“What happened to you?”
Envirus stammered and asked. He still didn’t know what the hell was going on.
Abel looked at Envirus with eyes filled with disdain. Envirus was completely powerless. There were no remnants of the Greatest Wizard in the past left within Envirus’ body. There was no mana whatsoever in his crippled body.
Although he had been saved by the Spirit Queen at the last moment, Envirus still broke the Oath of mana he made with Lee Sungmin. Breaking an Oath was fatal for any Wizard.
“With that little magic you had left, you decided to prolong your life. Even after doing such a thing to yourself and breaking an Oath… you still want to live?!”
Abel shouted out in an angered voice.
“You probably haven’t even cared about what kind of reprercussions your actions have caused in the world you’ve left! Is this really how you’ve been living? A free mansion provided by the Spirit Queen full of protection without a care in the world!”
“I…I”.
Envirus stammered as Abel poured out abusive remarks one after the other.
“I was willing to do anything to stop the Apocalypse. I had… I had been busy trying to stop the Apocalypse. But now, I’m……”
“Shut up.”
Abel refused to listen to Envirus’ excuses. His brother’s efforts? Abel knew his brother had tried. But there was still nothing either of them could do at that moment to take back the past.
But in the end, his efforts were prioritized in avoiding his own terrible death rather than trying to stop the Apocalypse. Didn’t it eventually lead to this result because of those selfish actions?
“What are you going to do?”
Kim Jonghyun asked with a joyful expression..
“Lee Sungmin. I’m telling you this. What you wanted to do has inevitably failed. Now that we’ve come to this, we only need to connect the Demon Realm once again to prevent the Apocalypse.”
“Don’t speak such nonsense……!”
Abel grated his teeth and shouted.
“Even if the Demon Realm and Eria are connected, Eria will eventually be destroyed! Or are you going to take care of humans and their protection? Will you protect this world from the grasp of the Demons that walk through the portal?…!”
“No, I don’t mean to. But wouldn’t it be better than the Apocalypse? Even if the all the humans die, the world will not be completely destroyed at least.”
‘A choice.’
Lee Sungmin felt odd. Several times already since he had last seen Oslo, he had been having to make several important choices. Mush and Oslo had both said that one day… he would have to make a heavy decision from a choice he would have to take.
Lee Sungnin looked down at the spear held in his hand. He had to become a man who could bear the consequences of his choices.
Kim Jonghyun seemed determined to connect Eria to the Demon Realm.
Hundreds of thousands of humans would surely die if that happened. No… even that wouldn’t be enough. It would likely be millions of human lives that would become forfeit if such a thing happened.
Death would not be the end for these humans either if the Demons came to Eria. The Demons from the Demon Realm dealt with souls and would torment the millions of souls of the humans they killed for eternity. It would be no different than an Apocalypse in its own right.
Since when did you care about people’s lives?
Lee Sungmin heard a voice in his head. It wasn’t Heoju either. Isn’t the most important thing to worry about, yourself? No matter what happens to this world, you will survive. With the power you have, I can preserve your life.
‘Don’t be ridiculous. Nothing is certain yet.’
So, you’re trying to stop Kim Jonghyun once again? That’s a terrible idea. Kim Jonghyun wants to prevent the Apocalypse.
‘He wants to stop the Apocalypse? No, Kim Jonghyun is just doing all of this for his own enjoyment.’ Think about it. You said it was unfair. You said this was all just a waste. Do you really think you went through all this pain and effort just to face the Apocalypse as it is? This is the best option.
“Shut up.”
The voice in Lee Sungmin’s head was his own. It was the monstrous entity that had taken form inside of his consciousness and was continuously biding its time to get stronger and even smarter.
The Apocalypse was certainly going to be something that would be horrid. Nevertheless, what Kim Jonghyun was trying to do was no different.
It was clearly already extremely difficult to defeat Kim Jonghyun who only had an imperfect completion of his powers of a Devil. If Eria was connected to the Demon Realm, how would Lee Sungmin be able to preserve his life against the several Devils who would be stronger than Kim Jonghyun?
It was clear to Lee Sungmin that it was pure hypocrisy if he ever thought that Eria would be safe if the Demon Realm was connected to it.
But what about the other people Lee Sungmin had met in this life? What would happen to the people that had helped him like the people of Genavis. Hans, Jack, and Laura. Ordinary people who didn’t even have power. Laura said she’s married. What about her child?
What about Selguerus? Scarlett? What about Baek Sogo? What about Wijihoyeon? The Grandmaster Bulyeong of the Shoalin Temple, Namgung Heewon, Jihak, and many others.
Why do you care about them?
“Shut up.”
‘Kim Jonghyun is wrong. The way he claims to be a solution, will only devastate everything in it.’
Oh, my. Since when have you been doing this for the world? Since when did you want to save the world? You’re trying to stop the ending because you’ve never felt happy in this world. You lived an unhappy and busy life without being able to rest, but now you think it’s a shame and unfair that the world is going to ruin, so you just want to do it for your own selfish desire….
Or is it because you feel responsible for the death of your master? Lee Sungmin just laughed to himself as he found the sarcastic voice of the entity within him, a joke.
