Chapter 159

Before entering Si-yoon’s room, several concerns popped into my head.

First and foremost, Si-yoon is a Hunter as well.

Even if he didn’t notice us barging in, I’m sure he put up some resistance inside.

If it was someone using Magic Power, it would be hard for Si-yoon to fight back. Ever since he awakened his abilities, he could use Saint Power to some extent.

If this place were in the middle of nowhere, we could say “he was attacked by someone” if Si-yoon suddenly disappeared. But this isn’t a secluded mountain house; it’s the dormitory provided by the Association right in the heart of Seoul.

If a fight broke out inside, there’s no way the neighbors wouldn’t have heard it.

I found myself glancing at Ria.

It was a bit of a habit.

We were both officially nuns, but my idea of equality didn’t quite stop there. I envisioned a kind of equality where we could walk side by side. That was the equality I longed for.

Ria probably thought the same most of the time.

But when Ria met my gaze, she approached me as if she had received some kind of command.

Thank goodness we just came from the Association. We were all still armed.

“Yuri, hold on a sec.”

When Ria spoke, Yuri nodded seriously and stepped aside.

…Now that I think about it, our roles seem pretty lopsided if we categorized them by class. Excluding Ria, everyone else should ideally be at the back.

Maybe this is to make Si-yoon shine in the story.

Swish.

Ria drew her sword from her waist. The beautifully decorated blade glimmered.

Given its relic-like value, the Church would be horrified just by the fact that it’s used in combat. I guess they’re just putting up with it since I passed it down.

She extended the blade forward and gave the door a firm shove.

“…!”

All of us shuddered at the smell wafting from inside.

It was vaguely earthy but oddly sharp—we were already familiar with that scent.

The scent of Magic Power.

Once again, our gazes converged.

Yuri looked eager to dive in at any moment, but she’s a Hunter too, so she certainly knew that acting recklessly alone was a far bigger problem.

Glaria was also getting into a ready stance, but Davi was just standing quietly behind her with an unreadable expression.

I gathered Saint Power in both hands. Even though I wasn’t prepared to talk to whatever entity was up there, I needed to be ready to respond to any situation.

Erasing all traces of Magic Power… I wasn’t going to do that.

If I completely wiped it out without knowing what was happening inside, even if Si-yoon went missing, it would render the situation completely unclear.

First, we needed to see what had transpired inside—

…

But that was a poor judgment call.

Inside where we had entered, there was no sign of Si-yoon. Only a house stained black surrounded us.

As if that place had turned into a wasteland.

No.

“…Everyone, jump!”

As soon as I looked out the window, Ria screamed.

Or rather, perhaps she shouted not because she checked outside, but due to the significant source of Magic Power in the devastated living room.

Whatever it was, we had already stepped into a trap by entering.

“Ah…!”

Yuri, who quickly opened the door at Ria’s words, could only manage a flustered exclamation. Glaria took a deep breath. Davi didn’t make any noise.

Ria leaped towards me with all her might.

At that moment, the point of Magic Power present in Si-yoon’s room exploded.

Just before that, I hastily released my Saint Power, but I couldn’t completely stop the surroundings from being engulfed in darkness.

The presence of the three people vanished instantly.

*

Whether Ria was able to stay with me because I used Saint Power or because she pulled me back from behind, I wasn’t quite sure.

But at least it meant I wouldn’t be alone.

That wasn’t necessarily a purely positive thing, as the figures of Yuri, Glaria, and Davi had completely vanished from our surroundings.

…What could have happened?

That trio… Surely, they’re not dead, right? I really didn’t want that. Not so suddenly, without any warning.

Ria quickly started checking me over as I sat blankly in place. My head, face, neck, arms, legs, and then my waist and hips.

“…You’re unhurt.”

Ria murmured with a long exhale.

And only after hearing that did I jump in surprise.

“Ria, are you okay!?”

As I said that, I started to check Ria over as well, only to realize what I was doing and felt my face heat up.

“I’m fine.”

But given the circumstances, Ria didn’t blame me for that.

She immediately grabbed my arm and pulled me up as if to lift me off the ground.

Standing, I scanned the surroundings.

What had once been a ruin was now coated as if someone had splattered black paint everywhere.

Except for where Ria and I stood. There wasn’t a speck of that dark color around us. It was as if a hemispherical cup had been placed over just us.

“Wait, so what about the three people—”

“I saw Glaria grab Davi’s hand at the last moment. Yuri did too.”

“Davi cast a spell?”

“I didn’t catch that, but as long as Glaria and Davi are together, they’re not going to lose their lives easily. Yuri is a talented sorceress too.”

“…”

But I couldn’t help but worry.

Carefully, I walked over the debris where the Magic Power had faded and approached the window.

The source of Magic Power was no longer there. The scattered energy on the floor slowly dissipated with each step I took.

What lay outside the window was a ruined world.

In the middle of Seoul, it wasn’t an apartment, but there were still towering buildings. Right next to it was a road, yet no cars passed by.

The asphalt was cracked everywhere. It was filled with cars that looked crushed or burned.

Buildings had collapsed, the surroundings were overgrown with strange, desiccated plants.

Was it post-apocalyptic, or should I say in the midst of ruin?

“It’s not your fault.”

As if she understood what I was thinking, Ria spoke.

“There’s no way the world could have collapsed in that instant. The beings we encountered aren’t the type who could do that.”

If they could have, they might have done it already.

Ria was saying that.

“But this place is…”

It felt familiar to me.

Although I had never been here directly, it was the Association’s dormitory, after all. It was naturally not far from here. I’d seen it a few times while passing by in a car, and Yuri and Ria sometimes took me around after their lectures at the Association.

“…It resembles it, but it’s not our world.”

Ria turned my body toward her, holding onto my arm.

Her face was close enough that it shocked me a bit.

“So snap out of it. What we need to do now is to get back and find Isiyun, Yuri, Glaria, and Davi.”

Right.

I came to check on Si-yoon and got caught in this situation instead.

“I’ll say it one more time.”

Ria said, nearly bringing her face into my line of sight.

“It’s not your fault.”

Ria’s eyes consumed my vision.

“Nobody knew that something like this could happen in the world. And if it’s Si-yoon, he could resist most enemies, right? Encountering something out of the ordinary means we are in unfamiliar territory.”

“…”

Still, I couldn’t shake the nagging thought that I should have known better.

If I think about the reason I came to this world.

“…For now, let’s find some clues. Those three are smart; they’ll likely come up with a way to find us quickly.”

Nodding at Ria’s words, I set off.

*

Following Ria’s suggestion, we climbed to a higher place.

The elevator obviously wasn’t operational, and the stairs were intermittently broken, so I had no choice but to rely on Ria’s help.

My heart was racing, but it wasn’t because I was close to Ria; it was due to my impatience. The urgency of needing to find my friends as quickly as possible.

Thus, we climbed to the top of the dormitory building, and what we saw was—

“…Beyond the Gate, there’s usually an entire world waiting, right?”

“That’s right.”

I dumbly nodded at Ria’s observation.

Yeah. Beyond the Gate lies a world. A vast one too, so large you can’t even take it all in.

This world was the same.

Not a mere imitation, a real world.

Already destroyed.

In the distance, towards the city hall area, a dark spire was rising. As we moved closer, the Magic Power thickened gradually. It was a level of Magic Power I had never seen before.

And near that spire—

Red flames erupted.

The kind of flames that lost Hunters send up as signals to mark their location.

Ria and I exchanged glances.

We nodded simultaneously.

Ria promptly pulled me close, and then she jumped with all her strength.