The Cult Leader in the Clergy Academy

Chapter 178

Yu-Hyun guided In-Ah and Ha-Yeon to students from the Department of Priests. The students that Yu-Hyun was leading had gathered and settled around a dried-up reservoir surrounded by residential buildings.

The priests chatted and shared stories up until Yu-Hyun arrived. The moment Yu-Hyun arrived, they all abruptly stopped talking. Then, they began to mechanically unleash divine power with stern and rigid expressions on their faces as if they had been doing so the entire time.

As if commanding the divine power, Yu-Hyun directed it into his hands. The divine power then followed Yu-Hyun's gaze and formed a series of blessing arrays. Countless blessing arrays piled up and overlapped in the central area of the dried-up reservoir.

"What is this...?"

Ha-Yeon looked at the hundreds of blessing arrays scattered across the ground. All those numerous blessing arrays were connected as one unit and formed a massive fusion blessing formation. It hadn’t been activated yet, but she couldn't imagine what would happen once it emitted the light of blessing and was activated.

"A blessing that is close to a miracle. And..."

A gift for someone, and a small reprieve from his mundane everyday life. Yu-Hyun swallowed those following words. Since no one would understand, there was no point in saying it out loud. Only one person could understand those words in Florence Academy.

Yu-Hyun used the divine power unleashed by the other students to draw blessing arrays and stacked those blessing arrays on top of each other, layer by layer. His pupils shone brightly. It was impossible to tell whether it was light that came from within his eyes, or whether it was the light of blessing reflecting off of his eyes.

Unlike Ha-Yeon, who was rendered speechless at the sight of the massive fusion blessing array, In-Ah calmly scanned the blessing array. The expression on her face was serious. It was as if she was trying to analyze this massive blessing array.

Yu-Hyun looked at In-Ah as if he was intrigued. His hands, which had been moving brilliantly to draw the blessing arrays, suddenly stopped.

"..."

Yu-Hyun approached In-Ah and then gently placed his hand on her shoulder. Then, as if pretending to be friendly, he tilted her head and said, "I saw earlier that you were fighting with Sun-Woo. Why did you fight with him?"

"..."

"Did you not hear me? Or are you deliberately not answering─"

Smack!

In-Ah roughly brushed off Yu-Hyun's touch. She silently turned her head and stared at him. Displeasure was vividly reflected in her eyes. There was even a hint of disdain. After a few seconds of looking at Yu-Hyun with a cold face, she quickly turned her head toward the fusion blessing array.

She pointed at a specific point in the massive blessing array and curtly said, "You got that part wrong."

Yu-Hyun tilted his head with a smirk on his face. There were slight wrinkles between his eyebrows. It was an expression that indicated that the criticism was unpleasant.

"What? Where?"

"Here. Can't you see?"

"How am I supposed to know if you just say here? Also, how do you know if it’s right or wrong...” Yu-Hyun grumbled irritably but then closed his mouth when he saw the part In-Ah was pointing at.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed incorrect.

"See? I told you it’s wrong," In-Ah said with a chuckle.

A fusion blessing array was composed of core blessings and auxiliary blessings. The core blessings served as the main pillars of the fusion blessing array and it determined the primary characteristics. The auxiliary blessings supported the characteristics of the core blessings while ensuring the overall stability of the activation of the blessing array.

However, if the connection between the core blessings and the auxiliary blessings was too tight or too loose, the characteristics of the core blessings could be overshadowed by the characteristics of the auxiliary blessings, or the core blessings might not properly activate.

Just like right now.

“...You’re right.”

Yu-Hyun acknowledged his mistake with a sour expression and quickly fixed that part. Without him even touching the array, the divine power wriggled and corrected itself just from his gaze alone. Normally, it wouldn't have been necessary to fix such a small mistake. However, in a situation like this where he was deploying such a massive fusion blessing, even a small mistake could have fatal consequences.

Yu-Hyun carefully examined the part he had fixed. It wasn't that the connection wasn't there—it was a bit loose. No matter how good one’s eyes were, it would be impossible to spot that mistake unless one’s knowledge of the theory behind fusion blessing arrays was rigorous and thoroughly established.

"How did you find that mistake?" Yu-Hyun asked.

In-Ah looked at Yu-Hyun with narrowed eyes. As if it wasn’t a big deal, she casually replied, "I just spotted it."

