Chapter 139. Amid the Blazing Flare (1)
[Should I...... self-destruct?]
It was heartbreaking.
It hurt.
Why did I have to suffer this humiliation?
I was created solely to annihilate the Demon King. Today, at last, the moment to fulfill that duty had arrived, and I had done my utmost.
But why?
Why, in the world.
Why were the humans of the royal capital who created me cheering for the demons instead of me? Why did they cheer every time I was struck down, every time I was hit? Why did they applaud and cheer at the sight of my broken greatsword?
[.......]
The more I thought about it, the more sorrow welled up.
And at the end of that sorrow rose a self-mocking resolve.
Am I truly needed here?
Yes.
Even so, yes.
Within the swelling sadness, the statue steeled its resolve. Once more, it recalled its duty, its mission, and repeated to itself.
I am a being who follows the laws of the Book of Perfection.
Even if everyone abandons me.
Even if the day comes when I am forsaken by all.
I will dedicate everything to carrying out my perfect mission.
[Demon King... annihilation...]
KWAANG!
Once again, the mace came crashing down.
An unimaginably heavy shockwave.
Having already lost the greatsword, it felt like facing an opponent it could never possibly defeat.
Despair.
Darkness.
Yet still, it struggled not to let go of its mission.
[Annihilate the Demon King.]
The statue of the Archangel repeated again and again.
And it recalled.
The final measure it could take to fulfill that goal.
[.......]
Yes, let’s do it.
The moment the statue embraced its harsh decision—
... DOOM!
Inside the statue’s chest.
Deep within, the power core pulsed loudly. At the same time, the statue’s entire body trembled violently.
[Ugh... Ooooh -!]
A roar directed toward the sky.
Within it, the resolve was firm.
Today, I shall annihilate the Demon King who has invaded the royal capital.
No matter what it takes!
... TSHAAAA!
The statue’s wide-open eyes shone pure white. Then, it fired a brilliant beam of light into the sky.
The beam pierced the clouds.
On the underside of the clouds, where everyone could see, a clear warning message was inscribed.
[Warning!]
[The statue of the Archangel will explode in 100 seconds.]
[Anyone who sees this message must immediately evacuate to a safe location.]
[We pray for the defeat of the Demon King and for your safety.]
[All things shall ultimately become perfect.]
[Inquiries: Book of Perfection Church, Royal Capital Parish, Main Building, 3rd Floor, Civil Administration Office (Postal Code: 101010) / (Lunch hours: 12:30 PM ~ 2:00 PM)]
“...Eh?"
Kim Jangcheol furrowed his brows.
Then he looked up at the letters of light suddenly inscribed under the clouds.
‘Explode? Evacuate... to a safe place...?'
At first, he couldn’t make sense of it.
Part of him thought, surely not.
‘Self-destruct?’
No way.
No way that could be true.
No way, I haven’t even broken it yet.
I just knocked it down and smacked it a few times.
And now it’s talking about self-destructing? No way it’s such a pushover.
... Or so he thought.
[100]
THOOM!
A heavy, low shock sounded as the number 100 appeared in the clouds. And with that, the countdown began.
[99]
[98]
“What the— really?"
Really, really?
He couldn’t believe it.
At that moment, the Archbishop confirmed the unpleasant truth he didn’t want to hear.
“Sir Kim Jangcheol! We have a crisis! The statue has initiated the self-destruct procedure!”
“... What, you mean it’s really going to blow up?"
“Yes!”
“But earlier, you said it would only self-destruct if it suffered a certain level of damage! I haven’t even broken anything yet! I just gave it a few knocks to the forehead!”
Kim Jangcheol protested with what he felt was righteous indignation.
Honestly, he was both aggrieved and dumbfounded. The statue had only lost its greatsword; its main body wasn’t even damaged. Not a single crack could be seen.
And yet, it was self-destructing.
Why?
The Archbishop urgently responded.
“I don’t know. But! The fact that self-destruction has begun is certain.”
“.........”
Kim Jangcheol looked up at the countdown still ticking down in real time, carved into the clouds. 93, 92, 91. Just watching it made his mouth feel dry.
“Is there any way to stop it?”
“There is none.”
“...Excuse me?"
What was this nonsense?
The Archbishop, now pale, continued.
