Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Just Undo the Shackles.
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Just undo the shackles.
Kwaaaang!
In the meantime, Kim Tae-hwan—no, Wrath—continued relentlessly attacking Go Yohan.
‘Shackles….’
Go Yohan bit his lip.
When his body had still been so very young, he had once undone those shackles.
And he knew what the result of that had been.
‘The erosion of curses, the erosion of sins.’
After that, he had to suppress them with even more faith, and their influence on him grew even fiercer.
The memories and sensations from that time made it clear: it was a realm he must never step into again.
Kwaaaang!
“Krha… krhahaha!”
Wrath cackled maniacally as it cried out.
“Is that all you’ve got?”
Its ten newly grown arms had already transformed into blood-red blades.
Kwakwakwang!
No matter how many times he shattered them, it was pointless.
Wrath would recover as much as the tenacity of its sin allowed.
“In the end, no choice, then.”
If necessary, he had no other option.
What was there to fear? He had vowed to become a demon to hunt demons.
-Captain!
He could feel Yun Seung-ah trying to stop him, her burden growing heavier by the second.
Measured against demons, the apostles were on the level of triangular demons; as players, they were around level 500.
To push beyond that required another step forward.
And Yun Seung-ah couldn’t hold out against this destruction forever.
“Sorry for the burden.”
Just as Go Yohan’s eyes changed.
Tseeaaak!
Seven blood-red blades targeted him simultaneously.
And then.
Kang!
Another blood-red blade blocked them.
“St-stop….”
A familiar voice.
“Stop it!”
It was Kim Se-hyun.
She gripped one of the arms that had detached from Wrath as if she had picked it up, wielding the blood-red blade to counter Wrath’s attacks.
“I said stop!”
Kim Se-hyun shouted.
“How long are you going to keep this up?! Dad…!”
Kwaaaaa!
The aura emanating from Kim Se-hyun was anything but ordinary.
And Go Yohan knew exactly what it was.
Something the other apostles had also experienced.
‘Awakening.’
The moment an archdemon took root, the body’s latent potential exploded in an instant.
That was how a twelve-year-old Enbi had been able to slaughter the Teraco guild members, and how a five-year-old Greed had been able to cast her greed from the shadows.
Kim Se-hyun too.
Kukukuku!
Her potential was bursting forth right now, awakening.
-What a pity.
Wrath said.
-That should have been mine.
Wrath spoke with genuine regret.
Wrath held a very high rank even among the other sins.
For such a being to truly covet and seek to claim her body—Kim Se-hyun’s flesh was truly.
Kwaaa!
A shining star.
Kang!
Kim Se-hyun deflected Wrath’s blades.
-But I can’t just keep lamenting forever.
At that moment, the repelled blades curved like whips, targeting Kim Se-hyun.
She swung her sword in panic, but for someone who had just awakened, it was too much.
-Die with your knight of illusions.
Wrath was certain it would cleave her skull in two.
Kwak.
But Go Yohan’s hand, now standing in front of her, gripped the blade.
Tukang!
He shattered it.
The same went for the next wave of blades pouring forth.
Fududuk.
They fell to the floor like marionettes with cut strings, drained of power.
-……?
Wrath’s face twisted slowly in disbelief.
-You bastard….
And then.
-How are you wielding that power?!
It recoiled in shock.
In Wrath’s distorted vision, Go Yohan appeared to be the only one in the world resisting all its drowsiness.
*
*
*
Kim Se-hyun’s awakening changed nothing.
Yun Seung-ah’s limit was fast approaching.
The only way was.
[The Curse of Sloth intensifies.]
[The Faith stat used to suppress curses and sins is converted to Strength, Agility, and so on.]
This.
[Occupation temporarily changes to Dark Knight.]
[Occupation….]
Kung!
It felt like everything was slipping away.
Like a cat curled up on a soft bed, even Wrath couldn’t resist the overwhelming drowsiness.
[You have acquired Knight of Sloth.]
[The special skill of Knight of Sloth, Sin of Sloth, activates.]
Wrath’s vision began to crumble.
It wanted nothing more than to succumb to the sleep crashing over it.
Moving its body felt like too much trouble.
Teolkeok.
-Why?
Such a question arose.
Why was it fighting? Why was it enduring this pain?
[Eroded by Nightmare.]
[Eroded by Apathy.]
And then.
-Huh.
Even breathing, even the bare minimum to sustain life—it wanted to give up on it all.
It just wanted to close its eyes and await the peace that would come.
But.
Kwaaaaa!
Its opponent was Wrath.
The sin more powerful than Sloth, the rage that burned to incinerate the world and slaughter everything—it erupted, hundreds of blades.
Becoming thousands as they poured toward Go Yohan.
Swik.
Go Yohan watched them and slowly raised his hand.
At that instant.
Kung!
