Around that time.
Though it wasn’t a catastrophe on the scale of the disaster Kim Suhyun had caused, the Warp Gate some distance away was still thrown into chaos.
Melinus, growing increasingly anxious as no reinforcements arrived, finally decided to head directly to where Erwin was.
But—
“…!”
Barely twenty minutes into his hurried march across the battlefield, Melinus abruptly stopped in his tracks.
A scorching heat stabbed sharply into his nostrils, hot enough to make them burn. Somewhere nearby, a sizzling, bubbling sound echoed. Staring blankly around him, Melinus’s mouth fell open in shock.
Just five minutes ago, the grasslands had been unbearably noisy, but now they lay eerily silent, as if dead.
No, calling it a grassland anymore was a stretch.
In some places, the ground was shattered into fragments as if hit by a meteor, with huge craters gouged out—so deep and wide they could have been mistaken for sinkholes.
Elsewhere, pools of melted flesh mixed with blood had formed like stagnant ponds, and countless bodies—human, elf, demon alike—were split cleanly in half at the torso.
At that moment, Melinus’s stunned expression caught sight of something unusual.
“Ughhh…”
“A-Astaroth-sama!”
Astaroth lay collapsed, gravely wounded. Deep gashes marred his chest and abdomen, still smoldering with black smoke curling upward. Though he had avoided the first and second attacks, he couldn’t escape the fiery sword’s bombardment.
In a way, it was fortunate he had fallen early—otherwise, he wouldn’t have dodged the fourth strike.
As Astaroth weakly parted his lips, Melinus hurriedly scooped him up and ran toward the area where the most bodies were piled.
Quickly casting a spell to convert the corpses into nourishment for absorption, Melinus managed to open a slight airway for Astaroth.
“Huuuu…”
“Are you alright?”
“…”
“What happened…?”
Knowing how fiercely proud Astaroth was, Melinus spoke cautiously.
But Astaroth gave no answer. He only exhaled ragged breaths, showing no other reaction.
Melinus hadn’t failed to sense the terrifying energy five minutes earlier, but he had simply assumed Kim Suhyun’s resistance had been fierce.
Now, seeing this, a creeping dread took hold—something had gone terribly wrong.
After asking permission, Melinus resumed running and soon spotted Erwin.
Erwin was slumped on the ground, barely able to lift his upper body. A small hole pierced the center of his chest, but it wasn’t a severe wound.
Sensing Melinus’s presence, Erwin shuddered and, realizing something, gently pushed Kim Suhyun’s face away from his abdomen.
“Melinus?”
“L-Lord Erwin! Are you unharmed?”
Erwin struggled to stand and nodded. Though still dazed, there was no time to waste.
“It’s fine. But what about your side?”
Melinus hesitated to answer. The scene he’d witnessed was beyond imagination, and now that reality had set in, words failed him. Surrounded by groans of the wounded and piles of corpses, he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
Noticing his hesitation, Erwin’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“What happened?”
“Thanks to Sabnak’s swift action, we managed to encircle the fleeing group.”
When Erwin pressed again, Melinus bowed his head hastily. This was no time to worry about appearances.
“But their resistance was fierce, and then about thirty more appeared, launching a surprise attack from the rear…”
“That’s still less than three hundred, right? Even if there were shadows or spirits, the Western Continent’s six thousand troops wouldn’t have let them slip through.”
“Well, actually… while we were sending reinforcements through the portal, we were ambushed unexpectedly.”
“Ambushed?”
“Yes. They disguised themselves as allies and rushed in while I was distracted. When they got close, they suddenly attacked. At first, it seemed they wanted to steal the Memoria Stone, but when I managed to protect it, they immediately fled through the portal.”
“And then?”
“Well… their numbers weren’t small… I hurriedly requested support, but…”
“…”
Melinus trailed off again. Erwin bit his lip hard. He’d feared something like this might happen, and now it had. Though they’d managed to encircle the enemy, an unsettling sense of dread welled up inside him.
Erwin quickly turned his gaze. The battlefield was a complete mess, but no matter the cost, they had to regroup and push forward as soon as possible.
Then—
Suddenly, the sound of a group running came from one side.
Without thinking, Melinus turned his head—and his face twisted in horror. The group, panting as they ran, were clearly from the Western Continent. They should have been fighting fiercely by now, so their arrival here was a clear sign of disaster.
