The Grace of Herculean Strength
This really is a miracle, right? As I followed the black smoke, the Divine Spirit explained why it had called it that.
The kids on the internet jokingly call it that, but it's not entirely wrong.
It even matches in some ways.
He said that since He was coming down to earth anyway, He wanted to build some muscle. So He chose the profession of carpenter, which involves a lot of physical labor. Even carpenters in the Palestine region had to work with stone because there weren't many trees. The stone lids that seal tomb entrances weigh over two tons, you know.
I learned something new. So the Savior was apparently a gym rat.
By today's standards, He'd put any UFC fighter to shame. You should've seen Him when He drove out the merchants defiling the temple. Those guys always had bodyguards to protect their cash. His fists were so powerful He could wipe out all of them without breaking a sweat.
So there was that kind of behind-the-scenes story in the scriptures. I never knew.
This is the Grace of Herculean Strength. Now you can swat those fanatics away like stalks of rice.
What if they come at me with sheer numbers, though? I don't know about a few, but what if there are hundreds?
If they're holding some kind of assembly where Sera was taken, I'd have to face hundreds of people. If they had an overwhelming numerical advantage, no amount of strength would matter. And since I had to rescue Sera on top of that, the difficulty shot through the roof.
There was a warrior named Samson in ancient times. He also received the Grace of Herculean Strength. With nothing but a donkey's jawbone, he beat a thousand Philistine thugs to death. There's no way they'll have more than a thousand, right?
W-well, I guess not. They probably weren't guarding the place with over a thousand people.
I'm not telling you to do it bare-handed, either. I'll provide you with a weapon when you get there, so don't worry.
Oh, a weapon too. That made it doable. I glared at the black smoke ahead and slammed the accelerator without mercy.
*
I let out a sigh as I saw the sign for Gijang County. Somehow I'd driven all the way down to Busan.
You've been driving for about four hours.
I had no idea it was this far.
I followed an unpaved road barely wide enough for one car and arrived at the entrance to some private property. A NO TRESPASSING sign was posted at the gate.
This is private property. Entry by unauthorized persons is prohibited. Trespassers will be punished in accordance with applicable laws.
Barbed wire encircled the entire area, and the entrance was sealed shut by an iron gate taller than a person. I had no idea what was inside, but from the outside it looked like a prisoner-of-war camp.
Private property, my ass.
There are no security cameras here. I'll open the gate, so slip inside quietly.
The thick chain wrapped around the iron gate handle crumbled away like grains of sand.
There's seriously no lock you can't pick.
No time to stand around in awe. Hurry inside.
Once inside, a neatly maintained path stretched out like a walking trail. Unlike the weed-choked unpaved road outside, everything here was impeccably kept.
It's filled with evil energy. They've even built something like this.
A massive stone monument stood beside the path.
Jinsaeng Sect Sky Palace
Is there seriously a palace inside?
Who knows. There are no signs of anyone around, so they must all be gathered somewhere. Keep going.
I hid my body among the trees so I wouldn't be spotted and continued forward. After walking for a while, the path ended and a rather large lake unfolded before me.
Whoa, a lake on private property? That's insane.
It was landscaped like one of those famous artificial lakes in Gyeonggi Province.
Don't go toward the dock or the bridge entrance. There are people guarding them. There are security cameras too, so you'll be spotted immediately if you approach.
A small dock came into view. There was a temporary building there, and it looked like someone was inside. At the end of the arched bridge crossing the lake stood a building that resembled a luxury pension.
That must be the Sky Palace.
Black smoke writhed here and there. By now I could even feel the evil energy the Divine Spirit had mentioned.
Go down the opposite side of the dock. There are no security cameras at the far end of the lake.
Can't I just take out those guys and cross the bridge? It doesn't look that far if I run.
No. You might not see it clearly, but focus your eyes and look at that building again.
I concentrated and stared hard at the building across the lake. Earlier I'd only seen black smoke, but now I could make out white smoke flickering between it.
I see white smoke.
You're still not fully accustomed to the Grace of Spiritual Discernment, so it will flicker in and out. Still, it's fortunate you can see the white smoke at all.
The black smoke was the trace left by false faith, it had said. Then what was the white smoke?
Those are pure souls not tainted by false belief. They're probably the people who were kidnapped. Judging by the number, it looks like that girl wasn't the only one taken. If you charge in recklessly, they could be put in danger. You never know what those frenzied fanatics might do.
I hadn't thought of that. I'd assumed only Sera had been taken. Just who the hell were these bastards?
*
I followed the direction the Divine Spirit indicated all the way down. I'd reached the end of the lake, and it was indeed a secluded, inconspicuous spot.
