The temple fell silent again, as if nothing had happened.
The agonized screams, the sound of flesh being torn apart, the eerie laughter, the crunching of bones—all had vanished.
But something had changed.
The refreshing energy was gone, and the fragrant scent no longer lingered.
Instead, a vile aura swelled thickly in the air, accompanied by a pungent, iron-tinged stench of blood that made eyes water.
Amidst the pool of spilled blood, the malevolent god simply watched in silence. This was no lull in the battle—the real fight was only just beginning.
Yet, for some reason, I felt as if we were being observed. Not with the intent to search or attack, but with the curious gaze of a child peering at a toy through a window. It was not a friendly look.
Hwa-jeong’s voice cut through the stillness, more serious than I’d ever heard it before. I’d only heard her tone this low once before—right before Atlanta.
I knew that much. Sure, we were startled to find a woman dead the moment we entered, but the reason we couldn’t move wasn’t because we’d witnessed a brutal murder. It was because of the overwhelming presence that felt like it could crush our hearts in an instant.
My body felt unbearably heavy. Even breathing was a struggle. The hand gripping my sword trembled slightly. I wasn’t alone—everyone was feeling the same. The malevolent energy pouring down on us was so thick it pressed us all down like a suffocating weight.
Then Hwa-jeong continued.
‘Someone from outside interfered?’
‘…’
She trailed off, but I knew what she meant.
Focus on staying alive.
But the hesitation in her voice meant…
It was the same choice as before.
‘Live…’
Suddenly, a thought struck me. Neither Hyung nor Han So-young were here. If I wanted, I could use the thirteen others as bait and escape.
It would hurt, but maybe surviving to fight another day was the right call.
But then,
‘I want to save her.’
Without realizing it, my answer was the opposite.
Why? Why did I think that way?
Hwa-jeong’s words were simple but hit hard. She always said not to use Flame Transformation—it would cut your lifespan down to five minutes the moment you did.
In other words, death was already a foregone conclusion.
‘Tell them to run?’
‘But…’
‘…’
Her words were harsh but undeniably true.
I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. Right now, we could barely hold the god’s ankle. For a test of new equipment, this was a cruel trial.
At that moment, Hwa-jeong’s shout triggered my instincts, and I took a defensive stance.
In a split second, I caught sight of the god’s body trembling slightly.
“Aegis System!”
Baek Han-gyeol’s tense voice rang out.
Suddenly, a black shape collided silently with a white hexagonal shield.
Kraang!
Clang!
The deafening roar and shattering glass overlapped.
Then,
“Gaaah!”
A scream of pain followed. I spun around just in time to see Baek Han-gyeol flying through the air, his waist bent in half.
“Baek…!”
He crashed against the wall with such force it cracked.
“Ugh!”
He vomited blood mixed with debris—proof that his insides were in turmoil. After coughing up more blood, he collapsed.
He wasn’t dead, but he looked dangerously close. He didn’t move anymore.
In a single blow—or rather, a blow that barely felt like one—Baek Han-gyeol was left groggy.
“Han-gyeol…!”
“W-what…!”
He finally snapped out of it, shouting and groaning.
Meanwhile, I quietly watched An Sol rush forward.
Something was off.
I should have been angry, but instead, my mind felt strangely cold and clear.
Right. The god was finally showing signs of movement. That last attack might have been a mere greeting.
Though I felt like I might falter, I forced myself to stay calm and placed a hand on Nam Da-eun’s shoulder armor.
“User Nam Da-eun.”
Startled, she looked at me. Her usual cold expression masked the trembling of her lips.
I didn’t think she was pathetic. Any normal user would have run long ago. Besides, I didn’t know what to do either—what chance did others have?
“I’m giving an order. From now on, you’re responsible for leading the remaining members out of the battlefield.”
“…What? What do you mean…!”
“You’re just in the way.”
“…!”
Nam Da-eun opened her mouth to protest but I cut her off. Her wide eyes blinked rapidly, as if she had a lot to say but no words.
