855

 [Chapter 214]

[Beyond the Door]

Thanks to Im Ga-eul's quick thinking, the terror was halted and Armageddon withdrew.

There were many casualties in the process.

People couldn't feel at ease.

They trembled with anxiety.

"It's all over now! Even <Sword Empress>-nim couldn't defeat that guy, how are we supposed to win!!"

"A living legend lost... This is a nightmare! This can't be happening!"

"<Divine Spear>! We still have <Divine Spear>! If <Divine Spear> drinks an elixir and fights, we might win!"

"Where's the <Shadow King>! If he fights together with <Divine Spear>, there might be a chance..."

"You saw it too. The living legends standing by Armageddon's side..."

""""..."

"Even if those two join forces, how can they overcome that?"

Living legends.

The death of <Sword Empress> Hwang Jin-hee.

Her death was reported extensively on the evening news that day.

For people who heard the news belatedly, it was nothing short of shocking.

[Next news. Currently, a total of four Mines have been subjugated... They all reportedly possessed strong powers. Samael, Abaddon, Beelzebub, Mastema... Let's watch the video first.]

The Fairy Government and players suffered great losses in manpower this time.

As a result, they subjugated four of the Seven Devils.

This bit of good news did somewhat calm people's anxiety.

But Armageddon became an unforgettable presence to them.

Unless Armageddon is subjugated, the situation won't improve.

"It's not too late even now!! We must submit to the Mines, no, the new humans! Let's worship the new humans as gods!"

"Even if we worship Armageddon, our lives won't change. Let's just surrender to Armageddon."

Fear spread rapidly.

People who witnessed Armageddon's power poured out into the streets.

Their calls to submit to the Mines shook people.

"Waaah!! Drive those things away!!"

"Let's submit to the new humans! We are inferior beings!!"

"Worship Armageddon!!"

Due to Mastema's terror, the police facing a manpower shortage couldn't stop their uprising.

Moreover, the police lost public trust when they shot and killed innocent citizens while brainwashed.

Their control didn't work.

In the end, Im Ga-eul made an announcement to the nation on the morning of the day after the riots broke out.

It happened a day after Armageddon withdrew.

[Respected citizens. Today I have important news to deliver. So I would be grateful if everyone listened.]

Im Ga-eul was going to slowly explain the contents of her deal with Armageddon to prevent public confusion.

She wanted people to have time to mourn <Sword Empress> and the players and ordinary citizens who died in the terror.

But people weren't leisurely enough to mourn someone's death.

In the end, she had to deliver the words she was going to say after the situation calmed down a bit.

[13 days later, the Fairy Government is planning to issue a high-level movement restriction order. We plan to issue an order prohibiting going outside during that time.]

Im Ga-eul talked about her deal with Armageddon.

13 days later, Noh Eun-ha and players will have a life-and-death battle with Armageddon.

So she asked citizens not to leave home and watch that confrontation.

It was an absurd story.

The news of a fight betting the nation's fate confused people.

""""..."

But her words worked.

Thinking the other way around, it meant no terror would occur for the next 13 days.

And whether to submit to the Mines or not would be decided 13 days later.

13 days, not a long time.

People stopped the riots.

There was no reason to riot.

Time would resolve things on its own.

On the other hand─

"─Right, the Pandora Clan Lord is still left."

"Pandora Clan even defeated a 2nd rank monster! So they can defeat him!"

"We have <Crimson Lotus Sword>. <Crimson Lotus Sword> will somehow manage."

People found hope.

<Crimson Lotus Sword> Noh Eun-ha.

He who defeated Abaddon almost single-handedly will defeat Armageddon.

Only then could people somewhat shake off their anxiety.

"How can <Crimson Lotus Sword> win? He's no match for Armageddon either. Didn't you see <Sword Empress> sacrificed her life to protect him?"

"You idiot! At that time, <Crimson Lotus Sword> probably didn't even have the strength to properly fight Armageddon after an intense battle. Facing Armageddon after defeating Abaddon alone? Hey, do you think that's possible!?"

"I acknowledge <Crimson Lotus Sword>'s power... But can he really recover when his body is in such a state?"

"He'll get better if treated with an elixir."

Though there were many people trembling in fear of Armageddon.

There were even more people who firmly believed in Noh Eun-ha's power.

[Breaking] Pandora Clan Lord <Crimson Lotus Sword> Noh Eun-ha takes elixir

[Breaking] All Pandora Clan members to enter closed-door training for remaining 13 days

Right after, news broke out.

