Chapter 362: The Worst Game (8)

“Ugh—”

Choi Han flinched and looked down.

Cale was still trembling slightly, his face deathly pale.

– Choi Han! Why is our Human like this?!

Raon’s panicked voice echoed in his mind.

Clang!

A thunderous crash rang through the air.

Choi Han looked up instinctively—
And saw it.

Holy Knight Boltien was engaged in a fierce duel with Bishop Serisa.

Clang!

The force of their clash sent shockwaves through the hall.
So intense—
That even the students who had already fled, and the Holy Knights standing nearby, didn’t dare to intervene.

They could only watch.

Frozen by the sheer magnitude of power colliding before them.

“Die, slave of the Sun God! I’ll kill you!”

Bishop Serisa’s voice rang out, twisted with madness.

Her words made the faces of the priests and Holy Knights who had accompanied her turn pale with shock and horror.

“—What a disgusting spectacle.”

Holy Knight Boltien replied calmly, his voice cold as steel, and raised his greatsword.

“The moment the sunlight falls…”

Woooong.

His blade began to hum with power.

As the sword turned pure white—

“…the heat that burns all will remain.”

Fwoosh!

A radiant golden aura surged, wrapping around the gleaming white blade like divine fire.

“Kuh–hehe! Ridiculous! You cling to something so insignificant—something you can't even see in the darkness—and call it light?”

Serisa laughed again, her voice unhinged. Her body trembled unnaturally as she gripped her sword tighter.

Wooooong~

The gray aura around her condensed, her corrupted blade extending further—longer and darker.

“…”

“Die!”

Serisa let out a shriek as she lunged.

Boltien said nothing.

Claaang!

Their weapons collided again—
But this time, the sound was monstrous.

A deafening shockwave rippled outward, and—

Boom!

The floor beneath them caved in at the point of impact.

Crack—crack—crack—!

The walls of the lecture hall split with deep fractures, unable to withstand the sheer force of the clash.

“Evacuate the priests!”

“Raise the shields!”

“Deploy the holy shield!”

The remaining Holy Knights sprang into action, shouting commands as they moved.

One of them glanced at Choi Han, then immediately deployed a protective barrier and rushed toward him without hesitation.

“!”

But the knight who approached suddenly stopped.

Woooong~

A soft hum of power filled the air.

Cale, still lying on the ground and trembling—
And Choi Han, kneeling beside him—
were now surrounded by a shimmering white shield of light.

– Choi Han, don’t worry! I’ll protect you!

It was Raon’s magic.

– The Human told me! He said you shouldn’t use your power! Don’t use your power!

Don’t reveal your dark aura.

Raon remembered Cale’s firm command.

“…Alright.”

Choi Han accepted Raon’s concern without argument.

“Ugh, ugh—”

Instead, he turned his attention to Cale.

His complexion was slowly improving.
Only his furrowed brow, like someone enduring a migraine, remained tense.

…Huh?

Choi Han blinked.

Cale looked… annoyed?

And somehow, just seeing that familiar expression made Choi Han feel calmer.
He hadn’t even realized how tense he’d been.

– Choi Han! The Human seems okay! His expression is coming back to life!

Yeah... that’s Cale-nim.

Choi Han's shoulders, which had tensed up without him knowing, relaxed slightly.

He raised his head.

Swoosh!

“Urgh—!”

Boltien’s sword had pierced through Serisa’s abdomen.

Despite her unnatural swordsmanship, Bishop Serisa could not match the skill and might of Boltien—
The Sun God’s greatest Holy Knight.

Splash!

A burst of blood gushed from Serisa’s mouth, splattering dark red liquid across the lecture hall floor.

Her body trembled. Her eyes widened in shock.

“!”

Choi Han’s eyes also widened when he saw the blood.

Because it wasn’t just red—
It was mixed with a strange, gray liquid.

A deeply unnatural sight.

“Ugh— No, no—”

It was then—

“Cal–friend!”

Cale’s lips parted weakly, and his eyes slowly opened.

Choi Han turned to him, startled and relieved.

“Bishop Serisa,” Boltien said coldly, his voice firm and unyielding.
“Let’s hear the rest of your story at the temple.”

His eyes gleamed with deadly resolve.

“Of course—if you make the slightest move, your life will end here.”

There was no need to shout. His icy warning held only calm sincerity.
Even Serisa, barely conscious, would know it wasn’t a bluff.

