Kraaaak!
A massive blaze erupted from Gehenna’s body. In that instant, the eyes that had been watching the trapped Evil God—helpless in delicate hands—shifted completely. Gone was the casual, almost lazy indifference, gone the condescending disdain. Only a blind, explosive murderous intent remained.
Moments later, the towering flames gradually transformed into a misty cloud, swirling and coiling around Gehenna’s right arm. The overwhelming pressure radiating from this supreme being was so intense that the Evil God couldn’t utter a sound.
Then, with a fist clenched, Gehenna lightly extended her hand as if delivering an uppercut.
But the impact was anything but light.
KRAAANG!
The deafening blast shook the surroundings as if a hundred landmines had detonated simultaneously. The Evil God’s massive form was hurled through the air, crashing into the wall. The collision shattered the wall, and the body tumbled across the floor before finally coming to a stop. At the center of the Evil God’s torso was a gaping hole, from which thick black smoke poured out like flowing blood.
“Hoh, self-regeneration, is it? So that smoke is generated from within. Truly an audacious creature.”
Her voice was a perfect blend of awe and scorn.
—Kraaargh!
The enraged Evil God howled. But as it struggled to rise from the rubble, it was met with a sudden burst of blazing flames right before its eyes.
Szzzt!
It wasn’t the sound of something exploding, but of something tearing apart. The fiery light tore through the black smoke, penetrating inside. Then, as if having fulfilled its purpose, it exploded freely.
Boom!
With the blast, the Evil God’s head snapped back violently.
The problem was, there wasn’t just one beam of light.
Starting with the lead, dozens of crimson streaks shot out like comets, trailing long tails behind them. The Evil God hastily curled up to defend itself, but the infernal flames tore through its entire body mercilessly, exploding everywhere.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The tremendous explosions erupted all over the Evil God’s body. Though the chain reaction caused a slight delay between blasts, that only made the pain worse. Even setting aside the shredded, ragged state of its body, the infernal flames spreading inside continued to burn relentlessly.
Sssssssssss!
—Graaaargh, graaaargh!
The black smoke burned away like drying water, resembling the corrosive decay of metal touched by poison. The agony was so intense that the Evil God battered itself repeatedly in desperation.
Gehenna was already seated in midair, gazing at the Evil God with a cruel smile.
“Hmm.”
Suddenly, her right leg stretched upward, then folded neatly over her left thigh. Her raised left hand rested gently under her chin. The way she calmly admired her handiwork radiated a captivating, paradoxical beauty—both alluring and deadly.
After watching for a while, Gehenna moved her hands with the grace of a symphony conductor. The infernal flames that had roared to life split into two dancing streams, tracing graceful arcs as they enveloped the fallen Evil God. The blazing fire looked like the gaping jaws of a beast.
“Well? Feeling a bit more lucid now? Then why not kneel and bow your head?”
Gehenna spoke magnanimously to the Evil God, mercilessly devoured by the flames.
—Grrrkkk, Kraaargh!
But the Evil God, writhing in agony, let out a fierce roar. Perhaps it was a desperate scream born of pain. Of course, Gehenna refused to interpret it that way. Instead, the smile on her lips deepened.
“I see. Then I’ll take that as a refusal.”
Snap!
Gehenna flicked her fingers lightly, and the final flames descended like a long-awaited execution. The Evil God emitted black smoke in a futile attempt to protect itself, but it was useless. The infernal fire consumed the smoke at an incredible speed, ravenously devouring the Evil God.
Feeling it was over, Gehenna let out a long sigh. Then, suddenly, she flinched and scrunched her face. But she quickly recovered and lightly leapt down from the air. Was she experiencing labor pains? Gehenna’s left hand gently caressed her rounded belly.
“Yes, yes. This foolish mother has seen some terrible things. But don’t be too harsh on me. It’ll be over soon.”
Her sweet voice soothed the moment as she smiled and took a few steps forward.
Then—
Rustle!
“!”
Before she could take more than a few steps, Gehenna stopped at the sound. Her eyes sharpened instantly, her crimson irises locking onto the source.
The aftereffects of the summoning had barely settled. Through the flickering flames, a dark figure staggered forward. Gehenna, ready to intercept, widened her eyes in shock as the figure’s identity became clear.
“Ah…”
The exclamation was tinged with a strange, bittersweet emotion.
