Chapter 164 — The Bishop's Death
The moment Gideon spoke, Hans let out a cold laugh.
"You actually think you can talk to the dead?" he sneered.
"How ignorant. These things are nothing but remnants of consciousness—"
He froze mid-sentence.
"…Impossible."
The spirits were drifting toward Gideon.
And then—
They nodded.
Gideon felt a surge of relief and couldn't help thinking privately:
The Reaper really doesn't short me on useful gear.
He spoke quickly, his voice steady:
"I know your hearts are filled with resentment… but these children had nothing to do with what was done to you."
"Do you really want your suffering to be visited upon them again?"
At those words, the spirits began to clutch their heads.
Fragments of their past surged back—
terror, despair, helplessness.
Gideon immediately activated Absolution Sermon.
"You were innocent children in life… and you deserve rest in death."
"I will guide you… to your heaven."
As his voice echoed through the hall, the dead slowly calmed.
Taking the opening, Gideon activated the reversal array.
Light erupted across the backstage.
The corruption twisted violently—then unraveled.
Evil energy was torn loose and refined into something clean.
"…This holy power," Hans whispered, shaken.
"It surpasses even ordinary archbishops…"
He stared at Gideon in disbelief.
How could an unknown young priest wield such strength?
"…Is he another once-in-a-century prodigy like Haggai?"
"Or is it…"
Hans remembered the words spoken earlier.
Sacred Word.
White radiance washed across every corner of the room.
The pain faded from the children's faces.
Their fevered skin cooled…
Their bodies relaxed.
Only Hans remained untouched by the purification— not by immunity, but because he was sealed behind layers of isolation barriers.
After confirming every child was safe, Gideon dismantled the sacrificial array.
Only the spirits remained.
Holding the talisman, Gideon listened.
Their memories flooded into him.
And his face grew colder by the second.
Naked bodies.
Living dissections.
Scenes too filthy to describe.
Every tormentor…
Wore the robes of the Church.
And the one who orchestrated it all—
Was Hans Hermann.
When Hans met Gideon's eyes, he knew.
He knew what had been seen.
"So what?" Hans forced a laugh.
"Calm down. You've only uncovered a corner of the truth."
"I'm not the only one who's done things like this."
"They were low-class slaves," he spat.
"Dying with a purpose was an honor for them!"
Then his expression twisted—
"And you… with power like yours, you still choose to be the Church's dog?"
"Join me."
"We could reshape the world together—"
Even as he spoke, Hans's mind raced.
His position… had come easily.
The Hermann family had ensured that.
But he had not ignored theology either.
He had tried everything.
Holy power.
Demonic empowerment.
Both had rejected him.
Just like his belief in the Church…
And his devotion to demon gods.
Neither had answered.
Cornered at last, Hans felt an overwhelming hunger for life rise from the depths of his soul.
"D–Don't!" he cried.
"Please… please spare me! I'll do anything you want—anything!"
"I'll give you my position as bishop! I'll even… serve you as my master!"
The once-mighty man had utterly discarded the last shred of dignity that made him human.
Gideon no longer wished to look at him.
"His soul is yours."
His voice was flat.
"As for the rest of those beasts… I'll make them pay."
He walked toward Mira and gently covered her eyes.
Though she couldn't hear the sounds that followed, she would forever remember the image of Hans begging like a worm on the ground.
She understood now—
This older brother had truly come to save her.
A moment later…
A desperate scream tore through the backstage.
Gideon had just stood up when he felt an overwhelming surge of evil.
"Hide over there."
He placed a cross into Mira's hands and pointed toward a shadowed corner.
She nodded at once and ran to obey.
The next instant—
BOOM!
A figure smashed through the wall and crashed onto the floor.
Gideon waved the dust aside and looked at the man in black robes.
"…Do all villains shop at the same clothing store?" he muttered.
"What did you do to him?" Mashal demanded, staring at Hans's corpse.
Hans lay there, eyes rolled back, saliva smeared across his face.
Mashal frowned.
There were no visible wounds.
Yet he was unmistakably dead.
"At the very least," Gideon shrugged,
"he didn't go to heaven."
"As for where exactly he ended up… that depends on who felt like collecting him."
He truly didn't know what became of someone whose soul was devoured by the dead.
Hell?
That was Satan's domain—and the Seventy-Two Demon Gods were not exactly on friendly terms with Hell.
Mashal's eyes narrowed.
"So it was you all along… the one who ruined everything."
Before, outside the hall, he had been surrounded by the purified Corrosive Walkers.
When he sensed the sacrificial array collapsing, he tried to rush back—
Only for those abominations to self-destruct and trap him in waves of holy energy.
And now—
This sight.
His fury surged.
"Hey! Watch your words," Gideon said seriously.
"You make it sound like I attacked the hall."
Mashal stopped talking.
There was no need for arguments anymore.
The ritual was gone.
This priest would pay.
He spread his arms—
"Wait." Gideon suddenly spoke.
"How do you know the ritual is destroyed?"
"Shouldn't you… confirm it yourself?"
Mashal frowned.
Then he walked toward the children.
"About this far should do."
The instant he stepped into range—
Gideon silently activated the gospel incantation.
The holy statues he had placed exploded with divine power.
Mashal's eyes widened.
He had been wary—
But he had not expected this level of strength.
With no choice, he shielded his vital areas.
Blinding light flooded the backstage.
"…Shame," Gideon sighed.
"Didn't kill him."
Mashal was kneeling on the floor, one arm gone.
Residual holy power crackled through the wound.
"Hssss—"
Dark-green sludge bubbled up and poured into the injury.
Holy and unholy forces clashed violently…
And the flesh slowly regenerated.
But Mashal gasped for breath, drenched in sweat.
The cost was enormous.
"You… damned church dog!" he roared.
"You tricked me!"
Gideon nodded calmly.
"I indeed committed the sin of deception."
"I'll make sure to confess sincerely tonight."
"PUFF—"
Mashal spat out blood.
"You will pay for this."
His hands split open—
Dark-green liquid poured out in torrents, forming a festering pool at his feet.
Gideon raised an eyebrow.
The fluid was corrosive.
Even the air above it fizzed and rotted.
A moment later…
A shape emerged from the toxic mire.
A humanoid figure.
Skin the color of venom.
And from its back—
Wings.
"Hisssss—"
It shrieked sharply, waves of sound crashing toward Gideon—
Only to be stopped by an unseen barrier.
Mashal's voice turned icy.
"…Kill him."
---