I was overjoyed when we won the war overwhelmingly, but as time passed after returning safely, an inexplicable unease began to gnaw at me.
It felt like a heavy weight pressing on my chest. After communicating with Lee Hyo-eul, I was forced to face reality. I had been vaguely assuming the war wasn’t truly over yet, but as I pieced things together, a definite sense of dread settled in.
To be more precise, I became convinced the demons wouldn’t just back down quietly—they were still scheming something. Until every last one of them was wiped out, I wouldn’t be able to rest easy.
By the time this obsessive thought took hold—urging me to act immediately—an envoy from the temple arrived, coincidentally. It was a summons from the angels.
“Welcome, User Kim Su-hyun.”
I hurried through the portal, and a calm voice echoed through the summoning chamber as if it had been waiting for me. It had been quite a while since I last met a seraph, but my mind was racing, so I barely acknowledged the greeting and quickly sank to the floor.
“Is the meeting over?”
“If you mean the discussion about the wars breaking out in the two regions and the demons’ intentions, then yes, it concluded yesterday.”
The seraph sitting at the altar replied in a composed tone. They gently brushed their silvery hair back and forth with both hands, as if softly soothing me: “Please calm yourself.” Taking a steady breath, I met their pale green eyes fixed on me.
“First, allow me to sincerely congratulate you on the success of the salvation mission in the Eastern Continent, and for eliminating Baal and Beelzebub, the angels’ arch-enemies. As the appointed representative entrusted with full authority over this matter, I bow deeply on behalf of all angels to express our gratitude.”
The seraph bowed so deeply it seemed their forehead might touch the altar.
Honestly, it felt insincere. I suspected this was why angels were reluctant to appear—they knew that once they stepped into the mortal plane, their very existence was at risk. The laws of the intermediate world made no exceptions, not even for angels.
“That’s enough. I don’t need such elaborate thanks. Anyway, what’s the current situation?”
“May I ask how much you already know?”
The seraph prefaced their explanation, but since I had already heard from Lee Hyo-eul, there was no need to repeat it. What mattered most now was the movements of the Southern Continent, the demons, and the Western Continent, which had vanished without a trace.
The seraph nodded knowingly and spoke quietly.
“Very well. I’ll get straight to the point. While the salvation forces were returning, several significant changes occurred.”
“Significant changes?”
“Yes. First, our angels succeeded in reclaiming control over the Southern Continent.”
“So, the angels are overseeing the Southern Continent again?”
“Not quite. There remains a lingering distrust of angels. The Southern Continent is still chaotic, but without the demons present, it was easier to make progress. As a result, we restored the severed connections caused by heavy interference and recovered the lost celestial territories.”
“But isn’t there a chance the demons have returned? Or have they already?”
Since it took us two months to reach the Northern Continent, the demons would have had enough time to return as well. Surprisingly, the seraph shook their head.
“We thought so too and have been monitoring constantly, but so far, we have seen no sign of the demons.”
“No sign? So they haven’t come back?”
“That’s correct. Moreover, not only the demons but most of the users from the Southern Continent have not returned either. Only a few hundred individuals have come back separately.”
“…”
That was unexpected. Even after such a crushing defeat, they didn’t return to their base? And the Southern Continent, which we had worked hard to intercept, was given up so easily.
“What about those few hundred who did return?”
“Upon close observation, we found nothing unusual. We believe they are simply groups who quietly fled in shock from the defeat.”
Fled, huh. Thinking it over, that’s not too troubling. In fact, news of some users defecting could be seen as evidence that the allied forces are shaken.
But is that really the case?
I had thought about this before. The terrifying thing about Satan is that he plants seeds of various schemes one by one, then strikes all at once when the time is right. The moment you think, “No way,” is the moment you fall into the trap. So rather than simply assuming “the enemy is faltering,” it’s better to suspect some hidden agenda—even if it’s just paranoia.
…The problem is, even if I think that way, there’s nothing I can do right now.
Anyway, since the seraph mentioned several changes, I pressed on.
“What about the Western Continent? I heard they were just playing bait day and night, then suddenly disappeared the day the Eastern Continent battle ended.”
