That was the end of their conversation that day.
Because Arid’s expression became a bit tired and they expressed the desire to rest a bit more. Accepting this clumsy signal, Lukas quietly returned to his room.
And the next day, when he went back to the room on the top floor of the building, Arid was not there.
Of course, Lukas knew this even before he entered the room.
Nevertheless, the reason he went there was to track Arid’s signature with this room as the starting point.
Arid’s aura was very unique, and he had memorised it throughout their few encounters. At that point, Lukas was confident that he’d be able to find Arid regardless of where they were in the base.
He followed Arid’s signature through the building and stopped as he came upon a thick wall.
Crackle.
When he touched it with his finger, a weak spark appeared.
It seemed that a barrier that prevented the intrusion of souls had been erected in this space behind this wall. This was a type of barrier that could only be created through the use of excellent potions, special tools, and symbols of great power.
‘They weren’t forced to enter.’
If that was the case, then he would’ve noticed it.
Nevertheless, he wasn’t in a rush. After all, Kim Min-chul had said that they would be meeting the Saint the next day.
After looking at the wall for a while longer, Lukas gradually faded like smoke before he disappeared entirely.
* * *
From birth, they had been a child of light.
This wasn’t figurative. It was literal. When Arid was born, his body flashed with a bright light that drove away the darkness in the room.
“Are you ready?”
Arid nodded in response to Slei’s question.
“Yes.”
“Then let’s get started.”
“Understood.”
Hup!
Arid drew a deep breath and concentrated all the power in their body. Suddenly, their entire body began to shine with bright white light.
It was a pure and holy light that flitted around like a willful butterfly. Slei looked at this beautiful sight with a face filled with excitement.
“Ahh…! Come here!”
As he shouted, he lifted his hands and beckoned. The light, which was floating around, quickly flew into his body.
“Ah…! Ahh…!”
He could feel it.
The omniscient light, holier than any other power in the world, coursed through his body. A feeling of intense satisfaction that filled Slei’s body at that moment was like a drug-induced euphoria.
The feeling of ecstasy was like no other. The pleasure was so strong, it felt like his brain was melting.
Saliva dripped from Slei’s open mouth. Unable to contain it, he released a pleasure-filled cry.
“Ahhh…! Ahh…!”
He wasn’t the only one who couldn’t contain his moans.
A white-haired woman, the Saint who had appeared in the auditorium not so long ago, also received the blessing of light.
After a while, the light that filled the room slowly faded.
“Huff, huff…”
The difference between the one who’d released the light and those who accepted it was stark.
Arid was hunched over, panting heavily as cold sweat covered their entire body. Their face was deathly pale, and it looked like they would collapse at any moment.
On the other hand, Slei and the Saint appeared to be filled with energy. There were even dazed smiles on their lips as they basked in the afterglow of the experience.
“Hahaha!”
Slei let out a burst of contented laughter.
It was done. Now, he could once again clearly hear the voice of God, which had begun to fade.
His eyes turned to Arid.
“Well done, Arid. I have prepared a place for you to rest. Go and take a break there.”
“…yes.”
Arid mumbled softly before staggering out of the room.
The Saint, who watched him leave with cold eyes, opened her mouth.
“That child looks more tired than usual.”
“It seems that they used their power to help evil spirits again.”
“In that regard, they’re just like their mother.”
A strange emotion seemed to flash in the Saint’s eyes for a moment.
“I’ve already warned them. It won’t happen again.”
“Then I’m relieved.”
“…now that our power has been recharged, we will be able to hear the voice of God once again.”
“Will you ask about that Absolute existence again?”
Slei nodded.
“I didn’t have enough power last time, so I was unable to hear the answer clearly… if my predictions are correct, then the Absolute will be a hindrance to our plan.”
The Saint raised an eyebrow slightly as she looked at him.
“You look quite relaxed even while saying that. Do you have a plan?”
“Even if they are an Absolute or whatever, in the end, they are still God’s subordinate.”
With the power of Communication that Slei borrowed from Arid, he was able to receive knowledge that would usually not be available to mortals.
And that was how he knew.
What kind of beings Absolutes were, what their goals were, and what kind of ideals they had.
“They are just the servants of God, like us. With the exception of the ‘four great beings’.”
Slei was not too familiar with the ‘four great beings’, but he at least knew that they were so powerful that they could not take even a single step into a small universe like this one for fear of destroying it. In other words, they were nothing like the Absolute who would be coming to Korea soon.
“While I’m at it, I think it would be good to find out what is happening in this land. I will need you to assist me.”
“Understood.”
At those words, the Saint, no, Slei’s wife, Reika, nodded and held his hand, lending her power to Slei, who had begun to use Communication.
Chtcht.
Waves of light began to swirl around Slei, looking like a huge storm.
