CH 276

With Fenrir’s appearance and the sync’s return, Eden’s counterattack began.

-I’m going to open the door! Please make sure he doesn’t escape!

Brunheart said to the women fighting Ha Song-Su behind the wall.

The women looked at each other in confusion.

-Is my pupil coming back?

Soo-Jung asked Brunheart, but she didn’t get an answer. It was probably because Brunheart wholly focused on maintaining the giant wall.

The women looked at each other. This round of attack was over. Now, they were waiting for Ha Song-Su to make a move so that they could counter accordingly.

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‘We’re going.’ Soo-Jung signaled to the others. To suppress Ha Song-Su, they had no choice but to attack him again.

“Hup!” Soo-Jung shot a black flame to start the fight.

Simultaneously, the other three women attacked Ha Song-Su with everything they had.

Ha Song-Su, who had his head down like a robot, began moving again.

Kaboom!

A vicious explosion occurred. Only Soo-Jung and El were left in the air to fight Ha Song-Su’s attack. The other two had fallen to the ground.

‘Dammit.’ Soo-Jung bit her lips. She was okay, but the others didn’t look good. El, who had spent the most power, looked especially pale. They weren’t recovering as they should, so their fatigue was piling up.

“Ackkk!” Ha Song-Su yelled and rushed toward El.

“No!” Soo-Jung screamed.

Crack.

“Ackkkk!” El screamed as Ha Song-Su grabbed her and ripped her wings.

Soo-Jung rushed to push him away, but there was something different about him.

Until now, he had only focused on the defensive; now, Ha Song-Su looked more lively. He seemed more agile than ever.

With one hand, Ha Song-Su slapped away Soo-Jung and ripped another wing from El’s back.

“Kyaaaa!” El continued screaming.

Ha Song-Su stopped after ripping out three wings.

“Haa,” Ha Song-Su sighed deeply. He was changing slowly. His appearance remained the same, but his energy was changing.

“He’s here.” His eyes changed. His eyes looked unfocused and dazed, but they gradually returned to normal. He looked at El in his hands, noticing her bleeding back.

El had lost consciousness from pain and fatigue. Ha Song-Su threw her down on the ground.

“Hmm?” Ha Song-Su's mind seemed to have cleared completely. He tilted his head, realizing that this place was changing. The energy flow had changed because there was a crack somewhere.

“El!” Lim Hye-Sook tried to catch the falling El but failed.

Fwoosh!

A bright light appeared out of nowhere and enveloped El and her allies. The light was rich with Life and helped heal the allies.

Ha Song-Su flinched. He tried to quell the light; surprisingly, the same light restrained him.

“Interesting,” he muttered.

Soon, the light disappeared, and El stopped falling. She flew up again, showering everyone with her angelic beauty.

“...!” Ha Song-Su stared in shock. The three wings he had ripped out had already grown back; now, there was something like a crown on her head.

El’s eyes, closed until now, opened as she announced, “Master is on his way here.”

Her wings moved, and she found immense power coursing through her. The power was greater than what she had before the battle began. Ha Song-Su was still restrained when everyone heard a yell.

“Morningstar will be here shortly!” Tao Chen roared.

“Tao Chen?” El whispered.

Tao Chen entered the wall when Brunheart had opened it a little for him. He raised his Green Dragon Crescent Blade and yelled, “Just hold on for a while longer!”

Next, he swung his weapon.

***

He was losing consciousness. His mind was sinking into the darkness faster and faster. Suddenly, Gi-Gyu opened his eyes and looked around.

‘An ocean?’

It looked like a sea of darkness, but what filled the space wasn’t water.

‘Sorcerous energy…’

Gi-Gyu felt like he knew where he was.

‘I’m inside my shell.’

He realized that he must have lost consciousness and entered the shell world. Even as he fell, he continued to look around. The shell world changed constantly depending on his will, thoughts, and power.

‘How long has it been since I was here?’

The last time he was here was when he fought Jupiter during the 60th-floor test. He fell deep in thought, seemingly unaffected by the outside world. He was swathed in sorcerous energy, but he felt comfortable.

Gi-Gyu didn’t know how long he had fallen for, but he was now on the ground.

Plop.

He was on the ground, but he didn’t get up. Body flat on the ground, Gi-Gyu blinked.

‘Ahh…’ He knew he needed to move. He needed to regain consciousness and leave this shell world. These thoughts continued to nag him, but his body refused to budge.

‘I want to rest.’ His brain was filled with the need to sleep. It had been such a long journey. As his goals grew bigger and bigger and even bigger, the enemies he had to face became stronger and stronger and insanely stronger.

Gi-Gyu had worked very hard, but he had no idea if he had accomplished anything. Ironshield was still alive and kicking, and his mother and Yoo-Jung were still somewhere far away.

