Chapter 270. The End of a Tragedy Pt. 6

“Do you plan on entering Gehenna like that?” Zeus' cold voice rang in Jeong In-Chang's ears. “Would you even be considered a burden? No, you don’t even amount to that much. You’ll die as soon as you enter.”

The reason he spoke so harshly was because the Hunter was worried that Jeong In-Chang would make the wrong choice. Who among them didn’t understand his heart? The anxiety that had begun to sprout made them all tremble.

“Heimdall,” Zeus called out to the man. “Answer me. You, of all people here, know the most about the Demon King.”

He asked the man, “Can you really say that he doesn’t want the same things as the Sponsors?”

Zeus’ question was so poignant that it shook Heimdall’s brain. Until now, he had only thought that the Demon King had wanted to die. He thought that the Demon King had wanted to break the eternal curse and disappear after saving the world.

What if the Demon King was actually trying to create a new vessel? What if he had just completed his cycle of eternal regression and wanted to live a new life again?

‘There may be something I don’t know.’

Many things could have gone wrong in the first place, and the information he knew may not have been true. If everything was playing out in the Demon King’s hands…

‘No.’

Heimdall knew that he was already in the Demon King’s grasp. Moreover, there was no guarantee that the Demon King wouldn’t have manipulated his memories. Everything about his existence was in chaos.

“There is a possibility,” Heimdall concluded. Everyone's faces became serious.

Then, Jeong In-Chang spoke in an exhausted voice, “Mr. Lee… he’s in danger…”

“Entering Gehenna was dangerous in the first place.”

“…”

“Nothing will change if we go in,” Zeus said, clenching a fist.

Even at that moment, his mind was racing non-stop, trying to find a way to help Lee Jun-Kyeong.

“A way…”

“There is one!”

Merlin and Saeynkaed’s voices came one after another. The two women looked at each other and nodded. While everyone was thinking about Heimdall's story, they seemed to be contemplating something else.

“There’s a way to help him?” Arthur asked in surprise.

“Weren’t there still some questions that haven’t been answered?” Saeynkaed said.

“The Sponsors!”

"Huh?"

Merlin explained as she walked towards the confused people, “There was a mission to kill Mr. Lee.”

“And?”

“However, there were Sponsors who took his side.”

They were sure of it. At least the Sponsors of Merlin, Arthur, and Horus had given them a mission to help Lee Jun-Kyeong.

“If it wasn’t because they were on the same side as the Sky of the Apocalypse…”

“Then it was because they wanted to save Lee Jun-Kyeong,” Zeus shouted as if he had noticed something. “There must be a way!”

***

“Come to your senses, my child,” said the giant in the rainbow armor.

BANG!

A flame burned brightly before him again, forcing him to take a step back due to the burning heat.

“The Guardian of the Rainbow[1]. Did you reclaim all of your sponsorship?” The Demon King's voice rang coldly. “You disgusting brutes.”

The giant answered the Demon King’s insults, “It was an inevitable result if we wanted to block your advance.”

When the smoke cleared again, other giants appeared behind him. Each one was properly armed and in perfect combat readiness.

“Did you think we wouldn’t know about your time regression ability?” said a giant who radiated light as bright as the sun. “I know you gave some of it away to strengthen your companions.”

A giant whose entire body was as fluid as water added, “Moreover, that affected us too.”

“We were waiting for the opportunity to stop you.” This time, it was a solid, stone-like giant standing next to the giant as fluid as water while holding a huge sword.

BANG!

Lee Jun-Kyeong’s fist came down again.

"So?" the Demon King’s voice asked from behind Lee Jun-Kyeong. “It’s already too late.”

“That remains to be seen.”

The giant called the Guardian of the Rainbow stretched out his hand as the rainbow began to split and entangle the flame giant.

“Do you think it will go as you wish?” said the rainbow giant in a cold voice to the Demon King.

“Come to your senses, my child,” he said while blocking Lee Jun-Kyeong.

“It’s useless. He can’t hear anyone’s voice while he’s on a rampage.” As the Demon King laughed at the rainbow giant, there was a flash as if space and time were being sliced.

Swish!

RIIP!

However, before they knew it, the Demon King was flying above Lee Jun-Kyeong’s head again, his form intact.

“Do you, who doesn’t possess the powers of the source, deign to try to kill me?” At the mocking voice of the Demon King, they saw black flames flickering in his hands. “I already knew that you were affected by my power. Isn’t that why you all knew my plans but weren’t able to get involved?”

The flames that contained the powers of the source grew within his hands. “You can’t kill me, but I can kill you.”

“...!”

Right at this moment, as the enraged solar giant raised his fist, the sound of the cavitation of space tore through the air again.

RIIP!

This…!”

The Guardian of the Rainbow burst out in confusion as he took a step back. The rainbow that was supposed to be restraining Lee Jun-Kyeong had shattered, and was forced to return to him.

“This brat is already nearing completion,” the Demon King said again. “So, why don’t you bastards commit suicide in gratitude for my generosity in tolerating you?”

Although the Demon King’s cold, mocking voice felt like a death sentence, the giants were unfazed and settled into stances as they raised their respective weapons.

