Published at 27th of August 2026 11:37 am

Chapter 242: A Loss Of Faith

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Chapter 242: A Loss Of Faith

The Broodfather and the Cardinal stood next to each another, both completely dominating the field. Feeling the hot breath of the Twinback Serpents against his face, Chelk calmly closed his eyes and smiled.

"You must be Wohan Seo-jin. I was starting to—"

Mid-sentence, the Cardinal's eyes snapped wide, Light exploding from them. His aura detonated. A monstrous wave of the Light element erupted from his body, slamming into the Serpents and forcing them back with angry hisses.

Seo-jin was consumed.

Still smiling, Chelk slowly turned around, every movement carrying the same calm confidence.

Surrounded by the force of his own attack, he stood within the dome of Light as it completely sealed around him. Just as expected, Seo-jin was nowhere to be seen.

Confident his enemy had taken heavy damage, Chelk raised a hand to end the attack. The moment he did, Seo-jin's face pushed through the wall of Light. Flesh gone from his skull, leaving bone and charred muscle exposed beneath a smile stretching ear to ear.

"You were saying?"

"You—!"

Before the Cardinal could finish, something else punched through the wall of Light and pointed straight at him. A shotgun.

Lightning bucked from the weapon, striking the Cardinal point-blank and sending him flying. His Light attack collapsed as his body tore across the docks and crashed through the only warehouse still standing.

[+210 Damage Dealt]

Smoke curled from Seo-jin's body, carrying the stink of scorched flesh. His burns were severe, but they were already closing as Feed funneled through the broodlink.

[His resistance is extremely high. Be careful.]

Seo-jin didn't need the System to tell him that. A point-blank shot from his Thunderwake Dublets should have done far more damage.

As the last of the skin healed across his face, bloodlight began leaking from his body while system light devoured the shotgun, Tiamat and Bahamut roaring behind him.

"I know you're not hurt. Stop pretending, it's embarrassing."

The wood beneath Seo-jin's feet began to rumble. Spears of Light punched through the debris, followed a moment later by an explosion that flung the remains of the warehouse in every direction.

Chelk stood within the wreckage, perfectly fine and still smiling as he calmly faced Seo-jin.

"I'm impressed. Truth be told, I was starting to think you had either died or run away. Poor Gregor was starting to lose faith. Do you know how hard that was for me to watch?"

Tilting his head, Seo-jin studied the Cardinal's expression for a moment before laughing.

"I know we've just met, but I already like you. I can smell the blood on you. Lots of it—"

Taking a deep breath through his nose, Seo-jin sighed as the scent filled his lungs, pleasure spreading across his face.

"But the fear... you're dripping with it. Not your own, no. It must be from those you've killed. To get a scent that dense, oh, my dear Cardinal, you must be a very bad boy."

For the first time, the Cardinal's expression changed. The serene calm surrounding him broke apart as his Light flickered and popped, fractured prisms flashing through his aura.

"Impossible!"

As Butcher's Wrath crawled into Seo-jin's hands, his smile deepened as his eyes went completely red.

"Did you finally notice?"

"Black spawn of Hahn'mak! But you can't be! How did you come to possess a Shard?!"

"Spawn of Hahn'mak. Not sure if I like that."

Feigning offense, Seo-jin sent several commands through the broodlink.

Swiping his hand through the air, Chelk's eyes blazed as he snarled.

"I command you to speak, you disgusting beast!"

The smile on Seo-jin's face froze. Raising one blade toward the Cardinal, he let every ounce of his [Tyrant's Aura] pour into the Serpents. Tiamat and Bahamut opened their mouths—

[Maw Annihilation Beam // Activated]

"Careful. You're speaking to a King."

Two massive beams of bloodlight ripped from the Serpents throats and slammed into the Cardinal.

Chelk threw up his hands, forming a barrier that caught both attacks, but the force kept driving him back. His feet left the docks as the beams carried him into the city, his body demolishing everything in its path while he struggled against the attack.

"Cardinal, meet my children."

Chelk finally stopped when his body burst through the side of a dilapidated building and crashed into the broken street beyond. His bare feet carved through concrete before he threw both hands apart.

Light erupted from his palms as he tore the twin beams apart, bloodlight splitting around him and ripping into the surrounding buildings.