But Choi Han wasn’t paying attention to that.
His focus remained solely on Cale, checking his condition urgently.

“Khh… haha… cough…”

Suddenly, Serisa let out a grotesque laugh.

Thump. Thump.

Despite the blood streaming from her lips—
Despite the blade in her gut—
She laughed in bliss.

“Oh, Chaos…! At last… it has begun!”

And then—
Her hand twitched.

“This is bad—Bishop!”

Boltien’s eyes widened.

Serisa’s hands—both of them—grabbed the sword lodged in her abdomen.

Ssshhh—sss—sss—!

Her palms, wrapped in gray smoke, clutched the blade tightly.
The holy golden aura seared her flesh.

Her hands began to burn.

“!”

But—

Shnk!

Serisa pulled with greater force—
Driving the blade deeper into her own body.

“This is bad!”

Holy Knight Boltien’s eyes sharpened.
His battle-hardened instincts screamed.

He released the hilt immediately.

It was a sacred sword. A treasured relic.
But—

It wasn’t worth his life.

“Cough—ha! It’s too late!” Serisa shrieked, her voice filled with manic joy.
“Oh, beginning of chaos! Let it be born from this foolish shell!”

Snap.

The gray veins bulging across her body ruptured.

Yes.

Her body—
was breaking apart.

In a single instant—

Boltien saw it.

His mouth opened to shout—

“Everyone, get out—!”

But he never got to finish.

Because the explosion came first.

Rumble!

Serisa’s body detonated.

A surge of gray smoke and liquid erupted outward, spreading in all directions like a wave of corruption.

Even at a glance, it was clear—
This aura was dangerous.

But Boltien didn’t retreat.
He couldn’t just run from it.

Behind me—

There were still two students.

He’d seen the shield surrounding them.
He knew they were being protected.

But…

No.

That gray aura—
It couldn’t be stopped by just any barrier.

What surged toward them now was something… wrong.
Something terrible.
Something ancient and primal.

A force that stirred fear just by existing.

That formless, unidentifiable presence—

Was chaos itself.

No.

Could we even survive this?

Me… the other Holy Knights… the priests?

Above all—

What would happen if that power escaped the lecture hall?

“Damn it!”

Boltien made his decision.

He launched himself straight toward the epicenter—
Toward Serisa’s body, mid-explosion.

If I can just contain it… cover it…

Stop the gray aura, the spreading liquid—

“Heat of the sun!”

A blazing golden light erupted around him.

Holiness.
Radiance.
The sacred flame of the Sun God.

He summoned it all.

Boltien acted on pure conviction.

But—

“!”

He couldn’t stop it.

“Huu–uh!”

Serisa was breaking apart—
Her body exploding into fragments of gray mist and seething chaos.

And in the midst of it—

Eyes.

They were staring at him.

Amid the crumbling body and writhing aura—
Eyes looked directly into his.

Those eyes…

Yes.
They reminded him of God.

The kind of absolute presence that crushed your soul.
The same feeling he had when he first received the Sun God’s blessing—
When he bowed his head, trembling beneath a light too radiant to face.

But this—

This was different.

It wasn’t light.

It was suffocating.

Heavy.
Crushing.
Inevitable.

Boltien's entire body froze.

This… was fear.

No—
Was it fear?

He couldn't even tell anymore.

The moment his gaze met those eyes—

All concepts unraveled.

Everything lost meaning.

It was chaos—
Pure, nameless, overwhelming chaos.

It was then...

“!”

Boltien saw something beyond those terrifying eyes.

Silver?

A silver line shimmered before him. And the instant he recognized it, the rigid tension in his body melted away. The crushing terror vanished.

‘What is happening?’

Before he could question further, Boltien felt a powerful force yanking him back.

Choi Han—the red-haired student—was pulling him.

“What—”

Before he could even ask what was happening—

BOOM!

A deafening explosion erupted.

Serisa had finally detonated.

But what Boltien saw next, in the space where Serisa and the gray smoke had once been, was not destruction.

Whoooosh—!

A fierce gust of wind surged forward.

He saw them.

A pair of enormous silver wings, spreading wide and majestic, rising through the storm of smoke and debris.

They had wrapped around Serisa—embracing her even as she exploded.

“Ah…”

Boltien could only let out a breath of awe.

And in the center of those wings—there was a shield.

A silver shield, framed by radiant wings, had wrapped around Serisa.

Yes.

That power was unmistakably Good.

