The Spear of Fallen Heaven
Wooong—!
Five black fragments emerged from Joo Kanghyeok's inventory and began resonating with each other.
Vibrating in midair, the fragments traced black tails as they flew toward Lucifer.
The five fragments merge into one.
Black Apostle's exclusive weapon completed.
Srulk—.
The five fragments transformed into a single spear in Lucifer's grasp.
"The weapon your constellation favored most. A portion of its form has manifested here."
Gabriel gazed at Lucifer with envious eyes.
"It's only a part, but it's undoubtedly the real deal. An apostle's exclusive weapon—one of a kind in this world."
Pajik, pajijik—!
Sparks signifying restrictions erupted mercilessly. Yet the exclusive weapon was a legitimate creation under the system's causality.
Pang—!
The moment Lucifer gripped the black spear, the surrounding sparks vanished in an instant.
As irrefutable proof of his fall from heaven,
Lucifer engraved his name upon his spear.
The apostle's exclusive weapon was finally in his hands. At the same moment, black demonic power flickered like hellfire.
"Yeah, this is it."
A bright smile spread across Lucifer's lips—a smile born of pure joy.
It felt like reuniting with a long-lost comrade, filling the void that had lingered within him.
It clung perfectly to his hand, feeling like an extension of his own body. A light sense of omnipotence surged through him.
Right now, it seemed he could do anything.
"Master, allow me to show you—."
The instant Lucifer raised the spear.
"—?"
Lucifer felt a strange sense of dissonance.
A kind of déjà vu.
Or an intense premonition.
-Annoying. You think this body of mine would cooperate with some mere human? If you really want it, bow your head and beg.
A scene flashed through Lucifer's mind. It was brief, but it matched this exact place, these members, even the master...
A memory?
Impossible.
Himself speaking insolently to the master?
Not even death could make that possible.
He'd sooner die than do such a thing.
"Lucifer, you okay?"
"Crow, snap out of it."
Thud thud. Gabriel tapped Lucifer's cheek. Lucifer pushed her arm away and addressed the master.
"It's nothing. Then, I shall truly demonstrate now."
With the need to focus on superspeed clears, there was no time to dwell on vague thoughts that might be real or imagined.
First, concentrate on the situation at hand.
Gooo—.
A black sphere gathered at the tip of Lucifer's spear.
The vast castle corridor of the fortress was shattered in places.
Monsters hid in cracks in the collapsed floor, others perched on debris from the fallen ceiling.
Countless monsters lurked in the darkness, waiting for their chance.
Their number: a staggering 7,000.
They filled the seemingly endless corridor to the brim.
"The targets are too weak to properly showcase my power... but as a warm-up, it won't be bad."
Lucifer spread his wings and soared into the air. From the moment he gripped the exclusive weapon, he had gained an extra pair of wings.
Gooo-.
Lucifer thrust the spear forward. Ping—! The swollen black sphere at its tip shot out.
The sphere flew swiftly, landing in the middle of the distant corridor. In that instant, a massive airflow formed around it.
Kwaaaa—!
A fierce wind, as if to suck in everything, raged toward the sphere. A storm swept the area.
Kieek!
Kreee!
Monsters hiding in crevices were swept away by the wind. Those crawling against the gale were soon flung back.
"!"
Even Joo Kanghyeok's feet lifted off the ground. The Blue Dragon and Gabriel grabbed hold of him.
Even with S-rank physical abilities, it was hard to withstand.
"Is this the power of the exclusive weapon?"
"No, this is just the beginning."
The Blue Dragon smiled faintly.
"...?"
It was then, as Joo Kanghyeok barely regained his balance and looked up.
A blinding flash scorched his eyes.
Kwaaaaang—!
A deafening roar that shook the eardrums, and a massive explosion that devoured the surroundings, spread through the entire corridor.
It was an impact incomparable to before.
An explosion that would deafen ears and blind eyes.
What the...
You have defeated 1,000 monsters.
You have defeated 2,000 monsters.
You have defeated 3,000 monsters.
...
You have defeated 7,000 monsters.
Joo Kanghyeok watched the system windows pop up rapidly amid the destruction.
