The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 807

Episode 807: The One Who Will Kill You (2)

Duke Ernhard Delphine.
He had allied with the Salvation Church and plunged the continent into war.
He had been defeated in battle and disappeared.
Giselle still didn’t fully understand Ernhard’s true identity. She had only vaguely guessed his motives while fighting the Salvation Church.
But the Pope who lived a thousand years ago had the same face.
Could this really be a coincidence?
What on earth was Ernhard…? … .
Snap.
Giselle clenched her teeth, scattering her thoughts.
It wasn’t important right now.
What mattered now was killing the Pope.
Kwaaaaah!
Even amidst her confusion, Giselle’s body moved on its own. He wasn’t one to hesitate or miss an opportunity.
This was his last attack.
Gramdir in Giselle’s hand glowed a brighter red than ever.
Kagagagagak!
Giselle’s sword cut through the curtain of light, decapitating the Pope.
But in the end, it failed to completely cut off the Pope’s head. Giselle’s sword stopped near the Pope’s Adam’s apple.
The Pope, still with the sword lodged in his throat, looked at Giselle and said,
“You are truly remarkable. I salute your inaction, surpassing human limitations.”
“…”
“And I think I’ve reached this point.” ”
…What are you talking about?”
Giselle frowned. The Pope wouldn’t die unless he was beheaded in one fell swoop
. No, it was doubtful he would die even if he were. He possessed such a strong vitality.
The Pope smiled self-deprecatingly.
“Because I no longer have the strength to suppress my ‘nature.'”
“…”
Chiiik… …
A healing energy continuously emanated from the Pope’s neck.
Giselle sensed a foreign energy mixed within him. She also felt that something inexplicable was happening right now.
The Pope continued slowly.
“When I was very young. One day, someone’s voice suddenly rang in my head.”
“…”
“That voice always spoke to me. That I had to save the world. That only I could ‘save’ the people.”
“…….”
“I never doubted those words. I believed I was the only savior who could save the world.”
“…….”
“It was clearly the voice of God.”
Crunch… … .
Giselle’s sword slowly began to slip from the Pope’s neck. The spear embedded in his chest also fell to the floor.
Giselle tried to force it, but the sword wouldn’t go any further. Sensing something was wrong, he slowly stepped back.
‘Damn… … .’
His body could no longer hold on. With no other choice, Giselle slowly relaxed the power of her core.
The virtual cores soon scattered like dust. And the recoil completely destroyed Giselle’s insides.
“Cough!”
Blood poured from Giselle’s mouth. Blood continued to flow from her eyes, ears, and nose.
‘Is this it?’
She used a power not yet permitted to Astion. Because of that, the balance between body and soul was completely destroyed.
He should have collapsed and lost consciousness long ago, but he was barely holding on thanks to the divine power of Deneb, which was constantly seeping into him.
But he could collapse at any moment. Giselle stared at the Pope with blank eyes.
The Pope, without responding to Giselle’s movements, continued speaking.
“But it was strange. The more I heard that voice, the more I felt an endless hatred. A desire to destroy everything in this world, to kill every living being.”
“…”
“It was only then that I realized something was amiss. And that suspicion, upon arriving at the imperial capital, transformed into certainty.”
“…”
“This is the voice of a false god.”
Giselle focused on the Pope’s words, her fading consciousness catching up. It was as if the puzzle was slowly coming together.
‘Could it be…?’
Erenes had once told her about the old war.
Lumina had asked her then.
—The forest spoke to me, asking me to become one with it. What did that mean?
“You’re talented.
” “Huh?
” “It means someone who can absorb the energy of the demon god. Like the priests of the Salvation Church. Occasionally, people born with exceptional communicative abilities were imbued with this ability.
Jiselle mulled over Erenes’s words several times.
“Someone who can absorb the energy of the demon god.”
The power of the demon was something not just anyone could accept. Of all the people, only Lumina heard that voice.
―That was the demon’s evil thoughts that permeated the world. If you’re infected by those thoughts, you’ll end up with nothing but the same goals as the Salvation Church.
Giselle staggered and clutched her head.
A pope, living in the heart of the empire, possessing immense divine power, could be infected by the demon’s evil thoughts?
It was unbelievable.
But… what would happen if someone of that caliber were infected by the demon’s thoughts?
The pope’s voice didn’t stop. He wanted to keep saying something.
“I made countless efforts to suppress that voice. I became a priest, prayed every day, and tried to silence the voice within me.”
Sizzle…
Smoke continued to pour out from the wound on the pope’s neck.
Seeing it, Giselle felt a pang of wonder.
The pope’s divine power should have healed the wound long ago. But it hadn’t healed.
Upon closer inspection, Giselle realized that the Pope’s body was unusual.
