00959 If You Change, One.
The battlefield remained eerily silent. Suddenly, Suna appeared, and the world shifted in an instant. Meanwhile, Thanatos lay helplessly trampled beneath three women—no, two women and a young girl.
“Ah.”
Kim Suhyun let out a short gasp. Though stunned by the sudden turn of events, he quickly snapped back to reality. The war was far from over.
“User, Shin Sangyong!”
At the desperate call, Shin Sangyong’s eyes flickered with recognition. Pointing toward the group of users, Aranya and Imprison swiftly sent out webs and steel chains that wrapped around one person after another in the blink of an eye. Moments later, the bound users were lifted into the air.
They soared in a long arc, clearing the walls of the surrounding spirit army, and landed safely inside. Though only about twenty or thirty had made it through, they had successfully breached the battlefield and penetrated deep within. The dais, once seemingly unreachable, now felt within grasp.
“…So that’s where you were.”
Gehenna, quietly observing the scene, calmly fixed her gaze on the dais. Seeing Kim Suhyun’s mouth agape in shock, a faint smile crept onto her lips. Then, twisting her body slightly, she brought down her right hand. The softly curling whip of fire cracked against the writhing back of Thanatos, leaving a faint reddish trail.
Despite her cruel touch, Gehenna’s cheeks flushed faintly, as if trying to hide something, and she spoke softly.
“First… Mercedes should take care of those.”
By “those,” she meant the spirit army still encircling them. Mercedes glanced around slowly, then stepped back slightly.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen these little cuties… Anyway, it’s not a difficult task, but it would be easier if the king summoned my legion.”
“Is that really necessary? They’re still here.”
This time, Gehenna referred to the Third Legion, standing idly by. Mercedes clicked her tongue in disappointment and shrugged.
“Hmph. Can’t be helped. Better than nothing, I suppose. …Did you hear that, my black one?”
At that, the one called “my black one”—Behemoth—flinched and shrank back. If he had a living face instead of a skull, he might have worn a reluctant expression. The vanguard of the Northern Continent Alliance’s main force, which had been breaking through, was suddenly reduced to a mere escort.
Gehenna, still standing atop Thanatos, turned to face the tower.
“My king.”
Suddenly, Suna, who had been sitting on the throne, stood up abruptly, her face flushed for some reason as she stared at the dais.
“Pathetic. Truly pathetic. If you’re my consort, then act like one—no weak displays like that…” she muttered, but when she heard a call, she turned sharply.
“Let’s go.”
Gehenna sighed lightly and spoke calmly. Suna’s eyes widened.
“Uh, okay?”
“The spirit army will be cleared by Mercedes and the Third Legion. I will handle Thanatos. So, Your Majesty, go rescue the former king.”
“…I was going to do that anyway. I don’t like that such a weakling is the former king, but… well, it can’t be helped.”
“……”
Can’t be helped? You want to save him right now, don’t you? The words rose to Gehenna’s throat but she swallowed them down. After all, who wouldn’t want to rescue him quickly?
To be frank, Suna was suffering from a severe Electra complex. Especially since she saw Gehenna as a rival, she would likely try to stop her from going, insisting she’d rescue him alone. It was painfully obvious. As long as he remained in enemy hands, pointless arguments would only waste time.
And more importantly—
For a crucial plan to come to fruition, Suna had to be the one to rescue Kim Suhyun. Even if she went alone, it would be more than enough. Now that things had come to this, Thanatos wasn’t meant to be destroyed outright but had another purpose.
Meanwhile, as the battlefield slowly stirred back to life—
Thanks to Shin Sangyong, the Northern Continent and Mercenary Clan forces who had broken through the spirit army’s encirclement were racing toward the dais.
But breaking free from the battlefield didn’t mean the path was clear. Satan was no fool; he had left a final force to guard the dais.
“Huff…! Huff…!”
The scenery blurred past rapidly. Their pounding hearts made breathing harsh, but no one fell behind. In fact, the closer they got to the dais, the more energized they seemed, their pace quickening.
They had thrown everything they had into this. They revived the users with GP, brought the monstrous legion, and activated the real-time resurrection plan. They summoned the souls of heroes and rallied the fairies. They even used the monster summoning box to neutralize Thanatos.
