Though it lasted only a moment, it was clearly a flash bright enough to banish the night.
And that blast—an explosion that sounded as if the world itself was tearing apart.
Only belatedly did the people of Geumchon dong awake and shout out at their windows.
“Something’s happening! A monster! Is another great collapse starting?! What on earth is going on? An air raid? Is it an air raid?! Something terrible is happening!”
It wasn’t just Geumchon dong. An immense uproar swept across all of Paju.
Tudor smiles, savoring the clamor, the noise, the chaos.
“Orb, if you have a moment, could you bring me some coffee?”
“Understood, Tudor. Coffee.”
As Orb turns to descend to the first {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} floor, Tudor calls after him.
“Want to join me?”
“Join? Join what?”
Orb’s monitor-head displays “?” as he cocks his head.
“No, nothing. Just thought I’d ask. But coffee—coffee—”
Hee hee hee—Tudor simply laughs, getting no further reply, and Orb goes down to fetch coffee.
“This time—even for one who dwells in the Abyss, they must be very angry.”
Tudor’s gaze returns eastward—far beyond human sight.
The cultists struck by that staggering attack lie twisted and writhing, shrieking in agony.
But those fortunate enough to still scream—
The cultists who ran forward in excitement evaporated without knowing what struck them; those a bit farther away turned to black ash; those beyond them died in agony as blood boiled and flesh melted.
Tudor watches and exhales a hiss-like laugh.
“Yes, dear. Fantastic. Truly fantastic. You can grant my wish.”
The tidal wave that rose from the reservoir has become a colossal tsunami—defying gravity as it climbs the mountain.
“The wave! The wave’s coming!”
N—No way! How can it be humanly possible? That mass, that volume—beyond any human mind to calculate or withstand.
Rumble—rumble—rumble—rumble!
Yet the wave does surge toward the cultists, the alien races, the monsters, the amphibians, the insects.
No—worse, how could so much water come from that tiny reservoir?! How, how, how?!
“Aaahhhh!”
“Run! Run!”
A white, seething death pours over the Blood Demon Sect’s cultists.
Even cultists who have renounced humanity and embraced corruption cannot outrun a wave.
Soon, the world is overturned,
And the dreadful torrent swallows all.
[System: “Feast Offering” trait activates.]
[“Abyssal Entity: Blood Demon King” grows furious with you.]
[“Abyssal Entity: Blood Demon King” curses you.]
[“Abyssal Entity: Blood Demon King” declares it will destroy you.]
“Anyone can make a declaration.”
Come on, try it. Come down here. Let’s see what you’ve got.
[System: “Feast Offering” trait activates.]
[“Abyssal Entity” grants its followers a special blessing.]
[“Abyssal Entity” performs a special miracle.]
[“Abyssal Entity” performs a special miracle.]
[“Abyssal Entity” performs a special miracle.]
“They seem very busy.”
I’m busy too. To counter the miracles he conjures, I continuously create new spells at high speed.
Flaming spears like meteors, tremendous lightning strikes from sky to ground, the earth gaping open to swallow enemies.
Kurrrrr—rumble! Rumble—rumble! Kwaaaang!
A catastrophic disaster unleashed upon Cheontaedong.
“Waaaaah—”
Jang Hyundeok’s mouth drops as wide as the chasm before him.
“Is that really the mage’s doing?”
“Who else would it be?”
“Mage... are you really human?”
“What nonsense is that? More human than anyone else here.”
Indeed, more human than anyone here—I am human. Human.
And the non-human force is over there. I expand my senses to locate where they’ve gathered.
‘They’ve thinned out a bit, but...’
I’d hoped to wipe them out with ranged attacks alone, but they remain stubbornly numerous.
Stronger than expected? Because of the blessings? I sense the blood-red aura radiating from Cheontaedong. Ah—that’s the Blood Magic Circle, their specialty. No wonder they hold out.
And this time, the Abyssal Entity himself is clearly at full battle readiness.
“Huh? Those guys—what are they carrying?”
Within my detection range, I spot the strange objects the cultists clutch.
Long, plain spears like skewers.
‘At the tip of those spears...’
Human heads are impaled there.
Not only that, but proud decorations of entrails wrapped around their bodies—and dismembered arms and legs dangling as weapons.
Tsuzuzuzuzuzuz—
The blessing sent by the Blood Demon King passes through these corpse fragments to the cultists.
“Oh, yes. I knew about that theme too.”
In the game it was just “ew, gross,” but seeing it in reality... it’s unsettling.
These were innocent people offered alive as sacrifices to earn the Blood Demon King’s blessing.
They lived ordinary lives until yesterday, and now they’re ritual symbols of this twisted faith.
“Ah—my blood pressure’s already high and this is making it worse.”
“Um, mage? Are you angry?”
“Mmm...”
I do feel ill at ease.
But am I angry?
Honestly, I’m unsure if this is truly my emotion. My mood swings wildly, other personas surface—am I angry, or merely another facet of madness?
“Hyundeok—what do you think?”
“What do you mean?”
“When wicked men kill people in cold blood, isn’t it normal to be angry?”
“Uh—yes. I guess so?”
“In your opinion, am I the kind of person who’d be angry at that?”
“Mmm... a good person? A champion of justice? Or a fool—a pushover?”
Hyundeok gives me a look that says, “What are you on about?”
Well... judging by everyone he’s dealt with, those villains are either dumb or won’t live long. Fool or pushover—doesn’t matter, but am I such a person?
“Yes, that.”
“Not sure about champion of justice...but the mage does like meddling and nagging others.”
“Hey, have my words sounded like nagging?”
