It was the moment the tears fell to the ground. The tears that should have disappeared without a trace as soon as they touched the ground caused a strange ripple the moment they made contact.
Paat—!
Centered on the point where the water droplet fell, a small but clear pure white wave spread out in a circle. Then the small space touched by the wave evaporated like a lie and returned to the original building’s floor.
“Huh?”
Ian stared blankly at the revealed floor.
Just tears had touched it. How did this phenomenon occur? At that moment, the thick fog pressing down on Ian’s mind lifted, and one vivid realization struck like lightning.
The medium for manifesting the Saint’s power. That absolute law that had been believed for thousands of years in Lancia’s history that ‘divine power can only be transferred to others through contact of skin and pleasure.’
That wasn’t a blessing bestowed by the goddess, but merely shackles placed by the god to control and bind the Saints of Lancia only as ‘tools.’ It was a cheap safety device that prevented the Saint from overturning the world with their own will by binding power to pleasure, the most primal instinct humans possess.
But that wasn’t the true source of divine power.
The bone-chilling fear of possibly losing someone you love, the overwhelming will to somehow protect them, and the terrible anger toward the unreasonable fate that bound him. Such intense and pure ’emotion’ was the true fuel for this light.
“Ha!”
A hollow laugh leaked between Ian’s lips. Absurdity and anger crossed over his tear-soaked face. The times he’d constantly suffered from self-loathing because of that damn constraint flashed through his mind.
‘Why should I be bound by such shackles?’
Ian raised his head. The people dying before his eyes, and Vermouth facing Kairam. The people he had to save were there. The light of despair lingering in Ian’s eyes instantly transformed into flashing brilliance.
“It’s okay now.”
Over the hand of Choi Jaeheon, who was still panting while holding Ian’s clothes, a white hand slowly overlapped. When Choi Jaeheon flinched in surprise and opened his eyes, he realized his younger brother’s eyes had completely changed from usual.
“Hyung.”
Ian’s voice was small, but it was heard chillingly clear even amid the demons’ howls and the explosive sounds of clashing weapons.
“I’m not running away. And hyung can’t die either.”
Ian clasped both hands together and slowly stood up from his seat.
“If I’m a Saint, I’ll decide how to save people however I want.”
At the same time, an indescribable massive power began to surge from deep within Ian’s heart.
“These shitty constraints like this, break apart!!”
It was also a declaration toward Lancia’s goddess.
Kugugugugung—!
With Ian’s cry, a massive pure white storm swept behind him. The dazzling brilliance that started from near his heart exploded like the sun. It wasn’t simple light. It was the primal authority as a ‘Saint’ that corrected the forcibly twisted causality of dimensions and directly rejected the illegal invasion of another world.
A tidal wave of light stretched out in all directions from Ian.
The first place the miracle reached was Choi Jaeheon, who had collapsed at his feet.
“Keurk!”
Choi Jaeheon let out a groan, but it wasn’t because he was in pain. The terrible wounds on his butchered chest clumped together at a speed difficult to follow with the eyes and sprouted new flesh. Then the demonic energy occupying his body disappeared smoothly like melting snow.
The unstoppable wave of light recovered all the people around. Not only that, but the power that had run dry and withered also began to fill again.
“Incredible!”
Hong Seoyoon was shocked feeling the magic power rising like a waterfall inside his body. His flames that had lost color and were dying out became massive flames blazing in an instant.
“What insane thing is this!”
Kim Minchul, who had been vilely laughing in the corner of the hall waiting for Ian’s life force to run out, was horrified and backed away.
The light bursting from Ian’s entire body devoured the space and evaporated the demon’s land that had been grafted on. The decayed graveyard disappeared in an instant, and the blood-red clouds covering the sky scattered. Everything was returning to reality.
“How can you do such an enormous scale of wide-area purification without any constraints…! Aaaah!”
Death Knight Kairam, swept up in the light, writhed and screamed in pain as his flesh burned. As the supply of demonic energy was cut off in the perfectly purified space, the ominous pitch-black aura surrounding him precariously died out like a candle before the wind.
