Chapter 450: Losing Ourselves in Desire (Request Subscription)

Pfft.

As Faos blade pierced the throat of the last heretic priest, the twilight light fell upon the church banner standing above Dawnvale Fortress.

The blood-red setting sun stained the golden banner with a streak of crimson, echoing the thick, sticky blood pooling on the ground.

“Ha… cough cough.”

Faos expression remained as cold as ever, but the exhaustion in his eyes revealed he had nearly reached his limit.

He should have immediately turned to support his comrades and eliminate the remaining servants of the dark god, but an odd, viscous sensation crept up his arm from the hilt, freezing him in place.

Turning back, he saw the dead heretic priest had somehow removed his mask, revealing a pale, bloodless face.

The dead priest was smiling.

That grotesque smile suited his current state, yet the mockery within it stirred fury in Faos heart.

What are you laughing at?

What’s so funny!!?

Shut up!

I told you to shut your mouth!

Stop smiling!!!

Creak.

He clenched his sword hilt, ready to plunge it into the corpse—but someone moved faster.

Thud!

Splat—

The berserker’s great hammer came down, crushing the corpse’s skull into a pulp, spraying red and white matter everywhere.

The fluid splattered onto Faos cheek, jolting him rigid.

！！？

What was I just about to do?

Desecrate the corpse of a heretic priest?

This…

“Disgusting bastard, waste of the dark god! Hmph!”

Faos was lost in confusion, but the berserker, seemingly unsatisfied with merely smashing the skull, cleared his throat and spat a thick glob of phlegm directly onto the corpse.

“Pfft! Hahaha!”

After spitting, the berserker suddenly burst into manic laughter, gasping for breath.

“Hahaha! Cough cough! Ha, ha…”

The two-meter-tall giant, worn down by days of battle, breathed heavily with exhaustion.

Yet despite his weary body, his spirit was wildly exhilarated.

The berserker, eyes bloodshot and wide, laughed at the dazed Faos: “Hey! What are you waiting for? Keep moving with us!”

“The enemy’s lair is right ahead! We’re almost there! We’re going to win!”

“Once we charge in, victory is ours!”

Huh?

Faos blinked, then quickly became excited, shaking his head firmly: “Huh? Oh… right! We’re about to win!”

Yes.

That’s it!

Not long ago, they had repelled another wave of assaults by the dark god’s cult—and even pressed forward, secretly tracking fleeing heretic followers to this very place.

A necropolis.

Typical filthy tactics of the dark god’s cult—classic hiding spots.

They dug up corpses from coffins, hollowed out the underground chambers, and turned them into their lairs.

Those filthy bastards excelled at such evil deeds.

And now was the time to purge this evil once and for all!

Evil must be purified!

Evil will be utterly cleansed!

When Faos resolved himself, the frenzied berserker had already vanished somewhere ahead.

「……」

The paladin paid it no mind, drew a breath, and pressed forward.

But as Faos stepped over the gore-strewn ground toward the necropolis, he saw Priest Laurence kneeling in a pool of blood.

The kind-hearted priest, always careful with his healing magic, was now relentlessly channeling holy light into the body of a knight whose intestines spilled out—completely unaware the man’s pupils had already dilated.

“Laurence, conserve your strength! One final battle awaits.”

Faos stepped forward and grabbed the priest’s wrist—but was shoved away.

Laurence’s nails scraped blood from Faos’s forearm as he growled: “Get out of my way! Don’t interfere! I can save everyone!”

Holy light flickered between the priest’s fingers; excessive healing even caused flesh to sprout from the knight’s wounds.

But it was useless—the knight was already dead. Healing alone was insufficient; resurrection magic was required…

Faos, unnerved by Laurence’s intensity, instinctively stepped back—only to feel something hard press against his lower back.

Turning, he saw acolyte Danny’s sword hilt pressed against his spine, Danny grinning at him with a chilling smile.

“Don’t block my way.”

