<Chapter 144: Conclusion (1)>
The strategy for this battle turned out to be much simpler than I had anticipated.
First, I provoked Mephisto to lure him in. Jia, unseen by Mephisto, prepared to attack from within a pre-arranged barrier that blocks magical power.
While Jia was gathering power, I held on with the Bloody Sword of Intra-Species Slaughter.
When Jia’s preparation was complete, I watched for the right time to shoot the arrow. If we managed to defeat Mephisto with this, the situation would end as planned.
I would entrust the clean-up to Yu Hwa and quietly exit.
If we couldn’t knock him down, we would move on to phase 2.
“Jia! Focus on the backup from now on!”
Phase 2 is even simpler. I would handle it personally.
“Yes!”
I tightly gripped the white spear infused with a faint light, the Holy Spear of Michael.
—Kraaaaaa!
Mephisto was doing his best to block Jia’s ‘Wind Arrow’. Although he was looking at me and seemed to be on guard, he wouldn’t be in a situation to counter.
Since he was blocking a typhoon-like arrow with his bare body, there would be no room for him to spare any effort.
“Good.”
Perfect. We failed to take down Mephisto, but we successfully immobilized him.
“The thing is, this spear is great, but the drawback is that it takes too long to prepare.”
That’s why I put off the option of dealing with him personally. Because it needed some time.
Jia’s Wind Arrow could sufficiently fulfill that role.
“Whew.”
I took a step forward, using my left foot as a pivot. I extended my right foot back to widen my stance. I tightly gripped the holy spear in my right hand and lifted it horizontally.
At the same time, I concentrated my magical power and strength.
Mephisto’s pupils shook erratically as he recognized my form.
—You, you… surely not!
He must be horrified knowing what kind of effect the Spear of Michael possesses and how it can be used.
—Try your best to block this.
I stretched my arm back. I felt the energy concentrating from my lower body, traveling through the core, and converging in my right hand. I swung my arm like a whip.
The special effect of Michael’s Holy Spear: ‘Trajectory of Judgment’.
Scheeeeeee!
With a thunderous noise, the Spear of Michael flew across the sky. Leaving a tremendous backdraft, it headed towards Mephisto’s heart.
A holy spear crafted to slaughter evil, honed to be even sharper by Michael, it fiercely charged as if trying to completely engulf the massive evil before its sight.
—Stop it!
Dark fog rushed in to block the flash of light.
—Khaaaaaap!
All were dark powers moving under Mephisto’s will.
Having succeeded in somewhat neutralizing Jia’s wind attack,
It must have given him some leeway to use his power.
But it’s futile.
Once activated fully, Michael’s sacred spear is unstoppable.
―Even Lucifer barely blocked it, how could you possibly block it now?
Mephisto is, after all, just an inferior version of Lucifer.
With his power, he can’t stop Michael’s sacred spear.
Absolutely not.
―Damn it!
The flash tore through the dark power and stormed forth.
Bang! Clang!
The barrier set up by the dark power was also completely shattered and advanced.
Moments later.
Boom!
Roar!
Michael’s sacred spear had completely pierced Mephisto’s heart.
Blood gushed out of the hole in his chest.
Drip, drip.
Blood trickled down Mephisto’s body, stretching out stickily on the floor like gum.
Looking at the scene, I thought,
‘Come back.’
Just with that thought, Michael’s sacred spear returned to my hand.
“Jia, let’s go.”
I spoke to Jia, who was ready to back me up anytime.
“But he’s still…”
She probably wanted to say he’s still alive.
“It’s okay. It’s over.”
Once pierced in the heart by Michael’s sacred spear, he’s as good as dead.
I walked slowly to Mephisto. Jia cautiously followed me.
Cough, cough.
Blood spewed from Mephisto’s mouth.
He looked as if he was on the brink of death.
―Having barely escaped from Metatron’s chains, and now it’s Michael… Cough.
He laughs bitterly, looking at the sacred spear of Michael in my hand.
―Who the hell are you?
―Why do you keep asking? It’s none of your business.
―I’ll give you an answer as a parting gift anyway.
I scratched the back of my head.
―I’m just an ordinary human.
―A human…?
―Yes, a new race born just after the great war. Human.
―Newly… born…
Mephisto murmured and fell to the ground, weakened.
―So that’s it… I see. Hahaha.
I don’t know why he finds it funny, vomiting blood as he laughed.
I frowned.
―What are you talking about?
Does it matter if what I’m saying is nonsense or not to you? Haha.
He lay on the ground, seemingly drained of all strength, and chuckled.
―In the end, was everything… as prophesied?
The light in his bloody eyes began to fade.
