“Gasp...!”
The pain of having one’s body torn to shreds and burned to ashes.
After the terrible pain that he didn’t want to experience again, Raphael opened his eyes.?He was in Asgard.?Before he knew it, many angels and G.o.ds had already gathered around him, who had been resurrected.?Predictably, it was with contempt in their eyes.
“Your mission was to recover the divinity of Daebyeol.”
Raphael, who was blus.h.i.+ng with shame and anger, hurriedly looked up.?It was because Judar, the G.o.d of Wisdom, was guarding the scene.?He was expressionless as usual, but his eyes were exceptionally cold.?It was so much that the G.o.ds looked at him in surprise.
However, Raphael saw a glimpse of hope.?The fact that Judar, who usually had a heavy b.u.t.t, came out to meet him personally... it was proof that he was intrigued by the situation.
“I was struck by the soul of the Dragon Slayer,” Raphael immediately told the truth.
Struck by a soul—in other words, he lost to someone who was already dead.?The shocking report stirred the audience.
“Not only did he embody the mental world in his soul state, but he also surprisingly has two mental worlds. I couldn’t handle it at my level.”
Raphael continued to tell the truth despite feeling tremendous humiliation.?It was only by amplifying Judar’s interest that he would open up a way to live.
“We must not allow him to throw himself into the river of reincarnation. I think we must secure him.”
The effect was great.?Judar postponed Raphael’s disposal and showed interest in Hayate.?“Ask Dominion to lead the army and go in person. Make sure to bring the soul of the Dragon Slayer here.”
***
Knight and Seuron—they both?had?hidden cla.s.ses where they?targeted other people’s ‘souls’ and used them as resources.?Naturally, they were able to search other people’s souls and obtained a lot of information based on the state of the searched soul.
“This is heaven for me.”
For Seuron, the Soul Predator, h.e.l.l was like a buffet.?There were souls from all over to choose from.
“Everywhere I look, my mouth starts watering.”
Seuron’s red eyes glistened and revealed greed. Every time he spoke, his pointed fangs gradually sharpened.?Ever since the Soul Predator, who was in the position of a predator, changed his race into a vampire, he seemed to be plagued by a tremendous desire.
Knight glanced at him with a wary expression, and Seuron shrugged.?“Understand that the desire to take away the soul goes with the desire to suck blood, stimulating a strong impulse. You don’t have to worry because I won’t lose my sanity like a third-rate vampire.”
Seuron proudly confessed his condition while chewing on the red pulp of the blood potato.?He had maintained a top ranking since the opening of Satisfy and his pride had increased over time. Unlike in the past, he knew how to control himself. He didn’t feel the need to hide anything because he was proud of himself.
Knight had become an inspector and was adept at reading the inner intentions of others. From his perspective, Seuron was quite trustworthy.
Well, that was probably why Katz recommended him.
“Contrary to the impression you give, you have a lot of self-control.”
“I’m the one who went through several setbacks against the Overgeared members and finally overcame it. I am also the man who cooperated with the Overgeared Guild, which was like a firm enemy, to protect the people in crisis during the great demon and human war. In other words, I honed my mental strength in a different way. These impulses are nothing to me.”
‘...He is so proud.’
Seuron raised his chin and laughed happily.
Knight looked away from him and turned his horse’s head. It was to sense and pursue any mighty souls.?This great horse was?the support?from?Nyangmong, who ran the largest ranch in Satisfy. It ran tirelessly and quickly.?It had a speed and endurance that made Seuron feel admiration several times already.
“The annoying Overgeared Guild members are truly the pinnacle of every field.”
“I am also part of the Overgeared Guild. Be careful with your words.”
“I was complimenting you.”
‘Based on the way he is a bit out of his mind, has he built up some transcendence?’
They soon arrived at their destination and their expressions hardened.?A powerful soul that could be sensed from dozens of kilometers away—it was great, but it wasn’t the person they were looking for.?Perhaps this soul was a legend from hundreds of years ago, but that was all speculation.
“It is a problem that there are too many stars.”
Seuron likened a powerful soul to a star.
A big, brilliant star that could be seen and felt from afar.?There were too many of them in h.e.l.l.?It was said that the world had been reset several times, but the number of dead was still very large. There were many extraordinary souls.
Finding one Hayate in particular... maybe it was harder than finding a needle in the desert.
This wasn’t a problem that could be solved by mobilizing manpower.?Even if they sent troops to every area with stars, ordinary people couldn’t feel the stars. For example, if a village had a star and they ordered troops to investigate it, the troops would have to search each soul and their homes one by one.
This meant it would take at least a year.?It was much more efficient to run around in person rather than giving instructions one by one.
Knight and Seuron’s hearts gradually became heavier as they started to realize the reality. However, the two of them didn’t have time to lament and immediately moved.?They had a pa.s.sion to find Hayate’s soul by all means.?Seuron’s enthusiasm was no less than Knight’s.
‘I can’t give up being a founder.’
The reason why he obediently listened to Katz’ request that came out of nowhere was because he would receive a huge reward.
The power to form a household.?It referred to the authority to create a new blood family and become the founder of that family.?He might be treated as a mixed-breed by the direct descendents but...
It was an irresistible temptation.?Katz was considered to be a hidden power in vampire society and his authority was far greater than Seuron expected.
“Eh?”
