The Cult Leader in the Clergy Academy

Chapter 340

The plant stems grew and obscured the pillars of fire. After frantically pulling their weapon triggers, all members of the Holy War Knight Order stared in disbelief at the pillars of fire—more precisely, at the fading light.

For most members, this was their first time seeing the Cult Leader use the power of the Loa. The overwhelming display of power was enough to lower their morale.

"Don't hesitate!" Dae-Man shouted.

The situation was not in their favor. He quickly unleashed divine power and imbued it into a Bush Twig. The piece of wood caught fire, and Dae-Man brought his mouth to the flames.

"Tanks! Shoot the plants quickly!"

-Understood.

BOOOOM–!

Following Dae-Man's orders, a tank at the rear fired a shell. The tanks were designed to counter the power of Granbwa, one of the Loa. The shells loaded in the tanks were specially made to pierce the large, tough vines.

The plant stems that had slowly grown to cover the pillars of fire were destroyed when the shells hit them. The once giant plant stems were charred black and withered away upon impact.

The terrified army regained their composure. While the power of the Loa was overwhelming, so was the power of the Romanican Church’s weapons. Morale climbed high once more, but they couldn't celebrate just yet.

The plant stems only momentarily stopped when hit by the shells and stubbornly began to grow again, trying to cover the pillars of fire somehow.

Dae-Man once again ordered the tank unit to fire.

BOOOM!

Bang, bang!

The tank continued to shoot the plants. The Holy War Knight Order continued to shoot their guns at the fleeing masked figures.

The masked individuals fell to the ground as the bullets hit them. Some masked members attacked the Knight Order with farming tools like hoes and sickles. Amidst the chaos of the battlefield and dense vegetation, some members of the army died after getting struck on the head by the farming tools.

The plant stems covered the pillars of fire, and the shells shattered the plant stems. Light and darkness came and went, intertwined in a confusing tango. Comrades, chatting nearby just moments ago, dropped dead. Some terrified members of the army dropped their weapons and fled.

Dae-Man unleashed divine power and drew a blessing array. The light of blessing enveloped him.

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Crack!

He punched forward, and a masked man's head crumbled. Dae-Man removed the man's mask. As he had thought, it wasn’t Sun-Woo.

"Damn it!" Dae-Man muttered.

Some terrified members broke rank and fled. Dae-Man shouted at them to hold their positions and even tried to physically stop them. However, he could do nothing to stop those who were mad with fear.

On the other hand, the enemies only strategically retreated, never fleeing or backing down. They seemed prepared for death.

The situation was dire. The Holy War Knight Order’s army was overwhelming in terms of sheer numbers. However, with the current situation, they would inevitably be defeated no matter how many troops they had.

Darkness gradually enveloped the surroundings. The tanks continued to fire, cutting through the vines. But the plants grew at rates faster than the tanks could tear them down. Eventually, the area was completely covered in darkness.

The tanks stopped firing.

Dae-Man lifted his Bush Twig. "Tanks, tanks!"

―...

No sound could be heard beyond the twig. He tried to contact the other tanks, but there was still no response. Dae-Man knew in his gut that the tank unit had been wiped out. Perhaps the tanks had fallen into the hands of the Voodoo Cult.

His men were breaking ranks. The masked enemies did not retreat and attacked his army. Some of the clergy members among them already sensed defeat and were praying to the sky. The situation was grave—they were at a horrible disadvantage. They needed to figure out a way to turn the tide.

Capturing the Cult Leader would do the job.

Once they killed Sun-Woo, the rest would easily follow. Most of the Voodoo Cult's power stemmed from the Cult Leader, so killing Sun-Woo would end the Holy War. However, because everyone wore masks and ponchos, they couldn't tell which person was Sun-Woo.

Sun-Woo would most likely not appear before Dae-Man, and even if he did, there was no guarantee that they could kill him.

"...”

Failure.

This mission was a failure. Their ranks were in shambles. Darkness surrounded them, and it seemed like the opponents were used to fighting in the dark. Even the tank unit at the rear had been occupied by the enemy. There was still no contact from the special forces organized for hostage rescue. They might have failed in rescuing the hostages as well.

He had to issue a retreat order, but Dae-Man couldn't bring himself to do it. Would they even be able to retreat? What would Director Han Dae-Ho do in a situation like this?

Thud, thud, thud...

Right then, a rumbling sound echoed several times. The ground shook violently. It seemed as if the mountains themselves were screaming out loud. Dae-Man’s remaining men, still holding onto their senses and the enemies they were fighting alike, lost their balance with the vibration.

Dae-Man had trained his body to the extreme limit, but even he could barely stand.

"..."

Amid the quake, one person walked calmly toward Dae-Man as if nothing was happening. He also wore a mask and a poncho. At first glance, he looked no different from the masked ones they had encountered. However, the moment Dae-Man faced him, his skin tingled. His heart raced. Cold sweat dripped down his back. He could instinctively tell that his person was different from the masked groups they had faced before. This was the Cult Leader, Sun-Woo.

Thud.

