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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Silverriver
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Park Yoo-jin’s plan was as follows:
The supernatural power wielded by the Heavenly Maiden was called ‘Divine Authority,’ and using it required an energy called ‘Divine Power.’
This Divine Power originated from the Heavenly Maiden’s halo. To be precise, the halo acted as a conduit, channeling Divine Power from the god Dion, who resided in another dimension, allowing her to wield it as her own.
This also applied to the Knights, the Heavenly Maiden’s subordinates who also wielded Divine Power. Their power, too, stemmed from the Heavenly Maiden’s halo.
In other words, if the Heavenly Maiden’s halo could be eliminated, the enemy’s forces could be neutralized in an instant.
However, the halo wasn’t a physical object. The only way to interfere with it was through a Divine Authority that wielded the same Divine Power.
Therefore, the only person who could destroy the Heavenly Maiden’s halo was Park Yoo-jin, standing before Lee Ha-yeon.
Watching Park Yoo-jin explain calmly, Lee Ha-yeon wondered about the exact relationship between her and the Heavenly Maiden.
A returnee who looked incredibly similar to the Heavenly Maiden, a returnee who had traveled to the same dimension as the Heavenly Maiden.
Changes in appearance were common among returnees. Some transformed to fit the other world during the transition, while others underwent a complete metamorphosis later on.
However, it was extremely rare for two different returnees to have almost identical appearances.
Ha-yeon could guess the reason. The Heavenly Maiden gained her current abilities by serving the god Dion in the other world. Park Yoo-jin, with her similar appearance and abilities, likely underwent a similar process.
But then why…
Why were these two, who had gone through similar experiences, now enemies?
Park Yoo-jin had said that she and the Heavenly Maiden were close friends. Moreover, having been transported to the same dimension on the same day, they must have relied on and trusted each other.
Yet now, the Heavenly Maiden had imprisoned Park Yoo-jin, and Park Yoo-jin was declaring that she would stop the Heavenly Maiden.
There must be a hidden story that Ha-yeon didn’t know.
However, she couldn’t afford to listen to the whole story now. After hearing Park Yoo-jin’s plan, Lee Ha-yeon carefully said,
“I understand the plan. If what you’re saying is true, I believe we can definitely defeat the Heavenly Maiden.”
However, attacking the Heavenly Maiden with just the two of them was too risky.
“How about we escape the cult first and then return with reinforcements?”
“What do you mean?”
To Lee Ha-yeon’s question, Park Yoo-jin carefully began to explain.
Therefore, waiting for a later opportunity was impossible. Even if they escaped, their plan would be immediately exposed as soon as day broke.
Tonight was their last chance.
“Alright. If tonight is the only chance, then we have no choice. But it’s too dangerous for just the two of us, so I’ll request backup.”
Park Yoo-jin asked with an anxious expression, and Lee Ha-yeon shook her head.
“No, the Enforcers. I’m with the Enforcer’s Office.”
“Yes, sorry for the late introduction. I’m Trainee Enforcer Lee Ha-yeon. I’m currently undergoing training at Enforcer Kwon Tae-ho’s office.”
At the mention of the Enforcers, the anxiety on Park Yoo-jin’s face lessened slightly.
Perhaps she thought that even if the police were unreliable, the Enforcers would be helpful? Lee Ha-yeon gave Park Yoo-jin a reassuring smile and said,
“I’ll go upstairs and request backup from Enforcer Kwon Tae-ho. Is there a place upstairs where I can use a phone?”
“Then let’s head to the mage’s office first. We can discuss the rest of the plan with Enforcer Kwon.”
It would be much safer than the two of them acting rashly.
Moreover, even if the surprise attack failed,Kwon Tae-ho would be able to confront the Heavenly Maiden head-on.
The Heavenly Maiden’s power had felt overwhelming to Lee Ha-yeon, but she didn’t think Tae-ho would be inferior.
“Then shall we go?”
Leaving the prison, the two made their way to the ground floor under Park Yoo-jin’s guidance.
As she had boasted, Park Yoo-jin knew the layout of the headquarters like the back of her hand. She not only knew the structure but also where people were stationed at this time of night.
There were night guards at the cult headquarters, but they were limited to the entrances where outsiders might enter and the central building where the Heavenly Maiden and the Knights resided.
