Chapter 461
Why is the Abyss of Demons here...?
The past Kwang-Soo stared in disbelief at the black swamp that was seemingly painting over the world itself. Just looking at the abyss of contaminates polluted the mind and scattered mana.
Believed to be the source of demonic aura, the Abyss of Demons affected both the land and living beings, as well as enhanced demons. With such effects, the Demon Force capitalized on it by often using it as a strategic weapon.
However, successful mass deployments were rare. To do such a thing, it required perfectly linking the target site to Antarctica—the location of the Abyss of Demons—through spatial magic.
Even if the spatial magic activated properly—no, now isn’t the time to think about that.
Realizing how dire the situation was becoming, Kwang-Soo looked toward Sophie, whose face had turned ghostly pale as she trembled.
“Kwang-Soo... the base... over there...”
“Sophia. This isn’t the time for that. We need to get to Master now.”
At the word “Master,” Sophia’s eyes violently shook. Without another word, she broke into a mad sprint toward the base. Her breathing was ragged and her posture a mess—she couldn’t even control her body properly.
Watching her desperate figure, Kwang-Soo grimaced.
She’s already showing signs of contamination...
Normally, with Sophia’s resistance, she would have been completely unaffected at their distance. But her concern for her master, combined with her growing impatience, caused cracks in her synesthetic mindscape to form, accelerating the contamination.
At the current rate... Kwang-Soo rushed to catch up to her precarious form and immediately hoisted her onto his shoulder.
“Stabilize your synesthetic mindscape first! Even if you manage to reach there, you’ll be useless in this state!”
“Ugh...”
Belatedly realizing her own condition, Sophia bit her lip so hard that blood trickled down and desperately began working to steady her mind.
But not long later, they had reached a hill overlooking the base.
Rumble-
The once fortified base, with walls and buildings alike, had completely vanished without a trace. Submerged in the Abyss of Demons, the land boiled ominously, emitting a twisted and corrupted vitality. Trees were embedded with thousands of eyes, black bubbles had formed mucus-like monsters, and... there was an army of grotesque monsters roaming the base with the equipment that once belonged to heroes fused into the flesh.
“Ah... aah...”
The heroes who failed to escape had all become monsters, indistinguishable from demons.
Taking it all in, Sophia was filled with despair. If only it were just dozens of S-rank demons, then at least there would have been hope. They had Ha-Rin’s technique; they could have withstood that somehow.
Crack-
But that? No living being could escape the contamination once touched by the substance forming the Abyss of Demons. S-rank or not, it didn’t matter.
“No... no, no...why is this happening... I don’t... want thissssssss...”
Drip-
Blood fell. Sophia clawed at her own face so fiercely that her nails had dug into her skin.
Wooosh-
The Abyss of Demons continued to douse the surroundings, an unending stream falling from the sky. In such a situation, evacuation was needed immediately. Yet, despite knowing that, Kwang-Soo just stood there, blankly staring at the horror.
Something was stirring inside his mind, but he couldn’t understand what. All he knew was that countless emotions were tangling together within him—forming a heavy, unknown lump that was becoming an inner demon.
“You■■ also ■■ see it. Let go ■■.” The nearly inaudible whisper suddenly burrowed into him, coming from the inner demon in its cocoon—
Swoosh-
Before he could think about it, a dark blue crescent moon had slashed through the downpour, cutting apart the fracture in the sky.
Boom!
The breach opened by the Demon Force split apart, abruptly cutting off the endless torrent. Now, instead of the contamination, a dark red liquid began weakly dripping down.
“Is that... blood?”
But whose blood was that? As Kwang-Soo was reeling from the shock, his eyes gradually dropped to the land directly beneath. Unlike before, the land submerged by the contamination lay bare.
And in the very center stood a lone figure, gripping a dark blue sword.
There...
He had to get there immediately. Only able to think about that one thing, Kwang-Soo sprinted forward as fast as possible.
Crackle!
The demonic aura that still saturated the air clawed at his body, making him feel as though he were burning from within, and remnants of the Abyss of Demons tried to invade him every time they brushed his skin. With every second, it all fueled the inner demon growing inside his mind. But Kwang-Soo ignored it all. He just kept running.
