The Cult Leader in the Clergy Academy

Chapter 321

Ping–!

A clear sound rang out like a water droplet falling into a serene lake. I sacrificed my three fingers to Legba and Kalfu, the owners of the Crossroads, opening the doors leading to it.

Naturally, Jun-Hyuk and I were invited there. The gateway had opened without a preceding formal ritual. I had pulled Jun-Hyuk into the Crossroads by only offering my three fingers as a sacrifice. Because of the inadequate sacrifice, our time at the Crossroads was limited. Within that limited time, I had to end Jun-Hyuk's life.

"Let's finish this," I said.

Jun-Hyuk raised his hand with a smile. However, unlike before, no black fingers emerged from behind him. The Crossroads was a space exclusive to the Voodoo Cult. Jun-Hyuk's black magic had no power here. His beyond-eerie recovery ability would also be ineffective.

"Did you drag me to your home because you were afraid? You coward."

I ignored Jun-Hyuk’s question and attacked him. "It's not cowardice. It's wisdom.”

Even the power of the Loa was useless in the Crossroads. To clarify, using them was meaningless. The only weapons that worked in the Crossroads were purely physical—fists, feet, nails, and teeth.

We approached each other with our fists clenched but soon stopped in unison. Our eyes converged on the same person. There was an uninvited guest in the Crossroads.

“...”

It was In-Ah. She stared at both of us with a blank expression.

***

In-Ah woke up. What unfolded before her eyes was neither a messy beach nor a battlefield with spells and black magic flying back and forth. It was a space she had never encountered before, as terrifyingly quiet and eerie as it was silent. It was a strange and alien space.

The night sky was too dark, and a sinister-looking blood-red moon hung from it. Its ominous light filled the dark landscape. In-Ah momentarily thought she was dead. She thought that perhaps she had died without knowing and had ended up in purgatory.

"..."

Before long, she realized that she had thought wrong. Sun-Woo and Jun-Hyuk were there with her.

She faced Jun-Hyuk. He hadn’t changed. He was not much different from the Jun-Hyuk she remembered. The same could be said for Sun-Woo. He hadn’t changed either. The only difference was that he was holding a staff.

Seeing the staff, In-Ah understood everything: the reason why Sun-Woo had been acting so strangely recently, the reason why he had always hidden things about himself so thoroughly, and even the reason why he only said what he wanted to say and wouldn’t budge to talk about the things he didn’t want to elaborate on.

"You... You! You!"

In-Ah exploded. Without finishing her sentence, she rushed toward Sun-Woo and yanked his collar.

Sun-Woo did not resist. He seemed to have accepted everything as In-Ah grabbed and shook him. He was quite surprised by In-Ah's sudden appearance as well. Jun-Hyuk also seemed equally surprised.

"Y-you traitor!" In-Ah said in a voice filled with malice.

In the deep silence, someone let out a stifled laugh. It was Jun-Hyuk. Initially, he only let out a small chuckle, but soon, he grabbed his stomach and started laughing like a maniac.

Jun-Hyuk pointed at Sun-Woo with his finger and echoed, "Yes, you traitor! How dare you deceive us. Shameless scoundrel!"

Sun-Woo furrowed his brows.

"Really? You, of all people, telling me that?" he said, unable to keep quiet.

In-Ah glared at Sun-Woo with wrathful eyes, then slowly lowered her head, her face filled with despair. In-Ah had a lot to say to Sun-Woo. However, upon learning the fact that he was a member and the leader of the Voodoo Cult, she found herself at a loss for words.

She felt that whatever she said wouldn't reach him. They were different. They had been different from the start, with different religions, and belonged to a distinct group of people. Sun-Woo, Jun-Hyuk, and In-Ah had all been different from the beginning.

"Why did you start a fight out of nowhere? I was trying to have a conversation before fighting,” Jun-Hyuk said during the brief pause in the fight when In-Ah appeared.

Sun-Woo scowled.

"Think about what you did. You think I wouldn’t want to start a fight with you?"

"What did I do?"

"You insulted my mother. You brought that ridiculous taxidermied creature, saying it's a gift or something."

"It wasn't an insult. It was my perfect creation. In some ways, it's better than your real mother..."

"That's it. You’re asking for it," Sun-Woo said as he clenched his fist.

In-Ah looked at them, contemplating what exactly made them so different.

Jun-Hyuk, Sun-Woo were just as she remembered them. After enrolling, the three of them always spent time together. The conversations back then and now were almost the same, with the childish bickering back and forth that made them all laugh.

Sun-Woo tried to fight by clenching his fist and approaching Jun-Hyuk. Jun-Hyuk wouldn't stand there and take it. He stared at Sun-Woo with a relaxed smile as he got ready to retaliate.

In-Ah stepped in between the two. "H-hold on a moment."

It wasn't deliberate—her body moved independently. The two who were about to throw punches at each other stopped in their tracks.

In-Ah stood between them and quickly asked, "W-why are you trying to fight again? Can't we at least have a conversation..."

In-Ah knew how foolish her question was. The Romanican Church, the Voodoo Cult, and Satanists couldn’t coexist. The existence of the Romanican Church denied the existence of the Voodoo Cult and Satanists. Similarly, the existence of the Voodoo Cult denied the reality of the other two religions. The same went for the Satanists.

