It happened in that moment.
My vision was flooded with a blinding white light.
‘…….’
Every sensation coursing through my body slowed down, each one dragging out in slow motion.
I gently closed my eyes.
Suddenly, a memory from the old pit surfaced in my mind.
“Ansol. Miracles… they exist, right?”
At my question,
“N-no! I don’t want that! Not here, not here…!”
Ansol had answered like that.
“Then… could it be that Ansol foresaw all this from the start?”
Given the circumstances, I could only think so. Otherwise, there’s no way she could have used a miracle at such perfect timing.
I felt a mix of surprise, but above all, relief washed over me. As my life raced toward its end, without that miracle, the Hell Duke would have broken through the red barrier. I didn’t even want to imagine what would have happened after that.
“So then…”
After a moment, the light began to fade.
I slowly opened my eyes and took in the changed scene once more.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
The shrinking space suddenly yawned wide again.
The reddish glow regained its original brilliance.
The Hell Duke clung to the torn space, twisting its body and screaming in agony.
Meanwhile, Helena had regained her full form, but was flickering in and out of visibility again.
Only now did I understand why Ansol had thanked Helena—and why she had apologized.
Ansol had clearly used the miracle to replenish the lacking sacrifice. In other words, she had restored Helena just to use her again as a sacrifice.
Yet Helena seemed unfazed, merely sighing in relief like I did, her expression settling back into calm.
…All of this unfolded slowly, painfully slowly, before my eyes.
It felt as if my pupils were cameras filming in slow motion.
As if I alone were detached from the world, watching this disaster unfold from afar.
The panoramic scene streaming in left me with an odd, uneasy feeling.
I didn’t know why. The only thing I could pinpoint was that death was creeping closer to me, too.
“Does that mean… I’m about to see my life flash before my eyes?”
A silly thought, but I knew my condition best. Strictly speaking, I still had just enough strength left to move once or twice. Thanks to the treatment, my body wasn’t in terrible shape, and if needed, I could still draw on Hwajeong’s power.
But no matter what, a life once burned out cannot be rekindled. From the moment my flame faded, my vitality was completely drained. The only hope had been Ansol’s miracle—but even that was used to send the Hell Duke back.
Still, I didn’t think that was a mistake. Even if Ansol had restored my life with a miracle, there was no guarantee I could handle the Hell Duke breaking through the barrier. So Ansol had made the most rational choice in this situation.
…Yeah. Now all that’s left is to accept death on my own.
“No, no, no, no! How long have I searched? How long?! And now I’ve finally found it!”
The Hell Duke’s screams continued. I didn’t understand the words, but the cries now sounded almost sorrowful, ringing sharply in my ears.
I stared blankly, noticing how it was swallowed up to its chest. It seemed even the Hell Duke hadn’t expected a miracle.
“Is this… really the end…?”
I stood dazed, letting out a soft breath. If time allowed, I wanted to see the faces of those I cared about one last time. Just as I was about to turn around—
“No! I can’t go back like this! If it comes to this…!”
Suddenly, the Hell Duke let out a desperate roar. At the same moment, I instinctively glanced back.
Its face twisted in fury, the Hell Duke violently shook its right arm, as if squeezing out its last ounce of strength.
“I will never give up!”
With that cry, twin fiery whips shot across the distance toward me, aiming to engulf me in a single strike.
At that moment—
‘……!’
My mind went blank. Instinctively, I moved.
Whirl!
I twisted my body reflexively, and the twin whips barely grazed past me.
It was all thanks to the painfully slow flow of time I’d been experiencing since earlier that I could react in time.
Thwack!
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
Though I dodged by sheer luck, a chill ran down my spine. My eyes widened—not out of fear of the Hell Duke’s last desperate attack.
It was because of the faint screams that came from right behind me. Not one, but two voices.
Before I could even wonder what was happening, it was already underway.
At last, the Hell Duke’s head was swallowed by the space. But its outstretched right arm still gripped the taut fiery whip. As that arm was pulled in, two figures brushed past me and were dragged forward.