* * *
Right after Mumyeong headed to the 3rd gate.
"You're saying Mumyeong is tackling the 3rd gate alone?"
The Japanese hunters who had heard Sa Choiheon's explanation stood up. Even Japan's rank 1, Hayato, wore a grave expression.
"That's too reckless, no matter what."
"You've seen Mumyeong's videos."
"This is different. We'll help too."
Hayato rose from his seat. The Japanese hunters followed suit.
"Hey, there's nothing you can do even if you go."
"I won't stop you, but..."
The Korean hunters tried to dissuade them, but they couldn't just sit idle.
Ma-in lurked among the Japanese side.
And to top it off, the Japanese hunters staunchly believed Miyamoto was human.
If Korea hadn't rooted out the ma-in...
The mere thought was chilling.
In such a situation, sending Mumyeong alone was unacceptable.
The Japanese hunters headed to the 3rd gate.
Sa Choiheon didn't stop them. He simply followed quietly behind. Cheon Iryeong, who had extracted needed info from the ma-in, also moved.
"I know Mumyeong is amazing, but this is an SS-rank gate."
Hayato said to Sa Choiheon trailing behind.
"A small mishap could turn into a big one. At least, to preserve Mumyeong's strength..."
His words cut off. A fierce wind blew as if to suck them in.
"Everyone, brace yourselves with your weapons."
Hayato commanded calmly.
Kwak, kwak!
The surrounding hunters planted their weapons into the ground and held firm. Cheon Iryeong anchored herself with black magic power, while Sa Choiheon simply endured.
"Urk, is this the 3rd gate's trial?"
"This much is..."
The airflow felt ominous. The Japanese hunters squinted.
But this was only the start.
"We need to deploy barriers."
Sa Choiheon said calmly, staring ahead.
And no sooner had he spoken.
Kwaaaa—!
A powerful explosion surged toward them—a massive blast piercing the entire 3rd gate.
The ground and walls erupted, hot flames turning monsters to ash in an instant.
"Barriers!"
Creeeak, creeeak—!
Cracks spiderwebbed across the barriers erected by Japan's S-rank hunters. And this was without direct exposure.
The leaking shockwave from the fractured shields whipped inside.
The S-rank hunters' bodies trembled from the impact.
"Urk, what the...?"
Hayato squinted and voiced his doubt, glancing at Sa Choiheon as if demanding an explanation.
But Sa Choiheon averted his gaze.
I know Mumyeong did something.
But not what.
"This black magic power... probably Lucifer Apostle's doing."
Cheon Iryeong muttered softly from behind.
"So this isn't even Mumyeong's own power...?"
Hayato's eyes shook violently.
The era of hunters.
The system denied humanity's accumulated firepower.
Guns and missiles couldn't conquer gates.
Hunters charged in with swords and spears—cold weapons.
Like soldiers of old clad in armor, hunters hunted monsters.
Even with superhuman abilities, it boiled down to localized melee combat.
To slay monsters, they had to enter the fray personally, risking their lives.
But this.
This was...
A bomb, plain and simple.
Unilateral bombardment like in modern warfare, merciless slaughter against ignorant monsters.
Kwaaaa—!
As the explosion's aftermath passed, nothing remained in its wake.
No swarming monsters, no traces of the fortress forming the 3rd gate—all reduced to ash.
Total devastation. As if carpet-bombed.
Cough, cough.
The Japanese hunters, covered in black ash and dust, spat out grit. Heavy silence settled among them.
No words came to mind.
Not even admiration.
This wasn't firepower a single person could produce.
South Korea & Japan have cleared the 3rd gate.
Both nations receive benefits.
Stamina and mana recovery rate increased by 5%.
Skill acquisition 5% easier.
Hayato closed his gaping mouth. His face was smeared with black ash, his hair a total mess.
"That."
Staring blankly ahead, Hayato finally spoke.
South Korea's Mumyeong.
He'd thought the rumors exaggerated.
People always hype up their own nation's hunters.
But no.
If anything, the rumors understated it.
"...We'll head back quietly. Offering help was ridiculous."
Hayato meant it sincerely.
* * *
Apocalypse Temple.
