Chapter 87: Hell Gate (1/2)

Long chapter is long.

Holy Angel Lena.

A bright, gentle, and benevolent woman. A kind woman who suited the word ‘angel’ more than anyone else.

She opened the Hell Gate.

Because of that, countless monsters entered Endymion.

But rather than that fact, Cordelia was troubled by something else.

Her eyes widely opened, and she approached Lena.

“Lena!”

Lena’s face wasn’t the one that Cordelia knew.

It was also different from her dying face in the cinematic movie.

Her hair was still blonde, but her white skin was now a pale purple.

She now had red and black eyes instead of her clear blue eyes. The white sclera in her eyes were now completely black, and her red eyes had slit pupils like that of a serpent’s eyes.

What had happened?

Lena was originally a holy angel.

She was an angel of this world, someone who gained the power of an angel through Ancestral Regression.

“Don’t come too close. You can’t come close.”

Lena hurriedly retreated to avoid Cordelia’s hand.

The teary-faced Cordelia turned to Jude.

Cordelia didn’t know why Lena became like this now, but she at least knew what Lena’s condition was.

‘Demon Syndrome.’

A disease that ate away a creature’s body when exposed to the aura of hell.

Most humans immediately died the moment they were exposed to the aura of hell, but some people who were mentally and physically strong ended up having Demon Syndrome.

The effect of Demon Syndrome was simple.

The afflicted creature becomes a demon.

They usually became lower-ranking demons with almost no intellectual capacities, but those who had well-trained bodies and truly noble and strong minds became demons with intellectual capacities.

And now, Lena had Demon Syndrome.

Through that, Jude was able to come up with a more complete answer.

“You escaped from hell. And in the process, the Hell Gate opened.”

Lena slowly nodded.

“I was dragged to hell when I was fighting demons in the Argon Empire. I struggled and fought many times there and was able to barely escape at the end…but in the aftermath, the Hell Gate opened.”

Lena had a very distressed look.

She thought of the tragedy of Paragon and of all her loved ones whom she lost, including her master who she considered as her father.

However, she had opened the Hell Gate with her own hands, which might once again lead to something similar to the tragedy of Paragon.

She couldn’t bear it.

She had to solve this problem even at the expense of her own life.

‘She couldn’t properly use the angel’s power because of the Demon Syndrome. But just before she died, she recovered from the Demon Syndrome because she completely used up her angel powers.’

It made sense.

Lena sacrificed herself to close the Hell Gate and then died a lonely death.

“I have to close the Hell Gate. I’ll do anything to close it.”

Lena said in an earnest tone.

Her expression and voice seemed like she was confessing her fault.

“It’s not Lena’s fault.”

Cordelia said.

But Lena shook her head.

“No, it’s my fault…”

“No. Definitely no. You didn’t open the gate on purpose. You’re a good person, and you’re still trying to somehow close the Hell Gate. That’s right. So don’t look so distressed. Jude and I will help you. We’ll close the gate together and go back happy and laughing.”

Cordelia poured out her thoughts as she held Lena’s hand and then smiled.

Her words might not have presented a solution to their problem, but Lena smiled after hearing Cordelia.

It started awkwardly, but for the first time since the Hell Gate opened, Lena had a proper smile.

And that made Cordelia smile even more.

With a broad smile, she said as she hugged Lena.

“We can do it. My Jude is excellent. Jude will somehow find a solution. Isn’t that right?”

This time again, her words offered no solutions.

But at her words full of strong faith in him, Jude nodded his head.

“We can do it. So let’s check the situation first. Lena, do you have a way to replenish your powers?”

Jude began to lead the conversation.

Lena looked back at Cordelia and Jude instead of replying immediately, and soon, she smiled again.

‘It’s like I’m with Landius.’

A person who was absurdly optimistic and reliable that could make one feel at ease anytime and anywhere.

“I’m thinking of using Endymion’s Grand Magic Circle.”

Lena moved her hand in the air and used magic.

After a full map of Endymion appeared in the air, a complex figure made of white light was drawn over the map.

