Chapter 355.

[Shin Jonghak’s Mind]

Jin Sahyuk didn’t exactly enjoy watching two grown men crying in each other’s arms . Still, she decided not to interfere, for she didn’t want to cause any trouble . She didn’t want to risk losing her chance of obtaining Shin Myungchul’s ‘legacy’, whatever it was .

“…Ssp . ”

As Jin Sahyuk watched Shin Jonghak wail like a pig, she wondered to herself why all of a sudden he had become a cry baby .

Jin Sahyuk crossed her arms and waited for the two to calm down .

—…It’s time for me to go .

When Shin Myungchul finally announced so, Jin Sahyuk let out a sigh of relief . Shin Jonghak shook his head like a baby, but Shin Myungchul was resolute .

The truth was that even if he wanted to stay, he couldn’t . Shin Myungchul’s soul was already starting to fade .

When Shin Jonghak saw his grandfather’s legs become dust and scatter, he lowered his head, sobbing .

—Jonghak . Look at me .

Shin Myungchul, however, did not seem to fear death . Clearly concerned about his grandson more than himself, Shin Myungchul gave Shin Jonghak a warm smile .

—Think about all the things you’re going to do as a Hero .

Shin Jonghak raised his head and tried to smile . But it wasn’t as easy as he hoped it to be . His face became distorted by tears and forced a smile .

“Pfft… . Hmph . ”

When Jin Sahyuk saw Shin Jonghak’s face, she quickly covered her mouth with her hands . She had almost burst into laughter by its resemblance to a squid .

—Jonghak .

Shin Myungchul stroked his grandson’s head . All along, Shin Jonghak kept his eyes on his grandfather, trying to remember this moment forever .

—Take care . I’ll always believe in you .

And those were his last words . Shin Myungchul’s body turned to dust and scattered . The dust danced in the air for a few seconds before seeping into Shin Jonghak’s body .

Shin Jonghak closed his eyes, feeling a certain ‘power’ sink into him .

“Are you done?” Jin Sahyuk asked .

But there was no reply from Shin Jonghak . He only stood still, breathing in and out repeatedly, feeling the power of the legacy he had received from Shin Myungchul .

Jin Sahyuk watched Shin Jonghak for a while and quietly disabled her Authority .

Crack—!

The sound of cardboard breaking rang out . Slowly, Shin Jonghak’s mind started to disappear .

Watching his mind collapse, Shin Jonghak slowly turned to Jin Sahyuk .

And he said, “Thank you . ”

“Huh?”

This took Jin Sahyuk by surprise . She wasn’t exactly used to being thanked, nor had she ever imagined she would hear it from Shin Jonghak .

Jin Sahyuk shrugged .

“Don’t get me wrong . It’s not like I did this for you . ”

“Then, what’s your goal?”

“…That’s none of your business . ”

Soon the darkness dissipated, and the two of them returned to the normal world . Shin Jonghak and Jin Sahyuk quickly exchanged glances . They then took a step forward at the same time .

Their destination was, of course, the battlefield where Baal was .

Shin Jonghak wanted to correct his grandfather’s mistake, and Jin Sahyuk wanted to carry out a certain ‘plan’ of hers .

Fortunately, they didn’t have to travel far .

Guooooo… .

Demonic energy swayed in the distance .

When Jin Sahyuk noticed it… .

Kwaaaaaa—!

Baal’s demonic energy raged like a storm . It drove the entire world into darkness . The sky, the earth, and everything in between were captured by Baal, including Jin Sahyuk and Shin Jonghak .

They were now inside a giant dome of demonic energy, filled with ominous stillness .

“…Looks like we’re inside Baal’s barrier . ” Shin Jonghak concluded .

Jin Sahyuk raised her eyebrows .

“This ‘legacy’ thing must really be something . It’s rare for an idiot like you to notice this fast . ”

“…Shut up . ”

Shin Jonghak growled at Jin Sahyuk and began running towards the source of the demonic energy . Jin Sahyuk dashed after him .

The two quickly reached the center of the barrier .

There, Baal had revealed his true form .

“Woah… . What the hell?” Jin Sahyuk exclaimed in shock . The other Heroes gathered reacted similarly .

Baal’s body had turned fluid-like . He could have been a sophisticated hologram or even a ghost . Whatever he was, he definitely did not look like a human . Right now, Baal looked more like a dragon than a devil .

“…Huh?”

While observing Baal, Jin Sahyuk discovered a familiar face in the crowd . She immediately doubted her eyes .

He couldn’t possibly be here . He couldn’t possibly ‘exist’ .

Jin Sahyuk widened her eyes in astonishment .

“Bell…?” She muttered .

The man she had killed—Bell—was alive .

He was standing before her very eyes .

Jin Sahyuk stood in a complete daze, and Bell, having heard her call his name, turned his gaze to Jin Sahyuk . And then, he smiled .

Bell’s lips began to move .

—Hey .

“Hey my ass…!”

Jin Sahyuk wanted to run to him right away .

However .

“——!”

Baal howled . He, now in the true form of the Evil God, filled the entire barrier with demonic energy with only a single cry .

