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The black monsters are swarming from all directions. They pour in like a horde of ants down the narrow, elongated alley, crawling up the walls of the buildings.

Their skin glints in the dim moonlight, shining like obsidian. Limbs covered in black chitin are bony, elongated, and twisted at odd angles.

—Shuaaaak!

I hear something slicing through the air, and something flies over my head. It’s a magician on a broomstick.

Explosions follow in quick succession.

Kugugugung! Flames burst forth, and a fierce wind rushes past my body. The mage, having bombarded a densely populated residential area, alters direction and climbs higher. The aftermath of magic leaves behind screams and cries.

The sounds fill the air. Amidst the cacophony of sirens and the noises of battle, a muffled evacuation broadcast plays in the background.

I can’t tell if this is a dream or reality.

“What the…?”

Just as I tried to stand up with a body that refused to cooperate, Francesca seized my shoulder.

She wedged her shoulder under my armpit and hoisted me up with effort, saying, “I know you have a lot of questions, but the situation is dire. Let’s move to a safe spot first.”

Details could wait for later. Saying so, Francesca threw a vial at the monsters.

The vial shattered upon impact with the wall.

The liquid mixed with the shrapnel flowed down the wall, soaking the emaciated vines and weeds that had endured the cold winter.

—Kwa-dodododung!!

The plants rapidly sprouted.

Regaining their vibrant colors, the plants thickly surged and ensnared the limbs of the monsters that were creeping into the narrow alley.

“Hero!”

“I know!”

Camila, clutching flames in her hand, lit the vines on fire.

The flickering flames danced hungrily, quickly spreading through the entire alley.

Amidst the hot heat, acrid smoke, and cries marred by pain and tears, I shouted, “Let’s go!”

I leaned on Francesca and frantically escaped the alley.

—

Episode 12 – The Mightiest Magician of All Time

When I opened my eyes, the world was ablaze.

Orventzku, usually serene due to the blockade, was now filled with noise.

“Graahh! Run!”

“Don’t push! Don’t push, damn it!”

“Father! Where are you? Mom! Stay close to your siblings! I’ll be back in a bit!”

The city was thrown into chaos.

Just having hastily exited the alley, I glanced around, only to snap into focus at the state of the streets in utter disarray.

This wasn’t a dream; it was reality.

As my scattered thoughts returned, I began to view the situation more objectively.

Blood was oozing down my head, bandages were wrapped around it, and I could smell smoke clinging to my body, while Camila held my personal firearm. The demon was nowhere to be seen. I wondered why I had my head down in the alley when I was up on the roof just moments before.

Leaning against Francesca while observing the pandemonium, I irritationly asked, “What the hell is going on? Huh? What are those monstrous bastards, and why is the city in this state?”

“To explain that would take quite a while. What do you remember up to this point, Colonel?”

“Memory….”

Just as I was about to speak, our gazes locked with Camila’s, full of concern, and my mouth snapped shut.

We subdued the demon and searched the area before returning to our group.

Entering a building with an open door, I climbed the stairs, encountering Camila on the roof. She had refused to answer my questions, and as soon as she turned around, she suddenly began to choke me.

I remember that suffocating grip that strangled me. The sinister, grinning black eyes.

Camila’s blackened gaze mirrored that of a demon, sending shivers down my spine.

I vividly recalled the tightening fingers around my throat, the scenery of the stairs I had climbed to meet her, and the gentle breeze flowing from above.

As the memory of crossing the threshold of the rooftop surfaced, a thought struck me.

Is this truly my memory?

“….”

Various hypotheses popped into my head, yet a clear answer eluded me. I decided to recount the events as best I could.

After listening to my account, the group fell deep in thought with serious expressions. It was then that Lucia, who had been quietly listening, spoke up calmly.

“It’s an illusion. It seems you were deceived by the demon.”

“…An illusion? So everything was a lie?”

“Yes, a lie.”

Lucia nodded with a resolute expression.

“It’s true that right after subduing the demon, you went on a reconnaissance mission, just as you remember. But what happened after you returned to the clearing strays far from what we recall.”

“What happened?”

“You jumped off the roof.”

“What?”

“You heard me correctly.”

The truth Lucia revealed was shockingly beyond comprehension.

“You said you returned from the reconnaissance in just 5 minutes? However, according to our memory, you didn’t return for over 15 minutes.”

“Are you saying I did not come back for 15 minutes…?”

“Yes. We were planning to search for you because the support that was supposed to arrive had not shown up, and too much time had passed without contact. Then suddenly, you returned.”

“…And then? What else happened?”

“The administrator asked if you were alright, but you didn’t respond. You just walked right past us, not uttering a word, and headed straight for the building that you, Hero, had entered.”

What followed differed starkly from my memory.

