842

 [Chapter 211]

[Seven Devils (2)]

After Choi Eun-hyeok left for Uijeongbu.

Jin Seo-na felt lonely.

At first, she thought she could endure it well, but that wasn't the case.

As time passed, she unconsciously looked for Choi Eun-hyeok's empty space.

Forget it, I have to forget.

Each time, she calmed her heart.

She tried hard not to make time to be immersed in memories by focusing on work.

It was somewhat effective.

Jin Seo-na became a workaholic, but she no longer felt depressed.

Instead, anger built up in her chest.

What on earth is that person choosing?

Did he have to bring me...

Stress from overwork.

The anger she usually held inside would explode whenever she faced her family from KK Pharmaceuticals.

Especially towards her mother, whom she encountered the most.

It was just annoying.

Today was the same.

Jin Seo-na had to go shopping forcibly, led by her mother's hand.

"Seo-na, isn't this pretty?"

"Yes, it is. It's pretty."

"Ah, this is nice too. Don't you think?"

"Yes, it is."

"..."

YH Department Store Apgujeong Branch in Gangnam-gu.

Her mother led Jin Seo-na around looking at bags.

Jin Seo-na formally agreed with her mother.

It was a voice without even a soul.

Her mother silently smiled and took her somewhere else.

Did I receive the Former Ain Association's sponsorship for nothing?

If I knew it would be like this, I should have clearly said I'd just eat.

Jin Seo-na sighed quietly.

In the process of establishing the Former Ain Association, she received sponsorship from KK Group, which had connections with her mother.

At that time, her mother said she wanted to spend time with her regularly as a condition for sponsoring.

Jin Seo-na readily agreed.

As a result, she often went out with her mother.

Her cunning mother brought up the idea of looking around after eating, making it impossible to refuse.

"It's nice being with you like this. Se-na rarely tries to come out of her room."

"You should drag her out forcibly. Like you're doing to me now. That child too..."

"You're the older sister, so take good care of her."

"If I take care of her, won't that child go crazy and throw a fit? Anyway, shouldn't she come out sometimes and get some sunlight to be healthy?"

Jin Seo-na replied grumpily.

She didn't dislike her mother.

It had already been 11 years since she became a direct descendant of KK Pharmaceuticals.

Except for her father who lived away from home.

And Jin Se-na who developed anthropophobia and panic disorder after Hong Jin-woo, the direct descendant of Dangun Group, died.

Her mother was on the good side.

Nevertheless, Jin Seo-na ignored her.

The resentment of being abandoned as a child was great.

No, she could have forgotten that resentment too after meeting good people.

So what remained in her heart now was─

─Don't give your heart, you shouldn't give it.

It was simple stubbornness.

Jin Seo-na clearly felt drawn to her mother.

Nevertheless, the feeling of betraying her foster mother and church people who raised her, along with various other emotions, were complexly intertwined to create stubbornness.

"Yes... I should lead Se-na well so she can come out too. It would be nice if someday we could eat out together, you and me and Se-na."

"It would be nice if that could really happen. Though I'm not sure if it really will..."

In fact, it was an amazing change that Jin Seo-na came out to eat with her mother.

She answered in an uninterested tone and moved her feet.

It was then.

She noticed someone standing still ahead.

"Seo-na?"

"Wait a moment, mother."

Jin Seo-na reflexively spread her hand, stopping her mother from going forward anymore.

Without answering her mother's question.

She watched the person standing still, mixed among the people.

This feeling is strange.

What is that person doing?

A man who looked somewhat dull.

A man who seemed to be about 2m tall was standing still and looking around.

Jin Seo-na's intuition was telling her the man was dangerous.

"Let's go back, mother."

"Seo-na? What's wrong? Why suddenly..."

"We can go shopping again next time. Let's go home quickly. I'll take you home."

Jin Seo-na hurriedly pulled back.

She grabbed her mother and tried to turn back the way they came.

The anomaly occurred right then.

"Customer? Do you need anything..."

"What kind of leather is this...?"

"Ah, this is..."

"Not that."

"Pardon?"

"Your leather."

"...Pardon?"

"Looks delicious."

Crunch!

""""...."""

"The skin is soft, nice."

It happened in an instant.

Jin Seo-na stopped in her tracks at the aura bursting from behind.

She turned around.

The man was almost swallowing the female employee whole with his mouth open so wide it could be called grotesque.

Kyaaaaaaah!!

That's when people reacted.

The man swung his hand.

The man's hand stretched out and caught a person trying to flee in a hurry.

Thud! Thud!

The man mercilessly slammed the person he caught on the floor.

The person who was screaming at first soon lost their life after hitting the floor for the second time.

The man who swallowed the female employee also devoured the person he caught.

The sound of bones breaking created even more fear.

"There's really a lot to eat?"

The man split his mouth.