It was an article saying S-rank clans and Twelve Seats would focus on training for 13 days.

Among them, the news that drew people's attention most was about Pandora Clan.

Especially, Noh Eun-ha took an elixir.

Just with that, people could put their fear behind them.

A fight betting the fate of the nation and humanity.

People decided to live their daily lives as usual for 13 days, suppressing their anxiety.

""""..."

Strangely, the crime rate decreased during those 13 days.

It was quite a rare phenomenon for crime not to increase more than before even though public safety had worsened.

Whether that phenomenon continues or reverses.

That would be determined by the result 13 days later.

Devote yourself to the Crimson God.

Believe in and rely on the Crimson God.

Of course, shortages at large supermarkets and grocery stores couldn't be prevented.

Meanwhile, the Eun-ha Faith that had expanded nationwide in recent years decided to hold 13 consecutive days of prayer meetings.

People wishing for Noh Eun-ha's victory quit everything they were doing and quickly entered Eun-ha Faith churches before the movement restriction order fell.

They planned to pray for Noh Eun-ha's victory for 13 days.

"Now, everyone. Let's pray together. We're asking the Crimson God to let us live happily today too."

Pandora Clan Hall, Dongjak-gu, Seoul.

Ilya offered prayers in the underground cathedral.

For Ilya, praying was like entering closed-door training.

People visited to see her and prayed earnestly again and again.

We humbly report to the Crimson God.

The reason the world has been peaceful recently is all because the Crimson God looked down...

The number 13 symbolizing the destruction of order.

But 13 also meant birth.

It means the existing order is destroyed and a new order is born.

However, people weren't sure who exactly would lead that order.

So they just prayed.

For the being they believed in to become the master of the new order.

We devote ourselves to God Eun-ha.

We beseech the Crimson God.

We hope for the Crimson Lord.

During that period, Eun-ha Faith accepted several times more new believers than existing believers.

☆

News of the unprecedented disaster spread far to the north.

"Master... passed away?"

"Yes, that... It would be better to read the details in this newspaper, Senior Eun-hyeok."

Northern Gyeonggi, Uijeongbu.

Choi Eun-hyeok, who was focusing on northern development leading Pandora Clan members, received the news on the day <Sword Empress> passed away.

"..."

Choi Eun-hyeok was at a loss for words seeing the smartphone his junior clan member brought.

His pupils shook greatly.

Though he knew about the Mines' appearance, he believed the Twelve Seats and Pandora Clan would somehow resolve it well.

But the damage was severe.

Pandora Clan members lost 11 people in this incident.

Three were killed by Beelzebub, and eight were killed by Abaddon.

There were far more injured.

Even Eun-ha couldn't do anything...

Are there still three of those guys left?

Choi Eun-hyeok gritted his teeth.

He wondered if he could have reduced casualties if he had participated in the Seven Devils subjugation battle and fought together with clan members.

It was pointless to think about it now.

However, seeing that Eun-ha and clan members were defeated, and even his master was defeated, the enemies seemed formidable.

I need to check information on the enemies.

Choi Eun-hyeok immediately made a phone call.

[Hello? Choi Eun-hyeok? What's up?]

"Oh, Min-ji. I wanted to know how the situation turned out... And I'm also curious about how Master came to pass away..."

[You could have just asked Seo-na comfortably instead of me. Seo-na is also hospitalized after getting injured fighting Abaddon last time.]

"What, really?"

[Seo-na didn't tell you? Sigh, anyway, here's what happened...]

Kim Min-ji explained in detail what he was curious about.

Including <Sword Empress> Hwang Jin-hee's advice.

"I see, Master..."

Choi Eun-hyeok bowed his head deeply.

He didn't expect Hwang Jin-hee to depart like this.

But he couldn't stay depressed.

The war with the Seven Devils wasn't over yet.

"So you're saying there will be a decisive battle 2 weeks later?"

[Yes, that's right. So the kids whose bodies are okay have entered closed-door training now, and other kids plan to enter closed-door training as soon as their bodies recover. I'm going to help those kids as much as I can.]

In that situation, there was only one thing Choi Eun-hyeok could say.

He spoke as if steeling his resolve.

"I'll come down to Seoul too. I want to come and fight together with you guys. Let me do that."

[Hah... I had a feeling you'd say that when you called me. Of course we welcome you. If you're coming down, come quickly. Hae-su oppa is busy working to repair the kids' devices right now. Your devices probably aren't in good condition either since you've been there for quite a while, right?]

"That's right, I'll ask for that too then."

