Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Reverse Heaven Society (2)
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A wild mountain ridge some distance away from the villa.
“Ugh... The barrier is stronger than I thought. I didn't expect it to weigh on me this much.”
On top of that, he hadn't moved as far as he'd hoped.
It was undoubtedly the effect of the barrier Hweotal had set up.
“Hoo, the bastard's better than I gave him credit for. Better get out of this spot quick.”
Park Gwangcheon forced his trembling legs to support him.
Using Space Manipulation again right away was out of the question, so he planned to put as much distance as possible on foot.
'Still, pushing my unique skill to double reinforcement was worth it. The skill's got great potential, but its natural growth is so damn slow.'
It grew steadily as proficiency rose, sure, but the dramatic boost from the Karma Shop offered huge advantages.
Setting up a barrier no one could detect, sensing their infiltration, hiding his and his men's presence—all thanks to that.
Not that it stopped him from ending up on the run, but the reinforcement effect 'Instant Activation' had helped here too.
'Recovery time is shorter now too. A few more minutes, and I can use it again. No barrier this time, so I can go even farther...'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [You're right here.] In that instant, from behind him.
A voice rang out that should never have been heard here.
Not so much a human voice as an echo reverberating through a cave.
A groan that shredded his mind just from hearing it.
Park Gwangcheon's body went rigid.
'How did he find me? Traces in the barrier? That should've only given a direction at best. How did he pinpoint my location...? No, that's not important right now. I need to stall. Once Space Manipulation is ready, right away...'
Kwak—
[You look lost in thought.]
A cold hand in a black glove clamped onto the back of his head.
No trace of human softness.
Like the hand of an ice sculpture.
[I wasn't planning to kill you quick at first, but who knows when or how you'd slip away again. So I decided to do things the usual way.]
“N... no...”
Dank black magic poured in through the back of his skull.
Park Gwangcheon twisted in resistance, but his body was already bound in black shadows.
'Gah! Less... less than a minute left...! Just a bit more time...! Urgh...'
His mind grew hazy, thoughts snapping like frayed thread, as if iron spikes stabbed his brain.
[Keh heh... Don't think death's an escape. Not from me.]
Hans's black magic mercilessly ravaged his brain and dug through his memories.
Of course, this guy had restrictions too.
Still, worth a shot.
As an executive, it was more complex, but not impossible to break.
And the memories he extracted...
'...What the hell is this?'
In the sluggishly flowing time of his mental world, Hans encountered something utterly unexpected.
—To think you'd breach security this deep.
[Oh? And who might you be?]
A glowing green human silhouette.
Head and limbs discernible, but no facial features.
—I knew to some extent, but seeing your spirit form... impressive. Black magic that dense... Hweotal, you're beyond expectations.
Taking a closer look after those words, Hans realized he was in a similar form.
His own was black, like congealed abyss.
[Hiding in this fool's head, were you? Then you must be one of Reverse Heaven Society's top brass.]
—Denying it now would be pointless.
Safely tucked away, planting restrictions in others' minds to spy—slimy bastard.
A phrase like 'kin slayer' flickered in his rational mind, but that wasn't him; just an illusion.
Maybe the guy's mental attack.
—Hweotal. So rational for a black magic user. Such a shame. Just to be sure—care to join us?
The scout offer he'd half-expected.
But a golden chance to pry info on them.
[Ha! Trust a shadowy lot like you? Fine, I'll bite. What's your goal?]
—Freedom for Returners. Building a world we lead.
'Sounds rehearsed. Real or not?'
No way to tell if it was genuine.
Might just be surface bait for recruiting a Returner like Hans.
[Bit ambitious for a group that only surfaced recently.]
—We've existed far longer. Fighting for freedom all along.
The word 'fight' grated oddly.
And 'far longer' too.
[So you've been pulling terror attacks from way back?]
—Terror... you could see it that way. But it was necessary. Unavoidable sacrifices.
'Knew it.'
There it was: 'unavoidable sacrifices'.
These guys saw others' deaths as collateral for their cause.
Obvious 'evil'—no need to probe further.
Justifiers of past terror... my 'enemies'.
The sudden memory surge stirred unexpected anger, which he quickly reined in with Mind Hub.
But unaccustomed to spirit form, a sliver leaked out.
The guy noticed, his tone shifting.
—Choose wisely. This is the mental world. Mental prowess trumps mana here. You can't win.
[Oh? Dropping the mask at last. What if I say yes? Planning to plant a restriction in my head too?]
—Unavoidable, I'm afraid. Resist if you like. Damage to the spirit affects the flesh. Perfect chance to remove obstacles.
Arrogant as hell.
Obey and get leashed, or rebel and get culled anytime.
That explained the smugness.
—Choose. You won't escape easily. Even if you do, it'll cost you dearly.
Mental world time crawled.
Hans had only been pouring black magic into the executive's head for seconds in real time.
Meaning plenty of time left...
[Kuh, keh heh heh— Mental world, huh...? Judging superiority by mental strength?]
Enough time to crush this clown.
[Daring to threaten the one who rules death itself. Pathetic.]
He was the veteran there.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ “Heinrich? Heinrich! Are you alright? Strange... Your body's fine...”
His drifting mind slowly returned.
Before he knew it, an elderly priest in robes peered closely at Heinrich's face.
“Ah! Sorry, High Priest. Got lost in thought for a sec... Haha!”
“Sheesh, where do young folks leave their minds these days? You zoned out so hard I thought you fell asleep with eyes open. I get it's tough training at dawn, but still.”
Just needed to focus intensely for a moment.
