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Chapter 334

Joseph was the one who had revealed the Pope’s death. The Holy See and some prelates had delicately concealed the news of the Pope\'s demise, but Joseph and the director of the Central Priesthood made it known to the world.

Joseph suspected that was the reason why he had been expelled. He lost all his honor and power unjustly, but he accepted it because he no longer had any more strength to resist.

"..."

He looked back. What did he have left? He had no family. His wife had died a long time ago, and his daughter had run away from home and never returned. He was no longer an inquisitor nor a paladin—he wasn’t even a Romanican clergyman. The many titles that defined him were now gone. He had no idea his titles would disappear so easily.

Joseph looked up. The sky was clear and quiet. His eyes hurt, and he had a headache, so he couldn\'t keep looking up for long.

He had nowhere to go back to, so he wandered, using train stations and empty parks as shelter for a few days. He had some money saved up, but settling in one place was too painful for him to do.

The days weren’t worth remembering. Joseph didn’t remember or feel anything each day. The passage of time was the same. He spent an unknown amount of time, perhaps days, months, or years wandering aimlessly.

That was when he came.

"Inquisitor Joseph."

He had clearly said, ‘Inquisitor Joseph,’ which left Joseph puzzled. He had cut off all contact with people who knew his name and affiliation. No one would have come to look for him. Joseph raised his head and saw a very familiar face.

"Sun-Woo."

Joseph stood up from where he was lying. The man labeled as the world’s worst criminal, the Voodoo Cult leader, was standing right in front of him.

"Long time no see. You\'ve changed a lot since I last saw you."

"I’ve changed?" Joseph muttered.

Joseph’s hair had grown long, his beard was thick, and there were several deep wrinkles on his face, but nothing significant had changed. He was still the same as always. The names that once defined him had simply disappeared, and now his affiliation was unclear.

Joseph had clearly changed, but he couldn\'t understand why. He couldn\'t even guess why he had become like this.

"You are... the same. Then and now, always..."

"Shall we go somewhere to talk?" Sun-Woo asked.

He took Joseph to a restaurant. It was a dimly lit place with no people and no signboards. Even the staff working there fit in with the restaurant’s eerie atmosphere.

Joseph looked around. It was a bit gloomy to call it an ordinary restaurant, but in any case, how long had it been since he had entered a proper restaurant? It must have at least been a few years. However, Joseph suddenly felt puzzled.

“You seem to be moving around without any problems. Aren’t you in a situation where you shouldn’t attract people’s attention?” Joseph asked.

"What people are looking for is the leader of the Voodoo Cult, not me."

"Still, someone might recognize you if you wander around like that so confidently. For example, the restaurant staff might recognize you."

"It\'s safe here. The restaurant owner is also a member of the Voodoo Cult," Sun-Woo said.

Joseph finally understood. He realized that there might be more Voodoo Cult members integrated into society than he initially thought. After all, the restaurant they were in was also affiliated with the Voodoo Cult.

They didn\'t order any food because they both believed there was no need to order food.

Joseph looked at Sun-Woo. Whether it was back in the past or now, when he was a freshman at Florence Academy or the leader of the Voodoo Cult, he was the same as always. He just seemed a little more free now.

"Are you here to kill me?" Joseph asked.

Sun-Woo chuckled. "What would change if I did that?"

"That\'s true." Joseph nodded.

He immediately understood Sun-Woo. Joseph had figured out that Sun-Woo was the leader of the Voodoo Cult long before most other clergymen did. However, during an in-depth investigation, he received a suspension notice.

At that time, Joseph could have taken matters into his own hands and killed Sun-Woo or sabotaged him somehow. But Joseph did not do so because nothing would have changed.

"Then why did you come to see me?" Joseph asked.

Sun-Woo remained silent for a moment before he said, "I came to offer you a position."

"Are you telling me to join the Voodoo Cult?"

"I have no intention of forcing you to convert to Voodooism. It\'s simply an offer."

"Well, yeah. No matter how miserable my situation may be, beliefs aren\'t something that can easily be changed."

"The more miserable the situation, the more so. What will be left if you abandon your beliefs?"

Joseph chuckled at Sun-Woo\'s words. "Indeed... However, even if you recruited me, where would you place me? How exactly are you going to use a miserable old man like me?"

"I suppose I’ll use you as a combatant. The Voodoo Cult lacks combatants. The situation is so dire that if a war breaks out, I will have to take the lead."

"Are you thinking about starting a war?"

"If necessary," Sun-Woo said.

Joseph nodded and then glared at Sun-Woo. "If I refuse, what will happen to me?"

"Wouldn\'t it be better to ask what would happen if you accept the offer first?”

"I suppose so. If I accept, what benefits will I gain?"

"I will find your daughter for you," Sun-Woo said.

Joseph thought he misheard at first. Find his daughter? How would Sun-Woo find her? Wait, did he ever tell Sun-Woo that he had a daughter in the first place? Joseph felt confused for the first time in a while. On the other hand, Sun-Woo seemed to have anticipated this kind of reaction, as he had a calm expression.

"Actually, I have already found her."

"Where is my daughter? Can\'t you just tell me that?"

"She seems to be working in a shoddy mercenary corps, doing menial tasks. It seems like she incurred debts over there due to drugs.”

