Chapter 270
Chapter 270
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 270
Chapter Title: Outing (2)
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My entire body throbbed with pain.
Beep—
At the same time, a ringing filled my ears.
My head, struck by the sudden impact, buzzed and churned dizzily.
-Kahahat! For a free world!
-Kyaaak—!
-Seonghyeon! Run...!
-No!
Memories I'd buried deep surged up like shards, stabbing at my mind.
'Damn it, what the hell!'
But it only lasted a moment.
My body, numbed by the explosion, recovered in an instant, and my shaken mind cleared.
The scattered memories sank back below the surface.
In the blink of an eye, I'd shaken off all the damage and returned to perfect condition.
It was the result of my overwhelming stats, Super Recovery, and the constant reinforcement from the additional effect of Entity Projection.
'Whew, which lunatic would bomb a hospital...!'
But right now, my own safety wasn't the only issue.
I ground my teeth viciously as I pushed my body up from where it had slammed into the corner of the hospital garden, then hurriedly checked on the grandmother and grandson cradled in my arms.
'Fortunately, they don't seem too badly hurt.'
In that split second as I sensed the flow of their energy.
I grasped the situation and moved.
To protect my body, I'd maximized the range of the protective magic artifact I always wore, while physically shielding the two of them in my arms from the direct aftermath.
Thanks to that, despite being flung from the hospital entrance to the garden, they both seemed relatively fine.
They'd just passed out from the shock.
'No, Taesan might be okay, but Grandma's still in danger. She just got discharged—if anything goes wrong...'
I'd reacted on reflex in the frantic moment, but I couldn't be sure it was the best choice.
Maybe there was a better way.
And above all...
"Ugh, it hurts... Save me..."
"Aaaah! Aaah—!"
"It's terrorism! Qu-quick! Run, quick!"
In that brief interval.
The surrounding area had turned into pandemonium.
People groaning in agony, citizens plunged into chaos.
It was some distance from the epicenter of the terror attack, but the ability-infused explosion had affected a wider range than expected, creating numerous casualties.
If the outside was like this, what about those near the perpetrator?
"We, we need to report this... Wh-what's wrong with this?!"
"My phone's dead too!"
"F-First, let's get out of here and then..."
Among those not seriously injured, some brave souls had pulled out their smartphones to alert others, but they all started panicking in confusion.
And I knew exactly why.
'That bastard planned this from the start.'
It wasn't a normal explosion.
Not only was it infused with hostile mana that was harmful, but it also carried some kind of wave that disabled electronics.
Just like the electromagnetic pulse from a nuclear blast.
'...And this is a hospital full of sensitive medical equipment!'
Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to calm down as much as possible and helped the two to their feet, evacuating the area.
For now, their safety was my top priority.
But that didn't mean I didn't care what happened to everyone else.
'Daring to mess with my territory.'
In that spot earlier, how many people had that single attack claimed?
Not just the direct blast—those relying on life-support machines were probably on the brink by now.
And from the ongoing smaller blasts—not as big as the first—it sounded like combat had broken out with the awakened security guards.
Though it didn't seem like it would last long.
'First things first: secure the situation properly. Hans... no, his aura would just finish off the patients. Then Heinz 2nd...'
I'd always known the world was like this.
Even if Hans in his Hahoe mask and Phantom Heinz 2nd enforced zero tolerance, incinerating trash on a massive scale, and the Blood Alliance swallowed the underworld to establish order in the shadows.
As long as the world's structure didn't change, incidents like this would keep happening.
'Dealing with him won't be an issue. But...'
How to handle it.
A flurry of thoughts raced through my mind in an instant.
"......"
In the midst of it, my gaze naturally drifted to the unconscious grandmother.
Her frail body clearly hadn't withstood the shock well—her face was even paler than during discharge.
"Whew, alright."
Seeing her like that cleared my tangled thoughts.
I immediately turned and headed into a nearby commercial building, already evacuated and empty of people.
'I was planning to treat Grandma as quickly as possible anyway.'
No need to worry about CCTV.
None of the electronics around here were working.
Heading straight to the restroom in the building, I sat the two in an empty stall.
Then took a step back—
And without hesitation, activated Entity Projection.
And then.
My body changed in an instant, like swapping a filter.
My eye level shifted.
The energy inside me changed.
My perception of the outside world altered.
Something connecting my body and the world twisted.
"Mm."
I turned to look in the restroom mirror.
Silver hair peeked from under the helmet, scattering the surrounding light, while golden eyes like molten gold sparkled beautifully.
My sturdy frame had bulked up even more into the flesh of a warrior honed to the extreme, wrapped in elegant pure-white armor.
Whoosh—
A subtle aura naturally spread out, enveloping the surroundings.
Clank—
I raised my hand and lowered the helmet's faceguard.
"Well then..."
Thus, I became Heinrich, the Saint of the Church of the Main God in Outerica.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The incident happened at a completely unexpected moment.
On a bright, sunny day.
An enormous shockwave erupted from the lobby of a large hospital where people were going about their normal routines.
Kwaaaang—!
In an instant, it turned the surroundings into hell.
Flying blood, agonized screams, scattered groans.
The all-out surprise attack inflicted fatal wounds on the off-guard awakened ones, and the resulting shockwaves plunged the entire hospital into chaos.
Crackle— Crackle!
Faint sparks danced from the fingertips of the perpetrator, a Villain, who had caused the disaster.
