Crack. Raon gritted his teeth to suppress the rage that was about to burst forth upon seeing a priest who looked exactly like Derus Robert.
-You fool!
Wrath slapped his back with an open palm as if asking what he was doing.
-Are you going to ruin everything here! Endure it!
The guy even shouted right into his ear, telling him to get a grip.
'I know too.'
Raon nodded. If he had gotten just a little more excited, he would have almost revealed his identity on the spot. He thought he possessed both human emotions and an assassin's coldness, but it seemed even he found it hard to endure in front of Derus Robert.
'And...'
He exhaled briefly and looked at the priest with Derus's face with clear eyes.
'That guy isn't Derus Robert.'
He looked exactly like Derus Robert and even had his aura, but that wasn't him.
'It's probably something like a clone.'
Derus couldn't even trust the Archangel's barrier, so he had certainly created his own clone in this most important temple to conduct final verification.
'I thought it couldn't be...'
Raon felt that Derus Robert still didn't trust others just like in the old days, and chuckled.
'To think he wouldn't even trust the Archangel.'
It was one thing to not trust his own subordinates, but he didn't expect him not to trust even the Archangels who transcended humanity. He was someone to be admired in a bad way.
"Sir Zilfen?"
Charlie approached Raon, who had frozen while opening the door.
"Aren't you going in?"
He tilted his head curiously, wondering why Raon had stopped.
"..."
The priest with Derus's face was also narrowing his eyes as if finding himself strange.
"I was looking because I wondered what kind of man could look so pretty."
Raon frowned while looking at the priest with Derus's face.
"What an annoying face!"
Derus Robert was originally elderly, but he had the face of a beautiful young man that would make one gasp in admiration, so it wasn't particularly strange words.
"Ah, that's right!"
Charlie clapped loudly as if he understood.
"Priest Srude's face is famous here too. I was surprised at first as well."
He nodded, saying that priest's appearance was the best in heaven.
"I'm so annoyed I want to leave right now."
Raon felt the suspicion directed at him wash away instantly as he entered the temple.
-To act jealousy so naturally like this.
Wrath let out a hollow laugh as if dumbfounded.
-It's amazing that the guy who cares least about appearance could do this.
He blinked, wondering how he could act like that.
'I don't get jealous, but I've seen it done a lot.'
As Wrath said, he didn't place much interest in appearance. However, there were so many people around him who were jealous and envious of his looks that he could act naturally.
"Don't be like that. He's a good person."
Charlie shook his head, saying the priest named Srude with Derus's face was one of the few good people in this heaven.
"Srude..."
Raon sneered inwardly.
'He reversed the name. He's not thorough in this aspect either.'
Srude was just a name with Derus's spelling reversed. Even Derus wasn't always sharp as a blade. (E/N: S-ru-de. De-Ru-s)
'Well, there's probably no one here who knows that face anyway.'
The current Derus Robert had abandoned his humanity, and even the wrinkles and blemishes he showed before had disappeared, leaving him with the face of a handsome man in his twenties.
Even someone who had seen Sky Sword Saint Derus from the Six Kings and Five Demons era would never recognize the current Derus.
"What brings you to the temple?"
Priest Srude smiled gently and bowed his head. Even his voice was exactly like Derus's, so he had to forcibly suppress the strength trying to enter his hands.
"I came to offer my desires."
Raon stared intently at Srude's face. He bit his lips with an expression that showed he didn't like the pretty appearance.
"You're a new believer. Welcome."
Priest Srude welcomed him with a warm smile even though Raon was openly showing his dislike.
"Really, why are you being like this!"
Charlie raised both hands to block Raon's front, as if begging him to calm down.
"A man's jealousy is unsightly! And over appearance at that!"
He deeply furrowed his eyebrows as if it was ugly.
"Jealousy my ass! Don't talk nonsense!"
Raon shouted that it wasn't like that and pushed Charlie away.
'This aspect is exactly like Derus too.'
Derus from the Six Kings and Five Demons era also hated all humans inwardly while always showing a smiling, benevolent appearance outwardly. Befitting his clone, Priest Srude also seemed to be acting a kind personality on the surface.
'Still, thanks to Charlie stepping forward, it passed easily.'
Charlie made a fuss beside him, so the suspicion that had bloomed when he first hesitated subsided. When he left this place after achieving his purpose later, he would have to give him some kind of reward.
"Believer Charlie. You've brought an interesting person."
Srude showed Charlie a gentle smile as if it was fine.
"I, I've only come once, but you remembered my name?"
Charlie gaped while looking at Srude.
"Of course. I remember everyone who comes here."
Srude nodded as if it was natural.
"As expected, Priest Srude is different..."
Charlie clasped his hands together as if moved.
"I'm sorry about this person's behavior. His personality is a bit not good."
He bowed deeply, saying he would apologize on Raon's behalf.
"Why are you apologizing! I didn't do anything wrong!"
Raon roughly kicked Charlie's butt.
"Ugh!"
Charlie sat down on the spot while clutching his butt.
"You must be Believer Zilfen, right? I've heard your name since you've been making remarkable achievements since arriving in Heaven."
Priest Srude helped the fallen Charlie up while drawing a gentle smile.