For half a second, everything went still.

Then the sky turned red.

Chelk looked up just as a massive fireball descended—

BOOOOMM!!!

Fire and debris exploded through the street, blowing out broken windows and throwing chunks of concrete through the air. Flames rolled between the buildings, but through the smoke, shapes still moved.

Pain's greatsword.

Chelk caught it one-handed.

The Cardinal's arm buckled slightly beneath the impact, broken pavement shifting under his feet as Pain leaned his full weight into the blade. Flames poured from the Broodspawn while the two strained against each other, steel grinding against Chelk's glowing palm.

Then Pain opened his mouth.

Chelk disappeared inside the flames, but Pain didn't let up. His jaws stayed open as flames poured across the street, washing over stone and rusted vehicles until metal began to glow.

Something shot past the broodspawn from the side—Panic.

The restraints wrapped around his body tore free from his back, stretching into long tendrils before plunging straight into the flames. They found Chelk immediately and wrapped around his arms, legs, and throat.

Panic pulled.

The restraints tightened until they sank into the Cardinal's skin. Golden blood leaked around them, hissing as it struck the burning street.

"You dare touch—!"

Panic was already in his face.

Within the flames, his scythe hooked across Chelk's chest while the dagger came from below, carving into his side. Chelk twisted away from the next strike, only for Panic to shift with him. Scythe. Dagger. Elbow. Fire. Another cut opened beneath Chelk's ribs before the Cardinal could get his hands up.

Panic didn't give him the chance.

The restraints snapped tight.

With a hard turn of his body, Panic ripped Chelk from the ground and flung him into the air.

The Cardinal barely had time to spread his arms before a shadow dropped over him.

Widow came down heel-first.

Her axe kick buried itself in Chelk's gut. The impact sent a visible shockwave through the area. Cracks spiderwebbed through the concrete below a split second before Chelk's body rocketed into it.

Firing a web toward the nearest building, Widow ripped herself sideways as something much larger was falling behind her.

Chelk blinked through the dust and debris, golden blood running from his mouth as an enormous shadow swallowed what little sunlight remained.

His eyes widened just in time to see Tomb's foot coming down.

It hit.

Shatterbay shook.

High above, Synapse had finally finished. His aura dimmed as he dropped into the seat, grabbed the bones jutting from the controls, and hauled one sideways. The massive catapult groaned as it swung into position, joints of meat and bone flexing while he made a few final adjustments.

Tomb retreated, his body shrinking as concrete shifted below. Chelk forced himself to his feet. His aura churned around him, Light snapping from his skin as the veins in his neck bulged.

"You will all be cleansed!"

His body began to glow. Raising both hands—

A massive ball of meat and bone crashed down on top of him.

The street buckled beneath the impact. Concrete burst outward in chunks, and Chelk's attack vanished beneath several tons of flesh.

From above, Synapse looked down at his work, gave a satisfied nod, then lifted one hand.

"Activate."

Bloodlight wisped from his fingers, and at the same time, dozens of bone spikes erupted from the ball of meat with wet cracks.

Pinned beneath it, Chelk struggled against the crushing weight. One spike had punched through his arm, another through his thigh, locking him against the broken street. Light gathered around his wounds as he tried to heal and force himself free, but a strange noise cut through his concentration. A low buzz at first, almost lost beneath the settling debris, until it deepened into a heavy chord that vibrated through his bones.

Unable to block it out, he felt the music work its way through his body. Every note rattled his flesh, disrupting the flow of Light through him until his energy began to stutter.

"Enough!"

Down the street, Hex hammered out chord after chord, soundwaves ripping from his guitar hard enough to shake dust from the surrounding buildings as he headbanged through the noise. Chelk tore one arm free and threw it upward. The music cut out as the spiked ball exploded, spraying chunks of meat and shattered bone across the street. Debris slammed into Hex, tearing open his side.

Chelk burst from the wreckage and charged him, only to catch a face full of sound as Hex opened his mouth and screamed.

The cone of noise struck Chelk square in the face.

His features buckled under the pressure as golden blood burst from his nose, mouth, and ears. The blast ripped him off his feet and launching him back.

Straight toward Bile.

