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My plan was very simple.
If August, with his obsessive collecting nature, surely desired me, he would resort to coercive means to achieve it.
That was the ‘forced contract.’ However, this plan was easily shattered for me, as August realized it was impossible to force a contract with me.
So, it was obvious that he would try to ‘persuade’ me.
August, who valued dignity, favored dialogue over violence.
And the method he chose to take the lead in this conversation was a puppet show using Seyoric.
By portraying Seyoric as the ‘villain,’ pushing the blame onto me, and then dramatically appearing in front of me in danger to rescue me from Seyoric, he aimed to show that he was not a bad person.
Persuading me and leading me to willingly follow him was the grand plan August had envisioned.
It was a means he usually took to sincerely win over someone he liked.
But in my case, by relentlessly blaming Seyoric until he was on the brink of death, I had pushed August into a corner where he had no choice but to intervene.
Up to this point, everything was going according to my plan.
Just by blaming Seyoric, my ‘value’ had increased, and August would try even harder to persuade me.
I would be the one wielding the ‘knife’ in the conversation.
Thus, through conversations with August, I would buy time and, in the meantime, the groundwork I had laid would work to drive August away.
That was the plan I had set in motion. And this plan was progressing very smoothly.
Until August pierced through six barriers underground.
“August, sir!”
With his mouth wide open, Seyoric ran towards where August had disappeared.
“Wow, he’s strong!”
“So strong!”
Lydia and Neil were calmly surprised, clapping.
Han Seyeon seemed delighted to meet me, as if she hadn’t grasped who she had just blown away.
At that moment, only one thought crossed my mind.
“Let’s run.”
I turned around and leaped up the stairs.
Even though August valued dignity, at his core, he was still a ‘mine.’
If he received such a sudden attack, even a superhuman couldn’t engage in a conversation with a smile, let alone a mine.
As I dashed up the stairs, the mine of the Undemon and Lydia and Neil followed behind me.
The twins were like children, and I worried about falling behind, but this was my chance.
Perhaps due to the overflowing magic in their light bodies, the two children showed no signs of struggling.
“Why are we running, Haesol?”
Walking alongside me, Han Seyeon asked in confusion without knowing the reason.
Her expression showed no sign of thinking that the disaster she caused was the reason.
“For now, let’s run.”
I wanted to shout, “It’s because of you,” but since escape was the priority, I started running.
Thud!
At that moment, a lump of magi flew from behind and fell in front of me. The towering magi quickly blocked our path.
“If you leave in the middle of the story, won’t I be left hanging?”
My expression hardened. August was suddenly walking towards us.
And the moment August appeared, the carefree expression on Han Seyeon’s face vanished as if to say, “When did that happen?”
To me, who had always seen Han Seyeon as innocent like a fool, it was a cold expression I had never seen before.
“The kidnapper.”
···Kidnapper? It was when I was taken aback by the words coming out of Han Seyeon’s mouth. Darkness crept over towards August.
Kwaaang!
August blocked the attack without understanding a word. His face was filled with delight.
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Huh? Delight? Why is he······
I was at a loss when the situation turned incomprehensible.
“Perfect!”
“?”
“The coexistence of magi and humans, the ideal form I desired.”
“······.”
My expression twisted at August’s words.
His ecstatic gaze was fixed on Han Seyeon.
Did he hit his head when breaking through the barrier?
Of course, regardless of my bewildered look, his words contained ‘power.’
His voice resonated sweetly in the mind, and his eyes held a captivating power.
It was the ‘Enchantment of Fascination.’
However, the Enchantment of Fascination did not work on Han Seyeon, the contracted of Morudo.
Morudo’s ‘power’ could not be enchanted.
“Make a contract with me······”
Kwaaang!
“A moment to talk···”
Kwaaang!
August tried to converse using the Enchantment of Fascination, but Han Seyeon either remained silent or launched indiscriminate attacks.
Yet, August’s determination to persist in conversation was truly remarkable.
“Hmm.”
I scratched my cheek watching the one-sided attacks unfold.
The unexpected situation was bewildering, but in any case, it seemed like things were resolving.
‘It’s all over.’
I smiled as I watched the bracelet on my wrist glow blue.