Therefore, they had to eliminate each other's existence to prove their existence. The reason they had to fight was simple: for their existence and survival.

Even with such a foolish question, In-Ah succeeded in momentarily stopping Sun-Woo. He listened to In-Ah's words, pondered for a moment, and then glared at Jun-Hyuk with a menacing look.

"Why did you crawl out?"

Jun-Hyuk smirked. "What are you talking about?"

"You were supposed to spend your sweet years in the underground prison. Why did you crawl out from there?"

"Ah, that's what you mean." Jun-Hyuk nodded and answered, "I came to say goodbye. And then I was planning to leave again."

"Leave?"

"Yes. I’m leaving for a distant place where I can establish my kingdom and start a new era."

Sun-Woo had been listening seriously, but he frowned when he heard Jun-Hyuk’s answer. He truly could not understand Jun-Hyuk.

In-Ah also couldn't comprehend what Jun-Hyuk was saying. Jun-Hyuk earnestly spoke like a five-year-old child about establishing his kingdom.

Sun-Woo chuckled and said, "Are you out of your mind?"

Jun-Hyuk carried on with a straight face.

"I have all the seven sins. I killed all the others... those you might call other Satanist Executives."

“Good for you."

"As long as I exist, no more Satanists will emerge. Nor will there be any demons or demonic beasts. I bear all the sins that could bring them forth."

"Is that so? Then kill yourself. If you die, all the sins in the world will disappear,” Sun-Woo said mockingly.

Jun-Hyuk shook his head.

"Satanists won't disappear just because I die. I am a 'container,' not the embodiment of Satan. If I die, another chosen 'container' will emerge somewhere else. And inevitably..."

Jun-Hyuk glanced somewhere for a moment, his gaze unfocused as he stared into the distance, not looking at Sun-Woo or In-Ah. When his focus returned, he continued, "...inevitably, they will live a life befitting the container. Then, they will become one of the unreasonable victims I mentioned earlier."

"..."

"Once my kingdom is established, no more victims will be born from unreasonable circumstances. After the Romanican Church is removed, no other religion will be able to oppress us or to start conflicts with us.”

"Getting rid of the Romanican Church won't eliminate the conflicting religions."

"Right. We also need to get rid of the Voodoo Cult. And all other religions, too. Every single one of them. In the new era, there should be only one religion... Having multiple religions only brings conflict. We should be like we are now."

"..."

"Even if the Romanican Church and the Voodoo Cult disappear, I plan to reserve two seats just for you guys," Jun-Hyuk said, looking back and forth between In-Ah and Sun-Woo.

Sun-Woo chuckled. "As expected from a Satanist. It’s a perfect example of evil and selfish thinking."

"I am just re-establishing order. Is there room for the distinction between good and evil in that?"

"There is. How could any order established by Satanists be perfect?"

"Sun-Woo. Is the current order good, then? An order where one religion judges and exterminates another as evil?" Jun-Hyuk said in an agitated tone. "Even if the Voodoo Cult establishes order, would it be perfect? There is no absolute good and evil. Good and evil are constructs created when order is established. Good and evil are defined to aid the almighty that established the said order."

Sun-Woo and In-Ah said nothing. In-Ah had broken out in a cold sweat, but Sun-Woo stared blankly at Jun-Hyuk.

"Do you have anything to say?" Jun-Hyuk said, breaking the silence.

Sun-Woo nodded. It was as if he understood Jun-Hyuk's words and his feelings completely.

As Sun-Woo looked at Jun-Hyuk with a contemptuous expression, he said, "If you didn't receive love from your family, go play house with the taxidermied creatures instead of talking about a nonexistent kingdom."

Jun-Hyuk's expression stiffened upon hearing those words. In place of his usual easygoing smile, a dark expression clouded his face.

"It's probably better that you don't have a place in my kingdom, Sun-Woo. You're an obstacle to my empire."

"Who asked you to make a place for me? How about you look for your place in a cemetery?" Sun-Woo said, openly mocking Jun-Hyuk.

They glared at each other as if they were about to fight. Then they started clenching their fists toward each other.

"Hey, wait!"

In-Ah couldn't stop the fight. No, she never even had a chance to stop it.

Ping—!

With a clear pinging sound, In-Ah's view changed. When she opened her eyes, instead of the dimly lit street bathed in red moonlight, she found herself on a chaotic beach. A huge tree trunk swayed in the wind. Somewhere in the distance, she heard the loud sound of cracking and explosions.

"Hey, here! Director, there's someone here!"

Someone was approaching In-Ah. It was a paladin. She wasn’t sure which Paladin Order he belonged to, but his attire indicated he was a paladin. He hurriedly ran toward In-Ah with his companions.

"Are you okay?"

In-Ah didn't respond to his question. Her eyes were glued to the sea in the distance. She simply stared blankly at the waters, where the frighteningly loud sounds of battle between Sun-Woo and Jun-Hyuk echoed.

In-Ah could not stop the fight. She wouldn’t suffer any losses even if she didn’t try to intervene.