“The ancient High Elves bet on everything for their final decisive battle against the Demon Prince in Endymion…and as a result, the entire capital became a weapon itself.”

After absorbing the mana of all the citizens living in the capital at once, the magic circle was activated to inject the concentrated and amplified power into one person who would fight against the Demon Prince.

“I discovered that there’s still a lot of mana stored in Endymion. If we activate the magic circle…we can somehow gather the mana necessary to use the Heavenly Seal.”

It was a plausible solution.

But Jude thought of a problem in her solution, while Cordelia instinctively realized it.

‘The method Lena used in the original.’

That one and only method led to Lena’s death in the end.

But she didn’t die because of that method alone.

Something must have changed and brought her harm.

“Wait, if you use this magic circle, shouldn’t an angel be the target of the gathered mana?”

At that moment, Kaplan, whose presence was almost forgotten together with Bellagio, spoke as he looked at the full map in the air.

As a professor in archeology at the institutional academy, he was familiar with ancient languages.

“That….”

Lena hesitated for a moment as if she had been stabbed in her sore spot before she slowly said again.

“Yes, in order to use that magic, one must have the genes of an angel. Though I am afflicted with Demon Syndrome…I haven’t lost my angel’s genes. That is why I’m sure that I can do it.”

Lena said that with a smile, but Jude and Cordelia were not fooled.

It was this.

It was the reason why Lena lost her life.

Lena was not a real angel right now because of her Demon Syndrome. So Lena was greatly hit and suffered from the concentrated sacred power.

So they had to change her plan.

And the two had another solution.

‘I’ll do it.’

Cordelia said to Jude with her eyes.

Although she had not yet used Ancestral Regression, Cordelia had the genes of an angel.

She fought against the demons with the witch’s power, but she wouldn’t be dealt a huge blow by the sacred power if she was not transformed into a witch.

‘Are you sure?’

‘Definitely.’

Cordelia’s eyes seemed to be on fire.

Therefore, Jude conceded.

It was impossible to stop the current Cordelia.

Jude wanted to avoid Cordelia’s plan, but she was correct.

The best solution was for Cordelia to replace Lena.

“Let’s do it.”

“Leave it to me.”

After she charmingly smiled, Cordelia straight away began to explain about herself to Lena, while Jude turned to Kaplan.

“Will you help us, Sir Kaplan?”

“Me?”

“Yes, we need Sir Kaplan’s help in activating the magic circle. Someone has to manipulate the console in order to operate the magic circle.”

This was Jude’s first time in Endymion, but not the first in Magellan, the magic kingdom of the High Elves. He had already encountered a similar kind of magic circle somewhere in the ruins of Magellan.

‘The reason why it took so long for Lena was because she did everything herself.’

But not now. If Kaplan was here, it would be possible to easily operate the console which used the ancient language of the High Elves.

“I’m glad that Sir Kaplan is here.”

Kaplan flinched at Jude’s words, but he soon nodded and widely smiled.

“Leave it to me. I’ve seen something similar in my research.”

“Yes, I believe in you.”

After tapping Kaplan on his shoulder, Jude advanced towards Cordelia and Lena.

Lena was a little surprised at Cordelia’s explanation, but instead of being doubtful, she looked apologetic.

“The burden will be great.”

“It’s okay. Even if I look like this, I’m very strong.”

Cordelia grinned and thumped her chest before she turned to Jude.

“Jude, when we activate the magic circle, the demons will notice. So we need to turn their gaze somewhere…why is your face like that?”

“No, it’s just amazing that you came up with this…I’m sorry. Please don’t hit me.”

When Jude made a playful remark, Cordelia clenched her fist and made a ‘hmph’ sound, but she soon loosened her face.

In the first place, she knew that he was trying to lighten the mood because of Lena.

“Lena, please draw the magic circle for the Heavenly Seal.”

It was absolutely impossible for them to currently learn high-ranking magic such as the Heavenly Seal with little preparation.

Lena smiled again at Cordelia’s request.

“Yes, I’ll prepare it right away.”

In just a few minutes, the group’s mood completely changed.

Close the Hell Gate and solve Endymion’s problem. Save Lena’s life.

