Jeong Hyeon-su was elated.
“Finally...!”
144,000 living sacrifices had been gathered in one place.
“All preparations are complete.”
Though he deeply regretted not being able to accept the mysterious man who visited him a few days ago, Jeong Hyeon-su was confident they would meet again.
“If he went out of his way to seek me on the 70th floor, it means he has business with me.”
This time, he wouldn’t let the man slip away. By the time they met again,
“I will no longer be the same.”
The sunlight glinted off the surface of Seokchon Lake outside the window, creating a shimmering reflection. Watching the scene, Jeong Hyeon-su spoke softly.
“Spade, Diamond, Club, Heart. You’ve all done well.”
The twelve men and women kneeling on one knee before him were clad in pristine white uniforms. Each bore the insignia of their respective divisions on their right shoulder, with the letters K, Q, and J etched on the left.
Turning to face them, Jeong Hyeon-su ordered,
“Inform the citizens of heaven. Everyone is to dress appropriately and attend the morning prayer.”
“Yes, sir.”
Once the knights left, he began his ritual purification.
Immersed in a warm bath, Jeong Hyeon-su enjoyed a long soak before calling out,
“Eun-hye, are you there?”
“Yes, my lord,” came the response from outside.
“Come in.”
“Yes.”
Park Eun-hye cautiously entered the room. Splashes of water echoed as he gestured her closer.
“Over here.”
Obeying his command without hesitation, she tended to him, assisting with his bath. After satisfying his carnal desires, Jeong Hyeon-su cleansed himself in the bathwater, purifying his body.
Upon stepping out, freshly brewed coffee awaited him, prepared by Park Eun-hye.
Slurp.
As he savored the coffee, the figure of Joker emerged from his shadow to report.
“All preparations are complete.”
“Very well.”
Dressing himself, Jeong Hyeon-su descended to the prayer hall.
Hundreds of fanatical believers dressed in pure white awaited him.
“My lord!”
“We love you!”
“Aah!”
Amid their fervent cheers, Jeong Hyeon-su ascended the stage, smiling warmly as he began his sermon.
“My beloved brothers and sisters, do you know what today is?”
“Amen!”
“Then you must also know why we are gathered here today.”
“Amen!”
“Amen! The time of the Rapture has finally arrived!”
As Jeong Hyeon-su declared this, fervent cheers erupted from the congregation, their voices filled with madness.
Smiling proudly, he raised his right hand, and like magic, silence descended over the hall.
His voice resonated throughout the chamber.
“Today, we ascend to heaven. You will become true citizens of heaven and be promised eternity. Amen!”
With that, Jeong Hyeon-su activated his power.
A radiant light burst forth from his body, spreading across the sanctuary and enveloping the entire land.
Then,
Rumble—
The ground began to shake.
Crack—!
Those gathered in the center were unaware, but the entire sanctuary was slowly rising into the sky.
At the same time, all individuals within a certain radius of the sanctuary began collapsing unconscious.
The common denominator among these people? They had all consumed the chocolate laced with Jeong Hyeon-su’s blood.
Countless souls were being sucked into the sanctuary.
The events that unfolded were beyond anything anyone could have imagined.
“The ground... is rising into the sky?”
The land that the JHS cult called their sanctuary was ascending into the heavens.
That alone was shocking enough, but the real chaos began once the sanctuary had reached a sufficient altitude.
“Subin! Subin, wake up!”
A patient under Kim Da-jeong’s care at Jamsil Hangang Park collapsed unconscious.
She wasn’t the only one.
People who had gathered to watch the rising land began collapsing one after another, as if their strings had been cut.
Seeing the marionette-like collapse of so many people, I hesitated.
“Should I summon my retainers?”
Not knowing the criteria for what was happening, I considered summoning them as a precaution.
However, the situation resolved itself before I could decide, and none of my retainers had fallen unconscious.
This strange phenomenon occurred simultaneously across all areas under the JHS cult’s influence. Interestingly, there were a few individuals unaffected, aside from my retainers.
Their commonality?
“They were the ones who didn’t receive rations.”
These were people who hadn’t joined the JHS cult but had gathered nearby to beg or steal food from others.
They were all unscathed.
“All those who collapsed were cult members.”
Sensing something unusual, I immediately took action.
“Open the North Gate.”
I chose a location with a clear view of the floating land and opened the North Gate.
Beyond the distorted space, the sight of the land suspended in the sky came into view.
From there,
“Absolute Dweller’s Eye.”
I summoned the Eye of the Absolute, imbued with a black aura, before activating it.
I had deliberately opened the North Gate because I couldn’t enhance my skills with the black aura outside my domain. This was a workaround, using the gate as an extension of my territory.
“What is this...”
Through the blackened Eye of the Absolute, I saw thousands, no, tens of thousands of souls being drawn into the floating land.
“What in the world is happening?”
The situation had escalated so suddenly that it was difficult to grasp.
[Ms. Da-jeong, could you check the condition of those who collapsed?]
Kim Da-jeong, who was already examining the fallen people, quickly responded.
“They appear to have simply fainted. Their breathing and heartbeats are normal. If not for the sudden collapse, you’d think they were just sleeping.”
