What is an Inquisitor?

Those who are rejected by the order. Those who broke the doctrine and ran. Those who threaten and seek to destroy the order.

Radatok called all of them heretics. There were many who became enemies of the order, and most of them fell under Radatok's sword.

He had seen many things. He had also seen comrades who had fallen, corrupted by the whispers of demons.

Radatok's hands were stained with blood.

Blood that could neither be washed away nor ignored. Blood that demanded he scourge himself with anguish.

But today, Radatok's hands were not stained with blood. Only the creatures' fluids smeared them.

Just dirty blood, devoid of weight or depth of sin.

Radatok cast aside his complicated past and memories. He swung his weapon toward the battlefield.

In his hand was a sword.

Holy power surged through his body.

Radatok was engulfed in flames. His past torments could not affect him, not today.

Ra was in front.

Radatok saw the god's unyielding flame. He reached out to her.

What his hand touched was a boy much younger than him—a small apostle capturing the battlefield with unwavering courage and faithful belief.

Radatok shouted. He couldn’t suppress his rising voice, setting aside his usual solemnity as he engaged in the 'Holy War.'

"For Ra!!"

His voice cracked. His body, reaching its limits, stumbled as if it might collapse at any moment.

But Radatok pressed on. He crushed the parasites underfoot and took a step forward, pulverizing each one that lunged at him, bathing in blood and flesh.

A stench enveloped him entirely, yet it didn’t bother him. Instead, Radatok was genuinely smiling.

When was the last time he engaged in battle so mindlessly?

It was good to have a clear purpose. Even when his body was at its limit and seemed about to give out, he could still move forward.

The god he trusted and relied on was right by his side.

‘Burn the last log and prove your faith.

Ra.

Watch over me.

I won't let your apostle fall before I do!’

The Snake Cult was a cold place. Isabella remembered the beginning.

The moment she was picked up by a nameless priest. But that start was far from salvation.

Rather, it was the beginning of hell.

The Snake Cult was always short on people, so they collected orphaned children with nowhere to go, forcibly making them followers. They branded them against their will and imposed the duties of a follower upon them.

These were far too harsh for a mere child to endure. Most of the day was spent starving, working, and suffering.

Isabella sometimes wondered.

What would have happened if she hadn't been talented?

Wouldn't she have ended up like the other children who died painfully?

Naga.

What could she be thinking to leave such a cult unchecked?

"...Ah."

However, Isabella set aside this question just for today. She skillfully maneuvered her sword to penetrate the thick carapace.

Fluids splattered. Her body was dirtied, but Isabella felt relieved.

A strange child stood beside her.

An envoy of the Sun God who did not oppose the Snake Cult.

He was moving forward. Shaken, but not stopping; hesitant, but firmly enduring.

At the edge of the blazing flames, there was an unfamiliar shadow intertwined. Everyone else missed it, but Isabella, who had honed shadow holy spells to the extreme, knew exactly what it was.

Naga.

Naga was standing behind him.

A surge of emotions welled up within Isabella. At first, it was doubt. But it quickly turned into joy.

Naga never answered Isabella's question. But when she finally reached her end, she responded through another, albeit belatedly.

It was salvation.

A ray of light bestowed upon one who had fallen into hell.

"For Nagaaaaaaaa!!!!"

Her god was helping her to live. Isabella witnessed this miracle and reached out to grasp it.

She supported the back of the boy who was about to collapse. She stood beside him and took a step together.

‘Do not fall.

I shall support that child, so he does not fall.

Even if it meant her own end, it was the greatest honor she could offer Naga!’

Damn it!

There's so many of them, really!

"Damn it all!"

I cleared away the loathsome parasites. Though my holy power regenerated quickly, my strength did not return, holding me back.

I needed to rest.

However, I missed several opportunities to take a break.

Holy war.

I chose the wrong word. As soon as I mentioned ‘holy war,’ the eyes of everyone—Snake Cult or Sun God Religion—went wild.

"For Ra!"

"For Naga!"

"For goodness' sake! Let's rest for a moment!"

But their frenzied eyes no longer heard my voice. Multiple times I tried to stop myself, but damn Radatok and Isabella kept pushing me forward.

"Brother! We shall never fall!"

"Don't worry, Jahad! If anyone falls before you, it will be me!"

"No, seriously! It's okay to fall!"

I had no choice but to charge forward relentlessly. As the parasites' blood drenched my throat, I somehow pushed onward.

The only saving grace was that the path was exactly as I remembered it.

Crushing the parasites underfoot and smashing through the writhing walls of intent, the first barrier appeared.

A pool of blood.

Within it, swarms of wriggling worms gathered, forming a mass like a collective. The assembly of giant hand-shaped worms...

"Get lost!"

There's no time to wait! If I wait, I'll be exhausted and dead!

"Explode!!!"

Crash!

I immediately shattered them. I unleashed holy fire and blew away the entire mass.

Sizzle!

