00750 A Flower Blooming Amidst the Blood (2)
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“Uh… what do we do? I’m asking, what do we do! Can someone please say something? Hello?”

Seonyul screamed out in sudden, inexplicable fear, but no one dared to answer. It was only natural. Though this was a magically created space, it was still a world beneath the Astral Plane. No matter how powerful the fifteen of them were—including Kim Suhyun—they were still just humans. There was no clever solution when the world itself was on the brink of destruction. And even if there was a way, no one knew what it was.

Meanwhile, the destruction continued relentlessly and swiftly. The beams of light fired from the Source spread out like spiderwebs in every direction, tearing the void apart wherever they touched. Cracks formed, and the space itself began to shatter into fragments, falling away like dust. The sky, the air, even the ground beneath their feet seemed ready to crumble and fall apart.

As time passed, the cracks expanded exponentially, while the intact space grew smaller and smaller. A low, unidentifiable rumble filled the air, accompanied by an overwhelming pressure pressing in from all sides. No one knew what would happen next, but everyone silently sensed that death awaited at the end of this phenomenon.

Unconsciously stepping back, Kim Suhyun suddenly realized someone had bumped into his back. He bit his lip. He didn’t think he’d been caught off guard, but in a situation where no answers were in sight, everyone felt the same suffocating frustration. Then, in the next moment, the beams of light and the cracks that had already destroyed most of the space surged toward the last remaining area like a tidal wave.

Instinctively, a surge of panic rose. Someone, backs pressed together, shouted a desperate incantation. Soon, a golden shield conjured by Jeong Hayeon quickly enveloped them, and the other mages and priests, snapping out of their daze, hurriedly cast defensive spells. But it was all in vain. The shields held only for a moment before crumbling. Even a slight graze caused the layered defenses to buckle and collapse in an instant.

“Aegis System! Defensive Matrix!”

At that critical moment, Baek Hangyeol shouted urgently. Against all odds, as if a miracle had occurred, he summoned two protective barriers simultaneously—something he never dared to do before. The incoming beams of light crashed against the translucent walls and were deflected just barely. Kim Hanbyul and Seonyul immediately began chanting spells to reinforce the shields.

Perhaps a defense specialist was truly different. As the two women enhanced their magic with jewels and cards, the trembling shields visibly stabilized. They managed to hold the line, but only for a brief moment. Kim Hanbyul, Seonyul, and Baek Hangyeol were all pouring every last ounce of strength into maintaining the barriers.

“So… what do we do now?”

A trembling voice stammered the question. Even Shin Jaeryong, usually composed, was at a loss for words, his face pale with fear. Most of them reacted similarly. After all, the world was ending right before their eyes—who could keep their wits about them? It was like the moments just before the apocalypse.

No one knew. None of them had ever experienced this before. But the process of a world’s destruction was terrifying beyond words—horrifying and brutal.

“Yoo, Yoojeong!”

Suddenly, Im Hanna shouted.

“Yoojeong’s not here! She didn’t make it inside!”

The scream that followed was like a cry of despair. Everyone snapped to attention and looked around.

That was right. There were only fourteen people inside the shield, not fifteen. Yoo Jeong was missing. She had been a little farther away to begin with, and the chaos had unfolded so suddenly that no one had thought to check. But there was nothing they could do now. All they could do was grit their teeth and stomp their feet in frustration.

“Hyung…! I… I’m… okay…!”

Amid the chaos, Baek Hangyeol groaned weakly, calling out to Kim Suhyun with a desperate voice. Sweat poured down his body like rain. He was on the verge of collapse, barely holding on. Kim Hanbyul and Seonyul were desperately reinforcing the shield, but it seemed they were reaching their limit.

Crack!

No, it wasn’t just the limit—they had already surpassed it. Once a hole appeared, the shield collapsed uncontrollably. Baek Hangyeol, unable to hold on any longer, crumpled to the ground. As the beams of light and cracks surged forward, most of them braced themselves in defense. It was proof that no one had given up yet.

Buzz!

At that moment, a burst of crimson energy exploded from Kim Suhyun’s body.

The Fortress of Gehenna had been deployed.

*

Rewinding a bit, about five minutes earlier.

It wasn’t that Yoo Jeong had been spacing out. Right after the strange phenomenon—the Source’s final plan, the “Mirror of Destruction”—activated, she instinctively dashed forward. But at that moment, a sharp pain struck her abdomen again, and she stumbled, falling to the ground.

Now.

Clang!

The impact had knocked off her silver headband, and her flowing red hair was disheveled. Jagged streaks of light zigzagged endlessly through the air around her, and the ground beneath was not just cracking—it was disintegrating into dust. Amid the violent resonance that made her heart tremble, Yoo Jeong couldn’t even think of getting up. She curled up, lying prone.

