The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 198

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 198

“That thing, surely not.”

Everyone’s gaze turned toward the sky.

The sky rumbling with ominous sounds was too strange a sight to simply dismiss as a ‘storm.’

Thin cloud layers rippled, intermittently pouring down intense light from above while emitting loud sounds.

“Really gives off an end-of-the-world feeling.”

He scratched the back of his neck. Ifrit seemed anxious, circling in the air before burrowing into Erendor’s embrace.

Celestia, most sensitive to magical power, also felt something lightly brush across her skin. A tingling, goosebump-inducing sensation that made her scalp prickle.

‘Even after becoming a Transcendent, it’s this intense.’

The energy she had felt earlier in the divine realm was gradually beginning to be felt here.

Everyone here could easily devastate a country or so in their own way, so what this eerie and unsettling thing was could be understood instinctively without needing explanation.

The Demon King rose from his chair.

“Prepare yourselves.”

Viola, who had been fidgeting the whole time, spoke up.

“Can’t I really go back to headquarters?”

The Commander ignored her.

*

The sky shattered like a glass cup. Glass fragments scattered and fell like hail or snow crystals.

“How dare! How dare!”

A sun blazing with fury falls from above me.

That anger was so powerful it was strong enough to burn the edges of my robe. The robe, which could be considered part of my body, burned in pure heat.

“This can’t be. This cannot…!”

I fell first, but it plummeted at an even more fierce speed.

The heavier the weight, the faster the falling speed, and the greater the impact of the crash.

With a thunderous roar, the blazing fireball crushed and melted the earth. A faint laugh escaped from the miserable sight that seemed to spill blood.

“Keuheureuk…keuk, fair… Fair! This, lowly, human-born street thug…”

Unlike me, who had originally risen from human origins to receive divine qualification with little divine power, it seemed to have taken considerable damage from this ‘fall.’

“Haha…”

However, I had also exhausted all my strength guiding the trajectory of the fall toward the space where the Demon Realm’s magic circle was installed. To the point of drawing upon strength I didn’t have.

“Wasn’t there one more potion.”

The divinity that had been at its limit even before falling demanded a strike. It was like a ship with multiple leaks that Gretchin and Luan had patched up becoming completely useless as the ship was smashed to pieces.

“Whew…”

At this rate, I might really die.

I looked up at the sky. The sky that had fallen along with the divine realm’s destruction was filled only with universe and darkness.

‘When will they come…’

*

The sky came crashing down. At the same time, the dark sky above flickered briefly, then with an incomparably louder sound than before, the sun fell.

Pure white light falls into the pitch-black sky where the God of Darkness had taken position due to the absence of the sun. And following that light falls a small doll-like figure.

It was someone everyone here could recognize.

“It’s the Ascetic!”

Yelena’s aura-enhanced eyes caught sight of the one falling after.

The one falling behind held a long staff and controlled the falling trajectory. Then those who had been falling far apart began to come closer together.

Yelena shouted.

“Move to the barrier!”

The physical fighters each carried one of the non-physical fighters and ran. From now on, the place they would fight would nullify all barriers and magic, making magical movement impossible.

“The sacrifices?”

“Violin has them!”

Violin, being carried by Tuba, spoke curtly.

“I have them, so don’t worry about it.”

“Something the size of a chestnut acting all high and mighty.”

Erendor said that and got smacked on the back by Violin.

“Did you bring the Sorceress Lady properly?”

Kalebrin, being carried by Yelena, spoke reluctantly.

“I’m… right… behind you…”

“Sorry, you’re so small I didn’t notice.”

Erendor got kicked in the shin by Yelena. The Demon King silently briefed them.

“Prepare for the crash aftershocks.”

Soon, a thunderous roar as if a meteor had fallen and dust clouds obscured their vision. But within Celestia’s buffs, they ignored the ground’s trembling and dust clouds, sprinting toward the promised location.

Just 30 seconds since the sun had crashed to the ground.

That was the time it took them to run to the designated location with the items they had prepared.

“Lumensia is… alive.”

