Chapter 480: The Gates of Hell and the Gatekeeper (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 480: The Gates of Hell and the Gatekeeper (2)
You can find them anywhere.
People with a strong sense of journalistic duty, or those with an uncanny nose for money.
Their life-risking footage, broadcast on NeTube, drew the eyes of not just the nation, but the entire world to Jongno.
Son Si-woo and Han Ju-hee remained in the conference room, watching it all unfold.
On the screen, they could feel the overwhelming presence of Cerberus and see the two people standing against it.
Staring blankly at Kim Do-jin's form, Son Si-woo asked Han Ju-hee.
“…Did you know?”
“About what?”
He wondered where to even begin.
Why had she suddenly tried to protect him with an excuse like a curse?
There was only one possible answer to his question.
“This body… no, my body’s condition.”
That she already knew about Son Si-woo’s physical state.
How… he didn’t know.
After all, the real Son Si-woo in his memories had been extremely reluctant to tell her about his condition.
“Yes, I knew.”
Han Ju-hee replied with a placid expression.
“Since when?”
“Not for long.”
“How did you find out?”
“That…”
She hesitated for a moment before shaking her head and continuing.
“It’s a secret.”
“……”
Her expression was firm, as if she would never speak of it.
He then asked another question.
“Why did you cover for me?”
That was what he was truly curious about.
Why on earth had she protected him?
“I just wanted to prevent any major repercussions.”
“Repercussions…?”
“You, of all people, should know best what a huge impact your injury would have on this country.”
“Ah……”
He had overlooked it. The weight his name carried.
It was only natural. He hadn’t contributed a single ounce of effort to the value that had been built up, layer by layer, over the years.
But as a citizen of the Republic of Korea, he knew one thing for certain.
He knew what a sense of security the name ‘Son Si-woo’ gave to the people of Korea.
“If you had told the truth earlier, it would have thrown this country into even greater chaos.”
No existing Hunter could perfectly take his place.
So what would happen if it became known that Son Si-woo was in a situation where he might have to retire due to injury?
First, negative public opinion would begin to spread.
Losing the strongest S-rank Hunter meant that the nation’s ability to deal with threats would be diminished.
But that wasn’t actually the most important part.
It would be noisy for a while, but after some time, the world would regain its peace as if nothing had happened.
The saying ‘time heals all wounds’ exists for a reason.
The truly important thing was something else.
“And the villains, seizing that opportunity, would start to run rampant.”
The villains.
To them, Son Si-woo was no different from the grim reaper.
Because when dealing with villains guilty of heinous crimes, he never showed any mercy.
Perhaps that was why.
There were countless people, not just in this land but in other countries as well, waiting for his downfall.
All so they could finally carry out the deeds they couldn't while suppressed by his name.
And eventually, they would strive to stand before Son Si-woo.
“If that happens… you won’t be safe anywhere in the world.”
To kill him.
Only then did it become clear in his mind.
The worst-case future that would begin the moment news of his injury got out.
Of course, it was all just a hypothesis.
There was no guarantee that the future she described would come to pass.
But it was an undeniable fact that the possibility was not low.
A bead of sweat trickled down his back.
He felt a dizzying chill.
‘I almost did something crazy.’
The virtue of honesty was utterly useless for this body.
Son Si-woo had to be remembered as a strong man.
Until the day he died. Or until someone appeared who could perfectly replace him.
If not that, then….
“So for the time being, keep acting like you are now so others don’t find out.”
Han Ju-hee stood up from her seat.
Her gaze turned to Son Si-woo, who was frozen like a statue.
An expression filled with deep regret.
Was he only now realizing it? The fact that while his life may have given dreams and hope to many, for him, it had been nothing but pain.
Seeing this, she couldn't help but add another word.
“…It won’t be for long.”
Right. His act only needed to continue for a little while longer.
“Because a world will come where you won’t have to struggle alone.”
When that time comes, he would be able to set down the heavy burden on his shoulders with relief.
“I should get to the scene now.”
“The scene…? Why?”
Son Si-woo asked, puzzled.
A monster that breathes fire inevitably has high resistance to that attribute.
So she, who had mastered fire magic to its peak, couldn't be of much help.
Still, she had to go.
“Because everyone is watching.”
The scene of buildings collapsing, Cerberus breathing fire, and two people fighting it was being broadcast live.
If an S-rank Hunter representing Korea didn't show her face at a scene like this, it was obvious what kind of rumors would start to spread.
“See you later.”
Leaving her final words, Han Ju-hee walked away.
Son Si-woo stared blankly at her retreating back before opening his mouth.
“…Michelle.”
“Yeees~♥”
A coquettish voice echoed from the empty space.
Soon, from the shadow cast at his feet, a woman in a nun’s habit emerged as if rising from water and stood up.
“Did you call, Apostle?”
Son Si-woo’s face twisted at the title ‘Apostle’.
