The female priestesses were beginning to falter.Lee Do-hyeon's sword deflected spears of light as he steadily pressed the enemy back, and Reina weaved through magical traps and whips, striking at their exposed flanks.
"Is this... the end?"Lee Do-hyeon paused to catch his breath, scanning his surroundings.
The priestesses' movements had slowed.They were gasping, gathering in a single place as if driven by some unseen force.
And then—
They began tearing off their robes and ornaments.
A strange ritual echoed from deep within the temple.Discarded garments and sacred jewelry fluttered to the ground, staining the floor.As if they were shedding their human skins, unraveling the very fabric of sanctity.
Lee Do-hyeon and Reina stiffened.
Reina lowered her blade and spoke quietly."This... isn't surrender."
Their bodies were engulfed in radiant light.But it was not divine.
Dark gleams shimmered across their skin,and their figures began to distort.
One woman's arm stretched out like wings.Another's back sprouted feathers—only to blacken and burn away.A priestess's mouth split open, releasing a cacophony of human speech and beastly howls.
Lee Do-hyeon and Reina understood instantly.
"Are they angels... or demons?"
"…No."
"They are both."
White feathers sprouted from their shoulders, while fiery horns emerged from their brows.One arm glowed with divine light, the other coiled with blood-red magic.Their eyes gleamed with two distinct colors—one pure gold, the other crimson as blood.
They were neither angels nor demons.They were beings where sanctity and corruption coexisted—A paradox in flesh.
"What... are they?"Do-hyeon took a step back, tightening his grip on his sword.
Reina stared at them."This place... It's no ordinary temple."
Then—Nieva stepped forward.She too was changing.Her eyes split into gold and crimson,and stigmata—both holy and tainted—surfaced across her body.
"This is the true blessing of the Goddess,"Nieva's voice echoed—two voices layered as one.
"A being beyond god and devil. We are the true sanctity."
She raised her hand.And in unison, the other priestesses cried out:
"Oh radiant corruption, guide us!"
The temple trembled as if about to collapse.
As divine aura and infernal magic fused together,they shed their human forms, transforming into something entirely new.
Lee Do-hyeon and Reina stood ready.They were no longer facing mere clergy.
They were confronting monstrous beings—creatures bearing both the glory of the heavens and the fury of hell.
And so, the battle began.
****
Chapter : The Goddess of Glorious Corruption
The fight against the transformed priestesses was brutal.Do-hyeon's blade cut through the shifting tides of holy and profane power,yet even as the enemies fell, they released bursts of light and cursed energy.
Those with angelic wings wielded swords of light.Those crowned with demon horns exhaled unholy flames.Everything merged—light and dark, order and chaos.
Yet Reina, Do-hyeon, and the bard Akhnan did not retreat.They fought back in their own ways, cutting down the corrupted guardians of this maddened temple one by one.
Then—Nieva moved.
Standing at the center of the crumbling sanctuary,her blood-smeared face twisted into a strange smile.
"So this is... the limit?"
Divine light and corrupted aura surged from her body.The remaining priestesses staggered in fear.
"Lady Nieva! We can still fight!"One of them cried out.
But Nieva turned to her.Her eyes were no longer human.
"It's enough,"she whispered.
A blinding light exploded from her body.
And then—
The priestesses before her screamedas their bodies began to disintegrate.
Their flesh melted into the radiance.Their sacred powers and infernal magic were absorbed into Nieva's body.She consumed them—claimed their strength as her own.
Lee Do-hyeon and Reina watched in horror and quickly shifted into battle stance.
"So you're finally showing your true form,"Reina muttered, gripping her sword.
Nieva's body began to change.Her form grew larger,her skin flushed with alternating patterns of light and shadow.
From her back burst two wings—one white as an angel's, the other blackened like a demon's.One arm glowed with gentle light,the other sharpened into a crimson talon.
And still—she grew.
Her skin began to peel away,revealing both the radiant image of a goddess and the grotesque horror of a blood-soaked demon.
She was half-saint, half-lord of the abyss.
"This is the true image of the Goddess!"Nieva roared.
But what stood before them was no deity—It was a monster that danced across the line between god and demon.
Lee Do-hyeon and Reina felt the weight of her presence,but their resolve only hardened.
"Fine. That just makes this fight worth it."Reina's eyes gleamed as she embraced the thrill of battle.
Do-hyeon drew in a breath and steadied his will."God or devil, if it's corrupted—I'll cut it down."
And then—
The towering half-angel, half-demon form of Nieva surged toward them.
The real battle had only just begun.
****
Chapter : The Blade That Cuts God and Demon
Nieva's power was overwhelming.She embodied both divine light and corrupted magic—a being no ordinary warrior or mage could hope to withstand.
White brilliance clashed with dark aura, distorting the very space around her.With each step she took, the temple floor cracked and trembled.Every pulse of her energy knocked down Reina's remaining followers.
Lee Do-hyeon paused to steady his breath.Too many allies had already fallen.He looked toward Reina.
She wasn't unscathed either.Even for someone standing at the pinnacle of Murim,Nieva was no easy opponent.
But Reina understood his unspoken message.
A joint attack.
Do-hyeon nodded.Fighting her alone was meaningless now.
Then—
Nieva unfurled her massive wings.God and demon merged into one,and a blinding beam of energy exploded from her form.