But what now? There's nothing here. Don't tell me… you want me to swim all the way over there?
Why would you swim? Just walk across.
Huh?
Walking on water is one of the most basic Graces. This lake is much smaller than the Sea of Galilee, after all.
Whoa, you're saying I can actually walk across this lake?
Stop asking questions and just try it. It's right in front of you.
My curiosity was stronger than any fear of falling in. I could walk on water? How could I possibly resist that?
With my heart pounding, I stepped onto the surface with one foot.
Splash~
Whoa, whoa! It, it actually works.
My foot didn't sink. The calm surface felt just like solid ground. I took another step with my other foot.
Splash~
See? I'm not sinking! I'm really not sinking!
Now walk properly.
I started walking toward the other side. It felt similar to walking through the forest path earlier, except now I was surrounded by water on all sides. I paused for a moment, bent down, and dipped my hand into the lake. Unlike my feet, my hand sank right through the surface.
Oh my god, I'm actually walking on water. This really is a miracle, isn't it?
Enough with the awe. Hurry up. We don't know what's happening inside.
Oh, right. Sorry.
Even though I was far from the dock, I still walked carefully so I wouldn't make any splashing sounds. When I reached the opposite side, I headed toward the building's entrance. The closer I got, the louder the murmuring grew. It sounded like either singing or chanting.
There's someone at the entrance. I'll open a window at the far end of the building, so go in through there.
When I slipped through the window, I saw a small staircase. The farther up the stairs I went, the louder the murmuring became.
Stop for a moment at the entrance. I'll give you a weapon.
It seemed only the entrance was being guarded; there was no one on the second floor.
The security is way too lax.
When you were walking on the water, I heard every sound coming from inside the building. Right now the cult leader is preparing a ritual inside. That's why they're all gathered together.
So that murmuring I've been hearing was the ritual?
Yes. Since they're all in one place, it'll be much easier to take them down.
You're not thinking about how hard this is for me?
That's why I'm giving you this.
Before I knew it, a dagger had appeared in my right hand. It was about the length of a forearm and curved gently. It looked terrifying.
W-what the hell is this?!
It's a kukri. Gurkha mercenaries use it to slit enemies' throats. It was originally a tool, but it works perfectly as a weapon too.
You're telling me to cut their throats with this?
I'd love to, but I can't turn you into a mass murderer, so I made some adjustments. Look closely.
When I examined it up close, I saw that it had no blade. It was basically just a steel pipe bent for easier swinging.
If you're going to remove the edge, why make it look like a knife? Just give me a baseball bat.
This most closely resembles the donkey's jawbone that Samson used. You know, the weapon he used to beat a thousand men to death.
Ah.
I've adjusted the force so that a solid hit will knock them unconscious. Aim for the head and it'll be one-shot kills every time, so swing away. They won't die from the blows, but they'll be in so much pain they'll wish they had.
I'd been worried about killing them, but the Divine Spirit had adjusted the power accordingly. Since it said they'd be in agony, it was perfect for delivering righteous punishment.
Don't hit the cult leader in the head. We need to smash him somewhere else.
What do you mean?
From the sounds coming from the building, it seems the cult leader used my warning to his advantage. Remember how I burned the cross and chairs at the Songpa branch?
Yeah, I do.
I burned them as a warning, but the cult leader lied to his followers and said it was a sign of the apocalypse. He claims this is a ritual to prepare for the end times. That's why young women were kidnapped.
What? Are they going to offer human sacrifices or something?
No. Performing the ritual apparently drains the leader's energy. So he needs to replenish it with young, beautiful women.
I was speechless. So Sera had been taken for that purpose.
What you're thinking right now is probably correct. Once the ritual ends, the cult leader will do terrible things to her.
Th-that son of a bitch…
The words wouldn't come out fully. Maybe because of the Grace of Herculean Strength, my whole body burned with heat that was almost unbearable. Right now I felt like I could beat a thousand people to death just like Samson.
Step back. I'll make sure we start with a bang.
Weren't you the one who told me to come quietly because the kids were in danger?
From now on we need to make noise and draw their attention. That way they'll all come running toward you. We have to pull the fanatics' focus this way so the kids stay safe.
I took a few steps back from the door. With a loud cracking sound, multiple fissures spread across the massive door. Screams began erupting from inside.
Here we go!!
With an enormous boom, the door exploded outward. Shards flew in every direction as the door vanished without a trace. The burly men guarding the entrance burst out first. I adjusted my grip on the kukri the Divine Spirit had given me.
“Hey, you bastards! You're all dead today!!”