Chapter 320

—An unexplained phenomenon occurred at the beach...

—Nearby residents have been evacuated...

—The extent of the damage is currently being assessed...

Jin-Sung alternated his attention between the TV and his phone as he tried to assess the situation. Reporters described the situation using provocative words like 'unprecedented disaster' and 'harbinger of Holy War.' Some media outlets even flew drones to broadcast the situation live.

Flash!

However, the live broadcast didn't last long. Lightning struck the broadcasting drone, blowing it up into a million pieces. But before the screen went black, Jin-Sung saw Sun-Woo confronting a man.

Jin-Sung's hand holding the phone trembled. He called out to Ji-Ah.

"Ji-Ah."

Similarly, Ji-Ah, who was also keeping track of the situation through the news, quickly came to Jin-Sung's side. Jin-Sung stood up abruptly from his seat, preparing to leave and put on his clothes.

"Let's go. We have to abandon this place."

"..."

"You understand, right? It seems like today is the day Sun-Woo was talking about. So, now, everything..."

He had broken out in a cold sweat. Looking back and forth between the TV and phone screen, he had a deep, anxious expression. "It’s—it's all over..."

Gyeonggi Branch Executive Anna, Ji-Ah, and Jin-Sung hastily packed their belongings in the underground chapel.

***

"Leviathan," Jun-Hyuk said.

Following the movement of his hands, a dark red circle formed, eventually turning into a pentagram. From the pentagram, a bizarre creature sprung out. It was not a demon, demonic beast, or taxidermied creature. It was a creature I had never seen before. If I had to describe it, the creature looked like a giant snake covered in scales.

La Sirene and Leviathan fought. Half-submerged in the water, they gnawed at each other with their huge teeth and tore at each other's flesh with claws. Leviathan occasionally opened its mouth wide and spewed giant flames while La Sirene raised waves to block them.

Kieeek!

Kaaak, kaaaak!

The roars of the two monsters were similar yet different. The blood from their wounds dyed the sea scarlet, and the waves surged high.

I raised my staff with my right hand and struck the ground. With my left hand, I unleashed Voodoo magic.

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Bade."

The wind blew.

Dozens of spell arrays formed behind me as I moved my right hand. They were arrays for the replication spell, Executioner's Sword. Dozens of Executioner's Swords came forth, each emitting their eerie screams. I grabbed one of them and entrusted myself to Bade’s wind. Riding the wind, my body shot forward. Channeling the momentum into my arm, I swung the Executioner's Sword.

Swish!

I cleanly cut Jun-Hyuk's body into two, but I knew Jun-Hyuk wouldn't die so easily. Before his severed torso even hit the ground, Jun-Hyuk looked at me with a mocking expression and raised his finger. A giant black finger appeared behind him with its tip glued toward me.

Kiiik!

The black finger moved, drawing a black line into existence. It severed my arm that held the Executioner's Sword.

I used my intact left arm to draw a spell array and cast the superior restoration spell. Smoke wrapped around the severed limb, and the arm reattached itself to my body.

Krggggg...

Then, a tsunami surged forth. It was a massive wave born from the battle between La Sirene and Leviathan. I lifted myself with Bade's wind to avoid the tsunami. Soaring through the sky, I looked around. Somehow, Jun-Hyuk was also floating in the air.

Upon closer inspection, I saw that he now had wings attached to his back. The wings were grotesque, looking as if they were made of human bones and skin. I drew another Executioner's Sword from the spell array on my back and tried running toward Jun-Hyuk.

At that exact moment, Jun-Hyuk raised his hand. "Wait! Let's talk. Why are you picking a fight out of the blue? We are technically allies."

"..."

I halted in the middle of my attack, but it wasn't because I wanted to stop. When Jun-Hyuk raised his hand, a dark and massive hand appeared, clutching me in its grip.

I struggled to break free, but it wasn't easy to escape. There might have been a way to escape, but I didn't exert that much effort. Maybe it was because I was curious about what Jun-Hyuk would say.

"Speak."

Jun-Hyuk cleared his throat. "Ahem. Earlier, I suggested joining forces to conquer the world."

Flesh and blood dripped from the fluttering wings on his back while La Sirene and Leviathan were still fiercely fighting in the sea. The surroundings were filled with roars and screams.

"I wasn't just saying it for the fun of it. We can coexist, you know?"

"..."

"As long as the Romanican Church is out of the picture. The enemy's enemy is a friend or something like that. You get me?"

“So what? Are you saying we should be allies?”

Jun-Hyuk tilted his head and grinned strangely. "No? I was just joking. Bang!"

Jun-Hyuk raised his finger.

Crack!

Flaming black bullets shot toward my abdomen. I barely managed to block the shots with the Executioner's Sword, but with blood spilling from my mouth, I didn’t completely nullify the impact.

The shock from Jun-Hyuk's attack almost sent me plunging into the sea. I managed to save myself by using Bade’s wind to stand on the water's surface.

I chuckled in disbelief. "Damn, I didn't see this coming."

"That's my charm," Jun-Hyuk said as he charged toward me.

I raised my staff. "Ogun. Hit him with everything you got."

