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[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 23: Shooting Star (7)
The boundary between hell and paradise.
At the end of a trench, hidden by dense trees.
Members of the White Skull Syndicate were gathered in an old bomb shelter, built to escape from the demonic beasts.
They were all watching the holographic screen placed at the center of the room, each wearing a serious expression.
"What is this?"
"It looks like a crow..."
"Isn’t that dark magic? Do you know what it is, necromancer?"
The members' red eyes turned toward one person.
A young man wearing a skull mask.
He was the necromancer from the White Skull Syndicate, responsible for overseeing this operation.
"From what I can see..."
The young necromancer pressed the play button on the paused video again.
Bang—
An old hovercar, shot down by a missile, plummeted to the ground.
Halfway down, suddenly, a swarm of black crows appeared beneath it, slowing its fall. After changing direction, they disappeared.
"Hmm..."
The necromancer nodded as if he had gathered his thoughts.
"It’s a camera issue."
"...Huh? But this is the latest model..."
"Should we report it to the head, just in case?"
"What? Report it? Are we her subordinates? And that’s just a lens problem. The hovercar’s emergency control system activated."
Despite clearly seeing a swarm of black crows, they stayed silent, unable to contradict the necromancer’s words.
"Don’t you trust me? I never learned anything like that at school."
The necromancer was inexperienced, having failed to become a commander, and he couldn’t recognize the Barigyo Arcane Arts either.
"Think about it. Which crazy necromancer would risk their life just to help a celebrity? They’d have to be putting their life on the line."
"That’s true..."
"Yeah, no one would do something so dangerous..."
Their main business was growing illegal herbs outside the city and delivering them.
They were well aware of the dangers beyond the city.
"This is definitely the work of the rebels. They’re trying to use Nana for their propaganda."
He spoke as if it were his own idea, though it was something he'd heard from others.
"Oh... that makes sense..."
"Now that you mention it, you’re right, necromancer."
"Then let’s just get to work. Everyone’s got a life to turn around, right?"
A disgusting smile appeared on the necromancer’s face.
＊ ＊ ＊
The darkness settled over the world.
The outside, which had been endlessly bright and warm during the day, was now the complete opposite.
It was cold and desolate.
It was so dark that it couldn’t even compare to the neon-lit city.
The moon and stars were obscured by clouds.
The smog seemed to swallow the entire world, and not even a step ahead could be seen.
Just as the light outside was the purest form of light, the darkness outside was the purest form of darkness.
“Ugh…”
Baek Ho shoved the liquor down his throat.
Feeling the intoxication, he gazed across the forest.
He couldn’t see anything.
The fields, once like a green ocean, now seemed like a deep abyss.
It felt as though the monsters could crawl out at any moment and bare their fangs.
Baek Ho glanced to the side.
In the bushes a few steps away, the Liberation Army trio sat in a concealed trench, chatting quietly.
Most of their questions were aimed at Nana.
“Come on, be honest~ Was that dating article real?”
“Haha… It was all rumors…”
“I thought so~”
“Miss Nana is way more precious!”
Was it because they had lived outside?
Or perhaps because of the thrill of a secret romance with the UnderHeaven goddess?
Even in this pitch-black darkness, the Liberation Army seemed relaxed.
They didn’t seem afraid of the pursuers at all.
Gulp.
Baek Ho took another swig of liquor.
He pulled out a glass bottle filled with red liquid from his coat and spun it around, lost in thought.
Then, after a moment,
“Are you going to drink that too?”
Nana appeared from above the trench.
She nervously approached and sat next to Baek Ho.
“Why are you out here? I told you to rest.”
“I just… thought maybe you were hurt.”
Nana pointed to the floor next to Baek Ho.
There was a handful of blood mixed with cigarette butts.
It was a side effect of using dark magic and evidence that he was growing stronger.
Baek Ho poured dark mana over the floor.
The cigarette butts and blood vaporized instantly.
“That’s an emergency potion, isn’t it? If you drink poison, will it work?”
“It’s for emergencies.”
He put it back into his coat.
He had bought it because, like last time, he didn’t want to just watch someone die in front of him.
“So, about when the hovercar crashed earlier…”
“What about it?”
Nana extended her right hand toward Baek Ho.
She held her hand open, with her fingers together except for the thumb.
In a low voice, just like Baek Ho, she spoke.
"Descend."
This time, she spread her middle and ring fingers apart to form the shape of a bird's wings.
"Crow…."
"......"
"I saw a flock of crows appear through the window. Is that dark magic too?"
"Similar."
"The incantation seems a bit unique compared to what I know... Huh? Did you just laugh?"
"Laughing? Stop talking nonsense. If you're going to do that, go inside and do it with them."