***
In the midst of an unexpected situation unfolding underground, a tedious confrontation continued on the surface.
“Aren! Don’t cower up there, come down!”
“If you dare, you come up here too.”
With Manticores’ wings fluttering, Aren, arms crossed, mocked Paut who was on the ground.
However, in reality, Aren was also struggling to properly attack Paut.
Paut, possessing the ability to move through subspace, effortlessly slipped away into subspace whenever Aren attempted to attack.
“I have to go in directly.”
Paut creates his subspace within a certain range.
To catch Paut within his subspace, Aren had no choice but to enter the creature’s subspace as well.
And it was after Aren roughly understood how Paut’s subspace looked.
“It’s water.”
Paut was utilizing the power of ‘water.’ And whenever Paut drew water up, a subspace inevitably opened.
“The issue is entering his subspace is a gamble.”
“If it’s just water, there’s no need to be afraid.”
Swish.
A surge of electricity emitted from his right hand. It was the arm of Cyclops, a 6-star beast that had wreaked havoc on several mid-tier guilds in Gangwon Province.
Whoosh!
As Manticores’ wings folded, Aren began to descend like a lightning bolt.
“No matter how many times you try that…”
Paut vanished, opening subspace.
Aren swooped towards the disappearing subspace as if he would crash into the ground.
With a sensation of crossing dimensions, Aren’s body was immersed in the cold water.
【hahahaha! Madman!】
In the dark water where no light shone, Paut’s voice echoed in all directions.
Splash!
In an instant, Aren’s shoulder burst out from the water’s magic.
【You can’t sense my presence here. There’s no sight either. You’re finished.】
Just as Paut boasted.
Aren couldn’t even tell where Paut was, let alone see anything.
Yet, despite knowing this fact, a smile crept onto Aren’s lips.
“If you can’t see, just blow the space itself away.”
Swish!
Cyclops’ grip glowed blue.
The surge of electricity Aren had gathered even before entering the subspace spread in all directions through the water.
【aaargh!】
Paut’s scream tore through the air, and the subspace shattered.
As the water disappeared, a cold air rushed over his body.
“Phew! Thought I was a goner.”
Aren, out of the subspace, gasped for breath like a drowning rat.
Beside him, Paut, charred by the electricity, flopped down like a fish.
“I’m staking everything on a tiny space like a mouse’s tail.”
“Argh!”
Arlen turned his gaze, pressing his foot against Paut’s abdomen.
Where his gaze landed.
Maril was engaged in a fierce battle, blood splattering, against the disciples of Eternity.
***
“Hmph! Do you think you can sever my ties with such things?!”
Clang!
Cheon Woo-jin’s sword clashed against Maril’s spider silk, resonating with a metallic echo.
Clang clang clang!
Buddy shoes struck one after another, knocking away the spider silk, and Nikolai furrowed his brow.
The strength of Maril’s spider silk was so remarkable that merely knocking it away was a feat.
Swish!
With each strike of the spider silk, the surrounding scenery was cut away.
A tremendous sharpness that could sever limbs with a mere misstep. However, its weakness was also evident.
“Explosion!”
Boom!
From Amelia’s hand, dozens, hundreds of flames spread like small embers.
The spider silk splattered with flames visibly sizzled.
With Amelia’s immense magical power, as she scattered flames in all directions, there was no trace of the spider silk left.
“How dare you!”
Dressed with flames in her hair, Maril screamed.
Already weakened by Elaine’s curse magic, avoiding all the flames was difficult for Maril. Her singed hair turned her eyes pitch black.
“How dare you touch my head! Die!”
───────!
Numerous blood threads, dyed red like blood, aimed at Amelia from all directions.
Startled, Amelia cast fire magic repeatedly, but the blood threads were unfazed by the flames.
“Amelia, focus on the front!”
“I got it!”
At Eun-ga-ye’s shout, Amelia concentrated the flames she spread in all directions towards the front blood threads.
However, the blood threads launched by Maril made only a slight change, rushing towards Amelia without any decrease in speed.
“Phew.”
Eun-ga-ye, calming her breath, gazed at the narrowing red blood threads with serene eyes.
All surrounding noise and background disappeared, leaving only the red blood threads in her world.
