Chapter 369

R̈ëâd́ ̃​òn̂ ̃K̀ät̃R̂èád́​ín̈g̃C̃​âf̃è​

“Let’s go.”

Alice, who was staring blankly in the direction Lucia had disappeared, turned her head at the touch of a hand pulling her shoulder. The silver-haired girl spoke with the same emotionless face as always.

“Here, dangerous.”

“But Lucia…”

“You, strong. But weak. Won’t help?”

“…”

I don’t want to hear that from you, who is much weaker than me.

Alice, about to retort with those words in a fit of pique, obediently shut her mouth. Because it wasn’t wrong.

It was a fact she was somewhat aware of. The fight between the God of War and the Devil God. Even though they were quite far apart, her skin tingled from the aftermath. 

Alice, as a disciple of the God of War, who had been directly taught by him, was seeing the God of War exert his power to this extent for the first time. It was truly beyond standard. 

The times he beat up Eugene under the guise of training were only using a very small part of his original power. Would running in even be helpful?

“But, but… Lucia too…”

Alice (Frey) is a powerful figure who has reached the commander level.

It seems pathetic because the comparison is with the God of War, but a captain is at the pinnacle.

It was the highest level a Supernatural could reach as a ‘human’.

If even Alice couldn’t be sure she would be helpful, then Lucia, who is much weaker than Alice, would be out of the question…

“The current Lucia is stronger than you.”

Anastasia shrugged and stated.

“A Devil God dwells in Lucia’s body. The fainting just now was probably a fight for dominance. Lucia won. The current Lucia. Equal to a Devil God. Stronger than you. About 3 times? As expected of Lucia. Her mental strength is stronger than even a Devil God. I’m proud of her.”

“…”

Anastasia’s statement was something Alice had also guessed. It couldn’t be explained any other way. The power Lucia had shown a moment ago surpassed Alice. 

All she saw was the speed at which she ran, but that alone showed a lot. The basic specs were vastly different. Captains could make up for that gap to some extent with experience and skill, but for Alice, whose practical experience was relatively lacking…

…In fact, considering her talent, it wasn’t entirely impossible. She had already experienced fighting someone stronger than herself. If she experienced it, she could reinterpret and internalize that experience. 

But even so, she was still weaker than the Devil God, and the fact that she was weaker than Lucia didn’t change.

“Hey, wait a minute.”

“Huh?”

“How do you know that?”

Instead of Alice, who was biting her lip in powerlessness, Frey spat out a question. She didn’t recognize it at first, but the more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed. 

The fact that a Devil God dwells in Lucia was a secret known only to a very few. 

Only Captains of the Celestial Corps would know, and only Eugene and Alice knew as a special privilege. How does Anastasia know such a top secret?

“How do you know that a Devil God dwells in Lucia? More than just that, how do you even know what a Devil God is?”

“I wonder. I’m curious too.”

“Cut the crap. Do you know what you just said?!”

Information that only captains can access.

Secrets that even vice-captains can’t access.

An academy student who isn’t even a member of the Celestial Corps knows this secret?

Frey was already feeling uneasy about Anastasia. As the suspicion became more concrete, she became more uninhibited in her actions. 

Moreover, since she was in a bad mood because of Lucia’s situation, she reacted even more fiercely than usual. 

She didn’t realize it herself, but it was close to a tantrum. She suddenly grabbed Anastasia’s shoulder and began to apply pressure.

“Where did you hear it? Who did you hear it from? Tell me right now?”

“It hurts.”

Contrary to those words, there was no hint that it hurt at all. Frey’s eyebrows furrowed. She controlled her strength. 

If she gave her all, it wouldn’t just be a shoulder fracture, but Anastasia’s body would be crushed. 

However, she didn’t adjust her strength to the point where she could withstand it safely. She applied pressure to the point where her knees buckled and she was about to be slammed to the ground. 

But Anastasia was fine. There wasn’t even a hint that she was forcibly enduring it.

“I don’t like being hurt either.”

“?!”

Anastasia brushed off Frey’s hand and pouted. Frey looked down at her hand with a dazed expression. 

Huh? She brushed it off? My hand? How? Even if I controlled my strength, it wasn’t to the point where she could easily brush it off? Doubt grew more and more. Accordingly, Frey’s wariness gradually increased.

“What… are you really?”

The blow she used to knock out Eugene, and the way she’s acting now, everything was suspicious. 

She had already far surpassed the level of an academy student. At least a vice-captain’s level. In other words, a Supernatural who has awakened as someone close to a god. 

Was Anastasia this strong? She was definitely outstanding among her peers, but not to this extent.

“Hey, um. Sorry to interrupt a serious conversation…”

Leo, who had been silent because he couldn’t follow the topic of the conversation, slipped in. He pointed somewhere with his chin and said.

“I agree with Anastasia’s opinion.”

Frey turned her gaze in the direction Leo was pointing. 

The sky. The vast sky. Fragments like broken glass. A scene of the sky breaking. And a burning giant hand descending with the crumbling fragments. It was a majestic and chilling sight.

“Why on a day like today… Well, disaster never picks a time or place. Let’s argue later. This is just my opinion, but if we miss this, I don’t think we’ll be able to escape.”

