More Than Just a Destroyed Portal
And it didn't just destroy the portal. As if the aftermath had bled into the fabric of space itself, cracks began to spiderweb across the void. Rozamy turned pale and screamed.
"We have to get out of here right now! One wrong step and we'll be swept away!"
The destructive power was beyond anything she could have imagined. Even the sub-space Mamon had created was fracturing, unable to withstand the force. To think he could destroy space itself! If this had been unleashed in the physical world, it would have effortlessly obliterated an entire planet.
Witnessing this unfathomable power, she could finally believe that he had defeated Mamon a thousand times.
"But we have to defeat Mamon right now! He's going to get in the way of my part-time job at the cafe later!"
Yunjae's cry, wanting to strike while the iron was hot, left Rozamy utterly dumbfounded. Did he really come all this way to defeat the Demon God just because it might interfere with his cafe job?!
"Why on earth is a cafe job so important?!"
"Ah! It's ranked number one as the best part-time job for finding romance!"
Rumble!
But with the space collapsing around them due to his Goddess's Wrath, there was no time for this.
"Stop talking nonsense and hurry!"
Hum!
With an urgent expression, Rozamy opened a portal once more.
"I'm sorry! I'll be back soon, Mr. Mamon!"
Yunjae called out in a bright, clear voice, bidding Mamon farewell as he escaped the sub-space with her.
Boom!
Leaving the completely collapsed sub-space behind, Yunjae and Rozamy stepped back into the real world.
Flash!
The shockwave of the sub-space's collapse triggered a blinding explosion at the portal they had just crossed through.
Crash!
"Ah!"
Rozamy instinctively shielded her face with both arms and squeezed her eyes shut.
"Are you alright?"
Yunjae, who had effortlessly blocked the entire explosion in front of her, turned back to ask. The Goddess's Holy Armor still radiated a brilliant light, and he held Gae Bolg in his right hand. His cape, fluttering in the wind, also glowed, making him look like a fantasy brought to life.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
Even the words floating above his head—"Slender Forearms"—which he had been so embarrassed of, didn't register to her right now. With a face brighter and gentler than the light radiating from his body, he was the embodiment of a true Hero.
"Yes."
Rozamy choked out, nodding as tears welled in her eyes. She felt as though she had finally met the true Hero she had only ever dreamed of.
Squeeze.
She threw herself into his arms, weeping as if she had finally been freed from the shackles that had bound her for so long.
"Thank you. Thank you so much."
Because the portal had been destroyed, the battle with Mamon was cut short, meaning everything wasn't completely over yet. But she had seen hope. Not just because he was strong, but because unlike the previous Hero, Domian, he was a warm soul capable of embracing everything.
"Sniff..."
As she wept uncontrollably, facing hope for the first time amidst her ruined world and despair, Yunjae gently patted her back, recalling what Mari had taught him.
"You've held on so well all this time."
"...Is it really okay for me to go there?"
Having completely lost her home, Rozamy hesitated greatly as they prepared to return to the Blast Guild. It was only natural, considering she had stood at the forefront of destroying this world as Mamon's messenger.
"It will be fine, Miss Rozamy."
Yunjae, who had deactivated his Goddess's Holy Armor and returned to his slim suit, boldly took her hand.
"Anyone can make a mistake. And I know you've helped far more people than the hunters over there ever did."
Normally, Yunjae would never have been this forward, but he seemed determined to comfort the anxious, displaced girl.
"I even have photographic evidence!"
"Th-that was just..."
Having lived alone as Mamon's messenger for so long, and having been a Saintess before that, Rozamy had barely ever had physical contact with a man. Her face flushed a deep crimson in embarrassment.
Thump!
A strange sensation, entirely different from the terror she felt when Domian had choked her upon awakening, rippled through her body. Perhaps it was because, in contrast to Domian, she had grown to yearn for someone kind and gentle rather than just strong. Of course, the man before her also happened to be the most powerful being in all dimensions.
"And you need to meet Lady Lupinus, too. You don't have to tell them everything, so don't feel too pressured, Miss Rozamy."