She instinctively knew she was dying. A flood of thoughts and regrets washed over her. More than feeling foolish for coming along, she was overwhelmed by endless self-loathing as she squeezed her eyes shut.

How much time had passed?

No matter how long she waited, she felt nothing. Except for the persistent pain in her abdomen, everything else remained the same. Finding this strange, Yoo Jeong slowly lifted her head. When she opened her eyes and looked down, she saw a golden glow shimmering around her body. Startled, she scanned her surroundings—and was shocked again.

The sky was gone. The ground had turned almost entirely to dust, leaving a blackened pit-like void. It was nearly impossible to find any intact space. Yet somehow, the area immediately around Yoo Jeong still held its shape. It was barely two meters across, but she was definitely alive—in a world falling apart.

“How… is this possible?”

Just as the very real question formed in her mind,

—Well, well… so it’s come to this.

A strange voice echoed in her ear. Rough yet deep, it sounded as if someone was speaking right beside her. Yoo Jeong turned her head and was shocked for the third time. Standing before her was a giant man, at least twice her height, arms crossed, clicking his tongue. His entire body was wreathed in blazing golden energy.

—The Crown Prince has no excuses, but Philia isn’t any easier to deal with. Could it really be this bad… hmm?

Noticing Yoo Jeong’s gaze, the giant shook his head and glanced down.

—What are you looking at?

His tone was challenging. Normally, Yoo Jeong would have snapped back, but now she just stared blankly. At first, she’d wondered who he was, but looking closer, she realized he wasn’t human. Despite his massive, muscular frame, his forearms were covered in thick fur like a beast’s. His face and neck bore a mane resembling a lion’s, and a tail hung down behind him. He looked like a perfect blend of man and lion.

—What are you staring at? Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a demi-beast before? Half-cat?

His dismissive tone snapped Yoo Jeong back to reality.

“W-Who… are you?”

—Who am I? You’re standing in my tomb and asking who I am?

“A-Ah, no… I mean…”

—What do you mean? With all this chaos, you think I wouldn’t wake up? …Well, I suppose your presence didn’t exactly provoke me either.

If Kim Suhyun knew the history, he might have understood. But Yoo Jeong looked utterly confused. The giant sighed deeply, shaking his head.

—Hey, hold still for a moment. I’m curious who you really are.

He stepped forward, lifting Yoo Jeong’s clothes and sniffing her smooth abdomen. Horrified, she waved her hands frantically and stepped back, but the giant straightened up, looking intrigued.

—Heh, that’s Vegas’s mark. And that moonlight kid… who was it? Oh, the Count of Alcatraz Island, Obana… But you, are you from the Wolf tribe or the Moon Cat tribe?

“……”

—Hey?

“……”

Though her tone carried a hint of hope, Lee Yoo-jung still stood there, utterly dumbfounded. It was clear just how little she cared about her user info or weapons under normal circumstances. After a long, steady gaze, Geohan sighed once more and slumped his shoulders.

“Ugh, I thought I’d finally found a worthy successor in my twilight years, but instead, it’s some half-beast woman who’s not even half-beast. I really am the unluckiest guy alive.”

His grumbling, dismissive words finally sparked a flash of anger on Yoo-jung’s face. She didn’t know why, but suddenly she felt irritated.

“Stop spouting nonsense already!”

She snapped, but before she could say more, Geohan clamped a hand—big as a pot lid—over her mouth.

“Ugh!”

“Enough. What are you going to do about her?”

“Huh?”

“That one. That dumb witch over there.”

Geohan pointed vaguely into the empty air. Only then did Yoo-jung recall the question that had been nagging her earlier. The space where they stood was still intact, for now.

“Look, I’m not going to protect her forever, got it? So what’s your plan?”

He shrugged, pressing her for an answer.

“What do you mean, what am I going to do?”

“Are you just going to sit there and wait to die? Don’t know how? It’s simple. See that?”

Suddenly, Yoo-jung’s vision forcibly expanded, as if the witch floating in midair was right in front of her. She could clearly see the hourglass shaped like a slender bottle resting on the witch’s chest—the very same one she’d held when they first met in the round chamber. Before she could even react, her vision snapped back to normal.

“Destroy that.”

Geohan said it as casually as if twisting a child’s wrist.

“By the way, when all the sand runs out, this world ends too.”

This time, Yoo-jung understood what he meant. But that didn’t change anything. Even her brother and other powerful users were struggling; what chance did she have? That’s what she thought.

“W-what… you want me to do what? I—I can’t.”

She averted her eyes and trailed off, and Geohan’s face twisted into a frown.

