[Baal’s Barrier]

I changed the Desert Eagle into its sniper rifle form. With the rigid sound of machinery, the handgun expanded in size. The barrel fused with Aether and extended forward frighteningly, and the muzzle accurately captured the existence in the far distance.

Baal was still there. I thought about which area to snipe at every moment - the heart, the head, the eyes…. None of these looked like weak points. After all, not even the god-slaying bullet could pierce through Baal’s defense easily.

The problem was the strength of the bullet and Baal’s outer skin. The destructive power of the god-slaying bullet wasn’t all that special. It couldn’t cut everything like Kim Suho, it could not push forward with sheer force like Chae Nayun’s terrifying magic power, and it couldn’t distort reality like Jin Sahyuk.

Although it could deal critical damage to a devil that reached divinity, it would have to pierce the devil’s ‘outer skin’ first. However, the god-slaying bullet lacked the power to do so.

“….”

I was mulling over my options, but I soon realized that was unnecessary.

—!

Baal was focused on self-destructing through destroying his barrier. Because of it, he wasn’t paying attention to the Heroes’ attacks, so as the battle continued, his outer skin was being torn apart little by little.

Demonic energy trickled down like sand from the cracks created by his torn skin.

Although the contraction of the barrier hastened because of this sacrifice, it didn’t matter to me.

Click—

I loaded the god-slaying bullet into the gun’s chamber. Then, I roused Stigma’s magic power to the limit. Pouring out every ounce of Stigma I had left, I used Overclocking to add in even more.

It wasn’t an easy process.

For a moment, I felt like my soul was getting sucked out, like the rampaging Stigma was grabbing onto my mind and shaking it crazily.

That was, until someone touched my shoulder.

“Hajin.”

The voice grabbed my consciousness right as it was on the verge of scattering. A gentle touch embraced my cheeks. I could see Boss’s face. She was staring at me with a warm gaze.

“…Thanks.”

I snapped out of my daze thanks to her.

I slowly took her fingers off, then locked my finger on the trigger again.

“Boss… I hope you didn’t forget… but you remember my Unique skill right?”

With Stigma’s immense pressure pressing down on me, I could barely speak. But I still forced myself to eke out some words.

“I do.”

“So even if it looks like I’m dead….”

I roused Stigma’s magic power once again. It blazed around me like wildfire. The overclocked magic power stole energy from my heart, and the extracted lifeforce seeped into the bullet.

“I won’t… really die.”

Boss smiled bitterly and nodded. At that moment, the ‘charging’ was completed. Any more would be impossible even if I risked something greater than my life, so if this didn’t work, that would be it.

[Stigma has been overclocked to 1353%.]

A system message popped up, notifying me that I expended an additional 13.5 streaks of Stigma. For some reason, this made me feel relieved.

I had put my all into this god-slaying bullet.

—It’s futile.

At that moment, Baal muttered arrogantly.

I gazed into Boss’s eyes one last time, then grinned as I faced the battlefield.

—It’s your loss.

Baal’s declaration of victory rang out. This was the best opportunity.

“Futile? Says who?”

I blurted out along with a mouthful of blood as my voice continued to be suppressed by Stigma’s magic power.

Immediately, Baal turned and looked at me. His eyes were truly terrifying. However, I wasn’t afraid. I was confident my bullet would pierce his heart and annihilate him.

“Let’s see if you can take this. It’ll be a bit different.”

I pulled the trigger as I gazed into Baal’s eyes.

Kwaaaaaa—!

A huge explosion erupted, and a powerful shockwave shot outward as it shook the barrier. This was the first time I heard such a thunderous gunfire.

“…Uk!”

However, the immense destructive power came with a critical side-effect.

The god-slaying bullet broke the Desert Eagle’s muzzle, dismantling it as if it had been torn apart. The remnants of the Desert Eagle splattered on me. Some of them struck my body and tore it apart, but Boss blocked most of them.

Chwaaaa…..

The god-slaying bullet flew brilliantly after destroying the Desert Eagle.

I could see the beautiful, faint trail it left behind, but unfortunately, I would be unable to see the result.

“….”

