novelraw Chapter 97
Chapter 97
Ch.97 Prison of the Dead!
“The God of Death has returned…?”
The Pope, who had believed his days were numbered and that he’d soon die of old age, murmured inwardly: ‘O God… this burden is far too heavy for this old man.’
He scoffed at himself—why did such a calamity have to happen during his papacy?
“Your Holiness, we have no time for this. We must summon the holy knights and head to the Imperial Palace at once.”
At Cecilia’s urgent prompting, Leo VII lifted his drooping head.
“Of course. But why the Imperial Palace?”
“The Adversary… said so.”
“The Adversary? Then… ‘Equality’ has appeared?”
The Pope’s eyes widened in shock.
Cecilia gave a small nod.
“Oh! Saintess, who is this Adversary?”
“It’s… Father Hans.”
‘Father Hans…’
‘Didn’t she once say he was her lover?’
The Pope had long believed this—though Hans would surely be furious to hear it phrased so bluntly.
‘I heard they’ve been close for quite some time… Could this be God’s design?’
Father Hans was an honorary priest and one of the wealthiest men on the continent. When the Pope heard Hans had emptied his fortune to launch a relief mission to the New Continent, his heart grew heavy.
Unlike Hans—who performed such noble deeds—the Pope was merely an old man fretting over his own safety, counting his final days.
And besides…
‘The Saintess left, and I’ve been suffering the Emperor’s cold shoulder ever since…’
Though Leo VII had endured much because of Cecilia, he could never bring himself to resent her. To him, she felt like a beloved granddaughter.
“Heh heh… So you’ve finally met him. You sang his praises every day—congratulations.”
At the Pope’s teasing words, Cecilia glanced around nervously and cried out in a trembling voice: “When did I ever do that?! I don’t even like that lecherous man!”
Cecilia denied any affection for Hans—desperate to hide the truth that she still cared for him.
“Huh? So she does like him?”
Scarlet noticed Cecilia’s flushed cheeks and felt a strange suspicion stir.
“This isn’t the time for that! We must hurry to the palace with the holy knights!”
“Of course. As the Saintess commands. Cardinal Walter, relay my order: the holy knights are to escort and protect the Saintess.”
“I shall obey Your Holiness.”
And so, they swiftly gathered the holy knights and rushed out of the Papal Palace—only to find the streets in chaos.
People collapsed, screaming in agony.
—“Aaagh!”
—“Kraaah!”
—“Now! This body is mine! Mine, I tell you!”
—“I’ll kill you all! Why must we suffer like this?!”
The crowd’s eyes had turned blood-red.
“This is… possession?!”
Cecilia and her group watched in horror as spirits floating in the sky descended and possessed the living.
“Divine Light!”
A brilliant radiance erupted from Cecilia’s hands, annihilating the spirits.
“We must save them all!”
At her command, the holy knights cast sacred magic.
—“Exorcism!”
Golden auras flared from each knight.
The possessed, writhing in pain on the ground, suddenly calmed—and fell unconscious.
“Come on! We must go!”
Scarlet frowned at Cecilia’s order to leave them behind.
“Is it safe to just abandon them like this?”
“We must reach the palace first! If the King of the Dead truly has returned… he’ll target the palace.”
Scarlet didn’t understand. “Why?”
“Because…”
Cecilia herself didn’t know why the spirits were targeting the palace. She was only going because Hans told her to.
Hans’s reasoning was sound—he knew the King of the Dead would kill the Emperor and royal family to plunge the Empire into chaos—but Cecilia couldn’t grasp that logic.
“Father Hans told me to go. That’s enough for me.”
“Ah…”
“Let’s go—now!”
Cecilia sprinted ahead.
Scarlet stared at her back, suspicious.
‘She’s definitely hiding something…’
When they finally neared the palace— “What… what is that?!”
Hundreds—no, thousands—of spirits descended from the sky toward the Imperial Palace.
—“Kraaah!”
—“Emperor! Kill the Emperor!”
—“Where are you?! Show yourself, Emperor!”
—“O ruler of the Empire who sent us to war! We bring you ruin!”
—“We hate you! Why did you wage pointless wars and slaughter us?!”
The ghosts’ furious, frenzied cries sent chills down everyone’s spines.
“You foolish souls, clinging to vain regrets! I shall guide you to Heaven’s gate! Sanctuary Ward!”
Cecilia’s hands blazed with golden light, illuminating the area—
—“Kraaah!”
—“It’s… it’s burning!”
—“What did we even do?! Those bastards did this to us!”
As the spirits burned and vanished, Scarlet fell into thought. ‘This is easier than I expected… Is this why Patron went so far as to enter the convent—just to protect Cecilia?’
Faced with countless spirits—so many they defied counting—Scarlet finally understood why Hans had gone to such lengths.
‘Phew… Thank goodness he’s not a pervert after all…’
But a bitter thought followed instantly: ‘He’s only helping me because I’m useful… right?’
After all, she was fated to slay the Demon King—that must be why Hans aided her. The realization left a sour taste in Scarlet’s mouth.
“Kraaah!”
The palace guards charged forward, eyes bloodshot, drool dripping from their mouths.
“Die!”
The holy knights stepped up to intercept them.
“Exorcism!”
A flash of golden light—
—Thud!
The guards collapsed.
Then… the air turned icy cold.
—“Found you at last… Daughter of God.”
A vile voice echoed from the sky.
Cecilia looked up at the darkened heavens and shouted bravely: “Who are you?!”
—“I am Roy de More. The scythe that reaps life.”
The holy knights froze at the deep, resonant voice—they knew exactly who spoke.
“So… you’ve truly returned?!”