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

The bright red, hot iron pieces floating in the air surged toward Jun-Hyuk. He stopped in his tracks as dozens of iron pieces pierced his body, turning him into a porcupine-like figure. Black blood spewed from his mouth as he looked down at me.

I aimed my staff at him. "Sobo. Give me the worst one you got."

[Worst one I got, coming right up!]

Rumble...

A flash of lightning struck from the cloud-covered sky, and thunder roared throughout the air. Dozens of lightning bolts fell from the sky and converged above Jun-Hyuk's head.

Zzzzzzap!!

With a deafening roar, a massive white flash lit up the sky and sea for a moment.

When the light disappeared, I looked up. Jun-Hyuk's body was charred black from Sobo's lightning strike. Sparks flew from the iron pieces embedded in his body. However, I knew that Jun-Hyuk wouldn’t have died that easily.

Shooosh!

Tentacles emerged from his eyes and caressed his body. The areas where the tentacles passed over Jun-Hyuk's body healed instantly.

Jun-Hyuk laughed and exclaimed, "Thrilling!"

I had expected this, so I prepared for the next attack.

"Marinette, Bossou."

Whoosh!

Marinette’s flames erupted to life, and I attached them to the end of my staff. Steadying myself against Bade’s wind, I aimed the staff with Marinette's flames at Jun-Hyuk and threw it.

Fwoosh!

"Ugh!"

The staff struck Jun-Hyuk's right in the stomach. Jun-Hyuk groaned and stepped back. He tried to pull out the staff stuck in his belly, but I wasn’t going to give him the chance.

I pointed at the staff stuck in Jun-Hyuk's abdomen and said, “Damballa."

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

The staff stuck in Jun-Hyuk's belly swelled. It instantly expanded into a giant snake, Damballa’s true form. Jun-Hyuk's body burst forth. Blood, flesh, and some organs splattered everywhere.

Jun-Hyuk's head fell into the sea. Using the propulsion of Bade's wind, I chased after the head.

Shooosh, shooosh...

Under the sea, tentacles emerged from Jun-Hyuk's eyes and regenerated his body. His body, which had been broken into pieces, quickly grew back together. The wings on his back also sprouted anew. He used his wings to swim away rapidly.

I called upon Damballa, climbed onto her back, raised the Executioner's Sword, and chased after the fleeing Jun-Hyuk.

"..."

Soon, Jun-Hyuk's wings stopped. Before we knew it, we were at the bottom of the seabed, where bubbles frothed up. Jun-Hyuk, who had his back toward me, turned and looked at me to reveal a big smile.

Shhhkk!

Suddenly, dozens of taxidermied creatures hiding in the sand on the seabed rose. They were all grotesque monsters that definitely did not look like humans. A dozen of them used the dozens of arms and fins attached to their vast bodies to quickly close the distance.

I grabbed the Executioner's Sword and fought back against the creatures. My arms didn't move as quickly as I wanted underwater, but the mere touch of the Executioner's Sword was enough to slice through the creatures effortlessly.

Sawdust and cotton flowed out of the creatures' bodies.

"La Sirene."

I called out her name underwater.

Kieeek! Kieeek, kieeek!

A strange, eerie scream echoed.

La Sirene's main body, which had been battling Leviathan on the surface, giant whales, sharks, and other deep-sea creatures gathered at my location, screaming in unison. They bared their sharp teeth and tore into the bodies of the taxidermied creatures attacking me. The taxidermied creatures disappeared in an instant. Now, only Jun-Hyuk remained.

The sea creatures gathered around Jun-Hyuk, forming a massive dome made entirely of ocean animals. The gathered sea creatures, armed with weapons, gnawed and tore at Jun-Hyuk's flesh.

Boom!

Following a loud boom, black flames swallowed the bodies of the sea creatures surrounding Jun-Hyuk. The black flames burned fiercely even underwater, engulfing hundreds of sea creatures and turning them black as they decayed.

Jun-Hyuk swam up to the surface with his wings. I rode on Damballa's back to chase after him.

"Phwa!"

Finally, we surfaced. Before we knew it, we were in the middle of the sea, with no land in sight. Blood and flesh that seemed to belong to La Sirene and Leviathan floated on the sea surface.

Stepping on one of the pieces of flesh, Jun-Hyuk smiled at me.

"You finished?"

He seemed relaxed. However, he was not unscathed. The sea creatures had torn his skin apart, and some parts had not fully healed. It seemed that Jun-Hyuk could not withstand all the attacks.

But I was also injured. Perhaps it was because I had used too much of the Loa's power at once, but blood poured from my mouth.

"Bade."

I called upon the wind, lifting my body into the air.

Looking down at Jun-Hyuk, I said, "Damballa."

Damballa, in the form of a snake, transformed back into a staff. I held the staff and infused it with Voodoo magic. A purple sphere formed at the staff's tip, emitting a brilliant light.

Waving the staff with my right hand, I raised my left index finger to my mouth and bit down hard.

Crack!

Three fingers broke, but I felt no pain. I poured the blood flowing from my broken fingers into the purple sphere attached to the tip of the cane.

"Legba, Kalfu. I want you to open the door to the Crossroads."