Chapter 111: Sacred Relic Excavation Team (3)
After thoroughly washing the filthy, dirt-stained wings clean, Rael wiped her long spear with a white cloth.
Flap—
A pair of wings spread wide, pure white feathers fluttering.
Once the spear’s maintenance was complete, the blade tip gleamed with a silvery light.
Whoong—
With swift, practiced movements, she spun the spear several times before expertly securing it behind her back.
Clink—
The golden bands on her wrists and ankles clashed together with disciplined precision.
Fully prepared for departure, Rael addressed her subordinates.
“The Archangel has assigned me a special mission. We are to tail the unidentified human we encountered in the city ruins.”
“…….”
The moment they recalled the monster who had summoned a city atop the ruins, the angels’ faces stiffened instantly.
Yet none showed fear.
They were all brave warriors of heaven who had volunteered for this sacred relic excavation team.
Moreover, the special mission had been ordered by the Archangel of this expedition team—Veroniel, ranked third in the nine-tier hierarchy.
For those merely in the seventh or eighth tier, defying such an order—let alone refusing—was unthinkable.
They would gladly die if commanded.
Rael, positioned roughly midway between those two tiers, continued.
“You are still too weak and inexperienced to face that human. Therefore, I will undertake the tailing mission alone.”
“Lady Rael?”
“What do you mean by that?”
The angels widened their eyes in considerable shock.
Even though Rael was a powerful fifth-tier, she herself had avoided direct confrontation with that human.
Yet now she intended to go alone.
It was no different from volunteering to be a sacrificial lamb.
“Don’t be so surprised. I’m not going to fight that human. I’m merely going to observe from a distance what he is doing.”
“Even so, it’s far too dangerous.”
“That monster would likely detect us.”
Rael wasn’t without such concerns herself.
But she believed that if she acted carefully, there would be no problem.
She only needed to avoid detection until reinforcements arrived.
“Don’t worry. The Archangel plans to recall all the scattered investigation teams in hell and capture that human alive. You should regroup with the other teams.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to take even a few of us with you?”
“No. The more people involved, the higher the risk of detection. Being alone increases the chance of remaining unnoticed.”
The angels acknowledged the logic in Rael’s words.
“Understood, Lady Rael.”
“Please be careful.”
Fearing they might provoke Rael’s anger by insisting further, the angels withdrew appropriately.
Flap—
Rael spread her pair of wings and soared into the sky.
The strange red-tinged sky—lacking both sun and moon—enveloped her.
The angels on the ground lined up and looked up at her.
Shuu—
Leaving her subordinates behind, Rael departed the headquarters alone.
***
‘If the angels gather in one place, that’s actually better. No need to search for them one by one.’
After receiving the tentacle’s report on the angels’ movements, Chae Jin-young thought it was rather convenient.
No need to hunt them down individually.
And though they had gathered in one spot, they hadn’t yet mobilized toward Nine City.
『However, a small number of angels seem to be flying in this direction. I can’t tell if it’s one or two.』
The tentacle’s surveillance net spread across hell was not yet perfect, so it couldn’t accurately count the numbers.
Devils might be easier to detect, but other beings were more difficult.
‘If it’s just a small number, we can leave it to Nine City.’
Chae Jin-young turned toward Vritra, who was standing awkwardly in one corner, and spoke.
“The angelic tribe might attempt to infiltrate the city, so activate the security system properly.”
“If it’s about that, don’t worry. The moment an intruder approaches, I will be notified immediately via wireless.”
Chae Jin-young nodded and resumed his conversation with the tentacle.
‘Then let’s finish what we were doing.’
『But will it be alright? Your sister is seeing me for the first time.』
Surprisingly, the tentacle even expressed concern.
Chae Jin-young had thought he would eventually need to tell his sister about the tentacle someday, but he hadn’t expected it to be today.
‘Still, it’s not exactly a first meeting.’
『…Strictly speaking, this is our first meeting. Back then, I had no ego.』
Thinking about it, the first person to encounter the tentacle had been Chae So-young.
