Chapter 339.

[Republic of Leores – Large underground bunker]

Meanwhile, Kim Suho headed to an underground bunker in the Republic’s capital to evacuate the rescued citizens . The bunker, which was designed by Yoo Yeonha, was fully capable of accommodating the majority of citizens .

“Thank you, thank you… . ”

After smiling at the citizens’ tearful expression of gratitude, he headed to Yoo Yeonha’s office .

A nameplate that read [Bunker Operations Planning Office] hung at the door .

Inside, Yoo Yeonha was speaking to outsiders on the radio .

“…Did you just say that the right side of the barrier was breached?”

This took Kim Suho by surprise . Baal’s barrier was difficult to break even with his Gift .

“Mm… got it . Ah, we’re protecting Miss Seraine, so you don’t have to worry about her . Keep up the good work . ”

Yoo Yeonha threw a glance at Kim Suho and cut off the radio .

Kim Suho was the first to speak .

“The barrier was breached?”

“Yeah, apparently . ”

Yoo Yeonha had a rough idea of who was responsible for the destruction . Naturally, she heaved a sigh of relief .

‘I hadn’t heard from him in a while and wondered if something bad had happened, but I guess he’s alive and well . ’

“Who-”

KOOONG—! But the door swung open even before Kim Suho could finish his question . Kim Suho and Yoo Yeonha turned their gazes to the entrance .

Aileen was there .

She approached them with an excited expression and yelled, “Black Lotus is here!”

Kim Suho and Yoo Yeonha each responded differently .

“What?!”

“… . ”

Kim Suho’s nostrils flared in surprise, while Yoo Yeonha carefully examined the reactions of both Aileen and Kim Suho .

Aileen nodded eagerly and continued .

“Yes! Oh and, also, Shin Jonghak . ”

At this point in time, Yoo Yeonha could no longer feign indifference .

She asked, trying to conceal her interest .

“…Jonghak is here?”

“Yeah . I just got a call from Yun Seung-Ah, and he’s with Jin Sahyuk or whatever her name was . ”

Jin Sahyuk . Those three syllables made her uneasy .

Yoo Yeonha turned her gaze to Kim Suho in silence . Likewise, Kim Suho had become stiff like a fish that had been left outside to dry for too long .

“…Kim Suho?”

Yoo Yeonha called Kim Suho .

Kim Suho, standing stiff, soon let out a sigh .

“Uh… what were they doing together? Jin Sahyuk and Shin Jonghak?”

“How should I know? But Seung-Ah said they were heading to the ‘Devil’s Castle’ . ”

Baal had built a fortress at the center of his barrier . Inside, Baal was currently gathering power to descend on Earth .

“Shouldn’t we head there as well?”

Kim Suho nodded at Aileen’s question .

“Yes . We only have two days left, after all . We should hurry . ”

“Two days? How do you know it’s two days exactly?”

“The book said this world was destroyed three days after Baal’s descent, remember?”

The deadline was three days, but a day had already passed . The remaining time, therefore, was two days . It was too short a time, but they had to somehow stop Baal from destroying this world and also their home, Earth .

“For now, let’s hurry . ”

Kim Suho took out a potion from his pocket and gulped it down . This might not be enough to relieve all the fatigue and wounds he had accumulated during the day, but he had no time to spare .

“Okay . Then, let’s go find Black Lotus and Jin Sahyuk first . ”

With a smirk, Aileen grabbed Kim Suho’s hand . She immediately activated the skill [Teleport] . The whole world began shaking and Kim Suho closed his eyes . A moment later, when he opened them again, the Devil’s Castle was in front of him .

The shift was very sudden, but he had no time to panic .

“…Kim Suho?”

From somewhere rang a dry, disapproving voice .

Aileen and Kim Suho turned back, and to their surprise, the two people who had just been the subject of their conversation were there .

“…Aileen-ssi, your Teleport is shockingly accurate . ”

“Y-Yeah?”

Kim Suho exclaimed in pure amazement, but Aileen only blinked rapidly and scratched the back of her neck . All this took her by surprise as well .

“Did you two follow us?”

Jin Sahyuk and Shin Jonghak . About ten steps away, the pair scowled at Kim Suho .

“Huh? No, we wouldn’t say we were… . ”

Kim Suho panicked for no reason . Were those two always so close? He remembered they didn’t get along very well in the past .

“Hmm… whatever . You should get ready, too . ”

Jin Sahyuk said calmly, despite Kim Suho’s perplexity .

“…Get ready for what?” Aileen asked .