“Jin Sahyuk, you wait here . ”

Shin Jonghak stepped forward . Still in a state of shock, Jin Sahyuk watched Shin Jonghak move with vacant eyes .

Shin Jonghak misunderstood that she was overwhelmed by Baal and gave a small smile .

“Don’t worry . This is something that I have to do . ”

He announced heroically and grabbed the Conqueror Spear .

“And it’s also something that only I can do . ”

Shin Jonghak’s magic power engulfed the Conqueror Spear .

His energy had become much denser than before .

“You stay in the back . No wait, you should help others evacuate . ”

Shin Jonghak’s words slowly returned Jin Sahyuk back to her senses . She blinked a few times and finally opened her mouth .

“Who do you think you are?”

“…What?”

The two began glaring at each other again .

This time, another Hero approached the pair .

“Jin Sahyuk? Shin Jonghak?”

The pair simultaneously turned to the voice calling their names .

“I didn’t expect you two to be together… . So you got caught up in this, too . ”

The owner of the familiar voice was Kim Suho . Jin Sahyuk turned her gaze to Kim Suho, then to Chae Nayun standing next to him .

‘Damn it . She was the last person I wanted to see… . ’ Jin Sahyuk frowned .

It was then .

Chwaaak—!

Suddenly a woman engulfed in azure flames burst onto the scene .

“Hmm? Kim Suho? And… Knight Commander Shin Jahyuk, you too?”

That woman—Tomer—noticed Kim Suho and the others and paused .

**

…Far from the battlefield, I was observing Baal . He probably didn’t realize that I was here, for I had masked parts of his barrier with my Stigma .

“Phew… . ”

About 30-square-meters of the barrier had become mine and this area was free from Baal’s influence . Even Baal in his transcendent form couldn’t detect me as long as I was here .

First I switched Desert Eagle to sniper mode . Clunk— Kiik— Kiik— The familiar sound of machinery rang out . The gun merged with Aether and became as big as a human .

Then I settled into an appropriate position and loaded the Misteltein Bullet into the gun… .

—tap .

It was then that something touched my shoulder .

Even Aether failed to detect the mysterious presence .

I felt my blood boil and my hair begin to stand on end .

But I had no time to panic . I must respond quickly to surprise attacks . I surrounded myself in Aether and looked back…!

“Ugh . You really got me there . ”

…The person behind me was Boss . I saw the tip of her lips tremble . It was clear she was enjoying my reaction .

I looked at her discontentedly, and Boss shrugged .

“I did nothing . You misunderstood on your own . ”

“Whatever . How did you get here?”

Slowly, Spartan walked out from behind Boss .

Boss wasn’t the only person he had brought here .

“So where exactly are we, Hajin~?”

Jain, Jin Yohan, and Hirano Arashi were here as well . Jain was holding a woman in her arms who had fainted . Though her disheveled hair covered most of her face, I could tell without difficulty that this woman was Yoo Yeonha .

“Did every member of the Chameleon Troupe get caught up in this barrier?”

“Nope . Just me, Boss, Jin Yohan, and Arashi . Others are outside . ”

“Mm… and her?”

“Oh, her~?”

I pointed at Yoo Yeonha, and Jain raised Yoo Yeonha above her head with a playful smirk .

“She passed out, as you can see . I might have gone too far with my prank~ Anyways, Hajin, you should check your smartwatch! This girl here sent you a very very long text~”

“…Text?”

“Yup~ It’s super long~”

I took out my smartwatch as Jain had suggested . Indeed, I had received a text from Yoo Yeonha . It was so long that, at a glance, it almost seemed like a novel .

I opened the message and tried to read it .

Tap, tap—

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps rang out . I raised my head, and Boss, who had been looking at my smartwatch with me, did the same . We were all looking in the same direction now .

And immediately, a cold silence set in .

“…Byeol . ”

A soft voice called Boss’s name through the icy silence .

Yi Yeonjun was there .

**

[Korea — Gaesung]

Baal had captured Korea’s border area in his barrier . But right now, Cheok Jungyeong was far from the border .

He had been observing a city by the name of ‘Gaesung’, currently being destroyed by demons .

This city used to be the heart of Goryeo .

“Tsk . ”

Cheok Jungyeong felt a strange sensation in his stomach as if a lump of heated mass had been thrown in there . He didn’t care much about the people of the present era, but it felt weird to watch demons ravage his hometown .

Chweeek— Chweeek— Chweeek—

Next to him, the sound of a bow being tugged continued to ring out . Cheok Jungyeong glanced sideways . Jin Seyeon was firing dozens of arrows per second, annihilating demons .

“…”

On the contrary, Cheok Jungeyong crossed his arms and didn’t move an inch . He was still sorting through his feelings .

He had heard that Baal was in northern Korea . Fighting Baal sounded more fun than anything .

But Cheok Jungyeong came here as soon as he found out that Gaesung was under attack . His legs moved on their own . Cheok Jungyeong couldn’t understand why .

“How long are you going to just stand there?”

Jin Seyeon finally asked .

When Cheok Jungyeong refused to answer, she yelled .

