Chapter 724 – Then What? (3)
The Demon King’s Castle.
“Hah… hahaha.”
A hollow laugh echoed through the hall.
“Mercy. Mercy, you say.”
Is everyone listening? Something unprecedented has happened.
“For a demon to be forgiven by a demon hunter.”
Vassago muttered. He had steeled himself for death—yet he did not die. Because Hoyeol stopped the hunt and left the Demon King’s Castle.
Vassago’s gaze turned toward the confused incarnations.
“What? The prophecy was wrong?”
“Did that demon interfere?”
“Even a demon shouldn’t be able to change a prophecy.”
Vassago let out a bitter smile.
“Do you still not understand, even after seeing it?”
“…?”
“He truly bestowed mercy.”
Vassago slowly closed his eyes.
He revisited the memories of the previous cycle he had encountered within the ritual space Hoyeol unfolded. In a situation like this, what choice had his past self made? He searched his memories, hoping to find a reference.
“…There’s nothing.”
The memory did not exist.
“This is the first time I haven’t been killed by him.”
Was it because I’m special?
No—Vassago did not think so. Even if he had abandoned malice, his very foundation was that of a demon. And not just any demon, but one of the Ten Thrones. It was instinct—inescapable. He could take up malice again at any time. Had he not already witnessed it in memories of past cycles?
The afterimage of his former self meeting a foolish end.
Then why?
Why had Lee Hoyeol spared a demon like him?
Vassago turned Hoyeol’s words over in his mind.
—“You have the qualification.”
Qualification.
“Did he find something in my words?”
Something capable of breaking the cycle?
“Heheheh…”
To hide something so significant within mere words—
Vassago possessed very little information. If Hoyeol had grasped something from what he said, it was not due to Vassago’s merit, but because Hoyeol knew more about Vassago than Vassago himself did.
…Clench.
Vassago clenched his fist. Strength flowed properly into it. His pounding heart seemed to shout that he was alive.
His pupils slowly sharpened.
“Still, I don’t know.”
But one thing, at least, was clear.
“Listen.”
Vassago addressed the incarnations.
“As your progenitor, I will reclaim your authorities.”
“…!!!”
Some might doubt what they were seeing. He spared them, only to concentrate their power back into himself? Picking only the most demon-like of acts?
But Vassago shook his head.
“From now on, you may live your lives freely.”
“…?!”
From the incarnations, Vassago reclaimed only the authority directly responsible for prophecy—[The Mule’s Steps].
The reason was simple.
At this very moment, had he not survived through mercy?
Whooooo—
Since the incarnations had appeared, negative emotions had boiled violently. Vassago rejected the source of power gathering within him.
The corners of his mouth lifted.
‘There was only one reason I prolonged this tedious existence.’
Born from anomaly, having lived through eternal ages—Vassago sought something that could make him feel alive. That was why he tried to regard the incarnations as his children.
Watching humans and beasts cherish their offspring more than their own lives, Vassago had grown curious about that emotion.
An emotion a demon—born from negativity and living by it—could never comprehend.
But today, that curiosity was laid to rest.
Sss—
Vassago placed a hand against his chest.
The beat of his heart felt different from before. At last, Vassago felt warmth.
From mercy granted by none other than his natural enemy.
“Light that burns all things, huh… well.”
Vassago spoke softly.
“To me, it feels merely warm.”
*
*
Hyun Yongseok stared grimly at the special studio. Text scrolled across the monitor.
[Breaking News: Rays of light detected simultaneously across multiple locations]
Now that Hoyeol had been detected, Hyun Yongseok was certain this situation was Hoyeol’s answer.
‘You’re the kind of person who shows rather than speaks.’
DiMazzio, prophet of the Age of Cataclysm.
‘Everything depends on the next prophecy.’
Hyun Yongseok already knew the contents of the prophecy DiMazzio had told him in advance. So why was he chewing his nails in tension?
—“Lee Hoyeol will appear all over the world.”
One of DiMazzio’s prophecies had already come true.
Still, he shook his head. He could not fully trust DiMazzio yet.
‘There’s too much in that prophecy that’s hard to believe.’
And besides—
Hoyeol’s actions themselves.
They almost looked as though he were trying to fulfill the prophecy.
The detected Hoyeols seemed to be waiting for something. But then again, wasn’t that only natural? To answer a question, the question must first be asked.
Hyun Yongseok nodded gravely.
‘Then I’ll ask the question—if only to hear the answer.’
The live broadcast began shortly after.
To summarize the result: Hyun Yongseok ended up writing an incident report for the first time in a while.
Perhaps because the usually upright Hyun Yongseok had bowed his head—
“I knew this would happen the moment you started doing whatever you wanted!”
The door slammed shut triumphantly.
“Are you okay?”
Waiting for Hyun Yongseok—who had just been thoroughly chewed out by the director—was Yoon Jongjin.
“Here.”
Yoon Jongjin handed him a sweet caramel macchiato.
“See? I told you that guy was shady. Sure, we work in broadcasting too, but you can’t trust people who make a living talking about others. Just look at his face—thin beard and all…”
“You seem awfully excited?”
“Hehe, was it that obvious?”
Yoon Jongjin’s lips twitched.
“Wouldn’t anyone be excited? That ridiculous slander of a prophecy was proven to be total BS. No—beyond that, DiMazzio was exposed worldwide as a full-blown con artist!”
