Chapter 304: The Descent of Angels (I)
Since early morning, this was already the third group to return from the Holy War Zone.
Parolin exchanged glances with several familiar cardinals. Each of them carried unmistakable shock in their eyes.
They had originally been discussing the aftermath of the Holy Site attack—but that topic had long been pushed aside. Now, all attention was fixed on the steady stream of new reports.
After the attack, the Pope had taken the matter extremely seriously, personally dispatching a special envoy from Vatican City.
Meanwhile, the major Holy Bloodline families had each sent their own representatives.
What followed was fierce debate—ostensibly about judgment, but in truth about power and interests.
Yet beneath all of that, there was one unavoidable reality:
Heretics had entered the Holy War Zone.
And inside that place lay sacred relics long treated as private property by the great families.
Now—
They could only watch, powerless.
After the entrance was destroyed, Parolin had tried everything:
Advanced divination rituals
Forbidden holy relics
High-level tracking methods
Nothing worked.
The entire space seemed sealed off by an unknown force.
With no way in, the cardinals had no choice but to place their hopes on those trapped inside.
But they all understood the truth:
Aside from a few Holy Bloodline elites
The rest were essentially expendable
And worse—
The faction known as "Wings of Vengeance" had clearly come prepared.
Compared to them, the Church's odds looked bleak.
That was why the news of survivors returning was so shocking.
"It must be Calvis," one plump cardinal said with a smile.
"Bishop Parolin, the Saul family has raised an exceptional heir."
Parolin waved a hand modestly.
"It's too early to draw conclusions. And besides, he is a servant of the Lord—this is only his duty."
Yet a faint smile flickered in his eyes.
Another cardinal with thin-rimmed glasses spoke up, holding a report.
"According to eyewitness accounts… a group of young people managed to control the Scavengers."
The room fell silent.
Even now, they fully understood how dangerous those creatures were.
"Did you… give him that item?" the plump cardinal asked, stunned.
Parolin shook his head immediately.
"You're overthinking it. The Holy Seal—while capable of suppressing evil through the Virgin's power—is not something even I have the authority to deploy."
"Otherwise, the Council of Cardinals would already be in uproar."
The bespectacled cardinal replied calmly:
"These are extraordinary times. If it can turn the situation around, such details are insignificant."
Parolin nodded.
"Indeed."
"The Holy War Zone is already changing. Even if we cannot enter, we must prepare everything outside."
"We cannot let those young people fight in vain."
Meanwhile — Inside the Holy War Zone
At a place known as the Crow's Nest…
Gideon handed a large bundle of recovered relics to Bettice. These were all gathered from the regions they had explored earlier.
"By now we've passed through more than a dozen areas, and every one had a different layout," he said, looking at the group. "My guess is that if we keep moving forward, we'll eventually reach the final gate."
A trace of hesitation flickered in Bettice's eyes. "Are you sure you don't want us to come along? That place is completely unknown—it could be extremely dangerous."
Not long ago, after collecting enough century-grade relics, Gideon had decided to split from Bettice and the others, taking only Luen and Freddy with him.
Part of the reason was simple—he wanted to uncover the secret hidden in Luen's mind.
As they ventured deeper into the Holy War Zone, the voice inside Luen's head had grown clearer and clearer. It was no longer vague—it was guiding them in a specific direction.
Gideon suspected that whoever—or whatever—was calling out might also be trapped here. And something capable of transmitting its voice across such distances was unlikely to be weak.
An enemy of his enemy might well become an ally.
Meanwhile, the "Wings of Vengeance" had yet to reveal themselves, and the evil spirit controlling this place had not appeared either. Gideon needed more leverage—more trump cards. He couldn't afford to place all his bets on Freddy alone.
That was why he chose to follow the voice.
Bettice, Caroline, and the others would continue forward through the buffer zones. With the relics and sigils they had gathered, they should be able to survive.
Besides, the deeper they went, the more abnormalities appeared.
For instance, the current area—the Crow's Nest—had no Scavengers at all. This had already happened twice before.
Gideon couldn't help but form a theory:
They had been reassigned.
Just like when they first encountered two Scavengers at once.
There were only two plausible explanations:
Either something posed a serious threat to the evil spirit, forcing it to redeploy its forces—
Or the number of Scavengers was limited.
Otherwise, there was no reason for the evil spirit to let survivors continue living.
Either way, Bettice and the others were now at much lower risk.
And there was another reason he didn't let them follow:
If he failed to return, at least the resources they had gathered would help others survive.
After giving a few final instructions, Gideon jumped into the cellar.
"May the Lord protect you…" Bettice murmured, watching him disappear, her gaze filled with worry.
---
In a dim corridor, three figures walked in silence.
On both sides of the walls, swirling mists appeared from time to time. Within them were glimpses of forests, indoor spaces, and even places that looked almost alien.
These were fragments of other regions—most of which Gideon had already visited.
"Are we there yet?" he asked, glancing at Luen, who walked ahead.
Luen clutched his head, his face pale with pain. "Not… not yet. A bit further…"
Gideon turned to Freddy. "Do you recognize this place?"
Freddy let out a low chuckle. "Before I met you, my memories were fragmented."
