353 – HGL 353

353

Eui-jae held Sa-young’s hand and walked, telling him the story he had heard from Hong Ye-seong. This place was a kind of outpost where the remains eaten by Big Mouth were piled up, and the real source of Doomsday was somewhere else. Hong Ye-seong had disappeared from reality and was found here. He seemed to have injured his leg and eye, but he didn’t hear the details.

Sa-young, who had been listening intently, shrugged his shoulders.

“Well… I’m not surprised. He’s got a long lifeline.”

Eui-jae also nodded. It was as he said. He was a tough guy, and Hong Ye-seong’s tent came into view. Eui-jae put on his black mask again. Hong Ye-seong had already found them and was waving his hand in welcome.

“Why are you so late~! I thought you couldn’t get out.”

“We were talking about this and that.”

Sa-young folded his arms and looked around the tent. His eyes narrowed.

“It looks like it’ll collapse if you touch it.”

“It’s enough for me to live alone? Are you here to deal with the source of Doomsday too?”

“No.”

Sa-young pointed to Eui-jae, who was standing right next to him, with his thumb.

“I heard this guy went into Big Mouth’s mouth, so I chased after him.”

Eui-jae subtly avoided his gaze. Sa-young smiled, narrowing his eyes. He tapped his folded arms with his fingers and muttered languidly.

“I wonder how I felt. I heard the news as soon as I escaped from the Memorial Dungeon. I don’t know if you’ve thought about it…”

“Ah, I apologized!”

“You didn’t.”

“I’m sorry!”

“Hmm… I don’t feel any sincerity at all. I’ve never received an apology like this before.”

“You guys are still getting along~”

Hong Ye-seong said nonchalantly, rummaging through the tent.

“Well, to get to the point. Doomsday is going to turn his eyes this way soon. It’s better to go in before that.”

“How do you know that?”

“Do you see the white circle forming in the sky?”

Hong Ye-seong pointed to the sky. Sa-young and Eui-jae looked up at where he was pointing. Something swirling like a storm was gathering in the pure white sky. Hong Ye-seong said, diligently rummaging through his junk.

“The Eye of the Apocalypse will pop out of there. We can’t move while he’s watching here.”

“Then…”

“We have to go to the source before that… Can you help me take this out? Just take it out and throw it away.”

Hong Ye-seong pointed to a cardboard box with “RoX Delivery” written on it in large letters. He didn’t know what was inside, but it was quite heavy. Eui-jae picked up the box and threw it far away as he was told. Bang, white dust rose from where the box fell.

There was a black hole under the box. Perfect darkness, emptiness, where nothing could be seen even when looking into it. Golden rotating patterns densely covered it. The rotating golden patterns were familiar. It was Hong Ye-seong’s Emotional Eye. The owner of the Emotional Eye smiled, touching his bandaged eyes.

“I sacrificed one eye to seal this.”

“Then this is… a hole connected to the source?”

“Correct! But if I just left it alone, it would suck everything in, even if you just put your toes on it, so I had no choice but to seal it. It’s like a small Black Hole. Okay, okay, step back.”

As the two men stepped back, Hong Ye-seong placed his hand on the golden shimmering barrier and closed his eyes. Soon, a light so bright that he couldn’t open his eyes burst out from the barrier. When he opened his closed eyes, he could see the tent being sucked into the hole in real time. The plastic chair Eui-jae was sitting on and the mat on the floor were also sucked in.

Hong Ye-seong shrugged his shoulders.

“See? A vacuum cleaner is no match for it.”

“Is this really a hole connected to the source?”

“Well, I don’t know! But while I’ve been here, this is the only hole I’ve seen. This must be it.”

A purple gaze stung his cheek. Eui-jae subtly avoided his gaze again. Sa-young tilted his head and raised the corners of his mouth.

“Ah… the brave hero J is now going to jump into a Black Hole that he’s not even sure is connected to the source… and doesn’t even know where it leads. Is that right?”

“…No, I didn’t know it would look like this either.”

“Are you going in?”

“Well, it’s an urgent situation… so I have to go in. It would be nice if I was sure, but if I wait for that and miss the opportunity, it’s over.”