[Sleeping?]
“Yes.”
Her words triggered a sense of déjà vu.
I soon realized why it felt so familiar.
“Those who were abducted into Lilith’s domain also appeared as if they were simply asleep.”
Why did this situation overlap with that one in my mind?
“Open the East Gate.”
As soon as I created the East Gate leading to Lilith’s domain, she burst out and immediately clung to me.
“Wah! Master! Long time no see!”
I infused her with a moderate amount of the World Tree’s life force, and she giggled joyfully, chewing happily as if savoring a delicious meal.
After patiently waiting for her to finish her meal, I asked, “Lilith, what do you see over there?”
“Wow, so pretty!”
She wasn’t simply admiring the floating land in the sky. It was clear she could also see the countless souls rising toward it.
“What are you up to, Jeong Hyeon-su?”
A sense of dread crept over me.
At that moment, a notification appeared.
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[The construction of the forward base at Konkuk University Station is complete.]
The forward base was finished, but most of the new citizens I had planned to accept had collapsed and were unconscious.
“I have to save them.”
It wasn’t just about them.
The situation was dire.
I had already completed most of my investigations into the key figures of the JHS cult.
None of them possessed the power to cause such an event.
This was undoubtedly Jeong Hyeon-su’s doing.
“Could his ability to manifest illusions make something like this possible?”
I couldn’t fathom how he had used his powers, but I couldn’t stand by idly.
“It seems unlikely that those who have collapsed will ever regain consciousness.”
This meant that all those unconscious individuals would lose their lives.
Jeong Hyeon-su was attempting to claim the lives of tens of thousands of people I had worked so hard to save—all at once.
“Maybe he saved them all for this purpose from the beginning.”
There was no longer any need to hesitate.
“I’ll kill him.”
I ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) had to, if only to save the lives of the unconscious tens of thousands.
I issued a command to all my retainers, who were on standby near Jamsil.
[Prepare for battle, everyone.]
I confirmed that my retainers were boarding the Calicans one by one, then telepathically directed them.
[Move toward the floating land.]
The Calicans carrying the retainers soared into the sky, heading toward the floating land.
***
Moon Byeong-ho sprang into action as soon as Kim Jae-hyun’s command was given.
He had been tasked with investigating the cult using his invisibility ability and had already been stationed near the fanatics’ prayer site.
While observing the scene in his invisible state,
Buzz
A large sniper rifle materialized in Moon Byeong-ho’s hands.
As soon as he touched the weapon, it vanished into his invisible form, blending seamlessly with the surroundings.
Moon Byeong-ho calmly looked through the scope, aligning the crosshairs with his target’s heart.
After gauging the distance and making minute adjustments, he held his breath and slowly pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Even with a suppressor, the gunshot was loud, but it didn’t matter.
The bullet was on a perfect trajectory toward the target’s heart.
However—
Ting!
As the bullet neared the target, a thin barrier appeared in the air, deflecting it.
And then—
Shhhk!
A dark shadow enveloped the area where Moon Byeong-ho had been standing.
Crunch!
A massive shadowy maw emerged, attempting to swallow him whole.
Swish!
Using teleportation, Moon Byeong-ho escaped the danger and turned to look at his previous position.
On the rooftop, a massive shadow creature resembling a whale’s closed mouth loomed.
“That must be his ability.”
It was the black whale of Kim Joon-ho, the Black-and-White Joker of the Trump Knights.
Boom!
The air around him exploded.
Moon Byeong-ho, caught in the aftermath, was flung toward the stage at the prayer site.
Crash!
He landed on the stage, leaving a small crack beneath him.
Standing before him, Jeong Hyeon-su smiled as he watched Moon Byeong-ho.
“So, you’ve come back.”
“...”
“Care to tell me how you escaped my maze, brother?”
“Why do you care?”
“Pure curiosity, that’s all.”
Moon Byeong-ho glared at him, his face unreadable.
“You talk too much for a dead man.”
“Pardon?”
Jeong Hyeon-su’s face momentarily froze in confusion. At the same time, chaos erupted around them.
“Master!”
“My lord!”
“Ahhh!”
Jeong Hyeon-su slowly lowered his head.
And then—
Whoosh!
A black spear, wreathed in dark flames, had pierced deep into his heart.
Ha Dong-geon’s spear, infused with a black aura, had struck its target.
“...Cough!”
Blood poured from Jeong Hyeon-su’s mouth as the dark flames consumed his entire body.
“Ahhh!”
“The cult leader has been struck!”
“An evil spirit! An evil spirit has appeared!”
The prayer hall descended into chaos and panic.
But the commotion didn’t last long.
“Silence! Calm yourselves!”
The voice came from Jeong Hyeon-su, who was now stepping onto the stage as if nothing had happened.
Seeing him unharmed, the cult members froze in shock, their mouths agape.
Moon Byeong-ho, equally stunned, stared at him in disbelief.
Jeong Hyeon-su met his gaze directly and spoke.
“From now on, you will be my loyal servant. Do you understand?”
Jeong Hyeon-su’s eyes glowed a sinister red.