Chapter 352.

“…”

Shin Jonghak stared at Jin Sahyuk in silence . Her words suggesting that he could meet Shin Myungchul captivated him more than anything .

But of course, it was hard to believe such a thing was possible .

“We’re inside my mind, you said?”

Shin Jonghak asked the most basic question first . Currently, he was surrounded by darkness . Though Jin Sahyuk had claimed this space to be his mind, Shin Jonghak simply couldn’t accept her answer .

Despite his doubt, Jin Sahyuk nodded without hesitation .

“Yeah . I’ve recreated your mind to my liking . ”

It was one of the many applications of Reality Manipulation . Jin Sahyuk observed Shin Jonghak’s mind and recreated it so that she could uncover Shin Myungchul’s legacy buried inside Shin Jonghak’s consciousness .

Shin Jonghak seemed quite dissatisfied with the whole setup, however . He wasn’t too happy with the voidness of the surrounding view .

Jin Sahyuk said with a smirk, “I for one think this space suits you . It’s pitch black . ”

“…What did you say?”

A strand of vein popped out of Shin Jonghak’s temple . He stumbled back almost at the same time . Several objects were rising from the darkness beneath his feet .

“W-what are these?”

This took Shin Jonghak by surprise . Rising out of the swampy darkness were objects deeply related to Shin Jonghak’s ego . Kim Hajin’s sculpture of Shin Jonghak, the youngest high-rank Hero certificate, Xiang Yu’s Conqueror’s Spear, and even a statue of Chae Nayun… . But the most important of them all was the door at the rear .

[Shin Myungchul]

The iron gate was inscribed with Shin Myungchul’s name .

“Follow me . ”

While Shin Jonghak stood in awe, Jin Sahyuk began to walk towards the gate . Doubtful of her intentions, Shin Jonghak followed closely behind . He didn’t forget to cover Chae Nayun’s statue with his coat so that Jin Sahyuk wouldn’t misunderstand(?) .

“Hmm… . Myungchul . It’s a pretty corny name, don’t you think?”

Jin Sahyuk banged on the iron gate a couple of times and looked back at Shin Jonghak .

Shin Jonghak said nothing; instead, he began pondering upon his own existence .

He knew very well the public opinion of himself as a Hero .

They called him the youngest high-rank Hero, the vice leader of the giant guild ‘Desolate Moon’, the heir of Jinsung Corp, and a handsome man who could beat even the most famous celebrities in looks alone . Though all these descriptions were remarkable in their own way, Shin Jonghak never forgot his roots .

There was no way he could ever forget .

In this vast world only he was allowed to take such pride in himself .

That is— pride as the grandson of Shin Myungchul .

“…Are you saying my grandfather’s behind that door?”

Shin Jonghak asked . He had so many questions left .

Jin Sahyuk gave a candid nod .

“Yes, probably . My guess is that Shin Myungchul sealed a part of his soul in the deepest corner of your consciousness . Just like I did . ”

Until recently, Jin Sahyuk’s memories of Akatrina had been sealed inside her . She did that because she didn’t think she could face her current life properly with the burdens of her past life in her heart . Thankfully, this experience served as a clue to her .

Jin Sahyuk suspected Shin Myungchul had used a similar method . Bell said that Shin Myungchul left Shin Jonghak a legacy . ‘Perhaps,’ she thought, ‘Shin Myungchul used the same method as I did, just in a completely different way . ’

“…It’s not that I trust you completely, but-”

Shin Jonghak gulped . He gave Jin Sahyuk a doubtful look and brought his hands to the gate . And then, he tried to push open the gate . But it wouldn’t budge .

A groan escaped Shin Jonghak’s lips . Still, his efforts seemed futile .

“Try using your magic power . ” Jin Sahyuk interrupted .

Shing Jonghak leered at her, then poured his magic power into the gate . The gate responded to the magic power and finally began to move .

Oooong…

The iron gate vibrated as it answered to Shin Jonghak’s magic power . Soon it opened smoothly like a clam opening its mouth .

Kiik— Koong!

The heavy sound of iron rang out . Shin Jonghak looked at the other side of the gate with his feet planted on the ground . He gulped in anticipation . He could feel his heart sink as if something big and heavy had just dropped on top of it .

There was a man standing at the other side of the gate . Shin Jonghak could see him clearly .

His shoulders were as wide as a mountain and his posture was as straight as a river . His long hair covered both parts of his body . Shin Jonghak felt a shiver down his spine . The mere sight of the man had completely stunned him .

