The silence became unbearable as the eighteen knights and Athtar stared at the demon, his hand still stained with the blood of one of his fallen victims, which continued to drip onto the ground.
"What? Aren't you going to move? Then I'll do it myself."
The demon cackled, snapping the others out of their frozen state—including Athtar, who immediately moved with him and rushed to defend another knight who was still frozen in place. The demon thrust his hand toward the knight, intending to pierce him just as he had his companion.
The knight was caught off guard and had no time to react, but Athtar suddenly appeared before him and parried the attack with his blade, forcing the demon to lightly retreat with a smile.
"Snap out of it! Do you want to die? Losing another one of us gives our opponent another advantage! Don't you dare die until we're certain we've killed this bastard."
Athtar shouted coldly at the knight, who nodded slightly, trembling a little before eventually regaining his proper stance.
Athtar attacked first once more, while the knights supported him with magical spells. For the first time since the battle at the Patriarch's pulpit began, Athtar finally managed to inflict a wound on the demon's wrist. The demon had not had enough time to dodge, so he used his body to block the blow, reinforcing it with mana.
When blood spilled from his wound, what emerged was a terrifying purple substance resembling volcanic lava. It flowed onto the ground, exposing the demon's nerves. He immediately attacked Athtar, intending to pierce through his body, but Athtar swiftly blocked the strike with both swords, sending him flying backward.
Athtar crashed into the chairs, bringing some dust down around him, but the knights did not stop. They attacked the demon with long-range spells, several of which struck him, leaving minor wounds and burns across his hands, face, and body.
The demon took several steps backward, giving Athtar enough time to recover and rise to his feet.
The demon's body was incredibly strong. Simply striking him with a sword would not cause much damage. Athtar needed greater power.
"Distract him. I'll attack him with the strongest spell I have. It'll take some time, and I'm not yet on the Path of Magic, so I may become exhausted. If we don't hit him, it'll be the end of us…"
The knights understood his words and nodded.
One of them stepped forward slightly to draw the demon's attention. He had a somewhat round face and appeared to be an experienced knight, perhaps the leader of a small unit.
"Did you lie to us back then? When you said you knew Athtar Jones's objective? And that he intended to turn into a demon and wreak havoc throughout the Kingdom of Kaivan? We wouldn't have followed you if not for that!"
The demon chuckled lightly before answering coldly.
"That's right. There was someone who wanted to turn into a demon and steal something important from the place where the corrupted corpse fell. The thing is, that person wasn't Athtar. He was merely bait I used to lure you here. Who would have thought he would come here as well? And now that you're here with me, none of you will leave this place alive."
The demon licked his lips, arrogant in his certainty that he was superior. He did not mind revealing his plan; as far as he was concerned, they were all already dead.
"So that's how it is… And I thought you'd followed me here because you were looking for me. It was nothing more than a coincidence, huh?"
Athtar said coldly as he watched the demon, placing both hands before his face as though reciting a specific incantation.
Mana began gathering from every pore of Athtar's body, like twinkling stars swirling around his arms and converging at the center of his palms.
The demon felt a slight sense of dread. The attack appeared dangerous, and he was about to rush toward Athtar to stop him, but one of the knights intercepted him while the spellcasters unleashed magical attacks that forced him backward.
"Tch… Do you think I'm stupid enough to just stand here and take this?"
The demon laughed and turned to flee, but one of the knights moved swiftly and grabbed him tightly.
The demon was caught off guard. He glared angrily at the knight.
"You bastard! Are you planning to sacrifice yourself?"
"If I'm taking you down with me, then that's a small price to pay!"
The knight answered coldly as he tightened his grip, then shouted toward Athtar.
"Do it, damn it!"
Athtar needed no encouragement.
A white orb of mana gathered before him, taking the form of a rectangular crystal with a sharp end.
Light Magic—the form of magic known to be highly effective against demons.
Athtar unleashed his attack toward the demon and the knight. The crystalline projectile pierced through both their bodies and shot out of the church, creating a blinding flash of light.
Athtar sighed and began panting, dropping to one knee as he stared at the bodies of the demon and the brave knight lying on the ground.
But suddenly, the demon slowly rose.
His body had been pierced, but the attack had missed his heart. His torso was almost completely torn open.
"You bastards! Hahaha! This demonic body won't be killed that easily… I've memorized all of your faces. Await a fate worse than death when I return!"
The demon spread his wings and flew away through the opening Athtar had created moments earlier. He had decided to flee, heal himself, and grow stronger before returning for revenge.
The seventeen knights breathed a quiet sigh of relief. They looked at one another, then at Athtar, who was breathing heavily but calmly. Yet none of them did anything.
"Without your leadership… and your skills, we might not have been able to escape his grasp. You saved our lives, even though we were pursuing you."
The knight who appeared to be the group's leader spoke calmly and bowed his head humbly.
Athtar noticed that there was no immediate danger and that no system notifications had appeared, so he replied as he rose to his feet.
"I did it simply because I'm in the same situation. In any case, I advise you to leave this place immediately. It's emitting corrupted mana."
He began walking away from the knights, deciding, out of kindness, to tell them the truth about the place.
The knights looked at one another, then quietly bowed to him.
When Athtar entered the corridor lined with several doors, he finally decided to check the system notifications that had appeared during the battle.
[ Warning ]
[ The host is exposed to a large amount of corrupted mana ]
[ Quest ]
[ Kill the demon threatening your life ]
[ Reward ]
[ Unlock the Path of Magic ]
[ Mission Failed ]
Athtar sighed coldly when he saw that the mission had failed. Being alive was enough for him, and besides, this system seemed to be malfunctioning. It was clear that killing the demon had been a task beyond his capabilities.
'You should have asked for something achievable, like escaping, for example.'
