Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 151

Chapter 151: The Truth Behind the Scenes （1）

Gulp.

He swallowed dryly.

At the sound of his throat, which rang out as clearly as a thunderbolt, Kang San looked at Luca Bellino with a tense face.

She was a transcendent being.

He didn’t know what she was thinking, but he couldn’t miss this opportunity in this chaotic situation.

“…Do other people have past lives like me?”

He asked lightly at first.

As if she knew his intention, Luca Bellino smiled faintly.

“Of course. If you, who was the Blood Demon Seo Munho, were reincarnated as you are now, it would be no different for others. However, not everyone lived a human life. Some may have lived as insignificant creatures and only been granted a human life in this lifetime. And whether that’s a blessing or a curse is unknown.”

It was the answer he expected.

Since he had experienced Im Chan-yeong’s memories, if she had decided to tell the truth, she naturally had to answer like this.

The next question.

It was a question that Kang San couldn’t resolve.

“Then, are there people who remember their past lives like me?”

“That’s also a yes. But not everyone remembers their past lives. Only a few whose past lives were either noble or wicked, whose karma accumulated in their souls affects their present lives, are granted the right to be given either an opportunity or punishment in their new lives. You’re the same. It means your past life was that great.”

“What exactly is Azmoon’s intention? At first, I thought only good deeds were the only way to resolve karma. But can I also resolve the karma I bear by dealing with the ill-fated relationships from my past life?”

“Hmm…”

Silence fell.

Luca Bellino, who had been hesitant to answer, suddenly spoke in a light tone that betrayed his anticipation.

“No comment on that. But you know it yourself, don’t you, Im Chan-yeong? You don’t remember Gwak Un-chan’s past life, but the moment you gave that guy, your ill-fated connection, a fitting punishment, some of your karma was resolved. Now, that’s it for the questions. Lastly, I’ll give you a special gift. There are people in this world who were born with a wicked past life like you. Who are they?”

“Who are they?”

Kang San felt it too.

Luca Bellino was enjoying this situation.

Like playing with a toy, she placed him in her palm to elicit the desired reaction.

Even knowing that.

Kang San played along.

Whether he was being toyed with or not, it was more important for Kang San to find out anything that brought him closer to the truth.

“The Sun Priest who leads the Sun God Church in America, the head of the European revolutionary group Revolution, and lastly…”

Their eyes met.

Kang San’s eyes wavered.

He was already shocked by just the first two names.

Luca Bellino smiled.

“Ah, the last one is a secret. It’s no fun if you know too much.”

“What do you mean…!”

“Then do your best with the truth you’ve learned. The trials will guide you on the right path.”

Fizzle.

Luca Bellino disappeared like a mirage.

He jumped up from his seat and tried to grab her, but she was gone in an instant.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Kang San had a blank expression.

The series of events.

It was shocking.

To think that past lives existed besides his own, and that there were people who remembered them.

The problem was that the two names Luca Bellino mentioned were ‘national figures’ in this world.

First, the Sun God Church.

It was a cult that had taken root in the United States. At first, there was a widespread atmosphere of rejecting the Sun Priest, who declared himself to be God’s agent. However, as he actively engaged in religious activities and saved the lives of countless people, the number of believers began to explode at some point. Currently, it is known that there are over 30 million believers in the United States alone. Considering that the US population is around 300 million, one in ten people was a member of the Sun God Church.

Actually, at first glance, it was similar to Kang San’s path.

By performing good deeds that helped people, he achieved the same process and results as Kang San resolving his karma.

The problem was the purpose they pursued.

The Sun Priest called the ‘system’ God and declared that when the Day of Judgment came, the Rapture would begin. So, he said that only those who listened to God’s voice and faithfully followed what God said would be guaranteed life after the Rapture. It was a typical cult behavior that remained in the history of South Korea. But in a chaotic world, unfounded faith exerted more power than ever.