The hundreds of blades halted and dropped.
Even if Wrath itself had regained its senses, its extended arms could not withstand the domain of Sloth.
“Yawn.”
Go Yohan yawned sleepily and took a step forward.
-Impossible….
Wrath recoiled in horror.
It couldn’t comprehend a mere human wielding the Sin of Sloth, but what was even more incomprehensible was.
-How can you move?
That Go Yohan was stepping forward, moving.
He should have been the most affected by the Curse of Sloth, yet he overcame that power.
“Goddess….”
It was thanks to that mad faith.
Go Yohan was right in front of Wrath’s nose.
If its true form had manifested, it would have had confidence in victory.
But.
-Damn it.
Wrong.
The moment it had only descended as a fragment, victory was already decided.
But it couldn’t end like this.
Chwaaaa!
Wings burst from Kim Tae-hwan’s back, hundreds of blades attached to them slicing past Go Yohan all at once.
Go Yohan didn’t block them—no, he couldn’t.
Amid the nightmare crashing down now, tearing Wrath apart was all he could manage.
-Captain!
Yun Seung-ah tried to intervene, but Wrath’s blades were far too fast.
What Wrath targeted was.
-I can’t let even that be taken….
The awakened Kim Se-hyun.
Unable to suppress her exploding power, she sat slumped—and toward her, Wrath’s blades poured.
They stopped right before her eyes.
-Damn it all.
Along with Wrath’s cursing.
Swishaaa!
Kim Tae-hwan’s body melted away.
[You have hunted the sin, Wrath.]
[You have acquired a large amount of Karma Points.]
[Wrath’s sin is atoned for Go Yohan.]
The goddess’s voice rang out.
[Faith stat greatly increases.]
[You have atoned for six sins.]
[You have acquired Proof of Atonement.]
Three cross-shaped earrings embedded themselves in Go Yohan’s ears, gleaming.
[Proof of Atonement]
[Legendary]
[Can contain part of a curse.]
The goddess’s voice hadn’t ended.
[You have acquired Gareth’s Longsword.]
[Legendary]
A blood-red longsword fell.
Hweeng.
Go Yohan staggered as if about to collapse.
“Captain!”
Yun Seung-ah, appearing at his side, caught him.
*
*
*
Sleep, and it will be easy.
Do nothing.
Or else, destroy it all.
In emptiness, you will find peace.
“…Nonsense.”
Go Yohan rejected the voice in his head.
A hangover-like haze enveloped his body, as if he’d drunk to his liver’s limit.
His muscles clenched as if tearing, his heart beating as sluggishly as a corpse’s.
A curse stronger than before.
Pfft.
But Go Yohan smiled.
This much wouldn’t change a thing.
“Captain, are you coming around?”
The first thing Go Yohan saw upon opening his eyes was Yun Seung-ah.
Seeing her face creased with worry eased his mind a little.
And beside her.
“…….”
Kim Se-hyun, her expression one of disbelief.
“Student… teacher?”
Kim Se-hyun recognized Yun Seung-ah’s face too.
“Fhew.”
The barrier was still active.
Go Yohan slipped from Yun Seung-ah’s grasp and lay back on the sofa.
He desperately wanted to sleep, but there were things to sort out.
“Tae-hwan… handle the cleanup.”
“Don’t worry. Greed’s already on it.”
Kim Tae-hwan was dead.
It was inevitable, having contained an archdemon’s fragment in such a meager vessel.
“…Kim Se-hyun.”
Go Yohan called her.
“…….”
She couldn’t respond easily. She had witnessed the unthinkable and just lost her father.
“You’re not a fool. You must understand the situation at least.”
Kwak.
At his words, Kim Se-hyun clenched her fist.
“You can’t live normally anymore either… but if you want, I can help.”
“…….”
“Yun Seung-ah will come back to help too. Let’s clean up first and talk.”
Go Yohan rose.
In the meantime, a tattoo had been etched onto his neck as the price of absorbing Wrath.
Kim Se-hyun looked shocked again at the sight.
“…Can I ask just one thing?”
Gathering her courage, she spoke.
“At the end… was that Dad?”
Wrath had tried to kill Kim Se-hyun to prevent the superior vessel from falling to Go Yohan.
But it had stopped right before its goal.
Go Yohan, now standing.
“…….”
She was probably right.
It wasn’t about denial or love.
If mere emotions could defy an archdemon’s will, Travania wouldn’t have fallen.
It was simply a fragment, facing death.
‘Kim Tae-hwan.’
Kim Tae-hwan’s inherent nature had briefly resurfaced.
The archdemon had long invested in him to claim Kim Se-hyun, it seemed.
“Probably.”
With that, Go Yohan left with Yun Seung-ah.
Kwaak.
Kim Se-hyun clenched her fist tight.
But no tears fell.
She didn’t want to cry anymore.