KangWoo remained silent. Alec wasn't just acting as if he didn't know…
‘This…’
'He really doesn't know.'
Light laughter left KangWoo’s mouth. He felt that all of the confusion he had inside was disappearing.
There was no way someone sane could let an assassin who had tried to kill him live.
'So that means…'
That meant Alec had been insane from the start.
Now KangWoo could understand why he acted so strangely.
"Oof, but rather than that, to think I'd let the Demon Cult member go… I'm ashamed of it."
"Let me ask you something."
"Yes?"
KangWoo looked at Alec with sunken eyes.
"You have no intention of giving up on ShiHoon, right?"
"Of course not. There aren't many Guardians, after all. And… most importantly, I think that Mr. ShiHoon himself was very interested in it."
"…"
"I know you think of Mr. ShiHoon as your little brother, so I understand you're worried, but this is something related to the survival of humanity."
"Ha…"
KangWoo laughed.
The woman’s corpse was still in the alleyway.
A woman had died because Alec hadn't killed the assassin.
…But Alec was still right and straight.
—He couldn't see anything beyond justice.
"Then I'll be going. Mr. KangWoo, please try to convince Mr. ShiHoon."
Alec turned around with a smile on his face.
KangWoo just watched his back.
There was no way to know how many deaths Alec had ignored until that point…
But he was sure that it probably wasn't the first time.
There was no way it was the first time. People don't go that insane so quickly and easily.
He'd probably lost his sanity a long time ago before then, and he was probably at a point of no return.
"For the sake of humanity…" KangWoo mumbled.
It wasn't hard to see why Alec had become messed up.
He’d probably experienced a situation in the past where he’d tried to save everyone without differentiating between good and evil…
'And he probably failed.'
It wasn't about his talent or ability.
If you have an absurd ideal, you will inevitably fail.
You either accept the result or ignore it.
Alec had chosen to ignore it.
"Pathetic."
KangWoo spat on the floor.
It was hard to accept your failure.
It wasn't easy to accept that what you'd done up until a certain point was wrong.
On the other hand, ignoring your failure was easy.
It was simple and comfortable.
Alec Osborne wasn't a person with strong ideals. He was just a loser who didn't know how to accept the results of his actions.
'He said he had no intention of giving up on Kim ShiHoon.'
It didn't matter if he was a coward or someone crazy who couldn't accept reality…
KangWoo wouldn't have thought too much of him if he was someone else.
…But that case was different.
Alec was trying to make Kim ShiHoon join him.
He was trying to make Kim ShiHoon just like him.
'I can't let that happen.'
He would have to take out his sword if he wasn't planning on giving up.
"This may be a good opportunity."
He thought of Kim ShiHoon looking at Alec in admiration.
Alec was an important person to Kim ShiHoon.
Kim ShiHoon trusted Alec so much that KangWoo had been forced to use the Authority of Subordination and make him refuse the offer.
Just like a kid was influenced by the heroes he saw in movies, it seemed like Alec heavily influenced ShiHoon.
There was a huge chance that Kim ShiHoon's heroic actions were due to Alec’s influence on him.
'I don't like that.'
KangWoo narrowed his eyes.
He had high hopes for Kim ShiHoon.
He couldn't let him destroy himself due to unrealistic ideals.
"It's about time for me to give him a huge shock."
He had no intention of protecting Kim ShiHoon forever.
ShiHoon had to learn how to make decisions and act by himself.
For that to happen, he had to make Kim ShiHoon wake up from the fantasy of being a hero.
"Hmm."
He closed his eyes and began thinking at high speed.
He thought of a good plan and slowly opened his eyes.
Since the plan was decided on, there was no need to hesitate anymore.
KangWoo turned his head.
'But before that…'
There was something he had to do before putting his plan into action.
Tap-
He stomped the floor, and his body rose into the sky.
He used the Authority of Observation over a wide area.
'So he escaped that way.'
KangWoo turned his head to the area where he could feel demonic energy.
Unlike in Japan, where it was like finding a tree in the middle of a forest due to the lack of demonic energy, searching for the Demon Cult member was more like finding a tree in the middle of a desert.
KangWoo flew toward where the Demon Cult member had escaped.
* * *
The place the Demon Cult member had escaped to was an abandoned factory near the Incheon port.
The place was locked since it had been destroyed on the Cataclysmic Day.
'He ran quite far away.'
Considering he should've been tired after fighting Alec, he'd run at an incredible speed.
The scent of demonic energy stopped at the abandoned factory.
KangWoo landed on top of the factory and checked the situation out.
'It seems like there isn't anyone else here.'
He couldn't sense any other sources of demonic energy.
Some people among the high priests of the Demon Cult could hide their traces of demonic energy, but he didn't think that was the case.
The Demon Cult member wouldn't have fought Alec alone if there were other, stronger people.
"Oof, oof."
KangWoo heard heavy breathing.
The man had escaped at full speed after a hard fight, so it looked like he’d become tired.