The Demon King spoke briefly and re-gripped his sword. In those indifferent eyes lurked sharp, blue resentment, hatred, and obsession to finally kill the god here and now.

Without delay, he threw himself into the dust cloud with an explosive leap.

“I’ll join as well.”

She also reported briefly while drawing up magical power to fly into the sky. The Commander gave buffs to those two from behind while blowing a sharp whistle.

Wheek-

“Everyone except Violin, Viola, Tuba, and Kalebrin go to Lumensia…! We need to buy time!”

Instead of answering, the comrades gripped their respective weapons and scattered across the battlefield. Kalebrin’s face turned pale white upon confirming the Ascetic’s condition.

Violin spoke calmly.

“Treat the Ascetic first.”

“Yes…!”

Viola and Tuba dragged the Ascetic, who was hardening like wax from losing almost all divinity, to the front of the altar.

Violin struck the ground with her weapon, strings that appeared from somewhere.

Kugugung—!

The ground cracked open and the corpses of angels that had been piled like mountains outside the Demon King’s castle poured down. Milk-white blood gave off a terrible fragrance as it soaked the ground.

These were things prepared for the Ascetic.

Meanwhile, Viola and Tuba kept watch of the surroundings while dragging the Ascetic over.

Kalebrin was preparing the forbidden sacrificial ritual, lighting fires around the area, when she saw the Ascetic’s condition and screamed in shock.

“Wh-what…! If you drag him like that…!”

“It would be better to hurry… Sorceress… He’s on the verge of death…”

Tuba urged in an emotionless voice. Kalebrin’s hands trembled violently.

It wasn’t just because of the Ascetic’s appearance. The trauma deeply rooted in Kalebrin’s past bound her feet and wouldn’t let go.

However, Kalebrin ultimately didn’t want to be held back by such things either.

“Get up…”

She sat down on the floor pooled with the angels’ milk-like blood and began drawing the trajectory of the forbidden technique.

*

“You need to get up…”

Kugoang-

Bang…!

Red eyes appear in my blurry vision. The distant rumbling gradually becomes clearer.

‘Did I lose consciousness for a moment, or is this the afterlife…’

My vision gradually clears. I see Kalebrin’s tearful face. Since there’s no way Kalebrin would die, no matter how I think about it, I haven’t crossed the River of Three Crossings yet.

Once again, a thunderstorm-like roar could be heard.

“Do you know by whose sacrifice you’re alive in this place right now! You fools know nothing!”

It was Lumensia’s angry voice that I had heard to the point of being sick of it.

“He’s awake…!”

Kalebrin brightened and tried to help me sit up. However, it was physically impossible for someone less than 2 meters tall to lift my 3-meter body, so Tuba nearby helped.

Looking around, it seemed the crumbling divinity had been forcibly patched together thanks to Kalebrin’s sacrificial ritual.

I stood up from my position, gauging the control of my restored divine power.

“If you fools knew that, you couldn’t do this to me. You couldn’t do this to me…!”

Lumensia, whose mummy-like flesh was torn here and there from the impact of the fall, roared.

As he grasped the distorted sun behind his back, the earth below boiled like lava and a massive firestorm swept through. Even having lost the foundation of the Divine Realm, the final radiance he unleashed was still overwhelming.

However, I was not alone in this place.

It was the Demon King’s grasp that dispelled the light of thunder and lightning like roaring thunder, and Celestia stood atop the god’s head, pouring down various spells.

Erendor wielded a sword of fire while in spirit form, and Yelena swung her massive weapon, splitting the clouds.

While they drew Lumensia’s attention, Alderion, who had become an apostle of the war god, wielded ‘Pieta’ that emanated red ether and struck at his blind spot.

The Commander was leading the battle by precisely coordinating them rather than engaging in direct combat.

Lumensia spewed forth a storm of fire, countering all attacks and striking back.

For someone whose power had been depleted from the fall, he moved quite smoothly.

I patted Kalebrin on the shoulder. Then I glanced briefly at Tuba.