―Poor creature… pitiful creature…
Mephisto gave a faint smile.
―Try… struggling as much as you want. But… you…
With that, Mephisto took his last breath.
A moment later.
“…Is he dead?”
Jia asked, still tense.
“Yeah. He’s dead.”
But you never know.
I stabbed Mephisto’s head with the sacred spear of Michael I was holding.
There was no movement. He was certainly dead.
“Sigh…”
It was as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
Jia sat down, looking exhausted.
I too let out a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, the incident was resolved without any problems.
* * *
The re-emerged demon was handled by the Bihon Guild.
It was decided to attribute it to the Bihon Guild because they were the ones responsible for security at that time, and it was more convenient in many ways to settle it like that.
―Our debt has increased.
Yu Hwa mentioned something unexpected from the other end of the phone.
“What debt are you talking about?”
―Thanks to Seo-yul, we have obtained the honor of defeating the demon.
“Ah, that’s not a debt. I didn’t do it alone. Rather, both of you accommodated my request, so I am the one in debt.”
Maiden also had a hard time preparing in various ways. I heard Yu Hwa didn’t sleep for two days while preparing.
―The one who benefited from this situation is me. So, it’s right for me to be in debt.
“Mm…”
Certainly, the greatest beneficiary of this event is Yu Hwa.
―I am worried about how to repay this.
“…You can just continue as usual.”
I have been receiving a lot of help from Maiden and Yu Hwa from the beginning. This is more than enough.
―I am a person who can’t stand being in debt.
“…You live a tiring life.”
Although I knew this already, she really lived strenuously. When you gain something, you can just be glad and move on.
―Oh well. What can I do? When I am in debt, I feel stifled and uneasy.
Yu Hwa let out a small sigh.
―Anyway, you worked hard today.
“You too, Yu Hwa. Go to sleep soon.”
-…
Yu Hwa lost her words for a moment.
-… Seo-yul, you know? Humans don’t die if they don’t sleep for about 5 days.
“…Ah, yes.”
On reflection, there was no way Yu Hwa could sleep. From now on, they would have to work day and night for the post-processing of this incident.
“…Hang in there.”
The only words I could offer were these.
―Then, rest well, and see you tomorrow.
“Yes. Goodbye for now.”
Hanging up the phone, I flopped down on the bed.
“Tomorrow…”
Tomorrow is Saturday. It’s the day I have an appointment with Maiden, Yu Hwa, Shin Jia, and Ha Si-yeon.
“It’s a mountain beyond a mountain.”
Having dealt with the suddenly emerged Mephisto, there is a bigger mountain left.
“Will it go well…?”
I swallowed the unfounded surge of anxiety forcibly and went to bed.
* * *
Meanwhile, at that time.
Shin Jia was having a conversation at Maiden’s house.
“The memories of the other species flowed back from the factors implanted in the body through the experiment……”
Shin Jia’s mumbling expression was very serious.
“Yes. I think it might be something like that.”
In the past hour, the two had a lot of conversations.
They shared all the information they knew about Kang Seo-yul.
As a result, Maiden could have more confidence in her hypothesis.
“…So saying that he is a half-elf and half-angel being is a lie. He simply possesses only the memories of other species?”
“Perhaps.”
Shin Jia closed her eyes and thought.
If it was as per Maiden’s hypothesis, everything would fit perfectly.
“From the beginning, it doesn’t make sense that the kid is a half-elf and half-angel.”
“Why is that?”
“That kid used relics of the spirit race and the dragon race.”
“Ah.”
If Kang Seo-yul’s true identity was a half-elf and half-angel, it would be normal to only be able to use the relics of the elves and angels.
“I heard he also used the beast race’s relic a few times.”
“…I heard that the Bloody Sword used in this operation was a relic of the vampire race.”
“Yes.”
For this reason, the conclusion is reached that Kang Seo-yul is not a half-elf, half-angel.
‘…So that’s why he said he wasn’t a descendant.’
Shin Jia bit her lip.
A strange sense of betrayal surged over the realization that she had been deceived until now.
Looking at Shin Jia, who was scowling heavily, Maiden carefully said,
“Don’t think too badly of it. That kid probably didn’t lie out of malice.”
“……”
Indeed, it was Shin Jia herself who initially approached Kang Seo-yul and conclusively identified him as an elf.
Shin Jia asked herself,
‘Could he have denied being an elf in that situation?’
Could he have spoken like that and laid bare his past?
She shook her head.
‘At least, I couldn’t have.’
It would have been impossible to open up about a horrifying past he didn’t even want to recall to someone he met for the first time.
“Later, even if he wanted to open up, there wouldn’t have been a way to do it.”
“……Yes.”