The infernal flames in her right hand faded like a punctured balloon, and disbelief spread across her murderous gaze like spilled paint.
The newcomer was just as stunned.
“How is this possible…?”
Kim Suhyun, face stained with blood, looked around in disbelief. Seeing Gehenna standing alone amid the ruins, the pain etched on his face vanished, and the hand resting weakly on his right shoulder dropped.
Their vacant eyes met in midair, fate intertwining them.
At last, the two had miraculously reunited—at a place no one expected, by a means no one could have imagined.
“…Gehenna?”
Kim Suhyun barely managed to squeeze out her name, looking at her face.
“You…”
The Evil God’s voice was vacant, as if completely forgotten.
Gehenna closed her eyes tightly, unable to believe the situation.
“……”
Her eyelids trembled for a long moment.
After a brief pause, she gasped sharply, then slowly opened her eyes. Seeing Kim Suhyun still standing there, certainty and joy finally blossomed in her gaze.
Tap, tap!
Suddenly, Gehenna’s body moved as if drawn forward. Her lightly teasing steps quickened. She said nothing, simply running toward Kim Suhyun and standing face to face. In the blink of an eye, the distance between them closed until their breaths mingled.
And then—
“Kim Suhyun…!”
Gehenna collapsed into his arms, clutching his neck tightly. The sharp scent of blood mixed with heat. While Kim Suhyun stood frozen, still dazed, Gehenna buried her face in his chest, wearing the happiest smile she’d ever had.
After a moment, she glanced up slyly and raised a hand.
“You look like a fool. Snap out of it.”
She lightly slapped his cheek with a sharp smack.
“Ugh.”
Startled, Kim Suhyun finally exhaled the breath he’d been holding and gripped Gehenna’s shoulders tightly.
“Gehenna? Gehenna!”
Without realizing it, he cupped the back of her neck and lowered his eyes, repeating her name. Gehenna’s eyes flickered once—deep, sorrowful, and profound, like a flickering candle.
“If this is a dream…”
Her voice was soft, dreamlike.
“I will destroy this entire world. So please tell me it’s not a dream. Hurry.”
Her baseless threat was followed by a plea, but Kim Suhyun didn’t flinch.
His gaze slowly drifted down from her crown to her swollen belly. Noticing his stare, Gehenna quickly lowered her hand from her neck and shyly covered her navel with her palm. But when Kim Suhyun reached out, she relaxed her grip.
“It’s almost time. The baby will be born soon.”
“Huh? What?”
“Ah, come on. Don’t make me say it twice. Isn’t it embarrassing? Soon, soon the baby… that is, the fruit of you and me…”
“……”
Blushing deeply, Gehenna bowed her head and murmured softly. Kim Suhyun’s mouth fell open, but then he shook his head vigorously.
“What happened? Why are you here…?”
Finally, the essential question.
But the one asking was the wrong person. After all, Gehenna herself had been summoned, not the one doing the summoning.
“Well, I don’t know either. Suddenly, a magic circle swallowed me and sent me somewhere, and then some dark-skinned guy…”
“Dark-skinned guy…? Ah!”
It was at that moment. The two—man and woman—who had been chatting quietly both flinched and turned their heads toward the same direction. Akshin’s thoughts caught up a moment too late, but Kim Suhyun, looking straight ahead, was struck dumb a second time.
Just moments ago, Akshin had been a force of overwhelming power. After saving Cha Sorim from near death, Kim Suhyun had quietly resolved to accept death himself. Not only had his magical energy been completely drained, but there seemed no solution in sight beyond his pyrokinesis.
And yet.
Here he was.
That very Akshin was crawling on the ground like a lowly insect. His body was riddled with holes, tattered like Swiss cheese, but he was struggling with all his might to lift himself up.
“Hmph. So he really is the son of Thanatos. Quite the grit, isn’t he?”
—Grrrkk, grrrkk!
As Gehenna sneered, Akshin, barely managing to rise, summoned every ounce of strength to exhale a thin plume of smoke. He wasn’t about to go down without a fight. The dark smoke surged forward desperately. Gehenna scoffed and leisurely raised a hand.
Then, suddenly—
“No! Gehenna!”
Kim Suhyun lunged forward and grabbed Gehenna in an embrace.
“W-what?”
This time, it was Gehenna’s turn to be caught off guard. Even putting aside the timing, she never expected this. And since Kim Suhyun clung to her as if his life depended on it, she had no choice but to stay still.
