Chapter 106: Don't Underestimate Salvation Madness
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 106: Don't Underestimate Salvation Madness
Baeksan's training helped, but as he himself admitted, there were limits to fighting a spirit body.
So, I needed someone who could give me real combat experience.
And I thought the most suitable person for the job was Ahyu.
After all, she was the strongest person I knew.
Hearing this, Ahyu's eyes widened before she started chuckling.
"So, Domi-oppa has finally noticed how amazing I am?"
"I've always known you were amazing. That's why I rely on you so much."
"H-Hehe, good. You can rely on me even more. Come now, the cutest girl in the world will take care of everything for you."
Seeing her puff her chest out, I resisted the urge to actually lean on her and asked.
"So, will you do it?"
"Of course I will. You're a lucky man, Domi-oppa. You're being taught by the Heavenly Demon herself! From now on, you are to call me Master."
"Yes, Master."
As Ahyu and I were talking, the elevator reached the basement.
Beyond the open doors, Eunhyeon was waiting for us.
She bowed her head upon seeing us.
"Heavenly Demon, Ha-chan, welcome. Everyone is waiting inside."
"Are we too late?"
"No. Si-ho's side just finished preparing, too."
What a relief.
Guided by Eunhyeon, I headed straight inside.
We arrived in a room where several people I knew were gathered.
The first person I saw was Hyeok-seo, who, like Catherine, was bound by seals.
Having been treated by the saintess, his body had returned to its original condition.
His neck, which had once been severed, was now perfectly fine save for a faint scar, making me realize just how incredible the saintess's power was.
Eva was standing next to him.
A little farther away, I saw Juksim sitting practically attached to Naek's back, and Si-ho waving her hands in the air.
Naek was the first to spot me and wave, and I waved back.
Si-ho seemed so focused that she hadn't even noticed my arrival.
Not wanting to break her concentration, Ahyu and I stood quietly in a corner.
"It's ready."
The moment Si-ho clasped her hands and shouted, the space before her cracked open.
Everyone's eyes were drawn to it, and Si-ho took two steps back from the rift.
Beyond the rift, a bizarre storm was raging.
The pouring rain, the pitch-black sky, and the occasional flash of lightning created an incredibly bleak scene.
‘So this is a dimensional rift. It looks like a scene from some planet.’
As I was marveling at the rift, Hyeok-seo stood up.
Eunhyeon must have already released the seals binding him, because shadows began to ripple at his feet.
"I'm going in."
"...Don't push yourself."
"Can't make any promises."
It was just like him to say that, despite Eva's concern.
"Manager, you're here?"
Just then, Si-ho looked over at me and smiled brightly.
I nodded and walked over to her.
"How is it? Any problems?"
"Nope, keeping it open is no problem. I've pinpointed the location as best I can, too. Her body should be nearby."
Although Si-ho said maintaining the rift wasn't difficult, her expression wasn't exactly bright.
"But I have no idea what might happen in there. Despite its appearance, it's dangerous."
Following her gaze to the rift, I saw another bolt of lightning crash down with a deafening boom.
Terrifying.
Just then, my eyes met Hyeok-seo's.
"Domi, thanks for indulging me."
I scratched my head at his sudden thanks.
After this, as an executive of Girasung, Hyeok-seo was scheduled to be sealed by the World Returnee Association.
Even though he was an acquaintance, the crimes he'd committed wouldn't just disappear.
And he must have known that when he joined Girasung.
Trying to protect someone you cherish by ruining the lives of others always comes with a price.
"We've come full circle. I wonder what would've happened if I'd just accepted your offer back then. I was a fool, wasn't I?"
If Hyeok-seo had listened to me the day I first made the offer, things certainly wouldn't have come to this.
"Hyeok-seo, life is always full of regrets."
But that's just how things are.
I, for one, have thought countless times that I should have taken it easier back then. That I should have just ignored Kwak Sa-yeon instead of getting involved with her.
Of course, that's not to say the scale of our regrets is the same.
In any case, no matter how determined you are, people are bound to have regrets.
"The world has always been a bitch when you only look at the outcome, right? This was just another case of that."
The damage he caused is being diligently repaired, thanks to Seol-hyang and Juksim carrying the load.
So right now, a word of thanks was more valuable than useless regret.
"...I'm glad you're here. I'll find a way to repay this debt."
"I'll be sure to collect on that, so let's talk after you've saved Eva."
Hearing my words, Hyeok-seo offered a faint smile.
For someone who'd been stone-faced the entire time, his smile was actually quite nice.
"This is why I like you, Domi-oppa."
Just then, Ahyu, who was standing beside me, leaned her head against my arm.
Looking at her bashful smile, I could feel the sincerity in words I would have once dismissed as a joke.
"I'll get it done."
And with that, Hyeok-seo finally stepped into the dimensional rift.
22
In the pouring rain.
Song Hyeok-seo pushed forward, walking through the downpour that blurred his vision.
This was the dimensional rift.
A place where anything could happen. Yet Song Hyeok-seo walked on resolutely.
‘I can't feel any shadows.’
