[The activation time is determined according to the level of the Bookmark skill.]
[Activation time: 30 minutes]
[Your understanding of the character is considerable. You may select and inherit some of this character's skills.]
Shin Yoosung charged at me, and I ran straight toward her.
Neither of us wanted to kill the other, and there was no sincerity anywhere.
This was a fight purely for the amusement of the Celestials.
Everything was a "scenario," and therefore, everything was a stage of illusions.
Yet, as a result of this battle, someone would die.
["Time of Judgment Lv.5" is now activated.]
The activated skill level was 5.
It seemed that Jeong Heewon had been training diligently.
It wasn't quite as good as having him here in person, but it was still effective.
[Celestial, 'The Scribe of the Heavens' is flustered.]
[Celestials of the Absolute Good alignment are disturbed by your skill.]
It's understandable—they would be shocked that someone unauthorized as a "Judge" used the skill.
But they had no choice but to allow it.
Because the being in front of me was undeniably an "evil."
[Celestials of the Absolute Good alignment approve the use of this skill.]
A searing aura surged deep inside me. Blind justice, determined to eradicate all evil in the world. The history of archangels waging holy wars against great demons flashed through my mind like fragments.
—Punish the wicked.
[Time of Judgment] was originally a skill used by the great Valkyries of the Holy War.
Therefore, this skill receives the blessings of archangels to smite evil.
Madness stirred deep in my mind, excluding all else in pursuit of narrow justice. Jeong Heewon had felt this same sensation whenever he cut down others for my sake. A terrifying thought.
Kiiiiing!
A wave of magical power unlike anything before erupted from the Blade of Conviction. The resonating ether blade struck straight at Shin Yoosung.
Sgagak!
Blood burst from the startled Shin Yoosung's shoulder. The [Sensitivity of the Beast King] that had withstood bombardments from the Phantom Fleet finally tore. The fallen droplets stained her white fur cloak.
[Time of Judgment.]
As long as the enemy is an "evil," the user of this skill cannot be defeated.
All of my current stats had been precisely enhanced to counter Disaster Shin Yoosung.
It's no wonder [Time of Judgment] is called overpowered. Few skills in the entire Extermination Law system provide buffs as absurd as this.
"Everyone, attack!"
Even though I had become stronger, Shin Yoosung still had superior skill proficiency. I needed help.
"When she uses normal attack patterns, provide ranged support. When she attempts area attacks, make sure to fall back behind me!"
The group, stiff with tension, nodded at my instructions.
"Those who cannot provide ranged support, please take out the monsters coming through the [Monster Gate]. That's urgent too."
Even now, the monsters spilling from Shin Yoosung's [Monster Gate] were pushing Yongsan-gu to the brink of annihilation.
"Everyone, fight!"
With the kings' declarations of war, the battle officially began.
The kings' forces blocked the monsters pouring out of the [Monster Gate]. Most were level 7 or higher, so it looked like a tough fight, but they weren't being pushed back too badly.
"I'll take care of that monkey."
Lee Hyun-sung slammed his heavy suit and ran toward a level-5 Heavy Metal Kong.
"Yoo-sung and I will take the King."
Lee Giyoung moved while shielding Shin Yoosung.
The Queen Mirbad, controlled by Shin Yoosung, roared, and several of the Chongwang species summoned by Lee Giyoung charged at King Masswood. While the two dragons' icy breaths collided, Lee Ji-hye stepped forward.
"Leave the support fire to me."
"I'll block her movements."
Ji-hye restrained Shin Yoosung's movements with artillery fire, and Yoo Sang-ah created traps with [Arachne's Web]. Of course, this was only a minor help.
The bombardment barely caused damage, and the webs were quickly torn by Shin Yoosung's ether.
But it was better than nothing.
"Yoo Jung-hyuk. Can you fight?"
Besides me, only Yoo Jung-hyuk could follow Shin Yoosung's movements and withstand her attacks to some degree.
"…Focus on yourself."
Spitting blood on the ground, Yoo Jung-hyuk stood beside me, holding the [Jincheon Paedo].
He had probably used [Revival Knight], and his condition seemed better than before.
Since [Revival Knight] has strong aftereffects, his remaining time would be limited.
"How long?"
"30 minutes. And you?"
"Same."
The available time for Bookmark was only 30 minutes.
So we had to finish this within 30 minutes.
Goooooo.
The black aura flowing from Disaster Shin Yoosung's body grew denser. Her physical stats were rising continuously due to the evil transformation.