Viola and Violin couldn’t participate in this superhuman battle anyway. It would be fortunate if they didn’t lose a limb or two while providing support.

I leaped back into the heart of the battle. As Lumensia’s distorted sun exploded once more, the surroundings melted away.

“I am the only light! How dare these mortal insects try to block the sun!”

This heat damage alone would instantly crumble most beings.

“Do you wish to live in darkness for eternity?”

With his body battered from the fall, he forcibly patched himself together with divinity and shot spears of light in all directions.

What was peculiar was that he wasn’t using the spear of Lumensia that he had used against me.

‘He probably can’t use it.’

Did it even make sense to spam that spear with penetration, defense ignore, weak skill seal, and various additional effects as basic attacks?

It was the Demon King’s crimson sword energy that deflected the trajectories of the incoming light. The Demon King had drawn his sword.

Dozens of magic circles that Celestia had embroidered in the air neutralized the pouring lasers.

I drew out the measuring reed once more and aimed. However, the flames instantly died down. As the fire extinguished like covering a burning pan with a lid, everyone’s gaze focused on me.

“Ascetic!”

Behind Celestia’s joyful cry, I held the measuring reed horizontally.

“He’s weaker than expected!”

Erendor rushed at Lumensia, pouring more flames from his full-body flame armor and unleashing his sword. It wasn’t an effective hit, but it was an attack that would sufficiently annoy Lumensia.

“These gnat-like creatures…!”

He couldn’t quite grasp the special region called the Demon Realm and the pre-installed magic circles and barriers. It was quite different from when I had been beaten up.

‘About one-tenth the level, I’d say.’

Cornered, Lumensia split open his left palm and pulled out a twisted spear from within.

But this time it wasn’t a throwing trajectory. He glared at me with hatred-filled eyes and drove the spear deep into the earth.

Kugugugu—!

The moment the spear blade touched the ground, it transformed into something more like the roots of a starving plant than a spear, slowly eroding into the foundation.

The earth began to writhe, emitting bizarre vibrations.

As everyone held their breath and remained vigilant against his new pattern, the Commander’s face contorted.

“He’s absorbing! He’s absorbing the life force of the Imperial Citizens…!”

A recovery pattern?

And targeting the Imperial Citizens at that… Was he planning to drain the lives of those who believed in him?

The ego of the god ‘Savior’ expressed disgust.

“If we don’t pour in full power, he’ll recover!”

With the Commander’s shout, the atmosphere of the battlefield changed drastically.

Celestia pushed the rotation speed of her magic circles to the limit, pressing down on the roots that started from the spear with mana, and Alderion charged toward the main body of the spear embedded in the earth, emanating the war god’s fighting spirit.

However, as if a brief recovery was sufficient, Lumensia struggled desperately.

Due to his merciless pattern, one of the Demon King’s arms was blown off and Celestia’s shoulder blade disappeared.

I instantly healed them, but since I was healing the bodies of Transcendents, it seemed to take twice as much energy.

‘The fight… won’t end.’

Alderion’s spirit form was about to be released, and Yelena was already so exhausted that she couldn’t move without the Commander’s buffs.

‘This is troublesome.’

As if proving that the sun is hottest just before death, Lumensia gathered massive radiance once more.

“Did you really think you could kill a god! Gnat-like creatures deserve to die-“

If the next pattern hits our people, it would be dangerous.

Just as I had that thought and was about to cover everyone with barriers using ether.

Thud.

All the noise in the world went dark in an instant.

Lumensia’s head rolled unnaturally off his shoulders like a ripe fruit falling.

The divinity that should have burst forth was corrupted like black ink instead of golden light and scattered into the air.

The burning sun flickered and lost its arrogant light.

“Freeze~”

Holding Lumensia’s severed head in one hand, a man stood there as if he had come out for a light stroll.

That familiar yet unpleasant face that had appeared before, offering a golden apple.

The one I had met holding a golden apple.

“Everyone worked hard.”

Eris.

“Now, will you die for me?”

The demon opened his maw and revealed his true nature.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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