Hundreds of blazing swords struck the evil god’s body all at once.
The searing flashes lit up the entire temple, and soon a roaring noise filled the air as smoke began to burn away. The atmosphere heated rapidly, and the fire demon’s power intensified exponentially, tearing the evil god apart limb by limb.
Fwoooosh!
The explosive light was so overwhelming that I instinctively looked away, even though I had shielded my eyes with magic. It was still too much to bear.
Yet, through it all, I gripped my sword tightly until it threatened to shatter. I didn’t know why, but a surge of anger kept rising inside me.
How could anyone attack a pregnant woman? A woman about to give birth? And that child was mine.
Maybe I was in shock. Until I could utterly destroy that evil god, this burning rage wouldn’t subside.
Gradually, the light began to fade. Determined to finish this once and for all, I soared through the air, raising my sword high. The surging power of the fire spirit wrapped around my blade in spirals.
Though the glow hadn’t completely vanished, I forced my eyes open and looked down.
“Huh?”
Below, the lingering energy of the fire spirit rippled like waves. At its center, tiny embers the size of fists were scattered everywhere.
“…”
For a moment, I couldn’t make sense of what I was seeing.
But as I stared into the dying embers, I couldn’t help but gasp. The black smoke, torn into pieces, was slowly burning away.
“What… how is this possible?”
I frantically scanned the area, but the massive form of the evil god was nowhere to be found.
“D-dead?”
It was unbelievable. Sure, I’d used my flame abilities and unleashed my ultimate move, the blazing sword. But still, the evil god was a deity—far above the fire spirit in power. Since the battle began, I’d been on the receiving end the whole time. This just didn’t add up.
Sigh…
A weary sigh echoed in my mind. Suddenly, I had a strong feeling the fire spirit knew something I didn’t. But I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the ground. I just couldn’t believe it.
Had it fled somewhere? Or was it pretending to be dead?
A thousand thoughts raced through my head. I cautiously descended, never letting my guard down. By then, the embers had shrunk to the size of millet grains.
Then, something caught my eye—a small, round lump softly releasing black smoke. Almost hypnotized, I picked it up. It was soft and squishy. Maybe this was the remnant of the evil god’s destruction.
“Huh?”
“R-really?”
Sensing my hesitation, the fire spirit spoke clearly. Hearing such certainty from the fire spirit itself eased my mind a little.
But the moment I heard that, a cold realization hit me. I could feel the energy inside my body draining away by the second.
Clap clap clap clap.
Suddenly, the sound of applause echoed. Gehenna was walking toward me, a proud smile on her face.
“You truly are worthy to be my partner, aren’t you? Right, Suna?”
Suna…?
Thud thud thud thud thud!
Then it happened.
A deep rumbling noise shook the space around us, even the ground beneath my feet trembled.
“Mu…”
Before I could look around, part of the ceiling collapsed with a crash. The floor cracked open, and the walls began to crumble. It was obvious that if we stayed any longer, disaster would strike.
Crack crack crack crack crack!
Suddenly, a huge fissure appeared in the icy floor, branching into dozens, then hundreds of cracks, shaking everything dangerously.
I forced myself to stay calm. Though startled, this was expected. I had saved my teleportation ability for exactly this moment, even if it meant risking suspicion.
Escaping was the priority.
“Gehenna!”
I grabbed her hand firmly.
“Oh? Is the divine realm breaking down? If we stay here… huh?”
Muttering to herself, Gehenna turned to me in surprise, but there was no time to explain.
“Jegal Haesol!”
I shouted, infusing my voice with magic as I looked back. It wasn’t hard to spot him—Jegal Haesol was staring straight at me from among half a dozen others near the entrance. Like a silent signal, he nodded quickly and began chanting a spell.
“Everyone, to the entrance! Use the teleportation ability to escape!”
After shouting once more, I pulled Gehenna along. Glancing around, I saw others running desperately toward the exit, just like me. Gong Chanho and Cha Sorim looked panicked, but I was sure they agreed that escaping was the only option.
Just as blue droplets began to gather around Jegal Haesol, ready to activate the spell, I glanced back briefly. Though I held Gehenna’s hand tightly, an inexplicable unease crept over me. What if she disappeared the moment I looked away?
“…”
“…”
Thankfully, Gehenna was still there, calmly looking only at me. Her beautiful crimson eyes radiated an unshakable trust.
I turned forward again. It would be perfect if Baek Hangyeol’s protective shield was up, but unfortunately, he still seemed unconscious.
No matter. Jegal Haesol’s incantation was nearly complete.
As soon as we reached the entrance, Jegal Haesol opened his eyes wide. Scanning everyone sharply, he wasted no time and finished the spell.
Thump!