Now, only one thing remained.
They had to save Kim Suhyun by any means.
“Grrrrr…!”
Erwin knew this well. Having regained her senses late, she was gripped by intense inner conflict.
A mysterious girl who toyed with Thanatos without lifting a finger.
Mercedes, known as the ‘Perpetual Snow,’ whose power rivaled Hwa Jeong.
And Gehenna, the ‘Hell’s Terror’—needless to say.
From the moment Suna appeared, Erwin had sensed that all was lost. The only viable option was to use Kim Suhyun as a hostage to threaten the enemy.
But would such beings even be threatened? Thanatos himself cowered silently.
Amid the chaos, her mind finally realized the truth: the chance of success was practically zero.
Time was running out. No matter how this war ended, less than ten minutes remained. Satan had only one option left.
Abandon everything and prioritize securing Kim Suhyun. If threats failed, then kill him at least. As long as they could hold onto his soul, even his corpse had value.
Though the deliberation was long, the decision was swift.
“Kill him nowwwww!”
Erwin’s roar echoed across the dais, causing the demons standing there to murmur. But it was brief. The demon suppressing Kim Suhyun immediately rose. Just as he raised his right arm to strike down—
Whirrrr!
A dagger flew like lightning, piercing his neck before he could bring his hand down. The demon flinched momentarily but stubbornly tried to strike anyway—
Thunk!
“Kyaaaah!”
A crimson arrow pierced his temple before he could scream, and he collapsed silently. Below the dais, Woo Jungmin and Seon Yuun stood poised, having just thrown something. It was clear without seeing that they had saved Kim Suhyun from near execution.
Gratitude as vast as the sea, vengeance sharp as a blade.
At the crucial moment, the two men finally repaid the life debt they owed Kim Suhyun. Even though they had come close, hitting a demon at that height was nearly miraculous.
But the crisis had only just passed. For a creature, the creator’s command was absolute. They instinctively acted as swiftly as possible, using any means.
Once they realized there was a sniper, all the demons on the dais instantly surrounded Kim Suhyun and charged. No matter how skilled Woo Jungmin and Seon Yuun were, taking down over thirty demons at once was impossible.
At this rate, Kim Suhyun’s death was almost certain.
Then—
Whirrrr!
In an instant, a pale mist rose in a circle around Kim Suhyun and Han Soyoung.
“Reflection!”
Baek Han-gyeol shouted with all his might. The protective barrier shone brightly just as the demons slammed against it.
“Grrrgh!”
Erwin, rushing back to the dais, groaned in frustration as the demons were knocked back or fell off. Two assassination attempts had failed. Meanwhile, the distance between the enemy and the dais shrank to less than two hundred meters, even under a hundred.
“Those bastards deserve to be torn apart!”
Now, it was do or die.
“All units…!”
As Erwin ground her teeth and shouted, the demons who had gone to the battlefield turned around in unison. Astonishingly, they abandoned the battlefield and focused all their strength on Kim Suhyun alone.
Naturally, demons with wings moved several times faster than humans. The demons in the rear quickly reached the vicinity of the target, some rushing to the ground, others swarming the dais all at once.
But did Erwin realize that ordering them to abandon the battlefield and gather at the dais was the worst possible move? After all, since Suna’s appearance, victory was impossible, and the situation was urgent. Quickly assessing the enemy’s strength and focusing on Kim Suhyun was not necessarily a wrong choice.
Still, no matter how you looked at it…
If only I had paid just a little more attention.
If only I had glanced back even once.
If I had, I wouldn’t have given that order.
Because—
“What… what are those things?”
Suna, trailing just a beat behind, her eyes blazing red, was hurtling fiercely through the air.
Her body was already burning up, on the verge of exploding with the thought of soon seeing—no, saving—her father. So imagine how irritated she was when suddenly, swarms of these mayfly-like creatures filled the space ahead.
“Eeeeeek!”
At last, she unleashed her anger adorably, stretching her arms forward. Her small palms aimed precisely at Kim Soo-hyun, who stood on the platform.
The exact nature of the power Suna wielded was still unclear, but one thing was certain.
It made no sound. No noise at all.
In other words—
The moment Suna’s will activated, the entire area ahead flashed with a vivid red light.