Yunjae, however, didn't seem to realize that her hesitation was due to him holding her hand.
Seeing his earnest, sincere eyes, Rozamy nodded shyly.
"Okay..."
She finally agreed.
"Great! If there are any problems, I'll handle them all!"
Yunjae smiled in relief.
Rozamy couldn't help but smile back. To think that someone strong enough to obliterate Mamon's sub-space with a single strike could be this sweet and gentle.
A true Hero.
He was undoubtedly the savior she had been waiting for.
And...
Thump!
The man of destiny.
Back when she was a Saintess, she had received a revelation that the Hero would be her partner. She had once believed that was Domian, but he had been the epitome of corruption. He had even tried to force himself on her, resulting in her dear friend sacrificing herself.
A girl who had been like a sister to her since childhood.
After her friend died in her stead, Rozamy had been plagued by the guilt of being a useless Saintess and by her resentment toward Domian. Ultimately, she had thrown herself into the darkness to save her world.
The result had been disastrous, but now, she had finally met the true Hero.
Squeeze.
But what did it matter now? She was no longer a Saintess; she was merely Mamon's messenger. Because Mamon had granted her the power to open portals, even her physical appearance had changed to look entirely different from normal humans.
Perhaps the revelation that he was her man of destiny was wrong from the start.
"Sigh..."
"Miss Rozamy?"
"Ah, no! It's nothing!"
While she vigorously shook her head to dispel her thoughts, a voice called out.
"Mr. Lim Yunjae!"
Taejun, who was gathered in front of the Blast Guild headquarters with other hunters, spotted him and shouted.
"Yunjae!"
"Yunjae!"
"Mister!"
It wasn't just Mari, Lupinus, and Akemi waiting for his return. Demian, Taerin, Suyeon, and Anton were there too. Word had already reached them that Yunjae had saved the people in the business district and the Han River park, and had wiped out the monsters there.
Although no more monsters had appeared since he vanished into the sub-space with Rozamy, the global scale of the crisis kept everyone on edge. While most of the monsters had vanished, some stragglers were still attacking civilians, and hunters—including those from Blast—were busy cleaning them up.
"What on earth happened?"
Taejun asked, waiting to get a grasp of the situation.
Seoul was one of the areas with the highest density of portals in the world. Yet, the crisis here had been resolved first, and the casualties were incomparably lower than in other regions where battles were still raging.
This was entirely thanks to Yunjae. Cities like Tokyo, London, New York, and Paris, which had as many portals as Seoul, were suffering devastating casualties.
"I took care of the mastermind behind the random portals. There won't be any more attacks!"
"I see."
As expected, Yunjae had handled it. The cessation of the monster spawns was indeed his doing.
"It seemed like a coordinated global assault. How is the situation elsewhere?"
"Those places are still locked in fierce combat," Taejun replied grimly. "Because they don't have you there, Mr. Lim Yunjae."
Yunjae could simply go to help, but how could he get there instantly? Even flying to neighboring Japan would take about two hours.
"Miss Rozamy," Yunjae murmured, glancing at her.
"I can do it!"
Rozamy nodded, determined to atone for her sins.
"Yunjae! Rozamy!"
Lupinus burst from the crowd, calling their names.
"You did it! You saved Rozamy!"
Seeing Lupinus tear up at the sight of her, Rozamy felt a lump in her throat. After all, Lupinus was the only one left who truly knew her.
"Lady Lupinus!"
As Rozamy called her name, Lupinus ran forward and hugged her tightly.
"I'm so sorry, Rozamy! I...!"
Lupinus was sobbing, her usual shameless, playful, perverted demeanor nowhere to be found. Seeing her express such genuine remorse made everyone quiet down in solemn respect, even if they didn't fully understand the context.
When she had apologized to Yunjae before, her eyes had been sincere, but she had never broken down like this. The fact that she was reacting this way now...
"...I'm alright."
It was likely because she had ultimately failed to protect Rozamy's world.
"Anyway, saving the other places comes first."