According to Lucia, upon returning from the reconnaissance, I hadn’t spoken at all. It was true that I went up to the rooftop where Camila had gone for a signal, but I hadn’t asked about bringing her back or where she had gone in the first place.

Noticing something strange about my absent-minded walk, Lucia moved to catch me. That was when I suddenly started sprinting towards the rooftop.

Francesca recalled that moment like this.

“I couldn’t catch you because you were too fast. You were taking two or three steps at a time up the stairs with firearms and equipment. I tried to follow, but suddenly you shoved furniture stacked in the corridor down below. Thanks to that, both the Saint and I nearly got crushed on the stairs.”

“…….”

The mention of throwing furniture triggered a fleeting memory. It was a tactic I often used back in the field to shake off pursuers.

“After clearing the furniture and reaching the rooftop, but it was too late.”

By the time they reached the rooftop, I was already airborne.

Camila, sensing something was wrong, hurried to grab me, but I flung her hand off and leapt from the rooftop.

Fortunately, I managed to survive the fall due to colliding with various obstacles like balconies, outdoor units, and walls, but I added that I had suffered a severe head injury and lost consciousness for a while.

I lightly pushed my helmet aside and touched the tightly wrapped bandages.

“…I have no idea what happened.”

“In my personal opinion, it seems you were enchanted by the demon. You must have moved on your own while your guard was down, creating an opening.”

“It could be a curse, too. Though the necromancer is dead, there may be someone in this place targeting someone like you, Colonel.”

“What do we do now?”

Camila, still on guard with her rifle, asked, and as confusion filled my mind, I abruptly chimed into their conversation.

“Wait, so what’s with the monsters? No, more importantly, what happened to the demon?”

“…….”

“Did you kill it?”

The group, previously in discussion, fell silent.

I gasped for breath, staring at the three silent figures against the backdrop of the chaotic city.

“Say something.”

“…….”

Francesca and Camila shifted their gazes sideways. The alchemist and hero quietly gauged the Saint’s response.

Feeling burdened by the trio’s scrutiny, Lucia took a deep breath.

“The demon…”

She then sighed deeply and continued in a subdued voice.

“Has escaped.”

—

“It escaped? How, why did it escape?”

In the chaotic streets of Orventzku, I pressed my group for answers, stepping aside from the frantic buzz.

“Please, tell me in detail.”

“…We’re not entirely sure of the exact sequence of events. All we know is that the seal was broken due to an external shock.”

As I dashed for the rooftop, Lucia and Francesca left their spots to catch me. The three that included Camila raced down the alley as soon as I plummeted.

“While healing my injury, I noticed the seal beginning to waver. Since the demon wouldn’t have broken a sturdy seal on its own, we thought perhaps a resident, checking on the outside situation, might have accidentally disturbed it.”

By the time Lucia hurried back to the clearing, the seal had already been broken.

How the seal was broken remained a mystery to her. Probably, no one aside from the demon could know.

Yet, what was certain was that the demon had been released from its captivity.

“Why didn’t you give chase?”

“I’ll explain that.”

Francesca spoke up.

“When the Saint returned to the scene, I remained by your side to tend to your injuries while the Saint and Hero tracked the demon. The moment we realized there was an issue with the seal, we quickly devised a plan.”

“But then you didn’t pursue it.”

“I couldn’t follow because a battle broke out.”

“A battle?”

“Didn’t you see it earlier? Those monsters.”

Right. I did see them. Those grotesque monsters.

They bore the shape of humans, yet were decidedly not human. They were clad in hardened chitin that resembled minerals, their limbs twisted abnormally as they climbed the walls of buildings.

They were more akin to grotesque puppets crafted by a collector with a peculiar taste than actual monsters.

“…….”

I stared blankly into space.

Could this all be part of a plan? To push me off the rooftop, make Lucia leave her post, thus breaking the seal, escaping, and then creating monsters to hinder our pursuit?

“Damn bastard.”

What a filthy trickster.

Countless hypotheses swirled in my mind, but once again, I found no clear answers. Sighing, I nodded and quickly accepted the situation.

I was living in a mad world—so what’s one more monster? After all, we’re dealing with a demon here.

“Right. Monsters have shown up. How fantastical. Demons, a necromancer, and now monsters.”

There’s no point in regretting; it won’t change a thing. I need to request support from the Military Government Headquarters immediately and bring Veronica to slay the demon. Then, perhaps this madness will come to an end.

As I vigorously nodded and organized my thoughts, just as I was about to speak again.

“Oh, to be precise, the monsters didn’t ‘appear.’”

Camila, who had been on alert, casually interjected.

“What do you mean by that?”

“The monsters didn’t just ‘appear’; they ‘rose.’”

