Chapter 361: The Worst Game (7)

Bishop Serisa.
What kind of person was she?
She’s great.
Someone who truly fit that description.

Serisa stood in her simple yet impeccably neat priestess’s robes.

She had been born under the care of a couple of traveling musicians and lost her parents at a young age. Even so, she helped a musical instrument merchant she knew, running errands and doing good deeds for children who had no place to go.
Why? Because she wished to share whatever light she could with those who could not reach the sunlight—those left in the shadows.
Upon hearing this, the Bishop of the Sun God at the time was moved and extended a hand to her. From that moment, Serisa rose from an assistant priestess to eventually become a Bishop.

She was a woman somewhere between middle-aged and elderly. Her face was lined with wrinkles and marked with blemishes befitting her years.
Yet, the aura surrounding her was inexplicably holy.
A gentle, serene presence—like a quiet smile that never quite reached her lips—still evoked the feeling of warm sunlight.

She had shown no signs of political ambition on her path to becoming a Bishop.
Though she lacked innate divine power, she possessed a strength of her own that surpassed it—
A vast and thorough knowledge of theology, spanning not just the Sun God, but the other gods as well.
Regardless of her position, she made time for at least three hours of volunteer work every week.
Whether someone was a believer or not, she never hesitated to reach out to those in need.

With all that, she had earned the unwavering support of both the Briz Empire and the believers of the Sun God, and rose to the position of Bishop.

Perhaps it was the life she had lived that gave her such a venerable air.

‘But… they say she’s a follower of the God of Chaos?’

Despite her clear affiliation with the Sun God, many students looked up to her not only for the life she had led—but also for her immense knowledge.

“…What’s going on?”

Serisa finally spoke, turning to face Cale, who had called out to her but said nothing more.
Even her voice carried that same gentle warmth.

“It’s an honor to meet you,” Cale said politely.

He could feel the eyes of the students fixed on him.
Even the professors of the Academy hadn’t realized who he really was.

Cale couldn’t help but wonder.
What would happen… if I shook her hand right now?
What would happen if I made contact with her, a believer of the God of Chaos, in this situation?

[Shake hands with the believer of the God of Chaos (Serisa)!]

Cale’s curiosity deepened.

It was then—

– Human, that’s the Holy Knight!

He felt Choi Han, who was standing just behind him, tense up.

“Bishop-nim.”

“Oh. Holy Knight Boltien.”

Holy Knight Boltien—the highest-ranking Holy Knight stationed at the Central Temple—stood before Choi Han, On, and Hong.

He had suddenly entered the lecture hall.

There were already a few Holy Knights present for security, but—

“My god! That’s Holy Knight Boltien!”

“Why is he here?”

“Incredible…”

Even though the lecture had ended, none of the students moved to leave.
Instead, whispers spread quickly, the air buzzing with heightened anticipation.

A voice reached Cale’s ear.

“Did he come because of the attack a few days ago?”

The unknown organization that had attacked the Sun God’s Temple. The story still lacked an official response from the Sun God’s cult, and only rumours circulated.

"I am here to pick you up."

The moment Holy Knight Boltien said that indifferently, Serisa smiled.

“Oh, don’t worry about this old woman.”

Although she wasn’t that old to be a bishop, Serisa called herself an old woman.

“Holy Knight Boltien. Could you wait a moment?”

“Hmm.”

Serisa’s gaze turned towards the students surrounding her.

Boltien nodded, seeing that gaze so full of kindness.

“Alright.”

And he stood behind Serisa, one step away from her.

– Human, can you shake her hand?!

Of course. Cale wasn’t afraid of Sir Boltien, as he had Raon and Choi Han by his side.

‘And—’

Serisa’s gaze returned to Cale.

Her demeanor was one of quiet attentiveness—never overlooking a single student, meeting each gaze directly as she spoke.
It was something truly admirable.

“Bishop-nim.”

Cale’s blond hair gleamed softly under the lights, a silky luster that caught the eye.
His narrowed blue eyes held a calm, earnest light.

“May I shake your hand?”

Holy Knight Boltien instinctively tensed.

Chaos…

The word echoed ominously in his mind.

The recent incident—an unknown group invoking chaos had attacked the Temple of the Sun God.
Though details remained unclear, it was enough to warrant deep concern.