It wasn’t exactly the same warmth Boltien had felt the first time he encountered the divine heat of the Sun God… but it was something close. A different kind of purity. A freshness that washed over him.

Tree.

Yes. It smelled like a tree.

He felt the cool, grounding scent of a forest breeze, vivid and alive.

“Ugh!”

Just then, a groan echoed from behind.

Boltien turned his head and saw the student with blonde hair and blue eyes—previously unconscious—now reaching out with a trembling hand.

A silver line extended from the student's hand, shimmering as it connected to the shield that had just manifested.

The shield—

It had been created by that student.

And that student... was bleeding.

Suddenly, a system message rang out.

[A skill has been born!]
[Skill: Indestructible Shield (Range: EX. Unable to determine)]

Cale let out a deep breath.

– Human! I layered a shield inside the shield! Just in case, I made it five layers thick!

Raon’s voice rang in Cale’s mind, filled with excitement.

It had been a while since Cale and Raon had combined their powers to create a shield together.

And now, thanks to that joint effort, the devastating force of Serisa’s explosion had been suppressed.

Baaang! BANG!

Even so, the explosion had been powerful.

The entire lecture hall quaked under the impact. Walls cracked further, stones crumbled, and the building groaned under the pressure.

But for Cale and Raon—

– Anyway, this is nothing compared to Dragon Lord Neo!

That was true.

Having clashed with beings like the Dragon Lord, an explosion like this, even from a bishop, was insignificant to them now.

– But, Human…

Raon’s tone shifted.

It turned grave. Ominous.

– Why did you bleed? Isn’t this like… eating cold soup now?

Raon's voice was filled with concern.

And he was right.

It was a bit ridiculous.

Even though the power had worked perfectly, Cale still ended up coughing up a mouthful of blood.

[A skill side effect has been discovered!]
[Side effect: Hemorrhage – Coughs up blood]
[The side effect can be reduced as mastery increases.]
[Current mastery: 0]
[Caution: Even with higher mastery, the side effect may still occur if the power is excessively overused.]

This damn game system.

– Well… doesn’t it feel like we’re back to square one?

Super Rock’s voice sounded awkward, trying to lighten the mood.

– But your body is still in good condition.

Crybaby chimed in cheerfully.

It was true.

Cale had coughed up blood, sure—but there was no internal damage. His body was completely fine.

But Cale didn’t have time to respond.

Because at that very moment, a message popped up before his eyes.

[Mission Complete: Shake hands with the believer of the God of Chaos (Serisa)!]
[New mission unlocked!]
[Proceed to the location where the believer of the God of Chaos, Serisa, first received her chaos!]

Cale had seen that place—within Serisa’s memories.

It was a truly unpleasant and horrifying scene. Even the mission had clearly specified the exact location.

One of the Three Great Powers.

Not the Eastern Empire.

Not the Western Empire.

“…Lan.”

The Kingdom of Lan, located in the north—the nation of training.

That place was fundamentally different from the Western Empire, the land of art.

If Cale had to compare it to something he’d experienced before...

Martial arts.

Yes, that was it. It felt closest to a land of martial artists, disciplined and sharp. And the moment he confirmed the destination within the Kingdom of Lan—

A thought crossed his mind.

Should I call the Heavenly Demon...?

But that train of thought was cut short.

Swoooosh—

With a final gust of wind, the silver shield vanished.

And in its place, only a small puddle of gray liquid remained.

Drip. Drip.

As the liquid splashed onto the lecture hall floor, it began to seep in, silently consuming everything around it.

Chaos contamination.

It was the same phenomenon that had once corroded Choi Jung-gun’s body.

Cale didn’t have time to examine it closely.

“…Who are you?”

A voice rang out.

Holy Knight Boltien slowly approached Cale and Choi Han.

Though shaken, his demeanor had changed. He now addressed them with a newfound respect.

“How is it that one wields a sword imbued with the power of the sun…”

He glanced at Choi Han.

“…and the other commands an unknown divine power?”

His gaze shifted to Cale.

Boltien’s eyes moved between them, studying them carefully. Finally, his eyes met Cale’s.

As the commotion in the hall buzzed faintly in the background, Cale opened his mouth.

In a quiet voice—just loud enough for Boltien to hear—he spoke.

“Evil.”

What?

Boltien’s eyes widened, confusion and disbelief blooming across his face.

But before he could speak—

“Or perhaps… goodness.”

Cale offered a faint smile.