Choi Eun-hyeok gave a bitter smile.

After exchanging recent news with Kim Min-ji, he hung up the phone.

He who had subjugated monsters immediately turned around.

"Senior Eun-hyeok! Where are you going?"

"I'm going back to the hall. Sorry, but can you manage on your own for a while?"

He decided to go down to Seoul right away.

Choi Eun-hyeok bid farewell to the clan members remaining in Uijeongbu.

And when he was alone, his eyes became sharper than ever.

☆

Meanwhile at that time, Pandora Clan Hall.

The Pandora Clan Hall at Seoul Station had its 8th floor and above blown away, and the entire interior was devastated by monster attacks.

The clan hall barely functioned to accommodate clan members.

"Kuk..."

Thanks to Im Ga-eul's quick thinking.

Eun-ha survived safely.

But the backlash was unavoidable.

Rather, his body was in tatters after further overexerting his already weakened body.

Eun-ha, who returned to the clan hall supported by Dominic and clan members, lay down on the bed.

While Eun-ha faced Armageddon, some clan members had turned the clan hall into a ward under Han Seo-hyeon's command.

Oh no, damn it...

By then, Eun-ha lost consciousness.

The consciousness he had been forcibly holding onto snapped as the tension released.

Afterwards, Eun-ha regained consciousness intermittently while receiving treatment.

"No, his condition is too serious. Impurities remaining throughout the mana circuits are interfering with treatment. How did this person fight to end up in this state? Lord! Isn't this too much even for you?"

"My magic won't be of use either. Regrettably, there's not much I can do."

<Crimson Saint> Ilya.

And <Time Witch>.

Eun-ha could hear the two of them speaking while treating him.

"Oppa, are you okay? What happened to your body... Why are there so many wounds..."

"Thank you for protecting us. Yu-seong, you should thank daddy."

"Da! Dada! Da..."

He could also hear Ha Baek-ryeon sniffling.

Han Seo-hyeon brought Noh Yu-seong and spoke to him.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm so powerless. I'm always just being protected by you..."

Lee Yu-jung came and cried too.

She cried for a long time and finally said thank you at the end.

"Those bastards. How dare they do this while we're gone? My brother, what's happened to you..."

"..."

Noh Eun-ah and Ryu Yeon-hwa came too.

Noh Eun-ah cried and raged.

Ryu Yeon-hwa silently held Eun-ha's hand tightly.

I need to get up quickly...

Time passed like that.

After two days, Eun-ha was able to regain consciousness.

"─..."

"Ah, you're awake? How are you? How's your body?"

When he came to.

The first thing Eun-ha saw was Jung Ha-yang.

It seemed to be Jung Ha-yang's turn to nurse him.

She was looking down at Eun-ha with a gentle face.

"...How long has it been?"

"It's been two days since you collapsed. If you had woken up even a day later, we were thinking of using an elixir."

Jung Ha-yang kindly informed him.

She was stroking her belly.

Eun-ha painfully reached out his hand.

He moved his hand wrapped in bandages and touched her belly.

"How are you? Is the baby okay?"

"Tsk, you should worry about yourself first after waking up, not me?"

Jung Ha-yang snorted.

But she seemed pleased to receive Eun-ha's concern.

She placed her hand over Eun-ha's hand and told him.

"We're safe, thanks to you. The baby in my belly is healthy."

"That's a relief."

"Now that you're awake, I'll call the others. Everyone wanted to see you so badly."

"No, it's okay. It might get noisy and I won't be able to talk well."

Jung Ha-yang was about to get up.

Eun-ha stopped her.

She sat back down.

Eun-ha turned his body.

Looking up at the ceiling, he asked.

"The clan members? How is everyone's condition?"

Many people were hurt when Abaddon attacked the clan hall.

And considerable damage must have occurred while fighting Beelzebub.

"We lost 11 people this time. 8 clan members died fighting Abaddon, and 3 clan members died fighting Beelzebub."

"I see..."

Jung Ha-yang spoke with a dark face.

Eun-ha closed his eyes while listening to her report.

He paid his respects to their deaths.

Then he opened his eyes.

"What about Eun-woo? I saw Min-ji barely saving her after she was attacked by Armageddon..."

"She opened her eyes yesterday and entered training saying she didn't need rehabilitation."

"She's pushing herself too hard... But I'm glad. That she didn't die."

"Yeah."

"Tell me more about what else happened."

It had been 2 days since Eun-ha lost consciousness.

A lot had happened during that time.

Outwardly, Eun-ha was said to be in training preparing for the final battle.

