Chapter 696: Let’s Prepare The End (5)

The shock of losing a colleague before even starting was hard to get out of my head.

The tears on Han Sora’s hardened face seemed to tell how afraid she was. I thought I had to face it head-on, but I still had a hard time getting it right. What was surprising was that Jung Hayan had been staring at her quietly.

The pain that even I couldn’t tackle, she decided to accept it and face it.

‘Did you cross the wall? She did, right?’

She crossed the wall perfectly that I didn’t even have to ask her. It was for a moment, but Jung Hayan looked like a god, so what more could I say?

It was not only her growth as a wizard, but her mental growth, as if it was in her grasp, made me clench my fists.

Contrary to my expectations that she would cry and make a fuss, she put her hand on the tree as if she was firmly determined instead.

She was crying as always, but she wasn’t falling apart. Hayan had climbed a step forward.

I was worried for a moment that she used her magic power to the limit. However, I couldn’t help but click my tongue, looking at her magic power beginning to recover by itself.

Like a power plant that generated energy on its own, Jung Hayan recovered her lost mana in real-time.

‘Is this possible?’

I didn’t have a clue as to which mechanism made that possible. It wasn’t strange to have doubts about whether she was really human.

‘With this much…’

I wasn’t sure, but Jung Hayan might be stronger than the first round. Perhaps…

‘Is she stronger than Hyunsung?’

There was no room for disagreement that Jung Hayan could do more than Kim Hyunsung. However, the different stocks couldn’t cover the superiority and inferiority because of the difference in their roles. It was not unreasonable that I suddenly felt frightened.

If Jung Hayan was in her current state burst, who could stop her?

I could affirm that even Kim Hyunsung would have a hard time stopping her if she really decided to make a mess.

Of course, the situation itself was reassuring. Jung Hayan had changed. She had jumped over the mental wall through my tearful and emotional plan.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t bear it. I was worried about the way she looked up quietly. Eventually, I was forced to go next to her and glance at Jung Hayan.

She was smiling hard, but she couldn’t hide her true feelings. She had lost one of her dearest friends, so it was understandable.

Of course, Han Sora hadn’t died yet, but the way she hardened most likely gave Jung Hayan a shock similar to death. It was hard for me as well. It was tough to see a co-worker who had been with me every day getting sealed.

“S-She’ll be okay. Oppa.”

She held my hand tight and comforted me.

“…”

“That’s why you d-don’t have to cry.”

I was shedding tears without even knowing it.

“I-It’s not your fault.”

The way she was raising her hand and wiping my eyes began to look blurry.

‘You make me really proud.’

She changed too much. She showed maturity enough to immediately turn into trash my various plans made with the notion that she would cause trouble.

Behold, who could see that and think that she was the same Jung Hayan from before?

No matter how much I cherished Han Sora, I didn’t care for her more than Jung Hayan.

In fact, it was way more proper for me to comfort her. The way she lifted her heels and wiped my tears off with her tiny little hands made me cry again.

Our Hayan had changed.

‘She changed for the better.’

“I-I can solve it all.”

‘Right. Our Hayan can solve everything. Defeating the foreign guys… and getting Sora back.’

“I will solve it all. I will definitely get S-Sora back.”

‘Yes. Hayan can do it. Definitely.’

“She’s not dead yet. Sora is still here and with us.”

‘Oh, did you think so far? That’s great, our Hayan.’

“It must be hard for Sora, but… she said she could bear it.”

‘Right. Our Hayan can bear it too, right?’

“So… d-don’t cry. I… I’ll… I’ll solve it…”

‘Yes. Right. Right.’

“Because I will k-k-kill him.”

‘Yes… you have to kill him. Right.’

“Everyone who made her suffer… I’ll kill them all… Yes. I have to kill them all. I’ll bring… unthinkable, terrible pain… until they die… and kill and kill again.”

‘Right. Killing… It’s good to kill them, but…’

“I’ll give them p-p-pain that will make them regret being alive. There is no way to atone other than that. I… I have d-decided.”

‘What?’

“Now… you w-won’t be taken away from me a-anymore… I won’t be just s-staring at it stupidly. Rest assured, O-Oppa, that I will protect you. I can protect you. With this power that Sora gave me… I’ll kill all the dirty guys in front of us.”

‘Huh?’

“The idiots who try to invade our home, hehe… I have to kill them all. I-If they mess with us, then that has to happen, r-right, Sora?”

‘What?’

“S-Sora wants to do it that way too.”

‘No, fuck. What? Han Sora? You’re not really inside Jung Hayan, right? Fuck. If you are, get out quickly. Fuck.’

“S-Sora wants that too. She said she would help me.”

‘So. Where is Sora?’

“A-And Sora… Sora…”

‘…’

“She… she asked for me to revenge her. The ones who turned her to that… she asked me to find them… and kill them. Yes. O-Okay. Sora. Just… trust me. I-I can do everything. Sora told me that I’m a genius. Yes. I-I will be able to do it.”

‘Fuck. Get out of Hayan’s body, you devil. Go away!’

I seriously considered whether Han Sora’s soul, who had been unfairly sealed, had entered Jung Hayan’s vessel.

Maybe she was pouring curse on the corrupt Benignore, who was the reason why she had to be sealed. The appearance of Jung Hayan, who seemed to be talking with Han Sora, made me think about it.