Couldn't share the details, so he scrambled an excuse.
“Ah, seeing the results brought back old memories. All that hardship...”
“Nonsense! Mastering holy arts at this level in so short a time? That's prodigious talent. You've got what it takes to be a fine combat priest!”
True, he'd just borne fruit from the holy arts training right before zoning out.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ <The individual has gained enlightenment through repeated training. Acquired skill 「Auterica Holy Arts」.> Auterica Holy Arts, a spell harnessing divine power he'd mastered shortly after gaining the blessing.
Different enough from energies he was used to that it took longer than expected.
“Thank you, High Priest. But I'll be a Holy Knight soon. I'll use the arts you've taught me to save more people as one!”
“Right, almost forgot. You'll excel as a Holy Knight too—no worries there. I keep getting surprised by your daily growth.”
Of course, 'long' was relative to his standards.
The synergy of this world's buffs for Awakeners, plus Avatar's growth acceleration for clones, yielded astonishing progress by local standards.
After bidding farewell to the High Priest overseeing holy arts training, Heinrich stepped out and gazed at the dawn sky.
'First goal achieved at last!'
Soon, Heinrich would finally be ordained as the Holy Knight he'd long dreamed of.
He'd reported acquiring Blessing: Fortification last night, and with Holy Knight conditions met, approval came instantly.
A feat half a year after joining the Church of the Main God.
Impossible under normal circumstances, of course.
Heinrich's case was exceptionally special.
Talent aside, timing aligned perfectly.
The Church's structure allowed rapid advancement with ample divine power and skill.
'Things here are smooth, and that mess sorted itself. ...Pfft, what was that guy blabbing again?'
Even if you escape lucky, you'll take fatal wounds and lose everything? Something like that.
Heinrich chuckled and headed to the training grounds to work up a sweat before breakfast.
“Heh... Lucky you.”
Leaving behind an enigmatic laugh directed at who-knows-who.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A lavish chamber overflowing with crimson and gold ornaments.
“Kuh... Kehok— Cough!”
Kudangtang—!
A man in his thirties toppled from his chair, vomiting blood onto the floor.
“Urgh... Damn it...!”
“Ordainer! Are you alright?!”
Guards hidden nearby emerged at the sudden crisis, scanning for threats—but it wasn't external, so pointless.
'This can't be...! Lost? Me? In a mental world fight?'
The battle with Hweotal in the spirit realm.
Familiar turf, familiar combat.
Except for the unfamiliar foe.
“Urk—!”
Chunks of viscera mixed into the blood he hacked up.
And from his left eye, pale fluid oozed with the blood.
Kwang!
“Ordainer!”
“Hurry! Prepare healing!”
The chamber door burst open as underlings and healers rushed in.
'...Tch, won't help much.'
Not physical damage.
Backlash from spirit form injury.
Better than nothing, though. He yielded to their care and closed his eyes.
Blood kept surging up, but healing abilities halted worsening.
💥 CRITICAL HIT! 💥 [Kkaka—! Got... you—!]
Closing his eyes replayed the mental world's final scene.
The abyss-black form cackling grotesquely, reaching for him.
“Ugh...”
If not for his unique skill Mind Projection at the very end, it wouldn't have stopped at this.
...Even using it, he'd lost—the trust meter hit rock bottom.
'Why did I lose? Not just mental strength gap. Skill difference? No way my mental skills are lacking. Something more fundamental...'
It started evenly matched.
Sharpening his mind into blades to slash, erecting barriers against attacks.
Then, the foe changed tactics.
His strikes passed harmlessly like cutting mist; the enemy's assaults wielded all the world's madness and malice, shattering his ironclad barriers.
The foe's form then was utterly inhuman.
A nexus of fear, despair, grief, pain, rage, death—all negative emotions.
Felt like battling a monster, not a man.
'No hint during talk. How does he hide that madness normally? Or rather...'
Can a human even harbor such malice?
Is Hweotal even human?
'Looked more like high undead... No, impossible.'
Awakener sent to this world counts as dead upon undeath, forcing return via Karma Shop.
Even if self-aware, it's just warped remnants of the human soul.
Otherworld undead can't evade Earth's rules; creating that level on Earth is near-impossible.
'Regardless, first spirit encounter—he was human. Immense black magic, but definitely.'
Though it warped fast once fighting started.
Still retained some human traces.
Like a demon-possessed, if anything.
Though the madness and gap were far greater.
'...Sealed a demon inside? Released in crisis...'
'Best hypothesis now. If so, he paid a price resealing it.'
Not one-sided—eased his mind a bit.
He sighed, opening one eye.
“Ordainer! You okay?!”
His first-noticing guard asked urgently.
Others still tended him desperately.
Internals shredded, left eye permanently lost, legs numb.
Soul fragment torn, mana circuits critically damaged—walking corpse.
But duties remained; no time to waste.
“Seoul branch: Priority directive. Halt all ops, purge data, go dark. Blood Alliance: recover Alpha only, sever all ties, cut tails.”
Pausing to breathe, he continued.
“All Korea branches: Priority one. Shut down bases, erase traces. New bases at discretion, report later. Suspend activities until further orders... Cough!”
Too much talk—blood sprayed again.
“Ordainer! Rest now!”
Healers cried out, but he gritted teeth for the last order.
“And relay to the Chairman: Korea has a monster. ...I'll need years to recover.”
With that mutter, he let go, head drooping.
His guard bolted to relay; the rest moved his stabilized but critical form to safety.
The moment the Ordainer overseeing Korea fell, Reverse Heaven Society's operations hit a wall.