episode_0234

“If we enter beyond that split sky, well, that is, assuming what I know isn’t wrong, you see.”

Haru, with a large bump on her head, continued speaking with a gloomy expression. She was clearly one of the most powerful individuals present, but…

“…Hmm hmm, naturally, there will be hundreds, even thousands, of those giants sprawled out, and some ‘entity’ will be waiting above them, you know.”

It was also true that she couldn’t dare to maintain her pride in front of Seol Hayeon’s fierce gaze. After all, she was someone who cherished her junior sister very much. Though the opposite might not be true.

Anyway.

“An entity, you say…?”

Yang Chan-ho asked, still holding the Holy Sword, and Haru tightly pressed her lips together for a moment. Though the air, which had grown murky with the appearance of the giants, had no effect on her, what was clear, however, was that the unidentified energy leaking from the highly cracked sky was interfering with the mages. And she was the one receiving that interference more persistently and intensely than anyone else.

But she couldn’t show it. Haru, after glancing at Seol Hayeon and Lee Hyunjin, soon naturally touched her head and continued speaking.

“…It’s the one called the Master of the Otherworld. I don’t actually know if that’s truly its name, but well. There’s roughly such an entity that looks like that, you know.”

She raised her steady golden gaze and looked up at the sky. More precisely, she tried to pierce through it with her enhanced vision. Attempting to discern the landscape of the Otherworld with her bare eyes. It was a daring act that even ordinary abilities couldn’t attempt, but… Was she an ordinary mage? Wasn’t she, after all, the Harmonizer of Space, who inherited everything from the world’s greatest Archmage?

With a rather serious face, her eyes flashed bluish, and she soon twisted her lips.

“I can see it, clearly. It’s there, you know.”

“…”

At her single word, the entire group fell silent. Lee Hyunjin, with an unknown stubbornness, subtly raised his head to confirm the Otherworld’s landscape, but—

Crack!

“Ugh.”

Immediately, ‘interference’ struck, causing a small explosion near his eyes and making him groan in pain. As he possessed superhuman regeneration, it wasn’t a major injury, strictly speaking.

“…Oh dear, you foolish Disciple-nim. Really.”

He just looked incredibly foolish. Seol Hayeon patted his back with a coldly disgusted look, and Yeon Seobaek subtly turned her head away, ignoring him.

Just as they were trying to somewhat ease the tense atmosphere.

Swoosh!

Once, a colossal sound of something sweeping through space resonated. And the next moment, a flash of light shot out, becoming a bundle of sword energy.

A flurry of rapid slashes!

Even though they appeared to be haphazardly unleashed, that wasn’t the case. The Holy Sword’s sword energy precisely severed the lower bodies of the giants, and…

Sploosh!

As the giants’ bodies toppled down with a thud, thud, like dominoes, the residual seawater that had drained away now splashed back up. As everyone fell silent at the magnificent sight, Yang Chan-ho muttered coldly.

“So, it means it’ll be solved if we just kill that fellow, the Master of the Otherworld.”

“…Director-nim.”

Lee Hyunjin couldn’t help but swallow dryly in tension at this serious side of him he’d never seen before. To think that uncle, who seemed like a neighborhood good-for-nothing, could make such a terrifying expression. He could understand, even intellectually, how serious the situation was. Though he’d only been told, wasn’t the entire world in chaos right now? As Lee Hyunjin, he naturally couldn’t help but worry about Korea, down below. Weren’t all those beloved individuals, including Cheon Soyul, gathered there? If, after finally resolving the situation, something were to happen to them…

“…”

Squeeze!

Clenching his fists tightly, digging his fingernails into his palms, Lee Hyunjin’s expression hardened. He had a renewed realization that this was certainly not the time to be playful.

“…We’ll need to split our forces.”

And he began to speak in a much lower voice. Those around him looked at him, and Lee Hyunjin spoke calmly.

“Are the awakened individuals on land truly able to stop those rampaging giants in time, just by themselves?”

“…”

“Looking at your expression, Haru, even if we go beyond that sky, it doesn’t seem like anything good will happen here.”

At Lee Hyunjin’s pressure, asking if his guess was correct, Haru narrowed her eyes.

“Well, Lee Hyunjin-kun… I’m not sure what your intention is in asking that right now, you know?”

“Don’t pretend not to know, alright? We don’t have time to waste like that right now.”