“Stop it.”
Lee Sungmin mumbled to himself. Deep inside, that being was truly the one to think that way. But that was not Lee Sungmin.
Lee Sungmin recalled the time when Abel had asked him if he was ‘desperate’. Honestly speaking, Lee Sungmin was not desperate just yet.
He didn’t feel like it was his obligation, but he also just didn’t want to see the world fall to ruin with the Apocalypse.
He hated that he had never led a good life.
Lee Sungmin affirmed himself that he just wanted to live a good life in the end. That was why he was doing all this.
“Do you want to compromise?”
Lee Sungmin opened his mouth.
“It’s about the possibility of choosing a different world than the Demon Realm.”
“How? Wait huh? You want me to connect Eria to the Spirit Realm for you? No ahahahah! I wanted to connect it to the Demon Realm and that’s the only place I want to connect it to!”
Kim Jonghyun clearly could not be persuaded.
“Is there any other way?””
Lee Sungmin asked Abel, but Abel couldn’t answer him. There was no stopping Kim Jonghyun since that was the way he wanted to play it.
[What do you want to do?]
Heoju decided to ask Lee Sungmin.
[What Kim Jonghyun wants to do will ruin the world in many ways, but it is to escape from the Apocalypse.]
‘I know.’
[If you want to stop Kim Jonghyun because you don’t like that idea, there’s no way to stop him right away. Either way, it’s a terrible choice that will have to be made.]
“Will there be a way around this?”’
Lee Sungmin muttered to himself as he became pensive.
‘Even if we do stop Kim Jonghyun after a long fight, the Apocalypse will not start immediately. We still have other Catastrophes to avoid before then. The Apocalypse will eventually come…… How much time do we have?’
[You’re forgetting something.]
Heoju spoke carefully.
[You found something in the dungeon that you visited recently. That key that was there in the place where you found the ‘Stone of Past Lives’ before.]
‘Are you saying that the key could be the answer?’
[I don’t know. But wasn’t it clearly given to you because there’s some kind of hidden meaning or purpose to it?]
‘I myself may be part of the Apocalypse. Do you think the key is the factor that could change and prevent it all from happening?’
[You are not sure of it yourself. The choices that you make, what you are… What do you think you are in all of this?]
‘I am just Lee Sungmin.’ (T/N Sungmin bot boy really referred to himself in third person)
[Do you think you really need to be anything else?]
No further questions and answers were meaningful. Lee Sungmin already knew his answer and his path from here on out.
And with that, Lee Sungmin made his choice.
Kim Jonghyun immediately responded to Lee Sungmin’s lunge. He spread out his hands and blocked Lee Sungmin who had jumped at him without warning.
“Stop.”
The Demon Tongue ability was faster spoken and even clearer than before. This was due to the transformation that was still not over yet and Kim Jonghyun adapting to the changes incredibly fast.
A strong deterrence held Lee Sungmin’s body back from moving forwards. Lee Sungmin forcibly moved the spear, ignoring the power that was holding onto his body with a tight grip.Crack- crack!
The rotary joint on Lee Sungmin’s shoulder was broken as he tried to push through with his spear. Ignoring it, Lee Sungmin simply kicked in the air.
It could barely even be called a step forwards, but it created lightning bolts at the mere steps of Lee Sungmin’s footwork.
Bang !
With a loud crack of lightning, Kim Jonghyun’s words lost their power. Kim Jonghyun clicked his tongue and moved his hands. Just as his Demon Tongue ability and constitution were strengthened, Kim Jonghyun’s mana was also strengthened.
Kim Jonghyun could already feel that he was definitely going to be addicted to the level of power he could wield. If he had a chance later, he immediately decided he would find a way to become a True Devil and not a mere half-demon.
Hundreds of fireballs hit Lee Sungmin. It was a simple firepower-oriented attack without any sophistication. The Red Magic that Scarlett once used, was being used by one of the most hated Wizards in front of Lee Sungmin.
The fireballs that had been hitting Lee Sungmin burst simultaneously. In the meantime, Lee Sungmin became a ray of lightning and quickly shortened the distance between himself and Kim Jonghyun.
“Stop it.”
A deterrent force was manifested by the Demon Tongue ability as Kim Jonghyun also erected a barrier of mana as well. But Lee Sungmin didn’t care. His speed was unparalleled as he ran straight at Kim Jonghyun without being held back for even a moment.
Crack!
The defensive barrier was smashed. Lee Sungmin’s arms that held the spear were also twisted as a result of the clash.
Killing Kim Jonghyun here. Lee Sungmin decided that it needed to happen. Kim Jonghyun may have shown favor to Lee Sungmin, but he would never be persuaded by Lee Sungmin to stop this.
If he was not killed here, Kim Jonghyun clearly expressed that he would keep trying to connect Eria to the Demon Realm by repeating the massacre he had caused in Germane in other cities.
So, Lee Sungmin had to stop it from ever happening again. Even if there was still no clear way to prevent the Apocalypse, Lee Sungmin still chose to kill Kim Jonghyun here. He knew it was irresponsible to do this without a plan for the future in stopping the Apocalypse but he had no choice.