“Stop watching and help me out!”

Cheok Jungyeong looked at Jin Seyeon with cold eyes . Any other person would have averted their gaze, but Jin Seyeon did not turn away .

Cheok Jungyeong asked quietly . “There’s about 100000 of them, no?”

Jin Seyeon replied brusquely, glancing at her smartwatch . “100000? You wish . The official approximation is 500000 . ”

“Yeah? Then I guess… we can use her . ”

“Use who?”

“You’ll see . I don’t even have to go out there . ”

Cheok Jungyeong gave a chuckle . Then he began muttering to himself .

“Droon, you see what’s going on here?”

—Yeah . But before that, it looks like Boss and the others got dragged into Baal’s barrier .

Droon’s voice seeped into Cheok Jungyeong’s ears .

“Doesn’t matter . Boss knows how to take care of herself . So, are you ready?”

—Mm… . How many?

“500000 . ”

—500000… . We’ll be cutting it pretty close . Though, the worst that could happen is that we lose a city .

“Just do it . ” Cheok Jungyeong pressed .

Their conversation ended there . Jin Seyeon was about to ask Cheok Jungyeong what that was all about .

“Excuse me… . ”

But before she even finished her sentence, something descended from above .

KWAAAANG—!

What fell from the atmosphere to the ground like a meteorite was a strange-looking creature .

Jin Seyeon asked in bewilderment, “What is that?”

“…500000 is too many for you and me to handle alone . Don’t expect me to cut off 500000 heads . ”

Cheok Jungeyong turned his gaze to ‘it’— Mimyo .

Its skin was black, its eyes were shining crimson, and a pair of long ears rose above its head . From afar, it looked just like a hare, but its existence wasn’t so simple .

Mimyo was a creature from a foreign dimension, an existence that did not belong in this world .

“That doesn’t answer my question . So, what is it?”

“Chameleon Troupe’s ultimate weapon . I’m seeing it for the first time in a long time, too . ”

Mimyo opened its mouth, a pair of sharp fangs gleaming inside .

“Ultimate weapon…?”

Mimyo extended its claws, each as long as a baseball bat .

“That’s right . It can’t and shouldn’t be used recklessly . ”

A monster that even Cheok Jungyeong couldn’t handle at will .

Having understood the warning, she asked carefully . “…May I ask you why?”

“Because when it goes berserk, it can’t be stopped until it’s fully satisfied . ”

All the while, Cheok Jungyeong’s gaze was locked onto Mimyo . Jin Seyeon also turned to the monster .

It was then .

“Kuaaaaaa—!”

Mimyo dashed onto the battlefield .

“…What?!”

Indeed, as Cheok Jungyeong said, its speed couldn’t be matched with the naked eye . Mimyo rushed at demons with its mouth wide open . The demons in its path were all sucked into its mouth .

“…”

Jin Seyeon’s brain couldn’t process what she saw . The scene before her eyes was simply abnormal . Jin Seyeon’s jaw dropped and she became speechless .

Cheok Jungyeong said with a smirk . “500000 should be enough to satisfy it . ”

Dazed, Jin Seyeon was suddenly overcome with fear . She gulped and asked back .

“…What happens if it’s not satisfied?”

“Well . It’ll eat everything and everyone until it’s full, Hero or human . ”

Such was the reason they couldn’t use Mimyo recklessly . When Mimyo went wild, even its owner, Droon, couldn’t keep it under control .

Once stimulated, Mimyo only stopped when it was satisfied . Therefore, the Chameleon Troupe only used it during large scale fights .

The other day, Mimyo had almost destroyed an entire city .

“Eat? That’s—”

“This is how we handle things . If you don’t like our way, leave . ”

Jin Seyeon tried to protest, but Cheok Jungyeong cut her off . Jin Seyeon closed her mouth with a frown . By now, it was clear even to her that Mimyo was their best means of saving Gaesung .

“I’d like to evacuate the Heroes and civilians first . ”

“Do as you wish . We’ve ordered Mimyo to attack only demons, but there’s a good chance that humans will get swept away, too . ”

Jin Seyeon nodded and ordered the Heroes of Gaesung to retreat .

[This is a message from the Master-rank Hero Jin Seyeon . Heroes of Gaesung, please stop fighting and focus on evacuating civilians . This is an order . Save as many people as you can . ]

After giving out the order, Jin Seyeon put her bow down and turned her gaze to Mimyo .

“KUWAAAAA—!”

She saw Mimyo devouring demons .

It tore with its claws and teeth and chewed with its mouth .

Tear, chew . Mimyo was repeating that simple procedure . That was all it had to do .

Each time Mimyo swung its front paw, demons were torn to shreds, and each time Mimyo opened its mouth, their heads disappeared .

The demons’ attacks, on the other hand, had no effect on Mimyo . The creature continued to eat, digest, eat, digest . Over and over again, until her endless hunger was satisfied .

“…Huh . ”

Mimyo was so ruthless that Jin Seyeon almost pitied the demons .

Feeling dazed, Jin Seyeon continued watching the scene of the massacre .

Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters .