Chapter 230: Traitor (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 230: Traitor (5)
Grind!
Grind, crunch!!
Leaving the savage sounds of tearing flesh behind them, Seong Young-il and Aria headed for a deserted underground passage.
“Hm?”
Aria, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped and looked up toward the surface.
Her eyes narrowed with interest.
“I didn’t think anyone would be able to accept it… but one of them is compatible with me? His vessel is quite large.”
She licked her lips and muttered to herself.
“...Pardon?”
Seong Young-il asked, completely bewildered.
“Who was that kid in the room next to ours just now? The one who was screaming.”
“Ah… that was the Hero.”
Seong Young-il answered, bowing his head.
“Hmph…”
Aria giggled.
“He must have had a pretty strong sex drive. Not bad.”
Smacking her lips, Aria descended deeper and deeper with Seong Young-il.
The further they went, the heavier the air became and the more foul the stench grew.
“Ugh… it stinks. Hey, are you sure this is the right way?”
Aria pinched her nose, her brow furrowed.
Her beautiful, naked form was a stark contrast to the sewer, which was filled with mold and filth.
“...Y-Yes, it is… The surveillance is so intense, so…”
Seong Young-il said fawningly as he cleared away the cobwebs in front of them.
“Tsk.”
The deeper they went, the musty odor gave way to a metallic, coppery smell.
Rumble….
As they reached the end of the sewer, what looked like a wall began to vibrate.
Soon, the wall split in two.
“We’ve… arrived.”
Inside the passage was another massive steel door.
Engraved upon it was the crest of the Holy Method.
“Hmm…”
Black smoke seeped out from the cracks in the door.
Swoosh.
At a gesture from Aria, the massive door split apart.
Inside, chains were tangled together in a messy web.
And in the center of it all hung a black mass of flesh.
Seong Si-woo.
It was his rotted corpse.
Dozens of red talismans were plastered all over the body, which was decayed beyond recognition, as if to forcibly hold back the putrefaction.
“...Why is it in this state?”
Aria wrinkled her nose and cautiously approached the lump of meat.
She took hold of the edge of the largest talisman, the one on its chest.
Riiip.
The moment she tore it off.
Fwoosh!
“?!”
From the blackened flesh that had been cold just a moment before, a white flame erupted like an explosion.
“Oh, fuck. That scared me.”
Slap.
She quickly slapped the talisman in her hand back onto the corpse.
“What is this? …Why is it still burning?”
Aria asked, her voice laced with irritation.
Her fingertips throbbed. It was the Saintess’s Divine Power.
And a particularly nasty strain of it, at that.
“It’s because… when the Saintess disposed of the body, she burned it with Holy Fire.”
“Huh…? Then how did you get it out of there?”
“In the very instant it ignited, we threw another subordinate into the flames to switch them o—”
“Ah, okay. That’s enough.”
Aria raised a hand, cutting him off sharply.
“So loyal. I don’t really need to hear the details~”
She smiled and looked back at the mass of flesh.
“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. In fact, this might have worked out for the best.”
Aria’s eyes gleamed with a sinister light.
Wham!
With a wave of her hand, the massive steel door slammed shut.
Then, she stepped onto the filthy floor with her bare feet.
Sizzzle….
Wherever the soles of her white feet touched, the rotten stones glowed red-hot and began to melt.
Elegantly, gracefully.
She drew a massive magic circle on the floor.
“O, Great One… our Father.”
She spread her arms wide and tilted her head back toward the ceiling.
Red steam, rising from the magic circle on the floor, coiled around Aria’s naked body.
“Upon this place… bestow your Baptism….”
Wooooong….
The space began to vibrate.
The ceiling of the secret underground chamber shimmered.
And beyond it, the Abyss began to form.
*
Crunch!
Crack….
Cheon Yeo-wool’s Paladins advanced, crushing the corpses of the Crusaders.
“...Where is Seong Young-il?”
“Not yet, my lady.”
“The residence… is it….”
Cheon Yeo-wool narrowed her eyes.
She was confident they had been fast.
The moment the signs were detected, she had initiated the judgment without a shred of hesitation. She shouldn’t have even given them time to react.
And yet.
And yet…
What was this feeling of wrongness nagging at the corner of her mind?
Could she be making a mistake?
Yu Hana, Sion, and Kang A-rin were probably already prepared.
They would have noticed the moment the main gate was sealed and readied their forces, so there was no escape.
Everything was perfect.
The problem was… this weak premonition that to quell this ominous feeling, she needed just one person.
That she needed Hae-in.
Cheon Yeo-wool shook her head sharply, trying to banish the thought.
She had to finish this perfectly before he returned.
“To the residence.”
“Yes, my lady.”
First, she would go and take his head. That would solve everything.
She led the Paladins into the courtyard where Seong Young-il’s residence was located.
“……?”
It was then.
In the front yard of the residence, which should have been empty or filled with people fleeing in terror.
Dozens of Crusader knights were lined up in perfect formation.
“Jaden.”
At their head stood Jaden, the commander of the Crusaders, his head bowed.
Sophia issued him a stern warning.
“Move, or you will die.”
Beside her, Cheon Yeo-wool also began preparing a Holy Method.
She had no intention of wasting time.
Just then, Jaden slowly raised his head.
“……”
Cheon Yeo-wool’s hand froze in mid-air.
There were no whites in his eyes.
His entire eyes were stained black.
“……! It’s Infestation!”
The moment Sophia shouted.
Crr-crackle!!
The Crusaders’ bodies began to writhe.
The sound of bones piercing through flesh.
Their bodies swelled abnormally, like balloons.
Crack! Shatter!
Their steel armor, unable to contain their bulging muscles, burst apart.
Dark red tentacles and horns burst forth from between the torn skin.
“Prepare for battle!!!!”
Sophia, horrified, screamed at the top of her lungs.
Cheon Yeo-wool knew instinctively. Something was going wrong.
Infestation? In the heart of the sanctuary?
“Hae-in…”
His name escaped her lips instinctively.
No.
Cheon Yeo-wool bit her lip, decisively cutting off that weak thought.
I can’t rely on him.
I have to be strong so that Hae-in can rely on us.
I have to be a sanctuary he can lean on when he’s tired.
I just have to solve this.
To do that.
Cheon Yeo-wool shot up into the air.
Her eyes blazed blue as she looked down upon the battlefield.
“A-sio…”
Because I’ve gotten stronger.
To change that miserable future.
Cheon Yeo-wool opened her palms, aiming them at the Mines squirming below.
“Frey!!”
Because I’ve come back again.
KRA-KABOOOOOOOM!!!!
A massive pillar of light descended from the sky, engulfing the residence’s front yard.
With a deafening roar, the Mines were incinerated without so much as a scream.
Overwhelming Divine Might.
“……Saintess…”
Sophia, awestruck by the miracle unfolding before her, muttered in a daze.
Cheon Yeo-wool, who had been floating in the air, slowly descended to the ground.
Tap.
But the moment her feet touched the earth.
Stagger.
Cheon Yeo-wool’s body swayed.
It was because she had poured too much Divine Power into a single strike.
“Saintess!”
Sophia darted forward like lightning, catching her collapsing body in a firm embrace.
Cheon Yeo-wool’s face was deathly pale.
“……I’m fine.”
Gasping for breath, Cheon Yeo-wool grabbed Sophia’s arm and forced herself to stand.
“Quickly. Let’s go.”
She put strength into her trembling legs, about to take another step toward the entrance of the empty residence.
It was at that very moment.
Step, step.
From within the dust cloud that had yet to settle, someone’s footsteps could be heard.
The gazes of Cheon Yeo-wool and the Paladins turned toward the sound.
A man was standing there.
He wore a dazzlingly ornate golden robe, untouched by a speck of dust.
He waved with a gentle smile.
“Hello, Yeo-wool.”
The Hero.
It was Yohan.
“……”
He looked fine on the outside.
“Hero. Are you all right?”
Sophia asked cautiously, maintaining her distance.
She, too, sensed something was off and proceeded with care.
“Yeo-wool. Hello?”
But Yohan paid Sophia no mind.
His eyes were fixed solely on Cheon Yeo-wool as he slowly approached.
Yohan had already subtly entered Sophia’s range.
“Yeo-wool.”
Just as Sophia, on guard, tried to create more distance.
Spurt!
A fountain of red blood erupted from Sophia’s arm.
Her silver armor was torn apart like paper, revealing a deep gash in the flesh beneath.
“Kugh!”
Sophia grunted and stumbled back.
It was only because she had instinctively twisted her body to dodge; had she been a moment later, it wouldn’t have been her arm, but her neck.
The Hero still paid no attention to the bleeding Sophia.
He didn’t even spare her a glance.
His empty eyes were fixed only on Cheon Yeo-wool.
“Sophia!!!”
Cheon Yeo-wool screamed, forcing her staggering body forward.
She quickly stretched out her hand and released her Divine Power.
Clang!
The sound of clashing steel rang out in the air.
Cheon Yeo-wool’s barrier had blocked the slash that had been casually aimed at Sophia.
“……”
Only then did Yohan’s steps halt.
He tilted his head, as if puzzled that his attack had been blocked.
“Why did you block it? Yeo-wool. It should just be the two of us.”
And then.
Gurgle… squelch…
Something began to bloom from behind Yohan like tentacles.
“Huuu…”
Cheon Yeo-wool swallowed a ragged breath, forcing strength into her trembling legs to stand.
She had used up a great deal of her holy power to wipe out all the mutated Crusaders.
It took an immense amount of holy power to turn a mutated S-Class Hero into dust in a single blow.
Cheon Yeo-wool glared at the Yohan before her, cold sweat trickling down her face.
There are stages to the Infestation.
Stage one, where they lose all reason and rampage. That’s actually better.
They’re just mindlessly powerful, without any reason.
The problem was cases like this… where their reason remained.
They could use the full power of the Infestation… while being perfectly sane.
She had already sent a distress signal through her watch.
Yu Hana and Kang A-rin would arrive quickly.
If she could just hold out until then…
“They can’t come.”
Yohan smiled.
Kwoooong….
A purple curtain was layered over the barrier Cheon Yeo-wool had cast.
A light-swallowing darkness completely covered the dome-shaped barrier from the outside.
“……”
Blocked.
Cheon Yeo-wool instinctively checked her watch.
[No Signal]
Dozens of black tentacles, rising from behind him, shot out in all directions toward the Paladins whose escape route was now blocked.
Her holy power was low.
Reinforcements couldn’t get through.
Only Cheon Yeo-wool was left.
“It doesn’t matter. Not for killing you.”
Cheon Yeo-wool muttered, gritting her teeth.
It doesn’t matter. I’ll end this myself.
Cheon Yeo-wool raised both hands, gathering every last bit of her remaining holy power.
Dozens of magic circles began to form simultaneously at her fingertips.
Multi-casting.
Her specialty.
I just have to win.
There’s no prob—
Chirp.
“...?”
Just then, a cheerful birdsong, completely out of place on the battlefield brimming with killing intent, echoed through the air.
Cheon Yeo-wool’s gaze was drawn to the sky.
Chirp chirp?
It was Gani. Her Divine Beast.
It was pecking at the purple barrier Yohan had created with its beak.
But the tiny crack Gani had pecked… instantly began to twist and widen.
A black space opened up.
It grew larger.
And larger still.
And from within it.
SKREEEEEEEEEEK!!
The powerful cry of a bird of prey erupted.
FWOOSH!!
A massive shadow burst through the hole.
A jet-black falcon, spreading wings the size of a house.
Flapper tore through space and dominated the sky.
“……Ah…”
Cheon Yeo-wool lowered her head.
On its massive back… the man she had been waiting for, the one she had tried so hard not to rely on this time, leaped down.
“Yeo-wool.”
Jung Hae-in, throwing himself into the air, met her eyes in that brief moment of descent.
“I’ll get the explanation later, okay?”
He grinned.
At his smile, the pressure crushing Cheon Yeo-wool vanished as if it were a lie.
Jung Hae-in readjusted his grip on his spear.
Jade-green mana gathered at its tip.
“Phalanx.”
KRA-KABOOOOOOOM!
The spear strike exploded toward Yohan.