The wounds were splitting and healing at an incredible rate. That’s why they seemed impervious to healing.
Suddenly, the Pope gave a bitter laugh.
“But sometimes, I followed that voice. Since I was young, I’ve secretly killed countless people. Each time, I felt an inexplicable sense of liberation. It was the same when I became a priest, a cardinal, and the Pope.”
“…”
“As time passed, the nature within me grew. I had to fight it every day to avoid detection. My divine power grew by feeding off it, and it, in turn, grew by feeding off my divine power.”
The Pope fought this relentless battle. As a result, both sides grew uncontrollably powerful.
It was fortunate that he resided in the imperial capital and the grand temple.
The divine energy surrounding him allowed him to barely suppress the unidentifiable energy.
The exquisite magical tools the Empire produced also aided in this suppression.
The mask and accessories the Pope wore were playing that role.
“…The more the two energies clashed, the stronger I became, surpassing human limitations. But even my true nature has become so strong that it’s now difficult to control.”
Giselle now understood why the Pope was so strong.
If what he was talking about was truly the power of the demon… … .
It meant that conflicting energies had been battling within him his entire life. That’s something no one could do.
A normal person would have long ago imploded and died. But the Pope persevered, nurturing those energies.
Whether this was coincidence or fate, it was unclear.
The Pope continued speaking calmly. His eyes seemed to gaze into the distant void.
“That’s why I needed the Holy Stone. I wanted to use its power to completely destroy it. Only then could I remain a noble light for humanity.”
Sizzle… …
The Pope’s wounds were still healing and reopening repeatedly. However, the smoke seeping from them had already turned a dark gray.
The Pope covered his throat with his hand and looked at Giselle.
“The people of the Empire will never understand why I am waging such a petty battle. If I can’t obtain the Holy Stone right now, they will think it’s okay to wait for another opportunity. The Empire’s mighty power will eventually allow me to retrieve it.”
“…”
“But I didn’t have time to wait any longer. It seems you are the only one who understands my feelings.”
“…”
Giselle knew the Pope was impatient.
She could easily infer that from his previous actions. So she took advantage of the situation.
However, Giselle didn’t know the reason. She simply assumed the demonic realm had unleashed itself, leaving her with no time to spare. She didn’t know the Pope had other reasons.
However, the Pope was far more desperate than Giselle had anticipated.
A being seated in the highest position, so desperate to obtain the Holy Stone immediately, would engage in such a ridiculous fight.
Sizzle…
The Pope slowly removed his hand from her throat.
His wounds were now slowly beginning to heal.
However, it wasn’t the divine power with its noble light that healed the wound.
Chiiik… …
A black energy darker than the abyss was healing the wound.
The black energy emanating from the wound gradually began to circle around the Pope.
The divine power that had protected the Pope’s body was being consumed by the energy and was turning black.
And… … Even his once brilliantly shining hair was turning black.
The Pope’s voice rang out eerily.
“I knew it. Even if I acquired the Holy Stones, I couldn’t suppress this.”
When he heard the news of Deneb’s awakening, the Pope had anticipated this.
The Holy Stones he already possessed didn’t respond to him.
Nevertheless, he wanted to seize all the Holy Stones. He desperately wanted to confirm it.
“In the end, this was going to happen someday. My foolishness was just delaying it a little.”
The Pope now abandoned that thought.
He decided to accept his true nature.
“Ah… how comforting. You should have accepted me for who I am long ago… It took too long…”
Leader of humanity, ruler of the empire.
Representative of all denominations, pinnacle of divinity.
And… …savior of the world.
The Pope simply coveted these honors. He didn’t want to lose them.
Reason suppressed his nature. He had lived his entire life suppressing them.
But now he realized.
“My mission lay elsewhere…”
The voice in his head was no longer audible.
But he knew what he had to do.
To set this wronged world right and settle the forsaken inhabitants of the god.
And to lead all of the faith in the name of the god.
That is the true savior.
“Ah… I was born from the beginning, the first servant of the god, their king.”
Paaaaah!
The pope’s body was enveloped in complete darkness, as if immersed in a black abyss.
In the wildly rippling darkness, only his two eyes radiated a crimson light.
“I am no longer… your pope…”
Ddddddddddddddddd… …
The ground began to split apart around where he stood.
A black energy rose from the cracks, seething and billowing. An incomprehensible howl seemed to be audible.
It was as if the world was crumbling and perishing.
“According to the will of the true god, I will purify this world created by false goddesses…”
Even the air shook as if torn apart. An overwhelming energy, so powerful it was impossible to even breathe, spread in all directions, crushing everything in existence.
“I am the king of the demonic realm…”
A roar, like a beast rising from the depths of hell, echoed.
It shook the earth like thunder, tearing into every ear.
“Call me the enemy.”