Chapter 355

Chapter 355

"What do you mean you don't know about the Pope's side?" Ha-Yeon asked.

Thud.

Yeon moved the pieces without saying a word. The game had reached its climax, but there wasn’t a clear winner. At first glance, Ha-Yeon seemed to have the upper hand, but Yeon was not to be underestimated. The winner would only be known after the game ended.

"If what you are doing right now is a reform, then I will most likely die."

"..."

Thud.

Ha-Yeon moved a piece without responding. Then, she nodded. If the Cult Leader won the battle against the Pope and the Pope died, the occupation of the Holy See by the reformists would truly be a 'reform.' Then, Yeon, the Pope's closest aide, would probably die.

At that moment, Yeon suggested, "How about sparing me and using me for the duties of the Holy See? It seems like a better option in many ways."

Yeon did not make a move. The game came to a halt without a clear winner. Ha-Yeon lifted her head and stared intently at Yeon who had a faint smile on his lips. His expression did not reveal a hint of what he was thinking.

"Is this a negotiation? Or are you begging for your life?" Ha-Yeon asked.

Yeon smiled and said, "It's closer to negotiation. If it seems like I'm not needed, you can kill me."

"Go on. Why is this a negotiation?"

"If the Pope suddenly changes, some will naturally have reservations. Even if it's for reform, some may perceive it as a coup," Yeon said as he placed a piece down on the board. "Among Yu-Hyun’s supporters, some actually support me. Because I joined under Yu-Hyun, they eventually became his supporters too."

"So, keeping you alive means gaining the support of people supporting you. But that would only reduce the opposition to reform to some extent."

"Isn't it better than nothing?" Yeon said with a sly smile.

Ha-Yeon was lost in thought. However, there was no need to make a decision right away. It was still undecided whether this would be a reform or a rebellion.

Ha-Yeon moved another piece. “You speak as if you expect Yu-Hyun to lose."

Yeon also made another move. “I don’t expect Yu-Hyun to lose. I don't know, that child just can’t prepare himself for death. That's the kind of child he is."

"..."

"But the Cult Leader, based on his actions so far... seems to be prepared for death. So I don't know how this fight will end.”

The two continued to play chess. The game sometimes flowed in Ha-Yeon's favor—at other times, it shifted in Yeon's favor. The outcome of the match remained uncertain until the very end.

At that moment, someone entered the Pope's residence and said, "Priest Ha-Yeon!"

It was a member of the reformist faction. He was breathing very roughly. Ha-Yeon could roughly sense what he was about to say.

"The Holy War has ended."

The war had finally ended.

***

Boom―!!

***

The squad finally came face to face with their target, the leader of the Voodoo Cult. He stood before them. However, the squad did not draw their swords or take a fighting stance upon facing the Cult Leader. They simply stared blankly at the Cult Leader in front of them.

The Cult Leader's expression was haggard. He stood there, but his legs trembled as if he would collapse at any moment. Blood flowed out, not only from the wounds all over his body but also from his mouth, nose, and eyes.

"..."

It was very different from the image of the Cult Leader that the special forces unit had imagined. The appearance did not quite fit the name of 'devil' that had been given by the Holy See.

The Cult Leader was clearly dying. He looked like he could die at any moment even if the special forces unit didn’t use their swords or guns. The special forces unit was taken aback by the unexpected Cult Leader’s appearance.

At that moment, Sun-Woo muttered, "Bossou."

The gazes of the members of the special forces unit changed as they blankly stared at Sun-Woo. They knew what Sun-Woo's muttering meant.

Jin-Seo and Do-Jin tightened their grips on their swords. Su-Ryeon quickly climbed up a tree and aimed her gun at Sun-Woo. Simon also held his sword. He could not do much due to his injured right shoulder, but it was better than just standing still. Do-Jin's body shone brightly with the light of blessing. He crouched down, pounded the ground, and leaped forward. Then, he swung his sword toward Sun-Woo.

Whoosh!

The sword passed over Sun-Woo's head. Despite wielding the sword while being buffed by the power of a blessing, Sun-Woo easily dodged it by tilting his head.

Sun-Woo was still fast. Right after dodging Do-Jin's sword, he clenched his fist and punched Do-Jin’s stomach.

Thud!

"Ugh!"

Do-Jin let out a scream and doubled over in pain. However, that was it. Do-Jin had been hit in the stomach by the Cult Leader before during the Yuk Eun-Hyung mercenary corps suppression operation.

Back then, it felt like all the internal organs in his stomach area had burst, and he thought he was going to die. But the strike he just received wasn't nearly as severe. Although he momentarily lost strength in his legs and sank down, he quickly regained his footing.

He could endure the amount of pain he felt. Sun-Woo, now in a desperate state, struggled to properly wield the power of the Loa.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, and a bullet flew toward Sun-Woo.

"Ogun," Sun-Woo muttered.

The bullet stopped in front of him. He raised his finger and pointed at Su-Ryeon on the tree.

"So... bo."

Bang.

Lightning struck Su-Ryeon’s location. However, Su-Ryeon managed to easily avoid the lightning by moving to another tree. The lightning Sun-Woo had summoned was too thin. It was an insignificant bolt of lightning that was so weak and feeble that it didn’t split a tree properly.

Sun-Woo shed blood just by summoning such lightning. His nose bled, and tears of blood flowed. Every time he muttered the name of the Loa to use their power, Sun-Woo inched closer to death.

"..."

Jin-Seo silently watched Sun-Woo in that state. She could immediately slit Sun-Woo's throat if she swung her sword, but she did nothing and stared at him quietly.