“There is no way to stop it. The statue of the Archangel was created from the start as a weapon to counter the invasion of the Demon King and his army. Thus, in the worst-case scenario—should the royal capital fall or its own defeat be foreseen—it was designed to self-destruct.”
“Wait, but still, saying there’s no way to stop it...”
“That decision was made by previous Archbishops, who judged that inflicting heavy damage on the Demon King and the demon army in a desperate battle would carry hope into the future. Therefore... stopping the self-destruct was never even considered.”
“What...”
“They also judged that some clever, wicked demon might exploit a stop function, seize the statue, and turn it to the Demon King’s side.”
“......”
Kim Jangcheol was at a loss for words.
No stop function.
An unstoppable self-destruct.
“Then, what about the explosive power?”
He asked with a sliver of hope.
The Archbishop’s lips curved into a resigned smile.
“At minimum, half of the royal capital will be reduced to powder and vanish without a trace. Oh, and don’t think about trying to destroy the statue. It will detonate immediately if you do.”
“What the...”
“I’m sorry, Sir Kim Jangcheol. Even if you are part of the demon race, you don’t seem like the kind of wicked and monstrous Demon King who deserves to have their skull smashed the moment they’re seen... and yet you’ve been forced into experiencing something that should only happen if a true Demon King invaded.”
“.......”
Suddenly, Kim Jangcheol had nothing to say.
The curse he was about to utter evaporated.
‘Uh, actually, I am the Demon King. And that woman swinging chains and a mace? She’s the Demon Queen from two generations ago.’
...Should he confess?
‘No.’
That wasn’t important right now.
What mattered was how to resolve this crisis.
Yes.
Think.
I can’t give up on that.
‘Now, how much time is left... 73 seconds.’
Was this my fault?
He wasn’t sure.
He couldn’t say he was completely blameless, but in a way, it felt unfair too.
And most of all...
‘I don’t want this story to end with a giant explosion!’
They said half of the royal capital would be reduced to powder.
That meant it was almost equivalent to a tactical nuke in power.
‘Escape? No good. I still can’t get out because of the barrier surrounding the plaza. Should I dig a tunnel? Use a glitch? No, even that wouldn’t guarantee safety.’
He didn’t want to die.
He wanted to live.
That’s why,
All sorts of thoughts flooded his mind.
Escape wasn’t an option.
He pulled out every possibility, every hope. Compared them. Anticipated. Estimated, calculated. A way to stay safe in this situation, to avoid injury or death.
That was...
“Archbishop?”
After a short, fierce calculation, Kim Jangcheol asked,
“Is it possible for you to cast a shield using holy power?”
“A shield... you say?”
“Yes, a shield. Could you cover the entire statue with it, like putting a lid on a pot? Is that possible?”
“Uh, it’s possible.”
“How many layers? Can you overlap multiple shields?”
“About three layers. Are you trying to block the statue’s explosion with that?”
“Yes. And I have an additional request.”
“What is it?”
“For the first and third shield layers, leave a hole at the top. The second shield between them, don’t make a hole, but generate it about one meter above the ground.”
He made his requests like ordering toppings at a neighborhood pizza place.
The archbishop, seeming to guess his intention, asked in return,
“...Are you trying to maximize the path the explosion would pass through between the shields to disperse the blast force?”
“Yes, exactly. Is it possible?”
“It’s possible. But it won’t be enough. Even if we try to disperse the blast that way... the shields won’t hold for even three seconds.”
“No, that will be enough.”
“Excuse me?”
“Please prepare them. There’s no time.”
“..........”
The archbishop closed his mouth.
And he looked at Kim Jangcheol’s profile.
What on earth was this man thinking?
A man who was both a demon and a saint of the Ten.
Meanwhile, Kim Jangcheol watched the countdown inscribed in the clouds.
By then, the number had already dropped to 51.
“........”
From 100 to 0.
Ten times ten.
Of all things, why did the countdown at this moment drop at that number?
So when it finished counting down from 100?
What would happen?
An explosion? Would his mother come back? Could he return to that age, that time? No, that wasn’t going to happen. Then what should he do? Ah, right. Stop the explosion. That’s why he asked the archbishop to cast a shield. So...
‘Get a grip, Kim Jangcheol!’
SMACK!
