"Father, the Vice President!?"
Jo Kang-hyun's voice cracked with disbelief. His superior, Go Tae-hyun, only smiled.
"Why? Do you not like it?"
"N-no! It's—It's incredible!"
Jo Kang-hyun bowed deeply, his face flushed with excitement. For a moment, he thought he'd misheard. Vice President? Him?
Until now, his dream position had been something far smaller—the headquarters manager. But this... this was beyond imagination. To become Vice President of the Hunter Association meant standing just beneath its very peak.
It was an unthinkable promotion. A reward few could ever hope to achieve.
"Thank you! I'll work harder than ever!"
"You've nothing to thank me for," Go Tae-hyun replied calmly. "Hunter Lee Seong-jun is the reason this happened. Don't forget that."
Of course. Everyone knew the truth.
Jo Kang-hyun had become close to Lee Seong-jun—so close that he'd been appointed as the hunter's exclusive team leader. And now, with Seong-jun's power towering above even the President's influence, no one in the Association dared to oppose a man connected to him.
"Yes, sir! I'll always support him!"
"Good. Then let's keep working hard, Vice President Jo."
That title—Vice President—brought a smile to Jo Kang-hyun's lips every time he heard it.
Creating that dedicated team was the best decision of my life.
Without Seong-jun, he wouldn't have stood out at all. He'd never been good at office politics, never built the kind of network that lifted others up the corporate ladder. But the moment he supported Seong-jun, everything changed.
His achievements were undeniable now. His reputation solid. His network? Unparalleled—because no one in Korea had greater influence than Hunter Lee Seong-jun.
"Thank you… truly," Jo murmured, heartfelt gratitude welling in his chest.
The world seemed brighter.
Then—
BZZZT!
A sharp ringing sound tore through the room. Jo Kang-hyun's vision shook, and both men turned toward the disturbance.
"This is…?"
"I guess a gate just opened," Go Tae-hyun muttered grimly. The memory of the Seoul Black Gate flashed in his mind.
Before either could act, the desk phone rang violently.
RING! RING!
Go Tae-hyun snatched up the receiver. "What grade is it?"
— "Black. Same as before… but there's something strange."
"What's unusual?"
— "It triggered an outbreak immediately."
"What!?"
Go Tae-hyun shot to his feet. An outbreak at the moment of appearance—it was the worst possible scenario.
"Issue an evacuation—"
— "Wait. The monsters… they're not attacking. They're asking to talk."
"…What?"
It was absurd. Gates never produced talking monsters. Yet Go Tae-hyun steadied himself. He had seen the impossible before—Lee Seong-jun had made sure of that.
"Understood. I'll go in person."
He hung up, eyes cold with resolve. "Let's move, Kang-hyun."
Yeouido, Seoul.
A massive black gate pulsed at the city's heart. Around it, armed hunters stood tense, weapons drawn—but they hesitated.
Because what came through didn't look like monsters.
They looked like angels.
Wings of white, robes gleaming, halos of pure light hovering over their heads. It would've been beautiful—if not for the suffocating pressure that rolled off them.
In the Association's hastily built command tent, a four-winged angel sat casually atop a table, radiating arrogance.
"Are you the leaders of this world?"
Go Tae-hyun faced him, expression steady. "No. There's no one on Earth who leads the entire world."
"Then are you this country's leader?"
"The President is abroad. But I can convey any message you wish."
The angels' expressions darkened instantly.
"You dare send a substitute before Archangel Ramiel!?"
One angel drew his sword, aura flaring. The air itself quivered with power.
Before violence erupted, the one called Ramiel lifted a hand. "Enough, Jamiel. Humans are ignorant, not insolent. We'll forgive this stupidity once."
Jamiel lowered his head. "My apologies, Archangel."
Ramiel's eyes, cold and golden, turned back to Go Tae-hyun.
"Then I'll speak plainly. Tell your leader to prepare for the rule of the Celestials."
Go Tae-hyun's brows furrowed. "…Rule?"
"You heard correctly," Ramiel said smoothly. "Your planet will now live under our divine care. You will work, fight, and exist for us—the Celestials. I, Archangel Ramiel, grant you this greatest of honors."
Go Tae-hyun's jaw tightened. "Earth's nations are free. Our people live under laws guaranteeing liberty. We won't serve anyone."
Ramiel chuckled, a cold, mocking sound. "Kuhaha… a dimension that knows nothing indeed."
The next instant, light flashed. Jamiel vanished—and reappeared beside Go Tae-hyun.
Blood sprayed.
"President!" Jo Kang-hyun shouted, but an angel's sword barred his way.
Ramiel smiled faintly. "Such arrogance from insects. Show them an example, Jamiel."
Jamiel's sword gleamed. "Blame your ignorance, human."
Death swept toward Go Tae-hyun—
—and then stopped.
A red aura erupted, cutting through the air like molten fire.
WHOOSH!
Jamiel flinched back as crimson energy burned across his wings. Go Tae-hyun gasped for breath, realizing how close death had been.
There was only one person capable of such power.
A calm voice followed.
"Sorry I'm late."
Standing before them was the Overlord. The Demon God returned. The one man every hunter and politician trusted more than any government.
Lee Seong-jun.
Go Tae-hyun exhaled in relief. "As always… thank you, Hunter Lee Seong-jun."
"I'll take it from here," Seong-jun said with a faint smile.
The angels bristled, fury distorting their perfect faces.
"You dare defy the Archangel!?"
"You'll die for this, human!"
Jamiel lunged, his sword flashing like lightning—
Seong-jun's voice was quiet, almost bored.
"If you try to kill, you'd better be ready to die."
He caught Jamiel's wrist mid-swing, the red aura flowing like liquid flame. A flick of his hand—
THUD!
Jamiel's body slammed into a wall, bones cracking. Before he could rise, Seong-jun snapped his fingers.
POP!
Jamiel's head burst like a shattered melon.
"...Impossible."
"You killed a Celestial!"
The angels recoiled in horror as Seong-jun turned his gaze toward Ramiel.
"You don't have any complaints, do you?"
Ramiel's lips curved into a cold, amused smile. "Hahaha… What an insolent little godling."
Seong-jun ignored the murderous aura radiating from her. Turning to Go Tae-hyun, he spoke calmly.
"Get to safety. I'll handle this."
Go Tae-hyun hesitated, then nodded. "I'll trust you. Again."
And with that, the battlefield's balance shifted—heaven's emissaries facing the man who had already surpassed gods.
The true war between Celestials and mankind had just begun.