And Vermouth wouldn’t miss that gap. A cruel smile spread across his lips.
“Now it seems to be my turn.”
Along with the cold verdict, the Holy Sword held by Vermouth pierced into Kairam’s body.
“Disappear.”
Kairam raised his sword for defense, but Vermouth even split that.
“Ah, my lord!”
With that death cry, Kairam was engulfed in explosive light. His armor melted, and his rotted flesh scattered as ashes. It was the moment the Death Knight who had been so notorious in Lancia was annihilated in a single blow. Witnessing that overwhelming scene, Kim Minchul turned pale and staggered backward.
‘This wasn’t in the plan! Such a monstrous ability! I must report this!’
Just as Kim Minchul was frantically trying to throw his body beyond the collapsed wall of the headquarters, a massive flame barrier blocked his way.
“Where are you going, you rat bastard?”
Hong Seoyoon, who had perfectly recovered his body, was smiling viciously while flicking blue flames at his fingertips.
“You mess up someone’s place like this and think you’ll just leave?”
Precisely speaking, it was his friend’s place, but what did it matter? If it’s my friend’s, it’s mine. Hong Seoyoon began to burn Kim Minchul as is. He tried to gather demonic energy to resist. But since he wasn’t originally such a strong demon, he was swept up in the vortex of flames Hong Seoyoon spewed out and became a pitch-black lump of charcoal.
Finally, everything was over.
“Ugh. I’m dying.”
Hong Seoyoon let out rough breaths and collapsed on the floor. Then he got up and patted the shoulder of his friend who approached. However, Choi Jaeheon’s gaze was directed toward the person who had just caused the miracle, Ian.
“It doesn’t feel real.”
The moment Hong Seoyoon said that, Ian smoothly collapsed. It was because he’d used his ability to the limit with a human body. It was also the price for forcibly stepping into the realm of god that no Saint of Lancia had ever reached.
“Ian!”
“Ian-nim!”
Vermouth, Choi Jaeheon, and Hong Seoyoon urgently rushed to Ian.
“Ugh.”
A suppressed groan burst from Ian’s mouth. Extreme pain as if his body was burning swept over him, and he absolutely couldn’t hold back the scream. His body, which had been shining brilliantly just moments ago, began to convulse. His vision flashed red, and tearing tinnitus disturbed his ears.
It seemed like someone was calling his name, but from some point on, he couldn’t hear any sound. But it was okay. The terrible wounds remaining on hyung’s body had all disappeared, and Vermouth was also safe.
Thank goodness. I protected them.
His consciousness went that far. He had no way to overcome his slowly closing eyelids. Perhaps he’d even coughed up blood, as his mouth was full of the smell of blood. Even breathing wasn’t going well. But the reason he could still smile was because he’d protected the people he loved with his own will.
‘But, still.’
I still want to live more.
Like that, Ian lost consciousness.
***
“The world’s coming to an end, an end.”
A middle-aged man eating at a restaurant while watching TV bluntly spat out words. Last night, a gate opened in Seoul again. In the past, there’d at least be a warning before a gate opened, but now there wasn’t even that.
“Isn’t that also because of that what, demonic energy? Those things called demons?”
“Is that so? Anyway, at this rate, shouldn’t we consider emigrating?”
“Right. Only our country is in such chaos. They say they open in other countries too, but it’s not to this extent.”
Someone listening to the worried voices let out a sigh. It was Yoon Sora, who had worked overtime due to the gate incident and barely made time to come eat.
When Awakeners are working so hard to protect the country. Such selfish remarks. She almost impulsively interrupted in the middle.
‘I don’t even have an appetite, did I come for nothing?’
Yoon Sora sighed again looking at the soup rice that came out late. Most of Stigma Guild’s people survived. Some died unable to endure during the process of the gate being created, but this was still pretty good considering. However, there was a regrettable point. If the advance team had gone in even a little faster, wouldn’t fewer people have died?
‘No.’
It was thanks to the Management Bureau that they were able to integrate guilds that didn’t even properly cooperate with each other and send them in like that. Precisely speaking, Yoon Taegyeom. Her cousin.
