The Cult Leader in the Clergy Academy

There were gunshots, broken windows, and men in black who had charged into the museum out of nowhere. Before Jin-Seo could realize what was happening, her body moved first. It was the ‘emergency situation’ that Han Dae-Ho had mentioned.

Jin-Seo pulled Min-Seo and Dae-Man, who were still unaware of the situation, behind a pillar.

One of the glass shards that rained down sliced deeply into her arm, but now was not the time to worry about such things. Jin-Seo pressed her wound with her palm to stop the bleeding and peeked at the movements of the men in black from behind the pillar.

"..."

‘What should I do?’

Jin-Seo had a portable spear in her pocket. It was a non-lethal weapon used to subdue an opponent. However, the opponents were carrying guns. Jin-Seo touched the necklace that she had received from Han Dae-Ho. It would only be able to block a bullet once. If she rushed out while blindly trusting the necklace, she would be reduced to a sieve and die.

Above all, Jin-Seo had never used a spear before. When handling unfamiliar weapons, there would be flaws in her movements, and the opponent would not miss those momentary openings.

"...Is this for real?" Min-Seo asked out of the blue.

She had a bewildered expression on her face. The men in black were busy shouting while grabbing one of the staff members as a hostage. Thanks to that, it seemed like they did not hear Min-Seo.

After confirming that the men in black wouldn’t be able to hear her even if she spoke here, Jin-Seo said, "Well, do you think this is a training drill then?”

"..."

Min-Seo slowly nodded as if she finally understood the situation. She silently searched her pocket. What she held in her hand was the Burning Bush Twig that she had received from Han Dae-Ho.

The twig was emitting a faint light. A small but powerful voice echoed from the flickering light. It was Han Dae-Ho's voice.

—The location is the National Museum. An unidentified organization has occupied the museum. Their motive is unknown. Requesting immediate support. Please also inform the other units as well.

—For the students that are listening in, do not show resistance and surrender. Your safety is the top priority. If possible, tell me your current location. I will go there. Please relay this information to your fellow student council members.

Han Dae-Ho's voice was calm. Despite seeming to be extremely calm considering the situation, his voice trembled slightly at the end of each word. They could vaguely sense that even Han Dae-Ho was nervous.

Min-Seo brought her mouth close to the flickering light of the Burning Bush Twig.

"Min-Seo, Dae-Man, and Jin-Seo are located on the first floor. We are currently hiding behind a pillar here. The others are also on the first floor. "We are close enough to see each other with the naked eye," Min-Seo said quietly, trying not to be heard by the men in black.

However, her pronunciation was clear enough for Han Dae-Ho to hear.

Jin-Seo took out the portable spear from her pocket and began touching it as she observed the movements of the men in black.

At that moment, Dae-Man suddenly let out a noise.

"Ah."

Min-Seo and Jin-Seo simultaneously turned their heads and stared at him. Dae-Man was tearing at his hair and trembling. He was hunching his massive body and trembling while sweating profusely. Min-Seo raised an eyebrow.

"...Why is he like this?"

"I..."

Dae-Man continued to tremble as he said, "Will I never be able to overcome it?”

His eyes were filled with despair.

* * *

After entering the museum and seeing the men in black cocking their guns, Yu-Hyun said to Ha-Yeon and Su-Ryeon, "Kneel down, raise your hands, and stay still."

His voice, which was usually slightly higher, was now heavy and low.

"..."

Su-Ryeon swallowed nervously and calmly followed his instructions. Ha-Yeon’s lips trembled as she sat down. After seeing the men in black, a terrible yet familiar fear resurfaced inside her mind.

While kneeling, Ha-Yeon nervously searched her pockets with trembling hands. It appeared as if she was trying to take out the Burning Bush Twig from Han Dae-Ho.

Clutch.

“Hey.”

But Yu-Hyun grabbed her hand and stopped her from doing so. Before speaking, he observed the men in black. It appeared as if the men were involved in a bunch of drama after capturing a hostage, but they were in a position where they could immediately spot them if they turned their heads.

"...Not now."

Now was not the time to take out the Burning Bush Twig. Even without doing anything suspicious, Ha-Yeon and Yu-Hyun's appearance stood out. If a bunch of obviously suspicious individuals took out an suspicious item, the men in black’s target would shift from the employee to them instead.

Ha-Yeon looked at Yu-Hyun with eyes filled with terror, then, as if understanding what he meant, she nodded and obediently lifted her hands.

“...”

With his hands raised, Yu-Hyun looked at the men in black and fell into deep thought. He recalled the time when Sun-Woo kidnapped him. He remembered how Sun-Woo had turned off all the streetlights and lights in the city and still managed to use spells in the darkness.

It was just a hasty speculation, but it seemed as if Sun-Woo could manipulate electronic devices as he pleased.

If that was the case, maybe he also could neutralize the guns that the men in black were holding. Such a thought crossed his mind. The problem was that Sun-Woo was not here at the moment.

At that moment, Su-Ryeon softly whispered, "...Yu-Hyun."

Yu-Hyun nodded slightly.

"Speak."

"If we run away quickly right now, shouldn’t we be able to escape?"

"..."