And the second was Revolution.

They were completely different from the Sun God Church.

In any case, if the Sun God Church was fundamentally based on good deeds, Revolution denied the very system of this world and committed acts of terrorism from time to time. Countless innocent people died in the process. They sought the complete downfall of the system, and it was never revealed how many members they had or who their leader was.

It didn’t make sense.

The two figures.

If they remembered their past lives and were resolving their karma like Kang San.

He could at least understand the Sun God Church, but Revolution was accumulating another evil deed in this life.

What on earth was Azmoon thinking?

What was Luca Bellino thinking?

As he glimpsed a part of the truth, he felt even more confused.

‘Even if I can’t understand it, I have to deal with it. I have no other choice.’

Inevitability in the name of trials.

Kang San walked the arduous thorny path.

He cleared his mind.

Putting aside negative prejudices and the like for now, he searched the internet about the Sun God Church and Revolution.

If Luca Bellino’s words were true.

It was worth looking into.

The two people who remembered their past lives like him.

What were their goals?

Or, unlike him, had they achieved what they wanted?

While searching like that, Kang San came across an unexpected article.

『Sun God Church, Landing in South Korea Beyond America!』

The Sun God Church, active in the United States.

It was about them expanding their influence to the world.

But whether by coincidence or fate.

『Sun God Church Chooses Seoul and Pohang as Korean Branches!』

At the familiar name, Kang San felt a chill.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Was this also coincidence or fate?

Kang San couldn’t simply accept it.

The Sun God Church, which was practically rising to the position of a national religion in the United States, establishing their branches in Seoul, and of all places, Pohang. He instinctively felt the need to learn more about the Sun God Church.

The next day.

Kang San headed to the Sun God Church’s Pohang branch.

Surprisingly, the location of the Sun God Church was not far from Gokumsan.

It was in a neighborhood called Guryongpo, and if an ‘S-rank Outbreak’ occurred, it was located on the path that the pouring monsters would inevitably encounter. This couldn’t be dismissed as a mere coincidence. Fortunately, the Sun God Church was a group that actively opened its doors to outsiders, and Kang San easily met the person called the priest of the Pohang branch.

“You came to see me?”

“I have something to ask you personally.”

“Speak.”

He was a man who looked to be in his early 50s.

The man, named Oh Man-seok, introduced himself as the priest of the Sun God Church’s Pohang branch.

Kang San said.

“I heard that the Sun God Church has been doing a lot of good deeds recently, such as volunteering for the citizens of Pohang. As someone hoping to join the church, I want to know what the Sun God Church truly pursues. Actually, isn’t the Sun God Church a religion rooted in the United States, not South Korea? But I can’t readily understand why Korea, and Pohang in particular, was chosen as the first destination for expanding your influence.”

“Ah, you’re someone hoping to join the church.”

Oh Man-seok smiled brightly.

As soon as he mentioned joining the church, he sensed favor in his eyes.

“What the Sun God Church truly pursues is clear. As the Sun Priest said, the system we serve is currently testing humanity. If there are humans who continue to believe in and follow the system despite physical and mental trials, they will be transported to a pre-arranged heaven at the moment of the Rapture. The establishment of the Pohang branch is a process to prove faith. ‘A great disaster will befall South Korea.’ This is the content of the divine revelation the Sun Priest received a year ago. The Sun Priest specifically identified Seoul and Pohang, and I simply accepted the heavy task and am serving here.”

“…A great disaster?”

“Yes.”

It was fate.

The Sun Priest.

Just as Kang San knew about the S-rank Outbreak, he knew that something would happen in Pohang.

The problem was, even so.

What were they planning to do with these ordinary people?

Kang San carefully asked.

“If that disaster is an overflow of monsters. What do you plan to do, as a priest who is an ordinary person?”