"You just spotted it? Hm... What rank were you on the written exam this time?"

In-Ah openly expressed her displeasure and said, "Why do you care?"

Yu-Hyun was slightly taken aback. It was because her attitude was completely different from what he had heard from the rumors.

"Well, I guess it's because you seem smart. If you don't want to answer, then don't."

"...I was second place."

"What? Looks like you did well. Why don’t you want to talk about it?"

In-Ah remained silent with her mouth closed. Yu-Hyun was one who placed first on the written exam. Hearing that she did well on the exam from him felt strange. She couldn't quite explain her feelings properly, but it wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling.

Yu-Hyun looked at In-Ah as she was not responding, and lightly pushed her back.

"Anyway, I suppose that’s a good thing. How about you go around this area here and check for anything that I did wrong, just like you did earlier.”

"...Why should I—"

"Because we're in the same department. So let's help each other out," Yu-Hyun responded immediately as if he had expected those words.

He smiled. It was not the cold smile he had shown so far, but a warm smile that seemed somewhat genuine.

"After all, there's no one else I can ask for help. If you placed second on the written exam, I can trust you," he said.

"...But you were first place."

"I had a total score of 398, and two points were deducted in sacred dynamics. So sacred dynamics was the only subject that I was second place in, and that means you got first place, no?”

In-Ah remained silent. It was a valid statement and, above all, a pleasant one. Yu-Hyun noticed a slight relaxation in In-Ah's expression, which had been tense until now. He hid his smile and spoke with a somewhat serious face.

“I’m not that good in all that sacred dynamics and fusion blessings business. I make lots of small mistakes, you see. Whether you do it or not, I need someone to correct my mistakes."

"..."

"But it would be good if you did it. Because if your grades are good, then I can trust your judgment. Well, I suppose it is a bit funny to judge someone's ability based on their written exams... anyway."

Yu-Hyun stopped talking and looked at In-Ah. Despite knowing that she wouldn’t be able to refuse, he displayed a sorrowful gaze as if he feared her rejection. In-Ah couldn't meet his gaze and avoided eye contact. They were currently in the middle of an exam, and In-Ah was in the same group as Yu-Hyun. She couldn't refuse, especially since it was a favor, not a command. It would also be a good thing for In-Ah if she helped Yu-Hyun since it would help their department and their team achieve good grades on the practical evaluation.

"What will you do? If you don't want to, you can just join the rest of the students and contribute your divine power," Yu-Hyun said.

In-Ah observed the students standing around the fusion blessing array mechanically unleashing divine power.

"Well, um... I'll do it. We're on the same team, and..."

"Yeah, thanks!"

Yu-Hyun expressed his gratitude in an unusually cheerful tone.

In-Ah somehow ended up taking on the role of inspecting the fusion blessing array. She walked around the vast blessing array and pointed out any mistakes or parts that Yu-Hyun missed. Then, Yu-Hyun would make corrections and he would draw new blessing arrays with the divine power provided by the other students.

Ha-Yeon stood there like an idiot and continued to observe this process. It was because Yu-Hyun hadn't given her any instructions. She tried to unleash divine power because she wanted to be of some help, but Yu-Hyun quickly stopped her.

"Just stay still."

"What? No, why..."

"Just rest. I'll call you if I need you."

Him saying that he would call her if he needed her felt a little uncomfortable because it felt like he was treating her like a tool, but Ha-Yeon didn't express any dissatisfaction. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she couldn't express her dissatisfaction because everyone here was being used like tools.

The students contributed their divine power to the fusion blessing array, Yu-Hyun controlled it to draw the blessing array, and In-Ah walked around the blessing array area to catch any mistakes. However, none of them felt any discomfort at being treated as tools. They were just grateful for being given time to rest.

Ha-Yeon felt a burden and a sense of guilt upon realizing that she couldn't contribute as a member of the team. At the same time, she felt an indescribable discomfort. After a few minutes of continuing this process, the enormous blessing array grew even larger and more magnificent.

"Ah."

It was then that Yu-Hyun let out a sound that resembled something like a sigh or a gasp. He turned his eyes which were shining with intelligence toward Ha-Yeon. She was startled by his gaze and trembled. Somehow, his gaze resembled Sun-Woo's gaze. But in some ways, it was different from Sun-Woo's.

