Chapter 132
Wol-ah noticed my gaze and smiled brightly.
“What’s wrong?”
“What exactly are you?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Wol-ah tilted her head as though she truly didn’t understand.
“Are you hungry by any chance? Should we eat the lunchboxes?”
“……Go ahead and eat first.”
After saying that, I turned back toward the lake.
Judging from Wol-ah’s reaction, it seemed even she herself didn’t know what kind of existence she was.
No matter how much I pressed her, I probably wouldn’t gain any useful information.
The Heavenly Demon would likely know about Wol-ah……
But she wasn’t here right now.
I looked at the world reflected upon the water’s surface.
That place was probably where whatever Pandemonium was hiding existed.
One thing was certain—something had happened inside there.
And to uncover the truth, I had to enter it.
Wol-ah definitely said the Heavenly Demon went into the water.
I had entered the water too, so what exactly was the difference?
I dipped my hand into the surface that reflected everything except me.
A faint ripple spread across the lake.
At that moment, Wol-ah came running toward me.
“Seongwoo-nim, eat your lunch first.”
“Just a moment.”
I stared at Wol-ah’s reflection on the lake’s surface.
Then suddenly, a hypothesis came to mind.
The Heavenly Demon and I had both entered the water, but I failed while she succeeded.
The difference was Wol-ah.
Could it be that we had to enter together?
It was a simple and crude method, but worth trying.
“Wol-ah, come here.”
I picked Wol-ah up and stepped directly into the water.
The cold chill of the lake spread through my body.
“Seongwoo-nim? Why are we suddenly going into the water?”
“We’re going in.”
“All of a sudden?”
“Don’t tense up too much.”
Startled, Wol-ah wrapped her arms tightly around my neck.
I circulated the Asura Divine Art and warmed her body.
“Take a deep breath.”
“Huuup.”
I immediately dove underwater, submerging my entire body beneath the lake.
About five seconds passed like that.
Then I emerged from the water.
But nothing had changed.
The world remained exactly the same.
That was when I noticed something strange.
My arms felt empty.
“Wol-ah?”
Wol-ah was gone.
The child I had clearly been holding tightly in my arms had suddenly disappeared.
No way.
I immediately climbed out of the water and looked toward the lake’s surface.
And there she was—
A soaking wet Wol-ah standing beside my reflection.
I turned my head, but Wol-ah wasn’t there.
“Damn it.”
Only Wol-ah crossed over?
What exactly was the problem?
The lake was clearly the path to the world beyond the surface, so why only Wol-ah?
At that moment, the Wol-ah beyond the water moved her lips toward me.
It looked like she was shouting something, but no sound reached me.
I read the shape of her lips.
“Upsi……de down? Upside down?”
Don’t tell me……
The world beyond the surface was a reversed world.
If that lake was a door, then maybe I’d been pushing a door that was meant to be pulled?
I immediately jumped back into the water and dove deep.
Then I flipped myself upside down, pointing my head toward the bottom and my feet toward the surface.
At that moment, accompanied by a bizarre sensation, my body was suddenly flung somewhere.
Splash!
Crack—!
Caught by the sudden sensation of falling, I flailed my body wildly.
I had clearly dived upside down, yet somehow I emerged above the surface once more.
I looked around.
The hills surrounding the lake were half-collapsed, and the corpse of a giant stone colossus lay shattered nearby.
And beneath it, Wol-ah waved at me.
I had successfully entered the world beyond the surface.
I swam toward shore and climbed out.
A soaking wet Wol-ah came running toward me.
“Seongwoo-nim!”
“How did you cross over here by yourself?”
“I don’t know either! I just dipped myself into the water, and then suddenly……!”
Wol-ah’s face was flushed with excitement.
The mystery surrounding her identity only deepened.
“Come here. You’ll catch a cold.”
I circulated the Asura Divine Art and released heat to dry our clothes.
The traces of battle here were even worse than they had appeared beyond the water’s surface.
The scars everywhere were probably remnants of the battle between the Heavenly Demon and the colossus.
I could recognize traces of martial arts I knew well from the destruction left behind.
I looked toward the structure beyond the corpse.
What appeared to be a temple was partially obscured by the giant body.
I walked toward it.
Wol-ah followed closely behind me.
This world felt strange somehow.
Aside from me and Wol-ah, I couldn’t sense a single living thing.
The surrounding vegetation felt the same.
It was like looking at exquisitely crafted fakes.
After walking for some time, we eventually reached the structure that had been blocked by the giant corpse.
The structure resembled a temple connected directly to the mountain itself.
From beyond the water’s surface, it had looked rather small, but that was only because the giant’s body made it seem that way.
Wol-ah looked around in fascination.
“Stop getting distracted and stay close to me. If we get separated, I might not be able to find you.”
“Ah, okay!”
I thought the front gate would be blocked by the giant’s corpse, but unexpectedly, it was open.
More accurately, it had been forcibly breached by someone.
Judging by this, the inside was probably a complete mess too.
I entered the structure together with Wol-ah.
My prediction was perfectly correct.
The inside of the temple-like structure was utterly devastated.
The Guardians wearing magnificent armor were all shattered and scattered across the floor.
What kind of place is this?
Following the traces of battle around us, I simulated the situation in my mind.
Judging by the sheer number of Guardians, it looked as though they had been protecting something.
And somehow, the design of this building felt familiar.
The enormous pillars supporting the structure, the murals painted upon the ceiling, and the elegant statues.
