NOVEL NEXT Chapter 534: Her Betrayal
In the hallway of the temple, which was lit by torches under the night sky, a middle-aged man walked quickly toward the exit with a calm but serious expression.
A powerful aura was hidden within his body, one that, if released, could shake the air itself and fracture the very space around him.
Still, at this moment, there was a clear seriousness in his eyes, and a faint trace of anticipation. Naturally, this man was none other than Priest Morvain, the highest-ranking priest after the Grand Priest in the Crimson Temple.
It didn't take long before he left the temple and walked straight toward the house of the temple's saintess, Mirena. As for why he was heading there, it was simple, just half an hour ago, that girl had contacted him, her voice trembling as if she wanted to confess something.
He had been confused about why she sounded so frightened, but then realized she wanted to reveal the truth about the two young foreign men who had recently arrived in the city.
Mirena told him that those two weren't really merchants and had been threatening her to lie all this time, but now she couldn't take it anymore and wanted to tell the truth, even if it meant her death.
That made him both furious and secretly pleased. Furious because two foreigners had dared to threaten one of the temple's saintesses inside their own sacred city, how could they have such audacity?
But also pleased, because he had never liked those two in the first place. He was, in fact, the one who had originally suggested that they should be executed.
When the Grand Priest not only spared them but even allowed them to join the temple, he had been deeply displeased, though he hadn't dared to voice it. He had always felt there was something wrong with those two, but could never pinpoint what it was.
Now, however, he was finally going to find out who those foreigners really were.
It didn't take long for him to reach Mirena's house. It was a small but neat place, built in the same architectural style as the temple, and not too far from it.
In fact, all the priests' and followers' houses were built close to the temple, so that in case of danger, they could quickly retreat inside.
The Crimson Temple was said to be protected by their god; no one could invade it by force, and no one could destroy it either.
He was about to enter, but suddenly felt something ominous and terrible, a dreadful sensation that he had only experienced once before, last night, in the presence of that monster.
He frowned. He knew such a feeling wasn't meaningless. Should he go back and bring more priests with him? The thought made him hesitate for a moment.
He didn't want to inform the opposing faction within the temple… yes, even the Crimson Temple was divided into factions.
There was his faction, and there was the faction of Priest Lanya—the old woman who had healed Drael. The two of them had always been at odds in political struggles, each trying to seize more power.
However, because of the Grand Priest's presence, everything stayed balanced. No one could overpower the other.
Before coming here, Morvain had told two priests from his own faction, whose injuries had mostly healed, that he was going to visit Mirena's house.
Besides, those two foreigners shouldn't have the power to do anything, right? After all, they had gone through the Divine Bath and were now nothing more than servants of their god.
Thinking that, he regained his confidence. Ignoring the ominous feeling, he entered Mirena's house without knocking, there was no need, since the girl already knew he was coming.
When he walked inside, he found Mirena sitting in the living room, looking frightened and shaken.
The moment she saw Morvain, she seemed to relax with relief, stood up, and ran to hug the middle-aged man who had always been like a father to her.
"Calm down, child. There's no need to be afraid. I'm here now," Morvain said with a small laugh. Even after all these years, she was still the same scared little girl he remembered.
"Uncle, I'm really scared! You don't understand, those two foreigners are dangerous! Their true identities are terrifying!" Mirena said with a trembling voice.
"Alright, alright, no need to be afraid. They went through the Divine Bath. No matter what they are, they can't hurt anyone now," Morvain sighed and tried to calm the saintess down.
And apparently, his words worked. Mirena's fear slowly faded, and the tension left her face bit by bit.
"Good. Now tell me, who are they really?" Morvain smiled slightly and asked the main question.
"They? Oh… they're Evil Hunters."
"Hah? What?" Morvain blinked, thinking he must have misheard her.
Evil Hunters? What kind of nonsense was that? Did something that ridiculous even exist?
"What are Evil Hunters?" he asked directly, hoping for a clearer answer.
"They're the ones who hunt monsters like you, the ones who possessed my uncle's body," Mirena said with hatred and mockery, stepping back slowly from him.
"What do you mean?" The ominous feeling in Morvain's heart grew stronger. He had no idea what she was talking about.
Possessed? Since when had he been possessed? What was she implying?
But before he could get any answer, the atmosphere around him suddenly shifted. The entire space was sealed off, completely isolated. His mind started to burn and buzz violently.
Every cell in his body screamed at him to run, to escape right now, or he would die.
But before he could even move a single muscle, an overwhelmingly powerful aura appeared out of nowhere and locked him in place completely.
The air in front of him collapsed, and from the void, two figures emerged, two young men.
"Thanks a lot for your help, Mirena," Drael said softly as he walked toward the girl.
"You're welcome, sir. I'll do anything I can to help save the temple," Mirena said respectfully.
"Mirena! How dare you betray us!" Morvain shouted furiously when he saw what was happening.
He wasn't stupid, he instantly realized what had taken place. The girl had actually betrayed them.
"Calm down. There's no need to be angry at her. She simply made the right choice," Daniel said with a smirk, waving his hand. Mirena vanished instantly, teleported outside the house.
"We're not cruel. We'll give you the same choice, surrender, and you can live. Or I'll make you surrender by force."
"Hmph! You foolish foreigner, do you really think you can make me surrender? I don't know how you managed to hide your power even from the Grand Priest, but don't underestimate me! Even if I can't defeat you, I'll make sure to drag you down with me!" Morvain roared in fury, releasing his full aura.
The space around them started to tremble violently, making Daniel frown. He waved his hand, and in an instant, the two of them appeared in a dark, empty space.
Naturally, this was the void, the perfect place for their fight. Though calling it a fight wasn't quite accurate. Daniel only wanted to subdue this fool by force and see what abilities he truly had.
However, he didn't expect this idiot to immediately start burning his own life force to strengthen the divine power within him and then launch an explosive attack straight at him.