“This is bad!”
And as the shout followed—
“They got away!”
His heart sank.
“What did you say?!”
The shout came not from Melinus, but from Erwin. The man who had just been catching his breath hiccupped in surprise at the sharp command.
“G-Got. Away.”
Meeting Erwin’s icy glare, the man felt his whole body freeze. It was like plunging naked into a freezing blizzard—like a mouse facing a snake.
“W-We’re chasing them!”
The man stammered, but Erwin’s eyes blazed.
“Speak clearly.”
Erwin’s once beautiful voice dropped low, thick with menace. It was a clear sign that Satan was furious.
Unable to withstand the pressure, the man suddenly dragged someone forward.
“It’s because of this woman!”
Thrown forward was none other than Han Soyoung.
Her usually neat long hair was wildly disheveled, and deep wounds marred her body, but it was definitely her.
Despite being captured, her expression remained emotionless, as if daring them to try and break her.
“This woman suddenly crossed over through the Warp Gate…!”
The man jabbed a finger at Han Soyoung, continuing to rant, but Erwin no longer listened. The words didn’t register.
Though she didn’t collapse or show weakness, her once proud shoulders sagged slightly. She stared blankly toward the Warp Gate.
Then, as if lost in thought, she closed her eyes gently.
It was only natural to feel drained. They had awakened Thanatos, endured countless dangers, and poured every effort into this moment—only for it all to fall apart.
Winning the war under these circumstances wasn’t really a victory. Coldly put, this was a defeat for the demon faction.
In the end, the grand prophecy had been right.
A short while later.
Amid Melinus’s shouts, Han Soyoung calmly surveyed her surroundings, looking for any chance to slip away—so long as she was still alive.
But—
“…?”
Not long after, she spotted Kim Suhyun lying on the ground. Her usually expressionless eyes widened in shock.
“Mer…”
She opened her mouth reflexively, then closed it again. Something was wrong.
Without thinking, Han Soyoung stretched out her arms and pulled herself toward Kim Suhyun.
“Mercenary…”
She called out in a hoarse voice, but there was no response. Not even the slightest movement.
Carefully, Han Soyoung brushed the blood-soaked hair away from his cheek. Only then did his peacefully closed eyes become visible.
“Mercenary… Lord…?”
Only then did Han Soyoung face the truth. She wasn’t ready to accept it yet.
Her breathing grew ragged. Her trembling eyelids slowly drew closer to Kim Suhyun’s face. His jet-black eyes, shaking violently, stared blankly back.
It was hard to believe he was lying there like that. It felt like he could stand up at any moment, as if daring her to look away.
But Han Soyoung’s heightened senses had been feeding her every detail.
He was already dead. The last flicker of life was fading fast.
After staring blankly for a long moment, she gently pressed her cheek against his. His skin was still lukewarm but cooling quickly.
“You…”
At that moment, Han Soyoung couldn’t hold back her emotions any longer and pulled Kim Suhyun’s head into her arms. Her slightly parted lips curled into a grimace, biting down hard on her lower lip as a silent tear traced down her cheek and dropped.
Suddenly, a powerful kick slammed into Han Soyoung’s back with a loud thud.
“It’s because of this woman! She ruined everything! This woman! This damn woman!”
The man cursed fiercely and kicked with all his might—not just once, but again and again, striking her head, face, back, and legs mercilessly.
But Han Soyoung didn’t even let out a sound. She only clung tightly to Kim Suhyun, silently weeping.
How much time had passed since then?
The relentless barrage of kicks suddenly stopped.
Han So-young, eyes narrowed in a frown, looked up with a puzzled expression. The man who had been kicking her and the white-bearded old man both stared ahead, their faces showing slight confusion.
There, a fairy who had just opened her eyes was gazing intently at Han So-young.
In that brief moment when their eyes met, an inexplicable chill ran down Han So-young’s spine.
Erwin’s face appeared composed and restrained, but his extrasensory perception revealed emotions raging so violently they could only be described as terrifyingly wild.
When Erwin glanced sideways,
“Y-Yes!”
The man snapped to attention automatically, even though he hadn’t been called.
“This prisoner isn’t the only one, right?”
“W-Well…”
“From now on, don’t kill a single one. Bring them all back. Immediately.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Already eager to leave, the man quickly disappeared.
