How the Cult Saves the World-Chapter 143

Terdius wiped the monster's blood off his sword, his eyes never leaving me.

As if he had something to say.

“I don’t have time to talk right now.”

But I had no intention of wasting precious time engaging with him in the middle of such a hectic situation.

“...Is something wrong? You don’t look so good.”

Terdius asked cautiously, sensing my unease. Then it felt he looked at me with concern, but I remained silent.

Just then, Zain and Troy arrived.

“Master, what’s the matter?”

“Church Leader, what’s going on?”

Instead of explaining, I climbed onto Troy, who had taken the form of a black panther.

“There’s no time. Let’s hurry back.”

Perhaps they noticed the tension in the air, because neither of them pressed for answers. Even Terdius didn’t try to stop me.

With that, Troy took off at full speed.

***

Zain, Troy, and Revelof moved swiftly, getting out of Segel. Their destination: the passage leading to Prell.

“Let me down, Troy.”

Not long after entering the passage, Revelof spoke, prompting Troy to halt. Without delay, Revelof opened his inventory.

‘This should be far enough inside to stay out of sight.’

He glanced back toward the end of the passageway in Segel before pulling out a portal he had reserved for emergencies. The decision to enter the passage—even though they were supposed to head straight to Katris where Helena was—had been solely for the portal.

Since only those blessed by Felcia could access the passage she had created.

And even from the passage’s exit, their current position would be completely hidden.

As Revelof set up the portal, Zain and Troy finally voiced their concerns.

“Master, what happened?”

“Church Leader, did something happen elsewhere?”

With a serious expression, Revelof answered.

“We’re going to Katris. One of the Demon God’s children has appeared there.”

“Katris? Isn’t Helena there?”

Revelof didn’t respond.

‘I trust Grandmother more than anyone…but…’

According to Sasha, the black centaur was Herpheus, the 15th Child of the Demon God.

‘Grandma should be able to handle it, but Sasha said she was struggling…’

The thought of Helena Holden—who had regained the strength of her prime—being overpowered concerned him and he couldn’t shake it off.

‘Even if there’s no telling what exactly happened…’

Without another word, Revelof stepped into the portal.

Immediately, the atmosphere shifted.

The tunnel’s earthy air vanished, replaced by a chilling, ominous presence.

“Church Leader!”

Sasha’s voice cut through. Glancing around, Revelof quickly took in his surroundings.

The portal was inside what seemed like an underground warehouse. Sasha stood nearby, sobbing.

“Sasha, where’s Grandmother?”

“She’s upstairs.”

“Take me to her.”

Without hesitation, Revelof followed Sasha. They passed through the warehouse, walked down a dark corridor, climbed the stairs, and passed through an iron gate.

Beyond it, Katris came into view.

Nestled within towering mountain ranges, most of the city’s buildings had crumbled to the ground.

In the distance, Helena Holden was locked in battle with a black centaur amidst the wreckage.

“Sh-she’s over there!”

“...!”

Revelof spotted Helena right away and figured out why she was struggling.

Blood dripped from her right shoulder. The black centaur wasn’t unscathed either—both its legs were bleeding.

‘…This isn’t good.’

Revelof bit his lip. The reason Helena Holden had been pushed back was simple—she was right-handed. With an injury to her right shoulder, she was now forced to wield her sword with her left.

“Madam Helena h-hurt h-her shoulder trying to protect me…”

So that’s what happened. Revelof quickly scanned the surroundings. No major threats. The only monsters nearby were low-rank ones—maggot-like creatures that Zain and Troy were already handling with ease.

“I’m sorry, Church Leader.”

The little child’s small shoulders trembled, as if about to break under guilt. Revelof knelt to Sasha’s level and placed a reassuring hand on the child’s shoulder, offering a warm smile.

“It’s okay, Sasha. I’m here.”

“Church Leader…”

With the child comforted, Revelof turned and sprinted toward Helena.

Clang!

Helena blocked the black centaur’s attack. Though unfamiliar with fighting left-handed and having a hard time, she was holding her ground.

‘She’s still a Sword Master after all…’

Revelof felt a sliver of relief. The situation wasn’t as dire as he had feared.

“Church Leader?!”

Helena’s gaze, which was focused on the battle this whole time, flicked toward him, startled to see him rushing forward at full speed.

Fwoosh-!

From a few meters away, a brilliant white light burst from Revelof.

The holy power enveloped Helena’s injured shoulder. Within moments, the bleeding stopped, and fresh flesh began to regenerate.

“This power…!”

The black centaur’s charge faltered. His eyes widened in disbelief. He had sacrificed both legs to disable his opponent, and now, in an instant, all his efforts were undone.

“…Oh dear. I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”

Helena smiled at her grandson. The power Revelof had used was the ‘Healing’ skill.

“Thank you, Church Leader.”