“We’re simply fighting against those who wish to destroy this world.”

Boltien stepped closer.

Cale stood there, pale and bloodstained, yet oddly composed. The one who had shielded them all from Serisa’s explosion.

“What…?”

Boltien wanted to ask—What do you mean? What are you really saying?

But—

“!”

Cale raised a hand, stopping him from getting any closer.

Boltien paused.

He looked at the man before him—the only one injured in the entire lecture hall, the one who had saved them all.

Cale spoke again, his voice soft but firm.

“I’m affiliated with evil.”

Boltien froze.

Evil?

He couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t understand it.

And yet, Cale stood there, blood on his lips, offering a weak, almost careless smile.

“Holy Knight Boltien,” he said. “You and I… we can’t mix.”

It’s true, Cale thought.

Those affiliated with evil and those upholding righteousness—by nature, they were destined to remain separate.

“So don’t get close.”

Those words from the student rang with quiet finality.

They were true.

But Boltien’s instincts screamed otherwise.

“…We saved each other today. Let’s call it a draw.”

The blonde-haired man—Cale—gave a faint smile and slowly pushed himself up. Choi Han silently supported him, steadying him as he rose.

– Human, shall we teleport now?

Wooong—

With a low hum, a teleportation circle bloomed into existence, swirling with black light.

Cale turned to Boltien one last time and offered a casual farewell.

“Well, see you around.”

He had no ties to Holy Knight Boltien. No reason to build any.

Just a passerby.

That’s all Boltien should have been.

But Boltien didn’t see it that way.

He was a Holy Knight—a man who had lived righteously, striving to be worthy of that title.

And now… he stood at a crossroads.

“Wait!”

Boltien called out urgently.

“Tell me the reason for all this!”

He had to know. The truth behind what had happened with Bishop Serisa.

The truth behind this chaos.

But the man who claimed to be “evil” didn’t give easy answers.

“Chaos.”

Cale’s expression turned serious as he spoke.

“Be careful of chaos. And seek it.”

Chaos.

That word alone shook Boltien. The thing that had tormented him for days.

Cale looked him in the eye and thought,

Who knows when I’ll run into this guy again?

Might as well leave him with a hook.

“I’m sure,” Cale said quietly, “you’ll come to the same conclusion.”

“And then, we’ll join together to protect our territory.”

Boltien couldn’t respond to the man’s ambiguous words.

“No matter who we belong to...”

Regardless of the sides we’re on, we’ll stand together when it comes to protecting our land.

“…”

Boltien remained silent.

Because he couldn’t—shouldn’t—join with those affiliated with evil.

As if he understood that hesitation, the blonde-haired man gave him a gentle smile and waved.

“Well then, see you soon.”

Fwoosh!

With a flash of light, the two men vanished before Boltien’s eyes.

“Captain! Can we really just let them go like that? He’s a witness—we need to interrogate him!”

A Holy Knight who had been watching rushed over, concern written all over his face.

But Boltien still said nothing.

He continued staring at the spot where Cale had disappeared.

And finally, he spoke.

“…He saved my life.”

Hmm…

Boltien murmured under his breath, not even glancing at his subordinate, who groaned in frustration.

“—When you seek chaos, the sun will surely guide you.”

Yes.

Only by doing so could the path ahead be revealed.

And Boltien was sure of it.

I’ll see them again.

Those two men… I’ll be seeing them again, and soon.

His instincts were rarely wrong.

He would also have to investigate the Sun God’s Cult more deeply.

And the identity of that sword—the one filled with the power of the sun.

Without a doubt...

Something was happening.

Something far greater than he understood.

Holy Knight Boltien’s eyes grew heavy and somber.

But within them, a clear light continued to burn.

—Steady. And unwavering.

* * *

“Let’s call the Heavenly Demon.”

“The Heavenly Demon?”

“Yes.”

Cale was preparing to head straight to the Kingdom of Lan in the north to carry out the next mission.

At that moment, Raon suddenly cut into the conversation.

– Human, isn’t that place near where the Crown Prince is going?

“It is,” Cale replied with a nod.

Choi Han also spoke up.

“Then… we can give the Sun Sword to His Highness.”

“Alright.”

Cale made his decision.

He would head to the Kingdom of Lan—to meet both the Heavenly Demon and Crown Prince Alberu.

 -----

Translator's Comment:

When Chaos explodes, it takes a divine shield to hold the line.

***

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]