Shin Jonghak gulped yet again and slowly turned his gaze to Jin Sahyuk .

“If this is some kind of trick… . ”

“I told you, it’s not . ”

Jin Sahyuk answered in a seemingly annoyed voice . Shin Jonghak glared at her one last time and crossed the threshold of the gate .

At that moment, something strange happened . The man began moving awkwardly, like a broken clockwork puppet . Then, he slowly raised his head .

Shin Jonghak could see his eyes now . Their gazes met . A small, barely visible smile spread across the man’s face . At the same time, Shin Jonghak felt as if his body had been set on fire .

Shin Myungchul, the Hero who had left Shin Jonghak an everlasting impression, was there .

**

[Private bunker of the Chancellor of Germany]

Meanwhile, Valac’s army devastated Eastern Europe and reached Germany . Europe was now besieged by two devils: Astaroth in the west and Valac in the east . Astaroth destroyed Paris, and Germany didn’t stand a chance against Valac . The devils took complete control of Europe as the two great calamities… .

“We’re at our limit . Berlin can’t hold out any longer . ”

Jenes, the Chancellor of Germany, announced pitifully . His hands trembled in fear as he sent over the footage of Berlin’s defense barrier to Yi Gongmyung .

—… .

Yi Gongmyung studied the footage carefully . As Supreme Commander, it was his duty to map out a strategy that would lead the team to victory .

—…It’s coming down .

Still, there wasn’t much that he could say . It was clear that Berlin’s defenses were being toppled by the demons’ attack .

The army of demons swiftly ravaged Poland and arrived at Berlin . It was only a matter of time before Berlin’s defense barrier, the product of cutting-edge magic engineering, crumbled down .

“Can we at least evacuate the people?” Jenes asked .

Yi Gongmyung shook his head . Both east and west had been seized by the enemies . This meant the citizens could not travel by land . But it was also impossible to evacuate billions of people through portals .

They had run into a dead end .

“What do you expect me to do, then?!” Jenes yelled . He was beginning to tear up . The guilt of not being able to save his people weighed heavily on the heart of the Chancellor .

Yi Gongmyung said with a sigh .

—Please try to hold out a little longer . There’s not much we can do at this point in time . Baal, Morax, and a third devil have invaded Korea . I’m afraid the situation here is not so good either . But I’m sure we’ll be able to come up with something… .

The Chancellor clenched his teeth . Despair and disappointment replaced the rage in his heart . He ruminated on the current situation again .

He was currently inside an underground bunker in Korea . Germany’s commander-in-chief, along with the members of his cabinet, had abandoned their people and evacuated to a bunker in a foreign country . It was hypocritical of him to worry about the people he had left behind by choice .

“…I understand . ”

Just as the Chancellor spat out words of resignation, the screen that showed Berlin suddenly turned white .

Jenes widened his eyes .

“W-what’s going on?!”

Jenes exclaimed in German . It didn’t take long for him to understand what had just happened .

The end had come .

Demons had succeeded in destroying Germany .

“…”

Jenes closed his eyes and clenched his fists . The cabinet ministers inside the bunker reacted similarly .

Slowly, the whiteness of the screen began to fade away . The blinding light disappeared and Berlin revealed itself again . But the revealed scenery was markedly different from the previous one .

Suddenly, they heard a strange voice coming out of the speaker .

—The time has come for us to strike .

Jenes’s jaw dropped in awe .

—The time has come to recover our homeland from the darkness and reveal our bravery .

The voice resounded gravely . At the same time, a group of soldiers in uniform appeared in fields beyond the barrier . To the people in the bunker, the appearance of these soldiers seemed even more unrealistic than the demons occupying Germany .

—We shall therefore advance and slay evil without hesitation .

The scene unfolding before their eyes was far beyond their understanding .

“…Commander?”

Jenes called Yi Gongmyung with his gaze locked onto the screen . But no reply came from the supreme commander . He was in no state to answer the Chancellor .

Yi Gongmyung was looking at a different screen . Germany was not the only country he had been observing . The soldiers who arrived in Germany were only a fraction of the total .

Throughout the world, rays of light descended from the sky . Through the passage of light came reinforcements from another dimension . Bearing unimaginable strength, these soldiers came from Crevon to fulfill their promise to Earth .

Jenes recognized the man at the front .

“C-Commander! Ki Parang, Ki Parang is here!”

