Chapter 99

## Chapter 99. Immortal Demon God (1)

"Hanam is still peaceful compared to the other areas."

"It wasn't turned into a battlefield during the last Scenario. Cheon Sangwoon didn't attack Hanam either."

As Seok Taejun and Joo Minha said, Hanam was just as peaceful as when Kang Yujin had visited before.

"The civilians look cheerful too. This... means the fact that Ha Mina died hasn't been made public."

"What? Does that even make sense?"

"The surrounding area is probably under complete control of Church headquarters."

"Unbelievable..."

Lee Jukheon looked dumbfounded.

"Then should we just expose everything? Tell everyone Ha Mina already died a long time ago and the Church executives have been running everything?"

"You plan to run around shouting it through the neighborhood? Better not."

"Seok Taejun is right. This isn't something we can decide on our own."

Joo Minha turned his head.

"Wouldn't you agree?"

"More or less."

Won Pilso, one of the Eight Guardians, nodded.

Ever since Kang Yujin had thoroughly beaten him last time, Won Pilso had maintained a cooperative stance.

His alliance with Jegal Geum also remained solid.

In truth, Won Pilso had made a very good choice.

When Cheon Sangwoon's subordinates advanced south during the Scenario, Jegal Geum helped him.

And after Cheon Sangwoon fell, he was able to advance into Gangnam together with Jegal Geum.

"The Church's influence in this region is enormous. It's better not to act rashly. And..."

"Won Pilso."

Kang Yujin cut him off.

"According to everything we know, the Church no longer has any value as an organization."

"..."

"The great and virtuous Church Leader is dead, and the executives took control of the Church while committing all kinds of atrocities. They need to be punished."

"But... it's also true that the Church maintained stability in this region."

"Once the truth comes out, they won't be able to perform that role anymore anyway."

"That's... true."

Unless everything was completely buried, the Church would inevitably collapse when the truth came out.

"Let's at least hear what the Church executives have to say. We can take harsher measures after that."

Won Pilso turned his gaze forward.

The headquarters building of the Church.

The same place Kang Yujin had visited before with Lee Hyunje.

***

"Hmm..."

I leaned against the back of my chair while watching Kang Yujin's group enter the headquarters building.

Number 49 poked their head out beside me.

"What do you think?"

"What do I think? We'll have to watch."

The interior of Church headquarters couldn't be viewed with an observation device.

If I wanted to see inside, the only option was sending an Apostle in to serve as a cameraman.

"I'll inspect the other areas until they come back out."

I manipulated the floating screens.

I mainly adjusted them to monitor the northern part of the Capital Region, which had recently caught my attention.

"Then I'll get going. I have a lot to do."

"You seem busy."

"Almost all of it is work you assigned me!"

Number 49 complained, but I ignored it.

"Wait."

While rearranging the screens, I felt something was off.

The area around the headquarters building Kang Yujin's group had just entered looked strange.

"Number 49."

"Yes?"

"Weren't there quite a few people passing through there a moment ago?"

"Huh?"

Number 49 looked at the screen in confusion.

"Oh?"

"Strangely... there's no one now."

The area around headquarters was normally fairly busy.

Yet not a single person was walking by now.

"What's going on?"

"..."

I bit my lip and checked the surroundings.

Then I remembered seeing something similar before.

"Number 49."

"Yes, Nameless."

"I need you to go down to the surface quickly."

"Something serious is happening."

Number 49 no longer joked around.

Their expression became serious.

"Should I enter the headquarters building and start broadcasting immediately?"

"Yes, but before that..."

While manipulating several windows at once and analyzing the local situation, I gave Number 49 an instruction.

"Ask Daji to move."

***

"What the hell? Why is nobody here?"

"Kang Yujin, was it like this before?"

"When I came with Lee Hyunje before, there were plenty of people."

The group entered headquarters and found an empty lobby.

When Kang Yujin visited previously, ordinary believers and staff had been everywhere.

Now there was no one.

"What happened here?"

"Hm... Did they run away in the middle of the night?"

Won Pilso rubbed his chin.

"The Church executives have committed plenty of crimes. It's entirely possible they ran before we could storm in."

"..."

Kang Yujin bit his lip after hearing that.

He hadn't expected them to act this irresponsibly.

"We need to look deeper inside."

Kang Yujin strode farther into the building.

He followed the same route he had been guided along before.

No one appeared there either.

"What is this place?"

"The room where the Church Leader was being confined."

The room where he had met Daji disguised as Ha Mina was empty too.

"If we go out the window and turn a few times... there should be stairs leading underground."

"K-Kang Yujin! Wait!"

Kang Yujin suddenly jumped out the window.

Seok Taejun and the others hurried after him.

Retracing the escape route from before, they eventually found the stairway he remembered.

They hadn't gone down it that day, but it looked suspicious at a glance.

"Kang Yujin, is there something down here?"

"I smell something."

"A smell?"

"Chemicals."

The others sniffed the air.

"I don't smell anything."

"Me neither..."

"I do."

Kang Yujin immediately began descending.

The others hurried after him.

"Kang Yujin, could it be..."

"It's faint, but I know this smell."

There was no doubt.

Underground was a research facility like the place where he had once been imprisoned, or like the Central Sanctuary in Cheonan.

"Here?"

After forcing his way through several blocked doors, they found an iron door labeled [Waste Storage].

The faint smell seemed to be coming from beyond it.

"Let's go in."

"Hey, Kang Yujin... I've got a bad feeling about this."

Won Pilso muttered from behind, but Kang Yujin ignored him.