“What?”
The two men who were searching through h.e.l.l—Knight had been searching the private houses in the east, while Seuron ran through the mountains in the south. Simultaneously, they felt something and a chill ran down their spines.
A star that exuded a particularly strong power was clearly imprinted on their minds...
[Whisper to Knight: If it is a soul this powerful... isn’t it Grid?]
A soul of this magnitude couldn’t be the soul of the dead.?Seuron felt reasonable doubts and sent a whisper to Knight.?It just so happened that Knight had the same doubts.
However, it wasn’t possible.?Grid had invaded Trauka’s lair alone.?The epic, which emerged unusually slowly and strangely for some reason, had informed them of his location a few minutes ago.?He couldn’t have suddenly appeared in h.e.l.l.
[Whisper to Knight: He could’ve run away. No matter how good Grid is, even he can’t handle dragons alone, right?]
[Whisper from Knight: There is no reason for him to run away to h.e.l.l.]
Well, it was fine.?The two people started running.?There were doubts and they felt the need to quickly confirm the ident.i.ty of the star.
“......!”
It was as they once again admired the agility and endurance of the famous horses of Nyangmong, who easily climbed up and down a rough mountain...
A bright smile spread across the faces of the two men who arrived at the upstream area of the river of reincarnation.
Dragon Slayer Hayate—the ident.i.ty of the giant star was the existence they had been searching for.
***
“Why do you look like that?”
Seuron scolded when he got off the horse and found the Black and White sisters.
Black eyes and horns that rose from their heads. A tail coming from their b.u.t.tocks and sharp nails.?Anyone who saw it would frown at the appearance of the sisters, who had become demons.
“Did you become demons when h.e.l.l was destroyed? Are you fools?”
“Stupid idiot. Don’t you know that vampires are a subspecies of the demons?”
The sisters didn’t reveal why they had become demons.?It was obvious that they would be laughed at if they explained they were planning to take revenge on heaven for taking away their precious person.
Seuron was such a man.?He couldn’t empathize with other people’s stories and only believed that he was the best.
“...I wonder if you can talk like that in front of Katz.”
However, the man with nothing but pride used the name of another person as a s.h.i.+eld.?It was even Katz’ name.?It was surprising because he seemed to be meekly admitting that he was worse than Katz.
“Your personality is a bit... I think it has changed? I guess you were beaten to death by the Overgeared Guild again and finally understood who you were going up against, right?”
“You can talk.”
“...Sir Hayate.”
Knight ignored the three people engaged in a useless battle of nerves and approached Hayate cautiously.?An incredibly clear and strong soul.?Hayate’s soul in front of him was n.o.bler than anyone Knight had ever seen.?It felt even greater than a dragon’s soul, which was simply large and powerful.
Seuron felt it too.
“Who are you?”?Hayate, who had been standing silently and staring up at the sky, s.h.i.+fted his gaze to these people for the first time.
At this moment, Knight, as well as the sisters and Seuron, bowed to him.?They also knew the hidden story of the Dragon Slayer, who had fought for a thousand years to protect humans.?Even if they didn’t know Hayate’s story, they would’ve naturally bowed their heads in front of his deep eyes and n.o.ble dignity.
“I am called Knight and I belong to the Overgeared Guild. I have come to receive you at the behest of Lauel.”
Hayate c.o.c.ked his head. “I am dead.”
In the aftermath of fighting the 1st ranked archangel and liberating his mental world sealed in the n.o.bleman’s mental world, the memories of a Dragon Slayer were triggered.?Hayate regained most of his memories.?He even remembered that he had sacrificed his life to cut Trauka’s heart.
Knight explained it to him, “The G.o.ddess of Light, Rebecca, saved you once.”
Just once.?Yes, Rebecca only saved Hayate’s life once.?To be more precise, she put his death on hold.?Even that came at a heavy price. She was immediately chased by Bunhelier.
“......”
Knight carefully studied Hayate’s eyes.
Hayate was still human.?He was weak even when born again, unlike other Absolutes. He had to fight against the strongest existences, who transcended life or death, while always fearing death.?Perhaps this one extra chance at life was a curse rather than a blessing.
“Is that so? I’ll go back.”?Despite Knight’s concern, Hayate just nodded calmly.?He was deeply grateful for the life given to him once more and vowed to help more people this time.
“...Let’s go.”
It happened the moment when Knight got the s.h.i.+vers after reading Hayate’s expression and politely placed Hayate on his horse...
“This?”
The eyes of the sisters widened.?The clouds in the sky were dyed gold and were piling up like stairs.
The quick-witted Knight handed over the reins of his horse to Hayate.?“We will buy time. Go ahead and leave.”
“Why did you say we? Do you mean me too?”
As Seuron was taken aback, the Black and White sisters had already pulled out their weapons.?They were interested in the soldiers of heaven.
“This is enough for us to play.”
“That’s right, Sister. Let’s raise our level and take out our anger on them.”
“No, wait. What is with this atmosphere around everyone except for me?”?Seuron kept grumbling but finally prepared for battle.
“......”
Hayate stared at the group before speeding away on the horse.?He sensed an overwhelming presence in the center of the Valkyrie army that was pouring down from the sky.?Something was descending that he couldn’t handle in his current state.
He didn’t feel comfortable, but his top priority was to get his body back.