Chapter 26: Adventure in the Church

As the body of the demon fell, the will-o-wisp finally showed himself. The data from the book compiled by the Library show that the one who attacked me is a Rank-6 Pinnacle will-o'-wisp. It is also listed that his techniques are heavily focused on ranged magic and the ability to perform a spiritual takeover. The will-o’-wisp appeared as a pure light transparent being that resembled that of a very masculine young man, just like the demon’s body his body was emanating waves of yellow light.

I tried to start a conversation and asked him, "What did you mean when you asked me if I was your last opponent?" He explained to me that where we are right now, is the Church of the Holy Light's purification chamber. They infuse all creatures here with an abundance of light mana and those who learn to absorb it, become stronger, making the mana of their bodies more purified. They set it up in a way that all the creatures held captive would compete to survive, only the last remaining survivor would get to leave the chamber. This sounds exactly like a poison jar. The survivor of every purification chamber is sent to fight in another chamber with other survivors. Whoever wins either gets to become a soldier of the church or fights further again to not only become a soldier but a full-fledged member who has rights and such.

I couldn’t believe what I just heard; a church doing something this shady? Something isn’t right here. I then ignored that notion for now. This church is a secret facility of the Church of the Holy Light which concerns itself with the purification chamber and sacrificial rituals. He doesn’t know anything about the sacrificial ritual since he is just fodder in the purification chamber. We chatted for a bit where I told him all about my missions and why I ended up in this place. I then told him that he is free to leave, and he can exit through the storm cellar which I broke open earlier. He said that he doesn't want to escape this place and what he wants is to take it down. He said that the portals to enter this dimension is peculiar because only those of Rank 5 or below may enter. With his strength of Rank-6, I bet that he could raze the church to the ground. He then wondered and asked how I was able to beat his demonic brother’s body so easily. I told him that he didn’t have to worry about it. I touched the body of the demon and a book was compiled stating, “Corpse of the Rank-9 Hellish Demon “Eligos." Remaining inside is a shred of the soul of the demon. With my Heavenly mana, I encased the soul of the demon and gave it to the wisp since it was someone, he considers a brother. I told him that our objectives align so we could work together and devise a plan.

Him going on a rampage and razing this place to the ground so that I can find an opportunity and time to escape. He agreed to do it since it is pretty much a win-win situation and he also said that he doesn't want to start a fight with me after witnessing how I easily beat up his brother's body and dodge his ranged magic. Plus, he has no loyalty to the church since the church is the one that caused the death of his brother. I instructed him to stay put for now and wait for my signal after I rescue Stephanie. We both exited through the storm cellar and went our separate ways; he hid in a safe place while I sneaked into the bell tower.

When I entered the bell tower, I saw someone sleeping near the entrance. Judging from the aura he is emitting; he is also a Rank-1 warrior just like the guards from earlier. I drew near him and the same as what I did to the first two guards, I blocked his certain acupoints to drive him unconscious for quite some time. I then walked through the bridge connecting the bell tower to the church building and entered through one of the many stained-glass windows. The inside of the building is as extravagant as what I expected, furnished with golden walls, stained windows, and red carpets, but masked with a very gaudy atmosphere. I sneaked in, room by room, and saw guards sleeping and some people doing all sorts of things like talking, huddling, telling stories, laughing, training, and studying. After seeing all these, I thought to myself that the people here are just the same as those from the kingdom; they are all just trying to live and survive in this new world.

I followed the arrows that is leading me to Stephanie through the library I ended up in a direction that leads to the upper floors of the building. I ended up in a hall two floors above the ground level. I saw no people around and it was quiet. Just like what I did before, I searched the rooms; some were locked while others were not. After searching through some rooms, I discovered that this hall houses the private quarters of the priests. I made it to what seems to be the biggest room in the hall. I twisted the doorknob and there at the same time, is a young lady holding a frying pan who unlocked the door and is about to come out.

The young girl was Stephanie. I pulled her back inside and asked what's going on. She said that after cleaning up and leaving my house, she was attacked by some people of the church. She fought with the warriors but due to a careless mistake, she was knocked out. Once she regained her consciousness, she was already in this place, being attended to by a handmaiden who explained to her the situation she was in. For almost a day, she was treated as a political prisoner. But then, the cardinal came in and said that she was because she possesses a great amount of light mana and if she were to be sacrificed, the church would bestow great rewards upon the people. Fortunately, she managed to escape, and as for the frying pan, she said that it is the only weapon that she managed to acquire. Around 2-3 hours from now, she was supposed to be sacrificed to the god of the Church of the Holy Light, so everyone is busy preparing for the ritual which explains why the hall is so quiet. She asked me how I was able to upgrade my level to the third rank when only just yesterday, I was a Rank-2 cultivator. I explained to her that when I awakened, I gained knowledge— knowledge that could help power me up in only a short amount of time especially in circumstances where I urgently need more power, just like now that I have to rescue her.

I taught her the condensed version of the Heavenly Fist and Leg Arts so that she could protect herself. She was so impressed with my teaching technique that she asked me if I could teach her more strategies on how to be strong. I told her that I don’t mind if she impresses me. For now, she would have to stand first as a real trial disciple who must prove herself worthy of my teachings. I still have some things I must do in life before I can settle down and teach the princess of the kingdom. After some catching up, I asked her to gather her stuff, which by the way, is just the frying pan. As we were about to leave, someone came bursting into the door, a Rank-5 warrior tasked to bring Stephanie to the place of the ritual which is on top of the church.

Stephanie did not expect that the warrior would be able to find her so quickly. Before he could do us any harm, I made the first attack. I used my movement arts and did a clothesline on him. He got hit and fell, so I followed up with a kick down to his chest. He rolled to the side and infused a tiger face made of mana onto his fist and blew a punch, which caught me by surprise. Luckily, I was able to grab his fist and as I did, the Library compiled a book on him. The book showed that he is just a basic fighter with increased strength, regeneration speed, and the ability to control his mana clone to use an action that he prepared in advance. I was also able to see his weak points, which I used in my next attack. I stepped down on the ground and used my Heavenly Movement technique which to most people, is no different from short-range teleportation. I kicked through his leg which I knew had a heavy injury due to a slice wound many years ago. My attack was not enough to break it off but enough to render him immobile.

Stephanie shouted to just kill him off, but I didn’t listen. I tried to go for his acupoint which would render him unconscious, but as I was about to, his mana clone threw a needle at me from point-blank range. It pricked my shoulder and a strange sensation filled my body. This might be poison! If only I listened to Stephanie and killed him swiftly, this wouldn’t be happening. Now, I might die. I calmed myself down and discerned that the “poison” shot at my body was just the warrior’s mana trying to wreak havoc within my body. Good thing, it was too weak to do anything to my body and mind. I covered it with my Heavenly mana and absorbed it. I then took the warrior by surprise, touched his forehead, drilled down to his skull, and crushed his entire brain. It may sound brutal, but it was a painless death. After everything that has happened, I had an epiphany that the duty of a teacher isn’t just to impart knowledge, but also to learn more from everybody, especially his students, in order to bring each other to greater heights. As I was having this thought, something came down from the heavens and seeped right into me and I couldn’t stop it. Upon probing what's happening, I realized that it was the Bestowal of the Teacher. How is this possible?!