With a sound like a bouncing ball, my surroundings shifted.
Beneath my feet was solid ice. I wondered where we’d been transported—and to my surprise, we were facing the sea. Jegal Haesol’s teleportation ability had even bypassed the directional barrier. Of course, it would be useless without exact coordinates.
Anyway, we’d escaped.
Relief washed over me, but suddenly I felt drained. My strength was fading fast; barely standing was all I could manage. Time was definitely running out.
“Ugh? Uuuuuuuugh!”
Someone screamed and collapsed. That was Ansol’s voice. Was it because she saw Gehenna? I wanted to sit down too.
“W-what? Y-you are…!”
“Whoa, calm down. Isn’t all this noise a bit much?”
“W-what on earth is going on?”
“Hmm? Ah, the divine realm is a space created for a single purpose—and only that purpose.”
Jegal Haesol’s question was answered by none other than Gehenna’s voice. I wasn’t sure if that was the answer he wanted. Ha.
A moment of heavy breathing filled the air, but Gehenna paid no mind and continued.
“Once its purpose is fulfilled, or the reason for its existence disappears, there’s no reason for the divine realm to remain. It was never a very comfortable place anyway. From what I can see, we’re still inside the barrier… but it’s probably collapsing right now.”
“Uh, thanks for the explanation, but that’s not what I asked. I was too busy earlier to notice, but you…”
“Heh. Why don’t you put away your weapons? There’s no reason to fight anymore. I don’t want to, and I shouldn’t.”
“Shouldn’t…? What do you mean by that? How are we supposed to trust you?”
I needed to explain. I had to turn around and tell them Gehenna wasn’t an enemy—that she saved our lives. Even if I couldn’t go into detail, I had to say something.
I had to…
But then—
Ding!
A light notification sound rang out. A familiar chime I hadn’t heard in a long time.
『Legendary Achievement! User Kim Suhyun and fourteen others have successfully defeated the ancient evil god and the 14 demon lords, “Proserpina”!』
『The ancient evil god, harboring deep grudges against the human world, was forcibly put to sleep. After awakening by sacrificing the 14 demon lords, it attempted to carry out Thanatos’s orders, starting with the murder of the White Night Dancer, but ultimately met eternal annihilation. Though aided by unexpected fortune, the fact remains that the world was saved.』
『Users Kim Suhyun and fourteen others receive 20,000,000 Gold Points for the ancient evil god, and 5,000,000 Gold Points for the 14 demon lords Proserpina, totaling 25,000,000 Gold Points!』
『Each user receives 1,666,667 Gold Points.』
『Caravan System Check! Additional Gold Points awarded based on contribution: 1. Gehenna (80%) 2. Kim Suhyun (10%) 3. Ansol (5%) 4. Cha Sorim (1%)… Therefore, user Kim Suhyun receives an additional 2,500,000 Gold Points!』
『Caravan System Check! User Kim Suhyun, who landed the final blow, receives an extra 250,000 Gold Points!』
Multiple messages streamed through the air. Defeating an ancient evil god was certainly worthy of such recognition.
But I couldn’t read a single word. The letters blurred like ink bleeding in water, the messages fading into an unreadable haze.
Thud.
The black object I was clutching slipped from my hand. Then, through my fading vision, a dark shape loomed.
Who is that…?
“…….”
Ah… is this really the end…?
A moment later.
“Damn it, what kind of message is this… Clan Lord. You really need to explain this to us in detail… Clan Lord?”
The instant someone touched my shoulder, I collapsed. Suddenly, my vision spun wildly, and instead of the blue sea, something white flickered before my eyes. Against my will, my head bent forward.
“Clan Lord? Clan Lord!”
“Oppa? Oppa, what’s wrong? Oppaaaa!”
“What did you do?”
“N-no! I didn’t do anything…!”
Chaos erupted around me in an instant.
Regret washed over me. I shouldn’t have done that. If I’d known it would come to this, I should’ve just asked Gehenna. I should’ve thought it through more calmly.
Damn it, who’s shaking me like this and yelling? I’m already dizzy enough to die.
“You’ve been through a lot. Don’t worry too much—just get some good rest.”
Then, a warm voice whispered in my ear. Suddenly, a sensation of sinking deep into calmness crept over me, like slowly submerging beneath still waters.
“Quiet…! Why all the fuss…? I can’t think straight… Explaining is fine, but first, we need to save my husband… …So, please, guide us to a proper place…”
Those faint words were the last I heard before I closed my eyes completely.
I prayed that when I opened them again, everything would be peaceful.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Cat fights… they’re fun, aren’t they?
Though, it’s best to match opponents of similar strength.
Like Han So-young, for example.
Or Seraph, for instance. Haha. :)