The boy, who had vomited after killing his first enemy just three days ago, now grinned with meat fragments clinging to his lips: “You’re standing in my way to hunt that heretic.”

Following his gaze, Faos saw a limping heretic crawling painfully through the pile of corpses.

“Wait—he’s no longer combat-capable. We can take him prisoner.”

Faos blocked Danny’s weapon with his scabbard and said firmly: “According to Chapter Seven, Article Four of the Codex—”

Clang!

The metallic clash drowned out his words as Danny slammed his sword hilt into Faos’s scabbard.

The boy’s blood-smeared laughter sprayed onto Faos’s face: “You’re quoting the Codex? Now? Are you kidding me?”

“The Codex says the only correct way is to kill the enemy utterly!”

“Now move aside! Don’t block my path!”

Facing Danny’s furious glare, Faos hesitated, then silently stepped aside.

“Hah! Now you’re talking!”

Danny grinned triumphantly and strode forward without hesitation.

Then—

“Ahh!”

Thud.

He was struck from behind with Faos’s sword hilt, knocked unconscious, and collapsed face-first into the gore.

“You’ve misunderstood—I wasn’t asking your permission.”

Faos looked down at the fallen boy and shook his head: “Rest here. The rest of the battle is ours.”

Perhaps because danger loomed, his mood had grown irritable, his usual calmness fraying at the edges.

As he dragged Danny aside to rest, he heard raised voices.

“Brat! What are you arguing with me about? Huh?”

Faos paused, looking up to see Radley smashing his sword hilt into the head of a cowering young warrior—simply because the boy had whispered something to him.

Radley’s temples bulged with veins, his pupils edged with unnatural crimson: “Shut your mouth! The gods need warriors, not cowards! I’m not your babysitter!”

Radley and his nephew.

Faos didn’t know their history, but their usual interactions—though framed as uncle and nephew—felt more like father and son.

Whatever the boy said must have been truly offensive to provoke such rage.

“You’re stopping because you feel danger? What nonsense!”

Radley’s eyes bulged as he roared: “We’ve come this far—how could I possibly betray my lord’s expectations now!?”

No warrior doesn’t crave victory.

No believer doesn’t yearn for the gods’ gaze.

For these, they would fight to the death—even turn on each other.

But his words made Faos frown.

Huh?

Is that really worth losing your temper over?

Isn’t your nephew just worried about your safety?

“This…”

The metallic scent of blood grew cloying, making Faos’s vision blur.

“That’s absolutely unacceptable! No warrior should ever retreat!!?”

He nodded firmly, giving Radley an approving look, and prepared to move forward.

But the instant he stepped forward, his longsword trembled slightly in its scabbard—then settled again.

Click.

The sound of the blade sheathing cut sharply through the chaos of battle, causing Fa Ao’s expression to freeze.

Fa Ao instinctively gripped his sword hilt, then his face twisted in pain.

“Sss…”

Every time he had gripped the blade before, it felt like holding a warm hand—but now… it was like touching a red-hot iron, searing with sharp heat!

Hss—

He suddenly looked down and saw the drawn blade’s surface rippling with fine waves, as if repeatedly kneaded by an invisible hand.

“What… is this?”

Beside him, sudden cries of fratricide erupted.

“It was mine!”

“No, it was mine!”

Thud! Thud!

Two knights were punching each other with bare fists, their helmets fallen to reveal contorted faces.

They glared at each other as if facing mortal enemies.

“I killed him! The gods will see me! Only I!”

“No, it was me!”

The sun emblems on their armor had been twisted out of shape, their sharp edges carving deep, bone-exposing wounds into each other’s bodies.

“This… this…”

Thud-thud-thud!

Fa Ao’s temples throbbed violently; he felt his entire blood boiling.

He turned instinctively, glancing back at the banner behind him.

The blood-red banner still streamed proudly, standing firm atop the battlefield!

The banner had not fallen!

Everything was fine.

Yet barely a second after seeing the Church’s banner and feeling relief, Fa Ao snapped back to awareness, eyes wide.

