The Galaxy's Holy Light

"Huff huff!"

The bulldog ran with its fur flying everywhere.

Kim Hwang-je scratched the back of its neck.

"Woof woof!"

It seemed to be in a good mood.

At that moment, Kim Hwang-je spotted another bulldog growling behind them.

The other bulldog truly hated him.

It glared daggers, its black cheeks quivering with rage.

The grudge from its encounter with the sewer golem seemed like it would linger for quite some time.

Thanks to that, only the bulldog carrying Kim Hwang-je wagged its tail happily as it delivered him to the top floor.

The top floor had an incredibly high ceiling and was vast, making it feel like they were inside a temple.

Had they opened up about three floors?

"Your Majesty, there are soldiers hiding inside a barricade up ahead."

"Wait, what's attached to their armor?"

"There's something red and blue inside a square mark."

"Okay. We'll approach carefully."

It was the Monster Security Agency emblem.

This was the government's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠most critical facility. The fact that terrorism had broken out here essentially meant the country was in a state of war.

Kim Hwang-je walked forward from a distance with his hands raised.

"Three individuals confirmed approaching from the lower floor emergency exit!"

"Halt! This is the Monster Security Agency! Move and we will shoot!"

The group stopped in place.

Soldiers in powered armor aimed their weapons and shouted.

"Martial law has been declared. This location is under lockdown. Access is prohibited until identities are verified."

"Understood. I am Kim Hwang-je, participant in the Lost auction. Should I take out my ID and toss it over?"

Kim Hwang-je examined the powered-armor soldiers aiming guns from behind their barricade.

Something felt off.

It wouldn't be strange for one or two to be women, but every single one was wearing the exact same model of powered armor.

Because of battery limitations, powered armor was designed to be lightweight and durable, making male and female versions easy to distinguish.

"Kim Hwang-je? That name sounds familiar... Ah, the Archmage?"

"Go get Deputy Team Leader Lee Min-ah right away!"

A moment later, Lee Min-ah came running from afar.

She was also wearing powered armor. It looked like she'd just returned from a battlefield—white smoke rose from her suit, which was covered in scratches.

She lifted her visor to confirm it was him.

"It's him. Let them through. Mr. Kim Hwang-je, would you please come this way?"

Lee Min-ah guided Kim Hwang-je deeper into the camp, avoiding the other personnel.

The corridor looked like something out of a zombie outbreak response.

Quarantine tents were all connected, and disinfectant had to be sprayed before entering each section.

After passing through several zones and entering a long tunnel made of plastic sheeting, she let out a deep sigh and turned around.

"You came at the perfect time. I desperately wanted to call you for help, but communications wouldn't connect."

Lee Min-ah glanced at the hunter and the thief, greeting them with a nod.

Kim Hwang-je asked, "I came to help, but hasn't Jung Da-yeon arrived ahead of me?"

"You mean Maester Jung from Lost? She entered with the vanguard, but... we've lost contact. I'm sorry."

"What?"

Kim Hwang-je was genuinely shocked.

He knew it was dangerous, but missing?

"Is it just that communications are cut off, or is she in real danger?"

"It's a warzone in there. The problem is that it's a warzone where communications don't work at all."

"This is bad..."

But the hunter sniffed the air and nodded.

"Your Majesty, neither this one nor the thieving bastard can go inside."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Mister! What kind of nonsense is that? If His Majesty orders it, we obey! Where did you sell your loyalty?!"

The thief bellowed in his trademark booming voice.

But Lee Min-ah spoke with firm resolve.

"Be quiet!"

"Uh... Miss, why are you acting like this?"

The hunter nodded firmly.

"Shut up, idiot. Don't provoke the things inside for no reason. Males like you and me cannot enter in there. Isn't that right, miss?"

"What's the problem with being male... Wait, ah?"

The thief clapped as if he'd realized something.

What the hell? Am I the only one not following this conversation?

When he looked at Lee Min-ah, she explained.

"That's correct. I'll be frank. The only person who can resolve this situation is you, Mr. Kim Hwang-je... the one with the class Saint."

It's not Saint or Sage...

Kim Hwang-je clenched his teeth.

"Please explain what's happening."

"Howling's Arch Black Mage created a reality erosion barrier at the Gaya Gold Crown facility."

"A barrier?"

"They detonated the auction house and infiltrated at the same time, then manifested the Fortress of Pleasure."

What kind of fortress?

It was a name that would have driven him crazy just days ago.

Now his mind was strangely calm.

"What exactly are you saying?"

"They opened a gate to another realm in front of the Gaya Gold Crown and summoned a massive number of succubi to corrupt it. As a result, only the female agents from the Security Agency are fighting inside."

Kim Hwang-je's jaw dropped.

"You must be shocked. Who could have imagined such evil running rampant at the very center of Seoul's southern barrier...? This is all our fault."

Lee Min-ah bit her lip and bowed her head.

Kim Hwang-je was completely lost.

Wait, isn't that a crown you wear on your head? Is there some old man's spirit living in it or something?

"...The Gaya Gold Crown can be corrupted too?"

Kim Hwang-je was an ordinary citizen.

He needed some background knowledge to follow any of this!

Frustrated with himself, he pounded his own chest.

As a civilian, there was no way he would know classified information.

"As you know, Gujiga is the first sorcery in the history of the Korean peninsula."

"Ah... right...?"

Why was she suddenly talking about Gujiga?

Kim Hwang-je could barely remember what it was.

He thought it was something from Korean class—a song about how if the turtle doesn't stick its head out, it'll get eaten?

Turtle, oh turtle, stick your head out...

It was vaguely coming back to him.

Since this was the Gaya Gold Crown and that was a Gaya song, they must be connected.

"The Gaya Gold Crown enshrined here is not the genuine artifact. It is an ancient treasure that embodies Gujiga."

"Embodies?"

"Yes. This crown is not a physical object but a condensation of sorcery."

Kim Hwang-je deployed his ultimate technique.

When you don't know, just stay quiet.

It was a secret method that could get him through half of any conversation.

"I see."

This technique worked as long as his eyes didn't glaze over too obviously!

As expected, Lee Min-ah continued.

"Furthermore, the sorcery of Gujiga is an ancient ritual performed by naked men. In particular, what the turtle head symbolizes—"

"That's enough."

Kim Hwang-je shook his head.

He had understood plenty.

Lee Min-ah nodded.

"Of course. You must already know everything."

Kim Hwang-je pictured a men's bathhouse vividly in his mind.

Turtle head...

Just like the textbook said—uncles dancing to pray for abundance and safety.

This was the true nature of the powerful holy relic capable of withstanding a nuclear bomb.

Ah, give me back my sense of awe, damn it.

Kim Hwang-je felt genuinely cheated.

"......"

At any rate, the story was that the Gaya Gold Crown was stored here as the physical embodiment of that sorcery.

And now Kim Hwang-je understood why they had summoned the succubi.

"Hoo... It can't be helped."

Kim Hwang-je dismounted from the bulldog.

"If I use this, can I go in?"

He didn't want to go alone.

Kim Hwang-je took out a holy relic and showed it to the hunter.

But after looking at the holy relic ring, bracelet, and flail, the hunter shook his head.

"It's impossible. These are useful, but neither this one nor the thieving bastard can go. Your Majesty should ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just wear them yourself."

"...Then why does it only work for me?"

"Earlier this one witnessed the radiance. It is the solar radiance that no monster can withstand!"

Kim Hwang-je looked up at the sky.

This guy had followed along claiming he would stand guard.

He must have seen the urinal glowing pure white.

"What does the sun have to do with demons?"

"Your Majesty. Naturally, the sun's radiance defeats evil!"

Damn it...

Now that he heard it, it actually made sense.

Of course, even now countless stars of the Whirlwind Galaxy continued to radiate from the Great Sage Kim Hwang-je's lower body, but you weren't allowed to laugh!

In the end, Kim Hwang-je headed for the door alone.

He sent the other two to establish an underground organization.

Standing before the massive iron door, Lee Min-ah warned him.

"Don't be surprised when you go inside. It's a warzone."

"A warzone..."

"The rift is enormous, so thousands of soldiers have already entered. Be careful with noise. Ah, one moment."

A communication came in for Lee Min-ah. She spoke into her mic.

"Squad entering now. Yes, as I reported. Don't worry. There is one male, but he is a Saint."

Kim Hwang-je closed his eyes and pretended not to hear.