I knew it was sudden, but this wasn’t the time for discussion. The god was slowly starting to move.
If we stayed still, we’d die. Even if not me, someone would fall. Before that happened, I had to draw its attention to myself.
With that thought, I raised my mana. Combining my internal flow with the armor’s effect, my mana flow speed was 4.5 times normal. Still, the heavy sensation didn’t fade. I couldn’t fully overcome the god’s oppressive presence.
Then, suddenly, a hot energy radiated from my chest. Hwa-jeong was sending me power.
Just like when we faced Gehenna.
“Then, I’m counting on you.”
With those words, I started running forward.
“C-Clan Lord!”
Nam Da-eun’s voice rang out a beat late, grabbing my arm.
The situation was dire. The god’s form was blurry and indistinct. We couldn’t predict how it would attack. The only thing we knew was that when Baek Han-gyeol was struck, the attack was incredibly fast and silent. Information was scarce.
So I adjusted my speed accordingly.
First, I had to learn.
The god, who had been leisurely advancing, hesitated when it saw me, then suddenly burst into a grotesque laugh.
That was when—
“Left!”
A long, black smoke-like thing shot out like a snake, sweeping toward me. No sound, just like before. Hwa-jeong’s warning was right—it came from the left. So that must be its right arm?
Though brief, I found myself oddly grateful to Gehenna. The speed was close to swift, but not as fast or fierce as Gehenna’s attacks. My experience fighting the Hell Great Duke steadied my wavering mind.
In a flash, I slipped inside the attack’s arc, grazing it, then spun my body and swung my blade wide. The rotating edge—
“What?”
What was that? Why did I feel nothing?
My blade passed through the smoke aimlessly. It slipped out too easily, which felt strange.
Then,
“Left! Dodge!”
I felt something brush past me. Reflexively, I tried to use the Transformed Phantom Shift—
Vwoom!
Kraang!
My balance suddenly shifted sharply to the right, and my vision tilted wildly. Without realizing it, the world before me was stained red, and my body slid like on a slide toward the right.
“Ah…!”
Crash!
I hit something, and shattered ice-like debris rained down.
Only then did I realize I’d slammed into the right wall.
Regaining my senses, I looked around. The surroundings were shattered beyond recognition. Yet strangely, I felt no pain anywhere.
“This is…”
A whisper escaped my lips.
A red veil stained my vision. A significant amount of mana had been consumed.
…At least Gehenna’s protective orb had shielded me.
Dazed, I glanced left and saw the god still watching me. The attack I’d grazed was still extended. But if it was a right arm or a kick, I might understand. I was definitely hit from the left.
Then…
How exactly was I struck?
“…”
Suddenly, my mind went blank.
A crackling, noise-filled roar echoed through the darkness.
“My goodness! This is incredible!”
In the dimly lit room, Lucifer suddenly gasped in surprise as he watched the footage. His eyes, wide as lanterns, shone with genuine amazement. As if witnessing something completely unexpected, he clasped his hands together and stared at the screen with intense fascination.
“So they can twist space like that, teleporting to attack? Is that even possible? No, there’s no way I could block that.”
Lucifer kept voicing his disbelief and admiration, then abruptly stood up, shaking his head.
“Kim Soo-hyun isn’t even the real problem here. At this level, Proserpina was actually the easy part. Honestly… it’s astonishing.”
He lavished praise after praise.
Then, chuckling softly, Lucifer glanced to his side. Though the space was empty—nothing but darkness—he wore a satisfied smile.
“Don’t you agree, Satan?”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
The Evil God hasn’t even unleashed his full power yet.
To be honest, he’s basically just playing around.
Of course, if Kim Soo-hyun uses Flame Control, that changes things, but for now, the balance is overwhelmingly in his favor.
Granted, the Evil God is weaker than Gehenna, but there’s a difference between the two.
If you consider how each of them treats Kim Soo-hyun, you’ll understand not only that difference but also the current situation. :)