Chapter 479: The Gates of Hell and the Gatekeeper (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 479: The Gates of Hell and the Gatekeeper (1)
The Gatekeeper of Hell.
It was one of the nicknames for Cerberus.
Literally, the beast guards the gate to Hell.
It ensures no living human can cross the threshold into Hell.
And that no dead soul can escape from Hell into the world of the living.
But that was all just a story from Greco-Roman mythology.
The Cerberus of reality, much like the one in the myths, was also guarding a massive gate.
A colossal red gate, covered in writing that looked like crawling worms, was bound tightly with chains, the ends of which were wrapped around the beast’s own necks.
Some said Hell truly existed beyond it, while others claimed it led to another dungeon.
But no one knew the real answer.
No one had ever gotten close enough to the gate, let alone pushed Cerberus into a corner.
But perhaps… that secret would be revealed today.
Right in the heart of the Republic of Korea.
“L-look over there!”
After hearing the investigator’s report, I immediately adjourned the meeting and rushed to Gwanghwamun.
And I saw it.
Grrrrr…!
Behind Cerberus, which was growling lowly and radiating hostility in all directions.
A crack in the massive, chain-bound gate, though minuscule, had opened slightly.
It was so fine that even with the superior vision of a Hunter, you wouldn’t notice it without looking very closely.
“Here is a comparative analysis of three hours ago, one hour ago, and the present. The difference is too subtle to see with the naked eye, but… the gate is indeed opening, little by little.”
I didn’t need to see the photos to know.
“…It really is opening.”
And it wasn’t just the gate.
A dark crimson energy was seeping out from beyond it.
A color I’d never seen, a sensation I’d never felt.
Ominous, impure, unsettling, and ill-fated.
It was mana that felt like a conglomeration of every negative emotion in the world.
It was leaking out, ever so slowly, devouring the existing mana and taking its place.
Seeing this, I realized.
“It wasn’t Cerberus.”
The immense evil I had sensed in the shower wasn’t coming from Cerberus, but from that gate.
My instincts screamed as I watched the ominous mana slowly but surely melting into the world.
“…I have to stop it.”
If South Korea were to be wiped off the map, it wouldn’t be because of Cerberus.
The real threat was that gate.
I had to do something about that gate, which led to who-knows-where and existed for who-knows-what reason.
“Investigator-ajeossi?”
“Yes, Hunter-nim.”
“Please pass a message to the Prime Minister for me.”
“What should I tell him…?”
“That the situation is urgent, so I’m starting ahead. And to please guide the others when they arrive.”
“What? Wait, hold on…!”
Ignoring the flustered investigator, I immediately launched myself into the air and flew toward Cerberus.
I’d been betrayed by the one thing I thought I could trust.
“Hoo… So this is what NTR feels like.”
I thought time was on my side, but I was wrong.
The beast wasn’t doing nothing; it was waiting.
Waiting for the Gate of Hell to open.
Waiting for the mana, or something else, to pour out and consume the world.
“You’re one cunning mutt.”
Thanks to that, my plan was screwed from the start.
Originally, I’d intended to buy some time by observing its movements, but that was no longer an option.
Ominous mana was leaking through the open crack in the gate.
It was painfully obvious that the wider the crack grew, the more of it would pour out.
“Right. To be honest, not much has really changed.”
Time may have betrayed me and my target may have shifted, but the job remains the same.
I have to get rid of this gatekeeper, standing firm and blocking the gate with its entire body.
[Activating the Domain of the Ruler.]
The conditions are good.
Having something to protect means it can’t recklessly dodge or charge.
That’s even more true now that it’s trying to accomplish something through that gate.
Which means…
I can focus completely.
I have to use this chance to land a solid hit.
Crackle-!
A flash of light erupted before my eyes.
The mana, now saturated with particles of lightning, writhed restlessly.
The compression of lightning—something only possible by using the Domain of the Ruler to its absolute limit.
But now, it was easy.
The reason was none other than the power of the shadow creature I had absorbed.
“This is useful here, too.”
Creating lightning with the properties of the navy-blue mana made it much easier to maintain its form.
It seemed the sticky viscosity between the mana particles was suppressing the volatile nature of the lightning.
Perhaps because of that, the color of the crackling sparks was also different from before.
A black tinged with a faint blue.
Indigo lightning gathered at a single point, radiating immense energy.
“Not yet.”
This was already powerful enough to incinerate any ordinary human in an instant.
But my opponent was Cerberus.
A monster with a hide so tough that nothing short of Sword Aura could even scratch it.
Facing such a beast required an equal amount of effort.
Pzzzzzt…!
Crack!
As the sphere compressed and shrank, the sound also subsided.
What was finally completed was an ordinary-looking orb.
The shape didn’t matter.
This was nothing more and nothing less than a bomb meant to blow my opponent away entirely.
Looking at it, it kind of resembled a toy ball that cats and dogs go crazy for.
“Hmm, a toy ball.”
I suddenly felt annoyed.
It reminded me of Poppy, the dog we used to have back home.
That little bastard would stubbornly ignore any ball I threw for him.
“…Now that I look closer, that first head looks a bit like Poppy.”
Alright.
I’ve made my decision.