My body staggered. Several drops of saliva flew out of my mouth. Or perhaps, they were drops of blood.

My vision spun, so much so that I couldn’t follow the bullet I shot out, and my limbs escaped the realm of my control.

If it weren’t for Boss, I would have collapsed embarrassingly.

—Hajin! Hajin!

Even though I told her I wouldn’t die, Boss was worried. But her agitated voice only faintly rang out before disappearing completely from my consciousness.

Despite Boss holding onto me, I felt like I was sinking into a bottomless pit. Someone was pulling me down. Someone I didn’t know was calling me.

As my consciousness faded away, blue words appeared in the darkness.

[The Final Arc…]

I could read the system message.

I was sinking endlessly to an unknown place. I had a strong hunch that when I woke up, a certain meeting would be awaiting me.

And in this unpleasant chaos, I lost consciousness.

*

[Korean Border]

Baal’s territory disappeared completely and was replaced by an ordinary, green field. The sun was scattering clear light across the blue sky. The land mixed in green and yellow shone under the sunlight.

“Wow.”

It was a beautiful sight. Kim Suho exclaimed in awe as he began to wonder if he was dreaming. Lying down on the ground and looking at ‘true nature’, the previous battles all felt unrealistic.

“…Ah!”

But reality struck him rather soon. Kim Suho tried to get up, but his body didn’t move. He was drained of energy to the point where he couldn’t even move a finger.

Kim Suho managed to just barely tilt his head and look at his surroundings.

Then, he found Baal.

Baal was alive. And unlike him, he wasn’t lying on the ground disgracefully. Although he had a deep laceration cutting across his body, Baal was standing upright and glaring at him.

Kim Suho chuckled almost subconsciously.

“Did we lose?”

A weak thought surfaced on his mind, but only for a moment.

“Kim Suho.”

A somewhat familiar voice rang out. Only then did Kim Suho look beyond Baal.

First, he saw Crevon’s army filling the horizon. Lü Bu and Ki Parang, Lancelot and Kim Yusin and the Empress Araha… they were radiating with golden light that was brighter than the sun’s.

Next, he saw a giant castle and a ship floating in the sky. The former was Medea’s Magic Castle and the latter was the Genkelope Vessel.

And they weren’t the only ones in this field.

“…Over here.”

Kim Suho’s shoulders flinched as he turned over.

A truly incredible number of Heroes were standing there.

Essence of the Strait, Creator’s Sacred Grace, Desolate Moon, Frost Sanctuary…. Standing along with the executives of various guilds and the members of the Temple of Justice, Chae Nayun was smiling.

“Don’t you… ever get tired?”

Kim Suho was a bit taken aback. How could Chae Nayun stand after pouring out so much magic power? She really had a ridiculous amount of stamina.

“Now isn’t the time to get tired!”

Chae Nayun shook her head and reached out to Kim Suho.

Kim Suho grabbed her hand and got up. The duo then backed off.

Baal was watching this unfold with deeply sunken eyes. And in front of Baal, Chae Nayun raised her sword.

“It’s round two. Or wait, is it round three?”

Hearing what was clearly directed at him, Baal made a bitter smile.

He knew that his defeat was decided.

A bitter resignation filled his heart.

Pierced by the god-slaying bullet, his heartbeat was slowly decreasing.

He knew he didn’t have much time left. His heart would soon stop. But Baal didn’t know whether the ‘end’ that would follow afterward would be death or annihilation.

But for now, he just felt regretful.

If his defeat was decided by fate…

If this expedition was created so that he could never win…

If his existence really was ‘created to be defeated’….

“How regrettable.”

Then he would have liked to rampage a little more… to drive the humans to a corner by taking a more forceful approach.

Then maybe, he would have found a tiny possibility of victory, pushing the humans to the brink of despair.

“Baal.”

Baal heard someone call his name. His head turned around. There, he saw Bell, who looked just like him. He was looking at Baal pitifully.

Baal couldn’t help but lament his situation.

Not only did he fail to achieve his desire, but he was also being pitied by a human…

No, he refused to give up.

“Lower your head, Bell. My fight has yet to end.”

Baal snapped at his old friend and roused his demonic energy.

