Ever since the rampant activities of demons 10 years ago, the position of the Republic’s Anti-Demon Bureau rose to the top. Its mission was ‘to purify the demonic’, and its members took pride in subjugating demons and demonic monsters.
Today, a rather troublesome guest visited them.
Airun, the famous knight and commander of Arunheim, wished to meet the Anti-Demon Bureau’s Deputy Director Seraine, and Seraine agreed after much thought.
“One wrong step and the matter might have become an international issue.”
Airun said as she walked through the Bureau’s hallway with Seraine.
“Issue? What do you mean?”
Seraine tilted her head, pretending to be oblivious. Airun’s brows went up sharply.
“…I’m talking about the F-rank sharpshooter, Kim Hajin.”
“Uh… Kim Hajin?”
“Yes.”
Seraine blinked her eyes as if she was racking her head to remember the name.
“Kim Hajin… who was that again…? Mm….”
However, she only mumbled confusedly, and Airun bit her lips in response.
“He recently made headlines in the Republic’s newspapers.”
“Ah~!”
Seraine clapped her hands with a straight face. She recalled seeing the headline, [F-rank Sharpshooter Kim Hajin]. Although she did her best to suppress the news from spreading, she couldn’t stop the rumors from spreading.
“I see what you mean now.”
“Yes, so where is he? He should return to the army now that he’s done with his mission.”
“Who knows? I’ve seen his name in the news, but that’s all I know… Ah, I heard it was a misreport. I mean, how could an F-rank sharpshooter decimate demonic monsters?”
Airun glared at Seraine, who was scratching her cheek innocently.
“…So you’re saying you don’t know?”
“No, but I’m sure he went back to his home country.”
“No, he didn’t come ba… huu.”
Airun was troubled. She was certain that Kim Hajin safely escorted Harin to the Republic, but she couldn’t dig into the matter any deeper. If she did, the Kingdom might find out that she was the one who helped Harin escape. Even Airun was afraid of punishment from the Arunheim’s tyrannical ruler.
“From what I hear, the Republic established a new institute called the Secret Service.”
Without any other choice, Airun changed the subject. She suspected that Kim Hajin also had something to do with the Secret Service, but there was nothing she could do to confirm her suspicions.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a new institute. We simply reinstated an old agency for the Transnational Peace Conference.”
The subject must have made Seraine nervous as her voice trembled slightly.
“I see… The director’s name was Heiji, right?”
“Yes, we were lucky enough to pick up an excellent talent. We promoted him to the position of director to put a tight leash on him.”
“Picked up, you say….”
Airun stopped. Seraine also halted and turned her gaze to Airun.
“Are you sure he didn’t walk in himself?”
Airun wasn’t looking to take Kim Hajin back. She simply wanted to meet with him and make sure he wouldn’t tell anyone about his escort mission. After all, Airun’s position was at stake.
“….”
Seraine didn’t answer. Instead, a condescending smirk escaped her mouth. She found it funny that Airun, who was known as the paragon of knights, lived in fear for her life in her own country.
“Well, maybe he did.”
—Demon invasion! Demon invasion!
Just as Seraine was about to answer, an alert rang out from the speaker above their heads. Seraine and Airun both paused and looked at each other.
—25 demons appeared in the northeast sewage system of the capital!
25 demons. The moment they heard this number, they put their prodding on hold and dashed out of the Anti-Demon Bureau. The other members of the Anti-Demon Bureau followed them.
With magic power incorporated into their movements, the group moved like a flying hawk and arrived at their destination in just five minutes.
But when the 133-member group entered the sewage system, what greeted them was an entirely different sight than expected.
“…Hm? Oh, you’re finally here.”
25 demons were tied up with ropes, and some members of the Secret Service were sitting on their backs.
“A bit late, but I guess it’s fine.”
Seraine immediately recognized Kim Hajin, Kim Horak, Yi Yeonghan, and Rachel. The members of the Anti-Demon Bureau stood with dazed expressions as Kim Hajin smiled leisurely and gave them the demons.
“Take them.”
Hearing Kim Hajin, one woman was shocked speechless. She recognized the man’s face, but she couldn’t believe her eyes. After all, who would believe that an F-rank sharpshooter could defeat 25 demons?
“We’ll be taking our leave then.”
