Chapter 151 ·Heavenly Immortal

“Have ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍you arrived, Heavenly Immortal?”

“……What?”

「Heavenly ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Immortal」

At ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍that single phrase that came from Myo Seol-rin's lips, Myo Cheong stared back with an expression so dumbfounded that "stunned" would not have been enough to describe it.

It ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍was only natural.

After ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍all, Heavenly Immortal was the honorific used for an Immortal-rank priest, the highest rank among the priests of the Church of the Dawn.

Why?

Even Myo Cheong himself, who had made a deal with the Church of the Dawn, found himself unconsciously repeating the question in his mind.

Her betrayal was something he could neither foresee nor understand.

He himself had at least possessed the motive of avenging Rang.

But as far as he knew, there was absolutely no reason for Myo Seol-rin to join hands with the Church of the Dawn.

Then again, was the Myo Clan favorable toward the Church of the Dawn?

...Who knew.

However, Myo Cheong's thoughts went no further.

Or rather, they could not.

Instinctive fear had frozen his mind.

“……”

Without even opening his mouth, his shoulders trembled.

He was, after all, a Triple Gear Special-duty Officer.

Precisely because of that, he understood it even more clearly.

The silhouette concealed within the shadows of the dark corridor.

The moment that woman, whose face could not even be seen properly, made a move...

...he would die.

How should this feeling even be described?

A predator meeting its prey?

No.

This was...

Natural disaster.

Something beyond the control or prediction of a mere human made itself felt through his skin, his bones, and his flesh.

Click.

Clack-clack.

His teeth rattled against one another.

As proof of that, Myo Cheong's body had already escaped his control, laying bare the fear that every living creature was bound to feel.

Dark crimson blood, aged like a fine port wine, flowed from the cold corpse of Myo Jin-cheon, whose head had been left with a neat hole, soaking the soles of his military boots.

Yet crushed beneath overwhelming terror, he could not utter a single word.

“Rise, my child.”

And at that very moment—

“You belong to me.”

A low woman's voice, mixed with a husky metallic resonance, brushed past his ears.

Soon afterward, she stepped from the darkness into the light, piercing through the shadows of the corridor.

Step.

Step.

The sound was unmistakably that of bare feet.

A white-haired woman wearing a loose martial robe.

Her upper body was completely uncovered.

Across her flawless white skin flowed black patterns that resembled the stripes of a tiger.

Nor was that all.

Standing well over two meters tall, her body was lined with lean muscles.

Though completely naked, she inspired not lust...

...but reverence and sanctity.

Or perhaps...

...fear.

“To bow yourself so lightly...”

She approached the still-prostrating Myo Seol-rin, gently shaking her wild white hair that spread like a lion's mane.

Then she lowered herself onto one knee and lightly stroked Myo Seol-rin's chin with her finger, as though finding her adorable.

“How could I not pity you?”

“Ahh...”

The white-haired woman was reflected in Myo Seol-rin's eyes.

To Myo Cheong, the aura of the Heavenly Immortal was infinitely violent.

Yet to her...

...it was more comforting than a mother's embrace.

Perhaps because of that.

She gazed upon her master with an expression beyond mere dazedness, one of pure ecstasy.

Watching that scene, Myo Cheong instinctively realized.

Worship... No, fanaticism.

Regardless of how flimsy or foolish its origins might have been, he understood.

Myo Seol-rin was no mere traitor.

She had already reached a stage of faith more perfect than that of any other follower of the Church of the Dawn.

Thanks to that realization, Myo Cheong managed to suppress the fear gnawing away at his sanity.

At last, he became capable of rational thought once more.

He assessed the current situation as objectively as possible.

An Immortal-rank priest of the Church of the Dawn has appeared. An Immortal-rank priest who hasn't shown herself since the last Holy War.

Just as he had tried to justify himself to the now-cold Myo Jin-cheon, he had not opened the front without a plan.

His idea had been to weaken both the Governor-General's Office and the Church of the Dawn, thereby increasing the Juins' influence.

In other words, he had intended to make his enemies fight one another.

...Though whether things had gone according to plan was another matter entirely.

It had been an exceedingly flimsy conspiracy.

Even so, both Myo Cheong and Myo Jin-cheon had been convinced of one thing.

That the Church of the Dawn would lose.

The reason was simple.

Could a Church of the Dawn whose strength had dwindled to almost nothing really defeat the Human Composite State?

He had believed such a thing to be impossible.

Yet after standing before the long-hidden Immortal-rank priest in person, Myo Cheong felt every piece of common sense he had ever known crumble apart.

Perhaps...

Not even Instructor Jin Crow, whom he had previously met as a Quad Gear, had given him this feeling.

Would facing a Penta Gear feel like this?

So this... is an Immortal-rank priest of the Church of the Dawn.

In truth, it was his first time meeting one.

No...

It wasn't just him.

Most Juins born after the Church of the Dawn's downfall had only been taught that the Church was evil...

...an outdated remnant that had to disappear.

Because of that, when studying history, he had even cursed his own ancestors as fools who had only ever suffered.

For a thousand long years, they had failed to mount even a proper resistance.

Only after the Human Composite State arrived had they finally broken free.

Yet now, standing before an Immortal-rank priest, he finally understood.

Why his ancestors had had no choice but to endure the Church of the Dawn's tyranny and injustice.

“……Ah.”

By the time he emerged from the deep swamp of his thoughts...

...he was already kneeling with his head bowed before the white-haired woman.

“P-Please... have mercy.”

It was the conclusion reached by the sanity he had regained.