“Ah.”
The seraph let out a faint sigh.
“User Lee Hyo-eul’s tracking found traces of retreat as far as the Pitch-Black Forest. But beyond that point, all traces vanished without a trace.”
“That doesn’t make sense. They didn’t just fly off into the air.”
“Warp.”
“Huh?”
“If they activated a warp gate, it’s possible. The key factors are whether they have a Memoria Stone and the knowledge to activate the warp. Su-hyun, does anything about this incident ring a bell?”
“!”
I involuntarily gasped. At the same time, a possibility flashed through my mind.
As the seraph said, if you have a Memoria Stone and the related knowledge, activating a warp gate isn’t difficult. Helena mentioned something similar, and in fact, just before killing Eldora, Thanatos and the demons crossed over at some point. Also, since they had occupied most of the city before we arrived, they must have secured enough Memoria Stones.
The catch is that warp gates aren’t one-way—they flow both ways. So for the seraph’s theory to hold, there must have been someone on the Western Continent with a Memoria Stone and the knowledge to use it.
“Now that you mention it… there was one demon lord we didn’t see.”
“You mean a demon lord?”
“Yes. Just one. Seraph, do demon lords have the ability to activate warp gates?”
“…If we can do it, demons probably can too.”
For the first time, the seraph showed a worried expression. I had suspected as much. The moment it became clear the Western Continent and demons were connected was a bad sign.
“Hah. I wish we could track their movements.”
The seraph sighed deeply but looked apologetic. They hadn’t been able to find any sign of movement. Of course, the demons wouldn’t be foolish enough not to block their tracks.
“And about Thanatos…”
The seraph hesitated, as if gauging my reaction. I nodded for them to continue.
“Actually, we’re most concerned about Thanatos’ survival. We didn’t anticipate the appearance of the god of death. We apologize.”
“Of course, it was your oversight… but it’s fine. Thanatos isn’t a big problem anymore.”
“No.”
“?”
“By involving Thanatos, the demons have created countless variables. Su-hyun, you must always be vigilant and cautious about this.”
“Well, you’ve heard it too, so you know, right?”
Thanatos was strong, but in the end, I was the one who won. Besides, I destroyed three of the six fragments, so he can’t wield the same power as before. If he shows up again, I’m confident I can defeat him for good.
—This idiot? Just listen quietly.
I thought, but Hwajeong’s stern voice cut in with a warning.
—No matter how much his power has waned, Thanatos is still Thanatos. He’s a notorious god of death on the same level as me. What if he recovers his strength in ways neither you nor I know?
“Th-That’s…”
—Of course, he won’t fully recover to his old level. But don’t use yourself as the standard. Frankly, without me, even the current Thanatos would be tough for you to handle.
“…”
I couldn’t deny it. In fact, the only reason I managed to land a blow on Thanatos was thanks to the degraded sword based on Hwajeong.
—Don’t let your guard down. You have a strange tendency to underestimate gods, even though you got thoroughly beaten by a lesser god.
“Alright, I’ll be careful.”
Thinking it over, I realized Hwajeong was right. I had been careless despite believing vigilance was essential.
“Su-hyun doesn’t understand… how dangerous that power really is… That’s why I warned you from the start…”
The seraph muttered, narrowing their eyes and pursing their lips.
“Hmm. If you say so… well, we should definitely stay on guard.”
But as soon as they changed their tone, they quickly shut their mouth and narrowed their eyes sharply, as if surprised by my reaction. It was irritating.
“That’s right. Even if you don’t usually, sometimes you tend to take things too lightly.”
“R-Really?”
“Let me give you a simple example. I think you mentioned this before. How much do you know about the Zero Code?”
“Zero Code?”
The term came out of nowhere, and I didn’t really know much—just that it was some kind of heavenly safeguard, a small orb of sorts.
“The Zero Code is an all-powerful crystal that grants the user’s every wish.”
Well, I don’t know what “all-powerful” means exactly. It’s kind of funny that it can’t even bring the residents back to Earth. Sure, there are limits, but still.