Erwin continued.
“Melinus.”
“Yes.”
“Bring the one with the best healing ability, whether user or fairy.”
“…Understood.”
Without hesitation, Melinus moved swiftly. Though he had no idea why such an order was given, he trusted there was a purpose behind it.
Because it was Satan. Because he had dragged them from the brink of defeat to the edge of success.
Yes. Satan had not given up yet.
Erwin’s gaze slowly swept across the room and stopped on the right. Tanatos, looking somewhat drained, was sitting on the ground, having returned unnoticed.
“Lord Tanatos.”
“No.”
The moment Erwin called his name, Tanatos replied firmly, as if he already knew what was coming.
But Erwin remained calm, showing no sign of offense.
“Is it impossible, like with Eldora?”
“It’s not impossible—it’s just not going to happen. Even if the body dies, as long as the soul remains, revival is possible. But this case is completely different. Not only the body and soul, but even the very roots of his existence have been utterly incinerated.”
“Is there truly no way?”
“I’m telling you, there’s nothing left but for him to vanish into nothingness.”
Tanatos unusually spoke at length, then clicked his tongue at Kim Soo-hyun.
“From the start, it was absurd for a human to control a divine power like Hwajeong. That’s why he doesn’t even realize his life is being eaten away bit by bit. Foolish.”
With that, Tanatos turned his head away.
Or rather, just as he was about to, his face suddenly twisted in displeasure. Erwin’s gaze hadn’t wavered—his silent look seemed to say, “Even if there’s no way, find one.”
Irritated, Tanatos stood up.
“No. If my power were intact, it would be possible. I could forcibly restore his life force. But after the last plan failed, I only recovered three fragments, and one was already used to revive Eldora. So what do you expect me to do now?”
Though grumbling, he strode forward and placed his hand on Kim Soo-hyun’s chest.
Han So-young instinctively stepped back. She didn’t understand the words exchanged, but the atmosphere suggested there was a chance Kim Soo-hyun might be revived.
Yet before hope could even take root, it vanished like a bubble. After a while, Tanatos sighed and shook his head.
“As expected. No. It’s impossible in my current state…”
Then—
“…Huh?”
Just as he was about to remove his hand, Tanatos’s eyes suddenly brightened.
“This… wait, wait a moment…”
The boredom on his face quickly shifted to interest.
He moved his hand to where the heart was and pressed down gently.
“Huh? Look at this.”
A strange smile curved his lips, accompanied by a sound of amusement.
“Control… wasn’t it?”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
In this afterword, I’d like to address some questions raised in Episode 2 and explain the thought process behind the story’s development. Before diving into the Q&A, I want to emphasize that you don’t have to agree with my interpretation. There can be many possibilities in any situation, and I don’t believe there’s only one correct answer. So please take this as “this is how I thought about it,” not “I’m definitely right.” (Except in cases where the question skips over parts of the story.)
Let’s begin. (Below are selected questions from the last ten comments.)
Q1. Wouldn’t everything be over once the Zero Code is obtained?
A: No. Obtaining the Zero Code isn’t the end; it must be activated through the angel in the summoning chamber. That’s why Kim Soo-hyun set up warp gates around the magic domain—to return to the city immediately after exiting.
Q2. How did the demon manage to reach the Northern Continent so quickly?
A: The current events take place on the Central Continent, where the Temple of Promise is located—not the Northern Continent. To clarify (since this question was linked to comments about sealing off Kim Yoo-hyun’s fleeing group), the demon did snipe Ansol during the first strike, but thanks to Jeogal Haesol’s strategy, the escape succeeded. Satan then ordered Sabnak, one of the 14 demon lords, to pursue, which is why Sabnak was outside the battlefield.
Q3. Shouldn’t Kim Soo-hyun have dealt with the demons first?
A: Kim Soo-hyun intended to do so—he planned to observe the demons while attacking the Temple of Promise. The demons’ advantage was in ambushing weakened forces or striking right after the Northern Continent obtained the Zero Code. However, an unexpected variable arose: the magic domain, which was impenetrable in the first cycle, reacted as soon as Kim Soo-hyun and the four women entered the altar. Had he known, he wouldn’t have approached the altar so recklessly.
Q4. I don’t understand why Kim Soo-hyun returned alone to the battlefield.
