Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: The Eleventh Apostle
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The woman who had conversed with Im Cheolsun vanished once more like a mirage.
In truth, she had never appeared there to begin with.
It was merely a projection, a manifestation within Im Cheolsun's hazy dream.
Her actual location was far removed from his.
"Hee hee heung."
Humming a tune of satisfaction, she appeared to be in her mid-thirties.
Her smooth, glossy skin, straight posture, and well-maintained figure could make her seem like she was in her early thirties.
And then.
Saa.
She grew even younger still.
The room where she stood was extravagantly opulent.
Seated in a penthouse overlooking the Han River—a symbol of wealth in Korea—she gazed at the flickering flames and smiled.
"Disgusting creatures."
A venomous voice emerged, utterly at odds with that smile.
"Great ordinary people...."
She snickered.
"You want to become more special than anyone else."
She reclined on the sofa.
It was then.
"Do you really think this is enough to deal a blow?"
A voice sharp as a blade cut in from behind her.
"Can't you at least make some noise when you move around?"
"You might not know, but the opponent is that 'Michael.'"
A faint undercurrent of fear and dread seemed woven into the voice.
"The one who single-handedly cut down hundreds of thousands of demons and etched terror into their souls."
"...Michael, Michael. How long are you going to keep harping on that?"
The woman said.
"In the end, he's just Go Yohan."
"What's the difference?"
"There is a difference."
The woman laughed.
"Because in the end, he's human."
"......"
"I hear that even in the world where Go Yohan was called Michael, things weren't much different."
The woman continued.
"He threw himself away for ordinary people and got backed into a corner because of it."
"That's what allowed us to bind him."
"What's different? Calling him a villain or whatever...."
She grinned.
"In the end, he's just human."
"And you were human too."
Was. Past tense.
"Yeah, I was human. But I was never an ordinary one."
As the woman rose, she shed the robe draped around her.
Small wings and horns sprouted from her back.
"From the gutters to the wife of a chaebol conglomerate's head. You think that was easy?"
"......In the end."
"It's human standards. But look."
When she turned, her skin had already turned black, fluttering like a dress.
"Even you, sent here as a vanguard by the demon world with such care—your forehead only bears four horns."
Poke, poke.
The woman jabbed at the man's chest as she spoke.
"But I already have five. You didn't know?"
"......"
"Look closely. How the Earth, how Korea moves."
And then.
"How crude these humans truly are."
She had always yearned for it.
A life shining alone in an empty world.
In a place where everyone else seemed like idiots, she alone believed herself to be the true ordinary person.
That was why she harbored no regrets.
'Devil Contractor.'
Not worship, but an equal contract.
Those recognized for their merits and allowed to shed their human shells.
Among demons, they were called this.
"It means you can trust the Eleventh Apostle a little more."
Apostles.
Her name was Baek Sun-hee.
Once the lady of the house for Taehan Group, one of Korea's top conglomerates.
The mother of Kim Se-hyeon, Baek Sun-hee.
*
*
*
No articles broke from the major outlets.
They had already realized Go Yohan was closely tied to the media sponsors.
No one was foolish enough to lose a reliable advertiser over negative coverage.
However, unrelated sources began to slowly surface articles.
-Go Yohan, a villain after all?
Stories about the incident in front of Taehan Guild.
Tales of suppressing protesters and forcing submission through power.
-No matter the threat, the justification, or the strength to counter it—is he truly righteous?
These could at least be called proper journalism.
They were legitimate questions, reasonable doubts.
But.
-Go Yohan unleashes violence on a mere citizen—uncensored footage. (2.13M views)
-Go Yohan's outburst at protesters: 'Should I just kill you all?' (5.29M views)
Certain platforms churned out only the most sensational bait.
Go Yohan was an endless goldmine with just those three characters.
-Victim Im Cheolsun's interview: Demons? To him, Go Yohan was the demon. (11.99M views)
Spinning negative, provocative tales about him bloated bank accounts endlessly.
-What is the Association doing?
-Police ignore Go Yohan.
-Is Go Yohan above the state? The greatness of Divinity's bloodline!
Hiding behind anonymity, some spewed opinions.
Others peddled malicious fabrications and provocations.
-Video deleted for violating guide policy.
And if content went too far and got deleted by chance.
-Media suppression! Freedom suppression! Do you still think democracy lives?
The flames roared higher, flooding with related news.
"These... fucking bastards."
Lee Jae-kyung's face twisted savagely as he spoke.
Having been a Player for so long, it was familiar to him.
Receiving attention meant receiving jealousy in equal measure.
Nor did he view public reactions as purely negative.
