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The Grim Reapers were spellbound, watching Nana.
She danced coated in blood,emitting an unknown black radiance.
A beautiful madwoman and a wondrous woman of light.
The more they watched and listened, the more they fell into a strange exhilaration.
“Haa…”
Nana smirked and exhaled sharply.
She drifted over to Seonhwa.
She snatched the Agony Drink, opened the cap, and poured it into her mouth.
“Puhu! Shit!”
She spat it out in shock.
“What kind of dogshit taste is this!”
She gagged once, then with a composed face picked up the dagger lying beside her.
She brought it to her lips.
She pretended to slice the tip of her lips following Seonhwa’s lead, but never actually did it.
“The only star that shines in the darkness~♬”
Humming again, she bowed toward Baek Ho.
She pushed out her lips and leaned her face close.
“Ah, no…”
Just before their lips would meet, with Seonhwa unable to properly stop her.
Baek Ho’s eyes snapped open.
His black pupils moved swiftly toward the face Nana had leaned in with.
“…What are you doing?“
“Damn.”
As she tried to force herself on him, Baek Ho grabbed Nana’s forehead and pushed her back.
At that, the Grim Reapers sprang to their feet.
“Young Master!”
-Young Master!
The Grim Reapers, including Seongyu, knelt on one knee before Baek Ho.
It was a routine greeting, but their mindset was different than usual.
A Necromancer who had risked his life for the Reaper.
The thought that such a one would soon be their lord warmed their hearts.
They vowed they’d die a hundred, a thousand times for him.
“Don’t overdo it.”
Baek Ho frowned and freed himself from Seonhwa’s embrace.
He looked at Nana, who had flopped down beside him.
Madness gleamed in her clear eyes, and her once-lustrous hair was smeared with blood.
She licked her lips and muttered, ‘She did it, so why couldn’t I?’
“She’s completely lost it. Brain problem’s serious.”
“Young Master… are you alright…?”
“Ah, I feel refreshed. Good job.”
“…No, sir.“
Baek Ho rose with Seonhwa’s support.
The Grim Reapers also stood and cast heated glances.
“What’s with you all?”
Baek Ho rolled his aching shoulders as he continued.
“By the way, the operation was a complete success. We set off a Monster Call near Azrion’s nest.”
“Truly impressive.”
Seongyu stepped forward, took off his black cloak, and draped it over Baek Ho’s shoulders.
“Using their intel against them; Grave must’ve been thrown into chaos.”
“Probably.”
Baek Ho nodded and headed for the door.
Out of habit he rummaged his pocket, and Seonhwa at his side produced and handed him a graphite candle.
He put it to his mouth and it ignited on its own.
“And.”
Exhaling thick smoke, he turned and looked down at Nana.
He gave a slight thumbs-up.
“Thanks for the treatment. I’ll repay you.”
Watching Baek Ho go on his way, Nana pressed both hands to her cheek.
“So fucking sexy. Totally my type.”
-……
Everyone, including Baek Ho, heard it, but no one reacted.
No, they couldn’t.
It felt like touching it would be a mistake.
As Baek Ho stepped out through the iron gate, two members of the Liberation Army hurried over.
“D! Ah, no, Baek Ho-nim…”
“Are you alright…?”
They had just been watching the external camera feed connected to the flagship’s screen.
The operation was a huge success.
A massive number of Monster Calls had detonated.
A large wave of demonic beings would surely rush in, and if Nilberis died, it would be a historic feat recorded in history.
Baek Ho roughly nodded to them and glanced to the side.
Frank was hunched over, head bowed.
He must’ve been like that since he released his familiar, right?
No need to see to know.
Baek Ho approached with one corner of his mouth raised.
“What are you doing?”
“…Baek Ho?“
Frank shot up.
His eyes were swollen from how much he’d been crying.
“Why are you sniveling like a kid?”
“Thank God… really, thank God…”
Suddenly, the image of Frank in the trauma room flashed into his mind.
Where was the one who faced death with dignity and strength? All that remained was a crybaby and a fool.