“I must stop it even if it means burning my body. If I and the believers of the Sun God Church can endure even for a single second and save innocent people, we will be recognized for our faith and ascend to heaven first. That is the meaning of the existence of the Sun God Church’s Pohang branch.”

It was different.

Completely wrong.

If Kang San had received a trial to save people, the Sun God Church treated the lives of its followers as insignificantly as kindling. They readily spoke of sacrifice to highlight religious values.

It was a contradiction.

If it was in the context of resolving karma like Kang San, the Sun God Church’s mission should never have forced anyone to sacrifice themselves. Because that wasn’t a good deed. If followers died saying they would save people, who could weigh the value of those lives? They were all the same people. On the other hand, in the context of punishing ill-fated connections like Kang San, the Sun God Church created a picture of sacrificing an unspecified number of people under the name of the Sun God Church.

Doubts swelled up.

He began to think that the repeating trials caused by Azmoon might not simply be about pursuing good.

That’s when it happened.

“…I apologize, but I’ll end the conversation here.”

Oh Man-seok’s face hardened.

His gaze was directed behind Kang San.

When Kang San followed his gaze and turned his head, he saw a female student who looked to be in her mid-teens.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

How long had he waited?

Kang San, who had been waiting outside for a long time, spotted the female student coming out.

“Can I talk to you for a moment?”

He stopped the student.

The female student and Priest Oh Man-seok.

He definitely thought there was a connection.

Sure enough.

The female student, who revealed her name as Oh Min-yeong, was Priest Oh Man-seok’s only daughter.

“Why did you come here? To see my father?”

“…No. To stop him.”

“Stop him? Can you explain in detail?”

Oh Min-yeong showed a hesitant reaction.

If he were a complete stranger, she would have held back her words.

However, having heard about Kang San through the media, she didn’t feel wary of him despite their first meeting.

The hero who saved people.

The wall in her heart crumbled.

“Three years ago…”

The story was like this.

Three years ago.

Just like Yeon Woo-bin’s family had experienced, Oh Man-seok and his daughter lost his wife and her mother in a sudden monster attack. Since that day, Oh Man-seok had lived as a recluse. He didn’t care whether his daughter went to school or not, and he just shut himself in his room and drank soju. Then, by chance, he heard about the ‘Sun God Church’. Their future, where the dead found peace, ignited an intense longing in Oh Man-seok’s heart.

That was the problem.

Oh Man-seok believed in and followed the Sun God Church.

And the Sun God Church demanded unconditional blind faith and sacrifice from its followers.

“…At first, I went to the Sun God Church with my dad. But the Sun God Church treated the System as if it were the only God, and as if everyone would be blessed if they died for the Sun God Church, they forced people to sacrifice themselves. It’s strange, isn’t it? There was a big fire in the US recently, and over a hundred Sun God Church followers died to save one ordinary person trapped inside. The Sun God Church calls that incident martyrdom, and I’m so worried that my dad will be sacrificed like that too. Mister. Even you must think it’s strange. This isn’t a normal religion, is it?”

Oh Min-yeong had come to stop Oh Man-seok.

Knowing that, Oh Man-seok’s expression hardened, and even a moment ago, he had given up and turned back after arguing with her.

It was definitely strange.

What the Sun God Church pursued was different from Azmoon.

It wasn’t good deeds, but something fanatical.

It was completely different from Kang San.

Kang San was here not for a sacrifice to emphasize some value, but for the good will to save people.

That’s when it happened.

『The twenty-sixth hardship and trial has been assigned.』

『Because of the karma of the wicked, you must now change the hearts of the heretics. If the heretics believe in and follow you, the trial will be resolved, but even if you fail, no penalty will be imposed for this trial. This trial will also be applied concurrently with trials after the ‘twenty-sixth’, and will automatically end when the S-rank Outbreak ends, regardless of the success result.』

『Reward: ??』

The familiar voice that rang out just in time.

At the content, which was a completely different pattern from before, Kang San’s face was stained with bewilderment.