Jin Sahyuk scoffed, as if making fun of Aileen for asking such a silly question, then pointed to the Devil’s Castle in the distance .

What used to be the presidential residence was now Baal’s castle . Surrounded by demonic energy, it had become quite grotesque in appearance .

“That castle needs to come down . ”

“…Huh? You?”

Kim Suho’s eyes widened to the extent that they almost bulged out .

The Jin Sahyuk he knew was not like this . Not long ago, she had declared she would destroy Earth if she couldn’t go back to her homeland .

“No . ”

Jin Sahyuk shook her head with a cold smile .

‘Of course,’ thought Kim Suho . But then Jin Sahyuk’s next remark made him freeze .

“We’re doing it together . ”

**

[Eastern Pandemonium]

Vassago built his Colosseum in what was once a city called Harbin . The land shared its border with Russia and boasted a view of the Korean Peninsula to the south .

The Colosseum, bearing the design of the Demon Realm, was large and magnificent enough to be seen from both Korea and Russia .

Because of this, the Colosseum had already become a symbol of terror for many . Today, however, a Hero arrived at the Colosseum purely of her own will .

“…It’s big . ”

Master-rank Hero, Jin Seyeon the Divine Archer .

Having challenged Vassago, she looked around the Colosseum in a daze .

“Only those who lack skill care about appearance . ”

It was then .

A heavy voice rang out just behind her . Jin Seyeon immediately withdrew her gaze from the Colosseum and turned around .

“It’s been a while, Archer . ”

It was Cheok Jungyeong, as expected . His face broke into a broad grin . Jin Seyeon was glad to see him smile, though she wasn’t exactly sure why .

She smiled back at him softly .

“I didn’t know we were close enough to share such a greeting . ”

“Who cares? We can get to know each other from now on . ”

Cheok Jungyeong shrugged . Jin Seyeon nodded in agreement . Though she had no idea what would happen in this arena, she felt confident that Cheok Jungyeong would never betray her .

“Oh, right . You must know this since you’re a high-ranking Hero . Is it true that Orden is alive?”

Koong— koong— koong— Cheok Jungyeong walked barefoot and stood right next to Jin Seyeon . Their height difference was at least 40 centimeters . Jin Seyeon had to tilt her head back so much that her neck began to hurt .

“Well, if Orden is really alive, that would mean we’re really close to him right now . ”

Jin Seyeon answered without much thought . A long walk east of the Colosseum would reach Vladivostok . Vladivostok was where the rumors about Orden originated from .

Cheok Jungyeong raised his eyebrows, dissatisfied by Jin Seyeon’s answer .

“That’s not what I asked . I asked if he’s alive . ”

“The residents of Vladivostok seem to think so . They worship Orden . ”

“…Worship?”

“Yes . According to them, it’s all thanks to Orden that they live in peace in Vladivostok, a city that had long been abandoned, without having to worry about monster invasions . ”

“Huh… so it’s true that Orden’s been hunting monsters himself?”

“I’m not sure about that . It could be someone else, someone strong but also secretive, like Black Lotus . ”

Jin Seyeon shrugged, and Cheok Jungyeong chuckled .

“Pft, alright, whatever . I didn’t come here for a chat anyway . ”

“I agree . ”

Cheok Jungyeong and Jin Seyeon stood side by side and stared at the arena in front of them . But these two weren’t the only ones who had their eyes on the Colosseum .

Many were observing it from afar, including the members of the Chameleon Troupe who had followed Cheok Jungyeong secretly, and Vast Expense, who was exuding his presence openly .

And so, Cheok Jungyeong stepped into the ring and took a deep breath .

He then yelled from the top of his lungs, “Oi, old man—!”

His voice shook the earth and the atmosphere .

Cheok Jungyeong called Vast Expense with overt enthusiasm .

“Aren’t you gonna come out-?!”

His cry echoed through the Colosseum .

But Vast Expense did not respond, only watching from afar .

“…Well, it’s pretty obvious what that greedy old man is after . ”

Cheok Jungeyong muttered discontentedly .

Vast Expense’s reason for coming here was obvious as he said . Vassago had declared that he would reward the victor with whatever he wished . Vast Expense was probably planning to ask for ‘immortality’ .

“Never mind those cowards . Let’s go first . ”

Cheok Jungyeong tapped Jin Seyeon on the shoulder . Jin Seyeon, however, seemed a little hesitant as she looked around Cheok Jungyeong .

She was trying to locate Black Lotus but could not detect his presence anywhere nearby .