Yoo Jung-hyuk's expression hardened.
"…Looks like she made a pact with a demon to cross worldlines."
His guess was correct.
Her soul was indeed pledged to a demon.
And that demon had handed her over to the damned goblins.
[Hahaha, this is fun. Really fun.]
The middle-ranking goblin's voice echoed cheerfully.
[Finally, this is more like a proper scenario.]
Blood spattered, flesh was crushed, and the destruction of the Seoul Dome—something I had wanted to prevent so badly—was approaching every second.
[Many of the Celestials are thrilled by the intense battle.]
"Let's go."
With that, Yoo Jung-hyuk's new form shot forward at high speed.
Kwa kwa kwa kwa!
Before we could even react, the catastrophe Shin Yoo-seung, her cheeks puffed up, blew out her breath toward us.
[Breath of the Beast King].
It was an ether storm with destructive power far beyond a 5th-grade Sea-type's [Frost Breath].
"Dodge!"
Yoo Jung-hyuk, unleashing [Vermilion Bird Divine Step] to its limit, avoided Shin Yoo-seung's attack, and I activated [Beast King's Sensitivity] to block the attacks Jung-hyuk couldn't dodge. As we synced our moves one by one, I couldn't help but be impressed by Jung-hyuk's combat sense.
The catastrophe was terrifying, but Jung-hyuk was a monster in his own right.
Only Jung-hyuk, a strong, cold, and merciless Returnee, could stand against that catastrophe without even activating the [Judgment Time] buff. At this moment, I felt a sense of relief that he was on my side.
"Do it properly, Kim Dokja!"
"I am!"
"Damn it…"
All we had to do was get close and land a strike—but it wasn't easy.
After landing a few hits, Shin Yoo-seung's patterns became even more violent.
Entering a berserk state, she unleashed ether storms relentlessly, ignoring the depletion of her mana, and I was already exhausted from activating [Beast King's Sensitivity] repeatedly to block her attacks.
Jung-hyuk managed a few blows here and there, but the damage barely accumulated.
How long had we been trading blows?
By the time I came to my senses, over twenty minutes had already passed.
Jung-hyuk's stamina was rapidly declining, and the mana potions he had been sipping like juice were already running low.
She's strong.
Even after activating [Judgment Time], he was struggling this much.
His body, overly enhanced by skills, groaned violently.
The side effects of [Judgment Time] were gradually kicking in.
"Hahaha! What a magnificent scenario! Isn't that right, Celestials?"
Listening to the middle-ranked goblin babbling arbitrarily, I pushed forward with every ounce of strength I had left. The fur raised by [Beast King's Sensitivity] whipped violently.
My skin blackened under the ether storm.
Step by step, the distance closed—but time was not on our side.
If this continued, we wouldn't deal enough damage before thirty minutes passed.
Patssut!
Then an anomaly occurred in Shin Yoo-seung's body. Lightning coursed through her entire body, and the darkness in her eyes momentarily returned.
"Attack me."
Shin Yoo-seung was controlling her body with her own will.
"Stop me."
Though unspoken, I could hear her voice.
"Protect your 'Cycle'."
Breaking through the temporarily weakened ether storm, I charged forward with Jung-hyuk.
When our swords swung, blood spattered from Shin Yoo-seung's body.
[Celestial, the 'Heavenly Scribe' is watching you.]
To avoid revealing the worst act of performance we were putting on, I gave it my all.
[Celestial, the 'Prisoner of Gingoa' is watching you.]
Shin Yoo-seung screamed as her body was slashed, and Jung-hyuk was sent flying by the storm.
"Go, Kim Dokja."
I then seized the opening Jung-hyuk had created.
Pwooo!
Without hesitation, the 'Blade of Conviction' plunged perfectly into Shin Yoo-seung's left shoulder. The deep thrust caused her mana to go haywire. [Beast King's Sensitivity] tore apart, and her left arm was severed.
Blood dripped heavily.
I looked at Shin Yoo-seung's face.
As the lines from Extinction Law suggested, she was smiling. I realized she had intentionally taken my blade.
[Many Celestials cannot take their eyes off your battle.]
"Damn it…"
As I laughed weakly, strength drained from my hands gripping the sword.
Then Shin Yoo-seung laughed.
"Pathetic, isn't it?"
Without a scream or rage, she grabbed me and threw me to the ground.
But it didn't hurt.
This attack wasn't meant to.
"You're still going, aren't you?"
"Yes."
