Episode 554. No Negotiations

What does that mean, Grandfell.

‘Until the day when all the world is destroyed.’

That’s a lot of pompous……!

That’s just one more burden to carry.

But it was not Grandfell’s snout that mattered.

Guyver.

He stopped breathing and fell to the floor.

His heart, to be precise, was pierced.

At the last moment.

Hamed.

The way he uttered that name so mournfully, maybe Guyver was suffering from some status abnormality that I didn’t recognize. I didn’t want him to die.

If I could, I would…….

I wanted to bring him back to life after his heart was pierced.

But as I said, reversal magic has its limits.

It can reverse wounds.

But it can’t bring back the dead.

So there was only one thing I could do.

“It’s so despicable, it’s almost a waste of its name.”

The living heavenly sword, Excalibur.

The only thing I could do was to catch this red-blooded criminal.

The battle had ended with the death of Guyver.

[Consciousness, the ‘Vortex of Chaos’ subsides.]

The space of consciousness, disconnected from time and space, gradually fades.

The landscape of the battlefield comes back into view.

The voice of the Holy War Alliance is heard.

“Gu, Guyver has fallen……!”

“D, does that mean the Commander-in-Chief has won?”

“Wait, what happened?”

It was worth it.

I was facing a sword, not Guyver.

It’s not the time to be distracted.

‘……What kind of energy is this strong?’

As I’ve said many times.

My magic is different than normal magic, and because of that, it’s far more effective. I was using it to block Excalibur’s movements.

Parrr.

An unrecognizable sound.

A tiny tremble that only I recognized.

Even if I released enough magic power to make my eyelashes tremble, I couldn’t stop Excalibur’s movement.

Damn, am I still not at the peak of my powers?

‘No, it doesn’t feel right to say so.’

Even if I had an infinite amount of magic, I wasn’t confident that I could stop Excalibur. It felt like it didn’t apply at all.

I, Lee Hoyeol, was the only one with any sense.

‘……Maybe there are different rules being applied.’

I can understand if it’s a rule that can’t be broken. The God Realm was a different world from the Arcana Continent, so what kind of rules could I use to stop Excalibur’s movements?

‘If I lose you, I’ll get tired.’

I don’t want any misunderstandings like I defeated Guyver or disposed of him……! Did my earnestness bring out the potential of my miserable brain?

The thought struck.

Yes.

Umm.

Karma.

Karma is the only thing that can control the Holy Relic, right?

In the past, judging from the Shadow God’s reaction, even a thousand karma would have been quite a bit of karma. Currently, my karma had easily surpassed four thousand and was approaching five thousand.

‘God of War, or whoever it is, I don’t know.’

What were the chances that he had more karma than me?

I don’t know, maybe not?

I thought to myself and stretched out my hand in a respectful manner.

“I command my karma as proof.”

Toward the heavenly sword, Excalibur.

“Surrender before me.”

.

“Ughhhh.”

Park Hwigang struggled to hold on to the cord.

“Finally, finally!”

The gate of Muon opened.

The realization seemed to sink in as the Holy War Alliance entered.

How did you survive this time without dying, Hwigang?

“Thank you for today too, just homen.”

-You’ve finally got your faith back, Hwigang!

-But didn’t Hwigang see that scene?

-What? You missed the best part?

-How much have you lost in life?

“Why, why, did something happen outside of Muon?”

Park Hwigang asked in a small voice, feeling a little stabbed inwardly.

As a follower of the Hoyeol Sect, he hadn’t followed Hoyeol’s actions.

It was because he was a bit embarrassed.

‘I can’t say that I’m unknowingly sympathetic to the Goddess Church.’

Of course, that didn’t stop him from eating.

“No, I appreciate your answer, but……. How about you take it one minute at a time? The chat is moving too fast for me to read……. No, I’m not trying to get you to sponsor me to collect money!”

That’s when Park Hwigang threw up his hands.

togtog.

Someone touched his shoulder from behind.

“Mr. Park Hwigang!”