He was clearly walking on solid ground, so why?
This bizarre sensation of feeling nothing sent a constant chill down his spine.
Even for an S-rank returnee like him, this place filled him with a sense of foreboding.
‘Se-hee.’
According to Ha Si-ho, her physical body should be nearby.
Trusting her words, Song Hyeok-seo heightened all of his senses to their absolute limit.
Just then, something came into view.
Seeing a wavering figure in the distance, Song Hyeok-seo quickened his pace. There, he found Se-hee.
"..."
No words came from his lips.
Se-hee's body was in a terrible state.
Her arms and legs were tattered, looking as if they might tear off at any moment. Her waterlogged skin had been flayed away long ago.
Seeing the gruesome sight, Song Hyeok-seo bit his lip and lifted her body.
"I'm sorry."
Tears welled in his eyes, but he forced them back and turned to leave.
"Let's go home now."
He had found Se-hee's body.
All that remained was to cross back through the rift Ha Si-ho had opened.
RUUUUMBLE!
As he started to run, he suddenly realized his surroundings had begun to tremble.
The moment he realized the sound was coming from above and looked up—
"...What the hell is that."
His eyes shot wide open.
There, in the sky above, was a vast ocean.
What poured from the sky wasn't rain; it was the ocean itself, leaking down.
How on earth could such a massive body of water be suspended in the sky?
Once he registered this, he could no longer tell if he was standing on the ground or the sky.
‘This is bad.’
The dimensional rift was clearly starting to affect his mind.
And yet, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the 'ceiling'.
Because the ocean above let out another ominous rumble, and the downpour intensified.
And in that instant.
CRRAAAAASSSSH!
The ocean began to pour down.
A deluge of water, on a completely different scale from the earlier rain, cascaded from the sky.
Instantly engulfed, Song Hyeok-seo unleashed his yokai energy, bracing himself against the torrent to keep from being swept away.
The immense pressure made it impossible to even take a single step forward.
‘This isn't ordinary water.’
He was a returnee.
No matter the pressure, for him to be completely immobilized meant this was no ordinary water.
No.
He didn't know what else might happen; he couldn't remain trapped in this water.
GRIT!
Song Hyeok-seo gritted his teeth against the deluge.
As he summoned his yokai energy with all his might, the shadows within him began to churn wildly.
Thud!
Trapped in the torrent, Song Hyeok-seo clutched Se-hee's body tightly and tenaciously forced himself forward, one slow step at a time.
With every step, his entire body felt as if it were being crushed in a hydraulic press, but he didn't stop.
I will get out.
I will get out of here alive.
To save Se-hee, I have to get out. No matter what.
He drew on his indomitable will, forcing his legs forward.
Just then, the sea began to change again.
Despite being underwater, a current began to rage in the distance, swirling like a tornado.
His body was pulled toward it, and he felt as if he would be swept into the vortex and torn to shreds at any moment.
His skin tore, his muscles split.
He could feel his bones beginning to shatter from within.
Feeling as though the water and the current were trying to corrode him, he took another step.
Almost there.
Just a little further.
KRRRRRRAAAAAACK!
And in that instant, he saw the vortex, now intent on swallowing him whole, rushing toward him.
It was absurdly massive, large enough to sweep away the entire Korean peninsula.
Is this the end?
To die like this, without even saving Se-hee?
Click—
Just then, he heard the sound of metal clicking into place.
Song Hyeok-seo reflexively looked up and saw a red flash in the distance.
KRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAACK!
A storm of crimson lightning slammed into the vortex that was about to swallow him.
Its incredible power was intense enough to momentarily shatter the vortex, and he felt the pulling force on him weaken.
"Ha, that damn Domi..."
Song Hyeok-seo felt strength returning to his shattered body.
Following the path of the crimson flash, he pushed his legs forward with everything he had.
And in that instant, the rift appeared before his eyes.
"Brother!"
Se-hee's voice rang out, sharp and clear.
Just hearing it was enough to make him push forward without hesitation.
CRACK!
Just then, he heard a sickening crack from his leg.
One of his legs was being completely crushed, as if the bone had shattered into a thousand pieces.
"Fuck!"
The moment he realized it, without a shred of hesitation, he used every last ounce of his strength to throw Se-hee's body toward the open rift.
He saw her body fly through the portal.
At the same time, his eyes met Se-hee's, which were wide with shock.
His broken leg gave way, and his body began to collapse.
RUUUMBLE!
Right behind him, another wave rose, rushing in to swallow him whole.
If he stopped now, it would mean the end of his life.
And yet, Song Hyeok-seo was smiling.
"That's enough."
My life was always for you, wasn't it?
Don't cry, little sister.
Though his words would never reach her.
Song Hyeok-seo could accept his death, knowing he had saved his twin sister.
But no matter how readily he accepted his own death...
"Hyeok-seo!!!!!!!"
...others might not.
Just before he closed his eyes, Song Hyeok-seo saw Ha-chan's face.
Why is that bastard here?
The question flashed through his mind, but he realized Ha-chan had just jumped into the dimensional rift to save him from collapsing.
Is this bastard insane?