Chapter 307: The Descent of Angels (IV)
"Don't panic! Take out the relics—now!" Olivia shouted.
If that hundred-year relic had changed… maybe—
Everyone reacted instantly, fumbling for their items.
The result, however, was mixed.
The good news: relics above ninety years began to emit faint holy light.
The bad news: anything below that threshold remained completely unusable.
Olivia clenched her teeth and quickly directed everyone to cluster around the high-grade relics.
At the same time, the two Scavengers advanced.
The silver-skinned creature split its mouth open.
A long, crimson tongue shot out—its tip shaped like a barbed feeding organ.
"Shhk—"
It pierced straight into a lagging deacon's neck.
The man froze.
Then, before everyone's eyes, his body began to wither.
Muscles. Organs.
Everything was sucked toward that writhing mouth.
"John!!"
Several survivors who knew him rushed forward.
"Don't go!" Olivia shouted—
Too late.
In the next instant—
Dozens—no, hundreds—of tiny holes opened across the creature's body.
From each one, fleshy tubes burst out.
Each tube ended in the same horrifying mouth.
"Shhk—shhk—"
Screams tore through the air.
The people who rushed in… never came back.
Olivia's face went pale.
She immediately used a relic to construct a weak isolation barrier.
At her side, Bettice leaned in and whispered:
"Did you notice? Some of those who died… had never been hooked before."
Olivia nodded grimly.
"And our relics—they're weaker than they should be."
A ninety-year relic shouldn't produce such a fragile barrier.
Something was interfering with the rules.
Before they could think further—
Another scream rose from the crowd.
The second Scavenger—the one carrying the lantern—had arrived.
It opened its mouth and sprayed a stream of yellow-brown fluid.
The stench of rot filled the air.
Where droplets hit the ground—
The grass instantly turned to ash.
But the worst came next.
When the liquid struck the barrier—
The formation collapsed instantly.
The protection shattered.
Chaos erupted.
The stench of decay.
Panicked cries.
Blood and torn flesh staining the ground.
In mere seconds, nearly ten people were wounded.
Hugh pressed himself against a tree, trembling, sweat pouring down his face.
Caroline frantically searched through her seals, trying to save the injured.
Heath Roger moved swiftly through the crowd, pulling people away from danger with surprising agility.
Bettice pointed toward the glowing relic nearby.
"I can feel it—it's powerful! We have to decide now!"
Olivia forced herself to stay calm.
Her mind raced.
What do I do…?
But the Scavengers gave no time to think.
The silver creature finished feeding.
Both monsters advanced again.
Just as Olivia was about to gamble everything on the hundred-year relic—
BOOM.
The ground shook violently.
Everyone—including the Scavengers—turned toward the source.
From above came an irritated voice:
"You said there wouldn't be much movement!"
A deeper voice replied lazily:
"Hmph. Just dust. If we used our full strength, we'd tear the ground apart."
"BANG!"
Several figures crashed down from the sky.
Olivia's eyes widened.
Standing there—
Gideon.
Beside him—
Jason Voorhees, rolling his shoulders.
And slightly behind—
Freddy Krueger, adjusting his hat, sniffing the air.
"If we'd landed right next to a Scavenger—or worse, into the Wings of Vengeance—your mistake could've killed us," Gideon said coldly.
"Don't forget—your mask is still in my hands."
"What's Wings of Vengeance?" Jason scoffed.
"As for Scavengers… slaves like that should just be killed."
Freddy tilted his head slightly.
"Hm… the restrictions here are much weaker than in other zones."
Then—
A muffled voice came from the ground.
"…C-can one of you help me up before continuing this discussion?"
Everyone blinked.
They looked down.
There, half-buried in the dirt—
Luen was struggling to crawl out.
The battlefield froze for a split second—
Right before everything was about to explode again.
All three of them looked down.
Their last companion was sprawled flat on the ground.
At that moment, Luen had Gideon sitting squarely on his back—while two "Scavengers" stood on either side of him.
Fortunately, Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger had only stepped on his clothes.
Otherwise, this illegitimate son of Miso Cathedral might have met God ahead of schedule.
"…Sorry." Gideon quickly stood up and pulled Luen to his feet.
"So this is where the final gate is?" he asked, scanning the area.
Then he froze.
A group of people in church attire stood ahead—some faces unmistakably familiar.
"You're here too?" Gideon said in surprise.
"Gideon!" Caroline waved excitedly.
Olivia and Bettice both let out long breaths of relief.
Hugh even wiped away tears as he peeked out from behind a tree.
Nearby, Heath Roger studied Gideon with curiosity.
"You're resting here? These are all survivors?" Gideon walked toward them.
Olivia suddenly pointed behind him.
The other survivors wore strange expressions.
Gideon turned—
—and saw the two Scavengers.
The monsters also froze.
Silence.
"…You couldn't have picked a worse place?" Gideon muttered, his mouth twitching.
Olivia nearly choked on frustration.
You think I wanted this?!
But she quickly explained everything.
"That's… interesting." Gideon raised a brow.
When he had launched out of the cellar earlier, he had already sensed something off.
Holy power… was returning.
Not fully—but partially.
Something was blocking it.
Even the system abilities had begun to recover.
"In that case…" Gideon patted Jason's shoulder.
"Time to work."
Jason had already locked onto the two intruders.
At the signal, he stepped forward.
Freddy followed, blades gleaming.
What happened next stunned everyone.
The silver beast and the lantern woman—
Were completely overwhelmed.
Within minutes, both Scavengers fled in panic, leaving behind severed limbs.
