Chapter 154
With the pouring light, Jeong Gyeoul also disappeared.
“Waaah!”
Lee Ha-yoon, who had been barely holding back her tears, confirmed Jeong Gyeoul’s disappearance and cried so pitifully that it could be described as a wail of despair.
“…Originally, Satan himself was supposed to descend, so why has the body of ST-156 disappeared?”
The Cult Leader also seemed clueless about what had happened.
While Lee Ha-yoon continued to cry and the Cult Leader muttered about whether there had been any mistakes in the process, chaos ensued.
“…What?”
Jeong Ha-yul woke up.
“…Huuu… Sister…”
“Hayan, what’s wrong? Where’s Gyeoul?”
Her memories up until she lost consciousness were clear.
She had received a message that Eun-chae and Kang-woo had been kidnapped and headed to Geumsan without anyone knowing.
After that, she was caught in a hostage situation, unable to use her powers, and lost consciousness. That was all Jeong Ha-yul remembered.
The fact that Lee Ha-yoon was here meant that they had tracked her down and come to rescue her.
But…
The absence of Jeong Gyeoul, who was always by Lee Ha-yoon’s side, filled her with immense anxiety.
‘If this were the case, she would have been the first to rush here, so why isn’t she here?’
Lee Ha-yoon continued to cry.
Jeong Ha-yul was too scared to ask why she was crying.
At that moment, the heroes began to descend one by one.
“That guy must be the Cult Leader of the Satan Church!”
Kim Bong-du, Kim Yu-shin, and Yoo Soo-gap, who didn’t know what was going on, decided to subdue the Cult Leader first.
“…It was fate to end up like this. We should have dealt with it in Gyeongju.”
Jang Gil-yong, the only one who knew the entire process as well as the Cult Leader, also arrived.
The rescue team Jeong Gyeoul had gathered to save Jeong Ha-yul was now all in one place.
Association President Jeong Ho-min was outside, managing the situation with the Association staff.
“…Lee Ha-yoon! Where’s Gyeoul!”
Park Seol-hwa, who noticed Lee Ha-yoon crying, felt anxious and immediately looked for Jeong Gyeoul.
She asked the question Jeong Ha-yul couldn’t bring herself to ask.
“Gyeoul… Gyeoul… Waaah…”
“Speak clearly so we can understand!”
“Should I explain it instead?”
Kim Bong-du, Kim Yu-shin, and Yoo Soo-gap were simultaneously attacking the Cult Leader, but he seemed quite relaxed.
“…Everyone, stop for a moment.”
“It’s definitely a trick. Let’s subdue him first and then ask…”
“Stop!”
Park Seol-hwa exploded with magical power and shouted loudly.
The situation was unclear—whether Jeong Gyeoul had died, was trapped in a barrier, or had been transported to another space.
Whatever the situation, fighting here wouldn’t benefit anyone.
If they accidentally messed with the core of the barrier or recklessly used magical power, causing spatial interference, they might never be able to return.
Reluctantly, the heroes stopped fighting the Cult Leader as Park Seol-hwa suggested.
“You stopped, so now tell us. What’s going on and what happened?”
“Do you want the cause as well as the result? That’ll take a while.”
“Shut up and just tell us the result.”
Like Jeong Gyeoul, Park Seol-hwa felt an inexplicable discomfort every time she spoke with the Cult Leader.
“ST-156 is…”
*Boom—*
“Don’t call my sister that name.”
The Cult Leader, who had been calmly fending off two S-Class heroes and one A-Class hero, was sent flying into the wall by Jeong Ha-yul’s single punch.
“Puhahaha. This is why I chose you as a candidate for the Physical Category. Such incredible power.”
“Jeong Ha-yul! What are you doing! We need to hear him out!”
“What are *you* doing? I’m the one who should be the most upset, so why are you acting like you’re the one who’s lost it? Can’t you see Hayan crying over there? She saw and experienced everything here. No need to cling to the Cult Leader, so just drop it.”
Hearing Jeong Ha-yul’s words, Park Seol-hwa shut her mouth.
Despite seeing Lee Ha-yoon crying, she had been trying to get answers from the Cult Leader, as if she were under some spell.
‘Could the discomfort I felt be…?’
She immediately wrapped her brain with magical power, setting up a mental barrier, and faced the Cult Leader again.
The discomfort seemed to have lessened compared to before.
“That bastard was pulling some tricks. Everyone, be careful.”
“Tricks? That’s hurtful. It’s just an innate ability of mine. It’s not something I can turn on or off.”
Anton LaVey, the Cult Leader of the Satan Church.
