Became the Weapon Monopolist of the Gods-Chapter 95: Black Tower (3)
I was in a state of high tension.
─In the case of trauma, summoning cancellation is impossible.
I had tried summoning cancellation several times before coming to the temple, but the cancellation for Jeanne and Vanesha did not work.
‘Jeanne and Vanesha fell into trauma.’
I firmly believed that the two of them would overcome their trauma on their own.
However, I couldn’t help but worry when I thought about parts of their wounds being touched again. The one I was most worried about was Jeanne.
When it came to trauma, Jeanne probably had the deepest scars among all of us.
I feared that salt might be rubbed into the wound that was starting to heal.
That’s why I entered the Burning Demon’s Temple without hesitation.
If possible, I wanted to deal with the Demon first and put an end to the trauma for both of them.
‘I found it.’
The Demon was standing in the center of the temple hall, just as I had seen in my dreams.
“Demon.”
“!”
Surprised by my sudden appearance, the Demon’s red eyes widened as it saw me.
Whooosh─!
Without hesitation, I shot an arrow from Artemis’ bow towards the Demon.
The arrow pierced through the Demon’s chest before it could react.
But right after that, I couldn’t help but furrow my brow.
The Demon’s body, which had been pierced, scattered like smoke and then reformed back into its original shape.
‘Does it not have a physical form?’
It didn’t seem like that.
Even if it were a ghost without a physical form, it should still take damage from mana, but the Demon appeared unaffected.
‘An illusion?’
That was the only explanation I could come up with.
And as soon as I realized that, the Demon’s eyes glowed red as it looked at me.
It seemed like it was trying to invade my consciousness, its eyes flashing mischievously.
─The Blessing of Purity repels the Demon’s enchantment.
The Demon’s enchantment was blocked by the Blessing of Purity and vanished into nothingness.
The Demon’s eyes filled with shock.
“It’s useless. Your ability doesn’t work on me.”
I spoke calmly as I surveyed the temple’s interior.
I searched the ceiling, floor, and pillars, looking for where the Demon’s real body could be, but I found nothing.
If I could mark it with the Moonlight Seal, it would be easier, but the Moonlight Seal didn’t work on the Demon, whose affinity was with the Darkness element.
Of course, the Demon’s enchantment wouldn’t work on me either, so I thought I just needed to find its real body.
“Grrr...” “Ugh...”
Step, step. Clack, clack.
Through the temple’s flames, ‘hunters’ appeared.
However, they were those who couldn’t overcome their trauma and were being controlled by the Demon’s enchantment.
‘Hmm, I didn’t think of this.’
The enchantment doesn’t work on me, but it wasn’t the case for the other hunters.
They came at me, attacking with no clear will of their own.
Swords swung, and bullets flew.
Clang, clang─! Bang─!
Napoleon’s brooch activated, deflecting the hunters’ attacks.
But I wasn’t able to counterattack aggressively. I could only block or dodge.
It was awkward to do otherwise.
They weren’t monsters, just people controlled by the Demon.
Boom─!
I tried to knock them out with the Nemean Lion Gauntlet, charging mana into a punch aimed at one hunter’s abdomen, but the fallen hunter simply rose up like a zombie.
They didn’t even scream, as if their senses were numb.
['They' said.]
The Demon’s illusion spoke.
['Humans must all die.]
“Them?”
[The demons.]
“Did those demons make you into the Demon?”
[Yes, that's right.]
Although I knew the answer, I purposely spoke to the Demon to buy some time.
At first, I had planned to quickly find its real body and end it, but that became more difficult now.
It would have been easier to simply destroy the temple and force the Demon’s real body out, but the Demon was using the hunters it had enchanted as shields.
I needed to figure out how to draw out the Demon’s real body without causing harm to the hunters.
‘It would have been easier if Jeanne were here.’
If she were here, her holy power would have overwhelmed the entire temple, forcing the Demon to reveal itself.
That way, the enchanted hunters wouldn’t suffer any harm either.
But Jeanne wasn’t here now.
I believed Jeanne would overcome her trauma and show up, but I didn’t plan to just wait passively.
I had to do what I could.
I wondered how the Demon had taken this.
[Jeanne d'Arc will not come.]
The Demon said with certainty.
[She’s being shown a deep trauma.]
I was surprised that the Demon knew about Jeanne’s identity, but more than that, there was something else that caught my attention.
“Deep trauma?”
[Denial.]
─Liar Jeanne d'Arc! ─Cursed witch! You deceived us! ─Evil woman, you’re going to the guillotine!
Amid the roar of the crowd, a storm of harsh accusations poured down on a single girl.
