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The border between Hell and Paradise.
The end of the trench hidden by dense trees.
White Bone Society members had gathered in an old air-raid shelter built to avoid demonic beings’ air raids.
Each of them wore a serious expression as they watched the holographic screen in the center.
“What is this?”
“Looks like crows…”
“Isn’t this black magic power? Necromancer, do you know what it is?”
The red gazes of the Baekgolhoe members turned toward one person.
A young man wearing a skull mask.
He was the White Bone Society Necromancer in charge of this operation.
“From what I see…”
The young Necromancer pressed the paused video’s button again.
Kwaang-
An old Hovercar shot down by a missile plunged toward the ground.
About halfway down.
Suddenly, a flock of black crows appeared beneath the Hovercar and slowed its fall.
They changed direction and then vanished.
“Hmm…”
The Necromancer nodded as if organizing his thoughts.
“It’s a camera issue.”
“…What? This is a latest model…“
“Should we report it to Boss Enter just in case?”
“What? Report? Are we her lackeys? And that’s just a lens problem. The Hovercar’s emergency control system kicked in.”
No matter how they looked at it, it was clearly a flock of black crows, but they fell silent, unable to contradict the Necromancer.
“You don’t trust me? We never learned that kind of thing at school.”
He lacked experience since he hadn’t become a commander, and he couldn’t recognize the Bari Sect’s sorcery either.
“Think about it. What crazy Necromancer would come out risking his life just to help a celebrity?”
“That’s true…”
“Indeed, doing such a dangerous thing…”
Their main job was growing banned herbs outside and shipping them into the city.
They knew the dangers outside better than anyone.
“This is definitely the work of the rebels. They’re trying to use Nana for their propaganda.”
He spoke as if the rumor he’d heard was his own thought.
“Oh… that’s right…”
“Now that I hear it, the Necromancer is right.”
“Then let’s get on with our work. Everyone wants to turn their life around, right?”
A disgusted smile spread across the Necromancer’s face.
Darkness descended upon the world.
Outside, which had been endlessly bright and warm during the day, was now the opposite.
Cold and desolate.
It was much darker than the neon-lit city and couldn’t be compared.
The moon and stars were hidden by clouds.
Smog seemed to have swallowed the entire world, leaving not an inch in sight.
Just as the outside light had been truly bright,
the outside darkness was truly dark.
“Krr…”
Baek Ho pushed a poisonous vodka down his throat.
Feeling the intoxication, he looked beyond the forest.
He couldn’t see anything.
The field that had looked like a green sea now seemed like a deep abyss.
It felt as if demonic beings would crawl up and bare their teeth at any moment.
Baek Ho glanced to the side.
A few steps away in the bushes.
Inside a camouflaged trench, the Liberation Army trio were chatting quietly.
Most of it was a barrage of questions aimed at Nana.
“Be honest~ Was that dating article true back then~”
“Haha… It was all rumors…”
“I knew it~”
“Nana-nim is far too good for that!”
Maybe it’s because they grew up outside.
Or perhaps their bivouac with the Underheaven goddess was thrilling.
Even in this pitch darkness, the Liberation Army was full of composure.
They didn’t seem afraid of pursuers.
Gulp-
He swallowed another sip of vodka.
He took out a glass bottle filled with red liquid from his chest, twirling it as he pondered.
After a moment.
“Want some of that too?”
Nana climbed up onto the trench.
She hesitantly approached and sat next to Baek Ho.
“Why did you come out? I told you to rest.”
“Just… I wondered if you were hurt anywhere.”
Nana pointed to the ground beside Baek Ho.
A stub of a graphite cigarette and a handful of blood lay spilled.
It was the aftereffect of using sorcery and evidence that he was getting stronger.
Baek Ho sprinkled black magic power toward the ground.
The cigarette stub and blood evaporated instantly.
“That bottle in your hand is an emergency potion, right? If you drink it after taking poison… will it do any good?”
“It’s for emergencies.”
He put it back into his chest.
He had bought it because he didn’t want to just watch someone die in front of him like last time.
“So, you saw it when the Hovercar was falling earlier…”
“What?”
Nana extended her right hand toward Baek Ho.
With her palm facing up, she pressed her four fingers together, leaving the thumb out.
Her voice lowered as if following Baek Ho’s lead.
“Gaeyeol. Descent.”
This time she parted the middle and ring fingers to form a bird’s wing shape.
“Calamity Bird.”
