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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Demonic Castle
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["Hahahaha! Indeed. Of course, I knew you wouldn't be taken down that easily, so I thought it was just for show. But Ariel made such a fuss, I actually started wondering if I should invade Korea and avenge you!"]
"Oh, Mr. Atlas. Do you really think I'm someone who would die so easily? Hahahaha! I appreciate the thought, but there's no need for that. The media always exaggerates and inflates things, you know."
["That seems to be the case. But honestly, when my daughter heard the news about you, she was so shocked she just burst into tears. It seems she really wants to see you…"]
"Haha. Ariel? Well, I suppose I should pay her a visit sometime."
["Yes, come visit anytime. Latis City is always open to you. Oh, and I hear that 'Cathedral' meeting, or whatever it's called, is going to be held for the second time soon. I'll see you then."]
-Hahahaha!
With Atlas's hearty laugh, the call finally ended.
"Whew…"
Having finished my call with Atlas, the ruler of the North Atlantic, I let out a sigh of relief.
…Seriously, why would he invade Korea? And what 'revenge'?
From now on, I'll have to designate Soobin as my hotline so she can handle calls in emergencies. Tsk.
But Ariel… after hearing that she was worried about me, a thought kept nagging at me.
Hmm. …Could recruiting Ariel Egostream actually be possible, if I play my cards right? Of course, I'd need Atlas's permission first…
Just as I was deep in thought, something touched my lips. I realized it was a yellow tangerine segment.
"Hmm?"
When I opened my mouth without thinking, it slipped right in. I chewed it; it was tart and delicious.
I looked down to see what it was, and there was Seojiyoung, lying on the bed, reading a comic book. She was peeling and eating tangerines with one hand.
She must have put one in my mouth while she was eating.
Her small hands fumbled as she peeled the tangerines, and she kept putting them into my mouth one by one as she ate her own. Her hoodie sleeves were so big, they made her hands look even smaller.
I chewed the tangerine in my mouth and thought.
…Wait, when did she even come in?
"Hey. How long have you been here?"
"…I came in while you were on the phone. You didn't even notice, did you?"
Seojiyoung mumbled, a tangerine in her mouth.
…She pops up out of nowhere in the strangest ways.
"Alright. Let's go out now."
"Huh? But I just got here…"
"Time for breakfast."
"My breakfast is tangerines… Ughh…"
I used my telekinesis to lift Seojiyoung and carried her outside. Interestingly, she initially squirmed, but now she was just lying prone in mid-air, reading her comic book.
…She's going to ruin her eyes doing that.
Anyway, I made my way to the living room.
My body was much better now, so I could use my powers freely without issue. Probably. And using them a little now and then helps me keep my touch.
…Of course, everyone, starting with Soobin, had told me not to go out and cause terror or engage in physical combat for the time being, so I was being careful… but I figured this much was fine.
"Hmm…"
When I entered the living room, I saw Seo Eun dozing off on the sofa. And leaning against Seo Eun's shoulder, also dozing, was Eunwol.
"Mmm… Oppa. Don't ride strange things… Icky."
…What on earth was she dreaming about?
After I set Seojiyoung down on the floor and plopped down next to her, Seo Eun finally opened her eyes, looking disheveled.
"Oppa… *Yawn*… Did you sleep well?"
"Mmm…"
Seo Eun rubbed her eyes as she got up, and Eunwol woke up in sync with her.
*Stretch*…
As Seo Eun began to stretch, I turned on the TV beside her.
The news was still reporting nothing particularly special.
…Right. Today would probably be the last peaceful day for Korea, without anything major happening.
Starting tomorrow, chaos would erupt.
Tomorrow was finally, finally the day the main event would begin.
It would probably start after one more night's sleep.
That bizarre and massive act of terror.
"Hmm…?"
As I was thinking such a solemn thought, I saw Seo Eun, still half-asleep and bobbing her head, and I changed my mind for a moment.
…First, everyone should eat breakfast, then we can think.
I wonder if Soobin is in the kitchen.
I thought that as I got up from my seat.
And so, I spent a generally peaceful day.
The next day, when I woke up after sleeping,
The incident had finally erupted.
***
["Everyone! Breaking news! The Korea Trade Center has reportedly been occupied by an unknown villain overnight! The Association is currently prohibiting civilian access around the area. Ah… as you can see, the building is in a very poor state!"]
The long, horizontally laid out building.
The streets around it, usually bustling with people, were now eerily empty, as if they had never been otherwise.
And the building at its center.
Normally, it was just an ordinary, long, horizontally laid out building.
But now, the situation was drastically different.
*Grooooooan—*
A bizarre, ghostly wail emanated from around the building.
The building, which once gleamed with reflective glass, was now stained with black darkness, losing its original appearance.