Yet, even as stones flew and squashed tomatoes stained her hair red, Jeanne walked forward with unshaken composure.
─Evil witch! ─Heretic cursed one! ─Jeanne d'Arc, confess your sins!
Amid the curses ringing in her ears, Jeanne continued her walk silently.
She straightened her back and walked confidently through the crowd.
One step at a time, slow yet determined.
That dignified step couldn’t be halted by any interference.
As Jeanne entered the trial hall, Bishop Cambre asked with a trembling voice.
“...How can you do this?”
“What?”
“Don’t you hate them? They blame you and accuse you of being a witch.”
Jeanne’s calm violet eyes locked with the bishop's, or rather, the Demon in the form of the bishop.
“I hate them.”
“But why...”
“I like them as much as I hate them.”
“What?”
“They were the ones who loved me.”
Jeanne looked at the people who had been jeering at her with a longing gaze. They were the ones who once picked up swords for her, risked their lives with her, and knelt down to pray for her.
“I could never not love such people.”
“....”
“And now, there is someone I love even more.”
Jeanne smiled softly, as though she was recalling someone.
The Demon shouted in rage at her gentle smile.
“Liar! That’s impossible!”
The Demon shook its head in denial, a tremor at its lips.
“Then, then why am I...!”
Jeanne, who had been silently watching the confused Demon, quietly embraced it.
“Just because you hate them, doesn’t mean you don’t love them.”
“....”
In an instant, the world blurred like an impressionist painting, then collapsed.
─Ending trauma.
While blocking the hunters’ attacks and searching for the Demon’s real body, something suddenly happened.
The Demon, with a startled expression, looked at something.
“?”
Why was it acting like this? I looked at the direction where the Demon was staring in confusion.
Then, my eyes widened.
Through the flames, Jeanne was walking toward us.
[No, no!]
The Demon stepped back, frantically waving its hands.
In response, the enchanted hunters stepped in front of Jeanne, blocking her path.
Jeanne stopped and summoned the Banner of Protection.
Boom─
The Banner of Protection struck the ground, creating a sanctified area.
As the temple was enveloped in the sacred barrier, the Demon’s real body, which had been hidden, appeared.
It was hiding in the shadow of a distant pillar in the temple.
I aimed my bow at the Demon, ready to shoot, but then lowered it.
There was no need to.
[Aaah...]
The Demon kneeled.
As if it wanted to attain enlightenment on its own.
[Hah... Rodland.]
Remembering a name from a faded memory, the Demon smiled faintly before disappearing.
[The Demon Rebecca Nerska has been eliminated.]
With the Demon’s ascension, the flames surrounding the temple vanished.
“What’s going on?”
“Where are we?”
The enchanted hunters, who had been under control, began to regain their senses one by one.
Meanwhile, Jeanne stood, leaning on the Banner of Protection.
I was concerned about Jeanne’s state.
The Demon had said she ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ had come out of deep trauma.
“Jeanne, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Jeanne smiled brightly at me, easing my worries.
“I’ve already been saved.”
Somewhere in the Black Tower.
“Is that the saint?” 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
Through the shared vision with the Demon, a demon muttered after seeing the saint.
He was the one who had turned the Demon into an anomaly and was a mid-level member of the “Altar” that worshipped the 72 demons.
His goal was to disrupt the conquest of the Black Tower and cause a Gatebreak.
However, with the unexpected appearance of the saint, the Demon he had prepared was effortlessly defeated.
‘I need to leave.’
Now that the Demon had disappeared, there was no reason to stay in the Black Tower, so the demon decided to leave.
He needed to report the saint’s abilities to the Altar.
As he walked through the stone corridor toward the tower’s stairs, he encountered a red-haired woman coming from the opposite direction.
“I seem to have lost my way. Could you tell me where I am?”
Smiling sweetly, the woman asked, her golden eyes locking with the demon’s.
The demon’s black eyes wavered, and the demon’s magic surged as it delved into her ‘dream.’
Since the Demon’s powers originated from him, he could handle them freely.
As he peered into the woman’s dream, he realized who she was, and his expression stiffened.
“You... who are you?”
“Hmmm, did you figure it out? That’s unfortunate.”
Despite saying she was “unfortunate,” the woman smiled brightly as the demon stared at her with trembling eyes.
“How is a ghost from the past here...?”
“Well, how am I here? I’m curious sometimes, too.”
The demon hastily drew a gun from his coat to shoot, but his hand never made it halfway.
Boom─!
Looking down, the demon found a pair of scissors deeply embedded in his chest, the handles still visible.
Thud.
The demon, now a corpse, fell backward.
He couldn’t even report on the saint before dying.
