How A Mythical Holy Knight Lives As A Villain (Novel) - Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Discord
“A Demon King is descending.”
Even at the name Demon King, there was no particular reaction to be found.
Only an inexplicable sense of anxiety.
“……”
In truth, it was difficult to even imagine what a Demon King was.
Tremble.
Only Kim Se-hyeon, who had been a vessel for an archdemon, trembled at the faintly perceived presence.
The archdemon’s cells dwelling in her were helping her imagine what a Demon King was.
Gulp.
Tremendous power that devours the world.
Claws that scratch the earth.
Like immeasurable terror.
“Demon King… can you at least tell us what that’s like?”
Kim Cheon-seok asked Go Johan.
“Estimated level is 1100. No, you can think of it as even higher.”
Even at those words.
“Haa.”
Only sighs like laments flowed out, with no one truly comprehending.
And for good reason—level 1000.
At some point that number had seemingly pierced the sky, so enormous it couldn’t be grasped.
Go Johan could understand their reaction too.
‘It was the same in Trabania.’
While they feared three-horned demons, they strangely couldn’t comprehend the existence called Demon King.
‘Even as their kingdoms collapsed and the continent faced extinction.’
Demon Kings were existences beyond such reason.
They were so massive that even the concept couldn’t easily fit in one’s mind.
“No need to try understanding.”
They wouldn’t understand anyway.
“Because I’ll deal with the Demon King.”
“……”
As he always had, as it had always been.
He would face the Demon King himself.
“Haa.”
More sighs heard again.
“Then what should we do?”
Kim Cheon-seok asked as if representing them all.
And the words from Go Johan’s mouth truly exceeded common sense.
A story acceptable only because those present were Go Johan’s people.
“We’ve been conducting operations to extract North Korean residents for a long time.”
“……?”
“Barrier-enclosed North Korea was difficult for anyone to approach, and that wall became solid.”
A fact everyone knew.
“Because the so-called supreme leader of North Korea sensed that threats to the world would no longer work.”
A reason everyone knew.
North Korea, which tried to maintain its regime by developing nuclear weapons, felt threatened by the existence of gates and players.
They also thought that threatening the world with nuclear weapons alone would no longer work.
Because superhumans with abilities could secretly infiltrate North Korea and behead him.
So the so-called supreme leader imprisoned North Korea himself.
Even more thoroughly closed off.
“That wasn’t even the end…”
This was the reason, unknown to the public and even the church couldn’t easily touch North Korea.
“He sought to secure safety with his people’s lives.”
“…What?”
“For demons, dictatorships are far too ideal. Just one person. If they corrupt just him, the entire nation falls into their hands.”
A method demons originally used often, and the reason kingdoms persistently fell.
And when the church began establishing itself, North Korea had already just received demonic contact.
But they hadn’t fully joined hands, appearing to hesitate.
“If we touched the regime or tried to subdue them by force, ritual sacrifices ready to offer the people existed throughout North Korea.”
“……!”
That was it.
So North Korea gained independence that was beyond help while not being a threat to Go Johan.
*
*
*
The reason barriers throughout North Korea were strengthened was because rituals existed that could sacrifice the people at any time.
It was the same as the nuclear missiles North Korea had long used to threaten the world, except the warhead was pointed at their own bodies.
Even Go Johan couldn’t allow offering thirty million lives to demons.
So he left North Korea alone.
“But we couldn’t submit to demonic threats forever.”
Yet meanwhile, Go Johan proceeded with preparations to someday exterminate the demon seeds and their kind that had taken root.
“I prepared a method.”
The North Korean people held hostage, used as a threat.
A method to save them.
If done wrong, they could notice and push the button.
So it was the final move that had to be used at the right time.
“What’s happening in North Korea now isn’t the supreme leader’s will.”
From observation, many life responses still remained in North Korea.
“Then?”
“It could be someone’s intervention, a mistake, or perhaps a rampage.”
That wasn’t what mattered.
Whoosh.
His sky-blue eyes emitted light, guiding Go Johan to the world of divine sight.
Examining gray threads rather than the tightly wound black threads before him.
Swish.
Go Johan reached out his hand.
Ting!
When he flicked the thread, change occurred instantly.
Rumble!
Four gates—gates appeared where only the black wall had existed.
“What…!”