"As I said, I came to offer my desires. Don't make me wait, just process it quickly."
Raon jerked his chin toward Srude. Since it had come to this, it seemed better to act arrogantly as he had been showing recently.
"Of course. I can process it right away. However, before that..."
Priest Srude narrowed his eyes as thin as thread.
"I need to hear what you want."
He leaned his upper body slightly forward as if asking what he would gain by offering his desires.
"What can you do?"
Raon asked Priest Srude in return.
"Anything. I can kill people, make you rich, or make you young. If there's enough desire, any wish is possible."
Priest Srude warmly smiled while mentioning the chilling words about killing people for the first time, contrary to his beautiful face.
"Then what about those building those towers?"
Raon frowned while looking at the several towers visible outside the temple.
"Those are towers built for greater wishes. They're towers of desire trying to meet God's messenger and achieve wishes that are normally absolutely impossible."
Priest Srude smiled, calling the towers trying to reach heaven towers of desire like the Tower of Babel.
"Reviving the dead, becoming a Transcendent, becoming the world's richest person. Or even beast-like wishes too vile to speak of."
He gently nodded as if he knew all the wishes of those building towers.
"So..."
Priest Srude looked at Raon again and curled up the corners of his mouth.
"What is your wish, believer?"
"...To become a Transcendent."
Raon paused briefly then clenched his fist.
"If I have power, I can get money, food, women, everything! I'll become a Transcendent and melt those who ignored and looked down on me into a handful of blood. I can do anything for that!"
He revealed the authorities of Greed and Gluttony while creating chillingly cold eyes. However, contrary to his outward appearance, his inner self was more calm than ever.
'This is right.'
He had always shown a tendency to desire and pursue power in a chaotic manner. Rather than revealing shallow desires, it was best to openly display his longing for absolute power.
"A Transcendent..."
Priest Srude looked down while stroking his smooth chin.
"It's easy, but also not so easy."
He chattered cryptic words while laughing.
"What kind of bullshit is that?"
Raon deeply frowned.
"Our god could grant such a wish without difficulty."
Priest Srude spread both arms and pointed to the god in the form of an Archangel erected behind him.
"However, your current level of martial prowess isn't even at the Master level. You'd need to leap dozens of steps beyond that, requiring an immense amount of desire. You'd have to build a tower that reaches the heavens, just like them, to achieve it."
He nodded, saying that desires must be offered to build a tower.
"If I can just become a Transcendent, I can do that much!"
Raon revealed his greed more intensely and bared his teeth in a smile.
"Good."
Priest Srude smiled brightly and spread both hands toward Raon.
"Hold my hands and transfer the desires you possess. According to that amount, your tower will be built in heaven."
He exhaled coolly, saying that when the tower becomes high enough to reach heaven, an Archangel would descend and grant the wish.
"Good!"
Raon nodded confidently and grasped Priest Srude's hands.
'From here is important.'
If it was the Derus Robert he knew, he would try to find spies even through this current stage of offering desires. He operated the Ring of Fire to its extreme so his inner thoughts wouldn't be discovered.
"I'll begin."
When Priest Srude said he would begin, he felt the desires dwelling in his soul being naturally sucked out. However, that wasn't all. Ssssss. A very secretive aura dug in from Priest Srude's hands and began to scan through his soul.
It seemed like he wasn't grasping desires, but trying to examine the state of his soul and Mental Image.
'As expected.'
Raon felt his prediction was correct and sneered inwardly.
'It's not even Derus himself, so I can easily deceive a clone.'
The Ring of Fire rotated and created a fake shell at the edge of his soul that only possessed the will to become stronger. Sssss! The sinister aura sent by Priest Srude only read the newly created shell before slipping out of his body like an eel.
"I can feel the longing to become stronger. God will know that heart as well."
When Priest Srude nodded largely as if he had passed the test, a thunderous roar like the earth splitting burst from outside.
"Wh, what..."
Charlie was terrified and bent his waist while holding his head.
"There's no need to be surprised."
When Priest Srude smiled gently and pointed to the side, a new tower had risen with a gray dust storm.
"That tower holds Zilfen's desires. Impressive, isn't it?"
He raised his hand, saying the gray sparkling tower was Raon's.
"It's low."
Raon frowned while looking at the newly born gray tower.
'At that rate, it would be hard to reach heaven even after a year.'
He thought he had gathered quite a lot of desires, but it was much lower than expected. With normal methods, it seemed absolutely impossible to reach heaven within a year.
"It's still low, but if you continue like this, you should be able to reach heaven within a few years."
Priest Srude let go of Raon's hands and bowed deeply as if asking for his continued support.
"A few years? Don't talk nonsense."
Raon snorted while looking at the back of Priest Srude's head.
"In a few years, the bastards I need to take revenge on might die! I don't have time to wait like that!"
He shook his head vigorously, saying he couldn't wait several years.
"Then what are you going to do! You can't steal other towers at this point. Just calmly gathering desires..."
"Steal?"
Raon repeated Charlie's words while looking at other people's towers trying to reach heaven.
"You said those towers are condensations of desire, right? Then..."
He curled up his lips while revealing Greed's avarice as it was.
"I can steal towers through life-or-death duels!"