I swung my sword at her, and she exhaled her breath toward me.
Like a question met with an answer, we inflicted wounds on each other with wild abandon.
"Just like you did."
My [Beast King's Sensitivity], running low on mana, was losing its defensive power. The temporarily enhanced durability from [Judgment Time] kept my body's endurance for a moment longer. Blood flowed as I staggered, the world spinning around me—but I didn't stop.
Seogeogeok! Pshuuut!
Finally, damage began to accumulate.
[Some Celestials who feared you now show curiosity about you.]
Rejoice.
[Celestials across the battlefield pay attention to your daring.]
And shout all you want.
[Celestials on the great battlefield applaud your will.]
Until the day I come to rip out your tongues.
How long did we continue exchanging blows? My melting body staggered back a few steps.
['Bookmark' has 30 seconds remaining.]
My burst organs felt as if they would tear, and broken ribs kept stabbing my lungs.
I had done everything I could.
Yet, the catastrophe still stood.
Kugugugugu…
For a brief moment, the eyes of the disastrous Shin Yoo-seung had returned to their usual color—but now they were turning pitch-black again. It seemed that this "Flood of Calamity" was even stronger than the original. Disastrous Shin Yoo-seung looked at me with worried eyes.
「You're not enough.」
She couldn't commit suicide. There was no way a mid-tier dokkaebi would allow her to die that way. This was the limit of her self-imposed penalties. And I, in another sense, had also reached my limit.
「How are you going to stop me?」
"Don't worry. Someone's coming now. Someone who can stop you."
From the start, I had never planned to kill Shin Yoo-seung with my own hands.
Even Yoo Jung-hyuk couldn't do it in his current state.
But there was still one person left who could kill her.
Just as Shin Yoo-seung was about to speak, the ground around us exploded, sending a booming shockwave across the area.
Boom! Kwang! Kwaaang!
Cannon fire echoed in the distance. From the north, women in sky-blue prison uniforms appeared. The path of the monsters split as an organized army advanced toward us. At their center stood a masked woman commanding the troops.
The King of Wanderers.
I wondered where she had gone, and apparently she had been clearing monsters from the north as she came down. But she wasn't the one I had been waiting for.
At the forefront of the army, one person came running straight toward me.
A woman calmly lifted her head and spoke in my direction.
"Sorry I'm so late."
"You're a little late."
"Looks like you're still holding on, huh?"
The Judicator of Annihilation.
Seeing Jung Hee-won after ten days, she exuded a far more controlled aura than I remembered. She lightly tapped my shoulder and stepped beside me.
"Leave it to me now. Take a break for a bit."
A crimson aura erupted from her, and her entire body was enveloped in [Time of Judgment]. Its intensity surpassed even the skill I had stolen.
Jung Hee-won was truly my last card.
If this failed…
Had I dealt enough damage to Shin Yoo-seung?
Could Jung Hee-won finish this properly?
"Why are you so worried?"
Jung Hee-won said with a slight smile.
Her voice carried a confidence different from usual. She seemed to have faith in more than just [Time of Judgment].
[Seongjwa, 'Scribe of the Heavens' is taking a quiet stance.]
[Seongjwa, 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' shows hostility toward Jung Hee-won's backers.]
Now that I think about it, Jung Hee-won had probably chosen her backers too.
I wondered who she had chosen.
Shin Yoo-seung looked at Jung Hee-won with trembling eyes.
「You are…」
"I've got the gist. Your backers were quite talkative on the way here."
Jung Hee-won looked at Shin Yoo-seung with sad eyes.
"So, don't worry."
After speaking, Jung Hee-won lightly swept her blade. Where her hand passed, flames slowly began to rise.
Goooo…
In the deep dawn, over the night in Seoul where darkness was at its thickest, Jung Hee-won's blade burned with dignified brilliance. The flames resting on the blade were more vivid and dazzling than any fire I had ever seen.
The pure, white flame that would punish all evil.
[Hellfire of Gehenna (地獄炎火)].
I knew that sigil very well.
I had once seen its description in the texts of Annihilation Law.
In some cases, its destructive power could rival even the sigils of the Celestial Saint, making it one of the strongest sigils in the Annihilation Law.
[Hellfire of Gehenna] was the sigil of the Seongjwa, 'Judicator of Fire, the Devil.'
Jung Hee-won glanced at me and laughed coldly.
"I'll end this damn scenario."
The Archangel Uriel had chosen Jung Hee-won as his avatar.
< Episode 21. The Unchangeable (5) > End