Of course, it didn’t take long to realize that it was just Jung Hayan’s illusion…

“W-When it’s all over? Huh? Y-You want to live in my house? N-No… I-It’s my home with Oppa… You want to live next door if you can’t live in the next room? There won’t be much difference… living in the next door? T-Then, I’ll ask Oppa after I’m done. Maybe… wouldn’t he allow it too? H-He doesn’t… h-hate Sora either. Yes… You can’t change your mind later… okay? It’s not easy to ask that.”

“…”

It seemed that Han Sora came into the newlyweds’ house. I didn’t know if Han Sora really wanted that, but I could tell that she didn’t.

“I have to talk to him later. How… how… how can I tell him now? Y-You have to get back your body quickly. So… Yes… So, let’s think about it later. Hehehe… Right? It wasn’t scary, right? It didn’t hurt… at all, right?”

“…”

I noticed her eyes gradually changing. I knew she would talk to herself if she lost her temper, but I couldn’t even imagine that Sora’s soul would be included in such a scenario.

Naturally, I realized that the sealing plan was too much.

‘I mean… Fuck, I got what I wanted. Hayan awakened.’

However, it was scary.

“I’m smiling, Sora. Hehe… I-I’m smiling. Sora told me to smile… So, don’t be scared… soon… you’ll be able to go back soon. Yes…”

Were Han Sora’s depraved thoughts constantly spilling out of her?

“I have to kill all of them. Sora, you can close your eyes. I-I’ll do the revenge. Hihi… Hehehe…”

Fuck, what could I do?

‘Is it better to just… leave her as it is?’

Could she still remember the manual?

I had to applaud that she was sharpening the blade of revenge against foreign trash, but I was nervous that she might do something unexpected during the battle.

Wouldn’t it be better to return Han Sora to her original state and stabilize Jung Hayan?

‘Like right away?’

Of course, it would be going too far. It was more advantageous to pull that tension around for the time being. Thinking about why that event had continued to be postponed, an answer came quickly into my mind.

From the beginning, I had assumed that Jung Hayan would be acting unexpectedly. I could see Jung Hayan muttering continuously.

Based on her behavior pattern so far, she was probably ready to get things going right away.

She was holding her wand tightly. Her pupils kept shaking, her lips trembling with anger, and her eyes were filled with resentment.

‘She’ll burst.’

That one would burst. I could try to stop Hayan, but I didn’t have to do it.

The signal had been fired anyway. It was far better for us to pull the trigger than for them to pull the trigger.

“Right, Hayan. We’re… getting Sora back.”

“Yeah… We’re getting Sora back. S-Sora wants to get back to her body quickly, too. Yes. She wants me to… find the bad guy who turned her into that and… burn him with the horrors of hell. Forever… and ever…”

“…”

“…”

“Can… Can you wait a minute?”

“Yes, yes. I’ll be… with… Sora. I have to prepare to kill the bad guys… while getting ready.”

“What about the manual?”

“Ah… Ah… W-What was it… Oh! S-S-Sora said… she remembers. B… Bye. Oppa, you can go. I-I have to prepare… here.”

“…”

When I got out of there as quickly as I could, I immediately saw some people surrounding the place.

The one I first noticed was manager Kim Mi-young, who was waiting for me. It seemed that she was agitated for a second as if the first thing she saw was the tears in my eyes, but she soon greeted me calmly.

“Vice Guild Master.”

“Get ready, Manager.”

“What…”

“It won’t take long. Go to the control room and get ready to broadcast the video to the continent. They will come within a few hours.”

“Okay. And what happened in there…”

“Sora… Sora was beaten.”

“What?”

“From now on, don’t let people in or out. After a while, Hayan will come out. You don’t have to stop her. Just let her do whatever she wants.”

“Yes. I will instruct them that way.”

“I’ll be moving from here on out.”

“Okay.”

While walking slowly, I looked at Jung Hayan again.

It was a bit creepy to see her muttering while staring blankly at Han Sora, who was paralyzed.

Her own body slightly floated in the air, and I noticed her smiling while holding Sora’s hand tightly.

-You can overcome it. I-I’m with you.

Although the way Jung Hayan had her neck bent abnormally was horrifying, it was better to consider that scene as touching.

It was easier to see it as an emotional moment when I interpreted it as Han Sora hovering beside Jung Hayan even when she was sealed and the archmage desperately trying to save her.

It was a little scary, but it was definitely a moving scene.

-It won’t take long. Just be a bit p-p-patient… Ugh… Hi… Hihi. You can wait, right?

The way she continued to laugh with tears spreading out as if Han Sora’s last words remained in her memory was heartbreaking.

-Hihi… Hehehehehe…

I thought I needed to move a little faster.

Perhaps she could last for a few hours, but there wasn’t much time left.

After standing on the podium, I looked straight ahead. It wasn’t perfectly ready, but I slowly refined my voice.

I bowed my head as I looked through the telescope at Jung Hayan, who was still holding Han Sora’s hand. With a sense of responsibility for not protecting my valued colleagues, I kept my emotions while somehow holding back my tears.

Fear, pressure, guilt, incompetence, anger against the outer beings… I suppressed all those emotions inside.

I slowly voiced out my thoughts.

“I… I lost a precious friend.”