He still had enough energy to bring a few humans down with him. If he gave up without doing anything, that would be unfitting of the name ‘devil’.

“Baal—!”

At that moment, a roar rang out, arousing his fighting spirit. Baal turned to where the voice had come from. Shin Jonghak was standing on a hill not so far away.

Baal recognized him.

He was the grandson of Shin Myungchul, the human who made a contract with him and summoned him to this world.

Koong—

Seeing him, Baal’s heart faintly pulsed. He could feel Shin Myungchul’s soul from Shin Jonghak’s heart.

“…Ha.”

To meet the human who summoned him to this place at this time. Was this also Fate’s mischief?

Baal quite enjoyed this one.

With a genuinely pleased smile, Baal gathered demonic energy in his hands.

Shin Jonghak aimed the Conqueror Spear at Baal’s throat and shouted.

“I came to collect your head—!”

Why was he so noisy? Baal didn’t like how Shin Jonghak was acting like a fool, but he accepted it with a hearty laugh.

No matter the case, a sweet and perilous battlefield was ahead of him. The end of his expedition was there. Because he bet his ‘heart’, it was chaotic. Because he realized his ‘origin’, it felt empty.

This was the fight where his life was on the line.

Defeat would mean both death and annihilation.

But even if he were to be defeated, even if his defeat was guaranteed, it was fine.

“Fine. I will come to you this time.”

To obtain the one thing he was never able to experience - ‘true death’ - Baal stepped forward.

*

[Essence of the Strait, VIP Hospital]

Kim Suho slowly opened his eyes. Bright sunlight blurred his vision, followed by a gentle breeze that tickled his skin.

After enjoying nature for a brief moment, Kim Suho jumped and touched his stomach.

“Whew.”

A sigh of relief escaped his mouth.

It seemed he hadn’t died and woken up in the afterlife.

“You’re up?”

A familiar voice rang out. Kim Suho tilted his head and turned to the side.

“…Yoo Yeonha?”

Yoo Yeonha smiled faintly while nodding her head.

“Good. You recognize me. It wouldn’t have been surprising if you lost your memory with the injury you had.”

Kim Suho stared at her somewhat dazedly before raising his upper body. The area around his solar plexus hurt, but it wasn’t so unbearable that he couldn't sit up.

“You don’t need to worry about me. What happened to Baal?”

Kim Suho asked about this first. His final memories came back to him. He was cutting Baal’s demonic energy attacks one after the other, then due to the accumulated fatigue, a demonic energy spear had penetrated his stomach. That was it.

His memory ended there.

“Who knows?”

Yoo Yeonha mischievously avoided the question.

Kim Suho became frustrated. The fact that Yoo Yeonha was here likely meant that the situation had been taken care of to a degree.

…Unable to hold back his curiosity, he grabbed the TV remote near the bed and turned on the news.

—With the annihilation of Baal, Earth is now in a critical crossroad.

This line immediately relieved him of his frustration.

Kim Suho breathed out a sigh of relief and asked Yoo Yeonha.

“Baal… died?”

“Mm…. He disappeared. Along with Bell.”

But Yoo Yeonha’s answer was a little more vague.

Kim Suho furrowed his brows and asked back.

“…He disappeared?”

“Yeah. No one knows where he went. It looked like he was dead, but we have no way of confirming it. Bell suddenly ran out at the end of the battle and disappeared along with Baal.”

Bell and Baal. Kim Suho didn’t know how these two twins were related. But Yoo Yeonha seemed to know everything.

Next, Yoo Yeonha explained with a grin.

“I heard from Grand Magician Shimurin-nim.”

“What? Tell me too!”

—On the other hand, Orden has returned to Vladivostok. The citizens of Vladivostok have welcomed their guardian deity with open arms….

“W-What’s that? O-Orden?”

Things Kim Suho didn’t know about were being reported on TV. Kim Suho urged Yoo Yeonha for an explanation, but she only shrugged her shoulders.

“Why ask me? Aren’t you the one who let Orden go?”

“….”

Kim Suho flinched and shut his mouth. Indeed, he didn’t confirm whether Orden died or not. He even lied about it when the Hero Association asked him.