"I can vouch for him. I'm telling you, I guarantee it. Didn't I mention it before? If this were a novel, it'd be a damn overpowered munchekin story. Don't worry."

It seemed she was talking to Jung Jin-woo.

She ended the call and gave a hand signal.

The massive door swung open, and Security Agency agents poured inside.

Vrrrrrrrrrr—!

Boom!

When the door opened, a vast world filled with the roar of battlefield explosions appeared.

"...It's huge."

"This erosion barrier has already evolved to the level of a unique rift. Everyone is working to suppress it, but the distortion of the Gaya Gold Crown's power has made it incredibly strong. If we leave it like this, a path to the demon realm might open."

A rift world with horizons and mountain ridges greeted Kim Hwang-je.

In the distance, he could see Gatling guns and explosions painting the sky.

"Squad 32, entering! External communications will now be cut."

Lee Min-ah spoke as she entered alongside Kim Hwang-je.

"Your Majesty... I'm sorry for the unpleasant suspicion. People have trouble believing you're a Saint."

"I told them I'm not a Saint..."

"Understood. I'll be more careful."

Careful about what?

Kim Hwang-je gave up on trying to convince them.

At that moment, a tremendous number of succubi gathered in the sky.

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough space to describe each succubus's appearance in detail, so it must be omitted.

Let it simply be said that from a mortal's perspective, nothing could possibly be more mesmerizing.

"Succubi!"

"Prepare to defend against charm spells!"

But Kim Hwang-je's eyes had already transcended the mortal realm.

To him, they simply looked like stones walking around. It wasn't a metaphor—it was literally true.

Having become immune to the charm spell itself, he could see their true essence clearly.

"Pretty..."

The soldiers beside him, however, seemed reluctant to even aim their guns because of the magic's effect.

The succubi looked down at the Security Agency soldiers and Kim Hwang-je from above.

"Aww, how boring~ They're all women again~"

"Hmm... But that one over there is a man, isn't he?"

Lee Min-ah was ice cold.

"Open fire!"

Ratatatatatatata—!

"Kyaaak!"

The sound of beans popping rang out loudly as the succubi were torn apart by bullets from every direction.

The weaker ones died instantly, but the higher-ranking succubi endured the bullets using magical barriers around their bodies.

"They resist temptation quite well? Let's get closer and cast spells!"

"Let's go!"

The higher succubi flew through the bullet storm.

They folded and spread their wings, spinning between the barrage before slamming their bodies into Kim Hwang-je.

"Hehe, got you!"

"Me too!"

Succubi swarmed and clung to Kim Hwang-je from all sides.

The royal castle's protective barrier blocked their approach.

Like performers doing mime, they pressed their faces against the barrier and observed him.

"Your Majesty!"

Lee Min-ah screamed and rushed forward.

Why wasn't Kim Hwang-je defending himself at all?

Had he already been charmed?

At that moment, Kim Hwang-je gestured to her.

"Pull all troops back. Do not, under any circumstances, come in front of me."

His voice was calm.

His face was filled with annoyance.

Look at that unshakable determination.

Lee Min-ah shouted, "Retreat behind the Saint! Hurry!"

"But...!"

"He's not a tanker, Special Agent!"

"Don't talk back! Move!"

Only then did the soldiers retreat behind Kim Hwang-je in perfect order.

Kim Hwang-je asked the succubi who were wriggling against his barrier, "Do you want to take my clothes off?"

"Yes! Yes!"

The succubi nodded eagerly.

They stopped attacking and gathered in front of him.

"Move aside a little. It's hard to open like this."

Kim Hwang-je spread his cloak wide.

"Why is it shin—"

Those were their last words.

The light from his lower body galaxy pierced through his underwear and pants, pouring out and piercing the air.

"Huh?"

"Oh?"

"Hmm?"

The reactions varied, but the result was the same.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

They all vanished, reduced to nothing but a handful of ash.

The smell of burning filled the area.

The enemy had been completely annihilated.

"Hoo..."

After finishing the job, Kim Hwang-je covered his front with the Emperor's robes.

His eyes hurt too much to walk around with it open.

He rubbed them hard.

"Let's go."

Kim Hwang-je spoke nonchalantly.

But the agents who had just witnessed thousands of succubi burn to death in an instant were stunned.

"Oh my god..."

"Inside the cloak... such powerful light!"