Jason remained unharmed.
Freddy's sweater, however, had a few torn holes.
Jason casually picked up a chunk of the silver creature's arm and tossed it into his mouth.
Crunch.
"These slaves… have been strengthened," he said.
"Hmph. Still weak."
Silence.
The survivors stared at the towering figure.
By appearance and strength, he was a Scavenger.
But—
No red glow.
No heartbeat aura.
And… he could speak.
So…
…he must be an ally?
Everyone tried very hard to convince themselves.
Freddy and Jason had already broken free from the evil spirit's control—that was why they lacked the usual traits.
Still, some recognized Freddy.
Panic spread instantly.
People backed away.
Only Heath Roger looked more intrigued.
Gideon stepped forward.
"No need to panic," he said calmly.
"These two have repented and devoted themselves to the Lord."
He gave the killers a light nudge.
"Say something."
Freddy coughed awkwardly and mumbled something incoherent.
Jason crossed his arms and turned away.
"…They've suffered a lot," Gideon continued smoothly, spinning a slightly embellished story about how they were enslaved by the evil spirit.
Somehow—
Everyone believed him.
The survivors looked at Gideon with admiration.
Anyone who could make monsters like these repent… must be a truly virtuous priest.
Soon, Olivia brought Gideon to the glowing cross.
Using his ability, Gideon examined it closely.
A small formation had been embedded inside.
And within it—
A chaotic cluster of strange spiritual particles.
Unstable. Corrupted.
Definitely not something safe.
Touching it would break the formation—
…and expose the user directly to that energy.
"Stay away from it," Gideon concluded.
Olivia visibly relaxed.
"Gideon!"
Luen suddenly shouted.
Gideon turned.
Luen's body lay on the ground—
But beside it hovered a translucent figure.
A soul.
Luen's soul.
"…Troublesome," Gideon muttered.
Then Luen's voice echoed again:
"My condition's back! I can hear the dead—there are so many voices!"
Jason had warned about this.
Luen's soul separation was a talent—but also a danger.
Previously, it had been suppressed.
Now—
The rules were weakening.
"So the evil spirit's control really is fading…" Gideon murmured.
He turned to Jason.
"Where's the gate?"
Jason pointed.
"…Getting there won't be easy."
"Oh?"
"There's a powerful force separating it from here," Jason said seriously.
"I can't break something on that scale."
Gideon smirked.
"Didn't expect you to be humble."
"I'm stating facts."
Freddy adjusted his hat.
"He's not lying."
Gideon frowned.
"Could it be the Wings of Vengeance?"
If even Jason couldn't break it…
They certainly couldn't brute-force it.
"But…" Jason added,
"There is another way."
Everyone looked at him.
He pointed at Luen's floating soul.
"Spirits are extremely sensitive to energy fluctuations. They can detect weak points."
"This kid attracts them."
"Use him as bait."
"If we find a weak spot… I might be able to break through locally."
Gideon's eyes lit up.
Not bad.
Luen, however, swallowed hard.
He wanted to refuse—
But under everyone's expectant gaze…
He didn't dare.
At the Barrier
Soon after, the group reached the edge of the crimson barrier.
Gideon led the way with Luen.
Bettice and the others followed at a distance.
Along the way, several Scavengers appeared—
But Jason and Freddy acted as bodyguards.
No real danger.
For the first time since entering the Holy War Zone—
They walked openly.
Without fear.
Luen hovered near the barrier.
Outside—
Dozens of spirits gathered.
They clawed at the barrier, trying to break in.
Each attempt was repelled.
"Gideon… this is safe, right?" Luen asked nervously.
Gideon glanced up at him.
"Isn't danger exactly what we want?"
"…Otherwise how do we get out?"
Luen's face collapsed.
He instantly regretted not leaving with his sister.
Then—
An idea struck him.
He grabbed his face—
—and began reshaping it.
Moments later—
His features shifted.
His appearance changed.
Suspiciously…
…he now looked a lot like Gideon.
Luen straightened his posture confidently.
Every time a new spirit appeared—
He waved proudly.
Showing off his "new face."
Jason watched silently.
Mocking.
Spirits didn't care about appearances.
They tracked souls.
Luen's disguise was meaningless.
But Jason didn't expose him.
It was… entertaining.
Ahead…
Suddenly—
A violent tremor shook the ground.
Gideon crouched instantly and signaled Luen forward to scout.
Moments later, Luen returned.
"Up ahead… several Scavengers… surrounding two church teams."
"They're like us… but in danger."
Gideon narrowed his eyes.
He signaled the others to stay back—
Then moved forward with Luen and Jason.
They peered through the grass.
What they saw—
Was hell.
Thick black mist churned.
Red light pulsed within it.
Heartbeats pounded like war drums.
Shadows moved—tall, monstrous.
Chainsaws roared.
Screams echoed.
A slow piano melody played.
It felt like a concert of killers.
At the center—
A fragile barrier flickered.
Inside—
Corpses piled on the ground.
Above—
A vortex devoured souls.
Among the survivors—
Only two still stood composed.
Rolcie of the Saddu family.
And Calvis of Saul family.
Both Sacred Family elites.
Then—
A Scavenger struck again.
"Crack—!"
The barrier shattered like glass.
The monsters stepped inside.
For the first time—
Even Calvis and Rolcie's expressions turned grave.
(KEEP SUPPORTING PLEASEEEE 🥺)
Want faster updates? Send those stones my way—the more, the merrier. Read early at [email protected]/A_divin5