Rapture (1)
Jung Hyun-soo was exhilarated.
"At last...!"
144,000 living sacrifices had gathered in one place.
"Everything is ready."
It was deeply regrettable that he couldn't accept the mysterious man who had come to see him a few days ago, but Jung Hyun-soo was confident that they would meet again.
"If he went so far as to come to the 70th floor where I live, he must have business with me."
If the man came back, Jung Hyun-soo was sure he wouldn't miss the chance this time.
By then...
"I'll be on a completely different level."
Outside the window, Seokchon Lake shimmered under the early rays of the sun. Looking down at the scene, Jung Hyun-soo quietly opened his mouth.
"Spade, Diamond, Clover, Heart. You've all done well."
He was speaking to twelve men and women who were kneeling on one knee.
They wore matching white uniforms. On their right shoulders were symbols representing their units, and on the left, the letters K, Q, and J were emblazoned.
Turning his back to them, Jung Hyun-soo looked down and spoke.
"Let the citizens of Heaven know. Everyone should be in full uniform and attend morning prayer."
"Yes, sir."
After the knights left, he began his ritual purification.
Soaking in the warm water of the bathtub, Jung Hyun-soo enjoyed a long moment of relaxation before speaking.
"Eun-hye. Are you there?"
"Yes, my Lord."
Park Eun-hye, who had been waiting outside, responded.
"Come in."
"Yes."
She carefully opened the door and entered. Jung Hyun-soo splashed the water and gestured toward her.
"Over here."
Park Eun-hye obediently complied and began attending to his bath. After relieving his lust, Jung Hyun-soo washed away the impurity in the bathwater and tidied himself.
When he stepped out, freshly brewed coffee prepared by Park Eun-hye awaited him.
Sip
As he enjoyed a moment of calm with his coffee, a Joker emerged from his shadow and reported.
"All preparations are complete."
"Good."
Jung Hyun-soo dressed himself and descended to the prayer hall.
There, hundreds of white-robed fanatics were waiting for him.
"My Lord!"
"We love you!"
"Aah!"
Amidst their cheers, Jung Hyun-soo stepped onto the stage and began his sermon with a warm smile.
"Beloved brothers and sisters. Do you know what day it is today?"
"Amen!"
"Then you must know why we have gathered here today?"
"Amen!"
"Amen! At last, the time of the Rapture has come!"
At his proclamation, wild cheers erupted from the congregation.
The unrestrained applause was filled with madness.
With a satisfied expression, Jung Hyun-soo raised his right hand, and as if by magic, silence fell over the hall.
Then his voice rang out in all directions.
"Today! We shall ascend to Heaven. You will become true citizens of the celestial realm and be promised eternity. Amen!"
At that moment, Jung Hyun-soo activated his power.
"Uwaaaah!"
Light burst from his body, spreading in all directions, soon engulfing the entire
sanctuary.
And then-
Rumble rumble rumble-
The ground began to shake.
Crack-!
Those gathered in the center didn't realize it yet, but the entire sanctuary was slowly rising into the sky.
Nor did they know that all humans within a certain radius of the sanctuary were collapsing, unconscious.
They all shared one thing in common: they had eaten chocolate infused with Jung Hyun-soo's blood.
Countless souls were being drawn into the sanctuary.
***
A series of sudden events had occurred-beyond anything imaginable.
"The land... is rising into the sky?"
The land that JHS claimed to be a "sanctuary" was floating in the air.
That alone was shocking, but the real incident began once the sanctuary had ascended to a certain height.
"Subin! Get a hold of yourself!"
At Jamsil Hangang Park, Kim Da-jung was offering her abilities to the public when one of her patients suddenly collapsed.
And it wasn't just her.
People who had been watching the land rise into the sky around them began to collapse like dominoes.
I watched the people falling like puppets with their strings cut and seriously considered my options.
"Should I summon my retainers?"
I couldn't determine exactly what was causing this, so I thought summoning the retainers might be a good idea.
But before I could even finish deliberating, everything came to an end. Not a single one of the retainers had lost consciousness.
This event had occurred simultaneously in every place under the influence of the JHS cult. Oddly enough, even outside the retainers, there were a few people who remained unaffected.
What they had in common was:
"They were the ones who hadn't received rations."
People who hadn't joined the JHS cult, instead gathering around to beg or steal food from others.
They were all completely fine.
"Everyone who fainted was a follower of the cult."
Sensing something strange, I immediately sprang into action.
"Open the North Gate."
I opened the North Gate at a place where the floating landmass in the sky could be seen clearly.
Through the distortion of space, I could see the chunk of land suspended in the air.
And then-
"Eye of the Absolute."
The Eye of the Absolute, cloaked in black energy, was summoned before me.
I specifically opened the North Gate because outside of my domain, I couldn't enhance skills using the black energy.
So I used the gate in this roundabout way as a loophole.
"This is..."
""
What I saw through the Eye of the Absolute, cloaked in black energy, was countless possibly tens of thousands of souls being sucked into the floating land.
"What the hell is going on?"
It had happened so suddenly, I couldn't make sense of the situation.
[Dajeong, could you check on the condition of the fallen people?]
Kim Dajeong, who had already been checking on them, answered quickly.