Then, when he finally reached the exposed center, he slowed to a halt and his eyes widened at the sight before him.
Drip-
The ground was soaked in blackish-red blood, littered with corpses. Notorious S-rank demons were scattered around, shredded into pieces. And the cause of it all, standing in the center of the bloodbath, was one person drenched in blood.
“...”
It felt eerily like a scene out of the past. But compared to back then, there was one critical difference: the person standing before him now was no longer human.
“Ma... Master...”
Hearing Kwang-Soo’s cracked voice calling out to her, Ha-Rin slowly turned her head toward him—and Kwang-Soo clenched his fists.
It was a horrific sight. Starting from her right hand and spreading up to her chest and ending beneath her jaw, the signs of demonic aura erosion were obvious.
There must be... there has to be some way to turn the situation around...
However, once even the heart was corrupted, there was no going back. Kwang-Soo knew that, and yet he desperately tried to think of a way to save her. Because, to him, that was the sole option.
Watching him with dim eyes, Ha-Rin gave a bitter smile.
“I’m sorry.”
Immediately, Kwang-Soo’s eyes widened. Surprisingly, despite the severe signs of erosion, her voice rang out surprisingly clear.
“I should’ve realized earlier that the actual target of this attack was me.... I was too foolish.”
There had been no real warning signs. Not even Park Sung-Jin’s strategic team predicted it. If blame were to be assigned, it would fall on them.
Yet Ha-Rin didn’t blame anyone.
“Oh, but at least I didn’t just sit around. I killed that ominous demon who had a golden aura... and I even cut down the thing that was allowing the Abyss of Demons to spill out. They won’t be able to pull anything like this again anytime soon.”
Even though her body was contaminated and her synesthetic mindscape had been invaded by demonic aura, she had taken down the enemy and prevented a catastrophe. No matter how one looked at it, her actions showed a warmth toward humanity that was utterly unlike any other demon—which gave Kwang-Soo a sliver of hope.
Maybe...
Maybe, just maybe, Ha-Rin had become a special demon who could coexist with humanity. Even among humanity, she had always been the odd one out until now, right? Surely everything would somehow work out this time too—
“No.”
Kwang-Soo’s hopeful thoughts were shattered by Ha-Rin’s decisive voice. With her gaze clearer than before, she stared at Kwang-Soo.
“You should know well that humans and demons cannot coexist.”
Her voice severed any remaining strands of hope he had nurtured.
“Why... why would you say that?! We’re talking like usual! So there should still be a chance—why are you giving up on it already...?!” shouted Kwang-Soo through clenched teeth.
“Because that’s what demons are.” Ha-Rin made a sorrowful expression. “The memories of the past, the values of the present, the dreams of the future... all of them inevitably collapse into destruction. That’s the price I pay for drawing power from the Abyss of Demons.”
“What are you talking about...!”
“Regardless of whether it was by choice, once someone becomes a demon, coexistence with humanity is impossible. They will eventually bring ruin to the world... and so will I.”
Kwang-Soo flinched at her certainty. It wasn’t a mere guess—she truly believed she would destroy the world.
“...”
The hero who dedicated her life to humanity. The person he believed to be more noble than anyone else. That person... that person... was falling into just another demon.
Not wanting to accept the truth, Kwang-Soo stood there, speechless.
But Ha-Rin didn’t give him time. “I’m terribly sorry... but I have one favor to ask—”
“Don’t you dare.”
Kwang-Soo struggled to hold back his crumbling emotions.
“Please... don’t tell me...”
He knew all too well what the last request contaminated heroes made to their comrades was.
Knowing that just as well, Ha-Rin couldn’t seem to finish the sentence either.
“You know you’re the only one I approve of, right?”
“...”
“Wasting what little time we have left arguing like this.... Anyone else would probably call us idiots.”
Her voice was so calm, like she was talking about someone else.
Crack!
Kwang-Soo clenched his fists hard. Just as she said, there was no other way. All he could do was help her—so that she wouldn’t turn into a monster, so that she could say goodbye properly.