"Hmm... Those people seem to misunderstand you... Why aren't you saying anything? You could just say it was me who saved you."
"Why bother? And I did it to protect myself."
"...That's a lie. If you wanted to protect yourself, you'd have used it on yourself, not lifted a heavy hovercar."
"Oh, that method existed? I'll keep that in mind for next time."
Baek Ho waved his hand dismissively.
He meant that he wanted to be left alone.
He meant that he was so tired he didn’t want to be bothered.
Nana, not understanding his intentions, kept feeling concerned about Baek Ho, who wanted to be alone.
"Don’t you have any questions for me, D? Those people have a ton of questions... everyone else did too... but you don’t seem to ask anything."
"So the reason you came out here was because those guys were bothering you?"
"Haha..."
Nana, caught off guard by the direct question, chuckled softly.
“So, don’t you have any questions for me?”
“Why would I?”
“Hmm... Now that you mention it... was I acting a bit like a celebrity? Haha...”
Seeing Nana’s awkward laugh, Baek Ho responded.
“Yeah, a celebrity. Actually, I just got curious about something.”
“Go ahead... you’re making me nervous now…”
“Would you really give up all the wealth and fame you've earned, just to walk away from it? Is what you’re doing now really worth it?”
“…What?”
“I’m asking if it’s really necessary for you to sacrifice yourself for other undead.”
Nana opened her mouth, taken aback by the unexpected question.
She had always assumed her actions were obvious, so it took her a moment to find an answer.
"Well, it's because it’s the right thing to do... because this situation happened because of my ability... and the only person who can fix it is me...."
"Is that so?"
"...Is that all?"
"Yeah."
Baek Ho closed his eyes.
Seeing that, Nana bit her lips and slowly nodded her head.
"Now I understand why you're comfortable."
"......"
Baek Ho didn’t respond, and Nana continued.
"You probably felt at ease knowing that I wasn’t interested in you. No matter what I did, I always had to watch my surroundings… I had to stay on edge so I wouldn’t be disliked… I never had a day where I could just relax… popularity… ranking… money…"
Nana pulled her knees toward her chest and buried her face in them as she continued speaking.
"Now I get it… I wasn’t trying to sacrifice myself for others… I just… wanted to get away from people’s eyes… it was probably a good excuse to disappear… What’s wrong with me?"
Nana turned her head to the other side, wiping her tears away.
Though it wasn’t sadness she was feeling, tears still flowed.
She’d been like this ever since realizing how her abilities were being used this way.
No, even before that, it seemed she had sometimes cried without any reason.
"You wanted to tell me that, didn’t you...?"
"......"
"Yeah… Now I feel a little lighter… I’m running away for myself… I don’t have to feel burdened like I’m some sort of savior… Thank you for letting me know..."
Nana smiled weakly and looked to the side.
Baek Ho had already leaned against the tree, fast asleep.
"...Wait, are you seriously sleeping?"
"......"
"Wow… you really are something…"
He fell asleep with her right there beside him.
Unknowingly, a part of her pride was hurt.
But then again, he might have been drunk.
Or maybe he was just really tired.
Hadn’t he been staying awake since meeting her yesterday without a single moment of rest?
And he wasn’t even an undead, but a human.
Thinking about that made her feel somewhat convinced and at ease.
"Right… it’s my voice, huh… even the CEO has asked me to do it from time to time..."
With a sigh, she put on her night vision goggles.
Since things had come to this, she decided she’d stand guard until Baek Ho woke up.
＊ ＊ ＊
They had been on the move since early morning.
They cleaned up their camp and left the green forest behind.
Passing through the faintly remaining road, they arrived at a concrete jungle overtaken by massive plants.
The old city, surrounded by dense bushes.
It was a cleared area, so there were no traces of the beasts, but it didn’t seem very safe.
The heavy stillness was unsettling.
The Liberation Army trio was preparing food inside a building that was barely standing, with only its frame left.
Today's menu was special combat rations for the commander.
It was a high-end dish that only certain people could eat, and it was something Elise had packed for Baek Ho.
"Did you guys see it yesterday?"
The one with the Ox Mask, who was cutting a steak, spoke to the other two members.
"What?"
"D and Edelin Nana."
"Yeah, they didn’t move an inch until they woke up."
"They looked like a perfect couple..."
The three of them quietly exchanged words.
The topic of their conversation was last night, in the trench.
It was about Baek Ho, who had slept leaning on Nana’s shoulder, and Nana, who had quietly let him rest like that.
"Then, does Nana know who D really is...?"
"I don't know, but probably?"
"Which family does he belong to, messing around with the Goddess of UnderHeaven?"
The three of them shifted their gazes, hidden behind their masks, toward Baek Ho and Nana, who were sitting by a window with no glass.
