The Fall of a False Saint [Western Fantasy]

North of Kriya stood a splendid temple, and within it lived a perfect saint.

Gentle, kind, and ever compassionate.

Hillier.

For a long time, his people praised him, heroes revered him, and even the God of Light bestowed glory upon him. He had extraordinary talent and was a genius whom everyone admired.

But there were geniuses above geniuses.

Hillier could not endure that, no matter what.

To grow stronger, he stopped at nothing.

He studied dark magic, growing powerful at a frightening pace through twisted means.

That still wasn’t enough. Whenever someone around him showed talent that might surpass his, Hillier grew jealous, terribly jealous. He would do whatever it took to make them leave, or put them under his command and keep them under constant watch. Every day, every moment, his gaze followed everyone closely.

For this, he sank ever deeper into darkness.

The saint’s position beneath the God of Light must never change. He would give anything to ensure it.

No matter what it was, no matter what it took.

-

The saint’s contact with and study of dark magic was eventually exposed. What’s more, he had grown close to people from the Dark Temple.

The fanatical followers of the God of Light would not tolerate even the slightest trace of darkness, and soon he was led to the gallows.

He was doomed.

Hillier smiled bitterly.

Yet as the flames slowly began to rise, several people rushed forward.

The head of the knight order he had wronged, the chosen hero he had wronged, the high priest he had wronged, his adoptive father he had wronged, and all the others he had wronged...

Hillier: “...”

This is bad...

Being rescued by these people was worse than dying on the gallows.

He could already imagine the torment that awaited him.

A series of 1v1 pairings

Theme: The pursuit of strength never ends