It resembled the boss room inside the Fragmented Purgatory I cleared not long ago to obtain Solis.
“No way.”
“What’s wrong?”
I didn’t answer Wol-ah’s question.
Because a sudden hypothesis had completely filled my mind.
Could these ruins perhaps be traces of the “Angels” that had never once properly appeared until now?
In the game <Become a Hero>, Demons were portrayed as immensely powerful and important beings.
Wasn’t Pandemonium itself empowered through contracts with Demons?
And yet, no matter how much I played the game, information regarding Angels had been hidden to an absurd degree.
It wasn’t that Angels didn’t exist.
I had fought one through a Fragment only days ago.
But those were merely copies recreated by the Fragment.
The records here were different.
Though this place wasn’t exactly part of the real world either, the traces here unquestionably felt like those of real Angels.
After all, the extraordinary Aura lingering here……
This sensation that continuously invoked both instinctive rejection and reverence at the same time……
It was difficult to attribute it to anything other than Angels.
I never imagined I’d confirm their existence like this.
I continued moving deeper along the path.
The farther we went inside the temple-like structure, the more severe the destruction became.
Which meant the battle fought within had been incredibly fierce.
Countless questions swirled through my mind.
How long had we walked?
Eventually, Wol-ah and I arrived at the place the Guardians had been protecting.
“This is……?”
This place was different from everything before it.
A soft light poured down from somewhere unknown, and at its center stood a moderately sized tree standing alone.
But something else stole my attention even more.
Beyond the tree lay a gigantic eagle collapsed upon the ground, and the walls were filled with numerous murals.
The murals seemed to depict something, but the traces of battle had damaged them too severely to properly understand.
At that moment, Wol-ah began walking toward the giant eagle.
I tried to stop her, but suddenly halted myself.
Everything Wol-ah had said until now flashed through my mind.
The suspicious nature of Wol-ah’s existence and the Guardians that seemed to have fallen while protecting something.
Come to think of it, Wol-ah said she came here together with the Heavenly Demon, yet she never actually witnessed the Heavenly Demon’s battle.
What if I reversed that statement?
What if they hadn’t come together at all?
What if the Heavenly Demon entered this place alone, and only left together with Wol-ah?
I turned my head toward the lonely tree.
At its center was a fairly large hollow, and inside it were fragments of what looked like a shattered egg.
At that instant, an intense burst of light exploded from somewhere.
The blinding radiance forced me to shield my eyes.
“What the……!”
Before my vision could fully recover, I felt a crushing pressure descend upon my body.
At the same time, a youthful voice echoed out.
“That day shall come like a thief. Remain ever vigilant and prepared.”
“Wol-ah……?”
The source of the light was none other than Wol-ah.
Her appearance had changed completely.
Her body had matured slightly, and pure white wings had sprouted from her back.
A fierce radiance shone from the child’s eyes.
“Two thousand years after God abandons you, great chaos shall descend, but do not fear. When the Lamb is stained black, the Ten Chains shall be released, and the End shall soon arrive.”
“What are you even talking about……!”
I quickly realized the one speaking to me was no longer Wol-ah.
“When the sealed Gate opens, flames shall burn alongside the armies of Hell for a thousand days and nights, and all things shall be purified.”
The being possessing Wol-ah’s body flapped its enormous wings, unleashing a violent storm.
“When Heaven and Earth are remade, the Child of the Star shall pierce the End, the Gate shall close, and new life shall sprout forth.”
I finally realized Wol-ah’s true identity.
She was an Angel.
Everything finally made sense.
All the doubts I’d had about Wol-ah, and the reason the Heavenly Demon had been taking care of her.
But the Wol-ah before me wasn’t normal.
Something had possessed her body.
If I had to guess, the one controlling Wol-ah’s body was probably an Angel existing in another dimension, much like the Demons.
At that moment, the Angel possessing Wol-ah stretched out a hand toward me.
“You possess something far beyond your station.”
Suddenly, my shadow began violently writhing before spitting something out with a plop.
That’s……?
What emerged from the shadow was a faded ring.
Back when I was still at the Academy, the item dropped by the awakened Guardian I fought to obtain the Guardian’s Sword.
If I remembered correctly, it was called a Halo.
The Halo moved on its own and soon landed in Wol-ah’s hand.
Seeing it, Wol-ah revealed an eerie smile.
“Vessel of the End. I shall soon become your death.”
After taking the Halo, Wol-ah lifted it above her head like a crown.
At the same time, the faded Halo regained its light, and Wol-ah’s body began transforming once more.
Though her body had already matured somewhat, it now rapidly grew further.
And another pair of wings emerged from her back, leaving her with two pairs of wings.
Before I could organize my thoughts amidst the sudden situation, a powerful killing intent stabbed into my skin, forcing me to raise the Demonic Authority.
The power emanating from Wol-ah was on a completely different level from the Angel I encountered within the Fragment.
Judging by the situation, it didn’t seem interested in sitting down and talking.
If I wanted answers, I’d probably have to subdue Wol-ah first.
But could I even subdue her in that state?
As expected, Wol-ah stared at me and moved her lips.
“Let there be light.”
At her words, countless spears of light formed across the sky.
Faced with that absurd sight, I momentarily fell speechless.
What the hell is that insane ability?
Is it some kind of Dragon Speech?
“Judge.”
The spears of light turned crimson.
Am I actually going to survive this?
I charged straight toward the Angel before me.