Crunch-
He knew. Logically, he understood. But still, his heart refused to accept it. Reason and emotion warred inside him, leaving him paralyzed—
“Then we’ll just become demons, too.”
Finally catching up, Sophia’s eyes were twisted with grief.
“If we become demons too... then we can stay with you forever, right?”
“Sophia.”
“You both know it too, don’t you? How the flow of battle played out so perfectly, as if luring you into this exact spot. Those bastards...!”
“SOPHIA!”
Flinching due to Ha-Rin’s shout, Sophia shut her mouth and looked at Ha-Rin in disbelief.
“Why... Why are you taking their side? It was because of them that you ended up like that... that we
ended up like this... all because of them...”Seeing the tears falling from Sophia’s eyes, Ha-Rin bitterly murmured, “Because I still want to keep my last remaining humanity.”
“...”
“Even with this worn-down body... even with my eroded synesthetic mindscape... I... still want to prove that I was human up till the end.”
Hearing Ha-Rin’s wish—which was no different from her final testament—her two disciples hardened their resolve.
“No... No, no, no... Even if you say that, Master, I...!”
Sophia reached her hand out toward the Abyss of Demons, having lost her reason...
Smack-
But Kwang-Soo struck her nape with his finger filled with mana before she could.
“...!”
Caught off guard, Sophia immediately lost consciousness and collapsed into Kwang-Soo’s waiting arms.
“Were you serious about what you just said?” he asked quietly, looking at Sophia.
Pausing, Ha-Rin looked at her two disciples.
“Yes.” Her voice was calm. “I meant every word.”
“...I see. Okay, then.”
With a slow nod, Kwang-Soo laid Sophia down on the ground and pulled out an emergency escape scroll Ludwig had given him.
Whoosh!
Space shimmered slightly, and with a sound like something being flicked away, Sophia’s body disappeared into the distance.
“So spatial magic has been restored already...”
Had they just reclaimed the facility from the Demon Force? Or had they simply activated it only now to chase down anyone escaping? Without thinking too deeply about it, Kwang-Soo turned and walked toward Ha-Rin.
“Ah, don’t come too close to me. I’m kind of overwhelmed by something like a killing urge right now...”
“But I want to.”
“I’m being serious.”
“Then do your best to hold it back.”
Bluntly quipping back, Kwang-Soo stepped right up to her, extremely close.
“Are you getting snappy with me right now?” Ha-Rin asked, slightly turning her head to the side.
“Yes.”
“Why though...?”
“If you make such a request like that to me, you should have expected a bit of a tantrum from me, too.”
Speaking as bluntly as he did on the day they first met, Kwang-Soo’s attitude made Ha-Rin wear a complicated expression.
“Turn your head,” he said gently.
“Huh? I don’t think it’ll look that nice though...”
“I want to see you properly before I send you off.”
Unable to refuse, Ha-Rin stiffened. Then, with a sigh, she straightened her slightly turned face to let Kwang-Soo quietly take in the sight of her.
By now, the corruption had already climbed from her chest to beneath her right eye; her face was marred by black veins..
“I wanted to show you my pretty side for our last moment...”
“It’s fine. You’re still beautiful in my eyes.”
Hearing those unexpected words, Ha-Rin froze before a suspicious expression crossed her face.
“...Are you sure you haven’t been contaminated by demonic aura?”
Otherwise, there was no way he could say such things with a sane mind.
“I’m sure you’ve heard things like this plenty of times before. Why say that now?” Kwang-Soo asked, frowning at her expression.
“But... It’s just that you’ve never said it to me before.”
“Just because I didn’t say it doesn’t mean I didn’t think it.”
It wasn’t just him—everyone knew Ha-Rin was beautiful. And it wasn’t just her outward appearance either; they all knew the heart she carried within was as well.
“...”
Looking at Kwang-Soo, Ha-Rin wore a complex expression. It wasn’t merely because it was the final moment. It felt... as if he had let go of too many things.
“You... don’t tell me...”
Just then, right when she realized something, a massive amount of mana began gathering over the clearing where they stood.
Rumble!
A magic array so vast that ordinary mages wouldn’t even be able to design blanketed the entire sky, making Ha-Rin’s eyes widen in shock.
“That’s...”