“O-oppa!”
Kim Hanbyul reached out desperately with her right hand, her left arm entangled in the fiery whip, calling out to me.
“Ah, ah…?!”
Han Soyoung stared blankly at me, her right arm also caught in the whip.
In other words, Kim Hanbyul and Han Soyoung were being pulled into the barrier.
The moment I saw that, my breath caught and a wave of dizziness hit me.
Because I dodged, those two were caught instead.
The two women struggled fiercely, kicking and fighting back, but it was futile. The fiery strands of the Hell Duke’s flames wouldn’t break so easily.
No, no. There was no time. They had already crossed the red barrier and were inside. It wasn’t a matter of melting away anymore. If they were dragged in like this, it was certain they’d be swallowed by that space.
In a split second, I summoned every last ounce of strength I had left. Without hesitation, I leapt into the red barrier myself.
“Suhyun!”
I heard my brother’s shout, but I had no time to look back. Right now, I could only save one person. Any delay would mean losing even that chance.
Suddenly, my vision deepened into a crimson hue, and I saw the two women staring at me in shock.
But just as I was about to push off the ground again, a flood of conflicting emotions overwhelmed me.
To the left:
Kim Hanbyul, reaching out, calling to me desperately.
To the right:
Han Soyoung, gazing at me with tender eyes.
‘Who… should I choose?’
That question vanished almost immediately. I hadn’t consciously decided.
But as the two women neared the torn space, my body moved on its own.
In the end, I turned away from Kim Hanbyul and pushed off the ground with all my might toward the right. I grabbed Han Soyoung, who was close by, and swung my hand toward the fiery whip entangling her arm. The whip scattered in response to Hwajeong’s power.
After that, I wasted no time and shoved Han Soyoung forcefully backward.
“Mercenary Road!”
I heard Han Soyoung call out to me, but there was nothing I could do. If I stayed any longer, both of them would be consumed—and besides, there was still…
“Oppa…”
Suddenly, I heard Kim Hanbyul’s faint voice. When I met her dazed eyes, my whole body stiffened.
Even though I had turned away, Kim Hanbyul was still looking at me. Her vacant gaze held no trace of resentment. Nor was there anger.
But… why did she look so sorrowful?
That moment was brief.
Starting with her left arm wrapped in the fiery whip, Kim Hanbyul flowed into the hole like water. Only her outstretched right arm, still reaching toward me, remained visible for a moment.
“Ah…”
Time suddenly stopped. Everything froze in place.
Memories from just a few hours ago flooded my mind.
‘So… I think I love you.’
‘No, I love you.’
Kim Hanbyul had told me she loved me.
‘Yes. I love you, oppa.’
‘I’ve loved you since the first time I saw you at the rite of passage.’
And I…
‘You’re probably wondering why I’m saying this all of a sudden…’
‘Because… if not now, I might never get the chance again.’
I…!
“Hanbyul…!”
By the time I came to my senses, my legs were already pounding the ground like mad.
The space rushed toward me faster than I expected, and my arm stretched out against my will.
“Kim Hanbyul!”
I grabbed her palm with all my strength—her hand was all that remained…!
That was the moment.
Whoooosh!
A sudden, sharp pull at my core, and the space mercilessly swallowed me. A sensation of endless falling overwhelmed me.
And then, moments later—
‘Where is this…?’
Before me, a vast cosmos unfolded.
Indescribable sensations swept over my body. My vision darkened as if sinking into a deathly swamp, and the consciousness I clung to began to fade.
The only thing I could clearly feel was Hanbyul’s touch in my right hand.
‘What… will become of me now…?’
I never found the answer to that question. I simply closed my eyes.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Hello, this is Royujin.
Ah, with this, I’ve officially wrapped up all the planned (emphasis!) parts of Season 3. Ha ha ha.
While serializing the final Hell Grand Duke arc, the question I got asked the most was this:
“What’s going to happen with the Hell Grand Duke later on?”