Rozamy wiped her tears and looked at Yunjae.
"Ah! I couldn't defeat Mamon because I accidentally blew up the portal," Yunjae said apologetically to Lupinus.
"Huh?"
"A-anyway, I'll go destroy him as soon as I get back!"
Lupinus shook her head at his apology. She couldn't find the words and simply wept.
"Lady Lupinus."
"No, go. Hurry..."
Lupinus choked back her tears and waved him off.
"Then we'll be back, Lady Lupinus."
Flash!
As Yunjae transformed back into his Goddess's Holy Armor, everyone's eyes widened.
"My goodness."
"To think he can look that cool with that text on his head..."
Even Mari and Akemi, who had seen it before, looked utterly spellbound by his radiant figure.
"Got it! Go kick some butt and come back quick!"
"Yes! Please wait for me with Miss Akemi, Miss Mari!"
Yunjae didn't forget to bid them farewell with a warm look.
"Blow them all away!" Mari cheered.
"But how are you going to get there?"
Akemi asked, puzzled. Even as an S-rank teleporter, she couldn't travel that far. Did Yunjae have some kind of transportation magic?
Hum!
"Wh-what is that?!"
Before their eyes, Rozamy opened a portal.
"It's a portal!"
As the hunters instinctively tensed in shock, Yunjae turned to Taejun.
"I'll explain everything when I get back. Please, Guild Leader."
"...Understood."
Being a rational man, Taejun would keep this quiet for now, investigate the details later, and use the information to his advantage. Understanding the calculation behind Yunjae's request, Taejun nodded.
"Let's go, Miss Rozamy!"
"Right!"
The Hero and the Saintess threw themselves into the portal to save more lives.
Flash!
A brief silence fell over the crowd after they vanished.
"Who on earth is that woman?"
"How did she open a portal?!"
As the Blast Guild hunters began to murmur in alarm, Taejun stepped forward to calm them. But before he could speak—
"She's the hidden ability user who was helping people at the Hwagok Portal!"
Mari held up the printed photo of Rozamy she had kept.
"While you guys were busy chasing money, she was out there helping people at the Hwagok Portal and other places all by herself."
Though the photo was slightly out of focus, it was undeniably Rozamy.
"...So she wasn't an enemy?"
"I suppose with an ability like that, she had to be careful about showing herself."
Thanks to Mari's quick thinking—honed by fourteen years of experience in the field—everyone was quickly convinced that Rozamy was an ally.
"In any case, this matter is strictly confidential."
Taejun activated his mental ability just in case.
"Ugh!"
In that instant, the hunters found themselves physically unable to speak about what they had just witnessed, regardless of their will.
Her ability is extraordinary. If we can secure her...
While Yunjae was a complete anomaly, Rozamy's ability to open portals was one of the most practically useful powers imaginable, much like Akemi's teleportation.
"But her name is Rozamy! It sounds so similar to mine, and our abilities kind of overlap!" Akemi pouted.
"Your figures don't overlap at all, though," Taerin chimed in flatly.
"What?! I'm not lacking either!"
"No, you're definitely lacking in the chest department."
"How mean! Just you wait until you hit puberty!"
Leaving behind a sulking Akemi, Lupinus wept quietly in a corner after sending Yunjae and Rozamy off.
"Are you alright?"
Mari asked gently, concerned. It was jarring to see the usually hyperactive, borderline-insane goddess crying so much.
"It's been five thousand years..."
"Pardon?"
"For the first time in five thousand years... we finally landed a blow on that bastard!"
How could she ever put her feelings into words?
Lupinus's family and friends had all been slaughtered by Mamon, and her homeland, the Divine Realm, had been ruthlessly trampled. She had fled to the human realm. To seek revenge and stop him, she had raised Heroes, trying desperately to resist.
But the Heroes she painstakingly trained failed to fight properly, consumed by their own greed and desires, leading to the destruction of every world she tried to save.
Over five thousand long years, she had lost her divine home and four other worlds. Facing the death and ruin of everyone who had ever believed in her, her heart had shattered into pieces.