I trampled through the acrid smell and moved forward swiftly. To hell with a mid-boss! Vulnerable to fire, where do you think you're showing off?

Having chosen to force my way through, I saw nothing else. I burned everything and trampled them all. I gritted my teeth as I watched my level and skill proficiency grow rapidly.

Never will I fight with the Inquisitors and the Snake Cult again!

“Multiple parasites ahead!”

Boom!

"On the right, a mutated exoskeleton!"

Boom!

"...Monstrous creature's leg..."

BOOOOOOM!!!!!!

As the barrage of holy fire exploded continuously, the Inquisitors cheered!

"As expected of Ra's Apostle!"

"Burn it all, Brother!"

"Shut up, all of you!"

My eyes were closing. No.

If I close my eyes, I'm really done for!

I grit my teeth and pressed on. Somehow, I conserved my strength, which had dwindled to nothing. There's truly so little left now.

Right in front of me.

I tore through the wall of flesh mercilessly. At first glance, it seemed just like any other flesh wall, but I broke through it.

Thump.

A loud heartbeat.

I stepped into a space entirely different from before; it was quiet.

From behind, I heard the sound of the parasites stopping. With a swift, rustling retreat, people began to question.

"Oh, is it the end?"

"Could the Demon of the Snow be dead?"

That couldn't be.

This is truly the final stage.

I took another step forward. However, the next moment, my vision plummeted.

Everything turned black for a moment. When I opened my eyes again, Isabella and Radatok were shielding me.

"Brother! Are you alright?!"

"Jahad? Are you okay?"

I'm not alright.

It's all because of you.

I stood up. There was no time to stand idly by. The retreat of the parasites signaled the start of the boss battle. If I hesitated, I'd lose the chance to prepare.

"Noona. Move the Snake Cult back."

"Why?"

“I received a revelation."

"A revelation?!"

Isabella's eyes widened, and Radatok urgently asked.

"What did She say?! Brother?!"

"She told us to subjugate that demon, but it's not going to be easy."

Radatok lifted his head and looked at the enormous pulsating mass.

"...Isn't it just a matter of dealing with what looks like a heart?"

"It's not that easy, which is why I got the revelation in the first place, right?"

I quickly commanded.

"The Inquisitors should take the vanguard. Got it? Push forward with sheer force, regardless of the enemy's numbers."

"Just destroying the heart is..."

"Impossible. As long as the guardian is present, you can't break it. Can't you see it’s covered in that strange black membrane? You can't kill the demon so easily."

I looked over at Isabella.

"Among the demons about to pour out, there are some particularly tough ones. The Snake Cult can handle those. Leave the rest to the Inquisitors."

"What do they look like?"

"You'll just know when you see them. They're freakishly big. They’re twice the size of the others, so you’ll recognize them at a glance."

The fleshy walls trembled violently. I lowered my voice.

"If you don't want to die, stay sharp. Everything up to now was just child's play."

A humming sound could be heard. The giant heart stopped beating.

The heart opened.

Above it, dozens of enormous eyes appeared all at once.

Eyes rolling wildly.

One of the eyes stared directly at me. Then, immediately, all the other eyes fixated on me as well.

The sound that had stopped began to resound once more. The once rhythmic sounds crumbled, replaced by an irregular pounding that filled the vast, bloody arena.

"Ah... Ahhh..."

At this bizarre sight, the followers of the Serpent God trembled in fear.

"It's a demon."

"A real demon."

"The Demon of the Snow!"

"We're going to die."

"We're all going to die."

"Oh God."

I let my sword hang down. I forced my eyes to stay open against the urge to close.

I must be getting old. Is it because I'm in a child's body in this new world? I feel so damn sleepy.

[The Demon of the Snow is summoning the guardian...]

[The ancient heart is filled with yearning.]

[An insatiable appetite threatens to swallow itself.]

[The Demon of the Snow, Vaigines, is fully awakened.]

"Rodatok, Isabella Noona, please take command."

"What will you do, Brother?"

"If I stay here, who will deal with what’s about to pop out?"

I raised my sword, directing my gaze at the writhing heart.

The eyes split apart. Countless fragments of flesh fell from the heart, twisting and reshaping amidst the irregular pulsing.

"...A demon."

A follower of the Serpent God murmured. But unfortunately, that isn't a demon.

Heart Worms. Yes, among all the parasites Vaigines possesses, these are the strongest.

Tearing.

Ripping.

One giant eye was torn apart. Amidst the falling pieces of flesh, a massive arm crawled out.

Six blood-soaked legs. Compared to the abnormally long legs, the body's stubby form creaked as it turned. It gleamed with slime and then stood upright.

Even among the countless pieces of flesh, something stood out.

Huge.

Too huge.

Overwhelmingly large, people could only stare up at it. They were too dazed by the gigantic red beast to pay attention to the other parasitic creatures falling around them.

The guardian of Vaigines.

The final boss of this hunt.

"...Grasshopper."

I spat on the ground.

"Bring it on!"

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