She rolled her newly healed shoulder, the pain now gone and switched her sword back to her right hand.

“Alright then—shall we begin again?”

Helena’s gaze softened elegantly.

“How dare you, a mere human!”

The black centaur lunged at her in fury.

Clang!

With a single strike, his black spear shattered in two.

Fwoosh!

In the next instant, a blade so fast it was nearly imperceptible sliced through him.

“Kuaaaah!!”

The centaur let out a final, anguished scream as his body was cleaved in two—then turned to dust. At the same time, the ominous crack in the sky above Katris began to disappear.

“Whew. That was tough.”

She sheathed her sword and turned to Revelof, ready to thank him. But something was wrong.

Her grandson was frozen in place, staring blankly into the air.

“Church Leader?”

Even as she called out, he didn’t respond.

Revelof was reading and rereading the message flashing before his eyes.

[Caution! The Captain of the Holy Knights, Helena Holden, has killed Herpheus, the 15th Child of the Demon God.]

[The Demon God has noticed your presence.]

He was shocked at the change in wording. This was the first time the system’s wording was put this way.

From ‘might notice’ to ‘notice’.

‘…So in the end, this is how it ended up happening.’

***

The sunset was fading away. The people of the city ended their day with the setting sun.

I, however, stared blankly at the fading light.

Hours had passed since I returned from Katris, but my mind was still reeling, unable to come to terms with what lay ahead.

The moment I stepped back into the Temple of Rovel, my quest had updated.

That meant one thing—the cracks in Elma, Katris, and Segel had all been sealed.

And yet, the next quest… 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

It shattered what little composure I had left and put me into a mental breakdown because the Demon God had noticed my presence.

[Sub-Quest: Large-Scale Rift Incident (3) — Holden Estate Defense Battle]

Description: The Demon God Shamir has now fully noticed your presence. Enraged by the repeated deaths of his children, he has turned his wrath toward Holden Estate—one of the main strongholds of the Kyros Church. (This quest is part of a linked quest.)

Objective: Ensure 80% of Holden Estate’s population survives for 24 hours. (Time until battle begins: 70 hours.)

Final Success Reward: ???

On failure: Main quest failed.

[Do you accept?]

[Yes / No]

A territory defense battle.

This quest had taken a completely different turn from the original. Originally, the objective was to close the three rifts in Elma, Katris, and Segel, followed by eliminating ten additional rifts that would open simultaneously across the Empire.

But now, the quest has changed.

‘I never imagined that the fifteenth Child of the Demon God, who had appeared as a variable in the hidden route, would trigger this situation.’

Not even in my worst nightmares.

“…Ha.”

For two hours, I sat there, stunned by the unexpected quest.

But I couldn’t afford to stay frozen in shock like an idiot.

‘I must stop the attack that begins in 70 hours—no matter what.’

Failure wouldn’t just mean the failure of the main quest. It would mean the loss of countless innocent lives.

‘...I can’t have that happen.’

The only silver lining was that this was the final chapter of the chain quest.

I wanted to rest after the battle I had just fought, but there was no time for that.

This defensive battle already seemed hopeless, and I had to give it everything I had.

-Child, are you okay?

As I was getting ready to leave the temple, and turned away from the temple window, Kyros’s voice rang in my head.

After I defeated Herpheus, Kyros seemed to instinctively understand what had happened.

‘Or maybe he naturally found out given the sheer scale of this quest, or maybe the administrators themselves intervened…’

When the quest updated, Kyros also knew the content of the quest.

Right now, he was just as tense as I was.

‘For now, we have to at least try what we can.’

-I don’t like this. Even the citizens inside the territory are at risk...

‘I’ll protect them.’

With that promise, I left the office.

At first, I considered gathering the senior members to inform them about the quest. But they had just returned from battle—I gave them some time to rest.

Besides, before anyone else, there was one person who needed to know about this first.

‘…Mother.’

Without hesitation, I decided to leave the temple quietly and head to Holden Mansion.

Instead of taking the front gate, where the believers gathered, I jumped over the wall at the back of the building. Once outside, I removed my glasses and made my way toward the stables.

-I’d evacuate everyone if we could.

As I walked, I glanced at the peaceful citizens of Rovel.

‘Once the attack begins, we’ll have to bring most of the territory’s people into the temple.’

-Yeah, that’s a good plan.

The moment the quest updated, a massive transparent dome like barrier appeared over Holden Estate.

It was a containment barrier, a cruel device set up by the Demon God to prevent anyone from escaping.

So far, only a handful of people had noticed it but…

To make things worse, the quest’s system restrictions had also sealed off portal travel.

‘Thank God all senior members who fought in the last battle had already come to Rovel.’

But with all escape routes cut off, survival depended entirely on our ability to hold out.

That was why I needed to see my mother.

‘...Even if it means revealing my true identity.’

To save everyone.