Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 182
‘I don’t want to retreat.’
Was her power still not enough? The goddess had yet to descend. In her rising frustration, she grabbed a nearby person and sank her teeth into them.
“Aagh!”
A scream echoed, but the hot liquid filling her mouth brought her a twisted satisfaction that made it easy to ignore.
“Now you’re attacking your own allies?”
Allen looked at Ramiel with disgust.
“Allies?”
Ramiel finally looked at the person she was holding. The black outfit was familiar—what Allen had said was true.
But so what?
The goddess had told her she could do whatever she wanted. Ramiel didn’t care and drained the rest of the blood from her victim before throwing the corpse aside.
Now, she felt she could move again. Yet, she noticed the people around her slowly backing away.
“Why?”
“Why, you ask?”
A nearby heretic forced out his words.
“We don’t want to die like this!”
“Everything is the will of the goddess.”
“Dying at your hands is her will?”
“It was necessary. Look.”
Ramiel manipulated the shadows more skillfully, and someone fighting against them collapsed.
Suppressing the dissatisfaction of those around her, Ramiel grinned smugly.
“See? It’s effective, isn’t it?”
She still had fight left in her.
They couldn’t afford to drag this out any longer. Burt’s movements were slowing as he fought the shadows. Irene wanted to call him over before things got worse, but too many obstacles blocked the way.
She couldn’t lose Burt like this. There were still so many things she wanted to hear from him and say to him.
Just then, she saw someone moving stealthily in the distance. Normally, she wouldn’t have noticed, but in her heightened state of awareness, she recognized him.
‘Guy!’
Guy’s forces had circled around and were now attacking Ramiel from behind. Thanks to this, Burt was able to escape danger.
Ramiel, wearing a frustrated expression, fought them off but then suddenly froze.
“Finally!”
A hole opened in the sky, and someone looked down upon them from above. Just the sight of it caused those with weaker divine power to collapse on the spot.
[Finally, you’ve summoned me.]
A figure made of malevolence began to slowly emerge from the hole. First, a face appeared, followed by hands. As it descended, it grew smaller, but its presence was undeniable.
“My goodness, Goddess!”
Some people leaped for joy, while others crumbled in despair.
“It’s the demon!”
At the cry of one onlooker, Ramiel shook her head.
“She is the goddess, the most resonant and glorious of all.”
Ramiel smiled blissfully, but no one, not even the heretics on her side, understood her.
“Lady Irene,”
Grein, pale as a sheet, approached Irene.
“Why, why doesn’t our Goddess answer us?”
“She has already given her answers.”
It was just that others couldn’t hear them.
“Pardon?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect everyone, no matter what.”
Irene had made up her mind. She might die here today, but if her death meant saving others, she wouldn’t regret it.
She had been born into misfortune and had lived a life full of hardship. For a long time, she believed that happiness was beyond her reach. But that wasn’t entirely true. She had gained precious people in her life, and for the first time, she had even received a confession of love.
‘Maybe that’s enough.’
Irene smiled faintly as she stepped forward. She might not be able to stay with Burt until the end. The world might suffer because the saintess would be gone.
But as long as there were people still alive, they could overcome anything.
Her gaze was fixed firmly on Mileka.
[You resemble her so much.]
“The goddess, you mean.”
[Yes. You’re the kind of human I despise.]
If the evil god hated her, perhaps that was a good thing. Irene thought so as she began to pray again. This time, it wasn’t to seek help from the goddess sleeping somewhere.
She was preparing to burn her own life to seal the evil god.
[Stop her!]
At the sharp command, the heretics began to move.
“Stop her!”
But the people on Irene’s side weren’t backing down either. Realizing what she intended, they moved to protect her, not hesitating to sacrifice their lives.
“For the peace of the world!”
Someone shouted.
“For the goddess!”
“No, for the saintess this time!”
Even in the worst of situations, they managed to smile. Irene felt both sorry and grateful toward them.
t/n: As stated in the earlier chapters, Mileka is the God/Goddess the heretics worship. So it’s another name for Camille, the false Goddess.