At those words, suddenly swarms of monsters reminiscent of locusts appeared everywhere.

They were Hopper-type monsters.

Crash!!

Windows shattered.

Swarms of locusts poured in endlessly from outside too.

The monsters filling the entire floor devoured the people in sight.

"S-Seo-na, this is..."

"Hold on tight!"

What is this happening in Seoul protected by the Cocoon?

Jin Seo-na gave up trying to understand.

Instead, she decided to carry her mother and leave the place.

She couldn't kill that man alone.

Although it was terribly sorry for the people in the department store, she decided to prioritize her and her mother's lives.

"...A fox. Looks delicious. I want to eat it."

The problem was that the man happened to spot her, who survived the locust swarm, as prey.

"Abaddon, chase."

Seven Devil Abaddon.

Due to Abaddon's power, YH Department Store was completely sealed off by the monsters inside.

There was no way for people to escape.

☆

At that time, Sinnyongsan Station.

<Silver Bullet> Son Ga-yeon was preparing to return to the clan hall after finishing her mission.

It was a light mission.

Investigating whether a woman was having an affair, as her husband was anxious.

Son Ga-yeon confirmed the subject entering a motel in a quiet alley and engaging in an affair.

There are many different kinds of people in the world.

It was quite shocking even for Son Ga-yeon.

She thought she knew everything there was to know, but the adult world was just surprising.

"Lalala...♪"

Even Lala, who came along saying she was bored, blushed.

Lala was covering her eyes with both hands, as if that scene kept coming to mind.

But Son Ga-yeon knew.

That Lala was pretending to cover with her hands, but saw that scene through her fingers.

Anyway, Son Ga-yeon informed the man of the results.

And leaving the depressed man behind, she was waiting for the subway to return to the clan hall.

「Lala.」

"Lalala?"

「Want to listen to music?」

"Lalala♪"

It would be quick by subway, but.

Son Ga-yeon was bored just sitting still.

She decided to listen to music.

Lala welcomed it too.

She soon handed one earbud to Lala.

Lala, sitting on her shoulder, struggled to receive the earbud with both hands.

Soon she enjoyed the music.

Lala was absorbed in the music too.

Another day ends like this.

There was time before the subway came.

Son Ga-yeon closed her eyes to focus on the music.

It felt like her mind was clearing.

Then suddenly she felt hungry.

She thought about contacting On Tae-hee and asking to have dinner together.

She should ask Seon Mi-ye too.

The three of them having dinner together after a long time.

───!!

Eventually she heard the subway sound.

Son Ga-yeon opened her eyes.

Ah, is it delayed today? It's coming late.

Unfortunately, the subway was coming from the opposite side.

Son Ga-yeon clicked her tongue.

She decided to listen to music again.

She decided to, but─

"─...?"

Son Ga-yeon suddenly turned her gaze to a man standing on the opposite side.

Is he in a band?

A man carrying a guitar case.

Purple dyed hair.

Yellow sunglasses.

Quite a lot of piercings.

Sticking out his tongue.

There was a piercing on his tongue too.

Overall, he gave a frivolous impression.

Anyway, he stood out.

Amazing to walk around outside in that outfit.

Is he going to Hongdae?

Around that time, the subway was coming from Son Ga-yeon's direction too.

Son Ga-yeon took her eyes off the man and tried to board the subway that was about to stop.

Is he smiling?

The subway coming from the opposite side stopped.

The doors opened.

The man didn't board the subway.

He just kept giggling with his hands in his pockets, in the same state as when she first noticed him.

What a strange person.

Could he be crazy?

Son Ga-yeon tried to ignore him.

Now she waited for the doors of the subway in front of her to open.

Just then─

─Magic!?

She immediately sensed an aura as she was about to enter the doors.

Son Ga-yeon quickly pulled her foot back and stepped backwards while protecting Lala.

Right at that moment, an explosion occurred.

Boom boom boom boom boom!!!

Two subway trains exploded simultaneously.

The subway interior was engulfed in flames, and people about to board the subway screamed everywhere.

The ceiling collapsed from the impact, unfortunately blocking the holes for people to escape.

What on earth...

What happened!?

An explosion in the middle of Seoul.

This was terrorism.

Son Ga-yeon turned her gaze to the person who caused the explosion.

"It's showtiiiiime!!!"

The man with the frivolous impression.

The man raised both arms high and shouted amidst people's screams.

He was clearly insane.

However, saving people from the burning subway was a priority over catching the man.

To the players─

─No, communication isn't working.

Son Ga-yeon frowned.

Was it because of the explosion just now?

Suddenly her mana state wasn't good.

All electronic equipment's communication was cut off.

Then, Son Ga-yeon paused.

────!!!

The sound of a subway coming from the other side.

A subway that hadn't heard the news of the explosion was coming in.

There was no time to stop it.