After that incident, Holy Knight Boltien had come to protect her, dedicating his time to her first public event since the incident.

And now, a student—one with an unreadable air—was requesting to shake her hand?

I have to stop him.

But even so… he couldn’t carelessly step between Serisa and a student.
He couldn’t recklessly interfere with someone she had willingly chosen to face.

“I’ve long admired you, Bishop-nim,” Cale said softly.
“And I simply wanted a small memory of meeting someone I respect.”

Somehow, he didn’t seem like a bad person.

Boltien.

The reason he had risen to the esteemed position of Holy Knight—
The reason he had grown so powerful—
Was due to his unique instinct.

He possessed an extraordinarily keen sense.
An instinct that clearly distinguished between good and evil.

Hmm…

That was precisely why the incident from a few days ago had felt so strange to him.

—I didn’t sense any evil.

The Temple’s divine safeguards had reacted violently, as they always did when evil approached.
But his own instinct… had remained silent.

That made it all the more dangerous in his eyes.

Something about this situation isn’t right.

“Knight.”

His eyes met Bishop Serisa’s.

“It’s alright,” she said softly.

Then, the student—Cale—turned to Holy Knight Boltien and offered a slight bow.

He’s not carrying any weapons.
He doesn’t seem to have any signs of magical training either.
Hmm. The air around him… feels calm. Balanced.

…?

Then, all of a sudden, Boltien felt it.
A faint—barely perceptible—sensation.

His eyes shifted.

There, among the students, stood a red-haired boy.

Boltien locked eyes with him for just a moment before the boy looked away.
But Boltien didn’t miss it.

That gaze—
It had been watching him carefully.

There’s no evil...

But that didn’t mean there was nothing to be wary of.

But there was no evil in the red-haired boy either.
Boltien could only sense caution—nothing more.

What’s going on…?

He couldn’t make sense of it. But—

“Thank you for the excellent lecture.”

“Thank you for listening. I hope it was a meaningful time for you.”

The blond-haired student and Bishop Serisa finally shook hands.

Serisa gently took the hand that Cale had extended first.

Cale’s gaze remained fixed on her hand.

– Wow.

He ignored Cheapskate’s murmuring voice echoing in his head.

Instead, his focus shifted to the message lingering in his mind.

[Skill: Chaos Fear (Inactive)]
If I follow the path to wield this power, I will encounter the Saint.
At the very least, I will find a way to save Choi Jung-gun.

That was his true goal.

“Bishop-nim, it’s an honor.”

Cale and Serisa’s hands touched. If someone had seen it, it would have been a touching scene.

“!”

But Cale’s eyes widened.

[Sub-mission completed!]

With that notification, a translucent window appeared before him.

But something was off.

—Is it… red?

It wasn’t the usual blue.
It was blood red.

Biiiip—!

A short, high-pitched alarm rang sharply in Cale’s ears—only in his ears.
No one else reacted.

And then, a new mission appeared.

[Confirm the image of the holy place in the memory of the believer of the God of Chaos!]

What?

[The skill will be temporarily activated to complete the mission!]

Huh…?
Chaos Fear will activate… temporarily?

[Skill test!]

No.

Is this... a preview of the skill? No—how could it activate now?!

Damn it!

A chill ran down Cale’s spine.

It happened in an instant.
In that fleeting moment when he shook her hand—within just a few seconds—multiple system windows began flashing before his eyes.

This is bad.

But he couldn’t abandon the mission here.
Not when it clearly told him to "see the image of the holy place."

The image of the holy place... in the memory of the believer of the God of Chaos?
How am I supposed to see that?

He didn’t have time to dwell on it.

[Skill: Chaos Fear (Legendary) activated.]

[*Wide–range skill, but this time, it applies only to the target “Serisa” to complete the mission.]

To complete the mission, the skill was forcibly narrowed and focused—on her alone.

With those words…

Crack!

Bishop Serisa let out a strangled gasp as her entire body began to tremble violently.

Woooong—

A thick, ominous gray aura exploded from her, rippling like a shockwave.

– Human! Why are you suddenly triggering a disaster?!

Yes. This was undoubtedly the beginning of one.

“Bishop-nim!”