I refuse to let today be my death anniversary.

Other days are fine, but not today.

Leo muttered in a small voice that no one could hear.

◈

It’s a tiring day.

The captain of the 2nd Division, Kallad, assessed today as such.

The Great Catastrophe that had been recorded as a nightmare in human history.

It was the 5th anniversary of that Great Catastrophe.

Time covers and flows over everything. Pain, suffering. As time passes, it is gradually alleviated, healed, and restored, and thus forgotten.

But the scars left by the Great Catastrophe were too cruel to be erased in just five years. Many people are tormented by the nightmare of that day, suffering, and commemorating those who have left. Today should be the most desolate day of the year, quiet, and safe.

“…Tired.”

The dried blood stained his white coat.

It wasn’t his blood.

It was all the death throes of the monsters.

The coat was heavy because it was covered in too much blood.

Kallad moved his heavy body and took a step.

The subjugation of the Devil God Astaroth failed, and the Commander was sealed.

A large-scale invasion began from the Demonic Realm outside the border.

That alone was terrible enough, but it didn’t stop there, and demonic beasts descended in the city center.

Events that would be daunting even if only one occurred, happened simultaneously.

“Is it here?”

Brushing back his spiky hair, as if it hadn’t been combed, Kallad raised his head. He saw radiance. A faint light that would be obscured by the sunlight if he didn’t focus his gaze. 

Currently, the entire United Nations was enveloped in that light. Strangely enough, it had physical force. 

The monsters of the Demonic Realm were blocked by that light, and their invasion was stopped. Kallad traced the source of the light and came all the way here.

“Similar to the Commander’s Supernatural Ability… but clearly different.”

At first, he thought the Commander had returned. It was a momentary illusion. A brief misunderstanding that lasted only a few seconds. It was similar to the Commander’s radiance, but different. 

Kallad accurately pinpointed the subtle differences. 

Then, what is this light? The invasion of the monsters was stopped by the light, and after finishing the cleanup, Kallad immediately headed to the source of the light.

“It can’t be called a city center anymore. Restoration… is impossible. It would be faster to tear it all down and rebuild it from scratch.”

It was terrible. Except for the scattered remnants of buildings, there was no trace of the city left. The ground was melted and still flowing. The map had to be redrawn. Intense heat warmed the atmosphere. It had been razed from an environment where people could live to desolate lands. 

Even if a large number of Supernaturals were mobilized, it was unclear when it would regain its former appearance.

“To cause such a permanent change in the environment.”

“That’s why the descent of demonic beasts are so troublesome.”

There was an answer to his monologue.

Kallad turned his gaze in the direction of the sound.

Abnormally large rocks were lined up in what was once the city center.

“You’re late.”

“Karma.”

The light blue-haired young man smiled.

His appearance was as messy as Kallad’s.

Only the sleeves remained of the white coat that symbolized the rank of a captain.

His right hand was charred black, and it was embarrassing to even call it a hand.

It would be more accurate to say that he was wearing a lump of charcoal.

Even though captain-level Supernaturals have abnormal recovery power, it was questionable whether he could recover from this.

“The demonic beast?”

“Aren’t you looking at it now?”

Karma tapped the rock he was sitting on with his left hand. The action clearly stated.

“You subjugated it. Good job.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know either.”

“What do you mean?”

“That demonic beast, you know. He made a big noise about killing me… but he didn’t seem to want to fight very much.”

It was a typical bluff.

Karma chuckled as he recalled the time.

Well, when you think about it, it was obvious.

In the middle of the enemy’s camp, he suffered a fatal blow from Azazel’s attack.

It was admirable that he was still alive.

If he continued to fight in that state, the result would be obvious.

“He self-destructed.”

Boom.

Karma said with an exaggerated gesture.

“I hurriedly petrified it with my ‘eyes’, but I was a little late.”

That’s why I’m in this state.

Karma shook his right hand as if to show off.

Each time, ashes fell off.

It looked like his right hand would break off completely even if he gave it a little force.

“What’s the difference between that and subjugation?”

“There was a spark left.”

“I see. I understand.”

The explanation ended there.

Since Kallad understood, Karma didn’t bother to talk about it.

“Well, since the original body is in this state, it’ll be fine for a while.”

“If there’s even a slight possibility of revival, we can’t rest assured.”

“Of course. Would you like to praise me for giving up the golden time to treat it in order to completely extinguish that spark?”

The self-destruction was a trick. What Surtr truly aimed for was the departure of the core (soul). He extinguished most of the sparks, but Karma couldn’t be sure. 

Was Surtr’s core among those sparks? If Surtr’s soul was among the sparks that escaped his eyes, Surtr could be resurrected. Although it would take a lot of time.

“Kallad.”

“What?”

“I have good news and bad news, which would you like to hear first?”

If possible, I’d like to tell you the bad news first.

That way, the good news you hear after that will stand out more, right?

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
(Looking around, looking around…)

(Whoosh!)

(Zoom—!)

(Flop!)

(Ugh…)

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
A scale where the main noobs are irrelevant, how pitiful~

The captains are the new main side characters now!

Goodbye, academy noobs, you won’t be missed~

Goodbye Su, you were relevant for like two mentions, still irrelevant~