This is a story set in some unforeseeable future, before the identity of the ‘Dark Knight’ was revealed.
The outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.
We have come here fully armed to exterminate the demon officially designated as a global menace.
The ground here looks as if a meteorite had fallen, completely devastated, with all life drained and shriveled up.
With every step closer to the source of all this devastation, an overwhelming magical force pressed down on me, as if trying to suffocate me.
“We’ve arrived. Our mission is to eliminate the demon Shaks, who intends to summon the Demon King by draining the source of Earth. We thank the Gospel of Salvation for detecting this beforehand and offering their support.”
The attack leader confirmed everyone’s arrival and gave a brief acknowledgment. Then he briefed the operation once more.
The people gathered here now constitute, essentially, Earth’s greatest fighting force. Everyone is ranked A or higher, and there are numerous S-ranked individuals. United by the single mission to protect the world, they’ve come.
“The operation begins. The vanguard will be taken care of by the Gospel of Salvation, so let’s thank them.”
“Thank you.”
“Much appreciated.”
“Thank you for the sacrifice.”
The vanguard, expected to suffer the heaviest losses, was voluntarily filled by members of the Gospel of Salvation. According to their doctrine, those who follow the leader’s words will be promised an afterlife, having experienced it upon baptism.
‘So that’s why such sacrifice is possible.’
It was hard to believe, but it wasn’t my problem, so I decided to let it pass.
I turned my head and stared at the demon.
Shaks, who had taken Park Hayeon as a host, had taken control of her mind and body. Perhaps due to the difference in hosts, it looked quite different from the form it took when it possessed Kang You-jin in the past.
On the base of Park Hayeon’s body, angelic rings floated above her head, twelve wings sprouted from her back, and her eyes had turned into eerie reversed colors: black where they should be white, and white where they should be black.
According to the Gospel of Salvation, this was an uppermost-class demon and very powerful.
‘She should probably be considered dead.’
Shinnoda reportedly tried to communicate with her, risking his life, but it had proven futile.
“Towards the Kingdom of God!”
“Charge forward!”
Awakened members of the Gospel of Salvation lunged at Shaks with vacant faces. Their momentum was overwhelming, seemingly capable of piercing through the heavens.
Shaks extended her hand and fired a scorching beam of light.
A laser thicker than a human body swept across the battlefield, and the Awakened ones in the vanguard were instantly bisected before they could even react. The rear managed to narrowly evade.
“This is impossible! They’re fully equipped S-rank Awakeneds!”
The attack team had analyzed Shaks’ abilities based on her past battle against the ‘Dark Knight,’ but her current power far exceeded that record. Fully armed with dungeon items, the S-ranked Awakeneds were cut down like grass.
“Die, spawn of Satan!”
“Are you the offspring of the stars? Why do you attack our solitude? We, and your leader, share the same origins.”
Shaks, who had been obliterating everything that came near her until now, strangely addressed the followers of the Gospel of Salvation.
“Do not listen to the voice of Satan!”
“It’s the whisper of a demon!”
But this time, they tore out their own ears to avoid hearing her words. They then leaped at Shaks, who hovered slightly above the ground, and began stabbing and slashing her.
“I see. You intend to use solitude as a discardable card, having completed all necessary preparations.”
The moment Shaks’ words ended, the bodies of those clinging to her were torn into dozens of pieces and fell to the ground in chunks.
…
Shaks resisted, but she could not withstand the Gospel of Salvation’s reckless charges and the concentrated fire of the world’s gathered S-ranked fighters. Her defenses and dodges grew increasingly disordered, and she started to be hit by the attackers.
Then the ‘Dark Knight’ appeared.
“I have a way to separate Shaks. It won’t take long, so please stop your attack. We may be able to save Park Hayeon.”
The Dark Knight stood between Shaks and the Awakeneds, attempting to mediate.
I focused on the Dark Knight’s words.
If it’s possible to separate Shaks… does that mean we can save Park Hayeon?
Park Hayeon is a good friend of mine. Though the ‘Dark Knight’ is notorious, if we can save Park Hayeon, I would do anything.
“Just wait! Isn’t this the chance to save the host? Let’s at least hear him out.”
I stopped my current attack and persuaded others nearby not to continue.
“What are you saying? This is a rare opportunity, and it will recover if we don’t finish it now!”
“Quick, kill! This feels wrong!”
But they wouldn’t listen to my words.
“The Dark Knight is a messenger of Satan. In Japan, he tried to summon the Demon King by killing three thousand innocents as evidence. Kill the Dark Knight too!”
Priests from the Gospel of Salvation even shouted this.
“Uaaaaa!”
“Kill!”