Without this, truly wronged people might never get justice.
The problem was.
"What? That on that day, Go Yohan was going to kill them all, and Im Cheolsun stepped in to stop him?"
Whether it was truth or not.
"Evidence of Korea, turned dog of Go Yohan and Divinity, pressuring Nutube... ha!"
Even without doing anything, reality twisted him into a villain.
Crunch.
Lee Jae-kyung seemed ready to explode.
"......This place is no different."
Cheol Jung-bae let out a groan.
"......In the end, humans repeat the same mistakes."
Memories of Travania surfaced as Cheol Jung-bae spoke.
"What the hell. What happened there?"
Lee Jae-kyung asked.
He had never heard the full story of Travania.
Cheol Jung-bae had always held back, but now it seemed different.
"......All sorts of things happened."
Indeed, Cheol Jung-bae opened his heavy mouth.
"When Orc Great Chieftain Kartul rose with ten million orcs, he stepped forward and ended the war."
Cheol Jung-bae smiled bitterly.
It was self-mockery toward his past self, who had been just like the others back then.
"Do you know what we called him then?"
"......What did you call him?"
He didn't want to hear it.
But he had to.
"We called him a zealot of the evil god."
"......Why?"
"Because the orcs called him that. Isn't it ridiculous?"
Ha, ha. Cheol Jung-bae laughed dryly.
"Thanks to him cutting down those orcs, Travania regained peace, yet we rejected and persecuted him."
He wanted to say more but couldn't.
It was a shameful mistake he, as Cheol Jung-bae, didn't wish to recall again.
"Whatever it was, one thing matters."
Cheol Jung-bae said.
"This world is on the verge of making the same mistake we did."
"......It won't be easy, though."
Lee Jae-kyung replied.
"If the world were full of only idiots, wouldn't it have ended already?"
Cheol Jung-bae didn't answer Lee Jae-kyung's question.
Because he had once thought the same.
*
*
*
Public opinion plummeted sharply.
Communities overflowed with colorful insults and conspiracy theories.
-Go Yohan hoards over 80% of Korea's wealth!
-Divinity is the real enemy!
Voices stirred by it grew louder by the day.
And before the embers died, a statement came from civic group Justice's leader, Im Cheolsun.
-Everyone, December 19th! We'll righteously gather again at the Warp Gate!
Over a million had pledged attendance to that declaration—and it wasn't a lie.
And finally, the day arrived.
"Waaaaaaah!"
The gathered crowd was like an army.
"Down with Go Yohan!"
"Down with Divinity!"
"Arrest Go Yohan! Deport him!"
The wave of protesters surged toward the Divinity Guild grounds where the Warp Gate stood.
The Association mobilized, police forces deployed.
"Disperse immediately—!"
Even to such orders.
"Suppression! Guarantee our freedom!"
The wave of protesters showed no sign of stopping.
Like a bomb primed to burst.
A single incident could lead thousands to death.
But then, something unimaginable happened.
"Get lost, you morons!"
"Forget politics and bullshit—just scram!"
Citizens thought to be mere onlookers shouted at the protesters.
"He barely saved your asses—what more do you want?"
"Hey! Check Nutube! The original footage from that day dropped!"
"Why is Kim Se-hyeon a filial impiety?!"
It was another wave.
"Has Go Yohan ever killed an innocent? He stays quiet until shit hits, then comes to save us—why the hell are you bitching!"
"Did you buy their stocks? Divinity stocks?"
"Ugh, losers."
Their numbers rivaled the protesters'.
Lee Jae-kyung was right.
-Everyone, hello! The hottest vtuber right now—Yongyong here!
On the billboards, a small dragon appeared, spewing fire.
Yongyong, the vtuber with the steepest recent growth.
And Yongyong's channel name was.
'Yohan's Revelation.'
A channel covering Go Yohan's incidents as info and fan content, already boasting over three million subscribers.
-Everyone shut up! Just remember one thing, okay?
Yongyong's voice echoed through Gangnam.
-What if today they deport Yohan hyung, kick out Divinity and all friendly forces—what then?
"......!"
-And boom! Black Gates pop up....
The black dragon grinned wickedly.
-What'll you do? Get stoned to death?
It was Yongyong who had dug up and spread the original Taehan Guild footage that day.
-No way, right? You'll just curse Yohan hyung and the country while planning to emigrate!
"Bullshit!"
Im Cheolsun finally lost his temper and yelled.
"Justice will fight for Korea to the end...!"
-Guys, you know that guy has dual US citizenship?
"......!"
Disbelief crossed Im Cheolsun's face for the first time.