CH 282

‘No.’

That’s not Park Geon-ho. I had already experienced something similar like this once. When Kwon Jeong-han was stabbed by Edward…

Woo Seo-hyuk, who was an S-rank, didn’t realize that Park Geon-ho was in a state of being under a mental control and opened his mouth.

「Are you all right? At down now… 」

「Down? Aa.」

Park Geon-ho, who roughly pushed Woo Seo-hyuk’s shoulder with a reckless answer, strode into the representative office.

「Haha, Cheon Sa-yeon. Cheon Sa-yeon!」

「……!」

「It’s really Cheon Sa-yeon!」

Cheon Sa-yeon backed away at the sight of Park Geon-ho approaching him without hesitation. Cheon Sa-yeon’s eyebrows narrowed when he realized that there was something strange.

「…who?」

「Who? Your loyal subordinate.」

Park Geon-ho put his hands in his pants pockets. As soon as he saw it, Cheon Sa-yeon moved quickly.

「Woo Seo-hyuk…!」

「Surprise, Master!」

Dozens of silver iron marbles were scattered on the floor. Cheon Sa-yeon, who grabbed Woo Seo-hyuk’s arm, broke the window and flew outside, and at the same time, the heat burst out and an explosion occurred.

「Kuuk!」

Cheon Sa-yeon took an S-class sword from his watch and inserted it into the wall of the guild building.

Kagagagagak, the blade scraped the wall and stopped the fall. It was the same with Woo Seo-hyuk, who was hanging on the wall with only his changed right hand.

Cheon Sa-yeon, who pulled the sword stuck in the wall from the height of the third floor and jumped down, supported Woo Seo-hyuk, who came down staggeringly. In the aftermath of the explosion, Woo Seo-hyuk couldn’t walk properly because there were countless pieces of glass stuck in his legs.

Cheon Sa-yeon, who came out to the street with Woo Seo-hyuk’s arm on his shoulder, was mesmerized by the scene unfolding in front of him, unable to say anything.

Gangnam Street, which had been devastated by all kinds of explosives and attacks by talented people, had no one alive except for those wearing black masks. Cracked and broken roads, crumbling buildings, and raging flames seemed to be at war.

Cheon Sa-yeon walked through the wreckage to the front of the Requiem Guild building to treat Woo Seo-hyuk’s legs, slowly lowering his gaze.

Perhaps Min Ah-rin and Kim Woo-jin were swept away by the explosion, they were lying on the dirty floor, bleeding. They weren’t… breathing.

「……」

A terrifying feeling came crashing down like a tidal wave. The talented people in black masks flocked to the opposite side of Cheon Sa-yeon that had hardened without being able to do anything.

Those standing in the centre of the densely gathered corps were seen. A huge man wearing a gas mask, a woman with light purple hair wearing a half mask that only covers the eyes, an adult-sized ball-jointed doll with blonde hair tied up, and…

「Your expression is quite impressive.」

A man wearing a white mask. He smiled pleasantly as he looked at the pale, tired Cheon Sa-yeon.

「Long time no see, Cheon Sa-yeon.」

「You…」

Cheon Sa-yeon opened his eyes wide, realizing that it was a voice he had heard before. Samael slowly removed the mask.

Familiar features were revealed under the soft black hair fluttering in the wind. A clear scar across the centre caught my eye on a face that looked exactly like Cheon Sa-yeon.

「You should say hello to your hyung whom you haven’t met after nine years.」

「How…」

How could you still alive? Cheon Sa-yeon’s face was distorted. I wasn’t the only survivor out of that hell?

The shadow of misfortune that he thought had been cut off suddenly engulfed his body. It was difficult to even breathe in the despair that filled his throat.

Cheon Je-heon, who was leisurely watching such Cheon Sa-yeon, snapped his finger. Then something fell from above.

「It’s a present, little brother.」

Kuung, someone crashed to the ground with a heavy sound. It was Park Geon-ho with severe burns all over his body.