“What? You’re seriously planning to run away?”

At that, Yoo-jung’s shoulders twitched.

‘…So you just want to run away because you don’t want to be a burden?’

Suddenly, Huh Jun-young’s voice echoed faintly in her mind.

“Damn. After all this time, the only kin I meet is some worthless woman like this… Vegas and Obana must be kicking themselves. I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up.”

Geohan snorted, as if he never expected this outcome. Yoo-jung felt wronged. How could he suddenly ask what she was going to do, when he just popped up out of nowhere? It was ridiculous.

“…What exactly do you want me to do?!”

Her usually weak voice sharpened for the first time.

“Fine, I’ll ask you one thing.”

Geohan hummed, licking his lips and folding his arms.

“Don’t you want to save your friends? Your comrades?”

“…I do.”

“Then why not?”

“I…”

Yoo-jung took a shaky breath.

“Because I’m weak.”

She said it honestly.

“It wouldn’t make a difference anyway.”

At that, Geohan’s eyes narrowed like a snake’s.

“Weak, and it wouldn’t make a difference…”

“Well, not wrong. You really are weak. I can hardly believe you’re a beastman, especially from the Moon clan.”

Surprisingly, Geohan admitted it without hesitation. Yoo-jung almost shouted that she wasn’t a beastman, but held back—denying it would only make her look worse.

“But what if I told you this?”

Suddenly, Geohan’s tone shifted as he stepped closer.

“I’ll help you unlock your true power.”

A flicker of suspicion crossed Yoo-jung’s face.

“Unlock it? Who do you think you are?”

“Me? Seriously, you don’t know? I’m the one who led the Barbarian tribe and ruled over all beastmen.”

Geohan thumped his chest in frustration, and a faint memory of Je Gal Haesol reading records aloud flashed through Yoo-jung’s mind. It was fragmented, but she clearly remembered the name.

“That’s right. The Barbarian King… or rather, the King of the Beastmen?”

“Exactly.”

At last, his identity was revealed. Geohan—the Barbarian King—nodded gravely, then suddenly raised his arm and slashed his forearm, extending his left arm toward her. Yoo-jung flinched.

No blood flowed from the wound. Instead, golden energy rippled and pulsed as if flowing backward.

“Drink.”

His commanding tone made Yoo-jung’s eyes widen in confusion.

“Drink…?”

“You’re only tapping into a fraction of the power inside you. Want to know why?”

“…No.”

“Because you’re not a complete beastman.”

Geohan stated it like a fact. Yoo-jung stared, entranced by the golden energy still flowing from his arm.

“So…”

“Yes. The moment you accept this energy, the power within you will react and awaken. In other words, you’ll be reborn as a full beastman.”

“A beastman…”

“Beastmen aren’t rational like humans. We’re driven by instinct and emotions. That’s how we are. We fight, battle, invade, trample, pillage, and revel in slaughter. That’s the beastman race.”

“……”

“Heh, still hesitating, huh?”

Suddenly, the Barbarian King’s voice softened strangely. As he pushed his arm closer, a new kind of pain surged through Yoo-jung’s abdomen.

“Ugh…?”

Without realizing it, Yoo-jung bent forward, eyes wide as Geohan’s arm came within reach. A fragrant scent filled her nostrils, and her mouth watered uncontrollably. A dizzying pressure pressed on her forehead, and her vision blurred. She didn’t understand why—only that she had to surrender to this sudden change.

“You hate being weak, don’t you? You want to be strong, right?”

The Barbarian King’s voice shifted unmistakably—soft and sweet, like a devil’s whisper.

“I…”

“If you just accept it, you’ll definitely become stronger.”

As she barely opened her mouth, his subtle whisper continued. It was an irresistible temptation.

“I…”

Power. Though the situation was unexpected, the strength she had longed for was right there, just within reach. A strange hope and excitement stopped her breath, and the mark on her abdomen burned hotter than ever. Her throat tightened as saliva slid down. Her blood raced wildly, as if urging her to take in that energy immediately.

“Drink! And lose yourself to the rising power!”

At his shout, Yoo-jung forced her eyes open and stared ahead.

‘Yeah, this is do or die anyway…’

Even if it’s a trap, so be it.

With that thought, Yoo-jung finally couldn’t hold back. She slowly tilted her head back, and her lips parted, revealing a shy flash of pink tongue.

But for some reason, the Barbarian King’s expression darkened. He looked bitter, almost regretful. Above all, there was a clear trace of apology in his eyes.

Moments later, as Yoo-jung stuck out her tongue like a puppy and bowed her head slightly—

—————————= Author’s Note —————————=

Maybe things won’t go exactly as expected…? (Intriguing, isn’t it?)

Hehe. 🙂