The system gave him no response, and the blue screen remained distorted.
Athtar felt annoyed and closed the window.
He went to the nearest room and entered quietly, looking around.
It was a room filled with books concerning the religious rites and worship of the goddess Ilthara, further confirming to Athtar that this place truly belonged to the fallen goddess Ilthara.
He ignored the room and went to the next one. He had no need for preachers or prayers to a goddess who had already fallen and died. It was pointless, and therefore all the books in the previous room were useless to him.
The next room appeared to be the Patriarch's office.
After searching it, he found nothing but the Patriarch's books and journals. He found a particular book that was locked and appeared to require a key to open.
Out of curiosity, he took the book, placed it in his small bag, and left the room.
The next room seemed slightly more important. Several books concerning spells, Paths, and Aspects were stored inside.
Athtar took the book that seemed the most useful to him and placed it in his small bag.
As he turned to leave, he noticed a particular painting in the room.
The painting was cracked and barely visible, but what remained depicted something utterly divine—a scene resembling a heavenly abode that could exist only in one's imagination.
A figure wearing a white robe sat within it, appearing distant and impossible to make out. Yet the most striking feature was her divine golden hair.
The painting seemed to depict a particular goddess—the goddess of this church.
Athtar felt a slight stir of unease within him as he stared at the painting, but he did not continue looking for long.
He left the room, and finally, only one room remained. Beyond it lay the crypt.
When Athtar looked at the map, it showed him nothing except that he was in the correct location.
He quietly opened the door and looked inside.
It was merely an armoury.
'Where could the Fragment of Consciousness be?'
He searched everywhere, but when he found nothing of significance, he left the room as well.
Athtar looked toward the crypt with concern and scratched his head.
'It looks like it'll be down there.'
When he opened the crypt door and stepped inside, gravity shifted once again, and he began falling toward the ceiling. This time, however, he managed to land properly on his feet.
He descended calmly until he reached the lower chamber, where the corrupted corpse still floated, surrounded by corrupted mana.
Athtar looked around, then noticed what appeared to be a door leading farther downward.
He headed toward it and tried to open it, but it proved difficult.
So he broke the door and forced it open from the inside.
There were more stairs.
Athtar rolled his eyes slightly and began walking downward.
Finally, at the end of the passage, he saw a powerful light shining from beyond the door, bright enough to hurt the eyes.
At the same time, a strange feeling began rising within him, strengthening his theory.
'Is that it?'
He approached the entrance.
When he opened the door, the light burst outward, causing pain in Athtar's eyes.
The light slowly faded, and Athtar gradually adjusted to it.
When he looked inside, he did not even need the notification from that useless system to confirm what he had discovered on his own.
[ Notification ]
[ Fragment of Consciousness Found! ]
[ Please download the Fragment of Consciousness to update the system ]
Athtar approached the center.
There, floating quietly, was a blue fragment the size of a fist. It was crystalline in shape and shone like a diamond, enclosed within a square-shaped white mana barrier.
When Athtar reached the white square, it began to glow as though it were about to attack him.
Athtar had no way to defend against a direct attack like this, so he raised his hand in front of his face.
But the glow stopped when a system notification appeared before him.
[ Dismantling the lock on the Fragment of Consciousness ]
'Finally, you're actually useful, System.'
Athtar took a moment to think as he watched the white square slowly dissipate.
Finally, it vanished.
The Fragment of Consciousness fell, but Athtar quickly caught it and held it in his hand.
[ Notification ]
[ Item Found ]
[ Loading the Fragment of Consciousness ]
[ Please wait until the loading is complete ]
The Fragment of Consciousness began to disintegrate very slowly.
Athtar watched as mana particles emerged from it one by one, moving slowly toward his forehead.
He felt as though his mind were expanding to accommodate something new, as if something heavy were entering his mind.
The process of breaking down the Fragment of Consciousness took a long time.
Athtar felt a headache and a heavy pressure inside his head, but as the final particle of the Fragment of Consciousness entered his mind, a new system notification appeared.
[ Fragment of Consciousness Successfully Loaded! ]
[ Would you like to install it? ]
Athtar thought, Yes.
The screen disappeared.
Then he began to feel the heaviness inside his mind as though it were merging with him.
He felt the fragments intertwining with his entire body and soul—a slow, strange, and unsettling process.
It felt as though a parasite were feeding on him to survive, an exhausting sensation that left him feeling almost sickened and exposed, as though he were completely bare before that parasite.
He was afraid that he might be controlled by a greater entity.
What if he lost himself?
What if he lost his very existence?
Where would his vengeance go?
Fortunately, none of that happened.
As soon as the installation was complete, Athtar finally felt at ease. The heaviness in his mind disappeared, and he felt a powerful surge of mana surrounding him, as though he, too, had gained a new power—a power that was never meant to belong to him.
[ Notification ]
[ A system update is available ]
[ Would you like to update the system? ]
Athtar did not think twice.
On a simple thought, he answered.
"Yes."
He no longer cared about the power controlling this system. As long as it granted him the power to take revenge, that was all he wanted.
He no longer had any reason to live in this world except for his vengeance.
When he agreed to the update, a system notification appeared before him—a cracked and distorted blue screen, as usual.
[ System Updating ]
[ Progress Bar – 5% ]
[ 10% ]
[ 15% ]
The white progress bar moved quickly, which made Athtar feel relieved.
[ 95% ]
[ 100% ]
[ System Update Complete ]
When the notification appeared, Athtar suddenly felt dizzy.
He had been sitting on the floor.
[ Finally..... My Majesty.... Wait... Athtar? ]
Athtar saw fragmented words appear before his eyes.
He thought he heard a voice—not merely a cold system screen—but he did not have enough mental strength to be certain.
Because everything went dark.
.
.
.
To Be Continued.