Francesca chimed in beside her.

“Do you remember those homeless people we first saw? The ones killed by the demon?”

“Yes.”

“They are the monsters.”

“…What?”

Camila raised her rifle, aiming with poise.

“The homeless people rose and began attacking Lucia and me. We managed to capture three, but one of them fled—”

“He bit them. The guy slipped out of the alley and went out into the street, where he killed other civilians. And those bitten civilians became just like him.”

“…….”

“Like zombies.”

*

The demon broke free and fled.

He pierced through the barrier of the Bongma’s truth and the seal. The moment he escaped, he massacred the encircled army and, after fleeing, killed four more civilians.

We chased him down and barely subdued him, but he ultimately broke free and got away.

The civilians killed by the demon became creatures that attacked other civilians. We had to kill them once more with our own hands.

It’s a terrible reality. A dreadful, tragic reality that’s hard to capture with just the word ‘terrible.’

Sadly, we had no strength left to mourn such a miserable reality.

With every drop of tears, a bucket of blood poured in this world. It was that kind of world.

“…….”

Having barely regained my composure, I quietly observed the situation around me. The darkness that had descended upon Orventzku was like a bottomless abyss.

The roads, which had been quiet until yesterday, were now crowded with people.

“We have to go! We have to go!”

“Shouldn’t we leave the city now? Regardless of the martial law, we must survive first.”

In the early dawn where snow was falling heavily, the crowd that poured into the streets was taking over the roads and fleeing in all directions.

Looking like they had just woken up, their appearances were disheveled.

Those with a bit of leisure wore thick coats over their pajamas, but many were clad in nothing but thin nightwear or had no shoes at all.

The six-lane road was blocked with people. I could hear screams and voices anxiously searching for separated family members from all sides.

“Step aside! Don’t block the road, come out!”

A civilian in a car shouted. An old sedan filled with a family honked loudly. Following it was an endless line of vehicles trailing behind.

They were people who had brought their cars out in the midst of chaos. Some were lucky, some had plans, and so on.

The reasons for each one’s escape varied, but their situation of not being able to move an inch on the crowded road was quite the same.

At that moment, the citizens stuck in the chaotic road heard an explosion.

-BOOM!!

-RATATATATAT! RATATATATAT!

Though noise filled the surroundings, the gunfire and explosions were clear enough for even the hard of hearing to catch.

Startled by the sudden blasts, the civilians froze and looked around. Perhaps they hadn’t really heard it, or was it all just a dream? Hopeful imaginations flickered in their eyes.

What shattered that illusion was the furious sound of a machine gun nearby.

-TUDUDUDUDU!!!

“A monster! A monster has appeared!”

“Run!”

RATATATATAT. RATATATATAT. BANG! KABOOM! The successive sounds of gunfire and explosions were far more intense than before. And the overwhelming chaos felt by the civilians was infinitely more potent than what they had experienced.

Cutting through the distant sounds of battle, the wailing sirens began to scrape against my eardrums.

-“Attention, citizens. There is currently fighting occurring in the city of Orventzku. Please move to the nearest shelter and listen to the broadcast. Repeat.”

The announcement was drowned in the surrounding noise.

People were tangled up on the ground in a crushing crowd. Curses, yells, screams, and tears stained the area. There was no order amongst the citizens who were hysterically trying to flee.

In order to avoid being swept up in that chaos, I led my group to the first floor of a nearby building.

“Shouldn’t we go out and help the people now?”

Lucia, unable to tear her gaze from the chaos outside, spoke up.

But I firmly shook my head.

“You’ll get trampled to death if you get caught in the frenzy. If we’re unlucky, our lives might be at stake too.”

“That seems a bit excessive….”

Lucia trailed off. Her personality, profession, duty, and life’s path made it so she couldn’t turn away from the horrors outside.

“Those people just need help.”

That wasn’t an incorrect statement. But my thoughts were different.

I pointed to the wrecked streets of Orventzku with my finger.

“Right now, everyone appears to be a frantic passenger trying to escape, but in just 30 minutes, the individuals causing problems will surely show up. In a desperate attempt to save themselves, their families, lovers, friends, and people around them, they would bring knives to the necks of total strangers.”

This isn’t about lofty philosophical discussions or theories about the nature of humanity. I’ve seen enough psychology exams during promotions; I don’t need that.

From my experience, whether in war or disaster, large-scale events that shake the social fabric inevitably lead to chaos.

I’m not talking about something like the burning of American embassies in the Middle East or Africa.

Events where terrorists beat to death Western volunteers or storm embassies during mourning demonstrations often make the news, but a robber knifing a passerby and stealing their bag doesn’t even make the headlines. That’s just a common occurrence in conflict areas.

And right now in the North, it’s recognized as a conflict area by international society and even the royal family.