“…”

Was Cheok Jungyeong alone? Did Black Lotus enter the Demon Realm Gate as well?

Jin Seyeon concealed her disappointment and began walking .

“I guess you aren’t called Divine Archer for nothing . Bwahaha . Oh, by the way-”

Impressed by her boldness, Cheok Jungyeong beamed with satisfaction as he pulled out a card . Jin Seyeon looked at the card .

It was called [The Invitation Letter to the Love Room] .

“What’s this…?”

“A card that allows me to summon one of my friends . I know who you’re looking for, so let’s get along from now on . ”

“… . ”

To her surprise, he was more tactful than she thought . Though Jin Seyeon was embarrassed that he had read her mind, she soon gave a small smile and nodded .

“Good idea . ”

It’s like the saying- the end justifies the means .

“Cool . Now, let’s go . ”

“Yes, let’s . ”

Together, Jin Seyeon and Cheok Jungyeong walked into the mouth of the devil ‘Vassago’ side by side .

**

[The Republic of Leores]

Airun and her knights began fighting monsters as soon as they entered the barrier . They wielded their swords to find and rescue the prince .

On the other hand, Jain and I left . Right now I didn’t have the strength to fight monsters . Just by breaking the barrier, I’d consumed most of my Stigma .

-Boss . Can you hear me?

The first thing I did was send Boss a message . But she didn’t reply for a long time .

‘Did something bad happen to her?’

Just as I began to worry, Boss’s voice flowed into my ears .

-…I hear you, Hajin .

Her voice was cracked and frail .

It was faintly trembling as if she had been crying all this time .

-Where are you?

-…Sorry . I’d like to be alone for a while .

I never imagined that Boss could sound so weak and pitiful . She refused my visit in a roundabout way .

I said with a small sigh .

-Okay . Then… rest well . But it’s just for today because I’ll come by tomorrow .

Boss whispered .

-…Thank you .

-Sure .

I dismissed Mental Transmission without further ado .

Boss seemed to be struggling, but at least she was safe . That’s all that mattered to me . As long as she was alive, we could fix things . We could heal .

…A sense of relief swept through me .

It was then .

“Oh, you’re here!”

Someone grabbed me by the neck . When I turned around, I saw Shimurin . With a big grin, Shimurin looked at Jain and me alternately .

“I see you’re with a woman disguised as a man today . ”

“…Huh? Oh . Haha . ”

Shimurin saw through Jain’s disguise at once . Jain stepped back in surprise .

“Why are you here, Shimurin-ssi?”

“Why do you think? I also have some questions for him over there . ”

With a surprisingly solemn expression, Shimurin pointed at the Devil’s Castle at the center of the barrier .

“I believe he possesses an essential knowledge of dimensional migration . ”

“…Ah . ”

Once again, Shimurin’s instinct was correct . Baal had confidently stated that he could send Jin Sahyuk back to her native dimension .

-Hey . Are you also inside the barrier?

At that moment, Chae Nayun’s voice flowed into my ears through Infinite Communication .

Her voice sounded clear, which meant she was not far from here .

“What…”

I opened my eyes wide and looked around .

It was then that I realized what situation I was in .

Yun Seung-Ah, Chae Nayun, Kim Youngjin, Yohei, Kim Horak, Yi Youngjin, Airun and her knights, the Republic’s aristocratic knights, and even civilians armed with shabby swords and sickles .

Everyone was fighting Baal’s monsters fiercely .

“…”

I looked at Jain, then at Shimurin . Both were smiling mischievously . Jain whispered to me .

‘We have a lot of time . ’

-Okay, listen . If you’re here, you need to help us out . You’re good at this kind of fight . There’s just too many of them . It’s endless… .

At that moment, I heard Chae Nayun’s nervous voice again .

I smiled and put my bow back in Stigma . Then I pulled out the Desert Eagle .

“Well then . ”

I had plenty of bullets on me, including the Basilisk’s bullets .

I transformed the Desert Eagle into a heavy machine gun .

Kiik- kiik- The sound of machine parts colliding rang out .

The Desert Eagle became a machine gun the size of a cannonball, with its muzzle pointed to the sky .

It had been quite a while since I last let the Desert Eagle take the form of a machine gun . Perhaps due to my growth, the gun looked much more intimidating now than before .

The bullets fired from a gun of this size would be as powerful as a bomb that could blow up anything .

“We’ll talk after we take care of this . ”

But before pulling the trigger, I first sent a message to Chae Nayun .

-It’s me who’s shooting now .

A sentence as simple as that .

Then I quickly pulled the trigger .

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