At that time, the tentacle had no self-awareness and was no different from a monster.
It had even emitted an aura similar to Creeps, causing it to be mistaken for a demon-possessed being.
If his sister learned that the tentacle was still inside her brother’s body, Chae Jin-young worried about what kind of reaction she would show.
“So-young-ah, do you remember the tentacle you saw in the hospital?”
“…Tentacle?”
Chae So-young replied with a dazed look, as if wondering what out-of-the-blue nonsense he was spouting.
“The one that gave off a Creep-like aura. The one that popped out of my chest.”
“Ah, now I remember. I was so shocked back then.”
“What if I told you it’s still inside my body?”
“Hmm…….”
Chae So-young pondered with a serious expression, then soon relaxed her face and spoke.
“You subdued it and are raising it, right? Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense.”
At the unexpected response, Chae Jin-young scratched his head.
“Well… something like that.”
“But why bring up the tentacle all of a sudden?”
“From now on, maximize your psionic barrier at full power. Block every single one of the tentacle’s mental attacks.”
“Mental attacks? Let it come.”
Chae So-young released her psionic energy with a confident expression.
Tss-ts-ts…
Red and blue energy enveloped her body.
A translucent barrier completely surrounded her from head to toe.
But in Chae Jin-young’s eyes, the barrier still looked thin.
He had clearly told her to activate it at maximum, yet she was obviously underestimating the tentacle.
In times like this, shock therapy was the most effective.
‘You know, right? This is training. If I actually take over your mind, that would be a problem.’
『I know that much.』
Tss-ts— Splash!
A portal opened in front of Chae So-young, and the tentacle burst out.
The eyelid at the tip of the tentacle opened, and a pitch-black pupil fixed on her.
Gulp— Chae So-young swallowed hard.
Crack crack— Crack!
In an instant, cracks spread across the barrier surrounding her.
“Hup!”
Only now snapping to her senses, Chae So-young hurriedly released even more psionic energy.
Ts-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa—
A vast amount of energy that had been dormant in her mental world began layering around her body.
“Hm, at least you haven’t been slacking off.”
Chae Jin-young nodded in satisfaction at the unexpectedly large amount of energy.
But her carelessness needed to be firmly corrected.
“If it had been ‘that thing’ instead of the tentacle, you could have died right here.”
“…….”
Chae So-young had no room to reply, desperately enduring the increasingly powerful mental attacks from the tentacle.
He understood why she was so confident against mental attacks.
Telepathy, psychometry, mental barrier destruction, and so on.
In the mental domain, she had every right to be confident.
But the world was vast, and there were many strong beings.
“Starting to feel the strain now, isn’t it?”
“…….”
The psionic barrier surrounding Chae So-young had become incredibly thick at a glance.
Yet the tentacle hadn’t even properly begun.
“You remember what I said when I first came here, right? Training is most effective when your body is exhausted and pushed to its limit. Today, let’s experience the extreme of mental strength.”
―After training ends and we go home, you’re dead, oppa.
At that moment, Chae So-young’s telepathic message came through.
The corners of Chae Jin-young’s mouth curled up.
“Still full of energy, huh. Very good.”
Tss-ts—
Another portal opened, and a second tentacle appeared.
As the intensity of the mental attacks rose another level, blood began to flow from Chae So-young’s lips.
It wasn’t mental shock or internal injury—she had simply bitten her lip too hard and torn it.
That much showed how desperately she was fighting.
Chae Jin-young folded his arms and observed the flow of her energy.
If he could just open the currently blocked mental meridian, it would greatly benefit his sister.
Of course, extreme caution was required, so Chae Jin-young focused more intensely than ever.
Sss…
Chae Jin-young’s psionic energy circled around Chae So-young’s head.
Then, finding the acupoint from which energy flowed, it slowly and carefully seeped inside.
With his eyes closed, Chae Jin-young concentrated solely on the flow of psionic energy.
‘Found it.’
