Hell Gate 3: The Phantom Savior
“Lee Han?”
Isha's fingertips trembled. He was the savior who burst through the black mist. And at the same time, the worst criminal who had killed her beloved pet, ransacked the library, and allied with villains. Yet in this moment, that sinister smile felt like the only light to the saintess.
Yeah, if it's you.
If it's that out-of-spec power you have.
You might just pull us out of this hell.
Isha reached out as if entranced.
“Lee Han, the knight order too. The kids have to come with us...”
Her fingers brushed Lee Han's coat hem.
—Whoosh.
Along with his coat hem, Lee Han's figure dissolved into black smoke and scattered.
The hearse too.
Adel, munching on popcorn too.
The jaunty engine roar too.
It all melted into the air like a mirage.
“...Huh?”
Isha's hand swung futilely through empty space. All she grasped was the cold mist of the abyss.
Mental Corruption has exceeded the critical threshold.
The Abyss's Curse feeds on your despair and grows.
“No way... this isn't real, right?”
Isha stared blankly at her empty hand. The salvation she had hoped for wasn't there. He never would have come here in the first place. Hadn't he left mocking her?
“Uwaaaah! Bugs! Bugs in my eyes!”
“Mother! I did wrong! Open the door, please!”
The knights' desperate screams finally pierced her eardrums. Reality was still hell.
On the broadcast screen, the fallen Predator of the Abyss corpse bubbled. The dead meat chunks fused and twisted, forming a massive silhouette incomparable to before.
—Kiiiiieeeeng!
A high-frequency screech tore at eardrums. The screen shook violently.
“Kuhuk!”
Isha vomited blood and dropped to her knees. The barrier shattered like breaking glass.
From the regenerated monster's back, thousands of tentacles surged up.
—Thwack!
One tentacle precisely struck a Holy Imperial Office drone flying in the sky.
—Zzzt. Thud.
Connection terminated.
Broadcast signal lost.
Black screen. Silence. Panic gripped the entire Republic of Korea.
Inside the Hell Gate. The tentacle monster's chest split open, and a man with pale skin stepped out. An outer shell like a black suit. Eyes black as pitch without sclera. Just his emergence made the surrounding space creak and scream.
Immeasurable entity detected!
System cannot retrieve information on this entity.
“Hoo.”
As the man exhaled, the surrounding abyss density thickened. He looked down at the collapsed Isha and smiled like he was greeting an old friend.
“Nice to meet you. Blessed by Estelle.”
Isha's pupils shook. Human speech. Clearly an intelligent higher being, not the usual monsters.
“You...”
“Don't remember? Well, back then you were just a bloody lump.”
The man casually glanced aside. The rampaging knights were slammed to the ground by an invisible force.
“In the past, when I descended to devour this empire. Your father and those 1st-gen veterans blocked my path. That battle they were praised for, 'slaying the abyss.'”
“The Abyss?”
Isha's face paled. The catastrophe from history books. The one half the 1st-gen heroes sacrificed to barely seal. It was right in front of her.
“Of course, I'm not fully materialized yet. Your exploits played a huge role in this.”
He meant the Abyss Lord she had slain, no doubt.
“I was wondering when I'd get revenge.”
He raised his hand. Black mana coalesced into a spear form. Target: the Estelle knights pinned to the ground.
“Fresh prey. Devouring them will hasten my true revival.”
“No!!”
Isha screamed and forced herself up. The Holy Sword had lost its light. Her remaining mana had bottomed out long ago. Still, instinct drove her. To protect her knights. Her family-like children.
How? With what?
Then, a scene flashed in her mind. Adel's magic blocking her rampaging mana and holy power in the figurine shop. That bizarre, innovative formula.
Imaginary substitution, mana reflux.
Isha swung the Holy Sword like a staff. Geniuses recognize geniuses. Though she'd seen it only once, desperation pulled her into transcendent territory.
Trait: Genius Combat Sense (Rank: S) activated!
Forcibly implements observed magic formula!
“Grrrrr!”
Unstable purple sparks—not golden light—flew from Isha's fingertips. Imperfect. But the direction was right.
The black spear the man launched hit Isha's crude magic circle.
—Bang!
Its trajectory bent. The spear grazed over the knights' heads and stabbed into the ground.
“Hoo?”
The man raised an eyebrow. Interest flickered in his eyes.
“This is the reverse-engineering method known as unsolvable. A mere human using it in real combat?”