Eui-jae only stuck his head out and observed the hole. The hole, which had swallowed half of his shabby belongings, was silent. The black hole was as clear as if someone had painted it in the pure white world.

“……”

Just as Eui-jae was rubbing his chin and thinking, Thwack!

Hong Ye-seong kicked Eui-jae in the waist.

“Cough!”

His body bent over because he was caught off guard. Eui-jae tried to regain his balance, but he was hit in the back by Hong Ye-seong’s foot again and fell forward. It was a finishing blow. Eui-jae glared back. Hong Ye-seong was smiling brightly.

“Wait, what is this…!”

“Don’t hesitate and go quickly~”

“You son of a bitch!”

You son of a bitch… of a bitch… a bitch… His voice scattered like an echo. Eui-jae, who fell into the hole, disappeared without a trace. Lee Sa-young knelt in front of the hole and shouted urgently.

“Hyung! Damn it… Cha Eui-jae!”

He turned his head and glared at Hong Ye-seong. Murderous intent rose from behind him.

“You… Hong Ye-seong, what are you doing?”

“There’s no time to explain. You follow him quickly!”

Hong Ye-seong pointed to the sky. The white clouds had already turned black.

The Eye of the Apocalypse had returned.

The black circle gradually turned white from the bottom. Doomsday was opening his eyes. The pouring light gradually intensified.

“Eek!”

Hong Ye-seong pushed Lee Sa-young’s back, who was hesitating. The moment his hand touched the hole, the hole swallowed Sa-young in an instant. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and straightened his bent back. A bright light swirled in the sky. The moment the light touched Hong Ye-seong, he froze in the same position as he was wiping his sweat. Like a person trapped in a photograph. Or as if time had stopped.

Silence fell.

The world of Doomsday is silent.

Always.

Huff, huff, heavy breaths burst out. His feet kicked off the ground and he ran. He was running. Running? Why? Eui-jae suddenly came to his senses. Stiff pants that were uncomfortable to run in. His school uniform shirt was completely unbuttoned. He was wearing a school uniform. The bag he was carrying on his back rattled every time he ran. Roads and buildings were collapsing everywhere. The screams of people and the cries of Monsters tore at his ears.

“Mom! Dad!”

He raised his voice, but there was no answer. Eui-jae ran. On and on. A giant Monster was destroying buildings as it walked….

The scene in front of him changed in the blink of an eye. He was lying somewhere. Terrible pain struck his entire body. It felt like his skin was melting in real time. He blinked, but his blurry vision did not clear. All he could see in his hazy vision was the faint light on the ceiling. Every time he breathed, his trachea felt like it was on fire. Then, a warm warmth touched his hand. He turned his head with difficulty. Towards the side where he felt the warmth.

A black figure was reflected in his hazy vision. He didn’t know his face, and it was all black from head to toe. The black figure was holding his hand, which was wrapped in bandages. It hurts. His lips didn’t move. The black person whispered. It was a strangely distorted voice. A voice that was impossible to tell whether it was a man, a woman, a young man, or an old man.

“You know what?”

However, he could tell that it was a kind voice.

“You are my only success.”

The scene changed again. An empty space where pure white ashes swirled. Someone was there. The black clothes fluttered. The one who had been kneeling on one knee slowly rose.

Cha Eui-jae grabbed his spear and stood up.

Lee Sa-young staggered to his feet.

Cha Eui-jae raised the clock in his hand high.

Lee Sa-young clenched the clock in his hand tightly.

Eyes filled with resolute determination,

Empty eyes with nothing to lose,

Stared at the existence in front of them.

Stared at the existence in front of them.

What swirled in front of them was the source of Doomsday.

Cha Eui-jae raised the corners of his mouth and smiled.

Lee Sa-young raised the corners of his mouth and smiled.

Their hearts pounded in the face of a powerful enemy.

Their hearts pounded at the thought that they could finally take revenge.

Cha Eui-jae’s mouth opened.

Lee Sa-young’s mouth opened.

“―――――”

Something like sand poured on his face. Eui-jae opened his eyes wide. As he quickly got up, things that looked like dust or sand fell off. Eui-jae looked around.

This place was an endless desert. A desert covered with pure white ashes.