Chapter 400: Face to Face with the Lion (1)

Ryozo had not forgotten the previous dream. With her perfect memory, she held onto the last fragment of that vision that was about to fade.

The wisdom of the ancients.

Gaia, Mesther.

She had to preserve the message and the legacy she left behind: the Yggdrasil. No matter what, without fail.

A life of nearly ten thousand years was no different from history itself.

And history was an answer sheet to glimpse the future.

‘Gaia reached out to me through the World Tree, Yggdrasil. To deliver some kind of message.’

For now, she didn’t understand it well. She would have to reflect on it with time and analyze it calmly.

So Ryozo decided to engrave the contents of the dream into her mind, without omitting a single word.

…Not even a minute had passed since she decided that, when.

“What is that…?”

Ryozo went blank for an instant.

***

‘What is Geom-Ma doing here?’

That was her first reaction, but she immediately understood the full picture.

As soon as she disappeared, Speedweapon surely contacted him. With Geom-Ma’s character, he wouldn’t have hesitated a single second to come.

Not only Geom-Ma, she also saw several familiar faces. They were people from Joaquin Academy and others among the most powerful in the current world.

‘They came to completely wipe out the villains.’

Up to that point, everything was fine.

A moving moment of the protective husband, Kang Geom-Ma.

But, but…

However…

“Why is he with Rachel?”

Hugging her!?

The scene opposite of the marital moment was etched vividly into her retinas.

They were even embracing in the air, as if on purpose.

Too…

Too shameless.

“Already awake?”

A sharp voice reached her from the side.

“Already awake?”

It was Abel. She was using her sword as a cane to stay standing, trembling.

Seeing her like that, something burning surged in Ryozo’s chest. Amidst crossed emotions, she noticed the dirt stuck to Abel’s body.

Ryozo grew alarmed.

“Abel, are you hurt?”

“…No. Nothing happened to me.”

“Even so…”

Abel smiled softly.

“You’ve changed a lot, Ryozo. Before, it seemed that not even if you were stabbed would a drop of blood come out. And now you’re hurt yourself, but you worry about a little dirt on me.”

“Does that surprise you?”

“Not at all. It just makes me happy.”

It seemed like she was mocking her.

Since Ryozo was usually the one doing the teasing, that feeling was strange. She touched her temple with her delicate hand and asked.

“And the villains?”

“There.”

Abel didn’t explain further, just turned her gaze to the side. The corpses of the twelve villains lay cold. At a glance, it looked as if they hadn’t even been able to resist.

‘When they attacked me they were so full of energy…’

What a dramatic end for all of them.

And then…

“Yes. Geom-Ma took care of everything. In truth, the plan was to all go in together for a fast strike. We didn’t want you to get hurt.”

If Kang Geom-Ma set his mind to it, he could erase an entire island.

But that wasn’t the only reason. Ryozo understood it thanks to her conversation and memories with Mesther.

Geom-Ma is strong.

Too strong.

Though she already knew it, seeing how he annihilated the angels made her realize he was suppressing his power to the bare minimum.

Even a simple cut from Geom-Ma was more than enough to destroy the world.

That’s why he now mainly used magic, not his sashimi.

‘So that the world doesn’t collapse.’

Also why he brought help on this mission to assault the villains’ base.

The island of Avalon, where Yggdrasil was located, was connected to the very foundation of the world. If he released his power here, the overload would affect the entire planet. That’s why Geom-Ma brought reinforcements.

‘All because I was hurt…’

Even though the lightning and the tsunami had calmed, their traces were still present.

The sky was still in eclipse and the island of Avalon, devastated.

Ryozo lowered her gaze.

Geom-Ma’s frenzy. Everyone present had gone into combat mode to stop him.

Yes.

She now fully understood the situation.

“And what does that have to do with Rachel?”

“That… I don’t even know.”

Abel averted her gaze.

“She just said she was sorry a few times and then, out of nowhere, hugged Geom-Ma…”

“Out of nowhere?”

“Yes. Just like that, suddenly.”

Ryozo blinked.

Though she had reconstructed the scene only with fragments, this was incomprehensible.

“And what changed after she hugged him?”

She asked again.

“First, the tsunami stopped.”

“…”

Abel’s voice was colorless, flat.

“Then, the lightning.”

“…”

Her golden eyes lost their shine.

….

“Oh. And now his hair is turning back to its original color.”

Ryozo also lifted her gaze. Like black ink spreading on a white canvas, his natural color returned.

Against the backlight she couldn’t see his expression. Geom-Ma only remained frozen.

Even so, that strong man passively accepted Rachel’s embrace.

“Wow.”

Ryozo’s eyes were empty.

“So our Geom-Ma likes… the big ones, huh?”

At that moment, Kang Geom-Ma’s shoulders trembled.

***

The vision, once blurry, began to clear little by little.

I lowered my gaze.

At my feet stretched a completely devastated field. In the blink of an eye, Yggdrasil had turned into an empty shell, and the island of Avalon, into a wasteland.

Belatedly, I felt the blood flow back into my numb head.

A slight headache.

A deep sense of guilt.

‘Did I lose consciousness…?’

I remembered how a dark red impulse devoured my thoughts. In the end, what I feared most happened…

With a brief glance around, it seemed those I brought with me had joined forces to contain me.

“…Ah.”

Huh?

Just as I was about to let out a sigh, the air got stuck in my throat. Like a prisoner bound with ropes.

The knot tightened a little more and my eyes lowered to my chest. Were my arms tightly bound?