“That should be Natalia, that crazy witch.”
Kwang-Soo’s voice was calm, as if he had known.
“They must have called her ahead of time to clean up afterward.”
No matter who survived the battle, if everything was wiped clean afterward, there would be no loose ends. Surely they had promised that madwoman of Russia all kinds of rewards to drag her in.
“Is this really the time to be so composed? You have to get out of range right now—”
“Forget it.”
“...What?”
“Didn’t you just say it yourself? Are we really going to waste what little time we have left on pointless bickering?”
Kwang-Soo looked at Ha-Rin with calm eyes.
“Even if I don’t cut you down with my own hands... even if you don’t cut me down... everything will still be taken care of.”
“...”
“So for now, just look into my eyes. This is going to be our last moment.”
Rather than kill Ha-Rin with his own hands, Kwang-Soo made the choice to die alongside her instead.
“Why... are you going this far for me?” Ha-Rin asked in a dazed voice, realizing that his decision wasn’t impulsive but deeply sincere. Was there really any reason to throw away his life so meaninglessly?
To that, Kwang-Soo didn’t hesitate. “I told you already. No matter what, I will walk with you even to the end of hell.”
Under the stars that night, in that field of flowers, he had made that vow to her. And at that very moment, he found a wish that he had never once dared to have until that moment.
“My only wish... is to be with you.”
A wish he had kept hidden, fearing it would bind her. But now that they were standing before death, he could finally reveal it.
“You... you’re so cruel.” Ha-Rin muttered, dazed by his confession.
“I’m sorry.”
“I... I held myself back so many times until now.... I gave up because it was the end...”
“I’m sorry.”
Tears streamed uncontrollably from Ha-Rin’s broken eyes. Seeing that, Kwang-Soo embraced her, continuing to apologize.
Woong!
A brilliant explosion of countless colors burst across the sky. Starting from the outer edges, everything along with the corrupted land turned to dust.
Yet neither of them looked at it. They simply held each other tightly, speaking quietly into each other’s ears.
“Do you know what thoughts are running through my head right now?”
“Tell me.”
“That if we manage to get out of here alive, I want to turn you into a demon, too. So that you can never leave my side.”
Clench-
Ha-Rin’s arms around him trembled faintly. She wasn’t joking.
Yet, despite knowing that, Kwang-Soo pulled her into an even tighter embrace upon feeling her intense and genuine impulse.
“If that’s what you wish, then I’ll gladly accept it.”
“...That’s exactly the problem.”
With a faint smile, Ha-Rin loosened the strength in her arms before gently pushing herself away from his chest and stepping back slightly.
She gazed at Kwang-Soo with eyes clearer than ever.
“When you said your wish is to be with me... I was truly happy.”
“...?”
“But my wish is a little different.”
Still smiling softly, Ha-Rin created a sword out of sword aura in her right hand. It was pitch black, seemingly containing the night sky itself.
Sensing something wrong, Kwang-Soo reached out—
“I want you... to continue to live on.”
Celestial Infinity Blade: Night Sky
The sword aura cut through the world.
“No!!!!”
Severed from the world, the space around Kwang-Soo was flung away. A second later, the light incinerating the world from the sky swallowed the place they had just been embracing.
Fading away, Ha-Rin smiled faintly at the sight of Kwang-Soo unharmed and slowly moved her lips to deliver her final feelings.
Whoosh-
But everything disappeared into the light.
Fwump!
Like someone had pushed him, Kwang-Soo returned to the world.
However, all that remained was the aftermath: a world where everything had turned to dust and vanished. Standing there, gazing blankly at the scene, he lowered his gaze.
“...”
Lying at his feet was the sword aura Ha-Rin had created at the very end, Night Sky. Somehow, it had turned into a materialized sword.
Kwang-Soo began trembling, bending down to pick it up. Then with it in his hands, he turned the tip toward his heart...
I love you.
Ha-Rin’s final feelings, left inside the sword, flowed into him and drained the strength from his hands.
Clang!
Kwang-Soo lowered his head weakly.
“Who’s the cruel one now...”
Collapsing to his knees, tears endlessly fell without shame... all the way until the rescue team arrived.