"This is the power that transcends gods and devils."
Light and darkness surged together,threatening to swallow everything in their path.
But—
Reina was ready.
Seven Sword Dance – Form of Defense
Her seven blades floated into the air,aligning in perfect formation before the blast could reach them.
A defensive art forged to resist divine and corrupted power alike.The swords overlapped, forming a shield.Reina controlled them with flawless precision—no room for error.
The beam struck the barrier of swords.Light and shadow shattered upon impact,Nieva's attack neutralized completely.
"Hmph."Nieva let out a low, displeased growl.
At that moment—
Lee Do-hyeon moved.
Aether Tracker + Flame and Thunder Sword Dance
His sword vanished into the air—then reappeared behind Nieva in a flash.A strike of fire and lightning barreled toward her back.
Nieva sensed it and countered immediately.A massive hand, wrapped in divine and corrupt power,swung to seize Do-hyeon.
But—
"You're too slow."
Reina's step technique and light-step (Gyeonggong)
Murim's highest-level movement skill ignited.Reina shot through the air, drawing Nieva's gaze away.In that moment, Do-hyeon's blade found its mark.
"Gghk…!"Nieva evaded the fatal blow,but a deep wound tore across her shoulder.
From the gash, both divine light and corrupted magic poured forth.They no longer coexisted in harmony.
Her body began to tremble.
Then—
Bard Akhnan shouted,"Now! Her body can't sustain the powers of both god and demon!The balance has broken—this is your chance!"
Lee Do-hyeon and Reina moved again.
Do-hyeon blocked her front, sword raised.Reina leapt into the air, preparing her final strike.
Nieva clenched her teeth."I was meant to become a god!"
But in the next breath—
Do-hyeon's blade pierced toward her heart.Reina's seven swords descended upon her neck.
Nieva raised her hand to resist,but her strength was already unraveling.
"This can't be… I… was divine…"
But her body dissolved—into radiant light and shrouding darkness.The power she had consumed now devoured her from within.
In the end—
She looked down at her own hand.It was no longer god's.Nor demon's.
It was merely… human.
And her body vanished into light.
Nieva, defeated.
The temple collapsed.Silence followed.
Lee Do-hyeon exhaled deeply and sheathed his sword.Reina lowered her guard, scanning the surroundings.
Bard Akhnan approached."It's over."
But Lee Do-hyeon and Reinashared the same thought.
Is it really over?
What remains after this battle?
And what… is a god?
Without an answer,they stepped forward once again.
***
Chapter : The Fall of the Temple, and a New Rebirth
With Nieva gone, the temple began to collapse.The space, once entangled in divine power and corrupted energy, lost its balance the moment she vanished.
Cracks split across the walls.Pillars toppled.The dome that had once covered the heavens shook and caved in.From deep underground, a new power began to surge upward.
But Reyna—the Heavenly Sword Demon—watched calmly.Even amid the crumbling ruins, she was not consumed by chaos.Instead, she saw the potential that remained.
This was no ordinary temple.It was a place where new power could be reborn.
She had already made up her mind.She would claim this place as a new sanctuary—Or perhaps, a stronghold to separate herself from her former followers.
In the past, she had led the Demonic Sect in Murim.Drawing from that experience, she could now establish a new base here in Elysium.
From this place, she would construct a new power.From here, she would forge a new order.
Reyna murmured quietly as she looked upon the shattered columns and cracked walls."There's no need to destroy it further."
Lee Do-hyeon sensed something in her expression."You're not saying… you intend to rebuild this place?"
She nodded slowly."Yes. The temple Nieva built was tainted, but...the structure, the flow of mana—it's all still useful."
This temple was not merely a place of worship.It held immense magical energy, making it an ideal stronghold.Within its depths, ancient wards still remained intact.
Bard Arknan crossed his arms and added,"Rebuilding it will take time, but using this as our base isn't a bad idea.A place where divine and corrupted energies intersect—it's more than a sanctuary."
Do-hyeon looked at Reyna.Her resolve was unshakable.She had once led the Demonic Sect in Murim.
And now—
Here, she was about to build a new sect.
"I walk my own path," Reyna declared."From here, I will seek a new way—a power unbound by gods or demons."
Some of her followers stirred at her words.But most responded with fervor.
"We will follow Lady Reyna!""This will be our new refuge!""We shall rebuild our order!"
Their zeal seemed enough to cover the ruins of the fallen temple.
Do-hyeon observed quietly.'She had many who followed her in Murim.It's the same here in Elysium…'
He approached and asked in a low voice,"Reyna… are you really building another Demonic Sect?"
She smiled faintly."Demonic Sect? Perhaps it will be seen that way."
But it would not be the same as before.This place would not be a religion.It would be a sanctuary for those seeking new power.She would not repeat the past.
Bard Arknan nodded."This temple was corrupted anyway.Now that we've taken control,its flow will change."
Reyna gave a satisfied smile.
She drew her sword and planted it in the heart of the ruined temple.
At that moment, a powerful wave radiated outward.The collapsing structure began to stabilize.The energy of the temple started to gather around her.
Do-hyeon watched and said softly,"…So like you."
Reyna withdrew her sword and replied,"I walk my own path.And from this place, I will find a new one."
Now, the temple was being reborn.