Ch.70Chapter 70 – Reminiscence (3)

# Led by Cha Eun-kyung, the Last Human Resistance

Led by Cha Eun-kyung, the last survivors of humanity—the Human Resistance Force—continued their desperate struggle against demons. Yet despite their efforts, the countdown to extinction ticked relentlessly forward. Two of the Four Heavenly Kings still roamed the neighboring continent, and the final mission led by the original S-class awakened ones—the psychic, the teleporter, and the Pharaoh—had ended not just in failure but in complete annihilation.

With Cha Eun-kyung remaining as humanity’s only effective S-class fighter, one day visitors arrived at the Human Resistance headquarters.

“Captain Cha, there’s a monk and someone called Mr. B requesting a meeting outside. Do you know them?”

“Mr. B? I don’t know anyone like that… Well, let them in anyway.”

***

Guided by a resistance member, an elderly monk and a well-dressed man entered the office. The black-haired, red-eyed man in a suit bowed respectfully.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m an information broker, Mr. B. Please call the old man beside me ‘the Sage.’ We requested this meeting because we have urgent matters to discuss. But who is that person behind you?”

“I’m Kwak Tae-woo, her bodyguard.”

Kwak Tae-woo, standing guard behind Cha Eun-kyung, answered.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Kwak. The matter we wish to discuss is highly confidential, intended only for the Captain… Could you step outside?”

“I refuse. How do I know you’re not assassins? How can we trust people who won’t even reveal their real identities?”

“Hmm… Captain?”

As Kwak Tae-woo crossed his arms in firm refusal, Mr. B looked uncomfortably toward Cha Eun-kyung at the head of the table. The silent monk then spoke up.

“He’s right. It’s discourteous to withhold our names as guests. I apologize. Allow me to introduce ourselves properly, last hope of humanity. This man’s name is Baphomet, and this humble one is Leonardo.”

The old man who identified himself as Leonardo spoke while restraining Mr. B—or rather, Baphomet. Kwak Tae-woo’s attention shifted to the old man.

Leonardo had a cleanly shaven head with visible wrinkles and wore monk’s robes that seemed ill-fitting for his Western appearance. Yet somehow, perhaps because they shared the marks of having weathered many storms, the old Westerner suited the worn robes perfectly.

‘I don’t sense any power from either of them, so they must be non-awakened. Not assassins? No, I shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Since I’m A-class, they might be S-class hiding their identities…’

Whatever Kwak Tae-woo thought, the conversation between Cha Eun-kyung and the two visitors continued.

“Kwak Tae-woo is trustworthy, so whatever secrets you have can be shared with him present. Now, what’s your business?”

The Sage answered.

“This world has no future. Even now, Lucifer roams Europe and Baal hunts down survivors in Asia. And when they finish?”

“…The two Heavenly Kings will advance together toward the Human Resistance headquarters, the last survivors.”

“Correct. Moreover, with civilization experience nearly at one hundred percent, once the Demon Lord Mara Papiyas descends, humanity cannot escape extinction. Especially since all seven of the original S-class fighters, our only hope against the Four Heavenly Kings, are dead.”

Leonardo prophesied the future of destruction in a flat, calm voice. Cha Eun-kyung gritted her teeth at the cruel but undeniable truth.

“So? You didn’t come here just to state the obvious. Skip the vague talk and get to the point.”

Leonardo continued.

“There is a way to overturn this situation. A final possibility to change our fate of destruction.”

“How? You just went on about how extinction is unavoidable with all those pessimistic predictions.”

Cha Eun-kyung retorted cynically. Her speech had already shifted to informal, as if she no longer respected them as guests. Despite her rude tone, Leonardo explained calmly.

“There exists an artifact called the Holy Grail.”

“Holy Grail? Impressive name. But a name doesn’t determine an artifact’s value.”

“The Holy Grail’s effect is time reversal. It’s a one-time item that can rewind the world’s clock to any moment the caster desires. As a mythical artifact that turns back the entire world’s timeline, no transcendent being, no matter how powerful, can resist its influence except the caster. Not S-class, not the Four Heavenly Kings, not even the Demon Lord.”

“What! You mean with the Holy Grail, we could go back to before the gates opened and change the future?”

Kwak Tae-woo forgot his role as bodyguard in his astonishment.

It was news that would surprise anyone, but Cha Eun-kyung remained skeptical. She had met countless con artists on her way to this position and hadn’t yet seen what distinguished these two from that type. With suspicion, she pressed them.

“Based on what evidence? When non-awakened people start talking about time reversal like something out of a science fiction novel, should I accept it as truth or as a trap set by demon collaborators?”

“Hmm… Indeed, it would be suspicious for non-awakened individuals to possess information about a mythical artifact. How about this, then?”

“What? Don’t try anything—ugh!”

Before Kwak Tae-woo could intervene, the air in the room grew heavy. The atmosphere pressed down on Kwak’s shoulders and knees as if it were lead rather than oxygen.