"But judging by my instincts… the place ahead is governed by stricter rules."
"Stricter?"
"Exactly what it sounds like." Freddy shrugged. "The restraints placed on us aren't the same. Take that flower-faced thing we saw earlier…"
"You mean the Demogorgon?" Gideon asked.
"Whatever you want to call it," Freddy snorted. "It has far more freedom than I do. It can move between regions at will, while I'm only released at specific times."
Gideon fell into thought.
Compared to the Demogorgon, Freddy's only real difference was his self-awareness. It seemed that, to the evil spirit, creatures with only instinct were easier to control.
Before long, the trio stopped.
Thick thorny vines suddenly grew ahead of them, blocking the path. Behind them, the corridor had faded into darkness.
It looked like a dead end.
But Luen pressed his head, whispering, "It's… it's just beyond here… it feels urgent…"
Gideon glanced at Freddy, who now looked unusually serious.
"Did you remember something?"
"…This place… is forbidden," Freddy muttered, clutching his head.
Gideon waited.
"That's all I know. The end of this passage… does not welcome Scavengers."
Gideon shrugged. "All the more reason to go in. Can you break through?"
Freddy smirked and raised his clawed glove.
In the next moment, the thorny barrier collapsed into mist, and the path opened.
"Let's move," Gideon said, patting Freddy's shoulder.
Though clearly annoyed, Freddy still took the lead—testing for traps.
After walking roughly two hundred meters, they finally reached the end.
Ahead stood a rusted iron fence. Beyond it was a small enclosure.
At its center swirled a dark vortex.
And standing before it—
was a man.
He was unnaturally tall, clad in filthy work clothes. His face was grotesquely scarred and uneven—far uglier than Freddy.
His limbs were bound by black energy, and a massive claw—similar to the ones on the hooks—pierced through his body, holding him in place.
"You… you're the one speaking in my head!" Luen pointed at him.
Gideon narrowed his eyes.
"Humans," the man spoke in a hoarse voice, "you've managed to control one of the slaves."
Freddy immediately raised his claws. "Watch your words. We're partners."
"No difference."
Clang!
Freddy's strike left a deep mark on the iron bars—but nothing more.
His expression darkened.
The man ignored him, focusing instead on Gideon.
"You're not afraid he'll kill you?"
"As I said," Gideon replied calmly, "we cooperate."
"But he doesn't seem to think so."
Gideon didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned and pulled Luen away.
"Let's go. Nothing worth our time here."
Luen hesitated, then nodded.
Freddy shot the man a glare before following.
"Wait!" the man suddenly called out.
Gideon didn't stop.
"Damn humans!" the man cursed, then shouted, "Don't you want to leave this place?"
Gideon finally paused.
"If all you have is nonsense, then there's no need to continue."
The man stared at him for a long moment.
Then said:
"The vortex behind me… contains the evil spirit's power—and control over this entire space."
Gideon's eyes sharpened.
That wording alone proved this wasn't an ordinary being.
"If you destroy it," the man continued, "this space will return to its rightful owner—and we will all return to the human world."
That was a massive claim.
But Gideon didn't bite immediately.
"Before that," he said, "you should introduce yourself."
"…Jason Voorhees."
Gideon's expression shifted slightly.
So it was him.
The undying killer of Friday the 13th—a monster who could resurrect from even a single fragment.
This wasn't just dangerous.
This was something else entirely.
Jason continued, "We share the same goal here."
Gideon smiled faintly. "Your words aren't very convincing."
"You're smart," Jason said. "Otherwise, he wouldn't follow you."
Freddy stepped forward again. "We cooperate."
Gideon raised a hand to stop him.
"Let's talk about the vortex," he said. "You mentioned a 'world will'?"
Jason nodded. "This place once belonged to it. But the evil spirit seized control, rewrote the rules, and turned it into a game of despair."
So that was it.
Everything here was deliberate.
"Destroy the vortex," Jason said again, "and everything returns to normal."
Gideon studied him. "And you?"
Jason sneered. "I refused to be a slave. So I was imprisoned instead."
Gideon glanced at Freddy. "Can you sense anything?"
Jason laughed coldly. "Slaves don't have that privilege."
Freddy's eyes darkened—but he said nothing.
"Then we're leaving," Gideon said.
"WAIT!" Jason roared.
"You don't want to leave?"
Gideon turned back, unimpressed.
"You expect me to believe that?" he said flatly. "Destroying that thing frees you. What's stopping you from killing us afterward?"
"And if an entity powerful enough to control this entire space really existed—why would it leave its core within your reach?"
Freddy laughed. "He's not easy to fool."
Jason clicked his tongue.
"…Fine. You're right."
"If you enter the vortex, it will release me."
Luen's face filled with anger.
Gideon remained calm.
"Of course," Jason added coldly, "you'd die. Which makes things safer."
Gideon chuckled. "You? Talking about safety?"
Jason's eyes gleamed. "I may not die easily—but being trapped here… I can't even enjoy tearing people apart."
"G-Gideon… maybe we should go…" Luen muttered.
"Enough threats," Gideon said. "Get to the point."
Jason lifted his head slowly.
"…Do you want to make a deal?"
(KEEP SUPPORTING THE STORY)
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