Chapter 352. Pieces (4) (1/2)

“…”

Shin Jonghak stared at Jin Sahyuk in silence. Her words suggesting that he could meet Shin Myungchul captivated him more than anything.

But of course, it was hard to believe such a thing was possible.

“We’re inside my mind, you said?”

Shin Jonghak asked the most basic question first. Currently, he was surrounded by darkness. Though Jin Sahyuk had claimed this space to be his mind, Shin Jonghak simply couldn’t accept her answer.

Despite his doubt, Jin Sahyuk nodded without hesitation.

“Yeah. I’ve recreated your mind to my liking.”

It was one of the many applications of Reality Manipulation. Jin Sahyuk observed Shin Jonghak’s mind and recreated it so that she could uncover Shin Myungchul’s legacy buried inside Shin Jonghak’s consciousness.

Shin Jonghak seemed quite dissatisfied with the whole setup, however. He wasn’t too happy with the voidness of the surrounding view.

Jin Sahyuk said with a smirk, “I for one think this space suits you. It’s pitch black.”

“…What did you say?”

A strand of vein popped out of Shin Jonghak’s temple. He stumbled back almost at the same time. Several objects were rising from the darkness beneath his feet.

“W-what are these?”

This took Shin Jonghak by surprise. Rising out of the swampy darkness were objects deeply related to Shin Jonghak’s ego. Kim Hajin’s sculpture of Shin Jonghak, the youngest high-rank Hero certificate, Xiang Yu’s Conqueror’s Spear, and even a statue of Chae Nayun…. But the most important of them all was the door at the rear.

[Shin Myungchul]

The iron gate was inscribed with Shin Myungchul’s name.

“Follow me.”

While Shin Jonghak stood in awe, Jin Sahyuk began to walk towards the gate. Doubtful of her intentions, Shin Jonghak followed closely behind. He didn’t forget to cover Chae Nayun’s statue with his coat so that Jin Sahyuk wouldn’t misunderstand(?).

“Hmm…. Myungchul. It’s a pretty corny name, don’t you think?”

Jin Sahyuk banged on the iron gate a couple of times and looked back at Shin Jonghak.

Shin Jonghak said nothing; instead, he began pondering upon his own existence.

He knew very well the public opinion of himself as a Hero.

They called him the youngest high-rank Hero, the vice leader of the giant guild ‘Desolate Moon’, the heir of Jinsung Corp, and a handsome man who could beat even the most famous celebrities in looks alone. Though all these descriptions were remarkable in their own way, Shin Jonghak never forgot his roots.

There was no way he could ever forget.

In this vast world only he was allowed to take such pride in himself.

That is— pride as the grandson of Shin Myungchul.

“…Are you saying my grandfather’s behind that door?”

Shin Jonghak asked. He had so many questions left.

Jin Sahyuk gave a candid nod.

“Yes, probably. My guess is that Shin Myungchul sealed a part of his soul in the deepest corner of your consciousness. Just like I did.”

Until recently, Jin Sahyuk’s memories of Akatrina had been sealed inside her. She did that because she didn’t think she could face her current life properly with the burdens of her past life in her heart. Thankfully, this experience served as a clue to her.

Jin Sahyuk suspected Shin Myungchul had used a similar method. Bell said that Shin Myungchul left Shin Jonghak a legacy. ‘Perhaps,’ she thought, ‘Shin Myungchul used the same method as I did, just in a completely different way.’

“…It’s not that I trust you completely, but-”

Shin Jonghak gulped. He gave Jin Sahyuk a doubtful look and brought his hands to the gate. And then, he tried to push open the gate. But it wouldn’t budge.

A groan escaped Shin Jonghak’s lips. Still, his efforts seemed futile.

“Try using your magic power.” Jin Sahyuk interrupted.

Shing Jonghak leered at her, then poured his magic power into the gate. The gate responded to the magic power and finally began to move.

Oooong…

The iron gate vibrated as it answered to Shin Jonghak’s magic power. Soon it opened smoothly like a clam opening its mouth.

Kiik— Koong!

The heavy sound of iron rang out. Shin Jonghak looked at the other side of the gate with his feet planted on the ground. He gulped in anticipation. He could feel his heart sink as if something big and heavy had just dropped on top of it.

There was a man standing at the other side of the gate. Shin Jonghak could see him clearly.

His shoulders were as wide as a mountain and his posture was as straight as a river. His long hair covered both parts of his body. Shin Jonghak felt a shiver down his spine. The mere sight of the man had completely stunned him.

Shin Jonghak gulped yet again and slowly turned his gaze to Jin Sahyuk.

“If this is some kind of trick….”

“I told you, it’s not.”

Jin Sahyuk answered in a seemingly annoyed voice. Shin Jonghak glared at her one last time and crossed the threshold of the gate.

At that moment, something strange happened. The man began moving awkwardly, like a broken clockwork puppet. Then, he slowly raised his head.

Shin Jonghak could see his eyes now. Their gazes met. A small, barely visible smile spread across the man’s face. At the same time, Shin Jonghak felt as if his body had been set on fire.

Shin Myungchul, the Hero who had left Shin Jonghak an everlasting impression, was there.

**

[Private bunker of the Chancellor of Germany]

Meanwhile, Valac’s army devastated Eastern Europe and reached Germany. Europe was now besieged by two devils: Astaroth in the west and Valac in the east. Astaroth destroyed Paris, and Germany didn’t stand a chance against Valac. The devils took complete control of Europe as the two great calamities….

“We’re at our limit. Berlin can’t hold out any longer.”

Jenes, the Chancellor of Germany, announced pitifully. His hands trembled in fear as he sent over the footage of Berlin’s defense barrier to Yi Gongmyung.

—….

Yi Gongmyung studied the footage carefully. As Supreme Commander, it was his duty to map out a strategy that would lead the team to victory.

—…It’s coming down.

Still, there wasn’t much that he could say. It was clear that Berlin’s defenses were being toppled by the demons’ attack.

The army of demons swiftly ravaged Poland and arrived at Berlin. It was only a matter of time before Berlin’s defense barrier, the product of cutting-edge magic engineering, crumbled down.

“Can we at least evacuate the people?” Jenes asked.

Yi Gongmyung shook his head. Both east and west had been seized by the enemies. This meant the citizens could not travel by land. But it was also impossible to evacuate billions of people through portals.

They had run into a dead end.

“What do you expect me to do, then?!” Jenes yelled. He was beginning to tear up. The guilt of not being able to save his people weighed heavily on the heart of the Chancellor.

Yi Gongmyung said with a sigh.

—Please try to hold out a little longer. There’s not much we can do at this point in time. Baal, Morax, and a third devil have invaded Korea. I’m afraid the situation here is not so good either. But I’m sure we’ll be able to come up with something….

The Chancellor clenched his teeth. Despair and disappointment replaced the rage in his heart. He ruminated on the current situation again.

He was currently inside an underground bunker in Korea. Germany’s commander-in-chief, along with the members of his cabinet, had abandoned their people and evacuated to a bunker in a foreign country. It was hypocritical of him to worry about the people he had left behind by choice.

“…I understand.”

Just as the Chancellor spat out words of resignation, the screen that showed Berlin suddenly turned white.

Jenes widened his eyes.

“W-what’s going on?!”

Jenes exclaimed in German. It didn’t take long for him to understand what had just happened.

The end had come.