"..."

"The relationship between that mercenary corps and the Ravens Mercenary Corps was poor. I was planning to eliminate that mercenary corps when I unexpectedly found your daughter.”

"Why are you suddenly talking about the Ravens Mercenary Corps?"

"The Ravens Mercenary Corps is also affiliated with the Voodoo Cult. It\'s not a publicly known fact though.”

Joseph remained silent. Where exactly did the Voodoo Cult’s influence extend to? Perhaps the Voodoo Cult, which had once been derogatorily referred to as the \'third religion\' due to its perceived weakness compared to the Satanists, the Voodoo Cult had been steadily expanding its influence over the years. Their reach was larger than what Joseph had imagined.

"Just one question. What exactly are you trying to do?"

Sun-Woo remained silent for a moment. He seemed to be contemplating something.

Soon, he told Joseph what he was doing. Sun-Woo\'s eyes lit up when he spoke about what he would do in the future, what he lived for, what he fought for, and what the Voodoo Cult existed for.

Sun-Woo’s eyes burned with vibrant vitality when he spoke about those things. His vitality, or in other words, their vitality, came from the absence of vitality. The desire to fulfill the lack of vitality was the driving force behind the Voodoo Cult.

"It\'s a fight with no chance of winning," Joseph said with a wry smile.

Sun-Woo\'s plans were futile, dangerous, and reckless. It was truly a fight with no chance of success.

But that was why Joseph was drawn to it. "I really like that kind of fight."

Joseph reached out his hand to Sun-Woo, and he took it.

Joseph was in the cathedral, facing Han Dae-Ho.

Han Dae-Ho stared at Joseph and said, "I can guess what happened, but can\'t you still change your mind?"

"That\'s difficult."

Han Dae-Ho nodded. "I see."

Joseph whirled the club he was holding in the air. Han Dae-Ho clenched his fist tightly.

“I had always wanted to face off against Inquisitor Joseph in a battle."

"Then today seems to be an opportunity."

The two men charged at each other.

Clang!

Joseph\'s club clashed with Han Dae-Ho\'s fist, crushing the bones. The impact made blood gush out while also denting Joseph\'s club.

Joseph quickly picked up another club from the ground and swung it. Despite the club mangling his fist, and despite the fact that it was the only fist he had, Han Dae-Ho did not flinch.

The nearby paladins could not intervene in the fight. It was no longer a confrontation between mere humans as the two did not evade each other\'s attacks. They would either block or get hit.

Han Dae-Ho\'s massive fist embedded itself in Joseph\'s face, breaking Joseph\'s tooth. Joseph\'s club struck Han Dae-Ho\'s head, causing Han Dae-Ho\'s eyes to briefly lose focus.

Thwack!

Han Dae-Ho\'s fist struck Joseph\'s eyes. Joseph could no longer see ahead. In a reckless but brave melee fight, Joseph neither avoided nor fled. Even during the chaotic fight, Joseph did not forget his role.

"Aaaah!" Joseph roared.

Finally, he exerted all his strength. Although he could not see anything, Joseph wildly swung his club with both hands.

The anti-Voodoo masks of the paladins approaching Joseph began to shatter one by one.

His role was to break the paladins\' anti-Voodoo masks and neutralize Han Dae-Ho. It was to buy time and fight to his death so that the Voodoo spell would be able to spread throughout the cathedral.

Puff...

As Joseph and Han Dae-Ho continued their battle, the cathedral began to fill with purple mist. The paladins who came into contact with the mist lost consciousness and collapsed on the spot. Joseph was also not immune to the spell. He gradually lost consciousness.

However, he did not fall. Even if his whole body were bound in chains, even if his eyes were gouged out and he couldn\'t see, he would defy death and fight on relentlessly. Even if he died, he would pull out a pillar of the temple through brute strength and die with his enemies. That was the essence of the last title left to Joseph, the wielder of the Nazirite arts.

Thus, he stood there. As the mist spread, the paladins fell one by one. Almost everyone in the cathedral lost consciousness and collapsed.

Only three people held onto their consciousness. Han Dae-Ho and Joseph held onto their consciousness with superhuman mental strength even after inhaling the Voodoo mist.

"..."

And Soo-Yeong, the caster of the spell, watched over the situation.

***

Simon admired Jin-Seo. She was stronger than anyone. No one in the Northern Crusader Order could defeat her. The image of her slaying demonic beasts and demons with her sword was so impressive and beautiful that she could be called a hero.

Simon originally wanted to become a paladin, but he decided to become a crusader purely because of Jin-Seo. He had joined the Northern Crusader Order because of her.

"..."

She lay there, defeated, which angered Simon. He believed she was stronger than anyone else, and seeing her like that filled him with frustration.

He was not disappointed in Jin-Seo. Simon\'s admiration was based on rational affection and coexistence. However, he couldn’t help but show fanatical levels of anger toward the leader of the Voodoo Cult.

Simon’s hand trembled as he clutched his sword. Blood flowed down from his mouth because he was clenching his teeth too hard. He focused his strength on his trembling hand.

"I will... kill you," Simon seethed.

Sun-Woo ignored him and said, "Sobo."

Boom—!!

Lightning struck above Simon\'s head.