“We can do it.”

Jude said in a small voice and then took a step forward.

They began their operation.

***

In order to activate Endymion’s magic circle, all nine magic stones at the outskirts of the underground city had to be activated.

But it wasn’t that difficult.

Six of them were already activated by Lena.

While Kaplan controlled the console and Lena drew the magic circle of the Heavenly Seal, Jude traveled around the outskirts of the city and activated the remaining magic stones.

Jude used the Twenty-Four Gale Steps to jump to higher places in order to hide from the low-ranking demons who did not have a proper command system. He hid so well that even his shadow was not noticed by the monsters.

He finally activated the last magic stone.

Now, it was time to return to the central tower and join Lena in order to begin their feint operation of drawing the demons’ attention.

“Jude!”

“Lena!”

Upon reaching the first floor of the tower, Lena quickly came to him. She had just finished drawing the magic circle.

Everything went smoothly.

If their plan proceeded as it is, they would be able to close the Hell Gate successfully.

But as always, not everything went according to plan.

Time had passed while he traveled around activating the magic stones.

The Hell Gate finally went beyond the first stage and began its transition into the second stage.

Aaaaah-!

Something like a ghost’s wail shook the entire underground city.

The aura of hell became much stronger, and an overpowering dark and cold energy spread everywhere.

The Hell Gate also became bigger.

The crack grew wider and it now really looked like a gate.

And more demons began to cross over.

A Named Demon also appeared.

Their distance was quite far.

The distance between the Hell Gate and the tower was hundreds of meters.

But it was still huge enough to be clearly seen.

On a huge chariot pulled by hell dogs stood a Lacto that emitted a powerful energy.

It wasn’t a common Lacto but a powerful Named Demon.

As soon as it appeared, the air in the underground city shook once again.

Its appearance alone made their hairs stood on end.

“Bandaizel.”

Jude and Lena spoke almost simultaneously.

For Jude, it was a boss who appeared in the middle of Legend of Heroes 2, and for Lena, it was a persistent pursuer who chased after her several times in Hell.

‘We need to draw the attention of this guy.’

Bandaizel wasn’t normally a strong opponent.

But if they thoughtlessly activated the magic circle, the tower could be smashed before the magic circle concentrated its power on Cordelia.

So they had to fight him and buy some time.

Jude and Lena’s job was to keep him away from the tower.

“We need to hold our ground for 3 minutes.”

Lena smiled at Jude’s words.

“Yes, three minutes.”

“It’s going to be a really long three minutes.”

“I know.”

Lena was not in normal condition now.

But she was one of the five heroes.

Even though she had the Demon Syndrome, she was still one of the heroes who ended the tragedy of the Paragon Kingdom.

‘It’s a strange feeling.’

He was fighting together with the hero in the first episode of Legend of Heroes.

They were in an equal position, and not him being protected or helped.

‘I must be a little crazy too.’

His heart was pounding amidst their situation.

“Let’s go, Jude.”

“Yes, Lena.”

Jude and Lena moved towards the Hell Gate.

And Bandaizel sensed them.

Standing in front of the Hell Gate, he looked at the far distance and sneered.

“Lena.”

Bandaizel was a named demon.

At the moment he appeared, the group of monsters who were moving around without any order suddenly transformed into an army.

Everyone looked in the same direction at once.

There was still some distance from them. Dozens of buildings were lined up in between them.

But that didn’t mean much.

“It’s three minutes.”

“3 minutes.”

It would work out somehow.

Jude grinned and activated the power of Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors.

Lena also focused her mana on both of her hands.

“Cordelia.”

Jude unconsciously spoke, and his words became a signal.

Jude and Lena kicked the ground.

At the same time, Bandaizel loudly shouted, and the charging of the monsters from hell reverberated on the ground.

Booooom-!

Another sound was added.

The ground roared and a strong and beautiful light instantly drove out the darkness of the underground city.

Pillars of light rose up from the nine magic stones at once.

The ground lit up, and the mighty and ancient magic circle began to operate.

The demons hesitated for a moment.

But not Bandaizel.