Airun didn’t know what to say. It seemed Kim Hajin hadn’t noticed her, as he left the sewage system with a relaxed smile.
**
[Transnational Peace Conference, Day 5]
“The pride of the Republic… Director Heiji and his subordinates… subjugates 25 demons….”
The Secret Service received special treatment for their recent achievements. All personnel affiliated with the group received commendation from the President and were guaranteed a hefty reward. Naturally, the agency’s name became the talk of the city.
The fact that they subjugated ‘25’ demons was simply too amazing. Demons were well-known for their incredible individual strength, and the united force of all demons was said to be powerful enough to topple any nation in a few days.
In any case, I returned to the director’s office after being congratulated by the Republic’s citizens.
“Congrats.”
Boss came to visit me at the office. Well, she was intruding, technically speaking.
“Don’t tease me. By the way, how did you get in? I couldn’t sense you at all.”
“Hehe, good. My ability has been improving recently.”
Boss strutted with her chest out proudly. Then, she transformed into a shadow. Her body melted down, becoming a puddle of darkness on the ground. Her presence also disappeared completely.
“Wow, that’s impressive.”
—Huhu.
Boss laughed contently and transformed back. The way Boss shot up from her shadow was both amazing and creepy at the same time.
“So, what are you going to do next?” Boss asked.
I was about to answer her but suddenly thought of something funny and offered her my hand.
“Grab my hand.”
“H-Hand? Why?”
“Just take it.”
Boss grabbed my hand hesitantly.
“Now close your eyes.”
“….”
Gulp— I could hear her swallowing hard. Boss closed her eyes. Then, I shared our vision with Observer No.2, which I dispatched not too long ago.
The scenery from the heart of the capital appeared before our eyes.
Although the sun had already set, the capital was bustling with foreign tourists and domestic visitors. The Observer looked down at this scenery from the sky and spotted three people who stood out among the crowd.
—…Baal’s will will probably descend on the 13th.
It was Jin Sahyuk. She had a sweet chicken skewer in her hand.
—So we have 8 days then.
Chae Nayun was also there. Boss squeezed my hand with hers when she spotted Chae Nayun.
Chae Jinyoon’s sister and Chae Joochul’s granddaughter. Boss knew who she was.
—Prepare yourself until then. Don’t just eat like a pig.
—…You’re the one eating like a pig!
Chae Nayun growled and reached forward to grab the skewer in Jin Sahyuk’s hand. Jin Sahyuk easily blocked her, and Chae Nayun sighed with a frown.
—Aren’t you on that Bell guy’s side anyway? Why don’t you just convince him to stop Baal’s descent?
—That’s impossible.
Jin Sahyuk shook her head resolutely.
—If left alone, Baal will tear Bell’s body apart and descend on his own on the 14th. That’s why Bell hastened the descent by a day… so that he can save himself through death.
With that final line, Jin Sahyuk chewed on the skewer. I turned to Boss.
“Hear that? Bell will die soon.”
“….”
Boss squeezed my hand without replying. Boss no longer felt hatred towards Bell. She realized she didn’t need to now that she knew Bell never killed Yi Yeonjun. In fact, she felt sorry.
“I see.”
Her belated mumbling was cold and bitter.
“…Yeah.”
There wasn’t much time left.
Arunheim and Leores’s ending.
Earth and this world’s ending.
And my own ending.
There really wasn’t much time… until then.
When that day came, what choices would I make?
What choices should I make?
“…Huu.”
I disconnected our vision with Observer No.2. When I opened my eyes, I could see Boss’s face. She still had her eyes closed, frowning from the Observer’s vision cutting off.
Her beauty was hard to describe with words, but there was one thing I always thought whenever I saw her cute, clumsy side.
‘I want to be with her for a lot longer.’
But at that moment, a voice flowed into my ears, as if to explicitly stop this train of thought.
—Come here tomorrow at 3 a.m.
Yi Yeonjun was talking to me through Observer No.1.
He was summoning me to a secluded alleyway somewhere in the Republic.
**
[England – Chameleon Troupe’s Sanctuary]
When Pandemonium showed signs of being swallowed by Demon Realm Transformation, members of the Chameleon Troupe returned to their base in the underwater cave of the English Channel.
The underwater sanctuary was clean and well-kept thanks to Kim Hajin’s modifications. Each member unpacked their belongings in their rooms and gathered in the lobby.