Holy Knight Boltien lunged forward in alarm—

Clang!

—but was met by the sharp ring of metal.
Choi Han had stepped in front of him.

“This is bad!”

Boltien’s eyes widened as he looked down.

A small dagger.

The boy had blocked his full-size sword—with nothing but a dagger.

“Urgh!”

“O–Bishop-nim!”

“This is insane!”

And Boltien momentarily forgot to act—
Because of what happened next.

The students screamed in confusion and fear.

And then—

Thump.

Bishop Serisa suddenly dropped to her knees.

“Ah—”

She exhaled softly, as though a weight had been lifted.

The gray smoke that had been swirling around her…

“Oh, Chaos—!”

Her expression twisted—not with pain, but with overwhelming ecstasy.
Though her body trembled violently, consumed by terror, her face radiated the purest joy imaginable.

“O–Bishop…?”

Boltien was stunned.
And Cale… was just as shocked.

“Ah, this feeling…! This fear! This overpowering despair! This helplessness!”

Still kneeling, Serisa clutched Cale’s hand tightly with both of hers.
Tears streamed down her face—but not from sorrow.

She wept from joy.
From pure, unfiltered ecstasy.

“Oh, Chaos—!”

Serisa was staring in reverence at the gray aura now emanating from Cale.

Meanwhile, Cale stared blankly at the translucent system window hovering before him.

[If the target you use Chaos Fear on is a believer of the God of Chaos, there is a 30% chance they may fall under hypnotic control.]

[The probability varies depending on the skill’s mastery.]

[Current skill mastery: F (temporarily elevated to A for mission purposes).]

…Wow.

Another window immediately followed.

[If the target is affected by fear, you may access fragments of their memory by making direct eye contact.]

Without even thinking, Cale’s gaze met Serisa’s.

Their eyes locked.

[Reading memories.]

[Only memories relevant to the mission will be revealed.]

…They sure love to emphasize the word “test.”

That thought barely had time to finish in Cale’s mind.

It happened in an instant.
No—less than a few seconds.

Crack!

Cale’s entire body jolted as if struck by lightning.
His already pale face drained completely of color, turning ghost white.

– Human!

“Cal—no, Cal–friend!”

Choi Han rushed toward him in alarm.

The situation spiraled into chaos.

And it was inevitable.

Because at that moment, Cale staggered backward—
And collapsed.

“Chaos will create a new world…!”

Serisa rose to her feet, her gaze lifted toward the sky.
The gray aura surrounding her swelled, darker and thicker than before.

In contrast—

“Ugh!”

Cale trembled violently on the ground, his expression worsening.

Flap, flap.

Serisa’s wide priestess’s robe fluttered violently as the storm-like aura around her grew even more intense.

“!”

The power was overwhelming—so much so that even Holy Knight Boltien felt a chill run down his spine.

His eyes dropped to the student’s hand.

She was still holding it tightly.

No… this isn’t right.

At first, he had assumed something had happened to the bishop because of the student.
But now…

Is she going to kill him?

The student—Cale—looked like he was being drained.
His face had gone completely white. His eyes were shut, and his body trembled slightly.

He’d looked somewhat frail to begin with, but now—

Now it felt like something truly terrible was about to happen.

Clang!

That was when—

“This is bad!”

Choi Han—the student who had been blocking Boltien—suddenly moved.

He swung his dagger as a distraction and leaned back.

Boltien instinctively raised his sword, thinking Choi Han was rushing toward him.

Thang!

But instead, Choi Han threw the dagger straight at Boltien—
And in that same instant, dashed toward Cale.

Toward Serisa, who was still clutching him tightly.

He doesn’t have a sword!

Choi Han needed a weapon—but he was in uniform. He hadn’t brought his sword to the lecture hall.

But that didn’t mean he was unarmed.

Without hesitation, he reached into the dimensional pocket strapped to him.

Inside—was a sword.
Not the one Cale had gifted him.
But one he always carried.

Because that sword… didn’t belong to him.

Choi Han drew the blade in one swift motion.

Swoosh!

And the student who had just moments ago been blocking Boltien now brandished his sword—
Directly at Bishop Serisa.

Slash!

Instead of cutting through her hands, Choi Han’s blade sliced through the hem of Serisa’s robe.

