Retiring the False Martyr
html, body { margin:0; padding:0; } Summoner: Gold Sun 11
I didn't answer Priest Bae Jae-ho's question. Answering it would have been pointless anyway.
Priest Bae Jae-ho slowly rose from his seat. A resolute determination gleamed in his eyes. He was ready to fight.
In the original story, Priest Bae Jae-ho's goal was to keep Summoner Survival going forever. A devout believer, he firmly believed that neither immortality nor suicide were permitted to humans. That's why he planned to prevent anyone from claiming Eve's Apple by never letting the survival end.
Summoner Survival only concludes when a single final survivor remains. That means if two or more are left, it drags on eternally.
In that case, the summoners would be trapped in Loss City, unable to leave due to the survival's constraints. Priest Bae Jae-ho had no intention of ending it, even if it meant locking himself in this prison called Loss City. It was just the kind of stunt fitting for someone dubbed the "noble martyr."
"You're a dangerous man."
"You think so?"
"Yes. My purpose is to ensure this meaningless fight never repeats. I had no intention of battling at first, but..."
His gaze sharpened, glaring at me like I was some heretic.
"I can't let you live. I don't know your goal, but you'll do whatever it takes to end the survival."
"That's right."
He slowly stood from the piano chair. At that moment, darkness flooded the chapel.
My vision suddenly went pitch black. But since I knew Priest Bae Jae-ho's champion ability in advance, I wasn't fazed at all.
Darkness Raider
I scanned the surroundings with Darkness Raider, tracking the enemy's movements. Priest Bae Jae-ho's champion was preparing an attack less than a meter away from me. But it wasn't aiming for me.
A stern voice echoed through the darkness from Priest Bae Jae-ho.
"Where's your champion?"
"Passed out at home. I pumped a shit-ton of cum into her pussy last night."
"That doesn't sound like a lie... You're planning to take on me and Garot alone?"
"Of course."
"That doesn't sound like a lie either."
I reached out toward Garot, Priest Bae Jae-ho's champion. Reading my movement, Garot instantly closed in. Even in the darkness, we could track each other's actions.
Whoosh!
A heavy whoosh of air grazed my shoulder as it cleaved the space. Garot's weapon was a massive morningstar. Among the champions in Summoner Survival, he boasted the strongest raw strength.
Light footwork deflects Garot's assault, leaving an afterimage to evade.
I easily sidestepped with light footwork, flowing around Garot's attack. It was True Position Change, evading with an afterimage. Pointless in the dark, but dodging his strike was simple. A mace's trajectory is easy to predict—though getting hit would mean massive damage in return.
Holy Gauntlet! True Straight Punch!
A sacred, glowing light gauntlet enveloped my fist, piercing the dark chapel like a single ray.
As the gauntlet formed, I channeled my full power into a straight punch. Target: Garot's gut. Perfect trajectory, blinding speed—a clean hit.
Thud!
It landed like a counter, slamming dead-center into Garot's stomach.
"Gahk!"
He let out a choked scream and flew backward. In the light of the Holy Gauntlet, Garot was a tall, muscular guy about my height.
He looked like a muscle-headed hot-blooded type rivaling Achilles, but his character was an ascetic champion like Priest Bae Jae-ho. A madman endorsing the priest's plan to halt the pointless Summoner Survival repeats.
"Garot!"
Priest Bae Jae-ho cried out his name like a scream.
Light
I flooded the pitch-black chapel with brilliant light.
This darkness was Garot's ability, Dark Curtain Dominion. It seals the enemy's vision completely—a perfect fit for the blind Garot, who senses the world through other faculties and moves freely in the shadows.
"Looks like your champion's gotten weak. You think you can protect your flimsy beliefs with that kind of power?"
I sneered at Priest Bae Jae-ho. He gnashed his teeth, glaring daggers.
"Who the hell are you? No summoner... a champion?"
"Wrong."
Vmmm!
Ten light projectiles streaked toward Garot. He'd barely staggered to his feet from the punch, blood trickling from his mouth. That hit had inflicted serious internal damage.