"Puh... Puheheh. Serves you right... you pig bastards."
The Villain, a middle-aged man in his 50s, who had finally brought down the tenacious security with repeated attacks after the initial strike, let out a twisted, chuckling laugh.
His unfocused gaze swept over the wrecked lobby as his lips twitched.
"H-Hospital's great... yeah? Excellent! Even has Returner guards. Worth the price... haha."
The man muttered incoherently, as if out of his mind.
Of course, those guards were little more than low-level mercenaries, but that hardly mattered to him now.
Right now, venting his grudge came first.
"Yeah, I know... I've been here before. My Seyeon too... yeah? If they'd just treated her, she could've lived..."
The resentment from years of festering decay, over losing his child.
"I... I said I'd bring the money... Was it that hard to wait just a little...?"
A foreigner who, unable to pay, was turned away at the door, lost his only family, wandered, and ended up crossing into the otherworld.
Now a Returner who had returned, pursuing only power to enact his twisted revenge.
"Yeah... yeah. Daddy's coming soon, Seyeon. B-But wait just a bit longer...?"
As he mumbled to himself, his eyes gradually sharpened.
The killer, with nothing left and a warped faith, twisted his lips upward.
"Seyeon must be bored, huh? Daddy'll bring lots of friends."
Crackle—!
The subsided mana boiled up again, the leaping sparks growing larger.
The same technique as the first attack.
But now, with no need for stealth, it formed faster and stronger than before.
"Ugh... S-Save..."
"Guh, kuh..."
Those still twitching on the brink of death writhed, but he didn't spare them a glance.
Lost in his own world.
"Yeah, all these rich pigs here should be enough. So..."
The building energy reached its peak.
Following the image of his daughter's smile in his mind, the Villain grinned as thick madness poured from his eyes.
"...Die, you pig bastards."
Kugugung!
With that, multiple energy blasts erupted from him.
Mixed with sparks, they shot out mercilessly, as if to devour the entire building—
"Lord of the Main God. Bestow your grace upon this land." ⟨ Prayer of Grace ⟩
A reverent voice echoed as if from the heavens.
Whoosh—!
And it was swept away by a wave of radiant light from somewhere, vanishing completely.
Utterly anticlimactically.
"Ha?"
But the bewildering situation didn't end there.
"...Armor?"
A armored figure stood where the light had passed, as if he'd appeared out of nowhere.
As the tense Villain began gathering energy again.
Whoosh—
An immense energy poured from the armored one, instantly engulfing the entire space.
Floor, walls, ceiling, empty air—nothing was spared.
"Lord of the Main God. Grant these pitiful souls the strength for one smile."
The unbelievably pure energy, unlike anything he'd seen, spread not just to those in the lobby on the verge of death, but throughout the building and surrounding area, naturally infusing everyone in range.
It was an overwhelming display of power, too vast for one person.
And breathtakingly beautiful, awe-inspiring just to behold.
As if a god had descended to earth and wrought a miracle.
"...Divine power."
The Villain, dazedly surveying the surreal scene, turned his gaze back to the armored figure.
He exuded a warm, benevolent aura, yet meeting his eyes brought crushing pressure, like his lungs were collapsing.
Having survived countless crises in the otherworld, the Villain instinctively realized.
This was a difference in class.
The being before him was a monster he could never touch.
"Right, you guys were here too."
But defying the pressure, he spat out a retort.
His twisted, twitching lips had hardened downward, but he glared at the armored figure, fueling his rage like burning himself.
Of course, he hadn't ignored the church's help.
But supply fell far short of demand, and he'd eventually turned away after endless waiting.
"Puh... Puheheh... Yeah. Divine power—if I'd had this much back then...!"
"Silence, criminal."
But the Villain's rambling mouth snapped shut at the solemn word, like judgment from on high.
Heinrich, the armored figure, had no intention of hearing the man's excuses.
As always, he would judge by his own standards.
'No need to waste time.'
No excuse justified this level of casualties—automatic death sentence.
He seemed skilled enough, but nowhere near transcendence.
Not worth drawing the sword of a transcendent Holy Knight.
Swish—
Yet Heinrich drew his holy sword anyway.
Not for the Villain, but to amplify his divine power via its effect.
'Can't save the dead, but the living...'
Unlike a Saintess specialized in healing and protection, his power focused on purging evil and judging demons. To use it efficiently against this, he needed every advantage.
'I have Dimensional Barrier Mitigation too, so it'll be decent enough.'
He ignored the bastard trembling before him, eyes bloodshot and bulging.
"Sinner, repent in the afterlife."
And then.
That "decent enough" storm of divine power.
Whoosh—
Engulfed the hospital and its surroundings, blazing forth.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Korean Returner Association, Seoul Southern Branch.
"Wh-what is this?!"
Crash!
Branch Chief Yoon Jiyoon, lounging in her chair playing a mobile game, shot to her feet.
Her chair toppled from the abrupt motion, but she ignored it, closing her eyes right there.
"...Divine power? On Earth... this strong? Is that even possible?"
She raised her senses again and muttered blankly in a trembling voice.
It was common knowledge that divine power weakened on Earth.
Even accounting for that, this magnitude meant... how immense was the original power?
"Ha, haha... Saint? Saintess? Or did they inherit a god's blood or something?"
And she wasn't the only one reacting.
Powerful beings sensitive to divine power, priests...
Even the long-moribund Otherworld Religion Alliance, Pantheon Korean Branch, stirred to life.