He slapped his own cheek hard. He forcibly calmed the pounding turmoil in his chest.
Then he shouted to his companions,
“Everyone! Get as far away as possible!”
No one could remain inside the shield the archbishop would cast. Only he should stay. That was the only way the plan could proceed.
At his shout, Asurat and Sirgi reacted immediately. They forcibly pulled Baal away, who refused to part from the statue.
Meanwhile, Artanis bit her lips, now sealed again inside the Seal Artifact, glaring at the statue.
“.......”
She wanted to destroy it right away.
She wanted to strike it down with all her might.
But if she did that, the explosion would occur immediately.
She backed away from the statue and gestured to Kim Jangcheol.
— What are you thinking? Won’t you dodge?
“No. I won’t.”
— Why not?
“Because this is how I’ll be safest.”
— What...
“Don’t stay nearby thinking you need to protect me. That would only make me more vulnerable. We don’t have time. Go quickly.”
—..........
That was the end of the conversation.
Kim Jangcheol didn’t even glance at her.
Instead, he opened the system window.
To ensure his safety in this situation. To secure himself and block as much of the explosive force as possible.
‘I can do this. I can. I must. But... is there enough time?’
He opened the Happy Point menu.
Ding-dong!
[You have selected the Happy Point usage menu.]
[In this window, you can use accumulated Happy Points to purchase various stats.]
[Please select the stats you wish to purchase.]
[Stamina: 40% (+10% purchase = 900 points)]
[Mental Strength: 30% (+10% purchase = 500 points)]
[Strength: 30% (+10% purchase = 500 points)]
[Dexterity: 30% (+10% purchase = 500 points)]
[Mana: 40% (+10% purchase = 900 points)]
[Current Happy Points: 34,053]
‘Choose Mental Strength, Strength, Dexterity!’
Ding-dong-dong!
[You have selected Mental Strength, Strength, and Dexterity stats.]
[1,500 Happy Points have been deducted.]
[Your available Mental Strength, Strength, and Dexterity limits have increased by 10%.]
[Mental Strength: 40% (+10% purchase = 900 points)]
[Strength: 40% (+10% purchase = 900 points)]
[Dexterity: 40% (+10% purchase = 900 points)]
[If you reach 100%, you will be able to fully manifest and use Demon King Credos’s abilities for that stat.]
[Current Happy Points: 32,553]
‘No hesitation, balance them out! Keep going!’
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
From that moment, he allocated points as evenly as possible across the five stats. His accumulated Happy Points were consumed rapidly, as if pouring out.
‘This way... the total sum of all stats will increase as much as possible, making me safer!’
Was it just about increasing raw stats?
No.
‘The more the total stats increase... the stronger the Nutrition Focus option becomes!’
He recalled the ability he had gained while facing Artanis.
The Nutrition Focus option provided by the Mana Seed.
Especially, when all stats were concentrated into stamina, it granted an additional feature.
‘Trait: Take It All.’
It converted all physical impact energy inflicted on his body into mana, absorbing it. That way, he could avoid taking any damage.
‘I can do it this time too. I’ll absorb as much of the explosion force as possible with it!’
Trying to run away wouldn’t save him.
Facing it head-on and absorbing it was better.
That was Kim Jangcheol’s calculation.
But... time was running short.
The remaining count... was dropping much faster than expected!
[20... 19... 18... 17...]
“..........”
Damn it.
If only that countdown could slow down a little. Just 20 seconds. No, even 10 seconds would be good.
If not?
At this rate?
The countdown would reach zero before he could fully spend all his Happy Points!
‘Faster. Faster. Hurry!’
His fingers moved frantically.
Cold sweat dripped down.
It was because of Kim Jangcheol’s desperate state—
“...Tbong?”
From within Artanis’s embrace, peeking out to observe the situation and Kim Jangcheol’s movements, the baby dragon Tbong thought quietly.
That statue... it looked like something he could freeze solid. If he froze it and took a big crunchy bite, it would probably taste amazing.
‘...Churup.’
Tbong licked his lips as he loaded up his first Froststorm Breath of his dragon life.
This one is so exciting! I'm waiting for further interaction between Aged Kimchi and Kim Jangcheol!
I really enjoy reading this, and I adore the loyalty Credos' people held to him!