It was because he was reminded of Jin Sahyuk and himself when he looked at Orden and Kurukuru. Unlike his past self who tried to kill his master, Kurukuru had tried to save Orden, even while sacrificing his own life.

That was why he couldn’t bring himself to slash Orden with his sword.

Still, he remembered confirming that Orden’s breathing had stopped….

“It’s fine. Orden is our ally.”

Yoo Yeonha suddenly projected a contact's information from her smartwatch. The name [Orden] was displayed in the open.

“Huh…? What’s this?”

“How is it? I bet I’m the first one to get Orden’s number.”

“Ha….”

Seeing how proud Yoo Yeonha was, Kim Suho wasn’t sure how to react.

“Anyways, do you want to come out? Nayun, Seung-Ah Unni, and everyone else is in the lobby.”

Chae Nayun and Yun Seung-Ah. When he heard these two names, a smile spread across his face.

Then, when he remembered a certain name, his expression stiffened.

“…What about Hajin?”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about him.”

“He’s here too?”

“No, he’s in a safer place.”

Yoo Yeonha spoke with a bitter smile.

Kim Hajin wasn’t in this hospital. But since he was with the Chameleon Troupe, he was in a much safer place. After all, that ‘Boss’ person seemed to like Kim Hajin more than anyone else.

“….”

Kim Suho fell in thought. He was brooding about the memories Baal placed into him.

If Hajin really was ‘the author who created this world’, then how should he treat him from now on?

“Kim Suho?”

Startled, Kim Suho raised his head. Yoo Yeonha was staring at him suspiciously.

“What are you thinking about?”

“…Huh? Ah.”

Well, now wasn’t the time to worry about that.

He could talk about this later when he met Hajin.

“Nothing. Um, let’s go out and see everyone else.”

Kim Suho got up while holding onto his stomach. Yoo Yeonha offered to help him, but he refused and stood up by himself.

Suddenly, he grew curious as to how he survived after receiving such a serious injury.

“Oh~ That? You know Yi Yuri, right?”

“…Hm?”

“The girl you saved a long time ago. You know, back at the museum.”

“Ah!”

“She has the Authority of Healing. Without her, you would be dead.”

Yi Yuri. She was the girl he saved with Chae Nayun back when he was in Cube. He had heard that she was someone important, but to think she had the ‘Authority of Healing’….

“…I’ll have to go thank her later. Along with gifts, of course.”

Kim Suho opened the door with a grin.

“What…?”

Then, he became dazed.

He could see the hospital’s hallway when he opened the door. It was wide and inexplicably fancy.

The floor was covered in golden marble, chandeliers hung on the ceiling and lit the area, and many people were gathered around the circular couches and luxury chairs underneath the chandeliers.

“Oh, Kim Suho! Are you alright!?”

Chae Nayun shouted after being the first one to see Kim Suho. She laughed out loud before holding up the child she had under her armpit and showing her to Kim Suho.

“Look! Isn’t she cute!? This is the kid Rachel gave birth to! Her name’s Evandel!”

“Aah, aah, aaaang….”

The child Chae Nayun introduced as Evandel struggled to escape from Chae Nayun’s hands, and Rachel had to step in and retrieve her.

Rachel embraced Evandel.

“Don’t raise her like that! Also, I didn’t give birth to Evandel. She….”

Rachel stopped in the middle of her speech. This was because Evandel was looking at her with moist eyes. It was true that Rachel didn’t give birth to her, but she felt like saying this again would hurt her feelings.

Chae Nayun made a mischievous smile and asked.

“…You didn’t? Then what?”

“….”

Rachel let Evandel go on the other side of Chae Nayun. After finally escaping from the clutches of Chae Nayun, Evandel flew over to Yun Seung-Ah, who was the most gentle with patting her.

“Hahaha, there’s our hero!”

At that moment, an aged voice called Kim Suho.

Kim Suho could tell who it was before even turning around.

“So, how is your body?”

Heynckes raised his left hand and asked. His right hand had already turned to steel completely and was dyed grey. It was now impossible to restore his right arm.

“I’m fine. But your arm….”

