With Pastor Morian's words, the people gained a sliver of courage.
They knelt before a half-finished statue inside the church.
The statue was incomplete, only the upper body carved while the lower part remained rough stone. Even so, it was clear that this was an image of Jason Kin, the Lord of Life.
The Church of Life was still a newly founded faith, hardly known and with few willing to follow. When its missionaries had first come to the town, no one paid attention. Only Morian, once a priest himself, chose to listen. Suffering from cancer and given little time to live, he decided to try, taking it as a last desperate hope.
At first he was only a shallow believer, not expecting much. But everything changed during a certain ritual. He personally witnessed the Lord of Life manifest and felt the holy light restore his body. Nourished by that divine power, he survived far longer than he should have.
From that day forward, Morian became a devout follower. He volunteered to serve as a missionary, spreading the teachings of the Lord of Life throughout the town. He even rushed to carve the statue himself, insisting on doing it with his own hands as a sign of devotion. People thought he had gone mad, until they saw him full of life again, no longer the dying man eaten away by cancer. Only then did curiosity stir among the townsfolk.
But curiosity did not become belief. None had truly followed him, at least not until this moment, when evil had driven them to desperation. Now, facing horrors they could not resist, they grasped at the Church of Life like a drowning man clutches at straw.
The statue was unfinished, yet that did not stop them from praying.
"Great Lord of Life, you grant us the hope of living!"
"You light our path forward!"
"You are the source of our lives!"
"You are our faith!"
"You are the supreme existence!"
"Great Lord of Life, shine your holy light upon us, save your humble followers!"
Their solemn prayers filled the entire church.
Just then, the tightly shut doors slammed open as if struck by some invisible force. A black gale swept inside, twisting into the shape of a long-haired figure.
"Damn it, fuck!"
"It's a demon, the demon is here, shoot, shoot!"
"Normal weapons don't work, run!"
"Didn't they say the Lord of Life would save us? Was it all a lie?"
Panic spread as men shouted and women screamed, but none of it mattered. The black figure let out a warped, mocking laugh. The evil wind spread, corroding the walls and floor. Malice thickened the air until it felt like the church itself was being swallowed.
The people froze, breath caught in their throats, their despair deepening as the demon advanced. This was the end. Death was certain.
Just as hope vanished, the half-finished statue before them burst forth with blinding divine light. The light struck the shadowy figure, which let out a piercing scream of agony. It trembled and shrank back, clearly terrified.
The sudden brilliance forced the people to shield their eyes, but their hearts leapt with joy.
"The Lord of Life has revealed Himself!"
"He really appeared, we are saved!"
Cheers filled the hall as tears of relief streamed down faces.
A steady voice rang out from within the radiance.
"Such evil and darkness. Any who dare defile the majesty of my Lord shall be judged!"
With those words, a beam of blazing white light shot down from above, striking the shadow.
"Ahhh!"
The figure screamed in torment and was hurled out of the church. Slowly, the divine glow faded, revealing that the mist had retreated. The decayed walls gleamed as though renewed.
"We… survived?"
"Did the Lord of Life really save us?"
The townsfolk looked at each other, stunned, then turned toward the statue with reverence.
Tap, tap, tap.
Footsteps echoed in the silence, sharp and clear. All eyes turned toward the entrance.
There, framed in the doorway, stood a man in a black robe embroidered with a tree-shaped sigil.
Pastor Morian gasped in delight. "Priest Vog, you are here! Thank the Lord!"
It was indeed Vog, the first priest of the Church of Life.
He nodded and said, "Our Lord heard your prayers days ago. He sent me to handle this matter. It seems I arrived just in time."
"Yes, perfectly in time. Without you we would have been devoured by that demon," Morian said, trembling with lingering fear.
"The demon is not yet destroyed. Stay here, do not leave," Vog instructed.
From outside came a chilling voice.
"Who dares ruin our feast? You seek death!"
Storm winds howled. Dark clouds rolled as a twisted figure of air took shape. From the abandoned town wells, torrents of water surged forth, forming into a soaked humanoid. The tainted earth itself rose up, shaping into a bald, hulking man.
In moments three demons stood on the street.
The people huddled together again, shivering.
"Three of them… no wonder three people died every day!"
"Those monsters!"
"Can the priest defeat them all?"
"Silence! The Lord of Life's might is infinite. The priest is His chosen vessel, he will destroy them!" Morian shouted with fervent faith.
Vog narrowed his eyes. "Wind demon, water demon, earth demon. So my Lord was right, hellspawn have grown restless once more."
"Hah, you know what we are and still dare oppose us? You are the one seeking death," the wind demon sneered.
"Tell us your origin. Do so and we will let you die quickly," the water demon said coldly.
Vog's expression hardened. "There is no need for words. For creatures such as you, there is only one fate, to be purified by the holy light of my Lord!"
He raised his hands, weaving a magic array. In an instant, a long whip of radiant white appeared.
Vog wielded white magic. Unlike the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj who drew from the Light Dimension, his power came from the Tree of Light that grew within Jason Kin's divine realm. Born of the Tree of Life, it carried both light and vitality, making it far stronger.
The whip cracked through the air, lashing at the wind demon.
The demon scoffed and raised a storm. A colossal tornado roared toward Vog, filled with shrieking wraiths that clawed and screamed. The church shook as if the gates of hell had opened.
"We only meant to devour three souls each day. But since you resist, we will bring the abyss here. All of you will die!"
"My God!"
"Are we finished?"
"So many ghosts!"
"Hold on, the Lord's messenger will save us!"
"Can he face so many alone?"
Fear and despair filled the hall as whispers like nails on glass clawed at their souls. People fell to their knees, clutching their ears in pain as the voices tried to drag their spirits into darkness.
Vog's eyes flashed cold.
"Holy Light Order, hear my command! Call down the light, guard this church, protect the faithful of my Lord!"
"By your will!"
It turned out Vog had not come alone. With him were fanatical believers, blessed by the Lord of Life. Their bodies had been strengthened, their strength beyond ordinary humans, each at the level of Tier 2.
Together, they formed the Holy Light Order, a blade of the Church of Life against evil.
As they obeyed, pillars of divine light fell upon the church, forming a barrier. Ghostly wraiths clawed at the walls but shrieked as the light burned them into black smoke.
"Pitiful shades dare to challenge the Lord's light? Foolishness!" Vog sneered.
The holy whip lashed out once more.
Crack!
It struck the wind demon's form, forcing a tortured scream from its twisted body.
"What is this? How can you strike me? Impossible!"
Hey guys! If you liked this chapter, please consider supporting with power stone, or join my Patreon for new chapters ahead of the webnovel.
Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations
Chapter Word Count: 1,332