‘What overwhelming presence…!’

An suffocating aura emanated from the old man and his companion. A pressure he hadn’t felt even from S-class fighters. His instincts rang alarm bells in his mind. The two beings before him were dangerous. No, dangerous was insufficient.

They were walking calamities.

‘If I move, I’ll be killed…!’

Unable to even blink, Kwak Tae-woo’s eyes twitched and became bloodshot. He instinctively felt that his life could vanish like an ant in the time it took to lower his eyelids once.

Cha Eun-kyung, too, was shocked beside Kwak Tae-woo. Where did such beings come from? They were overwhelmingly powerful. The fact that they had subdued Kwak Tae-woo merely by revealing their presence demonstrated their strength clearly.

Contrary to the expectation that they might crush them to death at any moment, the two mysterious guests maintained a moderate stance.

“Do you believe us now?”

As Leonardo withdrew his magical power, Baphomet followed suit and retracted his demonic energy. He still wore his cheerful smile.

Thinking about the infinite power hidden beneath that face—power that could casually suppress an S-class fighter like squashing an ant—Cha Eun-kyung unconsciously gulped. Being at a higher level than Kwak Tae-woo, she could more clearly perceive the gap between herself and the two visitors.

‘…We couldn’t win even if we mobilized all the Resistance forces. They’re at least World Boss level… If they had intended to harm us, we would have been annihilated long ago. The fact that they haven’t means they have no such intention…’

Ignoring the tense attitudes of Kwak Tae-woo and Cha Eun-kyung, Leonardo continued.

“As you can see, this friend and this old man are quite strong. Being strong, we also know much information that you don’t.”

“…Then why don’t you use the Holy Grail yourselves?”

“Because if someone like us, containing immense power, causes drastic changes in the past timeline, we might provoke the true enemy hiding behind the dark curtain. The one who reverses time must be weak, and thus unnoticeable. Like you all, who were ordinary people until the gates opened. In myths, those who change fate are neither gods nor fairies with transcendent powers, but merely ordinary humans…”

The true enemy? Cha Eun-kyung understood this to refer to the Demon Lord.

“…So, what do you want from us?”

“We want you, Cha Eun-kyung, to use the Holy Grail to change the past. To save the S-class fighters and defeat the Four Heavenly Kings and the Demon Lord to save humanity.”

“Then do you have the Holy Grail?”

Baphomet shook his head.

“Unfortunately, no. We don’t have it, but we know where it’s sealed. The problem is, that seal is in the deepest part of the Demon Lord’s castle, at his throne.”

***

Baphomet explained the plan. It went something like this: The seal’s key was divided into four pieces, each held by one of the Four Heavenly Kings. They would deal with the Four Heavenly Kings and give the completed key to Cha Eun-kyung. While the enraged Demon Lord descended to the mortal realm with his attention drawn to them, Cha Eun-kyung and her companions would infiltrate the Demon Lord’s castle and use the Holy Grail.

The story was so incredible that Cha Eun-kyung couldn’t speak for a moment. Finally recalling a flaw in the plan, she asked:

“The Demon Lord’s castle must be located deep in hell beyond the gate. How do we get there?”

“Baphomet will provide the path to the Demon Lord’s castle. He’s an unusual demon who cooperates with humanity for personal reasons, and he can open a ‘shortcut’ to the Demon Lord’s castle. A shortcut that can instantly transfer all the Resistance forces to the castle.”

‘A demon cooperating with humans?’

Kwak Tae-woo’s eyebrow twitched. It was unbelievable. How could a species obsessed with hunting and killing humans cooperate with them?

‘Could this be a demon trap to gather survivors and eliminate them all at once?’

Cha Eun-kyung harbored the same suspicion as Kwak Tae-woo.

‘But beings strong enough to be confident of victory against the Four Heavenly Kings could instantly devastate this place without going to such trouble.’

It seemed unlikely that such powerful beings would bother with such elaborate schemes. She needed time to determine the truth of their proposal.

“…I need time to think.”

“Understood. Since you’ll need to mobilize all Resistance forces to break through the Demon Lord’s army, it’s certainly a difficult decision. I understand. Contact me when you’ve decided. Here’s my card. It’s a direct line to reach me.”

Mr. B took out a business card from his pocket. With Cha Eun-kyung deep in thought, Kwak Tae-woo accepted the card instead. Until the last moment, Kwak Tae-woo scrutinized the card carefully, wondering if it might be an assassination tool. The clean design of the card, down to the last digit of the phone number, was etched distinctly in Kwak Tae-woo’s mind. So clearly that he could recall it anytime in the future…

***

“Cha Eun-kyung has contacted me. She says she’ll cooperate. The plan will take place in ten days. It seems the Resistance members are trying to research and memorize what they need to do in the past, what events they need to prevent.”

After hanging up the phone, Baphomet relayed Cha Eun-kyung’s decision to Leonardo.

“Wise. Being desperate, they’ll prepare thoroughly. Now we just need to gather our supplies. How many pieces of the seal key, the ‘Goetia Code,’ are left?”