Already in his tank form, blood streamed from beneath his mask and crawled down his arm, gathering around his katar. Chelk came at him like a cannonball. Bile planted his feet, muscles swelling across his shoulders and back, then drove his fist into the Cardinal's spine the instant he reached him.

The collision punched a shockwave through the street, followed by the sharp crack of something breaking. Bile's katar tore straight through Chelk's gut and burst from his stomach. Without stopping the strike, the Broodspawn followed through with his entire body and launched the Cardinal again.

His body skipped across the street like a stone over water, ricocheting off anything in his path as golden blood splattered across concrete, walls, and shattered glass. He finally lost momentum and tumbled across the pavement before coming to a limp stop.

It had been less than a minute since the Brood started, but in that time, Chelk's body had been torn, stabbed, ripped, burned, and crushed. Struggling back to his feet, he looked nothing like the Church leader from before. Not a speck of white remained on his robes, and even the gold trim hung from him in shredded strips.

Wavering on his feet as blood poured from his wounds, Chelk clenched his fists and began gathering Light—

"His blessings be upon you. Praise the Broodfather."

Spinning around, Chelk saw something that shocked him to his core. The demon standing before him wore robes of black trimmed in crimson and gold. In one hand, he held a book, while the other rested before him in prayer.

"Blasphemy!"

"Indeed."

Bloodlight burst from Sin as a halo of blood formed behind his head. At the same time, an upside-down cross of black wood tore from the ground, followed by thorned tendrils that lashed around the Cardinal and ripped him back against it.

Bound and bleeding, the angel was now held by Sin's dark faith. Chelk strained against the thorns, but beneath the pain, he could feel something familiar radiating from the black cross. Absolute devotion.

He tried to gather Light, but nothing answered. Whatever the cross was made from, it separated him from the Light completely, as though the element itself ceased to exist within its reach.

"What is this blasphemy?! You mock the divine! Lord Orashal shall not—"

"Your god is not here, but mine is."

Dropping to one knee, Sin closed his eyes and bowed his head.

Two low hisses filled Chelk's ears as hot breath crawled across the back of his neck.

"Children can be so hard to control sometimes. I told them to play nice. Now look at you."

Stepping around the cross, Seo-jin came to a stop in front of the Cardinal. He shook his head as a seat of muscle and bone formed behind him, then lowered himself onto it. The Twinback Serpents dripped acid from their mouths as they stared at the angel.

One by one, the Brood gathered around him. Fire, blood, and shadow filled the ruined street behind Seo-jin. Aside from Snare, Bug, and Law, nine Broodspawn glared at the Cardinal before dropping to one knee.

"What does the Church know about me?"

Chelk coughed, sending golden blood down his chin. Strapped to the cross, he could feel his strength draining away, and no matter how hard he reached for it, the Light refused to obey.

"Pathetic..."

Tilting his head, Seo-jin ignored the sudden killing intent rising behind him.

"This is the last time I'll ask. What does the Church know about—"

"So weak. I've never understood how humans have survived this long."

"Humans? What do they—?"

Chelk lifted his head until his eyes met Seo-jin's.

Something in that stare sent a cold shiver through the demon's body. Those weren't the eyes of someone who'd been defeated.

"I hate them, you know? Humans. They're weak. So impossibly weak. I've never understood why they were chosen. Every day spent in this form feels like an eternity to me. Do you know how that feels? To lower yourself to such an extent that even a demon like you could touch me? It's unforgivable."

Something scratched at the back of Seo-jin's mind as he rose from his seat. His expression remained calm, but every muscle in his body tightened, ready for whatever came next.

"You're wasting my time. Since you refuse to answer, I will force the answers from you."

He started forward—then his pulse spiked. Every instinct screamed at once as he threw himself back.

"Flee!"

It was too late.

"Release."

One word, and a beam of Light descended from the sky around the Cardinal.

Bile stepped forward, threw both arms wide as his aura unleashed.

The Light landed—

And Bile vanished inside it.

The impact hammered through the street. Heat and pressure tore across the Brood, cooking flesh as it ripped them from their feet and sent them flying.

Blinded, Seo-jin hit the ground hard and covered his face. His skin burned...he could hear the Serpents screaming.

None of it mattered.

He could only focus on the text he'd seen just before the Light took his sight.

[Broodspawn // Bile]

[Status // Deceased]

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