Their eyes had the same temperament but they had a different essence. He started walking somewhere as he said, "Ha-Yeon, now is the time that you are needed. Follow me."

"Ah, yes."

Ha-Yeon prepared to unleash her divine power and followed Yu-Hyun. She was now tired of standing like a statue and watching Yu-Hyun, In-Ah, and her other team members working so hard. Upon realizing that she would be able to contribute something as well, Ha-Yeon felt a faint sense of joy.

"Here."

Yu-Hyun stopped walking and pointed to a certain part of the fusion blessing array. One point in the center of the fusion blessing array that was supposed to be filled with core blessing arrays was completely empty. Although there was just one point in the fusion array that remained unfilled, it seemed as if the entire blessing array couldn't activate because of that one point.

Ha-Yeon unleashed her divine power, and a brilliant light burst forth from her hand. However, she had no idea what blessing array she was supposed to draw.

"What blessing array should I draw—"

"Purification."

"What?"

"The blessing of purification. Should I repeat myself again?"

Ha-Yeon’s hands, which were ready to draw any blessing array, stopped moving. According to her father, there were only three situations where she could use the blessing of purification.

Firstly, when she was in danger. Secondly, when a person that was indescribably precious to her was in danger. Thirdly, if she received a reward that was equivalent to the benefit that the other person gained from the blessing of purification. In all other situations, she was instructed to not use the blessing of purification and to not spill the blood of purification. She was especially told to never make the mistake of wasting the blood of purification by succumbing to someone else's coercion.

Upon seeing her hesitate, Yu-Hyun frowned and said, "Why do you think I kept telling you to rest? It's because we need the blessing of purification. No one else can do it except you."

"Uh... no, that’s not something I can..."

"It’s not a blessing you can just use like that, because you need to spill your own blood to do so. However...”

Yu-Hyun raised both hands in an exaggerated gesture and pointed to the team members surrounding the blessing array.

"Can't you see? Everyone except you has worked hard."

"..."

Upon seeing Yu-Hyun's gesture, Ha-Yeon looked at her team members. Everyone had weary expressions on their faces. There were even students who had collapsed onto the ground. Yu-Hyun specifically pointed out one student who seemed to be in a particularly bad condition.

"What were you doing while they were struggling and collapsing like this?"

"That’s because you told me to rest—"

"That’s because if you waste energy, you might not be able to use the blessing of purification when it's needed."

"..."

If she had known that the blessing of purification was necessary, she wouldn't have rested. She would have contributed by unleashing divine power and creating a different blessing array instead of the blessing of purification.

Yu-Hyun's words were filled with sophistry. However, the guilt and burden that Ha-Yeon felt while resting alone while her other team members were working together to create a fusion blessing weighed heavily on her shoulders.

"Sigh, fu... Hey, make a decision quickly. If you don't want to do it, just hurry up and say that you don't want to."

After saying that, Yu-Hyun paused and fell silent for a moment, before aggressively pointing toward his team members surrounding the blessing array.

"If you act like this, then we'll have to change plans and start from scratch again. All their efforts will be in vain and will become worthless."

"..."

"If you don’t want to do it, then feel free to do so. You must have done well on the written exams as well, right? It's not like you'll suffer much from messing up the practical part. The other members might suffer a bit, but it's not your concern—"

Swish!

Before Yu-Hyun could finish speaking, Ha-Yeon began drawing the blessing array. Just from a rough glance, one could tell that it was the blessing of purification from the intricate and fancy lines. Upon seeing this, Yu-Hyun smiled faintly. Both Ha-Yeon and her father were weak to this kind of rhetoric. Indeed, blood didn’t lie.

Ha-Yeon looked at Yu-Hyun as she drew the blessing array and bluntly asked, "Um, do you have anything sharp? Or something pointed."

Yu-Hyun removed the earring he had been wearing on his ear. It was a small piercing in the shape of a cross. Although it was not sharp, it seemed like it would be sufficient to create a small wound.

"Will this do?"

"I don't want to use that because it's dirty."

"Um, sorry for it being dirty. Please bear with it, even if it's for the sake of the other students."

Ha-Yeon's words were much colder than before. Yu-Hyun teased Ha-Yeon with a gentle attitude that was completely opposite to the attitude he had displayed before. Ha-Yeon pressed the sharp part of the earring against her index finger and pressed hard.

