Chapter 309

EP.309 Collapse of Faith

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“Kyaaaah!”

“P-Please save me…! Please… please save me…! Ugh…!”

Humans covered in blood are groaning, begging for their lives in front of me.

The room, painted entirely white, turns crimson red from the fresh blood they’ve spilled.

My head feels like it’s about to split. Why are they doing this to me?

“Go away…! Get out!”

I wave my hands frantically, but it’s futile.

The arms reaching out from the humans have no substance.

Like ghosts.

I’m scared. It feels like I’ve become the protagonist of a horror movie.

Where is Jihyuk? I wish he’d save me from these insignificant creatures.

I wish he’d hold me and whisper sweetly that he loves me.

“Jihyuk! Jihyuuuk!!”

I scream at the top of my lungs, calling for Jihyuk, but there’s no response.

Instead, it only seems to anger the humans more.

“Grrrr…!”

Now, the humans are approaching me, making strange noises like zombies.

I hate this… these filthy, vulgar things!

Adelle, glaring at them with eyes full of hatred, flinches at the words of one human.

“You… you killed us…”

Killed? Me? You?

Really…?

Adelle, about to scold them for their nonsensical words, freezes as a scene replays in her mind.

A man with his abdomen pierced, dying instantly. A woman’s head flying off, separated from her body…

A man with shards of glass embedded in his face, bleeding profusely…

“Ah…! Aaaaah…!!”

Adelle, remembering everything that happened in the building, collapses.

Murder… I committed murder.

The sensation in my hands is vivid.

With these hands… these hideous hands… I killed over ten humans.

“I… I… Aah…!”

I want to lose my mind, but I can’t.

An overwhelming sense of guilt is holding onto my sanity.

I’ve broken the most cautious and taboo rule of the Rosario Church.

Closing her eyes, Adelle tries to summon divine power.

Thinking it might help her regain her composure.

But the divine power, which she could always summon at will, doesn’t respond to her call.

“Why, why is this happening…!”

Panicking, Adelle taps her device twice.

But she can’t even transform.

This can’t be… If this continues, I’ll go insane.

I need something to rely on… Yes, let’s pray.

“O, O Almighty Rosario…”

She recites the prayer, her teeth chattering.

But… no matter how hard she prays, nothing comes back.

Not even the faith that she could overcome anything.

“Please, save me from evil… Haaa…! Go away! You insignificant creatures!”

“You… us…”

“I was wrong…! I was wrong…! Please save me!”

“You won’t be forgiven…”

“Go away…! Forgive me! It’s an order! Jihyuk! Where are you…! I’m scared… Waaah!”

Adelle, bursting into tears, runs even though she can’t see clearly.

Then, she bumps her head against something hard.

Thud!

“Ouch!”

Adelle, sitting on her butt, grits her teeth.

“Damn it…! Ugh…!”

No matter how pathetic it looks to be running away from these worthless creatures, how dare they block the path of a god!

I’ll punish them immediately after escaping!

Thinking this, she tilts her head as a very handsome man smiles at her.

“Huh…?”

“It’s me, Adelle.”

The man is Jihyuk, whom she had been desperately searching for.

Did he just appear out of nowhere? Did he use some kind of magic?

“Jihyuk…?”

“Yes. It’s Jihyuk. You must’ve had a nightmare.”

“A nightmare…?”

Now that she thinks about it, the atmosphere in front of her is different.

The place she was in was an entirely white room.

But here, the ceiling is made of glossy blue tiles, with a white light in the center.

This place, decorated in a modern design, is somewhere she knows well.

It’s the lounge in the laboratory.

Ah… It was just a dream. What a relief…

Lately, I’ve been having a lot of nightmares, even when I nap during the day.

Adelle, sniffling, sits up with Jihyuk’s help.

Then, she stares at Jihyuk intently.

“Jihyuk… Are you okay…?”

“Yes, thanks to you. How about you?”

“I’m fine…”

Adelle, about to say she’s fine, shakes her head.

Because the events in the building come back to her.

“I’m not fine… I… I went crazy… I killed people… Ugh…!”

As Adelle starts to sob, Jihyuk hugs her tightly.

“If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been in big trouble. Right after you treated me, I went into a medical device, and my brain’s dopamine levels were off the charts, and it wasn’t being reabsorbed. I survived because of you.”

The words are difficult, and she doesn’t understand what he’s saying.

But it’s a relief that he survived because of her.

The problem is that her heart hurts.

“I’m scared…! I feel like I’m losing myself… I lost my sanity… It’s terrifying… It’s so vivid… The people were bleeding so much…”

Adelle, tears streaming down her face, is on the verge of wailing. To regain her composure, she taps her device.

But Aiter doesn’t respond, just like in the dream.

Her heart sinks as she takes off the device from her wrist and hands it to Jihyuk.

“Jihyuk… I think the device is broken… Please fix it…”

“It’s not broken.”

“It is… I can’t transform… Hurry…!”

Adelle, shaking the device in her hand, throws a tantrum.

Jihyuk smiles softly and says,

“The device is fine. The reason you can’t transform is because of your current state of mind.”