“Wait… blood-red?”

Fa Ao strained his eyes, staring fixedly at the banner.

Why… was it this color?

Why!!?

A cold shiver crawled up Fa Ao’s nape, licking at his soul.

No.

No, no!

“It’s… wrong!!!”

Fa Ao’s spirit trembled, as if something inside him shattered; his once-hazy awareness finally cleared.

He was fully awake.

The scene before him shifted instantly—they still stood within the Dawn Valley Fortress.

And the moment was right after they had repelled the previous assault, before anyone could rest.

The others, however, all walked slowly with vacant eyes—toward the fortress’s exterior.

“Illusion!”

At that moment, the Holy Knight understood completely.

“It’s the Domain of Lust!”

Desire had descended silently, ensnaring everyone in a terrifying, dreamlike hallucination.

He looked up at the sky and saw that, somehow, a rainbow-hued halo now encircled the sun—but its edges bore scales like a serpent’s, dissolving into normal solar aureoles whenever his gaze focused.

A faint, cloying sweetness drifted on the wind, mingled with the stench of blood—like rotting flowers, sending chills down his spine.

No, not just that.

When Fa Ao looked up and fixed his gaze, he clenched his fists.

The blazing sun above… was not what it seemed.

That was not the sun!

That was—a crimson vertical pupil.

It gazed coldly down upon the mad and obsessed mortals below, its depths flickering with mockery and disdain.

!!!

The eye of the god… was Lust!

The God of Lust is watching us!!?

Has He descended?

As Fa Ao’s spirit trembled, the vast shadow in the sky finally fully took shape.

He revealed His current avatar.

It was a colossal six-winged serpent!

On its back grew three pairs of enormous wings—beautiful to behold… but upon closer inspection, each feather bore a faintly twisted serpent’s eye.

Its magnificent feathers shimmered with seductive radiance under the sun, each serpent eye reflecting the fiercest desires buried in every heart.

Glory, divine favor, the ecstasy of slaughter—all could be called desire.

Desire!

The God of Lust had influenced them all!

With no time to think further, Fa Ao knew what he must do.

“Everyone! Wake up!”

His hoarse roar pierced the battlefield; the Sword of Holy Light in his hand finally blazed with pure radiance.

He raised his sword high, trying to draw every eye upward.

“That is not our Lord’s gaze! It is Lust’s! It feeds on your desires!”

“Wake up! Look at what you’re doing!”

But his cries had no effect.

Those who glanced at him briefly soon sank back into their own illusions.

Some sank even deeper after gazing directly at the god.

Not everyone could resist the corrupting aura of the demon god.

Those like Fa Ao who awoke on their own were exceedingly rare.

Most simply slipped into madness silently, never sensing any corruption at all.

Fa Ao tried to stop them one by one, but there were too many—he couldn’t reach them all.

Worse still, a new wave of the demon god’s minions was already approaching!

“What should I do now, my Lord?”

In despair, Fa Ao prayed to the Sun God, hoping He would alert others to this situation.

At the same time, another thought surfaced in his mind.

“What now? Is there any other way… Lord Herbert?”

Fa Ao knew the great dragon—he was aware Herbert had arrived here too.

If Lord Herbert were here, he would surely know what to do!

Almost instinctively, Fa Ao ceased his prayer to the Sun God and silently called out to Herbert in his heart.

“Lord Herbert! Please save us—ah.”

Fa Ao snapped back to himself, feeling the futility of his desperate plea, and scoffed: “I’ve truly gone mad—how could Lord Herbert hear me…?”

But at that very moment.

As if answering his absurd, impossible prayer.

From afar, a clear, resonant horn sounded.

Woom—

The horn’s blast deafened the heavens and earth!

Accompanied by the horn’s jarring resonance, a streak of white light slashed across the sky, instantly cleaving through the atmospheric haze.

Swoosh—

In response to the helpless cry of mortals.

A pure white angel.

Descended.

(End of Chapter)