“I can see the castle over there.”
A black castle rising high on a low hill. The ominous-looking building surely housed the gate’s boss.
“I’ll take the lead.”
The interior of the citadel had an atmosphere on a completely different dimension from the outside. Thick, heavy demonic energy swirled through the air, pressing down on their bodies. An ordinary person would have gone mad, but Ian and Vermouth were exceptions. As they walked down the corridor laid with red carpet and reached the hall, they saw a vampire sitting in an arrogant posture on the throne at the far end.
“Oho, uninvited guests who came of their own accord.”
The vampire with pale skin swirled the red blood in his wine glass and smiled fishily.
“I’ll praise your skill in cleaning up those insect-like zombies. However, this place is not for inferior humans like you—”
The vampire tried to continue speaking leisurely, but Ian cut him off mid-sentence.
“He’s long-winded. A baron?”
“No. He seems to be a viscount.”
Vermouth answered as such and lifted the sword he’d been letting hang. Seeing the sword filled with pure white aura, the vampire’s expression twisted viciously.
“Haha, insolent humans!”
The aura shot toward the vampire’s neck like lightning, but the viscount transformed his body into a swarm of bats to avoid the attack. And those bats became a blood mist and scattered, then descended behind Ian’s back.
“An impatient knight. But you’re not the one I’m interested in.”
The vampire’s blue-green eyes gleamed greedily toward Ian.
“So you’re the prey that the Great One spoke of. The one who reeks of thick, disgusting light.”
“…The Great One?”
Ian furrowed his brow unconsciously. Then the vampire licked his lips with his tongue and giggled frivolously. Most vampires had died in the great war with Lancia. Therefore, the one who had now risen to the position of viscount was still a young specimen. He’d heard tales of the terror of divine power but wasn’t afraid.
“That’s right. Not long ago, Great Ones shrouded in the demonic energy of the abyss visited this citadel. Those beings informed us of your characteristics and gave us an order. That they would bestow the blessing of eternal darkness upon whoever breaks the neck of the human who emits light!”
Ian’s expression hardened coldly. It became clear what the demons wanted. Not satisfied with merely opening gates to infiltrate the human world, those bastards apparently intended to kill the two who could use divine power.
“To kill you, even at this very moment, shadows wearing human skin are plotting everywhere in the world to strangle you! You lot will never survi—”
“How dare you.”
BANG!
It was before the vampire viscount’s words could even finish.
With a horrific rupturing sound that shook the entire dungeon, divine power explosively burst from Vermouth’s entire body and swallowed the hall like a massive storm.
“How dare vermin-like beast bastards call the Saint their prey?”
The edges of Vermouth’s violet pupils were dyed gold. The knight’s usual relaxed and arrogant face had completely disappeared without a trace, and the merciless nature of the ‘beast’ who had torn Lancia’s demons to death with his bare hands had perfectly awakened.
“Wh-what is this light!”
“Target the Saint? Strangle him? I’ll rip out that tongue of yours first.”
Vermouth’s hand completely tore off the vampire’s right arm. The viscount screamed and tried to transform into bats to escape, but the pure white aura extending from Vermouth’s hand bound the vampire’s entire body like a net and slammed him into the ground. Only then did the terror he’d only heard about become reality.
“Spare me, keuuk!”
“Spare you? There is no mercy for vermin who conspired to kill the Saint.”
Vermouth threw away his sword and began tearing apart the vampire’s torso and limbs with only his two hands like a beast. Resistance was meaningless. Terrible death throes burst from the dying vampire’s mouth, and dark red blood that splattered everywhere stained Vermouth’s pale face and clothes.
“……”
Ian quietly watched the scene of overwhelming and cruel slaughter.
‘No, I’ve seen too much to be surprised at this point.’
He’d even seen inquisitors torture those who’d sided with demons. This much was endurable. Until the vampire viscount turned to ash and completely vanished, Vermouth mercilessly trampled and burned him. Thus the dungeon’s boss disappeared without a trace.
Only then did Vermouth withdraw his hands dripping with blood and turn around. The appearance of the knight drenched in the vampire’s blood on his face and neck was both miserable and strangely captivating.
“…Vermouth.”
“Don’t worry, Ian-nim.”