I think today’s chapter answers that question to some extent. In other words, Kim Soo-hyun ultimately couldn’t turn his back on Kim Han-byul and chose to fall together with her. That was exactly the ending I had in mind for the last part of Season 3. It all unfolded just as Ansol’s dream had predicted.
Anyway, finishing all the parts like this feels really refreshing. Tonight, I think I’ll just grab a can of KGB beer and sweetly wrap up the day. :)
Alright! Now that all parts of Season 3 are done, I have a few announcements for you, dear readers.
Although Season 3 is officially over, we won’t jump straight into Season 4. Instead, I’ll be serializing a side story related to Season 3. Even though it’s a side story, it’s not completely unrelated to the main plot. The side story will mainly focus on the Hell arc and will revolve around Kim Soo-hyun, Kim Han-byul, and the Hell Grand Duke.
The goals for this side story are fivefold:
A glimpse into the human world after Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Han-byul disappear (just a little bit).
The revival of Kim Soo-hyun, who has exhausted all his life force.
Upgrades for Kim Soo-hyun and his companions (after all, Hell can be seen as a region divided into eight parts, so there should be plenty of mysterious items there).
Kim Soo-hyun’s awakening (which awakening, you ask?) and the second showdown with the Hell Grand Duke.
The return of the king.
Honestly, I debated a lot about including the fourth point. They’ve fought so many times already, and here I am, planning to have them fight again. But after all the times Kim Soo-hyun has been beaten and after losing Helena, he’s bound to seek revenge. So, you can look forward to a really intense revenge arc. Spoiler alert: this time, Kim Soo-hyun wins. He’s going to push the Hell Grand Duke so hard that there won’t be anything left of him. (Where exactly? Well…)
Ahem. Anyway, after finishing this Season 3 side story, I plan to start Season 4, which will contain the conclusion and final chapters.
I’ll be taking a break on August 26th (Tuesday), 27th (Wednesday), and 28th (Thursday), 2014. During that time, I’ll be recharging… no, no, I mean, just quietly resting. The Steel Mountain arc was really tough to write. There were moments when I felt like my writing life was being drained. Honestly, I wouldn’t have made it this far without all of you readers. ㅜ.ㅠ
Anyway, after a good rest for those three days, I’ll resume serialization with the side story on August 29th (Friday), 2014!
That’s all for the important announcements.
And…
For those asking, “When the heck is that (?) coming out?!”
Well, it’s going to be included extensively in the side story and the early part of Season 4. Since we’ve covered so much ground, I plan to give Kim Soo-hyun a bit of a break after the side story. During that downtime, there will be a feast of indulgence…
Anyway, since it’ll appear so often later on, if you find yourself yelling, “Please stop writing so many bed scenes!”—I’m sorry, but I won’t be listening. Nope, not at all~. ( —)
That’s all I have to say for now. Let’s move on to the reader Q&A!
『 Reader Q&A. 』
J.F / Yes, your prediction is correct. If Hwajeong and Hell’s Fear have a power level of 10, then Blue Dahlia would be around 8 to 9. (That’s incredibly high for a human’s power.) This level is manageable in response. One more thing: Blue Dahlia is more of a passive ability.
HerbPia / Your thoughts on how far we’ve come? Well, Korean beef is the best, and the persimmons are crisp, sweet, and delicious!
sennheiser / You can consider it about halfway. Once Season 4 starts and we delve into incidents on other continents, the conclusion might be delayed. I’ll include only the necessary details, but the other continents won’t be explored as thoroughly as the Northern Continent. Originally, even in Atlanta, the demons only have minor skirmishes; the main battle is planned to take place in Terra.
Dimmu / Vivian will go to Magia, and the dragon appears in the finale. In terms of importance, Magia is much more significant since it’s a key stronghold. :)
SuperTechnique / Wow. I was hoping to gloss over that part subtly, but someone caught it exactly. Honestly, I’m itching to explain why Ansol acts that way. But it’s not something I can reveal just yet, so I can only say a little. When Ansol truly rides the razor’s edge, he doesn’t fully remember those moments afterward—only vague memories remain. :)
That’s all for now!