A: Readers who have followed Memorize from the start will notice how much Kim Soo-hyun has changed. Early on, he was obsessed with killing Ko Yeon-ju and Yoo Hyun-ah at first sight, but now he’s transformed significantly. Over 900 chapters, his character has evolved, with internal conflicts especially around obtaining the Zero Code and meeting his brother after leaving the magic domain. In this war, Kim Soo-hyun had a chance—to forcibly escape with his brother and Han So-young. He faced a choice: flee with them or return to the battlefield together. Unable to choose either fully, he ended up splitting his decision. This reflects how clan members, once mere tools, have grown to be equals alongside Kim Yoo-hyun and Han So-young.
Also, comparing this situation to the Gehenna battle is difficult. Back then, Kim Soo-hyun fought alongside many comrades, had healing support from elixirs and spells, and faced only Gehenna Dan alone. But now, Satan has thrown all forces into capturing Kim Soo-hyun, surrounding him with over ten thousand enemies. Unlike before, he’s not protecting someone but blocking reinforcements.
Still, Kim Soo-hyun has changed. If that’s disappointing, it’s a natural feeling for any reader.
Q5. I don’t understand how the Northern Continent fell so easily. Isn’t this forced drama to create a dramatic ending?
A: Here’s the exact strength of the Northern Continent’s forces: about 20,000 troops total, including roughly 5,000 elite veterans, 10,000 users with 2-3 years’ experience, and 5,000 less experienced. (The story mentions expanding the conditions for the Central Continent expedition.) Kim Soo-hyun and the four women are absent. The enemy’s forces include Tanatos, four great demons, about 12,000 demon warriors, survivors from the Southern Continent and Western Continent totaling about 15,000, plus nearly 30,000 fairies and spirits. They gained the upper hand by incapacitating Ansol with a sniper shot and launching a surprise attack through the fog. So rather than collapsing easily during Kim Soo-hyun’s eight-hour absence, they were holding out against a relatively superior force before breaking.
Q6. Why did they only kill the subordinates and not the commanders, even after activating the flame ability?
Sol) After hearing that Kim Soo-hyun had escaped from the prison realm, Satan took two actions. First, he sent forces to the Western Continent to seal off the group of brain demons that Kim Soo-hyun had helped flee. Second, he abandoned the remaining enemy troops and threw all his remaining forces into capturing Kim Soo-hyun alone. This was because the Zero Code was the highest priority. Of course, this was true for Kim Soo-hyun as well, but there was another factor. While making sure not to lose the Zero Code, Kim Soo-hyun also had to worry about the safety of his brother, Han So-young (at that time, Kim Soo-hyun was unaware of Han So-young’s defection), and the clan members who had gone in the same direction. If Satan succeeded in sending reinforcements, the worst imaginable scenario would have unfolded.
So, no matter what, Kim Soo-hyun had to prevent those reinforcements from arriving, and the only option available was to activate Flame Seal. In other words, Kim Soo-hyun couldn’t focus solely on the archdemons. His body was already seriously injured, and Flame Seal only allowed 300 seconds of use. While defeating the four archdemons would have the added benefit of wiping out their subordinate demons, chasing and taking down each one individually risked letting at least one user from the Southern Continent or one of the fairies slip away. There were also commander-level characters among them, and on top of that, the fleeing enemies could potentially become reinforcements. So Kim Soo-hyun used a series of powerful skills to strike the enemy forces evenly. He deliberately caught some of the fleeing enemies and dealt maximum damage. Though this slightly deviated from the goal of simply eradicating demons, his true aim was to prevent anyone from escaping, using overwhelming force to sow confusion and fear.
…Having written this, I realize, as many readers have pointed out, that this part does feel somewhat unsatisfactory. I found myself nodding along while reading your comments. Ultimately, I needed to set up a situation that readers could accept, but I seem to have fallen short.
Therefore, I will definitely revise this section after the series concludes. I currently have two different revision plans. I considered making the changes immediately, but that would require adjusting several other parts, so I think it’s better to wait until after the finale. Right now, my top priority is continuing the serialization, and I don’t want to lose time on remakes before the story is complete. I hope you can understand this decision.
This afterword turned out longer than I expected.
I hope this answers your questions well enough, and I wish all readers a wonderful Sunday! :)