In other words, the interior of the headquarters building, directly accessible from the underground prison, had relatively lax security. There were guards patrolling regularly, but that was all they had to be careful of.
Park Yoo-jin whispered to Lee Ha-yeon as they carefully moved down the hallway.
Park Yoo-jin led the way, while Lee Ha-yeon kept her senses sharp, preparing for any potential encounters with enemies.
Continuing their cautious advance, the two finally reached the hallway where the mage’s office with the landline was located.
At that moment…
“Wait a minute.”
A small sound brushed past Lee Ha-yeon’s ears.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
As the footsteps approached, the two quickly hid around the corner.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
A moment later, the owner of the footsteps appeared from the opposite corner of the hallway. It was Kim Hye-sol, the female Knight who had been particularly friendly towards Lee Ha-yeon.
‘Please just keep going straight. Please just keep going straight…’
The two and Hye-sol were at opposite intersections of an H-shaped hallway. Hiding behind the corner of the right intersection, Lee Ha-yeon hoped that Hye-sol would continue straight ahead and move away, but…
Thud. Thud.
Unfortunately, Hye-sol turned the corner. She began to walk straight down the one-way hallway where the mage’s office was located, towards the corner where the two were hiding.
‘What should we do?’
Lee Ha-yeon asked Park Yoo-jin with her eyes.
Retreating was an option, but there was a risk of being heard due to their footsteps. They could hide quietly behind the corner, but they couldn’t cross the long hallway without making a sound before Hye-sol arrived.
Park Yoo-jin thought the same. There was only one answer.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Waiting for the approaching footsteps, Lee Ha-yeon clenched her fists. As the footsteps drew closer, her heart pounded in her chest.
Thud. Thud.
And the moment Hye-sol finally reached them and turned the corner…
Whoosh!!
Lee Ha-yeon swiftly reached out. Hye-sol couldn’t react to Lee Ha-yeon suddenly appearing from around the corner.
Thwack!
A precise blow landed on her jaw. As Hye-sol lost her balance and began to fall, Lee Ha-yeon, who had taken her from behind, tightened her grip around Hye-sol’s neck.
“Gah, ugh…!”
Thwack!
“Oof?!”
Hye-sol’s instinctively thrown elbow struck Lee Ha-yeon’s side. The sharp pain made her momentarily lose her grip, and Hye-sol, seizing the opportunity, pushed Lee Ha-yeon away and tried to regain her composure.
Clatter!!
But at that moment, a golden chain shot out from Park Yoo-jin’s hand, binding Hye-sol’s entire body.
“What?!”
Surprised by the second attack, Hye-sol frowned as she saw Park Yoo-jin’s face. Looking back and forth between the two, a hollow laugh escaped Hye-sol’s lips.
“Haha, what is this situation…? Why are you two, who should be in prison, wandering around here like it’s your own home?”
Hye-sol struggled to break free from the chains, but it was no use against the chains of light created by Divine Authority. Giving up, Hye-sol looked at Park Yoo-jin and spoke with a worried tone.
“Rosemary, are you thinking of defying the Heavenly Maiden again? Just release me now. I’ll put in a good word for you with the Heavenly Maiden.”
“My name is Park Yoo-jin, not some name like Rosemary…!”
“It’s the baptismal name given to you by Father Dion. You should cherish it.”
Hye-sol’s sneering gaze then shifted to Lee Ha-yeon. Unlike before, when her gaze had been tinged with worry, her eyes now held a mixture of annoyance and anger.
“Ha-yeon, I thought we could be friends. But this feels like we’ve completely become enemies. It’s a shame.”
“Friends, my foot! I never intended to be friends with a criminal! I’ll arrest you all soon, so just you wait!”
“Well, I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
Hye-sol chuckled and shook her head. As Lee Ha-yeon felt a sense of unease and was about to ask something, Hye-sol spoke to Park Yoo-jin first.
“If you want to escape, you’d better hurry. You used Divine Power so openly in the headquarters.. surely you didn’t think the Heavenly Maiden wouldn’t notice?”
Oh no.
At that moment, a look of panic flashed across Park Yoo-jin’s face.
Flash!!
A bright light erupted from the other end of the hallway.