—“Indeed. And as the prophecy foretold… I shall personally reap all life! Spirits of the dead—praise your God! Worship your God! I shall grant you immense power! You who suffer in despair and pain—show them your agony!”
At the King’s command, the spirits surged upward into the sky.
“Oh no… this is…”
Tens—perhaps millions
—of spirits gathered in midair, coalescing into a grotesque, colossal serpent.
A translucent, enormous snake— each scale etched with a screaming ghost, tears of blood streaming down their faces, radiating pure dread.
—“Kraaah!”
The serpent roared.
Its overwhelming size and form made everyone’s knees tremble.
“Good heavens… how can it be this huge…?”
Even dragons couldn’t reach such a scale. The serpent floated so high and stretched so long that its full form couldn’t be seen at once.
“Don’t fear! The holy God watches over us!”
Scarlet moved to Cecilia’s side, resolve hardening in her eyes—ready to shield the Saintess from any attack.
“Are you really okay?”
Cecilia gave a small nod, though her shoulders trembled. She clenched her jaw, hiding her fear.
“Don’t worry.”
—“Kraaah!”
—“O Serpent of the Apocalypse! Erase the Capital from this world!”
At the King’s command, the Serpent of the Apocalypse opened its maw and unleashed a torrent of souls—like a dragon’s breath, but far more terrifying.
—“O God…!”
—“Damn it!”
Scarlet lunged and wrapped her arms around Cecilia, terror in her eyes.
‘Even with the Saintess… at this scale, the Capital won’t survive.’
“Cecilia!” Scarlet cried desperately.
“Wait! Scarlet—trust me!”
Ignoring Scarlet’s protest, Cecilia stepped forward, raised both hands to the sky, and declared in a clear, unwavering voice: “By God’s will, chaos shall be sundered by light—’Genesis Luminah!’”
The most powerful holy spell in existence— said to be the very light God manifested at the dawn of creation.
A blinding radiance erupted from Cecilia, clashing violently with the serpent’s deathly breath.
—KWAANG!
Sacred light versus corrupt energy—
—Cough…
A trickle of blood ran from Cecilia’s lips.
“Ugh!”
“Are you alright, Cecilia?!”
—“Hoo… You’re stronger than I expected, filthy wench.”
The King’s voice rang out, calm despite the fierce struggle.
—“But how long can you last?”
Mocked, Cecilia bit her lip and glared at the serpent with venomous eyes.
‘If I fall here… it’s all over.’
This was the heart of the Empire—of humanity itself. The Emperor was here. The Adversary destined to destroy the God of Death was here.
So…
“I won’t give up!”
She strained with every ounce of strength.
“Saintess! We’ll lend you our divine power!”
“Divine Light!”
“Exorcism!”
“Hymn of Hope!”
Holy knights and priests rushed to her side, channeling their sacred energy—but
—“Heh heh… Your feeble strength won’t help the Saintess at all.”
True to the King’s words, sweat beaded on Cecilia’s brow.
In desperation, Scarlet hurled her dagger at the skyborne serpent— it struck a scale, but caused no real damage. Helplessness washed over her.
‘Damn it… Is there nothing I can do?’
If only Leah or Mia were here… Leah’s fire magic or Mia’s Spirit King could’ve turned the tide.
Feeling utterly powerless, Scarlet sank into despair.
‘Again… it’s happening again…’
“Aaagh!”
Cecilia screamed, teeth bared in agony.
—“It’s over.”
Just as the King declared, Cecilia’s radiant light began to fade.
“I can… still hold on!”
Though exhausted, her eyes burned with unwavering clarity.
But… Despite her words, the balance of power shattered— ‘Ah… this is the end.’
‘Once again… I’m helpless…’
***
After dealing with the previous Hero Party, I stepped outside—and froze in shock.
A colossal serpent loomed over the Capital.
“What… what is that?”
“R-really…”
Leah and Mia stood dumbfounded, staring at the sky.
But I had no time to gawk—I was just as stunned.
“What the hell?! Why is the Serpent of the Apocalypse here?!”
This was bad. I never expected it to appear this early.
That thing is a mid-boss in the game! For a monster of that tier to show up in the opening act…!
“Leah—Fly spell!”
“Yes!”
As she cast the spell, my body lifted into the air.
‘Please don’t let Cecilia be losing…’
The Serpent of the Apocalypse wasn’t meant for small parties—it required massive coordinated forces to defeat.
Thankfully, we’d arrived just in time. A moment later, and it would’ve been too late.
Just as I sighed in relief— The serpent unleashed its breath— and a golden pillar erupted from the ground.
‘That’s… Genesis Luminah!’
One of the most potent holy spells— grants massive buffs to allies and can stop liches or death knights dead in their tracks.
But against the Serpent of the Apocalypse? It’s inefficient.
That monster has a special trait: ‘Faces of the Tormented Dead’.
When struck with attacks above a certain threshold, the agonized human faces etched into its scales peacefully fade away—’taking the damage in place of the main body’, which loses no HP.
In other words, you must chip away with weak, repeated attacks to calm each face before the serpent can truly be killed.
In fact, even ‘Equality’ doesn’t work on it— the faces absorb the instant-kill effect and die instead.
Trying to obliterate it in one blast with Genesis Luminah is the wrong approach.
“Master! The golden light is fading!”
No time to waste. If this goes wrong, everyone dies.
I scanned the area, spotted a suitable spot, and pointed.
“Leah—put me on that orange roof!”
“There?!”
“Yes! Hurry!”
—Thud!
I landed, steadied myself, drew ‘Levi’s Dagger’, and shouted: “Prison of the Dead!”
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