“Should I help?” Yeon-woo heard a voice from the sky filled with amusement and delight. They all looked up and he said the being’s name with a hard expression. “Agares.”

Urrrng. As space split, Agares appeared, spreading open his black wings with an alluring smile that wasn’t human. He had clearly consumed a significant number of the laws of causality because the East Demon Army was nowhere to be seen and his body was growing faint. Technically, he should have returned to the heavenly world as well since the war with the Giants had been so intense. However, he was forcing his body to remain in the lower world like a child who didn’t want to go back home.

L’Infernal had been ordering him to return for a while now, but he refused to heed their calls and looked at Yeon-woo with greedy and lunatic eyes. “Say it again.” Most of the time, all he could do was look down desperately from the heavenly world. This was an opportunity that he rarely had. “Say my name again. It’s so very sweet.”

[Agares makes his obsession with you clear.]

[Vassago clicks his tongue.]

[Marbas shakes his head.]

[Buer is quiet.]

[The East Demon Army of keeps their silence.]

[Baal looks fixedly at a spot.]

The third, fifth, and tenth-ranked great demons of L'Infernal, including their leader, Baal, looked at him. Yeon-woo grimaced. It was true Agares had helped him, and the demon had fought against Olympus himself. He was grateful, but he had also been concerned about something like this happening. If Agares displayed the same craziness as when he’d previously descended to the lower world, it would be hard to deal with.

“I don’t need your help. Go back.”

“I’ll be the one to decide whether I return.”

Yeon-woo clenched his fists as Agares insisted on having his way. He didn’t want to force Agarest to abort his descent because of the tenuous alliance they had with L’Infernal, but the demon wasn’t someone he wanted to be associated with. He opened his Draconic Divine Eyes and was just about to open his right wing when he heard something unexpected.

“But staying here like this isn’t good for my image.”

Yeon-woo unclenched his fists with wide eyes.

Agares lifted a corner of his mouth like someone who was enjoying an appetizer before the main dish. “There will be more opportunities in the future. I’ll enjoy it then.” Swish. Agares quietly disappeared with those words.

‘His insanity has gotten worse.’ Yeon-woo was certain that Agares’ obsession had grown a level stronger. However, this time, he had contained it with supernatural patience. As long as the war with Olympus continued, they’d continue to have contact with each other, and it was likely that Agares was hinting that he’d eat Yeon-woo next time when he was vulnerable.

[Baal observes you and closes his eyes.]

The gaze from the great demons left, and the last demon remaining, Baal, hid his presence as well. Unlike the other demons who expressed their opinions bit by bit, Baal didn’t reveal his emotions even now. What was he thinking about the war that began with Yeon-woo?

Yeon-woo was worried. Baal had once been honored as a god of abundance who brought about rain storms with him, but because of evil ceremonies that involved human sacrifice and indecent activities, he had fallen. He was one of the strongest in the heavenly world, and few could compare to him. It was hard to guess his intentions, and so he was an object of fear even within L’Infernal.

All of the Channels with L’Infernal were finally closed.

『The child you’re searching for is in emptiness, so search well. It’s best to hurry. Just touching emptiness can erase a mortal’s existence. It’s the world of nothingness』

Agares’ last words rang in his ears, and Yeon-woo’s eyes widened when he realized that Phante hadn’t been able to escape the Outer Space with the other players.

He had been concerned about Kahn and Doyle since they were facing one of the Demon Kings, but when he heard Doyle’s static-filled message, he was able to make a decision.

『We’ll take care of this place, so don’t worry, hyung.』

Yeon-woo clenched his teeth, and Edora gripped Divine Evil and closed her eyes. Swish. A holy aura whirled around her as milky white energy floated up like a haze.

‘Is this the strength she gained from the place called Spirit Pond?’ The One-horned tribe called it “Spirit Contact”. Yeon-woo assumed it was some necessary step Edora had to take in order to become the Spirit Medium. He could see she was contacting some existence beyond them. ‘No. It’s not a divine being. What is it? It’s larger and wider…some kind of conceptual strength.’

He tried following the source of Edora’s power with Draconic Divine Eyes, but at some point, it just blurred, and he couldn’t see anything.

Edora’s eyes burst open, glowing with a milky light. “Oraboni.”

As he heard those words, Yeon-woo could suddenly see where Phante was. It was a mysterious experience. Even though the dimension of emptiness was a compressed space that didn’t have coordinates, Edora was able to find Phante and relay this to Yeon-woo. He shared a vivid feeling, as though he had discovered Phante himself.

He wanted to ask what happened, but that wasn’t important for now, so he focused on sending his magic power into the Cast of the Black King. He already used up all the laws of causality, but since the lock had already been opened once, it wasn’t that hard to open emptiness again. Space separated to reveal a black abyss.

“Hup!” He instinctively gasped. Greedy and vicious emptiness was leaking out of the open space to swallow him. He felt like he would be sucked into the emptiness.

‘What is…!’

「That’s normal.」 The Summer Queen appeared behind him. She had returned to her human form, looking at Yeon-woo and the emptiness with an arrogant expression, her arms crossed. 「From the start, it’s just wrong for a mortal to try to control emptiness. Even gods and demons disappear if they are eaten. The only reason you’ve managed to do anything is thanks to that strange item you have.」

She smirked. Next to him, Edora was glaring at her ferociously, but the Summer Queen just scoffed and ignored her. 「Just give up. If he’s already been buried so much, his existence will be faint by now. Even if you somehow manage to pull him out, he’ll just be an empty shell. You might even lose the level that you’ve built up. Don’t forget that. Don’t you have a mountain’s worth of work to do in the future?」

The emptiness dispersed, crushed, and swallowed not just beings but also the level that Yeon-woo had gained, and the Summer Queen was warning him that his gains would all disappear if he tried to save Phante. Her voice was sweet and captivating, and she looked as if she were trying to test and seduce him, full of irresistible dignity. However, Yeon-woo frowned and pushed an arm deep inside the emptiness. “You’re bothering me, so shut up.”