“…Drop the ‘Apostle’ title. It’s not like I’m a real apostle, am I?”
“Hoho… you never know.”
“Whatever.”
He hadn’t called her to argue about titles.
There was only one thing he wanted to know.
“…I want to heal my body faster. How can I do it?”
“Heeh.”
As Son Si-woo asked this, his gaze was fixed on Kim Do-jin on the other side of the screen.
How interesting. To think that even the man called the Nation’s Hunter could feel jealousy toward someone.
Then again, that was probably why he was chosen.
“You already know the method, don’t you, Apostle?”
Leaning forward, she carefully wrapped her arms around his neck and continued.
“You just have to do more of what you’ve been doing. Much, much more than now.”
“…Is that really the only way?”
“Yes, there isn’t.”
A firm answer.
Son Si-woo, who had wavered for a moment, steeled his resolve.
Right.
If you keep this up for too long, you're bound to get caught.
Just as she said, he didn’t want to drag out the act for long, nor could he.
“If you’re going to do it, focus on finding criminals for me.”
“If that will put your mind at ease, Apostle… then by all means~♥”
As soon as she finished speaking, Michelle melted away like liquid and vanished without a trace.
Left alone, Son Si-woo forced his eyes wide and vowed again and again.
“I will never… I will never hand everything over to you.”
He would protect what he had to, no matter what it took.
* * *
A human of infinitely small stature was unleashing an indiscriminate assault on a colossal monster that could demolish a building with a single swipe of its paw.
“Hyaah!”
She slammed down her mace and bashed with her shield.
Keheng…!
Each time, Cerberus would lash out with its paws and breathe fire, but it was no use.
Fwoooosh!
She paid no mind to the high-temperature flames blasting right in front of her.
In a way, it was to be expected. She was a warrior, but also a blacksmith.
“With this much heat, I could probably forge weapons even faster!”
Because there was nothing more familiar to her than a scorching fire.
But that, too, was short-lived.
Grrrr…!
Her attacks weren’t effective enough to pierce deep into Cerberus’s hide and deal significant damage.
In human terms, it was like a pesky fighter just throwing jabs and running away.
At this, Cerberus seemed to grow angry.
Kuhuhuhung!
As the beast roared toward the sky, the red mane scattered across its thick, black hide stood up sharply.
Fwoosh!
And from there, flames spread across its entire body.
“Ugh…!”
The flames were so intense that even Angela, who had spent her entire life with fire, flinched and stepped back.
Wreathed in these flames, Cerberus rolled its eyes, which glinted with killing intent.
I warned her.
“The real fight starts now, so it’s about time you cooperated.”
Taking a large step back, she tapped the helmet on her head with an awkward expression.
“Ah, really? I was wondering… it seemed a little too easy.”
This was Cerberus’s true form.
To be precise, this was how it looked when it began to truly rampage after a battle started.
Every party that had set out to defeat it had lost their lives after seeing this form.
Once wreathed in flames, the beast’s power output was at least doubled.
What was more troublesome was the flame itself that cloaked its body.
“…But how do we get close? It feels like my body will melt just by approaching it.”
The flames radiating from its entire body distorted the surroundings.
The ground caved in, and the steel frames supporting the buildings melted helplessly, causing them to collapse.
Flames so intense that a human would be incinerated in an instant just by getting close.
I had thought of a countermeasure.
“I plan to use a fire-attribute barrier.”
“Oh… so you’re going to fight fire with fire?”
“Something like that.”
An ice-attribute barrier would melt in an instant against that level of heat.
And if I had to cast multiple barriers, when would I find the time to attack?
That’s why I came up with the idea of a fire-attribute shield.
It might not be a perfect solution, but it should be enough to offset some of the indiscriminately radiating heat.
Just as I was gathering my mana for it.
I felt a familiar presence from behind.
“If it’s a fire-type barrier, leave it to me.”
“Oh, it’s the Scarlet Witch! The master of fire magic!”
“And you are…”
“I’m Angela. Affiliated with the Vatican Orthodox Church, for now.”
“I see.”
Their conversation was brief.
She immediately enveloped both me and Angela in a spherical barrier shimmering with red energy.
Judging by its considerable density, she must have used a significant amount of mana.
“This should block a good portion of the heat.”
“Oh, it’s definitely much more comfortable now.”
Angela wiped the sweat from her face and laughed cheerfully.
Right.
This wasn’t the time to be picky.
I turned to Han Ju-hee, who stood a few steps behind us.
“Could I ask for your support?”
She nodded.
“Of course.”
Her combat power had plummeted since she couldn’t use her specialty, fire magic, but a mage was still a mage.
She would be more than capable of supporting us with her various other spells.
After finishing our preparations, I spoke to Angela, who stood beside me.
“Let’s go.”
“Alright!”
The real battle.
The curtain had risen on the second phase.