Cheon Sa-yeon, who saw the dead Park Geon-ho without even closing his eyes, stepped backwards in a cold sweat.

「Gasp, gasp…」

Cheon Sa-yeon’s breathing became harsh. It was a symptom of hyperventilation due to excessive shock. Seeing this, Cheon Je-heon giggled.

「Poor thing, that man. He met the wrong person and died like that.」

Those words stuck in the heart. Cheon Sa-yeon let out a groan suppressed by the pain in his chest.

「Come on, guys.」

Cheon Je-heon, who again covered his face with a mask, ordered the mentally controlled cult members.

「Just deal with the rest. She will arrive soon.」

「Yes.」

The cult members all raised their weapons in unison. It was then that Cheon Sa-yeon, who had barely regained his consciousness by touching his skin, took power in his hand, which was holding his sword.

Woo Seo-hyuk, who was silently looking down at Park Geon-ho’s body without saying a word, grabbed Cheon Sa-yeon’s arm and pushed him strongly to the opposite side. Before Cheon Sa-yeon, who was forcibly pushed behind Woo Seo-hyuk, shouted, the attack of the cult members poured in.

「Woo Seo-hyuk!」

Woo Seo-hyuk, who stood in Cheon Sa-yeon’s way, was attacked with his whole body and transformed into a giant wolf.

However, no matter how quickly he used his ability, the number of attacks they poured out was too many. When he finished his transformation, he was so bloody that it was difficult to even stand.

With blood dripping, the wolf ran towards the cult. But he didn’t last less than a minute because his side was pierced by a sharp spear and collapsed.

「From size to strength… isn’t it pretty useful? This would be great for my research material.」

「Are you going to make another strange monster? I’ll just peel off the skin and use it for my doll! Still, I wanted to try a stuffed animal like this.」

「A doll can be replaced with something else.」

「They are both stupid. Don’t you know it’s useless anyway? If it was as she said, time would turn back now.」

「Ah, right.」

Doctor, Abel, and Azazel, who gathered near Woo Seo-hyuk, who was gasping and dying, let out one word one by one.

「It was perfect for research material. That’s too bad.」

「Ung? It’s still alive?」

「It’s a tough life force. Let’s see… if you cut it like this…」

「Ah, blood! Blood splashed here! Auh, it’s all over my clothes. Dirty.」

All the talk about Woo Seo-hyuk’s body, who eventually died, came in terrible pain. The tip of the sword held by Cheon Sa-yeon trembled together along his hand.

It was so miserable that he couldn’t move at all while watching his people die. The helplessness he felt when he was a child began to gnaw at his mind again.

Cheon Sa-yeon put the blade of the sword on his wrist which he lifted his shaky hand with difficulty. Tears streamed down his pale cheeks. Standing by his side and watching everything, I also shed tears.

He swallowed the rushing energy over as if it would jump out of his heart at any moment. Now there was nothing he even could do.

「Poor thing.」

Just before the blade pierced his wrist, a small, white hand landed on Cheon Sa-yeon’s hand holding the sword.

Kali, who appeared in an instant like when she first appeared on Cheon Sa-yeon’s birthday last year, opened her mouth with a benevolent smile.

「I told you, didn’t I?」

Kali’s face, whispering softly as she stepped on the ruined streets and piled corpses, was terribly unrealistic.

「You will regret it.」

Through the fluttering blonde hair, the wine-coloured eyes looked bloody in the light of the flame.

「Poor thing. How great is the loss you feel when you have lost all of your loved ones?」

「……」

「Can I help you?」

Kali took a step back from Cheon Sa-yeon, closed her eyes and put her hands together. The pure white light grew stronger and something appeared in her hand.

「Look here, Cheon Sa-yeon.」

As she spread her overlapping hands, a golden pocket watch appeared in the air. The second hand of the pocket watch, visible between Kali’s white hands, moved with a ticking sound.

「This is your time.」

Cheon Sa-yeon’s hazy eyes turned to the pocket watch.