Dae-Man unleashed his divine power, and he drew a blessing array. He poured out all the divine power he had saved up until now, using the biggest and strongest blessing he could create. The massive light of blessing enveloped Dae-Man. He adjusted his posture and greeted Sun-Woo.

"Long time no see, Sun-Woo!"

His massive fist was ready to protect himself and attack the enemy. His eyes contained a cold determination as he stared fiercely at Sun-Woo, but his tone was cheerful—the same tone he used when he greeted Sun-Woo at Florence Academy.

"Nice to see you," Sun-Woo responded casually, just like when he faced Dae-Man at Florence Academy.

Dae-Man stared at Sun-Woo. "This feels weird. We fought like this once before.”

“Yeah, what a coincidence that we’re in the mountains. The scale is a bit different, though," Sun-Woo replied.

"This time, I won't lose."

Dae-Man's body trembled, regardless of his will. He was afraid. Intuitively, he could tell how strong Sun-Woo was and how much stronger he had become compared to before.

"This time... I won't lose."

After Dae-Man repeated himself, his body no longer trembled. He entered a state that made him forget his fear.

***

Simon was slow, very slow. But, he was approaching the hostages.

The special forces organized for hostage rescue was small. The core members of the force were Simon of the Northern Crusader Order and Heo Woo-Hee of the Central Priesthood. Apart from them, the others couldn't even match Simon's combat abilities and were there to fill in the numbers.

Boom!

Bang, baang...

The sound of explosions and gunfire could be heard in the distance. Some members of the special forces flinched, their shoulders trembling. Simon and Heo Woo-Hee did not flinch. They continued walking down their path.

Even if the Holy War Knight Order were defeated, the special forces would go to the Voodoo Cult's temporary headquarters to rescue the hostages. That was the role that had been assigned to them.

How long had it been? The sound of explosions faded, and the gunfire was almost inaudible by that time. They had arrived at the location suspected to be the Voodoo Cult's temporary headquarters.

Thanks to the holy artifact they had been wearing, the enemies of the Voodoo Cult, including the Cult Leader, had not noticed them.

The Gown of the Shem Brothers erased the presence of those who wore it. It didn’t make people transparent, but through it, they could arrive at the temporary base unharmed. If lucky, they could also quickly rescue hostages.

Swaahhh!

The only problem was the rain.

The Cult Leader had summoned the rain. As long as the battle continued, the rain would not cease. The raindrops were thick. Someone who sensed that the rain was acting weird might also sense the presence hidden by the Gown of the Shem Brothers if they moved in the rain.

But that only applied to those with exceptional intuition. Otherwise, they could not sense the presence hidden by the Gown of the Shem Brothers without keen senses. Those with such senses sharp enough to detect the hidden presences should already be on the battlefield, fighting against the Holy War Knight Order. Therefore, Simon thought that no one could detect the presence of the special forces at the temporary base with the hostages.

"There it is."

They finally found where the hostages were being held captive. There weren’t any signs, but anyone could clearly see that the hostages were being held there. Unlike other places, there were no windows, and individuals who looked like Voodoo Cultists were standing guard in front of the only entrance.

The hostages were in that room. It didn’t matter if the members of the special forces were wearing the Gown of the Shem Brothers. They had to defeat the guards to enter the building. Fortunately, there weren’t that many guards, and their only weapons were swords, spears, or even their bare fists.

"We will enter after taking down the sentries," Simon said, touching his sword.

Woo-Hee nodded. Although she could not use miracle replication, Woo-Hee of the Central Priesthood was a priest with an exceptional talent for blessings and healing.

First, Woo-Hee would use a blessing on Simon. Utilizing the blessing he received from her, Simon would quickly eliminate the sentries. Then, he would enter the building and check the status of the hostages, immediately rescuing those who could be transported using Baal's Maw. For those who needed emergency treatment, such as those who had suffered from torture, Woo-Hee would heal them first before rescuing them.

"What division are you from?"

The unexpected happened when Woo-Hee unleashed divine power for the blessing.

"..."

"What division are you from?" the man asked once more.

The man who asked the question was a big man. He was not wearing anything on top, and his exposed torso was full of scars. Rather than beautiful and pretty, his muscles were better described as brutal and violent. His hair was short, and scars decorated his face and neck. He was not carrying any weapons.

The special forces led by Simon still wore their coats, concealing their presence. However, the man watched the special forces intently with eyes filled with intense and dreadful malice, regardless of whether they wore coats or not.

Simon recognized the man—someone Simon should have avoided encountering at this moment.

"Yuk Eun-Hyung," Simon muttered.

It was Yuk Eun-Hyung, the leader of a mercenary corps and an executive of the Voodoo Cult’s Gyeongsang Branch.

Yuk Eun-Hyung's gaze fell on Simon. He looked at Simon's clothes, glanced at the blade hanging at his waist, and nodded.

"You are a crusader," Yuk Eun-Hyung said.

The determination in his eyes deepened.

Yuk Eun-Hyung raised his fist. "I will kill you first.”

Simon raised his blade.