When he opened the door, the sight beyond resembled the underground level of the Central Sanctuary.

"What is this? Research rooms?"

"There are rows of laboratories used for all kinds of experiments, similar to the Central Sanctuary."

Joo Minha inspected the rooms one by one.

"However, unlike the Central Sanctuary, there are no test subjects. Nothing remains."

At the Central Sanctuary, numerous monsters had been sealed inside glass tanks while fluids were being extracted from them.

Here, the tanks were empty.

"Either everything was disposed of, or..."

"..."

Listening to Joo Minha, Kang Yujin continued down the corridor.

At the far end stood a massive steel door.

"This looks like the real thing."

"Kang Yujin."

Won Pilso grabbed his shoulder.

"This... feels extremely dangerous. I think we should retreat for now, call more people, and return later."

"..."

His expression was serious.

Won Pilso was an S-rank Contractor and one of the Eight Guardians.

If even someone like him sensed danger...

Something extraordinary was definitely on the other side.

"Then you go back first."

"What?"

"I need to check."

"Hey, Kang Yujin!"

What if some incredibly dangerous monster was waking up beyond the door?

If they retreated, then returned later, it might escape and harm nearby civilians.

"I don't want to get scared and retreat here."

"Hey! You people stop him!"

Won Pilso shouted at the others.

But they only shook their heads helplessly.

"Leave him. It'll work out somehow."

"That bastard never listens anyway."

"The more dangerous the situation, the better."

Won Pilso stared at them in disbelief, then lowered his head in resignation.

He bit his lip and equipped the shield strapped to his back.

"My defense is the best, so I'm going first. Understood?"

Won Pilso was contracted to the A-rank Constellation, Hero of the Heavy Shield.

His defense was the highest among the Eight Guardians.

Especially when manifesting his Constellation Armament, even Cheon Sangwoon or Lee Hyunje would struggle to break through.

"You people really don't know how precious your lives are."

Grumbling harshly, Won Pilso opened the door first.

He cautiously entered with his shield raised.

"Let's go."

Kang Yujin followed, and the other three entered behind him.

"This is..."

"It almost looks like a swimming pool."

At first glance, it really did resemble one.

A rectangular structure filled with water.

There was even a disinfectant smell similar to a swimming pool.

But when they leaned over to look inside...

"Ugh!"

Won Pilso, who had gone first, gasped and stumbled backward.

"What the hell is this?!"

"..."

Kang Yujin bit his lip.

Inside the water were countless corpses.

Monsters and humans mixed together.

"Won Pilso, look over there."

"W-what?"

Joo Minha pointed toward one corner.

"That corpse in the corner... Isn't that Archbishop Mun Gihwan?"

"Ah... I think it is. What the hell happened?"

Everyone stared in confusion at the unexpected scene.

"What is this? Mass suicide because the Church Leader died?"

"Then why are monster corpses mixed in?"

"If there were only human bodies, maybe, but with monster corpses too..."

As the others spoke, Kang Yujin scanned the surroundings.

He had been sensing a faint presence for a while.

I've felt this kind of energy before.

He searched his memory.

When had he felt it?

Right. It was definitely...

When he remembered, Kang Yujin bit his lip and thrust a hand into empty air.

Then he pulled out the Durandal Replica.

"Oh, Kang Yujin. You're using storage space."

The Inventory.

He had wanted one ever since seeing Somungwang use it.

When discussing equipment with Number 49, Kang Yujin had used the donations earned from the Scenario to purchase one.

The price was a shocking 1.5 billion Coins.

But he decided it was essential if he wanted to properly make use of multiple weapons.

"Why are you taking out the Durandal Replica?"

"Something's here."

"What?"

"Everyone, prepare for battle."

Gripping the spear-shaped Durandal Replica tightly, Kang Yujin glared forward.

"It feels similar to when we fought Baphomet."

"...!"

The instant Won Pilso hurriedly raised his shield, Kang Yujin threw the spear.

Then the "glass" in the empty air shattered.

"What?!"

"Something was hidden here?!"

A pillar stood in the middle of the pool-like structure.

On it were a man and a woman.

The woman's face was familiar.

"That's...!"

Everyone froze.

It was the face of someone who should not have been there.

"Ha Mina...?"

Won Pilso muttered in disbelief.

Ha Mina, who was supposedly killed by Daji, stood there alive and unharmed.

And then...

"What a pity."

A refined-looking man spoke while holding Kang Yujin's Durandal Replica in one hand.

"I had planned to rest after finishing the extraction. Are you saying I am not even allowed time to catch my breath?"

Smoke rose from the hand gripping the holy weapon, but he showed no sign of pain.

He merely stared at them with a cold expression.

"Who are you?"

"So. You don't know my name. Though the middle-aged man beside you seems to."

Kang Yujin turned.

Won Pilso's face had gone pale.

His hand was shaking.

"I-I told you we should've retreated and come back later..."

Fear.

The face of Won Pilso, an S-rank Contractor and one of the Eight Guardians who had survived countless battles, was distorted by overwhelming terror.

"I am a Marquis who commands twenty legions. My name is Phenex."

His voice was calm and dignified.

"I am ranked thirty-seventh among the Seventy-Two Demons of Pandemonium, and I serve as the second commander of the Far East... I came here to finish advance preparations with our local collaborator."

Seventy-Two Demons of Pandemonium.

Second Commander of the Far East.

Advance preparations with a local collaborator.

Before they could even process the meaning, Phenex raised his hand.

"Then farewell, human Contractors."

The next instant.

A violent flash swallowed everything.