Chapter 179: Angelic Guidance

Chapter 179: Angelic Guidance

Demons.

To Francheska, who specialized in hunting such grotesque beings, they were an endlessly foreign concept.

They were not original inhabitants of this world like other species, nor were they twisted forms of existing creatures like the undead or monsters; they were merely a foreign race that tore through the dimensional cracks and invaded this world.

“Why on earth are you here...?”

Therefore, Francheska couldn’t immediately understand why the demon before her had intruded in this situation.

In this chaotic crucible created by humanity, beastmen, and vampires seeking salvation.

Where exactly did demons fit into this mess?

“Why are you, Yasmo Deus, one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings, here?”

“Ah~ Aren’t you being too formal from the first meeting? I’d like it if you called me Yasdeus~♡”

The only thing she could guess was that it had something to do with the ‘New Era’ organization she encountered while investigating the vampires that had infiltrated the imperial leadership.

But even taking that into account, it was still strange.

That organization was formed by individuals with their own objectives, yet they exterminated the True Ancestors, their supposed leaders, even before the new era unfolded.

“No, maybe it’s better if you keep that attitude. It’s more fun to tease a feisty little lady~”

“Shut up and just answer me!”

Slash! With a flick of her hand, Francheska lashed out with sharp threads.

Effortlessly, Yasmo turned her body into a spiritual form to dodge the attack and then began to strut around, showing off in front of Francheska.

“Demanding an answer while trying to tear me apart... The more I see you, the more I like you~”



“Mary only has eyes for the Demon King and never plays with me, so today promises a lot of fun in many ways.”

To Francheska, her antics were nothing short of revolting.

This vile character, who was likely behind all of this chaos, had the audacity to joke around when she was questioning her.

“Oh, angel. Angel...”

But Martina had long been enthralled by her.

At the sight of the demon, as though in awe, Martina fell to her knees, pressing her aged forehead to the ground.

“Messenger of Friga! Following your guidance, I distributed holy water to everyone in the sanctuary!”

And the following words were a prayer, driving a definitive nail into the fact that the abominable demon was behind all these events.

Francheska couldn’t overlook it and quickly turned her head towards Martina, dispelling her magic.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“Through the holy water, made from the bodies of those vile parasites, we have accepted fragments of God’s essence into ourselves, gaining strength. That strength has allowed us to convert even the beastly invaders of this land, finally uniting them with us as one!”

Beastly invaders.

Francheska could grasp the meaning of her words.

The monster she’d encountered before coming here, once a beastman, had hinted that a conflict had occurred between the sanctuary and their tribe.

“They were abandoned by God.”

Yet the Pope saw their massacre as salvation?

Martina, overcome with ecstasy, spread her arms wide before Yasmo.

“We reached out in salvation, even to those forsaken and reduced to beasts. The miracle I found under your guidance is truly awe-inspiring!”

Francheska trembled, not just from the sight of a madwoman, but from the familiarity of the power radiating from her heightened emotions.

“Yes, I alone was not enough for this task. Unlike the pitiful beasts who fell into savagery, even I, who used the wicked vision left by the witches for a righteous purpose, could only watch as they sucked the lifeblood from our young!”

The witches’ vision... Francheska had once fought to exterminate beings known as witches.

Every doll, save herself, had been rendered inoperable in that war, a bitter reminder of the witches’ horrendous power.

And though delayed by the demon’s presence, she finally noticed the same witch-like aura coming from the Pope before her.

“I had no choice but to endure... and endure...”

Through the witches’ research, which had survived their extermination, they had sought to progress into a “higher being.”

Unlike the beastmen who failed, the Pope before her had succeeded, wielding the witches’ powers while retaining her humanity.

“Those who shared the same will eventually turned into beasts, and although I alone gained the power and qualification to lead the Order... that alone wasn’t enough to unite the scattered humanity!”

But just an individual’s inherent power alone couldn’t unite humanity embroiled in conflict.

Despite her efforts to wield the witches’ vision, the leaders of humanity ultimately surrendered their fate to these foreign beings.