“……“
“I saw a flock of crows appear outside the window. Is that black magic power too?”
“Similar.”
“The spell is a bit more unusual than I thought… Huh? You just smiled. Right?”
“What smiling. If you’re going to talk nonsense, go inside and do it with them.”
“Hmm… Those guys misunderstand D… Why don’t you tell them? You could just say it was you who saved them.”
“Why bother. And I did it to protect myself.”
“…That’s a lie. If that were true you would’ve used it on yourself. Not to lift a heavy Hovercar.“
“Ah, there was that method. I’ll keep that in mind next time.”
Baek Ho waved his hand roughly.
It meant he wanted to be left alone.
It also meant he was so sleepy he would die, so don’t talk to him.
Nana, not knowing his true feelings, continued to worry about him being alone.
“Don’t you have any questions for me, D? Those people had so many questions… others did too… but D is totally not like that.”
“So the reason you came out here was that they were annoying.”
“Haha…”
Nana, struck at the core, laughed softly.
“So, you don’t have any questions for me?”
“Why should I be here?”
“Oh… now that you mention it… Was I a bit celebrity-sick? Haha…”
Watching Nana embarrassed, Baek Ho spoke.
“Yes, celebrity. I just thought of something I want to know.”
“Go ahead… I’m suddenly nervous…”
“Is what you’re doing now worth leaving behind all the wealth and fame you’ve built up until now?”
“…Huh?“
“Is there really a need to sacrifice yourself for other Undead?”
Nana gaped at the unexpected question.
Because she’d taken it for granted, it was hard to answer right away.
“B-Because that’s true… It’s something caused by my ability… I’m the only one who can fix it…”
“I see.”
“…Is that it?“
“Yeah.”
Baek Ho closed his eyes.
Seeing that, Nana bit her lip and slowly nodded.
“I understand why D is easy to be around.”
“……“
Baek Ho had no reply, and Nana continued.
“Maybe I felt at ease because you don’t pay attention to me. I always had to watch others no matter what I did… I had to be careful not to get disliked… There wasn’t a single comfortable day… I guess… popularity… rankings… money…”
Nana drew her knees to her body, buried her face, and continued.
“Now I get it… I wasn’t trying to sacrifice myself for others… I just wanted to escape from people’s eyes… It was a good excuse to disappear… Ah, why am I like this?”
Nana turned her head away from Baek Ho and wiped her tears.
Tears flowed although she wasn’t truly sad.
It had been like this since she learned her ability was being used that way.
No, she sometimes cried for no reason even before that.
“You wanted to tell me that, right…?”
“……“
“Yes… I feel much lighter now… I’m running away for myself… I don’t need to bear the burden of thinking I’m someone’s savior… Thank you for telling me…”
Nana forced a smile and glanced to the side.
Baek Ho was leaning against a tree, asleep.
“…He’s actually sleeping?“
“……“
“Wow… he’s really an impressive person…”
To fall asleep with her beside him.
Unknowingly, her pride was hurt.
No, he might be drunk.
Or he might genuinely have been sleepy.
Hadn’t he gone without sleep since meeting her yesterday?
And he’s a human, not an Undead.
Thinking that made her accept it and feel at ease.
“Yeah… it’s because of my voice… Even the boss sometimes asked me, you know…”
She sighed softly and put on night-vision goggles.
Since it was like this, she decided to stand guard until Baek Ho woke up.
—
They moved diligently from morning.
They erased signs of their bivouac and exited the green forest.
Passing a faint road, they arrived at a concrete jungle now overrun by enormous plants.
An old city surrounded by undergrowth.
The area had been cleared, so there were no traces of demonic beings, but it didn’t look entirely safe.
Because of the thick silence that had settled.
The Liberation Army trio were cooking inside a skeletal, dilapidated building.
Today’s menu was combat rations for the commander.
A delicacy not for just anyone; Elise had packed it for Baek Ho to have.
“Did you see them yesterday?”
Cow Mask paused cutting a steak and addressed his two comrades.
“What?”
“D and Edeline Nana.”
“We saw. He didn’t move until he woke up.”
“They were a handsome pair…”
The three conversed quietly.
The topic was what had happened on top of the trench last night.
About Baek Ho sleeping with his head on Nana’s shoulder and Nana letting him be.
“So does Nana know D’s identity…?”
“I guess, probably?”
“Whose heir is he to be flirting with the Underheaven goddess?”
The three masked gazes shifted sideways.