“Hah... hah...”
Isha staggered, as if she'd vomited a bowl of blood. Just deflecting the trajectory brought excruciating pain as her life force drained.
“Impressive. But that's the end.”
He took a step forward. Overwhelming terror. The pressure of death itself approaching.
—Beeeep!!!
A frivolous car horn ripped through space.
“What?”
The abyss form turned its head.
—KABOOM!
A jet-black hearse pierced the black mist like a missile. This time, no hallucination—real. The invisibility magic unraveled, and the massive vehicle slammed into the abyss form.
—Crash!
“Kuh?”
The abyss form tumbled from a mere hearse bumper hit. No real physical damage, but the absurdity stunned him.
—Screech!
The car stopped, and the driver's window rolled down.
“Hey! You deer? You dented my bumper!”
Lee Han stuck his head out, scowling. In the passenger seat, Adel screamed with a popcorn bucket upside down on her head.
“You psycho! I said brake, not ram! My spine! My precious spine!”
“Saintess.”
Lee Han ignored Adel and reached toward the dazed, seated Isha. The exact same pose as the hallucination. This time, a warm, real hand.
“Called a cab, right?”
“L-Lee Han?”
“Don't recognize me? Hop in quick. Meter's running.”
Lee Han hit the trunk button.
—Click. Whirr.
The modified hearse's rear door opened, revealing a pitch-black subspace mouth.
“Scoop 'em up, Adel!”
“Got it! Ugh, such a pain for real!”
Adel swung her staff.
“Mass Teleport!”
The fallen Estelle knights' bodies wrapped in light and sucked into the trunk's subspace in an instant. Like a vacuum cleaner devouring dust, dozens were collected in seconds.
“Now, saintess's turn.”
Lee Han grabbed Isha's wrist.
“Wh-what?”
Isha's body floated up. Before she could resist, she was crammed into the passenger seat, sandwiched with Adel.
“Hold tight. Gonna get motion sick.”
“Wait! Lee Han! That monster—it's the Abyss! We can't handle it!”
Isha shouted urgently. Lee Han glanced back via rearview mirror.
“I know. That's why we're running.”
Lee Han manipulated the crawler gearshift.
—Vroooom!
The car rocketed off like a rocket. Direction: the gate entrance. Behind, the abyss form roared in pursuit. Black tentacles surged like waves.
“Adel! Do something!”
“Was gonna anyway. Hold on.”
Adel hurled purple orbs out the window. Dessoir's Wrath ver 2.0 deployed.
—Boom! Bang bang!
Gorgeous purple fireworks erupted, blocking the tentacles' path. Seizing the gap, the hearse reached the gate's boundary—the rippling exit.
“We're here.”
The car screeched to a halt. Inertia flung Isha forward.
“Get out.”
“...Huh?”
Lee Han yanked the trunk lever instead of answering. The rear door opened, spilling the subspace-stored knights out of the gate onto Seoul City Hall Square.
“Saintess, you too, hurry.”
Lee Han shoved Isha's back.
“Wait, Lee Han! What about you? Aren't you coming out?”
Isha clung to the doorframe. A bad premonition hit. This guy planned to stay here.
“Hehe. Was gonna land the finishing blow! Adel.”
“Always cleanup's on me.”
Adel muttered a spell, and Isha's body was dragged toward the gate.
“See you later, saintess. Next time, go easy.”
“Lee Han!!!!”
Lee Han released Isha's arm.
—Shooook.
Isha's body crossed the gate boundary. Through the closing car door in her view, Lee Han receded. He was smiling. The most arrogant, vile, reliable villain's grin in the world.
—Thud.
Isha tumbled onto the asphalt outside the gate.
“No, no...”
She crawled back toward the gate, but the black curtain had firmly shut.
“Lee Han. Wouldn't it be easier if you just told the truth?”
“Sure, our relationship might improve, but we couldn't stop the disaster.”
“Yeah, before that thing fully materializes.”
I eyed the approaching abyss form coming for us.
“Adel.”
“Yeah?”
“That moment's here.”
“For real?”
Adel's eyes sparkled. World-excited, her hand went to the red button on the open dashboard cover.
“Finally, finally! The day to press this arrives.”
Terror vanished, leaving only mad scientist glee. Dessoir's Wrath ver 1.0.
I floored the accelerator, and our ride roared toward the abyss form.
“Alright, shall we land the final blow?”
“Kyahahahaha! Let's goooo!”