“I have the one originally given to me, plus one each recovered from the deceased Kim Jae-min and Belphegor, so two pieces remain. One each with Lucifer and Baalzebul. Since there are two of them and two of us, we can each take on one.”

“You take Baal. I’ll handle Lucifer.”

“Perfect! I’ve been wanting to teach that troublemaker a lesson for a while. Now I can fulfill that wish.”

Despite being told to face one of the Four Heavenly Kings alone, Baphomet didn’t show fear but rather licked his lips in anticipation. As if such vermin weren’t even worth considering a snack.

Leonardo cautioned Baphomet’s casual attitude.

“Be careful. The enemy is not to be underestimated.”

“A Baal who hasn’t even awakened ‘divinity’?”

“No, not the Four Heavenly Kings, but what comes after. During or after our engagement, God and the Demon Lord might notice our existence and launch a surprise attack. And both are system users who have awakened divinity like us, so they’ll be incomparably stronger than the Four Heavenly Kings.”

Despite the sharp warning, Baphomet hummed nonchalantly. He seemed genuinely excited about what was to come.

“Hehe. It’s obvious who will target whom. There’s a deep, unresolved relationship between the Demon Lord and you, isn’t there? So the Demon Lord will surely target you, not me, and Elohim will come for me. And if Father himself comes to face me, that’s exactly what I want—I can finally settle this boiling rage!”

Baphomet’s speech accelerated as he grew increasingly excited, and his final sentence, delivered without pause, sounded almost like a cry of joy. As the ever-smiling mask cracked, revealing glimpses of fury hidden behind that cheerful smile, Leonardo spoke to calm him.

“Don’t be careless. No matter how weakened Elohim has become from abusing the system beyond his authority, he is still the Creator God and the first system user. We must never underestimate someone who has studied and delved into the system for an inconceivable eternity.”

Leonardo warned sternly. There was no guarantee that Baphomet, who had failed once before, wouldn’t make another mistake. And now, one mistake would lead directly to the abyss, so caution was necessary.

But Baphomet remained carefree.

“Whether we win or lose doesn’t matter, does it? According to the plan, Cha Eun-kyung will use the Holy Grail to turn back time. Then, regardless of victory or defeat, the dice of fate will return to before they were cast. I can fight to my heart’s content and just wait for the world to rewind…”

“Hmm, that’s true, but…”

“More importantly, why did you reveal my name to Cha Eun-kyung?”

Baphomet changed the subject to cut off the old man’s nagging.

Baphomet and Leonardo were collaborating against a common enemy. Specifically, Leonardo devised the plans, and Baphomet, skilled in disguise, executed them.

However, revealing the demonic name “Baphomet” to Cha Eun-kyung’s side was not part of today’s plan. They feared that revealing his demonic nature might intensify the other party’s wariness and lead to rejection of their proposal.

“That way, when Cha Eun-kyung returns, she can contact you using that name as leverage. Whether seeking cooperation or making threats. Then, realizing through the time traveler that the world has been destroyed once, we can adjust our plans. Besides, ‘Baphomet’ isn’t your real name either, is it? First alias Baphomet, second alias Mr. B. You’re hiding behind double identities and still so fearful.”

“Hmm…”

Despite the explanation, Baphomet still seemed displeased with Leonardo’s impulsive action. Leonardo pointed out a mistake from when Baphomet was still primarily “Mr. B.”

“And wasn’t our plan derailed because the holy knight, who was supposed to play the most crucial role, fell into corruption due to your mistake? I warned you repeatedly to approach him carefully.”

“How was I supposed to know that after reading your ‘Sage’s Prophecy,’ Shin Jae-hyuk would lose his mind and fall into corruption rather than turn against God?”

Baphomet protested dramatically, as if wronged. It was true that he had recommended the request from Paradise Church to Shin Jae-hyuk, leading him to read the Sage’s Prophecy kept in the Vatican’s forbidden archives, but he hadn’t intended the outcome. Baphomet had merely sought an opportunity to accelerate Shin Jae-hyuk’s awakening for their plan; he hadn’t anticipated that their strongest holy knight card would end up completely in the other side’s hand.

Since it was a fatal mistake that couldn’t be undone now, and one that had been pointed out many times, the scolding didn’t continue. Instead, Leonardo sighed deeply and spoke in a deflated voice that made him seem years older.

“Anyway, using the Holy Grail is our last chance… Elohim can’t imagine that we would intercept his trump card. He thinks the Goetia Code perished with your supposed death, so he believes no one can break the seal.”

“Kekeke, how delightful! Even the great Father couldn’t predict that the power of deception he bestowed would evolve enough to fool even his own eyes!”

“Thanks to that arrogance, we and humanity have one last chance… We absolutely cannot fail in the next cycle.”

“No matter what we discuss now, it won’t affect our past selves… We can only hope that Cha Eun-kyung fully performs her role as the hero…”