They watched Baek Ho and Nana perched at a windowless sill.
There wasn’t much conversation, but there was no obvious awkwardness.
“Maybe… isn’t he from one of the Big Seven companies? If the boss was that insistent… isn’t that so?”
Pig Mask and Chicken Mask snorted and laughed at Cow Mask’s speculation.
“Ugh, did that guy inhale the smog?”
“Those people live in a completely different world. If one of them goes out, it’s like a whole legion moves.”
“Is that so…”
“Besides, heirs of the Big Seven families can’t even date freely. I heard they can’t marry or have kids as they please.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Like that Yeomra in the news this time. Except Commander Baek, he hasn’t married or had kids. Other companies are probably similar.”
“Are they thinking about succession battles?”
“Who knows…”
“But with someone like Edeline Nana, maybe they’d allow a relationship?”
“Tsk… that’s true. It could help corporate promotion…”
The conversation drifted into imagining Nana dating an heir of the Big Seven.
“It won’t be smooth.”
“Of course. Did you see that prayer back then? The head of one of the Seven sorcerer families with a cult follower?”
“If it’s the Light Order… wasn’t it once home to healers or some kind of hunters?”
“Yeah. Back then they saved dying people with a single holy spell.”
“Wow, holy magic. It’s almost like a fairy tale.”
“Family opposition would be serious…”
“That’s not all… I overheard Elise on a call; Edeline Nana has severe depression…”
While the three traded useless gossip.
Baek Ho kept watch and methodically reviewed the remaining plan.
“D, how much further do we have?”
“I guess we’ll arrive by evening.”
“It’s really the end now…”
“Technically it’s tomorrow. We need to install a new vessel (implanted device).”
“Somehow it’s disappointing…”
“Why?”
“Just… it felt like traveling… No, it was an adventure.”
Nana smiled.
Baek Ho held back a remark about not underestimating the outside world.
They had shaken off their pursuers some time ago.
If things continued smoothly like this, there would be no problem.
A little later.
A fairly neat meal was laid out on an improvised table.
Soup, steak, and even fried dishes.
There was more food than most restaurants in the city.
“Wow… when did you get all this… You all really do seem like people who live outside…”
“Haha. Well, somewhat.”
“You always seem so composed, it’s admirable!”
“Not so much composed as confident about the outside… haha.”
“By the way, Nana-nim has really brightened up~”
When Chicken Mask subtly started a topic, grinning Pig Mask slapped his palm together.
“Exactly. I don’t know whose doing it is. Haha.”
Pig Mask gave a thumbs-up and looked at Cow Mask.
The trio usually got along, but the sulking Cow Mask had no intention of joining in.
“Enough, let’s eat quickly. Is that okay, Necromancer?”
“Do as you like.”
At Baek Ho’s reply, Cow Mask lifted his fork.
As he tried to bring it to his mouth, it hit the mask he was wearing.
Startled, he half-lifted his mask.
Thud-!
A hole was pierced through his chest, scattering blood and bits of flesh across the table.
“Kyaak!”
“Aaah!”
“Baka!”
Nana froze at the sudden massacre.
Chicken Mask and Pig Mask hurriedly supported Cow Mask.
A bullet had passed through his back and detonated inside his body.
The vital organs were missed, but it was an injury that could be fatal at any moment.
“Use this!”
Baek Ho threw an emergency potion to Chicken Mask.
With his left hand he pulled Nana and approached the Liberation Army members.
With his right hand he formed Iryong’s seal and quickly moved his lips.
“Gaehyeol, Descent. Chi-Dragon’s Horn Scales.”
A large black hole formed above his head.
Several large, thick black scales slid out and fell around the group.
Each scale was larger than a person, covering the five of them without gaps.
Kwoong-!
The scales took the impact.
A magic-charged bullet.
But it couldn’t pierce the dragon’s scale.
“Ugh…”
Cow Mask spat blood from his mouth.
The remaining two began emergency treatment.
Baek Ho sat Nana down on the ground in a panic and shouted at Chicken Mask.
“Pour the potion on the wound!”
He slipped out through a gap between the scales.
He focused his mind.
Watching where the bullet had come from, he awakened his only familiar.
{Releasing familiar ‘Friend’ from coma.}
{Familiar ‘Friend’ magic reserve at 100%}
{Switch to maximum output mode?}
{Accepted.}
At once, a loud cheer erupted from a corner of the building.
“…Frank has been kidnapped!“
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