“…”

Haru was silent for a moment, but as he said, she hadn’t failed to grasp Lee Hyunjin’s intention. After gazing steadily into his blue eyes for a moment, she let out a hollow laugh, as if dumbfounded.

“…Even devoting all our strength to killing the Master of the Otherworld wouldn’t be enough, and you’re saying we should protect the people of this planet as well?”

“…”

“Are you serious? Do you really think such romantic notions can overcome annihilation?”

Her voice having turned fierce, she growled as if threatening him. Those words themselves were her true feelings. Because he hadn’t seen it, hadn’t experienced it, he couldn’t fathom the true danger of annihilation at all. She thought it was a statement that could only be made for that reason. It seemed like idealism, an inability to let go of what clearly needed to be abandoned in the current situation.

“…Hmph, I can’t agree. Even if we split our forces now, the people who go beyond that rift will just die for nothing.”

Haru, roughly pushing her bangs back, glared accusingly at Lee Hyunjin.

“It’s that dangerous, you know? That ‘entity’ that’s neither monster nor human. We don’t even know if we can win even if all these people go there.”

“…Hold on.”

And this time, Yang Chan-ho interjected into their conversation. With the Holy Sword slung over his shoulder, he gave Lee Hyunjin a meaningful look.

“I agree with Hyunjin-kun’s idea.”

“…Huh?”

“Solving the root problem is undeniably important, but isn’t protecting the world we live in something we can’t compromise on either?”

“What nonsense are you talking about…”

Haru looked back at Yang Chan-ho with a bewildered gaze, as if asking why even he was saying such things.

“Hey, Hero-nim. Is this the time to be spouting optimistic talk? This kid can say such things because he’s still young, but you’re not, are you? Have you already forgotten the Jörmungandr incident?”

“…”

Lee Hyunjin, who had suddenly been pointed at and verbally assaulted, made a sour face, but Haru continued speaking without a care.

“Anyway, anyway. I can’t agree. On this one, even if our damn junior sister roasts me alive, I still wouldn’t agree. Do you understand?”

“…”

“In the first place, even if a few people stay in the middle of this Arctic Ocean, how on earth are those few going to cover the entire world? Do you have a method?”

She, openly sneering, pointed directly at Lee Hyunjin, targeting him. This was because she thought he was just making impulsive claims without any method.

However.

“A method? There is.”

“…What?”

“I just acquired it, you see. Your ‘Harmonizer of Space’ ability.”

Clap!

Lee Hyunjin clapped his hands loudly, drawing everyone’s attention. Looking around at the dozen or so people gathered, he began to speak.

“From what I see, this woman’s ability is spatial magic that seems to have no limits within a certain area, you see. And it just so happens that I’ve succeeded in copying and acquiring it.”

“…?”

“Since it’s come to this, let’s make a quick decision. Some of us will definitely go beyond that Otherworld, to kill that fellow, its Master, and—”

Hum, he manipulated mana to create a spatial rift above his hand, and then abruptly pulled Haru’s hand, drawing her towards him.

“?”

And regardless of her bewildered reaction, he announced his plan.

“Haru and I will remain here and block all those giant bastards who are simultaneously attacking seven continents right now.”

“Eh?”

“If we somehow manage with spatial magic, we’ll probably be able to uniformly intervene across the entire world, even from the middle of this Arctic Ocean.”

“…Eh?”

Haru blinked repeatedly, held up by Lee Hyunjin’s grip on her arm, while Lee Hyunjin patted his chest again and smiled brightly.

“Let’s just give it a try. We’ll destroy the Otherworld, and protect this world too. How about it?”

It was certainly a bold declaration, and also the most conciliatory compromise. As everyone present reacted with differing expressions to this proposed plan.

“Son.”

Yeon Seobaek, who had materialized behind Lee Hyunjin by turning into a shadow, sent him a chilling gaze. Because she knew well ‘how’ her son stole others’ abilities.

“…Ah.”

Lee Hyunjin let out a short gasp, and Yeon Seobaek threw just one word at him.

“With that girl too… did you do it?”

“…”

It was also a remark made while glancing sidelong at Haru. Although, in some ways, she might not be of an age to be called a ‘girl’— but at that moment, such a fact didn’t matter.

Cold sweat trickled down Lee Hyunjin’s cheek.