Without imbuing any magic into her sword, Eun-ga-ye stared at the approaching blood threads with emotionless eyes.
Only one chance to cut the threads.
If she fails, both she and Amelia will die.
Swish!
The sharp sound of the blood threads cutting through the air reached her ears.
And Eun-ga-ye’s sword descended.
The moment her sword touched the spider silk, it contained magic.
──Shock Blade.
Explosively bursting magic cut through the crimson spider silk.
Boom!
A deafening roar echoed as the gravity magic, slicing through the blood silk, aimed for Maril, crushing the ground beneath.
“How dare you!”
In front of the enraged Maril, hundreds of strands of blood silk coiled together, forming a wall.
Boom!
The clash between the gravity magic and the blood silk wall caused more than half of it to shatter.
“Argh!”
Blood sprayed from Maril’s lips due to the shock transmitted through the blood silk.
However, there was no time to rest. Taking advantage of Maril’s distraction by Eungaye, Cheon Woojin rushed in.
“No matter how many times I’m told I’m useless…!”
Despite being pushed back and falling, Cheon Woojin’s relentless charge seemed to irk Maril, who, with a ferocious expression, roughly tore Cheon Woojin’s dress.
“Die!”
As the torn dress fluttered open, a bundle of crimson spider silk surged like lightning towards Cheon Woojin.
Cheon Woojin, who even ordinary blood silk couldn’t cut through, naturally couldn’t withstand the reinforced spider silk.
But.
Swoosh─
“What?!”
Maril’s eyes widened in disbelief at the crescent moon-like blue blade cutting through the blood silk and approaching.
Squelch─.
Maril’s right arm was severed and fell to the ground with a thud.
“aaargh!”
Boom!
Along with the tearing screams, the torn dress lashed out in all directions, striking Cheon Woojin.
“Ugh!”
Hit in the abdomen, Cheon Woojin spurted blood like a fountain and soared through the air.
“I’ll kill youuu─!”
Enraged, Maril tried to entangle Cheon Woojin with the spider silk before he hit the ground.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Kagagagang!
Nikolai rushed in and cut through the spider silk. However, after enduring only a few seconds, Buddishu began to be severed by the spider silk.
“No…!”
“Get out of the way!”
Eungaye, who had thrown Nikolai aside, wielded her sword.
Swish!
The gravity blade pressed down on the spider silk, causing it to fall. Yet, it couldn’t cut through the spider silk, and Eungaye grimaced as she stepped back.
Boom!
Amelia’s fire magic, Elaine’s debuffs, none of it left a trace on the spider silk.
The spider web dyed pitch black. It was Maril’s final stronghold. The spider web known as the ‘Black Death,’ the ‘Black Plague.’
The Black Plague extended as if to chase Cheon Woo-jin, who was rising hesitantly, all the way to the depths of hell.
Watching the approaching Black Plague, Cheon Woo-jin hardened his expression and gripped his sword. On his sword, a blue hue, stained by the blood of the Blood Lord, appeared. And thus, it was time for Cheon Woo-jin to swing his sword towards the approaching Black Plague.
Suddenly, the air around him trembled.
In the next moment, Cheon Woo-jin’s eyes snapped open.
“!”
The threads of death rushing towards him were all cut off at once.
“…Annoying, go away.”
A voice filled with irritation, as if annoyed. A strong scent of musk pierced through the air.
Suddenly, next to Cheon Woo-jin, stood a man with a rough, fierce appearance and blonde hair.
Without even glancing at the man, Cheon Woo-jin realized that he bore a striking resemblance to someone he knew.
‘Nikolai.’
However, there was none of Nikolai’s neatness to be found in the man.
“My, my, my Black Plague…”
The man, who seemed exasperated, casually drew his sword as if brushing off Maril like trash.
Yet, the casually drawn sword created a result that was anything but casual.
A line cutting through space.
Thud.
Maril’s head rolled to the ground.
“…What?”
Everyone froze at the surreal sight. A woman in a belated uniform bowed to the man.
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“Vice Chairman, I apologize for being late.”
“Vice Chairman?”
Eungaye’s eyes widened.
“Come in.”
The man who entered the cathedral entrance without attracting any attention was Golgof Ovoren, the Vice Chairman of the Association of the Great Ones.