“Don’t tell me you can create gates…?”
“I didn’t create gates, just made entrances.”
Though Go Johan spoke casually, those shocked gazes had no intention of fading.
Only chosen believers could use the Hall of Growth beneath the church.
“There’s no physical way to cross the wall.”
If he tried to break the already-started ritual by force, the ritual would go awry.
That wasn’t what Go Johan wanted.
“But with this method, we can cross…”
Go Johan said.
“And we can return.”
“……!”
That one statement from Go Johan was as surprising as creating gates.
Most gates were one-way.
Enter, conquer, and exit.
Only that simple principle applied.
“You mean we can exit and then re-enter from the other side?”
At Yu Baek’s question, Go Johan nodded.
“You already know, don’t you?”
“…Warp gate!”
The warp gate Go Johan installed.
It was the same.
Though some among them might not know, Goh Min-ji’s reaction showed she understood.
“…Right.”
When first installing the warp gate, conquering an S-rank gate to open the passage.
“But unlike warp gates, this is single-use.”
That alone was enough.
Clench.
Since most were veteran players, they knew what to do without Go Johan explaining further.
“Conquer the gates as quickly as possible and enter North Korea.”
Goh Min-ji said.
“And return with as many North Korean residents as possible. Right?”
Nod.
“What about persuading the North Korean residents?”
Abandoning their homeland to flee—would those consumed by a regime no different from a cult listen easily?
“That’s not a big worry. It probably won’t be an environment where people can live anymore.”
“…Right.”
“And.”
Go Johan said while standing before one gate.
“If they won’t come, leave them.”
Go Johan, himself.
“I’m not a savior.”
He just did what he could do.
“Let’s enter.”
Go Johan entered the gate first with Kim Se-hyeon.
*
*
*
Go Johan entering the gate.
“I wondered if it might be an S-rank gate.”
Using it in warp form, he wondered if there’d be more intervention from them yet to be confirmed.
But.
“Grrr…”
The monsters appearing before Go Johan now were B-rank, Chrome Lizardmen.
‘They don’t want it either.’
The Demon King’s descent—he could feel their will that they didn’t want it either.
And for good reason, hadn’t they said it themselves through Rachel’s mouth?
-This child should have remained there to prevent the Demon King’s descent.
That those who had been quiet until now moved to prevent the descent through Rachel.
So it was fair to think they hoped Go Johan would step forward to stop the Demon King.
“It’s been a while.”
Then Kim Se-hyeon who came along said.
Behind her, Taehan’s guild members stood in line.
Different personnel were deployed to different gates.
“What has?”
“Just us being together like this.”
Kim Se-hyeon, now a proper woman with passing years, said with a small smile toward Go Johan.
“It’s not just us two?”
“…It is just us.”
Kim Se-hyeon, who had been fierce in school days, gained another aspect with age.
Should it be called four-dimensional.
“…Clear the path?”
At Kim Se-hyeon’s words, Go Johan smiled back and shook his head.
“Your battlefield isn’t here.”
“Then?”
“Later.”
That was all.
Kim Se-hyeon who nodded withdrew as if she wouldn’t ask more.
“Grrr…”
Was it because of Go Johan’s existence as a formidable enemy?
Inside the gate, monsters didn’t often leave their designated positions as if assigned.
“Grrr…”
“Gruk.”
“Kirruk.”
Soon what seemed like hundreds of lizardmen with glistening skin were blocking the way ahead, trying to surround them.
Their faces hardened enough to feel determination, and tightly gripped spear shafts seemed to create flows of magic.
“We’ll arrive first.”
Go Johan said.
“Save your strength.”
“Will do.”
When Kim Se-hyeon raised her fist in a hand signal, Taehan withdrew and sheathed weapons.
Each force gathered by the church had its characteristics.
In the Sanctuary Alliance, only commanders—guild master-level executives—had qualifications as believers.
The guild members below them could be called prospective believers who hadn’t become believers.
Those holding hope that they might someday become believers if they accumulated merit and gained recognition.
Sanctum had extremely few believers due to its symbolism and uniqueness.
Only a few whom even Sanctum didn’t know were hiding as believers to protect Sanctum.
And Taehan.
“As the captain wishes.”
All of them were believers, or rather.
‘Priests.’
Those to be raised as battle priests.