“Did you regain consciousness?”

A warm breath struck the back of my neck. And something else was pressed against my back. Something violent.

Turning, with the cracking pain of my muscles, I confirmed it. It was Rachel, as expected. The difference from her usual look was that now her pupils were in normal shape and not hearts.

“Thank goodness…”

Rachel rested her forehead against my back.

“I’m really glad.”

…

Without time to process the situation, a sharp gaze pricked my cheeks.

From below.

“……”

“……”

Ah, I’m screwed.

***

Meanwhile, main headquarters class at Joaquin Academy.

The meteorological phenomenon that began on the island of Avalon was not limited to a small area. It even reached Korea.

A professor, noticing the strange weather, decided to end the class early.

“When the weather gets this ominous, stay in the dorms. If you wander around you might attract the wrath of the gods.”

In a world where magic and blessings exist, locals were sensitive to superstition. Bad weather was a sign of disaster. Before the Second Great Human-Demon War, black clouds had covered the whole world.

But the current generation, which had never lived through war, could only celebrate it.

“Yes!”

“That answer sounds way too cheerful… I wonder if I did the right thing ending class early.”

“Uh… yes, professor…”

“I’ll be the one to give notice. Go quickly to the dorms, it’s dangerous out. I’ll tell the other teachers the afternoon class was canceled due to rain.”

The students, excited, began packing up. Student A was no exception, humming happily. His heart pounded at the thought of playing video games.

Blessing of the Apocalypse M 2nd.

It was a popular game that, aside from its toxicity and high cost of microtransactions, received good reviews. The gameplay was acceptable, but it had a strange addiction, and the graphics didn’t tire the eyes. Word of mouth spread it without advertising.

“Hmm?”

He was about to leave when he noticed Chaerina staring intently out the window.

Chaerina was always serious. Her hair, dark as ebony, and her blank expression gave her a monochrome aura. That coldness could dizzy anyone. And, besides, she had a stinging hand.

‘Ouch!’

His peculiar tastes almost slipped out.

As Student A quietly opened the door—

…

Chaerina touched her chest with the back of her hand, as if something were crawling over her heart.

And suddenly.

Thump. Thump.

She pounded her chest hard.

“This…?”

She bit her lips in fury.

“How is it possible that this was enough to stop me!?”

That day, Student A saw for the first time a real emotion on Chaerina’s face.

***

Four days had passed since then.

The Villain Union’s structure had been practically annihilated. It was surprising how easy it had been. But of course, they knew that if I found them, they would be completely wiped out, so they desperately hid.

Ryozo’s efficiency in locating the organization’s base with so little information deserved praise.

“We won’t announce publicly that the Villain Union has been destroyed.”

Ryozo proposed the following.

There were still infiltrators related to the organization who had not been identified. Believing the Union was still active, those individuals continued to act arrogantly. So we would let them keep coming out, keeping the “Villain Union” alive as a phantom company.

Everyone agreed. It was the perfect opportunity to eradicate, root and branch, those who allied with the scattered villain network.

With that settled, the reconstruction of Avalon Island began in coordination with Joaquin Academy. Fortunately, progress was fast, thanks to the participation of a Korean construction company that had already built the graduate school building.

We still haven’t gathered enough information for a complete summary.

But although the process is slow, I feel I’m getting closer to the cause of the problem.

The awakening of magic.

The fall of the Villain Union.

These events seem to be leading toward something greater—a second catastrophe.

‘It must be near.’

The signs are beginning to appear.

I trust my intuition completely. The Second End of the World is near.

‘But that’s separate…’

Now I must face my own personal apocalypse.

“Damn it! And Ryozo…”

Rachel, even with the situation still unsettled, declared it in front of the Sword Master, Media, and Meian, during a meeting to report what happened.

“…Third what?”

Asked the Sword Master. Rachel slightly raised her pinky finger.

“Pfff!”

Finally, the Sword Master spat out the black tea he had in his mouth. Through the rounded rainbow of droplets, the visibly distressed faces of Ryozo and Abel were reflected.

I have no right to comment.

I remain in a vow of silence about “that” matter.

‘Please.’

As I slowly turned into a vampire swordsman, Rachel continued talking as if nothing.

“Ah, I didn’t mean like, just like that, of course.”

“Not just like that and not in any way!”

The Sword Master shot up to his feet.

“Huh? Why not?”

“B-because that’s complete indecency!”

“What’s indecent about it? After the Second Human-Demon War, polygamy is legal, isn’t it?”

“Of course. As long as you use Zero Coin, it’s fine.”

Media, who had set her cup on the table, added naturally. No, wait, director, if you also side with her, you’re putting me in an unsustainable situation.

“Yay! Though I would feel a little weird about taking another girl’s man.”

That’s exactly what you’re doing, Rachel.

“If I, more than those two…”

Rachel elegantly spread her fingers.

“Enter his room first, then I become, fair and square, the third wife of Kang Geom-Ma, right?”

……

The atmosphere in the room turned icy.

I truly gagged.

‘Please, some ally…’

Media, perhaps noticing the desperate plea in my face, discreetly raised her hand. Good, if the wise woman raises her voice, Rachel will have to back down at least once.

“I’m already one of the Seven Stars.”

“…Excuse me?”

Rachel was left speechless too.

“I’m telling you, I’m already part of the Seven Stars.”

Media repeated it with emphasis.

I instantly became a human target.

The gazes of Ryozo and Abel pierced into me.

“……”

“……”

Save me.