Andras was still at large, and Kronos still…

‘Haa…’ Gi-Gyu had worked nonstop, but it seemed he had accomplished nothing so far.

He had nothing.

Gi-Gyu’s dream had always been simple: Become powerful. He had strength now, but he never got a chance to use it properly. Just why did he want power in the first place?

‘I just wanted to make lots of money and live happily with Mother and Yoo-Jung...’

Gi-Gyu smiled bitterly. His original goal had been simple; now, he was far away from what he had set out to do. His mother and Yoo-Jung were gone, and he was surrounded by powerful enemies. He believed he was becoming stronger, but it never seemed enough.

‘When will this end?’

He wanted to rest. He wanted to lie down on a sofa and watch TV. He wanted to eat meals with his family.

‘I have accomplished nothing so far.’

‘I have nothing.’

-Hey, did you say you have nothing?

‘Huh?’

-You accomplished nothing? Are you really saying you have done nothing?

‘Who’s speaking…?’ Gi-Gyu tried to move his head so that he could hear clearer, but his whole body felt too heavy.

-You’re such an asshole.

‘What?’ Gi-Gyu finally managed to move his head. He wouldn’t let just anyone insult him like this.

-You’re the worst, you jerk.

Whoever was talking, his words were becoming harsher. Every time Gi-Gyu heard the mysterious figure’s voice, he flinched. He tried his best to figure out the speaker's identity.

The speaker continued insulting him; Gi-Gyu soon realized who it was.

-You don’t deserve to live, you bastard. You’re worse than a demon.

Gi-Gyu finally looked up and whispered, “Jupiter?”

This was his best guess.

-You fucking idiot…

The voice sounded even angrier and more resentful.

-Do you miss that jerk?

Gi-Gyu couldn’t deny it. He had spent a fair bit of time with Jupiter. Although he had never admitted it to anyone, he empathized with Jupiter wholeheartedly. After all, after absorbing Jupiter, Gi-Gyu had learned everything about him.

Jupiter’s past of pain and anger was now part of Gi-Gyu.

‘Maybe that’s why… I miss him.’

Perhaps Gi-Gyu missed Jupiter’s voice. The voice he had assumed was gone forever.

-Gosh.

A short sigh was heard.

-Can you just wake up already?

Gi-Gyu finally grinned, finding it hard to believe he had forgotten about “him” again.

“Ah… Lou…”

-You need to get up now.

Gi-Gyu wondered why he didn’t remember Lou earlier. Was it because his mind was buried deep inside the sorcerous energy? It seemed that his memory was being blocked as well. The likely culprit was the hell kings’ sins.

-We are your accomplishments. Thanks to you, we found a new life. A new goal. Don’t you get it? Think about it. Do you really think we are fully under your control? No, we work with you because we share your goal.

As he listened to Lou, the haze over Gi-Gyu’s mind slowly lifted.

-We are your accomplishments, so…

Gi-Gyu finally stood up. It was as if he was being sucked into something. Or perhaps, the world had turned upside down? Then, he quickly flew up.

‘Lou. What about you?’

Why was Lou saying things like this to him? Gi-Gyu felt anxious suddenly.

Could it be…

-Don’t be ridiculous, moron. Don’t worry. It will take a while, but I’ll return.

Gi-Gyu was relieved, and he let his body be carried upward. He had been worried for a brief moment because Lou had talked like he was saying goodbye.

‘But he said it’ll be okay, so I’m sure all will be fine.’

Lou had never lied to him to reassure him. Gi-Gyu moved upward as if someone was carrying him. His mind became more alert and more aware of what was happening outside.

Fwoosh.

The change in Gi-Gyu’s thoughts created a giant wave inside his shell. And just like that, Gi-Gyu left his shell.

“Haa…” When Gi-Gyu was out, a form appeared at the bottom of his shell. It was Lou in a battle-ready stance.

“He’s finally gone, so let’s talk now,” Lou announced.

Several more figures appeared at the bottom of the shell.

Belphegor.

Leviathan.

There were countless copies of them inside the shell, indicating Paimon had created numerous copies.

“Ugh. These bastards.” These hell kings were fighting even after death.

Paimon had mixed the hell kings’ sins and emotions into the sorcerous energy. This energy and the hell kings themselves had entered Gi-Gyu’s shell and were trying to destroy him from the inside.

This was Paimon’s real trap.

Lou hadn't lied to Gi-Gyu. It would take some time, but he planned on destroying these creatures and returning after he was sure Gi-Gyu’s shell was safe. But just as he had told Gi-Gyu, this would take a very long time.

Another form appeared and muttered, “I can’t believe you told him you’d return. You sure are arrogant.”

Lou glared at the new figure. “Satan.”

Unbeknownst to Gi-Gyu, a whole new battle began inside his shell.