Still, whether then or now, they were inseparable friends — that hadn’t changed.
“So, are you going to date now?”
“Baek Ho still doesn’t know… Frank is popular…”
“Bullshit.”
Baek Ho snorted and bumped fists with him.
Frank gave a light poke.
Seongyu watched the scene fondly, while Seonhwa frowned in displeasure.
“By the way, did you greet her?”
“What are you talking about?”
“What do you mean what; you brought the one you can’t live without, didn’t you?”
Baek Ho shrugged and pointed behind him.
When Frank turned his head sideways, the following Grim Reapers split left and right.
At the end stood Nana.
Pressing her temple as if holding back dizziness, she met Frank’s gaze.
She parted her full lips slightly.
“What the hell. Wanna die?”
When Nana raised her middle finger, Baek Ho sighed.
He thought it was brain shock from excessive black magic power absorption, causing a temporary personality change.
“You can recognize her, right?”
“Hmm.”
Frank opened his eyes half-lidded.
Then he raised his middle finger in return, matching insult with insult.
“I don’t know. But she’s pretty. Baek Ho likes pretty girls.”
“Can’t you tell? It’s I_Vu’s Nana.”
Hoping for a big reaction, he gave Frank’s arm a smack.
Wasn’t this the guy who’d been raring to protect Nana just this afternoon?
He’d been a bit bothered by missing the concert, but this more than made up for it.
Contrary to Baek Ho’s hopes, Frank was nonchalant.
“Ah, I remember. She’s a famous idol.”
“……“
Baek Ho’s lively smirk returned to normal.
It wasn’t the reaction one would expect from someone in an I_Vu shirt.
A joke? Not even that.
He wasn’t the sort to joke in front of I_Vu.
Baek Ho knew that better than anyone.
But right now he wanted to believe it.
“Don’t joke around, you bastard.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s I_Vu… get a grip.”
With a stern expression he hit Frank’s arm harder.
The only thing that hurt was Baek Ho’s hand, but he wanted to hide the tremor in his voice with action.
Frank furrowed his brow and tilted his head.
“So what if it’s I_Vu… Ah, wait. My, my head hurts so much. It feels like a woodpecker’s pecking.”
Frank pounded his own head.
It was the same reaction he’d had when Baek Ho’s life was in danger.
“You…”
With Baek Ho at a loss for words, Seonhwa stepped forward.
She took a pistol wrapped in talismans from her robe and aimed it at Frank’s brow.
“Franklin Bernshtein, state your personal identification code.”
“……“
“Now!”
Frank stopped his self-directed actions.
He blinked and slowly opened his mouth.
“Cosmos, Snowflake, Beetle…”
As his voice began to tremble, Seonhwa’s barrel trained on his brow didn’t move an inch.
Her finger rested on the trigger.
“Tango… Tango… Uh… the next… I can’t think of the next one…”
“Stop!”
Baek Ho shouted at Seonhwa.
“Put the gun down now! That’s an order!”
—
In the heart of a dense forest.
People arrived around an abandoned hotel long untouched by human hands.
Ten Reapers and one Necromancer.
They panted heavily, evidence of how hastily they’d run.
“Hoo…”
Especially severe was Commander Baek, whose body was mostly an ordinary human’s and chronically weak stamina as a Necromancer.
His face was drenched in sweat and even the collar of his uniform was askew.
“Did everyone hear the comms?”
“Huh, is this for real?”
“Wow…”
Reapers of various forms fixed their gazes on Commander Baek.
Voices of Reapers waiting aboard the ship echoed in their ears.
-Nilberis is dead! That butcher was fooled by the young master’s operation!
Commander Baek did not rejoice.
He was not surprised.
His mind was full only of worry for Baek Ho.
A man at his side, seeing his distress, stepped forward.
He closed his eyes and moved his lips.
A translucent, butterfly-like spirit fluttered at their ears and then vanished.
“Baek Ho is safe. He just woke up and is in a meeting with the Grim Reapers.”
“I see… that’s a relief.”
Commander Baek caught his breath and looked at the half-collapsed hotel.
