Please Stop The Pope

Chapter 105

4.

Lee Eun-hyuk thought of himself as an unfortunate person.

For him, misfortune was a way of life.

A childhood filled with school violence.
Parents killed by a drunk hit-and-run driver.
Relatives fighting over his parents’ life insurance money.

Every place he stayed or passed through turned into ruins. Thus, to Lee Eun-hyuk, the world was nothing but a place full of misery.

The word “happiness” didn’t exist in his life.

He lived on, not because he was brave, but because he lacked the courage to die.

Lee Eun-hyuk neither avoided the misfortunes that struck him nor had any intention of doing so. He merely endured them, silently carrying the burden within himself.

And even after he was transported to a world called Pardes, this did not change.

As usual, Lee Eun-hyuk woke up after falling asleep on the street. But the sight that greeted him was a damp underground prison filled with the stench of rotting corpses.

A slaughterhouse where the screams of humans echoed endlessly.

Though the situation was incomprehensible, Lee Eun-hyuk accepted even this misfortune without resistance.

And at that moment, a slender sword with a dark, murky blade appeared before him.

“A deeply unfortunate child. Nurture me with your misfortune and hatred. In return, I shall grant your wish. Feed me the souls of 100,000.”

In later days, the holy knights who fell by his hand would call it a “demonic sword,” but to Lee Eun-hyuk, it didn’t matter whether it was a holy or demonic sword.

Lee Eun-hyuk willingly grabbed the sword, and from that day forward, his life became one of relentless killing.

Pardes was like something straight out of the web novels he had read countless times—a world of magic, knights, and saintly figures, filled with tired clichés.

After escaping the underground prison with the help of the demonic sword, Lee Eun-hyuk encountered a kind rural family.

Though they looked different and couldn’t speak his language, they showed him warmth.

Warm food and a cozy bed.

In return for their kindness, Lee Eun-hyuk gave them death.

The once-happy family of five became his first victims. From then on, for ten long years, Lee Eun-hyuk fed the demonic sword with souls without rest.

Knights and adventurers sometimes appeared to stop his atrocities, but with the power of the demonic sword, he overcame them with ease.

Against opponents he couldn’t handle, he fled without hesitation. Against those he could, he ensured they perished.

His goal was simple: to return to Earth and spread misery to everyone.

Finally, after slaughtering a city of 10,000 people as his last offering, Lee Eun-hyuk met the demonic sword’s demand for 100,000 souls in just ten years.

“Return to your world and feed me more souls.”

The cunning demonic sword knew there were far more souls in the world called Earth. Keeping its initial promise, the sword allowed Lee Eun-hyuk to return to Earth.

Lee Eun-hyuk was no longer the powerless high school student from ten years ago.

The power he had accumulated through the demonic sword over those ten years was enough to make him a force to be reckoned with in any world.

Crossing the gate opened by the demonic sword, he finally realized his purpose.

To make others experience the same misery he had.

That was the only way he could truly be happy. Just imagining it filled him with excitement.

But the moment he crossed the gate, all his plans crumbled.

“DIEEEEEEEEE!”

A man in black priestly robes.

At first glance, he seemed ordinary, but for the first time in years, Lee Eun-hyuk felt fear.

Following the guidance of the demonic sword, he swung his blade.

From the sword’s edge, crimson blooms burst forth, their sharp thorns relentlessly piercing the man’s body.

The graceful blade of the demonic sword ceaselessly sought the man’s blood, striking with a speed pushed to its limits by magic, leaving no room for breath.

But why?

Despite dozens of consecutive strikes, the sensation of cutting flesh never came.

That peculiar and thrilling feeling of slicing through human skin with a blade—it was absent.

The man merely looked down at him as if daring him to try, yet Lee Eun-hyuk’s demonic sword couldn’t even tear the hem of his priestly robe.

“Why? WHY?!”

Even the most skilled swordsmen in Pardes couldn’t withstand his relentless assault. His demonic sword, which had once sliced through a city wall like tofu, now seemed powerless.

No matter how hard he tried, his blade couldn’t cut this opponent.

It was like stabbing a tree branch against an impregnable fortress.

“Run.”

The eerie voice of the demonic sword echoed in his mind.

But this time, Lee Eun-hyuk ignored it.

‘Shut up!’

His revenge hadn’t even begun.

He needed to cut down everyone in Korea and finally achieve his happiness.

“Can’t you see? Run. You need more souls. At this rate, there isn’t even the slightest chance. Against this one, we cannot prevail.”

The demonic sword repeated its warning.

Lee Eun-hyuk stubbornly ignored it and gathered all his remaining magic power into the tip of his sword. With everything he had, he drove it toward the open chest of his opponent.

But why?

Even after pouring every ounce of his strength into it—

“What a waste of magic. Well, you’ve been mindlessly gobbling up magic like a pig. Of course, you wouldn’t know how to use it efficiently.”

The man merely raised his palm, stopping the tip of the sword effortlessly.

It was only then, seeing the absurdity of his failed attack, that Lee Eun-hyuk came to his senses.

He couldn’t win.

No matter what he tried, he couldn’t defeat this opponent.

He had to run.

Just like in Pardes, he would gather strength through the demonic sword and kill this man later.

Finally coming to his senses, Lee Eun-hyuk released a blast of magic through the sword and turned to flee in the opposite direction.

“Not yet… Not yet…”

“…It’s too late.”

CRUNCH!