"They seem to be just unconscious. Breathing and heartbeats are normal. If I didn't know they had suddenly collapsed, I'd think they were just sleeping."
[Sleeping?]
"Yes."
Hearing her words gave me a strange sense of déjà vu.
And I soon remembered what that feeling was.
"The people who were kidnapped into Lilith's domain also looked like they were simply asleep."
Why did this situation feel so similar to that time?
"Open the East Gate."
At the same moment I created an East Gate to Lilith's domain, Lilith popped out of it and immediately hugged me.
"Waaah! Master! It's been so long!"
I infused her with a bit of the World Tree's life force, and she smiled sweetly, chewing with satisfaction.
I waited until she finished her "meal," then asked:
"Lilith, how does that look to your eyes?"
"Woooow. It's pretty~!"
She wasn't just seeing the land floating in the sky.
It was clear that she could also see the countless souls rising toward it.
"What kind of madness are you pulling, Jung Hyunsoo?"
A terrible feeling crept over me.
Just then-
[The forward base at Konkuk University Station has been completed.]
A message popped up announcing the completion of the base.
But the people I had planned to welcome as new citizens had all collapsed,
unconscious.
"I have to save them."
And not just them.
Something was very wrong.
I had already investigated most of the key figures in the JHS cult.
None of them had the power to pull off something like this.
Which meant-it had to be Jung Hyunsoo's doing.
"Can his power to manifest illusions really allow something like this?"
I had no idea how he was using his ability, but I couldn't just sit back and let it happen.
"There's little chance the people who've collapsed will ever regain consciousness."
That meant they would all eventually die without ever waking up.
He was trying to snatch away the lives of hundreds of thousands of people I had once saved-all at once.
"Maybe... he saved them in the first place just for this."
There was no longer any room for hesitation.
"I'll kill him."
To save the hundreds of thousands of lives lost without knowing a thing.
I sent an order to all retainers waiting near Jamsil.
[Everyone, prepare for battle.]
I confirmed the retainers mounting the backs of the Kelicans, and then sent a telepathic message to them.
[Move toward the land floating in the sky.]
Kelicans carrying the retainers took flight from every direction, heading toward the floating land.
***
As soon as Kim Jaehyun gave the order, Moon Byungho began to move in
earnest.
Because he was on a mission to investigate the cult using his invisibility ability, Moon Byung-ho had been stationed at the fanatics' prayer site from the start.
While observing them in his invisible state-
Wuuung-
-a large-caliber sniper rifle materialized in Moon Byung-ho's hands.
The moment it touched his hands, it too became invisible, seamlessly blending into the surrounding space.
Calmly looking through the scope, Moon Byung-ho aimed at the target's heart.
As he gauged the distance and made fine adjustments, he held his breath, then slowly pulled the trigger.
Bang-!
Even with a silencer, the gunshot made a considerable noise-but it didn't
matter.
The bullet was unmistakably heading straight for the target's heart.
However―
Ting-!
Just as the bullet entered a certain proximity to the target, a thin barrier formed in the air, deflecting it.
And then-
Srrrk-
A thick shadow enveloped the spot where Moon Byung-ho was positioned.
Crunch!
A massive shadowy maw emerged, snapping shut around him.
Whoosh-
Using teleportation, Moon Byung-ho made a swift escape and turned back to look at the spot he'd just vacated.
A large lump of shadow had appeared on the building's rooftop.
It looked just like a giant whale closing its mouth.
"That must be his ability."
The Black-and-White Joker of the Trump Knights, Kim Jun-ho.
There was no doubt it was his black whale.
Boom!
Immediately after, the airspace around Moon Byung-ho exploded.
Blown away by the shockwave, he was flung toward the stage at the prayer site.
Crash!
He landed, leaving a small crack on the stage floor-and right in front of him stood Jung Hyun-soo, smiling as he looked at him.
"As expected, you've returned."
""
"Would you be so kind as to tell me how you escaped that labyrinth, brother?"
"Why are you so curious?"
"Pure curiosity, nothing more."
Moon Byung-ho stared at him expressionlessly and said,
"The dead sure do talk a lot."
"...Huh?"
Jung Hyun-soo's face went blank-and suddenly, chaos erupted around them.
"Master!"
"Lord!" "Kyaaa!"
Slowly, he lowered his gaze.
And then-
Fwoosh!
A spear, blazing with black flames, was deeply embedded in his chest.
It was Ha Dong-gun's spear, coated in dark energy, which had pierced his heart.
"...Gah!"
Blood spilled from his mouth, and the black flames surged, engulfing his entire body in an instant.
"Kyaaa!"
"The Master's been hit!"
"A demon! A demon has appeared!"
The prayer hall descended into utter chaos, panic spreading like wildfire.
But it didn't last long.
"Silence! Everyone, be quiet!"
It was because Jung Hyun-soo, completely unharmed, was now walking back onto the stage.
People who saw the unharmed Jung Hyun-soo stood with their mouths agape, speechless.
Moon Byung-ho was no different.
As he stared in bewilderment, Jung Hyun-soo looked straight into his eyes and said,
"From now on, you will be my loyal servant. Do you understand?"
Jung Hyun-soo's eyes glowed red.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]