"Ouch."

Ha-Yeon frowned and let out a short groan. No matter how many times she did it, she never got used to the pain.

Blood dripped from her fingertips. When she poured the blood onto the blessing array she had drawn, a bright light began to flow out from the fusion blessing array previously remained unactivated. The light that flowed from the blessing array at that moment was brighter and more radiant than any light she had seen before. It was to the extent that Ha-Yeon, who was the one who drew the array, took steps back in surprise.

On the other hand, Yu-Hyun approached the light with a bright smile. He threw himself into the light as if hoping to be swallowed up by it and become one with it.

"Thank you. Thanks to you, everyone's hard work can see the light of day!" Yu-Hyun said from within the light.

Although his expression was hidden by the light, his tone was filled with excitement. Ha-Yeon frowned.

"...Never again."

She forced herself to swallow back the urge to cry and said, "Don't ever ask me to do something like this again."

Ha-Yeon then stepped away from the blessing array and headed toward her teammates. Yu-Hyun smirked and then raised his hand from within the light. It was a hand signal.

Upon seeing Yu-Hyun’s hand signal, the students guarding the four directions of the fusion blessing array simultaneously drew a holy cross. Then, they took out holy oil from their pockets. Just like how weapons were given to students from the Department of Crusaders and handcuffs were given to the students from the Department of Paladins, the students from the Department of Priests were given holy oil.

Splash—!

The students poured the holy oil on top of their heads without hesitation. They knelt down with their heads covered in the sticky oil and began murmuring something.

The light of the blessing array expanded from the core blessings in the center of the fusion blessing array to the auxiliary blessings, and then spread to the students that had oil on their heads.

The light grew brighter. It filled the reservoir with an incredibly radiant light.

Yu-Hyun observed the scattering of light, kneeled down, and clasped his hands together. His thumbs touched each other and formed a cross. He closed his eyes and lifted his head.

"Adonai, and my angel, Gabriel!" he cried out.

His cry echoed through the light. In response to Yu-Hyun's voice, the light covering the ground soared up and covered the sky. The light, which was perhaps even brighter and more radiant than the sun, shone brilliantly above the heads of the students. The students looked at Yu-Hyun and the light with astonishment and fear.

It was then that Yu-Hyun opened his eyes.

"I pray within this blessing in the hopes that you will respond."

Shaaa─!

The light that covered the sky turned into rain and poured down on the heads of the students gathered at the reservoir. The raindrops were thick, heavy, and beautiful.

The students welcomed the rain with joyful faces. More precisely, joy filled the faces and the light of blessing flowed brightly from the bodies of those who came into contact with the rain. As the light pouring from the sky and the light flowing from their bodies became brighter, the lights mixed together.

The light was helping them, and the skies were helping them. Thanks to the immense strength bestowed upon them, they felt moved, and they felt a sense of awe and unity. There was no individual will there. Under the light, they were all servants of Adonai, and their consciousness and will were all united as one.

It was truly a blessing and a miracle.

*

"Get into formation."

Upon hearing Sun-Woo's words, the members of Paladin-D began to move in an orderly fashion. However, despite their perfectly organized movements, the resulting formation was pathetic.

Sun-Woo stood still in place, and with the exception of Dae-Man, the other team members clasped their hands and gathered together like a cavalry unit. Dae-Man alone stepped away from the formation and carried Su-Ryeon.

"Aaah, what are you doing? Let go of me!"

Su-Ryeon struggled to break free from his embrace, but it was all in vain. Due to the handcuffs, there was no strength in her body. Dae-Man didn't even flinch at Su-Ryeon's resistance. He simply stared at her with a slightly displeased expression.

"Stay still."

"Y-you...! Hey you, are you going to date me?" Su-Ryeon babbled.

"What are you talking about?" Dae-Man responded nonchalantly.

"Are you going to date... Huh? If you’re not going to date me, then you shouldn’t do something like this!”

Hearing the conversation between the two and seeing the completed formation, Min-Seo burst into laughter and stood up from her seat. She walked toward Sun-Woo and said, "Is this it? Is it because you lack the manpower? Isn’t this too pathetic?"

"If you think of it that way, then that’s good for us,” Sun-Woo replied as if he was talking about something that didn’t matter.