“But gods like Hwajeong-nim or Thanatos-nim, if they truly set their hearts to it, can resist the Zero Code’s commands—at least to some extent.”
“What?”
My ears perked up.
“For example, if Suhyun uses the Zero Code to wish for an ordinary human’s death, that person would die instantly.”
“Wait. Are you saying Thanatos doesn’t obey the Zero Code’s commands?”
“That’s not quite it. Didn’t I say they can resist only partially?”
“Resist…?”
“The outcome is the same, but the time it takes to reach that outcome differs.”
“…”
So, the command’s effect is inevitable, but the resistance lies in delaying it. That’s why it’s called resistance.
I didn’t fully grasp how incredible the Zero Code was, but I understood Seraph’s point well enough. Gods are not to be underestimated. He had warned me from the start to be cautious of variables involving Thanatos.
After several minutes of preaching, I finally managed to steer the conversation back to the main point. But by then, the discussion was essentially over. Or rather, there was no need to say more. Given how things were unfolding, there was only one thing left to do.
A quiet silence settled between us. Seraph seemed to share my thoughts, gazing at me steadily. We spoke at the same time.
“So, the Central Continent, huh?”
“It’s best to strike there before it’s too late.”
Our voices overlapped briefly, then Seraph continued.
“The situation is quite delicate. The demons have two choices: either seize the Central Continent first, or pretend to do so while launching a surprise attack on the Northern Continent.”
“I know. I’m keeping that in mind.”
“Is that so? Then is there anything we can assist you with? Like sending messages, as before…?”
“No. I don’t think that will be necessary this time.”
Last time, we borrowed the angels’ power to justify our actions.
But this time is different. We’re not rushing to save the Eastern Continent, which has nothing to do with us. We’re setting out to pioneer a new continent once again. Since the secret library’s opening, progress has noticeably slowed, so users desperate for ruins will welcome the expedition announcement with open arms.
Besides, morale is sky-high after two victories, so the timing couldn’t be better.
With that in mind, I stood up and turned to leave—then suddenly stopped. There was one more reason I came here.
“Seraph. How much GP do I have right now?”
“Ah, please wait a moment.”
“I’m guessing it’s quite a lot.”
“Y-yes. 76,315,964 GP… It’s enormous.”
Seraph sounded impressed, but it was only natural. Not to mention the demons, I’d earned a hefty GP reward as the commander for completing the mission. Most importantly, facing Thanatos alone earned me a significant role score percentage, which translated into a massive GP haul.
Having amassed over seventy-six million GP was nothing surprising. When I acquired the Zero Code, the GP reward had been in the hundreds of millions.
“Can you open the user shop for me?”
“Understood.”
Moments later, a familiar window appeared before my eyes.
[……
‘Argos’s Eye (1,400,000 GP)’
‘Moirai’s Souvenir (45,000,000 GP)’
‘Ankara’s Mirror Shield (700,000 GP)’
‘Lacrima’s Arrowhead (35,000,000 GP)’
‘Stigma’s Token (500,000 GP)’
‘Sidus’s Prophecy (66,666,666 GP)’
……]
“Hmm…”
There are plenty of intriguing items, but nothing I actually need.
“Hey, Seraph.”
“Yes? Is there something specific you’re looking for?”
“Is there anything that can shift a user’s alignment toward order?”
“Pardon?”
“Or maybe something that can force a stubborn, arrogant sword to submit… no, something to soothe its mood.”
“…Excuse me?”
Seraph blinked in confusion.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
I’ll write the Gehenna and Suna reaction video side story sometime this week, probably by Saturday, June 27.
Originally, I planned to take a break on Friday, June 26, due to a second visual novel meeting with Joara and other companies.
But since the side story is shorter and easier for me to write, I think I can finish it relatively quickly.
I figured it’s better to post a side story than to take a break… ^_ㅠ
Oh, and the illustration is currently in the coloring stage.
As I mentioned yesterday, it’s one of Seraph, Goyeonju, Ansol, or Hansoyoung.
I’ve been checking the progress, and honestly, it might be the prettiest illustration we’ve had so far. :)