Yu-Hyun lowered his head without answering. It was too dangerous to run away at the moment.

Ha-Yeon could unleash a massive amount of divine power, and he could manipulate that divine power to temporarily block the vision of the men in black. And then they could use that opportunity to escape. He had considered that possibility, but it was too dangerous. The men in black could get startled by the sudden light and start shooting indiscriminately.

For now, safety was the top priority. Yu-Hyun spoke confidently, as if he had a plan, to reassure Su-Ryeon and Ha-Yeon. "...I'll give you a signal later."

Su-Ryeon chewed on her lips and nodded. Yu-Hyun cautiously observed the men in black and looked for an opportunity.

Bang—!

Suddenly, lightning struck. With a crackling sound, all the lights in the museum went out. The sudden darkness left both the visitors and the men in black confused. The commotion grew louder.

With a click, someone loaded their gun.

Bang!

"Argaaah—!"

The sound of a gunshot rang out, followed by a scream. However, the scream originated from a man in black. Wind blew in from the broken windows and was accompanied by the loud sound of rain. Ha-Yeon and Su-Ryeon were still unaware of what was happening.

But Yu-Hyun understood the situation as it unfolded and who had manipulated it to happen this way.

It was Sun-Woo.

Sun-Woo was responsible for a lightning strike, heavy rain in an unexpected location, blowing wind, and the explosion of the gun held by the man in black. Besides him, no one else could do such a thing.

Indeed, it was best not to have that guy as an enemy. And if he was going to leave him as an ally, he needed to be completely subdued. If he could not subdue him, then it was better to...

"Now, run!" Yu-Hyun exclaimed to Su-Ryeon and Ha-Yeon, ridding his mind of his thoughts about Sun-Woo. If things turned out the way he expected, then Sun-Woo must have neutralized all the guns that the men in black had been holding.

If they wanted to escape, now was the chance. Thinking about Sun-Woo could be postponed for later.

"W-where should we run?!"

"Just hide anywhere for now! Use the Burning Bush Twig for communication!"

"Oh, okay!" Su-Ryeon shouted as she ran away.

Ha-Yeon, whom he had been worried about, also managed to escape on her own. Yu-Hyun hid behind a massive exhibit. Then, he unleashed divine power and drew a circle around his eyes.

He looked at the world through the circle. Even in the darkness, he could see the ‘flow’ that resided within people's bodies. With this, he intended to locate his other companions, the men in black, and Han Dae-Ho's whereabouts.

At that moment, he saw someone with a strange flow approaching someone else with a strange flow. One of the men in black was approaching Sun-Woo’s back with a dagger in hand.

"Hey, Sun—!"

Crack!

At that moment, a crack formed in the circle around his eyes. His warning cry toward Sun-Woo was cut off. The circle soon shattered into pieces.

"Ugh...!"

Tears of blood streamed out of his eyes. Yu-Hyun pressed his bloodshot eyes with the palm of his hand and gasped for breath. His heart pounded. He continued to breathe heavily, but his mind couldn't easily calm down.

It was just because of the pain that he felt like his eyeball had burst. The ones who had strange flows were either the men in black or Sun-Woo. However, there was also someone with a flow that could not be seen at all. No, it was a being that transcended Yu-Hyun’s perception.

"What...?"

He recalled the last scene he saw beyond the circle: the man in black chasing after Sun-Woo, and behind them, a massive snake with an unpredictable movement pattern chasing after them with its mouth wide open.

* * *

The men in black were startled by the sudden darkness and the malfunctioning of the firearms. After seeing their comrade’s wrist fly off after they hastily pulled the trigger, they were terrified. As a result, the rest of the men in black were not able to pull the trigger easily.

They held their guns and waited for the boss’s orders. At that moment, the boss put his gun back into his holster.

"───!!" the boss shouted.

It was an order to put away their guns temporarily and first to capture the hostage with their daggers. He also added that they had to especially capture the black-haired woman.

The men in black followed the boss's orders without any hesitation and put their guns back into their holsters. Instead, they drew their daggers and scattered.

Darkness was familiar to the men in black. They had trained every day on the methods of surviving and killing people in the darkness. Their black clothes would further conceal their appearance in the dark.

To them, darkness was rather cozy.

"..."

At that moment, one of the men in black felt movement behind them. The presence was coming from the stairs. Someone was fearlessly coming down from the second floor to the first floor.

The man in black quietly approached that direction. The oblivious opponent had no idea that the man in black was following him.

The man in black trailed his opponent without revealing his presence. He was just an arm’s reach behind him. He lifted his dagger.

[Shh.]

He was just about to thrust the dagger into the opponent's neck when he suddenly heard a woman's voice. The voice was sweet, like honey. A slimy and cold tongue licked the assassin's spine, making the assassin’s body stiffen.

He felt the gaze of a creature so strong and terrifying that its size couldn't be estimated. Cold sweat dripped from the assassin's forehead.

[Ah, you foolish and unfortunate child,] Damballa whispered into the assassin's ear.

The snake’s split tongue coiled around the assassin's neck.

[Of all choices, you happened to choose this kid.]

Crack.

The assassin's body fell weakly to the ground. There was no longer a head attached to their neck.

This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