KangWoo clenched his fist and smashed the abandoned factory’s roof.
Boom-!
"Ugh!"
Dust scattered. The assassin took out his claws and glared at him.
"Who are you…?"
The red-masked man wasn't able to hide his surprise.
He thought it was Alec following him at first, but then he saw someone completely different in front of him, so his confusion was understandable.
KangWoo laughed at the assassin’s question.
"How about I ask who you are?"
"…"
"You're not going to tell me, right? Well, I'm the same."
The assassin lowered his body, and a sharp killing intent leaked from him.
"You're probably a Guardian."
It seemed like he thought KangWoo was Alec's partner.
KangWoo shrugged.
"Hmph. Even if you're trying to act dumb, I know you're a member of Guardians."
The assassin opened his hands.
His claws, which had grown and extended to longer than 30 centimeters, shone sharply. Demonic energy started concentrating at the edge of the claws.
"Yeah, think whatever you want."
There was no need to tell him the truth.
People saw and heard only what they wanted to, after all.
"There are lots of things I want to ask you."
"Do you think I'll talk?"
"No. There's no way that'd happen."
KangWoo shook his head and raised his hand.
The Key of the Demonic Energy Sea, which had the shape of a ring and was in his right hand, changed its shape.
"So…"
The ring changed its shape and became a gauntlet.
It was the Authority of the demon Amducias, the gauntlet with the 'Authority of Seals.'
"I'll just have to make you want to talk."
Boom-!
KangWoo launched forward off the ground.
He used the Authority of Speed and reduced the distance between him and the assassin in just an instant.
He could see the surprise behind the mask.
Paf-!
"Cough!"
KangWoo hit the man’s stomach with the gauntlet.
The assassin’s body folded and flew back.
Boom-!
The walls of the abandoned factory were destroyed.
Abandoned bars of steel poured on top of the assassin.
"Cough!"
The assassin swung his hand.
A loud noise rang out, and the steel bars were cut in half. The would-be assassin lowered his body and leaped forward.
His sharp claws swung from bottom to top.
Tap-
"Ha-ab!"
KangWoo grabbed the assassin’s claws and used the Authority of Divine Power while he pulled the claws out of the man’s hands. The claws fell to the ground.
Was it because of the pain? The assassin wasn't moving.
KangWoo grabbed the assassin’s shoulder with the gauntlet that had the Authority of Seals.
"AARRGGHH!"
The man’s bones were crushed, and the gauntlet was embedded in his shoulder.
A horrible, pained panting left his mouth.
"H-huh? My strength…"
Once the Authority of Seals had spread through the assassin's body, he fell to the ground.
KangWoo put his finger on the assassin's mouth and stopped him from trying to commit suicide, then he used the Authority of Subordination on him.
A huge amount of demonic energy entered the assassin’s body.
Ting-
[The soul of the target has rejected the Authority of Subordination.]
"Tsk."
KangWoo clicked his tongue.
He thought that, maybe if he used the Authority of Seals, the Subordination one might work, but it had failed.
'That's too bad.'
He had no intention of giving up just because a control-type Authority had failed.
KangWoo pierced the shoulder that had been torn apart by the gauntlet.
"AAGGHH!!"
The assassin’s suppressed screams came out.
KangWoo had no intention of stopping there.
'Authority of Hellfire.'
A life-burning fire began burning sections of the assassin's body.
Being burned alive was one of the greatest pains that a human could feel.
If such a burn happened on the inside, the outcome was obvious.
"AAGGHH!!!"
A horrible scream spread through the place.
KangWoo turned the Authority off.
"So, do you want to talk?"
"Oof! Oof!"
"Or should I do it one more time?"
"S-stop! P-please… Stop!"
The assassin desperately shouted as if he didn't want to suffer such pain again.
KangWoo smiled in satisfaction and nodded.
'What should I ask first?'
There were many things he wanted to ask…
But he couldn't just voice his questions carelessly.
'He will probably die either due to his body exploding or being twisted away.'
From what he'd seen until then, the Demon Cult had put a sort of device on its members to ensure that information wouldn't leak from the inside.
The same was probably true with the assassin in front of him.
'I can't make the same mistake.'
He wasn't an idiot who didn't learn from his mistakes.
KangWoo first checked for information related to the Demon Cult.
"Tell me what you know about the Guardians."
"Why…? Since you're a member of the Guardians, you should know more about them than I… AAGGHH!"
"Don't ask more questions. Just answer what I ask."
"Oof! Oof!"
Tears dripped down the assassin’s eyes.
"They're a group that was created by people with the title of 'Guardian' from all around the world. I don't know the exact number, but what I'm sure of is that there are fewer than 10 members. Their leader is called 'Gaia.'"
"The leader's name is Gaia?"
"Y-yes."
KangWoo's eyes narrowed.
'Gaia…'
He naturally thought of the Gaia System. He didn't think it was a coincidence.