Enraged, members of the Gospel of Salvation charged at both Shaks and the ‘Dark Knight.’ Even as their limbs were cut off and their bodies severed in half, they showed no signs of pain, continuing their rush until the flames of life were completely extinguished. They were like moths diving into a flame.
Eventually, Shaks’ head was struck off.
Her face, when it hit the ground, looked exactly like Park Hayeon except for the blackened eyes. Goosebumps ran down my entire body.
In the end, Shaks fell, and the ‘Dark Knight,’ severely injured, retreated from the battlefield. He had taken a fatal blow meant for her in the final instant.
“We won!”
“Justice prevails!”
“We are the saviors of Earth!”
The Korean heroes and foreign volunteers cheered and congratulated themselves with applause and shouts.
For some reason, it felt like a bittersweet ending. There was a feeling, a sense that we might have been able to save Park Hayeon.
“This is…?”
I picked up a mechanical device that the ‘Dark Knight’ had dropped during the fighting. It looked like a barcode reader.
“Could it be… a device to separate the demon?”
Suddenly, tears streamed down my face. If that was true, then what we were celebrating would become something truly horrific. Just contemplating the possibility was making me extremely depressed.
‘If I get the chance, I should try it…’
Not long after, I realized that the device actually worked, and from that point on, I was plagued by unbearable guilt every day. This was the origin of what people might call my self-destructive tendencies.
*
Hayan Park, repeating her cycle of school-practice-home, finally went out with some friends to the karaoke bar and arcade at Shinoda’s persuasion. She said her goodbyes to Shinoda and Yang Min-seo, who had things to do, and headed home.
“Hayen, are you mad at me?”
Hitomi asked playfully. She accompanied Hayen for part of her way home.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“You know, about holding Shinoda’s hand.”
“Wow, you’re really messing with me.”
Normally, Hayen would have let it slide, but when she spoke seriously, Hitomi, feeling awkward, started fidgeting with her neck.
“I’m sorry.”
“Nah, I’m not mad about something this small.”
“I’m always told I lack subtlety in Japan too. It’s probably my fault. And again, I might have overstepped in my attempt to get too familiar…”
Seeing Hitomi, usually bubbly, now downcast and expressing self-doubt, Hayen couldn’t help but give her a hug.
“It’s fine. I don’t mind. I think you should stay exactly as you are.”
“Really, thank you. You’re so kind!”
“Except when it comes to Shinoda.”
“Uh… yes…”
Hitomi resolved not to make jokes related to Shinoda in front of Hayen again.
“Scary kid.”
Moreover, overshadowed by Shinoda, it wasn’t well-known that Hayen herself was a B-ranked fighter, on par with Hitomi. She was, in fact, the second-ranked student at the Academy.
They entered the park, which was a shortcut to their homes. It was quiet and gave off a spooky vibe.
Then someone appeared and blocked their path. The figure was none other than the ‘Dark Knight’ from the TV.
Swoosh.
Hayan and Hitomi both drew their swords.
“Dark Knight! Why is a villain here?”
“I, uh, don’t know much, but is this guy a villain?!”
Hayan exclaimed in shock, while Hitomi, though she followed suit in drawing her weapon, had no knowledge of the ‘Dark Knight’s’ infamous reputation.
“Indeed. He has taken dozens of innocent lives.”
The moment Hitomi learned this, her eyes sharpened. She realized this was serious business.
“Of all people, why are you here?”
The hooded figure muttered while throwing a spear at Hayen’s lower body. The spear, flying at her, looked elegant and deadly.
“Eep.”
Hayan, despite her skill, couldn’t visually track the spear, so she swung her sword based on prediction.
Clang.
Her sword struck the spear shaft by luck, but the kinetic force behind it was unstoppable.
“Ugh.”
The spear pierced Hayen’s thigh. The dark figure reached out toward her.
The spear, moving in reverse, returned to his hand.
“Haaak.”
The reverse return tore into Hayen’s thigh once again, causing more damage as the blade shredded muscle and flesh. Her white legs were now streaming with blood.
“Not sure why this is happening, but disregarding me is a bad idea!”
Hitomi unleashed her skill. What she considered her strongest in man-to-man combat.
“Ugh.”
At the same moment, the dark figure swayed. He lost sensation in his legs. It felt as if his legs had simply vanished. But when he looked down, they were clearly still attached.
“To fall to such a technique.”
The hooded figure muttered quietly and extended his hand toward Hitomi.
At the same time, she collapsed.
Hitomi didn’t even realize she had fallen.
Suddenly, Hitomi realized she was in a completely black space. When she moved her arms, they were no longer perceptible. Trying to stand, she couldn’t feel her legs. The space, which she thought was just darkness, was actually an abyss of ‘nothingness.’
This ability… Hitomi felt an odd familiarity.