Before he knew it, Slei felt his consciousness rise up out of his body. He felt himself going higher into the air, higher than the buildings, higher than the mountains, higher than the clouds, higher than the sky.
Before long, his consciousness had arrived in space.
‘Ah…’
And there, he saw God.
The being who held all of the knowledge in the universe.
Well, he couldn’t see him, for after all, it wasn’t a concept that could be seen in the first place. Slei understood that. Even if he could break free of his mortal constraints, he would not be able to change that.
Without hesitating any further, Slei threw himself into the sea of knowledge.
Brr.
He felt his consciousness shake as a great deal of knowledge rushed directly into his brain. He knew that if he lost focus here, his ego would be swept away and he would become one with the sea of knowledge.
Fortunately, he had Arid’s power and a little trick of his own to help him.
‘Teach me, God.’
He whispered inwardly.
…
…
Paht.
Slei’s consciousness returned to his body. He stumbled heavily but was able to remain on his feet with Reika’s support.
“How was it?”
“…there is trouble.”
“Are the Absolutes as troublesome as we expected?”
“It’s not that. Members of the Five Dukes are on their way here.”
“The Five Dukes?”
It was only two words, but it caused Reika’s eyes to light up.
“That’s good. It would be a great opportunity for us to spread the name of our Church of Eternal Life. With our current power, we should be able to defeat one of the Five Dukes without much issue.”
“The Five Dukes are not simple opponents. More importantly, it’s not just one of them.”
“Huh?”
“Two of the Five Dukes are on their way here.”
When she heard that, Reika’s expression became serious.
“Two of them?… Why are they coming here?”
“I think they’re looking for someone… I’m not too sure about the details. In any cause, that’s not the point.”
Slei stroked his chin for a moment.
In a short while, the entirety of Busan, no, the entirety of the Korean Peninsula would fall under the control of their Church of Eternal Life.
It would be a shame for them to back down like this.
“It seems that we will have to change our plans a bit.”
After pondering for a moment, Slei came to a decision.
“Gather all of the believers who were once hunters.”
* * *
Around dawn, before the sun had even risen, Kim Min-chul came to them.
“I’m sorry for coming to you so early in the morning, Mr. Frey.”
He spoke in a whispering tone.
This must have been in consideration of Sedi, who was currently sleeping on the bed without a care in the world. Lukas looked down at her face for a moment before muttering in a similarly low voice,
“It’s fine.”
“…there is an emergency meeting being held by the church today. If you don’t mind, why don’t we go see the Saint now?”
There was no reason for him to refuse. The sooner they met, the better.
When Lukas nodded, Kim Min-chul turned around without any further ado.
“Follow me.”
As he followed Kim Min-chul, Lukas looked around the base. It was before dawn, a time that couldn’t even be called the start of the day, but the inside of the base was already bustling with activity.
The members of the Church of Eternal Life moved around busily while whispering amongst themselves.
“Is something wrong?”
“I suppose it would be best to inform you. After all, it would be best if Mr. Frey left immediately after meeting the Saint.”
Kim Min-chul paused for a moment before continuing.
“…Because members of the Five Dukes are on their way here.”
“…the Five Dukes?”
When Lukas mumbled these words in a surprised voice, Kim Min-chul nodded as if he’d expected such a reaction.
“It’s understandable that you don’t immediately believe me. But this was said to us by the Bishop himself, so I am certain that it is not false. He said that they would enter Busan as early as tomorrow morning or as late as tomorrow night.”
“…”
Lukas stopped walking.
Realising this, Kim Min-chul, who was walking ahead of him, also stopped and turned back to look at him.
“Many people will die.”
“Perhaps.”
“But Mr. Kim Min-chul still looks calm.”
“That’s because this is a moment we have been waiting for for a very long time.”
“…what do you mean?”
When Lukas asked that, all he received was a short laugh before Kim Min-chul turned around and resumed walking.
“We should hurry. Time is of the essence, after all.”
Then, saying no more, his steps sped up as he led Lukas to their destination. Finally, after a short while, they stopped in front of a large door.
“We’re here.”
“The Saint is in this room?”
“Yes.”
Lukas turned to look at the door again.
…It was strange. He couldn’t feel Arid’s unique aura anywhere nearby.
That fact alone caused Lukas’ expression to become cold. Kim Min-chul, who was bowing his head at the time, didn’t realise this.
Click.
Lukas entered the room.
Inside the room was a table that was neither too large nor too small and a few chairs. A figure sat in the chair that faced the door.
When she saw him enter, the white-haired woman who sat at the table opened her mouth and spoke with a calm voice.
“Is it you? The hunter who said they wanted to see me?”
“See you?”
At those words, Reika nodded her head.
“That’s right. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am the Saint of the Church of Eternal Life.”
“…”
Lukas’ mouth twisted slightly at her self-introduction.
(TL: I wonder how Lukas will react…)