In a way, what Kim Jonghyun was doing might be the only way left to prevent the Apocalypse from happening.
But Lee Sungmin was still going to stop him. After all, there might be another way to stop the Apocalypse in the future. The fact that this event was called the ‘First Catastrophe’ was enough proof that it would not end well. All it would do was bring forward the Apocalypse at a faster rate if Kim Jonghyun was not stopped. Lee Sungmin just wanted to bet on even that little bit of hope that he could find a way to stop the Apocalypse without this method.
Because… at the very least, Lee Sungmin did not want to live in a world that was connected to the Demon Realm.
The dark demonic energy surrounding Kim Jonghyun coalesced into a sharp awl.
Lee Sungmin could tell that this was not something to be trifled with.
With the demonic energy being boosted by his constitution that was incredibly close to a Devil and the Demon Tongue ability, the awl was shot out.
Lee Sungmin widened his eyes in shock of the might behind the awl and moved his hands that were holding the spear. Blood Ring Smithereens (血環破碎) x Nine Dragon Annihilation (九龍殺生)
Red and yellow internal energy fiercely synergized at the tip of the spear and collided with the awl.
Lee Sungmin placed his right hand carefully over the shaft and made sure to grip it tightly as they collided. The Blood Rings martial art techniques unfolded as a flurry of circular rings of blood exploded and compressed themselves at the tip of his spear.
[He’s still growing stronger even at this moment…]
Heoju warned as he noticed Kim Jonghyun only increasing in strength. Such a steep and dramatic increase of power was impossible no matter how one looked at it, but here Kim Jinghyun was, standing strong.
‘I know, it must be from that spell he used earlier. His increase in strength must have been because of that.’
[It’s not a body transformation that is permanent. There must be a duration of time until it ends. Are you going to be able to endure his attacks until then?]
‘Should I have just killed him first before I killed Volander?’
[Hah! Do you think that was even possible?]
Heoju laughed as he too, knew that Lee Sungmin would have stood no chance if he had not fought Volander first. Lee Sungmin smiled.
Inside the vortex of internal energy that was colliding against the demonic energy created from the two attacks, Lee Sungmin was making extremely nimble and fine adjustments to his posture and avoiding the attacks of the awl by narrow margins.
‘No, that would have been impossible.’
[Then you will just have to endure until it’s over.]
Lee Sungmin also felt that enduring it with a contest of stamina was the only option.
However, the situation was not so good for Lee Sungmin either, honestly speaking. In a contest of stamina against a foe with greater strength, he had to rely on his regenerative abilities to cope with Kim Jonghyun. But it was already a lot, as Lee Sungmin had been fighting against one of the Five Black Stars of Predator just before this. The proof of it was clear. He felt the mental seal that Oslo had placed in his consciousness to hold back the monstrous entity within him, shaking.
“Huauh!”
Lee Sungmin gasped for breath as one of the attacks slipped through him and nailed him in the solar plexus. Lee Sungmin’s body flew back from the sheer power and might behind the attack that had hit his chest.
Kim Jonghyun glanced down at Abel with his stretched hand down while Lee Sungmin was flung back. Kim Jonghyun smiled at Abel, who was panting heavily at having to exert his life force earlier on using the spells of the Weiss.
“You abused the powers of that book too much.”
Kim Jonghyun spoke condescendingly. Although he did not know much about the Weiss’ powers, it was clear that Abel had paid a price and was no longer even worthy of worrying about.
Kim Jonghyun recollected his thoughts as he realized he was still a bit worried about Frau, but put his attention to the matter at hand with Lee Sungmin.
There was still a lot of time left in the duration of his transformation spell. Kim Jonghyun accelerated after Lee Sungmin, who was panting heavily.
Lee Sungmin raised himself from the wreckage of a collapsed building. He had been flung very far and outside the portal, back into the streets of Germane? The chest armor that had been crafted using the bones of a Dragon, were crumpled too.
Although the armor would recover itself over time with the magical enchantments stored within it, Lee Sungmin walked out of the debris, spitting out bloody phlegm from his mouth.
“Lee-… Lee Sungmin-nim……?”
As he looked around him, The Holy Knights of the Church along with Teresa had suddenly shown up.
“What happened to the Death Knights?”
“During the battle, they eventually gave up and fled.”
Theos, the leader of the Holy Knights, answered. When Volander disappeared, the Death Knights had seemed to realize that they had no hope in the battle and were likely to be abandoned by Kim Jonghyun since their leader had fallen.
“Wait! The wound……!”
Teresa hurriedly approached Lee Sungmin. Looking at the holy power coalescing in her hand, Lee Sungmin hurriedly stepped back.
“I’ll be fine.”
The holy power that Teresa wielded was like the antithesis to the internal energy of origins from the City of Endless Night. Lee Sungmin knew that although her intentions meant well. Her power would be like poison for him.
“Oh m…”
A cynical laughter erupted out as a figure in the sky descended.
“I can’t believe those Death Knights ran away just because Volander died.”
Donning his signature black robe, Kim Jonghyun descended from the sky amidst the gathered troops from the Holy Church.