Jenes pointed at the man at the front of the army . The man was indeed Ki Parang . Even Jenes had heard of him before . A celebrity inside the Tower was also a celebrity outside .

Yi Gongmyung finally responded to Jenes’s call . He widened his eyes slightly and looked at the soldiers on the screen .

—…Yes, I see him .

“What does this mean?”

Jenes asked urgently . But Yi Gongmyung remained silent, and the soldiers started to advance . Ki Parang’s sword spewed out a wave of magic power . The crowd cheered when they saw that the wave devoured the demons as a whole .

—Ki Parang, Kim Yusin, Gwanchang… . Most of them are Hwarangs from Crevon . I’m having trouble grasping the situation myself, but it seems that luck is on our side . Chancellor, please assist them as much as you can .

Yi Gongmyung announced gravely . Jenes turned his gaze to the battlefield . The commander of the army made up of Hwarangs, who he guessed to be Kim Yusin, swung his sword . The Qi from the sword formed thousands of human figures .

The soldiers, made up of magic power, formed an army of their own . They moved at the command of their master, Kim Yusin . The soldiers protected the German Heroes and began attacking the demons .

“…”

Looking at the screen, the Chancellor clenched his fists . The arrival of reinforcements had turned the tables as Crevon’s Hwarangs overpowered the demons in all aspects .

The Chancellor ordered his men to assist the Hwarangs as much as possible .

A glimmer of hope was beginning to bloom in the hearts of people all over the world .

**

[Genkelope’s Vessel]

I postponed my meeting with Tomer because the situation was bad . She and I headed to the ship’s control room . A huge holographic screen which occupied one side of the wall showed the Heroes of Crevon, who had returned to Earth .

Tomer snapped her fingers and announced proudly . “In China, we have Lü Bu and Zhang Liao . In Japan, we have Musashi . Kim Yusin and Ki Parang are in Germany, and Lancelot is in the U . S… . Add in my soldiers and the Imperial Army, and the total is about 200,000 soldiers . “

“…That many?”

This took me by surprise . I only did a rough job of portraying these historical figures in the original novel, and never thought they would actually appear .

“Yeah, a lot of them were living in hiding in Crevon, and when I explained the situation to them, they said they’d help . “

“Ohh… . ”

I turned my gaze to the screen . As she said, Musashi Miyamoto, Lü Bu, Lancelot and Silla’s Hwarangs were hard at work on the battlefield . In the past, all of these men lived on Earth, and after they died, their souls were revived in the Tower . And now, they were slaughtering the devils and demons to rescue their home .

“What do you think? Should we sit back and relax?”

Tomer shrugged with a relaxed look .

“…No . ”

But I shook my head . This was still not enough . We still needed more strength to prepare for our final battle against Baal . I finally decided it was time to use the secret weapons I’d kept hidden .

“You should go help Suho for now . ”

“Suho? Kim Suho?”

“Yeah . ”

“And what do you plan to do in the meantime?”

I took a card out of my pocket and smiled . Even with my superhuman luck, I could only secure one copy .

“What’s that?”

Tomer tilted her head .

I answered calmly . “It’s a 9-star card . You know, from the Card Kingdom . ”

“…9-star?”

Tomer frowned as if doubting my words .

Apparently, cards from the Card Kingdom were famous even in Crevon . A direct trade route had been established after they gained control of the 9th floor .

“How is that even possible? The most our Empress could get were two 8-star cards . ”

To resolve Tomer’s doubts, I showed her the 9-star card . Her eyes widened immediately .

===

[Story of a Legend on the Mural] [Individual] [9-star] Effective Good

●Part of a legend manifests to assist you .

===

“…Woah . Is that for real? Hey, come on, hand it over . Let me take a look . ”

“No way . ”

Tomer reached out to the card but I had no intention of handing it over to her . I hid the card away from her .

“Oh come on! Just let me take a peek at it… . ”

“Enough . ”

I held the card with my fingers and injected Stigma into it .

“Let’s see what we’ll get . ”

The card, now infused with my magic power, began to tremble . I let go of it, and the card that escaped my hand slowly rose into the air . Then suddenly— Paat! It flashed and disappeared into thin air .

1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds passed, and… .

“…?”

“…What the hell?”

Bewildered, Tomer and I looked at each other . I blinked in confusion, but Tomer soon began wiggling her eyebrows as if she was proud of herself to have figured out my trick .

“Aha~ I see what’s going on . That card was fake, right?”

“…No, It wasn’t . ”

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