With a grotesque sound, Lee Eun-hyuk’s body collapsed.

He looked down to see his leg twisted outward, the white bone protruding like a broken tree branch.

And in that moment, a pain unlike anything he’d ever felt pierced through his entire body.

“AAAAAGGGHHHHH!”

Through blurred vision clouded by agony, he saw the monstrous man from before walking toward him.

Reaching his side leisurely, the man grabbed Lee Eun-hyuk by the neck and lifted him effortlessly.

Then, in a mocking tone, he whispered into Lee Eun-hyuk’s ear:

“Did you really think you could escape?”

5.

It had been quite some time since I had faced a swordsman.

Due to the nature of demons, who do not typically use weapons, there hadn’t been many encounters with swordsmen.

At best, I had only experienced it through humans who sided with the demons.

However, there is one rule that applies to all weapons.

In a fight, the stronger one wins.

Whether it’s a sword, an axe, a mace, or a spear.

The stronger one wins.

“You think I’d fall for the same trick again?”

I scoffed while gripping Lee Eun-hyuk’s neck.

Lee Eun-hyuk.

It was clear that the amount of magic this guy possessed was vast. Far more than the magic my brother, who is in Japan, possessed.

Considering that wizards usually have more magic than other users of similar magic levels, I could imagine how vast his magic was.

If he had used that magic effectively, he might have been a tough opponent.

But this guy was an idiot who couldn’t even use his magic properly.

“Ughhh!”

“Guys like you are predictable. You’ve only ever fought people weaker than you. Whenever you met someone a little stronger, you’d run away, just like now. Am I wrong?”

No matter how good a weapon one has, it is useless if they can’t wield it.

Power that surpasses the limits of one’s strength is poison. That poison clouds their vision and leads to arrogance.

And that strength can only grow through struggles that push one to their limits. If I had spent my time in peace, I wouldn’t have been able to defeat the Seven Demon Kings.

Limen knew that, which is why she relentlessly drove me into peril, and because of that, the person I am now exists.

“You made me remember some bad things. You’re going to take responsibility.”

I twisted his right arm, which was holding the sword. The dark sword that had been in his hand fell to the floor.

That was the thing they commonly called a cursed sword.

A cursed sword isn’t necessarily one imbued with magic. As long as there is an evil will inside, any kind of power contained within can make it a cursed sword.

“Ughhh…Why…Why are you stopping me? I’m just…trying to return what I was given…”

As the pain caused his hatred to recede, it was replaced by resentment.

Lee Eun-hyuk hung in the air, tears streaming from his eyes.

I coldly asked as I watched his pitiful state.

“What’s so unfair?”

“It’s because of you guys…This happened because of you…You made me like this…You…”

No one is without a story.

For every ten people, there are ten different stories.

If a human has fallen so far into hatred, there must be a reason for it.

Just as I endured for the sake of seeing my family again, Lee Eun-hyuk must have endured through his hatred.

I didn’t need to hear his story to understand that.

However, in my eyes, I could see the restless spirits trapped in that cursed sword. Countless souls. All of them were people who had been killed by him.

Even in death, they couldn’t find peace. They were endlessly suffering, trapped within that cursed sword.

“If you were me…Do you think you wouldn’t have been like this? The world that made me this way…”

“You, who have selfishly killed others, do you think it’s reasonable for you to now seek sympathy from me? Don’t be mistaken. The reason I’m trying to kill you isn’t some lofty sense of justice.”

Crack…

“Ughhh…”

I grabbed his chin and slowly crushed it. Then, I said in a low voice.

“Someone like you is a huge threat to my people if kept alive under any pretext. So don’t complain. Just as you killed people for your own reasons, I am killing you for my own reasons. That’s all there is to it.”

With those words, Lee Eun-hyuk’s body slumped.

His breath was still there. I could snap his neck and end his life, but that wasn’t the kind of end I wanted for him.

I casually tossed his body onto the ground and immediately grabbed the cursed sword next to me.

As soon as I gripped the sword’s hilt, a malevolent will squirmed, attempting to enter my mind, but—

[Passive Skill nullifies mental interference.]

The attempt was mercilessly blocked by the holy power protecting my body.

“Mr. Siwoo.”

Soon, Manager Kim, who had arrived by my side, called my name.

“…Is it impossible to capture him alive?”

“I don’t think it’s possible this time.”

I lightly waved the sword in front of Manager Kim.

“Those who were consumed by this sword are desperately waiting.”

“That sword…”

“This is called a cursed sword. It erodes the human mind and ultimately leads to catastrophe. I’ll take it to the forges of the Holy Land and melt it down once the job is done.”

With the power of the Holy Fire, not only would the evil will be destroyed, but the souls tainted by the cursed sword would also find peaceful rest.

Manager Kim nodded silently after hearing my firm answer. He then spoke quietly.

“The operation command is currently in your hands, Mr. Siwoo. Please proceed as you wish.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Whooooosh…

I summoned the Holy Spear and stabbed it into Lee Eun-hyuk’s chest. His body jerked for a moment before it came to a halt.

The holy power emanating from the spear completely scattered the vast magic that remained in his body. I immediately used a holy barrier to completely seal the cursed sword.

This was the best way to finish it.

Manager Kim watched the scene until the end before picking up his radio and speaking.

“Target eliminated. Situation ended as of now. Four injured personnel, dispatch a transport team. Over.”

Thus, the situation came to a close.