A square structure swallowed by undergrowth.
Within the once-gloriously shining concrete rubble lay Baek Ho.
There was a son he hadn’t seen in a long time.
Commander Baek and the special task force were on their way to Grave.
They thought it faster to teleport from Grave than to go straight to the battlefield.
Although only a small number could move at once, it didn’t particularly matter.
After all, the special task force was an elite small unit.
Then they received contact from Seonhwa.
After hearing the general situation, he felt relieved.
And then came a moment.
The following information plunged him into another anxiety.
They said they would cast a curse on Baek Ho to draw out and use his original black magic power.
They planned to risk everything and push the black magic power to its limit.
Before he could stop them, they activated an EM shield and severed communications.
He immediately changed course.
They came here at full speed.
Fearing they’d be tailed, they even abandoned the ship mid-route to run here.
The whole way he’d been gnawed with worry that something bad might happen.
Afraid his son might be harmed.
Afraid that thing might awaken.
“Killing Nilberis. That’s really impressive.”
“Wow… jealous, jealous.”
“Commander! Introduce me to him!”
The soldiers were amazed.
Baek Ho had done what even the special task force couldn’t.
Even if it succeeded because Grave as a whole was deceived, it was astonishing that he drew enough black magic power to sustain the sorcery for such a long time.
Setting aside Seonhwa’s help, it meant the abyss containing black magic power was wide and deep.
Moreover, isn’t he still not even an officer cadet?
It was remarkable that such a kid with no battlefield experience devised such a scheme.
“I’m so curious what kind of guy he is.”
“Doesn’t he look monstrous like his skills?”
“If he looks like our commander, he’d be handsome~.”
Commander Baek spoke to the excited soldiers.
“We’re going back to Grave.”
At his stiff tone a white-haired man beside him covered his mouth.
“Oh. Our commander is pissed. Are we finally taking down Grave today?”
Then a short boy fell from a nearby tree.
He slung a beast-sized sniper rifle as big as his body over his shoulder and spoke.
“This is fucked. Hurry and bring Sophia-sensei. If not her, who’ll stop our commander?”
The special task force Reapers all agreed with the boy.
It was indeed right to call Sophia.
Or else take this chance to attack Grave and usurp the supreme commander’s position.
“More useless talk.”
Even Commander Baek, called humanity’s hero, was just a familiar comrade within the task force.
They were comrades who’d crossed countless fronts together.
It was the atmosphere Commander Baek had wanted.
They boasted a bond like family.
“I’ll be off then.”
He turned without regret.
The soldiers trailed after him with disappointed looks.
“Really going without seeing him?”
“Yeah…”
“What a pity~ I’ve heard he’s a total hottie.”
They’d thought they’d get to see him this time.
But their commander didn’t seem ready to face his son.
“See, he really ran away after fighting with his dad.”
“Not just a rumor?”
“You guys still haven’t heard?”
The boy with the sniper rifle on his back continued.
“It’s official — he ran away after getting beat up by his dad.”
“Who said that?”
“Who else but that white-haired brat.”
“Ah, senpai, when did I ever do that? Commander will misunderstand~”
Commander Baek stopped, turned, and scowled.
Only then did a few Reapers who’d been gossiping ahead fall silent.
“……“
Commander Baek glanced once more at the hotel receding behind them.
Thinking of Baek Ho, a smile involuntarily touched his lips.
Apology and pride tangled together.
He put his hand into his coat pocket and fiddled with his treasure.
‘You were growing in your own way… I’m sorry… and thank you.’
His feelings that couldn’t be conveyed in words.
As he swallowed those complex emotions, a boy behind Commander Baek raised his hand.
“I heard everything you just said. You meant that on purpose?”
“……“
“You guys heard it too, right?”
The Reapers nodded in unison.
A faint blush touched Commander Baek’s face.
His excessive sincerity had slipped out as noise.
“Ahem… let’s hurry.”
Commander Baek disappeared into the forest sinking into darkness.
And he did not know.
How the consequence of not meeting Baek Ho now would send ripples through Underheaven and Grave.
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