It was to stabilize public sentiment.

If news spread that he was fighting for his life, public sentiment could have been greatly shaken.

So Su-bin became a Mine...

Should I be happy that our forces have been strengthened?

Meanwhile, Eun-ha was also able to hear news about Bae Su-bin.

He decided to be glad that she survived by overcoming Beelzebub's infection.

"Seo-na and Ga-yeon were also discharged from the hospital yesterday and decided to prepare for the final battle. They said they couldn't just rest comfortably when so many people were injured..."

"Those kids should rest a bit more too..."

"That's what I want to say to you."

"...Sorry."

"It can't be helped. You're my husband, but you're also people's hero."

Jung Ha-yang gave a bitter smile.

She stroked Eun-ha's head.

"And Eun-hyeok came down to Seoul and entered closed-door training too."

"Eun-hyeok too?"

"Yeah, I guess he thought he couldn't just stay still after seeing what happened to us this time. And there's also what happened to <Sword Empress>-nim..."

"I see, that makes sense. Then I can't just lie here either. Can you... call the kids outside and have them take me to the training room?"

"Ilya unni said you should rest for a few days."

"Don't worry, my body is tough."

Eun-ha smiled faintly.

He struggled to raise his upper body.

His body screamed in pain.

Nevertheless, Eun-ha forced a smile, trying to reassure Jung Ha-yang.

But rather, that appearance made her worry more.

"We gathered a total of 4 elixirs this time using all the power of the group. They're from Alice, Luminous, and Hana Group. The remaining one is what Sirius gave us before."

"..."

"We used 3 of them to treat Eun-woo and people in critical condition. Now there's only 1 left."

"You did well. There must be people in more dire straits than me. Ah, what about Uncle Bruno's arm?"

"...We haven't treated it yet."

Jung Ha-yang spoke carefully.

She was watching his reaction.

Eun-ha understood her feelings.

As Noh Eun-ha's wife, Jung Ha-yang surely wanted to use the elixir on him.

But as Pandora Clan's sub-lord, she had to prioritize saving clan members who could die immediately without the elixir.

"Uncle Bruno is also... A disease causing skin decay at the amputation site has developed... They say even amputation won't help."

"Use it on Uncle Bruno right away."

"Uncle Bruno says to use it on you..."

Jung Ha-yang bowed her head deeply.

Her shoulders trembled.

Depending on her choice, one person could die.

No, that's not it.

Though my mana circuits are damaged... I probably won't die.

Eun-ha's body was intact.

Though his insides were twisted, it wasn't to the point of imminent death.

That's why Pandora Clan members didn't treat Eun-ha with the elixir.

They used it on people in more critical condition than him.

And now only 1 remained.

"Ha-yang."

"...Huh?"

"I'm fine."

Eun-ha painfully reached out his hand.

He pulled Jung Ha-yang's cheek.

Tears fell.

Eun-ha kissed her.

She surrendered her body obediently.

"Knowing Uncle Bruno's personality, he probably said to just let him die and not worry about him, use it on me. And that's really what should be done... so I can fight Armageddon."

"..."

"But it's okay. There's a way. So use that on Uncle Bruno."

"Then what about you..."

Eun-ha placed his hand on Jung Ha-yang's belly.

Wrapped in bandages, he couldn't really feel her belly.

But that didn't matter.

Eun-ha gave a bitter smile.

"You know, right? There's a box... under the bed in my room."

"You don't mean that?"

"Yeah, that's right. I'll use that. So can you have the kids bring it here?"

"But that's..."

Watching the battle between Hwang Jin-hee and Armageddon.

Eun-ha realized that in the opponent's myth, he had to fight using only internal mana.

But for him with little internal mana, relying on internal mana to fight was too disadvantageous.

Nevertheless, if he couldn't manifest myth, he had no choice but to fight relying on internal mana.

There's not much time left.

It might be better to focus more on what I'm familiar with rather than something I can't grasp well.

Find your own myth.

That's what Hwang Jin-hee had said.

But time was short.

Eun-ha understood very well that finding the key to myth was like grasping at clouds.

So realistically, what he could do was improve his constitution.

It was all or nothing.

"It's okay, I'm confident I can win."

"..."

"If I can't even overcome that, I won't be able to defeat Armageddon. Ah, did the baby just kick? Right?"

"Kik, yeah, that's right. The baby is telling daddy to work hard."

Eat Belphegor's inner pill.

Use the power of the inner pill to improve the chronic disease his heart has had all this time.