“Huh? No, no. But today you said you came to anger the Abyssal Entity?”
Ah, right. Right.
No time to fuss over this.
“Mm. Right. There’s work to do. Good—stick to the plan. Remember your role?”
“Oh, yes. You strike the enemy lines. I—”
Kririririk—crackcrack—whirrwhirr—
The spectral golems rise, absorbing magic. Ah—draining my mana right after casting huge spells gives me a headache.
“You hold the strongpoint. Defend it with your friends.”
I erect additional magic circles to shield Hyundeok, then leap forward on my skateboard.
Sharararurruk—
The cultists close in in an instant.
[Fireball]
[Spell Enhancement: Multi-Cast]
[SSS-grade accessory “Mask of Carcosa” unique trait activates: “Yellow Domination”]
// Yellow Domination: Grants certain spells the effect “Spell Enhancement: Fear Injection.”
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gaaaang!!
Fireballs laced with terror erupt violently all around.
‘Hmm—no effect?’
Blinded by the Blood Demon King’s blessing, they ignore forced fear and roar even louder.
“There! Kill Kim Sinhwa!”
“The age of Blood Heaven is nigh!”
Like moths drawn to flame, cultists rush me.
‘Strange.’
Their movements are odd. Why charge so recklessly? Are they intent on dying?
Among them, one stands out with different behavior.
“Aaaah! Stop him! Protect me!”
One cultist repeats this as he runs away.
Who is that? He has substantial magic—must be a named figure—but clad in half-charred rags, I can’t identify him.
“Hey, wait. Let’s go together!”
I speed toward him on my skateboard, but “Aaah! Don’t come near! Heroes who serve the Blood Demon King! Now! Sacrifice your lives!”
He issues harsh orders to his subordinates with contemptuous force.
“Right now! Now is where you give your lives!”
“Hail Blood Heaven!”
Ugh—what are they doing?
Crack! Kwaaaak!
They begin to plunge the daggers they drew into their own throats, or thrust their spears into themselves.
Blood sprays in all directions.
The stench of gore.
Corpses collapse.
“Well done! Well done! Your vengeful spirits will form the foundation of Blood Heaven!”
Ah—I recognize him now.
He tosses the Seven-Star Sword from one hand and chants a spell.
Whiririririr—
The sword spins in midair, channeling magic—
“Ggeukgyeoyoryullyeong! My sworn friends who died with grudges! Answer the call of Blood Heaven and enact your vengeance!”
The Blood Demon Sect’s leader—was his name Blood Empress?
Chalararararark!
Talismans pour from his wide sleeves.
Pabababababak!
They scatter everywhere—and stick to the foreheads of dead alien races and cultists—
“Kyaaaah!”
Dead cultists—alien races—monsters—amphibians—and insects rise and leap toward me.
Their nails have grown razor-sharp; they weep blood as they advance.
“Oh, you’ve lost your minds. What is this madness?”
They commit suicide to protect that petty sect leader? And he immediately turns them into undead?
“Kyaaaak!”
The undead cultists lurch toward me with rigid, unnatural motions. Whether they’re all the same type matters little—in the lore, Blood Demon Sect’s undead are jiangshi.
I don’t slow, stretching out my hand toward the hopping jiangshi.
[Chain Lightning]
“My, uh, master’s, uh, old foe—uh, I’ll repay that!”
A massive woman bursts forth.
Anaconda for an arm, legs with goat hooves, a head like a lion—a grotesque figure. Unmistakable.
Another named cultist from the Gourmet Expedition—her title was Jang, right?
She sucks up the bolt I released into her lion’s maw.
“I’ll return your poison!”
Rumble—rumble!
Mud-colored lightning spews from the anaconda’s jaws.
“Uatcha-cha!”
[Absorb Lightning]
Rumble—rumble!
My swiftly cast protective spell disperses her lightning.
[System: “Heightened Vigilance” trait activates.]
“Damn it!”
[Leap]
“Grrrrrrrk!”
Suddenly, a colossal frog with golden skin appears where I stood, delivering an absurdly powerful palm strike.
Kwaaaaang!
At the strike point, a huge crater forms.
There’s no choice but to dodge—my anger surges. No, no, calm down. Stay focused, Kim Sinhwa. This is dangerous.
That amphibious humanoid looked like a Sangbulsa monk, but he’s no amateur.
“Aha, so you forcibly spawned a Kyuseongmwa?”
Still, he was born mere minutes ago.
I can handle one.
‘One Kyuseongmwa, sure—three judge-level foes at once?’
A crow’s whisper brushes my ear.
[Heightened Vigilance] keeps signaling danger, danger, danger—
‘Why charge in knowing it’s perilous?’
That’s the fox’s voice.
Why? To draw out the Blood Demon King, I need to deal overwhelming damage.
‘No—you forced yourself into danger to avoid confronting your identity issues.’
Ah, whether you’re right or wrong, could you shut up so I can fight?
Besides, there’s no time to dawdle.
“You shall not pass!”
“Grrrrrrrrrk!”
The lion-headed woman and the golden frog humanoid—
“Kyaaaak!”
And the jiangshi pouring in from all sides.
[Inferno]
Kwaaaang!
I summon magic to shatter one jiangshi’s body, then glance around.
They’re flashy obstacles, but mere dummies.
From the Blood Demon King’s perspective, he cares nothing if his undead or allied judges die.
“Aaaah! Hurry! Hurry!”
I look back to see the Blood Empress, having cast aside her dignity, fleeing toward Cheontaedong.
He’s not running to save his life—if I catch him, I can draw out the Blood Demon King.