RUMBLE!

They were Sponsors, monsters among monsters that had lived from the beginning of existence until now. Their true power began to gather and spread.

RUMBLE!!!

There was such a shock that the entirety of Gehenna trembled and felt as though it would collapse.

“Come to your senses!”

As the Guardian of the Rainbow shouted again and jumped forward towards Lee Jun-Kyeong, Lee Jun-Kyeong, whose essence had been consumed by the flame giant, shouted, “AGH!!!!”

Even thicker flames swirled around his right arm, which formed into a spear.

"Goodbye, you idiots.”

“…!”

As the Demon King’s voice was heard, as if controlling Lee Jun-Kyeong, the Guardian of the Rainbow’s pupils, as big as the moon, shook.

***

Jeong In-Chang barely got up and shouted to Zeus, “What sort of method are you...!”

“If we could only save Mr Lee…” he said, biting his lip.

He had no mana left. Even though it was clear that he was having difficulty even breathing from the immense feeling of exhaustion, he still stood straight.

“I’ll sacrifice my life.”

Zeus scratched his cheek in response. “It’s no different from gambling.”

“I’ll do it anyway.”

“What if things go wrong…” Zeus said while looking straight at Jeong In-Chang. “Honestly, it might put Jun-Kyeong in even more danger.”

“...”

Only then did Jeong In-Chang close his mouth.

“The Demon King’s purpose isn’t even clear. However, I… for some reason, I’m convinced that the Demon King’s goal isn’t to be killed by Lee Jun-Kyeong’s hands,” Zeus said.

“This is gambling. We…”

They all wondered what he was about to say.

“We’re going to enter Gehenna.”

“...you mean…?”

Jeong In-Chang made a puzzled face.

“So that’s your plan,” Heimdall said, nodding as if he understood what Zeus was planning. “You’re saying you want to put our trust in them, then.”

“That’s right.”

“Now, wait a minute. I don’t get it at all,” Jeong In-Chang interjected, shaking his head.

Heimdall and Zeus looked at him and spoke at the same time.

“The plan is to go to the Sponsors.”

“We’re going to go to the Sponsors.

Zeus began to explain, “Some of the Sponsors have clearly taken Lee Jun-Kyeong’s side. At first, we thought it was some sort of friendship with the Sky of the Apocalypse or something, but now, maybe… No, that probably isn’t the case.

Zeus shook his head. He seemed to gain more confidence as he organized his thoughts. “Lee Jun-Kyeong was most likely right when he said that the Sponsors had taken sides. But on the other hand, the goal of

is the annihilation of all Sponsors. Regardless of what his reason was, then, those Sponsors wouldn’t have taken The Sky of the Apocalypse’s, no, the Demon King’s side.”

“Then…”

“They were trying to save Lee Jun-Kyeong.

Jeong In-Chang finally seemed to have noticed.

“It’s certain that Lee Jun-Kyeong is an important key to stopping the Demon King. The power he holds is real.”

“...”

“The Sponsors are trying to use him to stop the Demon King,” Zeus said with more confidence.

“If we go into Gehenna, we’ll be meeting our Sponsors, face to face. If our Sponsors have already died, then we’d just be dying like dogs. But… If they’re okay…” Zeus clenched his fist. “We’ll be meeting our Sponsors.”

“And then we’d get our bodies taken,” Jeong In-Chang said.

The concept of their bodies being stolen by the Sponsors was something he had been so scared of, but his voice was still calm.

“That’s right. If our bodies are properly given over to the Sponsors, then they will definitely become stronger. So, if we sacrifice ourselves, our Sponsors…”

“They would join forces with Mr. Lee to defeat the Demon King, is that right?”

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Zeus nodded. “Like I said, it’s a gamble. Our Sponsors may not agree with us or cooperate whatsoever.”

It was a gamble that risked the survival of the world. If even a single point of logic was wrong, then the worst outcome would unfold. This was something that required them to risk their very beings.

"I'll do it,” Jeong In-Chang said without further ado. “Although my Sponsor might already be dead… Because I already lost my mana, I’ll still go.”

Jeong In-Chang had already turned away from them.

“Because Mr. Lee will be waiting for us.”

***

“What the hell is…”

The swirling spear of the flame giant had pierced through the Demon King’s right arm. It happened in such a fleeting moment, as the spear that seemed so certain to be attacking the Sponsors had turned and been aimed at the Demon King.

Lee Jun-Kyeong had pierced into the Demon King’s arm as if he had blipped through space. It had happened in a split second, so fast that not even the Demon King had been able to sense it. However, his attack wasn’t over yet.

ROAR!!!!!

The massive flames that made up the flame giant began to seep into the pierced arm of the Demon King, reforming into a chain and binding him. As the giant’s flames surged over to the Demon King, Lee Jun-Kyeong began to become smaller and smaller.

“Now!” Lee Jun-Kyeong said, his voice reaching the giants for the first time. “Attack him now!”

His voice was still tinged with rage.

“Attack the Demon King!” he shouted to the Guardian of the Rainbow and the other Sponsors.

1. Heimdall’s Sponsor was previously named the King of the Rainbow. The Author has changed it to Guardian now. ☜