From the left side to the right, the entire building was covered in a sticky, inky black darkness.
And as if it were a massive castle, the sticky darkness had formed spires and roofs on top of the building, making it appear like a dark fortress. In reality, it was a single-story building with a vast basement, but at a glance, it certainly looked like a medieval castle.
Yes.
The multi-purpose shopping mall in the heart of Seoul had, overnight, been instantly transformed into a black-stained, pseudo-demonic castle.
"Wow… Oppa. What is that?"
Seo Eun asked me, watching the scene on TV.
And to her, I replied briefly.
"That's the Demonic Castle."
"…The Demonic Castle?"
Yes. The Demonic Castle.
["As the dark abyss engulfs the area, the Association has stated that they are dedicating all their efforts to assessing the situation. It is presumed to be a terror attack caused by an S-class villain, or even higher…"]
I clicked my tongue, watching it.
Tsk. So, because I didn't stop it beforehand, it's starting exactly as it did in the original story.
This quarter's main terror attack, otherwise known as the Demonic Castle Incident.
I quietly observed the reality of the situation, lost in thought.
Even though it was daytime, the area around the castle was gloomy as if it were evening, with a sinister black aura spreading ominously around it.
He's probably sitting inside there. The demon-transformation ability user who caused this incident.
Thinking of him, I recalled the original story's details once more.
…The Demonic Castle Terror.
It was an attack caused by a villain known as 'Demons', who had completely occupied a multi-purpose shopping mall in Seoul.
More precisely, he used the place as his base, generating black, pseudo-demonic creatures with his ability from within, and then aiming to conquer Seoul with them. From now on, those black substances inside would begin to awaken pseudo-demons.
And after they matured sufficiently, they would all burst out simultaneously and attack Seoul. Of course, there was still a little time left before that happened…
The characteristic of this terror attack was that the villain who caused it was, unlike previous villains, quite cunning. Of course, the fact that he was publicly advertising his terror instead of quietly working from behind the scenes was a bit of a negative, but he did it because he was confident in his abilities. And true to his word, in the original story, he managed to fend off everyone, whether it was Stardust or anyone else.
But well, all those details weren't important.
What was important was this:
'…Stardust had another miserable ordeal then.'
To catch him, there was no choice but to enter the basement of the Demonic Castle. He was firmly entrenched in the innermost part.
But would the villain who caused this terror make the path easy for those coming to catch him? Of course not. He had spread all the demonic creatures he created everywhere. And he'd twisted the paths like a maze and set up traps.
In other words, from a game perspective, this place was like a massive dungeon. A hellishly difficult path.
'…..'
And this was also the first horde-type villain to appear before the Moonlight Cult. To deal with him, one had to face a multitude. How many sticky, dark monsters roamed inside there? What's more, there were many of them, and each monster was strong. It was a problematic setup in many ways.
That's why, at first, I had tried to deal with the villain who caused this before it even happened. Because Stardust suffered so much during this incident in the original story. The original Stardust was also quite weak.
However, after I wore the robot suit and fought Stardust directly last time, my thoughts changed.
…Looking at the current Stardust, it seems like she might be able to do it, doesn't it? Since her abilities have become much stronger?
Naturally, Stardust experiencing such a terror attack would be good for her ability improvement. As the protagonist of a hero manga, she grows stronger with every adversity she faces. And from what I saw… the current Stardust seemed perfectly capable of handling it.
So, I just left it alone.
And in the end, the terror occurred as scheduled.
While the gloomy image of the Demonic Castle filled the screen,
Seo Eun, seeing its eerie appearance, asked me with concern.
"Oppa, is there anything we need to do? It looks really dangerous in there…"
"No. Nothing."
"Huh?"
"We just have to trust Stardust."
I answered Seo Eun, who was giving me a puzzled look.
I trust our Stardust. She's strong enough now; she should be able to defeat something like that.
…Right?
"…."
But seriously, why do I keep worrying so much?
***
["Breaking news! Hero Stardust has reportedly entered the black-stained Korea Trade Center, commonly known as the 'Demonic Castle'! The Association has reported that she entered alone, without any escort…"]
"Tsk…"
"Oppa. Why are you shaking your leg so much?"
A few hours later.
Listening to the anchor's words, I kept tapping my foot nervously on the sofa.
…Well, it's just that I'm getting more and more anxious as time passes.
Can our delicate Stardust really handle it in there? She went through so much hell in the original story. Did I make the wrong judgment?
I'm worried, so worried.
After agonizing for a long time,
I finally made up my mind, clenched my fists, and sprang up from my seat.
"Alright. This won't do. I have to go in there too."
"…What did you say? Oppa, are you crazy?"
Don't try to stop me.