「Do you want to turn everything back?」

「……」

「Do you want to go back to those days when you were peaceful and happy?」

The time when he was peaceful and happy.

Cheon Sa-yeon’s gaze turned to the dead Park Geon-ho. Woo Seo-hyuk, who was cut off by Doctor, and Min Ah-rin and Kim Woo-jin, who died alone.

「……」

Hell once again beckoned Cheon Sa-yeon. Just as he was forcibly taken to the mansion when he was a child, he couldn’t refuse again this time.

「…yeah.」

The pocket watch shone brilliantly in response to the dry and rough answer.

「I will take the price.」

Kali said with a long lip ripped and smiling.

「From now on, all the time you have is mine.」

Kugugung, the ground shook, and in an instant, countless stars flowed through the darkened sky at a tremendous speed. Kali sang a curse, pointing her finger at Cheon Sa-yeon.

「You can never die, you will never die, and any achievement you achieve will be in vain.」

The world was turned upside down. Cheon Sa-yeon grabbed his chest as he felt the time go backwards.

「It’s only my authority to turn back time and you will be trapped in endless time.」

The second hand of the pocket watch rotated in the opposite direction. Along with the second hand, the minute and hour hands were also turned upside down. Everything went backwards.

「That’s the price, Cheon Sa-yeon.」

Cheon Sa-yeon, who couldn’t stand the pain that crushed his whole body, closed his eyes. The pitch-black darkness swallowed up Cheon Sa-yeon.

As if dying, consciousness was cut off in an instant. However, the rest was only for a short time and the consciousness that came back immediately lifted the spirit of Cheon Sa-yeon forcibly.

「Gasp…!」

Breathing heavily, Cheon Sa-yeon jumped up.

Chills rushed down his body wet with cold sweat. Cheon Sa-yeon bit his lip and looked around him with trembling eyes.

The warm afternoon sun shone through the window and lit the desk with papers piled up. Squeak, the sofa pressed against his body made a faint noise.

The place he was in was sure to be the representative office that had collapsed in the explosion. Cheon Sa-yeon frantically looked around and groped his body.

「…a dream?」

Kali’s smiling face was vivid as she looked at him. Employees who died horribly. But was that all a dream?

…no. It can’t be a dream. So what’s the situation now?

Knock, knock.

「……!」

Cheon Sa-yeon’s shoulders, who was confused while blinking his eyes, shook at the sound of the knock. Soon, the door opened and Woo Seo-hyuk came in with documents.

「Master?」

「Ah…」

「Your complexion is not good. Did you have a nightmare?」

Even after hearing Woo Seo-hyuk’s question with a puzzled expression, Cheon Sa-yeon couldn’t open his mouth as he was blank.

Woo Seo-hyuk, who had been staring at Cheon Sa-yeon for a moment, put the down documents on the table in front of the sofa and continued the conversation.

「This is the status of the victim in the C12 Area you asked to find out. A girl named Han Yi-yeon died an hour ago and her older brother Han Yi-gyeol is still alive.」

「……」

「As Master said, I can feel Han Yi-gyeol’s energy, so it’s certain that he’s awakened. Please take your time to check it.」

「……」

「…how about calling a healer and a doctor?」

「No… don’t mind. Alright. You can get out.」

Cheon Sa-yeon, who had barely regained consciousness, answered while covering his eyes with his hands. After hesitating for a while, Woo Seo-hyuk eventually nodded his head.

「I understand. If there’s any problem, please call me right away.」

Cheon Sa-yeon, who had been sitting with his head bowed for a long time even after Woo Seo-hyuk left the representative office, reached out his bloodless hand and picked up the documents.

The date written on the top line of the document was engraved in his mind.

October 13th.

It had been three weeks since his birthday when he first met Kali.

T/N :

You know what? This arc took a toll on my body and my mind. I think I will take a break after we reach chapter 300 for a week :’)

I want to cry every time I translated how hurtful Sa-yeon’s past. Like, what has he done that he should go through that hell once more time? Can you leave him alone… QAQ