Once a lie had been told, rectifying it would have been difficult.
“He must have been scared too, afraid that you might change your attitude if he revealed the truth.”
“……That’s a bit disappointing to hear.”
It was true that she initially approached Kang Seo-yul because he was an elf.
But that’s not the case now.
She was drawn to Kang Seo-yul’s character itself. She liked the kindness that naturally emanated from him. She couldn’t count how much help she had received from him.
‘Even if the ancestor is not an elf, I……’
Shin Jia was attracted to Kang Seo-yul.
“But it’s inevitable to feel bitter.”
Regardless of the causality, it was a fact that Kang Seo-yul had lied.
Feeling betrayed by that fact was inevitable as a human.
“Try to talk to each other and resolve it well.”
“……Yes.”
Shin Jia smiled bitterly.
Watching her, Maiden sighed in relief.
When she first heard Shin Jia’s story, she wondered how it would turn out.
‘Fortunately, it seems like it will be resolved well.’
It was fortunate that Shin Jia was understanding.
If the relationship between Kang Seo-yul and Shin Jia had broken down over this, the guilt that would have been borne by Maiden as the cause of the breakdown would have been indescribable.
‘Now all that’s left is to persuade them……’
Maiden stroked her chin and was lost in thought.
“But, I still have one question left.”
Shin Jia opened a new topic.
“Huh? What’s left?”
“The ancestor said that he was neither an ancestor, nor a survivor of the experiment, nor Kang Seo-yul.”
“……He said that?”
He clearly said so.
“Yes. If it’s according to Ms. Maiden’s hypothesis, I understand why he said he wasn’t the ancestor……”
Shin Jia trailed off.
Maiden picked up where she left off.
“It’s strange to say that he is neither a survivor of the experiment nor the real Kang Seo-yul, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Maiden’s expression became serious again.
“And, there’s one more thing that bothers me……”
Shin Jia said, fiddling with her fingers.
“Isn’t it a bit strange to think that memories have flowed back from the heterospecific factors? When you think about it calmly.”
At the time of hearing it, she couldn’t think calmly due to the shock. But thinking about it calmly now, it was strange to claim that mere factors could harbor memories, let alone have a reverse flow of memories from those factors.
“Um……”
Hearing it, it seemed right.
Even Maiden thought that the hypothesis was far-fetched.
They both pondered in silence for a while. They accelerated their thoughts, recalling the events so far and the facts he had just learned.
How much time had passed in such contemplation?
“Ah!”
Suddenly, Shin Jia shouted in realization.
“Why? Did you notice something?”
“……Yes. This is also a bit of a far-fetched hypothesis but…”
Shin Jia said with a stern look.
“What if the body and the mind are different entities?”
“……What?”
Maiden squinted her eyes.
“The body, as you know, Maiden, is the ‘human’ body of Kang Seo-yul.”
That’s why he said he wasn’t the ancestor.
“And the mind is not Kang Seo-yul’s. It’s the spirit of a half-elf and an angel, or a spirit of some other ‘heterogeneous species.'”
That’s why he said he was not a survivor of the experiment. Maiden’s pupils gradually dilated.
“So he said he isn’t the real Kang Seo-yul……? Because the body and mind are different, there’s no clear entity?”
Maiden murmured with her wide-open eyes.
“Yes. Rather than the hypothesis that memories flowed backward from the factors, isn’t this more realistic?”
“It’s still a far-fetched idea, but…”
Maiden pondered for a moment.
“Certainly, that kid. Despite experiencing such a horrible past, his personality is too good.”
Normally, when one experiences events equivalent to childhood trauma, there’s a high probability that he will develop a warped personality or close off their heart.
Even if he manages to overcome it well, the probability of having a cheerful personality like Kang Seo-yul is extremely rare.
“Even when talking about the experiment, there was no big reaction. Though it should have been a horrible memory that he wouldn’t even want to recall.”
Thinking about it now, Kang Seo-yul’s reaction to hearing about the experiment was too plain.
“As if he was listening to someone else’s story…”
Maiden’s pupils gradually dilated.
“Wait, someone else’s… story……?”
The more they thought about it, the more anomalies they noticed.
“That speculation. It seems right, doesn’t it?”
Everything fits perfectly in their head. Everything that couldn’t be explained with Yu Hwa’s ‘memory reverse flow theory’ is all accounted for.
It was certain.
“That kid. The body and mind… no.”
Maiden said with a tightly closed mouth.
“The body and soul are different entities, in other words……”
No matter how they reached it during the inference process, the conclusion that Maiden and Shin Jia arrived at was ironically,
“It’s a state of possession.”
the perfect answer.
<Chapter 144: Conclusion (1)> End