“I understand you want to help, but not right now. If a problem occurs over there, I can’t help at all.”

“…….”

“If you really want to help, let’s catch the escaped demon first. If we send him back to hell, at least by tomorrow, we might be able to stabilize the situation.”

“…Okay, I understand.”

Looking back and forth between the window and me, Lucia struggled for some time before nodding.

It seemed she was reluctantly agreeing, but I didn’t mind.

Once people cooperate once, they often can’t refuse again afterward. Even the intelligence agencies of the constantly feuding US and Russia agree on that much. Regardless of race, human psychology tends to be similar in that regard.

“Alright.”

I poked my head out to look at the situation.

The street that had been packed with refugees was now somewhat deserted. There were still civilians, but it wasn’t enough to impede travel, so we could leave without trouble.

Taking out the pistol holstered at my side and disengaging the safety, I turned to my party and said, “Looks like things are settled, so let’s start moving.”

“Should I return the gun?”

“No, keep it. You never know what might happen.”

Camila adjusted the length of the rifle sling hung around her neck. Watching her smooth and natural movements, it hit me that the rigorous training had indeed paid off.

With my pistol firmly in hand, I exited the building. Francesca, Lucia, and Camila all bent slightly and began to move as quietly as possible.

The gunfire I had heard from afar was now echoing from all directions. Given the varying distances, it appeared the scattered Imperial Army was engaged in combat.

Huddled behind an abandoned car, I quietly began the conversation while keeping an eye on the surrounding area.

“They are shooting from all directions.”

“That’s not good.”

Kneeling, Camila readied her rifle. The thick pockets of her coat were filled with fully loaded magazines.

“A lot of troops wouldn’t spread out like this to shoot just to catch one demon. Could there be another problem?”

“An errant skirmish? That could be, but if so, there’s a big difference: this isn’t a Third World country, it’s the Kien Empire, not a place where groups like Boko Haram or ISIS thrive.”

According to the testimonies of our group, the civilians killed by the demon had revived and began attacking people.

Those turned into monsters attacked others around them.

As Lucia pulled out her knuckles and belt from her pocket, she asked, “Could the demon have fled somewhere else and attacked the civilians?”

“That’s likely, but I think differently. He didn’t kill just four people.”

Hearing those words, Lucia’s preparations for battle came to an abrupt stop. Lost in thought staring into blank space, she eventually lowered her head, a vacant expression crossing her face.

“…Those who first entered the city.”

When the alarm rang, the division that surrounded Orventzku sent troops to the scene. They were the first responders, along with the advance party of the cult and the magic tower.

That advance party was found completely wiped out at the scene. Upon arrival, we focused on finding the escaped demon.

This meant, the bodies left at the scene had not been collected.

There’s no need to consider what happened to those bodies. The gunfire resounding from all directions had already provided the answer.

“Lucia, you’re right; he’s exceptionally cunning. He meticulously planned every movement and battle. He’s smart, smart enough to astonish me.”

“Damn….”

Lucia plopped down on the ground.

“We should have performed the purification back then, even if it delayed us…”

“If we had, the demon would have either fled further or killed more people. This was something that was bound to explode, sooner or later.”

“It’s my mistake. I shouldn’t have left while the demon was still around.”

I comforted the self-reproaching Lucia.

“It’s not your fault, Lucia. There’s no need to blame yourself.”

“…….”

“By the way, is there any way to find out where the demon has gone? I heard the Inquisition captured the records of the exorcist; perhaps there’s something written about tracking a demon?”

“Hum.”

Just then, Francesca, who had been silent, cleared her throat.

“There are ways.”

With a peculiar smile on her face, she jumped up from her spot, dusting off her knees. Then, quite naturally, she began to whistle and extended her hand.

At that moment, a gentle breeze began to blow from somewhere.

The wind stirred her purple hair. It swept through her head and shoulders, moving forward.

Eventually, as her outstretched hand was embraced by the wind, the butterfly that had appeared gracefully began to flutter its wings and gently landed on Francesca’s index finger.

Francesca brought her finger to her lips and smiled.

“Do you remember?”

She whispered a very soft command to the butterfly resting on her finger.

“Find me.”

And that was all.

The butterfly, perched quietly on her finger, fluttered its wings as if understanding, and then soared robustly into the air.

A single butterfly soaring towards the deep blue sky where the Milky Way flowed.

The alchemist, staring fixedly at the butterfly as if nailed to the spot, took a small breath and readied the rune sword hanging at her waist.

“South.”

The direction she mentioned was precisely where the butterfly had flown.

Francesca spoke.

“It seems the demon is over there. Let’s go find it.”

Her voice was mysteriously assured.

“This time, let’s not let it slip away.”

 

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