“The leaders I thought would be humanity’s pillars bowed powerlessly before these corrupted beings, forcing me to test even my faith in Friga!”

To those arrogant beings, the most valued nourishment was pure and clean blood.

Rather, she felt no need to emphasize it because she considered it obvious.

“This world was already broken beyond repair, even without anyone laying a hand on it. Among those living in such a world, who can claim to be free of sin or evil?”

“No. If people on this earth were free from beings like you...”

“Haha~ The believers would have remained pure to the end? So, what did humans in this world do when there were no demons like us?”

They quarreled and fought among themselves.

Yasmo, having waged countless wars across dimensions, knew well that it was the fate of intelligent beings who became the masters of the world.

“If demons hadn’t existed, if undead hadn’t risen, if vampires hadn’t preyed on them, everything would have been fine? Humans are rotten from the start.”

“Th-that’s...”

“Even now, look. I only tempted one old hag, but it was the choice of everyone on this land to fall for her incitement.”

It was sophistry. As if excusing someone’s misconduct by blaming the victim, she twisted the truth.

But Francheska couldn’t voice her disagreement.

Was it because she found her argument persuasive?

“Face it. Humans, demons, beasts, and those miserable heaps of flesh over there... All of them are but a small part of the confusion. No single one of them is solely to blame.”

No, rather, she was beginning to understand the nature of the “demon” before her.

Demons were beings who, by their very nature, were devoid of guilt.

And yet, they prided themselves on their understanding of what others called sin.

“In a world full of such beings, it’s no wonder everything is falling apart. Perhaps if there were someone as strong as the Demon King, things would be different...”

So they revered power.

Unable to feel guilt, they found the concept of sin annoying.

They revered an absolute force, immune to moral constraints.

“...Coincidentally, those guys aren’t even worthy adversaries for him. To avoid throwing cold water on the ‘New Era’ they sing about before it opens, it’s good to clean up for the Demon King and that child, isn’t it?”

Even if that revered figure could no longer fulfill their expectations, unless a being could surpass what they had achieved, the demon’s obsession would inevitably turn back to the past.

“Is that... your purpose?”

Yes, despite having abandoned the Four Heavenly Kings’ title, she remained bound to her nature, a race that worshiped power.

Everything she did was aimed at reviving the weary Demon King, and for that purpose, she would feel no guilt for any deed.

“For the Demon King’s army... for the Demon King, all this chaos...”

“I told you before, didn’t I? I’m just a part of it.”

Yasmo, the former Demon King’s loyal servant, simply smiled, unfazed, teaching her that cruel truth.

“I thought there might be a chance that the results might rouse the Demon King’s interest...”

As she spoke, her languid eyes shifted toward the writhing mass of vampires still engrossed in devouring one another...

And indifferently toward the severed head rolling forward.

“...Well, most of the time, it ends in such trivial results.”

No matter how many grotesque monsters with immortality emerged or how large they grew, it was impossible for them to spark her lord’s interest.

“Oh, angel, angel...!”

Despite her beheading, the Pope’s severed head continued to affirm her faith.

Even as it fell into the heap of flesh still regurgitating “holy water,” she took it as a divine sign.

“Yes, I see now—this is your guidance. If it’s your will, I shall follow...!”

With that, the mouth opened, sinking into the melted flesh, and all the greedy vampire mouths followed, surging toward it.

When the powerful body, successfully fused with the witches’ research, mixed with the blood of beings worthy of being called ‘gods’ from another realm.

“I shall become the vessel of god! I shall accept Friga’s essence and devour all the calamities upon this land, granting miracles to the poor lambs of this world!”

With a roar, the monster’s size grew even larger.

From the doll’s mouth, facing the gaping maw at the end, a small sense of despair began to seep out.

“Why on earth...?”



“Why... why is this world so cruel to me...? When all I wanted was to love...”

A believer who couldn’t even recognize her god and begged a demon for salvation.

What a pitiful tragedy indeed.