"But can’t you clear the smoke? It's annoying. I can't properly see in front," he asked.

"Why should I clear it? I released the smoke on purpose," Min-Seo said teasingly while shrugging her shoulders.

Min-Seo knew Sun-Woo's abilities.

Back when she roamed around as a duo with Su-Ryeon, they had ended up having a 2v2 with Sun-Woo and Dae-Man, and during that fight, Sun-Woo had caught and blocked the incoming smoke bomb with his bare hands. Thus, she decided to place smoke bombs near the negotiation point and spread some smoke.

No matter how quick Sun-Woo's reflexes were, he wouldn’t be able to block hidden projectiles. Also, by limiting the visibility with smoke, it’d be difficult for the opponent to gauge the opponent’s strength. It was a strategy to gain a psychological advantage by having more intel than them.

"Ah... is that so?"

"Should we start the negotiation? How much will you hand Su-Ryeon over for?"

Seeing Sun-Woo's lukewarm reaction, Min-Seo quickly shifted the conversation and got to the point. Sun-Woo tilted his head slightly and said, "No, I want to talk about the other two hostages first, not Su-Ryeon."

"So what? I only care about saving Su-Ryeon."

"The two hostages first, and then Su-Ryeon. This is our proposal. If you don't accept it, then let's end the negotiation here."

"Sigh..." Min-Seo sighed in frustration and tilted her head left and right.

Cracking sounds came from her neck. She had a habit of doing that when she was extremely pissed.

She continued, "During and then for ten minutes after the negotiation, capturing hostages is prohibited. It's a pointless rule no matter how you think about it, isn't it?"

"I wonder... Why are you bringing that up now?"

“You, just what do you believe in to be so audacious?” Min-Seo asked after approaching threateningly.

However, she didn't get closer than necessary. She approached close enough to be threatening, but not close enough to reveal her body from the smokescreen. She didn't know what Sun-Woo would do if she got any closer.

Sun-Woo fell silent at Min-Seo's question. Then he turned his head to check the formation, before looking up again to inspect the buildings surrounding him. He counted the number of students from the Department of Crusaders leaning out of the windows and aiming their guns at him.

They weren't clearly visible. Due to the fog, only their silhouettes could barely be seen, making it practically impossible to count their numbers. But it didn't matter. He never intended to count the Department of Crusaders' forces in the first place.

"Should I show you?" Sun-Woo said.

His eyes glimmered sharply. His pupils, which didn’t have any signs of wavering, were clearly fixed on Min-Seo. She, as well as the other members, noticed that his demeanor had drastically changed from before.

However, if they were dragged along by this atmosphere, then it would all be over. If they lost in the mental battle, they would start the negotiations at a disadvantage, and if that happened, it would just be better to not negotiate at all.

Min-Seo showed a relaxed smile.

"Yeah, show me. You fuck—"

Whoosh!

Before Min-Seo could finish speaking, a strong wind blew. The smoke that surrounded the area scattered and disappeared instantly. Despite the sudden gust of wind, Min-Seo tried to open her eyes and keep track of Sun-Woo's movements, but she eventually ended up closing her eyes.

It was because the dust and gravel that was attached to the old building flew off and stabbed into her eyes.

"—er. What are you...!"

By the time the wind subsided and when Min-Seo unleashed her divine power and opened her eyes, the smoke she carefully prepared had already disappeared due to the wind. The hazy air had suddenly become much clearer.

She could see Dae-Man holding Su-Ryeon in his arms, and the members of Sun-Woo’s team lying scattered on the ground. The bodies of his team members emitted the light of blessing.

At first, the situation didn't make sense to her. It was because Sun-Woo was nowhere to be seen. After the wind blew, he literally disappeared in the blink of an eye. It was incredible timing, almost as if the wind was helping him.

At that moment, Min-Seo saw an unnatural shadow flickering. She followed the shadow with her gaze.

"No..."

Min-Seo was so shocked that she trailed off and was unable to finish her sentence.

Sun-Woo was in the sky. More precisely, he was hanging on the railing of the third floor of the building on the right, where Min-Seo had set up a sniper's nest. From there, he looked down at Min-Seo with a smile that was brighter than any that she had seen before. It seemed like he was mumbling something, but Min-Seo couldn't hear him.