Vermouth, who had been catching his breath, walked over and knelt before Ian. In his violet eyes, instead of the earlier madness, was a pitifully blind loyalty and affection.
“No matter how much the vermin struggle, I won’t let them dare reach Ian-nim. I exist here solely to protect you, to become your sword.”
His large blood-stained hand carefully grasped Ian’s hem with trembling fingertips, as if not daring to dirty it.
“Use me. As a hunting dog that slaughters every last demon that threatens you, use me as you please.”
At that blind and weighty confession, the dungeon’s noise ringing in Ian’s ears momentarily grew distantly far away.
The beast he’d always found bothersome. This mad knight he’d only pushed away to shake him off—he was prostrating at his feet with his life and reason for existence staked solely on ‘Ian’ alone. His peaceful and quiet life had already been shattered to pieces because of those demon bastards, but in the middle of that terrible battlefield, the overwhelming certainty that at least this man would be on his side forever shook Ian’s heart strongly.
‘Really, you crazy bastard.’
As if entranced, Ian reached out and cupped Vermouth’s cheek stained with bloodstains. Then the firm, broad shoulders stiffened with a start. Ian bent his upper body as is and overlaid his lips on those of the man looking up at him.
“……!”
It was a breathtakingly hot and impulsive kiss.
The smell of blood, thick body scent, and each other’s warmth intertwined. When Ian pulled his lips away, Vermouth’s violet eyes were shaking violently as if he couldn’t believe it.
Ian looked down at him with languidly wet eyes and asked.
“Can you continue living only for me from now on?”
He didn’t speak of the world’s destruction or humanity’s salvation. It was just a selfish question asking if he could willingly fight solely for me, for my peace.
But to Vermouth, that question was the sweetest and most perfect salvation bestowed after a long thirst.
A thick and arrogant, yet absolutely obedient smile spread across Vermouth’s lips.
“Yes. Gladly.”
The knight’s oath cut through the dungeon’s darkness and drove in like a wedge deep into Ian’s heart.
***
Even amid chaos, the world turns. Seoul was no exception.
Though the city clearly showed signs of unease from yesterday’s sudden gate incident, daily life like massive gears rolled on without fail. Among the people gathered in front of the crosswalk, grumbling was endless.
“Ugh. A gate opened yesterday and I still have to go to work today?”
“You have to. We’d probably have to even if the world ended.”
“Damn it. Why is making a living so harsh?”
Among the countless crowds, a man wearing a neatly pressed suit with a briefcase in one hand stood before the crosswalk with an indifferent face.
[Taeseong Logistics & Distribution – Sales Management Department Kim Minchul]
The employee ID hanging on his chest swayed lightly in the wind. The demon wearing the perfect human shell swallowed a fishy laugh inside while smelling the scent of the weak humans filling the surroundings.
‘Foolish and weak things. Immersed in peace without knowing who’s standing right next to them.’
His gaze turned toward the office workers walking busily while looking at their smartphones. Today, as an employee of Taeseong Logistics, he was scheduled to personally deliver food supplies and special goods to Choi Jaeheon’s Stigma Guild headquarters. He would walk legally into the place closest to Ian, the heart of what should be the most heavily guarded protection, without receiving any suspicion.
‘Just wait a little longer, Saint. The moment you feel most at ease, I’ll be the first to bite into that white neck of yours.’
It was the instant Kim Minchul twisted the corners of his mouth up grotesquely and was about to step onto the crosswalk.
Beeep—!
In the middle of downtown, the giant electronic billboards installed in the plaza simultaneously stopped broadcasting regular programs and displayed bright red subtitles.
[BREAKING NEWS!]
At the same time, emergency breaking news notifications rang out piercingly from the smartphones of hundreds of people walking through the plaza.
“What? Another gate?”
“Huh, America? Empire Guild is making a simultaneous major announcement to the entire world!”
The footsteps of people who’d been hurrying to work stopped dead, and countless gazes turned to the large electronic billboard all at once. Kim Minchul also raised his head with a furrowed brow.
On the screen, against a background of the American flag and Empire Guild’s splendid emblem, stood a blonde man boasting a perfect suit fit—Alexander Gray—in front of a podium. He wore a heavy and cold expression befitting America’s number one guild master, having perfectly erased his usual frivolous smile.