“Oops, Analyst Nam Cheolmin!”

“Oh, are you on the broadcast?”

“Yes, but I was going to turn it off even if I wasn’t!”

I barely made it through the backlog of chats.

The broadcast ended abruptly.

Park Hwigang wiped his hands on his pants and shook hands with the analyst, Nam Cheolmin.

“Thank you for the broadcast. It helped me get in.”

“Hehe, no, I didn’t do anything.”

The reason the Holy War Alliance was able to enter Muon so quickly. It was because of Park Hwigang, who was secretly relaying the chaotic situation inside Muon.

“Cheolmin……. Huh? Is Hwigang there too?”

“Do, do you know my name?!”

“Of course I do, I’m subscribed.”

Then Hoyeol’s video was uploaded.

Nam Taemin didn’t mind, but Park Hwigang couldn’t hear him. I never thought my broadcast would help two of Mr. Hoyeol’s closest confidants.

“I’m more proud now than when I received support, I swear.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really!”

Nam Cheolmin smiled and turned to his brother.

“Why, Taemin, is there something special about Muon?”

“No, nothing in particular. I’ve been scouring the place for any traps or hidden ambush magic circles, but I haven’t found anything.”

“I expected that, but I’m glad to hear it.”

“But what about the Commander-in-Chief?”

Hoyeol had entered Muon with the Holy War Alliance.

But for some reason, he was nowhere to be seen.

Nam Cheolmin looked around and lowered his voice.

“Freyja.”

“……Freyja, the saintess?”

“That’s right, the Commander-in-Chief went to rescue her.”

“What? What did he do well?”

How he was able to determine the whereabouts of the saintess.

It was Park Hwigang.

Park Hwigang looked dumbfounded.

seug.

Nam Cheolmin pushes up his glasses.

“Actually, Mr. Park Hwigang, I saw a clue in your live broadcast. You filmed in the background of the exact passage where the saintess disappeared. It was your intention, wasn’t it?”

“Intended?”

When the hell was that filmed……?

Unintentional luck.

Park Hwigang hesitated, and Nam Taemin clicked his tongue.

“No, you’re too insensitive. Is it because you’re a science student? There aren’t many people in the world who can brag about themselves. How uncomfortable it must be for Mr. Park Hwigang.”

“Is it? I’m sorry if you’re uncomfortable, Mr. Hwigang.”

“Oh, no, it’s not that…….”

“In times like this, you just say thank you.”

Look, just like me.

“Your courage was very helpful, Mr. Hwigang.”

……This is more uncomfortable.

Nam Taemin bows his head in disbelief.

Park Hwikang was no longer confident in his ability to fix it.

The saintess was filmed anyway, and it helped.

Park Hwigang also lowered his head.

“No, I’m honored to help, yes……!!”

It was then.

“I will not forget this shame.”

“……?”

An eerie voice echoed through the Muon.

For a moment, Park Hwigang doubted his ears.

Was the voice so terrifying?

‘What, what is it?’

No, it wasn’t that.

It was because he felt like he was the only one who heard the voice.

Park Hwigang stopped and looked up.

‘……Did I hear it wrong?’

As if to answer his question, the voice rang out again.

“I dare to ask you to pay for the sin of restraining your burden.”

Park Hwigang had a hunch.

‘I think I’m in trouble.’

Yes, I’ve been suspecting something was wrong with my mind ever since I saw Hoyeol and felt afraid. I realized that I had indeed lost my mind.

‘Oh my god, I’m hallucinating!’

I rolled my eyes just to make sure.

“What are you doing again?”

“This is not an argument, but clear advice, Taemin.”

“It’s advice, it’s nonsense, how does a barbarian learn magic, eh?”

As usual, none of the Holy War Alliance seemed to care.

Even now…….

He was saying something very serious.

“How dare you think of me, this body, as something less than what it is.”

Soon, Park Hwigang made up his mind with a stern expression.

‘Let’s confess.’