No matter what little schemes Myo Cheong devised, if she wished to kill him, he would die that very instant.

There was nothing complicated about it.

No matter how famous the Myo Clan was for its pride, no one remained stubborn before someone who held absolute power over their life and death.

“I-I pledge my loyalty.”

There was calculation behind those words.

Myo Jin-cheon, who had discovered his conspiracy, had already been killed by Myo Seol-rin.

And Myo Seol-rin had proven beyond any doubt that she was a fanatic.

In that case...

Wouldn't it be better to join the Church of the Dawn now and stand on the winning side?

The very fact that she hasn't killed me immediately means there's a chance!

The proof lay in the Immortal-rank priest's actions.

If she had wanted him dead, she could have twisted his neck from the far end of the corridor without ever revealing herself.

Yet she had deliberately stepped into view and called his name.

Wasn't that an unspoken gesture that there was room for negotiation?

Just then.

Myo Seol-rin, who had paid him no attention until now, turned her head at his muttering.

She glanced at him briefly before smiling brightly and asking the white-haired woman,

“Lady Baekhong.”

“Yes, Seol-rin, my child.”

“May I use the Blessing you bestowed upon me?”

At Myo Seol-rin's cautious question, the white-haired woman brushed her thumb across the corner of her lips before whispering in a deliberately generous voice.

“You may. The cycle of karma is, in the end, but another turning of dawn and daybreak.”

“For the Dawn.”

An incomprehensible exchange passed between them.

Perhaps because of that.

Myo Cheong shivered uneasily before slowly raising his head.

At that exact moment, sharp objects shot forward and pierced both of his shoulders and both of his knees with perfect precision.

“G-GAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

They were countless thorned tendrils made from dried tree branches.

His bones were pierced clean through.

His joints twisted grotesquely.

His superhuman body desperately regenerated the wounds to preserve his life.

But the moss taking root inside him instantly used his blood and flesh as nourishment, spreading wildly throughout his body.

“GAAAAAH! GAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

Was this what it would feel like if hundreds of insects crawled inside one's body?

The pain surpassed goosebumps.

It crossed the very threshold beyond which no living being should ever experience such agony.

At last, frothing at the mouth, Myo Cheong began producing cries that belonged not to a human...

...but to a beast.

“K-Kkiing... Kkiiiiiing—.”

His ears repeatedly folded and sprang upright in panic.

His tail drooped limply.

His military trousers became drenched with blood and urine until a puddle formed beneath him.

Then, with his eyes completely rolled back, his body trembled violently as unconscious Psionic Energy leaked from him.

“Hehe.”

Stepping boldly toward him, Myo Seol-rin looked upon the horrific sight before her as though admiring a beautiful painting.

Then, speaking softly beyond the final shred of consciousness that the so-called Special-duty Officer stubbornly clung to until the very end...

...she whispered,

“Stick out your tongue.”

“A-Auh... Kkiing—.”

“Stick it out. Before I kill you.”

Her voice was gentle.

Though he instinctively knew she intended to kill him...

...Myo Cheong trembled as if possessed and forcibly opened his mouth, sticking out his crimson tongue.

Slice.

Thud.

At that instant, the dagger in Myo Seol-rin's hand severed his tongue without the slightest hesitation.

“AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

As Myo Cheong convulsed once again in agony, Myo Seol-rin spoke in a bright, almost cheerful voice.

“This is the tongue that lusted after my older sister and brought ruin upon our family.”

Yes.

It was just like...

“What should I take next? The eyes that leered at me after my sister? Or the ears rotten with paranoia and inferiority? Go ahead. Choose.”

...the Grim Reaper summoned by his own karma.

Craaaack!

Jin Crow and Obia Timist repeatedly kicked off the roads of the Pure Land, leaping forward.

With every step they took, shattered fragments of asphalt scattered into the air.

Ordinarily, no matter how high-ranking a Special-duty Officer was, such destruction would never have been tolerated.

But these were hardly ordinary circumstances.

Moreover, perhaps because most civilians had fled into their homes or bomb shelters out of fear of being caught in the chaos...

...the long road stretching toward the outskirts of the Pure Land was eerily deserted.

Thanks to that, Jin Crow was able to accelerate without hesitation.

The Pure Land sits within a basin. During its development, tunnels connecting the inside and outside were constructed.

It was not only the symbolic capital.

The Governor-General's Office and numerous administrative facilities were located there as well.

Naturally, infrastructure had been the highest priority.

For that reason, the very first thing the Human Composite State had done after colonizing Planet Ju was build massive tunnels connecting the basin to the outside.

Indeed, every road leading through the Pure Land passed through one of those tunnels.

Which means that no matter who the enemy is, moving a large force requires passing through the tunnels. Holding them there is the ideal strategy.

Whether it was followers of the Church of the Dawn or Creatures, the moment they were unleashed inside the Pure Land, it would become a gruesome battlefield filled with blood and flesh.

Perhaps because he knew that all too well.

He accelerated even further.

In less than five minutes, they reached the checkpoint tunnel at the edge of the Pure Land.

But the very moment they arrived—

【Second Pure Land Tunnel】

What they found was brutally simple.

A road drenched in blood.

The mangled remains of Public Security Bureau officers scattered in every direction.

And beyond them...

Creatures radiating sinister gleaming eyes.

“……Damn it.”

Jin Crow cursed under his breath.

Annoyed by the constriction around his neck, he roughly tore off the black necktie he had been wearing, lit an awakening-drug cigarette, and quietly added,

“Too late.”

The words carried not only irritation but also the resignation born from bitter familiarity.

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