As the ma-in Jackal said, Seven Deadly Sin Sloth had positioned the temple at the entrance to the 5th gate.
A massive gate blocked the path to the 5th gate entirely.
At the far end of that temple.
Sloth occupied an antique room modeled after some renowned duke's study.
"Fine aroma in this tea."
Sloth sipped leisurely from his teacup.
His appearance was that of a weary middle-aged man, dark circles drooping to his cheeks, lending his face a gloomier cast.
On the mahogany desk lay chess pieces.
Tokens representing the hunters' real-time positions and statuses.
"Is now the time to leisurely sip tea?"
Another Seven Deadly Sin, 'Envy', lounged on a leather sofa. In the form of a boy, he sneered viciously.
Envy shot up and slammed both hands on the desk. Thud.
"In 1 second. Damn apostle cleared the 3rd gate in 1 second."
The 3rd gate had fallen.
At an absurd speed.
Sloth corrected calmly.
"Precisely 5 minutes."
"The monsters all died in 1 second—what's 5 minutes? 7,000 evaporated in a blink—does tea go down your throat like that?"
Sloth remained expressionless despite Envy's mockery. Envy didn't hold back his rage.
"And the infiltrated ma-in are tackling SS-rank gates instead of humans just to trip up Mumyeong?"
Not just Japan.
Ma-in in other nations were blitzing gates full-throttle to meet Mumyeong.
"Great Seven Deadly Sin you've got here. Saving the world instead of ending it, huh? Hey, revise orders right now. Tell the minions to just kill humans."
"No, Envy. We use the situation."
Sloth sipped his tea unhurriedly.
"Think of my dolls at the 4th gate. Humanity will be stopped there anyway."
Humans, boosted by ma-in efforts, would finish gates quickly—only to be wiped at the 4th.
"Mumyeong's the one who should panic. We drag it out, then strike at that impatience."
Soon, the 4th gate dolls would face Mumyeong. Sloth was relaxed.
"Unlike Pride, I didn't hold back on summoning other Sins. And we're inside a double gate."
Meaning his deployable power was on another level.
"The dolls were made in the Apocalypse Temple and sent out. Each possesses apostle-level strength, no doubt."
Envy furrowed his brows without retorting.
Keep going.
"Once they tie down the apostles, Mumyeong's next. We'll savor and analyze his abilities piece by piece."
Sloth took another sip.
Bitter aroma filled his mouth.
"Once we grasp the nature and limits, slow pressure suffices. Brute force is just tiring. Got it?"
As a faint smile bloomed on Sloth's lips.
Crack—!
One chess piece on the board shattered. It didn't stop there. Crack, crack—! Three pieces crumbled to dust.
Each one of Sloth's prized combat dolls.
"...?"
Sloth read the situation through the dying thoughts sent by the dolls.
-Dolls? You think these block us? Come out. Right now, I could sweep you all.
The Black Apostle was shouting.
"Odd."
He'd accounted for the apostles' combat power from the Pride fight, even factoring in new myth-rank ones.
They should have at least stalled.
Not fall this easily.
No analysis possible.
Extremely problematic.
For the apostles to struggle meant Mumyeong would use more power, yielding more intel for the Sins.
"What? Why are the combat dolls dying so fast? Did they predict this too?"
Envy asked.
Sloth's brow furrowed for the first time.
"Quiet."
Sloth repositioned pieces, sending 4th gate dolls toward Mumyeong.
And soon after.
Crack, crrrack—!
All combat dolls destroyed.
"What..."
Sloth's mouth fell slightly open.
Not Mumyeong's doing.
Purely one apostle.
South Korea & Japan have cleared the 4th gate.
"Wait. 4th gate cleared means..."
Envy stammered in panic.
Sloth bit his lip.
4th cleared, next was 5th.
And the plaza leading to the 5th...
Held the Apocalypse Temple.
Kwaaaang—!
A violent tremor shook the Apocalypse Temple. Lucifer's booming, triumphant voice echoed.
"Seven Deadly Sins, surrender now and I'll kill you painlessly!"
Mumyeong and the apostles.
Their conquest was too fast—far too fast.