“I’m fine too. At my age, it’s normal to lose control of one arm. Well, anyways, I’ll let you go. This old man needs more rest.”

“…Yes, sir.”

Kim Suho said goodbye to Heynckes and sat down next to Yun Seung-Ah.

There really were many Heroes in this lobby: Yoo Sihyuk, Ah Hae-In, Yoo Jinwoong, Yi Yongha, Aileen, Nicholas, Chae Nayun, Evandel, Yi Yeonghan…. There was so much talking that it was hard to listen, as the voices rang out in a cacophony.

“Argh, stop provoking me!”

Aileen suddenly shouted and pushed someone away.

“Ehem. What’s wrong with a master wanting to see her disciple’s injuries?”

This someone was none other than Ah Hae-In.

Ah Hae-In grabbed Aileen’s head with a scowl. Aah, aaaaaaaah-! Aileen struggled with her arms, unable to bring herself to use her Spirit Speech.

“Suho?”

Next, a gentle voice sought out Kim Suho. It was Yun Seung-Ah. The girl named Evandel was in her embrace. Yun Seung-Ah held up Evandel’s hand and gave a little wave.

“Say hi. This is Evandel, a future 9-star Magician. And Evandel? This is Kim Suho. My guild’s second-in-command.”

“Ah, yes. Hi, Evandel.”

“…Un, he, hello….”

Evandel seemed to be the shy type as she quickly hid behind Yun Seung-Ah. She looked just like a smaller version of Rachel and was incredibly adorable. Kim Suho smiled and tried to get a little closer.

“Evandel just gets cuter every time I see her~”

At that moment, Yoo Yeonha suddenly appeared and cut in. She pushed Kim Suho aside and skipped over to Evandel. However, Yun Seung-Ah narrowed her eyes and blocked Yoo Yeonha.

“You only met her today.”

“…But I saw her a long time ago.”

As Kim Suho was watching their power struggle with a chuckle… he could clearly hear the news report from the TV in the corner of the lobby.

—We will march forward. After enduring the great evil of Baal, humanity will….

Kim Suho paused and watched the TV.

—But before then, there is something I need to say. Something I need to correct.

Shin Jonghak was on the screen. Standing on top of a podium, he declared loudly.

—As Shin Myungchul’s grandson and as this world’s Hero….

A smile emerged on Kim Suho’s face.

…At that moment.

Something brushed past Kim Suho’s temples.

For a split second, a strange, unpleasant ‘feeling’ touched him.

Because of it, he couldn’t hear Shin Jonghak’s speech. Rather than not being able to hear him, his introduction was too long. He was talking about the time he was three-years-old right now.

No, that wasn’t the problem.

Kim Suho was wrapped in a feeling that ‘something had changed’.

That ‘feeling’ just now seemed to have twisted the world somehow.

Although it bothered him, the sensation was too faint and fleeting for him to investigate any further. Without a choice, Kim Suho furrowed his brows and tried to sit down.

…However.

It seemed he wasn’t the only one who felt that sensation.

“W-What was that?”

“I, I don’t know….”

Chae Nayun and Rachel tilted their heads in the middle of their quarrel.

It was the same for Evandel and Yoo Yeonha.

Evandel stopped moving with her eyes widened like a robot with a dead battery, and Yoo Yeonha, who was rubbing her cheek against her, furrowed her brows and began to look around.

However, they seemed to be the only ones who noticed this sensation. Everyone else was acting normal, even though their senses weren’t any more dull.

Kim Suho faced the ones who ‘felt’ something. The first was Chae Nayun.

“Hey, Chae Nayun, what just happened?”

They couldn’t figure out what changed. Perhaps, they would never find out.

Drrrrk—

The hospital door suddenly opened, and many people rushed in.

“Ah~ You guys were all here!”

It was Medea, Crevon’s Empress Araha and her generals. They smiled brightly and joined everyone.

“I, Empress Araha, have something to say to everyone.”

Saying this, Araha waited for the Heroes in the lobby to pay attention to her. After all, she was Crevon’s empress who provided great help to Earth.

“…Hello? Everyone?”

But they only paid attention to her for a moment. They quickly took their attention off of her and went back to talking.

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