The reason he stood at the top of the Satan Church, commanding millions of followers and appointing strong Awakened Ones as Apostles, wasn’t just because of his strength.
If it weren’t for Jeong Ha-yul, Park Seol-hwa might have become the Cult Leader’s new Apostle by the time they left this building.
Hearing Park Seol-hwa’s warning, the heroes all wrapped their heads with magical power, preparing for the Cult Leader’s ability.
“Now speak. If you say anything weird or pull any tricks, you’re dead here.”
Park Seol-hwa, with her incredibly sharp senses, quickly grasped the extent of the Cult Leader’s strength.
Under normal circumstances, she would have avoided even talking to him, let alone fighting.
Until now, the only person who had given her this level of unease was Jeong Ha-yul.
But thanks to the heroes gathered here, especially Jeong Ha-yul, they were able to pressure the Cult Leader.
“ST-1… No, no, Jeong Gyeoul. That child might be facing Satan right now.”
“…What kind of nonsense is that?”
“What do you mean? It means Satan is about to descend.”
“The offering that was supposed to be sacrificed disappeared from the summoning circle. How is Satan supposed to descend, you idiot? You don’t even know, do you?”
The Cult Leader’s disappointing answer made Park Seol-hwa regret talking to him.
“You don’t have to believe me. Satan will descend soon, and you’ll find out then.”
Park Seol-hwa, hoping to find something out, headed toward the summoning circle.
“…Let’s just kill that bastard.”
She didn’t forget to resume the fight that had been paused.
Park Seol-hwa examined the summoning circle while the other heroes dealt with the Cult Leader.
“…Since when have S-Class heroes been in such a weak position?”
“Huh, he’s almost on par with Jeong Ha-yul.”
After Jeong Ha-yul opened 365 circuits and transcended.
She had sparred with S-Class heroes on weekends to evaluate her objective strength and get used to her enhanced abilities.
Thanks to that, everyone knew how strong Jeong Ha-yul was, and they started thinking about creating a new rank. That thought had now turned into certainty.
They had thought she was just an exceptionally strong human, but now there was someone else just as strong.
In fact, according to Jeong Ha-yul, she even avoided confronting Queen Helena of England, making it three people now.
“SS-Class? Or EX-Class? Whatever it is, he shouldn’t be called S-Class.”
“I agree.”
The battle, which had been evenly matched even with three against one, began to tip as Jeong Ha-yul joined.
*Boom—*
Even a light swing produced a deafening roar.
The area where Jeong Ha-yul and the Cult Leader had exchanged blows was now in ruins.
“…No room to intervene.”
“We might even be a hindrance to the Demon King.”
Even so, they were among the world’s top heroes.
They intervened at the right moments, disrupting the Cult Leader and aiding Jeong Ha-yul as the battle progressed.
But the Cult Leader wasn’t an easy opponent.
“Jang Gil-yong! Explain that!”
“…I don’t know the origin of my ability either.”
Even if his arm was cut off, it grew back.
Even if his stomach was sliced open, it healed.
His regenerative ability and speed were on par with the S-Class hero Jang Gil-yong, the Immortal.
No matter how much damage they inflicted, the Cult Leader regenerated instantly and charged back.
He didn’t seem to feel pain or fatigue.
Just as they were about to kill the Cult Leader, who refused to die.
The same light that had appeared when Jeong Gyeoul disappeared began to form again.
“…Park Seol-hwa! What did you do!”
“I didn’t do anything! I didn’t touch it!”
“That’s it! That light disappeared along with Gyeoul!”
Jeong Ha-yul, who had been fighting the Cult Leader, instantly jumped into the light.
“What are you doing!”
“If Gyeoul is there, I have to go get her!”
“You could die, you idiot!”
“I know that!”
Park Seol-hwa, not to be outdone, pushed herself in too.
“What are you doing now!”
“Gyeoul is just as precious to me as she is to you!”
In the end, the two of them stood together on the summoning circle.
As before, the light grew stronger, and soon it became too bright for anyone to keep their eyes open.
*Whoosh—*
The light, which had been expanding, suddenly shrank.
Everyone stopped fighting and stared at the summoning circle.
Even though the light disappeared, no one was missing.
Instead…
“…”
“Gyeoul!”
“Jeong Gyeoul!”
Jeong Gyeoul was standing there, buried between Park Seol-hwa and Jeong Ha-yul’s chests.
Silence fell, and no one spoke.
Everyone was tense in that moment.
“…In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen?”
Park Seol-hwa, who didn’t even believe in Catholicism, made the sign of the cross while staring at Jeong Gyeoul.
“…What are you doing?”
“W-what if it’s Satan…”
“…Sister, want to try a Satan Punch?”