He knew the horrors of demons, status abnormalities, and [possession] as well as anyone who had followed Hoyeol’s journey. He couldn’t identify the voice, but…….

‘It’s very likely a demon.’

It would be a shame to be possessed by a demon.

‘I’d rather die at Hoyeol’s hands……!’

Park Hwigang finished his decision and opened his mouth.

“I have something to tell you, Analyst.”

“Yes, Mr. Hwigang. Go ahead.”

“It’s……. I guess I’m hallucinating…….”

“Hallucinating?”

“Yes, I hear things.”

Park Hwigang caught his breath and was about to speak.

“You mean that cocky voice that threatens you?”

……Eh?

What the hell?

Wasn’t I the only one who heard that?

Park Hwigang’s face turned even whiter.

“Is, isn’t this even more dangerous? If even Analyst Nam can hear it, it’s definitely not an ordinary demon……! I’m going to tell the Commander in Chief about this right away……!”

“A demon? Alas, Mr. Hwigang, you were too busy broadcasting.”

“What?”

Nam Cheolmin laughs.

“It’s not a demon, it’s ‘that’.”

“…… That?”

Nam Cheolmin’s pointed finger.

There was a chunk of rock.

More precisely, a sword is embedded in the rock.

“Excalibur, the Heavenly Sword, was acquired as a loot by the Commander-in-Chief.”

*

[Your karma controls the holy relic, the Heavenly Sword Excalibur].

Before the message flashes, I hear a voice from my waist. The Six Sight Brooch’s coloring was gone, and it looked no different from the usual Gwichwol.

-Doesn’t the loser make a lot of noise, master?

Hehehe.

‘Don’t laugh, you’re no different.’

Actually, Gwicheol was more on the cute side.

Maybe it’s because of the ghastly form of the demon sword.

I could only listen to this much chatter with affection.

‘More than that.’

Now that the holy relic, the Heavenly Sword Excalibur, is under arrest.

I couldn’t help but pay closer attention to the situation in the Pantheon.

‘What happened to you, Shadow God?’

I think coldly.

Shadow God.

I wonder if he can single-handedly wreak havoc on the Pantheon.

‘He might be able to distract them for a while.’

It’s impossible to completely subdue the Pantheon.

Especially now that we know there’s someone in the Pantheon who can handle fraudulent items like holy relics. The mere fact that the Shadow God had entered the Pantheon alone was impressive.

Of course.

‘God of War.’

I can’t overlook the possibility that something else could have contributed to the current disconnect, so I chased after the message’s glow to find out.

[Hidden Quest: The Witch Hunt]

Freyja, a saintess who has lost the ability to hear the Goddess’ voice.

To the Goddess Church, Freyja was no longer a saintess, but a witch.

The punishment for a fallen witch is burning at the stake.

A saintess, a witch, a neither, who is she?

The choice is yours.

-Encounter Freyja (Ongoing)

Freyja.

She must know something.

With that, I entered the underground sanctum of Muon.

‘Still a solemn place, this one.’

The crypt.

A cemetery of sorts.

Where the martyrs of the Goddess were buried.

Indeed, the tombstones with their names confirmed it.

By the way.

“Freyja.”

I felt uncomfortable saying the name.

The quest objective was clear: rescue Freyja.

But the Freyja in front of me was too unharmed.

seug.

Yeah.

Enough to knock the paladins who held her captive to the ground.

Freyja then spoke.

“I’ll give you a chance, Infinitely Deep Darkness.”

No, the Goddess speaks.

“Fight for me, and I will show you mercy.”

Oh, really?

Do you feel different when you go into the bathroom and when you come out?

What I wanted to say was simple.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

The cold words continued.

“Possession by the Goddess.”

It made no difference.

“Then let’s get started right away, Freyja.”

“All of a sudden……? Start?”

“A self-proclaimed Goddess.”

“What……?”

“It is time to drive out illusions that are no different from the demon.”

[Skill, ‘Exorcism Ritual’ is activated]

“?!!”