Crackle—
The moment Chae Jin-young’s energy inside her mental world touched something.
Crackle crackle crackle—
Psionic energy began gushing out like a pierced underground spring.
Chae So-young’s eyes widened at the sudden surge of energy.
She clenched her teeth again to control the suddenly overflowing power.
“Focus solely on controlling the energy.”
Chae Jin-young closely monitored Chae So-young’s condition.
The reason he hadn’t used this method from the beginning was simple.
If he amplified her energy before her body and mind were ready, it could endanger her life.
He had judged that her current level could handle it.
Ts-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa—
Chae So-young began releasing even more psionic energy.
The panic in her eyes had already changed.
In her brown pupils swirled concentric circles of red and blue.
The tentacle, meeting her gaze, spoke.
『Interesting.』
‘What is?’
At Chae Jin-young’s question, the tentacle replied with intrigue.
『She’s attempting to hypnotize me.』
***
While the Apostle of God and his blood kin focused on training, Vritra slipped out silently.
He had received a wireless report from Nine City’s urban security division.
Tss-ts…
Through a red portal prepared on one side of the power plant, he instantly moved to the 49th-floor executive office of the Red Industry.
“You’ve arrived, Branch Manager.”
His secretary, who had been waiting in advance, greeted him.
“A guest has arrived.”
“Yes. They are currently waiting in the reception room.”
“Did they reveal their identity?”
“I dared not ask.”
The secretary bowed her head with an apologetic expression.
Instead of scolding her, Vritra thought about the unidentified guest.
“Hm…….”
The servile attitude he had shown before the Apostle of God was nowhere to be seen; he straightened his tie with the dignified demeanor of a branch manager.
He headed straight for the reception room.
Creak—
Opening the door, the first thing that caught his eye was the back of a devil with black horns.
The red wings were neatly folded.
Vritra politely passed the devil and stood opposite him.
A fellow red devil.
They were the most prosperous devil race in hell, so they were commonly seen.
What mattered was the devil hierarchy.
Divided into a total of eight ranks, Vritra was in the third rank—quite high-ranking.
“…….”
That was why he rarely felt intimidated, yet now he felt pressure for the first time in a while.
On par with the Void Church leader, perhaps even above.
“What are you doing? Not kneeling to show respect.”
The high-ranking red devil spoke with an arrogant gaze.
But Vritra responded without cowering.
“Hm. How can I show respect if I don’t even know who you are?”
The high-ranking red devil smiled.
“You seem out of touch after just returning from the past.”
Tss—
As the stranger suddenly raised black mana, Vritra responded in kind.
The next instant.
Crack— Boom!
Vritra’s kneecaps shattered with a crunch, forcing him to his knees.
Tss-ts— Crack crack—
Dark currents flowed from the unfamiliar red devil.
Pure energy transcending black mana.
This was a high-ranking devil far beyond Vritra’s expectations.
The devil looked down at Vritra and spoke.
“Total Commander of Gehenna, Supreme Commander of the Demon King’s Army, and Lord of Hell. Swear your loyalty to me, Galomah.”
Galomah.
A name Vritra had never heard before.
In the era he had lived in, a different devil had been the lord.
Of course, even if that old lord appeared, he would never swear loyalty.
Tss-ts—
Enduring the pressure, Vritra slowly raised his head.
With great effort, he lifted his hand and thrust his firmly extended middle finger right in front of Galomah’s eyes.
“Heh heh heh… A mere market manager with no fear. I like it. I’ll thoroughly discipline you and place you at the forefront of the Demon King’s Army.”
Kwaaaaa—
A black ray shot from Galomah’s hand pierced straight through Vritra’s body.
A massive hole opened in his abdomen.
Crackle—
Vritra ignited hellfire within himself, burning his damaged body.
And in an instant, his body regenerated.
Just as Galomah was about to unleash void energy once more.
Shwaaa—
Two tentacles burst out from behind Vritra.
“Hoo.”
The moment Galomah saw the tentacles, his eyes changed.
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