"Garot!"
"Urk! Summoner! Don't worry. I won't go down from this!"
"Big talk. Then taste this too."
Pew!
The ten projectiles converged on Garot simultaneously. Priest Bae Jae-ho threw himself in front, blocking the way.
"Stop! Enough! I surrender!"
The Holy Missiles halted inches from his nose. Garot stared at Priest Bae Jae-ho with a rigid expression.
"Summoner! What bullshit is this!? I can still fight."
The guy retires right after showing up, but his tongue's longer than his dick.
That fucker couldn't beat me even if he died and came back a hundred times.
"Garot, I sought to end meaningless fights by never concluding Summoner Survival. But this has to be the most pointless one yet!"
"Ha! Hilarious. Wasn't your goal to keep anyone from touching Eve's Apple? Now you're pulling a saint cosplay. Entertaining."
I mocked the priest, who was striking a noble pose up front. His face hardened like stone.
"H-how do you know that...? Who the fuck are you?"
"None of your business. Anyway, if you surrender nicely, I won't push it."
I alternated glances between Priest Bae Jae-ho and Garot as I spoke. Garot, confused, turned to the priest with a stiff voice.
"Summoner. What the hell? Didn't you say you'd prevent meaningless fights by not ending this survival?"
Garot had swallowed the priest's lie hook, line, and sinker. The real reason Priest Bae Jae-ho refused to end it was purely personal—and religious—not for peace.
"Th-that was... a lie. Sorry for deceiving you, Garot."
"Why lie like that...?"
"Garot. Humans mustn't defy the Lord's will. Death is life's end. No power should challenge that."
I watched their exchange with interest.
"Intent aside, our goals aligned, didn't they? Keep Summoner Survival eternal. Achieving that fulfills what we want."
"True..."
"But that man's appearance ruins it. The gap in ability between you and him is clear. Garot, I'm retiring from this survival."
"Summoner! Is that all the resolve you had!?"
"But beating him is impossible. You felt his punch firsthand, right?"
"Use Gears Counter! I can still fight."
Garot raised his morningstar, radiating fierce intent. He showed zero will to surrender.
"Still haven't learned after that beating?"
To me, it was pointless resistance. I could still crush him easily.
Gears Counter wasn't for power-ups—it forced champions to obey summoners. It might steel his will, but it couldn't physically enhance him.
Yet Priest Bae Jae-ho fell for it. He revealed the tattoo on his hand and shouted.
"Fine! I command via Gears Counter! Garot! Crush this infidel!"
"As you command! Haaah!"
A wave of power surged from Garot—like unleashing everything without holding back. Among the nine champions, his stats ranked around fourth.
Someone like that going all-out, resolved to vanish? A minor annoyance for me. Burning-will types always create variables.
Of course, I could still win. Just a hassle.
I'll end it quick.
No need to clash head-on with that fool.
Time Pose (SS-grade skill, 2Lv SS-rank)
I stopped time. Garot's massive wave of momentum froze mid-lunge, his body rigid like a statue. Not just him—the entire world turned monochrome and halted.
I consumed a jujube to recover the HP and MP drained by Time Pose. Then I approached Garot slowly.
In the frozen, colorless void, Garot holding his raised mace looked like a flawless sculpture.
I plunged my Light Saber into his gut. Then restarted time.
"Guhk!"
Garot, surging with power, screamed and dropped to his knees. Toppled before his boosters could ignite. He stared at me in horrified disbelief.
"How...?"
"Die, you dumb fuck."
I stomped his head as he knelt. His body crumbled to dust. Retired.
"No way... What the hell just happened...?"
Leaving Priest Bae Jae-ho with his incredulous expression, I exited the chapel.
That made three summoners down. Five left—but two were as good as caught. Effectively, three remained.
This is going smoother than expected.
Might as well take out one more. I left the chapel, boarded a bus, and headed downtown Loss City.
I went to the entertainment district packed with bars—the one spot of fun in boredom central.
Neon lights flashed as I entered the street, a sleazy vibe hitting me hard. I stepped into one bar.