult.

"Romani-can?"

Smash!

With a swift motion, the old man leaped toward the paladins. He struck a paladin's face with a speed beyond recognition. The paladin’s anti-Voodoo mask shattered.

Although the anti-Voodoo mask excelled in blocking Voodoo mist, it did not have the ability to defend against physical attacks. One of the paladins collapsed. The paladin’s mace fell to the ground.

The old man picked up the mace and chuckled.

"The world has gotten better. Back in my day, it took many years before you’d be able to wield a weapon like this.”

Dozens of paladins rushed toward the old man. The old man took another peculiar stance with the mace in hand.

Smack!

The old man swung the mace. One paladin spewed out blood as he fell. The paladins charged forward, the old man swung the mace, and another paladin fell.

Before gripping the mace, the old man's strength had been overwhelming, but he had no weapon, and he was an elderly man.

They thought they would be able to overpower the old man if several young and burly paladins somehow overwhelmed him with their numbers.

Smack!

"Ugh!"

But things changed after the old man wielded a mace. His demeanor changed. The paladins previously thought that no matter how strong the old man was, he was still just an old man, but now their previous perception completely shattered to pieces.

They were terrified. They lost their confidence as they watched the old man effortlessly knock down paladins much larger than himself with his mace. The paladins could no longer approach the old man. Instead, they took hesitant steps back with fearful expressions on their faces.

Boom―!

A man with a sturdy build suddenly appeared at the center. It was Han Dae-Ho, the director of the Eastern Paladin Order. Despite missing one arm, he exuded tremendous strength.

He was wrapped in the light of blessing, and he appeared stronger and larger than any other paladin in the cathedral. Han Dae-Ho approached the old man.

The old man did not immediately attack Han Dae-Ho. Instead, he furrowed his brow and tried to see Han Dae-Ho’s face, which was covered by an anti-Voodoo mask. Han Dae-Ho also tried to see the old man's face, which was hidden under long flowing hair.

"..."

The two went silent when they finally recognized each other. Han Dae-Ho removed his anti-Voodoo mask. The old man began to tie up his long hair, revealing his face.

Some paladins were startled and widened their eyes at the sight of the old man's face.

"Long time no see. Has it been about six years? You've grown a lot since we last met," the old man said.

Han Dae-Ho showed a bitter smile and bowed his head.

"Inquisitor Joseph. What brings you to a place like this?"

Joseph smirked. "I'm not an inquisitor anymore.”

He finally finished tying up his hair, revealing his face. There seemed to be a few more wrinkles than before, but otherwise, he hadn't changed much. It was not much different from the appearance of Moon Joseph in Han Dae-Ho’s memories.

The person in front of Han Dae-Ho was still Joseph. He was the person whom Han Dae-Ho had admired and followed. Joseph had not changed at all.

"It’s just that I became a heretic. Unfortunately."

The only difference was that his affiliation had changed. Joseph raised his mace. Han Dae-Ho bowed to Joseph and then put on the anti-Voodoo mask again. The two slowly approached each other.