Right after Park Yoo-jin shouted, a massive spear of light hurtled towards Lee Ha-yeon. But just before impact, a shield of light created by Park Yoo-jin intercepted it, colliding with the spear.
Boom!!
With a deafening explosion, the entire hallway shook as if it would collapse. Through the thick dust, Lee Ha-yeon glared down the hallway.
“Oh, crap.”
Standing there majestically was the Heavenly Maiden, Roselia, with an appearance identical to Park Yoo-jin’s. Even from a distance, the palpable rage weighed heavily on the entire space.
After asking Park Yoo-jin, the Heavenly Maiden’s gaze shifted to Lee Ha-yeon.
“Is this your doing, Sister?”
A chill ran down Lee Ha-yeon’s spine, and she instinctively covered her mouth. The nausea rising from deep within her throat stemmed from the pure terror she felt instinctively.
This was different.
Lee Ha-yeon had already experienced a battle with the Heavenly Maiden once, but the Heavenly Maiden before her eyes now felt like a completely different being.
Facing such a monster, it was unlikely that either of them would escape unscathed.
“Yoo-jin.”
Having reached that conclusion, Lee Ha-yeon lowered her stance and spoke to Park Yoo-jin.
“I’ll buy you some time. Go to Enforcer Kwon Tae-ho’s office.”
Bzzzzt!!
Immediately, blue magic sparked around Lee Ha-yeon like electricity.
Thud!!
Kicking off the ground, Lee Ha-yeon accelerated towards the Heavenly Maiden with unbelievable speed.
Super-acceleration, a combination of acceleration magic and her own psychic abilities.
It was a technique she had copied from Tae-ho’s fight with the Sword Demon. Although her speed was far slower than Tae-ho’s, it was enough to catch the Heavenly Maiden off guard.
Surprised by Lee Ha-yeon’s sudden approach, the Heavenly Maiden activated her Divine Authority.
Blood Subjugation. The ability to control the body of anyone who had ingested her bodily fluids, including blood.
However, trying to control and stop Lee Ha-yeon now was too late. Her fist, already accelerated, connected squarely with the Heavenly Maiden’s jaw due to inertia.
Boom!!
The sound was more like an explosion than a collision.
Crack!
Immediately after, Lee Ha-yeon’s wrist broke from the inside. The fly that followed the stork had its legs ripped apart; her body couldn’t handle the strain of imitating Tae-ho’s technique.
Crash!!.
But even the Heavenly Maiden couldn’t emerge unscathed from such a blow. The Heavenly Maiden’s body crashed into the wall, and a startled Hye-sol cried out urgently.
“Heavenly Maiden!!”
“Yoo-jin! Run away! Now!”
Although the surprise attack was successful, Lee Ha-yeon knew that it wouldn’t be enough to defeat the Heavenly Maiden.
Crack. Crackle.
As if to prove her point, the Heavenly Maiden calmly walked out of the cloud of dust. Her neck was bent at a grotesque angle, as if her cervical spine had been broken by the blow, but she realigned the bones with her own hands.
Having recovered instantly, Heavenly Maiden Roselia spat out blood.
She looked more like a ferocious warrior than a saintess. And then, a sinister smile spread across her face.
Whoosh!
With those words, the Heavenly Maiden vanished from Lee Ha-yeon’s sight.
Thwack!!
“Agh?!”
Reappearing behind Lee Ha-yeon, the Heavenly Maiden swung a mace made of light. The unavoidable blow struck Lee Ha-yeon’s side, sending her flying pathetically into the same wall where the Heavenly Maiden had crashed moments before.
“Ugh! Gah, hack!”
A single blow had broken several ribs and damaged her internal organs. Seeing pink flesh mixed with the blood flowing from her mouth, Lee Ha-yeon chuckled involuntarily, feeling a sense of unreality.
Spikes!
Thick thorns, as thick as Lee Ha-yeon’s forearm, sprouted from the light mace the Heavenly Maiden held.
She wouldn’t kill her? The sinister sight made Lee Ha-yeon doubt the Heavenly Maiden’s sincerity as she staggered to her feet.
Clatter!!
But at that moment, chains of light flew from behind the Heavenly Maiden, binding her body.
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damnn…..