Crackle, crackle! For a moment, he saw his arm fade, as though it had turned into static. The black haze that escaped the emptiness was crawling up his arm in an attempt to overwhelm his body. Just as the Summer Queen warned, his existence began to disperse, and his firm level scattered as his accomplishments were shaken.

At this rate, his qualification as a player might be broken as well, but he didn’t take his hand out. The Summer Queen’s eyes widened as she watched.

“Edora, help me.”

Edora nodded and attempted Spirit Contact again. It was to ask the existence beyond for a more precise location, and she delivered this information to Yeon-woo as she got it. The Summer Queen also received it because of her connection to Yeon-woo, and she could feel his emotions mixed within the information. She thought of him as cold to the point of being emotionless, but his emotions were shaking.

‘Bastard. What kind of stupid things were you doing to make me look for you like this. When I pull you out, I’ll really beat you up as much as the Martial King beat me.’ All kinds of thoughts were swirling in the connection, and she couldn’t help feeling surprised. The only other time Yeon-woo had been this frantic was when his little brother, Cha Jeong-woo, had been involved. He’d been just as upset when Bayluk revealed all the clones.

[Your trait ‘Cold-blooded’ has failed for an unspecified reason.]

[Remove the reason immediately.]

[Your trait ‘Cold-blooded’ has failed for an unspecified reason.]

[Warning! Remove the reason immediately. Your existence is in danger of disappearing.]

…

「So that’s how it is.」 The Summer Queen muttered to herself. She had a faint idea of what Yeon-woo thought of Phante. ‘He considers him as special as that child.’ It was an unexpected discovery. He hadn’t been lying when he’d asked the siblings to be his wings a long time ago. Were they so special that he would risk his level and accomplishments? 「I understand what kind of person you are a little more.」 ‘You might have something that Jeong-woo didn’t.’ A slight disturbance wavered in her calm eyes, but Yeon-woo didn’t see it.

He felt something at the edge of his fingertips, and he instinctively knew it was Phante. He tried to pull him out, but he was facing another issue. Phante’s existence had already dispersed so much that it would be dangerous to pull him out. He was as weak as a sandcastle. Just when Yeon-woo was wondering how to pull Phante back together, the Summer Queen placed her hand on his. He turned around as if to ask her what she was doing.

「It’s just a whim.」 The Summer Queen scoffed and pulled his hand. Yeon-woo felt Phante’s sandcastle-like existence grow stable again. He didn’t know how she did it, but the Summer Queen had done something.

Phante escaped the emptiness bit by bit as Yeon-woo’s pulled him out. He had already lost consciousness, and his eyes were closed and face pale.

‘Idiot.’ Yeon-woo muttered to himself as he used the last of his strength to pull him out. Then, when Phante was completely out, Yeon-woo tossed him to the ground, and the emptiness closed up automatically. “Haa, haa.” He panted violently and turned to the Summer Queen, but she had already disappeared. This had nothing to do with Jeong-woo, so why had she helped? He didn’t know what she was thinking.

“Hey! Hey!” Thwak. Thwak. Edora bent over Phante and slapped his cheeks mercilessly. He had only just managed to maintain his form, and his breathing was too slow. Something else must have happened in the Outer Space because…there was nothing below his right shoulder. His internal energy was weak, as well. The core of Blood Lightning, which was embedded firmly inside him, was on the verge of cracking. It wouldn’t be unusual if he died.

Although as Demon Beauty, Edora was always aloof, the sight of her sibling in critical condition made her sob. Tears dripped down on his face.

“Urk!” Phante suddenly inhaled and his eyes shot open. Edora stopped crying, her eyes wide as Phante looked around with a bewildered expression. Then, he grinned when he realized that Edora was bending over him with eyes swollen from crying. “Hey, are you crying? Really?”

“Shut up, you idiot!”

“Hahaha! You’re really crying! Next time we meet Father, I’ll have to tease you about it.”

Edora punched his chest while in his arms. Phante smirked as Yeon-woo approached.

“Dickhead.”

“You only learned that now? I knew you’d save me.” Even though he was being scolded and his condition was in that state, Phante continued to chuckle. The desire to fight that had grown during his secluded training had been satisfied, and he looked somewhat refreshed. What had he experienced in the Outer Space?

“Did you lose?”

“What do you think?”

“You won.”

“Right on.” Phante grinned. “I pulverized his eyes. Now that the archer’s eyes are destroyed, he’ll have difficulty using a bow again, eh? Still, I lost him, so the next time we meet…” Phante raised his left hand and clenched it. Veins bulged on his skin. “I’ll break his neck with this hand.”

* * *

“Still, there’s something I’m curious about.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know what this is? I stole it from him. It seems like he knows you well.”

“What?” Yeon-woo took the item Phante gave him without much thought, then his eyes widened. It was a necklace made with empty gun cartridges, something he never thought he’d see in the Tower. The words carved on the cartridges were familiar. “Where did you get this…?”

12. 25. 2017

Shimbiris at Christmas

They were words he’d carved a long time ago.