Chapter 38: The War Between Vengeance and Shinsungsu

A child in their toddler years cannot conceive the idea of suicide.

Self-loathing is not engraved in their genes.

A child believes that they are the answer, that they are right, and that they are the world itself.

As they grow, encounter the world, and meet others, they realize that what they believed was wrong, and that

concepts like common sense have already been formed by people.

Thus, I must have been quite a unique case, realizing from birth that I was wrong.

An unbearable, bright light, a beautiful sculpture, an irrefutable answer, it dug deep into my mind even as I closed my eyelids in sleep.

Even now, I am just wandering around with an answer sheet full of wrong answers.

I thought this time I would restore it to the correct answer.

Even if I were to take the world in my hands,

Nothing ever goes as planned.

“Chief! There’s a big problem!”

While trying to raise the shame of sloth, I was playing Mahjong with Irua, Deep Dive, and Hans when a sharp-eyed

one hurriedly burst in.

“What is it?”

“It’s an attack! They’re coming with the intent to wage war…!”

Boom!

The main door of the hall was violently broken, and villains dressed in suits started walking in.

Vengeance’s members immediately took combat positions. Irua and Emma also blocked my way, keeping the enemies in check.

Click-clack, click-clack.

The sound of high heels echoed. Elena confidently walked through the villains.

I placed my hand on Irua’s shoulder, gently pushed her away, and stepped forward.

A standoff between Elena and me.

“Jeo.”

“Elena.”

Tension filled the air. Vengeance’s members swallowed hard.

With just a signal, this space would turn into a battlefield drenched in blood. The second-in-command of the Holy Water, Finisher, was also visible.

We’d both see many corpses.

From Elena’s aura, she seemed to be quite angry.

How would she respond?

“Vengeance took second place, huh?”

“Yes.”

“In such a short time, with such a small number of people, a newly formed organization. It’s something that was

originally absolutely impossible.”

“We proved that it was possible.”

“Anyway, it was a good thing, but with such ability, trying to match the Holy Water… It just looks like a malicious

intent.”

“Are you planning to cut the sprouts?”

At my question, my subordinates grew tense.

I judged that Elena had another motive. If she truly wanted war, she could have attacked right away.

This building itself belonged to the Holy Water. Attacking would be easy. There was no need to start with a conversation.

“Jeo, what exactly is your intention?”

“Didn’t I say, Elena? It’s about the trust between you and me.”

“Why would you want something uncertain like that instead of a document?”

“Because I want you.”

Elena, covering her mouth with a fan, stared at me with a piercing look.

“Do you remember the proposal you made to me before?”

It was the limit-breaking talk.

Right now, Elena’s villain rank was SSS, and her ability level was 9.

What she wanted was to enhance her abilities. But she must have felt the wall of growth for a long time. That’s why she developed the Sky Lens.

The Sky Lens is a device that forcibly enhances abilities, but it comes with side effects.

In the original work, Elena was much stronger but had become a half-human, green gel-like being. Her mind was

also severely damaged, and she became an evil villain, playing the role of the antagonist in the fourth scenario.

The reason she wanted to enhance her abilities, according to the setting, was because she wished to reach the level of

resurrecting the dead with the language of command.

“Of course, I remember.”

I answered immediately.

I would guide Elena to grow through the soul of a companion.

Then, I would treat her as one of my subordinates and use her as a long piece in clearing the scenario.

That was the picture I envisioned.

“You didn’t think I’d believe such a threat, did you? Jeo.”

If that were not the case, why would she come and mention it?

I had an inkling.

“Did you fail?”

Elena did not answer.

“Looks like you fortunately didn’t use it yourself,” I said.

“Zeoh,” she replied.

Her hair began to rise, fluttering in the air, a sign of her anger.

“If you thought success in gambling meant everything would go your way, you’re mistaken.”

“Isn’t it enough to prove it?”

I declared.

“Will you believe it if I show you my power?”

Clap.

Elena folded her fan.

“Zeoh.”

She dropped the fan at my feet, the fan pathetically sliding across the floor.

“You’re going to die.”

I took a step forward.

“I’m going to the top floor. I’ve set up a training facility. Darkmatter, follow me.”

“Zeoh, this is a duel. No spectators allowed.”

“It’s a life-or-death battle with the strongest villain like you. Darkmatter is a villain I personally unearthed and raised

as Vengeance’s second-in-command. If I die, he has the right to witness it.”

At my statement, Irua trembled. Elena didn’t refute any further.

Irua, Elena, and I left the others behind and boarded the elevator to the top floor.

We arrived at the training room and set the building’s defense to maximum.

Even with this, if we used our full power, the building could collapse, but considering our abilities, it was going to be

a battle of individuals that would end quickly.

“Zeoh, there’s no chance you’re actually going to die, right? This was just an excuse to call me here?”