"Ahhh, thank you! Saint!"

No.

Thank the thousands of stars in that Whirlwind Galaxy, not me.

Kim Hwang-je closed his eyes and recalled the half-remembered science lessons from high school.

The light of a galaxy pouring into a narrow space.

Demons that couldn't even withstand a single sun had no chance against this swarm of stars.

"Woaaaaaaaah!"

"Now we can win!"

"Kim Hwang-je! Kim Hwang-je!"

Hearing the cheers, Kim Hwang-je's hunched shoulders slowly relaxed.

Come to think of it, it was perfectly logical, wasn't it?

When logic stood firmly in the world, there was nothing to fear.

Receiving such cheers made him feel pleasantly buzzed, like he'd been drinking.

Was this the campaign high that politicians talked about?

Without turning around, Kim Hwang-je raised his right fist.

"Let's go!"

"Uwoaaaaaaaah!"

The cheers shook the entire area.

Hearing the cheers, hordes of demons poured out from every direction.

This time it wasn't just succubi—grotesque monsters swarmed and covered the sky.

"Get them!"

Flash—!

Kim Hwang-je opened his cloak.

Then, pretending to draw a line across the horizon with his finger, he twisted his waist.

Pretending to draw with my finger—I'm a genius! This way it won't look weird from behind either!

At any rate, the ray of light sliced through the sky.

"Gyaaaaaaaaaah!"

The effect was tremendous.

In radiance like the rising sun, the succubi all burned and fell in every direction.

"Oh my god, he purified the demons by pointing with his finger!"

"It's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a miracle!"

But his eyes hurt too much, so after opening them once he had to close and cover them again.

As they advanced further, another swarm of succubi flew in like a cloud of mosquitoes.

"Look at these! They're kind of cute..."

"Hmm."

Kim Hwang-je fired the light again.

"Gyaaaaaaaaaah!"

Crash!

The falling succubi turned to ash and slammed into the ground everywhere.

In the silence of the battlefield, Kim Hwang-je advanced without stopping.

Before long, he had burned thousands of succubi to death and reached the final barrier.

There stood a massive red archdemon with four horns, holding a trident.

It had a rat's tail, bat-like membrane wings, a burning head, and the body of a red giant.

It looked strong at a glance, so all the soldiers tensed up.

"Puhahaha! Mighty warrior, I, Shiblize, demon of ancient wars, guard this barrier. Coming all the way here..."

"Yeah, thanks for your hard work guarding it. You can clock out now."

Kim Hwang-je casually flung his cloak open.

"Ah...? Aaaaaaaaaagh! C... ro... tch... light!!"

Even so, as an ancient demon it managed to endure the light for a few seconds.

It screamed the identity of the light before turning to ash and vanishing.

Lee Min-ah asked, "What was he saying?"

"Who knows. Probably some curse from his homeland. Don't bother remembering it."

Kim Hwang-je made something up.

Crack! Crash!

The final barrier shattered from the light, and the door opened wide.

A giant pillar appeared with the Gaya Gold Crown placed on top.

The Gaya Gold Crown burned with golden radiance.

Sparks flew in every direction, and part of the golden light had been stained with a cursed red energy.

Around it floated a massive number of succubi chanting curse spells, along with a white-haired, gold-eyed man and woman.

The man was Catiyu, who had been swept away by the waves.

"Katima noona! He's already here!"

"Don't make a fuss. It's interfering with the ritual."

The white-haired witch looked down at Kim Hwang-je and his party with an annoyed expression.

Dark circles under her eyes made her look extremely tired.

"I prepared without sleeping at all. How did you break through the barrier so—"

First strike wins!

Kim Hwang-je immediately charged forward while flinging his cloak open to both sides.

And the light of victory covered the world.

Flash!

"Gyaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Kaaaaaaaaaah!"

Screams overturned the area.

It looked like thousands of A4 sheets burning and falling.

The demons spun round and round as they turned to ash and rained ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠down.

Gray ash snow fell.

"What exactly did you do to your body...?"

The white-haired witch spoke from among the falling demons.

She frowned as if she had poor eyesight.

Beside her, Catiyu trembled violently.

"Noona, he's not normal."

Ah, those two really were homunculi.

Kim Hwang-je cowardly called for backup.

"Min-ah, shoot them already!"