I flicked the orb floating above my palm upward, sending it toward the beast.
“Here, go play.”
Though I doubt you’ll be able to.
The lightly tossed orb flew toward the first head.
「Big Bang.」
The feebly flying orb erupted in a massive explosion.
The colossal impact was large enough to swallow the house-sized Cerberus and still have enough force to pulverize the surrounding buildings.
KWWWWAAAAAAAANG—!
The deafening roar and shockwave swept violently through the area.
“Whoa…!”
“Kyaaak!”
Screams erupted from the A-rank Hunters who had formed a perimeter far in the distance.
Rumble…!
The explosion that had turned the surroundings to dust began to subside.
The beast’s form, which had momentarily vanished, reappeared.
“Well, well, look at this.”
The creature had reappeared, wreathed in crimson flames.
“It blocked it.”
It seemed those flames had protected its body from the explosion.
Grrrrr…!
Its gaze turned to me.
Killing intent poured out in waves.
The beast lowered its massive frame, growling as it tensed its paws.
BOOM!
The moment I heard the roar, the world went black.
A giant forepaw, large enough to blot out the sky, came at me with ferocious speed.
A truly chilling strike.
「Aegis.」
I hastily deployed my shield while throwing my body aside.
CRASH!
The moment I moved, I heard a clear, shattering sound.
Aegis had grown steadily along with me.
As my skills improved, its density had increased to the point where it was now so tough that even a sword infused with Sword Aura couldn’t break it in a single blow.
“It broke that…”
A single swipe of its paw had shattered it to pieces.
Something had felt off.
Thank god I dodged.
After its fierce attack, the beast returned to its original spot as quickly as it had charged, as if attached by a rubber band.
“Hmm…”
A clear declaration of its will to protect that gate, no matter what.
It seemed it would be difficult to pry it away with ordinary methods.
“What to do…”
While I was briefly contemplating.
Grrrrrr!
All three heads let out a cry in unison.
At the same time, an incredible amount of mana began to gather in their mouths.
Crimson flames, seemingly summoned from nowhere, filled their jaws.
The same defensive measure that had perfectly protected it from my attack just moments ago.
And its strongest offensive weapon, meant to erase its opponents from the world.
Hellfire.
A high-temperature flame that you could believe was dragged up from Hell itself came pouring out.
The flames, fired simultaneously from all three heads, met in mid-air, merging into one and becoming even larger as they incinerated the surrounding air.
“Ugh.”
Size, speed, power.
It was a powerful blow with no discernible weakness.
A hastily made barrier would never be able to stop it.
Just as I made that swift judgment and was about to throw myself out of the way…
SWOOOSH!
Something came flying from behind, cutting through the air.
An ambush?
No, that’s not it.
The object, flying at a furious speed, didn’t hit me, but embedded itself in the ground right in front of me.
BOOM!
The thing that was now half-visible, buried deep in the ground, was none other than a shield.
And it was a familiar-looking shield, now standing between me and the flames.
“Endure Shield.”
The moment I heard the familiar voice, brown mana erupted from the shield and formed the shape of a giant barrier.
The shield and the flames finally met.
FWOOOOSH!
The shield faced the flames that seemed capable of melting everything they touched.
You could almost feel its sense of duty, its resolve to never be breached.
Fizzle!
After the flames swirled around the area once more and then vanished.
Angela, clad head-to-toe in silver armor, easily pulled the shield from the ground.
Then, with the hand holding a hideous mace, she waved at me as if in greeting.
“Long time no see!”
“Ah, yes.”
“Thanks for including me in such a fun fight!”
“Uhm…”
Judging by her cheerful laughter, she was genuinely enjoying herself.
“Wouldn’t it be amazing to make armor out of that hide?!”
It seemed she wasn’t enjoying the battle itself.
Those participating in the operation could, of course, claim the rights to the byproducts from Cerberus.
“Just grinding down those teeth would be enough to make a sword…!”
She seemed thrilled at the thought of making equipment from the hide and teeth she would receive.
Angela scanned Cerberus from head to toe, her eyes glittering.
Then, she began to swing the mace in her hand, showing her strong motivation.
“Alright, let’s end this in one go!”
Her body shot upward.
“That way…!”
Even in her heavy armor, she soared so high she became a mere dot before plummeting back down.
Straight for Cerberus’s head.
FWOOSH!
Seeing this, the beast hastily spewed fire, but it was useless.
That woman was the toughest person I had ever seen.
Cutting through even the flames, she fell like a meteor, leaving a long afterimage in her wake, and continued her sentence as she brought her mace down on the beast’s middle head.
“…the hide will be less damaged!”
KWAAAAANG!
With a massive impact, Cerberus’s heavy body collapsed.
Whimper…!
A pained cry followed.
Yip, yip…!
Lick, lick!
The heads on either side, not knowing what to do as they watched the middle head suffer, stuck out their long tongues and repeatedly licked the spot where it had been hit.
I guess that was their way of caring for each other.
Angela stood before them, patting out the lingering flames at the ends of her hair with her hand.
Watching her, I thought for a moment.
“Is that a tank or a person…”
Suddenly, the once-majestic Cerberus started to look pitiful.