Instead of answering, I patted Irua’s head.

Elena and I faced each other.

“Let’s be candid, Elena. Did the Sky Lens fail? Did you confirm the side effects from the substitute?”

“Zeoh, don’t test my patience.”

“You can see with Darkmatter that my support ability to assist in growth is real. Darkmatter hasn’t reached that level yet, so we haven’t had a chance to use it, but I do know how to break through the limits properly.”

“Zeoh, ‘shut your mouth.'”

“I understand. I’ll stay quiet. Oh, and just so you know, earlier I mentioned the Red Dragon to seal the deal, but all the information was already known to me.”

“I told you to shut up!”

Thud!

Elena slammed her high heels against the floor as she shouted.

“What is this? Why do you keep pretending to know about me? Why are you ignoring my command? Why do you keep annoying me, why? Why!!”

Elena glared at me, her fists clenched tightly, her breath quickening.

“I’ve told you many times.”

I replied lightly.

“I want your abilities.”

Elena ground her teeth together.

“Countless pests have targeted me, attaching such trivial reasons, thinking they could take me down.”

Heh.

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing, causing Elena’s face to twist in anger.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh. It’s just a little cute, your overblown sense of self-importance.”

“Overblown sense of self-importance? How dare you use those words? You don’t even understand why I’m protecting myself!”

“Of course, I don’t know. You never told me.”

Elena’s gaze was sharp.

The Elena I knew from the original story was much more mentally broken than this.

Was it the failure of the Sky Lens that caused it?

She’d once said that anyone who touched her was dead. It seems there’s a deeper reason for her hatred.

“I have a proposal as a condition for this battle, Elena.”

“A proposal?”

“You’re planning to come in thinking you’ll take my life, but as I said, I need your talent. So, I don’t plan to kill you here.”

Upon hearing this, Elena’s expression twisted even more.

“So, if it comes to the point where you’re about to die, I’ll stop attacking then. At that point, accept defeat. Also, since I value your body, I won’t deliver any fatal blows. Accept these terms.”

“Your arrogance and deceit have reached the heavens, to the point of becoming a sin. It won’t happen.”

“Accept it.”

“Very well. The last words of one who’s about to enter the coffin should be heard, don’t you think?”

After talking for a while, my mouth slowly started to grow heavier. It was certainly difficult to resist Elena’s command, but I had gathered enough data, including the previous time. I had learned to sense it.

In an instant, I decided the outcome.

“Let’s begin.”

I took my stance.

Elena’s eyes turned cold.

The atmosphere around her changed instantly as the air surrounding her shifted.

“Transform.”

[R■■ELATION]
“Red of War.”

[B■LLUMRUDE]

She charged forward.

However, as soon as my body was enveloped by the red dragon’s scales, Elena’s lips began to move as well.

It wasn’t a normal language. She too was starting from full power.

“Danbbaldanrahenojireojitundutnkkobonaehnaljiweogokajirgeorojigeowegoralararalara.”

A high-speed incantation.

A combination of commands that my ears couldn’t follow flowed in an instant.

Her physical form strengthened. She didn’t direct the incantation toward me but instead infused it into herself.

She must have judged that using an attack spell on me wouldn’t have immediate effects.

She was preparing for close combat.

A solid will.

Boom!

My fist collided with Elena’s arm. Her swollen muscle fibers were visible.

Reaction speed, visual tracking, strength, endurance, muscle fiber density—everything had been dramatically enhanced.

So this is what a level 9 incantation looks like.

To withstand the Red of War…

“Huh!”

Elena instantly responded to my movement. It was Taijiquan. No unnecessary movements.

But even the most refined movements are overwhelmed by sheer strength.

Thud!

A spinning kick. Elena rotated her arms to defend, but I pushed her back.

She barely managed to hold her ground without falling.

As I moved to follow up with a combination attack—

Pit!

Something pierced my shoulder.

There were faint lines floating in the air around me.

My reaction was too slow.

It was her hair.

“‘Float.’ ‘Spin.’ ‘Sharpen.’”

Before I knew it, dozens, even hundreds of strands of her hair were floating around me.

I see—this is how she uses it.

If those things aimed for my heart all at once, it would be tough.

“‘Tear.’ ‘Shatter.’ ‘Twist.’ ‘Break.’”

Elena was continuously casting attack incantations on my body as well. My body gradually grew heavier. My bones resonated.

“Zeoh, you’re going to die now.”

Elena declared, glaring at me with cold eyes.

“Indeed.”

She’s a strong woman.

Wealth, intelligence, power, and even physical strength.

She is truly the strongest in every aspect.

For someone like her to be desperate to kill me…

“Then, before death arrives…”

I focused my energy on my heart.

“I’ll run toward death.”

[CSUS AER LA]

“The Blue of Death.”