“…Hah? Orden is alive? Are you positive?”
Cheok Jungyeong asked with a scowl on Kim Hajin’s handcrafted couch.
“Yep, that’s what Droon said. Interesting, right?”
Jin Yohan nodded his head as he took out a can of beer from the fridge.
“Hmm….”
Cheok Jungyeong rubbed his chin and pondered. It was obvious what he was thinking about, and no one doubted that he was already shadow-boxing Orden in his mind.
Jin Yohan took out a sip of beer and changed the subject.
“So, what happened to the 9th floor?”
“Oh, that? It’s over. I personally took care of those calamities or whatever.”
Cheok Jungyeong answered with a grin. He clearly remembered his battles on the 9th floor. Legendary monsters from myths and legends became steppingstones for his growth, and he even got to spar with legends like Lancelot and Lü Bu.
“So what are we going to do now? Find and kill Orden again? Huhuhu.”
Cheok Jungyeong chuckled as he sunk into the couch.
“Ah, this couch is so comfy. Is it because Hajin made it?”
“That? Yeah, Kim Hajin made it… But that’s not the problem. Focus, Jungyeong. Shouldn’t we wait until Boss comes back? There are other things we need to take care of, like the matter with Vast Expanse.”
Jin Yohan crushed the beer can in his hand. Last week, Vast Expanse had come to visit them, wanting to meet Yi Yuri, the girl with the Authority of Healing.
“Oh yeah, isn’t Droon going out with that girl now?”
“Yeah, they’re together, even now.”
“Haha, well that’s something.”
Cheok Jungyeong laughed like an old man and spread his arms out. Lying so peacefully in the couch, he suddenly remembered all the devils that had appeared recently.
Transcendental beings who supposedly descended to Earth using incarnation bodies… Cheok Jungyeong stared at the ceiling and murmured quietly.
“Oi, these devils… don’t you think we can take care of them?”
“…Why, do you want to fight them?”
“Kuhuhu, do you even need to ask?”
Cheok Jungyeong raised his hand and stared at it. The toughest hand in the world. Cheok Jungyeong firmly believed in his own strength.
“No matter what devil I encounter….”
With it, he had defeated Lü Bu, crushed Dullahan, and beat up Behemoth.
“I think I’ll be able to crush them.”
A confident smile bloomed on his face. ‘Purple’ magic power blazed up around his hand. He had obtained this violet magic power by eating Behemoth’s heart. With it, he believed his strength had reached a transcendent realm.
“….”
Jin Yohan looked at him silently.
“Well…”
As someone who had seen both Heynckes and Chae Joochul, Jin Yohan couldn’t help but agree. The current Cheok Jungyeong didn’t look any weaker than Chae Joochul. In fact, Jin Yohan couldn’t imagine Cheok Jungyeong losing.
“It looks like you’ve become a monster too.”
Jin Yohan muttered an honest praise.
Cheok Jungyeong smiled faintly. His violet magic power crackled around his hand and arm. The more he saw it, the more mesmerized he became by his new strength.
—Ignore everything else and just focus on conquering the 9th floor.
Just like always, what Kim Hajin told him turned out to be correct.
While Cheok Jungyeong was intoxicated by his own strength…
Beeeeep—! Beeeeeep—!
A loud siren went off in the sanctuary. To be exact, the sound came from the members’ smartwatches.
“Whoa!”
“Ah, geez, that surprised me.”
Kaita and Setryn woke up from their sleep, and Droon also came out of his room with Yi Yuri.
“What happened, Jin Yohan, Cheok Jungyeong?”
“…”
Jin Yohan calmly looked down at this smartwatch. After about a minute, he raised his head and faced Cheok Jungyeong. Cheok Jungyeong was also looking back at him.
Soon, a big smile emerged on his face.
“What happened?”
He asked with a voice full of anticipation. Jin Yohan projected the emergency alert.
[Emergency report! Rank 62 Devil, Valac, is marching north with his army!]
[Emergency report! Rank 29 Devil, Astaroth, appears in Spain!]
[Emergency report! Rank 14 Devil, Leraje, announces the creation of a Devil’s Castle. Its location is the former headquarters of the game company, Leol!]
[Emergency report! Rank 3 Devil, Vassago….]