There hadn't been much conversation, but there was no sign of discomfort either.
"Could he be from one of the Seven Mega Corporations? The captain seemed really insistent about it..."
The guy with the Ox Mask made a guess, causing the others to chuckle.
"Ugh, did this guy breathe too much smog or something?"
"Those people live in a whole different world. He came out? A whole army would follow."
"Really...?"
"Yeah, and the families of the Seven Mega Corporations can't even date freely. I heard they can't marry or even have kids unless they're allowed."
"Huh? Seriously?"
"Yeah, if you look at the news, even the commander hasn't married or had kids. Other corporations are probably the same."
"Do you think it's because of the heir competition?"
"Who knows..."
"But someone like Edelin Nana might be allowed to date, right?"
"Well... that's true. It could help the company's image..."
The conversation gradually shifted to imagining Nana dating the heir of one of the Seven Mega Corporations.
"It won’t be easy."
"Of course not. Did you see her praying earlier? The head of the Seven Great Necromancer families, praying alongside a cult member?"
"Isn’t that the Church of Light? The place with the healers and hunters?"
"Yeah. They said that back then, a single divine spell could save someone from death."
"Wow, divine magic. That sounds like something out of a fairy tale."
"Her family must be strongly opposed to it..."
"That’s not all. I overheard Elise talking. Edelin Nana’s been struggling with severe depression..."
As the three of them exchanged meaningless gossip, Baek Ho was quietly reviewing their remaining plans, keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings.
"D, how much longer until we arrive?"
"Well, we should get there by evening."
"It really feels like it's coming to an end..."
"Actually, it'll be tomorrow. We still need to take care of the final preparations."
"It’s a little sad..."
"Why’s that?"
"I don’t know... it felt like I was on a trip… No, wait. Maybe it was more like an adventure."
Nana smiled.
Baek Ho was about to say something about not underestimating the situation outside, but he held back.
It seemed like they’d successfully evaded their pursuers.
As long as things continued smoothly like this, there wouldn't be any problems.
A while later, a neatly arranged meal was served on a table made from a wooden crate.
There were soups, steaks, and even fried food.
There was more to eat than at most restaurants in the city.
“Wow… when did you guys... You really do seem like people who live outside...”
“Haha, well, it’s pretty much the same.”
“You always seem so relaxed, too. You’re amazing!”
“Not so much relaxed, but more confident about being outside... Haha.”
“By the way, Nana, you seem a lot brighter today~.”
As the Chicken Mask casually brought it up, the Pig Mask, who had been grinning, clapped his hands.
“Yeah, right? I wonder who’s responsible for that. Haha.”
The Pig Mask gave a thumbs up to the Ox Mask.
The three of them usually got along well, but the Ox Mask didn’t seem like he was in the mood to participate.
“Enough. Let’s just eat. It’s okay, right, Necromancer?”
“Do whatever.”
At Baek Ho’s response, the Ox Mask lifted his fork.
He was about to put it in his mouth but bumped into the mask he was wearing.
Realizing his mistake, he half-pulled the mask off when—
Perrrk!
A hole appeared in his chest, and pieces of flesh and blood scattered across the table.
“Ahh!”
“Ugh!”
“Damn it!”
In the blink of an eye, the disaster struck, and Nana froze.
The Chicken Mask and Pig Mask hurriedly helped the Ox Mask.
A bullet had passed through his back, tearing apart the inside of his body.
Though he'd narrowly missed the vital points, it was still a wound that could have been fatal.
“Use this!”
Baek Ho tossed an emergency potion to the Chicken Mask.
With his left hand, he grabbed Nana and pulled her toward the Liberation Army members.
With his right hand, he formed the seal of the Dragon and quickly whispered a chant.
“Manifest—Blood of the Beast. Dragon's Horn Scale.”
A large black hole appeared above their heads.
Several large, thick black scales shot out and fell around the group.
Each scale was larger than a person, covering the five of them without leaving any gaps.
Boom—!
The scales were struck by the shockwave.
A mana imbued bullet.
But it didn’t penetrate the scales of the serpent.
“Ggh…”
The Ox Mask spat out blood.
The other two began administering first aid.
Baek Ho, while sitting Nana down on the ground to calm her, shouted at the Chicken Mask.
“Spray the potion on the wound!”
He slipped out through the gap between the scales.
He focused his mind.
He kept his eyes on the spot where the bullet had come from and awakened his only subordinate.
{The coma state of ‘Friend,’ the subordinate, has been released.}
{‘Friend’ now has 100% of their mana.}
{Would you like to switch to maximum output mode?}
{You have accepted.}
Soon, a loud roar erupted from the corner of the building.
“…Frank’s been kidnapped!”
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[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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