It was the broadcast accident of Hyun Yongseok’s lifetime.
—“I-I can’t see the future!”
—“Mr. DiMazzio, please calm down—”
—“Finally! Finally, I’m freeeeeee!”
Yoon Jongjin’s shoulders shook.
“If his prophetic powers had just gotten weaker, people would’ve cursed him and moved on. There are plenty of frauds like that. But then he dropped to his knees and started bawling in joy. That grotesque scene aired for minutes!”
Thanks to DiMazzio’s performance, public sentiment flipped instantly.
—I’ll prophesy instead lol in the end we only have Lee Hoyeol
—Yeah he snapped after picking a fight with Hoyeol
—Wait, so all prophecies were fake??
“Of course they were fake, you idiots.”
He enjoyed his victor’s smile—briefly.
“By the way, why are you so quiet, senior? Did the director really go all out on you? I mean, look at your face—it’s all swollen, like you got punched…”
“Who got punched?”
“Then why do you look like you’re chewing rocks?”
Yoon Jongjin always worried at times like this. How long had they worked together? Longer than Hyun Yongseok’s marriage.
“Hey, Jongjin.”
As expected, Yoon Jongjin’s intuition was spot on.
“Pack your bags. Right now.”
“My bags? What bags? Don’t tell me—again?”
“Relax. This time, I’m coming with you.”
“You’re coming too?!”
That just makes it more terrifying.
“The only reason I’ve stuck with you this whole time—even while suffering like a dog—is because I know you suffer even more than I do. So what, now you want me to risk my life while filming too?”
Instead of answering, Hyun Yongseok brought Yoon Jongjin into his office.
Then he revealed the product of science and magic that AAU branch chief Park Minjae had given him.
“That… that ridiculously fancy camera—what is it?”
“An anomalous artifact that lets you peer into anomalies.”
“Whaaat?! No idea what it is, but it sounds insane!”
It looked absurdly expensive. How did his senior even get this? Did he steal it? Invest his bonus?
Ignoring Yoon Jongjin’s fuss, Hyun Yongseok thought—
‘Everything flipped in an instant.’
DiMazzio—the prophet who had correctly predicted countless events since the Great Cataclysm—lost his powers overnight. The world, once confused by suspicion toward Hoyeol, calmed down instantly.
‘Even the Silver Evil Eye watching over Seoul must be thrown off.’
An unprecedented level of volatility.
From now on, no one’s words could be trusted. Just like him, the viewers would feel the same.
“So I’ll show them directly.”
“Yes! I’m already seeing it with my own eyes. This is amazing.”
“You just said yes, didn’t you?”
“Y-Yes…? Me?”
“Then meet me at the Magic Tower in an hour.”
The Magic Tower? Why suddenly there?
Seeing Yoon Jongjin’s confusion, Hyun Yongseok added—
“It’s going to feel like a trip four times longer than usual. Prepare properly.”
*
*
The Holy War Allied Forces.
“So, to sum things up…”
Nam Cheolmin and Nam Taemin.
The Nam brothers returned to the Demon Realm outpost and began piecing together events from their respective worlds.
The common point was clear.
“Hoyeol’s appearance invalidated the prophecies.”
Hisagi raised a hand and added—
“To be precise, I think the prophecies only manifested to the extent of a single sentence. The Commander showed just enough.”
Schreig, who had joined from the Arcana Continent, nodded.
“I think so too.”
“Then was it a kind of warning?”
“Was he ever kind enough to give warnings?”
…Absolutely not.
At Nam Cheolmin’s words, silence fell.
After finishing his analysis, Nam Cheolmin cleaned his glasses.
‘More importantly—where was the real Hoyeol?’
Without hearing it from him directly, there was no way to know. The differences were subtle, but they were all Hoyeol.
Even Taemin’s sense of smell said so.
‘Even now, while we’re drowning in questions, the real Hoyeol is probably busy doing something.’
Maybe I shouldn’t be idly cleaning my glasses either.
Putting them back on, Nam Cheolmin looked up at the Demon Realm sky.
It wasn’t a situation to celebrate—but somehow, he felt relieved.
‘The gaze fixed on the Evil Eye has been dispersed.’
Knowing Hoyeol hadn’t overlooked the lonely Silver Evil Eye let out a quiet sigh of relief.
‘Even scattered, his light hasn’t lost its warmth.’
*
*
Entering the Social Hall of Space-Time.
I worried someone might be there, but given the circumstances, the lower levels were completely empty.
I went straight up the stairs—to the upper levels.
And then, to the topmost floor.
Memories are engraved in ritual spaces.
Vassago’s words gave me half-certainty.
‘That Granfell had left memories of previous cycles within top-tier space-time quests.’
I hadn’t completed many of them, but—
‘Every single one involved the Claudi family.’
At the time, I had simply thought, Wow, the Claudi family is amazing.
But maybe it wasn’t that simple.
I recalled the exact designation.
Top-Tier SpaceTime Mission.
A mission exists only because someone presents it.
‘If Granfell was the one who presented those missions…’
More precisely—
If he preserved his memories in the form of missions—
Then it would explain how Granfell retained his memories even as time reversed.
‘It would also explain why Granfell’s ego grew stronger at some point.’
If you recovered memories of previous cycles before I did.
There must be evidence.
Click.
As I stepped onto the stairs leading to the top floor, a sound reached my ears.
Clink.
“…!”
The sound of someone setting down a teacup.