Chapter 112 - Under The Crimson Horizon

"If only it were that easy…" Sol muttered.

He didn't know exactly how to comfort Sol, but one idea did come to mind–though he wasn't sure how much he liked it himself.

"Err, how about this…" He began to say, stopping once arriving in front of his room.

"Huh?" Sol looked at him.

Seeing how much fright was left in the amber eyes of his friend, he swallowed his own grievances with the idea and sighed out:

"You can knock out in my room, if you want," he offered.

Suddenly, despite the gloomy atmosphere, Sol's eyes lit up, "Really?!"

"Keep it down!" He shushes him, bringing his finger in front of his lips.

"Sorry," Sol nodded a few times quietly, "...I'll grab my bedding!"

As he watched Sol rush down the hall excitedly, he sighed out to himself before smiling, going into his room as he prepared for company.

Not a minute after he laid down on his own bed did Sol burst through, tossing a futon and a set of child-like, star-decorated blankets onto the floor as he settled down.

"...Dude," he said.

Sol already knew what he was getting at, "Th-these were the only blankets I could find before–what's wrong with it?!"

"...Nothing," he sighed, turning the other way as he closed his eyes.

Still, it wasn't just him doing a favor for his friend–it was relieving for himself to have somebody he could trust nearby.

–

Unknown to all of those within the buildings was what laid on the streets; in the path carved by the looming centipede, a hellish grime was left in its wake–a sentient, wicked substance that began to seep itself through the crevices of the building, slowly, but surely.

But, beyond that, something else lurked just beyond the holds of the building–something more sinister than they could fear.

"I'm pumped up!"

Slamming two, heavy-metal gauntlets together, a burly man dressed in an all-black turncoat stood atop a building that overlooked the hotel.

A digital mask bearing a sharp-toothed smile was worn beneath his head that did little to hide his light-red dreadlocks.

Putting a hand on the tall, gauntlet-wearing man's shoulder, another came up from behind him, dressed in an all-black uniform, decorated with a thick, crow-like cape that flowed from his back. At his hip, a rose-designed greatsword intertwined with bones sat as he looked onward with calm, inhuman eyes that took the shape of five-pointed, silver stars.

"Calm yourself, Doh."

The large, dreadlocked man hesitantly nodded, "...Sorry, Boss Jun-Seo."

"Hell has risen; the time of the GOETIA System waiting in the shadows is no more. If it's to be the "Final Culling", who better to do it than us? With this turn, the authority of GOETIA has awakened fully," the mysterious wielder of the GOETIA System said, "That being said…It's time to hunt."

Stationed behind him were three more members dressed in black uniforms; a lanky man with arms far too long in proportion to his body, an old, wrinkled man, though unwithered by age, and a youthful man with an unmoving smile.

Darkness clung to the atmosphere tightly, but to the ones who were sunk in the abyss, it was as bright as a sunny day for them–their natural environment. The entire city was filled with the ambience of demonic howls, and the few and far between screams of stragglers of the surviving pieces of humanity.

Still traversing the Gangnum-Gu was the colossal centipede, crawling along its surface and wrapping around the highrise buildings.

"Let's go, Geom Jug-Eum," Jun-Seo announced, "Unleash the Infernals."

It was the old man dressed in dark robes who took this request upon himself with a wicked smile, stroking his pale beard before clasping his hands together.

"Rise, Infernal Legion!"

Birthing in the air, small, numerous embers grew into gates of swirling flames, giving way for ashen-formed humanoids to crawl out.

These tall, lanky inhumans breathed, saw, and exuded flames of a mystical, verdant color.

"Our Judas has secured a path for the Infernals to seamlessly enter the building."

"Hoh…I had almost forgotten about that. It's been months now, hasn't it? Quite the long game you've played, Jun-Seo Boy," the pale-bearded, old man said, "You're quite confident in the fact that this group openly accepted your brother, aren't you?"

Jun-Seo kept his eyes forward, watching the hotel from a distance as the flaming, demonic humanoids drooled flames from their gaping mouths.

"Of course," Jun-Seo replied quietly as the darkness hid his complexion through his hood, "I have full confidence in my brother. Slaughtering Gangcheori will make us the most powerful there is–we'll crush the Tower. Let's move out."

"Hell yeah! I've been waiting to get my revenge on that red-haired bastard! You're sure you saw him with Gangcheori, Hongkee?"

The burly man whose face was hidden behind the smiling mask asked out, slamming his metallic knuckles together as he moved forward.

[Doh | Level 28]

"I am quite positive," the old man replied, moving forward with his hands behind his back as he leaned forward as if suffering back problems, "...The eyes of my Infernal Legion are unquestionable."

[Hongkee | Level 30]

"Kekeke…I don't care who it is! I want to cut them up! All of the pretty girls there…I want to cut them up!"

The lanky, long-armed man dressed entirely in black, leather-strapped garments with dozens of belts and buckles around his body as if trying to contain him snickered with a twisted tone, swaying his low-hanging arms as he walked.

[Sip | Level 1]

"Stay focused," Jun-Seo commanded them.

He was standing on the edge of the highrise building as he looked down at the abundant darkness of the hellscape, only illuminated by verdant flames of the group of Infernals that descended and moved on the ground floor.

[Jun-Seo | Level 40]

"This is our "Apex Mission"--we must not fail," Jun-Seo looked back at the other four members of the player-killing group, "Let the first wave of our hunt begin."

"Hoh, are you going to let Omukade make the first move?" Hongkee asked with a smile as he stroked his beard, standing on the ledge of the highrise building.

Jun-Seo continued to look forward, "They likely have no idea what the true nature of Omukade is–the one feared as the "Hell Centipede"...Making the mistake of believing its size is the only thing to watch out for is a certain way of being killed."

Before setting out, the leader of the player-killing group extended his hand, pointing it towards the towering hotel:

"Noise: Cancel."

With the spell that wrapped around the building manifesting, the group headed out together.

Last but most certainly not least, the quiet, youthful man with shaggy, bright-pink hair followed along, smiling happily as his all-black, steel armor was unmoving in the darkness.

[Dae-Mon | Level 35]

Jun-Seo looked back once more at his group, "Remember: Find and secure Dae-Seong, Eunji, and Moon. Those are special targets.. Their power can't go to waste."