With the Heart Demon destroyed, the once-chaotic town finally returned to peace.
"Hooray, we are saved, we don't have to die!"
Inside the church, the townsfolk cried out in excitement. Cheers and chatter spread throughout the building and then echoed into the streets. The town once again felt alive with laughter and relief.
They had narrowly escaped death. Anyone who had experienced such terror would react the same way.
Pastor Morian looked at the scene with a grateful smile. After what happened today, his faith in the Lord of Life became even stronger.
Not only him, but everyone else, including little children, knelt before the statue of the Lord of Life and began to pray.
"Great Lord of Life, thank you for sending your divine power to save us in our time of danger. You are the god of our town, the one who gave us a second chance at life. From this moment on, you are our only faith. Our town will forever hold only your statue. May you accept the devotion of your humble followers!"
Led by the mayor, everyone bowed reverently before the unfinished statue and prayed.
"Pastor Morian, this time it is all thanks to you. If you hadn't insisted on building the statue of the Lord of Life, we would have all been dead!"
"Yes, Pastor Morian, I apologize for being rude to you before. We were blind and foolish."
"I apologize too!"
"So do I. We were blind to the truth. We will never doubt you again!"
The townsfolk bowed deeply, apologizing with sincerity.
Feeling their respect, Morian's heart was overwhelmed. He remembered how they had laughed at him when he insisted on building the statue. They had called him crazy. But now, everything had changed. He had become their savior.
The feeling was incredible. His faith in the Lord of Life was not wrong.
"You shouldn't thank me, but Priest Vog. If not for his courage in summoning the apostle of the Lord of Life, we would all be doomed."
"Yes, yes, we should thank Priest Vog!"
The people hurried out of the church, only to see Priest Vog standing with a summoned flying white horse at his side.
Bathed in the holy light of life, Vog, though a middle-aged man, now looked as young and handsome as an eighteen-year-old youth. With his noble white robe and a majestic flying steed, he appeared radiant.
The children looked at him with wide eyes, full of admiration.
Dressed in white, fighting against evil, defeating the undead, and saving everyone, Vog's deeds today were like something straight out of a movie. His charm and power outshone even the superheroes recently seen in the newspapers.
Both children and adults surrounded Vog, thanking him with genuine admiration.
"Thank you so much!"
"Priest, you saved my wife, my children, my whole family!"
"Brother Vog, you're so cool!"
"This flying horse is amazing! Is it a holy beast from heaven?"
"I want to touch it!"
"Mom, I want to be like Priest Vog when I grow up. I want to ride a flying horse too!"
The children rushed toward the majestic creature, touching its soft mane and staring with shining eyes. Vog smiled warmly. This must be the greatest blessing of serving the Lord of Life, he thought. To be loved and admired by so many was a wonderful feeling.
He patted the children's heads, his smile growing deeper, and his faith becoming even stronger.
"Brother Vog, how can we shine with the same light as you?"
"Yes, I want to be like you one day, so I can protect my parents too!"
Vog smiled gently and said, "Believe sincerely in the Lord of Life. Become a devout follower. Then you too can be like me."
"Yes, we will all become devout followers!"
Just then, Vog looked at the time. "Everything here is settled, it's time for us to go."
"Priest Vog, it's already late. Why don't you stay here for the night?"
"Yes, please, let us treat you well!"
"You must at least have a warm meal before leaving!"
Morian stepped forward. "Priest Vog, you fought for so long, you must be tired. Please rest in our town tonight and leave tomorrow."
"Uncle Vog, please stay! That man is still here, I'm scared!"
A little girl clung to Vog's leg, pointing at Johnny, who was lying unconscious nearby.
Vog blinked, then walked toward him. "Hey, wake up, you're not dead, right?"
He slapped Johnny's face a few times until he groaned and sat up.
Surrounded by the crowd, Johnny looked dazed, even a little startled. "What happened? Right, the Heart Demon!"
He jumped to his feet, and instantly, hellfire wrapped his body. In moments, he transformed back into the Ghost Rider.
The crowd screamed and backed away, as terrified as when the Heart Demon had appeared.
"Uncle Vog, there's still a demon left. Use your holy light to destroy him too!"
"Yes, purify this demon!"
The children looked at Vog with pleading eyes.
Vog chuckled. "You misunderstand. This flaming skull uncle is not an enemy. He fought by my side against the Heart Demon. He only fainted because of certain reasons."
"So weak that he fainted in the middle of battle?" one child muttered in disdain.
"..." Johnny.
Morian quickly added, "The priest is right. The flaming skull did help us. He is also a hero of our town."
Johnny, still burning with hellfire, felt speechless. If not for the fact that his skull couldn't roll its eyes, he would have rolled them to the sky.
He had come to help, only to be beaten down by the Heart Demon, and now these people dared to call him 'flaming skull uncle'?
His name was Ghost Rider, damn it. Not flaming skull uncle.
Seething, Johnny growled, "I have no interest in being your hero. Annoying brats. Get out of my sight!"
He mounted his flaming motorcycle, revved it up, and sped away like a streak of fire.
"Is flaming head uncle angry? What a grumpy guy!" one boy muttered.
"..." Ghost Rider.
Damn it.
Watching Johnny's dramatic exit, Vog laughed softly. Knowing his usual temper, he wasn't surprised.
Since eating the fruit of light, Vog had gained powerful magic that let him sense demons. He had been fighting them constantly, and Ghost Rider was no stranger to him.
As Johnny left, Vog decided not to linger either. He drew circles in the air, and a glowing white portal appeared.
"There are others who need our help. We must go."
He led the Holy Light Order into the portal, which slowly closed behind them.
The townsfolk were left standing in awe.
The children's admiration only grew stronger, and for the adults, their devotion to the Lord of Life became even deeper.
"Pastor Morian, tomorrow we will all help you finish the statue of the Lord of Life!"
"Yes, not just one, but many! We will fill the town with statues of the Lord of Life!"
"I will become a missionary and spread the greatness of the Lord of Life to every corner of the world!"
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: 1211