“Huh…? What do you mean…?”

“First, let’s blow your nose. Here, sniff.”

Jihyuk, pulling out a tissue, wipes Adelle’s nostrils.

Blowing my nose when I’m in a hurry? Does he think I’m a child?

“Sniff!”

Adelle blows her nose forcefully and is surprised to feel her chaotic mind calming down.

Hmm…! Maybe I don’t need to transform after all.

Adelle, wiping her nose on Jihyuk’s clothes, asks,

“What state of mind…?”

Jihyuk, throwing the tissue soaked with snot into the trash, holds Adelle’s hand.

Then he says,

“You think the act of killing you just did was against justice, right?”

What is he talking about?

Murder is, of course, a serious crime far removed from justice.

Adelle, bewildered, looks at Jihyuk, who smiles and continues,

“That’s why Aiter isn’t responding. You’re treating those bad guys who almost killed me as humans.”

“Is… is that so…?”

“Yes. They’re the bad guys who threatened me and forced me into pleasure. What you did was an act of justice.”

Ah… Now that he mentions it, he’s right.

Those bastards almost killed Jihyuk and forced him into shameful acts.

I, as his saint and companion, did what I had to do to protect him, the one true god.

“I… did the right thing…”

“That’s right. Besides, you didn’t commit murder. You just slaughtered livestock for food… No, you just chased away flies attracted to the nectar of flowers. They’re that insignificant. So there’s no need to feel troubled or conflicted.”

Her mind feels more stable than before.

That’s right, there’s no need to feel so troubled.

I did the right thing. I chased away pests.

“Hmm… You’re right…”

Adelle, her expression softening, answers like that, and Jihyuk flashes a bright smile.

“Seems like you’ve sorted out your feelings. But there’s still some lingering attachment, right?”

He’s spot on.

No matter how much I think of killing those insignificant creatures as a trivial matter, I can’t easily accept it.

Why? Because until now, I thought of those pests as humans, as higher life forms, as beings that needed to be protected.

Adelle, looking at Jihyuk with admiration as he sees through everything about her.

She hurriedly nods her head.

“Y-Yes…!”

“Remember what I said last time? Doesn’t it feel good to kill mosquitoes in the summer?”

“Yes! You did!”

“Doesn’t it feel refreshing to pop a mosquito that’s fat from sucking blood? You should feel the same way. Humans are even lower than those mosquitoes. You’ve always thought that way, haven’t you?”

“Hmm…! That’s true.”

“Those rootless creatures dared to touch the holy body. Like mosquitoes, they clung to it and sucked the sacred blood to try to live a better life. They’ve overstepped their boundaries by a long shot.”

Adelle’s eyes grow fierce.

That’s right! They not only dared to touch Jihyuk’s holy body, but they also forcibly injected drugs, something only used in the world of the lowly.

Moreover, they stripped off their clothes and shook their butts to receive the divine fluid.

“Vulgar…!”

“That’s right. You, Adelle, personally descended and delivered divine punishment to those vulgar creatures. I want to commend you for doing a great job.”

“Hmm…!”

Adelle, deeply resonating with Jihyuk’s words, thinks.

This incident is like helping the Earth.

Those lowly creatures touched the holy body and plotted.

So I personally eradicated those unrecyclable wastes.

I preserved the Earth’s environment.

So instead of feeling pain, I should feel joy. I should feel refreshed.

“I showed them mercy…! They should suffer in the deepest abyss for eons…”

“That’s right. You showed them the mercy of death. They must be in awe of you. Thanking you for killing them cleanly.”

Hearing the praise, the lump in my throat feels like it’s melting away.

Adelle’s face completely relaxes, and Jihyuk puts his hands behind his back.

Then, after a brief pause, he smirks.

“I can feel your heart has grown stronger. Now, try transforming. It’ll work.”

“Okay.”

Adelle, clenching her fist, taps her device.

Then,

Whoosh-!

A golden energy spreads out, and in an instant, she transforms.

Adelle, looking at her transformed body, opens her eyes wide in surprise.

“It… it worked…! I transformed!”

Not only that, but she also feels divine power.

Just by changing her state of mind, everything has returned to normal…

Jihyuk is truly the best.

“Congratulations. I knew you’d succeed. But…”

Jihyuk, pausing, lets out a sigh.

“There’s still one more problem left.”

“Huh…? A problem? What is it?”

“You haven’t fully synchronized with my heart yet.”

Thud!

A stone drops in her chest.

I’m Jihyuk’s soul companion.

I can even feel his energy, so how can I not be synchronized!?

“That can’t be…!”

“Unfortunately, it’s true. There’s still some lingering attachment in your heart. I want to remove it before it eats away at you.”

Jihyuk picks up the transformed Adelle in his arms.

Then, with a serious tone, he asks,

“Do you believe in me?”

“Of course I do…”

“I believe in you too. Today, I believe you’ll blow away the lingering attachment yourself.”

After saying this, Jihyuk moves with Adelle to another location.

To the doctor’s lounge with a bed.

In the place where he was, a broken machine lies alone.

It seems to be a remote control… a small machine that fits in one hand.

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