The subway coming from the other side seemed to belatedly notice the disaster.

But it couldn't stop.

In the end─

─Boom boom boom boom boom!!

The subway crashed into the subway.

The subway that derailed flew up and fell onto the platform.

The situation grew uncontrollably larger.

It didn't stop there, and a large-scale mana disturbance began to occur.

Grrrr!!

Kieeek!!

Monsters appeared.

Even though Seoul was protected by the Cocoon, high-rank monsters appeared in large numbers.

Son Ga-yeon was stunned for a moment at this sight.

"It's Samael's debut day! Fall into chaos to your heart's content! Go into chaos!!!"

☆

Also at that time, Dongjak Station.

Eun-ha, who had visited the clan hall in Sadang Station, got off the subway on his way to Seoul Station.

Suddenly he thought of the dead clan members.

I wonder if the kids are doing well.

Eun-ha walked out of Dongjak Station and headed to the nearby National Cemetery.

All the players who died in the Second Uijeongbu Recapture Battle were enshrined there.

It was the same for Pandora Clan members.

Oh Seong-hwan, Gu Young-bin, Seon Ji-su, Baek Hee-jun.

The tombstones of those four were there too.

Eun-ha bought alcohol from a convenience store and found their tombstones.

"It's been a while. Have you been well?"

"Peep peep peep papa papa pupu!"

There were no graves, only tombstones erected.

Eun-ha sat on the dirt ground and greeted them after a long time.

Pandora Clan members visited here once a year to comfort the dead clan members.

This year they came 6 months ago.

"I just suddenly thought of you and came to visit."

There really was no other reason.

He suddenly thought of them.

As he paid attention to clan members, he felt more sorry for the dead clan members too.

Soon Eun-ha placed cups of alcohol he poured in front of their tombstones.

"Eun-hyeok quit being Sub-lord and went up to Uijeongbu. Probably when the contracts of the clan members who went with him end, Eun-hyeok will leave the clan too."

He lost a precious friend.

No, he didn't lose him.

They just decided to go different paths because their paths diverged.

Still, he couldn't help feeling gloomy.

He usually didn't show it, but coming to a place where no one could see him, such sentiments crept up.

He shouldn't become weak.

Not to his wives, not to clan members.

"So you listen."

It's whining, I know.

Eun-ha gave a bitter smile.

When he emptied the alcohol bottle, he would shake it off and move forward again.

Then a thought occurred to him.

Eun-ha looked at the tombstone with Oh Seong-hwan's name written on it.

"Come to think of it, you admired me too. Eun-hyeok improved somewhat, but you had a severe case."

Oh Seong-hwan who admired him.

As far as Eun-ha knew, Oh Seong-hwan's personality resembled Choi Eun-hyeok's.

So when Oh Seong-hwan was alive, he got along well with Choi Eun-hyeok.

"Would you have been disappointed in me too?"

If Oh Seong-hwan were alive.

Would Oh Seong-hwan have felt disillusioned with him for killing Lee Cheon-seo and his comrades?

He didn't know.

There was no use asking the deceased.

Eun-ha gave up on hearing an answer.

He decided to get up.

"I don't know. I'll get up now. I'll come visit again next year with the clan members. I'll show you my son then too."

Even in death, he wouldn't be able to meet them.

Where he would go would be different from them.

Eun-ha greeted them and turned his back.

He decided to return to the clan hall.

It was then.

────!!

Suddenly the ground shook.

It wasn't an illusion.

The ground started collapsing as if an earthquake had occurred.

And strange tentacles were revealing themselves through the split ground.

Could this be...!?

At the same time, a fierce aura felt throughout the National Cemetery.

Eun-ha, who avoided the attack from the tentacles by manifesting his internal mana, assessed the situation.

He looked around.

People were fleeing in shock at the sudden anomaly.

Then, there was one man standing still on the other side.

They've appeared.

A man dressed just like a magician.

He looked suspicious at a glance.

 Above all, Eun-ha had a memory related to the man in his mind.

It's a Mine.

The Bears' terror attack has begun.

Kuaaak!!

The ground rises like a mountain.

The National Cemetery transforms in an instant.

Monsters appear everywhere.

Demon-type monsters.

There was no doubt.

Eun-ha was certain of the Mine's identity.

He gritted his teeth.

"Mammon... In this life, are you trying to turn the National Cemetery into a Pandemonium?"

Pandemonium, which grants powerful strength to Demon-type monsters and Mines.

A Mine that forcibly changes the environment like this to create a pseudo-dungeon.

It was Mammon.

☆

The terror didn't stop here.

At the same time.

Mines appeared all over Seoul and caused terror attacks.

The Mana Management Organization confirmed the number of Mines that appeared.

"Kkulkkul."

The number was six in total.

Armageddon, the one who hadn't revealed himself yet, also started to move.