That was enough.

Her grip on Cale loosened, and their hands separated.

“Friend!”

Choi Han caught Cale immediately, his face filled with panic.

– Human, human! Should I stop being invisible? Should I teleport us out?!

Raon’s voice trembled with urgency.

“I–I’m okay…”

That was all Cale could manage to say.

A flash of memory surged through his mind.

And at the same time, a new system message appeared before his eyes.

[A believer completely dominated by Chaos Fear will act according to their final goal or mission.]

What?

Damn it.

What’s happening now…?

Cale stumbled, overwhelmed by the torrent of memories crashing into him.
He had no strength left to protest.

“Bishop!”

Boltien rushed toward Bishop Serisa.
He was concerned about the student, yes—but the bishop came first.

At that moment, Serisa staggered.

“This is bad!”

Boltien instinctively reached out to support her—

And then he froze.

“!”

The instant his hand brushed against that swirling gray aura—

Evil.

That was the first thing that came to mind.

But before he could react further, the bishop—who had just been wavering—suddenly straightened herself.

And looked directly at him.

“Kuh—huhu…”

Her laughter was strange. Twisted.

Boltien’s eyes widened as they met hers.

Her iris—
Gray.

They used to be green.
A soft, calming green that reminded one of leaves in spring.
The gentle eyes that had once warmed every student in the room…

Had changed.

And now—
Bishop Serisa raised her hand and swung it.

“!”

Rather than simply swinging her hand—

She manifested a sword.
A blade forged entirely of gray aura—
And struck toward Boltien’s heart.

Kwang!

A deafening impact rang out.

Boltien barely managed to block the attack in time.

A cold sweat ran down his spine.

Bishop Serisa…

She had never learned swordsmanship.
Never studied martial arts.
She hadn’t even trained in basic self-defense.

And yet now—

Serisa, standing before him, was wielding a sword with terrifying precision.

The same hands once raised in prayer now wielded a weapon of ruin.

Who is she?

Who is this woman in front of me?

He couldn't help but question it.

And then—

“I’ll kill you!”

Her voice erupted like a shriek.

Serisa’s body began to change.

Gray veins bulged across her skin, spreading like a plague.
Her entire body started turning gray—stone-like.

Thud. Thud.

What was worse—
Her frame began to grow.

Her true mission surfaced.

To eliminate any obstacle that might hinder the rise of the God of Chaos.
And right now—

Holy Knight Boltien, the highest-ranked guardian of the Sun God’s Church—
was a perfect target for elimination.

“Hmm…”

Boltien let out a low groan, instinctively stepping back.

The evil is clear.

At that moment, there was no doubt.
The woman once known as Bishop Serisa—

Was no longer there.

His entire body, his honed instincts as a Holy Knight, screamed one truth:

The thing before him… was evil.

And beyond his shoulder—

“…”

Boltien made eye contact with the student who was watching him cautiously while hugging his friend.

“Ugh.”

He let out a quiet sigh—then turned his back to them.

There were still students in the hall, scrambling toward the rear exit in panic.

“!”

Choi Han’s eyes widened.

Boltien had positioned himself between Serisa and the students…
No—between Serisa and them.

He wasn’t just buying time for the others to escape.
He was shielding Cale and Choi Han with his own body.

Why…?

Choi Han couldn’t understand it.

But for Boltien, the decision came as naturally as breathing.

“I don’t know who you are,” he said, his voice low and steady. “Your friend is suspicious too.”

Choi Han stared at Boltien’s broad back—the back now standing between them and the transformed Bishop Serisa.

It was clear now.
Boltien didn’t recognize him.

Even though Choi Han had once infiltrated the temple during a prior mission, Boltien hadn’t connected the dots.

And then Boltien spoke again.

“You carry the will of the sun. I must protect you.”

Ah…

At that moment, Choi Han looked down—
At the sword he had drawn.

The Sun Sword.

The very sword he had kept before entrusting it to Alberu.
That was why Boltien had chosen to stand in front of them.
Why he now fought, not just as a Holy Knight—
But as a guardian of the sun’s will.

 -----
Translator's Comment:

When a simple handshake unleashes hell, even the holiest must draw their swords.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Mayank]