Bang!
Akshin’s attack struck squarely into Kim Suhyun’s back, and the two were thrown backward by the impact. Even then, Kim Suhyun’s full attention was on protecting Gehenna.
“W-why all of a sudden…?”
Gehenna, lying down relatively unharmed, asked in a puzzled voice. But she quickly fell silent when she saw the pain etched across Kim Suhyun’s face. His entire face was smeared with blood. It was obvious who was responsible.
“That bastard…!”
The sound of teeth grinding was fierce and chilling. There was now one more reason for Akshin to die: the crime of attempting to assassinate the king—and the crime of trying to kill his own father.
“Step aside! I’m going to finish him right now…!”
“Gehenna, are you okay?”
But Gehenna had to cut him off again. She looked down and wore a grim expression. She saw Kim Suhyun protectively clutching his abdomen.
In that fleeting moment, Gehenna understood why Kim Suhyun had acted that way. Thinking about it, it wasn’t so hard to understand. If there was maternal instinct, there had to be paternal instinct as well.
‘You too… our child…’
At that thought, an emotion—whether sorrow long held back or something like awe—swelled in Gehenna’s chest like a balloon.
It was a strange realization, but Gehenna had lived alone for thousands of years. She had never known a man before, and Kim Suhyun was her first.
“That damn bastard…!”
Kim Suhyun rose, trembling with rage. The sight felt strangely fresh. Even though his body twisted in pain, it was a strangely pleasant, almost mysterious feeling.
Was it because of that?
Or was there some other reason?
No one could say whether it was sorrow, a desire to feel more of the current emotions, an instinct to be protected, or the awakening of a woman’s longing to lean on a man.
While Kim Suhyun faced forward, Gehenna lightly scratched her own belly. The skin was slightly scraped, but it was only a tiny scratch—no blood at all.
“Ah~.”
A painfully awkward moan followed.
But it was enough to make Kim Suhyun turn back with a worried look.
“What’s wrong?”
Gehenna tilted her head at a 45-degree angle and placed a hand on her abdomen. It didn’t take long for Kim Suhyun to spot the small wound near her navel.
“Just… a little slip-up.”
“A slip-up?”
“He’s tougher than I thought.”
“…!”
At that moment, Kim Suhyun’s eyes blazed with fire.
If Akshin had any shred of reason left, he would have stomped the ground in frustration, feeling wronged. Who was it that suddenly appeared and pierced his chest? Who was it that infiltrated his insides with combustion magic, causing him to explode? Who was it that was still writhing in agony as his entire body was consumed by fire?
But—
Fwooshhh!
Unfortunately, Kim Suhyun fully answered Gehenna’s unspoken wish. Suddenly, pure flames erupted from his entire body like a fountain. Even his wings caught fire, resembling those of a phoenix. His pyrokinesis had finally activated.
In this moment, Kim Suhyun could stand toe-to-toe with Gehenna. Even if only for five minutes.
Thud!
The sound of his foot striking the ground echoed. The space around them rippled and warped, and dozens—no, hundreds—of fiery swords materialized at incredible speed, radiating brilliant light.
A moment later—
“I’ll be back within five minutes.”
Kim Suhyun shot forward like an arrow, surrounded by the blazing swords.
Before the dazzling spectacle of fire, Gehenna straightened her posture. Her eyes sparkled like a girl in love, never leaving Kim Suhyun’s figure. She simply stared in awe, mouth slightly open.
“Suna, Suna. That man is your father. Watch him closely now.”
Did the unborn child understand her words?
Thump, thump.
Amazingly, Gehenna felt the tiny, adorable kicks of little feet against her belly.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Royujin: …So, please keep pushing Kim Suhyun to his limits. But don’t kill him, okay? Just enough to keep things interesting…
Akshin: Hey, I like that! Is this the first time—or second?—I get to really beat up the protagonist? Sounds great! I’m excited!
Royujin: Please, just don’t overdo it.
Akshin: Haha! By the way, Gehenna shows up later and Kim Suhyun uses his pyrokinesis, right? So what happens to me after that?
Royujin: You’ll get hit even harder. Gehenna will tear you apart, and Kim Suhyun will land a decisive blow. We have to consider the GP system, after all. So get ready to be shredded.
Akshin: Please, take it easy on me.
(This is a parody of an author’s note.)